《The Undefeatable Swordsman》


 Chapter 1. Dream Awakening (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1. Dream Awakening (1)</h4>


    "Aigoo, this boy!"


    Song Dae-Woong knew that his son was in trouble again. Hearing the sound of something shattering, he ran over to see what had happened.


    As expected, his son, Song Woo-Moon, had failed at washing dishes and broken yet another bowl.


    "You!" shouted Dae-Woong, the bulky owner of Deungpeyong Inn, as he dashed across the room with a broom in his hands.


    One of the customers, Mr. Roh, watched in excitement.


    <i>''Such speed and precision! He moves as if he was a murim master,''</i> Mr. Roh thought to himself.


    "Ouch! Daddy!" Woo-Moon eximed. He was fidgeting restlessly as he stared at the broken bowl with a nk gaze. The moment his father rushed into the room, his legs gave out and he put his hands up, as if to protect his head.


    "Kid! You''re such a disgrace! You¡¯re already twenty, yet you still can''t wash dishes properly!"


    Woo-Moon was Dae-Woong''s eldest son, and also a fool. He would always walk around with his mouth agape and a nk expression on his face.


    From a very young age, he had been exceptionally clever, to the surprise of many. However, as he grew up, problems left behind by minor illnesses that he had caught over the years had umted in him, resulting in a poor constitution. As a result, he had grown meek and resigned. Nevertheless, his intelligence had not dimmed in the slightest.


    However, from a certain point onward, he had suddenly be healthier, while his mind had actually declined. In the end, he had be the way he was now¡ªa healthy and strong fool.


    <i>¡®It''s all because of that damn fake immortal!¡¯</i>


    An old sage had visited the inn when Woo-Moon was ten. Dae-Woong strongly believed that his son had be a fool due to that incident.


    "It hurts! Daddy! Stop!"


    "Stop? You pathetic idiot! Imbecile! A disgrace to the family! Even if you can''t match up to your younger brother, you should still be better than the boy next door who wets his bed! But look at what you¡¯re doing! You can''t even wash the dishes properly! You''re better off dead! Just die already!"


    "<i>Argh!</i>"


    Woo-Moon couldn''t endure the beating and ran out of the kitchen, only to crash into something on the way out.


    "<i>Ahhh!</i>"


    Woo-Moon had crashed into the table upied by Mr. Roh and his son and flipped it over.


    "Woo-Moon! What the hell!" Mr. Roh burst into anger.


    He was the owner of the cloth shop on the streets. The bowl of noodles he had been enjoying was now on his head, with strands of noodles peeking out from under the bowl. His young son couldn''t help but explode into a fit ofughter upon seeing hisical appearance.


    "Oh no! I¡¯m so sorry, Mr. Roh! You know how my son is. Please calm down. I''ll bring you another bowl of noodles." Dae-Woong panicked and tried to pacify Mr. Roh.


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moon continued on his escape route, but stopped abruptly at the inn door.


    "<i>Hehe...</i>" Woo-Moon broke into a silly smile as he stared at thendscape painting hanging on the wall. The author of the painting was the same person whom Dae-Woong had been cursing daily for being a scammer and a fake sage.


    No matter what Woo-Moon was doing, the moment his eyes fell on thendscape painting, he would be mesmerized by it.


    After barely soothing Mr. Roh¡¯s anger and cleaning up the mess, Dae-Woong begrudgingly added a few more slices of meat to the new bowls of noodles and brought them to Mr. Roh and his son. His attention then shifted to his son, who was standing at the inn entrance like an idiot and staring at the sickeningndscape painting again.


    Infuriated, Dae-Woong grabbed the chopsticks holder from the nearest table and threw it at Woo-Moon.


    "I don''t want to see you! Get out, bastard!"


    "Argh!" Woo-Moon came back to his senses when the object flying at him made contact with his head. He ran out furiously, without looking at the path ahead. And in a bad streak of luck, he almost crashed into a woman on his way.


    "Watch your path, kid!" A warrior, seemingly in histe thirties, pushed Woo-Moon away just before he bumped into the woman.


    "Oh my!" eximed the beautiful woman beside the warrior. She was dressed in red, with a veil over her face.


    "Ouch!" Woo-Moon fell on his back. As the tall and slender woman stared at him, he rubbed his sore butt with a nk look on his face.


    "Senseless idiot! You''ve scared our young mistress! Hurry up and apologize!" the middle-aged warrior roared in anger. The five younger warriors behind him immediately stepped forward.


    "Song Woo-Moon, you bloody imbecile!"


    "We''ll teach him a lesson!" the five younger warriors proimed to thedy-in-red in an attempt to gain her favor, even though she hadn¡¯t requested it.


    In fact, the five young men knew Woo-Moon since they were kids and could be considered childhood friends. They had followed Woo-Moon around like he was the leader of their group. However, they had eventually be bullies, and he had be their target.


    "Stop it." Just as Woo-Moon was about to take a hit, the beautiful woman raised her hand, gesturing to the men to stop. "Bullying the weak is not right."


    Sensing the tension and fearing a beating, Song Woo-Moon jumped up and ran off. However, his day only worsened when he bumped into another group of people around the corner.


    "Ugh!" He rolled backward when the pale-faced man he had bumped into shoved him away.


    "How dare you!" the young man shouted sharply as he looked down at the muddied Woo-Moon before finally noticing the beautiful woman in red.


    "Oh! I didn¡¯t see you there, dear Si-Hyeon."


    The young man licked his lips as he ogled thedy¡¯s body.


    The beautiful woman, Yeon Si-Hyeon, frowned under her veil. She was the precious young mistress of the Leebi Merchant Guild.


    "You son of a bitch..." Si-Hyeon murmured under her breath. The young man could hear her saying something but couldn''t figure out what it was.


    "What? What did you just say?" he questioned.


    "Hmm? No, I didn¡¯t say anything," answered Si-Hyeon with an indifferent expression.


    The young man¡¯s expression distorted as he bit down on his lips.


    The Leebi Merchant Guild and the Guan-Un Martial Arts School were influential organizations in this area, and their two sessors were now engaged in a war of nerves.


    In the midst of it, Dae-Woong came out due to the disturbance and saw his son covered in dirt. He ran forward with a heavy heart. "Oh, my! Kiddo! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"


    "<i>Heh... hehe,</i> Daddy..."


    After the young man had pushed him, Woo-Moon had rolled on the ground and ended up with a bleeding wound on his head. Yet, he was still shing a foolish smile to his father, despite all that. Tears started to pool in Dae-Woong''s eyes.


    "<i>Aigooo, aigoo.</i> I can''t live my destined life because of this guy," murmured Dae-Woong under his breath as he pulled his son into an embrace.


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moon continued staring at the ground with a nk face. <i>They</i> started appearing, in his eyes and in his mind¡ªeach stroke of thatndscape painting, each line borately drawn with a very thin brush. They were alive and moving fiercely.


    Woo-Moon''s brain cells always reached their limit whenever he thought of thoseplicated and difficult movements. But he couldn''t stop, and he wouldn¡¯t have stopped even if he had been able to.


    As a result, as long as he used most of his brain cells on thendscape painting¡¯s hermetic interpretation, others continued to see him as a fool.


    "<i>Heh... hehe.</i>"


    The movement of the lines entranced him. Witnessing,prehending, feeling, and learning this beautiful dance made Woo-Moon feel blissful.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s twentieth birthday passed by like that.


    ***


    Dae-Woong had been very strong since he was young. Even before he was fifteen, he had arm-wrestled against all the local men and won. However, an unexpected incident left him gravely injured. He lost his memories and wound up in the vige as a lone orphan. Thankfully, the kind-hearted local magistrate blessed him with food and shelter.


    In the year when Dae-Woong turned fifteen, the magistrate died due to an unexpected mishap, and his family was forced to move to another ce. However, Dae-Woong remained in the vige.


    He built a small hut at the foot of the mountain near the vige and utilized his innate strength to cut down trees and gather wood for a living. Over the years, he even managed to save up some money.


    Everything was going well, but he was still single at the age of twenty-five. He hadn¡¯t been giving much thought to his situation, not to mention his standards for the opposite gender were too high.


    "It¡¯s a given. None of the girls in the vige is qualified to be my wife." That was what Dae-Woong always said.


    Just when he finally decided to go on an expedition to another vige in search of a bride, he came across the woman who wouldter be the mother of his sons, Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang.


    Just like Dae-Woong¡¯s first appearance, she also arrived at the vige with injuries all over. She was alone, with a sword at her waist, and the vigers avoided her, saying she might be from the <i>murim</i>[1]. However, Dae-Woong fell in love with the woman, Baek Jin-Jin, at first sight. He approached and proposed to her without hesitation.


    Jin-Jin outrightly ignored Dae-Woong and dered that she would stay single. That same day, she sought shelter in the house of a widow in the vige.


    Nevertheless, Dae-Woong never gave up. He kept proposing to her, like an unwavering tree that not even storms could fell.


    However, he was unable to convince Jin-Jin to marry him despite proposing thirty times. Even after a hundred tries, her answer didn¡¯t change.


    Eventually, even the vigers began to help him persuade Jin-Jin. By the 120th proposal, Dae-Woong finally won Jin-Jin''s heart.


    After marrying her, Dae-Woong opened an inn with the money he had saved up. After some time, Woo-Moon, the first fruit of love between them, was born.


    However, Jin-Jin was physically weak, and her health only worsened after giving birth to Woo-Moon. After the birth of their second son, Woo-Gang, Jin-Jin became so weak that she couldn¡¯t even endure the slightest cold wind.


    For this reason, Song Dae-Woong spent most of the profits they earned from the inn to pay for his wife''s medical bills.


    Whenever his wife cried because she felt sorry for their situation, Dae-Woong pounded his chest, saying, "It''s alright! How can I call myself a man if I can¡¯t even afford my wife¡¯s medicine? Don''t worry about anything! Just take care of yourself, okay?"


    Woo-Moon, Dae-Woong¡¯s first son, looked just like his mom. He was handsome, slender, and incredibly smart. But being extremely intelligent was a double-edged sword, since it gave him an entric side. He had no hesitation in expressing how he felt and refused to do anything he disliked.


    At one point, Dae-Woong sighed at his son''s personality. "He resembles you in most aspects, but why didn¡¯t he inherit your personality?"


    Jin-Jin replied with a soft smile, "I was like that as well before I got sick. Personalities change when healthy people be ill."


    As Woo-Moon grew up, his physical constitution weakened like his mother''s, and he began to turn meek.


    On the other hand, Woo-Gang inherited the strengths of both his father and his mother. He was born strong and made other boys three or four years older than him cry, while his intelligence was by no means inferior to his older brother¡¯s.


    When Woo-Moon was ten and Woo-Gang was seven, members of the Mount Hua Sect boarded at the inn and coincidentally saw the two of them.


    * * *


    "Hey, kid! What are you doing? Let''s go," the man instructed Woo-Gang.


    Though his body was fragile, Woo-Moon was always cheerful. However, at this moment, he was radiating a deep sadness unfit for his age as he stared nkly at the back of his younger brother, who was departing.


    Despite the immense hardships in life, Woo-Moon neverined and epted himself for who he was. No matter how sick he was, he didn''t express his feelings and thoughts to avoid making his parents worry. He couldn¡¯t help but be concerned about his mother even though he was sick as well. Tears welled up around his eyes.


    Dae-Woong felt so sorry for Woo-Moon, who watched his younger brother leave to be a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect. Before he knew it, his eyes were filled with tears as well. His heart ached.


    <i>¡®How disappointed and sad could he be? The world is so unfair to him just because he¡¯s weak.¡¯</i>


    From a very young age, his two sons had the same interests. Whether the story was about a chivalrous <i>murim </i>hero, or the life of an unknown martial artist, such tales would fascinate them. Well, any child at that age envied the fascinating adventures that were associated with the <i>murim</i>, but it was far more so for his two sons.


    And soon, an opportunity finally presented itself. A group of travelers from the Mount Hua Sect, famous for their swordsmanship, arrived in this small town.


    As soon as he saw the swordsmen, Dae-Woong was as excited as a child, even though he was already a married man, and pride filled him up when they recognized his sons¡¯ intelligence.


    However, he felt uneasy when they seemed disappointed after checking Woo-Moon''s body a few times and then announcing they only wanted Woo-Gang as their disciple. Even though his eldest son pretended to be unaffected in front of his younger brother, there was no way Dae-Woong couldn¡¯t feel his sorrow. How could he smile in satisfaction when one of his children was like that?


    "Are you disappointed?" Dae-Woong asked.


    There was a deeper meaning to that question.


    Woo-Moon, staring at the back of his younger brother and the members of the Mount Hua Sect nkly, soon smiled brightly. He looked to his father and answered, "No, Daddy. It''s okay. It doesn''t matter."


    At that moment, a slender, thin hand grabbed Woo-Moon''s hand.


    "Mother..." Woo-Moon called out.


    Before they knew it, Jin-Jin hade out and was now holding her son''s hand tightly. She didn''t say anything, but her eyes shone with warmth.


    "Why did youe all the way here? You¡¯ll start coughing all day once you¡¯re exposed to the cold air. Go back inside! Hurry!"


    Led by Dae-Woong, Jin-Jin followed him as she weakly said, "I''m still worried, honey. <i>The murim </i>isn''t just a splendid dream... It''s a lonely and heartless ce..."


    "Let him be, honey. I couldn¡¯t dissuade him when he desired that opportunity so dearly."


    The family went back into the inn, and the cook whipped up a sumptuous dinner for them.


    After the meal, Woo-Moon said goodnight to his parents and returned to his room calmly. As soon as the door was closed, tears flowed from his eyes. He cried, covering his mouth with a nket out of fear of his parents hearing him. It was an unfair, miserable, and sad day.


    <i>¡®I can do it too. Even if I''m weaker than others, I can join the murim. I''m confident I can learn martial arts and be a great warrior, one better than anyone else!¡¯</i>


    The innate weakness that had gued him since he was young hampered him again.


    <i>¡®Why am I weaker than others? Why is my life harder than others? Why wasn''t I chosen by the people of Mount Hua?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon cried for a long time.


    ~


    "Huh?! Whaaaat?!"


    Woo-Moon suddenly heard his father gasping in surprise. Hurriedly opening the window and looking downward, he witnessed an unbelievable scene.


    The streets werepletely empty. But there was an old daoist floating in the air right in front of the inn. He had silvery hair and a beard epassed his gracious and solemn face, making him look like the legendary Jade Emperor. The daoist slowly walked down what looked like invisible stairs, finally stepping onto the ground in front of the inn.


    "Wow, wow..." Woo-Moon''s jaw dropped.


    In no time, Woo-Moon ran down at an incredible speed, hurriedly opened the door of the inn, and red outside.


    The old man was real. He was not an illusion.


    Now standing on t ground, the old daoist smiled kindly.


    "I¡¯m quite hungry, child. Will you give me a bowl of noodles?" he asked Dae-Woong, who was standing next to Woo-Moon.


    1. Commonly known as <i>wulin</i> in Chinese novels, it refers to the world of martial organizations, e.g. sects and martial arts schools. ?

 Chapter 2. Dream Awakening (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2. Dream Awakening (2)</h4>


    Song Dae-Woong was in his mid-thirties and was definitely not a child, but he had no issues with the daoist calling him that. He quickly went inside the inn after hearing the old man¡¯s words.


    "Yes! I''ll inform the cook to prepare your order. Woo-Moon, show him the best seat."


    "Alright, Daddy! Follow me, sir!"


    In the eyes of the young Woo-Moon, the daoist was undoubtedly an immortal. If he had been a human, there was no way he could have walked in the sky like that.


    Woo-Moon guided the old daoist to the cleanest and warmest ce in the inn and provided him with the mostfortable chair avable.


    With a kind smile, the daoist said, "Thank you, child."


    "Don''t mention it, sir!" answered Woo-Moon.


    Even after speaking up, Woo-Moon didn''t leave the daoist''s side. He didn''t dare to start a conversation either. However, he watched every action of the daoist with sparkling eyes.


    As the daoist ate the noodles that Dae-Woong had diligently prepared and served him, he gave Woo-Moon a soft smile from time to time. After eating the noodles and the free dumplings that Dae-Woong added, the daoist stood up.


    "It was a delicious meal. How much is it?"


    "Oh, no. You don''t have to pay for the meal, sir. I''m honored to have the opportunity to serve you food! I won''t ept your money, so please don¡¯t worry about that!"


    Embarrassed, the daoist answered, "Huh... Even though I''m tight on funds, I don''t wish to cause trouble. <i>Hmm... </i>Can you get me some paper and a fine brush?"


    Dae-Woong''s eyes sparkled. He thought the daoist would write down a blessing for the inn and himself.


    <i>''The writings of a famous daoist in exchange for a bowl of noodles? I¡¯m definitely the one profiting!''</i>


    "Yes, please wait! I''ll be right back!"


    Dae-Woong searched quickly and found some paper in the house, but he couldn''t find a brush. He tried to send his son out to buy a fine brush, but seeing how mesmerized his son was over the daoist, he headed out with a bitter smile.


    Dae-Woong rushed as fast as he could, afraid that the old daoist would leave while he was away. Although he was afraid to ask the daoist about his identity, what really mattered was that the man was clearly an immortal.


    <i>''If he''s an immortal, does his name even matter?''</i>


    Meanwhile, the old daoist nodded at Song Woo-Moon, who was sitting next to him. "You really wanted to learn martial arts, huh? You even cried."


    At that moment, Song Woo-Moon''s face turned red. Rather than being perplexed over how the old daoist knew about it, he was more embarrassed about his actions.


    "Oh, no! I didn''t cry. How can a man show tears over such a thing?"


    A smile appeared on the daoist''s lips. He found Woo-Moon''s prideful response adorable.


    Just then, Dae-Woong returned.


    <i>Huff, huff! </i>"Here... Here you go!"


    "Thank you. Since you don''t wish to ept my money, I''ll draw you andscape painting with my poor skills instead."


    The daoist then spread the paper out on the table and started to paint.


    <i>Swoosh... Swoosh.</i>


    The brushwork was fluid. At first, it seemed like the daoist was painting without much thought. However, as time went by, Dae-Woong and Woo-Moon stood there with their mouths agape.


    The scribble-like lines gradually changed, forming distinctive mountains and water. Various trees and animals then came alive in the painting.


    Just then, Woo-Moon noticed something unusual.


    <i>''Huh? I''m sure the brush never went there.''</i>


    Ink appeared in ces the brush had never touched.


    <i>''Wow! Is this yet another skill of an immortal?''</i>


    After a while, thendscape painting waspleted.


    "There we go. The drawing isplete. I hope you cherish it, because I drew it with affection and gratitude. I shall take my leave."


    After his remarks, the old daoist left the inn without hesitation.


    Dae-Woong rushed out and shouted, "Sir, wait a minute! Please tell me your name!"


    ¡°Ha-ha, you don¡¯t need to know the name of a forgotten old man. I¡¯m just a member of the Celestial Sect."


    Meanwhile, Song Woo-Moon was engrossed with thendscape painting. Soon, he heard a voice, ¡°The Path is neither beneficial nor harmful to anyone, but it is also equally beneficial and harmful to all things in existence. Knowing many things does not mean that you have understood them, and understanding many things does not mean that you actually know them. And even if you understand and know many things, it does not mean you have be a saint."


    Only Woo-Moon heard the old daoist¡¯s words. As he stood in front of thendscape painting and was lost in thought with a nk expression, he heard thest sentence, "... now I havepleted my task in this world.¡±


    The words Song Woo-Moon had heard earlier were phrases from Laozi''s <i>Dao De Jing</i> [1]. Laozi was the sect master of the Celestial Sect, also known as the Five Pecks of Rice Sect.


    Woo-Moon understood neither what it meant to be a member of the Celestial Sect, nor the meaning behind the phrases of <i>Dao De Jing</i>. He was just immersed in the ecstatic movements within thendscape painting, but he woke up after hearing thest words the old daoist had left.


    Two martial arts could be obtained from thendscape painting. They were the Celestial Sect¡¯s Forbidden Divine Art and the Gentle Celestial Sword Art. These two arts invited Woo-Moon into another world¡ªone of limitless knowledge.


    That world of joy had not given up on Woo-Moon, and Woo-Moon himself did not n to let go of that world either. The mysterious power of thendscape painting forcibly upied over ny percent of Song Woo-Moon¡¯s brain cells, and he could only think, study, and learn about the two martial arts.


    Since then, Woo-Moon¡¯s health rapidly improved, which brought joy to Dae-Woong and his wife. On the other hand, Woo-Moon also appeared to be more and more foolish, which caused his parents even greater anxiety than the poor constitution he used to have.


    ***


    The Deungpyeong Inn, which also served as Woo-Moon''s and his family¡¯s residence, was located in Unhan, the area of Guangdong Province farthest from the sea. Forty kilometers away from Unhan and further ind was a huge sorghum field called Goryang ins.


    Ten days after Song Woo-Moon¡¯s twentieth birthday, a confrontation between two masters would be held there, on a level that caught the whole <i>murim</i>''s<i> </i>attention. One was the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon, one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors, and the other was the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong, one of the Six Rising Challengers.


    The confrontation between Absolute Masters representing the old generation and the new generation would set the stage for a new era.


    Therefore, the attention of all martial artists was focused on Goryang ins. In addition, many masters who rarely appeared in the public¡¯s eye were also heading toward Goryang ins.


    ***


    "Sigh. What are we going to do now..." Dae-Woongmented while looking at the ounts and calcting with his abacus. He continued to groan, repeatedly trying to make more sense of the figures while pushing the abacus beads.


    On the contrary, Woo-Moon had no thoughts to speak of, and he was staring at thendscape painting with his mouth nkly open, as always.


    Dae-Woong was grumbling about the inn¡¯s financial issues.


    "Why are we at such great losses? We¡¯re in big trouble."


    Sales had been on a decline, and this month, they had finally gone into the reds. Thinking about the cost of his wife¡¯s medicine, Dae-Woong felt dejected. At this rate, the future only looked bleaker and bleaker.


    <i>¡®We don''t have much money left, and if we continue to incur losses like this, we won''t be able to survive the winter...¡¯</i>


    Song Dae-woong sighed. These financial problems were making it very difficult for him to make a living for his family. Inevitably, Dae-Woong looked at Woo-Moon with resentful eyes.


    Despite being a grown man, his son still couldn¡¯t take care of himself. At sixteen years old, a man was supposed to be starting a family and taking responsibility beyond his own health, yet his twenty-year-old son was still living off him.


    Dae-Woong red at Song Woo-Moon and his gaze then naturallynded on thendscape painting on the wall.


    <i>¡®That damned thing! If it weren''t for that!¡¯</i>


    He couldn¡¯t throw it away despite wanting it too many times due to the fear that the daoist might be a real immortal.


    <i>¡®No matter how much I think about it, everything leads back to that painting. Ever since I hung it up there, Woo-Moon has turned into a fool. The daoist¡¯s definitely a scam.¡¯</i>


    Solidifying his determination, Dae-Woong stared fiercely at thendscape painting.


    Seemingly sensing his father¡¯s murderous intent toward the painting, Woo-Moon looked back at the former in surprise. He then stood in front of the painting, and shook his head at his father.


    "Get out of my way, kid! I''ll tear it up and burn it!"


    "No, Daddy!"


    Dae-Woong pushed Woo-Moon away and reached for thendscape painting. However, Woo-Moon desperately grabbed onto Dae-Woong¡¯s pants, so Dae-Woong couldn¡¯t stretch out and grab the painting. His arms were quite short, so that yed a role as well.


    "Let me go! You damn punk!"


    Dae-Woong had been famous for his strength since his youth. Now that he had gotten older, he could no longer demonstrate the same power as before, but he was still much stronger than the average man.


    However, Woo-Moon had just managed to pin him down.


    <i>¡®Huh? Has he always been this strong?¡¯</i>


    Dae-Woong failed to shake off Woo-Moon no matter how hard he tried.


    At that moment, the door of the inn suddenly opened and two people came in. They were an old daoist in a white uniform and a pretty teenage girl in red. The fight between Dae-Woong and Woo-Moon took them aback.


    "Erm...?"


    It was embarrassing to be seen fighting with his grown child. Dae-Woong¡¯s face turned red as he coughed awkwardly.


    "Ahem, ahem. Wee!¡±


    1. Dao De Jing (also spelled Tao Te Ching) is a fundamental Taoist text considered to be written by Laozi around 400 BC ?

 Chapter 3. Dream Awakening (3)

    <h4>Chapter 3. Dream Awakening (3)</h4>


    Since Dae-Woong had years of experience running an inn, he managed to quickly dispose of his embarrassment and guide the guests to the best seats left.


    "Tee-hee."


    The girl withrge eyes and distinctive double eyelids continued to smile and giggle at Woo-Moon. Perhaps she found the scene she had seen as soon as she entered the inn funny. Just like any adolescent girl of her age, once she burst intoughter, she couldn''t hold it in.


    Dae-Woong should''ve felt bad since she wasughing at his son, but he didn''t. After all, it had been so long since he hadst heard theughter of a youngdy.


    "What would you like to order?" Dae-Woong asked.


    In response, the old daoist looked at the girl.


    "Ah! Hmm... <i>Ahem, ahem. </i>Please bring a bowl of in noodles without meat for him, and I''d like to have a bowl of chicken noodles with meat dumplings."


    At the bright girl''s words, Dae-Woong smiled pleasantly and nodded. "Alright, please wait a minute."


    After Dae-Woong entered the kitchen to deliver the order to the cook, the old daoist frowned. "They''d likely feel offended if youugh like that, Doa. You have to abstain fromughing even if the situation is funny."


    Doa answered with a big smile. "Alright, I''m sorry, Old Sect Master! But what can I do? It was hrious. Honestly, it was funny to you too, wasn''t it? Hehehe."


    When Doa tucked her hands back and stuck out her tongue to act cute, the old daoist could no longer resist bursting intoughter. "You little girl... Hahaha."


    The old daoist, Jin Won-Myeong, continued to look and smile at Doa warmly.


    Doa then noticed Woo-Moon out of the corner of her eyes. He was looking at thendscape painting,pletely mesmerized.


    <i>''Is there anything special about thatndscape painting?''</i> Doa looked at it with curiosity, but she didn''t find anything out of the ordinary.


    When she tilted her head, Won-Myeong looked toward where Doa''s gaze fell¡ªan ordinary piece ofndscape painting on the wall.


    <i>''I''m sure it''s nothing special, but...''</i>


    "Oho!" Won-Myeong''s eyes grew bigger. He rose from his seat and walked toward thendscape painting.


    Woo-Moon''s eyes widened seeing Won-Myeong standing next to him staring at thendscape painting.


    "Oh, I don''t know who drew this, but the artist properly utilized the ssical drawing technique. It shouldn''t have been long ago when this was painted, but the drawing itself is amazing."


    Since Won-Myeong was generally interested in calligraphy and painting, he wanted to look at thendscape painting in more detail. However, the food was already being served at that moment.


    "Old Sect Master! Please return to your seat and eat."


    "Oh, yes. I''ming."


    Thendscape painting was interesting to Won-Myeong, but it couldn¡¯tpare to a pleasant meal with Doa, who was the disciple of his own disciple¡ªa grand-disciple of his, in other words.


    Just then, Dae-Woong suddenly recalled the package that he needed to send to his neighbor. However, since he couldn''t go because he had guests, he decided to order his ipetent son to do it.


    "Kid! Deliver this to Moon''s family. Make sure you say thank you, alright? This order''s alreadyte, I was supposed to have this delivered to them by lunch, so hurry up!"


    "No, Daddy! If I go, you''re going to throw away the painting."


    Woo-Moon''s words made Dae-Woong flinch.


    <i>''He''s weirdly sharp at times.''</i>


    "I''m not going to throw it away. Hurry up and go."


    "If you promise not to throw it away, I''ll go," Woo-Moon responded.


    "Hey!" roared Dae-Woong.


    <i>¡®If you make a promise, you should never break it.¡¯</i>


    Those were the first words Baek Jin-Jin told him after she had given birth and started raising their children. She firmly stated that she hated people who broke their promises the most and that she wouldn''t raise her sons like that. As a result, all members of their family valued keeping their promises more than anything else.


    Dae-Woong had firmly abided by those beliefs and principles since then. The words of his wife, who was more precious to him than his own life, had be his lifelong belief.


    "Sigh... Yes, I promise not to throw it away. Go ande back quickly."


    "Alright, Daddy!"


    Woo-Moon felt that he shouldn''t leave thendscape painting for some reason, but in the end he thought it would be okay since his father had promised. He took the things Dae-Woong handed him and headed out for delivery.


    After Woo-Moon left, Won-Myeong, who was eating noodles, felt something awry. Thendscape painting he had seen earlier piqued his interest.


    <i>''Something about it seems unusual. What is it? Why does it keep bothering me?''</i>


    Won-Myeong quickly finished his noodles, jumped out of his seat, and walked over to it.


    <i>''Profound energy? Yeah, that''s it!''</i>


    Thendscape painting had some kind of profound energy he couldn''t recognize. He was very surprised, both as a member of the <i>murim</i> and a daoist.


    <i>''What is thisndscape painting? How does a simple painting hold such strong remnants of profound energy?''</i>


    While thinking so, he suddenly noticed a part of the painting.


    A bird was holding a worm in its mouth, but it didn''t look satisfied. It was staring at therger worm the bird next to it had caught.


    Instantly, Won-Myeong''s mouth dropped agape.


    "Oho..."


    The unknowing realization and enlightenment had allowed him to break through the ninth wall of the Peerless Immacte Divine Arts, which had held him back thus far.


    A sudden pleasant wind emerged, flowing around him.


    "Whoa...." After taking a deep breath, he recovered his senses and looked at thendscape painting once more.


    He still didn''t know why this mystical energy was present in thisndscape painting. However, he had achieved a breakthrough in his martial arts simply byprehending the maxim "the grass is greener on the other side." It was a saying that was well-known by all, yet this painting had allowed him toprehend its very essence.


    <i>''Knowing an adage is different fromprehending it, as I could see from my own situation. And if I let my mind wander to another section, thatndscape painting would have given me a different realization ordingly.''</i>


    The enlightenment he had gained was as minuscule as a firefly in front of the full moon in the light of the entirendscape painting. Upon realizing that, Won-Myeong became certain.


    <i>''This is a priceless treasure for any daoist cultivator!''</i>


    Just then, Dae-Woong passed by him.


    "Excuse me, Inn Master."


    "Yes?"


    At that moment, Won-Myeong thought, <i>''Surely they aren''t aware of thisndscape painting''s value.''</i>


    There was no way they could ever know the potential of the martial arts in this painting. This was clear to Won-Myeong, as none of the people in this inn showed the characteristics of someone who had learned martial arts.


    Thendscape painting had great value for Won-Myeong, but it was just a simple drawing that was worth nothing to these people.


    Won-Myeong''s greed, which he thought he had already abandoned in the past, resurfaced in his heart. He felt apologetic to the owner''s son, who was clearly attached to the painting, but he thought that this result was inevitable.


    <i>''Pearls cast before swine ought to be retrieved and given to those who rightfully deserve them.''</i>


    "Can you sell this painting to me?"


    Dae-Woong''s eyes shed wide open. It was a good opportunity to dispose of the painting, which he found difficult to deal with. The buyer was a daoist too, so something like an unknown curse wouldn''t befall him. On the other hand, he wondered if this was a painting of really high value.


    "It''s a tough situation, but...."


    As Dae-Woong blurted out his words because he felt sorry for Woo-Moon, Won-Myeong interjected.


    "If you''re in need of money, why don''t you sell it to me? How much do you want? Name your price."


    "Hmm. Five gold taels...?" Dae-Woong answered, wondering if that was too high. Of course, it was right to call for a higher price when bargaining, but if that was too high, it could backfire.


    "Five gold taels? Alright. Hold on a second."


    Dae-Woong was surprised. Won-Myeong truly looked like he was going to buy the painting at that price.


    Won-Myeong looked at his purse and turned around.


    "Doa, didn''t you say you had two gold taels? Give them to me."


    "If I lend it to you now, you have to pay me three gold taelster."


    "Fine, just hurry up. Come on."


    "Alright!"


    Won-Myeong quickly handed Dae-Woong five gold taels, three of which were his and the other two from Doa.


    Dae-Woong received the money, overjoyed that he managed to sell the painting for an unimaginable price.


    <i>''Oh, heavens. FIVE gold taels!''</i>


    Dae-Woong''s hands trembled at the unthinkable sum of money. But then, he remembered the promise that he had made to his son. He felt ufortable breaking a promise which he himself knew should be upheld. However, the inn''s deplorable finances and his wife''s expensive medicine left him with no other choice.


    <i>''I feel bad for Woo-Moon, but if I buy him some meat with this money, it should all work out. And if he considers things even a little bit, he''ll be happy, because I''ll be able to buy his mother''s medication with this.''</i>


    Dae-Woong hurriedly rolled up the painting and handed it over to Won-Myeong, concerned that thetter would change his mind. "Here you go. Please have a safe journey."


    Dae-Woong seemed to be in a hurry for Won-Myeong to leave.


    However, Won-Myeong hesitated for a while because he felt something pricking at his conscience. As such, he eventually unfastened the old sword sheathed at his waist and put it on the table.


    "I don''t think I''ve paid enough, so please take this sword as well. And..."


    "Old Sect Master, that sword...!" Doa let out a shrill cry upon witnessing Won-Myeong hand over the old sword to Dae-Woong. Her eyes wererger than ever. However, Won-Myeong just pushed the old sword toward Dae-Woong without hesitation or even looking at Doa once.


    "I''ll exin the detailster, Doa. Stand down for now."


    "Eh?! But there¡¯s no way! It''s the Divine Frost Sword! How can you give it to¡ª"


    "Doa! Be quiet."


    "<i>Hmph</i>, this is ridiculous."


    Dae-Woong didn''t know the value of this old sword, but his heart was pounding hard. Listening to the conversation between the two, he could somewhat guess as to the worth of the sword. It had to be significant.


    <i>''This old daoist has got to be the god of fortune. He already gave me five gold taels, and now he''s also handing over such a precious sword.''</i>


    Won-Myeong left with thendscape painting in his hand. Doa trailed behind him, sulking.


    After a while, Woo-Moon entered the inn.


    "Dad, I''m ba¡ª"


    His eyes turned toward the empty wall. Thendscape painting was no longer there.


    Woo-Moon''s eyes, which had always been nk, suddenly gave off a cold gaze.


    <i>''He burned it, didn''t he? If it''s thrown away, I can just look for it. If it''s torn, I can put it back together even if it''s hard. However, there''s nothing I can do if he burned it.''</i>


    "<i>Cough, hmm</i>. Ah, you''re back." Dae-Woong faked a cough.


    Woo-Moon looked at his father with an icy stare. "Where''s thendscape painting?"


    Dae-Woong''s eyes grew bigger. Woo-Moon didn''t look as stupid as he usually did. Clearly, his son wasn''t happy. He had broken a promise, after all.


    "I-I don''t know."


    "You do! What did you do? Did you burn it?


    "No, punk!"


    "Did you tear it apart?"


    "No."


    "Did you throw it away?"


    "No."


    Woo-Moon could figure out better than anyone else whether Dae-Woong''s words were false or not¡ªhis father was evidently telling the truth, but not the whole truth.


    Just then, Woo-Moon suddenly remembered the guests that hade earlier. At that time, he had been in a dreamy state, but his memory remained rtively detailed because of thendscape painting''s uniqueness.


    <i>''The daoist was interested in thendscape painting.''</i>


    "You sold it, didn''t you?"


    "Huh?"


    Dae-Woong''s exmation convinced Woo-Moon. His eyes turned to the sword on the table. After picking it up, Woo-Moon held out his palm to his father.


    "Give it to me."


    "W-what do you mean?"


    Woo-Moon didn''t know about the family finances, because Dae-Woong kept his worries to himself and never informed his son. He also had been in that dreamy state because of thendscape painting, which forced him to live as a fool.


    If he had known the reason behind this sale was his mother, he would have given up thendscape painting, but s, Dae-Woong did not have the leisure to exin it to him now.


    "They paid you money, didn''t they? Give it to me quickly."


    "I don''t want to, punk!"


    "Then you''ll be in trouble. What will you do if Mommy hears you lied to me and sold thendscape painting?"


    <i>Gasp!</i>


    "Hand it over."


    Although he hesitated for a while, Dae-Woong ended up giving the money to Woo-Moon with a sigh.


    "When did you sell it? No, when did that damn daoist leave?"


    "About half an ho¡ª"


    Before Dae-Woong could finish his sentence, Woo-Moon opened the door of the inn and ran out.


    Dae-Woong felt as if he had been inside a dream, being questioned like this by his son who had been acting like a fool for quite a while now.


    "Huh... What''s wrong with him all of a sudden?"


    Woo-Moon ran quickly toward the city gates. He could roughly guess where the old daoist, Won-Myeong, was heading. He had heard it many times in the past in his subconscious: Go-Ryang Pyeong, where two Absolute Masters wouldpete.


    They had to be heading in that direction.


    "Damn scammer! You think my priceless treasure is only worth this much? We''ll see about that!"


    After passing the city gates, Woo-Moon saw Won-Myeong and Doa in the far distance.


    Woo-Moon wasn''t out of breath, even though he hadn¡¯t stopped to rest for even a moment. As he closed in on them, he took arge breath before shouting, "STOOOOOP!"


    The young man himself was surprised by his own thunderous shout. His voice was louder than a tiger''s roar, making him wonder if this was what a cry of a legendary Great Peng or Azure Dragon sounded like.

 Chapter 4. Dream Awakening (4)

    <h4>Chapter 4. Dream Awakening (4)</h4>


    Woo-Moon''s shout did not lose volume even at a distance. The qi of the Celestial Sect¡¯s Forbidden Divine Art had never been activated and justy dormant in his body, but it had actuallye alive at this moment.


    Thinking he had unexpectedly obtained a heavenly chance that could improve his martial arts, Jin Won-Myeong was smiling. However, the sudden shout from behind them surprised him.


    <i>¡®Who is that?¡¯</i>


    That person''s cultivation was nothingpared to his own, but the voice carried a pure and vast qi.


    Turning around, Won-Myeong saw Doa seemingly in pain.


    Doa had turned pale. She had covered both her ears, greatly disturbed by this voice filled with powerful qi.


    Won-Myeong grabbed her shoulder and redirected the invading qi out of her body before shouting, "Stop it, you bastard!"


    This was the first time that Woo-Moon had roared like this, with all his might. It had triggered the explosive outburst of his ever-dormant qi, and he actually couldn¡¯t stop his shout on his own.


    Won-Myeong¡¯s shout actually caused Woo-Moon¡¯s breathing to stop. The old master used the Azure Dragon Cry, which caused a shock to Woo-Moon¡¯s heart. Only then did Woo-Moon stop shouting.


    For a moment, Woo-Moon felt a sense of loss and despondency. The explosive qi of the Celestial Sect¡¯s Forbidden Divine Arts sank back into the depths of his body. Thankfully, he suffered no heavy internal injuries.


    Woo-Moon ran ahead and stood in the way of Won-Myeong and Doa.


    "Aren''t you the innkeeper¡¯s son?" Won-Myeong looked at Woo-Moon for a moment in surprise. He barely managed to stop himself from saying ¡®the innkeeper¡¯s <i>foolish </i>son.¡¯


    ¡°Huh?¡± Doa was surprised as she opened her eyes and found out that it was Woo-Moon that had sted her with that sudden burst of Lion''s Roar. She had thought that he didn¡¯t know about martial arts at all.


    Won-Myeong¡¯s eyes had be luminescent, shining with a conspicuous color as he looked at the young man in front of him. However, the next moment, surprise, curiosity, and a sense of regret threw his facial expression in disarray.


    He had just remembered thendscape painting in his arms.


    <i>''Oh, heavens. The painting must have belonged to this young man. He was learning martial arts from this. I havemitted a big mistake.¡¯</i>


    He had thought that no one in the inn knew martial arts, which had led him to believe that the hidden great martial arts in thendscape painting were rotting away in that inn without seeing the light of day.


    <i>¡®No, this was just an excuse. If they weren''t aware of it, I should have let them know and paid a fair price for thendscape painting. This painting¡¯s value is much greater than a mere five gold taels and the Divine Frost Sword.¡¯</i>


    Uponing to that realization, Won-Myeong became incredibly ashamed. Indeed, he had been greedy and defrauded a viger who was unaware that he held a treasure and was selling it for less than its fair value.


    As Won-Myeong btedly med himself for his mistake, Woo-Moon pointed at thendscape painting in the daoist''s hands. "Thatndscape painting is mine. And..."


    Woo-Moon took out the sword and gold he had brought andid them down on the ground.


    "That¡¯s my treasure, and I don¡¯t want to trade it. I don''t know whether thatndscape painting is more valuable than these things or not, but I know that it is more important to me than anything else."


    What he said was true. Woo-Moon had no idea how great the value of thendscape painting was and what the value of the Divine Frost Sword was. All he knew was that thendscape painting was the most precious treasure to him aside from his family. If he could only choose between the world and thisndscape painting, he would likely choose thetter.


    Woo-Moon had wanted to shout, ¡®hey, you damn daoist! Return them now!¡¯ but he respected the senior¡¯s age and didn¡¯t wish to embarrass him in front of his granddaughter. He thought that Won-Myeong was Doa''s grandfather.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s words were polite, yet solemn. However, Won-Myeong was still under the influence of his short-lived greed. At the same time, he was curious.


    <i>¡®This young man has outstanding cultivation. Is it because he learned the martial arts within thendscape painting? I want to see how good he is. Besides, he needs to learn a little lesson after what he did to Doa with the Lion''s Roar.¡¯</i>


    Won-Myeong''s cultivation level was the highest in his sect, but he was still somewhatcking in terms of temperament due to his stubbornness and impatient heart.


    As though the struggle inside him had never happened, Won-Myeong smiled. "Well, I''ve already bought thisndscape painting from your father. What rights do you have to ask me to give it back?"


    "Thendscape painting... The painting is...¡± Woo-Moon was speechless and could only reiterate his words.


    In fact, strictly speaking, the painting belonged to his father. The immortal had drawn the painting for the inn in exchange for a bowl of in noodles when Woo-Moon was ten. Hence, his father had ownership over it, not him. Still, he wasn¡¯t willing to give up the painting just like that.


    "Doesn¡¯t matter! I¡¯m not giving that up. Leave the painting behind and go your way!"


    "What an overbearing statement. But ording to your father, it seems that your situation at home isn¡¯t all that great right now. Are you aware of that?"


    Woo-Moon was momentarily dazed. Since he had been living like a fool while in his dream-like state, he didn¡¯t know how his family was faring in detail, but Won-Myeong¡¯s words woke him up.


    <i>¡®Financial trouble... Mom... Her medical bills...¡¯</i>


    Thinking that he wouldn¡¯t be able to afford his mother''s medicine if he were to take the painting back, he suddenly felt breathless and shaken.


    <i>¡®No matter how priceless thendscape painting is, it¡¯s nothingpared to my beloved parents.¡¯</i>


    "Then... I..."


    Just as Woo-Moon closed his eyes and was about to say that he would give up thendscape painting, Won-Myeong let out a chuckle.


    "Okay, let''s do this instead. If you cannd an attack on me even once, I''ll return thendscape painting and I won¡¯t take back the money I''ve already given you. What do you think?"


    ¡°But... Aren¡¯t you losing out if you do that?"


    "That''s alright. I already acquired something good enough in exchange for the money, and considering your family¡¯s situation, this is the least I can do,¡± Won-Myeong answered, feeling apologetic for his mistake.


    <i>¡®You have a good heart.¡¯</i> Won-Myeong thought to himself.


    Woo-Moon had no reason to refuse, since the conditions werepletely in his favor.


    "Then I''ll ept.¡°


    "Come on, try and win this challenge with your skills.¡±


    Won-Myeong was known as the First Sword of Kunlun. Even though he wasn¡¯t able to be one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors, he was still considered a peak expert who was not that far behind them, and he was also aiming for the Absolute Realm.


    * * *


    The old daoist carried a sword, and because of that, Woo-Moon figured that he was a martial artist from the <i>murim</i>. He also vaguely knew that what he had learned through thendscape painting was some kind of martial art. However, he had no idea of his own personal strength, much less Won-Myeong''s.


    <i>¡®Even though he¡¯s a martial artist, he¡¯s old. I¡¯m in my prime, so I should be stronger than him, right?¡± Woo-Moon thought.</i>


    "You won''t regret it, will you?¡± Woo-Moon asked for confirmation once again.


    Doa stepped back on her own in response to the rising tension. She wasn¡¯t nervous or worried about Won-Myeong, though, since she believed in him wholeheartedly.


    "Regret? Hahaha. If you think you can make me regret it, go ahead and try."


    Won-Myeong waited for Woo-Moon to attack. It would have been unfair for him to make the first move on someone much younger and less experienced than him.


    However, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t advance easily. He didn''t even know what to do, because this was the first time in his life he was actually using the martial arts he had learned.


    Walking forward calmly, Won-Myeong said, "If you''re just going to stand there and not do anything, I will be leaving."


    As Won-Myeong passed by, Woo-Moon hurriedly reached out to thendscape painting in Won-Myeong''s hand but only managed to touch empty air. Won-Myeong avoided the attack like a ghost.


    <i>¡®I can''t give up just because I failed once.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon kept trying to swipe thendscape painting with his left and right hands one after the other. His movements were disorderly and had no form or technique. In addition, there was no hint of martial cultivation in his movements, unlike when he had used the Lion¡¯s Roar earlier.


    <i>¡®What is this? Isn''t this the movement of someone who hasn''t learned any martial arts?¡¯</i>


    Disappointment appeared on Won-Myeong''s face.


    Just then, Woo-Moon reached out once again. At that moment, Won-Myeong¡¯s hands moved in a strange pattern around Woo-Moon¡¯s hand.


    Before he could understand what was happening, an unknown force hurled Woo-Moon into the air. He was forcefully spun around his own axis twice, thennded on the ground on his butt.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    There were only two things that Woo-Moon had been able to learn from thendscape painting: the Celestial Sect''s Forbidden Divine Art and the Gentle Celestial Sword Technique. Unfortunately, the painting didn¡¯t contain anything about hand-to-handbat.


    Won-Myeong''s hands hadn¡¯t even touched Woo-Moon''s arm. He had just twisted and thrown the young man away using qi emitted from his palms.


    Woo-Moon didn''t even know how the old master had done it.


    "Tsk!"


    Won-Myeong had just used the Crane Chasing Dragon Palm¡ªa high-level martial art that allowed him to interact with objects without actually touching them.


    Unaware of that, Woo-Moon jumped up and rushed forward, this time without hesitation.


    The old daoist frowned at the sight. <i>¡®I can''t believe he¡¯s recklessly charging at me without knowing his limits.¡¯</i>


    Won-Myeong felt nothing but disdain for his young and naive opponent''s arrogance. He once more used the Crane Chasing Dragon Palm.


    <i>¡®Considering how poor his cultivation level is, the same technique is enough for me to deal with him.¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon was reaching for the painting, Won-Myeong¡¯s hands approached him from both sides. As he reached about five inches from Woo-Moon¡¯s sides, Won-Myeong moved his hands once more.


    The qi generated a small vortex that spread widely, forcing Woo-Moon to the left.


    In response, Woo-Moon instinctively put all his weight on his left foot. At that very moment, the vortex reversed and unleashed speed and power iparable to its initial state.


    <i>THUD!</i>


    Woo-Moon fell on his back again, this time harder.


    He clenched his teeth as his eyes captured the freezing blue sky.


    <i>''It doesn''t matter how many times I fall. I don''t care if I fall thousands of times! I must get thatndscape painting back!''</i>


    Woo-Moon was very fond of thatndscape painting. He enjoyed dreaming, and the painting had allowed him to stay in his dreamy state. In his heart, the old immortal that had made thendscape painting was his teacher and his hero.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t lose such a gift in vain.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon jumped up, with strong resolve and fire that he had never felt before surging from deep inside his heart.


    "I won''t give up!"


    Woo-Moon leaped at Won-Myeong again.


    Won-Myeong didn¡¯t avoid his attack. Rather, he simply performed the Crane Chasing Dragon Palm again.


    This time, however, in Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes, Won-Myeong¡¯s movements had slowed down immensely, as if time itself had turned viscous and sticky.


    <i>''I need to see through it!¡¯</i>


    Following Won-Myeong''s hand movement, something intangible covered Woo-Moon¡¯s arms and body, sticking to him like glue. His arms spun to the left with strong force.


    Woo-Moon put a bit of strength on his left side again, this time on purpose. As he pretended to struggle, Won-Myeong¡¯s energy spun rapidly in the opposite direction.


    <i>¡®This is it!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon held out with all the strength he had saved. He regained his bnce for a moment, but the next moment, the air stream surrounding him shifted directions once more.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± With a low groan, Woo-Moon fell forward this time. Maybe because he didn¡¯t expect to fall over, he ate quite the strong impact.


    "Did you think the Crane Chasing Dragon Palm was that simple?¡± questioned Won-Myeong.


    Woo-Moon had thought that pretending to turn left, then swiftly turning the other way around was all he needed to do, which had ultimately prevented him from being able to adjust to the sudden change in directional force.


    "Whew...."


    Watching from afar, Doa felt sorry for Woo-Moon. She hoped for the battle to end quickly and without any further injury.


    Having been thrown away, Woo-Moon grabbed onto the ground with immense force. So much force, in fact, that the small rocks among the fistful of earth and grass cut into his skin.


    His inability to reach his opponent and retrieve thendscape painting made him furious. He was under so much frustration that he felt like he would burst because of it.


    He saw a wooden stick lying beside him. Coincidentally, it was exactly the length and thickness of a sword.


    As soon as he saw it, he felt his mind being pricked open, and he remembered the Gentle Celestial Sword Technique he had learned in his dream.


    At this point, Won-Myeong had grown very perplexed.


    <i>¡®Where is the cultivation he disyed when he used the Lion¡¯s Roar? Did he really learn the martial arts within thendscape painting? If so, why does he act like he has never learned martial arts before?¡¯</i>


    Won-Myeong turned away while shaking his head. As he walked away from Woo-Moon, he took out thendscape painting from his sleeves. He thought that it was best if he just returned thendscape painting and left.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    Just then, Woo-Moon''s shout came from behind.


    "You''re still trying to jump at me recklessly! You can¡¯t even stay cool and realize what youck in... Huh?" As Won-Myeong turned to look at Woo-Moon, his eyes widened.

 Chapter 5. Dream Awakening (5)

    <h4>Chapter 5. Dream Awakening (5)</h4>


    Won-Myeong watched Woo-Moon pick up a crude wooden stick from the ground and run toward him with bloodshot eyes. He suddenly felt intense pressure from the boy, almost as if thetter could destroy a mountain.


    Indeed, Woo-Moon now exuded incredible power.


    It had been a long while since he hadst felt this way, but Won-Myeong¡¯s calm was well and truly shaken as he witnessed the miraculous sight unfolding in front of his eyes.


    Woo-Moon had actually picked up an unrefined wooden sword that someone had thrown away. When he first held it, a vivid image yed in his mind. He felt as if he had reunited with an old-time friend.


    It was one of the Gentle Celestial Sword¡¯s moves, Raging Storm. It was thebination of two independent techniques: Raging Wind and Heavy Rain.


    As soon as Woo-Moon picked up the sword, the qi of the Celestial Sect''s Forbidden Divine Art in his dantian[1] started to move. Unceasing qi coursed through his whole body and then naturally flowed to his arm.


    He charged at Won-Myeong with a shout. He was tens, hundreds, thousands of times faster than his prior attempts.


    "Hyaaa!!"


    Won-Myeong looked back at Woo-Moon and said something, but Woo-Moon couldn''t hear him. The old daoist looked nervous and surprised, but Woo-Moon couldn''t see that either.


    Only Woo-Moon, his weapon, and the Gentle Celestial Sword existed in his world.


    The enormous power of the Celestial Sect''s Forbidden Divine Art, which Woo-Moon had only practiced and cultivated in his dreams so far, surged from his body into the stick.


    <i>Buzz~</i>


    The wooden "sword" rattled hard as the energy of the Forbidden Divine Art manifested with a brilliant golden aura that enveloped it.


    Won-Myeong stared at Woo-Moon with his eyes wide open. He suddenly felt regretful for not having a sword in his hand.


    <i>¡®Damn, I guess I have no choice but to use something other than the Crane Chasing Dragon Palm!¡¯</i>


    Won-Myeong activated the final level of the Amitabha Vajra Divine Art. Golden energy covered him, gradually thickening.


    Just like Woo-Moon¡¯s, Won-Myeong''s energy manifested with a golden hue. However, it was not a sword technique¡ªWon-Myeong was reinforcing his body with a type of strengthening qi called Amitabha Vajra Qi. In that state, he waited for Woo-Moon''s attack, holding his left hand up and his right hand down in a defensive stance.


    <i>¡®Come at me, little monster!¡¯</i>


    Won-Myeong could feel the force surrounding Woo-Moon''s sword was as fast and destructive as the wind, as pervasive and ever-changing as heavy rain.


    Finally, Woo-Moon swung at him.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    As immense energy came out of the tip of his sword, Woo-Moon injected the power of the Celestial Sect''s Forbidden Divine Arts into it with even more intensity. However, unable to withstand his power, his weapon exploded due to the violent vibration.


    Usually, when using a sword or any other weapon, a <i>murim</i> martial artist would use their own cultivation to protect the weapon so that it would be able to withstand the stress of being infused with qi. Of course, Woo-Mooncked this basic knowledge, which meant that he couldn¡¯t stop his sword from exploding.


    In turn, Won-Myeong was confident in preventing Woo-Moon''s first attack. However, Woo-Moon''s sword unexpectedly exploded, the resulting wild energy piercing through his defenses.


    Though Woo-Moon''s sword was blown apart, the Raging Storm''s first andst wave of energy struck Won-Myeong''s left forearm directly. The result was a serious injury; blood spurted out, a sign that an important blood vessel had been cut open.


    "Ahh! Grandpa!" Doa eximed.


    Ignoring the wound on his left arm, Won-Myeong drew a circle with his right hand, without even frowning once. All the fragments of the wooden sword flying around him lost their strength in midair and fell to the ground.


    "Ugh!"


    The fragments resulting from the explosion didn¡¯t just shoot forward. Some were alsounched backward, at Woo-Moon''s thighs and sides. Fortunately, the energy of the Celestial Sect''s Forbidden Divine Arts deflected them to some extent, so he didn¡¯t sustain any deep wounds.


    Woo-Moon had been distracted due to his extreme concentration. Now that his focus had been disrupted, intense pain coursed through his entire body.


    "Argh!"


    Thick, vine-like veins covered his entire body. The pain made him copse and roll on the ground.


    "Argh!"


    The pain was unimaginable. His muscles and blood vessels had been torn and twisted, and his bones had been split and broken.


    There was an exnation behind this abrupt pain.


    Woo-Moon had learned martial arts through imagination alone. Staring at thendscape painting put him in a dream-like state, leaving him no chance to execute the techniques physically. The only thing that he had extensively used was the dantian. Unlike other qi cultivation methods, the Celestial Sect''s Forbidden Divine Arts regarded a human¡¯s innermost parts as a small universe, and the practitioner could use the Art based on the dantian alone. In other words, Woo-Moon''s physique and meridians were no different from an ordinary person¡¯s.


    Hence, it was only natural for his untrained body to be significantly burdened by suddenly using the Forbidden Divine Art to the fullest. The only reason he hadn¡¯t felt the pain was that he was so tense and concentrated on attacking.


    As Woo-Moon rolled on the ground with a painful scream, Won-Myeong was naturally concerned and rushed over to help him.


    "What¡¯s wrong? Did you fall into qi deviation?"


    He had never felt any enmity toward Woo-Moon. Seeing Woo-Moon''s pitiful state, he was shocked and worried.


    <i>''Damn, I think I¡¯ve been too mean to the poor kid.''</i>


    Won-Myeong hurriedly examined Woo-Moon and came to an rming conclusion.


    <i>''Huh, what the hell? How can his body be so broken? It actually copsed like this because it couldn¡¯t withstand the sudden infusion of qi?!¡¯</i>


    "Idiot! Sit in the lotus position now!"


    Woo-Moon was in so much pain that his heart was actually no longer functioning. Even his lungs had stopped working due to the bacsh. He could feel pain as he was gasping for air.


    Even in such a state, Won-Myeong''s voice struck Woo-Moon''s eardrums like a hammer and reached his mind immediately, as Won-Myeong was amplifying his voice with the Azure Dragon Cry.


    <i>¡®I can survive if I listen to him!¡¯</i>


    Instinctivelying to that realization, Woo-Moon struggled into the lotus position. Won-Myeong sat behind him in the same position and ced his palms on Woo-Moon''s back.


    "Doa! Stand guard and stay alert for two hours!¡± shouted Won-Myeong.


    Doa nodded and urgently replied, "Yes, Grandpa!¡±


    "Idiot! If you want to live, listen to me!" Won-Myeong shouted at Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s blood vessels, meridians, muscles, and bones had been severely damaged, putting his life at risk. That made Won-Myeong anxious. He regretted buying thendscape painting without Woo-Moon''s permission¡ªbefore he could even apologize properly, this incident had urred.


    Despite being so young, Woo-Moon had actually managed to use that sword technique perfectly. It was a pity to think that such an amazingly talented young man was dying before his eyes.


    Won-Myeong fully devoted himself to Woo-Moon¡¯s treatment, forgetting that he was also injured and blood was still flowing from his forearm.


    ¡°Keep your mouth closed and endure it no matter how painful this gets. Your life is at stake, so I''m sure you''ll be able to ovee this."


    With those words, Won-Myeong moved his qi into his palms and transferred it into Woo-Moon.


    At first, he only used a bit of internal energy out of fear that Woo-Moon''s internal energy and his would sh and cause a rejection. Fortunately, however, nothing like that happened. Rather, Won-Myeong and Woo-Moon¡¯s internal energies harmonized quite well, almost as if they were from the same origin.


    <i>¡®This is good!¡¯</i>


    As his worries softened, Won-Myeong started to freely infuse his internal energy and treat Woo-Moon''s blood vessels and meridians. However, not long after he began, Won-Myeong felt greatly dejected.


    <i>''Sigh, he¡¯s gravely injured. I can save his life if I do my best, but he''ll never be able to use his cultivation again.¡¯</i>


    Won-Myeong suddenly felt guilty. It was just a mistake. This wouldn''t have happened if he had said ¡°I am sorry¡± and just returned thendscape painting. Instead, thinking that Woo-Moon was rude, Won-Myeong had intended to teach him a lesson, but instead, this terrible ident had happened.


    Full of regret, Won-Myeong decided to go to Woo-Moon¡¯s parents and apologize if this process went wrong and he couldn¡¯t save Woo-Moon. However, he couldn¡¯t think about that now. Sweat flowed down his forehead as he fully focused on treating Woo-Moon.


    Nervous, Doa stood by Won-Myeong and Woo-Moon with her sword drawn, wary of her surroundings. Numerous martial artists and masters were gathering in the area due to the confrontation between the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong and the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon that would be held in Go-Ryang Pyeong.


    There was no guarantee that there wouldn¡¯t be an evil group among them. It was possible that some of them harbored ill feelings toward the Kunlun Sect in general and Won-Myeong in particr.


    <i>¡®My grandfather killed a lot of evil men...¡¯</i>


    At that moment, Doa swiftly swung her sword upon feeling a slight presence.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Two branches caught on her sword and fell to the ground. One was flying at Doa and the other at Won-Myeong.


    "Who are you? I mean, who the hell is it?!¡±


    The impact on her sword was heavier than she expected.


    <i>¡®If they can even put this much power in a mere twig, they¡¯re definitely at the Peak Realm.¡¯</i>


    "Ha! The little girl from the Kunlun Sect is better with the sword than I thought."


    Four men showed up, but she didn¡¯t know where they had appeared from.


    The sight of them made Doa nervous. It would¡¯ve been hard enough to deal with just the one who had thrown those branches, but now, four people had shown up. They looked at her and Won-Myeong with burning hostility.


    At that moment, Doa remembered who they were.


    "The Four Evil Bandits!"


    They were a group thatmitted all kinds of atrocities in <i>murim</i>. About seven years ago, Won-Myeong and the Kunlun Sect disciples had pursued them, but despite sustaining severe injuries, the bandits had managed to sessfully escape. Unfortunately, they just happened to be passing by right now.


    <i>¡®Trouble really doesn''te alone... I won¡¯t be able to deal with them on my own.¡¯</i>


    Doa felt hopeless and afraid. She was just a First-ss martial artist, while the Four Evil Bandits had already been near the Peak Realm seven years ago.


    "How dare you appear before Kunlun Sect''s old sect master? You''re not afraid of death, are you?" Doa said as she nced at Won-Myeong.


    Daehung, the head of the Four Evil Bandits and the one that had thrown the branches at Doa earlier, stepped forward.


    "Do you think you can fool me? Even a child could kill Jin Won-Myeong in his current state."


    It was just as he said. Won-Myeong couldn¡¯t move at all because he was helping the dying Woo-Moon. At times like this, both of them would lose their lives if they were subjected to external shocks.


    The second of the Four Evil Bandits gritted his teeth. "We¡¯ll wash away the shame from our past by killing that damn daoist!"


    ¡°Haha. I¡¯m going to have some fun with you. After the First Sword of Kunlun dies, he¡¯ll twist in his grave when he sees that,¡± said the third, looking at Doa with glistening eyes. He was well known for his debauchery.


    "Don''t you daree near me!" Doa shouted as they approached.


    Instead of answering, the Four Evil Bandits charged at Doa. Even though they were facing a girl much younger than them, they were shameless and attacked her simultaneously.


    Doa couldn¡¯t stop or avoid all of their attacks. Prepared to die, she gritted her teeth and was about to swing her sword when a gust of wind blew in front of her.


    <i>ng!</i>


    With a sharp rattle, all of the Four Evil Bandits¡¯ swords were deflected.


    "What the hell?!¡± Daehung roared, powerful evil energy gathered in his chest.


    Looking ahead, Doa saw a man who looked to be in histe thirties. He was dressed in ck, with a matching cape, and had a long spear in his hand.


    ¡°Going after someone in danger is already disgraceful in itself, yet you¡¯re also shameless enough to attack a little girl at the same time,¡± the middle-aged spearman said, looking at the Four Evil Bandits with an icy stare.


    As the saying went, humans had to be quick-witted to live long. However, the Four Evil Bandits couldn¡¯t pass up this opportunity. They were now in front of a very coveted prey called Jin Won-Myeong.


    "Fucking bastard! How dare you interfere with us!"


    "Fine, then! We''ll kill you first!"


    In spite of their brave words, the Four Evil Bandits instinctively felt something unusual. They all used their best martial arts techniques simultaneously.


    1. The term is loosely tranted as "elixir field", "sea of qi", or simply "energy center," and is considered the energetic core of the body. ?

 Chapter 6. Dream Awakening (6)

    <h4>Chapter 6. Dream Awakening (6)</h4>


    Seven years ago, the Four Evil Bandits were defeated by Jin Won-Myeong. After their defeat, the group had trained arduously over the years and were now at the Peak Realm.


    With coordinated attacks, they struck at the spearman at the same time.


    <i>Thump!</i>


    The spearman stepped forward with his right foot and swung his spear horizontally with just one hand.


    <i>Bang! Bang!</i>


    The Four Evil Bandits¡¯ swords split in half and the pieces flew in all directions.


    "What?!"


    Doa couldn¡¯t even see when the man had moved again. Identical, blood-colored holes appeared on the foreheads of the bandits, and the four men copsed to the ground with blood spraying from their heads like a fountain.


    ~


    Meanwhile, as Won-Myeong channeled all his qi into Song Woo-Moon for treatment, he began to feel something strange.


    <i>''What''s this? There''s a strange suction force acting from inside this child.¡¯</i>


    The qi flowing out of him and into Woo-Moon was more than what he had intended. To put it more precisely, the qi was being sucked out of him.


    <i>¡®What in the world is going on?¡¯</i>


    Just as Won-Myeong was about to pull back his qi, something more surprising happened. The pure internal energy in Woo-Moon''s dantian suddenly harmonized with Won-Myeong''s, and it began to circte in search of broken blood vessels to heal. It was actually faster and more perfect than Won-Myeong¡¯s own technique. This new bout of healing qi not only helped Woo-Moon¡¯s blood vessels recover, but also made them stronger and healthier than before they were broken.


    Coming to that realization, Won-Myeong could no longer stop. He thus boosted his qi output and pushed all of it into Woo-Moon.


    It was a strange phenomenon. Woo-Moon obviously hadn¡¯t learned the qi cultivation manual of the Kunlun Sect, but he was nevertheless able to guide Won-Myeong¡¯s qi freely and absorb it as if it were his own.


    <i>¡®How? How is this possible? It¡¯s not just blending in, no.... It...feels as if this child is controlling my qi....¡¯</i>


    When Won-Myeong''s qi started flowing in and healing his body, Woo-Moon fell back into his dream¡ªjust like when he was staring at thendscape painting in the past¡ªwhile still feeling the Celestial Sect''s Forbidden Divine Art responding to it.


    In his dream, he saw his own body appear in front of him, and his mind was then sucked inside that body.


    The first thing he noticed was the ruined blood vessels. Woo-Moon felt a strong urge to fix them, and the qi he was receiving started moving around his body following his will. Woo-Moon used it and his own internal energy to travel around his bloodstream and heal his broken vessels one at a time.


    To be exact, he didn¡¯t heal them. Rather, using the existing ones as nourishment, he created new blood vessels. New and more active blood vessels appeared next to the old and damaged ones, eating up the fragments of the old vessels. As a result, they quickly expanded until they becamerger than his previous blood vessels.


    He felt seemingly endless joy. It was as if everything was going his way. It was like being free from restraints, gaining true freedom, and bing a Transcendent.


    At that moment, Woo-Moon also noticed his wrecked muscles and bones.


    <i>¡®It''s my precious body. It¡¯s more important than anything else. I want to fix those, too.¡¯</i>


    As per his heart¡¯s desire, his qi once more started circting around his body. This time, it shifted away from his blood vessels and prated the surrounding muscles and bones, building them anew. Just like what had happened with his blood vessels moments before, his muscles and bones expanded and grew by using the old and damaged ones as nourishment.


    The artificial metamorphosis transpired ording to Woo-Moon''s will.


    Gathering enough small changes to create a miracle, Woo-Moon soon achieved a perfect rebirth.


    <i>Barf!</i>


    Won-Myeong vomited blood as he took his hands off Woo-Moon''s back.


    The first thing he sensed was a dense smell of blood, but it actually wasn¡¯ting from him. The ground was simply covered in blood.


    "Doa! Doa! Where are you?¡±


    "Here, Grandpa!"


    Upon hearing Doa''s voice, Won-Myeong¡¯s tense body rxed a little. Only then did he get to look at his surroundings. Four middle-aged men were lying in front of him.


    "... Who are they?"


    Looking at their faces, he immediately realized that they were the Four Evil Bandits. These wicked men sessfully escaped from his pursuit seven years ago.


    At that moment, Won-Myeong got the gist of the situation.


    <i>¡®Doa couldn¡¯t have beaten them, which means someone intervened.''</i>


    There was no one around except Doa, but she was simply not at that level.


    The scar marks left on the corpses¡¯ foreheads were all the same size, and they had all sprayed the same amount of blood as well. It was clear that the same person had dispatched all four of them in a masterful disy of technique.


    <i>¡®Someone killed all four Peak experts in such a perfect way. He¡¯s got to be an Absolute Master!¡¯</i>


    "Who helped you, Doa? Was it one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors or one of the Six Rising Challengers?"


    Although Won-Myeong had woken up, Doa¡¯s eyes were still full of worries since he had just vomited quite a lot of blood.


    Crying, Doa responded, "I asked the person who helped me for his name as he left. He called himself Gyeong Hong.¡±


    "The Night Spear Devil! Hmm...Gyeong Hong... I owe him a lot now."


    Won-Myeong was now in debt, but he still felt relieved. If Gyeong Hong hadn¡¯t appeared, the Four Evil Bandits would¡¯ve easily killed him, Doa, and Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Fate is up to the heavens. It truly is... Hoho, hmm. Are the heavens looking out for this child too?</i>


    Woo-Moon had learned a strong divine art that could absorb the Kunlun Sect¡¯s qi at will. It was a mysterious martial art, which produced a kind of qi unfamiliar to even Won-Myeong. The boy had also suffered injuries so grave that he nearly died, but by a stroke of luck, he had ended up healthier and stronger than before. Furthermore, as soon as he was in danger, the Night Spear Devil, Gyeong Hong, had appeared and saved them.


    Perhaps he really was born with heavenly luck.


    As he pondered about it, a bitter smile appeared on Won-Myeong¡¯s face.


    <i>¡®But my cultivation has been reduced to two-thirds of what it was.¡¯</i>


    To a martial arts expert, one¡¯s cultivation was the most important and was equivalent to one¡¯s life. Won-Myeong didn''t feel bad, however. He hade across many wonders because of this situation. Above all, he now had a great understanding of his own character. His bitter smile turned carefree and warm; it was an expression he hadn¡¯t shown before.


    "Well, by the way, Old Sect Master... Why isn¡¯t he waking up? Is he dead?¡± Doa asked.


    After Gyeong Hong left, Doa was still quite scared, as she had been left with no choice but to guard Woo-Moon and Won-Myeong alone. That was understandable. Any girl her age forced to stand still in a quiet location next to four corpses would have felt the same


    Hence, Doa clung onto Won-Myeong¡¯s arm tightly while she asked about Woo-Moon¡¯s condition. She was suddenly haunted by the thought that Woo-Moon would be the fifth corpse.


    "Hoho, he¡¯s not dead. He¡¯ll wake up soon."


    Won-Myeong¡¯s words seemingly served as a wake-up signal. Woo-Moon inhaled deeply, looking like he had just woken up from a wonderful dream.


    "<i>Phew!</i>"


    Opening his eyes, he found his vision clearer and more perceptive than before. His mind was also tranquil and refreshed, and he could vividly remember what he had gone through earlier.


    <i>¡®I had an idea that what I was learning from thendscape painting was martial arts. It seems I was right. What I performed earlier was indeed a martial art technique.¡¯</i>


    He also remembered that the copse had urred due to the energy rising inside him while he was using the technique. Thinking about that life-threatening moment again brought him terrible pain.


    <i>''So it was that old man who helped me.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Thank you for saving me,¡± Woo-Moon told Won-Myeong.


    Won-Myeong smiled at the remark, thinking that Woo-Moon had nothing to thank him for. He had shamelessly bought the valuablendscape painting, which was more precious than billions of gold taels, with only a few gold taels and a sword. And even aftering to that realization, his stubbornness had gotten the best of him, pushing him to relieve his anger by challenging his junior under the guise of checking out thetter¡¯s martial arts. That made him feel like having a considerable amount of qi taken away from him was nothing much.


    "I''m sorry. I didn''t expect that to happen. To pay for my actions, I will return thendscape painting andpensate you as well for trying to quench my greed under the pretense of testing you. I''m so sorry." Won-Myeong apologized profusely, bowing deeply toward Woo-Moon even though thetter was much younger.


    Woo-Moon was surprised. He hadn¡¯t expected Won-Myeong to smile and apologize so easily. The elder¡¯s actions hadpletely erased Woo-Moon¡¯s impression that Won-Myeong was a bad person.


    ¡°Doa, how much money do you have left?" Won-Myeong turned to his grand disciple.


    "Why? Don''t tell me...."


    "I¡¯ll pay you back a lot more when we get back, so just give me what you have right now.¡±


    Won-Myeong handed Woo-Moon the two gold taels he had received from Doa.


    "You don''t have to return the money I gave to your father. Just take these as well.¡±


    "Oh, no. You saved me and made me healthier, which is already more than I could ever ask for.¡±


    "Yourndscape painting is truly an evesting treasure. If only you knew its true value, you¡¯d realize thepensation I¡¯m giving you for the greed I exhibited as a martial artist of the Righteous Faction and a Daoist who abandoned the greed of the world really isn¡¯t all that much. Take it. You''ll need it for your family,¡± Won-Myeong said, looking at Woo-Moon profoundly.


    "... Thank you." Woo-Moon bowed to Won-Myeong as he epted it.


    Won-Myeong shook his head with a smile. "No. You shouldn¡¯t thank me. All of this transpired because of my greed and stubbornness."


    Won-Myeong didn¡¯t mention that he had consumed one-third of his cultivation to save Woo-Moon. He didn¡¯t find it necessary.


    Then, Woo-Moon noticed the four corpses with blood oozing from their foreheads. "Those people...?¡±


    Won-Myeong answered his question with a sigh. ¡°They had a grudge against me, and they tried to take advantage of our vulnerabilities to get revenge, but the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong killed them."


    Gyeong Hong, one of the two Absolute Masters that were going to fight in Go-Ryang Pyeong, had saved them.


    Woo-Moon felt amazed. Being indebted to such a great person, in and of itself, was a great feat.


    "But you don''t need to worry about that. This incident urred because of me, so I''ll repay the debt."


    Even though the old man tried to take full responsibility for the incident, Woo-Moon thought that he had to repay Gyeong Hong¡¯s kindness someday anyway.


    "There¡¯s something I¡¯m curious about. Is it alright if I ask you a question?¡± Won-Myeong inquired.


    "Sure."


    Before speaking, Won-Myeong took out thendscape painting from his robe sleeve and handed it to Woo-Moon without any hesitation or longing.


    "Who drew thisndscape painting?"


    Woo-Moon was also curious about it.


    "I don''t know either. I heard from my dad that when the old man left, he said he was a member of the Celestial Sect."


    Won-Myeong''s eyes widened.


    "Did you just say he¡¯s a member of the Celestial Sect? Huh?!"


    Won-Myeong was at a loss for words. He just kept repeating ¡°<i>huh...</i>,¡± and each sigh was mixed with admiration.


    "I see. That''s why he did that....¡±


    Won-Myeong kept murmuring to himself in deep thought. He muttered something along the lines of ¡°yes, of course, that makes sense.¡±


    "Do you know who he was? Please tell me. I¡¯m also quite curious," Woo-Moon pleaded, full of curiosity, when Won-Myeong showed no signs of stopping out of his musings.


    Only then did Won-Myeong snap back to reality.


    "Oh, I''m sorry. I was so surprised that I nked out for a moment there. Child, do you know anything about Daoism?"


    As soon as Woo-Moon heard the word ¡°Daoism,¡± he thought of the Mount Hua Sect. He recalled the sorrowful memory of watching the backs of the Mount Hua Sect members departing together with his younger brother.


    "All I know is that Daoists study and pursue the Dao." Woo-Moon smiled bitterly.


    "I see. Well, it doesn''t matter, what you¡¯re curious about is thatndscape painting. I don''t know that much about it, but I''ll tell you what I know."


    "Thank you."


    "Do you know about the Yellow Turban Rebellion of the Three Kingdoms period?"


    "Yes."


    "Zhang Jiao was the Yellow Turban Rebellion leader. He also founded the movement called the ¡®Way of the Great Peace¡¯ as a branch of Daoism and established the Great Peace Sect."


    Zhang Jiao was the originator of one of the two main enemies that had led Han to destruction. The two parties were the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the Ten Attendants [1].


    "At the time, another leading Daoist school was the Five Pecks of Rice Sect."


    "The Five Pecks of Rice Sect...."


    Woo-Moon had heard of the Great Peace Sect once or twice. They were a demonic cult that had started a rebellion at one point due to their impetuousness. But he had never heard of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect.


    "The founder of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect is Zhang Ling, also known as Celestial Sect Master Zhang."


    Woo-Moon''s eyes sparkled.


    "If he went by the name of Celestial Sect Master Zhang...¡±


    1. Also known as the Ten Eunuchs¡ªa group of influential eunuch-officials at the imperial court of Emperor Ling in Eastern Han China. ?

 Chapter 7. Dream Awakening (7)

    <h4>Chapter 7. Dream Awakening (7)</h4>


    "Yes. The Five Pecks of Rice Sect was also called the Celestial Sect. If he said that he is a member of the Celestial Sect, then he probably meant the Five Pecks of Rice Sect."


    "The Celestial Sect... Zhang Ling."


    "With Celestial Master Zhang''s disciple being thest known master, all martial arts of the Celestial Sect disappeared. Since then, it has existed only as a branch of Daoism under the name of Celestial Daoism, not as a martial arts sect. Haha, this is amazing! You now possess the martial arts of the Celestial Sect, which everyone thought were lost!"


    Song Woo-Moon had finally found out where his martial arts originated.


    "So you don''t know who painted this, either."


    "No, I don''t, but what I do know is that he, too, knows the martial arts of the Celestial Sect. I see... That''s why your qi embraced mine so easily. It was the qi of the Celestial Daoism, the root of Daoism itself. That''s truly magnificent."


    Woo-Moon couldn''t seem to keep the words "Celestial Sect, Zhang Ling" out of his mind.


    In the meantime, Jin Won-Myeong was agonizing.


    <i>''What should I do? I really want him to be my disciple.¡®</i>


    Certainly, most people would have wondered whether Woo-Moon had the talent, but that was a foolish question as far as Won-Myeong was concerned. The kid certainly had more than enough talent. In addition, even though he had been acting like a fool all this time, he was indeed very intelligent. As for his body...the heaven-given chance that he had stumbled upon just now had transformed his physique into the absolute ideal one for learning martial arts.


    Hence, it was only natural that Won-Myeong wanted to make Woo-Moon his disciple. The kid didn''t seem like a bad seed, and it was fate that had allowed them to meet each other.


    <i>¡®Woo-Moon will be an amazing martial arts expert in the future. If that happens, wouldn''t it be a great blessing for the Kunlun Sect?''</i>


    However, it was indeed embarrassing for Won-Myeong to speak out. epting Woo-Moon, who had learned the Celestial Sect''s martial arts, as his own disciple would elevate Woo-Moon¡¯s status far beyond what his age would warrant.


    <i>''There will be a lot of people who have something to say about it.''</i>


    Moreover, Won-Myeong thought that this desire, too, was a product of greed. After all, he wanted to raise the Kunlun Sect''s reputation through Woo-Moon. That realization made him feel ashamed of himself again.


    <i>''This isn''t the right time to ask him to join our sect. Perhaps if we manage to forge a rtionship in the future...''</i>


    Nevertheless, Won-Myeong didn''t give uppletely. Beyond his greed for status and power was his genuine desire to make Woo-Moon his disciple and teach him martial arts.


    <i>Sigh...</i>


    Won-Myeong looked at Woo-Moon. He wanted to do something for the kid, at the very least.


    "From what I''ve witnessed earlier, you''re skilled in qi use and sword arts, child. But youck footwork."


    Woo-Moon knew what qi and sword arts were. Even a little child who had no idea what the word <i>murim</i> meant would have been aware of those. Moreover, as he had trained his mind by visualizing thendscape painting, he had also learned the names of the arts that he was witnessing: the Celestial Sect''s Forbidden Divine Art and the Gentle Celestial Sword.


    "What''s footwork?"


    When it came to martial arts, all ordinary people knew was that the internal energy part was called "cultivation," learning how to fight using a sword was learning a "sword art," and methods of using a saber were "saber arts."


    Since there was only one cultivation method and one sword art in thendscape painting, Woo-Moon was naturally ignorant of things such as footwork.


    "Huh... You don''t even know what footwork is?"


    ¡®<i>I don''t know what that is, but I can learn,¡¯ </i>Woo-Moon thought.


    "No, I don''t," he answered with pride.


    Won-Myeong had an awkward expression. It was so frustrating and ridiculous that he couldn''t stop himself fromughing; yet, for some reason, he also felt as if he was about to weep.


    <i>''Did I really just get injured by a guy who doesn''t even know what footwork is?''</i>


    A strange emotion filled Won-Myeong, but he immediately shook it off.


    "Footwork is essentially the skill that allows you to move around while using your techniques inbat. It allows for all sorts of movements, including advances, evasion, and so forth. As a form of apology, I''ll teach you footwork."


    "Footwork, huh..."


    Woo-Moon had absolutely no idea how important footwork was, at this point. However, he was certainly not the type that would refuse a gift.


    ***


    At the same time, the Leebi Merchant Guild was in the middle of a crisis.


    "What? What do you mean we don''t have enough people?"


    In ce of her father, who had fallen ill, Yeon Si-Hyeon was practically leading the Leebi Merchant Guild.


    Countless masters were gathering in the Goryang ins, and the Leebi Merchant Guild was nning to head there as well to make a deal with the Bo Martial Sect, one of the influential organizations in Guangdong Province. However, Steward Jang had juste over to report that theycked manpower.


    "If we don''t want the other merchant guilds to look down on us, we have to live up to our reputation. To do that, we need at least fifty warriors, but we currently only have thirty at most."


    "Hmm...."


    Yeon Si-Hyeon pondered for a solution, touching her chin with her finger. "A show of size is definitely important. Let''s put up posters in this town and the surrounding viges to let them know we''re hiring temporary workers for this business trip. Since we''re running out of time, we''ll pay them extra."


    "But... what we need is warriors..."


    "Is our purpose to fight, Steward Jang?"


    "No, it''s not."


    "Then having people who look like warriors should be enough. We can just ask the workers to pretend to be warriors. As long as we have the numbers, people will think thrice before picking a fight with us anyway."


    ***


    "Did you memorize it all?"


    "Yes, barely..."


    Won-Myeong was teaching Woo-Moon the Divine Phantasm Step, which was considered one of the best footwork techniques in the Kunlun Sect.


    "That''s good. You''re really smart. I''ll perform it now, so take a close look."


    "Understood."


    After transmitting the theoretical part to Woo-Moon by reciting the sutra three times, Won-Myeong climbed onto the t rock next to him.


    <i>Whoosh~</i>


    As he moved, the hem of his robes fluttered in the wind.


    Woo-Moon watched Won-Myeong''s movements intently. For the first few moments, he could follow them properly, but they almost immediately became blurry, as if some kind of fog was blocking his vision.


    <i>¡®What?!¡¯</i> Woo-Moon hurriedly closed his eyes and shook his head from side to side.


    When he reopened his eyes, he focused once more. He could clearly see Won-Myeong''s movement again, but only for a moment. Just like before, Won-Myeong became blurry, preventing Woo-Moon from grasping his traces.


    At that moment, however, the energy of the Celestial Sect''s Forbidden Divine Arts awakened and surged toward his eyes. His vision suddenly cleared, and his mind felt refreshed.


    <i>''I can see it!''</i>


    Won-Myeong¡¯s silhouette no longer faded as long as Woo-Moon kept looking at him intently. Of course, as soon as Woo-Moon lost concentration, the elder¡¯s movement was once more obscured by mist.


    That was the characteristic of the Divine Phantasm Step that Won-Myeong was now performing for his half-disciple. Since it involved an array[1], it was a difficult technique to learn and master. Not only did it allow the user to move in iprehensible ways, but it even bewitched the viewer, obscuring their sight.


    Won-Myeong performed it three times.


    "I left my footprints here, so you''ll be able to study themter."


    Won-Myeong didn¡¯t really want to leave behind traces of his technique. However, it was unlikely to be a problem¡ªeven if someone aside from Woo-Moon saw the footprints, they were unlikely to learn anything from them without knowing the sutra.


    "Yes, thank you."


    In fact, Woo-Moon was disappointed. He had high expectations in learning a new martial art, thinking he''d feel the same great joy that he felt when he looked at thendscape painting and fell into a dream-like state. Unfortunately, though gaining new knowledge gave him a little joy, it paled inparison to the painting.


    <i>''When I get home, I''ll hang thendscape painting on the wall and contemte it again.''</i>


    While Woo-Moon was deep in thought, Won-Myeong called out to Doa.


    "Doa! Doa! We should go on our way here. Bring the Divine Frost Sword."


    "Yes, Grandpa!"


    Doa picked up the Divine Frost Sword and brought it to Won-Myeong. He received the sword, took out a small medallion carved form ck jade from his sleeve, and gave it to Doa.


    "Give this to him instead."


    "What? The Kunlun Friendship Medallion?"


    "Yes, pass it to him ande back quickly."


    Though surprised, Doa still handed it to Woo-Moon. Her face flushed slightly when her hand briefly touched the boy''s.


    "This is...?"


    The medallion made of ck jade was engraved with the characters "Kunlun" along with the Taiji pattern.


    Although Woo-Moon wasn''t familiar with jewelry and ornaments, he understood that it was a valuable item.


    "The Divine Frost Sword is a treasure of the Kunlun Sect and was even used by its founder. Yourndscape painting was of great value, so I thought it would be alright to exchange this weapon for it, but... Well, I have no reason to trade this anymore, so I''m going to take it back. I''ll give you that medallion instead. Use it wisely when you get the chance," Won-Myeong instructed him.


    "I''m not going to say no, but what is it exactly?"


    "It¡¯s just a medallion that shows you are a friend of the Kunlun Sect. Don''t feel too much pressure receiving this."


    "The Kunlun Friendship Medallion isn''t that simple," murmured Doa. However, her voice was too soft for Woo-Moon to hear, so he remained ignorant of the true meaning of the medallion.


    "But please promise me one thing."


    "What is it?"


    "Don''t sell the medallion, give it to others, or throw it away."


    Won-Myeong had just given thest Kunlun Friendship Medallion left in the Kunlun Sect to Woo-Moon, but he didn''t find it wasteful. After all, nobody knew what kind of rtionship could be forged in the future through this one gift.


    On the other hand, Woo-Moon wasn''t that interested in the Kunlun Friendship Medallion, but he would always receive what was gifted to him. That was his principle.


    <i>''I don''t reject free stuff.''</i>


    "You said you live in Kunlun, didn''t you? If I get the chance someday, I''ll visit you."


    "Alright. Then, we''ll be going."


    Won-Myeong and Doa left Woo-Moon behind and headed for Go-ryang Pyeong. As they slowly walked away, Doa looked back.


    Woo-Moon was still standing there, lost in thought. He kept pondering about Celestial Daoism and the two martial arts that he had learned. There were also the little things¡ªthe footwork he was taught earlier, the Night Spear Devil, Won-Myeong, and Doa.


    After taking his time to organize his thoughts, he turned around to go home, and at that moment, the face of his father shed through his mind. He gritted his teeth.


    <i>''How dare he sell myndscape painting? I''ll never forget this.''</i>


    ***


    When Woo-Moon returned, Song Dae-Woong walked over in surprise and greeted him.


    "Son, you¡¯re back!"


    "Don''t talk to me," Woo-Moon bluntly replied. "And use this for Mom''s medicine. I''ll put it on the table."


    Woo-Moon hung thendscape painting on the wall again.


    "I''ll let this pass just this once, so don''t try to sell or throw it away again. Otherwise, I''ll tell Mom everything. Also, I was told that this painting is a valuable treasure. If you''re going to sell it because you don''t have enough money for Mom¡¯s medicine, then at least demand a higher price for it."


    Dae-Woong felt guilty, so he shut his mouth and simply nodded.


    "I-I got it, kiddo. But, what''s wrong with you? You look..."


    Dae-Woong wanted to say <i>¡®You look like a normal person,¡¯</i> but in the end, he held it in¡ªthat was not something that a father was supposed to say to his son.


    "Hmph!" Ignoring his father''s remarks, Woo-Moon dragged a guest chair right in front of thendscape painting, then sat still and stared at it.


    <i>''Time to fall back into my dream.''</i>


    That was the only interest Woo-Moon had now. He just wanted to fall into the dream-like state again and enjoy the pleasure.


    "Huh? Hey, son! What are you doing? You''re going to turn into a fool again!" Shocked, Dae-Woong shook Woo-Moon''s shoulders. "Get up! Get up! You can¡¯t be a fool again!"


    Woo-Moon was trying to concentrate, but his father kept shaking and interrupting him.


    "Oh, what are you doing? Let go of me. If you keep doing this, I''ll tell Mom."


    "Ugh." With a low groan, Dae-Woong stepped back.


    Woo-Moon continued to look at thendscape painting. But the dream didn''t return that easily. Still, he didn''t give up. He sat still for hours, not thinking about food or rest, gazing at the painting.


    However, his efforts were not rewarded, and the painting did not speak to him. Finally,te at night, Woo-Moon yawned and went back to his room.


    <i>''I¡¯ll get some sleep first and try again tomorrow.''</i>


    However, thendscape painting''s illusion refused to take over his mind the next day as well.


    <i>''What the hell am I supposed to do? What''s wrong with me?''</i>


    Woo-Moon red at thendscape painting, nced at it from the corner of his eye, and tried to look <i>through</i> it, the picture blurring in his view as his focus shifted far away. Still, nothing happened.


    After that, he tried standing up,ying on the floor, and running in ce while keeping his eyes on it.


    Nothing.


    As another day passed, Dae-Woong watched his son with frustration and anxiety pounding against his chest.


    "Oh, heavens, what if he bes a fool again?"


    That was Dae-Woong''s biggest concern now. With the money Woo-Moon had received from Won-Myeong, they''d be able to cover Baek Jin-Jin''s medicine costs for a while, so Dae-Woong was now thinking of his son.


    Then, on the third day, Woo-Moon knocked his head with his fists as he stared at thendscape painting. Seeing that, Dae-Woong ran and grabbed his son.


    "What are you doing, boy?! I don''t care if you tell your mother that I''ve broken a promise. Stop it now! What do you think you are doing?!"


    Feeling his father''s worried voice and warm hands, Woo-Moon sighed.


    "Let go of me. I''ll stop. I''m not going to go back to being a fool.... Probably."


    <i>''The dream ispletely gone.''</i>


    Now that he hade out of his dream for good, Woo-Moon thought that it was about time to live in reality.


    1. Arrays (a.k.a. formations) are special arrangements of items, runes etc. that allow energy to flow in a specific pattern, resulting in some sort of special effect. They might be meant for defense (basically magic barriers) for confusing an opponent, or even for attacking. Here, it refers to the specific stances and shifts that constitute this footwork art. ?

 Chapter 8. Dream Awakening (8)

    <h4>Chapter 8. Dream Awakening (8)</h4>


    "R-really? Are you serious? You won''t act like a fool anymore?"


    "Yes. That''s what I''m saying," replied Woo-Moon, his tone turning grumpy without him realizing it. He was more than a bit irritated that he could not get back into the dream anymore.


    "<i>Wahhhhhhhhhh!</i>" Dae-Woong suddenly burst into an uncontroble sobpletely unbefitting of his size and age.


    "Wh-what? Dad, what''s the matter? Why are you crying!" Woo-Moon was taken aback.


    With his menacing face streaked with tears, Dae-Woong replied, "Hearing that my son will no longer be a fool and will finally act normal, I''m just so happy...I can''t hold back my tears."


    "What? Why are you crying over something so silly? Didn''t you always tell me that a real man should only cry three times in his life?"


    Despite his words, Woo-Moon felt the weight of his father''s emotions heavy on his heart. He felt his nose prickling and tears starting to form in his eyes. He regretted his early irritation.


    <i>''Perhaps I really was a fool to be so entranced by thatndscape painting that I was oblivious to the feelings of my parents. I wasn''t even a filial son...''</i>


    It was only at this moment that this huge realization dawned on him.


    Meanwhile, the people at the inn were watching Dae-Woong sobbing like a child, and they were chuckling to themselves.


    With a choked voice, Woo-Moon shouted, "What are you guys looking at? Have you never seen someone cry before?"


    ***


    A young boy stood before Woo-Moon. He was a quiet child. Though the room was full of boisterousughter and chatter, he was alone in the corner and did not utter a single word.


    <i>''He''s... just like my younger self.''</i>


    While Woo-Moon was engrossed in his thoughts, someone stealthily approached him from the side and remarked, "He was such a good boy. Isn''t he adorable?"


    The individual was none other than the old Daoist who had drawn thendscape painting and left when Woo-Moon was younger.


    Just before Woo-Moon could respond, the scene before him rapidly changed.


    They were now in a gloomy room. The boy was lying in bed with his eyes closed, while the old Daoist sat by his bedside.


    "I''m sorry, child. It seems I failed to keep my promise. Sigh... Is the Sr Physique really an insurmountable obstacle?" the old man murmured to himself as he stared at the boy in bed.


    Woo-Moon was watching the scene when the old Daoist suddenly disappeared and appeared next to him once more.


    "My desire to correct a mortal''s Sr Physique ultimately dyed my transcendence."


    Then images shed by, showing season after season, year after year, failure after failure as the old Daoist tried to cure this terrible condition. Ten years, fifty years, a hundred years, two hundred years... he persistentlybored, but his efforts bore no fruit.


    The Sr Physique was a condition of those born with extremely strong Yang energy. The imbnce of Yang and Yin in their bodies led to fragility and ultimately caused their heart meridians to burn out by the age of twenty.


    It was a condition so rare that only one individual was born with it every hundred years or so. Thus, many were not even aware of this condition, physicians included.


    Time continued to flow. And after many years ofbor, all he had to show for it was his memories of watching five children with this condition meet their demise. It was only muchter that he finally managed to create what he thought was an appropriate cultivation technique.


    Then, a little while after that, he met young Song Woo-Moon.


    <i>''That''s me?''</i>


    Woo-Moon was now watching a younger version of himself staring nkly at thendscape painting. Suddenly, his consciousness was pulled into his younger self.


    He saw the Celestial Sect''s Forbidden Divine Art filling his body and correcting the Absolute Yang energy imbnce.


    The Forbidden Divine Art sought infinite harmony, while the Gentle Celestial Sword sought the power of a sword that could pierce through all things in existence.


    The two martial arts blended into one, taking over the meridians and taming the intense internal mes that burned his body, little by little. Those mes that resisted the Forbidden Divine Art were pierced through and extinguished by the Gentle Celestial Sword. The mes that were burning him toward his demise were thus gradually quenched.


    A long time had passed, and Woo-Moon''s body had achieved perfect harmony by now.


    The old Daoist appeared before him again.


    "Song Woo-Moon, it seems like this is the end of our encounter with each other. I sincerely congratte you for oveing this innate constitution you had and surpassing the age of twenty."


    The old Daoist''s gaze remained on Woo-Moon as a bright smile bloomed on his face. His form then slowly disintegrated into the light and faded away.


    Yet, hisst words echoed in Woo-Moon''s mind.


    "We call it ¡®the Dao,¡¯ but it is not just one path. The Dao makes no distinction between good and evil. That''s why there are immortals and devil immortals, wine immortals, evil immortals and sword immortals in this world. Regardless of what others say, do not look at the Dao in the same way that everyone else does. Follow your own path, realize your own truth."


    ***


    "Ah!!"


    Woo-Moon''s eyes snapped wide open.


    Despite it being a dream, everything was so vivid that he could hardly believe it was a dream. He rushed out of his room and headed for the first floor of the inn.


    "It''s gone."


    The moonlight faintly illuminated the scroll on the wall. However, thendscape painting that was on it just before he headed to bed was gone. All that was left in ce was a nk canvas.


    <i>''It really wasn¡¯t a dream...''</i>


    Woo-Moon let out a soft sigh and stared at the nk paper in front of him as he allowed his thoughts to wander.


    <i>''That old Daoist didn''t give me thatndscape painting for no reason. He had meant to transfer the two techniques to me to cure my innate constitution.''</i>


    Now, it finally dawned on him why the old Daoist had made his entrance in such a boisterous, dramatic and fanciful way, descending from the skies like some legendary immortal. If the man had not done that, his father might have discarded the painting before Woo-Moon could fully master the martial arts within and ovee his sr constitution.


    Having finished his self-reflection and making sense of the events, Woo-Moon returned to his room andy down on his bed. His thoughts started wandering once more.


    <i>''From tomorrow onward, I must show this new and different side of me to my parents. I must also fulfill the filial duties I couldn''t until now.</i>¡®


    With this thought, he once more fell asleep, concluding this thought-provoking night.


    ***


    Meanwhile, atop a building opposite Deungpyeong Inn, a man in white robes who appeared to be in his thirties sat alone. He took another sip of wine from his jar and whispered to himself, "My dear daughter, it''s truly heartwarming to see you live happily. And looking at your son growing up to be so tall and strong brings me joy."


    He then took another sip from his jar as the serene moonlight shone down on him.


    ***


    Morning came.


    The crowing of the first rooster startled Woo-Moon awake.


    His body felt incredibly refreshed. This was thanks to Jin Won-Myeong''s assistance which hadpletely rejuvenated his body three days prior.


    Ever since that day, his bones had be tougher, his muscles stronger, and his sense of qi had improved significantly. However, Woo-Moon himself was unaware of these changes. After all, he barely had a "before" topare with since he had always been in his dreamy state.


    Having only worn his underwear to bed, Woo-Moon got up from his bed and stretched to signal the start of the day. The well-bnced muscles throughout his body twitched a little.


    After finding some pants and putting them on, Woo-Moon went downstairs and first headed to a stream a distance away from the inn to fetch water. This was the first time he was doing it with a clear mind, but unlike what he¡¯d been like during his many previous trips, he was so dexterous now that he did not spill even a single drop of water as he carried the pail back. He repeated this almost twenty times, filling therge water tank at the back of the inn.


    Even after carrying so many buckets of water, he did not feel that this was a particrly strenuous task, and he was not even out of breath.


    The next task was to clean the inn. He first swept the dust off the floor with a broom and then carefully mopped every corner with a wet rag.


    Of course, tasks aside, he had not forgotten to take down thendscape painting¡ªwell, the nk canvas that used to be thendscape painting¡ªand carefully put it away in his room.


    "What in the world were you doing? Why is everything <i>so dirty</i>?" Woo-Moon muttered to himself as he diligently mopped the floor.


    Just then, he felt a presence next to him.


    "Huh? Oh, Mom¡ªuh, Mother!"


    His frail mother, Baek Jin-Jin, was watching him as she leaned against the wall. A faint smile was etched on her face.


    Woo-Moon wiped off the beads of sweat on his forehead and rushed toward his mother.


    "Why did youe all the way out here? It''s still early, and the morning air is cold. Please go back in, Mother."


    His tone and way of address towards her had drastically changed.


    Jin-Jin stared at her son''s face with a gratified expression.


    "To see you working in your father''s stead the moment the sun rose and speaking in a way that fits your age.... It makes me so happy! Thank you, Woo-Moon, thank you."


    Jin-Jin then lifted a hand and gently caressed Woo-Moon''s cheek. Her hand was warm, but Woo-Moon could feel another kind of warmth even more¡ªa warmth that radiated from within her.


    He ced his hand on hers. Despite his mother''s young age, her delicate hand had faint wrinkles and felt bony. Feeling his mother''s hand, Woo-Moon felt a piercing ache in his chest.


    "Now, quickly get back in, or Father will be worried."


    "Alright. Help your mother a bit."


    Her body was so light that it was heartbreaking. Even as he supported her, he could barely feel any weight.


    ording to what he had heard, his mother used to cough a lot, but was mostly in good health when both his parents had just gotten married. However, as time passed, her health had gradually worsened, and after bearing two children, she had be as frail as she was now. Her declining health had also changed her personality, and he had heard that she used to be much tougher and livelier when she was in good health.


    He was about to leave after lying Jin-Jin down on the bed, but thetter reached out and tightly grabbed his hand. She said, "I''m so happy that you havee around. Seeing you before, as a mother, I... I..."


    Jin-Jin could not finish her sentence as tears welled up in her eyes.


    <i>''I''m really such a bad person. I''m the worst, most ungrateful child ever.''</i>


    Woo-Moon held back his tears and left the room. His father, Dae-Woong, had coincidentally woken up just then, and he followed Woo-Moon out.


    "Woo-Moon! Huh? You actually woke up early?"


    When Woo-Moon was in his dreamy state, he always woke up only when the sun was hanging high in the sky. As such, Dae-Woong was d that he could see his son awake at such an early time.


    Woo-Moon turned his head to avoid having his father see his red eyes. He called out, "Father."


    "Hmm? What did you call me just now?"


    Suddenly, Dae-Woong''s expression shifted.


    "You.... Did you just call me ''Father''?"


    It was surprising enough that his son had woken up so early, but he had changed the way he addressed Dae-Woong from ¡°dad¡± and ¡°pops¡± to ¡°father.¡±


    "I''ll help with the inn from now on. Please give me all the hard tasks you can think of."


    That was the final blow.

 Chapter 9. Dream Awakening (9)

    <h4>Chapter 9. Dream Awakening (9)</h4>


    Dae-Woong hugged his son with tears in his eyes.


    "Ugh! You¡¯re suffocating me, let go!" Woo-Moon cried out. He didn¡¯t hate it, though.


    "Thank you. Thank you very much, Woo-Moon. Gods of heaven and earth, Jade Emperor, Buddha, thank you all."


    "Father, let me go. I need to work now."


    Dae-Woong hugged his son, and even though time was passing by, he didn¡¯t even think about letting his child out of his embrace. Woo-Moon tried to squirm his way out.


    <i>¡®Huh?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon had been learning martial arts and he was now able to circte his qi. However, he still couldn¡¯t easily handle Dae-Woong''s raw strength. He tried to escape, but he was trapped.


    <i>¡®As expected, my father was born with divine power. Even though he¡¯s not a cultivator, he is incredibly strong.¡¯</i>


    He thought he could escape if he used his qi to strengthen himself, but he was worried about hurting Dae-Woong.


    "What? Ah... Did you say you¡¯re going to work? That¡¯s great, my son!"


    Dae-Woong¡¯s emotions finally cleared away, and he let go of Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon got to work, starting by cleaning the inn. The building had always been a little messy, but once he finished the job, both Dae-Woong and the cook were shocked at how pristine everything was.


    After cleaning up, Woo-Moon''s gloomy heart felt a lot better. Soon, however, boredom struck.


    Thinking there was nothing to do, he suddenly remembered the Divine Phantasm Step Jin Won-Myeong had taught him three days before.


    <i>¡®Time to study it.¡¯</i>


    In the beginning, it hadn¡¯t piqued his interest, since it didn¡¯t seem as enjoyable as dreaming in front of the painting. Now that he couldn¡¯t fall into that dream anymore, however, the Divine Phantasm Step suddenly seemed a lot more entertaining.


    The hardest part of working at an inn was usually the chores that had to be done in the morning. Now that he was done with everything, Woo-Moon told Dae-Woong that he was going out and headed to where he hadst seen Jin Won-Myeong.


    "As expected, they¡¯re still here.¡±


    Won-Myeong¡¯s footprints were still on the massive boulder. Looking at it now, he found it truly fascinating.


    <i>¡®How can an old man like him leave such a deep footprint on a boulder?¡±</i>


    ¡°Well, might as well start.¡±


    Woo-Moon climbed on top of it and reflected on the Divine Phantasm Step¡¯s sutra, which he had already memorized. Afterward, he started tracing Jin Won-Myeong''s footprints.


    <i>Thump!</i>


    "Ugh!"


    It was harder than he had thought, but that was only natural. Even among the best martial arts of the Kunlun Sect, the Divine Phantasm Step was considered one of the most difficult. It wasn¡¯t just a regr footwork technique, and since it involved the intricacies of an array, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t possibly perform it properly just like that when he did not even know what an array was.


    The sun was inching ever closer to the zenith, and Woo-Moon was already on his fourteenth attempt. He often fell while trying to follow the footprints, but he at least managed to take two correct steps, which was only possible because of the changes in his body that granted him increased muscle strength and improved flexibility.


    "Alright, let''s see which one of us will win in the end.¡±


    Feelingpetitive, he challenged himself to master the Divine Phantasm Step. His desire for victory red up.


    He repeated the sutra of the Divine Phantasm Step in his mind and carefully guided his qi to reinforce certain acupuncture points. Taking one step at a time, he crossed his legs and moved in a direction that had seemed impossible in the beginning.


    He felt amazing. His qi was moving exactly as he wanted. Finally, he reached the difficult third step.


    <i>¡®Great!¡¯</i>


    His feet would trip against each other and his qi would get blocked at this step, resulting in failure, but this time, he actually seeded easily.


    He went on to the fourth step.


    <i>Thump!</i>


    Woo-Moon fell down, his legs entangled once more.


    "Damn it! How do I move my feet like this? Am I practicing martial arts or acrobatics?¡±


    Oveing this failure, Woo-Moon recalled Won-Myeong¡¯s movements.


    The memory was initially blurry, but as he focused on it, it gradually became clearer. In the end, it became so crystal clear that it was as if the scene was happening again right in front of him.


    With extreme concentration, Woo-Moon carefully examined Won-Myeong''s actions.


    No matter how intelligent the average person was, they couldn¡¯t visualize past events as clearly and in as much detail as when they had witnessed them in-person. However, Woo-Moon had lived in a dream for a long time, and if anyone could be considered unrivaled in terms of visualization, that was definitely him.


    He continued to try, fail, and then try again untilte noon, when he finally figured out what time it was.


    "Oh, heavens!"


    Woo-Moon rushed home. Then, after helping Dae-Woong during the peak hours of the restaurant, bringing in water, and cleaning the inn, he returned to Won-Myeong''s footprints.


    His trainingsted untilte at night, and he only stopped to eat something for dinner.


    <i>¡®Good thing the moon is bright today!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon repeatedly practiced the Divine Phantasm Step with increasing joy.


    He could now take five steps. There was still so much left to be practiced that he couldn¡¯t see the end of it, but he was happy with his progress.


    <i>¡®If I keep practicing one step at a time, I''ll be able to learn everything.¡¯</i>


    The moon was only crescent-shaped tonight, but he could see his surroundings perfectly anyway, although that only made him think that the night was unusually bright. Immersed in the Divine Phantasm Step training, he didn¡¯t even think about looking at the moon.


    Originally, he was nning to go home after training for three or four hours, but he lost track of time due to how focused he was on practicing his footwork, remembering the old Daoist¡¯s movements, and repeatedly saying the sutra.


    "Just an hour more!"


    As a result, the thing that interrupted his training was the vige bell, which rang to let people know that it was five in the morning.


    <i>''Oh, damn! I didn''t sleep a wink...¡¯</i>


    Song Woo-Moon hurried home and went to bed, but woke up in less than two hours and came down to the inn. His eyes were red and bloodshot, and he was sleepy and tired, but after working hard on helping with the chores in the inn, he practiced the Divine Phantasm Step again until it was dark.


    On the second day, the joy of practicing the Divine Phantasm Step mesmerized him once more, and he only returned to his senses when he heard the sound of the five o¡¯clock bell.


    "Oh, shit! Time went by so fast again!¡±


    Woo-Moon felt bad, thinking that he would be suffering due tock of sleep. Returning to his room and lying down, he realized what he had been neglecting.


    "Ah."


    Now that he thought of it, he realized that he hadn¡¯t cultivated his qi at all. Thinking that he wouldn¡¯t get much sleep anyway even if he went to bed now, he decided to skip it altogether.


    "Yeah, I¡¯d rather not sleep. Waking up can be a pain,¡± Woo-Moon murmured, and began to cultivate ording to the Forbidden Divine Art.


    About an hourter, he opened his eyes. At that moment, he felt a very strange sensation. He wasn''t sleepy, and he wasn''t that tired either, even though he hadn¡¯t slept a wink. If anything, he felt as if he had slept a couple of hours and woken up.


    ¡°This is good. I should cultivate more when Ick sleep."


    Since there was still some time left before dawn, Woo-Moon decided to do a couple of body exercises, which he had also started two days ago. Of course, he didn¡¯t use his qi for these.


    First, he did pushups.


    He had stopped at around two hundred yesterday, and he had been unable to do more. Now, however, he had gone over three hundred, and he could still keep going. He only stopped when he was near four hundred.


    His number of push-ups had nearly doubled in just a day because of his newly improved muscles. Not only had his muscle strength increased greatly due to the partial metamorphosis he had gone through, but their quality itself had changed, resulting in a faster increase in raw powerpared to others doing the same exercise. Moreover, his blood vessels and bones had also changed. Essentially, the quality of the soil had be better, which in turn resulted in higher crop yield.


    On that day, Woo-Moon practiced his footwork in his spare time, in between-helping out at the inn. After a busy lunchtime, he went to where Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong had killed the Four Evil Bandits the other day.


    <i>¡®Since it¡¯s such a remote ce, I''m sure those things are still...¡¯</i>


    "There they are!"


    Song Woo-Moon rushed to get the sabers lying next to the Four Evil Bandits¡¯ corpses. There were four sabers, but they had all been split in half by one move from Gyeong Hong. Picking them up, Woo-Moon headed to the small cksmith shop at the vige entrance.


    "Hello, anyone here?"


    Woo-Moon entered the shop with the Four Evil Bandits¡¯ broken weapons.


    Mr. Choo, the cksmith, stopped working on the sickle he was making and looked at Woo-Moon. He had a strong, muscr build and gave off a stubborn air.


    "You''re the son of the Song family, aren¡¯t you? What brings you here?" He wiped the sweat off his face.


    "I''d like to buy a sword. I don''t have any money, but I can trade these for one."


    Mr. Choo felt that something was strange.


    <i>¡®Hmm? Come to think of it, wasn¡¯t this guy...¡¯</i>


    Indeed, not too long ago, Woo-Moon had been wandering around grinning like an idiot. However, that was no longer the case.


    On the other hand, Mr. Choo wasn¡¯t really the kind to pay much attention to others. He wasn¡¯t really curious or surprised at how Woo-Moon had stopped being a fool. Rather, he was more interested in the broken des that the kid was holding.


    "Well, let me see them.¡±


    Woo-Moon put the weapons down on the counter, and Mr. Choo''s eyes shone as he examined them.


    "These are very well-made. It¡¯s a good metal too, so it¡¯ll still be valuable even if I melt it down."


    "Really? That''s great. Then I''ll buy a sword in exchange."


    "Why?"


    With a shrug, Woo-Moon voiced out the excuse he had prepared in advance.


    "The world¡¯s bing a messtely, and there are a lot of evil men out there. I decided to buy a sword and carry it with me so that I can take care of myself.¡±


    These days, it wasmon for even a merchant to carry a sword. Simple farmers in the countryside didn¡¯t have swords, but even they had bamboo spears or clubs at home. Therefore, Woo-Moon''s reasoning didn¡¯t sound strange.


    "I''m sorry. We don''t sell weapons here."


    Since it was a cksmith shop, Woo-Moon thought that they would have a few swords, which was why he was shocked to find out that there weren¡¯t any. The bigger problem was that this was the only cksmith shop in town.


    "So, can you make a sword instead with these des?"


    "No, I don''t make weapons,¡± Mr. Choo tly refused.


    It was a promise he had made to himself after witnessing a sword he had made with plenty of effort be a tool that killed countless people in the hands of a brutal killer.


    As he got older, he realized that it was the person, not the sword, that caused so much death, but he couldn¡¯t break his oath.


    Woo-Moon was also facing a terrible dilemma of his own. He wanted to have a sword, but he obviously couldn¡¯t force the desmith to make him one.


    <i>¡®What do I do?¡¯</i>


    The next moment, he had a wild idea.


    "Okay. Then teach me how to forge instead and let me use your tools. I¡¯ll give you these des as payment."


    Mr. Choo shook his head. "No. What makes you think it¡¯s that easy to smith a sword? I''ll just pay for these des with silver taels. When you get the time to go to a nearby town, you can buy a sword there."


    However, Woo-Moon shook his head stubbornly. "No, I don¡¯t want money. I just want my sword. If you can''t make it, at least teach me.¡±


    "No.¡±


    "Please teach me."


    <i>''This guy...''</i>


    Not bothering to listen to him, Woo-Moon insisted on what he wanted, which annoyed Mr. Choo.


    "Alright, go ahead. I won¡¯t lose anything anyway.¡±


    The cksmith shop wasn''t that busy, since it only made agricultural tools used by the locals, which meant teaching Woo-Moon wouldn¡¯t be that difficult. It was also quite clear that Woo-Moon wouldn¡¯t give up and would hold out for a month in the cksmith''s shop at this rate.


    "You can start by manning the bellows."


    Working the bellows was the most basic of the basics in cksmithing. Heating and softening the metal would always be the first step in forging anything, whether it was a piece of agricultural equipment or a weapon.


    As Woo-Moon walked toward the forge, Mr. Choo called someone over. "Min-Sang, teach him how to use the bellows.¡±


    A young man about two years younger than Woo-Moon approached with a frown. It was Choo Min-Sang, Mr. Choo¡¯s only son.


    "Hey, why are you bothering us? Do you think cksmithing is that easy?"


    It wasn''t a particrly pleasant tone. However, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t care about it. He was just thrilled that he was getting the opportunity to make a sword himself.


    "How do I use the bellows?¡±


    "What, you think you can? Just give up and stop bothering me."


    Hearing his son¡¯s words, Mr. Choo immediately scolded him. "Min-Sang! Be more respectful when talking to someone older than you. Just teach him how to do it. I already gave him permission!"


    "Phew! Fine, fine, whatever. You there, watch me. Hold this lever, push and pull, and it¡¯ll blow air into the forge. You have to make sure to keep the fire under control so it only goes where the metal needs to be heated, and make sure the temperature doesn¡¯t drop. Do you understand?¡±


    Min-Sang¡¯s words were blunt, but his exnation was simple and understandable. That made Woo-Moon realize that Min-Sang was more meticulous and responsible than he had first thought.


    When Woo-Moon grabbed the bellows¡¯ handle with one hand, Min-Sang tried to say he should do it with both hands, but then he stopped.


    <i>¡®I don''t think this guy knows how hard it is to work the bellows, but I guess he¡¯ll find out. To attempt this with one hand...''</i>


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t like Woo-Moon was a scrawny kid or anything like that. It was just that Mr. Choo and Min-Sang''s muscles had be truly massive because of their profession.


    Slowly, Woo-Moon began to move the bellows.

 Chapter 10. Dream Awakening (10)

    <h4>Chapter 10. Dream Awakening (10)</h4>


    Woo-Moon did it slowly at first. As he pushed and pulled the handle, the mes in the forge became stronger. He then operated the bellows more quickly, making the fire rage. As soon as the air went in, the mes grew bigger. He couldn¡¯t help but feel hot.


    <i>¡®This is fun.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon''s eyes shone like those of a child who had just found a toy. The fire¡¯s intensity changing as he pushed and pulled the bellows¡¯ handle amazed him so much that he no longer cared about Min-Sang''s advice and just put more and more strength into it.


    The fire becamerger and fiercer, heating up both the forge and the entire cksmith¡¯s shop.


    "Huh?"


    Min-Sang had been looking at Woo-Moon in contempt, but this sight made him jump in surprise. Soon, however, he regained his usual sneer.


    <i>¡®Right. Song Woo-Moon probably got his strength from his father, that guy is famous for his strength. But you need much more than strength for smithing. If he keeps working the bellows like that without technique or skill, he won''t be able to endure the entire process.¡¯</i>


    Just like everyone else, he was aware of Woo-Moon¡¯s family circumstances. Of course, what people didn¡¯t know was that with Woo-Moon¡¯s qi cultivation, simply manning the bellows was far from enough to make him pass out from fatigue.


    As if to prove himself, Woo-Moon continued to blow air vigorously. The heat in the forge grew greater and greater.


    <i>¡®What the heck is up with this guy? He¡¯s just using his strength with no skill whatsoever, so why isn¡¯t he getting tired?¡¯</i>


    Min-Sang was surprised. Despite his belief that Woo-Moon would get tired and stop soon, the man just continued to work the bellows as if he had unlimited strength.


    White mes began to burst out one by one from the forge.


    "What are you doing? Do you really think you can heat up the metal after you blow the mes everywhere like that? You have to gather all the mes in that part,¡± Min-Sang told Woo-Moon, pointing at the forge. "What made you think using the bellows is all about strength?¡±


    Listening to Min-Sang¡¯s advice, Woo-Moon tried his best to steer the fire in his desired direction, but it wasn¡¯t as easy as he had thought. Eventually, Woo-Moon let go and stepped back.


    "I don''t know how to do it. Show me."


    "Hmph! I told you to just give up. I¡¯ll do it once, and you¡¯re free to do whatever you want after that."


    Since he had no work to do, Min-Sang wanted to rest, not teach Woo-Moon. Hence, he hoped Woo-Moon would soon reach his limits and give up.


    Min-Sang held the bellows'' handle and skillfully manipted it. He exerted way more strength than Woo-Moon, yet he managed to keep the mes zing in a single spot, rarely changing locations.


    Woo-Moon carefully watched how Min-Sang moved the bellows¡¯ handle, observing intently when Min-Sang put more power and when he used a softer touch, when he worked hard and when he paused a little. Watching the fire and Min-Sang''s movements at the same time, Woo-Moon memorized all of his movements.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s intense focus remained even as sweat dripped down Min-Sang''s face.


    "Now try again, man. If you can''t do this properly, then just go home. If you can''t even blow the bellows, forget about making a sword.¡±


    Maintaining concentration, Woo-Moon went to the forge and grabbed the bellows¡¯ handle. When he pushed it, air went into the forge, strengthening the fire further. He pulled and pushed again.


    As Woo-Moon repeated these movements, Min-Sang watched from behind, snorting in disdain. However, as he watched, his expression gradually changed.


    "Huh?"


    At first, Woo-Moon had seemed incapable of controlling the fire properly, but at some point, he had actually started to show a bit of skill, though he was still nowhere as good as Min-Sang.


    Noticing Min-Sang¡¯s surprise from afar, Mr. Choo checked on Woo-Moon, wondering what was going on.


    <i>¡®Huh? Is it really his first time using the bellows?¡¯</i>


    Working the bellows was, in principle, the easiest thing to do in cksmithing. All the beginner needed was strength. It was hard to keep the mes up consistently at first, but no matter how stupid they were, they were able to do it in a few years.


    However, using the bellows proficiently was something else altogether, let alone doing it after only a few attempts. Yet, Woo-Moon was already doing just that. More importantly, Woo-Moon''s eyes were burning with intense determination.


    In Woo-Moon¡¯s head, Min-Sang''s way of handling the bellows earlier repeated without pause, each repetition showing more detail than the previous one.


    Having maintained an extreme level of concentration on thendscape painting for so long and having continuously trained his mind, he was now better than anyone else in the world at remembering what he had seen and embodying those movements ordingly.


    Time passed by, just like that.


    When Woo-Moon stopped and looked back, Min-Sang tried to hide his surprise. "Well, using the bellows is a cksmith¡¯s easiest task. Even I did that much in a day."


    Mr. Choo¡¯s eyes widened at Min-Sang''s bragging. Looking at Woo-Moon, he said, "That¡¯s enough bellows work. Would you like to try using the hammer?"


    Woo-Moon''s face brightened up. Learning new things was fun.


    "Yes! Please teach me!"


    "Alright,e back tomorrow morning. It¡¯s almost dinner time. Shouldn''t you help at the inn?"


    "Ah! I didn¡¯t notice the time... Yes, thank you!"


    Before Woo-Moon knew it, the sun was already setting. He hurriedly said goodbye to Mr. Choo and ran toward the inn.


    As he did, he heard Min-Sang shouting behind him.


    "Don''te tomorrow! Hammering isn¡¯t easy! You should just give up!"


    Woo-Moon simply ignored him.


    ~


    Woo-Moon began helping his dad as soon as he arrived, and when night fell, he left the house and grabbed a wooden sword he had made himself. It was certainly not a work of art, but still, it was made of the hardest birch tree among the ones near the house.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll practice sword techniques instead of footwork today. It should be more fun.¡¯</i>


    He had seen the Gentle Celestial Sword in his dream, and his heart was already pounding at the thought of actually practicing it. Of course, he was afraid of the sword exploding like before, but his expectations were high enough to suppress that fear.


    Woo-Moon soon arrived at his usual training grounds. Holding his wooden sword, he swung it through the air once, then just stared at it, captivated by the beauty of his own sword. For quite a while, he remained motionless, with his gaze fixed on the sword.


    He liked it. Perhaps wielding a sword and breathing with it was his fate.


    Woo-Moon just stood nkly, forgetting the passage of time. An hour passed just like that.


    Then, he woke up from his reverie and tried the technique he had used before: Raging Storm.


    His qi began to circte as he concentrated. It rose and rotated ever so naturally, ording to the principles of the Forbidden Divine Art; his shoulders, elbows, and hands followed the movements it required.


    Raging Wind generated unpredictable, destructive energy; Heavy Rain created a dense ck of sword qi that expanded in all directions. Just as he had imbued the two techniques into his wooden sword and was about to merge them into one, severe pain enveloped his arm. Though he had been doing just fine up until that point, he failed to execute Raging Storm.


    "Ugh! What¡¯s wrong with me?¡±


    Woo-Moon once again cleared his mind and tried to do the technique. However, no matter how much he tried, he couldn¡¯t reach the same level of proficiency he had shown during his duel against Jin Won-Myeong the other day.


    By the time dawn broke, he had tried to use Raging Storm hundreds of times, but he had never once seeded.


    Woo-Moon realized the reason just as he saw the morning sun rising.


    The two techniques didn¡¯t fuse into one. He couldn¡¯t execute each technique perfectly by itself, and those imperfections meant that the two techniques shed with each other.


    <i>''... Both Raging Wind and Heavy Storm need to be done perfectly, don¡¯t they? For some reason, I think that''s how they¡¯re supposed to be used.¡¯</i>


    After spending all night frowning, Woo-Moon now smiled, even though he still couldn''t perform Raging Storm. He had finally found a way.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll practice Raging Wind and Heavy Rain individually from now on.¡¯</i>


    The day passed by quickly. As the night fell, Woo-Moon picked up his sword again, this time standing in a field, the crickets of bugs surrounding him.


    The moment the Raging Wind¡¯s image came into his mind, the wooden sword came to life. It swung sideways, executing an extremely powerful and destructive sh. Its following movements were unpredictable, and it irregrly jerked in different directions.


    <i>¡®As expected, I can actually use Raging Wind!¡¯</i>


    Of course, his execution wasn¡¯t satisfactory, but the important thing was that he was able to use the technique, imperfect though it was.


    Woo-Moon smiled. Then, he calmly lifted his wooden sword again and swung downward. One sword shadow split into two, two into four, four into eight... The countless sword shadows branched out, forming a.


    Heavy Rain didn¡¯t show any destructive and unpredictable movements like Raging Wind, but its sword shadows covered such arge area and were so many that it didn¡¯t need such unpredictability.


    Woo-Moon then thought of attempting some other techniques of the Gentle Celestial Sword.


    "Huh?"


    He abruptly stopped, feeling both surprised and flustered. "Why can''t I remember? I can''t think of other techniques at all, except for Raging Storm."


    He had learned the Gentle Celestial Sword after falling into that dream and staring at thendscape painting for quite a long time. It had many techniques, Raging Storm was just one of them, but for some reason, he couldn¡¯t recall any of the others. His mind was a sea of white, as if he was lost in a mist.


    The Gentle Celestial Sword hid in a fog so terrible he couldn¡¯t see it no matter how much he focused his vision. It only showed the two techniques he already knew, Raging Wind and Heavy Rain, while the rest were hidden in the fog.


    Woo-Moon agonizingly racked his brain, chasing after the Gentle Celestial Sword in his mind as if ying tag. However, the other techniques never appeared.


    "I can''t help it."


    He gave up, but he didn''t feel too bad. What he had learned and seen in thendscape painting reverie was the truth and he had no doubt about that. As long as he believed in it, someday, the Gentle Celestial Sword would surely reappear before him.


    "I should perfect these two techniques for the time being."


    There was still time left until five o¡¯clock, so Woo-Moon practiced the two techniques to perfection.


    * * *


    After returning home, Woo-Moon cultivated for a while, worked out, slept for a bit, then headed to the stream. He then returned to the inn with two buckets full of water suspended in a yoke.


    They needed water for many tasks, including cooking, drinking, bathing, and so on, so they needed quite the amount. Usually, Dae-Woong or Mak Sam, the only waiter in the inn, would fetch it, but thetter had just taken some days off from the inn to go to his hometown.


    Yesterday, Woo-Moon had decided to do the task himself, but, instead of just one trip, he needed to do it twice or thrice in a row. It was more boring than he thought.


    <i>¡®I shouldn¡¯t be wasting my time fetching water. I can do it more efficiently.¡¯</i>


    Making up his mind, he immediately thought of what to do. It was still too early for anyone to be up and about. As he walked along the street, his gait changed, and he started shuffling his feet and moving quickly from side to side.


    If anyone had been watching him, they would have been shocked. Woo-Moon¡¯s figure was blurry, almost as if there was fog surrounding him as he moved.


    Woo-Moon was using the Divine Phantasm Step, the very footwork technique that he had learned from Jin Won-Myeong.

 Chapter 11. Dream Awakening (11)

    <h4>Chapter 11. Dream Awakening (11)</h4>


    <i>Drip-drip!</i>


    The two buckets of water that he carried on each side of a yoke were indeed heavy; yet, in spite of that, he hadn''t spilled a single drop in the past. Now, however, water continued to spill out.


    <i>''No way!''</i>


    Woo-Moon concentrated, being careful not to move his upper body and arms too much. Tensing his arms up, he worked on the Divine Phantasm Step with just his lower body.


    It was extremely difficult for him to keep his upper body aligned with his core properly while practicing this footwork he was yet to master. In truth, even those who had mastered it wouldn''t have been able to do such a task easily.


    By the time Woo-Moon arrived at the inn, he had spilled more than half of the water in the buckets, and his clothes were already soaked.


    "Come on..." Woo-Moon frowned, and his mood dampened. It onlysted for a moment, though. Soon after, he poured the remaining water into arge tank and ran back to the stream.


    "I''m going to do it right this time!" With determination, Woo-Moon filled the buckets with water.


    Although he kept his shoulders tense, trying to maintain bnce as he practiced, the water still moved as he moved to the side.


    "Eek!" He momentarily shifted his weight to his upper body.


    <i>Ssh!</i>


    As he seemingly exerted too much strength on one side, the water in the opposite bucket flowed out.


    <i>''This is harder than I thought.''</i>


    Woo-Moon thus practiced his footwork while carrying water buckets. By his fifth and sixth attempts, the amount of water left in the buckets had increased significantlypared to his first try. The more he practiced, the better his sense of bnce and upper body stability became.


    When he opened his eyes early in the morning, Dae-Woong smiled pleasantly at the thought that his son was already up and working.


    "Son! Where are you?" he called Woo-Moon.


    There was no answer.


    <i>''That''s weird. I thought he''d be cleaning at this hour.''</i>


    Finding it strange, Dae-Woong went out the inn''s back door, where he found Woo-Moon.


    He couldn''t help but find the scene strange. His son was soaked like a drowned mouse, and he was moving in a weird way as he carried two buckets of water.


    <i>''What''s he doing? Why is he walking sideways and crossing his feet like that? And why does he look so blurry? It doesn''t seem to be foggy this morning.''</i>


    He initially thought that there was some fog outside, but then he realized that only Woo-Moon looked distorted and he could see the surroundings clearly.


    Dae-Woong looked as if he didn''t know whether tough or cry at the scene.


    "Woo-Moon! What are you doing now?"


    Woo-Moon waspletely focused on his footwork, so his father''s shout startled him.


    "Father!"


    Dae-Woong grabbed Woo-Moon''s shoulders and shook him. "Are you alright? What are you doing? You''ve just gotten out of your foolish state, and now you''re starting to do crazy things? What''s wrong with you, punk?!"


    "No, Father. That''s not it..." Not knowing what to say, Woo-Moon was at a loss.


    <i>''Should I tell him I''m studying martial arts?''</i>


    However, Woo-Moon suddenly remembered the time when his brother Woo-Gang left for the Mount Hua Sect. It made his mother, Baek Jin-Jin, very unhappy, upset, and worried. At that time, she said there was nothing good about being a martial artist and joining the <i>murim</i>. If he were to tell them he had been studying martial arts, he was certain that Jin-Jin would be deeply saddened.


    <i>"I have to keep this under wraps for now. It''s not the nicest thing to do, but at least...''</i>


    "Don''t worry. I''m just bored, not crazy. I soaked my clothes with water on purpose, it''s getting hot," Woo-Moon said after organizing his thoughts for a moment.


    "Because you were bored? That''s why you were walking like that?"


    "Yes, Father."


    Dae-Woong doubted it, but it wasn''t like it didn''t make sense at all. He had also yed a lot of weird pranks when he was young.


    <i>''No, walking like that just because he''s bored isn''t normal. That''s just making things harder for him. And he nearly spilled all the water... Tsk.''</i>


    Seeing Woo-Moon''s blurry figure made Dae-Woong concerned. He thought the old daoist had cursed his son because he sold off thendscape painting.


    "Are you okay? Did you have any nightmaresst night?"


    "Yes. Why?"


    "You were moving in a really weird way earlier, you almost looked blurry. I was wondering if a ghost possessed you or something. Are you sure you didn''t have a nightmare? Do you feel chilly?"


    "I''m fine, dad. What about you? Have you been getting enough resttely? You just woke up from your sleep and you''re already saying you saw a ghost."


    "Is that so?"


    "How can I look blurry? I''m not a ghost, dad. Maybe it''s just your eyesight bing worse."


    Dae-Woong responded loudly. "What are you talking about, punk?! Your father is still in his prime! Stop treating me like an old man?"


    "But why do you say that I looked blurry, then?"


    A ghost possessing his son was definitely a ridiculous idea to consider.


    "Well, I guess I''m still half asleep and my eyes yed a prank on me."


    "That''s probably it. Now please get out of the way, I''m going to work."


    "Oh, got it."


    Leaving behind Dae-Woong, who was still looking at him with his head tilted in puzzlement, Woo-Moon poured the water into therge water tank behind the inn.


    <i>''Since I''m already runningte, I should clean up as quickly as I can.''</i>


    Woo-Moon finished his morning work in a hurry and headed to the cksmith''s shop.


    "Mister Choo, I''m here!"


    "Huh! Why did youe back when I told you not to bother?"


    The first person to greet Woo-Moon was Min-Sang.


    <i>''He''s not my brother, so I can''t beat him up,'' </i>Woo-Moon thought, going into the cksmith''s shop with a smile on his face. There were still things to learn from Min-Sang, so Woo-Moon was trying to please him as much as he could.


    "Oh, you''re already here, Woo-Moon."


    "Yes, sir."


    Mr. Choo greeted Woo-Moon as he fired up the forge.


    "Well, you''re going to start working with the hammer today, aren''t you? Here, take it."


    Woo-Moon picked up the hammer.


    "Min-Sang, teach him how to make a sickle."


    "Wait. I want to make a sword," Woo-Moon replied.


    Mr. Choo stared at Woo-Moon. "You can''t make a sword without knowing how to make hoes and sickles first. And I won''t teach you how to forge a sword here. Start with those two, because they''re easier, and then use the techniques and skills you''ve learned from that to make a sword."


    Woo-Moon knew that it would be better to simply buy a sword from a cksmith shop in a nearby vige. However, he was determined.


    <i>''Huh, he''s being mean. Alright! I''ll still make my own sword!''</i>


    He decided to learn how to make a hoe and sickle from Min-Sang.


    "Just like yesterday, I''ll show you how to do it once, then you''re on your own."


    Woo-Moon didn''t like this either, but he couldn''t help it.


    Woo-Moon concentrated as hard as he could, and his vision heightened as he watched Min-Sang make a hoe and then a sickle. When Min-Sang''s demonstration ended, Woo-Moon took his hammer and stood in front of an anvil.


    <i>''I was able to work the bellows after watching how it''s properly done. Making a hoe and a sickle shouldn''t be a problem.''</i>


    Woo-Moon began to hammer down on the iron confidently.


    <i>sh!</i>


    Remembering how Min-Sang had done it, he tried to copy the young man''s movements.


    "Ha-ha-ha!"


    Min-Sang burst intoughter when Woo-Moon was done, pointing at the ugly hoe in front of him. It was incredibly different from what Min-Sang had made earlier. If he were to put it up for sale, no one would buy it.


    <i>''Why? I did exactly what he did, so why...?''</i>


    "Do it again from the beginning," Mr. Choo said.


    <i>''Why is it so poorly made? Should I ask Min-Sang to show me one more time? No.'' </i>Woo-Moon put the hoe back into the forge and blew the bellows.


    Woo-Moon''s memory of Min-Sang''s hammering technique was still vivid. He was better than anyone else when it came to remembering something and reying it in his mind, after all.


    He turned the hoe into a glowing-hot piece of metal, then started hammering it once more.


    <i>''The result is...''</i>


    It was the same as before. Well, it was actually a little bit better inparison, but still by far not up to par.


    He kept hammering until lunchtime, but all the hoes he made were poor-quality at best.


    Whenever Woo-Moon failed, Min-Sang wouldugh at him, but the same couldn''t be said for Mr. Choo, who looked at Woo-Moon''s back as thetter returned to the inn. In truth, he was quite surprised.


    Min-Sang was deliberately ignoring Woo-Moon''s efforts, as he was already hell-bent on ridiculing his fellow apprentice. However, the fact that Woo-Moon could produce a hoe of such quality two days after he started working as a cksmith was actually quite amazing.


    Woo-Moon returned to the inn withplicated thoughts weighing on his mind.


    They would always get many customers during lunch. To help the cook, he started cutting ingredients in advance so they''d already be prepared once the busy hours came in.


    The Gentle Celestial Sword had at its core a universal truth. In other words, the essence of the sword was hidden behind every single thing in the world..


    It could even be found in cutting vegetables and meat with a kitchen knife.


    He coulde across this fundamental truth and get enlightened to some extent even while he was cooking, eating rice, washing himself, or sweeping the floor.


    While Woo-Moon was cutting the ingredients, customers began toe in one by one. Soon, he left the kitchen and helped the waiter. There were even more customers todaypared to other days, so he was getting really busy.


    "Cook! One in noodle and Five Spice Sliced Steamed Pork!"


    "Got it!"


    He cleaned a table, received a new order, and ryed it to the cook. He initially found it a little annoying to be a waiter, but that feeling went away pretty quickly. Serving guests like this was fun in its own way.


    After a group had finished eating and left, Woo-Moon came over to their table and stacked the dishes for dishwashing.


    "Wow! Here we go, look over there," said the son of Mr. Roh, the clothing shop owner, tapping his friend''s hand.


    The two children looked at Woo-Moon with sparkly eyes. There were more than a dozen bowls to be cleaned up. Usually, they were supposed to be carried in two or three stacks, but Woo-Moon always tried to move them all at once because he hated making multiple trips to the kitchen. Thus, he stacked all of them on top of each other like a tower.


    "Woo-Moon, you punk! What are you doing? I told you not to do that, didn''t I? You''re going to break them all again!"


    "It''s fine, it''s fine! I didn''t drop any of them yesterday."


    The tower of bowls was taller than Woo-Moon and looked like it was about to copse, but he actually managed to pick it up and walk to the kitchen without dropping it.


    "Wow!"


    A few children hade running and pping. Other customers were also amazed.


    "He can''t even see what''s in front. That''s amazing. What a show," said one of them.


    Just then, someone stormed in through the inn''s door.


    <i>''Oh, sheesh.... The door''s going to break, and I''ll have to fix it again.''</i>


    Woo-Moon frowned. The man who had just smashed the door open was the warrior of the Leebi Merchant Guild that he had seen before. He was Yim Choo, someone who used to hang out with Woo-Moon when he was young.


    He came in with a swagger, showing off the saber on his waist. With a smile that revealed his buck teeth, he spoke servilely to the woman wearing a veil who followed behind him.


    "Hehe, it''s pretty shabby here, but the food is good, mydy."


    Yeon Si-Hyeon was a tall, beautifuldy with long legs and a slim figure. The moment she entered, the inn''s interior appeared to brighten up.


    Si-Hyeon looked around the inn, and her eyes stopped on Woo-Moon, who stood precariously with the most impressive stack of bowls he had ever carried.


    Their eyes met, and Si-Hyeon was amazed at the sight of his impable bnce.

 Chapter 12. Dream Awakening (12)

    <h4>Chapter 12. Dream Awakening (12)</h4>


    Si-Hyeon looked around, went to an empty table, and sat down. She didn''t even remember meeting Woo-Moon when he was still a fool a few days ago. Both his facial expression and his actual appearance were quite different, not to mention the fact that she hadn¡¯t even paid much attention to him at the time.


    Yim Choo dusted off a chair at another table and ran to Si-Hyeon with a sheepish smile.


    "Would you like to sit here,dy?"


    When the young man with buck teeth tried to sit next to Si-Hyeon, Jo Mu-Jae, the guard that always followed Si-Hyeon, raised his sword and blocked him.


    "Are you out of your mind? Where do you think you¡¯re trying to sit?"


    <i>¡®Fucking bastard!¡¯</i>


    Yim Choo was secretly in love with Si-Hyeon. He wanted to sit at the table and eat and talk with her, since it was only the three of them, but the terribly strict Jo Mu-Jae ruined his ns.


    <i>¡®Go to hell and be a guard for the rest of your life, you damn ve bastard.¡¯ </i>Yim Choo cursed Mu-Jae in his mind. He then said, "Ha-ha, I didn''t mean to sit down. I was trying to take out a chair for you. Please have a seat."


    Yim Choo quickly and naturally adapted to the circumstances.


    However, Jo Mu-Jae shook his head. "How can I sit down and eat with the daughter of the Leebi Guild owner?"


    "It''s alright. Sit down, both of you," Si-Hyeon said. "I''m not a member of the royal or noble families. The courtesy just makes me feel embarrassed."


    Jo Mu-Jae hesitated, but then Si-Hyeon sighed. "Please sit down, uncle."


    Jo Mu-Jae was turning forty-three years old this year, and he had been a guard of the Leebi Guild for a long time, but he was more than just a subordinate. His rtionship with Si-Hyeon¡¯s father was so close that they were like actual brothers. In private, she called him uncle.


    "Excuse me then."


    Jo Mu-Jae took a seat.


    <i>¡®Look, punk. Lady Yeon is on my side,¡¯ </i>Yim Choo thought as he sat down on Si-Hyeon¡¯s other side.


    "What are you doing? Aren''t you going to take orders?" he shouted, making Si-Hyeon frown under the veil.


    Yim Choo wasn''t her favorite subordinate.


    As if he read her mind, Jo Mu-Jae tried to say something like "we aren¡¯t gangsters," but Woo-Moon suddenly appeared behind them, seemingly out of nowhere.


    Seeing him behind them surprised Jo Mu-Jae. He actually hadn¡¯t felt anyone approaching.


    "Aren''t you a fool? How are you going to take orders..." Yim Choo frowned but was soon rendered speechless as Woo-Moon looked into his eyes quietly. It was so clear, transparent, and intense that Yim Choo felt as if Woo-Moon could read his mind.


    "What would you like to order?"


    "What do you rmend?" Si-Hyeon replied.


    "in noodles and Northern-Style Roast Duck."


    The Northern-Style Roast Duck was a dish originating in the northern capital city. The cook would insert a straw between the skin and the flesh of a duck and blow some air through it, creating a pocket of air. The pocket would be filled with herbs and spices, and then the duck would be smoked until it was ready to eat.


    Since she liked meat, Si-Hyeon had already eaten that dish a few times, finding it delicious.


    "Okay. Then we''ll have one Northern-Style Roast Duck and two noodles."


    Si-Hyeon preferred eating meat by itself, without rice or noodles. Even so, she did not eat all that much in general, so even if she ate duck until she was full, there would still be enough left for the other two.


    After a while, their table sported a well-baked duck with a mouthwatering aroma.


    Throughout the meal, Yim Choo was in a bad mood. He felt irritated because of Jo Mu-Jae, who had almost stopped him from sitting next to Si-Hyeon, and because of the local fool, Woo-Moon, whom he usually ignored.


    <i>¡®Does that bastard want to die?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t really done anything to Yim Choo. The man was just angry at himself for momentarily fearing Woo-Moon.


    "I ate well, it was really delicious," Si-Hyeon said when they were finished. She then paid Dae-Woong for the food.


    Yim Chooughed. "I have an urgent matter to deal with, mydy, so I probably won¡¯t be going home for a while. Please head back first."


    "Okay. Be careful not to stay out toote," Si-Hyeon replied, then nced at Woo-Moon, who was cleaning up their dishes. She then headed outside with Jo Mu-Jae, unaware that Jo Mu-Jae had also been looking at Woo-Moon for quite a while now, his eyes filled with suspicion.


    Yim Choo saw the two off with a smile, but his expression swiftly hardened when he went back into the inn. As he entered, he directly kicked the table where they had sat, "What kind of inn is this? There was hair in the food I ate earlier! How dare you ignore the Leebi Guild?"


    That was a lie. Yim Choo made it up on purpose to vent at the cook and direct hisint against Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon felt angry. He knew how careful Mr. Jang, who was running the kitchen, was in that aspect. Yim Choo kicking a table violently in his family''s inn only made him feel even madder.


    "That punk!"


    Enraged, Woo-Moon tried to step forward, but Dae-Woong stopped him.


    "Stop right there. What do you think you¡¯re doing? Didn''t you see it earlier? He''s a man of the Leebi Guild. Don''t mess with him."


    There were three leading groups in this neighborhood: the Guan-Un Martial Hall, the Leebi Guild, and the Hwaryong Merchant Guild.


    From Dae-Woong¡¯s perspective¡ªthat of a powerless inn owner, he had no choice but to bear the behavior of Yim Choo, since thetter belonged to one of these groups.


    "How can I put up with that?"


    "It¡¯s okay, just hang in there. I''ll talk to him, so stay right here."


    Woo-Moon watched his dad butter up Yim Choo, even resorting to paying him money.


    Yim Choo wanted to vent his anger directly on Woo-Moon, but Dae-Woong stepping up andforting him with money relieved his anger.


    "Hmph! I¡¯ll let you off this time! But remember, if you dare to treat the Leebi Guild like this..."


    Yim Choo was the typical ass in lion¡¯s skin. If Si-Hyeon or Jo Mu-Jae had seen this, they would have fired him without even asking who was right or wrong. However, it was clear that the organization had some internal problems if an employee dared to act like this while they weren''t looking.


    After Yim Choo left, Woo-Moon helped the cook cut green onions.


    <i>Tak... tak... tak...</i>


    The sound of Woo-Moon''s kitchen knife hitting the cutting board continued to resonate. However, his breathing gradually elerated, and his cutting speed gradually increased.


    <i>Tak, tak, tak, tak, tak! Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tak!</i>


    Just as the speed of his knife reached its peak, Woo-Moon put the kitchen knife down and went outside.


    "I¡¯ll be going out for a while, father."


    "What? Punk! Hey, Woo-Moon!"


    Woo-Moon heard his dad calling him, but he just walked away quickly without looking back. After a while, he entered a secluded alley and spotted Yim Choo in the distance.


    "Hey, Buckteeth! Come over here."


    The word that Woo-Moon had just uttered was Yim Choo¡¯s nickname, and also the word that he hated the most.


    "What did you just call me?"


    Yim Choo found it even more absurd and embarrassing that Woo-Moon was the one calling him out. Yim Choo had put great effort into wearing his most ferocious and frightening expression in order to make sure that Woo-Moon was well and truly scared.


    However, in Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes, Yim Choo just looked ridiculous. Woo-Moon had served as Yim Choo and the other children¡¯s leader before his physical illness no longer allowed him to do that. Since then, however, he hadn¡¯t gone out. In addition, although he had recovered physically while observing thendscape painting, his mental state only allowed him to be bullied further.


    Now that he was healthier than when he was younger and had also escaped from that dreamy state, there was no way that Woo-Moon was afraid of someone like Yim Choo.


    Woo-Moon remembered the man kicking down the table at the inn earlier and Dae-Woong kowtowing and soothing him.


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    Woo-moon gritted his teeth and ran toward Yim Choo.


    "Huh, you really are out of your mind!"


    Woo-Moon was a fool the entire neighborhood had ignored, and he had been a target of Yim Choo and his friends¡¯ ridicule for years. To think that man was now running toward him...it was absolutely ridiculous.


    <i>¡®I thought you were slowly recovering from being a fool, but you haven¡¯t changed at all!¡¯</i>


    Under Yim Choo''s ridiculing gaze, Woo-Moon ran at him in a disorderly manner. As expected, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t know any martial arts.


    Yim Choo couldn''t help butugh.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll finish him with a counter.¡¯</i>


    Yim Choo recalled a technique among the Sun-Cloud Seven Fists¡ªa set of melee techniques that he had learned at the Guan-Un Martial Arts School. He would first block Woo-Moon¡¯s attack with his forearm, then approach him and kick his knee.


    <i>''I''ll show you the difference between us!''</i>


    Woo-Moon finally reached Yim Choo and clenched his fist. He pulled his arm back as far as he could and threw a punch at Yim Choo''s cheek.


    Watching his offensive, Yim Chooughed. An instantter, his forearm and Woo-Moon''s fist collided.


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i>


    Yim Choo had misjudged two things. The first was the speed of Woo-Moon''s fist, which was much faster than what he had expected. Fortunately, he managed to block Woo-Moon¡¯s attack as he had moved in advance, but it still surprised him.


    The second was that Woo-Moon''s fist had enormous power behind it.


    <i>Pow!</i>


    Yim Choo''s arm failed to ovee Woo-Moon''s punching power, which simply folded his arm at the elbow and caused him tremendous pain.


    <i>¡®Huh? What...¡¯</i>


    Having pushed away Yim Choo''s forearm, Woo-Moon¡¯s fist continued unimpeded on its trajectory to Yim Choo¡¯s face.


    <i>Pooooow!</i>


    "Argh!"


    With a scream that perfectly suited his usual talkative and frivolous personality, Yim Choo fell backward.


    "You son of a bitch!"


    Yim Choo cursed and iled about. Noticing that blood was flowing from his nose, he pointed at Woo-Moon. "You¡¯re going to die, punk! Argh, it hurts. I''ll kill you! Who do you think I am? You dare ignore the Leebi Guild?"


    Of course, Woo-Moon''s technique was crude. No, actually, he had never learned any hand-to-handbat to begin with. However, he had something that made him far superior to Yim Choo: internal energy and a good eye.


    If Yim Choo had decided to dodge Woo-Moon''s attacks instead of blocking, he would¡¯vested longer in the fight. Thinking of stopping Woo-Moon''s attack and counterstriking was a mistake.


    There was an unbridgeable gap between their level of qi. If Woo-Moon had any idea how to reinforce his arms and legs with qi, then not only would he have broken Yim Choo''s bones, but probably even killed him with that one punch.


    Having taken Yim Choo down with that one angry blow, Woo-Moon took a short breath, with his arm still outstretched. He approached Yim Choo with big strides as the man rolled on the ground cursing


    Yim Choo then stepped back and shook his arms. "Don''te closer, bastard! I''ll kill you! I''ll kill you!"


    Despite such threats, Woo-Moon continued to approach. Yim Choo tried to kick him in the chest.


    However, Yim Choo was already on the defensive. His mind had grown tense and his body followed suit, which resulted in his attack being even worse than Woo-Moon''s punch that he hadughed at moments earlier.


    Woo-Moon swiftly avoided it, then grabbed Yim Choo''s nape and pulled, kicking his legs from underneath him at the same time.


    "Argh!"


    Yim Choo fell down, and Woo-Moon grabbed him by the cor.


    "Consider this a warning. Don¡¯t evere to our inn again. We will no longer offer our services to you. And what was that question you asked? Am I not afraid of the Leebe Merchant Guild? Yeah, you''re right, I''m not afraid. I didn''t do anything wrong. Also, yourpanions have no idea what you''re doing here, do they?"


    "What, punk? You''ll see. How dare you take the Leebi Gu¡ª<i>MMMGH!</i>"


    Woo-Moon grabbed Yim Choo¡¯s by the jaw and tightened his grip, cutting the man''s sentence short.

 Chapter 13. Dream Awakening (13)

    <h4>Chapter 13. Dream Awakening (13)</h4>


    Yim Choo let out a groan, ovee by pain and shame.


    "Shut up. I can see through your little game. I noticed earlier that you started that ruckus only after the two other people in your group left, as if you were walking on eggshells. You want to hide this side of you from them because they don''t like these things. Am I wrong?"


    Yim Choo''s jaw dropped. Woo-Moon was right. Woo-Moon was no longer the fool he was before, and the massive gap in power made Yim Choo afraid of Woo-Moon.


    <i>''H-how can a person change this much? Song Woo-Moon has changed!'' </i>Yim Choo felt fear at the thought, his backbone stiffening. <i>''Ah, that''s right. When we were young, Woo-Moon was our merciless and powerful leader.''</i>


    Woo-Moon had been much smarter than his peers back in the day, and he was known to be cruel when needed. He was also stronger than anyone else.


    Since childhood, Woo-Moon had been a hindrance to the mean and evil Yim Choo and his friends. Yim Choo had countless memories of Woo-Moon beating him up when he bullied other powerless children.


    However, Woo-Moon stopped showing up after a while, and theyter learned that he had be a fool, much to everyone''s shock. Since then, they had taken to harassing him in turn, due to their history with him.


    Just as Yim Choo was briefly reminiscing about the past, Woo-Moon threw him away and was about to walk toward the inn when he suddenly remembered something very important.


    "Oh, that''s right!" Woo-Moon walked toward Yim Choo again.


    "What?! What???" Frightened, Yim Choo stood still, unable to speak more than two words.


    Woo-Moon turned Yim Choo''s pocket inside out. It felt quite heavy, seemingly from the not insignificant amount of money inside. He doubted Yim Choo''s sry from the Leebi Guild was this high. Judging from Yim Choo''s behavior earlier today, it had to be the money that he had extorted from Dae-Woong, as well as some other people.


    "M-my money!" Yim Choo shouted in shock as Woo-Moon took the money out of his pocket.


    Woo-Moon looked down at Yim Choo coldly. "<i>Your</i> money? This isn''t your money. You borrowed money from my dad earlier, didn''t you? This is the principal and interest. My house''s interest is a little high, that''s all."


    Woo-Moon simply took his money and left, and Yim Choo couldn''t stop him since he was scared. A momentter, Woo-Moon looked back at him. "Go back quietly and tend to your wounds. And fix that shitty personality of yours while you''re at it."


    * * *


    As soon as he returned home, Woo-Moon finished the rest of his work and left the inn right away. Dae-Woong kept asking him if he had fought with Yim Choo, but Woo-Moon simply denied it. Before leaving, he secretly put half of the money taken from Yim Choo in the family safe.


    After leaving the inn, he headed to Mr. Choo''s cksmith shop and picked up a hammer with high expectations that he''d do well today. However, the results still weren''t satisfactory. Of course, he was doing much better than yesterday, but it was still worse than Choo Min-Sang''s output, and that disappointed him.


    Nevertheless, he didn''t y around. He hammered until it was already dark, though he didn''t make any particr progress.


    <i>''I can''t make the hoe and the sickle well no matter how hard I try,'' </i>Woo-Moon thought as he walked home. ''<i>Before Mr. Choo and Min-Sange to the cksmith shop tomorrow, should I try and make a sword by myself? I really want to make one.''</i>


    The idea was set by the time he returned to the inn and got to bed.


    <i>''Yeah, let''s do that.''</i>


    The next morning, Woo-Moon skipped his usual training and finished his work at the inn as quickly as possible, then darted toward the cksmith shop. Fortunately, no one was there when he arrived.


    Woo-Moon quickly put the pieces of metal in the forge and started to heat them up. At the thought that he would finally make a sword, his heart pounded. In his mind, he kept thinking of the Divine Frost Sword''s outstanding quality. He wanted to make a sword like that.


    <i>nk! nk!</i>


    Woo-Moon started hammering. He was initially at a loss about how to make it, but his hands started moving on their own the moment he hit the iron. As he recalled the image of the beautiful Divine Frost Sword, his hammer moved ordingly to forge a simr sword.


    The sound of hammering echoed with a certain rhythm. Whenever the metal cooled down and hardened, he would heat it up again and continue. After a while, the de was finallyplete.


    The problem was making the sword''s hilt and the guard, which divided the de and the hilt.


    Woo-Moon started hammering again without any hesitation. His brain was working faster than ever.


    He stared at the de before hammering, imagining what the hilt would be like and how it''d connect to the de. In the case of the hoe and the sickle, he had to make a de and a handle, then he had to fit the de into the handle. In the same way, he thought of the hilt as an extension of the de.


    Upon finallypleting the de and hilt, Woo-Moon put them together.


    "Whoa, did I actually make it?" Woo-Moon finally opened his mouth after working for hours with gritted teeth.


    "It''s pretty good."


    Mr. Choo''s voice came from behind him all of a sudden. However, Woo-Moon wasn''t surprised; he had already felt Mr. Choo''s presence. The man had approached quietly while he was still working on the de.


    Although he said it was only "pretty good" and pretended to be calm, Mr. Choo was honestly deeply surprised. Min-Sang, who was next to him, felt the same.


    It was frankly unbelievable that Woo-Moon had already made a sword even though he had only started his cksmith apprenticeship three days ago. Another surprising fact was that the hoes and sickles he made were of average quality at best, but his sword, which he had forged without anyone teaching him how, was better than average.


    It was definitely harder to make a sword than a sickle or a hoe, making Woo-Moon''s case quite unusual.


    "There is no need to make sickles and hoes any longer. From now on, you can make as many swords as you want."


    "B-but dad!"


    Mr. Choo didn''t change his mind despite Min-Sang''s surprised protest. He brushed his son off, saying he was noisy.


    Woo-Moon looked at the sword he made. Compared to the Divine Frost Sword, it was quite a bit inferior, but he felt good about it nevertheless. It felt great wielding a sword made by his own hands. Creating a sword that was better in quality than the hoes and sickles he had made also made him feel proud.


    <i>''But I''m not satisfied with this.''</i>


    Woo-Moon put the sword into the forge without hesitation and tempered it again, deciding not to give up until he had made a sword that met his standards.


    From morning through evening, Woo-Moon continued to make swords, and as the hammering continued, his de-making skill improved. As a result, the sharpness and strength of the des he made also gradually improved.


    Eventually, when evening came, he left the cksmith''s shop and headed back to the inn.


    * * *


    Woo-Moon was cleaning up the inn in the evening and thinking of training some more afterward. The inn was much quieter than it had been during lunch, but suddenly, the inn''s wooden door opened.


    <i>Squeak!</i>


    "It''s so hot. I really don''t like the Central ins."


    A woman in her early twenties entered,ining with an irritated voice.


    Woo-Moon looked at her. There was no woman in this small vige as pretty as the customer who had just entered. No... Si-Hyeon came to his mind right away, but she was always wearing a veil, so he wasn''t exactly sure.


    Jeong Gyeong, the woman who entered the inn, snorted to herself.


    <i>''Hmph. It seems even a humble waiter in this countryside vige can appreciate beauty.''</i>


    Woo-Moon''s appearance was outstanding for a mere waiter, but that was all. Given his status, she wouldn''t even give him a second nce.


    Three more women came in behind Jeong Gyeong, all of them covering their fair, white skin with white clothes.


    When his eyesnded on thest girl to enter, Woo-Moon was momentarily stunned.


    "Ah...."


    He was supposed to ask what they were going to eat and if they were going to stay the night, but for a moment, the girl''s beauty stunned him into silence.


    They were all fair maidens, but none of them so much as thest girl, who seemed to be in herte teens. Her skin was so porcin-like that the dazzling white suit she was wearing looked dirty inparison, and her twinkling eyes and straight nose enhanced her beauty to the fullest.


    She was by far the most beautiful woman he''d ever seen, and it wouldn''t be wrong to say she stood out the most.


    As she came from the North Sea, where the freezing wind and cold snow were constantly raging, Jeong Gyeong was naturally quite sensitive to the heat of the Central ins, which caused her to be irritated. In addition, it annoyed her when Woo-Moon, who had been looking at her a moment before, could no longer take his eyes off her junior sister.


    That was inevitable, however. She herself knew that her junior sister was prettier than her, and the knowledge of her inferiority only made her bully the poor girl.


    "Isn''t this restaurant open? Aren''t you a waiter?" Jeong Gyeong spoke coldly and aggressively.


    Woo-Moon met all kinds of people while working at the inn. If he got angry with each one of them, it would make his work even harder. Hence, Woo-Moon had gotten ustomed to simply ignoring the customers who spoke down to him and even those who cursed him, to the extent that he didn''t even notice it all that much.


    However, Jeong Gyeong''s attitude still angered Woo-Moon, especially since she looked at him with contempt and irritation.


    "Oh, yes, yes. Would you like something to eat? Or do you want me to show you a room?"


    He seemed polite but somewhat sloppy. Was it because of his eyes? Or was it because of his slightly tilted head? Regardless, the mood in the room turned for the worse.


    Jeong Gyeong turned her nose up, but she didn''t say anything anymore, thinking that arguing with a humble waiter wasn''t suitable for her, the first disciple of the North Sea Ice Pce.


    <i>''Just wait and see, waiter.''</i>


    While Jeong Gyeong eagerly thought about taking revenge, Ha Yeo-Seol, the youngest, smiled brightly and spoke on behalf of herpanions, who had closed their mouths as if they found it beneath their dignity to talk to a waiter like Woo-Moon.


    "We''re famished, actually. We''ve been on the road all day, but we haven''t even had lunch yet. We don''t know much about the food in the Central ins, so please bring us some good dishes that are affordable. We also n to stay here until tomorrow morning, so please prepare two rooms."


    Not only was she pretty, but her smile was also beautiful. Moreover, she had an alluring voice and a kind heart.


    "Alright, prettydy," Woo-Moon answered, a smile appearing on his face without him being any the wiser. He had never said something like that, but it sounded so natural that it seemed like he often uttered that line without shame.


    That didn''t mean Woo-Moon had fallen in love with Yeo-Seol or even liked her, of course. He just told her what he thought of her.


    "I-I''m not! Don''t make fun of me!"


    Her reaction wasn''t just due to humility. She truly seemed unaware she was really pretty. After all, when Yeo-Seol was in the North Sea Ice Pce, she never went out, only going back and forth between the living quarters and the training hall. Hence, that was the first time a man had told her she was pretty. However, inplete contrast to her blush, her sisters'' expressions were getting worse, especially Jeong Gyeong''s.


    "Ho-ho-ho, you''re only good at saying things like that because you''re a waiter. Yeah, you''d get along well with my little sister, Yeo-Seol. She likes simple things by nature, so even a waiter would be enough for her."


    Ha Yeo-Seol''s blush only deepened, unable to respond to Jeong Gyeong''s painfully sarcastic remarks.


    Woo-Moon nearly retorted, but in the end, he held himself back.


    "Then take a seat here. The food will be served shortly."


    After Jeong Gyeong threw money at Woo-Moon, the four girls went to the table he had pointed at and sat down.


    "Wait a minute, Yeo-Seol. Sit here."


    "What? Oh, alright."


    Woo-Moon frowned as he saw the scene on his way to the kitchen. They had sat Yeo-Seol on the oldest and shabbiest of the four chairs. As if that wasn''t enough, her sisters left quite the distance between each other, not allowing Yeo-Seol much room at all.


    However, the girl was seemingly born with a bright personality, and her face didn''t show any discontentment.


    <i>''They''re evil.''</i>


    Just then, Woo-Moon remembered Yeo-Seol''s words, <i>"We don''t know much about the food in the Central ins."</i>


    <i>''Wait, if they''re not from the Central ins, then where did theye from?''</i>

 Chapter 14. Dream Awakening (14)

    <h4>Chapter 14. Dream Awakening (14)</h4>


    Woo-Moon was curious, but asking about it coulde across as rude. He asked the cook to make food for four people, then went up to the second floor and cleaned two guest rooms. He wanted to leave the inn and practice swordsmanship, but he had to wait until they had finished their meal. Only then could he guide them to their rooms, after all.


    These women from beyond the Central ins, the disciples of the North Sea Ice Pce, chatted nonstop as they ate, their main topics being men and martial arts masters: among the brilliant youngsters of the Central ins, who was the coolest and who was the strongest?


    Of course, Ha Yeo-Seol was left out of the conversation from beginning to end. Even if she did say something, her older sisters would scold her without hesitation. At times, he would hear them say the word "waiter," apanied by remarks about him being rude.


    Woo-Moon judged Doa, Si-Hyeon, and Yeo-Seol weren''t like those stereotypical snobbish girls. Even after they had finished eating and he had cleaned the dishes from the table, these girls'' chatter just wouldn''t end.


    It was alreadyte at night, and everyone in the inn had fallen asleep except for Woo-Moon. Bored and fatigued, Yeo-Seol had already dozed off, but none of her older sisters were considerate enough to tell her to go to her room and sleep. Woo-Moon was also bing more and more irritated as well¡ªhe couldn''t leave his post as long as there were guests, which ultimately caused him to waste precious training time.


    <i>''What the hell? Why do they have so many topics to gossip about? It''s been over two hours already. These women are inconsiderate toward other people!''</i>


    It took two more hours before their chatter ended and they got up from their seats. Ha Yeo-Seol was so sleepy by then that she didn''t even notice they had gotten up.


    "She''s so rude. How dare she sleep while her older sisters are talking? Don''t wake her up," Jeong Gyeong spoke coldly, and the other women agreed.


    "Guide us to our room," they told Woo-Moon.


    Extremely upset by now, Woo-Moon didn''t answer. Instead, he just gestured at them to follow him and headed upstairs.


    "Huh? Look at how cocky that boy is."


    Woo-Moon could hear Jeong Gyeongin behind him, but he didn''t care.


    "Be patient, Jeong Gyeong. He''s just a random waiter who doesn''t even know martial arts."


    <i>''Is a person worthless just because they don''t know martial arts? Not to mention, assuming that people you''ve never met don''t know martial arts is not terribly smart.''</i>


    Woo-Moon led them to the two smallest and most ufortable rooms in the inn instead of the ones he had cleaned earlier.


    "You can stay here."


    Jeong Gyeong looked around the room, then stared at Woo-Moon fiercely. "Isn''t this ce too small? And it only has one bed. How do you expect us to stay here?"


    "Well, there''s nothing I can do about it. All the other rooms are upied," replied Woo-Moon abruptly.


    Irked by his tone, Jeong Gyeong gathered her qi without even being aware of it herself. "It looks like you really want to die."


    <i>''Alright, give it a try. I won''t just stay still, though,'' </i>Woo-Moon thought, but Jeong Gyeong''s two sisters stopped her.


    "Jeong Gyeong! You can''t make a fuss here. All of the <i>murim</i>''s attention is focused on this area. If our master learns that we attacked a waiter that doesn''t even know martial arts, he won''t let that slide.''


    That was true. The master of the North Sea Ice Pce Sect was very sensitive to their reputation in the <i>murim</i>.


    At her sister''s words, Jeong Gyeong forced herself to calm down. "Are all the other rooms really upied, or are you just doing this to screw with us?"


    "Why don''t you believe what people say? I told you once and you didn''t believe me, so what else am I supposed to say?"


    "Alright, then I''ll check them myself. If you''re lying... be prepared to have your arms and legs broken."


    They thought even their master would understand this much.


    "What are you going to do? Barge into the other rooms thiste at night?"


    "<i>Hmph!</i> You think I don''t dare to do that? Let''s go to the room next door."


    As Jeong Gyeong walked over to the adjacent room, Woo-Moon pretended to try and stop her.


    "Wait, wait! Don''t do that. The guests will be angry. Would you like someone else to open the door to your room while you''re sleeping?"


    However, Jeong Gyeong was already pretty angry, and she barged in without hesitation.


    "Aaaaaaaaah... Huck!"


    "W-what the hell?! Close the door!"


    The room was dark, but they could clearly see a middle-aged man and a woman on the bed, lying on their backs with no clothes on.


    Jeong Gyeong and her sisters were already pale white to begin with, but now they looked like ghosts, and their faces turned gray. This was the only time they had ever regretted martial arts practice giving them perfect sight.


    Behind them, Woo-Moon could barely hold back hisughter.


    Besides these four women, the only ones staying at the inn were a rogue warrior and a prostitute. Woo-Moon had predicted that Jeong Gyeong woulde to this room to check if he was telling the truth, so his protests were only meant to incense her further.


    "Oh, shit! What are you looking at? Close the door quickly!"


    Having exposed his dirty buttocks, the rogue warrior shouted again.


    "I-I''m sorry!" Only then did Jeong Gyeong apologize. Her face turned red with embarrassment, and she felt unbearably ashamed and disgusted. Seeing someone else''s love affair was never a good memory.


    "You....!"


    When Jeong Gyeong red at him, Woo-Moon took the initiative.


    "I told you not to do it, didn''t I? Are you going to check the other rooms now, too?"


    After this experience, she obviously no longer dared to check out the other rooms. She wanted to beat the crap out of this disgusting waiter, but there was no justification for that either. Eventually, Jeong Gyeong and her two sisters bit their lips in anger and entered the small room Woo-Moon had guided them to. The bed was ufortable and had a strange smell, which only made them even more upset. Gnawing their teeth, they finally fell asleep.


    Woo-Moon forcibly held back hisughter. He sat down on the stairs to the first floor and waited for about half an hour.


    <i>''I''m sure those devilish girls are asleep by now, right?''</i>


    Woo-Moon went downstairs and carefully woke Ha Yeo-Seol up as quietly as possible to avoid waking up Jeong Gyeong and her sisters.


    "Excuse me."


    "Um... ah, waiter?"


    Her face reddened again as soon as she woke up, embarrassed that she dozed off on her chair.


    "Fortunately, a guest staying here left early due to an urgent business, opening up a room for you. I''ll guide you there. The room your sisters are using is too small and ufortable, so you can sleep by yourself instead."


    "Huh? But if they were staying in a small room, my sisters would feel ufortable. Why should I be the only one...."


    Ha Yeo-Seol had a very kind heart.


    "No, no. The others seem to be sleeping deeply now. If you wake them up, won''t they just be angry at you for disturbing them?"


    He had a point. If she woke them up, it would just anger them.


    "Yes, I got it. Thank you, Mr. Waiter."


    "You''re wee."


    After guiding Ha Yeo-Seol to the room, Woo-Moon finally let out his long-stifledughter. He then grabbed his wooden sword, and headed to his usual training site.


    Entering the room, Ha Yeo-Seol was surprised. Even though she had little worldly experience, she could tell that such a room would be quite expensive. It was spacious enough for twenty people to sleep in, and it had a table and chairs, curtains on the windows, and arge bed with silk sheets and a golden quilt that looked incredibly soft and fluffy.


    "Wow...."


    She wondered if this was just a dream. The North Sea Ice Pce was cold and deste. Hence, even though she was a disciple of the pce master, she couldn''t even dream of luxury. Throughout her life there, Ha Yeo-Seol had gotten ustomed to a bleak room and a hard bed.


    Tucking her slender body into the bed, Ha Yeo-Seol eximed, "Wow, wow!"


    The bed was truly soft and warm, and she fell asleep with a satisfied smile.


    Near the inn, where Woo-Moon was practicing, a group of people appeared.


    "There! There he is."


    "What the hell are we doing here at this time of the night? Yim Choo, you fucking cunt. You better be ready for the consequences if you can''t pay me properly for this."


    "Hey, don''t worry, if you teach him a good lesson he''ll never forget, I''ll give you everything."


    <i>''I''m going to take my money back from Woo-Moon. I just hope that fucking idiot hasn''t spent a penny of it. Did he really think I was just going to stand still and live the way I did as a kid just because he came back to his senses?''</i>


    Yim Choo had lost forty silver taels to Woo-Moon because he was afraid of leaving the money at home so he carried it everywhere in his pocket.


    Yim Choo extorted money from others, but he couldn''t bear losing his money in the same way. Hence, he asked a small group of nearby bandits he had connections with to catch Woo-Moon and teach him a lesson for thirty-five silver taels.


    <i>''I''ll get back the money he took from me, even if I have to give all of it to these guys.''</i>


    Yim Choo was confident. Together with them, he''d certainly defeat Woo-Moon. Yim Choo didn''t know where or how Woo-Moon had learned martial arts, but with the bandits of the Great Axe Yaksha, he wouldn''t stand a chance.


    Although the bandits led by the Great Axe Yaksha were small in number and kept running away due to his violent personality, the man was still a First ss martial artist and a proficient axe wielder.


    As they hid in the bushes, they watched Woo-Moon wobble around, muttering iprehensible lines to himself.


    "Is that guy crazy?"


    The Great Axe Yaksha didn''t even think for a second that Woo-Moon was practicing his footwork. Since he had no idea about its existence, he naturally couldn''t tell that Woo-Moon was practicing the Divine Phantasm Step.


    <i>''But why does he look so blurry?''</i>


    The Great Axe Yaksha rubbed his eyes and looked at him again, but Woo-Moon still appeared blurry.


    <i>''Is it because it''s dark?''</i>


    The Great Axe Yaksha didn''t think much of it.


    Woo-Moon soon began swinging his wooden sword around. As expected, to the Great Axe Yaksha, who knew nothing about the higher-level martial arts, Woo-Moon just looked like a lunatic swinging his sword haphazardly.


    "That bastard''s crazy. Hey, I''m sleepy! Let''s hurry up and finish this!" the Great Axe Yaksha shouted. He approached Woo-Moon. "Hey, you there! The hero of the mountains has arrived and you don''t even have the decency toe over and say hello?"


    Even as the Great Axe Yaksha walked with the great axe on his shoulder, Woo-Moon showed no interest in him. He just kept moving around and swinging his sword.


    "You fucking bastard! Are you deaf?"


    Woo-Moon still didn''t respond even as the Great Axe Yaksha approached him. As he came close, he noticed that Woo-Moon wasn''t even looking at him, but rather <i>through</i> him, and his gaze seemed lost as if he was in a daze.


    "What am I even looking at? He''s got to be insane. A good beating should serve as medicine for this crazy bastard!"


    When he swung his fist at Woo-Moon, however, the Great Axe Yaksha had a shock.


    "Huh...?"


    Woo-Moon''s sword instantly elerated, and the wind generated by the swing actually cut across the Great Axe Yaksha''s forehead, causing blood to flow out.


    "Huh? What the hell?"


    He didn''t even know how Woo-Moon''s wooden sword had wounded him. Unable to grasp the situation properly, he jumped at Woo-Moon once more.


    "How dare you make me see my blood!"


    The moment the Great Axe Yaksha got closer, the wooden sword flew like a beam of light and struck his chest.


    "Ugh!"

 Chapter 15. Dream Awakening (15)

    <h4>Chapter 15. Dream Awakening (15)</h4>


    Once more, the Great Axe Yaksha couldn''t even see Woo-Moon''s wooden sword move. As he received yet another injury, his hair stood on end, and his body stiffened in fear. However, his ignorant subordinates swiftly surrounded Woo-Moon and rushed at the same time.


    "Bastard! How dare you attack our leader!"


    <i>Riiiiiiiip!</i>


    At the same time, Woo-Moon''s sword drew five arcs across the air. Blood sttered everywhere, apanied by the sound of something being ripped apart


    "Huck!"


    "Argh!"


    Surprised, the bandits retreated. All of them had been cut.


    Woo-Moon had arrived at the training site an hour before and immediately started to practice the Divine Phantasm Step. As a result, it had be much easier to move than before. It wasn''t perfect, but he could now perform the full technique from beginning to end, at the very least.


    Woo-Moon, excited, thought of a new challenge.


    "I should practice my sword techniques and footwork at the same time."


    Working on both swordsmanship and footwork at the same time was far more efficient than doing them individually. With this optimistic mindset, Woo-Moon started training.


    He found it a little difficult at first¡ªhe couldn''t strike in the direction he intended because he kept moving around. However, he already had a good grasp of the required bnce, as he had practiced his footwork while carrying buckets of water. That also yed a role inprehending the truth behind the Gentle Celestial Sword, which contained all the principles of the universe.


    His footwork and swordsmanship felt awkward for a while, as he couldn''t fully synchronize his steps with his sword. As he kept practicing, however, he adjusted the movements of the Gentle Celestial Sword to those of the Divine Phantasm Step, and the two slowly intertwined.


    The joy he felt was iparable to when he practiced his swordsmanship and footwork individually. The exaltation of reaching a new realm took over Woo-Moon''s spirit, and he entered a state of extreme concentration as he kept practicing.


    However, after a while, he felt an intruder on his training ground.


    <i>''Who dares?!''</i>


    With fury, his sword flew toward the intruder. That wasn''t the end of it, however. More intruders appeared. After repelling their attacks, Woo-Moon left his regrets behind and finished his training.


    "Whew." Woo-Moon exhaled, finallying to his senses. He stared coldly at Great Axe Yaksha, who was standing in front of him with a puzzled expression.


    "What are you?" Woo-Moon spat.


    The Great Axe Yaksha''s expression suddenly changed, now smiling brightly.


    "Oh, gosh, little brother. You''re so cool and handsome... You also seem like a chivalrous person, so I just yed a bit of a prank because I wanted to get close to you. So don''t worry about us, just keep doing what you''re doing. Hahahaha!"


    Great Axe Yaksha bowed deeply and put his palms together as he spoke, as if begging Woo-Moon for forgiveness. As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed back and shouted at his subordinates, "Hey, run!"


    "Got it! We''ll follow you, leader!"


    Woo-Moon watched Great Axe Yaksha and his men flee, then let out a low sigh. He then pointed at the bush Yim Choo was hiding in with his wooden sword.


    "Hey! Yim Choo, do you also love me?"


    The bush rustled, but Yim Choo didn''t move, instead pretending to be dead.


    "Come out. I know everything."


    Woo-Moon went to the bush and aimed his wooden sword exactly where Yim Choo was hiding.


    "Well, if there''s really no one here, then I can just practice some cuts and chop this bush up."


    Hearing his words, Yim Choo hurriedly stood up and stuck his head out of the bush.


    "I-I''m sorry, Woo-Moon! It''s my fault!"


    Yim Choo looked very nervous, perhaps because Woo-Moon had knocked some sense into the Great Axe Yaksha and his subordinates all too easily.


    "Do you want to die?" asked Woo-Moon with his brows furrowed. The tip of his wooden sword dug straight into Yim Choo''s belly.


    "Oh, n-n-no!"


    "No?"


    "Nope!"


    It was currentlyte at night, and Woo-Moon wanted to resume his training quickly. In other words, he had no intention of wasting his precious time on Yim Choo.


    "This is your final warning. If you bother me one more time, you''re dead. Got it?"


    "Yes, yes!"


    "Scram."


    Yim Choo walked away looking as if he had just escaped death.


    Seeing Yim Choo retreat, Woo-Moon thought he made a mistake.


    Just like when they were younger, Yim Choo needed to be severely beaten before he''de to his senses. Indeed, when Yim Choo bullied other children, Woo-Moon had to beat him to a pulp before Yim Choo would listen to his words.


    "Hey, wait a minute."


    As instructed, Yim Choo stopped in his steps, trembling.


    "W-what... Haha, what is it?"


    "Come here."


    Yim Choo walked back slowly, then Woo-Moon punched him in the face.


    <i>Smack!</i>


    "Argh!"


    Woo-Moon smiled coldly at Yim Choo, who screamed exaggeratedly as he fell.


    "That''s just the beginning, so clench your jaws. If not, you''re going to lose your teeth."


    As if his childhood personality had revived to some extent, Woo-Moon hit Yim Choo with both fists and feet.


    "You''re the kind of person who doesn''t get it until you beat it into their thick head. Given the way you treated my father, I now realize I''ve been way too lenient with you."


    "Argh! Arrrrgh, arrrrgh!"


    After being beaten up for quite some time, Yim Choo was almost on the verge of fainting. Just then, Woo-Moon shook him, then grabbed his wooden sword.


    "Hey, wake up," Woo-Moon ordered, but Yim Choo didn''t answer, only letting out a low moan.


    "Did I hit you so much you''ve already lost your mind? Get up right now or I''ll crack your head open with this stick right here."


    Struggling, Yim Choo stood up despite the intense pain coursing through his body.


    "I won''t be as forgiving next time, so you better be careful. Scram."


    Yim Choo staggered away.


    "Whew. Shall I start again?"


    Woo-Moon calmed down and resumed his training.


    * * *


    Woo-Moon woke up fresh and immediately fetched two buckets of water, despite only getting an hour of sleep. The inn needed more water than usual due to the guests staying overnight. As he tended to his chores, he practiced footwork as usual.


    <i>''I''m doing much better thanst time. Is it because I gained some kind of enlightenment yesterday while practicing my swordsmanship and footwork at the same time?''</i>


    Working on his movement techniques while carrying water buckets suspended on a yoke had actually be easier. On his first few attempts, the water from the buckets kept sshing and spilling, but by his tenth trip, he no longer spilled even a single drop of water.


    <i>''Great!''</i>


    He felt good. By the time he had returned and cleaned the inn, the group of women that stayed the night had woken up.


    "Waiter! Waiter!"


    A noise that irritated Woo-Moon worse than the screech of a pig being killed resounded from the second floor.


    "What''s wrong with you?" Woo-Moon asked without opening the door of the small room the North Sea Pce''s disciples were staying in.


    "Water! I''m thirsty. Bring me some water."


    Woo-Moon sighed. "Look at the bedside."


    "Ah, found it. But I want something more than just water. Bring me a cup of tea."


    Holding back the desire to curse, Woo-Moon went downstairs and brought them tea. They had their tea while chatting for a while, then also headed downstairs. Meanwhile, Yeo-Seol drank tea alone on the first floor.


    "Where did you sleep, Yeo-Seol? I didn''t see you," asked Jeong-Gyeong, who was supposed to share a room with Yeo-Seol.


    Before Ha Yeo-Seol could speak, Woo-Moon hurriedly replied, "One of the smaller rooms became avable, so I gave it to her to avoid disturbing your sleep. You don''t have to pay for it, it''s on the house."


    "Hmph!" Hearing Woo-Moon''s answer, Jeong-Gyeong and her sisters snorted and went out of the inn.


    Woo-Moon winked at Yeo-Seol, signaling to her not to let them know. If she told the truth¡ªthat she had stayed alone in a very nice room¡ªit would only cause her trouble.


    Yeo-Seol subtly smiled and bowed her head in gratitude.


    Once they were out of sight, Woo-Moon stretched his arms a little and headed to the cksmith shop.


    * * *


    After greeting Mr. Choo, Woo-Moon made preparations in his heart while repeatedly blowing the bellows.


    <i>''I have to make a sword I can use today.'' </i>Just thinking about it made him excited.


    It wasn''t that Mr. Choo didn''t teach him anything. One of the things the cksmith had taught Woo-Moon was that once the temperature of the forge was high enough, he had to soften the cast iron and pig iron quickly in order to make sure that the final product was as durable as possible.


    Woo-Moon heated up the forge as best as he could. Mr. Choo and Choo Min-Sang watched the forge, startled by how intense the heat was.


    After heating up the cast iron and pig iron, Woo-Moon took the metal billet out of the forge and started hammering. The durability of a metal tool was determined by the way the metal was drawn out by hammering and the timing of the forging process.


    <i>nk! nk!</i>


    The clear sound of metal striking metal echoed from the shop.


    Thinking of the Divine Frost Sword, he hammered the metal ording to its shape. However, after some time had passed, the Divine Frost Sword disappeared from his mind, reced by the image of a sword that followed his own desires.


    When he was done making the de, he hurriedly submerged it in water.


    <i>Tssssssssssss!</i>


    Steam rose, and Woo-Moon pulled out his sword with a pounding heart.


    <i>''Why does it look so weak?''</i>


    He didn''t feel the same way he did when he saw the Divine Frost Sword. It didn''t seem durable, strong, or even capable of cutting anything. Perhaps it was because he had started hammering too early, but the de seemed soft andpletely unable to hold an edge.


    At that moment, Mr. Choo spoke from behind him. "You''re not going to stop with just a single refinement, are you?"


    "Yes?"


    "What you''ve done now is the first refinement. If you heat it up again and hammer it, that''s the second refinement. The more you repeat it, the stronger it gets. However, if you forge something past its capacity, it will break, so be careful. That''s all the advice I can give you."


    Even though Mr. Choo didn''t like making swords, Woo-Moon was very passionate when it came to his work at the cksmith shop, and Mr. Choo thought it was great watching Woo-Moon discover his talents, so he decided to help him a little. Mr. Choo went to his own workbench and started sharpening a sickle after that, ending his conversation with Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon bowed his head to Mr. Choo in gratitude, then looked down at his low-quality sword.


    "Okay, let''s try again."


    He worked the bellows to raise the temperature inside the forge once more and put the sword he had made into it. After a while, he began hammering it again.


    <i>nk!</i>


    Even after the third, fourth, and fifth refinement, Woo-Moon continued to work without any signs of exhaustion. As a result, his hammering skill also kept improving. He could now create a fairly sharp de.


    <i>''Great. I just need to keep going at this rate!''</i>


    He was more and more excited, and the de he was working on got progressively tougher.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    At some point, it broke in the middle.


    "Uh?"


    How many times had he reforged it? It was probably a little over twenty. He remembered Mr. Choo''s words earlier¡ªthe sword would break if he worked it too many times.


    "Let''s start again."


    Everything had been going well, but then the metal had cracked, rendering all his efforts useless. However, Woo-Moon didn''t even think twice about throwing the broken pieces back into the forge. Hour after hour passed by as he hammered away,pletely disregarding the time. The de broke a few more times, but he never gave up.


    Interestingly, as Woo-Moon''s ability to melt and hammer iron became better, the number of times he could refine his weapon also increased. Perhaps the nature of the metal wasn''t the only factor that determined its limit.


    Even at noon, when Mr. Choo and Choo Min-Sang went to eat lunch, Woo-Moon focused on forging. He never even thought of stopping at all.


    Seeing that his son wasn''ting back at all, Dae-Woong went to look for Woo-Moon at the cksmith shop.


    "What is he doing now?"


    However, Mr. Choo quickly grabbed Dae-Woong''s hand and insistently begged him not to disturb Woo-Moon. Of course, the more Mr. Choo insisted that he should let Woo-Moon to his own devices, the more dissatisfied Dae-Woong felt.


    <i>''He just recovered from being a fool, yet he''s already out doing weird things. He''s an adult. He shouldn''t stay in the inn. He has to go out and find another job to gain experience in society.''</i>

 Chapter 16. Dream Awakening (16)

    <h4>Chapter 16. Dream Awakening (16)</h4>


    Dae-Woong ended up heading home, since he couldn''t just wait around without even knowing when his son''s cksmithing session would end.


    <i>nk! nk! nk!</i>


    Woo-Moon continued hammering as he entered a state of enlightenment. At some point, he could no longer hear anything that happened outside. There was nothing around him; it was only himself and his sword.


    <i>''Can you make me? Can you catch me?'' </i>the sword in Woo-Moon''s mind spoke to him.


    <i>''I can do it! Just wait a little longer!''</i>


    He had no idea how many swords he had hammered and broken, but he wasn''t tired at all. Rather, his entire body was full of vitality.


    Like a never-ending wave, the energy of the Celestial Sect''s Forbidden Divine Art continued to grow stronger. It was hard to believe, but the more he worked, the more it surged throughout his body. As he concentrated on making a sword based on the image in his mind, the Gentle Celestial Sword reacted to it, followed by the Forbidden Divine Art.


    His cultivation continued to rise, and the same went for his qi and his sword skills. Just like that, he pushed through until the sword was finally within his reach.


    The resistance he felt during thest bout of forging was quite fierce. Even the hottest mes could no longer heat it up properly, and the hammer also didn''t do much to alter its shape.


    <i>''This feeling... This is it!''</i>


    The sword he was making reached out to him, its heart appearing to have finally fallen for Woo-Moon''s endless ardor. The moment he held the de, he felt everything it needed¡ªwhen and where to hammer, when to submerge it in water, and when to heat it back up.


    He had reached thest step.


    <i>nk!</i>


    When that clear sound reverberated, he stopped hammering.


    Woo-Moon dunked the sword in the water and took it out.


    "It''s done."


    He no longer had any regrets. At least, at that moment, he didn''t have any¡ªhe truly liked the sword he had made.


    However, it soon came to mind that he had to make a hilt and a scabbard too.


    <i>''Ugh, how long will it take to make the fittings?''</i> Woo-Moon was somewhat disappointed.


    "Here, take this. It''s a gift." Mr. Choo interrupted him.


    Woo-Moon turned to look at him and saw apleted hilt and a scabbard in his hands.


    "Those are...?"


    "I didn''t make a weapon, did I? These are just a hilt and a scabbard, after all. Since you were so passionate, I decided to take the hilts of the weapons you brought here and reforge them. As for the scabbard, I made it myself after watching you forge your sword."


    Making hilts and scabbards was by no means an easy task. Mr. Choo had to utilize his skills to the fullest, thinking he had to create something suitable for the sword that Woo-Moon had made.


    He came close to breaking his oath not to make weapons, and that made him feel ufortable, but he still went through with it. He wanted to reward Woo-Moon''s pure enthusiasm.


    "Thank you," Woo-Moon bowed and received the hilt and the scabbard.


    When he received them, he found out that they perfectly fit the de he had made.


    While Woo-Moon put together the de and the hilt, Choo Min-Sang was startled and shook his head. "No way this is real. Is that really the creation of a person who''s only worked in a cksmith shop for a week? How can he forge such a high-quality sword when he couldn''t even make a scythe or a hoe, which are way easier to make?"


    Hearing those words, Woo-Moon realized that,pared to Min-Sang, his skills as a cksmith were indeedcking. His imagination was dull and inactive when he tried to make tools, after all. When he tried to forge a sword, however, that perfect mental picture came alive, and that allowed him to surpass Min-Sang when it came to sword making.


    Hence, he only needed to let the sword in his mind guide his hammer, ultimately allowing him to create such an excellent weapon.


    After putting the hilt and the de together, Woo-Moon carefully polished and sharpened the sword using a whetstone.


    The dark metal scale was scraped away and the de now glowed with a silvery light. Woo-Moon had a big smile on his face looking at this sword, which he saw as his friend and even his own child.


    In Mr. Choo''s eyes, the sword Woo-Moon had made couldn''t pass as a divine-grade sword, but it would rank high among the treasure-grade swords and could even be considered an honorable-grade one.


    <i>''I guess geniuses really do exist.'' </i>Mr. Choo sighed, astonished.<i> ''Who''d even believe that a novice who just started working at a cksmith shop less than seven days ago forged a sword of that quality?''</i>


    "I''ll be going now." Woo-Moon put the sword into its scabbard. "Thank you so much for your help!"


    Mr. Choo resisted his desire to ask, "<i>Would you consider working here?</i>"


    Woo-Moon''s talent for making swords was great, but his father, Dae-Woong, didn''t like him doing that kind of work. Mr. Choo himself was also worried about Woo-Moon, due to his incredible talent.


    <i>''If the murim people discover his talent, I''m sure Woo-Moon will be in trouble.''</i>


    <i>Murim </i>people were crazy when it came to good weapons. Aware of that, Mr. Choo could already predict the events that would unfold upon the <i>murim</i>''s discovery of Woo-Moon''s skills.


    Just as how a powerless person would be in danger if they had a treasure in their possession, it would be dangerous for anymon citizen to be targeted by the <i>murim</i> people''s greed if they didn''t know any martial arts.


    The Evil Faction, the ck Hand, and the people of the Demonic Path would most likely capture and enve Woo-Moon, forcing him to make swords until he died. There had already been simr cases in the past. Hence, Mr. Choo just let Woo-Moon go. His son, Min-Sang, was frustrated, but he didn''t care. As time went by, those feelings would be forgotten.


    On the other hand, as Woo-Moon returned to the inn with a joyful heart, he couldn''t help but be surprised upon finally realizing a full day had already passed. He had simply forgotten the passage of time, and as he hammered away at his de, a new day had arrived.


    * * *


    "I beg your pardon?" Woo-Moon''s eyes widened.


    As soon as he returned from the cksmith shop, Woo-Moon had fallen asleep and only woken up the next morning.


    "I told you to apply as a worker of the Leebi Merchant Guild, you bastard."


    Woo-Moon looked down at the announcement paper that Dae-Woong had handed him.


    <i>The Leebi Merchant Guild is recruiting workers.</i>


    <i>The monthly sry is one silver tael.</i>


    <i>Those who participate in the uing business trip will receive additional silver taels as a bonus...</i>


    It was a pretty great deal. Now that he had thought about it, Dae-Woong and the cook were enough to keep the inn going. Taking that into consideration, it would be better for him to leave the house and earn money. He had some acquaintances in the Leebi Merchant Guild anyway.


    "Alright then."


    Dae-Woong was ready to argue with Woo-Moon if he disagreed. Much to his relief, however, their discussion was going more smoothly than he had expected.


    "Don''t feel disappointed. I just think it''d be better for you to go to the Leebi Merchant Guild and gain experience instead of staying at home and helping out in the inn. Do you understand, son?"


    "Of course. Don''t worry, Father. I''ll make sure to contribute to the family. I''m an adult now, after all."


    Dae-Woong''s eyes turned red. He hugged Woo-Moon tightly.


    "Woo-Moon! You''ve really grown up."


    As a father, Dae-Woong felt so overjoyed and he was moved to tears. He had never thought he''d be proud of his pathetic firstborn son.


    The next day, Woo-Moon knocked on the door of the Leebi Merchant Guild. They hired him as a porter without any investigation or examination, since they stillcked the manpower needed to carry the load for an uing business trip. He also worked as a handyman, doing various chores for the Leebi Merchant Guild with other porters.


    Porters were needed for all menial tasks, like uprooting trees and nting them elsewhere for aesthetic reasons or repairing drainage channels in case it rained. It was still the hottest summer, so all the porters worked with their jackets off. Even Woo-Moon had taken his top off while working, just like everyone else.


    They would leave on their business trip the next morning. It would take two days to get to Go-Ryang Pyeong if they traveled as fast as they could, and three days if they traveled slowly. Hence, they decided to leave the following morning.


    Since they had almost finished all the work, Woo-Moon was walking around when he noticed a young man and a womanughing and chatting in the distance. They were busy conversing with one another without any worries or concerns.


    "Who are those people, uncle Seo?" Curious, Woo-Moon asked a porter whom he had just be acquainted with.


    "What? Those people? Ah, they''re the daughter of the Leebi Merchant Guild owner and the son of a high-ranking person in our guild. And the man with the sword around his waist is...uh..."


    As Mr. Seo stuttered, Mr. Ban, who was listening behind him, pped him on the back of the head. "You''re even dumber than a turtle, you idiot! He''s a disciple of the Kunlun Sect."


    "How dare you hit me, you punk!"


    Mr. Seo and Mr. Ban would often quarrel and fight.


    <i>''The Kunlun Sect? Ah, that old man named Jin Won-Myeong said he was from the Kunlun Sect.''</i>


    The more he thought about it, the more he looked at them.


    Finally, once he made sure there was nothing left to do, Woo-Moon headed home. The next morning, he went to his parents'' room to say goodbye.


    "I''ll be back. Don''t worry."


    "Worried? I''m not worried, you bastard. Just return as soon as possible."


    Dae-Woong''s words were as blunt as always. Baek Jin-Jin reached out, held her son''s arm, and looked at him softly.


    <i>''When did he grow this much?''</i>


    Her son''s forearm had strong, thick muscles that wereparable to his father''s.


    "Promise me one thing before you go, Woo-Moon."


    "What is it?"


    Baek Jin-Jin suddenly turned her gaze toward Dae-Woong. Dae-Woong flinched, realizing her expression wasn''t exactly full of praise.


    "Your father and younger brother were always in good health, so they often fought with others, which made my heart ache. You won''t do that, will you?"


    "<i>Ahem</i>. When did I ever do that... I don''t even fight anymore these days."


    Dae-Woong''s reply was full of regret, which made Woo-Moon also search his heart and remember what he had done to Yim Choo. With an expression of strong determination on his face, he then nodded.


    "Okay, mother. Don''t worry. I won''t fight."


    "Yes, thank you. Thank you so much. You''re so nice, Woo-Moon..."


    After talking a little more with his parents, Woo-Moon returned to his room, organized his luggage, and left the inn.


    Shortly thereafter, the nearly two hundred and fifty Leebi Merchant Guild members left for the business trip. This was an unbelievablyrge-scale venture for the guild, which had been rapidly declining in recent years. It seemed to be theirst attempt at saving the guild, even though it meant risking everything on one card.


    Woo-Moon was among the many porters.


    As they traveled, Yeon Si-Hyeon¡ªthe temporary guild master, Yu Mun-Gwang, the disciple of the Kunlun Sect, and other young men gathered as they went down the road,ughing heartily.


    Carrying luggage during the trip wasn''t difficult for Woo-Moon. While others were sweating and out of breath, he was only feeling better with every step. Feeling bad for them, he volunteered to carry the luggage of the weak and elderly porters. As the height of the luggage on his back increased, his poprity grew along with it.


    The tedious journey continued, but Woo-Moon felt good, proud that he was making money and helping the household.


    When the guild stopped as the sun slowly began to set, the porters unpacked and made camp for the night.


    "Hey, Woo-Moon. I''m a little thirsty. Please bring some water over with this bucket."


    "Yes, uncle."


    Woo-Moon smiled and took the water bucket the senior porter gave. Soon after, three or four more people handed him their water buckets as well, asking him the same favor.


    Woo-Moon headed to the well located a bit far from where the tent was being built. There was arge tree next to it, and the young people in the Leebi Merchant Guild''s upper ranks, including Si-Hyeon, had upied its cool shade. They wereughing and chatting with the Kunlun Sect disciple.


    Yu Mun-Gwang was extremely proud that he was an outer disciple of the Kunlun Sect. It was his most reliable and sharpest weapon, since the people around him would praise and support him whenever he told them about it.


    The Leebi Merchant Guild, which he had coincidentally stopped by on his way to Go-Ryang Pyeong after receiving a call from the Kunlun Sect, reacted the same way. As soon as he told them that he was a disciple of the Kunlun Sect, the Leebi Merchant Guild gave him luxurious amodation, meals, and arge sum of money.


    In exchange, all Yu Mun-Gwang had to do for the Leebi Merchant Guild was apany them until they had reached and returned from Go-Ryang Pyeong. That essentially meant he had to protect them, but he wasn''t afraid at all.


    <i>''There''s no bastard in this world fearless enough to mess with a caravan protected by a Kunlun Sect disciple. I''ll have to live like a dead man when I meet the uptight Daoists of the Kunlun Sect, anyway, so I have to get a lot off my chest here.''</i>


    As if on cue, the eyes of all the women in the caravan bathed him in praiseful gazes, which was only natural since he was a disciple of the Kunlun Sect. In a remote vige like this, the power of a disciple of the Nine Sects and One Gang[1] was indisputable.


    <i>''But who does that bitch think she is that she''s so arrogant?''</i>


    Yu Mun-Gwang secretly had his eyes on Si-Hyeon. He''d been paying close attention to her, greedily taking in her body shape and sometimes a part of her face, which was only revealed at times when the wind blew and lifted her veil. She was breathtakingly beautiful.


    <i>''No one could''ve expected such a treasure is hiding in this countryside vige. Haha, I must...''</i>


    As he looked at Si-Hyeon, his mind filling up with insidious thoughts, Woo-Moon also approached them, heading toward the well.


    When he got to the well, he dropped the yoke, pulled up the water bucket inside the well, and started pouring cool water into his buckets. His muscles, fully perfected by his metamorphosis, were in an ideal proportion, making him look like the statue of a young god.


    At that moment, Yu Mun-Gwang felt something strange. He realized that the women no longer had their eyes on him, their attention having suddenly shifted somece else.


    <i>''What is it?''</i>


    Following the women''s gazes, he found a filthy, wretched porter fetching water.


    1. This is a reference to ssic wuxia written by Jin Yong, Gu Long, and so on. The Nine Sects include the Mount Hua and Kunlun sects, which already appeared here, while the One Gang is the Beggars'' Gang. ?

 Chapter 17. Dream Awakening (17)

    <h4>Chapter 17. Dream Awakening (17)</h4>


    The women were looking at the guy''s naked upper body.


    <i>''Damn! How dare that lowly porter take his shirt off here? He probably did that because he''s uneducated!''</i>


    Song Woo-Moon''s appearance was thanks to his parents. His father, Song Dae-Woong, was truly masculine, even ferocious at times. As for his mother, Baek Jin-Jin, saying that she was one of the prettiest women in the vige did not do her justice at all. When she was young, she was as beautiful as Si-Hyeon. Her beauty could be ranked among the top in the country.


    Woo-Gang, Woo-Moon''s younger brother, resembled his father more. His jawline was square and his face was manly, while Woo-Moon had inherited both of their parents'' facial features equally. In other words, his jawline was rather slender, giving off a feminine feel, while his thick eyebrows and stout mouth gave off a masculine feel.


    Although he wasn''t bulky and thick, his muscles were well-defined and toned, proportionally adorning both his torso and his legs. And thanks to the metamorphosis his bones had undergone through, he gained a physique that was ideal in terms of both martial arts and aesthetics.


    His face was neither too masculine, nor too feminine, and he sported a beautiful, muscr figure. Thanks to these physical assets working together in perfect chemistry, Woo-Moon exuded a powerful charm.


    As a result, the women stared at Woo-Moon, unable to turn their gazes away from him, and Yu Mun-Gwang, who was thus deprived of their attention, burst into anger. Even Si-Hyeon, who was cold, arrogant, and never even bothered to look at him properly, was looking at the porter.


    Mun-Gwang cursed in his mind. <i>''You bitch, I guess you''re no different from the rest of the whores, after all!''</i>


    It was never a bad thing to be attracted to the charm of the opposite sex. However, Mun-Gwang, whose pride had been cracked, kept swearing in his heart.


    Unlike other girls, Si-Hyeon didn''t just look at the beauty of Woo-Moon''s face and muscles. Rather, she looked at Woo-Moon with curiosity, since she knew him as the waiter at the inn she had visited a few days ago. After looking at him for a few moments, she couldn''t help but exim to herself. With her keen eyes, she had finally realized that Woo-Moon''s physique was perfect for learning martial arts.


    Woo-Moon eventually finished drawing water from the well and headed back to their tent.


    Having reached peak hostility toward Woo-Moon, Mun-Gwang took a weapon hidden in his bosom with his right hand.


    "Oh! There''s a bee here," he said, holding the nail-shaped weapon in his right hand, and he pretended to catch an imaginary bee with his left. At that moment, all the women''s eyes turned away from Woo-Moon and toward Mun-Gwang''s left hand. In that instant, he flicked his right wrist and threw the nail at Woo-Moon.


    <i>''Fucking porter! Take this!''</i>


    He thought about simply going to Woo-Moon and beating him up, but that just seemed ridiculous. Who wouldn''t think that it was out of jealousy? In fact, Woo-Moon had done nothing wrong. Hence, Mun-Gwang attacked him without anyone knowing.


    The Dragon-Piercing Nail Art was the Kunlun Sect art that Mun-Gwang put the most emphasis on. Since he was quite the coward and he didn''t have confidence in fighting people head-to-head, this hidden weapon technique was his favorite.


    The flying nail spun, describing a curve in the air as it flew toward Woo-Moon.


    <i>''You dare piss me off, fucking asshole?! Hahahaha... Eh?''</i>


    Mun-Gwang was convinced that the hidden weapon would pierce Woo-Moon''s shoulder, which would cripple him for the rest of his life.


    Instead, Woo-Moon simply grabbed it as it neared him.


    "W-what?" Mun-Gwang was so embarrassed he unknowingly voiced out his thoughts.


    "What''s the matter, young hero?"


    "Is something wrong?"


    "Oh, no. Haha, it''s nothing."


    Cold sweat flowed down his back as he tried to think of an excuse. Then Woo-Moon suddenly looked at him.


    When he saw Woo-Moon''s gaze, Mun-Gwang actually thought, in his cowardice, that Woo-Moon was in fact an Absolute Master hiding his identity. At the thought of such a person staring at him, his stomach ached and his face turned pale instantly.


    From Woo-Moon''s perspective, he just suddenly felt a gust of wind and heard a whooshing sounding from behind. His instinct warned him, so he threw the water buckets he was holding in his right hand into the air and moved his hand to his back.


    <i>''What''s this?''</i>


    He had actually caught arge nail flying at him. However, when he looked at where the nail hade from, he didn''t see anyone there. Hence, he nced behind him instead, noticing the disciple of the Kunlun Sect looking at him. The water buckets fell from the air at that moment, and he caught them all without even looking at them.


    Woo-Moon had little experience with the hidden weapons used in the <i>gangho</i>[1], and couldn''t find out who had thrown it at him.


    He just tilted his head in confusion and headed to where the porters were, oblivious to how much he had just frightened Mun-Gwang through that simple nce.


    That evening, Woo-Moon wandered around the market in a vige quite far from where the guild had set up camp for the night. He then returned, having bought a fluffy cotton pillow from a store.


    Indeed: Woo-Moon hade all the way here because one of the guild''s inexperienced young menined that he had forgotten to bring his own pillow.


    <i>''If you just wanted to befortable, why didn''t you just stay at home instead of joining the caravan?!''</i>


    Grumbling in his heart, Woo-Moon headed back to the guild''s campsite.


    He suddenly felt depressed, wanting to wield his sword to his heart''s content instead of wasting time like this.


    Taking a look at his surroundings, he found nobody around him. Well, who would walk on a secluded trail on this gloomy night anyway?


    Woo-Moon put down the pillow and drew his sword from its scabbard. His eyes lost focus in ecstasy, and the next moment, the tip of his sword embroidered the air with a silver line, moving in apletely unpredictable pattern.


    It looked as if endless silver rain showered the ground around him. Rather than just going through the motions once or twice, Woo-Moon continued his training by using the Divine Phantasm Step. In the end, he felt rxed, and his irritation subsided.


    "Whew...." After finishing the sword dance, he exhaled deeply.


    Just then, unexpectedly, he heard apuse from next to him.


    <i>p p p p!</i>


    "Oho! What great swordsmanship! I can''t believe I''ve never seen it before. I''m so close to saying I''ve wasted my life."


    The speaker was a man in his mid-thirties that looked like a Confucian schr. He was the same person who carefully watched Woo-Moon''s house while drinking alone in the opposite building not long ago.


    d in snow-white clothes, the impressive man approached with a smile.


    "You have excellent sword skills, young hero. May I ask the name of your master?"


    The man exuded a unique atmosphere that couldn''t be treated lightly.


    No matter how much he thought about it, Woo-Moon couldn''t figure out where it came from. Nevertheless, he answered the man''s question. "I don''t have a master."


    That was true. Although he learned martial arts through thendscape painting of the old immortal he had met when he was still a kid, he hadn''t officially be his disciple, so it would be a bit embarrassing to call the old immortal his master.


    Hearing Woo-Moon''s answer, the man pped. "As expected! You are a young hero who stumbled upon a lucky chance and will save the world from crises in the future."


    "... Huh?"


    "At times like this, I shouldn''t be too fussy about it. That would make it difficult for you to hide your identity, wouldn''t it?" As he spoke, the man nodded to himself. He looked very excited.


    "Well, that''s not it..."


    Woo-Moon tried to butt in, but the man didn''t listen at all. Instead, he kept going.


    "So, the sword art you just performed, I''m unfamiliar with. It''s quite absurd for such mysterious sword art to bepletely unknown in this day and age. Which horde of evil are you currently tracking? Blood Demon Cult? Four Cmitous ns? Immortal Demon Society? Heretic Cult? Or is it a group that was recently formed?"


    "Well, it''s not like that..."


    "I know, I know!"


    The man joyously writing his own novel agreed with Woo-Moon''s statement as easily and firmly as a sword passed through a head of cabbage. Woo-Moon had never seen such a peculiar individual.


    The man smiled brightly. "It was just a joke. Hahahaha!"


    "Ah, I see..."


    The man was indeed quite weird.


    Woo-Moon cut their conversation short and turned away from him. He was prettyte anyway, and he knew that he had to get back quickly.


    For some reason, the man followed Woo-Moon.


    "Hey! This is fate! It would be quite disappointing for you to just leave like that. Where are you going? If we''re heading in the same direction, let''s travel together! I''m going to Go-Ryang Pyeong now! Hey!"


    Woo-Moon, reluctant to associate with the strange man, increased his pace.


    <i>''Why is he following me? A crazy old man is following me!''</i>


    * * *


    "How did this happen? Ugh..."


    Someone gently tapped Woo-Moon''s shoulder as he sighed. "Haha! Why are you sighing so deeply, young hero?"


    In the end, Woo-Moon couldn''t get away from the man. The schr continued to pursue him tenaciously and even skillfully joined the business trip. He imed to have great strength, making him a good fit as a porter.


    The guild also readily agreed, saying that having more people wouldn''t hurt. This allowed the man to continue following Woo-Moon.


    "Young hero, can''t you show that to me one more time? And do you really know no other techniques?"


    He constantly pestered Woo-Moon to show him Raging Wind, Heavy Rain and other techniques for him.


    "Didn''t you already see them? And I''m not lying. I really don''t know any other techniques. Let me sleep, please!"


    Woo-Moon couldn''t sleep at all. Seeing the eastern sky gradually getting brighter, he felt like he had stayed up all night. Of course, if he cultivated, he could relieve some of the fatigue he had umted, but there were certain things only sleeping could resolve.


    Above all, Woo-Moon normally slept a lot, so he really felt exhausted now. He red at the man, who was still very lively, with resentful eyes. His energy only made Woo-Moon hate him even more.


    "Ahem, ahem. Why are you ring at me so tantly? Young hero, it''s cumbersome. Unfortunately, I have no interest in men."


    Woo-Moon became momentarily emotional, but he managed to hold it in. He then suddenly realized that he knew nothing about this man.


    "I don''t even know your name. Could you please tell me?"


    "Me? Are names even that important? Just call me ''no-name''."


    "Okay, Mr. No-name."


    Woo-Moon quickly turned his head to the other side, and the nameless man clung to him. "Uh-huh, are you sulking because I didn''t tell you my name? Oh my... it seems that you''re still too young, little kid. Come on, show me your swordsmanship one more time. That''ll make you feel better."


    "I''m not sulking! And how would showing you my sword skills make me feel better?"


    "Look at you! You''re really pissed off. Don''t do thaaaat. Don''t be angry."


    "No!"


    Although he was middle-aged, his behavior was even more childish than Woo-Moon''s. Dawn broke as they argued.


    The nameless man was walking while humming a tune that sounded quite pleasant to the ear, but he suddenly stopped. He closed his eyes and focused deeply on something.


    "It''s not far away," he murmured.


    Just in time, the caravan stopped for lunch. The nameless man grabbed Woo-Moon''s arm.


    "Come with me."


    "What''s the matter?"


    "I''m going to give you a big present. Look forward to it."


    1. <i>Gangho</i> (<i>jianghu</i> in Chinese) literally trantes to "rivers andkes," but figuratively refers to the world of martial arts. The difference between <i>murim </i>and <i>gangho </i>is that <i>murim </i>strictly refers to martial artists and their organizations, while <i>gangho </i>refers to the world where such people and organizations interact. Isted martial schools and so on may not participate in the <i>gangho</i>, but they are a part of the <i>murim</i>, while not all people in the <i>gangho </i>are martial artists. ?

 Chapter 18. Dream Awakening (18)

    <h4>Chapter 18. Dream Awakening (18)</h4>


    "What the he¡ª"


    The nameless man suddenly took the lead and ran to the far side of the road, opposite where the guild was. Eventually, they arrived at the highest mountain in the vicinity.


    "Come on, we have to go up there!"


    "Why the hell do we have to go up there?"


    "Nuh-huh! Ask fewer questions, take more steps. It''s really important. If you don''t listen to me right now, you''ll definitely regret it."


    Woo-Moon certainly felt like he was being tricked, but he nevertheless decided to follow the man up the mountain. However, the nameless man''s climbing speed was simply too great. He didn''t <i>appear </i>to be moving that quickly, but Woo-Moon had to run at full speed just to keep up with him, and he was certainly not a slow runner.


    After about half an hour of climbing, they arrived at a small cave in an isted, wild location.


    Woo-Moon''s eyes widened in surprise upon seeing the beast inside it. A tiger bigger than a house, covered in shiny white fur with silver stripes, was leaning against a huge boulder.


    <i>''Is it dead?''</i>


    Even though they had approached this much, the tiger didn''t react. It was definitely strange.


    "It''s as I expected. That''s a silver tiger. It''s one of the rare beasts, an animal with innate spirituality. Actually, it is said that it''s close to bing a spiritual beast. Unfortunately, it seems that it hasn''t reached that stage yet, since it doesn''t have an inner core. It''s probably been a while since the mother died...."


    With these words, the nameless man walked toward the dead Silver White Tiger. Woo-Moon followed.


    Silver tigers were legendary rare beasts. Their fur and hide were tougher than steel, and their teeth were hard enough to crack diamonds.


    They had just taken a few steps forward when something small suddenly jumped from under the Silver White Tiger''s corpse and attacked the nameless man.


    <i>Grawr!</i>


    "Ah, you''re finally out."


    Woo-Moon looked at the creature¡ªa baby white tiger the size of his fist.


    The nameless man just swung his right hand at it as if driving fly away, and the white tiger cub was smacked to the ground.


    Woo-Moon wondered if the nameless man had attacked with too much force, considering the beast was just a baby. Just as he frowned and was about to say something, the baby tiger jumped up as if it was nothing, then stood in front of the dead silver tiger and stared at the nameless man and Woo-Moon.


    <i>Kyaaaan!</i>


    "Haha! Despite being so young, the beast is quite amazing. It''s thinking of fighting us to protect its mother''s body."


    The nameless man suddenly looked at Woo-Moon with a yful expression. "Why don''t you raise it, Woo-Moon? Even if it''s a rare beast, it''ll die if you leave it here alone. After all, it''s still too young."


    The baby silver tiger was certainly cute, but raising it was an entirely different matter. It was a wild beast. From the perspective of Woo-Moon, who lived with his parents, it was impossible to raise such a dangerous creature. Besides, it was a bit annoying.


    "You mean me? No, you''d better raise it. Wouldn''t it be a pleasure for you to live a restless life?"


    "I can''t be bound to a ce or take responsibility for anything. The purpose of my life is to live freely with the wind and clouds, so I can''t. You raise it."


    "Absolutely not!"


    As he looked at Woo-Moon, the nameless man took action with the hand that he was holding behind his back, not visible to Woo-Moon. Four streams of colorless qi materialized from four of his fingers, crawled along the ground, and dug into the giant rock behind the baby silver white tiger.


    A minute cracking sound came out.


    "Huh? Did you hear that?"


    Woo-Moon noticed the sound and tensed up, but the nameless man shrugged and smiled nonchntly. "What are you talking about?"


    In the meantime, the four colorless qi streams that had dug into the rock turned and cut through it diagonally, causing a massive boulder to fall toward the silver white tiger.


    <i>Kyaaaa!</i>


    Noticing the boulder falling toward it as well, the startled cub howled and hurriedly tried to run away, only to look back at its mother''s body.


    <i>Kyaaaa!</i>


    It bit its mother''s ear and pulled on it, but it wasn''t strong enough. The boulder continued to plunge right above them.


    Due to the boulder''s size, Woo-Moon momentarily fell into conflict. He wasn''t certain if he could hold it or not. However, seeing the cub struggling to save its mother, Baek Jin-Jin''s image came to his mind. At that moment, Woo-Moon immediately ran forward.


    Just as the boulder was about to crush the silver tigers, the cub closed its eyes tightly in fear. A few momentster, however, it realized that nothing was happening.


    The cub opened its eyes again only to see a man holding up the boulder in front of it, saving it and its mother.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    "Argh!"


    The moment he supported the giant rock with both hands, a strong shock coursed through his hands, arms, spine, his legs, then feet. His feet dug into the ground. Like spider webs, cracks appeared and spread around the ground he stood on. Even he couldn''t help but notice it. It was quite strange to see his own feet breaking through the ground.


    <i>''Ahhhh I don''t have time for this!''</i>


    He had already sunk knee-deep into the ground.


    <i>''I can do it!''</i>


    "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"


    Channeling the power of the Forbidden Divine Art and making his qi through his body, he bent his waist and pushed the boulder away with a mighty shout.


    It flew through the air and crashed into the ground in the distance.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    The cub looked at Woo-Moon and let out a low-pitch cry.


    "Oh! That''s amazing, young hero! Hahaha, you''re an outstanding figure. You actually managed to toss that giant rock away! Female silver tigers die after giving birth to three cubs, which means that has to be her third child. The third cub is usually much stronger than other silver tigers. However, since the mother dies immediately after birth, its chances of surviving are very low. If you don''t help it, it''ll die soon."


    The nameless man kept bbering, but Woo-Moon couldn''t even hear what he said, because his anger caused his blood pressure to rise so much that he could hear his own pulse. When he had lifted the boulder, he had noticed how cleanly it had been cut.


    "Oi, No-name! You intentionally¡ª"


    "Huh? Intentionally? I don''t know what you''re talking about. Hahaha!"


    As Woo-Moon pushed himself out of the ground, the nameless man''sughter echoed from farther and farther away. He actually used a footwork technique to get away!


    The nameless man then shouted from afar, "Don''t hate me too much! This was all for you. The silver tiger is no ordinary beast! Besides, you haven''t even realized how great your power actually is! I was just trying to make you aware of it."


    Rightfully thinking that Woo-Moon had misunderstood his intentions, the man actually exined himself, which he normally did not deign to do.


    Too bad Woo-Moon was so angry that he couldn''t even hear the man''s words.


    "Ugh. One day, I will make that person..."


    A lot of time had passed since he left the guild''s campsite. After looking at the baby silver tiger for a while, he headed back.


    The silver tiger blinked as it looked back and forth between Woo-Moon''s back and its mother''s corpse. It had really, really big eyes that upied half its face.


    The cub tapped its mother with its short front paws, but its mother didn''t move.


    <i>Kooo...</i>


    The cub licked its mother''s cheek a couple of times as tears welled up in its eyes.


    Then, it decided to leave its mother, who no longer hugged and licked it, and followed Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon had already been walking for quite a while by the time he realized that the baby silver tiger was following him. When he stopped in his tracks, the cub also stopped walking.


    "..."


    Woo-Moon walked again, and the baby silver tiger nced at him and followed.


    After a while, the nameless man returned to the female silver tiger.


    "Don''t worry. I entrusted your baby to someone I can trust."


    He looked at the female silver tiger, who had been with him since he was a child, with aplicated expression on his face. He then dug a hole and buried her.


    Though the soil was hard, with his martial arts mastery, this was an easy job.


    * * *


    A man and a baby tiger walked down a narrow road.


    As Woo-Moon continued forward, he noticed the nameless man in the distance. When he passed by him, the nameless man said, "I guess you''ve decided to raise it, after all, so let me tell you a few things about a silver tiger. First of all, it won''t attack the people around you for no reason. As I said before, it''s born with innate spirituality."


    The best way to deal with the nameless man was silence.


    "And while it <i>is</i> a wild beast, it''s omnivorous. So you don''t have to feel pressured to just keep buying meat and feeding it. Haha. You can give it any food. Convenient, isn''t it?"


    "..."


    Fortunately, Woo-Moon managed to return just before the guild departed. When he turned around, the baby silver tiger was still timidly following him. It was pretty cute.


    "Whoew..." Woo-Moon sighed, looking at the nameless man. "Hey, No-name. Let''s get some rice for now."


    "Rice?"


    "We need to feed this guy. Ah, but can we just feed it rice instead of milk?"


    "Hahaha. It''s a rare beast. Despite being so young, it can eat rice or meat."


    "Is that true?"


    "Maybe."


    "Is that <i>really </i>true?"


    "Maybe..."


    "Let''s go."


    "You''re a nasty young hero driving an old man to work hard."


    Even while saying that, the nameless man went to the ce where the guild distributed food.


    The cook of the guild was busy organizing things. While he was hurriedly cleaning the tableware and packing up, a random guy approached him.


    "Hey, can I have any leftover rice? My colleague and I didn''t get to eat dinner earlier."


    The cook thought this was the first time he had seen this guy despite having been at the guild for quite some time. Taking that into consideration, he was definitely a porter.


    Reaching this conclusion, the cook couldn''t be bothered about what the man wanted. Instead, he decided to relieve the irritation he had umted from washing dishes and packing up all by himself. He yelled, "Do you think this is a restaurant? I''m busy, so get out of my way!"


    In an instant, the nameless man''s face darkened.<i> ''Haha. When was thest time I was treated like this? I can''t even remember.''</i>


    On the other hand, this was also a fresh experience, in a way. He decided to think positively.


    Just then, the disciple of the Kunlun Sect, Yu Mun-Gwang, was passing by together with the young men from the guild.


    "What''s going on?"

 Chapter 19. Dream Awakening (19)

    <h4>Chapter 19. Dream Awakening (19)</h4>


    "Ah, young master!" eximed Chae Young-Ryong, the son of the guild''s second-highest official.


    "Well, this crazy person was asking for food while I was busy."


    Standing next to Chae Young-Ryong, Yu Mun-Gwang looked at the nameless man, who happened to be the person that apanied Woo-Moon.


    <i>''That bastard Woo-Moon...''</i>


    He had been afraid of Woo-Moon at first, but as time passed, the fear had mostly dissipated, reced by anger and hostility. He now thought that Woo-Moon had dealt with the Dragon-Piercing Nail by pure luck.


    However, he was still somewhat scared of Woo-Moon, so he couldn''t just go and say anything to his face. In the end, he had just stared at Woo-Moon from afar. It seemed that the time had finallye for him to settle his anger, though.


    "Huh, but we have to leave now. He''s quite senseless. Why didn''t he eat on time? Well, it''s not like I have any say on the matter since I''m not a guild member..."


    When Mun-Gwang intentionally dragged his words long, Chae Young-Ryong smiled. "No, how can you say you aren''t a guild member?! It''s okay. I''ll take responsibility, so do whatever you want."


    Although Young-Ryong was the son of a merchant and not a member of the <i>murim</i>, he was well aware of the value of the Kunlun Sect''s name and how beneficial it was to get to know one of the masters of the <i>murim</i>. Hence, Chae Young-Ryong tried to gain Mun-Gwang''s favor with honey-coated words and a sweet smile.


    The nameless man stared silently at Mun-Gwang and Young-Ryong, who were nothing more than caterpirs in his perspective.


    Hearing Young-Ryong''s words, Mun-Gwang strode forward and raised the half-wrapped meal behind the cook.


    "There is no food for those who fooled around instead of eating at the appointed time!" With that shout, Mun-Gwang threw the rice container to the ground.


    Although he thought that such actions were excessive, Young-Ryong wouldn''t interfere with a Kunlun Sect disciple just because of an insignificant porter. Hence, he just smiled and stayed silent.


    At the feet of the nameless man, the wooden rice container rolled on the ground, spilling the rice everywhere.


    "Haha..." The nameless man suddenly burst intoughter.


    Mun-Gwang, Young-Ryong, the cook, and the guild members watching looked at him, finding him weird. Even as they thought to themselves <i>''is he crazy?''</i> he continued tough.


    "Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"


    At first, it was justughter. However, it grew louder and louder, until its sheer volume was enough to make their eardrums ring.


    "AAARGHHHH!!!!" Everyone around the man covered their ears with both hands as they suffered. Some had blood dripping from their ears, and some even vomited.


    Mun-Gwang turned pale as he felt the immense power within the nameless man''sughter.


    When he stoppedughing, he ced his hand on Mun-Gwang''s shoulder.


    "You''re a great guy. A really great guy, hahaha. It''s probably been a hundred years since I wasst treated like this. Hahahaha."


    The nameless man tapped Mun-Gwang on the shoulder three times.


    Meanwhile, no one, not even Mun-Gwang, could move. They could feel something immeasurable pressing down on them. It was absolute horror¡ªthe manifestation of Absolute Qi.


    As the nameless man turned and walked away, Mun-Gwang stumbled and fell backward. A loud noise came out of his posterior, followed by a certain filthy discharge mixed with blood. A terrible stench spread everywhere.


    As the nameless man walked away from the bewildered people, he noticed Woo-Moon watching the whole scene.


    The nameless man grinned. "Did you see that?"


    "... Yes."


    "Now that we''re near Go-Ryang Pyeong, I''ll have to leave soon. Follow me. There are many things I can do for you."


    Woo-Moon followed the nameless man, whose aura had changed somehow.


    Completely frozen, Mun-Gwang didn''t even feel the filth and blood filling his pants.


    "He''s an unfathomable master...over a hundred years old...."


    A name popped into Mun-Gwang''s mind. "No way!"


    The nameless man walked all the way to a nearby forest, sat on the trunk of an old tree, and looked at Woo-Moon.


    "Are you surprised?"


    Woo-Moon shook his head. "No. I''ve always thought you were a remarkable man."


    He had felt the nameless man''s energy the first time they had met. It was so strong that he was simply unable to treat the man carelessly.


    "Hahahaha. As expected, you are a great young hero. I don''t think I was as good as you at that age."


    That was a really greatpliment, considering the character of the nameless man. Those who knew his entric personality would have been shocked to hear it. He had stronger self-esteem than anyone else and rarely praised others at all, much less tell them they were superior to him.


    Having chased them all the way here, the silver tiger cuby on its belly behind Woo-Moon.


    "Koo!" With a low sigh, it rested its chin on its front paws and looked at Woo-Moon and the nameless man. Fortunately, the guild people were busy preparing for departure, so nobody noticed the scene.


    "Before I leave, I have a question for you."


    "What is it?"


    "What is your goal? What do you want to be? What is your dream?"


    "My goal is to earn a lot of money and be filial to my parents. In particr, my mother is very weak and she is having a very hard time. I want to help her."


    Hearing Woo-Moon''s answer, the nameless man''s face darkened for some reason. A look of sadness passed in his eyes for a moment, but his usual expression swiftly returned.


    "Right. It seems your mother is very ill. But that isn''t a goal for yourself, is it? What do <i>you </i>want to be? I want to know what <i>your </i>dream is."


    Woo-Moon had thought that the man was just asking a random question. Hence, he had just answered without thinking much of it. Now, however, he was at a loss for words.


    "What I want to be..."


    When he was a child, before he fell into a dreamy state, he had wanted to be a martial hero. However, when he asked himself if he still wanted to be such a person, he no longer found that wish inside him.


    "When I saw you, I felt you''re just...living, with no goals or purpose for the future."


    While Woo-Moon was entranced by thatndscape painting, a dream, he had no time to think about his goals or his future¡ªthat dream was taking up all of his time and energy. Immediately after he woke up from the dream, he had only one goal, and that was to fall into the dream again. But then, he realized it was no longer possible, and yet...


    <i>''I''ve never thought about what I want to be. I didn''t set any goals. Maybe I still haven''t gotten out of that dream.''</i>


    As if he had been turned into a stone statue, Woo-Moon suddenly ceased moving. His gaze lost focus as he fell into such deep contemtion that he could no longer sense anything that happened outside of his mind.


    <i>Tock tock.</i>


    The nameless man knocked on the tree trunk with his finger, then stood up.


    "Do you want to be like me?"


    Just then, Woo-Moon woke up from his thoughts. He looked like he couldn''t understand what the nameless man was talking about.


    "Like the nameless man...?"


    "Haha. I am the most carefree among <i>murim </i>people, the leader of the <i>murim </i>people who live without any worries, goals, or purpose. Well, I can say that about myself, no?"


    "Hahahaha." Woo-Moon tried to hold back hisughter but failed. It was funny to hear the nameless man talk like that about himself.


    "Yeah, that''s it. Smile. Don''t make such a heavy face. It''s really nice to see you smiling."


    The nameless man then took a book from his pocket and tossed it to Woo-Moon.


    "Take this. It''s a little something you might need."


    It had <i>Martial Arts Fundamentals</i> written on the cover.


    "Why are you giving this to me?"


    "Didn''t I just tell you? I live my life the way my heart tells me to. At first, I was curious about your martial arts, so I apanied you. But then, I felt close to you. Hahaha. This booklet doesn''t exin any divine martial arts or whatever, but it does exin the basic principles of martial arts in detail. Reading it will definitely help you."


    Put together by the nameless man himself, the <i>Martial Arts Fundamentals</i> had detailed exnations about various basic martial arts concepts such as qi, lightness arts, sword techniques, saber techniques, and so on. In other words, it exined what internal energy was, what principles could be used to collect and control it, how lightness techniques worked in such a way that they allowed one''s footwork to imitate weightlessness, and more. Those general things were presented in great detail, ording to the nameless man''s ownprehension.


    Woo-Moon only had a shallow grasp of what <i>murim </i>people thought of as basic knowledge, and what he desperately needed right now was not another divine technique, but precisely this kind of fundamental knowledge.


    "Thank you!"


    Woo-Moon paused for a moment, then spoke out about what he really wanted to know.


    "No-name..."


    "What is it?"


    "Do you know how to inject internal energy into a sword or a limb to make it stronger?"


    "Ah. You want to know how to materialize qi, don''t you?"


    "Yes, that''s it."


    As expected, Woo-Moon was a fun guy. How could he use such high-level arts while at the same timecking this absolutely elementary knowledge? The nameless man had been living for a long time, yet this was the first time he had seen such a martial artist.


    The man smiled. "It''s better if I demonstrate it than if I just exin it in words. You can then improve your control over it by working on yourself."


    He picked up a branch from the ground. "Anyway, I''m not a saint and I''m not that patient. I''ll only show it to you once, so be sure to carve it into your brain. You better focus all your concentration!"


    The nameless man slowly injected his qi into the branch in his hand. "First, you have to infuse qi into the object. Once it exceeds a certain amount, the energy in it will overflow and appear on the surface."


    He slowly demonstrated the very phenomenon he was talking about.


    "However, if this happens, you''re essentially just pouring water into a bottomless pot, making it difficult to exert any kind of power with it. Hence, you have to make detailed adjustments so that your internal energy doesn''t flow out and go to waste. The more control you gain through practice, the more qi you can put into the target and maintain it. If you do it over and over again, you will eventually be able to produce sword qi, then sword threads, and finally, sword aura. Now, look."


    Having said that, the nameless man once more infused his qi into the branch. The tangible energy wrapped around the branch became clearer and split into what looked like tens of thousands of threads. These threads then uniformly ovepped in all directions and turned into a, which once more condensed into a singleyer of qi¡ªthe sword aura he was talking about.


    "Ah..." It was clearly the technique that Jin Won-Myeong had used a while back. Woo-Moon''s eyes turned slightly hazy.[1]


    <i>''I want to be able to use it too.</i>''


    "Remember this important detail: if you just let qi out, then there''s nothing to worry about. However, when you imbue the sword with qi and want topress it, you have to prevent it from breaking your sword. In other words, you have to shape your qi while also protecting your weapon."


    Woo-Moon suddenly remembered that his wooden sword exploded when he tried to use Raging Wind and Heavy Rain while fighting Jin Won-Myeong.


    "Of course, if the medium¡ªthat is, the sword¡ªis strong and can ept qi well, then there''s no need to put much effort into protecting the sword."


    The nameless man turned and walked away. "Okay, I''m going now."


    "Wait, No-name! Please tell me your real name before you leave!"


    "My name is Baek Sang-Woon. We''ll see each other more often in the future! Oh, by the way, it''s not permitted in the <i>murim </i>to show your techniques to others. From now on, even if someone like me asks you, don''t listen to him!"


    "Baek...Sang-Woon?!?!"


    Baek Sang-Woon was the Palm Martial Emperor.


    The nameless man was one of the Nine Provinces'' Eight Emperors of Heavenly Martial Arts, or the Eight Martial Emperors for short. He was one of the eight Absolute Masters ranked at the peak of the <i>murim </i>and one of the two individuals that made countless people head to Go-Ryang Pyeong.


    * * *


    "Song Woo-Moon! Where is Song Woo-Moon?!"


    The team leader in charge of Woo-Moon''s group looked for him nervously.


    1. This is an error in the raws. It''s specifically stated in chapter 5 that what JWM used was not a sword technique, but the Amitabha Vajra Divine Art. ?

 Chapter 20. Dream Awakening (20)

    <h4>Chapter 20. Dream Awakening (20)</h4>


    Obviously, since he was away with Baek Sang-Woon, Woo-Moon couldn''t answer.


    "That damn bastard ran away in the middle of the trip. I have to do something about him."


    Just as the team leader was getting angry, a porter picked up Woo-Moon''s luggage and put it on his back.


    "Song Woo-Moon went to relieve himself and will be back in a bit. I''ll be carrying his luggage until then."


    Woo-Moon had hastily followed the nameless man, so he had naturallycked the time to make such a request. However, he had always helped the other porters, so this man lied to the team leader, afraid that Woo-Moon would suffer consequences for his absence. At that moment, other porters from all over the ce raised their hands and came forward as well, dividing Woo-Moon''s luggage among themselves.


    "Song Woo-Moon asked for my help."


    "Hey, me too."


    "I''m going to carry his luggage! Give it to me."


    They all had received Woo-Moon''s help or watched him help others during the business trip. When they all stepped up, the team leader had nothing more to say.


    "Hmm, is that so? Then let''s get going."


    When the team leader reported to the guild that everything was ready, the guild started to head toward Go-Ryang Pyeong.


    After a while, Woo-Moon returned to the guild and was moved to tears upon learning about the whole situation. People around him often ignored and despised him for being a fool when he still lived in a dream, but that wound appeared to be slowly healing now.


    "Thank you very much..."


    "Haha, that''s too much. It''s nothing, Song Woo-Moon."


    "Of course! We''re not strangers. Didn''t you help us first?"


    As he was handed over his luggage, Woo-Moon bowed deeply.


    Go-Ryang Pyeong was just around the corner, but the sun had already gone down, so the guild found a spot to pitch tents and rest on the spacious in. At that time, two warriors of the Leebi Merchant Guild came to visit Woo-Moon.


    "The mistress is looking for you."


    While one of them was apletely new face, he was fairly acquainted with the other. It was Yim Choo, after all¡ªthe man Woo-Moon had savagely beaten for acting like a gangster at Deungpyeong Inn a while ago.


    Woo-Moon followed them, but Yim Choo couldn''t even look at him.


    Woo-Moon thought about why Yeon Si-Hyeon had called him. <i>''Is it because of the nameless man¡ªno, the Palm Martial Emperor?''</i>


    Thinking about him, Woo-Moon stroked his chest once. In his breast pocket was the <i>Martial Arts Fundamentals</i>, the book he had received from Baek Sang-Woon. He had already read the first part during his free time.


    It talked about internal energy and acupuncture points. As he read through it, Woo-Moon learned the acupuncture points'' names, which everyone else knew. Of course, he already knew the acupuncture points'' locations and cultivated his qi ording to that pattern, but he didn''t know their actual names. He just cultivated ording to the image he had seen in thendscape painting.


    Woo-Moon was momentarily lost in thought, and as he followed the warriors to Si-Hyeon, a vivid image of the sword qi the Palm Martial Emperor had shown him popped into his mind. He remembered the process of generating sword qi and converting it into sword threads and then into sword aura. All of it was yed so vividly in Woo-Moon''s mind he felt as if he was watching the scene rey right before his eyes.


    <i>''Yeah, that''s what it looks like, so maybe that''s why I''m doing it this way. To release stronger qi...''</i>


    As he was going through his imagery practice, Woo-Moon arrived at the center of the caravan, where Si-Hyeon was. He could see a small carriage, and next to it, Si-Hyeon was leaning against an empty coach seat. The coachman was nowhere to be found.


    She was wearing her usual gauze veil, but even though her face could not be distinguished, her slender body drew the attention of those around her.


    "We''ve brought him, mistress."


    "Thank you. You did a good job."


    Si-Hyeon had long, thin, and straight legs, which gave her a lean and slender look.


    As Woo-Moon looked at her and wondered what she was going to say, Si-Hyeon, who had also been paying close attention to his face and body, finally spoke. "The coachman has a stomach ache and can''t drive the carriage properly right now. Please fill in for him."


    Woo-Moon was slightly taken aback by her words.


    "I have never driven a carriage before."


    "It''s not that difficult. A little bit of practice will suffice."


    After finishing her words, Si-Hyeon entered the carriage. Jo Mu-Jae, Si-Hyeon''s escort warrior, came up to Woo-Moon and taught him how to drive the carriage.


    "If you want the horses to go left, do this. If you need them to turn right, just do it the other way around..."


    It certainly wasn''t too difficult, and with his outstanding concentration, Woo-Moon learned how to do it immediately. After a short while, he could steer the carriage by himself.


    At Si-Hyeon''smand, Mu-Jae walked behind the carriage, escorting it.


    <i>''Is she nning on using me as a coachman to inquire about my rtionship with the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon?''</i>


    Woo-Moon had been acting like an idiot for a long time, and there were many things that he was truly ignorant about, but he knew the greatness of these Absolute Masters¡ªthe Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors and the Six Rising Challengers.


    However, looking back, Woo-Moon realized that they couldn''t possibly figure out the nameless man''s identity so quickly. Even though they knew that he was an excellent master, they were unlikely to realize that he was the Palm Martial Emperor. After all, how could they expect that such a mighty being would deign to interact with them?


    Even so, it was only natural for the Leebi Merchant Guild to show interest in the nameless man. He was clearly a master and had caused amotion, after all.


    <i>''What is she going to ask?''</i>


    Woo-Moon drove the carriage with tension. However, contrary to his expectations, Si-Hyeon didn''t say anything.


    The wagon continued to move. Si-Hyeon sat alone in the carriage, looking out the window. She was wearing a cotton veil, so Woo-Moon couldn''t see the expression on her face.


    At some point, Si-Hyeon suddenly spoke behind the cotton veil. "What''s your name?"


    Woo-Moon answered, thinking that the time had finallye. "My name is Song Woo-Moon."


    Woo-Moon guessed that Si-Hyeon''s goal was one of two things: either she considered the nameless man an enemy and needed his help to exact revenge, or, conversely, she wanted to be friends with the nameless man, so she had called him over to find out more about the man.


    However, Si-Hyeon asked apletely different question from what Woo-Moon had expected. "Woo-Moon... What does it mean?"


    "It means ''foolish question.''[1] I was named that way due to a schr who stayed at the inn when I was born."


    "Why did the schr name you that way?" Si-Hyeon asked with curiosity.


    "If one keeps asking foolish questions and challenging what they are being told, they will eventually find the right path. Thus, they would acquire wisdom."


    "Does that mean we need to ask a lot of foolish questions to get a wise answer? Not all foolish questions lead to that, though. What if you get a foolish answer instead?"


    Woo-Moon thought for a moment and answered, "You have a point. However, I''ll just keep asking foolish questions until one leads me to a wise answer."


    His answer caused Si-Hyeon to be at a loss for words, but a few momentster, she started chuckling. If Woo-Moon could see her face beyond the gauze veil, he would''ve been blinded by her beautiful smile.


    "I know you''ve been a fool for a long time," she replied. "But considering you no longer are, you''ve already gotten a wise answer at the end of the foolish questions."


    <i>''Did I really get a wise answer? No, that''s not it. I''m still in the process of getting it.''</i>


    "Thank you for your praise."


    Their conversation continued. Havingpletely brushed off his anxiety about talking to her, Woo-Moon asked her a question that had kept bothering him since the Palm Martial Emperor had left.


    "Do you have a dream, mistress?"


    "Dream?"


    Si-Hyeon pondered about it for a moment. In fact, she had also never thought of something and said <i>''This is my dream!'' </i>Hence, she just answered with the things she had always wished for.


    "To be able to make my own decisions and act on my own¡ªto be in control of my life. That''s what I want."


    Upon hearing that, Woo-Moon fell into thoughts.


    <i>''Deciding your destiny by yourself...it''s easy to put into words, but hard to aplish in practice. Each person grows in a different environment, and there are also different people who influence their lives. Ignoring it all and deciding what they want is harder than they think.''</i>


    "That could be what everyone in the world wants the most."


    At Woo-Moon''s response, Si-Hyeon smiled. "Well, it''s really just an abstract dream. Realistically speaking, what I want right now... is to wake my father up from hisa, solve the financial problems that are endangering the guild, and sessfully achieve the purpose of this trip."


    Woo-Moon knew that Si-Hyeon''s father, the guild master of the Leebi Merchant Guild, had suddenly be ill and fallen into aa.


    "We actually have that part inmon. My mother is very weak, and my first goal and dream is to help her recover."


    "Ah, is that so? I am sorry to hear that."


    It was the same with Woo-Moon. He feltpassion for Si-Hyeon, thinking that she probably felt the same toward her father as he felt when looking at his mother. At that moment, the wagon suddenly rattled loudly, as if the wheel got caught in a stone beak.


    "Kaaaah!" Startled, the baby silver tiger in Woo-Moon''s arms stuck its head out with a sharp howl.


    Surprised by the cub popping out of hiding, he hurriedly looked at Si-Hyeon.


    "Oh my! It''s so cute!" Si-Hyeon pped as she looked at the beast in adoration, her eyes gleaming under her veil.


    The tiny, big-eyed silver tiger was so cute that all she wanted was to hug it and pet it.


    As it looked around, its eyes met Si-Hyeon''s.


    "Kaaaah?"


    Si-Hyeon smiled and spread her arms out.


    "Come here!"


    Si-Hyeon seemed to really like the baby silver tiger, so Woo-Moon scratched its head a little, pulled it out of his coat, then put it down in the carriage.


    The baby silver tiger cautiously walked toward Si-Hyeon, who grabbed and hugged it tightly when it stopped in front of her.


    "<i>Kyaaaah...</i>" The beast was a little surprised, but it stayed still and basked in the warm feeling it hadn''t felt in a long time.


    "Is it a white tiger? Where did you find this beast?" Si-Hyeon asked, curious about the cub. White tigers were rare beasts, after all. She wasn''t even aware that it wasn''t just an ordinary white tiger¡ªit was a silver tiger. This was because its silver stripes, a characteristic unique to its kind, only appeared upon reaching adulthood.


    "I came across it on my way through the forest a few days ago. It was all alone, it seems that it lost its mother."


    At that moment, the baby tiger''s stomach rumbled. That was only natural, considering it hadn''t eaten anything since its mother died.


    "Oh my, this baby looks hungry. What does it like to eat? What can it eat, actually?"


    Woo-Moon didn''t know either. since he hadn''t fed it anything yet. Hence, though doubting it a bit, he told her exactly what Baek Sang-Woon had told him. "It can eat anything."


    Si-Hyeon nodded and called Mu-Jae, who was walking outside, asking him to bring her some leftover meat.


    As he watched Si-Hyeon y with the silver tiger, Woo-Moon felt that something was strange.


    <i>''Why isn''t she asking anything about the Palm Martial Emperor?''</i>


    1. Woo-Moon''s name can be written as ÓÞ†–, which literally means "stupid question". ?

 Chapter 21. Dream Awakening (21)

    <h4>Chapter 21. Dream Awakening (21)</h4>


    In fact, there was a very simple reason for it: Si-Hyeon hadn''t been told anything about the incident with Baek Sang-Woon, so there was no way she could ask Woo-Moon about it.


    Those pretending to have pledged allegiance to her had thoroughly obscured her eyes and ears ever since her father had fallen into aa and she was temporarily instated as the Leebi Merchant Guild Master. In spite of her earnest desire to live on her own terms, she was looked down upon as a mere pretty figure, and she was nothing more than a puppet under the control of others.


    Momentster, as Si-Hyeon was feeding the baby silver tiger, the carriage stopped. The guild had finally arrived at Go-Ryang Pyeong. Woo-Moon looked around, and the sight instantly made him drop the conversation.


    They had been traveling along the ins for a long time now, and they had seen no human settlements in the area. However, the normally barren Go-Ryang Pyeong was bustling right now, in spite of beingrge enough to hold a city.


    "How did ite to this?"


    Go-Ryang Pyeong''s liveliness surprised Si-Hyeon as well, but she soon regained herposure.


    "It''s probably because of the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon and the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong''s fame. Their status is simply that great. Thousands of <i>murim </i>people normally spread around the <i>gangho</i> have gathered to watch their duel; after all, witnessing a match between Absolute Masters first-hand is not something you can do every day. No...forget about that, most people wouldn''t be able to see one in their <i>lifetime</i>. Of course, it''s also natural for merchants to set up shop where people gather."


    Si-Hyeon''s exnation made Woo-Moon feel strange, since he had some kind of rtionship with both Baek Sang-Woon and Gyeong Hong¡ªthough what he and Gyeong Hong shared was more of a one-sided favor from thetter. Woo-Moon didn''t even get to see his face.


    <i>''That No-name guy is also an amazing person. Who should I cheer for?''</i>


    "Since our guild will be staying here for two days, you''re free to do what you want for now," Si-Hyeon said as Woo-Moon was deep in thought.


    "Alright."


    <i>''Did the baby silver tiger understand what she was saying?''</i>


    The baby silver tiger, who was in Si-Hyeon''s arms, jumped off her and went to Woo-Moon.


    "What is its name, by the way?"


    "I haven''t decided yet."


    "Really? Then can I give it one?"


    "Do you want to? Alright."


    "Well... How about Baek-Ah?"


    "Is it because it has white fur?"


    Si-Hyeon nodded.


    "Yes, that''s right."


    "Then let''s go with Eun-Ah instead of Baek-Ah. From what I''ve heard, its hair color changes to silver as it grows older." [1]


    "Oh, really? Alright. It will spend more days with silver fur than white fur, so let''s go with Eun-Ah!"


    "Eun-Ah... That sounds great. Thank you."


    "<i>Kyaaaaa</i>." The baby silver tiger purred, seemingly loving its new name. Woo-Moon also liked its meaning, Silver Fang.


    "Well then, see youter." With a neat greeting, Si-Hyeon left, as she had to say hello to other giant merchant guilds and ns. She had a lot of tiresome work to do and a lot of tiresome events to attend.


    As she walked along with her escort warrior, Jo Mu-Jae, she could only repeat a vow in her heart.


    <i>''They better not take me lightly just because I''m a woman. I have to show everyone my abilities and close a deal that''ll revive the Leebi Merchant Guild.''</i>


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moon had already disappeared before Si-Hyeon even knew it. To her, he was just an unusual employee. She found it easy to talk with him because his gaze was bright and clear. Moreover, whatever he said or did had no bearing on her life, so she had no trouble sharing her thoughts with him.


    When the guild arrived, Woo-Moon would have to go to their designated ce to eat and sleep. Since there was still some time left, he decided to wander around to get rid of his boredom. The merchants had set up a market already, with many booths along the road selling a variety of things.


    As he walked down the path lined with taverns left and right, Woo-Moon blushed. He had just entered a street with red lights on both sides and scantily-dressed women waving at him.


    "Hey, young hero! Come y with me! It''ll be quite steamy today."


    "Girl! I saw him first! Come here, young hero!"


    Woo-Moon had only heard of prostitutes before, so he waspletely inexperienced in these matters. He simply lowered his head and walked out of the street.


    As he exited the red light district, he saw someone he hadn''t expected to meet here.


    "Woo¡ª"


    Woo-Moon excitedly tried to call out to the man in front of him, but his words were cut short.


    Members of the Mount Hua Sect passed by in front of him as they headed to an unknown location, looking between the red light district and Woo-Moon with cold and contemptuous eyes.


    "Woo...Gang..." Woo-Moon just swallowed the name without being able to keep up.


    His younger brother, Song Woo-Gang, who was walking with a Mount Hua Sect swordswoman more beautiful than flowers, turned away from Woo-Moon coldly as if he didn''t know him.


    However, at that moment, the brilliant youngsters of the Mount Hua Sect suddenly stopped, and their eyes focused somewhere else.


    A figure wrapped in ck cloth had appeared out of nowhere¡ªthe Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong.


    Gyeong Hong casually nced at them as he walked past them, but the Mount Hua Sect members couldn''t act the same way. Unable to even breathe properly, they merely followed Gyeong Hong''s movements with their eyes.


    <i>''Is this the presence of an Absolute Master? He''s truly on the same level as our grandmaster.''</i>


    Gyeong Hong didn''t bother hiding his energy. In case anything happened, he wanted to be sure that he could respond appropriately.


    Woo-Gang initially wanted to ask Gyeong Hong for a few pointers the moment he saw him. As a swordsman, he naturally wanted to test himself against Gyeong Hong, who had reached the apex of spear arts. Not that he had any expectation of winning, but he thought that he would gain a lot of experience from it. However, Gyeong Hong''s formidable presence crushed him just like the others and prevented him from speaking up.


    Recognized for his talent, Woo-Gang left home and joined the Mount Hua Sect when he was still a child. He then became a disciple of Mount Hua''s First Plum Blossom, Jeonbaek, who was a disciple of the Sword Emperor, one of the Eight Emperors of the Heavenly Martial Arts. He had been on a great streak since then and eventually became known as one of the best and most brilliant youngsters of the Mount Hua Sect.


    However, in front of Gyeong Hong, one of the Six Rising Challengers, none of that mattered.


    Meanwhile, Gyeong Hong was walking past the people of Mount Hua when he suddenly stopped and stared at someone.


    Following the Spear Devil''s gaze, Woo-Gang had the shock of his life when he noticed what Gyeong Hong was looking at.


    His stupid older brother was standing there.


    Gyeong Hong found himself right in-between the Righteous Faction and the Evil Faction. No, he was closer to the Evil Faction if anything, considering that his moniker included the word "Devil."


    This kind of man was now approaching his older brother, which terrified Woo-Gang. Although he had pretended not to notice his older brother when he was walking out of the red light district, Woo-Gang still cared about him.


    <i>''W-what does he want with my older brother? What the hell is the Spear Devil up to?''</i>


    Woo-Gang quickly walked toward Woo-Moon and Gyeong Hong, cing his hand on the hilt of his sword.


    His foolish older brother had nothing to do with the <i>gangho</i>. He was just an ordinary vige idiot who''d die with just a swing of Gyeong Hong''s hand. The Spear Devil had a reputation for brutally killing countless people, after all.


    <i>''I don''t think a man like Gyeong Hong, whose fame resonates across the world, would suddenly attack someone who doesn''t even know martial arts, but...''</i>


    Even though he thought it was impossible, Woo-Gang couldn''t even bear thinking of the worst-case scenario. His older brother''s blood sttered over and over again in his mind. He knew he wouldn''t be able to withstand even just one move from Gyeong Hong, but if the Spear Devil attacked his older brother, Woo-Gang had decided to retaliate immediately, even if it meant his death.


    However, what was fortunate for both Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang was the fact that the Absolute Master didn''t approach Woo-Moon with evil intentions.


    "As expected, you''re still alive. Your future is quite promising. Let''s have a good fightter."


    He used such a quiet tone that the Mount Hua Sect disciples couldn''t hear him since they were standing quite a distance away from them. However, what they all knew for sure was that Gyeong Hong had clearly ignored them, yet he had approached the young man who had juste out of the red light district earlier.


    After saying his piece, Gyeong Hong returned to his original path.


    "Whoa..." Woo-Gang let out a sigh of relief as soon as the tension disappeared. Sweat was dripping from the hand gripping the hilt of his sword.


    <i>''That''s a relief. Why did the Spear Devil approach my older brother, though? What the hell did he tell him?''</i>


    At that moment, Woo-Gang made eye contact with Woo-Moon. This time, Woo-Moon fearfully looked at Woo-Gang, then turned his gaze away.


    <i>''How dare you look at me like that? You can''t do anything right. Isn''t it enough that you''ve been making Mother and Father worry? You just had to go to the red light district now!''</i>


    Woo-Gang was frustrated enough just because of seeing his foolish older brother, and now the man was alsoing out of the pleasure street, to boot! Hence, it was only natural for Woo-Gang to pretend he didn''t know Woo-Moon.


    However, in his anger, Woo-Gang missed two crucial details¡ªhe didn''t bother to think how the "stupid" Woo-Moon had reached Go-Ryang Pyeong, or why Woo-Moon had such a sharp gaze in his eyes when he was, by all ounts, a fool.


    Woo-Gang returned to his room andy in bed, and only then did he realize his older brother''s behavior seemed strange. He didn''t want to go to Woo-Moon first and ask him, however, since he had somewhat hurt his pride. The sound of grass bugs annoyed him so much that day that he couldn''t sleep well.


    And at that same moment, for the same reason, Woo-Moon could not sleep.


    <i>''Woo-Gang, that asshole! He ignored me and looked down on me just because I acted like a fool before. Just wait and see. Sooner orter, I''ll show you what your older brother is made of. Damn bastard, damn bastard, damn bastard! Cheeky bastard!''</i>


    Meeting Gyeong Hong was a great honor. However, that night, it didn''t upy arge part of the two siblings'' hearts since they were still fighting for their pride.


    After giving up trying to sleep, Woo-Moon got up, took out the <i>Martial Arts Fundamentals</i> from his pocket and started going through it. It was a thick book, but it wasn''t too difficult to understand, so he had actually managed to finish it in his spare time.


    Although there were no special techniques included, the <i>Martial Arts Fundamentals</i> was nheless aprehensive guide to all types of martial arts and their basic concepts. As he went through it, Woo-Moon grew interested in palm techniques, fist techniques, lightness techniques, and saber techniques.


    <i>''Right now, I know a bit about qi cultivation, swordsmanship, and footwork, but it wouldn''t hurt to learn palm techniques and lightness techniques, too.''</i>


    Woo-Moon didn''t have a master. He wasn''t in a position to learn martial arts from anyone.


    At that moment, a brilliant idea popped into his mind. <i>''Why don''t I create another martial art based on the Gentle Celestial Sword?''</i>


    It seemed fun. When he changed the direction of his thinking, things went smoothly.


    <i>''For some reason, the Raging Wind seems to go well with palm techniques. What if I use the Raging Wind with my palm? I''ll call it the Raging Wind Palm. It''s perfect. And with the Heavy Rain... A kick? No... I think a punch would be a better fit for it. I''ll call thebination the Heavy Rain Fist.''</i>


    Excited, Woo-Moon started formting the Raging Wind Palm and the Heavy Rain Fist in his mind while thinking of the basic martial arts described in the <i>Martial Arts Fundamentals</i>. He worked on the two new techniques until the sun had almoste up, but in the end, he failed toplete them.


    In both cases, thest step was the problem. They made sense overall, but they clearly had ws in critical ces. Moreover, he couldn''t fix these ws no matter how much he tried to.


    After wrestling for a while with this seemingly unsolvable problem, Woo-Moon forced himself to sleep, thinking that he wouldn''t even be able to see the duel properly if he didn''t sleep.


    The next day dawned.


    The time hade for the Palm Martial Emperor and the Night Spear Devil''s duel. From the early morning, people started gathering around arge open space at the center of Go-Ryang Pyeong.


    As soon as Woo-Moon opened his eyes, he first cultivated for a bit, then went through some mental training exercises before heading to the arena of Go-Ryang Pyeong.


    In the distance, he could see the martial artists of Mount Hua sitting onfortable seats.


    1. Baek (? / °×) means "white," Eun (? / ãy) "silver," and Ah (? / ÑÀ) "fang." ?

 Chapter 22. Dream Awakening (22)

    <h4>Chapter 22. Dream Awakening (22)</h4>


    "Hmph!" Woo-Moon snorted and looked away from them.


    Meanwhile, Si-Hyeon took a seat in the arena. She was mentally and physically exhausted, having visited fifteen different factions since yesterday to start a conversation¡ªnone of which were willing to converse with the Leebi Merchant Guild because they were already doing business with other major merchant guilds. Compared to them, the Leebi Merchant Guild had a lot of shorings.


    "Sigh..."


    Si-Hyeon had a weary expression. She knew that she would work harder than anyone if they could strike a deal, but it wasn''t easy getting one. It was difficult for a small merchant guild from the countryside to survive when there wererger merchant guilds monopolizing all trade areas.


    After a while, the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong entered the arena.


    "The Spear Devil Gyeong Hong has appeared!"


    "That''s the Heavenly Silk Robe made of ten-thousand-year-old Heavenly Silk!"


    Paying no attention to themotion around him, Gyeong Hong drove the tip of the spear into the ground and stood firm. He closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and waited for the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon''s arrival.


    The Palm Martial Emperor, however, was more than a littlete. Finally, after an hour or so, he appeared with a smile.


    Nobody dared scold Baek Sang-Woon, even if he deserved to be questioned on why he waste. Gyeong Hong was well aware of his opponent''s chronic tardiness, so he didn''t say anything.


    "Hey! Long time no see, young boy."


    The Spear Devil Gyeong Hong was in his mid-fifties, while the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon was actually known to be a bit over a century old. However, their appearances were quite the opposite. If Gyeong Hong looked like he was in his early fifties, Baek Sang-Woon looked to be in his early thirties.


    "If one goes beyond the Absolute level, will their appearance no longer change with age?" murmured a middle-aged warrior sitting next to Woo-Moon.


    Just then, Woo-Moon heard Baek Sang-Woon''s voice directly in his ears. The man seemed to be reaching out to him through some special technique.


    <i>¡ªI see you''re here too, young hero. This is a rare opportunity, so watch closely. Distance and rhythm are important. While I try to narrow the distance between us, that little boy will try to keep it and disrupt my pace.</i>[1]<i> Every single detail of our fight will greatly help you, so make sure you don''t miss anything.</i>


    Baek Sang-Woon still called the Spear Devil a little boy, in spite of thetter''s age. In his memory, Gyeong Hong was nothing more than that arrogant foal who had fearlessly attacked him thirty years back.


    "I am no longer a rookie. I have fulfilled the conditions that you gave me back then. I have reached the peak and built a reputationparable to the Eight Emperors of the Heavenly Martial Arts."


    Baek Sang-Woon reminisced about the old days. Back then, he had given a really good lesson to Gyeong Hong, who had been attacking everyone around him like an angry hedgehog.


    <i>''If you want to fight again,e to me after reaching the Absolute level and building a reputationparable to mine.''</i>


    "Let''s see. Hmm... It''s been thirty years, huh? Looks like you''ve been through a lot. The immature kid who couldn''t distinguish right from wrong has turned into a fairly serious individual. That''s fun. Hahahaha."


    "Yes, thirty years. And also twenty-five years since a certain event made you go into temporary retirement."


    "Don''t bring up anything rted to <i>him </i>in front of me," Baek Sang-Woon retorted. His face hardened, and for the first time, his killing intent could be felt in the air.


    "Why don''t you try closing my mouth with your skills, then?" Gyeong Hong took off the Heavenly Silk Robe, which he had always worn.


    "Huh?" Woo-Moon, like everyone else, let out a startled voice.


    It turned out that the Heavenly Silk Robe was hiding a little boy, about six or seven years old, hanging on to Gyeong Hong''s back.


    "Go over there and wait, son. I can''t be with you right now."


    "Alright, Dad."


    The word "son" shocked the audience. They were genuinely taken aback by the fact that Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong, who always traveled alone, turned out to have a child.


    Gyeong Hong''s pale-faced son ran out of the arena, carrying a short ck rod and the Heavenly Silk Robe against his chest.


    Perhaps it was because he was the Spear Devil''s son, but the people made way for him like a forest of reeds splitting.


    Eventually, the child reached a ce far enough from the duel grounds but still well within sight. He twisted the ck rod, which extended into a full-length spear with a click. Then, he drove its tip into the ground and hung the Heavenly Silk Robe on it.


    Was he physically weak? Even though he hadn''t done anything particrly demanding, sweat dripped down the little boy''s body. Nevertheless, under the shade created by the Heavenly Silk Robe, the child stood firm and dignified, with one hand on his spear. He closely resembled the Spear Devil''s posture as he was waiting for Baek Sang-Woon.


    "Don''t touch even a single strand of his hair," Gyeong Hong said, pointing at his son.


    He didn''t shout, nor did he release his energy in any way. However, Gyeong Hong''s low-pitched tone prated the ears of those around him and branded one clear thought into their minds: <i>that child must not be touched.</i>


    Having received such a stern warning, the crowd increased their distance from the child.


    On the other hand, Baek Sang-Woon had regained his usual self. He grinned.


    "Oh-oh! That''s awesome! How did you end up with that little critter? You were always kind of a sad sack..."


    A vein bulged on Gyeong Hong''s forehead.


    "Stop talking nonsense. Let''s begin."


    "This isn''t fun. Come on! You''re still a puppy to me!"


    "Have you forgotten that I''m already over fifty years old?"


    "Why are you so proud of being old?"


    "Who said I was proud? Bragging or not, you''re twice as old as I am..."


    "Uh-huh! Not all old people are the same. If you age gracefully and nobly like me, it can be something to be proud of. Well, not that you''d understand."


    "Cut the crap and let''s fight!"


    As soon as he finished speaking, Gyeong Hong took three big steps forward and jumped up on his fourth step.


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    The moment his figure became almost indistinguishable due to the sunlight shining from behind, a sharp, piercing sound resonated. In an instant, the Spear Devil''s figure disappeared, and his famous White Night Spear was flying toward Baek Sang-Woon at full speed.


    The spear pierced through Baek Sang-Woon and prated the ground under his feet!


    <i>BOOM!!!</i>


    The huge impact made the ground within a ten-meter radius of the White Night Spear burst apart, leaving a crater behind.


    "Aren''t you starting a little too hot?"


    Baek Sang-Woon''s calm voice echoed from behind Gyeong Hong just as hended on the ground. He quickly grabbed his spear, turned around, and swung his weapon five times in a split second.


    His assault unleashed five half-moon-shaped des of spear qi along different trajectories, targeting Baek Sang-Woon. It seemed that the Palm Martial Emperor had avoided the Spear Devil''s spear throwing technique using his own movement art, the Illusive Shift.


    "Shall I start in earnest now, then?"


    As quick as lightning, Baek Sang-Woon stretched out his hands.


    <i>Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!</i>


    Baek Sang Woon fired out palm-shaped qi clusters from his hands, shattering the qi des flying at him.


    "Oh, that''s amazing."


    "They''re not humans..."


    The audience voiced their astonishment.


    Even though they were 150 meters away from the two Absolute Masters, Baek Sang-Woon and Gyeong Hong''s raging qi still reached the onlookers, even injuring some of them.


    The Full Bloom Sword Cheol Myeong-Wi, the Mount Hua elder leading the sect''s disciples, shouted with all his might, "Everyone, move back! It''ll only be even more dangerous once the actual duel begins!"


    <i>''Wait, what?? Does that mean they haven''t been fighting seriously?''</i>


    The Mount Hua elder was right. They were just starting.


    Amid the dust clouds caused by Gyeong Hong''s spear strike, Baek Sang-Woon and Gyeong Hong stared each other down, their gaze not wavering for even an instant.


    As they channeled their qi, from their entire bodies erupted a unique and enormous force that only an Absolute Master could unleash. These forces violently shed against each other.


    Dozens of explosions roared between the two fighters, followed by white lightning shing in all directions, crossing the dry autumn sky.


    Even though the surrounding <i>murim </i>people had hurriedly retreated at Cheol Myeong-Wi''s order, those with weaker qi suffered internal injuries and vomited blood because they were still too close to the battle.


    "Hey, what are you doing? Get back!"


    Although the middle-aged warrior next to him was leading him away, Woo-Moon didn''t take his eyes off Baek Sang-Woon and Gyeong Hong. He was far too busy watching and reading the subtle energy shes between the two to care about what was going on around him.


    <i>''They''re going to fight in earnest now!''</i>


    Woo-Moon''s heart pounded so fast he felt like it was going to burst through his chest. After undergoing a partial metamorphosis with Jin Won-Myeong''s help, Woo-Moon''s senses had improved a lot, which allowed him to see some details of the fight between the two Absolute Masters.


    In every step, every casual breath, every twitch of a muscle and movement of the eyes, Baek Sang-Woon and Gyeong Hong showcased only the highest level of martial arts.


    Just as Woo-Moon had expected, Baek Sang-Woon and Gyeong Hong ended the long-distance staredown and began a full-fledged duel. Finally, they were shing with all their might!


    "Ohhh..."


    Woo-Moon entered a form of extreme concentration different from the one he had achieved while immersed in the world of thendscape painting. Every movement they made contained enchanting meaning and power that made him incredibly excited.


    Woo-Moon''s mind recorded the battle in detail, with one part of his brain storing the image and the other diligently analyzing it.


    <i>''The Palm Martial Emperor narrows the distance in an instant. But the Spear Devil quickly prepares himself, blocks his approach, and widens the distance again. The Palm Martial Emperor narrows the distance once more... But his pace is disrupted.''</i>


    Baek Sang-Woon''s words before he went into the duel had been a great hint for Woo-Moon. The fact that he was paying attention to the way they adjusted their distance and rhythm allowed Woo-Moon to gain ten times more from watching the fight than those unaware.


    Lightning struck out from the palm of a person''s hand. From the tip of a spear, energy powerful enough to crush diamonds into powder was constantly unleashed. The ground around the two fighters crumbled in the aftermath of their strikes.


    The world of Absolute Masters was a truly heavenly sight.


    The <i>murim </i>people''s jaws dropped. Even though they were now six hundred meters away, being able to directly witness the confrontation between Baek Sang-Woon and Gyeong Hong even from that distance was an incredible honor.


    Among the crowd was a person in ck. Their hair and hooded cloak covered their face, but, considering their slender figure, they seemed to be a woman.


    <i>Pow!</i>


    The ck-cloaked person identally bumped the shoulder of the person next to them as they moved. Unfortunately, said individual was the Heavenly Phoenix n leader of the ck Hand, which had established a medium-scale power in the vicinity of Jiangsu Province. He was known as the Chaotic Titan.


    "Oi, bitch. How dare you hit me?" the leader snapped, flexing his arm, which was about as thick as the average adult''s waist.


    The two subordinates that were here with him to witness the Absolute Masters'' duel red at the cloaked person, emitting murderous intent.


    "Don''t...." the caped individual mumbled in a low voice.


    However, the Chaotic Titan couldn''t fully hear what the caped individual said.


    "What? Are you a fucking mosquito? Speak louder!"


    "Don''t... me...!"


    "What a crazy bitch! Do I have to rip your mouth off for you to speak louder?"


    As the Chaotic Titan threatened the caped person, one of his subordinates came up and checked out his interlocutor''s slender body.


    "Now, now, master, <i>hehe</i>." He giggled. "Isn''t that a girl? Look. Her curves look amazing, don''t they? She''s giving off a bad scent, but if we wash her..."


    The caped person was definitely giving off a strange fishy smell.


    As the Chaotic Titan and his subordinates made lewd remarks, the caped person raised their bowed head, revealing their face, and finally spoke clearly.


    "Don''t provoke me."


    The individual had feminine features, but he was clearly a male. There was a long, diagonal scar on his face, which seemed to be caused by a de¡ªmore specifically, it was a scar left by the sword of one of the Mount Hua Plum Blossoms.


    As he realized whom he was talking to, fear swallowed the Chaotic Titan.


    "The V-Venomous Devil!" he groaned, his voice trembling.


    1. The actual word used here is "breath." In traditional martial arts, everything begins with the correct stance and breathing, which in turn directly affect one''s qi flow and consequently their power, speed, and stamina. "Interrupting one''s breath" should not be taken literally as preventing them from breathing (though it''s certainly ideal to prevent your opponent from ever breathing again), but rather as disrupting their pace and affecting their qi flow. ?

 Chapter 23. Dream Awakening (23)

    <h4>Chapter 23. Dream Awakening (23)</h4>


    Poison Traveler was a Peak martial artist who used a kind of deadly poison known as the Devil Cloud. He was a wanted criminal in the <i>murim</i>, a public enemy of the Sichuan Tang Family and the Mount Hua Sect. As soon as his nickname came out of the Chaotic Titan''s mouth, all the <i>murim </i>people around him were terrified, and fear spread at a terrifying speed.


    "No! We have to run away!"


    "Look, it''s the Venomous Devil! It''s the Venomous Devil!"


    Panicked, people around the Venomous Devil tried to take some distance, but a ck mist soon surrounded and paralyzed those within its area of effect.


    "I-I can''t move!" the Chaotic Titan shouted as he struggled to fight the paralysis. He had been standing the closest to the Venomous Devil, so he had made contact with the poison before he could escape.


    "It''s...the Devil Cloud! I don''t want to die!" he sobbed in horror.


    "I''ve tried to lead a quiet life ever since I escaped from all the people who were chasing me, but because of garbage like you, I can''t do that anymore," the Venomous Devil spoke in a sharp, cracking voice.


    After the Venomous Devil was expelled from the Poison Valley for making a mistake, he seduced a woman from the Tang Family, learned the Tang Family''s poison arts, and created the Devil Cloud, a deadly poison with no known antidote.


    The Chaotic Titan''s muscr physique suddenly started melting into a ck liquid, like ice meeting powerful sunlight.


    "Arrrrrrrrrgh!" He let out a terrible scream that seemed to echo straight from the depths of Hell as he melted into a puddle of tar and vanished from this world.


    "Hahahaha!" The Venomous Devil burst out inughter. He enjoyed these moments the most¡ªwhen he could watch his poison kill people. He had fully intended to quietly observe the Absolute Masters'' duel and just try to gain some enlightenment, but that piece of trash just <i>had</i> to provoke him.


    All that was left was to run away while his Devil Cloud swept away those around him, creating chaos. After all, there were too many martial arts masters in this ce for a wanted criminal to stay.


    Everyone within a nine-meter radius melted into a puddle, and the Devil Cloud''s kill count increased by about forty in mere moments.


    <i>''It''s still not enough. Die!''</i>


    Watching the poison cloud move with the wind, the Venomous Devil waited for the chaos to reach its peak.


    Gradually increasing in size and devouring the bystanders one by one, the creeping poison imed the lives of nearly a hundred people. Things only got worse when a strong wind blew, making the poison cloud move even faster.


    "Argh! Run away!"


    But it was already toote. The poison cloud spread rapidly and was threatening to devour even more victims. Gyeong Hong''s son and Woo-Moon, who was now well and truly enraged, were among them.


    <i>''Why is he killing innocent bystanders? How can he use poison to kill people so randomly?''</i>


    However, he could only release his anger if he survived this ordeal. Before he knew it, the poison cloud had already approached him, and he could catch a whiff of the poison''s fishy scent.


    <i>¡®What should I do? At this rate, everyone will die!''</i>


    As he had witnessed the terror on the faces of those engulfed by the poison cloud, Woo-Moon''s helplessness and frustration made him even angrier. At that moment, however, he remembered something that he had just realized while watching the battle.


    <i>''The Raging Wind Palm! If I use the Raging Wind Palm...!''</i>


    Watching Baek Sang-Woon use palm techniques, Woo-Moon had already understood many things.


    Ignoring the poison cloud already in front of him, he quickly recalled Baek Sang-Woon''s technique. With his brain functions quickening, his concentration was pushed to its absolute limits, allowing him to fall into a state of exceptional focus that made him feel as if he was the only one left in the world.


    Meanwhile, the Venomous Devil kept looking for a chance to escape.


    <i>''What the hell, this is like catching fish from a barrel!''</i>


    The Venomous Devil didn''t care about how many lives the Devil Cloud imed. All that mattered was his survival. He still had many pleasures left to enjoy in the world. Thus, he turned around and looked for an opportunity to flee.


    At that moment, Woo-Moon struck the air in front of him with his palms. He had finallypleted the Raging Wind Palm!


    The gentle wind blowing across the fields suddenly turned into a mighty gale.


    <i>¡®To think that my palm strike can produce such a wind...''</i>


    The gale grew stronger as it devoured everything in front of it. The Devil Cloud was swept away by the storm, which carried the Venomous Devil''s poison right back to him.


    Having cleared a fifteen-meter area around him, which was now only upied by dead bodies, the Venomous Devil was about to use his lightness skill when he heard a crackling sound behind his back.


    He looked behind, feeling that something was wrong, and what he saw filled him with astonishment.


    "Oh, no!"


    The wind rose from Woo-Moon''s palm, pushing the Devil Cloud right to where the Venomous Devil was


    "Haaa...Huuu....<i>cough!</i>"


    After hitting the Venomous Devil, the fierce wind drew the Devil Cloud high up into the air.


    Although he had the Devil Cloud''s antidote, there was only so much that an antidote could do facing such a massive amount of poison.


    Just like his victims, the Venomous Devil met his end in the shape of a ck puddle.


    "Uh, what happened?"


    "Suddenly, the wind blew, and the Devil Cloud hit the Venomous Devil."


    People started to murmur among themselves in confusion. As everyone had turned around and ran away, Woo-Moon had ended up facing the Devil Cloud alone, so few people had seen him use his palm technique. There were a few eyewitnesses, but it never even crossed their mind that Woo-Moon, an unknown young man, could have used a palm technique and cleared the Devil Cloud away. They had only seen Woo-Moon move his hands randomly like a fly trying to push over a tortoise, and then a mighty wind had somehow started blowing.


    "This is heavenly punishment! Because he was a wicked man who killed countless people, the Jade Emperor was angered and smote him down!" cried out one of the Daoists in the crowd.


    "Amitabha!" a Buddhist monk replied.


    Woo-Moon heard them, but he stayed quiet. He didn''t care to brag about what he had just done.


    Gyeong Hong and Baek Sang-Woon, who had been fully concentrated on the duel, btedly noticed the Devil Cloud attacking Woo-Moon and Gyeong Hong''s son. By that time, they were so far away that they couldn''t do anything about it. Fortunately, they saw Woo-Moon use a palm technique and save Gyeong Hong''s son from the Devil Cloud.


    Naturally, Gyeong Hong stopped attacking and breathed a sigh of relief.


    "I''m bored. Do you wanna continue?"


    At Baek Sang-Woon''s words, Gyeong Hong shook his head. "I don''t think today is a good day. Let''s put it off until next time. Next time..."


    "...just between the two of us!"


    Gyeong Hong and Baek Sang-Woon both said it at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled.


    Gyeong Hong took apart his spear and hung the pieces on his back, then used his lightness skill, immediately going to his son''s side and picking him up on his back. As always, he covered his son with the Heavenly Silk Robe to protect him.


    He then threw something at Woo-Moon, who was standing next to him. "Take it."


    Woo-Moon wasn''t exactly paying attention, as he was immersed in thought after having sessfully used the Raging Wind Palm for the first time, so he was startled when a small purple pouchnded in his hand.


    "This is for saving my son."


    ''Son?''


    Now that he thought about it, Woo-Moon remembered that Gyeong Hong''s son had been standing behind him when he used the Raging Wind Palm.


    "What is this?"


    "Just a little something."


    "Last time, you saved my life. I had a debt to pay, so I don''t need anything in return."


    "My son''s life is far more precious to me than yours. Not the same thing."


    With this brief answer, Gyeong Hong stomped the ground, using his lightness skill, and disappeared instantly.


    Woo-Moon put the pouch in his bosom. It was small, however, and he was rather distracted, so he immediately forgot about it.


    After Gyeong Hong disappeared, the people who had recovered their wits started looking for the Absolute Masters.


    "Huh? Baek Sang-Woon is gone!"


    "Gyeong Hong also went somewhere earlier."


    "Did it just end like this? Shit, it''s because of that Venomous Devil bastard!"


    While the people felt it was a shame, Woo-Moon just ignored them and returned to the guild.


    It was thest night for the Leebi Merchant Guild to stay in Go-Ryang Pyeong. Si-Hyeon continued to visit various guilds to try and strike a deal, but unfortunately, the results were not on par with her efforts.


    On a cool, windy autumn night, Woo-Moon was standing alone in the sparsely popted area, holding his sword in his hand.


    <i>¡®First, release your qi into the sword. Then, make sure you control the sword qi so that it doesn''t escape.''</i>


    The sword qi would cover the sword in a thick, clearyer. It would then change into countless threads and wrap around the sword.


    <i>''These are the sword threads. Now, I have to condense these into sword aura.''</i>


    In order for the countless sword threads to merge and condense into sword aura, Woo-Moon had to focus on three aspects¡ªinjecting energy into the sword, wrapping the sword threads tightly, and protecting the de.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    The sword qi shattered! The energy gathered in the sword was released in an instant and scattered in all directions.


    "Ah..." Woo-Moon couldn''t help but sigh in disappointment.


    After taking a few moments to rest, he tried again, and then one more time. He kept trying and failing to summon that illusive sword aura until he ran out of qi and he had to stop and meditate for a while in order to restore it.


    Even after failing countless times, Woo-Moon didn''t give up.


    "I will seed this time."


    Woo-Moon infused energy into the sword.


    Golden sword qi formed and developed into sword threads. Tens of thousands of these threads tightly wound around the sword, squeezing into each other. Eventually, the sword threads seemed to melt into each other, reforming into anotheryer of qi.


    Thisyer was different from before, however. It was dense and shone with brilliant light, signaling that Woo-Moon had seeded¡ªhe had actually managed to produce sword aura in a single night! If the <i>murim</i> found out about this, they would certainly be shocked out of their wits.


    "Done!" eximed Woo-Moon with joy.


    <i>Buzzzz~</i>


    He had seeded in creating sword aura on his own! The sword hummed in a deep tone, as if it, too, was pleased with Woo-Moon''s sess.


    <i>p p p p!</i>


    "Oh, young hero, what outstanding swordsmanship!"


    It was a familiar voice.


    "No-name!" Woo-Moon greeted him with a bright smile.


    "Woah, young hero. I can''t believe you actually managed to produce sword aura in such a short time. You truly teach me what steady progress means."


    "Haha. It is all thanks to your teachings, No-name."


    It was more convenient to call him "No-name" rather than "Palm Martial Emperor" or "Baek Sang-Woon."


    Baek Sang-Woon smiled and said in a soft tone, "Okay, what are you going to do now? Are you going home?"


    "Yes. The guild is going back today, so I have to return with them."


    "That''s good. Then I will follow you."


    "Yes? Why...?"


    The Palm Martial Arts Emperorughed bitterly.


    "I have to go see my daughter."


    "Your...daughter?"


    For a moment, Woo-Moon tilted his head in confusion. Although he had little knowledge of the <i>gangho</i>, he had picked up many stories along the way since the Eight Emperors of the Heavenly Martial Arts were so famous.


    <i>¡®I heard that the Palm Martial Emperor has no children. His only daughter died a long time ago...''</i>


    Interrupting Woo-Moon''s thoughts, the Palm Martial Arts Emperor said, "So I will go with you and your younger brother."


    Suddenly, the Palm Martial Arts Emperor''s tone changed.


    "With me and my younger brother?"


    "Yes. If I go with my grandchildren, I''ll be able to meet my brother."


    "Your grandchildren? Who are your grandchildren?"


    "What do you mean, who? One of them is right here."


    "Here?" Woo-Moon''s eyes widened as he looked around.


    It was then that he realized. Until that moment, he hadn''t thought anything about the fact that his mother, Baek Jin-Jin, had the samest name as Baek Sang-Woon. It was because his mother hadn''t revealed her past to the family.


    The Palm Martial Arts Emperor said with a smile. "Yes, you are my grandson, Woo-Moon."


    Woo-Moon''s jaw dropped.

 Chapter 24. Dream Awakening (24)

    <h4>Chapter 24. Dream Awakening (24)</h4>


    Anyone in his ce would have reacted the exact same way.


    Although Baek Sang-Woon was over a hundred years old, he looked to be in his early thirties when Woo-Moon met him, and his yful way of being reinforced that impression. While Woo-Moon knew his real age, he had always felt that the "nameless man" was like an older brother in his early thirties. However, the same person was now telling Woo-Moon that he was his grandfather.


    "Haha, No-name, stop joking around."


    At that moment, the Palm Martial Emperor radiated unstoppable energy. He had actually released the Absolute Master energy that he was normally keeping under control.


    "You punk! I''ve already told you I''m your grandfather, so how can you call me ''No-name''? Isn''t your mother''s name Baek Jin-Jin?"


    Woo-Moon was surprised.


    <i>''How did he know my mother''s name when I didn''t even tell him?''</i>


    "Your mother lived with me when she was young. However, I lived my life as a wanderer. I thought that if she were to apany me, she wouldn''t be happy, so I sent her to the Iron Sword Baek Family. Wasn''t your mother ill and weak?"


    Woo-Moon''s attitude changed. "You''re... right."


    The Palm Martial Emperor spoke with a look of remorse in his eyes thatpletely belied his usual carefree personality.


    "When Ah-Jin reached adulthood, the Iron Sword Baek Family tried to force her into a political marriage. But that free-spirited child would never obey such an order, just like her father."


