The Twelve Supreme Masters Assembled!
The Twelve Supreme Masters (열두존자, Yeoldujonja) refers to twelve legendary gosu that were active during the days of the Old Murim Alliance.[1]
Overview[]
While they are collectively known as the Twelve Supreme Masters, each member hails from different factions of the righteous and chaotic murim.[2] Prior to the war against the Asura Blood Sect, the chaotic and righteous factions were at odds with each other. However, despite their differences, they were all considered the greatest martial artists of their time (While there were many gosu who rivaled them, the Twelve Supreme Masters were the most famous and well known by the people of the murim). Goo Hwi and Hong Ye-Mong alone were already considered among the mightiest warriors of the era whose names will be recorded in the annals of murim history and the same can likely be said for the rest of the Supreme Masters.[3]
As the ones who led the war against the Asura Blood Sect and saved the Middle Kingdom, the Twelve Supreme Masters are revered by the people of the murim even many decades after the war has ended. Though the Twelve Supreme Masters were already famed for their martial arts prowess before the war, they seemed to have ascended to an even more legendary status post-war. Their words carry tremendous weight through both fear and admiration, and even the most powerful and confident of their enemies have no choice but to be wary of their strength.
Of the Twelve Supreme Masters, only six have been introduced so far.
Members[]
Righteous Murim[]
Chaotic Murim[]
History[]
Search for the Golden Castle[]
As Goo Hwi trained his inner ki under a waterfall, he was knocked out by a lightning bolt strike to the head.[4] He was captured and turned in to the authorities by a wandering bounty hunter named Yongbi. Eventually, he escaped with Yul Mugi, a boy he met earlier. After reaching the Black Snake's stronghold, he was confronted by Asura Blood Sect members Cruel Moon Archdemon and his bodyguards who then abducted Yul Mugi as he held the key to finding the legendary Golden Castle. Goo Hwi was fatally wounded in his brief clash with Cruel Moon Archdemon and was left to die as his stronghold burned around him but fortunately for him, his savior arrived soon after which turned out to be none other than Yongbi, much to Goo Hwi's displeasure.
Our heroes travel to the Muhae Valley
Hong Ye-Mong was at the forefront of the search for the Golden Castle having been the one to trick Yongbi into joining the search to begin with. Though she planned to stay in the shadows and let Yongbi do all the work, she was eventually forced to enter the fray. Hong Ye-Mong defeated Cruel Moon Archdemon's clone and saved the abducted Yul Mugi, and later saved Yongbi's life after he was incapacitated by the traitorous Sanggwan Chaek. After they procured the location of the Golden Castle from Yul Mugi, she and Yongbi accompanied the boy to the Muhae Valley to find the castle. With his disciple Sanggwan Chaek involved with the events surrounding the demonists, Hyeon Jae-Yang also journeyed to the Muhae Valley, joining up with Yongbi's group along the way. Goo Hwi also traveled to the Muhae Valley, not in search of the Golden Castle but to take revenge on Yongbi and Cruel Moon Archdemon. The Murim High Lord (Enlightened Eminence) was not personally involved but he sent many skilled agents (including Ilgak) to find the Golden Castle and Lightning God's Blue Dragon Sword, and to retrieve Yul Mugi.
Later, near the Golden Castle, Hong Ye-Mong fought Cruel Moon Archdemon and his bodyguards but they managed to escape. Soon after, Goo Hwi encountered and finally killed Cruel Moon Archdemon. Then Hyeon Jae-Yang had a brief conversation with Mad Blood Archdemon who promised an invasion from the Blood Sect in the next ten years.[5] Following that conversation, Hyeon Jae-Yang fought and accidentally killed Sanggwan Chaek who wielded the Lightning God's Blue Dragon Sword at the time but he was severely injured after the sword's spectre took control of Sanggwan Chaek's body. Ilgak saved his life by re-correcting his ki flow. Yongbi also arrived and fought off the Lightning God's Blue Dragon Sword. Eventually, the eruption of the volcano they were in forced the Supreme Masters to flee the Muhae Valley. With the destruction of the Golden Castle, the Supreme Masters resumed their normal lives again.