    Ah-Jin was the affectionate nickname that Baek Sang-Woon called his daughter.


    It didn''t seem like the Palm Martial Emperor was telling a lie. Woo-Moon was actually starting to believe that Baek Sang-Woon was indeed his grandfather.


    Baek Sang-Woon continued. "If this fact were to be known, it would have damaged the reputation of the Iron Sword Baek Family, so they sent men to capture and retrieve Ah-Jin. I was traveling at the time, so I wasn''t aware. However, in the midst of the capture, Jin-Jin got a serious internal injury due to one of the pursuers making a mistake."


    "Ah...!" It was then that Woo-Moon finally understood. He wondered why his mother had a chronic cough that worsened day by day. He had thought that this was an illness that she had borne since birth, but the more he thought of it, the more he felt that wasn''t actually the case. Thinking back, he realized that his mother had some faint qi, and she moved in a way characteristic of the people in the <i>murim</i>, even when she was sick.


    It was only now that he could fit the pieces of the puzzle together.


    "Even if the internal injury wasn''t serious, if we just let it be, her health would gradually worsen..." mumbled Woo-Moon.


    "Yes, that is correct. She couldn''t do anything about it, because the internal injury she suffered was not something she could treat herself."


    <i>''What should I do now?'' </i>Woo-Moon fell into a serious dilemma. <i>''Should I bow down to Baek Sang-Woon and call him Grandfather? But what if he isn''t? Though...wouldn''t everything clear up if my mother and Baek Sang-Woon face each other and she admits that he is her father?''</i>


    Woo-Moon contemted the situation for a moment.


    "Anyway, let''s go and greet your mom. What do you think, kid? That works for you, right?"


    Baek Sang-Woon had been speaking in an uncharacteristically solemn manner, but now he seemed to be returning to his normal self.


    "Yes... Grandfather." Woo-Moon decided to follow Baek Sang-Woon''s advice for now.


    "There''s still some time before the guild departs, right? Let''s go find your young brother first."


    As if he already knew where the people of Mount Hua were, Baek Sang-Woon took the lead and walked forward without hesitation.


    Following from behind, Woo-Moon asked, "Does my younger brother know about this?"


    "No, he doesn''t know. You''re the older one, so I told you first."


    Woo-Moon smiled. He didn''t know it himself, but his smile resembled Baek Sang-Woon''s.


    <i>''That rascal...it''s going to be worth seeing his face when he finds out.''</i>


    * * *


    The term "Rising Stars of Mount Hua" referred to the senior disciples also known as the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms. The three of them had learned the sword art known as the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom des at a very young age, and they were also the youngest sect members in history allowed to learn the Violet Haze Divine Art. As a result, they were even able to obtain the title of the youngest Plum Blossom Swords.


    In short, the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms were the most noteworthy, brilliant youngsters in Mount Hua. They were not only exceptionally gifted, but also from an illustrious background...well, with one exception.


    Song Woo-Gang.


    By now known as the most earnest disciple of Mount Hua, Woo-Gang got up earlier than anyone else and practiced qi cultivation daily. Today was no exception, and as he meditated, he recalled the duel between the Palm Martial Emperor and the Night Spear Devil that he had witnessed yesterday.


    After some time, Woo-Gang got up and headed out.


    At the inn, the senior disciples were busy packing their bags and preparing to leave. Woo-Gang had advised his peers against receiving gifts, but there were still many gifts provided to the sect by various people. It was probably because of the brilliant reputation that Mount Hua held. In any case, this was a burden that the disciples had to carry themselves.


    When Woo-Gang opened the door and came out, the disciples of Mount Hua who had beenughing and chatting as they prepared became quiet for a moment. After looking at Woo Gang''s expression, they cautiously started packing up once more.


    Among the young disciples of Mount Hua, Woo-Gang''s position was really ambiguous.


    The other two senior disciples among the Legendary Three Plums had excellent family backgrounds. Yu Cho was the first senior disciple and the eldest son of the sect''s most powerful outer family, which also made him heir to the Red Plum Vault, one of the three major banks in the <i>gangho</i>. As for the second senior disciple, Hyeon Mu-Cheol, he was the eldest son of the sect master.


    There would have been no problem if Woo-Gang had belonged to the same ss as these two.


    Nevertheless, Woo-Gang wasn''t like them. His ability was beyond any doubt, but there was no power to support him from behind. In the prestigious Mount Hua Sect, a person was treated ording to their ability, but it was inevitable that those who possessed both excellent ability and a solid background ended up with much greater power.


    For Yu Cho and Hyeon Mu-Cheol, who wanted to aim for the sect master position, Woo-Gang was a thorn in their side; he was an unquestionable martial arts genius, but he had no background to ount for. Because they had the same master, they were forced to be friendly, but this friendliness was merely on the surface.


    Thus, Yu Cho and Hyeon Mu-Cheol had actually joined forces to suppress Woo-Gang, and they hinted to the other Mount Hua disciples to maintain distance from him. Naturally, since the two people most likely to be the next sect master were against Woo-Gang, the other disciples couldn''t afford to be in friendly rtions with him. Woo Gang had thus be an outcast before he could even understand what was going on.


    While the others were working, Woo-Gang didn''t help them. He had realized from his experience that the more he attempted to help, the more ufortable they would be. Of course, he would then be criticized for not helping out. It wasn''t like that before, but thanks to the two senior disciples, rumors had spread about his cocky nature after being named one of the Legendary Three Plums.


    As he drank his tea, Woo-Gang felt lonely in the midst of many people. His eyes suddenly were drawn to the figure of a female disciple of Mount Hua working somewhere in the distance. She had a pretty face, but she didn''t stand out. However, she was very popr due to her quirky, lively, and charming personality.


    Woo-Gang''s heart ached. He had loved her since childhood, and she didn''t treat him badly either. No...in all fairness, she also had Woo-Gang in her heart.


    However, a year ago, a hawk visited her household, a mid-level n near Mount Hua. The hawk was carrying a letter from Yu Cho, the first of Legendary Three Plums and heir to the Red Plum Vault. A few months after that event, Bi Yeo-Jung began to avoid Woo-Gang. Whenever they ran into each other, she was distant and looked uneasy.


    A bitter smile appeared on Woo-Gang''s lips. Just then, he thought of his stupid older brother.


    <i>''What is my brother doing now? I have to visit him at least once.''</i>


    When he saw his older brothere out from the red light district, Woo-Gang was taken aback for a moment and pretended not to know him. That moment continued to linger in his heart. In the past, he wouldn''t have done that, but being intimidated and oppressed in Mount Hua was the likely cause of his reaction, so he felt bitter.


    Some of Mount Hua disciples with their luggage went outside, being cautious of Woo-Gang. They opened the door of the inn, and coincidentally, someone entered.


    "Huh?"


    A third-generation disciple was right at the door, and as he looked at the face of the person who had just entered, he froze in ce.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    The luggage he was carrying fell, but he didn''t even think to pick it up. The rest of the people in the inn felt that something was strange and turned in that direction. Then, they also froze, unable to look elsewhere.


    "The Palm Martial Emperor!"


    Baek Sang-Woon smiled. "My grandson must be here... Where is he?"


    Although Mount Hua had the Sword Emperor, who was also one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors, there were few disciples who had ever seen his face. Even the Legendary Three Plums didn''t see the Sword Emperor often, although thetter was their sect''s Grandmaster.


    It was only the day before when the duel between him and Gyunghong had transpired, so Mount Hua disciples were even more surprised to see him here.


    Then, they realized what he had just said.


    <i>''What? His grandson is here? Did the Palm Martial Emperor have a grandson? He doesn''t have a child, so how could he have a grandson?''</i>


    Cheol Myeong-Wi, the elder who led the Mount Hua disciples, came forward with a somewhat displeased expression.


    "What brings the esteemed sir here?"


    Although Cheol Myeong-Wi was an elder, he was nothing more than a child in the eyes of the Palm Martial Emperor, who was one hundred and seven years old this year. As for their status, despite Cheol Myeong-Wi being a brilliant youngster, he wasn''t one of the Eight Emperors, although he was still quite reputable in the <i>murim </i>world as a martial arts master.


    "Huh? What do you know, that boy from the Cheol Family is here. Do you still wet your pants when you''re in a hurry?"


    Cheol Myeong-Wi''s face reddened in anger at these words.


    He was now in histe fifties. Thirty years ago, when he was just twenty years old, he fought with Baek Sang-Woon in an operation to take down the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, an organization that was a nest of evil.


    As their name implied, the Cruel Sandstorm Riders rode horses that were rare beasts and engaged in endless guerri warfare, dragging out the war against the army for ten days. There were many prolonged battles, some evensting longer than a day.


    Naturally, under these conditions, even dealing with the normal physiological needs was a tall order. Baek Sang-Woon was already a great master at the time, so he could control his dder at will, but that did not hold true for Cheol Myeong-Wi.


    Thus, Cheol Myeong-Wi engaged in battle while holding in his urge to take a leak as best as he could. Unfortunately, however, he ended up wetting his pants when one of the masters of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders ambushed him. Of course, that wasn''t umon on the battlefield. However, it was almost unheard of for a disciple of Mount Hua, one of the <i>murim</i>''s prestigious Nine Sects, to do something so disgraceful.


    The Palm Martial Emperor, who was fighting nearby at the time, witnessed this scene andughed crazily. Since then, every time he met with Cheol Myeong-Wi, he brought up the story.


    "Oh,e on! I''m already fifty years old. How am I still a little kid? Besides, why are you bringing up a story from thirty years ago? Can''t you just forget about it already?!"


    Cheol Myeong-Wi was normally considered the most upright and serious of the first-generation Mount Hua disciples. However, facing the Palm Martial Emperor, he was showing apletely different side of him. The Mount Hua disciples looked at him in surprise.


    "<i>Ahem, ahem.</i>" Cheol Myeong-Wi coughed, btedly realizing the situation, and said to himself, <i>''No, Cheol Myeong-Wi. Don''t get involved with that devil like before. The kids are watching too, so don''t be fooled! Calm down, Cheol Myeong-Wi!''</i>


    Although they hadn''t seen each other for a long time, Baek Sang-Woon and Cheol Myeong-Wi were actually good friends. After all, they had fought many grueling battles together. With that in mind, Cheol Myeong-Wi managed to regain hisposure.


    "Okay, what brings you here?"


    "Huh? I said it already. Are you already deaf at your age? I''m here to find my grandson."


    As expected, some things never changed. Whenever Cheol Myeong-Wi was with Baek Sang-Woon, his blood pressure ended up so high he could hear his own pulse.


    "Your grand...what?"


    "Well, you know, my daughter was actually alive all this time. This is her son."


    Baek Sang-Woon''s tone was very casual, but his words perplexed Cheol Myeong-Wi.

 Chapter 25. Dream Awakening (25)

    <h4>Chapter 25. Dream Awakening (25)</h4>


    The Palm Martial Emperor tread the line between the Righteous Faction and the Evil Faction, and he was a well-known jokester, but he definitely wasn''t one to make this kind of joke about his own family.


    "Oh, is that true? Your daughter was alive? Huh, so you''ve been keeping it a secret all this time. Then, the rascal of the <i>murim</i>¡ªuh, I mean, the famous Palm Martial Emperor has be a grandfather? This is surprising."


    It was awkward for Cheol Myeong-Wi to imagine the Palm Martial Emperor as a grandfather. Baek Sang-Woon had always looked as if he was in his thirties, even though his thirties had ended seven decades before.


    "I know, it''s weird to know that I am a grandfather when I look this good. By the way, are you having a hard time these days? Your face is so full of wrinkles and age spots! Why is your hair so thin? You are old, man."


    At that moment, Cheol Myeong-Wi lost hisposure again. "Who wants to be old?! If you feel so sorry for me, why don''t you help me reach the Absolute level?"


    "Come on, aren''t you too sensitive to your appearance for a fellow Daoist? Don''t be so obsessed with your looks. The kids are watching," the Palm Martial Emperor replied.


    This time, Cheol Myeong-Wi almost exploded. <i>''Who''s the one that made me this sensitive?!''</i> But he certainly needed to calm down. He was getting worked up again.


    "<i>Whoo, whoo</i>... Alright, fine. Let''s cut straight to the point. Where is this grandson you''re talking about?"


    The Palm Martial Emperor beckoned behind his back.


    Then, Woo-Moon entered the inn.


    Woo-Gang stared at the Palm Martial Emperor with an awe-struck expression, eyes wide open. Then, his eyes opened even wider as he saw the young man who had just entered.


    "B-brother?"


    All eyes were on Woo-Moon. This young man, who looked to be the same age as most of the Mount Hua Sect disciples present here, had appeared together with the Palm Martial Emperor.


    <i>''Who is he?''</i>


    On the other hand, Hyeon Yu-Yeon, the precious only daughter of the Mount Hua sect master and the most beautiful of the Mount Hua Sect, also saw Woo-Gang. She was one of the few friends that stood alongside Woo-Gang.


    <i>''Song Wu-Gang''s older brother? Brother Woo-Gang said that he had a family living in Unhanst time. But why did his older brothere with the Palm Martial Emperor?''</i>


    At that moment, Hyeon Yu-Yeon remembered her encounter with Woo-Moon not long ago.


    <i>''Yes, that''s right! He''s the one who came out of the red light district and talked to the Spear Devil, Gyeong Hong,st time.''</i>


    While Hyeon Yu-Yeon was surprised, the Palm Martial Emperor shrugged and pointed at Woo-Moon. "I have two grandchildren. This is Song Woo-Moon, he is one of them."


    <i>''What?'' </i>Woo-Gang was stunned silent by Baek Sang-Woon''s remarks. <i>''No way...''</i>


    Sure enough, the Palm Martial Emperor pointed at him next. "You''re the second."


    "Uh, what?"


    "<i>Sigh</i>, I guess you won''t believe me as easily as your older brother. Follow me, I''ll exin. Brother Cheol, can I take him for a while?"


    "Sure. I''ll be waiting."


    Although the Palm Martial Emperor belonged to neither the Righteous Faction nor the Evil Faction proper, he was closer to the Righteous Faction. After all, he was a member of the Iron Sword Baek Family, a prestigious family of the Righteous Faction.


    Therefore, it was difficult for Cheol Myeong-Wi to ignore the words of the Palm Martial Emperor, who was much higher in status than himself. He also felt that thepetition for the next sect master of Mount Hua had just be more interesting.


    The Palm Martial Emperor didn''t seem to be lying about Woo-Gang being his grandson. Cheol Myeong-Wi thus decided to believe him, and since he already knew Woo-Gang, he decided to take a better look at his brother, Woo-Moon.


    Cheol Myeong-Wi had an outstanding eye for recognizing talented people in martial arts. In particr, his skill at determining the level of others'' martial arts was second to none.


    Woo-Gang was an excellent seedling, as far as Cheol Myeong-Wi knew. He had been training alone without any elixirs or the guidance of a personal martial arts teacher, yet he was standing shoulder to shoulder with his prominent senior disciples. In that case, what about the older brother, Woo-Moon, who had been staying in the countryside...?


    <i>''Whoa, whoa! This kid is amazing, even better than his younger brother! As expected, they really mean it when they say you can''t catch up with your elders. Huh... So his name was Song Woo-Moon, huh? I''ll have to remember him. If he''s already achieved that level, I''m sure...''</i>


    While Cheol Myeong-Wi was pondering, Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang followed the Palm Martial Emperor out of the inn.


    Woo-Gang was still dumbfounded. He tried to make sense of Baek Sang-Woon''s exnation, but he still couldn''t tell whether it was a dream or a reality. Then, he heard Baek Sang-Woon''s pleasant voice. "Come on,e on! I want to see my daughter as soon as possible. Let''s talk about this matter to Cheol Myeong-Wi and go home."


    As Baek Sang-Woon grabbed Woo-Gang and went to tell Cheol Myeong-Wi regarding this matter, Woo-Moon headed to the ce where the Leebi Guild was.


    "Woo-Moon, you punk! Where have you been? I won''t forgive you this time!" The team leader of Woo-Moon''s group simply lost it when he saw the young man.


    "I''m sorry. There was an urgent matter, so I''d appreciate it if you could consider my situation and overlook this."


    Chae Young-Ryong, the son of the second-highest guild official, heard the disturbance and came out of his tent. He was the kind who liked interfering with other people''s business, and he had an uncanny talent for noticing these things. His eyes shone when he saw Woo-Moon.


    <i>''It''s him!''</i>


    Chae Young-Ryong had investigated in detail after being attacked by the nameless man the other day. It turned out that it was Woo-Moon who had brought the nameless man to the guild. In other words, Woo-Moon was the one behind the nameless man.


    The young master made his appearance together with two warriors equipped with spears and asked in a solemn tone, "What''s going on?"


    After being beaten by the nameless man, Yu Mun-Gwang ended up suffering and bing weaker day by day. Eventually, he returned to the Kunlun Sect for treatment. Since they needed some guards, Chae Young-Ryong inquired about Go-Ryang Pyeong and found some remarkable mercenaries. Fortunately, countless <i>murim </i>people had gathered there for the duel, so he was able to find people with excellent skills.


    The two that Chae Young-Ryong invested all his money to hire were the Blue-Red Twin Spears. They were highly regarded among the mercenaries there.


    Chae Young-Ryong gritted his teeth. That day, the nameless man''sughter had caused him to fall down and vomit blood. As a result, Chae Young-Ryong wasn''t able to witness the fight between the Palm Martial Emperor and the Night Spear Devil that he had wanted so much to see¡ªhe was simply incapable of moving at the time. Of course, he med it all on Woo-Moon, who he thought was behind the nameless man''s attack.


    Thinking about it again, Chae Young-Ryong gritted his teeth.


    <i>''I''ll give that asshole porter a taste of what hell''s like.''</i>


    Yu Mun-Gwang, the only one who was aware that Woo-Moon was a master and that the nameless man was an incredible master, had left in a hurry without informing Chae Young-Ryong and the others of the truth. Therefore, Chae Young-Ryong was still dreaming of revenge.


    <i>''If I beat up this porter, that bastard will show up. How dare he attack me? No matter how strong he is, there''s no way he can beat the Blue-Red Twin Spears.'' </i>With this thought in mind, Chae Young-Ryong red at Woo-Moon coldly.


    "I just asked what was going on."


    The team leader answered his question. "Well, he disappeared without saying anythingst time, and today he disappeared in the morning as well while the others were toiling away."


    "You and that bastard fromst time are the same, doing all sorts of shameful acts together."


    At that moment, Woo-Moon''s eyebrows furrowed because Chae Young-Ryong was cursing both him and his grandfather.


    "Be careful what you say."


    Chae Young-Ryong frowned in anger. "What? Who are you to talk to me like that? How dare you, a mere porter, talk back!"


    "I came here to work and get a fair sry. I am not your servant or your ve. Why can''t I speak impolitely when you''re swearing at me? Even Yeon Si-Hyeon, the guild master, talks to me politely. Does she know you''re doing this?"


    Chae Young-Ryong was speechless, as he had no argument to counter Woo-Moon''s words. Then, like most people would have done in the same situation, he started yelling.


    "Shut up, you asshole! Seems like words just aren''t enough for you. Hey, catch him and show him hell!" Chae Young-Ryong ordered the Blue-Red Twin Spears.


    "Alright."


    "Just quietly surrender, you bastard."


    <i>''I could understand if someone close to me or someone who''s much older than me was calling me a bastard, but these punks? Hmph!''</i>


    Without even bothering to grab their weapons, the Blue-Red Twin Spears walked to Woo-Moon with a cocky swagger.


    This was because to the Blue-Red Twin Spears, who had only learned some random martial arts of the Evil Faction, it was clear that Woo-Moon knew nothing about martial arts.


    "Stop there. You will regret it if youe any closer," Woo-Moon spoke in a low tone.


    The Blue-Red Twin Spearsughed.


    "Crazy bastard, you''re talking as if you''re an Absolute Master."


    "Oh no, I''m so scared!"


    Naturally, they wouldn''t stop just because Woo-Moon said so.


    Woo-Moon clenched his fist.


    <i>''Did they not sense it?''</i>


    The baby silver tiger cried lowly in his arms.


    <i>"Grrrrrrrrrr."</i>


    The Red Spear was the first to cross the line that Woo-Moon had set in his mind.


    "I warned you!" Along with these words, Woo-Moon''s hand moved.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Before the Red Spear could sense it, the Raging Wind Palm hit his chest like lightning.


    The Red Spear flew back, blood spurting out from his mouth. At the same time, a powerful gale that started seemingly out of nowhere, forcing everyone who was in the way to close their eyes.


    The Red Spear flew back a few meters before crashing on the ground miserably.


    <i>''Did I overdo it?'' </i>It seemed that, in his anger, Woo-Moon had put in much more strength than he had intended. Of course...it could have been because he had underestimated his own power.


    The Blue Spear and Chae Young-Ryong opened their mouths agape at this sudden oue. "What? What happened?"


    The Blue Spear couldn''t even fully grasp how Woo-Moon''s hand moved.


    <i>''Master! He''s a master that I can''t deal with!''</i>


    The gap between them and Woo-Moon was so big that the Blue Spear hadn''t noticed his level in advance, but if he couldn''t sense this discrepancy even after seeing this move, he''d be unworthy to even be called a mercenary. Naturally, the Blue Spear was stiff with fright.


    The disturbance caused by Woo-Moon using the Raging Wind Palm was more significant than he had thought. While people were murmuring about this unexpected oue, Si-Hyeon came running with Jo Mu-Jae.


    "What''s the matter?"


    It was the first time that Chae Young-Ryong weed the appearance of Chae Si-Hyeon and Jo Mu-Jae.


    "Guild master! Uh, that porter suddenly turned violent and killed the mercenary I hired!"


    That was not the case. The Red Spear had been knocked unconscious by the shock, but he wasn''t dead.


    Si-Hyeon spoke to Woo-Moon with disbelief. "Did you do that?"


    "Yes, but they first..."


    Chae Young-Ryong interrupted Woo-Moon. "He left his job area twice even though he was hired to do something. So I gave him a light warning, but he just suddenly attacked us. Everyone here saw what happened, right?"


    As he looked around, everyone nodded. He was the son of the second-highest guild official, so how could they go against his authority?


    "Yes, he did."


    "That''s right! It happened exactly like the young master is saying!"


    Woo-Moon gritted his teeth. He was well and truly enraged. Just as he was thinking about crushing Chae Young-Ryong''s face into mincemeat, however, Si-Hyeon spoke up.


    "I believe in my eye for people. I''ve personally talked to this man, and I don''t believe he is that kind of person," she said, staring coldly at Chae Young-Ryong.


    As he heard that, Chae Young-Ryong burst into a fit of rage. No matter the circumstances, they''d known each other for many years! Yet, Si-Hyeon protected that porter instead of siding with him!


    Ignoring Chae Young-Ryong''s anger, Si-Hyeon looked at Woo-Moon with clear, fair eyes. "As for you... Why did you hide your abilities from me?"


    Si-Hyeon felt a little disappointed at the thought that Woo-Moon had deceived her, since he was the only one that she trusted among those around her.


    Just then, two people appeared from behind. "What''s going on? Why is it so noisy?"


    Chae Young-Ryong was surprised to see the nameless man appear. "You''re back, you bastard!"


    Chae Young-Ryong wasn''t the only one who was surprised. The same was true of Jo Mu-Jae. No, he was several times more surprised than Chae Young-Ryong.


    "The Palm Martial Emperor!"


    <i>''What? The Palm Martial Emperor?'' </i>Chae Young-Ryong looked at Jo Mu-Jae with strange eyes.


    "What nonsense are you spouting? The Palm Martial Emperor?"


    Jo Mu-Jae was incredibly frustrated. "You immature punk! The one you just called ''bastard'' is the Palm Martial Emperor!"


    Jo Mu-Jae''s words struck Chae Young-Ryong like a sledgehammer. He certainly wanted tough it off as a joke, except the guild''s guardian was not the kind to joke about such matters. Chae Young-Ryong had a sinking feeling, as if he had just been thrown into an endless abyss.


    <i>''The Palm Martial Emperor?''</i>

 Chapter 26. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (1)

    <h4>Chapter 26. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (1)</h4>


    "Hahaha, no way. Don''t make jokes like this." As if denying reality, Chae Young-Ryong forced a smile.


    However, Jo Mu-Jae was not smiling. Chae Young-Ryong had just made an unforgivable mistake in front of the Palm Martial Emperor, and that seriously pissed off Jo Mu-Jae. He said, "You think I''m joking? I saw him with my own two eyes when he was dueling yesterday."


    "No way!"


    <i>''Is he really the Palm Martial Emperor? Do you think I''m going to be fooled? If it''s true, what will happen to me?''</i>


    At that time, the Blue Spear suddenly stepped forward and offered a hand-and-fist salute to Baek Sang-Woon.


    "The insignificant Blue Spear greets the Palm Martial Emperor.¡± The voice of the Blue Spear was trembling. His back was damp with cold sweat.


    The Eight Emperors and the Six Rising Challengers were at the peak of the <i>murim</i>. They achieved the Absolute level that anyone who learned martial arts dreamed of. They reversed time with Restoring Youth and were able to fight armies by themselves... They were Absolute Masters who transcended nature itself.


    <i>''A mere wandering martial artist is standing in front of such a grandiose figure. But... I''m in a very precarious situation because of that damn bastard.''</i>


    The Palm Martial Emperor said that Woo-Moon was his grandson. The Palm Martial Emperor''s grandson was the young master whom he and his sworn brother, the Red Spear, had attacked fearlessly. It was a frightening fact.


    The Palm Martial Emperor smiled and walked to the Blue Spear. The Blue Spear bowed, not even daring to stand straight in front of him.


    Baek Sang-Woon made the Blue Spear straighten up with his qi, grabbed him by the shoulders, and arranged his messy clothes. "Your shoulders are slightly tilted to the left. Because of this imbnce, your techniques are less powerful than they should be. If you fix this, you can be a First ss master. I used to be a wandering martial artist as well, you know?"


    The Palm Martial Emperor kindly organized his clothes and even gave him valuable advice, but the Blue Spear was shivering and sweating, almost suffocating from the pressure.


    Baek Sang-Woon said, "Well, I heard my grandson caused you some trouble."


    "No trouble at all, sir!" the Blue Spear shouted out loud.


    Strangely, however, his voice wasn''t as loud as he had expected. This was because the Palm Martial Emperor was suppressing his voice with qi.


    "My ears are a little sensitive, so don''t make too much noise. Then, no...? Hmm. That''s too bad. I was going to give you a little reward, because today is a joyous day. I''m going to meet my daughter after a long time, <i>hehe</i>."


    "It''s...fine, sir. It is an honor just to see the Palm Martial Emperor''s face!"


    "Are you sure you''re okay?"


    "Yes, sir!"


    "Haha! You''re a hearty guy. Nowe on, scram."


    The Blue Spear bowed to the Palm Martial Emperor and turned around to throw one of the two pouches of silver taels that he had received earlier to Chae Young-Ryong.


    "The other pouch is for my sworn brother''s treatment!"


    <i>''We almost died because of you,'' </i>the Blue Spear thought to himself. He wanted to add a "do you want to die?" but the Palm Martial Emperor was still there, and the only thing he wanted right now was to be as far away from the danger zone.


    Chae Young-Ryong was the one who always dealt with others the way he wanted, and he had never found himself in the opposite situation. That was why he was in a panic now.


    <i>''Is it my turn now? No, no....''</i>


    Fear and pressure overwhelmed him.


    The man known as the Palm Martial Emperor was looking at him. Nothing more¡ªall he did was look at Chae Young-Ryong, and the young man''s legs began to shake. He felt that this was going to be the end of his life.


    "I''m, I''m sorry!" Even though Baek Sang-Woon didn''t say anything, Chae Young-Ryong threw himself on the ground, bawling.


    "Forgive me! I didn''t know you were the Palm Martial Emperor, please spare me! I will never do an evil act again! Please, spare me!"


    Seeing a grown-up young man cry like a child and beg for forgiveness, Baek Sang-Woon scratched his head and looked at Woo-Moon.


    "Hey, kid. The hell did I do just now?"


    "Well, didn''t you shoot formless qi at him or something?"


    "What? No. Why would I do something like that to a little puppy like him?"


    "You did thatst time, though. I think that disciple of the Kunlun Sect ended up with internal injuries because of you."


    The Palm Martial Emperor smirked. "That''s right. You were watching then, weren''t you? It was fun, wasn''t it? But this time, I really didn''t do anything."


    However, Chae Young-Ryong was simply not listening to them, and he continued to cry and beg for his life. "Spare me, Palm Martial Emperor."


    "For some reason, I feel like I''m not the Palm Martial Emperor, but the notorious boss of an evil cult or a bandit group. Hmm...that doesn''t feel good. Hey, get up!"


    However, Chae Young-Ryong, half out of his mind, didn''t listen to him. In the end, Baek Sang-Woon used his qi.


    "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! My body, my body!" Chae Young-Ryong''s body rose into the air.


    "Get some sleep already, will ya?" With these words, Baek Sang-Woon sealed Chae Young-Ryong''s sleep acupoint, using telekinesis. He would stay unconscious for the next full day.


    "Huh. I was going to scold him, but the guy''s mind is quite weak. If I force him a little more, I think he''ll go crazy," Baek Sang-Woon said, looking at Woo-Moon.


    "That''s alright. I''ll personally pay back the grievances I''ve suffered today with blood and broken bones."


    Baek Sang-Woon liked the answer.


    <i>''How can people live just being nice? If they are attacked, they should retaliate.''</i>


    The Palm Martial Emperor himself had lived his life with that philosophy so far. Well, he was probably a bit excessive at times, which was why he was considered in-between the Righteous Faction and the Evil Faction.


    <i>''Speaking of that... the people of the Kunlun Sect might say somethingter in regards to this.''</i> Baek Sang-Woon had forgotten the incident back then because it was so trivial, but he remembered it when Woo-Moon mentioned it.


    Yu Mun-Gwang had been cocky due to his status as a disciple of the Kunlun Sect, and Baek Sang-Woon had given him an incurable internal injury in return.


    <i>''Well, he was the one who started it. It''s unlikely, but if the Kunlun Sect has a problem with it, I might as well go there and start a ruckus.''</i>


    Baek Sang-Woon suddenly thought of a funny idea.


    <i>''Wait, by then, my grandchildren will be very strong, won''t they? Should I order Woo-Moon to go there in my stead? It wouldn''t be as fun if I were to go there myself, hehehe.''</i>


    Si-Hyeon was quietly watching as Baek Sang-Woon giggled alone, plotting ahead on his own. After a few moments, however, she stepped forward and said, "It''s a great honor to see the Palm Martial Emperor, whose fame is spreading in the world. I''m Yeon Si-Hyeon, the master of the Leebi Merchant Guild."


    While no one else around them dared to even twitch, pressured as they were by the Palm Martial Emperor''s presence, Yeon Si-Hyeon unhesitatingly greeted him without even trembling. Of course, inside, she was also just as surprised and nervous as the rest of them.


    <i>''Oh, this girl is quite outstanding. On top of that, she''s also really beautiful.''</i>


    The Palm Martial Emperor spoke with deep admiration. "So, you''re the guild master. This guild will go all the way to Unhan, won''t it?"


    "Yes, the residence of our guild is there. It would be a great honor if the Palm Martial Emperor could apany us."


    Si-Hyeon had a quick eye and a good sense of judgment. Even though Baek Sang-Woon didn''t bring it up, after recognizing his purpose, she was considerate of his reputation and invited him first.


    <i>''My grandchildren are stupid because they are men, so what if I get this child as a foster daughter?''</i>


    Si-Hyeon''s eyes were clear and her energy felt righteous. She had been raised as the daughter of the Leebi Merchant Guild Master, yet it was clear at the first nce she lived more upright than anyone else. In addition, she was indeed intelligent, so it wasn''t unreasonable for Baek Sang-Woon to be fond of her at the first meeting.


    "Yeah, sure. Even if you didn''t ask me, my grandson said he was indebted to you, so I was going to go with you to pay back the favor."


    "Thank you!" Si-Hyeon lowered her head and forced herself to hold back a cry of joy. She was really, really happy.


    <i>''This is a great sess. No, not just a great sess, but an absolute miracle to forge a rtionship with the Palm Martial Emperor. Also...''</i>


    Si-Hyeon''s eyes turned to Woo-Moon. <i>''Woo-Moon... I can''t believe that he was the Palm Martial Emperor''s grandson.''</i>


    They weren''t that close, but she felt like the distance between the two of them grew further apart, and at the same time, she felt somewhat disappointed and betrayed. Woo-Moon was the Palm Martial Emperor''s grandson, and from what she saw earlier, his martial arts seemed to be outstanding. She found out that he was iparably higher in status than the daughter of a small merchant guild owner in a rural vige like herself.


    <i>''But he was the first person I opened my heart to, aside from my uncle and my family....''</i>


    Her eyes met with Woo-Moon''s coincidentally, but she looked away as if nothing had happened.


    "How long are you going to stay here? Let''s go to Unhan," the Palm Martial Emperor said cheerfully.


    "Ah, yes, let us hurry and depart," replied Si-Hyeon.


    Jo Mu-Jae shouted at the rest of the caravan to get ready to leave.


    The whole Leebi Merchant Guild was excited. The caravan would be traveling together with the Palm Martial Emperor, a living legend. But there was someone who couldn''t share the emotions of the guild that was chatting loudly with excitement. It was the guild''s cook. He looked as if he was going to cry.


    <i>''Oh no, I''m dead now, I''m so fucking dead. It was because of the food, wasn''t it? I wonder if he''ll forgive me if I give him ten times more rice than I give others in the future...''</i>


    The cook was entertaining a pretty ridiculous train of thought...though, considering Baek Sang-Woon''s personality, it wasn''t really <i>that </i>unreasonable.


    "Huh! I can just walk."


    "No, sir. To let the esteemed Palm Martial Emperor walk, who is respected by all people, would not be proper. Also, it would be improper for a young person such as myself to be the one riding alone in a carriage."


    "Hmm... Okay. If you say it like that, I will listen to your request and ride in the carriage."


    Unable to deny Si-Hyeon''s request, Baek Sang-Woon got on the carriage and instructed Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang.


    "You two keep walking. Young people need to go through hardships"


    "... Yes."


    "Yes!"


    Unlike Woo-Moon, who seemed slightly dissatisfied, Woo-Gang answered in a loud voice.


    Si-Hyeon turned to look at Woo-Moon. "Young master, why are you still carrying the luggage on your back?"


    <i>''Young master?''</i>


    Woo-Moon had never been called "young master" by anyone, and it was all the more awkward to be called that by Si-Hyeon.


    "I''m a porter hired by the guild, so of course, I have to pick up my luggage. Or... Did I get fired for beingte earlier?"


    "Ah..." Si-Hyeon smiled without even realizing it. Woo-Moon turned out to be a martial artist and was also found to be the Palm Martial Emperor''s grandson, but he didn''t seem to have changed at all.


    <i>''Was it a misunderstanding? But considering Woo-Moon''s answer just now...''</i>


    "Then, are you saying that you want to continue working as a porter at our guild?"


    "Yes."


    Si-Hyeon felt warm inside, but she shook her head. "But this doesn''t make sense. I can''t make the Palm Martial Emperor''s grandson continue to work as a porter."


    Baek Sang-Woon cut her off, however. "Don''t worry about me and leave him be. He''s working elsewhere for the first time in his life, and he needs toplete what he started."


    "I see."


    The grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor worked as a porter for her guild. This was <i>big</i> news. That fact alone would allow the guild to grow significantly. But Si-Hyeon didn''t want this.


    <i>''How can this little guild hold the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor? The fact that the guild is close to the Palm Martial Emperor, the fact that they are being apanied on this business trip by the Palm Martial Emperor, and the fact that the guild hired the Palm Martial Emperor''s grandson as a porter... these alone were more than enough. Our guild will surely be different from what it has been before.''</i>


    There was no one around the two people walking. Woo-Moon was the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor. In addition, Woo-Gang was said to be the Plum Blossom Swordsman of the Mount Hua Sect. It was natural for people to find him hard to approach. However, some guild members were unable to restrain themselves in the end.


    "Hello! Hello, Plum Blossom Swordsman of the Mount Hua Sect!"


    "Who are you?"


    "Ah! I''m Yoo Mi-Ryeong, the daughter of the chief officer of the Leebi Merchant Guild."


    After the courageous young woman greeted Woo-Gang, two more came up and greeted him as well.


    "Hello!"


    "Nice to meet you!"


    "Ah, yes... Hahaha."


    Woo-Gang had been one of the most famous, most brilliant youngsters of Mount Hua even before it was known that his grandfather was the Palm Martial Emperor. Therefore, he was bound to be an object of desire for girls.


    Woo-Gang greeted them with an awkward smile. Although he was a disciple of Mount Hua, where worldly matters and Daoism intertwined, he was always careful about his behavior in front of others because he was taught strictly by the sect in regard to courtesy, despite not being a monk.


    Of course, no matter how strict the sect was, there was always a rascal, like Yu Mun-Gwang of the Kunlun Sect.


    Seeing that Woo-Gang responded more positively than they thought and didn''t act annoyed, more and more people flocked to him. They were all people who wanted to make a connection with this brilliant youngster of the Mount Hua Sect. On the other hand, no one approached Woo-Moon.

 Chapter 27. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (2)

    <h4>Chapter 27. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (2)</h4>


    A porter had suddenly be a <i>murim </i>martial artist and a grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor. As a result, those who had treated him as lower than themselves in social status didn''t have the courage to approach him due to sheer awkwardness.


    Woo-Moon walked with Woo-Gang in front of the carriage for a while, but then naturally slowed down and moved behind the carriage. Soon, he distanced himself from the noisy crowd around Woo-Gang.


    <i>''Good.'' </i>Woo-Moon walked slowly and thought about the Raging Wind Palm and the Heavy Rain Fist.


    He wanted a lightness art of his own, but for now, he needed to prioritizepleting the palm and fist techniques that he was already working on.


    Woo-Moon recalled the images of the Raging Wind Palm and the Heavy Rain Fist in his mind, then slowly started moving ordingly, reproducing those mental images using his palms and fists.


    <i>''Ever since I used the Raging Wind Palm that one time, the technique feels much more familiar and natural than the Heavy Rain Fist.''</i>


    At that time, Eun-Ah started wriggling, indicating that she had woken up from her slumber in Woo-Moon''s breast pocket. Come to think of it, he hadn''t been able to let her y outside in the past two days.


    "Poor thing, you must be pretty frustrated, huh?"


    Woo-Moon thought he could let her out now. He lifted Eun-Ah, who had be a little heavy, and put her on the ground.


    <i>"Kyaaa?" </i>Eun-Ah was puzzled for a moment. She looked around for a moment with sleepy eyes, and then started prancing around Woo-Moon. She seemed to have a great time.


    <i>"Kyaa! Kyaa! Kyaaa! Kya!"</i>


    Eun-Ah couldn''t stay still for a moment and jumped all around, releasing her stress and frustration after having stayed in Woo-Moon''s coat all that time. She stepped on wildflowers, chewed grass, and then proceeded to choke and cough at the grass''s bitterness. Naturally, people''s gazes were drawn to her.


    "That thing over there... Isn''t it a tiger?"


    "Seems to be. It looks like a white tiger cub."


    "Huh! You mean that''s a rare white tiger? How cute!"


    "Cute, huh? Just wait, haha. Let''s see how cute you think it is in a year, when it grows up and eats you."


    Well, that part was, of course, true, but it was a problem forter. Now that she was a cub, everyone thought she was cute. Considering how young the white tiger was, it would fetch a very exorbitant price if sold to a rich family.


    However, now that it had been revealed that Woo-Moon was a martial artist and the Palm Martial Emperor''s grandson to boot, no one dared to covet Eun-Ah.


    Woo-Moon made sure Eun-Ah wouldn''t go more than three meters away and continued to think of martial arts in his mind.


    After a while, the caravan stopped for lunch.


    The cook personally brought food to the carriage that Si-Hyeon and the Palm Martial Emperor rode. He told Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang that he would do the same for them, but both brothers refused his offer.


    When Woo-Moon headed over to grab a meal, the cook was all smiles and had a very servile attitude, and he gave Woo-Moon several times more food than others. Returning to his seat, Woo-Moon opened the rice container with Eun-Ah next to him.


    "Wow, the cook really gave me a lot"


    Woo-Moon gave about half of it to Eun-Ah and started to munch on his own portion.


    As he ate, the porters who were in the same group approached him timidly.


    "Mr. Seo, go talk to him first."


    "What? Why should I go first?"


    "Weren''t you closer to him?"


    "Mr. Ban, you were closer!"


    They were quietly whispering amongst themselves, but Woo-Moon was able to hear their conversation clearly. He greeted them happily, pretending to have just noticed them.


    "Oh! Uncle Seo, Uncle Ban, everyone! Hello!"


    The porters looked at each other in surprise for a moment, but then greeted Woo-Moon brightly, thinking, <i>''As expected, Woo-Moon''s personality hasn''t changed.''</i>


    "Hahaha, Woo-Moon, how have you been?"


    "Hey! Mr. Ban. How can you call him Woo-Moon, just like that? He''s the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor. Show some courtesy."


    Woo-Moon smiled and shook his head. "No, no! It''s alright, Uncle. Just call me Woo-Moon. Please treat me the way you always did."


    At his words, the porters finally rxed and started chatting with him like always.


    "Hahaha! As expected of our Woo-Moon. We sure do have a good eye for people."


    "Of course. Where else can you find a kind, reliable young man like Woo-Moon? Despite being the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor, he doesn''t boast, nor does he stay away from people like us...he''s a really good young man."


    "So, what happened, Woo-Moon? Did you always know that your grandfather was the Palm Martial Emperor?"


    Woo-Moonughed and chatted freely with them. It wasn''t too far from the carriage, so Si-Hyeon also secretly listened to their conversation. Listening to his exnation, she unconsciously started to smile.


    It was only a minute change in her expression, but the Palm Martial Emperor, who was right next to her, noticed it right away. He also smiled, but much more meaningfully. <i>''Hmm, maybe epting her as a foster granddaughter is taking it too far. Shall I ept her as a disciple instead?''</i>


    However, the high-ranking officials of the guild and their children, who were gathered around Woo-Gang, frowned at the sight of Woo-Moon talking friendly with the porters, who were the lowest of the lowest on the socialdder.


    <i>''Hmph, you can really tell that he had a humble upbringing. Despite being the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor, he''s still.... On the other hand, look how elegant and cultured Woo-Gang is. He is the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor and even a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect.''</i>


    Once everyone finished eating, the caravan started moving. Even now, Eun-Ah was still running around Woo-Moon, showing off her endless stamina.


    <i>"Kyaaaa!"</i>


    Eun-Ah seemed to be really enjoying her time.


    After around half an hour however, she suddenly jumped in Woo-Moon''s arms. After ying around for so long, she looked sleepy once more.


    "You must be tired."


    <i>"Kyaaaa..."</i>


    Eun-Ah jumped into Woo-Moon''s arms on her own and curled up in the warmest and mostfortable ce without him having to tuck her in. At the same time, she grabbed his clothes with her hook-like ws. As long as the clothes weren''t torn, no matter how much he moved, she wouldn''t fall off.


    Compared to when they came from Unhan to Go-Ryang Pyeong, the load they were carrying was much lighter, so their speed was also naturally much higher. It was likely that they would camp somewhere tonight and arrive around lunchtime the next day.


    The Palm Martial Emperor was sitting in the carriage with his eyes closed. As the twilight slowly approached, he finally opened his eyes and said in a casual, light tone, "Looks like we''ll be having guests."


    Si-Hyeon didn''t understand what he was saying.


    However, a few momentster, Woo-Moon also felt what the Palm Martial Emperor had noticed.


    <i>''What is this? A lot of people areing. As far as I can tell... They all seem to be murim people.''</i>


    "There''s someone in front of us, Grandfather."


    "Yes, looks like you''ve recognized them, Woo-Moon."


    Walking ahead of the Palm Martial Emperor and Woo-Moon, Woo-Gang also heard their conversation and focused in order to heighten his senses. Indeed, he felt that arge number of martial artists were approaching them. Each of them exuded quite a bit of qi, and some of them seemed to be very strong.


    Woo-Gang frowned.


    <i>''Unbelievable... I didn''t feel their presence, yet my older brother did, even though he is walking far behind me. Unbelievable!''</i>


    Woo-Gang was now aware that Woo-Moon had been learning martial arts. He also heard that Woo-Moon had defeated some wandering martial artists who called themselves the Blue-Red Twin Spears. But that was all. Most wandering martial artists were nothing special, and Woo-Gang logically thought that his older brother''s martial arts skills were at best average, since he had only started to learn recently. Naturally, he never entertained the idea that Woo-Moon would be better than him.


    <i>''But how...? No way! There''s no way Woo Moon''s qi is greater than mine. Whatever he practices must be focused on heightening the senses, so that''s why he must have noticed them first.''</i>


    As Woo-Gang was thinking about this, the Palm Martial Emperor came down from the carriage and called for his two grandsons. "Woo-Moon, Woo-Gang."


    "Yes!"


    "We can''t cause trouble for the others on this business trip. Let''s go ahead and deal with these people."


    That was also what Woo-Moon wanted. If Baek Sang-Woon hadn''t said it, he would have said it himself.


    "Understood, Grandfather."


    Baek Sang-Woon looked at Si-Hyeon and Jo Mu-Jae and said, "There are peopleing towards us, and I am their target. We''ll go ahead and clean them up, so you''ll have to wait here. Do you understand?"


    "Yes, we understand," they replied. Si-Hyeon had a calmer expression than expected, in contrast with Jo Mu-Jae, who had a very nervous face.


    The Palm Martial Emperor didn''t worry about them. It was clear that the opponents hade after him, and if so, the caravan wouldn''t be attacked as long as they stayed away.


    <i>''How dare youe for me like this.'' </i>It had truly been a long time since someone hadst revealed murderous intent toward him.


    The Palm Martial Emperor walked forward with a smile that was a mixture of joy, anger, and arrogance at the same time.


    "Let''s go, boys."


    As he walked slowly, Baek Sang-Woon suddenly covered his nose and said, "Huh, what is this smell? Who pooped around here? What a nauseating smell."


    "Haha!" As if in response to the Palm Martial Emperor''s words, gloomy and bizarreughter echoed seemingly from everywhere.


    It was an odd voice¡ªit sounded like the husky voice of a man, but at the same time, it had coquettish undertones that made it seem like it belonged to an alluring beauty.


    <i>''An Absolute Master!''</i>


    Woo-Gang looked around in surprise, but the Palm Martial Emperor and Woo-Moon were pretty calm.


    Seeing Woo-Moon''s self-control, the Palm Martial Emperor felt warm inside. <i>''I am blessed with such good grandchildren.''</i>


    "Man, what a stench! You must be the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, or maybe I should say the Shit Cloud Piss Error who has no idea of the immensity of Heaven and Earth. They say you''re drenched in blood and you''re a heinous criminal or something like that. Whatever."


    Woo-Moon couldn''t hold back hisughter at the words of the Palm Martial Emperor. It had only taken him a second to turn someone surrounded by clouds of blood into someone that sprayed out clouds of poop instead.


    "Hahahaha!"


    However, Woo-Gang couldn''t smile like his older brother. It was because of the enormous weight of the title that he had just heard.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was one of the Six Rising Challengers. In terms of ability alone, the Eight Emperors of the Heavenly Martial Arts and the Six Rising Challengers were considered to be of equal standing.


    Suddenly, a sharp stench of blood pierced Woo-Moon''s nose. In addition, gloom and chills engulfed his whole body.


    <i>''What''s going on?''</i>


    He was always circting his qi ording to the Celestial Sect''s Forbidden Divine Art, so the moment he felt an abnormality, his qi automatically reacted. A momentter, the chills that had momentarily taken over disappeared like melting snow.


    A man covered in a blood mist walked out of the forest. Well, he looked to be a man, but his figure was rather feminine. He wore a blood-red coat, and with every step he took, the nts and animals around him lost their vitality and were covered in blood stains.


    <i>''Have you ever seen the trees and the grass bleed? If you encounter the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, you will be able to see it.''</i>


    * * *


    The Celestial Sect''s Forbidden Divine Art was the authentic, primary root of all Daoist martial arts.


    Among the Daoists, there were those who simply studied the Dao, some that tried to understand Daoism as a martial art, and others who sought the Dao by exorcizing ghosts and demons to correct wrongs. The Forbidden Divine Art, however, epassed all these branches of Daoism. Therefore, it could be said that Woo-Moon, having learned the Forbidden Divine Art directly, had experienced a spiritual awakening of sorts. Of course, he had never learned anything rted to souls, and he hadn''t worked on that part of the Forbidden Divine Art, so he was by no means an advanced practitioner, but he was nevertheless able to see some things that others couldn''t.


    Countless souls were screaming on the back and shoulders of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor. This person had sacrificed people of all kinds, with no discrimination. There were babies, old women, people whose sins deserved the death punishment, righteous people who lived their lives for others, boys and girls who had bright personalities and great potential...


    They had all been caught in the absolute evil of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor and suffered painful deaths. Their souls were unable to escape his power, and all they could do was scream in pain as they were tormented.


    Woo-Moon shivered as he witnessed this scene.


    Fear?


    Was he feeling fear?


    No.


    He was feeling uncontroble anger as the Forbidden Divine Art, for the first time, made all the qi in his body boil. Never before had the gentle Forbidden Divine Art caused him such agitation, and he had never felt his own anger rise so sharply. The rage inside him zed, threatening to consume his very soul!


    "YOOOUUUUUU!!!"

 Chapter 28. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (3)

    <h4>Chapter 28. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (3)</h4>


    "Huh!"


    The two Absolute Masters, the Palm Martial Emperor and the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, had noticed since the beginning that Woo-Moon was acting strange. However, they hadn''t expected him to suddenly jump forward.


    Woo-Moon grabbed his sword as soon as his feet hit the ground.


    <i>Shaak!</i>


    A silver spark lit the air of the dark forest. The qi of the Forbidden Divine Art explosively ran through Woo-Moon''s whole body. His near-infinite potential was being disyed, and his body was shouting at him that his meridians were too narrow to amodate all that power.


    Due to the partial metamorphosis that he had undergone, his meridians were much wider than other people''s. Despite that, they were no match for the true potential of the Forbidden Divine Art, which was ferociously pushing his qi through his body. As a result, Woo-Moon''s meridians expanded once again.


    This time, however, there were no side effects. His body had already be strong enough to handle such changes.


    <i>Boom-boom-boom-boom!</i>


    Like a raging river flooding and breaking dam after dam, the energy of the Forbidden Divine Art was concentrated on Woo-Moon''s sword sword. The energy exploded brightly, skipping the steps of sword qi and sword threads and directly manifesting a bright golden sword aura.


    The tip of Woo-Moon''s sword danced splendidly. The image of the Gentle Celestial Sword came to his mind, engraved in Woo-Moon''s mind. The wrath of the Forbidden Divine Art, set to destroy everything in its path, had cooled down, reced by silent magnificence. The sword was quiet, but it was far more frightening than before.


    Woo-Moon''s sword carried a cold me and energy as fierce as the north wind. The sword emanated a shriveling chill and flew toward the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor at a tremendous speed, intent on splitting everything apart.


    There was nothing special about his technique at first nce, but the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor could vaguely see that there was something more to it than met the eye.


    <i>''What a sharp sword!''</i>


    Woo-Moon''s attack looked simple and sharp, with snowkes blooming from the tip of his sword.


    The Northern Blizzard was another technique of the Gentle Celestial Sword Technique that was resonating from the tip of Woo-Moon''s sword. It looked somewhat simr to the Raging Storm at a first nce, but it waspletely different in nature.


    If the Raging Storm was a technique that struck an opponent head-on, with all its might fully exposed, the Northern Blizzard was a simple and unassuming one. It was a quick, sharp attack that hid its potential in the shadows, an aspect that could only be noticed by an Absolute Master. Even the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had to focus on it in order to recognize that there was something wrong with this attack.


    The hidden energy of the sword was flying right at the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor''s head.


    "Insolent bastard!"


    As he shouted, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor took out the Mad Devil Blood Fan he had tucked under his belt and unfolded it, activating one of his ultimate attacking techniques. Blood energy spurted out from the tip of his fan and quickly formed into qi threads. The qi threads wrapped around his entire body as the fan shot forward to meet Woo-Moon''s attack.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    Following a thunderous impact, Woo-Moon was sted in the opposite direction like a cannonball.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    "Brother!" Seeing the scene, Woo-Gang used a lightness art and quickly propelled himself toward Woo-Moon.


    On the other hand, Baek Sang-Woon chuckled. "How is it, Shit Cloud Piss Error? Isn''t my grandson pretty decent?"


    Hearing the mocking words of the Palm Martial Emperor, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor wiped his forehead and found that his hand was drenched in blood.


    "You bastard....!"


    A crazy murderous aura shed in his eyes. At the same time, the blood that flowed from the wound moved backward, as if time itself was turned back, and returned to his forehead. The moment all the blood was collected, the wound on his forehead also closed itself, as if it had never been there.


    Seeing that, the Palm Martial Emperor said coldly, "The Blood Devil Art is truly amazing. It has already transcended the human realm. Hey, bloody asshole, are you listening?"


    However, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor ignored the Palm Martial Emperor, staring with murderous intent at where Woo-Moon had flown. He hade here for the Palm Martial Emperor, and the fact that he had been injured by someone he thought of as an ant hurt his pride tremendously.


    "Oi, bloody bastard! You''ve already be a public enemy of the <i>murim</i>, so I guess you''re <i>their </i>dog now! Stop being so pathetic and fight me!" Yelling, Baek Sang-Woon rushed toward the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    "You punk!" The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor also shouted right back at the Palm Martial Emperor, then turned around to confront him.


    <i>Crack! Crack!</i>


    Woo-Moon broke a tree in half as he flew, then another one. He had been sted back with such force that within a few moments, the fight scene was already way out of sight.


    "Brother!"


    Hearing the shout of his brother Woo-Gang, Woo-Moon came to his senses and quickly twisted in the air, using the Thousand-Catty Bast technique to weigh himself down and fall to the ground¡ªa technique he had learned from the <i>Martial Arts Fundamentals</i>.


    "Uck!"


    A sudden rush of pain told him that he had suffered an internal injury in that sh against the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor. Woo-Moon couldn''t stop himself and continued to roll on the ground at tremendous speed. Finally, he crashed into arge tree and came to a halt as blood dripped from his mouth.


    The cost of using a powerful offensive technique that surprised even the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, one of the Six Rising Challengers, was more significant than he had expected. Woo-Moon''s insides were aplete mess, and he was surprised that his trembling hand was still gripping the hilt of his sword.


    His technique was above average, but Woo-Moon was still young and inexperienced, and his qi was by far not enough to bridge the formidable gap in strength between him and an Absolute Master.


    After that one attack, it felt like the wrath that had taken over him had mostly dissipated.


    After a few moments, Woo-Gang caught up and grabbed Woo-Moon''s shoulders with both hands. "Brother, are you okay?"


    <i>''In the end, we''re still brothers, huh.''</i>


    Now less angry at his brother, Woo-Moon replied, "I''m okay."


    When he said that, something miraculous happened. The energy of the Forbidden Divine Art, which was still coursing through his body like a roaring river, suddenly headed toward Woo-Moon''s internal injuries, repairing them to the extent that they were nothing more than minor inconveniences.


    "Whew..." As he exhaled a short breath, Woo-Moon''s slightly blurry vision cleared up like before.


    Woo-Gang had just watched the situation earlier from the sidelines, unable to react in time. After confirming that his older brother was okay, Woo-Gang heaved a sigh of relief, then blushed in shame at his ownck of ability and coughed to hide his embarrassment.


    Just then, the two of them heard the voice of their grandfather.


    <i>¡ªI''ll deal with the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, so hurry and deal with the remaining scumbags. If you''rete, the guild will be annihted.</i>


    Their grandfather was right. The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor hadn''te alone. His subordinates'' martial arts skills couldn''t possibly be as good as the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor''s, but they were definitely not just some run-of-the-mill mercenaries.


    Woo-Moon hurriedly kicked the ground and headed toward the guild. His body moved forward almost by itself, and his movement technique was simr to that of the Gangho Solitary Stride, the lightness art of the Palm Martial Emperor, and also simr to that of the Night Spear Devil''s Flowing Water Steps.


    Woo-Gang was using the Hundred Divine Shifts of the Mount Hua Sect, and as he followed Woo-Moon, he thought, <i>''Did Grandfather teach him that lightness art? No...if he did, then why does it look so simr to the lightness art of the Spear Devil?''</i>


    In fact, Woo-Moon wasn''t even aware of the technique he used. The only thing he knew was that the guild was in danger and he wanted to go there as quickly as possible. Thus, two of the best lightness arts he knew came to mind, and he unconsciously imitated them, eventuallybining the two into one.


    "The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor is dealing with the Palm Martial Emperor, so where did the other two guys go?" said one of the warriors in brown clothes who had apanied the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, killing one of the warriors of the guild.


    "I''m not sure. Let''s search for them after killing these guys."


    Jo Mu-Jae, who had stepped out to protect Si-Hyeon, couldn''t endure even a single blow, and he directly copsed with grave internal injuries.


    "Hey, isn''t this woman quite beautiful? It''s quite surprising that there is such a beautiful woman in this small countryside merchant guild."


    Another man in brown clothes approached Si-Hyeon together with one of hisrades. "That''s great. Let''s kill them all and y with her for a while before sending her to the other world, haha."


    "Shall we? I think the squad leader would like it too."


    Hearing their words, Si-Hyeon bit her lip.


    "First of all, don''t hurt her. I''ll seal her acupuncture points first."


    The warrior in brown clothes stretched out his hand.


    Si-Hyeon closed her eyes tightly and tried to pull out the dagger she had in her sleeve.


    At that very moment, an angry roar resounded. "Bastard, how dare youy your dirty hand on her!"


    A fierce wind blew, and the man''s hand fell off his wrist just as he was about to touch Si-Hyeon.


    "Arrrrrrrrrrrgh!"


    The lustful smiles of the warriors instantly vanished as Woo-Moon stood in front of Si-Hyeon, who needed all her willpower not to fall on her knees. In front of her eyes, Si-Hyeon could see a strong, reliable back protecting her.


    Woo-Moon looked around with an angry expression. Warriors and porters of the Leebi Merchant Guild were lying on the ground covered in blood. Among the warriors, there were a few acquaintances of Woo-Moon''s, from the same neighborhood. Some of them had actually bullied him back in the day, but all he knew right now was that his neighbors were dead in front of his eyes.


    Si-Hyeon saw Woo-Moon''s sword aura burst out as his anger lit up once more. "Young he¡ªWoo-Moon. They are strong. You can''t win alone, so please be careful."


    Si-Hyeon was worried about Woo-Moon. She knew he had learned martial arts, but she didn''t think his level would be all that high.


    "No worries, I am an employee of the Leebi Merchant Guild. Since the guild is being attacked, I can''t just sit here and worry about my own safety."


    With a shout, Woo-Moon fired a Raging Wind at a warrior in brown clothes.


    "Huck!" The warrior in brown clothes moved his sword to defend himself, but it was in vain. At his level, his eyes couldn''t even properly capture the movements of the Raging Wind.


    <i>Swoosh!</i>


    Woo-Moon''s sword separated the man''s head from his body.


    <i>Pshhht!</i>


    Blood spurted out, and the warrior copsed.


    For Woo-Moon, this was his first kill. Indeed, he had taken down the Venomous Devil only a few days back, but that had been a mere coincidence. All he wanted to do was to save the people around him from the Devil Cloud, and the Venomous Devil just so happened to be in the way of his palm wind.


    However, Woo-Moon didn''t care. After all, his enemies brutally killed innocent and unrted people, so he didn''t feel any guilt in particr. If anything, he thought it would be sphemy to the dead if he <i>didn''t </i>kill these people.


    "Who is this bastard?" The two warriors nearby rushed toward Woo-Moon.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Woo-Moon used the Divine Phantasm Step.


    <i>''He disappeared!'' </i>The two warriors in brown clothes were startled when the opponent''s silhouette suddenly faded and disappeared. But that feeling didn''tst long.


    A sword silently pierced the hearts of both people at the same time.


    "<i>Ugh!</i>" Before they could even scream, they had lost their lives to Woo-Moon''s North Wind.


    Just like the Raging Storm, Woo-Moon couldn''t consciously use the full Northern Blizzard. However, he was able to use the two techniques that made up the Northern Blizzard¡ªNorth Wind and Cold Snow. With that, Woo-Moon could now use four techniques of the Gentle Celestial Sword.


    "What the hell is he...?" murmured the man in brown robes leading the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor''s hundred-strong force.


    The warrior in ck who was next to him said, "Didn''t you say that the only one we had to be mindful of aside from the Palm Martial Emperor is Song Woo-Gang? Who the hell is that guy?"


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moon engaged in an all-out fight with the warriors around him and killed two more. In addition, Woo-Gang also appeared on the battlefield.


    "The Plum Blossom Swordsman is here!" The merchant guild cheered, sensing that their life-threatening crisis was about to be resolved.


    On the other hand, Woo-Gang was also surprised. ''Who the hell are these people?''


    Their martial arts skills were not poor. They seemed to be Second ss martial artists, and there were a full hundred of them! Furthermore, the two men that were watching from the back without intervening were strong enough that even he couldn''t easily guarantee victory in a sh.


    <i>''The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor came together with these people? The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor is definitely a lone wolf. That''s suspicious. What organization are they from? Are they from the ck Bull Gang or the Hegemon n, hiding their identities?''</i>


    Woo-Gang jumped into battle, but he quickly became distracted as he realized that Woo-Moon was also fighting. However, his concern was unfounded. In the time it took Woo-Gang to cut down the three warriors in brown blocking his path, Woo-Moon incapacitated five of them.

 Chapter 29. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (4)

    <h4>Chapter 29. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (4)</h4>


    Even in this situation, Woo-Gang was worrying more aboutpeting against his older brother than about who the enemy was and what they wanted.


    ''You idiot! You''re... pretty good. I won''t lose. I''m a Plum Blossom Swordsman!''


    Woo-Gang increased his qi flow, emitting a strong murderous intent that waspletely unlike his usual gentleness. With every stroke of his sword, the air bloomed with red plum flowers¡ªflowers of blood.


    Woo-Gang''spetitiveness was not entirely lost on Woo-Moon either.


    <i>''Oho! You cheeky little brat.''</i>


    Naturally, he didn''t want to lose to his younger brother, so he had to move faster.


    Woo-Moon switched to the Divine Phantasm Step, using the Raging Wind and North Wind alternately in quick session. Due to both techniques being of the wind attribute, he could capitalize on their speed to take out his enemies in a sh, without pausing at all. Amidst the chaos, he cut down the enemies left and right as if mowing grass.


    Enemies who saw the Raging Winding didn''t know what to do before being struck down by the sword, and those who attempted to block the North Wind were struck by the sword''s hidden power.


    As Woo-Moon zigzagged left and right, five of the enemies stormed him from the front.


    <i>''Heh, I got you. Heavy Rain!''</i>


    Woo-Moon''s sword rose high into the sky, then shed down in one wide motion. As the de descended, a myriad of sharp sword shadows came down with it.


    Sword qi filled the sky like rain. The five warriors tried to block the qi des with all their might, but the swathes of des poked holes in their defenses as if their weapons were made of paper.


    Within a few moments, the number of one hundred people was reduced to about seventy, with Woo-Moon''s sword ounting for most of the kills.


    "We can''t stand by any longer. All of you back off!" The man in brown and the man in ck simultaneously jumped forward.


    As if they had practiced a routine together, the two brothers swung their swords simultaneously to get rid of the blood, and stared at their opponents.


    The man in ck said in a gloomy voice. "You must be the first grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor, the one rumored to be a fool. How strange. I was under the impression that even if you knew some martial arts, your skills wouldn''t be anything to write home about."


    Meanwhile, the man in brown was facing Woo-Gang.


    "Song Woo-Gang! Your skills are as expected of a Plum Blossom Swordsman. However, your cute little antics will end here."


    <i>''Huh, seriously? What gives? I''ve never even met these people and they already think I''m an idiot? And yet my baby brother is worthy of being called a Plum Blossom Swordsman?''</i>


    Of course, their words put Woo-Moon in a very bad mood.


    On the other hand, Woo-Gang couldn''t hold back hisughter.


    "Pfff... Pfff... Pffffttch!"


    No, he was obviously just <i>pretending </i>to restrain hisughter, while in fact letting out as much as he could.


    A vein bulged out on Woo-Moon''s forehead.


    <i>''Woo-Gang, you little... just you wait and see.''</i>


    Picking his ear with his pinky finger, Woo-Moon yawned. "I think I heard a dog barking. Oh, sorry, you were saying something? Why do you sound so much like a dog?"


    The man in ckughed in disbelief. "Stupid bastard, you must be out of your mind. You dare to provoke the Underworld''s Hand?"


    "Wow, the Underworld''s Hand! That''s a really big name for such a small dog! Hey, ck mutt, are you all bark and no bite? I always thought little dogs like you were the noisiest."


    While his brother was insulting the man in ck, thetter''s words surprised Woo-Gang. The prestigious Mount Hua educated the disciples every year about the criminals in the <i>gangho</i>, so Woo-Gang naturally knew who the man was.


    <i>''The Underworld''s Hand, one of Unnam''s Three Devils? Why is he here...?''</i>


    The term "Unnam''s Three Devils" referred to the three most famous viins in Unnam. Among them, the Underworld''s Hand, a member of the loosely-defined ck Hand, obtained by chance a sword art known as the Profound Devil Sword Art, became a Peak martial artist, andmitted who knew how many evil deeds. Just like the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, he was a free martial artist, not part of any organization, which was what made his presence here all the weirder.


    As he reached this conclusion, Woo-Gang steeled his resolve. He realized that the man in brown that was facing him now was definitely no less skilled than the Underworld''s Hand.


    <i>''I can''t lose.''</i>


    As his sword moved once more, he suddenly heard his older brother cursing at his opponent. Woo-Moon''s words were coarse and sarcastic, and they reminded Woo-Gang of his childhood.


    "Aren''t you attacking? Come at me, dog. Oh, no, I''m sorry. It''s my first time meeting you and I already forgot my manners. Would you be kind enough to attack, Sir Dog?"


    In the end, the Underworld''s Hand couldn''t stand the verbal abuse and rushed toward Woo-Moon while unleashing some curses of his own. He knew it was beneath his dignity to let the words of a random kid get to him, but he couldn''t stand it anymore. Not to mention, Woo-Moon''s curses were pretty low-level. Hisme provocations showed that he was a chip right off the old block known as the Palm Martial Emperor.


    "I''ll kill you!"


    In tune with the Underworld''s Hand''s words, a sword pierced forward, brimming with power. The man''s attack was reminiscent of Woo-Moon''s North Wind, and as the de whistled through the air, the shadows around Woo-Moon bit at him with demonic fangs.


    "Hmph!" With a low snort, Woo-Moon used Heavy Rain in response.


    <i>Sasasasasahk!</i>


    The thunderous shing of swords filled the onlookers'' ears as a massive rain of sword qi descended upon the Underworld''s Hand.


    Whether an attack was overt or hidden, it didn''t matter¡ªjust like how the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had countered the North Wind, Woo-Moon also used a wide-area attack to counter all of the hidden desing at him. And although its power was spread over such arge area, the Heavy Rain came out on top in the sh; even after dispersing the sword qi produced by the Underworld''s Hand, there was still enough Heavy Rain left to threaten him.


    Of course, the Underworld''s Hand was still a Peak martial artist. He was indeed surprised by the power of Woo-Moon''s attack, but he didn''t panic. He simply took a step back and swung his sword once more.


    <i>Tadadadadang!</i>


    As soon as the Underworld''s Hand stopped the Heavy Rain, Woo-Moon approached him and used the North Wind.


    <i>''Heh, tit for tat. Let''s see who has the better hidden attack.''</i>


    Taking advantage of the Underworld''s Hand''s blind spot, Woo-Moon''s sword suddenly appeared like a ghost, silently flying at his opponent.


    "Ugh!"


    The Heavy Rain had been almost too much to handle even by itself, and now, a hidden attack wasing at him from a ridiculous angle. To make matters worse, the Underworld''s Hand felt a terrifying power behind Woo-Moon''s hidden de.


    Woo-Moon''s proficiency with hidden attacks was nothing to write home about, but the technique that he was using was so profound that it could be considered the core of its ownplete sword art, and it more than made up for the user''s own ws.


    <i>''Where did he learn these techniques?!''</i>


    The Underworld''s Hand managed to avoid the brunt of the attack by circting his qi to the limit, but Woo-Moon''s attack still broke through his defense and left a deep cut on his chest. Cold qi infiltrated his body, giving him goosebumps all over.


    "You, what are you? How did you be such a monster?!"


    The Underworld''s Hand was forty years old. A fortuitous encounter had brought him the Profound Devil Sword Art when he was a teenager. His effort and perseverance allowed him to reach the Peak level, while this sword art made him famous under the moniker "the Underworld''s Hand."


    By contrast, Woo-Moon was very young, and ording to what the Underworld''s Hand had been told, he had grown up as the vige''s fool, with no ess whatsoever to martial arts. However, this very fool was actually pushing him back right now! Naturally, he couldn''t help but call Woo-Moon a monster.


    "Shut up!"


    With a shout, Woo-Moon executed the Cold Snow technique. Suddenly, his sword seemed to slow down.


    <i>''No, it only looks slow!''</i>


    To the naked eye, it seemed to move slowly, but when the Underworld''s Hand enhanced his vision with qi and focused his mind, he found that the tip of Woo-Moon''s sword was vibrating at a terrifying speed. These vibrations were extremely minute, invisible to the naked eye, but his eyes could see the massive, yet strangely soft power behind them.


    <i>''How many techniques does he have up his sleeve?''</i>


    With fear slowly encroaching upon his heart, the Underworld''s Hand brandished his sword once more, using a technique of the Profound Devil Sword Art that sent a mighty wind blowing in Woo-Moon''s direction. Just as the Underworld''s Hand thought he could deflect the attack, however, Woo-Moon''s Cold Snow simply shed through his sword wind, almost reaching him in the process.


    "<i>Gasp!</i>"


    The Underworld''s Hand quickly pulled himself together and swung down once again, but the Cold Snow once more slid down through the wind and went straight for his throat.


    "No!"


    In that moment of desperation, someone with a seemingly masterful movement technique appeared behind Woo-Moon out of nowhere, striking at his back. Just before his spine was broken, however, Woo-Moon''s figure blurred for an instant before appearing three meters away from the bewildered Underworld''s Hand. Another blur, and he was right behind the man.


    "Behind you!" shouted the neer, but it was toote.


    The North Wind and the Divine Phantasm Step made for an amazingbination. A fraction of a secondter, a disembodied head flew up in the air.


    <i>Pfffffff!</i>


    Blood spewed out and the Underworld''s Hand copsed.


    The neer had been watching the fight from afar and ran over to help the Underworld''s Hand as soon as things turned sour. However, who could have expected Woo-Moon to be so strong?


    <i>''How could he do that when the two of us attacked him together?!''</i>


    He and the Underworld''s Hand were on the same level. In other words, two Peak masters had coborated to attack Woo-Moon, and he had still killed one of them!


    <i>''The higher-ups messed up! They said that there would be no one important but the Palm Martial Emperor and Song Woo-Gang! How could they miss this kind of variable?!''</i>


    "Who are you? Are you that dog''s ymate?" Woo-Moon mocked him.


    Woo-Moon was actingpletely different from usual. It seemed that, once he started fighting, his arrogant temperament of old revived.


    With those words, he rushed at the man without wasting any time, using the Divine Phantasm Step from the start. As his feet shuffled, his figure blurred once more.


    The neer''s eyes widened. <i>''The Divine Phantasm Step of the Kunlun Sect! Why does the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor use the Kunlun Sect''s martial arts?''</i>


    However, he couldn''t ponder for too long because the Heavy Rain was pouring down on him.


    "<i>Haaaaa</i>!"


    The man focused all his strength in his fist. His punch shattered the wall of Heavy Rain on his left, and he quickly moved there to avoid the remaining attacks.


    Woo-Moon didn''t stop at that, however. Unlike with the Underworld''s Hand, his attacks poured one after the other. Before he knew it, the man was overwhelmed by the violent wind blowing from the front, and the powerful, unpredictable qi des caused him to defend himself with his fist out of instinct.


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon twisted his wrist and, in apletely unexpected move, pped the man hard on the forehead with the t of the de. The man''s brain was jolted and his mind went nk from the impact. Then, he saw Woo-Moon reaching for his acupoints.


    <i>''I cannot get caught!''</i>


    <i>Gulp!</i>


    When he bit the poison pill hidden under his tongue, he felt a pungent taste for a brief moment before his mouth went numb. The ck liquid in the pill then flowed down his throat. In an instant, the man''s face turned ck.


    "Uh?"


    Indeed, just as the man had predicted, Woo-Moon''s intention was to take him prisoner. Unfortunately, that was no longer an option.


    "Damn it! He''s dead."


    As Woo-Moon was checking the man''s pulse, the man in brown fighting Woo-Gang suddenly let out a scream before falling onto the ground with a long gash in his chest.


    "Ha-ah, ha-ah." Woo-Gang had wounds all over and was stained with blood. He had just won against a high-level opponent, but he wasn''t happy at all. In fact, he didn''t really know what he was supposed to feel.


    <i>''I can''t believe Woo-Moon is more skilled than I am. Has he reached the limit of the Peak level already?''</i>


    The Underworld''s Hand and hispanions were around the same level. Thus, while Woo-Gang himself had engaged in a drawn-out fight against one such person, Woo-Moon had faced two at the same time and easily won.


    As he snuck nces at his brother, Woo-Gang ended up taking a risk in order to end his own battle faster. Unfortunately, that left him with several wounds.


    In any case, all they had to do now was deal with the seventy or so henchmen left.


    Just then, they heard a shout. "Stop! Both of you, throw away your swords!"


    Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang realized they had missed something. While fighting with the enemy leaders, they had stupidly neglected the fact that the underlings were free to deal with the Leebi Merchant Guild. This crucial misstep was due to theirck of experience in the <i>gangho</i>.


    Jo Mu-Jae was already injured, so he was easily suppressed. By the time Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang finished their battles, the enemies had gotten hold of Si-Hyeon and those around her and now held them hostages.


    A man in brown held a knife to Si-Hyeon''s pale neck. "Come on, drop your swords! Do you want this woman to die?"


    Woo-Gang bit his lip in frustration. He couldn''t decide what to do. After agonizing for a moment, he finally said, "Let''s listen to them, brother."


    Woo-Moon was staring at the man in brown with murderous eyes. "If we were to abandon our weapons, do you believe they would spare the lives of the Leebi Merchant Guild? If we drop our swords now, what do you think they''ll do next?"

 Chapter 30. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (5)

    <h4>Chapter 30. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (5)</h4>


    Although Woo-Moon, like Woo-Gang, had little experience with the real world, he at least knew what cowardly and underhanded people were like from his experience working at the inn.


    Although he had never experienced a situation like this himself, he was still able to grasp the opponent¡¯s behavior urately.


    It was only then that Woo-Gang realized it as well.


    If they were to abandon their weapons, it was a given that the lives of the people of the Leebi Merchant Guild would fall into even greater danger, not to mention that it would even put their grandfather, the Palm Martial Emperor, in danger as well.


    ¡°Haha! As expected, you¡¯re smart, too! Still!¡±


    Baek Sang-Woon¡¯s voice suddenly rang, and at the same time, five beams of light flew from behind them and pierced the foreheads of the five warriors holding hostages simultaneously.


    <i>Thud! Thud!</i>


    ¡°Kyaaa!!!¡±


    One of the fake warriors of the Leebi Guild[1] that was held hostage screamed at the sight of blood.


    Having dealt with the five warriors, Sang-Woon made his appearance.


    ¡°It seems you still don¡¯t know the extent of your grandfather¡¯s abilities. Whether they take hostages or not, these brats won¡¯t be able to flee.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Sang-Woon erupted with a terrifying aura.


    ¡°If any of you had any idea who I am, none of you would have dared to do such a vicious thing like taking a hostage in front of me!¡± he said in a furious tone as he thrust a palm in the air toward the enemies.


    <i>WOOSH!</i>


    A terrifying sound exploded, so loud that all those who heard it wondered if this kind of sound was something that could be generated just by striking the air with the palm of one¡¯s hand.


    A formidable gale was created, breaking apart the ground and flipping it up into the sky as it rampaged forward.


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    The remaining enemies were swept away by the formidable wind as blood sttered over the surroundings.


    During the battle of the Emperors, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had been forced to run away. Woo-Moon had yed a pivotal role in forcing the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor to flee in spite of thetter''s skills being on the same level as the Palm Martial Emperor''s.


    As the two Emperors fought, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s qi destabilized slightly as an aftereffect of Woo-Moon''s attack, which he had initially brushed off.


    Of course, although it had only caused the slightest of impacts on his qi cirction, even such subtle changes yed a significant role in a bout between Absolute Masters.


    The Palm Martial Emperor had caught onto that subtle change and pushed him persistently, widening the gap between them more and more. It was like a stone shifting ever so slightly at the top of a snowy mountain in the dead of winter¡ªif a breeze sent it rolling down, it would gather more and more snow on the way until it turned into an avnche.


    As a result, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was forced to flee, and the Palm Martial Emperor was able to join the others before it was toote.


    ***


    Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang gathered the bodies of their enemies in one ce, then Sang-Woon personally lit his Samadhi True me and incinerated them. Meanwhile, the Leebi Guild hastily gathered their in members onto the wagons and set off back on the road.


    Although it was already well into the night, after what they had just gone through, there were noints as everyone just wanted to return to Unhan as fast as possible.


    ¡°Just who could they have been?¡± Woo-Moon asked Sang-Woon, who was on a horse.


    ¡°Hmm, who knows? I couldn¡¯t tell, either. All of the bastards that I left alive took some poison pill and offed themselves. Still, considering how they¡¯d go so far to keep their secret, they¡¯re either from a group that¡¯s afraid of my retaliation, or they¡¯re from a secret organization that follows the Demonic Path, an organization that would likely be a public enemy if it were to be revealed.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s the Demonic Path... then could it be the Heavenly Demon Cult?¡±


    Sang-Woon smirked at Woo-Moon¡¯s question.


    ¡°No, it could never be them.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    Sang-Woon suddenly raised his fist.


    ¡°Strength!¡±


    ¡°Strength?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Strength. What the Heavenly Demon Cult ultimately seeks is the epitome of strength. A path of domination that can break through anything! For those muscleheads to work in secret like this to get rid of me? That those idiots would even take poison pills in fear of being discovered? Nonsense.¡±


    The Palm Martial Emperor turned his gaze into the distance as he continued.


    ¡°Although they are of the Demonic Path, in a way, they could be said to be the purest of those bastards. They wouldn¡¯t do anything uncouth like taking hostages or do anything in secret, just like those bastards just now. If they wanted toe out, they would have done it confidently, even if it meant that they died for their principles. And even then, they would go down kicking and screaming. That is the way of the Demonic Path¡¯s Heavenly Demon Cult, the way of the Heavenly Demon.¡±


    For some reason, the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon seemed to feel nostalgic about the Heavenly Demon Cult. In fact, he actually seemed slightly upset at Woo-Moon asking if their enemies had been the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    <i>¡®So that¡¯s how honorable and respectable an enemy they are, then.¡¯</i>


    Thest time that the Heavenly Demon Cult had appeared was 50 years ago. At that time, the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors had to join forces to stop the Heavenly Demon Cult from throwing the entire world into chaos and to defeat the Heavenly Demon.


    The strongest warrior the Palm Martial Emperor had ever seen was the Heavenly Demon, and his memories of the Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Demon Cult still remained as clear as day in his mind.


    ¡°Then who the hell could they be? To think they could even enlist the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor..."


    When he thought back to the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor once again, Woo-Moon became furious as the qi of the Forbidden Divine Art began to bubble up. However, he immediately calmed himself down. The object of his rage had already disappeared, after all.


    ¡°How am I supposed to know, you brat? I tried to look into it a few times myself, but they¡¯re so secretive that I couldn¡¯t find any clues,¡± Sang-Woon said, ending the conversation.


    Woo-Moon was now starting to realize that he was getting more and more involved in the <i>murim</i>, and that bothered him. He had just wanted to provide a happy and luxurious life for his parents, as well as to fully acquire the martial arts hidden in thendscape painting.


    That was his greatest dream and goal right now.


    To be a chivalrous hero?


    Of course, it had been a dream of his when he was young, but that dream had been buried away in the corner of his heart from the day that the masters of Mount Hua Sect left him behind. Now that he had reached a point where he could be such a chivalrous hero, hecked the drive; to him, right now, that was nothing more than an old dream, shuttered away into a corner where dust had already umted and the light did not reach.


    The atmosphere of the caravan had be subdued as a whole as they all processed that moments before, theirpanions had died in a sudden attack.


    Because of what had happened, they had all realized a very general truth about the world.


    There was nothing good to be had by getting involved with the people of the <i>murim</i>. The higher and stronger the reputation, the more dangerous it would be.


    * * *


    "We¡¯re back!¡± shouted a warrior of the Leebi Merchant Guild.


    Hisrades'' faces were all flushed. Of course, as hired warriors, they had learned martial arts, but the kind of battle they had just been through was by far not the norm in a rural ce like this. On this trip, they had finallye to witness a real powerhouse ughtering enemies left and right, so they were naturally more excited than they had ever been.


    ¡°We will pay you all for this caravan and journey collectively tomorrow. For now, go back and rest well,¡± Si-Hyeon said.


    However, the Palm Martial quietly called out to her at that moment.


    ¡°Wait a moment. I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah, yes!¡±


    The Palm Martial Emperor walked with her to a secluded corner and took a pearl out from his bosom.


    ¡°Not only did you apany us all the way here, but the damages you incurred because of us weren¡¯t small, either, so think of it aspensation for your troubles. You¡¯re a good child, so I trust you¡¯ll make good amends for the wounded and dead warriors.¡±


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s eyes grew wide as she looked at the pearl in the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Is.. is that a Luminous Night Pearl?"


    ¡°There¡¯s something I want you to promise me in return for this.¡±


    Shi-Hyeon looked down at the Luminous Night Pearl for a moment before shaking her head slowly.


    "A Luminous Night Pearl can cost as much as a castle. I can¡¯t take something like this, sir.¡±


    With this Luminous Night Pearl, the Leebi Guild would be able to not only climb out of the financial pit they were in, but actually grow exponentially. Yet, Si-Hyeon still refused it. Seeing that, the Palm Martial Emperor spoke up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured. In the future, there will be a time when I ask you for somethingparable in return. Now, the promise I wanted... first, don¡¯t tell anyone in this vige who I am. Make sure that everyone understands this, alright? Second, choose someone you can trust when dealing with the Luminous Night Pearl. Can you do that for me?¡±


    The first point was because he was worried about the bacsh that could fall on the vige if it became known in the <i>gangho </i>that he had a connection to this ce, and the second was to remind Si-Hyeon that those with treasures beyond their means should be careful.


    Si-Hyeon considered it for a moment, but eventually nodded.


    ¡°Understood, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Haha! Oh my, you seem to be a rather perceptive youngdy. Then, you should gather all the people who know who I am.¡±


    Momentster, Si-Hyeon had gathered all of those that had traveled together in the caravan and instructed them not to let others know about the Palm Martial Emperor.


    "Now! Woo-Moon, Woo-Gang, we should head out, too. To your mother."


    "Yes, grandfather."


    On the way to Deungpyeong Inn, the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon seemed to be deluged with conflicting emotions. Soon, he would be in front of his daughter.


    He was overwhelmed with emotion on the one hand, and on the other, he was filled with worry. Worry that his daughter would meet him with coldness... worry that he would be appearing in front of his daughter in vain, only causing her pain.


    <i>¡®What the hell, you''ve already made up your mind! No, there¡¯s no going back. Let¡¯s go.¡¯</i>


    In front of the Deungpyeong Inn stood Song Dae-Woong. He had received the news that the caravan had arrived in Unhan, so he was now outside, waiting for Song Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Oh? Son!!! Huh??!!! Woo-Gang, you''re here as well!! Howe you''re here together?¡±


    Dae-Woong ran forward and hugged Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang at the same time.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you little brat. Did you have a safe trip? Have you been eating well?¡±


    Dae-Woong''s eldest son had caused him endless worry while he was living at home, but now that he had left for the outside world, Dae-Woong had discovered that this made him even more worried.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. What, am I a baby?¡±


    Dae-Woong was proud to see Woo-Moon''s confident smile.


    ¡°Good, good. Woo-Gang, have you been well? You¡¯re not hurting anywhere, are you?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine, Father.¡±


    It was only then that Dae-Woong noticed a man in white, roughly in his mid-thirties, who was observing him intently.


    <i>¡®What the hell is with that fishy look? Hey, little brat, who do you think you''re ring at?¡¯</i>


    Dae-Woong was in his early forties, and he did not suspect for a second that this man, who looked a decade younger, was his father-inw.


    Dae-Woong frowned.


    ¡°<i>Tsk</i>. And who is that brother over there? Is he someone you know?¡±


    ¡°Cough! Father, please, you can¡¯t be like that. That¡¯s mother¡¯s¡ª¡±


    Sang-Woon interrupted Woo-Moon before he could finish.


    "Woo-Moon, go and tell your mother toe out.¡±


    "Understood!"


    Woo-Moon immediately gave up trying to exin things and went inside to do what his grandfather had asked. Seeing that, Dae-Woong walked forward, eyes zing.


    ¡°Excuse me, dear brother. Who the hell are you to go and order my wife around?!¡±


    Dae-Woong didn¡¯t like the look of Sang-Woon. Being stared at like that irritated him to begin with, and now his children seemed to be more obedient toward this man than toward their own father! Most importantly, this man seemed to be acquainted with Dae-Woong''s fairy of a wife, which made Dae-Woong prick up like a hedgehog.


    <i>¡®The hell is this bastard! What, is he someone Jin-Jin met when she was younger?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Gang rushed to his father and grabbed his arm, quickly exining, ¡°Father! You have to watch your words. This is our maternal grandfather."


    "What?"


    Hearing this remark that came out of nowhere, Dae-Woong turned to look at Woo-Gang. Suddenly, he became teary and put his hand on Woo-Gang''s forehead.


    ¡°So... something is strange. You don¡¯t have a fever, either... No...no! Have you be a fool now that your older brother has be normal again? No, that can¡¯t be!¡±


    ¡°No, of course not! I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m telling you, he is our maternal grandfather. He''s your father inw, so please be polite to him.¡±


    ¡°You little punk, what do you mean you¡¯re fine? How can this guy that¡¯s younger than me be your mother¡¯s father? There¡¯s no helping it. Come with me to the clinic right now!¡±


    Dae-Woong was already sensitive to this issue because of Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®We can¡¯t have any more idiots in the family!¡¯</i>


    The more Dae-Woong floundered, the more Woo-Gang became irritated.


    ¡®Well, of course, he looks younger than you, Father. But that¡¯s not his real age. This person is the famous Palm Martial Emperor. You know that Absolute Masters look as if they never age, right?¡±


    ¡°What a load of crap![2]How could someone like the Palm Martial Emperore to a ce like this? Come on, quickly, we have to go to the clinic!¡±


    1. In chapter 7, the Leebi Guild hired a number of random people to dress up as warriors in order to boost the guild''s image. ?


    2. An idiom about speaking nonsense, literally "forgetting the rice for the ghosts." In Eastern society, holding rites for your ancestors was amon ritual as a form of filial piety. One of themon beliefs of the rites is that without holding the rites, your ancestors will starve for eternity. These rites are still held once a year, and the idiom refers to how ridiculous it would be if you said, ¡°I forgot the rice¡± at the ritual. ?

 Chapter 31. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (6)

    <h4>Chapter 31. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (6)</h4>


    Though Woo-Gang was crying out in frustration and his son-inw spewing nonsense, the Palm Martial Emperor, Baek Sang-Woon, quietly waited for his daughter.


    Sang-Woon knew that Song Dae-Woong would only believe him when his daughter came and testified to their rtionship in person.


    In fact, for the past year, Sang-Woon had been living in a vige near Unhan to observe his daughter and her family. However, he was not able to muster the courage toe forward and greet his daughter.


    During that time, Sang-Woon found out that his grandson was learning martial arts and saw Woo-Moon meet Jin Won-Myeong.


    When Woo-Moon and Jin Won-Myeong fell into danger, Sang-Woon thought of stepping in, but he stayed on the sidelines when he saw Gyeong-Hong appear.


    Later, when Woo-Moon left the inn to seek an adventure alone, Sang-Woon appeared ¡°by coincidence¡± in front of his grandson and offered to help him.


    Woo-Moon entered the inn after receiving Sang-Woon¡¯s order. Ignoring themotion, he went straight to Jin-Jin¡¯s room.


    It waste into the night, but the room was still lit. So as not to surprise his mother, Woo-Moon announced his arrival first before opening the door.


    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s me, Woo-Moon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Woo-Moon, you¡¯re back. You didn¡¯t get sick or injured, right?¡±


    Baek Jin-Jin was sitting with her back against the wall and sewing. She looked sick and helpless.


    ¡°What are you making, mother?¡±


    Jin-Jin hurriedly hid what she was sewing behind her.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Hmm,e closer so I can have a good look at you. Let me finally see and touch my proud son.¡±


    Jin-Jin hurriedly hid what she had been sewing, but Woo-Moon, whose eyesight had improved after learning martial arts, saw what she had been making.


    His weak and sickly mother was making a set of clothes for him.


    Fighting back the tears that were welling up in his eyes, Woo-Moon gently shook his head and smiled.


    ¡°Mother, a guest hase, so pleasee out. I will help you walk.¡±


    ¡°A guest? Who are you talking about?¡±


    Jin-Jin made a puzzled look.


    Who could be such a special guest that her son saw the need toe into her room and help her get out to greet them?


    ¡°Please,e out. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be happy to see him.¡±


    ¡°Wait, who came...¡±


    Though she was puzzled and confused, she still epted her son¡¯s support and shuffled across the room.


    For whatever reason, Jin-Jin could feel her heart pounding.


    <i>¡®Who could it be to make my son do this?¡¯</i>


    While carefully supporting his mother, Woo-Moon circted and transferred some of his qi into her.


    Though he had been unable to do such a thing before, after meeting his grandfather and receiving the Martial Arts Foundation Manual, Woo-Moon had learned how to transfer qi to others. The Celestial Sect¡¯s Forbidden Divine Art was the best among Daoist methods as a foundation for qi cultivation. Compared to other qi cultivation methods, the Forbidden Divine Art was very good at protecting and nourishing one¡¯s body.


    Jin-Jin felt a warm and cozy sensation on her wrist. Then, that sensation spread out throughout the rest of her body. She felt energy coursing through her body, a sensation that she had not felt in a long time and she had thoughtpletely lost. Feeling this change, Jin-Jin was startled, and she quickly looked at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Woo-Moon! Have you started practicing martial arts?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mother.¡±


    Woo-Moon could not help but think, <i>¡®Grandfather was right. Mother learned martial arts.¡¯</i>


    His mother would not have recognized the sensation and changes in her body if she did not know martial arts.


    ¡°Ah... oh my... I didn¡¯t want my children to be <i>murim </i>people, but your little brother joined a sect, and now you...¡±


    Her words were tinged with a feeling of regret.


    Hearing her words, Woo-Moon felt even more certain that the Palm Martial Emperor was indeed his maternal grandfather.


    ¡°Mother, let¡¯s have that conversationter. We have to greet our guest first.¡±


    ¡°Just who is it to make you...¡±


    While speaking, Jin-Jin suddenly recalled a figure.


    <i>¡®No way.¡¯</i>


    Jin-Jin soon shook her head.


    <i>¡®No, there¡¯s no way. How would my father know that I¡¯m here? I got rid of all the traces that could lead anyone to this ce.¡¯</i>


    However, in contrast to what she was thinking in her mind, her heart continued to beat loudly. She wondered why this was so.


    The Palm Martial Emperor, Baek Sang-Woon, patiently waited for his daughter to appear in front of him. Though he could not see her, Sang-Woon recognized her familiar footsteps and breathing.


    ¡®My dear daughter...¡¯


    He suddenly recalled the image of his daughter during her youth.


    She smiled so carefree back then; her happiness, which shone through in her unadulterated smile, could not bepared to anyone...


    Right then, Sang-Woon saw his daughter. At the same time, Jin-Jin saw her father patiently waiting at the front of the inn¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°Ha! Now you see and understand, right? There¡¯s no way that my wife can be your daughter! There¡¯s almost no age gap!¡±


    Though Dae-Woong yelled out, Jin-Jin and Sang-Woon did not hear him. Jin-Jin also did not register that her youngest son, Woo-Gang, had greeted her when she made her appearance.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Jin-Jin,¡± Sang-Woon spoke in a forced, calm tone.


    Tears welled up and filled Jin-Jin¡¯s eyes to the point that she could not see clearly, and then she burst out crying.


    ¡°Dad...!¡±


    Sang-Woon felt his heart ache. Even though he was an Absolute Master, all his power could not keep his knees from giving out after hearing his daughter call him ¡°Dad,¡± a word that he hadn¡¯t heard her use since childhood.


    In truth, Jin-Jin was angry at her father. However, seeing him face-to-face, she could not get mad at him. Tears of joy flowed out from her eyes like a fountain.


    ¡°Dad, Father... Father!¡±


    ¡°Jin-Jin!¡±


    Sang-Woon stepped forward and tightly embraced his daughter. While feeling happy to have finally met his daughter, Sang-Woon also felt a painful sense of heartache.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry... because of me...¡¯


    His daughter¡¯s physical condition was poor. She was so light that it seemed a gust of wind could blow her away. Sang-Woon felt a pain in his chest after sensing the extent of Jin-Jin¡¯s internal injury, which had spread throughout her body, bones, and even to her heart.


    ¡°You¡¯re so... so terrible. Were other things so important? Is freedom everything to you? Is that why you weren¡¯t by Mother''s side when she passed away and shunned us all this time?!¡± Jin-Jin cried out through her sobs.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Sorry, child. I... I can¡¯t really say anything but sorry.¡±


    There was something that Sang-Woon wanted to say; however, if he said that now, his daughter would just interpret his word as an excuse. Hence, Sang-Woon focused on gently tapping his daughter¡¯s back andforting her, helping her calm down.


    ¡°You¡¯ve sustained internal injuries, so your body is weak. Calm your anger. It¡¯s not good for you to get so worked up and angered.¡±


    Hearing her father¡¯s concerned words, Jin-Jin, who had almost stopped sobbing, broke out into tears once more.


    ¡°Father...¡±


    While all this was going on, Dae-Woong dumbfoundedly watched from behind.


    ¡°Huh? Uhm...¡±


    His mind was racing and filled withplicated thoughts. Based on his wife¡¯s reaction, the person that he referred to as ¡°guy¡± up till now seemed to be his wife¡¯s actual father¡ªin other words, his father-inw.


    <i>¡®Shoot, this is a huge problem. Shoot! Jin-Jin said she was an orphan, so I thought that was the truth.¡¯</i>


    Baek Sang-Woon was his father-inw!


    Dae-Woong could not wrap his head around how his father-inw looked younger than him, but at that moment, he recalled what his son Woo-Gang had stated earlier.


    <i>¡®The Palm Martial Emperor? My father-inw is the Palm Martial Emperor?¡¯</i>


    While Dae-Woong was bing increasingly distressed, Sang-Woon spoke up, ¡°It would be nice to take some time to catch up, but your internal injuries are too severe. I need to start treatment on your injuries as soon as possible.¡±


    Sang-Woon then turned to Dae-Woong and stated, ¡°You, starting from today, close the inn¡¯s doors and stop doing business for three days. I need peace and quiet to focus on treating your wife¡¯s injuries, you understand, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Yes! Yes, Father!¡±


    After Dae-Woong gave his nervous and tense reply, Sang-Woon turned to Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang.


    ¡°You two take turns standing guard while I work on treating your mother. You absolutely cannot let anyone near, got it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Grandfather!¡±


    Sang-Woon carefully lifted his daughter and carried her to her room. While carrying her, he took a more in-depth look into the state of his daughter¡¯s internal injuries. It was as he had expected. She had been in a poor state anyway, and her worries and concerns had only exacerbated her injuries.


    Jin-Jin soon spoke up in a weak voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry... Father. I¡¯m alright. My internal injuries have already gone beyond the point of recovery, so don¡¯t concern yourself with...¡±


    ¡°I will hear none of it! Have you forgotten who your father is? I am the Palm Martial Emperor. They call me one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors. Fixing some of my precious daughter¡¯s internal injuries is easy.¡±


    Before he entered into his daughter¡¯s quarters, Sang-Woon abruptly stopped and turned around.


    ¡°Hey, Woo-Moon. Didn¡¯t you receive something from the Night Spear Devil after you helped him?¡±


    Sang-Woon spoke in his normal tone to Woo-Moon. He seemed to befortable with Woo-Moon, seeing as thetter was his grandson.


    ¡°Ah! Right.¡¯


    Woo-Moon had stashed the Night Spear Devil¡¯s gift away in his pocket and had not given it a second thought, which was not surprising considering the shocking session of events that had unfolded afterward.


    Woo-Moon fished out the Night Spear Devil¡¯s gift from his pocket.


    ¡°Hmm, I smell something familiar. Very familiar! Here, hand it to me.¡±


    ¡°Something smells familiar?¡±


    Woo-Moon handed the gift, which was still wrapped up in cloth, over to Sang-Woon. Woo-Moon was puzzled as to why his grandfather, who had seemed anxious and pressed for time moments earlier, seemed so nonchnt and rxed at the present moment.


    With one hand, Sang-Woon expertly untied the knots of the cloth bag, and in the ces that he could not reach, he utilized Spatial Maniption to undo the knots. From the cloth bag, a medicine bottle containing a milky-colored liquid appeared.


    ¡°Oho! As I thought. Gyeong Hong, that rascal.... I knew it. Since his beloved son was saved, he gave you the most precious thing he had in his possession. Makes sense, since his sones above all else. Hahaha.¡±


    Seeing Sang-Woon¡¯s ted expression, Woo-Moon could not help but be curious.


    ¡°What is that anyway?¡±


    The reply came from Jin-Jin, ¡°Pure Stctite Milk... it¡¯s Pure Stctite Milk. Such a precious item...¡±


    Though Woo-Moon did not know, a single drop of Pure Stctite Milk could increase one¡¯s qi to levels that could only be reached after thirty years of natural development, and if the liquid was used to reinforce one¡¯s body, one could possibly obtain a Diamond Physique and Ten Thousand Poison Immunity; hence, the Pure Stctite Milk was considered the highest-level nourishing medicine.


    After opening the bottle and sniffing the contents, Sang-Woon could not help but frown, and his previous confidence deted.


    ¡°Damn, it¡¯s not pure Pure Stctite Milk. Its level of spiritual qi is too low, and it¡¯s been diluted with other medicinal ingredients, I¡¯m guessing to enhance their overall result. <i>Tsk.</i> Too bad that the ingredient proportions are so off that only a single drop of this liquid can be given to a person in their entire lifetime. Any more than that and it¡¯ll poison you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s Pure Stctite Milk? It¡¯s that good? What happens if someone consumes two drops?¡±


    ¡°Your body can handle the effects of one drop, but if you take two drops or more, the internal bnce in your body will be destroyed. Ultimately, you¡¯ll lose your qi, your body will crumble apart, and you will die.¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Hearing such a terrifying exnation, Woo-Moon let out a muffled shout.


    ¡°Silly boy, in the end, even as it is, this concoction is a miracle. At the very least, it will restore thirty years¡¯ worth of qi. Well, a potion like this doesn¡¯t have any meaning for a person of my stature, but it¡¯ll be a great benefit to you and others. Anyway, with this, your mother¡¯s chance of recovering has increased dramatically.¡±


    After saying thesest words, Sang-Woon stepped inside Jin-Jin¡¯s quarters. Having examined Jin-Jin, Sang-Woon found that her injuries were much more serious than he had initially expected.


    ¡®If I knew things were so bad, I would havee out from hiding earlier. If I did that, her condition would have been a bit better...¡¯


    While Dae-Woong was posting a sign at the inn¡¯s entrance stating that the inn would be closed for the next three days, Sang-Woon gently ced his palm on Jin-Jin¡¯s back and started the treatment process.


    The brothers decided to stand guard in twelve-hour shifts. Woo-Moon stood guard until lunchtime, while Woo-Gang stood guard until midnight.


    Woo-Moon was a bit anxious as he stood guard, taking on the responsibility more seriously than any other thing he had done his entire life. At lunch, he then switched ces with Woo-Gang and headed off to the Leebi Merchant Guild. On his way, Woo-Moon met many workers he was close with, and they greeted each other.


    ¡°Woo-Moon! Did you sleep well?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for a day, but it feels like a year has passed. Hahaha.¡±


    Woo-Moon replied with a bright expression. Woo-Moon did not forget to chat a bit with each of the workers. It seemed that all the workers were also heading to the Leebi Merchant Guild to obtain their share of the profit distribution.


    Before entering the merchant guild¡¯s building, Woo-Moon first went to the gatekeeper and asked, ¡°I¡¯vee to pick up my share of the profit distribution from thetest merchant excursion. Where should I go?¡±


    ¡°Ah, young hero Song! The guild¡¯s administrative official told me to let you know that you should go to the main administrative office. It seems they wanted to meet you in-person and give you your share.¡±

 Chapter 32. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (7)

    <h4>Chapter 32. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (7)</h4>


    As the one who guarded the entrance to the Guild, the gatekeeper also naturally dabbled in martial arts.


    Therefore, even forgetting the fact that Woo-Moon was the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor, the way he had fought against the enemy mercenaries the other day had left a deep impression in everyone''s mind.


    So, the title ¡®Young Hero¡¯ came naturally to the gatekeeper.


    Naturally, Woo-Moon was also more than happy to be called ¡®Young Hero Song,¡¯ aplete change from the ¡®vige idiot¡¯ that had been his only nickname for a while now.


    The gatekeeper before him was just one of the people who now referred to him as Young Hero Song. Thus, happy to hear the title again, Woo-Moon nodded with a smile and entered the gate.


    However, that good mood instantly faded.


    That was because the first people he saw inside were the children of the major figures of the Merchant Guild.


    <i>¡®Childish trash that only knows how to stomp on others,¡¯</i> Woo-Moon thought as he walked past them.


    ¡°Huh? Hey hey...¡±


    Although they would have typically just ignored him haughtily, as if they were looking down on him, their reaction waspletely different this time.


    After a moment of bewilderment, they timidly bowed to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°He... hello.¡±


    However, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t smile at them in turn. Instead, he tried to pass them by, barely even acknowledging their greeting. He simply didn¡¯t like their personalities.


    They were the type that, rather than looking at the person before them for who they were, would instead first look at their ability and position before deciding to support them or look down on them ordingly.


    Chae Young-Ryong, whose face had visibly withered overnight, rushed over to Woo-Moon after catching sight of him and grabbed his hand.


    ¡°Young Hero Song, you''ve arrived! Wee, wee! How splendid, I had something I wanted to speak with you about. How do you feel about at least a cup of tea...¡±


    It was the same title of ¡®Young Hero Song,¡¯ but the feelings it elicited were worlds apart.


    "Let go,¡± Woo-Moon said, shaking off Young-Ryong''s hand.


    A vicious glint flickered across Young-Ryong¡¯s eyes for a moment, but soon, he smiled servilely again and spoke once more.


    ¡°Haha, they say that if you so much as brush against a passer-by, it''s because there''s fate between the two of you. Why are you being so cold? So... I wanted to talk to you about something regarding your grandfather, the Palm Martial Emper...aghk!!¡±


    Woo-Moon pulled Young-Ryong over roughly by the cor and whispered into his ear in a terrifying tone, ¡°I am fairly sure that my grandfather was crystal clear: do not let even a hint of the words ''Palm Martial Emperor'' escape your mouth. Even so, it seems you bastards still p your lips with no worries. Do you want to die?¡±


    It seemed that whatever fate there was between the two of them, it had led Young-Ryong to death in a previous life. Clearly, their rtionship was ill-fated.


    Young-Ryong was unable to answer properly as he choked under Woo-Moon¡¯s grasp.


    ¡°Watch your mouth. Do you understand?"


    Young-Ryong nodded hurriedly, and only then did Woo-Moon release his cor. After staring at him coldly for a moment, Woo-Moon headed toward Si-Hyeon''s office.


    ¡°<i>Cough, cough.</i>¡±


    Red-faced and coughing, Young-Ryong red in the direction Woo-Moon disappeared with fire in his eyes.


    <i>¡®How dare that bastard do that to me?! He dares insult me even after I lowered myself this far? Fine, let¡¯s see what happenster. I¡¯ll make you regret this!¡¯</i>


    This was the limit to Young-Ryong. Instead of thinking about what he had done to others or the wrongs he hadmitted, he was the type of person to fester grudges from any perceived slight. That was all Chae Young-Ryong amounted to as a human


    He hadn¡¯t realized it yet¡ªwhy the Palm Martial Emperor, who had a great breadth of experience in <i>gangho</i>, hadn¡¯t deigned himself topletely stomp him out and prevent him from baring his fangs ever again. Completely overlooking that key fact, Young-Ryong had already begun to hatch a vicious plot in his mind.


    ¡°Interim guild master, it¡¯s Woo-Moon.¡±


    "Ah, yes. Come in, Young Hero Song."


    At the invitation of Si-Hyeon, who now also called him Young Hero Song, Woo-Moon entered the office jovially.


    ¡°Here is thepensation for this business trip.¡±


    She took out a silver tael and handed it to Woo-Moon as she spoke. He hadn¡¯t worked for an entire month yet, so this was a bonus for the business trip rather than his monthly sry.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Woo-Moon felt proud as he received the silver tael. It was the first tael he had ever earned from working. Yes¡ªthis was not the result of his parents''bor; instead, it was something he had earned purely on his own.


    ¡°Also, there¡¯s this as well... for convenience¡¯s sake, let¡¯s call it a thank-you gift. Please, take it.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    While he didn¡¯t understand what Si-Hyeon was saying, Woo-Moon still took the pouch he was offered. It felt pretty hefty, and as he looked inside, he saw more than thirty silver taels.


    ¡°Why are you giving me such arge sum of money...?¡±


    Si-Hyeon smiled brightly at Woo-Moon''s confused expression.


    ¡°As I said, it¡¯s a thank-you gift. Because you had joined us, Young Hero Song, our guild received a great deal of help. A merchant guild with ties to the Palm Martial Emperor, a guild where the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s grandson works as a porter. The thirty silver taels I¡¯ve just given you are worth nothingpared to that status.¡±


    That was something that even Woo-Moon could have guessed. Still...


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there some people who lost their lives because of us? To be honest, I feel guilty toward them, so how could I ept this money...¡±


    Si-Hyeon knew she couldn¡¯t tell him about the Luminous Night Pearl, as Baek Sang-Woon had asked her to keep it a secret.


    ¡°That matter has already been handled. I apologize for being unable to tell you the details, but things have been sorted out. Please don¡¯t worry and just take the money.¡±


    ¡°I see. Alright then!¡±


    Woo-Moon put the money pouch in his bosom, satisfied by the heavy feeling it gave him.


    <i>Growl?</i>


    Suddenly, as the money pouch entered his breast pocket and the space became cramped, Eun-Ah growled low in irritation.


    ¡°Oh my! Is that Eun-Ah?¡±


    Si-Hyeon''s eyes sparkled.


    "Ah, yes. Hey,e out."


    <i>Thump!</i>


    Eun-Ah, awakened by the money pouch, jumped out from within Woo-Moon¡¯s bosom. She spun a few times in the air beforending on the ground, making no noise as the soft pads and fur on her paws absorbed all sound. Havingnded on the ground, she looked puzzled for a moment. The ce was entirely new to her, so she carefully walked around and sniffed about.


    Si-Hyeon squealed from how cute she found Eun-Ah, and called out to the cub.


    ¡°Eun-Ah,e over here.¡±


    <i>Grrr?</i>


    Eun-Ah, who was so clueless about her surroundings that she had only just realized Si-Hyeon was there, leaped toward the girl. Easily climbing to a height many times her own, she settled down within Si-Hyeon¡¯s arms.


    "Oh, how cute you are."


    Si-Hyeon, entirely in love with Eun-Ah, was busy ying with the cub and stroking her. Woo-Moon just smiled quietly and watched the pleasant sight without interrupting.


    Si-Hyeon then started to shell the peanuts on the office table and feed them to Eun-Ah as she looked over at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been wondering about.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Why did you hide it? I mean, that you know martial arts...or that you¡¯re the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s grandson.¡±


    Although she had heard him speak to the others the other day and knew more or less what had happened, she still wanted to hear it from Woo-Moon himself, for some reason. Thus, Si-Hyeon feigned ignorance and even acted a little upset as she asked him about it.


    "Oh, that''s...¡±


    Woo-Moon slowly began to unravel his story. Everything from how he hadn¡¯t originally been a fool when he was young and had just be one in the process of acquiring the martial arts of thendscape painting, to how he had met the Palm Martial Emperor on the business trip and had only found out about their rtionship.


    At first, he hadn¡¯t intended to exin it all in such detail, but it all flowed out naturally as he spoke. Thus, even though Si-Hyeon was actually hearing all this for the second time, she still listened with great interest.


    ¡°The reason why I didn¡¯t tell anyone that I learned martial arts is that no one asked me, and I was never given any chances to disy them. It¡¯s not that I had wanted to hide it, but it¡¯s not like I could have gone around bragging to random people like ¡®Look at me! I¡¯ve mastered martial arts!¡¯¡±


    ¡°Pfft! Well, that¡¯s true. Yeah... I guess you really did have your reasons.¡±


    In truth, she had already assumed that was the case, given Woo-Moon''s personality. As for the Palm Martial Emperor being his grandfather, considering that Woo-Moon¡¯s family had been living as normal people in Unhan for such a long time, it was not imusible that he didn''t know that.


    ¡°Then, what was the reason for not telling anyone that your younger brother is a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect?¡± she asked.


    ¡°That was because my mother didn¡¯t like us getting involved with the <i>murim </i>or martial arts. She also said that nothing good woulde out of people knowing that anyway, and that as a member of Mount Hua, my younger brother would eventually have a great many friends, but just as many enemies, so it could instead be more dangerous for their rtives outside the <i>murim</i> if they got involved.¡±


    "I suppose that makes sense."


    The Mount Hua Sect was a member of the Nine Sects and One Gang¡ªa pir that upheld the Righteous Path[1] and pursued heroism. As such, the disciples of the Nine Sects and One Gang would travel throughout the <i>gangho</i> as they punished the wicked.


    In the process, it was natural to form grudges against various criminals or even organizations from the Evil Faction. Thus, there would have been nothing good toe if Woo-Gang¡¯s family, who didn¡¯t know any martial arts, learned about what he did in the <i>murim</i> or let others know about their connection.


    <i>Purrrr~</i>


    Eun-Ah, who had eaten peanuts until her stomach was about to explode,y on the table and rolled belly-up.


    Si-Hyeon hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Then, what does your family n to do from this point, Young Hero Song?¡±


    ¡°My family?¡±


    ¡°After your mother¡¯s treatment is finished. Do you n on going to the Iron Sword Baek Family?¡±


    "Oh, I''m not sure about that yet. Depends on what my parents decide...¡±


    "I see."


    There was an awkward silence for a moment before Woo-Moon spoke again.


    ¡°Because of my mother¡¯s treatment, my brother and I have to take turns standing watch for the time being. So...I don¡¯t think I can work as a porter for the Leebi Merchant Guild anymore.¡±


    Suddenly, Si-Hyeon was struck by the thought that she wanted to hold onto him, but in the end, she held herself back. She was afraid that it would look like she only cared about him because he was the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s grandson. That was a misunderstanding she wasn¡¯t willing to face.


    ¡°Well, then, it can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s all right, Young Hero Song.¡±


    Si-Hyeon smiled brightly. In the process of taking charge of the Leebi Merchant Guild on behalf of her ill father as the interim guild master, she had be rather confident in her skills at hiding her heart and smiling through anything.


    Woo-Moon''s only concern at the moment was whether his family was doing well. Thus, he hurriedly said goodbye to Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°I''m worried about my mother, so I''ll have to return now. If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry to have kept you for so long! I didn''t even notice how time passed. Don''t worry, just go!¡±


    "Let''s go, Eun-ah."


    <i>Growl!</i>


    With half-lidded eyes, Eun-Ah waddled for a moment as she struggled to control the weight of her bulging stomach and ran into Woo-Moon¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Then till next time, Interim Guild Master.¡±


    "Yes, take care."


    Woo-Moon exited the office.


    Looking over for a moment at the door closing behind him, Si-Hyeon let out a deep sigh from her dainty lips.


    ¡°Whew...¡±


    At that moment, as he turned around and left, Woo-Moon¡¯s back had looked just as wide and reliable as when he had leaped in front of her to protect her and shield her from harm.


    * * *


    Later that night, Young-Ryong visited his father, the deputy guild master of the Leebi Guild.


    ¡°Are we just going to let this slide, Father?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°If things continue like this, eventually, that bitch Yeon Si-Hyeon will eventually jump over you and be the guild master. Are you just going to watch that happen?¡±


    The appearance of the Palm Martial Emperor had upended all of their ns. Just because he had be somewhat acquainted with Si-Hyeon, Young-Ryong and his father¡¯s n to devour the entire guild at once had turned into a dream. To make matters worse, Woo-Moon, who he had assumed was just a lowly porter, had turned out to be the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s grandson!


    ¡°Then, what am I supposed to do? Even if we were to proceed with the n, we¡¯ll just be in a dangerous position the moment the Palm Martial Emperor finds out.¡±


    Young-Ryong¡¯s father, Chae Noh-Cheol, had gathered information about the Palm Martial Emperor as soon as he had heard the rumors.


    As for the result?


    He had immediately concluded that the Palm Martial Emperor was a walking natural disaster and the best way to approach him was not to approach him at all. He was technically a member of the Righteous Faction, but if anyone crossed his bottom line, the viciousness of his retaliation made people question his allegiance. In fact, the deeds hemitted in such circumstances were downright atrocious, which was why he was known as someone who tread the line between righteous and evil.


    Such a person definitely wouldn¡¯t just watch from the side if someone rted to him was harmed.


    ¡°What, it''s just the Palm Martial Emperor, Song Woo-Moon, Song Woo-Gang. Wouldn¡¯t we solve our problems if we just take care of them?¡± Young-Ryong spat.


    ¡°Well, <i>if</i> we take care of them, of course. But just who the hell can just ¡®take care¡¯ of someone like the Palm Martial Emperor? What, you expect us to do something no one else has been able to do?¡±


    ¡°<i>Hmph</i>! In the end, that bastard is nothing more than a human. Even he wouldn¡¯t be fine if he gets poisoned.¡±


    This was the problem. No <i>murim</i> person who knew what the Absolute realm entailed would have considered a move like this for even a second. However, as merchants of a non-<i>gangho</i> guild, Young-Ryong and his father knew nothing about why the Absolute realm was called Absolute.


    1. Not the same as the Righteous Faction. The Righteous Path is the philosophy of the Righteous Faction. ?

 Chapter 33. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (8)

    <h4>Chapter 33. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (8)</h4>


    ¡°But don¡¯t you think that¡¯s too dangerous? Even if we can kill everyone in that family... if, in the future, either Mount Hua or the Iron Sword Baek Family finds out...¡±


    Whether it be the Mount Hua Sect or the Iron Sword Baek Family, both were behemoths, far too vast to trifle with.


    ¡°Then, Father, do you n on living like this for the rest of our lives? The Deputy Guild Master cleaning up after some bitch? Life is just a gamble, anyway. Wouldn¡¯t everything be fine if we just handle it so perfectly that neither Mount Hua nor the Baek Family finds out?¡±


    Seeing the confident way his son spoke and the glint in his gaze, Chae Noh-Cheol finally nodded his agreement.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s right, life really is a gamble in the end. If you look at the great men in history, didn¡¯t they get where they got because they gambled with their lives and seeded?¡¯</i>


    Then, Young-Ryong asked his father a question.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Uncle the right hand of the Inksmoke Gang boss? I heard that the Inksmoke Gang has an extremely skilled poison master. Do you think...¡±


    The eyes of the father and son glistened up as they put their heads together and plotted.


    * * *


    For the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon, his one and only daughter Baek Jin-Jin was a geriatric baby, forck of a better word. After all, considering he had her when he was in his seventies, it would be difficult to call her anything but that.


    Her being such ate baby was not a problem at all, in and of itself. No, the problem was that, after nearly forty years, the Palm Martial Emperor looked younger than his daughter.


    A day had passed since Jin-Jin¡¯s treatment for her internal injuries had begun, and whenever Jin-Jin required a break, Sang-Woon would imbue her body with gentle qi for protection and soothe her thirst by dabbing her lips with a wet towel.


    Even with such unrelenting effort, putting everything he had into her treatment, the Palm Martial Emperor didn¡¯t seem tired whatsoever, as he had taken a drop of the Clean Air Stone Milk and used it to take care of arge portion of the treatment.


    As the sun began to descend again into darkness, Woo-Moon saw their inn cook in the kitchen, making some rice gruel.


    ¡°Then, your mother will be okay after that treatment, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was told that she would get better. It¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°It really is. Your grandfather really is someone of great talent.¡±


    The inn cook wasn¡¯t privy to Woo-Moon knowing martial arts, much less to the fact that his grandfather, who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, was the Palm Martial Emperor. Naturally, he had no idea that praising Sang-Woon''s healing skills was like praising an imperial schr for their neat handwriting.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little under-seasoned. Woo-Moon, it seems we ran out of salt here. Could you get me some from the back, please?¡±


    ¡°Of course, uncle.¡±


    As Woo-Moon returned with the salt, the inn cook was already in the midst of dividing the gruel into bowls.


    ¡°Never mind, I tried it again just now and it actually turned out quite well. Here, you should try some, too.¡±


    A sweet smell tickled Woo-Moon¡¯s nose.


    <i>¡®Wow, it looks delicious!¡¯</i>


    At that moment, Woo-Moon¡¯s Forbidden Divine Art strangely started circting his qi without any prompt.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on all of a sudden?¡¯</i>


    At the same time, Eun-Ah suddenly growled from within his breast pocket.


    <i>Grrrrrr!</i>


    Eun-Ah stuck her head out, revealing fangs so sharp and hard that it was difficult to imagine that she was still only just a cub.


    Maybe because of the Forbidden Divine Art¡¯s unprompted cirction of his qi, an rm red in Woo-Moon¡¯s head as he began to feel as if something was wrong with the gruel. Moreover, Eun-Ah was also ring at the gruel, solidifying his concern.


    "That''s strange...¡±


    Woo-Moon suddenly looked at the inn cook, whose face had turned pale.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯</i>


    At that moment, he heard his grandfather¡¯s voice transmission in his ear.


    <i>¡ªSilver Tigers can detect any poison just from a sniff. There seems to be poison in the gruel.</i>


    Not only did there seem to be poison, but judging from Eun-Ah¡¯s reaction, it was an incredibly deadly one at that.


    Woo-Moon felt goosebumps cascade over his body from head to toe. What if his grandfather or his mother had eaten this gruel?


    His grandfather, an Absolute Master, was unlikely to be affected by this poison. However, his mother was already fragile and in the midst of a delicate treatment, and she would have been pushed into an irreversible situation.


    Soon after the goosebumps came a blinding rage.


    ¡°Did you put poison in this?¡±


    Surprised by Woo-Moon¡¯s harsh tone, the inn cook stumbled back. A momentter, he grabbed a kitchen knife from the table next to him and stared at Woo-Moon with vicious killing intent.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    <i>Pow!</i>


    <i>Crack!!</i>


    Woo-Moon struck the knife with one hand and simultaneously grabbed the inn cook¡¯s shoulder with the other, shattering it in one move.


    "Argh!"


    The moment the inn cook was about to scream, Woo-Moon quickly grabbed his throat to prevent the sound from escaping.


    Woo-Moon was clenching his teeth tightly. It had been more than five years since the inn cook had started working at Dae-Woong''s inn. Woo-Moon even called him Uncle as he diligently helped the man around the kitchen.


    But then....


    ¡°Why? Why did you try to poison us?¡± he whispered angrily.


    However, the inn cook wasn¡¯t able to answer due to the force with which Woo-Moon was clenching his neck. Then, another voice transmission came from his grandfather.


    <i>¡ªHe did it, but I doubt he was the one who thought of it.</i>


    No, of course the cook hadn''t thought of it. It must have been the hyenas that were aiming for the guild master of the Leebi Merchant Guild that had paid the inn cook off.


    As Woo-Moon understood this, rage boiled even more within him.


    ¡°Was it because of money? Is that why?¡±


    Woo-Moon loosened his grip around the cook''s throat.


    ¡°Cough, cough. I... I¡¯m sorry.... I... I have my own reasons...¡±


    At that moment, a fat money pouch slipped from within the inn cook¡¯s sleeve and dropped to the ground.


    ¡°You bastard, you really tried to kill my entire family just for some stupid money?!¡±


    Woo-Moon grabbed the inn cook¡¯s knee with one hand and crushed it just as he had the man'' shoulder.


    ¡°Mmmm!¡±


    Having his shoulder and now his knee shattered one after the other, the cook was unable to even scream properly before fainting.


    Woo-Moon''s rage was far from being quenched, but at that moment, he remembered that there were a few more people involved in this.


    <i>¡®The hyenas of the Leebi Merchant Guild!¡¯</i>


    The first face toe to mind was Young-Ryong¡¯s, as Woo-Moon received another voice transmission from his grandfather.


    <i>¡ªOnce your bottom line has been crossed, it might as well not exist. Make sure that you handle this properly. Those types of people will just do the same thing again to someone else if they¡¯re left alone. We do not act against ordinary people, but they are not ordinary people anymore. They acted like viins, and they will be dealt with as such.</i>


    Even though they had failed, their goal had still been to kill all of Woo-Moon¡¯s family. Without even any major issues or grudges, they had gone so far as to try to exterminate his entire bloodline.


    <i>¡®So a person¡¯s heart really can be this evil.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon thought back to the Venomous Devil, who had ughtered countless people just because of a bit of anger, and the warriors in brown that had killed the innocent members of the Leebi Guild...


    At that moment, Woo-Gang, who had been standing guard outside, entered the kitchen.


    <i>¨CHyung, what happened?</i>


    Woo-Moon sent a short voice transmission to his brother as he rushed out of the kitchen.


    <i>¨CThose bastards bribed the inn cook to poison the gruel we would eat!</i>


    Woo-Gang''s surprised expression soon hardened into a cold mask, a fiery rage zing in his gaze.


    Woo-Moon rushed toward the Leebi Merchant Guild as he tossed the unconscious inn cook to the side of the road.


    Although he had sold his soul for money and tried to murder people, at this point, he¡¯d already lost the use of an arm and a leg, so it was punishment enough that he wouldn¡¯t be able to live like he used to anymore.


    This man and Woo-Moon had worked together at the inn for years, and they hadughed and cried together. To think he could do something like this.... The long time they had spent together made Woo-Moon feel the sting of betrayal all the more harshly.


    And his growing rage was directed toward the hyenas of the Leebi Guild.


    Woo-Moon used his movement technique to the fullest, moving so quickly that he left a trail of afterimages behind. However, even though he was running at a tremendous speed, his footsteps were silent, and the only sound was the faint rustle of a chilly breeze.


    It was his own movement technique, the Northern Wind Steps. He had pondered on it whenever he had time after returning homebining the advantages of the movement techniques used by the Palm Martial Emperor and the Night Spear Devil, the first stance of the Gentle Celestial Sword, and the North Wind technique.


    The reason he had been able to create an entire movement technique on his own was that the Gentle Celestial Sword, which contained the principles of the universe, served as the foundation of the technique, while the Martial Arts Fundamentals manual had yed a part in helping himbine the various techniques.


    Even as he got used to the Northern Wind Steps, and in spite of his growing rage, Woo-Moon still had the leisure to be dumbfounded at what had happened.


    <i>¡®How could they havee up with that stupid idea?? Did they forget who my grandfather is? Do they think that an Absolute Master would be poisoned just like that?¡¯</i>


    For Woo-Moon, who had learned martial arts and realized how one¡¯s body was strengthened as one¡¯s qi grew, it was a ridiculous idea.


    However, Chae Noh-Cheol and Chae Young-Ryong were, in the end, just merchants. Although some of their followers were people of the <i>murim</i>, their level was too low, and none of them had even seen a proper qi refinement art, much less actually cultivate it. That was why those two had actually tried to poison the family of the Palm Martial Emperor.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that poisoning an Absolute Master was impossible. It was possible if a poison master that had cultivated past the Peak realm and reached the Absolute realm used an Absolute grade poison. However, even poison that killed normal people in seconds was useless.


    As Woo-Moon ran forward, he could see the manor of the Leebi Guild in the distance.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t even want to think about it, but if my family hadn¡¯t learned martial arts, all of us would have died. They have to pay, and they </i><strong><i>will</i></strong><i> pay.¡¯</i>


    * * *


    Just a few moments ago, at the Leebi Merchant Guild, Jo Mu-Jae had been attacked by surprise and taken down by Guan-Un Martial Hall¡¯s Gwak Gyeom. Behind him was a stampede of the Leebi Guild traitors.


    Noh-Cheol had recruited Gwak Gyeom in order to subdue Jo Mu-Jae. Of course, Gwak Gyeom would have been scared off if he had been informed about the Palm Martial Emperor, so Noh-Cheol had conveniently hidden that fact.


    ¡°You bastards!¡±


    Si-Hyeon, who was thest one standing, held up a sharp dagger. However, to Gwak Gyeom, it only looked like a child ying about.


    ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s not say anything vulgar with such a pretty mouth,¡± Gwak Gyeom said sleazily as he took Si-Hyeon¡¯s dagger and pressed body and throat acupoints, keeping her from moving or speaking.


    In the meantime, Young-Ryong searched through Si-Hyeon¡¯s office, trying to find the seal of the Guild Master. Suddenly, he stumbled upon something interesting.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯</i>


    It was a small pouch. Young-Ryong quietly called his father over, as there seemed to be something unusual about it.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Noh-Cheol said as he opened the pouch and looked inside. Seeing what was in it, he hurriedly stowed it in his sleeve. Worried, he instinctively nced over to Gwak Gyeom, but fortunately, the man seemed as though he was fascinated by Si-Hyeon and oblivious to anything happening around him.


    At least, that was what he thought. Unfortunately, Gwak Gyeon had already sneaked a peak into the pouch while the two merchants were raffling through the room.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a Luminous Night Pearl! It¡¯s definitely a Luminous Night Pearl.¡¯</i>


    Although it was the first time that Gwak Gyeom had seen one, he was sure what it was just from the feeling it gave off. What other sort of bead would shine like that on its own?


    Still, as everyone around him was a warrior of the Leebi Guild and he was by himself, he had hurriedly put it down and pretended not to see it.


    <i>¡®Hehehe... To think I¡¯d run into a Luminous Night Pearl.¡¯</i>


    Gwak Gyeom, who had already hastily conceived a n, deliberately inspected Si-Hyeon¡¯s body even more explicitly in order to deceive the others.


    ¡°Dear, dear, I¡¯m about to go crazy. Hey, let me borrow a room in the guild. I want to have some fun, <i>hehehe</i>.¡±


    Si-Hyeon was on the brink of fainting from revulsion when she heard that.


    Noh-Cheol also thought that the youngster was revealing his true colors a little too vividly. However, he replied, ¡°Fine. Take any of the rooms over there.¡±


    ¡°Good, good! <i>Hehehe</i>, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Gwak Gyeom threw Si-Hyeon over his shoulder and entered a room. After shutting the door, he threw the girl on the bed and ripped off the veil covering her face.


    At that moment, he forgot what he was about to say as he looked at Si-Hyeon¡¯s face. She was rumored to be an amazing beauty, but the reality defied even those rumors. He hadn¡¯t even seen such a beautiful girl in the capital, let alone this backwoods vige.


    Still, he tore his eyes away andposed himself, as the Luminous Night Pearl came first. Coming to his senses, he gently caressed Si-Hyeon¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°<i>Hehe</i>, you really are as amazing as I imagined. Just wait for me here for a minute. I¡¯lle back and give you a nice hug after I exterminate all the bastards who betrayed you.¡±


    Gwak Gyeom made sure no one was around and quietly left the room through the window, running to the Guan-Un Martial Hall. He had left Si-Hyeon paralyzed and unable to speak by striking her acupoints, and with her shut in that room, none of the traitors of the Leebi Guild noticed that Gwak Gyeom had left.


    In the meantime, Noh-Cheol and Young-Ryong brought Jo Mu-Jae, Si-Hyeon¡¯s father¡ªthe guild master, and even the staff of the headquarters together. They knew that they would¡¯ve been done with the guild anyway, so they had no misgivings anymore. Noh-Cheol felt that he was already in control at this point, so he steeled his resolve.


    ¡°Well, I guess there won¡¯t be any issues if none of you are alive to tell the story,¡± he said as he raised his knife.


    Jo Mu-Jae, who was now restrained, shouted in anger, ¡°You bastard! You ungrateful bastard! How could you do such a thing? Aren¡¯t you afraid of the government or the Palm Martial Emperor?¡±


    ¡°The government? The enforcers are most likely going to be more interested in the money I¡¯ll offer than the deaths of you useless bastards. As for the Palm Martial Emperor? <i>Phahaha</i>! Why should I be afraid of someone who¡¯s been poisoned and is probably already a corpse by now?¡±


    As Noh-Cheol wasughing smugly at Jo Mu-Jae, the angry voice of a young man resounded from behind them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to let you know that things haven¡¯t gone the way you wanted.¡±

 Chapter 34. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (9)

    <h4>Chapter 34. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (9)</h4>


    Chae Noh-Cheol looked back in surprise.


    ¡°Who the hell are you? Huh?¡±


    Song Woo-Moon was walking over to them, having jumped over the Leebi Guild¡¯s courtyard wall.


    As soon as he entered the hall of the Leebi Guild, Woo-Moon realized what had happened as he saw Jo Mu-Jae and the others under the control of Chae Noh-Cheol and Chae Young-Ryong¡¯s underlings.


    He red over at the father-son duo and spoke with venom.


    ¡°You dare try to poison my family?¡±


    As he saw Woo-Moon standing alive before them, Noh-Cheol¡¯s mind fell into disarray.


    However, he was already riding the tiger, and there was no getting off. All he could do was steel his resolve.


    <i>¡®Seeing that the Palm Emperor and the others are nowhere to be seen, they must have already been poisoned. I¡¯m already past the point of no return. I have to see this through to the end.¡¯</i>


    ording to what his son had told him, Song Woo-Moon supposedly had great martial skills. However, Noh-Cheol assumed there was a limit to how strong he could be. After all, didn¡¯t they say that the fist was weaker than the brain?


    Reminding himself of that phrase, Noh-Cheol was about to call the attack before he noticed that his son and the warriors had all turned pale.


    <i>¡®These bastards are already terrified!¡¯</i>


    Seeing the warriors¡¯ morale had plummeted, Noh-Cheol shouted with vigor, ¡°What the hell are you doing?! Don¡¯t you all already know there¡¯s no turning back?! Are you going to stand there like idiots? That bastard is here alone! He¡¯ll bleed if you cut him and he¡¯ll die if you stab him! Wake the hell up and attack!¡±


    At the words <i>¡®there¡¯s no turning back,¡¯</i> a venomous glint appeared in the warriors¡¯ eyes. They gripped their swords even tighter and rushed toward Woo-Moon, letting out fearsome roars.


    However, Woo-Moon, merely amused by their determination, smiled coldly. ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong...¡±


    He suddenly leaned forward and darted at the opponents.


    ¡°Shall we test out how that works, then?¡±


    He swung his sword at the two warriors in front of him.


    As he used the North Wind technique, his sword moved without the slightest warning, severing the tendons of the warriors¡¯ wrists in one cut.


    ¡°Aaaargh!¡±


    <i>Crack!</i>


    As screams erupted, Woo-Moon quickly kicked two other warriors standing behind him, their wrist bones also shattering with a terrible sound. Like a wasp diving into a swarm of bees, he then proceeded to trample on all of the warriors of the Leebi Guild. He was a fierce beast, a beast with an imprable hide and fangs that could cut an enemy in half.


    Every stroke of his sword brought down not one enemy, but three or four of them, and they grabbed their wrists simultaneously as they copsed in pain.


    With this simple injury, their lives as warriors¡ªno, even their lives as normal people came to an end.


    In the first ce, the disparity between their skills was so great that it was embarrassing to even call it a fight. It was more like a great lightning-wielding Bodhisattva descending from heaven to smite down a newborn baby.


    Woo-Moon quickly subdued all the warriors who had attacked him, all with their wrist tendons cut or their wrist bones shattered.


    ¡°Well, I think that does it. Now, do you still feel like bullying a lonely young man?¡±


    ¡°You... you crazy...!¡±


    Had it taken him half an hour? No¡ªit didn¡¯t seem to have taken even half of that time.


    A single Song Woo-Moon had easily taken down thirty warriors in that short time.


    As Woo-Moon slowly approached him with a bloody sword in hand, Noh-Cheol stumbled backward.


    ¡°It must have been you and your son who gave the order to kill my family, right? I guess we can¡¯t just end things by crippling your hands, then.¡±


    Woo-Moon had already made up his mind to take lives today.


    ¡°FIIIIIIIGHT!!!!¡±


    As he walked forward, unexpected cheers resounded from all directions as hundreds of people dressed in ck and masked stormed through the main gate and jumped over the wall simultaneously.


    An exceptionallyrge man among them was swinging a three-section staff. ¡°Chae Noh-Cheol! Hand over the Luminous Night Pe¡ªHuh?¡±


    Gwak Bu-Dan, the masked man with the three-section staff and the Hall Master of the Guan-Un Martial Hall, looked around the hall in confusion.


    ¡°What the hell is this? What happened here?¡±


    As Bu-Dan muttered to himself in surprise, one of the masked men standing next to him asked, ¡°Hall Master Gwak, what is going on?¡±


    The man who spoke was Yeop Gu-Saeng, the Hall Master of the Tiger Martial Hall. While smaller than the Gwan-Un Martial Hall, this martial arts school still held considerable power.


    Bu-Dan, who had felt burdened by the prospect of having to not only betray Noh-Cheol¡ªan acquaintance he saw every day¡ªbut also kill and rob many people, had turned to Gu-Saeng to share the burden and raid the Leebi Guild together.


    With their eyes only seeing the great treasure that was the Luminous Night Pearl, they quickly conscripted the mercenaries they knew and gathered all of the disciples that were loyal to them, about a hundred people in total. In a very short time, they had already gathered at the gate of the guild.


    Woo-Moon was also surprised by their sudden appearance.


    ¡°Luminous Night Pearl? What are you talking about?¡±


    While he stood there murmuring to himself, Noh-Cheol realized the neers¡¯ identity and purpose right away. He shrewdly pointed his finger at Woo-Moon and shouted, ¡°That... that bastard stole the Luminous Night Pearl from me!¡±


    Hearing that, Bu-Dan and Gu-Saeng¡¯s eyes shone.


    "What are you all doing? Catch and kill him!"


    When Noh-Cheol confirmed that Bu-Dan and Gu-Saeng were running at Woo-Moon, he immediately bolted in the opposite direction..


    ¡°Huh? Father!¡±


    Unlike his father, Young-Ryong was standing too close to Woo-Mun and couldn¡¯t do a single thing. As he called out to his father in bewilderment, Woo-Moon frowned and thrust his sword.


    ¡°How could a father really abandon his son and flee like this? <i>Tsk</i>.¡±


    Struck by Woo-Moon''s sword, Young-Ryong fell backward, blood spraying from his punctured forehead.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    Woo-Moon drew the decorative sword hanging from the dying Young-Ryong¡¯s waist and threw it toward the fleeing Noh-Cheol.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    In the end, Noh-Cheol, who had tried so hard to preserve his life through any means possible, breathed hisst as he looked down at his son¡¯s sword piercing his chest.


    Seeing Woo-Moon¡¯s decisive actions, Bu-Dan and Gu-Saeng¡¯s group all froze for a moment, and it was only then that the two Hall Masters really took the time to look at Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Who the hell is that guy? Huh? Wait a moment. Now that I look at him, doesn¡¯t he look familiar?¡¯</i>


    As the two Hall Masters wondered who he was, Gwak Gyeom, who was also among the masked crowd, suddenly recognized him and shouted, ¡°Huh? You¡¯re the idiot from the Deungpyeong Inn!¡±


    <i>¡®The idiot?¡¯</i>


    Only after Gwak Gyeom¡¯s scream did Bu-Dan and Gu-Saeng seem to remember who he was. The young man before them was the idiot they would meet from time to time whenever they went to Unhan, the one who always walked around with a nk expression.


    <i>¡®But why is he here? No, forget about why he¡¯s here, that idiot just killed Noh-Cheol and Young-Ryong?! Just what the hell is going on?!¡¯</i>


    Although they didn¡¯t know what had happened, the two Hall Masters were relieved that the person standing before them was that famous idiot.


    Even so, the image he had just shown them waspletely different from their expectations, so the two Hall Masters secretly took a step back in fear as they cried out to their subordinates.


    ¡°Kill that idiot right now! Whoever slits his throat will be given a gold tael!¡±


    As soon as they gave thismand, their subordinates rushed forward without hesitation to kill Woo-Moon, going so far as to climb over each other to earn the gold tael.


    At the irritating word <i>¡®idiot,¡¯</i> Woo-Moon frowned.


    ¡°Shut up! If you¡¯re not even going to pretend not to know me, then why the hell did you bother with the masks?!¡±


    As if getting angry alongside him, Eun-Ah cried out from his chest pocket.


    ¡°Growl!¡±


    At the same time, Woo-Moon took a step forward and twisted his hips.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    The three masked assants at the forefront of the crowd rushing toward him grabbed their wrists at the same time and fell down.


    Then, as he was rushing forward to meet the masked assants, Woo-Moon suddenly stepped back as something shed across his mind. He climbed the stair railing and shot a question at Bu-Dan and Gu-Saeng.


    ¡°Wait, why are you here again? Did youe to steal that lecherous night herb or whatever? So what, did you really intend to kill all of the people of the Leebi Guild for it?¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s question hade out of the blue, and Bu-Dan was already well enraged at the fact that three of his favored disciples had been crippled in such a manner.


    ¡°You madman! Fine, yes, I came to kill them all! You will die here too!¡±


    Facing this threat, Woo-Moo¡¯s expression actually rxed as he went down the stairs.


    ¡°Really? Alright, then. That means I don¡¯t have to feel bad about what I¡¯m about to do.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s figure faded and he disappeared from view.


    ¡°Huh? Where did that bastard go?¡±


    Gu-Saeng looked over to where many of his subordinates had gathered.


    ¡°Over there!¡± he shouted.


    Using the Divine Phantasm Step to the limit, Woo-Moonnded in the midst of the enemies as he swung his sword dazzlingly around him.


    Countless Raging Wind, Heavy Rain, and North Wind sts flew through the air in every direction. The only technique he omitted was Cold Snow, as it wasn¡¯t suitable for fighting such arge number of unskilled assants.


    In an instant, dozens of people copsed with blood spraying out of their wrists.


    ~~~~


    The Luminous Night Pearl was a rare jewel, and its price was astronomical. Even a single one could allow one to live afortable, carefree life. However, even though he was blinded by his intense greed for this jewel, Bu-Dan began to acknowledge that something was strange.


    <i>¡®This... this doesn¡¯t feel like it will turn out well.¡¯</i>


    The forces brought by Gwak Bu-Dan and Yeop Gu-Saeng were unquestionably of a higher caliber than the warriors of the Leebi Guild.


    However, just as they could easily overpower the guild¡¯s warriors, Woo-Moon could also overpower them all by himself as easily as taking a stroll. Before five minutes had even passed, forty of their ranks had be crippled and dropped their weapons.


    <i>¡®This... this damned bastard. He still has that much concentration to spare while he¡¯s fighting at that speed?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t killed a single person outside of Chae Noh-Cheol and Chae Young-Ryong, a fact that Bu-Dan and Gu-Saeng now btedly realized.


    They both knew it was more difficult to take down an enemy by only aiming for their wrists and crippling them than it was to kill them directly. However, Woo-Moon was not only doing it to arge group of people, but also at a ridiculous speed.


    Woo-Moon had been the vige idiot, the kind that one could find in any old town. Because such a stupid fellow was their opponent, the two Hall Masters were toote in judging his strength.


    The same went for Bu-Dan¡¯s son, Gwak Gyeom.


    <i>¡®What...what the hell is with that bastard? It hasn¡¯t even been a month. How could he change so drastically?¡¯</i>


    Not even a month ago, Gwak Gyeom had roughly shoved the idiot, who had bumped into him, and sent him tumbling on the ground.


    Was he supposed to believe such an idiot had changed like this? Gwak Gyeom knew that it was normal for people to change, but was something this drastic even possible?


    ¡°Aaaagh!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Nooooo!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!!¡±


    Screams filled the room for a while. Eventually, when the sounds of flesh being cleaved ceased, Woo-Moon was the only one that still stood upright, among a crowd of masked assants who were rolling on the ground, groaning.


    He looked at the three people standing still at the entrance¡ªGwak Bu-Dan, Yeop Gu-Saeng, and Gwak Gyeom.


    ¡°These guys followed you because they were ordered to, but you bastards are the masterminds, right? Well, allow me to treat you the way you deserve.¡±


    Bu-Dan looked over at his son and Gu-Saeng.


    <i>¡®I refuse to die!¡¯</i>


    The situation had already reached the point where it could no longer be solved unless one party died. And it sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to be the three of them.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be the one to die!¡± Bu-Dan said as he made the first move, swinging his three-section staff from a distance.


    <i>¡®Cold Snow!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon''s sword slid down the first part of the three-section staff like a snowke floating in the wind, and when the edge reached the chain links, Woo-Moon flicked the sword, wrapping the chain around the de and swinging it wide.


    As if Woo-Moon¡¯s sword was manipting the three-section staff, the staff shed with Gu-Saeng and Gwak Gyeom¡¯s swords at the same time.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Bu-Dan was trying his best not to let go of the three-section staff, but the shock tore the skin on his hands; Gu-Saeng and Gwak Gyeom, whose weapons had been struck by the three-section staff, suffered the same fate, and blood flowed down their wrists.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    However, that wasn¡¯t the end of it.


    Right in front of the three of them, Woo-Moon suddenly faded into nothingness.

 Chapter 35. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (10)

    <h4>Chapter 35. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (10)</h4>


    <i>sh, sh, sh!</i>


    The sound of a de cutting through flesh filled the hall as Song Woo-Moon swung his sword at the three people before him.


    ¡°<i>Agh¡ª</i>¡±


    Before they even had time to scream, Woo-Moon kicked all three of them in the stomach.


    ¡°<i>Cough!</i>¡±


    The pain and shock from the blows were so great that they could only gape soundlessly like a bunch of dying fish. Starting from their lower abdomens, a terrible pain ripped through their body, traveling past the organs and twisting through to their extremities.


    A terrifying fear quickly followed the pain as they felt the qi that they had built throughout their entire lives scattering.


    ¡°No... NOOO!!!¡±


    In a single breath, everything they had spent their lives cultivating had disappeared.


    ¡°<i>Whew</i>.¡±


    Breathing lightly, Woo-Moon walked toward Si-Hyeon¡¯s father and Jo Mu-Jae, avoiding the screaming people thaty all over the hall.


    With a single swing of his sword, the ropes that bound them were split.


    ¡°Th... thank you, young...¡±


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s father¡¯s head fell before he could finish his sentence. Clearly, he was not in good health.


    ¡°Thank you so much, young hero. We will never forget this grace,¡± Mu-Jae said, struggling to grip his fist in a semnce of a greeting.


    ¡°I just did what I had to do. There¡¯s no need for any thanks.¡±


    Woo-Moon looked around and continued.


    ¡°By the way, where is Yeon Si-Hyeon?¡±


    ¡°Ah! She¡¯s... she¡¯s over there,¡± Mu-Jae said as he pointed toward a room in the hall.


    As Woo-Moon headed toward the room, Mu-Jae began to take care of the cleanup, giving instructions to the servants trembling in the corner and the warriors who hadn¡¯t betrayed them.


    In the meantime, Woo-Moon entered the room and found Si-Hyeon, who was lying on the bed, frozen.


    Seeing Si-Hyeon¡¯s face for the first time without a veil, his mind went nk.


    Even when the Deputy Guild Master wore a veil, it was easy to tell that she was attractive. Seeing her bare face, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t help but think that the word ¡°beautiful¡± simply did not do her justice. Of all the women Woo-Moon had ever seen, only one person couldpare to Si-Hyeon¡¯s beauty¡ªHa Yeo-Seol, the disciple of the North Sea Ice Pce that had spent a night at the inn.


    Woo-Moon walked up to the immobilized girl and released her acupoints.


    Immediately after, Si-Hyeon turned her face away and shouted, ¡°D-don¡¯t look at me!¡±


    Si-Hyeon''s face had turned red. She had always met Woo-Moon with her face covered by a veil, and for some reason, she was embarrassed to be seen unveiled all of a sudden.


    However, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t understand her actions.


    <i>¡®How could someone so pretty be so embarrassed about showing her face?¡¯</i>


    Of course, there was much he didn¡¯t know¡ªsuch as Si-Hyeon¡¯s reaction when Gwak Gyeom uncovered her face. Her reaction had been far different from how she was currently acting to Woo-Moon.


    Likewise, when she had asionally shown her face to others, there had never been a single instance where she was this shy.


    From the day that her father told her to wear a veil, telling her that her innate beauty could bring about a catastrophe, Si-Hyeon had never felt this type of emotion. Actually, even she herself couldn¡¯t figure out why she was acting like this.


    <i>Riiiip!</i>


    Si-Hyeon tore the thin sheet that covered the bed and tied it around her face like a mask.


    When she looked at her surroundings carefully, she saw Woo-Moon still standing there with his eyes averted elsewhere.


    Suddenly, she recalled the freezing terror that she had felt when the door opened¡ªonly for Woo-Moon to be the one entering.


    Woo-Moon had saved her from danger once more.


    Si-Hyeon knew that she couldn¡¯t possibly forget what he¡¯d done for her.


    ¡°You can turn your head back now. Thank you so much, Young Hero Song.¡±


    No matter how many times he heard it, Woo-Moon felt good whenever he heard Si-Hyeon say the words, ¡®Young Hero Song.¡¯


    ¡°It was nothing. To be honest, I didn¡¯t even know this was going on at first. I just came here because those bastards tried to poison my family.¡±


    Even though she had been lying in bed paralyzed, Si-Hyeon¡¯s senses were functioning normally. She already knew what had gone on outside of the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry....Because of our guild...¡±


    Whatever their actions, Chae Noh-Cheol and the others had still been members of the Leebi Merchant Guild. Even though Si-Hyeon and her father had been betrayed themselves, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of responsibility over the entire situation.


    ¡°Ple¡ªplease, no, it wasn¡¯t your fault. Why would you even say that? The true evildoers are those bastards over there, not you, Deputy Guild Master. Please don¡¯t talk like that.¡±


    Yes, this was the Song Woo-Moon that she knew. Si-Hyeon struggled to hold back her tears.


    ¡°You should go out now. Your father is probably worried.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Father!¡±


    Hearing Woo-Moon¡¯s words, Si-Hyeon hurried out to check on her father. While Woo-Moon was taking care of her, Mu-Jae had moved him to a separate room to rest.


    Since he was already so ill, the chance he would get worse grew exponentially the longer he was out of bed.


    Si-Hyeon returned to the room to attend to her father as Woo-Moon walked toward Mu-Jae.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    Mu-Jae had been standing at attention, guarding the Guild Master. Although his internal injuries had worsened, he forced himself to bow once again to Woo-Moon, expressing his gratitude.


    ¡°Ah, Young Hero Song. They all deserve to be beaten to death, but since they are crippled and won¡¯t be able to have a normal life, let alone practice martial arts, we n to just kick them all out.¡±


    Even though Mu-Jae wanted to kill them all, there was no way he could massacre this many people. Moreover, letting them live like this, with their handspletely useless, was in many ways a fate worse than death.


    Thus, Mu-Jae didn¡¯t pay much attention to the traitors.


    Just in case, Woo-Moon watched until he could see them all leave from atop the hall of the Leebi Guild. Although they had all lost the use of both hands, their numbers of them were stillrge enough to be a concern.


    Once the events at the Leebi Merchant Guild ended, Woo-Moon returned to the inn.


    The following day, the treatment of Jin-Jin¡¯s internal injuries finally ended.


    Sang-Woon didn¡¯t bother to ask Woo-Moon about what had happened; he trusted that Woo-Moon wouldn¡¯t have returned without properly handling it all.


    ¡°Mother, how are you feeling?¡±


    In response to Woo-Moon¡¯s cautious question, Jin-Jin responded with a warm smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling so much better that there¡¯s noparison. You don¡¯t have to worry about me anymore.¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem to be a lie either; Jin-Jin had regained a healthyplexion. Seeing the red flush on his mother¡¯s face, which had only ever been pale and gaunt, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t contain his joy and smiled brightly.


    "What a relief. I''m so d, Mother!¡±


    ¡°Honey! To think you really are all better now... Father-inw! Thank you so much!¡±


    Dae-Woong jumped up and kowtowed toward Sang-Woon, who was sitting in a corner leaning against the wall.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. She¡¯s my daughter, so what are you thanking me for? More importantly, I¡¯m hungry, so go make me some food.¡±


    Dae-Woong was conflicted¡ªon the one hand, he wanted to spend more time with his wife, who had finally recovered; on the other hand, the man who had healed his wife and who also coincidentally happened to be Dae-Woong¡¯s father-inw had to receive the best possible treatment.


    After a few moments of torment, he made his decision.


    ¡°Understood! I¡¯ll do my absolute best and serve you the best food of your life!¡±


    A growl came from within Woo-Moon¡¯s robes as Eun-Ah poked out her head¡ªit seemed she understood the word ¡°food¡± rather well.


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°W¡ªwhat is that?! Hey, isn¡¯t that a white tiger cub?¡±


    Jin-Jin and Dae-Woong were shocked to see the ¡°intruder,¡± and Jin-Jin paled instantly.


    Although he hadn¡¯t nned on trying to hide the fact that he was raising Eun-Ah, Woo-Moon also hadn¡¯t wanted to make a fuss by revealing her while his mother was being treated. He had tried his best to make sure she stayed in his breast pocket, only letting here out to roam and feed when he entered his room.


    Now that his mother had recovered fully, he had been thinking of bringing up the topic of the cub. As if by fate, Eun-Ah had appeared on her own at precisely the right time.


    Although Woo-Moon had thought that his mother would be surprised, Jin-Jin¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t anywhere close to what he had expected.


    However, at that moment, the gaze of Jin-Jin began to waver as she stared at Eun-Ah, and soon, tears started to drip down her face.


    ¡°Mo... mother?¡±


    ¡°Woo-Moon, you idiot! Why¡¯d you bring a wild animal here? Did you forget the state your mother was in? You ungrateful runt, you¡¯ll die by my hand today!¡± Dae-Woong shouted, going on a rant about how Woo-Moon was just asking for a beating. The bastard hadn¡¯t ever brought a girl home, but now he dared to bring in some wild beast cub!


    Watching the scene, Jin-Jin finally wiped away the tears that were flowing down her face.


    Surprisingly, Eun-Ah, who had been staring at her intently, suddenly escaped from Woo-Moon¡¯s arms and raced over to the feet of Jin-Jin, rubbing her body against Jin-Jin¡¯s legs and crying in a low voice.


    ¡°There, there. Come here, little one.¡±


    After picking up Eun-Ah and nestling the cub in her arms, Jin-Jin looked over at Sang-Woon.


    ¡°This child...is she the third one by any chance?¡±


    Sang-Woon nodded slowly, and seeing his answer, Jin-Jin started weeping once more.


    ¡°Then, then...Nanny must already be dead.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t that what they call the ¡®life of a silver tigress¡¯?¡±


    Unlike the simr-looking white tiger, a female silver tiger always had three cubs within its lifetime, giving birth to and raising a single cub at a time. Once she gave birth to thest cub, she would end up using all of their vitality in the process and close her eyes for thest time.


    If a male silver tiger grew old and lived the natural lifespan of a tiger species, the female silver tiger was said not to age once she reached maturity, staying within her prime until she gave birth to the third cub. In practical terms, this meant that a silver tigress could well live past a hundred, and some even reached two hundred years of age.


    The silver tiger was indeed a rare beast, even among the other rare beasts.


    Their intelligence didn¡¯t fall short even inparison to humans. Moreover, thanks to their natural instincts, female silver tigers innately knew that their lifespan woulde to an end once they gave birth to that third cub.


    Naturally, they also understood that as long as they didn¡¯t give birth to the third cub, they could enjoy a ridiculous lifespan. In spite of that, whether it was because the species had a strong desire to reproduce or because of some powerful innate maternal love, there wasn¡¯t one single female silver tiger that ever made that choice.


    ¡°A nanny?¡±


    Woo-Moon looked at his mother and grandfather with puzzled eyes.


    For some reason, the two of them seemed to know about these silver tigers in detail¡ªnot silver tigers in general, but Eun-Ah and her mother in particr.


    Now that he thought of it, Woo-Moon realized it was rather strange that his grandfather had coincidentally found a silver tiger while they were traveling together and just so happened to know so much about it and its cub.


    Moreover, his grandfather had even done his best to forge a rtionship between the cub and Woo-Moon.


    At that moment, Sang-Woon spoke up.


    ¡°Jin-Jin¡¯s mother had a weak constitution, and she died while giving birth to Jin-Jin. Until Jin-Jin turned ten, I lived with her in a hidden ce called the Valley of Ten Thousand Sorrows.¡±


    ¡°There was a silver tiger that had already been living there,¡± Jin-Jin continued. ¡°That silver tiger became my nanny. She took me in, and she even shared her milk with me, even though I looked nothing like a tiger cub. I was unable to meet with her even once after returning to the Iron Sword Baek Family, so to think...just like this...¡±


    Dae-Woong, who had been stir-frying Woo-Moon for bringing a white tiger before his mother until just a moment ago, sheepishly scratched at the back of his head.


    Woo-Moon, on the other hand, stared nkly at Eun-Ah as he stood deep in thought. It was the first time he was hearing anything about his mother¡¯s childhood.


    Jin-Jin stroked Eun-Ah as she continued her story.


    ¡°Because their mother dies as soon as they are born, a third silver tiger cub can only feel a mother¡¯s warm embrace for just a short time. Thus, they end up missing and yearning for their mother more than their siblings. While they are far stronger than any other silver tigers, third cubs are always desperately hungry for affection. Raise her well. I can assure you that the loyalty of this beast who can¡¯t even speak will exceed that of any human.¡±


    Woo-Moon scratched the side of his nose as he looked over at Eun-Ah, feeling an even deeper sense of responsibility toward the baby tiger.


    ¡°<i>Sniff, sniff!</i> Then, from now on, I¡¯ll have to cook for the baby tiger as well! You little tyke, you best understand that this is an honor! I¡¯ll let you experience the luxury of eating <i>the </i>Song Dae-Woong¡¯s cuisine!¡±


    Having said his speech, Dae-Woong rolled up his sleeves and left the room.


    Meanwhile, Sang-Woon spoke to Woo-Gang, who had been embracing his mother¡¯s shoulders in silence all this time.


    ¡°Woo-Gang, what do you n to do? Don¡¯t you have to return to Mount Hua soon?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been away for quite long, so I think it¡¯s time for me to go back,¡± Woo-Gang said, his expression wistful.


    It was always a challenge to return back to Mount Hua whenever he came home. However, there was nothing he could do, as the Mount Hua Sect was also like a home to him.


    With that, everyone remained silent for a while.


    Finally, Jin-Jin, who had been quietly resting her eyes, opened the conversation again.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because my qi pathways have been cleared so thoroughly, but it feels like my qi is flowing quite smoothly.¡±


    Hearing Jin-Jin¡¯s great news, Sang-Woon replied with a smile, ¡°Of course, as it should! I even cleansed your marrow and bones, so if it didn¡¯t circte well, that¡¯d be really weird. It was a pretty tough task, because your internal injuries were literally bone-deep, and it¡¯s been a long time since you werest able to circte your qi.¡±


    ¡°What, you¡¯re not hinting for me to thank you, are you?¡± Jin-Jin teased him.


    <i>¡®With all the sins Imitted against you, how could I ever ask something like that?¡¯</i>


    Even though he knew she was just teasing him, the Palm Emperor cleared his throat a couple of times before he spoke up again.


    ¡°Are you thinking of learning martial arts again?¡±


    Jin-Jin looked over at her two sons with eyes tinged with resentment.


    ¡°I just wanted to live my life and forget that martial arts and the <i>murim </i>even existed, but since both of my sons have already decided to be people of the <i>murim</i>, I guess there¡¯s nothing I can do. I think it¡¯s time for me to start cultivating once more.¡±

 Chapter 36. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (11)

    <h4>Chapter 36. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (11)</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea. Given your intelligence and talent, it probably won¡¯t take you very long to regain your skills.¡±


    Years ago, when Jin-Jin was very young, there had been three brilliant young heroines called the Three Blooming Phoenixes whose reputation had been growing in the <i>gangho</i>.


    With unmistakable beauty and incredible martial skills, the Three Blooming Phoenixes were the object of many members of the <i>gangho</i>.


    However, whenever he would hear any mention of them, the Palm Martial Emperor always snorted in amusement. From his perspective, if his daughter had be known to the <i>gangho</i>, the Three Blooming Phoenixes would have be naught but fireflies in the light of the moon.


    Well, the Three Blooming Phoenixes had also matured in the meantime and they were now married women with children¡ªthe same as Jin-Jin, so it was all just dreams and memories.


    <i>¡®Time sure flows....¡¯</i>


    Having lived for so long alone, frozen in time as the world passed him by, the Palm Martial Emperor understood better than anyone else what it meant to witness the passage of time.


    As Woo-Moon and his family chatted, Dae-Woong finally called out to them.


    ¡°The table is set! Come and eat, Father-inw! Honey! Kids!¡±


    Woo-Moon got up and tried to help Jin-Jin proceed to the dining room, but Sang-Woon stopped him.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Go on with your brother first. I¡¯ll support your mother.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Grandfather. Woo-Gang...¡±


    Woo-Moon called out to his younger brother, but Woo-Gang left ahead with a cold expression on his face,pletely ignoring his brother.


    <i>¡®That little brat!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ll have to teach your little brother some manners,¡± Sang-Woon said with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Make sure you drill it into his head properly. That¡¯s the only way he¡¯ll remember it. I can¡¯t stomach watching your younger brother act like that to his hyung,¡± Jin-Jin chimed in with a grin.


    Woo-Moon paused for a moment, surprised. Had his mother¡¯s personality changed because her internal wounds had been healed?


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Deep down, he had assumed that he couldn¡¯t do anything to his crude and disrespectful younger brother as there were still the adults'' gazes on him. However, after hearing that he didn¡¯t need to hold back, Woo-Moon felt as though an entire mountain had been lifted from his shoulders, no longer needing to hold back.


    <i>¡®Good, good. You little bastard, you think you¡¯re some hot shit with that flower whatever sect? Let¡¯s see how you smell the flowers tomorrow from ground level.¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon walked out of the room triumphantly, Sang-Woon helped Jin-Jin up.


    ¡°Your husband is quite strong,¡± he remarked out of the blue.


    Jin-Jin smiled faintly.


    ¡°When he first showed interest in me, it was just annoying, I couldn¡¯t believe that such a bear-like monster had the gall to look at me. I think...from a certain point on, he started to look kinda cute, and he took care of me really nicely.¡±


    ¡°What, and ¡®from a certain point on,¡¯ you started to feel sad if you didn¡¯t see him and began to wait for him toe?¡±


    ¡°<i>Hehehe</i>. Well, something like that.¡±


    Sang-Woon¡¯s eyebrow rose as he looked at his daughter. She was already a mature woman in her own right, so even when speaking about things like this to her own father, not one hint of embarrassment crossed her face.


    <i>¡®You little brat. To think you were so cute when you were little.¡¯</i>


    Hiding his regret, Sang-Woon continued about what he had originally wanted to address.


    ¡°But, did you know that your husband has an Innate Martial Physique?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡±


    Although she had long since noticed it, Jin-Jin hadn¡¯t considered it a big deal. As she had already decided to live far away from the <i>murim</i>, and Dae-Woong had already gone past the best age to start learning martial arts...


    ¡°As expected, you really have no idea. Or, maybe you <i>do</i> have an idea but you just subconsciously rejected it because you didn¡¯t want to be associated with the <i>murim</i>.¡±


    ¡°Pardon? An idea about what?¡± Jin-Jin asked.


    Sang-Woon opened the door, but then stopped and turned around. Staring at his daughter, he said, ¡°I can tell you for certain that your husband is the son of an outstanding¡ªno, an <i>apex </i>martial family.¡±


    Jin-jin''s eyes widened at his words.


    ¡°What makes you think that?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that Jin-Jin thought that her father, an Absolute Master, would have made such a mistake, but this piece of news was just too baffling.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t your husband have an absolutely astonishing level of vitality? To the point where, sometimes, it¡¯s hard to see him as someone who hasn¡¯t learned a qi cultivation method.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Well...yes, that¡¯s true. But, there have always been stories that there are some people who are just born with divine vitality, so I just assumed...¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true, there are people like that. However, your husband is not one of them. As I examined his meridians, I found not only the traces of a bone and marrow cleansing done in childhood, but also a great energy hidden deep inside his dantian.¡±


    The more Sang-Woon spoke, the greater Jin-Jin¡¯s confusion became.


    ¡°No...no, that¡¯s impossible. How...¡±


    ¡°What would I gain by lying to you? Yesterday, when Dae-Woong hugged me, I felt something strange, so I secretly used my qi to investigate. While it¡¯s certain that he hasn¡¯t mastered any martial arts, it¡¯s also certain that he ate some incredible elixir when he was young. Because he hadn¡¯t learned any qi cultivation methods, the incredible energy contained within the elixir could only express itself through this incredible vitality that he has now. Moreover, because he didn¡¯t properly absorb the energy of the elixir after consuming it, the energy became so tightly packed inside his organs that no one around him could have sensed it.¡±


    The Palm Martial Emperor had been able to grasp all of this just by briefly holding Dae-Woong¡¯s arm when he brought them lunch yesterday.


    "How is this possible...¡±


    Sang-Woon took this point to ask Jin-Jin a question while she was unable to finish a thought due to the unexpected truth.


    ¡°Has your husband said anything to you about his past?¡±


    ¡°Yes. However, it was just tales from when he grew up an orphan...wait,e to think of it, he said that all his memories are from after he became an orphan and he doesn¡¯t remember anything at all from before then.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so that¡¯s what happened. We¡¯ll have to figure it out slowly. For now, we...¡± Muttering to himself, Sang-Woon was just about to leave the room when Jin-Jin, who was also musing over the situation, spoke up.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, can you teach my husband some martial arts? At least while you¡¯re here...¡±


    Sang-Woon realized that his daughter was anticipating that he would leave again and readily nodded.


    ¡°Of course, why not? He¡¯s my son-inw, after all. We can¡¯t just let him get beaten up by whatever random people.¡±


    Everyone in the family except for Dae-Woong was already deeply involved with the <i>murim</i>, so whether Jin-Jin liked it or not, her husband had already been drawn into it as well. With that in mind, it was for the best that he learned how to take care of himself.


    ***


    Dae-Woong¡¯s family[1] finally got to enjoy his famous dishes together, for the first time in a long time¡ªand now with an extra member.


    ¡°Oh! Looks like you haven¡¯t lost your touch, Father!¡±


    ¡°Of course I haven¡¯t, you little brat! Even if I take a long break, do you think I can just forget how to cook?¡±


    As she heard the conversation between Woo-Moon and Dae-Woong, Jin-Jin frowned and scolded them.


    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you it¡¯s rude to talk with food in your mouth? Like father, like son, <i>tsk</i>.¡±


    In an instant, both father and son sealed their mouths tightly as Woo-Gang chuckled nervously.


    Dae-Woong whispered to Woo-Moon, ¡°Don¡¯t you think your mother¡¯s be kinda scary after recovering from her illness? She looks just like when we first met.¡±


    Originally, Jin-Jin had been a hot-tempered person, but as her health gradually deteriorated, she became more and more depressed and introverted as she became unable to do anything on her own and had to rely on Dae-Woong and then on their children for everything.


    However, now that her body was healed, it seemed as though her old personality was alsoing back.


    ¡°Definitely,¡± Woo-Moon whispered.


    Once again, Jin-Jin¡¯s eyebrows shot up.


    ¡°Dear, you know I can hear everything you say, even when you whisper, right? You know that your voice is really loud, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh? <i>AHAHAHA!</i> So you heard that? <i>Hahaha...</i>uh...I¡¯m sorry, dear. I was wrong.¡±


    The meal continued on the same note for a while.


    Once they finished eating, Woo-Moon quietly spoke to Woo-Gang.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go out. We need to talk.¡±


    Noticing that his older brother had something he wanted to address, Woo-Gang responded with a snort.


    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Arriving over at an empty lot near the back of the vige, where few vigers went, Woo-Moon suddenly swung his knuckles at Woo-Gang¡¯s forehead without any hesitation.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Woo-Gang was unable to dodge it. Although it was just an ordinary punch, with no particr technique or skill behind it, for some reason, he wasn¡¯t able to avoid it at all.


    ¡°I just kept letting things slide, but it seems I can¡¯t wait any longer. We¡¯re going to have to address these bad habits of yours,¡± Woo-Moon said before he swung his fist once more.


    Woo-Gang red at his brother with fire in his eyes, thinking, <i>¡®As if I¡¯ll let you hit me again!¡¯</i>


    <i>BONK!</i>


    This blow felt stronger than the first.


    Woo-Gang¡¯s mind went nk as he saw stars in front of his eyes, the pain from the blow so great that tears came out.


    ¡°S-stop it!¡±


    As Woo-Gang red at him, Woo-Moon raised his fist once more, fully intent on repeating the same blow.


    ¡°Huh? Are you talking back to me?¡±


    <i>¡®I really won¡¯t let him hit me this time!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Gang really was prepared this time. He circted his qi throughout his entire body, devoting everything in his being to avoiding the impending rap on the forehead.


    However, the moment Woo-Moon¡¯s fist moved, Woo-Gang had already been hit again.


    <i>THWACK!</i>


    It was an even bigger impact than before, and by now, tears were really flowing from the corners of Woo-Gang¡¯s eyes. It was involuntary and uncontroble; his body simply reacted on its own to the pain.


    Still, even though he knew he couldn¡¯t help it, Woo-Gang was incredibly upset that he, a grown man, was crying because of a few punches.


    ¡°You little fu¨C!¡±


    Enraged, Woo-Gang moved to draw the bluesteel longsword he wore on his waist. As he was about to pul it out, however, he was forced to stop.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You little brat, are you serious? What, are you trying to tell me that you¡¯re the big brother now? And you actually dare to draw a sword at me? Fine, let¡¯s see you try to kill me.¡±


    Woo-Moon had his hand on the hilt of his little brother¡¯s sword before Woo-Gang had even noticed him approaching, and an insurmountable force prevented Woo-Gang from drawing the sword even a milimeter.


    <i>THUD!</i>


    He hit Woo-Gang on the head again.


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    It was only now that Woo-Gang finally screamed, both from the incredible pain and from the suppressed rage from being unable to avoid Woo-Moon¡¯s fist.


    At that moment, it was as if the seasons were changing before their very eyes as Woo-Gang started to use the Five Elements Plum Blossom Steps.


    As the delicate fragrance of plum blossoms began to spread, Woo-Gang¡¯s body began to pull back from where he stood, almost as if he was stretching through space.


    However, just as he thought that he had seeded in avoiding Woo-Moon, Woo-Moon¡¯s figure suddenly became blurry, following Woo-Gang at every moment.


    Almost as if he could foresee his brother¡¯s next move, Woo-Moon easily disyed the Divine Phantasm Steps.


    Five Elements Plum Blossom Steps and the Divine Phantasm Steps were the mostuded footwork arts of the Mount Hua Sect and the Kunlun Sect, respectively, and it was difficult to say which of the two was the superior one.


    The important thing at this point was that Woo-Moon¡¯s mastery of the Divine Phantasm Steps was much higher than that of Woo-Gang¡¯s mastery of the Five Elements Plum Blossom Steps.


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re running?¡±


    <i>THWACK!</i>


    As Woo-Moon¡¯s fist exploded forward again, the ever-calm Woo-Gang suddenly rushed forward at his brother with rage burning in his eyes.


    ¡°Who do you think you are? Who the fuck are you to hit me?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your elder brother, you insufferable bastard!¡± Woo-Moon, easily avoiding the Mount Hua Sect¡¯s famous Tiger-Subduing Fist, smacked Woo-Gang on the forehead once again.


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t let up with just one, either. Once, twice, three times, then a fourth, a fifth...


    As Woo-Gang continued to be hit, over and over, he vowed to himself not to shed any more tears, endlessly reminding himself that he was a Plum Blossom Sword.


    However, Woo-Moon¡¯s every blow made Woo-Gang¡¯s head quake and him reel in pain. Moreover, Woo-Gang¡¯s resentment toward his older brother, whom he had always ignored and consideredckingpared to him in every way, continued to rise.


    Eventually, after being beaten like this for a while, an image of the Woo-Moon of old, so strong and terrifying that Woo-Gang hadn¡¯t even dreamed of fighting back as a child, began to emerge in his mind once more. Soon enough, tears began to flow from Woo-Gang¡¯s eyes again.


    ¡°Why are you hitting me? Who are you to hit me right now? You, who livedfortably here while I had just to keep my head down and clench my teeth, training till exhaustion at Mount Hua, no matter how much I missed Mom and Dad?! You, the bastard who became the vige idiot and disgraced our family?! You, who only ever served to make our parents sick with worry?!¡±


    Mount Hua would give money to the disciples periodically¡ªit could be considered a form of allowance. Of course, as the Mount Hua Sect was a Daoist sect and wasn¡¯t very involved inmercial activities, the allowance wasn¡¯t all thatrge.


    Still, even with such a paltry allowance, Woo-Gang had always saved up all of the money and sent it home whenever he could, even though all of his fellow disciples would tease him for being a miser whenever they saw him. He knew that unless he did so, his family would fall onto the verge of ruin.


    The more he had to do so, the more the hatred and resentment toward his older brother, who had be a fool, continued to grow within Woo-Gang¡¯s heart. It was heart-wrenching.


    As Woo-Moon continued to hit him despite his screams, Woo-Gang began to cry as he threw a tantrum, just like he used to do when he was a child.


    ¡°What have you done that gives you the right to hit me? Who are you to hit me, hyung?¡±


    As a child, Woo-Gang really loved Woo-Moon, a feeling that didn¡¯t change for quite a while, even after entering Mount Hua. When he heard the news that his weak but smart older brother had be a fool, Woo-Gang even stayed awake for days and nights out of worry and concern for his older brother.


    However, struggling alone with no background at Mount Hua was difficult and cruel.


    Although they were fellow disciples, the others had absolutely no feelings of kinship with him. Instead, they went so far as to look down upon Woo-Gang for being an uneducated peasant from the country and try to keep him in check.


    It didn¡¯t even matter to them whether Woo-Gang intended to be the next Master of the Mount Hua Sect. The only thing that had mattered was the fact that Woo-Gang had be a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect¡¯s master based solely on his own talent.


    Thus, the worse life at Mount Hua became, the more the feelings of resentment toward Woo-Moon festered.


    At first, it was only, <i>¡®Why did he be an idiot? It would be nice if he coulde to his senses.¡¯</i>


    However, as time passed by and his hardships only worsened, his feelings also turned darker and darker, morphing into <i>¡®I¡¯m having such a hard time, what the hell is he doing? What, is he just livingfortably at home while ying the fool? He¡¯s so pathetic!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Ah, yes. You¡¯re right. I was a horrible son and brother.¡±


    It was only then that Woo-Moon stopped punching his brother, and upon hearing those words, Woo-Gang red at him with bloodshot eyes and responded with venom, ¡°What, you only just realized that?¡±


    ¡°Of course I realized it a while ago. That¡¯s why I feel so much guilt toward our parents...and to you, too. However, my guilt is my guilt, and that doesn¡¯t mean I can just let your disrespect slide,¡± Woo-Moon said as he raised a hand and pointed toward Woo-Gang¡¯s face. ¡°How did you act when you ran into me at the Goryang ins the other day?¡±


    Even though their eyes met on that day, Woo-Gang simply pretended not to know him.


    1. Here, the author specifies ¡°Jin-Jin, Sang-Woon, and the three Song men.¡± In East Asia, there is a separation of family bloodlines¡ªtechnically, only the men are a part of the lineage. The women marry in, and thus, Jin-Jin and Sang-Woon don¡¯t count as Song family members proper. ?

 Chapter 37. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (12)

    <h4>Chapter 37. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (12)</h4>


    ¡°What, back then? I wasn¡¯t the one in the wrong there! You¡¯re the one who came out of the red-light district! What, you go straight to chasing after harlots right after you recover from being an idiot? Do you expect me to greet you with a smile after seeing something like that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your reason? So that¡¯s why you would go so far as to pretend not to know your own hyung, your flesh and blood? Is that really what family does? Also, I entered the red-light district byplete ident. I didn¡¯t even do anything while I was there, either. Wait, no! You know what, let¡¯s say I did it! Let¡¯s assume I went out drinking and whoring! Do you really think that being a <i>family</i> means ignoring each other and turning away from your kin because they did something wrong?¡±


    ¡°N...no, that¡¯s not it...¡±


    ¡°These days, you don¡¯t even call me hyung anymore. Where¡¯s the respect for your elder brother?¡±


    Not knowing what to say, Woo-Gang just kept his mouth shut.


    ¡°No, no, no, it makes sense. Because I¡¯m the hyung<i> </i>that goes to the red-light district and is an embarrassment to you, and that¡¯s why you¡¯ve been keeping me a secret from your amazing Mount Hua <i>brothers</i>, right? You probably hate me for having been a fool and you¡¯re ashamed that I even exist, so how could you consider me your brother anymore?¡±


    Listening to Woo-Moon¡¯s harsh words, Woo-Gang strangely felt strangely stuffy and ufortable inside, even though he was no longer being beaten physically, and tears once more spilled out from his eyes. He wanted to refute something, <i>anything</i>, but he couldn¡¯t find a single thing he could say. So he just cried, his mouth mped shut.


    The stark, cold voice of his elder brother continued to enter his ears and pierce through his heart.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re right, Woo-Gang. If you really think that way, there¡¯s nothing I can do. Let¡¯s not be siblings anymore. I¡¯m just sorry that I failed you. The only thing I can do now is sever our brotherly ties like you wished.¡±


    Woo-Gang had been listening to Woo-Moon¡¯s words in a daze, and it took a moment for their frightening meaning to sink in. Then, his face instantly turned pale.


    ¡°Wh...what? What the hell are you talking about?¡±


    Ignoring Woo-Gang''s startled cry, Woo-Moon mercilessly turned around and returned to the inn.


    <i>''Let''s break our brotherly ties.''</i>


    Those words shook Woo-Gang''s heart.


    <i>¡®Is that really what I wanted? N... no. That¡¯s... that¡¯s not it.¡¯</i>


    He remembered when he and his brother would y happily when they were little¡ªhis hyung scolding the children who bullied him, and himselfter beating up the same children, who now teased his brother for bing weak.


    He recalled all of the memories of the days when they were young, eating together, running around together, doing anything and everything together.


    He remembered the sight of his brother, who had be a fool by that point, running around excitedly like a child on the rare asions he woulde home from training at the Mount Hua Sect, greeting him with the biggest smile.


    All of these memories passed through Woo-Gang¡¯s mind in but moments, and before Woo-Moon had even taken ten steps, tears cascaded from Woo-Gang¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not it. Don¡¯t be like that...¡± said Woo-Gang, Woo-Moon¡¯s dear little brother, as he wiped his eyes with his sleeve.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go, hyung-ah.[1] I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m the one who was wrong. That¡¯s not what I meant. Don¡¯t be like this. I''m sorry...please, please don¡¯t go.¡±


    At his younger brother¡¯s tearful voice, Woo-Moon stopped in ce and sighed. He looked back, his eyes also red.


    ¡°Hyung, please don¡¯t go. Please. I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t...I won¡¯t ever be disrespectful anymore, hyung. I won¡¯t ever pretend not to know you anymore. I was wrong, it was all me.¡±


    ¡°Whew... you stupid little tyke.


    Woo-Moon walked up to Woo-Gang and hugged him tightly.


    ¡°You little brat. How could such a manly man cry like this? There, there, stop crying.¡±


    In an instant, Woo-Gang¡¯s mind was once more flooded by the forgotten memories of his childhood.


    He had been a troublemaker when he was young, and whenever he had done something wrong, his older brother had scolded him like this.


    Of course, there had been times when Woo-Gang had been stronger than Woo-Moon. However, for younger brothers, there was always something more than just strength thaty in the fists of their older siblings.


    That was why, to Woo-Gang, his older brother had always seemed bigger and more scary than anyone else.


    Back then, whenever he would finally burst into tears after being scolded like this, his older brother would always stop scolding him, then gently hug him and soothe him, calming him down. And now, he was doing the same.


    Even after all this time, nothing had changed.


    The moment Woo-Gang realized that, he burst into tears again.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry... <i>h</i>, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine, Woo-Gang. I¡¯ve already forgotten everything.¡±


    It seemed that Woo-Gang had been hurt so much from being neglected by his older brother for so long that it had turned to resentment. Fortunately, things seemed to be getting back into ce.


    Woo-Moon patted his younger brother on the back as he waited for him to calm down. He had gone for this shameless and abrupt approach as he had wanted Woo-Gang toe to his senses as soon as possible. Luckily, it had worked out.


    Seeing how Woo-Gang responded, Woo-Moon was very happy, and he felt that his brother hadn¡¯t changed at all from when he was younger. His own eyes stung a little as he looked at Woo-Gang.


    After some time, Woo-Gang finally calmed down enough to ask his brother what had happened to him.


    ¡°By the way, hyung, how did you learn martial arts? I heard that there were some martial arts hidden within the strokes of thendscape painting, but I don¡¯t know anything more.¡±


    As there hadn¡¯t been much conversation between the two, there were many things that Woo-Gang still was curious about.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll exin it.¡±


    Woo-Moon slowly talked about what he had been through¡ªhow he had met with the Daoist immortal, how he had be a fool, and how he hade back to his senses. As he listened to the story, Woo-Gang shook his head with a nk look in his eyes.


    ¡°How crazy. To think you learned martial arts from andscape painting you received from a legendary immortal who walked through the air... that really is a story that no one would ever believe.¡±


    Woo-Gang was really surprised by the opportunity that hade to this brother and admittedly somewhat envious, but more importantly, he was filled with gratitude for it all.


    Gratitude that this opportunity hade to his older brother and not to anyone else.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough about me, I want to hear about what happened to you. How have you been holding up at the Mount Hua Sect?¡±


    ¡°Ah...well, about that....¡±


    Woo-Gang told him the entire story. Everything from when he had first joined Mount Hua to the kind of rtionship he had with his fellow disciples.


    <i>¡®Those motherfuckers!¡¯</i>


    Listening to his younger brother''s story, Woo-Moon felt rage growing inside him. Woo-Gang deliberately tried to leave out the more damning parts of the story, as he expected such a reaction from Woo-Moon, but because of Woo-Moon¡¯s persistence, he couldn¡¯t help but exin it all in detail.


    After much questioning, he uncovered the names of the two disciples who had taken the initiative to harass and bully him, Yu Cho and Hyeon Mu-Cheol.


    Thinking about them, Woo-Moon ground his teeth.


    <i>¡®Fine, Yu Cho and Hyeon Mu-Cheol, was it? I¡¯ll remember you. You dare touch my little brother? I¡¯ll make you pay for it in teeth.¡¯</i>


    Making sure to etch their names in his mind, Woo-Moon got up from his seat.


    ¡°It¡¯s time, let¡¯s go back. The adults must be worried.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, hyung.¡±


    Upon returning home, they found their parents and grandfather waiting for them.


    ¡°Ah, how good, you came right on time. Your grandfather says he has something he wanted to tell us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing too serious, I just wanted to ask how you all would feel about moving out of here.¡±


    ¡°Pardon? Moving?¡±


    Dae-Woong made a puzzled expression, while Woo-Moon asked, ¡°Are you talking about going to the Iron Sword Baek Family?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Rumors travel fast in tge <i>gangho</i>, so the fact that the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s family lives in Unhan will eventually be revealed one day. If that happens, it¡¯ll be inconvenient to live here, in more ways than one. There will be those who visit you with malicious intentions, those whoe over just to see what sort of family the Palm Martial Emperor has, and even those who woulde snooping around and asking you to teach them martial arts. Really, all kinds of idiots are going toe here for you.¡±


    Sang-Woon wasn¡¯t wrong.


    Woo-Gang, who had been worried about this and tried to hide the fact that his family lived in Unhan as much as possible, understood what his grandfather was saying right away. Just the fact that they were the family of a Mount Hua disciple was enough to cause a storm of trouble, much less being the family of the Palm Martial Emperor...


    That was why when his grandfather brought up possibly moving them all into his mother¡¯s ancestral home, the home of the Iron Sword Baek Family, Woo-Gang nodded enthusiastically.


    As one of the Three Great Sword Families, the Iron Sword Baek Family had been renowned for a long time. Although it was now in a state of declinepared to the past, it would still be much better to be with the Iron Sword Baek Family than to stay in Unhan.


    ¡°Most importantly, are you not my daughter, are you not my son-inw, and are you two not my grandsons? It only makes sense for you all toe to my family.¡±


    Dae-Woong blinked and looked over at his wife.


    <i>¡®What do you want to do?¡¯</i>


    Jin-Jin, thinking for a moment, answered her husband¡¯s unspoken question.


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult for us to decide just like that. Can we take some time to think?¡±


    ¡°Sure. We can stay here for a few weeks anyway, so think about it in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Yes, father.¡±


    The next morning, after a good conversation with Dae-Woong, Jin-Jin agreed to move to the Baek Family. Although there were some things she was ufortable about, now that her two sons had be people of the <i>murim</i>, there was no avoiding it, and they couldn¡¯t live a normal life in the countryside any longer.


    Woo-Moon mused to himself as he swept the front of the inn with a broom.


    <i>¡®So, we¡¯re going to the Iron Sword Baek Family, then...¡¯</i>


    A little bit of excitement and anticipation bloomed within him. However, it wasn¡¯t because his mother¡¯s family was called a Great Family and had incredible wealth and power. No, it was more than that¡ªhis excitement and anticipation stemmed from a pure curiosity regarding martial arts.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s supposed to be a ce for people like me¡ªfor swordsmen! What kind of sword art does my mother¡¯s family use? I can¡¯t wait to see it...¡¯</i>


    At that time, the sound of a thunderous roar came to Woo-Moon¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Ha-a-eup!¡±


    Following the roar was the sound of a heavy blow.


    Woo-Moon went out to the small vacant lot behind the inn, where the sound wasing from.


    ¡°You stupid brat, don¡¯t just use your strength recklessly and actually think carefully about what I said as you move.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Father-inw!¡±


    In front of Sang-Woon¡¯s watchful gaze, Dae-Woong was punching arge rice straw doll.


    <i>¡®So he¡¯s practicing a fist art, then.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Everything in the world is built upon a strong foundation. Woo-Gang did the same, and so did I. Well, everyone but Woo-Moon, but he¡¯s a special case. Moreover, judging from your aptitude, rather than a sword, it seems the fist will bring out...Oi, straighten your back! Stop beingzy!¡±


    ¡°I will fix it, Father-inw!¡±


    Although Dae-Woong had entered the world of martial artste, Woo-Moon still expected that his father would achieve outstanding results in the future, as his grandfather had already exined everything to him.


    <i>¡®Grandfather said something about a tremendous amount of energy from an elixir hidden deep within father¡¯s body, right? On top of that, although his veins and such are a mess right now, his veins will be cleared quickly because of the bone and marrow cleansing he had when he was younger.¡¯</i>


    Although he looked dull on the outside, in truth, Dae-Woong wasn¡¯t dumb in the slightest; it was just that his reckless, clumsy demeanor and his sheer dislike of socialplexities made him seem that way.


    As evidence of this, Dae-Woong showed a remarkable memory when his father-inw asked him to memorize a qi cultivation method. Of course,pared to Jin-Jin, or the two brothers who inherited her blood, Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang, Dae-Woong was somewhat inferior, but he was by no means untalented.


    With the Palm Martial Emperor agreeing to teach him, Dae-Woong had thus begun to learn martial arts from his father-inw.


    The qi cultivation method he had been taught was the Titan Qi Art, the qi cultivation method of the Mountain-Splitting Woodcutter, who was said to have been an Absolute Master two centuries back, while the martial art he was learning was the Thirty-Six Iron-Shattering Fists, a closebat art that had been created by the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon himself.


    The Titan Qi Art and the Thirty-Six Iron-Shattering Fists were both arts of the highest level, incredible methods that could even surpass the Absolute realm.


    Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang also learned the foundations behind the Titan Qi Art and the Thirty-Six Iron Shattering Fists alongside their father, with significant gains.


    Woo-Moon, who had been watching his father¡¯s training, eventually asked Sang-Woon something he had been curious about for some time.


    ¡°By the way, Grandfather, when will you give me back the Pure Stctite Milk?¡±


    Sang-Woon red at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°You little brat! What, are you already thinking of cutting corners and using the elixir to grow stronger?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that it would be useless by the time I got to your level, grandfather? If that¡¯s the case, then it makes sense to use it while I¡¯m still weak, no?¡±


    1. Growing up, a lot of children can¡¯t properly pronounce ¡°hyung¡± as it is, and theypensate by adding an -ah to most words that end in -g. Woo-Gang here is reverting to his childhood self, who would call out to his elder brother this way. ?

 Chapter 38. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (13)

    <h4>Chapter 38. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (13)</h4>


    ¡°For such a young brat, you sure run your mouth like a river. All flowery words, no substance. Either way, now is not the time.¡±


    ¡°<i>Tsk</i>. Fine, I understand.¡±


    Woo-Moon backed down easier than Sang-Woon had expected.


    But from Woo-Moon¡¯s perspective, while it would be a lie to say that he had no desire to consume the Pure Stctite Milk, it wasn¡¯t as if he was obsessed with it either.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m already busy enough making sense of all the martial arts techniques I¡¯m learning already. I need to focus on that now.¡¯</i>


    Stepping away from where Sang-Woon was teaching Dae-Woong, Woo-Moon returned to his room and sat cross-legged. He focused on the Forbidden Divine Art and started to slowly and intently circte his qi.


    The qi of the Forbidden Divine Art, which had been naturally circting within his body on its own before, began to move more actively, with great vigor, as if it was happy to see a good friend after being alone for a good while.


    As it circted, the enormous power of the Forbidden Divine Art began to express itself. The energy produced by this art was so incredible that it made his otherwise vast qi pathways seem narrow inparison.


    While there was nothing more foolish than trying to estimate one¡¯s internal qi with just numbers, if Woo-Moon were forced topare it to the standards of those in the <i>gangho</i>, his Forbidden Divine Art could be said to be already approaching the First ss realm.


    Of course, just as the adage goes, great muscles do not mean one is strong. The same was true with qi.


    It was surprisinglymon for someone who had reached First ss with a low-level qi cultivation method to be unable to ovee someone with just ten years¡¯ worth of a purer qi cultivated using a top-tier method.[1] However, as Woo-Moon''s qi had reached a purity level that even Absolute Masters would admire, he didn¡¯t have to worry about that part.


    After cultivating the Forbidden Divine Art for some time, Woo-Moon then directly went toy on his bed and begin his visualization.


    The main thing he focused on was the Gentle Celestial Sword Art. Among its techniques, he could now use the North Wind and Cold Snow, from which he had derived the Raging Wind Palm, the Heavy Rain Fist, and the Northern Wind Steps.


    Creating martial arts was generally something that could only be done when one had trained in martial arts for a long time¡ªin other words, only after bing a great master. Thus, for Woo-Moon to create such skills at his age was something that had never been seen before in the history of the <i>murim,</i> something that everyone thought impossible.


    The reason he was able to perform such an incredible feat was that the Forbidden Divine Art and the Gentle Celestial Sword were truly excellent methods. In addition, thanks to his Sr Physique, Woo-Moon¡¯sprehension was at a level where it would be difficult to find anyoneparable in the <i>gangho</i>.


    In addition, as he had spent all of the time he had been absorbed in thendscape painting practicing the two methods without care of day or night, it could also be considered that he had spent his training time ten times more efficiently than others.


    That was how he had created these transcendental techniques¡ªthe Raging Wind Palm, the Heavy Rain Fist, and the Northern Wind Steps¡ªon his own.


    ¡°<i>Whew</i>. There goes my cultivation for the day. Now, let¡¯s try to analyze the contest between Grandfather and the Night Spear Devil.¡±


    Muttering to himself, Woo-Moon first mentally drew an image of the battle between his grandfather and the Night Spear Devil, and through the insights he gained from recreating their battle, he attempted to unravel some of the mysteries of the Gentle Celestial Sword.


    However, he quickly realized that there was something wrong with his method, and it was only after struggling for a while that he realized that he was doing things in the wrong order.


    Thus, he used what he knew about the Gentle Celestial Sword as the base to resolve some of his confusion about the battle between his grandfather and the Night Spear Devil. Indeed, things that had been starting to frustrate him immediately became much easier to understand.


    <i>¡®Ah, much better...¡¯</i>


    In Woo-Moon¡¯s head, things continued to break apart, and reform as new ideas emerged.


    Through this method, he was able to see through everything he hadn¡¯t noticed the first time around, things that he hadn¡¯t even been able to detect when he visualized the battle normally. As he analyzed the martial arts of his grandfather and the Night Spear Devil and noticed their core aspects, he began to sense the high and distant truths of martial arts.


    As he gained new enlightenment, Woo-Moon''s body slowly rose upward, without him being aware.


    His mastery of the Gentle Celestial Sword had just grown by another tier, and his Forbidden Divine Art resonated in response, making him fall into a state of floating trance[2].


    At that moment, Sang-Woon, who had been watching Dae-Woong¡¯s posture, suddenly looked over at Woo-Moon¡¯s room on the second floor and muttered to himself in disbelief.


    ¡°What a monster. He may be my grandson, but isn¡¯t this a little too much? It feels like he¡¯ll reach my level in just a bit.¡±


    As Sang-Woon muttered to himself, Dae-Woong lowered his hands ever so slightly.


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that your son is a genius, you idiot! Are you deaf?! Wait, where do you think you are to ck like this? Do it properly!¡±


    Sang-Woon¡¯s attitude toward Dae-Woong waspletely different when Jin-Jin was aroundpared to when she wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Dae-Woong immediately snapped to life with a mixture of surprise and fear in his voice. He punched forward again as he felt like he would die otherwise. Because he had punched with so much strength and so many times, his knuckles had been worn bare, and blood streamed from between his clenched fingers.


    However, to his dismay, his father-inw refused to let him stop, stating that this was the bare minimum in learning martial arts.


    <i>¡®But did he just say my son is a genius? Who could he be talking about? It¡¯s probably Woo-Gang, right?¡¯</i> Dae-Woong thought to himself.


    When night came, Sang-Woon would turn his attention to Woo-Gang and teach him martial arts. Of course, as Woo-Gang was a disciple of Mount Hua, he wasn¡¯t allowed to take a person from another faction as his master without permission. However, his maternal grandfather, Sang-Woon, could be considered an exception.


    The Palm Martial Emperor had an insatiable curiosity and a great desire to explore any martial arts that he didn¡¯t know. Therefore,pared to other Absolute Masters of his era, he was considered to be much more knowledgeable in a variety of martial arts. It was easy for him to pick some of the martial arts he knew that wouldn¡¯t conflict with what Woo-Gang had previously learned.


    On the other hand, Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t currently in a ce where his martial prowess would improve even if he were to be taught any new techniques. Thus, Sang-Woon had simply told him toe and ask him if he found himself at an impasse.


    While the men of the Song family were working diligently on their martial arts training, Jin-Jin wasn¡¯t sitting idly, either.


    She was in a weakened state, simr to how Woo-Moon had once been. With the help of Sang-Woon, her internal injuries had been healed, and her blocked qi pathways cleared. However, her body had be far weaker as a side effect of her internal injuries, and it was unable to keep up with the power of her qi.


    She would only be able to use her qi to protect her own body using her cultivation once she had a basic level of conditioning, but at this moment, Jin-Jin¡¯s body was much weaker than the average human¡¯s, let alone a martial artist¡¯s.


    Thus, Jin-Jin trained her body consistently as she had first done as a child starting on the martial path. She was essentially training just like her husband was, but as she had already gone down this path once, her martial arts skills improved much faster. Also of great help was the energy of the Pure Stctite Milk that remained after healing her internal injuries, which greatly aided the restoration of her capabilities.


    ***


    Ten days had passed since Woo-Moon had experienced a sudden epiphany, falling into a trance.


    <i>¡®...we have about five days left, then.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon suddenly remembered the events that had happened over at the Leebi Merchant Guild. He had forgotten about it in the meantime, busy with his training. He thus left home in the morning to head toward the guild¡¯s headquarters. However, when he arrived, he saw that the guild wasn¡¯t as vibrant as it had used to be.


    As there had been so many people who had joined Chae Noh-Cheol¡¯s side that day and betrayed the guild, there were only about a dozen people left. It was such a small number of people that not only were they unable to continue with their merchant activities, but even the act of maintaining the manor was overwhelming.


    In other words, the Leebi Merchant Guild was essentially ruined.


    However, what surprised Woo-Moon even more than the disarray was that the people sweeping the yard were wearing mourning clothes.


    <i>¡®It can¡¯t be...can it?¡¯</i>


    With a very ominous feeling weighing on his mind, Woo-Moon lowered his head politely and spoke to a servant who, busy cleaning, had not noticed him yet.


    "Excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah! Young Hero Song!¡±


    The servant¡¯s face lit up with joy as he realized who Woo-Moon was. Woo-Moon¡¯s concern lessened as he saw that, and he felt a little relieved.


    ¡°Why are you wearing mourning clothes?¡±


    The servant''s face darkened again.


    ¡°It¡¯s because we are still in the mourning period. After what had happened that day, the Guild Master suffered for four days before eventually... He was already sick, you know....¡±


    Woo-Moon felt a wave of sorrow hearing the servant¡¯s words.


    ¡°I see.... Do you mind letting the Deputy Guild Master know that I havee to visit her?¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The servant went into the main house for a moment and spoke with someone beforeing back out.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Young Hero Song. The Deputy Guild Master, unfortunately, isn¡¯t in a state where she can receive guests at the moment...¡±


    She had clearly suffered quite the shock when her father died.


    ¡°I guess there¡¯s nothing we can do. I understand. If you could please convey a message to the Deputy Guild Master... Please tell her that I offer my condolences and that I wish her all the best through these trying times. I hope she finds the power within her to brave through.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Young Hero Song.¡±


    After saying that, the servant began to move toward the main house again.


    ¡°Just one more thing. By chance, do you know where Sir Jo Mu-Jae is?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Sir Jo is over there.¡±


    Woo-Moon walked over to the direction indicated by the servant and met with Jo Mu-Jae.


    ¡°Young Hero Song!¡± Mu-Jae met him with cupped hands.


    After a brief greeting, Woo-Moon brought up his reason foring to visit the guild.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you, but there is something I would like to know. When Noh-Cheol tried to kill us, he used poison. Do you have any idea where he obtained it?¡±


    There was no way that Noh-Cheol could have concocted such a poison by himself. Thus, he had clearly received it from someone else. Woo-Moon had already dealt with Noh-Cheol, but that was not the end of it. He had to find the one behind the poison and make sure that the matter was properly closed.


    <i>¡®</i>Nobody<i> dares to try to kill my family and gets away with it. And even if my family isn¡¯t the target, those who recklessly make and sell such catastrophic poisons should be dealt with,¡¯</i> Woo-Moon thought, thinking in part to those that had been killed without reason by the Venomous Devil¡¯s poison at Goryang ins.


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what this is about. Actually, I have also been researching the source of the poison. From our investigation, it turned out that Noh-Cheol¡¯s cousin is the head of the Inksmoke Gang. As we¡¯ve discovered evidence of him meeting with his cousin not too long ago, we¡¯re pretty sure that¡¯s where he got the poison.¡±


    ¡°The Inksmoke Gang... what sort of organization is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a medium sized power of the ck Hand in Guangdong Province. Like the rest of the ck Hand, they are a disgusting bunch.¡±


    However Woo-Moon still had something on his mind. ¡®<i>The Inksmoke Gang... the Inksmoke Gang?¡¯</i> He remembered having heard it somewhere.


    <i>¡®Ah! That¡¯s right.¡¯</i>


    When Woo-Moon was young, most of the children his age that weren¡¯t training to continue their family businesses entered either the Guan-Un Martial Hall, the Cheol-Ho Martial Hall, or the Leebi Merchant Guild.


    On rare asions, however, some of the children left for other ces.


    Excluding Woo-Gang, the one who had been the most sessful among the children who had gone to another ce was Choo Moon-Hwi, who had be a disciple of the Southern Mount Heng Sect. As for the one who had gone the worst route, that was Yeop Ji-Jil, the second son of the Cheol-Ho Martial Hall Master.


    Yeop Ji-Jil1, who had been quietly ostracized among the children due to his bad temperament since childhood, had ended up entering the Inksmoke Gang, which was part of the evil faction of the ck Hand.


    <i>¡®It seems I¡¯m nowpletely at odds with that bastard. I mean, I did kinda cripple his father.¡¯</i>


    However, Woo-Moon had no regrets over what he had done. Yeop Gu-Saeng was a man who had been blinded by wealth and had tried to ughter the people of the Leebi Merchant Guild. As for the man¡¯s son, he and other children had bullied Woo-Moon when he had been an idiot.


    As those events urred when Woo-Moon was a lunatic staring at a painting, it took him some time to remember what had happened.


    ¡°...Young Hero?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Sorry, I got lost in thought for a moment. Anyways, thank you so much for speaking with me.¡±


    ¡°It was nothing, Young Hero Song.¡±


    However, Mu-Jae¡¯splexion was dark when he answered. Information regarding that day¡¯s events was sure to have already reached Noh-Cheol¡¯s cousin, and after hearing what had happened, the Inksmoke Gang was likely to take revenge. Thus, Mu-Jae was afraid of the actions the Inksmoke Gang would take.


    Leaving him behind, Woo-Moon left the Leebi Merchant Guild, traveled to the market in Unhan, and proceeded to question the first person he met. Where was the Inksmoke Gang and how could he get there?


    Finally, after gathering all the information he needed and making his preparations, Woo-Moon left Unhan before the dawn fog hadpletely vanished. He headed to Jeolnan, in Guangdong Province, where the Inksmoke Gang was located.


    ***


    As Woo-Moon traveled fast using the Northern Wind Steps, he suddenly felt someone following him.


    <i>¡®Who is it?¡¯</i>


    Turning back, he was surprised to see Hyeon Yu-Yeon¡ªa member of the Mount Hua party that he had met at Goryang ins. She was said to be the golden child of the Mount Hua sect master.


    <i>¡®Why is she following me?¡¯</i>


    1. At this point, it hasn¡¯t been exined yet how long normal cultivation takes, so this doesn¡¯t say much. ?


    2. The original term here is ¸¡¿ÕÈýÃÁ, which seems to be a term coined by fantasy authors. There is ¿ÕÈýÃÁ (shunyata samadhi) that literally means ¡°empty/void trance¡± and is a state that both Buddhist and Yogi aim to reach. ?

 Chapter 39. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (14)

    <h4>Chapter 39. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (14)</h4>


    Although Woo-Moon was curious, he didn¡¯t bother to stop and talk.


    If, by chance, the girl wasn¡¯t following him and just happened to be on the same path, he would only be putting himself in an awkward situation.


    Woo-Moon cleared his mind about Hyeon Yu-Yeon following him and focused only on exploring the Northern Wind Steps.


    <i>¡®Aha! If I circte my qi like this and explode forth right at this moment, I¡¯ll be able to travel even faster! Yes, yes, just like this... my footwork needs to be like this, too!¡¯</i>


    Although he had created the Northern Wind Steps himself, he had yet to leisurely put it into practice like this. Now that he was fully focusing on testing the Northern Wind Steps, which he had only ever done in his imagination, he was able to feel and understand it a lot more. His speed was slowly going up, bit by bit.


    Yu-Yeon had been staying near Unhan, intending on observing Song Woo-Gang¡¯s biological family, including the Palm Emperor. She was indeed following Woo-Moon, but it was out of sheer curiosity. Thus, she had seen the young hero inquiring into the Inksmoke Gang and then suddenly leaving the vige.


    Following Woo-Moon because it looked fun, she wasn¡¯t worried in any way about losing track of him even though he seemed to be working on a movement technique, as what Yu-Yeon was most confident in was her movement technique.


    As expected, she wasn¡¯t struggling in any way, and she was able to follow just by using her own Pure Cloud Steps.


    However, as they continued forward, Woo-Moon¡¯s speed was only increasing.


    <i>¡®What is this? How is that movement technique both stable and evolving so rapidly?¡¯</i>[1]


    Yu-Yeon quickly increased her qi flow, taking the Pure Cloud Steps from the first level to the second. Moreover, she only stayed on the second level for a moment, even going so far as to move to the third level directly.


    She had initially written off Woo-Moon, who, although he was the Palm Emperor¡¯s grandson, had not established any sort of reputation yet, even at his age. Moreover, from what she had heard in Unhan, he had even been called the vige idiot till not so long ago. Naturally, she had looked down on him, heavily disregarding his abilities.


    As his speed gradually increased, she thought to herself, <i>¡®Oh ho, how impressive. He¡¯s be faster.¡¯</i>


    It didn¡¯t take long for her thoughts to change entirely, however, as she had to go up to the seventh level of the Pure Cloud Steps in order to even keep up with his speed.


    <i>¡®W-what the hell is he?! I thought he was called the vige idiot until just a short time ago! There were only a few people in that vige who even knew he had some kind of martial arts training! Just how is he this fast?!¡¯</i>


    Then, when she had eventually surpassed even the tenth level and couldn¡¯t even keep up even after reaching the twelfth step of the Pure Cloud Steps, Yu-Yeon stopped in ce and felt a severe sense of defeat and despondency, with a sense of betrayal even mixed in.


    <i>¡®T-that bastard! He was a hidden expert! He must have known from the very beginning that I was following him! What a snide little asshole! He even pretended not to notice and just gradually increased his speed just to mess with me!¡¯</i>


    Because of her excessive use of her movement technique, Yu-Yeon had even suffered some minor internal injuries. She had never felt so infuriated in her life, even going so far as to grit her teeth and say, ¡°You evil bastard. You...you dare to y with me?! Let¡¯s see if I let this go!¡±


    She already knew that Woo-Moon was heading to the Inksmoke Gang, so even if she lost sight of him, she had nothing to worry about. She could just catch up to him if she went to the Inksmoke Gang.


    * * *


    From the beginning of the day, Yeop Ji-Jil had been sitting on the second floor, drinking and looking out the window, thinking that his life was truly satisfactory.


    Immediately after he had joined the Inksmoke Gang, he had been fortunate enough to be assigned to the brothel department, so now he spent every day listening to beautiful women calling him ¡®big brother.¡¯


    ¡°<i>Ahhhh!</i> It¡¯s so nice~¡±


    It really was a good thing that he had left his home and joined the Inksmoke Gang.


    People who didn¡¯t know anything thought that the Inksmoke Gang was involved in many dangerous things as a part of the ck Hand, but that couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. The power of the Inksmoke Gang in this region was truly great, however, so much so that people on the street would start kowtowing whenever a warrior of the Inksmoke Gang would bluster about with a scary look on his face.


    Under these conditions, even though he was still the youngest and his martial skills were still weak even after five years after joining the gang, things were going quite fine.


    ¡°You! Go get me some water.¡±


    ¡°Pardon? Me?¡±


    ¡°What, do you need me to smack you to know I¡¯m talking to you? Hurry up and get it.¡±


    ¡°I mean, you should be ordering Jeom So-Yi. Why are you ordering me...¡±


    His only subordinate went down the steps, muttering as Ji-Jil sipped his drink again as he looked down the street nonchntly. Suddenly, he saw someone rather familiar walking by his window.


    ¡°Huh? Wait, is that bastard.... Isn¡¯t that the idiot Woo-Moon?¡±


    Although he was momentarily happy to see someone from his hometown while in a foreign city, Ji-Jil¡¯s first thought was that this was an opportunity to establish his authority by kicking Woo-Moon around in front of his subordinates. This way, the bastards would start behaving a little.


    <i>¡®If I step on that guy, they¡¯ll be more afraid of me, right?¡¯</i>


    Ji-Jil was thrilled to be given such a great asion to establish dominance, but he was soon left absolutely disappointed; in the short time it had taken for him to go down the stairs, Woo-Moon had disappeared.


    ¡°W-what the hell? You b-bastard. Wh-where did you go?¡±


    Ji-Jil had developed a habit of stuttering whenever he was embarrassed or anxious.


    ¡°D-damn it.¡±


    As Ji-Jil scratched his head, he went upstairs and sat down in his recliner again. He had no idea that the object of his ire, Woo-Moon, had just jumped over the wall of the Inksmoke Gang¡¯s stronghold. He quickly found his way to thergest building and hid himself from sight.


    ***


    ¡°Boss! Are you really going to be like this?¡± said Deputy Head Chae Oh-Cheol, Chae Noh-Cheol¡¯s paternal cousin and the right-hand man of Bang Mu-Shim, the head of the Inksmoke Gang.


    He red over at Mu-Shim, who didn¡¯t even blink at his suggestion that they go and immediately bury the members of the Leebi Merchant Guild.


    ¡°Who the hell do you think you¡¯re ring at, you bastard?! Do you wanna die? Tell me straight, who is that bastard Chae Noh-Cheol or whatever? Is he your son or your dad or what? How do you think it would look if I had the entire Inksmoke Gang move out just because your dumbass cousin kicked the fucking bucket?¡±


    <i>¡®You bastard, how dare you deny me this single favor after all I¡¯ve done for you?!¡¯</i> Oh-Cheol thought in his heart. The words that came out of his mouth, however, were in apletely different tone.


    ¡°The girl from the Leebi Merchant Guild is an incredible beauty. Let me tell you, if everyone talks about her beauty to this extent even though she always wears a veil, then how beautiful is she actually? At the very least, she wouldn¡¯t lose to your wives or concubines.¡±


    These words piqued the interest of Mu-Shim, who always lusted after a new toy.


    ¡°Oh, oh, is that so?¡±


    ¡°Sure is! Just think about it! We can just go, trample those bastards, take all they have, and bring her back to make her your fourth wife!¡±


    Mu-Shim mused on the idea for a moment.


    <i>¡®He said that the guild was pretty much ruined already, right? Although this bastard is worried about that young brat or whatever who took care of those merchant warriors and martial hall disciples by himself... You can¡¯tpare our gang members with those country bumpkins.¡¯</i>


    Even if they were to use only half of the power of the Inksmoke Gang, he was sure that they could easily overturn all of Unhan. Mu-Shim couldn¡¯t care less about that mysterious young genius.


    ¡°<i>Ahem, ahem</i>. Now that I think about it, how many years have you been working so diligently as my right-hand man? There¡¯s no way I can forgive those bastards who killed your cousin. Alright, get up! Let¡¯s go to Unhan!¡±


    Mu-Shim was clearly just trying to justify his own lust. In spite of his superior¡¯s obvious intentions, however, Oh-Cheol said nothing.


    They were just about to get up and leave when a young man suddenly entered the inner courtyard of the hall.


    ¡°<i>Tsk</i>, really now. You people are absolutely disgusting. I just can¡¯t listen to you anymore.¡±


    At first nce, the young man didn''t look like an expert. Looking at him, Mu-Shim shouted, ¡°Who the hell are you? How did you get in here? Also, the hell did you say? Disgusting? You bastard, I¡¯m going to chop your head off and drink wine from your skull!¡±


    Bang Mu-Shim was the typical ck Hand type. He always made sure to pepper the opponent with slurs before anything else.


    Woo-Moon grinned, then he pointed a finger at himself and said, ¡°Me? Oh, no one important. I¡¯m just the Palm Emperor¡¯s grandson.¡±


    Mu-Shim and Oh-Cheol instinctively froze at the words ¡°the Palm Emperor.¡± Their next thought, naturally, was that the kid was trying to pull a fast one on them.


    ¡°W-what?¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy, you bastard? You¡¯re facing the King of Hell and you still spout bullshit?¡±


    There were definitely more than one or two people in this world who would go around bragging that they were so-and-so¡¯s son or so-and-so¡¯s grandson. With that said, Mu-Shim and Oh-Cheol werepletely dumbfounded at Woo-Moon¡¯s gall toe all the way to the Inksmoke Gang¡¯s main hall and say it to their faces.


    ¡°You little bastard! What, you have no one else to scam, so youe all the way here?¡±


    Woo-Moon shrugged. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t believe me, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±


    As Mu-Shim was pondering the best method to split Woo-Moon in half with his broadaxe, Woo-Moon slowly moved and stood in front of Oh-Cheol.


    ¡°Hey, you. I heard that you¡¯re the one who gave poison to Chae Noh-Cheol. He tried to use that poison to kill my family. What are you going to do? We have to even the score, right?¡±


    Oh-Cheol couldn''t help but be surprised by Woo-Moon''s words. It was true, he had given Noh-Cheol the poison himself as a favor. Noh-Cheol had been trying to swallow the Leebi Merchant Guild, and he had asked for the poison in order to deal with a person who stood in his way.


    ¡°Then, you¡¯re that bastard...!¡±


    The moment that Oh-Cheol started saying something, Woo-Moon suddenly stretched out his hand.


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i>


    Unlike Noh-Cheol, Oh-Cheol had learned martial arts. Granted, his skills weren¡¯t that outstanding, barely reaching the Second ss. Still, even with such meager skills, it was more than enough to show off in such a remote area.


    Although someone of this level would be ignored at best and seen with contempt at worst if they went to where the Justice Coalition, Hegemon n, or the ck Bull Gang interacted with their second-ss cultivation, in this remote area, this meager level of power would be considered fairly strong.


    Still, Oh-Cheol hadn¡¯t even been able to see how Woo-Moon moved.


    Moreover, he couldn¡¯t even understand how he was being held by the throat right now.


    Woo-Moon red coldly at Oh-Cheol.


    ¡°What, you even go so far as to try to exterminate a family that never had anything to do with you? How can you be this evil?¡±


    That Chae Oh-Cheol couldn¡¯t see Woo-Moon move was one thing, but it was the same for Mu-Shim, who could be said to be an upper-tier expert.


    <i>¡®The hell is up with that bastard?¡¯</i>


    As Mu-Shim was taking a good look at Woo-Moon, Oh-Cheol swung his arms wide to try to push Woo-Moon away.


    However, Woo-Moon simply let go of his throat and nonchntly stepped back. Both Oh-Cheol and Mu-Shim were puzzled.


    Sensing themotion, the Inksmoke Gang¡¯s subordinates btedly came running.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Head?¡±


    There were about 120 people in total, and among them was Ji-Jil, who had returned to the manor of the Inksmoke Gang in the meantime.


    ¡°Huh? What is this? Why is the vige idiot here? What are you doing?¡±


    Hearing those words, Woo-Moon frowned as he looked over at Ji-Jil¡¯s face.


    <i>¡®Ah, it¡¯s this guy. Hasn¡¯t he heard about his father?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s thoughts were right. Ji-Jil had practically disowned his father, Yeop Gu-Saeng, and he hadn¡¯t yet heard the news.


    ¡°What is this? Hey, stutterer. Do you know him?¡± Mu-Shim asked Ji-Jil.


    ¡°Yes! He¡¯s some kid I used to mess with when I was younger.¡±


    Mu-Shim had a vague idea who Ji-Jil was. He was one of the pieces of trash that he had identally epted among his gang members. Ji-Jil had said something about his father being the head of a martial hall, but as he didn¡¯t seem to be able to show off any martial skills properly, Mu-Shim had just left him to take care of the brothel.


    <i>¡®He actually got bullied by that stutterer? Him?¡¯</i>


    Mu-Shim red at Ji-Jil as if he couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°Really? Are you sure you aren¡¯t seeing it wrong?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure! Hey, you idiot! You¡¯re Song Woo-Moon, right?¡±


    Woo-Moon slowly grew angry.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m getting really tired of that bastard calling me an idiot.¡¯</i>


    Without hiding his anger, Woo-Moon spat through his teeth, ¡°Yes, I am precisely that idiot. Wanna keep calling me an idiot?¡±


    When he heard that Ji-Jil was right, Mu-Shim thought that he must have seen things wrong earlier, while Oh-Cheol felt that he must have let his guard down and made a ridiculous mistake.


    ¡°Ah, damn it. Fuck me. For a moment there, I really thought that he was a hidden master or something.¡±


    Mu-Shim was furious at the thought of being deceived by a guy who had suffered under the hand of a piece of trash who couldn¡¯t even speak well. He wanted to take care of Woo-Moon himself, but thinking that he had to save some face, he yelled at his subordinates instead.


    ¡°Hey! Damn it, kill that bastard!¡±


    The leader of the Inksmoke Gang¡¯s assault team, Do Gwi, responded, ¡°Understood, Boss! Boys, kill him!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to die, you fucking bastard!¡±


    ¡°How dare this son of a bitch make our hyung-nim angry?!!¡±


    As random shouts and curses colored the air of the inner courtyard, the members of the Inksmoke Gang rushed at Woo-Moon from all directions.


    ¡°<i>Tsk</i>, I think I¡¯ve heard more curses in this hall than in the rest of my life. Once I¡¯m done with you, I¡¯ll have to go home and wash my damn ears.¡±


    As he finished speaking, the members of the Inksmoke Gang swung their vicious weapons at him.


    To their shock, Woo-Moon¡¯s figure suddenly blurred and disappeared.


    "Huh?"


    While the guys who attacked first were embarrassed as they lost their target, Woo-Moon appeared in front of the person who had called him ¡®son of a bitch.¡¯


    ¡°You know what, I don¡¯t even care about anything else. But how dare you insult my mother?¡±


    Trantor¡¯s thoughts:


    Jeom So-Yi is another weird name. If you group it differently, <i>jeomso-yi</i> bes a glycoprotein that forms mucus.


    Bang Mu-Shim¡¯s name means ¡°to be ignored.¡± That worked out well for him.


    1. Generally, in <i>wuxia/murim</i> novels, you¡¯ll see cultivators warn others about practicing an iplete technique because it''s dangerous. Techniques that are stable while still having room for growth are rare treasures. ?

 Chapter 40. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (15)

    <h4>Chapter 40. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (15)</h4>


    Woo-Moon swung his sword in a wide arc with the scabbard still on.


    <i>Crack!!</i>


    The opponent¡¯s jaw shattered, sending his teeth flying through the air.


    ¡°Agh!!¡±


    The gang henchman was rolling around, crying as his blood sttered over the floor.


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    Rather than being scared, the other henchmen became even more frenzied after seeing the blood and rushed toward Woo-Moon fiercely.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    ¡°Where the hell did he go this time?¡±


    Even if a true cultivator were present, it would have been difficult for them to see through the illusions cast by Woo-Moon as he used the Divine Phantasm Step. How could some random thugs keep up?


    With his excellent memory, Woo-Moon went to find all of the henchmen who had sworn at him earlier.


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>!¡±


    ¡°It hurts!¡±


    ¡°Momma!!!¡±


    Every time Woo-Moon swung his sheathed sword, legs were broken, arms were crushed, and skin was torn apart by his sword wind.


    Of course, the people of the Inksmoke Gang were overall stronger than the enemies who had attacked the Leebi Merchant Guild. Even so, to someone like Woo-Moon, they were merely an army of slightly stronger ants.


    ¡°Oh, f¨Cfu¨C! What the hell are you bastards doing?! What¡¯s keeping you from handling a bastard like that?!¡± Mu-Shim shouted, frustrated.


    He was still caught up in the conversation that had urred between Yeop Ji-Jil and Woo-Moon earlier, leaving him unable to properly see the reality in front of his eyes. All he could think of was one thing.


    <i>¡®You bastard, aren¡¯t you the vige idiot?!¡¯</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s the end of the line, you bastard!¡± Do Gwi shouted excitedly as he rushed toward Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Where is that end of the line you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    <i>Bang!</i>


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    Do Gwi flew backward even faster than he had run forward, with blood spurting out of his broken nose.


    Meanwhile, a girl watched from a distance as Woo-Moon was making a mess.


    Hyeon Yu-Yeon had just arrived at the Inksmoke Gang moments before, after chasing after Woo-Moon in a spirited manner. Sitting on the wall, she watched Woo-Moon¡¯s actions with a sparkle in her eyes.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s quite impressive, huh? But isn¡¯t that the Divine Phantasm Steps of the Kunlun Sect? Howe?¡¯</i>


    It turned out that he was a great expert, surpassing even her.


    Watching Woo-Moon fight made Yu-Yeon understand it even more clearly.


    <i>¡®Hmmph! Either way, you¡¯re still a bad guy!¡¯</i>


    While cursing inwardly, Yu-Yeon watched Woo-Moon¡¯s actions with a serious expression on her face. Before she knew it, nearly all of the members of the Inksmoke Gang had fallen at the hands of Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®What sort of shit is this supposed to be?¡¯</i>


    The remaining henchmen finally got scared and slowly retreated from Woo-Moon, looking over at Mu-Shim and Oh-Cheol.


    ¡°Bos! Second boss! Please help us, hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°T-this bastard is stronger than we thought!¡±


    ¡°Please take revenge for us, boss!¡±


    Unfortunately for them, Mu-Shim had btedly realized that Woo-Moon was in fact a master.


    <i>¡®You bastards! What the hell do you expect me to do?¡¯</i>


    Although he thought that to himself, he still stepped forward after hesitating for a moment, feeling that he couldn¡¯t let himself be embarrassed in front of his subordinates.


    ¡°Um... H-how dare you do this to my men, you little brat? Let¡¯s see if you can keep prancing like that after I break your bones!¡±


    Oh-Cheol sighed in relief when the gang boss held up his broadaxe, ignoring thetter¡¯s somewhat awkward movement.


    <i>¡®Whew. I¡¯m saved.¡¯</i>


    Right as he was about to rx, he heard Mu-Shim speak once again.


    ¡°You know what? There¡¯s no need for me to go out of my way to catch a little bastard like that. Hey! My loyal deputy, go handle that kid!¡±


    <i>¡®You fucking asshole!¡¯</i> Oh-Cheol swore at Mu-Shim in his mind.


    ¡°Do you mean me, boss?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s no way I can step over you and fight first. You go and take care of everything. You can do it, right?¡±


    Within the ck Hand, everything was over once one lost face. If the head of the gang gave him an order but he was scared or withdrew without fighting, his henchmen would also ignore him.


    Gritting his teeth, Oh-Cheol nodded.


    ¡°Understood! Hey, idiot. Let¡¯s see how you deal with an expert¡±


    Oh-Cheol rushed toward Woo-Moon and swung his de.


    ¡°Yeah, whatever. You really are an expert at running your trashcan mouth, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    <i>Crack!</i>


    After simply countering Oh-Cheol''s sword and sending it flying, Woo-Moon struck Oh-Cheol¡¯s right shoulder with his sheathed sword. To no one¡¯s surprise, the shoulder bones shattered.


    ¡°Aaargh!¡±


    In just a single moment, as Oh-Cheol rolled around the ground and screamed, Mu-Shim¡¯s face turned gaunt and pale. He was drenched in a cold sweat, but to his credit, he still forced himself to take a step closer to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°T-that¡¯s better than I thought, runt! Let¡¯s see if you can keep that up after you take my axe!¡±


    <i>¡®Please, Great Buddha, Jade Emperor, ancestors, please give me strength!¡¯</i>


    Mu-Shim prayed in his heart and rushed toward Woo-Moon as the eyes of the Inksmoke Gang members and Oh-Cheol shone with anticipation.


    They thought that the gang¡¯s boss, a tried-and-true top-notch expert, would be able to deal with that monstrous idiot.


    The members of the Inksmoke Gang were amazed when they saw Mu-Shim swing his axe.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s a real expert for ya!¡¯</i>


    Due to the nature of martial arts, where one¡¯s abilities would exponentially increase with every level, Mu-Shim¡¯s attack was on a different level from Oh-Cheol''s.


    It was much stronger and much faster, and the broadaxe was shining with qi clearly visible to the naked eye.


    <i>¡®Yes, kill him, boss!¡¯</i>


    Everyone in the Inksmoke Gang looked dazzled at the qi radiating from the broadaxe as they wished for nothing else but an immediate and painful death for Woo-Moon.


    Unfortunately, another light dawned, painting the sky gold.


    The full moon that instantly turned Mu-Shim¡¯s qi aura into a firefly was none other than the shining sword qi that spilled out from within Woo-Moon¡¯s scabbard.


    The sword qi shed with the axe.


    <i>Ting!</i>


    A very light chime echoed in the air, after which Mu-Shim¡¯s broadaxe split exactly in half and fell to the ground.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    As Mu-Shim looked at the remnant sword qi in disbelief, Woo-Moon swung his still-sheathed sword at him.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Just like the first person who had been attacked by Woo-Moon, Mu-Shin¡¯s jaw and teeth were shattered and blood spewed out.


    ¡°Is this it?¡± Woo-Moon said.


    He then walked toward Ji-Jil, who was looking at him with eyes full of astonishment.


    The impossible sight unfolding in front of his eyes had kept Ji-Jil¡¯s jaw down from beginning to end.


    <i>¡®Is that really Song Woo-Moon? You mean to tell me that¡¯s Song the Dumb?¡¯</i>


    His mind was in shambles, unable to fathom that the <i>thing</i> heading toward him right now was Woo-Moon. Could it be that it was someone else wearing a mask?


    <i>¡®What is this?</i>


    <i>¡®What the hell is this?!</i>


    <i>¡®W-we¡¯re in big trouble. He¡¯s walking toward me. Is he trying to get revenge or something? I know I bullied him a lot when we were kids, but... what should I do? What am I supposed to do? Someone help!¡¯</i>


    Ji-Jil was trembling, regretting his past of tormenting Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon swung his sheathed sword in front of Ji-Jil, who had shut his eyes.


    <i>Tap!</i>


    <i>¡®Huh?¡¯</i>


    There was no pain¡ªjust a mere pat on the cheek.


    When Ji-Jil barely opened his eyes, he saw Woo-Moon resting his sword on his shoulder.


    ¡°Please live your life properly, okay?¡±


    With those words, Woo-Moon turned and walked toward Oh-Cheol. He had known Ji-Jil for a long time and he <i>had</i> crippled the man¡¯s father, so he felt sorry for Ji-Jil.


    ¡°Hey, wake up.¡±


    Woo-Moon tapped Oh-Cheol with his foot as the man wriggled in pain.


    ¡°W-why are you doing this, great hero?¡±


    Even the way that he had addressed him had changed to ¡°great hero.¡±


    <i>¡®Is the murim supposed to be like this?¡¯</i> Woo-Moon mused lightly before speaking.


    ¡°Who made that poison? Was it you?¡±


    It was at that moment that he suddenly felt something, almost like a very light breeze, hit his neck.


    It took only a moment for it to prate his skin, but suddenly, the qi of the Forbidden Divine Art roared like a river during the monsoon, immediately absorbing whatever it was that had just entered his body.


    <i>¡®Poison!¡¯</i>


    While it was different from the aura that he had sensed from that gruel at the inn, it was definitely simr. Almost as if the roots were the same?


    At that moment, Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes shone coldly. He suddenly rushed to the corner of the hall, leaving an afterimage behind.


    ¡°There you are!¡±


    A momentter, his hand was tightly holding a man by the throat.


    The man¡¯s name was Seong Mu, a guest of the Inksmoke Gang for the past few years. A few days ago, at Oh-Cheol¡¯s request, Seong Mu had provided him with arge quantity of Red-Crowned Crane.


    A potent poison.


    Knowing that Woo-Moon hade all this way because of that issue, Seong Mu had hidden and watched, taking advantage of an opportunity to throw a nail imbued with Red-Crowned Crane at him.


    The manufacturing method was difficult, so the amount of poison he could make in a year was nothing more than a fingertip. However, it was definitely effective. It could be absorbed through skin contact and could kill a person within two hours.


    Unfortunately, Woo-Moon seemed not to mind being hit by the powder whatsoever.


    Seong Mu knew that everything was over.


    ¡°<i>Cough, cough!</i>¡±


    Woo-Moon red at him.


    ¡°So it¡¯s you. You made the poison, right? Well, no worries, I don¡¯t need you to exin anything. Have you ever thought about what people did with the poison you sold them?¡±


    The moment he finished speaking, Woo-Moon struck Seong Mu¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°<i>Aaargh...</i>!¡±


    With his throat held in a steel grip, Seong Mu wasn¡¯t even able to scream properly as his dantian was destroyed. Just as he was about to lose his mind from the pain, Woo-Moon took out his de and cut Seong Mu¡¯s tendons at the wrists, for good measure.


    ¡°You made the poison with these hands, right?¡±


    Woo-Moon searched through Seong Mu¡¯s robes and took away all of the bottles containing multi-colored powder that the poison master had, and only then did he let him go and speak.


    ¡°If my father or younger brother had touched that poison before I noticed, they might have died. No, they would have definitely died, because they would have probably eaten the gruel. You know, I really wanted to kill you. I hope you cherish your life after this.¡±


    After realizing that the gruel given to him by the inn cook contained poison, Woo-Moon had decided to find all of the people involved in the poisoning attempt and punish them appropriately.


    Off to the side, Oh-Cheol tried to circte his qi, even throughout the pain he was suffering from his shoulder being crushed. All he could think about was to use his movement technique and flee. However, the pain in his shoulder was beyond imagination, leaving him unable to use his movement technique as quickly as usual.


    <i>¡®N-no, it can¡¯t be! If I can¡¯t flee, he¡¯s gonna cut my¡ª!¡¯</i>


    Sadly, Woo-Moon was faster than him.


    ¡°In some ways, you¡¯re even worse than Chae Noh-Cheol. At least he had a goal when he did what he did, but you? We had nothing to do with you!¡±


    Woo-Moon kicked Oh-Cheol in the abdomen.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Oh-Cheol writhed in pain as he grabbed the weeds in the ground with his good arm.


    However, that wasn¡¯t the end of it.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword flickered as it severed the muscles and tendons within Oh-Cheol¡¯s healthy shoulder.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take your life, but I made it so that you can never do anything bad ever again. So, live a decent life from now on, okay?¡±


    After saying that, Woo-Moon looked around at the members of the Inksmoke Gang, who were rolling around the ground in pain.


    ¡°Listen carefully. I¡¯m going to let things slide here today, but if you cause any harm to the Leebi Merchant Guild or Unhan in the future, I¡¯lle back and kill you all. Remember it clearly.¡±


    ***


    When he hade in, Woo-Moon had climbed over the fence. However, as he left, he kicked the main gate of the Inksmoke Gang, smashing it open as he walked out confidently.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    As soon as he left, he encountered three young men.


    He wasn¡¯t surprised at all, as he had already sensed the iing auras of great experts.


    The three men were dressed in neat but modest clothes.


    ¡°Hey, hey, what¡¯s going on? Did you just smash open the gates of the Inksmoke Gang?¡±


    <i>¡®Who are they? Are they rted to the Inksmoke Gang?¡¯</i>


    For some reason, that didn''t seem to be the case, as they gave off a simr feeling to Song Woo-Gang and the other Mount Hua swordsmen.


    Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t feel any dark aura emanating from them, as he had felt from the Inksmoke Gang or the subordinates of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    At this time, a girl''s clear voice came from above their heads.


    "Huh? Hey, aren¡¯t you guys from the Wind Sword Squadron? What are you even here for? It¡¯s already done.¡±


    The girl sitting on the wall was Yu-Yeon.


    She expected Woo-Moon to be surprised by her sudden appearance, but the young man was surprisingly expressionless. Yu-Yuen didn¡¯t know it, but Woo-Moon had urately sensed her presence while fighting the Inksmoke Gang.


    However, Mu Bi, a disciple of the Mount Tai Sect and one of the three Wind Sword Squadron members, was shocked by Yu-Yeon¡¯s words.


    ¡°Huh? What...wait...no, it seems you¡¯re right, Young Heroine Hyeon. We really are ratherte.¡±

 Chapter 41. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (16)

    <h4>Chapter 41. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (16)</h4>


    Within the Justice Coalition, there was an organization made up of brilliant young heroes under the age of thirty¡ªthe Five Swords of Heavenly Justice.


    The organization was made up of five Squadrons: the Gold, Fire, Wood, Wind, and Water Sword Squadrons.


    Overseeing the five Squadrons was the Battalion Leader of the Five Swords of Heavenly Justice also known as the Master of the Five Swords.


    The Master of the Five Swords was selected once every three years by assessing the martial skills and achievements of the members. As a result, the brilliant young members of the Five Swords of Heavenly Justice were eager to build up their own reputations, even at the cost of their own fellow members.


    Thus, thepetition between the Squadrons was bound to be fierce. After all, if one could be the Master of the Five Swords, they would, in essence, be recognized as the leading figure in the younger generation of the Righteous Faction.


    Among the five Squadrons of the Five Swords of Heavenly Justice, the Wind Sword Squadron was an outlier¡ªit was made up entirely of oddballs and was generally considered the weakest.


    Barring the current Captain of the Wind Sword Squadron, the only one who wasn¡¯t an entric misfit, the other members had absolutely no interest in increasing their reputation by umting achievements. That was why the current Captain of the Wind Sword Squadron, Xiahou Jinxian, who had dragged hisrades Mu Bi and Peng Tianhao here against their wishes, felt as if he was going to spit steam out of his ears in anger.


    Peng Tianhao, a member of the Wind Sword Squadron contemptuously called the ¡®Peng Family¡¯s bastard,¡¯ immediately understood what was going on. In a tone dripping with sarcasm, he inquired about the next step in their n.


    ¡°Oh my, Lord Captain, what should we do about this? Your honorable self even came all this way personally to carry out such a trivial mission. It¡¯s such a shame your valiant efforts were in vain!¡±


    Peng Tianhao had umted a great deal of negative emotions toward Xiahou Jinxian, who had forcibly brought him along, even against his wishes, by stating that it was an order from the Captain of the Wind Sword Squadron rather than the individual Xiahou Jinxian wanting extra points.


    <i>¡®If you want to umte achievements, just go and do it on your own. Why the hell do you insist on bringing Mu Bi and me? Are we just decorations meant to make you look better?¡¯</i> Peng Tianhao thought as he red over at Xiahou Jinxian, leaving the Captain of Wind Sword Squadron gritting his teeth.


    <i>¡®You bastard!¡¯</i>


    Putting his anger toward Peng Tianhao aside for now, Xiahou Jinxian red at Song Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Did you just destroy the Inksmoke Gang?¡±


    For some reason, his tone was aggressive, almost as if he was arguing with Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon was very kind to those who were kind to him. Naturally, he was generally the type of person to give others back exactly what he was given.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess I might¡¯ve done that. So?¡±


    Due to the horrid reputation of the entric misfits, the Wind Sword Squadron was not often given missions. Thus, they were given few important missions or opportunities to improve their status.


    In all fairness, the Inksmoke Gang itself wasn¡¯t some big force or anything, to the point where, ording to the gossip going around the Justice Coalition, it was barely even considered a small and weak power on the periphery of the ck Hand. It was so small that it didn¡¯t even receive the protection of the ck Hand proper.


    Considering its pitiful status, even if they had destroyed the Inksmoke Gang, it wouldn¡¯t have done much for them anyway. Still, it was rare for Wind Sword Squadron to get <i>any</i> kind of mission, so even a small mission like this was exceedingly important to Xiahou Jinxian.


    However, because that damned Peng Tianhao was causing trouble, they ended up beingte. In the meantime, some random asshole had destroyed the Inksmoke Gang by himself. How could Xiahou Jinxian not be irked? He hade all the way here just to find out he had nothing left to do.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± Xiahou Jinxian asked.


    ¡°My name is Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    It was a name he had never heard of.


    ¡°State your affiliation!¡±


    ¡°Affiliation? Uh...I don¡¯t think I have anything like that.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying you have no n or sect? You¡¯re an independent warrior?¡±


    ¡°...Hmm... Well, until recently, I was working as a porter at the Leebi Merchant Guild in Unhan.¡±


    ¡°Pffft!!¡±


    Mu Bi, the Mount Tai disciple, erupted intoughter. Peng Tianhao also looked over at Woo-Moon with an amused expression.


    Although the Inksmoke Gang wasn¡¯t a very impressive group, it was still definitely an impressive feat for the man before them to be able to deal with them alone at that age without even showing any signs of exhaustion, much less injuries.


    Thus, when Woo-Moon had said that he was a random porter, they thought that he was making fun of their captain.


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    Even Hyeon Yu-Yeon, who had been trying to hold herself back, eventually burst intoughter.


    It was an exceedingly hrious situation. Although Woo-Moon was telling the truth, in that situation, anyone who had met him for the first time was bound to misunderstand him.


    There was only one person other than Woo-Moon who wasn¡¯t smiling. Xiahou Jinxuan¡¯s face was bright red with anger.


    ¡°A porter? Are you taking the piss out of me right now?¡±


    He was being ridiculed by someone whom he had never met, and the shame of the mocking grew even greater as the other three peopleughed.


    Unhan? Leebi Merchant Guild? Who the fuck were those people?


    Xiahou Jinxuan had already made up his mind that Woo-Moon was making fun of him.


    <i>¡®This bastard really is arrogant, huh. All this just because he beat up some random trash like the Inksmoke Gang?!¡¯</i>


    Xiahou Jinxuan wanted to go out and teach Woo-Moon a lesson right at this very moment, but he held himself back as there was still something he had to confirm first. Suppressing his anger, he followed through with his interrogation.


    ¡°Then, who is your master?¡±


    Woo-Moon frowned slightly at that question. Although he had originally told Jin Won-Myeong that he had no master, after meeting with the old Daoist in his dream on that night, he hade to think of the Daoist as his master.


    ¡°I do have a master, but I don¡¯t actually know his name.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying...you don¡¯t...know your own master¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Well...as far as I know, he was probably around before the Three Kingdoms Period began, but at this point, I think he¡¯s more of a legend. Dunno if anyone else has ever met him.¡±


    As Xiahou Jinxuan¡¯s enraged expression suggested, he was being very serious with his questions. However, Woo-Moon¡¯s nonsensical answer left Mu-Bi rolling on the ground inughter once more.


    As the roaringughter grew even more boisterous, Xiahou Jinxuan¡¯s anger toward Woo-Moon also grew.


    Woo-Moon himself was also not in a good mood. He had been answering all the questions in earnest, but for some reason, it was as if he was on trial here.


    ¡°Actually, who the hell are you to be interrogating me?¡± Woo-Moon asked.


    Xiahou Jinxuan¡¯s demeanor finally changed. He rudely said, ¡°So you don¡¯t have any backing, and you don¡¯t even know who your master is.... It seems like I really came off as a pushover. I can take this as you trying to start some beef with me, right?¡±


    From Woo-Moon¡¯s perspective, Xiahou Jinxuan¡¯s reaction was absurd. From the looks of it, it didn¡¯t even seem like the person in front of him had some special rtionship or whatever with the Inksmoke Gang, so why was this man meddling with his affairs?


    ¡°Yeah, whatever. So what if I am? Are you trying to start a fight over it or something?¡±


    ¡°You sure have a massive fucking gall.[1] How dare you pick a fight with the Captain of the Wind Sword Squadron?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, it¡¯s all fine and whatever, but all you have to say is your name. Do you really say you¡¯re the big captain or boss or whatever whenever you introduce yourself? Aren¡¯t you a little embarrassed to say all of that about yourself with your very own mouth?¡±


    In the end, the person Woo-Moon was speaking to was Xiahou Jinxuan, the scion of a famous family. Xiahou Jinxuan¡¯s anger had reached the peak; all he wanted was to abandon all decorum and act like a tyrant. However, he took a deep breath and spoke with great patience.


    ¡°Fine, if that¡¯s how it is, then there¡¯s nothing we can do. Draw your sword! I¡¯ll teach that filthy little mouth a lesson for humiliating me!¡±


    However, Woo-Moon responded with a smile that deeply resembled that of his grandfather¡ªin other words, a smile that intensely irritated whomever it was pointed at.


    ¡°Oh, this? No, no, it¡¯s just a decoration. At the very least, if you¡¯re my opponent, it¡¯s really nothing more than a decoration. So juste at me, Mr. Captain of the Wind Sword Squadron who reigns over the Four Seas~¡±


    Xiahou Jinxuan¡¯s hands were shaking.


    Where else in the world had he ever been mocked like this?


    ¡°Alright, boy. If I don¡¯t turn that smirk into a grimace of pain, my surname is not Xiahou!¡±


    Xiahou Jinxuan was a scion of the Xiahou Family, a family famous for its palm techniques. Among them, one of their greatest secret techniques was the Golden Snake Divine Palm (½ðÉßÉñÕÆ).


    On the off chance that he might be humiliated, Xiahou Jinxuan went all out and used the Golden Snake Divine Palm from the very beginning.


    A sharp palm wind flew in two directions at the same time, like a snake''s forked tongue, aimed at both of Woo-Moon¡¯s shoulders.


    If the straightforward Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms was known for its strength, the Golden Snake Divine Palm was renowned for its extreme flexibility and sharpness.


    But, although the Golden Snake Divine Palm was an incredible technique, the problem with the blow was that the person using the technique was Xiahou Jinxuan and his opponent was Woo-Moon. Even leaving their personal skill aside, Xiahou Jinxuan was using a palm technique in front of someone whose grandfather was Baek Sang-Woon, the Palm Martial Emperor.


    <i>¡®Wow, you¡¯re using </i>that<i> against </i>me<i>? Wow. Let¡¯s see how well that works for you.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s figure swayed like a sailboat drifting in a storm as he dodged Xiahou Jinxian¡¯s attack.


    Just like how if a sailboat would be broken into pieces by the waves or keel over and sink from a single wrong move in the ocean, Woo-Moon also looked as if he was in extreme danger at every moment as he narrowly avoided Xiahou Jinxuan''s attacks.


    Seeing Woo-Moon¡¯s predicament, Xiahou Jinxian put more effort into his blows, thinking that he would be able to defeat the disrespectful brat if he attacked just a little bit fiercer.


    Mu Bi and Peng Tianhao, in the meantime, clicked their tongues. <i>¡®What on earth are you scheming?¡¯</i>


    Of course, as Yu-Yeon already knew the extent of Woo-Moon¡¯s skills, she could see the fight for what it was. Although it may have seemed like he was on the edge of defeat on the surface, Woo-Moon was rxedly dodging everything, more nonchnt than even the observers themselves.


    At this very moment, Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t fighting, but analyzing and studying. Purposefully dodging the blows by the skin of his teeth, he was enjoying himself as he observed all of the changes in the Golden Snake Divine Palm.


    Since it was a palm technique famed all throughout the <i>gangho</i>, the insights that could be obtained from it were definitely not negligible.


    <i>¡®Aha, so that¡¯s what that is. You move left in order to make the opponent move ording to your intentions and eventually fall into a trap. In other words, this technique and the next are actually abination.¡¯</i>


    The battle between Woo-Moon, who was studying the opponent¡¯s palm technique, and Xiahou Jinxuan, who had gritted his teeth with exertion as he tried to defeat his opponent, continued for over a hundred moves.


    In that time, Xiahou Jinxuan had to repeat the first half of the Golden Snake Divine Palm, which consisted of forty-eight techniques, twice.


    <i>¡®What the hell is up with this bastard?!¡¯</i>


    Xiahou Jinxuan instinctively realized that something was wrong with Woo-Moon.


    Then, irritation, impatience, and rage all bubbled up simultaneously. Without realizing it, he switched to the first technique of thetter half of the Golden Snake Divine Palm.


    The Golden Snake Divine Palm consisted of ny-six techniques, with the first and second halves having forty-eight techniques each.


    The first half consisted of techniques thatcked killing intent, created with the intention of subduing rather than to kill the opponent. In contrast, the second half consisted of killing techniques, which existed solely to take the opponent down so that he could never rise again.


    Although thetter half was supposed to be avoided as much as possible, both to prevent the idental spread of the technique and to prevent unnecessary killings, Xiahou Jinxuan ended up using it out of sheer impatience.


    Xiahou Jinxuan¡¯s right hand moved downward in a semicircle. Then, suddenly, he burst forward with all the power of his umted qi, attacking quickly and flexibly like a snake snatching its prey.


    His target was Woo-Moon¡¯s heart.


    <i>¡®Oho?!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was secretly impressed, because the move looked quite outstanding.


    <i>¡®Too bad, though. Compared to my grandfather¡¯s palm technique, it still falls far short!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon suddenly used the Divine Phantasm Step, finally bringing out his real movement technique for the first time in the duel.


    <i>Woosh~</i>


    As Woo-Moon used his movement technique, his figure blurred and disappeared in front of his opponent¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°That was pretty impressive there!¡±


    Xiahou Jinxuan abruptly stopped as he heard Woo-Moon¡¯s whisper next to his ear. He immediately realized that he had been just teased all along.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not that you couldn¡¯t counterattack because I was pushing you back. You did it on purpose! Are you trying to make me look like a fucking monkey?!¡¯</i>


    Was there anyone who had as much pride as the leading figures of the younger generation of the great sects and families?


    Moreover, to be treated like this in front of subordinates he didn¡¯t even like¡ªit was only natural for his anger to explode.


    Xiahou Jinxuan¡¯s face turned red.


    ¡°You bastard, I will kill you!¡±


    In the end, after spewing out profanity like a slum rat, Xiahou Jinxuan resorted to using the Golden Snake Piercing Wall, the final form of the Golden Snake Divine Palm.


    While it was the most potent form of the Golden Snake Divine Palm, it was also the most lethal, which meant that it was not often used.


    Peng Tianhao and Mu Bi frowned as they saw Xiahou Jinxuan. They had never expected that he would go this far.


    Of course, although they had confirmed that Woo-Moon had dealt with the Inksmoke Gang alone, that was something that Peng Tianhao and Mu Bi were more than capable of doing as well. Moreover, although Xiahou Jinxian had a bad personality, he was still talented enough to rise to the position of the Captain of the Wind Sword Squadron.


    Thus, the two people thought that it would be difficult for Woo-Moon, who was already being pushed back, to block theing blow properly.


    They decided to save him if possible, mistakenly thinking that Woo-Moon was in danger. While Xiahou Jinxuan had already realized that Woo-Moon was a master while personally exchanging blows with him, those observing from the side were still misjudging him.


    <i>¡®We need to be prepared to rescue him at any time.¡¯</i>


    Of course, Yu-Yeon¡¯s thoughts were going in apletely different direction.


    <i>¡®Hehehe. The Captain of the Wind Sword Squadron is about to get a taste of embarrassment.¡¯</i>


    Xiahou Jinxuan was clearly using a killing move, and Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes turned cold as he sensed that his opponent was sincerely trying to kill him.


    <i>¡®Alright, you want to kill me. Fine. I¡¯ll show you a palm technique if you want one,¡¯ </i>Woo-Moon thought as he used the Raging Wind Palm.


    1. In Eastern Philosophy, Zangfu is a ssification of the internal organs and how they affect one¡¯s body. One of the liver¡¯s domains is courage, and thus, how your liver interacts with your body determines how much courage you have. The original says ¡°your liver is toorge for your body,¡± meaning that one has too much courage, at which point it bes bravado. ?

 Chapter 42. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (17)

    <h4>Chapter 42. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (17)</h4>


    ¡°Hah!¡±


    As Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t been retaliating, the viewers hadn¡¯t noticed anything unusual about him. As soon as he made a move, however, his palm flew forward in a violent and menacing manner as if he could destroy anything.


    Xiahou Jinxuan¡¯s breath caught in his throat.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    It was hard to believe that such an explosion could be produced by the collision of two human limbs made of flesh. With a resounding boom, Xiahou Jinxuan was flung backward and rolled helplessly across the ground.


    <i>Spurt!</i>


    Blood flowed from his mouth, hinting at an internal injury. Xiahou Jinxuan could no longer move, and he justy on the ground with his eyes closed.


    ¡°It looks like he¡¯s passed out.¡±


    ¡°Amazing! Uh...I mean...how troublesome! Aren¡¯t we the ones who have to carry him?¡±


    Even though their captain had been dealt such a terrible blow, Mu Bi and Peng Tianhao were very calm. No...if anything, their expressions showed that they were barely holding back their delight.


    Woo-Moon then looked over toward them.


    ¡°Huh? No, no, no. We don¡¯t want to fight you. Well, we¡¯ll see youter then, dear hyung,¡± Mu Bi said as he lifted Xiahou Jinxuan and put him on his back.


    Peng Tianhao looked over at Woo-Moon with a cold gaze, but the subtle curl in his lips betrayed his actual feelings.


    ¡°You¡¯re really my kind of person. I apologize for assuming you were inferior. When we meet again someday, I would like to have a bout with you.¡±


    After the two Wind Squadrons members said their pieces, they turned and left the Inksmoke Gang stronghold.


    "Hmm."


    Woo-Moon scratched his forehead, after which he suddenly turned back and looked over at Yu-Yeon, who was still sitting on the wall.


    ¡°Hello. I apologize. I heard you were the only close friend my younger brother had. How rude of me to take this long to greet you. My name is Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    Bi Yeo-Jeong, whom Woo-Gang had feelings for, had been Woo-Gang¡¯s close friend until just recently. Unfortunately, that was no longer the case now, so Woo-Moon¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°<i>Hmpf</i>!¡±


    However, the only response he got in return was a cold snort.


    <i>¡®Huh? Did I do something wrong?¡¯</i>


    No, Woo-Moon was sure of it. He hadn¡¯t done anything of the sort. Even when she had tailed him, he had just let it slide, and even now, he smiled as brightly as he could while he greeted her.


    However, for Yu-Yeon, who had misunderstood Woo-Moon¡¯s intentions, that smile of his was just hateful.


    <i>¡®You bastard! You dared to tease me like that, and now you just smile like nothing''s wrong?¡¯</i>


    Yu-Yeon swiftly jerked her head to the side and refused to look at Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Is she saying that she doesn¡¯t even want to talk to me? Tsk, whatever.¡¯</i>


    As she was his brother¡¯s friend, he had been polite to her. However, she seemed not to want to talk to him even though he had put his pride aside. Thus, he simply ignored Yu-Yeon and turned back, walking toward Unhan.


    <i>¡®W-what?! Is he just returning without even apologizing? Isn¡¯t he supposed to say ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for putting you in a troublesome spot¡±?¡¯</i>


    Of course, that entire scenario had been something Yu-Yeon had created in her mind, and thus, Woo-Moon had no way of knowing. She didn¡¯t care about that, though; her cheeks puffed out as she got herself angrier by the second.


    <i>¡®You damn bastard!¡¯</i>


    She clenched her tiny little fists and cursed Woo-Moon in her mind. However, without even realizing it, she started following him once more.


    Of course, Woo-Moon sensed her doing that.


    <i>¡®What is up with her?¡¯</i>


    He had just been walking at first, but he dashed forward using the Northern Wind Steps as soon as he had passed the city and arrived at the main road.


    ¡°Huh? W-wait! HEY!¡±


    Yu-Yeon had no way to keep up with Woo-Moon if Woo-Moon were to use his movement technique, and before she knew it, his figure had turned into the slightest of dots before disappearing.


    ¡°Hey, you mean bastard!¡±


    The people around her, who had never seen such a beautiful girl before in their lives, were startled by the crudenguage that spat out from her mouth.


    After she had cried out in anger, Yu-Yeon suddenly became aware of the gazes of the people around her and red at them menacingly.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    <i>Cough, cough.</i>


    The passers-by who saw the sword hanging from Yu-Yeon¡¯s waist realized that she was a martial artist and quickly turned their gazes elsewhere.


    ¡°Ah, damn it! Song Woo-Moon, you dog bastard!¡±


    <i> </i> *


    Five days had passed by quickly as Song Dae-Woong and Baek Jin-Jin sold off almost all of their assets, including the inn.


    The Iron Sword Baek Family was located in the Anhui Province. It was a very long distance from Guangdong Province, so far that it was unfeasible for them to pack up all their belongings in order to move there.


    Actually, it was so far that it was a given that they would have to ride horses to get there. However, surprisingly, it turned out that Woo-Moon was the only one who didn¡¯t know how to ride a horse.


    While it may have made sense for the others, whose pasts he knew nothing of, Woo-Moon felt betrayed when he came to know that even his father, who had lived in the vige since he was young, knew how to ride a horse.


    <i>¡®Cough, cough! What. Why are you staring at me like that? Did you think that this father of yours couldn¡¯t even ride a horse?¡¯</i>


    Apparently, Dae-Woong had bought a horse when he was younger to carry the loads of wood. However, he had sold it because there was no increase in profit¡ªas it turned out, he could carry more wood by himself than the horse could.


    In the process, however, he had identally learned horseback riding.


    Regardless, Woo-Moon eventually learned how to ride a horse, courtesy of Baek Sang-Woon, and although he had been a little lost at first, he soon figured out how to ride a horse quite well.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Everyone else mounted their horses and set off while Woo-Moon looked back at the inn that he had been so fond of with an indescribable look in his eyes. Then, he btedly chased after the others.


    Once they had left Unhan, Woo-Gang said his farewells.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be heading off now. Please be safe on your long journey.¡±


    Because of how long he had been away, Woo-Gang now had to return to his sect.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go around getting beat up, and make sure you stay strong until we see each other again. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, hyung.¡±


    ¡°Good, go now.¡±


    After saying his farewells onest time, Woo-Gang left for the Mount Hua Sect with Yu-Yeon, who was waiting in the distance.


    ¡°Hmpf!¡±


    Of course, Yu-Yeon didn¡¯t forget to give Woo-Moon a snort when she caught sight of him.


    <i>¡®What on earth is with that strange woman?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was just dumbfounded.


    As the group parted ways with Woo-Gang and traveled somewhat further, Woo-Moon was able to spot a familiar face waiting for them under a tree in the distance.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    Standing under a tree were Yeon Si-Hyeon and Jo Mu-Jae.


    ¡°You¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    At Sang-Woon¡¯s greeting, Si-Hyeon bowed her head politely and replied, ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    ¡°HUH?¡±


    Woo-Moon, blindsided by those words, looked over at his grandfather.


    ¡°Master?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Why, is there something wrong? I took Si-Hyeon as my disciple. Do you have something to say?¡±


    ¡°N-no, it¡¯s nothing. Well...I mean....¡±


    Jin-Jin frowned and spoke from the side.


    ¡°Why did you act so thoughtlessly again, father? If you do things like this, how do you expect the hierarchy to go?¡±


    Si-Hyeon was two years younger than Woo-Moon. However, because she had be a disciple of Sang-Woon, she was now considered one generation higher than Woo-Moon¡ªin other words, the same as Woo-Moon¡¯s parents, Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin.


    As Jin-Jin had also been ced in a simrly awkward position in the Iron Sword Baek Family, she couldn¡¯t help but be sensitive to these things. She had been considered a member of an older generationpared to her peers when she was in the Iron Sword Baek Family, a position that caused her to be ostracized.


    ¡°Well, what does it matter? Although those brats in the family might be so old-fashioned that they pick on things like that, why do we have to do that among ourselves? Hmm, let¡¯s just say that instead of my disciple, Si-Hyeon will just be my grand disciple, then. Si-Hyeon, just call me Grandpa from now on then.¡±


    Basically, Sang-Woon was implying that they should just leave the middle generation empty and skip the hierarchy to correct the discrepancy.


    ¡°Really, how have you not changed at all for such a long time? Fine, do whatever it is that you want. Really, whatever you want!¡± Jin-Jin said, looking offended.


    ¡°Then, I should call Young Hero Song my elder disciple-brother... And, it should be okay to call his parents aunt and uncle, right, Grandfather?¡±


    ¡°Oh, ho! Indeed, indeed, that should work. See? If we do things like this, we should be fine.¡±


    While Si-Hyeon was equally as perplexed as the others by the situation, she kept silent about her confusion as she adhered to themands of Sang-Woon, her new grandmaster.


    In truth, not only had Si-Hyeon never learned martial arts, but she had also reached eighteen years of age, which meant she had already passed the golden age to learn martial arts.


    Moreover, as turbid qi had already umted in her qi pathways, leading to obstructions, she was unable to build up even the most basic level of qi in her dantian. Therefore, even if she were to cultivate her qi and train hard from this point on, it would still be difficult for her to achieve any modicum of sess.


    Or at least, that would have been the case based on the general understanding of cultivation within the <i>murim</i>.


    However, the Palm Martial Emperor had easily been able to ovee this issue, personally removing the turbid qi umted in her qi pathways, and he had begun to teach her martial arts.


    Thanks to his intervention, Si-Hyeon was able to mitigate the issues caused by herte introduction to the <i>gangho</i> and would not fall behind due to her age.


    ¡°Ha... you really do live your life so carefree, grandfather. When on earth did you have the time to meet with the deputy guild master and make her your disciple?¡±


    As Woo-Moon shook his head as hemented wryly, Si-Hyeon moved over toward him.


    ¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t call me the deputy guild master any further. From now on, please call me disciple-sister Yeon!¡±


    Si-Hyeon smiled brightly, looking stunning without her veil.


    Intoxicated by her beauty, Woo-Moon stared nkly back at her.


    As Si-Hyeon¡¯s face turned slightly red, Woo-Moon, who btedly realized his mistake, quickly cleared his throat.


    ¡°A-ah, is that right? Ha, ha, ha. Then, I¡¯ll call you little sister from now on.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment! Please speak informally, as well. Where in the world would you ever find an elder disciple-brother speaking formally to a younger disciple-sister?¡±[1]


    ¡°Ah... y-yes.¡±


    <i>¡®Okay, disciple-sister.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon tried to say what he thought out loud, but nothing came out of his mouth. In the end, he just scratched his head and sheepishly said, ¡°It looks like I¡¯m not quite used to doing that just yet, disciple-sister. I¡¯ll start speaking informally.¡±


    ¡°Hm... Understood, then. Still, elder disciple-brother! You have to drop the honorifics as soon as possible, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll try!¡±


    Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin also wee Si-Hyeon warmly.


    However, Jin-Jin, who was smiling at Si-Hyeon at one moment, nced over at Sang-Woon at another, a chilly frost emanating from her gaze. Irked, she rode forward on her horse, while Dae-Woong followed quickly behind, trying tofort his wife.


    Sang-Woon then rode forward, whistling without a care in the world. Behind him, Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon traveled side by side, with Mu-Jae escorting Si-Hyeon from a distance.


    Si-Hyeon then took out a veil from within her bosom and tied it around her face.


    When Woo-Moon looked over at what she was doing, Si-Hyeon smiled yfully. ¡°This face is so unsightly that people are often shocked whenever they see it. So, it¡¯s be a habit to wear a veil whenever I go outside.¡±


    Woo-Moon chuckled at her words.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then other women should never leave their homes without their faces covered, lest they give people heart attacks from just a nce at their ugly mugs.¡±


    Si-Hyeon muffled a chuckle at Woo-Moon¡¯s witty response. Woo-Moon, in the meantime, thought to himself that he was d his trip wouldn¡¯t be boring with a new disciple-sister in tow.


    ¡°Ah, but what about the Leebi Merchant Guild, disciple-sister? Are they following us?¡±


    ¡°Do you think the Leebi Merchant Guild still exists? I sold the manor and gave half of what we received to thest remaining members. As for me and Jo Mu-Jae, we decided to follow Grandfather to the Iron Sword Baek Family in Hefei, in the Anhui Province. Though, I haven¡¯t heard anything from Grandfather about what he ns for us once we arrive."


    As he felt the movement of the horse underneath him, Woo-Moon nced over at Si-Hyeon¡¯s figure.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a relief. At least it looks like she¡¯s been able to ovee the sadness of losing her father. Well, just enough where it isn¡¯t apparent on the outside, at least.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Aha! Well, what do you say we try going a little faster?¡± the Palm Martial Emperor shouted as he suddenly rode away.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    As Sang-Woon quickly rode to the front, Jin-Jin had no choice but to ride forward as well.


    Soon, everyone else also started to ride quickly, following Sang-Woon.


    Woo-Moon relished in the feeling of the wind blowing across his face as he continued to urge his horse forward, overtaking Si-Hyeon, his parents, and then threatening to take the lead ahead of Sang-Woon.


    ¡°Huh? You cheeky little brat! Fine, it¡¯s a bet on who will reach the next vige first!¡±


    ¡°Great!¡±


    At first they were neck and neck, but as Woo-Moon began to inch forward, Sang-Woon seemed to gradually fall behind.


    However, seeing that, Sang-Woon imbued his horse with his inner qi, changing the situation entirely.


    ¡°Are you serious?! You¡¯re cheating, grandfather! Are you happy with yourself, cheating to beat your grandson?!¡±


    1. Woo-Moon¡¯s speech in Korean sounds a lot more formal, as befitting of two people in the same generation who are not in a close rtionship, but it¡¯s a nuance simply impossible to render in English. Their rtionship now warrants a more casual manner of speaking. ?

 Chapter 43. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (18)

    <h4>Chapter 43. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (18)</h4>


    ¡°Then you do it too, you brat!¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to beat you if we startparing qi reserves?!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re upset, then go reincarnate and start cultivating before me!¡±


    ¡°<i>Cough, cough</i>!¡±


    One, two, three days... as time continued to pass, the group quickly made ground as they passed through Jiangxi Province and reached the border of Anhui Province.


    Around noon, they reached a fairlyrge city called Anqing, where they stopped to rest their tired horses.


    As everyone was resting for the first time after such long days of travel, Dae-Woong went to a tavern on his own, drinking without his family for the first time in a long time.


    ¡°<i>Kyah</i>! How amazing, really. This is why we drink! It¡¯s so good!¡±


    Dae-Woong was originally a talkative drinker.


    When he was working at the inn, he wasn¡¯t able to drink very often, but he genuinely loved alcohol, so much so that he would sometimes n a day off just so he could drink all night long.


    After having traveled all this way on horseback, covered in dust, all he had been able to think about was a drink.


    Moreover, Sang-Woon had coincidentally given him a day off, saying that he would focus on teaching Si-Hyeon today. Thus, it was only natural that he would run all the way to a tavern that he had been eying since they had arrived in Anqing.


    While he was enjoying himself, moaning and groaning in delight, a girl who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen came into the tavern with a bunch of flowers.


    ¡°Please buy some flowers. Mister, please buy some flowers.¡±


    She was a flower girl, amon sight in any vige.


    Although there were very few children in the small town of Unhan, asionally, there were children from other areas who came to the Song Family Inn, most of whom orphans or children from extremely poor families.


    Dae-Woong, who had a soft heart, was heartbroken every time he saw such children.


    When he had been an orphan, hadn¡¯t he been treated with contempt and hatred from every angle, having to beg to survive?


    The girl started circling through the tavern, starting at the table right next to the door while Dae-Woong was sitting at the one furthest from the entrance.


    <i>¡®Dear, circle quickly ande over here. I won¡¯t just buy one flower, but ten bouquets.¡¯</i>


    At that moment, people roughly pushed through the door, disrupting Dae-Woong¡¯s dream.


    ¡°She went in here, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh? She¡¯s right over there, hyung-nim!¡±


    It was a man with six scars impressed on his shiny bald head and a weasel-faced punk who looked like his subordinate. They walked toward the girl with threatening looks on their faces.


    ¡°W-who are you?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Who? So you¡¯re telling me this bitch is doing business here without knowing who we are?¡±


    ¡°Kekekeke¡±


    The girl trembled in fear as two parakho[ref]Parakho is a Korean word borrowed from Japanese that refers to a thug thates from a well-off family who goes around bullying people for money using their status or power. The author, for some reason, specified them as parakhos in this instance, even though it seems they are just thugs.[ref] approached her in a threatening manner, cursing at her.


    ¡°W-why are you being like that? Please don¡¯t be like this.¡±


    At the girl¡¯s pleas, the bald man suddenly smacked the table next to her with his fist.


    ¡°<i>Kyaa</i>!!¡±


    ¡°Oh dear!¡±


    The girl screamed, while the middle-aged man who had been sitting at the table jumped up out of shock at being attacked for no reason, then proceeded to run away.


    ¡°Hey, bitch! If you want to do business in my neighborhood, you have to get permission from me first! <i>Tsk</i>, some uneducated bitch you are. How much did you even get?¡±


    The bald man snatched the small purse that the girl was carrying in her trembling arms.


    ¡°Huh? What the hell is this? It ain¡¯t even a single tael! Damn it, how¡¯s this shit count for a protection fee? Huh??¡±


    The bald man viciously grabbed the girl''s arm.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s my first time here, I didn¡¯t know. Please, forgive me.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What, you want forgiveness? Forgiveness??¡±


    The bald man let out a yell so loud the veins in his head twitched as if they were about to burst.


    The girl, horribly frightened, flinched at every word, while the people who were eating and drinking in the vicinity ran away one by one.


    <i>¡®Those bastards!¡¯</i>


    Dae-Woong had fought a lot when he was young and had a fiery personality.


    It was onlyter, when he had a family to support and had be the owner of an inn, that he had simmered down, having no choice but to hold back his anger.


    However, now, things were different.


    His family members had all be martial arts experts who were stronger than him. Now, whenever he saw something unreasonable, there was no need for him to endure it and watch as someone suffered.


    He had even drunk alcohol, and now, he seemed to have awakened the same personality as he had when he had been in his youth.


    And most important of all...


    Didn¡¯t she look the exact same as he had when he was younger, subjected to the same kind of abuse by the vige good-for-nothings?!


    As Dae-Woong¡¯s fists clenched, Weasel Face spoke up.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re telling you to pull out the money quickly! Huh? Oh, you mean, what if you don¡¯t? Heh. Then, maybe, we¡¯ll...¡±


    It was at that moment, as Weasel Face stuttered for a second, not knowing what to say that might scare the girl¡ªthat something flew toward the arm of the bald man holding the girl.


    ¡°What? The hell is this?¡±


    The bald man, who was unexpectedly quick, knocked away the flying object with his other arm. What ttered to the floor was a pair of chopsticks.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Dae-Woong had been nning on piercing the bald man¡¯s arm without the man noticing by throwing a pair of chopsticks.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t it work? Damn it.¡±


    He had been trying to make a cool appearance...


    The bald man, who had noticed that Dae-Woong had been the one to throw the chopsticks, found himself unable to curse when he stared at Dae-Woong¡¯s incredible stature, farrger than he himself was, and was relegated to just shouting in anger.


    ¡°Old fart, are you nning to die?¡±


    The moment the bald man spoke out, a spark flew into Dae-Woong¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did you just call me old fart?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did. How about you just up and die, you old fart!¡±


    The two people faced each other and shouted, almost as if to see who had the loudest voice, and both ran forward at the same time.


    As the bald man¡¯s fist came flying, Dae-Woong didn¡¯t dodge and instead threw a fist out in return.


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    As the two fists shed, the bald man felt the shock of the blow, starting from the tips of his knuckles, traveling down his elbows, then his shoulders, and finally throughout his entire body. The force of the sh pushed him backward, and Dae-Woong followed up with another blow!


    <i>THUD!</i>


    ¡°<i>UGH!!</i>¡±


    The bald man, hit straight in the gut, let out a bitter scream and rolled around on the floor.


    ¡°You evil bastards!¡± Dae-Woong shouted, kicking the frightened weasel in the stomach.


    As the two moaned and groaned on the floor, he huffed and walked over to the girl, who was shaking in the corner.


    ¡°<i>Hmph</i>. Here, take this.¡±


    ¡°P-pardon, sir?¡±


    In Dae-Woong¡¯s hand was part of the money he had left after selling the inn.


    ¡°W-why are you giving me this?¡± asked the girl.


    ¡°Just because. I don¡¯t really need all this money. Because, well, I¡¯ve met some good inws, haha. Don¡¯t worry about thanking me. Just live a good and happy life.¡±


    With this money, the girl would no longer have to work as a flower seller.


    ¡°Now, go quickly!¡±


    After the girl left the tavern, Dae-Woong spat at the men fainted on the floor.


    ¡°<i>Pooey</i>! Stupid little thugs.¡±


    As if on cue, Jin-Jin appeared at the tavern¡¯s door.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, honey?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Haha, let¡¯s go back.¡±


    Jin-Jin looked over at her husband with a disapproving gaze. She handed the money for the food and drink to the restless owner of the tavern and headed to the inn in which they were staying alongside her husband.


    The moment Dae-Woong disappeared from sight, the bald man opened his eyes.


    ¡°Hey, he¡¯s gone. Stop pretending to be dead and get up!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°That bastard. How dare he touch me in my town? Let¡¯s see how this Dok-Du gives you a good beating!¡±


    ¡°B-but, how do you n to do so? That bastard is quite strong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but he¡¯s an idiot with muscle for brains! When you deal with dunces like him, you gotta use your head. Remember, that woman was his wife or something. We¡¯ll look for an opportunity and grab her as a hostage!¡±


    ¡°Aha! I think they are just visitors. I¡¯ll quickly follow them and find out what inn they are staying at, hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Okay, go quickly. I¡¯ll go gather the boys.¡±


    ¡°Understood, hyung-nim!¡±


    Dok-Du gathered his entire gang and hid in front of the inn where Dae-Woong¡¯s family was staying.


    He thought about asking another friend for help but then decided there wasn¡¯t any need to do so, as Dae-Woong really only seemed like the typical strong dumbass.


    ¡°O-over there! They areing out!¡± Dok-Du¡¯s right-hand man, Rat, pointed forward.


    Jin-Jin could be seen leaving the inn alone.


    ¡°Wow, now that we look at her properly, isn¡¯t she really pretty? This is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen someone so pretty, hyung-nim.¡±


    Rat was in awe at Jin-Jin¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°To think that damned dunce¡¯s wife is so pretty! The world really is so unfair. Damn it, now I¡¯m even more pissed off.¡±


    As the two people argued, one of the henchmen they had hastily summoned spoke up.


    ¡°Hehe! Isn¡¯t that a good thing? All we have to do is bury that bastard, and then we¡¯ll be free to lick up that beautiful... <i>aghk</i>!!¡±


    In the middle of talking, the henchman suddenly fell backward with his nose crushed by Dok-Du¡¯s headbutt. Dok-Du raised a hand to wipe the blood from his forehead before ring at the other henchmen.


    ¡°The hell is with this bastard? Where the hell did you dredge up this trash?¡±


    Dok-Du and Rat had been born as orphans and grew up together, wandering around the rough streets and doing what they had to do to get by. However, even street thugs had their bottom line, and there were two things they would never do.


    Murder and rape.


    They lived ording to the teachings of their master, No-Mun¡ªa person who had helped them since youth and whosemandments they were holding dear until now.


    Knowing this, the other henchmen were frightened by what had just happened and quickly made excuses.


    ¡°H-hyung-nim. Haha... We didn¡¯t know this guy was this crazy, either. Please forgive us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna beat this idiot into a vegetable when we¡¯re done here.¡±


    It was only then that Dok-Du let go of his anger and quietly followed Jin-Jin with Rat.


    Jin-Jin, who had been heading to a crowded market to buy clothes, suddenly changed direction and entered a dark alley.


    ¡°Oh ho! As expected, even heaven is helping us, hyung-nim. Now¡¯s the perfect time to get her!¡±


    ¡°Really !¡±


    When Dok-Du saw that she had entered the alley, he led his gang of about a dozen people and ran forward.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, please excuse us, but we have some things to discuss with your husband and¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, something white shed before his eyes.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Dok-Du was forced to take a step back as blood sprayed from his nose.


    Jin-Jin, who had been waiting for them in the dark alley, stiffly lowered the foot that had just crushed Dok-Du¡¯s nose and looked at them coldly.


    ¡°W-what the hell? Boys! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Although the henchmen had just seen Dok-Du get hit and bleeding, they assumed that it had been because Dok-Du had been careless. However, there was a reason why there was a saying that floated around the <i>gangho</i>: be careful of children, women, and the elderly.


    Dok-Du¡¯s gang realized that all toote.


    They weren¡¯t even able to see how her feet moved. With every flutter of her skirt, someone in Dok-Du¡¯s gang screamed as he was sent flying.


    ¡°What the hell is with you all, bothering people like this?¡±


    With herst word, Jin-Jin kicked Dok-Du in the most forbidden of ces.


    ¡°AGHHHHHHHH!¡±


    With a terrible scream, Dok-Du fell down, foaming at the mouth.


    Jin-Jin frowned slightly and dusted her clothes here and there. A momentter, Woo-Moon suddenly appeared.


    ¡°Have you bought the clothes yet?¡±


    Although he had been inside the inn, Woo-Moon had realized that Dok-Du¡¯s gang had been lurking around the inn. Naturally, he knew that they were following Jin-Jin, but he wasn¡¯t worried at all on ount of how weak they all seemed. Not that they wereplete weaklings, but when facing Jin-Jin, who was quickly regaining her martial skills, they were worlds apart.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m about to go buy them now. Why did youe out?¡±


    ¡°I just came out to get some air.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯ll be out shopping for a bit, so take care, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay, mother.¡±


    After Jin-Jin left, Woo-Moon clicked his tongue softly as he looked at Dok-Du and his gang.


    ¡°<i>Tsk, tsk.</i> You idiots.¡±


    After he left, Rat, whose leg was swollen from being kicked, crawled toward Dok-Du.


    ¡°H-hyung-nim? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°D-d-d-d-don¡¯t m-make me talk...¡¯¡¯


    He was in so much pain that he felt he might be better off dying. Moreover, there was also the huge worry about what to do if his little <i>something</i> malfunctioned after being kicked by a proper martial artist.


    Dok-Du groaned on the ground for a long time before his underlings finally managed to get him back on his feet.


    ¡°W-what the hell is with those people? How did a crazy ass man like that guy find a crazy ass wife just like him?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. Where did people like them evene from?¡±


    ¡°This won¡¯t fly. We gotta change our ns. How about we look for that boy who just came out of that inn? How is it?¡±

 Chapter 44. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (19)

    <h4>Chapter 44. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (19)</h4>


    Because they couldn¡¯t bear facing Baek Jin-Jin again, Dok-Du and the others decided to change their hostage target to Song Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s a good idea, hyung-nim. They seem to be some kind of low-level martial artists, but even if they practice whatever martial art, I really don¡¯t think their kid is any hot shit.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. Then our target is him,¡± Dok-Du said.


    As he stood up on shaky legs, the figure of the young man with the rosy cheeks looking at him and clicking his tongue shed through his mind.


    <i>¡®You dumb stinky brat! How dare you look at me like that when you¡¯re still sucking at your mom¡¯s breast?¡¯</i>


    From the side, Rat spoke cautiously.


    ¡°But, by the way, h-hyung-nim. Um, well, how about we just stop here? They¡¯re going to leave anyway, so if you just pretend not to see them for a while...¡±


    ¡°Shut up! I climbed all this way with just my axe! Do you even understand how much the boys will ridicule us if we just let things go like this? No, I can¡¯t give up here. We have to go meet Gwang Ryeok-Gwi hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! Are you sure? Don¡¯t you think this is getting too big?¡±


    A sliver of bloodlust showed in Dok-Du¡¯s gaze.


    <i> </i> *


    ¡°We¡¯ve found them, hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°You did?¡±


    Hearing the henchman call out, Dok-Du motioned to a man. ¡°Then let¡¯s go, Ryeok-Gwi hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Is there really a need for this? We could just go straight to the inn and fuck them up. What¡¯s the point in getting a hostage?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust your skills, hyung-nim. It¡¯s just that I want to make sure we handle this properly.¡±


    Ryeok-Gwi sighed at Dok-Du¡¯s words and looked over at him pitifully.


    ¡°Ha... How did you go and get yourself beaten up this badly by some country bumpkins? You look like a scaredy cat.¡±


    With Ryeok-Gwi following behind, Dok-Du headed to a vacant lot within their neighborhood in Anqing. A henchman had tailed Woo-Moon all the way there, and indeed, as they arrived, they found Woo-Moon practicing martial arts alone.


    Since he hadn¡¯t been a match for either Dae-Woong or Jin-Jin, Dok-Du had changed his target to Woo-Moon instead.


    ¡°You brainless bastard! You think you can just spit on me when I¡¯m down?!¡± Dok-Du shouted as he appeared with Ryeok-Gwi.


    ¡°How irritating...¡± Woo-Moon muttered in a low tone.


    Still, Ryeok-Gwi heard what Woo-Moon had said, and his eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.


    ¡°What? Irritating? You¡¯re right, Dok-Du. They really are crazy. Boys, take him down!¡±


    ¡°Understood, hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°Are you serious? Why did you have to create more problems for me again, father...¡±


    As he finished speaking, Woo-Moon took a step forward.


    He wasn¡¯t in a rush and he didn¡¯t look lightning fast, but with every move of his, one of Ryeok-Gwi¡¯s henchmen would end up on the ground bleeding, with some bones broken.


    After a few moments, Woo-Moon lightly patted the dust off his sleeves and left. Behind him, everyone was left unable to stand on two legs and crawling around like babies.


    ¡°D-Dok-Du! You bastard! He was a master, you stupid bastard!¡±


    ¡°D-damn it. How was I supposed to know he was a master?!¡±


    While listening to the conversation between the two, Rat shouted in anger, ¡°What the hell is wrong with that damned household?¡±


    Everyone had realized it from the get-go: Woo-Moon was not just a martial artist, but a real expert. No matter their numbers, they would never have been a match for someone like him.


    <i>¡®Damn it! How did I run into that sort of crazy ass family?!¡¯</i>


    Rat asked, ¡°What should we do now, hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are we supposed to do? Even Ryeok-Gwi hyung-nim couldn¡¯t do anything. We have to give up! Damn it!¡±


    Then, as they limped back, they suddenly encountered the person they had wanted to avoid the most.


    ¡°What¡¯s with you all? Why are you all sprawled out like that? Did you get beat up or something?¡±


    A man wearing a red changshan[1] and with a ive strapped to his back was standing in front of them. Dok-Du and Ryeok-Gwi flinched in surprise.


    ¡°W-Wang Pae hyung-nim...¡±


    Hearing Ryeok-Gwi¡¯s weak and pitiful voice, the Gang Leader of the Northern Fox Gang, Wang Pae, snorted.


    ¡°Huh? I really can¡¯t believe this right now. Which bastard was it who dared to mess with the dogs of our Northern Fox Gang?¡±


    Even though they had just been called ¡°dogs,¡± Ryeok Gwi and the others couldn¡¯t say anything. There was no way that they would dare¡ªif they went against the words of the Northern Fox Gang, they would bepletely exterminated.


    The Northern Fox Gang was a notorious bandit group that raided the towns in the area and was famous for ughtering and ravaging everything whenever it attacked a vige, down to everyst dog.


    There were already at least ten viges that had beenpletely annihted by their hands.


    Although their actions were so heinous that they had caught the eye of the government, the Northern Fox Gang, true to their name in terms of cleverness, managed to avoid the army whenever it was dispatched.


    For Ryeok-Gwi and Dok-Du, who refused to rape and murder, the most cruel, terrifying, and unpleasant person for them ever to have to meet was none other than the Northern Fox Gang Leader.


    However, whenever the Gang Leader periodically came to visit¡ªin other words, to beat up and threaten them into submission¡ªall they could do was cry with a bitter taste in their mouths as they procured whatever the Northern Fox Gang demanded.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s nothing... it really was nothing...¡±


    When Ryeok-Gwi was about to finish his sentence, Wang Pae suddenly thrust out his ive and aimed it right into Ryeok-Gwi¡¯s open mouth.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Ryeok-Gwi froze in ce, but Wang Pae stopped the ive right before the tip pierced his throat. Heughed as he spoke with a murderous tone, ¡°I don¡¯t give a crap if dogs like you die, but those who dare to mess with our livelihood should be yed alive. Who the hell are those bastards? Hurry up and tell me.¡±


    <i> </i> *


    There were about a hundred members of the Northern Fox Gang in total, and they hid in the bushes near Anqing and waited for Woo-Moon and his family to emerge.


    They all radiated terrifying bloodlust. The feeling was so strong that even the air seemed to smell bloody to Dok-Du.


    Although he prided himself on having lived his entire life with naught but an axe in hand, he seemed to wither into nothingness as he was surrounded by the band of bandits of the Northern Fox Gang.


    <i>¡®I-it was just a bit of an argument... it¡¯s not something to kill over...¡¯</i>


    The Northern Fox Gang was a real member of the <i>murim</i>, and it was rumored that even though the Namgoong family had sent out a few squads, the Northern Fox Gang had been able to withstand it so far.


    Dok-Du and the others had been beaten ck and blue by Woo-Moon and his family, but they knew that once the Northern Fox Gang got involved...things were bound to go bad. Dok-Du¡¯s heart felt truly heavy because of the tragedy that was about to happen.


    ¡°Hey, you, um... Dikdik or whatever? Come over here,¡± called out Wang Pae.


    ¡°Y-yes.¡±


    ¡°This is a city under the influence of the Namgoong family. If we do something like this here, the Namgoong family might be angered again and send out another execution squad. I¡¯m taking all this risk just to help you, so you¡¯ll have to double the payment for next month. Understood?¡±


    <i>¡®We don¡¯t even want this to happen. You¡¯re doing whatever you please right now! What kind of bullshit is this?!¡¯</i> Dok-Du thought in his heart.


    However, he smiled awkwardly and responded, ¡°D-don¡¯t worry, hyung-nim. We¡¯llpensate you no matter what we have to do.¡±


    It was then that one of the subordinates of the Northern Fox Gang brought over an ordinary-looking man who seemed to be in his mid-thirties.


    ¡°Gang Leader! This bastard was passing by and tried to run away when he saw us.¡±


    The captured man trembled as he looked at the bandits who were staring at him.


    ¡°P-please let me live. I won¡¯t tell a single soul that you are here.¡±


    However, there was no way that Wang Pae would show mercy just because someone begged for it.


    ¡°Kill him.¡±


    The reason the Northern Fox Gang had been able to evade the government thus far was that they indiscriminately killed anyone who saw them.


    ¡°Aaah!!!¡±


    As the man closed his eyes tightly and squealed at Wang Pae¡¯smand, a new voice suddenly cut through the air.


    ¡°Huh? Oi, what are you all doing here?¡±


    It was an irritating voice that made one¡¯s hackles rise right from the first word.


    Wang Pae looked over at the man in his thirties wearing a dazzling white robe who had suddenly appeared next to them.


    ¡°What kind of bastard are you?¡±


    ¡°Me? Haha, just a bastard passing by. What kind of bastards are you,ds?¡±


    Sparks flew out of the eyes of the Northern Fox Gang members.


    Almost in unison, the Northern Fox Gang members emerged from the bushes and walked intimidatingly toward the man in white, who just so happened to be Baek Sang-Woon.


    Wang Pae¡¯s right-hand man, Soul-Chasing Ghost Archer, who stood at the very front, walked forward with eyes bulging in rage.


    ¡°Crazy asshole, where did you get the balls to speak to us like that? I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    As the Soul-Chasing Ghost Archer drew an arrow in a quick movement and was about to pull his bowstring, Wang Pae raised his hand.


    He slowly looked up and down the man in the dazzling white robe, worried that he might be a martial arts expert.


    Sang-Woon simply matched his gaze. ¡°I say, did you alle all this way to have dinner or something? Hey, you over there. What are you all about?¡±


    The person Sang-Woon pointed to was Dok-Du. All he wanted right now was to shout <i>¡®You crazy bastard, if you want to live, flee immediately!¡¯</i> The moment he saw Sang-Woon¡¯s smiling gaze, however, he found himself unable to say anything.


    <i>¡®Huh?¡¯</i>


    Although he was confused, he found his mouth moving as if it had a mind of its own.


    ¡°W-we are waiting to kill that massive dunce and his fam...ily...incredibly strong...¡±


    Wang Pae red over at Dok-Du with eyes that seemed to say, <i>¡®Since when the fuck are you so honest?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Ah! Really? Hmm, some big dunce, family, incredible strength... Makes sense. But, hmm, for some reason, it seems you¡¯re talking about someone I know?¡±


    In the meantime, Wang Pae finished his inspection of Sang-Woon.


    No matter how he looked at the man, Wang Pae couldn¡¯t find a single sign to show that Sang-Woon was stronger than he was. With that in mind, he gave a curtmand.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    However, it wasn¡¯t his subordinates who responded, but Sang-Woon.


    ¡°Huh? Kill? Okay. Even if you didn¡¯t say so, I was already nning on killing you all, <i>haha</i>.¡±


    The moment his words ended, Sang-Woon waved a hand dismissively, as if he was waving them goodbye.


    At that moment, Wang Pae¡¯s eyes widened.


    Palm wind sted forth with unimaginably vast force, flipping the heavens and the earth.


    ¡°RUN!!!¡±


    At the same time as he shouted thismand, Wang Pae stirred up his qi and gathered as much strength as he could to withstand what wasing.


    ¡°AHHH!!¡±


    After barely fending off the palm wind, Wang Pae could not believe his own eyes.


    Half of his men had disappeared, all that remained were fragments of severed limbs and blood.


    One person had just killed fifty people in a single casual move.


    Wang Pae had never imagined that such martial arts skill existed¡ªhe hadn¡¯t ever imagined that a person capable of such feats existed.


    <i>¡®Wait...What if he was one of </i>them<i>...¡¯ </i>he thought.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way...¡±


    Wang Pae couldn¡¯t bear to say what he was thinking out loud, and Dok-Du had alsopletely lost his spirit.


    ¡°T-that¡¯s not a human. How could such power be...¡±


    As the random man who had unluckily been dragged into the mess ran away screaming, someone who was somewhat familiar to Dok-Du walked into the area.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s that brat!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon walked over with a frown as he looked over at Sang-Woon.


    ¡°Grandfather, howe you¡¯re here? Why bother with minor things like these?¡±


    Even though he had just seen dozens of people die, he didn¡¯t look particrly concerned. He assumed that if his grandfather had killed them, he probably had a very good reason.


    bbergasted at the sight, but also strangely relieved, Dok-Du muttered to himself without realizing it, ¡°Grandfather? So that man is his grandfather? Thatdy¡¯s husband, thedy herself, and even their son is a master too... and the grandfather is somehow even stronger? What the hell is with that household?¡±


    In the beginning, Dok-Du shed with that dunce they called Dae-Woong. He wanted to teach him a lesson, but Dok-Du ended up being taught a lesson instead.


    Thus, he tried to take revenge by taking his woman hostage. But somehow, thatdy, who was so pretty and slender, turned out to be even stronger than her husband!


    Still, he couldn¡¯t give up on it, so he tried to catch their young brat, who hadughed at him. However, even their son turned out to be a master!


    At that point, the situation had gotten so twisted that even the Northern Fox Gang had gotten involved.


    But then, at that time, some bastard in his thirties, seemingly around the same age as Dok-Du himself, appeared out of nowhere and killed about fifty people in a single move.


    And every single one of those ridiculous people was a member of the same family!


    Moreover, why did that bastard who was being called ¡°grandfather¡± look like he was in his thirties? What sort of fucking household was this? Were they all actual demons?!


    Dok-Du shook his head as if to clear his confusion.


    Sang-Woon had a bitter taste in his mouth as he saw the bloodlust emanating from the Northern Fox Gang.


    ¡°<i>Tsk, tsk</i>. That bastard Lust Emperor just had to start the ck Hand. There really are too many of these dirty bastards around. Mountain bandits, marauding bandits, sea bandits, even horse bandits... I mean, I don¡¯t even know how many of these bastards I¡¯ve killed, but no matter how many I kill, even more appear. Are they fucking rabbits or something?¡±


    Sang-Woon clicked his tongue, shook his head, and turned to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Kill all of these bastards. They stink of blood so badly that every single one of them has probably killed hundreds of people. These gu¡ª<i>things</i> don¡¯t deserve to live. Break everyst one of them and don¡¯t feel bad about it.¡±


    1. A traditional long gown worn by males. The male version of a cheongsam. ?

 Chapter 45. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (20)

    <h4>Chapter 45. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (20)</h4>


    ¡°Yes, grandfather.¡±


    Song Woo-Moon drew his sword and walked toward the bandits.


    Baek Sang-Woon called out to the Northern Fox Gang, who were so frightened that they had lost their will to fight.


    ¡°Hey, you all. If you can beat my grandson, I¡¯ll let you live. Stop being so scared and fight as best as you can.¡±


    Having witnessed Sang-Woon¡¯s martial skills, as different from their own as heaven from earth, the Northern Fox Gang members couldn¡¯t even feel frustration. This was not an opponent they could even survive, much less defeat. However, hearing what he had said, the light in their eyes changed.


    ¡°Are you serious? Why are you doing this to me? It¡¯s so annoying,¡± Woo-Moonined.


    ¡°You little brat, youck practical experience.¡±


    Wang Pae shouted, ¡°A-are you serious?! Are you really going to honor that?¡±


    Sang-Woon smirked.


    ¡°Do you really think that my words are as cheap as the trash you¡¯re spouting? My promise is worth its weight in gold.¡±


    Given his demeanor and actions, Sang-Woon was clearly not a proper member of the Righteous Faction, but that didn¡¯t mean he sided with the Evil Faction. Wang Pae thought that there was no way an expert from the Righteous Faction who had even put his reputation on the line would break a promise, especially when it involved people¡¯s lives.


    <i>¡®No, forget about that! We have no choice, right? We have no choice but to fight and hope he keeps his promise!¡¯</i>


    Wang Pae shouted to his men, ¡°Kill that bastard no matter how! That¡¯s the only way we can live!¡±


    Of course, if Woo-Moon were to really die, there was little chance that Sang-Woon, who was his grandfather, would really forgive them. Thinking that this was the only path they had before them, however, the bandits attacked desperately.


    Seeing this, Woo-Moon was perfectly calm.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s true that I¡¯m not as strong as my grandfather, but still...if you think that trash like you can do anything to me, think again.¡±


    He had just finished his sentence when his figure began to blur.


    <i>Woosh! THUD!</i>


    A bandit copsed, blood spraying from his throat.


    Almost at the exact same time, those in front and behind Woo-Moon also had their chests caved in, blood spewing out from their mouths in unison.


    The bandits couldn¡¯t even properly see how Woo-Moon was moving.


    Soul-Chasing Ghost Archer was running through the gang of bandits, continuously shooting arrows. Woo-Moon didn¡¯t even bother to follow him. Instead, he simply grabbed an arrow in mid-air andunched it back like a dart, piercing through the Soul-Chasing Ghost Archer¡¯s forehead as if it was nothing.


    As the massacre went on, Wang Pae sneaked behind Woo-Moon¡¯s back and gathered all his qi into his hands, throwing his ive forward. Among all of the skills that he knew, this was the strongest and put all his bloodlust into a single move.


    ¡°<i>Hmph.</i>¡±


    Woo-Moon let out a low snort as his body immediately turned blurry. A fraction of a secondter, he appeared right behind Wang Pae and his sword swiftly passed through the man¡¯s neck.


    Seeing this, the morale of the Northern Fox Gang waspletely broken, and Woo-Moon proceeded to harvest their lives like wheat in the fall.


    Less than a minuteter, Woo-Moon flicked his sword in the air, shaking off the blood, and put it back into his sheath.


    Sang-Woon''s empty voice rang out.


    ¡°<i>Hmph</i>. It seems like they weren¡¯t even able to give you a good warm-up. You little monster. How is your cultivation so high at your age?¡±


    Woo-Moon stood expressionless.


    He had killed a lot of people, but as his grandfather had said, they had been worthy of death. If any of these bandits had survived, many good people would have lost their livester on.


    Even his hometown, Unhan, had also been attacked by a group of bandits. It was fifty years back, quite some time before he was born, but he had heard about how even the children were brutally murdered, while many women were taken captive by the bandits and used as their ythings.


    Thus, he felt absolutely no guilt about killing the bandits.


    Still, ending a life felt strange to him, let alone fifty.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. There¡¯s no need to show your father or Jin-Jin something like this.¡±


    ¡®Yes, grandfather.¡±


    Sang-Woon returned to the inn, but Woo-Moon actually turned back after a moment and walked toward Dok-Du.


    The man was lying on the ground with blood on his chest and his eyes closed.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    ¡°Hey, wake up.¡±


    Dok-Du didn¡¯t even twitch. It seemed that he was well and truly dead.


    <i>Thud, thud.</i>


    ¡°Hurry up and get up.¡±


    Even with Woo-Moon¡¯s prodding, there was no movement.


    ¡°<i>Hoo...</i> well, this is annoying. Are you really dead, punk? <i>Hmm</i>, should I try stabbing him to check?¡±


    The moment Woo-Moon said that, Dok-Du jumped up, fell to his knees, and prostrated himself, his head banging on the ground.


    ¡°Please allow me to live, young hero! I acted with such audacity because I wasn¡¯t aware of your presence!¡±


    ¡°<i>Whew...</i> Hey, the rest of you idiots, get up.¡±


    Dok-Du¡¯s gang and Gwang Ryeok-Gwi, who were all pretending to be corpses, quickly got up and prostrated themselves on the ground as well.


    Surprisingly, unlike the Northern Fox Gang, the entire Dok-Du gang was fine.


    Sang-Woon and Woo-Moon were able to sense the weight of the evil deeds their opponents hadmitted through the bloodlust they were emitting. Naturally, they had left these small fry alone.


    ¡°Please allow us to live!¡±


    ¡°I purposefully took matters into my own hands because I thought you all didn¡¯t deserve to die, so why would I kill you now?¡±


    As Woo-Moon spoke, looking at them with a pitiful gaze, Dok-Du suddenly pped his own cheek hard.


    ¡°I made a mistake! Please just allow me to live! Rat! Come quickly and hit me! Hit me hard!¡±


    ¡°P-pardon?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and hit me quickly, you bastard!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes were treated to an odd but hrious sight. Dok-Du, who had gotten to his position using just his axe, was being beaten by his weasel-faced subordinate, whom he always made fun of by calling him Rat.


    <i>¡®Dok-Du, you bastard!¡¯</i>


    Maybe it was because he had been mocked by Dok-Du since he was young, but the look in Rat¡¯s eyes suddenly turned brutal.


    <i>¡®You fucking rodent bastard! You¡¯re really hitting me! You dumb bastard.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon watched the strange performance for a few moments, then asked jadedly, ¡°Do you really want to live that much?¡±


    ¡°Yessh!¡± Dok-Du¡¯s swollen face made him sound like he was speaking with his mouth full.


    ¡°Hehe... is there anyone in the world who really wants to die?¡± Rat said, rubbing his hands andughing slyly.


    <i>Smack!</i>


    ¡°<i>Aghk</i>!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯tugh like that in front of me.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Rat answered, holding his throbbing head.


    Woo-Moon pointed at Dok-Du, Rat, and Ryeok-Gwi. ¡°You, you, and you! If you want to live, follow me. We are going all the way to Anhui, and it seems like I¡¯ll have to personally guide you onto the right path, so I¡¯m taking you along with me.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°Pardon?! The three of you stand right here. The rest of you, scram!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Dok-Du and Ryeok-Gwi felt a great sense of betrayal when they saw their subordinates running away for their lives.


    <i>¡®You ungrateful bastards. As if we didn¡¯t swear to live and die together!¡¯</i>


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon hit his fist and palm together.


    <i>¡®W-what is he doing...¡¯</i>


    Dok-Du, Ryeok-Gwi, and Rat looked at Woo-Moon with anxious eyes.


    ¡°Even after being beaten like that, you didn¡¯te to your senses and you even ended up dragging in those bandits. I¡¯m going to make sure that you arepletely and fully rehabilitated and turned into honest people, right now.¡±


    ¡°T-that¡¯s not it. We didn¡¯t call the Northern Fox Gang, but...¡±


    Dok-Du hastily poured out excuses, but he was unable to finish his sentence as Woo-Moon also poured out some Heavy Rain with his fists.


    <i>Thud, thud, thud!</i>


    ¡°AGH!!¡±


    ¡°AGK!!¡±


    The rain of fists was unimaginably painful. None of them could tell how exactly he was hitting them, but they had never felt this much pain in their lives.


    Of course, for Dok-Du, it was less painful than when Baek Jin-Jin had struck him in his most precious ce the other day, but just barely.


    ¡°P-please stop hitting us!¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Every time you open your mouth, you get a hundred more.¡±


    After being hit countless times, Ryeok-Gwi raged on the inside.


    <i>¡®This is all because of Dok-Du! That bastard! Why did you have to mess with that little flower bitch?!¡¯</i>


    <i> </i> *


    Following Woo-Moon¡¯s suggestion, they purchased a carriage to make the trip more convenient.


    For the next ten days, Sang-Woon, Dae-Woong, Jin-Jin, Woo-Moon, and Yeon Si-Hyeon rode in a carriage together and enjoyed the journeyfortably.


    Woo-Moon also asked Jo Mu-Jae to ride the carriage with them, but the man insisted that he would ride alongside them instead.


    Behind them, Ryeok-Gwi and Dok-Du trodded forward, loaded with massive pieces of luggage. The luggage was not just big, but also extremely heavy, including everything from nkets to pots and other kitchenware.


    Now that they had porters they could use for free, the family had started to purchase things that they needed while on the road.


    Meanwhile, a coachman was needed, of course, to drive a carriage. Thus, Woo-Moon had ordered Rat, who was much weaker than his superiors, to act as such.


    Rat was ecstatic on the inside¡ªsaid superiors, Ryeok-Gwi and Dok-Du, were carrying luggage while he wasfortably driving a carriage.


    <i>¡®This is why having strength isn¡¯t everything. Ahem. Or at least that¡¯s what I heard.¡¯</i>


    As they passed through mountain trails, there was one thing that they often encountered over and over again.


    ¡°Hahaha! You bastards! If you want to live, then leave everything here and scram!¡±


    There were a lot of bandits in the <i>gangho</i>.


    Fortunately, Woo-Moon¡¯s family wasn¡¯t thatrge, so most of the time, the bandits only showed up in groups of less than ten.


    ¡°Hey, what the hell do you want now?!¡± Woo-Moon shouted in annoyance.


    Ryeok-Gwi and Dok-Du, who were walking behind them, quickly put down the luggage and ran forward.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of it immediately!¡±


    The two men went to the front of the carriage and faced the bandits.


    ¡°What the hell are these guys?¡±


    The bandits red as Woo-Moon kicked the back of Rat, who was still sitting on the coach seat, instead of leaving.


    ¡°You go out too, you dumbass!¡±


    ¡°Agk!¡±


    Rat rolled right to the front and felt terrifying gazes upon him as he raised his head up to see Dok-Du and Ryeok-Gwi ring at him with murderous eyes.


    ¡°Ha... haha. Sorry for beingte!¡±


    Just as Ryeok-Gwi and Dok-Du were about to say something to Rat, Woo-Moon¡¯s voice echoed again.


    ¡°What¡¯s taking you so long? Are you taking a break or something?¡±


    <i>¡®You bastard!¡±</i>


    Cursing Woo-Moon in their minds, the three red at the bandits.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s with these bastards?¡±


    As if they saw the resentment and rage deep within Dok-Du and Ryeok-Gwi¡¯s eyes, the bandits were already starting to lose their momentum.


    Ryeok-Gwi, Dok-Du, and Rat were all peppered with wounds. These were not caused by Woo-Moon; rather, they were the result of fighting every single bandit they¡¯d encountered so far all by themselves.


    The three of them were much weaker than their new masters, but that was just because Woo-Moon and his family were monsters. As people who ruled over the back alleys of an entire city, they were naturally capable people.


    ¡°You dog bastards!¡±


    ¡°Why are you blocking our path?¡±


    Filled with venom, they threw themselves at their enemies, not caring if they were injured or not. They knew that if they dared to hold back, Woo-Moon would have an excuse to beat them up again.


    The bloody battle ended quickly.


    However, even though the fight had ended, Dok-Du and Ryeok-Gwi didn¡¯t stop and continued to stomp on the bandits. Meanwhile, Raty on the ground, knocked unconscious after being hit by a spear swung by one of the bandits.


    Finally tired of the sight, Woo-Moon shouted, ¡°Hey! Why does it feel like I¡¯m getting hurt while you¡¯re hitting the bandits? You¡¯re thinking about hitting me, aren¡¯t you??¡±


    <i>¡®You fucking demon bastarts!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®You devil!¡¯</i>


    The two were, in fact, beating the bandits while visualizing Woo-Moon¡¯s face under their feet.


    ¡°Huh? Why are you so shocked? Wait, so you really were beating them while thinking about me? What, it¡¯s been so long you want another beating?¡±


    ¡°No! That¡¯s absolutely not it!¡±


    ¡°Really? Hmm... and here I thought that¡¯s what you were doing... you know you¡¯d die if you really did that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and clean this up so we can leave. We¡¯re not that far.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°Hey, Rat. Stop being such a baby. Get up and drive.¡±


    As if he had been awake and trembling for some time, Rat jumped up with the mental strength of a superhuman and sat down on the coach seat.


    ¡°Depart!¡±


    Watching everything happen, Sang-Woon looked somewhat proud as Dae-Woong dozed off, and Jin-Jin sighed.


    Moreover, Si-Hyeon thought to herself as she watched Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s starting to resemble grandfather more and more. His personality... hmm, it seemed much more kind and gentle before.¡¯</i>


    They traveled for a while, and as dinner time came, Ryeok-Gwi and Dok-Du found a t area in their vicinity. It was clear that they were familiar with what they had to do¡ªthey immediately took out some shovels that they were carrying and removed the protruding stones on the ground. Then, they shoveled t the soil on the higher areas and sprinkled it all over the holes, making the ground more even. The way they moved made them appear not only well-practiced, but even passionate.


    ¡°Hurry up and finish.¡±


    ...Or it was because Woo-Moon was watching them from behind.


    ¡°It seems these brats are being much slower these days,¡± Sang-Woon said from the side.


    ¡°Is that so? No worries, grandfather. If I beat them up a little, they¡¯ll be way faster!¡±


    Immediately, Ryeok-Gwi and Dok-Du sped up.


    Meanwhile, Rat was holding its head in tremendous pain while standing next to Dae-Woong, who was making their meal.


    ¡°You brat! I¡¯ve been teaching you for a few days already, and yet you still can¡¯t do a single damn thing right! Why the heck are you putting in the salt now?!¡±


    Since Rat was quite dextrous, he had been serving as an assistant to Dae-Woong whenever he was cooking.


    What was the most upsetting for the three of them was that even Eun-Ah, who was an animal, ate with Woo-Moon and his family, while they had to sit off to the side and eat quietly, not even making a single sound.


    <i>¡®Are we supposed to be worse than that tiger cub?¡¯</i>


    What was even more upsetting was Eun-Ah¡¯s behavior.

 Chapter 46. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (21)

    <h4>Chapter 46. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (21)</h4>


    That little bitch Eun-Ah actually divided the group into sses, assigning abel to each member and acting ordingly.


    Naturally, the highest-ranking member was the one and only Song Woo-Moon.


    No matter who she was ying with, no matter where he was, if Woo-Moon called for her, she would run over and y cute.


    Next were Sang-Woon, Jin-Jin, and Si-Hyeon.


    The treatment they received was simr to that of Woo-Moon, the major difference being that Woo-Moon¡¯smands were given priority.


    Next was Dae-Woong. If Dae-Woong didn¡¯t interact with her first, she wouldn¡¯t interact with him herself, living almost as if neither acknowledged each other¡¯s existence.


    As for Jo Mu-Jae, he was always separate from the group, so he was not part of the hierarchy.


    Thus, who was the lowest ss, the pariah of Eun-Ah¡¯s hierarchy?


    Of course, it was Gwang Ryeok-Gwi, Dok-Du, and Rat.


    For example, when Eun-Ahy on her stomach basking in the sunlight, if someone cast a shadow and blocked her light, she would first open her eyes and identify who it was.


    If it was Woo-Moon, she would purr, jump up, and rub herself against his leg.


    If it was Sang-Woon, Jin-Jin, or Si-Hyeon, she would act cute, though the degree depended on her mood. Sometimes she¡¯d just close her eyes and do nothing.


    If it was Dae-Woong? She would shake her head and walk over somewhere else to bask in the sunlight.


    However, when the Dok-Gwang-Rat trio blocked out her sunlight...


    <i>Rawr!</i>


    A sharp, cat-like howl would tear through the air¡ªwhat the tiger cub very optimistically felt was an intimidating roar.


    She would re at the three people with anger in her gaze as if to say, <i>¡®Get out of the way!¡¯</i>


    Then, even though the trio raged internally, they would quietly move out of the way, wary of the gazes of the others.


    But, if that were all there was to her prejudice, they wouldn¡¯t have been upset.


    That was far from it, though. Whenever Eun-Ah passed by them as she went somewhere, if she thought they were in the way somehow, she would cry out to tell them to scram.


    <i>¡®This little runt really dares!¡¯</i>


    The trio couldn¡¯t help but feel anger rising inside them.


    After all, weren¡¯t they people, too? How could they be treated like this by an <i>animal</i>?


    Thus, they went out to take advantage of an opportunity¡ªwhen Eun-Ah wandered off alone at night.


    <i>¡®Now is the time!¡¯</i>


    As a beast with great intelligence, Eun-Ah wouldn¡¯t just relieve herself anywhere, making sure to stay far away from where her humans were camping or where other people were.


    She would go off on her own, do her business, ande back.


    Thus, when everyone was asleep, the trio seized the opportunity.


    <i>¡®You damned brat. Let¡¯s see how I teach you a lesson!¡¯</i>


    Eun-Ah, who was skipping through the bushes with her small paws, sensed the trio following her from behind, and eventually she stopped and turned around.


    She looked at the three of them and growled. Her fangs weren¡¯t yet very sharp orrge, but they glinted menacingly in the moonlight.


    The silver tiger cub and the Dok-Ryeok-Rat trio who dominated their city¡¯s underground stared back at each other as a chilly night breeze blew between them.


    ¡°You damned tiger!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to feel my wrath today!¡±


    The trio shouted and rushed toward Eun-Ah, nning on grabbing the cub and teaching her a lesson.


    However, all of a sudden, Eun-Ah¡¯s figure suddenly turned blurry as she jumped up into the air. An instantter, she reappeared in front of Ryeok-Gwi¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°You dare!¡± Ryeok-Gwi shouted, furious with the little tiger cub.


    He tried to smack her down, but a sharp pain stopped him in his tracks.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Scratches suddenly appeared on his face as Eun-Ah proceeded to smack him with both front paws, turning Ryeok-Gwi¡¯s face into what looked like a poor drawing of a fis.


    ¡°Y-you brat!¡±


    Dok-Du swung a fist from behind to save Ryeok-Gwi, but as if she had eyes on the back of her head, Eun-Ah twisted mid-air and stepped on Dok-Du¡¯s fist, using it as a springboard.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    She ran along his outstretched arm, leaping forward and biting into his cheek.


    ¡°AGHHHH! Someone save me!¡±


    At the thought of being bitten by a tiger, Dok-Du let out an ugly scream and started iling his arms.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll save you!¡± Rat said, swinging the wooden club he had picked up with all his might.


    However, once again, Eun-Ah sensed the attack through her sensitive ears and jumped off Dok-Du¡¯s face, dodging the blow.


    ¡°You crazy bastarrrrrrd!¡±


    At the same time, Rat¡¯s wooden club smacked Dok-Du square in the face.


    ¡°Agk! I-I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Startled, Rat apologized to hisrade.


    Eun-Ahnded on the ground after somersaulting through the air for a moment. She crouched down like a fuzzy spring, then bounced forward again.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    She flew through the air like a cannonball, striking Rat¡¯s abdomen with her head.


    ¡®<i>How can this tiny ass rabbit bitch hit this hard?¡¯ </i>was Rat¡¯s final thought before falling onto his back, drool dripping from his mouth.


    After taking care of all three people in an instant, Eun-Ah shook her head as if to show off, walking confidently toward her destination.


    On the way, she stepped on the club that Rat had attempted to use earlier.


    Her tiny ws gripped the wood as Eun-Ah picked it up, opened her mouth wide, and bit down in one go.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    It was quite a sizable chunk of wood, yet Eun-Ah¡¯s baby teeth not just bit into it, but crushed it into little chips.


    ¡°...¡±


    It was only then that the Dok-Ryeok-Rat trio realized it¡ªEun-Ah had actually taken it easy on them. If she had been serious, the three of them would have had a hard time even staying alive.


    <i>Growl!</i>


    Eun-Ah roared for a long time as if to reaffirm her status, and with her head held high and her posture proud, she went over to the ce where she did her business.


    "Unbelievable...¡±


    ¡°<i>Sniff, sniff. Ugh</i>...¡±


    The three devastated people had theirst bit of pride shattered.


    <i>¡®We may be thugs, but we were the rulers of Anqing!¡¯</i>


    Their glorious past came to mind.


    If they didn''t like someone, they beat them up as much as they wanted, with or without reason. Who cared about the consequences?


    If they needed money, all they had to do was ask a passerby, and with that money, they had fun,ughing and chatting to their hearts¡¯ content while running throughout the city.


    And now, these free and unrestrained people were being bullied by a baby animal.


    Their morous past was no more.


    That was their new lot in life.


    The more they were faced with this new reality, the more their rage toward Woo-Moon grew.


    <i>¡®That demon bastard!¡¯</i>


    There was only one reason they were subjected to this torture¡ªthey had done the ultimate stupid mistake of messing with Woo-Moon¡¯s family.


    This was the beginning of a hell-like journey for the three brothers.


    On the other hand, Woo-Moon and his family had a very pleasant trip thanks to the trio¡¯s help.


    * * *


    A few days passed, and the Song family arrived in Hefei, Anhui Province, where the Iron Sword Baek Family was located.


    In front of Hefei Castle, Woo-Moon called out to the Dok-Ryeok-Rat trio.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard throughout the journey here.¡±


    ¡°It was nothing! We are truly grateful to have met you, Lord Hero, who descended from the heavens, and are truly honored to have been able to serve you.¡±


    ¡°It was an honor to serve the Great Hero!¡±


    Woo-Moon tilted his head after hearing what the three people had said.


    ¡°Huh? Why are you saying goodbye right now?¡±


    ¡°P-pardon?¡±


    ¡°We are going to go back to... right here. Hahaha.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s fist flew toward Ryeok-Gwi, who was about to say that they were returning home.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°It seems you haven¡¯te to your senses yet. Your rotten minds are a long way from being fixed, so you¡¯reing to the Baek Family with me.¡±


    Dok-Du and Ryeok-Gwi could feel the light in their eyes getting dimmer.


    <i>¡®How much longer are we going to have to spend with that devil?!¡¯</i>


    Dok-Du quietly asked, ¡°By the way, sir, what sort of people are your family? They¡¯re called the Iron Sword Baek Family, correct?¡±


    Woo-Moon thought to himself, <i>¡®These guys will probably shit themselves if I tell them my grandpa is the Palm Martial Emperor, right?¡¯</i>


    On one hand, it seemed like it would be fun.


    On the other, it also seemed bothersome.


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s all you need to know! Listen carefully to what I¡¯m about to say.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°From now on, the back alley thugs never existed. Hmm... let¡¯s do it this way. You are just roaming warriors and you got entangled with the Northern Fox Gang by ident. To return the favor of us saving you from certain death, you voluntarily became our servants. Understood?¡±


    In Woo-Moon¡¯s mind, if the Baek Family were to find out that these idiots had been random thugs, there was a chance they would find fault with them in one way or another.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The first person to answer was Dok-Du, while the other two were too busy memorizing what Woo-Moon had said to respond.


    ¡°Hey, Dok-Du. Repeat what I just said.¡±


    ¡°Pardon? Oh, yes, well.... We... we... um-Agk! Aghh!!¡±


    Woo-Moon kicked Dok-Du, making him roll on the ground.


    ¡°Hey, you idiot! How stupid are you that you can¡¯t even memorize that short thing? If you¡¯re really that stupid, at least put in as much effort as the idiots next to you! What, do you think that answering blindly is all you have to do?¡±


    ¡°I-I apologize!¡±


    ¡°All of you are idiots, but you¡¯re the stupidest among the three of you. Watch it, okay?¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°All three of you better memorize it properly. If you make even a single mistake inside those walls, I¡¯m going to beat you so hard your mothers won¡¯t even be able to recognize you. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°We will... we will engrave it with our feet!¡±


    Woo-Moon then kicked Rat this time.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know what the actual saying is, then shut the fuck up! If you try something like that within the walls, I¡¯ll kill you, seriously!¡±


    ¡°I-I won¡¯t do it again!¡±


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go. And get rid of that frown and just smile. I said, <i>smile</i>.¡±


    The trio forced themselves to smile as soon as the Song family entered Hefei Castle.


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    Woo-Moon was unable to hide his wonder.


    Hefei was a proper city, iparable to a vige like Unhan.


    Passing through the wide market streets of Hefei, Dae-Woong and Woo-Moon continued to burst out in admiration, looking exactly like the backcountry hillbillies they were.


    Meanwhile, Jin-Jin had a somewhat dark expression.


    <i>¡®When I go back, those witches will still be there.¡¯</i>


    At that time, Sang-Woon motioned for the carriage to stop in front of arge inn. Compared to the Deungpyeong Inn, run by Dae-Woon in Unhan, it was over twice asrge.


    Sang-Woon exited the carriage and gestured to Woo-Moon, Si-Hyeon, and Mu-Jae as they entered the inn.


    ¡°Si-Hyeon, please stay here for now.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Grandfather.¡±


    Si-Hyeon, in truth, was morefortable here. For some reason, she didn''t exactly feelfortable moving with the Baek Family...She was only the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s disciple, not a member of the Baek Family.


    ¡°Woo-Moon, even when I¡¯m not around, you have toe by here often and take care of your junior sister, understood?¡±


    ¡°Okay, Grandfather,¡± Woo-Moon answered indifferently.


    Si-Hyeon and Mu-Jae went up to their room as Sang-Woon and Woo-Moon got back into the carriage.


    After a while, the carriage stopped in front of a massive manor with an enormous que on the front gate.


    <strong>Iron Sword Baek Family.</strong>


    Although the actual title was ¡°manor,¡± it could just as well be called a castle, as it appearedrge enough to amodate ten thousand people and more if needed.


    As a warrior family grew, it would be a great family, and as a great family grew, it would eventually be a reputable family.


    Finally, the most reputed among these families were given the title Ancient Family and bestowed a family crest.


    As an Ancient Family grew older, the number of blood rtives alone became enormous.


    Moreover, as its size increased, the number of servants, warriors, and other attendants would also inevitably increase.


    That was why the Iron Sword Baek Family, which reigned as the leader of an entire region, had a manor the size of a castle.


    Beneath the que was the majestic stone statue of a warrior holding a sword.


    As they reached the gate, one of the two warriors guarding the front of the gate came running forward.


    ¡°Halt! May I ask what has brought you to the Iron Sword Baek Family?¡±


    ¡°Hm...¡±


    Sang-Woon made a low noise and winked over at Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Are you serious...¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon then got off the carriage and greeted the gatekeeper.


    ¡°Hello, my name is Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    <i>¡®Song...Woo-Moon...?¡¯</i>


    It was the first time the gatekeeper had heard this name. Nevertheless, he saluted in kind before responding, ¡°My name is Yong Hwa-Pyeong of the Iron Sword Baek Family. What business did youe here for?¡±


    At that moment, the front door suddenly opened, and a richly decorated carriage came out.


    Unfortunately, the main gate wasn¡¯trge enough for two carriages to pass through at the same time. The emerging carriage was thus unable to go any further and had to stop before the carriage that the Song family was riding.


    ¡°The hell is this?¡±


    Following a woman¡¯s annoyed cry, someone from within the carriage stuck their head out.

 Chapter 47. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (22)

    <h4>Chapter 47. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (22)</h4>


    A middle-aged woman with eyebrows raised sharply upward and who appeared to have a lousy personality stuck her head out of the carriage. Her appearance was...prominent in its own way.


    She screamed at the sight of Song Woo-Moon. He looked like a total country bumpkin, and his in and shabby carriage was in the way!


    ¡°What is that monstrosity? Why is it blocking my path? I demand that you hurry up and dispose of that trash immediately! I need to get to the banquet hall quickly.¡±


    ¡°U-understood, Ma¡¯am!¡±


    The movements of the gatekeepers became faster as the warriors who were guarding the middle-aged woman¡¯s carriage also rushed forward toward the carriage that the Song family was riding in.


    ¡°Hurry up and flip the carriage over!¡± The middle-aged woman''s guardmanded the gatekeepers as if they were his own subordinates.


    The two gatekeepers, especially Yong Hwa-Pyeong, frowned, but they endured the insulting orders as there was nothing they could do.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t that too much? They arrived first, so even if they were to move, they should be going into thepound first,¡¯</i> they thought to themselves.


    Of course, they were unable to say that to the influential residents of the Iron Sword Baek Family.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    As the warriors lined up in front of the carriage, Woo-Moon looked over with a mischievous look in his eyes.


    Seeing such a bright-eyed youngster blocking their path, the guard captain spoke, looking at Woo-Moon with aughable gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to move your carriage aside.¡±


    Although the guard captain wasn¡¯t outright speaking informally, his tone was all but dripping with disdain. It seemed he had already judged the Song family by what they looked like on the outside.


    Of course, in response, Woo-Moon¡¯s words were just as disdainful.


    ¡°Mmm, that makes sense, but what if I say nah?¡±


    The guard captain looked at Hwa-Pyeong with a cold gaze. ¡°What did you say his name was?¡±


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    Neither of them knew this name. Moreover, looking over at thedy he was escorting¡ªSeo Cheong-Cheong, the first concubine of the Iron Sword Baek Family¡ªit was clear that she also didn¡¯t have any idea who this Song person was.


    <i>¡®Then...¡¯</i>


    Cheong-Cheong¡¯s guard captain, Mak Hwi-Ji, gave orders to his men.


    ¡°It seems this boy wants to taste some fists and kicks. Go move aside this carriage, even if you have to use force.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Inside the carriage, Sang-Woon and Jin-Jin sneered as they saw the guards'' actions. As for Dae-Woong, because something like this was happening as soon as he had arrived at his inws, he was rather at a loss.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on? No, no, it¡¯s fine. We have Woo-Moon, our smart boy; my wife is also here. They¡¯ll handle it.¡¯</i>


    Thinking so, he simply rxed and waited for things to happen.


    As his mother and grandfather still didn¡¯te forward, Woo-Moon had no idea about their intentions. Of course, he couldn¡¯t just let these guys do whatever they wanted.


    With that in mind, he grabbed the hand of a guard who was forcibly trying to jump onto the coach seat and threw him onto the ground.


    The guard seemed to have Second ss cultivation. Even though he was miles ahead of all those they had fought until now, the result against Woo-Moon was fairly different.


    Hwi-Ji barked as he red at Woo-Moon, ¡°You dare? Do you want to die?! To think you¡¯d attack us in front of the Iron Sword Baek Family!¡±


    ¡°What, so you¡¯re talking down to me now? Alright, we¡¯re going all the way then. Does the Iron Sword Baek Family treat its guests like this right before its gate?¡± Woo-Moon said with a sneer.


    At those words, Cheong-Cheong and Hwi-Ji flinched simultaneously.


    It was true that nothing good would happen if this incident became known to the outside world or the family head and the elders.


    Usually, whenever Cheong-Cheong were to act like this, the other person would quietly get out of the way, almost as if it was natural. That was because, in Heifei Castle, the Baek Family was synonymous with royalty.


    That was why she had acted so boldly this time as well... but things seemed to be taking a strange turn.


    <i>¡®These vulgarmoners! How dare you run wild without knowing your betters?!¡¯</i>


    Cheong-Cheong and her guards had already taken a step forward, and if they were to apologize or concede at this moment first, people would definitely chalk it up to Cheong-Cheong being just a lowly concubine andugh at her behind her back.


    With a venomous expression, Cheong-Cheong spat out in response, ¡°Whatever kind of guests are you that we don¡¯t even know your names? Did you really think that our Iron Sword Baek Family would treat just anyone as a guest? Guard Captain! Hurry up and move aside that carriage.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    At that time, Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes turned over to Hwi-Ji¡¯s hand.


    Before anyone had realized it, the guard captain¡¯s wand was holding the hilt of the sword at his waist.


    ¡°What, you n on drawing that sword? Are you sure you want to do that? You and I both know that you will regret itter.¡±


    With these words, Woo-Moon also sent a message to Sang-Woon.


    <i>¨CAre you really not going to stop this? Is it really okay if I make a mess like this? Will it be okay?</i>


    Sang-Woon answered casually, as if it was no big deal.


    <i>¨CDo whatever you want, kid.</i>


    <i>¨CThen please tell me how far I can go. I know I can¡¯t kill them, but what about serious injuries? Or should I hold back even more?</i>


    <i>¨CWhen I said ¡°do whatever you want,¡± I really meant </i>whatever<i>. How annoying...well, anyway, it won¡¯t be good if we make a fuss right now, so just break some bones here and there.</i>


    <i>¨CUnderstood.</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s tone was rather irritating. Infuriated, Hwi-Ji quickly drew his sword in response.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve drawn it. What are you going to do about it? Huh?¡±


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon¡¯s face grew in size rapidly.


    The distance between Hwi-Ji and Woo-Moon was roughly three zhang.[1] Woo-Moon covered that distance in a single leap,nding in front of the guard captain in the blink of an eye.


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s hand stretched out to cover Hwi-Ji¡¯s face, grabbing it in one move and dragging the guard captain with him.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    Hwi-Ji¡¯s back smashed the ground hard. Still gripping his face, Woo-Moon harrumphed.


    ¡°I told you not to draw your de, didn¡¯t I? Didn¡¯t?!¡± he said, violently picking up Hwi-Ji and throwing him forward.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡±


    Horrified by Woo-Moon subduing Hwi-Ji in a single move, the guards froze for a moment before surrounding him.


    Cheong-Cheong pointed a finger at Woo-Moon and spat with an even more venomous expression.


    ¡°You... you, you!! How dare you attack a guard captain of the great Iron Sword Baek Family?! Don¡¯t even think about leaving here alive!¡±


    ¡°Mmm, and why should I care about what you say,dy?¡±


    At that time, Jin-Jin looked over at her father in the carriage.


    ¡°<i>Cough, cough</i>! What? Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you get out before this gets worse?¡±


    ¡°Um... well, an elder like me shouldn¡¯t get involved in such squabbles.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go anyway?¡±


    ¡°Um... she probably won¡¯t even recognize my face. As you know, I haven¡¯t been back to the Iron Sword Baek Family in a while.¡±


    ¡°Go. Now.¡±


    ¡°O-okay...¡±


    Meanwhile, Cheong-Cheong looked over at Woo-Moon¡¯s frowning expression and could feel the resentment thaty deep inside her over her status as a mere concubine bubbling over, and her sense of victimization exploded.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing? Hurry up and take him down and make him kneel before me!¡±


    Right as the warriors were about to attack Woo-Moon, Sang-Woon leisurely emerged from the carriage.


    ¡°<i>Hmm</i>. Havinge home after so long, I feel like the barking of the dogs here really has gotten too loud.¡±


    The guards and Cheong-Cheong¡¯s hearts sank for a moment.


    <i>¡®What...what is this feeling?¡¯</i>


    Sang-Woon let out his Absolute Master aura for the slightest of moments before reining it in.


    ¡°Child, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    The guards found themselves unable to attack Woo-Moon and just stared at Sang-Woon''s approach.


    As he leisurely walked forward, Cheong-Cheong¡¯s expression betrayed her disgust and irritation as she said haughtily, ¡°And who are you supposed to be? How does someone who looks the same age as me find the gall to go around calling people children?¡±


    Sang-Woon grinned.


    ¡°Right? Well, I guess I do look a little young, don¡¯t I. What do you think? Don¡¯t I seem cool?¡±


    ¡°W-where does a crazy person like you evene from?!¡±


    ¡°Oh dear! Even the word ¡®crazy¡¯ came out! Looks like this little girl whose only merit is her half-decent face is really just picking and choosing all of the things she wants to regretter.¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡±


    ¡°Alright, this prank is not funny anymore. I am Baek Sang-Woon.¡±


    The Palm Martial Emperor, Baek Sang-Woon.


    It was a name that anyone involved in the <i>murim</i> in any way would recognize, let alone members of the Iron Sword Baek Family.


    Cheong-Cheong was momentarily shocked by the impact of the name, but her shock only served to fuel her anger.


    ¡°How dare you?! An asshole like you who doesn¡¯t know his ce dares to call himself Baek Sang-Woon?!¡±


    At that moment, the air around Sang-Woon¡¯s body trembled slightly as a bright, shining bead appeared in his palm. Seeing it, the eyes of Hwi-Ji, who was lying on the ground with a broken arm, widened in shock.


    ¡°I-is that a palm sphere?¡±


    A skill on the level of the palm sphere wasn¡¯t something that any random beggar could use. Hwi-Ji, who was the guard captain of the Iron Sword Baek Family¡¯s first concubine, couldn¡¯t even dream of it¡ªhe couldn¡¯t even form de aura yet


    After hearing Hwi-Ji¡¯s words and seeing what was in Sang-Woon¡¯s palm, everyone¡¯s faces were filled with astonishment.


    An undecipherable auspicious qi circled around the brightly shining palm sphere within Sang-Woon¡¯s hand.


    <i>¡®...That¡¯s incredible!¡¯ </i>Woo-Moon thought, his eyes bing hazy in admiration.


    Sang-Woon pointed his hand at the sky, releasing the palm sphere.


    <i>WOOSH!</i>


    Suddenly, a strong wind sted in all directions, and the epicenter of the vortex it caused centered on the Baek Family manor.


    The palm sphere flew into the sky, ascending to a height not even the birds could reach, piercing through a passing cloud. The velocity of its movement was such that for a moment, the cloud seemed to stretch out in the direction of the sphere before breaking into pieces and scattering in all directions, soon disappearingpletely.


    Amid the people who were distracted by the scene, Sang-Woon¡¯s calm voice rang out.


    ¡°In the <i>gangho</i>, they call me the Palm Martial Emperor.¡±


    Cheong-Cheong¡¯s heart almost stopped at the sight.


    <i>¡®H-he¡¯s the real Palm Martial Emperor! The Palm Martial Emperor!!¡¯</i>


    The Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon, one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors, was currently the eldest member of the Iron Sword Baek Family.


    Simply put, he was the granduncle of the family head¡ªthe brother of the family head¡¯s grandfather. The elders of the Iron Sword Baek Family were actually his nieces and nephews.


    <i>¡®I-I¡¯m ruined...!¡¯</i>


    And Cheong-Cheong had spoken rudely to this very man. With her status, she didn¡¯t even have the right to look at him directly, but she had even ordered her guards to get rid of the carriage he had been riding....


    Cheong-Cheong felt fear descend upon her, as if someone had begun to squeeze her heart. Her legs almost gave in as the painful sensation took over.


    Right then, another beautiful woman walked out from behind the gates.


    ¡°You¡¯ve returned. It¡¯s been some time, granduncle.¡±


    The woman was the eldest sister of Baek Mu-Hoon, the current head of the Baek Family. She also happened to be one of the true authority figures of the Baek Family: Baek Hye-Ryeong.


    She smiled warmly at Sang-Woon as she greeted him.


    When Sang-Woon saw her, he smiled and said, ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s you. Your name was... Hye-Ryeong, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m honored that you remember me. Thank you, granduncle.¡±


    From the moment she appeared, Hye-Ryeong hadn¡¯t nced at Cheong-Cheong a single time, leaving the concubine to feel like she was falling into an abyss as she lowered her head without saying a single word.


    It was the same for her guards.


    ¡°I thought you always traveled alone, so who might be that young hero apanying you? Also, that carriage...¡±


    When she said that, the carriage door opened, and Dae-Woong emerged first, followed by Jin-Jin.


    Hye-Ryeong¡¯s eyes squinted momentarily as she looked at Jin-Jin¡¯s face, thinking hard as it was a face she had seen somewhere before.


    ¡°Ah!¡± she soon eximed in surprise, as if she had remembered something, and ran over to Jin-Jin in a single bound, grabbing her hand.


    ¡°Aunt!¡± Hye-Ryeong cried. Tears dropped from her eyes, in unison with the deluge disyed by Jin-Jin. ¡°I thought you died! You¡¯re alive, you¡¯re alive!¡±


    Hye-Ryeong was now forty, while Jin-Jin was thirty-eight this year. Based on their ages, Hye-Ryeong was the elder, but hierarchy-wise, Jin-Jin actually held a higher status¡ªhence the odd way of addressing each other.


    Jin-Jin responded with a faint smile.


    ¡°Yes... I was lucky and able to preserve my life. As time passed, I found myself able to return and greet you like this, dear niece.¡±


    ¡°Where have you been all this time? Why didn''t youe back sooner? We were so distraught when you...¡±


    ¡°As you probably figured out...there were some...circumstances.¡±


    Hye-Ryeong looked over at Dae-Woong.


    ¡°Then, is he...?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is my husband.¡±


    Dae-Woong smiled innocently and bowed in greeting.


    ¡°H-hello.¡±


    Jin-Jin frowned slightly.


    <i>¡®I should have taught him before. You have a higher rank than her, why are you bowing so deeply? And why are you stuttering like that?¡¯</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, uncle. You really are a man of great stature!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I guess I am quite big.¡±


    It was then that Hye-Ryeong asked what she was most curious about, pointing over to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Then, that young hero is...?¡±


    1. 1 zhang is approximately 3.33 meters. ?

 Chapter 48. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (23)

    <h4>Chapter 48. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (23)</h4>


    Jin-Jin smiled at Hye-Ryeong.


    ¡°This is my first son.¡±


    For a moment, Hye-Ryeong¡¯s eyes glowed coldly before quickly rxing.


    ¡°Is that so?! Then he must be my second cousin!¡±


    ording to the family hierarchy, Song Woo-Moon and Hye-Ryeong were second cousins.


    Hye-Ryeong walked over to Woo-Moon without any hesitation and took his hand.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Woo-Moon. I¡¯m Baek Hye-Ryeong, your second cousin. To make thingsfortable, you can just call me noona.¡±


    <i>¡®Comfortable? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what I would call it...¡¯</i>


    For some reason, Woo-Moon felt ufortable when faced with Hye-Ryeong. There wasn¡¯t any specific reason or another. It was just instinctual.


    <i>¡®My second cousin....¡¯</i>


    It would have been ufortable calling her by her formal title anyway, but if he had to go around calling her ¡°noona¡± whenever they had lunch, he¡¯d feel so awkward he wouldn¡¯t even know which hole in his face he should shove the food into.


    Woo-Moon slightly nodded his head.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s nice to meet you, second cousin.¡±


    Hye-Ryeong looked at him briefly with a kind smile, then looked over at Sang-Woon.


    ¡°But, by the way, what brought you all here?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, what brought me? We came to live here from now on,¡± he responded.


    Hye-Ryeong was startled.


    ¡°Is that so? Then please go in for now and wait a moment. I will go and inform the head.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was nning on doing.¡±


    ¡°Move that carriage aside.¡±


    At Hye-Ryeong¡¯smand, Seo Cheong-Cheong¡¯s carriage was moved very quickly out of the way.


    As they entered the manor, Dok-Du spoke to Gwang Ryeok-Gwi.


    ¡°D-did you hear that, hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°I-I heard it. I heard it.¡±


    ¡°T-to think, t-that person is the Palm Martial Emperor, wow...¡±


    As their surprise grew, so did their despair.


    <i>¡®We¡¯re royally screwed. The Palm Martial Emperor and his family! I guess we can¡¯t even dream of running away.¡¯</i>


    Dok-Du truly felt like ming the heavens.


    * * *


    It was the return of the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon!


    The entire Baek Family was sent intomotion at the news. Sang-Woon was the rebellious child of the Baek Family, one of the Great Sword Families; he had abandoned the sword out of his own free will and had be an Absolute Master through palm techniques. Now, after who knew how many years, he was back home.


    Dae-Woong, Jin-Jin, and Woo-Moon rested in one of the guesthouses as Sang-Woon attended the hastily convened elders¡¯ meeting alone.


    As soon as he entered, every single person in the room stood up at the same time and bowed to Sang-Woon to show respect. This included Baek Mu-Hoon¡ªthe head of the family, known by his title of Thousandfold Benevolence, as well as his siblings and the other elders.


    ¡°We greet the great ancestor.¡±


    Because Sang-Woon was always out and about, he didn¡¯t possess any rank or title within the Baek Family, so he was greeted ording to his seniority.


    Sang-Woon knew he couldn¡¯t ignore the head of the family, even though he was <i>the </i>Baek Sang-Woon, so he nodded toward Mu-Hoon in acknowledgment. He passed Cheong-Cheong, who was quietly kneeling on the floor, as if she wasn¡¯t there, and sat down right next to the family head.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Sit down.¡±


    After everyone sat down, they started with small talk about what Sang-Woon had been doing and what he was up to now. As minutes passed, Sang-Woon¡¯s expression looked more and more as if he was trying his best to chew a particrly vorful piece of shit.


    <i>¡®No matter how much time passes, I can¡¯t get used to these damn meetings. Why is it always so old-fashioned here? Tsk, tsk, these brats are all younger than I am. How are they still so stuck up?¡¯</i>


    Just as Sang-Woon was about to reach his limits, Mu-Hoon finally got to the main point.


    ¡°By the way, Granduncle, I heard you returned to the manor with Aunt Jin-Jin and her family. Is that right?¡±


    However, instead of answering, Sang-Woon abruptly changed the subject, almost as if he was talking to himself.


    ¡°Seems like I was out for way too long and the great Baek Family forgot about discipline and etiquette... Judging guests by their appearance and talking down to them, ordering them to do this and that...<i>hmph</i>. Really, I never thought that I¡¯d be called a country bumpkin asshole in my own home.... Who will take the me for that screw-up, I wonder....¡±


    Mu-Hoon¡¯s face turned bright red. Although Sang-Woon acted as though he was speaking to himself, there was no way that Mu-Hoon wouldn¡¯t understand who those words were aimed at.


    ¡°I am deeply sorry, Granduncle. I will punish her severely in ordance with the familyws.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, right. I was just talking to myself, but that little girl is your concubine, right, little Mu-Hoon?¡±


    Among the elders of the Baek Family who were sitting next to Mu-Hoon, the oldest woman frowned.


    ¡°Uncle! Even though he¡¯s lower in rank than you, he¡¯s still the family head. Please refrain from calling him ¡®little Mu-Hoon.¡¯¡±


    However, was Sang-Woon really someone who actually cared about such things? He thought to himself, <i>¡®Be thankful I even came to this meeting, you brats!¡¯</i>


    To his merit, however, he held himself back from shouting what he really wanted to say.


    ¡°What did you just say? I saw his father walk around pooping his pants in diapers, and you¡¯re expecting me to walk around kissing his feet, calling him Lord Patriarch this and Lord Patriarch that? Myeong-Ju, you little brat, it seems I didn¡¯t spank you enoughst time!¡±


    Baek Myeong-Ju, an old woman with long white hair, nearly approaching eighty years of age, blushed deeply at his words.


    ¡°I mean, Uncle, how has your personality stayed as unchanging as your face?! What do you expect from the family when even our great ancestor refuses to follow the customs? Moreover, why are you bringing up things from when I was a child?¡±


    When she was very young and mischievous, Myeong-Ju had identally broken Sang-Woon¡¯s favorite vase, and her memory of him spanking her in front of everyone was still vivid.


    It was an unforgettable humiliation for her, to the point that she still had nightmares about it to this day.


    ¡°What do you mean, when you were a child? To me, you¡¯re still a little brat. Also, what do you expect me to do about not growing up? I was born perfect, so what am I supposed to change about myself?¡±


    ¡°Uncle!¡±


    As the two people red at each other, Mu-Hoon, the head of the family, interjected with a kind smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Elder. Isn¡¯t Granduncle someone who¡¯s like the summer breeze, not limited by ostentation or pretense? There¡¯s no need to force him to fit our customs.¡±


    ¡°Hmpf. If you say so, Patriarch.¡±


    If even the family head spoke in that manner, Myeong-Ju knew she had to take a step back.


    ¡°So, well, there¡¯s nothing else to talk about. My daughter is alive, we¡¯re going to return to the family manor, and we¡¯ll live here again. Got it? Okay, I¡¯m leaving,¡± Sang-Woon said, no longer wanting to be involved in the boring family meeting.


    He was about to get up when Myeong-Ju went on the offensive once again.


    ¡°Although I¡¯m d that she came back alive, Jin-Jin tarnished the face of our family and ran away the day before her wedding. How can we ept her back without any punishment?!¡±


    Everyone was startled by her shout.


    They had all implicitly agreed at the very least not to talk about that matter and quietly ept Jin-Jin back into the family once more and move on, but Myeong-Ju, who had hated Jin-Jin for a long time, couldn¡¯t bear it.


    Sang-Woon chuckled after hearing her words before slowly looking back at her and speaking.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough that she came back alive?¡±


    ¡°Like I said before! I am also ecstatic that Jin-Jin hase back alive! However! Back then, when she had run away, our Baek Family became aughingstock in the <i>gangho</i>, and our rtionship with the Namgoong Family also fell apart! At the very least, she must pay for that insult.¡±


    Sang-Woon sighed.


    ¡°I guess you all really forgot about me, haven¡¯t you? Well, let me remind you. I. Am. Baek. Sang. Woon. Even when hyung-nim and Father were alive, I was the one who turned this family upside down whenever something I didn¡¯t like happened. You brats just <i>have</i> to provoke me, huh?¡±


    On the wall of the meeting hall, behind the family head, there was a huge steel que with the words ¡°Baek Family¡± written on it.


    Suddenly, Sang-Woon¡¯s figure disappeared and reappeared in front of it.


    ¡°Illusive Shift...¡± one of the elders whispered.


    Quite a few of them were capable of using this technique. However, none of them could have done so as cleanly as Sang-Woon had or over such a long distance.


    Although the difference between them had already been etched painfully into their minds when they were young, the pain of seeing the unsurpassable chasm between them once again at this age was as strong as ever.


    Sang-Woon touched the que of the Baek Family with his hand, and his aura radiated, slowly enveloping everyone in the meeting hall.


    Everyone paled, unable to maintainposure in the face of the manifestation of an Absolute Master¡¯s cultivation.


    ¡°Do you know why I haven¡¯t been back to the family for so long or haven¡¯t ever stopped by, even once?¡±


    No one could answer his question, and the silence was so painfully loud that it even covered the sound of breathing.


    ¡°While there were other reasons, there was one main reason I never came back after that day, twenty-one years ago. I was worried that if I came back and saw your faces, I wouldn¡¯t be able to control this damned temper of mine and I¡¯d kill you all.¡±


    As Sang-Woon spoke, a terrifying bloodlust emanated from him for a split second.


    By this point, everyone had be stark white.


    While some people were barely holding themselves from screaming in fear, Sang-Woon continued to speak.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯te back.¡±


    Back then, when Sang-Woon heard that Jin-Jin had been chased to death by the Baek Family while running away on her wedding day and she had fallen to her death, he considered countless times killing everyone involved.


    The ones who had pushed through with an arranged marriage even after his daughter had refused, the ones who had sent a pursuit squad after her because she had run away, and the ones who had driven her into a corner, eventually making her fall off of a cliff.


    ¡°Is the Namgoong family so great that you had to force <i>my </i>daughter into an arranged marriage? Are they so great that the daughter of the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon had to give up her life? Is the reputation of the <i>Iron Sword</i> Baek Family, which wasn¡¯t built on an iron sword but on these very palms, really only worth that much?¡±


    The Palm Martial Emperor. Baek Sang-Woon.


    It was thanks to him that the Baek Family had be one of the Three Great Sword Families.


    Of course, he had be an Absolute Master using palm techniques that had nothing to do with the sword. The only thing he had obtained from the Baek Family was their qi cultivation method. He had created his palm technique himself based on the family¡¯s sword technique, and he had perfected it with the aid of the masters he had met while traveling through the <i>gangho</i>.


    Although he hadn¡¯t be an Absolute Master using the martial arts of the Baek Family, the family had still greatly benefited from Sang-Woon bing one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors and one of the supreme figures of the <i>gangho</i>.


    ¡°B-but... we never meant for Jin-Jin to die. All we wanted to do was catch her to restore the family¡¯s honor...¡±


    ¡°Is that really the case? And how exactly would you have restored the family¡¯s honor after catching her?¡±


    Sang-Woon looked at the people in the hall with a sneer painfully visible on his face. Some of them flinched and looked away.


    ¡°All of you should be thanking the heavens that Jin-Jin survived. I guess all of you assumed that if you pretended that it had been a mistake, I wouldn¡¯t be able to bring myself to harm you, being my family and all. Let me tell you this right now: <i>you have no idea how wrong you are</i>.¡±


    Sang-Woon¡¯s tone dropped and his voice turned eerie.


    ¡°I <i>hope</i> that none of you will ever spout lies in front of me. If you provoke me one more time, I will personally teach you why the title ¡®Palm Martial Emperor¡¯ used to have the words ¡®Blood-Stained¡¯ before it.¡±


    The Blood-Stained Palm Emperor.


    It was a title he had received in the past after fighting for years against forces such as the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Cruel Sandstorm Riders.


    At that time, he was truly ruthless, and there was never a day when his hands weren¡¯t stained with blood.


    After he finished speaking, Sang-Woon looked over at Mu-Hoon. Thetter still felt crushed under the silent pressure, but he forced himself to speak.


    ¡°...although it¡¯s true that Aunt Jin-Jin ran away to avoid marrying into the Namgoong family and tarnished the family¡¯s reputation, considering that she almost lost her life and suffered so miserably for so long, let¡¯s not bring up this matter any longer.¡±


    It was a deration of surrender by the family head. In other words, he was telling the others that the matter was buried forever and they better forget it had ever happened.


    Sang-Woon nodded, the look on his face saying that Mu-Hoon should have done so from the very beginning.


    ¡°Good, that clears things up. Anyway, there must be some ce or another to spare in this massive house, right? Hurry up and clean up a ce and give it to my daughter and grandson.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    With that, Sang-Woon quickly left the meeting hall.


    ¡°<i>Whew...</i>¡±


    Now that the storm had passed, everyone heaved a deep sigh of relief.


    Everyone, except one person.


    Hye-Ryeong turned toward the concubine, staring her down with a chilly gaze.


    ¡°How could you show such unsightly behavior to the most senior member of our family?¡±

 Chapter 49. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (24)

    <h4>Chapter 49. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (24)</h4>


    Cheong-Cheong trembled as she responded to Hye-Ryeong¡¯s steel-like words.


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know. Please, forgive me.¡±


    The person who responded to her wasn¡¯t Hye-Ryeong, but her younger sister and the other person with true authority, Ju-Ryeong.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Oh, ho, that really is such a peculiar phrase. Then, does that mean it''s okay for you to act like that because <i>you didn¡¯t know</i>?!¡±


    With every word, Ju-Ryeong¡¯s rage grew more potent at the thought of the insignificant Cheong-Cheong provoking Sang-Woon, who was already a volcano ready to erupt, and turning the whole situation into such a fiasco.


    She was so irritated that she even circted her qi as she yelled at Cheong-Cheong.


    ¡°Are you saying that if a guest whoes to our gates is dressed modestly, that gives you the right to act like a snob?! Since when did our prestigious Baek Family be so excessive?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Please, forgive me...¡±


    ¡°Patriarch! We need to take this opportunity to punish her properly. This time, it wouldn¡¯t be too much even if we kicked her out of the family for her actions!¡±


    ¡°Ha...¡±


    Moo-Hoon let out a deep groan.


    Cheong-Cheong was his most recently acquired concubine and histest favorite. She had continued to cause him anxiety due to her consistently excessive behavior, and now, she had finally made a major blunder.


    His inaction and passivity hade back to bite him, but there was nothing he could do.


    ¡°What do you think about tenshes and confinement to her quarters for three months as a punishment?¡± Moo-Hoon said cautiously.


    Ju-Ryeong snorted at his words and spat, ¡°Are you nning on glossing over this with a measly tenshes? To someone whomitted such a serious crime, and a concubine no less? What do you think he will say if he finds out?¡±


    ¡°T-then, what about fiftyshes? She has a weak constitution, even this much could be dangerous to...¡±


    ¡°How have you gotten to this age with such little sense, Patriarch? Do you really like women that much?!¡±


    As Ju-Ryeong shouted, Moo-Hoon lowered his head. His sisters were older and had always been stronger than him, so he could only endure the bullying he had been subjected to since childhood.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    Even after seeing the patriarch of the family grovel in such an unsightly manner, the elders, who had been preaching about respect and adhering to custom, didn¡¯t say a single word, just clicking their tongues in disapproval.


    It was only then that Cheong-Cheong realized that Moo-Hoon could never have shielded her from what wasing.


    All he amounted to was a figurehead.


    Ultimately, it was decided that Cheong-Cheong would be confined for three months and receive fiftyshes on the first <i>and</i>st day of her confinement.


    * * *


    In a massive drawing room, Dok-Du, Gwang Ryeok-Gwi, and Rat were huddled in a corner, wary of their surroundings. From the way they sat, it was difficult to believe that they were once people who ruled the streets of Anqing.


    Of course, it was to be expected; the weakest link of the food chain within the ck Hand had just entered the manor of the Iron Sword Baek Family, one of the leaders of the Righteous Faction.


    It only made sense that they were terrified.


    Dae-Woong looked around the drawing room, constantly impressed, as he sipped on the expensive tea they had been served; in the meantime, Jin-Jin spoke to Woo-Moon, lecturing him on various topics¡ªtrivial things about how to act as a member of an Ancient Family and etiquette.


    Her husband, Dae-Woong, was a bit dim-witted and was the furthest thing from proper manners, so teaching him would require a long period of time. She thus first focused on Woo-Moon, who was quick to understand.


    ¡°I understand. Yes, yes... yes, mother.¡±


    Woo-Moon was smart, so he understood and remembered everything she said as soon as she mentioned it.


    Then, Sang-Woon suddenly sent him a message.


    <i>¨CCome out, and don¡¯t tell Jin-Jin I called for you.</i>


    Woo-Moon made some excuses to Jin-Jin and eventually met with Sang-Woon at the rear of the Baek Family manor.


    ¡°You called?¡±


    ¡°Do you know how your mother ended up with those internal injuries?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything directly from anyone, but I did overhear when you and Mother spoke about it before. I understand that she had suffered internal injuries while running away from an arranged marriage.¡±


    ¡°I see. In truth, your mother was assumed to be dead within the Baek Family until now. There was even a funeral. Most likely, the memorial tablet is still there, too.¡±


    Hearing those words, Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes shed.


    If the situation back then had been enough for the Baek Family to assume she had died, it meant that something truly serious had happened.


    ¡°From what I know, the pursuit squad chased after your mother relentlessly. They continued even after Jin-Jin went toward a cliff a thousand zhang high, one high enough that she could have fallen and died with a single misstep. Your mother had suffered internal injuries in the chase. She couldn¡¯t hold on any longer...and she fell.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes turned cold.


    He hadn¡¯t been educated or raised in a noble family; he was truly a country bumpkin. Thus, it waspletely iprehensible to him for someone to be forced into a marriage arranged by one¡¯s family and for even a pursuit squad to be sent just because that person refused to adhere to the rules.


    Moreover, because of that, his mother had suffered for all that time with her internal injuries and could have even died!


    ¡°After your mother was forced into that situation, I secretly investigated what had happened, and it was only then that I realized it¡ªwhat really happened on that cliff that day. I will never tell your mother what it was, but I know exactly what they did.¡±


    ¡°Could it be... that they had intentionally tried to murder her and pretend it was an ident?¡±


    There was burning rage within Woo-Moon¡¯s voice.


    Sang-Woon answered Woo-Moon¡¯s question in full detail, exining to him who was involved in it, the identity and strength of those leading the pursuit squad, and the ridiculous scale of the pursuit¡ªall of these far beyond what such a situation would have warranted.


    Hearing this, Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes became even colder.


    ¡°I was going to handle this myself, but I think it would be better if you did it with your own two hands. Besides, a more pressing matter just came up, so I have to leave for now.¡±


    ¡°Before you leave, please tell me who the mastermind behind it all was.¡±


    Sang-Woon hesitated for a moment before speaking.


    ¡°...There are two sisters who have always been jealous of Jin-Jin, most likely because Jin-Jin is of higher status and more outstanding than them even though they are around the same age.¡±


    Woo-Moon realized it in an instant¡ªSang-Woon was referring to Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong.


    He became even more horrified when he remembered how Hye-Ryeong had feigned such joy at seeing Jin-Jin for the first time, lying through her teeth while she faked her tears.


    Woo-Moon clearly imprinted their names in his mind.


    ¡°I understand, Grandfather. By the way, are you leaving because of that group that tried to kill you by recruiting the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor?¡±


    Sang-Woon nodded.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. That¡¯s right. I have a bad feeling about them. I have to go find out who they are and what their purpose is. My gut tells me those bastards...they¡¯re not normal.¡±


    Although his grandfather¡¯s face darkened, Woo-Moon responded offhandedly without much concern.


    ¡°Still, aren¡¯t you an Absolute Master, Grandfather? They will regret messing with you.¡±


    Hearing his grandson¡¯s words of trust in him, Sang-Woon chuckled.


    ¡°Hehehe, it really feels good when people believe in you. But anything can happen in the <i>gangho</i>. Woo-Moon, do you really think that there are only fourteen Absolute Masters in the <i>gangho</i>?¡±


    ¡°There are eight members of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors and six in the Six Rising challengers, so...yes?¡±


    ¡°When you first saw this grandpa of yours, were you able to tell that I was stronger than you?¡±


    Woo-Moon thought for a moment and said, ¡°No... I didn''t. I actually thought that you were someone who never cultivated.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s your answer. Those with low cultivation cannot notice if someone much stronger than them is hiding their powers. Now, then, what do you think?¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for Woo-Moon to connect the dots.


    ¡°Ah...! A cultivator can only urately judge opponents of the same or lower cultivation than himself...wait, then...does that mean that somewhere in the unexplored parts of the <i>gangho</i>, there could be people who are stronger than you, Grandfather?¡±


    Sang-Woon, satisfied with how quickly his grandson had figured it out, smiled and shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know myself. However, I¡¯ve also met a few people who, despite being Absolute Masters like me, live in quiet seclusion instead ofpeting amongst the world¡¯s strongest. Woo-Moon, the <i>gangho</i> is vast, and the experts are as numerous as there are grains of sand. What has been revealed isn¡¯t everything, so you have to always be careful. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I will keep this in mind, Grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Good, very good. In any case, the outside world is not a ce for you to worry about just yet. What¡¯s important right now is the Baek Family. Can I leave it to you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about us. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    Sang-Woon chuckled at his grandson¡¯s confident words.


    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be many obstacles in your path in this little Baek Family, so I¡¯m going to go with peace of mind. Will you be able to handle things wisely and be confident in the results?¡±


    ¡°Do you not believe in me?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°...would you like to see me go crazy?¡±


    ¡°You mean you can get crazier than this?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Would you like me to show you?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯ll give me nightmares. Let me rephrase. My trust in you is as strong as steel.¡±


    "Thank you."


    It really was a wholesome rtionship between grandson and grandpa.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to take my leave. Take care of your parents and your junior sister. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    After saying that, Sang-Woon waved a hand and left.


    Woo-Moon was about to turn around and go back, but for some reason, the sight of his grandfather¡¯s back caught his eye.


    It all felt so strange, almost as if they parted ways and they would never see each other again.


    ¡°Please be careful, and if things get dangerous, please run away.¡±


    ¡°<i>Pfft-hahaha</i>!! In this entire world, there is only one person who would say something like that to Baek Sang-Woon. Okay, good, it¡¯s my grandson¡¯s request, so I¡¯ll consider it, I guess. Hahaha!¡±


    Hearing Sang-Woon¡¯s answer, Woo-Moon finally felt relieved.


    ¡°Understood. Have a good trip, Grandfather.¡±


    At this point, there was something that Woo-Moon had yet to hear about the Palm Martial Emperor. Besides being known as the Blood-Stained Palm, he was also known for the one principle that guided his martial path.


    <i>The only path in battle is forward.</i>[1]


    His grandfather was braver and more prideful than anyone else he had ever met. He had never once turned his back on any opponent, no matter who he met, how ndered or disrespected he was, or how far into the battlefield he had gone.


    Flying toward the sky, the Palm Martial Emperor threw a small pouch to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget! You can only take a single drop!¡±


    It was the Pure Stctite Milk.


    * * *


    ¡°Is this where we are going to live now?¡±


    Located on one side of the main manor of the Baek Family was a small residence made up of three buildings. It was nothing grand, but there was also nothing outwardly strange about it, so the Song family was rather pleased.


    Woo-Moon pointed at the smallest and most shabby-looking building.


    ¡°You three! You brats are going to live there from now on. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Even though it seemed shabby inparison to the surrounding buildings, to the Dok-Ryeok-Rat trio, the building they were assigned looked quite exquisite. It had two spacious rooms, had antique patterns carved into its walls, and even had tiles on the roof.[2]


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°I guess we really are at the Baek Family.¡±


    The three people entered the room with admiration, their expressions of happiness so in and clear that even a blind man could¡¯ve seen what they were thinking.


    <i>¡®Now we don¡¯t have to see that demon king so often.¡¯</i>


    Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin entered thergest building, the one in the middle, while Woo-Moon took Eun-Ah to the remaining medium-sized building


    With that, the family spent their very first night at the Baek Family Manor.


    As no one called for him and no guests hade, Woo-Moon stayedte into the night at the training hall behind their residence, practicing his martial arts before going to bed.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s pretty fine, I guess. Strange draft though.¡¯</i>


    It seemed as though there was a bit of a drafting in. Still, it didn¡¯t matter much because as soon as he felt the chill, the Forbidden Divine Art qi circted automatically, warming him up immediately.


    The next day, after finishing breakfast, he returned to the small courtyard in front of his residence, where he found his parents and a number of strangers waiting for him.


    A warrior with ten men in tow saluted Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Following the orders of the patriarch, we have selected and brought guards for Elder Jin-Jin¡¯s family.


    Jin-Jin asked curiously, ¡°Elder? Why are you calling me that?¡±


    ¡°Upon Second Mistress Ju-Ryeong¡¯s insistent request, you have be an elder as of this morning.¡±


    Although she had be an elder, rather than calling for her and discussing it with her, it seemed as though they had just gone and decided it among themselves.


    <i>¡®Seems like this man is also one of Second Cousin Ju-Ryeong¡¯s people.¡¯</i>


    When asked his name and position, the man responded that he was Yoon Ha-On, the vice-captain of the Tiger Fang Squadron of the Iron Sword Four Beast Battalion, one of the lower-ranking battalions of the family¡¯s armed forces.


    The Iron Sword Four Beast Battalion was made up of four units named after ferocious beasts: Eagle Talon Squadron, Dragon Fang Squadron, Lion Fang Squadron, and Tiger Fang Squadron.


    Yoon Ha-On reported that the ten men behind him had been selected as the family¡¯s bodyguards, so Woo-Moon stepped aside and took a look at them.


    <i>¡®What the hell is this?''</i>


    Even though he had expected them to be useless, this was too much.


    Some of them looked pale and yellowish, as if they indulged in alcohol too much; some others had a sword hanging at their waist, but theck of calluses on their hands clearly showed theirck of training; finally, some others had clearly ruined their own bodies by training improperly.


    <i>¡®It would be easier to just take untrained people and teach them from scratch.... Wait a moment, that makes sense. I really </i>can<i> pick some untrained people and teach them!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon thought deeply for a few moments. He wondered how long he would be staying at the Baek Family and how much time he would have to invest if he decided on recruiting their own guards and teaching them directly.


    <i>¡®Okay, it¡¯s fine. It probably won¡¯t take that much time. Hehe, they probably sent these useless losers on purpose, but let¡¯s see who gets thestugh.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Wait a moment, we¡¯re going to talk for a bit.¡±


    Yoon Ha-On responded very politely, ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll wait.¡±


    Woo-Moon went inside the house with his parents and told them his idea.


    Dae-Woong had a disapproving expression on his face.


    ¡°<i>Hmpf</i>. Do you really think that would work? Don¡¯t you think it would be better just to keep those brats with us?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t be useful anyway. It would be the same with or without them. Besides, they seem to have been in the Baek Family for a while and should be closer to the people on the other side. Who knows if they¡¯ll turn on uster?¡±


    Jin-Jin agreed with her son''s opinion. With his wife and son on the same side, Dae-Woong could no longer oppose.


    ¡°Okay. Even to me, it¡¯s clear that those bastards are already too far gone. Do whatever you think is best.¡±


    Woo-Moon returned to the courtyard and let Ju-Ryeong¡¯s underling know about their decision.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need them. Actually, I n to go to a nearby slum or orphanage and bring back some children. Is that okay?¡±


    The man was taken aback. ¡°Children? What do you n to do with them?¡±


    1. One of the Five Precepts for Secr Life as stated by Won Gwang, monk and schr of the Si Dynasty. ?


    2. In this era, in smaller cities like Anqing, most buildings had shingled or even thatched roofs. ?

 Chapter 50. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (25)

    <h4>Chapter 50. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (25)</h4>


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s something that my father is really keen on. He¡¯s always wanted to help the disadvantaged children, you see. After all, what dangers could there really be in the manor of the prestigious Iron Sword Baek Family? He decided it would be better for us to bring in these poor orphans and give them a home instead,¡± Woo-Moon exined.


    ¡°...Is that...so?¡±


    Yoon Ha-On was struck speechless for a few moments, but then he realized that he didn¡¯t have the status to be discussing these things with Woo-Moon in the first ce, and thetter was merely letting him know, not asking for permission.


    ¡°Understood. Then, I will send them back. As for bringing in people from the outside, let me report to the elders.¡±


    ¡°Please do that.¡±


    Yoon Ha-On then left the residence with the ten ¡°guards¡± of ridiculous constitutions, returning alone after half an hour.


    ¡°The elders said that there is no problem, so I¡¯ll let the others know about your decision.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    As his parents had also left the matter to him, Woo-Moon proceeded to leave the Iron Sword Baek Familyplex without hesitation, leaving Eun-Ah at the residence to run and y as she pleased.


    She had grown considerably, and if Woo-Moon continued to carry her in his breast pocket, she would tear off his robes at the slightest movement.


    <i>¡®It just feels like I¡¯m showing off a pair of breasts if I walk around with her in my robes now.¡¯</i>


    Of course, due to the sudden separation, the tiger was being rather irritable. It was only natural¡ªshe didn¡¯t want to be apart from Woo-Moon.


    Leaving Rat behind to attend to his parents, Woo-Moon went to the market with Dok-Du and Gwang Ryeok-Gwi, asking around about the orphan viges or slums nearby.


    There were quite a few people in the Hefei City Market, and as they walked down the road, someone suddenly passed by and bumped into Woo-Moon.


    Of course, this waspletely normal, there were thousands of people around and the market was bustling.


    Woo-Moon looked behind and saw that the one who had just bumped into him was a young man, around seventeen or eighteen. As he walked past Woo-Moon, he had a delighted expression, as the money pouch that he had just taken from Woo-Moon¡¯s pocket and hidden within his sleeve was much heavier than he expected.


    However, mixed with his delight was also a subtle hint of shame and self-hatred.


    ¡°Oi, brat! Do you really think I didn¡¯t notice?!¡±


    With these words, Woo-Moon suddenly appeared in front of the boy.


    The boy panicked as if he had seen a ghost, and Woo-Moon took the chance to grab the boy¡¯s arm. His grip was rxed, as he could tell that the boy had almost no qi.


    However, at that moment, the boy¡¯s eyes suddenly glowed fiercely. He grabbed Woo-Moon¡¯s hand with both hands and twisted it, breaking Woo-Moon¡¯s grip on his shoulder. Then, he grabbed Woo-Moon¡¯s cor with one hand and actually attempted to throw him over the shoulder.


    <i>¡®You little brat!¡¯</i>


    The boy intended to throw Woo-Moon down so he could run away, but there was naturally no way for Woo-Moon to be taken down by a kid who only had some martial skills but no qi to speak of. The only reason Woo-Moon¡¯s grip had been broken was that he had been too rxed and the boy actually caught him off guard.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s someone from murim!¡¯</i>


    There was despair in the boy¡¯s eyes, but it was also apanied by a strange anger that Woo-Moon did not fail to notice.


    ¡°How impressive. And look at the killing intent in his eyes! Hey kid, what do you think? Do you want toe with me?¡± Woo-Moon said, having already grabbed the boy¡¯s arms andpletely subdued him.


    ¡°What kind of bullshit are you spouting? Let me go!¡±


    ¡°I am Song Woo-Moon of the Iron Sword Baek Family. I¡¯ve been looking for people to train as guards for my family, and I think you¡¯re the right fit. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°You crazy bastard! Who the hell goes around hiring guards like this? Let go of me right now!¡±


    ¡°Wow, you have such a crude mouth for someone so young. Well, it¡¯s probably because of the situation you¡¯ve lived in, so I¡¯ll be a little lenient. Hehehe, either way, you¡¯ve piqued my interest, so you¡¯reing with me. Dok-Du! Keep an eye on him so he doesn¡¯t escape.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    As He didn¡¯t know what Woo-Moon would do to him if he lost this child, Dok-Du tried to restrain the boy with a rope that he had prepared in advance.


    However, the boy''s struggle was harsher than expected.


    ¡°Let go of me! What the hell are you doing? Untie the ropes right now!¡±


    Although the people around them stared, Woo-Moon and the others weren¡¯t too worried.


    It was a big city, and there were many outcasts and orphans. There was nock of pickpockets among them, so everyone instantly understood what was happening. Moreover, the ugly appearances and statures of Dok-Du and Ryeok-Gwi also contributed to the observers moving away quickly.


    Woo-Moon had a cold expression on his face as he looked at the boy trying to cause a racket.


    ¡°So you refuse? Okay, then, should I take you to the government office right now? You¡¯re a criminal, so you¡¯d get locked up right now. Is that what you prefer?¡±


    The boy paused at Woo-Moon¡¯s words.


    If he were to be taken to the government office, it would be the end of him. He would be held captive for at least a month, possibly even beaten to death if he was unlucky.


    The boy bit his lip before speaking, ¡°If I go with you...then you won¡¯t be taking me to the government office, right?¡±


    Woo-Moon nodded in response.


    ¡°My word is my bond. I guarantee thating with me will be better than being caught by the officials as a pickpocket.¡±


    ¡°Fine, whatever you want then.¡±


    In the meantime, Dok-Du tied up the upper body of the boy, who had be quiet, tightly with a rope.


    Seeing that, Woo-Moon grinned and muttered, ¡°Heh, things really are a lot easier with you guys around. It¡¯s a good thing I didn¡¯t let you go back then and took you with me.¡±


    Hearing that, Dok-Du and Ryeok-Gwi could only curse to themselves. <i>¡®You bastard! You said you brought us along to rehabilitate us!¡¯</i>


    Afterward, Woo-Moon headed to a nearby slum, where another child caught his eye.


    The boy was around the same age as the pickpocket he had just caught and was also dressed in shabby clothes, but he was diligently drawing water from a well.


    He was young and looked poor, he had long arms and strong muscles.


    <i>¡®A bow! Doesn¡¯t he seem perfect for using a bow? That¡¯s a perfect specimen right there.¡¯</i>


    The Martial Arts Fundamentals that he had been given by Sang-Woon naturally contained information regarding archery. As Sang-Woon¡¯s breadth of experience was simply immense, the Martial Arts Fundamentals manual really included the fundamentals of all kinds of martial arts.


    ¡°Hello there, young man.¡±


    As Woo-Moon approached and spoke, the boy drawing water looked back with a wary expression. It made sense, as Woo-Moon had a sword on his waist while two scary-looking figures nked him on each side with threatening gazes.


    ¡°What are you calling me for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for guards. You seem rather strong, so I¡¯m thinking of hiring you. What do you think?¡±


    The boy thought for a moment before speaking cautiously.


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you¡¯ve shown interest in me, but... I¡¯ve never learned any martial arts or fought before.¡±


    He was a more upright and honest boy than Woo-Moon had thought. Woo-Moon smiled, delighted by the boy¡¯s attitude.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ll teach you how to fight. But in return, you will enter our family and live with us. Is that okay with you?¡±


    ¡°W-well... Does that mean you want to buy me?¡±


    Although the imperialw forbade the possession and trade of ves, that was only the official stance, not something that necessarily applied in society. A child from a poor family was practically an object for sale, and they would end up a ve.


    ¡°If I be your master, regardless of what happens, I¡¯ll have to take responsibility for you for the rest of my life. Why would I want to go to such trouble? Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing like that.¡±


    Only then did the boy bow deeply.


    ¡°T-thank you! Then, I will follow you. Wait, this isn¡¯t something I can decide on my own. You see, I have to get permission from my parents first...¡±


    ¡°No worries, no worries. Guide me to your house.¡±


    In truth, this was a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the boy with the long arms.


    Jin-Jin did not want her son to be looked down upon by either her family or everyone else around, so she had bought him the best clothes she could find. From the first moment, the boy with long arms had realized that Woo-Moon was part of a wealthy family. If he could join a family like that as a guard, his life would be iparable to how he lived now.


    Hefei City was a prefecture-level city with an astounding amount of wealthy people. However, the greatest light would always be apanied by the darkest shadows.


    The slums in Hefei City''s corners were massive and extremely destitute.


    Following the boy with the long arms to his house, Woo-Moon went inside, spoke with his parents for some time, and then left after giving them ten silver tales.


    The boy''s parents had refused at first, saying that it wasn¡¯t right for them to take any money when Woo-Moon not only wasn¡¯t buying the boy but was even offering to take him in, feed him, and teach him martial arts. However, Woo-Moon was determined to help them, so in the end, they epted.


    ¡°Good. Now that that¡¯s been handled, from now on, you can live with the Baek Family.¡±


    ¡°<i>Cough!</i>¡± The boy almost choked. ¡°T-the Iron Sword Baek Family?¡±


    The long-armed boy had thought that Woo-Moon was the scion of an ordinary wealthy family, so he was shocked when he heard that he would be heading to the Baek Family.


    The thought of moving out and separating from his parents at an early age naturally caused him some sadness, but the boy soon got over it. He would not be far from them, and whenever he had time off, he could just go and visit them.


    The more important fact was that <i>the</i> Iron Sword Baek Family now employed him.


    ¡°Yes, it is the Iron Sword Baek Family. You will be a warrior there.¡±


    Bing a warrior meant that he would be able to learn martial arts.


    The long-armed boy realized that he had just struck gold, and the kind of opportunity he was being given now might nevere again in his lifetime.


    ¡°T-thank you! Thank you!¡±


    A vast, prestigious family like the Iron Sword Baek Family wasn¡¯t one to hire just any warrior, much less an ordinary person. It was a ce that a child from the slums could never dream about.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go. Oh... since you live around here, you probably know some people with various talents, right?¡±


    ¡°W-what do you mean by talent?¡¯


    ¡°Whatever you think is outstanding about them. I¡¯ll decide when I see them, so just take me to them and introduce me.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Master!¡±


    The long-armed boy actually proved his worth immediately. Through his rmendation, they met with someone who was particrly good at throwing rocks, someone who was quick on his feet, and someone who was extremely strong, all of whom liked Woo-Moon.


    If the pickpocket and the long-armed boy were around eighteen, the three people Woo-Moon brought in next were twenty-one, neen, and seventeen, respectively.


    There were other people introduced to Woo-Moon as well, but they were excluded as they were either too young or had some other issues. Even if Woo-Moon were to teach them martial arts directly, if they were too young, problems rted to their constitution would inevitably ur.


    After walking around the slums and finding one more seemingly good child, Woo-Moon headed to the orphanage. His group now numbered nine people, including Dok-Du and Ryeok-Gwi.


    The orphanage mainly had young children as inhabitants. However, there weren¡¯t many that caught Woo-Moon¡¯s eye. Instead, being there just made him feel depressed.


    <i>¡®How pitiful... I wish I could help you.¡¯</i>


    They went around slowly, but unfortunately, none of the children in the orphanage were suitable to take in as a guard.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back now.¡±


    Although he hadn¡¯t reached his goal of ten people, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t worry too much. He knew that he would be able to find the restter.


    <i>¡®There were a lot more kids with amazing talents than I expected. It seems like this will work?¡¯</i>


    They may have been unassuming rocks buried in the mud, but these children seemed that, if polished well, they could all turn into jade and shine brightly.


    ¡°Wait! I have a little sister! Let me just see her before I go! And untie this rope, too! And pay me a fair wage like those bastards, too!¡±


    The boy speaking in this tantly arrogant and aggressive tone was the pickpocket that Woo-Moon had first caught. Seeing Woo-Moon¡¯s actions as they moved from ce to ce, his heart seemed to have rxed a little.


    Woo-Moon burst intoughter.


    ¡°You¡¯re not being serious, are you? Or do you just not understand that your actions were horrible? Why should I treat a criminal like you the way I treat yourpanions, who are all honest people?¡±


    The boy found it impossible to retort to Woo-Moon¡¯s words. He had been caught red-handed while trying to steal from Woo-Moon, so the argument was irond.


    ¡°Some people go down the wrong path at a young age for a lot of reasons. That is one thing, though, and yourck of ability to judge the situation is something else entirely. You¡¯re making a huge mistake by acting like this. I had every right to break your arms and take you to the government office to get punished. You should thank the heavens and count your blessings for the way I¡¯m treating you, but instead of being grateful, you¡¯re pushing your luck!¡±

 Chapter 51. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (26)

    <h4>Chapter 51. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (26)</h4>


    Woo-Moon raised his aura while approaching the boy, putting tremendous pressure on him.


    ¡°Huh?<i> Ah... ahh</i>!!¡±


    ¡°All I can do in that case is to cripple both of your arms so you can never pickpocket again.¡±


    The pickpocket¡¯s eyes filled with fear at Woo-Moon¡¯s vicious words. However, that fear onlysted momentarily as a spiteful venom quickly drove that fear away.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to be like that, then just kill me! It¡¯s better for me just to die than to be a cripple and burden my little sister! Kill me! All of you martial artist bastards are the same! You piece of shit!¡±


    There was no longer any fear in the boy''s eyes, just hate and rage. On the other hand, cold sweat flowed down his body as he trembled.


    Seeing this, Woo-Moon rxed his frosty expression and smiled lightly.


    ¡°What a funny little brat. Let¡¯s go to your home then. I¡¯ll think what to do with you in the meantime.¡±


    Although there was a heavy atmosphere for a moment, Dok-Du, Ryeok-Gwi, and the other children weren¡¯t bothered in the slightest by Woo-Moon¡¯s reaction. As far as they were concerned, punishing a pickpocket like this was only natural. Woo-Moon¡¯s actions weren¡¯t excessive.


    If a pickpocket was caught and there was no one important behind them, they would be punished on the spot, and in many cases they were simply beaten to death.


    Woo-Moon just smiled and turned around, and the pickpocket finally fell to his knees as his legs gave in.


    ¡°<i>Huff...huff... huff...</i>¡±


    The boy was out of breath even though he hadn¡¯t done anything physical. Only now did he realize that the fear Woo-Moon¡¯s pressure brought had made him stop breathing at some point.


    No matter how brazen he was, he was still a child. Just the fact that he had been able to withstand Woo-Moon¡¯s pressure for so long without buckling was amazing.


    ¡°What are you doing, just sitting there? Didn¡¯t you want to say goodbye to your sister? Hurry up and take us there!¡±


    When the pickpocket heard the word ¡°sister,¡± the boy jumped up with an unwavering gaze.


    ¡°Please follow me!¡±


    Where the boy and his younger sister lived was clearly the shabbiest possible area, even within the orphan vige.


    As they passed a corner, they could finally see something that only vaguely looked like a house. It wasn¡¯t even made of wooden nks, but rather scraps, and the floor was nothing more than the dirty ground.


    <i>¡®You mean you¡¯ve been sleeping in a ce like this?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Gun-Ha, Gun-Ha!¡±


    "Oppa?"


    A voice came from inside the ¡°house,¡± weing the pickpocket, and a momentter, a short and weak-looking girl jumped out to meet her brother. Her face was so dark that it was difficult to tell if she was very tanned or just extremely dirty.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Shocked to see her brother being held captive, the girl took a step back and dropped the book in her hand on the ground.


    Seeing the book, Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes lit up.


    Surprisingly, it was <i>The Book of Odes,</i> one of the Five ssics only read by schrs.[1]


    Woo-Moon thought back to his childhood. Before falling in love with thendscape painting, he had also studied the Four Books and Five ssics.


    <i>¡®For these children, that book must have been nearly impossible to get.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon felt a little guilty for having shocked the girl to the point that she had dropped such a valuable possession. He walked over and picked up the fallen book, wiping it absent-mindedly on the new clothes that his mother had bought him before handing it back to the little girl.


    ¡°This must be precious to you, so you should treasure it.¡±


    The weak-looking girl bowed in thanks as she took the book. She then gathered her courage and forced herself to look up at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°W-why did you capture my brother? Please let him go... It¡¯s all my fault, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s unable to work and I¡¯m a burden for him.¡±


    The little girl had lived a difficult life with her older brother from a young age and was looked down upon and ignored by those around her. This had led her to be very timid and shy, and she struggled to look straight at the man in front of her, whom she was seeing for the first time.


    Seeing her beg, the pickpocket¡¯s expression turned ugly.


    ¡°Hurry up and give my sister the money! I told you that if you do that, I¡¯ll follow you right away!¡±


    The little girl was taken aback.


    ¡°What is he saying?¡±


    Woo-Moon exined to her that he was looking for guards and was taking the boy as he had taken a liking to him. She looked relieved hearing his exnation, but that relieved look was soon reced by determination.


    ¡°T-then... I-I know it may be shameless for me to ask, but please take me, too! Even though I may be young and weak, I¡¯ll still do my best. I can at least do cleaning orundry!¡±


    The pickpocket looked touched for a moment by his sister¡¯s words...and then he remembered whaty in wait for his sister if he were to disappear.


    He had thought that ten taels of silver would be a great gift for his sister, but now, he quickly realized that he had been too quick to judge. That only applied to children who had parents to protect them. It was different for orphans like them.


    Forget about what she¡¯d do in the future, it wasn¡¯t even certain that she¡¯d live to see the next morning.


    For a young girl like his sister to live alone in the orphan neighborhood, and with such arge sum of money to boot.... Even though they were both children, his presence at least ounted for <i>something</i>. If he was no longer there, things would change for the worse, and his sister would be the target of many dangers.


    Although there were many people in the world who would pity and sympathize with an orphan girl who lived a difficult life, there were also the kinds of people who would target her even more viciously due to her situation and try to do all manner of horrendous things to her.


    The boy knelt on the spot and bowed to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t separate us! My younger sister is a really kind and intelligent child! I beg you, bring her with you as well! Please!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why are you making this sound as if I¡¯m forcing you apart? Is it really such a bad thing for you that I¡¯m taking you with me? If so, you don¡¯t have toe with me. I won¡¯t take you to the government office either; you can just go.¡±


    The girl understood the situation better than her brother, and she immediately turned pale. The boy had to process Woo-Moon¡¯s words for some moments before he also paled and started begging again, with even more desperation.


    ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not it! It¡¯s just because I misunderstood you at first. P-please, I beg you to allow my sister and me to serve you!¡±


    Although the pickpocket hadn¡¯t known Woo-Moon for a long time, from what he had seen of the man from the moment he had been captured, he felt as though Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t an evil person. No, if anything, Woo-Moon felt like one of the rare good men in the world.


    These children didn¡¯t even know how to read, much less how to fight properly, yet Woo-Moon was willing to take them in as guards and give them a ce to sleep and food to eat. Moreover, he even said he was willing to teach them martial arts and pay them proper wages.


    On top of it all, their families werepensated with even more money.


    Could this sort of fortune evere to those born orphans?


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s more like it. You know, I¡¯m not doing this because I expect you to worship me or anything, but I don¡¯t think anyone in this world likes to be cursed while they¡¯re doing good deeds. Alright. As long as you remember this well, boy. Nowe on, let¡¯s go. Both of you.¡±


    At Woo-Moon¡¯s words, everyone was delighted¡ªthe pickpocket, his sister, the other children, and even Ryeok-Gwi and Dok-Du. In particr, Ryeok-Gwi¡¯s eyes even turned red, as if his heart was much softer than his appearance suggested.


    ¡°Dok-Du! We¡¯re taking this little girl with us. Make sure she arrives safely at the residence. If you try anything weird, you¡¯re dead meat.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°You have to pack your belongings, right? That uncle there will take good care of you so you can follow him to the Baek Familyter. We¡¯re going to head over first.¡±


    ¡°The Iron Sword Baek Family...¡±


    Realizing that her hopes hade true, the girl bowed happily.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much!¡±


    ¡°Ryeok-Gwi! Let''s go!"


    Satisfied, Woo-Moon returned to the Baek Family.


    ***


    When he got back home, it was already evening.


    The girl, who arrivedter in the evening after the others, was allowed to move into a small building within his parents¡¯ residence, while the rest of the children had to stay with the Dok-Ryeok-Rat Trio.


    <i>¡®You demon! You dog bastard! You force us to live like this while you¡¯re alone in that giant house!¡¯</i>


    Their sleeping quarters had be so cramped that they all had to sleep shoulder to shoulder. It was only natural for the three of them, who used to live the high life, to be crying for their mom.


    On the contrary, the children looked ecstatic as theyy down and fell asleep.


    It was their first time sleeping in such a cozy ce and having such soft nkets to cover themselves. Moreover, living in a house with a proper roof and sturdy walls was nothing short of the finest luxury they had ever experienced.


    In the meantime, Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin were quite concerned when they saw the children that Woo-Moon had brought.


    ¡°Is this really okay, Woo-Moon? It will take a lot of time for those children to be able to act as guards. Besides, you¡¯re going to be responsible for all of their...¡±


    That was what it meant to be a part of the <i>gangho.</i>


    The greater the variation in strength within a group, the more pressure would be put on the person with the strongest martial skills. There were often cases of martial artists losing to opponents that they would normally defeat, because they were forced to protect others while fighting.


    That was the key reason why Jin-Jin was concerned by Woo-Moon¡¯s decisions.


    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s okay. I understand what you¡¯re concerned about. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll handle everything.¡±


    Because her grown son had stated he would take care of it himself, Jin-Jin epted it and didn¡¯t argue further.


    ¡°Okay. Oh, I noticed that you also brought a girl with you. I¡¯ll be taking care of her.¡±


    There would be many difficulties for her male son if he had to take care of a little girl, and it would only lead to gossip if those outside of the family were to catch sight of it.


    ¡°I was actually thinking of bringing this up with you, but I didn¡¯t really know how. Thank you, Mother.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, I think it was better when you were a fool. I don¡¯t like how formal ¡®Mother¡¯ sounds,¡± Jin-Jin said, shaking her head.


    She then went outside and called for the little girl sitting in the yard. She brought the girl with her to take a warm bath and have a good conversation.


    After talking for a while, Jin-Jin was finally able to draw out the girl¡¯s name¡ªSeol Gun-Ha.


    Possibly because she was a little wistful over having two sons but no daughters, although they had only met for a short time, Jin-Jin was already head over heels with Gun-Ha¡¯s adorableness.


    She even liked how shy and easily embarrassed Gun-Ha was, and she was also very appreciative of how thoughtful, studious, and knowledgeable about etiquette the girl was despite being an orphan and poor. Moreover, once the girl washed herself properly, Jin-Jin could see that her face had well-defined features, her skin was rosy, and she was in fact quite pretty.


    However, even though Gun-Ha had begun to open up to Jin-Jin, she was really shy and quiet. It seemed that it would take some more time for them to converse properly.


    Before it got too dark, Woo-Moon departed from the Baek Family again and headed toward the inn where Si-Hyeon and Mu-Jae stayed.


    Si-Hyeon greeted Woo-Moon warmly. From her words, it seemed that Baek Sang-Woon had stopped by to see them before he left.


    ¡°I n on practicing martial arts here while establishing a merchant guild, senior brother.¡±


    ¡°A merchant guild?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Because that was our family¡¯s business, I n to start the Leebi Merchant Guild once again here in Hefei. Of course, I already received permission from Grandfather.¡±


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s eyes, which had lost their shine long before their journey, seemed to havee back to life. It was clear that she had a newfound dream for the future.


    <i>¡®Good. This is how a leader should be.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I understand, junior sister. I will help you as much as I can.¡±


    ¡°You will? Thank you from the bottom of my heart.¡±


    ¡°If you want to reestablish the Merchant Guild, you¡¯ll need money first, right?¡±


    After Woo-Moon¡¯s question, Si-Hyeon pulled out a small box in her sleeve and opened it. Within the box was a small bead.


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°This is a Luminous Night Pearl. It¡¯s an extremely expensive item. Will youe with meter to help me handle it?¡±


    The Luminous Night Pearl was an item that could stir voracious greed. To be frank, it would be difficult for Mu-Jae and Si-Hyeon to handle its sale with their level of strength in such an unfamiliar ce like Hefei.


    ¡°Understood, junior sister. I¡¯lle with you then.¡±


    ¡°Thank you again, senior brother.¡±


    ¡°What are you thanking me for? Considering I¡¯m doing it for you, this doesn¡¯t mean much.¡±


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s face turned slightly red. However, Woo-Moon failed to notice that. He stood up.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll head out now. It¡¯s quitete.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please return safely, senior brother.¡±


    Woo-Moon returned home and had a good sleep. The next day, early in the morning, he headed to where his new ¡°guards¡± were sleeping, intent on having them start training.


    However, seeing the way they all slept together with such happy expressions on their faces weakened his resolve.


    <i>¡®Should I let them take it easy, at least for today? Oh well, they can just start tomorrow and work harder.¡¯</i>


    With that in mind, Woo-Moon closed the door and turned around as the children slept soundly,pletely oblivious to the hardships thaty ahead.


    On the other hand, there were three people in the quarters who had terrible nightmares and sometimes screamed in their sleep.


    ¡°Agh!!!!¡±


    ¡°SONG WOO-MOOOOOOON!¡±


    ***


    The next day, Woo-Moon, who had been practicing his martial arts in his room for a while as he had nothing else to do, left the Iron Sword Baek Estate and walked around looking for talented people to be guards.


    The Dok-Ryeok-Rat Trio could only be servants. Woo-Moon had no intention of using as personal guards people who had thrived in the nightlife andmitted evil deeds. Thus, he still needed two people to fill all ten guard spots.


    However, he was left empty-handed today as well.


    Finally, in the evening, Woo-Moon returned to the estate.


    However, this time, there was something strange about the atmosphere.


    ¡°A-ahem. Have you arrived, Woo-Moon?¡± Dae-Woong greeted, trying to avoid Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze somehow.


    ¡°Wait, wait a moment. Father. What is going on? Why does it look like one of your eyes is swollen?¡±


    1. The Five ssics are five books that are considered the earliest canon of Confucianism. Along with the Four Books, theyprised the basis of the imperial examination system starting in the Han dynasty. ?

 Chapter 52. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (27)

    <h4>Chapter 52. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (27)</h4>


    ¡°I¨Cit¡¯s nothing. Swelling? What swelling?¡±


    Woo-Moon rushed over and pushed aside Dae-Woong¡¯s hand from his face.


    ¡°Look at this! This looks like it¡¯s from a hit. Father, who hit you?¡±


    Sparks flew from Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes. <i>¡®Which bastard dares to touch my father!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true that I was hit, but I don¡¯t have the right to say anything. It was a fair spar,¡± Dae-Woong responded.


    ¡°A spar? It¡¯s barely been any time since you started learning martial arts, Father. Just which bastard insisted on sparring with a novice like you? Who was it? You¡¯re not the one who insisted on fighting, right father?¡±


    ¡°No, he was the one who wanted to spar,¡± Jin-Jin said quietly. She had been listening to them from inside a room, but now she intervened.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that Father was the one to ask for a spar?¡±


    ¡°Come inside, Woo-Moon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mother.¡±


    Dae-Woong made it to follow Woo-Moon, but Jin-Jin stopped him. Although her voice was just as quiet as before, it was filled with terrifying strength.


    ¡°You stay outside a little longer, honey.¡±


    ¡°O-okay. I¡¯ll do just that.¡±


    Dae-Woong, who had already gotten halfway across the threshold, left without saying a word as Jin-Jin addressed Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Baek Ju-Ryeong visited our house yesterday.¡±


    Baek Ju-Ryeong? Woo-Moon thought back to the day when that warrior had brought those useless people to be their guards. That warrior was the underling of Ju-Ryeong, a suspicious woman who used to bully Jin-Jin.


    ¡°Is this her doing?¡±


    ¡°No, her husband is the one who sparred with your father.¡±


    ¡°What?! Just where did Father get the gall to do something like that?¡±


    Dae-Woong, who was listening outside, flinched as Jin-Jin sighed deeply.


    ¡°Don¡¯t me your father. This is all my fault...¡±


    ¡°Pardon? What do you mean, your fault, Mother?¡±


    ¡°Ever since I was young, that bitch has been a master at subtly insulting me. Of course, I expected her to insult me yesterday, but then she even started picking on your father. In the end, your father couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, and... he insisted on a spar with Jeon Yoon-Seong.¡±


    Jeon Yoon-Seong.


    He had been ay disciple of the Shaolin Temple and had married into the Iron Sword Baek Family as a live-in son-inw.[1]


    ¡°And that was why father got worked over?¡±


    ¡°A-ahem!¡±


    They could hear Dae-Woong clearing his throat from the outside.


    With the fire in his belly raging, Woo-Moon came out as soon as he finished speaking with Jin-Jin and took his father into the deepest room of the main house. There, he took the bottle of Pure Stctite Milk out of his pocket.


    ¡°Father! Come and drink this.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°Open your mouth first! I will help you, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°No, just what is that?!¡±


    ¡°Just listen to your son!¡±


    Dae-Woong was already rather depressed because of what had happened. As his son insisted, he opened his mouth.


    Carefully controlling the dose, Woo-Moon fed Dae-Woong just a single drop of the Pure Stctite Milk.


    ¡°<i>Tsk</i>. I haven¡¯t been able to consume it yet, but here I am, giving it to my father first.¡±


    For a moment, Dae-Woong tilted his head in confusion at his son¡¯s words, but then he suddenly felt a tremendous aura rising from within his body.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t open your mouth! You¡¯ll let all of the energy of the elixir dissipate. Now, circte your qi like I show you.¡±


    Woo-Moon moved behind Dae-Woong and put both hands on his back, helping his father circte his qi.


    Although it had only been a drop, the Pure Stctite Milk was incredible, and Woo-Moon did his best to help Dae-Woong absorb it without missing a single bit.


    After about an hour, Dae-Woong opened his eyes. Then, he looked down at his body in amazement.


    ¡°Oh!!!! I can¡¯t believe how much more qi I have now! I feel like I can beat anyone right now!¡±


    ¡°<i>Tsk, tsk.</i> Come on, you¡¯re not <i>that</i> much stronger yet. If you fight Jeon Yoon-Seong now, you¡¯d be able to put up a fight, but don¡¯t expect to beat him or anything. The qi you gain from consistent cultivation is not the same as the one you¡¯ve gotten just now. Right now, you need to focus on absorbing the energy of the Pure Stctite Milk and turning it into your own qi.¡±


    ¡°<i>Ahem</i>. I-is that so? So I can¡¯t beat him yet?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not.¡±


    ¡°Fine then, you just sit back and watch. I¡¯ll train my ass off.¡±


    ¡°Good. Don¡¯t bezy and train hard. Don¡¯t let anyone beat you ever again. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay, you little brat.¡±


    Because it had already bete at night, Woo-Moon retired to his room. Well, it <i>was</i> right next door, anyway...


    From what Rat had reported to him, the children were doing great. They were more and more amazed at the grandeur of the Baek Estate; at the same time, they had gotten used to one another and some of them were now fighting among themselves and thriving in their new space.


    <i>¡®Hmpf. Let¡¯s see what you say when you start training tomorrow!¡¯</i>


    ***


    The next morning, the young boys¡ªguards in name, bums in reality¡ªwere summoned by Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Hey! You! Come forward.¡±


    Woo-Moon singled out the boy with particrly long and sturdy arms who seemed like he would be good at shooting a bow.


    ¡°Yes!¡± the boy answered bravely as he stepped forward. Perhaps because he was able to eat properly now, his face had filled out a little and was practically glowing.


    <i>¡®All of them are small for their age, but it doesn¡¯t matter. If they eat and train well, they should all be able to grow normally now.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon himself had begun cultivating his qi before his body, and he was still doing the same now. However, back in Unhan, he had also put extensive effort into training his body and improving his physical abilities.


    Because of that experience, he understood very well that the base of martial arts wasn¡¯t qi cultivation, but actually, physical cultivation¡ªin other words, physical training.


    That fact was even written in the <i>Martial Arts Fundamentals</i>.


    ¡°Copy my stance,¡± Woo-Moon said before settling into the horse stance.


    This stance was very awkward¡ªlike sitting on a chair with your arms stretched in front of you, except without a chair. It was an exceedingly difficult exercise, but it was also an excellent one for naturally improving bnce, endurance, and strength.


    After hearing from his grandfather that the horse stance was the best way toy a foundation for martial arts, Woo-Moon had gotten into the habit of using only his physical strength to endure standing in that pose regrly, sweating profusely for hours at a time. His stance had improved to match the incredible amount of effort he had put in.


    ¡°Now, all you have to do is just maintain this posture. It¡¯s easy, right? You have to hold it until lunch. Every time I see you fool around or fall, you will get one hit. If you get hit five times, you don¡¯t get lunch. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The boys had not experienced the horse stance yet, so they all answered loudly without a single clue about the suffering that awaited them.


    However, the pickpocket was different.


    <i>¡®Y-you devil! You¡¯re saying you want us to hold the horse stance for that entire time?!¡¯</i>


    The effects of the horse stance made themselves felt quickly. The boys had seriously underestimated the difficulty of this exercise, and now their legs were shaking and sweat poured down like rain from their faces.


    However, as they had all grown up in the slums or in the orphan vige, they each had incredible patience and tenacity, which allowed them all to endure for quite a long time.


    ¡°You there! Are you not going to raise your arms properly?¡±


    Although Woo-Moon was sitting on a chair in front of them and seemed to be thinking about something else, he noticed each and every mistake as if he were a hawk.


    <i>¡®Y-you damn bastard. This is too difficult!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s stick descended down upon them with each stumble.


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    ¡°<i>AGH</i>!!¡±


    ¡°Fix your stance!¡±


    "Understood!"


    However, to them, Woo-Moon was the benefactor who had brought them to this ce and hired them, even paying them a sry. Thus, none of themined aloud.


    After about an hour had passed, the physically weak but quick-footed boy copsed and fainted.


    Just then, Woo-Moon noticed that the Song residence had visitors.


    ¡°Oh dear. Are these kids those beggars I heard about?¡±


    The new guest resembled Hye-Ryeong, but she looked somewhat fiercer.<i>¡®This must be Baek Ju-Ryeong.¡¯</i>


    Behind her stood a young man whose spite-filled eyes resembled hers to a tee. He seemed to be about four to five years older than Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®You look just as shameless as your mother.¡¯</i>


    Ju-Ryeong hade the day before with her husband, Yoon-Seong, and it seemed that today, she had brought her son, Heon-Won.


    Either way, because Ju-Ryeong was the senior, Woo-Moon bowed his head first and greeted her.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re doing well, Cousin Ju-Ryeong.¡±


    Ju-Ryeong, who had been ignoring Woo-Moon as if he was just some pebble in the way, smiled brightly, acting as if she had finally discovered him.


    ¡°Oh dear. So you were here, too, little cousin Woo-Moon. How lovely to finally meet you in person!¡±


    Woo-Moon could feel all kinds of goosebumps forming on his skin.


    ¡°Haha. Yes, it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Is your mother here?¡±[2]


    "Yes. She is inside.¡±


    Fortunately, Dae-Woong was absent; he was hungry, so he¡¯d gone out to eat Woo-Moon took the lead and brought the guests to his mother¡¯s room.


    On the way, Heon-Won approached the Song Family¡¯s new guards, most of whom were still in the horse stance, but Ju-Ryeong stopped him ¡°Oh, dear! Don¡¯t go near them! What if you catch a disease or something?¡±


    <i>¡®Oh, so you mean that since we live with them, we¡¯re all infected, huh? You damn bitch.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon gritted his teeth as he looked at the boys. Even though they had heard such demeaning words, he noticed that they didn¡¯t get angry whatsoever; they seemed to be able to read the room. Seeing that made his heart boil even more.


    Heon-Won responded with a sneer on his lips.


    ¡°I understand, mother. I was just surprised that these vermin are being trained in the... <i>esoteric</i> horse stance. Not even the lowest of our guards do that anymore.¡±


    Woo-Moon could feel even that her son was trying to stoke his rage.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m the one who told them to do it. Do you want to die? You bastard who''s supposed to be my nephew. You bastard who doesn¡¯t even know the importance of the horse stance. Just you wait. I¡¯ll show you soon.¡¯</i>


    Inplete contrast with his true feelings, Woo-Moon disyed a bright smile as he opened the door for Ju-Ryeong.


    ¡°Oh, Aunt Jin-Jin!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯vee to visit me again, dear niece.¡±


    Jin-Jin had already heard the noise outside and knew that Ju-Ryeong hade again today. She smiled warmly, hiding the rage in her heart.


    Before she sat down, Ju-Ryeong first swept the chair a few times with the fan in her hand as if it were dirty, even though she knew that it was spotless.


    <i>¡®Your ass is even dirtier! I¡¯ll have to wipe that chair thoroughly once she leaves.¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon was swearing in his mind again, Ju-Ryeong opened the conversation.


    ¡°Oh, is Uncle not here?¡±


    Jin-Jin was imagining sharpening a sword on Ju-Ryeong¡¯s teeth, but her face was nothing but smile.


    ¡°He said he was going out to eat something.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I just thought... I thought that he might have had to go to the clinic because of that idental injury he suffered during yesterday¡¯s enthusiastic spar. <i>Hohoho</i>.¡±


    <i>¡®Enthusiastic...spar? Even though from what I heard, it was just my father being toyed with?¡¯</i>


    Anger raged inside of Woo-Moon.


    It was clear that Ju-Ryeong had deliberately brought up the story to upset his mother.


    ¡°But it seems that the elder is not here today, either?¡±


    Even though Ju-Ryeong was also from the same family, the only person that she was careful to refer to as ¡°the elder¡± was, of course, the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon.


    Jin-Jin smiled softly.


    ¡°As you may know, my father is someone who flits around like the wind. It seems he¡¯s been on an outing for the past few days.¡±


    Of course, Jin-Jin was well aware that Sang-Woon had already left far away. However, she pretended not to know where he was because she was afraid that the Baek Family would look down upon their family if she told the truth.


    Ju-Ryeong, who was trying to uncover Jin-Jin¡¯s true thoughts with her steely gaze, immediately smiled brightly.


    ¡°Oh ho ho! The elder really is like that, that¡¯s true. By the way, what did you say that Uncle used to do before?¡±


    It was clear that Ju-Ryeong was asking this on purpose and already knew the answer. There was no way that she wouldn¡¯t have already investigated the Song Family after they had arrived at the Baek Estate.


    ¡°We used to run an inn,¡± Jin-Jin answered.


    Ju-Ryeong showed a tantly dismissive expression.


    ¡°Ah! So he used to run a business, then. How impressive, truly. It must have been a veryrge ce considering it was run by someone who qualified to be your husband, Aunt. <i>Ho ho ho</i>.¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. It was just a countryside inn, so it was pretty small.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear! To think it was in some shithole countryside... <i>Pfft</i>! Oh dear, I¡¯m so sorry, I misspoke.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not embarrassed by it at all. In fact, don¡¯t you think that judging someone by their upation is more embarrassing?¡±


    1. Shaolin monks are not allowed to be married. However, as ay disciple, Yoon-Seong may have learned the temple¡¯s martial arts but hadn¡¯t taken the vows and thus wasn¡¯t a monk. ?


    2. This is an exceedingly rude way to refer to Jin-Jin, considering Ju-Ryeong is an entire generation under her. The correct way to refer to her would have been ¡°Aunt Jin-Jin¡± ?

 Chapter 53. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (28)

    <h4>Chapter 53. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (28)</h4>


    As someone who was only good at running her mouth, Ju-Ryeong had always disliked Jin-Jin, who was always eloquent and graceful. She found herself unable to believe Jin-Jin¡¯s words immediately, thinking that even though Jin-Jin was embarrassed, she was deliberately holding a prideful facade.


    <i>¡®Kekeke. It really matches well with you, you bitch. How proud you acted when you were young, and here you are, ending up with some backyard trash husband.¡¯</i>


    Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong had always hated Jin-Jin ever since she hade to the Iron Sword Baek Family with her father. They hated having to treat her as an elder even though she was much younger than them, they hated that she was much more skilled in martial arts than they were, and they <i>particrly</i> hated her iparable beauty.


    Thus, the two sisters were jealous of Jin-Jin and hated that men from the other Ancient Families would all lose their minds whenever they saw Jin-Jin.


    ¡°Is the young man who came with you your son, dear niece?¡±


    Ju-Ryeong answered Jin-Jin¡¯s question with a big smile.


    ¡°Yes. As you know, my husband is ay disciple of the Shaolin Temple. Even within the temple, he¡¯s one of the most talented; thus, the temple just wouldn¡¯t leave him alone, and he had to leave for temple matters this morning. <i>Ho, ho</i>. Oh, that¡¯s right. This is my son. He¡¯s a good-for-nothing, but what can I do?¡±


    ¡°Hello, my name is Baek Heon-Won.¡±


    As Jin-Jin greeted him back with a kind smile, Ju-Ryeong continued spouting nonsense.


    ¡°He reallycks skill. Even at his age, he has only mastered the Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword up to the eighth stance. I mean, just how poor could his training be? He was only just barely able to raise his White sh Divine Art to the fourth stage, too. <i>Tsk, tsk</i>.¡±


    Although she clicked her tongue in disappointment, her face betrayed an immense pride, as if she was saying ¡°Look how impressive my son is!¡±


    The Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword was one of the sword arts that represented the Iron Sword Baek Family, while the White sh Divine Art was the best cultivation method that the family had.


    The fact that he had been able to master the Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword to the eighth stance and the White sh Divine Art to the fourth stage was truly incredible considering Heon-Won¡¯s age, to the point where it wasn¡¯t excessive to call him an exceptional genius.


    ¡°Oh dear, and here I am, only talking about myself. We can¡¯t gloss over speaking about my dear cousin Woo-Moon here, too. I did hear an extremely sphemous rumor from my subordinates, though... but it couldn¡¯t be! They say that our dear Woo-Moon, who looks so intelligent, was seen as a fool of the town when he was young! Could that really be true? It was just a rumor, right?¡±


    <i>¡®It looks like we¡¯re just going back to the idiot talk again. I¡¯m so tired of it. I want to go to Unhan right now and beat up all those bastards who called me a fool back then!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s rage was about to erupt, but thankfully, he already had a good idea of how to quench it. He simply smiled and answered in ce of his mother.


    ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s sad, but true. Because I wascking in so many ways, I was often called a fool by the other vige children when I was younger, <i>hoho.</i>¡± Woo-Moon put up a stupid grin as he spoke.


    Ju-Ryeong then nced sideways at Jin-Jin before purposefully making a show of suppressing herughter.


    ¡°<i>Pfft</i>. How dare those brats say something like that to our brilliant little cousin Woo-Moon?! Then, could you have learned some martial arts?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, <i>hehe</i>. Just a little...¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    While speaking, Ju-Ryeong smiled mischievously, feeling like she had caught another fish today, just like she had yesterday. Indeed, the feeling of trampling on her ¡°elders¡± under the pretext of a spar was quite refreshing.


    ¡°My son, I mean, your nephew, has had no sparring partner these days. What do you think about allowing him the opportunity to spar with you?¡±


    As she spoke, Ju-Ryeong nced sideways at Jin-Jin once more.


    <i>¡®If you refuse, you¡¯ll be embarrassed, but if you let him do it, aren¡¯t you worried about what will happen to your idiot son? Kekeke.¡¯</i>


    From Ju-Ryeong¡¯s perspective, it would¡¯ve been different if Woo-Gang had been present¡ªafter all, he was one of the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms. As for his idiot brother, she firmly believed that Heon-Won could easily stomp on him.


    <i>¡®To think that this bitch Jin-Jin¡¯s second son is a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect. And one of the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms? That has to be an empty title. Yes, Mount Hua¡¯s level has just fallen. That has to be it. Our Heon-Won most likely could step all over those plum blossoms or whatever.</i>


    Of course, although the <i>gangho¡¯s</i> assessment of the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms waspletely different from Ju-Ryeong¡¯s, she and Heon-Won had already made their assumptions. Still, there was some basis for their confidence, as Heon-Won¡¯s achievements in the Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword and the White sh Divine Art were indeed outstanding.


    ¡°Is that okay, Mother?¡± Woo-Moon asked.


    Jin-Jin nodded in response to his question.


    ¡°Yes. ept it, Woo-Moon.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Once Jin-Jin had given her permission and Woo-Moon had agreed, they moved to the spacious training hall behind the Song family¡¯s residence.


    Heon-Won was just like his mother: his words were technically polite, but the sneer on his face clearly showed what he was actually thinking.


    ¡°Would you like to draw your sword first, <i>elder</i>?¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Then I¡¯ll do just that, dear nephew.¡±


    Woo-Moon whined as he tried to draw his sword from its scabbard.


    ¡°Huh? Why is this noting out properly? What¡¯s going on? Has it rusted already?¡±


    Seeing this, Ju-Ryeong couldn¡¯t help butugh aloud, holding her stomach, and Heon-Won¡¯s sneer grew even wider.


    Eventually, Woo-Moon shook his head and said, ¡°I guess it¡¯s not going to work. I¡¯ll just use the sword as it is. You can just draw your own sword.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    "Yes, it¡¯s fine."


    ¡°Okay, then.¡±


    Heon-Won drew his sword.


    ¡°As I am the junior, please allow me the first move.¡±


    ¡°Good. Come.¡±


    Ju-Ryeong and Heon-Won hadn¡¯t noticed because they were drunk on the feeling of looking down on Woo-Moon and making fun of him, but somewhere along the line, Woo-Moon had stopped pretending to be an idiot and was now ring at Heon-Won with a cold, steely gaze.


    Heon-Won¡¯s sword flew in an arc. Although it was an attack made half-heartedly out of contempt for Woo-Moon, it was still a pretty powerful attack anyway, as it was one of the Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword, the pride of the Iron Sword Baek Family.


    <i>¡®Howughable. He ims to know martial arts when that¡¯s all he can do?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon simply moved his scabbard and blocked Heon-Won¡¯s sword. Seeing this, Heon-Won¡¯s eyebrows twitched slightly, as he had thought that he would be able to finish off Woo-Moon with just a single blow.


    <i>¡®Huh? Look at this fool. How impressive for an idiot.¡¯</i>


    Heon-Won swung his sword with even more power. The de whistled sharply as it cut through the air..


    <i>ng!</i>


    However, this attack was also blocked by Woo-Moon¡¯s scabbard.


    <i>¡®... how infuriating.¡¯</i>


    Thinking so, Heon-Won began to disy the Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword even more frantically.


    <i>ng! ng! ng!</i>


    Not only was Woo-Moon blocking every blow, but he was obviously not trying all that hard. A spark of rage arose in Heon-Won¡¯s eyes, and he swung his sword with all of his might.


    <i>CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!</i>However, all his might changed nothing. Heon-Won waspletely unable to get past Woo-Moon¡¯s leisurely moving scabbard.


    It was only then that Heon-Won caught sight of Woo-Moon¡¯s expression.


    <i>¡®You¡¯reughing? You bastard, are you reallyughing at me? At me?!¡¯</i>


    Meanwhile, Jin-Jin could not be less worried or anxious about her son¡¯s safety.


    Who was her son, Song Woo-Moon?


    He was someone who had survived a battle against an Absolute Master, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, and even the Palm Martial Emperor had called him a monster.


    There was absolutely no way that she wouldn¡¯t have absolute trust in him.


    By this point, Ju-Ryeong had also realized that things were not going as expected.


    It was only then that she noticed that Jin-Jin¡¯s expression waspletely devoid of anxiety or nervousness. Moreover, Woo-Moon¡¯s demeanor had also changed.


    Ju-Ryeong called out to Heon-Won in impatience.


    ¡°<i>Ho ho</i>. Dear son, let¡¯s stop ying around now.¡±


    However, Heon-Won wasn¡¯t in a situation where he was able to joke around. He wasn¡¯t even able to respond. This was only natural¡ªwith all his energy put into swinging his sword, how could he hear what his mother was saying?


    Hearing Ju-Ryeong¡¯s words, Woo-Moon smiled.


    ¡°Oh, I see. So then you must still be messing around now, right?¡±


    Ju-Ryeong was suddenly startled by Woo-Moon¡¯s sarcastic tone.


    Wasn¡¯t it the same?! That same damn way of speaking as her grand-uncle, the Palm Martial Emperor?


    <i>¡®This isn¡¯t possible...¡¯</i>


    Heon-Won was shocked.


    Even though he was attacking with all of his might, Woo-Moon was able to not only block it with ridiculous ease, but even open his mouth to speak nonchntly.


    At that moment, Woo-Moon gave up on defending and moved his scabbard offensively for the first time.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    ¡°Oh dear! What should I do? I¡¯m so sorry. I just thought your antics were so cute that I tried patting you on the cheek, dear nephew, but I got a little too energetic without realizing it.¡±


    A broken tooth protruded from Heon-Won¡¯s mouth after being hit on the cheek by Woo-Moon¡¯s scabbard.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    As Heon-Won was about to say something, Woo-Moon''s scabbard continued to move.


    ¡°Huh? What is this? Maybe it''s because I¡¯m such an idiot, but this scabbard just keeps moving randomly! Oh no, what should I do? Avoid it, dear nephew!¡±


    <i>Pow, pow, pow, bang!</i>


    ¡°Oh no! That must have hurt, my dear nephew. I¡¯m so sorry. How could this be? Oh dear, I¡¯m so sorry. Please, forgive me!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s scabbard moved so fast that it was invisible to the naked eye, striking Heon-Won all over.


    Terrible pain coursed through Heon-Won¡¯s entire body.


    Although he tried to fight back, every time he tried to put strength into his arm and swing his sword, Woo-Moon¡¯s scabbard seemed to teleport forward like a ghost and hit both the acupuncture points and the muscles where his strength would flow through at the same time, preventing him from moving.


    <i>Clink!</i>


    In the end, Heon-Won dropped his iron sword¡ªthe lifeblood of any swordsman of the Iron Sword Baek Family.


    When and where could Heon-Won have ever been beaten like this? Not only that, but there was such an overwhelming difference in force that it was impossible for him to resist!


    It was only then that Ju-Ryeong fully grasped the situation. She shouted in horror, ¡°H-how dare you?! Stop!¡±


    ¡°Huh? You want me to stop? I mean, who was the one to push for this spar, anyway?¡±


    As Woo-Moonined sarcastically and stopped beating him, Heon-Won finally found an opening to speak. He red at Woo-Moon and shouted, ¡°You, you dog bastard, dare to hit me! You dare to ignore me?!¡±


    As soon as Woo-Moon heard that, he internally cheered.


    <i>¡®Ah, you¡¯ve been caught!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon red at Heon-Won with a cold gaze.


    ¡°Did you just swear at me right now? Did you just curse someone from the same generation as your mother?! To think such immorality could even exist!¡±


    <i>BANG!!</i>


    Woo-Moon pped Heon-Won¡¯s cheek with far greater force than before


    ¡°You mannerless brat!¡±


    <i>BANG! POW, POW!</i>


    ¡°You mannerless! Ungrateful! Brat!!!¡±


    He pped him again three times in a row, and then delivered one final blow with even greater force.


    <i>THWACK!!!!!!</i>


    ¡°AGHHK!!!¡±


    Thisst p sent Heon-Won flying through the air, screaming and spewing blood, and the momentum of the fall made him roll on the ground a few times.


    Ju-Ryeong¡¯s eyes opened wide at the sight and she red at Woo-Moon with hatred.


    ¡°YOU BASTARD!¡±


    Before she even realized it herself, a massive aura was erupting from her entire body.


    She was a powerful martial artist, with higher cultivation than even the head of the Baek Family.


    However, Woo-Moon walked straight ahead and stood in front of her, simply ignoring the storm of bloodlust and qi aura that swirled around her. He said with a grin, ¡°Why are you so angry? It¡¯s just that he got an idental injury during an enthusiastic spar, just like my father. Oh, but do you really have the time to yell at me right now? Shouldn¡¯t you be taking your son to the medical clinic quickly?¡±


    He looked exactly like the Palm Martial Emperor, even down to the exact way he turned her words back to her. No, to be frank, the young man before her seemed even <i>more</i> obnoxious and gut-wrenching than his grandfather.


    Thinking that to herself, Ju-Ryeong shivered.


    In all fairness, Woo-Moon was actually holding back what he really wanted to say. His inner thoughts were simple.


    <i>¡®From now on, I¡¯ll take revenge on all of you who dared to try to kill my mother and then dared to pretend it was a mistake. What I just did is nothing, so look forward to what¡¯sing for you in the future. You won¡¯t be disappointed.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was already determined to avenge his mother on behalf of his grandfather, and shake the Iron Sword Baek Family to its very core.


    <i>¡®All of you, just you wait! This is just the beginning!¡¯</i>

 Chapter 54. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (1)

    <h4>Chapter 54. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (1)</h4>


    The sky was so blue that it sent a piercing chill through Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes as hey on a wide grass field. As the soft grass tickled his back, Woo-Moon raised his arms and blocked the sun''s re with one hand. He could feel the warm light and breeze gently pass between the fingers.


    Then, he clenched his fist tightly, as if to catch the breeze.


    <i>Fist.</i>


    In the blink of an eye, he swiftly pulled his left fist back toward his chest as his right fist flew forward. He could feel a faint twinge in his elbow as his muscles tightened.


    A smile appeared on Woo-Moon¡¯s lips. He enjoyed how his body moved through the punch and his muscles shifted and swelled.


    Both fists flew countless times toward an imaginary point in the air.


    Once, twice... ten times... the sound of his clothes pping and his fists splitting the air echoed endlessly.


    Then, for a moment, his hands stopped in a seemingly awkward position, neither a clenched fist nor an open palm. It almost looked like he was imitating the grip of an animal.


    <i>w.</i>


    Unlike when he had thrown punches earlier, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t stretch his arms outpletely. This time, his hands didn¡¯t move back and forth, but side to side and top to bottom. When he reached the perfect angle, his fingers seemed to grab at something fiercely, as if he wanted to crush an invisible object.


    He wed at the air for a bit until, suddenly, his hands stopped again. This time, his palms were fully open, facing forward.


    <i>Palm.</i>


    His palms moved quickly and with such irregrity that it was impossible to guess where they would appear next.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    The sheer force of his palms caused sonic booms, and every blow was apanied by gusts of wind.


    Immediately after, he started moving his arms in a wide circr motion, almost as if his arms were whips.


    Next came the <i>finger</i> and <i>hook</i>.[1]


    Woo-Moon began to disy every martial form he could using his hands, one by one. However, what Woo-Moon visualized and thought about as he disyed each form wasn¡¯t a fist technique, a w technique, a palm technique, a finger technique, or even a hook technique.


    To him, all of them seemed like the movement of a sword. In other words, every thought was a form of swordsmanship, each action the path of a sword.


    Every movement of one¡¯s body hid the movement of a sword. The same went for qi cultivation methods and even the Celestial Sect''s Forbidden Divine Art. The Dao of the Sword hid within the endless cycle that formed the core of the Forbidden Divine Art.


    Woo-Moon was lying on the ground as he practiced martial arts while looking at the blue sky. He let his own movements guide him up, then let his feet shuffle along the pattern of a movement technique.


    A whirlwind suddenly formed around him as the trees nearby shook. Their leaves fell one by one and flew toward Woo-Moon, and as they swirled around him, dust, stones, and fallen leaves rose from the ground to join them.


    The sky was clear, and the sun''s fierce re shone brightly on the ground.


    A storm was brewing only around Woo-Moon; the wind shifted, and the various objects in the air, from the fallen leaves to pebbles, flew along the path of the intangible sword he embodied through the forms of the fist, w, palm, finger, and hook.


    <i>Swoosh¡ª</i>


    Although what touched them was a fist, the leaves and stones were all cut as if they had been cleaved through by a razor-sharp sword.


    Woo-Moon was in a trance, feeling like only he and the sword existed under the heavens.


    It was indeed a fantastic sight.


    Someone was watching from afar¡ªSi-Hyeon, who hade to find him after discovering that he was practicing here, within the quiet forest clearing on the outskirts of Hefei. However, Woo-Moon, in his trance, was utterly oblivious to her arrival.


    He would have sensed if someone approached him with hostile intentions, but he was familiar with Si-Hyeon and didn¡¯t worry about her. Naturally, his subconscious didn¡¯t react as it would have if an enemy came close.


    <i>¡®Incredible...¡¯</i>


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s mouth opened in admiration. She had little experience, as her journey with martial arts had only started a short time ago after she had her marrow and bones cleansed by the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon. Even so, she was able to tell that what Woo-Moon was doing right now was something amazing. .


    Taking out the sword that she had purchased from a cksmith in Hefei, Si-Hyeon began to disy the Swordy of the Carefree Goddess that she had learned from Sang-Woon.


    She sensed this was a chance for her and didn¡¯t want to miss a moment. Thus, as she was naturally talented and could multitask, Si-Hyeon continued to watch Woo-Moon¡¯s movements as she practiced her own,paring them to her own and correcting her mistakes.


    Although she had entered the path of martial arts at ate age, as she was born with great intelligence, her martial arts skills were rapidly improving.


    In this way, Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon, the two fellow disciples, practiced their swordsmanship in entirely different ways while at the same ce.


    Thus, Woo-Moon¡¯s enlightenment in swordsmanship, which had begun before the sun had reached its highest point, only ended once the red haze of sundown began to show.


    ¡°<i>Whew...</i>.¡±


    Having left this state where he¡¯d forgotten the flow of time and the existence of space, Woo-Moon let out a long breath as all the tension left his body. He was feeling satisfied and drowsy, still immersed in the sensations he had experienced during his epiphany. He had achieved progress in the Forbidden Divine Art¡ªhis qi was now circting more nimbly than it used to, but at the same time, it also had a weighty, majestic presence. At the same time, his mastery of the Gentle Celestial sword had also advanced to the next level.He smiled softly as he turned to Si-Hyeon, who was breathing heavily behind him.


    ¡°How long have you been here?¡±


    A little over a month had already passed since he had brutally beaten Heon-Won during their spar. Because it was one of those ¡°official spars¡± that Ju-Ryeong loved hosting so much, she could not publicly retaliate against Woo-Moon.


    Although Woo-Moon had secretly hoped that Ju-Ryeong would be unable to bear her rage and attack him secretly, for some reason, it didn¡¯t seem that she had made any special moves. Thus, within the Baek Estate, the eye of the storm, Woo-Moon had spent the past month and ten days training the guards while also cultivating on his own.


    Moreover, whenever he had the time, he would also talk to Si-Hyeon. By now, they finally feltfortable enough with each other to talk casually.


    Si-Hyeon smiled, wiping the sweat off her brow with a handkerchief.


    ¡°It¡¯s been about three or four hours. Thank you, senior brother. I was able to learn a lot because of you.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? I¡¯m d it was helpful.¡±


    Si-Hyeon continued while looking at the setting sun.


    ¡°I came to find you because I wanted to talk to you... but somehow, I ended up losing track of time. I¡¯ll be going back now, Uncle Mu-Jae is probably worried.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. I was nning on leaving as well, I have some things I have to handle.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s meet again! We couldn¡¯t really talk today...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk a lot next time and make up for the time we missed today.¡±


    ¡°Yes. See you next time.¡±


    After Si-Hyeon left, Woo-Moon returned to the Baek Estate and suddenly looked down at the sword hanging on his waist.


    During his cultivation today, unusually, he hadn¡¯t drawn his sword even once.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    As always, it was nice to hear his sword''s sound when it left the scabbard. However, today, the sound felt a little different.


    It sounded a bit dull, almost as if... it was pouting?


    ¡°Haha. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll definitely train with you next time.¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    A clear sound rang out when he flicked the de with his finger as if to soothe it.


    <i>Mew!</i>


    As if asking why she had been left out, Eun-Ah ran up and followed behind Woo-Moon, ying nearby. These days, the range at which Eun-Ah wasfortable moving had increased significantly. Now, she had no trouble running around as far as seventy meters away from Woo-Moon.


    At first, Woo-Moon had been lit with a fiery rage as he wanted to get his revenge as quickly as possible. However, now, he had calmed down quite a bit.


    It wasn¡¯t good to be hasty.


    When Woo-Moon had heard that Hyeo-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong were the masterminds behind the attempt on his mother¡¯s life under the disguise of an ident, Woo-Moon had felt as though the very blood in his veins was on fire.


    However, controlling his emotions, he decided to remain quiet for the next year and n his revenge. In that time, he nned to adjust to the Baek Family, feel out the family¡¯s loyalties, and investigate Hyeo-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong.


    <i>¡®Oh, by the way, are those brats doing okay?¡¯</i>


    The ¡°brats¡± that Woo-Moon was referring to were none other than the guards he had recruited.


    When he had left in the morning, he had told them to stay in the horse stance as usual, but his practice had gone on longer than expected.


    Woo-Moon, who considered the fundamentals to be more important than anything else, had so far only asked them to do the horse stance and the Breath Control Technique.


    As Woo-Moon approached the Song Residence within the Baek Estate, Cho Myeong quickly ran toward the training hall after catching sight of him. At sixteen, he was the youngest among those selected as guards, and he was the one tasked with spying through the gates.


    ¡°He¡¯sing, he¡¯sing!¡±


    Although Cho Myeong whispered as quietly as he could, Woo-Moon could still clearly hear him from outside the gates. None of the boys knew just yet how sensitive the five senses of someone who could use qi were.


    Woo-Moon smiled, thinking that their actions were cute. Having someone stand watch was fine, but they had failed to consider their opponent¡¯s abilities properly.


    When he entered the hall, the eight guards stood in rigid stances with serious expressions on their faces. They had all changed incredibly over the past month.


    As a result of eating well, practicing the horse stance, and exercising, they had all be bigger and more muscr.


    Now, none of them trembled or lost their bnce due to difficulty of the horse stance. At the very least, each and every one of them seemed to have be experts in the horse stance.[2]


    Woo-Moon nced at them, pretending not to notice, but everyone intentionally avoided his gaze as if they were bothered by something.


    Among the eight of them, there were only two who could confidently make eye contact with Woo-Moon¡ªAh Sam, the one who had particrly long arms, and Seol Jae-Hwa, the pickpocket.


    <i>¡®One is foolishly honest while the other is perfectly shameless.¡¯</i>


    Both of them had confident gazes, with sweat beading on their brows. However, Woo-Moon could tell at a nce. Barring his face, Jae-Hwa had rtively little sweat; his breathing was stable, and he didn¡¯t stink at all.


    On the other hand, Ah Sam was also standing solidly in the horse stance, but he had a stronger body odor than anyone else and was covered in sweat. At the same time, he had put even more effort into the Breath Control Technique than anyone else.


    <i>¡®As expected, Ah Sam is the one who does the best.¡¯</i>


    It had been a month and ten days since Woo-Moon had first taught them the horse stance and the simple Breath Control Technique. On top of their daily practice, he had also instructed them to breathe ording to the technique wherever they were, anytime, anywhere, even when they were sleeping, eating, or even shitting.


    If Woo-Moon were to be honest, Ah Sam¡¯s talent was far from the best among the group. Maybe average, and that was being generous. Perhaps because of that, he had been the slowest to be able to sense his innate qi through the Breath Control Technique, only being able to seed as of two days ago.


    However, Woo-Moon knew it was Ah Sam who tried harder and was more focused than any of the others.


    Even when the others would forget about breathing ording to the technique and ended up punished by Woo-Moon, Ah Sam practiced everything diligently, without fail.


    ¡°None of you get dinner tonight other than Ah Sam.¡±


    The expressions of the other seven children distorted. For children who had lived without things to eat or wear, nothing was worse than being forced to skip meals. That fact was still true even now, after they had joined the Baek Family and were living much better lives than before.


    ¡°Hold on! Just how important is this stupid horse stance that you always force us to do it?¡± Seol Jae-Hwa, the young man who had tried to pickpocket Woo-Moon¡¯s purse, said, letting out a dissatisfied cry.


    ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°That bastard, Baek Heon-Won or whatever, said the same thing when he came here! Who the hell does this horse stance nowadays? If you want us to be proper guards, shouldn¡¯t you be teaching us the qi cultivation methods and sword techniques of the Baek Family first?¡±


    Woo-Moon chuckled.


    ¡°One month.¡±


    ¡°One month... huh?¡±


    ¡°Starting today, I will teach you all fist techniques on top of the horse stance. Then, in a month, you and Ah-Sam willpete. And he will kick your ass.¡±


    <i>¡®What? You¡¯re saying that this idiot Ah Sam will beat me?¡¯</i>


    Jae-Hwa¡¯s eyes turned to Ah Sam, who was still standing steadfast in the horse stance. The boy¡¯s face still looked stupid, even now. Jae-Hwa thought that there was no way he would lose.


    ¡°Ha! Don¡¯t make jokes. Although my family may be ruined, I¡¯ve learned the fist technique passed down from my ancestors. How can you think that idiot will win? Fine, good. Let¡¯s do it. But, if things don¡¯t go how you think they would, what will you do?¡±


    ¡°That will never happen. If it does... I''ll give you a hundred gold taels. I won¡¯t care if you leave with it or stay.¡±


    One hundred gold taels!


    Jae-Hwa¡¯s eyes sparkled.


    ¡°Good. Then, what do you want if he wins?¡±


    1. Imagine bending your wrists 90¡ã and imitating a praying mantis, that kind of hook. ?


    2. Note it takes years, if not decades, to have a perfect horse stance. ?

 Chapter 55. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (2)

    <h4>Chapter 55. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (2)</h4>


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s not much in it for me. <i>Hm.</i> If you lose, call Ah Sam ¡®hyung.¡¯ Of course, that means you also have to act ordingly.¡±


    The thought alone of having to take that idiot Ah Sam as an elder brother was irritating for Jae-Hwa. However, Jae-Hwa had absolute confidence that he could win.


    So, he nodded.


    ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s do just that... <i>agh</i>!¡±


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon reached out a hand and knocked Jae-Hwa on the head with his fist.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡±


    Woo-Moon disregarded Jae-Hwa¡¯s resistance as if it were child¡¯s y and continued to hit him on the head.


    ¡°I heard you hit Cho Myeong yesterday, right? Not only that, but you often got into arguments and fought with the other kids, right?¡±


    It was once again the ¡°brotherly love¡± that even Song Woo-Gang, an eminent disciple of Mount Hua, hadn¡¯t been able to bear.


    Jae-Hwa barely took a few hits before he also shed tears.


    ¡°L-leave me alone...¡±


    Although Woo-Moon made to hit him again, suddenly, he felt someone¡¯s gaze from behind him. Looking back, he saw Jae-Hwa¡¯s younger sister, Gun-Ha, watching them from behind a window.


    Woo-Moon stopped hitting him, and said, ¡°Remember this. If you can¡¯t shed yourself of that horrid temper, every time you fight with the others or do something rude, I¡¯m going to beat you up just like this. Also, remember that you¡¯re a guard. How dare you curse at your master just because I hit you once?!¡±¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I will be more careful in the future.¡±


    Even though he said that, Jae-Hwa was fuming on the inside.


    <i>¡®You bastard! You¡¯re not even my dad, so why the hell are you so meddlesome?¡¯</i>


    Meanwhile, Gun-Ha closed the window and giggled to herself after seeing Woo-Moon scolding her older brother.


    ¡°You need to be scolded a little, oppa.¡±


    Because she knew that there was no malicious intent in Woo-Moon¡¯s actions, Gun-Ha was grateful to Woo-Moon for teaching a lesson to her brother. She knew that he was bing too brash for his own good.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it for today... is what you¡¯d like me to say right now, huh? Go back to doing the horse stance. If you mess around again, you won¡¯t get breakfast, either. What are you doing? Hurry up and start!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Everyone quickly stood in the horse stance once more as Woo-Moon leisurely walked among them.


    He stopped in front of Cho Myeong and jabbed at his shoulder.


    ¡°Maknae[1]! Which acupoint is this?¡± he said, pointing to the <i>Gyeonjeong </i>point<i>.</i>[2]


    Cho Myeong was unable to answer quickly and hesitated.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Woo-Moon kicked Cho-Myeong¡¯s thigh with his foot, but Cho Myeong only stumbled slightly and didn¡¯t fall. In the beginning, he had been prone to falling at the slightest touch, but now his posture was very stable.


    When learning martial arts, the ability to hold firm was just as, if not more, important than the ability to adapt. If the children were to practice holding their stance when attacked in unstable positions like this, it would definitely be helpful for themter on.


    Properly familiarizing themselves with the three hundred and sixty acupoints and their locations was also very important, as it was necessary when cultivating their qi or learning qi suppression techniques.


    Woo-Moon had actually stirred and circted his qi conceptually rather than methodically. However, that had only been possible because he had learned his cultivation and martial arts through thendscape painting, and that had been an opportunity unique to himself.


    Everyone else knew the exact location of the acupoints and circted their qi through them. Thus, while teaching the children, Woo-Moon himself also studied the qi meridians and points. As he did so, he found out something unusual.


    <i>¡®Within my body, there are more than three hundred and sixty acupoints and meridians. To the point where it¡¯s notparable to other people.¡¯</i>


    It was due to the influence of the Forbidden Divine Art. Because of practicing it, the distinction of meridians or acupoints in Woo-Moon¡¯s body was meaningless¡ªthey were virtually infinite in number. There was no ce in his body that the Forbidden Divine Art couldn¡¯t reach.


    Thus, he had always just circted his qi based on a general feeling rather than by analyzing his body thoroughly.


    <i>¡®This is just a characteristic of the Forbidden Divine Art. In any case, I feel that it¡¯s better than other arts, given that it has no limitations.¡¯</i>


    The optimistic Woo-Moon just thought of the best possible result of what he had discovered.


    Then, Woo-Moon called over Rat.


    ¡°Hey, Rat!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The man who was sweeping the yard behind them came running.


    ¡°Go to Seowon and buy about twenty books on meridians and points. Also, buy any of themon qi cultivation methods you can find.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Rat scurried away as Woo-Moon called over Ryeok-Gwi this time.


    ¡°Ryeok-Gwi!¡±


    ¡°Yes, master!¡±


    At that moment, Ryeok-Gwi, who had been fetching water, came rushing toward him.


    ¡°From this point on, teach these brats about the meridians and points one by one. Be honest and diligent, okay? If any of them get even a single one wrong, you¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°Dok-Du! You go and finish everything that Rat and Ryeok-Gwi were doing.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Although his answer may have been loud and clear, Dok-Du was making faces in response in a corner that Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t see.


    Woo-Moon then went into his room,y on his bed, and held onto the hilt of his sword. For some reason, he felt at ease and peaceful whenever he did this.


    As hey, he consciously recited the sutra and circted his qi ording to the Forbidden Divine Art as he pondered on the intricacies of the Gentle Celestial Sword.


    In the past, he had only uncovered the two stances, Raging Wind and Heavy Rain. But now, there was also the North Wind and Cold Snow. Although he was proud of this new aplishment, it was still far from enough.


    He thought to himself how great it would be to be able to unfold it all!


    <i>¡®For now, let¡¯s focus on learning the four skills to perfection. Alright, let¡¯s do this. I have to find the ws and get them straight.¡¯</i>


    He thought back to the first time he had unleashed Raging Storm.


    Comparing his proficiency with the Raging Wind and Heavy Rain back then and his proficiency now, he felt that he had mastered them up to the eighth level. In truth, he had only been at the fifth level as of this morning, and he had been able to reach this level in one go due to the state of enlightenment he had reached.[3]


    <i>¡®Now all that¡¯s left is topletely master them. If I do that, I¡¯ll be able tobine Raging Wind and Heavy Rain into one!¡¯</i>


    Abined technique could only be properly used when its individual foundational techniques were perfected.


    Ranging Storm!


    Just thinking about the technique made his heart pound.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    His sword also resonated with a low tone. It wasn¡¯t a response that Woo-Moon had elicited but rather a spontaneous one in response to Woo-Moon¡¯s mental image training.


    Woo-Moon began a spar within his mind in order to further hisprehension of the Gentle Celestial Sword. His opponents were mainly his grandfather and the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong.


    asionally, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor appeared as well, but as he had only seen that Absolute Master once, Woo-Moon¡¯s memory of his skills was vague.


    Of course, Woo-Moon had never won as of yet, but he was never discouraged. The more he mentally sparred like this, the higher his experience and skill would grow. Then, one day, he, too, would be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them!


    Thus, Woo-Moon immersed himself in his mental image training.


    Meanwhile, Eun-Ah, who was sleeping, curled up by Woo-Moon¡¯s bedside, noticed a strange sound and awoke. Then, she tilted her head, looking at the sword with dazed eyes.


    <i>Mew?</i>


    Because Woo-Moon had already entered a state of extreme concentration, he hadn¡¯t noticed his sword resonate on its own or that Eun-Ah had woken up and made a sound. As they were both so dear to his heart and he hadplete trust in them, his subconscious had decided that there was no need for him to respond to their movements.Suddenly, the sword moved!


    It wasn¡¯t a living being; it had never moved before and it wasn¡¯t supposed to be moving at all. And yet, it was now moving!


    Eun-Ah was startled and she cried out again. She then started running quickly around the bed and all across the floor. She was confused and disoriented, but after a few moments, she stopped in ce and started groaning again, looking like she was bravely standing her ground against the sword.


    Finally, as if the sword recognized her bravery, it stopped moving.


    <i>Sniff.</i>


    Eun-Ah looked over at Woo-Moon, who, as usual, was lying down with his eyes closed as if he had fainted, and she walked over and tapped his forearm with her front paw. She was trying to make him get up, but it was of no use.


    Shaking her head left and right, Eun-Ah gave up in boredom and left, pushing open the door with her head. As she exited, she saw many people standing in the training hall. Eun-Ah felt proud at the sight¡ªall these people were of lower standing than her!


    Before she knew it, the concerns and thoughts about the sword suddenly moving and startling her had already disappeared. Now in a good mood, she ran to the main residence with light steps.


    <i>Sniff, sniff.</i>


    However, on arrival, her moodpletely fell as she saw Dae-Woong sleeping next to Jin-Jin. Eun-Ah ran over and tried to bite Dae-Woong¡¯s arm. She didn¡¯t want to hurt him, just to make him get out of her spot.


    However, Jin-Jin wasn¡¯tpletely asleep yet. Noticing the cub¡¯s approach, she slowly opened her eyes. She stretched her hand to stop the baby tiger and softly said, ¡°No.¡±


    <i>Snort.</i>


    Amused by Eun-Ah¡¯s jealousy, Jin-Jin lifted the cute Eun-Ah with a hand and put her down next to her.


    She patted Dae-Woong and Eun-Ah¡¯s head equally using both hands. At her touch, Eun-Ah¡¯s jealousy disappeared like the first snowfall, and her eyes gradually closed.


    <i>***</i>


    <i>¡®I couldn¡¯t win today either, huh.¡¯</i>


    It wasn¡¯t until it had be dark that Woo-Moon woke up from his mental image training. The result was 563 bouts and 563 losses. Although it had only been a short period of time, Woo-Moon had been able to go through an incredible amount of sparring.


    It was only natural, as he was battling against the Palm Martial Emperor, Night Spear Devil, and the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor. It was difficult for him to endure even ten seconds in front of such opponents. As the oue of each bout was determined almost instantaneously, it was only natural that the frequency of the bouts would be high.


    Putting his regrets aside, Woo-Moon drew his sword from its scabbard and threw the sheath to the floor. He then sat down,id down a cloth, and started sharpening his sword with a whetstone. His mind, which had be chaotic and haggard from the mental image training, gradually became more organized as he worked on his sword, bing clearer with each stroke down the whetstone.


    While he was concentrating on sharpening his sword, Rat returned.


    ¡°Here you go, master!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You did well. Thank you. It¡¯s almost time to sleep, right? I¡¯m sorry for troubling you thiste, but take these books and hand them one by one to the guards. And don¡¯t forget to tell them to read it diligently and work hard to memorize the contents. Oh, and make sure you tell them they can stop doing the horse stance and go to bed.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Rat said, emerging with a proud expression and eight books in his hands.


    Woo-Moon returned his sword to its scabbard and took a look at the two qi cultivation methods that Rat had brought.


    <i>Cultivation of the Three Aspects.</i>


    <i>Six Harmonies Art</i>.


    They were exceedinglymon qi cultivation methods that existed all throughout the <i>gangho.</i>


    <i>¡®Ryeok-Gwi also learned the Six Harmonies Art, right?¡¯</i>


    They had been some of the greatest blessings to the people throughout the long history of the Nine Sects and One Gang. As some of the most basic yet stable qi cultivation methods of the Nine Sects and One Gang, there were more of them dispersed through the market than expected.


    As the Cultivation of the Three Aspects and the Six Harmonies Art were the qi cultivation methods of the Mount Hua Sect and the Wudang Sect, they had be popr among many third-ss martial artists.


    It was possible for Woo-Moon to create and teach a new qi cultivation method using the Forbidden Divine Art and the qi cirction method detailed in the Martial Arts Fundamentals. The reason he had ordered Rat to find these arts instead was that he thought it would be both easier and safer to use existing methods as a basis for creating a cultivation method for his guards.


    ¡°Shall we start?¡±


    Woo-Moon was secretly impressed as he carefully examined the two qi cultivation methods.


    <i>¡®How impressive.¡¯</i>


    In terms of basics, there was nothing better than these. If people consistently cultivated using these two methods, they would be able to umte incredibly pure qi. The two methods were stable enough that no matter how far people progressed in cultivation, they didn¡¯t have to worry about falling into qi deviation or sumbing to heart demons.


    The problem was thatpared to other excellent qi cultivation methods, they allowed the user to collect much less qi in the same time interval, and although the purity of this qi was high, its power wasn¡¯t.


    Even the disciples of the Wudang Sect and Mount Hua didn¡¯t limit themselves to these methods, as they had many teachers and numerous resources avable to them. It was more effective for them to be able to build their cultivation more quickly, even if it meant that they would have to give up some purity.


    In any case, Woo-Moon was most impressed with the framework of the Cultivation of the Three Aspects and the Six Harmonies Art. He thought that if he were to add some of his own enlightenment to them, he would be able toe up with an incredible cultivation method.


    With that in mind, Woo-Moon forgot about rest and concentrated on his work.


    <i> </i> *


    A sunny afternoon, two dayster.


    Incredibly strong hands, full of calluses, were doingundry on the bank of a stream.


    <i>Thwack! Thwack!</i>


    Their motions were exceedingly skillful.


    There were a total of three pairs of hands carefully washing the clothes.


    At a small stream behind the Baek Estate, Ryeok-Gwi, Dok-Du, and Rat were huddled together doingundry. All of the Song family¡¯sundry¡ªexcept for Jin-Jin and Gun-Ha¡¯s¡ªwas handled by these three.


    If there was any dirt left on the clothes, Woo-Moon would beat them up. If by any chance they failed to control their strength and tore apart a garment, then Dae-Woong would beat them up as well.


    Thus, the trio washed the clothes with more care and sincerity than the most masterfulundress.


    ¡°Hyung-nim.¡±


    Ryeok-Gwi was doingundry with a peaceful and happy expression on his face. When Dok-Du called him, he looked at the former with a kind smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Are you some kind of Bodhisattva?¡±


    1. Youngest member of a group. ?


    2. Located midway between the 7th vertebra and the shoulder. ?


    3. This is the first time an actual mastery level is mentioned, so probably 8/10. ?

 Chapter 56. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (3)

    <h4>Chapter 56. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (3)</h4>


    "What?"


    ¡°Do you know what you look like right now, hyung-nim? How can you look so peaceful while you¡¯re doing this damnedundry?¡±


    It was only then that Ryeok-Gwi realized he was smiling.


    ¡°Unbelievable... I can¡¯t believe I was satisfied with this life, even if it was only for a moment,¡± he muttered, confused.


    Dok-Du gritted his teeth.


    ¡°There is something we must never forget, even if we have to live so shamefully after being caught by this bastard. We are the rulers of Anhui¡¯s nightlife, Gwang Ryeok-Gwi and Dok-Du!!!¡±


    Their vivid past came to mind. Yes, they weren¡¯t supposed to be some servants sitting around doingundry like this!


    Coincidentally, at that very moment, they heard a mockingughter from behind them.


    ¡°<i>Puhahahaha</i>!!!! Just what the hell is this?¡±


    ¡°Are those supposed to be men or maids?¡±


    ¡°To think these vicious-looking bastards are doingundry. Hey, just a question. What¡¯s the point of that thing dangling between your legs?¡± Ju-Ryeong¡¯s guards said as they approached, mocking the trio.


    The news of Heon-Won¡¯s brutal defeat by Woo-Moon a month ago spread throughout the entire family. Thus, Ju-Ryeong¡¯s guards, who had also been ridiculed because of the incident and harbored a grudge against the Song family, started a scuffle when they saw the trio.


    The Dok-Ryeok-Rat trio were naturally pissed at the harsh words of the guards.


    ¡°Who do these rotten bastards think they are talking shit to?¡±


    ¡°So you want to die? Fine!"


    Yes, they knew that their opponents were much stronger than them. However, the trio was full of rage and venom from the hardship Woo-Moon subjected them to. They thought nothing of acting out against the guards, even considering the discrepancy in strength.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s just do it. It¡¯s not like those bastards will be stronger than that Demon Song!¡¯</i>


    The guards were shocked by thepletely unexpected reaction.


    ¡°What? These bastards! How dare someundry servants talk back!¡±


    ¡°It looks like they won¡¯te to their senses until they see their graves!¡±


    At the guards¡¯ swears, the trio jumped up from the ground and rolled their eyes mockingly.


    Ryeok-Gwi looked over at Dok-Du.


    ¡°That¡¯s not how you swear at someone. Dok-Du, show them.¡±


    Dok-Du looked at Ju-Ryeong¡¯s guards, took a deep breath, and started spitting out curses as if he had opened the floodgates of a dam that was ready to burst apart.


    ¡°You parentless bastards! You should just cut off your dicks, fry them in oil, and feed them to the pigs! <i>Pssh.</i> Fuck, even if you chop them up into tiny pieces and give them to the street dogs, it¡¯s not like they would want them, anyway. Even the street dogs would vomit if they saw your dirty little worms, you shit ass bastards!¡±¡±


    All of the rage he had toward Woo-Moon had finally found an outlet, and Dok-Du was feelingpletely refreshed.


    ¡°You, you, you bastards...!¡± the guards sputtered.


    Where would they, guards of <i>the</i> Baek Family, and the personal guards of one of the most influential figures within the family at that, ever be subjected to such slurs from some back-alley thugs?


    <i>Shing!</i>


    Unable to hold back his anger, one of the guards drew his sword.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    But their leader caught him and stopped him from going forward, whispering something to the others.


    ¡°Why do you think these bastards are whispering like eunuchs who have nothing down there?¡±


    Dok-Du was just about to begin cursing again when the leader suddenly smiled brightly and said, ¡°Hahaha. We were just ying around. Your curses are excellent. I was really impressed! Hahaha. We¡¯re all part of the Baek Family. What¡¯s the point of fighting amongst ourselves?¡±


    He walked forward without hesitation, grabbed Dok-Du¡¯s hand and shook it vigorously.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s with this crazy bastard?¡±


    Dok-Du quickly pulled his hand back and red at him.


    ¡°Hahaha. I like you guys. Let¡¯s be friends from now on!¡±


    The other guards alsoughed along with their leader.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s going on with you, guys?¡±


    As the trio was taken aback by the sudden change in demeanor, the guards warmly said their goodbyes and left.


    ¡°What¡¯s with them?¡± Ryeok-Gwi asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, hyung-nim. Maybe they all went insane.¡±


    ¡°<i>Puhahaha</i>! So the famous Iron Sword Baek Family guards only amount to this much.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, <i>kekeke</i>.¡±


    The trio kept chuckling for a while, but then, they suddenly felt a sense of crisis.


    ¡°By the way, it¡¯s getting prettyte.¡±


    ¡°L-let¡¯s hurry up and take this in. You never know what that demon is going to say.¡±


    The trio washed theundry so quickly that their hands looked blurry before returning to the Baek Estate, each carrying a basket.


    As they walked briskly, about a dozen masked people suddenly blocked their path.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    The trio recognized them immediately, even though the group had disguised themselves and changed their clothes. Whether it was the number of people or their stature, it was exactly the same as those who had argued with the trio earlier.


    ¡°What the hell are these bastards wearing in broad daylight... <i>Ack</i>!¡±


    Dok-Du barely had time to open his mouth when Ju-Ryeong¡¯s masked guards rushed over and started beating them up. Although they resisted, there was no way that their feeble struggles could do anything. Ju-Ryeong¡¯s guards were at the very least Second ss, with some at the first step of the First ss. There was no way that the three of them, of whom only Ryeok-Gwi had barely reached the pinnacle of the Third ss, would be able to win.


    ¡°<i>Agh</i>!!! <i>Agk</i>!!!¡±


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re being assaulted here!¡±


    The masked guards silently beat the trio.


    Regardless of the circumstances, the Song family was still at the top of the Baek Family in terms of hierarchy. Because of this, the guards couldn¡¯t touch their servants openly. It wasn¡¯t that they couldn¡¯t do anything, but they had to take the proper precautions and disguise themselves.


    As the merciless beating continued, Rat was suddenly kicked in the head and started convulsing like a frog bashed with a rock, foaming at the mouth. After a few moments, he went limp. The guards¡¯ eyes widened in shock as they saw him convulsing and looking about to die.


    The repercussions of beating someone and murdering someone were entirely different within the Baek Estate.


    <i>¡®Damn it! I didn¡¯t even want to kill him. What should I do? I just wanted to cripple him a little.¡¯</i>


    The guards had only intended to beat the three and break a few joints. Seeing what had happened, the leader quickly stopped his subordinates, and Ju-Ryeong¡¯s bodyguards fled the scene immediately.


    The moment they disappeared into the distance, Rat, who was lying on the ground looking dead, stood up. He looked around and shook his head at Dok-Du and Ryeok-Gwi, motioning for them to wake up.


    ¡°They¡¯re gone. You can get up.¡±


    As soon as he said so, Ryeok-Gwi and Dok-Du stood up.


    ¡°These damned bastards!¡±


    Their entire bodies hurt, but more importantly, their pride had taken a serious blow. If it was Woo-Moon doing the beating, it was something they could gloss over and were already used to. After all, he was the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor and an incredible expert in his own right.


    However, this time, they had been beaten by some random guards who were not even worthy of helping Woo-Moon put on his shoes. It was inevitable for their pride to be dashed.


    ¡°Do either of you have any broken bones?¡± Ryeok-Gwi asked.


    At those words, Ratughed, shing his yellow teeth.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I act quickly and fake my death before they were able to do damage? I¡¯m a natural actor, you see.¡±


    The other two acknowledged it, as even they had been fooled by Rat¡¯s amazing acting skills more than once.


    However, that wasn¡¯t the issue at hand.


    ¡°W-what do we do about this, hyung-nim?¡± Dok-Du cried, pointing to the dirtyundry that had fallen.


    Not only had those bastards beaten them, they had even trampled all over theundry as well.


    Ryeok-Gwi eximed in surprise, ¡°Damn it, if the demon finds out, we¡¯re dead! Let¡¯s go back quickly and do it again.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, you may be right. Who is that demon you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    The trio was startled when they suddenly heard Woo-Moon¡¯s voice.


    <i>¡°Gasp!¡±</i>


    Woo-Moon smiled as he approached them. The three could feel all the hair on their bodies standing on end, especially Ryeok-Gwi.


    ¡°A-aah. W-w-w-w-ell, who knows? Who could this demon be? <i>Haha... </i>Ah! I can¡¯t believe we¡¯ve never mentioned it. Actually, t-that used to be Rat¡¯s old nickname!¡±


    ¡°What bullshit,¡± Woo-Moon responded with the same bright smile.


    He had been training his new guards and had decided to take a walk and get some fresh air once he was done. Sensing amotion, he had rushed over and discovered the trio.


    ¡°How did theundry get so disgusting? Who did it?¡±


    ¡°T-that¡¯s...well...¡±


    With an aggrieved look, Rat told Woo-Moon what had happened to them in detail. Of course, it was a given that his tale was incredibly embellished, with the trio being even <i>more</i> pitiful and kind, while Ju-Ryeong¡¯s guards became even <i>more</i> vicious and bloodthirsty.


    ¡°T-Those bastards made all of theundry we put so much effort into look like this! <i>Ughh...</i>!¡±


    At the end of his tale, Rat had be so emotional that he even shed tears. As he opened his mouth wide, Woo-Moon hurriedly stepped back and stopped him.


    ¡°I-I get it. Your breath stinks, so let¡¯s keep that mouth shut for now.¡±


    Rat, who had been leaning on Woo-Moon for just a moment, shut his mouth right away. Woo-Moon, lost in thought for a moment, immediately red at the trio and spoke.


    ¡°Anyway, who told you to go around getting beaten up, huh? Who told you to let yourselves get beaten?!¡±


    As he raised a hand in jest, the trio flinched and said, ¡°H-how do you expect us not to get beaten with our cultivation levels?¡±


    As Ryeok-Gwi¡¯s voice crept into his ears, Woo-Moon frowned. The trio were unscrupulous people, which made him unwilling to teach them martial arts. However, seeing them like this strangely hurt his pride.


    ¡°You all will also join the martial arts training starting tomorrow. Also, wash thatundry again and bring it back. If there¡¯s even a single stain, you¡¯re dead. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Although their answer was enthusiastic, the trio cursed Woo-Moon in their hearts.


    <i>¡®You emotionless bastard! How can you order us to do theundry even after seeing us like this? And martial arts training? Even if we join, all you¡¯ll make us do is the damn horse stance anyway!¡¯</i>


    There had never been anyone in the world who actually would teach low-ss scum like them how to cultivate or wield the sword without anypensation. It had always been that way, even when they were innocent orphans.


    Thus, the trio thought that Woo-Moon was trying to use this incident as an excuse to harass them even more.


    ¡°What are you doing? Go and do theundry right now!¡±


    "Understood!"


    It was unfair enough that they had been beaten by those bastards, so after having Woo-Moon scold them on top of that, the trio was filled with sadness and limped to the stream, holding back their tears.


    Woo-Moon rubbed his chin with his fingers as he thought to himself.


    ¡°If I just let things go like this, they¡¯ll treat our Song family like pushovers, right?¡±


    ***


    A little whileter.


    ¡°<i>Puhahaha</i>! I feel really refreshed.¡±


    ¡°How dare those bastards who make the entire estate embarrassed curse at us! They should be grateful we didn¡¯t cut them down where they stood! <i>Hmph</i>!¡±


    Because today was a day off, Ju-Ryeong¡¯s guards, the third toon of the Dragon Sword Squadron, all headed to the tavern, barring their leader, who went to see his lover. Being able to teach the arrogant servants of the Song family a lesson was the best side dish for their drinks.


    Then they heard a cold voice.


    ¡°Was it fun?¡±


    When the third toon of the Dragon Sword Squadron looked ahead, they saw a masked person standing there.


    ¡°What sort of bastard are you?¡±


    Hearing the words of the leader of the third toon, the masked man¡ªof course, Woo-Moon, let out a shout and rushed at him.

 Chapter 57. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (4)

    <h4>Chapter 57. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (4)</h4>


    ¡°W-what are you doing, you bastard?!¡±


    The twelve members of the third toon drew their swords simultaneously.


    Then, as Woo-Moon approached the two people standing at the front, he suddenly exploded forward.


    ¡°<i>Ugh!</i>¡±


    The two were unable to move a muscle, let alone swing their swords. They couldn¡¯t even blink as Woo-Moon caught them by the throat. Without losing any momentum, Woo-Moon continued forward as he threw his opponents at his other opponents.


    ¡°<i>Agh!!!</i>¡±


    Fearing that their flyingrades would get hurt, the third toon hesitated for a moment, then dropped their swords and tried to catch theirrades. However, they underestimated the strength behind Woo-Moon¡¯s throw.


    ¡°<i>UGH!!</i>!¡±


    Although three people stepped up to catch the two guards, the three of them couldn¡¯t hold their ground and were forced to take a step back. One of them even fell over.


    In an instant, Woo-Moon burrowed into the third toon of the Dragon Sword Squadron. His hands and arms seemed to multiply into dozens of limbs as he attacked everyone around him in various forms: fists, palms, ws, fingers, hooks, and every other attack in the book.


    <i>Thwack! Bang! Pow!!</i>


    ¡°<i>Cough!</i>¡±


    ¡°<i>Agh!</i>¡±


    <i>Crack! Crack! Snap!!</i>


    The sound of bones breaking continued to echo through the air. All twelve members of the third squadron of the Dragon Sword Squadron rolled around on the ground, groaning, as each one had at least one limb broken.


    <i>Pat, pat!</i>


    Looking down at them, Woo-Moon brushed off his hands before turning away and leaving.


    Woo-Moon had done the same as they had, turning a blind eye to status and acting <i>blindly.</i> Still, even though he had disguised himself, if anyone were to think for even a second, they would be able to tell that hee to the third toon for revenge.


    ¡°It was definitely that guy from the Song family!¡± one of the guards shouted, then grit his teeth and groaned in pain.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! We haven¡¯t done anything to incur any grudges, so that would be the only reason for an expert like that to attack us so suddenly!¡±


    ¡°Get up! Let¡¯s go to the leader and report! We¡¯ll definitely crush that bastard!¡±


    They all got up and limped over to where their leader was with his lover.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moon removed his mask and quickly returned to the Song family residence, where he resumed helping the guards train.


    ¡°Hey, you! Your shoulders are too far back. That¡¯s not right.¡±


    The one Woo-Moon was yelling at hastily corrected his posture. The Song Family Guards were currently learning the Heavenly Lunar Fist, a martial art that Woo-Moon had hastily created two days ago.


    <i>¡®Well, the name, Thirteen Stances of the Iron Fist, would be more appropriate, but whatever. Hehe.¡¯</i>


    While fighting Heon-Won the other day, Woo-Moon had watched him disy his Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword in detail from beginning to end. He waster able to internalize hisprehension through his mental imagery training.


    If he were to use the Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword now, he would be able to disy a level far superior to that of Heon-Won.


    Woo-Moon mixed the Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword with Cold Snow and North Wind to create a new fist art.


    <i>¡®This level is more than enough. Although there is a difference between sword and fist arts, this isn¡¯t inferior to the Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword. No, I¡¯m actually confident that it¡¯s even better.¡¯</i>


    He slowly looked around at the children practicing the Heavenly Lunar Fist. The only person able to fully disy the entire set on his own correctly was Jae-Hwa. As expected, he had learned martial arts before, and his natural talent also seemed to be useful.


    Woo-Moon then looked over to Ah Sam.


    Ah Sam¡¯s achievements were middling overall. However, he seemed to be paying more attention to each movement than anyone else, evidenced by the fact that he was sweating the most.


    As he was watching Ah Sam, the gate to the residence suddenly opened as some uninvited guests entered. When Woo-Moon looked over in that direction, he saw a middle-aged man with arge, pointy mustache and solemn appearance leading a group of people littered with injuries and broken bones as if they had been in a stampede.


    Just as they entered the manor, Woo-Moon used the Northern Wind Steps and quickly went forward, drawing his sword and pointing it at the man.


    ¡°Who are you? Stop right here!¡±


    The man with the big mustache looked at Woo-Moon for a moment with a stiff attitude, then sighed and greeted him..


    ¡°My name is Seo Woong, themander of the Dragon Sword Squadron.¡±


    <i>¡®Themander of the Dragon Sword Squadron? Did they bypass the toon leader of the third toon and go directly to themander?¡¯</i>


    Rather than greeting him in turn, Woo-Moon stepped forward with his sword in hand.


    ¡°Back away.¡±


    He was dissatisfied that Seo Woong and his men had crossed the threshold of the residence without permission.


    Seo Woong stepped back with a cold expression.


    Woo-Moon, who didn¡¯t want their uninvited guests to see the children practicing the Heavenly Lunar Fist, ordered the diligently practicing children to stop.


    ¡°Take a short break.¡±


    As he saw Woo-Moon standing there without asking any questions, Seo Woong took the initiative.


    ¡°The reason we¡¯vee to find you like this¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish, Woo-Moon cut him off coldly.


    ¡°How ignorant. Did you ask me for permission before you entered my manor?¡±


    Seo Woong realized he had made a mistake after he heard those words. Because his subordinates had returned after being beaten so severely, he had been so angry that he had immediately set off and entered the manor without bothering to ask for permission.


    ¡°It was an emergency, so we¡ª¡±


    ¡°Who cares if it was an emergency? How dare a hired grunt like you trespass into the manor of an elder without permission?¡±


    Woo-Moon was quite angry. Seeing from their actions just now, he was able to see how much they¡ªand by extension, the members of the Iron Sword Baek Family¡ªlooked down upon the Song family.


    On the other hand, Seo Woong was just as angry.


    <i>¡®The gall of this family, which is only the family of an elder in name, really reaches the heavens. How dare they treat the leader of Lady Baek Ju-Ryeong¡¯s guards like this? Don¡¯t they know she¡¯s the most powerful person in the family?!¡¯</i>


    Rumors had already spread through the family that Sang-Woon had gone on a wandering trip with no set return once again. Once he would go on a wandering trip, his trip would generallyst at least ten years. Therefore, the people of the Baek Family had begun to tantly ostracize the Song family.


    ¡°I had no choice but to impose on you unexpectedly after hearing that the culprit who had attacked our Dragon Sword Squadron members was here. I apologize.¡±


    The trio, who were panting from the hard training that made them vomit countless times, looked at the people who had juste in and knew immediately that they were the guards who had attacked them. When they saw how battered the guards were, however, they couldn¡¯t be happier..


    <i>¡®Just like you deserve, you bastards.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®But who could have made them like that?¡¯</i>


    In truth, Woo-Moon¡¯s decision to teach them his new fist art had moved them immensely. Dok-Du had almost fallen to his knees without realizing it after he had learned the entire Heavenly Lunar Fist.


    Even though they were only Third ss, they could see how great the Heavenly Lunar Fist was. The fact that depraved losers like them were allowed to learn such a great martial art was almost unbelievable.


    In addition, Woo-Moon had even said that he would teach them a qi cultivation method, so they were naturally very eager to be Woo-Moon¡¯s disciples.


    ¡°Ha! A culprit? A criminal??! Are you suspecting us right now? How dare youe here and talk about how your subordinates have been beaten so badly? Are you <i>that</i> proud of it?¡±


    Seo Woong called out to the most intelligent among his subordinates.


    ¡°Ho Cheol-Saeng! Exin.¡±


    ¡°Yes,mander. There was only one person who attacked us. He had a sword tied to his waist with a phoenix engraved on the guard, and he was wearing some kind of bluish white robe.¡±


    <i>¡®Huh?¡¯</i>


    The trio looked at Woo-Moon with surprised gazes.


    The appearance of the culprit described by the guard was precisely the same as Woo-Moon¡¯s.


    <i>¡®T-teacher took revenge for us?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®That¡¯s impossible!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I-I mean, if it¡¯s the demon... no, the demon-like teacher, he¡¯s more than capable of leaving them all like that.¡¯</i>


    Although they had sworn to themselves that they would kill Woo-Moon, who was more vicious than a demon, today, they were so profoundly moved by his actions that they were nearly in tears.


    <i>¡®So you didn¡¯t hate us.¡¯</i>


    At Ho Cheol-Saeng¡¯s words, Woo-Moon smiled calmly and mischievously. He brushed off the dust on his hands in the same manner as he had after beating the guards up earlier.


    ¡°Haha. Are there really just one or two people in this world who wear white robes and carry a sword engraved with a phoenix? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not expecting me right now, are you? Did you see his face?¡±


    Speaking nonchntly, Woo-Moon cast a look of ridicule and contempt toward the guard, whom he had noticed being the leader. Seeing this, the man couldn¡¯t hold back his anger.


    ¡°Of course, I couldn¡¯t see your face because you were wearing a mask, but it¡¯s you, right? My lord, he did this to get revenge on us!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Although Seo Woong quickly interrupted his subordinate, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t miss it.


    ¡°Huh? Revenge? Why would I take revenge on you? Oh, wait a minute! I did hear that three of our servants were beaten earlier by masked assants. Was... was that you?!¡±


    After he finished his act, Woo-Moon muttered to himself, ¡°I didn¡¯t tell anyone that my brats were hurt, and you wouldn¡¯t know that if you weren¡¯t the assholes who did it, right?¡±


    Of course, as his ¡°muttering¡± was more like normal speech, all the guards of the Dragon Sword Squadron heard him clearly.


    As Seo Woong found himself caught in a trap and unable to answer quickly, Woo-Moon grinned.


    ¡°Although I didn¡¯t attack you, now that I¡¯m taking a second look, it seems you have something to hide, don¡¯t you? That must be why you suspected us in the first ce and came to us. Right?¡±


    Seo Woong had expected to have it easy with Woo-Moon, who was still a young brat. Sadly, it turned out that Woo-Moon had a way with words, and no matter what Seo Woong said, by this point, the fight was already lost.


    ¡°I apologize. We had a momentarypse in judgment. Please grace us with benevolence and forgive us. Ho Cheol-Saeng! Apologize to him.¡±


    Ho Cheol-Saeng bowed his head deeply and said, ¡°I must have been confused after being hit on the head. Now that I think about it again, no one in the Song family attacked us.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. At least you know how to back down. That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t havee to me like this in the first ce and embarrass yourself. Did I really look like that much of a pushover to you?¡± said Woo-Moon sarcastically.


    Seo Woong pretended not to hear.


    ¡°I apologize for my negligence. Then, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    Once Seo Woong apologized and made to leave, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t push any further.


    <i>¡®What a waste. If only I pushed him a bit harder, we would¡¯ve thrown hands. But to think he could quickly suppress the anger of his subordinates after having to suffer and retreat like that...¡¯</i>


    Seo Woong definitely was an expert.


    In Woo-Moon¡¯s opinion, although Seo Woong was probably not a Peak martial artist, at the very least, he had reached the pinnacle of the First ss. It would have been better for Woo-Moonter if Seo Woong suffered internal injuries now.


    Woo-Woon then looked at the guards and the trio, who were resting.


    "What are you looking at? The break is over. Start again.¡±


    They had been secretly hoping that the others would cause moremotion and prolong their break, so they felt quite disappointed as they resumed their training.


    <i>¡®Damn it! It¡¯s good to be able to learn martial arts, but it really is hard.¡¯</i>


    The trio once again felt amazed by the children from the slums and orphanages, whom they hadrgely ignored earlier. They hadn¡¯t realized it when they saw it from the side, but the horse stance was extremely difficult, and the martial arts training was just as difficult. Moreover, even the wooden puppets that had appeared out of nowhere were already covered in sweat and blood stains from the countless times the children had struck them with their bare hands as they practiced their fist art.


    <i>¡®Still, we¡¯ve already started, so let¡¯s work hard!¡¯</i>


    One day, then two, passed quietly as they trained hard. While Woo-Moon had his guards undergo arduous training, he himself was also constantly improving his sword skills through mental imagery training.


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon¡¯s body stiffened as a sudden voice entered his ears.


    <i>¡ªIf you don¡¯t want the Iron Sword Baek Estate stained with blood,e to Xiaoyao Ford immediately.</i>


    He couldn¡¯t figure out who or what that message hade from. Woo-Moon quickly looked around, but he couldn¡¯t sense anything or find any traces of anyone. It was only natural, as the message used the Harmonic Transmission, a kind of voice transmission that only an Absolute Master could do.


    <i>¡®This voice is definitely... it''s definitely the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯splexion suddenly changed. He didn¡¯t even take the time to say anything to anyone before he hurriedly used his movement technique and left the Baek Estate. He headed toward the Xiaoyao Ford, a ferry port on the Yangtze River, where Zhang Liao, a general of the Wei Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period, fought against Sun Quan''s hundred-thousand-strong army with only eight hundred soldiers and won.


    When he got close to Xiaoyao Ford, he heard shouting and screams.


    ¡°Agh!!!!¡±


    ¡°Agh! It¡¯s a devil, a devil!¡±


    Frightened people were running away from Xiaoyao Ford.

 Chapter 58. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (5)

    <h4>Chapter 58. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (5)</h4>


    Even martial artists were among the fleeing residents, looking even more frightened than the ordinary civilians.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor!¡±


    ¡°We have to run away!¡±


    The enemy of the <i>murim,</i> the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    He was a hardened killer who had single-handedly exterminated the Blood Cult and killed countless members of the <i>murim </i>and civilians alike simply because he was bothered by their existence or desired their blood.


    It would have been stranger for these people not to feel any fear if he had really appeared.


    People passed Woo-Moon without even looking at him, but he skillfully moved through the crowd like a carp swimming against a river current, without bumping into anyone.


    ¡°Hey, young man! Where are you going? You have to run away quickly!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t go that way! Please flee, oppa!¡±


    A middle-aged man and his daughter, whom he held in his arms, seemed to be the only ones who felt any concern for Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine. So, hurry and get somewhere safe. I can¡¯t guarantee what will happen next.¡±


    Only then did the middle-aged man see the sword hanging at Woo-Moon¡¯s waist.


    ¡°Be careful!¡±


    Although he now knew that Woo-Moon was a martial artist, the middle-aged man was still concerned. Nevertheless, he heeded Woo-Moon¡¯s words and quickly ran away.


    ¡°Huh? That oppa needs to flee, too! Run away, oppa! There¡¯s a devil over there!¡±


    Although he had met the child for the first time, he felt that her heart was really beautiful.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, so you don¡¯t have to worry. Thank you.¡±


    After smiling at the girl, who continued to look back at him, Woo-Moon walked toward the Xiaoyao Ford with a steely gaze in his eyes.


    As he stepped forward, he could feel tremendous pressure. There was a sticky feeling in the air, filling everything around him and making it impossible for him to breathe. His chest felt tight. No matter how deeply he tried to take a breath, the cool air wouldn¡¯t enter his lungs.


    Still, Woo-Moon continued forward while consciously chanting the Forbidden Divine Art. As a refreshing feeling cascaded down his body, his body felt much lighter than before.


    The Xiaoyao Ford, usually crowded with people, was now deserted, as if everyone had evaporated into thin air. Moreover, that wasn¡¯t the only thing that felt strange. There was a bloody fog all around him, covering the entirety of the Xiaoyao Ford and giving off an aura of death and insanity.


    He didn¡¯t need to go searching for the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor. All he had to do was head for where the blood was the thickest, taking one step after another toward the epicenter of the bloody smell that assailed his nose.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    Woo-Moon drew his sword in advance.


    Considering his opponent was an Absolute Master like the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, he knew he might not get a chance to draw his sword.


    <i>¡®I guess he came here because he couldn¡¯t forget the grudge he felt that day.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was referring to when he had first unleashed the Northern Blizzard and cut open the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s cheek.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, Seop Un-Ha, was an Absolute Master with the pride to match his strength. Moreover, considering he was known as the Absolute Evil, it was clear that he was not one to forget grudges.


    <i>¡®However, I am Song Woo-Moon. I will never die. I will never lose! Is being an Absolute Master everything? No, I will definitely win!!¡¯</i>


    His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword.


    After walking for a while, he saw Seop Un-Ha sitting in a small pavilion, leaning on the railing.


    Just like back then, it was impossible to tell if he was a woman or a man. His shoulders were narrow, and his limbs were long and thin. What skin was exposed was whiter than snow, his eyshes were long, and his lips red like cinnabar.


    It was a look so beautiful that it was almost eerie.


    If the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was a woman, he could have been called an unparalleled beauty that could lift and ruin a nation with naught but a single smile.


    On the left side of the canal, a blood-red sphere floated in the air, with about twenty men floating within, seemingly screaming in fear and pain. However, not a single sound escaped from within it.


    ¡°Blood Cloud Vampiric Membrane .¡±


    Woo-Moon remembered something that he had heard from his grandfather before. Among all of the techniques of the cursed Merciless Blood Devil Art that Seop Un-Ha could use, <i>that </i>was the most vicious.


    Seop Un-Ha, who was in his early sixties but looked about twenty on the outside, opened his lips with a hint of seductive beauty.


    ¡°Wherever I go, there are always people who are full of greed and make me angry.¡±


    At first, Seop Un-Ha had been sitting there looking at the waves of the Yangtze River while waiting for Woo-Moon to arrive. However, the men in the sphere had shattered the idyllic peace that he was enjoying for the first time in a very long time. Mistaking him for a woman, a wealthy young master of Hefei Castle had surrounded him with his guards. Thus, they all faced hell after nagging him as if he were some ordinary, powerless maiden.


    Woo-Moon could see a man in histe twenties wearing a luxurious-looking robe open his mouth from within the sphere. He could read the man¡¯s lips.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry. Please forgive me!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Have you evermitted murder?¡± a voice said, sharp like that of a woman but heavy like that of a man. It was Seup Un-Ha¡¯s voice, a voice that could only be described as eerie.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    At the same time, the people floating in the air were split in half like turtle shells and blood spurted out.


    ¡°AGH!!!!¡±


    Only Seop Un-Ha could hear any sound from within the Blood Cloud Vampiric Membrane. However, considering even Woo-Moon could now clearly hear the sound of the men¡¯s flesh being torn apart and blood sshing everywhere, he knew that Seop Un-Ha had done it on purpose.


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t answer; he was just trying to find the moment to break through the Blood Cloud Vampiric Membrane and attack his enemy.


    However, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn¡¯t find an opening.


    Seop Un-Ha seemed bothpletely defenseless andpletely unassable at the same time.


    ¡°How boring. To think you wouldn¡¯t say anything.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, twenty flowers seemed to bloom within the Blood Cloud Vampiric Membrane.


    Flowers made of blood!


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    For the crime of bothering Seop Un-Ha, twenty men had just been turned into handfuls of blood and absorbed into his body, with not even a single strand of hair left behind.


    ¡°Hohoho! Ohhhh...¡±


    It was the ultimate pleasure that could only be achieved by those who increased their cultivation by absorbing blood with the power of the Merciless Blood Devil Art!


    He looked at Woo-Moon, feeling a thirst that always seemed to coat his throat at the end of this tantalizing pleasure. Then, he seductively licked his lips with his tongue.


    <i>Thud! Thud! tter!</i>


    Clothes and swords that had lost their owners ttered as they fell to the ground.


    From within Woo-Moon, the Forbidden Divine Art, which was enraged after seeing Seop Un-Ha, began to circte within his entire body much more vigorously than usual.


    ¡°How old are you again?¡± the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor asked.


    However, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t answer. He felt like he couldn¡¯t take even a single breath. It was like he couldn¡¯t withstand the demonic qi surrounding him and would either copse or go into qi deviation from being unable to resist the pressure of the Forbidden Divine Art.


    All he could do was stare fiercely at the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor with his steely gaze glinting.


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯re pretty impressive. You¡¯re at most twenty, but you already have unwavering willpower and sincere courage if you¡¯re able to stand before me.¡±


    After saying so, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was momentarily lost in thought.


    His expression changed from second to second, from a slight smile to one filled with rage, and the unmatched Demonic Qi that he was giving off was also constantly changing. He seemed to be reminiscing about something.


    ¡°When I was your age... What was I doing again? Ah, that¡¯s right. Yes, I killed the Cult Leader.¡±


    The Blood Cult.


    Although it wasn¡¯tparable to the Heavenly Demon Cult, it was still one of the most famous cults of the Demonic Path that boasted a long history and terrifying power. The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had been a disciple of the Blood Cult and hadmitted the heinous act of killing his own Cult Leader.


    It was a famous story within the <i>gangho.</i>


    Meanwhile, amidst this terrifying pressure, the aura of the Forbidden Divine Art was gradually changing. The longer he was under pressure from the Merciless Blood Devil Art, the more he could adapt to it and eventually develop a resistance that would allow him to fight back.


    The martial arts that his master had created through relentless effort over hundreds of years were the Celestial Sect¡¯s Forbidden Divine Art and the Gentle Celestial Sword. Moreover, he had the Sr Physique, a punishment from the heavens that could never be cured with human might alone!


    There was no way that his Sr Physiquebined with the two incredible arts couldn¡¯t ovee the Merciless Blood Devil Art.


    In this way, Woo-Moon was gradually breaking away from the pressure of the Absolute Qi of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor. The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor Seop Un-Ha raised his head and looked up at the sky without even noticing it.


    ¡°Do you know what the nine familial extermination means?¡±


    He seemed to want to talk to Woo-Moon.


    Although he didn¡¯t understand why the man wanted to do that, Woo-Moon was keenly feeling that the situation wasn¡¯t favorable, so he didn¡¯t try to provoke him.


    <i>¡®Still. He¡¯s such a fucking bastard. It makes sense he doesn¡¯t have anyone around him. He could just be feeling talkative because he has no one to talk to.</i>


    Whether Woo-Moon wanted it or not, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor continued to speak.


    ¡°<i>Keke...</i> I am the son of the leader of a small vige. And one day, government soldiers suddenly attacked that vige. They said some name of someone whose face we didn¡¯t even know and captured our entire family. All of the men were killed, the women were taken as imperial courtesans, and the children, including me, were forced to be imperial ves and were sold off.¡±


    Why on earth was the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor telling him the story of his past? Woo-Moon couldn''t understand it at all.


    ¡°The man who bought me at that time was the leader of the Blood Cult at the time, the Neenth Blood Devil.¡±


    Seop Un-Ha¡¯s long eyshes shook.


    ¡°He was someone who preferred young boys. He didn¡¯t tell people about it, but the truth is that before any woman, he was just a cripple who couldn¡¯t even get an erection, <i>keke</i>. From that point on, until I turned twenty, I lived as his ything. Although it was so disgusting and vile, although I reached the point where I wanted tomit suicide many times, I acted as if I was going to give him my heart and soul.¡±


    Woo-Moon wondered if it was because he reminded the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor of the past. The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s aura temporarily went berserk and pressured him immensely, making him unconsciously clutch his chest and grimace in pain.


    He was lucky that the Forbidden Divine Art was in the process of adapting to the Merciless Blood Devil Art; if he had to undergo that pressure before it had adapted, he most likely would have suffered internal injuries and vomited blood. That was just how big of a gap there was between the cultivations of Woo-Moon and the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor''s furious voice continued.


    ¡°To that ugly, filthy bastard! I even told him I love him countless times! How do you think it felt? How do you think I felt when I had to say those words to that bastard who yed with my body and vited me?! <i>Hohoho</i>, maybe that was why he trusted me and even taught me the Merciless Blood Devil Art. And then, I... I somehow was able to hide my cultivation and secretly raise my strength, and in the end... I stuck a dagger into that bastard¡¯s throat when I caught him off guard in his bed! And by drinking his blood, I absorbed his Merciless Blood Devil Art cultivation!¡±


    Woo-Moon got goosebumps.


    Although it had already been over forty years, Seop Un-Ha still showed extreme hatred and anger. This was the secret story of the birth of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor that no one in the <i>gangho</i> was privy to.


    Still, even though he heard his story, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t feel any sympathy for Seop Un-Ha. Yes, in a way, it was understandable that he would have killed the Cult Leader and be the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor after hundreds of debasements.


    <i>¡®But what about the countless souls you killed? Many of them were innocent! Didn¡¯t you also kill countless people who were in the same situation as you and also harmed by the Cult Leader?¡¯</i>


    Even as Woo-Moon was thinking to himself, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor continued to speak.


    ¡°Those who have mastered the Merciless Blood Devil Art can steal all of their opponent''s qi by absorbing their blood. If you absorb the blood of those who cultivated using other qi cultivation methods, it only serves to replenish your qi. However, if you absorb the blood of someone who <i>has </i>cultivated the same art, it can also increase your cultivation as well. After killing that bastard and reaching the Absolute Master level, I immediately killed everyone in the Blood Cult. Every single being, whether they knew martial arts or not. Women, children, and even babies.¡±


    His voice was rife with endless hatred. However, somehow, it was also as sweet as the voice of a maiden confessing her love.


    It was strange.


    Woo-Moon felt that the monster in front of him was even more ugly and disgusting.


    ¡°Do you think that story makes you look less like a monster? You killed countless people, not just people from the Blood Cult but also a lot of ordinary people.¡±

 Chapter 59. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (6)

    <h4>Chapter 59. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (6)</h4>


    Seeing that Woo-Moon was not only able to ovee his pressure but even speak up, Seop Un-Ha¡¯s eyes were filled with wonder.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true, I did do that. But what could I do? I have no choice if I want to feel the pleasure thates from the Merciless Blood Devil Art.¡±


    ¡°So no matter what sort of unfortunate past you may have, you¡¯re not worth anyone¡¯s pity. You¡¯re still nothing more than a blood-crazed monster and a murderer.¡±


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was definitely strong. But, even though he felt the threat of death, Woo-Moon would never hold back from saying what he wanted to say.


    He chuckled at Woo-Moon¡¯s cold words.


    ¡°You really are the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re exactly like he was when he was younger So, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon... Good. So, you¡¯re learning Daoist martial arts, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°So Daoism, huh? Then, do you also want to be an immortal, too?¡±


    <i>¡®An immortal?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ve never thought about something like that. I just want to walk the path of the sword. I want to see what¡¯s at the end of the path.¡±


    ¡°So you dream of bing a Sword Immortal, then. But what a pity. You¡¯ll never be able to see what lies at the end of the path.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperorughed, his voice rising.


    ¡°<i>Hohohohohohohoho!</i>¡±


    The sound of his mysteriousughter filled the heavens and earth. The water of the trembling Yangtze River gushed out like a fountain as if sted by an explosion. At the same time, a terrifying, deadly force bloomed from the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor''s body.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think there was any way I¡¯d let you live once you bared your teeth at me, right, brat?¡±


    Everything before Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes turned red.


    The ground had turned crimson, and the trees and stones in the pavilion were mired in blood. It was by no means an illusion, as the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had unleashed a demonic qi created by the Merciless Blood Devil Art that overwhelmed the surroundings and impacted thendscape.


    However, Woo-Moon was confident that the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor wouldn¡¯t kill him at this time.


    <i>¡®If you were nning on killing me, you wouldn¡¯t have bothered to tell me every detail. Right, Blood Cloud Devil Emperor?¡¯</i>


    Indeed, Woo-Moon¡¯s thoughts were correct.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, who looked like he was going to make a move to kill him at any moment, suddenly stopped emitting bloodlust and said, ¡°How boring. You¡¯re still too weak. Good, I¡¯ll wait exactly three years for you. In three years, I¡¯m going to take your life.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just tell you? This is boring. It¡¯s better to catch a carp than to catch a minnow.¡±


    Although that was what the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had said, Woo-Moon was sure that the man had another reason to give him this deadline. It wasn¡¯t that he knew what his opponent was thinking, but cultivating the Forbidden Divine Art had granted him an increasingly sharp sixth sense.


    <i>Knock, knock.</i>


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor knocked on the railing twice. It was a bizarre contrast¡ªthe railing had partially melted because of the corrosive blood and was now distorted into a grotesque shape, while the fingertips touching it were thinner and whiter than a youngdy¡¯s.


    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s make it more fun, if possible. Good, good, let me help you.¡±


    ¡°Help?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to see the end of the path of the sword? I¡¯ll pass on my Merciless Blood Devil Art to you.¡±


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon was taken aback by thepletely unexpected sentence, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperorughed and shouted once more.


    ¡°You called me a monster, right? I only learned the Merciless Blood Devil Art just to survive and escape from that hell! I had no choice but to learn the Demonic Art and I was forced to kill people because of it. Just what on earth is so wrong with that?¡±


    As soon as the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s chant pierced Woo-Moon¡¯s ears.


    <i>¡®NO!¡¯</i>


    He didn¡¯t want to learn it! Even among all of the demonic arts of the Blood Cult, the most horrifying was the Merciless Blood Devil Art. While its power was astounding, in its essence, it was a demonic art that brought the user not only qi, but actual <i>pleasure</i> from absorbing the blood of others.


    Even if Woo-Moon didn¡¯t want to memorize it, he may still end up recalling it after hearing it. No, he definitely would recall it.


    Woo-Moon had such an excellent memory that he had been called a genius when he was young. He could remember nearly anything anyone had said to him without making a single mistake. Moreover, perhaps because Seop Un-Ha was imbuing his voice with a significant amount of qi, the sutra of the Merciless Blood Devil Art inscribed itself into his mind more clearly than the things he usually heard.


    Woo-Moon hurriedly tried to cover his ears with his hands and circted his qi, trying to block all sounds. Nevertheless, the chant still rang in his ears. He even went as far as blocking the acupoints in his ears, trying to prevent any sound from entering his ear canals. It was useless.


    <i>¡®W-what the hell...!¡¯</i>


    He felt like he was going crazy. Even though he hadpletely blocked all meridians and acupoints in his ears, the words of Seop Un-Ha were still clearly audible.


    Then, something suddenly urred to him.


    <i>¡®Heart to Heart Transmission!¡¯</i>


    It was a form of transmission that was used to convey intent rather than words. It could be said to be the highest form of mental transmission, something only an Absolute Master could use. It wasn¡¯t just about conveying sounds but rather the entire meaning, the true value of one¡¯s heart, directly into the other¡¯s mind.


    Even more horrifying to Woo-Moon was that the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was not only teaching him the Merciless Blood Devil Art through such a difficult to see method like the Heart to Heart Transmission, but also saying somethingpletely different with his mouth at the same time.


    ¡°I¡¯m just an evil murderer? Fine. Then, let¡¯s see what happens to <i>you</i> after you learn the Merciless Blood Devil Art. <i>Hehehe.</i> It¡¯s going to be one interesting sight. I wonder what sort of expression that asshole Palm Martial Emperor will have when he finds out that his beloved grandson learned a demonic art and became a devil!¡±


    Alongside Seop Un-Ha¡¯s endless rant of hatred toward the world, the Merciless Blood Devil Art continued to be engraved in Woo-Moon¡¯s mind.


    <i>¡®You son of a bitch...!¡¯</i>


    He stopped trying to block the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s voice and instead tried to use the Northern Wind Steps to rush at him.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    However, it wasn¡¯t an easy thing to do. Before he knew it, the formless qi of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor covered him, restricting his actions.


    <i>Clench!</i>


    Biting his lip to the point of bleeding, Woo-Moon raised all of the qi within his body, nning on exploding forth with all of the qi he could muster and flee.


    Suddenly, behind the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, a middle-aged man appeared. He was wearing a ck magistrate uniform and seemed to be using a unique movement art. As Woo-Moon was taking up all of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s attention, the man was able to sneak up unnoticed.


    <i>¡®Shh!¡¯</i>


    The magistrate put his index finger to his mouth, motioning at Woo-Moon to pretend not to notice. He was holding a saber, or rather half a broken saber, and his target was the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor!


    He rushed forward, leaving a thick cloud of dust behind him. He was moving in an interesting zig-zag pattern, and every time he changed direction, his speed seemed to double. Yet, his movement art allowed him to be so silent that even an Absolute Master


    No...there was no way that a movement art could be that stealthy <i>and</i> give rise to so much dust. At a closer look, Woo-Moon realized that the man was covered in some kind of qi membrane that didn¡¯t let sound escape.


    <i>¡®Who is that guy...¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon saw hope in the midst of his despair.


    Meanwhile, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor continued to pressure Woo-Moon using his formless qi and imprint the Merciless Blood Devil Art onto his mind using the Heart to Heart Transmission.


    Suddenly, as he looked into Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes, he noticed a glint¡ªthe reflection of the broken saber! He looked behind him, only to btedly notice that he was being attacked. Surprised, he had no choice but to give up on transmitting the Merciless Blood Devil Art with only three lines left.


    ¡°Rat, you dare?!¡±


    The moment the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor turned around, the magistrate, understanding that he had been discovered, drove an immense amount of qi into both legs and leaped forward.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    His already incredible speed increased several times in an instant, and dust was sted away by the sonic boom that his movement caused.


    ¡°Take this!¡±


    When Blood Cloud Devil Emperor saw who his opponent was, his expression turned ugly.


    <i>¡®Of course, it¡¯s this iron-headed leech! I¡¯ve wasted too much time here!¡¯</i>


    His hands were stained with blood as he used the Bloody Aura Hands Art to gather all of his strength. He swung his bloody fist and just barely made it in time to block the saber, which was enveloped in a clear aura.


    <i>ng!</i>


    The sh was deafening, and the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor staggered back three steps.


    The two men were actually at a simr level of strength, but the attacker had used his unique movement technique to maximize his speed and focus all his strength into the attack. Meanwhile, the defender¡¯s move was instinctual and hasty, so it only made sense that he suffered a loss.


    As soon as the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor retreated, the magistrate followed up, skillfully spinning his broken de and swinging forward once more.


    ¡°<i>Ugh!</i>¡±


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor barely managed to stop him. However, the magistrate''s barrage of attacks didn¡¯t end there. Possibly because it was only half the length of a normal saber, the magistrate¡¯s broken de seemed to spin endlessly in his hands andunched attacks at incredible speed.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng, ng¡ª</i>


    The rings on the spine of the saber ttered against the de. Along with the dazzling light reflecting off the de, the sound distracted the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    The magistrate continued to push the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor back, and the speed of his Swift de Technique kept increasing, to the point where the de turned into a blur.


    In the blink of an eye, the saber in his hand spun hundreds of times. Disying a light and rapid movement technique, he appeared on the front, back, left and right of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor so quickly it almost looked as if he was using clones. And wherever he appeared, he unleashed terrifying blows!


    He had reached the pinnacle of speed!


    However, his opponent, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, was also just as shocking. Even though he had been surprised by the ambush from behind, lost out on the first move, and was forced on the defensive, he still defended himself with a perfectbination of the Blood Cloud Vampiric Membrane and the Bloody Aura Hands Art.


    Of course, it was inevitable that his injuries would only increase with time.


    Fortunately for him, the Blood Cloud Vampiric Membrane was the perfect shield. It could freely shrink, expand, condense, and even multiply, so it covered every angle.


    <i>Bang, bang, bang, bang!</i>


    Continuous small explosions rang out like the sound of roasting beans.


    In the meantime, Woo-Moon had suffered internal injuries and had retreated while vomiting blood. He now watched their battle with admiration.


    <i>¡®As expected, a battle between Absolute Masters is amazing!¡¯</i>


    The magistrate had been attacking without a single pause. Suddenly, he drove his momentum even higher and delivered a powerful blow.


    <i>ng!!!</i>


    With another roar, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor stumbled and took twenty steps backward. At the same time, with a sharp ringing sound, the broken saber in the magistrate¡¯s hand flew forward, shining with saber aura as it aimed for the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Ugk!¡±


    Although the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor barely managed to avoid it, the de suddenly shifted directions as if it were alive and cut off his arm from his shoulder before returning to the magistrate¡¯s hand.


    This was the supreme form of saber martial arts¡ªthe Flying Saber, controlling the saber using qi.


    The shocking magistrate, who had cornered the Absolute Master Blood Cloud Devil Emperor and even cut off his arm, plunged his broken saber into the ground.


    ¡°You mannerless brat! Why the hell are you making your father here go around the <i>gangho</i> at this age to catch a runaway ve like you?¡±


    A power that seemed to be able to crush Mount Tai exuded from the magistrate¡¯s sturdy body.


    Woo-Moon, who had been watching what seemed to be a mere magistrate fight against the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, finally blurted out a name.


    ¡°The Saber Emperor Jeong I-Moon!¡±


    Indeed, it was Jeong I-Moon, one of the two officials among the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors. He was known as the Saber Emperor.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor gritted his teeth and concentrated his qi, and his face suddenly regained its color. The next moment, his fallen arm flew back to his shoulder and reattached itself, spraying blood everywhere in the process.


    <i>¡®What the hell...¡¯</i> Woo-Moon¡¯s jaw dropped as he witnessed this formidable regeneration ability.


    ¡°You damn old hound, have you found a brain somewhere?¡± spat out the Blood Cloud Demon Emperor.


    In truth, it wasn¡¯t that the Saber Emperor had been one-sidedly beating the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor. As thetter had been defending himself, he had also been secretly gathering the energy of the Merciless Blood Devil Art into his right leg and preparing to use the most destructive of his techniques, Explosive Blood River.


    However, Jeong I-Moon had sensed this, and he had used a powerful attack to put some distance between the two of them right as his opponent was about tounch the Explosive Blood River. At the same time, he had taken advantage of this gap in defense to gravely injure the Blood Cloud Demon Emperor.


    Although his arm had been reattached, it was still unusable for the time being. This was clearly a significant loss for the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    The Saber Emperor pointed at the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor with his de.


    ¡°You self-regenerating lizard, I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re a man or a woman, but you sure talk like a bunch of them together!¡±

 Chapter 60. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (7)

    <h4>Chapter 60. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (7)</h4>


    Seop Un-Ha, who hated the word ¡°monster,¡± had an angry look on his face. He knew very well that Jeong I-Moon had been following him. He had been avoiding their meeting not because he was afraid of the Saber Emperor but because he didn¡¯t feel the need to risk fighting an opponent on the same level as himself. However, he had dyed things for too long after meeting Woo-Moon and ended up being caught by Jeong I-Moon.


    Although he was enraged at Jeong I-Moon for interfering with his ns, there was something else, something more important, holding him back right now¡ªthe fact that Woo-Moon was still here.


    <i>¡®You may be just a brat, but if you help the Saber Emperor attack me, it¡¯ll be a big problem.¡¯</i>


    If it had been some random martial artist instead, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor wouldn¡¯t have had to worry at all, as no martial artist who valued his life would dare to intervene in a confrontation between him and the Saber Emperor.


    However, at his young age, Woo-Moon had already reached a level where he could slightly influence a battle between Absolute Masters.


    <i>¡®This isn¡¯t good. That dog of the government knows no shame and doesn¡¯t consider joint attacks or hidden strikes shameful.¡¯</i>


    When he collected his thoughts, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor kicked the ground andunched himself into the air.


    ¡°See you next time, you government mongrel!¡±


    As he left, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor also shouted at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Remember! Three years! At that time, even the Palm Martial Emperor won¡¯t be able to save you!¡±


    Although the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor disappeared, the Saber Emperor didn¡¯t follow the chase and instead stood eerily still, as if he were a <i>jiangshi.</i>[1]


    In truth, Jeong I-Moon was also in poor physical condition, as he had been ordered to chase after the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor without rest. The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had killed a rtive of the imperial family three months ago, and he had been tracking the viin non-stop since then. Thus, he understood that on this day, he would have to be satisfied with cutting off the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s arm and injuring him.


    Among fourteen known Absolute Masters, three were associated with the Imperial Government: the Battle Emperor Lee Jong-Gwang, the Saber Emperor Jeong I-Moon, and the Formless Flying Sword Yoon Ha-Rin¡ªa member of the Six Rising Challengers rather than the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors.


    The Battle Emperor, Lee Jong-Gwang, was Commander in Chief of the Rear Army, overseeing the provinces of Gansu, Ninghe, Northern Shanxi, and Hefei. Meanwhile, Jeong I-Moon was an official who could act freely as the First Imperial Magistrate, only subject to the Emperor and none other.


    Lastly, the Intangible Flying Sword Yoon Ha-Rin was the head of the Imperial Guard.


    Woo-Moon bowed at Jeong I-Moon.


    ¡°Thank you for your help, great Sab¡ªuh, I mean, great hero.¡±


    Just as he was about to call him ¡°Saber Emperor,¡± something he had heard from his grandfather came to mind.


    <i>¡ªThe Saber Emperor and the Battle Emperor absolutely abhor the titles of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors. From their perspective, no matter how strong a person is, how could they just randomly take the title of Emperor? So if you get a chance to meet those two in the future, be careful.</i>


    Jeong I-Moon, who was looking toward where the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had fled, turned his gaze toward Woo-Moon.


    <i>Grrrrrrr!</i>


    Suddenly, a huge roar echoed from his stomach.


    ¡°Oh, it seems I am hungry. I¡¯ve been chasing him so hard I forgot to eat and rest. Please take me to the nearest inn.¡±


    ***


    Jeong I-Moon, still wearing his magistrate uniform that had once been ck but now was a dirty gray, was now inhaling food in a mannerpletely unbefitting either an imperial official or an Absolute Master. He held a chicken leg in one hand and tore into it with his teeth; in the other, he held a bottle of wine from which he took generous swigs.


    Even though his hands were dripping with chicken grease and they were so dirty that the dirt was mixing into the grease and dripping onto the chicken on his te, he continued to eat without hesitation.


    ¡°Ha! This is delicious! This ce is better than I thought it would be.¡±


    There were more than ten different dishes on the table, and that was not counting the empty tes. However, Jeong I-Moon¡¯s stomach seemed to be on par with hisbat abilities, and he showed no signs of being full.


    <i>¡®I''m not even mad, that¡¯s incredible. He¡¯s had ten servings and he looks like he hasn¡¯t even started.¡¯</i>


    Jeong I-Moon took some time to finish everything, but finally, he patted his stomach with a satisfied smile.


    ¡°Thank you very much. Thanks to you, my tongue has enjoyed a real treat today. However...¡±


    As the Saber Emperor paused for quite some time, Woo-Moon smiled, understanding what was causing his hesitation. There was still more than enough money left from what he had received from the Iron Sword Baek Family to give a man like him some face.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, senior. You saved me, so I¡¯ll handle the bill.¡±


    Hearing it, Jeong I-Moonughed happily.


    ¡°What a good kid! Thank you, son. As you can see, I¡¯m just a simple magistrate, and my government sry wouldn¡¯t cover even a mouse¡¯s daily meals.¡±


    Jeong I-Moon spoke in a rxed and hearty manner, which was in fact befitting of his status. He patted Woo-Moon vigorously on the shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ve never seen anyone at this level at your age. You really are impressive!¡±


    After touching Woo-Moon¡¯s shoulder and subtly inserting some qi into his body, Jeong I-Moon was secretly surprised at how profound and pure Woo-Moon¡¯s qi was, so much so that it was hard to believe it was the inner qi of someone his age.


    <i>¡®Hohoho, he really is impressive.¡¯</i>


    Taking another gulp of alcohol, Jeong I-Moon threw the bottle at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Drink.¡±


    Woo-Moon, who had intended to grab the bottle without concerning himself about the grease on it, noticed just in time that it was imbued with a mighty amount of qi.


    <i>¡®I guess he wants to test me again, huh?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t just grab the bottle, but instead extended his middle finger, pressed it to the bottom of the bottle, and pushed it to the side. The bottle changed direction ording to how he used force. As he moved his hand and drew arge circle, the bottle spun on Woo-Moon¡¯s middle finger, and as it spun, all of the qi contained in the bottle of alcohol dissipated.


    He then raised the bottle to his lips and took a sip.


    Because of the rapid rotationbined with the qi diffusion, the alcohol was hot even though it hadn¡¯t been heated beforehand.


    ¡°Ah~ this is pretty good.¡±


    ¡°<i>Kekeke!</i> The more I look at you, the more impressive you are. Tell me, which of the twelve is your master?¡±


    Considering the method that Woo-Moon had used to dissipate the high amount of qi that he had infused into the bottle without breaking the bottle or spilling any alcohol, he could tell that Woo-Moon did not only have outstanding qi, but also outstanding control over it. Naturally, Jeong I-Moon thought that Woo-Moon had to be a disciple of one of the other Absolute Masters.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a disciple of any of them, but you might know my grandfather. His name is Baek Sang-Woon.¡±


    ¡°<i>Tsk</i>. So you¡¯re the grandson of that Palmy Muppet Error, huh?¡±


    The rtionship between the Palm Martial Emperor and the Saber Emperor, who were of the same age, was famously stormy. Although they got along well, they would always snap at each other when they saw each other and thoroughly enjoyed gossiping about their counterpart.


    That was why Woo-Moon didn¡¯t get angry even though the Saber Emperor was insulting his grandfather. When he was with Sang-Woon, Sang-Woon often gossiped about the Saber Emperor as well, and Woo-Moon could feel the affection in his words.


    To be truthful, Jeong I-Moon had one thing in mind when he saw Woo-Moon¡¯s strength.


    <i>¡®Hmph! And here I thought that he would be a good recement for me.¡¯</i>


    Although he wasn¡¯t very diligent in his duties, due to his naturalziness, his loyalty to the imperial family was unquestionable. One of his greatest regrets was that no one in the government could seed him in the future and stabilize the country using the strength of an Absolute Master.


    When he saw Woo-Moon, he thought that he had found the right person. It was a shame that Woo-Moon was the grandson of Sang-Woon, who pathologically hated government officials.


    <i>¡®If I try to drag this guy into the government office, that bastard would definitely get angry, right? Tsk. And here I was, thinking I may have found someone who can learn my Soul-Chasing Saber Art. Hmm, maybe I should still talk about it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Kid, what did you say your name was?¡±


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon, sir.¡±


    ¡°Good. Woo-Moon. Do you think you¡¯d ever consider following me into government service?¡±


    ¡°The... government?¡±


    Without having to think for a long time, Woo-Moon shook his head.


    ¡°I apologize. I¡¯m not very interested in any government positions.¡±


    ¡°Damn it. You damned brat, piss off. I need to get some sleep. I haven¡¯t been able to sleep properly because of that bastard Blood Cloud Devil Emperor. I have to chase after him again after I take a nap.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ll lose track of him like that?¡±


    ¡°Heh, as if. There¡¯s no need to worry about that. I have this guy, you see.¡±


    Jeong I-Moon opened the wooden locket hanging over his left breast, and a tiny mouse poked its head out from there.


    ¡°This is a spirit animal, the red-nosed mouse. Once it smells something, it can find where it is no matter where it''s hiding.¡±


    After saying that, Jeong In-Moon got up to go into his rented room. Suddenly, however, he looked down at Woo-Moonagain.


    ¡°Just in case, don¡¯t ever think about learning the Merciless Blood Devil Art. Fortunately, the transmission of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s skills wasn¡¯tplete, so at the very least, the Merciless Blood Devil Art won¡¯t continue to develop on its own within you.¡±


    Jeong I-Moon had roughly grasped the situation before he attacked the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor earlier.


    ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t have any intention of ever learning it.¡±


    ¡°Good. I hope you know your ce. If you ever learn the Merciless Blood Devil Art... even if I feel guilty toward that old Baek asshole, I¡¯ll have no choice but to kill you.¡±


    In hisst words, Woo-Moon could feel a tinge of bloodlust. However, he did not falter; instead, he nodded proudly.


    With an indecipherable smile, Jeong I-Moon left for the guest room.


    Ater paying for the food and leaving the inn, Woo-Moon headed to another inn not far away.


    ¡°Ah! Senior brother!¡±


    Coincidentally, Si-Hyeon was also standing in front of the inn with Mu-Jae.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are you going somewhere?¡±


    ¡°They say even tigers woulde if we call, so we were looking for you, senior brother. We are going to handle...¡± Si-Hyeon¡¯s voice dropped. <i>¡°...the Luminous Night Pearl </i>together. Do you think we could do that now?¡±


    Although there weren¡¯t many people around, Si-Hyeon was careful, as she was well aware of the greed that an item like the Luminous Night Pearl could bring.


    Although it wasn¡¯t yetparable to the efficacy of the Merciless Blood Devil Art, Woo-Moon¡¯s Forbidden Divine Art also had a fantastic efficacy in healing one¡¯s body. Thus, all of his internal injuries hadpletely improved as he ate with the Saber Emperor, so he was in good shape.


    ¡°Of course. If not me, who else, junior sister? Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, senior brother!¡±


    Si-Hyeon smiled.


    Mu-Jae took the lead and led the way. He had been making ns for the re-establishment of the Leebi Guild and had been looking for a suitable ce to handle the matter of the Luminous Night Pearl.


    Until the very end, he had been torn between two banks and a merchant guild, and eventually, he ended up choosing the Hefei branch of the Golden Dragon Bank, the second-best bank in the entire continent.


    ***


    One of the two women who were practically the most influential figures of the Iron Sword Baek Family, the eldest of the three siblings who were the children of the previous family head, Baek Hye-Ryeong, was meeting with the head of the Hefei Branch at the heart of the Golden Dragon Bank.


    ¡°Fine. So you¡¯re saying that the ie for the quarter is really only this much?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The thing is... there aren¡¯t many usable ves these days...¡±


    ¡°You know how much money we invested in this business, right? If you don¡¯t achieve better results soon...¡±


    Bloodlust shed in Hye-Ryeong¡¯s eyes.


    The Hefei Branch manager trembled like a frog before a poisonous snake. He was more afraid of this woman than anyone else. She was bitter and vicious, and not only was she an influential figure in the Iron Sword Baek Family, but her personal cultivation was also incredibly high.


    He had started to do business with her without knowing the scale of her power, and now, the Hefei Branch manager found himself unable to escape the terror that was Baek Hye-Ryeong.


    ¡°P-please believe me. This quarter, we definitely...¡±


    ¡°Trust you one more time? Fine. But there¡¯s only so many times you can use this phrase. If this ¡®one more time¡¯ is not thest time, someone might end up lying forever in a cold ce.¡±


    Ending the discussion with these cruel words, Hye-Ryeong quickly walked out of the secret passage and returned to the Baek Estate. As she had left through the back exit of the Golden Dragon Bank, there was no chance of her running into Woo-Moon, who was now heading toward the front door.


    ***


    When Woo-Moon and his party arrived at the main gate of the Golden Dragon Bank, they were stopped by a gatekeeper who asked them about their identity.


    ¡°This person is from the Iron¡ª¡±


    As Mu-Jae was about to exin, Woo-Moon cut him off with a voice transmission.


    ¡ªDon¡¯t tell them I¡¯m from the Iron Sword Baek Family. I have a good idea.


    The bank was a ce where gold, silver, and other valuables were exchanged for the bank¡¯s internal currency known as ¡°vouchers.¡± In addition, the bank lent money to those who needed it... and collected interest.


    Although the bank looked gorgeous on the outside, Woo-Moon knew very well what it was like on the inside. While working at the inn, he had heard many, many stories.


    ¡°We¡¯vee to entrust you with an item.¡±


    The three people''s clothes, although not shy, still looked luxurious. Naturally, the gatekeeper knew that he was dealing with wealthy people; he opened the door without a word and allowed them inside under the guidance of a manager.


    After walking down a long hallway, they arrived at a counter.


    An elderly man wearing sses and working hard on his abacus, looked at Woo-Moon through his lenses.


    ¡°What sort of item were you looking to entrust us with?¡±


    1. Chinese corpse puppets. They stick their hands out like a mummy but stand rigid and tall instead of slightly off-kilter. ?

 Chapter 61. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (8)

    <h4>Chapter 61. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (8)</h4>


    Si-Hyeon had handed the Luminous Night Pearl to Woo-Moon earlier, so he took the initiative.


    ¡°You see, it¡¯s a very expensive item. Can you really take responsibility for it, old man?¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s question seemed to offend the elderly man¡¯s pride.


    ¡°I am the deputy branch manager. I can handle it, so please continue.¡±


    Hearing the deputy branch manager¡¯s confirmation, Woo-Moon lowered his voice down to a whisper and said, ¡°A Luminous Night Pearl.¡±


    The eyes of the bespectacled elderly man widened in shock. However, Woo-Moon¡¯s words were too difficult for him to take at face value. After all, how could just any random person have a Luminous Night Pear?


    ¡°How do I know you¡¯re telling the truth?¡±


    Woo-Moon pulled a box out of his sleeve and opened it just slightly. Even through that small gap, a glow was clearly visible¡ªthere was a light-emitting pearl sitting by itself in the box.


    ¡°O-oh! J-just wait a moment. You there! Take these people to the highest-grade room!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    As Woo-Moon, Si-Hyeon, and Mu-Jae followed a maid and headed toward a drawing room, the old man ran to the branch manager.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s real!! It¡¯s a Luminous Night Pearl! A Luminous Night Pearl!!!¡¯</i>


    In the meantime, the trio sat down in a luxurious room, where they were offered tea.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell them you were from the Baek Family?¡±


    ¡°Well, considering this is a personal matter, I felt a little ufortable throwing around the name of the Iron Sword Baek Family. Also...to be honest, there¡¯s a part of me that hopes they¡¯ll try something. There¡¯s no way they would attempt anything if we tell them we¡¯re from the Baek Family.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why would you want such a thing?¡±


    Woo-Moon responded with a smile that looked eerily like his grandfather¡¯s.


    ¡°Well, you see, once they cross the line and try to swindle us, we can pensation. After all, they¡¯ll be the ones who offended us, not the other way around.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Si-Hyeon suddenly felt a little dispirited. Before, Woo-Moon had been a really kind and innocent person. However, at some point, after he had met his grandfather, things had changedpletely.


    <i>¡®It seems that because my senior brother has been obsessed with thatndscape painting since he was young, he was apletely na?ve and innocent young man, so when he met Grandfather, he just wanted to be more like him....¡¯</i>


    Obviously, she thought that Sang-Woon had corrupted his grandchild, but there was something she didn¡¯t know¡ªbefore losing himself to thendscape painting and bing a fool, Woo-Moon himself had been a troublemaker who ran amok in the vige all day.


    Now that he was back to his normal personality, Woo-Moon had been showing a side of himself that even seemed to surpass Sang-Woon¡¯s mischievousness these days.


    <i>¡®Still, he shouldn¡¯t copy Grandfather''s wanderlust at the very least... ha...¡¯</i>


    As Si-Hyeon was sighing to herself, the maid from before came into the room again.


    ¡°The branch manager would like to meet you. Please follow me.¡±


    Following her guidance, Woo-Moon and his party walked to the deepest part of the Hefei Branch of the Golden Dragon Bank.


    ¡°Branch manager, I have brought the guests.¡±


    The branch manager was a fat middle-aged man in his early forties wearing a blue robe. He raised both hands and weed Woo-Moon and the others. After briefly exchanging greetings and sitting down, the branch manager, Go Mu-Dong, seemed to be in quite a hurry and quickly got to the point.


    ¡°I heard you brought a Luminous Night Pearl with you. Do you mind if I inspect it?¡±


    Woo-Moon took the box out of his sleeve and opened it again. Instantly, the somewhat dim room became brightly lit.


    ¡°Oooooh! I can¡¯t believe it, to think it¡¯s a real Luminous Night Pearl! This is a treasure among treasures, even I¡¯ve never seen one before. This is truly amazing!¡±


    Woo-Moon noticed Go Mu-Dong slightly pulling on a piece of thread that was sticking out from under the table in front of him. Although he had cleverly covered the motion with his clothes, he hadn¡¯t been able to avoid Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze.


    <i>¡®Wow, he¡¯s pretty good at that. He must have worked at a casino when he was younger.¡¯</i>


    ¡°The only thing that¡¯s a shame is that it¡¯s not that big. Anyway, what are you looking to sell it for?¡±


    This time, Si-Hyeon came forward to speak, her eyes smiling beneath the veil.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know the exact value yet, so what do you think about giving us a suggestion first, mister manager?¡±


    Hearing that, Go Mu-Dong expressed his disapproval.


    ¡°Hmm. Well, this is also my first time seeing the Luminous Night Pearl...¡±


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t dare to offend you by naming a price. It would only be right for you to offer us a suggestion first.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    While they were fighting over who would set the first price, the maid from before came over with a tea set.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk slowly over some tea,¡± the branch manager said with a warm smile.


    ¡°Thank you."


    Si-Hyeon and Go Mu-Dong both smiled again, clearly engaged in a battle of wits. At the same time, Woo-Moon also grinned. He could feel that the energy of the Forbidden Divine Art was stirring, sending him a warning.


    Then, at the moment that the maid poured him a cup of tea, Eun-Ah cried out softly.


    <i>Growl!</i>


    The maid was startled by the sudden sound while Go Mu-Dong sipped his tea as if he hadn¡¯t heard a thing. Seeing Go Mu-Dong drink without harm, Si-Hyeon and Mu-Jae both reached for their teas as well. However, Woo-Moon stopped them right before they took their first sips.


    ¡°Wait just a moment.¡±


    Woo-Moon looked at Go Mu-Dong, but the man just looked surprised at his reaction.


    <i>¡®Ho ho, you¡¯re quite the actor, aren¡¯t you?¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Haha</i>. What might be the problem, young sir? Is the tea not to your liking? We have some other types as well if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Woo-Moon chuckled and pushed his teacup with his scabbard toward the branch manager. With a steely glint in his eyes, he said, ¡°Drink it.¡±


    Go Mu-Dong¡¯s expression shifted slightly.


    At that moment, Si-Hyeon and Mu-Jae also noticed that something was strange. Naturally, they trusted Woo-Moon, so they also looked at Go Mu-Dong suspiciously.


    ¡°<i>Haha</i>. I¡¯m afraid you may be misunderstanding something...¡±


    Right at that moment¡ª


    <i>SHING! SQUELCH!!!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword flew out from his scabbard with a sh of white light, and a momentter, red blood sttered on the walls. Four men had suddenly jumped out from the ceiling and tried to cut down Woo-Moon, Si-Hyeon, and Mu-Jae¡¯s! Yet, these very four men suddenly split into eight pieces and fell to the ground.


    ¡°I hate people who use poison the most.¡± Woo-Moon smiled coldly, his cheeks sttered with blood.


    ¡°<i>Eeek</i>!!¡±


    Go Mu-Dong took a step back and shouted, ¡°W-what are you doing?! Hurry up and get rid of these bas¡ª¡±


    <i>Crack!!!</i>


    Before Go Mu-Dong could finish his sentence, Woo-Moon moved like the wind and stabbed the wall in three ces. Rather than dust or splinters, however, his de was now covered in blood.


    ¡°It seems there were a lot of rats.¡±


    At the same time, people dressed in ck rushed out from a secret door on one side of the room, brandishing swords and sabers.


    <i>ng!!!</i>


    As Mu-Jae and Si-Hyeon struggled to block the attacks of the men dressed in ck, Woo-Moon shouted, ¡°Both of you hide behind me!¡±


    Then, he stepped on the table and jumped forward as he thrust his sword below him, causing three of the men dressed in ck to copse with holes in their chests.


    While Woo-Moon fought, he wondered if this really was just a branch of the Golden Dragon Bank.


    Those who had appeared ranged from Second ss to First ss in cultivation, people strong enough to be called experts among gangho<i>.</i>


    However, none of them could stand for even a second before Woo-Moon.


    Go Mu-Dong fell on his butt in terror as the warriors he had boasted about died like flies.


    ¡°W-what are you doing, Saber Demon? Are you really only going to show yourself after I die?¡±


    Woo-Moon had already taken down all twelve men dressed in ck when he felt a sharp wave of qiing from outside. He pushed Si-Hyeon and Mu-Jae further behind him.


    ¡°<i>Hoho</i>, how impressive. And these bastards weren¡¯t weak, either. Your sword is quite something, kid.¡±


    Appearing before them was a saber wielder in histe thirties. When he showed up, Go Mu-Dong breathed a sigh of relief. The man before him was someone he had gone to great lengths to hire. The man was rude and arrogant, but his skills were so great that he couldn¡¯t afford to let him go.


    This man was one of the four strongest saber wielders in Anhui Province. He was the Peak Martial Artist known as the Saber Demon, who had just recently crossed the threshold of the First ss.


    ¡°Old pig. Is it fine if I kill everyone here?¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking the obvious?! Kill them all right now!!¡±


    Woo-Moon, who had been listening to their conversation, couldn¡¯t hold back hisughter.


    ¡°You¡¯re in the mood tough now? I guess the young ones are fearle¡ª¡±


    The Saber Demon¡¯s eyes widened right in the middle of his sentence as Woo-Moon¡¯s figure suddenly blurred and disappeared. Woo-Moon had just used the Divine Phantasm Step, which had now reached the sixth level!


    Woo-Moon rapidly shortened the distance between them, appearing right before the Saber Demon as if he was a ghost.


    ¡°Heup!¡±


    ¡°What?! What sort of footwork is that?!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword seemed to move slowly as it approached the Saber Demon¡¯s neck.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s slow!¡¯</i>


    The moment he was about to strike down the sword, however, the sword seemed to glide on the very air currents around the Saber Demon¡¯s de.


    <i>¡®Cold Snow!¡¯</i>


    Saber Demon was only just barely able to escape being fatally injured by quickly twisting his waist. However, Woo-Moon¡¯s attack didn¡¯t just end there. His sword turned upward and swung toward the ceiling. The moment it reached its apex, a rain of sword qi torrented down!


    All Saber Demon could do was use every ounce of his power to block and dodge. In an instant, his entire body was soaked in blood.


    Eventually, as Heavy Rain came to an end, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword flicked forward, unleashing Raging Wind.


    Without even looking at the sword that had dug into his chest, the Saber Demon looked at Woo-Moon with eyes full of resentment and astonishment and said, ¡°Perfect Peak Stage Martial Artist?¡±


    As soon as he finished his final words, his head fell to the ground.


    ¡°<i>Eeek!!!</i>¡±


    When even the Saber Demon, whom he had full faith in, was defeated so easily, Go Mu-Dong screamed and tried to run away. However, he wasn¡¯t even able to take five steps; before he knew it, Si-Hyeon had ced the edge of a sword to his neck.


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re trying to run?¡±


    ¡°P-please let me live. Please, just let me go with my life...¡±


    ¡°What are you going on about? It¡¯s not like we¡¯re any bandits or anything. No, my dear manager, <i>you</i> are the real bandits here. You¡¯re even willing tomit murder! We are only here to discuss the price of the Luminous Night Pearl, you know? Oh, by the way, there¡¯s also thepensation we deserve for the attempt on our lives,¡± Si-Hyeon said, smiling brightly.


    Now that he was looking at her from up close, Go Mu-Dong was able to see that her face, hidden beyond the veil, was actually incredibly beautiful. But the moment he saw her cold smile, he couldn¡¯t help but get goosebumps all over.


    Si-Hyeon grabbed Go Mu-Dong and began to systematically search him and remove all his possessions. Since she was a merchant herself and they¡¯d had dealings with the bank, she had a rough estimate of Go Mu-Dong¡¯s personal wealth. Even if he tried to lie to her, she would be able to discover it quickly.


    As Woo-Moon had no intention of getting involved in this part, he walked around and looked at the calligraphy scrolls on the wall.


    However, as he did so, he felt something strange.


    Every time he got close to a certain piece, Go Mu-Dong would twitch and look over at him. Woo-Moon pretended not to notice as he paced around the area, raising Go Mu-Dong¡¯s anxiety levels. After pacing in circles several times, he was able to figure out exactly where Go Mu-Dong¡¯s worriesy.


    Woo-Moon approached the ce where he noticed Go Mu-Dong would disy the most anxiety and looked over at the branch manager. Go Mu-Dong was sweating profusely¡ªon the one hand, from the anxiety of Si-Hyeon plundering all of his wealth, and on the other hand, from worrying about Woo-Moon. Nevertheless, he forced himself to smile when their eyes met.


    ¡°<i>Haha...</i>¡±


    In response to Go Mu-Dong''sughter, Woo-Moon grabbed the piece of calligraphy and tore it off the wall.


    ¡°<i>EEEK!</i>¡±


    While Go Mu-Dong was shocked and terrified, Si-Hyeon looked over and saw a handle where Woo-Moon had torn the calligraphy off the wall. As Woo-Moon grabbed the handle and pulled it, one of the walls slid over to the side with a creak, revealing a small and dark room.


    ¡°Oho! What else could be in here? It really is hidden quite well.¡±


    Woo-Moon was truly impressed.


    It was such a cleverly hidden mechanism that he hadn¡¯t even realized that there was an empty space there.


    ¡°T-there¡¯s nothing special in there. <i>Haha</i>. It¡¯s a terribly inauspicious ce, you¡¯ll feel quite irritated if you go in.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You think ghosts are going to eat me or what?¡±


    Despite Go Mu-Gong¡¯s attempts to dissuade him, Woo-Moon went inside. He discovered that the small room was in fact the top of a seemingly endless spiral staircase that descended into darkness.


    Cold sweat poured down Go Mu-Dong¡¯s face like rain as Si-Hyeon forced him to follow Woo-Moon down the stairs while Mu-Jae stood guard at the very back.


    The further they went down, the louder the sound of people¡¯s voices became.


    <i>¡®Who could they be? Why does it seem like quite a few people are here, too?¡¯</i>


    Eventually, he arrived at the bottom and opened the door to see about a hundred people gathered there, shouting something with great vehemence.


    ¡°Two hundred taels!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, fine! I¡¯ll pay three hundred taels!¡±


    ¡°Three hundred and fifty!¡±


    ¡°Four hundred!¡±

 Chapter 62. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (9)

    <h4>Chapter 62. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (9)</h4>


    Most of the people yelling numbers were dressed in fancy clothes.


    In front of them stood naked, shackled men and women, most in their teens or early twenties.


    Woo-Moon frowned.


    ¡°...It¡¯s a ve market,¡± Si-Hyeon said from behind.


    She red at Go Mu-Dong with a chilly gaze.


    ¡°While having ves isn¡¯t illegal, isn¡¯t it against thew to have <i>this</i> sort of ve market? Moreover, to have a market hidden away in such a secretive ce it almost seems like it¡¯s been set up to avoid the attention of officials. And here I thought that ve trading was still legal. But then...why would a legal market look like this? Wait a minute, could this market be one of <i>those</i> markets, the ones that only appear in rumors... where you sell kidnapped ves?¡±


    When he heard these words, Woo-Moon¡¯s expression grew even worse.


    ¡°Hey, you. Is that true?¡±


    Realizing he could no longer get away, Go Mu-Dong clung to Woo-Moon¡¯s leg.


    ¡°P-please just overlook it this one time. I-I¡¯ll give you all the money I have. No, I¡¯ll just give you everything that I have! How does that sound?¡±


    He knew that the way things were progressing, he would either die by Woo-Moon¡¯s hand here or be taken to the government office and beheaded. Go Mu-Dong couldn¡¯t ept either result. Of course, he knew that even if he were to survive by bribing Woo-Moon right now, he would have to flee anyway. Hye-Ryeong would never forgive him for letting a business she had invested in be ruined.


    Woo-Moon ignored his pleas and looked down at the revolting scene beneath his feet. Even the things he saw at the first nce made his blood boil.


    He roused his qi and unleashed an Azure Dragon¡¯s Roar.


    The Azure Dragon¡¯s Roar was a Daoist sound techniqueparable to the Buddhist technique Lion¡¯s Roar. It was an upper-tier technique that shook a person''s heart and blood and inflicted internal injuries through sound waves.


    ¡°<i>YOU UGLY BASTARDS!</i>¡±


    Those who stood here and there, trying to buy ves, stumbled to the ground, holding their ears in pain. What was surprising, however, was that none of the ves felt anything. Woo-Moon¡¯s extreme concentration allowed him to iste them from the effects of the technique.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die here and now, get the hell out of here!¡± Woo-Moon shouted as Raging Wind flew toward the stone wall on the other side.


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    The entire underground chamber shook. As the people saw stone debris falling from the ceiling, they were terrified that it might copse. However, what was more shocking was that the stone wall hit by Woo-Moon¡¯s Raging Wind had exploded into pieces. It was clear that whoever was capable of using such powerful techniques was far beyond their ability to handle.


    ¡°Aaaah!!!¡±


    Frightened, these wealthy and influential people from all over quickly fled through secret passages in three directions. As they ran, Woo-Moon used his movement technique and descended upon them. He kicked the back of a wealthy man and snatched a female ve from his guard, who was dragging her behind him.


    ¡°Leave behind every person you bought here!¡±


    As Woo-Moon had an aversion to the term ¡°ve,¡± he was reluctant to use even the word in any context.


    Hearing his shout, the others ran away, leaving behind the ves they had purchased at high prices. In the end, there was nothing more precious than their own lives.


    Woo-Moon had ordered Go Mu-Dong to release all the ves, as he nned to destroy the market, but as he went back to the main room, he changed his mind.


    <i>¡®No, there¡¯s a better method than this.¡¯</i>


    There was a way to make even the rich people who had just fled bleed as well.


    As he walked forward, Woo-Moon felt a strong energy aura from one side of the underground ve market.


    <i>¡®Who is it?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s figure flickered toward the ce the feeling came from, while Si-Hyeon and Mu-Jae followed behind with Go Mu-Dong in tow.


    On one of the sides of the prison where the ves were held, a girl was tied up in a particrlyrge space that, unlike the other cages, had thick ck iron bars.


    She appeared to be in herte teens, and she was growling and ring at Woo-Moon through the ck hair that obscured her face. The glint in her eyes seemed almost animalistic.


    The ck chains that held her to the wall trembled as if they could break at any time; in the cage where she was held, there were also three corpses of people wearing the same outfits as the men dressed in ck that had attacked Woo-Moon and hispanions earlier. They were already rotting, and it seemed there had been quite some time since they¡¯d died.


    Woo-Moon coated his sword with sword qi and tried to cut through the iron bars.


    <i>ng!</i>


    However, the ck iron bars stood solid, as if Woo-Moon¡¯s sword was made of wood. It was clear that whatever metal it was, it wasn¡¯t ordinary. Seeing this, Woo-Moon called upon his sword aura.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    A golden sword aura appeared on his de, apanied by mighty gusts of wind.


    Si-Hyeon and Mu-Jae were greatly impressed by the aura, while Go Mu-Dong¡¯s jaw dropped.


    <i>Zing!</i>


    This time, the iron bars were cut like tofu.


    Go Mu-Dong, surprised by Woo-Moon¡¯s golden sword, finally came to his senses.


    ¡°N-No! You can¡¯t let that bitch go free. That bitch is a demon, a beast! She¡¯ll kill us all!!¡±


    Go Mu-Dong looked fearfully at the girl, who had been his biggest problem in a while. She almost didn¡¯t seem human anymore. The fact that she didn¡¯t speak and her animalistic gaze were one thing, but the bigger issue was that she attacked anyone who came even close to her.


    Because of that, two of the subordinates that he had sent to feed her and one idiot who hade in secretly to satisfy his lust all lost their lives.


    Ignoring Go Mu-Dong¡¯s words, Woo-Moon walked forward.


    ¡°<i>Grrrr!</i>¡±


    The girl let out a growl and tried to rush at Woo-Moon. However, she was unable to get very far due to the sturdy ck chains that bound her.


    <i>Growl!!</i>


    Eun-Ah, stimted by the girl¡¯s actions, cried fiercely from within Woo-Moon¡¯s robes, baring her fangs at the girl.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay, calm down. I¡¯ll handle it,¡± Woo-Moon said. He stroked Eun-Ah a few times, until she quieted down.


    He put her down to the ground. ¡°Go to Si-Hyeon and protect her.¡±


    <i>Mew!</i>


    Eun-Ah jumped up and went to Si-Hyeon¡¯s side.


    In the meantime, Woo-Moon looked at the girl with pity in his eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯ve fallen into qi deviation, haven¡¯t you? This could have been really bad if we hadn¡¯t found you.¡±


    With these words, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword drew a ray of light in the air, and all of the chains binding the girl''s limbs snapped off instantly.


    ¡°Growl!!!¡±


    The moment the chains were released, the girl moved quickly, suddenly disappearing into the darkness.


    Si-Hyeon shouted in surprise, ¡°S-she just disappeared! Be careful, senior brother!¡±


    Woo-Moon calmly sheathed his sword and said, ¡°Oh, it looks like you¡¯ve learned the martial arts of a Death Gate.¡±


    A Death Gate was the general term for a sect of assassins, killers, and hitmen.


    They generally used swords and killed in a single blow, and ced utmost importance on the arts of concealment.


    Woo-Moon consciously circted the energy of the Forbidden Divine Art and spread it throughout his body. Although the girl was young, the level of her assassination skills seemed to be extremely high, and it was only by using his Forbidden Divine Art that he was able to feel her presence.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s behind me!¡¯</i>


    He quickly spun around and swung his scabbard. Just in time¡ªthe girl appeared out of nowhere and tried to wrap the long chain still shackled to her wrist around Woo-Moon¡¯s neck!


    However, the expected sound of a sword and chain colliding didn¡¯t follow, as the girl had sensed Woo-Moon¡¯s movements in advance using her animalistic sixth sense. She quickly withdrew into the darkness again.


    <i>¡®If she¡¯s at this level, she¡¯s harder to deal with than that Saber Demon we met earlier.¡¯</i>


    Considering the Saber Demon had been at the Peak level, it was easy to guess how outstanding the skills of the young girl were.


    Woo-Moon concentrated his qi once again and sensed around for the girl¡¯s attack.


    <i>¡®I won¡¯t miss it this time!¡¯</i>


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    Twisting his waist, he dodged the chain flying at him and struck the girl on the nape of her neck.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The girl let out a groan and fainted on the spot.


    Woo-Moon quickly used both hands to forcefully push his qi throughout her meridians, immediately starting to stabilize her and solve the problem with her qi deviation.


    ¡°<i>Whew</i>.¡±


    It was only after consuming half of his qi that he was able to expel the girl¡¯s qi deviationpletely.


    ¡°<i>Heup!</i>¡±


    Woo-Moon hefted the girl onto his back. Although her qi deviation had been resolved, she still had internal injuries, and Woo-Moon knew that she needed more treatment. He wasn¡¯t really in the mood to deal with random people, but since he¡¯d started this, he would see it through to the end.


    He failed to notice the expression on Si-Hyeon¡¯s face when he put the girl on his back.


    Not long after that, Si-Hyeong seeded in getting a good price for selling the Luminous Night Pearl from Go Mu-Dong. As an added bonus, she also seeded in acquiring every bit of the manager¡¯s personal fortune, down to thest coin.


    When she had said that she would inform the headquarters of the Golden Dragon Bank that he had secretly opened an illegal ve market, he had been left with no choice but to collect even money that he didn¡¯t have and give it to her. If the Golden Dragon Bank headquarters ever found out that he was secretly doing this, then forget about his position and wealth, he knew he would have to give up even his life topensate.


    Thanks to this, Si-Hyeon was able to secure more funds in one day of work than the entire Leebi Merchant Guild had even in its heyday.


    All of it truly was their great fortune.


    <i>¡®Good! With this, it¡¯ll be much easier to rebuild the Leebi Guild!¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon¡¯s contribution had been truly invaluable, Si-Hyeon decided to give him half of the shares in the newly created Leebi Guild.


    Sometimeter, after parting ways with Si-Hyeon and Mu-Jae, Woo-Moon climbed up a building and jumped from roof to roof until he returned to the Iron Sword Baek Family.


    ¡°Huh? Who is that child?¡±


    Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin were surprised when Woo-Moon showed up again, this time carrying a beggar girl.


    ¡°Ah, well, you see...¡±


    Woo-Moon slowly began to exin everything that had happened around him. When he told them that the girl was a child who had been in an illegal ve market, Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin looked down at the girl with pitiful eyes.


    ¡°By the way, I have something urgent to do right now, so I¡¯d like to ask you to take care of this child.¡±


    ¡°Do you think we¡¯re some kind of free babysitters?¡± Dae-Woong rolled his eyes.


    His wifepletely ignored him. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry. Go and handle your business.¡±


    ¡°Yes, <other.¡±


    Woo-Moon used his movement technique once again and left the Baek Estate, running like that wind to the inn where Jeong I-Moon had gone to sleep earlier.


    <i>Knock, knock.</i>


    He knocked on the door of Jeong I-Moon¡¯s room but heard no answer.


    <i>Hrrrrrk...Hrrrrrrk....</i>


    All he could hear was snoring, so loud that it felt as if the entire inn was going to fall apart.


    ¡°Do you know that customer? Please, I¡¯m begging you to do something. He¡¯s snoring so loud it¡¯s going to drive out all my customers!¡±


    The owner of the inn sounded like he was dying.


    ¡°<i>Ahem...</i>¡±


    Feeling embarrassed, Woo-Moon knocked on the door again. This time, too, Jeong Yi-Moon didn¡¯t wake up.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re not intentionally ignoring me. I¡¯ming in!¡±


    After saying that, Woo-Moon went inside. Jeong I-Moon was sprawled across the bed, wearing nothing but his inner robes. His sleeping habits seemed simr to Woo-Moon¡¯s, as Woo-Moon also only wore his inner robes while sleeping.


    ¡°Please wake up. I have something to tell you.¡±


    In an instant, the snoring stopped, and Jeong I-Moon opened only one of his eyes, speaking in an annoyed tone.


    ¡°If it¡¯s something trivial, prepare to be beaten to dust.¡±


    ¡°You hate very, right?¡±


    It was widely known that the de Martial Emperor had appealed to the Emperor several times regarding the abolishment of very.


    ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°Today, I discovered an illegal ve market in Hefei.¡±


    Jeong I-Moon¡¯s eyes opened wide, his sleepiness instantly gone. With a vigorpletely ipatible with someone who had just been woken up, he grabbed his broken saber and shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Not wasting a moment, he headed straight to the Hefei City Government Office.


    ¡°Who are you?! Identify yourself!¡± shouted the official guarding the main gate of the government office when he saw Jeong I-Moon¡¯s magistrate¡¯s attire. From the sneer on his face, he clearly thought it was funny that Jeong I-Moon was still a magistrate at his age.[1]


    ¡°Get out of the way! I am Jeong I-Moon!¡± he said, lightly swinging both of his hands and causing the two officers to fly through the air and fall to either side of the gate.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Normally, he wouldn''t act this recklessly, but he couldn¡¯t help it because he was simply too anxious To think that the kind of ve market that he hated to the core, an illegal ve market that found its wares through kidnapping, had appeared right here!


    ¡°Hefei Prefect! Where is the Hefei Prefect?!!!¡±


    Jeong I-Moon¡¯s booming voice shook the entire Hefei City Government Office. Then, the Hefei Prefect, who hade to the office to do ¡°official work¡± and had just gottenfortable on his desk to enjoy his afternoon nap, was startled awake, thinking that some kind of inspector hade. He hastily put on his clothes and went out.


    ¡°Huh? What is this? Is that idiot over there a magistrate? How dares he bother me?!¡±


    It was preposterous. How could some lowly magistrate, someone five entire ranks below him, dare to think he could call the Hefei Prefect, the owner of thesends, as if he was the emperor himself?!


    ¡°Catch that bastard right now and beat some sense...¡±


    Right as he was about to finish his order, he finally caught sight of Jeong I-Moon proudly lifting his broken saber in the air.


    Specifically, a broken saber with a lion engraved on it.


    1. In Imperial China, and to a lesser extent, Korea, a magistrate was the lowest official of the court. Jeong I-Moon¡¯s position is weird¡ªhe is technically a lowest-tier magistrate, but at the same time, he¡¯s the emperor¡¯s direct subordinate and has absolute authority. ?

 Chapter 63. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (10)

    <h4>Chapter 63. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (10)</h4>


    The Prefect was suddenly reminded of a story he had heard about a magistrate who could speak to the emperor as equals, a story about an Absolute Master! That magistrate was rumored to have been bestowed the Lion God Saber by the previous emperor.


    It was said that the magistrate had originally been a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard¡¯s Investigation Department but had resigned after the Lion God Saber had been broken in a battle against the Heavenly Demon during the Heavenly Demon Rebellion.[1] In shame, he had voluntarily enlisted to the army as a white-marked member and was given the rank of magistrate.[2] However, he wasn¡¯t just any magistrate, and neither was he subordinate to any particr office. He was second under heaven!


    This was just the first of many myth-level stories that followed the Saber Emperor Jeong I-Moon.


    The saber in Jeong I-Moon¡¯s hand was originally an imperial de, and anyone who saw it had to kneel as if facing the Emperor himself. However, as the Lion God Saber was now broken and thus its imperial authority was lost,[3] there technically was no need for the Hefei Prefect to kneel to Jeong I-Moon.


    Nevertheless, the Hefei Prefect quickly made his decision and knelt down. ¡°I-I¡¯vemitted a horrible sin by not recognizing you, great one. Please forgive me!¡±


    The other officials of the Magistrate Bureau, including the bureau chief and the other magistrates who were standing behind the prefect, all knelt as well. Their eyes sparkled as they looked at Jeong I-Moon, a living legend among government officials.


    ¡°We discovered that an illegal ve market that sells kidnapped civilians exists here in Hefei. How the hell did you let this happen?!¡±


    Hearing this, Hefei Prefect Wang Geon-Pyeong was shocked.


    ¡°W-We deeply apologize, great one! We truly had no idea! I-I-If you just tell me the location, I¡¯ll immediately send the bureau chief to arrest them all!¡±


    It was unthinkable that an illegal ve market could exist under his jurisdiction. That was a massive blunder.


    ¡°Good! Let¡¯s go right now!¡±


    Led by Woo-Moon and Jeong I-Moon, all the officials of the Magistrate Bureau, from the bureau chief to the magistrate captain and even the prefect himself, personally headed to the Golden Dragon Bank Branch.


    Woo-Moon could only congratte himself for his idea. Indeed, rather than just freeing everyone and destroying the ve market himself, having the government deal with it was much better.


    The officials of Hefei Province all assembled in the underground ve market secretly created by Go Mu-Dong. Under the guidance of the Hefei magistrates, the ves who had been kidnapped from various ces were set free.


    Now, with this ve market offering the necessary clues, the officials could start tracking down the organizations kidnapping people and those who had bought the illegal ves.


    Although very itself was legal in the empire, kidnapping certainly wasn¡¯t. Thanks to Woo-Moon, the ves were freed, and all those involved in the ve market were captured and dragged out. Finally, Go Mu-Dong himself was dragged out like a dog, not before receiving a solid thrashing on behalf of Jeong I-Moon.


    Go Mu-Dong red at Woo-Moon with eyes so swollen they were nothing more than slits.


    ¡°You devil! I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    Although Go Mu-Dong screamed and fought the entire way, Woo-Moon just smiled and waved his hand to see him off. It was a no-brainer that Go Mu-Dong would be beheaded for this.


    Then, the Hefei Prefect, who had ordered the other officials to confiscate the ledgers of the illegal ve market, approached Woo-Moon with a gleeful expression.


    ¡°Young Hero! You¡¯ve really outdone yourself!¡±


    As he was pleading for mercy and buttering up Jeong I-Moon earlier, he heard that it had actually been Woo-Moon who had made the most significant contribution.


    "It was nothing."


    From the Hefei Prefect¡¯s perspective, the fact that Jeong I-Moon had pushed the credit for the raid to Woo-Moon meant that he really cared about the boy.


    <i>¡®I have to get in this brat¡¯s good graces if I want to get on the Saber Emperor¡¯s good side.¡¯</i>


    ¡°The ve market was a lot bigger than we thought, and we captured most of those in charge with it. It¡¯s connected not only to organizations here but also to organizations in other provinces. All those who contributed to this will likely get huge rewards. In your case, young hero, as you don¡¯t have a government position yet, you may even be able to get a suitable position for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Pardon? Oh... well, I¡¯m not very interested in a government position. If that¡¯s the case, please don¡¯t include my name.¡±


    Wang Geon-Pyeong, genuinely puzzled by Woo-Moon¡¯s words, pressed further.


    ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t want an official position?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t understand Woo-Moon¡¯s refusal to hold office. Any normal person would have jumped at the chance.


    "Nope."


    ¡°Well...alright then? We can¡¯t leave out your name, but when I report, I¡¯ll make sure to write that you aren¡¯t looking for a government position. There will also be financialpensation involved, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, that would be great.¡±


    Woo-Moon didn''t know how much he would get as a reward, but it never hurt to have more money, so he didn¡¯t refuse that part. Leaving the puzzled prefect behind, he then walked up to Jeong I-Moon.


    ¡°Senior, I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah, okay! When you see your grandfatherter, tell him that I¡¯m going toe see him soon and shut that cheap mouth of his.¡±


    Woo-Moon just smiled in return and responded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do just that.¡±


    With that, Woo-Moon returned to the Baek Estate.


    ***


    Somewhere in a room, a girl slowly opened her eyes.


    <i>¡®Where...?¡¯</i>


    As soon as she woke up, she ced her back against a wall and wrapped the nket that covered her around her arm, turning it into a shield. Then, as she looked around with a fiery gaze, someone called out to her in a grumpy tone.


    ¡°You¡¯re not in any danger, so you don¡¯t have to be so tense.¡±


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t feel any bloodlust from him.¡¯</i>


    After realizing there was no bloodlust, the girl looked relieved and looked around. It wasn¡¯t a veryrge room, and it looked very much like any other normal room.


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moon was secretly admiring her face.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s so pretty. I can¡¯t tell who would be more beautiful if Ipared her to junior sister Si-Hyeon. I could tell she was pretty after Mother cleaned her face a little, but now that she¡¯s awake, she looks even more beautiful.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Who, you? What goal?¡±


    ¡°Wow, you sure don¡¯t like talking. Well, I get it. I rescued you from the underground ve market where you were imprisoned. You were in a state of qi deviation when I found you, and I already solved that, but because you still had internal injuries, I brought you here and had my parents take care of you.¡±


    On the off chance that the girl thought he had brought her here to do something to her, Woo-Moon deliberately emphasized that he lived with his parents. Thanks to that, the girl¡¯s guard dropped a little further.


    At that moment, Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin returned from having a drink together.


    ¡°Oh? It looks like you¡¯ve woken up.¡±


    ¡°Are you feeling okay?¡±


    Jin-Jin and Dae-Woong both looked concerned. However, the girl didn¡¯t respond.


    Then, Gun-Ha followed them into the room.


    ¡°Um, oppa... has that pretty unnie woken up?¡± Gun-Ha said in a uniquely slow and quiet voice.


    She was truly worried about the girl, who seemed to be in a simr situation to her and was as beautiful as a fairy.


    The girl''s gaze turnedplicated as she felt the emotions of Jin-Jin, Dae-Woong, and Gun-Ha. She seemed perplexed.


    On the other hand, Woo-Moon was thinking to himself that Gun-Ha became more adorable every time he saw her. She was incredibly nice and kind, very much unlike her brother.


    ¡°Yeah, she just woke up. But I guess she¡¯s a little scared because this ce is still unfamiliar.¡±


    ¡°I-Is that so?¡±


    Gun-Ha hesitated. Then, with all the courage she could muster, she walked up to the girl and took her hand.


    "Unnie... Don¡¯t be scared.¡±


    For some reason, the girl stood still even as Gun-Ha touched her.


    ¡°You can stay here until your internal injuries heal,¡± said Jin-Jin. ¡°We¡¯ll keep you here for the time being.¡±


    ¡°But what is your name?¡± asked Woo-Moon.


    "Name?"


    The girl frowned slightly and thought deeply before answering.


    ¡°Ma-Ra. Name.¡±


    "Ma-Ra? So your name is Ma-Ra, then... Good. Woo-Moon, take Ma-Ra to the empty room near the back of the residence. She can stay there for now. And...¡±


    Jin-Jin went to her wardrobe and took out a gown adorned with white flowers that Dae-Woong had bought with all of his savings when they had been newlyweds.


    ¡°Your clothes are really tattered, so wear this instead.¡±


    MaRa''s clothes were tattered and torn from her time in captivity, so they were little more than rags by this point. Ma-Ra looked at the white flowers with a still gaze for a moment, then epted the gown.


    Dae-Woong cleared his throat, unable to hide his joy.


    ¡°<i>Ahem</i>, did you keep that thing all this time?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did. This is the first gift you gave me after we got married.¡±


    Woo-Moon, who suddenly felt extremely ufortable due to the strange atmosphere in the room, stood up quickly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you to your room. Follow me, Ma-Ra.¡±


    As he walked toward the room, Woo-Moon looked back at Ma-Ra. ¡°Oh, I already asked you for your name. But you don¡¯t know my name yet, right? Aren¡¯t you curious?¡±


    "Curious?"


    "Yes.¡±


    "No."


    As Ma-Ra¡¯s answer really was too short, Woo-Moon simply gave up.


    ¡°Ah...I see. Not curious. Alright...well, anyway, you can stay in this room.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she responded as she entered the room.


    As Woo-Moon followed her in and began exining about the dining area, rear hall, training hall, and the people living in each building, Ma-Ra suddenly began to strip.


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    Before he could say anything, Ma-Ra had already stripped down to her undergarments. Although she looked to be only sixteen or seventeen, her body was already well-developed, curvy where it was supposed to be curvy and slim where it was supposed to be slim.


    ¡°Ahem! W-What are you doing?!¡±


    Woo-Moon hurriedly turned around and looked away. However, the momentary glimpse he had of her body continued to be imprinted in his mind as if it had been a great shock to his system.


    While most people of this era usually got married and started families as early as fourteen or fifteen, Woo-Moon was still aplete virgin who had never even held a woman¡¯s hand before.


    Ma-Ra paid no attention to whether Woo-Moon was embarrassed or not and put on the flower gown that Jin-Jin had given her. Confirming that Ma-Ra had fully dressed by the sound of the clothes rustling, Woo-Moon turned back around.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do things like this. If you wanted to change your clothes, you should have done that after I left.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Woo-Moon was shocked to see Ma-Ra asking him such an obvious question with an expressionless face and a voice that held zero emotion.


    ¡°Why? A grown woman shouldn¡¯t be showing her body to a man she hasn¡¯t married.¡±


    "Can¡¯t?"


    "Of course not!"


    ¡°Okay. From now. Careful.¡±


    Looking at her, it seemed like Ma-Ra really didn''t know about these things.


    <i>¡®What kind of environment did you grow up in...¡¯</i>


    ¡°You. Face. Red.¡±


    Woo-Moon grumbled at her words.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m red. This is the normal response to something like this. Um...anyway...it looks really good on you.¡±


    No, it wasn¡¯t just that it looked good on her; rather, the gown adorned with white flowers suited her so well that it seemed as if it had been made specially for her. The flowers embroidered on the gown made Ma-Ra''s beautiful appearance stand out even more.


    However, Ma-Ra didn¡¯t seem to like it, and she grumbled as she looked at the Flower Gown.


    ¡°Clothes. Ufortable. No good. Killing.¡±


    Obviously, a flower gown was a decorative garment that young women wore simply for its beauty and was by no means a practical garment. It was just a flowery piece of clothing, hence the name.


    It was only then that Woo-Moon had btedly remembered her incredible assassination skills that didn¡¯t match her age.


    <i>¡®To reach that level... even if she cultivated from birth¡ªno, even if she cultivated from her conception, without ever taking time to eat or sleep, it¡¯s an incredible achievement.¡¯</i>


    The more he thought about it, the more he started to understand Ma-Ra¡¯s background and why she was acting the way she was acting.


    <i>¡®Yeah...maybe she really did cultivate exactly like that.¡¯</i>


    Suddenly, he felt sorry for her. However, he didn¡¯t try to ask her about her past. She was most likely anxious due to the unfamiliar surroundings, so the first thing for him to do was to help her calm down. That was also why Jin-Jin hadn¡¯t said much to her, either.


    ¡°Then, rest now.¡±


    1. The Embroidered Uniform Guard was the imperial secret police of Ancient China. They had the highest authority under the emperor, weren¡¯t bound by anyws or jurisdictions, were allowed to act at will, and avoided all due process. ?


    2. To be white-marked is to be demoted to the lowest official rank. It signifies that the individual used to be among the highest ranks and thus is a mark of shame. ?


    3. Generally speaking, imperial items bestowed upon subjects were only broken by order of the Emperor as a punishment and proof of the bestowed falling out of favor. If a bestowed item was destroyed or damaged in any way, it was seen as an insult to the Emperor. ?

 Chapter 64. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (11)

    <h4>Chapter 64. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (11)</h4>


    "Okay,¡± Ma-Ra answered brusquely, after which Woo-Moon returned to his ce to continue his mental image training.


    However, when he tried to concentrate and conjure up a mental image, something that he tried not to think about continued toe back to mind. Although he felt guilty toward Ma-Ra and told himself not to think about it, the image he had seen earlier continued to appear.


    <i>¡®So shapely...so white...¡¯</i>


    The first sight of a woman¡¯s body was too much of a shock for this virgin young man. How could Woo-Moon, who was in the prime of his youth, keep his thoughts from being distracted by such a beautiful sight?


    ***


    <i>Pow!</i>


    A teacup and teapot that were sitting on the table exploded.


    Next, the decorative pottery ced on the shelves exploded one piece after another.


    ¡°<i>Ugh...</i>¡±


    Three masked men in blue prostrating in front of Hye-Ryeong were trembling and suffering under pressure. The intense waves of aura she radiated shook their organs and made them nauseous.


    Hye-Ryeong¡¯s well-groomed hair began to turn azure from the ends as it gently floated toward the sky, strand by strand.


    <i>¡®She...she really is amazing. She has definitely reached at least the Transcendent realm!¡¯</i>


    As the three masked people were filled with awe despite their suffering, Hye-Ryeong spat out through her teeth, ¡°Say it again. Who did you say it was?¡±


    ¡°From what our scouts recognized, based on his appearance and attire, it should be Song Woo-Moon, ma''am,¡± answered the one with the highest rank among the three masked men, grimacing in pain.


    Hye-Ryeong tried her best to suppress her anger but failed.


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon! What a disgusting creature, just like his mother. How dare he ruin my ns!¡±


    The other person in the room, a handsome schr in histe twenties who hadn¡¯t said anything until now, slowly unfurled a palm leaf fan.


    ¡°I heard that the Saber Emperor Jeong I-Moon took action and even brought over the Hefei Prefect as well. Have we handled the loose ends properly?¡± he asked Hye-Ryeong.


    ¡°<i>Hmpf</i>. I¡¯ve already made sure that the people that bastard Go Mu-Dong sent out can¡¯t say anything to anyone. That two-faced bastard... To think he got beaten by a brat! Anyway, I don¡¯t see how they can find out I¡¯m involved, and even if they do, so what? If that old bastard Saber Emperor doesn¡¯t meddle, none of the others will dare to do anything to the Iron Sword Baek Family.¡±


    The difference between a mere branch of the Golden Dragon Bank and the Baek Family was unimaginable. Even though they were also involved in the ve market, the Baek Family wasn¡¯t a force that the government could touch¡ªno, to be exact, Baek Hye-Ryeong herself wasn¡¯t someone they could touch.


    ¡°Good. Then, when do you n to start the revolt?¡±


    Hye-Ryeong had always found the beautiful schr¡¯s smile distasteful. Although she felt like killing him with a single blow every time she faced him, she held herself back. It wasn¡¯t that she was afraid of him. Why would she have to be afraid when she was leagues stronger than he?


    No, she just held herself back as she couldn¡¯t ignore the power behind him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush me. There¡¯s a time for everything.¡±


    Mu Heon, the schr, shamelessly smiled at her cold words.


    ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s wait a little longer.¡±


    ***


    <i>Muwi Jayeon.</i>[1]


    <i>One should act in ordance with thews of nature and to not engage in any forced actions.</i>


    <i>Avoid unnecessary ornaments for the sake of human desires and convenience. They are forced and cause wars and sorrow.</i>


    <i>In order to attain the Dao, one must let go of all such things, escape the confines of worldly matters, enter nature, and live a life of inaction rather than forced action.</i>


    ¡°Whew... it really is frustrating.¡±


    Woo-Moon felt stifled as his head was pounding.


    The Celestial Sect''s Forbidden Divine Art and the Gentle Celestial Sword he had learned were both rooted in Daoism. Thus, Woo-Moon had been reading the <i>Dao De Jing</i> written by the founder of the Celestial Sect, Laozi, for some time now.


    However, the more he read, the more frustrated he became.


    Woo-Moon tapped Eun-Ah on the head as she yed with a small doll at his feet.


    <i>Growl!!</i>


    Eun-Ah had been busy spinning the doll around with her front paws and gently biting it. However, she was delighted by Woo-Moon deciding to y with her. She started to prance around and gently nip at his hands.


    Although Woo-Moon smiled momentarily at that sight, his worries weren¡¯t resolved yet.


    <i>¡®Should I really give up all of my greed and desires and just return to nature to live? Is that really the only path?¡¯</i>


    At that time, something suddenly urred to him.


    Thest words that were delivered upon him by the old Daoist.


    <i>¡°We call it ¡®the Dao,¡¯ but it is not just one path. The Dao makes no distinction between good and evil. That''s why there are holy immortals and devil immortals, wine immortals, evil immortals and sword immortals in this world. Regardless of what others say, do not look at the Dao in the same way that everyone else does. Follow your own path, realize your own truth.¡±</i>


    He hadn¡¯t thought that it was important at the time, but now that he thought back to it again, Woo-Moon realized that the old Daoist had said it because he had expected him to have the dilemma that he was having now.


    The words that seemed nothing but random musings at the time now made so much sense.


    The words had not changed, but he had.


    Woo-Moon realized that just like these words, everything in the world could have a different meaning depending on one¡¯s perspective.


    A single cup of alcohol, a single tael of silver, even a single pebble on the street¡ªthey could all encapste the meaning of existence that his eyes were unable to see.


    <i>¡®Ah...¡¯</i>


    As his head became clearer, he could feel the image of the Gentle Celestial Sword bing clearer and the energy of the Forbidden Divine Technique roaring inside him with greater vigor.


    Nothing in the world had just a single meaning.


    That said, even though he realized the true intent behind this statement and his martial skills had improved, unfortunately, it still wasn¡¯t the answer to his greatest concern. It was just a realization from a tangent to his path.


    Still, the old Daoist¡¯s words were quiteforting.


    <i>¡®A Sword Immortal... I will follow my own path and realize my own truth.¡¯</i>


    It wasn¡¯t like Woo-Moon to keep grumbling over never-ending worries. With his new realizations in mind, he simply stood up and left his room.


    In the training hall, the young guards and Dok-Ryeok-Rat trio were training. He demonstrated a few punches for them and taught them the correct posture.


    Then, Jin-Jin came to him and said, ¡°Hey, that girl you brought over.... She doesn¡¯te out or eat at all. Please go and see if she¡¯s okay.¡±


    She was referring to Ma-Ra. It had already been two days since she had arrived. However, ording to Jin-Jin, from the moment she had entered the room until now, she hadn¡¯te out even once.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon went to Ma-Ra¡¯s room and knocked on the door.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, are you in there?¡±


    "Here."


    ¡°Can Ie in?¡±


    "Can."


    Ma-Ra was sitting cross-legged on her bed. It didn''t look like there was any particr problem with her, so Woo-Moon was relieved.


    "Are not you hungry?"


    "Hungry,¡± she responded, her answering out almost immediately.


    Confused, Woo-Moon asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go eat then? I heard you haven¡¯te out a single time since yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Resting.¡±


    ¡°What?"


    Woo-Moon looked dumbfounded for a moment at her words. Soon, he remembered thest thing that he had said to Ma-Ra.


    <i>¡°Then, rest now.¡±</i>


    Woo-Moon had only assumed that Ma-Ra simply didn¡¯t know much about how the world worked, as she had done nothing but train in the art of assassination all this time. However, hearing her logic, he realized that there may be more problems than that for this seventeen-year-old girl.


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me that you¡¯ve been resting all this time because I told you to do so yesterday?¡±


    When Ma-Ra nodded her head without hesitation, Woo-Moon felt a serious headacheing.


    ¡°I mean, I know I said to rest, but if you¡¯re hungry, you should eat. I¡¯m not your master, why do you wait like this and starve yourself just because I said you should rest?¡±


    Ma-Ra quietly pointed her finger at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°You,¡± she said. Then she pointed at herself. ¡°Save me. Favor. Listen tomand.¡±


    ¡°No¡ªI mean, yes, it is good to return a favor. But that doesn¡¯t mean you have to literally do only what I say. That¡¯s not how it works.¡±


    ¡°Repay favor. Listen tomand.¡±


    ¡°No, what I¡¯m trying to say is...¡±


    ¡°Repay. Favor. Listen tomand.¡±


    From that point on, Ma-Ra only kept repeating the same thing no matter what Woo-Moon would say to persuade her. Eventually, Woo-Moon realized that there would be no end to this argument and shook his head.


    ¡°You must be starving. Get up, let¡¯s go eat.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    In the span of eating a meal together and returning to the room, Woo-Moon realized something important about the girl.


    There was nothing proactive about any of Ma-Ra¡¯s actions. She only reacted passively to whatever Woo-Moon told her. He wondered why she would follow his words like this.


    <i>¡®Hmm... is she acting sort of like a puppy and following me around just because I saved her? How was she raised...¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon could only sigh inwardly and swear he¡¯d beat up those who had raised her. His curiosity now roused, he turned to Ma-Ra.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to know about your past. Would you tell me?¡±


    ¡°Father, Assassin Master of Formless Veil. Learned assassination art from Assassin Master.¡±


    ¡°... is that it?¡±


    "Yes."


    In the end, Woo-Moon had no choice but to ask about every separate detail, one by one. Fortunately, Ma-Ra answered all of his questions honestly. Unfortunately, every answer was just too damn short.


    She was born with a special talent for martial arts. That was why, from a young age, she had held a sword rather than a doll, learned the art of concealment rather than the art of childish pranks, and learned to kill rather than to love. As he listened to her, Woo-Moon realized that the reason she was so passive now was, in short, her father''s treatment of her.


    It was just the way she had been raised from an early age.


    She had never been left to do anything on her own and had always been made to do whatever her father had wished, leading to her wooden personality.


    Ma-Ra¡¯s first kill was done when she was twelve years old, and at that age, she had already been skilled enough to be a First Rank Assassin. When she turned sixteen, she was skilled enough to be one of the four Special Rank Assassins in the Formless Veil.


    ¡°Then, how did you end up captured in the ve market, and suffering from qi deviation at that? What happened to the Formless Veil?¡±


    Although it seemed as though the Formless Veil Assassin Master hadn¡¯t treated Ma-Ra with any of the love she deserved as his daughter, Woo-Moon still didn¡¯t think that he would have sold Ma-Ra, who was such an important asset, to a ve market. He just couldn¡¯t reconcile how a Special Rank Assassin, someone akin to a goose thatid golden eggs for any assassination organization, could end up as a ve.


    ¡°All Special Rank Assassins went out on kill order. All failed. Few dayster, woman who requested came with sword masters. Everyone dead now.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who that woman was?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what she looks like?¡±


    ¡°Cannot describe. Can identify.¡±


    At that time, Dok-Du suddenly came to see Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Young Master, Young Master!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We just received a notice asking for you to attend the council of elders today.¡±


    Woo-Moon frowned.


    It seemed like there was something troublesome waiting for him, considering they were requesting him to attend a council of elders after being quiet all this time.


    ¡°Okay. Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Dok-Du nced sideways at Ma-Ra as he left.


    <i>¡®Wow... she¡¯s really pretty. It¡¯s strange how many beautiful women there are around that damned bastard demon.¡¯</i>


    Whether it was Woo-Moon¡¯s mother, his junior sister Si-Hyeon, or even Ma-Ra, who had only just recently appeared, they were all beauties of a caliber that Dok-Du had never seen before in his life. Even Gun-Ha, his little proteg¨¦e, was extremely cute and promised to be a major beauty herself in the future.


    With his curiosity about Ma-Ra¡¯s background now satisfied, Woo-Moon stood up. He was concerned about her, but business came first.


    ¡°When you get hungry, go out and eat on your own. Also, it¡¯ll be boring being alone in this room, so go outside and walk a bit.¡±


    ¡°Boring? Don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°If I leave here now, there won¡¯t be anyone else for you to talk to, right? There¡¯s nothing for you to do here, either. It¡¯ll be boring.¡±


    ¡°...don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll just have to figure it out slowly. I¡¯m heading out now. Rest, and if you get sleepy, you cany down and sleep.¡±


    Ma-Ra sat cross-legged on her bed.


    "Okay."


    Woo-Moon went out to attend the council of elders while Ma-Ra sat cross-legged with her eyes closed. No matter how much time passed, she wouldn¡¯t move a single finger, or at least, not until someone ordered her to do so.


    ***


    The council of elders was chaired by Baek Mu-Hoon, the head of the family.


    ¡°Therefore, it has been decided that people will be sent from the Namgoong Family and our Baek Family tounch an evil subduing campaign. We will be moving against the Mount Qian Sect and the Three Peak Monsters of the Red Fog Valley, who have be notorious these days. They...¡±


    1. This is <i>wuwei ziran </i>(Ÿožé ×ÔÈ»), an actual concept in <i>Dao De Jing</i> that means pretty much what¡¯s exined in the chapter. It¡¯s not technically inaction so much as not forcing things and letting them flow naturally. ?

 Chapter 65. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (12)

    <h4>Chapter 65. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (12)</h4>


    Mu-Hoon continued exining the rationale of the campaign by listing the evil deedsmitted by the Mount Qian Sect and the Red Fog Valley.


    ¡°Now, as for the personnel to be dispatched by the family... I will personally go to the greater of the two factions, the Mount Qian Sect, with the first division of the Invincible Forged Squadron as well as the Dragon Fang Squadron and the Eagle Talon Squadron of the Iron Sword Four Beast Battalion.¡±


    Apart from the guard forces of the individual branches, there were a total of four armed forces in the Baek Family.


    The Invincible Forged Squadron, which was directly subordinate to the family head and was formed entirely out of direct bloodline descendants of the Baek Family, clearly took the lead over the other three battalions as the strongest force in the family.


    Then, there was the Iron Sword Ferocious Strike Battalion and the Soaring Heaven Battalion, which wereposed of both Baek n members and vassal n warriors in equal numbers. They were more or lessparable in strength to each other and they were standing in the middle of the ranks.


    Finally, there was the Iron Sword Four Beast Battalion,posed entirely of recruited warriors belonging to the Family and ranked at the bottom.


    The number of people belonging to each battalion was inversely proportional with the strength of the battalion, with the Iron Sword Four Beast Battalion consisting of a total of 600 people, the Iron Sword Ferocious Strike Battalion and the Soaring Heavens Battalionposed of 350 and 300 people respectively, and the Invincible Forged Squadron consisting of 200 people.


    ¡°On the other side, the Lion Fang Squadron and the Tiger Fang Squadron of the Iron Sword Four Beast Battalion, as well as the Ten Distinguished Swords, will be deployed to deal with the Red Fog Valley and the Three Peak Monsters.¡±


    The Ten Distinguished Swords was a term used to refer to the ten most exceptional members of the younger generation, the people who would be responsible for the future of the Baek Family.