War against the Asura Blood Sect[]
- Main article: Second Asura Blood Sect War
Sa Paecheon Kills two of the Twelve Supreme Masters
After at least a decade as Mad Blood Archdemon had promised, the Asura Blood Sect from the north invaded the Middle Kingdom. Against the greatest enemy they'd ever faced, the Murim Alliance of righteous factions formed a grand coalition with the chaotic factions to confront them.[6] The Twelve Supreme Masters themselves led the war at the front.[7] As the war raged on, Sa Paecheon clashed with the incredibly powerful Prelate, Infinite Divine Archdemon, who spearheaded the Blood Sect's assault. Pushed to his absolute limits, Sa Paecheon managed to defeat Infinite Divine Archdemon. After that, he was accosted by two of the Twelve Supreme Masters trying to settle a personal score. In the turmoil he killed them, earning the ire of Hong Ye-Mong, Yongbi and Goo Hwi who attacked him one after the other.[8] At one point, Goo Hwi and Yongbi also clashed with the Grand Prelate Okcheonbi at the same time which ended with Okcheonbi getting defeated and his pressure points destroyed, rendering him unable to use ki-based techniques.[9] Eventually, the long and fierce war ended with the Blood Sect's defeat but the Pyrrhic victory left the Murim Alliance in tatters and many survivors of the war abandoned the alliance for various reasons.[6] The only Supreme Masters known to have survived the war are Hong Ye-Mong, Hyeon Jae-Yang, Goo Hwi, Sa Paecheon and the Celestial Eminence.
Post-War[]
After the great war against the Asura Blood Sect, those that have fought in the war settled down in an area that came to be known as the Sage Forest. Of the Twelve Supreme Masters, only Goo Hwi and Hong Ye-Mong are known to live there.[7] Sa Paecheon went on to form Paelim Hall, a group consisting of vengeful men whose factions he had slaughtered and who wanted him dead but did not have the strength to kill him; the group colloquially became known as the Wild Dogs.[1][10] At one point, Sa Paecheon encountered and fought the Heavenly Destroyer but the fight ended up being postponed.[11] When the Heavenly Destruction Sect terrorized the entire murim, the Sage Forest did not get involved and Goo Hwi even claimed that he never heard of the Heavenly Destroyer before.[12]
Rise of the Revived Heavenly Destruction Sect[]
Hong Ye-Mong prevents the war
Many years later, Sa Paecheon fought the Heavenly Destroyer's disciple Gang Ryong. After a fierce and arduous battle, Sa Paecheon was slain.[8] Soon after, with the threat of the Revived Heavenly Destruction Sect looming over the murim, Hong Ye-Mong, Goo Hwi, and Yongbi decided to take action.[7] At the request of Goo Hwi and Yongbi, Hong Ye-Mong went to Yellow Dragon Mountain and prevented a clash between the Pro-Heavenly Destruction Alliance and a coalition consisting of the Baekma Valley, the Pungjin Sect, and the Murim Alliance remnants. Using her legendary reputation along with threat of the Sage Forest getting involved in the matter, Hong Ye-Mong had the Pro-Heavenly Destruction Alliance withdraw. Meanwhile, Goo Hwi and Yongbi met with Hyeol Bi, the leader of the Revived Heavenly Destruction Sect. Goo Hwi proposed a showdown between the champions from both sides instead of a full scale war. Hyeol Bi requests that Goo Hwi and Yongbi participate in the battle as well and Goo Hwi readily accepted the terms.[13]
Goo Hwi (background) fighting Okcheonbi's clone
Later, the chosen champions of the murim faced off against the warriors of the Revived Heavenly Destruction Sect with Goo Hwi and Yongbi determined to fight Hyeol Bi. Initially, their plan was to have Goo Hwi fight with Hyeol Bi while Yongbi and Ilgak infiltrated the Sky Gorge Mountain but the timely arrival of Gang Ryong ensured that all three elders could sneak in instead.[14] As the three elders made their way into an area known as the Crouching Devil Palace, Yongbi accidentally knocked down a barrier stone, alerting Hwan Sa to their presence and triggered a trap. After they cleared the trap, the three elders were greeted by Okcheonbi, the Grand Prelate of the Asura Blood Sect who was thought to be long dead.[15] After a brief exchange of words, Goo Hwi clashed with the Grand Prelate.[16] In their ensuing battle, Goo Hwi took down Okcheonbi's clone and found another "Okcheonbi" (later revealed to be another clone) in a nearby room, decaying and chained to a chair. The clone proceeded to reveal exaggerated and false information about the Dan and himself before tasking the elderly trio with finding and destroying the Dan (
Alternate Translations[]
- 12 Sages (LINE)
Notes & Trivia[]
- The Prelates of the Asura Blood Sect were so strong that not even the Twelve Supreme Masters could guarantee victory against them.[20]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chapter 68
- ↑ Chapter 14 (Yongbi)
- ↑ Chapter 55 (Yongbi)
- ↑ Chapter 13 (Yongbi)
- ↑ Chapter 119 (Yongbi)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chapter 42
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Chapter 138
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chapter 78
- ↑ Chapter 201
- ↑ Chapter 72
- ↑ Chapter 76
- ↑ Chapter 57
- ↑ Chapter 140
- ↑ Chapter 151
- ↑ Chapter 158
- ↑ Chapter 167
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Chapter 188
- ↑ Chapter 189
- ↑ Chapter 170
- ↑ Chapter 51 (Yongbi)