    It was then that one of the elders raised an objection.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there too few Peak Martial Artists going to the Red Fog Valley? Moreover, isn¡¯t Heon-Wan injured and unable to move? They¡¯re not really Ten Distinguished Swords now.¡±


    As soon as the elder finished speaking, everyone nced at Woo-Moon with disapproving gazes. Although he found that quite irritating, Woo-Moon held his head high, with a ¡°the hell do you want from me?¡± attitude.


    ¡°Yes. That was why I came up with an alternative solution. Right now, not only do we have a surplus of martial artists in our family, but isn¡¯t there someone who is the same age as the Ten Distinguished Swords and also reached the Peak level?¡±


    Woo-Moon suddenly felt a chill spread throughout his body.


    ¡°...for that reason, I think that Cousin Woo-Moon is the right person to apany them to the Red Fog Valley.¡±


    At the head''s concluding remarks, those who knew the oue of the ¡°spar¡± between Baek Heon-Won and Woo-Moon nodded their heads, agreeing that it was a reasonable substitution.


    Woo-Moon reacted a bitte. ¡°Wait, you want me to do that?¡±


    He was surprised, but that did not mean he was about to refuse. From the moment he had entered the Baek Family with his grandfather, <i>Baek </i>Sang-Woon, he had be a member of the Family. Thus, it wasn¡¯t right for him to be absent from a family matter. At the very least, shouldn¡¯t he do something in return for the pretty hefty sum he received to maintain their family prestige?


    ¡°Yes. You should lead your nephews to the Red Fog Valley.¡±


    Mu-Hoon had actually been quite close with Jin-Jin when he was younger. Although it could have been difficult for them to get close due to the hierarchy gap, their actual rtionship was much closer than that¡ªafter all, even though she was his second aunt on paper, Jin-Jin was closer in age to him than to his parents. Moreover, because he was constantly mistreated and ignored by his older sisters, it was only natural that Mu-Hoon liked and relied on Jin-Jin more. Unlike Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong, she was a genuinely good person, with a warm heart.


    Thus, the way he looked at Woo-Moon now was also favorable.


    In turn, the other elders also didn¡¯t appear to have much of a problem with this; as long as Woo-Moon¡¯s own skills were up to par, they had no reason to oppose the idea.


    However, Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong were not the same. Of course, they were ufortable with the fact that Woo-Moon, the son of that bitch Jin-Jin and someone who was most likely to be their greatest enemy, was going to be given the opportunity to umte merit.


    However, before they could step forward, Baek Myeong-Ju spoke first.


    ¡°Patriarch, Woo-Moon has only recently joined the family and has not received proper military strategy or leadership training. If you have him lead the team as the highest-ranking figure, that will cause a lot of anxiety among the troops.¡±


    <i>¡®How difficult could it be? I just have to go out there, fight, win, and return.¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon inwardly grumbled at Baek Myeong-Ju¡¯s words, which seemed to belittle his prowess, Mu-Hoon responded in turn.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. I actually thought about that as well, and I n to give Ye-Ye the same authority as Woo-Moo.¡±


    After he finished, Mu-Hoon unconsciously looked over at his two elder sisters.


    The first of the Ten Distinguished Swords was Baek Do-Gun, the eldest son of Hye-Ryeong. Mu-Hoon knew that if he let Baek Do-Gun lead the mission, Ju-Ryeong would be put in an awkward position. That was because, as sisters, they moved together during any conflicts, but at the same time, they continued to keep each other in check and didn¡¯t like it if the other¡¯s son received any more attention than their own. Thus, he had named his own daughter, who was also part of the group.


    The elders also secretly watched Hye-Ryeong¡¯s and Ju-Ryeong¡¯s reactions.


    As expected, Ju-Ryeong slightly nodded her head. Although she was displeased that her son wasn¡¯t part of this mission, she could overlook it considering that Hye-Ryeong¡¯s son hadn¡¯t been chosen to lead it. In fact, they both had the exact same thought.


    <i>¡®Baek Ye-Ye¡¯s abilities are quite amazing, especially considering she¡¯s the daughter of that half-wit Mu-Hoon. Still, regardless of her abilities, she¡¯s still just a girl. There¡¯s nothing for me to worry about in the future fight over my son¡¯s session.¡¯</i>


    When neither Hye-Ryeong nor Ju-Ryeong raised any objections, Mu-Hoon continued with relief.


    ¡°Both teams will depart in fifteen days. Until then, we should all work together to prepare.¡±


    The council of elders finally ended, and Woo-Moon left the meeting hall faster than anyone else in order to escape the tingling and itchy feeling all over his body.


    <i>¡®Wow, I just kept getting more and more bored to the point I thought I was going to die.¡¯</i>


    When he was finally able to return to the Song Family Residence, it was already evening.


    The first thing he did was go to his parents and tell them the results of the council of elders.


    ¡°Are you saying you are going on an expedition?¡±


    "Yes."


    Although they were worried, Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin quickly nodded.


    ¡°Okay. It should be good for you to gain this experience faster, considering you want to live as a martial artist.¡±


    ¡°We believe in you, son. Your cultivation should be more than enough for this, so we¡¯re not worried about you.¡±


    After exining the expedition, Woo-Moon told his parents what he had discovered about Ma-Ra.


    While Jin-Jin only let out a soft sigh, Dae-Woong burst into sobs, the tears he had been holding back during Woo-Moon¡¯s story now cascading from his eyes.


    ¡°<i>Uwaahhh</i>, what a pitiful child. How could she grow up like that...¡±


    Jin-Jin hugged Dae-Woong and patted him on the back. To think she had to console her husband while she herself was staying strong...


    ¡°In that case, staying alone in a room is by no means good for her. From now on, you have to keep that child by your side and stay with her. She¡¯ll get better little by little if she lives with apanion,¡± she said to Woo-Moon.


    Ma-Ra had two issues.


    The first was that she was so passive that she couldn¡¯t even go eat on her own, so right now, Woo-Moon had to literally order her to eat and sleep.


    The second was that none of the emotions or curiosity that a person should generally feel existed for her. She was like a heartless wooden doll. Living alone as she had in the Formless Veil just wasn¡¯t a method that could fix such a problem. She had to get along with people to feel these emotions, have fun, and learn what it was like to live for herself.


    ¡°Pardon? You mean with me?¡±


    ¡°Then shall we do it?¡±


    ¡°N-no, I¡¯ll do it, I guess.¡±


    After discussing some other random things, Woo-Moon then followed his mother¡¯s advice and went toward Ma-Ra¡¯s room. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, just as she had when Woo-Moon hade earlier.


    For some reason, his heart ached when he saw her.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, have you eaten?¡±


    "No."


    ¡°You¡¯re hungry, right?¡±


    "Yes."


    ¡°I told you to go eat if you¡¯re hungry, didn¡¯t I? What are you doing here all alone? Is there anything you had in mind?¡±


    ¡°Mind? No.¡±


    It was just that she existed with no thought.


    Rather than looking sympathetic or full of pity, Woo-Moon instead smiled yfully.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go out. You¡¯re going to travel alongside me from now on.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Woo-Moon thought for a moment about how to respond. However, he soon decided it would be better just to tell the truth.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, did you ever do something because you wanted to do it?¡±


    Ma-Ra frowned and thought for a moment.


    "Never."


    ¡°No, when you were really young, you probably had times when you acted or spoke for yourself. You must have had some curiosity then, too. However, how your father educated you probably made you change the way you are now.¡±


    ¡°Me now?¡±


    ¡°Not acting on your own, but acting only when others tell you what to do. That¡¯s why you have such a passive way of thinking and are void of any normal emotions.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a good thing. Ma-Ra, you have to be able to think for yourself, do things because you want to, and feel emotions. The way that you are now... it¡¯s the same as having a sickness of the heart.¡±


    ¡°Sickness...? Can¡¯t tell.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you how to tell from now on. So, for now,e out of this room, and from now on, let¡¯s travel together.¡±


    ¡°Always? Then sickness will be cured?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It seemed straightforward enough. However, Woo-Moon really didn¡¯t realize how big a ripple effect the words he had just said would have. If he knew, he would have considered his words a lot more carefully before talking to her.


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s go and get something to eat.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    When Woo-Moon went out to eat with Ma-Ra, the two of them drew innumerable curious and envious looks, especially from the young men around. That was because Ma-Ra was more stunning than all of the beauties in the Baek Family, including the Baek Family¡¯s Three Flowers, who were famous in the region for their beauty.


    However, she was apanied by Woo-Moon. Not only was he in the same generation as the Patriarch, but his skills wereparable to those of Baek Heon-Won and they were coupled with a personality that matched the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s like two drops of water. Of course, none of the men dared to approach Ma-Ra and speak to her. Rather, they just looked at Woo-Moon with gazes filled with envy.


    After the meal, Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra went back to his courtyard to check on his guards.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Thanks to their hard training, the young men¡¯s movements had be much fiercer and more powerful than before. In addition, because of Woo-Moon¡¯s rigorous emphasis on the foundation, they were actually superior to most warriors of the Baek Family in terms of lower body stability.


    <i>¡®But why do these brats have so much strength today?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon could see that the guards were much more passionate than usual, putting their all into their training as if they were determined to work until they dropped dead. Of course, though he was oblivious to it, the reason they were doing so was that Ma-Ra was watching them alongside him.


    As an assassin, she had grown up in an obscured room without any sun from a young age, leaving her skin not only white but almost transparent. As dusk fell, a golden glow appeared on her face and left her already dazzling skin even more radiant, taking her beauty to another level.


    With a beauty beyond their wildest dreams watching them, it was inevitable that the guards, who were at the peak of their youth, would puff out their chests and act manly.


    ¡°Ah Sam! How is it? Do you think you can sense qi now?¡±


    In response to Woo-Moon''s question, Ah Sam blushed slightly, as if he was ashamed of histe progress.


    ¡°...Yes, sir. I sensed itst night.¡±


    ¡°Good! Now then, I can teach you all how to use a qi cultivation method.¡±


    The second those words left his lips, everyone''s eyes sparkled.


    A qi cultivation method!


    Moreover, this was one taught to them by Song Woo-Moon, the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor and a master who had defeated a genius of the younger generation of the Baek Family!


    They couldn''t help but have high expectations, whether it was the guards, who had only recently entered the world of martial arts, or the Dok-Ryeok-Rat trio, the most powerful of whom was just Third ss.


    ¡°I¡¯ll exin the method and recite the mantra for you, so make sure you memorize it in its entirety.¡±


    With these words, Woo-Moon recited a few times the mantra of the qi cultivation method that he had created himself after five revisions.


    ¡°That¡¯s as much as you get. If you haven¡¯t memorized it yet, that¡¯s your own fault for being slow. Ask someone who memorized it to recite it for you¡±


    As this was everyone¡¯s first time learning a proper qi cultivation method, and some of them knew nothing whatsoever about cultivation, none of them could really tell how good it was. Thus, even though everyone worked diligently to memorize the mantra and the exnations, they didn¡¯t seem terribly enthusiastic.


    ¡°What do you think, Ma-Ra?¡± said Woo-Moon


    "About?"


    ¡°The qi cultivation method I just gave them.¡±

 Chapter 66. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (13)

    <h4>Chapter 66. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (13)</h4>


    ¡°Incredible.¡±


    Although Ma-Ra was only seventeen, she had such high cultivation that she had even been ssified as a Special Rank Assassin by the Formless Veil. To have someone as outstanding as her evaluate the qi cultivation method as ¡°incredible,¡± the eyes of those who had learned it from Woo-Moon shone even more.


    ¡°How does itpare to the cultivation method you learned originally, Ma-Ra?¡±


    ¡°Not good for killing. But, foundation good. Easy to adapt. Good to learn with Flowing Shadow Killing Art.¡±


    The Flowing Shadow Killing Art was probably the name of the qi cultivation method that Ma-Ra had learned at the Formless Veil.


    ¡°Right? It¡¯ll probably be helpful for you, too. It¡¯s stable and adaptable. So it won¡¯t sh with any other techniques. You learn this, too.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ma-Ra sat down on the spot and recited the mantra, circting her qi ording to the method that Woo-Moon had just exined.


    ¡°By the way, do you mind gracing us with the name of this qi cultivation method?¡± Rat asked, finding a lull in the conversation. Dok-Du had most likely prodded him to step forward.


    ¡°A name? Hm...¡±


    Woo-Moon realized that he had contemted the cultivation method for so long that he hadn¡¯t been able to name it yet.


    <i>¡®Dang it, whatever.¡¯</i>


    Not bothered enough to contemte a unique name for it, Woo-Moon just mixed the names of the two qi cultivation methods he had based it on.


    ¡°The Three Aspects and Six Harmonies Art.¡±


    Although the children who didn¡¯t know what the concept of <i>cool</i> actually meant thought that it was an incredible name, Jae-Hwa and the Dok-Ryeok-Gwi trio frowned at Woo-Moon¡¯sck of fucks to give. Anyone with a bit of education could see that all he had done wasbine the names of the Cultivation of the Three Aspects and the Six Harmonies Art, right?


    The Cultivation of the Three Aspects was a low-level qi cultivation method that could be found for less than a tael, even within rural bookstores. The same went for the Six Harmonies Art.


    However, times like this were where Rat¡¯s excellent social skills truly shone.


    ¡°What an incredible name! The Three Aspects and Six Harmonies Art, I see! As expected of such an incredible art!¡±


    ¡°Right? Hehehe. As expected, you¡¯re my favorite, Rat.¡±


    ¡°Hehe...¡±


    Dok-Du and Ryeok-Gwi red at the sight of Rat¡¯s bright smile, only for their res to be ignored. Regardless of how they had found themselves in this position, if they wanted to livefortably, they had to impress Woo-Moon, who was not only their boss but an actually influential character.


    ¡°Ah, speaking of that, what do you think you¡¯re doing?! Aren¡¯t you going to cultivate your qi?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes sir, sorry sir!¡±


    Everyone hurriedly sat cross-legged.


    ¡°You have to circte your qi intentionally at first and pay a lot of attention, but once you get used to it, you¡¯ll be able to cultivate even while you¡¯re walking, eating, or sleeping. It¡¯s not going to be as fast as when you sit down and focus, but even the meat on the neck of a chicken is still meat. If you keep umting all day, every day, eventually you¡¯ll reach a high level.¡±


    The qi cultivation method that Woo-Moon had created wasn¡¯t just mashing together the original Cultivation of the Three Aspects and the Six Harmonies Art. Although these two basic qi cultivation methods ounted for most of it, it also contained things that Woo-Moon had glimpsed as he experienced the enlightenment of the Forbidden Divine Art, as well as things he had realized while studying his grandfather¡¯s book, the <i>Martial Arts Fundamentals</i> that Woo-Moon.


    Naturally, it wasn¡¯t as good as the Forbidden Divine Art, but even so, the Three Aspects and Six Harmonies Art was a cultivation method that could easily rank at the top of <i>gangho</i> and even reach the level of major sects¡¯ cultivation methods.


    Woo-Moon waited patiently and watched as the guards learned the Three Aspects and Six Harmonies Art, asionally noticing that someone had a problem and guiding their qi correctly.


    Finally, after two hours had passed, everyone, including Ma-Ra, hadpleted their first cirction of qi following the mantra of the Three Aspects and Six Harmonies Art.


    ¡°Good, it should be fine if I let you do your own thing now. Remember, don¡¯t forget to circte your qi ording to this method all the time, everywhere. I mean even when you¡¯re sleeping or using the toilet.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    It was already deep into the night. Yawning, Woo-Moon headed toward his room. ¡°Ma-Ra, let¡¯s go to sleep now. You should go to your room and sleep, too.¡±


    However, there wasn¡¯t any answer from Ma-Ra.


    Without paying much attention to it, Woo-Moon went to his room, took off his clothes, andy down when, suddenly, someone came in.


    ¡°Ma-Ra?¡± he said. He was instantly flustered, as he was almost naked, and it waste at night. This was definitely not the time for a grown man and a woman to be in the same room.


    What was even more surprising was that Ma-Ra proceeded to disrobe and climb into his bed. The next moment, he felt something soft touch his skin.


    ¡°Aaah!!! What are you doing, Ma-Ra?! Hurry up and go to your own room!¡±


    However, Ma-Ra¡¯s voice and face were still expressionless.


    ¡°Sick. Must cure.¡±


    It was only then that Woo-Moon remembered what he had said to Ma-Ra earlier¡ªthat in order to cure her illness, she always had to be by his side.


    ¡°I mean, yes, I know I told you we had to travel together, but we should still stay apart when we sleep. You can¡¯t be like this right now.¡±


    ¡°Sick. Must cure.¡±


    An assassin must always keep their body in the best condition¡ªthis was the first thing Ma-Ra had been taught and one she was told over and over again as the rule more important than anything else. With this rule now ingrained in her very bones, all she knew was that in order to be ¡°cured,¡± she had to stay with Woo-Moon at all times.


    Rather than focusing on Woo-Moon¡¯s instructions to sleep separately, she prioritized her father¡¯s words and the word ¡°always¡± that Woo-Moon had said earlier. Thus, no matter how much heined, Ma-Ra insisted stubbornly, leaving Woo-Moon no choice but to take a step back.


    ¡°Fine. You don¡¯t have to go to your room. Instead, I¡¯ll sleep on the floor, so you sleep on the bed. Okay?¡±


    ¡°No. I sleep on the floor,¡± she said before lying down directly on the floor next to his bed.


    Woo-Moon scratched his head and gave up. He took out an extra mattress and nket from storage andid them out on the floor.


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s sleep.¡±


    As Ma-Ray down with her eyes closed, Woo-Moon soon heard the sound of her even breathing. Moreover, even though she wasn¡¯t wearing a fragrance sachet,[1] the scent of her body wafted up to Woo-Moon¡¯s nose.


    Woo-Moon couldn''t rx and kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep for over an hour.


    <i>¡®...I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯</i>


    On the other hand, Ma-Ra seemed to be sleeping soundly, without any issues.


    Woo-Moon eventually stood carefully so as not to wake Ma-Ra, picked up his sword, and left the room.


    ¡°The moon is so bright.¡±


    His body and mind, which had been restless and filled with vigor, seemed to rx and settle down as he breathed in the cold night air.


    <i>¡®So in the end, I¡¯m a man just like any other man, huh.¡¯</i>


    With a bitter smile, Woo-Moon entered the darkness of the night, flying forward like a wild bird toward the clearing in the forest that he often frequented. He drew his sword out of its scabbard, and the steel shimmered with quiet elegance as it was bathed in the soft moonlight.


    Woo-Moon found that his sword was mesmerizingly beautiful when he saw it in the brightness of day, and now, he noticed that the light of the full moon also made it look spectacr in its own way. They each had its own different charm.


    Woo-Moon stretched out his index and middle fingers to form a finger sword and swept them across the de illuminated by the moonlight.


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s arm left behind an afterimage as he shed down with his sword.


    <i>Shiiing!</i>


    A leaf that was gently drifting to the ground was cut in two perfect halves.


    With a pleased smile on his face, Woo-Moon turned his sword and stepped backward, moving in a circle as he began practicing his swordsmanship, cutting and thrusting, visualizing enemiesing at him from all eight directions.


    The de reflected tens, hundreds of small floating lights as fireflies, attracted by its glow, came from all directions and flew around him. And even though Woo-Moon¡¯s sword dance was apanied by fierce winds, the fireflies merely swayed in the wind, not a single one touched by the de.


    A single point, a single step, a single moment!


    As he fell into a trance, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword strikes gradually increased in force, speed, and unpredictability. It moved faster and faster every second, until its speed and power reached the climax!


    His sword glowed with a golden light and created a sword river, merging into a single technique. A technique faster and wilder than Heavy Rain, a technique broader and mightier than Raging Wind.


    <i>Rumble!!!</i>


    What an incredible force!


    ¡°Ah...!!¡±


    It was the first technique that he had performed after waking from his dream¡ªRaging Storm!


    The moment he reproduced it, Woo-Moon woke up from his trance and let out a happy exmation.


    ¡°I did it, I finally did it!¡± Woo-Moon clenched his fists, a cheerful expression lighting his face.


    This time, unlike before, Raging Storm didn¡¯t return to the fog in his mind like it had done before. He could remember it clearly, over and over again, and he now clearly understood how everything worked and how he was supposed to use it.


    <i>¡®I can use it again! But...¡¯</i>


    He hadn¡¯t realized it as he had been so absorbed in the joy of finally relearning Raging Storm, but he could feel extreme exhaustion spreading throughout his entire body.


    Before he noticed it, Woo-Moon had already used up nearly half of his qi reserves. Moreover, as it turned out, using Raging Storm was also physically difficult for him in spite of his well-trained body, as if he had run an all-out sprint for a long time without using any qi.


    ¡°This technique uses up both my qi and my stamina, and pretty badly at that. If I want to use it in an actual fight, I¡¯ll need to think carefully and use it with caution. I can¡¯t keep using it casually, it has to be the killing blow.¡±


    Regardless of the restrictions on its use, Woo-Moon felt like he could fly when he thought that he had finally relearned Raging Storm. He couldn''t help butugh out loud.


    "Haha, hahaha, hahahahahahahaha!"


    Woo-Moon had been up all night, unable to sleep due to Ma-Ra¡¯s sudden visit. However, that had actually turned out to be a good thing.


    ***


    <i>¡®Ugh. My stomach...¡¯</i>


    The next afternoon, while he was with Ma-Ra, Woo-Moon found himself in a difficult position. He had to go relieve himself, but Ma-Ra stood in his way.


    <i>¡®Well, I can¡¯t help it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Ma-Ra, what¡¯s that over there? Go see what it is for a moment for me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After distracting Ma-Ra like that, Woo-Moon used his movement technique to its full potential and rushed toward the outhouse.


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    However, the moment he untied his pants and dropped them to the ground, he suddenly heard a cracking sound in front of him.


    ¡°Surprised. Why disappear?¡±


    Ma-Ra appeared right in front of him, having torn off the door to the outhouse.


    Although she had said she was surprised, her face remained expressionless.


    Moreover, even though Woo-Moon himself was shocked to the point of screaming, Ma-Ra was perfectly indifferent to the sight of Woo-Moon with his pants down. At the very least, the good news was that he hadn¡¯t dropped his underwear.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a little too much?¡±


    In response to Woo-moon¡¯s perplexed words, Ma-Ra calmly asked back, "What?"


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s continue talking with the door closed. It¡¯s okay for there to be a door between us, right? I won¡¯t run this time.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As Ma-Ra returned thepletely torn-off door to its hinges, Woo-Moon let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°<i>Whew...</i> Just what sin did Imit in my past life?¡±


    ***


    Five dayster, Woo-Moon went to see Si-Hyeon at the manor that she had bought.


    ¡°Ah, senior brother!¡± Si-Hyeon greeted him warmly.


    But when she saw Ma-Raing in one step behind him, her expression hardened.


    ¡°Junior sister, it¡¯s been two days. How have you been doing?¡±


    When Woo-Moon greeted her, Si-Hyeon smiled so quickly that it seemed as though her cold expression had never been there.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing well. Have you been well, senior brother?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But by the way, this ce is pretty nice! Is this going to be the Leebi Guild¡¯s headquarters?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will definitely raise the Leebi Guild properly and make it the greatest merchant guild that ever existed on the continent! Of course, you should also be excited too, senior brother! After all, you have a pretty big share in the guild!¡±


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s eyes shone brightly as she spoke. Thinking it was nice to see her enthusiasm, Woo-Moon smiled.


    ¡°By the way, senior brother. You seem quite close to that young maiden there, don¡¯t you?¡± Si-Hyeon continued, this time with a slight venom in her voice.


    However, Woo-Moon was entirely oblivious to the change in atmosphere.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, about that...¡± Woo-Moon exined what had happened, adding that his parents had ordered him to keep Ma-Ra around him in order to help her get used to people.


    ¡°Ah, is that so...?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Woo-Moon wandered and looked around the manor that would be the Leebi Merchant Guild in the future. It was much smaller than the Baek Family Estate, but that was only because of the sheer size and status of an Ancient Family. For an up-anding guild like Si-Hyeon¡¯s, it was more than impressive.


    ¡°So, things are going well, then?¡±


    ¡°Well, right now, we are approaching the nearby stores and merchants and encouraging them to join our guild or partner with us. In addition, we¡¯ve started hiring people by putting up hiring notices, and we are trying to meet and build rtionships with influential figures in both the government and the business sectors. Oh, that¡¯s right! Didn¡¯t you say somethingst time?¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡±


    1. Traditionally, women wore sachets of medicine/fragrance/incense instead of putting on perfume. ?

 Chapter 67. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (14)

    <h4>Chapter 67. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (14)</h4>


    ¡°You said that you were acquainted with the Hefei Prefect.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Yes, I did,¡± Woo-Moon said, now remembering. In fact, a letter hade from the Hefei prefect just yesterday.


    <i>¡®He wanted me to go visit him.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Then, please introduce me to the Hefei Prefect.¡±


    ¡°Really? Well, if you want to see him, then why don¡¯t we go right now? I just happen to have some business there.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Right away?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Having tied down the ox, Si-Hyeon figured that she might as well cut off the horns.[1]Thus, Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon quickly set off for the Hefei Prefecture government office.


    ¡°Oh, oh! Young hero Song! I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡±


    When Wang Geon-Pyeong heard that Woo-Moon hade to visit, he was delighted and came out to meet him.


    ¡°Hello, Prefect Wang.¡±


    The two people exchanged small pleasantries for a while, and then Wang Geon-Pyeong looked over at Si-Hyeon and Ma-Ra.


    ¡°By the way, young hero Song, who are these beauties you brought with you? They must be your betrothed, correct?¡±


    Although it was true that people in Murim tended to get married a littleter[2], most ordinary people would have already been married at Woo-Moon¡¯s age, even more so for someone of his status, a child of an influential person in society.


    Thus, it was more than understandable for Wang Geon-Pyeong to misunderstand.


    ¡°No,¡± Ma-Ra said coldly, with an expressionless face.


    On the other hand, Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon¡¯s faces turned red.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t, Prefect Wang.¡±


    ¡°N-no!¡±


    ¡°Oh, pardon my misunderstanding, young hero! Then, would you mind introducing the two of them?¡±


    As he spoke, Wang Geon-Pyeong red at Ma-Ra. To think this little girl dared to speak so brusquely to him despite not even being Song Woo-Moon¡¯s betrothed! However, when Ma-Ra stared back at him with a frosty, cold gaze, he flinched in fear.


    <i>¡®W-what the hell is she? Why is her stare so terrifying? Someone might mistake her for some kind of merciless killer with a re like that.¡¯</i>


    ¡°This is my junior disciple-sister. She is also the Guild Master of the Leebi Merchant Guild.¡±


    Si-Hyeon bowed her head politely, feeling grateful to Woo-Moon for introducing her as the Guild Master.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Prefect Wang.¡±


    ¡°A, haha. Please excuse my mistake. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Guild Master.¡±


    As Wang Geon-Pyeong greeted her hesitantly, Woo-Moon continued with a wry grin, ¡°And this youngdy is my personal escort.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see...Wait, personal escort? But aren¡¯t you an expert martial artist? Do you really need an escort? Moreover, she¡¯s a woman, just how...¡±


    ¡°Although she may be a woman, she¡¯s just as skilled as I am.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Is that so? That¡¯s amazing,¡± Wang Geon-Pyeong said somewhat distractedly, while the gears in his mind were spinning even faster now. ording to his research, Woo-Moon was someone who had recently joined the Iron Sword Baek Family and was the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor.


    <i>¡®To think he not only has a rtionship with the Saber Emperor but he¡¯s also the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor. That¡¯s pretty damn incredible. The closer I get to him, the better the benefits will be. Moreover, if that girl is his junior disciple sister, doesn¡¯t that mean she¡¯s the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s grand disciple?¡¯</i>


    The two Absolute Masters¡ªthe Palm Martial Emperor and the Saber Emperor. They were two figures that no one in the imperial government, including the emperor himself, could ever ignore.


    There were a total of fourteen Absolute Masters in the world, and among them, three were members of the government. This granted the imperial government a very high status; besides the Justice Coalition, it was the only force to have three Absolute Masters among the ranks.


    Of course, the government officials firmly believed that they still didn¡¯t have enough Absolute Masters, but unfortunately for them, that wasn¡¯t something they could change just because they wanted to.


    Most of the martial artists who joined the imperial government were far more likely to pursue political power and reputation rather than honor, valor, or perfecting their cultivation.


    Moreover, even if they never intended to pursue political power originally, once they spent a long enough time in the imperial government, they would gradually be aware of its incredible advantages. Once that happened, most started to only consider martial cultivation as nothing more than a means to elevate their official position, which led most officials to strive to reach Peak-level cultivation at most. Such cultivation was more than enough to guarantee a high position and allow them to unt their status wherever they went.


    As a result, despite the fact that the imperial government had directly opened the imperial library to officials and encouraged cultivation, the ratio of Absolute Masters to martial artists was significantly lower than that of other martial forces. Of course, that was exactly why the three Absolute Masters who were members of the imperial government were even more respected.


    The four people went to the drawing room of the Hefei Prefect¡¯s residence and drank tea as they talked about various things. In the midst of their conversation, Wang Geon-Pyeong suddenly took out a ck jade tablet from his pocket and handed it to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°This is a magistrate¡¯s tablet bestowed upon you by His Majesty the Emperor himself. Also, this is...¡±


    Wang Geon-Pyeong took out a second object¡ªa book made of what seemed to be extremely high-quality materials.


    ¡°This is the Nine Yin White Bone w, one of the imperial pce martial arts. This is also bestowed upon you by His Majesty the Emperor himself.[3]


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s eyes sparkled. It was truly a great thing to be bestowed a royal award by the Emperor himself.


    ¡°Whoa, hold on a moment there! I told you I didn¡¯t want to take a government position, didn¡¯t I? Also, I don¡¯t think my achievements were great enough to deserve an award like this anyway...¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I know. Actually, this is an honorary magistrate¡¯s identity tablet.¡±


    ¡°Honorary magistrate¡¯s identity tablet?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Basically, this tablet grants you the magistrate status. However, note that I am saying ¡®status¡¯ rather than ¡®position.¡¯ You will not be considered an actual member of the government and you won¡¯t have to take any orders in that quality. It¡¯s just the status, with no obligations attached.¡±


    If that really was the case, there was no reason for Woo-Moon to refuse. Moreover, in any case, as a citizen of the empire, Woo-Moon was fearful of repercussions if he refused a reward the emperor bestowed directly upon him.


    Regardless of how Woo-Moon felt about the reward, the emperor was the emperor. Under him, there were three Absolute Masters and plenty of Transcendent and Peak martial artists, with millions of soldiers as subordinates. Even the Demonic Cults, considered the strongest among the powerful sects, had to make way and bow their heads in front of the imperial family.


    Woo-Moon epted the imperial identification tablet and the luxuriously made manual handed to him by Wang Geon-Pyeong.


    The tablet was inscribed with the words ¡°Bestowed upon Song Woo-Moon by order of His Majesty the Emperor,¡± as well as a note that it was an honorary position.


    <i>¡®Well, this is fine, I guess. I don¡¯t even know the relevantmandments and tasks anyway, so that worked out well.¡¯</i>


    He then cast a cursory nce at the manual, then put it in his pocket.


    Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon didn¡¯t know about this, as they were practically country bumpkins, but the Nine Yin White Bone w was truly an incredible technique. Four hundred years ago, it had been used by the Emperor¡¯s number-one expert, and its power remained a legend throughout the world.


    Still, seeing Woo-Moon receiving an award and military honors directly from the Emperor, Si-Hyeon was as happy as if it were her own award.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s amazing, just amazing!¡¯</i>


    The two weren¡¯t aware of it, but in fact, it was due to the aid of the Saber Emperor Jeong I-Moon that Woo-Moon had been bestowed with such an incredible award. Jeong I-Moon had even put off pursuing the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor in order to meet with the Emperor to speak about Woo-Moon personally.


    Specifically, Jeong I-Moon insisted that Woo-Moon would be an important figure in the future, so he wanted to build a good rtionship between the boy and the imperial government <i>before</i> that happened. Moreover, he had also mentioned that Woo-Moon was the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor. Therefore, the Emperor, who trusted Jeong I-Moon¡¯s loyalty and judgement, personally bestowed a title and rank upon Woo-Moon.


    As Woo-Moon and the others conversed, Woo-Moon then mentioned something that he had noticed earlier.


    ¡°By the way, Prefect Wang, something seems to be bothering you. Has anything bad happened recently?¡±


    ¡°Oh, was it noticeable?¡±


    Although Wang Geon-Pyeong was going to be recognized for his contributions regarding the ve market this time around and receive a higher position, he wasn¡¯t able to enjoy that thought.


    After musing for a while, he finally spoke up.


    ¡°My youngest daughter, whom I love the most, has been kidnapped!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon were surprised.


    ¡°Three nights ago, an intruder suddenly broke into my residence and kidnapped my daughter. ording to my subordinates, the intruder¡¯s attire was simr to that of a reported rapist known as the Lust Demon. He appeared in Hefei a little while back...¡±


    It was only natural that Wang Geon-Pyeong¡¯s face would be filled with a deep sorrow. What parent in the world wouldn¡¯t react in this manner when discovering that a Lust Demon kidnapped their child?


    Instead, Woo-Moon actually came to respect Wang Geon-Pyeong¡¯s ability to stay professional. Even in such a situation, he was able to carry out his duties and wee his guests with a smile.


    At that time, Woo-Moon sensed a qi transmission.


    <i>¡ªSenior Brother, I have a favor to ask.</i>


    <i>¡ªWhat is it?</i>


    <i>¡ªIf you have time, could you catch that Lust Demon for us? I think that if we can take advantage of this opportunity to show favor to Prefect Wang, it would be of great help to both you and me in the future. Of course, I¡¯m also worried about that girl, too.</i>


    Woo-Moon also agreed with her thought process, too. Moreover, above all, it didn¡¯t suit his temperament just to watch while a Lust Demon operated in the city where his mother and junior sister lived.


    Fortunately, there was still some time left before he had to leave on the mission.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me this, Prefect Wang. Actually, if you don¡¯t mind, I would like to help. I¡¯ll go look for that demon myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Would you really? It would be a blessing if you would take charge in this matter, young hero Song.¡±


    For the sake of his daughter¡¯s future and reputation, Wang Geon-Pyeong had been unable to inform anyone orunch anyrge-scale search for the culprit. Thus, when Woo-Moon, a young expert recognized by the Saber Emperor himself, offered to catch the Lust Demon, he was so grateful that he almost cried.


    Woo-Moon then asked a few questions about the Lust Demon. However, his questions didn¡¯t lead to much, as the Lust Demon moved so irregrly,ing and going so often that the Hefei Prefecture office was unable to find any relevant traces.


    When Woo-Moon then returned to the family estate, he actually found out that the Iron Sword Baek Family had designated this Lust Demon as a target for extermination. However, he also discovered that no one had put much effort into finding the criminal.


    If the Iron Sword Baek Family had been a sect rather than an Ancient Family, they would have put in much more effort and tried to catch the criminal.


    This was one of the many differences between the sects and the Ancient Families. Most sects survived by receiving donations from local officials and merchants in return for protecting the area. By contrast, Ancient Families usually made their wealth by controlling the local markets themselves and conducting business directly. Therefore, unlike the sects, Ancient Families weren¡¯t very active in solving local issues or maintaining public order.


    Of course, if something were to happen that went beyond what they could overlook, or if it involved a member of the family, then they would have to take their own face into consideration and do their best to solve the issue.


    With all of that considered, it seemed as though the Iron Sword Baek Family wasn¡¯t taking the Lust Demon that preyed on Hefei all that seriously.


    From that night on, Woo-Moon spent his days up on the roof of the tallest building in the center of Hefei, circting the energy of the Forbidden Divine Art to keep surveince on the city as he maintained a prime state for battle.


    A day passed as he stayed vignt, then two and three, but the Lust Demon showed no signs of appearing.


    <i>¡®Why doesn¡¯t this bastard show up?!¡±</i>


    It wasn¡¯t until the fourth night, around the time that Woo-Moon started to get irritated, that he managed to find a sign of this secretive Lust Demon.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s him!¡¯</i> Woo-Moon thought. He had noticed a masked man sneakily following a woman into her house and then felt a brief energy spike inside the room.


    Woo-Moon considered just grabbing the Lust Demon and crippling him on the spot, but then he changed his mind when he saw the maning out of the house with arge bundle on his shoulder.


    ¡°Looks like he¡¯s kidnapping someone again. Alright, let me follow you to your hideout.¡±


    As if he was perfectly familiar with Hefei¡¯s terrain, the Lust Demon advanced quickly, avoiding popted areas and running alongside the Yangtze River. A few minutester, he went onto a small ferry moored on the riverside and rowed down the river with skillful movements. The ferry quickly traveled to arge ship floating in the middle of the river.


    ¡°Damn it, I might lose him if I¡¯m not careful.¡±


    As he ran forward, Woo-Moon broke off a thick branch from a tree next to him and hurled it forward.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    With a sharp thud, the flying branch pierced the Lust Demon¡¯s arm.


    Startled by the sudden attack, the Lust Demon quickly moored the ferry to therge ship and quickly scaled its hull.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you escape!¡±


    Woo-Moon then broke off a handful of smaller branches, holding them under his arm as he darted forward to the river. He tossed them one by one onto the river¡¯s surface and stepped on each branch as he ran forward, using them to run across the water.


    <i>Ssh, ssh, ssh, ssh!</i>


    A deluge of white foam rose around his feet and spread out in all directions.


    A few momentster, he heard a shout from the vast ship the Lust Demon had escaped to.


    ¡°An enemy is approaching! Everyone, light the torches and prepare your arrows! Stop him!¡±


    All of a sudden, the surroundings became extremely bright. What was revealed was not just one but dozens of ships!


    It was the Azure Dragon Stronghold, one of the many bands of pirates that littered the Yangtze River. As the oil-filled torches were thrown into the water one by one, Woo-Moon¡¯s figure was revealed.


    ¡°J-just what the hell is that bastard?!¡±


    ¡°How can that bastard use Floating Duckweed Crossing Water?!¡±[4]


    ¡°What are you doing? Shoot him quickly! Sink him!¡±


    Countless arrows flew at him, but Woo-Moon took off his outer robe mid-air and spun it like a windmill, deflecting all of them.


    1. A Korean proverb¡ªif you started working on a task anyway, you should see it through to the end. ?


    2. Later with respect to the time period, where men began to get married at 15, women at 13/14, and child brides (essentially children sold into wealthy families to be brides when they reached adulthood) at 12. ?


    3. A reference to the <i>Condor Trilogy</i> by Jin Yong. ?


    4. A legendary movement technique that martial artists used to walk on water. ?

 Chapter 68. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (15)

    <h4>Chapter 68. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (15)</h4>


    The ship that the Lust Demon had entered moved toward the back of the fleet to protect itself as Woo-Moon ran toward the nearest ship.


    ¡°He¡¯s heading for the admiral¡¯s ship! Stop him!¡±


    <i>Swish, swish, swish, swish!!</i>


    Countless arrows flew forward once again and covered Woo-Moon¡¯s figure.


    ¡°How bothersome!¡±


    However, just like the first time, Woo-Moon swung his robe again and deflected the arrows. From the number of arrowsing at him, he could get a rough understanding of the number of people shooting at him. Taking out Eun-Ah from his breast pocket, he held her in front of his face.


    ¡°Eun-Ah, go and deal with those archers!¡±


    <i>Growl!</i>


    Eun-Ah growled in response as Woo-Moon pulled his arm backward and then hurled her forward forcefully.


    <i>ROAR!</i>


    Eun-Ah flew through the air with her stubby legs syed out like a weird flying squirrel.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    An archer dropped the bow in his hands and copsed backward as Eun-Ah barreled into his chest. Eun-Ahnded softly, rolling over the deck and demonstrating the unique flexibility of a cat before leaping forward and moving around in a dizzying pattern, attacking the rest of the archers.


    ¡°W-what is this?!¡±


    ¡°You little bastard!¡±


    At this very moment, Eun-Ah¡¯s small size was actually advantageous for her, as it wasn¡¯t easy to even see the tiny tiger in the dark, much less shoot her.


    As Eun-Ah created chaos, the number of arrows descending on Woo-Moon decreased, allowing him to go even faster than before, stepping on a branch thrown in front of the ship and jumping forward.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Woo-Moontched onto the ship''s hull using the Nine Yin White Bone w that he had been practicing recently.


    <i>¡®This is pretty impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡¯</i>


    Nodding in approval at the technique¡¯s usefulness for an amateur climber like him, Woo-Moon crawled up the ship''s hull using his arms and legs like a spider.


    ¡°That bastard is crawling up!¡±


    ¡°Stop him!! Knock him off!!¡±


    Crossbow bolts and Emei piercers[1] rained down on Woo-Moon. However, he evaded all the attacks by nimbly jumping from ce to ce.


    <i>Tap.</i>


    Soon, Woo-Moon was standing on the deck.


    ¡°You bandit bastards!¡±


    Whether they were mountain bandits, pirates, thieves, or horse-riding raiders, they were all just groups of murderous thieves who killed good people out of greed for their wealth.


    <i>Swish! Squelch!</i>


    Before any of them could react, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword left its scabbard and cut through the air, striking the neck of an enemy in front of him.


    About fifty men were standing fiercely on the deck of the vast ship, holding Emei piercers, sharp tridents, and crossbows. However, in front of Woo-Moon, they were no different from fifty scarecrows!


    He lifted his right foot and stomped the deck with incredible force, breaking through the wood.


    <i>Crack!!</i>


    With his foot now stuck under a nk, he threw a hard kick forward.


    <i>CRACK, CRACK, CRACK, CRACK!!</i>


    The wooden nks of the deck broke in an instant, and his kick pushed the broken pieces of wood forward.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The enemies in front of him hurriedly dodged, but those who were too slow found their entire bodies riddled by sharp splinters of wood.


    ¡°The only thing I want is that Lust Demon on the ship! If you get in my way, you die!¡± Woo-Moon shouted as he ran forward.


    ¡°Stop him!¡± shouted the captain of the ship, realizing that Woo-Moon was heading for the main ship of the Azure Dragon Stronghold. However, because of his shout, the captain found himself facing Woo-Moon¡¯s wrath directly.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    His body was split in half with a single de of sword qi.


    ¡°Eun-Ah, let¡¯s go!¡±


    <i>Growl!</i>


    Amid the fighting, Eun-ah made a giant leap and jumped on Woo-Moon''s shoulder as Woo-Moon used the Northern Wind Steps to the extreme and kicked off the ship''s railing.


    He flew forward like a bird, and although arrows rained down upon him again as soon as he left the deck, not a single one of them could keep up with his movement speed.


    However, in the end, he was still nothing but a human, and he was still unable to stay high in the air and fly like an actual bird.


    <i>¡®Tsk! Just when will I be able to use the Void-Conquering Path?¡¯</i>


    Although he was not aware, Woo-Moon was one of the only two people in the entirety of <i>gangho</i> who had actually witnessed the legendary Void-Conquering Path, a technique that allowed the user to tread upon air as if walking on t ground, with their own eyes. The other one was his father, Dae-Woong.


    As he fell toward the water''s surface, Woo-Moon took out all of the remaining tree branches that were still tucked under his arm and scattered them in the direction he was moving. Spreading his arms to make his body as light as possible, he kicked off a tree branch with the Northern Wind Steps, pushing himself forward like a swallow flying across the water.


    Then, at that very moment, arrows that seemed to have been shot by halfway decent archers blocked his path.


    <i>¡®They really are annoying!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon took off his robe once again and grasped it firmly in hand before mming it down on the water.


    <i>POW!!</i>


    The robe hit the surface of the water like a cannonball. The shockwave pushed the water up all around Woo-Moon, creating a momentary shield.


    <i>Pfft, pfft, pfft!</i>


    All of the arrows lost their momentum, unable to pierce through the torrent of water that contained such incredible power. Woo-Moon also used the force of the recoil to his advantage, somersaulting over the wave and moving forward again.


    When he got close to the water, he struck the surface again, and he repeated this a few times as he approached another ship. Finally, he swung his robe one more time with as much force as he could muster.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    A loud explosion echoed as Woo-Moon smashed the lower hull of the ship with his robe, which now was a lot heavier due to beingpletely soaked with water. The impact created a gaping hole, more than enough for Woo-Moon to enter the space below the deck. Then, he bent his knees and jumped up with incredible force, swinging his sword and punching a hole in the deck as he shot out.


    Floating in the air, Woo-Moon saw the enemy waiting on the deck. Spreading his arms wide, Woo-Moon used the Northern Wind Steps to dodge the arrows andnd on the deck, where he swung his robe once more.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    No one would¡¯ve felt good being struck square by a wet cloth swung at full power by a strong man. In addition, the robe¡¯s weight waspounded by the incredibly powerful qi that Woo-Moon imbued into it.


    Being hit by the robe was not much different from being hit by an iron bar. The five bandits who happened to be in the way of the strike were instantly blown back, vomiting blood and pieces of organs.


    <i>¡®I finally found it!¡¯</i>


    The ship he had been looking for appeared in front of him.


    ¡°Lust Demon! I¡¯vee to take your life!¡±


    Shouting excitedly, Woo-Moon ran across the deck.


    ¡°Stop him! We have to protect the admiral!¡±


    Just like the other captain, the captain who gave the order was the first to be killed by Woo-Moon, his throat pierced before he could even blink. Holding his wet robe in one hand and the sword in the other, he opened the way forward, shing, stabbing, and crushing any enemy that stood in his way.


    As he passed by the mast, Woo-Moon suddenly had a great idea.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    His sword instantly sliced through the base of the mast, and Woo-Moon kicked the mast toward the ship where he sensed the energy of the Lust Demon.


    ¡°Agh!!! The mast, it¡¯s falling!!¡±


    ¡°DODGE!!!¡±


    Some of the enemies who weren¡¯t able to dodge in time found themselves crushed by the mast. Woo-Moon kicked the mast forward once more, pushing it into the water.


    He jumped off the ship again, but this time, he didn¡¯t need to use his robe or tree branches or anything like that. Rather, the mast provided the perfect foothold for him to skirt across the water with his Northern Wind Steps.


    <i>Thud, thud, thud, thud!</i>


    Woo-Moon raced down the mast and headed toward the Admiral¡¯s ship at incredible speed.


    The Lust Demon¡ªactually, the Azure Dragon Admiral¡ªfelt tremendous fear and pressure as he saw Woo-Moon rushing at him.


    ¡°Stop him, someone, stop that bastard!¡±


    Hec clearly understood that Woo-Moon hade knowing his secret¡ªthat he would enter Hefei even without his subordinates knowing, raping women and, if they met his fancy, bringing them back to the ship and locking them in his room.


    Otherwise, there was no way that Woo-Moon would havee all this way to kill him while calling him Lust Demon or whatever


    <i>¡®Damn it! A long tail only invites a foot to step on it. I shouldn¡¯t have gone overboard!¡¯</i>


    It was only then that he found out what it meant to regret.


    While the Azure Dragon Admiral was rethinking his life choices with a frightened expression on his face, Woo-Moon was still running forward.


    ¡°Ha!!¡±


    With a roar, Woo-Moon kicked off the end of the mast viciously, and this time, hended on the deck of the admiral''s ship.


    ¡°Lust Demon! So here you were.¡±


    Although the Blue Dragon Admiral had already taken off his mask and hidden away the bundle somewhere, Woo-Moon recognized him at once.


    How could he not, considering the admiral¡¯s arm was bleeding from Woo-Moon¡¯s very own attack?


    ¡°Protect the admiral!¡±


    The vice admiral and other experts of the Blue Dragon Stronghold that had been under the deck rushed toward Woo-Moon.


    ¡°I told you to piss off!¡±


    Woo-Moon swung his robe forward, using it as a shield to block the enemies¡¯ weapons. Thrusting his sword underneath his makeshift shield, he pierced through the heart of someone wielding an Emei piercer.


    As the man died instantly, without even being able to scream, Woo-Moon flicked his robe like a whip andtched onto the vice admiral¡¯s waist. The vice admiral felt as if a snake had wrapped itself around him.


    ¡°Save the vice admiral!¡±


    However, Woo-Moon easily blocked their attacks as he swung his robe again, this time with the vice admiral attached to one end. The enemies were left in a panic, unable to swing their weapons as the vice admiral thrashed about them like a meteor hammer.


    <i>Pow, pow, pow, pow!</i>


    After swinging the vice admiral in aplete circle, Woo-Moon raised him high into the sky and mmed him down hard onto the deck.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    The vice admiral vomited blood as he mmed into the deck.


    ¡°You cruel bastard!¡±


    ¡°Cruel? Aren¡¯t you bastards just as cruel when you kill people and rob them?!¡±


    Woo-Moon was filled with white-hot rage at the enemy¡¯s words.


    ¡°Bastards like you are all the same. When you hit others, it¡¯s fine, but when others hit you, it¡¯s suddenly a problem!¡±


    Woo-Moon swung the vice admiral again at his enemies.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Three of the pirates broke every bone in their bodies when they collided with the vice admiral, who had an extremely sturdy physique due to cultivating external martial arts. However, during the collision, the vice admiral was also pierced in turn in the abdomen by an Emei piercer held by one of his subordinates.


    Only then did Woo-Moon let go of the robe, and at the same time, his figure suddenly blurred.


    As those around him eximed in surprise at his disappearance, Woo-Moon suddenly reappeared like a ghost and grabbed an expert of the Azure Dragon Stronghold by the neck.


    ¡°Ugh!!¡±


    ¡°Die!!!¡±


    As the expert who had been captured died with his spine crushed, the one next to him swung a machete. However, there was no way that Woo-Moon would fall victim to such an attack. His figure blurred once more, and before any of them realized it, Woo-Moon appeared behind the man with the machete and wed at his back with the Nine Yin White Bone w.


    <i>Riiiip!!</i>


    Blood spurted everywhere as the man fell, his back turned to rags.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this what it means to be cruel?¡±


    With a growling voice, Woo-Moon used the Northern Wind Steps to dart around in all directions, striking down the remaining people.


    Seeing this scene, the Azure Dragon Admiral took a step back with shaky legs. Before he knew it, the only people alive on the deck were himself and Woo-Moon. The other ships had long since fled, shocked and terrified by Woo-Moon''s martial arts skills. In the end, that was all the loyalty a pirate gang had to its leaders.


    From the beginning, they were just scum who had only gathered together to kill others and extort money and valuables in order to fill their own bellies and satisfy all kinds of ugly passions.


    ¡°Lust Demon, there is more than just a single person who shed tears because of your actions.¡±


    Woo-Moon walked toward the Azure Dragon Admiral, and the sword in his hand left behind a trail of blood on the deck.


    ¡°P-please spare me. Please, just spare me this once!¡±


    ¡°Do you want to live?¡±


    ¡°O¨Cof course. I want to live! Please spare me!¡±


    Woo-Moon sneered.


    ¡°Is the prefect¡¯s daughter still alive?¡±


    ¡°O¨Cof course! She¡¯s alive and well in my room right now.¡±


    ¡°Good. Since you haven¡¯t killed her, letting you live isn¡¯t off the table just yet. But here¡¯s a question: you¡¯re a pirate anyway, so why did you bother masking yourself when you kidnapped her?¡±


    The Azure Dragon Admiral forced a smile and spoke.


    ¡°W¨Cwell... that¡¯s.... E¨Ceven pirates have lines they need to keep. We are supposed to avoid messing with any high-rank officials or going into cities to kidnap someone. Otherwise, we¡¯d just give them a pretext to bring an army and take down the pirate gangs...¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes lit up.


    "Oh? So no one but you knows that you kidnapped and raped women?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Please, if you could just spare...¡±


    ¡°Shut up! The words of a bastard like you are so disgusting that I can¡¯t bear to listen to them anymore.¡±


    The heartless steel of Woo-Moon¡¯s sword slit the throat of the Azure Dragon Admiral.


    1. Traditional Wushu weapons said to originate on Mount Emei. They are basically metal rods with a sharp spike at both ends and a finger ring in the middle. They look like this: <u>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emeici</u> ?</a> </a>

 Chapter 69. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (16)

    <h4>Chapter 69. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (16)</h4>


    ¡°Ughk...!¡±


    To satisfy his lust, the Azure Dragon Admiral had destroyed the lives of countless women and relished in their misery. However, he now discovered that he also could not endure the fear and pain of death.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t want to die, I don¡¯t want to...¡¯</i>


    However, there was no way for someone who had their throat slit and blood pouring out to live for long. Soon, his eyes closed, never to open again.


    Woo-Moon then descended into the belly of the ship, following the auras of the people he felt below. Within therge and luxurious admiral¡¯s cabin was a cage covered with a curtain where two women were imprisoned.


    One was a pretty girl in herte teens, sitting there with a nk expression, while the other girl seemed to be only fourteen at most and she was lying there unconscious¡ªit seemed that she was the one who had just been captured.


    Unconsciously gritting his teeth at the sight, Woo-Moon wrapped his sword in a golden sword aura and cut through the iron bars.


    ¡°You¡¯re the daughter of Prefect Wang Geon-Pyeong, right? I¡¯vee to save you.¡±


    However, the girl with the nk gaze just stared through Woo-Moon with her unfocused eyes, not saying a single word.


    Woo-Moon left the Admiral¡¯s ship with the two girls on either shoulder, stopping only when they reached a vige in the middle of the road to Hefei, where he got the two girls a room at an inn.


    It wasn¡¯t until the following day that Wang Geon-Pyeong¡¯s youngest daughter finally came to her senses, shaking off some of her fear and shock. She sobbed loudly in front of Woo-Moon, shedding tears like strings of pearls.


    ¡°When we return, please, I beg you, please tell my father that nothing happened. I¡¯ll also keep this a secret until the day I die, so please, don¡¯t tell anyone anything.¡±


    Although she was clearly the victim here, forced into a horrible situation by a wicked person, if what had happened to her becamemon knowledge, her marriage prospects would be destroyed. She would be the target of the city¡¯s gossip, something she was terrified of.


    ¡°The only person who knew was that bastard. He¡¯s dead now, so don¡¯t worry. I think you should do your best to forget everything that happened in the past few days. It will be as if none of it ever happened, and I will keep this secret for the rest of my life as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you.... Thank you.¡±


    ***


    Wang Geon-Pyeong and his wife shed tears of joy when they saw their daughter return safely. As his wife held their daughter tightly, the prefect grasped Woo-Moon''s hand and repeatedly thanked him.


    Fortunately, Wang Geon-Pyeong and his wife seemed to immediately believe Woo-Moon and his daughter¡¯s words that nothing had happened. Or...maybe that was what they wanted to think. Either way, Wang Geon-Pyeong said that his daughter was very fortunate as he held her in his warm embrace. And now that her parents were by her side, the girl also seemed to calm down a lot.


    With a thick purse the prefect had given him tucked away into his robes, Woo-Moon left the Hefei Prefecture Government Office and met with Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°I received the message, senior brother! I heard you not only caught that bastard but also rescued the girls!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Yes, I did, junior sister.¡±


    Si-Hyeon had a tired and drained expression, as if she hadn¡¯t slept at all in the past few days. In an unusual disy, her hair didn¡¯t even lookbed.


    ¡°Ha! I was actually running around trying to find any trace of that bastard, and I only found a trace this morning. But just as I wanted to find you and tell you about it, I got the message about what you did.¡±


    The two of them had gone their separate ways to try to find traces of the Lust Demon. Si-Hyeon didn¡¯t have Woo-Moon¡¯s strong martial foundation and could not spread her sixth sense the way he did, but that did not mean she had no resources. Topensate, she had hired an expert manhunter to find the rapist.


    ¡°Ah! Speaking of that, the prefect also asked me to convey his thanks, junior sister. He is very grateful for our effort.¡±


    Even though her efforts had been in vain, as the case had been solved anyway, things had still turned out well. Si-Hyeon suddenly chuckled to herself.


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    ¡°Why are youughing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just funny. You had said that when you were young, your dream had been to be a chivalrous hero, right? In the end, your dream came true, senior brother.¡±


    <i>¡®A chivalrous hero?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Pssh, what do you mean, chivalrous hero? I gave up that dream a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not a chivalrous hero, then who is? Punishing evildoers and helping others is the definition of a hero.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, is that right? Well, it might look like that, but it doesn¡¯t feel like that to me. Honestly, it was more of me going out because I was worried something might happen to you, my mother, or Gun-Ha at the hands of the Lust Demon. That¡¯s why I went out to find him.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t you think that there was just the tiniest bit of you that led you to go out of your way purely out of a desire to catch the Lust Demon?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Then that settles it. Why are you so conflicted about this, Great Chivalrous Hero?¡±


    Woo-Moon ended upughing at Si-Hyeon¡¯s yful words.


    He knew that Si-Hyeon was saying this on purpose to cheer him up, as his expression darkened and betrayed his horrid mood as he kept thinking about the prefect¡¯s daughter''s tears. He was grateful for his junior sister and found her even more endearing.


    However, when Woo-Moon returned home, he was left with nothing but even more incredible hardships.


    ¡°You ran.¡±


    Ma-Ra suddenly appeared and swung her sword.


    ¡°How dare you stay out overnight without saying anything to your mother!¡±


    Jin-Jin, furious, spit out fire from her eyes.


    "Son! Have you been drinking? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too far for you to go off and have fun on your own?¡±


    Finally, Dae-Woong¡¯s tactless words piled on top as well.


    In the end, Woo-Moon had no choice but to console his family, breaking out in a cold sweat as he tried to exin to them in detail what had happened.


    ***


    Four dayster.


    Woo-Moon emerged from the Baek Estate alongside the Lion Fang Squadron and Tiger Fang Squadron of the Iron Sword Four Beast Battalion and the brightest among the younger generation around Woo-Moon¡¯s age, the Ten Distinguished Swords.


    As he left, he instinctively felt that the Dok-Ryeok-Rat Trio, who were seeing him off, were cursing him viciously in their mind. Thus, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t forget to give each of them a healthy p before he left.


    Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong also came out to see off the troops, and Ma-Ra, who was standing behind Woo-Moon, happened to spot Hye-Ryeong. A strange look appeared in her eyes.


    From the Song Residence, only two members were to apany Woo-Moon on the expedition, and those members were a woman and a beast: Ma-Ra and Eun-Ah.


    Of course, Woo-Moon had also stopped by to see Si-Hyeon and exin everything three days before his departure. However, he noticed that when he visited his junior sister, the way that Si-Hyeon spoke to him had be short and brusque after she caught sight of Ma-Ra, who was right behind Woo-Moon as usual.


    <i>¡®Why is she being like this? Did I do something wrong?¡¯</i>


    No matter how much he racked his brain for an answer, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t figure it out. His mood was down, and he was dejected at the thought of being separated from his junior sister, whom he had been seeing daily for quite a while now.


    At the moment, Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra were riding their horses somewhat distantly from the main group, partly because Woo-Moon preferred the distance and partly because the proud members of the Ten Distinguished Swords also did not feel like talking to him.


    As Woo-Moon rode his horse and watched the surrounding scenery, a warrior suddenly came running toward him. The warrior, with a clearly nervous expression, greeted him loudly.


    ¡°How do you do, young master?¡±


    <i>¡®Where have I seen him before? Oh!¡¯</i>


    At a closer look, Woo-Moon realized who the warrior was¡ªit was Yong Hwa-Pyeong, the gatekeeper who had been on duty when Woo-Moon¡¯s family had arrived at the Baek Family Estate.


    ¡°Hello, it¡¯s good to see you.¡±


    Although it wasn¡¯t a memory he was terribly fond of, Woo-Moon still smiled and answered calmly because he didn¡¯t really want to cause trouble for people who were just following orders.


    Seeing his calm reaction, Yong Hwa-Pyeong continued with a somewhat relieved expression.


    ¡°I was appointed as your adjutant during this expedition! I may becking in many ways, but I¡¯ll do my best to assist you!¡±


    Even if it was in name only, Woo-Moon was still one of the leaders of this expedition, so he had been given an adjutant to handle his affairs.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±


    With this awkward exchange of greetings, the two had nothing else to say to each other. Yong Hwa-Pyeong wasn¡¯t very sociable in the first ce, Ma-Ra never had much to say, and the only things Eun-Ah could really say were ¡°mew,¡± ¡°growl,¡± and ¡°nya.¡±


    Thus, surrounded by people who spoke so little, Woo-Moon, at the very least, should have said something to keep the conversation going. However, right now, he was also not really in the mood.


    Thus, Yong Hwa-Pyeong walked down the road, feeling that the atmosphere was indeed very awkward.


    Yong Hwa-Pyeong was twenty-nine years old. At seventeen, he had gone to the Baek Family with the dream of bettering his life, learning martial arts and bing a warrior of an Ancient Family.


    Because his natural talent wasn¡¯t that great, he was currently content with being an ordinary member of the Lion Fang Squadron.


    However, recently, something very special had happened in his life. He had met the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon and had witnessed the Palm Martial Emperor unleash a Palm Sphere. Of course, given the circumstances at the time, it was closer to a bad memory than a good memory.


    <i>¡®But, why was I chosen out of everyone to be Young Master Song¡¯s adjutant?¡¯</i> he thought, wondering why he had such bad luck. It was obvious that Woo-Moon would see him in nothing but a negative light.


    At that time, a beautiful woman appeared in front of Woo-Moon.


    "Hello, Uncle."[1]


    The woman seemed roughly the same age as Woo-Moon, maybe a bit older. She was none other than Baek Ye-Ye.


    <i>¡®So she¡¯s the eldest daughter of the Patriarch, huh?¡¯</i> Woo-Moon thought.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    Although she wasn¡¯t as good at it as Ma-Ra, Ye-Ye maintained a reasonably expressionless face as she spoke politely.


    ¡°When the battle breaks out, and an urgent situation arises, many people''s lives will depend on our split-second decisions. Although the opponent may be weaker than us, there is still no doubt that quick judgment will be important. As you stillck experience, Uncle, I hope you will follow my orders when such a situation arises.¡±


    Although it may have seemed dismissive, Woo-Moon was well aware that he had little experience and didn¡¯t know much about military tactics, so he had no problem following Ye-Ye¡¯s decisions. However, he also had to make something clear.


    ¡°I will follow your orders if they fit the situation.¡±[2]


    Just as Ye-Ye was about to respond, the other eight of the Ten Distinguished Swords approached.


    <i>¡®They sure like to move around in a group.¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon observed these younger-generation members of the Baek family, the one at the forefront of the group lowered his head half-heartedly and greeted him.


    ¡°How do you do, Uncle?¡±


    Woo-Moon was able to get a rough idea of who each person was based on their appearance. He had recognized Ye-Ye before she introduced herself, and he also recognized this young man¡ªBaek Do-Gun, First Distinguished Sword and son of Baek Hye-Ryeong.


    However, this time, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t have the slightest intention to be as polite as he had been with Ye-Ye. After all, his interlocutor was Hye-Ryeong¡¯s progeny.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m fine, thank you. Sorry, who are you again?¡±


    The moment Do-Gun heard Woo-Moon¡¯s manner of speech, he didn¡¯t attempt to hide his anger. He red at Woo-Moon with fierce eyes, almost as if he was saying, <i>¡®How dare a bastard like you actually rely on a fake status to be here with us?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon snorted inwardly.


    <i>¡®Your eyeballs will pop out if you keep staring like that. Tsk, to think he¡¯d put so much energy into something so useless.¡¯</i>


    ¡°My name is Baek, Do, Gun. They call me the First Sword of the Ten Distinguished Swords.¡±


    Do-Gun¡¯s tant hostility was revealed in the manner in which he insisted on pronouncing each syble of his name.


    However, Woo-Moon justughed in response.


    ¡°Ah~~ really? You said Baek. Do. Gun. Right? Baek. Do. Gun. That¡¯s not too bad of a name, isn¡¯t it? Yes, yes, Baek, Do, Gun. You said you were the First Sword of the Ten Distinguished Swords, right? But, Baek. Do. Gun. Do you always introduce yourself like that when you meet someone new? To be honest, if it were me, I think I would be a little embarrassed to pat myself on the back like that. Well, I have to say, you really are impressive, Baek. Do. Gun. Hahaha.¡±


    Every time Woo-Moon said ¡°Baek. Do. Gun,¡±<i> </i>he imitated Do-Gun¡¯s ring expression and tone of voice. His interpretation was so exaggerated andical that Do-Gun simply couldn¡¯t stand it. He grit his teeth, and his hand wrapped around his sword¡¯s hilt.


    <i>¡®Oh, yes, go ahead and draw your sword~ Oh, and you might as well try swearing at me out loud. Don¡¯t be afraid, let it all out!¡¯</i>


    Although Woo-Moon was secretly rooting for Do-Gun to cross the line, it seemed that thetter wasn¡¯t the head of the Ten Distinguished Swords for nothing. Much unlike Heon-Won, Do-Gun was able to suppress his anger well.


    ¡°The way you speak really is quite impressive. But it would be good if you were careful from now on, Uncle.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I should, shouldn¡¯t I? Our cute little nephew, you. Well, I think you¡¯re cute, even if the light in your eyes is a little bit scary. My dear nephew, I¡¯m a little worried that if you squint at me like that, your eyes will be stuck that way. You really should take care of your face, no matter how bad it looks. Yes, listen to your uncle¡¯s advice.¡±


    Was it possible to kill someone with just a smile?


    Anyone who could see the way Do-Gun and Woo-Moon were smiling at each other right at this very moment would be able to answer that question with a resounding ¡°yes.¡±


    However, as Do-Gun stared deep into Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes, he suddenly felt an extreme chill and goosebumps all over his body, as if he had fallen into an icy hell.


    <i>¡®W¨Cwhat the...!¡¯</i>


    He could sense the bloodlust suppressed deep within Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze, and that caused him to pause for a moment, dazed.


    Woo-Moon, on the other hand, continued as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°So, my dear nephew Baek. Do. Gun. What¡¯s brought you over here to see me?¡±


    Do-Gun only now remembered that he hade to talk to Woo-Moon for a reason.


    ¡°Uncle...youck experience. So, as Ye-Ye noona said earlier, you should hand over your authority unconditionally if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? But why did your tone change so suddenly? My, times sure have changed if it¡¯s perfectly fine to speak so disrespectfully to your elders, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    1. Someone finally addresses Woo-Moon with the proper title and deference for once. ?


    2. Woo-Moon addresses Ye-Ye as niece but in a very formal and respectful way. ?

 Chapter 70. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (17)

    <h4>Chapter 70. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (17)</h4>


    ¡°...I apologize,¡± Do-Gun said.


    Woo-Moon smiled in response and continued, ¡°I admit that I have little experience. However, as I said earlier, although I n toply with the ns of niece Ye-Ye, that¡¯s only as long as hermands stay reasonable.¡±


    Do-Gun frowned.


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem. When the battle unfolds, and the situation bes hectic, every split-second decision and order will decide life and death. There may be moments where you may not have time to think or convey your ns to us, uncle.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡±


    "So¡ª¡±


    ¡°It seems that you may have forgotten a little something,¡± Woo-Moon said. His face was smiling, but his tone was dead cold. ¡°I am your uncle, one generation above you. Also, I was appointed as leader for this expedition by the patriarch''s directmand. But from the very beginning, you have all been trying to get me to give up my position and just follow your orders. Don¡¯t you find that rather disrespectful?¡±


    This response took everyone by surprise. They had assumed that Woo-Moon would back down after some convincing, yet Woo-Moon¡¯s response was not only negative, but also much more aggressive and rigid than they had thought.


    <i>¡®This vige bumpkin really doesn¡¯t seem to understand how vast the heavens are. He won¡¯t get his head on straight until he faces reality,¡¯</i> Do-Gun thought,ughing internally at Woo-Moon before responding, ¡°Understood. Then, please excuse us.¡±


    Like when they arrived, the rest of the Distinguished Swords followed Do-Gun like ducklings.


    Woo-Moon then turned to Ye-Ye.


    ¡°Anyway, I admit that I¡¯mcking when ites to leadership. With that in mind, unless I have a very good reason to do otherwise, I¡¯ll follow your orders when things turn ugly. This is eptable, right?¡±


    Ye-Ye realized that this was the bestpromise she would get.


    ¡°Understood, Uncle. If I or the others have offended you in any way, I would kindly ask you to be generous and let it slide this time.¡±


    Although Ye-Ye and Do-Gun were saying the same things, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t find any of thetter¡¯s pretentiousness in Ye-Ye¡¯s words.


    <i>¡®They really are worlds apart. She¡¯spletely different from Do-Gun and the other idiots who just came here to unt their greatness.¡¯</i>


    Now that their conversation had ended, Ye-Ye moved away from Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra. However, looking at the way she interacted with the other Distinguished Swords, Woo-Moon realized that just like him and Ma-Ra, Ye-Ye also seemed slightly distant from them.


    <i>¡®I mean, it makes sense. Although Ye-Ye is the daughter of the patriarch, the family seems to be more skewed toward Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong¡¯s authority. In other words, it¡¯s safe to assume that the Ten Distinguished Swords will follow Do-Gun.¡¯</i>


    Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong looked down upon the patriarch, Mu-Hoon. It was only natural that there was a simr trend among the younger generation, so it made perfect sense that Ye-Ye also had a more distant rtionship with her peers.


    <i>¡®Tsk...¡¯</i>


    Although Ye-Ye looked down on his skills and demanded that he respect her authority, it was still a little sad to see her riding her horse alone, her back seemingly straighter and more tense than necessary.


    <i>¡®So, for now, the first person to bring to my side seems to be Ye-Ye.¡¯</i>


    ***


    The Red Fog Valley was located close to Mount Ma¡¯an.


    The Baek Family''s troops rushed their march to reach Wuhu before sundown, where they were to rally with the forces of the Namgoong Family.


    ¡°We could at least eat before we moved out,¡± Woo-Moon grumbled. However, no one listened to hisints.


    Eun-Ah had fallen asleep almost immediately, snoring as if to ask <i>¡®Why did you bring me?¡¯</i> while Ma-Ra continued to ride her horse silently without any expression.


    On the other hand, Yong Hwa-Pyeong, who hade to him as his adjutant,ughed as if to say nothing could be done about Woo-Moon¡¯s constant grumbling, which had begun a ways back.


    The sun started to set and Eun-Ah had finally woken up and began to mewl in hunger. In the distance, Woo-Moon finally caught sight of the figures from the Namgoong Family, waiting for the Baek Family Troops.


    The Three Great Sword Families.


    The title referred to the three families that focused on the arts of the sword: the Namgoong Family, the Baili Family, and the Baek Family. The three families were so great that it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the entirety of Anhui Province was divided into the Baek Family territories and the Namgoong Family territories by the Yangtze River.


    Usually, when two forces were located too close to one another, it was difficult to establish or maintain a good rtionship even if they were of the same faction. However, alongside the bond that came with the title of Great Sword Families, these two Ancient Families had made good use of political marriages long ago to establish a tight rtionship.


    ¡°Seeing you all from the Iron Sword Baek Family really helps to put me at ease. It¡¯s nice to meet you. My name is Namgoong Sung, and I have been appointed the representative of the Namgoong Family forces for this expedition.¡±


    Namgoong Sung was in his mid-twenties and looked very handsome.


    While Ye-Ye was also one of the representatives of the Baek Family, in this situation, it wouldn¡¯t be right for her to circumvent her on-paper uncle, Woo-Moon, and greet them first. Thus, Woo-Moon greeted the other party on behalf of the Baek Family, cupping his fist.


    ¡°Hello. My name is Song Woo-Moon of the Iron Sword Baek Family. It delights me to be able to greet the famed swordsmen of the Namgoong Family.¡±


    Hearing Woo-Moon¡¯s polite greeting, surprise bloomed on the faces of the Ten Distinguished Swords.


    <i>¡®At least the country bumpkin has some decent manners,¡¯ </i>Do-Gun mused, snorting to himself.


    Ye-Ye then also walked forward and greeted Namgoong Sung.


    ¡°Hello, my name is Baek Ye-Ye, and I have also been appointed as the Iron Sword Baek Family representative alongside Uncle Woo-Moon.¡±


    Namgoong Sung smiled brightly at Ye-Ye¡¯s introduction, clearly different from when he dealt with Woo-Moon.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Emotionless Sword Baek Ye-Ye.¡±


    Namgoong Sung was a little surprised that the Baek Family had two representatives.


    <i>¡®Howe they put two people inmand? That¡¯s odd.¡¯</i>


    Although he was confused for a moment, he immediately figured it out. The rumors regarding Woo-Moon had taken some time to reach the Namgoong Family, but he was naturally privy to everything that was known about Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Right, this country bumpkin turned out to be the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor. Then that makes sense; they had no choice but to appoint him as a representative because of the generational hierarchy.¡¯</i>


    Hispanions were also aware of what was going on, and the gazes looking at Woo-Moon suddenly shifted. Of course, they all believed that Woo-Moon was just making things difficult for Ye-Ye, insisting on keeping the authority by relying on his backing but without any skills to bring to the table.


    Woo-Moon, who could feel the shift in attitude, smiled coldly and turned his head away.


    <i>¡®Whether it¡¯s this bastard or that bastard...¡¯</i>


    After the greetings of the representatives, the others on both sides greeted each other and found their acquaintances.


    ¡°Big brother, it''s been a long time!¡±


    One of the girls in the Ten Distinguished Swords, who looked at Woo-Moon as if he was a bug, had apletely different smile on her face as she greeted one of the talented geniuses of the Namgoong Family.


    As if they, too, didn¡¯t view this expedition as a difficult endeavor, the Namgoong Family had also sent out eight of the most talented members of their younger generation so that they could gain experience, together with their Heavenly Dome Battalion. The Heavenly Dome Battalion was the lowest-ranked martial force belonging to the Namgoong Family, with about four hundred members.


    As a result, theirbined forces reached about seven hundred members.[1]


    <i>¡®We won¡¯t all fit in a single inn, so we¡¯ll have to split up into several. I would like to sleep at the best inn in this city if I can, so let¡¯s see how this ys out,¡¯</i> Woo-Moon thought. It was a desire stemming from the pride of someone who used to be the son of an inn owner.


    Meanwhile, there was a strange tension between the younger generation''s talents¡ªa tension that stemmed from Ma-Ra, who was as always standing behind Woo-Moon with an expressionless face.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s gorgeous.¡¯</i>


    Although the Baek Family''s people had somewhat gotten used to her presence by now, the talents of the Namgoong Family had no such resistance to her appearance just yet.


    The problem was that she wasn¡¯t just beautiful. Alongside her beauty, she had the pure youthfulness of someone at the young age of seventeen, while at the same time, she held a strange charm stemming from her hidden bloodlust, sharp aura, and expressionless face. This contrast made her irresistible for these youngsters


    As the young men of the Namgoong Family fixated on Ma-Ra, the young men of the Baek Family also looked at Ma-Ra again in a new light.


    ¡°Hmpf. What¡¯s so pretty about her?!¡± one of the girls of the Namgoong Family said, revealing a poisonous expression.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, isn¡¯t that guy standing next to that girl kinda cute?¡±mented the younger sister of the girl who was jealous of Ma-Ra.


    ¡°Huh? Who? Oh...!¡±


    The girl burst out in admiration as she btedly caught sight of Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Why haven¡¯t I seen him till now?!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was, in fact, very handsome.


    It was only that he wasn¡¯t that shy or impressive looking in any way, so people weren¡¯t directly drawn to him. However, his facial features came together quite nicely, something anyone could appreciate once they looked at him properly.


    In short, although he was inconspicuous, if someone properly looked at him andpared him to the most handsome members of the Baek and Namgoong families, they would find that the others fell rather short.


    At that moment, one of the girls of the Ten Distinguished Swords of the Baek Family said coldly, ¡°What does it matter if his face is handsome? He¡¯s still nothing but a bumpkin.¡±


    Possibly because they were still young, even these children from prestigious families didn¡¯t hesitate to say whatever when they were by themselves.


    "Huh? What are you talking about?"


    Whether one was a man or a woman, one would feel good if anyone praised their appearance. Woo-Moon, who knew that the girls of the Namgoong Family were speaking about him, even went so far as to use his qi to eavesdrop secretly. Secretlyughing to himself, Woo-Moon suddenly red over at the girl from the Baek Family, who had ruined his mood with a single sentence.


    <i>¡®That brat, seriously?!¡¯</i>


    The girl from the Ten Distinguished Swords, Baek Ryeong, had started talking about Woo-Moon to the rest. Of course, all she was saying were ridiculous rumors meant to knock Woo-Moon down a peg deliberately.


    <i>¡®What? I¡¯m a pervert? Where the hell did she hear these things?! Also what?! The second it turns dark out, I take my clothes off and run around?! What sort of lunatic is she making me out to be?¡¯</i>


    However, Woo-Moon knew it would be embarrassing if it became known that he was eavesdropping on conversations between girls who were not only lower in standing but also younger to boot. Thus, he couldn¡¯t let himself get angry at what he was hearing and realized that he should have just quit eavesdropping when he was ahead earlier.


    However, because his cultivation was so high, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t help but be pissed off more and more due to the rity with which he could hear every word that Baek Ryeong spat.


    "Face, red,¡± Ma-Ra said after watching him for some time.


    Woo-Moon felt his rage growing so quickly that it seemed like it would make his head burst. However, his response was calm.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Sickness.¡±


    ¡°...No, this isn¡¯t a sickness.¡±


    ¡°Fix.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me.¡±


    ¡°Fix sickness.¡±


    Woo-Moon thought Ma-Ra was more obsessed with the word ¡°sickness¡± than necessary.


    In the midst of their conversation, the troops scattered around in small groups, deciding to spend the night among the rtively inexpensive inns and lodging houses in the area. Meanwhile, the talents of the younger generation, including Woo-Moon, all arrived at thergest inn in Wuhu.


    Woo-Moon was still struggling to ovee the double-sided offensive between Baek Ryeong and Ma-Ra. As soon as they arrived, he covered his ears and ran up the stairs to his room.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with him?¡± asked Yong Hwa-Pyeong, tilting his head inplete confusion.


    On the other hand, Ma-Ra simply followed Woo-Moon into his room, leaving everyone in surprise.


    ¡°D-did you just see that?¡±


    ¡°How indecent!¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t even married yet! Of course, that bumpkin doesn¡¯t know any decency.¡±


    The girls who were jealous of Ma-Ra gossiped amongst each other, while the rage of the young men was iparable to that of the girls. In fact, some of the youngsters were trying their best to restrain their bloodlust, and their hands were already squeezing the hilts of their swords.


    <i>¡®How could this be?! To think they were in that sort of rtionship!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Then that girl is actually a whore!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®That dog bastard Woo-Moon!¡¯</i>


    Whether it was the young men of the Namgoong Family or the Baek Family, they all cursed Woo-Moon with all of the sincerity in their hearts.


    Woo-Moon had been sleeping with Ma-Ra in the same room for a while now, but none of the other Baek Family members would have known that, as it was something that happened within the privacy of the Song Family residence.


    Ye-Ye looked at Woo-Moon''s room with a cold gaze before retiring to her room, while the others also went off to their respective rooms with ire in their bellies.


    In the end, thest person left behind in the reception area was Yong Hwa-Pyeong, and the poor man had tears in his eyes.


    ¡°How could this be?! My goddess, the Smileless Flower, is...¡±


    A flower that doesn¡¯t smile. It was the nickname given to Ma-Ra in the short time that she had been with the Baek Family.


    The sight before him was absolutely shocking for Yong Hwa-Pyeong, who had enshrined Ma-Ra within his heart even before they had set off for the expedition.


    ***


    <i>Meanwhile, in Woo-Moon¡¯s room.</i>


    ¡°Before, I slept on the bed because it was my room, but today it¡¯s not. You sleep on the bed, Ma-Ra. I¡¯ll take the ground.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    However, when Ma-Ra tried to get on the bed, she saw Eun-Ah already lying there as if she had imed it first.


    <i>Growl!</i>


    Eun-Ah growled, almost as if to say, <i>¡°This is my spot. Sleep on the floor!¡±</i>


    Ma-Ra quietly stared back at Eun-Ah, her eyes silently bearing down on Eun-Ah as if she was about to y the baby tiger with the knives in her eyes.


    Feeling the weight of Ma-Ra¡¯s gaze, Eun-Ah squinted and stared back in return, their confrontation continuing silently.


    ¡°Just what are you doing?¡± Woo-Moon asked, finding the entire situation ridiculous.


    1. The Iron Sword Four Beast Battalion, as mentioned earlier, has about 600 members. As two of the four squadrons thatpose the Iron Sword Four Beast Battalion have set out, there are about 300 members on the Baek Family side. ?

 Chapter 71. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (18)

    <h4>Chapter 71. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (18)</h4>


    Ma-Ra and Eun-Ah¡¯s staredown continued for so long that Woo-Moon eventually couldn¡¯t stay awake anymore and fell asleep.


    <i>Mew...</i>


    Eun-Ah had red for so long that she had strained herself and was finally forced to blink with tears in her eyes. Eventually, she slowly descended to the floor, avoiding Ma-Ra¡¯s gaze. She then crawled into the dark space under the bed, getting ready for the night just like she would when she was in the Baek Estate.


    Ma-Ra, face as expressionless as ever,y down on the bed. A momentter, she said softly, ¡°Come here.¡±


    Eun-Ah pricked up her ears at Ma-Ra¡¯s call.


    <i>Mew!</i>


    She had been ready to spend her night in the deste cold and darkness, so she didn''t waste a single second. She quickly emerged from under the bed and climbed into the soft sheets.


    ¡°Sleep.¡±


    Touched by the victorious Ma-Ra''s generosity, the baby tiger snuggled into her arms, and the two fell asleep together.


    ***


    The next day, Woo-Moon could feel stinging res from the moment he stretched and emerged from the room.


    <i>¡®Yeah, that¡¯s right. Good morning to you, too, losers.¡¯</i>


    Even someone as thick-headed as him could tell that everyone had misunderstood his rtionship with Ma-Ra. However, he couldn''t care less.


    <i>¡®Are we going to have problemster, then? Well, whatever. Ma-Ra doesn¡¯t want to leave anyway. I just have to make sure I keep myself honest.¡¯</i>


    Behind Woo-Moon, who was looking rather disheveled due to having slept on the floor, Ma-Ra came out of the room with her hair slightly ttened on one side. Maybe it was because she was also very neatly dressed and emitted an aura of sharpness, but this side of her looked incredibly cute.


    There was a look of sadness in the gazes of the young men.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go wash up.¡±


    Ma-Ra nodded in agreement,pletely oblivious to the connotations of Woo-Moon¡¯s statement.


    The young and naive younger generation talents had all struggled to get a good night''s sleep from the shock of the tant behavior of the unmarried ¡°couple.¡± Now, as soon as the sun rose, they were shocked again.


    After some time, the youngsters finished their preparations and joined the troops, who had stayed at other inns, and they left Wuhu for Mount Ma¡¯an. They were likely to arrive before nightfall and would have to decide whether to attack or camp before the mountain.


    Woo-Moon spurred his horse forward. He found that, for some reason, he was in fact strangely enjoying the gazes filled with contempt, jealousy, and awe that these youngsters were throwing at him.


    Suddenly, he perked up. ¡°There is someone ahead.¡±


    Ma-Ra nodded. Even though her cultivation was not as high as Woo-Moon¡¯s, her senses were very much on par.


    ¡°One.¡±


    ¡°Pardon? What are you talking about?¡± asked Yong Hwa-Pyeong, whose eyes were puffy as if he had stayed up all night. There was no one before them. But when Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra suddenly both confirmed someone¡¯s presence, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they actually felt something.


    ¡°Just wait; you¡¯ll see in a moment.¡±


    Themander of the Lion Fang Squadron and his troops overheard the conversation between the two men, and they looked over at Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra with undisguised contempt.


    <i>¡®Youughable little brats. Someone would think you were Absolute Masters with the words you just throw around. How could someone like you sense the presence of someone when even I haven¡¯t noticed anyone?¡¯</i>


    However, it didn¡¯t take long for the Lion Fangmander to gape in shock, as someone really did appear before them as they walked along the road. The man seemed middle-aged and had a long beard. He was wearing a ck robe with long sleeves and he was holding a go board. The strange contrast between his ck beard and powdered white face gave him an eerie look.


    A warrior of the Namgoong Family, who had been walking at the front, drew his sword and shouted at the man, ¡°Hey, you, step aside if you don¡¯t want to get trampled!¡±


    ¡°What do you think about betting your life with me on a game of go?¡± the man in the ck robes responded, his voice grating on the ears like nails on a te.


    ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Take your go board and get¡ª¡±


    The warrior of the Namgoong family was unable toplete his sentence, as before he knew it, a white go piece had lodged itself into his forehead.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for some bastard who doesn¡¯t know feng shui to get involved!¡±


    With a cry that sounded like scraping metal, the man in the ck robe swung the heavy go board in his hand, smashing open the head of the already dead warrior.


    ¡°It¡¯s the enemy!¡±


    The three nearest warriors of the Namgoong Family leaped forward to attack, but within moments, he was


    ¡°He¡¯s the Life and Death Go Monster!¡±


    As he shouted the name of the man in the ck robes, Do-Gun drew his sword and leaped forward.


    The youngest of the Three Peak Monsters, the Life and Death Go Monster, chuckled.


    ¡°Good, good. A little brat of the Iron Sword Baek Family, I see. You should be a fun challenge.¡±


    The Life and Death Go Monster was an opponent that couldn¡¯t be underestimated. Do-Gun focused and attacked the Life and Death Go Monster, unleashing the Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword, which he was close to perfecting.


    ¡°Hmm. They¡¯re just about evenly matched,¡± Woo-Moon said, watching the sh.


    The Lion Fangmander and his troops, who had already been proven wrong regarding Woo-Moon¡¯s senses earlier, scoffed once more as they heard Woo-Moon¡¯s words.


    <i>¡®This kid gets a lucky shot in the dark once, and suddenly the bullshit thates out of his mouth gets worse. How could some low-life scum like the dead go beast or whatever be anywhere near the level of Young Master Do-Gun? That scum is probably at the pinnacle of First ss at most.¡¯</i>


    On the other hand, Do-Gun and Ye-Ye had both reached the first stage of the Peak realm. Thus, themander couldn¡¯t believe that the Life and Death Go Monster could be evenly matched with Do-Gun, the greatest of the young talents of the prestigious Iron Sword Baek Family.


    However, just like before, Woo-Moon¡¯s prediction turned out to be correct.


    Even after nearly three minutes, Do-Gun was unable to defeat the Life and Death Go Monster. In fact, he was even being pushed back. He felt chills go down his back as go pieces flew by him periodically throughout their battle.


    <i>¡®How can this be? Just how...?!¡¯</i>


    As the fight dragged on, one of the talents of the Namgoong Family joined the battle.


    ¡°Evildoer! How dare you kill a warrior of our family!¡±


    ¡°Kekeke, As expected, Righteous Faction bastards really like to gang up on people!¡±


    With a short cry, the Life and Death Go Monster drew three gray go pieces from his go board and threw them on the ground.


    <i>Poof!</i>


    Smoke enveloped his body as he disappeared.


    ¡°Damn it, he fled!¡± Do-Gun shouted, chewing his lip in irritation.


    Just like he said, the Life and Death Go Monster had already disappeared when the smoke cleared.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry. Everything will be solved if we just chase him and take him down,¡± Namgoong Sung said. He wanted the group to keep moving so that Do-Gun wouldn¡¯t have time to dwell on his defeat and take psychological damage.


    Do-Gun had been biting his lip so hard that blood was oozing out from the shock that the Life and Death Go Monster was more than a match for him in skill. However, he immediately came to his senses at Namgoong Sung¡¯s words.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    The group hurried on their way again as Woo-Moon looked at Namgoong Sung and muttered in appreciation, ¡°He¡¯s pretty impressive.¡±


    On the other hand, those around Woo-Moon actually looked at him with admiration¡ªthe warriors of the Lion Fang Squadron and Yong Hwa-Pyeong.


    <i>¡®Just how did he know that?¡¯</i>


    Of course, everybody in the Baek family knew that Woo-Moon had beaten Baek Heon-Won; that was why he was here now. It had been the most exciting thing recently. However, if they were to assess the skills of the two people just by looking at their battle for a split second, it would mean that Woo-Moon¡¯s strength greatly surpassed both Do-Gun and the Life and Death Go Monster.


    <i>¡®No, there¡¯s no way.¡¯</i>


    After all, there were cases where one¡¯s senses or insight were particrly outstanding. Just like there were some cases where one¡¯s mastery of movement techniques was incredible, but their mastery of sword techniques wascking.


    <i>¡®That has to be the case, right?¡¯</i> one of the warriors of the Lion Fang Squadron thought. However, in the end, he was unable to hold back his curiosity and actually went to ask Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Young Master Song.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You said earlier during the fight between Young Master Do-Gun and the Life and Death Go Monster that they were just about evenly matched before even three seconds had passed. How did you figure that out?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really curious, too. What is your reason?¡± spoke Do-Gun in a chilly voice.


    He had clearly heard the conversation between the two and he was already on the edge, so he couldn¡¯t hold himself back.


    Everyone¡¯s attention focused on Woo-Moon, to the extent that the group actually slowed down so everyone could hear what was going on.


    ¡°Oh, that? It''s simple. Although our dear little nephew Baek. Do. Gun¡¯s extremely impressive Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword may show incredible power in spars between members of our Righteous Faction, his skills don¡¯t match up quite as well against opponents of the ck Hand like the Life and Death Go Monster, who have built their skills through actualbat. Even if, objectively speaking, our dear little nephew Baek. Do. Gun¡¯s cultivation was higher than the enemy¡¯s, the result that we saw was inevitable during a real battle. Moreover, you said that the Life and Death Go Monster is only at the pinnacle of First ss. You¡¯re wrong. Our enemy has already reached the Peak realm.¡±


    Following Woo-Moon¡¯s words, the gazes of the Baek Family¡¯s representatives turned serious, while the talents of the Namgoong Family looked over at Woo-Moon with half-amused, half-bored gazes.


    ¡°Uncle, are you insulting the Family¡¯s sword art? I can¡¯t just sit back and let this slide, even if you <i>are </i>of an older generation.¡±


    Woo-Moon chuckled at this ridiculous statement. He shook his head, then looked at his ¡°nephew¡± with a light smile on his face.


    ¡°When did I ever say something about Baek Family¡¯s Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword? I was talking about <i>your</i> Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword, dear nephew. The original is an incredible sword art. It mayck a refined appearance, but it¡¯s a strong and practical sword art that truly deserves to be called one of the best in the entire <i>gangho.</i> However, not everyone¡¯s version of the art is the same as everyone else¡¯s. You modified that practical sword art to your own liking because you became intoxicated with superficial appearances and you train only in the pursuit of pretentiousness. That¡¯s why <i>your</i> Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword is weak.¡±


    Do-Gun grit his teeth at Woo-Moon¡¯s harsh assessment. In truth, he had actually realized that Woo-Moon¡¯s analysis was objective. However, what was more important to him at this very moment was the humiliation he suffered in front of so many people.


    <i>¡®To think that I, the Extreme Sword Iron Flower Baek Do-Gun, would be insulted by some no-name vige buffoon just because of a technicality in hierarchy?!¡¯</i>


    Do-Gun lifted his scabbard with his left hand and ced his right hand on the hilt of his sword.


    ¡°I can¡¯t understand or trust your words, Uncle. I would like to request that you spar with me here and now. Please prove your words with your skills.¡±


    Ye-Ye hurriedly stepped forward and interfered.


    ¡°Stop! What do you think you¡¯re doing? No matter what, Uncle is our leader. What do you think would happen to military order if you act like this right now??¡±


    However, Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t the type of person to sit still and be insulted by others. Not only did he have to respond in kind, he had to give back ten times what he received.


    ¡°You audacious brat. You seem to think that good and evil are determined solely by strength, huh? But, if that¡¯s the case, then what makes you any different from those from the Demonic Path? If we do things your way, it means that if I¡¯m stronger, then what I say is right, and if you¡¯re stronger, then what I say is wrong! Also, don¡¯t try to beat around the bush pretending to be polite; just speak your mind openly. You¡¯re just upset that I called you weak and you want to beat me up, don¡¯t you? As a man, don¡¯t you think you should be more straightforward and confident?¡±


    Woo-Moon even had a sneer on his face as he finished his sentence.


    ¡°Uncle!¡± Ye-Ye shouted sharply. She couldn¡¯t believe how Woo-Moon was pouring oil onto the mes, even as she tried to stop Do-Gun.


    Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Namgoong Sung moved swiftly to a position where he could stop the two of them.


    ¡°We¡¯re in front of the enemy. Please control yourselves.¡±


    However, Do-Gun had already reached the point of no return¡ªno, he had already passed it.


    ¡°Move! Military Order? Baek Ye-Ye, don¡¯t make meugh. Just who the hell is the leader, and who the hell is the follower? Have you forgotten who my mother is?!¡±


    This time, Ye-Ye¡¯s gaze grew cold.


    How could she not know what Do-Gun was referring to? Her father, Baek Mu-Hoon, was the powerless patriarch of the family and he was not only ignored by Do-Gun¡¯s mother, but even manipted like a puppet.


    That was why Baek Ye-Ye, the flower of an Ancient Family, had to endure everything, even though she suffered from heart demons, even when tears flowed down her face!


    Eventually, she, too, grabbed the hilt of her sword.


    ¡°...Fine. I guess I can¡¯t endure it any longer, either.¡±


    Festering wounds in an Ancient Family were more likely to burst among the hot-blooded and fiery younger generations than among the old-timers!


    ¡°I mean it, don¡¯t you dare try to stop me!¡± Do-Gun shouted as he ran forward to attack Ye-Ye and Woo-Moon with his sword drawn.


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon¡¯s shoulder twitched forward, and a wisp of golden sword qi flew out.


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i>


    Before Do-Gun could react or even think, the wisp of sword qi was right in front of him.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s going to hit me!¡¯</i>


    Right at the moment Do-Gun thought he was going to die, he caught sight of another light, this time a white beam, shing before his eyes. The golden sword qi had been aimed at where the white beam of light would have hit his forehead.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The translucent disc that had appeared out of nowhere and nearly ended Do-Gun¡¯s life on the spot split in half, and the two half-moons narrowly missed both of Do-Gun¡¯s temples.

 Chapter 72. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (19)

    <h4>Chapter 72. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (19)</h4>


    <i>Ssst.</i>


    The edge of the disc was so sharp that Do-Gun was left bleeding even though it had just barely grazed him.


    Do-Gun felt as though time had stopped. He watched the cleanly split disc fall to the ground. Seeing the two pieces hit the dirt, he btedly realized what had just happened.


    Still finding it hard to believe, he looked over to where he presumed the Silver Moon Disc hade from. In the distance, he could see a barely visible figure¡ªa man wearing a ck robe and a Yaksha mask.


    Someone shouted upon recognizing their opponent. It was the second of the Three Peak Monsters, the Savage Twin Moon Monster![1]


    Everyone in the expedition froze, horrified. The Savage Twin Moon Monster had just disyed cultivation far beyond what was known in the <i>gangho</i>, not to mention incredible mastery of his weapons. The greater the distance between them, the more advantageous it was for their enemy.


    Without any hesitation, Ye-Ye shouted, ¡°After him!¡±


    Following her shout, thebined forces of the Baek and Namgoong Families rushed toward the Savage Twin Moon Monster. They quickly closed the distance.


    One hundred zhang...fifty...twenty...!


    However, the closer they got, the more they felt like something was off.


    <i>¡®Why isn¡¯t he throwing another disc?¡¯</i>


    The vanguard slowed down as the strange feeling grew stronger. Then, Do-Gun, who was at the very forefront of the party, swiftly moved right in front of the Savage Twin Moon Monster and hit his head in anger.


    ¡°You damned bastard!¡±


    <i>Thump, thump.</i>


    The head of a wooden doll wearing a Yaksha mask seemed tough at them as it rolled on the ground.


    ¡°The bastard already fled.¡±


    ¡°He most likely switched ces with this doll the moment he threw his moon disc at Baek Do-Gun.¡±


    The vanguard returned to the main party. They had split into two groups as Ye-Ye had concerns about the Savage Twin Moon Monster being a decoy to target the rear. However, that didn¡¯t turn out to be the case.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry and get on our way,¡± Woo-Moon said carefreely.


    Everyone turned to look at him, suddenly reminded that he was the only one to have noticed the Savage Twin Moon Monster¡¯s Silver Moon Disc and intercepted it with sword qi. However, as all of them were feeling the pressure of the hidden enemies, none of them bothered to say anything.


    All the youngsters gritted their teeth as they hurried toward the Red Fog Valley.


    <i>¡®He... he just happened to notice the Silver Moon Disc. Yeah, it was definitely luck!¡¯</i>


    The pride of these geniuses from the Ancient Families was too high to acknowledge Woo-Moon. After all, to them, he was just an intruder that appeared out of nowhere. Moreover, among them, there was one person whose heart was particrly heavy: Baek Do-Gun.


    <i>¡®If... What if Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t blocked that Silver Moon Disc?¡¯</i>


    The knowledge that he would have most likely died sent a chill down Do-Gun¡¯s spine.


    The Savage Twin Moon Monster¡¯s Silver Moon Discs were notorious in the <i>gangho.</i> They were made of a unique transparent material that made them nearly impossible to detect. They made no sound no matter how hard they were thrown and were almost invisible. Countless Righteous Faction experts had lost their lives to the insidiousness of the Silver Moon Discs.


    Therefore, even though the Savage Twin Moon Monster was weaker in cultivation and skill than the first of the Three Peak Monsters, the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster, the experts of the <i>gangho</i> were more terrified of the Savage Twin Moon Monster¡¯s moon discs.


    ¡°They say the Savage Twin Moon Monster only has two Silver Moon Discs. If one of them was destroyed by Master Song, that bastard should only be left with one! That¡¯s great!¡± Yong Hwa-Pyeong said enthusiastically, amazed by Woo-Moon¡¯s skill.


    However, Woo-Moon himself was far less enthusiastic about it. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say their cultivation and skill are higher than rumored? If my suspicions are right, then it¡¯s highly likely that he also has more Silver Moon Discs than he is known to have, and who knows what other weapons. We should be questioning everything right now.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I¨CI see.¡±


    Beside them, Ma-Ra walked silently, staring intensely at the Silver Moon Disc halves in her hand. Woo-Moon looked at her with a somewhat happy expression, as it was the first time he saw Ma-Ra show interest in anything.


    After a while, the allied forces approached the entrance of a long canyon. Ye-Ye distributed gs to ten of the swiftest men of the Tiger Fang Squadron.


    ¡°Climb up the canyon and check for any signs of the enemy.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    They all began scaling the canyon swiftly with the red gs tied to their backs. After some time, five scouts arrived at the summit on each side and moved forward with swords drawn, carefully looking in all directions.


    ¡°Do you see anyone?¡±


    As they walked carefully while checking diligently, the scouting team advanced to a point where the main expedition party below lost sight of them. Soon, the scouting team on the right discovered an area where the color of the soil was different from other ces.


    <i>¡®Hey, what¡¯s thi¡ª¡¯</i>


    Their doubts were cut short. Suddenly, a flying Silver Moon Disc struck the necks of two scouts in a row. Simultaneously, camouged assants leaped out of the ground and shot poisoned needles at the others. The poison was so strong that the scouts weren¡¯t even able to scream before they died.


    Although the blood spurted out from the decapitated body of a scout and sttered on the g, it wasn¡¯t noticeable as the g was red, to begin with. At the same time, the same ambush happened on the other side, with the only difference being that the main weapon was go pieces instead of Silver Moon Discs.


    ¡°Go and signal them,¡± the Life-Death Go Monster said in a low voice.


    At hismand, the assants stripped the corpses of their scout uniforms and changed into them before running towards the cliff and signaling with the gs.


    After confirming the all-clear signal, Ye-Ye and Namgoong Sung ordered the expedition party to march through the canyon.


    ¡°Hold on a second. Don¡¯t you think something feels strange?¡±


    Namgoong Sung and Ye-Ye turned to look at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Just now, when the scout team signaled to us. His face was covered the entire time with the g, almost as if on purpose, so we couldn¡¯t confirm that the scout was one of us. Maybe someone...¡±


    Namgoong Sung interrupted him.


    ¡°Our enemies are trying to buy time right now. That¡¯s why these people came to slow down our advance twice now. We must not act as our enemies wish.¡±


    ¡°I also agree with Young Hero Namgoong. The fact that they¡¯re trying to slow us down only indicates the impact our forces could have if we arrive faster. Moreover, the enemy may have already requested aid from another ck Hand organization. We must move forward as fast as possible, right now.¡±


    In the end, following the orders of the two representatives, the Baek and Namgoong Family expedition party ran toward the canyon. As he watched the others enter the canyon, Woo-Moon called out to Ma-Ra.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, can you go up there and check?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Although Woo-Moon wanted to confirm it himself, he thought it was better to stay with the group and prepare for any surprises.


    Ma-Ra climbed the cliff at an incredible speed, iparable to that of the scouts.


    <i>Tap tap, tap tap!</i>


    Her movements seemed like a water swallow skipping and sshing across a body of water.


    Eventually, she reached the summit. With a cold look on her face, she turned to inspect the empty summit before shouting sharply, ¡°Ambush!¡±


    Unfortunately, by the time they heard Ma-Ra¡¯s cry, about half of the expedition forces had already entered the canyon. At the same time, Woo-Moon shouted, ¡°Get out of the canyon!¡±


    Ma-Ra leaped forward from the summit''s edge and stabbed the ground with a flourish of her sword.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    An eerie sound rang out in the air as blood began to pool from the ground.


    ¡°We can¡¯t wait any longer. Blow it up, now!¡±


    Enemies hiding in the ground jumped out as they ignited fuses in their hands.


    <i>BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!</i>


    The sounds of explosions shook the walls of the canyon as explosives that had been cleverly buried alongside the edge of the canyon¡¯s walls went off in session, causing the upper parts of the canyon to copse.


    Fortunately, Ma-Ra activated her Flowing Shadow Killing Art to the peak as she ran along the edge of one side of the canyon, cutting off many of the fuses and stopping the explosions. She had even detected and cut off the fuses buried in the ground.


    ¡°That was pretty impressive, you bitch! Take this!¡±


    With a sharp cry, four moon discs flew toward Ma-Ra. [2]


    ***


    Boulders the size of houses fell on the heads of the warriors of the Baek and Namgoong Families, who hadn¡¯t been able to retreat yet. It seemed like those at the back of the retreat wouldn¡¯t be able to escape and would be crushed.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t let that happen!¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t like them in the slightest, Woo-Moon had been appointed as a leader and he didn¡¯t want to see any of hispanions die. Thus, he leaped up and ran alongside the copsing canyon wall.


    Although the wall was nearly perpendicr to the ground, Woo-Moon scaled the cliff as quickly as if running on t ground and leaped away from it without hesitation. He twisted his body almost impossibly, slipping through the falling boulders and soared into the air.


    His gaze sharpened as he looked down from the sky and concentrated.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    The direction and speed of the warriors who looked as if they would be crushed, the momentum and impact of the boulders falling at the rear¡ªthey were all transformed into forces and angles and entered his mind.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s brain worked at a frighteningly high speed and calcted the paths.


    The moment he identified the boulders that needed to be dealt with, he activated the Thousand-Catty Bast and began dealing with them in order, starting from the most dangerous ones.


    On the other hand, Namgoong Sung and Ye-Ye felt miserable. It was easy for them to avoid the boulders due to their high cultivations, but they both stopped and took a deep breath when they looked back. They couldn¡¯t ignore the people who had gone deep into the canyon and were still unable to escape.


    <i>¡®This is because of me! Why the hell did I ignore that guy?!¡¯</i>


    If only they could turn back time.


    If they only had listened to Woo-Moon¡¯s words and checked again before ordering the advance, their subordinates wouldn¡¯t have lost their lives in vain.


    Although it was inevitable that some of their subordinates would lose their lives in battle, it was an absolutely horrible feeling to see their subordinates being crushed to death not by their enemies¡¯ swords but by an ambush they could have avoided.


    Ye-Ye subconsciously bit the tip of her tongue. The strong pain sent a jolt through her body as she raced back into the canyon.


    ¡°Y-young Heroine!¡±


    Namgoong Sung tried to stop Ye-Ye, as even if she were to enter the canyon, she would only end up dying alongside the others. However, he changed his mind when he saw her determined eyes.


    <i>¡®If we can save even one more person, we have to go!¡¯</i>


    Before he even realized it himself, Namgoong Sung found himself rushing into the canyon to save the warriors of the expedition forces, just like Ye-Ye.


    ¡°Y-you idiots...!¡±


    Do-Gun, who had already fled far away, clicked his tongue at the sight.


    As Ye-Ye entered the canyon, she began to grab the members of the Tiger Fang Squadron, who didn¡¯t seem to be able to escape in time, and hurled them backward. Although it was a rather drastic method, it was definitely effective.


    The warriors flew quickly through the air and out of the canyon.


    Arriving moments after, Namgoong Sung copied Ye-Ye and began to hurl the warriors as quickly as he could reach them, whether they were from the Namgoong Family or the Baek Family.


    However, as both of them had limits to their qi, it didn¡¯t seem as though it would be possible for them to save everyone in time. No¡ªif things continued this way, it would be difficult for even Namgoong Sung or Ye-Ye to survive.


    ¡°Both of them are going to die like this!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, those bastards!¡±


    Watching from outside the canyon, the talents of both families stamped their feet and cried out in sorrow. How could they not? The two leaders were their own family members!


    However, something surprising happened at that very moment.


    <i>Bang!!</i>


    Another explosion suddenly rang out.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not going to copse any further, is it?¡¯</i>


    The moment she raised her head in surprise, Ye-Ye saw a sword shining brightly with a golden light, spinning violently as it pierced through a rock the size of a house and shattered it into pieces.


    ¡°H-how is that possible?!¡±


    Woo-Moon destroyed the boulder falling on them before kicking a human-sized boulder next to him, changing direction, and flying away. The boulder that had served as his springboard also changed direction and flew away,nding a safe distance away from the warriors.


    <i>Bang, bang, bang!!</i>


    After kicking three more boulders, Woo-Moon swung his sword imbued with golden sword qi.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    After piercing through the middle of a boulder, his sword vibrated to shatter the rock into pieces. However, despite his efforts, the three boulders that had fallen off of the canyon wallst seemed as if they would crush some of the warriors who were yet to leave the canyon.


    Woo-Moon kicked off another rock, elerating even faster. Moreover, as if that wasn¡¯t enough, he used Thousand-Catty Bast with as much force as he could muster.


    Covered in sparks, Woo-Moon barrelled down like a meteor and stabbed one of the three boulders with his sword. Prating hard rock like cheese, his sword created a hole in the middle of the rock.


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Frightened exmations escaped from the mouths of those watching in anxious anticipation, as the rock didn¡¯t break even as the sword pierced it.


    1. Savage Twin is a homonym for Yaksha in Korean and refers to both the Malevolent Yaksha and the two Silver Moon Discs that he uses to split people in two. ?


    2. These are ordinary moon discs rather than Silver Moon Discs. We also don¡¯t know what the difference is. ?

 Chapter 73. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (20)

    <h4>Chapter 73. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (20)</h4>


    However, before the talents could exim in shock, they were forced to swallow their surprise.


    Woo-Moon drew his sword from the boulder, tossed the sword into the air, and struck the rock with both palms simultaneously.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    As the boulder flew away, Woo-Moon caught the sword. Looking at where the boulder he hit was going, he confirmed that things were all going to n.


    The boulder struck by Woo-Moon¡¯s double palm fell faster than before, hitting another boulder that had plummeted further down.


    <i>Crash!</i>


    With a loud noise, the two boulders collided and ricocheted off in different directions, shifting the second boulder just enough that it wouldn¡¯t fall on the trapped warriors.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    Moreover, the first boulder fell into the path of another boulder, conveniently shifting that one off to the side as well.


    Still, one major problem remained: the first boulder that had knocked the other two boulders off to the side was still falling toward the remaining people!


    The huge shadow enveloping Ye-Ye made her feel as though all hope was lost.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry, and thank you... Uncle.¡¯</i>


    She and the others had ignored his existence and looked down on him the entire journey. But Woo-Moon was <i>still</i> trying hard to save them.


    She would never forget that sight.


    However, at that moment, she saw a bright point.


    As the sky before her was obscured in darkness by the massive boulder, golden light leaked from a single hole in the rotating boulder. Suddenly, the light grew in intensity, and instantly, spiderweb-like cracks appeared all over the boulder.


    From within those cracks emerged a dazzlingly bright golden light.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    Woo-Moon had imbued the boulder with an incredible amount of qi when he stabbed the rock before hitting it with a double palm strike. That very qi exploded outward at hismand, emitting a powerful force in all directions and crushing the rock.


    The boulder turned into small stones and dust that were no longer threatening as they rained down over the survivors, coating Ye-Ye, Namgoong Sung, and the others in ayer of powder.


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moonnded softly among the stone dust falling like rain from the sky.


    ¡°As you said, the enemy is trying to buy time, so I¡¯ll go ahead and stop them,¡± Woo-Moon said without turning around.


    Although one side of the canyon had copsed, leaving debris blocking the way, it wasn¡¯t an obstacle for an expert like Woo-Moon. He bolted across the rough terrain with the Northern Wind Steps.


    ¡°Uncle!¡±


    Before anyone could apologize or thank him, Woo-Moon had already disappeared so quickly that they couldn¡¯t follow him.


    As Ye-Ye regretted how things had turned out, Namgoong Sungforted her.


    ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed that I didn¡¯t realize such an incredible person was traveling with us. In any case, we should follow him, too. At the very least, we must thank him properly, don¡¯t you think?!¡±


    To be honest, Namgoong Sung had been feeling slightly envious up until the point when Woo-Moon had stopped them in front of the canyon and mentioned feeling something strange.


    Originally, Namgoong Sung had believed that even if he wasn¡¯t the strongest among his peers, he wouldn¡¯t be that far behind. However, he couldn¡¯t help but be shocked when he saw how Woo-Moon blocked the Silver Moon Disc and demonstrated strength far beyond his own. That was why he had deliberately ignored Woo-Moon¡¯s opinion, even though it was worth listening to.


    However, he felt entirely differently now.


    He now understood what it meant to see a heaven beyond the heavens and had nothing but admiration for Woo-Moon¡¯s selflessness. Moreover, that feeling was shared by Ye-Ye and their otherpanions¡ªall except for one person.


    Do-Gun.


    ***


    Ma-Ra dodged or blocked the four moon discs that the Savage Twin Moon Monster threw. After killing all of the enemies before her, Ma-Ra nced at Woo-Moon. It seemed as though the Savage Twin Moon Monster had descended the canyonside and fled after throwing his moon discs instead of fighting Ma-Ra head-on.


    As Woo-Moon moved quickly across the canyon, Ma-Ra also ran forward, moving ordingly from the top. The two promptly crossed the terrain, easily oveing the obstacles in their path.


    Eun-Ah had popped out from Woo-Moon¡¯s robes somewhere along the line and was perched on his shoulder. She had been forced to stay hidden while Woo-Moon had been taking care of the rockslide earlier.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re nning to block the road again!¡¯</i>


    The Savage Twin Moon Monster and the Life-Death Go Monster were blocking the only road on Woo-Moon¡¯s path alongside fifty warriors of the Red Fog Valley.


    As Woo-Moon got within one hundred zhang of the blockade, a single Silver Moon Disc stealthily flew through the air. However, there was no way that it would escape Woo-Moon¡¯s notice. The Silver Moon Disc was sted away in a split second. As Woo-Moon¡¯s sword drew a brilliant arc in the air, the divided halves of the Silver Moon Disc embedded themselves in the cliff behind him.


    Five more discs swiftly followed the first Silver Moon Disc. However, Woo-Moon dodged or deflected them without a single hitch.


    The Savage Twin Moon Monster and the Life-Death Go Monster couldn¡¯t help but get increasingly enraged at Woo-Moon. As the Red Fog Valley knew they were weaker in terms of overall strength, the two had tried toy a trap within the canyon to deal a significant blow to the warriors of the Namgoong and Baek Families. However, their ns had been stopped by just a single person.


    ¡°You snotty brat!¡±


    While the two Monsters were astonished at their opponent¡¯s strength, they had no intention of saying that out loud and demoralizing their subordinates.


    Woo-Moon continued to approach with a frightening momentum, and the moment he finally walked into the range of the Life-Death Go Monster¡¯s go pieces, he was instantly bombarded with a barrage of go pieces and moon discs.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Dozens of go pieces flew directly at Woo-Moon while two Silver Moon Discs and four regr ones flew toward him at an angle, closing off all escape routes like a tight.


    ¡°Die, you bastard!¡±


    However, to spite the Life-Death Go Monster¡¯s cry, Woo-Moon kicked the ground and twisted in the air. His sword created a curtain of qi that covered his entire body, barely even letting air in, let alone attacks.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The moon discs and go pieces failed to prate his sword curtain and instead flew out in all directions. In fact, several of them flew out toward the Red Fog Valley warriors and lodged themselves in their necks, chests, arms, and legs.


    ¡°Agk!!¡±


    Then, exploding from within the sword curtain, Woo-Moonnded directly in front of the warriors and swung his sword without losing any momentum. Blood immediately spewed out like fountains as severed heads and limbs flew into the air.


    ¡°You shall not pass!¡± the Life-Death Go Monster shouted as he swung his steel go board. However, Woo-Moon dodged the blow almost effortlessly, swinging his leg in one fluid motion and kicking the opponent¡¯s arm.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    The Life-Death Go Monster¡¯s arm bent in a strange direction.


    Leaving the remaining enemies to those who followed behind him, Woo-Moon slipped through the barricade and continued toward the Red Fog Valley. Although the Savage Twin Moon Monster continued to throw moon discs behind him, he was no longer any threat to Woo-Moon as he had no Silver Moon Discs left.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Ma-Ra, who had been following Woo-Moon along the top of the canyon, jumped toward the two Silver Moon Discs in the air that had bounced off the sword curtain and snatched them from the sky. She caught onto the side of the cliff to slow down and immediately slid down the cliffside to follow Woo-Moon.


    The Savage Twin Moon Monster shouted as they eventually failed to stop Woo-Moon from getting further.


    ¡°Let¡¯s chase him too!¡±


    ***


    A pale white hand released a taut bowstring.


    <i>Woosh! Squelch!!!</i>


    Three arrows flew simultaneously and pierced the Red Fog Valley Warriors attacking the array.


    A beautiful girl wearing a northern-style tunic[1] made of pure white sable fur pulled an arrow out of her quiver with quick movements, shooting it out immediately. However, even with her rapid shooting, it was difficult to slow down the rate at which their simple array made of stones and trees was being destroyed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the array can hold out much longer,¡± a girl said. Although she was dressed as a Buddhist nun, her hair was long and flowing down her shoulders like a cascade.


    A beautiful woman wearing a schr¡¯s kerchief and holding a feather fan chewed her lip.


    The situation was hopeless.


    She should have noticed it immediately when their enemies had run into this valley. However, she had been too hasty, thinking only that the long game of hide and seek wasing to an end. She wondered if this was what the saying ¡°a single person acting for an entire troop¡± really meant.[2]


    It was only now that herte master¡¯s words finally resonated within her.


    <i>¡°The biggest problem is your fiery temper. Try to keep your cool at all times.¡±</i>


    Her heart sank into despair. <i>¡®Is this where we make ourst stand?¡¯</i>


    Although the mysterious girl with the schr¡¯s kerchief, Su Ran, was falling deeper and deeper into despair, she remained stoic. When she spoke, her voice was cold and unwavering.


    ¡°Do not give up. We can still win. The barricade I created will be destroyed before a quarter of an hour passes, so gather in a defensive formation and prepare for the enemy¡¯s advance.¡±


    The twenty or so remaining subordinates lined up in a circle, shoulder to shoulder.


    ¡°Hye-Rim, please wait in the middle of the array and provide aid if anyone falters.¡±


    ¡°Understood, unnie,¡± Hye-Rim answered, both fists clenched in determination.


    She was an orphan who had been raised on the central mountain of the Emei Sect and had even cultivated to the point of receiving a dharma name. However, she had been unable to sever her ties with the world and could only remain as a secr disciple.


    ¡°Princess Namar! We don¡¯t have many arrows left. Please save the arrows for after the enemy breaks through the array and attacks us. Target the leaders within their group.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Following Su Ran¡¯s words, Princess Namar stopped shooting and entered the array. She was a princess of the Yuan Dynasty, which now only existed in name. [3]


    By now, her quiver only held a dozen arrows.


    The enemies that the three women had been chasing had made a deal with the Three Peak Monsters, who were in a desperate situation due to the expedition forces of the Baek and Namgoong Families.


    The deal was simple.


    They had decided to join forces to kill Princess Namar and her forces before the warriors of the allied families arrived, thus allowing them to deal jointly with the warriors of the Baek and Namgoog Families afterward.


    Both groups knew that they would be defeated if they fought separately. However, if they were to join together and take their enemies down one at a time, they had a chance of winning. Thus, the Three Peak Monsters agreed without much contemtion.


    This was the very reason why two of the three monsters had hindered the advance of the allied families.


    Su Ran grit her teeth with a nervous expression. Soon, the array would be pierced, and they would have to face the mightiest of the Three Peak Monsters, the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster, alongside their original enemy.


    ***


    No one could block Woo-Moon¡¯s path. He advanced quickly through the warriors, eventually arriving at the Red Fog Valley.


    Suddenly, he started to sense something strangeing from two different directions. One was a peculiar smell that reminded Woo-Moon of some kind of medicine, while the other was a sound¡ªspecifically, the sound of a battle.


    Although the scent of the medicine was strangely irritating, Woo-Moon ignored it and darted in the direction of the fight.


    ¡°This could be why they tried so hard to slow our advance!¡±


    Woo-Moon had already recovered a significant amount of the qi he had expended while destroying and moving the rocks earlier.


    ¡°Is this an array?¡±


    Possibly due to the influence of the Divine Phantasm Step, which had traces of the subtleties of arrays structured into the technique, Woo-Moon discovered the array almost immediately.


    However, the moment he arrived, he saw the array shattering like ss. Over two hundred warriors of the Red Fog Valley barreled toward the broken array as if they had been waiting for just that moment.


    ¡°Hmph, you assholes, as if I¡¯d let you do what you want. Since these people are also fighting the Red Fog bastards, it seems they might be allies. Let¡¯s help them first.¡±


    Woo-Moon stepped on the heads of the Red Fog Valley warriors who were blocking his path as he ran toward the array.


    <i>Crack! Crack!!</i>


    The warriors he stepped on had their neck bones broken and their ribs caved in, and they copsed on the spot.


    Woo-Moon ran until he was close enough to the array, then leaped into the air with a flourish of his sword andnded in front of the forces within the array, who were waiting for the enemy with resolute expressions.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Princess Namar shot an arrow at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Impressive shooting!¡± Woo-Moon shouted as he spun in ce and caught the arrow.


    ¡°But you should be shooting the enemy. I¡¯m not one of them!¡±


    He tossed the arrow back to Princess Namar.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked.


    Su Ran¡¯s eyes narrowed as she looked at Woo-Moon, who had appeared out of nowhere. However, she couldn¡¯t think of anyone among the younger generation of the martial forces she knew who looked or acted anything like him.


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moon had been nning to rush the enemy without another word. However, he suddenly paused momentarily when he saw the brown-clothed warriors interspersed within the Red Fog Valley warriors. He remembered their attire all too well¡ªit was the attire of the people who had attacked him and his grandfather back then.


    ¡°You...you bastards!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s voice filled with rage as he remembered all the people who had been murdered by these criminals.


    1. The term used here refers to a Mongolian <i>deel</i>, a traditional piece of clothing that looks like a gown or kaftan usually worn with a broad sash, stillmonly worn throughout Mongolia. ?


    2. An old Korean saying used to teach young officers that their orders have consequences for not just themselves but also the soldiers that serve under them. ?


    3. The Yuan Dynasty was a Mongol dynasty that ruled China for almost a hundred years in the 13th-14th centuries. ?

 Chapter 74. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (21)

    <h4>Chapter 74. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (21)</h4>


    Woo-Moon knew his grandfather was off somewhere, working diligently to reveal these bastards¡¯ true identity and destroy their organization. If that was the case...


    <i>¡®If I stop whatever they¡¯re doing here and kill them all, I can be of help to my grandfather!¡¯</i>


    A strong fighting spirit, different from before, burned brightly within him. Alone save for his sword, Woo-Moon charged right at the over two hundred enemies.


    ¡°What¡¯s with this bastard?¡±


    ¡°You audacious brat, you dare to fight us alone?!¡±


    The warriors of the Red Fog Valley shouted insults at Woo-Moo, but that onlysted for a few moments. Woo-Moon¡¯s approaching form suddenly blurred before dissipating into the background, almost as if he had evaporated.


    In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly in front of them, and his apparition was followed by a burning pain in their throats. Their minds couldn¡¯tprehend what happened next¡ªthey would no longer be able to think about anything at all, for that matter.


    Woo-Moon had used the Divine Phantasm Step to approach the enemies and cut down three with a single sh. He continued to move forward, his sword shining brilliantly as he swung in every direction. With each sh of his de, enemies copsed one by one, spewing blood.


    Raging Wind, Heavy Rain, and North Wind spread endlessly from the tip of his sword.


    Ten, twenty, thirty...


    The number of people spraying blood into the wind as they fell to Woo-Moon¡¯s sword increased exponentially.


    ¡°Everyone, form ranks! We¡¯re going to break through their blockade. Hye-Rim, lead the march!¡±


    Following Su Ran''s orders, Hye-Rim and the others quickly formed a phnx. Su Ran was at the center, as she had the weakest martial arts prowess, and Princess Namar was behind her.


    Considering how quickly and orderly they put together the formation, it was clear that they had been properly trained in groupbat.


    ¡°Ahh!!!¡±


    The enemy¡¯s battle line had already copsed due to Woo-Moon¡¯s single-man charge, forcing them into a disorganized melee. Thus, it was nearly impossible for them to maintain a solid formation, much less defeat Princess Namar and the others, who did in fact have a solid formation.


    The situation that had been going nearly perfectly until just a while ago began to crumble due to the actions of just a single man, leading the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster to be anxious.


    ¡°BRAT, YOU FUCKING DARE!!¡±


    In the end, he rushed toward Woo-Moon with the four experts who made up the leadership of the brown-clothed warriors. He refused to allow Woo-Moon to cause any more chaos.


    Surprisingly, although the four unknown experts were not quite at the level of the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster, it was apparent from their moves that their martial arts skills surpassed the Savage Twin Moon Monster¡¯s.


    The Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster seemed like a typical Buddhist monk, donning a monk¡¯s robe with his head shaved, even having ritual scars marking his head.[1] However, he exuded a rich scent of blood and an aura of murder that didn¡¯t suit his appearance.


    On the other hand, the four experts of the brown-clothed warriors seemed to be, strangely enough, quadruplets. Two wielded swords, while the other two had sabers.


    The five of them quickly approached Woo-Moon. The first to reach him leaped forward apanied by a raging saber wind!


    Woo-Moon retreated, lightly pushing off on his tiptoes and falling backward. Using the Iron te Bridge[2], he narrowly avoided the blow. The second his back bent backward, two swords, a Buddhist spade, and yet another saber came flying at him from four directions.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    Woo-Moon raised his sword above his stomach and blocked all four weapons simultaneously, propping his de with his right hand.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    Then, he exploded forth with a roar. ¡°HA!!¡±


    He drew his right hand back and let loose a palm in a fraction of a second, striking the t of his sword. The four weapons pressing down on him flew into the air. However, his enemies weren¡¯t so weak as to be disconcerted by his counterattack, as they immediately regained control of their weapons and tried to attack Woo-Moon again.


    <i>Thud!!</i>


    The moment Woo-Moon hit the ground, another weapon joined the fray, and five weapons simultaneously pierced toward his torso.


    <i>Bang! Bang! Bang!</i>


    Woo-Moon kicked his feet into the air and hit three of them on the chins, then used the recoil to bounce back and move to safety on the side.


    One of the quadruplets was hit first and had his neck shattered along with his jaw, immediately losing his life. The next one also had his entire jaw blown off, blood spewing everywhere. He wasn¡¯t dead quite yet, but the excessive blood loss would get him there sooner rather thanter.


    Thest to be hit, the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster, was fortunate enough to be hit only by the final, weakest strike. Even though his jaw ached as if he had been, well, kicked in the face, he hadn¡¯t taken any major damage.


    <i>¡®How could this...?!¡¯</i>


    The five of them had reached at least the pinnacle of the Peak ss, and some were even showing signs of breaking through to the Transcendent ss. However, even with <i>that</i> strength, they had all been overwhelmingly pushed back.


    The Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster couldn¡¯t help but be amazed at his opponent¡¯s skill, even while he tried to shake off the pain in his jaw.


    <i>¡®What a terrifying brat. He looks like he hasn¡¯t even reached twenty. How does he have such power?! With this level of skill, he¡¯s definitely reached at least the peak of the Transcendent ss!¡¯</i>


    Before one reached Peak ss, the differences between each ss weren¡¯t great. It wasn¡¯t umon for a Second ss martial artist to die at the hands of a Third ss martial artist if they weren¡¯t careful. However, once one reached Peak ss, even a single level of difference meant a practically insurmountable gap in martial skills.


    Indeed, the higher one¡¯s cultivation, the more difficult to progress, but also the greater the benefits.


    Thus, it only made sense for Woo-Moon to be able to show off this level of power if he had reached the peak of the Transcendent ss.


    ¡°Damned bastard! Alright, you¡¯re from the Iron Sword Baek Family, I get it! You don¡¯t have to shove it in my face now!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for thepliment. Honestly, though, my martial arts skills have very little to do with the Iron Sword Baek Family.¡±


    Although Woo-Moon spoke honestly, each word sounded more arrogant than the next to the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster.


    As they spoke, the quadruplet who had his jaw blown off ultimately lost his life..


    However, despite losing two brothers, the expressions of the remaining quadruplets didn¡¯t change much. It wasn¡¯t like they were not angry, but they had to suppress their anger. They knew that if they lost their temper here, it would be bad.


    However, at that moment, something happened that made them even more desperate.


    The troops of the Baek and Namgoong Families arrived.


    ¡°Kill the evildoers of the Red Fog Valley!¡±


    ¡°Attack!"


    To think things had unraveled to this degree.


    The Three Peak Monsters and the brown-clothed warriors had joined forces, yet not only had they failed to take down their individual enemies, but an even greater crisis besieged them. Namely, their opponents had also joined forces.


    ¡°What are you doing? Well, if you¡¯re not going to attack, then don¡¯t mind if I do!¡±


    The next moment, Woo-Moon used the Divine Phantasm Step.


    <i>¡®Huh?! Where...¡¯</i>


    The Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster quickly looked in all directions. Eventually, he managed to detect Woo-Moon¡¯s position and swung his spade.


    <i>ng!</i>


    <i>¡®He¡¯s pretty impressive. This is the first time I¡¯ve had someone see through the Divine Phantasm Step this quickly.¡¯</i>


    Feeling some admiration for the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster, Woo-Moon proceeded to use Cold Snow. His sword seemed to swing extremely slowly at first nce, leading the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster to try to parry it with his spade. However, Woo-Moon¡¯s de suddenly changed direction and slid across the spade¡¯s handle.


    <i>¡®W-what an incredible sword technique!¡¯</i>


    The moment the astonished Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster narrowly escaped Cold Snow, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword shifted once more. The sword suddenly burst out with a violent force and irregr motions¡ªyet even in its erratic motion, its tip was clearly bound for the throat of the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t stop it...!¡¯</i>


    However, at that moment, the two remaining quadruplets lunged forward with a sword and saber and saved the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster.


    The two quadruplets and the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster exchanged nces. They were strong martial artists, hegemons of their territory; yet here they were, barely surviving Woo-Moon¡¯s attacks.


    <i>¡®This is do or die.¡¯</i>


    They were all of the same mind, and each roused their qi to the point where they could feel intense pain in their dantians.


    <i>ROAR!</i>


    A thickyer of ck and blue qi emitted from their weapons. Seeing this, Woo-Moon also imbued his sword with qi, generating a golden sword aura.


    ¡°HAAAAA!!!¡±


    With a great roar, the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster unleashed the strongest technique he had, while the two quadruplets also swung their sword and saber in abined sh,unching a final desperate attack.


    Massive waves of qi flew toward Woo-Moon. However, the light surrounding his sword only grew more intense. Then, he pointed his golden sword at the sky, suddenly bringing down a rain of swords.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster, the attack of the two quadruplets, and Woo-Moon¡¯s Heavy Rain collided head-on, creating an explosion.


    At first, Heavy Rain seemed to be pushed back. Thebined effort of the three attackers pushed forward, destroying the rain of sword auras.


    However, the rain steadily and gradually ate away at the momentum of the three attackers¡¯ techniques. They continuously gnawed away at the qi, like water droplets boring holes through a rock.


    ¡°Kaaaaaaak!¡±


    Golden rays of light sted the two remaining quadruplets, and soon, their entire bodies had been incinerated and reduced to powder. Heavy Rain also pierced the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster. However, he was still able to maintain human shape thanks to his external body cultivation, a form of cultivation that took perhaps even more effort than cultivating inner qi.


    Blood poured out from hundreds of holes as he spoke in a dejected voice.


    ¡°I-in... the end... you are still the Iron....¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster breathed hisst with his eyes wide open.


    He had been someone who had always engrained in himself and his younger siblings that one had to use their full potential in anything that they did, believing that it would definitely help them in the future. However, Woo-Moon had been an opponent whom he could never handle, even if he was to use the thirty percent of his strength that alwaysy hidden.[3]


    The morale of Princess Namar¡¯s troops and the Baek and Namgoong Family forces skyrocketed as they saw the death of the Blood-soaked Buddha monster.


    On the other hand, the morale of the Red Fog Valley warriors and brown-clothed warriors dropped significantly as the already bad battle situation became even more overwhelmingly unfavorable.


    ¡°Is it over now? No, that¡¯s not right. There are still two of them left.¡±


    Even tigers woulde down the mountain if a fire threatened them.


    The moment Woo-Moon spoke, eight moon discs suddenly came out of nowhere, glinting in the sunlight, and attacked the allied family forces.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    They chopped through the waists and necks of anyone in their path, leaving behind a trail of blood and corpses. In addition, countless go pieces streaked through the air, piercing through the bodies of warriors and leaving nothing but death behind.


    ¡°H-how could this be!¡±


    Just from that single sudden attack, as many as fifty warriors had lost their lives. Moreover, among the casualties was one of the Ten Distinguished Swords and two young talents of the Namgoong Family.


    This was the work of the Savage Twin Moon Monster and the Life-Death Go Monster.


    However, this power was worlds apart from what they had previously shown. Previously, the maximum number of moon discs that the Savage Twin Moon Monster had been able to control was six, and the power behind each one was ratherckluster.


    However, now, even though he had thrown eight at the same time, they contained incredible force. Moreover, it was the same with the Life-Death Go Monster. Both the quantity and the force of the go pieces were shockingly greater than before.


    Woo-Moon saw several of the warriors he had rescued from the falling boulders earlier among those who had fallen, covered in blood.


    Moreover, he saw one of the Ten Distinguished Swords, who, for better or worse, was still a member of his family, being cut in half at the waist.


    Woo-Moon was filled with rage.


    ¡°You bastards!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes zed as he red at the Savage Twin Moon Monster and Life-Death Go Monster, who suddenly appeared to be foaming at the mouth.


    Seeing them reminded him of something his grandfather had said.


    <i>¡ªAmong the dirty tricks of gangho, there are ways to unleash one¡¯stent potential. You can either use acupuncture to open one¡¯s acupoints or use certain pills. Among all of the major organizations that use such methods, the ck Bull Gang is famous for using pills that trigger yourtent potential at the price of your reason, causing you to go insane.</i>


    The ck Bull Gang.


    Led by the Lust Emperor, one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors, the ck Bull Gang was one of the forces of the three factions that made up <i>gangho</i>¡ªthe Righteous Faction, the Evil Faction, and the ck Hand.[4]


    The Red Fog Valley wasn¡¯t known to have any connection to the ck Bull Gang, but now that Woo-Moon saw the two Monsters, it seemed that things were not as simple as he had initially thought.


    In any case, that was a matter for him to ponderter.


    First and foremost, Woo-Moon had to not only vent his anger but also stop the Savage Twin Moon Monster and the Life-Death Go Monster.


    The eight moon discs had returned to the Savage Twin Moon Monster, now covered in the blood of the warriors of the Baek Family, and he threw them yet again.


    The moon discs flew forward, this time leaving red trails behind them, and the go pieces of the Life-Death Go Monster followed suit.


    Woo-Moon looked at their trajectories for a moment then extended both hands toward the boulder in front of him.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Woo-Moon coated his hands in qi and gripped the boulder, his fingers prating into the rock. He firmly grasped it, lifting and throwing it in the path of the moon discs and go pieces.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The boulder flew through the air, and the sound of metal rapping against rock echoed as the moon discs and go pieces perforated it. Within a mere second, the boulder was cracked apart by the weapons, shattering into pieces as the projectiles continued forward.


    However, the boulder greatly reduced the velocity of these projectiles, allowing the targeted warriors to avoid fatal injuries.


    ¡°I¡¯m your opponent!¡± Woo-Moon shouted as he rushed at the two Monsters.


    1. The original is ¡°jieba,¡± scars burned into a Buddhist monk¡¯s head in some sects of Chinese Buddhism, for instance the Shaolin Chan sect. Generally, they are dots arranged into a rectangr pattern¡ªthink Krillin from Dragon Ball. ?


    2. This is the literal trantion but if this makes you imagine a Matrix-style move, well, that¡¯s also what we imagine. ?


    3. A lot of wuxia/xianxia have the concept that everyone subconsciously holds back thirty percent of their strength and that strength is only unleashed when one faces death. ?


    4. Although the author has previously separated the forces into four factions¡ªthe Righteous Faction, the Evil Faction, the Demonic Path, and the ck Hand¡ªthe Demonic Path can be considered a subsection of the Evil Faction. ?

 Chapter 75. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (22)

    <h4>Chapter 75. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (22)</h4>


    Although their cultivations had increased by more than five times their original amount, the Savage Twin Moon Monster and the Life-Death Go Monster would never be able to regain their sanity again.


    While part of the reason they had tried to buy time in the Red Fog Valley was because they wanted to defeat Princess Namar and her troops first, the other was because they also wanted to buy time to prepare the pill.


    The recipe for the Blood Frenzy Pill had been given to them by the ck Bull Gang. The Three Peak Monsters had nned to feed it to their subordinates first, as they suspected that the recipe was wed. However, they didn¡¯t have that luxury due to Woo-Moon''s appearance.


    Filled with rage at the death of their eldest brother, the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster, the two Monsters immediately swallowed the two pills they had just made. Regretfully, just as the Three Peak Monsters had expected, the recipe for the Blood Frenzy Pill they had been given was indeed wed.


    The pill allowed them to produce a much greater power than what the normal Blood Frenzy Pill would give them. However, in return, not only would they never regain their sanity, but when the effect of the pill ran out, their dantian would be forever dried up, and they would never be able to gather qi again. The ck Bull Gang had conveniently forgotten to inform them of these side effects.


    ¡°AGHHHHH!¡±


    Letting loose a feral roar, the Savage Twin Moon Monster drew moon discs from within his massive robe and threw them forward.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    The moon discs were quickly apanied by go pieces as the Life-Death Go Monster also targeted Woo-Moon.


    Although the moon discs had been reduced from eight to six, they were faster and had more momentum, and they were flying in from all directions. Any gaps were covered by the go pieces that rushed in between them.


    Woo-Moon raised his right foot and hit the ground hard.


    With a stomp, the ground shook violently as if there had been an earthquake. A massive amount of soil erupted from the ground in front of Woo-Moon¡¯s foot, creating a thick dirt wall.


    <i>Thud, thud, thud, thud!</i>


    Although the moon discs and go pieces pierced through the dirt wall, their momentum significantly fell.


    <i>¡®Concentrate!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon stared at the moon discs and go pieces intensely, just like when he had dealt with the boulders. The direction, speed, and rotation of the projectiles were all analyzed in his head.


    However, there were too many of them this time.


    <i>¡®A line! I need to find a line.¡¯</i>


    The moment he determined a path that could hit the most projectiles in a single swing, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword moved dazzlingly.


    <i>Swish! ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The sound of the collisions stretched into one continuous noise as the sound of his sword and the projectiles colliding repeated ever so quickly.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword created a single-like line in the air and struck dozens of projectiles at once. Moreover, the projectiles that collided with his sword bounced off and collided with other projectiles, causing all of them to deviate from their paths. Woo-Moon had even nned all of their rebound trajectories.


    <i>Woosh, woosh, woosh!</i>


    Not a single projectile could even touch Woo-Moon¡¯s hair; they all fell helplessly to the ground. In the meantime, the rest of the enemy¡¯s forces were eliminated, and the allied forces now gathered to watch the battle between Woo-Moon and the two Monsters.


    The Savage Twin Moon Monster and the Life-Death Go Monster unleashed a torrent of moon discs and go pieces once more. There were so many of them that Woo-Moon was left wondering just how many the two Monsters had and where they actually kept them.


    This time, Woo-Moon avoided directly confronting the projectiles and ran to the side, dodging most of them while knocking aside what few he couldn¡¯t dodge. His dodging also conveniently brought him closer to the second Monster.


    Woo-Moon kicked off the ground, and as he flew forward, he stomped the side of the cliff and jumped up even higher.


    More projectiles flew at him, but Woo-Moon imbued his sword with qi and used it to redirect the projectiles right back at the Life-Death Go Monster. A strong vortex of sword qi sted toward the Monster alongside the go pieces and moon discs the two had initially thrown at him.


    Woo-Moon quickly followed, sword swinging down.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    As the Life-Death Go Monster hurriedly dodged, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword shot down and embedded itself deeply into the ground where he had just been. At the same time, the vortex of sword qi and projectilesnded around him, forming a whirlwind pattern on the ground.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    Woo-Moonnded right next to his sword, and before the two Monsters knew it, his sword was again in his grasp.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with!¡±


    Raging Storm blew toward the two monsters, shattering and splitting the ground as a golden sword flew toward them like an arrow.


    Right behind the sword was a rain of sword shadows that seemed both irregr and ruthlessly vicious, creating a tidal wave of sword qi that was sorge that it would overwhelm anyone.


    ¡°AGH!!!¡±


    The Savage Twin Moon Monster and Life-Death Go Monster were in a beast-like state, but beasts instinctively sensed death even better than humans. They drew on everyst fiber of their being to imbue their qi into their moon discs and go pieces. However, even with all of that effort, they were nothing but fireflies before a full moon.


    Not only did Woo-Moon¡¯s blow turn the Monsters into powder, but the mighty momentum of Raging Storm continued onward and crashed into the cliff behind them.


    <i>Rumble!!</i>


    ¡°Dodge it!¡±


    Following Ye-Ye¡¯s shout, everyone quickly retreated from the bottom of the cliffside as the top of the canyon copsed into dust. Woo-Moon¡¯s martial skill was beyond their imagination.


    Do-Gun, well aware of the horrid rtionship between Woo-Moon and his family, was both terrified and astounded. <i>¡®H-he might be even stronger than Mother!¡¯</i>


    ¡°What are you doing, dodge!¡±


    Do-Gun finally came to his senses due to the shout of a warrior of the Lion Fang Squadron, and he retreated with a dazed expression.


    However, Woo-Moon, who was in the most dangerous location, didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, help me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s dantian was currently empty. It was only natural; he had continued to use qi without any rest, and even his enormous qi reserves were not unlimited.


    Ma-Ra grabbed him by the waist and disappeared, pulling him out of the impact zone of thendslide. As they flew through the air, Eun-Ah stuck her head out from Woo-Moon¡¯s robes, looking around and crying softly.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    ***


    ¡°His martial arts skills are incredible. There isn¡¯t much of an age difference between him and me, either, so...¡± muttered Princess Namar.


    She and the others had left quickly while the Baek and Namgoong Family members were celebrating their victory. Fortunately, most of the allied forces had forgotten about Princess Namar and the others by then, so they had been able to leave safely.


    Although they hadn¡¯tmitted any crimes, they were still wary of being exposed to the public eye. Thus, it was good to avoid any awkward situations.


    ¡°I agree. I really lost confidence today,¡± Hye-Rim replied.


    The two girls were confident in their martial arts.


    The best of the younger generation of the Iron Sword Baek Family was unquestionably Do-Gun, but he was at best equal in skill to the weakest of the Three Peak Monsters. Meanwhile, the two girls¡¯ skills approached that of the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster, the strongest of the trio.


    With that level of talent, it was more than understandable that they had such confidence. However, what Woo-Moon had disyed today was far beyond the scope of the younger generation¡¯s abilities.


    ¡°Is the Iron Sword Baek Family really so great? I just can¡¯t believe that they kept such a terrifying dragon hidden.¡±


    Although they had nearly failed and risked extermination due to their enemy¡¯s scheme, in the end, they were able toplete their mission. However, the shock and surprise they received was greater than their joy.


    ¡°By the way, we couldn¡¯t even say thank you to that person because we were in such a hurry to leave,¡± Princess Namar said.


    ¡°I know. But, well, it can¡¯t be helped. We can¡¯t help but seem ungrateful in the current situation.¡±


    While the two girls spoke, they made their own resolutions in their hearts.


    <i>¡®When we return, I have to practice harder. I¡¯m too weak right now.¡¯</i>


    Su Ran, who had been silently following them, finally opened her mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to investigate who he is as soon as we get back. I¡¯m sure of it. He¡¯s going to leave a mark in the <i>gangho</i> in the future.¡±


    She also resolved herself as she spoke.


    <i>¡®The only thing I can trust is my own head. I will never allow my temper to get in the way of our mission again. I will be calm and cool-headed. Moreover, I have to study the art of formations even more diligently when we return.¡¯</i>


    Even though the formation had been hastily made, she still didn¡¯t like the fact that it had been destroyed so easily.


    Thus, the three girls and their warriors returned home.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry, Uncle.¡±


    ¡°I apologize, too, Young Hero Song.¡±


    On the way back, after collecting the bodies of their fallenrades, Ye-Ye and Namgoong Sung came together and bowed to Woo-Moon and apologized.


    It wasn¡¯t an easy thing to do for the two of them, young talents of prestigious families with strong pride. However, they decided to do away with that pride and not put on any airs in front of Woo-Moon from now on. They weren¡¯t shameless enough to continue acting like this to someone who had saved their lives.


    Although Woo-Moon epted their apology, Ye-Ye and Namgoong Sung repeatedly apologized and bowed three times.


    They had ultimately brought themselves into danger by not listening to Woo-Moon and ignoring his judgment. Moreover, they had only been able to defeat their enemies due to his amazing martial skills.


    To think that they had believed him to be nothing special and not only looked down on him but also treated him poorly....


    The two were so ashamed and apologetic that they couldn¡¯t bear it.


    It was the same for the other talents and warriors.


    They gained the courage to step forward after seeing Namgoong Sung and Ye-Ye and also apologized to Woo-Moon directly.


    Watching all of this unfold from a distance, Do-Gun looked as if he was being forced to chew a fresh, steaming pile of shit.


    <i>¡®All of you have gone crazy. What, you all want to bow to some bumpkin just because his martial arts skills are a little impressive? You cowardly and boorish bastards!¡¯</i>


    Although it was difficult to tell who was the boorish person in this scenario, at least from Do-Gun¡¯s point of view, all of those bastards who changed their tune at the drop of a hat really were cowardly.


    Do-Gun was frightened by Woo-Moon¡¯s formidable skills and wasn¡¯t pleased to see him gain the trust of the people so easily. If an already strong enemy gained followers, that enemy would be even more difficult to deal with.


    When the expedition had first set out, Woo-Moon had been ostracized and ignored by the others. However, now, he and Ma-Ra were standing in the center of the group, walking with everyone. In fact, it was Do-Gun who was actually pushed out to the side.


    After a while, as the day slowly began to set, the allied family forces prepared to camp for the night.


    As everyone was busy preparing for the night, Woo-Moon spoke to Ma-Ra as he added more wood to his fire.


    ¡°Ma-Ra. What¡¯s your goal?¡±


    ¡°Goal?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a goal. A dream you have or something you want to do. Things like that.¡±


    After a moment of thought, Ma-Ra answered.


    ¡°...Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... well, don¡¯t you have that? To get revenge on the oathbreakers that killed your sect.¡±


    ¡°Revenge? No.¡±


    ¡°Really? I see.¡±


    After the conversation lulled for a moment, Ma-Ra spoke first for once.


    ¡°Not revenge. But, found oathbreaker.¡±


    ¡°What? Already?¡±


    Woo-Moon suddenly realized something right as he spoke.


    <i>¡®She said that the oathbreaker was a woman! Moreover, a woman strong enough to destroy the entire Formless Veil. But, if Ma-Ra had found this woman... considering she¡¯s only been in the Baek Estate, then...!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon, who had suddenly realized the identity of the oathbreaker, opened his mouth first and tried to stop Ma-Ra from speaking out of turn. Unfortunately, he was one step toote.


    ¡°Baek Hy¡ª<i>mmm</i>!!¡±


    Woo-Moon hastily covered Ma-Ra''s mouth with his hand.


    Ma-Ra just looked at Woo-Moon with an expressionless gaze and didn¡¯t react in any way.


    ¡°Use qi transmission. Don¡¯t say it out loud.¡±


    rmed, Woo-Moon looked around. Fortunately, no one seemed to be paying attention to their conversation. However, as too many people were walking around, it was only natural that Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t observe every single person. Therefore, he wasn¡¯t able to notice Do-Gun, who was secretly watching the two of them from a distance.


    When he saw Woo-Moon cover Ma-Ra¡¯s mouth and scan his surroundings, Do-Gun quickly turned away and looked somewhere else. However, his mind was racing.


    <i>¡®That girl was definitely about to say my mother¡¯s name before Woo-Moon stopped her. What the hell is going on? What is this about a Formless Veil?</i>


    While Do-Gun¡¯s mind was racing, Ma-Ra told Woo-Moon the name of the oathbreaker that had annihted the Formless Veil, Baek Hye-Ryeong. Woo-Moon then proceeded to lie down right where he sat and continued to exchange transmissions with Ma-Ra. In doing so, he was able to find out something even more shocking.

 Chapter 76. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (23)

    <h4>Chapter 76. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (23)</h4>


    What Ma-Ra had to say was astounding.


    The person that Hye-Ryeong had ordered to be assassinated was the guild master of the Yujin Merchant Guild. However, as far as everyone knew, the guild master had died and his guild had been taken over by the two Baek sisters.


    That wasn¡¯t the only thing, either. The guild master had actually been able to survive the assassination attempt of the Formless Veil, only to be found poisonedter in his own home!


    <i>¡®They say that the Yujin Guild Master miraculously survived the assassination attempt thanks to the help of the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong, who just happened to be staying with him as a guest.¡¯</i>


    With everything Ma-Ra had just told Woo-Moon, the pieces started to all fit together.


    Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong had coveted the Yujin Guild and requested the Formless Veil to assassinate the guild master. However, the entire operation ended in failure when the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong, whose strength made him basically a walking cmity, appeared out of nowhere.


    Thus, Hye-Ryeong personally made a move to eliminate the Formless Veil out of fear of thingsing back to bite them.


    Moreover, the two sisters used all the means at their disposal to poison the guild master of the Yujin Guild. As soon as they seeded, they acted ording to their initial n and divided the guild¡¯s assets among themselves.


    <i>¡®Good, Baek Hye-Ryeong. Good to know. I¡¯ll let you see how this ends soon.¡¯</i>


    After organizing his thoughts, Woo-Moon fell asleep.


    Two hourster, Do-Gun, who had been pretending to sleep some distance away, quietly got up and rushed to the nearest Baek Family branch. A whileter, a messenger pigeon pped its wings and flew toward the Baek Estate.


    ***


    Hye-Ryeong went to her office, frustrated with the servant who had woken her up in the wee hours of the morning.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, but it was marked as an emergency...¡±


    ¡°Shut up, I already got out of bed! Just leave.¡±


    After her servant left, Hye-Ryeong sat alone in her office as she opened and read the letter from her son.


    A few momentster, her eyes narrowed, and she clutched the letter tightly.


    If it were toe out that she had assassinated the guild master of the Yujin Guild in order to take over the guild¡¯s holdings, her life would be ruined.


    ¡°Just how did this... Number Three! Show yourself!¡±


    At that moment, a masked swordsman appeared silently, as if he had somehow passed through the ceiling.


    ¡°Yes, Great Mother.¡±


    She looked over at Number Three with a cold smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I told you to clean up after yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re referring to, Great Mother.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the fact that there are survivors from the Formless Veil!¡±


    ¡°My apologies,¡± Number Three said as he bowed his head.


    Number Three was one of the five secret escorts carefully raised by Hye-Ryeong. He looked up, catching a glimpse of bloodlust in her gaze.


    ¡°Please, forgive me!¡±


    However, Hye-Ryeong¡¯s anger was too great now that she was on the verge of losing everything.


    ¡°<i>Ugh! Cough!</i>¡±


    Although Number Three was a Peak ss Martial Artist, he was unable to even see, let alone dodge, the sword Hye-Ryeong had suddenly thrust and was now piercing him through the chest.


    ¡°Number Five!¡±


    Another person dressed in the same outfit as Number Three appeared in the same manner.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Although someone who had trained alongside him his entire life had just been murdered in cold blood, Number Five¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t waver in the slightest.


    ¡°Go wake up Ju-Ryeong right this instant and bring her to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Not long after Number Five left, Ju-Ryeong entered the office, slightly nervous.


    ¡°Oh dear, that scared me. What made you kill this precious child?¡± she said as she caught sight of Number Three lying dead on the floor.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to talk nonsense. There¡¯s a survivor from the Formless Veil. It appears that Woo-Moon is traveling around with her.¡±


    Ju-Ryeong was surprised by Hye-Ryeong¡¯s words.


    ¡°What? How could that happen? What are we going to do? It¡¯s over for us if it gets revealed that those idiots from the Formless Veil couldn¡¯t handle killing that guild master and we had to do it ourselves!¡±


    ¡°I made a n while you were on your way here.¡±


    ¡°What do you n to do?¡±


    ¡°If everything will be over if we don¡¯t do anything, and everything will be over if we do make a move and fail, then the only possible route is for us to make a move and seed.¡±


    As Hye-Ryeong finished her sentence, a malicious light shed in her eyes.


    Ju-Ryeong suddenly felt a chill as she looked into her sister¡¯s eyes. Although they were sisters and she was closer to Hye-Ryeong than anyone else, she had truly never seen a gaze like that from her sister before.


    <i>¡®...Something is strange. Unnie feels like she¡¯s be crueler....¡¯</i>


    Although the two of them had been extremely ambitious and had been secretlymitting evil deeds since childhood, they still had lines they wouldn¡¯t cross. However, these days, it felt like Hye-Ryeong was getting closer and closer to crossing those boundaries.


    However, just as Ju-Ryeong had been close to her older sister since childhood, she had also been afraid of her. She didn¡¯t dare to bring up her concerns about Hye-Ryeong¡¯s actions, just preferring to maintain the status quo she had lived with throughout her entire life.


    Ju-Ryeong¡¯s anxious expression and the flickering light of the uniquely scented candle reflected in Hye-Ryeong¡¯s eyes, making their ferocious gaze seem even more terrifying.


    ***


    Early in the morning, the Namgoong and Baek Families separated and headed down separate paths.


    ¡°Young Hero Song, I look forward to seeing you again. At that time, I would like to spar with you.¡±


    ¡°The Namgoong Family¡¯s Boundless Heavenly Dome Sword is renowned in the <i>gangho</i> as an incredible technique, I¡¯ve heard that it¡¯s on par with the Baek Family¡¯s Iron Blood Merciless Sword. It would be great if I could have the opportunity to see it in person.¡±


    The Baek Family had strict restrictions on learning the Iron Blood Merciless Sword.


    One could only learn it if they achieved full proficiency in the Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword. Among the current younger generation of the Baek Family, only Do-Gun and Ye-Ye had been able to even start learning it.


    After parting ways with the Namgoong Family, the Baek Family also made haste to return home.


    <i>Kyaa!</i>


    Eun-Ah moved around more actively than usual as if she wanted to relieve her resentment at being confined to Woo-Moon¡¯s robes due to the intensity of the battle. Her antics were so cute that it was more than enough to steal the attention of all of the youngsters of the Baek Family that were apanying them.


    The Baek Family troops thus moved down Mount Ma¡¯an, reaching the vige where they had left their horses. As they continued their trek home on horseback, Ye-Ye suddenly approached Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Um, Uncle...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    This was the first time Woo-Moon saw Ye-Ye, who was always so stubborn, be so hesitant.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, just tell me.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Well, the cub you¡¯re raising is a white tiger, right?¡±


    To be precise, Eun-Ah was a silver tiger, but they were fairly simr to white tigers, so her mistake was understandable.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Then, umm...do you mind if I pet her?¡±


    It was only now that Woo-Moon understood why Ye-Ye was acting like this. Finding her actions actually rather cute, Woo-Moon smiled softly and responded, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°She... won¡¯t bite me, right?¡±


    Ye-Ye seemed a little afraid.


    <i>¡®To think someone who wields a sword so fearlessly is so timid at times like this.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Eun-Ah, you <i>cannot</i> bite her, okay?¡±


    <i>Kya?</i>


    After looking back and forth between Woo-Moon and Ye-Ye with round eyes, Eun-Ah nodded. Following Eun-Ah¡¯s nod, Ye-Ye carefully stretched out her hand and stroked Eun-Ah¡¯s head.


    ¡°Wow... she¡¯s so soft,¡± Ye-Ye eximed without even realizing it. ¡°Umm... when she grows up, she¡¯ll be as big as a normal tiger, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... it would be perfect if she could just stay like this~¡±


    Suddenly, they heard the loud roar of a fully grown tiger from the mountains far away.


    <i>ROAR!!!</i>


    Although she had been rolling around on the ground as Ye-Ye stroked her, Eun-Ah¡¯s ears perked up at the sound as she jumped up. Running on her short legs, she proceeded to howl loudly toward the mountain where the roar of the tiger hade from.


    At least, she tried to howl.


    <i>Kyaaaaa!!!</i>


    ...


    <i>...Kya?</i>


    In her imagination, her roar would be even louder and more magnificent than the roar of the tiger they had just heard now. However, what actually came out of Eun-Ah¡¯s mouth was a very tiny, sharp cry.


    <i>Kya! Kya!!</i>


    Eun-Ah looked resentful as she howled again, digging wildly into the ground with her front paws.


    <i>Kya! Kyaaaaa!!</i>


    However, no matter what she did, she just couldn¡¯t emit a profound or dignified roar.


    Even if she was a silver tiger, born with innate spirituality, the volume of a tiger¡¯s roar was decided not by its sentience but by the size of its body. Thus, the small Eun-Ah couldn¡¯t evene close to the majesty of a mature tiger no matter how hard she tried.


    Watching Eun-Ah growl in anger, Ye-Ye giggled at the cute disy, while Woo-Moon chuckled as well.


    <i>¡®Huh?¡¯</i>


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon noticed that Ma-Ra, who had been walking next to them without saying a word, seemed to smile ever so slightly as she looked over at Eun-Ah.


    <i>¡®Are my eyes ying tricks on me...¡¯</i>


    ***


    ¡°You brats! Do you know how much of an honor it is for you to eat food made by me personally? Come on, eat well!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir! Thank you for the food!¡±


    Although some of the boys that Woo-Moon had recruited as guards had just crossed puberty and the others were in theirte teens, in Dae-Woong¡¯s eyes, they were all still small children. He was truly proud of them, seeing how they trained so diligently these days, so he had decided to treat them to something good. Thus, he had gone to the kitchen and cooked for them himself.


    ¡°<i>Mmmm??!</i> Whoa, this actually tastes incredible!¡±


    ¡°Of course it is, hehe. I could have gotten a job at the imperial pce if I really wanted to.¡±


    The guards suppressed theirughter. As they had been together for quite a long time now, they had be used to Dae-Woong¡¯s boasting. He wasn¡¯t wrong either¡ªhis food truly was that good.


    Even while eating happily, Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin were worried about Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re supposed to return today. He should be fine, right?¡¯</i>


    No matter how advanced Woo-Moon¡¯s martial skills were, a son was still a son. In the eyes of his parents, he would always be a small child cast out into the cruel world.


    Right at that moment, an arrow flew through the air and hit a pir of the Song Residence.


    ¡°W-what is it?¡± Dae-Woong asked, flustered.


    ¡°Honey, go check it out,¡± said Jin-Jin calmly.


    "Okay!"


    As her husband ran to read the letter attached to the arrow, Jin-Jin drew her sword with a fierce gaze in her eyes and looked in the direction from which the arrow hade.


    ¡°Honey! What does it say?¡±


    Dae-Woong¡¯s hands were shaking as he read the letter.


    <i>I have your firstborn with me. Leave the Baek Estate ande to the northeastern forest. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be greeted by the headless body of your son.</i>


    ¡°Our son!¡±


    With a shout, Dae-Woong tossed aside the letter and started running toward the northeastern forest.


    ¡°Stop right there, honey!¡±


    Jin-Jin saw Dae-Woong lose his temper as soon as he read the letter, and she immediately realized what it was about. However, she was unable to stop him as he had already gone off running.


    After snatching the letter from the air and giving it a cursory nce, Jin-Jin grabbed the shoulder of the youngest among the guards, Cho Myeong, who was particrly quick on his feet.


    ¡°Listen carefully to everything I¡¯m about to say!¡±


    ¡°U-understood!¡±


    ¡°Grab your old beggar clothes and leave the Baek Estate through the back gate. Head to the northeast forest. You must <i>not</i> attract anyone¡¯s attention, and you must <i>not</i>e within fifty feet of the forest. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Keep your distance and wait for me to call out. If you hear me shout ¡®Are you nning to take me hostage?¡¯ the culprit is the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor or the organization he belongs to. If you hear me shout ¡®So you n to kill me, then!¡¯ then the culprits are Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong. Understood?¡±


    Jin-Jin knew that if she didn¡¯t work around the issue and just directly shouted out ¡°The culprit is so-and-so!¡± unless the culprit was an idiot, they would realize that someone else was around. They¡¯d immediately search for Cho Myeong and dispose of him. Thus, she made sure to create a code in order for Cho Myeong to note who the culprit was.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    Feeling the tension in Jin-Jin¡¯s determined voice, Cho Myeong realized how serious the situation was and was able to memorize her words without a single mistake.


    After confirming with Cho Myeong, Jin-Jin quickly followed Dae-Woong, while Cho Myeong put some of his old garbs on and snuck out the back gate of the Baek Estate.


    Dae-Woong felt as though his heart would burst from worry for his son.


    ¡°How dare these bastards! I won¡¯t forgive anyone who touches even a single hair of my son! I¡¯ll kill them all!¡±


    After he left the confines of the Baek Estate and ran for a while, Dae-Woong entered the forest mentioned in the letter. There, he soon found a piece of paper attached to a tree on the roadside.


    <i>¡ªGo to the northwest</i>


    Dae-Woong continued to run deep into the forest ording to the instructions,ing across four more such notes before arriving at a small shrine.


    <i>¡ªGo to the basement</i>


    There were stairs leading to the basement at the base of the shrine. Dae-Woong walked down the step without the slightest hesitation. Soon, he entered a spacious stone room.


    ¡°You bastards! Where is Woo-Moon?!¡± Dae-Woong¡¯s voice rang loud.


    In response, one of the roughly hundred masked people waiting in the stone room spoke in a mocking voice. ¡°Who knows? Where could he be...?¡±


    ¡°It was a trap, after all,¡± Jin-Jin said, having followed Dae-Woong into the room.


    "What? A trap?"


    As Dae-Woong¡¯s eyes narrowed, Jin-Jin sighed softly.


    ¡°The only person who can capture Woo-Moon alive and hold him hostage would be an Absolute Master. But a person of that caliber would have plenty of ways to kill us without having to use such a crude hostage situation. Moreover....¡±


    Jin-Jin then shouted so loudly it seemed as though she was using Lion¡¯s Roar.


    ¡°How dare you?! So you n to kill me, then!¡±


    She cleverly gathered her voice, imbued it with qi, and shot it at Dae-Woong¡¯s back. Her voice bounced off Dae-Woong¡¯s back and echoed up the stairs. Although her roar wouldn¡¯t travel particrly far, as they were underground, it would still be audible to a certain someone who was intently listening in this direction.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing, but it won¡¯t save you.¡±


    As a cold voice echoed from behind them, the warriors blocked the staircase from where Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin had entered.

 Chapter 77. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (24)

    <h4>Chapter 77. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (24)</h4>


    Jin-Jin took a proper look at the masked warriors standing before her. With a nce, she noticed some particrly powerful warriors standing among them, warriors whose aura made her eyes sting.


    ¡°You really have lost all decency, haven¡¯t you? Even if you¡¯re loyal to those bitches Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong, to think you¡¯d go so far as to kill your own flesh and blood....¡±


    She had identified roughly thirty people in the crowd before her¡ªthirty of the fifty Baek Invincible Forged Squadron members that had supposedly left with Mu-Hoon. These people seemed to have all pledged loyalty to Hye-Ryeong, not the Baek family.


    Some of the masked warriors flinched at Jin-Jin¡¯s harsh words. It seemed as though their conscience, or at least whatever little conscience they had remaining, had been pricked.


    However, themander of the Invincible Forged Squadron, Baek Beom-Hoon, scoffed. ¡°You and the likes of those Song family peasants think you fit in the Baek Family? Please. Kill them!¡±


    At hismand, the thirty members of the Invincible Forged Squadron and the other seventy warriors¡ªactually members of the Dragon Fang Squadron¡ªrushed toward Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin.


    ¡°You bastards! Get away from my wife!¡±


    Dae-Woong had greatly improved his mastery of the Titan Qi Art he had learned from his father-inw. He took a firm stance and circted his qi before punching out. He was using the Thirty-Six Iron-Shattering Fists that the Palm Martial Emperor had created himself.


    However, although he attacked with confidence, the results were nowhere near what he expected.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Two Baek Invincible Forged Squadron members blocked Dae-Woong¡¯s Iron-Shattering Fist with their swords.


    <i>¡®How can they block it so easily?¡¯</i>


    Dae-Woong was much stronger than when he had sparred with Ju-Ryeong¡¯s husband, Jeon Yoon-Seong. However, the discrepancy between his strength and his opponents¡¯ strength was even greater.


    More than thirty of his opponents were members of the Invincible Forged Squadron, the strongest unit of the Iron Sword Baek Family.


    Of all the members of the Baek Family, they had the most outstanding skills and practiced the strongest martial arts.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Dae-Woong didn¡¯t give up, and he continued to use technique after technique of the Thirty-Six Iron Shattering Fists.


    <i>Boom! Boom!</i>


    Dae-Woong exuded an intimidating fist force as he punched forward, an explosive wave bursting out from his fist. However, all he managed to do was bury his fist in the chest of a Dragon Fang Squadron warrior.


    Moreover, in doing so, he ced himself in the path of a terrifying counterattack from an Invincible Forged Squadron warrior.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    A sword flew forward, simultaneously casting three qi des.


    Just before Dae-Woong was about to get hit, unable to block properly due to his little experience inbat, Jin-Jin suddenly leaped forward. Landing next to the massive Dae-Woong, she swung her sword.


    <i>ng!</i>


    She perfectly deflected the sword that threatened Dae-Woong.


    ¡°T-thank you, honey.¡±


    ¡°Focus on the battle!¡±


    Jin-Jin began to cut down their enemies using the Iron Blood Merciless Sword. Fortunately, the two had their backs to the wall, so at the very least, they didn¡¯t need to defend against attacks from behind.


    Dae-Woong capitalized on hisrge stature and physical strength, unleashing savage Iron Fists one after the other, while Jin-Jin used impable sword skills from behind him to block any attacks that slipped past Dae-Woong¡¯s guard.


    ¡°Pull them away from the wall.¡±


    With a coldmand from theirmander, the Invincible Forged Squadron began to attack their nks fiercely. Moreover, they actually opened up a hole in their formation directly in front of Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin, leaving the two no choice but to be dragged among the masked warriors even though they clearly knew the enemy¡¯s strategy.


    Soon, the Baek Invincible Forged Squadron warriors positioned themselves behind the two and began their assault from all directions. It was bing more and more dangerous than when they had their backs against the wall.


    In an instant, the two¡¯s bodies became littered with cuts as they faced too many attacks they couldn¡¯t block or dodge. Dae-Woong saw blood dripping from his wife¡¯s body.


    ¡°You bastards!¡±


    Consumed with anger, he momentarily lost his temper andunched a series of attacks.


    First fist, second fist, third fist, fourth fist...


    The force of the Thirty-Six Iron Shattering Fists ovepped as he struck, demonstrating incredible power.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Dae-Woong¡¯s martial skills simply weren¡¯t good enough to put up a fight against the Invincible Forged Squadron. He could onlyst as long as he did thanks to the Thirty-Six Iron Shattering Fists created by Sang-Woon.


    As the name suggested, thisbat art cultivated fists that could break iron, so it was particrly strong against the sword techniques of the Iron Sword Baek Family. Each and every fist was precisely matched to a stance of the sword techniques of the Baek Family...and they did so because Sang-Woon had purposefully created the art for that specific purpose.


    Additionally, the Iron Shattering Fists would imbue its target with a small amount of pressure qi with every punch, leading to apounding effect the more it was used in session. This had a synergistic effect with the Iron Shattering Fists'' emphasis on qi cirction. Thus, the power of each blow wouldpound and increase without end as long as one had the qi reserves to continue.


    The Thirty-Six Iron Shattering Fists was indeed the perfect art for a close-quarters fight against multiple opponents.


    Two of the Dragon Fang Squadron warriors had their heads and chests crushed by Dae-Woong¡¯s fist. At the same time, three of the Invincible Forged Squadron warriors coughed blood as they also suffered minor, but not negligible, internal injuries.


    However, that incredible barrage of attacks that wereunched without nning was bound to reveal an opening. Naturally, counterattacks were immediately aimed at Dae-Woong¡¯s sides, shoulders, and back.


    ¡°Honey!¡±


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Four swords pierced his massive body.


    Fortunately, they missed his head and vital organs, but they were still severe wounds.


    That wasn¡¯t the end of it, either. There were simply too many enemies baring their fangs at the couple. As things were getting dangerous for Dae-Woong, Jin-Jin haphazardly blocked whatever attacks wereing at her while focusing on the attacksing for her husband instead.


    <i>ng, ng, ng!</i>


    Although she was barely able to save Dae-Woong¡¯s life with her intervention, in her haste, Jin-Jin missed an attack that was aimed at her.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    She was hit on the back by the fist of one of the Invincible Forged Squadron warriors.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    After trying to suppress a moan, Jin-Jin staggered, vomiting blood due to the serious internal injuries she had suffered. Unfortunately, another attack followed immediately after, as a Dragon Fang Squadron warrior left a long cut across Jin-Jin¡¯s stomach. Although she managed to step back before he was able to cut deeply, blood flowed out profusely.


    However, there was no way that Dae-Woong would be able to tell that the injury looked worse than it was¡ªhe thought that his wife had suffered a death blow.


    To save him from his own weakness, the most precious person in the entire world had sacrificed herself in his ce.


    <i>¡®Is she going to die? Jin-Jin... is going to die...? Jin-Jin is dying!¡¯</i>


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    At the same time, Dae-Woong felt a dull pain permeate his head, as if he had been hit with a club.


    The sight of his wife vomiting blood as she was sliced by a sword repeated slowly in his mind as if time had slowed down. As he saw the sword flicker, another scene ovepped the one in his mind.


    A sight that he hadpletely forgotten due to a great shock...no! A memory he had <i>deliberately</i> repressed due to being unable to bear the terror and sadness he felt at that time!


    <i>Father! Mother! Big sister! Grandfather!!!</i>


    A memory of the day when, in order to save him, they had all died with smiles on their faces.


    One by one, fragments of that memory appeared in his mind.


    The immense energy that had been coiled deep within his dantian and wouldn¡¯t emerge no matter what suddenly stretched itself and arose, circting through his body.


    ¡°AAAAHHHHHH!!!¡±


    With a roar akin to that of a wounded beast, Dae-Woong swept forward, shooting out incredible waves of qi from both hands.


    ¡°AAAH!¡±


    Screams erupted as three Dragon Fang Squadron warriors and one Invincible Forged Squadron warrior were crushed alongside their swords as they spewed blood from every orifice.


    ¡°Ugh.... ugh.... AGH!!!!!!¡±


    Still screaming like an animal, Dae-Woong clenched both fists and threw them forward. They were extremely simple punches that didn¡¯t contain any hidden mysteries.


    However, the mysterious power hidden within him gave him the strength to uproot mountains and the spirit to conquer the world.


    ¡°Ugh!!!¡±


    Dae-Woong¡¯s fist squarely hit the warrior in front of him, not only shattering his ribs in a single blow but also imbuing him with so much fist qi that his entire upper body exploded. The fist qi continued beyond the warrior¡¯s torn-apart body to hit the warriors standing between Dae-Woong and the wall.


    <i>BANG! Thud.</i>


    Three warriors flew through the air with blood spraying from their mouths, colliding with the wall and copsing like marites with their strings cut.


    With red, bloodshot eyes, Dae-Woongunched himself at the remaining enemies.


    ¡°DIEEEE!!!¡±


    There was only one thing on Dae-Woong¡¯s mind.


    The desire to kill.


    ¡°W-what is that bastard! How did he get so strong all of a sudden?! Agh!!¡± a Dragon Fang Squadron warrior shouted before having his head pulled off his body by Dae-Woong¡¯s massive hands.


    Covered in the blood of his enemies, Dae-Woong could feel swords being thrust into his back from behind him, but he could not care less.


    ¡°GRAH!¡±


    Dae-Woong swung his leg, so massive that it seemed like a tree trunk, shattering the legs of the warriors who had attacked him from behind as they tried to escape.


    ¡°Honey...¡±


    Jin-Jin crawled to the wall with her battered body and leaned against it, looking at the back of her husband, who seemed so unfamiliar at this moment and so different from the gentle man she knew.


    Tears rolled down her cheeks as she could sense the immense sadness exuding from her foolish husband, who was going on a rampage as he mistakenly thought she had died.


    There were five swords impaled into Dae-Woong¡¯s back. Although much of the blood that soaked his clothes was the blood of the enemies, more and more of his own blood began to flow. However, even as blood seeped out of his wounds, Dae-Woong never stopped.


    He used the energy gushing out of the elixir in his dantian to attack the enemies in every direction. Even though he lost his senses, he never strayed from Jin-Jin¡¯s side, and he never allowed anyone to approach her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let this go any further. I¡¯ll finish this,¡± Baek Beom-Hoon said coldly as he walked toward the berserk Dae-Woong.


    ***


    ¡°Uncle, I have something important I want to speak to you about.¡±


    Woo-Moon thought it was strange that Do-Gun had approached him first. However, because he had no reason to be afraid of his ¡°nephew,¡± Woo-Moon, followed him along with Ma-Ra and Eun-Ah.


    ¡°Just how far do we have to go?¡±


    After walking through the forest for a while, Woo-Moon was starting to get irritated. The moment he was beginning to think <i>¡®Should we just go back?¡¯</i> he suddenly sensed something.


    In an instant, he drew his sword.


    <i>ng! ng!</i>


    Two darts immediately struck his de.


    ¡°Assassins!¡±


    Woo-Moon nodded at Ma-Ra¡¯s warning and looked down at Eun-Ah.


    ¡°Eun-Ah, it¡¯s dangerous, so stay hidden.¡±


    <i>Kya.</i>


    Eun-Ah lowered her head dejectedly, knowing that she wasn¡¯t able to help. She ran behind Woo-Moon and climbed up a tree.


    ¡°Then, should we start digging up some moles?¡±


    With that quip, Woo-Moon stabbed the ground with his sword and shed upward.


    <i>Rumble!!</i>


    A half-moon shaped sword qi flew across the ground.


    <i>Squelch!!</i>


    Blood spurted from cracks in the ground split by the sword qi.


    Simultaneously, the enemies that Woo-Moon was now noticing everywhere around them moved all at once.[1] Although they seemed to be rtively skilled assassins, they could not be any worse-matched against someone like Woo-Moon, who had incredibly keen senses.


    Woo-Moon took advantage of the darkness to hide among the trees and identify all of the approaching assassins. Once he did so, his sword flickered, and blood sprayed through the air.


    The assassins¡¯ target wasn¡¯t just Woo-Moon. Some of them leaped toward Ma-Ra and attacked her. However, the moment their swords swung in the darkness, Ma-Ra¡¯s figure vanished.


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i>


    As an assassin¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, a shadow slowly appeared next to the fallen leaves where the assassin had been hiding.


    <i>¡®Ugh!¡¯</i>


    Assassins didn¡¯t make a sound...even when they died.


    Pulling out her sword from her opponent¡¯s throat, Ma-Ra moved without ever showing any part of herself as she took down the assassins one by one.


    When assassins fought, the winner would always be determined by whose stealth and assassination skills were better. Moreover, whoever could wait and choose the right moment better would always have the advantage.


    In the world of assassins, a difference in skill was much more impactful than a difference in numbers. Ma-Ra was clearly able to see through the assassins¡¯ attacks and y one with every move. However, not a single enemy assassin was able to notice her presence.


    In the end, they couldn¡¯t bear waiting any longer and were forced to move out into the open. They had beenpletely defeated as assassins.


    Then, as if to make it fair, Ma-Ra emerged from her stealth and appeared in front of them.


    However, the moment she waved her arms, two Silver Moon Discs emerged from within her sleeves and flew toward the assassins.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    1. The raws say he had noticed them a while back, but this directly contradicts the paragraph above that states he suddenly sensed them as he walked through the forest and the attack immediately followed. ?

 Chapter 78. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (25)

    <h4>Chapter 78. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (25)</h4>


    The Silver Moon Discs flew through the air with incredible speed and destructive power! Four assassins were decapitated before the discs returned to Ma-Ra¡¯s hands.


    As soon as she caught them, Ma-Ra threw the Silver Moon Discs again at the assassins running toward her.


    Just like before, a fountain of blood spewed through the air.


    The assassins were unable to dodge or block the Silver Moon Discs; the moment they saw the discs glint in the dim light, they had already been sentenced to death. Although the strength and speed of the discs were not as great as when the Savage Twin Moon Monster used them, Ma-Ra was far superior in technique.


    Each through their means, Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra quickly dealt with all thirty assassins.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty impressive, Ma-Ra! It¡¯s almost as if those Silver Moon Discs were yours to begin with.¡±


    ¡°They are.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Originally Formless Veil weapons.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Really?¡±


    ¡°Savage Twin Moon Monster stole ten years ago.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The Silver Moon Discs had always been Ma-Ra¡¯s favorite weapon. It was only because the Formless Veil had been eradicated and she was unable to take them with her that she hadn¡¯t used themtely. As luck would have it, however, she had somehow managed to retrieve the set that the Savage Twin Moon Monster had stolen a long time back.


    ¡°Alright then! All we have left is the biggest mole!¡±


    ¡°Mole?¡±


    As Ma-Ra was confused by Woo-Moon¡¯s sentence, the ground before Woo-Moon cracked open and a man in long robes rose along with the dirt. At the same time, seventy-two hidden weapons flew toward Woo-Moon at once.


    <i>Swoosh!</i>


    Woo-Moon decided to take advantage of the wide sleeves of his robe. He waved his left hand, and the sleeve billowed in the air and wrapped around the hidden weapons.


    It was subduing strength with softness.


    His thin, weak sleeve wrapped gently over the hidden weapons, dispersing the force as it caught all of them in the blink of an eye.


    However, the hidden assassinpletely ignored the lost hidden weapons, as if they had no business with him. He was busy thrusting a long, awl-like de at Woo-Moon.


    <i>Screech!</i>


    The awl cut through the air as it pierced Woo-Moon¡¯s neck.


    <i>¡®It worked!¡¯</i>


    The assassin, the Tower Master of the Assassin Tower, Bloody Cry Sword, smiled, thinking that his target had died. However, he was startled as he watched Woo-Moon¡¯s figure dissipate before him.


    ¡°Illusive Shift.¡±


    The moment Bloody Cry Sword realized his opponent was someone who could use Illusive Shift to the point where even <i>he</i> was fooled was the moment he realized that money had blinded him.


    <i>¡®I should have looked into it more closely before epting the request.¡¯</i>


    However, regret was an emotion that always came toote.


    Woo-Moon appeared behind the assassin and put a sword to his throat.


    ¡°Who hired you? Do you want to take this chance toe clean?¡±


    <i>¡®Does he think I¡¯m going to throw away my dignity? Please, have some respect for a professional.¡¯</i>


    The Bloody Cry Sword tried to kill himself by pushing himself forward into Woo-Moon¡¯s de.


    ¡°Tsk tsk!¡±


    Woo-Moon quickly pushed his sword away before grabbing the assassin again. However, that split second was more than enough. The Bloody Cry Sword bit down on the poison pill hidden inside his tooth before Woo-Moon could secure his jaw.


    ¡°<i>Cough!</i>¡±


    He instantly turned blue and copsed.


    ¡°<i>Tsk</i>. I had a lot to ask him, too. Well, it¡¯s fine, we still have someone else we can talk to.¡±


    Woo-Moon immediately disappeared and reappeared next to a nearby tree. The next second, he stabbed through its trunk.


    Do-Gun, who had been hiding on the other side with bated breath, felt the sword pierce his back and jumped forward, walking out into the open with both hands raised.


    ¡°Wait! If you kill me, you¡¯ll never find out where your parents are.¡±


    His words hit Woo-Moon like a bolt of lightning.


    ¡°What do you mean? What happened to my parents?¡±


    ¡°Hehe. <i>Ahem.</i> Well, a lot of things should be happening to them by now.¡±


    Do-Gun couldn¡¯t have done any of this alone. Thus, Woo-Moon knew it was Hye-Ryeong who had created the current situation.


    But why had she suddenly made such an extreme decision? What caused her to go past the point of no return?


    Woo-Moon mused for a moment before realizing the answer and looked over at Do-Gun.


    ¡°So she found out that we know about what she and her sister did.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe. Just as smart as expected. But do you really have the time to care about that right now?¡±


    Woo-Moon roughly grabbed him by the cor and growled, ¡°If something happens to my parents, I¡¯ll ughter you all. Where are my parents? Talk.¡±


    ¡°Ah ah ah, wait a minute. Be a little gentler. You¡¯ll never find out where your parents are if you stay acting so rough. Moreover, your parents won¡¯t be safe if something happens to me. So, calm down a little, okay?¡±


    Fire seemed toe out of Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes as he watched Do-Gun rx and joke sarcastically.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me right now, you¡¯re going to die.¡±


    ¡°Would you really risk that?¡±


    ¡°Try. Me.¡±


    From the bloodlust dripping off each of Woo-Moon¡¯s words, Do-Gun was beginning to feel as though Woo-Moon might actually kill him on the spot. Overwhelmed by the conviction Woo-Moon had, Do-Gun stopped teasing him and just forced a smile, pretending to be calm.


    ¡°Ha... hahaha. How scary of you. Fine, I¡¯ll tell you. But you have to promise me you won¡¯t kill me here.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I promise.¡±


    It was only after Do-Gun got Woo-Moon¡¯s promise that he informed him of the shrine where Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin were fighting for their lives.


    Initially, Woo-Moon thought to cut off Do-Gun¡¯s arms and legs and leave as soon as he found out the location. However, he held himself back as he remembered Do-Gun¡¯s threat¡ªthat if anything happened to him, Woo-Moon¡¯s parents wouldn¡¯t be safe either.


    Woo-Moon turned and bolted to the shrine with Ma-Ra and Eun-Ah following behind him.


    Watching them go, Do-Gun straightened his clothes, dusting off his cor. He muttered to himself, ¡°So, this is the end of our rtionship, Song Woo-Moon. Have a safe trip¡ªto the afterlife.¡±


    Woo-Moon drove all of the qi he could muster into his movement technique, leaving Eun-Ah unable to keep up. Although Ma-Ra could at least barely follow along due to her sizable qi reserves, Eun-Ah fell further and further behind due to her short legs.


    ¡°So it was here!¡± Woo-Moon said, arriving at the forest shrine.


    Ma-Ra arrived soon after, her face even paler than normal. Her heart had almost given out from trying to keep up with Woo-Moon¡¯s impossible speed.


    Woo-Moon was like the wind as he rushed down the stairs.


    He couldn¡¯t help but feel impatient. What if he was toote? What if something had already happened to his parents?!


    Just thinking about the possibility made his heart pound and head throb. An unimaginable wave of rage and sorrow overwhelmed him.


    <i>¡®If... if! If something happens to my parents, I won¡¯t let anyone go. Even if I have to drown the whole world in blood, I¡¯ll kill every single person who might be even the slightest bit involved.¡¯</i>


    Finally reaching the end of the stairs, Woo-Moon kicked down the door and entered the chamber.


    Standing inside the seemingly modest stone chamber, all he could see was red as the walls and ceiling were all covered in blood.


    ¡°Gasp... gasp... Y-you monster-like bastard.¡±


    Beom-Hoon gasped for breath, covered in blood. The fact that an expert like him, who had be a master of qi cultivation a long time ago, was so out of breath was proof that he had used his qi to the limit.


    Only two people stood in the stone chamber.


    The Invincible Forged Squadronmander, Baek Beom-Hoon, and Woo-Moon¡¯s middle-aged father, Dae-Woong.


    Both Dae-Woong and Beom-Hoon failed to notice Woo-Moon¡¯s arrival. The two had descended into a bloody brawl that hadsted for so long that neither could see anything but the other, much less sense whatever else was going on around them.


    The sight of his father covered in blood and with swords pierced into his body made Woo-Moon feel as though he would vomit blood. Behind his father, he saw his mother, Jin-Jin, lying against the wall, also with serious injuries.


    ¡°W-Woo-Moon...¡±


    Nodding once to his mother, Woo-Moon walked toward Dae-Woong and Beom-Hoon.


    The two had been engaged in a fierce battle inside the stone chamber until now. At first, Beom-Hoon had thought that he would be able to easily subdue Dae-Woong, thinking that the man was nothing but a rampaging wild boar.


    However, he found himself struggling greatly against the massive man, whose physical strength and stamina seemedpletely unaffected by the des stuck in his body.


    It was only after both sides had been pushed to the absolute limit that Beom-Hoon was finally able to find an opening to win. Of course, he had only been able to find this opening thanks to the sacrifices of all of his subordinates.


    ¡°It¡¯s over. You probably are so exhausted by now that you can¡¯t even move a finger,¡± he said before approaching Dae-Woong for the final blow.


    As he walked forward, he noticed someone blocking his path.


    This person didn¡¯t look like Song Dae-Woong.


    No, it was Song Woo-Moon.


    ¡°You?!¡±


    Beom-Hoon¡¯s vision suddenly filled with red. He could feel an intense pain radiating from his face¡ªthe pain of losing both eyes to one sh of a sword.


    ¡°AGH!!!!!¡±


    That wasn¡¯t all. The next moment, Woo-Moon kicked him in the stomach and destroyed his dantian.


    ¡°Gasp... Gasp...¡±


    Beom-Hoon felt a sense of loss and pain that shattered his very being as he crawled on the floor, pain wracking his eyes as a fear of the darkness encroached over him.


    Woo-Moon looked over at Dae-Woong.


    Dae-Woong¡¯s eyes, which had zed over in rage and were unfocused, returned to normal when he saw his son in front of him.


    ¡°Woo-Moon! My son...!!!¡±


    Dae-Woong¡¯s eyes bulged as tears began to flow down his cheeks.


    ¡°Your mother, my love... Jin-Jin... she...!¡±


    He still thought that Jin-Jin had died.


    ¡°I... I haven¡¯t kicked the bucket just yet, honey....¡± a woman¡¯s feeble voice said.


    Dae-Woong hurriedly turned around, and sure enough, he saw Jin-Jin looking up at him, lips pouting in a cute and annoyed expression in spite of her grave injuries.


    ¡°Honey!¡±


    Dae-Woong ran over and held his wife¡¯s hand. Woo-Moon, whose eyes had been red from earlier, began to shed tears as Ma-Ra watched over them silently.


    <i>Rumble! Boom!!!</i>


    However, right at that moment, a ck iron door suddenly came down from above, blocking the only exit.


    ***


    In the shrine where Woo-Moon and his family were, behind a well-hidden door, a set of stairs led to another secret room. There, Ju-Ryeong was sitting down, looking pensive, as though she was waiting for something.


    Suddenly, a man dressed in white appeared in front of Ju-Ryeong, walking in with hurried steps.


    ¡°Mu Heon! How did things go?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity, but things have gone sideways. Song Dae-Woong¡¯s martial skills were stronger than expected. Moreover, I just saw Song Woo-Moon go inside, so it might be difficult for us to resolve the matter secretly.


    ¡°Damn it! We can¡¯t let this happen. I¡¯ll just have to take action myself.¡± Ju-Ryeong said.


    However, Mu Heon shook his head.


    ¡°If Lady Hye-Ryeong was here, that might have been possible. But you cannot handle it yourself, Lady Ju-Ryeong. There¡¯s no other choice.¡±


    Mu Heon moved over to what looked like a lever controlling some kind of mechanism. Realizing what he intended, Ju-Ryeong shouted at him.


    ¡°What are you doing? Stop!¡±


    Seeing Mu Heon ignore her and grab the lever, Ju-Ryeong actually drew her sword and swung at him.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Mu Heon let go of the lever and used the leaf fan in his other hand to block Ju-Ryeong¡¯s sword. However, he had already pulled the lever all the way down.


    <i>Rumble!!!</i>


    The sound of the door of the underground chamber closing could be heard all the way where they were.


    Ju-Ryeong¡¯s face turned pale.


    ¡°You, you asshole! Members of our family are still in there!¡± she yelled, referring to the members of the Invincible Forged Squadron.


    Tens of their family members had already died for this n. And now, the man before her was sentencing even more to their deaths?


    It was only natural that Ju-Ryeong was enraged by Mu Heon¡¯s actions. On the other hand, Mu Heon¡¯s smiling face seemed to grow colder, and his gaze changed.


    ¡°They all died at Song Dae-Woong¡¯s hands anyway, so there¡¯s no need for us to worry about them,¡± he said.


    However, he was lying through his teeth. Possibly because Dae-Woong still held on to a sliver of reasoning even after going insane, or because the Invincible Forged Squadron had their own qualms about killing their own family, there were more people seriously injured than dead.


    ¡°How do you expect me to believe anything you say? Also, my sister is bing more and more strange because of you!¡±


    A hint of bloodlust rose in Mu Heon¡¯s eyes for a moment before disappearing quickly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Rather, that Song Woo-Moon or whatever may find a way to escape if we keep wasting time. We have to bury them. That is the only way we can kill them all cleanly.¡±


    Mu Heon moved to grab yet another lever, but this time, Ju-Ryeong ran forward and blocked his path.


    ¡°You bastard! I won¡¯t let you do whatever you want anymore!¡±


    ***


    "What the hell!¡±


    Seeing the door suddenly close, Woo-Moon quickly rushed forward and swung his sword imbued with sword qi.


    <i>ng!!</i>


    Sparks flew, but surprisingly, rather than being split in half or sted away, the door only had a long and shallow gash.


    "How is this...!¡±


    Woo-Moon continued to attack the door. However, his strikes seemed useless.


    ¡°Woo-Moon, stop wasting your energy. Let¡¯s try to find another way.¡±


    Hearing his mother¡¯s words, Woo-Moon calmed down and nodded.


    Then, suddenly, there was a huge explosion. The smell of gunpowder filled the air, and the entire chamber shook.


    At that moment, Woo-Moon realized what the enemies were trying to do.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    He hurriedly wrapped his arm around Ma-Ra''s waist and dashed to his parents.


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    Just as he expected, the ceiling and walls began to copse.


    The stone chamber was deep underground, and Woo-Moon didn¡¯t know how much earth and stones would be above them.


    <i>¡®You have to figure out a way. You have to do something, Song Woo-Moon! This is the only way you, Father, Mother, and Ma-Ra can survive! You have to think of a way to save everyone! Think! Find a technique in the Forbidden Divine Art that can save us!¡¯</i>

 Chapter 79. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (26)

    <h4>Chapter 79. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (26)</h4>


    Hye-Ryeong had just attended the council of elders, and she arrived right as the confrontation between Mu Heon and Ju-Ryeong was about to blow up.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± she asked.


    Mu Heon exined the situation.


    ¡°Well, none of the warriors of the Invincible Forged Squadron are alive anymore, right? I don¡¯t want anyone who followed me to be buried alive, either,¡± she said coldly after listening to Mu Heon¡¯s exnation.


    ¡°Of course. You just have to trust me.¡±


    If what Mu Heon was saying was true, then the only people still alive in the stone chamber had to be Jin-Jin and her family. Realizing this, Hye-Ryeong felt her mood be lighter.


    ¡°Good. Then blow it up.¡±


    ¡°U-unnie...!¡±


    Hye-Ryeong looked over at Ju-Ryeong, her eyes filled with madness.


    ¡°Small sacrifices for the greater good are inevitable. You have to harden your heart a little more, Ju-Ryeong.¡±


    <i>Click.</i>


    Mu Heon pressed the second lever¡ªthe trigger to an explosive device, as it seemed. The next moment, the three dashed away, using their respective movement techniques to escape the area affected by the explosion. As they fled, Hye-Ryeong could feel the tremors caused by the explosion beneath her feet.


    She smiled coldly.


    <i>¡®It feels so relieving now that I¡¯ve killed that bitch and her spawn. Now, there¡¯s only one thing left. Mu Heon¡¯s secret organization needs to seed in killing Sang-Woon.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Two dayster.


    The Baek Family was faced with two shocking facts.


    Firstly, the Mount Qian Sect eradication forces led by the Patriarch and consisting of the Invincible Forged Squadron, the Eagle Talon Squadron, and the Dragon Fang Squadron returned in defeat.


    As many as 150 warriors had lost their lives, including the Invincible Forged Squadronmander, Baek Beom-Hoon. In fact, the Invincible Forged Squadron, the strongest of the Baek Family forces and the only forceposed entirely of Baek Family members, had taken the most severe damage.


    The second was that Jin-Jin, Dae-Woong, and Woo-Moon had suddenly disappeared.


    Two more dayster.


    At the council of elders, Baek Mu-Hoon was asked to take responsibility for the painful defeat and deaths of the Baek Family members and was urged to resign from the seat of Patriarch. Without saying anything else, Mu-Hoon agreed and quietly stepped down.


    The decision for the next patriarch was made quickly. Do-Gun, Hye-Ryeong¡¯s eldest, was unanimously appointed as the next patriarch, in spite of his young age. The next patriarch would have been Mu-Hoon¡¯s son, but unfortunately, he only had Ye-Ye.


    The next day, the Baek Family members gathered together. They quickly held a ceremony to install the next patriarch in an attempt to uplift and restore the depressed atmosphere among the family members.


    ***


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Cho Myeong stomped the ground violently.


    ¡°Are we supposed just to take this quietly?¡±


    The boys Woo-Moon had brought in as guards to train and live together at the Song residence were gathered in a room, talking, with somber expressions on their faces.


    Cho Myeong still remembered Jin-Jin¡¯s determined expression thest time he had seen her, and he knew he had definitely heard <i>¡®So you n to kill me, then!¡¯</i> as he waited outside the forest with bated breath. He could still hear Jin-Jin¡¯s shouting voice.


    The culprits were definitely Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong, and because of them, Woo-Moon, Dae-Woong, Jin-Jin, and Ma-Ra had died.


    ¡°And? What can you do about it? Forget about it. Our opponent is the mother of the next patriarch of the great Iron Sword Baek Family. You¡¯d just be trying to break a boulder with an egg. No one will take your side,¡± Dok-Du said. The Dok-Ryeok-Rat trio was also there, watching from the side.


    The trio had tried to run the second they found out that Woo-Moon and his parents were missing. However, they had been unable to do so due to the strict entry and exit protocols that were now in ce due to the various issues going on.


    Although the boys were angry, they knew that Dok-Du was right, which only served to make them even more enraged.


    Although they hadn¡¯t spent much time together with the Song family, it was enough for them to have formed a bond.


    The orphans among them had finally felt the warmth of a parent during their time with Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin. The others were not as attached, but even they had felt the warmth of a helping hand from Woo-Moon¡¯s efforts and guidance.


    They were all grateful that Woo-Moon had not only allowed them to make a living but also taught them martial arts¡ªsomething simply unthinkable for people like them.


    As he sat with the others, Jae-Hwa thought of his sister, Gun-Ha, who was still crying in her room.


    He clenched his fist.


    His younger sister had a soft heart. Since Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin, whom she had followed around like a child with her parents, had gone missing together with Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra, Gun-Ha spent all day crying and never left her room.


    She didn¡¯t even eat or drink water¡ªto the point that Jae-Hwa was worried that she would fall sick.


    <i>¡®You bastards Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong, how dare you make my sister feel so desperate again! I¡¯ll never forgive you! Even if it takes ten or twenty or fifty years, I¡¯ll definitely get my revenge!¡¯</i>


    As everyone sat depressed, alone with their thoughts, the time finally came for the Baek Family to officially appoint the new patriarch.


    Cho Myeong was the first to stand and leave the residence as the other boys followed along, heading toward the ceremony.


    ¡°Hey, what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Dok-Du shouted from behind them. However, the boys ignored him.


    ¡°<i>Hmpf.</i> Those idiots¡±


    Dok-Du nonchntly hummed to himself with his legs crossed as hezed about.


    Therge room seemed empty with only the trio left...and the tune of his song seemed more deste than normal.


    Feeling as though his tune was dampening the mood, Dok-Du tried to add some enthusiasm. However, for some reason, it didn¡¯t seem to work the way he wanted.


    ¡°...damn it.¡±


    In the end, Dok-Du just shut his eyes and gave up on humming.


    Dok-Du, Ryeok-Gwi, and Rat sat silently in a somber mood.


    ***


    The Song family guards stared at the stage, eyes red with rage.


    The sight of Hye-Ryeong, Ju-Ryeong, and Do-Gun standing there, unable to hide their joy, disgusted them. As if she had noticed their gazes, Hye-Ryeong asked one of her followers standing beside her.


    ¡°Who are those brats?¡±


    ¡°Ah, those seem to be the beggars and orphans that Woo-Moon took in.¡±


    ¡°Hmpf.¡±


    Hye-Ryeong snorted in irritation.


    <i>¡®Aren¡¯t they just trash? But they seem to be staring only at me.¡¯</i>


    However, she soon started to feel an eerie feeling.


    <i>¡®Now that I think about it, why are they staring at me? Do those brats know something?¡¯</i>


    Hye-Ryeong started to feel slightly stressed. She sent a message to her subordinates.


    <i>¡ªAfter the ceremony, find an opportunity to kill every member of the Song Residence, regardless of whether they¡¯re servants or guards.</i>


    <i>¡ªUnderstood.</i>


    It was only after giving her order that she felt a little more at ease.


    She suddenly raised her head and saw the clear sky and shining sun. Hye-Ryeong felt good. From this point on, <i>she</i> was the head of the Iron Sword Baek Family.


    Although she was still somewhat afraid of the Palm Martial Emperor, she didn¡¯t worry too much. ording to what <i>they</i> had told her, thest days of that damned great uncle of hers weren¡¯t too far away.


    Finally, the sacred mark of the patriarch, the Emotionless Iron Sword, was passed down, signifying Mu-Hoon¡¯s promotion to elder.[1]


    The time hade for Do-Gun to take over and the reign of a new patriarch to begin. However, just as he was about to receive the Emotionless Iron Sword, a silver tiger cub came running across the grounds.


    ¡°Eun-Ah!¡± the Song Family guards and Ye-Ye shouted joyfully at her sudden appearance. However, they were left surprised as they saw Eun-Ah rushing at Hye-Ryeong.


    Now looking a bit thinner, Eun-Ah leaped forward bravely, clearly going for Hye-Ryeong¡¯s throat. Unfortunately, she was unable to reach her goal as the leader of Hye-Ryeong¡¯s guards swung his sheathed sword and struck her down.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Eun-Ah flew helplessly through the air and rolled across the ground.


    Silence enveloped the hall.


    Eun-Ahy motionless for a few moments, as if she was dead, before eventually staggering to her feet. She red at Hye-Ryeong and cried sharply, her eyes full of bloodlust.


    <i>Growl!</i>


    Eun-Ah knew.


    That day, she couldn¡¯t keep up with Woo-Moon and ended up falling behind. When she eventually followed his scent and found the shrine, she suddenly heard a deafening crash as the entrance where Woo-Moon had gone copsed.


    Realizing what that explosion meant, Eun-Ah spent several days and nights crying for him above ground. However, despite her efforts, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t appear.


    The smell of gunpowder filled the area where she hadst tracked Woo-Moon¡¯s scent, a smell not at all different from what wasing from Hye-Ryeong now.


    While the Silver Tiger was a rare beast with fur so thick and strong that it couldn¡¯t be injured with ordinary weapons, Eun-Ah was still a cub. As her defenses hadn¡¯t yet grown due to her age, it was impossible for her to be able to defend against a sword imbued with qi swung by an expert as strong as the leader of Hye-Ryeong¡¯s guards.


    Even though she had been struck by the scabbard rather than the de, she was still heavily injured, and blood dripped from her wounds. However, Eun-Ah paid no attention to it as she rushed Hye-Ryeong once again.


    Expressionlessly watching the cub run at her, Hye-Ryeong only felt a slight sense of irritation.


    <i>¡®As expected, every single one of those bastards rted to that bitch Jin-Jin really pisses me off.¡¯</i>


    Eun-Ah tried to bite Hye-Ryeong¡¯s neck once again, but just as before, she was blocked by the guard''s scabbard.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    She rolled along the ground once again.


    <i>Cough, cough, cough.</i>


    Blood sttered the ground as Eun-Ah coughed, her tiny body coated in blood.


    Watching her struggle so desperately, the onlookers felt strange.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on? Why is that tiger cub acting like this?¡¯</i>


    Eun-Ah refused to give up and stood up once again.


    Seeing this, the Song Family guards felt great shame.


    <i>¡®Even a beast who can¡¯t talk is expressing her loyalty like this.¡¯</i>


    Ah Sam, the boy with the unusually long arms, stepped forward.


    ¡°I can¡¯t anymore... I can¡¯t just watch anymore.¡±


    Bolstered by the cub¡¯s refusal to give up even after being struck down repeatedly, he walked forward, standing next to the bleeding Eun-Ah. He drew his sword clumsily and pointed it at Hye-Ryeong with a determined look on his face.


    ¡°Oh ho.¡±


    Hye-Ryeong sneered without even realizing it.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    The warriors of the Baek Family keeping guard rushed out and blocked Ah Sam¡¯s path.


    As they appeared, one by one, so did the Song Family guards, walking to either side of Ah-Sam. They stood side by side and drew their swords, each and every tip pointed at Hye-Ryeong.


    ¡°Put away your des right this instant!¡± one of the elders shouted angrily.


    However, the Song family''s guards remained steadfast.


    ***


    As the other Song Family Guards stood steadfast against the Baek Family, Jae-Hwa ran back to Gun-Ha¡¯s room.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Gun-Ha! I just kept using you to make excuses, holding myself back because you would be sad if I died. But...I can''t! I wouldn¡¯t be a real man if I continued to endure injustice even after seeing it with my own two eyes! How could a coward like that ever get revenge? So, I¡¯m going to stand with the others now. Gun-Ha, I¡¯m sorry. But you have to stop crying now and live confidently with your chin up. And as for revenge, revenge...¡±


    Jae-Hwa didn¡¯t know if his next words were for his sister or himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you forget about revenge!¡±


    Finally, having said his piece, Jae-Hwa ran back toward hispanions. From behind him, he could hear his younger sister''s small, pitiful voice.


    ¡°Oppa! Jae-Hwa Oppa!¡±


    After running forward and standing in line with hispanions, Jae-Hwa drew his sword and pointed it at Hye-Ryeong, together with the rest.


    ¡°Fine, I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m trying to break a boulder with an egg! Hye-Ryeong! Ju-Ryeong! You murdered our masters, the Song Family! We will strike you down, here and now!¡±


    Do-Gun was started by those words. He couldn¡¯t understand how they knew that secret, but he knew that he had to deal with them quickly.


    Thus, he drew the patriarch¡¯s sacred de, the Emotionless Iron Sword, and shouted, ¡°You dare to insult my mother and me! You dare to nder the head of the family? What are you bastards doing? Kill them right now!¡±


    At the same time, Cho Myeong was running out of the main gate of the Baek Estate with tears streaming down his face.


    Hispanions¡ªno, his older brothers, had made him run away alone.


    <i>¡°If we die, you have to tell the gangho the truth. Run as far away as you can for now.¡±</i>


    Cho Myeong stumbled away, rubbing his eyes with his hands.


    However, at that moment, someone stood in front of him.


    ¡°How could a man cry like this? You¡¯re still far toocking. Starting tomorrow, I¡¯ll have to double your usual training.¡±


    Startled by the voice, Cho Myeong raised his head.


    He could already see the back of a young man walking past him and entering the front gate of the Baek Estate.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Cho Myeong couldn''t help but grin when he saw that young man. His bright smile and the tears and snot flowing down his face made for quite the sight.


    "Huh?"


    The gatekeepers were equally surprised at the sight.


    Woo-Moon, who was said to be missing, was walking into the estate with a perfectly calm expression on his face, as if he wasing back from his daily stroll.


    ¡°Well, it looks like there¡¯s something quite entertaining happening right now. But they can¡¯t be having fun without me, can they?¡±


    Woo-Moon raised a foot and kicked the front gate of the Baek Estate.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    The entire gate, massive as it was, flew off the wall,nding with a thunderous crash.


    ¡°Just what the hell is going on?!¡± Ju-Ryeong¡¯s nervous shout rang out as everyone¡¯s eyes turned to the front gate.


    Amidst the spreading dust, they saw a young man standing alone.


    Hye-Ryeong was unable to contain her surprise, and she stood up.


    ¡°You, you, just how...!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s figure blurred and disappeared, then reappeared in front of his guards as if to protect them. Then, he looked at Hye-Ryeong and smiled.


    ¡°You know, your face really reminds me of someone who is surprised that someone they killed just came back alive... don¡¯t you think, cousin?¡±


    1. The Emotionless ŸoÇé of the Emotionless Iron Sword is the same Emotionless as Ye-Ye¡¯s title. Moreover, although Mu-Hoon is bing an elder in disgrace, transitioning from Patriarch to elder emeritus is still technically a promotion. ?

 Chapter 80. The Entire World is My Home

    <h4>Chapter 80. The Entire World is My Home</h4>


    The ground shook along with a terrifying explosion.


    A crack appeared in the ceiling for only a moment before the entire underground chamber copsed. Jin-Jin and Dae-Woong, who had already been pushed to their limits, fainted simultaneously from the explosion''s shockwave.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes widened. He grabbed Ma-Ra and his parents as best as he could while strengthening his grip on his sword.


    There was nowhere for them to escape, and there was only a single way left for him to survive and save his loved ones.


    <i>¡®Think! Think, Song Woo-Moon! Find a technique in the Gentle Celestial Sword that can save us!¡¯</i>


    He earnestly prayed as he concentrated as hard as he could, the life-or-death situation forcing him to break through every limitation as he reached theprehension level of gods and demons.


    In an instant, Woo-Moon¡¯s entire body glowed intensely with a golden light. He then began to move his sword¡ªand from the outside, it seemed as if he knew exactly what he was doing.


    The technique that he was about to execute could be said to be the pinnacle of defensive sword techniques.


    ¡°Imprable Golden Wall!¡±


    Finally, Woo-Moon had unraveled the third technique of the Gentle Celestial Sword!


    Woo-Moon swung his sword with all of the strength and qi he could muster, driving his qi in the manner indicated by the technique. All of the defensive qi that coated his body shifted to his de. Imbued with all of Woo-Moon¡¯s qi, his sword spun at a ridiculous speed, creating thousands of afterimages.


    A golden shield began to emerge, protecting Woo-Moon and those around him from the falling stones.


    ¡°<i>Ugh! Cough, cough!!</i>¡±


    To construct the underground chamber, Hye-Ryeong had used great stones and boulders much heavier than thosemonly found in the area. Thus, every time a rock fell on the Imprable Golden Wall, Woo-Moon felt as if his entire body would shatter into pieces from the force of the impact.


    This waspletely different from when he had dealt with the rocks in the canyon earlier.


    First of all, not only were the size and weight of the falling boulders so drastically different that they were iparable, but the circumstances were also different. Since they were all trapped at the bottom of a pit, he could not just push the boulders out of the way.


    <i>Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!</i>


    More and more boulders fell and collided with the Imprable Golden Wall.


    <i>Cough! Cough!</i>


    Woo-Moon continued to spit out blood.


    Still, even in the midst of indescribable agony and fear, he continued to endure, demonstrating superhuman mental fortitude.


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon felt someone helping him. Ma-Ra ced her hands on his back and infused her qi into him. Thanks to her aid, he could hold out for a little longer.


    But, the moment he began to think that things would be alright, a rock of entirely different size and weight plummeted downward.


    <i>BOOOOM!</i>


    ¡°AGH!!¡±


    Although they had held firm all this time, one of Woo-Moon¡¯s legs gave out from the impact, bending at an unnatural angle as the sound of bones cracking filled the air. Another handful of blood spewed from his mouth.


    He felt like giving up. It was too hard and too painful.


    <i>¡®No. I can¡¯t give up. No matter what.¡¯</i>


    If he gave up now, he wasn¡¯t the only one who would die. The more he held on to that conviction, the more the strength that seemed to have disappeared began to fill his body again.


    <i>¡®I have to hold on for however long it takes!¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, it seemed as though the only debris left were tiny stones, and there weren¡¯t any other terrifying impacts like before. Still, that didn¡¯t mean things were okay because they had passed the most significant hurdle.


    Even without any new impacts, he had to endure the weight of the boulders alone.


    Woo-Moon might have had an incredible cultivation that didn¡¯t match his age, but even he had his limits. Even a spring would run dry if one siphoned more water than it could produce.


    Seeing Woo-Moon begin to struggle from the weight, Ma-Ra stopped infusing qi into him and stood up. She dashed from here to there, carefully arranging stones and boulders and cing them on top of each other, even using some of therger boulders as support pirs.


    Surprisingly, the more she moved, the more the pressure that weighed down on Woo-Moon began to be relieved.


    Assassins had to learn a variety of specialized skills.


    Among those skills was digging tunnels to infiltrate the location of their targets. The most important t of excavation was proper structure and support to prevent copses. Thus, Ma-Ra was able to leverage those skills to create a makeshift support system.


    ¡°Woo-Moon. Done,¡± she said, looking at Woo-Moon with emotionless eyes as dark as a void. Woo-Moon rxed immediately, trusting her wholeheartedly.


    ¡°<i>Huff, huff....</i>¡±


    It was just like she had said. Even as he rxed and stopped holding the stones, the makeshift ceiling didn¡¯t copse any further.


    Woo-Moon smiled and looked at Ma-Ra.


    ¡°Thank you....¡±


    He immediately fainted, unable to hold out any longer.


    Ma-Ra looked at the fainted Woo-Moon, Dae-Woong, and Jin-Jin in turn before starting with Jin-Jin. She took out emergency medication, bandages, and needle and thread from her sleeves and treated Jin-Jin¡¯s wounds. Thanks to her extensive skills, she swiftly treated Jin-Jin.


    Then, she turned to Dae-Woong.


    Carefully, she pulled one of the swords out of hisrge back in a single motion before hurriedly pressing acupoints around the wound to stop the bleeding. Once the bleeding stopped, she sutured the wound before moving on to the next one.


    Fortunately, it seemed as though not all of the swords had been driven that deeply, and it seemed that they hadn¡¯t struck his vitals, leading Ma-Ra to assume that there was no danger to his life.


    However, there was something that she failed to realize even as she treated Dae-Woong.


    In truth, Dae-Woong¡¯s wounds had been much more severe. The swords had been plunged deep into his body and had, in fact, pierced his vitals in more than one area. However, even while in a stunned state, Dae-Woong¡¯s body had unconsciously moved, pushing the swords out of the dangerous areas by sheer muscr power and healing itself quickly.


    In any case, Ma-Ra finished her treatment on Dae-Woong rather quickly.


    Finally, she crouched next to Woo-Moon, holding his arm up and inspecting his body with her qi. Her dark, bottomless eyes scanned the wounded Song Family.


    Although impatient and clumsy, Dae-Woong had incredible patience. Jin-Jin was someone filled with benevolence but had a side to her that was colder and stricter than anyone else when crossed. Woo-Moon was as free-spirited as the wind blowing through the leaves.


    Ma-Ra looked down as the family, who treated her with the utmost love, were severely injured and unconscious.


    Suddenly, the image of the mastermind behind all of this, Hye-Ryeong, appeared in her mind. Ma-Ra clenched her fists so hard that her fingernails tore open the skin on her palms and made her bleed.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    She opened her hand and looked at her palm. This was the first time something like this had ever happened to her.


    <i>¡®Is this anger?¡¯</i>


    Ma-ra''s eyes filled with confusion.


    ***


    Woo-Moon only felt excruciating pain.


    Alongside the feeling that his entire body had been shattered, an unimaginable pain centered around his dantian as if someone was grasping it with both hands and wringing it like a wet cloth.


    ¡°Woo-Moon.¡±


    Woo-Moon opened his eyes at Ma-Ra¡¯s cold voice.


    Probably because his dantian had been drained beyond its limits, he could see nothing but darkness.


    Suddenly, something came to mind.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, in my robe... there¡¯s a small bottle. Please feed me a single drop of the liquid in it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ma-Ra searched his robe and found the bottle of Pure Stctite Milk. Opening Woo-Moon¡¯s lips with her slender fingers, she used the dripper to feed him a single drop.


    <i>Gulp.</i>


    The moment he swallowed the Pure Stctite Milk, he felt a refreshing sensation spread throughout his entire body, from his stomach into his extremities and down to his very bones.


    He took control of the qi generated from the Pure Stctite Milk and directed it into his dantian.


    It was as if the first spring rain fell on the soil of his dantian, which waspletely dried out and cracked due to having gone past its limits.


    Then, Woo-Moon¡¯s dantian came to life again and began to circte qi once more. His qi roared to life and spread out through his entire body.


    Although it had only been for a short time, the qi of the Forbidden Divine Art circted through his entire body, as if the art itself was enraged at being unable to power itself. It excavated deep into his dantian, reconstructing it from its half-crippled state.


    Just as it had changed his muscles, bones, veins, and meridians before, it began to change his dantian so that it would never be dried out and empty again.


    A faint golden light began to radiate from Woo-Moon¡¯s body.


    When he opened his eyes two hourster, he could feel his body overflowing with qi, and he also felt that he had broken through another level of the Forbidden Divine Art.


    Turning around, he saw Ma-Ra sitting guard right next to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay now. Go get some rest, Ma-Ra.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Woo-Moon gestured toward the Pure Stctite Milk in her hand.


    ¡°Drink a single drop. It¡¯ll help.¡±


    Ma-Ra consumed a single drop of the Pure Stctite Milk without question and quickly began cultivating.


    Woo-Moon moved over to his parents and used his senses to check their condition. Thanks to Ma-Ra¡¯s timely treatment, neither of them seemed to be in a state where he had to worry.


    <i>¡®What a relief.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon ced a hand on each of his parents and began to infuse their bodies with qi. The gentle qi of the Forbidden Divine Art started to help them recover.


    As he treated his parents, Woo-Moon looked up with a glint in his eyes.


    <i>¡®Those bastards probably think we all died. However, there¡¯s no way we would die that easily. No, I¡¯ll get out of this soon enough, and it¡¯ll be payback time.¡¯</i>


    After a while, Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin woke up.


    Dae-Woong, whose eyes seemed to betray an even greater depth than before, appeared to be rtively sparing with his words. Jin-Jin felt a little strange seeing her husband acting so unlike himself but didn¡¯t bother him about it at the moment.


    In any case, the most pressing matter was how they would escape from the underground stone chamber.


    Fortunately, all four of them had cultivated to the point where they wouldn¡¯t have any trouble breathing, even with the minuscule amount of air around them. Moreover, they would also be fine without eating or drinking water for a few days.


    Having woken, the seriously injured Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin worked diligently to circte their qi and recover.


    While they did so, Woo-Moon began excavating a small hole in the copsed ceiling using his sword aura, while Ma-Ra helped prevent copses from the side.


    As each worked to the best of their ability, time passed.


    ***


    Five dayster, a golden sword rose through the ruins of the copsed shrine.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    A few minutester, Woo-Moon, Ma-Ra, Dae-Woong, and Jin-Jin emerged one after another.


    As soon as they escaped, they first went to the Leebi Merchant Guild Manor and regrouped with Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°Senior Brother! You don¡¯t know how worried I was!¡±


    As soon as Si-Hyeon saw that Woo-Moon and his family were safe, tears welled up in her eyes.


    ¡°How have you been, junior sister?¡±


    At Woo-Moon¡¯s ridiculously nonchnt words, So-Hyeon puffed out her cheeks and wiped her tears with her sleeve.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been doing fine. But just what in the world happened to you, senior brother?¡±


    As there wasn¡¯t much time to exin, Woo-Moon told her the situation in as few words as possible.


    ¡°...and that¡¯s why we¡¯re here. Oh, by the way, I need you to do something for me,¡± he said.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    He briefly nced at his parents and Ma-Ra, who stood behind him.


    ¡°What I need you to do is...¡±


    <i>Thud! Thud!</i>


    ¡°Wha...!¡±


    Ma-Ra tried to shout <i>¡®What are you doing?¡¯</i>


    But before she could finish her sentence, she fainted as Woo-Moon pressed an acupoint. The same happened with Jin-Jin and Dae-Woong.


    Woo-Moon skillfully pressed the acupoints of the three people simultaneously, knocking them out. He caught them gracefully, to prevent them from falling to the ground.


    ¡°I have to go somewhere for a little bit, so please take care of my family.¡±


    Si-Hyeon wasn¡¯t stupid and immediately realized Woo-Moon¡¯s intention.


    ¡°It¡¯s too reckless! How can you go there alone...!¡±


    ¡°No, no. I¡¯m never reckless. What, you don¡¯t trust me?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t trust you! So please don¡¯t go. We can talk about itter when Grandfather returns.¡±


    Woo-Moon thought about his grandfather at Si-Hyeon¡¯s words.


    ¡°My grandfather entrusted me with this as he left. I can do this myself,¡± he said with a wistful smile filled with happiness and longing.


    Si-Hyeon realized that Woo-Moon had already made his decision.


    <i>¡®But...!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you! Four hands are always better than two!¡±


    ¡°Can I say something hurtful?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°But I have to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to listen to it! Nananananananananana!¡±


    Si-Hyeon covered both her ears and started to make sounds, trying to drown Woo-Moon out loudly. However, although she tried her hardest to ignore him, that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t hear what he had to say.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be more dangerous to have youe with me than to go alone. I cannot fight and protect someone weak at the same time, junior sister.¡±


    His cruel and straightforward words brought tears to her eyes.


    Si-Hyeon knew he was right and understood he was deliberately being harsh out of worry. She knew Woo-Moon didn¡¯t want to take her to a ce where even he would be in danger.


    Still, she couldn''t help but feel sad.


    It was impossible for Woo-Moon not to see her eyes fill with tears. Heughed brightly as he ruffled her hair and stroked her head gently.


    ¡°My smart little junior sister. I know you understand what I mean. I¡¯ll be back soon, so please wait for me and just keep doing what you should be doing.¡±

 Chapter 81. The Entire World is My Home (2)

    <h4>Chapter 81. The Entire World is My Home (2)</h4>


    Si-Hyeon knew that Woo-Moon was strong and wasn¡¯t the type to leave things to change. Still, that didn¡¯t mean that she wasn¡¯t worried.


    Emotions weren¡¯t things that could be controlled by rational thinking just like that.


    After finishing what he had to say, Woo-Moon left the three fainted people to the Leebi Guild staff nearby and used the Northern Wind Step to run like the wind toward the Baek Estate.


    Tears flowed from Si-Hyeon¡¯s eyes as she stood alone, left behind, only able to watch his back as he went to fight.


    ¡°It¡¯s been so long since you¡¯ve shown such a childish side to someone,¡± Mu-Jae said. He had appeared behind her at some point.


    Si-Hyeon was surprised to hear these words.


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    When she thought about it, however, she realized that her attitude had been indeed childish.


    Ever since her father¡¯s health deteriorated, she had always been forced to act strong and had never shown this side to anyone. Realizing this, Si-Hyeon understood her feelings for Woo-Moon once again.


    Crying, she looked in the direction he had gone.


    <i>¡®I believe in you, senior brother, but you must return safely and not get hurt. Because you¡¯re the only person I can ever show this side of myself to.¡¯</i>


    However, there were two things that Woo-Moon had overlooked before he had left¡ªor rather he was unaware of them in the first ce.


    First, he had no idea that the enormous energy umted in his father¡¯s dantian had been released, and his body had developed a monstrous vitality and recovery. The second was that, as an assassin, Ma-Ra had learned a technique that allowed her to ovee the ill effects of having her acupoints pressed.


    ***


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Woo-Moon looked around the grounds through the dust that arose after smashing through the main gate. To him, it almost seemed as though the Baek Family was celebrating the news of his family¡¯s death.


    <i>¡®Well, no need to mourn for me, Baek Hye-Ryeong. I am right here. Things don¡¯t always go the way you want.¡¯</i>


    The first thing that caught his eye was Eun-Ah.


    Seeing her covered in blood broke his heart. He could roughly guess as to how she was injured.


    <i>Kya...</i>


    Eun-Ah cried softly. Barely mustering the strength, she struggled as she raised her head and looked at Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon used the Divine Phantasm Step and the Northern Wind Step simultaneously.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    The second the Baek Family guards realized he had disappeared, he had already appeared in front of them. They were taken aback.


    Woo-Moon grinned at Hye-Ryeong, watching her jump up in surprise when she noticed him.


    The look in his eyes was so sharp it was as if it could pierce iron.


    ¡°You know, your face really reminds me of someone who is surprised that someone they killed just came back alive... don¡¯t you think, cousin?¡±


    Hye-Ryeong¡¯s expression distorted.


    She tried tough and refute him but found herself unable to. Too many eyes were watching her, and she knew she had to act at least as if she was d he hade back alive. However, she couldn¡¯t bear to do so after seeing Woo-Moon standing there smiling so hatefully while the image of Sang-Woon and Jin-Jin seemed to ovep with him.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sick and tired of you, you bastards that are tougher than roaches! To think that you were able toe back alive this time, too!¡±


    Those who understood the hidden meaning behind Woo-Moon¡¯s words were even more shocked by Hye-Ryeong¡¯s reaction. She had just given legitimacy to Woo-Moon¡¯s unbelievable usation!


    ¡°How could she...¡± Ye-Ye muttered with disbelief in her eyes.


    Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong¡¯s hidden helper, Mu Heon, was hiding among Hye-Ryeong¡¯s guards. Watching the situation unfold, he smiled bitterly.


    <i>¡®I only gave her that medicine to make her ambitions growrge enough for her to use her blood rtives without any reservations. To think that its effects were so great that it caused this sort of situation to arise.¡¯</i>


    Mu Heon had never expected Hye-Ryeong to have made such a simple mistake.


    <i>¡®Still, we¡¯re fine. Everyone already knew Hye-Ryeong hated Jin-Jin and the Song Family from the very beginning. Just being angry that they came back alive doesn¡¯t count as conclusive evidence. Moreover, she really is impressive. Even though she lost control of her anger, she was still able to ovee the medication¡¯s effects and regain herposure.¡¯</i>


    Jae-Hwa called out to Woo-Moon with moist eyes.


    ¡°Are you... were you alive this entire time?¡±


    The other guards were also thrilled to see Woo-Moon return alive and bombarded him with questions.


    ¡°T-then, what about the others?¡±


    Woo-Moon turned from Hye-Ryeong and smiled warmly at his guards, nodding his head.


    ¡°What a relief...!¡±


    Woo-Moon walked to Eun-Ah as he heard the guards sigh in relief.


    <i>Kya...</i>


    He gently picked up Eun-Ah and held her as she struggled to get up. His heart was breaking as he felt the injuries on her body. Inspecting her body, he saw that the internal injuries caused by being hit multiple times were even more serious.


    Woo-Moon tried to heal Eun-Ah¡¯s wounds by infusing the qi produced by the Forbidden Divine Art into her body. It wasn¡¯t as easy as he had initially thought it would be. Not only was there the difficulty of infusing qi into someone else¡¯s body, but there was also the added difficulty of having to navigate a body with a very different structure from his own.


    However, as he struggled, Eun-Ah looked up at him with round eyes. At the same time, her body and its structure suddenly appeared in his mind as brightly as his own while the Forbidden Divine Art¡¯s qi began to show an unprecedented vitality in her body and circted on its own.


    They had formed a mental bond¡ªthe rare beast Eun-Ah had epted Woo-Moon as her eternalpanion.


    Because of their newly formed bond, her treatment waspleted quickly.


    <i>¡®What a strange phenomenon.¡¯</i>


    Surprised and curious about what had just happened, Woo-Moon put Eun-Ah down. She purred, rubbing her body against Woo-Moon¡¯s feet, happy that her wounds had healed.


    Woo-Moon turned to look over at Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong.


    Hye-Ryeong seemed to be consumed by anger, while Ju-Ryeong was overwhelmed by Woo-Moon¡¯s appearance and her older sister¡¯s unexpected behavior. The other onlookers were speechless, and they just sat around in stupefaction.


    Chuckling to himself, Woo-Moon smiled as he spat coldly.


    ¡°Baek Hye-Ryeong.¡±


    Hye-Ryeong didn¡¯t even respond to his call, just ring at him while radiating bloodlust. The person who answered to him was actually her son, Do-Gun.


    ¡°H-How dare you! Even if you¡¯re of the same generation as my mother, how dare you speak so informally to the patriarch¡¯s mother!¡±


    Woo-Moonpletely ignored Do-Gun as the ¡°new chief¡± spoke vehemently, spit flying from his mouth.


    ¡°People who plot conspiracies will eventually find it difficult to trust others. I mean, haven¡¯t you heard the saying? The eye can only confirm what it can see. A traitor always wonders if everyone is plotting to stab them in the back like they do to others.¡±


    Hye-Ryeong sneered.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s that expedition failure that you had orchestrated to remove Baek Mu-Hoon from his position as patriarch. You forgot about the person who yed the most important role in that battle: the Invincible Forged Squadronmander Baek Beom-Hoon¡ªor rather, the <i>former</i> Invincible Squadronmander, I should say.¡±


    After Beom-Hoon¡¯s supposed death, Hye-Ryeong¡¯s faction had quickly promoted a new Invincible Forged Squadron Commander from among their own ranks.


    ¡°However, the former Invincible Forged Squadron Leader didn¡¯t seem to trust youpletely. So, he kept the letter containing your order to fail the expedition rather than burning it for safety.¡±


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    Do-Gun was so surprised that he made a sound without realizing it before quickly covering his mouth. He wasn¡¯t the only one shocked by Woo-Moon¡¯s words, either. The elders, other warriors, Mu-Hoon, Ye-Ye, and the guards were all shocked.


    In addition, Mu Heon¡¯s expression became more serious.


    <i>¡®...I have a bad feeling about this. All of the hard work I put into the Baek Family over the past four years could crumble in an instant.¡¯</i>


    A thick bloodlust exuded from Mu Heon¡¯s eyes before quickly disappearing. He held back, as it wasn¡¯t the time to reveal himself yet.


    ¡°W-what the hell are you saying! You have to take responsibility for an usation like that!¡± an elder shouted.


    Other elders who had been actively on Hye-Ryeong¡¯s side for a long time also joined in.


    ¡°How dare you nder her so outrageously! You must have a death wish!¡±


    ¡°Even Uncle Sang-Woon would have a hard time protecting you for speaking such falsehoods!¡±


    Woo-Moon looked around at those shouting at him with a cold smile.


    ¡°Oh? Is that so? So you think this is just nder? Then, what if I show you the evidence?¡±


    As he spoke, Woo-Moon drew a letter from his pocket.


    Opening it wide, he showed it in the direction of Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong. As it unfurled, the crowd could see it in its entirety, covered in the blood of the former Invincible Forged Squadron Commander.


    The letter Woo-Moon had brought with him as he escaped his own makeshift tomb was fairly readable even with the blood stains, and most of the Baek Family members, who had incredible vision due to their high cultivations, could read it urately even from this distance.


    ¡°H-how, how could this...¡±


    One elder was unable to stand properly and slumped down in his chair. The letter clearly had shocking, damning information written on it.


    Moreover, the more they read, the more insidious the content.


    It detailed a n to deceive the patriarch and the others by pretending to have died after falling into an enemy trap during the battle. After the betrayal, it listed instructions to return secretly and wait for further orders. Because the traitors would pretend to be dead and leave the battlefield in the middle of their battle, the Baek Family would be left without a means to fight and would be defeated by the enemy.


    The letter, which clearly had Hye-Ryeong¡¯s handwriting, even bore her seal as well.


    ¡°J-just how in the world is this possible?¡± an elder with a fiery personality shouted at Hye-Ryeong.


    Hye-Ryeong tried to maintain her sanity amid her rage, using her superhuman patience to counter her uncontroble anger. However, that patience was broken once again by the elder¡¯s shouts as if pouring fuel directly on her rage.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Hye-Ryeong unleashed a chilling blow as sword qi flew toward the elder who had just spoken. It was a sword as fast as lightning!


    The elder couldn¡¯t even think of dodging or blocking, but at that instant, he was helped by someone no one in the audience could have expected.


    Woo-Moon threw a stone to interrupt Hye-Ryeong¡¯s attack. Indeed, nothing more than a small stone, but the force behind it was so formidable that it forced Hye-Ryeong to use her sword to defend herself.


    ¡°I can¡¯t lose someone who¡¯s going to be on my side from this point on so easily now, could I?¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s words sounded even more jarring. Ju-Ryeong and Do-Gun couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. To think that the Invincible Forged Squadronmander had kept that letter instead of destroying it! No, even before that, how had Woo-Moone back alive?!


    Hye-Ryeong saw the eyes of the elders on her side betray their shaking resolve. Not even the elders on her side had been told about the betrayal she had nned or that she had intentionally caused the family to be defeated, leading to the sacrifice of their family members. She had kept it a secret as it crossed lines even her own allies couldn¡¯t ept.


    Naturally, the elders had a change of heart as things became clear.


    Hye-Ryeong looked around at them with a chilly gaze and sent transmissions to each elder. She made sure to threaten them using things they had done under the table, just on the off chance that they thought about betraying her.


    ¡°Baek...Baek Hye-Ryeong... You really dared!!!!¡±


    Baek Gong-Su, an elder who had almost died in the battle, quickly stepped back away from Hye-Ryeong. He was one of the few who didn¡¯t conspire with Hye-Ryeong in advance.


    Former patriarch Mu-Hoon froze, standing in the corner, unable to say anything. All he could do was look at his two sisters in disbelief. Suddenly, tears started dripping from his eyes.


    ¡°You.... Was bing the patriarch that important to you? Why didn¡¯t you just tell me directly? If you had spoken to me, I would have just handed the position to you myself, elder sister. Why, just why did you have to go so far andmit such unforgivable treason?!¡±


    Mu-Hoon felt his heart shatter.


    He couldn¡¯t believe that his two older sisters couldmit such a betrayal just for his patriarch position. Countless warriors of the family had died during the expedition, including as many as twenty members of the Invincible Forged Squadron.


    Those members were all members of the Baek Family¡ªthey were <i>his</i> family. They were his sisters¡¯ family as well.


    He was terrified and saddened by his older sisters, who had been so blinded by power that they had even made their own flesh and blood into victims.


    Seeing Mu-Hoon almost visibly age, Woo-Moon shook his head slightly.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re too soft and kind to be a good patriarch. That¡¯s why you couldn¡¯t do anything about your sisters¡¯ tyranny.¡¯</i>


    Ju-Ryeong also flinched as she could hear the agony in her brother¡¯s voice. However, she soon made up her mind. She couldn¡¯t show weakness.


    ¡°Baek Hye-Ryeong! You bitch, was that really your n? You cruel bitch! How could you kill your own family!¡± a member of the family in histe fifties shouted. His son had been one of the twenty members of the Invincible Forged Squadron who had been killed during their defeat.


    ¡°I can never forgive you!¡±


    ¡°Aunt! You need to pay for what happened to my brother!¡±


    As one person stepped forward and expressed his rage at Hye-Ryeong, more and more cries of rage erupted from all over.


    At that time, Do-Gun shouted as he raised the patriarch¡¯s representative item, the Emotionless Iron Sword.


    ¡°What the hell are all of you doing?! Are you really being deceived by that wicked Song Bastard¡¯s words?¡±


    Then, the elder who had been attacked by Hye-Ryeong earlier, Baek Gong-Su, shouted in anger, ¡°What bullshit! Can¡¯t you see the letter in Woo-Moon¡¯s hands right now? Hye-Ryeong¡¯s seal is stamped on it, clear as day! You bastards who betray the family like this should be punished!¡±


    Do-Gun turned to a servant standing next to him, his eyes zing with madness.


    ¡°You! Tell me the truth!¡±


    The servant was taken aback and scared by the sudden question.


    <i>¡®W-what truth is he talking about?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Mother¡¯s seal get stolen by a thief not too long ago? Hurry up and tell me the truth!¡± Do-Gun said threateningly, his bloodlust-filled gaze falling on the terrified servant.

 Chapter 82. The Entire World is My Home (3)

    <h4>Chapter 82. The Entire World is My Home (3)</h4>


    Sensing the ferocious bloodlust threatening to kill him if he didn¡¯t give the answer Do-Gun wanted, the servant nodded his head vehemently. Of course, he wanted to survive.


    ¡°Y-yes, that¡¯s right. Her seal was stolen. It¡¯s the truth!¡±


    Do-Gun smirked inwardly as he looked back at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°You wicked bastard! Now we know who the thief who stole the seal was. How dare you steal my mother¡¯s seal and create such a nderous letter!¡±


    This time, it wasn¡¯t Woo-Moon who came forward to refute their rebuttal, but Gong-Su.


    ¡°Who would believe such a hastily made story! Besides, the handwriting on the letter is definitely Hye-Ryeong¡¯s!¡± he shouted.


    Do-Gun pointed the Emotionless Iron Sword at Gong-Su and spat, ¡°Who the hell do you think you are?! I¡¯m the patriarch! Do you dare to disobey my words?!¡±


    Gong-Su deted slightly at those words.


    ¡°W-well, that¡¯s... But Hye-Ryeong became enraged and tried to kill me the second the letter was shown! Isn¡¯t that an admission of her guilt?¡±


    Despite Gong-Su¡¯s polite rebuttal, Do-Gun still shook his head.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. My mother was just temporarily enraged by you falling for that bastard Woo-Moon¡¯s deception, Elder.¡±


    Gong-Su¡¯splexion turned red. Do-Gun was beingpletely unreasonable. He was making things up as he went along, turning the situation to his advantage.


    Ju-Ryeong was pleased as she watched Do-Gun perform.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s better than I thought he would be.¡¯</i>


    Of course, beingpletely unreasonable was ridiculous at times. Anyone could poke holes in Do-Gun¡¯s argument if they just thought to themselves a little. However, no matter how clever a person was, anyone would be easily deceived when faced with such incredible and shocking news.


    People only remembered the parts they wanted to. They adapted their memories to benefit themselves, even memories of things they had witnessed minutes before.


    The members of the family <i>wanted</i> to believe Do-Gun, someone they had promoted to their new Patriarch, and Hye-Ryeong, who had ruled the Baek Family for a long time.


    If Woo-Moon¡¯s words really were true, could any of them really ept it?


    Moreover, the fear of Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong had rooted itself in the Baek Family for a very long time, fueled by the overwhelming power and brutality of the two women.


    They were too much for any of the Baek Family to dare fight against. Thus, the Baek Family members gradually began to convince themselves that Do-Gun¡¯s ridiculous words were true.


    ¡°He¡¯s right! There¡¯s no way Hye-Ryeong would have done that.¡±


    ¡°Of course! How could my son betray the family?¡±


    The parents of the thirty members of the Invincible Forged Squadron began to speak one after another. They couldn¡¯t believe that their children had fallen for the tricks of Hye-Ryeong¡¯s faction after rising to the ranks of the Invincible Forged Squadron only to betray the family and be buried.


    Their children could never be traitors to the family.


    Their family could never have been driven to their deaths for power!


    It was clear! They had all died honorably in battle with the enemy!


    They desperately wanted to believe what Do-Gun and Hye-Ryeong spouted.


    But as they began to get riled up, Woo-Moon spoke again.


    ¡°YOU DARE?!¡±


    Although it was nothing more than a short shout, the energy contained within was incredible. The shout echoed throughout the entire estate, shaking the eardrums of the gathered family.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze was sharp as he looked at a warrior of the Invincible Forged Squadron, who was at the center of all of the chaos.


    ¡°What does the Iron Sword of the Iron Sword Baek Family represent?¡±


    His words had a strong dignity that no one could easily overlook. It wasn¡¯t a power that came from his status or cultivation, but from the type of person he was and the conviction he held.


    So what was the meaning of the two words¡ª<i>Iron Sword</i>?


    The confused warrior responded, speaking clearly even in the midst of all the hysteria.


    ¡°First, cooperation. Second, to never forget the spirit of a warrior. To devote oneself to martial arts every day. Third, to follow the example of the rough but strong Iron Sword and not indulge in luxury or pleasure.¡±


    Woo-Moon then turned to the Lion Fang Squadron Commander. He knew themander was one of the family''s most confused and shaken members.


    ¡°Lion Fang Squadron Commander. What do you think the <i>Iron Sword Baek Family</i> looks like right now?¡±


    As he spoke, Woo-Moon pointed to a richly decorated garden and two towering pavilions that were visiblyrger and more beautiful than the others.


    The Lion Fang Squadronmander couldn¡¯t answer and just bit his lip.


    Woo-Moon started speaking once again, and this time, his voice was filled with the clear, pure qi of the Forbidden Divine Art.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a fitting image of what the Baek Family has be? Since when has the Iron Sword Baek Family been tainted by gold? Where is the iron now?! WHERE IS THE SWORD?!¡±


    The Forbidden Divine Art was the essence and foundation of all Daoist martial arts. His words were imbued with so much qi that it even had the effect of reawakening people¡¯s spirits.


    <i>¡®No, this is by no means what the Iron Sword Baek Family should look like!¡¯</i>


    It was only after hearing Woo-Moon¡¯s cry that the warriors of the Baek Family began to feel a sense of dissonance.


    While they had looked from the side, many things had changed in the estate that didn¡¯t match the ideal of the Iron Sword. However, none of them had actually realized it, and they had just kept living their lives as if it were only natural.


    They had been living azy life because it was what Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong had wanted!


    As the atmosphere grew increasingly stranger, Do-Gun shouted in turn, ¡°D-don¡¯t listen to his nonsense! Don¡¯t listen to him!¡±


    However, those who had been awoken to reality after Woo-Moon¡¯s Azure Dragon¡¯s Cry no longer listened to his words.


    The ces Woo-Moon had pointed out as representing luxury and pleasure all belonged to two people: Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong.


    Woo-Moon turned to the Invincible Forged Squadron again.


    ¡°How many of you are there now?¡±


    A young member answered, despite their newmander¡¯s dissuasion. ¡°One hundred and fifty in total.¡±


    ¡°As far as I remember, there were two hundred of you. Then what happened to the other fifty warriors?¡±


    The members of the Invincible Forged Squadron realized what Woo-Moon was insinuating and clenched their fists.


    Woo-Moon continued.


    ¡°I guess you don¡¯t know, then. Well, should I let you know? Thirty of you betrayed Patriarch Mu-Hoon and the other warriors. They followed Hye-Ryeong¡¯smand and returned to the Baek Estate early, pushing twenty people of their family to their deaths. And they were joined by seventy Dragon Fang Squadron warriors who also betrayed us.¡±


    The shocked gazes of the onlookers littered the surviving members of the Dragon Fang Squadron and their formermander, who had resigned due to feeling responsible for the deaths of the vicemander and the other warriors.


    Woo-Moon stomped the ground forcefully.


    <i>Rumble! Shing!!</i>


    A deep footprint was left on the ground, cracks emerging from it like spiderwebs in all directions. As the ground shook, the iron swords of the Iron Sword Baek Family warriors resonated and released piercing cries.


    ¡°We fought to protect our lives! And we only were able to win after a fierce struggle! But even in that situation, we took matters into our own hands and didn¡¯t kill anyone; we just took them down so they couldn¡¯t hurt us. But Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryoeng were so afraid that their secrets would be revealed if we survived that they triggered an explosion, so we would all die there!¡±


    Although Woo-Moon had arrivedte and didn¡¯t know for sure if any of the Invincible Forged Squadron warriors attacked by his father were actually killed or not, that didn¡¯t mean he was lying to the crowd. He was able to make this im with a clear consciousness, as he had sensed the breathing of the fallen warriors and he was well aware that the vast majority of them had still been alive when he had arrived.


    Dae-Woong had also fought to the point where he had passed out by that time, so he couldn¡¯t attest to their situation either. The only person who could, Jin-Jin, had kept silent about it at the time as well.


    As Woo-Moon continued to shout, rage began to fill up the gazes of the Baek Family members. The longer he continued, the darker Ju-Ryeong¡¯splexion became, and the more Hye-Ryeong¡¯s insanity grew.


    Do-Gun continued to swing the Emotionless Iron Sword to his heart¡¯s content and told everyone to ignore Woo-Moon and attack him. However, everyone had already tuned him out, only focusing on Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Just where has the Iron Sword Spirit of the proud Iron Sword Warriors gone? What should we do with those who betrayed theirrades and split the blood of their family? Should we honor and follow such people as the new patriarchs of the family?¡±


    The ripples created by Woo-Moon shook the hearts of all of the warriors of the Baek Family.


    Ye-Ye, who had been listening silently, walked toward Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®I believe in the man that saved our lives.¡¯</i>


    She stood next to him and drew her sword.


    ¡°Anyone who betrays their family out of a greed for power must pay for their crimes.¡±


    Her courageous actions encouraged others.


    The other talents of the Ten Distinguished Swords followed her and lined up next to Woo-Moon. Although their time together had been short, they, too, had experienced life and death by Woo-Moon¡¯s side.


    ¡°What, what the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?! Are you trying to start a rebellion together?! Go and kill them all, kill all of those bastards!¡±


    However, no one followed the new patriarch¡¯s words.


    ¡°...¡±


    The elders watched with heavy expressions as some of them evenmented over the situation at hand. The Ten Distinguished Swords were the future of the Baek Family. Yet now, all of them were standing by Woo-Moon¡¯s side and had drawn their swords against Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong.


    Ju-Ryeong closed her eyes.


    <i>¡®The pendulum has shifted.¡¯</i>


    Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong had made the choice that drew them over the point of no return¡ªthe choice to kill the Song Family for finding out the truth.


    Because they had failed and Woo-Moon had returned alive, everything was already over.


    Immediately after the Ten Distinguished Swords stepped forward, the former Lion Fang Squadronmander shouted to his subordinates, ¡°Does the Lion Fang Squadron feel the ringing of the Iron Sword Spirit?!¡±


    Many of them had joined the Baek Family and be warriors of the Lion Fang Squadron because of the heroic story of the first head of the Baek Family, the Invincible Iron Sword Baek San.


    Six hundred years ago, as a mere wanderer, Baek San had traveled the world like a whirlwind with nothing but the Iron Sword in his hands, bing number one under heaven and establishing the Iron Sword Baek Family.


    They all remembered his story once again as the entire Lion Fang Squadron drew their iron swords, bowed their heads, and shouted.


    ¡°We feel the Iron Sword Spirit!¡±


    ¡°Good! Then let¡¯s go!¡±


    The Lion Fang Squadronmander and the subordinates under hismand stood next to the Ten Supreme Swords.


    Witnessing the Lion Fang Squadron¡¯s courage, the vicemander of the Invincible Forged Squadron, Baek So-Hoon, broke ranks alone and walked forward. Determined, he headed directly for Woo-Moon.


    The entire way, his mind spun furiously.


    No matter how great of a trap it may have been, there was no way that the Invincible Forged Squadron could have possibly been defeated by a measly Mount Qian Sect. He thought back to his dear junior brothers who had lost their lives so horribly and the thirty people whose faces werepletely unrecognizable due to fire.


    <i>¡®Yes. It was all strange. There was no way all of you would have died from an attack of mes. You bastards betrayed us all, pretending to be dead and leaving the scene under Hye-Ryeong¡¯s orders, knowing our remaining brothers would die.¡¯</i>


    Baek So-Hoon was truly the kind of person most suited to being an Iron Sword Warrior. As detached from power, luxury, andfort as possible, he trained his martial skills harder than anyone else and worked diligently to keep the squadron cohesive. It was for that reason that he had no choice but to give up the position ofmander to Baek Ja-Hoon not too long ago.


    As Baek So-Hoon walked toward Woo-Moon, Baek Ja-Hoon, the new Commander of the Invincible Forged Squadron and a member of Hye-Ryeong¡¯s faction, drew his sword.


    ¡°Stop right there, vicemander! You dare point your sword at the patriarch? Your betrayal is unforgivable, and I¡ª<i>aghh</i>!¡±


    Suddenly, someone kicked Baek Ja-Hoon from behind.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡±


    Baek Ja-Hoon turned around in anger. However, as he did so, his expression crumpled as he watched the Invincible Forged Squadron warrior who had just kicked him kneel down on one knee toward Baek So-Hoon and hit the ground with his right fist.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The skin on his fist split open and bled as the warrior did not use his qi to protect it. Even still, he looked at Baek So-Hoon with a clear gaze and shouted without any change to his expression.


    ¡°Invincible Forged Squadron Warrior Baek Geom-Gun requests Baek So-Hoon to be his Commander!¡±


    Baek Geom-Gun was the youngest warrior of the Invincible Forged Squadron, the same age as Do-Gun. And as it turned out...his seniors did notck that youthful spur, either.


    <i>Bang! Thud!</i>


    In unison, every other Invincible Forged Squadron Warrior did the same as Baek Geom-Gun, got down on one knee, and mmed their fists into the ground.


    ¡°The Baek Invincible Forged Squadronmander is Baek So-Hoon!¡±


    Blood flowed from the fists of the warriors of the Invincible Forged Squadron, the Family¡¯s strongest martial force! Their fighting spirit enveloped the entire estate with its tremendous majesty.


    ¡°You, you... you lunatics! What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?! All of you get up now!¡± shouted Baek Ja-Hoon with bloodlust in his eyes.


    However, the Invincible Forged Squadron warriors all red at him simultaneously and shouted in unison, ¡°A bastard like you is not ourmander! We follow Commander Baek So-Hoon!¡±


    It was a terrifying aura of one hundred and fifty people being emitted simultaneously!


    <i>¡®Y-you damned bastards,¡¯</i> Baek Ja-Hoon thought to himself as the Squadron had already escaped his control. Frightened by their fighting spirit, he hesitated for a moment before subconsciously taking a step back. Having retreated without even realizing it, he then sneakily ducked behind Hye-Ryeong.


    The Invincible Forged Squadron warriors coldly watched him flee before standing up and walking behind Baek So-Hoon.


    Although he was quite moved by their disy, Baek So-Hoon didn¡¯t say a word. Rather, he silently continued forward until he reached Woo-Moon¡¯s side.


    That was exactly the type of person he was.


    The Invincible Forged Squadron warriors stood together like unsheathed swords filled with a refined fighting spirit.


    They were all enraged.


    Of all of the members of the family, who felt the greatest guilt and agonized the most over the deaths of theirrades¡ªtheir mothers and fathers, their brothers and sisters?


    It was them!


    Moreover, how shameful was it that the family¡¯s strongest martial force had been defeated by the Mount Qian Sect? How could something like that happen even if they sent a single five-man toon, let alone two entire squadrons?!


    And this incredibly shameful thing had happened because their ownrades had betrayed them in order to appoint Do-Gun as the new patriarch!


    Their rage was indescribable.


    The actions of the Invincible Forged Squadron, the symbol of the Iron Sword Baek Family, had a great influence. Shortly after, the Ferocious Strike Battalion, as well as the Eagle Talon and Tiger Fang Squadrons also joined Woo-Moon and Ye-Ye¡¯s side. They were also appalled by Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong¡¯s plot.


    At first, Woo-Moon had been forced toe forward alone and face everyone.


    But now, the people were with him.


    Woo-Moon bowed deeply toward Mu-Hoon.


    ¡°The defeat was not your fault, Patriarch. Thus, you should never have been forced to take responsibility for the failure of the expedition and resign from your position. Please give the order, Patriarch. Give the order to punish those who dared to deceive, attack, and betray their own blood!¡±

 Chapter 83. The Entire World is My Home (4)

    <h4>Chapter 83. The Entire World is My Home (4)</h4>


    Mu-Hoon hesitated even after everything that had just happened. His kind and weak personality held him back.


    ¡°No matter what you say, that idiot could never even think about pointing a sword at us,¡± Hye-Ryeong said,ughing coldly as she calmly watched Mu-Hoon hesitate.


    Everyone¡¯s gaze moved from Woo-Moon to focus on Hye-Ryeong for a moment.


    Even the Invincible Forged Squadron warriors who had been grinding their teeth in anger swallowed nervously as they saw the cold expression on the face of the woman who had been the object of awe through her years of reigning over the family.


    That was a testament to Hye-Ryeong¡¯s presence within the Iron Sword Baek Family.


    She gestured as she slowly rose from her seat.


    The moment she did so, the Soaring Heavens Battalion, the Dragon Fang Squadron, and two-thirds of the elders ran to stand behind her. Additionally, four secret guards suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stood guard over her.


    Finally, about a hundred warriors wearing white uniforms suddenly appeared from all over the Baek Estate and lined up behind Hye-Ryeong, disying incredible cultivations.


    Although Woo-Moon didn¡¯t know all of the warriors from the Baek Family, he could still urately distinguish each of the different forces. Even so, he couldn¡¯t figure out who the warriors dressed in white were, even though a force with martial skillsparable to his would definitely have been memorable. Woo-Moon was sure that this was the first time he had seen these warriors since he hade to the Baek Family.


    It was the same for the other members of the Family, too. No one knew who they were.


    In truth, it was only natural, as they did not belong to the family but to Hye-Ryeong herself, given to her by the mysterious faction she had joined hands with.


    In the blink of an eye, as many as six hundred and seventy people stood behind her.


    Seeing that, Woo-Moon spat coldly, ¡°So, you insist on spilling your family¡¯s blood to the very end? You really n to cause a bloodbath among your own flesh and blood for some measly power?¡±


    Hye-Ryeong burst intoughter at his words.


    "Family? My own flesh and blood? What¡¯s the use of it all? Do you <i>really</i> wonder if I could kill my own family for power? <i>Hah!</i> Just look carefully at the annals of history. You¡¯ll see just howmon this is!¡±


    Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty had each killed their older and younger brothers, along with numerous blood rtives. They had even gone so far as to take their siblings¡¯ wives, and there was even a rumor that Emperor Yang had killed his own father, Emperor Wen.[1] And they were just two examples among many.


    ¡°How ridiculous! To think you¡¯d have the absolute gall to justify your evil actions like that!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s words made Hye-Ryeong seethe with rage¡ªyet, at the same time, the emotion she felt most distinctly was not anger, but <i>craving</i>.


    <i>¡®I want to smell that scent again.¡¯</i>


    She felt like she craved it even more because of the considerable amount of time since she hadst been exposed to it.


    Hye-Ryeong was suddenly shocked as she realized something, albeit a little toote.


    <i>¡®How can I think of something like that, even in this situation? This is almost... aren¡¯t these the thoughts of someone with an addiction?¡¯</i>


    As she began to have doubts about the incense given to her by Mu-Heon, she suddenly remembered something that had happened a while back.


    It was when she said that she couldn¡¯t wait any longer and would remove Mu-Hoon from his position as the patriarch. In order to do so, she nned to deliberately make him suffer defeat in the expedition against the Mount Qian Sect.


    The image of her sister came to mind, and her shocked face when she heard Hye-Ryong¡¯s words.


    Hye-Ryeong had responded extremely coldly to her younger sister when questioned about the harshness of her n to kill the warriors, her own blood rtives. Hye-Ryeong remembered her response: there was nothing she wouldn''t do for power.


    <i>¡®Was that really a decision I made of my own free will? If it was before I started using that incense, would I really have made the choice to drive my own family to death?¡¯</i>


    She knew she definitely wouldn¡¯t have.


    No matter <i>how</i> much she coveted power, she would never have gone to this extent.


    Suddenly, Hye-Ryeong raised her head and red at Mu-Heon with a terrifying look in her eyes. Mu-Heon was shocked by the sudden bloodlust he felt radiating from her.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no way. Could she have realized the effects of the Heavenly Incense?¡¯</i>


    Right then, almost as if he was trying to help Mu-Heon, Woo-Moon opened his mouth and distracted her. Immediately as he did so, Hye-Ryeong shifted to focus on him, as her anger at Woo-Moon, who was like a dog¡¯s shit that she could never wipe off of her shoe, was far greater than her sudden rage at Mu-Heon.


    ¡°There can never be any justification for your actions. Immortal deeds are just that, immoral and can never be justified in any situation. You¡¯re just one of the many devils who kill their own blood, blinded by power.¡±


    Ju-Ryeong grit her teeth as the other members of Hye-Ryeong¡¯s faction had heavy expressions. The corner of Hye-Ryeong¡¯s mouth twitched slightly before rising into a sneer. As Hye-Ryeong¡¯s side began to steel themselves, Woo-Moon sent a message to the new Invincible Forged Squadron Commander Baek So-Hoon.


    <i>¡ªI¡¯ll take care of Cousin Hye-Ryeong and Do-Gun. Can you take care of our other family members who weren¡¯t able to judge the right path properly and took their side? Of course, while avoiding as much bloodshed as possible.</i>


    So-Hoon looked at the elders, Soaring Heavens Battalion, and Dragon Fang Squadron warriors on the other side.


    <i>¡ªIt will be hard, but we will do it. Our Invincible Forged Squadron can handle it.</i>


    <i>¡ªUnderstood. Then, I¡¯ll get started right away.</i>


    Woo-Moon knew that the most important thing at this point was a quick resolution. They had to quickly subdue Hye-Ryeong, Ju-Ryeong, and Do-Gun in order to minimize the damage to the Baek Family.


    The moment he made his decision, his figure flickered, then disappeared. It was the Divine Phantasm Step that had just reached the seventh level ofpletion!


    ¡°<i>Huh?!</i>¡±


    Hye-Ryeong¡¯s husband, Do Mu-Sang, and Ju-Ryeong gasped in surprise as the sound of swords shing suddenly rang through the grounds.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Before they knew it, Hye-Ryeong and Woo-Moon were in the middle of a flurry of blows.


    The Iron Blood Merciless Sword on one side, and the Gentle Celestial Sword on the other!


    <i>¡®W-what is this sword art? Just who the hell made it? Not even the Palm Martial Emperor would be able to create a sword art of this level!¡¯ </i>Hye-Ryeong thought to herself in shock.


    Just as Hye-Ryeong was shocked by the Gentle Celestial Sword, Woo-Moon was also taken aback by her martial skills. Among the experts he had met so far, she seemed to be the strongest by far if he excluded the Absolute Masters such as his grandfather or the Saber Martial Emperor.


    She was at a level where even Jin Won-Myeong, the strongest expert of the Kunlun Sect, would have to retreat in front of her. Woo-Moon had to admit that she was good; unlike her younger brother, she certainly lived up to the Iron Sword Baek Family¡¯s name.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean he thought he would lose.


    <i>¡®Even with her cultivation, I¡¯m still stronger!¡¯</i>


    Raging Storm blew from the tip of his sword.


    Hye-Ryeong began to sweat as she struggled to keep up with his irregr movements, barely predicting where Woo-Moon¡¯s attack woulde from and moving her sword in the nick of time to intercept it.


    As Raging Storm ended, Cold Snow began.


    His sword suddenly became calm. At first nce, it seemed impossibly slow. However, hidden within that slowness was extreme variability and fluidity!


    Like a butterfly leisurely floating in the breeze, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword glided across the force exuded by Hye-Ryeong¡¯s blow. However, Hye-Ryeong lived up to her name as the strongest in the Baek Family.


    When she realized it would be impossible to shake off Cold Snow with just her sword, she used the Baek Family¡¯s finger technique, the Winter Leaf Finger, and released a white finger aura.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    A terrifying finger aura that could even prate boulders pierced toward Woo-Moon, who responded with the Nine Yin White Bone w using his free hand.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s hands, engulfed in a golden w aura, destroyed the Winter Leaf Finger Aura. However, at that moment, Hye-Ryeong¡¯s tiny feet, which were difficult to see because of her fluttering skirt, flew toward Woo-Moon¡¯s sr plexus with a terrifying momentum.


    ¡°Hmpf!¡±


    Woo-Moon was far superior in terms of swordsmanship itself. However, when it came to actualbat, Hye-Ryeong seemed to have the edge.


    Woo-Moon stepped back to avoid Hye-Ryeong¡¯s kick.


    However, as if they had been aiming for this very moment, attacks barreled toward him from all sides!


    Do-Gun¡¯s sword attacked him from behind!


    Ju-Ryeong¡¯s sword attacked from the left!


    Do Mu-Sang¡¯s sword from the right!


    On top of it all, Hye-Ryeong¡¯s four secret guards appeared out of nowhere, trying to restrain him with chain scythes and hooked chains.


    As Hye-Ryeong stood in front of him, he couldn¡¯t dodge in that direction, either.


    It was an attack from all fronts!


    Everyone was confident that they could take Woo-Moon¡¯s life.


    A brilliant golden light burst from Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon activated his qi to the utmost, and as if it was sentient, his qi circted around and wrapped in a thickyer around his entire body. However, that wasn¡¯t enough for him to be reassured. The enemy still had hooked chains. If he got tied down, he would be in danger.


    Thus, along with theyer of defensive qi, Woo-Moon also began to move.


    His sword drew a circle in the air. It was the newest technique of the Gentle Celestial Sword, the Imprable Golden Fortress.


    It was the ultimate defensive technique. A sword perfectly turned into a shield, creating a protective barrier around the user with thousands of cuts and thrusts in all directions!


    A golden sword curtain formed around Woo-Moon.


    <i>Bang, bang, bang, bang!</i>


    All of the attacksing his way were continuously deflected, and the shes were deafening.


    One of Hye-Ryeong¡¯s four secret guards, who had the weakest skills among all of Woo-Moon¡¯s attackers, suffered severe internal injuries and vomited blood


    ¡°T-this can¡¯t be...¡±


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    As Do-Gun muttered to himself in shock, Woo-Moon quickly lunged forward and pierced his right shoulder, even in the midst of maintaining his sword curtain.


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    With a cry of indignation, Hye-Ryeong rushed Woo-Moon as the others followed quickly behind.


    Woo-Moon frowned slightly¡ªthe Hye-Ryeong¡¯s joint forces were proving to be somewhat burdensome.


    However, right at that moment, an ear-shattering roar shook the Baek Estate.


    ¡°WHO DARES TO TOUCH MY SON!¡±


    <i>¡®Father!¡¯</i>


    Surprised, Woo-Moon looked up at the sky only to see a massive shadow.


    His father¡¯s titan-like body obscured the sun for a moment as he leaped into the fray from who knew where.


    ¡°Ha-a-EUP!!¡±


    With a great roar, Dae-Woong unleashed two incredible fists, striking Do Mu-Sang and one of the secret guards simultaneously. At the same time, Woo-Moon saw two translucent beams of light sh by. He turned around to see Ma-Ra, who looked like a small child alongside the giant Dae-Woong.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Moving at a speed difficult to track with the naked eye, the Silver Moon Discs lopped off the heads of two secret guards at the same time before spinning full circle and returning to Ma-Ra¡¯s hands.


    Dae-Woong¡¯s fist wind caused one of the secret guards¡¯ chest to cave in, killing him instantly, while Do Mu-Sang was forced to retreat from the remnant force of Dae-Woong¡¯s other attack.


    Now, all that was left were Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong.


    Woo-Moon cleverly used the Divine Phantasm Step to retreat before once more condensing the absolute shield of the Imprable Golden Fortress to block their attacks.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    <i>Tap. </i>


    Dae-Woongnded on Woo-Moon¡¯s left, shaking the ground, as Ma-Ra almost silently drifted down to his right.


    ¡°Father! Ma-Ra!¡± Woo-Moon happily called out to them.


    Dae-Woong turned and pped his son on the back of his head, causing him to stumble forward.


    ¡°You arrogant brat! How dare you even consider doing something like this without your father?!¡±


    Ma-Ra also red at Woo-Moon with a venomous gaze.


    ¡°Bad bastard.¡±


    The two were able to use their unique methods to break through Woo-Moon¡¯s acupoint suppression and join so quickly.


    Among all of the Murder Arts that Ma-Ra had learned, there was one that had a meridian cleansing effect to counteract any acupoint suppression methods to make her lose consciousness. As for Dae-Woong, his recovery rate was so monstrous that his meridians had cleared themselves near instantaneously. The only one to still be unconscious was Jin-Jin due to thebination of her injuries and not having any special methods to counteract acupoint suppression methods.


    As the two lectured Woo-Moon, a battle was taking ce on the other side as well.


    The Invincible Forged Squadron, one-third of the elders, the Ferocious Strike Battalion, and the Lion Fang, Tiger Fang, and Eagle Talon Squadrons of the Iron Sword Four Beast Battalion were dealing with those who had joined Hye-Ryeong¡¯s side. Although the overall power of the Invincible Forged Squadron was significantly greater, they were having a difficult time suppressing their kin without bloodshed.


    However, it seemed like it would only be a matter of time on their side, too, before they would be able to seed.


    The reason Woo-Moon¡¯s side had been able to gain this much of an advantage was that he shouldered a lot of the burden on his own. Just stopping Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong by himself brought his side an overwhelming advantage. Now, even that burden had been eased thanks to Dae-Woong and Ma-Ra¡¯s appearance.


    Woo-Moon sent a transmission to the two people.


    <i>¡ªFather, take care of Do Mu-Sang and Do-Gun. But you cannot kill them. Ma-Ra, deal with those bastards in white over there.</i>


    ¡°<i>Hmpf</i>. Fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ma-Ra immediately drew the Silver Moon Discs from her sleeves as she ran forward.


    <i>Fwish!</i>


    The sound produced by the Silver Moon Discs was hardly audible, even when focusing, but their visual effects were anything but invisible. In two different, distant locations, two streams of blood spurted out.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Two warriors copsed with their heads hanging down, their white clothes dyed red.


    Ma-Ra suddenly disappeared, hiding in the midst of the chaos brought on by the Silver Moon Discs. She suddenly leaped out of the shadows in front of the warriors in white as she shed down with her sword before catching the returning Silver Moon Discs.


    It wasn¡¯t anything shy or pretentious, just an extremely practical swordsmanship perfect for murder!


    The moment the cold sh of steel glinted in the sunlight, two of the warriors in white had their chests explode open.


    1. Two of the emperors who had the most impact on China¡¯s history and killed their family members for the throne. One was seen as arguably China¡¯s greatest tyrant (Yang), and the other as arguably China¡¯s greatest ruler (Taizong). ?

 Chapter 84. The Entire World is My Home (5)

    <h4>Chapter 84. The Entire World is My Home (5)</h4>


    The remaining ny-six warriors in white quickly circled around and surrounded Ma-Ra, whonded on the ground sttered with hot blood.


    ¡°Kill her!¡±


    The moment the leader of the warriors in white gave the order, Ma-Ra¡¯s entire body turned ck and somehow melted into her own shadow, which then merged with the shadows of the warriors.


    ¡°It¡¯s an assassination art! Be careful! Raise your senses to the maximum!¡±


    However, despite their leader¡¯s warning, flowers of blood were already blooming everywhere.


    Following Ma-Ra, Dae-Woong also unleashed the Thirty-Six Iron Shattering Fists as he ran toward Do Mu-Sang and Do-Gun.


    Woo-Moon was shocked as he saw the movement technique his father used.


    <i>¡®What is that? It¡¯s not grandfather¡¯s... I haven¡¯t seen that before! How could my father know such an incredible technique?¡¯</i>


    For now, however, he had to shelve these questions. There were more important things to do.


    Dae-Woong punched Do Mu-Sang three times, his power just as destructive as his incredible stature suggested.


    ¡°You¡¯re like a stupid wild boar!¡±


    Hye-Ryeong¡¯s husband, Do Mu-Sang, was a member of the Cyclic Spear Gate, a sect that passed down their teachings to only one person. He thrust his spear forward and rotated it at a high speed, creating a vortex in the air.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Dae-Woong¡¯s fist and Do Mu-Sang¡¯s vortex spear collided.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Do Mu-Sang was unable to handle Dae-Woong¡¯s fist force and was forced to take a step back.


    <i>¡®H-how could I be pushed back by this bastard!¡¯</i>


    Mu-Sang didn¡¯t know what to make of this situation, and it hurt his pride. Dae-Woong was a country bumpkin in every way! To think that a true-blue martial artist like him would be pushed back by a bastard who was a countryside inn owner until not too long ago!


    Meanwhile, Do-Gun came forward to help his father, switching his sword to his left and focusing his qi to stop the bleeding from the wound on his shoulder.


    ¡°Father, I¡¯m here!"


    A two-versus-one thus started.


    Woo-Moon caught a glimpse of his father and Ma-Ra¡¯s fights before flicking his sword with a finger. He felt his sword resonate as it cried out, thirsty for blood, and he turned his gaze toward Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong.


    Hye-Ryeong had realized by this point that things had gone so far because she had been drugged by the incense that Mu Heon had given her. However, that didn¡¯t matter anymore.


    She just wanted to kill that bitch Jin-Jin and her son. That bitch had made her miserable ever since she was a child and had caused her to be consumed by the mes of her horrifying jealousy. Killing these two worms was the only thing left in her mind.


    ¡°You and your mother, too! I¡¯m so sick of the both of you!¡±


    Hye-Ryeong coated her sword in sword aura and ran forward with a cry of rage.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    As she circted all of the qi in her body, a tremendous energy storm swept everything around her. Her disy of power fully confirmed her status as the current strongest member of the Baek Family¡ªan expert who had reached the pinnacle of the Transcendent ss.


    Ju-Ryeong felt the same way as her older sister.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    While inferior to Hye-Ryeong, Ju-Ryeong was also an expert, a beginner Transcendent. She coated her sword with a purple sword aura identical to her older sister¡¯s, although somewhat weaker.


    ¡°AGH!!!!!¡±


    The two powerful people who had controlled the Baek Family for years simultaneously rushed Woo-Moon, disying all of their mastery over their movement techniques.


    <i>CLANG!</i>


    An unbelievable roar rang out as swords collided.


    A golden sword as brilliant as the light of the sun and two purple swords glowing with eerie yet beautiful light pushed against one another.


    As she shed with Woo-Moon using the ultimate stance of the Iron Blood Merciless Sword, Hye-Ryeong recalled her first meeting with Jin-Jin.


    Jin-Jin had been as pretty as a doll and had a bright smile on her face as she was introduced to the family by the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon¡ªa man Hye-Ryeong had admired and respected more than her own father!


    Sang-Woon had always looked for Hye-Ryeong and her sister every time he stopped by the family estate. However, from the moment Jin-Jin appeared, she was the only object of his love.


    ¡°AAAGH!!!¡±


    Hye-Ryeong could see the face of her most hated enemy, that bitch Jin-Jin, in Woo-Moon¡¯s face. She imbued her sword with all of the rage in her bones as she continued to reminisce about the past.


    Now that she thought about it, she had felt a great sense of entitlement. That was why she had be even more jealous and envious when Jin-Jin started to show her talent, and why she had deliberately bullied the girl herself and made the others ostracize her as well. <i>She</i> was the reason Jin-Jin was always picked on.


    The bright and lovely Jin-Jin, who had lived a solitary life, had been ecstatic to join a family where she thought she would always have someone to talk to. But Hye-Ryeong made it her mission to force her into an even greater loneliness than when she had lived alone with a silver tiger on a faraway cliff.


    Every time she saw Woo-Moon not being pushed back and even retaliating withposure as she and her sister attacked him together, it reminded her of the Jin-Jin from childhood.


    <i>¡®Yes. That bitch Jin-Jin was as much of a martial genius as you are right now! No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn¡¯t keep up!¡¯</i>


    It just made her hate Jin-Jin even more.


    Jin-Jin was the daughter of the Palm Martial Emperor, inheriting his talent. She was born with a pure cultivation physique and a bright mind. Moreover, she was so beautiful that Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong had been relegated to fireflies in front of a full moon.


    If not for Jin-Jin, Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong would have been beautiful enough to have been considered the most beautiful women in <i>gangho</i> at the time!


    Thus, in their desire to get rid of Jin-Jin, they tried to force her into an arranged marriage with the third son of the Namgoong Family Patriarch, who was rumored to be a yboy and a pervert. However, Jin-Jin had run away, saying that she could not possibly ept an arranged marriage, let alone to a partner like that.


    Afraid that Jin-Jin would be able to flee and get her happily ever after, Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong forced their subordinates to cross the line and push her to the limit, ultimately causing her death...or so they thought.


    At that time, Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong didn¡¯t have the resolve to kill Jin-Jin with their own hands. After all, they were still rtives, were they not? They were actually shocked and horrified when Jin-Jin fell off the cliff at the end of her struggle.


    Still, what did it all matter now? Right now, Hye-Ryeong knew what she had to do.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill all of you dirty bastards!¡±


    She had descended so far into madness that she was just swinging her sword chaotically, with no particr technique.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    ¡°Even that bastard Palm Martial Emperor!¡±


    <i>¡®You dare to block my sword, you piece of shit?! Die!¡¯</i>


    ¡°That damned uncultured bitch Jin-Jin, too!¡±


    Woo-Moon blocked her again.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    ¡°And you, you bastard! You¡¯re not only that uncultured bitch¡¯s son, but you even have a stronger cultivation than my son!¡± Hye-Ryeong shouted as she exerted all of the strength she could muster. She unleashed Iron Sword Splitting Mountains, the most powerful of the augmented qi forms of the Iron Blood Merciless Sword.


    ordingly, Ju-Ryeong used Iron Spirit Piercing Heaven, the technique mostpatible with Iron Sword Splitting Mountains. Iron Sword Splitting Mountains was the most formidable cut, while Iron Spirit Piercing Heaven was the strongest thrust of the family¡¯s sword art


    As the two attacks neared Woo-Moon, he knew that this would be their final sh.


    A golden glow burst from his body. As his sword flickered, a golden sword curtain formed in front of Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong¡¯s attacks.


    <i>BOOOOOM!!!!</i>


    A massive tremor shook the entire estate as if an earthquake had started. Everyone else stopped their fighting and turned to see the sh between the three.


    Woo-Moon only used the Golden Fortress Iron Wall to block the initial blow, then grit his teeth and unleashed one technique after another.


    The moment his sword rose toward the sky, a rain of swords torrented down, falling faster and more irregrly than anything Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong could have imagined. The momentum of theirbined attack had been reduced by more than half against the Imprable Golden Wall, and the remaining power waspletely dissipated by the barrage of Heavy Rain like a lump of salt beneath a tropical storm.


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    Ju-Ryeong screamed, while Hye-Ryeong¡¯s eyes widened in shock.


    ¡°MOTHER!!!¡± screamed Do-Gun. He was now too injured to move, so he could do nothing but watch the battle from afar.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword fell mercilessly toward the two sisters.


    <i>Thwack! Thwack!</i>


    However, rather than the sound of a sword rending flesh, what the viewers heard was the sound of a p.


    Woo-Moon had twisted his sword at thest moment and had now started hitting them with the t of the de.


    The two sisters were ultimately defeated. And in the midst of Woo-Moon¡¯s relentless beating, Hye-Ryeong closed her eyes.


    She hadn¡¯t been able to defeat Sang-Woon or Jin-Jin, and as if that wasn¡¯t enough, she had now even been defeated by Jin-Jin¡¯s son.


    In her mire of despair and defeat, strangely enough, the pain of Woo-Moon''s beating felt refreshing. She had long since forgotten this feeling¡ªas if all her worries were washed away by the rain.


    Ju-Ryeong fainted first, while Hye-Ryeong barely managed to stay conscious until Woo-Moon¡¯s Raging Storm ended.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you kill us?¡± she muttered.


    Even Woo-Moon wondered why he hadn¡¯t, as he had clearly intended to kill them at first.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re still family? The look in your eyes when you were attacking and screaming at me was simr to the look in my mother¡¯s eyes when she felt heartbroken. Also... I think that deep in their hearts, my mother and grandfather wouldn¡¯t want me to kill you, either.¡±


    As he spoke, Woo-Moon realized it himself, too. He had meant it sincerely.


    ¡®<i>Your gaze looked a little like my mother¡¯s.¡¯</i>


    Hye-Ryeong felt her mind going nk as she heard his reasoning.


    ¡°You dog... bastards. You really want to make me into a fucking bitch, even till the very end...¡± she said with a strange expression that wasn¡¯t really a smile or a frown.


    As she uttered thosest words, Hye-Ryeong recalled the words she had childishly continued to think to herself when she was younger.


    <i>¡ªWhy... why couldn¡¯t I have been born as Grand Uncle Sang-Woon¡¯s daughter, too...</i>


    As he saw Woo-Moon spare his mother, Do-Gun remembered that Woo-Moon had saved his life as well.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    Before he knew it, the strength in his arms had given out, and the Emotionless Iron Sword in his hand had fallen to the ground.


    <i>tter!</i>


    ¡°Now, how about you cut it off, you little shit!¡± Dae-Woong cried as he punched Do Mu-Sang.


    Struck in the chest, Do Mu-Sang flew backward and lost consciousness just like his wife.


    Ju-Ryeong¡¯s husband had also joined the battle against Dae-Woong. He now alsoy unconscious after being punched in the face and losing more than ten of his teeth.


    It hadn¡¯t been that long since he had sparred against Dae-Woong, but in that short time, Dae-Woong¡¯s strength had vastly surpassed his.


    Woo-Moon walked over and picked up the Emotionless Iron Sword that had fallen on the ground as Do-Gun stared with a nk expression.


    He raised the sword high into the sky and let out a shout, using all of his remaining qi.


    ¡°Halt! It¡¯s over! Everyone, drop your weapons and surrender!¡±


    His voice, backed by his pure qi and his sincere intentions, resonated throughout the Baek Estate and spread out, traveling far into the distance. Indeed, this was the Azure Dragon¡¯s Cry of legends.


    Mu Heon, who no longer had any reason to stay, tried to take advantage of the chaos to escape.


    <i>¡®To think I¡¯d fail in the end, I¡¯ve really lost all face. Song Woo-Moon, the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor, right? Well, leap around as much as you can now. Later, you¡¯ll be kneeling in front of me and¡ª¡¯</i>


    Mu Heon had been fleeing as fast as he could. However, as he tried to escape, he saw a person waiting right in his path, forcing him to quickly change direction and find another route. However, his opponent¡¯s movement technique was far superior to his own.


    ¡°You really look down on me, don¡¯t you?¡± Woo-Moon said, suddenly standing right in front of Mu Heon.


    A strange, wry smile spread across Mu Heon¡¯s face. ¡°Let me tell you this, nothing good wille out of standing in my way.¡±


    Woo-Moon grinned in response and kicked at a pebble in the ground.


    <i>ng, ng.</i>


    Woo-Moon kicked the pebble in the air and started to slowly bounce it with his sword.


    ¡°Who are you again? I saw Hye-Ryeong ring at you earlier, so I kept an eye on you, too. But you always stood a step away from the action and you tried to get away immediately after Hye-Ryeong lost. What¡¯s your game?¡±


    Woo-Moon struck the stone with the t of his de and shot it at Mu Heon, forcing the man to draw the leaf fan at his waist and block.


    <i>ng!</i>


    With a screeching sound, all of the braided leaves on the leaf fan tore off and fluttered in the air, revealing cold, steel des.


    ¡°How mannerless. To think you would attack without saying anything.¡±


    As Mu Heon spoke, still smiling, Woo-Moon kicked another rock and hurled it at the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°What sort of courtesy am I supposed to show for some bastard who snuck into someone else¡¯s home like some rat and plotted against us?¡±


    ¡°Your attacks are useless.¡±


    The moment Mu Heon leisurely struck the rock aside, Woo-Moon¡¯s figure blurred.


    <i>Thud, thud, thud!</i>


    Woo-Moon narrowed the distance between them using the Divine Phantasm Step, then unleashed Raging Storm.

 Chapter 85. The Entire World is My Home (6)

    <h4>Chapter 85. The Entire World is My Home (6)</h4>


    Mu Heon grit his teeth and swung his leaf fan in an attempt to react to Woo-Moon¡¯s merciless attack.


    <i>ng!</i>


    However, he was only able to hold Woo-Moon off for a few moments before Woo-Moon¡¯s sword cut into his neck.


    <i>¡®It was already shocking enough seeing it from afar, but it¡¯s even more mysterious and incredible in person! Sadly for you, that won¡¯t be enough!¡¯</i>


    With pure admiration for Woo-Moon¡¯s swordsmanship, Mu Heon slightly twisted the steel fan and pointed the tip toward Woo-Moon.


    <i>Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft!</i>


    Countless thin needles shot out of the tips of the fan¡¯s ribs.


    ¡°Mere tricks!¡±


    Woo-Moon spread the Imprable Golden Wall in a small range before him, knocking aside all of the needles. Although the needles were far stronger than normal throwing weapons due to Mu Heon¡¯s qi infusion, none had enough strength to break through the shield.


    Having bought himself some time with the needles, Mu Heon jumped backward.


    ¡°Come out!¡±


    As he shouted, ten presences that Woo-Moon had noticed earlier revealed themselves simultaneously. They fired crossbows attached to their wrists. Like Mu Heon¡¯s needles, the power behind each arrow was far beyond normal due to being imbued with qi.


    Moreover, it seemed that each of the ten hidden warriors could shoot three arrows at once, as thirty arrows rained down on him from all directions. Woo-Moon was about to use the Imprable Golden Wall to defend himself once more, but then he quickly changed his mind.


    As the arrows closed in on him, Woo-Moon suddenly spun around like a top and quickly swung his sword.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The sound of the arrows hitting his sword echoed repeatedly, like the sound of beans roasting in a hot pan.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    Five of the hidden warriors that had attacked Woo-Moon with crossbows let out muffled groans at the same time. They dropped to the ground with arrows sticking out of various parts of their bodies.


    One of them even fell backward, unlucky enough to have been hit in the forehead. However, the others didn¡¯t waver in the slightest, despite the serious injuries.


    ¡°Attack him!¡±


    Following Mu Heon¡¯smand, the nine hidden warriors in ck rushed to Woo-Moon at the same time. Each carried the same four weapons strapped to their waists and backs: an axe, a saber, a spear, and a whip. Simultaneously, they drew the axes from their belts and threw them at Woo-Moon.


    As the heavy axes flew at him ferociously, Woo-Moon covered his entire body with the Imprable Golden Wall.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Meanwhile, the warriors in ck utched their spears from their backs. As they set their stance, they thrust their spears out at the same time.


    Woo-Moon stood motionless, as if waiting to be impaled, but then he suddenly bent over backward the moment the spearheads came within range. The spearheads narrowly passed over Woo-Moon¡¯s torso, crossing over him as he stood parallel to the ground.


    At that very moment, his eyes suddenly lit up.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    Woo-Moon swung his sword and cut down all nine spears in a single motion before using the Divine Phantasm Step to narrow the distance between himself and his enemies instantly.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Hot blood spurted as Northern Blizzard shed in the air. Woo-Moon decapitated three of them with a single swing before suddenly sensing danger.


    <i>ng!</i>


    The tip of Woo-Moon¡¯s sword knocked aside the steel fan that was covertly sweeping across the ground, aiming for his feet.


    The chain connected to the steel fan sparkled in the sunlight as the fan flew high into the sky.


    Holding the other end of the chain, Mu Heon manipted the steel fan to attack Woo-Moon again.


    <i>¡®Just what the hell are these bastards? Not only that bastard with the fan, but even these guys in ck have incredible skills.¡¯</i>


    The surviving six warriors in ck attacked him again. This time, there was some discrepancy between them, as four of them attacked with sabers and two with whips. Even so, the six attacked with almost perfect synchronization, clearly having mastered formation-basedbat. They didn¡¯t leave a single opening for Woo-Moon to escape; the timing and cement of their attacks was perfectly matched.


    The steel fan aimed for his feet while clear blue saber auras attacked him from four sides, and whips came down from above like snakesshing out at their prey.


    <i>¡®If I can¡¯t avoid it, then I just have to block it all!¡¯</i>


    Golden light exploded from Woo-Moon¡¯s body as the Imprable Golden Wall appeared again, repelling all attacks.


    <i>¡®Damn it! Just what sort of sword technique is this?¡¯</i>


    Though still smiling outwardly, Mu Heon grit his teeth andined on the inside. He was in awe at the perfect offense and defense of Woo-Moon¡¯s Gentle Celestial Sword.


    Realizing there was no way for him to win, Mu Heon¡¯s gaze dropped from the weight of the realization. He sent out a qi transmission.


    <i>¡ªI need to get out. Buy me some time.</i>


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    By that moment, Woo-Moon had attacked again and stabbed the four warriors wielding sabers in the chest and throat, taking them out in one fell swoop.


    Mu Heon triggered the mechanism built into his fan, imbuing all the hidden weapons he had left with qi before shooting them at Woo-Moon. The remaining two warriors fired a crossbow bolt with one hand while swinging their whips with the other, trying to keep Woo-Moon tangled up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet again next time!¡± Mu Heon shouted as he walked away from the battle.


    Woo-Moon became anxious as he realized Mu Heon was sacrificing his subordinates in order to escape. He had to block the enemies'' attack first, and that couldn¡¯t be helped, but unlike before, this attack had clear openings he could exploit.


    Woo-Moon instantly used the Divine Phantasm Step, his silhouette blurring as he cleverly positioned himself to avoid the hidden weapons and the bolts. At the same time, he bent down and slid his foot along the ground, taking down the two warriors in ck with an expert foot sweep.


    As soon as the warriors fell, Woo-Moon jumped low andnded between them, stabbing one of them in the heart with the sword in his right hand and crushing the head of the other using the Nine Yin White Bone w with his left.


    Woo-Moon quickly looked around and swiftly located Mu Heon, who had already gone far into the distance.


    ¡°Do you really think I¡¯ll let you go?¡±


    Woo-Moon hurriedly picked up a few broken spears and whips on the ground, then used the Northern Wind Step as fast as he could, chasing after Mu Heon.


    He threw four spears at the same time.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    The spears flew in a long arc, emitting a tremendous whistling noise. However, because the target was so far away, by the time they reached Mu Heon, he was able to easily track their trajectory and dodge ordingly.


    However, a fifth and final spear flew through the air, faster and more powerful than the previous four.


    It was an exquisitely nned dyed attack!


    However, Mu Heon grit his teeth again and drove his qi to the limit, twisting his body as hard as he could to avoid it. Although the spear cut a long scar on his side, it was a rtively minor injury.


    But, to his unfortunate regret, there was <i>still</i> another attack in Woo-Moon¡¯s arsenal.


    Copying the technique Mu Heon had used when he had attacked him with the steel fan attached to a chain, Woo-Moon flicked his wrist and sent a whip quietly along the ground, wrapping it around both of Mu Heon¡¯s ankles.


    ¡°Agk!¡±


    Mu Heon disgracefully rolled on the ground. The next moment, Woo-Moon had caught up and was pouncing on him, clearly trying to capture him alive.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t let him catch me!¡¯</i>


    Mu Heon held his steel fan in both hands and stabbed himself directly in the heart.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    It only took an instant, but once that instant had passed, all Woo-Moon found was a dead body. Now he had no one to interrogate, so his questions would remain unanswered.


    Woo-Moon suddenly realized that he had experienced something simr in the past¡ªthe same premise down to thest bit¡ªmeeting a mysterious group with strong martial skills, seemingly from an evil organization, killing indiscriminately,mitting suicide before being interrogated.


    He had captured some of them after the battle with his grandfather, but just like now, all of those who had survived had consumed their poison pill andmitted suicide. Although Mu Heon hadmitted suicide with a weapon rather than poison, for some reason, Woo-Moon got the feeling that they were from the same faction.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t do anything about it now. I should go back and just interrogate Hye-Ryeong. She has to know something.¡±


    Consoling himself, Woo-Moon searched Mu Heon¡¯s body. He was looking for anything that could indicate Mu Heon¡¯s status. However, he found nothing noteworthy. The man only had a fire starter and a small amount of Golden Spear Medicine.


    When he returned to the scene of the battle, trying to see if he could find any clues from the warriors in ck, he found Ma-Ra already investigating.


    ¡°Have you discovered anything?¡±


    ¡°No. You know?¡±


    She was asking if he knew their identities. Seeing Woo-Moon shaking his head, Ma-Ra squatted down with her characteristically expressionless face and removed the crossbows wrapped around the wrists of two of the warriors in ck, attaching them to her own wrists.


    Since her wrists were much smaller than those of the warriors in ck, she had to make a couple of adjustments, but with her dexterity, that was not much of a problem.


    Ma-Ra stretched out an arm and tried shooting at one of the corpses.


    <i>Thwack, thwack!</i>


    The bolts flew with incredible force and lodged deep into the corpse.


    The wrist crossbow was small enough to be hidden in a sleeve, but its power was superior to a regr crossbow. Moreover, it could even load three shots at once.


    It really was an impressive device.


    A very, <i>very</i> faint smile appeared on Ma-Ra¡¯s lips as if she liked the weapon. However, that shift in expression was so slight that neither she nor Woo-Moon had noticed it.


    Ma-Ra recovered all of the wrist bows and quivers of bolts that the warriors in ck had before returning to the Baek Estate with Woo-Moon.


    ***


    In the dead of night.


    A woman ran forward, her movement technique making her seem like the wind itself.


    When she reached Mu Heon¡¯s cold corpse, she stopped for a minute to take a look at it.


    <i>Tap, tap, tap, tap!</i>


    She struck his entire body repeatedly, creating dozens of afterimages in an instant. A few momentster, Mu Heon¡¯s upper body began to shake intensely.


    ¡°Bleeaugh!!¡±


    A bowlful of dark red blood poured out from Mu Heon¡¯s mouth.


    The moment he did so, the woman quickly moved behind him, dodging the blood sttering on his clothes.


    ¡°<i>Kekeke</i>. To think that someone as full of himself as you, senior brother, would not only fail his ns at the Iron Sword Baek Family but even die! You must be so upset~¡±


    Mu Heon massaged his chest as if his heart was in pain after being pierced by the steel fan.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t shut your mouth right now, I¡¯ll let you feel how it felt when I died,¡± he snapped.


    ¡°Pfft! With that body? Could you even take half a move from me?¡±


    As he was basically at the woman¡¯s mercy, Mu Heon lowered his gaze and turned away.


    ¡°What did Eldest Brother say?¡±


    ¡°We finally found the Heavenly Demon Orb. It happens to be near here. Ny-Second Senior Brother Mu Heon wants us to help Seventh Senior Brother Mu Heon.¡±


    ¡°Did they say anything else?¡±


    ¡°He said that if you fail again and tarnish the reputation of Mu Heon, he¡¯ll definitely kill you in a way that you can¡¯t be revived again, even by the Immortal Heavenly Demon Art.¡±


    ¡°...<i>Hmpf!</i> Then, are youing to aid Seventh Senior Brother Mu Heon, too?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. I was told to help out, too. The Heavenly Demon Cult most likely would be a little <i>prized,</i> to say the least.¡±


    ¡°Either way, we have our orders, so we should move. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Soon after, the two people disappeared.


    ***


    Two dayster,


    Hye-Ryeong, Ju-Ryeong, and all of their followers were imprisoned in a prison under the Baek Estate.


    All of the mysterious warriors in white had either been killed ormitted suicide.


    In the end, the letter that Woo-Moon had brought served as the most conclusive evidence, and by searching the manors of Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong along with interrogating the people around them, the investigators were able to secure many other pieces of corroborating evidence.


    Naturally, Do-Gun¡¯s session to the patriarch position was immediately invalidated. In the first ce, it had been revealed that Mu-Hoon¡¯s defeat had resulted from a conspiracy by the two sisters, making it only natural for him to retake his position as head of the family.


    However, one person still had an issue with it.


    ¡°I... I don¡¯t think I am suited for the position of patriarch. I may not have been responsible for the defeat. Still, the fact that I had even allowed us all to fall into such a trap indicates myck of ability,¡± Mu-Hoon said as he looked at the Emotionless Iron Sword during the emergency council of elders.


    The leaders of the Baek Family forces and elders couldn¡¯t say anything to refute his words. To be frank, it was difficult for them to deny his statement. In any case, the fact that Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong had been able to hold their reign of tyranny behind all of their backs had been mainly due to Mu-Hoon¡¯s passiveness as Patriarch.


    ¡°But... who would take over the position, then?¡±


    The previous patriarch had left behind three sessors. In order of age, they were Hye-Ryeong, Ju-Ryeong, and Mu-Hoon.


    It went without saying that the children of traitors couldn¡¯t be the patriarch, even more so considering these children¡¯s own contributions to the struggle for power.


    Thus, the only remaining option was Mu-Hoon¡¯s offspring. However, the only child he had was his daughter, Ye-Ye.


    The elders and leaders of the Baek Family Martial Forces were deeply troubled and began to argue. They argued that one of the descendants of the previous patriarch¡¯s siblings should be selected to seed Mu-Hoon. However, because all of them were elders with their own vested interests, the meeting just grew longer and longer.


    Woo-Moon, who had just been listening quietly, finally opened his mouth.


    ¡°Is this <i>really</i> something we need to consider this deeply?¡±

 Chapter 86. The Entire World is My Home (7)

    <h4>Chapter 86. The Entire World is My Home (7)</h4>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s position within the Baek Family was very different from before.


    Due to revealing Hye-Ryeong¡¯s plot and preventing a crisis, many people admired him and were grateful for his martial prowess. Even so, Woo-Moon was still the youngest person in the council of elders.


    Elder Han responded to him with a disapproving expression.


    ¡°What, do you think we¡¯re discussing this to such an extent because we just <i>want</i> to worry? Then what do <i>you</i> think should be done?¡±


    ¡°Is there any provision in the Family¡¯s Code that says a woman can¡¯t be the matriarch?¡±


    The second he finished his sentence, many elders looked at him directly. Only a fool wouldn¡¯t have understood what Woo-Moon was insinuating.


    ¡°Ye-Ye cannot be the patriarch.¡±


    ¡°The Family has never had a woman serve as the patriarch.¡±


    Woo-Moon simply ignored them and repeated the question, this time with more...intention.


    ¡°So. Is there. Any provision. In the Family Code. That says. A woman. Can¡¯t serve. As the matriarch?¡±


    Gong-Su, whom Woo-Moon had saved just two days ago, nced at the elders around him before answering, ¡°There is no such provision in the Family Code.¡±


    ¡°Then, among all of the younger generation talents of our family, is there anyone who is as outstanding in as many aspects as Ye-Ye?¡±


    Do-Gun and Ye-Ye were by far the best in terms of cultivation among the younger generation talents of the Baek Family. Now, since Do-Gun had been imprisoned, Ye-Ye was <i>the</i> undisputed best younger-generation talent of the Iron Sword Baek Family.


    Of course, Woo-Moon was excluded from the ssification of younger generation talents, as he was stronger than even the current patriarch himself, and technically, he was a member of the elder generation as well. In addition, he was rted to the Baek family through his mother and was actually a member of the Song family on paper, so he couldn¡¯t run for the position anyway.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone, right? Then, it¡¯s simple. Ye-Ye can take over as the matriarch. Considering her martial arts and leadership skills, she will be an excellent leader of the Iron Sword Baek Family, right?¡±


    A female elder spoke with a somber expression upon his words.


    ¡°Yes, just like you said, Ye-Ye is impressive. That¡¯s what makes it even more of a shame. It would have been amazing if she had been born as a man...¡±


    Another elder spoke up.


    ¡°Even if there is no such provision in the Family Code, how could we appoint a woman as the new patriarch?¡±


    ¡°Why does it matter if she¡¯s a man or a woman if she has the ability? Then, how about this? Mu-Hoon will continue to serve as patriarch in the meantime, but for the next three years, Ye-Ye will personally handle all of the practical duties. All you have to do is watch how she does for the next three years before making your decision. Does that work for everyone?¡± Woo-Moon reasoned.


    Some elders still opposed the idea, as if they didn¡¯t want to ept even the idea of a woman leading the n. Still, in the end, the council decided to ept Woo-Moon¡¯s proposal, considering Ye-Ye¡¯s impressive ability and the fact that there weren¡¯t any suitable alternatives.


    From this day forward, Baek Ye-Ye would run the Iron Sword Baek Family in everything but name.


    After the council of elders, Woo-Moon descended into the basement prison, heading to the deepest underground level where the worst of the Baek Family criminals were imprisoned.


    Having reached the bottom, Woo-Moon was faced with two doors made of iron. He used his key to unlock the door with the sign ¡°Baek Hye-Ryeong¡± written on it and opened it wide.


    Hye-Ryeong was sitting there with her back to the door, looking at the wall. She did not even flinch as Woo-Moon entered, and neither did she turn to look at him.


    ¡°Considering you opened the door without any hint of fear, you must be Woo-Moon.¡±


    Although the door had been opened, Hye-Ryeong didn¡¯t act rashly. There was no point, as it wasn¡¯t as if it were possible for her to overpower Woo-Moon and escape. Moreover, Hye-Ryeong knew that his shadow, Ma-Ra, was also an expert who had reached the Transcendent ss despite her dainty and beautiful appearance.


    ¡°Yes. Seeing you like this is really nice, Hye-Ryeong.¡±


    ¡°<i>Kekeke</i>. The bed you provided for us is really delightful. What do you think? Do you want to spend a few days with us here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m a little sensitive, so I can¡¯t sleep on a hard bed. It makes my muscles cramp. Anyway, I came because I have something I wanted to ask.¡±


    ¡°The Iron Sword Baek Family has already be your yground, so what would you even have to ask <i>me,</i> who¡¯s trapped in prison and unable to do anything?¡±


    ¡°One of your subordinates wasn¡¯t a member of the family. That brat holding the leaf fan you stared at scarily that day. He suddenly bolted, so I tried to catch him. But, for some reason, he ended upmitting suicide. Who is he?¡±


    Hye-Ryeong seemed momentarily shocked when she heard that Mu Heon had died.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no way that they would attack the Family out of revenge for Mu Heon¡¯s death, right? No...no, they wouldn¡¯t. If they were prone to doing something like that, they would have moved so secretly in the first ce. We should still be okay.¡¯</i>


    It took some time before Hye-Ryeong turned to look at Woo-Moon directly, and when she finally responded, her voice was quivering.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know anything about him. Just never associate with those bastards. Forget everything about him!¡±


    Surprisingly, Woo-Moon could see fear deep within Hye-Ryeong¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°There was a mysterious group that attacked my grandfather some time ago. The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was among them, too. That brat who ran away from us earlier is a member of that same group, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, and you should forget about them, too.¡±


    Woo-Moon was now a member of the Baek Family. That had be an undeniable fact. Thus, Hye-Ryeong was afraid that Woo-Moon would eventually be involved with <i>them</i>. She kept denying it, hoping Woo-Moon would let it go.


    She had no other choice, as she had wanted to control the Baek Family, not destroy it.


    Although Woo-Moon asked several more times, Hye-Ryeong only repeated the same thing over and over again, refusing to tell him Mu Heon¡¯s identity. In the end, Woo-Moon had no choice but to turn back.


    Looking at his back, Hye-Ryeong¡¯s feelings of jealousy toward Jin-Jin red even more.


    <i>¡®If only Do-Gun¡¯s talent was half as good as this brat¡¯s!¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon was about to close the door, Hye-Ryeong shouted spitefully, ¡°If you¡¯re leaving, tell your mother not toe here again. I will never eat the food that bitch gives me!¡±


    From the day that Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong had been imprisoned, Jin-Jin visited every morning and personally brought them their food.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to stop my mother from doing something she likes.¡±


    <i>ng. Click.</i>


    The door closed and the key twisted in the lock. Hye-Ryeong was so angry that she screamed.


    ¡°Damn you all! You insist on making me angry till the end!¡±


    ***


    Three dayster, in the middle of a sunny afternoon, Woo-Moon happily napped on the side of a grassy hill near the Baek Estate.


    ¡°Hmpf...¡±


    Woo-Moon felt something tickling him and he instantly swatted at whatever was bothering his nap.


    ¡°Hehe!¡±


    He could hear the sound of suppressedughter.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Woo-Moon opened his eyes wide and snatched the stalk of foxtail grass that was going right up his nose.


    ¡°You little¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhh!!!¡±


    Si-Hyeon and Gun-Ha ran away, screaming as they messed with Woo-Moon. As he looked at them with a smile, he felt something tickling him under the nose again.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Ma-Ra was tickling him with a foxtail,pletely focused. She looked at Woo-Moon, now with a slight warmth to her gaze.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°... It tickles.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    She turned the foxtail around and tickled herself in the same ce. However, she then frowned slightly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t tickle.¡±


    ¡°Hand it over.¡±


    Woo-Moon took the foxtail from Ma-Ra and dexterously tickled the tip of her nose. She frowned even more.


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    ¡°It tickles, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Weird.¡±


    Although she couldn¡¯t feel that itchy feeling when she did it herself, when Woo-Moon did it, it tickled terribly.


    As Ma-Ra was lost in thought, her brows furrowed adorably. Si-Hyeon, who had run away earlier, walked up to them.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Gun-Ha?¡±


    ¡°She went back home because she was a little hungry.¡±


    ¡°I see!¡±


    Woo-Moony down again, t on his back with his arms spread wide.


    ¡°Ah, how nice,¡± he said, looking up at Si-Hyeon and Ma-Ra. ¡°You two should lie down and look at the sky with me. It¡¯s really refreshing.¡±


    ¡°Should I?¡±


    ¡°Okay¡±


    The two beautiful girlsy on the hill with Woo-Moon, forming a three-pointed star with their heads in the center.


    Si-Hyeon smiled in spite of herself as she smelled the fragrant scent of grass, felt the cool breeze, and basked in the warm sunlight.


    ¡°Ah! This is nice.¡±


    Ma-Ra didn¡¯t seem to be in a bad mood, either.


    At that time, someone came running over with a lunchbox in hand.


    ¡°Young Master Song, Young Master Song!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah, so it¡¯s Hwa-Pyeong. What brings you here?¡±


    Hwa-Pyeong responded with a grin.


    ¡°Hehe. Am I not your right-hand man, Young Master Song? I thought you might be hungry, so I prepared a packed lunch for you.¡±


    Woo-Moon red at Hwa-Pyeong with a scary look in his eyes.


    ¡°Hmm.... And you¡¯re absolutely sure you didn¡¯te here to see Ma-Ra or Si-Hyeon?¡±


    Hwa-Pyeong panicked. Clearly, Woo-Moon had hit the nail on the head.


    ¡°N-n-no, that¡¯s not it at all! How could I...!¡±


    ¡°Well, whatever, let¡¯s eat.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Although it wasn¡¯t any different from their usual fare, their lunch tasted even better due to eating outdoors. As Hwa-Pyeong had packed plenty of food, the four of them were able to eat to their hearts¡¯ content.


    ¡°Now that my stomach is full, I guess I¡¯ll take another nap.¡±


    Si-Hyeon rolled her eyes sweetly as Woo-Moonid down again like before.


    ¡°They say you¡¯ll turn into a cow if youy down right after you eat, you know?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound that bad! I could live leisurely grazing on grass without having to fight anyone. Don¡¯t you think it would sort of nice to be a cow?¡±


    ¡°Caught and eaten in the end,¡± Ma-Ra said softly.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, you¡¯re being too pessimistic. Now, now! We shouldn¡¯t waste such beautiful sunlight. We should nap a little more. Ma-Ra, lie down with me.¡±


    Ma-Ra nodded as if she didn¡¯t mind,ying her head against Woo-Moon like before.


    ¡°Well, if Senior Brother and Lady Ma-Ra are going to sleep, then I guess I have no choice but to join,¡± Si-Hyeon said. However, the truth of the matter was that she wasn¡¯t fond of the idea of Ma-Ra lying affectionately with Woo-Moon without her, wanting to be a part of the affection as well.


    Si-Hyeony to Woo-Moon¡¯s right while Ma-Ra was on his left. No matter where he looked, he saw a girl more beautiful than the most gorgeous flower, as the unique scents of the two girls wafted to the tip of his nose.


    <i>¡®This is what heaven feels like.¡¯</i>


    Hwa-Pyeong hesitated as he stood between Ma-Ra and Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Um, Young Master Song. Do you think I could lie down, too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you can.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°But, go lie down over there on your own, not with us.¡±


    Although it wouldn''t have mattered if Hwa-Pyeong was a woman instead of a man, Woo-Moon refused to let him ruin this heaven.


    Hwa-Pyeong had greatly looked forward to the prospect ofying down next to Ma-Ra. However, hearing Woo-Moon¡¯s following words, he trudged past her, answering in a downcast voice, ¡°Understood...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with this sudden mood? So you really <i>did</i> have nefarious intentions.¡±


    ¡°N-no! That¡¯s definitely not the case, I just...¡±


    <i>¡°Zzzzz.¡±</i>


    As if he didn¡¯t care for Hwa-Pyeong¡¯s excuses, Woo-Moon suddenly began to snore, pretending to be asleep.


    <i>¡®Oh, you really make me want to just...AAARGH!¡¯</i>


    Hwa-Pyeong shook off his anger and went to lie down.


    At that time, Eun-Ah returned from her frolicking in the nearby forest, which she had entered to y as she pleased. She must have tired herself out as she shuffled over slowly before curling into a ball on Woo-Moon¡¯s stomach and falling asleep.


    Thus, time passed quickly for the four napping people and one animal.


    <i>¡°Yawwnn.¡±</i>


    ¡°Has it nearly reached time?¡± Woo-Moon said as he stood up and stretched his legs. Ma-Ra looked up at the sun¡¯s position.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Si-Hyeon, Si-Hyeon, wake up.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What? Is it already morning...?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, morning? Wake up quickly, littledy.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Oh, senior brother.¡±


    Si-Hyeon must have been exhausted from staying up all night to deal with Merchant Guild issues, as she had fallen asleep very soundly.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time for us to go down now. There¡¯s something importanting up.¡±


    ¡°Something important? Oh, that¡¯s right! Today¡¯s the day, isn¡¯t it? The day Jae-Hwa and Ah Sam fight,¡± Si-Hyeon said.


    ¡°Yes. Do you want to join?¡± Woo-Moon asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to!¡±


    Eun-Ah leaped onto Woo-Moon¡¯s shoulder as the four walked down the hill and headed toward the Baek Estate.


    ¡°Huh? W-wait, let¡¯s go together, Young Master!¡± Hwa-Pyeong said, btedly rushing after them.


    ***


    The spar began and Ah Sam and Jae-Hwa faced each other, demonstrating the Heavenly Lunar Fist.


    <i>¡®He thinks I¡¯m going to lose to this stupid bastard? Me? I¡¯m going to lose to someone this slow?!¡¯</i>


    Jae-Hwa¡¯s pride had been greatly damaged by what Woo-Moon had said the other day.


    <i>¡®Then, I¡¯ll just show you the difference between me and this brat!¡¯ </i>he thought to himself, conscious of Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze.


    As soon as he finished thinking, Jae-Hwa kicked off the ground and rushed forward, sending a quick flurry of blows toward Ah Sam.


    ¡°Oh ho.¡±


    Jae-Hwa¡¯s three punches were so quick and exquisitely done that even Woo-Moon briefly uttered a cry of admiration.

 Chapter 87. The Entire World is My Home (8)

    <h4>Chapter 87. The Entire World is My Home (8)</h4>


    Ah Sam stood firmly, grounding his body with a rigid stance. He stopped each and every one of Jae-Hwa¡¯s attacks using his fist and forearms with slow but firm basic blocks.


    As soon as Ah Sam blocked the three blows, Jae-Hwa suddenly flipped upside down and ced his right hand on the ground. He bent both legs and kicked with both feet, aiming for Ah Sam¡¯s chin and chest.


    He was using the Flying Tiger Flips the Heavens, Woo-Moon''s favorite stance within his self-created Heavenly Lunar Fist.


    Just like before, Ah Sam parried Jae-Hwa¡¯s attack with slow and steady movements, relying on his solid stance to dissipate force.


    They were two sides of the same duality. On one side, Jae-Hwa showed his wit at every moment, constantly moving as heunched wave after wave of attacks, modifying and connecting the individual stances of the Heavenly Lunar Fist ordingly. On the other, Ah Sam moved almost foolishly slowly as he very deliberately chose his stances to counter each of Jae-Hwa¡¯s attacks urately.


    If Jae-Hwa was the everchanging storm, Ah Sam was the immovable and unwavering boulder.


    ¡°It seems like, contrary to your expectations, Jae-Hwa is going to win pretty easily, right?¡±


    Woo-Moon smiled at her question.


    ¡°Junior sister, who do you think is more simr to me?¡±


    Si-Hyeon answered almost immediately, as if she already had an answer in mind.


    ¡°Definitely Jae-Hwa. He¡¯s simr to you in many ways, from the feints he likes to use to catch his opponent off guard to the flurry of attacks that he uses to gain momentum.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Well, then that¡¯s most likely why I know the answer. Ah Sam will ultimately win this fight.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, really?¡±


    Si-Hyeon seemed to be having some difficulty believing Woo-Moon''s words.


    Even as they spoke, Jae-Hwa had slipped past Ah Sam¡¯s defense and attacked him several times in session. While Ah Sam was bruised all over, Jae-Hwa hadn¡¯t been hit a single time yet.


    Si-Hyeon turned to Ma-Ra.¡±


    ¡°What do you think, Ma-Ra?¡±


    ¡°Not flustered.¡±


    <i>¡®What does that mean?¡¯</i>


    As Si-Hyeon was confused, Woo-Moon borated on Ma-Ra¡¯s point.


    ¡°Normally, when someone is attacked in such unceasing waves of irregr attacks, they be flustered without even realizing it. That leads to their stance deteriorating as they be unable to keep up with the opponent¡¯s attacks. However, Ah Sam is still staying firm. No matter how many blows Jae-Hwa gets in, his stance is as perfect as before.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    It was only after Woo-Moon¡¯s exnation that Si-Hyeon realized what they were talking about.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    Right then, the sound of an incredible impact echoed through the training hall. It was different from before.


    Jae-Hwa flew backward andnded hard, rolling on the ground. Si-Hyeon looked on in surprise as she saw Ah Sam drawing back his outstretched feet in his steady, unwavering stance.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± she asked Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Ah Sam was staying firm and just waiting for an opportunity. Eventually, the moment came, and Jae-Hwa¡¯s stance wavered just a little before thatst attack. Ah Sam used that split second to counterattack and match Jae-Hwa¡¯s blow. Even though they both attacked at the same time, Ah Sam¡¯s stance was firm and grounded, while Jae-Hwa¡¯s had no support from anywhere because he was flipping around like that. So while Ah Sam could somewhat dissipate the impact, Jae-Hwa suffered the full brunt.¡±


    Jae-Hway down for a while, unable to move. Eventually, he began to stir before getting up from the ground and clenching his fists.


    ¡°Y-you bastard. You dare... You dare to hit me?!¡±


    Woo-Moon frowned. There was no way that Jae-Hwa hadn¡¯t suffered some internal injuries after being hit in the abdomen like that. Ah Sam¡¯s attack had been more than powerful enough to do so.


    ¡°Stop. You lost, Jae-Hwa.¡±


    ¡°N-no, I didn¡¯t! How... How did I lose? No, I haven¡¯t lost yet!¡±


    Oveing the pain, Jae-Hwa rushed forward and attacked Ah Sam.


    ¡°That brat... to think he still had that sort of power... I thought that he was just all talent and wit without any tenacity, but he¡¯s better than I thought.¡±


    After being hit once, Jae-Hwa¡¯s momentumpletely changed. A fierce fighting spirit seeped out of every fiber of his being.


    <i>Thud! Thud!</i>


    As Jae-Hwa punched Ah Sam in the face, Ah Sam punched him in the chest in turn. However, this time, Jae-Hwa made sure to focus on his stance, pouring all of his strength into his fists and properly supporting his blows. Thus, Ah Sam was surprised for the first time in the exchange.


    <i>Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!!</i>


    The sound of fists and feet hitting flesh continued to echo through the hall, and before long, both boys were drenched in blood.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we stop them now?¡±


    Woo-Moon shook his head at Si-Hyeon¡¯s worried question.


    ¡°Nope. Considering how far it¡¯s gone, they have to finish this here. To the point where neither can move anymore. That¡¯s the only way things will be solved. If we get involved and stop it now, neither of them will admit they lost.¡±


    Jae-Hwa and Ah Sam continued to spar, exchanging blow and blow.


    No, by this point, it wasn¡¯t even a spar anymore, but a brawl.


    However, the difference in their dedication to the basics was evident in Jae-Hwa¡¯sck of powerpared to Ah Sam. With each blow, the discrepancy in strength and speed grew further and further.


    Eventually, Jae-Hwa¡¯s movements slowed down to the point where he was hit twice for every punch he threw.


    ¡°Aaaah!¡±


    He mustered up thest of his strength and kicked Ah Sam in the stomach. However, it had no effect to speak of. Instead, all he received in turn was a punch in the face, and he saw the world spin around him.


    ¡°Y-you damned bast...¡±


    Jae-Hwa dropped to the ground.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose...¡± he eeked out before losing consciousness.


    ¡°<i>Huff...Huff</i>...¡±


    Ah Sam wasn¡¯t in a good state, either. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if he, too, copsed right now. However, relying on his incredible endurance and vitality, he held onto his consciousness and bowed silently to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Good. You did well.¡±


    The moment he saw Woo-Moon smile, Ah Sam also copsed forward. However, unlike Jae-Hwa, there was a smile on his face as he passed out. He seemed happy to have gotten Woo-Moon¡¯s recognition.


    ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and take them to the clinic!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Understood!¡±


    The other guards, who had been watching with their mouths wide open, hurriedly rushed to the clinic with Jae-Hwa and Ah Sam on their backs.


    Woo-Moon spoke as he watched them walk away.


    ¡°Then, I should begin teaching each of them individually some suitable skills.¡±


    Woo-Moon was incredibly moved by them on the day he returned to the Baek Estate after having been rumored to be dead. He had recruited them without much thought, so the sight of them standing together, risking their lives against Hye-Ryeong, was something he could never have expected.


    Thus, on that day, he promised himself¡ªfrom now on, he would sincerely teach them martial arts and turn them into experts. Hearing him, the three people standing behind him rubbed their palms and chuckled.


    ¡°Hehehe. Then, are you teaching us suitable martial arts, too?¡±


    Woo-Moon looked at the trio with a cold gaze. While the guards and Eun-Ah were risking their lives, these three idiots had been having the time of their lives, sleeping and gambling with each other.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if Woo-Moon had expected that level of loyalty from them. Still, that didn¡¯t mean he had any intention of teaching them anything.


    ¡°I can teach you some suitable martial arts for dying, if you¡¯d like~¡±


    The three people were startled by Woo-Moon¡¯s soft words.


    ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not it. Hehehe. I think we were just delusional from the heat for a moment. Please act as if you never heard us!¡±


    ¡°W-we can¡¯t die while we¡¯re this young, can we? Please forgive us!¡±


    The trio begged for a long time, rubbing their hands as they asked for forgiveness.


    Si-Hyeon returned to the merchant guild while Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra finished their dinner and returned to the Song residence. On their way there, they ran into an unexpected guest.


    ¡°Ah, how fortunate for us to meet here.¡±


    ¡°Patriarch.¡±


    Mu-Hoon approached them, with Ye-Ye standing behind him.


    ¡°I have something urgent I need to speak to you about, please follow me.¡±


    ¡°I feel a little heavy after eating, so... oh, all right.¡±


    Woo-Moon was about to refuse before quickly changing his mind when he saw Ye-Ye ring at him with a scary expression. Following Mu-Hoon, the group arrived at the Invincible Forged Squadron Commander Baek So-Hoon¡¯s room.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯vee.¡±


    So-Hoon greeted Woo-Moon, Mu-Hoon, and Ye-Ye with a soft smile as he watered the miniature tree in his room. Following his urging, the four sat on the prepared seats. After some small talk, to which Woo-Moon responded as generically as possible, the group moved on to the main point of discussion.


    ¡°So, about why we asked you toe....¡±


    ¡°Yes, what do you need?¡±


    So-Hoon took a sip of tea before continuing.


    ¡°I am very aware of my own shorings. I am not a good fit for themander position.¡±


    Woo-Moon wondered why So-Hoon was bringing it up to him.


    ¡°Um... and?¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯m thinking of stepping down asmander and retaking my role as vicemander.¡±


    The Invincible Forged Squadron was the strongest martial force of the Baek Family. Knowing it would be difficult for the Family if the Commander position of such a force were to be left vacant, Woo-Moon frowned slightly before responding.


    ¡°Then who would bemander?¡±


    ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°... Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I would like you, Song Woo-Moon, to be the Invincible Forged Squadronmander,¡± So-Hoon said.


    Woo-Moon was shocked by the request.


    ¡°W-what are you saying? I¡¯m toocking to be considered for the position. I¡¯m also still a child; how could I take on the role?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that the always confident Woo-Moon actually thought that his abilities werecking in any way. He just wanted to avoid having to take on any role of authority in the chance that things would be too troublesome or inconvenient in the future.


    However, Ye-Ye shook her head and refuted him.


    ¡°Who in the Family would believe that you wouldn¡¯t be a suitablemander for the Invincible Forged Squadron? No, rather, it would be the other way¡ªthemander position is too menial of a position for you to bother yourself with. Don¡¯t be so humble, Uncle. You¡¯re the most suited for the role.¡±


    Although it felt good to be praised, a few words of praise wouldn¡¯t be enough for him to change his mind. In fact, it actually felt even more burdensome.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re too kind. How could I... I have no experience leading others, and I¡¯m not good at it, either. Please reconsider,¡± Woo-Moon said, bowing his head to Mu-Hoon and So-Hoon.


    However, Ye-Ye struck while the iron was hot.


    ¡°Are you sure? Considering how well you did during the Red Fog Valley expedition, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a true statement... Moreover, when Aunt Hye¡ªwhen <i>she</i> betrayed us and started the coup, the way you stepped forward and dealt with her wasn¡¯t some normal ¡®not suitable to lead¡¯ behavior, either.¡±


    Woo-Moon red at Ye-Ye and tried to speak to her through his eyes.


    <i>¡®Ye-Ye you little brat! I told you I don¡¯t want to do it.¡¯</i>


    However, she just smiled in return.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t help it. Please take charge, Uncle.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Well...¡±


    Seeing Woo-Moon struggle to ept, Mu-Hoon came up with a temporary solution.


    ¡°Then, how about this?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll select another vicemander for the Invincible Forged Squadron. So, we¡¯ll have two vicemanders, with one acting in themander¡¯s stead.¡±


    ¡°... What would that aplish?¡±


    ¡°There would be a total of three officers for the Invincible Forged Squadron. We¡¯ll set it up that themander would be absent for most of the time, while the actual leading and training would be up to the two vicemanders.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°With that, you would be able to continue to act freely after bing themander and wouldn¡¯t even have to perform in any way. You would only need to takemand in the case of any special circumstances, like a great battle or something.¡±


    Mu-Hoon¡¯s words were definitely tempting. In simple terms, most of the annoyance of having to be a leader wouldn¡¯t exist for him.


    <i>¡®Hmm, that¡¯s not too bad, then. The Invincible Forged Squadron Commander... the title is pretty cool, too.¡¯</i>


    Although Mu-Hoon was indeed soft-hearted and weak, he was very good at reading people. He had immediately realized the reason Woo-Moon wanted to refuse and he hade up with a suitable suggestion.

 Chapter 88. The Entire World is My Home (9)

    <h4>Chapter 88. The Entire World is My Home (9)</h4>


    So-Hoon was also satisfied with the arrangement. His main worry had been this very issue, as he had calmly assessed his own skills over the past few days. He was now certain that although he was good at leading a small troop in battle, he was extremely inexperienced in leading arge squadron and assessing the state of a battlefield.


    Thus, as long as Woo-Moon would take charge as themander during war, he didn¡¯t mind leading the squadron during peaceful times.


    ¡°What do you think, Woo-Moon? You¡¯re okay with this arrangement, right?¡±


    Seeing how considerate they all had been for him, Woo-Moon eventually agreed.


    ¡°Understood. Let¡¯s do it this way.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, from now on, you¡¯re themander of the Invincible Forged Squadron.¡±


    Woo-Moon smiled at So-Hoon.


    ¡°Then, please take care of me, Vice Commander.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to say, Commander.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, let¡¯s move on to the second issue.¡±


    Woo-Moon was quite surprised by Baek Ye-ye¡¯s words.


    "What, there¡¯s something else?¡±


    Ye-Ye looked over at Mu-Hoon with an innocent expression. He cleared his throat sheepishly and softly said, ¡°They say that a dispute arose between the Justice Coalition and the Hegemon n. It¡¯s referring to what happened with the Zhuge Family in Shandong Province. The Zhuge Family says that what happened was entirely the Hegemon n¡¯s fault, but the Hegemon n refutes it, saying that the Zhuge Family¡¯s contribution wasn¡¯t small, either. After a fierce battle to decide who was at fault, it was eventually decided that seven representatives from each side woulde forth to resolve the issue with a set of spars.¡±


    ¡°Spars?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Thus, I hope you will participate in the spars alongside the Ten Distinguished Swords as representatives of the Iron Sword Baek Family.¡±


    Woo-Moon had to think about it. Although, on the one hand, he wasn¡¯t very happy about the prospect of leaving his family, on the other, he was rather keen on seeing his younger brother again, which was fairly likely if the Justice Coalition was involved. Moreover, he was excited about the prospect of sparring with the Hegemon n¡¯s elite.


    There would definitely be a lot for him to learn in the spars.


    ¡°Then, yes, I¡¯ll participate. But do I really have to go with the Ten Distinguished Swords?¡±


    The Ten Distinguished Swords were actually the Seven Distinguished Swords right now, considering the one who lost his life in Red Fog Valley and the imprisoned Do-Gun and Heon-Won. Thus, they were currently in the process of selecting three more members from the next generation of talents.


    ¡°While the Baek Family Representative will definitely be you, don¡¯t you think that the other kids should also go and gain some experience? I would like you to take them with you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    <i>¡®But it¡¯s easier to travel alone...¡¯</i>


    Although Woo-Moon had his reservations, there wasn¡¯t anything pressing enough for him to refuse a request that the patriarch had gone out of his way to make.


    ¡°Understood. Then we¡¯ll all set off together.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for humoring me.¡±


    ¡°Then, when would we be departing?¡±


    ¡°You should be fine to set off in ten days.¡±


    ***


    It took Ah Sam and Jae-Hwa three days to return to the Song Residence from the clinic. However, upon their return, Jae-Hwa now not only stopped looking down on Ah Sam, but even called him <i>hyung</i>.


    Two dayster, Woo-Moon called all of the guards over.


    Looking over them, the guards looked as if they had be entirely different peoplepared to when Woo-Moon had brought them to the estate. Their shoulders were broader, their backs straight as an arrow, and their bodies rippling with muscles and without an ounce of fat.


    There was even a sharp aura that asionally flickered in their eyes.


    ¡°The reason I called you here today....¡± Woo-Moon said, dragging out every word. He threw the books in his arms one by one to each guard.


    ¡°Was to give each of you a suitable martial art.¡±


    The guards¡¯ faces lit up at those words.


    Each of them had developed a strong desire for martial arts after they had resolved themselves of their deaths during the session ceremony.


    ¡°Ah Sam, you have exceptionally long arms and excellent muscles. Although your body type is suitable for fistfighting, I think you¡¯d do even better with archery. Jae-Hwa, you¡¯re agile, intelligent, and would excel in anything I give you. But I think your personality leans toward the saber.¡±


    Ah Sam was given an archery art, while Jae-Hwa was given a saber art.


    Woo-Moon then moved on to the rest of the guards.


    Throwing weapons, footwork, ive, fist, sword, spear, whip¡ªeach one of them had a different martial art to learn.


    ¡°...I can¡¯t be fully confident in the martial arts I gave you as I was the one who made them. They aren¡¯t something I created out of experience or practice, but by meditating on the Martial Arts Fundamentals. However, I made sure to stick to the fundamentals as much as possible while merging all of the insights I¡¯ve learned into a single form. Still, as I also had input from Ma-Ra as I created them, I think they would be pretty good. I have to go to the Justice Coalition for a little while. I hope that in the meantime, you don¡¯t getzy and train diligently. You all are our family¡¯s guards.¡±


    At Woo-Moon¡¯sst words, the guards smiled sheepishly. Some of them even btedly felt embarrassed, blushing at the thought that they were the guards of <i>the</i> Song Woo-Moon, the current strongest in the Iron Sword Baek Family barring his grandfather, yet they still only had this level of strength.


    <i>¡®These little brats really are kind-hearted.¡¯</i>


    Maybe because of the hardships they had to undergo from a young age, the guards not only had superior patience and tenacitypared to their peers, but also possessed an honest innocence that wascking in those of prestigious families.


    ¡°We will never getzy!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll follow your orders!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to the Justice Coalition, isn¡¯t that in Shijiazhuang? Can you bring me a gift on your way back?¡±


    Shijiazhuang.[1]


    Just from its name, Shijiazhuang sounded like a vige where people of the Shi Family lived. However, Shijiazhuang was actually the capital of Hebei Province and one of the most prosperous cities in the Central ins.


    There were two main theories about the origins of Shijiazhuang¡¯s unique name. The first was that it was literally a vige with many people surnamed Shi that gradually grew into a major city. The second was that its name was a metaphorical reference to the immense amount of coal that it produced.[2] That metaphor was somonly used that it eventually became the city¡¯s official name.


    In any case, when Cho Myeong heard that Woo-Moon was going to be going to <i>the</i> famous Shijiazhuang, the city with the unique name, his eyes started glowing. He was well-known among the guards forcking any tact or situational awareness, and true to that reputation, he simply went ahead and asked his boss for a present.


    ¡°You, tone down!¡± Ah Sam called out, ring at Cho Myeong. After defeating Jae-Hwa, he had officially be the eldest brother of the group, and it was his duty to temper down his brash little brothers.


    However, Woo-Moon just smiled and waved his hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ah Sam. Myeong, I¡¯ll definitely bring you a gift.¡±[3]


    ¡°Really?! Thank you!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t just be bringing gifts for Myeong, but also for the rest of you. So do your best, okay?¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°Now! You¡¯ve all had enough of a break, right? Go and start practicing your techniques.¡±


    As everyone answered loudly and went to practice on their own, Woo-Moon called out to Jae-Hwa, who was still wrapped in bandages and was thest to leave.


    ¡°Jae-Hwa.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Jae-Hwa had be much more polite than when they had first met.


    ¡°Originally, I thought that you were just an annoying brat who tried to live life only depending on your talent. But I was wrong. I was impressed by the fighting spirit and tenacity you showed in your spar.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Jae-Hwa¡¯s eyes were suddenly tinged with red at Woo-Moon¡¯s unexpectedpliment. He bowed and said his farewell before quickly leaving.


    Everyone had left by this point, leaving Woo-Moon alone. Still, he continued to talk while tapping the armrest of his chair.


    ¡°Thank you, Ma-Ra.¡±


    Ma-Ra¡¯s voice rang in the seemingly absent room.


    ¡°For?¡±


    Ma-Ra felt as though she had been neglecting her concealment artstely, so she was now in a perpetual hidden state, even when she was by Woo-Moon¡¯s side.


    ¡°It was thanks to your help that I was able to create proper martial arts for them.¡±


    Assassins actually had to learn an incredibly diverse set of techniques.


    They had to learn the essentials: stealth techniques, movement techniques, eye techniques, hidden weapon techniques, and tracking techniques. On top of those, there were many other rted skills necessary for assassination, such as construction and basic training in various types of weapons.


    As Ma-Ra had learned all of these things from a young age, she was an incredible help to Woo-Moon when he was creating the different martial arts for the guards.


    She stayed hidden silently as she didn¡¯t know how to respond to Woo-Moon¡¯s gratitude. She still hadn¡¯t figured out what a person would say at a time like this.


    ***


    Time passed quickly, and soon, there was only a day left before Woo-Moon had to set off for the Justice Coalition as the Baek Family representative.


    Somewhere along the line, Woo-Moon had developed a habit of training at night. As he left the residence for one final session, he suddenly met an unexpected guest.


    ¡°Father?"


    It was Dae-Woong.


    Dae-Woong had be quieter these days, and his personality was shifting for some reason. Although Jin-Jin and Woo-Moon had already realized it, they didn¡¯t confront him directly, as they believed he would open up to them eventually and wanted to give him a chance to do so on his own.


    ¡°Son! You¡¯re training diligently today, too, it seems. I¡¯m not interrupting you, am I?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. You¡¯re never an interruption, Father.¡±


    Woo-Moon sheathed his sword. He could feel that Dae-Woong hadn¡¯t juste to him for a casual conversation.


    Dae-Woong and Woo-Moon sat down on a nearby rock. As the father and son sat side by side, they didn¡¯t say anything for a while and just looked up at the night sky.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Dae-Woong asked.


    ¡°The fact that you came to see me means that you finally decided to tell me what¡¯s going on. You can start whenever you want.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Is that so?¡±


    There was another short silence before Dae-Woong spoke again.


    ¡°Actually, on that day, my mind was in a daze after what happened in that stone chamber, and I was so confused that I couldn¡¯te to my senses.¡±


    Woo-Moon had seen it, too. Dae-Woong appeared simr to how Woo-Moon himself had been in the past¡ªwhen he had been in a daze, immersed in thendscape painting.


    ¡°What are the three major factions the <i>gangho</i> is divided into right now?¡±


    ¡°The Night Sects and One Gang and the Seven Great Ancient Families have formed a loose alliance called the Justice Coalition, while the Evil Faction has gathered around the powerful Hegemon n in the west, and the Lust Emperor has united the wandering members of the ck Hand and formed the ck Bull Gang.¡±


    ¡°Then, other than the three major factions, what about the hidden forces?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s the Heavenly Demon Cult and the all-female Phoenix Pce.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember hearing about any other forces other than those two.¡±


    ¡°Good. It makes sense that those are all the forces currently known in the <i>gangho.</i> But, there actually were two other forces besides them.¡±


    Woo-Moon inferred that what Dae-Woong was about to exin was rted to his background.


    ¡°And what are they?¡±


    ¡°One is the Western Nihility Gate, which was destroyed thirty-four years ago, and the other is a ce called the Martial Heaven.¡±


    ¡°Which one did you belong to?¡±


    Dae-Woong closed his eyes tightly.


    ¡°My father¡ªyour grandfather¡ªwas thest Gatekeeper of the Western Nihility Gate.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes widened. He thought about something for a moment before asking another question.


    ¡°Was the Western Nihility Gate a good ce?¡±


    ¡°The Western Nihility Gate was located deep within the mountains. It was a ce where disciples had gathered like family and lived happily without any disputes, quarrels, or greed. Or¡ªno, maybe I¡¯m just remembering the good parts because I only saw it when I was young.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, to you, it was still an incredible ce. But why was it destroyed?¡±


    Dae-Woong shook his head.


    ¡°I was too young, and at the time, the only things I was interested in were martial arts and going out to y. I don¡¯t have many memories about the details, but I clearly remember that it was the Martial Heaven who attacked us.¡±


    ¡°Martial Heaven...¡±


    The Heavens of Martial Arts. That was a rather grand name, to say the least.


    ¡°Both the Western Nihility Gate and Martial Heaven were hidden sects that weren¡¯t known by the <i>gangho.</i> That¡¯s why not a single person knows that there was once a sect called the Western Nihility Gate that was attacked and destroyed by another sect known as the Martial Heaven. Well, at least now, you know.¡±


    ¡°...Do you n on getting revenge?¡±


    Dae-Woong closed his eyes tightly as heposed himself. The reason he hadn¡¯t told his wife or son about this aftering to his senses was because of his deeply conflicted feelings about revenge.


    ¡°It seems that the reason for the memory loss I suffered when I was young is the shock I¡¯ve been through.¡±


    ¡°By shock, you mean...?¡±


    ¡°My father, mother, and siblings all died before my eyes. My older sister even told me that I needed to live no matter what and sent me off smiling, even as she was dying with a sword through her stomach. My family, my friends... all of them were gone, my entire world was gone. I was so soft-hearted and weak that I couldn¡¯t handle those painful memories, and to cope, I guess my brain just erased them altogether.¡±


    Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t fathom how great Dae-Woong¡¯s sorrow and rage must be as he listened to his father¡¯s story. Because he couldn¡¯t grasp that sorrow properly, he tried to imagine himself in that position.


    His father dead, his mother dead, his younger brother dead, all for his sake. His grandfather, Si-Hyeon, Ma-Ra, Eun-Ah, the guards... even the friendly vigers of Unhan, all cruelly murdered in an instant.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes widened in shock as a horrifying bloodlust filled him. He had gotten so good at his visualization training that these imagined emotions felt more real than reality.


    Quickly getting control over his emotions, Woo-Moon answered his own question.


    ¡°So then you must have chosen revenge now, father.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°...Then?¡±


    Dae-Woong grinned as he tousled Woo-Moon¡¯s hair with his massive hand.


    ¡°You little tyke. I guess you still don¡¯t know a parent¡¯s heart.¡±


    1. Literally Vige of the Shi Family, in Chinese. ?


    2. The word for ¡°coal¡± is abination of ¡°rock¡± and ¡°charcoal,¡± and the word for ¡°rock¡± is also the Shi family name¡ªone of Shi family names, at least. ?


    3. East Asians will often shorten someone¡¯s name to a single syble out of affection. ?

 Chapter 89.1 The Entire World is My Home (10.1)

    <h4>Chapter 89.1 The Entire World is My Home (10.1)</h4>


    Dae-Woong continued to exin to the puzzled Woo-Moon.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t learned what it means to be the head of a household yet. If my memories hade back when I was younger, when I was nothing but an orphan, I would have spent my whole life seeking revenge. However, I can¡¯t do that now. You¡¯re right, the first thing that I felt when my memories came back was a fierce thirst for revenge. But that was just for a moment. The only thing I could think of afterward was you, Woo-Gang, and your mother.¡±


    Although Dae-Woong¡¯s words were simple, Woo-Moon could sense just how greatly distressed Dae-Woong must have been. He had merely imagined the situation himself and it had still caused his killing intent to overflow, so how much worse had it been for his father?


    The more Woo-Moon realized how much Dae-Woong loved him and his family, the more his heart sank.


    ¡°Although the Western Nihility Gate lived far away from society and was unknown to the <i>gangho</i>, their level of martial arts was truly outstanding. I can assure you that you would be able to count on your fingers the number of people in the Baek Family that could match even amon disciple of the Western Nihility Gate.¡±


    Woo-Moon was inwardly surprised by the amount of confidence he felt in Dae-Woong¡¯s words.


    ¡°However, Martial Heaven was stronger than the Western Nihility Gate. In particr, their Three Heavenly Martial Kings were really... They were so powerful that no one could stand against them. Even your grandfather died by the hands of just a single one of them. While I definitely wanted revenge against them, no matter how strong they were, I considered what could happen to my family and decided to give up on that.¡±


    Woo-Moon suddenly thought of something.


    ¡°What about talking with grandfather?¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s grandfather was <i>the </i>Palm Martial Emperor, after all.


    ¡°Actually, I thought about that, too. However... I don¡¯t think my father and grandfather¡¯s cultivation and martial skills were inferiorpared to my father-inw''s. Although it¡¯s just a feeling because I was too young back then to fully sense it... Also, in the end, it¡¯s still too difficult for one hand to defend against two, no? I know my father-inw is truly outstanding, but it seems to me that it would be difficult even for him to fight them on his own while also protecting our family.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Although Woo-Moon¡¯s rage couldn¡¯tpare to that of Dae-Woong, he still couldn¡¯t help but feel angry with Martial Heaven.


    It was natural for anyone to feel angry hearing about good people being ughtered like pigs, even if those people had no rtion to them. Of course, people who had neither the courage nor the ability to do anything about it would just choose to ignore it and forget about it eventually.


    Of course, that was not the case with Woo-Moon. Even though he hadn¡¯t met any of these paternal rtives of his, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t help but empathize with his father and feel a sense of despair over their brutal murder.


    ¡°I¡¯m just telling you this just in case, but forget about getting revenge. Seeing as they haven¡¯t done anything in the <i>gangho</i> since then, there shouldn¡¯t be any reason for you to run into them.¡±


    As Woo-Moon thought about hidden forces, however, he suddenly turned his suspicions on the group that had attacked his grandfather that day and the group that Mu Heon belonged to.


    <i>¡®Couldn¡¯t one of the two actually be Martial Heaven? Or maybe they both are from Martial Heaven. Hmm, I have more doubts regarding Heon and his group. They both use the same character</i> <i>in their names.¡¯</i>[1]


    ¡°Anyway, because our lineage is from the Western Nihility Gate, I want to teach you our foundational martial arts.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes sparkled.


    In all honesty, he didn¡¯t really <i>need</i> any other martial arts as the Forbidden Divine Art and the Gentle Celestial Sword were so excellent. Even the skills he had created using the Gentle Celestial Sword¡ªthe Raging Wind Palm, Heavy Rain Fist, and Northern Wind Steps¡ªwere incredible techniques, and as far as Woo-Moon was concerned, they were unmatched throughout the <i>gangho.</i>


    Although he had learned and used the Nine Yin White Bone w and the Divine Phantasm Steps, even those two had changed considerably under the influence of the Gentle Celestial Sword and Forbidden Divine Art.


    If Woo-Moon were to create a new w technique or footwork based on the Gentle Celestial Sword, it would be as good as, if not better, than the Nine Yin White Bone w or the Divine Phantasm Step.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean that learning any other peak martial arts wouldn¡¯t be of any help to Woo-Moon, either.


    Just learning other martial arts could help him realize the supreme martial arts of the Forbidden Divine Art and Gentle Celestial Sword. After all, these two arts were more profound than the oceans. For example, if it would take ten years to reach a certain level of mastery in the Gentle Celestial Sword, that time could be shortened if Woo-Moon learned some other martial arts rted to whatever bottleneck he had reached.


    ¡°Please teach me, father.¡±


    ¡°Good. With your memory, it shouldn¡¯t take us long.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I might ask you to repeat a part if I have any trouble.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Now, let me recite the sutra first.¡±


    Although the Western Nihility Gate had many martial techniques, Dae-Woong focused on those known as the Three Absolutes¡ªtheir most outstanding qi cultivation method, sword technique, and finger technique.


    Auspicious Cloud Lifting Aura Art.


    Transcendent sh Sword.


    wless Finger.


    Although there were only three arts, and their sutras were not particrly long, the meaning contained in each character was so profound that it was impossible to understand the entire sutra with just a single recitation.


    After asking about the few characters that he hadn¡¯t understood and memorizing all three sutras, Woo-Moon nodded his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve memorized it all, Father.¡±


    ¡°You did well, son. Then, I¡¯ll show you the sword and finger techniques directly now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, father.¡±


    One silver lining to Dae-Woong locking his childhood memories was that now that he had recovered them, he was able to reproduce all these sutras exactly the way he had heard them originally, with no deformations or modifications. Otherwise, he would have either forgotten them in time or changed them as he practiced by himself, and neither was a desirable oue.


    ¡°Transcendent sh Sword, First Stance. Red sh Dragon Dance!¡±


    Dae-Woong used Woo-Moon¡¯s sword as he disyed the technique. Red mes suddenly surged from the de, forming into a dragon-like shape as they flew through the sky.


    <i>¡®Wow...¡¯</i>


    It was such an amazing sword art that even Woo-Moon was impressed.


    Apart from the Gentle Celestial Sword, Woo-Moon wondered if there was any sword art that couldpare to what he had just seen. On the surface, Dae-Woong¡¯s swordsmanship was obviously awkward and rusty, but from the profound wisdom he could sense even in the midst of Dae-Woong¡¯s mistakes, Woo-Moon naturally realized that the sword art itself was something unquestionably umon.


    Dae-Woong disyed all of the Transcendent sh Sword before moving over to the wless Finger. The wless Finger, as the name said, was simply a method for martial artists to use finger qi. Maybe that was why the wless Finger didn¡¯t have any particr stances or specific techniques, instead simply being divided into three realms.


    The first realm was to be able to release threeyers of finger qi in session with a single finger. The second realm was to be able to release threeyers of finger qi from three fingers on each hand. Finally, the third realm was to be able to continuously release finger qi from six fingers simultaneously.


    Eventually, Dae-Woong finished his demonstrations.


    ¡°Now, you try it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve memorized it all without missing anything, so I¡¯ll practice it on my own and show youter. It¡¯s already veryte. You should go rest, Father.¡±


    However, Dae-Woong shook his head.


    ¡°No. We should just get it all done today now that we¡¯ve started.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Understood, Father.¡±


    Woo-Moon took back his sword and proceeded to disy his understanding of the Transcendent sh Sword.


    As he circted his qi ording to the sutra and imbued it into his sword, mes of various colors appeared, changing their shade ording to the different stances.


    Red, yellow, white...


    The Transcendent sh Sword wasn¡¯t an art that created sword aura. Instead, the extreme mes that its techniques created not only provided as much power as sword aura, but also provided additional effects that simple sword aura couldn¡¯t. Of course, those additional effects had their own advantages and disadvantages.


    Dae-Woong was impressed by the sight of Woo-Moon practicing the Transcendent sh Sword. Although he had been extremely clumsy and made many mistakes, his genius son had been able to internalize the technique in spite of those mistakes and even correct them, using it nearly as perfectly as the masterful Transcendent sh Sword that Dae-Woong had seen when he was young.


    Dae-Woong shed a tear, because the image of his son seemed to ovep with the image of his father that he saw as a child. Quickly wiping his eyes, he said, ¡°The Transcendent sh Sword is fine. Now, use the wless Finger.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Woo-Moon sheathed his sword and straightened his finger, pointing at a rock in the distance.


    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>


    A shart sound rang out three times in session as a hole the size of Woo-Moon''s finger appeared in the rock. Immediately, Woo-Moon stretched out both hands and pointed with six fingers. Each shot out an arrow of finger qi, and they flew at different speeds in different directions, piercing through other rocks around Woo-Moon.


    ¡°How impressive, son. As expected, I was blessed with amazing children.¡±


    Woo-Moon smiled brightly at Dae-Woong¡¯s words.


    ¡°Of course, it was impressive. Whose son do you think I am?¡±


    "Ha ha ha ha ha!"


    Dae-Woong¡¯s boisterousughter rang in the air. The father and son talked about a couple of other things for about another half hour before returning to the Baek Estate.


    ***


    Woo-Moon had just returned to his room and was getting ready for bed when a servant knocked on his door.


    ¡°The elders are looking for you.¡±


    ¡°For me?¡±


    As it was the first time he had been called at such ate hour, Woo-Moon looked puzzled as he followed the servant. He was led to a rather secluded room, where all the elders were gathered.


    ¡°Oh! You¡¯ve here, Woo-Moon.¡±


    ¡°Wee back.¡±


    Woo-Moon entered the room, said his greetings, and sat down.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on that none of you are sleeping at this hour?¡±


    Hearing his words, the elders¡¯ expressions looked as if they had lost something expensive. Finally, Gong-Su broke the silence.


    ¡°<i>Ahem</i>. There¡¯s one more important issue ahead of this trip to the <i>gangho.</i>¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Woo-Moon asked.


    Another elder spoke up.


    ¡°As you may know, our family¡¯s original motto was that we were not to follow the other families in their vain ways. We were to sleep and travel in the wilderness as if we were all wandering martial artists with no roof above our heads.¡±


    Gong-Su took over again.


    ¡°However, about twenty years ago, the family¡¯s mentality changed, and luxury began to be taken for granted. The same goes for the children you¡¯re taking with you this time. None of them have any experience living on the road, and none of them know how to travel without copious amounts of money.


    ¡°One day, those children are going to have to go out into the <i>gangho</i> alone, and there would be times when they would have no choice but to sleep out in the wilderness. Don¡¯t you think it would be a shame if they didn¡¯t get to have that experience before being forced into it?¡±


    Woo-Moon suddenly felt something ominousing.


    ¡°...And your point is?¡±


    Gong-Su nced meaningfully at him. ¡°Woo-Moon, have you slept in the wilderness before?¡±


    1. The Mu in Mu Heon means ¡°martial¡± (as in martial arts) and is the same character as the one in Martial Heaven. ?

 Chapter 89.2 The Entire World is My Home (10.2)

    <h4>Chapter 89.2 The Entire World is My Home (10.2)</h4>


    Woo-Moon tilted his head in confusion. Was the elderpletely unaware? That was exactly what he had to do the entire time as he traveled to the Baek Estate from his hometown.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done it many times. Why do you ask?¡±


    Hearing Woo-Moon¡¯s answer, all the elders reacted as if Buddha himself had bestowed upon them some wisdom. ¡°Oh? Oh!! Really?! Amazing, that¡¯s perfect!¡±


    ¡°As expected, Woo-Moon, you¡¯ve been raised right. The bloodline of the Iron Sword Baek Family is truly evident within you! I can¡¯t believe we finally have such a treasure! This is an incredible blessing for the family!¡±


    ¡°Woo-Moon, you¡¯re the best!¡±


    Woo-Moon suddenly became even more anxious hearing this unexpected praise from the elders, who were behaving in a mannerpletely unlike their usual selves.


    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s no way....¡±


    Gong-Su pretended not to notice Woo-Moon¡¯s tone.


    ¡°Is there a problem, Woo-Moon?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way you¡¯re asking me to take these little chicks who haven¡¯t experienced what it¡¯s like to live on the road and take them the entire way to the Justice Coalition... right? Right??¡±


    Seeing as Woo-Moon hit the nail on the head, the elders could only clear their throats as they were too embarrassed to speak.


    ¡°<i>Ahem!</i>¡±


    ¡°<i>Cough, cough cough</i>.¡±


    The veins on Woo-Moon¡¯s forehead began to throb.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯m not going. I refuse. Do you really think that these children, who have been living such affluent lives this entire time, would choose to still go if they knew you were asking them to suddenly go sleep in the wilderness? If it''s those immature brats, it feels like they¡¯d lie down on the spot and say they weren¡¯t going as soon as they heard the news.¡±


    One of the female elders with a round face and a good-natured appearance, Baek Jin-Suk, spoke with a hint of happiness in her voice.


    ¡°You think so too? Yes, they probably will. <i>Hohoho</i>. Of course, we thought about that as well. See, back in our day, we did everything the family had told us to do without a single word ofint. But these days, the children don¡¯t do a single thing if they don¡¯t like it. So, we¡¯ve decided to trick them, <i>hohoho</i>. We¡¯ll give them the usual amount of money to spend on travel expenses, but then we¡¯ll cause some... <i>unfortunate circumstances</i> and leave them with no other choice but to sleep outdoors and look for food. At that point, what can they do? They¡¯d already left the family estate, <i>hohohoho</i>!¡±


    Baek Jin-Sook giggled to herself without looking at Woo-Moon¡¯s expression, which was gradually turning into the face of someone forced to eat a surprisingly juicy piece of dog shit. Then, herughter slowly trailed off as she btedly realized what was about to happen.


    The other elders also rubbed their temples in pain as they saw Baek Jin-Sook behave as recklessly as usual.


    ¡°<i>Ho... ho... ho.</i> What, it¡¯s not as funny as I thought? It was funny to me, though...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, funny to <i>you</i>. Not me.¡±


    Hurt by Woo-Moon¡¯s curt words, Baek Jin-Sook mped her mouth shut.


    Woo-Moon took a deep breath and spoke firmly again.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be going to the <i>gangho</i> this time. I would like to just practice martial arts at home.¡±


    The second he declined, Gong-Su urgently began to try to convince him.


    ¡°We feel so guilty that we have to ask this of you, as you¡¯ve already done so many great things for the family. However, just think about our situation, Woo-Moon. Wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I mean, couldn¡¯t you elders just do it directly? Why do you need me to do this?!¡±


    Hearing Woo-Moon¡¯s rebuttal, the elders suddenly grabbed at random parts of their bodies.


    ¡°Oh, oh! My waist! As I get older, my back isn¡¯t what it used to be...¡±


    ¡°Woo-Moon, I¡¯ve already reached seventy this year! Look, it¡¯s not even cold right now, but I keep coughing.... <i>Cough, cough, cough!</i>¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually seventy-two! My knees aren¡¯t what they used to be. Just think of how bad my edema is...¡±


    ¡°Woo-Moon, when I was young, I was so penniless that I had to sleep on the streets whenever I went out on expeditions. Because of that I developed a sickness that causes half my face to grow numb and my mouth to droop! Look at it right now! Here, here! Can¡¯t you see it drooping?¡±


    Seeing the ever-regal elders act so childishly in front of him, Woo-Moon was shocked, realizing that this was in fact their true face.


    <i>¡®I mean, just what...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Woo-Moon, how old are you this year?¡±


    Suddenly, one of the elders asked him his age. Even though Woo-Moon knew he was falling into a trap, he still answered politely.


    ¡°...I¡¯m still young. Yes. I¡¯m still a greenhorn, just barely in my twenties.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Is that why? You, well, you know... The thing is, the kids are starting to like you and respect you even more these days!¡±


    Baek Jin-Sook immediately agreed with the elder, piling on.


    ¡°Ah! Of course, that¡¯s it! <i>Hohoho</i>. He¡¯s attractive, has good character, his martial arts are ster, and he¡¯s so kind and approachable, even though he¡¯s of a different status than the others!¡±


    Gong-Su also joined thebination attack.


    ¡°So, dear little Moon. Right now, you¡¯re no different from the kids¡¯ idol. Even if they don¡¯t want to admit it, do you know how much they¡¯re looking forward to going to the <i>gangho</i> with you?¡±


    ¡°Even if circumstances were to suddenly change and make all of you have to subsist in the wilderness, the children will be okay with it...no, they¡¯ll <i>enjoy</i> it as long as they¡¯re with you. It wouldn¡¯t be possible for anyone else! Only <i>you</i> can do this!¡± another elder added.


    Woo-Moon sighed as he listened to his grandaunts and uncles suddenly speaking so eloquently, in apletely different manner from their oh-so-elderlyints just moments earlier.


    <i>¡®Ah! I did hear about this from the soldiers who came to eat while I was working at the inn. In the military, people would bully and trick younger or lower-ranked soldiers into doing their chores. This definitely is the same thing!¡¯</i>


    Amid the chatter of the elderly racing to speak over each other, Woo-Moon finally opened his mouth.


    ¡°Okay, okay, cut it off. I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    Then, all of the elders immediately grew quiet. Clearly, Woo-Moon still had something to say.


    ¡°In return! Because I¡¯m doing the thing you all don¡¯t want to do, please make sure I get a reasonable payment. A thousand taels! What do you think?¡±


    The elders discussed among themselves for a while. Even for the Baek Family, a thousand taels wasn¡¯t a negligible amount of money.


    ¡°Fine. We can do that. We can afford at least that much, considering we¡¯d be getting the chance to educate the children with someone as incredible as you.¡±


    Woo-Moon shook his head.


    ¡°But, you all know it, right? This is nothing but patching a copsing wall. You can only use random pretexts so many times before they grow tired of it. In the end, regardless of whether or not they ept it, we¡¯ll still have to force them to live a simple and frugal life ording to the family code. They¡¯ll have to be forced to live in the wilderness.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s words were indisputable; all of the elders knew he was right. Gong-Su¡¯s expression turned somber.


    ¡°Of course, we know. However, the family¡¯s situation is too chaotic right now. The children must also have been incredibly shocked and shaken, even if they aren¡¯t saying anything. In a situation like this, if we also suddenly force them topletely change their lifestyle, we could cause them irreparable harm.¡±


    Jin-Sook¡¯s expression also sobered, different from her usual carefree appearance.


    ¡°Our cautious babying won¡¯tst long. Once this current situation is handled, we n to force a proper shift in ideology.¡±


    The most important members of the family had killed and trapped their own rtives out of greed for power. It had definitely been a shock for the other members of the younger generation. They were young and they were still learning and developing, and there wasn¡¯t any guarantee that none of them would be twisted and fall into depravity from the impact of Hye-Ryeong¡¯s schemes.


    It was only after the elder¡¯s genuine plea that Woo-Moon understood why they were really doing this and how important it was to be as careful as possible when dealing with the younger generation at a time like this.


    ¡°Okay. Well... you probably are more familiar with dealing with the younger generation than I am. Then, at least this time, I¡¯ll trust and follow your instructions. Anyway, it¡¯s gettingte and I need to n out a situation that would force us to live in the wilderness, so you¡¯ll have to excuse me.¡±


    Woo-Moon returned to his quarters and thought about what they had said all night. However, he still couldn¡¯te up with a suitable solution.


    <i>¡®Ah, whatever. Screw it. I¡¯ll figure it out on the way. I¡¯ll just have to make some excuse or another.¡¯</i>


    ***


    The next day.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°Make sure you take care of your health!¡±


    ¡°The younger already left, and the older is now leaving. All I want from you is toe back home safely, okay? Ma-Ra, you too,¡± Jin-Jin said.


    ¡°Okay, mother. Don¡¯t worry about us,¡± Woo-Moon answered cheerfully, while Ma-Ra nodded her head.


    Si-Hyeong approached Woo-Moon confidently, took his hand, and stood as close to him as physically possible without merging into a single hybrid being.


    ¡°Senior brother! You can¡¯t forget about me while you¡¯re out, okay? Don¡¯t forget to bring me gifts when you return, okay?¡±


    Not too long ago, Woo-Moon had officially introduced Si-Hyeon to the Baek Family as the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s ¡°grand-disciple¡± and his junior sister. Of course, the unconventional hierarchy couldn¡¯t be helped, and the elders had to just deal with the chaotic mess and arbitrary lineage that Sang-Woon had left behind <i>again</i>.


    As Si-Hyeon let go of his hand, she pushed a purse secretly into his grasp.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯</i>


    Seeing Woo-Moon¡¯s confused gaze, Si-Hyeon smiled quietly and whispered in his ear, ¡°They say a man¡¯s pridees from a thick purse. I pulled about three hundred taels out of the Merchant Guild¡¯s coffers. Don¡¯t feel pressured, half of the guild is your property, after all.¡±[1]


    Woo-Moon smiled as he could smell her fragrant scent and feel her warmth. He whispered back to her, ¡°Thank you, junior sister. As expected, you¡¯re the best.¡±


    Si-Hyeon''s face turned red as Woo-Moon''s breath tickled her ear.


    ¡°O-of course, senior brother.¡±


    A little whileter, Woo-Moon, Ma-Ra, and Eun-Ah, together with nine out of the freshly-invested Ten Distinguished Swords¡ªYe-Ye had to stay behind to serve as proxy to the patriarch¡ªleft the Baek Estate and began their journey to the Justice Coalition.


    ***


    The evening of the first day.


    ¡°Woohoo!! We¡¯ve finally reached an inn!¡± one of the girls among the Distinguished Swords shouted with joy.


    The girl standing next to her frowned as if she had a bad taste in her mouth. ¡°It feels like I¡¯m chewing sand after walking through that dust storm.¡±


    Baek Ryeong, the youngest of the girls among the Distinguished Swords, stretched cutely. ¡°Ah! I want to hurry and go take a bath!¡±


    Her older sister turned and lightly swatted her forearm.


    ¡°Watch what you¡¯re saying! You¡¯ve already grown up; why are you talking about baths when you¡¯re standing around men?¡±


    ¡°Hmpf! What¡¯s wrong with talking about baths? Am I not allowed to even talk about baths just because I¡¯m a woman?¡±


    ¡°You little... Do you really want to get scolded?¡±


    Woo-Moon smiled as he thought their bickering was cute.


    <i>¡®Wait, Baek Ryeong... Isn¡¯t she the girl from back then?¡¯</i>


    She was the girl who started making up random stories when the girls from the Namgoong Family were praising him for his good looks, turning Woo-Moon into some sort of lecher in a matter of moments.


    ¡°Uncle! What do you think about spending the night here?¡± said Baek Jeong-Woo. He was temporarily holding the First Sword position while Ye-Ye was not with them.


    Woo-Moon suddenly remembered the task he had been sent to do.


    <i>¡®Dang it, what should I do? I haven¡¯t figured out an excuse for us to have to stay in the wilderness yet...¡¯</i>


    He soon set his worries aside. It was still the first day of their journey, and they still had a long way to go. He convinced himself that it was okay for them to start the journeyfortably in an inn, considering the hardships that were to follow.


    <i>¡®Because I prefer this to sleeping in the wilderness, anyway. Let¡¯s just sleep in the inn for today.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Yes, I was thinking the same thing. We still have plenty of time, anyway,¡± Woo-Moon said after making up his mind.


    Baek Jeong-Woo smiled without any pretense at his response.


    ¡°Well, by the way, Uncle, let¡¯s all just befortable around each other. No need to care about all the etiquette, I think it¡¯ll be easier for all of us that way.¡±


    As he spoke, the other Distinguished Swords, who were listening to their conversation in anticipation, all joined in.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Uncle! Please feel free to talk freely!¡±


    ¡°Please befortable, Uncle! Age is just a number!¡±


    Even those among the Distinguished Swords who were older than Woo-Moon now urged him to drop the etiquette.


    1. At current market value, 300 taels of gold are worth roughly 740,964.43 USD. Woo-Moon is <i>loaded</i>. ?

 Chapter 90. The Entire World is My Home (11)

    <h4>Chapter 90. The Entire World is My Home (11)</h4>


    ¡°Okay, okay. Then, let¡¯s all be casual. But none of you canin about thister, okay?¡± Woo-Moon said,ughing with the others.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sirrrrrr~~~¡±


    Listening to their yful answers, Woo-Moon wholeheartedly smiled.


    To be honest, when he had firste to the Baek Family, and even as time went by, Woo-Moon had considered himself an outsider.


    Even though he was very much part of the Baek Family blood-wise, his feelings of being an outcast had never changed. However, now, it was starting to feel more like a family. It was an incredible change.


    ¡°Hmpf!¡±


    However, there was still someone among the Distinguished Swords who wasn¡¯t so rxed.


    The only fourteen-year-old Baek Ryeong puffed out her cheeks and pouted.


    <i>¡®Hmpf! I don¡¯t like him!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Ma-Ra, what do you think about taking a break now?¡±


    At Woo-Moon¡¯s words, Ma-Ra suddenly fell from the ceiling and stood behind him.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The Distinguished Swords suddenly took a step back. Although they were the talents of the Baek Family, not a single one of them had sensed Ma-Ra¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Wow! Ldy Ma-Ra was here, too!¡± Jeong-Woo looked at Ma-Ra with an infatuated smile.


    ¡°Lady Smileless Flower! I¡¯m d you¡¯reing with us.¡±


    ¡°Well, if Uncle is leaving, there¡¯s no reason for Lady Ma-Ra not to follow along. They <i>are</i> lovers, after all.¡±


    One of the girls made a timely remark for the other boys, politely hinting at them to nip any feelings for Ma-Ra in the but. However, another girl then spoke up.


    ¡°Wait, no. It¡¯s not a rtionship. It¡¯s a love triangle. I heard that the new guild master of the Leebi Guild is Uncle¡¯s junior sister. Their rtionship isn¡¯t simple, either.¡±


    ¡°Wow!! A love triangle! How fun.¡±


    While Ma-Ra seemed unaffected by the conversation, Woo-Moon¡¯s face turned red.


    ¡°What do you mean love triangle?! Don¡¯t just sit here writing some nonsensical novels in your heads. Go to your rooms and rest! All of you wereining about being tired just a moment ago.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, your face is red!¡±


    ¡°So cuuute.¡±


    The girls giggled as the boys couldn¡¯t helpughing.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, lets go.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Woo-Moon went up to his room as if to run away.


    Jin-Jin had personally gotten involved and exined the misunderstanding some time ago. Thus, the Distinguished Swords didn¡¯t react in the same manner as before, knowing that they weren¡¯t in an illicit rtionship even if they were sleeping in the same room.


    The young talents just looked at the backs of Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra with envious gazes.


    Ma-Ra asked Woo-Moon a question as they entered the room.


    ¡°Woo-Moon. Smileless Flower, who?¡±


    Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t help but smile at her words.


    ¡°Who do you think would be called a flower that doesn¡¯t smile?¡±


    Ma-Ra frowned slightly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you, Ma-Ra.¡±


    "Me?"


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Of course, while Woo-Moon didn¡¯t expect any special reaction from her, he was still a little disappointed to see her nod so indifferently.


    ***


    They set off the next day and continued to travel for a few days.


    Arriving at Linying County within Luohe, the party was having dinner when Woo-Moon suddenly received a qi transmission from Jeong-Woo.


    <i>¡ªUncle!</i>


    Woo-Moon answered right away, thinking that there had to be a good reason Jeong-Woo felt the need to use qi transmission rather than just talking to him.


    <i>¡ªYes?</i>


    <i>¡ªI have a favor to ask. Do you mind?</i>


    <i>¡ªWhat is it?</i>


    <i>¡ªIt¡¯s nothing serious. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to go somewhere with me.</i>


    Reading the room, Woo-Moon got a rough idea of what Jeong-Woo was talking about.


    <i>¡ªBy ¡°somewhere¡± you mean a brothel?</i>


    <i>-¨CAh. Hahaha, you catch on quickly. Yes, a brothel! But don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s a Red House, not a Blue House.</i>


    They were both categorized as brothels, but while a Blue House was a ce where people sold their flesh, a Red House was a ce where men gathered to chat, drink,ugh, and appreciate ssical arts, such as poetry, calligraphy, and painting.


    It was a bit counterintuitive to associate the colors red and blue like that, but that was how things were.


    Woo-Moon had some curiosity as to what sort of ce a brothel was. However, he didn¡¯t feel the need to sate his curiosity at the moment as he had already decided to explore the mysteries of the Gentle Celestial Sword and the Forbidden Divine Art by training the Western Nihility¡¯s Three Absolutes.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s always more fun to learn new martial arts than to drink and talk to women I don¡¯t know, anyway.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡ªI can¡¯t today. But I won¡¯t tell the girls, so you all can go secretly on your own. Though, we¡¯ll be leaving early tomorrow morning, so don¡¯t stay up toote.</i>


    Woo-Moon realized as he ate that the other young men of the Distinguished Swords had already agreed to go to the brothel from how excited they were. Although it was a pity that Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t go with them, Jeong-Woo still had a slight smile, as he was d that they were granted permission.


    <i>¡ªUnderstood, Uncle!</i>


    <i>¡ªYeah, yeah. Have fun. But don¡¯t get caught, because the girls will be mad if they find out.</i>


    <i>¡ªUnderstood! This isn¡¯t our first time, you see. Haha.</i>


    The young men of the Distinguished Swords, led by Jeong-Woo, said some flowery words to the others before excusing themselves and heading toward the brothel.


    Woo-Moon also excused himself, heading up to his room for a moment before immediately heading toward a nearby mountain. This time, Ma-Ra also came with him to train.


    <i>Swoosh!</i>


    mes zed from Woo-Moon¡¯s sword. He cut a falling leaf mid-air and the leaf disappeared, crumbling into ashes. On the other side, Ma-Ra eagerly practicedbining the Silver Moon Discs and wrist crossbows, creating a more powerful attack method bybining the strengths of the two weapons while mitigating their weaknesses.


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon stopped.


    ¡°Something happened.¡±


    The moment Ma-Ra nodded, the two of them disappeared, flying down the mountain like the win. Eun-Ah, who had been trying her best to catch a mole nearby, pricked her ears before hurriedly running after the two people.


    ¡°Uncle!¡±


    Baek Yo, the eldest of the girls of the Distinguished Swords, called out to Woo-Moon. She exined everything she knew.


    ¡°There was a big incident. A fight broke out, and the big brothers...¡±


    ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°Follow me!¡±


    Baek Yo took the lead and led the way.


    <i>¡®But...how does Baek Yo know what happened?¡¯</i>


    Although he had many questions, he decided to resolve the situation first before asking them.


    ***


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Y-you bastard...!¡±


    It seemed that the battle had already ended, and all of the young men of the Distinguished Swords were on the ground, clutching an arm or a leg. Standing in front of them was a tall man in his early twenties with his hair down.


    Even though the man was drunk, he had a handsome face that wasn¡¯t inferior at all to Woo-Moon¡¯s.


    He strolled among them casually, tapping his thigh with his weirdly-shaped long saber.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you should at least be able to sense the opponent¡¯s skills before you attack them, you know? Moreover, Hong Mae is fated to be my wife. Who are you to flirt with her?¡±


    ¡°You bastard! Hong Mae said she doesn¡¯t even know you. How can she be fated to be your wife?¡±


    ¡°Do you really think we¡¯d lose to a scoundrel like you?!¡±


    Jeong-Woo stood back up, stabbing his iron sword into the ground. He roused his qi before rushing at the man with the saber.


    ¡°Hmm... You know, I have a lot of patience, but you people really need to be taught a lesson.¡±


    There was only a single step between Jeong-Woo and the man. The man dashed forward and, after easily dodging Jeong-Woo¡¯s attack, kneed him violently in the stomach.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Jeong-Woo bent over like a shrimp and almost vomited on the spot.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Sheathing his saber, the man swung down at Jeong-Woo¡¯s back.


    <i>ck!</i>


    ¡°Enough. Let¡¯s stop this here.¡±


    The man looked over at Woo-Moon, whose well-timed rock had stopped the saber in its tracks.


    ¡°And who the hell are <i>you</i> now?¡±


    ¡°Uncle!¡±


    The fallen Distinguished Swords looked at Woo-Moon before dropping their heads in shame.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but they are my nephews. I can¡¯t let them get beaten up anymore.¡±


    ¡°Really? Well, I¡¯m sorry, but I feel that I have to hit this brat a little more,¡± the man responded before swinging at Jeong-Woo again.


    Just before the man¡¯s blownded, Woo-Moon grabbed the long curtain draped over the entrance of the brothel and tore it, flicking it like a whip in one smooth motion.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    The man¡¯s blow missed again as the cloth wrapped around Jeong-Woo and dragged him toward Woo-Moon.


    Jeong-Woo bowed his head.


    ¡°I have no excuses, Uncle.¡±


    With a stern expression on his face, Woo-Moon asked him what had happened.


    However, Jeong-Woo found himself unable to answer, as he felt that he would be admitting hecked the skill to solve the issue on his own and trying to get Woo-Moon to do it for him.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just tell me what happened. Who''s at fault?¡±


    If Woo-Moon had been any other member of the Baek Family, he might well have just exploded in a fiery rage at the brothel, raging at the Distinguished Swords for getting beaten by some random person as the best talents of the family.


    Then, rather than figuring out who was right or wrong, he most likely would have tried to intimidate his opponent to preserve the honor of the Baek Family.


    However, Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t interested in such things in the first ce, and even now, he was just trying to find out who was in the right. If the Distinguished Swords had been the one to make a mistake, he nned to apologize and end things here.


    ¡°While we were drinking and enjoying our time with the courtesans, that man just suddenly barged in and drew his saber. He was screaming about how one of the courtesans, Hong Mae, was to be his wife. However, Hong Mae insisted that she didn¡¯t even know the man.¡±


    Woo-Moon turned to look at a courtesan standing in the corner, watching the entire situation go down. From the looks of it, she was Hong Mae.


    If he was being honest, she didn¡¯t have a pretty face for a courtesan¡ªno, in truth, she was mediocre in terms of appearance, but that was besides the point.


    ¡°Is what my nephew just said true?¡±


    As Woo-Moon expected, the girl was indeed Hong Mae.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know that man?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Hong Mae said coldly. However, Woo-Moon could see that there was a slight waver in her gaze and voice.


    <i>¡®Is there some sort of story? Well, either way...¡¯</i>


    The situation had been unfair from the beginning for his nephews.


    A strange man suddenly broke in while they were enjoying themselves. Not only was their enjoyment interrupted, but that man even started a fight and beat them.


    No matter what was going on between the man and Hong Mae, at the very least, it was unfair to his nephews.


    The man seemed angered by Hong Mae''s words. He pointed at Woo-Moon with the weirdly-shaped long saber in his hand.


    ¡°How noisy. You¡¯re a man; why do you talk so much? If you came running all this way to save your worthless nephews who got beaten up while ying at a brothel, wouldn¡¯t things just get solved if you just fought me like a man?¡±


    Jeong-Woo and the other Distinguished Swords clenched their fists in shame, while Woo-Moon was even more enraged at the man disrespecting his nephews.


    ¡°You really talk disrespectfully, as expected of a bastard who chases around a girl who doesn¡¯t like you back. Fine, if you want to fight, let¡¯s fight.¡±


    So Geom-Rak, the man with the abnormally long sword, also grew angry at Woo-Moon¡¯s dismissive insults.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you regret saying something like that.¡±


    ¡°How noisy. You¡¯re a man; why do you talk so much?¡±


    So Geom-Rak exploded when Woo-Moon grinned and imitated his earlier words.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, you bastard!¡± he shouted as he punched Woo-Moon.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Woo-Moon dodged his attack easily. At that moment, So Geom-Rak¡¯s eyebrows twitched.


    ¡°Oh, it looks like you picked up a few moves somewhere!¡±


    He attacked Woo-Moon using apletely different technique and footwork from before. His hand seemed to split into three, striking at Woo-Moon¡¯s face and both shoulders at the same time.


    <i>Swoosh!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s figure blurred and dissipated as So Geom-Rak¡¯s hand simply struck the air¡ªit was the Divine Phantasm Steps.

 Chapter 91. The Entire World is My Home (12)

    <h4>Chapter 91. The Entire World is My Home (12)</h4>


    So Geom-Rak felt himself sober up a little.


    "Ha! Haha! Hahahahaha!"


    He suddenly smiled and slowly looked back at Woo-Moon


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty strong, aren¡¯t you, kid? How fun, really, how fun! Then, I should get a little serious now, too. Right?¡±


    He finally drew his saber out of its scabbard without any hesitation. His favorite long saber, Midnight Moon, finally made its appearance. Its long, thin, and oddly-shaped de was eye-catching.


    Even in the midst of the gentlemps of the brothel, the steel of the saber was matte, almost as if it were just some ordinary unpolished metal cutlery.


    The moment So Geom-Rak circted his qi, the drunkenness that had taken over his mind disappeared.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    In response, Woo-Moon also drew his sword.


    As if they had both reached an agreement in advance, the two men rushed forward at the same time using their respective movement techniques.


    So Geom-Rak attacked first with his long saber. However, Woo-Moon simply sidestepped, and So Geom-Rak¡¯s attack cut through empty air. Woo-Moon, whose Divine Phantasm Steps had already reached the eighth level by now, couldn¡¯t be touched by this level of skill.


    Woo-Moon shortened the distance in an instant!


    The tip of his sword quivered as it flew toward So Geom-Rak in an erratic and violent pattern, as if the de was writing the name of the technique in the air.


    Raging Wind!


    It only took an instant for So Geom-Rak¡¯s expression to shift from conceit to surprise and then to embarrassment. Woo-Moon¡¯s Raging Wind wasn¡¯t just fast; it also moved extremely irregrly. It was impossible to know when or where it would change directions.


    So Geom-Rak had never experienced something like this in his life.


    He didn¡¯t know where to look or how to respond! He couldn¡¯t even figure out where the sword was aiming.


    However, Raging Wind still blew over to him, leaving him no time to think.


    ¡°Tsk!¡±


    <i>ng!!!</i>


    Midnight Moon moved three times, fast enough to take one¡¯s breath away. However, even at that speed, he was barely able to keep up with the irregr movements of Raging Wind.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not only fast, but it has such strange transformations!¡¯</i>


    So Geom-Rak barely blocked the first blow. However, that was to be expected, as Woo-Moon didn¡¯t think this would have been solved in a single sh.


    <i>¡®One more time! Raging Wind!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s Raging Wind took center stage.


    The second time, the technique seemed to have be even more subversive than the first, and Woo-Moon¡¯s de flew at So Geom-Rak with the determination to break and cleave through anything.


    <i>¡®Damn it!¡¯</i>


    While cursing inwardly, So Geom-Rak hurriedly raised Midnight Moon, blocking Woo-Moon¡¯s descending sword from cleaving through his left shoulder.


    However, that was not where things ended


    <i>Riip!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword swept in an unexpected direction and cut a long gash across So Geom-Rak''s abdomen. Fortunately, he was able to avoid any serious injuries by hastily bending over backward. However, his clothes and skin were cut.


    <i>¡®Here we go again! Try this!¡¯</i>


    Without stopping, Woo-Moon used Raging Wind for a third time. This time, So Geom-Rak gave up on defending against it and just rolled across the ground.


    His clothes, face, and hair were covered in dirt.


    One of the most shameful things a martial artist could do was roll on the ground to avoid an opponent¡¯s attack. However, So Geom-Rak had used precisely that shameful move.


    The Lazy Donkey Roll!


    Blood flowed from So Geom-Rak¡¯s clenched fist. His mind seemed to swirl with anger and shame.


    <i>¡®He used the same technique three times! That must be the only thing he can do. Fine, use it again! No matter how great a technique it is, I refuse to let it beat me a third time!¡¯</i>


    Contrary to what So Geom-Rak thought, Woo-Moon had already decided to use Heavy Rain the moment he finished using Raging Wind for the third time. As So Geom-Rak tried to think about how to deal with Raging Wind, the tip of Woo-Moon¡¯s sword pointed at the sky.


    And then, it descended.


    A rain of neverending swords!


    So Geom-Rak¡¯s eyes widened so wide it seemed as if they would tear at the seams as he watched the endless sword rain descend before his eyes.


    <i>¡®H-he still had a sword technique like this?!¡¯</i>


    Just Raging Wind had been so frightening and indecipherable that it made his stomach churn. However, before his eyes, he could see another exquisite sword technique that wasn¡¯t inferior in any way to the one before.


    So Geom-Rak could swear that he had never even heard of a rumor that such a sword technique existed.


    Still, he refused to lose like this! No, he couldn¡¯t lose like this!


    As So Geom-Rak¡¯s saber resonated, a clear saber qi wrapped around Midnight Moon like armor.


    <i>¡®I have to block it. Myriad Demon Execution Saber!¡¯</i>


    It was the best among the martial techniques he had learned!


    Imbued with all the qi he could muster, Midnight Moon shed forward, leaving behind a long trail of saber qi.


    The two wide-area attacks, Heavy Rain and Myriad Demon Execution Saber, shed as one shed to cleave the heavens while the other descended from the heavens.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    Vivid sparks flew as sharp metallic sounds rang out through the dark and quiet street.


    <i>¡®I can stop it... I have to stop it!¡¯</i> So Geom-Rak thought.


    However, his full-force Myriad Demon Execution Saber couldn¡¯t block the rain that seemed to never end.


    The moment when the divinely descending sword was about to cleave So Geom-Rak in half, Woo-Moon turned his de and just smacked his head with the t of his sword.


    <i>Bonk!</i>


    So Geom-Rak momentarily lost consciousness due to the shock.


    However, Woo-Moon¡¯s Heavy Rain didn¡¯t end with a single blow. If it was about beating someone with the t of one¡¯s de, there was no better art than Heavy Rain.


    <i>Bonk, bonk, bonk, bonk!</i>


    Woo-Moon had mastered six techniques of the Gentle Celestial Sword: Raging Wind, Heavy Rain, Raging Storm, North Wind, Cold Snow, and Imprable Golden Wall.


    However, he had only used two to defeat So Geom-Rak, who was close to reaching the Transcendent ss. Moreover, he hadn¡¯t even used all of his strength, either.


    In an instant, his opponent was filled with bloody bruises everywhere.


    Hong Mae¡¯s cold expression gradually began to waver, and tears soon started flowing from her eyes.


    ¡°Stop hitting him!¡± she screamed, running forward and covering So Geom-Rak¡¯s body with her own. ¡°T-there¡¯s no need to go this far!¡±


    Woo-Moon had already guessed something like this would happen.


    He shrugged his shoulders as if there was nothing he could do, sheathed his sword, and stepped back.


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s end this here, then.¡±


    Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t <i>really</i> wrecked So Geom-Rak. If he had taken it seriously, So Geom-Rak¡¯s head would have been crushed by the first attack, and the man would have died even if Woo-Moon had used the t of his de.


    He had just hit his opponent with moderate force, inflicting just enough damage to make it look horrendous. So Geom-Rak would be right as rain after resting for a couple of days, but from the outside, he looked as if he had been beaten within an inch of his life.


    Hong Mae, the courtesan of the Red House, was not terribly pretty by any standard, but she was kind-hearted and had the voice of an angel. She held So Geom-Rak in her arms as tears streamed down her face.


    ¡°Are you okay? Does it hurt?¡±


    So Geom-Rak responded with a smile, "Hahaha. It doesn''t hurt at all now that you¡¯re hugging me like this. If I had known this was all it would take, I would have gotten beaten up a long time ago.¡±


    Tears welled up in Hong Mae''s eyes.


    ¡°You foolish, idiotic, stupid man! Why do you keeping even after I rejected you? Why can¡¯t you forget me? We don¡¯t suit each other in any way. I¡¯m just an ugly courtesan, I cannot...¡±


    ¡°I think we suit each other perfectly. A foolish and stupid idiot needs a woman like you, Hong Mae, someone who is warm-hearted, wise, and has a more beautiful singing voice than anyone else.¡±


    The extremely sensitive girls of the Distinguished Swords had tears in their eyes even though they didn¡¯t know the full story, while Ma-Ra frowned slightly.


    ¡°Weird. Gives me goosebumps. Am sick.¡±


    Woo-Moon nodded sharply in response.


    ¡°It¡¯s not weird, I feel the exact same way as you.¡±


    The boys of the Distinguished Swords limped and stood behind Woo-Moon.


    Fortunately, much like Woo-Moon, So Geom-Rak hadn¡¯t used much force, so they all seemed like they would be fine soon.


    ¡°Are you feeling better? Can we go now?¡±


    Seeing So Geom-Rak being beaten by Woo-Moon made them feel a little better, while finding out that So Geom-Rak really did have a close rtionship with Hong Mae made them understand why the man had acted the way he had.


    Woo-Moon walked out the brothel¡¯s door with a yawn.


    ¡°What a love story! Transcending the social statuses of the son of a noble family and a courtesan! I could write a novel about something like this.¡±


    Although the Distinguished Sword girls wanted to watch things develop a little more, they had no choice but to turn and follow Woo-Moon when they saw him move to return to the inn.


    At that time, So Geom-Rak suddenly hit the ground with both hands.


    ¡°Wait a moment!¡±


    Startled, Hong Mae quickly helped So Geom-Rak stand as Woo-Moon looked back.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°... Please tell me your name. I am So Geom-Rak.¡±


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    Some of the Distinguished Swords heard the name So Geom-Rak and were surprised. However, they soon shook their heads, thinking there was no way it was the person they were thinking about.


    Meanwhile, So Geom-Rak nodded his head after Woo-Moon¡¯s response before calling out again.


    ¡°Good, good. Then, big brother, I have a favor to ask!¡±


    The way So Geom-Rak referred to Woo-Moon somehow shifted from ¡°kid¡± to ¡°big brother,¡± yet there wasn¡¯t even a hint of shame on his face.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Please lend me five hundred taels!¡±


    ¡°Oi, aren¡¯t you kinda shameless? Five hundred taels isn¡¯t a small amount of money. And weren¡¯t you cursing left and right just a moment ago?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what life is supposed to be like? Fighting beforeradery? Please help me. If you lend me just five hundred taels, I¡¯ll definitely pay you back more!¡±


    For some reason, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t feel like So Geom-Rak was an eyesore. He grinned.


    ¡°It¡¯s the cost to free Hong Mae from the brothel, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. My family hasn¡¯t given me a single crumb since they found out I nned to do this.¡±


    <i>¡®Wait a second.... He needs five hundred taels? Why, that¡¯s awfully convenient!¡¯</i>


    Coincidentally, the Baek Family had given Woo-Moon exactly five hundred taels as travel expenses. With that in mind, Woo-Moon instantly began to hatch a devious n.


    He nonchntly drew five bank notes from his pocket and threw them forward.


    ¡°Pay me double in the future. <i>No matter what</i>,¡± Woo-Moon said, putting emphasis on thest words.


    Seeing Woo-Moon lending him such arge amount of money without even blinking, So Geom-Rak bit his lip and shouted with firm resolve.


    ¡°I am So Geom-Rak of the Hegemon n! I will never forget this grace, big brother!¡±


    <i>¡®The Hegemon n!¡¯</i>


    Among the three great forces that held authority in the <i>gangho</i>, this n was the one closest to the Evil Faction.


    ¡°The third young master of the Hegemon n!¡±


    ¡°The Drunken Moonfall Saber So Geom Rak!


    The Distinguished Swords shouted in shock, realizing that this man <i>was</i>, in fact, the one they were thinking of when they heard the name. With that, Woo-Moon also found out his real identity. He felt much better now¡ªnot only had he handled a future thorn in their side, but he had also shot another rabbit with the same arrow, <i>hehehe.</i>


    ¡°Well, I see. I¡¯m Song Woo-Moon of the Baek Family,¡± Woo-Moon said before quickly departing from the brothel along with Ma-Ra and Eun-Ah.


    The reason they were even going to the Justice Coalition right now was to resolve the dispute with the Hegemon n through a series of spars. Thus, the Distinguished Swords nced over at So Geom-Rak with a bewildered expression before hurriedly following Woo-Moon.


    So Geom-Rak shook his head with a bitter smile.


    ¡°The frog in the well turned out to be me. I never thought that there would be such a strong person in the younger generation. The Iron Sword Baek Family... is this them marking that they¡¯re still kicking after producing the Palm Martial Emperor?¡±


    ***


    The next morning, as they departed from the inn, Woo-Moon hinted to the others about their next steps.


    ¡°We need to save some money from now on. We¡¯ll only be eating noodles for meals now.¡±


    The Distinguished Swords were shocked by his words.


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the elders give us money for travel expenses? Wait, there¡¯s no way...¡±


    As Jeong-Woo started to have an ominous feeling, Woo-Moon nonchntly responded, ¡°We only have a couple of taels left. I gave all of the money I received from the elders to So Geom-Rak when we leftst night.¡±


    They all had thought that the money he had given So Geom-Rak was from his personal savings. As it turned out, it was <i>their</i> money.


    ¡°This is too far, Uncle!¡±


    ¡°We have so many mouths to feed; what can we do with a couple of taels?! What do you n on doing?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I understand the situationst night, but how could you do this?¡±


    As he faced the very justified anger of his peers, Woo-Moon¡¯s back was instantly soaked in sweat.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t that Woo-Moon had no money; he still had the three hundred taels that Si-Hyeon had given him before leaving. However, he knew he wasn¡¯t allowed to tell them that, as he still had a role to y¡ªnamely, to guide them down the path of a homeless wanderer.


    Seeing the resentment in their eyes, Woo-Moon cried in his heart.


    <i>¡®Damn it. Why do I have to be the target of their anger? Hmpf.¡¯</i>


    ¡°W-well, what did you expect me to do in that situation? You guys won¡¯t be able to grow your mindset if you act like that. We¡¯re the Righteous Faction. Aren¡¯t we supposed to help others? Plus, he¡¯s going to pay us back doubleter! Then, I¡¯ll give each of you a hundred taels. Wouldn¡¯t we be making a profit? Ah... hahaha.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure, but that will be then and this is right now!¡±


    ¡°Who cares? Whatever. I don¡¯t know anything anymore,¡± Woo-Moon said, covering his ears and walking forward as the Distinguished Swords followed him, grumbling.

 Chapter 92. The Entire World is My Home (13)

    <h4>Chapter 92. The Entire World is My Home (13)</h4>


    When Woo-Moon and the others added up all of the personal wealth of the Distinguished Swords, they found that they could only gather about ten taels.


    If this was any other time, they would have been able to gather much more than this. However, the elders, following the secret n they had crafted, hadn¡¯t given much money to each of their grandchildren.


    Woo-Moon still had another ¡°ten taels,¡± and twenty taels wasn¡¯t a small amount of money.[1] However, it was barely¡ªno, it wasn¡¯t really enough for eleven people and a tiger to be able to stay in an inn <i>and</i> eat.


    Seeing as things ended up in this manner, Woo-Moon decided to just fully embrace the shameless route.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the romance of <i>gangho</i> sleeping under the stars and hunting for your food? Catching corrupt officials, helping people in need, and being given food out of gratitude. Now, now. They even say that the Baek Family¡¯s founder, Invincible Iron Sword Baek San, lived like this during his days as a wanderer!¡±


    Baek Ryeong, who had slowly warmed up to him, pouted in response.


    ¡°You really do speak well, don¡¯t you?!¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course. Isn¡¯t it a quality you need to have?¡±


    ¡°Tsk, you bad uncle!!¡±


    As Baek Ryeong raised her fist and made to hit him, Woo-Moon quickly dodged and ran away.


    They walked for hours and hours.


    <i>Gurgle!</i>


    Eventually, one of the Distinguished Swords grumbled.


    ¡°Uncle, I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Woo-Moon looked around.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any viges around, and we have to save money anyway. Let¡¯s hunt for our dinner!¡±


    ¡°Eh~~~??!!!!!!¡±


    The Distinguished Swords didn¡¯t react well to his words.


    ¡°Then what, do you want to starve? That¡¯s pretty much the alternative.¡±


    Woo-Moon ordered several of them to gather tree branches, make a fire, and prepare other necessary items while he sent the others to go hunting.


    ¡°Catch alone.¡±


    Curt as usual, Ma-Ra went into the forest by herself.


    After a while, everyone who had split off into groups of two or three to go hunting returned. They had caught eight rabbits, as well as five fish from the nearby river. In addition...


    ¡°Did Ma-Ra catch all of this?¡±


    Ma-Ra nodded while gesturing to the Silver Moon Discs and wrist bows.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    There were neen birds in the pile, hunted by Ma-Ra and Ma-Ra alone. Moreover, her skill in hunting was so great that all of the birds had been decapitated right at the base of their skulls without any other injuries.


    Woo-Moon scratched his head.


    He thought he had saved face by catching five rabbits but had overlooked Ma-Ra¡¯s terrifying ability to always have a relevant skill in her arsenal.


    <i>¡®Should I have tried harder?¡¯</i>


    Well, the important thing now was to cook and eat well. Woo-Moon knew he was unrivaled in this area, at the very least.


    As the saying goes, anyone would learn the prayers if they lived in a temple for three years. Due to helping at an inn while growing up, Woo-Moon had already mastered the basics of butchery and cooking.


    <i>Sizzle~</i>


    As the rabbit, bird, and fish skewers were cooking, a delicious smell wafted around.


    <i>Gulp!</i>


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    Baek Yo, the little imp, swallowed her saliva and smiled cutely.


    ¡°It¡¯s cooked! Let¡¯s eat!¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    This was obviously not the Distinguished Swords¡¯ first trip to the <i>gangho.</i> However, they had always stayed at an inn and bought the best local foods during all of those trips. This was the first time they had ever experienced hunting and cooking like this.


    The food was seasoned perfectly with the salt that Ma-Ra had brought.


    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s incredible!¡±


    Although Woo-Moon had only added salt, the Distinguished Swords were shocked. For some reason, the food tasted better than anything they had ever eaten.


    ¡°See? None of you ever had this kind of experience. I actually gave So Geom-Rok all of our money just to let you have this experience. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you really do know how to talk to people. Did you really?¡±


    As Baek Yo failed in her struggle to hold back herughter at Woo-Moon¡¯s obvious lie, Woo-Moon also burst into exaggeratedughter.


    ¡°<i>Hoho</i>. Either way, fewer questions, more eating!¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    ***


    Baek Ryeong was in a strange moodtely. It had already been four days since they had departed for the Justice Coalition. To use a clich¨¦ phrase, it was a long time for some and a short time for some others.


    As someone who had a one-sided crush on her older cousin, Heon-Won, she couldn¡¯t help but to hate Woo-Moon, who had crushed him so cruelly.[2]


    However, a lot of things changed during her time with Woo-Moon.


    Having gotten to know him, she realized that not only did he have many outstanding qualities, but he was easy-going and didn¡¯t show off. He was certainly smarter than a lot of people gave him credit for, but he could also be a bit clumsy at times, making those around himugh and rx.


    Of course, it was impossible for Baek Ryeong to see Woo-Moon as a real man just yet.


    It was just that her feelings for him as a person and their rtionship as niece and uncle were growing.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Thinking about her change of heart, Baek Ryeong suddenly sighed.


    Right at that moment, Woo-Moon spoke nonchntly from the back of the group as if he was just passing a tree or something.


    ¡°Ah, there we go again. Everyone, there are uninvited guests!¡±


    Jeong-Woo¡¯s expression crumbled when he heard Woo-Moon.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t understand why the hell there are so many bandits. The emperor is supposed to be taking care of his people!¡±


    The further they went from Guandu, the more and more they ran into bandits.


    Most bandits would decide against robbing a group whose every member wore a sword, on the off chance that they were martial artists. However, possibly because some of the bandits were simply that stupid, or maybe because their group was very small, there were still quite a few groups of bandits that saw them as prey and tried to rob them.


    ¡°It was fun once or twice, but this has just gotten boring and annoying.¡±


    Jeong-Woo suddenly noticed that the sun was gradually setting and pped his forehead with his palm.


    ¡°Uncle! I have an idea!¡±


    ¡°Oh, what would that idea be?¡±


    Jeong-Wooughed out loud as he counted the number of bandits approaching.


    ¡°Considering the size of their group, don¡¯t you think they would have a mountain hideout? It¡¯s too much of a hassle to build camp again. What do you think about spending the night in their hideout to stay warm?¡±


    ¡°Hmm....¡±


    While he thought it was a good idea, there was still a part of him that didn¡¯t like it.


    Woo-Moon had inherited his grandfather¡¯s morality and hated any and all kinds of bandits. He was reluctant to spend the night in the den of such animals when he was tasked to protect his younger rtives.


    Still, his nieces and nephews were clearly tired of spending the night in the wilderness. Seeing their exhaustion, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t easily refuse. He found it even harder to do so when he saw the others¡¯ gazes shine with anticipation the moment Jeong-Woo brought up the suggestion.


    <i>¡®I guess we can¡¯t help it.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon pushed his reluctance to the side, forcing himself to smile.


    ¡°Ah, I see. Well, why not? Might as well go for it.¡±


    Seeing Jeong-Woo and Woo-Moon look at each other with evil smirks on their faces, Baek Ryeong sighed.


    ¡°Aaand... that¡¯s why you should have chosen your prey wisely, poor bandits...¡±


    The moment she finished speaking, a group of people came out of the forest.


    ¡°Haha! The Mountain Tigers have arrived, you little greenhorn babies!¡±


    Although the bandit leader¡¯s voice rang loudly, Woo-Moon just spoke with a simple whisper.


    ¡°Jeong-Woo, go!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir~~¡±


    With a teasing answer, Jeong-Woo rushed toward the bandits.


    From the perspective of the bandits, who were barely Third ss, Jeong-Woo was like a meteor that was impossible to avoid even if they kept their eyes open!


    The martial skills of Baek Jeong-Woo, a younger generation talent of the Iron Sword Baek Family, one of the Eight Great Ancient Families and one of the Three Great Sword Families, were an insurmountable wall for them.


    <i>Thwack, pow!</i>


    Jeong-Woo turned into a white sh as he disarmed about fifty bandits while running around to his heart¡¯s content.


    <i>Kya!</i>


    Eun-Ah, who was watching, trembled and cried as she raised her ws and scratched at the dirt.


    ¡°Do you want to fight, too? It¡¯s fine, you go too!¡±


    <i>Kya!</i>


    As soon as Woo-Moon gave permission, Eun-ah bounced her small body and flew low to the ground to attack the bandits together with Jeong-Woo.


    Moreover, after a while, the bandits were all taken care of.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry, great ones! We hadn¡¯t recognized your majesty and offended you.¡±


    ¡°Enough of that. I don¡¯t need your brown-nosing. Tell me where your hideout is! We¡¯ll be staying there for the night.¡±


    The bandit leader''s expression suddenly changed at thepletely unexpected words.


    ***


    ¡°Hahaha! These young heroes really are friendly! Hey, you, bring us more alcohol!¡±


    Even a dog would bark louder in its own home.


    It had been half an hour since they had started to drink at a mountain hideout located deep within a nearby mountain valley. The boss of the Lonely Bandit Fortress, Mr. Lonely, was now rather drunk, and his voice was gradually getting louder.


    But Woo-Moon didn¡¯t pay much attention. He just poured the bamboo wine ced in front of him into his ss and drank it.


    Compared to the Gongju liquor[3] that Mr. Lonely and Woo-Moon¡¯s immature nieces and nephews were drinking right now, he had the much more luxurious and strong Bamboo Leaf Wine in front of him.


    As he poured another ss of alcohol down his throat, a white hand holding a ss suddenly appeared in front of him.


    ¡°Give it.¡±


    It was Ma-Ra. Smiling, Woo-Moon poured some bamboo leaf wine for Ma-Ra, and the two of them had a drinking party of their own, giving and receiving the wine.


    <i>Grrrr....</i>


    Eun-Ah was intoxicated by the scent of the bamboo leaf wine, and she fell asleep next to Woo-Moon, groaning weakly.


    All of this chaos started when Jeong-Woo suddenly said he wanted to drink.


    At first, the others wondered how they, as children of a prestigious family, could drink with bandits. But soon, they found themselves having a st with Mr. Lonely.


    Suddenly, Baek Ryeong, who had walked off saying she was too young to drink, came back with an angry expression on her face.


    ¡°You dirty bastards!¡± she shouted the moment she saw the bandits.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s going on? Are you okay?¡±


    Hearing Jeong-Woo jump up immediately, Woo-Moon also turned toward his niece.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Eyes red with tears, Baek Ryeong red at the bandits.


    ¡°While I was walking outside, their guards kept trying to prevent me from going near a certain ce. They were guarding it pretty closely. So, I was curious and tried to push my way in. But they kept stopping me, so I eventually knocked them out and went in anyway. I found about twenty naked men and women. They were all dead.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes widened and suddenly shone with a cold light. Meanwhile, the bandits felt sweat flowing down their backs as they realized that what they had been trying to hide had nowe to light.


    Woo-Moon turned to the Distinguished Swords, who were using their qi to shake off the alcohol after hearing Baek Ryeong¡¯s words.


    ¡°Go wait outside.¡±


    One of them, who had yet to properly catch on to Woo-Moon¡¯s mood, spoke without thinking.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I said, get <i>out</i>!¡±


    Hearing Woo-Moon¡¯s angry reply, the rest of the Distinguished Swords quickly ran outside the hall. Woo-Moon called out to the still remaining Baek Ryeong.


    ¡°You go out too. Go and tell the others to surround the hideout from all sides so not a single one of these rats can escape.¡±


    Baek Ryeong nodded sharply, having guessed what Woo-Moon nned to do.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The rest of the bandits looked at him in a state of extreme tension, as if they had forgotten to breathe under the terrifying aura and bloodlust that Woo-Moon was giving off.


    After Baek Ryeong left, Woo-Moon took another sip of the bamboo leaf wine.


    ¡°I guess you sent someone to kill them all before we arrived out of fear that we might find them or hear them call for help, no? They were people you kidnapped from nearby viges to be your ves, right?¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s words were so urate that the bandits were dumbfounded.


    The bandits suddenly realized something strange. Woo-Moon¡¯s right hand, which had definitely been fiddling with his wine ss, was suddenly holding onto the hilt of his sword, which had also definitely been sheathed at his waist.


    Then something even more surprising happened.


    The head of the bandit sitting right next to Woo-Moon suddenly slid forward at an odd angle.


    The severed head fell to the floor as blood spewed out like a fountain from the severed neck.


    Woo-Moon deployed a bit of his qi to keep himself, Ma-Ra, and even the sleeping Eun-Ah from getting sttered with blood.


    ¡°As expected, my grandfather was right. I had my suspicions anyway because I could smell the scent of blood on your hands. I was going to checkter anyway, but I should¡¯ve done it from the get-go. I was foolish to believe you when you said you¡¯re not the kind to kill people.¡±


    When he had finished his words, the bandits discovered that the position of Woo-Moon''s hand had changed again.


    As they saw the five fingers stretched out before them, they had an ominous premonition.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The heads of five bandits exploded at the same time.


    1. In today¡¯s money, it¡¯s close to 50,000 USD. ?


    2. This sounds the bama kind of weird, but remember that with the number of branches that a major n like this has, they¡¯re probably fifth cousins thrice removed, so even with all the talk about blood rtives, they are very loosely rted. ?


    3. A distilled beverage made from rice and chestnuts, specific to the Gongju region in Korea. ?

 Chapter 93. The Entire World is My Home (14)

    <h4>Chapter 93. The Entire World is My Home (14)</h4>


    Mr. Lonely lost all will to fight when he saw what had just happened. Instead, he immediately tried to beg, trembling for his life.


    ¡°P-please, just spare my life!¡±


    Woo-Moon could see the Azure Dragon Admiral¡¯s face superimposing over the face of Mr. Lonely as the bandit begged for his life.


    <i>¡®How are these bandits all so rotten inside? They kill others without any hesitation, but the moment they¡¯re in danger, they start crying for their moms.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You bastards really are disgusting to the core. You would have been less pitifully vile if you at least faced your death with some semnce of honor.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword pierced Mr. Lonely¡¯s back as the bandit continued to beg with every fiber of his being.


    ¡°I will not give you an easy death. You¡¯ll still be breathing for at least fifteen more minutes, so take this time to repent for your past sins and feel the fear and pain that you forced upon those good people before their deaths.¡±


    ¡°Starting.¡±


    Woo-Moon nodded at Ma-Ra¡¯s word, and she threw out two Silver Moon Discs.


    <i>Swish!!!</i>


    The rotating discs flew in arge circle, creating a fountain of blood along their path. At the same time, Woo-Moon continued to use the Traceless Finger. It wasn¡¯t long before all the bandits at the Lonely Bandit Fortress died.


    Casting onest cold nce at the dying Mr. Lonely, Woo-Moon went outside with Ma-Ra.


    At the same time, the Distinguished Swords had fully caught on to the situation from the pungent smell of blood filling the air. Woo-Moon used the Samadhi True me to set fire to the entire Lonely Bandit Fortress before turning to the others.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We have to go find somewhere else to sleep tonight.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Uncle!¡±


    Jeong-Woo felt like he wanted to bury himself in a hole. Last time, he had gone to the brothel and caused a scene. This time, he had convinced the others toe to the bandit den to spend the night and caused a scene once again.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Uncle!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I learned something today, too, so it¡¯s fine.¡±


    There may be kindhearted thieves here and there, but these bandits who gathered together and built dens like these? No chance.


    This experience only served to engrave a new lesson into Woo-Moon¡¯s heart, and he fell into deep contemtion as he descended down the mountain.


    <i>¡®The Dao says that one can attain enlightenment and life will be blessed if one escapes the bustling cities and forgoes worldly desires to live in nature. But then, what about bastards like them? Don¡¯t they live closer to nature than those good people who live in cities? Then why do they have even greater evil within their hearts?¡¯</i>


    One after another, thoughts cascaded through his mind.


    <i>¡®But then what does ¡°closer to nature¡± mean anyway? Do people not count as a part of nature? But then, just what is a person? Is the fact that people bring about war and immorality for their gain evidence that we¡¯ve escaped the grasp of nature? But... then, how about all the things I saw since I was young? Like when I saw a mother rat eating her own babies? Are rats not a part of nature because they alsomit immoral acts? Are those even immoral acts¡¯</i>


    The more he thought about it, the moreplicated his mind became. He couldn''t distinguish between right and wrong.


    Woo-Moon became increasingly distressed as his thoughts didn¡¯t seem to match the Dao preached by Daoists.


    <i>¡®Can I still be a Sword Immortal even with these thoughts?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon liked the world he lived in, where heughed and enjoyed life with others. But still...


    He mused to himself about his worries and confusion for a long time after they descended the mountain.


    ***


    Two dayster, Woo-Moon and the others arrived in Zhengzhou, Henan Province.


    They had decided to rendezvous with the other Three Great Sword Families, the Namgoong and Baekri Families, and head to the Justice Coalition together.


    As Woo-Moon and the Distinguished Swords entered Zhengzhou¡¯s main gate, someone standing off to the side of the gate hurriedly ran up to them.


    ¡°P-please wait! Are you, by chance, the Young Heroes of the Iron Sword Baek Family?¡±


    Jeong-Woo answered for the party.


    ¡°Yes, is there something you need?¡±


    ording to the man, the Namgoong and Baekri Families had hired him to guide the Baek Family to the guest house where they were staying, as they had already arrived two days ago and had been waiting for them.


    The youngdies were surprised by the guide¡¯s exnation and looked down at their dirty clothes and unkempt state. As they had been staying out in the wilderness for the past few days and hunting for each meal, their outfits weren¡¯t quite in prime condition. Moreover, there was even a hint of an unpleasant smell wafting from them as well.


    Woo-Moon realized what they were worried about as he saw the youngdies panic. He took out two taels from his robes and handed them over.


    ¡°Take this and go wash up. Okay?¡±


    Baek Yo nodded firmly, slightly blushing, while the other Distinguished Swords looked at the youngdies with envious gazes. Taking the taels, she took the otherdies to wash off the grime quickly.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go ahead, then!¡±


    Although Woo-Moon wanted to let everyone wash if possible, the important thing was that they had to preserve what little money they had left.


    Thus, the group followed the man to thergest and most luxurious inn in Zhongzhou, where the Baekri and Namgoong Families were staying in two of the most expensive vis that were avable there. The guide entered first, then promptly emerged with a smile on his face and a fat pouch that sounded like it was full of silver. Soon after, the members of the Baekri Family came out as well.


    ¡°I hope your travels were uneventful, swordsmen of the Iron Sword Baek Family. My name is Baeri Yeong-Woon.¡±


    Befitting his family¡¯s reputation for being beautiful, Baekri Yeong-Woon was extremely attractive. Woo-Moon cupped his fist in response to his greeting.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you. My name is Song Woo-Moon of the Iron Sword Baek Family, and these are the Ten Distinguished Swords. I¡¯m d to be able to greet the members of the Baekri Family. The reputation of your sharp des is well known.¡±


    At that moment, a gorgeous but cold-looking beauty who looked to be around twenty, standing behind Baekri Yeong-Woon, suddenly frowned.


    ¡°What¡¯s this smell? It¡¯s quite... pungent.¡±


    Then, the other younger generation talents of the Baekri Family also held onto their noses or made faces as they nodded in agreement.


    The Distinguished Swords with Woo-Moon blushed, knowing that the smell wasing from them. The splendid¡ªand clean¡ªattire of those standing before them only served to exaggerate their own filth.


    While the members of the Baekri Family wore clothes whiter than snow and had wless appearances, the clothes of the Distinguished Swords were not only dirty from their journey thus far but also were torn here and there.


    At that moment, an attendant of the Sangwoong Inn came running over and spoke to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Fortunately, there is a single vi left. Should we reserve it for you and the other guests?¡±


    However, Woo-Moon had no money at the moment.


    ¡°Unfortunately, we don¡¯t need our own vi. Actually, to be frank, this inn itself is too expensive, so we¡¯ll be leaving to stay at another inn.¡±


    The beauty of the Baekri Family, who had scrunched her nose and said that something smelled, opened her eyes wide at Woo-Moon¡¯s answer.


    ¡°The vis here aren¡¯t that expensive. It¡¯s not even half the price of the luxury inns in Wuhan, where our family resides. At the very least, you have to live up to your title as one of the Three Great Sword Families, so don¡¯t go somewhere else and stay in the vis here.¡±


    The other Distinguished Swords looked embarrassed. Who among them wouldn¡¯t want to stay here? However, they had no other choice as they had no money.


    Woo-Moon shook his head.


    ¡°We cannot, as we¡¯re a bit short on funds.¡±


    <i>''Ahh!''</i>


    The Distinguished Swords all inwardly screamed, not expecting Woo-Moon to speak so bluntly. While they secretly panicked, Baekri Yeong-Woon looked as if Woo-Moon¡¯s words were beyond hisprehension.


    ¡°You mean... you¡¯re short on funds?¡±


    At this moment, every single Distinguished Sword was so embarrassed that they wanted to find a rathole to hide themselves in. However, Woo-Moon stood confidently, without even the slightest hint of shame.


    The beauty of the Baekri Family frowned once more.


    ¡°Howughable would others find it if they found out that one of the Three Great Sword Families was staying in a shabby inn? Something that ridiculous would make you, and therefore us, lose face. Please just stay in one of the vis here. It¡¯s not even that expensive for a single night.¡±


    A vi in an inn of this caliber would cost at least fifty taels a night. Although it wasn¡¯t a small amount for ordinary people, from the perspective of this beauty of the Baekri Family, Baekri Hye-Min, it was essentially pocket change.


    ¡°Hoho. Well, I don¡¯t think that the prestige and reputation of a family would change based on where one stays,¡± Woo-Moon retorted.


    Baekri Hye-Min frowned in response.


    ¡°No. People will definitelyugh at us or look down on our families. They would call the Three Great Sword Families penniless beggars who can¡¯t afford anything and are forced to stay just anywhere. As fellow members of the Three Great Sword Families, this matter is directly rted to the prestige of our family. Thus, please stay here in a vi.¡±


    With Baekri Hye-Min¡¯s way of thinking, she could never understand what Woo-Moon meant about not having enough funds.


    Offended by the Baekri Family¡¯s attitude, Woo-Moon responded in a curt and vehement tone, ¡°I don¡¯t want to engage in <i>unnecessary luxury</i>.¡±


    Baekri Yeong-Woon frowned at Woo-Moon¡¯s words, reacting particrly negatively at the word ¡°luxury,¡± and opened her mouth to say something, but someone else interrupted her.


    ¡°Young Hero Song!¡±


    It was Namgoong Sung and his younger family members, who had darted over as soon as they had heard that Woo-Moon was here. After all, there was no way that the best among the Namgoong Family¡¯s younger generation, Namgoong Sung, wouldn¡¯t be a part of their retinue for something like this.


    ¡°Young Hero Namgoong, it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    Namgoong Sung, who had grown very fond of Woo-Moon after Woo-Moon saved his life, couldn''t hold back his joy and wasughing brightly... until, eventually, he sensed the strange mood.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯</i>


    The way that the Baekri Family members were looking at the Baek Family members was strangely cold.


    He stepped back for a moment, and then .


    Understanding what had happened, he sent a voice transmission to Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡ªYoung Hero, what do you think about just staying in a vi? If you don¡¯t have enough money, I can pay for you! How could I not do at least that much for someone who saved my life?</i>


    However, Woo-Moon just answered directly without bothering to send a voice transmission.


    ¡°Oh, would you really? I¡¯m so grateful to hear that you¡¯d lend us some money. However, it would be ridiculous to borrow money just to stay in a vi. We¡¯ll just rent suitable rooms in this inn and stay for a night instead.¡±


    Woo-Moon continued to refuse to stay in the vi until the very end.


    Finally catching up with the situation after hearing Woo-Moon¡¯s words, Baekri Hye-Min snorted coldly and returned inside.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re quite tired, we¡¯ll go ahead and get some rest. Since your two families seem quite <i>close </i>to one another, why not keep each otherpany?¡± Baekri Yeong-Woon said, particrly emphasizing the word ¡°precious,¡± before following Baekri Hye-Min inside.[1]


    As he was about to enter his room, Baekri Hye-Mon stopped him.


    ¡°Orabeoni, are you going to let this go?¡±[2]


    ¡°Let what go?¡±


    ¡°That man named Song Woo-Moon. He¡¯s so cocky! He dares to act like that just because he¡¯s gained some fame these days! And he¡¯s not even from the Baek Family! To think that some filth from whatever Song family dares to act like that...¡±


    The rumors about Woo-Moon¡ªthat he had defeated Baek Heon-Won, faced the Three Peak Monsters alone, and won against Baek Hye-Ryeong¡ªhad already spread throughout the world. Thus, even Baekri Yeong-Woon and Baekri Hye-Min had heard about his deeds.


    However, their doubts were reasonable. After all, objectively speaking, those deeds were so absurd that they were difficult to believe. Someone of the same age had defeated Baek Hye-Ryeong of all people, the strongest member of the Iron Sword Baek Family apart from the Palm Martial Emperor himself? As if!


    ¡°Well, if he¡¯s earned a fake reputation, all we have to do is test it. I have something in mind.¡±


    ¡°Really? What is it, Orabeoni? Tell me.¡±


    ¡°Just wait a while. ¡°You¡¯ll find out naturally.¡±


    ***


    While the young men were taking turns washing in the inn¡¯s washrooms, thedies of the Distinguished Swords arrived. They had arrived wearing new clothes¡ªas it turned out, they had purchased the clothes by selling the jewelry they had on them.


    They entered the inn with refreshed expressions, but their faces hardened immediately after hearing what had happened to the others. While they were angry with the people of the Baekri Family, who had dared to disrespect the Baek Family and Woo-Moon, they also felt a little resentful toward Woo-Moon for giving away all of their money and making them suffer such humiliation.


    Thus, after finishing their meals with a slightly darker mood than their usual bustle, they each went to their respective rooms.


    Not long after, however, Woo-Moon was disturbed by someone knocking on his door. The Baekri Family was calling for him to discuss something important.


    ¡°What do they want now? Mmm... Well, whatever. Ma-Ra!¡±


    Ma-Ra suddenly appeared. She had been next to Woo-Moon all this time, yet not a single member of either the Baekri or Namgoong Families had noticed her presence. It was testament to how advanced her stealth arts were.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°When I go down,e with me out in the open, okay?¡±


    1. The word ¡°precious¡± here is actually ?? (¶ØºV) and means cordial rtions, holding the other in high esteem, etc. However, it¡¯s a homonym for ?? (?¶¾), which is a Middle Korean + Sino-Korean hybrid word that means ¡°money grubber.¡± ?


    2. Formal version of Oppa. ?

 Chapter 94. The Entire World Is My Home (15)

    <h4>Chapter 94. The Entire World Is My Home (15)</h4>


    ¡°Okay,¡± Ma-Ra replied.


    She was still wearing the gown that Jin-Jin had given her earlier. Even though she had been wearing the same clothes for such a long time, she still looked just as pristine and beautiful as before. She was not the least bit dirty, worn, or unkempt.


    Moreover, Woo-Moon now noticed that she was giving off a very slight scent¡ªunique and pleasant.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ma-Ra.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Woo-Moon headed to the flower garden behind the inn where the Baekri Family wanted to meet along with Ma-Ra and Eun-Ah. The Distinguished Swords swiftly followed behind as well.


    <i>¡®Ah!¡¯</i>


    Although they couldn¡¯t say anything out loud, the Baekri Family''s talents were greatly impressed by Ma-Ra¡¯s beauty. Baekri Yeong-Woon wasn¡¯t an exception, either.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s incredible. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen someone so beautiful.¡¯</i>


    To their immediate dismay, they saw that Ma-Ra was standing close to Woo-Moon.


    The look in Baekri Yeong-Woon¡¯s eyes became a little harsher than before. At that moment, something suddenly jumped out from Baekri Hye-Min¡¯s arms and began barking wildly at Woo-Moon.


    <i>Bark, bark, bark, bark!</i>


    It was a small fox.


    ¡°What is it, Jeok-Ho? Come back here quickly.¡±


    However, no matter how much she called, the small fox refused to return to Baekri Hye-Min¡¯s arms. Moreover, as the fox continued to bark at Woo-Moon, Eun-Ah eventually leaped out of Woo-Moon¡¯s arms and bared her own small fangs at the fox.


    ¡°<i>Growl!!</i>¡±


    It seemed as though Jeok-Ho was aware that Eun-Ah was there and acted with such hostility due to her presence. Seeing the two beasts confront one another, Baekri Hye-Min stopped herself from interfering.


    <i>¡®Is that tiny white tiger his pet? Hmpf! How can an unkempt peasant like him have something like that?¡¯</i>


    Seeing that Eun-Ah was much cuter than Jeok-Ho was even more irritating.


    <i>¡®Jeok-Ho, take a bite out of that obnoxious brat!¡¯</i>


    The moment the thought reached Baekri Hye-Min¡¯s mind, Jeok-Ho rushed toward Eun-Ah, fangs glinting.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    <i>Yiiiip!</i>


    Eun-Ah had been watching Jeok-Ho prance about. Seeing the fox rushing at her, she swung her front paw, striking it right in the snout and causing it to fly backward with a scream.


    Eun-Ah raised her head high and cried long and proudly, ¡°<i>Kyaaaa</i>!!!!¡±


    Jeok-Ho was a rare beast, and it would have prevailed over any other normal animal its size. Unfortunately, Eun-Ah just barely crossed the border into spiritual beast territory, so it was simply on a higher level of existence. As they were both cubs, this was an easy win.


    ¡°Jeok-Ho!¡±


    Baekri Hye-Min quickly ran over and hugged her pet while ring at Eun-Ah and Woo-Moon. Woo-Moon just calmly shrugged his shoulders, as if there was nothing he could possibly do. He then picked up Eun-Ah, who was still posing proudly, rejoicing in her victory, and ced her on his shoulder.


    ¡°Well, then. So, what did you call us over for?¡± Namgoong Sung asked Baekri Yeong-Woon, trying to move on from the ridiculous scene they had just witnessed.


    ¡°Ah! Well, I had something I wanted to suggest.¡±


    ¡°And what could that be?¡±


    Baekri Yeong-Woon began his exnation slowly.


    ¡°There will be many younger-generation talents from the Nine Sects and One Gang[1], as well as the other five Great Ancient Families gathered at the Justice Coalition. Among those talents, there will most likely be some who have a simr bond to that of our Three Great Sword Families. Thus, I want to propose that we further strengthen our bond here and now. I am hoping that we can formally ally with each other and elect a single representative.¡±


    In all fairness, the Three Great Sword Families had such great solidarity and camaraderie that even if they hadn¡¯t formed their own separate alliance force, like the Nine Sects and One Gang and the other Great Ancient Families, many of those in the <i>gangho</i> already considered them one cohesive force.


    Thus, Baekri Yeong-Woon wanted to capitalize on that and elect a representative for their forces as a whole.


    The Distinguished Swords started whispering among themselves and to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°This is good. Tell them we agree, Uncle.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s going to push for the representative to be selected through a spar. If that¡¯s the case...<i>hehe</i>...¡±


    Woo-Moon nodded slightly, knowing they still harbored a grudge against the Baekri Family. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t opposed to the idea in the first ce.


    <i>¡®It would be nice to be able to bash that brat¡¯s nose in and see the famous Dual-Wielding Swift Sword of the Baekri Family while I¡¯m at it.¡¯</i>


    Namgoong Sung rubbed his chin and mused before answering.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea. It would unify our position in the Coalition and strengthen our right to speak. But how do you n on electing the representative? Don¡¯t tell me, it must be a spar, right?¡±


    Baekri Yeong-Woon nodded.


    ¡°Yes. I believe that would be best. How does the Iron Sword Baek Family feel about this, Young Hero Song?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine with it too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how excellent. I had an idea about how we would organize the spars, too. Would it be alright if I exined it?¡±


    Namgoong Sung and Woo-Moon nodded at the same time.


    ¡°Please, continue.¡±


    ¡°Do whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°How excellent, gentlemen. Well, I was thinking that we would first draw lots, and the winning family would gain a bye. The two remaining families would then send out their second-best talent and spar, after which the winning family and the family with the bye would send their strongest representatives to spar. Then, the final winner would be the Alliance Representative.¡±


    Taken at face value, it seemed like a perfectly reasonable way for the three families topete. However, the problem was that the Baek Family was missing its three strongest talents: Heon-Won, Do-Gun, and Ye-Ye.


    It would be fine if Woo-Moon were lucky enough to get the bye straight away. However, if he didn¡¯t, and the Baek Family was forced topete in the first spar...


    It would be difficult for Jeong-Woo, who was the second strongest in this group, to beat the second strongest from either of the other families.


    As Woo-Moon started to be concerned, Namgoong Sung immediately relieved his worries.


    ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t have to do that. The Namgoong Family ns to abstain. The representatives of the Baek and Baekri Families can spar and select the Alliance Representative amongst yourselves,¡± he said. Moreover, as if they had alreadymunicated their decisions through voice transmissions, there wasn¡¯t a single protest from the other Namgoong Family members, either.


    Rather, it was the Baek and Baekri Families that were surprised.


    The seat of Alliance Representative wasn¡¯t an issue that could be given up on so easily. It wasn¡¯t just an individual¡¯s honor that was at stake, but the entire family¡¯s.


    Of course, Jeong-Woo soon realized why the Namgoong Family had nevertheless abstained.


    <i>¡®It makes sense. Rather than fighting with Uncle Woo-Moon and getting beaten, it might actually be less harmful to their family¡¯s honor to just abstain from the get-go. Namgoong Sung knows how strong Uncle is and he¡¯s not an idiot.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Are you certain you want to abstain?¡± Baekri Yeong-Woon asked, rather confused.


    However, Namgoong Sung just nodded with a calm expression.


    ¡°How excellent. Then, since we have to leave tomorrow, I feel as though it would be a good idea to hold the spar here and now. What do you think, Young Hero <i>Song</i> of the Iron Sword <i>Baek</i> Family?¡±


    Baekri Yeong-Woon deliberately ced emphasis on the <i>Baek</i> in the Iron Sword Baek Family and the <i>Song </i>in Song Woo-Moon. There was no mistake about what he was doing¡ªhe was ridiculing Woo-Moon on the fact that hisst name was different.


    <i>¡®Y-you bastard!¡¯</i>


    The talents of the Baek Family immediately became angry, with even Baek Ryeong being no exception.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s start immediately.¡±


    There was a fairlyrge open space next to the flower garden of the inn, more than sufficient to serve as a sparring ground.


    The Baekri Family members stepped back with confident grins, making room. On the other hand, the Namgoong Family had nk expressions. The Baek Family¡¯s faces were filled with both rage and confidence no less than that of the Baekri Family.


    Baekri Yeong-Woon walked toward the center of the simple sparring ground with swords hung on either side of his waist.


    ¡°Although I¡¯m toocking to be called the Baekri Family Representative, I¡¯ll humbly take the lead today. Who will be stepping forward from the Iron Sword Baek Family?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes focused on Woo-Moon.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After casually remarking to Ma-Ra, Woo-Moon stepped forward.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be representing the Iron Sword Baek Family.¡±


    <i>Shing!</i>


    The two men simultaneously drew their swords. Woo-Moon held the sword he had forged himself, while Baekri Yeong-Woon wielded twin swords.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s try to use the Transcendent sh Sword to defeat him.¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon was making up his mind, Baekri Yeong-Woon rushed forward using the Baekri Family¡¯s foundational movement technique, the Snow Lotus Hidden Lake Steps. One of Baekri Yeong-Woon¡¯s swords slowly drew a gentle curve through the air before suddenly cleaving down savagely, a faint illusion of the moon appearing behind it.


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t have many expectations, as it was his first time fighting someone who used a swift sword technique. However, he was still quite surprised by the actual speed of the Baekri Family¡¯s swift sword technique, which was said to be the strongest swift sword in <i>gangho.</i>


    <i>¡®That¡¯s really fast!¡¯</i>


    Red mes erupted from Woo-Moon¡¯s sword as he used the Divine Phantasm Steps, taking a half-step back to avoid Baekri Yeong-Woon¡¯s attack. However, although its name suggested that, Baekri Yeong-Woon¡¯s sword wasn¡¯t just fast.


    As soon as his left-hand sword cleaved the air, Baekri Yeong-Woon¡¯s right-hand sword swiftly followed. And when it shed downward, the illusion of a bright sun appeared!


    It was the Sun-Moon Rending Divine Sword, the representative sword technique of the Baekri Family, said to be able to split the heavens!


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s clothes were ever-so-slightly cut. To his surprise, he was unable to properly respond to this kind of dual-wielding attack that he was experiencing for the first time in his life.


    He continued to retreat as Baekri Yeong-Woon used both swords to unleash a series of rapid sword strikes without stopping. Actually, Baekri Yeong-Woon was attacking so quickly that none of the observers could properly see his sword move, except for the few among the Baekri Family who had mastered the swift sword techniques to a decent level themselves.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no way!¡¯</i> Jeong-Woo thought as his palms sweated profusely.


    At first, he had watched the spar without much concern, thinking that no one among the younger generation talents could match Woo-Moon. However, he began to grow quite worried as Woo-Moon seemed to be getting cornered by the Baekri Family¡¯s swift sword.


    Woo-Moon continued to step backward until his back hit a tree nted at the end of the inn¡¯s yard.


    Baekri Yeong-Woon¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw this.


    It seemed that the testing strikes he had been using until now had fulfilled their role. With that, he suddenly used an even faster and more powerful sword strike than before.


    <i>¡®This is the end!¡¯</i>


    However, his attack ended up only cutting through the air.


    ¡°Heup!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s Divine Phantasm Steps suddenly became even faster and even more like a mirage. Baekri Yeong-Woon was left momentarily stunned, unable to properly detect Woo-Moon¡¯s figure.


    <i>¡®W-What the hell is this footwork technique? Wait, that¡¯s not possible¡ªthe Kunlun Sect¡¯s Divine Phantasm...?!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon appeared to the right of Baekri Yeong-Woon, and North Wind quickly appeared!


    <i>Woosh!!!</i>


    North Wind was as fast as ever. No, it actually was even faster than before!


    Woo-Moon actually had an epiphany while watching the Baekri Family¡¯s swift sword unfold in the midst of the spar, and in that brief moment before attacking, he had merged those new thoughts into his North Wind.


    <i>¡®W-what the hell is this sudden swift sword technique?¡¯</i>


    Baekri Yeong-Woon couldn¡¯t help but gape as he watched North Wind descend over him. He just couldn¡¯t believe that someone outside the Baekri Family could use a swift sword technique this incredible.


    The highlight of the Baekri Family¡¯s swift sword technique was its speed and ease of chaining attacks using dual swords. However, Woo-Moon¡¯s North Wind was not only just as fast, but above all, obscure and silent.


    Still confused, Baekri Yeong-Woong quickly dodged backward to avoid Woo-Moon¡¯s attack. However, Woo-Moon immediately caught up using the Divine Phantasm Steps. This time, he followed up with Raging Wind.


    <i>¡®What? Another swift sword technique?!¡¯</i>


    While North Wind was fast yet mysterious and silent, Raging Wind contained infinite transformations, impossible for anyone to predict.


    Woo-Moon had a habit of deliberately pretending to be suppressed whenever he met a strong martial artist or a technique that he had never seen before, using his opponent¡¯s overconfidence to examine as much of their technique as possible. That was the only reason why the spar had progressed to this point.


    <i>¡®Oh crap, I forgot I wanted to use the Transcendent sh Sword!¡¯</i>


    He had been so excited by the excellence of the Sun-Moon Rending Divine Sword technique that he had ended up using the Gentle Celestial Sword in response without even realizing it.


    Woo-Moon paused his barrage for a split second before switching to the Transcendent sh Sword.


    The Transcendent sh Sword was an exceedingly well-bnced sword art. It equally focused on speed, power, and hidden changes.


    As Woo-Moon¡¯s sword drew an arc, the mes attached to his sword continued in a long trail, creating a fantastic sight. The color of the me was red at first before shifting to orange, then yellow, and then gradually into a peerless white. As the color of the mes shifted, the heat radiating from Woo-Moon¡¯s de intensified more and more.


    Although it was slightlycking whenpared to the Gentle Celestial Sword, the Transcendent sh Sword was still an incredible sword art.


    Thus, Baekri Yeong-Woon found himself gradually getting pushed further and further back. Although he used all of his qi to push his Dual-Wielding Swift Sword to a level even faster than before and unceasingly chain his attacks, Woo-Moon blocked each and every one of his blows with incredible concentration.


    It was as if the underdog was somehow making an incredibleeback.


    1. A reminder that the Nine Sects and One Gang are one ¡°organization,¡± so to say. Among the Nine Sects are the Mount Hua Sect where Woo-Gang is, as well as the Kunlun Sect, while the One Gang is the Beggars¡¯ Gang. ?

 Chapter 95. The Entire World is My Home (16)

    <h4>Chapter 95. The Entire World is My Home (16)</h4>


    <i>¡®Damn it!¡¯</i>


    As the best younger-generation talent of the Baerkri Family, Baekri Yeong-Woon had always looked down on others. Thus, he could neither understand nor ept what was happening. Still, that didn¡¯t mean he could deny the reality of the situation before him, and that was driving him crazy.


    Not only were his attacks stifled, but just blocking his opponent¡¯s attacks made sweat run down his spine. The heating off Woo-Moon¡¯s sword made it difficult for him to breathe, and he would be burned and left in searing pain even if he dodged Woo-Moon¡¯s attacks.


    Eventually, the edge of Woo-Moon¡¯s sword touched Baekri Yeong-Woon¡¯s neck.


    ¡°It seems like I¡¯ve won.¡±


    Baekri Yeong-Woon¡¯s face turned red. He red at Woo-Moon for a moment before closing his eyes tightly, stepping back, and cupping his fist.


    ¡°I admit that your martial skills are far superior to mine. However, it¡¯s not because the Baekri Family¡¯s swordsmanship iscking, but rather that I myself am not good enough.¡±


    Baekri Yeong-Woon wasn¡¯t at all servile as he admitted defeat. Moreover, Woo-Moon could appreciate that he protected his family''s honor while doing so as well.


    Baekri Hye-Min couldn¡¯t believe her eyes as Woo-Moon, whom she had initially written off as a pushover, had defeated the best of the Baekri Family without so much as a scratch.


    ¡°How could this be...¡±


    Then, the youngest Distinguished Sword, Baek Ryeong,ughed loudly as if she herself had been the one to win. ¡°Well then! So the alliance representative of the Three Great Sword Families is our uncle, right? From now on, everyone must listen to him!¡±


    Although the Namgoong Family epted everything with a calm expression, the Baekri Family had expressions of disapproval while biting their lips and clenching their fists.


    ¡°I-I refuse to acknowledge you!¡± Baekri Hye-Min shouted before turning around and entering her room with a huff.


    Sadly for her, whether she admitted it or not, Woo-Moon had been elected as the representative through fair and squarebat, and there was nothing she could do about it.


    The following day, Woo-Moon led his party, which had now increased to about thirty people, and headed toward the Justice Coalition. Of course, this time, the Ten Distinguished Swords were able to travel much morefortably, having escaped their miserable fate of having to camp in the wilderness or hunt for survival.


    Although camping under the stars and hunting for their meals was charming and enjoyable in their own way, it was still somewhat difficult for them to live in that manner for too long.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Sang-Woon had been chasing <i>that group</i> after leaving the Baek Family.<i> That group</i> was formed from many smaller secret factions that were willing toy down their lives to maintain secrecy, so it had been a truly annoying task.


    He had finally obtained some meaningful information regarding their identities for the first time, information which had led him to the front gates of the Great Peng Gang, a small gang located within the Gansu Province.


    He pushed open the gate and entered.


    ¡°Who are you?! What the hell are those bastards guarding the gate doing?¡±


    Hearing a gangster shout from inside the gang hideout, Sang-Woon responded with a grin.


    ¡°Who knows? They¡¯re probably in a very deep sleep right now.¡±


    The gangster vehemently blew a whistle, and the other grunts of the Great Peng Gang came rushing out from all directions.


    ¡°Enemy!¡±


    Despite the fact that Sang-Woon was about to be surrounded, he continued to stroll around leisurely with his hands sped behind his back. He waited until the entire gang had emerged.


    ¡°Just who the hell are you? How dare you start trouble at our Great Peng Gang?!¡±


    After hearing his shout, Sang-Woon looked directly at the Gang Boss, Yoo Geon-Mu.


    ¡°What rank are you?¡±


    ¡°What? What the hell are you saying?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your rank in Martial Heaven?¡±


    Sang-Woon didn¡¯t miss the slight change inplexion on the faces of the Gang Boss and some of his subordinates. All of his suspicions were confirmed at that moment.


    ¡°The fuck are you talking about? Who¡¯s Marshall Heathen?[1] And what the hell are you all doing? Hurry up and break that asshole¡¯s knees!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Sang-Woon chuckled as he watched the gangsters rush him.


    ¡°Did you really understand, though?¡±


    He stretched a palm forward, almost as if he were admiring the back of his own hand. However, an incredibly terrifying force erupted from that slight movement, mming into the entire gang and sending them flying.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    The gangsters collided with the wall and either vomited blood or fainted on the spot. Although none of them died, every single one of them was seriously injured and left unable to move.


    Sang-Woon had just neutralized over a hundred people with a single move.


    He continued to stand with hands leisurely sped behind his back.


    ¡°There are some among you with a very particr type of qi. I won¡¯t kill anyone other than those bastards.¡±


    Terrified by Sang-Woon¡¯s incredible power, the few gangsters that still remained standing were shivering and had lost any will to continue fighting.


    <i>¡®Damn it! That bastard must be the Palm Martial Emperor. Why did he have toe here?¡¯</i>


    The Great Peng Gang Boss Yu Geon-Mu was nothing but a run-of-the-mill warrior of Martial Heaven. He grit his teeth, then looked at the other members of Martial Heaven that apanied him and nodded his head.


    <i>¡®We won¡¯t be able to run, anyway. Let¡¯s join forces for now!¡¯</i>


    <i>Bang!</i>


    A terrifying qi exploded from the weapons of Yu Geon-Mu and five of his acolytes at the same time. The other gangsters were shocked to the point of disbelief, never having dreamt that among them could have been such experts. They had always thought that their boss would have been First-ss at most. However, right at this moment, each of these six was exuding the aura of a Transcendent master!


    The six Martial Heaven members rushed Sang-Woon with a loud roar.


    <i>¡®We can win! Not even the Palm Martial Emperor can defeat the six of us at the same time!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Did you really think you stood a chance?¡±


    Sang-Woon snorted. He struck the air in front of him three times in session with both palms, coated in a terrifying qi. With each strike, the aura left in the air ovepped.


    <i>Crack!!</i>


    A strange, indecipherable sound seemed to upy the entire atmosphere for a moment before the umted qi exploded out with an ear-bursting roar.


    <i>BOOOOOOOOOM!!!</i>


    ¡°AGH!!!¡±


    Screams filled the air, and when the dust settled, Yu Geon-Mu found himself standing alone, missing an arm.


    ¡°It seems you really have no idea why the Absolute level is called Absolute,¡± Sang-Woon nonchntly said as he approached the kneeling gang boss.


    Suddenly, he raised a palm and fired a palm wind that spread in all directions.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The ground near the Great Peng Gang¡¯s entrance exploded and ruptured into pieces as bright red blood and scraps of ck cloth burst into the air.


    ¡°You freaking assassin rats!¡±


    Sang-Woon had been forced to draw back his Absolute Qi and respond to the assassins, qi that he had been using to prevent Yu Geon-Mu frommitting suicide.


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    Yu Geon-Mu took the split second Sang-Woon had lost control over him and bit down on a poison pill, dying immediately and leaving Sang-Woon furious that another one of his leads had been cut.


    ¡°You damned bastards! Fine, fine. I¡¯ll kill the rest of you, too. If I shred all of you to bits, maybe I¡¯ll find something among those bits!¡±


    Two palm spheres appeared as Sang-Woon pped the air again, flying away so quickly they left streaks in the air.


    <i>BOOOM!</i>


    Although the assassins around him had far superior assassination and stealth skills to any assassin group known to the <i>gangho,</i> Sang-Woon had still easily detected their presence. He easily killed all of them as he freely manipted the spheres in the air.


    He stepped into the air, floating. Under his feet, the two palm spheres spun in arge circle, leaving behind a continuous trail of blood.


    The battle between the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon and Martial Heaven had officially begun.


    ***


    ¡°I can see something over there!¡± someone shouted.


    The group looked over and saw the magnificent estate of the Justice Coalition in the distance. Its regal structure gave off the impression of a fortress.


    ¡°Oh, wow!¡±


    The Justice Coalition.


    It was an alliance formed fifty years ago during the Heavenly Demon Rebellion, by the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Eight Great Ancient Families. Their purpose was to join forces to fight against the terrifying power of the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    Although its influence gradually fell after fulfilling its sole purpose of defeating the Heavenly Demon Cult, it still remained standing afterward¡ªthe heart of the Righteous Faction¡¯s forces in the <i>murim</i>.


    ¡°Hyung!¡±


    Hearing a friendly voice, Woo-Moon looked up, only to see Woo-Gang waving at him from a distance.


    ¡°Woo-Gang!¡±


    The two had really missed each other, and they didn¡¯t want to waste another second. They went as far as to use their movement techniques to approach each other with open arms, colliding in a great hug.


    ¡°My adorable little brother, have you been doing well?¡±


    ¡°Of course, hyung! I¡¯m doing fine, as always. How are you, though? I heard you¡¯ve done some incredible things. Mother and father are fine, right?¡±


    By now, Woo-Gang had naturally heard the news about what had happened in the Baek Family.


    Woo-Moon smiled brightly.


    ¡°Of course! We¡¯re all doing fine; you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    If Woo-Moon were to be honest, it would be difficult to call the injuries he and the others had suffered back then ¡°fine.¡± However, he didn¡¯t think it was worth it to shock and worry his brother over something that had already been settled.


    ¡°That¡¯s such a relief. I was really worried,¡± Woo-Gang said, his hand on his chest. The Mount Hua Sect had sent him to the Justice Coalition, where he had been assigned to the Fire Sword Squadron, one of the Five Swords of Heavenly Justice. It was only after the assignment that he heard the news.


    Moreover, Woo-Gang only knew the gist of the situation, and he was naturally worried that something might have happened to his family.


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon was startled as he sensed a fierce gaze. He looked in the direction it came from to see Hyeon Yu-Yeon ring at him from behind Woo-Gang. The moment their eyes met, she turned her head in a huff.


    <i>¡®What the hell is up with her?¡¯</i>


    To Woo-Moon, Hyeon Yu-Yeon was still just as absurd as before.


    Woo-Gang heard the gist of what had happened between the two from Hyeon Yu-Yeon. He smiled bitterly as he watched the two bicker.


    Hyeon Yu-Yeon was a self-centered person who had a strong tendency to interpret anything anyone ever did in a self-important way. Thus, she continued to misunderstand Woo-Moon¡¯s actions and refused to believe otherwise, no matter how much Woo-Gang denied it.


    <i>Well, let¡¯s just clear up the misunderstanding now, then.¡¯</i>


    Ever since the day that his dao partner, Bi Yeo-Jung, had begun to ignore him coldly, the only person that Woo-Gang was able to talk to without any reservation in the entire Mount Hua Sect was Hyeon Yu-Yeon. For that reason, it didn¡¯t feel good at all for Woo-Gang to watch his older brother and Hyeon Yu-Yeon bicker.


    Just then, the others walked up and greeted Woo-Gang as well.


    ¡°Woo-Gang Uncle! I hope you¡¯re doing well,¡± said the Ten Distinguished Swords. For some strange reason, they all had mischievous looks on their faces.


    Woo-Gang answered with a slightly awkward smile, ¡°Oh, I-I hope you¡¯re doing well, too.¡±


    Counting all of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Eight Great Ancient Families, there were a total of eighteen forces.


    On the Baek Family side, considering all four of their martial forces, they had about sixteen hundred warriors. There were some differences here and there, but for the most part, the other Seven Great Ancient Families¡¯ forces were about the same.


    On the other hand, the Nine Sects were inherently different from the Ancient Families. They focused on quality rather than numbers.[2] For example, the smallest of the sects, the Kunlun Sect, only had about five hundred people.


    On thepletely opposite end of the spectrum, the One Gang¡ªthe Beggar¡¯s Gang¡ªhad a nearly unfathomable number of members, as the gang had been established by the beggars of the continent. Although the exact number of members wasn¡¯t even known by their elders or even the leader of the gang, it was fair to assume it was somewhere in the tens of thousands.


    Still, even though thebined forces of the Righteous Faction, the Justice Coalition, had an incrediblyrge number of members, there were rather few outstanding younger generation talents.


    Woo-Gang was known as one of the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms and was proudly counted as one of the best talents of the Mount Hua Sect. Thus, considering how few younger generation talents there were, he was bound to be acquainted with the Ten Distinguished Swords, who were simrly the best talents of the Baek Family.


    Of course, in the past, they had only met as the respective talents of the Mount Hua Sect and the Iron Sword Baek Family. However, now, they were greeting each other as an uncle and his nieces and nephews. Just like Woo-Moon had been, it was only natural for Woo-Gang to feel flustered and awkward when greeting them with this dynamic.


    Woo-Moon watched his brother squirm with a grin


    A few momentster, a young schr approached with three servants.


    ¡°You all must be from the Three Great Sword Families.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°For now, please write your names here.¡±


    Woo-Moon put down his name first, followed by Baekri Yeong-Woon and Namgoong Sung.


    ¡°These three will guide you to your rooms.¡±


    ¡°Have a good rest, hyungnim!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see youter then!¡±


    Baekri Yeong-Woon and Namgoong Sung, who had already shifted to calling WooMoon ¡°hyungnim,¡± said their farewells and followed their respective servants with their family members.


    Woo-Moon also turned to follow his assigned servant with the Distinguished Swords to their lodgings.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now, too, hyung. I have some things I have to handle so I¡¯ll see youter.¡±


    Woo-Gang tried to hide it, but Woo-Moon didn¡¯t miss the slightly dark expression on his brother¡¯s face.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯</i>


    Then, something Woo-Gang had told him a while ago came to mind. Although his expression stiffened for a moment, Woo-Moon tried to y it off and act calm.


    ¡°Okay,e find meter.¡±


    ¡°I will. I¡¯ll see youter, hyung.¡±


    Hyeon Yu-Yeon red at Woo-Moon once more before following Woo-Gang.


    Woo-Moon and the others were led to a pavilion named the Jade Pavilion. With a total of five rooms, it was enough for Woo-Moon and the others to stayfortably.


    Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t been able to sleep properly for a while, so he had a strong desire to fall into a blissful sleep as soon as possible. He returned to his room as soon as he finished dinner andy down on his bed.


    While he had reached a level where he could sleep less than an hour a day without being tired, he couldn¡¯t help but want to sleep whenever he could as he loved sleeping in the first ce. Thus, he was unconscious before his head even hit the pillow.


    Ma-Ra just stared at Woo-Moon for a while. The two were in thergest room of the Jade Pavillion, which, to Woo-Moon¡¯s relief, had two beds. Shey down on the other bed and tried to get some sleep as well.


    ¡°<i>Mew.</i>¡±


    After ncing back and forth for a moment, Eun-Ah eventually climbed into Woo-Moon¡¯s bed, curled herself up on his stomach, and fell asleep. Her body rocked up and down as Woo-Moon breathed slowly. The rocking motion was cozy andfortable, quickly lulling Eun-Ah into a deep sleep.


    ***


    ¡°Whew...¡±


    Woo-Moon put away his sword and took a deep breath.


    Probably because he had fallen asleep too early, he had woken up before dawn. Since he was up anyway, he had left the room to find afortable ce in the mountains near the Justice Coalition to practice his swordsmanship.


    <i>¡®The Transcendent sh Sword is good and all, but in the end, I still prefer the Gentle Celestial Sword. Let¡¯s just focus on the Gentle Celestial Sword again. Oh, that¡¯s right. I should teach Woo-Gang the Transcendent sh Sword, too.¡¯</i>


    With that in mind, Woo-Moon descended down the mountain and walked back toward the Justice Coalition.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    As soon as Woo-Moon entered an alley, he saw some acquaintances of his.


    They were the girls who had previously stayed at the Deungpyeong Inn¡ªthe disciples of the North Sea Ice Pce. They were together with four young men he had never met before.


    1. The original here says something about radishes because the words for ¡°martial heaven¡± can also be interpreted as ¡°thousand radishes¡± if you don¡¯t speak with subtitles. ?


    2. Remember, the sects work with the ces they reside in and only take in members they want as full-time members, while the Ancient Families essentially run their domains on their own. Thus, most of a family¡¯s ¡°members¡± are external guards, and only their elite blood-rted members can bepared to sect disciples. ?

 Chapter 96. The Entire World is My Home (17)

    <h4>Chapter 96. The Entire World is My Home (17)</h4>


    Both parties were momentarily shocked at running into the most random of acquaintances in the most unexpected of ces. While the others from the North Sea Ice Pce were shocked, Ha Yeo-Seoll had a slightly different expression, smiling without even realizing it herself.


    The eldest among the North Sea Ice Pce, Jeong Gyeong, pointed a finger at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you that arrogant waiter from back then?! How the hell is someone like you here?¡±


    Just as she said that, Jeong Gyeong suddenly realized that she had gotten angry due to her unpleasant memory of that inn. She hurriedly tried to suppress her emotions, as Yu Cho, the first of the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms, stood directly beside her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your waiter anymore, so why are you speaking down to me right now?


    Jeong Gyeong wanted to yell at Woo-Moon again after his response. She truly had a horrible personality. However, she still forced herself to stay calm.


    ¡°And who might this be, Lady Jeong?¡± Yu Cho interjected as he looked up and down at Woo-Moon as if he were inspecting a dog. Seeing the look in his eyes, Woo-Moon grew even more irritated.


    ¡°Ah, yes...He¡¯s some extremely rude waiter from an inn I stayed at before. I have no idea how he found himself here.¡±


    Yu Cho smiled softly at her exnation.


    ¡°Some customer at his inn must have ordered him to run an errand. Let¡¯s not keep him from his work and just go on our way.¡±


    Although what he said wasn¡¯t funny in any way, other than Ha Yeo-Seol, the North Sea Ice Pce disciples all exaggeratedly burst intoughter.


    <i>¡®Ha ha ha, well aren¡¯t you damn funny,¡¯</i> Woo-Moon grumbled to himself.


    While Yu Cho, Jeong Gyeong, and the others passed him, ignoring him, Ha Yeo-Seol stopped and greeted him with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s surprising to see you here, Mr. Attendant. It¡¯s so good to see you again! You¡¯ve been well, I hope?¡±


    She feared that her disciple-sisters would lecture herter for talking to him. However, she just couldn¡¯t ignore Woo-Moon, who had been good to her.


    Her obviously kind intentions brought a smile to Woo-Moon¡¯s face.


    ¡°Well, a lot of things have happened in the meantime, but for now, I¡¯m doing very well. You¡¯re just as beautiful as ever, Lady Ha.¡±


    ¡°Oh my~!¡±


    Ha Yeo-Seol was unable to hold back her surprise at his words. She blushed, and her smile grew even more endearing.


    Jeong Gyeong and Yu Cho seethed inside as they saw the two converse.


    Jeong Gyeong was infuriated that Ha Yeo-Seol would have a friendly conversation with a random piece of trash that she had obviously expressed her dislike of. Moreover, as their conversation continued and Ha Yeo-Seol smiled, her appearance was so beautiful and exquisite that even as a woman herself, Jeong Gyeong couldn¡¯t help but be jealous.


    On the other hand, Yu Cho grew furious when seeing Ha Yeo-Seol, whom he secretly liked, smiling in a manner he had never seen before while talking to some unknown <i>waiter</i>. She had even gone so far as to blush because of him!


    <i>¡®You peasant bastard, you dare...!¡¯</i>


    About a year had passed since Woo-Moon and Ha Yeo-Seol had first met. Everyone who was gathered here would fall in shock if they were to hear about everything that this ¡°waiter¡± had gone through in that time. Of course, Yu Cho had no way of knowing that.


    Ha Yeo-Seol¡¯s particrly deep double eyelids curved into a unique and ttering smile.


    ¡°I would like to hear about your travels some more, but unfortunately, we¡¯re a little busy right now. I hope to be able to see you again soon, Mr. Attendant.¡±


    ¡°Please, call me Song Woo-Moon. Last time, you said you were on the road. Where are youing from this time, Lady Ha?¡±


    ¡°Ah! So your name was Song Woo-Moon. My name is Ha Yeo-Seol, and I am a disciple of the North Sea Ice Pce in the North Sea.¡±


    The North Sea Ice Pce.


    It was a force that even Woo-Moon had heard of. The North Sea Ice Pce was known as one of the four strongest forces in the world, and it was famous for cultivating cial Yin Qi through its cial Arts.


    Jeong Gyeong just couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and had to intervene. Naturally, she didn¡¯t miss the opportunity to throw a jab at her junior sister.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt such a sweet conversation between star-crossed lovers meeting after so long, but we¡¯re a little busy, Yeo-Seol. I get that you like that insignificant waiter, but do you mind not wasting our time anymore?¡±


    ¡°Sen-senior sister! What do you mean...!¡±


    Ha Yeo-Seol blushed even more, making the jealousy in Yu Cho¡¯s heart grow even further. What was more infuriating to him than anything else was her attitude.


    <i>¡®Are you saying that I¡¯m not as good as that bastard waiter?¡¯</i>


    Yu Cho also joined in with a slightly offended expression.


    ¡°We should go now,dies. We¡¯ve spent too much time on some servant trash.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course.¡±


    The disciples of the North Sea Ice Pce had been visiting the Justice Coalition for some time and were now on their way back to the North Sea. Yu Cho, the captain of the Gold Sword Squadron, had been tasked with the other members of the Gold Sword Squadron to see them off a certain distance.


    Ha Yeo-Seol had to walk away, since that was the order of her senior sister. A minuteter, however, she stopped and took a moment to look back.


    Seeing Woo-Moon waving a hand high above his head as if to bid her farewell, Ha Yeo-Seol nodded in response ever so slightly with a faint smile on her lips.


    ¡°Well, should I go back, too?¡± Woo-Moon muttered with a little regret.


    However, his eyes suddenly glowed fiercely as he watched the North Sea Ice Pce disciples leave.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    Woo-Moon could see shadows moving so quickly behind the disciples of the North Sea Ice Pce and the Gold Sword Squadron members that even <i>he</i> couldn¡¯t see it in detail.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what sort of bastards are trailing them, but there¡¯s no way they¡¯re doing it for a good reason.¡±


    Woo-Moon wouldn¡¯t have paid it any attention if Ha Yeo-Seol hadn¡¯t been with their group. However, because he was worried about her, he followed them, making sure to keep himself hidden.


    ***


    As Ha Yeo-Seol and the others left the outskirts of Shijiazhuang and emerged on the main road, the shadows finally emerged.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s this? Who are you?!¡±


    As it turned out, the shadows were a small group of men. That was one thing, but strangely enough, all of them only had one eye.


    Immediately after, the Gold Sword Squadron sensed another presence. Quickly turning around, they could see another group of one-eyed men appearing out of nowhere and blocking their way.


    Yu Cho drew his sword.


    ¡°You bastards dare to block us this close to the Justice Coalition?! Who do you think you are?¡±


    However, their enemies didn¡¯t seem to want to respond.


    ¡°Kill them.¡±


    With a softmand, the one-eyed men in front and behind them rushed the group simultaneously.


    Yu Cho shed with the one who had given the order. As their swords met, he realized that getting out of this wasn¡¯t going to be as easy as he had thought. He could feel that the person in front of him was just as experienced in battle as he was from how he handled his de.


    <i>¡®Whatever, I¡¯m still stronger!¡¯</i>


    And indeed, as the battle progressed, it was easy to tell that the Gold Sword Squadron and the North Sea Ice Pce disciples had a slight advantage over their attackers.


    The Gold Sword Squadron wasposed entirely of younger generation talents of the Justice Coalition, while the disciples of the North Sea Ice Pce possessed incredible skills, befitting the Pce¡¯s title of one of the four strongest forces.


    However, as the battle reached its peak, a ck shadow shed out from one side of the forest, using an incredible movement technique and snatching Ha Yeo-Seol by the arm.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    ¡°Lady Ha!¡±


    Yu Cho was flustered at seeing his unrequited love kidnapped and tried to stop the shadow. However, his opponent refused to let him go easily.


    Angry, he unleashed an even more furious flurry of blows. However, as if to spite his urgent feelings, the situation grew worse and worse. It was only to be expected, as they didn¡¯t have a decisive advantage over the others to begin with and now they were also missing Ha Yeo-Seol.


    The man in the ck robes quickly pressed Ha Yeo-Seol¡¯s acupoints while using his movement technique to its maximum. As he reached about five hundred zhang away from where the Gold Sword Squadron and the North Sea Ice Pce disciples were fighting, he suddenly saw a young man standing in his way.


    Woo-Moon had been waiting leisurely with his back against a tree. Seeing the man finally approach, he came out of the shade.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re going to have to leave that youngdy behind if you want to go further.¡±


    Ha Yeo-Seol was barely able to turn her eyes to Woo-Moon and shouted in surprise, ¡°Mr. Attendant! No, please run!¡±


    Even in her situation, she was still worried for his safety.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not, Lady Ha. How can I just watch while you¡¯re being kidnapped?¡±


    Ha Yeo-Seol was quite moved by his words. It had to take great courage for an ordinary waiter to stand and block the path of someone from the <i>murim</i>.


    ¡°You must not get involved in the <i>murim</i>¡¯s affairs! This man knows martial arts! You¡¯re going to die!¡±


    Although he wanted to be a little mischievous and pretend to be stoic, Woo-Moon found Ha Yeo-Seol¡¯s worry cute and was unable to hold himself back,ughing out loud.


    "Hahahahaha!"


    The person who had kidnapped Ha Yeo-Seol also only had one eye. Judging by his grizzled hair, he seemed to be in his early fifties and had a stronger cultivation than the other one-eyed warriors.


    ¡°If you get out of the way now, I¡¯ll only cut off an arm and a leg,¡± he said coldly.


    Although Ha Yeo-Seol was momentarily taken aback when Woo-Moon burst outughing out of nowhere, she was scared to reality again when she heard the emotionless voice of the one-eyed man.


    ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you, run away Mr. Attendant! There¡¯s no need for you to die just because of me!¡±


    However, Woo-Moon paid her no need and responded to the man.


    ¡°I can¡¯t ept your offer. Here¡¯s my counter. If you put her down right now and run, I¡¯ll spare your life.¡±


    Although Woo-Moon was wearing a rather excellent-looking sword on his waist, Ha Yeo-Seol still had no idea that he was a martial artist.


    In an era where there were many thieves, it wasmon for everyone to carry a sword or a knife at the very least.


    ¡°No, please! Mr. Attendant!¡±


    However, despite her mournful cries, the one-eyed man circted his qi and spat on the ground.


    ¡°To think you¡¯d refuse my grace and prefer my fist. You just don¡¯t know how precious life is, do you?!¡±


    As the man used his movement technique, space itself seemed to shrink between them. A fraction of a secondter, he punched at Woo-Moon¡¯s sr plexus.


    With an eerie cracking sound, Woo-Moon¡¯s hand formed a w and aimed for the man¡¯s iing fist.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    As they collided, the one-eyed man stumbled backward as he was unable to withstand Woo-Moon¡¯s strength.


    A fist was bound to have an advantage when colliding with an open hand. However, Woo-Moon¡¯s fingers and nails seemed just fine. Instead, blood was dripping from the one-eyed man¡¯s fist.


    Woo-Moon grinned and spoke to the surprised Ha Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°Our cute little Lady Ha doesn¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    Realizing that Woo-Moon was a terrifying expert, the one-eyed man¡¯s face distorted.


    ¡°Why are you interfering in other people¡¯s business?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Moving aside, I can take that attack as you ignoring my suggestion, right? Now then... should we spar a little?¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the Northern Wind Steps sted aside the air around them!


    His speed of movement made the other man seem like a tired snail. As he approached, a sword suddenly appeared in his hand, and Cold Snow was unleashed.


    The one-eyed man held Ha Yeo-Seol in one hand and a sword in the other. He initially struck back at Woo-Moon; however, he was suddenly startled by Woo-Moon¡¯s sword suddenly changing direction and sliding down the t of his de.


    This forced him to drop Ha Yeo-Seol and use both hands to block Cold Snow.


    Woo-Moon reached out with a free hand as soon as the man dropped Ha Yeo-Seol and grabbed her by her slender waist, pulling her behind him.


    Even during the panic of battle, her face turned a bright red.


    Woo-Moon raised his left foot and tried to stomp on the man¡¯s foot the moment the man overcame Cold Snow.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Although the one-eyed man hurriedly pulled his foot back in response to Woo-Moon¡¯s sudden stop, Woo-Moon took advantage of that moment and took another step forward, stomping the man¡¯s other foot as he was off bnce.


    <i>Crack!!</i>


    This time, the man wasn¡¯t able to dodge properly, and every bone in his foot shattered into pieces.


    ¡°You dare!¡±


    His blood rushing from the pain and fear, the man suddenly unleashed a technique entirely unlike anything he had used thus far. Gathering cial Yin Qi in one hand, he thrust a palm forward and sent an explosive palm wind toward Woo-Moon.


    Ha Yeo-Seol¡¯s eyes widened in shock seeing the cial Yin Qi.


    ¡°Divine Frozen Soul Palm!¡±


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s long, flowing hair slipped out of its tie and fluttered behind him, while the one-eyed man flew backward, spewing blood from the force of being hit by the Raging Wind Palm. Then, Woo-Moon gentlyy Ha Yeo-Seol on the ground and released the acupoint suppression she was under before grasping his sword and walking toward the one-eyed man.


    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? To put her down and piss off. I could have sworn I told you it would be difficult for you to stay alive if you didn¡¯t....¡±

 Chapter 97. The Entire World is My Home (18)

    <h4>Chapter 97. The Entire World is My Home (18)</h4>


    The one-eyed man vomited blood, having suffered severe internal injuries from Woo-Moon¡¯s blow. However, he red not at Woo-Moon but behind him for some strange reason. His eyes were full of rage and hatred.


    <i>¡®Hmm? What¡¯s going on...?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon quickly focused on his senses.


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    Woo-Moon was so startled that goosebumps spread over his entire body. He turned around and saw a beautiful woman emerging from the forest''s shadows. She appeared to be in her thirties and she was wearing a white robe.


    She approached them with light footsteps.


    Although time had left a few marks on her features, she was just as beautiful as Si-Hyeon, Ma-Ra, Hyeon Yu-Yeon, and Ha Yeo-Seol.


    However, the part that made Woo-Moon more nervous than anything else was the aura exuding from her. The Aura of the Absolute was something that only Absolute Masters of the same level as the Palm Martial Emperor or the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor could disy.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Woo-Moon figured out who the Absolute Master approaching them was from Ha Yeo-Seol¡¯s shout.


    <i>¡®I''ve heard of her. The only reason this person isn¡¯t a member of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors or the Six Rising Challengers is that she isn¡¯t from the Central ins. She would not lose in any way to any of them! The Pce Lord of the North Sea Ice Pce, Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon realized with a shudder just how urate the rumors of <i>gangho</i> could be.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t be one hundred percent sure because her cultivation is higher than mine, but she definitely doesn¡¯t seem to becking in any waypared to Grandfather!¡¯</i>


    A white film seemed to form around Ah Hee. The cold radiating from her body was so bone-chilling that it was causing frost and fog to form in the area around her even though the weather was warm.


    She seemed to be a lifeform born from the cial Qi itself, almost glistening as she slowly walked toward the one-eyed man.


    As she stepped forward, she addressed Woo-Moon, ¡°Impressive little one, I¡¯m sorry, but I''m afraid his life is not for you to take.¡±


    If it were the past, Woo-Moon would have been oppressed to the point where he wouldn¡¯t have been able to move or respond. However, having gained a substantial amount of experience with Absolute Masters through his battle with the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, he was able to free himself from her pressure fairly quickly.


    ¡°And why would that be?¡±


    ¡°Oho~¡±


    Ah Hee¡¯s eyes lit up once again, just like when she had first seen Woo-Moon.


    ¡°How audacious. Still, I¡¯ll forgive your transgressions, since you saved my disciple. This person was originally a member of the North Sea Ice Pce. This is just him acting out of spite against me after I kicked him out.¡±


    In other words, she was telling him not to interfere as it was a pce matter. However, Woo-Moon still had another question.


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t still exin why Lady Ha, of all people, was the target.¡±


    Although plenty of other disciples of the North Sea Ice Pce were there, the one-eyed man had specifically aimed to kidnap Ha Yeo-Seol from the beginning. Woo-Moon was sure of it, as he had been watching from the very beginning.


    The one-eyed man sneered at Woo-Moon¡¯s words, his mouth full of blood.


    ¡°That little bitch is the Pce Lord¡¯s da¡ª¡±


    He couldn¡¯t finish his sentence as Ah Hee lightly waved a hand, creating an ice spear out of thin air that stretched out long enough to pierce through his heart.


    <i>Crackle!</i>


    The one-eyed man was instantly killed by the ice spear, and his body was turned into a block of ice by the formidable cial Qi.


    For some reason, Ah Hee¡¯s mood suddenly changed as she red at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Although I nned on letting your transgressions go as you saved my disciple, it seems you insist on making me angry. Fine, take a single palm from me. If you survive, I¡¯ll let you live.¡±


    At the same time, Woo-Moon suddenly felt an ocean of bloodlust envelop him!


    He cursed his own curiosity. Just why had he opened his mouth?!


    He mustered every ounce of qi within his being.


    <i>¡®This is quite the predicament. Is this even something I can survive?¡¯</i>


    While still surprised by the fact that Woo-Moon, whom she had thought to have been an ordinary waiter, was a much stronger martial artist than she was, Ha Yeo-Seol hurriedly knelt down and beseeched her master.


    ¡°Please, Master! Please, for my sake, please show mercy!¡±


    Sadly, no matter how much she begged, Ah Hee ignored her. A palm imbued with cial Qi struck the air in Woo-Moon¡¯s direction.


    <i>Crackle!</i>


    A horrifying amount of cial Qi gathered in the air around her palm, freezing the very space before her and forming a wave of pure ice that flew toward Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>¡®There¡¯s only one thing that can block that!¡¯</i>


    A brilliant golden light erupted from him as all of the qi in his body rushed toward the de of his sword. A golden shield immediately formed before him¡ªit was Woo-Moon¡¯s best defensive technique, Imprable Golden Wall!


    <i>BANGBANGBANGBANG!</i>


    A heavy explosion resounded as Ah-Hee¡¯s Divine Frozen Soul Palm and Woo-Moon¡¯s Imprable Golden Wall collided head-on.


    For a split second, it seemed as though Woo-Moon would be able to hold on.


    However, blood quickly began to flow down the corner of Woo-Moon¡¯s mouth as his feet dug into the ground. He was getting pushed back.


    <i>¡®I have to hold on!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon knew that the moment he couldn¡¯t hold on and the Imprable Golden Wall dispersed, the horrifying chill of the Divine Frozen Soul Palm would cover him and turn him into a block of ice, just like that one-eyed man.


    One zhang, two zhang, three zhang, four zhang, five zhang... ten zhang! He continued to get pushed back, unable to hold his ground.


    Not only did he leave a deep furrow in the ground, as if he was tilling it with a plow, but the ground and the trees around him also frozepletely.


    Although Ah Hee had the leisure to attack once more, she didn¡¯t bother to do so. Rather, she simply observed Woo-Moon¡¯s Imprable Golden Wall with a curious gaze.


    <i>¡®What an interesting technique. To think itbines defensive qi and a curtain of sword qi... Just whose disciple is he?¡¯</i>


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Woo-Moon was pushed back more and more, meeting a number of trees with his back in the process. He was only able to stop himself after knocking down fifteen trees.


    ¡°<i>Cough, cough!</i>¡±


    Copious amounts of blood spewed from his mouth.


    At that moment, a ck shadow jumped out and grabbed Woo-Moon before quickly disappearing. It was Ma-Ra.


    ¡°Oho! There are quite a few interesting talents in the Central ins, I see. That little one¡¯s killing arts have reached a pretty high level, too.¡±


    Although Ma-Ra had already gotten a considerable distance away, Ah Hee was naturally able to take both her and Woo-Moon¡¯s lives with a single thought. However, she felt rather amused by the situation, so she just shrugged and let them go.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Slightly bloodied but otherwise unharmed, the other disciples of the North Sea Ice Pce appeared alongside ten members of the Gold Sword Squadron. Although they had momentarily fallen into crisis, the Gold Sword Squadron reinforcements had fortunately arrived quickly, able to move with haste due to their proximity to the Justice Coalition.


    Ah Hee calmly nodded at the Gold Sword Squadron member¡¯s greetings before turning to her disciples.


    ¡°What happened to those who attacked you?¡±


    ¡°They all fled when they found themselves at a disadvantage,¡± Jeong Gyeong said.


    ¡°The Justice Coalition is tracking them. It won¡¯t be long before we can catch them all,¡± a member of the Gold Sword Squadron added.


    Of course, Ah Hee didn¡¯t think that the Justice Coalition would be able to seed. The North Sea Ice Pce had been trying to catch those bastards for quite a long time to no avail. They weren¡¯t all that incredibly strong, but they certainly were good at running away.


    <i>¡®I guess I should at least takefort in being able to kill that brat.¡¯</i>


    Ah Hee suddenly turned to arge tree. Behind it hid Yu Cho, who had been hiding from view since earlier in the battle.


    He had chased the one-eyed man as soon as he freed himself of his opponent, in order to save Ha Yeo-Seol. When Woo-Moon appeared, however, Yu Cho hid himself to observe the situation.


    In the end, he was able to witness Woo-Moon¡¯s incredible martial skills.


    <i>¡®That bastard...I thought he was just a waiter! How the fuck did he end up blocking an attack from the North Sea Ice Pce Lord?! If it was me... could I have done something like that? Just what sort of bastard is he?! He looks as if he¡¯s the same age as me!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s performance served as a huge shock to Yu Cho, who had always prided himself on being the best.


    Although she was aware that he was hiding from the very beginning, Ah Hee saw no reason to expose him, and certainly would not lower herself to greet him. She ignored him and walked away.


    ¡°Come. Let¡¯s go back to the pce.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master!¡±


    Ha Yeo-Seol was crying, guilt-ridden at Woo-Moon having to suffer so greatly because of her. She reluctantly turned to leave.


    Before leaving, the North Sea Ice Pce Master lightly waved her sleeve. The one-eyed man¡¯s body, now arge block of ice, shattered into pieces.


    Even though the members of the Gold Sword Squadron were looking for him, it was only after all of the North Sea Ice Pce members had left that Yu Cho appeared. Then, after giving a quick excuse as to why he disappeared, he and the others returned back to the Justice Coalition.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s figure was strongly engraved in Yu Cho¡¯s mind. It was the same for Ha Yeo-Seol and... even the North Sea Ice Pce Lord Ah Hee as well.


    In particr, Ah Hee had a faint smile on her face.


    <i>¡®To think he didn¡¯t die after my attack. I didn¡¯t even hold back, either. It¡¯s a truly incredible feat for someone so young. In a way, you could even say that I lost that exchange. What an outstanding talent.¡¯</i>


    She was someone who had a strong inclination to appreciate talented youngsters. Thus, she wondered just how strong Woo-Moon would be in a couple of years.


    ***


    As Ma-Ra fled with Woo-Moon on her back, a clink sounded from the frozen sword that he was still gripping...as it shattered into pieces.


    Whenever Woo-Moon would leave to go practice alone at night, he would always make sure to move as quietly as possible so as to not wake Ma-Ra or Eun-Ah. As he had learned many things from watching Ma-Ra¡¯s killing arts while living together, he had gotten so good at moving quietly that it was difficult for even Ma-Ra to sense it.


    This time as well, Ma-Ra only realized that Woo-Moon had left when she opened her eyes in the morning.


    Figuring out that he had gone out to practice, she entered the nearby mountains to search for him. However, by the time she found him, he was in dire straits, so she didn¡¯t even hesitate for a second before jumping to save him.


    She could feel his temperature dropping on her back.


    Deciding that emergency treatment was the priority, Ma-Ra scanned the terrain around her and entered a valley, eventually finding a cave. Fortunately, there was no smell of rotting flesh or signs of wild animals.


    She found a suitable ce toy Woo-Moon down before stripping him and preparing to stimte and clear his acupoints.


    She gathered qi in both hands and began to massage and prod various points across Woo-Moon¡¯s entire body with her palms and fingers, stimting the meridians of his entire body and imbuing him with qi. Because of the borate and strenuous nature of the massage, sweat soon began to flow, drenching her clothes.


    The qi of the Forbidden Divine Art was circting by itself, naturally fighting off Ah Hee¡¯s cial Qi from within Woo-Moon¡¯s body. Ma-Ra¡¯s acupoint massage bolstered this effect, allowing Woo-Moon¡¯s internal injuries to heal faster and driving out the cial Qi.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Woo-Moon was dazed for a moment after opening his eyes. Shaking off the haze, he quickly realized his <i>situation</i> and was flustered.


    ¡°W-What are you doing, Ma-Ra?!¡±


    Well, it was only natural that he was flustered. That Ma-Ra was massaging him all over his body was one thing, but he was stark naked, not a single thread covering him.


    ¡°Acupoint massage.¡±


    Although he was extremely flustered, he immediately understood what Ma-Ra was doing from her calm and collected answer. With that, he also remembered what had happened earlier¡ªblocking Ah Hee¡¯s palm, then being saved by Ma-Ra and losing consciousness in the process.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m okay now. Thank you, Ma-Ra.¡±


    Although a small¡ªno, a <irge</i> part of him wanted to feel more of her soft touch, Woo-Moon stopped Ma-Ra as he thought he would not be able to stand it anymore. He hurriedly put on his clothes.


    ¡°Face red again.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Your massage was effective, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±


    Woo-Moon had to look away before responding, somewhat unable to face Ma-Ra after having all of him not only exposed, but massaged by her.


    At the same time, he circted his qi throughout his entire body. Fortunately, all of his internal injuries were now more or less recovered. Although he had only told Ma-Ra he was fine out of embarrassment, in actuality, Ma-Ra¡¯s massage had really been helpful in healing all of his injuries.


    Woo-Moon felt quite moved by her actions.


    ¡°Now then! Let¡¯s go back, Ma-Ra!¡±


    By now, the day was already ending. The whole ordeal had started in the morning, but it had taken Ma-Ra the whole day to help Woo-Moon recover.


    ***


    When he arrived back at the pavilion, the Distinguished Swords all gathered around Woo-Moon¡ªsome worried, some ted, and some angry after having looked for him all day.


    ¡°What happened, Uncle? We were worried!¡±


    ¡°What a relief! Did anything happen? Did you and Lady Ma-Ra go off somewhere? Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°Hmpf! At least you came back now, Uncle.¡±


    Of course, it went without saying that Eun-Ah was first among those to wee Woo-Moon back.


    ¡°<i>Mew! Mew, mew!</i>¡±

 Chapter 98. The Entire World is My Home (19)

    <h4>Chapter 98. The Entire World is My Home (19)</h4>


    As she had some free time for the first time in a long time, Si-Hyeon walked around various stores in the market with Gun-Ha, with whom she had be quite close.


    ¡°Let¡¯s buy that, unnie!¡±


    ¡°Oh wow! It really is pretty.¡±


    ¡°Right? Hehe.¡±


    While they were enjoying themselves, amotion suddenly broke out.


    ¡°Get her! We can¡¯t let her get away!¡±


    A woman was fleeing frantically while a group of people chased after her.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    One of the men chasing the woman flipped over a street stall, causing Gun-Ha to scream as she was hit by the flying items. Fortunately, it was nothing more than a bruise. However, Si-Hyeon was still instantly angered when she saw her dear little sister injured.


    ¡°These viins!¡±


    ¡°Should we get back at them, unnie?¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Since they¡¯re chasing that woman, let¡¯s help her hide!¡±


    ¡°Sounds good!¡±


    Since Gun-Ha originally lived in Hefei, she knew all too well the various shortcuts and hidden paths. Si-Hyeon was simrly experienced in traversing the streets due to traveling frequently throughout the city for guild business.


    Still, considering how fast the men were moving, the two had to move even faster, no matter how much time they could cut by using shortcuts. So, Si-Hyeon put Gun-Ha on her back and used her movement technique.


    The twobined what they knew of the city and overtook the others, appearing before the woman.


    ¡°Here,e over here! This way!¡±


    The woman was momentarily conflicted by the sudden appearance of someone wanting to help her. However, when she saw that both Si-Hyeon and Gun-Ha¡¯s cultivations weren¡¯t that high, she felt reassured and followed them.


    The three eluded the woman¡¯s pursuers by moving through various side paths that one wouldn¡¯t know if they didn¡¯t live in the city. Eventually, Si-Hyeon led them to one of the secret alcoves hidden throughout Hefei.


    As they stopped to take a breather, the woman suddenly turned around and put the edge of her sword at Si-Hyeon¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Who are you? Are you supposed to be some trap set by Martial Heaven?¡±


    Although Si-Hyeon hadn¡¯t noticed it when they were moving, she realized the woman was an expert, seeing the way she held a sword. Although her skills weren¡¯tparable to Woo-Moon¡¯s, she seemed to be much better than Mu-Jae.


    ¡°You¡¯re a lot more innocent than you look. If I asked you something like that, would you answer ¡®yes¡¯? Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re from the Baek Family.¡±


    Seeing Si-Hyeon¡¯s gesture, Gun-Ha pulled something out of her sleeve and showed it to the woman¡ªit was an identification tablet that confirmed they were from the Baek Family. Seeing the tablet, the woman rxed and put her sword down.


    Her arrival in Hefei wasn¡¯t something she had nned in advance; rather, she had arrived at the city because of her pursuers. Moreover, she hade in this direction out of a split-second decision rather than because she was led here, meaning that there couldn¡¯t possibly be enough time for her pursuers to obtain a Baek Family identification tablet and set up a trap.


    ¡°Then, why are you both helping me? Don¡¯t tell me the Baek Family has turned to charity?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not because we wanted to help you. It was just because we were injured in the aftermath of your chase. We only got involved because we were angry.¡±


    ¡°Hmpf. How leisurely your life must be.¡±


    Now that they had space to breathe, Si-Hyeon and Gun-Ha took a better look at the woman. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and was wearing ck robes.


    ¡°But, by the way, what is Martial Heaven?¡±


    The woman was taken aback for a second, but then shook her head.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to know.¡±


    Before Si-Hyeon and Gun-Ha could say anything, the three women were startled by a voice.


    ¡°The scent of the tracking incense ising from around here! Hurry up and find that bitch!¡±


    The woman in ck just realized how much worse the situation was. Who could have guessed that somewhere along the line, she had been marked?!


    Cold sweat rolled down her face as she bit her lip so hard that it bled. Si-Hyeon also tensed up, holding Gun-Ha¡¯s hand tightly.


    <i>¡®What should we do? I only got involved because I thought they could never find us. I never thought that things would develop in this way.¡¯</i>


    Even though they had hidden themselves in a secret space between two buildings, they couldn¡¯t be confident that their enemy wouldn¡¯t find them if they decided to search this area. All they could do was hope that the warriors of the Baek Family, who had to have been dispatched to resolve themotion within Hefei, would arrive before their enemy found them.


    The woman in ck, Ga Moon-Young, also felt that time was running out.


    She knew all too well how strong and persistent her pursuers were. She knew that things would be over the moment she was discovered.


    Even <i>if</i> the warriors of the Baek Family were to arrive, her pursuers were too strong for them to handle. She was certain that the Baek Family would have only sent basic guards, assuming that themotion wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    Ga Moon-Young reached into her sleeve and touched the two baster boxes she had hidden there.


    <i>¡®I can never, EVER let Martial Heaven get their hands on this. But, if so...¡¯</i>


    She resolved herself and made a decision after looking at Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have a favor to ask of you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    She drew the two baster boxes from her sleeve and handed them over to Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°Take this. Please give this to someer.¡±


    However, Si-Hyeon didn¡¯t take the offered boxes. She had a strange feeling that if she were to do so, she would definitely be involved in something dangerous. Seeing her hesitate, Ga Moon-Young immediately dropped to her knees and kowtowed.


    ¡°Please, I beg of you! This is something more important to me than my life.¡±


    As Si-Hyeon continued to hesitate, the weak-hearted Gun-Ha stretched out a hand and took the baster boxes.


    ¡°Gun-Ha!¡±


    Although Si-Hyeon tried to stop her, the two boxes were already in Gun-Ha¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Thank you! Also...I have one more request. You must never open those boxes.¡±


    Ga Moon-Young tore off her sleeve and tied her sword to her hand tightly. It was an expression of her will to never let go of her sword, even if she died.


    After finishing her preparations, she put her ear to the wall and listened to the situation outside. The moment the coast was clear, she slowly opened the door and spoke softly.


    ¡°My name is Ga Moon-Young, and I am a member of the Eighth Division of the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s Demon Army. Please hand them over to someone from the Heavenly Demon Cult.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, Ga Moon-Young slipped out of the secret cavity. Once she was far enough away from Si-Hyeon and Gun-Ha, she deliberately hit a wall with her sword.


    <i>ng!</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°Over there! That bitch is over there!¡±


    The pursuers heard Ga Moon-Young and chased after her.


    Fleeing out of Hefei, Ga Moon-Young continued to run along the Yangtze River to lead the enemies as far away from Hefei as possible.


    However, there were some among her pursuers who had a greater mastery of movement techniques than her, and soon, she found herself surrounded on all sides.


    ¡°Bitch! If you obediently hand over the Heavenly Demon Egg, I¡¯ll spare your life.¡±


    Ga Moon-Young just sneered at them.


    ¡°Have you ever seen a cultist of our Heavenly Demon Cult beg for their life or betray the cult?¡±


    ¡°...No, of course not. My bad. All of you bastards are just as stubborn as the next. Well, what are you doing? Attack her!¡±


    Although Ga Moon-Young fought with every fiber of her being to survive as long as possible, it didn¡¯t take long for her to fall to her knees, her body pierced by five or six different weapons.


    ¡°The Heavenly Demon Cult is eternal and will never die!¡±


    With this final cry, Ga Moon-Young spewed blood from her mouth as her heart finally stopped breathing. In herst moments, she thought of Si-Hyeon and Gun-Ha.


    <i>¡®Please, the Heavenly Demon Egg...¡¯</i>


    However, there was something that she hadn¡¯t thought of¡ªthe mysterious demonic power that exuded from the two objects in the two baster boxes, the Heavenly Demon Egg and the Heavenly Demon Pill.


    Ga Moon-Young herself had been less affected by the demonic power as she had cultivated the Demonic Arts of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Moreover, the effects of the demonic power would have been further mitigated by the adrenaline from her urgent pursuit. However, that wasn¡¯t the same for Si-Hyeon and Gun-Ha, whose cultivations were still quite weak.


    After Ga Moon-Young had run to elude her pursuers, Si-Hyeon and Gun-Ha looked at the two baster boxes with considerable perplexity. Each opened a box, with Si-Hyeon holding the box containing the Heavenly Demon Egg, while Gun-Ha opened the box holding the unidentified pill.


    Right as they did so, the two girls seemed to be possessed by some strange power, and their eyes drooped half-open. With her long, slender fingers, Si-Hyeon picked up the Heavenly Demon Egg.


    The Heavenly Demon Egg was roughly the size of a thumb and seemed almost heart-shaped. Moreover, it seemed extremely soft and pliable between her fingers, like a soft piece of y. Si-Hyeon seemed under a spell as she put it in her mouth.


    As soon as it entered her mouth, the Heavenly Demon Egg melted and flowed down her throat. At the same time, Gun-Ha also swallowed the unidentified pill, which, unlike the ck Heavenly Demon Egg, was blue.


    After doing so, they both quietly closed the boxes in their hands.


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    It was only after the boxes closed that the two were released from the strange spell and came to their senses. However, neither Si-Hyeon nor Gun-Ha could remember what they had just done. Rather, they felt as if only a split second had passed.


    ¡°So it¡¯s the Heavenly Demon Cult....¡±


    Gun-Ha looked frightened. Even though fifty years had passed since its disappearance, the notoriety of the Heavenly Demon Cult hadn¡¯t faded whatsoever, and its very name still triggered fear.


    Si-Hyeon was just as surprised and disconcerted by Ga Moon-Young¡¯s identity. However, she was pragmatic about things, knowing they had to flee before Ga Moon-Young¡¯s pursuers returned.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go for now, Gun-Ha.¡±


    ¡°Uh, okay, unnie.¡±


    Si-Hyeon and Gun-Ha quickly left their hiding ce and returned to the Baek Family. They were only able to let their guard down after they passed through the main gate of the Baek Estate.


    ¡°Gun-Ha, they haven¡¯t seen us, anyway. They won¡¯t ever be able to find us. For now, don¡¯t tell the mistress because she¡¯ll worry. We can talk about itter when senior brother Woo-Moon or Grandpaes back. Okay?¡±


    There wasn¡¯t anyone they could trust with this other than Sang-Woon or Woo-Moon anyway. If they were to speak out of turn for no reason, they could just end up putting themselves in even greater danger.


    ¡°Okay. I understand, unnie.¡±


    ¡°Head in, Gun-Ha. I¡¯ll go back home, too.¡±


    Before she entered the Song Residence, Gun-Ha held onto Si-Hyeon¡¯s hand.


    ¡°You need to be careful too, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Si-Hyeon returned to the Leebi Guild and retired to her room without informing Mu-Jae about what had happened. However, her heart was pounding, and she couldn¡¯t get to sleep.


    <i>Cough, cough!</i>


    Suddenly, her body jerked as her eyes opened wide. Unimaginable pain could be seen in her bloodshot eyes.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s something¡ªsomething is going to my head!¡¯</i>


    Something unknown was rising from inside her stomach. It moved upward into her brain, tormenting her with immense pain in the process.


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s teeth ttered constantly as she convulsed in pain, so hard that a tooth cracked.


    The pain had reached the point where she would have passed out normally. However, for some reason, her body wouldn¡¯t let her. She tried to call for help, but her body wouldn¡¯t listen to her.


    Alone on her bed, she curled up and softly moaned in pain.


    In the midst of her agony, she could only think of one person.


    <i>¡®Help me...something strange is happening to me.... Please, help me, senior brother...¡¯</i>


    ***


    When he woke up, Woo-Moon could feel a strange tingling and an unpleasant sensation. He could see Ma-Ra standing right in front of his bed, staring at him nkly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Ma-Ra?¡±


    ¡°You. Nightmare.¡±


    ¡°<i>Kya!</i>¡±


    Eun-Ah nodded, as if confirming that Ma-Ra was telling the truth. Immediately jumping up, she leaped into Woo-Moon¡¯s arm, rubbing her body all over him as if she were happy that Woo-Moon had finallye to his senses.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    It was a strange and indescribable feeling as if he was escaping an irritating dream. The reason he had felt so ufortable waking up was because his entire body was wet with cold sweat.


    <i>¡®I had a nightmare? Just how long had it been since I had a nightmare?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t had a nightmare since he had started cultivating the Forbidden Divine Art and the Gentle Celestial Sword.


    Although he thought it strange, he decided not to care, assuming it was just an isted incident


    Realizing that he had overslept somewhat, Woo-Moon met Jeong-Woo on his way back from ate breakfast.


    ¡°Uncle!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Ah, they said that there would be an inauguration ceremony for the Righteous Warrior Squadron. It¡¯s the squadron they formed for the spar with the Hegemon n. We should leave now, it¡¯s starting.¡±


    Woo-Moon was annoyed. Why did they have to hold an inauguration ceremony when all we had to do was just spar?


    He muttered to himself in irritation for a moment before answering with a frustrated expression, ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    As Woo-Moon reached the front of the ceremony hall with the other Distinguished Swords, the talents of the Namgoong and Baekri Families greeted him. It seemed that they were waiting to go inside together, as befitting of the Three Great Sword Families.


    ¡°We were waiting for you, Young Hero Song.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim! Let¡¯s go in now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    With Woo-Moon standing at the front, the group entered the ceremony hall.

 Chapter 99. The Entire World is My Home (20)

    <h4>Chapter 99. The Entire World is My Home (20)</h4>


    Before the talents of the Three Great Sword Families entered the ceremony hall.


    The talents of the Mount Hua Sect sat off to one side with the other righteous faction sects and waited for the inauguration ceremony to begin. They were having the time of their lives, talking andughing boisterously. However, if one paid close attention, it was easy to tell that they were divided into two groups.


    The first group was focused on Yu Cho, the first of the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms, while the other was focused on Hyeon Mu-Cheol, the second.


    Yu Cho and Hyeon Mu-Cheol were extremely talented, two of the best talents of the Mount Hua Sect, and had solid backgrounds. Thus, for quite some time, they had been at the forefront of the talents of the Mount Hua Sect.


    On the other hand, there was someone sitting alone in a corner like an outcast.


    Woo-Gang.


    Of course, now that it had been revealed that he was the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor, his background wasn¡¯t the least bitckingpared to his senior brothers. No¡ªit wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that his background actually surpassed theirs. After all, not only did he have the Palm Martial Emperor behind him, but the famous Iron Sword Baek Family as well.


    However, instead of making Yu Cho and Hyeon Mu-Cheol back off, this knowledge rather infuriated them even more.


    They had been secretly wary of their junior brother from the very beginning. Because of this, they had openly joined forces to suppress him even more vigorously once it seemed to them that Woo-Gang wasying the foundation for his growth. When the fact that he was the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s grandson was revealed, it further served to alienate him, and the few Mount Hua Sect disciples who wanted to approach him had no choice but to stay away.


    Thus, whether before or after, the situation was the same¡ªWoo-Gang was an outcast without a ce of his own in the Mount Hua Sect.


    While Yu Cho and Hyeon Mu-Cheol were having pleasant conversations with their followers, Hyeon Mu-Cheol suddenly sneered, with a mocking expression on his face.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, did you hear the rumor about the representative leading the Baek Family this time?¡±


    Yu Cho smiled knowingly.


    ¡°Ah, yes. I did, junior brother. They said he used to be some servant or something at an inn before this, right?¡±


    One of the other Mount Hua disciples caught on to their mocking and also joined in.


    ¡°Ah, are you talking about Song Woo-Moon? Hahaha. I know him pretty well,¡± said Choo Moon-Hwi, the strongest of the talents of the Mount Heng Sect.


    Choo Moon-Hwi, a youth with an impressive hooked nose, was actually from Woo-Moon¡¯s hometown.


    ¡°Ah, yes, of course, Choo Moon-Hwi from Mount Heng, right? I heard you lived in the same town as that Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    Choo Moon-Hwi responded with a wry smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. When he was young, Woo-Moon was called the vige fool. I took pity on him, so I helped him a lot.¡±


    Of course, everythinging out of Choo Moon-Hwi¡¯s mouth was an utter lie. Even though he had only known Woo-Moon for a short time, Choo Moon-Hwi had bullied Woo-Moon more than anyone else at that time.


    The Mount Hua disciples and the other Righteous Faction talents burst intoughter.


    ¡°<i>Pfft...pff¡ªhahahahaha!</i>¡±


    Obviously, none of the other talents would have acted so arrogantly if even a single member of the Three Great Sword Families was in the room. But now that they were by themselves, they felt free to joke at Woo-Moon¡¯s expense.


    Woo-Gang gritted his teeth as he listened to their conversation.


    Yu Cho and Hyeon Mu-Cheol deliberately talked about Woo-Moon¡¯s past even though they knew he was Woo-Gang¡¯s older brother. Woo-Gang was infuriated that his brother was being insulted just because he was there.


    Although it was incredibly unlike her, Hyeon Yu-Yeon also seemed to be holding herself back, clenching her small fists and trembling.


    On the other hand, her own blood brother, Hyeon Mu-Cheol,ughed so hard that he shed tears as he spoke.


    ¡°I mean, just how could someone with such an incredible background be the vige idiot? Isn¡¯t he supposed to be the grandson of the paramount warrior of the Iron Sword Baek Family, the Palm Martial Emperor?¡±


    Choo Moon-Hwi coldly snorted, and disdain was almost visibly dripping off his face.


    ¡°I assure you that Song Woo-Moon was truly the vige idiot. Yes, he turned out to be the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s grandson, and thanks to that, yes, he¡¯s now the <i>representative~</i> of the Baek Family. However, an idiot will always be an idiot.¡±


    Choo Moon-Hwi scoffed as the other rumors about Woo-Moon that were going around came to mind. Rumors such as Woo-Moon defeating Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong, the strongest of the Baek Family, or how Woo-Moon had taken down the Three Peak Monsters by himself.


    <i>¡®Hmpf. Those rumors have to be some shit that the Baek Family made up to bolster the reputation of someone who¡¯s supposedly the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor! It was definitely someone else who did those things, and they¡¯re just attributing them to him!¡¯</i>


    He just couldn¡¯t ept that someone he had bullied all throughout childhood, someone who lived under his feet, could be an expert!


    ¡°To think such <i>prestigious</i> talents are bad-mouthing someone behind their back. It seems none of you have any shame.¡±


    The room suddenly went cold as those who wereughing about Woo-Moon froze.


    Hyeon Mu-Cheol red at his sister with a cold and cruel gaze.


    ¡°What is wrong with you and your manners? How dare you lose face for me again?¡± he said in a low voice.


    Even though she tried her hardest not to do so, Hyeon Yu-Yeon lowered her head when she saw her older brother, whom she had always been afraid of, grow angry.


    But at that very moment, someone else spoke up, taking her side.


    ¡°No matter how you acted against me, I¡¯ve always tolerated it and let things slide, senior brothers. However, I cannot let you insult my brother any longer. Please keep his name out of your mouths,¡± Woo-Gang said gravely.


    The Mount Hua disciples were inwardly surprised.


    This was the first time that Woo-Gang had fought back against his seniors, even though they habitually insulted and bullied him. Yu Cho and Hyeon Mu-Cheol were also flustered for a moment, but then, anger took over them.


    ¡°Please keep his name out of our mouths? It almost seems like you¡¯re telling us to shut up, doesn¡¯t it? We can take it like that, right?¡±


    Woo-Gang had finally reached his limit. Just as he was about to begin shouting, a Martial Commander of the Justice Coalition, Pn Shin-Tong, and two Martial Ministers entered the hall where the talents were gathered.


    Pn Shin-Tong had an ugly face, but his eyes seemed to give off a powerful light.[1] As he stepped up to the stage, he muttered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for interrupting such a pleasant conversation, but please keep it forter, the ceremony will be starting soon.¡±


    Although he spoke softly, the other talents stopped speaking immediately and remained solemn, as Pn Shin-Tong was ranked first among those to be feared in the Justice Coalition.


    After some time, Woo-Moon also entered the ceremony hall.


    ¡°The Three Great Sword Families¡¯ seats are this way.¡±


    Woo-Moon led the others to their seats. However, he immediately felt everyone¡¯s gaze.


    <i>¡®Is that the vige idiot?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®He really is quite impressive! He has to be very proficient at using his grandfather¡¯s reputation if he became the representative of the Baek Family!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®But... why are the Baekri and Namgoong Families walking behind him?¡¯</i>


    If Woo-Moon could use a mind-reading technique, he would have heard the thoughts of everyone around him. However, it was probably a good thing he couldn¡¯t, as he might have exploded if he had found out the ¡°vige idiot¡± stories were being spread once again because of Choo Moon-Hwi.


    While both those who knew him and those who didn¡¯t were looking at him with scorn, there was one person among the crowd who was horrified, unable to even look at him in any way, much less with scorn.


    <i>¡®This is impossible! He¡¯s...!!¡¯</i>


    Yu Cho had only seen Woo-Moon yesterday. How could he forget?!


    That was the <i>waiter</i>! The waiter with such tremendous skills that the impression he left on Yu Cho could never be erased!


    Realizing his expression might seem strange to others, Yu Cho quickly lowered his head and looked at the floor.


    <i>¡®That person was Woo-Moon? Then... does that mean that Choo Moon-Hwi was lying?¡¯</i>


    The person from yesterday was definitely Song Woo-Moon, the older brother of Song Woo-Gang.


    Thinking back to the incredible skill that Woo-Moon had shown yesterday, Yu Cho realized that he would be a great crisis and obstacle in the future.


    Woo-Moon could feel a stinging gaze as he went to the seat reserved for the representative of the Baek Family.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s you again!¡¯</i>


    As he thought to himself, he looked over to where he felt the gazeing from, only to see Hyeon Yu-Yeon again.


    <i>¡®Huh? Is she crying?¡¯</i>


    Hyeon Yu-Yeon had always seemed prim and proud, like a female cat. However, for some reason, she looked almost infuriated right now, and her eyes were red.


    <i>¡ªYou fool!</i>


    Hyeon Yu-Yeon sent him a voice transmission before quickly turning her head and refusing to look at him. Woo-Moon, who had no way of knowing what had happened while he wasn¡¯t there, once again couldn¡¯t help but be flustered and confused by her reaction.


    <i>¡®Just what the hell is up with her? Who raised her?! Why the hell is she treating me like this?!¡¯</i>


    In the time that Woo-Moon was confused, even the Hebei Peng Family, who was a thorn in the side of the Justice Coalition, arrived btedly. However, the inauguration ceremony still didn¡¯t begin.


    In his seat, Woo-Moon looked around, showing interest in the two Martial Ministers at the front.


    <i>¡®Are they from the Justice Coalition? They¡¯re pretty impressive! If Ipare them to me...¡¯</i>


    The strongest of the Baek Family, Hye-Ryeong, was an incredibly powerful Transcendent, yet she was clearly inferior to the two Martial Ministers standing at the front of the hall.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes sparkled as he observed the two experts, and he was rather excited. However, that excitement onlysted for a short time, and he eventuallyined of boredom.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Just how much longer do we have to sit like this? Why aren¡¯t they starting?¡±


    Jeong-Woo tried to cate him, speaking quietly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Is there anyone else we¡¯re waiting for? Could it be that the Coalition Leader himself is¡ª¡±


    Jeong-Woo¡¯s eyes suddenly widened as he saw who wasing in.


    It wasn¡¯t only Jeong-Woo who was surprised, but everyone else gathered in the hall, including the other talents of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Eight Great Ancient Families.


    Woo-Moon also forgot what he was about to say as he saw a swordsman with the demeanor of an immortal walk in.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s perfect! He¡¯s like the epitome of the sword itself.¡¯</i>


    It almost felt like a sword was walking into the hall.


    Woo-Moon instinctively knew that the person was the Sword Emperor, the only person in the entirety of <i>gangho</i> to have reached the ultimate level of swordsmanship.


    <i>¡®I want to spar against him!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s hand shifted to his hip without him even knowing it. However, he wasn¡¯t able to find a sword, as his own had broken just yesterday.


    <i>¡®Dang it!¡¯</i>


    He was filled with regret.


    However, the Sword Emperor didn¡¯t miss the sh of fighting spirit that emerged from Woo-Moon¡¯s desire topete against a senior walking the same path.


    The Sword Emperor smiled softly as he looked at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°And here I thought that the Palm Martial Emperor was only talented in using his palms. He must also be a great swordsman, considering how well he raised his grandson. I¡¯m jealous.¡±


    Everyone was surprised by the Sword Emperor suddenly speaking to Woo-Moon, and they looked over at him in surprise. They just couldn¡¯t understand why the Sword Emperor would suddenly say such a thing.


    Yu Cho secretly bit his lip.


    <i>¡®What I saw yesterday wasn¡¯t a fluke. To think he¡¯s strong enough to be recognized by Grandmaster....¡¯</i>


    As Yu Cho was distracted, the Sword Emperor continued in a calm tone.


    ¡°By the way, just who is that little girl who has the audacity to try and hide from me?¡±


    Woo-Moon quickly called out.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, show yourself.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ma-Ra immediately emerged from the shadows and took a seat next to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    ¡°What the...¡±


    Exmations erupted from people who didn¡¯t know who Ma-Ra was. Even the two Transcendent ss Martial Ministers were no exception.


    It was one thing to be hiding from the youngsters here, but someone had been hiding from <i>them</i> this entire time?!


    Ma-Ra¡¯s stealth only served to heighten everyone¡¯s awe of the Sword Emperor, considering how easily he had sensed Ma-Ra¡¯s existence.


    The Sword Emperor nodded. ¡°It looks like I was surprised twice today.¡±


    With these words, the Sword Emperor went to the head of the table and sat down. As it turned out, he was the Grand Leader of the Justice Coalition¡ªthe leader of the previous generation¡¯s Justice Coalition.


    ***


    Woo-Moon¡¯s excitement onlysted for a short while, as the appearance of the Sword Emperor only served to entertain him for a moment. As the dull ceremony continued, Woo-Moon was so bored that he began to squirm.


    <i>¡®Damn it. Why do they have so much to say? Just how much longer is left?¡¯</i>


    However, he didn¡¯t have to wait much longer, and after a few more minutes passed, the speech reached the main point.


    ¡°...therefore, the captain of the Righteous Warrior Squadron will be elected through a bloodless tournament between the representatives of each force. Do any of you have any objections?¡±


    Although some of the talents tried to think of other ways to elect the captain, in the end, they concluded that there was no better way to elect the captain of the Righteous Warriors. It only made sense, as the Righteous Warrior Squadron had been created for the sake of the spar against the Hegemon n.


    Everyone gave their consent as the Sword Emperor nodded his head.


    ¡°Good. Then, we¡¯ll begin the tournament to elect the Righteous Warriors Squadron Captain tomorrow.¡±


    Pn Shin-Tong stepped forward and exined the tournament details as if they assumed by default that everyone would agree.


    ¡°Although eighteen forces are represented here, the Beggar Gang and the Qingcheng Sect have abstained. Thus, we¡¯ll hold the tournament with sixteen participating forces, in order...¡±


    After the overall rules of the tournament were exined, the inauguration ceremony ended following formal procedures.


    After the Sword Emperor left, Woo-Moon got up to greet his younger brother. However, he was left hanging as the Mount Hua disciples quickly left in a group and returned to their residence.


    ¡°Well, we should go, too.¡±


    For some reason, Woo-Moon felt very ufortable in the hall. It felt as though the gazes of the others looking at him were a little hostile.


    <i>¡®I think I¡¯ll feel extremely angry if someone provokes me here.¡¯</i>


    1. Pn Shin-Tong literally trantes to Miraculous Eight Eyes. ?

 Chapter 100. The Entire World is My Home (21)

    <h4>Chapter 100. The Entire World is My Home (21)</h4>


    Unfortunately for Woo-Moon, those who had heard the conversation between Choo Moon-Hwi, Yu Cho, and Hyeon Mu-Cheol now judged Woo-Moon solely based on that small part of the story.


    ¡°They seem... angry for some reason?¡± Jeong-Woo said, his gaze growing cold. He could sense the strange mood in the room as well.


    Even Namgoong Sung and Baekri Yeong-Woon had stiff expressions from the clear hostility of those around them. In particr, the impatient and proud Baekri Yeong-Woon was on the verge of snapping out at them.


    In any case, Woo-Moon reminded himself that he was here as the representative of the Three Great Sword Families and controlled his rage.


    ¡°Drop it. Let¡¯s just go back,¡± he said after confirming that Pn Shin-Tong and the two Martial Ministers had left.


    Sadly, just because he wanted to let it slide did not mean others would.


    ¡°Haha, It¡¯s been a while, Song Woo-Moon,¡± Choo Moon-Hwi said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere and acting as if he was chummy with Woo-Moon.


    Already in a bad mood, Woo-Moon frowned and looked closely at Choo Moon-Hwi.


    ¡°Who the hell are you to talk to me like that? Do I know you from somewhere?¡±


    Choo Moon-Hwi¡¯s expression grew ugly when he realized that Woo-Moon didn¡¯t even recognize him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t remember me? And here I thought we were close when we were younger. It¡¯s me, Choo Moon-Hwi.¡±


    Only then did Woo-Moon remember who this bastard was.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, Hook Nose. Yeah, it¡¯s been a while,¡± Woo-Moon responded half-heartedly.


    He tried to pass by and leave the hall, but Choo Moon-Hwi stopped him, clearly offended at being called Hook Nose.


    ¡°Just a second. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too cold to a friend you haven¡¯t seen in a long time?¡±


    But did Woo-Moon really have any good memories with Choo Moon-Hwi? Did he think of him as a friend?


    No, not at all.


    Moreover, it wasn¡¯t as if Choo Moon-Hwi had ever considered Woo-Moon a friend, either. He just thought of Woo-Moon as a pushover he had bullied throughout childhood.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m going to make sure everyone knows what trash you really are,¡¯ </i>Choo Moon-Hwi thought as he sneered.


    On the other hand, Woo-Moon was in a pretty foul mood.


    Even without all these constant reminders, Woo-Moon still could not distance himself from the issues he had in childhood, particrly when he was so infatuated with thendscape painting that he turned into a fool. He would get so angry that his blood would boil whenever he remembered how the other kids in the vige¡ªamong whom, he now remembered, Choo Moon-Hwi¡ªwould bully him back then. So, seeing Choo Moon-Hwi in person almost pushed him over the edge.


    ¡°I¡¯m busy, so get out of my way. Stop bothering people.¡±


    Choo Moon-Hwi was flustered by Woo-Moon acting in apletely different way than he had expected. He had assumed that Woo-Moon was going to timidly apologize like when they were young, just begging not to be beaten.


    He could feel the gazes of the other talents shifting to him. He thought back to when he had made such a big fuss about Woo-Moon being an idiot who only got to where he was because of his grandfather¡¯s reputation. Therefore, he knew he would lose all face if he were to show weakness right now and back down in the face of said idiot.


    Moreover, when he saw how Woo-Moon, who hadn¡¯t been able to even look in his direction when they were younger, behaved so arrogantly, he felt his blood boil.


    As he was still young, his emotions were stronger than hismon sense. In fact, they were strong enough that he forgot he should be careful with his words around the Three Great Sword Families.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to. What are you going to do about it? And who do you think you¡¯re ring at? What, you want to hit<i> me</i>? Do you really dare?¡±


    ¡°I can do more than that.¡±


    ¡°Ha! So it seems that our dear little idiot grew some balls after finding out his grandfather is the Palm Martial Emperor, hasn¡¯t he?¡±


    Woo-Moon froze.


    <i>¡®You just won¡¯t cut it off with that idiot thing, will you? Alright.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Have you said everything you wanted to, Choo Moon-Hwi?¡±


    ¡°And? What are <i>you</i> going to do about it?¡±


    Choo Moon-Hwi was being so ridiculous right now that Woo-Moon had to suppress augh.


    ¡°Can I take your actions as you acting as a representative of the Mount Heng Sect?¡±


    Choo Moon-Hwi did a double take at Woo-Moon¡¯s words.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not acting as the representative of the Mount Heng Sect right now. These are just my personal feelings.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? That¡¯s a relief. Then, I¡¯ll also deal with you as Song Woo-Moon, and not as the representative of the Three Great Sword Families. Now, instead of wasting time slinging insults, how about we just spar and get it over with?¡±


    The representative of the Three Great Sword Families!


    The other talents were shocked, as they hadn¡¯t known that the Three Great Sword Families had even decided to elect a representative, let alone that Woo-Moon was the one to be represented.


    It was easy to assume that he had be the representative of the Baek Family through the backing of the Palm Martial Emperor and not his ability. But then...how great was that backing? Was it enough to cause the Namgoong and Baekri Families to step back and let a weakling represent them as well? Not a chance.


    <i>¡®Could he be lying?¡¯</i>


    Hoping that Woo-Moon was lying, Choo Moon-Hwi looked behind Woo-Moon to Namgoong Sung and Baekri Yeong-Woon. However, instead of finding unpleasant or irritated expressions, he only saw the two nodding their heads as if theypletely agreed with Woo-Moon.


    He couldn¡¯t understand it. Something was wrong.


    <i>¡®What sort of bullshit is this...¡¯</i>


    Seeing Choo Moon-Hwi struggle to respond, Woo-Moon smiled.


    ¡°What, cat ate your tongue? You¡¯re not worried about losing to an <i>idiot</i>, are you? You seemed to be raring to go at it earlier, where¡¯d that courage go?¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sarcasm sparked a fire in Choo Moon-Hwi¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll do as you want. Let¡¯s spar!¡±


    Woo-Moon burst outughing.


    ¡°As I want? Wait, you think I <i>want</i> to spar with you? How could sparring with a loser like you be on my wish list? Aren¡¯t you a little delusional?¡±


    <i>Crack.</i>


    Realizing he couldn¡¯t beat Woo-Moon in a battle of words, Choo Moon-Hwi gritted his teeth and stayed silent in order not to lose any more face.


    ¡°I saw a sparring ground on the way here. Let¡¯s go there,¡± Woo-Moon said, leading the way.


    Following behind him, the other talents of the Three Great Sword Families finally couldn¡¯t hold back theirughter any longer and started to chuckle.


    <i>¡®As expected from Uncle!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Kekeke. You really dared to provoke my hyung-nim. Choo Moon-Hwi, you¡¯re really going to regret this.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Although the Sword Emperor was walking slowly, quite a far distance away from the ceremony hall, he could still hear the conversations and see what was going on between the talents as if he was standing right next to them.


    <i>¡®That little brat is just like his grandfather. Hohoho.¡¯</i>


    As he walked, he suddenly ran into a swordsman in histe fifties. It was Jeong Yu-Pung, an elder of the Mount Heng Sect.


    ¡°Lord Chief Commander Emeritus, have you been well?¡±


    ¡°Oh, good to see you. I¡¯m fine, thanks for asking, but is it really okay for you to be strolling around here so casually? Your strongest talent may have gotten himself into a bit of a predicament.¡±


    ¡°Pardon? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It seems as though the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s grandson and that boy named Choo Moon-Hwi from your Mount Heng have a lot to talk about. It seems they n to spar. I have to say, the grandson is an exact copy of his grandfather.¡±


    The Sword Emperor continued walking after saying his piece. Then, one of the two swordsmen following him, the Wudang Sect¡¯s Myriad Shadow Sword Hyeon Woon, spoke up as well.


    ¡°A fair warning: when he said that child is an exact copy of the Palm Martial Emperor, he meant that in terms of both personality and martial talent.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Jeong Yu-Pung suddenly felt the hair on the back of his head rise.


    <i>¡®Shit, I have to stop him!¡¯</i>


    The Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon.


    Was it even possible to quantify how much trouble he caused and how many people he beat up? Many of those he ¡°taught a lesson¡± bore permanent marks of these lessons.


    He was an absolute cmity, to the extent that even though he was a member of the Baek Family, the entire Justice Coalition would tremble in fear at the thought of pissing him off.


    <i>¡®And his grandson is just like him?!?!¡¯</i>


    Although Choo Moon-Hwi had an odd personality, he was still an incredible talent and was the strongest of the younger generation talents of Mount Heng. It was absolutely crucial that Jeong Yu-Pung prevented him from fighting with this little Palm Martial Emperor or whatever.


    <i>¡®Choo Moon-Hwi, you idiot, people like the Palm Martial Emperor are natural disasters! You can¡¯t provoke them!¡¯</i>


    Jeong Yu-Pung used his movement technique with the greatest desperation he had ever felt in his life. He sprinted toward the direction the Sword Emperor nced in.


    ***


    ¡°What¡¯s with all this talking? Shut up and let¡¯s go at it. You talk so much you¡¯re making me think all your brainpower is used to move your jaw up and down.¡±


    Choo Moon-Hwi was so infuriated by Woo-Moon¡¯s grating words that he let out a scream. However, before he could throw the first punch, his entire body froze as an overwhelming pressure enveloped him.


    <i>¡®Wha-what is this?¡¯</i>


    Cold sweat began to run down his back as his limbs refused to listen to him.


    Moreover...


    Woo-Moon suddenly appeared impossiblyrge in his view.


    Choo Moon-Hwi felt a strong shock run down his spine, as if gravity had suddenly increased tenfold.


    <i>¡®Am I being pushed down by just the pressure of his aura? There isn¡¯t a single opening for me to attack. He just looks sorge and impossible to approach! Just how the hell is this happening?¡¯</i>


    He hated to admit it, but Woo-Moon feltrger than life.


    Although Woo-Moon had touched the threshold of the Absolute, he wasn¡¯t yet able to disy the pressure of an Absolute Master. Still, he could do something simr; by circting his qi and exuding bloodlust, he could unleash an intangible fighting spirit that could directly suppress the will of those of a lower cultivation than himself.


    The reason why Choo Moon-Hwi was frozen in panic, trembling like a frog before a cobra, was precisely that fighting spirit Woo-Moon was exuding. He panicked, and he knew that he had been defeated before the spar had even started!


    However, right before he admitted defeat, he heard a voice call out to save him.


    ¡°You brat, what do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡±


    Jeong Yu-Pung had shown up, leaping up onto the sparring ground and scolding Choo Moon-Hwi.


    ¡°Martial Uncle!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s fighting spirit dissipated when Jeong Yu-Pung showed up, allowing Choo Moon-Hwi to greet his martial uncle hurriedly.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing right now? The tournament to elect the Righteous Warrior Squadron captain is going to begin soon! How could you, the representative of the Mount Heng Sect, act so rashly?!¡±


    Jeong Yu-Pung turned to look at Woo-Moon for a moment before continuing, ¡°You only have to wait one more day topete with Young Hero Song of the Iron Sword Baek Family, anyway. Nowe on, follow me!¡±


    The other talents grew quiet as Jeong Yu-Pung harshly reprimanded Choo Moon-Hwi. Meanwhile, Woo-Moon frowned in irritation, as if he had gone into an outhouse with no cleaning supplies, while the other members of the Three Great Sword Families simultaneously sighed with a hint of regret.


    <i>¡®He was about to get destroyed in front of everyone. Damn, we were this close to watching a good show....¡±</i>


    In any case, the spar ended in ackluster manner due to Jeong Yu-Pung¡¯s intrusion. Thus, the remaining talents chatted for a short time before returning to their respective pavilions.


    ***


    As soon as he returned to his lodgings, Woo-Moon called for one of the nearby warriors of the Justice Coalition.


    ¡°I heard that the Justice Coalition has its own smithy. May I know where that is?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that ce is...¡±


    After listening to the warrior''s exnation, Woo-Moon headed to the smithy with Ma-Ra. His sword had broken after taking Ah Hee¡¯s attack, and he needed a new one.


    Namgoong Sung, Jeong-Woo, and Baek Ryeong also joined in.


    ¡°Uncle! Let us tag along, too.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim, please allow me to join you,¡± Namgoong Sung said.


    ¡°Fine, fine. Do as you wish.¡±


    Standing off to the side, Baekri Yeong-Woon hesitated before also walking before Woo-Moon.


    ¡°I have something to ask you, Young Hero Song.¡±


    "What is it?"


    Baekri Yeong-Woon looked Woo-Moon straight in the eye.


    ¡°If you would allow it, I would also like to take you as my hyung-nim!¡±


    Baekri Yeong-Woon¡¯s heart raced as he anxiously waited for Woo-Moon¡¯s answer. He couldn¡¯t even bring himself to look at Woo-Moon¡¯s face properly because he was too flustered, thinking Woo-Moon would find him ridiculous.


    Seeing Baekri Yeong-Woon¡¯s normally stoic face turn red, Woo-Moon chuckled inside, but he answered with no hesitation, ¡°Sure. Then call me hyung from now on.¡±


    Baekri Yeong-Woon wondered how many days and nights he had stayed up, nervous about speaking about this with Woo-Moon. He was almost disappointed with how nonchntly Woo-Moon agreed. It almost seemed... too easy. Of course, Baekri Yeong-Woon was happy, first and foremost, to be weed.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Young Hero... no, hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of going to the smithy, my sword broke and I need a new one. Do you want toe with me? Well, there won¡¯t be much for you to do if youe along.¡±


    Baekri Yeong-Woon nced sideways at Ma-Ra before nodding vigorously.


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯lle along, too, hyung-nim!¡± he said, almost painfully loud.


    Woo-Moon chuckled and set off.


    ¡°Okay. Then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    As they set off for the smithy, Baekri Yeong-Woon suddenly got disappointed as Ma-Ra slipped into the shadows again and disappeared.


    ***


    The smithy was located in the northwest corner of the Justice Coalition Estate.


    ¡°What brings you here?¡± asked one of the smiths while wiping his brow.


    The smiths all worked shirtless due to the extremely hot nature of the smithy, and the sweat only served to emphasize their strong muscles.


    ¡°Oh my.¡±


    Baek Ryeong blushed.


    As Woo-Moon was about to respond, he saw a group of people entering the smithy behind him.


    Leading the group was Xiahou Jinxian, the captain of the Wind Sword Squadron¡ªone of the Five Swords of Heavenly Justice¡ªand the most promising talent of the Xiahou Family, and the Sichuan Tang Family¡¯s Poisonous Blood Flower Tang Yu-Ryeon, who was known as one of the Three Peak Flowers of the younger generation.


    Following behind them were several talents of the Xiahou Family.


    Woo-Moon and Xiahou Jinxian both turned their heads to look at each other the moment they sensed each other¡¯s presence.


    "Huh?"


    ¡°...?¡±


    The two already had a somewhat...<i> tenuous</i> rtionship.


    Some time ago, after taking down the Inksmoke Gang, Woo-Moon got into a scuffle with Xiahou Jinxian. As a result, thetter ended up defeated and knocked out.


    ¡°You... you, it¡¯s you! That boorish crazy bastard from back then!¡±

 Chapter 101. The Entire World is My Home (22)

    <h4>Chapter 101. The Entire World is My Home (22)</h4>


    Xiahou Jinxian almost seemed to be foaming at the mouth as he jabbed his finger at Woo-Moon.


    He was the only one among the Wind Sword Squadron to return to the Justice Coalition due to the request of the Xiahou Family. The reason he hadn¡¯t been at the inauguration ceremony was simply that he waste.


    Having just arrived, he had gone straight to the smithy with Tang Yu-Ryeon, whom he had always had his eye on.


    However, the first person he saw other than Tang Yu-Ryeon was Woo-Moon!


    Jeong-Woo and Baek Ryeong were shocked for a moment, then rightfully pissed.


    ¡°Xiahou Jinxian! Have you gone insane?¡±


    ¡°Xiahou Jinxian! As a fellow member of an Ancient Family, I never thought you¡¯d swear at someone like this! Aren¡¯t you embarrassed? Moreover, to think you dare to talk like this to my uncle, the representative of our family!¡±


    Next, Namgoong Sung stepped in front of Woo-Moon and spoke calmly.


    ¡°You¡¯re speaking too harshly to my hyung-nim and the Representative of the Three Great Sword Families.¡±


    Alsopletely offended, Baekri Yeong-Woon was the next to walk up, although with a hesitating gait unbefitting of the talent of a prestigious family. He stood between Woo-Moon and Xiahou Jinxian.


    ¡°How dare you speak so rudely to my hyung-nim?¡±


    Namgoong Sung and Baekri Yeong-Woon were talents that represented the Namgoong and Baekri Families. Considering his status, Xiahou Jinxian had also met them many times in the past and had a particrly bad rtionship with Baekri Yeong-Woon, who had a... difficult personality.


    In any case, neither was by any means weaker than Xiahou Jinxian in terms of martial arts. Moreover, it was impossible for him to ignore their backgrounds¡ªthey were both members of the Eight Great Ancient Families, so their statuses were perfectlyparable to his own.


    <i>¡®W-what the hell are these bastards on about? That insane bastard is supposed to be the Representative of the Three Great Sword Families? And they call him hyung-nim?!¡¯</i>


    From Xiahou Jinxian¡¯s perspective, Woo-Moon was nothing more than some stranger who appeared out of nowhere and destroyed the Inksmoke Gang, preventing him from having any chance to show off his prowess. To make matters worse, Woo-Moon had even used some unscrupulous means during their spar to knock him out!


    Moreover, Woo-Moon had even told him that his master had existed before the Three Kingdoms period. Thus, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable for Xiahou Jinxian to think of Woo-Moon as a crazy person. From his perspective, it was more than reasonable.


    Xiahou Jinxian sent a voice transmission to one of his juniors in the Xiahou Family.


    <i>¡ªWhat the hell is going on? Just who is that crazy bastard?</i>


    The other members of the Xiahou Family knew who Woo-Moon was, as they had all arrived in time to participate in the inauguration ceremony.


    <i>¡ªHe¡¯s the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor. He showed up not too long ago and used his grandfather¡¯s reputation to be the representative of not only the Baek Family but also the Three Great Sword Families. Apparently, he¡¯s not even a part of the Baek Family, as his name is Song Woo-Moon, not Baek Woo-Moon.</i>


    Their exnation was filled with ridicule against the Baek Family, looking down upon them for having someone not from their family as their representative.


    Xiahou Jinxian had also heard rumors about Woo-Moon before. It was just that he never would¡¯ve dreamed that the crazy bastard he knew was the same Woo-Moon from the rumors.


    <i>Of course, it makes sense. It has to be someone on the level of the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s grandson to pull off a trick like that. He must have tricked me back then, too. This dog bastard.¡¯</i>


    Still, things were starting to make sense for Xiahou Jinxian.


    Now that he knew that there was the great Palm Martial Emperor serving as the halo behind Woo-Moon, he began to sincerely doubt that his loss at that time had been actually due to his skills.


    <i>¡®No, I have to be reserved because it seems like Namgoong Sung and Baekri Yeong-Woon are both supporting him. Yes, it¡¯s best to stay away from a crazy dog!¡¯</i> he thought to himself. Then, he cupped his fist and spoke with the utmost courtesy that he could manage as an heir of a prestigious family.


    ¡°My name is Xiahou Jinxian of the Xiahou Family. I apologize. I embarrassed myself because he looked simr to someone I used to know. Please forgive my misstep.¡±


    Xiahou Jinxian seemed to want to move on a positive note with his apology.


    As for Woo-Moon, he just wanted to hurry up and go make a new sword. Therefore, he calmed down any desire for a new fight and also cupped his fist in return.


    ¡°My name is Song Woo-Moon of the Iron Sword Baek Family. It¡¯s fine, Young Hero Xiahou. I was also surprised as you reminded me of a particrly weak person who fainted from a single blow. Hoho, this really must be fate for us to remind each other of a different person. But the person I¡¯m thinking of definitely can¡¯t be you, Young Hero Xiahou. After all, you definitely aren¡¯t that weak, right?¡±


    Woo-Moon drove a stake into Xiahou Jinxian¡¯s heart with every word. However, Xiahou Jinxian had no choice but to hold himself back, as he had been the first one to break courtesy, calling Woo-Moon a crazy bastard.


    As a vein throbbed on his forehead, Xiahou Jinxianughed through his teeth.


    ¡°Hahaha. Thank you for your concern, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m quite sturdy and I can take a hit,¡± Xiahou Jinxian said. He then stealthily took a look at the Poisonous Blood Flower Tang Yu-Ryeon, just to be surprised once again.


    <i>¡®What sort of shit is this? Why are you looking at Woo-Moon with such interest?¡¯</i>


    Possibly because he had been the Wind Sword Squadron Captain for so long and done so many missions in the outside world,pared to the talents of the other Eight Great Ancient Families, Xiahou Jinxian was more brusque in both temperament and words.


    He was truly resentful of heaven¡¯s bias, as he had no choice but to admit that his appearance was inferior to Woo-Moon¡¯s. Seeing Tang Yu-Ryeon looking at Woo-Moon with interest, his entitled rage seemed to almost exude from his eyes.


    ¡°Now, Young Lady Tang, Let¡¯s go get you a new sword.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, Young Hero Xiahou.¡±


    Fortunately, Tang Yu-Ryeon¡¯s interest in Woo-Moon seemed to go only so far, as she easily took her eyes off and followed Xiahou Jinxian further into the smithy.


    As Xiahou Jinxian perused the swords for one to buy for Tang Yu-Ryeon, he also kept an eye on Woo-Moon.


    ¡°I asked you what brought you here. Are you going to buy a weapon?¡± the smith bluntly asked. However, Woo-Moon just shook his head.


    ¡°No. Although I need a sword, I don¡¯t want to buy it. If you would let me borrow your forge, I¡¯d like to forge it myself.¡±


    The smith could have never expected Woo-Moon¡¯s response¡ªno, this was the first time he had ever heard someone ask such a request while working at the smithy of the Justice Coalition. He just couldn¡¯t believe his ears.


    It was the same for the talents of the Three Great Sword Families who followed Woo-Moon, as well as the secretly paying attention Xiahou Jinxian and Tang Yu-Ryeon.


    ¡°Wow, hyung-nim, are you serious right now?¡±


    ¡°Uncle! Do you really n on forging it yourself?¡±


    Xiahou Jinxian snorted.


    <i>¡®Hmpf, crazy bastard. As expected, a crazy bastard is always a crazy bastard. What? Forge your sword yourself? Does he think smithing is a joke or something? You insane lunatic.¡¯</i>


    Everyone had the same type of reaction to Woo-Moon. The smith¡¯s expression furrowed as if he thought that Woo-Moon was looking down on him and the cksmith trade.


    ¡°While I heard you were a young master of the Iron Sword Baek Family, did you really think that smithing is easy? Stop talking nonsense and just pick a sword.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t joking. I really meant it. I would like to forge a sword. I humbly request to use your forge.¡±


    As Woo-Moon pressed his request, the smith began to think that Xiahou Jinxian¡¯s earlier characterization of Woo-Moon as a crazy bastard was correct.


    ¡°Hmpf, what a strange young master. Fine, just wait. I¡¯m going to go talk to the head smith.¡±


    The smith went further into the smithy and returned after some time with a stout man in histe fifties.


    ¡°This is him, head smith.¡±


    Go Jin-Cheong was the leader of the Justice Coalition¡¯s smithy. He was a smith of such caliber that if he were to im he was the second-best smith in the Central ins, it would be difficult for anyone to dere themselves first.


    He looked over at Woo-Moon, and the moment his gaze fell on the young man, Woo-Moon suddenly felt as if his entire being had been pierced through by a sharp spike.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t this the same feeling as when an Absolute Master looks down upon you? How interesting. But, he definitely hasn¡¯t learned any martial arts, so...how?¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon inwardly admired him, Go Jin-Cheong began to speak.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the one who wants to forge his sword himself?¡¯


    ¡°Yes. I have some experience in forging.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be twenty taels for the materials and tools to rent. But if you end up having to buy a sword because you couldn¡¯t forge one properly, you¡¯ll have to pay an extra hundred silver taels. With that said, do you still want to try?¡±


    It was no different from him just telling Woo-Moon to give up.


    In total, there was arge sum of money, a hundred and twenty silver taels, at stake, and knowing that he didn¡¯t have that much money, Jeong-Woo and Baek Ryeong assumed that he would refuse.


    ¡°Understood. For now, here are twenty taels.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s answer was not only in agreement, but also extremely nonchnt, shocking everyone. Go Jin-Cheong took a second surprised look at Woo-Moon while Xiahou Jinxian sneered.


    <i>¡®So that crazy bastard really wants to waste his money because of his pride!¡¯</i>


    Baek Ryeong suddenly turned, eyes zing, and red at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Uncle dear, I seem to remember that we¡¯ve been through so much struggle because you <i>didn¡¯t have any money</i>. May I kindly ask then, where did that money COME FROM?!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, I picked this up on the street yesterday.¡±


    Baek Ryeong scolded him again.


    ¡°Uncle! Be serious!¡±


    Ignoring her, Woo-Moon handed Go Jin-Cheong the money.


    ¡°Where should I go?¡±


    ¡°Man Bo! Lend this young master your forge for a little while.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why me?!¡±


    ¡°Are you talking back to me?¡±


    ¡°Cough, cough! N-never. Young master, pleasee this way.¡±


    As Woo-Moon followed Man Bo to where he indicated, the assistant who aided the smiths ran over and handed the materials almost as if he were throwing them at him. He red at Woo-Moon, thinking that Woo-Moon was looking down on the smithy he dreamed of working at.


    However, Woo-Moon paid him no mind. He removed his top, revealing his well-toned, muscr upper body, and started working the bellows.


    ¡°Oh my.¡±


    Baek Ryeong was flustered once again, and the eyes of thedies present couldn¡¯t help but dart across Woo-Moon¡¯s body.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Hot mes erupted from the forge.


    The smiths looked on in surprise as Woo-Moon continued to stoke the mes skillfully.


    <i>¡®Oh? He isn¡¯t doing that bad.¡¯</i>


    Go Jin-Cheong nodded slightly.


    As Woo-Moon continued to work the bellows and heat the iron, the surprise of the smiths continued to grow.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s... that¡¯s not just some basic technique.¡¯</i>


    On the other hand, this wasn¡¯t the case for the talents. Although they knew that Woo-Moon was more skilled than they had initially thought, that was just the extent of their surprise. As they didn¡¯t know much about smithing, none of them had grasped the magnitude of Woo-Moon¡¯s skills.


    <i>ng! ng!</i>


    The smiths were shocked once again as Woo-Moon finally started hammering.


    Instantly, all the nearby smiths gathered around Woo-Moon and observed carefully. It was only then that the talents realized something was unusual.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Is he actually forging properly right now?¡±


    As Woo-Moon seemed to demonstrate an unexpected ability, Jeong-Woo and Baek Ryeong were taken aback, while a smile appeared on Namgoong Sung¡¯s lips without him even realizing it.


    <i>¡®W-what¡¯s with that crazy bastard?¡¯</i>


    On the other hand, Xiahou Jinxian could no longer pretend to be uninterested. He stopped perusing the swords and openly stared at Woo-Moon. Of course, the same was true for the other talents of the Xiahou Family and Tang Yu-Ryeon.


    Woo-Moon plunged the billet into the forge, drew it out and struck it again and again, only stopping after dozens of blows.


    He inspected the billet as the sword was taking shape before immediately putting the de back into the forge and stoking the mes again.


    It was time to repeat the process all over again.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ve warmed up properly. Now that I remembered the feeling, let¡¯s forge properly!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon formed a solid mental image of the sword he wanted as he began to converse with the iron.


    <i>ng! ng! ng!!</i>


    His hammer moved continuously, humming a strange rhythm.


    Baek Ryeong followed Woo-Moon¡¯s movements with a nk expression as if she had been possessed by something. Her little face bobbed frantically in tempo with the hammer.


    ¡°Wow...!¡±


    Before they knew it, Woo-Moon¡¯s upper body was glistening with sweat. As someone with incredible cultivation, he wasn¡¯t sweating because of the heat. Instead, the sweat naturally exuded from his body as he entered a state of extreme concentration.


    The rhythm of Woo-Moon¡¯s hammering seemed almost seductive; soon, the heads of both the talents and the smiths began to bob up and down like Baek Ryeong¡¯s.


    <i>ng!!</i>


    Go Jin-Cheong clenched his fist, and writhing muscles and tendons protruded from his massive forearm.


    <i>¡®Unbelievable! He really is amazing. Although his actual hammering technique isn¡¯t anything to write home about, the soul of his sword speaks to him and calls out with every blow. The sword soul is lighting the path ahead! Just how did he...¡¯</i>


    It was only recently that Go Jin-Cheong himself could feel the soul of the metal in his hands and use it to guide his forging. Thus, he couldn¡¯t help but be surprised to see the young Woo-Moonmuning with the soul of the metal as well.


    A sword soul was unique¡ªit wasn¡¯t something only a smith could feel during the forging process. Rather, anyone who was familiar enough with a sword to be chosen by it could feel it. Of course...that was only in theory. How many ever reached that level of familiarity?


    In other words, Woo-Moon had a much greater advantage over others inmuning with a sword soul as he wasn¡¯t only a talented smith but also a talented swordsman.

 Chapter 102. The Entire World is My Home (23)

    <h4>Chapter 102. The Entire World is My Home (23)</h4>


    Nothing else existed in Woo-Moon¡¯s mind.


    There was just a single concept, one idea.


    The Sword!


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll catch you! I¡¯m going to make you mine!¡¯</i>


    With an unassable conviction, Woo-Moon continued to strike the metal billet with his hammer.


    Finally, a long whileter, he let out a long breath and stopped hammering.


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    <i>Hisssss!</i>


    The sound of the sword he had forged meeting water was refreshing. The sputtering water and steam hissing during the quench made for a beautiful sight.


    With a strong sense of satisfaction, Woo-Moon then proceeded to take the de to a whetstone to finish the bevels and sharpen the edge. The only sound in the quiet forge was the grating of steel on stone.


    Go Jin-Cheong couldn¡¯t hold himself back any longer and returned to his personal forge, beginning to forge himself.


    The charcoal-ck unfinished de in Woo-Moon¡¯s hand began to emit a cold silver glow as it moved across the whetstone. With every swipe, it grew colder and colder.


    ¡°...That was incredible,¡± Jeong-Woo muttered with a nk expression.


    They all could see that the sword that Woo-Moon had forged was incredible with a single nce. No, to be frank, it wasn¡¯t just incredible. None of the talents present currently had a sword that was better than the one Woo-Moon had forged.


    ¡°How amazing, just wless, that sword is. But, you really are surprising, Young Hero Song of the Iron Sword Baek Family...¡±


    Xiahou Jinxian suddenly came to his senses when he heard Tang Yu-Ryeon speak with a nk and dreamy gaze. Realizing that even he had been drawn into Woo-Moon¡¯s rhythm, his face blushed with shame and anger.


    <i>¡®Damn it! That crazy-ass bastarde!¡¯</i>


    Baek Ryeong approached Woo-Moon as he swung his finished de around with a satisfied smile.


    ¡°Uncle, can I hold it for a moment?¡±


    How could Woo-Moon refuse his niece, as cute and innocent as could be?


    Moreover, there was also that incident regarding the twenty taels...


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Taking the offered de, Baek Ryeong smiled broadly as she caressed it with her fingers.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing. You really are incredible, Uncle! I never once could have imagined you would be so good at smithing!¡±


    Namgoong Sung shook his head.


    ¡°I really lose to you in every way, don¡¯t I, hyung-nim.¡±


    Hearing those words, Jeong-Woo felt infinite pride. Although his pride was singed every time someone asked why someone from the Song Family was representing the Iron Sword <i>Baek</i> Family, he couldn¡¯t help but be proud and content with the fact that Woo-Moon was their uncle and representing their family now.


    Right at that moment, Go Jin-Cheong, covered in sweat, came over and handed Woo-Moon some sword fittings.


    ¡°To be honest, I looked down on you at first. I would like you to take these as my apology.¡±


    The way Go Jin-Cheong spoke had suddenly changed. He wasn¡¯t speaking to Woo-Moon as a warrior of the Justice Coalition anymore but as a junior who was also walking the path of the smith.


    Having watched Woo-Moon forge his sword closely, Go Jin-Cheong worked incredibly diligently to create a hilt, guard, and scabbard that matched Woo-Moon¡¯s sword perfectly.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Somehow, Woo-Moon felt as though he had be very close to Go Jin-Cheong.


    As Woo-Moon put together the de he had forged and the fittings Go Jin-Cheong had given him, Go Jin-Cheong moved over to the corner of the smithy and returned holding out another sword.


    ¡°Your skills as a swordsman should be just as excellent as your forging skills. I would like you to be the owner of this sword.¡±


    The sword was the greatest piece Go Jin-Cheong had ever forged. Though he didn¡¯t know that, Woo-Moon could instinctively feel what a masterpiece it was, and he didn¡¯t waste one second drawing it from the scabbard.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    The sword had the word ¡°Inkde¡± engraved at the base of the de, and true to its name, the sword didn¡¯t have the usual silver glimmer of steel. Instead, it was pitch-ck, and its glow was subdued, almost as if it absorbed light instead of reflecting it.


    Its darkness was in strange contrast to Woo-Moon¡¯s creation, which shone with a chilling silver light.


    ¡°This is incredible! As expected, I have much to learn before I can reach your level of skill, head smith,¡± Woo-Moon said. He spoke as if he wasn¡¯t just someone who had shown up out of the blue but a smith who had been working at the smithy for a long time.


    ¡°What you made is more than good enough,¡± Go Jin-Cheong cheerfully responded. He was pleased that Woo-Moon praised the sword he had forged.


    What Woo-Moon was saying wasn¡¯t just empty words. Although the sword he had forged was excellent, Inkde was closer to perfection than anything he¡¯d ever seen.


    Baek Ryeong stuck out her tongue in a cute manner.


    ¡°Head smith! <i>Hehe</i>, can you give me a sword as a present, too?¡±


    Baek Ryeong¡¯s ability to read the room was certainly impressive. Seeing her cute and shameless act, Go Jin-Cheong chuckled. He was in a good mood because of Woo-Moon; moreover, as he had a granddaughter close to Baek Ryeong¡¯s age, he felt instinctively close to her.


    ¡°Okay, okay. Just wait a moment.¡±


    After a while, Go Jin-Cheong brought over a sword that, while not as incredible as Inkde, was still marvelous. Everyone looked on in envy as he handed it to Baek Ryeong without asking for anything in return.


    At that moment, Ma-Ra suddenly appeared next to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    The talents of the Xiahou Family, Tang Yu-Ryeon, and the smiths were all greatly shocked. It was only natural they would be, as a beautiful girl with stark white hair and Transcendent ss cultivation suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    As soon as Tang Yu-Ryeon saw Ma-Ra, her face soured as she intuitively realized the girl was more beautiful than her. However, she immediately started deceiving herself to make herself feel better.


    <i>¡®H-hmpf. Even if you¡¯re that beautiful, your eyshes are still a bit shorter than mine. So I¡¯m the prettier one!¡¯</i>


    She then turned around to see Xiahou Jinxian nearly drooling at the mouth as he stared at Ma-Ra.


    <i>¡®And to think this bastard was acting as if he would give up his liver for me only a few moments ago!¡¯</i>


    Any feelings she may have had for Xiahou Jinxian suddenly disappeared.


    ¡°Yes, yes, just keep on drooling!¡± she spat in a voice dripping with disdain before turning around and swiftly stomping her way out of the smithy.


    Although she paused for a moment to look at Woo-Moon with a wistful gaze, her heart felt as though it was tearing apart when she saw Ma-Ra, who was prettier than her, standing next to him.


    ¡°Agk! Young Lady Tang!¡±


    Xiahou Jinxian stopped for a moment,paring the two women before quickly chasing after Tang Yu-Ryeon. Seeing Woo-Moon standing next to Ma-Ra, Xiahou Jinxian deted slightly at the thought of having topare against him. Thus, although Ma-Ra was somewhat prettier, he chose to follow after Tang Yu-Ryeon, who seemed rtively more straightforward to chase.


    Unfortunately, after seeing his drooling face, Tang Yu-Ryeon was even more of a lost cause than Ma-Ra.


    As that drama unfolded, Woo-Moon turned to Ma-Ra, who was staring at him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    She drew the wrist crossbows and bolts, Silver Moon Discs, her short sword and daggers... countless hidden weapons and items for assassination that seemed to contrast entirely with her slender frame emerged from within her robes.


    ¡°Please.¡±


    Having been with Ma-Ra for quite some time now, Woo-Moon immediately realized what she meant.


    ¡°You want me to repair all of this, right?¡±


    Ma-Ra nodded calmly, while on the other hand, Woo-Moon suddenly realized something as his heart pounded.


    ¡°Ma-Ra! Did you just say ¡®please¡¯?¡±


    Ma-Ra''s eyes widened slightly at his words.


    Even she was surprised by herself as she realized she had taken the initiative to ask for help. In fact, even her being surprised like this was surprising in itself. Were these...emotions?


    While Ma-Ra became lost in her thoughts and didn¡¯t respond, Woo-Moon smiled brightly.


    ¡°Okay, good. I¡¯ll fix it all! How could I not, considering our adorable Ma-Ra asked for it herself? Hehe.¡±


    As Woo-Moonughed boisterously, Eun-Ah suddenly put her front paw on the anvil.


    <i>Clunk.</i>


    <i>¡°Kya!!¡±</i>


    Woo-moon and Eun-Ah¡¯s eyes met, and there was silence for a moment.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s expression hardened. He lifted his hammer and brought it down upon Eun-Ah¡¯s front paw.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Eun-Ah quickly drew her paw back, startled and scared.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t your ws made of metal, anyway? What are you even scared of? They¡¯ll get sharper by themselves, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Eun-Ah shook her tiny head and puffed out her cheeks in response as if she was upset that Woo-Moon refused to sharpen her ws.


    <i>¡®Her expressions really are human-like.¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon chuckled to himself, Go Jin-Cheong spoke to Ma-Ra.


    ¡°Oho! All of these are high-ss items. Littledy, what do you think about me handling this for you?¡±


    Knowing that the smith¡¯s skills were superior to Woo-Moon''s, Ma-Ra nodded without the slightest hesitation.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I know he¡¯s more skilled than I am, but don¡¯t you think you should have at least acted as if you were considering it?¡±


    In response, Ma-Ra used her stealth art to vanish.


    ¡°Hmmpf. Fine. Let¡¯s go back!¡±


    Although he spoke to everyone, the only ones to follow him were Ma-Ra, Baek Ryeong, and Eun-Ah. Still, he didn¡¯t care much about the others'' decisions and just turned to leave the smithy.


    ¡°Come visit us anytime! I¡¯ll always make some space for you!¡± Go Jin-Cheong shouted at him from behind.


    Woo-Moon actually turned around and hugged the head smith firmly.


    ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll definitelye to see you again, head smith!¡±


    Namgoong Sung, Baekri Yeong-Woon, and Jeong-Woo ran toward Go Jin-Cheong after Woo-Moon left.


    ¡°Head smith! Please give us swords, too.¡±


    The smith just looked at them nkly before turning around.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you one if you pay.¡±


    ¡°This is unfair!¡±


    ¡°I should have been born a woman, too!¡±


    ***


    That night, Woo-Moon wanted to get some good sleep after all the trouble, so he didn¡¯t leave his room for his usualte night training. However, his sleep was interrupted when he suddenly felt an uninvited guest approaching his living quarters.


    <i>¡®Who is it?¡¯</i>


    A momentter, Ma-Ra also felt the uninvited guest¡¯s presence.


    As soon as the person opened Woo-Moon¡¯s door and entered, Ma-Ra suddenly dropped from the ceiling and ced the backup knife she had kept at the person¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Bi Yeo-Jung, the uninvited guest and Woo-Gang¡¯s former lover, was calm even as she faced Ma-Ra¡¯s obvious bloodlust.


    ¡°I came here to speak with Young Hero Woo-Moon, senior brother Woo-Gang¡¯s hyung-nim.¡±


    Woo-Moon signaled to Ma-Ra and turned to light themp behind him.


    ¡°Wait, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for you to do that.¡±


    It seemed as though something was on her mind.


    <i>¡®Ah, I guess she doesn¡¯t want anyone to know she came here. It makes sense. It doesn¡¯t look good for ady to go to another man¡¯s room thiste.¡¯</i>


    It wasn¡¯t an issue anyway, as they were all martial experts and could see each other as clearly as day, even without any light.


    ¡°What can I do for you? Is there something going on with my brother?¡±


    Bi Yeo-Jung was impressed at how quickly Woo-Moon caught on to the situation at hand.


    ¡°Yes, I came here because of senior brother Song.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze changed slightly at the words ¡°senior brother Song.¡±<i> </i>As he looked at Bi Yeo-Jung, he wondered if his own junior sister was doing well.


    ¡°Do you perhaps remember the strange mood when you and the other Three Great Sword Families members entered the inauguration ceremony for the Righteous Heroic Warriors Squadron?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The reason for the awkwardness was...¡±


    Bi Yeo-Jung exined the derogatory remarks that had been made against Woo-Moon and how Hyeon Yu-Yeon and Woo-Gang had angrily spoken out in defense of Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon clenched his fists as the disgusting faces of Choo Moon-Hwi and Woo-Gang¡¯s two senior brothers appeared in his mind.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll make all of you bastards vomit blood.¡¯</i>


    It was only then that he understood the reason Bi Yeo-Jung hade to see him at this hour.


    ¡°Is it Yu Cho or Hyeon Mu-Cheol? Or is it both?¡±


    Bi Yeo-Jung was once again impressed. Woo-Moon had hit the nail on the head.


    ¡°It¡¯s senior brother Hyeon. For some reason, senior brother Yu didn¡¯t seem to be angry at all. However, senior brother Hyeon was fuming after returning because senior brother Song, who normally stays quiet and calm,shed out at him in public. He said he would need to have a spar with senior brother Song, as he needed to teach his junior brother a lesson on disrespecting his elders.¡±


    ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°They went out toward the southern gate of the Justice Coalition Estate. There is an abandoned temple nearby with an empty field.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Thank you.¡±


    After taking a second nce at Eun-Ah, who rarely woke up after falling asleep, Woo-Moon opened his door.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ma-Ra.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    <i>¡®How dare these bastards think about touching my brother?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 103. The Entire World is My Home (24)

    <h4>Chapter 103. The Entire World is My Home (24)</h4>


    Bi Yeo-Jung was left alone after Woo-Moon left. She was grateful for his consideration.


    If he said, <i>¡®Haven¡¯t you already broken up with my brother? Why are you helping him?¡¯</i>, not only would she not have been able to find the right words to answer, but she knew that she may not have been able to keep herself together.


    After standing there for a few moments, she wiped her eyes with her sleeve and left Woo-Moon¡¯s room, heading toward her quarters. As she walked, she couldn¡¯t help but be worried for Woo-Gang.


    ***


    ¡°How dare you talk back to your senior brother? You really must have a death wish.¡±


    Woo-Gang and Hyeon Mu-Cheol stood facing each other in front of an abandoned temple.


    While Woo-Gang was alone, four other Mount Hua disciples stood behind Hyeon Mu-Cheol.


    Woo-Gang couldn¡¯t find any reason to reply to Hyeon Mu-Cheol¡¯s ridiculous words.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ve endured all of your shit ever since the moment I joined Mount Hua. But now... I¡¯ve reached my limit. I¡¯m sick of your bullying.¡¯</i>


    The thing he couldn¡¯t stomach, above all, was the fact that these bastards ridiculed his brother to no end. It was the final straw that awakened the anger that had long been dormant inside of Woo-Gang.


    Seeing Woo-Gang not saying anything, Hyeon Mu-Cheol thought that his junior brother was scared, and he was ted.


    ¡°What, cat ate your tongue? Why don¡¯t you look me in the eyes and talk back to me like before?¡±


    Still, Woo-Gang didn¡¯t respond to his goading.


    ¡°What, are you mad at me for your brother being called an idiot? What¡¯s up with that? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s not true.¡±


    ¡°... up.¡±


    Woo-Gang spoke up, but his voice was so soft that Hyeon Mu-Cheol¡¯s ridicule drowned out his words.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Woo-Gang said again, this time with his usual unperturbed expression on his face.


    Hyeon Mu-Cheol¡¯s face turned red.


    ¡°You little... How dare you speak to your senior brother like this?¡±


    The four standing behind Hyeon Mu-Cheol, often called ¡°the Hyeon Mu-Cheol Sect¡± by their peers at Mount Hua, started shouting at Woo-Gang in turn.


    ¡°Song Woo-Gang, how dare you cross lines!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve only been able to enjoy such luxuries due to being one of the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms, a title you only earned thanks to the benevolence of our senior brother! But to think you¡¯d grow so arrogant!¡±


    While they spat and spewed passionately, Woo-Gang calmly drew his sword and took a stance.


    ¡°Why talk so much? Didn¡¯t you call me to teach me a lesson, second senior brother? Let''s just do it.¡±


    Hyeon Mu-Cheol suddenly smiled bitterly as he red at Woo-Gang.


    ¡°Fine, I didn¡¯t like you from the very beginning. I¡¯ll have to show you properly today¡ªhow much better I am than you.¡±


    Hyeon Mu-Cheol drew his sword and pointed it at Woo-Gang.


    The two people focused for a moment, then moved simultaneously, deploying the same Twenty-Four Plum Blossom des.


    Plum blossoms bloomed at the tip of their swords as they showcased the beautiful sword art full of myriad changes. Yet behind this exquisite technique were hidden ferocious power and bloodlust that did not let them hesitate for a single moment.


    <i>¡®Impressive!¡¯</i>


    Hyeon Mu-Cheol¡¯s eyes shone coldly as he started to wield his sword more aggressively. As the senior brother, it was only right for him to subdue Woo-Gang as quickly as possible.


    On the other hand, Woo-Gang defended as calmly as possible and precisely destroyed Hyeon Mu-Cheol¡¯s attacks step by step.


    The tip of Hyeon Mu-Cheol''s sword quivered as two plum blossoms bloomed and simultaneously shot in two different directions, then converged toward Woo-Gang¡¯s shoulder and abdomen.


    Plums Blossom Twice![1]


    Woo-Gang calmly retreated as he quickly used Plum Blossoms Adorn the Road twice.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    As expected of a peak-level swift sword technique, Woo-Gang¡¯s sword urately blocked Hyeon Mu-Cheol¡¯s double strike before it could touch him.


    <i>¡®Ugh!¡¯</i>


    When his sword collided with Hyeon Mu-Cheol¡¯s, Woo-Gang groaned, feeling a heavy shockwave transmitted through his de into his body.


    <i>¡®As expected, my cultivation is weaker than his. But my grasp of the technique is better than his! I can win this!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Gang¡¯s eyes lit up, and the two proceeded to exchange over two hundred blows in mere moments.


    As time passed, Hyeon Mu-Cheol was more and more astonished as he felt himself being slowly pushed back. Woo-Gang was like a steady mountain, calmly defending and breaking down each of his attacks, one by one, and at the same time inching closer and closer to him.


    He felt severely pressured.


    <i>¡®Damn it! How is this happening? There¡¯s no way he has more energy than me!¡¯</i>


    He couldn¡¯t understand it; it didn¡¯t make sense.


    Although he may not have taken as many elixirs as Yu Cho, his family had still provided him with plenty. At the very least, his cultivation <i>had</i> to be stronger than that of Woo-Gang, who had no choice but to work for his own cultivation resources.


    Things may have been different if Woo-Gang¡¯s cultivation method was better than his, but considering they both cultivated the Violet Haze Divine Art, his cultivation level had to be higher than Woo-Gang¡¯s.


    At that moment, Woo-Gang¡¯s sword flew sharply and drew a plum blossom in the air, aiming for the minute opening that appeared as Hyeon Mu-Cheol was distracted.


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    The moment Hyeon Mu-Cheol tried to deflect Woo-Gang¡¯s blow, the plum blossom shattered and disappeared. Suddenly, a new plum blossom bloomed next to its remains and flew in apletely different direction.


    <i>¡®Nine Transformations of the Plum Blossom!¡¯</i>


    It was a technique he knew all too well. However, the perfection with which Woo-Gang performed it was enough to shock the others.


    Hyeon Mu-Cheol had been aware of this for years, and now, he couldn¡¯t help but face the painful truth: not only was Woo-Gang¡¯s natural talent far superior to his own, but the effort he put in his training left him and everyone else in the dust.


    Sensing his own inferiority, Hyeon Mu-Cheol swung his sword again.


    <i>¡®It doesn¡¯t matter how perfect your technique is, I also know it!¡¯</i>


    However, the moment Hyeon Mu-Cheol tried to block Woo-Gang¡¯s attack by following the movements he knew of the Nine Transformations of the Plum Blossom, he couldn¡¯t help but be astonished.


    <i>¡®To think he used that single instant to connect his Nine Transformations of the Plum Blossom to Consecutive Falling Plums!¡¯</i>


    It was a series of techniques that Hyeon Mu-Cheol could never have dreamed of.


    The curtain of plum blossoms that Woo-Gang had spread fell toward him in a dizzying motion. However, at that moment, Hyeon Mu-Cheol raised his right arm, and a hidden weapon in the shape of a plum blossom spun and flew out from the space between his elbow and torso, lodging itself in Woo-Gang¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    It happened so suddenly that Woo-Gang was unable to avoid it.


    As Woo-Gang froze for a moment, Hyeon Mu-Cheol thrust his left hand forward and struck him in the chest with a Six Harmonies Divine Palm.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Woo-Gang vomited blood and fell backward, unable to withstand the direct blow.


    ¡°You dirty... Wang Jeong, how could you... sneak attack...!¡±


    As Woo-Gang tried to speak with difficulty, Hyeon Mu-Cheol smiled slyly.


    ¡°Sneak attack? What do you mean, junior brother? That Plum Blossom Mark was something I threw myself. Did you not see it? Oh, I guess my movements were too fast for you to see. You see, I¡¯ve been practicing throwing Plum Blossom Marks these days.¡±


    Obviously, he was lying through his teeth. How could the Plum Blossom Mark that had so suddenly flown from Hyeon Mu-Cheol¡¯s armpit actually havee from his hand? Woo-Gang knew that it had definitely been thrown by Hyeon Mu-Cheol¡¯s crony, Wang Jeong, who was in fact very skilled with the Plum Blossom Marks.


    <i>¡®But... who¡¯s going to believe me in the future?¡¯</i>


    To think things would end like this...


    It was an age-old truth that it was difficult for one hand to deal with two. But for Woo-Gang, the most righteous disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, to meet with such a traitorous end...


    ¡°Is it because the full moon is so bright today? Why are all these goddamn dogs barking? Well, the only way to fix a dog¡¯s habits is to beat it!¡±


    With those words, five stones suddenly flew out and struck Hyeon Mu-Cheol and the Mount Hua disciples in the face all at once, without a single second of dy between them.


    <i>Thud!!</i>


    All of them reeled back, spitting blood mixed with pieces of teeth.


    ¡°Who is it?!¡±


    Woo-Moon appeared behind Woo-Gang with a grin on his face.


    ¡°Oh, me? I¡¯m just a normal idiot. I was trying to get some sleep when some fucking dogs started barking. Now, if it was just one dog, that would¡¯ve been fine, but there had to be a whole goddamn pack of them!¡±


    ¡°Hy-hyung?¡±


    Woo-Moon walked past Woo-Gang and grinned.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be ashamed, little brother. Didn¡¯t they start fighting together first? Let your hyung go and scold those cowardly bastards for you.¡±


    Woo-Gang lowered his head, tears threatening to fall.


    On the other hand, Hyeon Mu-Cheol was momentarily shocked to see that Woo-Moon had mastered a hidden weapon technique to the point that he was able to throw not one but five rocks and hit them all without missing a single one.


    Hyeon Mu-Cheol spat blood as he roared.


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon! How dare a person from the Iron Sword Baek Family get involved in the affairs of the Mount Hua Sect?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What are you barking about? Hey, dog, wash your bloody mouth. I can¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. Oh, maybe it¡¯s because I don¡¯t speak dog. Anyway, stop your barking ande here to take your beating!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon used the Northern Wind Steps and rushed at Hyeon Mu-Cheol.


    Extremely wary of Woo-Moon after being hit by that rock, Hyeon Mu-Cheol hurriedly raised his de in an attempt to block whatever attack wasing his way.


    However, Woo-Moon just passed by him and ran toward the four Mount Hua disciples behind him.


    ¡°I freaking hate sneak attacks, so you bastards are first!¡±


    As Woo-Moon rushed toward them with a terrifying force, two of the Mount Hua disciples decided to strike him first, swinging their swords at him from both sides.


    In response, Woo-Moon used the Nine Yin White Bone w with both hands and grabbed their swords with his bare palms. He then swung his arms hard.


    <i>Crack!!!</i>


    He twisted the des, and with them the arms of the two disciples holding them tightly, breaking their wrists and causing them to scream in pain. Then, he swung his sheathed sword, sending a de of Raging Wind to another of the disciples. The disciple raised his arms in front of his face to block it, but a momentter, he was lying on the ground, screaming in pain from two broken forearms.


    Suddenly, a Plum Blossom Mark struck Woo-Moon¡¯s chest... and split his afterimage in half as Woo-Moon used the Divine Phantasm Steps, his figure disappearing like a mirage.


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    The hair on Wang Jeong¡¯s neck bristled as he quickly looked around. Suddenly, he felt a cold touch on his neck. Before he knew it, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword, drawn from its scabbard this time, was ced on his neck, shining with a cold silver glimmer under the moonlight.


    ¡°You rat! So you¡¯re the one who likes sneak attacks, huh?! Well, how about I sneakily kill you?¡±


    All of Wang Jeong¡¯s hair stood on end, and fear turned his body numb. He closed his eyes tightly, unable to withstand Woo-Moon¡¯s bloodlust.


    ¡°Nah, that would be going too far.¡±


    Sheathing his sword, Woo-Moon used the Heavy Rain Fist instead, sending a flurry of blows with both fists.


    <i>Bang, bang, bang, bang!</i>


    It was as if Wang Jeong was being beaten by a group of men from all sides. Shock and fear filled his face, which soon turned the size of arge pumpkin.


    After Wang Jeong dropped to the ground, Woo-Moon raised a blood-stained fist and looked at Hyeon Mu-Cheol.


    ¡°Hey, you. Yeah, you¡¯re... Hyeon Mu-Cheol or something? I hear that my younger brother is quite <i>indebted</i> to you,¡± Woo-Moon said as a dark grin lit his face.


    <i>¡®That bastard, he¡¯s an expert I can¡¯t deal with? He seems to be even stronger than eldest brother!¡¯</i>


    If it were any other person instead of Hyeon Mu-Cheol, they might have felt less ashamed and takenfort in the fact that Woo-Moon was the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s grandson. However, Hyeon Mu-Cheol himself was also a descendant of one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors, the Sword Emperor! How could he find any constion in Woo-Moon¡¯s status?


    Hyeon Mu-Cheol clenched his teeth.


    He was suddenly reminded of the incredible talent that Woo-Gang had shown when he first joined the Mount Hua Sect. The only reason he had been trying to suppress Woo-Gang was that very jealousy.


    However, Woo-Gang¡¯s talent was still so outstanding that even under that suppression, he was given a title as one of the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms.


    Considering Woo-Gang¡¯s ability, he had also expected that Woo-Moon, who was of the same blood as him, would also have a talent beyond imagination.


    <i>¡®But isn¡¯t this too incredible?¡¯</i>


    This was no longer on the level of a younger-generation fighter. If anything, Woo-Moon seemedparable to Hyeon Mu-Cheol¡¯s father, the sect master of Mount Hua.


    <i>¡®How can there be such a monster in the world?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon started walking toward Hyeon Mu-Cheol, but Woo-Gang raised a hand to stop him.


    ¡°Hyung, wait a minute.¡±


    Seeing that, Woo-Moon smiled inwardly but outwardly pretended to be angry.


    ¡°Why should I?¡±


    ¡°...Leave him be. Whether I hate him or love him, he¡¯s still my senior brother.¡±


    The disciples who had been beaten by Woo-Moon were also senior brothers to Woo-Gang. However, they were senior <i>sect</i> brothers, not actual disciple-brothers, as they didn¡¯t have the same direct master.


    However, Hyeon Mu-Cheol and Woo-Gang were in fact disciple-brothers with the same master.


    ¡°Senior brother? That bastard doesn¡¯t even consider you human, much less his junior disciple brother. So why do you call him senior brother?¡±


    Woo-Gang only gave Woo-Moon a pleading look and did not say anything special, and in the end, Woo-Moon let his anger slide off his face.


    ¡°Screw off! I¡¯m only letting you off because of my brother.¡±


    Although his pride was hurt, there was no need for Hyeon Mu-Cheol to provoke Woo-Moon and earn himself a beating. It would be a disaster if he ended up with broken arms like the others. Thus, Hyeon Mu-Cheol quickly left, taking the other four disciples with him.


    Woo-Gang looked at them scurrying away.


    ¡°I¡¯m definitely going to get back at them for looking down on me and daring tough at you, hyung. But I¡¯ll do it with my own hands. It¡¯s no fun if I borrow your help, is it?¡±


    As Woo-Moon had expected, Woo-Gang pleading for mercy earlier had exactly zero to do with his innate kindness or whatever.


    Woo-Moon smiled at him.


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s my brother.¡±


    1. The original here (÷é_¶þ¶È) is a Chinese idiom that means being able to do the same thing twice sessfully and ismonly used to refer to a second marriage. Scoring twice, basically. ?

 Chapter 104. The Entire World is My Home (25)

    <h4>Chapter 104. The Entire World is My Home (25)</h4>


    After he finished speaking to Woo-Gang, Woo-Moon patted his head once before calling out.


    ¡°Ma-Ra!¡±


    Her response came from a ce where there was clearly no one visible.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I need to treat Woo-Gang¡¯s internal injuries. Please protect us.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Woo-Moon knew he had nothing to worry about as long as Ma-Ra was protecting them. He sat down across from his brother.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be teaching you one of our father¡¯s martial arts, the Auspicious Cloud Lifting Aura Art. Yes, I said ¡®our father¡¯s.¡¯ Treatment first, questionster. For now, just try and memorize the sutra.¡±


    For Woo-Moon, the Auspicious Cloud Lifting Aura Art only served to provide a small amount of aid toward his cultivation. However, for Woo-Gang, considering it had many aspects that were as good if not better than the Violet Haze Divine Art, the Auspicious Cloud Lifting Aura Art would be of great help.


    Woo-Moo repeated the sutra twice for Woo-Gang.


    Even though Woo-Gang was not exactly as talented as Woo-Moon, he wasn¡¯t too far behind. He was able to not only memorize the sutrapletely after two recitations, but alsoprehend some of its subtleties.


    ¡°Now, open your mouth.¡±


    Woo-Gang obediently opened his mouth without the slightest question.


    <i>Plop!</i>


    A drop of the Pure Stctite Milk fell into Woo-Gang¡¯s mouth and mixed with his saliva before flowing down his throat.


    <i>''W-what¡¯s this?!''</i>


    Fearing that some of its energy would leak if he opened his mouth, Woo-Gang couldn¡¯t speak. However, his eyes widened as he looked at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°It¡¯s Pure Stctite Milk. I¡¯m going to begin healing your internal injuries and help you absorb the energy of the Pure Stctite Milk, so focus on circting your qi ording to the Auspicious Cloud Lifting Aura Art and epting the energy.¡±


    Woo-Moon ced his palms on the massive back of Woo-Gang, who resembled their father in stature. He began to circte his qi, preparing to imbue Woo-Gang with it and observe his meridians.


    <i>¡®Okay, let¡¯s begin.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon had some experience treating internal injuries by now, so was able to treat his younger brother without difficulty.


    Thanks to the Auspicious Cloud Lifting Aura Art¡¯s ability to create a smooth and fast qi flow, along with the added strength of the Pure Stctite Milk, Woo-Moon¡¯s treatment was much faster than expected. Woo-Gang was able to stand after only a short time had passed.


    ¡°Thank you, hyung.¡±


    Woo-Gang¡¯s internal injuries had been healed, and that was not all. The light emanating from his eyes was also stronger than before.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you little brat. Did you think I couldn¡¯t do even this for my little brother?¡±


    ¡°But, what is this Auspicious Cloud Lifting Aura Art? And what do you mean it''s our father¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    Woo-Moon slowly exined their family¡¯s secret origins, starting from the existence of the Western Nihility Gate all the way to its cruel destruction by Martial Heaven.


    "Unbelievable...¡±


    Woo-Gang was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t speak properly for a while.


    After giving him enough time to process this information, Woo-Moon continued.


    ¡°You¡¯ll also need to learn the Western Nihility¡¯s Three Absolutes. Now, listen carefully. Besides the cultivation method I just taught you, the other two of the Three Absolutes are the Transcendent sh Sword and the Formless Finger...¡±


    Woo-Moon taught Woo-Gang just as Dae-Woong had done before, while Woo-Gang began to disy the Transcendent sh Sword¡¯s basic stances and forms.


    It was easier for Woo-Gang to learn, as Woo-Moon had conveyed the technique more systematically and urately than Dae-Woong.


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯ve gotten it all?¡±


    After gathering his thoughts for a moment, Woo-Gang nodded his head with a confident gaze.


    ¡°Yeah, I got it all.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, let¡¯s go now. You shouldn¡¯t have to worry about Hyeon Mu-Cheol, either. How could he do anything considering he got beat up even though he brought four other people with him?¡±


    Woo-Moon had seen right through Hyeon Mu-Cheol¡¯s personality.


    Woo-Gang agreed with his assessment as the brothers descended from the mountain and returned to the Justice Coalition. As they arrived at the estate, they talked about various things that had happened to themselves before parting and heading to their respective quarters.


    ***


    ¡°What? Say it again,¡± the old woman asked calmly from beyond the curtain.


    One of the masked figures prostrating before her answered, ¡°We couldn¡¯t find the Heavenly Demon Egg!¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The old woman lifted her wrinkled finger and touched her chin.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Suddenly, the head of the masked figure who had just spoken exploded like a watermelon, sending crimson blood and brain matter flying everywhere.


    ¡°Next. Speak.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll conduct a thorough search of the ces that woman had passed by again¡ª¡±


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The head of the next masked figure exploded, too.


    ¡°Next.¡±


    ¡°We will put our lives on the line to retrieve the Heave¡ª¡±


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    In just mere moments, there wasn¡¯t a single masked figure with an intact head before the curtain.


    ¡°Annihtion.¡±


    A man dressed in red dropped from the ceiling.


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    The old woman threw him one of the spirit tablets on the table.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you control over the Blood Ghosts. Recover the Heavenly Demon Egg by any means possible within six months.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve received your order!¡±


    The man named Annihtion disappeared.


    The old woman stroked the cat in her arms, slowly releasing her qi. As her qi spread, the corpses of the masked figures that filled the room before her rose into the air, then burst into violet mes that turned them all into handfuls of ashes within moments.


    ¡°<i>Hoo.</i>¡±


    The old woman exhaled slowly, and all the smoke and ash was blown out of the room as her breath was wind itself. Then, her voice echoed once more.


    ¡°This seems like it¡¯s going to be a little fun.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll have to watch out for him,¡± So Geom-Rak said to his second elder brother as they walked through the ranks of the twenty thousand Hegemon n warriors boiling with momentum.


    ¡°And here I thought it was strange that you stopped drinking these days. You really must have lost your mind. To think you¡¯d tell us to be wary of those weaklings of the Justice Coalition, hahaha.¡±


    ¡°He really is strong.¡±


    ¡°Quiet! How can the third young master of the Hegemon n praise some brat of the Justice Coalition?¡±


    Hearing his elder brother¡¯s anger, Drunken Moonfall Saber So Geom-Rak gave up on convincing him.


    <i>¡®You could¡ªno, you will end up in big trouble if you let your guard down.¡±</i>


    So Myeong-Chan, the second young master of the Hegemon n, passed through the gates of the Hegemon n and walked out with confident steps.


    <i>Thud, boom!</i>


    The twenty thousand warriors shouted as they bowed in unison.


    ¡°We wish the second young master sess!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. As always, I¡¯ll return in victory. Hahaha.¡±


    So Myeong-Chan set out with the other talents of the Hegemon n following him. They were finally setting off for the spar against the Justice Coalition.


    He was confident.


    So Myeong-Chan was sure of their victory as they were armed with a secret weapon that he was sure none of the talents of the Justice Coalition could deal with. He nned on using that secret weapon from the beginning, wanting to directly suppress the Justice Coalition.


    <i>¡®It would be nice if we could kill several of the Justice Coalition brats in the process.¡¯</i>


    The secret weapon So Myeong-Chan was thinking of was a young man walking slightly behind him. Well...more like a young-<i>looking</i> man, because the only thing young about him was his appearance. This ¡°young man¡± was in fact a century old.


    He was none other than the only disciple of the Absolute Master Ageless Demon Emperor, who had been infamous in the distant past.


    Dealer of Death and Destruction, Sha Xiao.[1]


    Sha Xiao was currently disguised as San Woo-Gyeol, a young member of the Dominating Fist San Family, one of the Four Great Pirs of the Hegemon n.


    <i>¡®Song Woo-Moon? Keke, I don¡¯t know how strong you really are, but could you reallypare to both me and Sha Xiao?¡¯</i>


    ***


    The next day, the tournament to elect the Righteous Warrior Squadron Captain started.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ma-Ra.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s first opponent was Cheong Oh of the Wudang Sect.


    Although having to face a talent of the Wudang Sect from the very beginning would normally be an unlucky fate, neither Woo-Moon nor the talents of the Three Great Sword Families paid much attention.


    <i>¡®So it¡¯s the Wudang Sect¡¯s Taiji Swordy...¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon went on the defensive at the beginning, his eyes shining. It was only after he observed all of the transformations of Cheong Oh¡¯s Taiji Swordy that he used the Divine Phantasm Steps and caused Cheong Oh to be dizzy.


    A massive storm seemed to fill the stage as Cold Snow, North Wind, and Heavy Rain were unleashed one after another, eventually causing Cheong Oh to drop his sword.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Cheong Oh was flustered seeing Woo-Moon reveal his true skill and suddenly shift from defending to attacking. Before he knew it, he could only look on in disbelief as his swordy far away.


    <i>¡®I lost!¡¯</i>


    Realizing there was no denying it, he bowed deeply toward Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Your martial skills have already reached an incredibly high level, it seems. I¡¯ve lost.¡±


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t dislike Cheong Oh, seeing that his eyes were full of depth and sincerity befitting a martial artist of the Wudang Sect.


    ¡°You¡¯re also very impressive, brother Cheong Oh. I was lucky to win this time, but no one knows what will happen when we spar again.¡±


    At the same time, Baekri Yeong-Woon and Namgoong Sung were alsopeting on a different stage. Fortunately, they, too, were able to achieve victory after fiercepetition.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s next opponent was the Sichuan Tang Family¡¯s Divine Dragon Tang Jeok!


    After observing Tang Jeok¡¯s shy hidden weapon techniques for some time, Woo-Moon drew a line with his sword in the air, as if to connect dots on an invisible piece of paper. Knocking aside numerous projectiles seemingly out of thin air, he quickly leaped forward and pressed Tang Jeok for the win.


    Seeing that Woo-Moon had won twice, the talents of the sects and the families present were shocked. As they had mentioned, all of them had assumed that he had be the Baek Family¡¯s representative by relying only on his background. However, Woo-Moon¡¯s actions were directly disproving their original assumptions.


    ¡°He¡¯s incredible!¡±


    ¡°As expected of the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s grandson.¡±


    The term ¡°Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s grandson¡± would shift in meaning depending on Woo-Moon¡¯s performance. However, whatever the case the other talents still thought that Woo-Moon had only been able to win against Cheong Oh and Tang Jeok after putting up a great struggle.


    In both spars, Woo-Moon seemed to have been overwhelmed and forced into a defensive position before eventually winning, leaving them to believe that was all he amounted to.


    There wasn¡¯t a single person, at least among the younger generation, who could tell why Woo-Moon was acting the way he was.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s third opponent was Baekri Yeong-Woon.


    Unlike Woo-Moon, Baekri Yeong-Woon was exhausted after two spars. Still, he fought as hard as he could before eventually admitting defeat.


    At the same time, Namgoong Sung also sparred with Yu Cho of Mount Hua before being defeated.


    ***


    On the first day, Woo-Moon had reached the top four after defeating Baekri Yeong-Woon. On the second, his semifinal match was against Xiahou Jinxian.


    Xiahou Jinxian frowned as he saw Woo-Moon stand on the sparring ground with a smile spread across his face.


    <i>¡®Since I¡¯ve already learned everything you had to show me, it¡¯s pointless to waste time with you.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon used the Northern Wind Steps and bolted toward Xiahou Jinxian.


    ¡°Whoa!¡±


    As Woo-Moon¡¯s figure suddenly seemed to zoom in as if he was using a magic trick, Xiahou Jinxian was flustered and hurriedly responded with his Golden Snake Divine Palm.


    However, Woo-Moon¡¯s figure suddenly blurred again at that moment.


    <i>¡®Those damned Divine Phantasm Steps!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Kicked in the back, Xiahou Jinxian flew through the air like a kite with a broken string and fell to a corner of the sparring ground.


    <i>¡ªYou¡¯re lucky that they asked me not to get too violent here.</i>


    Hearing Woo-Moon¡¯s voice in his ears, Xiahou Jinxian was worried that he had been dealt severe internal injuries. However, he was relieved after realizing that he looked worse than he felt and had suffered no damage to his organs.


    Now that he realized that the difference between his and Woo-Moon¡¯s skills was too great to be ovee, much of his anger bled away.


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon of the Iron Sword Baek Family, Victory!¡±


    When the Martial Minister of the Justice Coalition serving as the referee dered the result of the match, Yu Cho frowned.


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon! It seems like you haven¡¯t used any of your strength so far.¡±


    Of course, Yu Cho was the same. Although he had continuously sparred since yesterday, the consumption of his qi was minimal.


    In addition, he had pressured and destroyed his opponents from the very beginning. Thus, in the eyes of the spectators, Yu Cho¡¯s martial skills seemed to be at a tremendous level, worlds apart from those of the other participants.


    Although Woo-Moon had also shown a simr performance when he overwhelmed Xiahou Jinxian, the overall evaluation of the talents was that Yu Cho was stronger than Woo-Moon due to Woo-Moon¡¯s previous struggles.


    However, the very person considered stronger, Yu Cho, was ovee with extreme anxiety and tension. Biting his nails like a child, he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the incredible skill that Woo-Moon had disyed during his fight with Ah Hee.


    The other of the two Martial Ministers refereeing the spars, a member of one of the minor sects and a Transcendent ss expert, spoke to Yu Cho.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be holding the finalster, so please prepare.¡±


    Meanwhile, as Woo-Woon went to the smithy with Ma-Ra to retrieve her weapons, Jeong-Woo hurriedly ran toward him.


    ¡°Un-uncle!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ryeong-ie, Ryeong-ie has disappeared!¡±[2]


    ¡°What?¡±


    1. His name and title literally trante to Obliteration Destruction Murder Vanquishing, or affectionately, MURDER MURDER MURDER MURDER. ?


    2. The suffix -ie is added to given names in Korean like ¡®er in Chinese and -chan in Japanese, in a familiar and close manner. ?

 Chapter 105. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl

    <h4>Chapter 105. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl</h4>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes grew cold.


    ¡°Where¡¯s thest ce Ryeong-ie was seen? Take me there.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Uncle!¡±


    Jeong-Woo ran so fast it was like he was flying, and Woo-Moon chased after him while gritting his teeth.


    Although the finals were going to start soon, and the sparring ground was in the opposite direction, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t pay any mind to it.


    <i>¡®If someone had an issue with me, they should havee for me personally. That way, the problems could¡¯ve been solved between us. If you dare ¡¯</i>


    Of course, there was a chance that this was the work of someone with a grudge against Baek Ryeong herself. However, the possibility of that happening was extremely small, and Woo-Moon had a strong feeling that it was rted to him.


    Eventually, they arrived at a yard near the quarters where Baek Ryeong was staying.


    ¡°Uncle!¡±


    Baek Yo and the other youngdies of the Distinguished Swords came running over in tears.


    ¡°What happened? Tell me step by step.¡±


    ¡°We were going to go out, but Ryeong-ie said that she wanted to sit in the yard for a while. So, I waited and waited, but no matter how much time passed, she didn¡¯t return. I went to look and found her missing. And there¡¯s this note...¡±


    <i>Don¡¯t tell anyone about this. Just wait patiently. As long as you wait, you¡¯ll see her before the sun sets.</i>


    The handwriting was a mess.


    ¡°Wrote with left hand. On purpose,¡± Ma-Ra said after reading the letter.


    Woo-Moon nodded in agreement. The kidnapper was a rather thorough person. They had written the letter with their left hand, fearing that someone would recognize them through their handwriting.


    Ma-Ra turned from the letter and peered around the yard with a chilly gaze.


    She bent down and inspected the grass and the surrounding terrain before pointing in a direction.


    ¡°That way.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Woo-Moon followed Ma-Ra¡¯s lead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t follow us, and don¡¯t tell anyone about this! Just wait for us to return!¡±


    Jeong-Woo and Baek Yo stopped in ce, while Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra quickly tracked down the person using whatever faint traces they could see as clues.


    <i>¡®Please, Ryeong-ie has to be safe. No...why am I praying? You¡¯re the one who needs to pray. If anything happens to her, only a god can save you.¡¯</i>


    There was a grim, murderous look in Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes. It was so terrifying that if anyone were to match his gaze at the moment, they would freeze, feeling as if their body had fallen into a cier.


    Suddenly, Ma-Ra put together the clues and raced forward with Woo-Moon not far behind.


    ***


    ¡°How dare you do something like this?! Aren¡¯t you afraid of what the Justice Coalition and the Iron Sword Baek Family will do in retaliation?¡±


    As Baek Ryeong shouted, the middle-aged man with a face full of wrinkles who had captured her shook his head and smiled slyly.


    ¡°What are you saying? I¡¯m just someone of small status. Of course, I¡¯m afraid of what they would do. How could I not be scared of such important people?¡±


    Baek Ryeong¡¯s acupoints had been pressed, paralyzing her from the neck down. However, she finally felt a glimmer of hope through her fear at the man¡¯s words.


    ¡°Then let me go! I¡¯ll pretend none of this ever happened.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? It would be a relief if you could do that. But... what if there¡¯s a different, better solution for a nobody like me?¡±


    Anxiety started to creep back into Baek Ryeong¡¯s mind.


    ¡°W-what is it?¡±


    The middle-aged man aimed the end of a skewer toward Baek Ryeong¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Of course, two people can keep a secret if one is not breathing! As long as you die, there will be no way for you to identify me, right?¡±


    The middle-aged man smiled. His smile was full of joy and pleasure, if he was genuinely savoring the situation.


    Baek Ryeong had goosebumps all over her body.


    <i>¡®T-this bastard!¡¯</i>


    Something she had heard before came to mind¡ªthat there were some people in the <i>gangho</i> who simply enjoyed killing. It brought them actual pleasure.


    The man licked his lips with his particrly red tongue. A murderous smile still stretched across his face. He had wanted to kill her from the moment he had nned the kidnapping. Now that the long wait was over, the man was almost unable to contain his joy.


    ¡°Now, why don¡¯t we have some fun, pretty girl.¡±


    ¡°The hell you mean, fun, you perverted bastard?¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    The middle-aged man was startled by the interjection of a third party. He quickly threw aside the iron skewer he used when he wanted to enjoy his kills and tried to draw the javelin from his belt.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    <i>''Huh?''</i>


    There was a strange squishy sound.


    <i>¡®Where¡¯s the javelin?¡¯</i>


    Confused as to why he couldn¡¯t find the handle of his javelin in such an urgent situation, the middle-aged man quickly checked his waistband.


    ¡°AGH!!!!¡±


    Terrible pain began to radiate as he noticed that the handle was right where it should have been; rather, the problem was that his hand had been cut off cleanly at the wrist, so he had nothing to grab the handle with.


    Despite having just cut off someone¡¯s hand, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword didn¡¯t have the slightest trace of blood on it.


    With his right foot, he directly kicked the back of the man¡¯s knees.


    Although it seemed as if he had only tapped each knee, the middle-aged man¡¯s bonespletely shattered, disintegrating from the inside. As the man screamed in pain again, Woo-Moon viciously stabbed at his acupoints.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Uncle!¡±


    Baek Ryeong had frozen the moment Woo-Moon had shown up, and was now staring at him with her eyes wide as saucers.


    ¡°There, there. It was scary, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    As soon as Woo-Moon unsealed Baek Ryeong¡¯s acupoints, shetched onto him with eyes filled with tears.


    ¡°<i>Uwaaaahhhhh,</i> Uncleee!¡±


    She had really thought that she was going to die here.


    Although she had been born into the world of <i>murim</i> and was raised a martial artist, she was left absolutely terrified by the experience. It was the first time in her life that she had been captured and left unable to do anything other than helplessly wait for death.


    Woo-Moon looked startled momentarily when Baek Ryeong burst into tears but then began patting her on the back. He couldn¡¯t imagine just how scared she must have been. He smiled to himself, thinking her childish outburst was cute.


    When she finally seemed to have calmed down, Woo-Moon carefully helped her to the side and stood up. He walked over to the middle-aged man who was groaning and thrashing in pain. Grabbing his head, Woo-Moon forced the man to look him in the eyes as he unsealed his acupoints.


    ¡°There¡¯s still the bone I have to pick with you. You know what I¡¯m going to ask next, right?¡±


    ¡°W-will you let me live if I tell you?¡±


    ¡°How dare you try to bring up conditions with me?¡± Woo-Moon shouted as he grabbed the middle-aged man¡¯s shoulders. Beginning to put strength into his grip, Woo-Moon started to press down, causing the man¡¯s bones to crunch with a terrible sound.


    ¡°AGHHHHHHH¡±


    ¡°Talk.¡±


    The middle-aged man nodded desperately, not wanting to suffer anymore.


    ¡°I, I-I will! The Red Blossom Bank sent me to aid Young Master Yu!¡±


    Yu Cho was the young master of the Red Blossom Bank.


    ¡°Just as I expected. Then, was it Yu Cho¡¯s orders for you to kidnap Ryeon-ie?¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s gaze quivered momentarily before he nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! It was all an order from Young Master Yu.¡±


    Woo-Moon smiled.


    ¡°Good. Because you answered all of my questions, I¡¯m going to let you go this one...¡±


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The tip of Woo-Moon¡¯s sword pierced through the middle-aged man¡¯s back.


    ¡°<i>Cough! Cough, cough.</i>¡±


    ¡°I can smell blood from you. I can sense your bloodlust even now, when you¡¯re shivering in pain and fear in front of me. Even if all of your actions were only the result of you following orders, I can¡¯t leave you alive.¡±


    ¡°Y-you damned...¡±


    In the end, the middle-aged man who sadistically enjoyed killing people, especially young women, found himself dying in agony. Strangely enough, he didn¡¯t seem to enjoy his own death as much as he enjoyed other people¡¯s.


    Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t bothered to ask his name, so he searched the man¡¯s sleeves and took out an identification que.


    ¡°Ju Moon-Hwi? What an ill-suited name.¡±[1]


    Woo-Moon put the identification que in his sleeve and helped Baek Ryeong up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back now. Everyone is worried.¡±


    Baek Ryeong began to cry again, thinking of how anxious her cousins would be.


    ¡°Okay! Okay, Uncle. Let¡¯s go now!¡±


    Fortunately, he had tracked and rescued Baek Ryeong in the nick of time due to Ma-Ra¡¯s aid. However, just thinking about it again sent a shiver down Woo-Moon¡¯s spine.


    If he had been just a few secondster, he may never have been able to talk to Baek Ryeong like this again.


    When she returned to the Justice Coalition, Baek Ryeong had a tearful reunion with her sisters, while Jeong-Woo approached Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Uncle, what should we do? Should we report it to the Coalition?¡±


    Woo-Moon shook his head.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Leave it alone for now. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    Jeong-Woo continued with a dark expression.


    ¡°Yu Cho was appointed captain of the Righteous Warrior Squadron in your absence. Hmpf, to think someone like that bastard got the role. That bastard wouldn¡¯t even be able tost a single second under your sword. Oh, by the way, who was the kidnapper?¡±


    Woo-Moon thought for a moment before answering.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure yet. I¡¯ll let you know after I investigate further.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ***


    As the day passed and night fell, Yu Cho was happily returning to his quarters. Due to Woo-Moon being absent and therefore considered to forfeit, he had been chosen as the Righteous Warrior Squadron captain.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    <i>¡®...!¡¯</i>


    Something suddenly hit his forehead before falling to the ground.


    Startled, Yu Cho looked down to see a white piece of paper. He couldn¡¯t help but feel dumbfounded.


    <i>¡®How could this tiny piece of paper fly at me so quickly that I couldn¡¯t react properly? Moreover, to think the one who threw it had enough control over their skills that they were able to dissipate all of the power imbued in the paper before it hit my forehead...¡¯</i>


    No matter who was to have thrown it, it was clear that they were an incredible expert.


    Yu Cho quickly unfolded the paper and looked at what was written inside.


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon...!¡±


    The message told him toe alone because they needed to discuss something. Although Yu Cho thought about ignoring it, the name ¡°Ju Moon-Hwi¡± written on the note made it impossible for him to do so.


    Yu Cho nonchntly looked down to check if he was wearing his sword properly before leaping forward and running to the meeting ce.


    ***


    ¡°Why did you call me all the way here?¡± Yu Cho asked.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes were so cold and deep that it was impossible to see how far the depths of his gaze were. He suddenly sped the hilt of his sword.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    Yu Cho¡¯s eyes widened at Woo-Moon¡¯s sudden draw. He hastily reached for his own hilt and tried to draw his sword. However, before he could do so, the sharp tip of a sword brushed his throat.


    ¡°What the hell is this? You dare sneak attack me?!¡±


    Woo-Moon sneered at Yu Cho¡¯s words and lowered his sword.


    ¡°To think you¡¯d call it a sneak attack. Fine, if you really think so, I¡¯m going to attack you again, so try to block it this time.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    <i>Shing!!!</i>


    As warned, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword shed once more. It was the same movement as before as the tip of his sword headed for Yu Cho¡¯s throat.


    <i>¡®Do you really think I¡¯d let that happen again?!¡¯</i>


    This time, Yu Cho had prepared in advance and had already drawn his sword. However, the result was the same.


    Although Yu Cho already knew that there was a significant difference in skill between Woo-Moon and himself, he could never have imagined it would be this severe.


    With eyes full of rage and self-hatred, Yu Cho looked down at the de touching his throat.


    ¡°All of you bastards are always the same. Always ranting about sneak attacks or unfair whatever, making excuses after excuses. And when you run out of excuses, you start harassing juniors who can¡¯t defend themselves.¡±


    Sparks flew from Yu Cho¡¯s eyes.


    <i>¡®Fine, I admit that I¡¯m weaker than you. But...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare insult me!¡±


    Woo-Moon bared his teeth and scoffed at Yu Cho¡¯s outburst.


    ¡°Hahaha. Don¡¯t insult you? Did you really think you had any honor or character that could be insulted? Some bastard who couldn¡¯t think of any other method but to kidnap a young girl to satisfy his own ambitions?¡±


    Yu Cho¡¯s expression turned nk for a moment before distorting with rage.


    ¡°What bullshit are you spouting? What do you mean kidnap? How dare you use me, a disciple of the great Mount Hua Sect, of something like that?!!¡±


    Watching Yu Cho¡¯s reaction closely, Woo-Moon drew an identification que out of his sleeve and threw it at him.


    ¡°Does this tell you anything?¡±


    Yu Cho¡¯s hand tingled in pain as he caught the que. He frowned and looked down, confirming that it really was the identification que of Ju Moon-Hwi, just like Woo-Moon had said.


    Yu Cho¡¯s eyes wavered.


    <i>¡®Kidnap... and Woo-Moon suddenly didn¡¯t appear in the finals... Ju Moon-Hwi!¡¯</i>


    Originally an expert of the ck Hand, Ju Moon-Hwi had pledged his loyalty to the Red Blossom Bank Director Yu Ho-Sang, Yu Cho¡¯s father, as a favor for saving his life.


    Yu Cho closed his eyes tightly without even realizing it as he remembered Ju Moon-Hwi¡¯s blind loyalty. Scenes of the man doing the dirty work of the bank cycled through his mind.


    ¡°...Who did Ju Moon-Hwi kidnap?¡±


    ¡°Does it really matter?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. That isn¡¯t the important part. They had to have been someone close to you anyway, seeing how you even gave up the Righteous Warrior Squadron Captain position for them. I won¡¯t make any excuses. What do you want? The captain position?¡±


    Woo-Moon ground his teeth at Yu Cho¡¯s words.


    1. Ju Moon-Hwi¡¯s name literally trantes to ¡°of high status.¡± ?

 Chapter 106. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (2)

    <h4>Chapter 106. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (2)</h4>


    ¡°You crazy bastard. Things like that mean nothing to me. Was this something you were involved in?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yu Cho didn¡¯t respond. However, his silence was more than enough of an answer for Woo-Moon


    ¡°If you want the captain position, I¡¯ll give it to you. I¡¯ll do more than that, whatever you want. Just please. I¡¯m begging you to keep this a secret. The honor of the Mount Hua Sect and the main branch of the Red Blossom Bank are at stake. Please.¡±


    Although his words made Woo-Moon¡¯s stomach churn in disgust, and anger welled from his very core, Woo-Moon endured it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in being whatever fucking captain. You can shove that position right up your gold-ted ass. What you will do is keep your mouth shut, be a good kid, and send my younger brother, Woo-Gang, as the second representative against the Hegemon n.¡±


    Yu Cho¡¯s eyes widened. Naturally, he had assumed that Woo-Moon wanted the position of power that he had just acquired. What else would anyone want?


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s easy. But, is that really all you want?¡±


    ¡°Listen here, asshole. Not everyone is willing to do the disgusting things you¡¯re doing for status and fame. Even if you¡¯re ay disciple, to think someone from the Mount Hua Sect, a Daoist Sect, would act like this...¡±


    Clicking his tongue, Woo-Moon turned around and left.


    ***


    The following day, led by the <i>Righteous Warrior Squadron Captain </i>Yu Cho, the squadron set out to meet with the Hegemon n.


    ¡°Why do you look so sullen?¡± Baek Yo asked while struggling to stifle herughter.


    Woo-Moon puffed out his cheeks in response to her question.


    ¡°What do you mean, sullen?¡±


    However, his pouting was so cute that she ended up unable to hold herughter in.


    ¡°Hahahaha! Have you looked in the mirror? You look like a pufferfish. What¡¯s wrong? Is it because you couldn¡¯t find out who those bastards who kidnapped Ryeon-ie were?¡±


    ¡°Who knows...¡±


    However, Baek Yo continued to tease him, seeming to have fun picking on Woo-Moon.


    Watching this, Baek Ryeong smiled. It was good, as she had been struggling to show any glimpse of joy due to the shock of being kidnapped.


    Eun-Ah had been next to her since she had returned, ying with her as much as possible. Woo-Moon had asked the baby tiger to do that, trying to lighten Baek Ryeong¡¯s mood.


    The Righteous Warrior Squadron steadily advanced toward the meeting ground with the Hegemon n without any incident, with no one daring to challenge their march forward.


    ***


    ¡°Gun-Ha, are you doing okaytely?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Have you heard any strange voices or seen any visions...¡±


    Gun-Ha shook her head with an innocent expression, and her hair, tied in two pigtails, shook along with it.


    ¡°Really? I see...¡±


    ¡°Forget about me, unnie, are <i>you</i> okay? You¡¯re really pale, and you seem like you lost weight.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me. I guess I¡¯m just a little tired.¡±


    Si-Hyeon shoved her worries right into the back of her mind and didn¡¯t tell Gun-Ha any of the strange phenomena that had urred to hertely. These things had started the day she had met the warrior from the Heavenly Demon Cult. To be exact, they had started from the moment she had swallowed the Heavenly Demon Egg. However, neither Si-Hyeon nor Gun-Ha could remember that moment.


    ¡°Hehe. I guess it¡¯s because you miss Young Master Song, isn¡¯t it? Yes, yes, you miss him <i>so </i>much, don¡¯t you?!¡±


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s face turned red and she lightly pped Gun-Ha¡¯s shoulder with her palm.


    ¡°What does a little thing like you know? It¡¯s not that.¡±


    ¡°Hmpf! I know what I need to, even though I¡¯m young. You like Young Master Song, right, unnie?¡±


    Si-Hyeon tried to deny it, but she couldn¡¯t get out the words easily.


    In the end, she tickled Gun-Ha in order to avoid answering.


    ¡°Now you¡¯ve done it!¡±


    ¡°Ah!!!! Kekeke, unnie, stop, stop!!!¡±


    As they yed, the image of Woo-Moon popped up in Si-Hyeon¡¯s head.


    <i>¡®Come back quickly, senior brother. I need you.¡¯</i>


    ***


    ¡°Hmpf! These Righteous Faction snails. To think they didn¡¯t arrive until thiste in the afternoon,¡± So Myeong-Chan groaned.


    So Myeong-Chan was so sincere in his desire for battle that he had arrived three days earlier than the scheduled date. He had spent the past few days harassing his subordinates in his impatience while waiting for the Righteous Warrior Squadron.


    His gaze burned with fighting spirit as he looked over at his opponents, who had arrived without incident and entered the simple barracks erected on the other side.


    He leaped up to the sparring tform, holding an enormous sword almost as tall as himself. Pointing the sword at the Righteous Warrior Squadron, he said, ¡°You¡¯rete. We need to kick your asses and go rest, so can we please start now?¡±


    The Beggar Gang¡¯s Sa Cheol-Gang, who had a fiery personality to begin with, got pissed. ¡°Shut your mouth before you stink up the ce. Your mouth is dirtier than my feet, and I¡¯m a beggar.¡±


    So Myeong-Chan frowned as he pinched his nose. ¡°Hey, beggar bastard, I was wondering what smelled like shit in here. Be a good piece of shit and go back to the cesspit you belong in.¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    Although Sa Cheol-Gang couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and rushed So Myeong-Chan, Yu Cho stepped in and stopped him before addressing the Hegemon n representative.


    ¡°I¡¯m the Righteous Warrior Squadron Captain Yu Cho. We also don¡¯t have anything to prepare, so we might as well start immediately.¡±


    ¡°Righteous Warrior Squadron Captain? Who died and made you a hero or whatever? As expected, you Righteous Faction bastards always take any chance to bluff and insult us or the ck Hand. Fine, then get started right now.¡±


    Before they could begin the spar, the Righteous Warrior Squadron had to decide who would serve as their vanguard. Among their ranks, Sa Yong-Jin, a disciple of the Hainan Sword Sect, stepped forward.


    The Hainan Sword Sect, while not a part of the Nine Sects and One Gang, was on par with them in terms of strength.


    ¡°Can I go first?¡±


    Although he had arrivedte and thus hadn¡¯t participated in the tournament to select their captain, Yu Cho nodded immediately as he knew Sa Yong-Jin¡¯s skills weren¡¯t far behind his own.


    ¡°I would be grateful if you coulde forward and ease the burden for us. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    As Sa Yong-Jin walked up to the stage, a young man holding a spear walked forward from the Hegemon n¡¯s side.


    After cupping fists and exchanging greetings and titles, the two began their spar.


    Sa Yong-Jin¡¯s opponent was Gong Do, known as the Hegemon n¡¯s Divine Army Spear. As he thrust his spear forward, it seemed to split into dozens of spears that took the form of dragons. They surrounded Sa Yong-Jin on all sides, pressing in.


    <i>¡®I have to narrow the distance!¡¯</i>


    Sa Yong-Jin knew it was only natural for the reach of his sword to be shorter than his opponent¡¯s spear. He quickly swung his sword in all directions and calmly deflected Gong Do¡¯s spear thrusts one by one as he moved forward one step at a time.


    Suddenly, Gong Do materialized his qi around his spear as he cleaved the ground with his spear tip. The force of his swing rushed toward Sa Yong-Jin, the intangible aura pressing down upon him again.


    In response, Sa Yong-Jin held his sword in a reverse grip and spun it with incredible speed, crushing Gong Do¡¯s spear qi and instantly closing the distance.


    As his sword flew at Gong Do¡¯s heart, Gong Do¡¯s hand suddenly slid up the shaft of his spear and pulled it back. His high grip allowed him to use his spear like a staff and block Sa Yong-Jin¡¯s attack even at this close range.


    Making use of Sa Yong-Jin¡¯s momentum, Gong Do raised his spear with one hand and pierced forward with three thunderbolt-like strikes while using a finger technique with his free hand to aim for Sa Yong-Jin¡¯s Gyeongjeong acupoint.


    Pushed back by the waves of attacks, Sa Yong-Jin had no choice but to give up the distance he had worked so hard to obtain and retreat. Their subsequent back and forth reminded Woo-Moon of the battle between the Night Spear Devil and his grandfather.


    <i>¡®Of course, the scale of their skills ispletely different.¡¯</i>


    At first, he watched with interest. However, after a certain point, Woo-Moon could barely hold back a yawn. As a minute had passed and the spar neared two minutes, Baek Yo turned to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Who do you think will win, Uncle?¡±


    She seemed very sure that Woo-Moon was able to make an urate prediction.


    ¡°Their side is going to win. There¡¯s some difference in their skills.¡±


    ¡°Really? Even though they seem evenly matched?¡±


    ¡°The spear guy is just pretending, and he¡¯s conserving his strength. It seems like he¡¯s setting a trap.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    At that moment, Sa Yong-Jin had once again narrowed the distance and attacked with a tremendous roar, showing off his best technique.


    All of a sudden, his sword was wrapped in a sword aura as bright as daylight. Now that he had finally gotten close again, he was determined to end it in one move.


    However, he would have never expected his opponent¡¯s next action.


    Gong Do propped his spear against the ground and pulled himself up with both arms so that he was parallel to the ground¡ªhe and his spear looked like a g for a moment. Then, he curled up into a ball and kicked out with both feet at a tremendous speed.


    ¡°Heaven-Flipping Lightning Strikes!¡±


    Gong Do even shouted out his technique''s name as if he were mocking the way his opponent had roared.


    The strikes caused Sa Yong-Jin¡¯s sword to not only lose its aura but also leave his hand, dropping to the ground. And Gong Do did not stop there; he followed up with not just one, but ten, twenty, thirty kicks. By the twentieth kick, Sa Yong-Jin was bloodied all over, and once Gong Do¡¯s thirtieth strikended, he vomited an entire bowlful of blood as light left his eyes.


    ¡°Stop! This spar is over!¡± shouted Bukgoong Jo-Yoon, a member of the Bukgoong Family and a close friend of Sa Yong-Jin. He directly stormed onto the stage so Gong Do reluctantly stopped his attack with a cold snort and stepped back.


    ¡°Yong-Jin!¡±


    Bukgoong Jo-Yoon quickly caught Sa Yong-Jin before he copsed and promptly took him to the Justice Coalition physician who hade with their squadron.


    However, Sa Yong-Jin¡¯s wounds were so severe that it seemed even his survival was in question.


    ¡°That bastard!¡±


    It was clear that Gong Do had continued attacking even after the spar had been decided, intentionally trying to kill Sa Yong-Jin.


    As his nieces and nephews shouted angrily, Woo-Moon looked over at Yu Cho with a cold expression. It was time for the second representative to step forward.


    Yu Cho shifted his gaze to Woo-Gang with a heavy expression.


    ¡°Third brother... go ahead. You¡¯re the second representative.¡±


    Bi Yeo-Jeong subconsciously clenched her fists as she stood beside her fiance, Yu Cho. She couldn¡¯t help but be worried for Woo-Gang.


    <i>¡®How could he send senior brother Song against someone so strong?¡¯</i>


    Of course, Woo-Gang was still one of the Mount Hua Sect¡¯s Three Legendary Plum Blossoms. However, everyone in the Mount Hua Sect considered that as the youngest of the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms, his martial skills had to be inferior to those of his two senior brothers.


    Bi Yeo-Jeong knew that Yu Cho hated Woo-Gang even more because of her. She was desperate, as it seemed Yu Cho was deliberately sending her former partner Woo-Gang as a representative out of jealousy.


    The other disciples of the Mount Hua Sect were also surprised by Yu Cho¡¯s sudden decision, while Hyeon Mu-Cheol secretly smiled.


    <i>¡®As expected of our eldest brother. He must n on using this opportunity to get rid of that infuriating bastard Woo-Gang.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Did you mean me?¡± Woo-Gang asked.


    Yu Cho turned his gaze toward Woo-Gang and repeated his answer.


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re the second representative.¡±


    Although Woo-Gang had some doubts about Yu Cho¡¯s sudden decision, as it was an order from not only his eldest sect brother but also his captain in this mission, he quickly settled himself and walked up to the stage.


    Watching Woo-Gang walk forward, Yu Cho snorted inwardly.


    <i>¡®This is all something your idiot brother wanted. Tsk tsk, to think he willingly sent his own little brother to his death. What a truly admirable family.¡¯</i>


    Yu Cho had clearly forgotten how grateful he had been to Woo-Moon for letting him live just the day before.


    ¡°I am Song Woo-Gang, the fourteenth disciple of the Mount Hua Sect.¡±


    ¡°You probably already heard my introduction earlier.¡±


    Woo-Gang nodded, and the two sparring partners each took their stance. He calmly reviewed the movements and techniques Gong Do had shown earlier, while also thinking about his own Plum Blossom Sword. Moreover, he also contemted how he could include the Transcending sh Sword.


    ¡°That brat is apparently the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s grandson, right?¡± So Myeong-Chan said as he watched on.


    His right-hand man, Cheol Ryeon, nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, Young Master. That¡¯s Song Woo-Moon¡¯s younger brother. Song Woo-Moon is also right there, watching from behind.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s Song Woo-Moon...¡±


    The warning his younger brother, So Geom-Rak, had given him came to mind.


    <i>¡®Song Woo-Moon is really strong, so be careful.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Hmpf</i>. Just look at them, they¡¯re both useless idiots. Whether it¡¯s that flower boy or the other miserable fool who only knows how to flirt with women.¡±[1]


    1. Mount Hua literally means ¡°flower mountain,¡± hence the flower boy thing. ?

 Chapter 107. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (3)

    <h4>Chapter 107. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (3)</h4>


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Young Master. Besides, Gong Do didn¡¯t have any problem winning that spar, so he should also be able to beat the Mount Hua brat easily.¡±


    ¡°It would be weird if he couldn¡¯t. After all, apart from myself, Gong Do is the strongest among the members we brought here.¡±


    Watching from the Righteous Faction¡¯s side, Yu Cho also had the same opinion.


    <i>¡®This is probably for the best, anyway. That Gong Do is an expert who easily defeated Sa Yong-Jin. Besides, he didn¡¯t use much energy anyway because of his tactics. It¡¯ll be enough if Song Woo-Gang can stay alive.¡¯</i>


    If it were the same Woo-Gang that he knew, that would be all he amounted to. Even if Yu Cho were to be generous with his praise, at best, Woo-Gang was simr in level to Sa Yong-Jin.


    <i>¡®Junior brother, your talent and ability to grasp techniques are definitely better than mine. Butprehension is not at all the only factor in a fight.¡¯</i>


    Yu Cho actually felt relieved even though he was predicting that the Hegemon n would defeat another member of the Righteous Warrior Squadron.


    ¡°Uncle, can Second Uncle really win?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Woo-Gang isn¡¯t the same as before.¡±


    Answering Baek Yo without the slightest hesitation, Woo-Moon red at So Myeong-Chan from the other side of the stage.


    <i>¡®What? Useless idiots? You bastard, let¡¯s see if you can still insult us after this.¡¯</i>


    Although So Myeong-Chan was rather far from him, thanks to Woo-Moon¡¯s cultivation, the former might as well have yelled in his ear. Woo-Moon clearly heard all of what the second young master of the Hegemon n had to say.


    At the same time, the two people on the stage started moving.


    They quickly closed the distance between them, rushing at each other. Woo-Gang took the initiative and attacked with the Plum Blossom Five Graces Finger, releasing a burst of energy. He was relying on finger techniques for close-quartersbat so as to not allow his opponent to open up distance and suppress him with the long reach of the spear.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    A beautiful pink aura erupted from his fingertips as Woo-Gang¡¯s finger shadows rained over Gong Do¡¯s entire body without leaving a single opening. A curtain of plum blossoms descended!


    Yu Cho suddenly stood up without even realizing it, while Hyeon Mu-Cheol¡¯s eyes were so wide they almost seemed to tear at the corners.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re saying he¡¯s learned the Plum Blossom Five Graces Finger? How is that possible?! It¡¯s a technique for Absolute Masters! And even if he learned it, with his cultivation, how the hell is he able to use it?!¡¯</i>


    Of course, in order to be able to use a martial arts technique, one needed to learn it and understand how it worked. But that was just themon requirement for all techniques; some of them also required the user¡¯s cultivation to be above a certain level.


    To think Woo-Gang was able to use the Plum Blossom Five Graces Finger, which required the user to be close to the Absolute realm, and a near-perfect one at that!


    Both couldn¡¯t help but think Gong Do was going to suffer this time, with Woo-Gang¡¯s prowess.


    However, Gong Do hadn¡¯t disyed his martial skills to the fullest in the previous spar.


    He spun his spear in front of his chest like a windmill, and the afterimages left by the shaft merged into a circr shield, blocking all of Woo-Gang¡¯s attacks.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Stepping forward with his left foot and almost teleporting to the side, Gong Do suddenlyunched his spinning spear and qi curtain toward Woo-Gang.


    <i>ZZZZT!</i>


    The revolving spear flew forward with a roar.


    It spun at such great speed that the winds it brought about caused the tents in the distance to shake as they were about to be torn apart and raised so much dust that some of the weaker martial artists couldn¡¯t open their eyes.


    It was clear that even among the younger generation talents, there was already arge gap between the strong and the weak.


    Bi Yeo-Jeong broke into a cold sweat, and her eyes turned bloodshot.


    The image of Sa Yong-Jin, who had been cruelly beaten earlier and now was teetering between life and death, came to mind. That image began to superimpose with Woo-Gang¡¯s as she imagined his entire body torn into shreds by that enormous spinning spear.


    <i>¡®If.. if that happens, I...!¡¯</i>


    Just thinking about it made her dizzy as her surroundings seemed to darken. If that really were to happen, would she be able to live on properly? Although she tried to convince herself otherwise, the answer to her query was obvious.


    A me of jealousy burned in Yu Cho¡¯s eyes as he watched her distress.


    <i>¡ªAre you really that worried? Does Song Woo-Gang really make you worried? I hope you don¡¯t forget who you should really worry about: your family. And I hope you don¡¯t forget who holds the key to their fate!</i>


    As she listened to Yu Cho¡¯s voice transmission, Bi Yeo-Jeong cursed her own fate. All she could do was pray for Woo-Gang to survive.


    However, contrary to her worries, Woo-Gang wasn¡¯t the least bit flustered as he lifted his sword in front of his chest and waited calmly.


    When the spear came within reach, Woo-Gang¡¯s sword shed widely from left to right.


    The Mount Hua Sect¡¯s Twenty-Four Plum Blossom des Art was famed for its extreme transformations and swift changes. However, the de Woo-Gang had just used was a particrly swift technique even among swift sword techniques!


    Wintry Plum Blossom sh!


    <i>Screeeeech!!!</i>


    With a harsh shing sound, the sword qi coating Woo-Gang¡¯s sword dissipated while the spear flew back into the sky. The Righteous Warrior Squadron erupted in celebration when they saw Woo-Gang, whom they had thought wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand Gong Do¡¯s tremendous attack, emerged unscathed.


    Bi Yeo-Jeong teared up, thanking the heavens.


    However, the spar wasn¡¯t over yet.


    Gong Do leaped into the air and caught his spear, shing down toward the ground. Spear aura shot forward once again, threatening to shatter the ground below.


    In response, Woo-Gang coated his sword in sword aura and shed at the sky.


    <i>BOOM!!!</i>


    The spear aura and sword aura collided with each other, an explosive roar sting through the air. Eventually, the sword aura cleaved through the spear aura and continued forward.


    ¡°<i>Hmpf</i>.¡±


    Gong Do let out an irritated snort and dodged to the side, avoiding the flying aura de. Suddenly, however, Woo-Gang¡¯s sword appeared right behind him and cut toward his neck.


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    Surprised, Gong Do tried to block Woo-Gang¡¯s sword with his spear. However, his hasty reaction ensured that he didn¡¯t have a good grip on the spear. A momentter, it had left his hands and was flying into the distance.


    <i>¡®Damned bastard!¡¯</i>


    Gong Do raised his foot and kicked Woo-Gang.


    He was actually more confident in his legs than his spear, and he knew that his kicks were much stronger than his spear strikes. Thus, instead of losingposure, he was actually more rxed after losing grasp of his spear.


    The reason he carried a spear was simply to deceive his opponent and catch them off guard with his kicking technique¡ªlike when he fought Sa Yong-Jin.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Woo-Gang raised his leg and checked Gong Dao¡¯s kick with his shin.


    However, Gong Dao¡¯s offensive didn¡¯t end there. He began to hop back and forth, his feet almost blurring as he continued to let out kicks toward every part of Woo-Gang¡¯s body. He was kicking so quickly it was almost as if he wanted to imitate Woo-Gang¡¯s plum blossom curtain from earlier


    <i>Bang, bang, bang, bang!</i>


    Woo-Gang seamlessly used his sword, fists, and legs to block Gong Do¡¯s flurry of attacks.


    As expected from a spar where both opponents were extremely skilled at using their aura, a colorful disy of lights livened up the scene. Every move of the two fighters left afterimages and dissipating trails across the sparring stage.


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    Baek Ryeong¡¯s jaw dropped.


    Gong Do used an impressive variety of kicks¡ªdouble kicks, roundhouse kicks, tornado kicks, spear kicks, and many more. Woo-Gang seemed to be just as, if not <i>more</i> impressive, as he blocked each of Gong Do¡¯s attacks without exception while also somehow looking rather rxed.


    At the same time, Woo-Gang was eagerly waiting for an opening within Gong Do¡¯s ceaseless offensive. And he didn¡¯t miss the split second when Gong Do paused to catch his breath.


    With a cracking sound, finger qi shot out of Woo-Gang¡¯s outstretched fingertip!


    <i>¡®W-what the hell is this? Why is it so fast? When did Mount Hua get such an incredible finger art?¡¯</i>


    While it was neither as shy nor as wide-area as the Plum Blossom Five Graces that Woo-Gang had used initially, its speed and power were mind-boggling. Gong Do barely dodged the attack, but before he could even breathe, two more flew at him in session.


    <i>¡®What??!!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Gang had clearly only used a single finger. Gong Do just couldn¡¯t believe that there was a technique that allowed someone to shoot such powerful finger qi bolts in such quick session!


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    Two finger-sized holes appeared on both of Gong Do''s shoulders, and blood gushed out.


    Woo-Gang stopped his offensive as Gong Do looked back and forth between his wounds and his opponent, his eyes filled with disbelief and astonishment. In the end, he couldn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°I... I lost.¡±


    Gong Do left the sparring stage in defeat.


    So Myeong-Chan red at Gong Do and Woo-Gang, obviously unhappy. Then, he chose the Hegemon n¡¯s second representative and sent him up.


    ¡°Just what sort of technique is that?¡± Hyeon Mu-Cheol muttered in disbelief over Woo-Gang¡¯s finger technique, which looked truly deadly.


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely not a skill of our sect. But... I¡¯ve never heard of the Iron Sword Baek Family having that sort of skill, either.¡±


    The faces of Woo-Gang¡¯s senior brothers turned grave.


    It felt like things had been going wrongtely. The path to bing the master of the Mount Hua Sect wasn¡¯t as straightforward as before and seemed to be increasingly shrouded in fog.


    And it was all because of Woo-Gang.


    <i>¡®Woo-Gang, you little brat. Is it because you got the blood of the Palm Martial Emperor?¡¯</i>


    His talent has always been shockingly outstanding, ever since he was young. At the same time, his performance had beenparatively poor, due to theck of resources, so they weren¡¯t all that worried. But now, he somehow seemed to have made incredible progress in his cultivation and also learned an unknown but clearly powerful technique.


    Yu Cho and Hyeon Mu-Cheol both felt the same sense of crisis. Now, neither was confident that they could win in a battle with Woo-Gang¡ªno, to be frank, they actually felt, deep inside their hearts, that they would lose.


    It was a massive shock to the duo, who had always looked down on Woo-Gang.


    <i>Crack.</i>


    Hyeon Mu-Cheol grit his teeth when he saw the figure of Woo-Moon, who had humiliated him, ovep with Woo-Gang¡¯s.


    <i>¡®Hold on a second. Now that I think about it...¡¯</i>


    At the same time, Woo-Gang¡¯s two senior brothers turned to look at Woo-Moon, thinking the same thing.


    All of Woo-Gang¡¯s changes had begun when he had reunited with his brother.


    <i>¡®No way this is a coincidence. Song Woo-Moon must have helped him somehow. How the hell did he do it, though? Third brother¡¯s change is just too ridiculous.¡¯</i>


    The corner of Woo-Moon¡¯s mouth rose into a smirk.


    Sensing their murderous gazes, he almost immediately understood what they were thinking and chuckled teasingly.


    <i>¡®Heh, that¡¯s just the beginning.¡¯</i>


    Meanwhile, Woo-Gang had begun his spar with a member of the Hegemon n who used throwing knives.


    <i>¡®As expected of the Hegemon n. They¡¯re all impressive.¡¯</i>


    Gong Do alone had been incredible, and his new opponent, Mu Eui-Yeong, was in no way inferior.


    Although Woo-Gang¡¯s cultivation had increased rapidly thanks to the Pure Stctite Milk, there hadn¡¯t been enough time for him to fully absorb the medicinal effects of the elixir. Moreover, he had spent a substantial portion of his qi reserves in the spar with Gong Do just moments before. Thus, this sparsted much longer than expected.


    <i>¡®My qi reserves are bottoming out. The longer this takes, the more disadvantaged I get!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Gang quickly made up his mind to use the Transcendent sh Sword.


    Suddenly, the sword aura on his de disappeared, and his opponent, Mu Eui-Yeong, smiled savagely.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s almost over!¡¯</i>


    Mu Eui-Yeong¡¯s pride had taken a hit due to how long it was taking him to defeat Woo-Gang. After all, by his estimation, the man should have spent most of his qi reserves fighting Gong Do.


    He drew three of the ten remaining throwing knives and threw them at Woo-Gang all at once.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    The throwing knives were coated in aura and their trajectory was a broad arc as they flew at Woo-Gang from both sides and from above. They moved faster and with more savage power than the others, as Mu Eui-Yeong intended to finish this in one move if possible.


    Suddenly, mes erupted from Woo-Gang¡¯s sword.


    <i>''What?''</i>


    Mu Eui-Yeong did a double take, wondering if Woo-Gang had just produced a red sword aura. However, his second look confirmed it: Woo-Gang¡¯s sword was covered by real mes.


    He immediately sensed that it was no ordinary mes, either. Their heat was so intense that Mu Eui-Yeong had difficulty breathing for a moment, even with his immense cultivation.


    The tip of Woo-Gang¡¯s sword drew arge plum blossom in the air. The me, now an orange hue rather than red, simultaneously deflected all three throwing knives.


    The special nature of the mes produced by the Transcendent sh Sword meant that they could not only be used for the techniques of that particr sword art, but could also be applied to any other sword technique.


    A plum blossom made of mes bloomed in front of him.


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    "It¡¯s beautiful."


    Baek Yo and Hyeon Yu-Yeon were both amazed.


    Woo-Gang was using the Plum Blossom Sword, a technique already famous for its beauty. Adding the gorgeous mes to it only served to further enhance its beauty.


    Immediately after knocking aside the throwing knives, Woo-Gang took arge step forward before spinning around and swinging his sword. Unleashing Plums Blossom Twice, he sent two ming plum blossoms at Mu Eui-Yeong, one after another.

 Chapter 108. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (4)

    <h4>Chapter 108. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (4)</h4>


    <i>¡®Damn it, what the hell...!¡¯</i>


    Cursing to himself, Mu Eui-Yeong threw two other throwing knives.


    He intended to tear apart both plum blossoms with a single blow. However, both throwing knives melted after dispelling the first plum blossom.


    <i>¡®Ugh. I¡¯ll be in trouble if I¡¯m not careful.¡¯</i>


    Mu Eui-Yeong used the infamous donkey roll to dodge the second ming plum blossom. It was just too much of an embarrassment for him.


    To think that me had strengthparable to sword aura!


    Without even realizing it, Bi Yeo-Jeong started tearing up as she watched with her hands sped in front of her chest. All she could see was Woo-Gang leaping toward Mu Eui-Yeong while thrusting his sword in front of him.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    With the sound of a great wave crashing against the shore, a long me stretched out from the tip of his sword and flew toward Mu Eui-Yeong.


    <i>¡®Just what the hell kind of martial arts is this?!¡¯</i>


    Mu Eui-Yeong jumped up and spun in the air, simultaneously throwing thest five knives that remained in his hands as he did so.


    With his extended sword, Woo-Gang drew a circle in the air, as if he were painting a taiji symbol. As he did so, the long me extending from the sword moved like a whip and swirled through the air.


    Not only did the throwing knives not pierce through the vortex of mes, but they almost instantly melted in the air, while the mes struck Mu Eui-Yeong.


    ¡°AGHHHH!¡±


    The spar was over.


    When Woo-Gang pulled his sword back, the ze of Transcendent sh disappeared. However, that brief attack was more than enough for Mu Eui-Yeong to suffer burns all over. All of his clothes had turned to ash, and he had lost consciousness.


    With tears in her eyes, Bi Yeo-Jeong opened her mouth.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Woo-Gang had disyed an amazing performance, single-handedly defeating two opponents with incredible skills. This was all she had ever wished for¡ªto see him standing proudly like that.


    Now, finally seeing it happen, an almost uncontainable joy bloomed inside of her.


    <i>¡®You did good, you did good, senior brother Song. Please continue to shine as brightly as you do right now, even if someone like me isn¡¯t standing by you. Please...¡¯</i>


    <i>Crack.</i>


    Seeing Bi Yeo-Jeong¡¯s expression, Yu Cho grimaced and gritted his teeth as if he were a vicious viin.


    Suddenly, Woo-Gang subconsciously turned around and saw Bi Yeo-Jeong.


    And when he saw her tears...he no longer saw anything apart from them.


    Woo-Gang shivered as if struck by lightning as he suddenly realized that he was still in her heart.


    Bi Yeo-Jeong hurriedly turned her head to avoid his gaze and wiped away her tears.


    <i>¡®No, I can¡¯t do this. It¡¯ll only hurt him even more. It¡¯ll just make it harder for him to forget me.¡¯</i>


    She just couldn¡¯t handle making Woo-Gang¡¯s heartbreak recovery even harder than it already was.


    ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and bring him down!¡±


    As So Myeong-Chan shouted irritably, the Hegemon n members went up and brought Mu Eui-Yeong down from the stage.


    <i>¡®Damn it! How dare you idiots lose to that brat twice in a row!¡¯</i>


    Furious, So Myeong-Chan looked back at San Woo-Gyeol, who was standing behind him. Realizing what So Myeong-Chan wanted, San Woo-Gyeol walked up the stage with a bitter smile.


    Standing on the stage, he cupped a fist at Woo-Gang and said bluntly, ¡°I¡¯m San Woo-Gyeol of the Hegemon n¡¯s Dominating Fist San Family.¡±


    Woo-Gang, whose heart was pounding after seeing Bi Yeo-Jeong, bit his tongue to calm his emotions and cupped his fist in return.


    ¡°I¡¯m Song Woo-Gang of the Mount Hua Sect.¡±


    Suddenly, Woo-Gang got an urgent voice transmission from his older brother.


    <i>¡ªGive up ande down immediately, Woo-Gang. Right now!</i>


    <i>¡ªWhy?</i>


    <i>¡ªYour opponent is an expert you can¡¯t beat. Hurry up ande down right now!</i>


    Woo-Gang hesitated.


    He knew there was no way his hyung would lie to him. Moreover, he knew there wasn¡¯t any reason to doubt his hyung¡¯s intuition. If Woo-Moon was telling him that his opponent was strong, then his opponent was strong.


    But Woo-Gang turned to look at Bi Yeo-Jeong for a moment. Then, he slightly shook his head to tell his brother what he thought.


    <i>¡ªYou, you insane child! Come down right now! Not only is he strong, but he also has a terrifying bloodlust! You might actually die there!</i>


    <i>¡ªI¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t run away without a fight. That would not only hurt the sect¡¯s reputation but also stain the honor of our grandfather, who is legendary for never turning his back in battle. Even if I die, I can¡¯t run away.</i>


    <i>¡ªYou fucking idiot! Get down NOW!</i>


    However, Woo-Gang no longer responded to Woo-Moon and rather got ready for battle against San Woo-Gyeol¡ªactually, the Dealer of Death and Destruction, Sha Xiao.


    San Woo-Gyeol only sneered eerily and didn¡¯t even raise a hand.


    Although he seemed so defenseless, Woo-Gang couldn¡¯t let his guard down whatsoever. Woo-Moon had warned him, after all.


    ¡°D-damn it! Something isn¡¯t right! No, something is terribly wrong!¡±


    ¡°Pardon? What do you mean something is wrong?¡± Baek Yo asked, puzzled in the midst of her intoxicating joy at Woo-Gang¡¯s victory.


    ¡°That bastard San Woo-Gyeol or whatever. Even if he¡¯s supposed to be strong, this is too much! Even I can¡¯t guarantee that I¡¯d be able to defeat him! This is impossible. That¡¯s not the level of a younger generation talent. Being so strong under thirty is just not possible!¡±


    To some, Woo-Moon¡¯s words may have sounded arrogant. However, none of those around him felt like he was being ridiculous, because they knew his abilities all too well. The talents of the Three Great Sword Families suddenly looked over at San Woo-Gyeol, while the members of the Baek Family looked at Woo-Gang in surprise and concern.


    This was an opponent that even Woo-Moon himself wasn¡¯t sure he could win against!


    ¡°Then, let me make the first move!¡±


    With a shout, Woo-Gang squeezed out all of his remaining strength and unleashed the greatest Transcendent sh that he was capable of. mes erupted from his sword, forming thirty-six me threads that spread out like a dense. Then, they quickly tightened in front of San Woo-Gyeol, releasing a tremendous ze.


    ¡°T-that¡¯s incredible!¡± ¡°That might be enough!¡± Baekri Yeong-Woon and Namgoong Sung said in session.


    Even though San Woo-Gyeol was someone that Woo-Moon had acknowledged, after seeing that incredible attack, they thought that Woo-Gang might actually win.


    In contrast, Woo-Moon just bit his lip.


    <i>¡®No, it¡¯s impossible for him to win,¡¯ </i>he thought.


    However, Woo-Gang seemed to thinkpletely differently from his brother.


    <i>¡®I can win this!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Gang had just perfectly performed the Transcendent sh Heaven''s Net, one of the ultimate techniques of the Transcendent sh Sword, for the first time. It gave him confidence.


    ¡°<i>Ke... keke.</i>¡±


    However, all that confidence disappeared in an instant as the lip of San Woo-Gyeol lifted up into a sneer and he let loose aughter more terrifying than that of a devil from hell.


    <i>¡®Is heughing?¡¯</i>


    Suddenly, a ck aura rose up around San Woo-Gyeol, and the mes around him were instantly snuffed.


    <i>Swish¡ª</i>


    It was all over when Woo-Gang saw San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s hand move slightly.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The ck aura and the mes dispersed as San Woo-Gyeol disappeared like an illusion, his hand suddenly grabbing Woo-Gang¡¯s neck.


    San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s head was tilted to the side, but unnaturally so, as if he were a doll with a very flexible neck joint. His head formed a perfect right angle with the rest of his body as heughed in a disgusting, deranged manner.


    ¡°<i>Kekeke...</i>¡±


    ¡°Cough, cough, cough!¡±


    Woo-Gang drew on his dantian to the point that it started to crack to gather the strength to kick San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s torso. But it was to no avail.


    San Woo-Gyeol just held him up by the neck while his free hand formed a crane shape, subtly coating itself with aura. It was a ck, grotesque aura that appeared clearly evil at just a nce.


    Everyone knew that this next attack would kill Woo-Gang. It was an almost instinctive realization, as the sticking feeling of San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s bloodlust had already spread to the entire sparring ground.


    ¡°S-stop it!¡±


    As Bi Yeo-Jeong unknowingly rushed forward to the stage, Yu Cho quickly caught her.


    ¡°What are you doing? They¡¯re still in the middle of a spar.¡±


    Although he said that, his gaze seemed to waver slightly as he looked over at San Woo-Gyeol and Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Let him go! The winner has already been decided,¡± he called out.


    ¡°Hmpf! These things are decided by the people on the stage!¡± So Myeong-Chan retorted, his voice mixed with ridicule.


    <i>¡®We can¡¯t stop this.¡¯</i>


    Yu Cho and Hyeon Mu-Cheol were thinking the same thing in their hearts.


    <i>¡®They wouldn¡¯t really kill him, would they?¡¯</i>


    They certainly didn¡¯t like their junior brother, but that didn¡¯t mean they wanted him to die like this.


    ¡°<i>Kekeke...</i>¡±


    As the sparkling bloodlust in San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s eyes reached a peak, his hand seemed to sh like a beam of light.


    <i>¡ªStay your hand or you¡¯re a dead man.</i>


    A voice transmission pierced San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s ears as a suffocating force, bloodlust, and pressure rushed through his entire body. Woo-Moon had timed it exquisitely, just so that it interfered with San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s breathing, forcing his hand to falter as it went for the kill.


    In the end, he stopped his attack altogether.


    ¡°<i>Hehe...</i>¡±


    San Woo-Gyeol red at Woo-Moon, his eyes shining and pupils constricted to the size of pinpoints.


    <i>¡ªYou... I¡¯ll definitely kill you.</i>


    <i>¡ªDo whatever you want. But I think you¡¯ll be the one who dies, not me.</i>


    After going back and forth with Woo-Moon, San Woo-Gyeol looked at Woo-Gang.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re not interesting anymore,¡¯</i> he seemed to say.


    He simply threw Woo-Gang off to the side as if he was throwing away a bag of trash.


    So Myeong-Cham said with a wry smile, ¡°So we¡¯ve won this spar, right? Do you have anyints? If not, we can just end this farce here.¡±


    ¡°... We lost this one,¡± Yu Cho answered as So Myeong-Chan burst into happyughter.


    ¡°<i>Hahahahahahaha</i>!¡±


    Amid So Myeong-Chan¡¯s ridicule, Woo-Gang stood up unsteadily and walked off the stage. Although he had won twice, the mood around the stage wasn¡¯t that great due to how badly he had lost to San Woo-Gyeol.


    Then, one of the talents began to apud.


    <i>p, p, p, p!</i>


    Starting from one person, it gradually spread to several people and eventually turned into loud cheers.


    ¡°You did well!¡±


    ¡°As expected of one of the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms!¡±


    ¡°The Mount Hua Sect is truly unmatched!¡±


    Seeing the people cheering for him, Woo-Gang smiled slightly and entered the stands where the Mount Hua disciples were located.


    ¡°Hmpf! To think you almost died at the hands of trash like him,¡± Hyeon Mu-Cheol mocked him, while Yu Cho just ignored Woo-Gang¡¯s existence.


    ¡°Those lunatics. How could losers like them be so excited?¡± So Myeong-Chan muttered. He was pissed. To think that those bastards could still react in that way even after seeing San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s incredible martial skills!


    Then, he noticed San Woo-Gyeol looking at someone across the sparring stage.


    <i>¡®Just who is that psychopath staring at?¡¯</i>


    When he followed San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s gaze, he turned to see Woo-Moon. Suddenly, his younger brother, So Geom-Rak, came to mind again. His warning¡ªto watch out for Song Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Does that bastard really have something up his sleeve? He doesn¡¯t look like much...¡¯</i>


    No one else had noticed when Woo-Moon hadpressed all of his aura, bloodlust, and pressure into a single point earlier to interfere with San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s attack. Moreover, no one, including So Myeong-Chan, knew about the threats, as their entire conversation had been through voice transmissions.


    However, So Myeong-Chan¡¯s suspicions were still raised just from the bloodlust San Woo-Gyeol was emitting as he kept an eye on Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Hmpf! He doesn¡¯t seem like much to worry about. Either way, there isn¡¯t anyone among those talents that can beat this psychopath, anyway.¡¯</i>


    As no one else from the Righteous Warrior Squadron seemed to walk up on the stage, So Myeong-Chan began to shout.


    ¡°What? Are you all scared? Do you really n on having us stay up all night or something? What the hell are you doing? Send someone on stage already!¡±


    Possibly because San Woo-Gyeol looked so strong, Yu Cho¡¯s eyes turned to Woo-Moon without even realizing it.

 Chapter 109. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (5)

    <h4>Chapter 109. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (5)</h4>


    <i>¡®No, it¡¯s not time yet...¡¯</i>


    Yu Cho tore his gaze away from Woo-Moon and looked over at the Mount Heng Sect.


    ¡°What do you think about stepping forward this time, Young Hero Choo Moon-Hwi of the Mount Heng Sect?¡±


    Choo Moon-Hwi faltered.


    Woo-Gang had just shown incredible, almost unsurpassable martial skill, and yet that San Woo-Gyeol had just subdued him as if it were child¡¯s y with terrifying martial arts and horrifying bloodlust.


    No. Although he was scared on the inside, Choo Moon-Hwi was still someone who had risen to be one of Mount Heng¡¯s strongest talents with his own strength.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go up next.¡±


    Choo Moon-Hwi walked onto the stage, all the while hearing cheers and encouragement from the other talents from the Mount Heng Sect.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m going to win. I can win!¡¯</i>


    Repeating to himself over and over, almost like a mantra, Choo Moon-Hwi stepped onto the stage and began his opening demonstration.


    He looked at his sword, a partner as close as a brother to him. Reflected in its tip was the grotesque smile of his opponent, who was still sneering in ridicule.


    ¡°I¡¯m Choo Moon-Hwi of the Mount Heng Sect.¡±


    Even though Choo Moon-Hwi introduced himself, San Woo-Gyeol didn¡¯t respond in any way. Instead, So Myeong-Chan responded in his ce.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of this idiot introducing himself when we already know who he is? Stop being annoying and get to it.¡±


    <i>¡®These Evil Faction bastards are all the same...¡¯</i>


    While cursing So Myeong-Chan internally, Choo Moon-Hwiposed himself and looked over at San Woo-Gyeol.


    <i>¡®Where the hell is he looking? How can he not focus when I¡¯m standing before him?!¡¯</i>


    Following his gaze, Choo Moon-Hwi saw that the person San Woo-Gyeol was interested in was actually Woo-Moon. The moment he realized it, sparks seemed to fly out of his eyes.


    <i>¡®You-you dare focus on that idiot bastard while I stand before you?!¡¯</i>


    His rage seemed to overflow as his feet almost carved furrows in the ground,unching him forward. Using Mount Heng''s famed movement art, A Storm Reborn, he shot toward San Woo-Gyeol.


    ¡°Bastard!¡±


    His sword darted at San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s abdomen, leaving afterimages in its trail. The tip of the sword was like a snake¡¯s tongue, insidious and incredibly fast, and its erratic movement was impossible to trace!


    It was an attack worthy of one of the best talents of the Mount Heng Sect!


    He was clearly on a different levelpared to Sa Yong-Jin, the first of the representatives of the Righteous Warrior Squadron.


    However, sadly for him, San Woo-Gyeol was a terrifying force that couldn¡¯t be matched, even with such tremendous strength.


    As he stepped forward with his right foot, it was as if a boulder had fallen from the sky, and the stage copsed entirely.


    A massive rebound force traveled up San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s right foot from the destroyed ground. He took that force into his fist and immediately punched forward.


    All of a sudden, the ck aura around his fist drew a great circle and scattered as a massive wave of fist aura shot out from within the circle like a cannonball. The fist aura seemed to shatter space as it shot toward Choo Moon-Hwi.


    Choo Moon-Hwi¡¯s sword aura dissolved helplessly.


    <i>Crackk¡ªBOOM!</i>


    The sword couldn¡¯t contain the fist aura and eventually exploded as the fist aura continued forward and barreled right into Choo Moon-Hwi¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Choo Moon-Hwi couldn¡¯t even scream. His entire being seemed to be crushed by a tremendous pain and pressure that he couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom.


    He vomited buckets of blood as fragments of his own sword peppered his body.


    Everyone who had been watching Choo Moon-Hwi¡¯s spar was stunned into silence. How much time had just passed? That spar hadsted... all of two seconds?


    Choo Moon-Hwi had been pathetically defeated with just a single move.


    ¡°What are you doing?! Don¡¯t you have to take him to be treated immediately?!¡±


    The only one from the Righteous Warrior Squadron toe to his senses was Woo-Moon. At his shout, the talents of the Mount Heng Sect hurriedly went up the stage and came down with Choo Moon-Hwi on their backs.


    Victory and defeat didn¡¯t need to be verbalized. Anyone could see that Choo Moon-Hwi had been defeated. Moreover, he had lost consciousness, anyway.


    ¡°<i>Kekeke...</i>¡±


    ¡°San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s¡± uniqueughter sounded even more terrifying and grotesque than before.


    ¡°HAHAHAHA!¡±


    As So Myeong-Chan also burst intoughter, he shouted back at the talents who hade with him.


    ¡°Yeah! What are we doing? Oh, that¡¯s right, winning!¡±


    So Myeong-Chan¡¯s shout brought the talents of the Hegemon n back to their senses after being taken aback by San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s overwhelming victory. They joined in with his shout, celebrating their victory with apuse and cheers.


    ¡°Incredible!¡±


    ¡°As expected of someone from the Dominating Fist San Family, ho, ho, ho! Weaklings like the Mount Heng Sect could neverpare!¡±


    Yu Cho gritted his teeth.


    Even he was flustered to the point of feeling hopeless by San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s incredible martial skills. Still, there were still four spots left in the spar for the Righteous Warrior Squadron.


    <i>¡®San Woo-Gyeol... I¡¯ve never heard of him before. He has to be a secret weapon of the Hegemon n. Still, you bastards are going to regret sending him this early on. He¡¯s eventually going to be defeated after having to fight battles back to back. Then, I¡¯m going to defeat him and sweep the rest away. Including you, So Myeong-Chan.¡¯</i>


    Yu Cho assumed that San Woo-Gyeol had consumed a great amount of his qi reserves when he attacked Choo Moon-Hwi just now. It was a natural assumption, given how incredible of a technique he had used.


    He envisioned himself appearing at the end, ending the spar with his own two hands and bing a hero before the others. Thus, Yu Cho turned to the Wudang Sect.


    ¡°Will Daoist Cheong Oh of the Wudang Sect pleasee forward?¡±


    The talents were quite impressed by Yu Cho¡¯s nomination. They all concluded that the Wudang Sect¡¯s martial arts were the perfect counter for an opponent who overwhelmed a battle with such extreme force. After all, wasn¡¯t it the Wudang Sect that had made the concept of softness oveing force famous through their Taiji Fist and Taiji Sword?


    Cheong Oh nodded with a calm expression.


    ¡°Before the Pure Ones, I will follow the arrangement of the captain,¡± he replied.


    "Thank you."


    Cheong Oh handed the fly-whisk he held to a disciple and walked toward the sparring stage.


    Baek Yo and Baek Ryeong turned to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Uncle, who do you think would win?¡±


    ¡°No matter how monstrous this bastard is, he only focuses on overwhelming power. So the Wudang Sect¡¯s Taiji Sword should be able to subdue him, right?¡±


    Woo-Moon shook his head.


    ¡°Do you really think someone that <i>I</i> called a monster would really only amount to that much? There¡¯s no need to keep asking me about each representative. There¡¯s not a single person in the Righteous Warrior Squadron who can beat that bastard.¡±


    ¡°Um, so... in other words, you have to be the one to go forward, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Of course, the only ones to hear this conversation were the talents of the Three Great Sword Families. They were standing around Woo-Moon like a wall, and rightfully so¡ªthere would have been some issues if any of the other talents had heard Woo-Moon¡¯s reply.


    Cheong Oh didn¡¯t approach San Woo-Gyeol, only getting as close as necessary to be able to attack his opponent. He readied himself and swung his sword, starting with the first stance of the Taiji Sword.


    It seemed as though Yu Cho¡¯s nning was effective. Or, at the very least, the Taiji Sword¡¯s attributes seemed to be working, as unlike Choo Moon-Hwi, Cheong Oh was able to continue exchanging blows for over fifty seconds.


    But while most people watching thought it was a close fight, Woo-Moon, So Myeong-Chan, and Cheong Oh¡¯s opponent, San Woo-Gyeol, didn¡¯t think so whatsoever.


    Even Cheong Oh himself had realized it, feeling a sense of shame.


    <i>¡®This is unbelievable. Are you kidding me? Even though I¡¯m fighting with all my might!¡¯</i>


    The moment Cheong Oh¡¯s emotions red, his Taiji Sword, which had been flowing as fluid as water, faltered.


    San Woo-Gyeol noticed the opening and stretched out a hand. He was no longer having fun


    ¡°Ugh!!¡±


    Cheong Oh¡¯s thigh was hit by San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s fist, and his femur instantly broke. He almost kneeled in an odd position under the strength of the blow. Suddenly, San Woo-Gyeol drove his fist down like a hammer, striking him hard.


    ¡°Bleeugh!!¡±


    Blood shot out like an arrow and rained over the stage with a loud sttering sound. Cheong Oh¡¯s bodyy motionless like a crumpled sheet of paper.


    This time, too, there was no need for a judgment to be made. Cheong Oh had already lost consciousness.


    Just like Choo Moon-Hwi, he was seriously injured and would have to recuperate for at least a month.


    "Senior Brother!¡±


    The talents of the Wudang Sect rushed out and put Cheong Oh on their backs. Looking down at them arrogantly, San Woo-Gyeol sneered.


    ¡°<i>Keke...</i>¡±


    San Woo-Gyeol nonchntly shifted his gaze to Woo-Moon. Without any hesitation, he started to exude terrifying bloodlust.


    It was such a greedy and almost lustful gaze that it ruined Woo-Moon¡¯s mood.


    <i>¡®Crazy bastard. Is he some kind of weird pervert?¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon muttered to himself, one of the novice Daoists of the Wudang Sect who had gone up to the stage to save Cheong Oh drew his sword and rushed San Woo-Gyeol.


    ¡°You wicked Evil Faction demon!¡±


    The novice was actually Cheong Oh¡¯s younger brother, Cheong Yu. He had entered the Wudang Sect together with his older brother.


    He simply couldn''t hold back his anger when he saw his older brother lying on the ground broken and bleeding.


    However, any of the talents could see that Cheong Yu was too young to even .


    ¡°Keke!¡±


    With a very shortugh, San Woo-Gyeol lightly swung his hand. Even though Cheong Yu held his sword as tightly as he could, his sword was soaring into the sky.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The webbing between his finger and his thumb was torn apart and blood spurted out. Then, suddenly, his vision went dark. He felt his feet leave the ground, and at the same time, a terrible pain wracked his head!


    ¡°Aaaahhh!¡±


    San Woo-Gyeol held Cheong Yu¡¯s head in his massive hand. He gradually tightened his grip, emitting a fierce bloodlust.


    Blood began to flow from Cheong Yu¡¯s head.


    The moment Cheong Yu¡¯s head started to bleed, Woo-Moon grabbed San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s muscr forearm. Nobody knew when he had gotten on the stage


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we leave this at that? It¡¯s a little unbing of someone as strong as you. He¡¯s still a child, after all, and he isn¡¯t anywhere near the level of being a threat to you, right?¡±


    <i>Thud.</i>


    Only then did Cheong Yu fall to the ground, freed from San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s grasp.


    San Woo-Gyeol looked at Woo-Moon and let out a grotesqueugh. He started to breathe heavily, bloodlust almost leaking from his pores. He was trying his hardest to resist attacking Woo-Moon at this very moment.


    ¡°You really rub me the wrong way. Seriously. To the point that I want to beat you to death,¡± Woo-Moon said.


    ¡°<i>Kekeke...</i>¡±


    San Woo-Gyeol just responded with his signatureugh.


    ¡°Cheong Yu! Are you okay?¡±


    The other Wudang Sect disciples hurriedly brought Cheong Yu down from the stage.


    ¡°What the hell is this? Is that brat your next representative?¡± So Myeong-Chan shouted.


    Yu Cho shook his head.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s not. Someone else is.¡±


    At that moment, Woo-Moon turned from fighting an invisible battle of the wills with San Woo-Gyeol to stare at Yu Cho.


    <i>Rustle!</i>


    At the same time, goosebumps audibly rose all over Yu Cho¡¯s body. Woo-Moon¡¯s terrifying pressure wasn¡¯tcking in any way aspared to that monster San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s.


    <i>¡®Damn it... this bastard really is a freak!¡¯</i>


    However, it was for that very reason that he refused to let Woo-Moon step up as the next representative. His pride would never allow that.


    <i>¡®Do you think that I¡¯m here to make you a hero? Now? When that bastard is about to run out of strength as long as we send out just one more person? No, that will definitely happen. Didn¡¯t that bastard take longer to defeat Cheong Oh than Choo Moon-Hwi?¡¯</i>


    Yu Cho still seemed to think that he would be able to defeat San Woo-Gyeol as long as he was weakened just a little further.


    Woo-Moon almost seemed to growl as he spoke.


    ¡°I want to be the next representative. Do you have anyints?¡±


    Yu Cho bit his lip hard.


    As the scent of blood spread through his mouth, the pain brought relief from the pressure he felt. Looking Woo-Moon straight in the eyes, he responded, ¡°I¡¯m the captain here. You¡¯re not the next representative, soe down.¡±


    Woo-Moon gritted his teeth.


    ¡°You¡¯ll regret it.¡±


    ¡°As if! Now hurry up ande down.¡±


    Although he wanted to flip everything over and cause a scene, Woo-Moon knew that he shouldn¡¯t lose his temper here. He knew that if he wasn¡¯t careful, he would not only be causing a significant problem for the Baek Family, but the situation could end up bing an excuse for a faction war to break out.


    Thus, Woo-Moon red at San Woo-Gyeol one more time before walking down the stage.


    ¡°How do you all feel about the Xiahou Family¡¯s Xiahou Jinxian rising to the stage next?¡±


    Baekri Hye-Min, who had been watching the situation closely with a cold glint in her eyes, raised a hand and objected. ¡°What are your intentions, Righteous Warrior Squadron Captain?¡±


    Yu Cho looked over at her.


    ¡°Whatever could you mean, Young Lady Baekri? What do you mean by ¡®intentions¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Exactly what it sounds like. Our momentum is gradually falling. Well, to put it simply, we¡¯re being suppressed. In this state, even if we were to spar against an opponent of the same level, we would be defeated. In a winner-takes-allpetition, momentum is more important than anything else. We need a win to turn the momentum in our favor. It¡¯ll all be over if we lose any more matches.¡±


    All of the talents listening nodded at Baek Hye-Min''s logical words.


    A dark gloom indeed covered the Righteous Warrior Squadron. Their expressions all had a tinge of defeat.


    Baekri Hye-Min continued.


    ¡°In my opinion, the strongest talents we have left are you, captain, and Young Hero Song. Thus, to shift the momentum, you or Young Hero Song must step forward. However, you just refused Young Hero Song when he personally stepped forward. So, I thought that you were nning on stepping forward in person. But that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case, either. You instead chose to send Young Hero Xiahou. Why?¡±


    However, the rather stupid and proud Xiahou Jinxian was the one to get angry instead.

 Chapter 110. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (6)

    <h4>Chapter 110. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (6)</h4>


    ¡°What do you mean by that, Young Lady Baekri? Why do you think I won¡¯t be able to defeat San Woo-Gyeol?¡± Xiahou Jinxian asked.


    To be frank, none of the people gathered thought that Xiahou Jinxian would be able to defeat San Woo-Gyeol. Not even his family members agreed with his words.


    Baekri Hye-Min took a single, cold nce at Xiahou Jinxian before turning to Yu Cho without bothering to answer him.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t all this because you wanted to y the hero? Sending each talent out like fodder to waste San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s strength. Then, you would step forward at the perfect moment and finish him off. It all makes sense, considering San Woo-Gyeol is most likely the strongest within the Hegemon n.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Young Lady Baekri. I just...¡±


    Baekri Hye-Min directly interrupted him.


    ¡°Firstly, since you¡¯ve already decided that our next representative is Young Master Xiahou Jinxian, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. However, to prove that what I¡¯m saying isn¡¯t true, if even Young Master Xiahou Jinxian is defeated, you¡¯ll have to step forward yourself, captain. Don¡¯t you think that as the one to win the tournament and be dered as the strongest, you should take matters into your own hands and shift the momentum yourself?¡±


    There was nothing Yu Cho could say to refute her. Moreover, it would look rather strange even if he did.


    In the end, Yu Cho nodded his head and conceded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that, then. Moreover, I¡¯d like to make it clear that I have no desire to be a hero, so please believe that, at the very least, Young Lady Baekri.¡±


    ¡°It would be a relief if that was the case. Understood.¡±


    Realizing that he couldn''t wait any longer, Yu Cho watched Xiahou Jinxian walk up the stage.


    <i>¡®Please use as much of San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s strength as possible, Xiahou Jinxian!¡¯</i>


    However, Yu Cho¡¯s train of thought was broken before San Wu-Gyeol and Xiahou Jinxian fought for even ten seconds.


    Xiahou Jinxian flew up into the air after being hit by San Woo-Gyeol. Four of his ribs broke from the blow, and he flew across the stage before tumbling off the side.


    <i>¡®Damn it! Just how is he so strong?¡¯ </i>Yu Cho thought as he looked at San Woo-Gyeol. He just couldn¡¯t help but see the Hegemon n representative as a monster. It was to the point where Yu Cho even wondered if San Woo-Gyeol was really of the younger generation.


    <i>¡®Just how is he so strong and how does he have such endless qi? They say people can regain their youth without making use of any special arts if they reach the Absolute realm. No... it can¡¯t be... right?¡¯</i>


    However, he soon dismissed it as an absurd idea.


    Absolute Masters weren¡¯t thatmon to begin with, and he couldn¡¯t think of any Absolute Master who had simr characteristics to San Woo-Gyeol. Above all, Absolute Masters were more prideful than anyone else. It was impossible for any of them to be shameless enough to disguise themselves as a member of the Hegemon n¡¯s younger generation just topete in a spar. That held true even for those in the Evil Faction.


    <i>¡®Regardless, it seems time for me to step up, doesn¡¯t it.¡¯</i>


    The talents of the Three Great Sword Families were looking at him with cold gazes.


    He could see the rigid Woo-Moon and overly intelligent and bold Baekri Hye-Min among them.


    <i>¡®Damned bastards! Screw the Three Great Sword Families, screw the Iron Sword Baek Family, and screw Song Woo-Moon!¡¯</i>


    Internally raging against Woo-Moon and the others, Yu Cho ascended the stage. Once he arrived, he readied himself against San Woo-Gyeol.


    ¡°I¡¯m Yu Cho of the Mount Hua Sect. I already know who you are, no need to introduce yourself.¡±


    ¡°<i>Keke...</i>¡±


    San Woo-Gyeol just chuckled in response.


    <i>¡®What a lunatic.¡¯</i>


    After muttering to himself, Yu Cho attacked first.


    "Then I¡¯ll begin!¡±


    Yu Cho moved quickly, drawing a half-moon pattern with both feet. Rushing at San Woo-Gyeol, he swung his sword widely.


    <i>Woosh!!</i>


    As plum blossoms bloomed one after another from the tip of his sword, the faint scent of plum blossoms spread through the air. It was an amazing disy of swordsmanship¡ªas expected from the first of the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms.


    San Woo-Gyeol didn¡¯t counterattack or block. Instead, he just moved slightly as he dodged each of Yu Cho¡¯s attacks. However, eventually, he seemed unable to dodge one of the blows, and Yu Cho¡¯s sword sank into his chest.


    ¡°He won!¡±


    Seeing the sword pierce San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s chest, the talents of the Mount Hua Sect clenched their fists and shouted.


    However, they were quickly met with the sight of Yu Cho¡¯s seemingly sessful attack target disappearing like a mirage.


    ¡°Illusive Shift!¡±


    The moment someone shouted, San Woo-Gyeol suddenly appeared behind Yu Cho¡¯s back and punched forward.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Although Yu Cho¡¯s senses hadpletely missed San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s shift and the ensuing attack, he just barely noticed the man¡¯s shadow behind him and used the donkey roll to avoid the blow.


    <i>¡®Damn it!¡¯</i>


    As Yu Cho blushed from the shame of having to use the donkey roll, something happened that caused him to blush even more.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    Before Yu Cho¡¯s brain could even register the movement, San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s fist exploded in his face and broke his nose. Blood spurted out of his nostrils.


    Although it looked like he was going to scream, Yu Cho barely held it back.


    However, San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s attack didn¡¯t end there. His fists continued to move back and forth, punching Yu Cho¡¯s entire body.


    ¡°<i>Cough... coug-agh!!!</i>¡±


    As the torrent of pain continued, it ovepped and created an even greater agony. In the end, Yu Cho couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and screamed.


    After a while, his whole body was sttered with blood as he lost consciousness and fell on his back.


    It seemed as though he was the one to suffer the most out of all the people defeated by San Woo-Gyeol.


    ¡°Senior Brother!¡±


    The members of Yu Cho¡¯s faction within Mount Hua rushed out, carrying him over to the physician.


    ¡°Kekeke! Oh dear, whatever shall we do? The Brave Captain of the Glorious Righteous Heroic Warrior Squadron copsed!!! Just like that!¡±


    The Righteous Warrior Squadron became even more gloomy.


    Now, they really were backed into a corner.


    There was only one representative slot left. On the other hand, the Hegemon n still had four other slots apart from San Woo-Gyeol.


    It was a truly hopeless situation.


    Even <i>if</i> someone was lucky enough to defeat San Woo-Gyeol, they would only be able to achieveplete victory after defeating four other talents.


    Baekri Hye-Min stepped forward in the midst of the tense atmosphere.


    ¡°Now that the Captain has fallen, there is no one remaining with the authority to appoint the next representative. With that said, I would like to rmend someone to the stage. What do you all think about Young Hero Song Woo-Moon of the Iron Sword Baek Family? Although he may have lost to the current captain by forfeit, he¡¯s still the runner-up of the captain selection tournament. Do any of you have any objections?¡±


    Because the mood was so bleak, no one had anything to say. They were all just wondering what to do. A single San Woo-Gyeol had defeated four people, and yet he didn¡¯t seem to be tired whatsoever. Moreover, considering the terrifying martial arts that he had shown so far...


    They all just assumed that no one would be able to defeat him, regardless of whether Woo-Moon or anyone else came forward.


    Of course, that only applied to those who didn¡¯t know Woo-Moon¡¯s true nature.


    ¡°Do whatever you like,¡± said the representative of the Shaolin Temple.


    Then, weak words of approval came from the rest of the crowd. Maybe they would have had some sort of fighting spirit if the difference in skill appeared somewhat manageable, but San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s martial arts level was so high that they couldn¡¯t help but have no faith.


    ¡°Then, Young Hero Song, if you please,¡± Baekri Hye-Min said as she nodded at Woo-Moon.


    Finally getting his chance, Woo-Moon walked up the steps with a confident gait.


    Neither he nor San Woo-Gyeol said anything. They just stood there staring at each other for a while.


    San Woo-Gyeol originally didn¡¯t introduce himself when someone challenged him, while Woo-Moon didn¡¯t bother to do so, either.


    The heavy, suppressive standoff continued. However, the members of the Righteous Heroic Warriors Squadron seemed disinterested. Some even stared nkly at the ground. They all expected Woo-Moon to lose, and in a disastrous manner at that.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s start!¡¯</i>


    The one to move first was Woo-Moon.


    He used the Northern Wind Steps and ran like the wind, cleverly moving to San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s blind spots.


    ¡°Hmpf!¡±


    With a soft grunt, San Woo-Gyeol punched preemptively where Woo-Moon was about tond. An enormous fist aura poured out from his fist and tore through the air.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes narrowed. His figure blurred for a moment beforepletely disappearing. Appearing right next to San Woo-Gyeol, he used Raging Wind.


    <i>WOOSH!</i>


    Irregr and rapid sword strikes flew forward with terrifying screeches.


    However, Raging Wind never had the chance to hit its target as San Woo-Gyeol had also disappeared. But instead of dissipating in the wind, he seemed to dissolve into the ground before appearing behind Woo-Moon.


    Still, it wasn¡¯t as if Woo-Moon wouldn¡¯t have noticed that. At the same time that San Woo-Gyeol punched forward, Woo-Moon also disyed the Divine Phantasm Steps.


    Woo-Moon blurred and disappeared once more, and when he reappeared next to San Woo-Gyeol, his sword was already striking down.


    <i>ng!</i>


    A sound rang out from their collision, so sharp and metallic that it was impossible to believe that it had been from the collision of bare skin with sharp metal.


    San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s physical cultivation had reached a startling level. Not even the sharp de of Woo-Moon¡¯s sword could cut into his flesh.


    After blocking Woo-Moon¡¯s attack with his left hand, San Woo-Gyeol dashed forward on the spot, throwing himself forward as if he wanted to body-m Woo-Moon.


    ¡°You ignorant bastard!¡±


    With a single shout, Woo-Moon tossed his sword into the air and used the Heavy Rain Fist with both hands.


    <i>BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s Heavy Rain Fist mercilessly showered over San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s upper body.


    San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s speed gradually decreased before he eventually was forced to a standstill.


    Immediately, he raised his leg and tried to kick Woo-Moon. However, Woo-Moon grabbed Inkde, which had fallen from the sky just in time, and countered.


    San Woo-Gyeol used the force with which Woo-Moon struck his leg to generate a counterforce, rotating before throwing a spear kick. Hebined the rotational force of Woo-Moon¡¯s attack with his own force!


    It was a genuinely terrifying attack.


    His kick had so much force that even the nearby fragments of the stage flew in the direction of his attack.


    In response, Woo-Moon used the Imprable Golden Wall.


    A golden shield appeared in an instant! Just like before, Woo-Moon countered San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s attack without fail.


    An opportunity opened after Woo-Moon sessfully defended the attack. Woo-Moon didn¡¯t miss the opening and struck with North Wind.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    With a sharp screech, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword aura closed precisely on San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s neck. No matter how strong his physical cultivation was or how much his skin resembled steel, it would be nothing against sword aura.


    As expected, San Woo-Gyeol had a technique to match. Although his technique required an enormous qi consumption, it was his technique with the greatest range.


    The immensely powerful Demolishing Fist overtook a wide area.


    It simultaneously swept away not only the hidden force of the North Wind but also all of its surroundings as well.


    <i>CLANG!</i>


    The two people almost instantly rushed in as if they were pulling each other. shing, they bounced away from each other even faster with an incredible noise.


    <i>Tap.</i>


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    Woo-Moon deftly somersaulted away from the collision whilending lightly on the stage, while San Woo-Gyeol, still smiling,nded heavily moments after.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty impressive, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°<i>Kekeke...</i>¡±


    Joy shed in San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s eyes, and hidden in that joy was the desire for ughter.


    ¡°Wow!!¡±


    ¡°What!!!¡±


    The talents had watched indifferently at first as they had assumed Woo-Moon would lose immediately. However, they grew more and more anxious as the battle between Woo-Moon and San Woo-Gyeol went on longer and longer before eventually expressing admiration when the two ended their first sh on equal footing.


    Neither had the upper hand.


    ¡°As expected from Uncle!¡±


    ¡°He really is incredible.¡±


    San Woo-Gyeol had seemed like a colossal mountain that could never be scaled.[1]


    However, Woo-Moon showed no signs of being crushed by the weight of this mountain.


    1. This is a wordy in the original¡ªSan Woo-Gyeol¡¯s family name means ¡°mountain.¡± ?

 Chapter 111. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (7)

    <h4>Chapter 111. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (7)</h4>


    The talents of the Three Great Sword Families, including Jeong-Woo, Baek Yo, Baek Ryeong, Namgoong Sung, and Baekri Yeong-Woon, had also been quite worried at first. It was only natural, as San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s martial arts were so overwhelmingly strong, to the point where they had all questioned if even Woo-Moon could defeat him.


    Baekri Yeong-Woon btedly realized something.


    <i>¡®There we go. This is how things are supposed to go. San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s martial arts skills are so incredible that I was just overwhelmed for a minute there. But how is that any different from what I felt when I first saw Song Woo-Moon fighting?¡¯</i>


    Their belief in Woo-Moon had only faltered due to seeing San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s oppressive might just moments before. After all, they were humans, too.


    Baekri Yeong-Woon smiled and looked at Namgoong Sung.


    ¡°No matter how much of a monster San Woo-Gyeol seems...¡±


    Namgoong Sung had realized the same thing at the same time. He turned and answered Baekri Yeong-Woon with a smile.


    ¡°...the real one was next to us all this time, huh?¡±


    They became brothers at this moment, brothers who treated Woo-Moon as their hyung-nim.


    ***


    Frankly, Baek Ryeong was more afraid of San Woo-Gyeol than anyone else here. Seeing him and feeling his bloodlust brought back the fear she had felt when she had been kidnapped and threatened with death not long ago.


    ¡°<i>He... hehehe</i>.¡±


    However, her fear now evaporated. Looking at Woo-Moon¡¯s sturdy back, all of her trauma disappeared.


    <i>¡®Uncle!¡¯</i> she thought as she smiled brightly.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Ma-Ra was sitting with Eun-Ah on the roof of the Three Great Sword Families¡¯ quarters, watching the fight.


    <i>Hrrrrr...hrrrrrrrrrrr.....</i>


    Even though her owner was fighting, Eun-Ah didn¡¯t wake up. She just slept peacefully as the warm sunlight bathed her white belly.


    Ma-Ra, who was also doing nothing and just hugging her knees as she sat, suddenly examined the back of her hand.


    After having been on the roof for so long, it had turned slightly pink due to the sunlight.


    <i>¨CMa-Ra, your skin is so pale that it¡¯s transparent. It¡¯s beautiful.</i>


    Why did she suddenly remember what Woo-Moon had said in passing a while ago?


    She suddenly thought something indecipherable as she drew a ck cloth from her sleeve and covered her head to block the sun¡¯s rays.


    After gettingfortable, she sat down once more. Her deep eyes, as clear as a mountain stream, shone as she watched the spar between Woo-Moon and San Woo-Gyeol.


    Just like Eun-Ah, she had not one shred of worry in her heart.


    ***


    The very same sunlight that shone down on Ma-Ra was also shining down on Woo-Moon.


    His strong, muscr arm holding his sword was slightly visible through his exposed clothing. His forearm muscles rippled in the sunlight.


    ¡°Then, should we start for real this time?¡¯


    Woo-Moon¡¯s confident voice was heard by everyone watching the spar.


    <i>¡®What did he just say?¡¯</i>


    So Myeong-Chan snorted, thinking Woo-Moon was just bluffing


    How dare he say something like that when facing the Dealer of Death and Destruction Sha Xiao?!


    Sha Xiao had been incredibly infamous around eighty years back¡ªto the extent that he had received the moniker Demon Head. His master, the Ageless Demon Emperor, had also killed a massive number of people by normal standards, but he was still considered to be toeing the line between Righteous and Evil. He killed with purpose and only with reason, so he was not actually considered a wanton murderer. However, his disciple, Sha Xiao, only appeared after his master had disappeared and truly acted like a mad beast, greedily killing anyone in his way due to his insatiable bloodthirst.


    In the midst of his killing spree, however, Sha Xiao disappeared.


    Unknown to the <i>gangho,</i> he had been captured by the Hegemon n Lord back in the day. After being imprisoned for all these years, he hade out again for the first time as San Woo-Gyeol, allowed to see the sun once more now that he had consumed the Subordination Pill the Hegemon n had just recently developed.


    Knowing this, So Myeong-Chan couldn¡¯t help but think Woo-Moon¡¯s words were just in bravado. Normally, there wouldn¡¯t be anyone among the ranks of the younger talents that could even put up a fight, much less defeat Sha Xiao.


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moon let out an excited shout and started using an even higher level of the Divine Phantasm Steps. A fraction of a secondter, he appeared in front of San Woo-Gyeol.


    At the same time, Raging Wind appeared once more!


    As expected, Woo-Moon¡¯s favorite techniques were the ones he was most familiar with: Raging Wind and Heavy Rain.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Drawing countless lines in the air at weird angles and changing directions like crazy, his sword advanced rapidly toward San Woo-Gyeol.


    San Woo-Gyeol, who always had a grotesque smile on his face, showed a different expression for the first time. His eyes widened slightly as if he was surprised.


    Just like when he had faced Choo Moon-Hwi, San Woo-Gyeol stomped forward and threw a single fist.


    <i>BOOM BOOM BOOM!</i>


    The sparring stage that had copsed earlier copsed once again with a devastating crash as Sha Xiao¡¯s fist aura flew toward Raging Wind.


    ¡°Hmpf!¡±


    With a cold snort, Woo-Moon actually dispersed Raging Wind! With a neat flick of his wrist, Raging Wind disappeared. It was a truly surprising feat, considering that reversing and dispersing a technique was more difficult than unleashing it.


    At the same time, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword, Inkde, continued its path and pointed skyward as if to pierce the sun in the distance.


    And a momentter, it was raining swords!


    <i>BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!</i>


    It was a huge and heavy sound, very much unlike the sound of swords shing, let alone the sound of a sword striking a human body.


    An enormous ck raincloud darkened the sky and pelted San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s fist aura with a rain of sword aura.


    Massive explosions, urring as frequently as the pelting of falling rain, overwhelmed the surroundings. When San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s fist aura eventually lost against the neverending assault of Heavy Rain, he was forced to kick off the ground and retreat to avoid it.


    The ground was pierced, shattered, and turned over by Heavy Rain. A huge amount of dust rose in all directions, and Woo-Moon instantly shot out through the dust as if he himself was a sharp de.


    As he swung Inkde from the ground to the sky, he hit a piece of stone floating in the air with the t of his sword, sending it flying at San Woo-Gyeol.


    The stone flew faster and more threateningly than any hidden weapon!


    As San Woo-Gyeol punched out quickly and destroyed it, Woo-Moon let go of the sword that he had been swinging toward the sky. Letting it fly toward the heavens, he ran at San Woo-Gyeol.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± he said as he ced one foot in front of San Woo-Gyeol.


    The muscles in Woo-Moon¡¯s forearm suddenly tensed and contracted as light shed from his dust-covered waist.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    The bitterly cold silver sword that Woo-Moon had forged himself quickly slipped out of its scabbard, sending out red sparks. And once it emerged from the scabbard and there was nothing impeding it from moving, its speed reached incredible heights.


    <i>A fearsome swift sword with a speed that allows it to chase lightning!</i>


    North Wind gusted forward!


    This blow was too much, impossible for San Woo-Gyeol to block.


    Although the sword sliced through San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s abdomen, there was no sound of a de cutting flesh; rather, it was just the whistle of a sword cutting through the air.


    It was only the btedly spewing blood that served as evidence that Woo-Moon¡¯s attack had been sessful. That was a testament to just how fast his attack had been.


    With his empty left hand, Woo-Moon thrust forward, using the Raging Wind Palm.


    Fortunately for San Woo-Gyeol, the wound on his stomach didn''t seem to be that big. He quickly gathered all of his fist force and contested Woo-Moon¡¯s palm.


    <i>BANG!!!</i>


    With a strong thud, San Woo-Gyeol took a step back, unable to control the force rocking his body. It had been difficult for him to properly block Woo-Moon¡¯s Raging Wind Palm as he had to react quickly.


    As Woo-Moon chased after San Woo-Gyeol again, ck lightning streaked down before him, plunging into the ground.


    It was not a coincidence¡ªWoo-Moon had nned this. He leaped forward and grabbed Inkde¡¯s hilt with a single hand and jumped up, extending his body parallel to the ground.


    Holding himself up, he proceeded to kick out with both legs.


    At first, San Woo-Gyeol blocked the kicks with both arms. However, the more he blocked Woo-Moon¡¯s imitation of Gong Do¡¯s Heaven-Flipping Lightning Strikes, the more intense pain spread through his arms. Eventually, he lost all strength in his arms as his defense failed.


    Unfortunately, even though Woo-Moon broke through San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s defense, he was a little too far away to kick him in the chest properly.


    Woo-Moon pulled Inkde out from the ground, using the force of his pull to leap forward and quickly kick San Woo-Gyeol in the chest.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s kick pushed San Woo-Gyeol back, and he ended up tumbling backward.


    As San Woo-Gyeol fell, the dust finally settled from the destruction of the stage. Everyone was able to see the situation clearly.


    The Justice Coalition members cheered loudly while the Hegemon n talents¡¯ expressions distorted heavily.


    It was a truly refreshing sight.


    To think San Woo-Gyeol, who had instilled fear in the others through his cruelty on the sparring stage, had been kicked to the ground!


    "Get up. It¡¯s not over yet.¡±


    Woo-Moon stood quietly and gestured with his finger at San Woo-Gyeol, who was lying motionlessly on the ground. Meanwhile, he thought to himself, <i>An expert really is an expert.</i>


    Even when Woo-Moon kicked him in the chest, San Woo-Gyeol was able to defend himself in that split second. From the feedback he felt through his feet, Woo-Moon knew that San Woo-Gyeol hadn¡¯t been seriously wounded.


    Watching them both, So Myeong-Chan¡¯s grave expression only cleared up after seeing Sha Xiao slowly get himself up.


    However, he wasn¡¯tpletely relieved¡ªhe noticed the blood that was flowing from Sha Xiao¡¯s mouth.


    <i>¡®Damn it! How in the hell does a brat like this exist?¡¯</i>


    So Myeong-Chan was once again reminded of So Geom-Rak¡¯s words. Only now did he seem to understand what his younger brother meant when he actedpletely unlike himself and warned him to be careful.


    <i>¡®Damn it, Damn it! Even if he¡¯s supposed to be strong, this is absolutely ridiculous! Wait, could that bastard be like Sha Xiao? Is he also someone of the older generation pretending to be a youngster?!¡¯</i>


    Naturally, the cheater¡¯s first thought was that other people were cheating him.


    While So Myeong-Chan was falling further and further into doubt, San Woo-Gyeol finally rose from the ground and began to sh with Woo-Moon once again.


    However, this time, things werepletely different from before. Contrary to the absolute oppression San Woo-Gyeol had shown so far, he was now only focused on defending himself from Woo-Moon¡¯s attacks.


    As dozens of seconds passed again, Woo-Moon suddenly stopped his assault.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s about time, now? I already know you¡¯ve been gathering your qi for a while to unleash a massive technique. Come on, show me.¡±


    Sha Xiao¡¯s rage grew even greater when he thought Woo-Moon was teasing him.


    ¡°<i>Ke... keke¡ªhahaha</i>!¡±


    His eyes, which had slowly been turning ck, finally grew utterly dark, devoid of any white. An ominous ck aura bloomed from his entire body.


    In an instant, Dealer of Death and Destruction Sha Xiao sted out all of the qi he had umted so far, gathering it around his right fist and sting it forward.


    With a terrifying screech, a ck cloud-like mass of fist aura flew from his fist toward Woo-Moon¡ªnot apact mass like Woo-Moon¡¯s aura des, but a weird blob writhing like intestines.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s figure looked tiny inparison to the massive cloud. However, his expression was one filled with confidence. Moreover, he was overflowing with joy on the inside.


    <i>¡®Good, finally something that lets me test my limits. I was able to copy the Heaven-Flipping Lightning Strikes, so what should I use this time? This is so exciting!¡¯</i>


    While the onlookers were seeing a life-and-death battle between two mighty foes, Woo-Moon was in fact using Sha Xiao as a sparring partner, inplete agreement with the official reason for these matches.


    When the mass of fist aura approached the distance Woo-Moon had set in his mind, a dazzling golden light exploded from his entire body.


    The ck mass of fist aura seemed to want to consume that incredible luminescence.


    But then, the dazzling golden aura followed the movement of Woo-Moon¡¯s sword, forming a huge golden shield.


    Imprable Golden Wall!


    <i>BOOM!!!</i>


    As if vast ships were firing hundreds of cannons at the same time, a huge explosion erupted, followed by a massive shock wave. A strong typhoon-like gale spread in all directions.

 Chapter 112. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (8)

    <h4>Chapter 112. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (8)</h4>


    The tents and barracks surrounding the sparring ground shook for a moment, then sumbed to the wind and were sted away.


    ¡°Ahh!!¡±


    ¡°Flee!!!


    The people on both sides quickly retreated.


    <i>Kyanng!</i>


    As the sleeping Eun-Ah was sted away by the wind, looking like a pitiful flying squirrel, a beautiful girl in a delicate flower gown stretched her hand out. Ma-Ra snatched Eun-Ah out of the air and held her tightly before using Thousand-Catty Bast to sink to the ground as fast as possible.


    <i>Cough, cough.</i>


    Seeing Eun-Ah struggle to breathe in her tight embrace, Ma-Ra let her go, and the baby tiger wobbled along, clearly not fully awake even after this shock.


    Ma-Ra used her dainty and delicate hands like hidden weapons to cut apart the debris shooting toward her before turning to watch Woo-Moon and San Woo-Gyeol once more.


    San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s disgusting lump of fist aura couldn¡¯t pass through Woo-Moon¡¯s Imprable Golden Wall.


    Although the fist aura pounded on Imprable Golden Wall for what seemed like an eternity, in the end, it failed to break through it.


    As soon as San Woo-Gyeol¡¯s attack ended, Woo-Moon stepped forward with his right foot and spun, throwing the golden sword curtain he had formed through the Imprable Golden Wall directly forward.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    With a tremendous ng, the Imprable Golden Wall spun forward like a chakram, emitting and reflecting light in all directions. It was an incredible sight.


    ¡°That bastard...!¡±


    Gong Do jumped up, forgetting the piercing pain in both shoulders. He had already been shocked and enraged to see Woo-Moon imitate his Heaven-Flipping Lightning Strikes. Now, seeing him imitate a second technique, his anger grew like wildfire.


    Sha Xiao¡¯s eyes almost tore at the seams. He could no longer keep his grotesque smile any further.


    The fear of death that he had forgotten for so long had returned once more.


    <i>¡®What the hell is this... I know he¡¯s supposed to be the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor, but this is still too much, isn¡¯t it? Other Absolute Masters also have grandchildren, but which one of them is remotely this good?!¡¯</i>


    He had lightheartedly thought that it might be good fun to pretend to be a talent of the Hegemon n and join the spar against the Justice Coalition. He could never have imagined that he would meet a real monster in this spar.


    Still, it wasn¡¯t as if he had any time to think about such things right now.


    No, he had to focus on surviving the golden shield made of sword aura flying toward him right before his eyes.


    <i>¡®I-I don¡¯t want to die!¡¯</i>


    He had taken countless lives, but he was very much unwilling to give others his own.


    Sha Xiao gathered together thest of his remaining qi, even going so far as to draw upon all of the innate qi within his body, not caring about the aftereffects. He pushed it all into strengthening his defensive qi.


    <i>BOOOOM!</i>


    Another explosion rocked the stage,pletely destroying whatever remnants were left over and leaving it unrecognizable.


    A bloody figure broke through the dust, rolling across the ground: Sha Xiao.


    Woo-Moon had held back, knowing that things could really escte if he were to kill an opponent during this spar. As a result, Sha Xiao was able to survive.


    However, that did not mean he was able to leave the stage unscathed. Due to using everyst shred of his qi to mount a defense, he was no longer able to support his own cultivation technique. Thus, his body immediately began to grow old¡ªor rather, to get in line with its actual age.


    If the Hegemon n had something to be thankful for, it was that the only ones who saw his blood-soaked body were their own members. None of the Justice Coalition members noticed it, busy as they were to cheer for Woo-Moon.


    Knowing that things would escte if they were caught, So Myeong-Chan hurriedly gathered some of the attendants to take Sha Xiao to their physician.


    Cheers erupted one after another from the Justice Coalition.


    As Woo-Moon took down his opponent, they were as high with joy as they¡¯d been down with despair just moments before.


    ¡°That was truly marvelous, Young Hero Song!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re incredible!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve won!!¡±


    At this moment, everyone, barring a few, was cheering and rejoicing at Woo-Moon¡¯s victory.


    Woo-Moon called out to So Myeong-Chan from the stage, which was now nothing more than a pile of stones.


    ¡°What, are you all scared? What the hell are you doing instead ofing up to the stage right now?¡±


    It was the exact same words that So Myeong-Chan had said earlier to provoke them every time Sha Xiao had won.


    So Myeong-Chan grit his teeth, knowing Woo-Moon intentionally did this to mock and ridicule him.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s refreshing provocation brought out cheers once again from the Justice Coalition.


    <i>Crack.</i>


    ¡°Our next representative is Hong Mu-Yeol of the Blood Myeong Family (Ѫ㑼Ò).¡±


    As So Myeong-Chan spoke, a young man with a giant sword walked up the stage.


    ¡°I am Hong Mu-Yeol of the Blood Myeong Family.¡±


    ¡°I am Song Woo-Moon of the Iron Sword Baek Family.¡±


    Although he was pretending to be calm, Hong Mu-Yeol was extremely nervous on the inside. He, too, had watched the earth-shattering battle between Woo-Moon and Sha Xiao.


    <i>¡®All I can hope for is that he consumed a lot of his qi fighting San Woo-Gyeol.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon tapped the ground with the tip of his foot.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s begin.¡±


    Hong Mu-Yeol¡¯s entire body tensed. He wanted to say something in reply, but the moment he opened his mouth, all that came out was blood and broken teeth.


    Right after Woo-Moon said ¡°Then let¡¯s begin,¡± his figure suddenly blurred. Before Hong Mu-Yeol could even feel a faint breeze, he caught sight of Woo-Moon standing right next to him.


    Then, Woo-Moon¡¯s solid scabbard hit him right in the mouth.


    It was as if a phantasm had rushed him.


    Hong Mu-Yeol fainted, dropping down to the ground.


    <i>¡®I had thought that he was using some amazing new footwork when he was fighting Sha Xiao, to think that after experiencing it myself... was the Kunlun Sect¡¯s Divine Phantasm Steps really this terrifying?¡¯</i>


    Of course, the Divine Phantasm Steps was one of the best footwork arts in the whole <i>murim</i>. However, Woo-Moon¡¯s Divine Phantasm Steps was not exactly what the Kunlun Sect disciples were using.


    That was because Woo-Moon had modified the Divine Phantasm Steps to suit his own physique and cultivation without even realizing it, using the Gentle Celestial Sword and the Forbidden Divine Art as a guide.


    As a result, his Divine Phantasm Steps grew to be an even more mysterious and elusive art than the original.


    ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡± Woo-Moon asked nonchntly.


    So Myeong-Chan¡¯s anger boiled over. Normally, those of the Righteous Faction spoke politely, even when dealing with the Evil Faction. But this bastard wasn¡¯t like that at all.


    Well, if he were to be frank, Woo-Moon was treating them exactly how So Myeong-Chan himself treated the Righteous Faction.


    <i>¡®Damned bastard, and you still dare call yourself a member of the Righteous Faction? If you¡¯re a member of the Righteous Faction, you should act like it!¡¯</i>


    So Myeong-Chan signaled one of the talents standing behind him.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The Hegemon n¡¯s next representative was a young man carrying two sabers crossed on his back.


    ¡°I am Bul Cho-Han, from the Twin Fang Troop of the Hegemon n¡¯s Special Squadron.¡±


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t even feel like saying his name anymore. What was the point?


    <i>¡®Honestly, they already know everything about me anyway, so I shouldn¡¯t have to keep introducing myself, right? I wish I could just say nothing like that guy San Woo-Gyeol.¡¯</i>


    The only reason Woo-Moon continued to introduce himself was that not doing so seemed a little too insulting, even for him.


    Possibly because he saw that Hong Mu-Yeol had been defeated before he even had the chance to draw his weapon, the first thing Bul Cho-Han did was draw his twin sabers with both hands.


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    With a short sigh, Woo-Moon kicked one of the fragments of the stage lying on the ground.


    <i>Woosh! Woosh, woosh, woosh, woosh!!</i>


    Just as Bul Cho-Han was preparing to parry it, Woo-Moon kicked another four stones in session. Two of them were cleverly positioned and flew in an arc rather than straight at Bul Cho-Han.


    Even though they were just normal rocks, Bul Cho-Han couldn¡¯t look down on them whatsoever. He fully focused, destroying the stones one by one as they reached him.


    He seemed to have thought of his next moves in advance. As soon as he took care of the stones, he quickly retreated to prepare for whatever attack Woo-Moon was going for after the stones. Judging from Woo-Moon¡¯s attack methods that he had seen thus far, he assumed that it was the best course of action.


    "What are you doing?"


    However, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t seem to think the same way. He was simply standing in the same ce.


    <i>¡®You bastard...!¡¯</i>


    It was as if Woo-Moon was ying a mind game¡ª the moment Bul Cho-Han¡¯s focus was reced by irritation, his silhouette blurred.


    Woo-Moon generally approached his attacks in the same way. He would first use the Divine Phantasm Steps to hide his position and then use the Northern Wind Steps to rush to a position from where he could attack quickly.


    As expected, his approach was the same this time as well.


    His method of movement was so fast that it generally achieved the same effect as Illusive Shift. Woo-Moon actually preferred this method as it required much less qi and mental strength than the actual Illusive Shift.


    Bul Cho-Han hurriedly looked down, only to see Woo-Moon already crouching before him.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Flustered, he tried to retreat. However, Woo-Moon had already attacked before he could react.


    Woo-Moon kicked straight up, stretching his leg high, and Bul Cho-Han was sent flying upward.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Woo-Moon kicked off the ground and shot up faster than Bul Cho-Han, arriving next to him and repeatedly hitting him left and right with the sheathed Inkde.


    <i>Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!</i>


    Each time he was hit, Bul Cho-Han flew higher and higher in the air, and Woo-Moon continued to rise alongside him.


    Eventually, Woo-Moon grabbed him by the cor and, forcefully stopping their ascent, threw him to the ground.


    <i>WOOSH!!!</i>


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    Bul Cho-Han hit the ground with such force that he bounced back up a little, then dropped to the ground a second time.


    He was covered in blood, and he had actually fainted the moment he first hit the ground. However, even with the terrifying crash, he had been able to avoid serious injury as Woo-Moon had ced a counterforce within him to mitigate the impact.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    So Myeong-Chan let out a low curse.


    Woo-Moon was thest representative of the Justice Coalition. The Hegemon n would be the final winners the moment they took him down. However, it really didn¡¯t seem like taking him down would be easy.


    <i>¡®No, no. That bastard is definitely... yeah, he definitely is still a member of the younger generation. He has to be. Considering how long he¡¯s fought, he definitely has to have used up a lot of his stamina by now. All we have to do is send one more person to tire him out before the real hero goes out to finish him.¡¯</i>[1]


    So Myeong-Chan was in fact thinking the same thing Yu Cho had been thinking when facing Sha Xiao. Having resolved himself, So Myeong-Chan didn''t want to give Woo-Moon a long break and thus quickly selected the next representative and sent him up.


    The next representative was Kwak Han-Seung of the Obliterating Azure Kwak Family, said to be the family with the greatest martial skills among the Four Great Pirs of the Hegemon n.


    <i>¡®Kwak Han-Seung can probably do something!¡¯</i>


    So Myeong-Chan had great expectations regarding Kwak Han-Seung. Excluding So Myeong-Chan and his two brothers¡ªwho were the great-grandsons of the Hegemon n¡¯s patriarch, the Hegemon Emperor, Kwak Han-Seung was the strongest of the talents of the Hegemon n.


    Kwak Han-Seung was clearly trying to live up to So Myeong-Chan¡¯s expectations. He was swinging a steel baton, and he was actually performing better than So Myeong-Chan thought he would.


    He stepped forward, using his baton to chain attacks endlessly in powerfulbinations. His frenzy was so fierce that it had even made Woo-Moon take a step back and let those watching entertain the chance that he might win.


    However, roughly two minutester, Kwak Han-Seung unveiled an opening and was forced to his knees by Woo-Moon¡¯s attack.


    The Justice Coalition members went wild when Woo-Moon ended the fight by hitting both of Kwak Han-Seung¡¯s knees with the t of his de. Some of them even wiped their eyes with their sleeves as if they were crying, moved by Woo-Moon''s dramatic reversal.


    ¡°Good, fine, I guess. Then, I¡¯ll just have to go upst.¡±


    So Myeong-Chan felt much lighter.


    The situation may have turned to the point where he was thest man standing and was forced to ascend to the stage. However, looking at Woo-Moon, who had just fought another spar with Kwak Han-Seung, he felt as though he had a chance of winning.


    <i>¡®He definitely has to be tired, and his qi consumption has to be massive. That¡¯s the only exnation for why he wasn¡¯t able to show an overwhelming performance like before, even struggling against Kwak Han-Seung. Hahaha. I¡¯ll finish you now, Song Woo-Moon.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hmpf! This great one is called So Myeong-Chan, the Second Young Master of the Hegemon n.¡±


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    So Myeong-Chan grew enraged as Woo-Moon¡¯s brusque reply made it clear that he was looking down on his opponent.


    1. He¡¯s talking about himself. So Myeong-Chan has started to refer to himself in the third person to elevate his own status. ?

 Chapter 113. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (9)

    <h4>Chapter 113. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (9)</h4>


    <i>¡®Although this bastard is around my age, he has incredible skills. It''s impossible to tell just howrge this gap will be in the future. The only thing I¡¯m sure about is that he is going to be a huge obstacle that will block our path in the future. No matter what, he has to die, here and now.¡¯</i>


    Of course, he knew that if Woo-Moon were to be killed, things would be even worse with the Justice Coalition. Things might even destabilize to the point of war between the Righteous and Evil Factions. The only way to avoid that would be for the Hegemon n to make many concessions.


    However, even after calcting everything, So Myeong-Chan decided that it would <i>still</i> be better for the Hegemon n if he were to kill Woo-Moon here and now. That was how astonished he had been by Woo-Moon¡¯s incredible martial arts.


    To be frank, it was to the point where he was almost in awe.


    With his outstanding senses, Woo-Moon immediately felt the bloodlust emanating from So Myeong-Chan¡¯s gaze and qi as the Hegemon n representative debated the merits of killing him.


    <i>¡®You asshole, so you¡¯re thinking of killing me, huh?¡¯</i>


    This waspletely different from what he had felting from his strongest opponent yet, San Woo-Gyeol. That man was clearly the kind of lunatic who bared his fangs at anyone and everyone. However, it was almost as if his bloodlust was severely restricted by something, to the point where it was difficult to describe it as ¡°intent to kill¡± per se.


    On the other hand, So Myeong-Chan not only exuded a fierce killing intent, but also had the conviction of actually carrying out his intentions.


    <i>¡®Fine, let¡¯s see how well that works for you.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll be putting an end to this, Song Woo-Moon.¡¯</i>


    The two looked at each other, musing over their own considerations. The second they finished, they both moved at the same time.


    <i>¡®For now, I need to make sure I don¡¯t overexert myself and focus on extending this spar until he exhausts all of his remaining qi. Now, should we begin our meal?¡¯</i>


    As So Myeong-Chan strategized, Woo-Moon suddenly disappeared for a fraction of a second before reappearing right in front of him.


    This was the real Illusive Shift, not the imitation he typically used bybining the Divine Phantasm Steps and the Northern Wind Steps. Obviously, Woo-Moon had only been pretending to be pushed back as his curiosity had gotten the better of him. This was the first time that he had been exposed to a baton technique, and he had wanted to learn more about it.


    So Myeong-Chan was still hopeful as he didn¡¯t know that Woo-Moon¡¯s curiosity was the reason he had been ¡°losing,¡± and he was nowhere near running out of qi. However, the moment Woo-Moon suddenly appeared using Illusive Shift, So Myeong-Chan¡¯s gaze darkened.


    <i>¡®You still have enough qi to use Illusive Shift?¡¯</i>


    So Myeong-Chan quickly retreated, barely managing to block Woo-Moon''s sword with his own. However, Woo-Moon stuck to So Myeong-Chan like a leech, following him no matter how far he retreated.


    <i>¡®I-I won¡¯t be able to shake him off!¡¯</i>


    Goosebumps covered his entire body. Although Woo-Moon visibly didn¡¯t seem that scary or vicious, all So Myeong-Chan could see at this moment was terror.


    Woo-Moon had both swords sheathed at his waist. He drew the sword he had forged, continuing his drawing motion with a forward sh.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    This sh cut through So Myeong-Chan¡¯s hair, shaving his entire head to the point where the white, untanned skin shone under the sunlight.


    Woo-Moon immediately sheathed his sword at the end of the swing, and in one fluid motion, he drew the ck Inkde and sliced once again.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    His second sh shaved off So Myeong-Chan¡¯s beard.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    The third sh cut through the hem of So Myeong-Chan¡¯s pants and his belt simultaneously.


    Finally, Woo-Moon sheathed his sword once again before swinging it with the scabbard, striking So Myeong-Chan all over his body.


    So Myeong-Chan¡¯s martial skills seemed inferior to those of So Geom-Rak, the youngest member of their family. Woo-Moon had nothing to learn from him, and he wasn¡¯t in the mood to do that either.


    <i>Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!</i>


    As he was being beaten, So Myeong-Chan desperately held on to his pants as they kept falling down.


    Understanding that he had already been defeated, he had no will to fight any further. He just wanted to avoid the embarrassment of having his underwear exposed.


    After beating So Myeong-Chan for a while, Woo-Moon finally took a step back.


    ¡°This is my victory, right?¡±


    Woo-Moon had skillfully made sure to beat So Myeong-Chan just enough that he would feel it but not faint from it.


    Forced to reply, So Myeong-Chan gritted his teeth in shame and anger.


    ¡°Yes, you won! I can¡¯t say that¡¯s a victory for the Righteous Faction, though. You¡¯re more evil than us Evil Faction members, you demonic bastard!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for thepliment~¡±


    When So Myeong-Chan admitted defeat, a roar so loud that it seemed as though the sparring venue would copse erupted from the Righteous Warrior Squadron.


    Baek Ryeong and Baek Yo even hugged each other and cried.


    ¡°Uncle! You¡¯re the best! Really, the best!¡±


    Four more representatives had been left on the other side when Woo-Moon stepped up as theirst representative.


    Although the Three Great Sword Families had some expectations, knowing Woo-Moon¡¯s skills, the situation had been so hopeless that the others didn¡¯t even have the slightest hope.


    That was what made this an even more dramatic victory. Woo-Moon had defeated five people in a row by himself.


    This dispute between the Justice Coalition and the Hegemon n had been due to a fight between an external disciple of the Wudang Sect and a force under the Hegemon n.[1]


    A group of masked assants had apparently robbed them using the Hegemon n¡¯s martial arts.


    However, the Hegemon n imed that it wasn¡¯t rted to them, and as the Wudang Sect wanted to find out the truth and demandedpensation, the dispute escted. Eventually, the dispute spread to the entirety of the Justice Coalition as well as the higher echelons of the Hegemon n, leading to this sparring event.


    However, now that the Justice Coalition had won, not only would their standing in <i>gangho</i> increase, but the Hegemon n would also have to paypensation to both the Justice Coalition and the Wudang Sect.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Barely withstanding the pain of his bruised and swollen body, So Myeong-Chan gritted his teeth and cursed.


    ¡°We¡¯re returning. Withdraw!¡±


    ¡°Withdraw!¡±


    As the Hegemon n took down their quarters and left, the Justice Coalition was busy enjoying the fruits of their victory.


    At the center of it all was Woo-Moon. Of course, considerable attention and praise was also being given to Woo-Gang, who was the other winning representative. In fact, only the two brothers of the Song Family had won any of the spars for the Justice Coalition.


    Woo-Gang had won two, while Woo-Moon had won five, giving the Justice Coalition a total of seven victories.


    ¡°By the way, why did Young Hero Yu of the Mount Hua Sect be the Righteous Heroic Warriors Squadron Captain? Looking at things now...¡± one of the talents said, wanting to say that Woo-Moon¡¯s martial arts seemed much stronger while testing the reactions of the Mount Hua disciples nearby.


    As he did so carefully, one of his friends nearby just blurted a response.


    ¡°Oh, that? Well, it¡¯s said that Young Hero Song wasn¡¯t able to participate in the finals because something had happened. That¡¯s why Young Hero Yu won by default.¡±


    The person who had asked the question nodded in understanding, while the Mount Hua disciples who had heard their conversation said nothing.


    Talents were gathered all over the ce, raving about what they had noticed regarding Woo-Moon¡¯s incredible skill, to the point where spit was flying everywhere.


    If it were any other time, none of them would have been so excited, at least not to the point where they praised a fellow talent like this. They had their own pride, after all. However, seeing Woo-Moon fighting against their long-time enemy, the Hegemon n, and cheering him on with each victory made them all see him as one of them.


    ¡°Oh! By the way, wasn¡¯t Young Master Woo-Gang really cool, too? To think he formed a plum blossom out of mes! It really was beautiful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! He did! Young Hero Woo-Gang is really impressive. He only lost to that San Woo-Gyeol after defeating two opponents by himself.¡±


    Overhearing the two girls talking, Hyeon Mu-Cheol suddenly remembered something and walked over to Woo-Gang.


    ¡°Junior brother, what happened? What was that martial art from earlier? I¡¯m sure that wasn¡¯t a technique of the Mount Hua Sect. It was the first time I¡¯ve ever seen it. Hey, it couldn¡¯t be that you¡¯ve taken on two masters, could it?¡±


    Hyeon Mu-Cheol was upset seeing the attention focused on Woo-Gang, who had shown off some outstanding skills and won. He only regretted his actions after he had already spoken.


    <i>¡®Damn it, I acted without thinking! I should¡¯ve read the room before I opened my damn mouth.¡¯</i>


    Hearing him speak as if he was reprimanding Woo-Gang, those around them looked at him with displeased expressions. Even the disciples who were originally part of Yu Cho¡¯s faction secretly red at Hyeon Mu-Cheol as they celebrated near Woo-Gang.


    Standing nearby, Woo-Moon was about to step forward and speak. However, he stopped himself when he saw his younger brother, who looked more vibrant and confident than ever, with a steely look in his eyes.


    ¡°Oh, second senior brother, that is a very good question. Then could it be that you and eldest brother Yu only learned Mount Hua¡¯s martial arts?¡± Woo-Gang said, looking straight into Hyeon Mu-Cheol¡¯s gaze. He looked down at Hyeon Mu-Cheol casually, as he was naturally tall and bulky.


    <i>¡®T-this brat... was he always this big?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Gang¡¯s figure seemedrger than life to Hyeon Mu-Cheol for the first time. It was a feeling he had never felt before. He felt small inparison.


    Either way, he felt like he had to respond.


    ¡°Of course not. Eldest brother and I also know the martial arts of our families.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, of course you do. Which brings me to my point: you¡¯re allowed to learn the martial arts of your families, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But the techniques you used today don¡¯t belong to the Iron Sword Baek Family, and nobody ever saw the Palm Martial Emperor use them, either!¡±


    Hyeon Mu-Cheol was actually not wrong; the zing plum blossom had nothing to do with the Baek Family or the Palm Martial Emperor. And if Woo-Gang truly did take on another master, that was quite literally the worst sin of the martial world¡ªdeceiving one¡¯s master and betraying one¡¯s vows.


    ¡°Why do you only think of my mother¡¯s family? The techniques I used today are from the martial arts of my father¡¯s family.¡±


    ¡°What? I¡¯ve never heard of such martial arts existing anywhere, though!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if you had. It¡¯s just as you said: the techniques I used today aren¡¯t known to the <i>gangho.</i> But the problem is, howe that your first suspicion is that I¡¯ve taken on another master?¡±


    Hyeon Mu-Cheol was at a loss for words.


    Woo-Gang was right. Not only did Hyeon Mu-Cheol not know whose martial arts Woo-Gang had used, but he couldn¡¯t prove that Woo-Gang had taken on another master, either.


    ¡°But, but didn¡¯t your father run some kind of inn in the countryside?¡±


    ¡°So an innkeeper isn¡¯t allowed to know martial arts, then?¡±


    <i>¡®You brat, you dare...!¡¯</i>


    Hyeon Mu-Cheol grew angry seeing Woo-Gang talk back against every single point he made. When he was about to open his mouth, unable to control his anger, his most loyal follower tugged on his sleeve. He understood that it was neither the time, nor the ce, so he swallowed his rage and took a step back.


    <i>¡®Fine, I¡¯ll endure it.¡¯</i>


    This definitely wasn¡¯t the right moment, but that moment woulde.


    Although it had cooled down for a moment after Hyeon Mu-Cheol¡¯s outburst, the mood quickly warmed up again. Things got rowdy much faster when an external disciple of the Wudang Sect came forward and shouted that he had received a solid amount ofpensation from the Hegemon n.


    ¡°Thank you from the bottom of my heart! To thank you for your good graces, I will take care of all of your food and drink!¡±


    ¡°Woohoo!!!!¡±


    Although they weren¡¯t forgetting about the wounded, the sweetness of their victory was greater than their sorrow. Thus, the talents focused on relishing their joy.


    Soon after, following the invitation of the Wudang Sect, the talents went to arge manor nearby and had a banquet.


    Of course, just like before, Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang were the center of attention.


    ¡°Ma-Ra! What are you doing? Hurry up ande down. Let¡¯s have fun together.¡±


    Seeing that Ma-Ra was still hiding somewhere and keeping watch, Woo-Moon called out to her.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ma-Ra popped out of thin air, as usual, and stood next to Woo-Moon. She was still neatly wearing the pretty flower gown that Baek Jin-Jin had once worn.


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s-It¡¯s Young Lady Smileless Flower!¡±


    Leaving aside Ma-Ra¡¯s incredible concealment skills, which no one except Woo-Moon could ignore, she shone with a beauty that was not inferior in the slightest to Hyeon Yu-Yeon of the Mount Hua Sect or Baekri Hye-Min of the Baekri Family. Everyone who saw her for the first time was shocked.


    ¡°Now, here,¡± Woo-Moon said. He picked up a ss that no one was using and cleaned it using Samadhi True me before handing it to Ma-Ra.


    <i>Glug, glug, glug!</i>


    Transparent liquor filled her ss. Completely belying her pretty and delicate appearance, Ma-Ra dunked the liquor in one move, and she seemed very refreshed as she did so.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    As Ma-Ra held out her ss again, Woo-Moon poured her another ss and then used Void Grasp to suck up the liquor from the bottle without having to raise it.


    1. In chapter 88, it says that the one shing with the Hegemon n was the Zhuge Family. ?

 Chapter 114. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (10)

    <h4>Chapter 114. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (10)</h4>


    The talents were once again amazed by Woo-Moon as the alcohol flowed through the air andnded in Woo-Moon¡¯s mouth.


    Baek Yo and Baek Ryeong burst outughing.


    ¡°Oh my, Alcohol Grasp! You¡¯re a real master, Uncle! Have you been practicing that a lot?¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course. If you practice your techniques enough, they can even be helpful in real life.¡±


    ¡°Still, please exercise some restraint! Don¡¯t you know how envious we, normal people, are of your ability?¡±


    ¡°Hmpf. Why should I give up convenience because you have aplex?¡± Woo-Moon responded, pouting.


    <i>¡°Sigh...¡±</i>


    Neither Woo-Moon nor Ma-Ra used their qi to drive out the effects of the alcohol. Thus, Ma-Ra¡¯s pale face began to flush like a peach blossom as the banquet went on.


    While she was already stunning to begin with, the blush added a subtle cuteness, giving her a unique charm.


    ¡°They look good together, those two.¡±


    It was the same, no matter where they went. Although they lived in the <i>murim,</i> where sharp des hit sharp des and blood sttered, youngdies still retained their girlish sensibilities in the depths of their hearts. To them, Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra, who were sitting and casually drinking together, were the very embodiment of their fantasies.


    Not only was Ma-Ra gorgeous, but Woo-Moon, in spite of being less mboyant than others, was very much on par in terms of looks.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just a man and a woman. They¡¯re a pair, a perfect couple. They almost look like a painting.¡±


    Meanwhile, Hyeon Yu-Yeon was sitting alone and sipping a drink. Although countless young men showed interest and tried to get her attention, she coldly scolded and chased them away every time they asked her to join them. So, they just surrounded her like a wall, wanting to approach but also too scared to do so.


    She continued to drink, something seemingly on her mind, until hearing the voices of the otherdies admiring Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra, even saying that they looked like a painting.


    This, plus the constant praise toward Woo-Moon that basically made him seem like a mighty yet benevolent saint, made her extremely irritable.


    ¡°Hmpf!¡±


    She didn¡¯t like it.


    It was only just a few days ago that they were practicallypeting with each other on who insulted Woo-Moon. They were snobs who ignored and mocked him to the point where she, a bystander, couldn¡¯t help but get enraged.


    <i>¡®You bastard!¡¯</i>


    Of course, she knew that she had been the one to misunderstand Woo-Moon¡¯s intentions by now, considering she had been by Woo-Gang¡¯s side all this time. However, she just became even <i>more</i> upset and angry at him after hearing the other girls squeal about him.


    <i>¡®Are you looking down on me? How dare you?!¡¯</i>


    If Woo-Gang was right, then didn¡¯t that mean that Woo-Moon actually had zero interest in her? To be frank, that felt more offensive than if he was intentionally mocking her!


    Suddenly, Hyeon Yu-Yeon jumped up with a bottle of alcohol in one hand. She walked briskly to where Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra were.


    Coincidentally, there was another girl who did the same thing as her at the same time.


    It was Baekri Hye-Min from the Baekri family.


    <i>Kya?</i>


    Eun-Ah, who was lying down at Woo-Moon''s feet and grooming herself, tilted her head slightly, confused at the sight of two girls suddenly approaching them with their hackles raised.


    Hyeon Yu-Yeon and Baekri Hye-Min ran into each other on the way to Woo-Moon. And if the gazes of the two girls could materialize as they red at each other, the phenomenon would be nothing short of a thunderstorm.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, you must havee to drink with us. Wee, wee! <i>Kekeke</i>.¡±


    While Ma-Ra continued to drink without paying them any attention, Woo-Moon greeted them with a smile.


    However, neither Hyeon Yu-Yeon or Baekri Hye-Min paid him any attention, only ring at each other.


    <i>¡®How dare you, bitch!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Where do you think you¡¯re going? You, of all people!¡¯</i>


    Of course, Woo-Moon had absolutely no idea why they were just standing there, ring at each other. Confused, he grabbed the passing Baek Yo and Baek Ryeong.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up with those two? Were they always on bad terms?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uncle! Hehehe, what did you say? ...<i>Ooohhh</i>....¡±


    Baek Yo btedly processed Woo-Moon¡¯s question before bursting out in peals ofughter at the brutal staredown between the two beauties.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know, Uncle?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. What¡¯s going on all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Well, if you don¡¯t know, then I <i>really </i>don¡¯t want to tell you!¡±


    ¡°Our Uncle, the yboy!¡± Baek Ryeong interjected, joining Baek Yo in her teasing.


    ¡°A-a yboy? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it! You¡¯ll find outter, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Ah~~ how envious the other big brothers must be~¡±


    ¡°Hehe, and this isn¡¯t even all of them, right? There¡¯s also his junior sister, Young Lady Yeon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Our Uncle really is mean, isn¡¯t he?!¡±


    Before he knew it, Baek Yo and Baek Ryeong were engrossed in their conversation and walked away, chattering without showing the slightest interest in Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Huh? Hey, Hey! Where are you two going?! Hey, you audacious little nieces,e back right now! At least exin what you mean before you leave!¡±


    When he turned back around, he saw Ma-Ra just calmly drinking, not even dignifying Woo-Moon with a look. On his other side, Eun-Ah had already fallen asleep again.


    By now, Baeri Hye-Min and Hyeon Yu-Yeon had already progressed from their staring contest to a full-blown argument. They were now shouting at each other, saying iprehensible words that Woo-Moon, as the man he was, couldn¡¯t process. He was certainly the fastest fighter of the younger generation, but the speed at which they were throwing veiled insults and barbedpliments made even him dizzy.


    Because of their terrifying aura, no one coulde near Woo-Moon any longer, as if his surroundings had be a restricted area.


    Completely bored now, Woo-Moon suddenly looked over at Baek Jeong-Woo, Namgoong Sung, and Baekri Yeong-Woon, who also seemed to be fighting somewhere in the distance.


    In contrast to the twodies, they had actually be close friends, almost sworn brothers. However, they had suddenly got into an argument about whose martial arts were better and whatnot, and they had eventually found a ce to settle the argument through a brawl.


    Jeong-Woo was, in fact, the one with the lowest cultivation out of the three of them. However, his martial arts were rapidly increasing recently, possibly because he was originally talented in the first ce, or because of how much time he spent with Woo-Moon. Although he was the weakest right now, no one knew what would happen in a year or two.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Woo-Moon suddenly felt lonely.


    ¡°What the hell is this? Wasn¡¯t I supposed to be the main character today?¡±


    ***


    At the same time, Woo-Gang left the banquet hall. He had been drinking and smiling brightly, surrounded by admirers, but in truth, there was something that had been bothering him for a while.


    As he walked outside, he suddenly ran across a slender figure sitting by a small stream behind the banquet hall.


    <i>Junior sister...</i>


    It was Bi Yeo-Jeong.


    As Woo-Gang walked toward her, Bi Yeo-Jeong could feel every step of his, every breath.


    <i>¡®Senior brother Song...¡¯</i>


    She didn¡¯t have to turn around. She was able to tell who he was just from the sound of his steps.


    Woo-Gang stopped about half a zhang behind Bi Yeo-Jeong. Without saying a word, he just looked at her back, the back he saw every night he closed his eyes.


    A back he was still so familiar with.


    Both Woo-Gang and Bi Yeo-Jeong were silent.


    Time passed as they stood motionlessly as if they were statues. Just listening to each other¡¯s breathing¡ªit was sweeter than any music in the world.


    Even as the moon waxed and waned, the two spent the time together without speaking.


    ***


    ¡°Hey, you. There are a bunch of people acting suspiciously these days, are you one of them? Identify yourself,¡± ordered the leader of the ten warriors of the Eagle Talon Squadron.


    A man responded in a gloomy voice, ¡°Just turn and leave. You still have time to walk away.¡±


    ¡°What? What do you mean, walk a¡ª¡±


    Before he could even finish his sentence, the Eagle Talon Unit leader was abruptly cut off.


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    The bystanders on the first floor of the inn screamed as the entire inn was coated in blood.


    The moment the man in red swung his sword, none of the ten Eagle Talon Squadron warriors were able to avoid it, and they were all bisected at the waist.


    ¡°Blood, bloood.¡±


    He was the leader of the blood demons who had emerged to retrieve the Heavenly Demon Egg at the orders of the olddy alongside Annihtion.


    Standing up from his chair, he stepped toward the middle of the room.


    <i>Squelch, squelch!</i>


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    It happened so quickly that it couldn¡¯t even be called an instant.


    The only one left alive and breathing inside the inn was the leader of the blood demons, the Blood Night Sword Demon.


    "Blood...¡±


    With a single gloomy word, the Blood Night Sword Demon put on his blood robe and left the Hefei inn.


    ***


    <i>¡°Huff, huff...¡±</i>


    It was early morning.


    <i>Thud! Thud! Thud!</i>


    Someone was pounding on the gate of the Nanjing branch of the Justice Coalition with blood-covered hands. He immediately disyed his Justice Coalition identification que to the surprised guard.


    ¡°Urgent... The Yangzhou branch was destroyed by the ck Bull Gang... no survivors. Main forces marching toward Nanjing!¡±


    Finally, having said everything he needed to, the Yangzhou branch warrior dropped to the ground,pletely exhausted. He did not even have the energy to move a finger.


    After hearing the report, Pristine Water Fist Yeon Hwi rushed over. He walked up to the warrior, made sure he was fine, then heaved a deep sigh. This was trouble.


    ¡°This is a level one emergency! Send a message to the headquarters immediately! Ring the emergency bell and summon everyone patrolling the area! Immediately send out ten scouting teams to all of the roads leading to Yangzhou and determine the enemy¡¯s location and numbers!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The Nanjing Branch¡¯s only frigatebird pped itsrge wings and quickly made its way to Shijiazhuang, the headquarters of the Justice Coalition. Although the frigatebird was about three times faster than a Homing Pigeon, it was difficult to catch and tame. It was so rare that there was only one in each major branch.


    True to its reputation, the frigatebird cut through the sky like a sh of light and flew to the headquarters of the Justice Coalition.


    As soon as the message master in charge of tending to the Homing Pigeons saw the frigatebird in the air, his eyes widened, and he shouted to his adjutant.


    ¡°It¡¯s a frigatebird! This is most likely an urgent matter. Immediately go find Martial Commander Pn Shin-Tong and inform him!¡±


    ***


    A short whileter, an emergency meeting was convened by the Chief Commander¡¯s decree.


    All of the heads and elders of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Eight Great Ancient Families that were currently at the alliance gathered here, and so did the heads of the Justice Coalition¡¯s own forces.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Who¡¯s calling an emergency meeting?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the kids returning after winning the spar with the Hegemon n? What¡¯s the emergency?¡±


    As the hall buzzed with conversation, Pn Shin-Tong entered, along with his two martial ministers and the Chief Commander of the Justice Coalition, Shaolin Temple Monk Mu Oh.


    There were fourteen Absolute Masters standing at the peak of the <i>murim</i> in the Central ins.


    Mu Oh was one of these famed Absolute Masters, one of the Six Rising Challengers!


    The Shaolin Temple hadn¡¯t been able to produce an Absolute Master during the era of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors. Thus, Mu Oh was the Shaolin Temple¡¯s pride, a master they had cultivated with the utmost care in the new era!


    Pn Shin-Tong¡¯s expression had hardened after receiving three separate frigatebird messages in a row. He looked around the quiet hall.


    ¡°This is an emergency. The ck Bull Gang hasunched an all-out war. Currently, they¡¯re advancing across three regions. Their first army gathered secretly on the outskirts of Jiangsu Province and annihted the Yangzhou branch. They¡¯re currently marching toward the Nanjing branch. The second is gathering at Heshan in the Guanxi Province and marching towards Uiju. Finally, the third force has gathered at Yunnan and is marching toward Sichuan Province. Of these, thergest force is the one threatening Sichuan.¡±


    Sichuan had always been a ce where the Righteous Faction¡¯s influence was strong. It was inevitable¡ªthere was the Emei Sect there, as well as the Qingcheng Sect and the Tang Family. Thus, it made sense that their enemy was concentrating its forces on Sichuan.


    It was truly unexpected news, and it left even these wise leaders in shock.

 Chapter 115. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (11)

    <h4>Chapter 115. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (11)</h4>


    ¡°What? How dare those bastards!¡±


    ¡°All-out war? Have those ck Bull Gang bastards gone crazy?!¡±


    ¡°These ck Bull Gang bastards dare attack us and harm members of our Righteous Faction?! We must take this opportunity to eliminate all of those evildoers.¡±


    The audience was buzzing with excitement.


    ¡°The Commander has not finished speaking yet.¡±


    ¡°Please listen.¡±


    When the two martial ministers came forward, the crowd¡¯s attention shifted back to Pn Shin-Tong.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why they suddenlymitted such an extreme action. However, no matter how weak our presence in Jiangsu Province is, given that they had even seeded in hiding their presence from the Beggar Gang, this doesn¡¯t seem to be some spur-of-the-moment decision. Most likely... there is another force acting in tandem with them.¡±


    ***


    The Northern Region¡¯s Huinong branch of the Justice Coalition.


    A yellow wave struck Huinong, creating a massive dust storm. At first, the Justice Coalition warriors assumed it was just some bandits and rushed to protect the city. However, they soon realized that they had two things wrong.


    First, the attackers weren¡¯t raiding Huinong to attack or plunder it but rather targeted the Huinong branch of the Justice Coalition itself.


    Second, although the attackers were numerous, which hinted at them being a random mob, each one turned out to be an expert in their own right. Experts whom the warriors of the Huinong branch could neverpete against.


    During the battle¡ªor, more correctly, during the massacre, the head of the Huinong branch recognized their enemy. With as many as five axes stuck in his back, he hung a letter written in blood on a frigatebird¡¯s leg and sent it to headquarters.


    Some of the attackers discovered his actions and quickly tried to shoot the bird down.


    ¡°Never!¡±


    The head gathered thest of his strength and jumped up, trying to block them from hitting the bird. However, he ran out of qi and was unable to knock aside some of the arrows with particrly strong auras. Resolving himself, he instead used his own body to stop them.


    Thanks to his sacrifice, the frigatebird was able to fly far out of the arrows¡¯ range.


    <i>Coo!</i>


    The dry desert ground was still dry, even with the ocean of blood sttering over it. As hey dying, the head of the Huinong branch saw the magnificent yellow waves envelop him.


    <i>¡®Cruel Sandstorm Riders. These damned bastards are...¡¯</i>


    Those who had once stained the Central ins with blood forty years ago had reappeared once again.


    ***


    Returning to the Justice Coalition, the Righteous Warrior Squadron encountered someonepletely unexpected as they passed through Guandu.


    ¡°W-we greet Lord Chief Commander Emeritus!¡±


    The Sword Emperor was rushing toward them from in the distance, creating a storm behind him. Surprised to face a living legend, the talents were flustered, and they put on respectful expressions as they hurriedly greeted him.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I heard the news. They say that you were able to win after a close battle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve shamed you... Please forgive my rudeness for not being able to stand up and greet you,¡± Yu Cho said, havinge to his senses not too long ago. As he was seriously injured, he was lying on a cart with the other injured talents.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay as long as you¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°But, what brings you this way alone?¡±


    ¡°There are quite a few problems currently. You¡¯ll find out when you return to headquarters. Rather, I¡¯m actually here for the Song Family kid.¡±


    Understanding that he was the one being called, Woo-Moon stepped forward.


    ¡°Yes, Lord Chief Commander Emeritus.¡±


    ¡°I n on going to the Hegemon n right now. Would you like toe with me?¡±


    The others turned to give envious looks. On the other hand, Woo-Moon was flustered, having absolutely no idea why the Sword Emperor would suddenly spring this on him. However, he quicklyposed himself and decided the journey might be fun and nodded his head.


    ¡°You seem to be in a hurry. Would it really be okay?¡±


    ¡°Hohoho. With your lightness arts, we shouldn¡¯t have any major problems. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Eun-Ah pranced forward and tried to jump into Woo-Moon¡¯s robes again.


    ¡°Nope!¡± Woo-Moon quickly stopped her.


    <i>Kya?</i>


    ¡°Do you n on tearing my robe to pieces? Just think about how big you¡¯ve gotten. You can¡¯t do this anymore,¡± he exined before pointing at his shoulder.


    Quickly understanding what he meant, Eun-Ah jumped up to sit on his shoulder.


    ¡°We have a long way to go, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes!"


    The Sword Emperor set off first, using his movement technique to run quickly, followed by Woo-Moon, and, of course, Ma-Ra.


    Yu Cho and Hyeon Mu-Cheol looked at Woo-Moon¡¯s back with gazes full of envy and jealousy, while the members of the Three Great Sword Families just watched as Woo-Moon left, unable to say anything as it was the Sword Emperor himself who was bringing him away.


    ¡°Uncle...¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be back soon. We should return first.¡±


    Seeing as they¡¯d already left, the rest of the Righteous Warrior Squadron hurried on their way again.


    Woo-Moon used his movement technique to the best he could in order to keep up with the Sword Emperor.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s incredible. There¡¯s so much I can learn just from watching him use a lightness art.¡¯</i>


    The Sword Emperor was moving forward at just about Woo-Moon¡¯s maximum pace.


    On the other hand, while Ma-Ra was also extremely skilled at her movement technique and kept up decently well, she was beginning to fall behind little by little. As time passed, her qi reserves continued to drop, making it increasingly difficult for her to move at that pace.


    At that moment, an unknown aura enveloped her body as, at the same time, a refreshing energy showered over her, making it easier for her to continue using her movement technique.


    Woo-Moon had actually been growing concerned about Ma-Ra¡¯s difficulties. However, in the midst of his concern, he suddenly felt the change. Realizing what had happened, he looked with admiration toward the Sword Emperor.


    <i>¡®The Absolute realm really is something beyond us¡ªno, we can¡¯t even begin toprehend what it truly means. He¡¯s even imbuing Ma-Ra with pure qi by projecting qi behind him while running leisurely at my maximum speed. This truly must be what it means to see a heaven beyond the heavens.¡¯</i>


    Just like the talents had felt as they watched Woo-Moon¡¯s incredible martial skills, Woo-Moon too, felt the gap between heaven and earth while watching the Sword Emperor.


    He had always known that there was a big gap between him and his grandfather, the Palm Martial Emperor. However, considering how much he had grown, Woo-Moon had thought that he might have been able to bridge that gap somewhat by now. But now? He realized that it had all been a dream.


    Woo-Moon was closer to reaching the Absolute Stage than anyone else in the Righteous Faction, but that was just rtive to his peers. That one step he had to take was less of a step and more of a giant leap across a massive chasm whose edge he could barely see in the distance.


    <i>¡®Fine, I still have a long way to go to reach my grandfather. But one day, I will stand by his side and see the world!¡¯</i>


    The Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon.


    He was the person Woo-Moon respected above all others and the role model he wanted to be like. That respect also transferred over to his grandfather¡¯s close friend, The Sword Emperor.


    They continued to run as they eventually arrived at Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, the home of the Hegemon n.


    Although the current leader of the Justice Coalition was the Shaolin monk Mu Oh, the person who actually represented the Justice Coalition was none other than the Sword Emperor Hwa Mu-Gyeol.


    That very same Sword Emperor, wearing a neat robe with plum blossoms embroidered on it, slowly walked toward the main gate of the Hegemon n.


    <i>ng!</i>


    The two warriors guarding the main gate crossed their spears to block the path and demanded snappily, ¡°State your name!¡±


    The Sword Emperor just smiled softly.


    ¡°I¡¯vee to see an old friend. Do you think you could call him for me?¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t exert any force, the Sword Emperor exuded a majesty that was difficult to ovee, and the guards could immediately feel that in spite of his soft-spoken manner, he was not one to be trifled with.


    One of the warriors cautiously said, ¡°May I ask who you¡¯re looking for?¡±


    ¡°Hoho. My friend¡¯s name is Gu Yu-Ho.¡±


    The warrior repeated the name in his head for a moment. Then, his expression changed from shock to indignation as he realized who that was.


    ¡°How dare you say the patriarch¡¯s name so carelessly! You must be insane!¡±


    ¡°Hoho, this really is quite troublesome.¡±


    Woo-Moon had been watching awkwardly. Thinking that things had gotten to the point where he should step forward and teach the warriors who it was they had just yelled at, he took a step forward.


    However, he instantly realized there was no need for him to do anything.


    The Sword Emperor waved his hand once, and the two warriors found themselves floating in midair.


    ¡°Huh? What?!!¡±


    The two warriors soared into the sky, crossing over the high main gate of the Hegemon n and falling to the other side.


    ¡°Aghh!¡±


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Of course, the Sword Emperor only dropped them from a height where they wouldn¡¯t be injured.


    In a split second, a massive figure broke through the roof of one of the Hegemon n¡¯s pavilions. The figure then fell down from the sky like aet before the main gate of the Hegemon n, swinging a saber downward in the process.


    <i>BOOOM!!!</i>


    The unprecedented force that erupted from the saber created a deep crack in the ground, splitting the main gate of the Hegemon n in half. It continued forward, rushing toward the Sword Emperor, Woo-Moon, and Ma-Ra.


    <i>Kyaaa!!!!!</i>


    Eun-Ah cried out, feeling an instinctive sense of crisis, while Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes almost tore at the seams.


    <i>¡®What the hell is that humongous thing?!¡¯</i>


    The Sword Emperor¡¯s hair was sted back toward the sky.


    He spoke with a faint smile, ¡°What a grand wee.¡±


    A wrinkled hand gripped the hilt of a sword.


    As Woo-Moon watched, engrossed, the Sword Emperor¡¯s sword slowly inched out of its scabbard and cut the air, producing a quiet breeze.


    Seeing the Sword Emperor¡¯s strike, it was like a bolt of electricity cascaded down his spine. It was such a simple movement, yet the sword intent within it seemed higher than the sky.


    It was truly ecstasy for him.


    Of course, the Sword Emperor wasn¡¯t the first Absolute Master Woo-Moon had witnessed.


    There was his grandfather, the Palm Martial Emperor, and the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong. Moreover, he had also experienced the power of the Blood Cloud Demon Emperor, the Saber Emperor, and the Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee for himself.


    None of them were in any way inferior to the Sword Emperor. They just each had their own special field of martial arts; at the end of the day, they were all Absolute Masters.


    Still, in the end, none of the other Absolute Masters had reached their level by taking the Dao of the Sword to the extreme. Although there had been plenty for him to learn by watching their techniques andbat style, this one move from the Sword Emperor taught Woo-Moon more than all the othersbined.


    The breeze created by the Sword Emperor gently flew forward while gradually increasing in size. It soon encountered the seemingly unstoppable force generated by therge figure¡¯s saber.


    <i>Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop!</i>


    At the same time, thousands of buds in the breeze burst and bloomed at the same time.


    Tens of thousands of plum blossoms bloomed magnificently, giving off a fragrant plum blossom scent and standing up to the mighty power of the saber.


    It was eerily quiet as the insurmountable saber power disappeared along with the plum blossoms without a sound, almost as if it had never existed in the first ce.


    Plum blossom petals falling one by one from the sky, drifting in the wind, filled Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze. On the other side, jets of water burst out like fountains from the crevice in the ground cleaved open by the saber¡¯s power. A dazzling mist filled the air.


    At the other end of the crevice, an old man with hair like a lion¡¯s mane could be seen lifting a massive saber.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Sword Emperor!¡± the Hegemon n Patriarch said.


    It was the Hegemon Emperor, an Absolute Master and¡ªalongside the Sword Emperor¡ªone of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors.


    As he greeted the graceful and transcendental Sword Emperor, therge main gate of the Hegemon n, which had been torn in half by his blow, fell down with a great crash and shattered into pieces.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    ¡°Agh!!! Patriaaaarch!!¡±


    The Gold King, one of the elders of the Hegemon n and the man in charge of finances, grabbed his head with both hands and looked at the gate in despair, as if he was about to faint. It was going to cost an enormous amount of money to restore the main gate and fix the cracked ground after the Hegemon Emperor¡¯s attack.


    ¡°Gu Yu-Ho, I came here in person because there¡¯s something urgent we need to discuss. Would you like to hear it?¡±


    <i>Thud!</i>


    The Hegemon Emperor smiled arrogantly as he ced his favorite weapon, the titanic Divine Dragon Cleaver, in front of him.


    ¡°It must be important, considering that azy ass like you deigned toe here in person.¡±


    The Sword Emperor smiled politely.


    ¡°Oh, did you not know yet? It seems the Hegemon n¡¯s intelligencework isn¡¯t as good as it used to be.¡±


    The Hegemon Emperor''s eyebrows twitched.


    ¡°Should we express all of our grievances here and now?¡±


    A wave of Hegemon force so strong that it made Woo-Moon¡¯s entire body tingle rippled through the air, apanied by a terrifying bloodlust. Although they had called each other friends, there seemed to actually be some kind of great resentment between the two emperors.


    <i>¡®It makes sense. After all, they¡¯re from the two major factions that are at odds with each other. There¡¯s no way that they would have a good rtionship.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡ªEldest brother Song! It¡¯s been a while.</i>


    Woo-Moon looked in the direction of the voice transmission to see So Geom-Rak. He smiled as he saw the Hegemon n¡¯s third young master bow toward him.


    <i>¡ªYes, it¡¯s been a while. Was everything resolved properly?</i>

 Chapter 116. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (12)

    <h4>Chapter 116. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (12)</h4>


    <i>¨CYes. She¡¯s now home with me.</i>


    <i>¨CGood. You must have had a lot of opposition.</i>


    As Woo-Moon and So Geom-Rak spoke, the Sword Emperor shook his head at the Hegemon Emperor.


    ¡°No. It doesn¡¯t seem to be time just yet. Let¡¯s talk about why I¡¯vee. The Cruel Sandstorm Riders have emerged in <i>gangho </i>once again. They¡¯ve secretly joined hands with the ck Bull Gang and they¡¯ve raised an army to attack us.¡±


    Finding all this out for the first time himself, Woo-Moon waspletely taken aback as the Hegemon Emperor¡¯s expression stiffened when he heard the words ¡°Cruel Sandstorm Riders.¡±


    Suddenly, a world-shattering Hegemon force spread out in all directions around the Hegemon Emperor.


    Immediately, the Hegemon n disciples staggered as if there had been an earthquake, theirplexions turning pale.


    ¡°Those bastards dare...!¡±


    The Hegemon Emperor seemed to absolutely loathe the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. It was only after much effort that he was able to contain his rage and speak up.


    ¡°But why did youe find me? What reason do we have to help the Justice Coalition?¡±


    ¡°Now that those two have joined forces, the Justice Coalition will fall if the Hegemon n doesn¡¯t aid us. If that really does happen, where do you think they¡¯d turn to next?¡±


    The Hegemon Emperor chuckled to himself at the Sword Emperor¡¯s response.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you do things in times of peace, but I know very well the hidden power that the Justice Coalition can bring out when its very existence is threatened. Isn¡¯t that why all of <i>gangho</i> sees the Justice Coalition as the strongest force among us? Just the existence of the Nine Sects and One Gang serves as proof of your strength. Of course, I don¡¯t think that the Justice Coalition will be able to win against theirbined forces. However, considering how much damage they will have to suffer to take you down, it seems like our Hegemon n will be able to survive.¡±


    The Hegemon Emperor didn¡¯t actually seempletely confident in the Hegemon n¡¯s survival. After all, thebined forces of the ck Bull Gang and the Cruel Sandstorm Riders were horrifying.


    ¡°Please have the Hegemon n take on the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. If you do that...¡±


    The rest of the conversation continued through voice transmissions.


    It seemed as though an incredible amount of gold was being promised for the Hegemon n¡¯s aid. After pondering for a moment, the Hegemon Emperor nodded.


    Truthfully, he intended to help from the very beginning.


    The Hegemon n never wanted the Justice Coalition to fall at the hands of thebined forces of the ck Bull Gang and Cruel Sandstorm Riders in the first ce. The only reason he had rejected the Sword Emperor was to gain more benefits.


    Despite his appearance, the Hegemon Emperor was an ambitious man as sly as a fox.


    ¡°Do you agree?¡±


    ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll aid the Justice Coalition and wage war against the Cruel Sandstorm Riders.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Then, since I have other matters, you¡¯ll have to excuse us.¡±


    Neither brought up a contract or anything like that. However, this casual verbal agreement was more material than a written promise could ever be. It was, after all, a pact made directly between the Sword Emperor and the Hegemon Emperor. The gravity of such a pact was heavier to the Hegemon Emperor than anything else, as retracting his promise was tantamount to destroying not only his own honor, but also the reputation and prestige of the Hegemon n in one fell swoop.


    As the Sword Emperor turned around to leave, the Hegemon Emperor suddenly spoke.


    ¡°By the way, who is that child who came with you?¡±


    ¡°Hoho. So, in the end, you couldn¡¯t manage to contain your curiosity. This child is the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor.¡±


    The Hegemon Emperor immediately cursed in a mannerpletely unbing of the head of the massive Hegemon n.


    ¡°Fuck, really?! And here I was thinking about trying to entice him away. To think he¡¯s the grandson of that arrogant bastard.¡±


    The Hegemon Emperor obviously knew who Woo-Moon was, having read the report. The reason their side had lost the spar, even after using a trick so grave that it could have led to a full-scale war if discovered, was this very youngster standing before him.


    <i>¡®So this is Song Woo-Moon... The reports aren¡¯t exaggerated at all.¡¯</i>


    The Hegemon Emperor was deeply impressed by the young Woo-Moon¡¯s aplishments. He looked around at his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.


    ¡°Pathetic brats...¡±


    He was pissed. It would have been one thing if it was some random brat, but it just had to be <i>that</i> bastard¡¯s grandson!


    <i>¡®I refuse to believe I¡¯m losing to that frivolous bastard because of my descendants!¡¯</i>


    It seemed as if the Palm Martial Emperor was going to appear at any moment,ughing at him with that shit-eating grin he was famous for. The Hegemon Emperor¡¯s rage rose to the point where steam seemed toe out of his ears.


    <i>¡®Should I just kill him?¡¯</i>


    He was suddenly filled with bloodlust.


    It seemed better to nip this problem in the bud now than to watch him grow bigger in the future. However, the Hegemon Emperor knew that he couldn¡¯t make a rash move, as all of his subordinates were watching. Moreover, it was clear that the Sword Emperor would move to protect Woo-Moon.


    As he continued to look at Woo-Moon, the Hegemon Emperor suddenly noticed the obscured Ma-Ra standing in his shadow.


    ¡°<i>Oh ho</i>, that child holds a part of the Death God.¡±


    Surprisingly, a flustered look appeared in Ma-Ra¡¯s eyes. Meanwhile, the Sword Emperor replied calmly, as if he already knew, ¡°You recognized it, as expected.¡±


    ¡°You really are such a transcendental cultivator. To think you didn¡¯t do anything when you saw a child who inherited the martial arts of someone who used to be the bane of the <i>murim,</i>¡± the Hegemon Emperor teased.


    ¡°Although the Death God is said to have been a Star of Death, it¡¯s already been six hundred years since they roamed the <i>murim.</i> Moreover, it¡¯s difficult to say if the martial art is evil or if the person is.¡±


    ¡°No, there are definitely evil martial arts. After all, there are demonic arts that change one¡¯s mentality.¡±


    ¡°Learning demonic arts itself is a human fault. Moreover, it¡¯s the person¡¯s fault for allowing themself to be ovee and infected by the demonic energy of a demonic art.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s sophistry.¡±


    ¡°<i>Keke</i>. I just imitated your own ridiculous logic.¡±


    After listening to their conversation, it seemed as though Ma-Ra had inherited the martial arts of an expert known as the Death God, who had been active six centuries back. Looking at Ma-Ra¡¯s reaction, it seemed like she knew this too.


    Woo-Moon was a little disappointed that she hadn¡¯t told him sooner. However, considering Ma-Ra¡¯s personality, it wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t understand.


    Thinking that she had her own reasons, Woo-Moon quickly shook off his disappointment.


    <i>¡®Still, I¡¯d like to know the Death God. If they¡¯re famous enough for the Sword Emperor or the Hegemon Emperor to care about, then they must have been an incredible figure.¡¯</i>


    Considering that a mighty existence like the Sword Emperor had even used a term like ¡°Star of Death,¡± Woo-Moon wondered how strong the Death God was.[1]


    Now that he thought about it, many of the doubts he felt when fighting assassins other than Ma-Ra were resolved to some extent. No matter how much of a genius she was, he never understood how other high-level assassins, who were supposed to be simr in strength, could be so much weaker. However, that discrepancy finally made sense if she was using the martial techniques of someone of that caliber. Considering the title and Ma-Ra''s specialty, it was clear that the Death God used killing arts.


    As Woo-Moon was lost in thought, the Hegemon Emperor looked at Ma-Ra with a subtle gaze.


    ¡°Pretty child, you¡¯re better suited for the Evil Faction, whether in terms of your temperament or your martial arts. Come here. If you join our n, I¡¯ll not only take you in as a personal disciple, but I¡¯ll also give you an elder-level position. Throw away the stupid politics of the Righteous Faction, who only frown and spew insults when they hear the word ¡®assassin,¡¯ and join our side.¡±


    The people of the Hegemon n were more shocked than Woo-Moon or Ma-Ra.


    While they didn¡¯t know what level Ma-Ra¡¯s killing arts had reached, they just couldn¡¯t believe that the Hegemon Emperor was speaking so sweetly and trying to appease what seemed to be just a pretty little girl.


    Although most people would be worried that Ma-Ra would join the Hegemon n because of the enticing offer, Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t most people. And as if she was acknowledging his trust in her, Ma-Ra just responded curtly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t want.¡±


    The Hegemon Emperor burst outughing when he saw Ma-Ra not balk in anyway and answer in a brazen and brusque manner.


    ¡°Hahahaha!!¡±


    <i>¡®How funny. She really isn¡¯t suitable for that bastard¡¯s grandson.¡¯</i>


    The Hegemon Emperor¡¯s gaze grew strange.


    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve finished our business, let¡¯s go,¡± the Sword Emperor said before turning around and leaving the Hegemon n.


    ***


    As they headed to the Justice Coalition, the Sword Emperor looked back to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°How was it? Did you gain a lot?¡±


    His reasoning for bringing Woo-Moon was that at Woo-Moon¡¯s level, the boy would be able to gain considerable enlightenment and grow just by following him through his journey and meeting the Hegemon Emperor. He didn¡¯t actually have to ask Woo-Moon anything; he could see the young man¡¯s development with his own eyes.


    Woo-Moon had also already guessed why the Sword Emperor had taken him along and bowed his head politely.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Smiling kindly, the Sword Emperor looked off somewhere in the distance.


    ¡°I have one more stop left. You should go back alone and hand this letter to Martial Commander Pn Shin-Tong.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The second Woo-Moon responded, the Sword Emperor disappeared like a gust of wind. Woo-Moon turned to Ma-Ra and smiled.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ma-Ra.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    After a short while, the two entered the Justice Coalition and headed to the Martial Commander Pn Shin-Tong.


    Standing before arge map, Pn Shin-Tong paused his serious strategy discussion with the soldiers under hismand and read the letter Woo-Moon had handed him over and over again.


    Finally, he asked the subordinate next to him, ¡°Who is the current Wind Sword Squadron Captain?¡±


    ¡°Xiahou Jinxian, sir.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. He was a part of the Righteous Warrior Squadron, no?¡±


    "Yes, that''s right."


    ¡°You said they had returned earlier, right? Go find him immediately and inform him of his dismissal as captain of the Wind Sword Squadron, and bring back his identification que.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Woo-Moon felt a strong sense of crisis and anxiety as he watched the soldier leave with his orders.


    ¡°I... I¡¯m quite tired, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave now.¡±


    "Huh? Just wait a moment. I have a gift for you.¡±


    At the word ¡°gift,¡± the unidentifiable sense of crisis grew even greater, and Woo-Moon even broke into a cold sweat.


    After some time, the soldier who had left under Pn Shin-Tong¡¯s orders returned with an identification que.


    It was a silver que with the words ¡°Justice Coalition¡± and ¡°Wind Sword Squadron Captain¡± engraved on either side.


    ¡°Young man.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Can you hold this for me for a moment?¡± Pn Shin-Tong said as he very nonchntly handed the identification que to Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon reluctantly took the que, feeling a little hopeful as Pn Shin-Tong had only asked him to hold it for a moment. However, the moment he did so, Pn Shin-Tong spoke again.


    ¡°Congrattions. You are now the new captain of the Wind Sword Squadron. You¡¯ll be dispatched to Nanjing soon, so please go to the Wind Sword Squadron quarters and meet your subordinates. Although they were gone on their own missions while the Righteous Heroic Warriors Squadron was attending the spar, they should have returned by now. Don¡¯t you think that you should at least get to know their faces if you¡¯re going to fight together? You can leave now.¡±


    Pn Shin-Tong spoke rapidly, without hesitation, before turning back to the map and resuming his discussion with the other soldiers. In that brief instant, he used so many words and discussed things so matter-of-factly that it seemed as if everything was natural and nobody could ever have anything against it.


    ¡°I...what....¡±


    It was only now that Woo-Moon returned to his senses.


    He had absolutely no intention of going to war against the ck Bull Gang, which wasn¡¯t even affiliated with Martial Heaven. However, right as he was about to protest, he overheard Pn Shin-Tong¡¯s following words.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying they¡¯ve already broken through the primary blockade to Nanjing?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Although we¡¯re hastily gathering the nearby troops to build a secondary defensive line, it¡¯s quite difficult as the enemy has already concentrated their strength. We¡¯ll need to buy some more time. Otherwise...¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll push into Anhui Province, where the Iron Sword Baek Family and the Namgoong Family are located.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It will be a terrible blow to our coalition if the Iron Sword Baek Family and the Namgoong Family fall.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s mind went nk.


    He had always felt distanced from the news of the war between the ck Bull Gang and the Justice Coalition, assuming it was someone else¡¯s matter. However, he had just found out that the enemy was marching toward the Baek Family, bound to attack them.


    His heart grew anxious.


    ¡°Just a second! Then, isn¡¯t the Iron Sword Baek Family in danger now? I don¡¯t have time to work with whatever Wind Sword Squadron. I¡¯ll be leaving for the Iron Sword Baek Family immediately.¡±


    Hearing Woo-Moon¡¯s words, Pn Shin-Tong turned to look at him and slowly drew a line between Nanjing and Hefei on the map.


    ¡°There is still this much distance between them. If we buy as much time as possible before they reach the Iron Sword Baek Family and we are able to deploy our main forces, we¡¯ll be more than able to keep them from taking any more ground. Don¡¯t be impatient, go meet yourrades and go to Nanjing as I ordered you.¡±


    ¡°How long should I be waiting? I should go immediately, right...!¡±


    1. The original here contains a fairly major spoiler that Woo-Moon has absolutely no way of knowing (and the readers on the Korean side also remarked the same). This paragraph has been redacted ordingly. ?

 Chapter 117. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (13)

    <h4>Chapter 117. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (13)</h4>


    ¡°Do you n on fighting the ck Bull Gang on your own? No matter how strong you may be within the younger generation, the ck Bull Gang still has the Lust Emperor, an Absolute Master.


    ¡°Moreover, putting him aside, there are forces under him that can fight on even standing with Absolute Masters. Although their number of Absolute Masters iscking whenpared to the Justice Coalition and the Hegemon n, the ck Bull Gang has a much greater number of Transcendent Experts, and they can make up for that difference in the event of a head-on sh.


    ¡°Without the aid of the Justice Coalition, you cannot defeat them with just the strength of the Iron Sword Baek Family alone. We will definitely stop them before they reach the Baek Family, and we will be dispatching you to the front lines before that. So don¡¯t be so rushed and fulfill your duties as the Wind Sword Squadron Captain. Okay?¡±


    Woo-Moon understood that he had forgotten himself for a moment because of the shock and worry. He regained hisposure as he listened to Pn Shin-Tong. What themander said made sense.


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll do as you say. However, if there¡¯s even the slightest chance that the ck Bull Gang will reach the Baek Family before I am dispatched, please be sure to inform me. No matter what.¡±


    Woo-Moon spoke ominously, almost threateningly. However rather than taking issue with his attitude or getting suppressed by his aura, Pn Shin-Tong just calmly nodded.


    ¡°I understand. I promise, on my honor.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Then I¡¯ll take my leave now. Oh, that¡¯s right, is there a messenger bird that¡¯s been trained to go to the Baek Family, by any chance?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Go to the aviary and tell them I sent you.¡±


    After leaving the conference tent, Woo-Moon entered the nearby messenger bird aviary. Using Pn Shin-Tong¡¯s name, he took the homing pigeon meant for the Baek Family and wrote a letter for Ye-Ye.


    <i>Don¡¯t send more than forty percent of the family¡¯s forces to the battlefield in Nanjing. In particr, the Invincible Forged Squadron must be reserved for the family¡¯s defense. We have to be wary of the possibility of the enemy using a separate unit to target the Baek Family.</i>


    ***


    After sending off the homing pigeon, Woo-Moon left the aviary and walked to the Three Great Sword Families¡¯ quarters with Ma-Ra.


    It seemed as though they had already heard the news, as Woo-Moon walked in to see his nieces, nephews, and the talents of the Namgoong Family looking restless and worried.


    ¡°Uncle!¡±


    ¡°Did you hear? About where the ck Bull Gang is going?!¡±


    Woo-Moon just smiled, responding nonchntly like there was nothing to worry about.


    ¡°Yeah. I just heard.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, aren¡¯t you worried?¡± the other Baek family members asked as they looked closely at his nonchnce.


    He yfully flexed in response, making his biceps bulge.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t you trust this uncle of yours? They¡¯ll be blocked before they reach the Baek Estate. You see, I¡¯ve just be the Wind Sword Squadron Captain. Soon, I¡¯ll be dispatched to Nanjing with the other Five Swords of Heavenly Justice.¡±


    Hearing that he had be the Wind Sword Squadron Captain, not only were the talents of the Baek Family surprised, but even the figures of the Namgoong and Baekri Families were also shocked. However, soon, their expressions soured.


    There were just too many bad rumors rted to the Wind Sword Squadron.


    ¡°What? Why are all of your expressions like that? Don¡¯t you trust me? Fine, even if you don¡¯t trust me, don¡¯t you trust my grandfather? He¡¯lle back to protect the Baek Family if things be dangerous, so don¡¯t worry. Okay?¡±


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t really have any idea why the others¡¯ expressions had be strange. But either way, the talents of the Baek Family seemed to fall much more at ease when he mentioned the Palm Martial Emperor.


    All of the stress wrinkles from being worried for so long disappeared as the anxiety weighing on them seemed to disappear significantly.


    Moreover, Namgoong Sung was doing the same thing off to the side, calmlyforting his juniors.


    ¡°Did they tell you what to do yet?¡±


    ¡°No, not yet. For now, they told us to wait at our respective quarters.¡±


    Although the ending ceremony for the Righteous Warrior Squadron was originally scheduled to be held the next day, it had been canceled due to the current circumstances, and the squadron had already been disbanded without an official event.


    ¡°Okay. Then, all of you continue to stay here. I think I¡¯m supposed to be moving to the Wind Sword Squadron quarters.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Uncle.¡±


    Woo-Moon asked Baek Jeong-Woo and Baek Yo to take care of the others before packing his extremely bare-bones luggage and headed to the Wind Sword Squadron¡¯s quarters with Ma-Ra and Eun-Ah.


    While walking, Woo-Moon turned to Ma-Ra.


    ¡°Ma-Ra.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    He shook his hips, making the two swords hanging on his left side dangle.


    ¡°Look, look at this one, the sword with the ck de. This is the one the head smith gave me and it has a cool name, Inkde. But the one I forged myself hasn¡¯t been named yet. I thought I didn¡¯t have to give it a name at first, but for some reason, this little brat seems... almost sad without one. It wants me to name it, what do you think about giving it a name for me?¡±


    "Okay."


    After thinking for a moment, Ma-Ra recalled the swordsmanship that Woo-Moon had disyed with this sword when fighting San Woo-Gyeol.


    She eventually drew a small awl from her sleeve and imbued it with qi, creating a powerful aura. Taking the sword Woo-Moon had forged, she carefully engraved the same word on both the guard and the de of the sword.


    Lightsh.


    That was the name Ma-Ra hade up with.


    Although it seemed a little rigid and stiff, her calligraphy was still beautiful. It resonated well with Woo-Moon, and the sword seemed to like it too.


    ¡°Good, Lightsh. It fits well.¡±


    A very faint smile appeared on Ma-Ra''s face.


    She had finally learned how to express this level of emotion. Of course, her facial expressions only changed when dealing with Eun-Ah and Woo-Moon.


    Ma-Ra immediately disappeared after that, continuing to follow Woo-Moon while concealing herself. Woo-Moonughed, wondering if she chose to hide again because she was embarrassed.


    The quarters of the Five Swords of Heavenly Justice were all in one ce. The Justice Coalition was divided into four sections, and their quarters were located near the edge of the north quadrant.


    Among all Five Swords of Heavenly Justice, the Wind Sword Squadron was the farthest from the center; it was located on the outskirts of the outskirts of their section of the estate. Moreover, it was much less... attractivepared to the other magnificent pavilions.


    No, that was aplete understatement. In the beginning, it had probably been simr in quality to the other pavilions. It was just that, for some reason, the Wind Sword Squadron¡¯s pavilion was extremely damagedpared to the others, with many of its walls charred ck or stained with who knew what.


    The first thing that Woo-Moon felt when he arrived in front of the Wind Sword Squadron¡¯s quarters was a sense of difort, stemming from two reasons.


    Firstly, there was a terrifying ear-splitting singing reminiscent of a pig being ughtered. Secondly, there was a terrible stench that stung his nose¡ªso severe that it made him dizzy.


    <i>Kya, kya, coughhhhh, kyak!!!!</i>


    It also seemed to upset Eun-Ah, who continued to mewl while looking absolutely miserable. Finally, she reached her breaking point, rolling around on the ground while struggling to cover her nose and ears with her short front paws.


    Afterughing for a moment at how cute she was, Woo-Moon rubbed his temples with his fingertips.


    ¡°But... just what the hell is with this ce? Not even a pigsty would be this horrid.¡±


    At that moment, there was a sudden crashing sound as something seemed to break inside of the pavilion.


    ¡°Oi! Shut up! Damn it, stop your squealing! Fuck, I just want one day of rest, one!¡±


    Woo-Moon paused. That voice was familiar. Wracking his brain, he finally remembered who it was¡ªthe Mount Tai Sect disciple Mu Bi, whom he had once seen together with Xiahou Jinxian.


    As if to serve as a response, the <i>singing </i>that had paused for a moment started up again.


    ¡°How dare you curse after hearing my beautiful singing performance? What a shame, it¡¯s really like ying the lute for a cow.¡±


    Sadly, the melodious lute was actually a screech so bad that it nearly made Woo-Moon sick. Moreover, the singer was also changing the lyrics however he pleased...


    ¡°What did you say, you bastard? Cow? It looks like you really want to die!¡±


    The sound of something breaking echoed again.


    Shaking his head, Woo-Moon opened the door to the Wind Sword Squadron quarters and entered. As he did so, he instantly made an important realization.


    <i>¡®Is this what the Wind Sword Squadron is supposed to be? Somehow... I feel that Xiahou Jinxian, Mu Bi, and Peng Tianhao might actually be the most ordinary people in the squadron...¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon walked into arge dining area located on the first floor. There, he could see a plethora of different people.


    A musician was fighting Mu Bi, holding a <i>gayageum</i>[ref]A <i>gayageum</i> is a Korean 12-string zither.[ref] and using it as a weapon. Over to the side was a young man with a wild mane of hair and a strange smile on his face, stirring arge pot over a fire. And to Woo-Moon¡¯splete perplexity, in the midst of it all was a beautiful woman who appeared to be sleepingfortably while standing, her head falling forward.


    There was also a bald young man scratching his entire body with a painful expression on his face, to the point where Woo-Moon wondered what was itching so much. Woo-Moon then turned to see a young man wearing a white coat, so clean that it sparkled, who diligently cleaned a chair he seemed to be intending to sit on with many, many specialized tools.


    Suddenly, the young man cleaning the chair stood up and spat harshly at the young man with the wild hair who was continuously stirring the strange liquid in the pot.


    ¡°Young Master Tang, a piece of ash roughly the size of a hundredth of a fingernail from the fire you¡¯re using to heat your pot drifted over here and stuck to the hem of my sleeve. I am greatly irritated by that insult. Please apologize.¡±


    As he spoke, he kept shaking and dusting the end of his sleeve, trying to remove a stain that even Woo-Moon, with his incredible vision, couldn¡¯t see.


    ¡°Kekeke.¡±


    However, the young man stirring the pot didn¡¯t respond, either because he didn¡¯t hear what the young man in white had to say or because he had elected to ignore him. He just giggled and continued to stir his pot.


    ¡°Please apologize.¡±


    ¡°Kekeke.¡±


    ¡°Please apologize.¡±


    ¡°Kekeke¡±


    ¡°I have now warned you three times. I shall interpret your silence as you not having anything to say even if you die.¡±


    With those words, the young man in white suddenly drew the long scissors from his waist and swung them at the young man with the wild hair.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It was only then that Young Master Tang, the wild-haired young man, came out of his own world and moved to avoid the scissors.


    <i>Thwip!</i>


    Hidden weapons hidden up Young Master Tang¡¯s sleeve split into five directions and flew toward the young man in white.


    As Young Master Tang dodged the attack and counterattacked, the young man in white hooked his finger on one of the loops of the scissors in his hand and swung it in a circle.


    <i>ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The scissors acted as a small shield, knocking aside all of the hidden weapons.


    ¡°Hmmpf.¡±


    Woo-Moon easily dodged the projectile that shot toward him.


    Until now, not a single person in the Wind Sword Squadron seemed to even be aware of Woo-Moon¡¯s presence, let alone care enough toe and greet him.


    ¡°Agh!!!!¡±


    As the fight between the white-robed young man and Young Master Tang grew increasingly fierce, a hidden weapon suddenly lodged itself in the buttock of the bald young man who was scratching his entire body.


    ¡°You, you damned bastards!!!¡±


    Enraged, the bald young man jumped in, turning the one-on-one battle into a three-way melee.


    <i>ng, ng, ng! Thwack! Pow!</i>


    The dining area, which was already a mess, became even more of a mess. However, as they fought, Woo-Moon noticed something surprising.


    Even during their fight, not a single one of the three came near the beautiful woman sleeping with her back against a pir in the middle. It almost felt as if... the space around her was invible for some reason.


    His confusion quickly resolved as Young Master Tang was attacked by both the young man in white and the bald young man at the same time. He was pushed back further and further by the relentless assault of the bald young man, eventually getting close to the sleeping beauty.


    Instantly, her beautiful eyes shot open, and her sword shot forward like lightning!


    ¡°AGh!! I¡¯m sorry, it was a mistake!¡± Young Master Tang shouted urgently as the beauty¡¯s sword stopped a fraction of a second before it pierced his throat.


    ¡°Mmm... screw off...¡± the beauty said in a sleepy voice.


    Young Master Tang took the opportunity to hurriedly escape the danger zone before getting back to fighting the other two again.


    He seemed angry, burning with even more venom.


    The beauty quickly fell asleep again.


    ¡°Hmm. This is a bit embarrassing... I guess we should introduce ourselves at least, right?¡± Woo-Moon said to Ma-Ra, who was still concealed nearby.


    He didn¡¯t know if she nodded or replied in any way, but it didn¡¯t matter. He wasn¡¯t expecting an answer anyway.


    Woo-Moon breathed in deeply.


    ¡°Stop right NOW!¡±


    His roar shook the entire Wind Sword Squadron quarters. Though he was not using any specific technique, it was not much quieter than an Azure Dragon¡¯s Cry or a Lion¡¯s Roar.

 Chapter 118. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (14)

    <h4>Chapter 118. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (14)</h4>


    From what Woo-Moon had just personally seen, the martial skills of the Wind Sword Squadron members were incredible. So much so that he wondered why they hadn¡¯t been selected topete for the Righteous Warrior Squadron.


    ¡°And who the hell are you supposed to be, you bastard?!¡± the bald young man shouted.


    As if he didn¡¯t want to lose to Woo-Moon, he opened his mouth wide as he yelled, and even the blood vessels in his neck were obviously swelling.


    Woo-Moon refused to back up and responded by shouting in the same manner, ¡°I am your new captain!¡±


    Although Woo-Moon told the bald young man that he was the captain, the bald young man didn¡¯t show any signs of shock or respect.


    ¡°And? The hell do you want me to do with that?!¡±


    ¡°How dare you talk down to your captain?¡±


    The two took turns yelling back and forth.


    ¡°Fuck off! I¡¯m busy, so go stay quiet!¡±


    After shouting onest time, the bald young man rushed toward the white-clothed young man and Young Master Tang again and resumed fighting. Then, the young man who had been plucking the <i>gayageum</i> started fighting Mu Bi again as well.


    The sleeping beauty hadn¡¯t woken up even when Woo-Moon and the bald young man had been shouting back and forth, and she was still the same now.


    Things didn¡¯t change in any way from before Woo-Moon entered.


    ¡°These brats really have some balls!¡±


    Woo-Moon decided he couldn¡¯t let things go on like this anymore. He rushed forward using his movement technique and entered the hall.


    He first aimed for where the three-way melee was taking ce.


    The white-clothed young man noticed Woo-Moon and swung his scissors sharply, aiming to cleave through his shoulder.


    The des of the scissors were so long that they seemed that they could cut through the waist of more than one person at the same time, and his attack was even sharper than Woo-Moon could have expected!


    He was sure of it now. These people¡¯s skills wereparable to those of Cheong Oh and Yu Cho¡ªpeople considered strong even within the Righteous Warrior Squadron.


    However, Cheong Oh and Yu Cho weren¡¯t qualified for Woo-Moon¡¯s attention in the first ce.


    His figure blurred as he deftly took a step toward the side of the white-clothed young man. Grabbing him by the cor, Woo-Moon tossed him to the other side.


    ¡°Huh??!¡±


    As the white-clothed young man was flying over Woo-Moon¡¯s head, three of Young Master Tang¡¯s hidden weapons flew out with a sharp screech as they pierced toward the white-clothed young man.


    Even as Woo-Moon was teaching his fresh subordinate a lesson, he still easily noticed Young Master Tang¡¯s attack and used Raging Wind with his free hand.


    <i>Thwack, thwack, thwack!</i>


    It was as if the hidden weapons had hit a tree. Immediately after, the sound of the white-clothed young man hitting the ground filled the room.


    <i>THUD!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°You dare! AHHH!!!¡±


    The bald young man rushed forward, sticking out his shoulder as if he was about to use the Leaning Iron Mountain technique.


    ¡°Hmpf!¡±


    Woo-Moon sneered and leaped forward, and his figure blurred again.


    As the bald young man was momentarily taken aback by Woo-Moon¡¯s movement, Woo-Moon sank down and swept forward with his foot, kicking the bald young man¡¯s legs out from underneath him. The young man fell forward.


    ¡°Agk!¡±


    Woo-Moon rose up and stomped hard on one side of a floor nk, causing the other side of the nk to rise upward.


    <i>Thunk!</i>


    The heavy bald young man was hit square by the nk and sent flying into the air. It was right at this moment that Woo-Moon sensed five hidden projectiles approaching him!


    They were the hidden weapons that Young Master Tang had thrown! Each hidden weapon flew toward him from different directions and at different speeds. Both from sight and thanks to the instincts granted by the Forbidden Divine Art, Woo-Moon guessed that two of the hidden weapons were covered in poison as well.


    Judging by the intensity of the warning he felt, it seemed as though it wasn¡¯t a strong poison, but rather a type of qi suppression drug.


    Woo-Moon grabbed the wooden nk he had used to hit the bald young man and held it firmly, standing solidly on the ground and only moving his upper body.


    In Young Master Tang¡¯s eyes, it seemed as though Woo-Moon¡¯s upper body had suddenly divided itself into five parts before merging back into one, with all five of the hidden weapons embedded into the nk.


    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±


    As Young Master Tang shouted, Woo-Moon¡¯s figure blurred a third time and rushed him with frightening speed, grabbing Young Master Tang by the cor and throwing him straight toward the ceiling.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    ¡°Agk!¡±


    ¡°Ooof!¡±


    Young Master Tang flew toward the bald young man who had hit the ceiling after being propelled in the air by the nk and was finallying down to the ground again.


    Almost exquisitely, the two fell toward the white-clothed young man who was finally standing up with a grimace.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    With a single scream, the three fell together as one.


    Now that he had handled the three of them, the only thing left was to deal with Mu Bi and the young man plucking the gayageum. Thus Woo-Moon turned and ran toward them.


    The two who had be his new targets had also clearly seen Woo-Moon easily taking down their three teammates.


    The gayageum-ying young man turned to look at Mu Bi, then nodded.


    Mu Bi hurriedly put on two ck gauntlets and stepped forward, while the young man behind him ced the gayageum vertically on a table and plucked it once with his slender, woman-like fingers.


    <i>Thrum!</i>


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    This was the first time that Woo-Moon had encountered a proper sound technique. Suddenly, he felt an invisible power flying in his direction. He quickly punched forward with the Raging Wind Fist, colliding directly with it.


    The sound of something being torn screeched through the air before an ear-splitting explosion rang out. If any ordinary person without any cultivation had been nearby, their eardrums would have instantly ruptured.


    The hands of the young man holding the gayageum moved rapidly.


    <i>Thrum, thrum, thrum!</i>


    Compressed sound waves continuously flew toward Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Hey, this is pretty good!¡¯</i>


    As it was Woo-Moon¡¯s first time experiencing a sound technique, he decided to experiment. He first tested out the first sound wave with Raging Wind Fist. Then, he withstood the second sound wave with his own body to see how much of an impact it would have. Finally, for the third attack, he pulled out his sword and tested what cleaving the wave felt like.


    ¡°T-that¡¯s insane!¡±


    The young man plucking the gayageum was astonished as he watched Woo-Moon doing something, from his perspective, ridiculous. He couldn¡¯t believe that Woo-Moon had taken his attack on purpose and was even more surprised upon seeing Woo-Moon moving without any issues afterward.


    As he was standing there, agape in shock, Woo-Moon arrived in front of Mu Bi.


    ¡°I¡¯m going!¡± Mu Bi shouted, clenching both fists tightly. He struck at Woo-Moon¡¯s head, shoulders, chest, and abdomen with both fists, eight times in total. His fists flew so fast that an ordinary person would have been beaten bloody and knocked out without even being able to see them properly.


    However, something at that level couldn¡¯t even faze Woo-Moon. He responded with Heavy Rain Fist, canceling out each of Mu Bi¡¯s attacks with equal speed and force.


    There was surprise in Mu Bi¡¯s gaze, as he was well aware how difficult it was to pull of what Woo-Moon had done just now.


    <i>¡®Well if that¡¯s the case....¡¯</i>


    Mu Bi turned around and kicked hard. When Woo-Moon raised his knee high and checked his roundhouse kick with the shin, Mu Bi did another half-turn and kicked off the ground before raising his elbow and striking down hard.


    His aim was Woo-Moon¡¯s Baihui acupoint.[1] It was a surprisingly quick and effectivebination!


    Sadly, Woo-Moon was simply faster than Mu Bi.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Before his elbow could reach his target, Mu Bi¡¯s neck was caught in Woo-Moon¡¯s grasp. As he couldn¡¯t reach Woo-Moon with his elbow anymore, he tried to switch to a punch. However, because he was rtively short, he couldn¡¯t reach Woo-Moon that way either.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    As soon as Mu Bi mmed headfirst into the ground, three sound waves pierced toward Woo-Moon again.


    ¡°We should stop now, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    With a single phrase, Woo-Moon disappeared, reappearing in front of the young man plucking the gayageum.


    <i>¡®Illusive Shift!¡¯</i>


    Right as he jumped up in surprise, the young man with the gayageum saw something sh before his eyes, then fell on his back unconscious.


    ¡°Mmm... this should be right about it, I think.¡±


    As Woo-Moon muttered to himself and looked around the dining area, the beautiful woman who had been sleeping quietly up until now opened her eyes and walked toward him with faltering steps, as if she were walking on clouds.


    ¡°You... you¡¯re strong.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t been able to see what had happened properly as she had been sleeping, only hazily seeing Woo-Moonpletely overpowering her fellow Wind Sword Squadron members.


    However, the stinging qi aura that she could feel even while asleep and the copsed figures of her colleagues were more than enough for her to realize that Woo-Moon was incredibly strong.


    On the other hand, Woo-Moon also felt that his original judgment hadn¡¯t been wrong.


    Now awake, the beauty felt like a sharpened sword, clearly stronger than any of the other members.


    <i>¡®If she¡¯s this at this level, she¡¯s beyond Yu Cho and Cheong Oh, more simr to Woo-Gang the way he is right now.¡¯</i>


    Now that he thought about it, it really was surprising how much Woo-Gang had grown recently.


    However...


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The approaching beauty suddenly stopped her steps and fell asleep. Then, the feeling that he had felt until just a moment ago, as if he was facing an unsheathed sword, vanished in an instant.


    The moment Woo-Moon was about to tilt his head in confusion a light shed from the beauty¡¯s waist.


    ¡°Heup!¡±


    Woo-Moon hurriedly bent over backward to avoid a lightning-fast sword strike that seemed to cut through light.


    <i>¡®Woohoo, that¡¯s pretty incredible, isn¡¯t it? She¡¯s actually faster than little Woo-Gang!¡¯</i>


    When her swift sword strike missed, the beauty quickly retreated three steps backward, widening the distance between them before getting into an appropriate stance to unleash her swift sword again.


    <i>Swish, swish.</i>


    The beauty walked slowly, like azy cat.


    Inplete contrast, her qi was as sharp as a freshly-honed razor.


    <i>¡®When is she going to attack?¡¯</i>


    The beauty gradually grew closer.


    <i>¡®Right now? No... now!¡¯</i>


    However, she fell asleep in the middle of her approach again. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t like she was just pretending, either. Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t one to be fooled by something like that. Her breathing pattern was unquestionably that of someone deeply asleep, and her sharp qi and fighting spirit werepletely gone.


    ¡°What the hell is go¡ª¡±


    As soon as Woo-Moon said that, another light shed.


    <i>¡®Again!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was really curious as to how the beauty could unleash such a sharp blow with such incredible speed from that deep sleep state.


    Although the people gathered in the pavilion were all unique and amazing in their own ways, this beauty seemed to be the best among them.


    However, just like before, Woo-Moon dodged her swift sword strike. Moreover, this time, he followed in step as she tried to retreat to open up the distance once again.


    <i>¡®How should I handle this one?¡¯</i>


    He had to subdue her, but it seemed a little difficult to do so in the same way as the others.


    After finally making up his mind, Woo-Moon rushed in faster than she retreated and struck at her acupoints.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Her sword cut through the air, aiming at Woo-Moon¡¯s forehead. He formed a sword with his hand, coating it in aura and trying to deflect her de.


    However, at the same time, the half-awake beauty¡¯s eyes closed once more. Her powerful sword suddenly slowed and fell straight down, shing at Woo-Moon¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±


    Woo-Moon was flustered.


    The change in the beauty¡¯s attack was impossibly sudden. Woo-Moon¡¯s surprise and embarrassment were even greater, as Woo-Moon had simply guessed the trajectory of her swift sword and acted ordingly. He had done so almost automatically as he trusted his own skills to that degree.


    Thus, as the change was something he never could have imagined, he was unable to dodge a slow blow that could have been easily blocked or avoided otherwise even if it was much faster.


    A long tear split his clothes at the chest.


    Then, the beauty¡¯s closed eyes opened again as a fierce sword attack shed out once more.


    Aside from dealing with an Absolute Master, Woo-Moon had never been so nervous and struggling as he was now, and he even broke into a cold sweat.


    It wasn¡¯t because her martial skills were all that unbelievable. Yes, she was among the strongest young talents he knew, but she was still rtively weakpared to the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster, Baek Hye-Ryeong, or Mu Heon.


    However, she had something they didn¡¯t have¡ªan irregrity to her attacks that greatly flustered Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®D-damn it. I guess this is how people must feel dealing with my Raging Wind.¡¯</i>


    In the end, Woo-Moon was able, albeit with great difficulty, to press her acupoints thanks to the stark difference in their cultivation.


    ¡°<i>Whew</i>. That was fucking exhausting.¡±


    ¡°Ugh... And here I thought it was great when Xiahou Jinxian left.... At least when Xiahou Jinxian was here, we could do anything we wanted, given how weak he was. With you, things will be more difficult,¡± Mu Bi said as he stood up, holding his head with both hands.


    As he spoke, Mu Bi stared at Woo-Moon. He didn¡¯t seem to remember Woo-Moon whatsoever. However, Woo-Moon was taken aback.


    ¡°You... haven¡¯t I seen you before?¡±


    1. The Baihui acupoint is at the center of one¡¯s skull and is the center meeting point of many meridians. ?

 Chapter 119. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (15)

    <h4>Chapter 119. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (15)</h4>


    Mu Bi was taken aback by Woo-Moon¡¯s question, and he scratched his head.


    ¡°Seeing your reaction, it seems like we <i>have </i>met before. Do you mind telling me where?¡±


    He still didn¡¯t seem to remember anything.


    ¡°We met a while back in front of the Inksmoke Gang. Xiahou Jinxian started an argument with me, asking me why I took down the Inksmoke Gang,¡± Woo-Moon exined.


    It was only after hearing Woo-Moon¡¯s exnation that Mu Bi had a look of realization.


    ¡°Ohhhh! That¡¯s right. You¡¯re the guy from back then who said his teacher was from before the Three Kingdoms period, right? Haha, how nice to see you again. Wow! But how did you be the captain of the Wind Sword Squadron? When did you even join the Justice Coalition?¡±


    ¡°A person from before the Three Kingdoms period, Ha! What aplete idiot. He really is qualified to be the captain. So much better suited than Xiahou Jinxian,¡± said Young Master Tang, finally standing up himself.


    All of those taught a lesson<i> </i>by Woo-Moon were slowlying to their senses.


    ¡°How are you guys so calm? I thought you¡¯d curse me, maybe say that I used magic or something, then try to fight me again.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way you could beat all of us using magic or whatever bullshit like that. If you beat us, then you¡¯re strong,¡± the bald young man replied.


    Woo-Moon found himself liking them more than he had expected. At the very least, they were much better than the other prominent talents of the Justice Coalition, who behaved in ugly ways out of unfounded pride.


    <i>¡®Moreover, their martial arts skills seem to be stronger as well.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon looked around at his motley crew of subordinates one by one before going to the sleeping beauty and unlocking her acupoints. However, as she was already sleeping, she didn¡¯t move even after her acupoints were unlocked.


    ¡°Well, would you please introduce me to the squad?¡± Woo-Moon asked Mu Bi, as he was the most familiar.


    Then, the young man with the sound technique sat on a chair and began singing and ying the <i>gayageum</i> again. It was as if he felt neither anger at nor interest in Woo-Moon, who had just defeated him. In an incredibly discordant manner, he started yapping lyrics that none of the gathered wanted to listen to.


    Mu Bi started with him, pointing.


    ¡°This brat is a descendent of the So Family, the famed creators of the Sound Emperor Heavenly Pce. His name is So Gun-Pil. We fight often because his music skills are shit.¡±


    Not yet ustomed to So Gun-Pil¡¯s melodic talents, Woo-Moon frowned and nodded.


    As they spoke, Young Master Tang walked back over to his pot.


    ¡°Damn it, it¡¯s another failure. I¡¯ll have to make another one.¡±


    Then, he added water and some of the unidentified powders sitting nearby, carefully inspecting the liquid in the pot. Quickly bing immersed in his work, he began to chuckle as he stirred his pot.


    ¡°That bastard is the seventh son of the Sichuan Tang Family Patriarch, Tang Yuk. However, he¡¯s a lunatic who believes that he¡¯s a genius at poison, even though his talent for poison is absolute garbage. He¡¯s been doing this every single day as he researches new poisons, and it drives me nuts.¡±


    At that moment, the beauty woke up and opened his eyes, quietly joining Mu Bi¡¯s exnation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go around calling others strange. You can¡¯t remember people¡¯s faces anyway, to the point where you even ask your own parents who they are, you weirdooo...¡±


    The beauty trailed off, dozing back into sleep.


    <i>¡°Cough, cough.¡±</i>


    Mu Bi coughed awkwardly before pointing at the beauty.


    ¡°And this is Ra Mi of the Hainan Sword Sect. She¡¯s suffered from a rare disease called narcolepsy from a young age, which is why she¡¯s like that<i>.</i> She falls asleep all the time.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, it¡¯s itchy!¡±


    Suddenly, the bald young man stood up and immediately started tearing at his clothes and scratching his whole body again.


    ¡°Oh, that hyung is Ha Gun-Choong, the little prince of the Trustworthy and Secure Escort Agency. Far as I can tell, he just has eczema or fleas or something because he never washes. ording to him, it¡¯s because he was taught physical cultivation improperly by some master when he was young, and now he¡¯s getting itchy all over, all the time. But he¡¯s actually the dirtiest man in the world.¡±


    ¡°Look here, you bastard! How many times do I have to tell you that if you scratch your body this much, dead skin will fly everywhere like dust?! It¡¯s disgusting,¡± the white-clothed you man shouted suddenly, walking away from Ha Gun-Choong. He drew a fly whisk from his robes and began to dust his entire body.


    ¡°That hyung is Zhu Mubai of the Zhu family, ay family of the Kunlun Sect. As you can see, he¡¯s very... clean. Sometimes, his mysophobia gets really bad, and he washes himself until he bleeds. Anyway, there¡¯s onest member who isn¡¯t here...¡±


    <i>Creak.</i>


    ¡°...ah, speak of the devil and he doth appear.¡±


    ¡°I am Peng Tianhao of the Hebei Peng Family. As expected, I always knew we would meet again someday. However, I didn¡¯t think that it would be like this, as captain and subordinate.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t expect this, either.¡±


    ¡°For your information,¡± said Mu Bi, ¡°Sleepy Sword Ra-Mi over there and Tianhao hyung are the strongest among us. Well... I guess he¡¯s also the most normal one of us here.¡±


    Peng Tianhao looked Woo-Moon up and down, then tapped the sword on his waist.


    ¡°I think I told you before, but I would love to spar sometime. What do you think? Are you up for it?¡±


    ¡°If you want to, then why not.¡±


    Several of the members gave Peng Tianhao a look before looking away with faint smiles, knowing full well what would happen.


    Indeed, a whole three seconds into their spar, Peng Tianhao had to concede to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Damn it! You¡¯re just ridiculously strong. I can¡¯t beat you, I can¡¯t.¡±


    As Woo-Moon muttered to himself about fighting people on his first day, Peng Tianhao asked another question.


    ¡°Well, anyway, what do you n to do next? It¡¯s going to be difficult to carry out any missions or go into battle with them.¡±


    ¡°Why?"


    ¡°Everyone is extremely... <i>unique.</i> None of them get along well with each other, and most importantly, all of them refuse to work hard at anything that doesn¡¯t pertain to their interests. Also, each of them has a fatal w in their martial arts, and their personalities are so damn different that it¡¯s impossible to deal with them all at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess that goes for you too?¡±


    ¡°Hmpf!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s not as if I¡¯ve known them that long, nor do I have any intention of changing them for my own purposes. I don¡¯t even think we¡¯ll be together for long, either. Let¡¯s all just get along, okay?¡±


    After he finished speaking, Woo-Moon went upstairs, and without saying a word to the members of his unit, who were all back to doing their own things, he entered thergest empty room.


    ***


    As the situation was urgent, the preparations for the Justice Coalition¡¯s departure werepleted in just one day. Not expecting it to have ended this quickly, Woo-Moon wondered if he had gotten angry with Pn Shin-Tong for no reason.


    The Justice Coalition had decided to divide its forces into three armies in line with the ck Bull Gang¡¯s forces. Themander of the third army was Seong Woo-Seol of the Mount Tai Sect. Woo-Moon¡¯s Wind Sword Squadron was naturally assigned to the army heading toward Jiangsu Province.


    Woo-Moon set off for Nanjing without much conversation with anyone other than Mu Bi. As each person used their respective movement techniques to travel quickly, a messenger came running from far away and reported to Seong Woo-Seol.


    ¡°The secondary defensive line has been breached! If things continue like this, the enemy will break through the blockade in Nanjing and enter Anhui Province.¡±


    Although Woo-Moon¡¯s heart was racing, he was still calm. At the very least, there was no way the enemy would reach the Baek Family before they arrived.


    ¡°What¡¯s the provincial government¡¯s stance?¡±


    One of the soldiers answered, ¡°Nothing special so far. They¡¯re just watching closely while maintaining their stance of not intervening in the <i>murim¡¯s</i> affairs.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    While Woo-Moon was listening in to their conversation, his juniors suddenly came running.


    ¡°Uncle!¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, yes?¡±


    ¡°At the family¡¯s request, we¡¯ve decided to return to the family estate. We¡¯ll have to leave you now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, okay. Be careful, and say hello to my parents and junior sister for me.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Having received Woo-Moon¡¯s answer, Jeong-Woo set off for the Baek Family estate with the other juniors.


    As the army began marching again, another messenger came running. Unlike the previous one, he was covered in blood.


    ¡°Urgent, urgent!¡±


    What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°The Ten Demon Generals of the ck Bull Gang haveunched an attack and have broken through to the third defensive line! Nanjing¡¯s defense has be unfeasible.¡±


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if the Justice Coalition was nning on blocking the enemy using Nanjing itself as a barrier. If that were their n, not only would Nanjing¡¯s government have thrown a fit, but it wouldn¡¯t have been very effective anyway.


    However, having a city close to one¡¯s own encampment was incredibly important to the people of <i>murim.</i> Not only was it necessary to provide food and other various daily necessities, but it was also beneficial to be able to restfortably inside the city walls when not in battle.


    If Nanjing were to be taken over by the ck Bull Gang, the military representatives and other members of the Justice Coalition there would be exterminated. Above all, the symbolic meaning was the most important¡ªhaving a major city captured like that was a major blow.


    ¡°The Ten Demon Generals were also dispatched here? No, this can¡¯t be. Speed up the advance!¡±


    As the roughly two hundred people of the Third Army quickened their pace, the Hwangbo Family soon joined them, increasing their numbers to almost a thousand.


    Most importantly, Hwangbo Gwan, the Fist Emperor, hade with them.


    ¡°To think even the Fist Emperor hase, it feels like we¡¯ve gained a thousand troops and ten thousand horses!¡±


    After exchanging greetings, Seong Woo-Seok naturally handed overmand to Hwangbo Gwan.


    ¡°What is the situation?¡±


    ¡°The ck Bull Gang¡¯s Ten Demon Generals have finally broken through Nanjing¡¯s defensive lines. The Zhuge, Namgoong, and Iron Sword Baek Family troops have arrived and formed another defensive line behind Nanjing. It¡¯s said that the Ten Demon Generals have appeared there.¡±


    ¡°The Ten Demon Generals... What happened with the Shaolin Temple?¡±


    ¡°Their main force is leaving Henan Province. Their vanguard, consisting of the Eighteen Arhats, the Four Great Vajras, and their other masters, are not far from us.¡±


    ¡°Well, they sure travel fast. In any case, now that the Ten Demon Generals have emerged, it just won''t do for me to leave it like this. I¡¯ll go ahead and test them out.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be off.¡±


    The Fist Emperor¡¯s movement technique was like a storm as he rushed toward Nanjing.


    Woo-Moon could feel a mountain-like, heavy auraing from this man¡ªsomeone who had reached the pinnacle through the Dao of the Fist.


    <i>Thump, thump.</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s heart pounded as he imagined the Fist Emperor using his martial arts against the iing army.


    Martial arts used in individual fights and martial arts used againstrge armies in such grand-scale wars were the same but different. Woo-Moon was curious about what that difference really could be.


    Although he had experienced many one-on-one battles, this was his first time experiencing a battle as close to a war like this. He was quite looking forward to it.


    Because the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Eight Great Ancient Families belonging to the Justice Coalition were all spread out in various provinces, and also because the forces were located very far away from each other, the three armies that the Justice Coalition had sent to deal with the ck Bull Gang were not yet fully formed.


    From their current estimation, they had only reached a bit over sixty percent of their total scale. On the other hand, the ck Bull Gang was said to have gathered about eight-tenths of their total forces. Thus, even if the Justice Coalition was ahead in terms of overall strength, it was bound to be a difficult battle.


    Moreover, if the current Justice Coalition forces were to fall to the ck Bull Gang before the rest of their troops could gather, the Righteous Faction as they knew it could actually cease to exist.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, this is also my first time experiencing arge-scale battle, so make sure to always stay around me. Same as always, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ma-Ra¡¯s voice could be heard from somewhere, and it made Woo-Moon feel at ease.


    Now, he couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine not having Ma-Ra around him, as they had traveled together for so long.


    As the march wasn¡¯t fast enough to be tiring, Woo-Moon took a book from his robes and began reading.


    It was <i>Dao De Jing</i>.

 Chapter 120. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (16)

    <h4>Chapter 120. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (16)</h4>


    Of course, Woo-Moon had already decided to walk his own path, confident in himself and the path he was taking.


    Although he wouldn¡¯t let anything veer him off hisprehension of his Dao, he had obtained the <i>Dao De Jing</i> with an open mind as he wanted to see what other paths people were walking down.


    ¡°Agh!!!!¡±


    Shouts echoed from afar. Woo-Moon closed the <i>Dao De Jing</i> and ced it back into his sleeve. His head began to pound. The further he walked, the louder the sh of weapons. Eventually, the deputymander shouted, ¡°All troops! Use your movement arts to the maximum and strike down those ck Hand bastards there!¡±


    <i>Roar!!!</i>


    Following the order, the troops of the Justice Coalition raced forward, each using their unique movement arts. As a result, the formation naturally began to split apart ording to the different levels of martial skill. However, the copse of the formation didn¡¯t matter, as military formations didn¡¯t y a significant role in <i>murim</i> wars.


    Woo-Moon looked into the distance as he quickly ran forward, circting his qi as quickly as possible to drive his movement art.


    While the small fry began fighting among themselves in arge-scale battle, the Fist Emperor and the other leaders of the Justice Coalition had already been engaged in a heaven-shaking battle with the Ten Demon Generals.


    <i>Boom!! Crackk!!!</i>


    The ground ruptured and split apart while the air trembled. On this battlefield, the Fist Emperor was truly unrivaled.


    The ck Bull Gangcked Absolute Masters. They only had one¡ªtheir leader, the Lust Emperor.


    However, although they werecking in Absolute Masters, they had many Transcendent experts, such as the Ten Demon Generals. It was said that if the ten of them joined forces, they could even defeat an Absolute Master. Seeing how the battle was going, it seemed like the rumor wasn¡¯t a lie, either.


    Even though the Fist Emperor had joined forces with the experts of the Justice Coalition, they were still unable to defeat these ten, only having a slight advantage at best.


    From the mor, the Ten Demon Generals realized that the Justice Coalition troops had arrived.


    The first of the Ten Demon Generals, Dark-Faced Asura called out in a grating metallic voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    All of them withdrew, and the ck Bull Gang forces followed quickly in a retreat. Although the excited troops of the Justice Coalition began to chase, the Fist Emperor shouted at them to stop.


    ¡°Halt! The size of the enemy¡¯s forces is smaller than what we know them to be! They¡¯ll definitely be waiting for us with a trap or have already divided their forces to target our rear! They could even be surrounding us! Stop the chase immediately and return!¡±


    As the enemies were retreating when they arrived, Woo-Moon and the Wind Sword Squadron didn¡¯t have to stain their weapons with blood, leaving Woo-Moon scratching his head.


    ¡°I was nervous for no reason.¡±


    A short timeter, he entered the barracks erected in the rear of their encampment and briefly unpacked. After lying down for a while, he emerged from his tent and asked around to find the Baek Family troops.


    ¡°It¡¯s over there, sir.¡±


    Getting directions from a soldier, he walked in the direction pointed out to him.


    ¡°Uncle!¡±


    The first to wee him was Ye-Ye. As he responded to her greeting, Woo-Moon inspected the members of the Baek Family one by one.


    ¡°How are things? Are there any injured?¡±


    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re fortunate that none of us were hurt in the melee, just a few minor scratches here and there. However, Uncle Jo-Yeong was... when the Ten Demon Generals suddenly appeared, he...¡±


    Baek Jo-Yeong was someone with whom Woo-Moon was only barely acquainted, but he did have some recollection of the man.


    <i>¡®He was always smiling whenever we met...¡¯</i>


    Now, he could see that Ye-Ye¡¯s eyes were tinged red, while some of the others who were close to Jo-Yeong were shedding tears and mourning.


    Even though he wasn¡¯t close to Jo-Yeong, Woo-Moon felt an overwhelming anger inside of him.


    <i>¡®How dare you bastards, you ck Hand pieces of shit who leech off of others, harm my family?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Ah! Uncle, I¡¯m sorry. A messenger just arrived to tell us there¡¯s a meeting. We¡¯ll talk moreter.¡±


    ¡°Okay, go.¡±


    As Ye-Ye left, the others from the Baek Family came to greet Woo-Moon individually. It seemed even nicer to be able to see a familiar face after the battle they had just fought. Ye-Ye seemed to have received and listened to his instructions, as Woo-Moon noticed that the troops that the Baek Family had brought didn¡¯t exceed forty percent of their total forces, and no one from the Invincible Forged Squadron was present, either.


    After staying in the barracks of the Baek Family for a while, Woo-Moon returned to the barracks of the Wind Sword Squadron.


    That night, Woo-Moon was summoned to the tent of Ho Mu-Bok, the advisor of the third army.


    ¡°It seems as though those ck Bull Bastards have divided their forces and are advancing secretly. We have to dispatch a scouting party. Each squadron will take three of the possible routes.¡±


    Six high-ranking people had been called to themander¡¯s tent. Each was assigned three directions, so the scouting party was set to handle the eighteen possible routes the ck Bull Gang could take.


    ¡°Understood,¡± everyone answered in unison.


    Woo-Moon returned to the Wind Sword Squadron Barracks after receiving the exact scouting locations.


    ¡°Everyone get up. We¡¯ve been assigned a mission. Night recon.¡±


    The faces of the squadron members distorted into grimaces as soon as Woo-Moon finished his words.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we ever just rest?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t... isn¡¯t this just <i>too</i> insulting? Do we really have to lower ourselves to do the scouting ourselves? I mean, I know they look down on us, but we¡¯re still one of the Five Swords of Heavenly Justice.¡±


    ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t the first time we¡¯ve been treated like this before... but this time is a little too far.¡±


    ¡°Of all things, night reconnaissance... I¡¯m sleepy...¡±


    Woo-Moon also loved sleeping, so he naturally agreed with Ra Mi and also didn¡¯t like this mission.


    Still, what could they do? Moreover, if there really <i>was</i> a separate army set to attack the Baek Family, things would destabilize further. Thus, there was nothing they could do.


    ¡°Me too, but orders are orders. We¡¯ll have to split into three groups.¡±


    Immediately, the members¡¯ expressions became slightly strange. Suddenly, they all distanced themselves from Ra Mi or nced nervously at her.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯</i>


    The moment Woo-Moon was about to ask, the bald young man, Ha Gun-Choong, put his hand inside his shirt and scratched his stomach. He then took a step backward.


    ¡°I will never work in the same group as Ra Mi.¡±


    Seeing Han Gun-Choong say it outright, the others tripped over themselves to also say the same thing, not wanting to be thest one stuck with her.


    ¡°Neither will I.¡±


    ¡°I would like to refuse as well, Captain.¡±


    Every single one of them came out and refused.


    <i>¡®Zzzz...¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon finally understood why. He had seen it too¡ªhow Ra Mi immediately attacked without fail if she sensed a man even approaching her personal space while she was sleeping.


    The problem was that she slept nearly all of the time. Although she was reasonable when she was awake, if she happened to fall asleep while close to you, she would immediately draw her sword and attack the second her eyes started to droop.


    Moreover, although Ra Mi could walk or even use her movement technique to run while sleeping, someone would have to call her name or forcefully wake her up if they wanted to change directions or do anything else. Things didn¡¯t stop there, either¡ªthey would also have to hope she didn¡¯t fall back asleep before they were able to fully exin their next moves or risk having to start all over again.


    Thus, rather than being a partner, she was, in fact, more like a burden.


    Although the others had their own fair share of issues, they all avoided Ra Mi without fail when they had to carry out a mission.


    <i>¡®Whew...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Okay, fine. I¡¯ll go with Ra Mi. Then, Peng Tianhao, So Gun-Pil, and Ha Gun-Choong will go together; Mu Bi, Tang Yuk, and Zhu Mubai will go together. Peng Tianhao and Mu Bi, you¡¯re the leaders, okay?¡±


    While Peng Tianhao was fine, Woo-Moon had been worried that there might be some dissatisfaction within the squadron about entrusting the third team to the rtively young Mu Bi. However, thankfully, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    ¡°Good. Then, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Woo-Moon led the others to the rendezvous point before exining each of their individual scouting routes before they all separated.


    ¡°We¡¯ll rendezvous here in one hour. The mission starts now!¡±


    The two other groups departed, leaving Woo-Moon and Ra Mi behind.


    ¡°We should go too, Ra Mi.¡±


    Hearing her name being called, Ra Mi opened her eyes. Woo-Moon took that opportunity to exin quickly where they were going while she was awake.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Although it wasn¡¯t always exact, she would usually be able to stay awake for about seven minutes if she tried her hardest.


    Woo-Moon ran down the dark path while constantly checking on the sleep-running Ra Mi behind him, worried that she might veer off in her sleep and run somewhere else.


    Fortunately, she didn¡¯t seem to lose her way.


    As Woo-Moon thought that there might not be any enemies in his scouting path, he suddenly heard Ma-Ra¡¯s voice transmission.


    ¡ªWoo-Moon. Escape route blocked. Enemiesing from very far away.


    They were approaching so secretly that not even Woo-Moon had noticed it.


    Ma-Ra was following Woo-Moon from quite a distance away, at his request, using the distance as a better vantage point. Thus, she was able to discover the enemy and warn Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Ra Mi!¡±


    ¡°<i>Zzzz</i>..... Huh?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re surrounded. It seems the enemy nned to kill the scouting parties that came out of the encampment.¡±


    The ck Bull Gang seemed to have already predicted the moves of the Justice Coalition, banking on the fact that the Coalition had a lot to protect. They had set up traps for therge number of scouting parties that the Justice Coalition may have sent, worried about attacks to their rear.


    They had nned everything in advance¡ªonce the scout teams were far enough from the encampment, they would simply dispose of all of them.


    ¡°...what do we do?¡±


    Ra Mi woke up, seemingly having realized that things were serious. Seeing how nervous she was, Woo-Moon could sense that she would be awake for a couple of minutes.


    ¡°What do you mean, what do we do? We have to break through and return to the encampment. There¡¯s definitely a hidden troop here and that¡¯s why they¡¯re trying to block our reconnaissance like this.¡±


    Woo-Moon took out a fire stick from his sleeve and produced Samadhi True me, using it to light the end of the wick.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Yellow fireworks rose into the sky, signaling a retreat.


    ¡°Is it really okay to signal the others? There are enemies nearby!¡±


    ¡°What does it matter? We¡¯re surrounded on all sides, so we¡¯ll have to fight anyway. Let¡¯s go, Ra Mi.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Woo-Moon and Ra Mi quickly used their movement arts, darting to the rendezvous point as Ra Mi desperately tried to stay awake.


    Woo-Moon could see her struggle whenever he looked back from time to time.


    <i>¡®Narcolepsy, huh... now that I think about it, it must be a really hard condition to endure.¡¯</i>


    <i>Woosh, woosh, woosh!</i>


    Arrows came piercing out of nowhere, screeching through the air.


    ¡°Pesky flies!¡±


    Woo-Moon kicked off the ground and jumped up, removing his outer robe in one fluid motion and swinging it around. Most of the arrows raining down on him and Ra Mi were caught by the whirlwind caused by the swirling robe, falling helplessly to the ground.


    ¡°Ra Mi! Keep running!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    As he fell from the air, Woo-Moon grabbed whatever arrows he had actually caught in the robe, throwing them forward one by one and jumping between them to move forward. It was an ingenious way to avoid wasting time running on the ground.


    Suddenly, a group of assants of the ck Bull Gang, wearing all ck, blocked Ra Mi¡¯s path.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Instantly, Ra Mi unleashed a swift sword, cutting open the chest of the assant in front of her. Woo-Moon alsonded by her side and unleashed Raging Wind.


    ¡°Says who?¡±


    <i>Squelch.</i>


    Three men in ck fell down at the same time, spewing blood.


    Then, a girl wearing a flower gown suddenly appeared behind Woo-Moon like a ghost and shot something out of her sleeves. It was so transparent that it was difficult to distinguish what it was clearly. As it flew forward, it dug into the mass of assants without a sound, cutting into their necks.


    <i>Squelch.</i>


    Two Silver Moon Discs sent six heads flying into the air before returning to Ma-Ra¡¯s hands, this time soaked in blood.


    As soon as she caught them, her figure disappeared into the darkness again. At the same time, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword swung in another arc, sending blood flying everywhere.


    ¡°You could¡¯ve ambushed literally anyone else, but you just had to ambush us!¡±


    Woo-Moon stepped on the corpse of a man in ck and jumped forward, unleashing a Raging Wind Palm.


    <i>Wooosh!</i>


    Thepressed air flew at an incredible speed, pulverizing the upper body of the person in ck closest to him while also breaking the neck of the one behind. Moreover, it didn¡¯t stop there; the palm wind continued forward, injuring the people further behind and throwing them in all directions.


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    There were a total of forty ck Bull Gang members blocking them. However, in less than five seconds, almost half of them had died.


    ¡°What the hell?! Aren¡¯t they just supposed to be a three-man scouting team?! Just what the hell is this?!¡±

 Chapter 121. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (17)

    <h4>Chapter 121. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (17)</h4>


    It was ridiculous. No one could have expected the Justice Coalition to send such experts as a mere scouting team; they were banking on the initial scouting teams being just normal people good at scouting, so they could just kill them and keep their location secret for a while.


    Of course, they knew that the Justice Coalition would send either greater numbers or experts if the scouting teams continued to be murdered. However, considering this was only their first scouting team ambush, they could never have thought this would be such a struggle.


    ¡°Go, call the others!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    One of the ck Bull Gang members quickly left the group.


    Meanwhile, the situation was turning even more unfavorable for the ck Bull Gang.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    As Ra Mi¡¯s swift sword whistled through the air, a line of blood spread across in the opposite direction.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The moment Ra Mi cut down an enemy, she suddenly froze and closed her eyes.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s our chance!¡¯</i>


    Although they were shocked by Ra Mi¡¯s sudden actions, the nearby ck Bull Gang Members quickly got over their confusion and rushed over.


    However, the moment they approached, Ra Mi¡¯s eyes opened.


    <i>Squelch, squelch, squelch!</i>


    Ra Mi¡¯s sword stabbed in three different directions almost simultaneously, piercing through her opponents¡¯ throats.


    <i>¡®Fuck, my heart almost stopped.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon stroked his chest, which hurt from the shock of seeing Ra Mi fall asleep again mid-battle. Forget about dying in battle, if this continued for long, he may actually die from a heart attack because of her.


    Suddenly, Ma-Ra appeared in the midst of the ck Bull Gang.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    She broke the necks of two of the assants in front of her before they even noticed her presence.


    ¡°An enemy...!¡±


    The moment one of them finally caught sight of her, she shot him in the eye with a bolt from her wrist crossbow.


    <i>Thwip! Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    The sound of the wrist crossbow firing consecutively rang through the air, as at the same time, the screams of the ck Bull Gang members around her echoed in the night sky.


    ¡°As expected of you, Ma-Ra!¡± Woo-Moon eximed in admiration. As he watched her in awe, three ck Bull Gang members swung at him.


    However, they only struck empty space; Woo-Moon¡¯s figure blurred before suddenly disappearing.


    <i>¡®Where did he go?¡¯</i>


    The moment they registered his disappearance, Woo-Moon appeared off to the side, sword pointed toward the sky.


    Suddenly, Lightsh glistened brilliantly under the moonlight before erupting into dozens, hundreds¡ªno, close to thousands of qi swords before raining down from the sky.


    <i>Heavy Rain!</i>


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    The seven ck Bull Gang members who were in the area under Heavy Rain copsed, blood spurting from their bodies.


    <i>¡®Now, North Wind, North Wind, and some more North Wind!¡¯</i>


    After unleashing North Wind three times in a row, all that was left was the ck Bull Gang member who had beenmanding the others.


    ¡°Now, it¡¯s just you left.¡±


    As he approached the sole remaining gang member, he suddenly cried out in an urgent voice, ¡°Ra Mi, run!¡±


    Having fallen asleep while standing again after killing her final opponent, Ra Mi was jolted awake by Woo-Moon¡¯s call and darted away.


    ¡°Woo-Moon. Many enemies approaching. Many experts,¡± Ma-Ra said.


    Woo-Moon had already figured it out through his senses, nodding as he ran after Ra Mi. Thankfully, they were able to escape before the new enemy could block their path again.


    But Woo-Moon suddenly stopped. He shouted at Ra Mi, who was still running without even realizing it.


    ¡°Ra Mi!¡±


    ¡°What? Are you not...?¡±


    Nodding, Woo-Moon replied, ¡°Hurry up and return tomand and report this. I¡¯ll stop our pursuers.¡±


    She had a strange look in her eyes, but she quickly nodded and continued forward.


    ¡°Now, good, good. Should we have some fun, then?¡±


    Woo-Moon sheathed Lightsh and drew Inkde before calling out to Ma-Ra yfully.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, I n on using what I learned from watching you. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°Good, then let¡¯s do it together.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t worried about the others. After all, the Wind Sword Squadron members were on a whole different level whenpared to any ordinary scouting team.


    <i>¡®Our army¡¯s tactician is supposed to be Ho Mu-Bok or something, right? What a smart guy. To think he anticipated the ck Bull Gang¡¯s intentions and even used us as the scouts.¡¯</i>


    As long as Woo-Moon was able to deal with their enemies now, the other squadron members would be able to break through the encirclement and return.


    The ck Bull Gang shouldn¡¯t have used that many troops to assassinate the scouting team¡ªit would have been counterintuitive to do so. Looking at the number and cultivations of those approaching, it appeared that all of their strongest reserve forces were probably running toward him and Ma-Ra right now.


    ¡°They¡¯ve arrived. Let¡¯s begin!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, Ma-Ra took out a transparent thread from her sleeve and handed one end to Woo-Moon before gesturing with her chin in the opposite direction.


    It was an extremely thin, transparent, and tough thread.


    The Formless Silk.


    Immediately figuring out Ma-Ra¡¯s intention, Woo-Moon took the offered Formless Silk and walked in the pointed direction. Once he arrived, he turned to see Ma-Ra lurking in the dark, holding the Formless Silk at about waist height.


    When she nodded, Woo-Moon raised his end of the Formless Silk to a simr height as Ma-Ra and pulled it taut.


    ¡°Hurry and chase them! We have to catch them before they inform their troops!¡±


    The forces of the ck Bull Gang rushed forward, using their movement techniques to the fullest.


    Even Woo-Moon found it difficult to distinguish the Formless Silk while standing still in the dark, let alone the rushing enemies. There was no way that their enemies would be able to notice it as they ran ahead at full speed.


    ¡°UGH!¡±


    <i>¡°Cough, cough!¡±</i>


    Among the approximately two hundred ck Bull Gang warriors who were chasing them, the dozen at the forefront simultaneously screamed as they split apart at the waist.


    ¡°W-what the hell?!¡±


    Although the ck Bull Gang warriors immediately stopped, dozens of people had already died bisected by the thin thread.


    ¡°It¡¯s an enemy trap!¡±


    It was only then that Cho Mu-Gwang, third of the Twenty-Four Ghost Generals and the one leading the ck Bull Gang¡¯s ambush forces, discovered the blood-soaked Formless Silk.


    ¡°Formless Silk! Those damned bastards!¡±


    Suddenly, the screams of his subordinates erupted again from behind.


    ¡°Agh!!!!¡±


    ¡°W-what the hell is this?! AGH!!!!¡±


    Blood was spurting out from two different parts of their force at the same time.


    Cho Mu-Gwang quickly turned around, trying to figure out what was going on. Although he couldn¡¯t see who had attacked them from the first side, on the other, he could see a young man with a ck sword disappearing into the dark.


    ¡°They¡¯re assassins! Be careful!¡± he shouted as he ran toward the young man and swung his mourning staff.[1]


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    ¡°Ugh, have I already been caught?¡±


    Woo-Moon blocked the iing mourning staff with Inkde.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Sparks flew as Inkde collided with the mourning staff. Woo-Moon immediately jabbed forward using Traceless Finger in response. Three streams of finger aura shot out from his index finger simultaneously and flew toward Cho Mu-Gwang.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Although he managed to block the aura with his staff, his hands went numb from the force. Surprised, he looked at his opponent¡¯s face, only to see someone quite young.


    <i>¡®What the fuck, am I being pushed around by a baby who''s still wet behind the ears?!¡¯</i>


    As Cho Mu-Gwang was still numb with shock, Woo-Moon attacked once again.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    His swordsmanship was so irregr and swift that Cho Mu-Gwang couldn¡¯t predict where a single blow wouldnd! Moreover, the attacks would also suddenly stop every so often, making it even more difficult to determine the next change in direction.


    As it turned out, Woo-Moon¡¯s Raging Wind had reached the next level thanks to the inspiration he got from the unique sword technique of Sleepy Sword Ra Mi!


    Before Cho Mu-Gwang could fall victim to the sword, however, a savior finally arrived.


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡±


    Two more ck Hand experts, the Twin Daredevil Murderers, with cultivations just slightly lower than Cho Mu-Gwang''s, joined the fray.


    ¡°Oh!!! Good, good!¡±


    They had no problem fighting Woo-Moon together. Not only was this a war and not a duel, but the ck Hand subscribed to no such niceties anyway.


    The three rushed Woo-Moon without hesitation.


    However, who was Song Woo-Moon? Hadn¡¯t he easily overpowered the three strongest experts of the Iron Sword Baek Family?


    The Twin Daredevil Murderers seemed to gain momentum as they attacked in unison. However, the three gradually began to be pushed back by Woo-Moon, their limbs unable to keep up with his speed.


    Still, there was a reason why the ck Bull Gang was famed for its numerous Transcendent ss experts.


    ¡°Ha-a-eup!¡±


    With a roar, the Four Maras[2], four emunicated disciples of the Shaolin Temple, came to help Cho Mu-Gwang and the Twin Daredevil Murderers.


    A total of seven people were working together!


    Just the attacks pouring in from all directions were enough to make a person dizzy.


    ¡°Tsk!¡±


    Nevertheless, Woo-Moon¡¯s fighting spirit soared. This was probably the most difficult battle he had ever faced, apart from facing Absolute Masters.


    <i>¡®I will win. I¡¯m going to win, no matter what!¡¯</i>


    Meanwhile, Ma-Ra was steadily reducing the number of the ck Bull Gang members as she popped out of hiding, killed a few, then disappeared back into the darkness only to appear again elsewhere.


    ¡°D-damn it! Where the hell is she?¡±


    ¡°Agh!!!!¡±


    They couldn¡¯t even tell where the enemy was. On the asion where they <i>did </i>discover her, all they could see was a beautiful girl wearing a flower gown, then blood sttering and their gang members dying.


    Although their enemy did not look in any way like an assassin, when she disappeared, no one could find her. Moreover, the empty expression on her face was more terrifying than anything else.


    Assassins were mocked and looked down upon, even among members of the ck Hand. Now, for the first time, these people became painfully aware of something¡ªa true assassin was nothing like what they had imagined.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    With a screech that sounded like the voice of the death god to the ck Hand members, the Silver Moon Discs¡ªno longer translucent but rather blood red¡ªspun around viciously, thirsting for blood.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    <i>¡°Cough, cough!¡±</i>


    Her wrist crossbows were equally scary. Normally, a crossbow wasn¡¯t any real threat to a cultivator. However, the bolts that shot out from Ma-Ra¡¯s special wrist crossbows were imbued with her qi, taking the enemy¡¯s life with just a single shot.


    Moreover, her weapons weren¡¯t just limited to the Silver Moon Discs and her wrist crossbows.


    Holding her razor-sharp daggers, she appeared everywhere like a shadow, slitting throats before disappearing. Without any of the ck Bull Gang noticing, she secretly wrapped the Formless Silk around three or four gang members, pulling on it to instantly split them in half.


    They didn¡¯t even notice it until the moment they died.


    This was the killing art of the Death God, the legendary assassin that had shaken the world to its core in the past and kept even the greatest experts from sleeping soundly.


    The sheer number of her enemies had no effect on her, and there was no emotion in her gaze as she plucked their lives one by one.


    ¡°Kill her! Kill her quickly!¡±


    The ck Bull Gang members were on the verge of going insane with fear. They viciously struck out, killing anything that moved. However, they could only kill something if they could see it.


    As time passed, there were only about fifty ck Bull Gang members left as Ma-Ra stopped murdering them and slipped back into darkness.


    When she reappeared, the dagger in her dainty little hand was sttered with blood. The first of the Twin Daredevil Murderers suddenly fell down, dead.


    ¡°Hyung!¡± the second Twin Daredevil Murderers screamed.


    He turned to Ma-Ra, shouting with bloodlust.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, you bitch!¡±


    However, Ma-Ra just nced at him with an emotionless gaze before quickly disappearing.


    ¡°Where the hell did she go? Ugh!¡±


    The second Twin Daredevil Murderers furiously stepped forward to find Ma-Ra, but he suddenly looked behind him as he heard a soft squelch.


    His angle of view shifted strangely, however, and all he could see was a red blotch.


    <i>¡®W-wha...¡¯</i>


    When he looked at the red blotch and the fountain of blood now spurting from it, he realized that it was... his own neck.


    He looked up to see Woo-Moon pulling his blood-stained sword back, standing with the same nk expression as the girl who killed his brother moments earlier.


    <i>¡®Damn...¡¯</i>


    Before he could finish his thought, the second of the Twin Daredevil Murderers also closed his eyes for thest time.


    It had taken seven people to simultaneously attack Woo-Moon to be able to gain a slight advantage.


    However, Ma-Ra appeared and assassinated the elder of the Twin Daredevil Murderers, while the younger, unable to stay level-headed, had died the next second. Now that only five of them were there, they would no longer be able to stop Woo-Moon.


    Cho Mu-Gwang felt goosebumps on the back of his neck.


    <i>¡®That bitch is like a ghost.¡¯</i>


    Things would have been easier if it was daytime. However, Ma-Ra was just that much more difficult to deal with on a dark night like this.


    1. Staff carried by the son of the deceased in a funeral procession. ?


    2. Four demons (usually in the metaphorical sense) who are said to interfere with one¡¯s attainment of buddhahood. The four are: Lord of Death (representing fear of death), Disturbing Emotions, Tainted Aggregates (referring to skandha, the five aggregates), and Son of the Gods (representing delusions and wrong views on buddhahood). ?

 Chapter 122. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (18)

    <h4>Chapter 122. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (18)</h4>


    After disappearing for a moment, Ma-Ra reappearedpletely opposite of where Cho Mu-Gwang and the Four Maras were looking.


    "Be careful!"


    Cho Mu-Gwang screamed as he sensed her reappearance. At the same time, Ma-Ra raised both sleeves and fired her wrist crossbows.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    Arrows rained down on the five.


    Even dealing with Woo-Moon right now was too much for them, leaving thempletely overwhelmed by Ma-Ra¡¯s additional attack.


    Woo-Moon used the Divine Phantasm Steps to get close to the five as they barely managed to knock aside the arrows. He silently swung Inkde, impossible to see as it assimted into the darkness, and simply ughtered all of them in a moment.


    Finally, as Cho Mu-Gwang¡¯s heart was pierced and he died instantly, the other members of the ck Bull Gang ran away screaming.


    ¡°Aah!¡±


    There was no need to chase and kill those who were running away. Moreover, Woo-Moon could feel his qi reserves bottoming out.


    He looked around after the battle ended.


    There were countless bodies lying everywhere. Although Woo-Moon knew that all of them were part of the ck Hand and deserved to die, he still felt strange seeing the corpses of those who had lost their lives at his hand.


    He felt stuffy¡ªas if a very heavy stone had been ced on his chest. He couldn¡¯t help but feel as though all of the corpses here had died because of him.


    Ma-Ra held no distinction between good and evil to begin with and waspletely desensitized to death. To her, any enemy of Woo-Moon¡¯s or hers was met with an ¡°either we die or you die.¡± She didn''t give it any meaning or value, so she naturally had no such worries.


    That was exactly why Woo-Moon felt as though he had killed all of those here, including those who died at Ma-Ra¡¯s hands. In times like these, Ma-Ra was nothing but his sword, moving in whatever direction he brandished it.


    True to her usual self, Ma-Ra was staring at Woo-Moon with an expressionless gaze, unimpressed by the piles of corpses by her side.


    ¡°Woo-Moon. What is it?¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Woo-Moon took the lead and set off, heading to the rendezvous point. However, his chest was still heavy and burdened.


    He had always taken his grandfather¡¯s belief that killing evildoers wasn¡¯t a sin. It had always been his motto, and he had lived that way without fault. However, seeing so much blood today, he just couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty.


    Although he had decided to cultivate in his own way and follow his own Dao, he wondered if he could really be a Sword Immortal even after spilling this much blood.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t know... what a difficult question. Really, so difficult.¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon had expected, although all of the other members of the Wind Sword Squadron were covered in wounds and looked exhausted, they still all returned safely and were waiting for him.


    As Woo-Moon had dealt with most of the reserve force, they had only faced about forty assants at most.


    As he continued back to the encampment with his squadron, he saw about five hundred Justice Coalition experts approaching from the opposite direction. They had great momentum, and their ranks seemed to include a good number of elites.


    ¡°Captain of the Wind Sword Squadron! What happened? I heard that the enemy set up a trap for the scouting teams.¡±


    Woo-Moon greeted Lee Chung, the Rear Guard Battalion leader, and exined what had happened.


    ¡°...so that¡¯s about it. Considering how far they went to stop our reconnaissance and the conversations they were having between them, the ck Bull Gang is most likely organizing a separate army to target the rear.¡±


    The gathered Rear Guard had also realized that the enemy organized a separate army by now.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you took them on all by yourself and won? And it wasn¡¯t just any old ck Bull Gang soldiers, but Cho Mu-Gwang, the Twin Daredevil Murderers, and the Four Maras? Hoho. And you¡¯re telling me to believe that?¡±


    The others with Lee Chung also couldn¡¯t believe Woo-Moon¡¯s words.


    ¡°You deserve to be praised for shaking off the enemy¡¯s trap anding back alive. However, it¡¯s quite careless of you to try to increase your reputation with such ridiculous bragging.¡±


    Although the Rear Guard knew that Woo-Moon had yed an integral part in the sparring tournament against the Hegemon n, they didn¡¯t think highly of him as they chalked it up to be a fight between the younger generation.


    Of course, none of them knew that San Woo-Gyeol wasn¡¯t a member of the younger generation. After all, how could they?


    Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t in a good mood right now, irritated that they wouldn¡¯t believe him. For that reason, he reacted so much more emotionally than usual.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to believe me, then don¡¯t. However, if you think I¡¯ll permit you to call me a braggart just like that, you are wrong.¡±


    ¡°What? You won¡¯t <i>permit</i> me? Ha! Not only is that not an attitude a talent of the younger generation should have toward a leader of the <i>gangho</i>, but it¡¯s also not an appropriate way for a mere Wind Sword Squadron captain to speak to me, the Battalion Leader of the Rear Guard!¡±


    Woo-Moon smiled coldly.


    ¡°I may be young, but I am not only the grandson of the great Palm Martial Emperor but also an elder with a rank equivalent to the head of one of the <i>murim¡¯s</i> Great Families. Also, I didn¡¯t even want to be the captain of the Wind Sword Squadron; I was offered this position by Martial Commander Pn Shin-Tong. I will step down if you wish. Is that eptable?¡± he said with venom.


    There wasn¡¯t a single thing wrong with what Woo-Moon said.


    However, Lee Chung still became enraged to hear a young man so much younger than him not only bluffing like crazy but also continuing to talk back to him so arrogantly.


    ¡°Although you may have a high rank, you¡¯re still younger than me. Respecting and treating your elders properly is a basic human duty!¡±


    ¡°Then are you saying that we need to respect and follow whatever our elders say, even if it''s wrong? Then what would be the difference between great leaders and tyrants who only insist on their tyrannical words?¡±


    Naturally, Lee Chung took that personally and didn¡¯t bother to think about what Woo-Moon actually meant.


    <i>¡®This newborn brat dares to teach me?! He dares to taunt me?!¡±</i>


    ¡°You little...!¡±


    Lee Chung was about to curse before Woo-Moon interrupted him, imbuing qi into his voice.


    ¡°Hey, let''s stop here. Considering it¡¯s an urgent situation, let¡¯s just say that I was wrong. You don¡¯t have the time to waste here right now, do you? Something big will happen if we don¡¯t catch the hidden force right now.¡±


    It was only then that Lee Chung also realized it¡ªthey were indeed on an urgent mission, and he couldn¡¯t afford to waste time on such a senseless argument.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be leaving here. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go to where I fought and see for yourself,¡± Woo-Moon ended coldly. After he finished, he, along with the other members of the Wind Sword Squadron, passed by the reinforcements and returned to the main encampment.


    ***


    Now that all of the forces of the Shaolin Temple, Beggar Gang, Zhuge Family, Hwangbo Family, Baek Family, and Namgoong Family had gathered together, the third army of the Justice Coalition was fully formed.


    Although the momentum had swung to the ck Bull Gang at the beginning of the war, not only did they haveparable strength now, but also, due to the fact that they were led by the Fist Emperor, the Justice Coalition would enter a more advantageous state as the war progressed.


    ¡°But why the hell do I have to act together with the Battalion Leader of the Rear Guard?¡±


    Woo-Moon sighed. Although his depressive feeling had subsided after a day or two, the thought of carrying out a new mission with Lee Chung, more specifically under hismand, all he could see was darkness in the days ahead.


    This mission was also an extension of thest one. The hidden force that the ck Bull Gang had set up in secret to attack the Baek Family still existed and had to be dealt with.


    After parting ways with Woo-Moon, Lee Chung chased after the enemies. Surprisingly, however, the ck Bull Gang''s hidden force included two of the Ten Demon Generals.


    The troops led by Lee Chung weren¡¯t enough to take the force down, and after a struggle, they returned in defeat.


    The ck Bull Gang had sent a total of four hidden forces to infiltrate into the rear. Considering the overall strength of their army, the Justice Coalition leaders thought that there wouldn¡¯t be any other forces secretly hiding anywhere else, an opinion that Woo-Moon also shared.


    Moreover, worried that they would be destroyed if they continued to travel individually, the four hidden forces also joined together and formed tworger forces after being discovered.


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    As the ck Bull Gang forces grew closer, Lee Chung called over all of the people under hismand at the rank of captain and higher to assign tasks. His face heated up the moment he saw Woo-Moon. He barely held back his anger as he cleared his throat with an unpleasant grunt.


    It was only after that incident that he had realized there was nothing wrong with Woo-Moon¡¯s words, and it had, in fact, been him who had erred on ount of Woo-Moon¡¯s young age. However, the way Woo-Moon had gone about it hadn¡¯t been the most polite of methods, leaving Lee Chung still angry.


    A small part of him did, in fact, feel sorry, as after returning from the fight with the hidden forces, he had run into the countless corpses of the ck Bull Gang that Woo-Moon had mentioned.


    Of course, not all of his questions had been answered due to the number of corpses who had died from weapons other than the swords that Woo-Moon obviously used. But in any case, as the number of dead was the same as what Woo-Moon had reported, it was impossible for them not to believe him at all.


    However, because he was so stubborn and stubborn still, Lee Chung couldn¡¯t bring himself to admit it even to himself, much less to Woo-Moon.


    He was worried that he had been the one to make a mistake, and he was horrified to think of the humiliation he would have to face if that really was the case.


    <i>¡®What an arrogant little brat...¡¯</i>


    Lee Chung once again surreptitiously red at Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®And what are you going to do about it, you old man who doesn¡¯t act his age?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was just as irritated with Lee Chung as the Battalion Leader was with him. When Lee Chung red at him, he couldn¡¯t help but re right back.


    After holding a staring contest for a moment, Lee Chung realized that he had a mission to hand out, so he looked away for a moment before starting to exin.


    The gist of the entire operation was as follows.


    They would split the forces of the Justice Coalition ording to their mastery of their movement arts. The half that could travel quickly would take a detour to block the enemy¡¯s march, while the half with slower movement arts would attack the rear.


    It was a simple yet effective tactic that took advantage of the characteristics of people in the <i>murim.</i>


    The most crucial part of this n was for the troops blocking the path and the troops attacking the rear to enter the battle at the same time. While a slight dy may be eptable, if their timing was off by too much, whichever side engaged first would be destroyed, resulting in a crushing defeat overall.


    <i>¡®If those bastards have any wit to them, they would aim for and attack whichever troopes first with everything they have and try to wipe them out quickly.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon, who had been listening quietly, raised a hand.


    ¡°What is it, Wind Sword Squadron Captain?¡±


    ¡°Our Wind Sword Squadron should have the highest average martial skill. We offer to y the role of coordinating the time to enter the battle between the diversionary force and the rear force.¡±


    This coordination was the key that could determine victory and defeat in this battle. Thus, Woo-Moon wanted to take on that role himself.


    <i>¡®We have to win. I refuse to lose anything, no matter what.¡¯</i>


    However, Lee Chung just snorted in response.


    ¡°The Wind Sword Squadron should have the highest average martial skill? This is the first time I''ve heard something like that, hoho! We¡¯re speaking of the same Wind Sword Squadron that was evaluated as the weakest of the Five Swords of Heavenly Justice, correct? You mean that evaluation is incorrect? Moreover, why would you, of all people, take on the easiest task? If your martial skills really are high, shouldn¡¯t you take the lead in battle?¡±


    The others who had been with Lee Chung two nights ago also agreed with him solely because they didn¡¯t like Woo-Moon.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Battalion Leader.¡±


    ¡°To think that you bragged as if you didn¡¯t know how high the heavens were, just to try to stand back and save yourself from battle.¡±


    Lee Chung hadpletely misinterpreted Woo-Moon¡¯s intentions. It was only because he hated Woo-Moon. Nothing more, nothing less.


    ¡°You say that the Wind Sword Squadron should have the highest average martial skill. Moreover, as the Captain of this terrifyingly strong Wind Sword Squadron, you even single-handedly defeated arge army of ck Bull Gang members. Don¡¯t you think you should be joining the diversionary force with me and blocking the enemy¡¯s path with that level of strength?¡±


    His ridiculously trapping logic made Woo-Moon realize his true nature.

 Chapter 123. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (19)

    <h4>Chapter 123. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (19)</h4>


    For a moment, Woo-Moon almost flipped the table over, not caring if he broke all pretenses. However, he bit his tongue and held back. Regardless of the method, they had to stop the hidden forces.


    It would be a horrible catastrophe if they were to miss them, leading to the Baek Family being attacked. In the end, he had to go along with Lee Chung¡¯s orders.


    <i>¡®Fine, you narrow-minded, stupid-ass old man, I¡¯ll let this go. This time.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll follow your orders.¡±


    Although he agreed, Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes were ring fiercely at Lee Chung.


    Thus, it was decided that the operation would begin immediately. During the brief time they had to prepare, Woo-Moon made sure Lightsh and Inkde were both in pristine condition, and also took a look at Ma-Ra¡¯s weapons.


    Since all of Ma-Ra''s weapons were unique weapons used by assassins, Woo-Moon greatly benefited from doing some maintenance on them, as that allowed him to gain some insights into their principles and uses.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, isn¡¯t this Tang Yuk¡¯s? Just yesterday, he was looking for it everywhere.¡±


    Woo-Moon was holding up a hidden weapon called a Blood Lotus, a weapon that Tang Yuk always carried around with him. As it was forged in the shape of a lotus, it looked extremely pretty.


    Inspecting it, Woo-Moon realized that although the weapon was quite deadly even as it was, the moment that someone were to try to block it or deflect it with force, its poison-covered lotus petals would shoot out in all directions, striking the enemy and whoever else happened to be around. Its impressive killing power would thus be most apparent in a crowd, where it could likely kill dozens of people at once.


    Still in her flower gown, Ma-Ra abruptly fell from the sky andnded right in front of Woo-Moon, staring at him directly.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked, startled.


    Ma-Ra stretched out her long, pale index finger and slowly brought it to her lips.


    ¡°Sshhhh.¡±


    Woo-Moon forgotnguage for a moment.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ma-Ra immediately disappeared again, leaving Woo-Moon even more confused than before.


    Suddenly, he was reminded of something he had learned from his grandfather: something about the Tang Family¡ªsomething about that incredibly closed-off family...


    The very reason they were so incredibly closed-off was their extreme reluctance to allow their hidden weapons and poisons to leak out. Moreover, if that were to happen, no matter who their opponent was, they would chase them to the ends of hell.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, you can¡¯t do this. The Tang Family is really sensitive to these things!¡±


    ¡°I use better.¡±


    Ma-Ra¡¯s response was simple¡ªthe Blood Lotus would be much more effective in her hands than Tang Yuk¡¯s. Moreover, she wasn¡¯t wrong. Although Tang Yuk¡¯s hidden weapon techniques were incredible, as expected of a son of the Tang Family, even he was inferior to Ma-Ra.


    ¡°Grr.¡±


    Knowing that Ma-Ra was just trying to be as utilitarian as possible and didn¡¯t have any bad intentions, Woo-Moon just patted her fidgety head and said nothing more.


    ¡°Anyway, you can¡¯t do this again. You¡¯ll get in trouble if you get caught.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Woo-Moon quickly finished his maintenance of Ma-Ra¡¯s hidden weapons and handed them back to her before anyone else could see.


    Then, as they prepared to leave, Sleepy Sword Ra-Mi suddenly came to visit.


    With her long, straight, unkempt hair hanging down below her waist, she walked forward as if on clouds.


    ¡°Thank... you for... back there...¡±


    ¡°No, no, there¡¯s no need for any thanks. I just did what I should have as the captain.¡±


    ¡°Xiahou Jinxian... wasn¡¯t like that. He... all he did was look at me with a strange gaze whenever I fell asleep...¡±


    Although she didn¡¯t seem as innocent as Ma-Ra, Ra-Mi also looked pure in her own way. Moreover, Woo-Moon felt like she was as pure as she looked, too.


    <i>¡®Well, it makes sense. She spends most of her day sleeping because of her narcolepsy, anyway.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Can your illness be cured?¡± he asked.


    However, in the time that it took him to ask, Ra-Mi fell asleep once again. Woo-Moon called her name again to wake her up before repeating his question.


    With a heavy-lidded gaze, Ra-Mi looked at Woo-Moon for a moment before responding.


    ¡°There is no cure. However, my father says...¡±


    She fell asleep again before she could finish her sentence, forcing Woo-Moon to call out once more.


    ¡°Ra-Mi!¡±


    ¡°...huh? I need to cultivate to the... Absolute... if I can reach the Absolute stage, my narcolepsy would disappear.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Woo-Moon agreed with her father¡¯s theory as well. His grandfather had also told him about the Absolute realm and how one could freely control all aspects of their body once one reached that level. For Absolute Masters, beings who could stop even aging, a natural and inevitable experience to all living beings, curing one¡¯s own illnesses was as simple as breathing.


    Ra-Mi wasn¡¯t one to normally speak at length with anyone. After having been hurt frequently when she was young, she was reluctant to speak or get close to anyone, especially men. Even if she were to have a conversation, she would turn around without hesitation if the other person seemed even the slightest bit bored or bothered.


    However, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t show anything like that whatsoever, so she wanted to speak with him more.


    Above all, he had never once looked at her with a strange gaze.


    ¡°My father... he found a practical martial technique after great difficulty... and eventually taught me the Sixth-Sense Sword.¡±


    Woo-Moon realized the sword technique Ra-Mi had been taught was the reason she would instinctively react and attack if anyone approached her or posed a threat within a certain range, even when she was sleeping.


    <i>¡®So the Sixth-Sense Sword, huh...¡¯</i>


    Although she may not have said it out loud, Ra-Mi had definitely been scarred as a young girl by the acts of many people, particrly men, before she was able to use the Sixth-Sense Sword properly. Horrible things were bound to happen to her whenever she inevitably fell asleep, as many people coveted her body after finding out about her illness.


    Fortunately, her father had assigned a hidden guardian to her, who was able to protect her in such instances. However, the more it happened, the more emotionally damaging it was, and it thus became the driving force for her to practice the Sixth-Sense Sword as diligently as she could, even through her narcolepsy.


    Although she had not said anything directly, Woo-Moon understood¡ªit was obvious as long as one thought even a little about her situation.


    The more he understood about her, the more pitiful Ra-Mi¡¯s figure seemed.


    ¡°Attention! Depart!¡±


    A voicemanding their departure echoed from afar.


    ¡°Ra-Mi, let¡¯s go now.¡±


    ¡°...mmm."


    As the diversionary force was made up of only those with excellent movement techniques, its traveling speed was incredible. It wasn¡¯t long before it was able to overtake the ck Bull Gang¡¯s hidden force.


    The ck Bull Gang also discovered them as they approached.


    Seeing that the enemy was busy sounding the rm, Lee Chung was momentarily flustered.


    <i>¡®The chances of them discovering our n and running increases the more time passes. What should I do next?¡¯</i>


    The Justice Coalition had mobilized an incredible portion of its forces to capture the hidden force of the ck Bull Gang. This meant that the forces on the frontlines directly defending against the ck Bull Gang had been reduced topensate.


    They had to quickly take care of the hidden forces behind their defensive lines and return to the front line in order to avoid losing the war, which could break out at any moment.


    ¡°Has the messenger arrived yet?¡±


    "No, they haven¡¯t!"


    ¡°Damn it! When the hell is the rear force arriving? The enemy will flee again if this continues for much longer!¡±


    The diversionary force had been so fast that it seemed the messenger had been unable to keep pace properly.


    ¡°We have to keep waiting. If we intercept the enemy with just our forces, we¡¯ll take heavy damage and fall into dire straits if the rear force arrives toote. Even if it means we lose the enemy here and now, we have to be patient,¡± Woo-Moon advised Lee Chung.


    Unfortunately, it just had to be Woo-Moon who said these words¡ªthe one man Lee Chung simply refused to listen to. He wanted to prove that he was right, which led to him opposing Woo-Moon¡¯s advice just for the sake of opposing.


    ¡°And what could a mere Wind Sword Squadron Captain know that he keeps acting so audaciously? I trust the rear force. They definitely must be close by now. If we miss this opportunity, the enemy will be even more wary, and we¡¯ll never know when another opportunity will arise in the future. We march, attack the enemy!¡±


    Lee Chung ran ahead, with the entire diversionary force following behind him.


    At that moment, their enemy also realized the n to surround them and pincer them from the front and back. Of course, they bolted away.


    ¡°Damn it! He¡¯s like an impatient grandpa.¡±


    Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t hold himself back and started cursing from the side, while the members of the Wind Sword Squadron burst intoughter around him.


    ¡°Let''s go."


    Woo-Moon ran after Lee Chung, arriving to see an already-unfolding battle.


    ¡°We¡¯re heading over there!¡±


    Woo-Moon motioned to a part of their lines that was being particrly pushed back.


    Just as he arrived and started fighting, one of the four present Ten Demon Generals shouted at his troops, ¡°Attack with all your might! Don¡¯t worry about preserving your lives, just push forward! If we dy here, we¡¯ll be surrounded! We have to kill them all before the others arrive!¡±


    As expected, they had also noticed it.


    <i>¡®Damn it, why hasn¡¯t the rear force arrived yet? Something is going to go wrong if they don¡¯t arrive soon!¡¯</i>


    Even though the rear force should have arrived by now, they were nowhere in sight.


    As Woo-Moon had expected, the members of the Wind Sword Squadron didn¡¯t fight with much effort like the rumors had said. All they did was protect their surroundings while dealing with any approaching enemies.


    However, Woo-Moon had no reason to me them and just said, ¡°You guys stay here! I¡¯m going ahead and fighting!¡±


    In truth, strategy yed much less of a role in a war within the <i>murim</i> aspared to a war with ordinary soldiers. The difference in power between individuals was simply too severe.


    This was the <i>murim</i>, where one could cut down a hundred with a single swing just to turn and cut down a thousand more.


    <i>Tap! Thud, thud, thud!</i>


    After kicking off the ground and stepping on the head of the gang member in front of him, Woo-Moon continued to step on the heads of the crowded group of gang members as he moved forward.


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    ¡°Stop him!¡±


    All of those he stepped on died immediately with their necks bent at odd angles. A few momentster, Woo-Moon quicklynded in the midst of the enemy and twisted around, swinging his sword.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    A circle of blood formed around him, spewing out in all directions.


    Arge hole in the enemy lines appeared around Woo-Moon in a split second. He stopped spinning and fired two Raging Wind Palms in front of him.


    ¡°Aghk!!!!!¡±


    Dozens of gang members were struck by the palm winds at the same time, flying backward and getting crushed.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Ma-Ra appeared like a ghost among those surrounding Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®A girl?¡¯</i>


    When one of the gang members opened his eyes wide in surprise, a dart fired by Ma-Ra flew and directly pierced through his eye.


    Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra flew around like wolves in a flock of sheep, blood spraying in all directions from the center of the ck Bull Gang¡¯s force.


    Meanwhile, the ck Bull Gang¡¯s experts were fighting Lee Chung, and the Justice Coalition experts supported him. In the middle of their fray, they spotted Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra¡¯s ughter from a distance.


    ¡°Who the hell is that bastard?! Go and kill him quickly!¡±


    Woo-Moon was still a critical variable in this battle, as the ck Bull Gang was still unaware of his existence and the extent of his abilities. They could not possibly expect someone of his caliber to be fighting among the troops in a measly squadron captain position. If the captain present during this battle had been Xiahou Jinxian instead of Woo-Moon, the situation would have been much worse.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    After receiving the order, two of the Ten Demon Generals leaped away from their battle and ran toward Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra. The warriors of the Justice Coalition between them dropped like flies, spewing blood in session.


    ¡°How audacious!¡±


    ¡°How dare you go this deep into our lines with just the two of you!¡± shouted the two of the Ten Demon Generals, the ck and White Impermanence.[1]


    They released a ck and white palm force respectively as they attacked Ma-Ra and Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Ma-Ra is disadvantaged when she¡¯s forced to confront experts head-to-head out in the open like this!¡¯</i>


    "Ma-Ra!" Woo-Moon shouted.


    She immediately read the intention in his gaze.


    Woo-Moon tightly grabbed her hand and yanked her back hard.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    She flew over his head and handed behind him as his palm, and her hand moved simultaneously!


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    Dozens of hidden weapons fired from Ma-Ra¡¯s pale white hands, turning those attacking Woo-Moon from behind into porcupines. Woo-Moon¡¯s left hand sted forward with a Raging Wind Palm while his left hand shed forward with Lightsh.


    1. The ck and White Impermanence, or Heibai Wuchang, are two Chinese death deities that serve under the Supreme Judge of Hell and guide the dead to the underworld. ?

 Chapter 124. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (20)

    <h4>Chapter 124. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (20)</h4>


    <i>Bang!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Woo-Moon took three steps back, pushed by the stronger-than-expectedbined technique of ck and White Impermanence.


    <i>Tap, tap, tap!</i>


    As Woo-Moon retreated, Ma-Ra crouched low and ran beside him, jumping straight into the shadow of ck Impermanence.


    ¡°They¡¯re using assassination arts, be careful!¡±


    Right as White Impermanence shouted in rm, Ma-Ra appeared behind not ck Impermanence but White Impermanence, and swung her sword.


    ¡°You bitch!¡±


    With ck Impermanence¡¯s aid, White Impermanenceshed out with the Frigid Yin Palm Force. It was such a terrifying attack that it made Ma-Ra frown, and she responded with a kick not to block the attack, but to push herself back.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    She used the counterforce from the Frigid Yin Palm Force to fly back andnd behind Woo-Moon again, disying an excellent grasp of the concept of borrowing another¡¯s power to string one¡¯s bow. [1]


    Woo-Moon immediately noticed her stumble, unlike herself, and he quickly grabbed her hand. He looked down at her feet and saw her frost quickly creep up her robes. White Impermanence¡¯s Frigid Yin Palm Force was quite formidable. Although Ma-Ra had avoided the brunt of the palm force, she was still affected by the Frigid Yin Qi contained within it. Unfortunately, her outstanding martial skills made one easily forget that she was still very young, and her cultivation was not quite there yet.


    Woo-Moon hurriedly circted the qi of the Forbidden Divine Art and imbued it into Ma-Ra¡¯s body, gradually dissipating the creeping Frigid Yin Qi.


    ¡°These little brats are quite skilled.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, we should nip them in the bud, then. Since they¡¯re here, they must have prepared themselves to die, right?¡±


    The Ten Demon Generals were some of the ck Bull Gang¡¯s most famous representative experts. Like Woo-Moon, they were Transcendent experts who had reached the threshold of the Absolute realm.


    Woo-Moon smirked. ¡°Big words, let¡¯s see if you can pull that off with just the two of you.¡±


    ¡°You arrogant brat!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll crush that arrogant mouth of yours!¡±


    ck Impermanence¡¯s ck palm force, filled with an absolute venom, and White Impermanence¡¯s palm force imbued with cold qi rushed forward simultaneously.


    ¡°You seem to think you have the upper hand here, but you¡¯re mistaken. We just haven¡¯t shown our true skills yet!¡±


    At Woo-Moon¡¯s shout, Ma-Ra jumped into the air and disappeared. Woo-Moon gripped Lightsh firmly the moment she vanished and began to disy the Gentle Celestial Sword.


    <i>¡®For now, I¡¯ll block their attack first!¡¯</i>


    Golden light spread brilliantly around Woo-Moon as a round wall appeared in front of him, blocking thebined palm force of ck and White Impermanence.


    Although he wasn¡¯t pushed back three steps like before, Woo-Moon''s feet still dug into the ground, leaving furrows.


    <i>¡®Imprable GoldenWall Second Form, Golden Wall Severing Void!¡¯</i>


    It was the second form of the Imprable Golden Wall¡ªsomething he hadprehended after seeing Gong Do¡¯s techniques during the spar with the Hegemon n.


    As Woo-Moon spun and flung out the shield formed of sword aura, it molded into a massive disc and flew toward ck and White Impermanence.


    Sensing something unusual about Woo-Moon¡¯s blow, ck and White Impermanence suddenly stood shoulder to shoulder, each imbuing their palms with qi and unleashing them forward.


    The two streams of palm aura, one ck and one white, stretched out like dragons and sted forward, wrapping around each other and merging into a single stream before colliding with Golden Wall Severing Void.


    <i>BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!</i>


    The sh was explosive, but Golden Wall Severing Void actually held up against the merged palm force of ck and White Impermanence! It was ground away eventually, but it had already fulfilled its mission.


    <i>''North Wind!''</i>


    Although Golden Wall Severing Void had been overwhelmed, it had significantly weakened ck and White Impermanence¡¯s fusion technique. Thus, Woo-Moon quickly cleaved forward with his Lightsh d in sword aura, unleashing North Wind.


    At the same time, Ma-Ra appeared between Woo-Moon and ck and White Impermanence, swinging both her arms forward at the same time.


    <i>Thwip, thwip!</i>


    Silver Moon Discs shot out from both sleeves, flying forward like beams of light.


    ¡°Be careful. Those are Silver Moon Discs!¡± ck Impermanence shouted, recognizing the weapons that used to be the Savage Twin Moon Monster¡¯s signature weapons. The two narrowly avoided them; the weapons were hard to see, but they were not beyond the duo¡¯s abilities.


    However, Ma-Ra¡¯s bombardment didn¡¯t end there. The next moment, bolts poured out of their sleeves.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    ck and White Impermanence separated, dodging to the sides in the nick of time. Bolts continued to pop out, following their escape paths.


    ¡°My turn!¡±


    Taking advantage of the growing distance between their enemies, Woo-Moon rushed toward ck Impermanence.


    ck Impermanence was busy dodging the bolts, and when he saw Woo-Moon approaching at incredible speed, he was flustered.


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    Ma-Ra caught the Silver Moon Discs, which had returned to her after a long flight, and promptly disappeared, while Cold Snow blew forward from Woo-Moon¡¯s sword.


    Although it seemed slow at first, Cold Snow hid an infinite array of transformations!


    Thinking Woo-Moon¡¯s attack was nothing special beyond the momentary surprise, ck Impermanence immediately struck back with his own palm. However, he was shocked to see Woo-Moon¡¯s swording down on his arm after cleverly avoiding his palm force with an unimaginable snake-like movement.


    Seeing ck Impermanence losing momentum as he fought against Woo-Moon alone, White Impermanence made to rush over. However, he suddenly sensed dangering from beneath his feet and quickly jumped back.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    In a split second, Ma-Ra had whipped out the Formless Silk in an effort to cut through his ankles. However, she failed to achieve her goal due to his quick reaction and only ended up slicing off a part of his shoes.


    <i>¡®J-just what the hell is with these brats? How can these children be so strong?!¡¯</i>


    <i>ng!!!</i>


    Suddenly, an explosion forced White Impermanence to raise his head hurriedly. He looked up to see ck Impermanence falling back with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Although ck Impermanence had managed to block Woo-Moon¡¯s Cold Snow, he suffered a significant loss after blocking Woo-Moon¡¯s subsequent Raging Wind Palm with a hasty Poison Palm.


    <i>¡®We¡¯re both going to lose if things continue like this!¡¯</i>


    Neither had any idea that their opponents were going to be such experts. If they had known beforehand, they would have definitely called over more of the experts on their side as well.


    Fortunately for ck and White Impermanence, as they faced an unexpected struggle, one of the higher-ranked of the Ten Demon Generals, Blood Knight, rushed over to save them.


    Running over with his dark-red sickle and chain, Blood Knight soared into the sky and hurled his sickle viciously.


    Woo-Moon was unaware of Blood Knight, and he only noticed thetter¡¯s approach when he heard the abrupt screech of the sickle and chain cleaving down from behind. Woo-Moon was barely able to turn around and swing his sword at the sickle.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Although he thought he had knocked the sickle aside, as soon as the dark red sickle hit his sword, it spun in a circle, and the chain wrapped around the de.


    Thinking that he had caught Woo-Moon, Blood Knight smiled eerily and pulled back on his chain, trapping Woo-Moon¡¯s sword even more securely.


    ¡°Tsk!¡±


    Although Woo-Moon tried to break through the chain with an incredibly fierce sword aura, things didn¡¯t work out as he intended, as Blood Knight also imbued his sickle and chain with aura to match.


    <i>¡®The chain must be forged out of Thousand Year Cold Iron!¡¯</i>


    Thousand Year Cold Iron was an incredibly tough metal, difficult to cut even when using sword aura.


    Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra instantly fell into crisis following Blood Knight''s intervention. No matter how strong Woo-Moon was, there was no way he would be fine when he was taking on three of the Ten Demon Generals, who were rumored to be able to go toe to toe with Absolute Masters if they worked together.


    Seeing that Woo-Moon was locked inbat, White Impermanence rushed over so as not to miss the opportunity. And since Woo-Moon was in danger, Ma-Ra wasn¡¯t able to wait for an opening; instead, she was forced to show up in the open and block him directly.


    ¡°You bitch!¡±


    White Impermanence fired two streams of palm force directly at Ma-Ra. He indiscriminately attacked both her and the surroundings, worried that she might disappear once again.


    Ma-Ra knew that she wouldn¡¯t stand a chance if she faced White Impermanence head-on.


    However...


    Even amid her crisis, she briefly nced at Woo-Moon, who was struggling to break free from the chain behind her. Determination sparkled in her eyes as she hurled her two Silver Moon Discs with as much strength as she could muster.


    ¡°Ma-Ra!¡±


    Woo-Moon''s urgent shout came from behind her.


    <i>ng!!</i>


    In the end, the Silver Moon Discs were unable to withstand White Impermanence¡¯s double-palm attack and were knocked into the sky. Moreover, the streams didn¡¯t dissipate there, and the Frigid Yin Palm Force continued to rush forward, threatening to destroy Ma-Ra¡¯s petite figure.


    In her moment of desperation, as she was about to face an attack impossible to block, her vision suddenly grew dark.


    All she could see was a broad back, the figure of someone she trusted.


    Woo-Moon.


    As soon as he saw that she was in danger, he actually just let go of Lightsh instead of continuing to struggle. It was such a simple solution that he was dumbfounded as to why he hadn¡¯t thought of it earlier.


    Naturally, Blood Knight never even entertained the notion that Woo-Moon would so easily give up his sword, which to a swordsman was more important than his life. He was thus forced to hurriedly dodge, as his own pulling force caused Lightsh to snap at his face at breakneck speed.


    While Lightsh barely missed Blood Knight¡¯s face and plunged into a nearby cliff, Woo-Moon used every ounce of qi in his body to bolster his movement technique. He dashed forward and stood in front of Ma-Ra, unleashing Heavy Rain before them.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    White Impermanence¡¯s palm force and Woo-Moon¡¯s Heavy Rain collided. However, this time, Woo-Moon¡¯s attack broke through White Impermanence¡¯s palm force.


    At that time, ck Impermanence rushed over after finally being able to suppress his seething qi and internal injuries and unleashed another Poison Palm.


    ¡°Woo-Moon!¡±


    Ma-Ra quickly thrust her sword and stabbed ck Impermanence in the heart. However, he had already nned on trading his life for Woo-Moon¡¯s.


    A squelch and a bang erupted at the same time.


    ¡°Bleergh!¡±


    Woo-Moon vomited blood profusely, suffering internal injuries after being struck on the right side of his chest by ck Impermanence¡¯s poison palm. At the same time, ck Impermanence died instantly after having his heart pierced by Ma-Ra.


    On the other hand, White Impermanence, who had been pierced in the left shoulder by Woo-Moon¡¯s Heavy Rain, cried out desperately.


    ¡°BLACK!!!!!¡±


    The two had been disciple brothers with the same master and had forged a brotherhood closer than blood.


    Rage filled White Impermanence¡¯s eyes as he rushed Woo-Moon. Blood Knight also rushed from behind him, twirling his sickle and chain menacingly above his head.


    ¡°Woo-Moon.¡±


    Ma-Ra touched Woo-Moon¡¯s shoulder.


    He had been hit with a palm force that contained all of the remaining qi in ck Impermanence¡¯s body and had suffered significant internal injuries. Moreover, the poison contained in it also prated deep into his body, making his situation even worse.


    Still, he fought hard to stand firm, bolstered by the amazing ability of the Forbidden Divine Art.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can still fight,¡± he said.


    However, the situation wasn¡¯t good.


    Blood Knight, a formidable Transcendent expert, was still in good shape, while White Impermanence was still able to fight, with only a single arm disabled from the hole in his shoulder.


    ¡°We have to win. No matter what, Ma-Ra.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    They had to win.


    Because that was the only way they could survive!


    Because only then could they protect each other!


    Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra had both resolved themselves: they would win.


    ¡°Tsk! What the hell are they doing over there?¡±


    ¡°I mean, why did they have to push so far into enemy territory on their own?¡±


    ¡°Does he think he¡¯s Zhao Yun or something?¡±[2]


    ¡°I think Xiahou Jinxian might have been less of an idiot...¡±


    The members of the Wind Sword Squadron also saw Woo-Moon fighting for his life from afar. Even in the midst of their half-hearted efforts, they secretly worried about him.


    They were all shocked during their first meeting, when Woo-Moon beat them all. Even though they didn¡¯t care much about being severely underrated by their peers, deep down, they all felt that they were the best among the younger generation. However, Woo-Moon was an absolute monster that they didn¡¯t even want to think about facing.


    Thus, they had assumed that Woo-Moon would leverage his strength to control and pressure them,manding them as he pleased. It was only to be expected; they all knew that the only reason the previous captains hadn¡¯t done so was not that they didn¡¯t want to but that they were simply too weak.


    Yet the exact opposite had unfolded: even though Woo-Moon could very well subdue them, he only disyed his force once at the very beginning. After that, he just let them do whatever they wanted.


    Even now, they were fighting half-heartedly. Yet he did not force any of them to do anything; rather, he went deep into battle himself, in order to ovee the disadvantageous situation caused by the rear force¡¯ste arrival and Lee Chung¡¯s unreasonable orders.


    Xiahou Jinxian certainlyined and bothered them if they made a fuss during dangerous missions, but they were well aware that he would never risk himself like that toplete a mission on his own. At most, all he would do was throw a tantrum behind their backs.


    Thus, seeing Woo-Moon¡¯s rxed nature, theyzed about even more and did as they pleased. They never would have expected that this would result in them being actually worried about this carefree captain of theirs.


    ¡°Damn it! Shit, are we really going to let Captain die like this?!¡±


    1. Using one¡¯s strength against them. This refers to how one has to brace a longbow on the ground and use one¡¯s body weight to string a bow. ?


    2. One of the Five Tiger Generals of Liu Bei. He was immortalized in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms for diving into enemy lines alone to save Liu Bei¡¯s son and ughtering his way out after killing Cao Cao¡¯s general. ?

 Chapter 125. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (21)

    <h4>Chapter 125. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (21)</h4>


    ¡°Of course not. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Although Mu Bi, by nature, didn¡¯t like killing, he still stepped forward and struck a gang member in the sr plexus, killing him instantly. It was his first murder on this mission.


    Peng Tianhao, who had always lived a carefree life in defiance of the Hebei Peng Family, which treated him poorly for being a bastard, also stepped forward to fight for Woo-Moon as well.


    Even the ever-sleeping Sleepy Sword Ra Mi saw Woo-Moon''s predicament and ran forward, using her movement art to the fullest.


    ¡°Damn it, we should go, too!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s still the captain, after all. If he dies while we¡¯re still able to fight, that¡¯ll reflect poorly on us. Ugh, but I¡¯m still worried about my clothes being stained with blood... Damn, I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    For the first time since they had been assigned to the Wind Sword Squadron, they were of one mind and one purpose, moving together to cut through the enemies and save Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra.


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra were on the edge of a knife.


    The sickle wielded by Blood Knight was about to rip open Woo-Moon¡¯s chest. However, a suddenpressed sound wave flew in and knocked away the sickle.


    <i>¡®This is...?!¡¯</i>


    Subsequently, various hidden weapons flew forward, pelting Blood Knight and forcing him away from Woo-Moon. Mu Bi and Peng Tianhao rushed in with gauntlets and a saber, respectively, and attacked White Impermanence together while thetter was busy with Ma-Ra. White Impermanence stepped back, disconcerted by the sudden wave of attacks.


    ¡°You brats!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve...e to... save you... Captain...¡± Sleepy Sword Ra Mi said, suddenly appearing next to Woo-Moon. Her light blue clothes were stained with blood. It was the same for the others, a reminder of the enemies they had to fight through to get to Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra.


    ¡°I feel very ufortable. It seems I must throw away these clothes the moment I return,¡± Zhu Mubai said as he looked down at the state of his clothes.


    Unlike the others, he barely had a few drops of blood staining him. However, he was still frowning.


    By contrast, the one in the most severe state of disarray was the bald Ha Gun-Chung.


    ¡°Huehuehue! How refreshing! Come on, hit me, stab me some more!¡±


    All of his clothes were torn through during the battle, leaving him almost naked. Thus, he just ran toward the gang members with his bare body, giving and taking tremendous blows.


    <i>ng! ng, ng, ng, crack!</i>


    The gang members stabbed and cut at his seemingly defenseless body with swords and spears. However, rather than the sound of metal cutting flesh, what rang through the air was the sound of metal shing with metal. Ha Gun-Chung wasn¡¯t hurt in the slightest, a testament to his incredible physical cultivation.


    He knocked down a gang member, climbed on top of him, and savagely pummeled his face.


    ¡°<i>Cough, cough</i>... a little brutal, but impressive,¡± Woo-Moon muttered as he nced at Han Gun-Chung. Then, he looked around at each of the members who had activelye forward to help him and grinned.


    ¡°Thank you. Now then, should we show them the true strength of the Wind Sword Squadron?¡±


    ¡°Why not, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t want to, but considering it¡¯s the only way we¡¯ll survive this, I guess we have to.¡±


    ¡°So Gun-Pil, Peng Tianhao, and Ra Mi. Join forces to deal with that pasty-white bastard. Be careful. He may be injured, but he¡¯s still one of the Ten Demon Generals. Ma-Ra and I will handle Blood Knight, so the rest of you take care of the grunts!¡±


    Immediately after giving themand, Woo-Moon exchanged a look with Ma-Ra and rushed at Blood Knight.


    <i>¡®My qi¡¯s recovered to some extent.¡¯</i>


    Earlier, he had been unable to recover any qi because of the fierce progression of the battle. However, the Wind Sword Squadron''s arrival gave him a little time, allowing him to focus on recovery.


    The Celestial Sect¡¯s Forbidden Divine Art was <i>the</i> foundation of all Daoist qi cultivation methods, and it was incredible in all aspects. Thus, Woo-Moon was able to detoxify all of the poison of ck Impermanence in that short period of time, and all that remained were his internal injuries. Even those had been resolved to some extent, allowing him to exert about half of his usual strength.


    With hisbat power somewhat recovered and thanks to teaming with Ma-Ra, things were about to get a lot easier.


    Ma-Ra used her stealth technique and disappeared as Woo-Moon rushed directly at Blood Knight.


    Seeing as the talents who had suddenly arrived to save Woo-Moon had incredible skills, Blood Knight judged that the situation had be unfavorable and tried to retreat, only to be stopped by Woo-Moon¡¯s timely rush.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    The sickle and chain flew forward with an eerie sound, forcing Woo-Moon to jump to the side and narrowly avoid it. As soon as he saw that his attack had failed, Blood Knight swung his arm to the side, attempting to wrap the chain around Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon rolled forward and ducked to avoid the chains.


    ¡°You shameless bastard!¡±


    The Donkey Roll was a famous ¡°divine technique¡± that was rarely used by the people of the <i>murim</i>, who valued honor. It was a move that was only ever brought out in shame in moments of extreme danger. Blood Knight was so startled to see Woo-Moon casually use it that even someone like him, who was not bound by any honor or moral standards to speak of, couldn¡¯t stop himself from cursing.


    Woo-Moon, who had closed the distance between them thanks to the Donkey Roll, jumped lightly and kneed Blood Knight in the stomach.


    ¡°Can honor feed you?¡± he shouted.


    Blood Knight hurriedly pulled his sickle and chain backward while also raising a knee to block Woo-Moon¡¯s attack. Suddenly, he heard a whistle behind him.


    <i>¡®That assassin bitch!¡¯</i>


    As he quickly lowered his head, a Silver Moon Disc flying right at the nape of his neck barely grazed the top of his head.


    Sadly, there was something Blood Knight didn¡¯t know¡ªexactly how well Ma-Ra and Woo-Moon meshed.


    Knowing that Ma-Ra would use her Silver Moon Discs to attack even if they hadn¡¯tmunicated in advance, Woo-Moon swung his sword down just in time.


    <i>ng!</i>


    The Silver Moon Disc shed with the de, changing directions and plummeting straight down.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Blood Knight could never have expected that Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra¡¯sbination techniques could be this exquisite. He shifted backward, his back in a cold sweat. However, he was still unable to dodgepletely, and blood sttered from his knees.


    Blood Knight staggered, unable to stand properly as his legs had almost been cut through at the knees.


    Then Woo-Moon leaped forward, unleashing a Raging Wind Palm.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Blood Knight flew backward, hit directly in the heart. He rolled on the ground, his body going limp the moment it stopped.


    It was instant death.


    Almost as if nned, Ra Mi¡¯s sword pierced through White Impermanence¡¯s chest at that very moment.


    If he hadn¡¯t been injured, White Impermanence would never have been defeated by just three youngsters, however strong they were among their peers. He had been cut down due to abination of his shoulder injury and the exhaustion of his qi reserves after the fierce battle with Woo-Moon.


    ¡°<i>Huff, huff</i>....¡±


    Sleepy Sword Ra Mi, who had the honor of dealing the final blow to one of the Ten Demon Generals of the ck Bull Gang, gasped for breath. The same was true for So Gun-Pil and Peng Tianhao, who were staggering behind her.


    ¡°Tsk! You fucking monster,¡± Peng Tianhao spat when he saw Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon had a somewhat higher rank, but he was still simr in age to them. However, he had dealt with not one but two and then even <i>three </i>of these experts at the same time, while the three of them had a near-impossible time handling even a single injured one.


    If they hadn¡¯t been lucky a few times, they may have even lost their lives to him.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait for the rear force. We can just win like this and handle it ourselves.¡±


    Those were Woo-Moon¡¯s words, but his thoughts were different. The rear force might not just bete, but possibly nevere at all. They might have been wiped out by the ck Bull Gang.


    <i>¡®There was something strange about these bastards, too. They may have looked surprised, but the more I think about it, the more it seems like it was just an act. It almost felt as if they knew our ns in advance... We have a mole. I don¡¯t know who it is, but there definitely is a mole.¡¯</i>


    For now, the first priority was dealing with the gang members before them.


    While numbers were important in the wars of the <i>murim, </i>victory and defeat were still mostly determined in battles between experts.


    At this moment, as the Wind Sword Squadron had defeated three of the Ten Demon Generals, this battle was essentially a Justice Coalition victory, no matter how small their actual force may be.


    Now that they had some breathing space, Ma-Ra walked over to the fallen Blood Knight and took his sickle and chain.


    ¡°You know how to use a sickle and chain, too?¡±


    Ma-Ra stayed silent at his question, insteadunching the sickle toward one of the cliffs. When the sickle hit the cliff, it quickly rolled upward and cleaved right up its face.


    <i>ng!!!</i>


    Sparks flew, and a long scar appeared on the cliffside.


    Ma-Ra¡¯s hand twitched and the sickle and chain rapidly spun menacingly before quietly slipping into her sleeve. It seemed as though the long chain had neatly wrapped itself around her arm.


    ¡°Forget I ever asked anything. That Blood Knight guy was not worthy of this weapon,¡± Woo-Moon said, shaking his head.


    He could see Lee Chung far into the distance fighting with thest of the Ten Demon Generals, the Vajra of Pleasure.[1]


    <i>¡®I¡¯m not going to help you, you annoying old fart. You should suffer a little, too.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon began annihting the rest of the enemy gang members alongside Ma-Ra and the Wind Sword Squadron.


    Finally, he appeared behind the Vajra of Pleasure and cut his head off in the middle of his battle with Lee Chung, ending the fight with aplete Justice Coalition victory.


    ¡°You brat! How dare you intervene in my fight?!¡±


    Woo-Moon chuckled under his breath, seeing Lee Chung so furious his beard was trembling.


    <i>¡®You infuriating old man.¡¯</i>


    ¡°This is a war, not a spar, right?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you expect us to continue watching that endless spar between you and a Demon General while everyone¡¯s exhausted? Is that what you want?¡±


    ¡°S-still, you brat!¡±


    ¡°Can you stop throwing around brat-this and brat-that all the time? Pray tell, what did I do wrong? If I haven¡¯t done anything wrong, and you¡¯re insulting me just because you don¡¯t like me, then fine. Let¡¯s have one of those spars the <i>murim</i> loves right here and right now. What do you think?¡±


    Lee Chung¡¯s face turned red. However, he still couldn¡¯t bear to ept Woo-Moon¡¯s offer, as he knew that Woo-Moon had made the most significant contribution to killing three of the Ten Demon Generals. He knew that Woo-Moon was much stronger than himself.


    Moreover, the response among the others in the diversionary force wasn¡¯t good, either. They had all seen Woo-Moon dive into enemy forces alone, taking great risks to take down the opponent. It was because of his actions that they had eventually been able to win such an unfavorable battle.


    ¡°How can I spar with someone so young?¡±


    Lee Chung stepped back after mumbling an excuse, his expression looking as if the shit he was spewing really tasted like one.


    If Woo-Moon really was just a young talent, Lee Chung may have made a big deal out of it and thrown a fit. However, putting the difference in strength aside, as the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor, Woo-Moon was in a simr position to his own, making it impossible for him to do so.


    <i>¡®That fucking Palm Martial Emperor and his fucking grandson!¡¯</i>


    For some reason, Sang-Woon was being criticized once again. Still, it didn¡¯t matter. He had lived his life hearing a cacophony of criticism from all kinds of people. Actually,pared to that, it was refreshing¡ªthe beginning of a new generation, even, as whatever criticism Sang-Woon was getting now included his beloved grandson.


    ¡°Young Hero Song! You really are truly amazing!¡±


    As Lee Chung withdrew, a middle-aged expert of the Mount Hua Sect approached and grabbed Woo-Moon¡¯s hand.


    ¡°It was nothing...¡±


    ¡°No, no. It really was awe-inspiring! To think you could achieve such incredible martial skills and courage at such a young age!¡±


    ¡°Thanks to you, we won, Young Hero Song!¡±


    ¡°What young, he¡¯s just a hero! Hero Song!¡±


    Woo-Moon felt good hearing people support him. However, at the same time, he began to feel embarrassed and his face turned red.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it alone. I did it together with Ma-Ra, who is always by my side, and the members of the Wind Sword Squadron.¡±


    ¡°Oh!!! The Wind Sword Squadron!¡±


    ¡°I apologize for making assumptions about you just because there were rumors floating around.¡±


    The members of the Wind Sword Squadron also blushed. When have they ever received praise like this?


    ¡°This isn¡¯t that bad, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it isn¡¯t.¡±


    As they were chatting, Woo-Moon suddenly realized something.


    After the battle, Ra Mi was nowhere to be seen. He had originally assumed that she was just staying a little further back and would join them soon. However, as time passed, she was still nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°What about Ra Mi? Where is she? Hurry and go find her.¡±


    Only then did the other Wind Sword Squadron members look around in surprise, inspecting the surviving Justice Coalition members.


    However, none of them could see her.


    ¡°She¡¯s not here!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t find her!¡±


    1. In this case, Vajra is a euphemism... so his full title is Pleasurable Stiff Rod. ?

 Chapter 126. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (22)

    <h4>Chapter 126. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (22)</h4>


    Ra Mi, the beauty suffering from narcolepsy, was nowhere to be found.


    <i>¡®Damn it!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Ma-Ra! Find her.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As Woo-Moon and the Wind Sword Squadron made themselves busy because of Ra Mi¡¯s disappearance, Lee Chung ordered the diversionary force to move out, saying that they needed to go check out the rear force.


    While Ma-Ra searched around, she came across a set of footprints running away and a small, lighter set following behind it. She followed the tracks with Woo-Moon, and they eventually ran into Ra Mi, sleeping by the side of a smallke in a forest a little away from the battlefield.


    She seemed to havee all this way while chasing a fleeing gang member, as a corpse of one of the ck Bull Gang membersy at her feet.


    <i>¡®Huh?¡¯</i>


    Looking closely, there was a wound on the left side of Ra Mi¡¯s waist. It wasn¡¯t a minor wound, either, and blood flowed profusely down her leg.


    Now that he was looking at her closely, Woo-Moon could see that herplexion was stark white.


    He rushed over and tried to keep her from falling over. At that moment, Ra Mi opened her eyes and shed out.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    Woo-Moon imbued his hand with aura and grabbed Ra Mi¡¯s de while wrapping his other hand around her shoulder.


    ¡°Ra Mi! Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°...Ah. Captain... I¡¯m... cold...¡±


    When he touched her, Woo-Moon immediately noticed that she was incredibly cold, likely because she had lost a lot of blood.


    <i>¡®Did she not even notice she was injured or did she fall asleep before she could treat herself?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Woo-Moon, ointment.¡±


    After receiving the golden wound ointment from Ma-Ra, Woo-Moon stopped the bleeding by pressing Ra Mi¡¯s acupoints and applying the medication.


    In the meantime, Ra Mi fell asleep again and instinctively tried to attack again, forcing Woo-Moon to grab both of her arms and pin her down, striking her acupoints to render her immobile.


    He then picked her up on his back, and as he ran with her, he imbued her body with his qi to replenish her vitality.


    <i>¡®If Ma-Ra hadn¡¯t found her so quickly, she might have died from blood loss.¡¯</i>


    Her injury definitely wasn¡¯t fatal. Yet she had still ended up in such a severe condition because she had fallen asleep, leaving her unable to do even the bare minimum to treat her injuries.


    For some reason, an indecipherable anger welled up in Woo-Moon¡¯s heart. Eventually, he was unable to bear it.


    ¡°Damn it! Just what the hell are Ra Mi¡¯s parents doing? To think they would send her to the Justice Coalition in this state, don¡¯t they care that they¡¯re putting her in danger?!¡±


    However, it looked like Ra Mi was awake when he was shouting. From his back, she responded to his outrage in her characteristguid voice.


    ¡°You want... me to sit... at home... and sleep quietly?¡±


    Not knowing that she had been awake, Woo-Moon was so surprised that he couldn¡¯t answer for a moment.


    ¡°What¡¯s... different... between that... and dying? Dying after... only sleeping... for my entire... life... might as well... not live... at all.¡±


    It hadn¡¯t been that long since Woo-Moon had met Ra Mi.


    Actually, it hadn¡¯t even been five days since they¡¯d met for the first time at the squadron¡¯s quarters. During that time, they had hardly spent time together at all, let alone sit down together and have a good conversation.


    However, when he heard her words, it was as if a hammer hit him hard in the temple, and his tears almost started falling.


    He regretted what he said, feeling as though he had spoken too hastily.


    ¡°So... I told my father... and came to... the Justice Coalition. Even though... I can only... see, hear, and do... things in the split... seconds that I am awake... I still... like this...¡±


    Ra Mi understood that Woo-Moon had bothe to save her and that he felt ashamed right now. She thought secretly, <i>¡®... And because I came to the Justice Coalition, I was able to meet you, too, Captain.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon affirmed himself.


    ¡°I... I will definitely, definitely fix this! This narcolepsy, I¡¯ll definitely...!¡±


    As soon as he said that, an image came to mind.


    On the night that the intricacies of thendscape painting that the old Daoist had left behind disappeared, the old Daoist appeared in his dream, showing him visions of boys born with the Sr Physique. The old Daoist spoke to him about the endless years he had spent trying to cure the boys¡¯ illness before eventually being defeated, time and time again.


    Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t understood the pain the old Daoist had felt at that time. But now... now, he finally seemed to understand the old Daoist¡¯s feelings. <i>This</i> was why he had postponed his transcendence.


    ¡°... Thank you.¡±


    Ra Mi was so moved that she shed tears whileying on Woo-Moon¡¯s broad back.


    Even Ma-Ra, with her usual expressionless face, had faint traces of sadness and sympathy flickering deep in her eyes, though nobody could see them given the depths of the dark she was hidden in.


    As soon as they returned to the main force, Woo-Moon left Ra Mi in the physicians'' care and headed to the meeting hall before retiring to his living quarters and lying down.


    Just as he had expected... the rear force had been annihted by another separate force of the ck Bull Gang that had blocked their path in advance.


    Somehow, the ck Bull Gang was aware that Lee Chung was going to divide his troops in half and set a trap, and they did not merge their four armies as the Justice Coalition had expected. While the force that Woo-Moon had fought indeed consisted of two armies merged into a single force, the remaining two hadn¡¯tbined. Rather, one of the two pretended as if their numbers wererger than they really were, running away and causing trouble, while the remaining hidden force went underground to avoid being caught by the Justice Coalition scouts, and only emerging to trap and eliminate the rear force.


    Although they had taken down the rear force, they had suffered heavy losses. As soon as the ck Bull Gang¡¯s ambush force learned that Lee Chung¡¯s diversionary force had won against all odds, they fled and joined forces with the final remaining hidden force that was causing a ruckus on the other side.


    The Justice Coalition had lostpletely in both strategy and information. However, that didn¡¯t mean that there hadn¡¯t been any harvest.


    Through this defeat, they were able to discover a spy¡ªone of the soldiers who had been present when Ho Mu-Bok gave Lee Chung the order to divide their army into two forces. Now, the spy was being subjected to certain enhanced interrogation techniques.


    Thankfully, Ra Mi¡¯s injury wasn¡¯t serious, and it seemed as though she would be fine after a few days of rest. Meanwhile, Woo-Moon and the other squadron members got along much better after returning. However, they didn¡¯t spend much time conversing; even though they had grown close, each of the squadron members had their own distinct personality and lived in their own worlds.


    Eun-Ah walked around Woo-Moon¡¯s quarters, looking somewhat depressed. Sometimes she extended her ws and scratched at the ground in irritation.


    She was upset at being frequently left behind as the war with the ck Bull Gang grew. But Woo-Moon had no choice, as there were many experts in the war, and it was just too dangerous for him to take Eun-Ah with him.


    ***


    The ck Bull Gang¡¯s Lust Emperor frowned at his subordinate¡¯s report.


    ¡°So, our ns have failed several times because of that kid named Woo-Moon. Even our precious spy was killed, too.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Considering the various rumors and his achievements in battle, he appears to be a Transcendent ss expert who can¡¯t be evaluated as one of the younger generation.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... You said that he was the grandson of that absolute bastard Palm Martial Emperor, right? How annoying.¡±


    ¡°Yes. He¡¯s rapidly emerging as a new hero of the Justice Coalition, and as a result, the coalition''s morale has increased.¡±


    ¡°How unfortunate.¡±


    It was obvious that the appearance of a young hero would be a great boon to the Justice Coalition, and conversely, a pain in the ass for them.


    Among those listening to the conversation between the Lust Emperor and his soldiers was the Lust Emperor¡¯s twenty-seventh son. He had turned twenty this year and harbored great hostility toward Woo-Moon.


    Traditionally, the average level of the young talents in the ck Bull Gang was higher than that of the Justice Coalition. This was mainly due to the difference between the martial arts of the Righteous Faction, which showed great power at theter stages, and the martial arts of the ck Hand, which focused on immediate results. Naturally, he could not bear the idea that someone of the same age from the Righteous Faction was so strong.


    <i>¡®Hmpf! How dare a Justice Coalition weakling disturb our father¡¯s contemtion. I¡¯ll have to go and demolish him.¡¯</i>


    He rushed out of the ck Bull Gang¡¯s stronghold and headed to the fierce battlefield near Nanjing.


    ***


    As rumors spread, detailing Woo-Moon and the Wind Sword Squadron¡¯s triumphant victory over four of the Ten Demon Generals, Woo-Moon¡¯s poprity shot up in an instant, and he gradually began to be called a hero within the Justice Coalition.


    The Wind Sword Squadron had been tasked with dealing with the hidden forces that the ck Bull Gang had sent behind their defensive lines. However, after learning of Woo-Moon¡¯s growing poprity, Ho Mu-Bok found that to be a waste of potential. He thus consulted with the Fist Emperor, then ordered the squadron to be sent to the front lines rather than sitting around chasing small fry.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the famous Song Woo-Moon, huh.¡±


    The Fist Emperor scanned Woo-Moon and the other members of the Wind Sword Squadron assembled before him.


    The members of the Wind Sword Squadron were unusually nervous as they stood before the Fist Emperor. Mu Bi, who specialized in fist techniques, was the most nervous of them all, so excited that his face turned red.


    ¡°Captain of the Wind Sword Squadron, Song Woo-Moon, greets the Fist Emperor.¡±


    ¡°<i>Kekeke</i>. Look how polite the Palm Emperor¡¯s grandson is. Completely unlike that piece of... ah, sorry. I shouldn¡¯t say such words in front of his grandson.¡±


    It was... a strange situation.


    It would be odd for Woo-Moon to respond with ¡°it¡¯s fine,¡± but at the same time, it would be equally as strange for him to get angry. It wasn¡¯t as if Woo-Moon was insulted, as he knew that his grandfather and the Fist Emperor were close friends.


    Thus, he just shrugged and smiled in response.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already heard about your sess in the battles against the hidden forces of the ck Bull Gang. The fact that you could deal with four of the Ten Demon Generals and not only get out of that alive but actually end them, is really impressive. I¡¯ll be honest with you: at your age, I really don¡¯t think I could¡¯ve done the same, <i>kekeke</i>.¡±


    ¡°The squadron members¡¯ aid was essential to our victory. Moreover, I had the help of mypanion Lee Ma-Ra, who always stayed by my side.¡±[1]


    The Fist Emperor¡¯s gaze turned to Ma-Ra.


    ¡°Ah, I heard about you from the Sword Emperor. I wondered what the little girl who inherited the assassination arts of the Death God would be like, but I could never have imagined that she would be so beautiful. Hahaha.¡±


    Truthfully, the other Justice Coalition members didn¡¯t have a good impression of Ma-Ra.


    The members of the Baek Family and other young talents thought she was nothing more than a branch family member or something like that. They could never see her in a bad light; all they knew about her was that she was beautiful and she disappeared a lot. However, the mid-level and expert figures of the Justice Coalition saw beyond her exterior and recognized her as the assassin she was. And just as the Hegemon Emperor had pointed out... they did not like that.


    As a result, Woo-Moon had beaten up no small number of people who dared spout nonsense about her.


    But, as expected, the Fist and Sword Emperors were different. They couldn¡¯t care less what Ma-Ra¡¯s job was or what her background was; what they cared about was her allegiance, her actions, and her potential.


    As Ma-Ra just stood there with her usual nk expression, the Fist Emperor continued to speak.


    ¡°I called you here for a reason. You¡¯ve all done a great job and must be rewarded appropriately. As of today, the Wind Sword Squadron has been promoted one rank and is now the Wind Sword Battalion. Moreover, you will all be granted appropriate rewards in the future.¡±


    After finishing what he had to say, the Fist Emperor asked Woo-Moon for his captain identity que. Taking it in his hand, the Fist Emperor imbued his finger with aura and directly changed the character on the que.


    ¡°This is bestowed in the name of the Fist Emperor, Commander of the First Army of the Justice Coalition.¡±[2]


    Originally, doing something like this was difficult.


    The Wind Sword Squadron was a unit belonging to one of the Justice Coalition¡¯s battalions, the Five Swords of Heavenly Justice. However, the Fist Emperor simply pushed ahead with their promotion, saying that it would be ridiculous to leave the people who yed four of the Ten Demon Generals just by themselves as mere squadron members.


    Of course, since he was the Fist Emperor, even if he wanted to promote a chicken, no one could really object, much less now that there was solid reason to do so.


    With this, the Wind Sword Squadron officially separated from the Five Swords of Heavenly Justice, bing a battalion on paper.


    To the Fist Emperor¡¯s surprise, Woo-Moon and his subordinates were reacting very differently from he had expected.


    <i>¡®These little brats couldn¡¯t care less, huh.¡¯</i>


    However, that made him like them even more. As a true-blue martial artist, he naturally liked how none of them cared about fame or profit in spite of their young age.


    He burst intoughter as he carefully examined the face of each member of the Wind Sword Battalion and stored them in his memory.


    ¡°Hahaha, good, good!¡± heughed as he patted Woo-Moon on the back.


    <i>Thwack! Thwack!!</i>


    <i>¡®Agh!!! It hurts!!! It hurts, you barbaric old man!¡¯</i>


    1. Yes, Ma-Ra just randomly acquired a family name. Yes, it''s a generic Korean family name. ?


    2. In the previous chapters, it was stated that Seong Woo-Seok was themander and Ho Mu-Bok his adjutant, and the Fist Emperor becamemander of the third army. It appears that the Fist Emperor is themander of the first army, while Ho Mu-Bokmands the third. ?

 Chapter 127. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (23)

    <h4>Chapter 127. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (23)</h4>


    Although the Fist Emperor had just ¡±patted¡± him on the back because he was happy, the force of his blow was still staggering, even without any qi imbued into it. After all, the Fist Emperor was a generous butpletely tactless person.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Good. I¡¯ll see youter on the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    On his way back to his quarters with the members of the Wind Sword Battalion, Woo-Moon ran into Lee Chung.


    <i>¡®This really is a tiresome rtionship, you damned geezer.¡¯</i>


    Now, the way Woo-Moon referred to him had shifted from ¡°old man¡± to ¡°damned geezer.¡±


    As soon as Lee Chung saw Woo-Moon, he looked surprised before trying to pass by him with an ufortable expression. However, Woo-Moon called out to him from behind.


    ¡°Looking forward to our future coboration, Rear Guard Battalion Leader.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Woo-Moon just smiled and drew his new identity que from his pocket. The identity que personally modified by the Fist Emperor had the words ¡°Wind Sword Squadron Battalion Leader¡± clearly inscribed on it.


    ¡°B-battalion leader?!¡±


    Lee Chung was shocked. If that was true, then that meant Woo-Moon now had the same military rank as he did. As he realized the implications, his face turned sour, as if he¡¯d just tasted a particrly unripe lemon.


    ¡°H-how did the Wind Sword Squadron be the Wind Sword Battalion? The Wind Sword Squadron is one of the Five Swords of Heavenly Justice!¡±


    ¡°There, there, are you doubting me again? Do you really think I¡¯m the kind of person who would forge an identity que just to deceive someone like <i>you</i>?¡± Woo-Moon responded with a sly smile.


    Lee Chung¡¯s anger almost reached the point of boiling over. However, he realized that fighting Woo-Moon would not end well for him, so he suppressed it. He turned around and headed toward the military barracks, intent on finding out what the hell was going on.


    After confirming the facts with the leadership, Lee Chung gritted his teeth.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Long ago, he had suffered because of the Palm Martial Emperor. Now, the thought of that bastard¡¯s grandson showing up and tormenting him made him feel like he was going to die of rage.


    ***


    The next morning.


    The ck Bull Gang and the Justice Coalition were both standing at attention, facing off at a distance of three hundred meters. Worried that their situation would be increasingly disadvantageous as time passed, the ck Bull Gang had decided to engage in a direct battle to ovee the discrepancy while they could.


    As all diversionary operations using hidden forces had failed, this was theirst remaining method.


    They assumed that it would be worth a try as they still had a terrifying army¡ªthe Deathly Souls Army. This consisted of the remaining six of the Ten Demon Generals, the survivors among the Twenty-Four Ghost Generals, and their newly arrived reinforcements, two hundred of the ck Bull Gang¡¯s Peak ss experts.


    Fearing that someone would stop him due to the obvious danger of this exploit, the Lust Emperor¡¯s twenty-seventh son, Woo Cheon-Myeong, didn¡¯t let anyone know his intentions. He simply ran out of the ck Bull Gang¡¯s ranks, shouting at the opposing army.


    ¡°I am Woo Cheon-Myeong, the twenty-seventh son of the Lust Emperor, the ck Bull Gang Boss! If you truly consider yourself a hero, Song Woo-Moon,e out now! I¡¯ll take you down and show you the true strength of the ck Hand!¡±


    ¡°Who the hell is this crazy bastard?¡± Woo-Moon asked in confusion.


    Mu-Bi smiled from next to him.


    ¡°You should go forward. They¡¯re calling you, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Not really. He¡¯s calling for someone who considers himself a hero.¡±


    However, things weren¡¯t as easy as Woo-Moon hoped. Once Woo Cheon-Myeong shouted for him toe out for the third time, themander gave him the order to go and fight.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Seeing Woo-Moon finally emerge from the ranks, Woo Cheon-Myeong pointed his saber, engraved with the likeness of Asura.


    ¡°Haha! You must be shaking in your boots! I mean, it only makes sense. You Righteous Faction bastards are nothing but cowards who pay lip service to those stronger than you!¡±


    At this moment, the leadership of the ck Bull Gang was greatly disconcerted. They knew very well why Woo-Moon was disinclined toe out, so they could not help but feel dismay when they heard Woo Cheon-Myeong¡¯s words.


    As Woo-Moon walked calmly toward Woo Cheon-Myeong, the Lust Emperor¡¯s son finally crossed the line.


    ¡°I also know that your grandfather, that Fart Martial Emperor, only became a member of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors through a false reputation. Hahaha. I heard that he¡¯s actually a coward who pees himself at the mere mention of my father¡¯s name.¡±


    mes seemed to erupt from Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Hey, you... are you done?¡±


    ¡°Yeh, I¡¯m done. What the hell are you going to do about¡ª<i>ugh...</i>¡±


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon blurred and disappeared before Woo Cheon-Myeong¡¯s eyes. The next moment, thetter felt a searing pain in his heart.


    He looked down and saw Woo-Moon¡¯s sword impaled right through him.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re done, then let¡¯s finish this, it¡¯s getting boring.¡±


    Woo-Moon immediately pulled out Lightsh before swinging it again and beheading Woo Cheon-Myeong.


    Both sides, who had been watching nervously, forgot what to say for a moment. None of them had expected the duel to end so quickly. However, Ho Mu-Bok was quick on the uptake, and he signaled to one of his adjutants, who immediately understood the message.


    He turned around and shouted loudly, ¡°We¡¯ve won!! Young Hero Song won! Attack and wipe out those ck Bull Gang bastards!¡±


    ¡°AHHHHHH!!!¡±


    The leadership of the ck Bull Gang had initially nned to change the momentum if Woo Cheon-Myeong were to lose by putting up another Transcendent ss expert to defeat Woo-Moon, pride and etiquette be damned. However, they were so surprised and flustered that they were unable to even consider who to send forward before Ho Mu-Bok dered the results.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    The ck Mask Asura, the eldest of the Ten Demon Generals and themander of the ck Bull Gang Army, cursed to himself. He could never have expected that such a situation would suddenly arise because of some brat who still smelled of his mother¡¯s milk.


    With morale at an all-time high, the Justice Coalition warriors rushed like a tidal wave and attacked the ck Bull Gang army, whose morale was, conversely, at rock bottom. Woo-Moon also followed the troops, with the Wind Sword Battalion close behind.


    <i>Thrum!</i>


    So Gun-Pil elegantly ced his <i>gayageum</i> onto the ground and strummed it once, sting a sound wave that struck the twenty gang members at the front simultaneously.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    Without ever realizing what had attacked them, they all copsed at the same time, blood spewing from all five orifices. The sound-based techniques he used were most ideally suited forrge-scale attacks in the first ce, so they were much more impactful in arge battle setting than against a single person.


    Meanwhile, the others weren¡¯t messing around either. Zhou Mubai held a pair of long scissors and hacked away at various enemies. Tang Yuk continued to throw his hidden weapons, and Ha Gun-Chung mysteriously became stark naked again, just moments after jumping into the fray.


    Peng Tianhao and Mu Bi also used their respective saber and fist techniques to sweep away the enemies, while Ma-Ra and Woo-Moon stood off to the side, pushing an entire line of enemies back.


    None of the enemies in the Wind Sword Battalion¡¯s vicinity were left standing; they were sted away like dry leaves in the autumn wind.


    It seemed as though this all-out battle would ultimately end in an overwhelming victory for the Justice Coalition.


    The ck Bull Gang¡¯s army gradually fell as the Fist Emperor yed one of the remaining Ten Demon Generals and a third of their leadership.


    Suddenly, something happened that turned the battle upside down.


    A middle-aged man in a gorgeous golden coat flew in like a bird from far in the distance and attacked the rear of the Justice Coalition army.


    ¡°Ahahahaha!!!¡±


    With a loudugh, he grabbed the purple whip wrapped around his waist and swung it viciously.


    ¡°W-what the hell is that?¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes widened until they were almost perfectly round.


    An incredibly long whip swung toward the rear of the Justice Coalition army,shing directly into the throng of warriors.


    The heads of hundreds of coalition warriors flew into the air at once.


    ¡°You smelly Righteous Faction brats!¡±


    The man shouted again, causing the warriors near him to copse on the spot; their brains turned into mush. Those far enough not to be immediately killed by the shout still fell, clutching their bleeding ears.


    ¡°Lust Emperor, you piece of shit!¡±


    With a great roar, the Fist Emperor, who was violently pummeling the Ten Demon Generals,shed out with three fists simultaneously and killed three more of them. Then, he kicked the ground and flew toward the man who had just ughtered countless of the coalition¡¯s warriors.


    ¡°OOOORAHHHHH!¡±


    As he bolted toward the Lust Emperor, the Fist Emperor struck the void and punched violently.


    <i>BANG!!!</i>


    A storm broke out around them as fist aura sted forward, leaving behind a long trail.


    ¡°Ahaha! It¡¯s been a while, Fist Emperor!¡±


    The whip that had stretched to an incredible length to kill arge number of coalition warriors in a brief moment now suddenly shortened and spun, blocking the fist.


    ¡°Today, I will do something to create a better world and exterminate you!¡± the Fist Emperor cried.


    ¡°To create a better world? Ha! Don¡¯t be absurd! This world was made just for me!¡±


    The Fist Emperor and the Lust Emperor began a fierce battle that shook the heavens.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Aghk!!!¡±


    The Justice Coalition warriors around them died in droves like shrimps caught in the middle of a whale fight.


    ¡°Lord Fist Emperor! Your fight is causing us casualties! Please move away!¡± Woo-Moon shouted with all his might as Ho Mu-Bok sent his adjutant to deliver orders.


    ¡°Full speed forward! Move out to destroy the ck Bull Gang!¡±


    By moving forward, they intended to escape the battlefield between the Lust Emperor and the Fist Emperor, which was developing in the rear. Now, it was no longer just a question of winning the battle; if they didn¡¯t want to die, the Justice Coalition simply had no choice but to push against the ck Bull Gang with all they had.


    Although the Fist Emperor had to leave the main battlefield because of the Lust Emperor, the ck Bull Gang had no choice but to allow themselves to be pushed back, and the Justice Coalition¡¯s ferocious march cost them dearly.


    ¡°Retreat, retreat! Retreat!¡±


    The ck Bull Gang retreated at the ck Mask Asura¡¯smand. The ck Mask Asura wasn¡¯t worried for the Lust Emperor¡ªno, he didn¡¯t need to worry.


    His master, the Lust Emperor, was just as skilled as the Fist Emperor. Moreover, if the situation really did be unfavorable for his master, he would escape on his own. If he were to go and try to save him, the ck Mask Asura would lose all of his troops, putting them in an even worse situation.


    The victorious Justice Coalition soldiers continued to chase after the fleeing ck Bull Gang and took ground exceptionally quickly. It was important to take down their opponent whenever they had the opportunity.


    On the other hand, the members of the Wind Sword Battalion, including Woo-Moon, stopped chasing the enemy; instead, they watched the fight between the Fist Emperor and the Lust Emperor.


    ¡°Incredible!¡±


    ¡°Shhh. Don¡¯t speak, just watch!¡±


    There was a lot to learn from their fight. Woo-Moon waspletely focused.


    Because the Lust Emperor was trying to buy time, the fight between the Emperorssted quite a long time. It was only after about an hour that the Lust Emperor unleashed a flurry of strong attacks with his whip before using his movement technique and began to flee.


    ¡°Ahahaha! See youter, you stupid Fist Emperor!¡±


    ¡°You cowardly bastard!!! Are you running away again?¡±


    The Fist Emperor chased after the Lust Emperor, and Woo-Moon let out a sigh as he rxed.


    <i>¡®Just when will I reach that level?¡¯</i>


    By this point, the Justice Coalition¡¯s chase had ended.


    The ck Bull Gang ended up retreating with less than half of the initial force. However, for some reason, the Justice Coalition stopped pursuing their retreating forces after some point and instead prepared to retreat.


    It seemed that the war situation had changed significantly. However, as a junior-levelmander, Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t yet heard about it.


    After the battle, Woo-Moon did as he always did and went to the barracks of the Baek Family, only to discover that there was no one there.


    <i>¡®Where is everyone?¡¯</i>


    Flustered, he headed toward the central barracks where the rest of the warriors would be.


    As he got closer, he could hear the conversation within the main tent.


    ¡°What about the troops from the Iron Sword Baek Family? They pursued too deeply into enemy lines and they¡¯ve been surrounded by the enemy.¡±


    ¡°And what about them? Did they not hear the messenger? It seems the Lust Emperor even brought the reserve force guarding the ck Bull Gang¡¯s stronghold to support their troops. How are we supposed to save them in the midst of our own retreat?¡±


    <i>Crack.</i>


    Woo-Moon roughly tore open the barracks door and went inside.


    ¡°What sort of bullshit are you spewing?¡±


    Ho Mu-Bok, who had just ordered the others to give up on the troops from the Baek Family, was slightly disconcerted by Woo-Moon¡¯s sudden appearance. However, his expression immediately hardened.


    ¡°What on earth are you doing right now, Battalion Leader Song?¡±


    ¡°Send support troops to save the Iron Sword Baek Family troops immediately!¡±


    ¡°I thought you were smart, but it turns out you¡¯re still quitecking. Are you still acting all confused about why we can¡¯t save them even after hearing us from outside the barracks?!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! I don¡¯t care about that! Fine, if you want to throw them away, I guess you don¡¯t have any other choice. I also have no choice but to rescue them myself!¡±


    ¡°Wind Sword Battalion Leader!¡±


    Woo-Moon stomped away from the barracks as he let Ho Mu-Bok¡¯s roar go in one ear and out the other. He walked over to the map hanging in the center of the barracks, found thest-seen location of the Baek Family troops, and immediately ran as fast as possible.


    <i>¡®Please don¡¯t let anyone die until I get there. Please!¡¯</i>

 Chapter 128. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (24)

    <h4>Chapter 128. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (24)</h4>


    Woo-Moon had absolutely no idea when or at what point the Baek Family troops had be isted during the battle.


    There was a chance... that everyone, even Ye-Ye, may already be dead.


    Fortunately, after running as fast as he could for a while, he began to hear the sounds of battle in the distance.


    <i>¡®To think they chased the enemy this far! Ye-Ye, just how did you make such a mistake?!¡¯</i>


    Most likely, Ye-Ye had been trying to earn some major achievements for the family. She felt as though she needed to achieve a lot to be the n leader in the future.


    Woo-Moon could finally see the ck Bull Gang surrounding the troops of the Baek Family.


    "Move aside!"


    The moment he got close enough, Woo-Moon drew Inkde and threw it forward.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    A vivid streak of light prated the darkness as Inkde flew through the air, coated in sword aura. Woo-Moon advanced quickly through the opening he had just made while swinging Lightsh to both sides.


    He cut a path of blood through the gang members that were surrounding the Baek Family troops, eventually stopping in front of his family members and recovering Inkde from the corpse of a gang member.


    There were many other corpses around him...the corpses of his family.


    The surviving members were on the verge of being ughtered, and their defensive line was breached.


    ¡°U-Uncle!¡± Ye-Ye called out. She was still alive, but covered in wounds.


    Woo-Moon looked at her with a deathly cold gaze.


    She froze instantly when she saw the look on his face¡ªa look she had never seen before. Woo-Moon was barely holding his rage back. In truth, he was so angry that if it weren¡¯t for the fact that Ye-Ye was the de facto patriarch at his own proposal and he wanted to support her, he would have pped her in the face himself.


    Eventually, he turned around, moving to face the enemies instead.


    ¡°...We don¡¯t have the time. I¡¯ll stop them here, so quickly gather the wounded and retreat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Uncle.¡±


    Woo-Moon nced at her again, his eyes filled with rage, and sent her a voice transmission.


    <i>¡ªThe most important, more than anything else, is your life and the lives of your brothers and sisters. How could you make such a horrible mistake just for some measly war merits? You will be severely punished once we return to the family estate.</i>


    Ye-Ye lowered her head in sorrow, knowing she had made an unforgivable mistake.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disappointing you even though you trusted me, Uncle.¡±


    ¡°Forget it. You can apologize after we save everyone. Run, now! Now!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, Uncle!¡±


    Ye-Ye knew that Woo-Moon was nning on holding off the enemy alone. However, she couldn¡¯t say anything; she couldn¡¯t help in any way. All she could do was run.


    She held back her tears as she and the troops under hermand, members of her own family, ran through the opening carved by Woo-Moon. Although they were worried about Woo-Moon standing alone behind them, he had given them an order and they were not allowed to look back.


    Woo-Moon retreated alongside the Baek Family troops, stopping only once the group hadpletely escaped the siege.


    Although it would have been best if he could have escorted them all the way to the encampment, there were some among the family who were seriously injured and had difficulty moving. Thus, it was highly unlikely that they would be able to run along with the others and flee in time.


    No, it was best for him to stop the enemy here.


    ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s just a few hundred of them? Let¡¯s go, Ma-Ra. I¡¯ll be relying on you again!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The Raging Wind Palm sted the air toward the approaching ck Bull Gang troops. Suddenly, however, right before it struck them, Ma-Ra appeared in the air, right in front of Woo-Moon¡¯s palm force.


    For a split second, it looked like a rookie mistake, but then it proved to be a deadlybination technique, impromptu though it was.


    Ma-Ra borrowed the force of the Raging Wind Palm and flew forward like a cannonball, drawing long strokes with daggers held in both hands.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    As she flew forward, all of the gang members standing on either side of her path stumbled and fell, gurgling blood as they grabbed their bleeding necks.


    ¡°Woo-Moon!¡±


    Woo-Moon caught the Formless Silk Ma-Ra had thrown and spun it in a huge circle over his head. Hanging on the other end, Ma-Ra flew through the air under Woo-Moon¡¯s incredible strength and shot out arrows indiscriminately from her wrist crossbows.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just the arrows, either; the Formless Silk itself cut through everyone and everything that happened to be in the space between Ma-Ra and Woo-Moon.


    <i>Twang!</i>


    Woo-Moon tugged hard on the Formless Silk, and Ma-Ra flew over to him. Grabbing her hand, Woo-Moon took advantage of the counterforce generated by throwing her behind him andunched himself into the air.


    <i>¡®My turn. Heavy Rain!¡¯</i>


    Countless swords rained down on the flustered gang members as with a single technique, dozens of them spurted blood at the same time.


    <i>Ssh!</i>


    Buckets of thick, hot blood sttered Woo-Moon¡¯s face. However, he wasn¡¯t shaken by this¡ªhe may feel remorse or ponder his own morals, but now was the time to fight, not meditate. He had learned how to keep a cool head by watching Ma-Ra, who never seemed to be shaken by anything.


    The sun had gone down, and now, it was night. In other words, this was Ma-Ra¡¯s time to shine. And like the night sun she was, the fairy-like beauty in her pretty gown disappeared into the darkness.


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword radiated a golden sword aura that shone more brilliantly than anything else!


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not enough yet, not yet!¡¯</i>


    The sword aura grew longer and thicker.


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    The gang members watching shouted in fear.


    ¡°Yes, this should do.¡±


    With a soft exmation, Woo-Moon swung the massive aura de with all his might.


    <i>WOOSH!</i>


    The tremendously powerful aura swept forward.


    ¡°Aghk!!!!¡±


    ¡°G-get out of the way!¡±


    ¡°Run!!!¡±


    Although the gang members who saw Woo-Moon¡¯s massive sword tried to flee, their numbers worked against them. They were unable to escape because they were crowded so tightly together.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    At any other time, Woo-Moon¡¯s attack wouldn¡¯t have been able to kill so many people. However, because so many of the gang members were stuck in one space, as many as sixty people died from this single blow.


    And the ughter was just starting. The next moment Ma-Ra appeared like a ghost right in front of the terrified gang members, drew out a hidden weapon shaped like a lotus flower, and threw it in their midst.


    As the Blood Lotus was right over their heads, Ma-Ra flicked her sleeve and quickly threw a small de, hitting the Blood Lotus in the center.


    <i>ng! ck, ck, ck... thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    The metallic cking of a mechanism shifting and ejecting something echoed from within the lotus before hundreds of lotus petals forged of iron poured over the gang members.


    ¡°Agh!!!!!¡±


    The majority of those around the lotus died instantly, struck in their vitals, while those who were ¡°lucky¡± enough to have only been hit in their arms or legs kept their lives for the moment, only to die soon after as the poison within the Blood Lotus corroded their skin ck.


    So far, about two hundred of the ck Bull Gang members had been killed by Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra.


    However, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t stop there. He leaped into their midst again and continued to unleash Heavy Rain and Raging Wind left and right, cutting, cleaving, and stabbing dozens of people. In addition, Ma-Ra also appeared by his side, throwing her Silver Moon Discs.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    An eerie sound echoed along the path of the Silver Moon Discs, a sound reminiscent of fabric being cut by sharp shears. On the other side, Woo-Moonpressed the Imprable Golden Wall into its second form before hurling it.


    <i>Squelch, squelch!</i>


    Once again, arge amount of blood spewed everywhere.


    <i>Thud, thud.</i>


    It had been barely half a minute, yet the dead exceeded three hundred; the ck Bull Gang members trembled in fear and instinctively took steps back.


    Although there were still a few hundred people left in the distance, so many people had died between Ma-Ra and Woo-Moon¡¯s endless attacks that they had allpletely given up.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Woo-Moon firmly stomped his foot and let out a shout, imbuing his voice with qi.


    ¡°If you take one step forward, it will be yourst!¡±


    Ma-Ra slowly emerged from the darkness behind Woo-Moon, throwing weapons in hand.


    The sight of her seemingly bleeding into existence was thest straw.


    ¡°A-agh!!! Don¡¯t push, I mean, it, don¡¯t push me!!¡±


    Among the retreating crowd of gang members, three gang members were identally pushed toward Woo-Moon amid the panic.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Immediately, two Silver Moon Discs apanied a st of finger qi, piercing the heads of the three people. Moreover, they didn¡¯t stop there; they continued forward and also pierced through the three people who had pushed the other gang members forward.


    ¡°I warned you! One step and you¡¯re dead!¡±


    The gang members suddenly froze. They were trapped in a situation where they couldn¡¯t turn around and run, nor could they move forward.


    Moreover, the three that had been in for pushing the other three forward had been the people who were leading their unit.


    <i>¡®We just have to buy a little more time. Just a little more.¡¯</i>


    The strange confrontation continued for a while before, eventually, a qi-imbued roar came from behind.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡±


    Five Transcendent ss experts suddenly appeared!


    Considering they were neither part of the Ten Demon Generals nor the Twenty-Four Ghost Generals, their appearance was a testament to the ck Bull Gang¡¯s reputation of being full of Transcendent experts.


    Although Woo-Moon didn¡¯t recognize them, they were the Five Ghostly Schrs, experts of the same rank as the Twenty-Four Ghost Generals within the gang.


    The quintet d in schrly attire stepped on their subordinates¡¯ heads as if they were running on cobblestones as they rushed over to attack Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra.


    ¡°Did you let those bastards go just because of these two kids?¡±


    As their narrow dress swords[1] shone in the night sky, Woo-Moon looked at Ma-Ra and nodded.


    <i>¡®We¡¯ve bought enough time!¡¯</i>


    As Ma-Ra disappeared into the darkness, Woo-Moon parried one of the Five Ghostly Schrs¡¯ dress swords and used the counterforce to fly backward before using the Northern Wind Steps to flee.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them escape!¡±


    ¡°Chase them!¡±


    In the end, however, they were unable to catch up to Woo-Moon or Ma-Ra.


    ***


    The two eventually arrived at the coalition encampment soon after the Baek Family¡¯s safe return.


    ¡°Uncle! It¡¯s such a relief that you¡¯ve returned alive.¡±


    Ye-Ye was pale with worry, and she even seemed to have lost weight, even though it hadn¡¯t been long. She cried when she saw Woo-Moon return safely and ran to hug him.


    Although Woo-Moon was about to push her aside as the images of the Family members'' corpses shed through his mind, he decided against it after realizing that she was probably feeling worse than anyone else right now.


    Eventually, she stepped back and wiped her tears before speaking with determination.


    ¡°Uncle. Our family was either killed or injured because of my greed today. I...¡±


    Woo-Moon was actually feeling rather conflicted. He was worried that Ye-Ye might have lost the stomach for her position because of this incident. After all, wasn¡¯t winning and losing only natural for warriors like them, who lived in battle?


    He had heard the gist of the situation from the others after returning to the main encampment. Ye-Ye hadn¡¯t listened to the horn of retreat because she and the other Baek Family members had been fighting so valiantly in the vanguard.


    Of course, their bravery did nothing to change the fact that they had ignored orders and paid dearly for it. However, that didn¡¯t mean that Woo-Moon wanted Ye-Ye to give up on everything because of a single mistake.


    ¡°Ye-Ye, you can¡¯t be¡ª¡±


    Ye-Ye interrupted Woo-Moon and continued with determination, ¡°I will definitely be the Patriarch. And, with a lifetime of service as atonement, I will bear the weight of those who died today because of me on my shoulders and dedicate my entire self to the Family. I swear it, a mistake like today will never happen again.¡±


    Ye-Ye¡¯s eyes burned with a strong will.


    Woo-Moon was relieved to see that Ye-Ye had not only not crumpled, but even seemed to have matured. However, he couldn¡¯t smile at all right now as the weight of the deaths of the Family wasn¡¯t light at all.


    ¡°...Imend you for thinking that way instead of choosing to run away. However, this is by no means a small matter. No matter how fierce the battle was, the fact that you ignored the signal to retreat was a grave mistake. You will go in front of the family council, confess your error, and ept punishment.¡±


    ¡°I will dly take whatever punishment. However, I can¡¯t give up on bing the Patriarch. Please continue to help me, Uncle.¡±


    ¡°... Although people can make mistakes, the n leader cannot. As long as you don¡¯t forget that, I¡¯ll support you like I did until now.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s support was no different from the support of the Palm Martial Emperor and the Song Family. It was worth an incredible deal.


    ¡°I won¡¯t betray that trust any further from this moment on.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then, go handle what you need to.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Uncle!¡±


    After finishing her words, Ye-Ye turned around and left to apologize to the others from the Baek Family she had led. Looking at her back, Woo-Moon could feel his heart break.


    Ye-Ye definitely knew the ramifications of her actions, and she knew exactly how many of her fellow family members had died or were injured because of her. Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t begin to imagine how much it hurt her.


    Nevertheless, he was a member of the family and he was her uncle. He had a duty, and it was in her best interest that he fulfilled that duty.


    When Commander Ho Mu-Bok saw Woo-Moon return, all he had to say was an acknowledgment.


    He had actually been worried secretly that Woo-Moon would have died. It wasn¡¯t because of any personal feelings but because he had been concerned that the newly emerged young hero of the Justice Coalition would die.


    Woo-Moon dragged his tired body to his lodgings.


    On his way, he heard a group of warriors talking in the distance and mentioning his name.


    <i>¡®Something about me? What is it?¡¯</i>


    As he got closer, he could see that they were the members of the Wind Sword Battalion.


    ¡°He really is incredible. Just how many people did he kill with a single blow?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all in the same generation. How the hell is he so strong? On thatst mission, he killed over a thousand people by himself!¡±


    ¡°I knew he was strong when I first saw him, but I could never have imagined he was <i>this</i> strong. I heard he went to the rescue of the Iron Sword Baek Family troops earlier. He must have killed a bunch there too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. I heard that about four hundred people were surrounding them. And since he came back alive... well....¡±


    ¡°I heard he killed fifty or sixty people in a single blow with some kind of golden sword aura.¡±


    Listening to them talk, Woo-Moon remembered thest thing he had seen before running away from the Five Ghostly Schrs.


    So many... so many had died by his hands!


    Once more, he felt incredibly ufortable, as if a heavy boulder was pressing on his chest.


    <i>¡®They definitely deserved to die, but...¡¯</i>


    Returning to his quarters with a heavy heart, he realized that his qi reserves were almost entirely depleted. He sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.


    However, he soon fell into great confusion and shock.


    <i>¡®What? Why is my qi recovering so slowly?¡¯</i>


    The qi of the Forbidden Divine Art had always confidently and proudly circted throughout his entire body, boosting his recovery and replenishing itself. He had thought it strange that his qi didn¡¯t seem to recover as quickly as usual on his journey back, but he didn¡¯t think it was anything serious.


    However, now that he was actively circting his qi and attempting to cultivate, he found that it just wasn¡¯t working the way it should have; it felt sluggish and dull. The speed at which qi umted in his dantian was extremely slow.


    Flustered, Woo-Moon forgot about sleeping and continued to cultivate. However, even when the sun rose, he had not reached half of his usual strength.


    <i>¡®Just... what¡¯s going on?¡¯</i>


    1. Dress swords are smaller swords carried on such asions as parades, ceremonies, and generally for fashion purpose rather thanbat. However, historically, officers¡¯ dress swords did see use in duels and self-defense. ?

 Chapter 129. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (25)

    <h4>Chapter 129. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (25)</h4>


    The Forbidden Divine Art and the Gentle Celestial Art were everything to Woo-Moon. Seeing his energy act like this, almost as if his own cultivation art had abandoned him, was virtually world-shattering.


    His blurred gaze suddenly turned to his two swords.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    When he drew them from his scabbard, both Lightsh and Inkde were still covered in blood.


    <i>¡®Just how many lives have been in with these swords?¡¯</i>


    At the same time, Woo-Moon began to understand <i>why his</i> energy was reacting in this way.


    <i>¡®I see. It¡¯s angry because I¡¯ve killed too many. It was an act against the Dao. It makes sense. The Forbidden Divine Art is a qi cultivation method akin to the foundation of Daoist arts.¡¯</i>


    Although he had found the reason as to why his qi wasn¡¯t increasing, there was no way that he would be happy.


    Woo-Moon sat there in a daze, unable to sleep but not fully awake either.


    ***


    The Palm Martial Emperor Sang-Woon thought that he was close to finding Martial Heaven¡¯s base. As if to prove his suspicions, the enemy¡¯s attacks were bing stronger.


    Finding himself in a ce where he couldn¡¯t exactly determine where he was, the Palm Martial Emperor looked to see a human barrier blocking his path.


    ¡°If that¡¯s how you want to die, then who am I to deny you!¡±


    With each swing of his palm, dozens or even hundreds of warriors lost their lives.


    No matter how mysterious Martial Heaven was, they weren¡¯t so mysterious that they could stop <i>the</i> Palm Martial Emperor.


    Blood flowed like a river, and corpses piled up like a mountain. Sang-Woon advanced further and further, showing off his tremendous martial skills.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get any further, Palm Martial Emperor!¡±


    This time, a hundred experts wearing ck armor stood blocking his path.


    Each and every one of them seemed strong enough to be considered Peak ss¡ªno, even Transcendent ss martial artists unrivaled in the <i>gangho.</i> Every single one of them was holding a gigantic guandao.


    They were the ck Bone Battalion, a notorious battalion that had taken the <i>gangho</i> by storm about forty years ago.


    They were a genuinely ruthless lot. Just because of a minor scuffle between one of their members and a member of the Yoo n, a famed family renowned through the <i>gangho</i> at that time, they attacked the Yoo n Manor and ughtered them all¡ªeveryst elder, child, and woman, impaling them on skewers. The battalion walked around the corpses as if they were showing off. And this wasn¡¯t just a one-off, either. The Sword Gate, a prestigious school, had also been attacked and destroyed for trivial reasons.


    However, these people who spilled blood wherever they passed suddenly disappeared as if swallowed by the ground itself. They were gone for decades, only to appear again here before Sang-Woon.


    Looking at them, Sang-Woon was once again amazed by Martial Heaven''s terrifying power. Moreover, at the same time, he thought to himself that it might be difficult for him to move any further.


    He suddenly remembered something his adorable little grandson had said to him.


    <i>¡ªPlease be careful, and if things get dangerous, please run away.</i>


    At that time, he had just chuckled. However, the more he investigated this matter and the closer he got to the truth, the more he became painfully aware of how strong and vicious Martial Heaven was.


    <i>¡®Run away, huh... However, that¡¯s not an option. I am the Palm Martial Emperor!¡¯</i>


    Sang-Woon gathered aura into his palms and collided head-on with the ck Bone Battalion.


    ***


    ¡°Woo-Moon weird.¡±


    Woo-Moon was shaken out of his thoughts by Ma-Ra¡¯s words.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Forcing himself to smile, Woo-Moon continued walking toward Commander Ho Mu-Bok, answering his call. The Justice Coalition was currently making a strategic retreat behind their defensive lines.


    With the arrival of the Lust Emperor and the increase in their enemies, the Justice Coalition forces had also requested reinforcements from their headquarters. Thus, they were retreating to buy time until the reinforcements drawn from each faction¡¯s bases were to arrive.


    On his way to meet the Commander, Woo-Moon ran into Lee Chung again, as if by chance.


    However, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t feel anything even after seeing that geezer. Although Lee Chung called out to him, he couldn¡¯t find any energy to answer, either. Lee Chung shouted in an angry tone from behind him. However, not even those angryments reached Woo-Moon¡¯s ears.


    Just thinking about the Forbidden Divine Art was enough to cause his head to spin.


    When he arrived at themander''s tent, he listened intently to the conversation. Of course, there was a new mission. The enemy was pursuing them, so the mission was to engage in guerri warfare on their retreat path and slow down the enemy¡¯s advance as much as possible.


    When asked to join the mission with the Wind Sword Battalion, Woo-Moon answered nkly, his mind still foggy as he left the tent. After delivering the orders to his subordinates, Woo-Moon said nothing else and returned to his quarters, sitting cross-legged on his bed.


    As he tried to circte his qi once again, his shock grew even further.


    His cultivation of the Forbidden Divine Art, which had reached approximately the seventh stage, had somehow dropped down to the sixth.[ref]This is the first time any level has been mentioned with regard to the Forbidden Divine Art.


    <i>¡®How could this be? To think it¡¯s falling in level, too... Does it really hate me that much? Was spilling so much blood really...¡¯</i>


    Someone came to Woo-Moon as he was lost in thought and informed him that it was time for them to start the mission.


    With a dazed mind, Woo-Moon went onto the mission route without any energy and hid himself in the bushes. Seeing his strange appearance, several of the Wind Sword Battalion members came and asked him if he was okay. However, he would only respond half-heartedly that he was okay.


    As time passed, the enemy¡¯s small detachment finally passed their ambush point.


    ¡°We have to attack right now,¡± one of the Wind Sword Battalion members said.


    Although another member called out to him again, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t respond, leaving Peng Tianhao to start the battle eventually.


    Led by the others, Woo-Moon also stepped forward and shed forward. However, just before his sword beheaded his opponent, he hesitated, his arms shaking.


    <i>¡®Will my cultivationpletely disappear if I kill this person?¡¯</i>


    In his hesitation, the opponent stabbed at him with a spear.


    When Woo-Moon cut through the spear¡¯s shaft and blocked the attack, one of the Twenty-Four Ghost Generals leading the enemy detachment ran up and attacked Woo-Moon, cursing out loud.


    <i>ng!</i>


    As he blocked and deflected the enemy¡¯s saber, Woo-Moon moved instinctively and thrust his sword right at the Ghost General¡¯s heart.


    <i>Twitch!</i>


    However, because of his hesitation, he was unable to stab the man properly.


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    Another of the Twenty-Four Ghost Generals standing next to him attacked, forcing Woo-Moon to dodge and swing his sword.


    This time, he tried only to cut off an arm. However, he couldn¡¯t even do that, and his de ground to a halt again. This was his second time making the same mistake, and this time, it was one severe enough to put him in dire straits¡ªa spear wasing right for his heart.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Seeing him in danger, Ma-Ra dropped from the sky, deflected the spear, and moved in session to cut down the two Ghost Generals at once.


    ¡°Woo-Moon. Will die.¡±


    She red at him with a faint sense of anger. He was going to end up getting himself killed.


    Woo-Moon just pointed at the person Ma-Ra had killed without any hesitation.


    ¡°How could you kill someone so easily without any feeling or emotion? You don¡¯t feel guilty?¡±


    Ma-Ra tilted her head, seemingly confused.


    ¡°Guilty? Why?¡±


    Just two words.


    Yet when he heard these words, his tumultuous mind, filled with deep and conflicting thoughts, suddenly emptiedpletely. Ma-Ra had just answered without any special or profound meaning. However, that simple and natural answer felt world-changing to Woo-Moon.


    It was like the same word and concept were different depending on the viewpoint of each person saying and hearing it. That thing, that concept, was exactly what Woo-Moon was conflicted about.


    Ma-Ra¡¯s response when asked if she felt guilt...


    What exactly was guilt? Why did it exist?


    Was guilt a concept given to humanity by the very nature that Daoism told people they had to emte?


    Anything that harmed life was evil, and anyone whomitted evil had to feel guilt. Moreover, that guilt must be unbearable.


    Right?


    Wasn¡¯t that a natural feeling?


    But Ma-Ra did not understand guilt. It wasn¡¯t just that she didn¡¯t <i>feel</i> guilt, but rather, she simply had no concept of guilt.


    No one had taught her during her childhood that she should feel guilty if shemitted murder. Thus, she simply did what she wanted to do and did not feel the slightest remorse.


    Then, was it really true that guilt was something that appeared naturally?


    If it really was something natural, then why did Ma-Ra, who was in a most natural state, feel no guilt?


    Wasn¡¯t she a part of nature?


    Weren¡¯t humans part of nature?


    No.


    No, all of this was wrong.


    Guilt wasn¡¯t a concept given to humanity by nature. It was something people imbued other people with.


    That was why Ma-Ra, who had never learned about guilt, didn¡¯t ever have that feeling.


    It was different from her emotions: joy, sadness, anger. All these emotions, she naturally had as a child; all these emotions, she had lost due to her father¡¯s oppression.


    Natural feelings and emotions arose without anyone saying anything about them, and often <i>in spite</i> of what people said.


    Guilt, on the other hand, was a feeling that needed to be taught.


    Did animals feel guilt when they killed other animals?


    No.


    In order to survive in order to plunder, wasps ughtered hundreds to thousands of bees and filled their stomachs withrvae, honey, and pupae.


    Ants caught aphids and raised them like ves, even eating them for the rest of their lives.


    Then, were wasps and ants evil?


    <i>Muhwi jayeon</i> was the most fundamental teaching of Daoism.


    Then, was the current view of Daoism really correct?


    Why did the Daoists preach that people should follow a misguided nature?


    Why did they preach not a Dao determined by nature''s way but a path determined by artificiality and human intervention?


    Why did they make everyone follow the Dao they had created and define it as the righteous path?


    No.


    One¡¯s Dao couldn¡¯t be achieved by following a path set by others.


    When his thoughts reached this point, Woo-Moon again remembered thest words the old Daoist had left him.


    <i>¡ªWe call it ¡®the Dao,¡¯ but it is not just one path. The Dao makes no distinction between good and evil. That''s why there are immortals and devil immortals, wine immortals, evil immortals and sword immortals in this world. Regardless of what others say, do not look at the Dao in the same way that everyone else does. Follow your own path, realize your own truth.</i>


    All of those thoughts shed through Woo-Moon¡¯s mind, appearing and disappearing in the span it took Ma-Ra to blink.


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    Woo-Moonughed with a low sigh. Not only had his eyes returned to being as clear as they used to be, but they were, in fact, even shining even more deeply than before.


    After finally reaching his final conclusion, he made a promise to himself in his heart.


    <i>I will go my way. I have my own nature, I am my own. There¡¯s nothing that oppresses me and nothing that can restrict me. By cutting down an evil person, I¡¯ll save a good person. </i>


    <i>I won¡¯t feel the slightest hesitation or guilt in killing someone who I have defined as an evildoer. It would be an insult to the good people who died at their hands. </i>


    <i>I will follow the path I think is right and do what my heart tells me to do.</i>


    ¡°This is my way. This is my path to bing a Sword Immortal.¡±


    At the same time, his oppressed cultivation was suddenly released, and in an instant, all of his qi reserves overflowed. His entire body began to exude an aura at the same intensity as before¡ªno, even stronger.


    It wasn¡¯t guilt caused by murder that was slowly killing his cultivation.


    No, it was guilt that Woo-Moon had brought upon himself!


    Woo-Moon was weighed down by his guilt, and he had been ruining his cultivation himself without even realizing it. At some point, the free-spirited Woo-Moon had burdened himself and weighed his own heart down, a weight that the Forbidden Divine Art couldn¡¯t bear.


    Ma-Ra had just simply answered his question without knowing what any of his concerns were or what answer he was searching for. However, her answer had be a key for Woo-Moon.


    Now, Woo-Moon was free from the burden of his guilt and had even created a foundation for his future.


    Finally, he had earned the qualifications to ovee the final wall to the Absolute realm.


    ¡°My path is the Dao.¡±


    µÀ

 Chapter 130. Trying to Row a Boat on Land

    <h4>Chapter 130. Trying to Row a Boat on Land</h4>


    The scent of blood filled Woo-Moon¡¯s head, making his head spin. All kinds of emotions swirled around his mind violently.


    However, in the midst of the tumultuous battlefield, Woo-Moon stood painting endless lines with his sword, creating streaks of blood with a cool, transparent gaze devoid of any special emotions.


    ¡°This is enough. You guys step back for now.¡±


    The Wind Sword Battalion members cupped a fist at Woo-Moon and simply fled without a word.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, let¡¯s begin.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ma-Ra, who was hiding in the dark, quickly crossed the enemy lines, which were in disarray due to the Wind Sword Battalion¡¯s attack, and headed to the heart of the enemy camp¡ªthe barracks where the leadership and majority of the ck Bull Gang¡¯s troops were located.


    Knowing that he had to create an even more violent distraction to help her seed, Woo-Moon infused Lightsh with an immense amount of qi, used Raging Wind, and simultaneously let out an Azure Dragon¡¯s Roar.


    ¡°RAH!!!!!¡±


    The sword aura Woo-Moon unleashed flew out with the force of a violent gale, cutting down about twenty gang members at the same time.


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    Hebined the Northern Wind Steps and the Divine Phantasm Steps to suddenly arrive in front of a mass of gang members, startling them.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    The shining silver de cleaved through flesh and blood as blood spurted out in a thin film like a curtain.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Woo-Moon cut through the chests of two people at once and pierced the abdomen of an enemy who was approaching from behind before spinning in ce twice with his sword outstretched.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    An open circle formed around Woo-Moon, though he was in the midst of the enemy forces. Wherever his arm reached, no enemy could stand.


    Woo-Moon''s gaze was so emotionless that it almost seemed innocent, a sight that caused the gang members to cower in fear as he moved again. He was no different from a wolf attacking a flock of sheep.


    Blood sttered, heads flew, and severed limbs fell to the ground.


    Five people came running over quickly a momentter with a tremendous roar.


    ¡°You fucking dare!!!¡±


    ¡°This time, you¡¯re dead!¡±


    It was the Five Ghostly Schrs again.


    Woo-Moon swept his left foot backward in a wide circle and stood facing the approaching Five Ghostly Schrs with his right shoulder forward. He lifted Lightsh straight ahead, taking a respectful sparring stance.


    ¡°I was so busy with my own thoughts that I couldn¡¯t even greet you properly before. To apologize for my rudeness...¡±


    Before he finished his sentence, Woo-Moon disappeared.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± one of the Ghostly Schrs shouted.


    Now in a perfectly clear state of mind, Woo-Moon quickly shifted to the Northern Wind Steps. Thepatibility between the Divine Phantasm Steps and the Northern Wind Steps was truly incredible!


    <i>¡®Damn it! What the hell...! He¡¯s so fast that it¡¯s impossible to keep up with either my eyes or my senses.¡¯</i>


    The Five Ghostly Schrs were astonished. They were experts who feared no opponents unless they were Absolute Masters, after all. They had heard that there was a talent among the younger generation that had been gaining a lot of attentiontely, so they were rather interested to see who this young sprout was. To think this kid had such mastery over his movement technique that even they couldn¡¯t follow his steps!


    They didn¡¯t have much time to think. Woo-Moon had already arrived in front of them.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    The sound of his sword sharply cutting through the air was horrifying. It hadn¡¯t even reached them yet, but the Fourth Ghostly Schr was terrified, as if his sword had been broken just by the sound alone.


    ¡°Tsk!¡±


    He quickly shifted his dress sword and blocked Woo-Moon¡¯s attack. Well, he <i>thought</i> he blocked it.


    <i>¡®What?!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword moved nimbly, as if it were alive, sliding down the edge of his dress sword like a venomous snake.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t block this!¡¯</i>


    No matter how hard he tried to shake off Woo-Moon¡¯s sword, nothing he did seemed to work.


    ¡°Ah-Woo!¡±


    The Second Ghostly Schr barely managed to save him by stabbing at Woo-Moon¡¯s side.


    ¡°Get it together, Ah-Woo! Just what the hell do you think you¡¯re doing in the middle of battle?¡± the First Ghostly Schr shouted.


    Only then did the Fourth Ghostly Schre to his senses.


    <i>¡®What a terrifying sword. It¡¯s almost like...!¡¯</i>


    At least with regards to Woo-Moon¡¯s grasp of martial technique, the Fourth Ghostly Schr felt as though he was facing an Absolute Master.


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t have the powerful qi or the overwhelming presence of an Absolute Master. However... after taking Woo-Moon¡¯s Cold Snow directly, he couldn¡¯t help but see Woo-Moon as no different from an Absolute Master.


    ¡°How dare a bunch of bandits like you wear schrs¡¯ robes?!¡±


    The first three Ghostly Schrs attacked Woo-Moon from three different directions. However, Woo-Moon blocked them easily, with incredible speed, moving so fast that he even created afterimages before pointing the tip of his sword upward.


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    A vast amount of qi was injected into his sword, and the surrounding air roared with thunder.


    And then, a torrential downpour ensued.


    Raging Storm!


    <i>BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!</i>


    A roar resounded as if a waterfall from the precipice of heaven was hitting the ground as Woo-Moon¡¯s sword bombarded the Five Ghostly Schrs.


    ¡°Five Nether Ghost Sword Art!¡±


    When the eldest Ghostly Schr shouted, the five got in a circle and thrust the tips of their swords together.


    <i>Thrum!</i>


    When the sword auras on the five dress swords gathered together into a single point, a bead of fused sword aura began to form. Then, a tremendous amount of qi was released toward Woo-Moon¡¯s Raging Storm.


    When the two techniques collided, it was as if a massive pane of ss cracked and exploded, sending endless soundwaves rippling in all directions.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>¡°Cough, cough!¡±</i>


    The soundwaves were so intense that the eardrums and even eyes of the weaker gang members ruptured, thick blood immediately spewing from their five orifices. With a thud, they copsed, no longer able to move.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    After the horrifying sh, the pale Five Ghostly Schrs stumbled backward through the hazy dust. Meanwhile, on the opposite side, although Woo-Moon had simrly paled, he stood firm and unyielding.


    The Five Ghostly Schrs'' expressions darkened as they realized that they had been pushed back by a single person.


    <i>¡®We won¡¯t be able to run from this. Perhaps... this will be our resting ce.¡¯</i>


    Right as they were about to lose all hope, aid arrived for the Five Ghostly Schrs.


    ¡°You damned bastards. Fine, we¡¯ll grace you with our help!¡±


    ¡°Oho. You must be relieved to see us arrive.¡±


    A man dressed as a woman,plete with a full face of makeup, and a woman dressed as a man,plete with a long beard, dashed over to the battle using the heads of the ck Bull Gang grunts as stepping stones.


    <i>¡®To think we have to get help from those foolish bastards!¡¯</i>


    They were none other than the Nature-Inverting Twin Apparitions, Transcendent experts of the ck Bull Gang who had a horrible rtionship with the Five Ghostly Schrs.[1]


    The eldest of the Ghostly Schrs leered at Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®We must not let him go this time. We have to kill him right here, right now! That¡¯s the only way we can raise the morale of our troops.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was a young hero on a rapid rise through the Justice Coalition. His poprity soared day after day due to his incredible martial skills and performance that belied his young age. His very existence raised the Justice Coalition''s morale.


    Naturally, as long as he was alive and kicking, the morale of the ck Bull Gang continued to plummet.


    If they were to take down Woo-Moon here and now, all of those disadvantages would reverse instantly.


    ¡°We have to kill that bastard! Use whatever means necessary!¡±


    ¡°Oho, to think you¡¯d be giving us orders when you¡¯re the one getting help?¡±


    ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t say anything, we would have killed that bastard!¡±


    Even as they bickered, the Five Ghostly Schrs and the Nature-Inverting Twin Apparitions unanimously agreed on one thing.


    Song Woo-Moon had to be killed, and he had to be killed <i>now</i>.


    Although Woo-Moon was in the midst of a crisis and he had to deal with seven Transcendent ss experts alone, his expression was strangely calm. No, in fact, he actually smiled.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s smiling?¡¯</i>


    The eldest of the Five Ghostly Schrs directed his younger brothers and the Nature-Inverting Twin Apparitions before slightly taking a step back to observe Woo-Moon¡¯s reaction. He was shocked to see Woo-Moon smile, and one secondter, he was absolutely <i>horrified</i> to see himugh.


    At the same time, he could feel a strange qi drifting from their main base.


    <i>¡®No way....¡¯</i>


    ¡°Themander has been assassinated!¡±


    ¡°The Fourth Young Master has been assassinated!¡±


    The eldest Ghost Schr couldn¡¯t believe it¡ªthe panicked cries of the soldiersing from the main base had to be some kind of illusion.


    <i>¡®That assassin bitch!¡¯</i>


    He had thought it was strange that the bitch who was always with Woo-Moon was nowhere to be found. Now, he finally realized why she wasn¡¯t present¡ªwhile Woo-Moon was causing a ruckus, she was busy carrying out assassinations behind the enemy lines.


    ¡°Y-you!!! Dirty Righteous Faction bastards! To think you¡¯d assassinate people like that!¡±


    Fighting seven Transcendent ss experts just by himself was not feasible, even for Woo-Moon. Right now, he was just stalling for time, doing his best to dodge the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    When he heard the man¡¯sint, Woo-Moon chuckled.


    ¡°Are you even serious? I¡¯m not going to say anything about what <i>you</i> guys are doing, but don¡¯t forget this is war and this is a reasonable tactic.¡±


    Suddenly, the Third Ghostly Schr felt an eerie feeling right as he attacked Woo-Moon, forcing him to dodge to the side and look behind him hurriedly.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    His arm was cut off at the elbow.


    He <i>had</i> dodged the attack, but unfortunately for him, the translucent Silver Moon Discs doubled back before returning to Ma-Ra¡¯s sleeve.


    ¡°You assassin bitch!¡±


    Ma-Ra, whose paleplexion was even paler than usual, disappeared again before reappearing a few zhang in front of the Five Ghostly Schrs and whipping out an arm.


    <i>nk, nk, nk!</i>


    Her sickle and chain nked and flew out like an arrow, racing toward the Male Apparition. As he swiftly dodged, the sickle stuck into the ground where he had just stood.


    ¡°Hmpf! It looks like you¡¯re not all that. As expected of a lowly assassin bitch!¡±


    The Male Apparition, a man who wanted to be a woman, felt intense hatred and jealousy for Ma-Ra¡¯s astounding beauty.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ma-Ra was a little shocked by the strange appearance of the Male Apparition and just waved a hand without a word.


    <i>nk, nk!</i>


    She advanced swiftly, the chain swinging with a beckoning of her hand. Soon, she reached her sickle and imbued it with qi, giving a lifelike vitality.


    <i>nk, nk, nk, nk!</i>


    The sickle plunged into the ground and carved a furrow through the dirt, aiming to cut through the Male Apparition¡¯s ankle.


    ¡°Hmpf!¡±


    The Male Apparition shifted backward as if sliding along the ground, not even bending his knees as he moved.[2]


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The sickle then bounced off the ground before spinning in ce even faster, shooting toward the Male Apparition¡¯s waist.


    ¡°You really are showing off your tricks!¡±


    The Male Apparition was forced to jump in ce to dodge the sickle and chain again. However, he failed to notice something as he was preupied with the sickle and chain: a crossbow bolt secretly shot by Ma-Ra.


    As the silent bolt was about to pierce the Male Apparition¡¯s neck, the Female Apparition blocked it with her whip.


    ¡°Get yourself together!¡±


    Ma-Ra¡¯s perfectbination had failed, thanks to the interference of a third party. Meanwhile, the eldest of the Ghostly Schrs flew up and swung his dress sword at the falling Ma-Ra, like a hawk snatching its prey.


    ¡°...!¡±


    As the First Ghostly Schr was rushing toward her, Ma-Ra found it too difficult to use the Silver Moon Discs, considering how focused the man was on her. She was in a situation where she had no choice but to fight head-on.


    With that considered, Ma-Ra was clearly at a disadvantage.


    She thought for a moment. Should she draw her sword and try to fight him, or should she try to use her hidden weapons to stop him from approaching?


    She quickly decided that it would be too difficult to confront him with her sword.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    Although she fired bolt after bolt, the swift dress sword knocked each of them aside without a single mistake.


    <i>Swish! ng!</i>


    Not even the immense power of the Silver Moon Discs could work on a Transcendent ss expert who was properly prepared from the beginning.


    She simultaneously released forty hidden weapons from her sleeves, including throwing stars, caltrops, spikes, and the like. However, the First Ghostly Schr easily countered her, spreading a curtain of sword aura in front of him to deflect all the hidden weapons.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Like Woo-Moon, Ma-Ra was also acknowledged as a nuisance by the ck Bull Gang. Her assassination skills were so amazing that even the Fist Emperor paid close attention to her. Naturally, she had to be disposed of as soon as possible.


    She didn¡¯t even have time to draw her sword by this point. Therefore, she gave up on doing so and continued throwing as many hidden weapons as she could.


    However, the narrow dress sword moved like a viper,ing directly for her delicate throat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be upset if you forget about me that quickly!¡± Woo-Moon shouted as he defended against the four remaining Ghostly Schrs on the ground.


    In the midst of the chaos, the number of people he was fighting had been reduced from seven to four, allowing for some breathing room.


    Aware of the danger Ma-Ra was facing, Woo-Moon turned his sword upward and shot a bolt of sword qi at just the right moment.


    1. The word we tranted here as ¡°nature-inverting¡± is ÄæÌì. We normally trante this as ¡°defying the heavens¡± or ¡°going against the heavens¡± but I think you can see why we chose this instead. ?


    2. This refers to the way female immortals (a.k.a. immortal fairies) are said to glide across the ground without moving their legs. ?

 Chapter 131. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (2)

    <h4>Chapter 131. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (2)</h4>


    A bright golden qi de shaped like a half-moon shot forward in a straight line and deflected the dress sword. And thanks to this timely intervention, a small opening was revealed!


    Ma-Ra''s eyes lit up.


    She moved her dainty little foot and kicked the First Ghost Schr in the shoulder. Using the force to spin in a circle, she opened her arms wide, then crossed them and squeezed her fists as if pulling tight on something.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>¡®What the... When did that silk get here?¡¯</i>


    As the silver thread wrapped around his waist rapidly tightened, the First Ghost Schr hastily raised his defensive qi as high as he could. Fortunately, he was able to avoid being split in two at the waist. Still, the Formless Silk dug deep into his flesh, causing him intense pain as blood spewed out in bursts.


    ¡°Hyung!¡±


    To the other Ghost Schrs watching from below, it seemed as if their eldest brother had suddenly been bisected at the waist. Seeing him in danger, one of the Ghost Schrs fighting Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t wait any longer and turned his attention around, throwing himself upward. And while the other three continued to keep Woo-Moon at bay, their attentions were split.


    Naturally, Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t the kind to miss such a great opportunity.


    <i>¡®Try this, then! Northern Blizzard!¡¯</i>


    His sword drew a straight line, moving so fast that not even the Nature-Inverting Twin Apparitions could intercept the blow. All they could do was watch as the world seemed to be severed in two by Woo-Moon¡¯s sword.


    The two halves of the severed world seemed to slide against each other, forming an image that the Twin Apparitions could believe they were seeing with their own eyes.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Their mouths held agape with suppressed screams filled with disbelief. Then, the world suddenly reverted to its original state before their gaze.


    In an instant, the Ghostly Schr who had turned and leaped into the air to save the eldest Ghostly Schr had his leg severed at the shin, while the three remaining Ghostly Schrs had a single bloody line painted on their necks.


    Northern Blizzard!


    It was the secondplete technique of the Gentle Celestial Sword that Woo-Moon had first manifested during his state of extreme anger while fighting the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor. He was now finally able to wield it.


    Raging Storm and Northern Blizzard.


    Although he had used both of these full techniques, Woo-Moon still had more than half of his qi reserves left. This was only possible because he had made great progress with the Forbidden Divine Art since his enlightenment on the Dao.


    There was a high wall that blocked Transcendent martial artists from rising. And that high wall was the reason for the ridiculous difference in power between Absolute Masters and those who were below them¡ªeither they were on top of that wall, or they were at the foot of the wall, no in-between.


    However, Woo-Moon was different.


    His cultivation had actually surpassed the highest level a Transcendent-stage expert could reach and was inching ever closer to the level of an Absolute Master.


    In other words, he had broken this very wall between the Transcendent and Absolute in a way that defied all understanding. Instead of gathering energy for a long time at the peak of the Transcendent stage and then using that energy to jump up to the top like all Absolute Masters did, he had found profound enlightenment and was climbing the wall brick by brick.


    Therefore, even though he hadn¡¯t reached the top of the wall yet and he was still a Transcendent, Woo-Moon was able to show power on a levelpletely different from that of others.


    After using Northern Wind, Woo-Moon whirled Lightsh before his chest, stroking the de with his fingertip as it descended into its sheath. Then, he pulled out Inkde and stepped toward the Nature-Inverting Twin Apparitions.


    ¡°You two should follow your friends. Don¡¯t let them get lonely.¡±


    The Twin Apparitions still were struggling toprehend what they had just seen.


    <i>¡®This, this brat...!¡¯</i>


    The only time they had ever felt such abject terror was when they first met the Lust Emperor. Beyond that, they had never felt anything near that for anyone, before or since.


    However, now, they were feeling terror, a horrifying terror, as Woo-Moon approached them with a cold gaze that held not one shred of either anger nor bloodlust.


    They wouldn¡¯t have been as afraid if there was even a hint of <i>some</i> emotion within that cruel gaze. Contempt, anger, anything.


    But seeing him approach them with such cold indifference as if he was just disposing of trash on the side of the road...


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t seem like a person... and certainly didn¡¯t seem to consider <i>them </i>persons.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    As Woo-Moon approached, the Twin Apparitions took a step back without realizing it.


    Meanwhile, Ma-Ra was still fighting the First Ghostly Schr as the Third Ghostly Schry on the ground, barely breathing, with an arm and a leg severed.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you damned bastards!¡±


    With bloodshot eyes, the First Ghostly Schr swore viciously and savagely attacked Ma-Ra.


    Ma-Ra was at the Transcendent stage cultivation-wise. When stalking her prey from the dark or fighting from a distance using throwing weapons, she could even fight above her level. On the other hand, if she was exposed and forced to fight at close range, she was barely a match for even the weakest Transcendent ss expert.


    Fortunately, with Woo-Moon¡¯s help, she was able to exploit an opening and deal a near-fatal blow to the eldest Ghost Schr, allowing her to fight without difficulty.


    This experience was also of great help to her as it was to Woo-Moon; it was the first time she¡¯d ever been forced to fight a life-or-death battle head-on.


    The First Ghost Schr¡¯s condition gradually worsened as he was forced to continue fighting without any respite to stop his bleeding. No matter how high his cultivation, even he would eventually sumb to his injuries if he continued to shed suchrge amounts of blood, the source of his vitality.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Suddenly, a sword shed at Ma-Ra from behind her.


    Even while missing an arm and a leg, the Third Ghostly Schr had crawled all the way over to the battle and ambushed Ma-Ra.


    However, Ma-Ra had long since noticed him.


    Arching her back like a bow, she dropped backward into an iron bridge and ced one hand on the ground while firing her wrist crossbow with the other.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    Using her wrist crossbow to keep the First Ghostly Schr from moving, she lifted her foot and spun around, trapping the Third Ghostly Schr¡¯s neck between her thighs.


    <i>Crack!!</i>


    As she twisted her body and applied force to her thighs, the Third Ghostly Schr¡¯s neck twisted. His vertebrae were dislocated, and he died on the spot.


    ¡°NO!!!!! THIRD BROTHER!!!¡±


    The eldest Ghost Schr rushed Ma-Ra with a guttural scream. However, neither his speed nor his strength was all that impressive, as he had already lost enough blood to put his life in danger.


    Ma-Ra was able to deal with his charge easily, dodging all of his attacks. It wouldn¡¯t be long before she would be able to win.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    A little whileter, Ma-Ra and Woo-Moon¡¯s swords pierced the hearts of the eldest Ghost Schr and the Male Apparition respectively. With their deaths, all of Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra¡¯s enemies had been taken care of.


    ¡°We¡¯ve done everything we¡¯ve set out to do. Let¡¯s go now, Ma-Ra!¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Woo-Moon took out the signal re he was carrying in his pocket and fired it into the sky before escaping from the enemy camp alongside Ma-Ra. There was no one nearby who could block their path.


    As they ran, Woo-Moon stretched out a hand to grab Ma-Ra¡¯s hand.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...Thought so. You have internal injuries. Moreover, there¡¯s still some poisonous aura, too.¡±


    Ma-Ra¡¯s breathing had be extremely heavy while they used their movement techniques. Her condition seemed to be more severe than he had expected.


    Truthfully, Woo-Moon had noticed it to some extent earlier.


    No matter how much weaker Ma-Ra was in a head-on confrontation, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t help but be confused to see her being so helplessly pushed back by the eldest Ghost Schr in the early stages of the battle.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s right, I heard that the fourth young master of the ck Bull Gang uses poison arts.¡¯</i>


    Ma-Ra must have taken a blow when she sneaked into the enemy territory and assassinated the key figures. Moreover, she had been hit near the heart, the worst ce to be attacked by poison.


    Without a word, Woo-Moon grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up, heading deep into a nearby forest with her in his arms.


    Ma-Ra¡¯s long hair was blowing in the wind, tickling the tip of Woo-Moon¡¯s nose and emitting a fragrant scent. However, her poisoning had be so severe that he couldn¡¯t afford to enjoy such things in this dangerous situation.


    <i>¡®We¡¯ve gotten far enough away; no one would run into us here.¡¯</i>


    Her condition was much more severe than Woo-Moon had expected, and it was only just that Ma-Ra hadn¡¯t expressed anything regarding it until now.


    She had already slipped into a half-state of consciousness.


    She usually seemed so strong and cold, but right now, all Woo-Moon could see was a girl, soft and weak.


    Even her lips were stained ck, and her breath smelled of poison.


    <i>¡®Considering it has spread this far, I won¡¯t be able to treat it by just infusing pure qi through external meridians. I have to treat it from the source of the poison, where she took the blow.¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, Ma-Ra had lost all consciousness by now. Woo-Moon carefully removed her upper robes, examining her condition with a serious gaze.


    Her skin had lost its pale white color and had turned ck and blue. In particr, the area where she had been hit with the poison was clearly in severe shape.


    Without hesitation, Woo-Moon stretched out a palm and ced it on Ma-Ra¡¯s chest, infusing her wound with pure qi.


    The treatment began to progress, albeit very slowly, as Woo-Moon had to not only protect her heart but also remove the toxins while reviving the dead tissue. It took extreme concentration, and sweat began to run in rivulets down his back,


    <i>¡°Cough, cough!¡±</i>


    Eventually, the color returned to her skin, and the motionless, corpselike Ma-Ra coughed and spat out arge amount of ck blood.


    ¡°Whew, that¡¯s a relief.¡±


    The treatment had gone well.


    Thanks to Woo-Moon¡¯s thorough treatment, Ma-Ra¡¯s cultivation would be able to return to a level as high as before, if not even higher, with just a few days of rest.


    <i>¡®But... her skin really is white...¡¯</i>


    Ma-Ra¡¯s skin had returned to its original shade, and the exposed parts of her breasts were so white and soft that it felt as though white powder woulde off if he touched them.


    As soon as the thought crossed Woo-Moon¡¯s mind, his face turned a bright red. Just as he was about to remove his hand, Ma-Ra¡¯s eyes opened.


    ¡°...¡±


    She was able to figure out what was going on in an instant. Still, her face blushed slightly when she saw Woo-Moon¡¯s hand moving off of her chest.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m so sorry! I couldn¡¯t help it; I had to in order to treat you!¡±


    Woo-Moon froze solid for a moment before quickly removing his hand and trying to put Ma-Ra¡¯s clothes back on in a hurry.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. You can do it yourself now that you¡¯re awake, right... hahaha...¡±


    Woo-Moon was greatly flustered and sweated profusely.


    ¡°Bad boy...¡±


    As Ma-Ra muttered to herself, Woo-Moon¡¯s face grew even redder.


    Having sat up, Ma-Ra put on her clothes and straightened them before jumping up from her seat.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Immediately, she became dizzy and uncharacteristically stumbled.


    ¡°Hey, be careful.¡±


    Surprised, Woo-Moon caught Ma-Ra and held her up. His face, which had calmed down a little, turned red again.


    This time, Ma-Ra¡¯s face was also slightly red.


    As she spent time with Woo-Moon and adapted to normal life, she slowly became more adept at expressing her emotions.


    ¡°Now, get on my back,¡± Woo-Moon said as he crouched down in front of her and turned his sturdy and wide back to her.


    <i>¡®Why am I like this...¡¯</i>


    Ma-Ra was confused. She wasn¡¯t someone to be flustered and embarrassed over something like this. Even though her emotions wereing back to life these days, was her heart really pounding this much just from being carried on Woo-Moon¡¯s back?


    Of course, she was still an assassin. She was fully aware that, for now, she had to follow Woo-Moon¡¯s words. Knowing the condition of her body and taking appropriate measures, regardless of what those measures were, was a fundamental skill for any assassin.


    Suddenly, something came to mind¡ªwhen Woo-Moon had been hit by the Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee¡¯s Divine Frozen Soul Palm and had suffered severe internal injuries.


    At that time, in order to treat him, she had stripped him bare and massaged his acupoints. She hadn¡¯t been flustered at all back then. But just now, seeing Woo-Moon touch her chest made her face turn red.


    <i>¡®Strange...¡¯</i>


    As she thought to herself, confused, she rxed and let herself be carried.


    Woo-Moon could feel a strange texture on his back as he carried Ma-Ra and could smell her scent at the same time. He didn¡¯t know exactly why, but he was in a great mood as he walked out of the forest, smiling without even realizing it.


    Although he had known it to some extent before, he could really feel it now. Ma-Ra¡¯s limbs were surprisingly thin and delicate.


    He was once again amazed at how she was able to unleash such fearsome killing arts with such a frail body.


    Although he was walking along a path in a forest, it felt like he was walking along a path of dreams. The cadence of their breathing, which was different at first, suddenly synchronized as they began to inhale and exhale in unison.


    Ma-Ra put her ear to Woo-Moon¡¯s back and listened to his heartbeat. Suddenly, she tightened her arms around his neck and squeezed, as if she never wanted to let go.

 Chapter 132. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (3)

    <h4>Chapter 132. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (3)</h4>


    Because of Ma-Ra¡¯s tight hold, Woo-Moon found it a little difficult to breathe.


    That was fine, though. It felt good to be held tightly. Breathing could be der.


    Each with their own thoughts, the two returned together to the encampment.


    Of course, it went without saying that the Justice Coalition had entered a state of emergency after theirte return.


    Woo-Moon exined to the others that they had beente because of Ma-Ra¡¯s serious injuries. Obviously, they would have actually arrived at least an hour earlier if he had used his movement technique instead of walking the entire way back, but that was none of their business.


    ***


    <i>¡®Go to that ce... go to that ce... go to that ce. Gotothatce. GotothatcegotothatceGOTOTHATPLACEGOTOTHATPLACEGOTOTHATPLACEGOTOTHATPLACEGOTOTHATPLACEGOTOTHATPLACEGOTOTHATPLACEGOTOTHATPLACEGOTOTHATPLACE!¡¯</i>


    Si-Hyeon suddenly rose from her bed with half-lidded eyes, opened the door, and walked out.


    Her thin sleeping gown fluttered, revealing the curves of her body with every step, and her calves and feet were bare.


    ¡°O-oh, my goodness! What are you doing here, Guild Master?¡±


    An older maid who had been heading to the restroom hurriedly approached Si-Hyeon after seeing her in the hall.


    ¡°What if someone sees you dressed like this? Hurry and return to your room. Guild Master? Guild Master! Guild Master!¡±


    Si-Hyeon only seemed toe to her senses after the maid repeatedly called out to her. She still seemed to be in a daze, even so.


    ¡°Ah...what...¡±


    The maid asked cautiously, ¡°Are you okay, Guild Master? Let¡¯s go to your room now.¡±


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s face glowed red as she realized that she had been sleepwalking in nothing but a thin gown. She had to rush back in before anyone saw her.


    ¡°Ah, thank you. You don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯m just like this sometimes... Please, keep this a secret. Alright?¡±


    "Yes, I understand."


    After quickly returning to her room, Si-Hyeon covered herself with a nket, shivering.


    At first, it had only been nightmares. But today, she had even gone so far as to walk out of her room, sleepwalking.


    It was terrifying.


    She was in a state where she couldn¡¯t protect herself, and if something untoward were to happen without her realizing it, while in that state... how could she not be terrified? She had gone out defenselessly while only wearing a sleeping gown; how dangerous was that?


    Si-Hyeon was fully aware of how evil and ugly the world could be, and that was why she was so terrified of her own actions.


    The more it happened, the more desperately she hoped that Woo-Moon would return.


    <i>¡®Senior brother... I miss you. I¡¯m scared. Pleasee back quickly...¡¯</i>


    ***


    The war was gradually progressing in favor of the Justice Coalition.


    However, while they were excitingly progressing forward, news arrived like a bolt of lightning on a clear summer day.


    The Justice Coalition had suffered a crushing defeat in Sichuan.


    The shock of the news was even greater considering how great the influence of the Justice Coalition had always been in Sichuan. Yet the allied forces of the Qingcheng Sect, the Emei Sect, the Kunlun Sect, the Tang Family, and the Xiahou Family had been defeated.


    Now, even the Justice Coalition stronghold was in danger of being overrun by the ck Bull Gang.


    If the Justice Coalition were to be defeated in Sichuan, they would have to win on a different front in order to bnce the situation. However, the second army in Guangxi Province was still fiercelypeting with their enemy, while the third army here, in Jiangsu, only had a slight advantage.


    Therefore, the Justice Coalition needed a decisive victory.


    The third army, which had been using a defensive-forward strategy to maintain their advantage, suddenly switched to the offensive, attempting to overturn the overall unfavorable situation. Although it could be dangerous for the Fist Emperor as arge number of Transcendent ss experts could surround him, there was nothing he could do in the current situation.


    ***


    One day before the day of the decisive battle, the Wind Sword Battalion, which had been one of the busiest in the coalition, finally had a decent break.


    The first thing Woo-Moon did was to go to Ra Mi¡¯s quarters.


    <i>Knock, knock.</i>


    He knocked on the door, but there was no response. Therefore, he called out her name.


    ¡°Ra Mi.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    ¡°Can Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Yeah...e in...¡±


    After receiving her permission, Woo-Moon opened the door and entered. However, the moment he took a step past the threshold, a sword flew toward him like lightning.


    ¡°Agk!¡±


    After dodging the sword, Woo-Moon used the Northern Wind Steps and quickly approached Ra Mi. Then, he grabbed her by the hand to prevent her from attacking again while calling out her name.


    ¡°Ra Mi!¡±


    ¡°Ah... oh, sorry.¡±


    Ra Mi had fallen asleep in the time that it had taken for Woo-Moon to open the door and enter, causing her to use her Sixth-Sense Sword without even realizing it.


    Sighing to himself, Woo-Moon took out a small ss bottle from his sleeve containing a shiny, milky liquid.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    ¡°It''s Pure Stctite Milk. It¡¯s not apletely refined product, so you can¡¯t drink a lot. But one drop should be okay. Drink it.¡±


    Pure Stctite Milk was incredibly rare.


    The majority of people in the <i>murim</i> would never be able to see a single drop in their lifetimes, let alone taste it. In terms of performance and efficacy, it was one of the best elixirs in the world.


    In fact, it was such an incredible elixir that it would have been reasonable if Ra Mi found it a little suspicious that Woo-Moon would give her such precious Pure Stctite Milk without any hesitation. It was especially reasonable for <i>her </i>to be suspicious, as she had experienced countless times the ugly nature and wicked tactics of men spurred by her curse of narcolepsy.


    Still, she didn¡¯t have the slightest suspicion that what Woo-Moon was offering her was some kind of drug. After everything that happened, she trusted him.


    On the other hand, she still couldn¡¯t drink it.


    She already owed much to Woo-Moon and didn¡¯t want to cause him any more trouble. Her conscience wouldn¡¯t allow it. Therefore, she shook her head slowly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to...¡±


    Woo-Moon knew why she was refusing.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can only drink a single drop of this anyway, so it¡¯s of no use to me anymore. Well, I¡¯m not saying that I¡¯m giving it to you for free. You can just give me something better in exchangeter. So stop worrying and just drink it,¡± he said with a yful smile.


    But what could be better than the Pure Stctite Milk? At least for the people of the <i>murim,</i> there wasn¡¯t anything.


    Ra Mi also knew as much, so she was still hesitating. However, it wasn¡¯t easy for her to continue refusing, with Woo-Moon insisting like this.


    ¡°...Okay, then...¡±


    As Ra Mi sat cross-legged, Woo-Moon poured a drop of the Pure Stctite Milk into her mouth.


    She would need quite a long time to finish assimting all of the energy of the elixir into her qi, primarily because of her tendency to fall asleep.


    The silver lining was that the qi cultivation method taught to her by her father, the sect master of the Haenam Sword Sect, was one that allowed her to circte her qi instinctively, even if she were to fall asleep while cultivating. It would be slower, but it would still be working.


    Woo-Moon stayed by Ra Mi¡¯s side for a total of six hours. He had entered her quarters around sunrise and only left when the sun had set.


    ¡°Something seems a little wrong, Leader.¡±


    When Woo-Moon emerged from her quarters, everyone outside looked at him with strange eyes.


    ¡°What?¡±


    In response to his question, Mu-Bi just tilted his head and asked something else.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t Ra Mi nunaing out?¡±


    ¡°Ah. She¡¯s a little tired, so she¡¯s resting.¡±


    Then, the expressions on the faces of the rest became even stranger and more warped. By this point, even Woo-Moon could tell what they were thinking.


    ¡°I swear, you brats! Do you want die today?¡±


    As Woo-Moon put his hand on the hilt of his sword, the members of the Wind Sword Battalion all screamed and ran away.


    ¡°I swear, what goes on in those idiots'' heads? Tsk, tsk. Perverted little brats.¡±


    Woo-Moon clicked his tongue and went up to the second floor of the pavilion.


    Ma-Ra, who btedly realized what was going on, muttered in the dark.


    ¡°You¡¯re the same. Bad boy.¡±


    There was no way that Woo-Moon, with his incredibly high cultivation, wouldn¡¯t have heard her muttering. She was referring to the incident that had urred not too long ago when Woo-Moon touched her breasts.


    Pretending that he didn¡¯t hear her, Woo-Moon continued up the stairs, his face turning bright red.


    ***


    The day of the decisive battle finally dawned.


    After waking up early in the morning and honing all of their weapons, Woo-Moon joined the front lines with his members.


    The Fist Emperor came forward and gave a brief speech. Unlike the long-winded speeches some people liked to give to boost morale, his was far more... straight to the point.


    <i>¡®We are members of the Righteous Faction, people who walk the correct path. We must never allow ourselves to be defeated by mere thieves and hooligans.¡¯</i>


    His short speech made Woo-Moon like him even more. Who needed long and unnecessary speeches? All they had to do was fight.


    ¡°Depart!¡±


    The troops of the third army of the Justice Coalitionunched an all-out attack toward the main base of the ck Bull Gang, where the Lust Emperor was, using their movement techniques to the best of their abilities so they could sustain a rapid pace throughout the march.


    They aimed for only one thing: to overturn the unfavorable situation of the Coalition in one fell swoop.


    In order words, the death of the Lust Emperor and the destruction of the ck Bull Gang¡¯s main base.


    Unfortunately, the ck Bull Gang seemed to have anticipated this tactic, even though the Justice Coalition generally stayed on the defensive. Because the ck Bull Gang continued to be on guard, the Justice Coalition was unable to gain any benefits from their surprise offensive.


    Still, they had nothing to lose from their current assault, so it was still worth continuing.


    The Wind Sword Battalion was stationed on the right side of the front lines, engaging with the enemy. As if to herald their performance, the Justice Coalition seemed to be on the cusp of victory on their side, pushing hard against the gang forces from the right side.


    ¡°Lust Emperor! Where are you? How long do you n on hiding behind your henchmen?!¡± the Fist Emperor shouted as he punched forward, several hundred gang members torn limb from limb by the force of his fist wind and spraying blood everywhere.


    ¡°Fist Emperor! You measly grunt who runs errands for the Sword Emperor, how dare you think that you¡¯re equal to me, the boss of this great gang?!¡±


    <i>Grunt who runs errands for the Sword Emperor.</i>


    Those words had such power that they shook the Fist Emperor¡¯sposure.


    ¡°How dare you talk nonsense!¡±


    Among the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors, the Fist Emperor was the most generous but also the most emotional. With a great roar, he flew toward the rear of the ck Bull Gang base, where the voice of the Lust Emperor could be heard.


    The path behind the Fist Emperor was lined with the corpses of the gang members. Because of his wild rampage, the ck Bull Gang¡¯s formation, which had already been copsing from the right side, gradually fell apart altogether, forcing them to retreat.


    Although the Justice Coalition also suffered considerable damage, they were nheless holding the upper hand, and considering there was a possibility to exterminate all the troops of the ck Gang here, they wasted no time tenaciously pursuing the retreating gang.


    The Divine Monk, who had secretly joined their forces not long ago on behalf of the Shaolin Temple, was incredible. There were some other troops as well, but only he had been able to catch up to their march. He was an Absolute Master, and he was so fast that it was impossible for any Transcendent expert to keep up with him.


    Even though the Fist Emperor had gone ahead, the figures of the Justice Coalition continued to push back the ck Bull Gang, this time with the Divine Monk spearheading the army.


    ¡°Gasp, gasp.¡±


    During the battle, the Wind Sword Battalion, which had particrly strong martial skills aspared to the other battalions, had pushed somewhat ahead of the rest of the front lines.


    <i>¡®The Fist Emperor pushed forward to this point earlier, right?¡¯</i>


    What stood magnificently in front of Woo-Moon was the ck Castle, the headquarters of the ck Bull Gang.


    All of the gang troops who had fled the battlefield had also entered here.


    ¡°OOORAH!!!!¡±


    The bald Ha Gun-Choong ran toward the main gate of the ck Castle, clearly intent on wrecking things, when Woo-Moon stopped him with an iron grip on his shoulder.


    ¡°Huh? Are we not going in? All of those rats went in there!¡±


    With a cold gaze, Woo-Moon looked at Ha Gun-Choong, who was still drunk from the heat of battle and the spilling of blood. After a moment, he struck him on the head.


    <i>Thunk!</i>


    His fist and Ha Gun-Choong¡¯s head collided, creating the sound of metal shing on metal.


    ¡°Agk!!¡±


    Although Ha Gun-Choong had incredible physical cultivation¡ªto the point where not even metal could prate his flesh, he was far from strong enough to brush off a blow from Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Do you want to be the Battalion Leader, then?¡±


    Coming to his senses from the pain and returning to his usual self, Ha Gun-Choong shook his head and mumbled.


    ¡°N-no. Just, why did you have to hit me when you could have just said something...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, as if you were paying any attention to what I was saying. You let your emotions get the better of you. Be careful not to start a rampage and end up trapped somewhere on the battlefield.¡±


    After warning Ha Gun-Choong, Woo-Moon looked over at the members of the Wind Sword Battalion and continued.


    ¡°We¡¯re moving too fast. Let¡¯s not rush in first and just wait for the others toe. It¡¯s better than dying like idiots because we went in too deep.¡±

 Chapter 133. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (4)

    <h4>Chapter 133. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (4)</h4>


    In any case, the members of the Wind Sword Battalion weren¡¯t particrly greedy for fame or whatever. So, everyone smiled and nodded in agreement at their leader¡¯s words.


    Sadly, as the saying goes, it¡¯s easy to end a good rtionship but bad ones follow you forever.


    ¡°Wind Sword Battalion Leader, why are you just loitering around and not going inside?¡±


    As it so happened, the next person to arrive was the Rear Guard Battalion Leader, Lee Chung himself.


    ¡°It seemed as though we had pushed too far ahead by ourselves, so we took a moment to regroup and wait for the troops. There seems to be a lot of the ck Bull Gang members inside, but you can go in first if you¡¯re in a hurry,¡± Woo-Moon said, stopping himself from continuing any further.


    <i>¡®If you want to go and die first, I won¡¯t stop you,¡¯ </i>he thought.


    However, Lee Chung was able to focus and calm himself down at Woo-Moon¡¯s words, judging the situation objectively.


    ¡°Hmm. No, there¡¯s no need. Your words make sense, Wind Sword Battalion Leader. We¡¯ll wait here with you for the others.¡±


    <i>¡®Oho?¡¯</i>


    Seeing Lee Chung agree and follow along to what he said for a change, Woo-Moon looked at him in surprise. Although Lee Chung could feel Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze, he showed no change in his expression.


    Woo-Moon smiled to himself.


    <i>¡®Looks like the stiff geezer developed a brain.¡¯</i>


    Not long after, the main forces of the Justice Coalition arrived, led by the Shaolin Temple¡¯s Divine Monk. The Divine Monk¡¯s kasaya was stained bright red with the blood of the ck Bull Gang¡¯s Transcendent ss experts. Like that, he walked in front of the main gate of ck Castle.


    Then, he struck the ground before the gate with his monk¡¯s spade.[1]


    <i>Rumble!!! Crack!!!!</i>


    A huge explosion and a massive roar that sounded like an earthquake ran out, and soon, the main gate of ck Castle shattered and fell down.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±


    The Divine Monk seemed to be in his early forties, with particrly thick eyebrows as impressive as his martial skills.


    <i>¡®For some reason, he seems simr to the Fist Emperor. I wonder if it¡¯s because their martial arts are from the same Nine Sects and One Gang...¡¯</i>


    The Divine Monk was the first to storm into ck Castle, with the remaining troops of the Justice Coalition following swiftly behind.


    Although the ck Bull Gang¡¯s remnant gang members tried to stop them, with the main gate desperately was already obliterated and the Divine Monk, an Absolute Master, leading the way, there was nothing that they could do about it.


    Dozens of people died in a matter of moments as the Divine Monk radiated Shaolin True Qi. He moved around the battlefield using incredible techniques like the Hundred Paces Divine Fist, the Vajra Immovable Steps, and the Copper Sand Palm.


    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t just sit around then, can we? Let¡¯s get started, too!¡±


    Woo-Moon and the Wind Sword Battalion also joined the all-out battle.


    <i>Woosh! </i>


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    As Woo-Moon¡¯s sword flew forward, it pierced through the neck of a gang member, blood sttering everywhere.


    ¡°So you¡¯re that bastard Song Woo-Moon!¡±[2]


    Night Saber, a Transcendent ss expert of the ck Bull Gang, cut off the head of one of the Emei Sect disciples and rushed toward Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Did you just call me a bastard? And you¡¯re by yourself? You sure have guts, I gotta say...¡±


    Woo-Moon cleverly used the Divine Phantasm Steps in response to Night Saber¡¯s charge, quickly shifting behind him.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The Night Saber didn¡¯tpletely lose sight of Woo-Moon. However, he also wasn¡¯t able to thoroughly keep track of him, either. He found himself struggling to keep up with Woo-Moon¡¯s movement and was forced to roll forward, startled, when he realized that Woo-Moon was behind him.


    Indeed, the legendary Donkey Roll was precisely for these situations.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you should have known your ce.¡±


    Woo-Moon used the Northern Wind Steps, obviously faster than Night Saber¡¯s Donkey Roll, catching up with him in an instant and stabbing down with his sword.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    ¡°Agk!!¡±


    Night Saber had thrown all caution to the wind, furious because of the deaths of hisrades and the growing disadvantage the ck Bull Gang was facing due to Woo-Moon alone. However, he had forgotten one crucial thing: that Woo-Moon was able to cause such damage meant his martial skills were far superior to Night Saber¡¯s own.


    Although he had realized it now, it was already toote, and he closed his eyes for a final time with regret.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s keep going forward! We¡¯re going to tear the ck Bull Gang apart!¡±


    <i>¡®Because that way, my family will be safe, too! All of these ck Hand bastards need to be eliminated.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was determined to rip out the ck Bull Gang by its roots.


    He cut once, twice, a third¡ªagain and again, cutting down one, two, three, four, ten, twenty, forty...


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword suddenly froze.


    In front of his de was a sixteen-year-old boy, trembling so much that Woo-Moon could hear it. Woo-Moon stopped himself and took off his outer robe, wrapping it around the boy.


    ¡°Leave, you can stop now. You haven¡¯tmitted any unforgivable sins yet.¡±


    Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t sparing the boy because he was young. If the boy had an evil aura and bloodlust, or if he gave off the scent of a wanton murderer, Woo-Moon would have cut him down regardless of his age.


    Although Woo-Moon had always had good instincts when it came to people, his ability to sense and read other people¡¯s aura developed even further after reaching the next stage of cultivation.


    In his perspective, although the boy had grown up among the ck Hand and developed an evil aura, he hadn¡¯t yet reached the point of killing people and wasn¡¯t exuding the scent of blood.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me, you dirty Righteous Faction bastard!¡± the boy shouted as he threw the outer robe that Woo-Moon had covered him with on the ground before rushing forward sword first.


    <i>Thump.</i>


    Woo-Moon gently pushed away the boy¡¯s sword and steadied his wrist.


    ¡°Life is precious. Do you really want to die here?¡±


    As he red at the boy, a palpable bloodlust began to radiate from his body, causing the boy¡¯s scalp to tingle.


    <i>¡°Gulp...!¡±</i>


    All he wanted to do was yell at Woo-Moon to kill him if he dared... until he realized that this might, in fact, actually lead to his immediate death.


    Woo-Moon then picked up the blood-stained outer robe that had fallen on the ground and wrapped it back around the boy¡¯s shoulders before taking his sword.


    ¡°Even if you say you want to die, I still won¡¯t kill you. But if youmit any evil acts worthy of death or harbor any such thoughts in front of me in the future, I¡¯ll cut you down where you stand. Right now, you¡¯re not at that level. I¡¯ll see youter, maybe.¡±


    When Woo-Moon pushed the boy away; thetter no longer fought back and pushed through the ranks of the Justice Coalition army, fleeing the battlefield. As the boy held no weapon and was even wearing an outer robe embroidered with the symbol of the Iron Sword Baek Family, no one stopped or attacked him. Rather, they opened up a path, letting him pass and even giving him some words of encouragement.


    <i>¡°Ugh....¡±</i>


    The boy sobbed as he ran. He couldn¡¯t understand what was going on with him or around him; all he could do was cry and run away.


    He didn¡¯t know how he was going to survive in the future, but at least it would be a better life than what he was living now.


    ¡°Now! Now that our short break is over, shall we begin again?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Woo-Moon once again drove back the ck Bull Gang, with the members of the Wind Sword Battalion following him.


    It seemed as though everything was almost over by now. As the coalition warriors surrounded the massive pavilion at the center of ck Castle, some even let out shouts of victory.


    At that moment, Woo-Moon felt the slightest of tremors beneath his feet.


    ¡°Underneath us!¡± he shouted urgently.


    As if his shout was the signal to attack, those who had been hiding underneath them thrust their spears upward all at once.


    <i>Squelch, squelch!</i>


    ¡°Agh!!!!!¡±


    Countless members of the Justice Coalition lost their lives without even knowing how or why.


    Suddenly, the ck Castle, which was drenched in the blood of its owners, was now flooded by the coalition warriors¡¯ blood. A thick stench of blood filled everybody¡¯s nostrils.


    And that was not the end.


    <i>nk, nk!</i>


    Small holes appeared from the walls of ck Castle and its pavilions, and poisoned needles shot out toward the invading coalition.


    ¡°My eyes, my eyes!¡±


    ¡°Junior Sister!!¡±


    The disciples called out to each other as they died.


    The elder of a sect cried out as he couldn¡¯t stop the death of his beloved youngest disciple.


    The situation in the hall was chaos itself.


    <i>¡®Damn it! I thought that it was suspicious!¡¯</i>


    The ck Bull Gang had used the majority of its members as bait to lure them into the ck Castle, trapping the Justice Coalition within its walls.


    Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t help but congratte himself for having themander send the forces of the Baek Family back to the main defensive force before this final push.


    ¡°You vicious devils!¡±


    The Divine Monk, enraged by the deaths of his fellow coalition members, floated into the sky and shot the Hundred Paces Divine Fist in all directions.


    <i>BANGBANGBANGBANG!</i>


    A massive white fist aura flew toward the walls and pavilions, exploding and demolishing the walls while simultaneously crushing the hidden spaces behind them and the gang members hidden within them.


    Woo-Moon stretched out the Imprable Golden Wall as much as he could, protecting Ma-Ra and the others.


    ¡°Ma-Ra!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Immediately understanding his intentions, Ma-Ra melded into the darkness. Like a ghost, she flitted through thepound and found a secret door connected to the hidden basement of ck Castle and entered.


    <i>The hidden basement.</i>


    ¡°Die, die, die!¡±


    A gang member was continuously thrusting his spear up through the ceiling, soaked with the blood that flowed down from the copious holes he had made previously. Suddenly, he felt a cold touch on his neck.


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i>


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Soundlessly, the Formless Silk that Ma-Ra had somehow wrapped around his neck sliced through flesh and bone.


    The gang member did not even know how he had died.


    After secretly killing four of the gang members at once, Ma-Ra threw six darts at the same time, taking the lives of six more.


    Even as ten of their fellow gang members were instantly ughtered, the other gang members were so preupied with killing the coalition warriors above them that they werepletely unaware of Ma-Ra¡¯s existence or the deaths of theirrades.


    <i>Swish.</i>


    Ma-Ra appeared behind another target like a ghost and stabbed him through the back into the lungs.


    A death god had infiltrated the ck Bull Gang, unbeknownst to a single one of their members.


    ¡°Huh? Huh?? I-it¡¯s an enemy!!¡±


    It was only after nearly a hundred of the thousand gang members gathered in the basement had died that the others finally realized they were being ughtered.


    ¡°Agh!!¡± W-where are they?!¡±


    ¡°You cowardly bastards, show yourselves!¡±


    The gang members closest to where Ma-Ra was ughtering the enemy fell into a state of panic. Theirrades died one by one, while they couldn¡¯t even spot the enemy. That fear soon changed into mass hysteria as the nearly nine hundred gang members grew utterly terrified of just one single Ma-Ra.


    ¡°W-we have to get out if we want to live!¡±


    ¡°We have to get out of the dark!¡±


    From the point of view of the gang members, none of them could even tell how many enemies there were because of the darkness. They fled one by one to get out of this enclosed ce where the enemy was and go up to the ground.


    Sadly for them, Woo-Moon was waiting outside with his sword, ying a very easy and very bloody game of whack-a-mole.


    There was only a single door that connected the hidden basement to the ground above. Naturally, it was well hidden, but as Woo-Moon followed Ma-Ra¡¯s movements through the passageway with his qi, he had immediately discovered it.


    ¡°T-they¡¯re above us, too! There¡¯s a ghost bastard up there, too!¡±


    The people who escaped the basement died either split in half or beheaded. Moreover, all of that carnage was perpetrated by a single person.


    At first, they had been happy to stab the coalition warriors to death with their spears from underneath them, but now they were trapped between a rock and a hard ce, facing death from both directions.


    ¡°Agh! AGH!!!!¡±


    The weak-hearted among them even lost their reason and went insane. The sense of fear given by Ma-Ra behind them and Woo-Moon above them was just that terrifyingly great.


    Woo-Moon steadily killed those escaping above ground. Sword aura went everywhere as he swung his sword with one hand and shot out Raging Wind Palms with the other, destroying hidden alcoves and passageways along with the structural walls of ck Castle.


    The number of people who had died by his hands had already exceeded four hundred.


    At that very moment, the Divine Monk, who had made the most significant contribution on the battlefield apart from Woo-Moon, shouted, ¡°Wind Sword Battalion Leader! I¡¯m starting to get worried about the Fist Emperor. Go and help him!¡±


    Even at this very moment, the coalition warriors were losing their lives due to the extraordinary surprise attack from the cleverly hidden ck Bull Gang members.


    1. A monk¡¯s spade, also known as a Shaolin spade, is a kind of polearm with a spade-like de on one end and a crescent moon de on the other, neither of which is designed to be sharpened. Originally, it was designed as a self-defense item as well as a tool¡ªthe spade de could be used for various agricultural purposes as well as to bury corpses if need arose, and the crescent moon de could be used to keep wild animals at bay without injuring them. It looks something like this: /shops/184325/files/356800351/enso-martial-arts-shop-shaolin-monk-spade.jpg ?


    2. Unlike the general insult ¡°bastard¡± that Koreans like to throw around, this is the literal ¡°person with an unidentified father¡± bastard. ?

 Chapter 134. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (5)

    <h4>Chapter 134. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (5)</h4>


    At one point, poisonous snakes even began to crawl around on the ground and bite their ankles.


    Ma-Ra, Woo-Moon, the Divine Monk, and the experts of the Nine Sects and One Gang who had reached elder and above, caused enormous damage to the ck Bull Gang. However, the Justice Coalition was also suffering a massive amount of casualties, a level of casualties that hadn¡¯t been seen since the beginning of the war.


    As a result, the Divine Monk was unable to go and aid the Fist Emperor directly. That was why he wanted to send the Wind Sword Battalion rather than going there himself and leaving the coalition army to fend for themselves.


    ¡°Understood, Commander. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Woo-Moon cleaved open the door of the central pavilion using Northern Wind, splitting it in half and storming inside. Although he was nervous, as he thought that there might be a trap, his fears turned out to be unfounded.


    In the wrecked room, countless corpses of gang members and the remains of pulverized organs were piled everywhere, clearly showing the Fist Emperor¡¯s path.


    Sensing the sounds of fightinging from deeper in the room, more precisely underneath him, Woo-Moon hurried forward.


    As he and the others went down one floor at a time, the number of enemy corpses and debris increased.


    Although Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t count them all, even by a rough estimate, there were as many as 1,500 ck Bull Gang corpses as they passed through the sixth floor. While Woo-Moon was once again in awe of the Fist Emperor¡¯s incredible power, he was also astonished by the fact that the ck Bull Gang, which seemed to be just one representative of the ck Hand, was sorge.


    <i>¡®Both the Justice Coalition and the ck Bull Gang divided their forces into three armies, and they had more people than us anyway. How could they also have so many people in this fucking basement?¡¯</i>


    This world really seemed to have more evil people than good ones.


    Finally, they reached thest floor¡ªthe thirteenth floor.


    On one side of this floor, which was as wide as a in, the Lust Emperor and the Fist Emperor were fighting fiercely.


    Surrounding the lone Fist Emperor were the Lust Emperor as well as countless gang members, all attacking him. And standing in front of the stairs that Woo-Moon descended were a hundred warriors of the ck Bull Gang wearing blood-red robes, guarding the floor from intruders.


    It was the Blood Cloud Apex Squadron.


    They were the guardians of the Gang Boss, the most elite of the ck Bull Gang!


    The captain of the Blood Cloud ck Ace Squadron, the Sword Ghost Spear Devil, standing at the forefront of the squadron, stepped forward and spoke grimly, ¡°Did youe looking for a grave?¡±[1]


    Although the Wind Sword Battalion¡¯s skills weren¡¯t low, they were stillcking in both numbers and cultivation whenpared to the Blood Cloud Apex Squadron. Still, although they should have been intimidated by the disparity, they trusted their youthful spirit and stood directly facing the squadron, eyes zing.


    Woo-Moon was so proud of seeing them stand tall that he smiled silently before stepping forward.


    ¡°Well, who knows? Shouldn''t we wait and see who actually dies here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen an image of you. So you¡¯re that brat they call ¡®young hero,¡¯ Song Woo-Moon. You must have gotten full of yourself after hearing everyone praise your skills and whatever deeds. But you¡¯re just a new-born pup unafraid of the tiger before you. Did the Palm Martial Emperor teach you to be so insolent?¡±


    Woo-Moon grinned.


    <i>Woosh! Swish!!</i>


    Simultaneously, both the Divine Phantasm Steps and Raging Wind!


    ¡°Tsk!¡±


    The Sword Ghost Spear Devil took a step back as a thin line of blood appeared on his cheek.


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t attack any further. He just stood there and snickered. ¡°I¡¯m a good student. Isn¡¯t this the perfect amount of insolence?¡±


    The captain of the Blood Cloud Apex Squadron was furious at being humiliated in front of his subordinates. To think he¡¯d be injured by a child! He was notorious even within the ranks of the Hegemon n and the Justice Coalition due to his strength, most famously due to his actions during the rebellion of the Greenwood King.


    Years ago, a man who called himself the Greenwood King appeared within the Greenwood Alliance, one of the vassal forces of the ck Bull Gang, and led a rebellion against his masters. In order to punish him, the Lust Emperor led the Blood Cloud Apex Squadron to destroy the Greenwood Alliance.


    The Lust Emperor had used that rebellion as a stage to announce his rise to the Absolute stage and defeated the self-titled Greenwood King in ten seconds before ordering the Blood Cloud Apex Squadron to ughter all 1,500 of the Greenwood Alliance¡¯s elites.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t aid the squadron in any way. However, even without him, the Blood Cloud Apex Squadron had only lost two people in that battle under the direction of the Sword Ghost Spear Devil.


    Considering his status and fame as the captain of such a mighty unit, the Sword Ghost Spear Devil was infuriated by being attacked by Woo-Moon, someone whom he looked down upon for being a mere child.


    ¡°Kill him!¡±


    Following their Captain¡¯s orders, the Blood Cloud Apex Squadron rushed toward Woo-Moon and the members of the Wind Sword Battalion like a terrifying red wave.


    With how outstanding each individual member was, the fighting spirit and aura that they radiated collectivelypounded and were truly titanic. Even so, the exhausted members of the Wind Sword Battalion grit their teeth and stepped forward, trying to stand and fight alongside Woo-Moon.


    However, Woo-Moon just shook his head and pushed them back.


    ¡°Battalion Leader!¡±


    The others wouldn¡¯t be able to be of much help in fighting the Blood Cloud Apex Squadron. In that case, Woo-Moon thought that it would be better to fight them alone in order to reduce the casualties.


    ¡°Stay behind.¡±


    In the brief moment it took him to order his subordinates to stand down, the sharp battle qi of the Blood Cloud Apex Squadron arrived right in front of Woo-Moon.


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    When Woo-Moon stepped forward with his right foot, the ground split apart, and a wave of qi spread out, disrupting the advance of the squadron slightly¡ªvery slightly.


    In that split-second opening, before the squadron could stabilize their aura, Woo-Moon stabbed out with his sword.


    Northern Blizzard!


    <i>Shing!!!!</i>


    A cold, dry sound rang out from Lightsh.


    <i>Thud, thud.</i>


    It was as if the world had been cut open. As many as forty members of the Blood Cloud Apex Squadron lost their lives, cleaved in half without even being able to scream.


    ¡°...¡±


    The Sword Ghost Spear Devil had only been able to survive because he had dodged ahead of time after sensing Woo-Moon¡¯s aura.


    However, he couldn¡¯t afford to be happy about his survival. He was speechless as he looked at the decimated ranks of his men, almost half of whom had lost their lives in an instant.


    Woo-Moon was far, far stronger than what had been reported.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure... no, they definitely said that he wasn¡¯t at this level yet. Then, could it be that he grew this much stronger in that short period? That¡¯s impossible! A Transcendent can¡¯t have this level of power unless they break through the Absolute wall and be a true master. But... is he an Absolute Master, then?! No, even with this strength, he seems somewhatcking. Then...¡¯</i>


    The astonished Sword Ghost Spear Devil''s shock was short-lived. After all, he was a man who had spent decades on the battlefield and was able to put away any useless thoughts quickly.


    ¡°Kill him no matter what it takes!¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t understand how, Woo-Moon was clearly stronger than the Transcendent stage should have allowed him to be. However, their master, the Lust Emperor, still stood behind them! There was no way back for them!


    <i>¡®I still have this onest move!¡¯</i>


    Seeing the Sword Ghost Spear Devil¡¯s eyes light up. Woo-Moon spoke softly.


    ¡°Good,e at me!¡±


    Although their ranks were now reduced, the Blood Cloud Apex Squadron rushed toward Woo-Moon once more, with an even more ferocious force than before.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s finish this quickly!¡¯</i>


    With that thought in mind, Woo-Moon pointed the tip of his sword toward the sky.


    The members of the Wind Sword Battalion were shocked by Woo-Moon¡¯s power. Looking up, they realized that he was about to unleash Raging Storm next.


    As they expected, Raging Storm broke out from the tip of his de.


    Like a downpour, countless thick drops of sword aura poured down on the Blood Cloud Apex Squadron.


    <i>Plop, plop, plop, plop, plop!</i>


    Countless sounds rang out, more like molten metal dripping on metal rather than the sound of rain.


    A thick mist of blood billowed before Woo-Moon; blood flowered like a river below and soared upward into the sky.


    With one of his arms blown off and arge hole forming in his side, the Sword Ghost Spear Devil looked at his vice-captain standing next to him.


    ¡°<i>Haa....Haa....ugh...</i>¡±


    The vice-captain, who had both of his arms torn off at the shoulders and a gaping hole in his stomach, foamed at the mouth and groaned, clearly on the verge of death.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    A single pill dropped to the ground out of the vice-captain¡¯s pocket. The Sword Ghost Spear Devil picked it up and swallowed it right away without any hesitation.


    It was the Blood Explosion Pill, the ck Bull Gang¡¯sst resort and a kind of medicine far more effective than the Blood Frenzy Pill that the ck Bull Gang had given to the Red Fog Valley¡¯s Three Peak Monsters.


    ¡°<i>Ughh...</i>You¡¯re stronger than I imagined, but thi¡ª¡±


    Just as he was about to say ¡°this is the end for you too,¡± the Sword Ghost Spear Devil suddenly saw his own body from the side, his headless neck gushing out blood.


    The power of the Blood Explosion Pill had just been about to awaken and spread throughout his body. When that happened, even though he wouldn¡¯t have been able to reach the level of an Absolute Master, the Sword Ghost Spear Devil would have been able to show power far above that of the Transcendent stage.


    Unfortunately for him, Woo-Moon was not the kind to wait for his enemies to power up mid-battle. A quick swing of Lightsh had put an end to that before it even began.


    <i>¡®You coward! You Righteous Faction Bastard!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon watched as the Sword Ghost Spear Devil cast him an outraged look, dying without even being able to disy the power of the Blood Explosion Pill.


    ¡°Brother, are you crazy? Why the hell would I let you do that? If there¡¯s an easy way, I¡¯ll obviously choose it.¡±


    Hearing Woo-Moon¡¯s mocking voice, the Sword Ghost Spear Devil¡¯s eyes widened as life left his body.


    Silence arose among the ck Bull Gang members, who had trusted in and looked up to the Blood Cloud Apex Squadron and the Sword Ghost Spear Devil. After a while, they all gritted their teeth.


    ¡°We¡¯ll kill you all.¡±


    As the remaining gang members approached the Wind Sword Battalion with vicious curses, Woo-Moon calmly walked over, kicking away the Sword Ghost Spear Devil¡¯s head in the process, and swung Lightsh, shaking off the blood.


    "Ok, fine. ¡°Let¡¯s see this to the end.¡±


    Right then, he finally felt something.


    A horrifying, eerie feeling!


    ¡°Be careful...!¡± Woo-Moon shouted as he dodged as quickly as he could.


    The whip narrowly grazed his temple and continued forward.


    In that fleeting moment, Woo-Moon felt an ominous feeling as he tried to cut the whip before it could go any further.


    However, it was already toote.


    Even by his extremely high standards, the whip moved blindingly fast... so fast that it pierced Mu Bi¡¯s and Ha Gun-Choong¡¯s foreheads one after another in an instant.


    As if the world had stopped, theirst moments froze within Woo-Moon¡¯s mind.


    The past interactions with Mu Bi, who was reluctant to go into battle because he didn¡¯t like killing, shed through his mind, followed by the easy-going and naive appearance of Ha Gun-Choong,pletely unbefitting a young master of arge Merchant Guild.


    The long whip that had pierced through Mu Bi¡¯s head first before easily puncturing Ha Gun-Choong¡¯s, in spite of thetter¡¯s incredible physical cultivation, drew back and returned to its wielder¡¯s hand.


    The wielder was, of course, the Lust Emperor.


    Naturally, his target had been Woo-Moon. However, when he failed, the Lust Emperor shifted targets, not wanting to give up the chance.


    <i>Crack.</i>


    Woo-Moon gritted his teeth until something cracked and blood pooled from his gums.


    ¡°LUST EMPEROR!!!!¡±


    Letting out a loud roar, Woo-Moon poured all the qi he could into his legs, using the Northern Wind Steps at full speed. The qi of the Forbidden Divine Art was boiling likeva. In line with Woo-Moon¡¯s anger, it was even stronger than when he met the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    ¡°You bastard! You won¡¯t be able to approach Father!¡±


    One of the Lust Emperor¡¯s numerous sons stepped forward and swung his whip. However, Woo-Moon instead stretched out his arm and coated it in aura, allowing the whip to wrap around his arm and pull the attacker toward him.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    In one swift move, he brought the man closer, split him in half, and let the body fall to the side like two bags of trash. He did not sway even a hair¡¯s width from his path as he did this.


    ¡°Protect Father!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him get any closer!¡±


    Many among the Lust Emperor¡¯s sons had reached the Transcendent stage, but none of them could withstand the sword of the enraged Woo-Moon, much less stop him from moving forward.


    As he went further into the vast expanse, he could see the Lust Emperor and the others surrounding and attacking the Fist Emperor.


    The Fist Emperor was covered in blood.


    No, that wasn¡¯t the important part. Both of his legs had been severed at the ankle, and one eye had ruptured.


    Nevertheless, he still radiated enormous and powerful fist force in all directions, revealing the untarnishable aura of an Absolute Master.


    The Fist Emperor saw the Lust Emperor take a step back into the crowd of gang members and catch his breath. He shouted, ¡°Lust Emperor, you cowardly bastard!! To think that you¡¯d use such dirty tricks and even hide behind your men. Do you daree out and fight right now?!¡±


    The Fist Emperor was still unaware of Woo-Moon¡¯s presence, while the Lust Emperor looked at the Fist Emperor with a cold gaze.


    ¡°This is the end of my tiresome rtionship with you. I can¡¯t deal with you anymore~ A young dragon, surprisingly strong for his age, is running after me, <i>kekeke</i>.¡±


    1. Yes, his title really is Sword Ghost Spear Devil. The author has a penchant for interesting names. ?

 Chapter 135. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (6)

    <h4>Chapter 135. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (6)</h4>


    The Lust Emperor wasn¡¯t in top shape, either.


    In order to trap the Fist Emperor into his perfect trap, he had been forced to fight a fierce battle first.


    The moment his hidden assassins appeared and dealt a massive blow to the Fist Emperor, the Fist Emperor hadn¡¯t just waited for death. Instead, he had used all his power to strike a hard blow to the Lust Emperor¡¯s abdomen.


    Of course, as the Fist Emperor had been distracted by the other assants, he hadn¡¯t been able to actually use all that power effectively. However, it was still enough to inflict the Lust Emperor with multiple internal injuries.


    Surrounding the Fist Emperor were the secret guards of the Lust Emperor. They had given up everything for this battle, sacrificing all their lifespan and cultivation through the Blood Explosion Pill for more power.


    Beyond them, the Fist Emperor could see Woo-Moon filled with rage and rushing toward the Lust Emperor with a terrifying force.


    ¡°Ugh... you¡¯ll suffer if you let your guard down, Lust Emperor. It¡¯s time for the spring rain, and the tide will wash away the stagnant water of the Yangtze.[1] It¡¯s funny. An evil ck Hand bastard like you will be the first sacrifice for the young dragon that will rise in the <i>murim. </i>No, is it more appropriate to call this rise the providence of the <i>murim</i>?¡±


    ¡°Seeing you drone on like this, I guess you¡¯re still pretty healthy, then.¡±


    Although the Lust Emperor had called Woo-Moon a young dragon, he still thought of Woo-Moon as nothing but a child. Thus, he turned his eyes away from the Fist Emperor and just watched Woo-Moon run in from afar.


    ¡°<i>Tsk...</i> you pathetic brats.¡±


    Although his sons were getting ughtered in droves, falling to Woo-Moon¡¯s sword, he felt no emotions. After all, being killed by the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s grandson was effectively disqualifying them as his sons.


    As Woo-Moon gradually approached, however, and as he red at the Lust Emperor with bloodlust zing in his eyes, the Lust Emperor¡¯s expression changed little by little.


    ¡°Transcendent... has he crossed the wall? No, he¡¯s not an Absolute Master yet... What the hell is going on? Palm Martial Emperor... just what sort of insane martial art did you create and teach your grandson?¡±


    Woo-Moon wouldn¡¯t have been much of a concern if he had been just a mere Transcendent. Even though he had dispatched many Transcendent experts by himself, that was still not much of a concern¡ªafter all, every Absolute Master had that strength as a Transcendent, including the Lust Emperor himself.


    However, it turned out that wasn¡¯t the case. Woo-Moon actually was a being that defied themon sense of <i>murim.</i>


    <i>¡®He hasn¡¯t reached the Absolute realm yet, but he¡¯s not that far, either!¡¯</i>


    The Woo-Moon before the Lust Emperor now was by no means the same Woo-Moon who was frozen by the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s aura a long time ago.


    He had made incredible progresspared to when he had faced the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor and the Otherworldly Ice Fairy. The enlightenment he¡¯d experienced a while back had brought him to an entirely new level of power.


    Rushing to the Lust Emperor, Woo-Moon felt as though his mind was expanding. A refreshing feeling washed over him, and the form of a new technique once more appeared in his mind.


    Dragon Bind Tiger Strike!


    Sword aura rippled out of Inkde like a thick thread and split into two streams. One stretched out long and vast, flying toward the Lust Emperor, while the other tightly bundled within itself into a stout figure before rampaging forward fiercely.


    In the eyes of those watching, the perfect image of a dragon and tiger formed of sword aura appeared in the sky.


    ¡°How impressive!¡± the Lust Emperor shouted as he moved his whip mboyantly. In an instant, his surroundings were filled with the shadows of his whip.


    The aura left behind by the whip¡¯s incessant movement didn¡¯t dissipate but instead came together and intertwined like a¡ªnot the average whip aura but one clearly exceeding the Transcendent level, as expected of an Absolute Master.


    Yet the dragon flew down and wrapped itself around this, confining it so that it couldn¡¯t move. A tiger followed, striking the with its massive paws.


    <i>BOOM!!!!</i>


    With a heavy explosion, the auras of both sides were canceled out.


    Woo-Moon was forced to rapidly retreat fifteen steps, while the Lust Emperor endured the bacsh and stood firm. However, as the pressure was too much, the Lust Emperor¡¯s internal injuries became even more severe.


    As he tried to swallow the blood about to gush up his throat, he felt something strange and instinctively pushed out with his hand.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Ma-Ra, who had been hiding in the darkness and was trying to ambush the Lust Emperor the moment Woo-Moon¡¯s attack dissipated, was unable tond a proper blow on the Lust Emperor and was hit in the side, flying away helplessly.


    Even though Ma-Ra had inherited the Death God¡¯s killing arts, it was still impossible for her to ambush an Absolute Master just yet.


    Woo-Moon watched as her slender body flew through the air and blood spurted like arrows from her dainty mouth.


    He knew it¡ªhe knew that even though Ma-Ra already realized that her efforts would have been useless against the Lust Emperor, an Absolute Master whom she could do nothing against, she had done it for him. She had risked her life to create an opening!


    ¡°AGH!!!!¡±


    Woo-Moon felt like his heart was going to burst from anger.


    He turned toward the Lust Emperor, who was still standing in front of him haughtily.


    Quickly using the Divine Phantasm Steps, Woo-Moon turned hazy like smoke before sting forward at high speed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    Woo-Moon let out a shout and unleashed Raging Storm.


    <i>BANG, BANG BANG!</i>


    The Lust Emperor responded with a curtain of whip aura to block the torrential downpour falling on top of him.


    Then Northern Blizzard immediately followed.


    Although the Lust Emperor also tried to st away Woo-Moon¡¯s Northern Blizzard using a wide-area aura technique like the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had, Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t the same Woo-Moon that he had used to be, and the Lust Emperor wasn¡¯t in his usual state either.


    A long line of blood was drawn across the Lust Emperor¡¯s torso, from his left shoulder to his right hip. Sadly, it was but a flesh wound.


    ¡°Die, die, DIE!¡±


    With bloodshot eyes on the precipice of madness, Woo-Moon produced the Imprable Golden Wall directly before the Lust Emperor.


    When it was used in such close proximity, this defensive technique could be used as a fearsome offensive technique instead.


    However, this time, the Lust Emperor blocked the attack bybining his whip in his right and palm force in his left.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The Lust Emperor¡¯s internal injuries red up and he threw up blood; meanwhile, Woo-Moon also turned pale and vomited blood, having used too much of his qi in too short of a time through his unrelenting barrage of Gentle Celestial Sword techniques.


    But even so, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t stop.


    <i>¡®Second form, Golden Wall Severing Void!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon made incredible use of the narrow gap between him and the Lust Emperor and transitioned his Imprable Golden Wall into its second form, condensing it into a disc directly before his enemy.


    ¡°I-I refuse to be killed by a brat!¡± the Lust Emperor shouted as he tried to st aside Golden Wall Severing Void. This time, he was not entirely sessful, and the powerful golden disk severed his left forearm.


    The Lust Emperor¡¯s eyes were also bloodshot.


    <i>¡®How fucking dare you! Am I really about to be killed by not even the Palm Martial Emperor but his grandson?!¡¯</i>


    The Lust Emperor¡¯s mind raced.


    No, it would be too difficult for Woo-Moon, who was still young, to show any techniques that were even stronger than what he¡¯d used so far due to hisck of strength.


    With that in mind, the Lust Emperor used the strongest technique he had in his arsenal.


    ¡°Chaotic Nine-Wall Rend!¡±


    Nine walls formed of whip aura were created between the Lust Emperor and Woo-Moon. Then, the Lust Emperor¡¯s whip tore through each wall as it barreled toward Woo-Moon, absorbing the aura of each wall.


    After tearing through a total of nine walls formed of whip aura, the Lust Emperor¡¯s attack was exponentially stronger right as it reached Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Now die!¡±


    As Woo-Moon let out a roar that was almost like a guttural scream, he squeezed his dantian for whatever qi he had left.


    <i>You¡¯ve reached the limit.</i>


    <i>Stop it.</i>


    <i>It¡¯s too dangerous to go any further.</i>


    Although his body screamed and warned him, Woo-Moon forcefully drew out whatever qi was in his being to the point where his dantian was beginning to tear itself apart in order to fuel another Dragon Bind Tiger Strike.


    <i>Shing!!!</i>


    The dragon and tiger painted by Woo-Moon¡¯s sword flew forward with a silent roar and collided with the Chaotic Nine-Wall Rend.


    <i>BOOOOOOOOM!</i>


    The moment the two attacks collided, a terrifying roar erupted.


    ¡°AGH!!¡±


    Woo-Moon, whose entire body was coated in blood and riddled with wounds, crashed to the ground, rolling backward for a bit before he could stop himself.


    He lifted his head and red over at the Lust Emperor.


    The Lust Emperor¡¯s torso had been cleaved nearly in half, and both of his legs were severed at the thigh. Yet he looked at the sky,ughing hysterically.


    ¡°Kekeke, kekekeke!!!¡±


    <i>¡®In the end, I became the prey of the young dragon who is about to soar within the Justice Coalition? Is this all I¡¯m worthy of being? A stepping stone?¡¯</i>


    With a finalugh, the Lust Emperor died while still standing upright.


    At the same time, the Fist Emperor¡¯s arm pierced through thest remaining guard and pulverized his chest.


    He watched the final moments of the Lust Emperor, the person he had hated the most throughout his life. However, it felt strange. Although he couldn¡¯t exin it, he felt somewhat sad rather than exhrated.


    <i>¡®So our era is slowlying to an end, then,¡¯</i> he thought as he looked down at the dagger that had pierced his abdomen at the same time as his final blow against the guard.


    Although it wasn¡¯t a life-threatening wound, almost as if by fate, the dagger had somehow pierced through his dantian.


    The sense of loss and the pain of having all of the qi one had cultivated throughout one¡¯s life dispersed was so terrible that it was unimaginable to those who had never felt it.


    Yet the Fist Emperor onlyughed helplessly.


    ***


    As soon as he confirmed that the Lust Emperor was dead, Woo-Moon stood up with shaky legs and staggered toward Ma-Ra.


    His dantian, which generally always overflowed with qi and would constantly draw in more whenever it could, seemed to have been annoyed by Woo-Moon¡¯s extreme actions. Rather than gathering any more qi, it just seemed toin, sending him jolts of pain in quiet irritation.


    Still, Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t too worried. He knew that all he had to do was continue to cultivate slowly and address his hidden injuries in the future and all would be fine.


    He got down on one knee and gently hugged Ma-Ra.


    ¡°Get it together! Wake up, Ma-Ra!¡±


    However, Ma-Ra didn¡¯t open her eyes at his insistence. It was as if she was really dead, and she wasn¡¯t breathing.


    ¡°No, please. Please!¡±


    The moment Woo-Moon closed his eyes tightly and hugged her body, his dantian stirred. As if it had a mind of its own, it immediately drew in as much qi as it could from the surroundings, flooding Woo-Moon¡¯s meridians. Then, the qi in his hands was injected into Ma-Ra.


    There, it gently circted throughout her body as well, healing some of her internal injuries and dissipating the Lust Emperor¡¯s palm force, which had brought her to the verge of death.


    Fortunately, that was enough to pull Ma-Ra back from that precipice.


    <i>¡°Cough!¡±</i>


    Coughing and spitting blood, Ma-Ra opened her eyes.


    ¡°...Woo-Moon.¡±


    As soon as she opened her eyes, all she could see was Woo-Moon¡¯s worried, tearful face. Moreover, as soon as she opened her eyes, all she could feel was his warmth.


    Woo-Moon was so happy to see her awake. All he could feel was happiness.


    Without realizing it, he lowered his head and kissed her on the mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s a relief. I thought you were going to die, Ma-Ra. I¡¯m so d that you survived, really!¡±


    Ma-Ra smiled.


    It was a smile the likes of which Woo-Moon had never seen on her face before¡ªa truly happy, pleased smile, a smile that lit up her entire face.


    It was a smile so beautiful that Woo-Moon forgot how to speak.


    ***


    With the destruction of ck Castle, the headquarters of the ck Bull Gang, and the death of the Lust Emperor, the boss of the ck Bull Gang, the Justice Coalition had finally won!


    At the unbelievable news, the morale of the remaining gang members plummeted.


    Moreover, the Lust Emperor had so many sons yet no proper dered sessor, so whatever remained of the ck Bull Gang were immediately caught up in infighting.


    The ck Bull Gang forces that were facing the Justice Coalition forces in Guangxi rapidly disintegrated and splintered apart after hearing the news, quickly being destroyed. Over in Sichuan, while the ck Bull Gang was able to rally together and stay cohesive, they, too, were helplessly annihted once the Justice Coalition concentrated all its forces on that front.


    In this way, the war between the ck Bull Gang and the Justice Coalition had ended with the victory of the Righteous Faction. However, that didn¡¯t mean the coalition had emerged unscathed.


    Moreover, the war between the Hegemon n and the Cruel Sandstorm Riders also ended around the same time. Both sides suffered equally heavy losses, to the extent that it was difficult to dere a winner. However, eventually, the Cruel Sandstorm Riders gave up on their desire to advance to the Central ins and withdrew.


    Among all of the chaos, there was one name that emerged as the newest hot topic in the Central ins.


    Song Woo-Moon.


    Even though the Lust Emperor had been injured, it was still Woo-Moon who cut him down directly with his sword.


    Any younger generation talent was nothing but a firefly before the full moonpared to his reputation, and the reputation of the Baek Family, which had now produced the Young Dragon Song Woo-Moon to follow in the footsteps of the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon, increased as well.


    <i>Clip clop, clip clop.</i>


    Riding forward on his horse, Woo-Moon nced at the carriage next to him.


    Inside, Ma-Ra was circting her qi. Fortunately, she was recovering quickly, and it seemed like she would make a full recovery in no time.


    <i>Kya!</i>


    Eun-Ah, who had already grown to the size of a wolf cub, ran around Woo-Moon¡¯s horse and jumped up and down, teasing Woo-Moon.


    It had been a month since he had killed the Lust Emperor.


    1. An old proverb. Essentially, everyone eventually gets reced by the new generation. ?

 Chapter 136. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (7)

    <h4>Chapter 136. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (7)</h4>


    Leaving a letter of resignation from the Wind Sword Battalion Leader position, Woo-Moon quickly left the encampment like a thief in the night. After all, he knew that the Justice Coalition would never ept his resignation.


    Once he got far enough away, he leisurely headed toward Hefei.


    During his leisurely journey, he worked on creating a cultivation technique for Ra Mi.


    As the Martial Arts Fundamentals left behind by his grandfather also included information about the Sixth Sense Sword, Woo-Moon used the information within the Martial Arts Fundamentals along with what he had personally seen of Ra Mi¡¯s cultivation of it to create a cultivation method that suited her circumstances.


    Various bandits and thieves appeared along his leisurely path without fail, and Eun-Ah was put in charge of dealing with them.


    Eun-Ah had grown to be a moderately strongbatant. Her strength had reached roughly the equivalent of a First-ss expert, leaving thieves no choice but to run away as if their lives depended on it.


    After walking for what seemed like ages, Woo-Moon and his party finally arrived at Hefei.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is everything so hectic?¡±


    Hefei seemed as if it was being overturned. The warriors of the Baek Family and the figures of the Leebi Merchant Guild, with Jo Mu-Jae at the helm, seemed as if they were searching for something throughout the city.


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon caught sight of Mu-Jae and Ye-Ye conversing with grave expressions on their faces.


    "What''s the matter?"


    While Ye-Ye was surprised and delighted to see Woo-Moon, Mu-Jae ran up to him immediately and knelt on the ground.


    ¡°Young Hero Song, please! Please find the guild master!¡±


    <i>The guild master?!</i>


    Naturally, there could only be one guild master that Mu-Jae would be so worried about: Si-Hyeon, Woo-Moon¡¯s junior sister.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±


    Instead of Mu-Jae, Ye-Ye responded calmly.


    ¡°This morning, I went to Young Lady Yeon¡¯s quarters to discover that she disappeared after working at the Guild untilte yesterday evening.¡±


    ¡°What? Was she kidnapped?¡±


    ¡°While we don¡¯t exactly know what¡¯s going on... I don¡¯t believe she was kidnapped.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°People around her say that she¡¯s been acting strangelytely. She seems to have moments where she just stops in ce and stares nkly while muttering, ¡®I have to go there.¡¯ Also, ording to one of her maids, she suddenly appeared walking around the manor in the middle of the night like a sleepwalker in nothing but a nightgown.¡±


    Woo-Moon smelled something suspicious.


    Moreover, he felt anxious. For some reason, he couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that something absolutely terrifying was about to happen.


    This was a feeling that he had never experienced before, not even on the battlefield while fighting the ck Bull Gang.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, I need your help. You don¡¯t have to get out of the carriage. Just teach me the tracking technique so I can find Si-Hyeon.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Si-Hyeon¡¯s residence?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s this way, Young Hero Song! Please follow me.¡±


    The moment Woo-Moon entered Si-Hyeon¡¯s room, all he could sense was demonic qi.


    He was sure of it; it was definitely demonic qi.


    <i>¡®But it¡¯s different from the demonic qi signature of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor. Then, what sort of demonic qi is this? Could it be the remnant aura of that bastard who kidnapped Si-Hyeon? Or some sort of demonic spell used to control her?¡¯</i>


    Anger zed from within him like fire. This was the second time something like this had happened to him¡ªa situation in which someone close to him suddenly disappeared and he was forced to find them.


    If this was simr to thest kidnapping...


    <i>¡®This time, whoever is responsible for this will die. All of them, every single one. I will leave no stone unturned.¡¯</i>


    The anger he felt right now was so enormous that it was iparable to what he had felt when Baek Ryeong was kidnapped.


    ¡°Woo-Moon, observe surroundings. Careful. If anything strange, tell me.¡±


    ¡°Okay."


    Thus, Woo-Moon began to track down Si-Hyeon with Ma-Ra¡¯s help.


    ***


    Si-Hyeon was walking barefoot in a forest.


    Fortunately, she was fully clothed in travel wear¡ªafraid of her strange unconscious behavior, she stopped wearing her translucent nightgown to bed and instead made sure to stay properly dressed regardless of the time of day.


    Still, she was a beauty who was wandering alone in the mountains. Her presence was like a beacon for mountain bandits.


    In fact, even a wandering herb gatherer would have been instantly struck with lust at her sight, let alone these bandits.


    Sure enough, bandits eventually appeared around her,ughing lewdly while blocking her path.


    She simply ignored them, however and as she continued to walk her way, one of the bandits teased her about being so stony and tried to hug her.


    At that time, a technique appeared in Si-Hyeon¡¯s mind, almost like an illusion.


    <i>¡®Empty Hand Demonic Art.¡¯</i>


    Her hands lost their color, bing transparent.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The next moment, Si-Hyeon¡¯s hand pierced the heart of the bandit in front of her.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s with this bitch?!¡±


    ¡°Just kill her!¡±


    Hot blood spewed over Si-Hyeon¡¯s face. However, she continued to walk forward with a nk expression.


    As the eight remaining bandits swung their weapons at Si-Hyeon, her transparent hands seemed to multiply, flying in all directions.


    <i>Squelch! Crack!!</i>


    Under her grip, heads were crushed and chests pierced, blood gushing in all directions from the corpses of the bandits.


    Si-Hyeon continued to walk toward a mysterious destination with a nk expression on her face, seemingly having absolutely zero concern over the people she had just butchered.


    ¡°I have to go... to the Heavenly Demon Mound...¡±


    ***


    One day passed, then two.


    During that time, Woo-Moon traveled far and wide, observing and identifying any faint footprints left on the ground, sensing the rapidly fading energy within each mark. Carefully analyzing the marks on the bushes and branches around him, at first, he would ask Ma-Ra questions one by one.


    However, as time went by, he began to ask fewer questions.


    Three days passed, then four.


    Now, Woo-Moon no longer had to rely on Ma-Ra for help, and he was moving forward while looking for traces of Si-Hyeon at a speed entirely iparable to his first day of tracking.


    ***


    <i>¡°Huff, huff, huff.¡±</i>


    Baek Sang-Woon was uncharacteristically tired, and his hands were drenched in blood and brain matter. They belonged to the members of the ck Bone Battalion.


    The ck Bone Battalion, a force ranked highly within the ck Hand, was an independent unit that did not take orders from anyone but a select few.


    The overall cultivation of the members was so high that not even organizations such as the Justice Coalition could easily touch them.


    Yet here, on this day, the famed ck Bone Battalion had perished at the hands of the Palm Martial Emperor.


    And as he was trying to catch his breath, another group of enemies appeared in front of him.


    ¡°And who the hell are you supposed to be?¡±


    The new figures had cultivations that were no inferior to those of the ck Bone Battalion members. Moreover, they appeared in equal numbers as well.


    ¡°Martial Heaven.¡±


    Following this short reply, the figures attacked Sang-Woon without saying anything else.


    <i>¡®Damn it! And here I was, trying to talk to them and buy some time to recover some qi.¡¯</i>


    As he fought against the newly appeared enemies, the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s anger began to skyrocket.


    Everything was the same.


    They used the same martial techniques of the ck Bone Battalion, the same formations, <i>everything</i>. In other words, they were a perfect replica of the ck Bone Battalion.


    This was truly strange.


    Although Sang-Woon couldn¡¯t figure out what purpose they had, Martial Heaven seemed to recruit groups of martial artists with unique martial arts and take their techniques to train their own martial artists.


    <i>¡®Seeing as they appeared only after the ck Bone Battalion died, it seems as though they hid this new force from the ck Bone Battalion and trained it in secret.¡¯</i>


    Even though Sang-Woon was an Absolute Master, the battle became increasingly difficult as he continued to fight against another enemy at the same level as the strong ck Bone Battalion.


    However, as if the heavens themselves were aiding him, a helping hand appeared.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    Five throwing darts flew out and struck the roughly dozen members of the duplicate ck Bone Battalion who were charging at the Palm Martial Emperor and exploded, pulverizing them all.


    ¡°You really look like shit, don¡¯t you, Palm Martial Emperor.¡±


    The person who appeared had ck clothes and held a long spear in one hand. He was none other than the Night Spear Devil, Gyeong Hong.


    ¡°Hehe... How funny! I never expected to be happy to see you for once. How did you know toe here?¡±


    ¡°I thought you knew that I travel all over the world in order to find a cure for my son¡¯s illness. I heard themotion by chance while passing near here and figured out there was probably an interesting battle going on, so I came here to check. And here you were, looking like absolute shit.¡±


    ¡°And your son is in a safe ce, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then I¡¯ll be relying on you for a bit.¡±


    As soon as they finished speaking, the two Absolute Mastersunched forward together.


    A palm covered the sky as a spear pierced dozens of people in a single move. As if they had been working together for ages, the Palm Martial Emperor and Night Spear Devil showed excellent coboration, sweeping away the enemies within just a minute. Sang-Woon was able to recover his qi somewhat, and even someone like him had to admit that, with the help of the Night Spear Devil, the battle had been much easier.


    ¡°Who are these bastards? They¡¯re using the martial techniques of the ck Bone Battalion.¡±


    Sang-Woon pointed toward the corpse of a ck Bone Battalion member.


    ¡°They¡¯re some bastards that call themselves Martial Heaven. They¡¯re a dark force with an extremely long history and incredible power, a force that not even I knew about. It seems that they took the ck Bone Battalion under their wing, then proceeded to steal the battalion¡¯s martial arts and formations and raised these bastards.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to keep chasing them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll apany you for a while.¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Go hurry back to your son.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell¡¯s worried about you? If they¡¯re this strong and they have a long history, as you say, then they must have a lot of good medicines. I might be able to find something useful.¡±


    After bickering for a while, the two continued, following Martial Heaven¡¯s traces.


    There was another person heading in the same direction they were, Si-Hyeon.


    Soon, the Palm Martial Emperor and his grand-disciple would meet again in the center of the Myriad Great Mountains.


    ***


    While chasing after Si-Hyeon, Woo-Moon continuously ran into numerous corpses, ughtered through demonic arts.


    They were all bandits and thieves killed by Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°Just who could¡¯ve done something like this? This is definitely a sign of demonic arts.¡±


    Woo-Moon wracked his brain, but he couldn¡¯t possibly make any connection between the traces of demonic qi and Si-Hyeon.


    It was only natural; after all, they¡¯d been apart for just a couple of months. He could never expect that Si-Hyeon, who had only entered the <i>murim</i> after bing a disciple of his grandfather, had cultivated his level of demonic qi?


    No, there was no possible universe where that made sense.


    It was possible that someone could have made the connection if they didn¡¯t know her. However, as the tracker was Woo-Moon, there was no way for him to think about that.


    ¡°I¡¯ming quickly. I¡¯ming as fast as I can to help you. I¡¯ll save you. Just wait for me, Si-Hyeon!¡±


    It had been six days already, and Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t slept or rested.


    In the beginning, when he needed Ma-Ra¡¯s help, Woo-Moon had to sleep for her sake, as she was injured and her strength had not recovered yet.


    However, his own tracking skills had continuously improved, while the tracks were only getting clearer. Thus, he now continued to chase Si-Hyeon even as Ma-Ra slept, running ahead of the carriage in which Ma-Ra was riding.


    Right now, he too was getting closer and closer to the Myriad Great Mountains, and as time passed, the number of corpses he discovered kept increasing.


    ¡°Just what the hell... what the hell is going on?¡±


    Si-Hyeon had passed through the center of this fierce battle.


    Woo-Moon was terrified with every step, afraid of finding Si-Hyeon¡¯s body among the corpses.


    What made Woo-Moon even more confused was that, at some point, the dead seemed to belong to two different forces. It seemed as if these two forces were fighting as Si-Hyeon passed through them. Moreover, everyone had an incredible level of cultivation and martial arts skills.


    ***


    ¡°Stop her! Catch her! She must never be let into the Heaven Demon Mound! If you can¡¯t catch her, kill her!¡±


    ¡°Protect the Heavenly Maiden! Kill those dirty Martial Heaven bastards!¡±


    Si-Hyeon continued to walk forward with a nk expression.


    Around her, the warriors of the Heavenly Demon Cult were fighting tenaciously with the Martial Heaven warriors, hell-bent on protecting her at all costs. In contrast, the Martial Heaven warriors pushed forward with all their might, trying to get to Si-Hyeon. They had to catch her, and if they couldn¡¯t, she had to die.


    ¡°You¡¯ll never be able to enter the Heavenly Demon Mound, you witch!¡±

 Chapter 137. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (8)

    <h4>Chapter 137. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (8)</h4>


    A Martial Heaven warrior blocked Si-Hyeon¡¯s path with his sword. However, she just waved a hand imbued with the Empty Hand Demonic Art and shattered the sword before jabbing forward with the Dark Star Finger.


    The warrior blocking her path copsed with his heart pierced.


    Si-Hyeon stepped over him and entered the Heavenly Demon Mound without hesitation.


    Although there were many various hidden traps and mechanisms within the Heavenly Demon Mound, none of them activated as she passed by.


    However, without fail, all of them activated for those who followed her.


    ***


    ¡°What the...¡±


    Woo-Moon, who found himself close to the Heavenly Demon Mound, let out an exmation of surprise as he examined a corpse.


    ¡°This is definitely my grandfather¡¯s technique. And there are traces of the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong, too. As expected of Grandpa! He must have been aware of Si-Hyeon¡¯s danger ande to help.¡±


    Thinking that his grandfather had gone ahead to help Si-Hyeon, Woo-Moon finally felt somewhat at ease.


    By this point, there was no longer a carriage trailing behind Woo-Moon, as Ma-Ra had finally finished recovering and was hidden in his shadow like before.


    After his... unexpected <i>blessing</i> of meeting lips with Ma-Ra, the two seemed to havepletely forgotten about the event and didn¡¯t mention anything about it.


    Soon, Woo-Moon arrived before the Heavenly Demon Mound.


    A group of people were standing in front of the cavernous opening of the Heavenly Demon Mound.


    It looked like a giant mouth, wide open and with a deep, seemingly bottomless pit that seemed like a throat waiting to swallow whoever was rash enough to enter. And as if to confirm that the ce was dangerous, countless corpses littered the ground before it.


    Considering Si-Hyeon must have entered the mound, Woo-Moon also wanted to go inside. However, the group that survived the fight and was blocking the entrance seemed to have no intention of letting him pass.


    A young man, protected by warriors and flirting with beauties with see-through robes showing everything underneath, looked over at Woo-Moon as thetter approached.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that bastard? Kill him.¡±


    After saying that, the young man no longer paid attention to Woo-Moon and focused on flirting with the beauties again.


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be better for you if you just get out of my way.¡±


    Although bloodlust oozed from Woo-Moon¡¯s words, the young man only nced at him with a look of surprise. However, he was still mainly focused on touching and teasing the women instead.


    The young man''s bodyguards rushed toward Woo-Moon.


    Surprisingly, they seemed to be even stronger than the Blood Cloud ck Ace Squadron, the elite hidden guard force of the ck Bull Gang. Thankfully, there were only ten of them.


    <i>¡®I have to end this quickly!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon unleashed Raging Storm from the start.


    A massive shower of sword aura was unleashed from his sword, cutting down all of the young man¡¯s bodyguards except for one.


    Although the survivor rushed toward Woo-Moon, a throwing knife suddenly came from behind and pierced the back of his neck.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, what trash. You won¡¯t be able to beat him even if you try,¡± the young man said.


    The knife hadn¡¯t been thrown by Ma-Ra, but by him. He had murdered his own subordinate with his own hands.


    As Woo-Moon walked toward him with rage in his eyes, the young man smiled and moved aside, opening the way to the entrance of the Heavenly Demon Mound.


    ¡°Wow! What an impressive re! Oh, I can¡¯t hold out anymore; I¡¯m so terrified. Please, oh, please, great lord, what do you think about just sparing my worthless<i> </i>life and going in~¡±


    Actually, Woo-Moon felt relieved. In this situation, where he was in a hurry to save Si-Hyeon, he didn¡¯t have the leeway to fight a young man whose cultivation he didn¡¯t even know. He didn¡¯t like the young man in the slightest, seeing as he had casually ordered for Woo-Moon to be killed and then ughtered his own subordinate in cold blood, but he had no choice right now.


    <i>¡®Just who the hell is he? I¡¯ve never seen someone my age with such incredible cultivation.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon could vaguely see the fierce demonic qi and bloodlust hidden behind the young man¡¯s arrogant smile.


    He passed the young man and stepped into the Heavenly Demon Mound, the terrible demonic qi emanating from within making his already anxious mind even more nervous.


    ¡°My name is Cheon Yu-Rin, and you must be Young Hero Song, the rising hero who¡¯s be quite famous these days. I hope to see you again in the future.¡±


    Woo-Moon turned around to look at Cheon Yu-Rin after the young man finished speaking.


    ¡°Why are you just letting me pass?¡±


    Cheon Yu-Rin smiled.


    ¡°I just wanted to greet you. It''s nice to meet you, I guess. Go on in quickly. It seems you¡¯re looking for someone. Oh! Just to make sure you don¡¯t forget who I am... I¡¯m a member of Martial Heaven.¡±


    <i>¡®Martial Heaven!¡¯</i>


    It was really odd. It seemed these people had a hand in a lot of things. In fact, it now urred to Woo-Moon that the reason his grandfather hade all this way was not Si-Hyeon but rather Martial Heaven.


    Woo-Moon, Ma-Ra, and Eun-Ah walked by Cheon Yu-Rin, wary of the man whose motives they had no idea about, and entered the Heavenly Demon Mound.


    From the beginning, entering was a nightmare. The path was soon cut off, and there was a gaping hole with no end in sight, with the cliff on the other side seemingly too far away to cross.


    ¡°Ma-Ra.¡±


    Woo-Moon lifted Eun-Ah in his arms and ran toward the wall to the right, with Ma-Ra swiftly on his tail.


    They jumped up on the wall and continued running, pushing off the wall at an angle. Although they slowly fell further and further down the side, they were fortunately able to safely reach the cliff on the other side without falling too far down the chasm.


    The situation wasn''t good there, either.


    Corpses were scattered around as if a massive fierce battle had already taken ce.


    Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra continued to follow Si-Hyeon¡¯s traces. Now that the both of them could crack her traces at the same time, their advance was even faster.


    Fortunately, the countless traps and mechanisms of the Heavenly Demon Mound had already been triggered by those who had passed by.


    Thanks to this, Woo-Moon was able to quickly chase after Si-Hyeon, running and stepping all over the corpses, and eventually reached the rear of the mound, where people were engaged in a fierce battle.


    ¡°Die, dogs of Martial Heaven!¡±


    ¡°You damned fanatics, the Heavenly Demon is no more!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, traitor!¡±


    ¡°Our God is the true God of Martial Arts!¡±[1]


    Through their insults, Woo-Moon was able to determine the identities of both sides.


    One was Martial Heaven. The other, the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    To move forward, Woo-Moon had to make a decision. Either kill everyone before him or help one side to take down the other. It was not a tough decision.


    <i>Woosh, squelch!</i>


    After blowing apart the head of the Martial Heaven warrior who was in front of him, Woo-Moon continued forward and helped the Heavenly Demon Cult fight off Martial Heaven.


    After figuring out which side Woo-Moon was helping, Ma-Ra and Eun-Ah also took action and attacked Martial Heaven.


    Ma-Ra fully disyed her Death God techniques, and Eun-Ah picked some people she thought she could deal with and attacked them.


    The figures of the Heavenly Demon Cult were also surprised when Woo-Moon suddenly appeared. However, they were relieved to see that he wasn¡¯t their enemy, and they fought with Martial Heaven with even more vigor.


    Killing the Martial Heaven warriors one by one, Woo-Moon continued to advance.


    Eventually, he came across a fork in the road.


    Both of the fairly long passages were, as expected, full of warriors.


    At the end of the passages, he could see the Palm Martial Emperor and the Night Spear Devil on one side...and Si-Hyeon on the other.


    ¡°Si-Hyeon!¡± Woo-Moon called her name loudly.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Si-Hyeon, who was walking in a daze, suddenly came to her senses at the sound of Woo-Moon¡¯s voice and turned to look behind her.


    ¡°S-senior brother!¡±


    As soon as she came to her senses and saw what was going on around her, she went pale with fright. Seeing Woo-Moon, who seemed to havee all this way to save her, Si-Hyeon began to cry.


    ¡°Senior brother!¡±


    ¡°Si-Hyeon! Just wait; I¡¯ming to save you!¡±


    His grandfather and the Night Spear Devil were Absolute Masters. On the other hand, Si-Hyeon was just a weak girl.


    Seeing his junior sister looking at him in fear, Woo-Moon felt his heart break. He was so anxious that even though he was sweating, his mouth was dry.


    Although he wanted to run at her at once, the Martial Heaven warriors blocking the path were stronger than he had expected, and they were keeping him from continuing forward.


    ¡°...¡±


    Si-Hyeon was only able to keep her sanity for a moment; the next instant, her eyes zed over again. She continued forward, and as she took the corner, she disappeared from Woo-Moon¡¯s sight.


    Woo-Moon was confused to see Si-Hyeon walking away instead ofing toward him, even after seeing here to her senses and cry. Had she been kidnapped, or was she being dragged away by someone¡¯s threats?


    <i>¡®Who¡¯s doing this? Is it Martial Heaven? The Heavenly Demon Cult?¡¯</i>


    Although he didn¡¯t know the answer, he had to continue sticking to a side in order to follow after Si-Hyeon. Thus, he continued to help the figures of the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    The Palm Martial Emperor also heard Woo-Moon¡¯s voice as he called for Si-Hyeon. He shouted from the other path, ¡°We¡¯re good here, so hurry up and go save Si-Hyeon!¡±


    ¡°Yes! I understand, Grandfather!¡±


    If the Palm Martial Emperor couldn¡¯t even greet his grandson, whom he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, then the situation was truly urgent. Still, knowing his grandfather, Woo-Moon felt reassured.


    Somewhat relieved, Woo-moon headed toward the passage where Si-Hyeon had disappeared.


    ¡°Move! All of you, get out of my way! You damned bastards!¡±


    One move, one kill!


    Every time he swung his sword, he¡¯d kill a person without fail. Often, it wasn¡¯t just one but two or even three at the same time.


    Even though they were the warriors of Martial Heaven, with higher cultivations than the ck Bull Gang, they couldn¡¯t stop him whatsoever.


    The Palm Martial Emperor and the Night Spear Devil were fighting against twenty-four people who identified themselves as the Seventy-Two Heavenly Dippers, as well as the Seventh Mu Heon and the Eleventh Mu Heon.


    As he fought them, the Night Spear Devil couldn¡¯t help but be surprised.


    Although he had heard from the Palm Martial Emperor that Martial Heaven was powerful, he had never thought that they would be at this level.


    <i>¡®What the hell is with these Seventy-Two Heavenly Dippers? Even though they aren¡¯t Shaolin Monks, their grasp of Shaolin techniques is incredible. Moreover, from what they¡¯re saying, there are people even stronger than them. But that means...¡¯</i>


    Among the Seventy-Two Heavenly Dippers, each and every one was a Transcendent ss expert. And they imed that Martial Heaven has countless people even stronger than them?!


    The Night Spear Devil¡¯s heart felt somewhat burdened. It was the same for the Palm Martial Emperor.


    The two powers that they had run into aftering here were the Heavenly Demon Cult and Martial Heaven. Not only were they shocked to see that the Heavenly Demon Cult had emerged within the <i>murim</i> once again, but they were even more surprised to see them fighting with Martial Heaven.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s the rtionship between the Heavenly Demon Cult and Martial Heaven?¡¯</i>


    The two were fighting against twenty-six opponents, each dealing with thirteen people.


    Considering the skills of the enemies, who were all Transcendent ss experts, it was easy to see how incredible the two Absolute Masters, the Palm Martial Emperor and the Night Spear Devil were.


    However, in truth, their hearts were incredibly heavy right now.


    While blocking and counterattacking against three of the Heavenly Dippers, the Palm Martial Emperor called out to the Night Spear Devil.


    ¡°See, this is why I told you not to follow me. Now, there¡¯s no turning back.¡±


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Finally, the Night Spear Devil seeded in stabbing one of the Heavenly Dippers with his spear.


    The Night Spear Devil twisted and spun the spear to cause as much damage as possible before pulling the spear out quickly.


    ¡°And? I ran into an old geezer who was nning on going to a dangerous ce alone. Was I supposed to be heartless and leave him to die alone?¡±


    ¡°What? Who are you calling a geezer, you brat!?¡±


    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>


    At the hands of the angry Palm Martial Emperor, the seventh Mu Heon and two of the Heavenly Dippers fell, spewing blood from their mouths.


    The cooperation between the two Absolute Masters resulted in greater power than just one plus one, and the duo began to push their opponents back in spite of their numbers.


    ¡°Hmm, but this is not really the problem....¡±


    ¡°Yeah, these bastards aren¡¯t the thing I¡¯m worried about.¡±


    <i>p, p, p!</i>


    As the twobined forces to take out another seven enemies, a young man and an old man entered the hall, the former slowly pping.


    ¡°As expected, the Palm Martial Emperor and the Night Spear Devil deserve their reputation. I guess we¡¯ll have to take action ourselves.¡±


    They were the Spear Martial Minister and the Palm Martial Minister¡ªtwo of the Twelve Martial Ministers of Martial Heaven.


    ¡°How entertaining. He¡¯s an Absolute Master of the spear like me...¡± the Night Spear Devil said.


    1. The Heavenly Demon is technically a god, as the cult¡¯s full title is the Heavenly Demon God Cult. Also, the Heavenly Demon Cult prides itself on being the strongest, with its leader as the strongest God of Martial Arts, which is why the Martial Heaven side is dering <i>their </i>god as the God of Martial Arts. ?

 Chapter 138. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (9)

    <h4>Chapter 138. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (9)</h4>


    Just by sensing the Spear Martial Minister¡¯s aura and seeing how he held his spear, the Night Spear Devil could tell that the man was very much at his level. In other words, the Spear Martial Minister was also an Absolute Master.


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s see how strong the martial artists of the <i>gangho</i> are. I¡¯ve especially been curious about how strong <i>you</i> are, Night Spear Devil.¡±


    ¡°Then, I guess you¡¯re my opponent today,¡± Sang-Woon quipped.


    In response to the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s words, the Palm Martial Minister just sneered silently. Seeing him not respond, the Palm Martial Emperor smiled and continued. ¡°Still, I¡¯m going to win. You can be sure of that.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I got the upper hand in this game.¡±[1]


    ***


    Already having gone past the first chamber, Si-Hyeon quickly reached the second.


    The moment her hand touched the piece of amethyst ced on an altar in the middle of the massive stone chamber, her body rose into the air.


    ¡°Aaahhh...!¡±


    A moan escaped her lips.


    A ck gauze-like aura wrapped around Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°Oh!!! The second seal is being released! Oh, Heavenly Demon!!!¡±


    The elders and cultists of the Heavenly Demon Cult who had fought with all their might to protect Si-Hyeon shed tears of joy.


    They remembered the past all too well. After the Heavenly Demon was in by the Absolute Masters of the Central ins and the powers of the Heavenly Demon were sealed due to Martial Heaven¡¯s tricks, they had no choice but to lie low and spend their days waiting in anxiety. Now, this girl was their hope¡ªthe one who was destined to break the three seals and be the Heavenly Demon.


    The Great Elder of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the White Blood Demon Master, gritted his teeth.


    ¡°Martial Heaven, you bastards, it won¡¯t be long now. When the new Heavenly Demon is born, she¡¯ll drain you of your blood, drink it, and feast on your flesh while you still breathe.¡±


    The demonic qi emanating from Si-Hyeon¡¯s body gradually grew stronger. Moreover, as if her body was being recast, all of the hidden injuries and impurities she had umted in her body throughout her life were being purged, and her already pristine skin was purified even further.


    The White Blood Demon Monarch, who was watching Si-Hyeon with a devout expression filled with emotion, suddenly looked behind him and let out a loud roar, his bloodlust-filled aura sting outward.


    ¡°Block the entrance! A horde of enemies ising. It¡¯s those dirty Martial Heaven bastards. They¡¯reing again. We must defend the Heavenly Maiden! Stop them with your lives!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The heads and elites of the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s Sword Demon Cab and Saber Demon Cab rushed to stop Martial Heaven¡¯s advance.


    The Blood Heaven Asura Squadron and the Heavenly Demon ck Martial Squadron had stayed behind to hold Martial Heaven down, and even now, many of them hadn¡¯t returned to their second defensive line, so they were assumed dead.


    This time, the Twin Sword and Saber Cabs had to step forward.


    Just after they left the chamber, the demonic qi surrounding Si-Hyeon darkened further, reaching its peak.


    ¡°AGH!!!¡±


    An incredibly powerful burst of energy exploded from her mouth, and at the same time, all of the demonic qi was quickly absorbed through the pores of her entire body.


    Although her eyes were still nk, a bewitching smile spread across her lips as she fell from the air andnded on the floor.


    ¡°Now... I have to go to the third one.¡±


    She started moving forward again as the figures of the Heavenly Demon Cult followed behind.


    ¡°de Faction Lord. As you may already know, we¡¯re currently in the midst of our Cult''s greatest crisis. Even the slightest mistake cannot be tolerated. Use your abilities to the fullest, lest you end up regretting it. Burn with determination and fight with ten times your strength!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The de Faction Lord wasn¡¯t the only one guarding Si-Hyeon from the shadows. There was also the Dark Sword, one of the Cult¡¯s two foundation protectors.


    ¡°Dark Sword, I¡¯ll leave it to you. Please do your best to protect the Heavenly Maiden.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll protect her even if it costs me my life.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Stop right there!¡±


    This time, eleven youths blocked Woo-Moon¡¯s path. As if they had undergone a fierce battle, three of them were even covered in blood and seriously injured.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s pretty impressive to see how they¡¯re still able to stand on their own two legs, even with those injuries. Grandfather was right. The people of the Heavenly Demon Cult have unassable willpower.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon could tell from the demonic qi emanating from their bodies that they weren¡¯t from Martial Heaven but rather from the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    Suppressing his impatience, he spoke calmly, ¡°I can¡¯t stop here. Get out of the way; I have to go save my junior sister.¡±


    Leaning on his sword with disheveled hair and blood-soaked clothes, the Blood Heaven Asura Captain Hwi Ji-Gang raised his head and red at Woo-Moon, bloodlust shing through his eyes.


    ¡°Stop talking bullshit, you disgusting, dirty weed of Martial Heaven!¡±


    <i>Crack!!!</i>


    The demonic saber that only the Blood Heaven Asura Captain could use, the Asura Saber, cleaved through the ground, and sparks flew in all directions.


    Hwi Ji-Gang¡¯s momentum was quite ferocious as he ran toward Woo-Moon at high speed. Above all, it seemed as though a tremendous bloodlust was cleaving through his body before the Asura Saber even reached him.


    <i>¡®Resentment and bloodlust... it seems you have extremely bad memories of Martial Heaven.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m not from Martial Heaven, but I guess I can¡¯t help if you want to fight. I¡¯ll use force to clear my path to save my junior sister!¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    The Asura Saber and Woo-Moon¡¯s Inkde collided with each other, sparks burning the air.


    A strange look appeared in Hwi Ji-Gang¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty impressive, dog of Martial Heaven!¡±


    The Asura Saber cleaved down with deadly force in a diagonal line, aiming for Woo-Moon¡¯s neck.


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not from Martial Heaven!¡±


    Inkde shed through Raging Wind and knocked aside the Asura Saber in a single movement as Woo-Moon used the Divine Phantasm Steps to flicker in front of Hwi Ji-Gang, simultaneously appearing in front of the captain and to his side.


    Suddenly, Cold Snow ensued!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Hwi Ji-Gang was startled at the sight of Inkde sliding down the spine of his saber the moment he blocked Woo-Moon¡¯s attack, forcing him to use Illusive Shift immediately.


    However, Woo-Moon immediately shattered Hwi Ji-Gang¡¯s illusion in turn.


    <i>Rumble!!</i>


    Asura Saber trembled as a ck thread began to pour out from its edge, quickly wrapping around the de tightly to create a vivid saber aura.


    <i>¡®Is this the true strength of the Heavenly Demon Cult? I haven¡¯t run into anyone at our age with this level of cultivation anywhere¡ªwhether it be the Justice Coalition, the Hegemon n, or the ck Bull Gang.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was puzzled. Hwi Ji-Gang, who looked even younger than he was, had already reached the Transcendent stage.


    Hwi Ji-Gang¡¯s saber shed.


    At the same time, Woo-Moon predicted Hwi Ji-Gang¡¯s actions in advance and leaped into the air.


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    ¡°Ahh!!!!¡±


    About a dozen Martial Heaven warriors who were chasing Woo-Moon from behind were cleaved into pieces by the saber aura. Seeing them, Hwi Ji-Gang no longer paid any attention to Woo-Moon, calling out to his men.


    ¡°Kill all of those Martial Heaven bastards!!¡±


    Hwi Ji-Gang rushed toward the Martial Heaven warriors with his men.


    Then, he turned his gaze upward to see Woo-Moon hanging from the ceiling; his fingers plunged into the stone as he used the Nine Yin White Bone w.


    ¡°Hmpf!¡±


    Hwi Ji-Gang now agreed that Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t a member of Martial Heaven. However, that actually made him even <i>more</i> upset.


    <i>¡®That bastard isn¡¯t even from Martial Heaven. Is a brat from the Righteous Faction really stronger than me?¡¯</i>


    As the Blood Heaven Asura Squadron began to fight the Martial Heaven warriors, Woo-Moon kicked off the ceiling and leaped through the air like he was floating toward the depths where Si-Hyeon seemed to be hidden.


    <i>¡®Just what the hell is going on here?¡¯</i>


    No matter how much he wracked his brain, he just couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on. There was still too little information.


    ¡°Regardless, I <i>will</i> save junior sister. No matter what.¡±


    The Heavenly Demon Mound didn¡¯t only have a single path. There were tens, hundreds... no, <i>thousands</i> of passages that went in all directions. Woo-Moon¡¯s anger soared; he was frustrated by the repeated splits in the path as well as the Martial Heaven warriors running toward him from some of the other paths, keeping him from proceeding any further.


    ¡°Get out of my way. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re plotting for my junior sister, but I¡¯ll kill all of you if any of you get in my way right now.¡±


    ¡°Junior sister?¡± said in puzzlement one of the people who had just appeared.


    He seemed to be the leader of the Martial Heaven warriors before Woo-Moon. The adjutant next to him answered, ¡°Seeing as how he calls that bitch ¡®junior sister,¡¯ this brat seems to be Song Woo-Moon, the current rising star within the <i>murim</i>.¡±


    Sang Moon-Jong, one of the upper-rankers of Martial Heaven¡¯s Seventy-Two Heavenly Dippers, looked at Woo-Moon with a disdainful gaze.


    ¡°She isn¡¯t someone a brat like you can save just because you say you want to. I¡¯ll show you a rare taste of mercy this time, so turn around and go back if you don¡¯t want to get yourself caught up in a fight between behemoths.¡±


    ¡°Mercy? Thank you, but you can spare that for yourself.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon disappeared.


    Immediately, he appeared ten steps before Sang Moon-Jong and rushed him, leaving an afterimage behind.


    Sang Moon-Jong had looked down on Woo-Moon simply because of his young age and the fact that he wasn¡¯t a member of either Martial Heaven or the Heavenly Demon Cult but rather a normal member of the <i>murim.</i> However, he was forced to throw a fist out in surprise as Woo-Moon¡¯s movement technique far exceeded his expectations.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    As a powerful soundwave sted through the room, Woo-Moon borrowed the force of Sang Moon-Jong¡¯s fist force and spun like a top, his sword shing out in all directions.


    Amidst the dazzling swordsmanship, the vague shape of a plum blossom began to appear.


    Woo-Moon moved instinctively, without using any of the techniques of the Gentle Celestial Sword. However, even in his instinctive movement, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword slowly began to follow a certain rhythm.


    Having had the opportunity to study the swordsmanship of his younger brother and the other talents of Mount Hua, as Woo-Moon swung his sword instinctively, he unconsciously deciphered the Mount Hua Sword.


    It was an incredibly mboyant attack.


    Sang Moon-Jong looked nervous, but the next moment, it was as if he had hypnotized himself, falling into a trance where he responded to the attacks reflexively.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t keep getting cornered like this!¡¯</i>


    Sang Moon-Jong grit his teeth, preparing himself for the inevitable injury, and struck out with both fists at the same time.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Sang Moon-Jong¡¯s face turned pale, while Woo-Moon flew backward, his outer robe pping in the wind as hended stably.


    Feeling as though he would lose control of his breathing technique and suffer a bacsh if he spoke, Sang Moon-Jong kept his mouth shut tightly and looked over at his adjutant before turning to his subordinates behind him.


    However...


    Something was strange.


    Of his fifty men, as many as fifteen were lying on the ground, ughtered silently.


    ¡°What the...<i>cough!</i>¡±


    The moment he opened his mouth in rage and shock, Sang Moon-Jong choked, then vomited blood. He had suffered a bacsh.


    Even at that moment, his subordinates still hadn¡¯t realized that their fellow warriors behind them had been killed, and it was only when his adjutant turned around that they all realized it toote.


    ¡°W-what the hell happ¡ªfuck, it¡¯s that bitch who inherited the Death God¡¯s assassination arts!¡± the adjutant shouted, realizing mid-sentence what was going on. This was the work of that girl who was always by Woo-Moon¡¯s side.


    As Woo-Moon and Sang Moon-Jong fought, and while everyone had been distracted, she had moved behind them and assassinated them one by one.


    Woo-Moon grinned at their words and kicked off the ground, leaping toward the wall on his right and running toward the ceiling.


    Raging Wind!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Already suffering from internal injuries, Sang Moon-Jong stumbled heavily as soon as he blocked Woo-Moon¡¯s sword.


    ¡°Help Heavenly Dipper Sang!¡±


    Following the adjutant¡¯s orders, the remaining subordinates rushed out to attack Woo-Moon. However, crossbow bolts instantly lodged themselves into the foreheads of the three people at the forefront.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    It was Ma-Ra¡¯s handiwork.


    As those who stood in his way fell, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword shed.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Sang Moon-Jong¡¯s arm was severed at the shoulder, blood gushing out. At the same time, two Silver Moon Discsnded back in Ma-Ra¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    Each Silver Moon Disc had taken three lives along the way.


    ¡°Die!!!¡±


    In a split second, the remaining enemies surrounded Woo-Moon and raised their weapons.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The Imprable Golden Wall spread out in all directions to block the attacks before transitioning to Golden Wall Severing Void and spinning through the air.


    A gigantic golden disc formed of sword aura tore through the air!


    <i>Squelch! Squelch!</i>


    In an instant, Golden Wall Severing Void bisected almost a dozen Martial Heaven warriors.


    ¡°What do you think? Have you figured out which one of us is the one who needs mercy?¡± Woo-Moon said as he unleashed four Raging Winds toward Sang Moon-Jong in session.


    In a panic, Sang Moon-Jong punched forward repeatedly with his remaining fist. However, he was unable to stop the four Raging Winds in a row, as he was already injured heavily.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Lightsh pierced into Sang Moon-Jong¡¯s heart.


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>... To think I die...to some <i>murim</i> brat...¡±


    Martial Heaven ssified several groups, including the Heavenly Demon Cult, as part of the <i>True Murim.</i>[2]


    Most of the ns and sects belonging to the <i>True Murim</i> weren¡¯t active in the <i>gangho</i> but were instead hiding or living among themselves in an istionist manner.


    They were the only ones whom Martial Heaven paid attention to.


    The ones who revealed themselves, the forces out in the real world, like the Justice Coalition, the Hegemon n, or the ck Bull Gang, weren¡¯t enough to be paid attention to. That was why, until the very end, Sang Moon-Jong couldn¡¯t help but be dumbfounded that a mere Song Woo-Moon was able to match him in battle.


    ¡°That¡¯s the way the world is. I guess you haven¡¯t seen reality just yet.¡±


    Woo-Moon slowly pulled his sword out of Sang Moon-Jong¡¯s body, making sure the man felt every bit of it while he died.


    1. Yes, the Palm Martial Emperor is making a hand pun. Very humerus. ?


    2. More urately, ýŸÃæÎäÁÖ, or the ¡°inner face of <i>murim</i>.¡± In this context, it refers to the ¡°real¡± <i>murim</i> sects, as in, everyone not on that list is considered fake. ?

 Chapter 139. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (10)

    <h4>Chapter 139. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (10)</h4>


    Ma-Ra had already ughtered more than half of the Martial Heaven warriors. Then, Woo-Moon also broke through their ranks, swinging his sword as if it were a broad saber.[1]


    Before the time it took to drink a cup of tea passed, all of the Martial Heaven warriors in their path had been cut down.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ma-Ra!¡±


    "Mmm."


    ***


    As Si-Hyeon arrived in the third chamber and walked before the sapphire it hosted, she was attacked by Martial Heaven warriors.


    They had found their way to the chamber from the other side of the path that she and the others of the Heavenly Demon Cult had entered through.


    ¡°The order has been given! We can¡¯t stop the process, so she has to die! No matter what happens, kill the Demonic Maiden! The Heavenly Demon must not be allowed to appear again! Attack!¡±


    Those of Martial Heaven¡¯s Great Justice Pce rushed toward Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°S-stop them!¡±


    Because they were on the other side, the White Blood Demon Master and the others weren¡¯t able to reach her in time.


    Worried, the de n Lord was about to lead forward. However, he soon found that there was no need for him to get involved.


    ¡°...¡±


    Transparent and dainty Empty Hands weaved a strange pattern in the air.


    <i>Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!</i>


    The seven Martial Heaven warriors who leaped in front of her hand had their heads smashed and chests torn open simultaneously, thick blood gushing everywhere.


    ¡°It really is incredible. She wasn¡¯t much at first¡ªto think she would be this much stronger after breaking just two seals! As expected of the Heavenly Demon Cult... they really are unnatural scum that shouldn¡¯t exist.¡±


    Three people appeared in the chamber, stepping on the corpses of their subordinates.


    They were the Saber Martial Minister, the Whip Martial Minister, and the Bow Martial Minister, another three of the Twelve Martial Ministers.


    The Bow Martial Minister drew his bow taut and let loose of the string.


    <i>Twang!</i>


    Though there had been no arrow nocked, something flew toward Si-Hyeon with a rippling shockwave.


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    In an instant, a ck shadow appeared before her, pushing out both hands with a slight grunt.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The Bow Martial Minister¡¯s Formless Arrow pierced through the double palms of the de n assassin and even prated through his body.


    Immediately after seeing the first assassin fail to block the arrow, two more shadows appeared behind him in the same manner.


    <i>Squelch, squelch!</i>


    It was only after prating both of them as well that the Formless Arrow dissipated.


    ¡°...¡±


    The nk-eyed Si-Hyeon showed no change in expression.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s only just opened the second seal. The Heavenly Maiden can¡¯tpete with an Absolute Master yet!¡¯</i>


    As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the White Blood Demon Master shouted, ¡°Light and Darkness Battalion Leader!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The Light and Darkness Battalion leader flew like the wind with his subordinates in tow andnded directly in front of Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°Please just wait for a moment. I will definitely eradicate those bastards who stand in the way of the Heavenly Maiden!¡±


    The Light and Darkness Battalion leader could still remember the tears of sorrow he had shed when he had failed in his duty to protect the previous Heavenly Demon¡ªthe despair he had felt when he had survived when his master hadn¡¯t.


    Although Si-Hyeon was just a girl who <i>might</i> be the new Heavenly Demon, he had already pledged his loyalty to her.


    He refused to lose his lord again.


    No matter what.


    ¡°Take down our enemies!¡±


    Following the orders of the Light and Darkness Battalion leader, his subordinates began attacking the enemy.


    The Light and Darkness Battalion leader and his vice-leaderbined forces to deal with the de and Whip Martial Ministers. At the same time, the four strongest members of the Light and Darkness Battalion joined forces to hold the Bow Martial Minster back.


    Meanwhile, Si-Hyeon reached out for the sapphire and began to absorb the power within.


    ¡°Ahh...!¡±


    Just like with the amethyst, her body floated into the air, engulfed in a ck aura.


    ¡°Protect the Heavenly Maiden until she can release the third seal!¡±


    However, as other experts from the Great Justice Pce joined in, the Light and Darkness Battalion gradually began to be pushed back.


    ¡°de n Lord! Please help the Light and Darkness Battalion!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The de n Lord¡¯s assassins took action and began to attack from within the shadows. Their assistance was timely, bolstering the Light and Darkness Battalion until both sides were roughly even in strength.


    A little more time passed, and the sapphire lost its light and turned into stone.


    Si-Hyeon had broken the third seal and fully absorbed its powers.


    She walked toward the following location, now exuding an even more powerful aura.


    ¡°Heavenly Maiden! You must not move now! Please, wait a moment!¡± the White Blood Demon Master shouted. However, Si-Hyeon continued to walk as if she didn¡¯t hear a thing, straight into the battlefield where swords and sabers were swinging and stabbing here and there, blood spewing everywhere.


    ¡°Go for the Demonic Maiden! Attack her when she gets close!¡±


    ¡°Ugh! Stop them, no matter what!¡±


    Now that the situation had escted to this degree, the White Blood Demon Master stepped forward himself and began to battle the enemies.


    As his Frigid Yin Palm Force cascaded over the stone chamber, the situation changed quickly.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite impressive... you old geezer!¡±


    The Saber and Whip Martial Minsters were unable to withstand the White Blood Demon Master¡¯s palm and were forced to take a step back, eyebrows frozen white.


    As the experts began to be pushed back, the other warriors who were weaker than them began to fall helplessly.


    However, no matter how advantageous the situation grew for the Heavenly Demon Cult, it was difficult for them to fight and protect Si-Hyeon on all sides at the same time as she continued to walk forward.


    <i>Thwip!</i>


    An arrow fired by the Bow Martial Minster left a long wound on Si-Hyeon¡¯s cheek, causing a streak of blood to stter. Then, the Saber Martial Minster was able to graze her forearm with his de.


    Even though Si-Hyeon had be stronger with the release of another seal, she was still too weakpared to these powerful Absolute Masters.


    Although she instinctively used the Empty Hand Demonic Art to defend herself, the number of injuries littering her body gradually grew.


    Suddenly, they fell into an even more desperate situation.


    A middle-aged man wearing a golden robe entered the chamber.


    ¡°White Blood Demon Master, it¡¯s been a while. This time, I¡¯ll put an end to your troubles with my own hands.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    He overwhelmed everyone just by sheer force of his presence.


    He was none other than the Forgetful King, one of Martial Heaven¡¯s Three Heavenly Martial Kings.


    The Forgetful King stretched out a hand toward the White Blood Demon Master.


    <i>Ring, ring, ring.</i>


    A strange sound rang out, and the ground, walls, and even the air around the White Blood Demon Master began to copse into itself andpress.


    The White Blood Demon Master was forced to push both hands outward, finally halting thepression of whatever invisible membrane that surrounded him. Quickly, the White Blood Demon Master sted Frigid Yin True Qi with his palms and turned the membrane white.


    ¡°Ha-a-eup!¡±


    With a roar, the invisible membrane finally burst open, and a chill that made everyone¡¯s body quickly filled the room.


    ¡°Oh ho, you got out faster this time than before. It looks like you¡¯ve grown quite a bit, White Blood Demon Master.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Rushing toward the Forgetful King, the White Blood Demon Master desperately sent a voice transmission to Bright Sword and Dark Sword, the two Protectors.


    <i>¨CI¡¯m going to try to keep the Forgetful King here as long as possible. Please take the Heavenly Maiden to the final chamber!</i>


    <i>¨CUnderstood, White Blood Demon Master. Your sacrifice will be remembered forever.</i>


    The Forgetful King was strong. No... he was far more than just strong.


    Even the White Blood Demon Master, who was a veteran of the Absolute Stage, had to put his life on the line just to hold the Forgetful King back and buy time.


    Bright Sword was pretending to be an ordinary member of the Light and Darkness Battalion, guarding Si-Hyeon¡¯s side. With the other members of the battalion and Dark Sword, he escorted Si-Hyeon out of the chamber and onto the path.


    Now, only one final seal remained.


    The closer they got, the more intense Martial Heaven¡¯s attacks became.


    ¡°You can¡¯t go any further.¡±


    Standing in front of Si-Hyeon and the Heavenly Demon Cult members were the Sword Martial Minister, Fist Martial Minister, Axe Martial Minister, Poison Martial Minister, and the members of the Great Evil Pce.


    The Heavenly Demon¡¯s Dark Soul Squadron stepped forward to fight against them. However, they were unable to deal with four Absolute Masters properly and were continuously pushed back, eventually losing one of their members.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you, too.¡±


    It was only with Bright Sword¡¯s intervention that the bnce was somewhat restored. However, even that onlysted for a moment.


    ¡°I hope this time, we can properly root out the Heavenly Demon Cult.¡±


    It was the rest of the remaining Martial Ministers.


    The Staff Martial Minister, Baton Martial Minister, and Leg Martial Minister appeared one by one.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    It was a truly hopeless situation, yet Si-Hyeon continued to move forward as if she didn¡¯t feel any fear.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The Baton Martial Minster¡¯s two-section baton flew toward Si-Hyeon with the force of a natural disaster.


    <i>Thwip!</i>


    Si-Hyeon was barely able to avoid the attack using the Demonic Moon Steps. However, she still stumbled under the tremendous pressure.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Suddenly, the Sword Martial Minister¡¯s sword pierced through Si-Hyeon¡¯s stomach.


    A ck radiance shed in Si-Hyeon¡¯s eyes as a red aura in the shape of a hand emerged out of thin air and attacked the Sword Martial Minister.


    It was the Demon Tribtion Blood Moon Edge.


    ¡°Eeek!¡±


    As if he was messing around, the Sword Martial Minister twisted the sword in Si-Hyeon¡¯s abdomen before taking a step back.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The wound opened up, and blood began to spill down.


    The Axe Martial Minister didn¡¯t miss the slight gap created by Si-Hyeon using the Threatening Demon Blood Moon Edge, either.


    ¡°Ooorah!!¡±


    His double-edged ax was swung with a force not inferior to that of the Baton Martial Minster. Although Si-Hyeon quickly used Illusive Shift, she wasn¡¯t able to altogether avoid the axe qi, and blood exploded from her left arm.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Her delicate arm was nearly severed, barely managing to stay connected through a bit of flesh and skin. It swayed as she stood there, as if it was an odd-shaped willow branch in the wind.


    ¡°Heavenly Maiden!¡±


    Bright Sword and the Heavenly Demon Dark Soul Squadron left behind the enemies they were dealing with and ran to save Si-Hyeon, disregarding their own lives.


    However, before they could do anything, the Sword Martial Minister¡¯s sword swung down on Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°Damned Heavenly Demon, disappear for good now!¡±


    <i>Swish! ng!</i>


    However, the Sword Martial Minister¡¯s sword was deflected off course due to a stone¡ªa stone that flew in out of nowhere and struck the de with incredible timing.


    ¡°She¡¯s my one and only treasured disciple. I advise that you keep your filthy hands off her,¡± the Palm Martial Emperor said, appearing in the chamber with both hands stained with blood.


    ¡°Oh, the Palm Martial Emperor! I could never have imagined that you would help the Heavenly Demon Cult.¡±


    Behind the Palm Martial Emperor, the Night Spear Devil also appeared from the darkness.


    The two men narrowly defeated the Palm Martial Minister and the Spear Martial Minster, forcing them to flee, and came all this way while dealing with numerous enemies.


    The eyes of Bright Sword and the Dark Soul Squadron brightened at their appearance. They could not believe what they were seeing.


    <i>¡®Are these two actually helping us?!¡¯</i>


    The Palm Martial Emperor and the Night Spear Devil had been at the forefront of the resistance that had stopped the Heavenly Demon Cult in the past when it had set out to conquer the <i>murim.</i> In other words, they were lifelong enemies of the Heavenly Demon Cult!


    However, the Palm Martial Emperor didn¡¯t dwell on the past.


    ¡°What can I do? That child is my disciple. For now, I have to save my disciple, so I guess I¡¯ll have to help you dumbasses!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the Palm Martial Emperor lunged at Si-Hyeon first, followed by the Night Spear Devil.


    Thanks to their intervention, Si-Hyeon was able to advance once more, and the battle once again entered a stalemate where neither side could easily eke out a victory.


    However, many of Martial Heaven¡¯s experts remained.


    Two ck, masked shadows burst into the hall and rushed toward Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°You dare!¡±


    In order to protect his disciple, the Palm Martial Emperor leaped forward to block the enemy and performed his legendary technique, the Stone-Piercing Stream Palm.[2]


    He thrust out a palm, which divided into tens of thousands of palm shadows that covered the sky. With an exquisite flourish, they sted toward the masked man on the left, finally superimposing into a single stream of palm shadows.


    The masked simply raised his sword in response and jabbed forward.


    Although it looked simple, that single movement contained titanic power that could even destroy a mountain.


    <i>BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!</i>


    The Stone-Piercing Stream Palm¡¯s defining characteristic was a force that multiplied, increasing in pressure with every sessive blow. In other words, it was akin to a constantly flowing stream of water, the droplets boring their way through a boulder.


    However, the heavy sword that the masked man wielded was harder than any stone.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    With a tremendous explosion, Sang-Woon was sent flying away by the aura of the heavy sword, blood spewing like a fountain from his mouth.


    The same went for the Night Spear Devil, who had attacked the masked man on the right.


    As the Night Spear Devil¡¯s spear thrust forward at a speed that seemed as though it could cut through a beam of light, the other masked man seemed to move the slightest of distances, dodging the spear before quickly drawing and swinging his saber.


    The Night Spear Devil tried to block it using his defensive technique, but like the Palm Martial Emperor, he couldn¡¯t withstand the masked man¡¯s force and fell back, blood spewing from his nose.


    The Night Spear Devil and the Palm Martial Emperor couldn¡¯t contain their shock.


    The two of them were at the very peak even among Absolute Masters¡ªthat was why they had been able to defeat the Palm and Spear Martial Ministers and still have more than enough energy toe here.


    However, they both could see it.


    The two masked men before them were opponents that they couldn¡¯t defeat.


    <i>¡®No, it can¡¯t be... are they Paragons?¡¯</i>


    Although it felt impossible, like a dream, that was the only exnation they could think of.


    1. In the Eastern ssification of weapons, swords are generally thought to be nimble thrusting weapons, while sabers are heavier and meant for chopping and cleaving. ?


    2. This is an idiom. Even boulders will eventually be pierced by drops of water. ?

 Chapter 140. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (11)

    <h4>Chapter 140. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (11)</h4>


    One of the masked men¡ªthe Saber King, one of the three Heavenly Martial Kings alongside the Forgetful King¡ªcasually nced at the Night Spear Devil before leaping toward Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°NO! Si-Hyeon!¡± the Palm Martial Emperor shouted desperately. However, he was too far away to do anything.


    However, the Night Spear Devil was close enough.


    A bitter smile spread across his face as he circted his qi, putting as much power into his legs as he could possibly muster.


    Realizing the meaning behind the Night Spear Devil¡¯s smile, the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s heart skipped a beat, as if a lightning bolt had struck him.


    ¡°N-NO!!!¡±


    The Night Spear Devil exploded forward at a speed that was hard even for his peer to follow. Naturally, the movement technique of an Absolute Master that was going as far as to burn his own cultivation for more power was not something to be underestimated.


    Even the Saber King, who had crossed beyond the Absolute Master level, could not help but be taken aback.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The Saber King¡¯s saber plunged into the Night Spear Devil¡¯s chest.


    As the Night Spear Devil used his body to blow the attack meant for Si-Hyeon, the Saber King used his free hand to throw a st of palm force past the Night Spear Devil.


    At the same time, the Night Spear Devil was barely able to move his lips as he moved toward the saber stuck in his chest.


    ¡°Got you.¡±


    With a low grunt, the Night Spear Devil gripped the saber in his chest with one hand and mustered up all the strength in his being to thrust forward the spear in his other hand.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Blood spurted from the Saber King¡¯s chest.


    As he felt the excruciating pain of being skewered by a spear, the Saber King saw Si-Hyeon tumble forward, hit on the back by his palm force.


    The other masked man, the Sword King, ran forward to the Saber King¡¯s aid. However, just as his sword was about to separate the Night Spear Devil¡¯s head from his body, he suddenly turned around and thrust his sword in the opposite direction instead.


    <i>Squelch!!!</i>


    His sword plunged through Sang-Woon¡¯s heart!


    The next moment, the Palm Martial Emperor spat the blood welling in his throat at the Sword King¡¯s face, like a fountain spewing water, before swinging his left palm viciously at the Sword King¡¯s heart.


    Flustered by the sudden redness that blocked his vision, the Sword King closed his eyes and raised a qi barrier to block the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s left palm.


    However, at that very moment, the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s other palm struck the Sword King¡¯s abdomen.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    This was what they called sounding the horn in the east only to attack in the west!


    The Sword King had wholly fallen for Sang-Woon¡¯s tactics.


    The Palm Martial Emperor had anticipated that the Sword King¡¯s instinctive reaction after being blinded would be to raise a shield to protect himself from the following attack; thus, he had forcefully attacked with his left hand, qi zing outward from his palm. With his left hand taking in all of the attention, he then insidiously hid qi in his right palm and attacked at the same time.


    His palm, not covered by any qi,nded gently on the Sword King¡¯s abdomen, injecting a stream of qi into it that exploded instantly!


    Blood flowed from the Sword King''s mouth.


    His eyes narrowed and he gave the Palm Martial Emperor a cold gaze before leaving the hall with the Saber King, who was just as injured as he was.


    <i>¡®Damn it. I thought we would be able to win easily if we showed our true power. This stupid pride almost killed us.¡¯</i>[1]


    In any case, there was no chance of the Night Spear Devil and the Palm Martial Emperor surviving. Consoling himself with that fact, the Sword King immediately left in order to heal himself. He was famous for putting safety first.


    Meanwhile, Si-Hyeon struggled to her feet and staggered toward the final stone chamber where the final seal was located¡ªthis time, it was an onyx.


    She was able to endure her wounds due to the incredible recovery and tenacity granted by the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, an art so famed for its recovery abilities that it was also called the Heavenly Demon Immortal Divine Art.[2]


    Once the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was cultivated to the highest level, the user would never truly face death unless they took a fatal blow directly to the heart or they were beheaded.


    ¡°Stop her, no matter what!¡±


    With the Sword King¡¯smand, the remaining Martial Ministers ran after Si-Hyeon. Behind them, the Heavenly Demon Dark Soul Squadron and Bright Sword chased after them relentlessly.


    As the three parties ran forward at a desperate speed they themselves hadn¡¯t thought possible, Woo-Moon¡¯s guttural cry of sorrow echoed throughout the chamber.


    ¡°GRANDFATHER!!!¡±


    ***


    As he ran through the chambers after defeating Sang Moon-Jong, Woo-Moon suddenly stumbled upon a man in golden robes.


    It seemed as though the man had been in a battle just now; like Woo-Moon¡¯s, his robes were soaked in blood.


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon could feel the hair on his back rise.


    <i>¡®Strong!¡¯</i>


    His instincts, the qi of the Forbidden Divine Art, every fiber of his being shouted that word.


    Biting his lip, Woo-Moon spoke to Ma-Ra and Eun-Ah.


    ¡°No matter what happens, don¡¯t get involved.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I am not asking you, I am <i>telling</i> you. No matter what happens, you will not get involved,¡± Woo-Moon said in a stern tone.


    It was only after hearing the force and determination in his voice that Ma-Ra eventually nodded her head and acquiesced, while Eun-Ah cried softly and retreated behind her.


    The Forgetful King looked at Woo-Moon with a bored gaze.


    ¡°I wondered how you would be, considering I kept hearing your name, but, as expected, you were just a piece of trash. To think you haven¡¯t even be an Absolute Master yet.¡±


    Although the words were insulting, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t have the luxury to be angry.


    He simply took a long, deep breath, calmed his mind, and raised his sword with a firm grip.


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    He who moves first always wins!


    That was the only thing Woo-Moon could think of right now.


    From his hands, the most perfect and outstanding Northern Blizzard he had ever unleashed emerged.


    <i>Clink!</i>


    That was all.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s strongest technique yet only resulted in a tiny bell-like tinkle as his sword made contact with the small throwing knife in the Forgetful King¡¯s grasp.


    He blocked Woo-Moon¡¯s technique with the same amount of strength it would take one to touch a flower.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Before Woo-Moon realized it, blood began to gush out from his left shoulder, where a throwing knife was now embedded.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The Forgetful King kicked Woo-Moon and sent him flying, all the while looking down at him with contempt in his eyes.


    ¡°Trash of the <i>murim.</i> You¡¯re not worth my time. Heavenly Dippers, clean up this trash and follow me.¡±


    As the Forgetful King left the room with a disdainful sneer, twelve of the Seventy-Two Heavenly Dippers who hadn¡¯t yet appeared rushed toward Woo-Moon.


    Ovee with humiliation and resentment, Woo-Moon stared at the Forgetful King¡¯s back with bloodshot eyes.


    He could never have imagined that Northern Blizzard, the perfect form of a technique of the Gentle Celestial Sword, could be blocked so easily.


    <i>¡®Trash of the </i>murim<i>...¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t even feel the knife in his shoulder¡ªhe¡¯d been hurt much worse than this in the past. Yet he could not ovee the mental shock he felt: the absolute best attack he had ever produced in his life, which even an Absolute Master could not have taken unscathed, had just been blocked by a tiny knife, and his opponent found him nothing more than a waste of time.


    Ma-Ra stepped forward to protect him, hurling her Silver Moon Discs and throwing knives while shooting her wrist crossbows. However, none of her efforts were worthwhile; not a single one of her attacks was able to strike any of the twelve Heavenly Dippers.


    Moreover, Woo-Moon was unable to raise his qi in any way at the moment due to the internal injuries he had suffered at the hands of the Forgetful King.


    However, in this desperate situation where he couldn¡¯t even open his mouth for fear of worsening his internal injuries, an unexpected rescuer appeared.


    ¡°You damn Martial Heaven bastards!¡±


    With an enraged roar, the blood-soaked Blood Heaven Asura Squadron appeared and began to battle the twelve Heavenly Dippers.


    The fortunate thing was that out of the twelve Heavenly Dippers present, only two of them ranked highly. Thus, thanks to the exemry performance of the Blood Heaven Asura Captain Hwi Ji-Gang, a tense bnce was maintained.


    Taking advantage of that opportunity, a Silver Moon Disc shed!


    ¡°Agk!!¡±


    One of the Heavenly Dippers was beheaded, while another only just barely dodged it and ended up with a severed arm.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing just sitting there? Weren¡¯t you the one who sphemed the Heavenly Maiden by calling her junior sister? Weren¡¯t you the one bragging about saving her? Then what the fuck are you doing here now?! Go! We¡¯ll hold them back for you,¡± Hwi Ji-Gang shouted.


    Of course, he wanted to go and save the Heavenly Maiden himself. However, even though he hated to admit it, Woo-Moon was stronger. The logical step was allowing him to head there first.


    By now, Woo-Moon had finally managed to stabilize his qi, and he let out a deep breath.


    ¡°Understood. Thank you. I won¡¯t forget this!¡± he shouted while leaping further into the mound.


    Hwi Ji-Gang¡¯s voice drifted in from behind them. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you forget it! You came to help us fight against Martial Heaven, so all we¡¯re doing is repaying the favor!¡±


    ¡°No, to me, she¡¯s more precious than life itself. I¡¯m forever indebted to you.¡±


    Hwi Ji-Gang could hear the sincerity in Woo-Moon¡¯s voice. It seemed that Woo-Moon truly considered their Heavenly Maiden his junior sister, and she was more precious to him than anyone else.


    Although she was one person, she meant different things to different people.


    That was what it meant to have a natural rtionship between the world and humanity.


    Even in the midst of the fierce battle, Hwi Ji-Gang was able to gain some insights from Woo-Moon¡¯s words. The next moment, his sword swept through the Heavenly Dippers with renewed fierceness and power.


    After leaving the chamber, Woo-Moon ran through the maze for a minute before finding traces of Si-Hyeon.


    As Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra were together and able tobine their tracking skills, they were able to navigate the maze faster than the Forgetful King and catch up with Si-Hyeon, the Palm Martial Emperor, and the others without once taking the wrong path.


    And they were there just in time to witness...


    ***


    One sight.


    One scene, one figure falling.


    Saying that Woo-Moon ¡°saw¡± the scene is not exactly appropriate... rather, it bypassed the eyes to be seared directly into his brain.


    He would never forget this for the rest of his life. And the next life too.


    And how could he?


    The person he respected the most, his role model, and his goal was dying.


    Moreover, the person who had just stabbed his grandfather through the heart had disappeared down another passway without even noticing him, while the others had also left in pursuit of Si-Hyeon.


    He couldn¡¯t just stand still like this.


    No.


    He couldn¡¯t just stare nkly.


    He had to keep running forward.


    He had to save his grandfather.


    All of these thoughts raced through his mind as he tried to move his body.


    But, strangely enough, everything felt like it was crawling at a snail¡¯s pace.


    He pumped every bit of qi into his legs, struggling to use his movement art to get there even just half a second sooner. Yet his body wouldn¡¯t move.


    It was frustrating.


    It was just... So. Damn. Frustrating.


    Tears slowly flowed down his cheeks as he tried to force his stiff legs to do something.


    It was only natural that Woo-Moon thought everything moved at a snail¡¯s pace. At this very moment, his brain was racing at a speed tens of thousands of times its normal pace due to the shock of the scene before him.


    In his eyes was reflected the scene of the Palm Martial Emperor falling down very slowly, staring at the person who had stabbed him with a sword as thetter turned and left.


    <i>¡®Faster, faster! I have to save him!¡¯</i>


    The desire that screamed from every fiber of his being became an unsurpassable will that couldn''t be matched, destroying, distorting, and eventually surpassing reality itself.


    His body and qi were finally moved by his will.


    Then, finally, he was able to see the world at a normal speed. Not because the world had changed, but because he had.


    The Absolute Realm.


    He had not only climbed that wall but taken a leap beyond it, reaching even higher.


    However, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t have the leisure to worry about things like these.


    Before the Palm Martial Emperor reached the ground, Woo-Moon reached him and caught him in his embrace.


    ¡°Grandfather!¡±


    Even though Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t realized it, his grandfather noticed it immediately. His grandson had reached him and surpassed him in a single leap. He was so proud of Woo-Moon that he couldn¡¯t even be bothered to care about the hole in his heart, and he let out a heartyugh.


    However, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯tugh with him.


    Tears dripped onto the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s clothes, which were soaked in blood.


    Woo-Moon hurriedly pressed his grandfather¡¯s acupoints and tried to stem the bleeding before raking out medicine after medicine from his pockets.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the Palm Martial Emperor said, stopping him.


    Woo-Moon shook his head in response, tears streaming down his face.


    Even without saying anything, Woo-Moon could tell why his grandfather was stopping him.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll definitely save you, don¡¯t give up!¡±


    The Palm Martial Emperor grabbed Woo-Moon¡¯s hand as he was about to take out a medicinal pill.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to be a Sword Immortal?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be in more danger if your qi is disturbed. Stop talking and save your breath, Grandfather!¡±


    Sang-Woon gathered all of his remaining strength and cupped Woo-Moon¡¯s cheeks with both bloody palms. His usual yful smile returned to his lips, but the gaze in his eyes could not be any more intense.


    ¡°My incredible grandson, be a Sword Immortal. Be strong. Be an undefeatable Sword Immortal who will never lose to anyone.¡±


    Those were the final words of the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon.


    Born as the second young master of the Iron Sword Baek Family, he had learned the sword on his own before choosing to take the path of a wanderer, learning the art of the palm all by himself, eventually bing so strong that he earned the title of Palm Martial Emperor through his own merits.


    And he was Song Woo-Moon¡¯s grandfather.


    The light disappeared from Sang-Woon¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°No, no!!! Wake up, Grandfather, please, wake up!¡±


    Although Woo-Moon knew he had to go and save Si-Hyeon, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do so, as he couldn¡¯t bear to leave his grandfather behind.


    It was only after sobbing for a while that Woo-Moon realized that his grandfather would never have wanted him to wallow in despair like this.


    He gritted his teeth as he looked at his grandfather¡¯s face¡ªa face that had the same carefree smirk in death that it had always disyed in life.


    ¡°I swear before you, Grandfather. I, Song Woo-Moon, will never lose to anyone from now on. I swear that Martial Heaven will meet its end by my hand. Please forgive me for not being able to take care of your remains, but I think you¡¯d want me to take care of Si-Hyeon first. I wille back for you, together with her.¡±


    As Woo-Moon was about to leave the chamber, he heard a low voice.


    ¡°I have a favor to ask, little brother,¡± the Night Spear Devil said.


    1. One of my favorite idioms: Pride fuels a me into an inferno. ?


    2. Different from the Heavenly Demon Immortal Art from Chapter 85. ?

 Chapter 141. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (12)

    <h4>Chapter 141. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (12)</h4>


    His torso had been ravaged by a saber, and his wounds were so deep that his internal organs were visible. He clearly had some things he couldn¡¯t let go of, seeing as he was forcing himself to keep breathing through sheer will alone. However, it didn¡¯t seem like he couldst long.


    Woo-Moon walked over to the Night Spear Devil and knelt before him.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll do whatever I can, no matter what.¡±


    The rtionship between the Night Spear Devil and Woo-Moon was far deeper than just casual pleasantries. Woo-Moon owed a lot to the man.


    ¡°Take this. If you end up escaping from here, could you find my son and be his master? My son is currently recuperating at a Confucian school in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province.¡±


    Woo-Moon nodded, taking the small pendant the Night Spear Devil held up and putting it into his sleeve.


    ¡°All right. I¡¯ll do everything in my power to make sure he bes a master of the spear, one that surpasses his father.¡±


    The Night Spear Devil smiled, feeling happy at Woo-Moon¡¯s assurance that his son would be a better master than himself.


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    With these final words, the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong closed his eyes for thest time.


    The two Absolute Masters who had fought in the battle of the century in Goryang ins, the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon and the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong, died together, like brothers, in this silent stone chamber, with only Woo-Moon to watch over them.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Ma-Ra¡¯s tone felt heavier than usual.


    Woo-Moon quickly dashed deeper into the cave system. His whole body felt strong and full of energy. Once more, he felt confident that he could aplish anything and defeat anyone who stood in his path.


    <i>¡®I refuse to lose you too, Si-Hyeon. I¡¯ll definitely save you. Just wait for me, Si-Hyeon!¡¯</i>


    A while after Woo-Moon left the stone chamber, something happened to the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s corpse. Something that neither Woo-Moon nor the Sword King, the one who had killed the Palm Martial Emperor, could ever have expected.


    Although his heart had stopped, the Palm Martial Emperor''s brain was still alive, as was his dantian.


    <i>¡®To deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your allies. I''m sorry, Woo-Moon. And... Martial Heaven... look forward to the day Ie back. I will rise as the Dark Palm Martial Emperor, and that will be thest day of your lives.¡¯</i>


    Unfortunately, his revival would take a very long time.


    Hundred Deaths, Thousand Lives was a mystical revival art that the Palm Martial Emperor had learned from a heretical cultivator whom he had met by chance during his days wandering the <i>gangho. </i>It was an incredible art, something that approached divinity. However, it had one major drawback¡ªit took an incredibly long time to take effect.


    ***


    Si-Hyeon was facing a desperate crisis in front of the final seal.


    The Staff, Baton, and Sword Martial Ministers were now attacking her after a persistent chase.


    Although her wounds may have healed significantly due to the incredible regeneration abilities of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Si-Hyeon''s injuries had been so severe that she was still not fully recovered.


    At this point, even Dark Sword had to step in as well, and the only people left to protect her were the Dark and Bright Sword duo.


    Things were manageable at first. However, as the other Martial Ministers began to appear, starting with the Leg and Saber Martial Ministers, the two gradually began to lose ground.


    The brutal battle continued.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Suddenly, the Sword Martial Minister¡¯s sword pierced through Dark Sword¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°Agh¡ªRAH!¡±


    Although the Dark Sword shifted from a scream to a roar as he threw a throwing knife, the Sword Martial Minister retreated so quickly it wasn¡¯t even funny as he dodged the de.


    Then, the Martial Ministers exchanged nces, and one of those holding Dark Sword and Bright Sword back disengaged and moved to attack Si-Hyeon.


    To make matters worse, four of the high-ranking and eight of the low-ranking Seventy-Two Heavenly Dippers had also appeared, attacking Dark Sword and Bright Sword together.


    Bright Sword found himself once again astonished by Martial Heaven¡¯s tremendous power. It seemed that even in theirst war with Martial Heaven, their enemies hadn¡¯t shown their full strength. Otherwise, the power they disyed now made no sense; it would have been impossible for them to raise such a number of powerful experts during this time.


    He couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom how many experts they had.


    <i>¡®No, it¡¯s not that they¡¯re strong. No, it¡¯s that we, the Heavenly Demon Cult, have be too weak. If only we were as strong as before¡ªif we still had our previous glory!¡¯</i>


    In order for them to regain glory, the Heavenly Demon must be reborn.


    A Heavenly Demon Cult without the Heavenly Demon could never truly be strong.


    However, helping the Heavenly Maiden break the seals was a tall order right now. The enemies in front of them were by no means weak.


    There were five Absolute Masters and four high-level Transcendents standing before them. They definitely weren¡¯t opponents that the Bright and Dark Swords could handle by themselves.


    Even after seeing the Saber and Baton Martial Ministers move to attack Si-Hyeon, they were unable to free themselves from their opponents and help her.


    From Si-Hyeon¡¯s point of view, the two were powerful enemies, enemies she wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle even one-on-one in the first ce. It was a given, as each and every one of the Martial Ministers was an Absolute Master.


    Gradually, she began to make mistakes, and eventually, the Baton Martial Minister¡¯s two-sectioned baton struck her in the side.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Blood spurted from the corner of her mouth, a testament to her major internal injuries.


    Behind her, the Saber Martial Minister struck, cutting a long gash from her abdomen down to her hip.


    Si-Hyeon found herself unable to reach thest crystal, and she eventually copsed. However, with the same nk expression on her face, she kept crawling toward the onyx.


    ¡°This is the end of the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Heavenly Demon!¡± the Baton Martial Minister said as he swung his two-section baton down on Si-Hyeon¡¯s head.


    "Stop!"


    With a loud cry, Woo-Moon leaped down andunched the dart he had taken from Ma-Ra.


    <i>Swish!! ng!!!</i>


    The qi imbued within the dart was so strong and Woo-Moon¡¯s aim so urate that it forced the Baton Martial Minister to stop his attack and retreat quickly. However, the dart, which initially seemed to be flying in a straight line, suddenly turned rapidly and changed direction as soon as the Baton Martial Minister dodged it.


    ¡°<i>Heup!</i>¡±


    The Baton Martial Minister was startled by the dart¡¯s seemingly impossible change of direction, hastily swinging his two-section baton and deflecting the dart.


    In the meantime, Woo-Moon cut through the air and flew toward Si-Hyeon,nding next to her.


    Her miserable appearance was visible at a nce. She looked more like a pile of flesh stitched together than a human being.


    Her clothes were torn, exposing her skin. Yet what used to be wless was nothing but crimson and dirt. Her feet were bare, bloody, and bruised.


    A gash marred her abdomen on one side, and another one stretched from her abdomen to her hip. Moreover, she had a massive bruise on her ribs, clearly caused by the two-section baton striking her just moments ago.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s hands trembled almost audibly, his muscles and tendons bulging to the point of bursting. His fingernails dug into the palms of his hands, blood dripping through his fingers.


    Woo-Moon felt as if his heart was about to explode, the sight before his eyespounding with his rage over losing his grandfather.


    He didn¡¯t know what Si-Hyeon hade here to do. He had just followed because she had disappeared without a word.


    However, one thing was more than clear enough.


    Si-Hyeon was someone he had to protect, even at the cost of his life, and the bastards that had brought her to this condition and caused his grandfather to die were these bastards right here.


    When Si-Hyeon saw Woo-Moon, her dazed eyes returned to normal, and tears started flowing.


    <i>¡®Senior brother...¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon walked up to her and gently hugged her as she lifted her slim, dainty hand and ced it on his cheek, stroking it to feel his warmth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, senior brother...¡±


    Seeing Si-Hyeon in such a miserable state immediately after witnessing his grandfather¡¯s death was too much for Woo-Moon to bear, and before he knew it, tears were streaming down his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was toote. I left you alone for too long.¡±


    Woo-Moon could tell that something had happened to Si-Hyeon while he was away. It was almost instinct.


    All he could do was apologize.


    ¡°You mean senior brother... I was so lonely and scared, and all I wanted to do was see you, senior brother... I-it hurts... I feel like my whole body is falling apart.¡±


    Although she hadn¡¯t felt anything while in that dazed state, everything came rushing when she came to her senses. The pain was so horrid that it felt like she was going insane.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Woo-Moon hugged Si-Hyeon tightly.


    ¡°It... it¡¯s okay. Now that I can see you like this, I feel better... but I¡¯m sorry. There¡¯s something in my head telling me what to do. It keeps me from only thinking about you. I can¡¯t even think about you because of how much it fills my head. I don¡¯t like it. It hurts. I just wanted you here...¡±


    Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t so obtuse that he couldn¡¯t recognize Si-Hyeon¡¯s confession.


    Si-Hyeon slowly pushed Woo-Moon¡¯s chest to loosen his embrace before lifting her head and pressing her lips against his.


    As if this kiss was some sort of memory spell, Woo-Moon recalled something at that moment.


    Their first meeting hadn¡¯t been at the inn while he was waiting tables. No... the first time had been before he fell into that trance.


    It was around the time he became weak as a child¡ªthe bullies in his neighborhood tied his hands and feet together and threw him in a roadside ditch.


    A very pretty little girl jumped in to save him.


    Yes... he remembered that day. He had forgotten many things during the dream-like years spent in front of thendscape painting, and now, these memories flooded him once more.


    <i>¡®Maybe... Maybe I¡¯ve had a crush on her since I was a kid, without even realizing it.¡¯</i>


    A few momentster, their lips finally separated, and Si-Hyeon''s eyes opened... only to reveal that nk look once more.


    As if all her pain had never existed, she resumed crawling across the ground toward the onyx.


    ¡°Junior sister! What¡¯s wrong? You should be staying still and resting right now.¡±


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s life was in danger from the wounds and blood loss. However, although Woo-Moon tried to stop her and exin, Si-Hyeon continued to struggle and tried to force her way toward the onyx.


    ¡°I have to go... I have to go...¡±


    Woo-Moon quickly realized that he couldn¡¯t stop her... and maybe it was for the best that he did not stop her.


    ¡°You have to go? You mean you have to get that thing, right? Fine, then I¡¯ll protect you. Even if it means giving up my life, I¡¯ll protect you so you can get there, junior sister.¡±


    Woo-Moon bit his lips before standing up tall and drawing Lightsh.


    The turmoil in his heart slowly settled, and he looked over with cold equanimity at the Martial Ministers who were preparing to attack.


    At the same time, Ma-Ra stopped hiding. It was pointless, since everyone in the room knew she was there. Thus, she gave up trying to sneak attack them and reappeared behind Woo-Moon.


    An eerie voice echoed throughout the room.


    ¡°Anyone who stands in the way of my junior sister will not be able to escape my sword.¡±


    The Saber and Baton Martial Ministers rushed forward first,ughing.


    ¡°What a brave little dog! Bold words for a <i>murim</i> puppy<i>!</i>¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little arrogant, young man?¡±


    Lightsh pointed at the ground, and Woo-Moon looked calmly at the two Absolute Masters, the Saber and Baton Martial Ministers, as they rushed toward him.


    ¡°A while ago, these words might have been just arrogance. But that was then, and this is now.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon¡¯s figure turned blurry.


    It was a new level of the Divine Phantasm Steps, a level that surpassed transcendence!


    Woo-Moon¡¯s silhouette hadn¡¯t evenpletely disappeared from his original spot when he appeared behind the Baton Martial Minister.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Horrified, the Baton Martial Minister quickly used the legendary Donkey Roll and barely avoided Woo-Moon¡¯s attack.


    The Sword Martial Minister¡¯s eyes widened. He was known for being the most level-headed of the group, and he immediately realized things were not going well for them.


    ¡°Be careful! Don¡¯t underestimate the kid!¡±


    Two of the higher-ranked Heavenly Dippers and the Staff Martial Minister, who were heavily pressuring the Bright and Dark Swords through sheer numbers, rushed to attack Woo-Moon together instead.


    <i>¡®It¡¯ll be difficult to deal with them once they join forces. Before that, I have to kill one of... it¡¯ll be you, then!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon could easily tell that the terrifying gash that extended from Si-Hyeon¡¯s abdomen to her hip was the Saber Martial Minister¡¯s doing.


    <i>¡®Northern Wind!¡¯</i>


    Without a single sound or even a hint of bloodlust, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword flickered faster than any quick sword technique toward the Saber Martial Minister¡¯s blind spot.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The Saber Martial Minister only noticed the sword right as Northern Wind almost grazed his clothes and he hurriedly tried to pull his shoulder back. However, he was unable to dodge the attackpletely, ending up with a shallow cut across his chest.


    Even though the Sword Martial Minister had warned him, the innately arrogant and haughty Saber Martial Minister was still caught off guard by Woo-Moon¡¯s prowess. Even so, he was relieved, thinking that he had avoided the technique.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    However, Woo-Moon¡¯s Raging Wind Palm suddenly shot up from below and struck him square in the chest.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    It was an instant kill.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s Raging Wind Palm shattered the Saber Martial Minister¡¯s sternum and ruptured his heart and lungs.


    The Palm Martial Emperor and the Night Spear Devil had been stronger than the Martial Ministers even though they were all in the same cultivation realm, and Woo-Moon was now even stronger than his grandfather had been.


    This result was inevitable.


    Everyone in the hall, whether it be those from Martial Heaven or those from the Heavenly Demon Cult, was shocked.


    The Saber Martial Minister wasn¡¯t someone who should have been killed so easily, no matter how careless he was.


    <i>¡®While I¡¯m at it, there¡¯s another bastard, too!¡¯</i> Woo-Moon thought as he dashed toward the Baton Martial Minister.

 Chapter 142. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (13)

    <h4>Chapter 142. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (13)</h4>


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Raging Wind flew forward with bewilderingly irregr and rapid movements, aiming for the Baton Martial Minister¡¯s throat.


    However, the Baton Martial Minister wasn¡¯t defeated as easily as the Saber Martial Minister. He was wary of Woo-Moon after seeing the Saber Martial Minister fall in a sh.


    <i>nk, nk, nk!</i>


    The chain linking the two sections clinked quickly as the two-section baton barely managed to deflect Raging Wind. Even so, the Baton Martial Minister was in utter shock at how sophisticated this technique was; even with his vast amount of experience with many different types of martial arts, owing to Martial Heaven copying them, he was still surprised.


    <i>¡®It was your baton that struck Si-Hyeon in the side, you bastard!¡¯</i>


    Gritting his teeth, Woo-Moon used Dragon Bind, one of the two lesser techniques that formed the Dragon Bind Tiger Strike technique.


    Sword aura pierced forward from his sword and stretched into a massive dragon before flying toward the Baton Martial Minister.


    Although it was slow, its range was wide, and the power contained therein was impossible to ignore. The Baton Martial Minister didn¡¯t let down his guard in any way, and he responded with a sh of baton aura.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    The sh of forces made the stone chamber quake.


    As the Baton Martial Minister couldn¡¯t hold on and was forced back, help in the form of the Staff Martial Minister and the two high-ranking Heavenly Dippers finally arrived.


    At that same instant, Si-Hyeon ced her hands on the onyx.


    Woo-Moon leaped into the air, dodging the attacks of the Staff Martial Minister and the two Heavenly Dippers. The de of his sword quivered as an extremely refined sword aura spilled out from it little by little, forming a sphere.


    Sword Sphere!


    It was a manifestation of Woo-Moon¡¯s sword qi, on the same level as the Palm Sphere that Sang-Woon had used before.


    The first manifested sword sphere flew toward the Baton Martial Minister, while the second sword sphere, which actually manifested faster than the first, swiftly followed behind.


    Moreover, that wasn¡¯t all¡ªa third sword sphere was formed in the blink of an eye, also targeting the Baton Martial Minister.


    The Martial Ministers and the Heavenly Dippers were once again left astonished at the sight of Woo-Moon firing off three sword spheres simultaneously.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible! How the hell did he be so strong in such a short time?¡±


    Sword spheres had incredible destructive power, but they also required impable control and vast amounts of qi. Yet a youngster like Woo-Moon had just created three of these massively qi-hungry spheres simultaneously!


    It was shocking.


    The three sword spheres all flew at the Baton Martial Minister.


    Knowing that he couldn¡¯t block all of them on his own, the Staff Martial Minister quickly leaped into the air and struck the nearest sword sphere with his staff.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    As it turned out, while the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s palm sphere focused on powerful momentum that could break through anything, these sword spheres were unstable and explosive, and when they did explode, they would shred everything around them to pieces.


    The Staff Martial Minister didn¡¯t overestimate his own abilities and hurriedly retreated, dissipating the force of the st with each step.


    <i>¡®Ugh! What the fuck?! I can¡¯t believe that a single sword sphere has this much power!¡¯</i>


    Not only was Woo-Moon able to create sword spheres, he had also reached the point where he could freely control their movement, as if they were extensions of the sword in his hand.


    Sword Control!


    The Martial Ministers knew that it would be meaningless to dodge. Even if they did, it would only result in the spheres striking them from behind. Thus, the Baton Martial Minister tried to block Woo-Moon¡¯s Sword Control using Explosive Baton Qi Burst, a baton technique on the same level as Sword Sphere.


    The baton aura surrounding the baton exploded outward, and at the same time, a massive wave of explosive qi flew toward the sword sphere.


    Thankfully, his efforts weren¡¯t in vain, and he was able to block one of the sword spheres. However, the other sword sphere was already close to him. If he couldn¡¯t stop it, he would die.


    The Baton Martial Minister paled. He gathered as much qi as he could before using Explosive Baton Qi Burst once again.


    Another st of explosive qi flew out!


    He believed that this time, too, he would definitely be able to block the sword sphere and the two attacks would cancel each other out. However, the moment before they collided, the sword sphere simply dipped down slightly and dodged the explosive qi.


    Although the Explosive Baton Qi Burst was a technique on the same level as Sword Sphere, what it gained in raw power in order to match the burst of the sword sphere, it lost in terms of ability to move freely.


    The only good news was that due to the sword sphere¡¯s movement to avoid the explosive qi, the sphere¡¯s explosion hit the Baton Martial Minister¡¯s outstretched hand instead of his torso.


    Blood sttered as the Baton Martial Minister¡¯s right arm and side exploded.


    It was a wound that could lead to death if not treated quickly. However, as he was an Absolute Master, he was still able to hold on.


    As all this happened, Si-Hyeon floated in the air as she absorbed the onyx¡¯s qi at an incredible rate.


    The ck bands surrounding her also turned thicker, and they began to spin furiously.


    <i>¡®Just what the hell is that?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was worried about Si-Hyeon. However, the most important thing at the moment was to save her from Martial Heaven.


    Fortunately, the situation seemed to be gradually improving thanks to Woo-Moon¡¯s efforts, and at the same time, Si-Hyeon¡¯s absorption of the qi in the onyx was also nearing its end.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s almost over!¡¯</i>


    A Heavenly Dipper¡¯s shoulder was cleaved through by Woo-Moon¡¯s sword.


    At that moment, the Forgetful King appeared like a ghost from behind.


    None of the surrounding people had noticed the appearance of this supreme expert due to the intensity of the battle, allowing the Forgetful King to focus and throw a dagger without any interference.


    <i>Swish! Squelch!!</i>


    ¡°Agh...¡±


    Woo-Moon let out a low groan as he looked down to see the Forgetful King¡¯s dagger pierced into his abdomen.


    ¡°What...¡±


    His qi waspletely disrupted by the shock of the blow for a mere split second, but in a fight of this level, it was more than enough. Woo-Moon¡¯s shoulder was cleaved open by a de, and his thigh was pierced by a spear quickly after, blood sttering all over his body.


    ¡°Woo-Moon!¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    Completely shocked by what had just happened, Ma-Ra hurriedly fired her wrist crossbow in all directions while throwing her Silver Moon Discs to block the enemy¡¯s approach.


    Meanwhile, even as he was in tremendous pain, that was not in fact what made Woo-Moon truly suffer.


    ¡°What...is...¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze turned nk.


    In front of him, the Forgetful King had plunged a dagger into Si-Hyeon¡¯s heart just as she came down after absorbing the qi within the onyx.


    Right after absorbing thest of the crystals, gaining great power, and regaining her sanity, the first thing Si-Hyeon saw was Woo-Moon with a dagger stuck in his stomach, being cut by a sword and stabbed by a spear.


    The despicable and cunning Forgetful King didn¡¯t miss that moment when Si-Hyeon was so traumatized by the scene in front of her that she couldn¡¯t move a muscle. He took that instant to strike her with a dagger.


    Therefore, even though everything had finally ended and Si-Hyeon had obtained formidable power, all that was for naught.


    ¡°Ugh!!!¡±


    Si-Hyeon vomited a massive amount of ck blood.


    Life began to vanish rapidly from her eyes. Even though she had reached perfect cultivation of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the Forgetful King was well aware of what that meant. Thus, he had put in that dagger everyst bit of qi he had, ensuring that it would prevent her heart from regenerating.


    "No!"


    ¡°Heavenly Maiden!¡±


    The screams of both Woo-Moon and Bright Sword filled the room, and at the same time, a rumbling sound suddenly broke out, and the entire chamber shook.


    ¡°W-what is this?! The mound is copsing!¡±


    ¡°Run!!¡±


    All of thebatants shouted in confusion.


    Their panic was not without reason; the seemingly solid underground chambers had begun to copse.


    Dust and rubble rained down from above!


    Bright Sword dashed forward using his movement technique and ran to Si-Hyeon. However, the Forgetful King, feeling that his job was now over, threw hisst remaining dagger into Bright Sword¡¯s abdomen before vacating the premises.


    ¡°It¡¯s copsing,¡± Ma-Ra said.


    <i>Crack!!!!</i>


    To make matters worse, the ground between Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon began to split apart.


    <i>Drip.</i>


    Tears streamed down Woo-Moon¡¯s face, while Ma-Ra¡¯s brow also furrowed in worry as well.


    <i>¡®A dagger... pierced through junior sister¡¯s heart...¡¯</i>


    Almost everything could be healed, but the heart was simply too vital an organ for both normal people and martial artists. From a strike like that, anyone would die, regardless of their cultivation.


    That fact made Woo-Moon despair.


    On the other side of the copsing ground, he could see Si-Hyeon lying motionless, without breathing, just... gradually disappearing from view. But even that sight was beautiful.


    He opened his eyes wide, as if he was afraid of her image vanishing from his memories. He looked at her until...he couldn¡¯t see anything anymore.


    ¡°Si-Hyeon! JUNIOR SISTER!!!¡±


    As if ovee by a fit of passion, Woo-Moon¡¯s guttural scream seemed toe from his entire body, as if his own deadly injuries weren¡¯t even there.


    The images of Si-Hyeon and his grandfather dying filled his brain.


    In the end, Woo-Moon fainted.


    Ma-Ra picked him up and ran away, looking for a way out. However, there was no time. The entire ceiling was copsing, and huge stones were falling. If they didn¡¯t leave, they would be crushed. There was no chance of survival.


    As Ma-Ra fell into despair, realizing that she, Woo-Moon, and Eun-Ah would die here, she suddenly noticed something strange.


    <i>¡®What.¡¯</i>


    <i>Rumble.</i>


    One wall to her side seemed to shift over, and Hye-Rim, the long-haired girl dressed as a nun, stuck her head out of the gap in the wall.


    ¡°This way!¡±


    Ma-Ra didn¡¯t even have time to think; the ceiling was copsing upon them!


    She lifted Woo-Moon and Eun-Ah in her arms and threw herself forward, barely managing to enter the secret passageway opened by Hye-Rim.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    A massive boulder fell directly on the spot where they had been just moments ago, its crash so loud that it deafened them all. Eun-Ah cried out at the boulder as if she hated it.


    <i>Kya!</i>


    ¡°This is an escape route! This passageway might copse at any moment, so we have to get out quickly!¡±


    Hye-Rim wasn¡¯t the only one in the passageway; Namar also appeared quickly. Ma-Ra remembered that these two had fought by their side in one of their previous battles against Martial Heaven. She held the unconscious Woo-Moon tightly as she followed them down the passageway.


    ¡°We came to this mound after receiving information that Martial Heaven¡¯s forces were concentrating here. But we were forced to watch in secret within this passageway as there were too many experts from the Heavenly Demon Cult and Martial Heaven gathered. We came forward when we saw you were in danger.¡±


    Who knew whether Hye-Rim had guessed Ma-Ra was still harboring suspicions or if she was just the talkative kind.


    Meanwhile, Ma-Ra just held Woo-Moon tightly in her arms. She bit her lip, frustrated by her own ipetence.


    She felt pathetic, hating herself for not being able to be of any help when Woo-Moon was fighting against enemies on the level of Absolute Masters. Now, he was on the verge of death, and she could do nothing to prevent it.


    ***


    The Sword Martial Minister stayed for as long as he could, watching the massive boulder fall right where Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra were before escaping from the copsing mound himself.


    As soon as he left, Bright Sword, who had been severely wounded and was now lying down pretending to be dead, jumped up to grab Si-Hyeon.


    Then, he pressed a lever hidden on the altar where the onyx had been located, activating a hidden mechanism meant to save the Heavenly Demon cultists from the Heavenly Demon Mound. As it turned out, it was neither an ident, nor an enemy attack; the mound was in fact designed to copse as soon as the seal was released.


    The entire floor shifted around the altar, transporting them to a safe location far below the copsing chamber.


    Bright Swordid Si-Hyeon in front of him and sat down with his legs crossed. He opened Si-Hyeon¡¯s mouth and ced his index finger over her lips.


    He condensed all of the qi, innate qi[1], and vitality stored within his entire body. Everyst shred of energy he had gathered at the tip of his finger.


    As a ck liquid-like energy flowed into a blob at the tip of his fingernail, Bright Sword¡¯s hair, which was originally ck, began to turn white.


    In the blink of an eye, the Absolute Master known as Bright Sword, who had long maintained the appearance of a man in his thirties, became an old man with wrinkled skin and pure white hair.


    And when he had no more energy to squeeze out, he let the ck liquid fall into Si-Hyeon¡¯s mouth and dissipated into her throat.


    Right at that moment, something truly amazing happened.


    The liquid containing all of Bright Sword¡¯s qi, innate qi, and vitality immediately restored Si-Hyeon¡¯s entire body.


    Her punctured heart quickly regenerated, and blood once more flowed through her arteries and veins.


    Gradually, her dantian, which had been dissipating and falling apart, recondensed. At the same time, vitality returned to her brain, restoring its function.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s eyes opened.


    <i>Drip.</i>


    Thest thing she had seen before they closed was Woo-Moon¡¯s death.


    1. Remember, innate qi is the qi all humans have within them and is the qi you see people overdrawing before death to get thatst boost of energy in cultivation novels. ?

 Chapter 143. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (14)

    <h4>Chapter 143. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (14)</h4>


    Her senior brother Woo-Moon had been all but subjected to death by a thousand cuts while fighting for her sake.


    In herst moments, her body had been almost destroyed by the Forgetful King¡¯s qi, and she had been unable to move.


    However, she could still see.


    She could see as rocks fell on Woo-Moon¡¯s head, yet she was unable to do anything but watch due to her injuries.


    <i>¡®Senior brother... he died... because of me...¡¯</i>


    When time came for a Heavenly Demon to die, they would pass on the culmination of all of their and the past Heavenly Demon¡¯s memories andprehension of the techniques of the Heavenly Demon Cult to their selected sessor.


    However, the previous Heavenly Demon, the Dominating Fist Heavenly Demon, had been unable to find a sessor or pass the culmination of the Heavenly Demon Legacy before he was killed¡ªstanding alone, surrounded by the high-level masters of Martial Heaven.


    It was in that cmity where the lineage of the Heavenly Demon was almost cut off. Fortunately, the Dominating Fist Heavenly Demon realized that he was about to die; thus, he condensed all of his qi and memories and created the Heavenly Demon Egg. Gathering all of the remnant power within his being, he hurled the Heavenly Demon Egg into the sky and out of the hands of Martial Heaven.


    Thatst ditch effort of the Dominating Fist Heavenly Demon was why both Martial Heaven and the Heavenly Demon Cult had to spend so much effort trying to find the Heavenly Demon Egg, almost like finding a needle in a haystack.


    And for all their efforts, Si-Hyeon had obtained it by ident.


    In order to release the seals within the Heavenly Demon Orb, she had toe to the Heavenly Demon Mound, and now, she had released the seals and became the newest Heavenly Demon.


    Si-Hyeon woke up confused, knowing that she should have died after having her heart destroyed. However, she immediately understood what had happened after looking to the side and seeing Bright Sword¡¯s desated figure.


    ¡°My Life For My Heaven.¡±


    To save one¡¯s most precious by giving up one¡¯s life.


    It was one of the two secret techniques handed down among Bright Sword¡¯s n, a n that had assisted and guarded the Heavenly Demon for generations.


    Bright Sword was on hisst breath, but hearing her say the name of the technique brought a smile to his face. He knew that Si-Hyeon had truly received the full inheritance of the Heavenly Demon.


    ¡°The Heavenly Demon Cult will live forever... forgive me for not being able to serve you properly...¡±


    With thesest words, Bright Sword left this world smiling. It was shocking enough that he was even able to say so much after giving everyst bit of his life force to Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°Dark Sword. Are you here?¡±


    ¡°I serve the Heavenly Demon.¡±


    A man dressed in ck and riddled with injuries appeared before her.


    Dark Sword.


    As his title suggested, he was the Foundation Protector who served the Heavenly Demon from the shadows. Even until this very moment, he had followed Bright Sword and Si-Hyeon from the darkness.


    It was not that he didn¡¯t want to intervene or help his fellow; rather, this was Bright Sword and Dark Sword¡¯s n. They had realized that it might be impossible to keep Si-Hyeon alive otherwise, so they had ounted for this contingency as well.


    They had made a pact to preserve their vitality as much as possible, avoiding fights and focusing on survival. That way, even if Si-Hyeon were to die, they would be able to collect her corpse and save herter by using this technique.


    ¡°... Senior brother, what happened to my senior brother?!¡±


    ¡°Certain death.¡±


    Si-Hyeon closed her eyes tightly.


    ¡°What are the chances he survived?¡±


    ¡°Forgive me. He was already mortally wounded. Although he may have survived if he had been treated immediately, considering his Absolute realm cultivation, I saw with my own eyes a boulder that was probably 30,000 gwan[1] fall on top of him. Even though he was an Absolute Master, there was no way for him to survive being crushed by such a weight considering he was unconscious and seriously injured,¡± Dark Sword said in a dry voice.


    He was neither happy nor sad about it; he was simply conveying to Si-Hyeon the facts that he had personally seen.


    A healthy, fully grown adult man weighed roughly twenty gwan. What was thatpared to <i>thirty thousand</i>?


    It was a difference so great it was inconceivable.


    As someone who led a merchant guild, Si-Hyeon understood this fact well.


    Tears flowed from her eyes as they turned empty¡ªas if the tears washed away everything in her soul.


    ¡°I saw Grandmaster there, too. What happened to him?¡±


    Having not been able to see what had happened himself, Dark Sword only reported what the assassins under hismand had told him.


    ¡°The Palm Martial Emperor is also dead.¡±


    <i>¡®Now, there¡¯s nothing left for me.¡¯</i>


    Si-Hyeon had lost both her grandmaster and her senior brother on the same day.


    ¡°Who attacked us?¡±


    ¡°Martial Heaven. We are not sure about their origins, but as far as we know, it¡¯s an organization created by a number of martial artists with many different backgrounds and legacies.¡±


    Among the main forces of Martial Heaven, there were also former-members of the Heavenly Demon Cult¡ªmembers who had rebelled and had been kicked out in the distant past.


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s nk and empty eyes suddenly shed with emotion. And that emotion was not sadness or despair.


    It was a burning desire for revenge.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    A breeze suddenly began to stir within the secret underground chamber, a breeze in a room where there were no doors or windows. Suddenly, qi darker than the bottomless pits of hell exploded outward, enveloping Si-Hyeon¡¯s entire body.


    The bloodlust, demonic qi, and dominating force emanating from her being were so powerful that the Absolute Master Dark Sword stumbled backward, blood draining from his face!


    The Heavenly Demon had finally appeared after their long wait, and Dark Sword knelt to the ground, feeling the power of the first female Heavenly Demon in the history of the Heavenly Demon Cult envelop his entire body.


    ¡°The Heavenly Demon Cult will live forever!¡±


    ¡°Martial Heaven. You may have failed to kill me, but you seeded in killing all I cared about. You ignited my anger, and that anger will burn all of you to ashes.¡±


    Just because she had assimted all of the martial techniques of the Heavenly Demons throughout history didn¡¯t mean that she had suddenly developed an affection for or a sense of belonging to the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    No, on the contrary; although it wasn¡¯t to the extent that she hated Martial Heaven, she profoundly hated them as well.


    She knew, after assimting the memories of the past Heavenly Demons, that if she hadn¡¯t swallowed the Heavenly Demon Orb, this tragedy wouldn¡¯t have happened.


    If she hadn¡¯t gotten involved with the Heavenly Demon Cult, she and her dear ones wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this.


    However, her desire for revenge against Martial Heaven for killing her master, the Palm Martial Emperor, and her beloved, Woo-Moon, served as the fuel needed for her to take up the Heavenly Demon position and take the Heavenly Demon Cult for herself.


    It would be impossible for her to take revenge on Martial Heaven without borrowing the power of the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    With that, Song Woo-Moon¡¯s junior sister, the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s pupil, the Leebi Guild¡¯s master Yeon Si-Hyeon was gone.


    What remained was the Forty-Sixth Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    ***


    Everything was blurry.


    Like a living corpse, Woo-Moony motionless on a bed.


    He didn¡¯t eat or sleep; in fact, he didn¡¯t even blink, just staring at the ceiling with empty eyes.


    He didn¡¯t even move when Eun-Ah came up to him and rubbed her head against his, licked his face, and acted all cute.


    Even though Ma-Ra stood right by his side like a <i>jiangshi</i>, staring at him and waiting, he didn¡¯t even give her a nce.


    His hair grew longer, and a beard began to show. As he lost weight and his body lost his frame, his face became sunken, starkly contrasting with his rich hair and beard.


    He had be an Absolute Master and even took a step beyond that, which meant he could go for incredible periods of time without food or sleep. However, even an Absolute Master needed water.


    Knowing this, Ma-Ra went to fetch the clearest water from the nearby mountains to allow him to drink.


    Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra stayed in the room while Eun-Ah stood guard outside, blocking others from entering.


    In this way, they lived quietly within a secret shelter they had been brought to by Hye-Rim and Namar.


    Then, once two seasons had passed, Ma-Ra disappeared.


    When she returned after three days, she stood in front of Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Woo-Moon. Your parents and Gun-Ha disappeared, and they left you a note. I¡¯m leaving. If you¡¯re still like this the next time we meet, I¡¯ll nevere see you again. No, I¡¯ll kill you so at least you don¡¯t suffer anymore.¡±


    Then, she left.


    Woo-Moon still didn¡¯t move.


    Three days passed.


    <i>Grrrr.</i>


    Eun-Ah growled, scratching the ground with her ws.


    ¡°It¡¯s already been three days since Lady Ma-Ra left. No matter how high his cultivation may be, he still needs to drink water. Please, I¡¯m begging you, get out of the way!¡± Hye-Rim shouted from beyond the door.


    However, Eun-Ah refused to budge, not allowing anyone other than Ma-Ra to approach Woo-Moon.


    Although two seasons had passed, eun-Ah hadn¡¯t grown a single bitpared to when she had entered the Heavenly Demon Mound.


    It wasn¡¯t that she wasn¡¯t eating at all, but she was not eating anywhere near what she should have been considering her age. Thus, she was also much thinner than before.


    Her eyes, which had once been innocent and pure, were filled with nothing but bloodlust and wariness.


    As Eun-Ah didn¡¯t get out of the way, Namar, who had been watching it all with a stern look on her face, stepped forward.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else we can try. I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯re going to have to use force to save him.¡±


    Su Ran nodded in agreement with Namar¡¯s words. Then, a young man wearing fancy golden clothes standing by their side also spoke up.


    ¡°How could the princess dirty her hands? I¡¯ll handle this little beast.¡±


    The young man, Ok Ji-Gyeong, walked forward with a sheathed sword in hand.


    <i>Growl!</i>


    As the stranger approached, Eun-Ah crouched low, bloodlust billowing in the air.


    ¡°We¡¯re intervening to save a person. Get out of the way.¡±


    Feeling as though it would be embarrassing if Eun-Ah got away, Ok Ji-Gyeong did not hold back at all. However, Eun-Ah was much more agile than he had thought, dodging his blow.


    Ok Ji-Gyeong¡¯s gaze grew cold. Standing in front of a woman he had feelings for made him even more sensitive.


    He swung his scabbard so hard that it sounded as if a naked sword was whistling through the air.


    This was the attack of a Transcendent expert; although Eun-Ah was fast, it wasn¡¯t an attack that she could dodge.


    ¡°Young Master Ok!¡±


    Su Ran frowned and called out to him, because he was being too heavy-handed, but at that moment, something strange happened.


    <i>Tap.</i>


    A skinny, hairy man appeared like a ghost and lightly grabbed the scabbard swinging down.


    Ok Ji-Gyeong felt a shiver run down his spine. Even though he hadn¡¯t unsheathed his sword, that was still his full strength imbued in that swing. To think that the monstrous man before him had caught it so effortlessly!


    ¡°You¡¯ve awoken.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±


    The three women immediately recognized the monstrous man.


    It was Woo-Moon.


    Knowing that he would be dead if not for them, Woo-Moon smiled softly and nodded.


    Of course, it was impossible to see his smile; the massive beard on his face only revealed his sparkling eyes.


    <i>Kyang.</i>


    As Eun-Ah cried, she walked to Woo-Moon and rubbed her head and back along his leg. In turn, Woo-Moon smiled and stroked her back.


    <i>Shing!!!</i>


    Suddenly, a bright light burst from Eun-Ah¡¯s body.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Ok Ji-Gyeong groaned and closed his eyes tightly, stepping back. The three women also found themselves unable to look properly due to the intensity of the light.


    Among the gathered five, the only one standing still was Woo-Moon.


    In the warm light that only he could witness, he saw Eun-Ah growing tremendously.


    A miraculous spiritual qi hovered around her.


    All noise around them ceased, as if all the birds and insects in the vicinity were holding their breath.


    Then, the tigers on the nearby mountain roared at the same time, as if celebrating the awakening of their sovereign.


    Finally, Eun-Ah stopped growing, and the light dissipated.


    Within the haze of light that surrounded a man and beast, Woo-Moon and the now-massive Eun-Ah stood facing each other. Woo-Moon was not short by any standards, and yet the ¡°baby tiger¡± was now looking down at him.


    Even as she was standing still on all fours, an overwhelming aura of majesty and intimidation emanated from Eun-Ah.


    <i>ROOOAAARRR!!!</i>


    Eun-Ah looked up at the sky and cried out loud.


    The roar of the Silver Tiger, which had the power to subdue all beasts, echoed through the mountains.


    The three women and Ok Ji-Gyeong felt themselves shrink back, with trembling legs, as a fear stemming from their primal instincts took over.


    The great tigers roaring toward them from all directions suddenly quieted down after Eun-Ah¡¯s roar.


    Woo-Moon smiled and extended a hand toward Eun-Ah. Seeing that, she bent her front legs and lowered her head, with eyes as gentle and clear as when she had been a cub.


    His hand caressed her face.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown a lot.¡±


    Now feeling better, Eun-Ah cried softly and rubbed her head against Woo-Moon¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Wow, isn¡¯t that a white tiger?¡±


    ¡°How did a white tiger get here? Why is it so big? And what the hell was that roar just now?!¡±


    Many nearby people came out and looked over at Woo-Moon and Eun-Ah in surprise.


    Woo-Moon kicked off the ground and lightly leaped onto Eun-Ah¡¯s back.


    ¡°Thank you so much for helping Ma-Ra and me, Eun-Ah. I¡¯ll definitely repay this favor someday.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to leave?¡± Su Ran asked.


    Woo-Moon nodded.


    ¡°I need to find my parents. Please understand.¡±


    ¡°Understood. It would be best to keep the fact that you are alive a secret, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Only then will we be able to strike Martial Heaven from the shadows.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going? Are you going to Gansu to find Young Lady Smileless Flower?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then be careful. Apparently, the Cruel Sandstorm Riders and the Hegemon n are fighting there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll never forget this grace. Let¡¯s go, Eun-Ah.¡±


    <i>Roar!!</i>


    With a loud roar, Eun-Ah ran like the wind and headed northwest.


    After Woo-Moon left, Su Ran sighed slightly and looked over at Ok Ji-Gyeong.


    ¡°Are you okay, Young Master Ok?¡±


    1. An old Korean measurement of weight, 100 taels or 3.75kg¡ªso this boulder would be around 112 metric tons. ?

 Chapter 144. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (15)

    <h4>Chapter 144. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (15)</h4>


    Eun-Ah red at Ok Ji-Gyeong in the middle of her roar, revealing a strong killing intent for a moment. Therefore, he had been more shocked than anyone else.


    He steeled himself, trying hard to stop his legs from shaking.


    ¡°Hahaha. No worries, no worries. You can¡¯t possibly think that I, the young patriarch of the Western Nihility Gate, would be scared by a little beast.... Hahaha.¡±


    Namar, Hye-Rim, and Su Ran sighed at the same time, knowing that the man was forcing himself to pretend to be strong.


    <i>¡®How can thest remaining member of a powerful sect with a rich history act like this?¡¯</i>


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m done. Let us go.¡±


    Although Si-Hyeon had learned all of the foundational demonic arts of the Heavenly Demon Cult, it had still taken her some time to assimte them as techniques of her own.


    Now, Si-Hyeon had indeed be the Heavenly Demon. She had be a Paragon, a level higher than that of even her master, the Palm Martial Emperor.


    The masked Dark Sword immediately knelt down, his right knee and right fist mming into the ground.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    A fire burned deep within Dark Sword¡¯s cold gaze.


    <i>¡®It starts now, Martial Heaven. It¡¯s time for you to see the true terror of a Heavenly Demon Cult led by a true Heavenly Demon.¡¯</i>


    The previous Heavenly Demon, the Dominating Fist Heavenly Demon, had never taken one step back, even against the joint attacks of those who wouldter be called the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors along with waves upon waves of Transcendent ss experts. He had only been defeated by Martial Heaven¡¯s sneak attack.


    After having seeded in severely injuring the Dominating Fist Heavenly Demon through a joint attack, Martial Heaven persistently attacked the weakened Heavenly Demon Cult and the Dominating Fist Heavenly Demon, eventually forcing the Dominating Fist Heavenly Demon to seal his entire power and inheritance into the Heavenly Demon Egg.


    That marked the beginning of the most miserable era of the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    But that era was now over.


    Si-Hyeon was the first female Heavenly Demon, and at the same time, due to the order of session, she was also the strongest Heavenly Demon of all time. She was likely as strong as Tang Jeok-Ha, the one who destroyed all three Demonic Paths.[1]


    Walking up to a massive door forged of ck iron that blocked one side of the secret underground chamber, Si-Hyeon lightly ced her hand on it.


    <i>Crack!!</i>


    The slightest of cracks spread from her hand across the ck iron. In a split second, countless cracks webbed their way through the door, which shattered into small pieces.


    ¡°Guide me to our forces, Dark Sword.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Dark Sword ran ahead and Si-Hyeon followed behind, floating in the air with her arms crossed.


    It was an incredible disy of the Heavenly Demon Flight Art that had reached the highest of tiers.


    Soon, they arrived in a cavernous valley, hidden so well within the wilderness that it was impossible to find for someone who didn¡¯t know it was there.


    ¡°I¡¯ll guide you, so please follow the path I take,¡± Dark Sword said, concerned with the formation installed ahead of them.


    However, Si-Hyeon just shook her head arrogantly and continued to fly forward.


    ¡°No need. Follow me.¡±


    Countless small bolts of lightning crackled around her, sapping away at the formation''s energy.


    For once, Dark Sword was able to rx and walk through its domain without any worries.


    <i>¡®To think she¡¯s already reached a point where she can disy the Cult¡¯s greatest defensive technique, the Absolute Demon Wall....¡¯</i>


    This wasn¡¯t a feat possible merely just because she had assimted the techniques andprehensions of the previous Heavenly Demons or absorbed the cultivation of the Dominating Fist Heavenly Demon.


    No... Her ability to condense that knowledge into her ownprehension and disy such a level of skill was a testament to her own martial talent.


    ¡°Who is it?!¡±


    Two guards belonging to a subordinate squad of the Eight Division of the Demon Army stood at attention, wary of seeing Si-Hyeon emerge from the end of the formation.


    Dark Sword¡¯s role as Foundation Protector was to guard the Heavenly Demon from the shadows, standing as the final sword to defend the Heavenly Demon at the end. Unless there was no other choice, he was not to be seen by anyone else, and hardly anyone even knew of his existence. The moment they emerged and were in the presence of others, he had already hid in the shadows.


    Now, Si-Hyeon had to handle the rest on her own.


    ¡°Kneel!¡±


    With a single word, Si-Hyeon¡¯s demonic qi sted around her, generating an absolute pressure that forced the two warriors down on their knees.


    ¡°The Heavenly Demon Cult will live forever!¡±


    As people who had also cultivated the techniques of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the two warriors realized immediately after they felt the qi besieging them¡ªSi-Hyeon was the new Heavenly Demon.


    Behind them, the gate with a depiction of the Heavenly Demon carved into it opened without anyone¡¯s intervention.


    As Si-Hyeon went through the gate, demonic qi continued to exude from her entire being. Sensing this, the remaining troops of the Heavenly Demon Cult poured into the massive training ground connected to the main gate.


    Some of the demonic qi surrounding her coalesced on her back, forming ck wings.


    All the cultists gathered at the training hall knelt and shouted,


    ¡°Eternal Immortal Cult of the Heavenly Demon!


    ¡°The Heavenly Demon Cult will live forever!¡±


    Si-Hyeon walked between the kneeling cultists and headed toward the massive throne on a tform situated in front of the training grounds. As she stepped forward, the long ck robe covering the throne flew into the air.


    Si-Hyeon caught the robe and put it on, then sat on the throne with her legs crossed. Her long legs were more perfect than those of a marble statue as they peeked out from within the robe.


    Si-Hyeon quietly leaned into the throne and smiled, the corners of her mouth rising.


    Her smile was filled with such demonic force that even those within the Demonic Flower Faction[2] cultivating the Lust Art, the art with the strongest charm among the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s Soul Stealing Arts, couldn¡¯t control themselves.


    As the seals were broken and Si-Hyeon underwent aplete transformation, her originally beautiful appearance shined even brighter than before. She used to have a girl-next-door type of beauty, but now, it felt as if people would kill each other over her beauty, as if nations would copse for the sake of a single smile!


    On top of that, her strength was just as overwhelming!


    The elders of the cult could feel her strength radiate over them. They shed tears of joy at finally seeing a beacon of light after having endured such years of shame.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Although the number of cultists was less than half of what it had been during the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s heyday, Si-Hyeon was still satisfied.


    ¡°This is more than enough. But...¡±


    As she dragged the end of her sentence out, six streaks of darkness stretched from the nebulous demonic qi flowing behind her.


    ¡°Agk!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    They moved like tentacles, grabbing onto two elders, two members of the Eighth Division of the Demon Army, one member of the Sword Demon Cab, and a member of the Heavenly Demon Light and Darkness Battalion.


    Just like that, six people were caught by the neck by Si-Hyeon''s demonic qi and were lifted into the air, their eyes filled with fear, doubt, and disbelief.


    ¡°You rats... I can smell the disgusting stench of those Martial Heaven bastards from you.¡±


    Immediately, all six people had a look of shock glint in their eyes.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    One of the people from the Eighth Division, the one on the far right, fell to the ground, while his head remained in the air.


    It was cruel, but Si-Hyeon didn''t even blink.


    The scene of Woo-Moon being murdered had reced all sympathy and mercy in her heart with nk iciness.


    When it came to dealing with Martial Heaven, she had the resolve to be the greatest evil in the world.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The spy from the Sword Demon Cab also dropped to the ground, decapitated through the throat.


    Throughout all of this, Si-Hyeon hadn¡¯t stopped smiling. However, the bloodlust and demonic qi emanating from her was so strong that it seemed as though it would blot out the sky and envelop the earth.


    Even under Si-Hyeon¡¯s formidable pressure, the Heavenly Demon Light and Darkness Battalion Leader forcibly moved, kowtowing and shouting as his forehead mmed onto the ground.


    ¡°My lord! Please spare the spies! We can extract a lot of useful information from them while they still breathe!¡±


    Si-Hyeon smiled brightly in response.


    <i>Squelch, squelch, squelch!</i>


    The remaining spies were all explosively beheaded.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Another streak of demonic qi split apart from the mass behind Si-Hyeon and whipped the battalion leader across the cheek.


    ¡°Since when did the Heavenly Demon Cult stop and suppress our rage to weigh the benefits of this and that? If you want to kill, kill, and if you want to destroy, destroy.¡±


    The core belief of the Heavenly Demon Cult was power!


    The shame cut the battalion leader deeper than the savage wound on his cheek, making him lower his head even more.


    ¡°I deserve death for my insolence!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let that scar ever fade. Remember this moment forever and never forget this lesson.¡±


    ¡°I have received your order!¡±


    While sitting on the grand throne, Si-Hyeon scanned the subordinates lined up before her.


    <i>¡®Senior brother... In the end, I didn¡¯t even get to confess to you. That¡¯s the thing I regret most. Since I¡¯m thest one left, from now on, I¡¯ll live only to avenge you. Martial Heaven... I¡¯ll erase it from this world.¡¯</i>


    Although Si-Hyeon had promised herself to be as cold and harsh as ice, everything about her demeanor changed when she thought of Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®And the Merchant Guild... is uncle doing okay? Is he doing okay?¡¯</i>


    Although she was worried about the guild, the way things were now, she couldn¡¯t go back.


    Now, her fate had taken her to a ce worlds apart from her dreams of the future.


    She had made a triumphant entrance not into the business world as the leader of a major merchant guild, but into the true <i>murim</i>, as the new Heavenly Demon. Not only that, but she had left an inerasable impression on her followers.


    She was just a young woman, but she was making sure that not one single person would dare to ignore her just because of that.


    ***


    Woo-Moon stood before a Confucian school in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province.


    Dusk melded heaven and earth into the same red hue.


    After ordering Eun-Ah to wait on the nearby mountain, Woo-Moon climbed over the wall of the Confucian school and onto the roof of the central pavilion before slowly expanding his senses.


    <i>¡®There you are.¡¯</i>


    He could hear someone breathing heavily somewhere in a smaller pavilion.


    There, the son of the Night Spear Devil, a frail boy struck with jaundice, was sweating and gasping in his sleep as if he was having a nightmare.


    ¡°What a poor child...¡±


    An old woman sat next to the boy, constantly wiping the boy¡¯s sweat with a towel to try to get his body temperature to drop.


    <i>¡®What a relief. He¡¯s at least receiving excellent care here.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t bother with pleasantries; he quietly entered the room and knocked the woman out by pressing her acupoints, then knelt in front of the bed. He focused, gathered his qi, and sent it through the boy¡¯s acupoints.


    <i>¡®I can do this. With the Forbidden Divine Art and the Gentle Celestial Sword¡ªI can do this!¡¯</i>


    He carefully inspected Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s entire body meticulously, without leaving out a single detail. As he did so, he discovered something strange.


    <i>¡®There are some abnormalities and foreign things eating into his bones and blood.¡¯</i>[3]


    This wasn¡¯t a poison, no, nothing of the sort. However, it was something even more terrifying than poison, something that gnawed away at Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s body and drew him closer and closer to death.


    Woo-Moon continued to infuse Gyeong Mu-Gi with qi, visualizing an image of the Gentle Celestial Sword extirpating all abnormalities or foreign objects, while the qi of the Forbidden Celestial Art helped his body heal and regenerate in a normal way.


    It wasn¡¯t until the morning sun was about to rise that Woo-Moon was able to finish all of Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s treatment.


    <i>¡®What a relief, really.¡¯</i>


    He wondered how happy the great Night Spear Devil would have been if he were alive to see this.


    Woo-Moon felt as much sadness as he felt proud of himself.


    <i>¡®Now... I have to do some dangerous things, so I can¡¯t take this child with me. For now, it would be better for me to let him grow here.¡¯</i>


    As the boy hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet, it was probably for the best that he wasn¡¯t told about his father¡¯s death just yet.


    <i>¡®Later, when everything is over, I¡¯lle and make you my official disciple. In the meantime, you must stay healthy.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon rifled through Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s belongings. He immediately found a manual detailing the Dark Night Spear and a manual detailing the Great Burning Heart Art and proceeded to read both of them head to tail. Then, he picked up the brush on the table and detailed his own exnations of the parts he thought may be difficult to understand. Unfortunately, as he didn¡¯t have much time, he was only able to add hisprehension to a few essential parts.


    After he finished modifying the manuals, he also put down manuals for the Raging Wind Palm, the Heavy Rain Fist, and the Northern Wind Steps that he had written down earlier.


    <i>¡®Then, till we meet again!¡¯</i>


    As soon as he released the two people¡¯s acupoints, Woo-Moon disappeared.


    Gyeong Mu-Gi woke up from his sleep and was surprised to feel that his body had be extremely light.


    ¡°What the...?¡±


    When he got up, he noticed his martial arts manuals sitting on the table...along with three new manuals that he had never seen before.


    While he was both surprised and frightened, his first reaction was to open the books to check the contents. He saw a message written on the first page of the Raging Wind Palm.


    <i>¡ªAt your father¡¯s request, I have agreed to take you in as my disciple. Please understand that I can¡¯t reveal my name to you right now, and I can¡¯t teach you directly due to some pressing issues right now. Therefore, I¡¯ve given you some materials and exnations for now. Please practice diligently until Ie to visit you with the Night Spear Devilter.</i>


    <i>Thud!</i>


    When he put the book down, a pendant dropped from his sleeve onto the bed.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    When Gyeong Mu-Gi saw the pendant, his eyes filled with tears.


    How could he not recognize the pendant that his father had received from his mother before she passed?


    1. Referencing the main character of one of the author¡¯s previous books, <i>The Sixth Heavenly Lord</i>. The focus of this book is on the Heavenly Demon Cult. ?


    2. The word Demon in Heavenly Demon is Mo (Demon/Devil/Fiend in the western Demon sense). In contrast, the word Demon in Demonic Flower is Yao (Magical Spirit/Beast Demon). ?


    3. This is how cancer is described in older texts. ?

 Chapter 145. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (16)

    <h4>Chapter 145. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (16)</h4>


    Gyeong Mu-Gi got up from the bed and stood in front of the table, bowing to the manuals.


    ¡°Thank you, Master. I will cultivate diligently and wait so that you and Father won¡¯t be disappointed the next time youe to see me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.¡±


    Everyone knows their own body best.


    Gyeong Mu-Gi had already realized that his mysterious master had not only left him something, but also taken something from him¡ªhis illness was gone.


    ***


    Woo-Moon chose a rather untrodden path through the mountains. This time, rather than filling his chest pocket, Eun-Ah was his steed.


    Following her transformation, she had reached the Absolute realm herself, and her speed was now mind-boggling. In spite of the unweing terrain, Woo-Moon barely felt any time pass before they reached the ce where the Cruel Sandstorm Riders had been seen.


    Woo-Moon took out the letter Ma-Ra had left him and read it again.


    <i>¡ªGun-Ha disappeared all of a sudden. It seems that she was asking about Gansu Province before that, so she most likely headed there. We¡¯ll be going there to find her.</i>


    It was his mother¡¯s handwriting.


    He had checked it several times while riding Eun-Ah, and there was no mistake. Moreover, there was no way Ma-Ra would have given him a fake letter, either.


    <i>¡®Gun-Ha... how could that innocent Gun-Ha disappear all of a sudden? Could the same thing that had happened to Si-Hyeon happen to Gun-Ha? And where could my parents have gone?¡¯</i>


    <i>Zzt!</i>


    Suddenly, his heart felt like it was going to shatter.


    The scene of his grandfather and his junior sister dying came back to mind.


    <i>Crack!!</i>


    <i>¡®Martial Heaven, I¡¯ll never forgive you.¡¯</i>


    As he clenched his fists, his nails tore into his palms, causing them to bleed again.


    He had thought that he had shaken off the remnants of the shock and grieving after spending such a long time in a daze, but it seemed that wasn¡¯t the case.


    Woo-Moon had thought a lot during his stay at the secret hideout of Namar and the others.


    At first, all kinds of emotions swirled around him.


    Grief over his grandfather¡¯s death.


    Regret and sorrow over Si-Hyeon¡¯s death.


    Rage toward Martial Heaven.


    Shame and anger at himself for not being able to save those he loved the most.


    Everything was so intense and painful that he couldn¡¯t even move.


    Time passed in his frozen state.


    The longer it went, the more intense the emotions became.


    Eventually, he wondered if he would be lost in those emotions and disappear.


    Suddenly, when it reached its peak, it stopped.


    All of his thoughts stopped.


    Nothing came to mind.


    Perfect nothingness.[1]


    In that state, Woo-Moon spent a time the length of which he could notprehend before finally waking up .


    As a result, he was able to obtain quintessentialprehension that helped him truly cross the threshold that he had just barely stepped foot on.


    Comprehension that brought him into the Paragon realm.


    After running around for a while, Woo-Moon saw a small pond and got down from Eun-Ah¡¯s back.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    He drew Lightsh as he looked at his reflection in the pond.


    What looked back at him was something more akin to a hairy beast than a human. Woo-Moon wondered if it was really him.


    <i>Scritch. Scritch.</i>


    Woo-Moon calmed his mind as he shaved his beard with Lightsh.


    <i>¡®My judgment will be clouded, and I¡¯ll lose my head if I get caught up in revenge. Moreover, my grandfather and Si-Hyeon would be sad if I lived in misery because of my desire for revenge. Martial Heaven will pay with every single life of every single member, but I won¡¯t lose myself.¡¯</i>


    Trials and tribtions were what made people grow. In that sense, Woo-Moon had grown a lot.


    He neatly shaved his beard and saw himself reflected in the water. A familiar image of himself began to appear, an image that he had seen all his life. However...


    <i>¡®Grandfather... Junior sister.¡¯</i>


    Two people appeared on the shimmering surface of the water. They were as vivid as if they were standing side by side with him and watching the surface of the water together.


    <i>Drip!</i>


    A single teardrop fell.


    The ripples it made spread in a circle and dissipated the figures of Woo-Moon, the Palm Martial Emperor, and Si-Hyeon.


    Closing his eyes tightly, Woo-Moon wiped away the remnants of tears that littered his eyes before climbing onto Eun-Ah¡¯s back.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go now!¡±


    With Woo-Moon¡¯s lively voice, Eun-Ah ran again.


    As they left the forest and walked a little further, Woo-Moon finally saw the sight of truly wide-open ins.


    ¡°It¡¯s really impressive.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that he hadn¡¯t seen ins before¡ªafter all, he came from a ce known as the Central ins. However, the grasnd before him was iparable to anything he had seen before.


    The ins stretched out endlessly, the expanse so wide that one wondered if there really was an end to them.


    Woo-Moon looked at the expanse and took a deep breath. It felt like his heart was being refreshed.


    Still, even that onlysted for a moment.


    <i>¡®If Ma-Ra was here to see this... If Si-Hyeon was here...¡¯</i>


    Although Ma-Ra wasn¡¯t around at the moment, Woo-Moon was sure they could see it together someday.


    However, he could never do this with Si-Hyeon. When he realized that, his heart ached again, and his anger toward Martial Heaven raged around him.


    ¡°Kya!!!!¡±


    He suddenly heard a scream from far away.


    <i>¡®What the...?¡¯</i>


    The moment he recognized what was going on, Woo-Moon¡¯s figure shed and disappeared.


    He reappeared in front of a horse rider who had just plunged his spear into a woman¡¯s heart.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes shed coldly.


    There were five horse bandits in front of him. They were giggling as they skewered the corpses of children and women with spears, as if they were children ying a game.


    Behind them were about a hundred horse bandits, watching and pping with glee. They all turned around, surprised to see Woo-Moon suddenly appear out of nowhere.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°He has a sword. Is he from the <i>murim</i>?¡±


    They didn¡¯t seem to be an ordinary group of horse bandits, either. Those who appeared to be the leaders had all reached the Transcendent realm!


    However, Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t the same person he used to be.


    Lightsh blinked for a split second as it emerged from its scabbard, then went back in.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Four heads separated from the shoulders, and four spears were split in twain.


    ¡°Agk!!¡±


    Woo-Moon appeared right in front of the horse bandit that had impaled a woman.


    With his feet on the horse¡¯s head, Woo-Moon had already drawn his sword and pointed it at the bandit¡¯s throat.


    Even though Woo-Moon was standing on top of the horse¡¯s head, the horse did not move, as if it couldn¡¯t feel even the slightest of weight.


    ¡°You¡¯re the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, right?¡±


    The horse bandit couldn¡¯t answer,pletely frozen.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that bastard? Kill him!¡±


    ¡°Kill!!¡±


    The horse bandits watching from the back spurred their horses and galloped forward.


    Woo-Moon kicked the dantian of the horse bandit in front of him and then leisurely floated to the ground without even the slightest of sounds.


    Woo-Moon strolled toward the hundred or so bandits rushing him.


    ¡°Is any of you worth keeping alive? No one? Alright.¡±


    With a simplement, Woo-Moon leaped into the air.


    He drew a line horizontally at the same height as the bandits on the horses.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The vacuum created by Woo-Moon¡¯s attack became the sharpest of swords, cleaving the necks, heads, and chests of almost all of the bandits in a single blow.


    The horses continued to gallop forward, unaware that their owners were dead, while the bandit pieces fell off their horses one by one.


    ¡°A¡ªAGHHHH!¡±


    The three bandits who had survived had done so by sheer virtue of being particrly short. Frightened by the sight of a heaven beyond their heavens, they turned their horses away to flee from Woo-Moon.


    <i>Growl.</i>


    Eun-Ah blocked their path.


    The horses immediately reacted in shock, rearing on their back legs.


    The three bandits kicked off their horses, leaped into the air, and hurled their spears at Eun-Ah, in hope they could take her down and flee.


    <i>ng, ng, ng!</i>


    It sounded like metal shing against metal; the spear shafts all shattered, unable to even scratch Eun-Ah¡¯s hide.


    <i>GROWL!</i>


    Eun-Ah roared and swung her massive front paws.


    The three men raised their arms to block her, but it was in vain. Facing the ws of a spiritual beast, all they could do was die on the spot, crushed.


    The single surviving member of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, who was crawling powerless on the ground because of the wrecked dantian, was so terrified he even forgot the hellish pain.


    <i>¡®I-is that really one of those Absolute Masters? And what the hell is with that white tiger? How could a mere beast do that to people of the murim?¡¯</i>


    The bandit crawled on the ground, trying to escape Woo-Moon and Eun-Ah, continuing to move even as the pain of a shattered dantian made him want to scream. However, he soon had no choice but to stop.


    He could see Woo-Moon¡¯s feet in front of him.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Woo-Moon kicked the bandit, flipping him face-up. He then ced a hand on the bandit¡¯s shoulder. The bandit froze like a frog standing before a snake.


    Woo-Moon raised his sword and slowly stabbed the bandit in the shoulder.


    ¡°AGH!!!!¡±


    Although it would have been cleaner to simply run the bandit through, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t do that. Rather, he cut into the bandit¡¯s shoulder little by little.


    ¡°S-Stop! Please, stop...!¡±


    Woo-Moon stopped what he was doing, but as he looked at the bandit, his eyes were cold and emotionless.


    ¡°I want to ask you something.¡±


    The bandit blubbered with tears and snot running down his face.


    ¡°W-what would you like to know?¡±


    An effective torturer usually stripped their target of their clothes first.


    As people were clothed almost immediately after birth, they tended to squirm when they were naked.


    What Woo-Moon had done had the same effect, though on a different level. The bandit very much kept his garments, but a martial artist stripped of cultivation was more naked than a newborn.


    If a martial artist were to lose the fundamental power that protected them in an instant, no matter how strong they were, they were bound to be even weaker than a normal person out of fear and shock.


    That was why the bandit had given in to Woo-Moon so quickly.


    ¡°You¡¯re part of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, right?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°How much damage did the Cruel Sandstorm Riders suffer in the war?¡±


    ¡°I-I heard it was about three hundred people.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    ¡°Then, what about the Hegemon n?¡±


    ¡°More or less the same...¡±


    <i>¡®Both sides were just pretending to fight.¡¯</i>


    If even one of the two forces had the will to battle properly, there was no way that the war would have ended with so few casualties.


    During a massive war in which the Justice Coalition had been significantly weakened and the ck Bull Gang eventually destroyed, the Hegemon n and the Cruel Sandstorm Riders had only pretended to fight over and over again, stalling until the war ended.


    Something was very, very wrong.


    It smelled like a conspiracy.


    Why had the Hegemon Emperor, who had been so angry when the Sword Emperor had first told him about the news regarding the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, fought so passively?


    No...forget about being passive. Having such few casualties and such minor damage was simply impossible unless there was some secret agreement between the Hegemon n and the Cruel Sandstorm Riders.


    ¡°Where is the main base of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders?¡±


    ¡°T-that is...¡±


    Such a massive group like the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, which was formed of several bands of horse bandits, had to have a main base that yed a central role in keeping them together.


    However, since horse bandits were wanderers and periodically moved their main base to avoid subjugation, finding the ce was nearly impossible on his own.


    However, Woo-Moon knew that someone with a cultivation that had reached the Transcendent level, like the bandit in front of him, would definitely know the location.


    When the man hesitated again, Woo-Moon began to push his sword forward again.


    <i>Squelch.</i>


    ¡°AGHH!!!!¡±


    The man screamed in excruciating pain, and blood flowed down his shoulder.


    ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°I-if you go northeast from here, you¡¯ll see a massive boulder. If you go east from there, you¡¯ll run into a canyon. Continue along the canyon¡ª<i>argh!</i>¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be there?¡±


    ¡°AGH!!! YES!!!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Woo-Moon pulled his sword from the bandit¡¯s shoulder and decapitated him, putting him out of his misery.


    ¡°Cruel Sandstorm Riders... and the Hegemon n, too.¡±


    Woo-Moon muttered to himself as he walked away, collecting the bodies of the children and women still skewered on spears and the women who had been stabbed through the heart in front of him.


    He struck the ground with his palm, excavating a massive pit where he buried their bodies.


    ¡°I pray for your journey to paradise...¡±


    When he was done with that, Woo-Moon cut a strip of cloth from his robe and improvised a mask.


    ¡°Eun-Ah, I have to go somewhere secretly, so you have to wait around here for a while, okay?¡±


    <i>Grawr.</i>


    Eun-Ah had truly grown up, in body and spirit alike. She could take care of herself now, and she was no longer whining just because Woo-Moon asked her to do something. She just nodded and rubbed her head against his chest.


    After parting with Eun-Ah, Woo-Moon used his movement technique to move invisibly toward the main base of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders.


    1. <i>Mu</i> or <i>wu</i> Ÿo means literally ¡°nothing¡± but also the state of nothingness. It¡¯s the same <i>wu</i> as in <i>wuji</i>, the limitless and undefined primordial universe thates prior to <i>taiji</i> (¡°supreme prity¡±) where the two ¡°poles¡± are yin and yang. ?

 Chapter 146. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (17)

    <h4>Chapter 146. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (17)</h4>


    Fortunately, it didn''t seem like the bandit was lying.


    As Woo-Moon walked up the canyon, he felt arge number of figures strong enough to trigger his senses.


    Woo-Moon used the stealth technique he had previously learned from Ma-Ra to approach the base while avoiding the guards. Then, he used a lightness art to scale the wall.


    As he looked around, one of therger barracks caught his gaze.


    <i>¡®That should work.¡¯</i>


    He melded into the darkness and shifted like a ghost, slipping into the barracks without being detected by the guards. There, he slowly moved behind a middle-aged man and put a sword to his throat.


    ¡°Get up.¡±


    As the man flinched and tried to move, Woo-Moon simultaneously pressed the man¡¯s speech and movement acupoints, rendering him mute and paralyzed.


    Woo-Moon had picked his target carefully. The man was a Transcendent expert and probably knew most of the things that happened within the Cruel Sandstorm Riders.


    He ced his hand on the man¡¯s abdomen and gently imbued him with qi.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The middle-aged man was flustered. He could feel Woo-Moon¡¯s qi seeping into his dantian and coating it. It was as if Woo-Moon had his dantian in the palm of his hand, able to destroy it with but a thought.


    ¡°Listen carefully. I only have a single question. As long as you can answer me, your life and your cultivation will be safe.¡±


    Woo-Moon used his qi to create a qi barrier around them before unlocking the man¡¯s speech acupoint.


    ¡°W-what can I help you with?¡±


    Luckily, Woo-Moon seemed to have picked a good target, as the man seemed timid and meek.


    Woo-Moon was disgusted. The man seemed to have killed many people, from the bloodlust and murderous aura emanating from his body. To think someone with such vile aura was so afraid of his own death....


    Woo-Moon exined in detail the appearances of Dae-Woong, Jin-Jin, and Gun-Ha.


    ¡°Have you seen them or heard anything about them?¡±


    Hearing this kind question, the man sighed in relief. It was nothing important enough to hide.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen nor heard anything about them.¡±


    Woo-Moon gauged how the man¡¯s heart rate changed while he spoke. From his slowly steadying heartbeat and the look of relief in his eyes, Woo-Moon could tell that he was telling the truth.


    Disappointed, Woo-Moon tried to ask him something else.


    But then, Woo-Moon suddenly felt something strange enter the range of his senses.


    <i>¡®Who is that?¡¯</i>


    Sensing signs of something strange going on, Woo-Moon pressed the man¡¯s speech acupoint again, killed him, and quickly fled from the barracks.


    ¡°Where the hell do you think you¡¯re going?!¡± a white-bearded old man shouted as he chased after Woo-Moon. He quickly stepped forward and thrust out his hand, sending a st of palm force toward Woo-Moon¡¯s back.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    As Woo-Moon turned and sent his own palm force out to match, he used the counterforce of the sh to fly backward.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s another one on this side!¡¯</i>


    Coincidentally, a young man with red hair and red eyebrows[1] rose through the ceiling of one of the barracks in the direction Woo-Moon was fleeing and swung a saber.


    Woo-Moon drew Lightsh and struck back before stepping on air and flying through the sky, moving away from the white-bearded old man and the red-haired young man.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re on the level of the Forgetful King! They¡¯re definitely members of Martial Heaven!¡¯</i>


    The only person that Woo-Moon had met stronger than the peak Absolute Masters that formed the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors and the Six Rising Transcendents was the Forgetful King. And now, Woo-Moon could feel the same level of aura exuding from the two he had just shed with.


    ¡°Get him!¡± shouted the young man with red hair and brows. However, not even they had been able to stop him, so how could their subordinates do anything?


    Looking at Woo-Moon¡¯s back as he flew away, the red-haired young man spoke to the white-beared old man.


    ¡°He¡¯s pretty impressive. To think he would be on par with us... Actually, how did you even sense him?¡±


    ¡°I happened to pass by the Twenty-Third Mu Heon¡¯s barracks and sense something strange. I would never have known otherwise if I hadn¡¯t been so close.¡±


    It really had been pure chance; he wouldn¡¯t have noticed Woo-Moon even after getting that close if Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t used any qi-based techniques to capture the Twenty-Third Mu Heon.


    ¡°How shocking.... To think there was someone in the <i>murim</i> with the same level of cultivation as us....¡±


    ***


    Even though he was forced to leave the main base of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, Woo-Moon did not see that as a failure on his part. His most pressing questions had already been answered.


    <i>¡®The Cruel Sandstorm Riders were ultimately Martial Heaven¡¯s minions. There¡¯s also a high probability that their enemies, the Hegemon n, are the same, too.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon deduced that the war had been manipted behind the scenes by Martial Heaven in order to inflict damage on both the Justice Coalition and the ck Bull Gang, which weren¡¯t on their side.


    Moreover, it appeared that the Cruel Sandstorm Riders had only made an appearance only in order to reassure the two powers that the Hegemon n they were so wary of wasn¡¯t ying the role of the oriole hiding while the mantis and cicada fought. Naturally, the Justice Coalition and the ck Bull Gang had been able to invest their forces into the war without worry after seeing the Hegemon n battle the Cruel Sandstorm Riders.


    <i>¡®Hmm, yeah, that seems to be the gist of it. In that case, it looks like I¡¯ll have to destroy the Cruel Sandstorm Riders first.¡¯</i>


    However, as he had just discovered, there were two people there whom not even he was sure of defeating. Woo-Moon knew there was zero chance of pulling that off by himself.


    He needed help from other forces in order to win.


    <i>¡®The martial forces in the area are the North Sea Ice Pce and the Kunlun Sect. However, the two of them alone aren¡¯t nearly enough to take down the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. But... it may be possible if I get the imperial government involved.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon had been nning on stopping by all of these factions to find his parents and Gun-Ha, anyway.


    He quickly made his decision as to his next destination. It would be more efficient if he were to investigate therger areas before moving on to smaller locations.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s go to the Imperial Government first.¡¯</i>


    The imperial government authority thatmanded the troops within Gansu Province, the Regional Military Commission [2], was located in the provincial capital, Nanzhou.


    As he had no need to wear a mask unless he was dealing with organizations of the <i>murim</i>, Woo-Moon took off his impromptu mask and asked around to ask for directions to Nanzhou.


    ¡°Is this the right ce?¡±


    Woo-Moon hid on the roof of a building close to the Regional Military Commission.


    <i>¡®How should I do this?¡¯</i>


    He had to get the Regional Military Commission¡¯s aid to find his parents and Gun-Ha. Moreover, he had to get the help of the imperial government to take down the Cruel Sandstorm Riders.


    In the meantime, he had to make sure no one discovered his identity.


    If his identity were to be revealed, Martial Heaven would stop at nothing to kill him, which would make it much more difficult for him to move around for his goals. It definitely wouldn¡¯t be easy to destroy the Cruel Sandstorm Riders in that state.


    No, he had to eliminate Martial Heaven¡¯s forces one by one while it was unaware of his existence.


    <i>¡®I have to try it first, at least.¡¯</i>


    He hadn¡¯t found a clear-cut method yet. However, he couldn¡¯t just sit around worrying about what would happen forever.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes lit up.


    A carriage was entering through the main gate of the Regional Military Commission, and the driver instantly caught his eye.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s definitely a strong expert. From the looks of it... she¡¯s reached the Absolute stage.¡¯</i>


    Although they were too far apart for Woo-Moon to judge it urately, what fluctuations he could feel in the air led him to make a cursory judgment.


    The carriage went in through the gate just as the sun was setting.


    Woo-Moon used his stealth techniques and infiltrated the Regional Military Commission.


    Even though there was a massive group of horse bandits called the Cruel Sandstorm Riders within Gansu, the mood within the Commission seemed peaceful. Almost as if nothing was wrong.


    <i>¡®Aren¡¯t the Cruel Sandstorm Riders hard to ssify as just a murim force or a mere group of bandits? There should be enough justification for the imperial government to subdue them... why are they sitting around like...?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon inspected his surroundings.


    <i>¡®Huh?¡¯</i>


    The female driver who had caught Woo-Moon¡¯s attention earlier was speaking with two people in a room.


    One was a cute girl in herte teens who didn¡¯t seem to have turned twenty yet. The other looked familiar somehow...


    <i>¡®Saber Emperor!¡¯</i>


    It was Jeong Yi-Moon.


    Woo-Moon almost cried out with joy. He felt like he had found a ray of light just when he was at a loss as to what to do.


    Although he thought about getting closer and listening in to their conversation, the meeting had already ended; it was evening already.


    Woo-Moon followed the Saber Emperor, who had parted ways with the others, and just as the man was about to close the door of his room, Woo-Moon slipped in like a gust of wind.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    Jeong Yi-Moon was startled by Woo-Moon¡¯s sudden appearance and drew the broken saber in an instant.


    As expected from an Absolute Master, his movements were wless and without any unnecessary flourishes.


    ¡°Who are you?!¡± Jeong Yi-Moon shouted. However, his voice seemed to dissipate before it could get past the door. Woo-Moon¡¯s energy actually blocked his qi-powered roar!


    It was only after Jeong Yi-Moon saw Woo-Moon¡¯s face that he lowered his weapon.


    ¡°You¡¯re...!¡±


    The Saber Emperor looked utterly bewildered.


    Someone who could enter his room and stop his shout just like that was unquestionably someone he would have to put his life on the line to fight. Naturally, his shock was not small when he saw that it was none other than Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Have you been well?¡±


    ¡°Ha...¡±


    It had only been about a year and a half since he hadst seen Woo-Moon.


    To be frank, rather than being proud of Woo-Moon¡¯s aplishments, he found himself bing despondent at his ownck thereof.


    <i>¡®Aren¡¯t you just barely twenty-three? But you¡¯ve already surpassed me? To think you¡¯ve not only broken through the Absolute Wall within a year and a half but even surpassed it....¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hohohoho.¡±


    Eventually, Jeong Yi-Moon burst intoughter and shook his head from side to side. Then, he looked at Woo-Moon with pride in his eyes.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. It¡¯s been barely over a year, yet you¡¯ve left me in the dust and you¡¯ve be a Paragon!¡±


    ¡°A Paragon?¡±


    ¡°What, didn¡¯t your grandpa tell you? That¡¯s what they call the realm beyond Absolute. Haha, that bastard Baek Sang-Woon must be ecstatic. To think his grandson got so strong at such a young age, hohoho.¡±


    As Jeong Yi-Moon smiled and mentioned his grandfather, Woo-Moon bit his lip, pain streaking through his chest.


    ¡°My grandfather is no longer...¡±


    Although Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t able to finish his sentence, the few words he spoke were enough to make Jeong Yi-Moon understand what he wanted to say.


    Jeong Yi-Moon staggered, his eyes bulging.


    ¡°Oi, wait a second. There¡¯s no way you¡¯re saying that venomous bastard is dead, right? You¡¯re not, right?¡±


    Woo-Moon closed his eyes and didn¡¯t respond.


    The silence was deafening.


    Jeong Yi-Moon staggered and grabbed a chair, falling into it as if his legs had lost all strength.


    ¡°That bastard always drove me up the wall, spouting shit about how he would live longer than a government dog like me. To think he¡¯d be the one to kick the bucket first...¡±


    Jeong Yi-Moon¡¯s eyes turned red.


    He had first met Sang-Woon in the prime of his youth, meeting the wanderer on his first mission as an Embroidered Uniform Guard.


    As rivals, they had fought a lot and gotten into lots of trouble. At the same time, they had worked together many times to destroy bandits of the ck Path.


    Even though he hadn¡¯t seen Sang-Woon much after they grew older, he still considered the Palm Martial Emperor his closest friend. And that friend....


    <i>CRACK!</i>


    The arm of Jeong Yi-Moon¡¯s chair burst into powder under his hand.


    ¡°Who did it?¡±


    ¡°A hidden sect, Martial Heaven.¡±


    ¡°Martial Heaven?¡±


    This was the first time Jeong Yi-Moon had heard the name, so Woo-Moon exined everything he knew about them.


    As he spoke, he realized how little he actually knew about them. He didn¡¯t know how they came into existence or even what their purpose was.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t much to work with, is there? Well, I¡¯ve at least heard the name, so I¡¯ll look into it separately.¡±


    Woo-Moon bowed his head and expressed his gratitude.


    ¡°I have a favor to ask.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Woo-Moon exined both about his missing parents and the news that the Cruel Sandstorm Riders and the Hegemon n were Martial Heaven¡¯s vassals.


    ¡°So, I need the imperial government¡¯s aid in eliminating the two forces and inflicting a blow to Martial Heaven. Also, I would like to request help in finding my parents and Gun-Ha. Can you help me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... that¡¯s not something that I, a mere magistrate, can decide.¡±


    Woo-Moon was disappointed, hearing the Saber Emperor¡¯s words as a form of rejection.


    ¡°But let me introduce you to someone who can help. Just wait a moment.¡±


    Jeong Yi-Moon left the room, leaving Woo-Moon to wait for about half an hour.


    Soon, he felt two women approaching, along with Jeong Yi-Moon.


    <i>¡®I can kinda guess who it is.¡¯</i>


    The door opened, and a girl dressed in regal attire apanied by a beautiful female officer that looked to be in her early twenties entered the room.


    Closing the door, Jeong Yi-Moon introduced the two.


    ¡°Mind your manners. This is Her Highness, Princess Mok Yong.¡±


    1. Reference to the Red Eyebrows, a peasant rebellion movement. It¡¯s not a very important reference. ?


    2. One of the three provincial-level agencies within the Ming and Qing Dynasties. ?

 Chapter 147. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (18)

    <h4>Chapter 147. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (18)</h4>


    Any daughter born to the emperor from his empress was bestowed the title of imperial princess. Any daughter born to the crown prince or princess from his crown consort was bestowed the title of princess.[1]


    The emperor had the crown prince veryte; he had now reached an advanced age and had all but withdrawn from government affairs. Thus, it was only a matter of time before Princess Mok Yong became Imperial Princess Mok Yong.


    Although he didn¡¯t have much loyalty or affection for the imperial family, Woo-Moon still heeded the Saber Emperor¡¯s words and greeted the two women formally.


    ¡°My name is Song Woo-Moon. It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Your Highness.¡±


    Princess Mok Yong spoke in a haughty tone.


    ¡°You can speak freely. Rise.¡±


    ¡°Thank you."


    As Woo-Moon stood up, he sneaked a peek at the beautiful woman, seemingly in her early twenties, standing behind the princess.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s definitely an Absolute Master! There are three Absolute Masters within the Imperial Pce, and only one of them is a woman. Formless Flying Sword Yoon Ha-Rin!¡¯</i>


    She was a young and beautiful Imperial Guard. Tales of her renowned skill were famous among the Imperial Guards.


    She had been appointed to her first position at the young age of sixteen, and twenty yearster, she had been promoted to the Head of the Imperial Guard.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet the renowned Formless Flying Sword.¡±


    Seeing Woo-Moon cup his fist first, Yoon Ha-Rin nodded her head slightly. Her eyes had been boring through Woo-Moon from the moment she had entered the room.


    As for the princess, despite her stately appearance, she had a straightforward and no-nonsense personality, and she got right to the point.


    ¡°You want the government to step forward and clean up the Cruel Sandstorm Riders?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    In spite of her young age, the princess was filled with grace and dignity in every action. The education of a member of the imperial family was fully visible.


    A strange smile spread across her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that your official position and achievements aren¡¯t quite enough to make such a request? After all, you¡¯re just an honorary magistrate.¡±


    Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t so dense that he couldn¡¯t understand what she was hinting at.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have no intention of taking office.¡±


    ¡°Even if you can¡¯t achieve what you want without doing so?¡±


    Woo-Moon looked the princess straight in the eye.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it would be possible if I just used you as a hostage?¡±


    The Saber Emperor faltered, suddenly feeling dizzy when he heard Woo-Moon¡¯s response.


    <i>¡®What the hell?! That bastard Palm Martial Emperor treated the Imperial Family like shit, but this brat¡¯s attitude is even worse!¡¯</i>


    Yoon Ha-Rin was momentarily taken aback by the utterly unexpected response, but then, a sh of bloodlust emanated from her body. In a split second, her hand flickered six times.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Something sharp flew through the air.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ¡ª</i>


    The six throwing knives made of qi were simply repelled before they could even touch Woo-Moon. They were unable to get close to Woo-Moon¡¯s clothes due to his defensive qi.


    In order to make a statement, Woo-Moon had put in more effort than he had to. He would have been able to block the throwing knives with much less risk and qi consumption if he had drawn his sword or used his hands.


    On the other side, Formless Flying Sword was utterly bbergasted to see Woo-Moon block her attack with nothing but his defensive qi.


    <i>¡®How does he have such strength at such a young age? Is he stronger than me?¡¯</i>


    As Yoon Ha-Rin gauged his strength, Woo-Moon did the same while looking at her.


    <i>¡®Formless Flying Sword Yoon Ha-Rin. Although she¡¯s not at the same level as the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors or some of the stronger Rising Challengers, she¡¯s still at a simr level to the Absolute Master from Martial Heaven that I fought back then.¡¯</i>


    He had no idea who those people were or where they were¡ªonly their level of power and the fact that they were members of Martial Heaven.


    Most people weren¡¯t really qualified to talk about this, but there were differences in power even within the same Absolute stage. As most of the famed Absolute Masters only fought without showing their true strength and retreated before things became serious, most of the <i>gangho</i> mistakenly believed that the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors and the Six Rising Challengers all had more or less the same strength.


    However, things couldn¡¯t be further from the truth.


    On the one hand, it was true that the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors were all roughly on the same level. Although there had been differences when they first rose to fame, they eventually grew to approximately the same strength after years of battling.


    On the other hand, there was a definite gap between the new and the old. If the Night Spear Devil or the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor were very close to the level of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors, the rest of the Six Rising Challengers were definitely one level below them. They were barely taking their first steps as they learned about the Absolute Stage.


    The princess responded calmly, ¡°Hostage? I am sorry to tell you but you are not the kind of person to do something like that.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you see me? Well, you¡¯re right in a way, I used to be like that. But now, I don¡¯t care about betraying my principles if it''s to save my family.¡±


    The deep sorrow and pain hidden within Woo-Moon flickered in his eyes as he spoke.


    The princess, who had stood proud and arrogant even in the face of someone threatening her, suddenly blushed slightly.


    ¡°So you¡¯re cruel, then. Fine, if you don¡¯t want to take up an official position, I won¡¯t force you to. However, it¡¯s not easy for me to battle the Cruel Sandstorm Riders with my own forces. Thus, I also want something in return.¡±


    ¡°What is it? Please don¡¯t hesitate, Princess.¡±


    ¡°Assassinate two people.¡±


    In other words, she wanted Woo-Moon, a martial artist with skills beyond that of an Absolute Master, to be her personal assassin.[2] However, Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t prideful enough to care.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill them as long as they deserve to die.¡±


    ¡°The first is the Gansu Province¡¯s Regional Military Commissioner. The second, the Seal-Holding Eunuch Director of the Directorate of the Imperial Regalia,¡± the princess said.[3]


    Yoon Ha-Rin continued where the princess left off.


    ¡°We¡¯ve discovered that the Imperial Regalia Seal-Holding Eunuch Director Jin Cheong is rted by blood to the Cruel Sandstorm Riders¡¯ leader. Moreover, he receives bribes from them as well. In the past, he even directed the Gansu Province¡¯s Regional Military Commissioner to turn a blind eye when the Cruel Sandstorm Riders left Gansu Province and aimed for Shaanxi Province.¡±


    The Saber Emperor continued after Yoon Ha-Rin.


    ¡°As you may know, the Cruel Sandstorm Riders are a force that¡¯s difficult to define as solely a <i>murim</i> force or solely a bandit entity. Countless of our civilians died because of them.[4] When I tried to work with the princess to eliminate them, the Seal-Holding Eunuch Director made sure we faced impediments at every turn. Although I don¡¯t like assassinations... there are just too many lives we can save by doing this.¡±


    Although he was not officially a member of the <i>murim</i>, in the end, Jeong Yi-Moon was still a martial artist. He had tried to resolve the issue somehow within the bounds of thew, but as all of his efforts in that direction were in vain, he agreed to resolve the issue using force.


    The princess spoke again, concluding their exnation.


    ¡°In other words, our goals and your goals are the same. The destruction of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. The biggest obstacles to fulfilling our goals are the Seal-Holding Eunuch Director and the Gansu Province¡¯s Regional Military Commissioner.¡±


    Woo-Moon, who had been listening quietly, nodded his head.


    ¡°If they are the only obstacles keeping the imperial government from interfering, then you don¡¯t need to order me to do that; I would have done it anyway.¡±


    There was always the chance that the princess was trying to use Woo-Moon to consolidate her power. This could all be a ploy, and they could be asking him to kill the Seal-Holding Eunuch Director and the province¡¯s Regional Military Commissioner for some other reason pertaining to their own goals.


    However, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t think that was the case. He may not believe the princess he¡¯d just met, but he certainly believed in the Saber Emperor¡¯s judgment.


    ¡°Consider them dead. In return, I¡¯d like to ask you for three more favors.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    He took a manual out of his sleeve.


    ¡°First, please have this delivered to Ra Mi, a swordswoman of the Justice Coalition¡¯s Wind Sword Battalion.¡±


    The manual contained the new cultivation methods Woo-Moon had written down while traveling on Eun-Ah. After he had risen from lying in solitude for two seasons, Woo-Moon used that experience to devise the best cultivation art for Ra Mi to learn.


    If she found it difficult to cultivate consciously because she was constantly asleep, then she could cultivate in her dreams instead. She¡¯d be having a lucid dream, in a sense.


    Woo-Moon had only been able to create this cultivation method because he had gained the enlightenment of the void and unlocked more of the secrets of the Gentle Celestial Sword.


    <i>¡®If you learn this, Ra Mi, you¡¯ll definitely be able to reach the Absolute realm.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was sure of it.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t like any random person could do this, but thanks to Ra Mi¡¯s peculiar problem, she could definitely reach the Absolute realm.


    ¡°That¡¯s simple. Then, what other requests do you have?¡±


    ¡°Next, please don¡¯t tell anyone I¡¯m alive for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Of course. You don¡¯t even have to tell us that, it¡¯s only to our advantage. Then, what¡¯s thest one?¡±


    Woo-Moon exined what Dae-Woong, Jin-Jin, and Gun-Ha looked like.


    ¡°Please find them.¡±


    ¡°All three of your requests aren¡¯t difficult. If that¡¯s the case, then I can definitely do that. But do you really not have any interest in holding office?¡±


    There was a subtle hint of anticipation in the princess¡¯ eyes. She seemed to want Woo-Moon by her side in the same way Yoon Ha-Rin was.


    ¡°I apologize, but I don¡¯t have any interest. I will not keep you any longer. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡±


    The moment he finished speaking, Woo-Moon bolted from the room as if he were running away from punishment.


    It seemed as though the princess would continue to insist he take a government position if he stayed any longer. But just like his grandfather, the Palm Martial Emperor, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t have even the slightest desire to be an official.


    <i>¡®Now, then, I guess I¡¯ll have to go to the capital first.¡¯</i>


    The Seal-Holding Eunuch Director was definitely more challenging to kill than a Regional Military Commissioner.


    Usually, the correct course of action would have been to handle the easy assassination first and then move on to the more difficult one. However, that logic didn¡¯t apply to this current situation.


    <i>¡®If I kill the Regional Military Commissioner first, it¡¯ll reach the ears of the Seal-Holding Eunuch Director, causing him to suspect something and raise his guard. However, if I kill the Seal-Holding Eunuch Director first, it¡¯ll be the other way around. I can handle a mere Regional Military Commissioner even with his guard up.¡¯</i>


    To be frank, it wasn¡¯t difficult for Woo-Moon to enter the capital and assassinate the Seal-Holding Eunuch Director.


    No, in fact, it was actually pretty easy.


    Woo-Moon had already surpassed the Absolute realm and reached the Paragon realm.


    Even if the Saber Emperor or Formless Flying Sword were in the imperial pce, and even if his target was the emperor himself, he could simply go in, kill the target, and escape. Nobody could stop him


    What¡¯s more, he would be entering an imperial pce without any Absolute Masters to kill a mere eunuch.


    <i>¡®With that said, Martial Heaven really is incredible. To think I¡¯ve already seen three Paragons among their ranks...¡¯</i>


    He had shed with the Forgetful King at the Heavenly Demon Mound and those two Paragons residing within the Cruel Sandstorm Rider¡¯s main base.


    The gravity of his enemy¡¯s strength weighed on Woo-Moon once again as he continued to run forward while calling for Eun-Ah.


    <i>ROAR!</i>


    Eun-Ah had been waiting on a deserted mountain some ways away. At his call, she suddenly appeared before him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Woo-Moon got on Eun-Ah¡¯s back and headed to the capital.


    It was already dark when he arrived, the perfect time for an assassination.


    ¡°Go have fun nearby.¡±


    <i>Grawr.</i>


    Nodding her head, Eun-Ah licked Woo-Moon with her now-enormous tongue and ran over to a nearby mountain.


    <i>Growl!</i>


    Suddenly, the mountain became noisy with the screams of the tigers and bears caught in Eun-Ah¡¯s games.


    ¡°You naughty little rascal.¡±


    She most likely would be ying like that until either Woo-Moon came back or she got bored.


    ¡°The Forbidden City...¡±[5]


    After briefly looking down at the Forbidden City from the top of a mountain, Woo-Moon put on a mask and leaped forward.


    Flying through the sky like a bird, he descended above a pavilion on the southeastern section of the Forbidden City and sent finger strikes in all four directions.


    Those hiding on top of the pavilion felt nothing as they lost consciousness.


    <i>¡®The soldiers would be too stubborn. It¡¯ll be difficult to get them to talk.¡¯</i>


    The easiest solution would be for him to capture a consort and interrogate her. However, Woo-Moon felt ufortable doing that to a woman.


    <i>¡®On that note, all of the women here are really beautiful.¡¯</i>


    The emperor¡¯s consorts were walking around in groups, each beautiful in her own way.


    <i>¡®Well, it makes sense. The consorts are gathered from all over the Central ins. The emperor really enjoys luxuries, it seems. To think all of these beautifuldies are his women.... Well, they aren¡¯t as beautiful as Ma-Ra or Si-Hyeon, anyway.¡¯</i>


    Again, he had identally thought of Si-Hyeon.


    After grimacing for a moment due to the streak of pain in his heart, Woo-Moon caught a eunuch in histe teens who was passing nearby.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Woo-Moon paralyzed the eunuch, then pulled him onto the roof of the pavilion where he had been hiding. There, he drew his sword and put it at the eunuch¡¯s throat.


    ¡®Hey, brat. I have something to ask you. If you don¡¯t want to see what your kidneys look like, it would be best if you were careful with how you answer me.¡±


    With that kind reminder, Woo-Moon released the eunuch¡¯s speech acupoint.


    Finally able to respond, the young eunuch trembled and opened his mouth.


    ¡°W-what can I help you with...¡±


    ¡°Where is the Seal-Holding Eunuch Director of the Directorate of the Imperial Regalia right now?¡±


    Terrified at the prospect of his own death and even more terrified at the possibility of having his organs removed beforehand, the eunuch immediately raised a hand and pointed somewhere for Woo-Moon.


    1. Technically, the titles are princess and monarch, respectively. Please see TL notes for more exnation. ?


    2. Note this is something really shameful within the <i>murim.</i> ?


    3. The Seal-Holding Eunuch Director is the highest official within the Directorate of the Imperial Regalia. He¡¯s one of the 15 most powerful eunuchs in the imperial government, and there are a <i>lot</i> of eunuchs there. ?


    4. Remember that the <i>murim</i> is essentially a parallel state; they do not get involved in matters concerning the country, and the country leaves them alone. The <i>murim </i>handles its own, which is why this distinction is relevant. ?


    5. Do check it out if you visit Beijing. It¡¯s the residence of the emperor, and it really is massive. ?

 Chapter 148. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (19)

    <h4>Chapter 148. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (19)</h4>


    <strong>Warning: this chapter contains depictions of torture.</strong>


    <i>Thwack, thwack.</i>


    Woo-Moon quickly pressed several of the acupoints on the eunuch¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Try touching near your heart.¡±


    Now that his movement acupoint had also been released, the eunuch was able to touch his chest.


    Then came an agonizing pain!


    ¡°AG¨C!¡±


    Just before he could scream, Woo-Moon covered his mouth.


    ¡°It feels like you¡¯re having a heart attack, right?¡±


    Unable to speak, the eunuch nodded, tears streaming down his face. Woo-Moon could also smell something slightly astringent in the air¡ªclearly, the young man had peed himself.


    Feeling sorry for the eunuch but also finding the situation funny, Woo-Moon smiled slightly under his mask.


    ¡°You can¡¯t say anything whatsoever from this point on. The moment you say anything, your heart will explode.¡±


    The startled eunuch looked even more shocked and began to cry harder.


    ¡°The only way to fix this is for you to return to your quarters the second I let you go and sleep until morning. You¡¯ll be fine when you wake up. Remember, you <i>have</i> to go back to your quarters and sleep immediately. You can¡¯t say one word to anyone. Do you understand?¡±


    The eunuch nodded again.


    ¡°Good. Then, you can go. Come on, off with you.¡±


    Making sure no one was around to see them, Woo-Moon ced the eunuch back on the ground.


    As soon as he was released, the eunuch walked briskly toward his room. He was so afraid that he might identally say something that he actually covered his mouth with his hand.


    <i>¡®Alright, that¡¯s done. Let¡¯s see... that way, he said?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon had imbued the eunuch¡¯s acupoint with his qi before unlocking his movement acupoint.


    At this very moment, there was a lump on the eunuch¡¯s chest that caused him pain whenever touched. However, it would disappear by tomorrow morning, and the qi stored in it would actually make him healthier, too.


    Arriving at the pavilion that had been pointed out to him by the eunuch, Woo-Moon drew Inkde and cut a hole in the pavilion¡¯s roof.


    As the cut-out on the roof began to fall, Woo-Moon used Void Grasp to catch it and pull it through the hole he had made.


    Of course, none of his actions made any sounds.


    After entering the pavilion and hanging from the ceiling, Woo-Moon returned the cut-out of the roof to its proper ce and sealed it back into ce, conjuring a small wisp of Samadhi True me to weld the metal together.


    <i>¡®Perfect.¡¯</i>


    No one would notice that someone had broken in through here.


    Woo-Moon had entered the pavilion through its highest floor. The halls of the pavilion were immersed in darkness at thiste hour; the only light was provided by tiny slivers of moonlight that crept through the windows. However, even in this dim light, he could tell that the Seal-Holding Eunuch Director wasn¡¯t present.


    <i>Shhhh.</i>


    He moved like the wind, going down one level after another, yet his target was nowhere to be found.


    <i>¡®Just where is he?¡¯</i>


    At that exact moment, he heard a muffled screaming from far underground.


    ¡°Mmmm! MMM!¡±


    Woo-Moon quickly descended into the basement, descending lower and lower until he entered a room located on the fourth underground level.


    ¡°...¡±


    The sight before him was so horrid that he forgot all words.


    Two <i>demons</i> stood before him. One looked regretful, while the other chattered with a smile.


    ¡°This child was too weak. To think he¡¯d die so quickly.¡±


    The room was littered with various torture instruments.


    There was arge frame in the center, and on top of ity a dead naked boy littered with hideous wounds.


    In addition to the wounds gushing blood, there were scabs and other scars all over his body, as if he had been undergoing this torture for a very long time.


    A faint warmth could be felt from the corpse, which had its mouth covered with a cloth to prevent the sound of screaming.


    It was clear that he had been alive just a moment ago. However, he had been in such a weak state that his body temperature felt more like someone who¡¯d died for a while.


    Just a little eunuch, barely ten years old.


    ¡°It seems we¡¯ll have to bring another child, Pce Maintenance Director.¡±


    ¡°Well, these young eunuchse in every day, so that doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s just a shame that it¡¯ll be difficult to find a child as pretty as this one.¡±


    The two were the Seal-Holding Eunuch Directors of Imperial Regalia and Pce Maintenance, respectively. They had the same hobby and had been relishing it within the Forbidden City for several years.


    Considering that they had the status and means necessary to create an entire secret torture chamber within the imperial pce without anyone being the wiser, it was a straightforward task for them to cover up the disappearances of new, helpless young eunuchs.


    ¡°Is it really something to be that regretful about?¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s voice rang coldly throughout the room.


    Immediately, the Pce Maintenance Director tried to pull the rope next to him.


    ¡°AGH!!¡±


    With a scream, his hand was severed at the wrist and fell to the ground.


    At the same time, the Imperial Regalia Director struck at Woo-Moon with both palms, a brightly shining palm aura coating each hand.


    <i>¡®Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms? Is he... No, it¡¯s an imitation!¡¯</i>


    Even though the eunuch used the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, it was very clear that he wasn¡¯t a member of the Beggar Gang. Moreover, the qi radiating from his body when he performed the technique immediately reminded Woo-Moon of Martial Heaven¡¯s cultivation methods.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    When Woo-Moon¡¯s palm and the eunuch¡¯s collided, the Imperial Regalia Director flew away, spewing blood everywhere as he mmed into the wall.


    Although the crash was loud and even the wall cracked, Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t worried. He had already formed a qi barrier around the room, and not one sound could escape.


    ¡°Y-you bastard! Don¡¯t you know who we are?!¡±


    They were Chief Eunuchs. Eunuchs who possessed near omnipotent authority.


    Aside from the Imperial Family, they were under no one. No, there were some, even among the Imperial Family, who were too weak and under their thrall.


    However, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t care about that whatsoever.


    ¡°Of course I do. Or at least, I know you bastards are demons.¡±


    Woo-Moon stepped on the Pce Maintenance Director¡¯s leg and crushed it.


    ¡°AGHHHH!!!¡±


    ¡°It seems like you enjoy causing pain to others and watching them suffer. I have a proposition: how about you try some of that pain for yourself? See if you like it,¡± Woo-Moon said calmly.


    He used Void Grasp to lift the Imperial Regalia Director, who was unable to move due to his severe internal injuries.


    Moving him like a puppet, he made the eunuch pick up one of the torture instruments that littered the room.


    Likewise, he did the same for the Pce Maintenance Director, controlling him like a puppet as well.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Although the eunuch tried to fight back, his now-Third ss cultivation was simply inconsequential in front of Woo-Moon.


    Even though he tried so hard that his limbs seemed on the verge of breaking, he couldn¡¯t escape Woo-Moon¡¯s grasp.


    Under Woo-Moon¡¯s thumb, he, too, picked up one of the torture instruments.


    The massive pair of scissors in the Imperial Regalia Director¡¯s hands slowly tightened around the torso of the Pce Maintenance Director. At the same time, the dull iron skewer in the Pce Maintenance Director¡¯s hands slit the Imperial Regalia Director¡¯s abdomen from bottom to top.


    ¡°Uuuuuuuuuuaghhhhh!!!!


    ¡°AGGGHHHHHHH!¡±


    After forcing the two eunuchs to kill each other slowly, Woo-Moon created a wisp of Samadhi True me and incinerated the body of the young eunuch.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯</i>


    Though he had yed no role in the boy¡¯s death, Woo-Moon still felt guilty.


    The fire turned the boy to ashes, even incinerating his bones.


    He then drew an empty bottle from within his sleeve and waved his hand, gathering the ashes into the bottle.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll sprinkle your ashes into a wide and open river. Live freely even in death.¡¯</i>


    He could never have imagined that such vile acts were happening under the noses of the famous Imperial Family.


    ¡°As expected, the imperial government isn¡¯t a ce I want to be associated with.¡±


    Woo-Moon reaffirmed his decision and left the pavilion of the Imperial Regalia Director and made to leave his Forbidden City.


    "Haah! Ah!!!!¡±


    However, as he passed over another pavilion on his way out, he heard another suppressed moan pricking at his ears.


    His gaze was chilling as he used the same method as before to infiltrate this pavilion.


    <i>¡®This pavilion goes extremely deep down.¡¯</i>


    As it turned out, the source of the sound was no fewer than ten stories underground. Woo-Moon entered a vast expanse fitted with arge bath tub, or rather a hot pool with steam rising out of it.


    There were countless fist-sized Luminous Night Pearls hanging from the ceiling, shining so bright that it seemed like he was out in the open on a sunny day.


    Woo-Moon once again found himself speechless.


    Dozens of naked consorts were in the pool. In the middle of them, a fat naked man was thrusting heavily behind a young consort, roughly in her twenties.


    Suppressed moans escaped the consort¡¯s mouth with every movement.


    ¡°Hnng~ Chief Eunuch! You¡¯ve spent so long on her. Give me some attention, too!¡±


    ¡°Chief Eunuch, me too!¡±


    The middle-aged man, buried in the flesh of the beautiful consorts surrounding him, nonchntly looked at Woo-Moon and asked, ¡°Will you be joining us too, little brother?¡±


    Woo-Moon was secretly shocked by the man¡¯s senses.


    He had thought he waspletely undetectable, but yet it was clear that the middle-aged man had discovered Woo-Moon before he was even in the room.


    <i>¡®So he¡¯s a Paragon, too?¡¯</i>


    Assuming that the man before him was also from Martial Heaven, Woo-Moon tensed up and ced a hand on the hilt of his sword.


    ¡°Ha-a-eup!!!¡±


    After making an animal-like grunt and trembling for a moment, the middle-aged chief eunuch stood up.


    <i>¡®Wait a second. If he¡¯s a eunuch, isn¡¯t he supposed to be missing it down there?¡¯</i>


    Yet, <i>it </i>was clearly present down there in front of him. Moreover, <i>it</i> was quite a sizable one at that.


    Seeing Woo-Moon stare at his family jewels with confusion in his eyes, the middle-aged eunuch chuckled.


    ¡°Ah, yes, this probably looks odd to you. See, I was also castrated like the rest when I entered the imperial pce. But somehow, I was able to cultivate and be a Paragon and undergo aplete metamorphosis. Thankfully, my vajra pole also grew when that happened, too. Mmm... That wasn¡¯t really a good thing. When I was missing my little self, I was cultivating earnestly and living a disciplined life, without any desires. However, after it came back to me, I developed a taste for women and lived in lust for decades. Now, I get first pick of the prettiest new consorts whenever theye in.¡±


    Thisst phrase would be enough to cause the emperor to faint of rage if he were to hear it.


    The emperor had brought this eunuch in without worry, considering thetter was... well, a eunuch. Who could have expected that not only would the eunuch¡¯s love rod grow back, but he would be so sessful with the imperial consorts for decades?!


    However, Woo-Moon had little loyalty toward the emperor from the get-go. Instead of being angered by the not-eunuch¡¯s words, Woo-Moon actually felt a little cheered up.


    <i>¡®Pft, you emperor bastard, you get what you deserve. You collected so many women you can¡¯t even take care of most of them, only to be served a green hat by a eunuch.¡¯</i>


    At the same time, he could tell that there was something different about this eunuch. Unlike the eunuchs Woo-Moon had just killed, he didn¡¯t seem like a member of Martial Heaven at all.


    Feeling a little better now, Woo-Moon asked him, ¡°Do you know what Martial Heaven is?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Martial Heaven? Martial Heaven... Oh, that¡¯s right. Yeah, I do. Are you saying those bastards are still around?¡±


    Woo-Moon trusted his intuition. The eunuch before him wasn¡¯t a member of Martial Heaven.


    ¡°How incredible. To think there was a Paragon not affiliated with Martial Heaven... Moreover, to think he was affiliated with the Imperial Family...¡±


    Possibly because of their absolute trust in the middle-aged eunuch, the consorts didn¡¯t seem to feel the slightest of fear even after Woo-Moon had caught themmitting the highest of treason.


    Moreover, they seemed to show absolutely no shame even though they were stark naked.


    ¡°Chief Eunuch~~!! Stop with the boring conversation and y with us.¡±


    ¡°Just a second, you little vixen. Haven¡¯t I already done each of you once today? Just wait a little. I have a lot I want to say with this interesting little brother here.¡±


    The middle-aged eunuch looked at Woo-Moon and grinned. ¡°What¡¯s so weird about that? Isn¡¯t there another Paragon standing in front of me who isn¡¯t affiliated with Martial Heaven? Moreover, the Heavenly Demons of the Heavenly Demon Cult have been Paragons for generations. People are only able to see what they already know!¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    The middle-aged eunuch¡¯s words struck a chord.


    People can only see what they know.


    Those words were the key to helping Woo-Moon open his horizons.


    <i>¡®If I hadn¡¯t ovee the Absolute Wall, would I have been able to find this ce? Could I have heard what they were doing? No. That would be too difficult.¡¯</i>


    If it weren''t for the much-improved senses and qi sensitivity that he had developed after bing a Paragon, he would never have been able to hear the sounding from this ce.


    If he hadn¡¯t done so, he would have never known that a Paragon was hiding within the Imperial Pce.


    <i>¡®There truly are an incredible number of experts in the world. Moreover, there are a lot of hidden experts, too. Naturally, it follows that there are people of this strength who stay hidden.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon had crossed into the Absolute within the Heavenly Demon Mound and had be a Paragon after wandering a world of vast emptiness for two seasons.


    However... it seemed there was still a long way to go.


    ¡°Little brother, the <i>gangho</i> is long and wide. Although there are many who want to master martial arts and make a name for themselves, there are also many who want to live quietly. There are definitely many hidden experts you and I know nothing about.¡±


    This made perfect sense. Being able to measure the opponent''s cultivation and gauge the level of their techniques was an exclusive privilege of the strong.

 Chapter 149. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (20)

    <h4>Chapter 149. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (20)</h4>


    If the observer had far lower cultivation than the one observed, thetter would seem like nothing more than a mere mortal.


    This was the same for Woo-Moon as well. He would never have known that the eunuch before him was a Paragon if he hadn¡¯t broken past the Absolute Stage and be a Paragon himself.


    The middle-aged eunuch changed the subject.


    ¡°By the way, little brother, not that it¡¯s anything important, but I can sense bloodlusting from you. What, did you assassinate the emperor or something?¡±


    The eunuch was stillpletely naked, his body fully on disy in all of its glory.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, do you think we could continue this conversation after you put on some clothes?¡±


    In response, the eunuch seemed to spread out wider, stretching his arms and legs for an even better view.


    ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with this? From the looks of it, you seem to be a daoist. Isn¡¯t this very state the epitome of <i>muhwi jayeon</i>? The very act of discarding humanity¡¯s artificially made clothes and eating when you want, mating when you want, and sleeping when you want is the true key to <i>muhwi jayeon.</i>¡±


    ¡°Inaction is action, and action is inaction. Nature has brought about humanity, and the things that humanity creates are also created within nature itself. How can you consider them to be unnatural?¡±


    The middle-aged eunuch chuckled.


    ¡°To think you would interpret <i>muhwi jayeon</i> in this manner. What a fun little brother you are. How refreshing.¡±


    A long robe flew out of nowhere and covered the body of the middle-aged eunuch.


    ¡°May I ask your name?¡±


    ¡°Do names really matter? All that I am is right here before you.¡±[1]


    Instead of answering, Woo-Moon snorted, causing the middle-aged eunuch to burst intoughter again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop joking around, then. My name is Jin Yo. As for my age... I¡¯m about three hundred. That should be about right. I should be able to transcend and be an Immortal if I can surpass this level. But... it¡¯s still somewhat difficult.¡±


    ¡°Jin Yo...¡±


    Woo-Moon made sure to memorize the name. He was sure he had never heard it before, but he also believed without a doubt that Jin Yao was three hundred years old.


    ¡°Oh. just a minute, little brother. It seems someone hase to visit me thiste at night.¡±


    <i>Shooom.</i>


    Jin Yo¡¯s flesh expanded, and from within him, another smaller Jin Yo detached and walked up the stairs.


    Woo-Moon waspletely stunned at the sight.


    ¡°That¡¯s...?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just a trivial trick, kekeke. It¡¯s something I learned from a brat from the Heretic Cult a long time ago. Those little rascals really have so many extraordinary methods.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve been using those clones to stay in the imperial pce for the past three hundred years?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re a smart one, little brother. That¡¯s right.¡±


    <i>Shoooom. Shooooom. Shoooom.</i>


    Three more clones appeared. As each one detached from the main body, more and more of the weight seemed to disappear from Jin Yo¡¯s body.


    ¡°That¡¯s incredible.¡±


    Jin Yo had created a child version of himself, seemingly less than ten years old, a man in the prime of his youth, and an old man, all with slightly different features.


    ¡°I create these little runts, im that they are my heirs, and just pass down my titles and property to myself, <i>hehehe</i>.¡±


    Jin Yo had basically been recing himself with himself, with every generation that passed, all while messing around with the consorts.


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon had a scary thought.


    <i>¡®There have to be some consorts among all of those Jin Yo has slept with whoter became the emperor¡¯s favorite. Maybe even the empress has an affair with Jin Yo. No, maybe even the current emperor is Jin Yo¡¯s son.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Would you like a drink?¡± Jin Yo asked, interrupting Woo-Moon¡¯s thoughts.


    Woo-Moon took the offered ss and drank it in one go, preferring not to continue on that train of thought.


    ¡°Haha! How impressive!!¡±


    In the meantime, the consorts got dressed and prepared to leave due to ack of attention from Jin Yo. One by one, they each left the basement chamber, carried by a clone.


    The clones that Jin Yo had created all had the power of at least an Absolute Master. Thus, there was no issue whatsoever for them to take the consorts to their quarters without anyone noticing.


    The two men drank as they spoke about various things, Woo-Moon¡¯s admiration of Jin Yo growing further and further.


    To be frank, Woo-Moon had assumed when he had first entered the room that Jin Yo was nothing but a lustful pervert who only desired sex. However, the more he got to know him, the more he realized that Jin Yo was a person of deep discipline and great enlightenment.


    Once they drank all of the alcohol avable, Woo-Moon finally summoned the courage to make a request.


    ¡°Please lend me your strength in fighting Martial Heaven.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what Martial Heaven¡¯s goal is, little brother?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know much.¡±


    On the other hand, given the look on his face, it seemed that Jin Yo <i>did</i> in fact know a few things about Martial Heaven.


    <i>¡®That was some amazing luck that led me to meet him.¡¯</i>


    ¡°So... what is their goal?¡±


    ¡°The annihtion of the <i>murim</i>.¡±


    ¡°The annihtion... of the <i>murim</i>?"


    ¡°Originally, they were a group of people who wanted to transcend the petty squabbles between the Righteous, Evil, and Demonic paths, pursuing only the martial way. They moved only forward, not straying one hair¡¯s breadth, only aiming for the true peak of the Martial Path.¡±


    ¡°And that is why their name is Martial Heaven.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. However, no matter how clear ake is, it will turn murky if it stays stagnant for a long time. Moreover, the longer they lived away from the world, the more they forgot how to live within it. In the end, their arrogance knew no bounds. They dered themselves superior beings, different from themon scum of the <i>murim.</i>¡±


    ¡°And that became a problem.¡±


    ¡°As their martial skills increased, their exclusionary mindset also increased. Moreover, there was another problem, too.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Everyone within their sect was originally assumed to be equal. All of them were peers working toward the same goal. However, at some point, they started dividing themselves into ranks ording to their cultivation. Actually, it was more like the decision of one man, but he was so powerful that no one couldpare to him, so the rest had no choice but to follow.¡±


    ¡°Those who didn¡¯t follow would have died.¡±


    ¡°That being called himself the Martial Heaven God and ced his subordinates underneath him ording to their cultivations. Under Martial Heaven God came the Martial Emperor, and under the Martial Emperor were the Three Heavenly Martial Kings and the Four Pce Masters of the Dao. After forming his so-called martial dynasty, they decided amongst themselves to exterminate all of the lowly people of the <i>murim </i>within the <i>gangho</i>, who pollute the concept of what it means to be ¡®martial¡¯ with their low-level skills, and leave nothing but the techniques behind. Their reverence for what is ¡®martial¡¯ degenerated and eventually became a fanatical path akin to a cult.¡±[2]


    <i>¡®Wait, then where... where does that bastard belong within Martial Heaven?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was thinking about the Forgetful King. Even though he had be a Paragon himself, he was still unable to say he would win in a battle against that man.


    ¡°Hold on... If you grew up in the imperial pce since childhood, then howe you know so much about Martial Heaven, brother Jin?¡±


    Jin Yo let out his characteristic chuckle.


    ¡°There were many people who fought against Martial Heaven in the past. Not only were they all defeated, but Martial Heaven had even erased their traces from history. My master was one of those people.¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    That was an option that Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t taken into ount, that there were people in the past who fought against Martial Heaven.


    <i>¡®No, but it stands to reason that if Martial Heaven was unable to annihte the murim even with such power, it¡¯s because simrly powerful figures were blocking them.¡¯</i>


    In the end, unfortunately, those figures still lost. Still, they were able to seed in dying the annihtion of the <i>murim.</i>


    There had definitely been a great battle. It was a shame that no one remembered it now. Of course, that fact in itself served to show how terrifying Martial Heaven was.


    ¡°After losing all of hisrades in the battle against Martial Heaven, Master came to the Imperial Pce and hid, mortally wounded. By some fate, I met him and helped him, hiding him from the eyes of those in the pce. After about three years of teaching me, Mastery to rest.¡±


    Jin Yo had been able to be a Paragon based on the martial arts he had learned for just three years.


    Woo-Moon and Jin Yo spoke for a long time.


    Jin Yo often boasted about his past, while Woo-Moon asked all the questions he could think of about Martial Heaven, especially regarding their organization.


    The day gradually grew brighter.


    Although Woo-Moon very much enjoyed talking to Jin Yo, he couldn¡¯t afford to stay any longer. Thus, he repeated the one thing the eunuch hadn¡¯t answered yet.


    ¡°Please. Please lend me your strength in fighting Martial Heaven.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re destined to win, you¡¯ll win even if I don¡¯t lend you my strength. If you¡¯re destined to lose, you¡¯ll lose even if I were to help you. I just enjoy living here. This is a paradise where a sumptuous meal is served whenever I want, and I can share my joys and sorrows with beautiful new consorts whenever I desire. Why would I ever want to leave?¡±


    Woo-Moon was at a loss. While he was angry, he also knew that persuading Jin Yo was close to impossible.


    The eunuch truly loved this life and was almost confined to this ce due to how long he had lived underground in the Forbidden City.


    He just didn¡¯t want to leave, ever.


    That was why not even his master¡¯s mortal enemy, Martial Heaven, was enough of a draw to bring him out.


    <i>¡®Being a Paragon doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re perfect, then.¡¯</i>


    The body can be perfect.


    An Absolute Master was close to perfection, and a Paragon even more so.


    However, the soul is a different matter.


    Not even a Paragon would have a perfect soul. It was the same even for an Immortal.


    <i>¡®If Immortals were perfect in body and soul, then those Immortals who make all those mistakes in the tales could never exist.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I guess I can¡¯t do anything about it, then. Okay. I really enjoyed our conversation. Then, I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡±


    ¡°Are you leaving already? Instead of keeping an old manpany for a little longer... how wicked of you, hoho.¡±


    Without saying a word, Woo-Moon bowed and left the pce of Jin Yo¡ªas it turned out, the Seal-Holding Eunuch Director of Pce Eunuchs¡ªthen left the imperial pce.


    As Jin Yo mused to himself, alone, another person entered the chamber.


    ¡°Chief Eunuch!¡± a beautiful woman d in rich imperial attire called out.


    ¡°Oho, Crown Consort. You¡¯vee to see me.¡±


    ¡°I missed you, Chief Eunuch!¡±


    Jin Yo hugged the Crown Consort and removed her clothes one by one before creating another clone. This time, it looked exactly like the Crown Consort and was sent back up the stairs.


    He was nning on keeping her by his side for the entire day in order to soothe hisplicated feelings. His clone would faithfully perform her role as a stand-in for the Crown Consort.


    <i>¡®Yes, I¡¯m happy with this life.¡¯</i>


    Shaking off his worries, Jin Yo smiled happily as he buried his face in the Crown Consort''s bosom.


    ***


    Ma-Ra was currently halfway up a nondescript mountain.


    She stood for a moment before the former headquarters of the Formless Veil, an empty cavern where nothing but ashes and ruins remained. After a moment, she began searching through the remnants.


    She carefully looked around, analyzing pieces of wreckage to determine where she was with regard to the Formless Veil¡¯s buildings.


    Because so much time had passed since then, it took Ma-Ra quite some time to find the exact ce she was looking for. In that span of time, she hunted in the nearby forest, filled her stomach when she wanted to, and slept when she wanted to.


    After a few days, she finally found something.


    <i>¡®The Martial Book of the Death God.¡¯</i>


    The book hadn¡¯t burned even as the entire Formless Veil burned down around it. It was made of a special material that Ma-Ra couldn¡¯t recognize.


    A faint memory came to mind.


    One day, she was practicing eliminating all emotions. Someone handed her this book with wrinkled hands, an elderly person who had been taking care of her and her father.


    She didn¡¯t even know that person¡¯s name, simply calling them Old ve.


    Old ve asked Ma-Ra to learn the techniques within the book in their ce, as they hadn¡¯t been able to learn it with their own talents. Moreover, Old ve asked her not to talk to her father about it.


    Not that it mattered.


    Even though the Formless Veil¡¯s Assassin Master found her reading the book, he simply ignored her.


    Thinking about it now that her emotions and self-will had been restored to some extent, Ma-Ra realized that Old ve had felt sorry for her. That was the only reason why Old ve would have gone so far as to give her this incredible killing art.


    Even if Old ve hadn¡¯t been able to learn it themself, such a decision couldn¡¯t have been easy.


    Ma-Ra had mixed feelings toward her father, the Formless Veil¡¯s Assassin Master. Hatred, but at the same time... pity.


    As she stayed with Woo-Moon and learned many things about life, she had slowly realized that life had beenpletely unfair to her. That was the root of the hatred for her father.


    On the other hand, she found him pitiful.


    He had been a truly weak person.


    Although he cared for Ma-Ra, more so than anyone else, he had been a foolish father who had ruined his own daughter with his own twisted choices.


    <i>¡®He never drank, but on that day, he got drunk and talked about Mother.¡¯</i>


    1. Yes, he¡¯s referencing his third leg. ?


    2. The ¡°martial¡± here is Îä (Mu), the same character in the Mu Heons¡¯ name. ?

 Chapter 150. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (21)

    <h4>Chapter 150. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (21)</h4>


    He had fallen in love with Ma-Ra¡¯s mother, quit being an assassin, and lived the everyday life of a normal person.


    However, a squad from the organization he¡¯d abandoned¡ªAssassin Tower¡ªcame to find him, and Ma-Ra¡¯s mother lost her life in the scuffle.


    <i>¡ªI could have saved her if I hadn¡¯t been blinded by my emotions.</i>


    The drunk Assassin Master had repeated that statement several times.


    He managed to run away with his newborn baby, Ma-Ra, and he became consumed with revenge. Disying unprecedented abilities, he created the Formless Veil and eventually annihted his enemies, Assassin Tower.


    He had raised Ma-Ra with this vengeance in mind, saying that he would make her the best assassin she could be so that she wouldn¡¯t live an unhappy life like he had, not knowing that this life in itself was a misfortune...


    Ma-Ra reminisced about her past, her hands slightly trembling.


    In the end, thest thing that came to her mind was Woo-Moon¡ªhis smiling face and the many memories they had made together.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Her gratitude toward Old ve, who pitied her, her hatred and pity toward her father, and her longing, sadness, and anger toward Woo-Moon suddenly came together and filled her heart.


    With the rush of emotion, something hot surged up from her chest, and tears flowed from her eyes.


    <i>Drip.</i>


    A single teardrop fell on the <i>Martial Book of the Death God</i>.


    <i>Drip, drip.</i>


    Once the tears started to flow, they could no longer be stopped.


    Ma-Ra sobbed silently as she surrendered her whole body to her first intense emotions.


    It was only after a while that she came to her senses and realized what she had done.


    <i>''I... Did I just cry? I.... I can cry too?¡¯</i>


    Light exploded before her eyes.


    No, it didn''t explode in front of her eyes; it exploded within her head. It was just that Ma-Ra couldn¡¯t tell right now.


    It was as if her mind was expanding in all directions as her entire body became lighter.


    Her qi, which had been sleeping in her dantian, awoke and circted throughout her entire body with terrifying force, expanding her blood vessels and meridians. The impurities in her body spontaneously exuded from her pores.


    A wind stirred as if from within her, enveloping her body and slowly lifting her into the air.


    "Ah...!¡±


    And thus, Ma-Ra spent the day floating in the air in a trance.


    When she came down to earth and opened her eyes, she had reached the Absolute realm.


    She had already mastered her assassination arts, and now that she had also attained the perfection of the Absolute realm, it was time for Ma-Ra to reread the <i>Martial Book of the Death God</i> from beginning to end.


    She could now understand many things that she hadn¡¯t understood before.


    ***


    After many days, Ma-Ra came down from the mountain, leaving the remains of the Formless Veil behind along with her past life.


    Then, she had a decision to make.


    <i>¡®Where should I go now?¡¯</i>


    She still didn''t want to go back to Woo-Moon.


    She missed him incredibly, but just the thought of seeing himy there unable to do anything made her feel like she woulde to hate him if she went back now. She had left precisely <i>because </i>she didn¡¯t want to see him in that state.


    She descended from the mountain and walked through a nearby vige when she suddenly caught sight of someone, and her eyes lit up.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s an assassin.¡¯</i>


    Ma-Ra followed him secretly.


    The assassin backtracked every so often and moved windingly over mountains and across rivers, cautiously heading toward their headquarters while clearly trying to avoid a tail. However, they never noticed Ma-Ra following them from behind.


    Eventually, the assassin headed to arge tree within a forest, shifted some camouge at the base of the tree, opened a secret door, and went inside.


    Ma-Ra was right behind them. She hid her body in the darkness, seeping through the door like smoke. Even though Ma-Ra was within arm¡¯s reach of the assassin, the assassin didn¡¯t notice her whatsoever.


    As they continued to walk through the damp, narrow secret passageway, arge door appeared.


    ¡°No. 17, return,¡± the assassin said quietly as they put a round que into the hole in the door. The door immediately opened.


    ¡°Congrattions on your safe return.¡±


    The two assassins guarding the door on the inside opened their eyes wide when they saw something whitish emerging from behind No. 17.


    ¡°No. 17, you idiot!¡±


    ¡°You came with a tail!¡±


    Surprised, No. 17 turned around and saw Ma-Ra, who had deliberately shown herself.


    She was a beautiful girl wearing a white dress.


    No. 17 felt fear creeping deep within his heart.


    <i>¡®Forget that I didn¡¯t notice her even though she was right behind me... What the hell is this aura?!¡¯</i>


    At that moment, some other assassins who either heard their colleagues shouting or sensed something unusual began to appear here and there.


    ¡°What, it''s just a young little bitch?¡±


    ¡°And here I was surprised to hear an intruder came in.¡±


    Ma-Ra took a step inside the room.


    No. 17 and the two other assassins failed to stop her, frozen motionless like moths tied up in a spider''s web.


    ¡°Why are they just standing...? Agh!¡±


    Those who were lucky were able to at least scream before freezing.


    The Absolute Qi of the Death God emanating from Ma-Ra¡¯s was like the weight of a mountain bearing down on all fifty-odd assassins, preventing them from moving even an inch.


    The sheer bloodlust emanating from her was enough to cause some of the assassins to think they were already dying, causing them to foam at the mouth and piss themselves.


    Moreover, this was Ma-Ra holding back.


    If she were to genuinely disy all of her Absolute Qi, the assassins around her would feel so much pressure that their hearts would stop.


    If she were to continue pressuring them like this for any substantial amount of time, the assassins would bepletely defeated without any chance to put up any resistance.


    However, Ma-Ra let them go after only a moment. Then, she faintly smiled, her smile reminiscent of Woo-Moon¡¯s.


    ¡°Here, try fighting back.¡±


    The assassins were filled with a wave of anger so strong that the paralyzing fear that had struck them just a moment before seemed like a dream.


    This feeling that arose within them was actually Ma-Ra¡¯s doing¡ªa method of spurring a reaction using one¡¯s Absolute Qi that was detailed in the<i> Martial Book of the Death God</i>.


    ¡°AGH!!!!¡±


    ¡°KILL HER!!!¡±


    Ma-Ra''s sleeve fluttered.


    ¡°Ugh!!¡±


    ¡°Agk!!!¡±


    Before anyone realized it, Silver Moon Discs had already swept past seven of the assassins. All of them fell down.


    That wasn¡¯t the end, either. The Silver Moon Discs moved freely as if they were alive and continued to attack the assassins.


    Although it was a shocking sight, the assassins still seemed to rush toward Ma-Ra without even a single care.


    ¡°Kill! Kill her!!¡±


    A wave of assassins rushed toward her.


    Ma-Ra stretched both arms before her and crossed them in a single motion.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    Even though her wrist crossbows weren¡¯t loaded, she shot formless arrows and bolts, hitting the assassins.


    All twenty-two of the assassins fainted on the spot.


    The Silver Moon Discs continued to move and attack the assassins, and eventually, only a dozen people were left.


    At that moment, Ma-Ra¡¯s figure disappeared.


    Realizing she had used a concealment technique, the assassins instinctively responded in kind, not realizing that their reasoning was clouded by anger.


    A momentter, apart from those who were lying on the ground, no one could be seen in the room.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Agk!!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Groaning sounds rang out in session.


    <i>Thud, thud.</i>


    Unconscious assassins appeared in the air and dropped to the ground.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    It was only then that thest remaining assassin was able to shake off the anger that Ma-Ra had instilled in him. They ran to the back of the room, pounding on the door there.


    ¡°Gate Master, Gate Master! You muste out!¡±


    Ma-Ra, indifferent as always and not looking one bit tired, stood still and looked at the door.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    A short and grim-looking man came out, forcefully opening the door of the inner chamber.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The assassin who had called for him had the door mmed on his face, knocking him aside with blood spewing from his mouth.


    ck Assassin, the Gate Master of the Flying Shadow Gate, looked at Ma-Ra with a cold sneer.


    It was almost as if he was saying, ¡°How dare you?¡±


    His figure vanished into the darkness.


    Ma-Ra stood still. Her head didn''t even turn. She just stood there like a stone statue.


    A ck figure appeared for a moment on Ma-Ra''s right and then disappeared.


    Next, it appeared behind her, then disappeared once more.


    <i>¡®You bitch. You dare challenge me with that disgrace of an assassination art?¡¯</i>


    ck Assassin secretly mocked Ma-Ra, thinking that she couldn¡¯t see through his concealment technique whatsoever.


    Deciding to stop ying around, he appeared behind Ma-Ra and tried to stab her with his dagger.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    He had clearly appeared behind Ma-Ra''s back. However, he blinked once, and somehow, Ma-Ra¡¯s expressionless face was right before him, and he was floating in the air, unable to move.


    As it turned out, Ma-Ra had grabbed him by the throat and was now holding him up, looking at him with her cold, seemingly endless gaze.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    Three hidden weapons suddenly flew out from within ck Assassin¡¯s sleeve.


    Ma-Ra¡¯s silhouette flickered.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    The three hidden weapons seemed to pierce right through Ma-Ra¡¯s abdomen and embedded themselves in the floor.


    However, her white gown was still immacte.


    ck Assassin¡¯s face paled. Although he had been unable to see it, he could guess what happened.


    It was simple, really.


    She had dodged them.


    While holding him up at an arm''s length, she had used her movement technique to shift her own body in ce to avoid his strike before returning to her original position.


    However, was it really as simple as it sounded? It was a terrifying thought¡ªto think someone could do something like that at this range and speed.


    ¡°...¡±


    The difference in skill was so great that ck Assassin couldn¡¯t even think of protesting.


    However, staying like this was bing increasingly difficult. He was being held up in the air, after all, by a hand grasping his throat.


    <i>¡®What the hell is with this bitch? Hurry up and say something! Or at least kill me!¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, he was still able to breathe¡ªsomething surprising in and of itself, considering that <i>a hand was grasping his throat</i>.


    As a result, he came face to face with Ma-Ra without being able to turn his head in any direction, leaving him terrified.


    <i>¡®W-what¡¯s with those eyes? It¡¯s like they¡¯re ck holes. And they¡¯re so cold, too.¡¯</i>


    He was even more terrified by theck of bloodlust. There was no emotion, nothing whatsoever. He had lived a pretty long life, yet he had never seen anyone like this before.


    An hour passed. Then another.


    ck Assassin felt like he was going crazy. He was so scared that he closed his eyes. However, that didn¡¯t help at all; all he could think about were her eyes, eyes that seemed like endless bottomless pits.


    In fact, Ma-Ra, too, was thinking about something. Namely, what to do next. She felt like she needed to do something but couldn¡¯t figure out the next step.


    She wasn¡¯t used to thinking or judging something alone, so she was quiet and lost in thought.


    The assassins who had fallen to Ma-Ra¡¯s hand had also woken up one by one.


    However, none of them could move. Out of fear of Ma-Ra, they all just stayed still and pretended to be dead.


    They, too, were on the verge of going crazy.


    <i>¡®Please, just say something!¡¯</i>


    Another hour passed.


    Then, after another two hours, ck Assassin finally burst into tears.


    He spoke with a baby-like voice that didn¡¯t match his appearance at all. ¡°Please say something. If you want to kill me, just kill me right away! I''m so fucking scared that I can''t stand it! <i>Sob, sob.</i>¡±


    The voice of ck Assassin, which his subordinates were also hearing for the first time, was truly bizarre.


    It was like the voice of a three or four-year-old infant. It was so weird that even Ma-Ra had a look of surprise in her eyes.


    <i>¡®Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be mute?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Wasn¡¯t he rendered mute when the Justice Coalition tortured him?¡¯</i>


    Absurd thoughts raced through the minds of the assassins who were pretending to be dead. Among them, there was even one who overcame his fear of Ma-Ra and raised his head to look over at ck Assassin. The voice was so shocking that he had to make sure it really was ck Assassin.


    ¡°What the hell do you want? Please, just say something! Is it money?¡±


    ck Assassin was so scared that he was actually crying.


    The baby-like voice was ck Assassin''s biggest inferiorityplex, which was why he had been pretending to be mute in front of his subordinates.


    However, right now, he couldn¡¯t care less that he hadpletely lost face in front of everyone.


    The only thing on his mind was his fear of Ma-Ra.

 Chapter 151. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (22)

    <h4>Chapter 151. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (22)</h4>


    Another hour passed as ck Assassin continued to ask Ma-Ra what she wanted. However, it was as if she was deaf; no matter what he said, she did not move or reply in any way.


    ¡°You, you bi¡ª! Then what the hell do you want? Do you want my sect? You might just go ahead and take control of all the others as well then!¡±


    Ma-Ra¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly at the words ¡°take control of all the others.¡±


    <i>¡®Hey, that¡¯s not a bad idea. If I manage to unite all the assassin sects by the time Woo-Moon wakes up, I¡¯ll be able to help him when he fights Martial Heaventer.¡¯</i>


    Ma-Ra¡¯s head slowly moved up and down.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    ck Assassin was finally able to touch the sweet, sweet ground again. However, he was more focused on Ma-Ra, staring at her with bewilderment.


    Taking control of all the assassin sects! Unifying the assassin world!


    It was just the ranting of someone desperate for his life, but now that he thought about it, it might actually be possible for the girl before him.


    <i>¡®She could really do it. Considering her incredible assassination art... she could really fucking do it.¡¯</i>


    Ma-Ra had single-handedly brought down his Flying Shadow Gate. In fact, he felt like Ma-Ra could single-handedly win even against ten Flying Shadow Gates. She was an Absolute Master. An Absolute Master Assassin!


    It was more than twice as difficult for an Assassin to reach the Absolute realmpared to a typical martial artist!


    ck Assassin felt as though he had been struck in the back of the head by a hammer.


    <i>¡®Fuck, this is ridiculous! She really reached the Absolute Realm by cultivating an assassination art! There¡¯s only one other person who reached that level in history... the Death God!¡¯</i>


    The Death God was worshiped by every assassin in existence as the highest peak in their path, the very embodiment of assassination arts.


    Suddenly, he realized something, and he shivered from his very core.


    ¡°You... Don¡¯t tell me... you¡¯re actually cultivating the Death God¡¯s Assassination Art?¡±


    And as he watched Ma-Ra nod curtly, he once more teared up¡ªthis time, from an entirely different kind of emotion.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s possible, it¡¯s possible! We can unite the assassin sects. We can get revenge on those bastards who look down on us assassins! The Death God, the Death God has returned!¡¯</i>


    By sheer chance, Ma-Ra thus began enacting a master n¡ªthe unification of all assassin sects.


    ***


    With one target down, Woo-Moon then set out to kill the Gansu Province''s Regional Military Commissioner.


    Eun-Ah had to be left behind again in the wilderness due to her size, leaving Woo-Moon to enter the Regional Military Commission alone.


    The Saber Emperor and Formless Flying Sword had left the ce under the pretext of going hunting with the princess in order to avoid any suspicion, making sure to stay far away as Woo-Moon made his move.


    Only an Absolute Master would be able to break through the security of the Regional Military Commissionpound and kill the Commissioner. Thus, both the Saber Emperor and Formless Flying Sword would have immediately fallen under suspicion if they had stayed behind.


    However, this way, there wouldn¡¯t be any issue.


    Moreover, the Saber Emperor and Formless Flying Sword had taken the lord of Lanzhou and other city officials with them. These people would serve as witnesses that the two of them had nothing to do with the assassination.


    Any puppet of Martial Heaven was Woo-Moon¡¯s enemy.


    Moreover, now that Woo-Moon could see the Regional Military Commissioner in person, he could tell that the Commissioner had killed an incredible amount of people in his rise to his position. The bloodlust and demonic qi emanating from his body were impressive.


    <i>Thwip.</i>


    Woo-Moon flicked a finger and fired a st of finger qi that struck the Regional Military Commissioner in the back of his neck, hitting a certain acupoint. Because he had taken special care in doing so, any trace of his involvement in the Commissioner¡¯s death would disappear after a short time.


    <i>¡®They would just assume he died of sudden death.¡¯</i>[1]


    Of course, although the imperial government would be none the wiser, he was sure that Martial Heaven would notice¡ªthe two people who had been preventing a military expedition to deal with the Cruel Sandstorm Riders had died at the same time.


    Once the Saber Emperor, Formless Flying Sword, and Princess Mok Yong had returned, Woo-Moon silently snuck into the room where they were gathered.


    The entirepound was in chaos. It was only inevitable, as the Regional Military Commissioner had just up and died.


    ¡°Good. You¡¯ve done a great job.¡±


    For some reason, Princess Mok Yong was speaking to Woo-Moon more politely this time.


    ¡°There is still more work to do.¡±


    The Saber Emperor let out a harrumph. ¡°More work? Of course there is. We have to bring the forces of the Regional Military Commission to wipe out those Bastardstorm Bastards! Hahaha!¡±


    However, Woo-Moon shook his head.


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t do that yet. We have to bring the North Sea Ice Pce and the Kunlun Sect to our side first so we can attack them together.¡±


    The Saber Emperor frowned.


    ¡°And why is that?¡±


    ¡°The Cruel Sandstorm Riders have two Paragons; they¡¯re on a simr level to me. I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re the leaders of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders or if they¡¯re experts sent by Martial Heaven.¡±


    ¡°What? They have two masters on your level?¡±


    The Saber Emperor and Formless Flying Sword were both shocked. On the other hand, Princess Mok Yong didn¡¯t react much. She had very little understanding of how great Woo-Moon¡¯s cultivation was or how strong a Paragon was, so she just blinked with a puzzled expression.


    Now that Princess Mok Yong was speaking politely to Woo-Moon, Formless Flying Sword couldn¡¯t speak as coarsely to him as she had before. Thus, she cautiously opened her mouth.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it really would be difficult to take down the Cruel Sandstorm Riders without the help of the Kunlun Sect and the North Sea Ice Pce.¡±


    In truth, it wouldn¡¯t just be difficult. It was in impossible.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    If Woo-Moon were to deal with one of the two Paragons, the remaining Paragon would have to be kept busy through the concerted effort of the Saber Emperor, Formless Flying Sword, and Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee.


    And on the off chance that neither of the two was the leader of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders and the actual leader was an Absolute Master, the Transcendent experts of the North Sea Ice Pce and the Kunlun Sect would have to join forces to deal with them.


    Thus, they would only be able to take down the Cruel Sandstorm Riders with the help of the two sects. It was the only way for them to win.


    Finally catching on to that fact, Princess Mok Yong frowned slightly.


    ¡°But... would they, as sects of the <i>murim</i>, join forces with the imperial government to fight the Cruel Sandstorm Riders?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to persuade them. No matter what. We¡¯ll force them to help us if we have to.¡±


    Woo-Moon''s eyes were shining coldly as he said that. The death of the Palm Martial Emperor and Si-Hyeon had to be avenged at all costs!


    Woo-Moon was willing to sacrifice anything to deal with Martial Heaven.


    The three could feel a chill fall over them. It felt as if they were caught in the middle of a blizzard... and the snowkes were not frozen water but frozen blood.


    Still, as one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors, the Saber Emperor Jeong Yi-Moon was the first to wake up from his shock and smack Woo-Moon on the back.


    ¡°Alright, alright. We understand. You¡¯re a young man, but you have no time to joke around when the enemy is close.¡±


    Formless Flying Sword Yoon Ha-Rin sighed. She finally epted that Woo-Moon had reached such an unimaginably high level in spite of his youth, and she had an inkling as to what he¡¯d gone through on the way there.


    ¡°The North Sea Ice Pce or the Kunlun Sect? Which one do you want to go to first?¡±


    ¡°I n to stay here for a few days and then head to the North Sea Ice Pce. Also, Your Highness...¡±


    ¡°Y-yes? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Please closely investigate the movements of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders during the few days I¡¯m here. Could you tell me their location and what they seem to be up to?¡±


    ¡°Understood. We¡¯ve been investigating their movements for a while, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness. Also... do you have a mask somewhere?¡±


    ***


    In the middle of the night, Woo-Moon sat with Eun-Ah in the mountains near Lanzhou.


    He hade out into the wilderness to sleep by her side as it was still too difficult to take her into Lanzhou, where the princess was still busy establishing order.


    Woo-Moony down on the grass and looked up at the sky. It was beautiful, full of countless stars.


    <i>¡®Just like Si-Hyeon and Grandpa... they also shone like stars.¡¯</i>


    The more he thought about it, the more the longing and sadness came flooding back to him.


    As he wallowed in sadness, Eun-Ah slowly approached andy down on his stomach.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Eun-Ah used to climb all over him when she was small. That waspletely fine, but now that she was bigger than a horse, she almost smothered Woo-Moon to death.


    No matter the size, cats are cats.


    ¡°<i>Mmmmmph... </i>Move, you little rascal!¡±


    <i>Kya!</i>


    Eun-Ah was startled as Woo-Moon kicked her in the gut and rolled away.


    ¡°Think about how big you¡¯ve gotten, you little brat. Are you trying to kill me?¡±


    <i>Mlem, mlem.</i>


    Eun-Ah licked Woo-Moon¡¯s cheek with her massive tongue, whimpering like a little puppy begging for forgiveness.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Goy down over there.¡±


    As Eun-Ahy down, Woo-Moon moved over andy down on top of her.


    ¡°Ah, this is really nice.¡±


    <i>Kyaaaa.</i>


    Eun-Ah cried softly as if she was irritated.


    ¡°Shut up. I didn¡¯t say anything when you did this stuff, now it¡¯s your turn.¡±


    As he quarreled with Eun-Ah, Woo-Moon quietly forgot about the grief that weighed down on him like a second skin. Slowly, he fell asleep as he listened to Eun-Ah¡¯s heartbeat and felt her chest move up and down with the cadence of her breath.


    He muttered to himself as if he were sleep-talking, ¡°Now, the only thing I have left is you, Eun-Ah. Don¡¯t leave me.¡±


    His voice was rife with sadness and loneliness.


    He had lost his grandfather and junior sister, and then his parents had disappeared as well.


    Ma-Ra had said that she would only be gone for a short while, but she hadn¡¯t returned yet.


    Just as Ma-Ra was angry at Woo-Moon for living like aatose patient, Woo-Moon was also disappointed in Ma-Ra for not understanding him.


    Listening to Woo-Moon¡¯s heartbroken voice, Eun-Ah closed her misty eyes.


    Roughly two hours after the two had fallen asleep together, Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes suddenly shone in the darkness, and Eun-Ah quickly woke up as well.


    The next moment, one of Princess Mok Yong¡¯s secret guards emerged from the darkness.


    ¡°About four hundred Cruel Sandstorm Riders have detached from the main camp and are moving separately.¡±


    A bleak light appeared in Woo-Moon''s eyes.


    ¡°Do you know where they are?¡±


    ¡°Would you like me to guide you there?¡±


    "Yes,¡± Woo-Moon said, quickly descending the mountain.


    ***


    ¡°Kya!!!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha! How thrilling!¡±


    The Cruel Sandstorm Riders¡¯ Blood Wolf Squadron cheered as they rode freely across the dark ins.[2]


    Riding across a in with prisoners tied to the backs of their saddles after a bloody ughter was their favorite pastime.


    ¡°P-please...¡±


    A middle-aged woman covered in blood begged as she was dragged behind a horse with her wrists tied. However, none of the bandits paid any attention to her.


    On another horse, the Blood Wolf Captain rode with a girl he had kidnapped while raiding a merchant guild and vige, groping her all over regardless of her screams and protests.


    <i>¡®Hehe, since they¡¯re all still alive, there won¡¯t be any fishy smells this time. I can¡¯t believe I made such a windfall.¡¯</i>


    The Cruel Sandstorm Riders had gathered horse bandits from all over and had now grown to a massive five thousand strong. They had reached a scale that was impossible to maintain without Martial Heaven¡¯s financial support.


    In order to allow the bandits some relief, the Cruel Sandstorm Riders periodically took turns sending them out to pige and rape, and this time, it was the Blood Wolf Squadron¡¯s turn.


    By this point, the squadron was happily returning to the main encampment of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders when the captain suddenly noticed something strange in the distance.


    ¡°What the hell is that? A white tiger? Why is it so damn big? Wait, is someone riding it?!¡±


    Their horses slowed down, feeling the scent of a predator wafting downwind.


    Eventually, the other squadron members also caught sight of Eun-Ah and Woo-Moon.


    ¡°What the hell is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a white tiger! Who the fuck is that bastard riding a white tiger?!¡±


    ¡°Kekeke, that¡¯s pretty impressive, don¡¯t you think? It makes me want to steal it and ride it myself!¡±


    Although the horses were intimidated, they were still warhorses that had seen rivers of blood on countless battlefields and piging trips with the Blood Wolf Squadron. Thus, even though they trembled with instinctual fear, they kept walking forward.


    Woo-Moon sat on Eun-Ah''s back and waited quietly for them.


    Once they approached within about ten zhang, the Blood Wolf Captain pointed at Woo-Moon with the hatchet in his hand.


    ¡°And who the hell might you be?¡±


    Woo-Moon could smell the scent of Martial Heaven clearlying from the Blood Wolf Captain.


    <i>Thump. Thump.</i>


    Upon discovering this, Woo-Moon¡¯s heart began to beat rapidly as the speed of the blood flowing through his body increased explosively.


    The images of his grandfather and junior sister dying ovepped with the sight of the Blood Wolves racing toward him.


    ¡°Dogs of Martial Heaven... I¡¯ll kill you all.¡±


    Putting on the yaksha mask Princess Mok Yong had given him, Woo-Moon rushed toward the Blood Wolves with Eun-Ah.[3]


    They had already reached a point where they couldmunicate through their minds, and Woo-Moon could give her simplemands and directions without having to say a word.


    Moreover, Eun-Ah hated Martial Heaven just as much as Woo-Moon did!


    <i>ROAR!</i>


    With a single roar, all of the Blood Wolf Squadron¡¯s warhorses became frightened and started rearing,pletely out of control.


    With a sh of light, Woo-Moon rose into the air and swung his sword.


    A sword wind stretched wide across the open in, simultaneously cutting all of the ropes tied to the prisoners being dragged behind the Blood Wolf Squadron¡¯s horses.


    In spite of their shock, the prisoners immediately ran away like mad, trying to escape their captors.


    At the same time, Eun-Ah lifted her front paw and swung it from right to left. With that one motion, four horses and men were torn to pieces.


    Stepping on her head, Woo-Moon drew Lightsh and threw it forward.


    <i>Shing!!!!</i>


    1. Although ?? could be tranted as heart attack, I decided to keep it as its literal trantion as it was an actual diagnosis in ancient times, often attributed to an imbnce of qi. ?


    2. ¡°Wolf¡± is also ng for ¡°pervert,¡± so this can be interpreted as ¡°bandits turned on by blood.¡± ?


    3. Yaksha are a very broad ss of natural spirits, some good and some evil but generally described as fearsome warriors. Evil yaksha are known to haunt the wilderness and devour travelers. ?

 Chapter 152. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (23)

    <h4>Chapter 152. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (23)</h4>


    A red veil appeared wherever Lightsh passed.


    Coated in sword aura, the de continued to move without pause, even after cleaving through all of the Blood Wolves who were running in all directions to recapture the prisoners. A cloud of blood cloaked the air.


    ¡°S-sword Control!¡±


    ¡°Agh!!!!¡±


    As screams continued to wrack the air, the Blood Wolf Captain yelled, ¡°Dismount!¡±


    ¡°Get off the horses!¡±


    The horses had lost their minds due to Eun-Ah¡¯s roar and were running wild in all directions, terrified. Rather than helping them in battle, they only served to make matters worse for the riders.


    Eventually, the entire squadron dismounted.


    The Blood Wolf Captain also dismounted, first throwing the girl he was holding to the side.


    With her hands tied, and given the angle she was falling at, she would break her neck and die instantly.


    Woo-Moon saw that and stretched out his hand.


    The girl felt a soft energy envelop her body; she floated into the air and flew safely to the side.


    Meanwhile, the screams of the dying Blood Wolves continued to fill the air.


    Woo-Moon kicked off Eun-ah¡¯s back and leaped in the air, swinging his sword sharply.


    Sword aura rose like a tidal wave and hit the Blood Wolves below.


    ¡°Agh!!!!¡±


    As if expressing Woo-Moon¡¯s wrath, the sword aura didn¡¯t just cleave through his opponents butpletely destroyed them.


    Some had their heads explode, a mush of bone and brain matter sshing everywhere, while others had their torsos torn open, blood and organs spilling over the ground.


    The seven people at the very front simply disintegrated under the aura de as it continued to kill the eleven behind them, then twenty more, and then another forty.


    It was only after seventy-eight people had died that Woo-Moon¡¯s aura de cracked into smaller pieces, piercing yet another row of people before dissipating.


    ¡°A-ahh!!!! He¡¯s a devil! A devil!!!¡±


    In the blink of an eye, more than two hundred people had been ughtered by Eun-Ah and Woo-Moon.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. To bastards like you, I am a devil!¡±


    With a wild cry, Woo-Moon kicked the ground forcefully,unching pebbles and shards of shattered rocks through the air.


    <i>Squelch, squelch!</i>


    The rocks pierced the eyes of those nearby, causing their heads to explode, then continued through to the ones behind them.


    The brown wave of dust and rocks became a red wave, expanding in size as it swept through the Blood Wolves.


    Eun-Ah bit into the waist of a Blood Wolf, snapping him in twain.


    ¡°AGH!!!!¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    A Blood Wolf screamed and shed at Eun-Ah, but all his frantic attack did was cause his de to dull against Eun-Ah¡¯s steel-like hide.


    <i>Growl.</i>


    Eun-Ah swung her tail as if chasing away a pesky fly, but the Blood Wolf died instantly from the force of her blow. He flew through the air,nding on another Blood Wolf and crushing him underneath.


    ¡°Monster!¡±


    With a shout, the Blood Wolf Captain struck down on Eun-Ah¡¯s neck, his saber coated in aura.


    <i>ng!!!!</i>


    <i>¡®What the hell! Are you saying even saber aura has no effect?¡¯</i>


    It wasn¡¯t just that his attack didn¡¯t do any damage, but Eun-Ah didn¡¯t even flinch. On the other hand, the captain¡¯s entire body was shaking from the rebound, the webbing between his thumb and index finger torn and bleeding.


    <i>ROAR!</i>


    With a roar, Eun-Ah struck the Blood Wolf Captain with her ws, sharper than even the most famous of swords.


    Although the Blood Wolf Captain made to move, knowing he had to dodge this blow, he flinched as the deafening roar washed over him.


    It left him reeling and unable to move, forcing him to raise his aura-coated saber and try to block Eun-Ah¡¯s ws.


    ¡°AGH!¡±


    Fortunately, he was able to avoid being torn to shreds. However, he had been hit with such tremendous force that the impact sent him flying to the side like a rag doll.


    <i>¡°Cough, cough!¡±</i>


    What seemed like buckets of blood poured from his mouth as he looked up at Eun-Ah and Woo-Moon.


    The originally four hundred strong squadron now had less than fifty men left. Everyone else was a corpse... if they were lucky. The unlucky ones were just a bunch of body parts spread across the ins.


    <i>¡®Just who the hell... what the hell are these bastards? Not even an Absolute Master could do something like this!¡¯</i>


    The Blood Wolf Squadron wasn¡¯t just any random group of horse bandits.


    If that had been the case, they would have never been able to join the ranks of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. After all, the Cruel Sandstorm Riders themselves would never have been evaluated as one of the three major factions within the <i>jianghu </i>of the Central ins by relying on a bunch of ragtag bandits.


    Simply put, at their level, they wouldn¡¯t have been defeated even if they faced one of the Five Swords of Heavenly Justice of the Justice Coalition head-on.


    ¡°<i>Cough, cough</i>... I... I have to tell them... even if I¡¯m going to die, I have to go and tell them...¡±


    There was a monster wearing a yaksha mask, a monster at the Absolute realm at the very least! Moreover, he was apanied by a white tiger with tremendous strength, an Absolute Master in its own right!


    Thinking that he had to inform the Cruel Sandstorm Riders and Martial Heaven of the two mysterious assants, the Blood Wolf Captain used his movement technique to flee toward the main camp while his subordinates died to buy him time.


    Suddenly, as he ran, a voice spoke to him from somewhere ahead.


    ¡°Brother, where might you be rushing?¡±


    The flustered Blood Wolf Captain looked ahead to see Woo-Moon, who looked as though he had bathed in blood, standing there with his eyes shining coldly.


    <i>¡®When did he....¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon had clearly been ughtering his subordinates behind him just moments ago.


    An ominous feeling rose within him as he turned around and saw Eun-Ah, who didn¡¯t have even the slightest trace of blood on her fur despite the ughter. She was slowly approaching him, her figure radiant under the moonlight.


    <i>Grrrr....</i>


    ¡°W-Who are you, you bastard?! Just what the hell are you?! What sort of grudge do you have with us that you ughter us like that?¡±


    Woo-Moon was dumbfounded without fail every time he ran into this kind of situation.


    These bastards attacked viges of innocent people, brutally murdered almost everyone, and kidnapped the rest, dragging them behind their horses. Yet it was precisely these bastards who talked about mercy and cruelty when it was their own time to die!


    Woo-Moon pressed close to the Blood Wolf Captain and whispered in his ear, ¡°My name is Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    ¡°Agh!!¡±


    Pain and shock spread throughout the Blood Wolf Captain''s entire body.


    <i>¡®Song... Woo-Moon.¡¯</i>


    Even he had heard of that name. Song Woo-Moon was the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor and, along with the Palm Martial Emperor himself, had been a nuisance for Martial Heaven for quite a while.


    But he had clearly heard that Woo-Moon and his grandfather had died at the Heavenly Demon Mound...


    <i>¡®I have to inform them; I have to let them know¡ª¡¯</i>


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The Blood Wolf Captain''s thoughts were interrupted by immense pain.


    Woo-Moon''s Inkde had plunged into his stomach.


    As soon as Woo-Moon pulled out his sword and stepped back, the Blood Wolf Captain''s eyes darkened.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Eun-Ah bit the Blood Wolf Captain by the torso and raised her head, shaking it mercilessly from side to side.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    The Blood Wolf Captain''s lower body fell to the ground, and Eun-Ah roared and threw the upper body toward the moon.


    <i>ROAR!!!</i>


    <i>Tap, tap.</i>


    As Woo-Moon walked through the ins littered with four hundred corpses, he suddenly pierced the right shoulders of two corpses lying on the ground.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    Two suppressed moans burst out,ing from two Blood Wolves who had pretended to be dead out of fear.


    Woo-Moon''s voice rang in their ears.


    ¡°Fuck off. I only spared you because you haven¡¯tmitted any mortal sins just yet.¡±


    His voice was grave and gloomy.


    He had thought that he could appease the spirits of his grandfather and Si-Hyeon by killing all of the dogs of Martial Heaven, regardless of who or what they were, but as it turned out, he truly couldn¡¯t bring himself to kill indiscriminately.


    He was angry at his own weak heart and was even more furious at himself because it felt like his inability to kill the two Blood Wolves meant that he didn¡¯t really love his grandfather or Si-Hyeon as much as he thought he did.


    ¡°Piss off now! Before I change my mind!¡±


    The two had been disciples of the Kunlun Sect. They had only joined the Blood Wolf Squadron after being caught by an elder monk while fooling around with thendy of a hostel.


    The two cowards quickly got up and ran away.


    They didn¡¯t want to stay in this ce even for a moment longer. They knew that they would see this day in their nightmares for the rest of their lives.


    It was their greatest luck that they still held on to some morals, as former disciples of the Righteous Path, and didn¡¯tmit any murders or rape anyone.


    Woo-Moon stood on the branch of arge tree and looked at the bloody battlefield around him, while Eun-Ah continued to roar at the sky.


    He looked down at the corpses of the four hundred¡ªor rather, three hundred ny-eight bandits.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see this to the end, Martial Heaven.¡±


    Lightsh, which had been flying all over the ce on its own so far, returned to Woo-Moon and sheathed itself as he stood on the tree branch.


    With a flick of a finger, Samadhi True me fell on the nearest corpse. It then quickly spread and covered the corpses and body parts lying on the ins.


    Eun-Ah''s roar continued to echo through the smoke rising into the sky.


    ***


    ¡°B... bleergh!!!!¡±


    Princess Mok Yong, who had run with all her might to reach the battlefield, ended up losing the entire contents of her stomach in front of the ashes and remains that stank of death.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to follow me?¡± said Formless Flying Sword, her words tinged with a scolding tone.


    She was able to speak like this to a direct descendant of the emperor due to her history of protecting her and her unique position as an Absolute Master.


    ¡°B-but what am I supposed to do when I wanted to see him?¡±


    Princess Mok Yong couldn¡¯t maintain her usual arrogant expression or dignity. She was acting foolishly as if she was somemon girl staring wistfully from a window.


    <i>¡®Who could have known he would be this cruel?¡¯</i>


    Upon hearing that Woo-Moon was engaging in battle with the Blood Wolf Squadron of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, Formless Flying Sword and the Saber Emperor had offered to visit the scene of the battle and report to her. However, the princess had refused to stay back and followed them here despite their efforts to dissuade her.


    ¡°To think he killed these four hundred people alone... how impressive. Moreover, in such a short time, too....¡±


    Judging by how the corpses were distributed, it was clear they hadn¡¯t run away... or rather, that they were unable to run away. This meant that they were killed in a ridiculously short time.


    As an Absolute Master, Yoon Ha-Rin knew that she could have also killed all of these bandits by herself. However, she definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it this quickly.


    ¡°It only took him that long because he took his time. He wanted to vent his anger, to force them into fear and despair,¡± the Saber Emperor said from the side.


    ¡°Pardon?¡± Princess Mok Yong asked in surprise.


    Jeong Yi-Moon was an Absolute Master. Moreover, he was one of the treasures of the Imperial Pce and wasn¡¯t someone she could treat carelessly. If he said something, then that was the truth.


    Still... even if it came from the famed Saber Emperor, Princess Mok Yong found it hard to believe.


    It was already hard enough to believe that Woo-Moon killed all of these people by himself, even after seeing the aftermath with her own eyes, but to think he had purposefully slowed down....


    ¡°How can one person possess so much power?¡±


    Of course, she already knew that Woo-Moon was strong¡ªthat was why she had asked him to kill the Regional Military Commissioner and the Imperial Regalia Seal-Holding Eunuch Director.


    But this... this was absurd.


    <i>¡®Considering his strength, forget assassinating the imperial government; even if he were just to fight our armies head-on, he could just...¡¯</i>


    ***


    Two days passed, but there was no movement within the Cruel Sandstorm Riders.


    It was now the day that Woo-Moon had decided to leave for the North Sea Ice Pce. Right as he was about to leave, Princess Mok Yong''s hidden guard came again.


    ¡°We¡¯ve discovered more movement from their camp. This time, it¡¯s the fifth-strongest group of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, the Great Desert ck Demon Battalion. They have roughly a thousand members. Would you like me to take you to them?¡±


    This time, they were moving in the day, not night. Thest time the Cruel Sandstorm Riders had sent a force, they had moved at night. But this time, for some reason, they were making their moves during the day.


    <i>¡®Is it because they trust their own power? Fine, I¡¯ll crush that confidence.¡¯</i>


    In Woo-Moon''s opinion, this was hisst chance to reduce the Cruel Sandstorm Riders'' forces.


    More experts would definitely emerge after this attack, and their forces would likely include an Absolute Master or possibly one of the Paragons he had metst time.


    Woo-Moon might end up being discovered if that were to happen, or worse, fall into danger.


    <i>¡®At the very least, neither of the Paragons should be in this detachment. After all, the weight of one¡¯s ass matches the size of one¡¯s confidence.¡¯</i>[1]


    ¡°Please lead the way.¡±


    Woo-Moon followed the guard and stood alone at the location where the government spies had predicted the Great Desert ck Demon Battalion would eventually get to.


    The hidden guard named Cho Yeon had left immediately after guiding him, leaving Woo-Moon standing on Eun-Ah¡¯s back with the yaksha mask on, waiting for the battalion to arrive.


    At that time, a child who looked to be about thirteen passed by Woo-Moon and walked forward in the direction from which the Great Desert ck Demon Battalion wasing.


    ¡°Kid, it¡¯s going to be dangerous, so run away from here.¡±


    The child only looked back at Woo-Moon and smiled once. However, he didn¡¯t run away; rather, he just stopped in ce.


    <i>¡®Something ising.¡¯</i>


    Sensing theing force, Woo-Moon simply ignored the child.


    <i>THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD!</i>


    A thousand Great Desert ck Demons came galloping from afar, causing the earth to shake.


    Suddenly, Nu Jin-Cheol, the leader of the Great Desert ck Demon Battalion, saw a white tiger standing in the distance, with someone riding it.


    1. A funny little idiom: the more one¡¯s self-importance increases, the less likely they are to make an effort when they aren¡¯t forced to. ?

 Chapter 153. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (24)

    <h4>Chapter 153. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (24)</h4>


    <i>¡®The report said that a massive tiger and an expert with a sword attacked those dumbass Blood Wolves. It was probably that bastard.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Our horses might get rattled because of the tiger. Dismount here and attack him.¡±


    Nu Jin-Cheol was a very thorough tactician, so he didn¡¯t miss that detail.


    The entire battalion dismounted and ran behind him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wreck that arrogant bastard who dares to stand alone before us!¡±


    ¡°OOORAH!!!!¡±


    The strength of the Great Desert ck Demon Battalion was in no way diminished as they dismounted. Not only were the majority of them at least First ss experts, but nearly a hundred of them were Peak experts, while about thirteen, including Nu Jin-Cheol, had even reached the Transcendent stage.


    Yet even with this level of strength, the Great Desert ck Demon Battalion was merely ranked fifth among the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, leaving the bandit group¡¯s true strength a mystery to the <i>gangho.</i>


    It was only after they started the charge that Nu Jin-Cheol saw the small child standing in front of Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®What the hell? Is that a child?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Trample them all!¡±


    Anything that blocked their path was nothing more than an annoying obstacle, even a child.


    However, he was quickly forced to change his original assumptionpletely.


    <i>Tap.</i>


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    One of the Transcendent ss experts of the Great Desert ck Demon Battalion swung a great axe at the child blocking his path, only to be surprised when the child dodged the axe and grabbed both of his shoulders with his tiny hands.


    <i>¡®W-what the hell?¡¯</i>


    ¡°AGH!!!¡±


    Just like a normal child would catch a dragonfly and tear off its wings, the child giggled as he tore the bandit with the great axe in half.


    Covered in internal organs, the child haphazardly threw the two halves of the corpse to either side.


    <i>SQUELCH!</i>


    Screams rang out simultaneously as those hit by the two halves of the corpse were crushed to death by the impact.


    ¡°<i>Keke</i>. You know, I wondered why I kept smelling trash in the airtely. That¡¯s the only reason I woke up. You Martial Heaven bastards smell so bad that your stench wouldn¡¯t let me sleep!¡±


    Woo-Moon was already taken aback by the faint aura of a Paragon exuding from the child, and he was even more surprised by thetter¡¯s words.


    <i>¡®He knows what Martial Heaven is? Moreover, he recognizes that these bastards are from Martial Heaven, too. On top of it all, he also has an incredible grudge against them?¡¯</i>


    The words of Jin Yo, whom he had met in the Forbidden City the other day, came to mind¡ªthere were people who had fought against Martial Heaven long before Woo-Moon stepped on his own road to vengeance.


    <i>¡®Could he be one of those who survived?¡¯</i>


    The corpses around the child Paragon floated up before shooting forward simultaneously.


    ¡°Aah!!!¡±


    ¡°UGH!!!¡±


    The child simply lifted all movable objects around him, coated them in aura, and shot them forward. From a distance, the scene looked much like a naval battle, with one ship firing countless shells at the boats surrounding it.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just sit around and watch, Eun-Ah. These bastards are ours!¡±


    <i>ROAR!!</i>


    With a roar, Eun-Ah jumped high and fell into the center of the Great Desert ck Demon Battalion.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    ¡°AGH!!!!¡±


    The bandits were torn to pieces from the sheer force of Eun-Ah¡¯snding, sent flying in all directions.


    Raising Inkde into the air, Woo-Moon instantly formed four sword spheres and sent them flying toward where the battalion had the most people.


    <i>BOOOOOOM!</i>


    As one of the sword spheres exploded, at least sixty or seventy bandits were shredded to bits and scattered around like the feathers from an exploding pillow.


    ¡°Oho, not bad!¡± the child muttered in satisfaction as he looked at Woo-Moon.


    The three[1] went out killing members of the Great Desert ck Demon Battalion at a frightening speed, as if they werepeting with each other.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword soared, sending dozens of heads into the air. Meanwhile, under the control of the child, the corpses turned into cannonballs, flying straight into groups of theirrades and sting them to bits.


    It took mere seconds to annihte the thousand-strong Great Desert ck Demon Battalion.


    cing his hand on the left chest of Great Desert ck Demon Battalion Leader Nu Jin-Cheol, the child smiled eerily.


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    The sound of his bones cracking and flesh tearing filled the air as Nu Jin-Cheol¡¯s heart was ripped out.


    <i>Squelch, pop!</i>


    ¡°Kekekeke!!!¡±


    The childughed uproariously as the heart exploded in his hand.


    There were no survivors among the Great Desert ck Demon Battalion. Woo-Moon took one look down at his blood-soaked clothes and circted his qi.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    The blood quickly extruded from his clothes, seemingly on its own, restoring his robes to their original color.


    ¡°How fascinating. How old are you?¡± the child asked as he stoppedughing and walked toward Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Twenty-three.¡±


    The child pped his hands in joy at Woo-Moon''s answer.


    ¡°Impressive, really, impressive! To think you reached the Paragon stage at such a young age, you¡¯re much faster than me!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, may I ask who you are?¡±


    "Me? Oh, they used to call me the Ageless Demon Emperor.¡±


    The Ageless Demon Emperor.


    He was the master of Sha Xiao, the Dealer of Death and Destruction¡ªWoo-Moon¡¯s opponent during the ¡°spar¡± with the Hegemon n. He was said to have gone into hiding a hundred and fifty years back.


    Woo-Moon had also heard some stories about the Ageless Demon Emperor from his grandfather.


    The Ageless Demon Emperor was one of the few Absolute Masters a hundred and fifty years ago, and although he was technically part of the Evil Faction, he had never murdered an innocent person.


    ¡°Have you also fought Martial Heaven before, Ageless Emperor?¡±


    At Woo-Moon''s words, mes of hatred and anger rose from the Ageless Demon Emperor''s eyes.


    ¡°Have I fought them? <i>Keke</i>, you could say that. Actually, I fought them for a pretty long time. But in the end, all of myrades were killed, and I was so severely injured that I was forced to go into seclusion to treat myself for decades. But don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a little rude in front of an elder? Take your mask off, Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    Woo-Moon was startled by the Ageless Demon Emperor calling his name.


    ¡°How did you....¡±


    ¡°You fought a person named San Woo-Gyeol at one point, right? See, that brat was my student in disguise. His title was the Dealer of Death and Destruction Sha Xiao. He said that he was crippled by some kid named Song Woo-Moon who had barely reached twenty and that this Woo-Moon was the strongest person within the younger generation.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that hard for the Ageless Demon Emperor to guess who Woo-Moon was. Woo-Moon had just told him that he was twenty-three, and his cultivation was impossibly high for his age.


    Naturally, Woo-Moon realized that the child in front of him might be after his head¡ªafter all, he had crippled Sha Xiao.


    As he slowly stepped back and distanced himself, Woo-Moon probed the Ageless Demon Emperor.


    ¡°Do you hold a grudge against me?¡±


    The Ageless Demon Emperor grinned.


    ¡°A grudge for what? I killed that idiot the moment he told me what was going on. Just because I was away for a while, that bastard started ughtering innocents left and right. He¡¯s no disciple of mine.¡±


    Woo-Moon breathed a sigh of relief. Then, his eyes lit up.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯m d. Senior Ageless Emperor, please help me. I need your help in fighting Martial Heaven.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean you want me to be yourrade?¡±


    "That''s right. Martial Heaven is just too strong.¡±


    The Ageless Demon Emperor''s face, lost in thought for a moment, suddenly distorted.


    He stepped back and shook his head from side to side.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to. I refuse to have any morerades!¡±


    The Ageless Demon Emperor used his movement technique and ran away.


    "Senior!"


    Woo-Moon thought about chasing after him but eventually decided against it due to the raw sorrow and pain he had seen in the Ageless Demon Emperor¡¯s eyes. For a moment, he had seemed like a real child.


    ¡°So you don¡¯t want to lose anotherrade again....¡±


    Woo-Moon thought back to what the Emperor had said earlier: while fighting against Martial Heaven, all of hisrades had been killed, and he was the only one to survive.


    Keenly aware of that sorrow due to the loss of his beloved grandfather and Si-Hyeon, Woo-Moon understood how the Ageless Demon Emperor felt.


    Most likely, the Ageless Demon Emperor would continue to fight Martial Heaven alone, just like Woo-Moon himself was doing just now.


    <i>¡®I pray that you stay safe.¡¯</i>


    Although it might have been an extremely short meeting, Woo-Moon felt a sort of kinship with the Emperor.


    ¡°Then, I guess we should head for the North Sea Ice Pce now.¡±


    After briefly looking at the thousand corpses that he, Eun-Ah, and the Ageless Demon Emperor had left behind, Woo-Moon climbed onto Eun-Ah''s back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the North Sea Ice Pce.¡±


    <i>Huff!</i>


    ***


    Before heading in this direction, Woo-Moon had gotten information from Princess Mok Yong and the others about the whereabouts of the North Sea Ice Pce¡ªan ind in ake located in the northeast.[2]


    As he continued traveling northeast on Eun-Ah, the weather gradually became colder. It was no problem for Woo-Moon and Eun-Ah, but by this point, there were hardly any human settlements around.


    At some point, snow started to fall from the sky.


    Upon seeing the snow, Eun-Ah roared in good spirits, causing all of the wild animals to tremble and whatever tiger hunters there were in the vicinity to panic.


    As he headed further northeast, he couldn¡¯t see any soil any longer; instead, he came up on a snowy field, white drifting across thendscape.


    With every step, Eun-Ah left massive pawprints.


    At this point, Woo-Moon began to feel a little worried. No matter where he looked, all he could see was snow across the entire expanse of the horizon, leading him to worry he might have gotten lost.


    <i>¡®Where the hell is the North Sea Ice Pce?¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, he suddenly saw a group of people passing by in the distance. With a happy heart, Woo-Moon jumped on Eun-Ah and ran toward them at once.


    ¡°E-eeek!! It¡¯s a tiger!!¡±


    ¡°Run!¡±


    It was only at this point that Woo-Moon realized his mistake.


    Even people of the <i>murim</i> who had cultivated to some degree would be afraid of a massive tiger like Eun-Ah, let alone ordinary people.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, she won¡¯t bite.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s voice, imbued with the qi of the Forbidden Divine Art, rang softly to the terrified people, who had been so scared that they had wet their pants.


    The strong and steady power contained in his voice calmed them down.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s a person.¡±


    ¡°Is there someone riding that white tiger?¡±


    Seeing Eun-Ah standing still and hearing Woo-Moon¡¯s reassurance, the people heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°This white tiger is mypanion and is named Eun-Ah. Please don¡¯t be afraid. Ipletely forgot myself and didn¡¯t even consider that you might be afraid. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Woo-Moon got off Eun-Ah¡¯s back and bowed, apologizing to the group of about twenty people.


    Seeing his apologetic attitude, they let their guard down a little, and one of them called out to him. ¡°What is it that you need from us?¡±


    ¡°Oh, would you happen to know of a ce called the North Sea Ice Pce?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we do. As expected, you are from the <i>murim</i>, too. Are you trying to go to the North Sea Ice Pce?¡±


    Seeing as they seemed to know what the North Sea Ice Pce was, Woo-Moon nodded.


    "That''s right. Can you tell me where I can find it?¡±


    As the two spoke, Eun-Ah walked over to the side toward the children who were staring at her.


    When she looked at them, she could see the figure of Gun-Ha, the girl with whom she had yed so joyfully.


    Eun-Ah tried to act friendly by approaching the children and acting all cute, just as she used to do with Gun-Ha in the past.


    ¡°A-ahhhh!!!!!!!¡±


    One child eventually couldn''t hold it in and started crying loudly. Then, the child''s mother, who was nearby, came running with a stick and stabbed at Eun-Ah, screaming.


    "Go away! Get away from my son!¡±


    <i>Grrrr.....</i>


    Instead of ying with her, the children were scared and started to cry. Coupled with the mother¡¯s scolding, this left Eun-Ah very discouraged. She walked away slowly, her head drooping to the ground. It was a very sad sight... yet a very cute one at the same time.


    An unusually confident child approached Eun-Ah and stroked her face with her tiny hands.


    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s okay. There, there, don¡¯t cry.¡±


    Eun-Ah had actually begun to cry as she remembered Gun-Ha and the others, who were now gone and not with her any longer. But she was so touched by the friendly child¡¯s gesture that she immediately cheered up a little and licked her back.


    ¡°Kyaha~! Don¡¯t, it tickles!¡±


    Seeing as the child was not afraid of her, Eun-Ah lowered her body as much as possible and stuck out a paw.


    ¡°Huh? Do you want me to get on?¡±


    Eun-Ah nodded her head slightly in agreement.


    The child smiled brightly, grabbed Eun-Ah''s fur, and climbed on top of her.


    ¡°Wow!!!! It¡¯s so high!!! Ahahah!!!¡±


    As the child yed happily with Eun-Ah, the other children who were crying gradually stopped and ran to Eun-Ah and started to y with her.


    1. Says two in the raws, but we can¡¯t forget our dear Eun-Ah. ?


    2. I know, it¡¯s named the North Sea Ice Pce. But it says explicitlyke (??) here. ?

 Chapter 154. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (25)

    <h4>Chapter 154. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (25)</h4>


    Woo-Moon felt a tinge in his nose as he saw Eun-Ah frolic around once again.


    <i>¡®Little rascal...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Due to the weather getting harsher, we have to migrate with the change of the seasons, and it just so happens that it¡¯s time for our next move. As for the North Sea Ice Pce, they¡¯re located in the center of the coldestnd in the north.¡±


    Woo-Moon smiled and nodded.


    ¡°I see. It¡¯s truly eye-opening and amazing that you could live in such a cold ce. Thank you for all your help.¡±


    The group he met was very simple and weing.


    Living in a barren ce had to be difficult, to say the least. But even with their own struggles, they even offered Woo-Moon some of their jerky, saying that he needed to eat well if he wanted to survive in the cold.


    ¡°By the way, how far are you going? If you don¡¯t mind, I can help you get there.¡±


    ¡°Pardon? What do you mean, help...¡±


    Woo-Moon wanted to give Eun-Ah more time to have fun and y with the children.


    As their path was an unrelenting revenge filled with blood, they should enjoy what rxing time they found when they could.


    Woo-Moon faced away from them and spread his arms wide. Then, a massive amount of snow rose into the air.


    The snow flew around in a disorderly manner at first before graduallying together under his maniption. Soon, it formed a single block under the tremendous pressure of his qi.


    A massive sheet of ice with a rounded front appeared before their eyes.


    ¡°W-what in the world...!¡±


    The mouths of those watching were wide open.


    They had heard many times that those of the <i>murim</i> could perform extraordinary feats and were like immortals. However, this was the first time any of them had actually seen such an immortal in person.


    Well, it only made sense.


    A feat like this required such an enormous amount of qi and detailed control that hardly anyone could do it without being a Paragon. How many Paragons could people like these meet? They could thank the heavens if they even saw a Transcendent once in their entire lives.


    The more pressure was applied to the snow, the more each particle fused to the next, eventually bing ice of the highest purity. It was as dense and tough as the strongest boulder.


    Woo-Moon carved a hole near the front of the rounded edge,rge enough to fit Eun-Ah¡¯s tail.


    ¡°Eun-Ah!¡±


    <i>Kya?</i>


    Woo-Moon pointed to the ice and exined to her as she yed with the children.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to continue slowly, so you put your tail into this hole and drag these people to their destination. Okay?¡±


    Woo-Moon and Eun-Ah were connected through their souls, meaning that they could find each other no matter how far apart they were.


    Eun-Ah immediately understood that this was Woo-Moon¡¯s consideration and that it allowed her to spend more time with the children. Her kind and pure heart was instantly filled to the brim with joy.


    Seeing his partner¡¯s antics, Woo-Moonughed and said his goodbyes.


    ¡°This is in return for your help, so please don¡¯t decline it. Alright, I¡¯ll be off now.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon threw a big piece of gold in their direction and vanished on the spot.


    ¡°W-what!¡±


    ¡°Where did he just go?¡± cried the group¡¯s eldest grandmother.[/ref]Technically, their eldest female elder, but not a matriarch per se.[/ref]


    ¡°He¡¯s an immortal, an immortal! We just met with an immortal!¡±


    No matter how much they searched, they couldn¡¯t find Woo-Moon.


    Eun-Ah ced her children on the b of ice and held the b tightly by inserting her long tail into the hole that Woo-Moon had made.


    The adults bowed to the piece of gold, then wrapped it carefully and put it away, referring to it as a manifestation of Woo-Moon.


    Then, afraid that Eun-Ah might disappear just as Woo-Moon had, they rushed over and got on the ice.


    Eun-Ah dragged the b across the snow with her tail and bounded off to where the people described.


    Although she moved incredibly fast, as she ran with great care, the journey only had the slightest of bumps. Moreover, because Woo-Moon had rounded the front of the b and given it a slight lip, the vigers behind Eun-Ah were safe without having to endure any of the wind.


    ***


    ¡°Whew...¡±


    Ha Yeo-Seol sighed as she watched the people entering the North Sea Ice Pce.


    The fateful day was gradually approaching.


    Once a decade, the disciples held a group wedding at the North Sea Ice Pce.


    Due to the incredible yin qi the people here cultivated, nearly all of the children born at the North Sea Ice Pce were female. Therefore, in order to maintain the North Sea Ice Pce, female disciples were tasked with finding an outsider to take as their husband.


    Soon, the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, the marriage ceremony of the North Sea Ice Pce that took ce every ten years, would begin.


    The Marriage of the Snow Flowers wasn¡¯t just a mere wedding.


    The recruitment of a husband was used to measure a disciple¡¯s ability and, thus, their status and position within the North Sea Ice Pce. Their husbands would be measured by their abilities,peting with each other andparing their abilities.


    Just thinking about it made Yeo-Seol sigh.


    All of her disciple sisters were busy bringing heirs from each n andparing and bragging with each other, but she still hadn¡¯t yet found anyone to serve as her candidate for the Marriage of the Snow Flowers.


    ¡°If only... if only that attendant from back then...¡±


    Tears fell from Yeo-Seol''s eyes.


    Over the past year, the North Sea Ice Pce had sent their disciples to freely move across the <i>gangho</i> for the sake of the Marriage of the Snow Flowers. Yeo-Seol herself had headed to the Central ins.


    The first ce she had gone to was the Justice Coalition, and on the way there, she had met an attendant.


    Once she arrived at the Justice Coalition, she had learned that the attendant¡¯s name was Woo-Moon and that he was the Hero of the entire coalition.


    However, the most heartbreaking and shocking news was that the attendant Woo-Moon had gone missing after entering the Heavenly Demon Mound.


    Although he was said to be missing, the Justice Coalition had taken his death as a given fact. It was only natural, as not a single member of the Righteous Faction that had entered the Heavenly Demon Mound seemed to have survived<i>.</i>


    Yeo-Seol felt like her heart had been broken, essentially giving up and returning to the North Sea Ice Pce alone to wait for the Marriage of the Snow Flowers.


    Actually, Yeo-Seol was so beautiful that many men wanted to marry her.


    No matter how her disciple sisters harassed her and plotted to make sure she didn¡¯t stand out, a diamond would eventually stand out among a bunch of rocks.[1]


    However, she had rejected any and all offers, shaking her head no at any confessions of love.


    Woo-Moon was the first person to show her kindness. Moreover, he was the only one to respect and treat her well. And that was not all¡ªhe was someone to whom she was incredibly grateful. He had shown up like a miracle and saved her when she was in danger, even going so far as to suffer serious injuries for her.


    It was only natural that Yeo-Seol couldn''t forget him.


    ¡°Young Lady Ha, are you here?¡±


    Before she knew it, a young man was standing next to her.


    ¡°Ah, Young Master Yu.¡±


    He was none other than Yu Cho, havinge all the way here from the Mount Hua Sect. His expression flickered darkly before he continued.


    ¡°Do you still need some time to think? My feelings for you are deeper than anyone else¡¯s, and I would truly like to marry you, Young Lady Ha.¡±


    Yu Cho was actually engaged to Bi Yeo-Jung, Woo-Gang''s previous lover. However, he hid the fact that he was engaged and continued to try to flirt with Yeo-Seol, even going so far as toe to the North Sea Ice Pce.


    Yeo-Seol thought that Yu Cho was feeling pity for her because she was so sad, and she was indeed somewhat grateful for that. However, she had no such feelings for him.


    ¡°I am truly sorry, Young Master Yu, but...¡±


    Could Yu Cho really be so clueless?


    No.


    He knew that Yeo-Seol still had feelings for Woo-Moon and that she hadn¡¯t forgotten him yet. Still, he held back his irritation and continued to wait for her. However, now that the Marriage of the Snow Flowers was getting closer, it was difficult for him to hold back any longer.


    ¡°You¡¯re still unable to forget that pathetic bastard who foolishly entered the Heavenly Demon Mound and died trying to save some Demonic Path bitch? Why are you like this?¡±


    Every single one of Yu Cho''s words pierced Yeo-Seol''s heart like a barbed needle.


    ¡°Wow, you really are so eloquent with your words! This is the exact reason I don¡¯t have any feelings for you. Considering you think of women as nothing more than bitches, you wouldn¡¯t have lifted a finger even if I was the one going into a dangerous ce like the Heavenly Demon Mound! That is the difference between you and sir attendant!¡±


    Yu Cho''s eyes grew cold. He had unintentionallymitted a massive blunder.


    He hade all the way here to woo her, so naturally, he had never shown her this side of him. However, given that he had lost all his face and prestige because of the Song brothers, he couldn¡¯t helpshing out the moment she mentioned Woo-Moon for the umpteenth time.


    ring at Yeo-Seol menacingly, he was about to say something when someone¡¯s venomous voice interrupted him.


    ¡°Attendant, attendant, all you can say is attendant! What, do you think he¡¯lle back to life if you keep talking about him? <i>Tsk,</i> you stupid thing. From the moment I first saw him at the inn, I knew he was a useless idiot. Figures you, of all people, would like someone like that,¡± said Yeo-Seol¡¯s eldest senior sister, Jeong Gyeong.


    The kind-hearted Yeo-Seol couldn¡¯t bear to confront her and simply cried once more.


    She hated these people who did nothing but curse Woo-Moon¡¯s existence every day. And she was in despair over her own situation, where she wasn¡¯t able to respond appropriately.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Eun-Ah dropped off the vigers and found Woo-Moon, who by now was quite close to the North Sea Ice Pce.


    <i>¡®So, the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, huh.¡¯</i>


    He had already heard the news regarding the event from some other cultivators he¡¯d met on the way¡ªobviously, hopeful young men.


    When he first heard about it, he took some time to think.


    Should he wear his yaksha mask?


    If he were to arrive when the Marriage of the Snow Flower was taking ce and the people from the Central ins¡¯ <i>murim</i> were there, there would definitely be some among them who would recognize him.


    However, he decided not to wear the mask.


    <i>¡®No, this is an opportunity. There will be people from all over the ce who will see me and send messages home. Moreover, there may even be some who show strange behaviors. I can use this to my advantage. All I have to do is capture all of those bastards, check their items, and confirm their martial arts to determine if they¡¯re dogs of Martial Heaven or not.¡¯</i>


    All he wanted was for his identity not to be revealed until he was able to attack the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. If he was able to seed, it wouldn¡¯t really matter if he was exposed afterward.


    Thus, he decided not to wear the yaksha mask, confident that he would be able to intercept any messages they tried to send.


    Of course, there was one other reason. He needed to ask the North Sea Ice Pce for help. If he came here wearing a mask, it would show that he didn¡¯t trust them, so why would they help him?


    "Oh, I can see the North Sea Ice Pce over there.¡±


    Hearing those words, Eun-Ah began to run even faster.


    ***


    In her anger and sadness, Yeo-Seol couldn¡¯t stop crying.


    ¡°Anyway, all you know how to do is drag your feet. Pft, how boring. Young Master Yu, what are you going to do? I don¡¯t have much more time, either. If you refuse me again, I¡¯m also going to find someone else.¡±


    Yu Cho looked at Jeong Gyeong again.


    She definitely was less beautiful than Yeo-Seol and had a harsh personality on top of that. However, she didn¡¯t seem to have anything particrly bad about her otherwise.


    ¡°I understand, Young Lady Jeong. Well then, let''s attend the Marriage of the Snow Flowers together. I don¡¯t have any regrets regarding this stupid girl anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oho. You¡¯ve made the right decision. That girl only has a good face; otherwise, she¡¯s stupid and foolish. And with that snobbish personality of hers... <i>tsk, tsk</i>.¡±


    Then, in the eyes of the kind-hearted and young Yeo-Seol, in her hazy gaze, she noticed something strange in her field of view.


    Something was running fast toward them through the snowy field in the distance.


    <i>¡®Is that a white tiger? What¡¯s it doing here? Wait, someone¡¯s riding it?¡¯</i>


    Because of her tears, she couldn''t clearly see who was on top of the white tiger.


    Seeing Yeo-Seol¡¯s strange behavior, Yu Cho followed her gaze, only to stiffen for a moment.


    Then, his face gradually distorted, filled with a murderous rage.


    <i>¡®Th¨Cthat, THAT BASTARD?! WHY IS HE HERE?!!! Isn¡¯t he supposed to be dead?!!!¡¯</i>


    Eun-Ah got closer and closer to the North Sea Ice Pce.


    Then, when she was within distance, Eun-Ah jumped a hundred feet in a single bound, as if flying through the sky, andnded right in front of Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Only now was Yeo-Seol able to tell who the rider was, and in her shock, she simply forgot words existed.


    On the other hand, Woo-Moon smiled happily.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Young Lady Ha.¡±


    1. Literally, if there¡¯s a hole in a pocket, something¡¯s bound to drop one way or another. But that just doesn¡¯t sound good here. ?

 Chapter 155. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal

    <h4>Chapter 155. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal</h4>


    "Ahhh... ... Ah, <i>waaaahhhh</i>!¡±


    She felt like she had to say something.


    Yeo-Seol kept trying and trying, but all she could do was burst into tears.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Seeing her cry so bitterly upon seeing him, Woo-Moon was both flustered and touched, leading him to scratch his head in confusion.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a little scary and flustering to see a woman cry...¡¯</i>


    ¡°You, you, you, YOU BASTARD! Aren¡¯t you supposed to be dead?¡± Yu Cho yelled.


    He was truly surprised by the situation¡ªmore precisely, <i>very </i>unpleasantly surprised by the fact that Woo-Moon was alive.


    Woo-Gang, traumatized by the death or disappearance of his entire family, had confined himself to his home and wasted his life away drinking.


    With Woo-Moon dying and Woo-Gang bing a useless piece of trash, Yu Cho had been happy, thinking that the world was getting back to the way it should be.


    Thinking that he no longer had to worry about Bi Yeo-Jung and Woo-Gang''s rtionship, he hade to try his hand at the Marriage of the Snow Flowers.


    It was only now that Woo-Moon caught sight of Yu Cho properly.


    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s you, Yu Cho. What are you doing here? Oh, are you here for the Marriage of the Snow Flowers?¡±


    As far as he¡¯d heard recently, Marriage of the Snow Flowers was quite popr with the younger generation talents of the <i>murim</i> of the Central ins. The female disciples of the North Sea Ice Pce generally had beautiful pale skin and tall, shapely figures. Most of them were so beautiful that it made people¡¯s eyes light up at their sight.


    Jeong Gyeong herself was quite the beauty, and it was only because she was next to Yeo-Seol that she wasrgely ignored.


    She stepped forward at this point, answering in Yu Cho¡¯s stead.


    "Yes, he is. Young Master Yu promised to hold the Marriage of the Snow Flowers with me.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t you already have a fiance at Mount Hua, Yu Cho?¡±


    Despite Woo-Moon''s words, Yu Cho and Jeong Gyeong remained calm and rxed.


    ¡°I have feelings for both Junior Sister Bi and Young Lady Jeong. I n to get married to both and take them as my wives.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s your problem if he does? A young hero as talented as Young Master Yu deserves to have multiple wives.¡±


    Woo-Moon shrugged. It really was not his problem if these two got married.


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s how you feel, knock yourself out.¡±


    Moving on, Woo-Moon turned to Yeo-Seol, who was still crying.


    By this point, she was crying so hard that she couldn¡¯t control herself.


    The grief that she hadn¡¯t been able to shed since hearing of Woo-Moon¡¯s death, the sorrow of being outcast by her disciple sisters and ignored even further now that the Marriage of the Snow Flowers was drawing near, and the surprise, joy, and overwhelming emotion she felt when she saw Woo-Moon standing before her alive came together and led to her uncontroble sobbing.


    To make her feel better, Woo-Moon smiled mischievously.


    ¡°Did those brats bother you, Young Lady Ha? Then should I scold them?¡±


    Of course, Woo-Moon was referring to Yu Cho, Jeong Gyeong, and their minions.


    ¡°You, you bastard, how dare you!¡±


    Yu Cho knew how strong Woo-Moon actually was, better than anyone else here. Thus, he was so surprised and scared by Woo-Moon¡¯s words that he felt his stomach churn, afraid that Woo-Moon might actually turn and attack him.


    However, he still hid his true feelings and got outwardly angry, hoping that Woo-Moon would just let it go as long as he didn¡¯t react <i>too</i> harshly.


    Although Yu Cho¡¯s pride was hurt by Woo-Moon even bringing up ¡°scolding¡± him, he made the judgment call that Woo-Moon didn¡¯t actually mean it and was just trying to make Yeo-Seol feel better.


    However...


    ¡°What did you say? How dare you, arrogant bastard! How dare you speak like that to my darling, who will be the next Sect Master of the Mount Hua Sect?! How dare some insignificant attendant speak in this manner?!¡± Jeong Gyeong said.


    She hade out with both fists swinging.


    Yu Cho¡¯splexion turned pale.


    <i>¡®N-no... Don¡¯t provoke him anymore!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Yeah, well, I did used to be an attendant. But I¡¯m not insignificant.¡±


    Fortunately, Woo-Moon didn''t seem to be angry.


    However...


    ¡°I can¡¯t stand it anymore! How can my darling be looked down on by some bastard like you?! Darling! Challenge him to a spar, and let everyone know your strength!¡±


    Jeong Gyeong knew nothing of Woo-Moon¡¯s strength. Yes, she had heard rumors, but she had dismissed them all as nonsense due to the preconceptions she had already epted as hard facts.


    And with every word, she slowly pushed Yu Cho closer and closer to the pits of hell.


    <i>¡®You, you, you s-stupid bitch! Why are you making this a big deal?!¡¯</i>


    Just as he was sweating and panicking, someone unexpected suddenly saved him.


    Yeo-Seol.


    She shook her head, tears glistening on her skin. Even when her face was swollen from crying, she was beautiful.


    ¡°Is that so? Then, what can I do to make you feel better?¡±


    Yeo-Seol, who had be so emotional and forgot herself from crying so much, screamed almost uncontrobly, ¡°Young Master Song! Please attend the Marriage of the Snow Flowers with me!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Everyone gathered there, even Yeo-Seol, was surprised by what she had just asked.


    ¡°Kya!!!¡±


    Her face turned bright red, and Yeo-Seol screamed. She used her movement technique to bolt away from the scene as fast as possible.


    Yu Cho looked at Woo-Moon with a clearly nervous expression.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no way... you¡¯re not really going to attend the Marriage of the Snow Flowers with Yeo-Seol, are you?¡¯</i>


    If so, that would really be the worst possible situation to arise.


    For both himself and Jeong Gyeong.


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    Woo-Moon scratched his head with a clearly flustered expression.


    Half an hourter.


    After officially informing the North Sea Ice Pce of his visit, Woo-Moon waited inside a reception room for someone to greet him.


    As he was sitting there cross-legged with a rxed expression, he suddenly opened his eyes. His figure disappeared from within the reception room before quickly reappearing high in the sky above the North Sea Ice Pce.


    He made sure to memorize the face of the person who had just sent out a homing pigeon and disappeared.


    Momentster, the homing pigeon seemed to have been caught in an invisible of some sort, andnded in Woo-Moon¡¯s hand without the slightest of sounds.


    He untied the letter on the pigeon¡¯s leg and read its contents.


    <i>¡ªSong Woo-Moon is alive. Currently at the North Sea Ice Pce.</i>


    At least from the content alone, it was impossible to tell if the person was from Martial Heaven or not.


    <i>¡®Was this the seventeenth homing pigeon?¡¯</i>


    Still, while it was understandable that those of the Justice Coalition, Hegemon n, and other forces would send news of his return home, it was definitely suspicious for a member of the North Sea Ice Pce to announce his return to some unknown party. And judging by her uniform, the woman who had just sent this pigeon was a member of the North Sea Ice Pce.


    Killing the pigeon with a single knock to the head, Woo-Moon flew over far away from the pce and disposed of it where no one would find it.


    <i>¡®In the next life, be reborn as a human.¡¯</i>[1]


    Woo-Moon sat cross-legged again and expanded his senses to their fullest extent.


    <i>¡®Oh, and what¡¯s this?¡¯</i>


    This time, it wasn¡¯t a pigeon but a person.


    Someone was running toward the Central ins as fast as they could.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t let even a single one of you go.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon quickly left the reception room, and a few momentster, he was blocking the masked man¡¯s path, even though the man had started far ahead of him.


    ¡°Where are you going in such a hurry?¡±


    Surprise and despair shed in the eyes of the masked man when he saw Woo-Moon.


    "Bastard!"


    Revealing a cultivation nearing the Transcendent stage, the masked man coated his sword in aura and rushed toward Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Looking at your aura, you really are a dog of Martial Heaven. I presume you won¡¯t speak even if I torture you, so...¡±


    <i>Tap.</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes were full of bloodlust. He snapped the sword he had caught with his fingers and redirected the broken half of the de toward the masked man.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The de pierced the man¡¯s chest and punctured through, lodging itself in the snowy field behind him.


    Brightly colored blood dropped to the ground first, soon followed by the masked man¡¯s body slumping to the side.


    By the time the man¡¯s body hit the ground, the blood he had shed was already frozen solid.


    At that time, twenty additional masked people appeared around Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Thank you for showing up on your own. And here I was nning on hunting you one by one. Looking at your reaction, this bastard must have been a Mu Heon too.¡±


    Some of the masked people were surprised at Woo-Moon''s words. Their reactions amounted to nothing but lightly tensing up for an instant, but even so, they could not escape Woo-Moon¡¯s senses.


    <i>¡®I guessed he was a Mu Heon when I saw that twenty people were waiting for him. Turns out I was right.¡¯</i>


    The masked people followed Mu Heon in the dark and served as guards.


    Of course, they werete this time as Mu Heon had died so quickly and unexpectedly.


    ¡°Now, dogs of Martial Heaven, could you kindly die for me?¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon''s eyes raged with bloodlust and madness as he unsheathed his sword.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    The Sword Sphere made an eerie sound as it flew forward,nding at the center of the group, where six masked men were gathered in a formation.


    Although they managed to see it, they couldn¡¯t avoid it. The Sword Sphere''s speed far exceeded their reflexes and the speed of their movement techniques.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    A massive explosion rang out, and bone fragments, flesh, and blood flew everywhere.


    The clear contrast between the pure white snow and the bright red blood was, in a way, beautiful.


    ¡°UGH!!!¡±


    Two of the masked men were far enough from the Sword Sphere¡¯s explosion that it did not pulverize them, but not far enough to escape; the shockwave broke every bone in their bodies, throwing them onto the frozen snow as they vomited blood.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    As that happened, Woo-Moon disappeared and reappeared in front of ten of the masked men, swinging his de.


    <i>Shing! Squelch!</i>


    Although he swung his sword ten times, there were only two sounds.


    The sound of a single sword swing and the splitting of flesh that came right after.


    All of the masked people who were attacked died with blood gushing out from the left side of their necks.


    Now, there were only two people left.


    One of them had their head crushed by the Nine Yin White Bone w, while the other had his chest struck by palm force and his organs pulverized into a paste.


    However, in addition to the twenty escorts, every Mu Heon had a single observer.


    They would hide and watch the Mu Heon from a distance and were responsible for reporting to Martial Heaven if the Mu Heon happened to be killed.


    <i>¡®How did Mu Heon and his guards die so powerlessly?! That bastard¡¯s much stronger than before. I have to report to Martial Heaven as fast as I can.¡¯</i>


    The observer ran away as fast as he could. Suddenly, however, he fell forward and rolled to the ground, a deluge of blood and brain matter following in his tracks.


    His head had simply exploded while he was running at full speed.


    ¡°Tsk, you really can¡¯t let your guard down with these bastards, not even a little.¡±


    Suppressing his bloodlust, Woo-Moon levitated all of the corpses lying on the ground, gathered them together, and buried them under the snow.


    He kicked off the ground at this point and flew into the sky, making sure no one had ventured outside the North Sea Ice Pce while he had been ughtering the Mu Heon and his guards.


    <i>¡®Luckily, no one¡¯s tried to leave.¡¯</i>


    Most likely, the mole of Martial Heaven who had infiltrated the North Sea Ice Pce assumed that the report had been ryed to Martial Heaven.


    Woo-Moon returned to the reception room, spending the rest of his time waiting to collect all of the homing pigeons that had been sent out of the pce.


    At first, arge number of pigeons were sent out at the same time, but as time went by, the number of pigeons gradually decreased. By the time dusk fell, not a single pigeon flew through the air anymore.


    Yet even after dusk had set, the Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee, the person Woo-Moon had requested to meet, hadn¡¯t yet appeared.


    <i>¡®Are you trying to piss me off? Or do you have no intention of meeting with me at all?¡¯</i>


    Either way, Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t happy about what was happening.


    At that very moment, the door to the reception room opened, and an expert of the North Sea Ice Pce, one who could be considered quite strong within the Transcendent stage, entered.


    She looked to be roughly in herte forties and had a rather cold look about her.


    ¡°The Marriage of the Snow Flowers is currently just around the corner. For the sake of fairness, the pce lord has established an irond rule that she would not meet any of the younger generation that may enter thepetition of the Marriage of the Snow Flowers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here for the Marriage of the Snow Flowers. I just have something to inform her, so if you could please¡ª¡±


    The middle-aged woman cut off Woo-Moon¡¯s words with sharp hostility.


    ¡°No, it''s not possible. The pce lord cannot say a single word to you until the end of the Marriage of Snow Flowers. Moreover, we are unable to ept any requests from outsiders. Thus, if there is something that you want, the pce lord has informed me to tell you to join the Marriage of the Snow Flowers and achieve a high rank there. If you can do so, then...¡±


    The moment the middle-aged woman began to discuss their agenda, Woo-Moon ignored her and passed her by, heading toward where he could feel the aura of the Otherworldly Ice Fairy.


    ¡°Y-you!¡±


    1. An apology for the senseless death of an animal. Being reborn as a human (one of the three superior paths of reincarnation) is a reward for animals that do meritorious service. Simrly, being reborn as an animal (one of the three inferior paths) is a punishment for humans who behave atrociously. ?

 Chapter 156. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (2)

    <h4>Chapter 156. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (2)</h4>


    Woo-Moon moved so fast that Moon Soo-In, an expert at the peak of the Transcendent stage, couldn¡¯t even see where he was going, much less stop him.


    ¡°Stop! Stop right there!¡±


    The Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee was resting in a pavilion made of ice, wearing her majestic pce lord robes.


    Although she was already past middle age, Ah Hee looked like a dazzlingly beautiful woman in her mid-tote twenties, not a day older than when Woo-Moon had seen herst.


    Arriving in front of her, Woo-Moon nodded his head.


    ¡°I am truly sorry for being so rude, but I¡¯vee to the North Sea Ice Pce because I have an important request.¡±


    Moon Soo-In finally arrived and tried to stop Woo-Moon from proceeding any further right as he finished speaking. However, Ah Hee just raised a hand and stopped her.


    ¡°Is it revenge you want?¡±


    Woo-Moon nodded at her calm question.


    ¡°Revenge against the Heavenly Demon Cult... I¡¯m sorry, but we can¡¯t help you.¡±


    ¡°No, not the Heavenly Demon Cult. My target is a hidden sect called Martial Heaven. Their power...¡±


    This was the first time that Ah Hee had ever heard of the name Martial Heaven. Her eyes lit up in curiosity for a moment, but she quickly cut Woo-Moon off.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, stop there. I don¡¯t want to hear any more.¡±


    ¡°Please, I beg of you. Please help me. The Cruel Sandstorm Riders are part of the main force of Martial Heaven. We have to take them down to...¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to stop? If you continue to force the issue against my wishes, I¡¯ll take it as you trying to pressure the North Sea Ice Pce.¡±


    Woo-Moon froze. That waspletely uneptable!


    Taking down the Cruel Sandstorm Riders would be next to impossible without the North Sea Ice Pce.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I must have gotten too excited.¡±


    ¡°Well, a young man should have that sort of liveliness. Still, it seems uncouth to just end the conversation in this manner, considering you¡¯re the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor. Fine, what is it that you want from me and the pce? Is it just revenge?¡±


    "That''s right."


    ¡°Then let me say it clearly without any hesitation. I have no desire to grant your request. Aren''t you an outsider anyway? You can¡¯t juste here and ask us to get involved with something that could decide the pce¡¯s fate.¡±


    At Ah Hee''s words, Woo-Moon gritted his teeth as she continued with a cold expression.


    ¡°No, there is only one way forward. As Moon Soo-In said earlier, if you attend the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, form a rtionship with our North Sea Ice Pce, and rank highly, I¡¯ll not only listen to your entire story, but I¡¯ll even consider helping you.¡±


    How could Woo-Moon not know Ah Hee''s true intentions?


    She was trying to tie Woo-Moon, who had now grown into an incredible master, to the North Sea Ice Pce.


    He wanted to jump up and leave, offended. However, he couldn¡¯t because the faces of his parents and Gun-Ha shed before his eyes.


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll think about it some more before deciding.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Woo-Moon left the hall with a heavy heart and went to a giant ice sculpture located on one side of the North Sea Ice Pce.


    It was a sculpture of a beautiful woman dressed in the typical North Sea fashion, holding a sword in one hand and standing in a battle stance as if she were about to fight someone.


    Yeo-Seol stood in front of it with a nk expression.


    Seeing her again by chance, Woo-Moon remembered what Ah Hee had said earlier¡ªthat she might consider doing a favor for him if he were to rank highly within the Marriage of the Snow Flowers.


    <i>¡®In the end, do I really have to participate in the Marriage of the Snow Flowers even to get a chance?¡¯</i>


    Images of Si-Hyeon dead and Ma-Ra leaving, disappointed in him, quietly rose in his mind without him even realizing it.


    He also thought about the pretty and kind appearance of Yeo-Seol, whom he had first met a long time ago at his family inn while she was visiting the Central ins alongside her disciple sisters.


    Woo-Moon was still a man.


    There was no way that he wouldn¡¯t have any feelings for women, considering he spent so much time around beauties like Si-Hyeon, Ma-Ra, and Ra Mi.


    Moreover, Yeo-Seol was the first stunningly beautiful girl he had seen aftering out of his dream state.


    Even though he had known Si-Hyeon first, he had only seen her wearing a veil for a long time.


    Seeing Yeo-Seol at that point actually left such an impression that after she left, he secretly looked forward to meeting her again. Sometimes, he even blushed as he thought about her.


    However, too much time had passed since then, and in that time, he had spent much of it with Si-Hyeon and Ma-Ra, even confirming their love for each other.


    From his perspective, if he were to be honest with himself, this marriage <i>was</i> appealing.


    Yeo-Seol was a woman he was attracted to, and she would lose to no one as his bride.


    Above all, if they were able to get a high enough ranking in the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, he would be able to receive help from the North Sea Ice Pce in subduing the Cruel Sandstorm Riders and finding his parents.


    Especially if Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin were in the North Sea, the North Sea Ice Pce disciples would be of the most significant help in exploring the remote area.


    Thus... the Marriage of the Snow Flowers definitely had its own charm.


    But the thing that kepting to his mind was Si-Hyeon¡¯s pitiful appearance when they had first kissed, followed by his world shattering as he saw her fall.


    <i>¡®Okay. Let¡¯s give up on getting the North Sea Ice Pce¡¯s help. There must be another way.¡¯</i>


    Although he had thought about it for a long time, his final decision was made quickly.


    But just as he was about to leave the North Sea Ice Pce, Ye-Seol called out to him.


    ¡°Excuse me...¡±


    Even if he couldn¡¯t ept her proposal for the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, it wasn¡¯t polite for him to just disappear without giving her a proper farewell.


    <i>¡®After all, it¡¯s still Young Lady Ha, and she did sob tears of relief after seeing me earlier...¡¯</i>


    He couldn¡¯t bear to treat her coldly.


    Woo-Moon smiled softly.


    ¡°Yes, Young Lady Ha.¡±


    Yeo-Seol, face flushed entirely with embarrassment, cautiously opened her mouth.


    ¡°Have you... thought about it?¡±


    The women of the North Sea were different from the women of the Central ins.


    No matter how confident and lively the women of the <i>murim</i> were, it was extremely rare for them to propose to a man. However, due to the strong yin energy around the North Sea, there were many more women here, and these women were generally stronger than the men. Thus, it wasn¡¯t umon for a woman to propose to a man.


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry, Young Lady Ha.¡±


    As soon as the words sorry came out of Woo-Moon''s mouth, Yeo-Seol''s eyes turned dark. After she spoke out earlier and ran away out of embarrassment, she was left alone to calm her pounding heart and be caught up in her sweet thoughts and feelings...


    Now, her heart felt like it was going to stop, and it was bing difficult for her to breathe properly.


    She had only seen him twice prior, and this was their third meeting. But she even surprised herself when she realized how much she liked Woo-Moon.


    Yeo-Seol''s eyes were filled with tears, while Woo-Moon shut his eyes tightly, feeling sorry for her.


    ¡°I went to the Central ins not too long ago. It was because of the Marriage of the Snow Flowers. As for who I found there... well, I don¡¯t have to spell it out for you, do I?¡±


    ¡°No...¡±


    ¡°I went to the Central ins with high expectations. But, Young Hero Song... when I heard that you died, the shock was too great to ovee. For three days and nights, all I could do was cry.¡±


    Woo-Moon couldn''t say anything. He couldn''t even raise his head and look at Yeo-Seol''s crying face; he just kept looking at the ground.


    At the same time, he was deeply moved by how she thought of him.


    ¡°Actually, you might think it''s a little funny. I mean... I¡¯ve only met you twice, and only briefly at that. But, Young Hero Song, I truly fell in love with you. I was always ignored and looked down upon, and you were the first person who spoke warmly to me and truly cared for me. And how could I not be touched when I was kidnapped and you came to save me? Not to mention... When I found out that you had those incredible skills, I even thought that you were so cool that I began to idolize you. As I spent my days alone and thinking about you, I guess I started to have these feelings of love without ever realizing it.¡±


    Although Woo-Moon had said no, Yeo-Seol¡¯s earnest confession of love was beginning to create ripples in his heart, one by one.


    Her tears dropped into his soul.


    ¡°I heard something else, too. About the assassin who always stood by your side and what happened to your junior sister. Since you¡¯re so famous, I was able to hear even such trivial stories in great detail.¡±


    By this point, although he was not in such a bad state as Yeo-Seol, Woo-Moon¡¯s mind had also turned nk.


    ¡°Is it because of them? Is it because of them that you can¡¯t attend the Marriage of the Snow Flowers with me?¡±


    Woo-Moon felt like he couldn¡¯t just listen without responding to her anymore.


    Yeo-Seol, who originally had an introverted personality, had mustered up the courage to speak like this. He, too, owed her his sincerity.


    ¡°At first, I didn¡¯t know, either. I couldn¡¯t figure out why I liked my junior sister so much. She was the daughter of a merchant who lived in the same vige and my grandfather took her as his disciple. I thought that I¡¯d just developed feelings for her as we spent time together. However, that wasn¡¯t the case. I realized there was more to how I felt, a realization I confirmed when I saw her in thosest moments. As for Ma-Ra... I took her in because I felt sorry for her. But as we spent more time together, I started to grow feelings for her, little by little, and finally fell in love with her. Now, as for you, Young Lady Ha...¡±


    Although she had already resigned herself, her heart still pounded as she looked forward to what Woo-Moon had to say.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that I never had any feelings for you, Young Lady Ha. I definitely had a crush, something that might have grown into more if we had spent more time together. However... Now, I can¡¯t ept you because of the guilt in my heart regarding my junior sister. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°I understand...¡±


    Yeo-Seol was on the precipice of giving up altogether.


    Woo-Moon made to leave, understanding that he could no longer stay in the pce.


    ¡°W-wait! I¡¯m sorry, but do you think you could stay at the North Sea Ice Pce for one more day?¡±


    Just as he was about to refuse, Yeo-Seol¡¯s final words tugged at his heartstrings.


    ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll leave tomorrow, then.¡±


    ¡°Thank you."


    Unable to stay here any longer, Woo-Moon quickly turned and fled, returning to his guest quarters.


    Meanwhile, within a guest room at the North Sea Ice Pce.


    ¡°That bastard, why the hell did hee to the North Sea Ice Pce? Is it really because of the Marriage of the Snow Flowers?¡± Yu Choined.


    ¡°Why do you care so much? Even if he attends the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, all we have to do is beat him and kick him out,¡± grumbled Peng Xianhu of the Hebei Peng Family.


    He had also recentlye to the North Sea Ice Pce after emerging from his two-year seclusion.


    <i>¡®Right, right, that¡¯s totally easy. You idiot. You talk like that only because you have no idea how strong that guy is.¡¯</i>


    That bastard from the Hegemon n and the monk from the Great Thunder Temple already looked formidable, causing Yu Cho a terrible headache. On top of it all, Peng Xianhu¡¯s status was simr to Yu Cho¡¯s. Although they were friendly on the surface, Yu Cho considered him to be his rival.


    Not wanting to look weak, he didn¡¯t bother to tell him in detail any specifics about Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Song Woo-Moon. You should have died there. Just why did you have toe back alive?¡¯</i>


    ***


    As Woo-Moon had stated that he would stay for another day, the North Sea Ice Pce had given him a room as a guest. However, he was so flustered by everything that had happened that he couldn¡¯t sleep and justy in his bed.


    Suddenly, he felt someone approaching his room.


    <i>¡®Young Lady Ha...¡¯</i>


    His heart ached, and he was feeling guilt over not being able to ept her feelings.


    Yeo-Seol stopped in front of the door of Woo-Moon¡¯s room, not entering his quarters.


    ¡°Young Hero Song...¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°I thought about it a lot too.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So my conclusion was... Please stay here and attend the Marriage of the Snow Flowers with me. We can just pretend to get married...¡±

 Chapter 157. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (3)

    <h4>Chapter 157. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (3)</h4>


    ¡°What do you mean, pretend?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided that after the Marriage of the Snow Flowers concludes and you leave the North Sea Ice Pce after achieving everything you wanted, I will leave this ce, too. Here, no one wees me. Oh, of course, I¡¯ll be going to a different ce from you, Young Hero Song... So, until then... at least until then, can¡¯t you just pretend topete in the Marriage of the Snow Flowers with me?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s making you want to go this far? Even if we were to go through with the marriage, it would be fake.¡±


    Woo-Moon was shaken.


    He knew that he would be able to achieve his goal if he did what Yeo-Seol was proposing. He would be able to get help from the North Sea Ice Pce without properly marrying her, too.


    However, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to use Yeo-Seol for his own purposes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But, I...¡±


    Yeo-Seol cut him off. ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you! I¡¯ve never once been loved by anyone since the day I was born. Moreover, I¡¯ve lived my life without ever being able to do what <i>I</i> wanted. I¡¯ve never been acknowledged by anyone. But... Now that I¡¯m going to be leaving the North Sea Ice Pce, I want them to acknowledge me, just once. No, beyond that... even if it¡¯s a fake marriage, I want to make memories with you, Young Hero Song! If, if you refuse even this... I... I won¡¯t even have the strength to live.¡±


    Her begging was so pathetic that Woo-Moon finally heaved a deep sigh.


    ¡°Fine. Since that¡¯s what you want, Young Lady Ha, I¡¯ll make sure that you shine brighter than anyone else in this Marriage of the Snow Flowers.¡±


    <i>¡®He agreed, he finally agreed!!!¡¯</i>


    Yeo-Seol almost fell to the ground in tears.


    ***


    The next morning.


    ¡°I would like to register for the Marriage of the Snow Flowers.¡±


    ¡°Who is the Snow Flower?¡±


    ¡°Lady Ha Yeo-Seol.¡±


    ¡°And what is your name?¡±


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    <i>¡®Huh? Never heard of you,¡¯</i> thought an assistant department head of the North Sea Ice Pce, who was in charge of registration of the Marriage of the Snow Flowers.


    As the North Sea Ice Pce was located in such a remote area, anyone other than the Pce Lord or the elders found it difficult to learn of what was going on in the Central ins.


    Moreover, the people of the Central ins currently gathered at the pce were all of the younger generation, young men who hade specifically for the Marriage of the Snow Flowers. Naturally, they would avoid bringing up someone like Woo-Moon, whopletely eclipsed them in terms of strength.


    ¡°Good. Your registration isplete. There¡¯ll be a brief qualification screening after the luncheon, so please make sure toe on time.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Afterpleting his registration, Woo-Moon went outside.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s still some time until lunch.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon immediately left the North Sea Ice Pce and ran through the endless fields of snow.


    <i>¡®Considering the position of the sun and where the pce is...¡¯</i>


    He had learned how to figure out his position by looking at the sky from the vigers he had met on the way to find the North Sea Ice Pce.


    <i>Huff!!</i>


    Eun-Ah, who had been y-hunting somewhere in the snowy field, came running.


    ¡°You little rascal. Are you having a good time?¡±


    <i>Grrrr.</i>


    Eun-Ah still hadn¡¯t reached a level of strength where she could keep up with Woo-Moon if he were to use his movement technique to its greatest extent. However, that didn¡¯t mean she was slow. Her running speed was only slightly slower than Woo-Moon¡¯s, so even if Woo-Moon had to slow down to match her pace, the speed at which they ran was still incredible.


    Even though they crossed such a vast expanse, they were going so fast that normal people couldn¡¯t even see anything other than a fleeting shadow.


    Eventually, Woo-Moon stopped in front of a bustling city.


    ¡°Good. This should be enough.¡±


    Woo-Moon had left the North Sea Ice Pce and arrived at the nearest town in a ridiculously short time. Forget about the ordinary humans; even those of the <i>murim</i> would be absolutely bbergasted if they were to see how quickly they had arrived.


    Woo-Moon went into the town and gestured to a little attendant who was soliciting customers in front of an inn.


    ¡°Little one, I have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°What is it? You can ask me if you¡¯ll give me money. Otherwise, please continue on.¡±


    The child seemed so business-savvy that it was hard to believe how young he was. Considering how smart his answer was, Woo-Moon felt as though they would give him an eptable answer.


    Woo-Moon took a silver tael out from his sleeve and ced it in the attendant¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Hehe, please, ask me whatever you want!¡±


    ¡°What, is that all?¡±


    ¡°O-of course not. Hehehe, I have my own pride when ites to business. I¡¯ll even guide you there, too!¡±


    "Good. Then, take me to a clothing store that sells the prettiest and most expensive women¡¯s clothes.¡±


    ¡°The most expensive and prettiest? I know just the ce! Please follow me.¡±


    The little attendant went inside the inn, spoke to the owner, and handed her some coins beforeing out.


    Considering that Woo-Moon had given him an entire silver tael, the attendant found that it was a reasonable business expense to pay a few coins in exchange for some time off


    The clothing store that the attendant guided Woo-Moon to was located at the center of the main street, selling a variety of luxurious silks and clothes so extravagant that the asional passerby stopped and gaped at the prices.


    The shop owner, a rather skinny middle-aged man, came out from the back of the store. ¡°Wee, wee! Sir, what might you be looking for?¡±


    ¡°I want to buy some gifts for my sisters, but I wasn¡¯t sure where to find something good.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re looking for something good, you¡¯vee to the right ce! Would you like to take a look right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    The owner went to the back of the store again and came out with an assortment of clothes to show him.


    Then, Woo-Moon drew a gold tael out from his sleeve.


    ¡°As long as my sisters are satisfied with what I get here, then I would like to continue buying clothes here in the future. But I wonder if they really would be satisfied with what I buy here, considering they have pretty expensive taste and already have many luxurious tailor-made clothes...¡±


    The owner¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw Woo-Moon''s gold tael and he immediately put down the clothes he was holding.


    ¡°Hoho, I seem to have forgotten some other clothes. I¡¯ll go bring them all out.¡±


    The owner had recently purchased some clothes from the capital at a high cost, only wanting to bring them out and show clients whom he could sell to at an expensive price.


    The clothes he brought out next were a vest and a woman¡¯s outer robes that looked like a set. They were made with the utmost care by an artisan of the highest skill. The robes were precious silk and the vest was made of the finest sable fur.


    Although Woo-Moon didn¡¯t know much about clothes, he could immediately tell that they were quality items when he saw them. Moreover, he could see the owner¡¯s eyes full of confidence and pride.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go with those. I¡¯ll buy those, and this one too. How much is it?¡±


    Although the owner charged an incredibly high price, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t have to worry about money, as he had earned a lot for his service as the leader of the Wind Sword Battalion in the Justice Coalition. Moreover, he had received a lot of money from Si-Hyeon, as he had a share in the Leebi Guild.


    ¡°Actually, now that I¡¯m here, I¡¯d also like to buy some clothes for myself. Do you have any men¡¯s clothes?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do! Please wait just a moment.¡±


    In fact, the owner had bought two matching sets of clothes from the capital, one for a man, and one for a woman. He quickly brought out a set of men¡¯s clothes paired with a matching sable fur vest.


    <i>¡®Not bad.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon came out after buying a total of four sets of clothes to see the little attendant still waiting outside.


    He called out to the boy, handing over another two silver taels.


    ¡°This time, let¡¯s go to a ce that sells essories.¡±


    ¡°The most expensive ones again?¡±


    ¡°The prettiest.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The essories were so expensive that Woo-Moon only bought one of each type.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go to a ce that sells powder.¡±


    ¡°Of course!"


    Considering Yeo-Seol''s skin was incredibly wless and white, there was no need for borate makeup, so he just got her some red blush powder.


    After going around those three stores, Woo-Moon¡¯s purse had also be considerably lighter.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Mr Rich! Don¡¯t forget to call me if you need anything next time, too!¡±


    Considering that Woo-Moon had given the attendant another three taels to take him to buy powder, the boy happily returned to the inn where he worked, his pockets six taels heavier.


    ¡°Then, it''s time for me to go back, too.¡±


    Woo-Moon met up with Eun-Ah outside the town and ran back to the North Sea Ice Pce, finally making his way to Yeo-Seol''s residence.


    ¡°Ah, Young Hero Song! I was wondering where you were.¡±


    Even though it was fake, their Marriage of the Snow Flowers would begin in a little while, leading Yeo-Seol¡¯s face to blush slightly.


    Woo-Moon handed her the bundle he was carrying.


    "What''s this?"


    ¡°A gift. Considering we¡¯ll be attending the Marriage of the Snow Flowers together, I want you to look the part.¡±


    Yeo-Seol¡¯s clothes were the training robes provided to disciples at the North Sea Ice Pce. Not only were they far from being pretty to begin with, but hers were also pretty worn.


    The moment she took the bundle, she immediately realized that it contained clothes, and she was instantly moved.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Young Hero Song...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The two went silent for a moment.


    ¡°I... Young Hero Song, I need to change. Could you please leave for a moment?¡±


    Woo-Moon had been rooted in ce due to seeing how beautiful she was as she blushed, touched by his gesture.


    ¡°Oh, right. You can¡¯t change while I¡¯m here. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll leave quickly.¡±


    Woo-Moon quickly left Yeo-Seol''s room.


    <i>Swish, swish.</i>


    The rustling of the changing clothes tickled his ears.


    <i>¡®Oh no, I don¡¯t have the time to just stand around like this, either.¡¯</i>


    There was only a short time left, and Woo-Moon also had to change his clothes, too. He quickly went to his room, changed his clothes, and came back in front of Yeo-Seol''s door.


    After a while, the door slowly opened, and Yeo-Seol appeared.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Both Woo-Moon and Yeo-Seol forgot how to speak when they saw each other.


    Yeo-Seol was already pretty when she wore her training robes, but with her beautiful new robes and a white, warm-looking sable fur vest, she looked like a fairy. Her precious earrings, ne, and bracelet also shone brightly, further emphasizing her beauty.


    Woo-Moon also looked handsome, for that matter.


    He didn¡¯t look particrly striking in any way, so it was easy for people to gloss over his looks in the beginning. However, as the son of Jin-Jin, who was once prettier than the Three Beauties of the Central ins, Woo-Moon was an extremely handsome man.


    As he stood there, Yeo-Seol thought he was incredibly handsome and dazzling. At the same time, she was both curious and worried about how he saw her.


    ¡°Uh, how do I look? Is... is there something wrong? This is my first time wearing clothes like this.¡±


    Woo-Moon quickly shook his head.


    ¡°Oh, no, nothing of the sort. I was just surprised for a moment because you were so beautiful. There¡¯s not much time left now. Should we go?¡±


    Yeo-Seol wanted to say that she, too, admired Woo-Moon¡¯s figure. However, she was too embarrassed to open her mouth.


    The two headed to the ceremony hall in a somewhat strange atmosphere.


    Neither of them said a word; Woo-Moon walked in front, and Yeo-Seol followed.


    At the ceremony hall, many younger generation talents and beautiful Snow Flowers from all over were already gathered, chatting with each other and sneaking nces at the other candidates.


    <i>¡®At least I look the best,¡¯</i> Yu Cho thought as he smiled to himself.


    Jeong Gyeong was also smiling beside him.


    <i>¡®As expected, it was a good decision to choose Yu Cho. Look at those envious eyes. Ha, girls, don¡¯t you feel bad for yourme fiances?¡¯</i>


    Just as Yu Cho looked absolutely dashing, Jeong Gyeong also shone. Scarce few of the Snow Flowers were her equals in beauty, and none surpassed her.


    Then, one of her disciple sisters sitting next to her remembered something.


    ¡°By the way, I can¡¯t see the junior sister anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Who? Junior Sister? Ahh, you mean that stupid bitch?¡±


    Stupid Bitch. That was the ¡°nickname¡± they used when referring to Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°Kekeke, exactly.¡±


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s probably crying in her room right now. I heard that the attendant they call Song Woo-Moon or whatever didn¡¯t actuallye to participate in the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, but because of some business he had with the Pce Lord.¡±


    ¡°Pfft! To think she even got rejected by that attendant! What a loser.¡±

 Chapter 158. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (4)

    <h4>Chapter 158. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (4)</h4>


    Woo-Moon had asked the Pce Lord for an audience the moment he had arrived, leading to the reason for his arrival spreading through the North Sea Ice Pce.


    After the conversation, he had met with Ha Yeo-Seol and ended up going to the Assistant Department Head to apply for the Marriage of the Snow Flowers alone. No one had witnessed it, which meant no one knew about it yet.


    Just the rumor of the name ¡°Song Woo-Moon¡± caused all of the male talents of the Central ins who had gathered here to pay attention. Naturally, all of them were relieved to hear that he wouldn¡¯t be appearing in the Marriage of the Snow Flowers.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s right, such an incredibly talented person shouldn¡¯t participate in something like this. What a relief.¡¯</i>


    Even if it wasn¡¯t for his official status, whether it was his ability or reputation, Woo-Moon was firmly beyond the level of the younger generation.[1]


    On the other hand, the Snow Flowers were indifferent to the rumors as they didn¡¯t know much about Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Anyway, he...<i> tsk, tsk.</i>¡±


    One of Jeong Gyeong¡¯s junior sisters, Bo Yo-Hyeon, clicked her tongue with a face full of contempt and ridicule.


    While secretly squinting at Yu Cho, she said, ¡°As expected, Young Hero Yu, you really deserve to be the first of the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms. You really are quite outstanding, and your martial skills are powerful.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overpraising me.¡±


    Jeong Gyeong looked at Bo Yo-Hyeon, who was suddenly praising Yu Cho, with wary eyes. ¡°If you say that, then won¡¯t your partner, the Hegemon n¡¯s Young Hero Hae, be disappointed? Young Hero Hae is also incredibly handsome.¡±


    ¡°Hoho, well, that¡¯s true, that¡¯s true. Young Hero Hae is truly an outstanding figure, too. His strength is well-known even within the Hegemon n. Moreover...¡±


    From that point on, there seemed to be no end to Bo Yo-Hyeon¡¯s praise for Hae Yu-Chan. Her earlier praise for Yu Cho had clearly been a ploy in order to show off her chosen candidate.


    As sheuded on and on, another Snow Flower cut her off and praised her own candidate, after which another Snow Flower cut<i> her</i> off...


    This repeated over and over again, with each Snow Flower boasting as if they were fighting over whose candidate was better. Throughout their praise, each girl was busy inspecting the other men andparing them to her own.


    The men were no different.


    While they smiled and pretended to leisurely wait for lunch, they kept secretly looking at each of the Snow Flowers around them,paring them to their own Snow Flower, either disappointed or satisfied with what they saw.


    In a way, almost all of the men and women gathered here were the same¡ªpretending to care for their lovers while looking out of the corner of their eyes at others of the opposite sex.


    While the audience was talking to each other, and their praises andughter were nothing but razor des wrapped in silk, an incredibly majestic-looking man suddenly appeared.


    "Huh?"


    "Who is it?"


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon!¡±


    When Woo-Moon entered the hall, even Yu Cho, who was considered the most handsome of the candidates, lost his shine.


    <i>¡®That bastard! He¡¯s not even supposed to be attending the Marriage of the Snow Flowers; just why is he here?!¡¯</i>


    Feeling a great sense of irritation due to theparisons he was being subjected to, Yu Cho grit his teeth.


    His partner, Jeong Gyeong, also seemed surprised to see Woo-Moon¡¯s cool entrance.


    <i>¡®As expected, your face is the only good part about you, you lowly servant.¡¯</i>


    She, too, was someone who cared highly about appearance. However, due to her great ambition and assumption that she could do much better, she quickly discarded the idea. Noticing that she was no longer receiving any attention now that he was here, she angrily shouted at him.


    ¡°What business do you haveing here when you have nothing to do with this ce? Get out, now!¡±


    The other Snow Flowers were also surprised by Woo-Moon¡¯s appearance. Some of them even fell for him a little and regretted their decisions as they turned to their nowcking lovers.


    Still, even that onlysted for a moment; Jeong Gyeong¡¯s disciple sisters immediately started whispering ill rumors left and right about how he was nothing more than a chore boy and his cultivation was nothing to write home about. He had been strutting through the <i>murim</i> relying on the fact that he was the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor, and now that the Palm Martial Emperor had died, he now had no backer whatsoever.


    The fact that the Palm Martial Emperor had died in the Heavenly Demon Mound was a piece of news so shocking that even people in the remote North Sea Ice Pce had heard all about it.


    <i>¡®I want to kill them all.¡¯</i>


    They seemed to be amused as they whispered about his grandfather¡¯s death.


    Woo-Moon could feel the blood rush to his head. However, he held himself back, biting on his lip to the point blood started to fill his mouth.


    After everything that had happened at the Heavenly Demon Mound, Martial Heaven used the moles they had spread throughout each faction to spread fabricated information.


    They spread rumors that the Heavenly Demon Sect had set a trap for the Palm Martial Emperor, and because of that, the young dragon Woo-Moon, as well as the Palm Martial Emperor, the Night Spear Devil, and the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s family had all been murdered.


    As there was no word from the Heavenly Demon Sect, that rumor had been taken as the truth and spread everywhere.


    Woo-Moon responded coldly to Jeong Gyeong¡¯s words.


    ¡°Why am I here? It''s simple. Because I¡¯m going to attend the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, too.¡±


    He was barely holding himself back, so now that he opened his mouth, the anger he had been suppressing started to seep out.


    Every word was as chilling as the cold wind of the North Sea Ice Pce as bloodlust exuded from his body.


    With his incredible cultivation and bloodlust so palpable that even he couldn¡¯t hold it back, the energy he exuded made all the talents gathered shiver. None of them could believe that this incredible bloodlust was radiating from Woo-Moon.


    The talents of the Central ins were very surprised when they heard that Woo-Moon would also be attending the Marriage of the Snow Flowers.


    If that really was the case, they now had apetitor too strong for them to handle.


    ¡°The Marriage of the Snow Flowers? You? With who? You can¡¯t be...¡±


    As Jeong Gyeong dragged on her words, an ominous premonition befell her. Then, the object of that premonition appeared.


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Suddenly, the room became bright, and the scent of flowers seemed to spread as a dazzlingly shining beauty came in. Yeo-Seol showed none of the shyness she had in front of Woo-Moon as she confidently entered the hall.


    The men in the hall forgot how to breathe.


    <i>¡®T-this, this... this bitch!!¡¯</i>


    Jeong Gyeong was equally stunned by Yeo-Seol¡¯s overwhelming beauty.


    She immediately gritted her teeth.


    Just with Yeo-Seol¡¯s appearance, all of the Snow Flowers in the hall seemed to lose their color.


    Yeo-Seol, who seemed like a goddess, stood right next to Woo-Moon, who did not lose to her in looks. They were like a painter¡¯s masterpiece.


    Not only did the clothes match, as if they were custom made so they could show off at this event, but their appearances alsoplemented each other beautifully, and they caused all of the young candidates and Snow Flowers watching to feel intimidated.


    ¡°H-hmpf! Ha Yeo-Seol, you! How dare you not tell me, your eldest disciple sister, that you were attending the Marriage of the Snow Flowers? You mannerless thing!¡±


    All Yeo-Seol wanted was to stand proudly next to Woo-Moon. Yet she felt crushed as Jeong Gyeong, who had been bullying her since she was a child, berated her angrily. She was so scared that she couldn''t say anything.


    Jeong Gyeong felt a cruel sense of victory when she saw Yeo-Seol dete.


    She turned to the others as if to say that Yeo-Seol was so pathetic that she did not even deserve being addressed directly.


    ¡°Your appearance really is disgusting. And where did you get those clothes? Is it really okay for a disciple of the North Sea Ice Pce to show such extravagance?¡±


    ¡°T-that...¡±


    Yeo-Seol had tears in her eyes. These were precious clothes that Woo-Moon had bought for her...


    Woo-Moon stepped in front of Ye-Seol and blocked Jeong Gyeong''s vicious, snake-like gaze.


    ¡°I bought it for her. Why? Is it really that extravagant for a Battalion Leader of the Justice Coalition to buy clothes for my beloved? What, are you criticizing the Justice Coalition and the Iron Sword Baek Family for unting our wealth right now?¡±


    When she heard the words ¡°my beloved,¡± Yeo-Seol felt the gloom Jeong Gyeong cast over her melt away as she was filled with sweetness and warmth.


    ¡°What? You''re a Battalion Leader within the Justice Coalition?¡±


    Not long ago, she had gone out through the <i>gangho</i> only to hear that Woo-Moon and the Palm Martial Emperor had died. However, as that was the only news going around, she had never heard about his promotion to Wind Sword Squadron leader, or the following promotion of the squadron to battalion.


    Woo-Moon drew the Wind Sword Battalion Leader¡¯s identity que from his sleeve and showed it to everyone.


    ¡°What?! It-it¡¯s real...¡±


    With the proof sitting right in front of her, Jeong Gyeong was unable to say anything.


    The other Snow Flowers also looked at him with surprised gazes. Not only was he handsome, but he also held a high rank as a battalion leader of the Justice Coalition.


    <i>¡®Ha... If only I met that Song Woo-Moon before asking him to attend the Marriage of the Snow Flowers with me...¡¯</i>


    The talents who sat next to the regretful Snow Flowers were also immersed in a sense of defeat and jealousy.


    Of course, there were a few girls here who truly loved their partners and didn¡¯t care about Woo-Moon, but the majority were filled with regret as they looked at theirckingpanions.


    Woo-Moon looked at Jeong Gyeong with a contemptuous gaze.


    ¡°Then, with the clothing issue handled, it seems as though the Eldest Sister has a lot of authority in the North Sea Ice Pce, doesn¡¯t it? I¡¯m sorry, was there a rule that your junior sisters need your permission to attend the Marriage of the Snow Flowers?¡±


    Of course, there wasn¡¯t. Participating in the Marriage of the Snow Flowers and choosing a partner was entirely up to the will of each Snow Flower. No one was allowed to coerce or order them in any way.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So, you can¡¯t answer, then. I guess there isn¡¯t any such rule, after all? Like you said, how disgusting. To think someone like you dares to look down on my beloved Young Lady Ha and spew such nonsense... Have you no shame? Seriously, have you looked at yourself in the mirror in the past couple years?¡±


    Jeong Gyeong paled. To think she had just been insulted by a mere servant, nothing more than a worm!


    She couldn¡¯t bear the shame and drew her sword.


    ¡°You son of a bitch! I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    Yu Cho also couldn''t stand it any longer.


    ¡°Woo-Moon, you¡¯re speaking too harshly!¡±


    At that moment, the bloodlust Woo-Moon had painstakingly suppressed radiated throughout the hall. He stopped holding it back, allowing some of it to manifest.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>¡°Cough, cough!¡±</i>


    Moans erupted from everywhere.


    In everyone¡¯s eyes, Woo-Moon had be bigger than Mount Tai, broader than the sea, deeper than the bottomless pit of hell.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, can you repeat that? You are going to kill me? Do you really think you can do it, Jeong Gyeong?¡±


    Horrified, Jeong Gyeong shook her head¡ªit was the only part of her body that would move, as her limbs were weighed down by the sheer magnitude of Woo-Moon¡¯s aura. This was pure, unadulterated fear!


    Woo-Moon''s cold eyes turned over to Yu Cho.


    ¡°Yu Cho, do you still not know the difference between you and me?¡±


    The immense fear and pressure broke Yu Cho''s pride.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorr...¡±


    Although it was hard for him to open his mouth, and he was unable to finish his sentence properly, everyone could still tell what he was saying.


    With the entire crowd overwhelmed, Woo-Moon turned to look around at the others, who were also frozen in fear.


    At that time, several people came into the hall, and Woo-Moon, who had already sensed their approach in advance, reined in his aura before they came into contact with it.


    ¡°So it¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°Then do things start from now?¡±


    Two young men entered, chatting with each other.


    Suddenly, their eyes met Woo-Moon''s.


    "Huh? W-w-w-w-w-wha...!¡±


    ¡°Is this for real? Hyungnim?!!¡±


    It was Baekri Yeong-Woon and Namgoong Sung.


    The two young men, each holding hands with a beautiful Snow Flower, let out a shout that seemed almost like a squeal as theytched onto Woo-Moon.


    ¡°W-what the hell? Hurry up and get off me! Why are you apes hugging me? <i>E!</i>¡±


    ¡°Hyungnim! <i>Uwahhhhhh!!!!</i> I really thought you were dead!¡±


    ¡°You came back alive! What a relief!¡±


    Baekri Yeong-Woon sobbed loudly, while Namgoong Sung also shed a few tears, his eyes red and bloodshot.


    Seeing their reaction, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t help but be moved.


    ***


    The Hegemon n, Huangshan Branch.


    Si-Hyeon stretched out her bright white hand.


    On either side of her, the two guards who were guarding the main gate of the branch copsed, blood spraying from their necks.


    <i>Ssssss</i>.


    The ck demonic qi flowing from her hand seeped into the main gate.


    <i>Crackle.</i>


    In an instant, the entire gate turned ck as a strange sound rang out.


    ¡°Whew...¡±


    Si-Hyeon blew slightly through her red lips, and the gate turned to powder, scattering in the wind.


    1. Remember, Woo-Moon is technically part of the older generation and is an elder-level figure, even if he¡¯s in his twenties. ?

 Chapter 159. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (5)

    <h4>Chapter 159. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (5)</h4>


    ¡°W-what the hell happened?!¡±


    ¡°The front gate suddenly disappeared!¡± shouted someone who had been on the wall to witness what had just happened.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    ¡°Agh!!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!!!!¡±


    Forty-three Hegemon n members rushed out the destroyed main gate, only to see a beautiful woman standing before them. She looked young and innocent, but at the same time, strangely dangerous.


    Suddenly, ck demonic qi flew out like a whip and strangled them all.


    Si-Hyeon smiled.


    ¡°Die, dogs of Martial Heaven.¡±


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The sound of their throats bursting and blood gushing out to the ground with a gooey stter echoed strangely.


    ¡°A-aagh!!!!!¡±


    Several servants who saw the terrifying scene from inside the estate screamed and ran away.


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±


    ¡°Is this an enemy attack?¡±


    Hegemon n members poured out from each hall.


    ¡°W-what the hell? Just what happened here?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an enemy! We¡¯ve been invaded!¡±


    The first thing the Hegemon n members saw was the miserable deaths of theirrades.


    Filled with rage, they turned to look at Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°What, it''s some girl?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way... was this your work, bitch?¡±


    ¡°No, it can¡¯t be. She doesn¡¯t even look like she has any cultivation. Oi, girl, you must have seen who did it, right? Hurry up and tell us!¡±


    Si-Hyeon smiled, jumping on top of a lion statue ced near the gate and crossing her legs.


    ¡°What the...¡±


    All the Hegemon n members let out shocked gasps. Si-Hyeon¡¯s beauty, which had been difficult to see in the midst of the hazy blood in the air, was finally revealed to the fullest.


    There were many demonic arts that the Heavenly Demon Cult used to seduce and control men. As the Heavenly Demon, Si-Hyeon naturally knew them all.


    ¡°Hehe...¡±


    ¡°I want... I want her.¡±


    Drool dripped from the corners of the roughly two hundred Hegemon n members. Some of them giggled hysterically as if they had lost their minds, while others approached Si-Hyeon, eyes shing with a strange heat.


    Si-Hyeon then opened her mouth.


    ¡°Do you want toe to my side?¡±


    Even her voice was the epitome of captivating!


    ¡°Y-yes, we do!¡±


    Emotions that exceeded one¡¯s limits were akin to poison. Several of them had already copsed, bleeding from their five orifices.


    ¡°Even if you have to die in return?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°Then prove it with your death.¡±


    "Understood!¡±


    In a way, it was spectacr.


    Nearly two hundred warriors simultaneously drew their des and stabbed themselves through the heart.


    <i>Squelch! </i>


    <i>Squelch!!!</i>


    Without giving anyone any time to interfere, two hundred warriorsmitted suicide, cutting through their hearts as fountains of blood burst out everywhere.


    ¡°You demoness!¡±


    With a sharp cry, the Huangshan Branch leader flew at Si-Hyeon. He was clearly a master of the sword, and he was in a state of unity with his sword.


    Si-Hyeon looked over and stretched out a hand, almost as if she was bored.


    <i>Crack, crack, crack!</i>


    In a split second, demonic qi flowed around her body, forming wings. Then, some of the strands came together tightly to block the Branch Leader¡¯s attack.


    ¡°You all stink. What a disgusting smell... the smell of Martial Heaven!¡±


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s voice was filled with bloodlust. A strand of her demonic qi moved and crushed the head of the branch leader.


    ¡°Kill! Kill all the dogs of Martial Heaven!¡±


    As she shouted, the Heavenly Demon cultists, who were fully prepared toy siege to the Hegemon n, responded from all directions.


    ¡°OOOORAH!!!!!¡±


    ¡°THE HEAVENLY DEMON CULT HAS RETURNED!¡±


    ¡°The Heavenly Demon Cult will live forever!¡±


    ¡°The Heavenly Demon descends, all under heaven shall bow!¡±


    Along with shouts of loyalty, ck waves seemed to appear from all directions and wash over the Huangshan Branch of the Hegemon n.


    An intense fire of revenge and hatred burned in Si-Hyeon''s eyes as she watched as whatever remaining Hegemon n members were brutally ughtered.


    Because she hadn¡¯t cultivated her mental discipline like Woo-Moon, she was beginning to be overwhelmed by her desire for revenge.


    ***


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll be able to get this far?¡±


    ¡°What an absurd question! She¡¯ll die way before she gets here.¡±


    ¡°Of course she won¡¯t. To think our four assassin halls have joined forces just to deal with this bitch.... <i>Hmpf</i>.¡±


    ¡°What a disgrace. If she was born a bitch, she should have just stayed home and had cubs.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but didn¡¯t you say she was really pretty? Hehe, what if we don¡¯t kill her, and then...¡±


    Assassins, by their nature, didn¡¯t have much desire for women. Their path required more self-control than that of a monk.


    In particr, three of these four assassins had cultivated enough to reach beyond the Special Rank and lead their own assassin organization. Obviously, evenpared to normal assassins, they had much more self-control.


    However, there were ¡°unique¡± people everywhere¡ªlike thest of the assassins to speak, the Hall Leader of the Pure Flower Hall.


    He had been able to be a Special Rank assassin and the head of his own organization <i>despite</i> his promiscuous tendencies. In fact, he lived a wholly perverted and promiscuous lifestyle. This only served as a testament to his skill; the fact that he could keep his head on his shoulders proved that he was no ordinary man.


    Suddenly, the door of the stone chamber opened and a girl entered.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Did you really make it past all of those assassins and traps?¡±


    ¡°H-how are you perfectly fine?¡±


    Through harsh effort, Ma-Ra had absorbed many of the other assassin organizations under the motto of unifying the Assassin Sects! She was the reason why the leaders of the four strongest Assassin Sects had joined together and were waiting in this chamber!


    They had been convinced that even if she was an Absolute Master, she would never be able to escape the traps they hadid out for her.


    They thought to themselves, no matter how strong she was, she was still an assassin... there was no doubt in their minds that she would die. Even more so as they had ordered the Special Rank assassins among their forces to hide here and there, making each trap even more insidious.


    To make matters worse, fearing that wouldn¡¯t have been enough, they had even set up a massive ambush at the end of the hall, mobilizing six hundred assassins.


    <i>¡®So... with all that... how...¡¯</i>


    While three of the hall leaders were in awe of her prowess, the Pure Flower Hall Leader¡¯s eyes narrowed as he stared at Ma-Ra with a greedy gaze.


    <i>¡®S-she¡¯s so beautiful. It¡¯s breathtaking! I¡¯ve never seen such a beauty in my life!¡¯</i>


    Moreover, Ma-Ra was still a young maiden.


    They say that a maiden¡¯s purity has its own charm, but even so, it was almost mind-blowing to imagine what Ma-Ra would look like when she matured and her beauty was in full bloom.


    ¡°I definitely want to make you mine...¡±


    As he spoke, something suddenly flickered from Ma-Ra¡¯s sleeve.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The surprised Pure Flower Hall Leader instinctively swung the dagger in his hand.


    <i>ng! Squelch!</i>


    He tried to deflect the Silver Moon Disc to the side, but the strength behind his dagger simply wasn¡¯t enough. It just barely sufficed to keep it from decapitating him, saving his neck at the price of his left arm.


    ¡°She¡¯s really a Death God!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s either us or her!¡±


    The three other assassin leaders quickly melted into the shadows. At the same time, the Pure Flower Hall Leader also realized he didn¡¯t have the luxury to lust after her and tried to hide in the darkness, gritting his teeth and enduring the pain.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The sound of hidden weapons hitting each other echoed in the empty stone chamber.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    One of the assassin leaders appeared with a scream and fell to the ground, bleeding. Although it wasn¡¯t a fatal wound, he couldn¡¯t move anymore, as he had a long needle piercing his acupoint.


    Soon after, another assassin leader was pulled to the ground by a thread of Formless Silk wrapped around his neck, and at the same time, another assassin leader appeared with a broken leg.


    Finally, Ma-Ra appeared behind the Pure Flower Hall Leader and mmed a fist into his ribs.


    <i>¡°Cough, cough!¡±</i>


    The Pure Flower Hall Leader fell forward, drool dripping from his mouth as he squirmed in pain.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    A longsword suddenly appeared in Ma-Ra¡¯s hand.


    Possibly because he could feel her bloodlust, the Pure Flower Hall Leader, whose thirst for life was as strong as his thirst for sex, kowtowed at Ma-Ra¡¯s feet and mmed his head into the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you as my lord! Please, just spare me!¡±


    <i>¡®She-she definitely said that she would spare anyone who surrenders. If I stay by her side and pretend to be a good follower, I¡¯ll get a chance to...!¡¯</i>


    Ma-Ra looked down at the Pure Flower Hall Leader with a cold gaze. Her hand slowly descended, and the longsword in her grasp pierced down in turn.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    ¡°What dirty trash. I heard everything.¡±


    As an Absolute Master, she had heard every word of the assassin leaders¡¯ conversation with her excellent hearing.


    The Pure Flower Hall Leader was unable to make any sound as blood filled his pierced lung, and eventually dropped dead.


    Ma-Ra looked at the other assassin leaders with her steely gaze as ck Assassin and her other subordinates streamed in behind her, happy to see the end result.


    ¡°As expected of the Death God!¡±


    ¡°How incredible!¡±


    Ma-Ra had dismantled all the traps and defeated all of the assassins on her own. She had ordered all of her subordinates to just follow from behind without taking any action in order to reduce the damage to her forces.


    ck Assassin proudly proselytized to the defeated leaders.


    ¡°You bastards, wash your ears and listen carefully. Our Lord Death God has single-handedly destroyed all the traps and mechanisms prepared by you cretins!¡±


    "How is that...¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    ck Assassinughed as his voice dropped as low as it could go.


    ¡°It¡¯s over. Kneel before the Death God.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Have you bothe because of the Marriage of the Snow Flowers?¡±


    Namgoong Sung and Baekri Yeong-Woon blushed at Woo-Moon''s question.


    ¡°I happened to meet Young Lady Yeo-Hong while we were both at the Justice Coalition...¡±


    ¡°I also met Young Lady Nak around then, too. Oh, we should introduce you first...¡±


    The two Snow Flowers were the disciples of Ga Seo-Gun, an expert of the highest ranks of the North Sea Ice Pce. They stepped forward and bowed.


    ¡°Hello, my name is Seo Yeo-Hong, and I am Young Hero Namgoong¡¯s partner.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Yeong Hero Baekri¡¯s betrothed, Nak Eun-Mi.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you, sisters-inw. Although they may have some shorings, they¡¯re good guys in their own ways, so please take good care of them.¡±


    As Woo-Moon teased them with a mischievous smile, the elders of the North Sea Ice Pce followed the Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee into the hall.


    ¡°We greet the Pce Lord.¡±


    ¡°We greet the Pce Lord.¡±


    The Snow Flowers all hurried to bow, while the men next to them also made a disy of courtesy.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Just like when Yeo-Seol appeared earlier, the eyes of several men in the room widened and gasps littered the hall.


    It was well known that Pce Lord Ah Hee was around forty. However, she looked as if she had just barely reached her mid twenties.


    Moreover, her beauty wasn¡¯t at all inferior to that of Yeo-Seol.


    Sitting at the head of the table, the Pce Lord turned her gaze to Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®In the end, you chose the Marriage of the Snow Flowers.¡¯</i>


    Her gaze deepened as she continued to look at him.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s an Absolute Master... No, what is this? I can¡¯t believe it...¡¯</i>


    She had been impressed with Woo-Moon the first time she had seen him, recognizing him as an outstanding talent. However, less than two years had passed since then, and Woo-Moon had surpassed every expectation she had of him.


    He was no longer simply an outstanding talent.


    From Ah Hee¡¯s perspective, Woo-Moon had the aura of a grandmaster who was at least at the same level as herself. [1]


    Woo-Moon¡¯s aura was so incredible that Ah Hee couldn¡¯t help but watch him for a while.


    <i>¡®Who did he choose?¡¯</i>


    Her eyes slowly turned to the right.


    <i>¡®What!¡¯</i>


    Her expression, which always seemed as if carved out of ice, finally broke as she let out a surprised gasp.


    The person next to Woo-Moon was Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°Is everything all right?¡± asked the old woman who followed Ah Hee like a shadow.


    Ah Hee quickly regained herposure and nodded so quickly that her surprise seemed almost as if it had been a dream.


    Afterward, Ah Hee stayed silent, and Cha Moon-Yeon, the Vice Pce Lord, announced themencement of the Marriage of the Snow Flowers.


    Then, the most crucial part began¡ªthe exnation of how the Snow Flowers would be ranked.


    It was simple.


    There was an array of gs ced, one in each of the eight cardinal directions and two in the center, spread around the vicinity of North Sea Ice Pce.


    The ranking would be determined by who obtained the most gs.


    1. The term tranted here as ¡°grandmaster¡± literally means a first-generation master, i.e. the founder of a martial arts school. ?

 Chapter 160. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (6)

    <h4>Chapter 160. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (6)</h4>


    Barring murder, there were no limitations on how the participants were allowed to take the gs from theirpetitors. Ambushes, traps, poison, working together with a partner... The list was endless.


    Thepetition portion of the Marriage of the Snow Flowers wouldst one day.


    All they had to do was to pick up their gs and arrive back to the beginning by this time tomorrow.


    It was a method where not only the strengths and weaknesses of thepetitors were being tested but also their resourcefulness and decisiveness.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s start now.¡±


    Although all of the participants had some amount of wariness and probed each other¡¯s weaknesses while they waited, the atmosphere of the group seemed to grow even more intense the moment the start of thepetition was announced.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    One of the pairs suddenly bolted forward, with the rest immediately following, the others worrying about falling behind.


    It would be a disaster if the pair who went first snatched several gs and hid themselves for the time.


    ¡°I might already be losing steam, considering I have topete with you, Hyungnim, but I¡¯ll still try my best.¡±


    ¡°I also want to win for once.¡±


    Namgoong Sung¡¯s and Baekri Yeong-Woon¡¯s eyes sparkled as they said their farewells and proceeded.


    Although the others were getting heated, Woo-Moon was rxed.


    It only made sense that he wouldn¡¯t be flustered.


    He had already reached the Paragon stage, looking down on even the Absolute Master, the Pce Lord of the North Sea Ice Pce Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee, and the other elders. Yes, he went into this knowing that he was on another level aspared to the other talents, but this difference in power was ridiculous.


    The Pce Lord had already realized this as well. Her request for him to join the Marriage of the Snow Flowers hadn¡¯t been because she wanted to test his abilities but because she wanted an excuse to somehow tie Woo-Moon to the North Sea Ice Pce.


    ¡°Shall we head out, then, Young Lady Ha?¡±


    "Yes."


    There was an awkwardness in the air.


    Things felt even more awkward at this moment than when they had met for the first time. The situation between the two was, indeed, somewhat strange<i>.</i> After all, it was a temporary engagement held together only through a contract.


    Woo-Moon wanted to bring the forces of the North Sea Ice Pce to fight the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. So, at least until then, their rtionship would be maintained.


    While he didn¡¯t know if his allied forces would win, if the Cruel Sandstorm Riders were to be defeated, Woo-Moon would break ties with the North Sea Ice Pce, and at that time, Yeo-Seol would also leave her sect, their marriage contract void.


    As the two people left the pce and headed far to the left, running on top of the deep snow, Woo-Moon suddenly stopped.


    Seeing him suddenly stop, Yeo-Seol also stopped and looked at his back with a puzzled gaze.


    <i>Crunch, crunch.</i>


    Woo-Moon dug his feet down into the snow, little by little.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    When he dug himself down to his knees, a suppressed groan burst out from beneath the ground.


    At the same time, the snow on their right exploded and a silver light shed.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    <i>Clink.</i>


    Woo-Moon blocked a sword with his finger.


    The Snow Flower holding the sword turned red as she fell backward, blood spewing from her mouth. The qi Woo-Moon had imbued through the sword had caused her to suffer severe internal injuries.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    As Woo-Moon walked ahead, Yeo-Seol followed behind. It was incredibly reassuring for her to be by his side.


    The Snow Flower copsed and gasped for breath, her qi and blood flow temporarily disrupted due to her internal injuries. Then, she suddenly felt Woo-Moon¡¯s powerful qi dissipate and heal her injuries.


    Woo-Moon had taken care to make sure he didn¡¯t cripple her or harm her too much.


    With her internal injuries recovered, the Snow Flower quickly got up and dug right where Woo-Moon had been standing earlier.


    A young man who had beenpletely buried in the snow was slowly revealed, his body shaking. He was the young master of the Snow Leopard Gate.


    He had been hiding in the snow, waiting for an opportunity to attack Woo-Moon, whom he considered to be his greatest enemy. When Woo-Moon passed by, he would jump out and inflict a severe wound that Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t recover from.


    However, Woo-Moon had noticed him immediately and deliberately used Thousand-Catty Bast while standing right above his head.


    As a result, the young master of the Snow Leopard Gate, the strongest martial force within the North Sea barring the North Sea Ice Pce, suffered serious internal injuries that put pressure on his entire body and would be extremely difficult to heal.


    ¡°You told me we¡¯d be able to handle him with this n, even if he was the great Song Woo-Moon!¡±


    Hearing her harsh rebuke, the Snow Leopard Gate''s young master red at the Snow Flower fiercely.


    ¡°This was your fault! He noticed us because you didn¡¯t suppress your qi well enough!¡±


    As the two fought, ming each other, Woo-Moon continued walking forward and grew closer and closer to the g in the eastern direction.


    In front of him, the tension was nearly palpable as seven sets of young generation talents and their Snow Flowers stood around the g, keeping each other in check.


    As soon as someone took a step toward the g, everyone else would focus on them, leading to each pair just watching, unable to even think about approaching the g.


    ¡°It¡¯s Song Woo-Moon!¡±


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    In the midst of this situation, Woo-Moon¡¯s appearance had be a great variable.


    Although everyone¡¯s attention was focused on him, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t care whatsoever and just continued to walk forward.


    <i>¡®Ugh! Should we attack him?¡¯</i>


    So Mu-Yong, the fourth young master of the Hegemon n, strengthened his grip on his saber as Woo-Moon passed by him.


    However, things didn¡¯t work out like he thought they would.


    He was sure that he had just swung his sword, severed Woo-Moon¡¯s arm, dashed forward, snatched the g, and then tried to run.


    However....


    Strangely, he was still there. He had not even taken a single step forward, much less attacked Woo-Moon and taken the g.


    He was facing the often-mentioned gap¡ªthe gap between desire and reality.


    As Woo-Moon walked by him, his backpletely open and defenseless, So Mu-Yong¡¯s desire to attack grew.


    <i>¡®Cut him down! I can cut him down!¡¯</i>


    However... just like before, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it.


    Although Woo-Moon looked as defenseless as a baby, his saber just wouldn¡¯t move.


    Cold sweat flowed down his back, and his entire body grew damp.


    Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t emitting any sort of aura or momentum at the moment. Nevertheless, he had already transcended the Absolute wall and he had zero gaps in his defense, even in this casual movement.


    Woo-Moon walked slowly forward and took the g.


    ¡°You dare!¡±


    ¡°Put the g down!¡±


    The seven pairs could no longer just stand around and watch, kicking off the ground at the same time and rushing him.


    A saber coated in hegemon aura swung down, while four white palmsshed forward using the Divine Frozen Soul Palm.


    All of a sudden, fourteen attacks were aimed at a single Woo-Moon!


    Regardless of how far they were from Woo-Moon, all of them had been sweating profusely, just like So Mu-Yong. However, with Woo-Moon picking up the g, they couldn¡¯t hold back any longer, and theirbined attack was truly terrifying, as all of them struck with as much power as they could muster.


    Even Yeo-Seol, whose faith in Woo-Moon was greater than anyone else¡¯s, gasped as she watched with an anxious gaze as the attacks came from all directions.


    However, she was soon relieved as she saw Woo-Moon still unfazed.


    Woo-Moon raised his right foot.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    His foot hit the snow hard.


    <i>Crack, crack, crack!!</i>


    The snow rose upward, forming a veil around him.


    All of the attacksnded on the barrier of snow, not a single one able to prate through it.


    Rather...


    ¡°Ugh!!¡±


    A scream rang out and at the same time, everyone dropped their weapons.


    In the blink of an eye, Woo-Moon let out twenty-eight sts of finger qi and hit each of the fourteen on the acupoints of both shoulders, paralyzing their arms.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Young Lady Ha.¡±


    As Yeo-Seol looked at him in surprise, Woo-Moon walked northeast to get the next g.


    On the other hand, So Mu-Yong watched Woo-Moon¡¯s back, his eyes filled with astonishment.


    <i>¡®He just single-handedly blocked the attacks of all fourteen of us and urately pressed our acupoints at a speed we couldn¡¯t even see?!!!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon had just done something truly absurd.


    <i>¡®Even if my father was here... could he have done something like that? Did he really just take us down so easily?¡¯</i>


    There were two other ces beyond the central g area where the same situation had urred, with no one able to take the g under everyone else¡¯s watch. As for the other five gs, they had already been imed.


    Woo-Moon was able to recover the other two gs in the same manner, leaving him and Yeo-Seol with a total of three gs.


    ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll have to take the rest from the others.¡±


    For some reason, Yeo-Seol''s face looked dark and gloomy.


    She had been extremely ecstatic when Woo-Moon had shown such incredible skills, as if she had been the one to do so herself. However, she quickly became so depressed that she was on the verge of tears.


    She feltpletely inadequate.


    Her skills were simr to or even greater than those of Jeong Gyeong, the strongest among the Snow Flowers. That in itself was impressive.


    However, that was all it was: impressive.


    Even the strongest of the Snow Flowers couldn¡¯t hold a candle to Woo-Moon. Of course, unbeknownst to Yeo-Seol, even the Pce Lord couldn¡¯t.


    Moreover, Woo-Moon was an elder of the Iron Sword Baek Family, the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor, and even a battalion leader of the Justice Coalition.


    <i>¡®Sir Attendant, we¡¯re worlds apart, onpletely different levels.¡¯</i>


    That was why Yeo-Seol¡¯s expression was dark.


    She hadn¡¯t been able to win Woo-Moon¡¯s love because of the remnant feelings Woo-Moon had for Si-Hyeon. But now, on top of that, herck of qualifications and strength made her feel even more inferior.


    She was an orphan of heaven who didn¡¯t even know who her parents were. Moreover, she had even been ostracized by her disciple sisters since young.


    Yeo-Seol wasn¡¯t one to usually feel envious or self-deprecating due to her optimistic personality. However, Woo-Moon¡¯s presence made her feel the weight of hercking qualifications all the more heavily.


    ¡°That makes sense. We¡¯ll have to find them one by one. The first is... it''s over there.¡±


    Woo-Moon had incredible hearing and an even more incredible sense on top of that.


    Although it was hard to find someone of simr cultivation to himself, or even an Absolute Master once the distance grew to a certain point, he could find a younger-generation talent even with his eyes closed and ears plugged. Even more so if said youngsters were fighting among themselves and paid no attention to keeping quiet.


    ¡°Eun-Ah.¡±


    As Woo-Moon spoke softly, the sound of a roar in the distance got closer and closer.


    Soon, a tiger as white as the sparkling snow appeared in front of Woo-Moon and Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°Eeek!¡±


    Even though Yeo-Seol had seen her once the other day, Eun-Ah¡¯s bestial presence was truly intimidating.


    Normally, no matter how big a tiger or a lion was, the people of the <i>murim</i> generally treated them as insignificant andrgely ignored them or looked down on them.


    It wasn¡¯t that difficult to kill an ordinary tiger or lion for martial artists, even if their cultivation was only at Second ss.


    However, Eun-Ah was different. Even though there were other tigers the same size, the aura she gave off was far different.


    It only made sense, as she was practically an Absolute Master herself.


    ¡°Young Lady Ha, get on.¡±


    ¡°P-pardon? I-is that really okay?¡±


    Yeo-Seol seemed a little frightened by Eun-Ah''s attention.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. She doesn¡¯t attack people who are close to me.¡±


    <i>Huff.</i>


    Eun-Ah cried softly as if to say Woo-Moon was right. As if she was telling Yeo-Seol not to be afraid of her.


    However, even that sounded scary to Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°Now hurry up and get on, Young Lady Ha. From now on, this rascal will protect you.¡±


    Although it hadn¡¯t happened yet, Woo-Moon was cognizant that there might be some among the participants who might focus on Yeo-Seol instead of him and try to use her as a hostage to threaten Woo-Moon.


    On top of simply allowing Yeo-Seol to move morefortably and quickly, it was a good idea for her to ride on Eun-Ah¡¯s back to prevent such incidents.


    ¡°Ah, okay. If you say so, Sir Attendant....¡±


    Out of habit, Yeo-Seol still sometimes called Woo-Moon Sir Attendant instead of Young Hero Song.


    Using her movement technique, Yeo-Seol leaped onto Eun-Ah¡¯s back.


    <i>Huff.</i>


    Yeo-Seol was much lighter and softer than Woo-Moon.


    Eun-Ah seemed to be in a good mood and took a step forward, wrinkling her nose as she smelled Yeo-Seol¡¯s delicate scent.


    ¡°Kya!!¡±


    When Eun-Ah suddenly moved, Yeo-Seol let out a short scream without realizing it.


    However, no matter how flustered she was, she didn¡¯t fall or lose her bnce, as expected of someone who had reached the initial Transcendent stage.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Her flustered face was cute, making Woo-Moon burst intoughter and leading Yeo-Seol to blush.


    ¡°D-don¡¯tugh.¡±

 Chapter 161. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (7)

    <h4>Chapter 161. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (7)</h4>


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m sorry. You were just so cute.¡±


    ¡°S-stop lying...¡±


    Yeo-Seol felt so embarrassed by hearing Woo-Moon call her cute that she wanted to dig a hole and hide her burning face in the dirt.


    ¡°Now, we should move on to the next g.¡±


    Woo-Moon ran forward first, while Eun-Ah followed quickly behind with Yeo-Seol in tow.


    Not long after, they arrived at a scene of eight pairs of young men and Snow Flowers entangled in a violent melee.


    Some of thebatants had already been injured to the point of having to drop out of thepetition, and one couple had copsed due to serious injuries.


    The pairs were so focused on fighting each other that none of them had noticed the arrival of Woo-Moon, Eun-Ah, and Yeo-Seol yet.


    ¡°Eun-Ah,¡± Woo-Moon softly called.


    Their souls linked, Eun-Ah immediately understood and threw her head back.


    <i>ROOAAARRR!!!</i>


    It was the roar of the Silver Tiger!


    Although it wasn¡¯t as pervasive as an Absolute Master''s Absolute Qi, it conveyed a much wilder and more destructive force.


    ¡°Eeek!¡±


    Thebatants all suddenly froze as if they had all been carved out of ice.


    One of thebatants even suffered from her qi reversing course as Eun-Ah¡¯s roar forcefully interrupted her technique, causing her to vomit blood.


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    Woo-Moon suddenly appeared next to someone holding a g.


    ¡°M-my g...!¡± the man shouted, only now waking from the effects of Eun-Ah¡¯s roar.


    However, Woo-Moon was already running with Eun-Ah to find the next g.


    ***


    ¡°You dirty bastards! To think you''d attack together¡±


    ¡°What about it is dirty? There weren''t any rules against joining forces anyway!¡±


    Geon Oh-Yeob, ay disciple of the Mount Zhong Sect, took the g from the grasp of the defeated opponent.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go find the next g.¡±


    Right as he said that, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder.


    ¡°Y-you...!¡±


    Although they weren''t the best of friends, he and the attacker were still close. That was why Geon Oh-Yeob had even joined forces with him in the first ce.


    His attacker was Su Hwi-Cheon, a fellowy disciple of Mount Zhong.


    Thanks to their prior rtionship, the two had joined forces and sessfully attacked one couple who had gotten a g first. But now...


    ¡°I''m sorry. It''s just that we decided that it would be best to guarantee at least one g in our possession first. After all, it would be aplete disaster if we ended up with nothing, right?¡±


    The number of gs obtained in thispetition determined one''s status within the North Sea Ice Pce. In addition, it also affected the martial arts that they would be allowed to learn.


    If a couple wasn''t able to get any gs, they would be forced to start from the bottom.


    Afterpleting the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, each couple had to stay within the North Sea Ice Pce for ten years. Thus, it would be a great waste if one couldn''t get anything during that period, which was why Su Hwi-Cheon had secretly attacked Geon Oh-Yeob from behind.


    After piercing Geon Oh-Yeob¡¯s shoulder and simultaneously striking his acupoints, Su Hwi-Cheon attacked Geon Oh-Yeob''s Snow Flower together with his own Snow Flower, striking at her from both sides.


    Still, not only was Geon Oh-Yeob¡¯s Snow Flower very familiar with the insidious nature of the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, but she had also grown up in the barren and unforgiving North Sea from a young age. Thus, she admirably fought back without a word.


    However, in the end, she copsed with both knees cut out from under her.


    "Good, good. We''ve gotten the first one, at least. Now, let''s get out of here quickly!¡±


    It was time for Su Hwi-Cheon and his partner to flee and avoid the otherpetitors.


    <i>Growl... </i>


    ¡°W-what the hell? Is that a white tiger?¡±


    Suddenly, Eun-Ah blocked Su Hwi-Cheon''s path. Her red eyes shed as she swung her front paw.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    As she had already been warned not to kill anyone, she didn''t use her ws, but rather just smacked him.


    Su Hwi-Cheon''s sword waspletely crushed and he spewed red blood and white teeth, spinning dozens of times in the air beforending in the snow.


    "Ah... Ah...¡±


    At the end of the day, a wild beast was still a wild beast.


    Although the people of the <i>murim</i> viewed tigers as nothing special, even they would be terrified if all tigers showed the overwhelming power Eun-Ah had shown now.


    <i>Growl. </i>


    Eun-Ah let out a low, menacing cry as she red at Su Hwi-Cheon''s partner, the Snow Flower Bang Min-Yeon.


    The moment she met Eun-Ah¡¯s eyes, Bang Min-Yeon felt goosebumps cascade down her body as she found herself unable to move.


    Woo-Moon walked over to the stunned Su Hwi-Cheon and snatched the g out of his hand.


    <i>Crack!!!</i>


    Su Hwi-Cheon must have been truly obsessed with obtaining a g. Even in his unconscious state, he was holding onto the g so tightly that Woo-Moon was forced to break all of his fingers in order to take it.


    ¡°Aaaah!¡±


    Su Hwi-Cheon had fainted from Eun-Ah¡¯s strike, but the pain woke him up.


    All he could feel was the simultaneous pain radiating from his mouth and hand! That said, the paining from his mouth was much worse.


    ¡°If, ip...¡±


    He tried to say ¡°it hurts.¡± However, he found himself unable to pronounce anything. Naturally, after being hit by Eun-Ah, not only was his cheek split open, but all of his teeth had been knocked out.


    Unless he was able to reach the Absolute realm and undergoplete metamorphosis, he would never be able to speak properly again.


    ¡°And that makes five. Let''s go get the others.¡±


    Leaving Su Hwi-Cheon and Bang Min-Yeon behind, Woo-Moon followed the traces he felt from the other g holders.


    After that, he took a g from two couples who had hidden themselves after finding a g. Before he knew it, Woo-Moon already had seven gs in his hands.


    <i>¡®Now, we''re in first ce.¡¯</i>


    There were only ten gs in total. Of course, Woo-Moon and Yeo-Seol were currently in first ce.


    One of the other g holders had fled far into the distance and hidden himself. However, not even that had been enough to avoid the tracking skills of Woo-Moon, who had learned tracking arts directly from Ma-Ra.


    ***


    ¡°Damned bastard!¡±


    So Mu-Yong gritted his teeth.


    He hadn''t been concerned about the Marriage of the Snow Flowers at first. Even if he were to be generous, the only possible threat he could think of was Yu Cho of the Mount Hua Sect.


    Even so, he didn¡¯t think that he would lose. He was confident that as a member of the Evil Faction, if this was a fair spar and not the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, he would be able to beat all of the Righteous Faction bastards.


    However, Song Woo-Moon just fucking <i>had </i>to appear out of nowhere. He was an expert that the likes of Yu Cho truly couldn''t bepared to.


    An Absolute expert.


    <i>¡®That bastard. That dog bastard! Song Woo-Moon... you bastard! To think you''ve reached the Absolute stage... and we¡¯re the same age!¡¯</i>


    So Mu-Yong gritted his teeth. He refused to acknowledge Woo-Moon.


    If nothing else but for his pride, he<i> had</i> to beat Woo-Moon. That was why he had taken it upon himself to recruit others.


    At a road that had to be crossed if one wanted to return to the North Sea Ice Pce, he had gathered arge number of people to fight Woo-Moon.


    Everyone in thepetition except for Baekri Yeong-Woon, Namgoong Sung, and those already beaten up by Woo-Moon, was gathered here. Every single one of them felt a great sense of crisis due to Woo-Moon¡¯s incredible strength and the fact that he had already gathered five gs.[1]


    The sense of crisis was so high that even though the gathering was being led by someone from the Evil Faction, Yu Cho and the other youngsters of the Righteous Faction had still joined.


    <i>That</i> was how much Woo-Moon worried them.


    <i>¡®No matter how strong that bastard is... even if he really is an Absolute Master, he can''t beat all of us together.¡¯</i>


    Even if Woo-Moon really was an Absolute Master, So Mun-Yong didn''t believe that his cultivation could have been stabilized already.


    A fresh Absolute Master could be dealt with through thebined force of ten Transcendent ss experts.


    Among those gathered here now, there were only seven Transcendent ss experts. However, there were also close to a hundred Peak ss martial artists. It was worth trying.


    Everyone''s eyes met, each nodding one by one and confirming that they all felt the same way.


    Public enemy number one, Woo-Moon!


    Every single one of the remainingpetitors, except for Baekri Yeong-Woon and Namgoong Sung, had joined the alliance.


    There were sixty-four Snow Flowers remaining, andbined with their partners, the alliance had a total of one hundred and twenty-eight members.


    People of the Hegemon n, the Justice Coalition, and various sects across the <i>murim</i> were all gathered together, putting their grudges aside and joining forces to deal with their public enemy number one.


    A short timeter, roughly thirty people appeared in front of the slowly walking Woo-Moon and Yeo-Seol.


    They were the Alliance For Eradicating Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Woo-Moon! You have five gs, right? Hand them over right now!¡±


    Right as those words were shouted, thirty more people arrived on each of the three remaining sides, trapping them in.


    ¡°Hoho, so you¡¯ve surrounded us.¡±


    Yu Cho responded with a cold smile, ¡°You can¡¯t run anywhere, so just hand over the gs.¡±


    ¡°Run? Haha. So you surrounded us because you were afraid we would run away. What a waste of effort.¡±


    ¡°A waste of effort?¡±


    ¡°Well, a tiger doesn¡¯t run away just because some random wild cats start strutting around. But, by the way, this is really impressive. You¡¯re nning on attacking me with all of these younger generation talents at the same time, right? Everyone has to have their own pride, though... Getting them all together was pretty impressive.¡±


    As Woo-Moon spoke, shame appeared on the faces of those surrounding Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Shut your dirty mouth. There¡¯s nothing else to talk about. Attack!¡±


    With Yu Cho¡¯s shout, those surrounding Woo-Moon attacked at the same time.


    However, their bodies froze before they could reach Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    <i>¡°Cough, cough!¡±</i>


    Before they knew it, Woo-Moon¡¯s aura had encroached on the entire area.


    None of them could withstand it.


    <i>¡®I-I can¡¯t move...¡¯</i>


    Under the tremendous pressure, So Mu-Yong was reminded of a scene he had seen when he was young: an insect whose entire body was wrapped in a spider¡¯s web, unable to move whatsoever and just waiting to die.


    As that scene flickered before him, he was filled with an overwhelming despair.


    He was no different from that bug.


    However, in an instant, the terrifying pressure disappeared.


    <i>¡°Huff, huff...¡±</i>


    The gasps of everyone struggling to breathe filled the air.


    They were only able to do so because Woo-Moon had restrained his aura.


    ¡°Well, if you want to attack me, then this is your chance. This way, none of you can say anything after.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s words were incredibly arrogant.


    However, none of them could move, regardless of whether or not Woo-Moon was pressuring them.


    What Woo-Moon had just done was seared in their brain with a red-hot needle.


    Fear, pure fear.


    Even if they fought, there was no way for them to win.


    In the midst of the crowd¡¯s despair, there was one person who actually overcame it and attacked Woo-Moon.


    ¡°AHHHHHH!!!!¡±


    Jeong Gyeong.


    The hatred for Woo-Moon and jealousy for Yeo-Seol had fully suppressed her fear.


    Seeing her ¡°courage,¡± the others soon followed suit and rushed Woo-Moon as well. After all, the most difficult part of anything was the beginning.


    After looking at them for a moment with a cold gaze, Woo-Moon kicked the ground.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    The snow around them was incredibly light and soft.


    However, as Woo-Moon kicked it, it turned harder than steel. It flew faster than any hidden weapon, hitting the four people running at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Agh!!!!¡±


    Ribs broke and blood spurted from four mouths.


    It was such an absurd situation that people were sure tough if the scene was described to them and chalk it up to an overexaggerated rumor.


    However, Woo-Moon had made such an impossible feat happen.


    Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just against any ordinary humans, but against fighters who had reached the Peak ss.


    With a single move, he had dealt with four people.


    Afterward, roughly twenty people rushed toward him and attempted to attack him.


    Woo-Moon took a step forward, his right foot twisting as if he was about to spin, and drew Inkde.


    The ck Inkde stood out in vivid contrast with the pure white snow field.


    <i>Swish! Swiiiish!!!!</i>


    Woo-Moon made one single revolution as he struck the air twenty times.


    As if time had stopped, everyone around him stopped moving.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    <i>¡°Cough, cough!¡±</i>


    All twenty people froze like statues, stuck mid-stride. Woo-Moon¡¯s sword attacks had hit their acupoints.


    Still, there were a hundred and four people left.


    When Woo-Moon stretched out his hand toward the ground, all the snow around him flew out and condensed to form a long ice club.


    The young men and Snow Flowers opened their mouths in surprise at the sight as Woo-Moon reinforced the ice club with an appropriate amount of qi and swung it wide.


    <i>Thwack, thwack, thwack!</i>


    He had adjusted his strength to the point where he wouldn¡¯t break any bones but inflict some internal injuries.


    ¡°Ugh!!!¡±


    ¡°H-how is this possible?!!! Agk!!¡±


    Both those stuck with their acupoints locked and those behind them were hit by the ice club and sent rolling on the ground.


    ¡°BLERGHHHH!!¡±


    The sound of blood being vomited echoed from everywhere.


    1. No one knows he''s gotten the gs of the hidden pairs. ?

 Chapter 162. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (8)

    <h4>Chapter 162. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (8)</h4>


    They all looked at Woo-Moon with disbelief and astonishment.


    Not even an Absolute Master would be able to deal with them this easily.


    Disabling someone was much more difficult than killing them. However, Woo-Moon had been able to disable them all so easily. Not only had he struck the acupoints of twenty people at the same time, but he had done so using his sword rather than his fingers, and without causing them injuries.


    On top of it all, he had gathered the snow around him, condensed it into a single club of ice, and swept them all away in a single blow.


    His martial skills were beyond imagination; they showed these youngsters a heaven beyond the heavens, making them lose any thoughts of fighting back or retaliating.


    Yu Cho knelt down without realizing it.


    <i>¡°Gasp... gasp.¡±</i>


    Before, he had thought, <i>¡®I can still catch up to him if I try hard enough. I can still beat him if I do whatever it takes.¡¯</i>


    Until now, he had really believed it.


    But not anymore.


    He realized it now. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he struggled, he could never beat Song Woo-Moon.


    Even his master, the Sword Emperor, wouldn¡¯t be able to disy such skills.


    By this point, Yu Cho just considered Woo-Moon as a person from another world. What point was there in taking revenge on someone like that?


    It was the same for So Mu-Yong and the others.


    Woo-Moon stretched out his hand, and the gs held by Yu Cho and a Snow Flower in the distance flew into the air and fell into his grasp. With this, he had nine gs.


    ¡°Young Lady Ha, we should go now.¡±


    ¡°Pardon? Ah, okay...¡±


    Yeo-Seol was dizzy after seeing Woo-Moon''s unfathomable martial skills, while all of the other Snow Flowers looked at Yeo-Seol''s back with eyes full of jealousy and envy.


    Now, none of them would be able to ignore Yeo-Seol anymore. Rather, they would have to pay attention to her and act deferential.


    Yeo-Seol would rise to an important position at the North Sea Ice Pce, and the unfathomable master named Song Woo-Moon would protect her as her husband.


    ¡°We¡¯re screwed,¡± a Snow Flower said resignedly.


    <i>Crack!!!</i>


    Jeong Gyeong ground her teeth, biting down so hard that several of her teeth broke into splinters.


    She didn''t even realize that. The feeling of defeat, humiliation, and anger at having lost to Yeo-Seol just swirled in her mind.


    However, she, too, could never dare to take her revenge on Woo-Moon.


    ***


    As Woo-Moon, Eun-ah, and Yeo-Seol walked toward the North Sea Ice Pce, four men and women blocked their path. It was Namgoong Sung, Baekri Yeong-Woon, and their partners.


    ¡°Hyungnim, this is a challenge.¡±


    ¡°We will be shameless and join forces!¡±


    The two worked perfectly to attack Woo-Moon, the coordination catching him off guard.


    They both knew that they had absolutely no chance of winning one-on-one. That said, that didn''t mean that they had any confidence in winning by attacking together, either. Yet they didn''t want to lose without at least trying.


    Thus, Baekri Yeong-Woon and Namgoong Sung had waited here for Woo-Moon to return from fighting with the others and then quickly attempted to attack him.


    However...


    <i>Shing!</i>


    Namgoong Sung and Baekri Yeong-Woon¡¯s hair spread in the air as the bands they used to tie it were cut and drifted to the ground. Meanwhile, their two Snow Flowers were also paralyzed through an acupoint attack.


    Although Woo-Moon didn¡¯t strike his friends¡¯ acupoints, Baekri Yeong-Woon and Namgoong Sung both stopped in ce.


    ¡°Ha...¡± Baekri Yeong-Woon sighed as Namgoong Sung shook his head with a bitter smile.


    ¡°Well, it seems like the gap has widened even further. Just how much stronger have you gotten?¡±


    It was truly astounding. When they had first met Woo-Moon, he had been extremely strong. However, now... he was an entirely different person.


    The four of them had given up their pride and decided to conduct a joint surprise attack on Woo-Moon immediately after he had just fought over a hundred of their peers.


    However, not even that had done them any good.


    It was clear. The abilities of the younger generation were simply inconsequential in front of Woo-Moon.


    ¡°You¡¯re still young. You have a lot of time in the future. If you work harder, you¡¯ll be strong, too.¡±


    Although Woo-Moon had said that tofort them, it seemed to do the opposite as Namgoong Sung and Baekri Yeong-Woon just sighed.


    ¡°You¡¯re also young, Hyungnim. You¡¯re only two years older than us. We don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be as strong as you in two years...¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    It seemed as though he should say something else tofort them. However, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t think of anything else that he could say.


    The two swordsmen felt their state of mind start to crumble.


    No matter what they did, they couldn¡¯t keep up with Woo-Moon. The gap just continued to widen further and further.


    At that time, Nak Eun-Mi, who had always quietly apanied Baekri Yeong-Woon, suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°Young Hero Song is Young Hero Song, and you are you. There¡¯s no need for you topare yourself to him and suffer. The path of the sword is a path meant to be walked alone, anyway. Your sword is different from the sword of Young Master Song. If you quietly follow the path of the sword, you¡¯ll eventually see its end. Even if you feel like a turtle, even if it feels like every step takes an eternity, keep walking till you reach the end.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Baekri Yeong-Woon and Namgoong Sung eximed simultaneously at Nak Eun-mi¡¯s words.


    Although she had only spoken up tofort the suffering Baekri Yeong-Woon, at this very moment, both youngsters came to a great realization.


    ¡°The path of the sword is a path meant to be walked alone... my path. My Sword Dao,¡± Baekri Yeong-Woon muttered before suddenly grabbing Nak Eun-Mi''s hand firmly.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Young Lady Nak. You¡¯ve taught me an incredible lesson.¡±


    Nak Eun-Mi¡¯s cheeks turned red.


    ¡°It was nothing. I just...¡±


    Namgoong Sung also spoke as he cupped his fist at Nak Eun-Mi.


    ¡°Thank you, Young Lady Nak. You¡¯ve given me a great boon.¡±


    Looking at that scene, Woo-Moon smiled. Both Namgoong Sung and Baekri Yeong-Woon seemed poised to achieve great things in the future.


    He saw that Namgoong Sung had already won a g, while Baekri Yeong-Woon hadn¡¯t found one yet.


    That said, Woo-Moon already knew he was guaranteed first ce anyway. Thus, he pulled a g from his bag and threw it to Baekri Yeong-Woon.


    ¡°Take it. It¡¯s a gift.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡ªbut, hyungnim...!¡±


    Woo-Moon was already on his way with Eun-Ah and Yeo-Seol by the time Baekri Yeong-Woon realized what he had been given.


    ¡°Thank you, hyungnim!¡±


    In the end, all he could do was to shout his thanks.


    ***


    ¡°W-what happened here?¡± Yeo-Seol said, shocked.


    The two guards of the North Sea Ice Pce were lying on the ground before the main gate, their chests cleaved open.


    ¡°I thought something was weird... damn, something must have happened.¡±


    <i>Huff.</i>


    Smelling blood, Eun-Ah cried out softly as Woo-Moon stormed into the North Sea Ice Pce first.


    There were blood stains everywhere and corpses littering the ground.


    Woo-Moon ran alongside Eun-Ah and Yeo-Seol to the back of the pce, where they could hear the sound of fighting.


    ¡°You dirty traitors!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! You¡¯re the grunts of some dirty bitch who gave birth to an outsider¡¯s daughter out of wedlock. And you dare to call us traitors?!¡±


    There were two groups fighting and swearing at each other, both using the same martial techniques. The North Sea Ice Pce''s!


    ¡°Young Lady Ha, do you know who they are?¡±


    Woo-Moon recognized one of the two sides¡ªthose he had met when he had firste to the North Sea Ice Pce. However, he had never seen the other side before, and they also used the techniques of the North Sea Ice Pce. Thus, he found it difficult to make a move without knowing more about them.


    ¡°They¡¯re the traitors! They¡¯re from the same group who tried to kidnap me before.¡±


    Yeo-Seol had almost been kidnapped when she had traveled to the Justice Coalition in the past, something Woo-Moon also remembered clearly.


    His gaze growing cold, Woo-Moon threw out his swords.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    With a sharp sound, the two swords shed through the air and pierced through the North Sea Ice Pce traitors.


    ¡°Ahhh!!!¡±


    ¡°T-this is Sword Control! Who are you?¡±


    Sword Control was something that could only be used by someone who had reached the Absolute stage.


    Thus, the people of the North Sea Ice Pce looked for the perpetrator, only to see a young man they didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Why are you getting involved in the affairs of the North Sea Ice Pce!¡±


    Woo-Moon answered calmly, ¡°Why? Because I¡¯m now a member of the North Sea Ice Pce.¡±


    As the Marriage of the Snow Flowers had begun, Woo-Moon could now be said to be a member of the North Sea Ice Pce.


    Meanwhile, the two swords continued to fly around under his Sword Control and eventually pierced through the shoulders and arms of all of the traitors in the hall.


    Yeo-Seol then grabbed onto Woo-Moon¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Master! Master isn¡¯t here. Could she be in danger? We have to help her!¡±


    During the short time it took Woo-Moon to take out all of the enemies, Yeo-Seol had looked for her master, the Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee. However, she was nowhere to be seen.


    At that time, an elder among the thirty or so people from the North Sea Ice Pce that Woo-Moon had saved came forward.


    ¡°Thank you, Young Hero Song! As she said, the Pce Lord is in danger. Please, help her, Young Hero Song! We¡¯ll go to the other ces and help the pce members.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll go to her aid. Young Lady Ha, please guide me to the Pce Lord¡¯s chambers.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Following Yeo-Seol, Woo-Moon headed to the very center of the North Sea Ice Pce.


    After a short while, he was able to find Ah Hee struggling, surrounded by four women and three men.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    In a surprising fashion,pletely unlike the Pce Lord, Ah Hee was startled by Yeo-Seol''s voice, causing her to look back at Yeo-Seol in surprise for an instant.


    However, that small move revealed an opening.


    <i>ng! Squelch!</i>


    Although Woo-Moon ran like the wind and tried to block the attacks on her behalf, a sword still pierced through her stomach. After all, he was not omnipotent.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    However, the Otherworldly Ice Fairy was still an Absolute Master!!!


    The second she was attacked, she reflexively attacked back and struck the woman who stabbed her.


    ¡°Agh!!!!¡±


    The woman, clearly a Transcendent ss expert, was hit by Ah Hee¡¯s attack, and her entire body was turned into a block of ice, which rolled across the ground before shattering into pieces.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Seeing her Master suffer a fatal wound, Yeo-Seol¡¯s eyes filled with tears.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with them, so please step back for a moment,¡± Woo-Moon said, standing by Ah Hee''s side.


    ¡°Do you think I can¡¯t deal with these pests?¡± Ah Hee spat out viciously while pressing her hand to her stomach to stem her blood loss.


    Woo-Moon shook his head. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I¡¯d just like it if you would step back for now. Do it for the sake of your worried student.¡±


    ¡°Master, are you okay?¡±


    Yeo-Seol hade running, staring at her with worried eyes.


    In her heart, Yeo-Seol wanted to hug her master and support her. However, she found herself unable to, as the fear she held in her heart of her master was still everpresent.


    Woo-Moon looked at the enemies attacking Ah Hee.


    ¡°It looks like they took advantage of the chaos caused by the Marriage of the Snow Flowers to attack.¡±


    Among those who had been attacking Ah Hee, a woman who was also clearly a Transcendent ss expert looked at Woo-Moon with a cold gaze.


    ¡°Seeing how you¡¯re dressed, you seem like an outsider. Instead of meddling and losing your life in vain, you should leave.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s your ce to worry about my life, though. You think you¡¯re strong enough to handle me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you think we¡¯re all that¡¯s here?¡±


    The moment she said that, one of the walls of the Pce Lord¡¯s chamber suddenly copsed and a group of men burst in.


    ¡°Sorry we¡¯rete!¡±


    They were thirty or so, and Woo-Moon could see that the leader of the group was an Absolute Master, while the others were all at the Transcendent stage.


    <i>¡®With that much strength, that¡¯s enough to wipe out most of the sects in the murim in one fell swoop. They must be connected to Martial Heaven. Could they be the Cruel Sandstorm Riders¡¯ troops?¡¯</i>


    When Ah Hee saw them, her expression darkened for a moment, and she red at Cho Woo-Yeon, the woman who was the leader of the traitors.


    ¡°Cho Woo-Yeon! How dare you ally with another force to attack the pce? So you¡¯ve lost what little pride you had left, it seems!¡±


    ¡°Kekeke! Why does that matter in a life-or-death battle? Even if some other forces absorb the North Sea Ice Pce, as long as I survive, nothing will change for me. What do I care?¡±


    Ah Hee bit her lip.


    She knew that Woo-Moon was strong, but there were too many enemies. Moreover, one of the new arrivals was an Absolute Master that she didn¡¯t know if she could defeat even if she was to face him one-on-one.


    <i>¡®What should I do...¡¯</i>

 Chapter 163. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (9)

    <h4>Chapter 163. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (9)</h4>


    As Ah Hee contemted, Cho Woo-Yeon looked between Yeo-Seol and Ah Hee before smiling and baring her teeth.


    ¡°How touching. Now, the bastard bitch and the whore of a mother can die together. To think some bitch who stole the Pce Lord position while breaking the rules of the North Sea Ice Pce went so far as to call us traitors to keep her secret. The hypocrisy is killing me.¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡±


    Ah Hee was in a very precarious state.


    The stab wound almost touched her dantian, causing it to receive an incredible shock. If she were to move too much while in this state, there was a chance that she would suffer irreversible damage.


    However, enraged by Cho Woo-Yeon¡¯s words, she still exploded and unleashed a Divine Frozen Soul Palm.


    Cho Woo-Yeon¡¯s eyes widened in shock when she saw the sheer force of the iing Divine Frozen Soul Palm. She hadn¡¯t realized that Ah Hee still had such power left within her.


    She couldn¡¯t dodge or stop the blow!


    As she closed her eyes, one of the thirty or so men who had barged in earlier rushed over and blocked the palm before punching forward.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    An intense explosion ensued and Ah He took a step back, her face paling even more.


    ¡°Hmph, looks like the Otherworldly Ice Fairy isn¡¯t all that,¡± said Rabid Wolf as he walked toward Ah Hee. He was an Absolute Master, third inmand of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, and the leader of the outside force attacking the North Sea Ice Pce.


    Woo-Moon cut in, blocking his path.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite arrogant for someone who only gained an advantage by attacking a wounded woman.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but you¡¯re dead meat, kid.¡±


    ¡°You ever been smacked by a kid?¡±


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Inkde flew directly at Rabid Wolf, aiming for his throat.


    ¡°Whew!¡±


    Rabid Wolf eximed in admiration of Woo-Moon¡¯s blow as he leisurely dodged backward.


    ¡°Watch your mouth or it might freeze in this weather,¡± Woo-Moonmented.


    Inkde suddenly changed trajectory as if it was alive. It pierced Rabid Wolf¡¯s shoulder, and blood spurted out of the deep wound.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Rabid Wolf had acted all rxed not one second before, but he was now greatly flustered as he looked at Inkde with an expression of disbelief.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    ¡°Me what? How is it my fault that you didn¡¯t bother to check my cultivation and you just thought I was a random kid?¡±


    Woo-Moon made sure to give the sword a good twist, as it was halfway through Rabid Wolf¡¯s shoulder, then pressed down, cutting into his opponent¡¯s ribs and heading toward his heart.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    <i>¡®Fuck, I¡¯m going to die like this!¡¯</i>


    Rabid Wolf held Inkde with one hand while running to the side in the same direction Woo-Moon was directing his sword, preventing it from cutting into his flesh any further.


    ¡°Third Boss!¡±


    ¡°Protect the boss!!¡±


    ¡°Pull back your sword, you dog ass bastard!¡±


    With loud shouts, Rabid Wolf¡¯s men rushed Woo-Moon.


    On the other hand, Woo-Moon, with Rabid Wolf hanging on the tip of his sword, leisurely called out to Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°Young Lady Ha.¡±


    "Y-yes?"


    Yeo-Seol was half out of her mind because of Cho Woo-Yeon''s words.


    ¡°Close your eyes for a moment.¡±


    ¡°U-understood.¡±


    Like an obedient child, Yeo-Seol closed her eyes without even asking why. Then, Woo-Moon used his movement technique to avoid the attacks of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders while carrying Rabid Wolf like a ragged doll.


    Then, he suddenly thrust out a palm.


    <i>¡®What the...!¡¯</i>


    Forcefully stuck to Woo-Moon, Rabid Wolf saw and felt everything Woo-Moon was doing.


    As Woo-Moon moved his palm in a circr motion and pressed forward, the air around his palm waspressed to a horrifying degree, and a terrifying force grew within his hand.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The sound of flesh being torn apart echoed eerily, and blood sttered everywhere.


    Fourteen of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders who had attacked Woo-Moon to save Rabid Wolf died without even having time to scream as the Raging Wind Palm tore them to pieces.


    Rabid Wolf was an Absolute Master, and many of his subordinates, while not at the Absolute stage themselves, had at least reached the peak of the Transcendent stage. Theirbined strength was enough to topple sects¡ªhence why they had been dispatched here. However, even with such power...


    <i>H-he¡¯s a Paragon!¡¯</i>


    It was only now that Rabid Wolf realized his opponent''s true level.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Rabid Wolf''s train of thought was interrupted after just one moment, as Woo-Moon immediately raised his right foot and stomped violently.


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    As the ground split in all directions, Rabid Wolf''s subordinates stumbled.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Before they knew it, Lightsh swam through the air like a nimble fish, piercing the throats of all of the remaining Cruel Sandstorm Riders before returning to Woo-Moon.


    Rabid Wolf was furious.


    Furious with himself, with how helpless he was.


    To think he would be captured by the enemy like this, watching as his subordinates are ughtered. All the while, he allowed himself to be dragged around like a toy, all in the name of surviving!


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    Instead of trying to run, Rabid Wolf shifted his weight forward.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    As he moved, Inkde dug deeper and deeper into his torso, blood pouring out like a fountain.


    However, Rabid Wolf didn''t pay any attention to it whatsoever.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    His fist, covered in blood, swung at Woo-Moon''s chin.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    <i>¡®Damn it!¡¯</i>


    Although there was a loud thud, Rabid Wolf cursed to himself.


    Instead of hitting his target, Woo-Moon¡¯s chin, he had hit his palm instead.


    Still, that wasn''t a bad result in itself, either. He used the rebound force from hitting Woo-Moon¡¯s palm to forcefully push himself back.


    <i>Squelch.</i>


    Finally, he was able to remove Inkde from his shoulder. Now, he had the freedom to move as he pleased.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m close enough now. I just have to take him down, no matter what!¡¯</i>


    Not only had his shoulder been punctured, it had beenpletely shattered, and some of his ribs were broken too. Still, the injury was far from fatal, and he was still in a state where he could use his qi to act in ce of bones and muscles.


    Rabid Wolf had long reached a level where he could create things from empty air and attack opponents using his intangible qi.


    He may have been toyed around by Woo-Moon, but he was still a proud Absolute Master of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. Though his shoulder was well and truly broken, he had no problem moving his arm.


    His right fist struck at Woo-Moon''s sr plexus, and before it evennded, his left fist flew out at Woo-Moon¡¯s face.


    Meanwhile, his feet moved brilliantly, providing him the stability to chain his attacks in session.


    In the blink of an eye, countless attacks rained down on Woo-Moon. Moreover, the power behind each attack wasn''t something that could be ignored, as each fist was imbued with the fist aura of an Absolute Master.


    However, none of Rabid Wolf¡¯s attacks seemed to have any effect.


    Rabid Wolf¡¯s fists and feet did not once make contact with their target. Every time they seemed to get close, Woo-Moon shifted ever so slightly, letting them slide by, and the attacks that did hit something were actually blocked by Woo-Moon''s hands, forearms, or shins.


    The moment he stopped, he would lose. If he slowed down for even a second, he would be counterattacked and killed!


    Instinctively realizing this, Rabid Wolf increased his speed even more and continued to attack indiscriminately.


    ¡°RAGHHHHHH!!¡±


    Rabid Wolf let out a great roar as he continued to barrage Woo-Moon with blows.


    Massive explosions filled the air as shock waves spread out in all directions. The building shook, decorations broke, and the surrounding temperature even began to rise.


    <i>Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!</i>


    <i>Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!</i>


    Rabid Wolf¡¯s attacks seemed as if they wouldst forever. However, his momentum gradually weakened.


    <i>Boom! Boom! Boom... bang... thud.</i>


    <i>¡°Huff...huff...huff...ugh!¡±</i>


    As the shes of light and explosions created by the collisions of aura on aura finally stopped, Rabid Wolf stumbled and coughed up blood.


    This was a side effect of continuing to attack endlessly, gathering up everyst dreg of qi, and going so far as to squeeze his dantian to the point where it was utterly crippled.


    When he proudly sted his way into the hall, he looked as though he was in his early forties, yet he now had wrinkles and age spots on his face. His ck hair had even turned white.


    ¡° To think I would... like this...¡±


    Rabid Wolf was born a member of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders and lived as he wanted until a mysterious organization called Martial Heaven appeared and helped him be the Absolute Master he had always dreamed of.


    However, he had no choice but to stay in hiding for a long time under Martial Heaven''s orders, never getting the opportunity to demonstrate his Absolute-realm power.


    It was only now that, at the direction of Martial Heaven, he had finally been able toe out into the world and disy his dominance over the<i> gangho.</i>


    To think it all ended in vain just like this.


    <i>¡® I''m really going to die here...¡¯</i>


    With only that thought in his mind, Rabid Wolf''s heart stopped.


    Even though Rabid Wolf had attacked relentlessly, until he literally died from exhaustion, Woo-Moon was still unharmed. His sleeves were a little torn and his hair was rather messy, but that was the full extent of the damage he had taken.


    Cho Woo-Yeon and her subordinates were gobsmacked. Rabid Wolf was on par with Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee, so how could he be defeated like this by a mere youngster.


    ¡°J-just who the hell <i>are</i> you?¡±


    News traveled slowly in the frozen North, so even the North Sea Ice Pce was not always up to date with what happened in the Central ins. Cho Woo-Yeon, who had spent the past decade in hiding, had no idea who Woo-Moon was.


    ¡°That¡¯s not important, is it? The important thing is that I could be your enemy.¡±


    Woo-Moon clearly said that he ¡°could¡± be their enemy, expressing that he hadn''t yet made a decision.


    Ah Hee, who was treating her wound, looked at him with a cold gaze.


    ¡°Pce Lord, the ones who attacked you right now were the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, and the ones behind them are Martial Heaven. They must have been nning to use that woman to swallow up the North Sea Ice Pce whole. Do you still n on doing nothing?¡¯


    Although he didn''t say it directly, the implication was painfully clear.


    <i>¡®If you¡¯re dreaming that you can use me and then just sit on the fence, you better wake up.¡¯</i>


    Ah Hee understood his point well enough.


    Moreover, she was boiling with rage toward Martial Heaven and the Cruel Sandstorm Riders now that they had attacked the North Sea Ice Pce directly.


    ¡°You''ve already gone through the Marriage of the Snow Flowers and even took care of this for us. You¡¯re a member of the North Sea Ice Pce, are you not? Yes, I will help you eradicate Martial Heaven.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a wise choice.¡±


    With these words, Woo-Moon slowly walked toward Cho Woo-Yeon and her subordinates.


    ¡°Well, it seems like we¡¯vee to a conclusion. The North Sea Ice Pce¡¯s internal affairs are none of my business, but you just <i>had</i> to join hands with Martial Heaven and therefore you are my enemies.¡±


    This was the first time Cho Woo-Yeon heard the term Martial Heaven. She had just assumed all this time that she was getting help from the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. Well, not that it mattered in any way. The youngster who had easily defeated an Absolute Master, wasing toward her with obvious killing intent.


    ¡°Just a second! Young Master Song, wait a minute!¡± shouted Yeo-Seol.


    When the girl who had seemed frozen solid suddenly stopped Woo-Moon, everyone in the chamber turned to her.


    ¡°What is it, Young Lady Ha?¡±


    Yeo-Seol bit her lip, and then she looked straight at Cho Woo-Yeon.


    ¡°What did you mean by what you said earlier? What did you mean by bastard?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business!¡± Ah Hee cried out sharply.


    Cho Woo-Yeon burst outughing.


    ¡°<i>Kekeke</i>! So, you''re curious about that? You want to know why I called you an illegitimate child?¡±


    <i>¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon suddenly felt that he was about to find out something that did not concern the rest of the world, so he took the initiative to lock everyone inside a soundproof qi barrier.


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business, so don¡¯t pay attention to her! Woo-Moon, kill her right now!¡±


    Hearing Ah Hee¡¯s unusually emotional words, Yeo-Seol, who had always been weak-hearted and feared her master more than anyone else, shook her head and shouted, surprising everyone.


    ¡°No, please don¡¯t! I want to hear her answer! You there, tell me what really happened. What you said about me being the Pce Lord''s illegitimate child... Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Are you disobeying your master¡¯s orders?¡±


    Even in a seriously injured state, Ah Hee exuded a mighty, angry aura. Her Absolute Qi spread out in all directions like a, covering Yeo-Seol.


    However, Yeo-Seol did not back down at all.


    "Please tell me!"


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll answer you. That bitch Ah Hee and I used to be disciple sisters. You knew that, right?¡±

 Chapter 164. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (10)

    <h4>Chapter 164. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (10)</h4>


    "Yes."


    The second Yeo-Seol responded, Ah Hee tried to strike Cho Woo-Yeon with the Divine Frozen Soul Palm. However, Woo-Moon interfered and dissipated the attack midway.


    ¡°Don¡¯t interfere!¡± Ah Hee shouted.


    ¡°The tea has already been spilled. We¡¯ve alreadye this far, and the truth is going toe out eventually. You¡¯re only hurting yourself like this.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s words struck Ah Hee like hammer blows.


    She knew that he was right, though. Just as he said, the tea had already been spilled. Yeo-Seol¡¯s suspicion had already been stirred after hearing Cho Woo-Yeon¡¯s drivel, which meant that even if she was able to stop Cho Woo-Yeon, Yeo-Seol would find out the truth someday.


    Ah Hee stopped trying to interfere as Cho Woo-Yeon continued to speak.


    ¡°My junior sister Ah Hee was always less talented than me. However, Master strangely liked her more than me, leaving me feeling resentful. However, it didn¡¯t matter. Since my cultivation was greater, I always assumed that the Pce Lord position belonged to me.¡±


    By this point, themotion outside had died down. One of the Snow Flowers, who had returned with the other younger generation talents, tried to pass through the soundproof barrier, but Ah Hee kicked her out, telling her not to let anyone in.


    ¡°Then, we held the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, and I met and participated with Nang Gun, winning first ce. Ah Hee, on the other hand, lost her chance to participate in the Marriage of the Snow Flowers as she had no partner. Two months after the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, she was sent off to the Central ins on an errand for the Master.¡±


    Cho Woo-Yeon¡¯s gaze quivered as she talked about Nang Gun, while Ah Hee closed her eyes tightly when her senior sister talked about her leaving for the Central ins.


    ¡°And then... she didn¡¯te back. We all thought that she fled the pce because she¡¯d lost the chance to be Pce Lord. However, she eventually returned after two years. Moreover, her cultivation had also increased, enough to be on par with mine.¡±


    <i>¡®What could have happened to her during those two years?¡¯</i>


    Before he knew it, even Woo-Moon had grown immersed in Cho Woo-Yeon¡¯s story.


    ¡°After a few more months passed, Ah Hee grew so much stronger that she eventually overtook me. A few yearster, Master grew fatally ill as the wounds he had received during the previous war against the Cruel Sandstorm Riders were festering. Around that time, a new disciple was brought to the pce. It was you, Yeo-Seol.¡±


    Cho Woo-Yeon red at Ah Hee with venom in her eyes.


    ¡°Sometime after that, as Master was near death, I happened to pass by her room and heard them talking. Talking about the newly arrived disciple! I heard it all, the fact that she was the bastard child of that bitch Ah Hee, whom everyone assumed was a virgin! And Master even said that Ah Hee should take the Pce Lord position over me, even though I came in first ce in the Marriage of the Snow Flowers! So yes, I nned a rebellion and carried out a revolt as soon as Master died. Hmph, how was I to know that slut was already an Absolute Master? I had no choice but to flee.¡±


    Putting Woo-Moon aside, everything Cho Woo-Yeon had to say was utterly shocking for Yeo-Seol. As it turned out, she was her master¡¯s daughter!


    ¡°Master, is... is she telling the truth?¡±


    Yeo-Seol looked at Ah Hee, her eyes glossed over and pupils trembling.


    This was a fact that Ah Hee had hidden for a very long time, but it wasn¡¯t because she wanted to hide it. Even the frosty Ah Hee couldn¡¯t lie to Yeo-Seol¡¯s direct question, and the maternal love she had hidden inside her heart for all these years was boiling over with a passion.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    In the blink of an eye, Ah Hee moved in front of Yeo-Seol and hugged her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    She apologized over and over.


    Although tears might have brought her relief, Yeo-Seol couldn¡¯t bring herself to shed them.


    She was just confused.


    She had believed herself to be an orphan all her life, knowing Ah Hee only as her master. But... suddenly, her master was supposed to be her mother?


    ¡°It¡¯s quite an impressive tale, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Chuckling to herself, Cho Woo-Yeon continued, ¡°Now, tell me, then. Why did you hide the fact that you had a daughter and pretend you were a virgin? There shouldn¡¯t have been much reason for you to do so, which meant... there was something wrong with the girl¡¯s father, right?¡±


    Hearing these words, Ah Hee pushed Yeo-Seol to the side.


    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡±


    ¡°What on earth could you be hiding? Who is your daughter¡¯s father?¡±


    Ah Hee looked at Cho Woo-Yeon with a cold gaze.


    ¡°You have no right to know. It¡¯s none of your business whether I¡¯m a virgin or a prostitute.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s important for the Pce¡¯s reputation! The woman who gave birth to a fatherless brat became the Pce Lord! Did you think that the outsiders wouldn¡¯tugh at us?!


    ¡°Oh? And you don¡¯t think they wouldugh if they knew someone thirsted for the Pce Lord status so much that she ignored her master¡¯s will and raised a de against her own junior sister?¡±


    If the North Sea Ice Pce was a Taoist or Buddhist Sect, this was an issuerge enough that it could cause the Pce Lord to resign.


    However, the North Sea Ice Pce wasn¡¯t like that; on the contrary, they were so open about their need for children that they even openly held a selection process, appropriately named the Marriage of the Snow Flowers.


    Of course, having an unmarried Pce Lord with a bastard child was something that would be criticized even within the North Sea. However, it wasn¡¯t so shameful that it would jeopardize the Pce Lord¡¯s position.


    Ah Hee had been able to rest and had recovered significantly in the past few minutes. She flicked her hands in the air, and Cho Woo-Yeon and her men all copsed to the ground with their acupoints locked.


    ¡°If you¡¯re really my mother, then please tell me. Who¡¯s my father?¡±


    Ah Hee let out a deep sigh. She seemed to be caught up in great conflict and anguish.


    ¡°He was just a wanderer. We met out of the blue, and... we fell in love, and after having you, we lived together for a while. Eventually, we got into a fight, so I left. I had someone bring you to the Pceter. Then, I found out that he was killed during his travels.¡±


    ¡°Then, why did you keep it a secret? You could have just acknowledged me as your child and raised me from a young age.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. At first, I lied because I was scared of my master. I couldn¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t return because of a man... Later, when I revealed the truth to Master, I was ordered to keep it a secret as I was next in line to inherit the North Sea Ice Pce. If my lies were to be revealed, then there might have been problems in inheriting the pce.¡±


    ¡°Is... is that it? Did you only treat me like a disciple because of that stupid reason?¡±


    Even to Woo-Moon, Ah Hee¡¯s justification for keeping her daughter close while hiding their rtionship was ridiculous, so it made sense that Yeo-Seol would be angry. If anything, he was surprised that she wasn¡¯t causing a scene.


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    While Ah Hee was apologizing, Woo-Moon sent her a voice transmission.


    <i>¡ªTell her the truth. She¡¯s your daughter, not some random child. She has every right to hear the truth from you.</i>


    Ah Hee was shocked as she responded to the voice transmission.


    <i>¡ªI can¡¯t! Even if she mes me for everything, I don¡¯t want to tell her the truth.</i>


    <i>¡ªYou will regret itter.</i>


    <i>¡ªWell...</i>


    Yeo-Seol was overwhelmed, and she finally started to cry.


    The surprise of finding out her master was actually her mother, and the excitement of meeting a parent for the first time, made her cry for a long time. Ah Hee held her through that entire time, but the real reason she had pretended not to know Yeo-Seol and the guilt of lying to her daughter felt like a heavy anvil pressing on her chest.


    Woo-Moon watched the two from the side with a confused expression.


    This scene was a bit strange, in a way.


    Yeo-Seol looked to be in herte teens, while Ah Hee looked as though she was in herte twenties. Any random observer would have assumed that they were sisters.


    <i>¡®Well, Grandpa and I had a massive age difference, but on the outside, we probably looked like siblings, or maybe father and son at most.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon suddenly felt a pain in his heart when he thought about his grandfather.


    ***


    All those who rebelled were imprisoned in an underground prison.


    Now, the North Sea Ice Pce¡¯s biggest headache had been solved. Woo-Moon was somewhat worried that they might spread the story about Ah Hee¡¯s illegitimate child, but in the end, that was her business to deal with.


    Yeo-Seol had cried for a long time before copsing, while Ah Hee calmly organized her confused subordinates.


    Due to the current situation, all events announcing the results of the Marriage of the Snow Flowers were canceled, and only the rankings were posted.


    As expected, the first ce belonged to Woo-Moon and Yeo-Seol, while Jeong Gyeong and Yu Cho just stared at the rankings, more heartbroken and miserable than anyone else.


    Later into the night, Woo-Moon went to the back of the North Sea Ice Pce after receiving a voice transmission from Ah Hee.


    She talked to him in apletely different tone now¡ªowing to both his power and the fact that he had solved a deadly crisis on her behalf.


    ¡°When I left for the Central ins, there was a famous rapist wandering the <i>gangho.</i>¡±


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I had little experience of the <i>gangho¡¯s</i> trickery, and I fell prey to the rapist. However, that bastard didn¡¯t kill me. Driven by revenge, I returned to the North Sea alone. In the process, I found out that I... that I bore the child of the bastard who raped me.¡±


    Her tale was quite a shock to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Cho Woo-Yeon doesn¡¯t know this, but I was always more talented than her. It¡¯s just that didn¡¯t really have any drive to cultivate, and I wasn¡¯t feeling terribly well here. After that happened, though, due to my desire for revenge, my cultivation rapidly increased. About six months after giving birth to Yeo-Seol, I went out to kill that bastard myself... only to find out that it was pointless. When I came out of seclusion, I found out that the Justice Coalition had already killed the bastard. I had spent ever hour of my depression and rage cultivating back then after giving birth to Yeo-Seol, but... Then, I left Yeo-Seol with my rtives as I returned to the Ice Pce.¡±


    Woo-Moon finally understood why Ah Hee insisted on keeping the truth from Yeo-Seol till the very end.


    <i>¡®What an unfortunate fate...¡¯</i>


    Yeo-Seol was Ah Hee¡¯s daughter, but it wasn¡¯t a desired pregnancy, and it wasn¡¯t out of a desired rtionship either. Though she did not hold it against her daughter in the slightest, as the Pce Lord of the North Sea Ice Pce, Ah Hee couldn¡¯t have revealed that her daughter¡¯s father was a rapist.


    No, putting everyone else aside, she couldn¡¯t possibly reveal that to her own daughter. Thus, she just hid it as best as she could.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep your secret.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ah Hee said.


    Then, she smiled.


    It was a motherly, kind smile that Woo-Moon had never seen on her face before.


    <i>¡®The most pitiful person in this entire situation is Lady Ah Hee. She had a daughter through an assault, and although she loves her daughter, she had no choice but to allow herself to be hated because the lie was better than the truth.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious why I¡¯m telling you this secret?¡±


    Woo-Moon slowly shook his head at Ah Hee¡¯s question.


    ¡°People always want to tell someone if they feel as though things are unfair to them.¡±


    Ah Hee smiled faintly.


    ¡°Thank you for understanding me.¡±


    Although she had suffered arge wound to her abdomen, she seemed fine now.


    As an Absolute Master, it was simple to heal such wounds with qi.


    ¡°What do you n to do next? When are we attacking the Cruel Sandstorm Riders?¡±


    ¡°About that... The imperial government will also be joining forces with us when we attack the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. Is that fine?¡±


    Ah Hee frowned slightly. After pondering for a while, she finally nodded her head with a low sigh.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like coborating with the imperial government, but considering the opponents are the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding. The exact date of the attack hasn¡¯t been decided yet. However, we n on attacking immediately after getting the Kunlun Sect to cooperate.¡±


    ¡°Oho, are you nning on involving the Kunlun Sect as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the only way to be on par with our opponents.¡±


    Ah Hee¡¯s eyes shed at this statement.


    ¡°Are you saying it¡¯ll still be difficult for us to deal with them even with your level of martial arts?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There are two members of Martial Heaven stationed within the Cruel Sandstorm Riders with cultivations simr to mine.¡±


    ¡°Ha...¡±


    Ah Hee let out a sigh.


    Deep down, she had already assumed that Woo-Moon was unrivaled. After all, Woo-Moon had shown a much higher cultivation than herself, and she was one of the most powerful even among Absolute Masters.


    However, it was shocking to hear that there were two other people of the same cultivation as Woo-Moon within the Cruel Sandstorm Riders.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we desperately need the help. Moreover...¡±

 Chapter 165. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (11)

    <h4>Chapter 165. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (11)</h4>


    Woo-Moon then told her about Dae-Woong, Jin-Jin, and Gun-Ha. He felt at ease, perhaps because he had heard Ah Hee¡¯s secret just moments earlier.


    ¡°... so I¡¯d like to ask the North Sea Ice Pce for help.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... a middle-aged man with a robust frame, a beautiful middle-aged woman, and a small child. I don¡¯t know about a ce with a lot of people, but in a ce as deste as the North Sea, they would attract attention wherever they go. That said, unfortunately, I haven¡¯t heard anything regarding anyone matching that description yet. I¡¯ll have my subordinates inquire about them. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do everything that I can.¡±


    Woo-Moon bowed his head with deep sincerity.


    ¡°Thank you."


    Suddenly, Ah Hee smiled mischievously.


    ¡°By the way, aren¡¯t you also hiding something, too?¡±


    Although he was shocked, Woo-Moon pretended to be calm.


    ¡°What do you mean? Definitely not.¡±


    Ah Hee burst outughing. Just like her youthful appearance, herugh was as clear as that of a maiden¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯m much more perceptive than I look, and I can clearly see you trying to keep your distance from her. Seeing how you¡¯re acting, I can guess what you¡¯re thinking. You n to leave once you¡¯ve achieved your goal, right?¡±


    As Ah Hee had already noticed this much, Woo-Moon realized he couldn¡¯t keep up the facade any longer.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Does she know?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She said she would leave the North Sea Ice Pce at that time as well.¡±


    ¡°I see, it makes sense. The North Sea Ice Pce isn¡¯t a weing ce for that child.¡±


    Ah Hee''s voice was weak.


    ¡°I have a favor to ask you.¡±


    "What is it?"


    ¡°That child must be in immense pain from the wounds I just opened for her. I know this is a selfish request... but can youfort my daughter? I¡¯m afraid of what that weak child may resort to if you leave her as well. If she were to make the extreme choice...¡±


    The words ¡°extreme choice¡± pierced Woo-Moon¡¯s heart.


    People kept dying around him.


    Woo-Moon had already experienced that loss three times.


    His grandfather.


    His junior sister.


    The Night Spear Devil.


    Two of them weren¡¯t just acquaintances either but loved ones.


    It was said that experience hardens a person. However, for Woo-Moon, the death of someone he loved didn¡¯t harden him whatsoever. No, the more it happened, the weaker his heart became.


    Thus, Woo-Moon was both scared and worried when Ah Hee said that Yeo-Seol might even consider an extreme choice in the end.


    <i>¡®To be born an orphan and live a difficult life, only to find out that the master you held so dear was your real mother... she must have felt betrayed by her mother, who pretended not to know her even though they were right next to one another. If the person she loves says he wouldn¡¯t ept her either... yes, she might really think that way...¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s heart became heavy.


    ¡°I will try my best.¡±


    Although he hadn¡¯t yet decided what he would do, Woo-Moon could at least put Ah Hee at ease by saying he would do his best.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Also, there¡¯s one more important thing I have to tell you.¡±


    "What is it?¡±


    Woo-Moon described every single person he had seen send a homing pigeon from the day he arrived at the North Sea Ice Pce, handing over hand drawn pictures of each person.


    At first, he found it difficult to draw their appearances. However, he tried time and again, erasing and drawing once more, until the drawings seemed reasonably urate to the faces he had in his memories. It didn¡¯t have to be anything overly artistic, after all; as long as they were recognizable, it was good enough.


    Among those who sent the pigeons, there would definitely be moles from Martial Heaven, as well as from other forces. Either way, it was an issue that the North Sea Ice Pce needed to address.


    Ah Hee took the papers Woo-Moon handed over and stored them in her sleeve.


    These papers would lead to a bloody storm in the future.


    With nothing more to say, Woo-Moon gave his farewells and walked to his quarters.


    ¡°Whew...¡±


    With each step forward came another sigh.


    As he wandered about, for some reason, his steps took him not to his quarters but to Yeo-Seol¡¯s.


    ¡°Ahem, hmm...¡±


    Woo-Moon cleared his throat outside the door, and after a few moments, he could hear Yeo-Seol''s voice.


    ¡°Y-young Hero Song?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Young Lady Ha.¡±


    There was a loud rustling sound, and Yeo-Seol opened the door slightly and came out.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Yeo-Seol''s eyes were red. Although she seemed to have wiped her face beforeing out, her eyes were still wet with tears.


    <i>¡®She must have been crying ever since she found out.¡¯</i>


    His heart pounded.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s heart ached as he saw her big eyes weing him with joy, like that of a chick following its mother, even in such a sad time.


    ¡°I came because I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°S-something to tell me?¡±


    Even though he knew that his ns would go astray if he were to continue right now, Woo-Moon still acted impulsively as he was so heartbroken and sorry for what Yeo-Seol was going through.


    ¡°Eek...!¡±


    Woo-Moon tightly hugged Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°It hurts, doesn¡¯t it? I¡¯m really, really sorry. I was too selfish. I don¡¯t dislike you; you know that, right, Young Lady Ha?¡±


    He hadn¡¯t said that hoping for an answer, and whether she understood that point or not, Yeo-Seol just shivered like a bird caught in the rain, not saying anything.


    ¡°I¡¯ll promise you right now. I, Song Woo-Moon, will never leave you.¡±


    <i>Zzzt! Zzzt!!</i>


    Yeo-Seol shivered as if she had been struck by lightning.


    Her entire body went limp, her mind went nk, and something hot filled her entire chest and spread throughout her body.


    Even though she tried to tell herself not to cry again, her eyes started to tear up once more.


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    ¡°No, thank you. Thank you for loving me so much. However, I can¡¯t promise anything else so far because I still haven¡¯t settled everything within me. Is that okay?¡±


    Yeo-Seol nodded vigorously.


    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough. Thank you so much. I-if even you pushed me away... if even you decided to reject me... if you had said you didn¡¯t need me... I really... I... I might...¡±


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t dare to keep on listening.


    ¡°I <i>do</i> need you, Young Lady Ha. I really do. Even now, feeling your warmth makes me feel at ease. When I said I wanted to part waysst time, it wasn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t have any feelings for you. I just needed time to clear my mind.¡±


    Having someone new in your life is easy, but filling in the void when someone leaves is a whole different story.[1]


    After Woo-Moon lost those who were most important to him, he, too, was feeling a great sense of loss and loneliness. After all, he was human, too.


    It was inevitable that Yeo-Seol, who expressed her love for him with such sincerity, would end up upying an important ce in his heart.


    His words just now had been impulsive, but also sincere.


    ***


    Ra-Mi woke up from her slumber.


    For some reason, she felt good today. She felt refreshed, and for some reason, she had a bright smile on her face.


    <i>What¡¯s going on, I wonder?¡¯</i>


    She felt that something was strange, but she couldn¡¯t figure out what exactly it was.


    She opened the window with a ck iron frame that her father, the sect master of the Hainan Sword Sect, had made himself. A salty and cool sea breeze blew in and enveloped her slender body.


    As she stood there in the sea breeze, she was indeed beautiful.


    A beauty with eyelids still heavy, her thick and luscious hair blowing in the wind as she squinted cutely in the morning sunlight.


    Ra Mi had returned to the Hainan Sword Sect immediately after the war against the ck Bull Gang had ended. She nned to rest at home for a while before going out into the <i>gangho</i> again.


    ¡°Hehe~¡±


    Standing by herself, Ra Mi blushed as she let out a cuteugh that didn¡¯t match her mature and sensual appearance.


    <i>¡®Woo-Moon... hehe.¡¯</i>


    Thinking of Woo-Moon made her feel better.


    Sheughed to herself for a moment before suddenly stopping.


    Then, her eyes closed.


    After about an hour, the sleeping beauty opened her eyes again and smiled as she kept thinking of Woo-Moon, almost as if she had never fallen asleep.


    ¡°Ahem. Miya, are you awake?¡±


    Miya.


    That was the nickname the daughter-obsessed, good-for-nothing sect master of the Hainan Sword Sect called Ra Mi. He was famous for pampering his daughter excessively.


    ¡°Yes. Come in, Father.¡±


    Feeling happy just from hearing his daughter¡¯s cute voice, Ra Baek-Do opened the door and entered.


    When he saw his daughter standing there with her hair blowing in the sea breeze, he was filled with admiration and was moved to tears.


    ¡°Oh dear, there really is no fairy that canpare to you. Just whose daughter are you, and why are you so pretty?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my daughter, you good-for-nothing old fart.¡±


    Ra Baek-Do flinched at the cold voice and turned around.


    ¡°Ha... haha... I see you¡¯ve arrived, my dear wife.¡±


    Behind him, a middle-aged beauty that could¡¯ve easily passed for Ra Mi¡¯s sister if not for a few age marks here and there, was looking at him with her eyebrow raised.


    ¡°Ra Mi, someone sent this for you.¡±


    Ra Mi, who had just fallen asleep again, woke up when her mother called out to her.


    ¡°Who...?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find that out when you read it yourself.¡±


    Ra Mi''s mother, Geum Ga-Yeon, was the daughter of the Hainan Province¡¯s Regional Military Commissioner. Because she still had a deep connection with the imperial government, the manual Woo-Moon had asked the princess to deliver had arrived through her.


    ¡°A manual? What sort of manual is this? This isn¡¯t some love letter from some bastard in the imperial government, is it? No, this won¡¯t do. My dear, give it to me! I should take a look at it first.¡±


    As Ra Baek-Do was about to take the manual from Ra Mi¡¯s hand, Geum Ga-Yeon grabbed her husband by the scruff of his neck and dragged him behind her.


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯s still some snotty little kid or something? Stop meddling ande out now!¡±


    ¡°W-well, my dear wife... As a father, I...!¡±


    ¡°How annoying. Fine, I dare you. Keep talking!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ra Baek-Do left with a tearful expression on his face as Ra Mi looked at him with a smile.


    ¡°... Who could have sent this?¡±


    Ra Mi opened the manual and began to read slowly.


    <i>¡®Huh? This... This is from him! He¡¯s really not dead! And... And he didn¡¯t forget his promise to me!¡¯</i>


    Not long after returning to the Hainan Sword Sect, Ra Mi also heard the rumors that Woo-Moon had lost his life at the Heavenly Demon Mound.


    Although she had a feeling that he hadn¡¯t died, she had still been wracked with worry and cried for some time.


    Now, she was naturally ecstatic that Woo-Moon was not only alive but had even written a manual and sent it to her!


    <i>¡®T-this cultivation method is...!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon went through a lot of trial and error while creating the qi cultivation method that would lead Ra Mi to the Absolute realm.


    Then, at some point, he changed his thought process. If sleeping was the problem, then why not make it possible just to cultivate while sleeping?


    Just like he himself had cultivated while in a reverie in front of thendscape painting!


    From that point on, he had changed his methodology, and created the cultivation method in Ra Mi¡¯s hands with such speed that he had even surprised himself.


    <i>¡®Woo-Moon... thank you...!¡¯</i>


    This was a qi cultivation method that could literally be practiced even while sleeping.


    With this, she could definitely cultivate normally. No... If anything, she could cultivate incredibly fast. This method turned her greatest problem into her greatest asset.


    Ra Mi could now see a path to bing an Absolute Master. She had hope.


    ***


    Having achieved his goal, Woo-Moon exited the North Sea Ice Pce, climbed on Eun-Ah''s back, and hurried toward the Kunlun Sect.


    Because Eun-Ah moved so fast, Woo-Moon was able to arrive around Mount Kunlun in an incredibly short amount of time.


    <i>¡®Hmm? What the... Is that blood? What¡¯s this fishy smell?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s developed senses detected the smell of blood and an aura of bloodlust.


    Using his movement technique, Woo-Moon rushed in the direction the scent came from.


    There, he found a vige located on one end of Mount Kunlun.


    As he slowly looked around, he noticed something unusual.


    A girl who looked to be only about fifteen was walking along with the vigers, her face swollen from crying so much.


    Behind them, Woo-Moon could see a boy lying dead on the ground, covered in blood.


    <i>¡®How vicious. So many people struck him so hard that all of his organs ruptured. He was beaten to death... and then beaten some more.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon''s expression turned cold.


    1. This is something rather challenging to trante. It''s an idiom that essentially means to treasure your loved ones when they¡¯re around. Literally ¡°you may not notice howrge an empty seat at the table is when someone newes to sit down, but you¡¯ll definitely notice howrge an empty seat at the table is when someone you love leaves.¡± ?

 Chapter 166. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (12)

    <h4>Chapter 166. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (12)</h4>


    The desire to ughter rose from within him.


    Although there was no such thing as a death that wasn¡¯t miserable or painful in this world, being beaten to death by so many people was truly a wretched and sad urrence.


    How terrifying must it have been for that young man to be beaten to death?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but whoever caused this better pray I never find them.¡±


    First, he wanted to find out what was going on. He caught a young man wandering around, dragged him off to a secluded ce, spread a veil of qi to block any sound, and began to interrogate him.


    ¡°Tell me what happened and you can keep your life.¡±


    As he came face to face with a young man he had never seen before, the young man was about to shout for help. However, his body seemed to freeze as his soul seemed to be crushed by the bloodlust in Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes and the enormous pressure covering his entire body.


    ¡°<i>...U...ugh...</i>¡±


    The young man shivered as if he was facing the King of Hell himself.


    It might have been different if the young man had been a member of the <i>murim</i>, but an ordinary human facing the aura of a Paragon could suffer catastrophic damage. In fact, Woo-Moon could quite literally kill normal people by sheer pressure of his aura, causing their hearts to stop. And with how intense it was now, the young man was not far from dying, and every moment until death would be tremendously painful.


    However, Woo-Moon didn''t care.


    Not only was the young man¡¯s fist covered in bloodstains, but Woo-Moon could feel the bloodlust andtent murderous aura exuding from his body.


    Still, even if he was going to kill him anyway, he had to get an answer first.


    Woo-Moon reined in his aura just enough to allow for the man to answer.


    It was only then that the young man, free from the pressure, finally opened his mouth.


    ¡°I-if I... really tell you, you promise not to kill me, right?¡±


    When Woo-Moon nodded, the young man spoke with a slightly relieved expression.


    ¡°This is a secret... In our vige, we hold a ritual service for our Lord Guardian God once every ten years.¡±


    Woo-Moon had heard stories like this¡ªthat some viges practiced human sacrifices for their gods.


    ¡°So you''re saying that the girl who was being dragged away earlier was a sacrifice?¡±


    Seeing Woo-Moon grow angry, the young man became more thoughtful in his responses.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Sorry? You¡¯re sorry? Who are you saying sorry to?¡±


    The young man spoke with even more fear as he could feel the chill drip from each of Woo-Moon¡¯s words.


    ¡°W-well, I¡¯m apologizing to the God in front of me...¡±


    In the eyes of the young man from the vige, Woo-Moon felt scarier and more enormous than any other being in the world. What else could he be but a god?


    ¡°No, you chose the wrong person to apologize to. The people you should be sorry for are those girls you sacrificed for that ridiculous Guardian God or whatever, and that dead boy over there.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s words took aback the young man.


    ¡°Y-you can¡¯t! You¡¯ll bring catastrophe down on our vige if you speak about the Lord Guardian God like that!¡±


    Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t care less about the catastrophe he may or may not bring upon the vige. In his view, they were all pieces of shit. Hadn¡¯t they all decided to sacrifice their daughters to whatever fucking god?


    <i>¡®Hold on... Are those really their daughters, though? It¡¯s not that hard to go to a poor vige and ¡®rescue¡¯ a little girl.¡¯</i>


    ¡°A catastrophe? Is that catastrophe really that scary?¡±


    The young man nodded his head.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s qi began to circte as he red menacingly at the young man.


    <i>Rumble!!</i>


    The dirt and stones on the ground they stood on¡ªeven the rocks underneath them all rose into the air.


    ¡°<i>Ugh, ahhh!</i>¡±


    Due to the wind Woo-Moon had stirred, even the ground that the man was standing on floated into the air. Countless rocks, ranging from the size of a fist to the size of a head or evenrger, floated between and around both him and the young man.


    <i>Bang! Bang, bang!</i>


    They all exploded one by one.


    Unimaginable things were happening that the young man couldn¡¯t evenprehend.


    ¡°I think you should fear me more than whatever god of yours.¡±


    The piles of dirt and stone that had risen into the air fell back to the ground and, under Woo-Moon¡¯s tremendous pressure, quickly returned to being solid ground.


    The man, whose pants were by now drenched in urine, kowtowed and started begging.


    ¡°P-please spare me! Please, I¡¯m begging you, spare me!¡±


    With tears and snot running down his face, he seemed really naive and pitiful at the same time.


    However, Woo-Moon felt absolutely no sympathy for him.


    <i>¡®If I pity him, then who¡¯s going to pity that dead kid?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon raised his hand and pointed at the boy''s body.


    ¡°Answer me, and you better be honest. Why did that boy die?¡±


    ¡°Well, that is...¡±


    Woo-Moon frowned slightly, but even that slight frown made the young man shit his pants as well. He didn¡¯t wait half a second more before starting to talk.


    ¡°He was an orphan who came to the vige some time ago to do odd jobs. When we tried to offer up a vige girl as a sacrifice to the Lord Guardian God, that brat interfered, saying ugly things like we shouldn¡¯t believe in superstitions...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying he stood forward just for that reason? That¡¯s it? Are you sure he and the girl didn¡¯t have some kind of rtionship?¡±


    The young man flinched.


    Noticing that, Woo-Moon knew he was on the right track.


    ¡°Oh, I see what¡¯s going on. So there were not one but <i>two</i> orphans who came to this damned vige, right? Since the vige needed a sacrifice, and by chance, one of them was a girl, you all happily took them in. Those orphans must have been really grateful, huh?¡±


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t need to wait for confirmation.


    Everything he said was correct; the young man¡¯s reaction was proof enough.


    As he spoke, an uncontroble rage started to rear its head.


    ¡°So, the boy stepped up to protect what, his sister? And so you beat him to death, huh?¡±


    The young man was shocked.


    ¡°N-no, no, I didn¡¯t! I just hit him a few times! The others beat him more than I did!¡±


    <i>Creak.</i>


    Woo-Moon gritted his teeth without realizing it. This bastard was genuinely disgusting. No... Everyone here was an abomination.


    ¡°Fuck off! Go to your home right now and don¡¯te out. Don¡¯t talk about me to anyone. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Understood! If you want, I¡¯ll sew my mouth shut!¡±


    ¡°Shut up and fuck off!¡±


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t even bother to kill him. The young man had already suffered irreparable harm to his soul by this point and would soon wither away.


    Then, Woo-Moon threw both Lightsh and Inkde into the air, still sheathed.


    With a boom, the two swords flew through the air and plunged into a cliff all the way down to their hilts, high enough that no one could reach them.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    As the young man ran to his home, Woo-Moon¡¯s figure flickered and reappeared far off in the distance, right in front of the vigers dragging the young girl.


    ¡°W-Who are you?¡± an old man who looked like the vige chief shouted in surprise.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know who I am. Hand that girl over to me.¡±


    The only way for the vige to reach their Guardian God was by walking up the mountain path.


    However, the road was so narrow that it could barely fit four people side by side. Woo-Moon could easily block the path and keep the entire vige from ascending on his own.


    ¡°So you¡¯re some outsider, then. Why are you interfering in our vige''s affairs?! Get out of the way!¡±


    No matter how small the vige was, a vige chief was still a chief. Thus, there was quite a bit of dignity in the vige chief''s shout.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no one in your vige that can stop this ridiculous farce, so I, an outsider, ought to step in for you. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    If Woo-Moon had a weapon on him, they might have been more alert. However, since that wasn''t the case, they looked down on him.


    ¡°This good-for-nothing pretty boy is really leaving me no choice. If you don¡¯t get out of our sight, I¡¯ll kill you where you stand!¡±


    The more onemitted murder, the more familiar one became with it.


    The people in front of Woo-Moon were rather experienced with murder. In fact, they were <i>extremely</i> experienced for people not belonging to the <i>murim.</i>


    Having forced countless vige girls to their deaths under the pretext of offering them as sacrifices made them ustomed to murder.


    Even if they weren¡¯t the ones taking the girls¡¯ lives directly, their actions were still equivalent to killing them with their own hands, causing them to slowly exude bloodlust and murderous auras.


    That was why they didn¡¯t care about killing the boy earlier and why, even now, they had gone to murder as their first resort without even bothering to talk things through.


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon sighed.


    ¡°How are these bastards any different from the bandits and thieves of the ck Hand? Isn¡¯t it even more vicious to murder the weak and the children in the name of ¡®sacrifice¡¯ as a group, rather than just ughtering as an individual?¡±


    Right at that moment, the girl suddenly pushed away the people surrounding her and rushed toward Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Save me!¡±


    Although she was thin and weak-looking, thanks to her strong will to live, she seeded in pushing through men who were several times stronger than her.


    ¡°Huh? Hey, you bitch¡ª<i>aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh</i>!!!¡±


    Unfortunately for him, one of the men standing near the edge of the path tripped as the girl pushed him and fell down the cliffside, screaming. Naturally, a rock was waiting for him at the bottom, in the perfect position to crack his head open.


    Seeing that, one of the vigers screamed.


    ¡°Ahh! No, Wang-Bo! My son!¡±


    Meanwhile, the girl was shaking as she hid behind Woo-Moon.


    She was clean, wore pretty clothes by the vige standards, and even had some light makeup on. But seeing her dressed so fancily made Woo-Moon¡¯s heart ache even more.


    <i>¡®How scared must she have been, forced to don pretty clothes and put on makeup for her own death?¡¯</i>


    One of the vigers shouted, interrupting Woo-Moon''s thoughts.


    ¡°Give me that bitch, you bastard! How dare you kill my son!!¡±


    He rushed toward Woo-Moon, holding a sickle in one hand.


    <i>¡®So he really intends to swing it.¡¯</i>


    That intention mattered. It meant that he had the will to murder.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Then, the viger really did swing his sickle right at Woo-Moon¡¯s neck.


    Of course, it was easily blocked by Woo-Moon¡¯s two fingers.


    ¡°So, your son is important, but this child isn¡¯t? Did you ever think about how this child¡¯s parents would feel?¡±


    ¡°You... you bastard! Let go!¡±


    The answer Woo-Moon was looking for came directly from the vige chief¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal about sacrificing an orphaned girl for the future of the vige? Because of that child¡¯s sacrifice, we can all live in abundance.¡±


    Yes, this was reality.


    Unhan, the vige where Woo-Moon was born and raised, was a prosperous ce, and the level of culture and civilization was much higher than here.


    However, in this remote vige, children served as nothing more than freebor. Any desire to keep children safe because they were children was minimal, if it even existed. Considering that, how important was the life of a little orphaned girl who suddenly appeared in this vige?


    The reason they weremitting such evil and cowardly acts was likely their harsh environment.


    Still, Woo-Moon had no desire to forgive them.


    ¡°There is bloodlust in your eyes.¡±


    With a cold sentence, Woo-Moon grabbed the left shoulder of the middle-aged man holding the sickle and shattered all of the bones under his grasp.


    ¡°Aaaah!!!¡±


    The viger¡¯s shoulder was crushed, and all of the nerves severed. He wouldn¡¯t be able to move that arm for the rest of his life.


    ¡°My arm! My arm!¡± he screamed.


    Although Woo-Moon was nearly bursting with bloodlust and a desire to kill, he did his best to suppress it and hold himself back. He hesitated to kill them.


    Even though these people were no better than monsters, none of them was a martial artist. It was against the code of the <i>murim</i>, especially for someone of the Righteous Faction, to harm an ordinary person.


    ¡°You fucking bastard!¡±


    ¡°What have you done!¡±


    However, the vigers had no idea that Woo-Moon was dangerously close to tipping over the edge and squashing them like bugs. Seeing what he had done to the middle-aged man, they actually started cursing at him.

 Chapter 167. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (13)

    <h4>Chapter 167. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (13)</h4>


    Several enraged vige men rushed Woo-Moon with clubs and sickles.


    ¡°Kya!!!¡±


    The terrified girl screamed as Woo-Moon¡¯s body flickered like a ghost.


    Every time he reappeared and disappeared, a man¡¯s shoulder waspletely crushed.


    A momentter, Woo-Moon finally reappeared in front of the girl, while all four men who had tried to attack him were left screaming in pain.


    It was only at this point that the vige chief felt something was strange.


    <i>¡®C-could it be? Is he one of those people of the murim I only heard rumors about?¡¯</i>


    The vige chief suddenly recalled something he had heard when young.


    <i>¡®Never get involved in anything rted to someone from the murim.¡¯</i>


    Right as he thought that, Woo-Moon stretched out his hands. The two swords that were stuck into the cliff flew out and returned to Woo-Moon¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Ahh!!¡±


    Seeing this, the vigers werepletely shocked.


    ¡°Eun-Ah,¡± Woo-Moon quietly called.


    <i>ROAR!!</i>


    A huge roar echoed throughout the surrounding mountains, and Eun-Ah climbed up the cliff wall and appeared behind the vigers.


    <i>Grrr....</i>


    <i>¡®A white tiger!¡¯</i>


    The vigers froze and stared at Eun-Ah, unable to run away.


    ¡°Even though this was all out of ignorance, you sacrificed so many lives. A price has to be paid.¡±


    As soon as Woo-Moon finished speaking, he swung the still-sheathed sword in his hand. A sword wind billowed from the swinging scabbard, blowing over each of the vigers and crippling one of their shoulders.


    ¡°Come this way, Eun-Ah. Let¡¯s go see this guardian god or whatever.¡±


    <i>Huff!</i>


    With a low snort, Eun-Ah leaped into the air andnded behind Woo-Moon.


    Even as Eun-Ah left their side, the vigers still couldn¡¯t move.


    They all even soiled themselves in fear, the stench spreading to the surrounding area.


    <i>¡®I need to get out of here quickly, it seems.¡¯</i>


    As the smell started to waft over, Woo-Moon quickly made his way up with the girl in tow.


    As Woo-Moon held her hand and imbued her with the gentle qi of the Forbidden Divine Art, while Eun-Ah treated her well, unlike the vigers, the girl had no fear of the white tiger.


    ¡°Can you guide me to where that god is supposed to be?¡±


    Startled, the girl looked at Woo-Moon with a trembling gaze and spoke cautiously.


    ¡°W-why would you want to? Can¡¯t we just go down the mountain?¡±


    The girl was afraid that Woo-Moon also wanted to offer her to the Guardian God like the others.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take care of it so this never happens again.¡±


    ¡°N-no, you can¡¯t! You¡¯ll lose your life like that!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry. That little rascal is going to help us, too.¡±


    <i>Huff.</i>


    The tiger was called the king of the mountains and was considered a sacred beast. Moreover, even among tigers, white tigers were considered especially sacred. Because of that, the girl actually trusted Eun-Ah even more than Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Okay. Then, I¡¯ll tell you where it is. This way!¡±


    The Guardian God was such a terrifying beast that she had never seen it herself. However, she had heard about it and where it resided.


    <i>Grr...</i>


    As they progressed forward, Woo-Moon could sense a fishy scent in the air growing stronger, and Eun-Ah began to grow seemingly out of anger, revealing her vicious side.


    ¡°So, there really was something here.¡±


    As he walked, Woo-Moon ced a hand on the stone wall by his side and let his qi prate through the stone.


    <i>Crack!!!</i>


    With a loud explosion, a cave appeared,rge enough to fit dozens of people.


    ¡°Go in here and wait. I¡¯lle back after I handle this.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Okay! P-please, be careful.¡±


    The girl seemed quite kind-hearted. Feeling that it had been well worth the detour to save her, Woo-Moon nodded before heading toward the source of the fishy smell with Eun-Ah.


    As they moved a little further forward, they were greeted by the sight of a vast cave, hundreds of timesrger than the one that Woo-Moon had just created.


    ¡°So it¡¯s inside here.¡±


    Woo-Moon went inside without hesitation.


    The dark aura that spread around him and Eun-Ah was sted apart.


    <i>Zzzzzzzzzzz.</i>


    An odd, scratchy sound echoed, and Woo-Moon could feel the ground vibrating.


    <i>Zzzzzzzzz.</i>


    The fishy smell grew more intense, along with the sound of somethingrge crawling on the ground.


    ¡°Eun-Ah, you¡¯re pissed right now, right?¡±


    <i>Huff!</i>


    ¡°Okay. Then you take care of that.¡±


    As soon as Woo-Moon finished speaking, a snake sorge that it seemed as though it could fit Eun-Ah in its mouth appeared from the dark depths of the cave.


    <i>¡®ck scales and a red horn... at that size, it¡¯s got to be a Poisonblood Horned Serpent.¡¯</i>


    The being that the vigers revered as a Guardian God and sacrificed the living to was actually a spirit beast, the Poisonblood Horned Serpent.


    Eun-Ah roared at the Poisonblood Horned Serpent, from which billowed relentless death qi.


    <i>ROAR!!!</i>


    The huge roar shook the cave so hard that stctites fell from the ceiling.


    Although the stctites had sharp ends, the three in the cave couldn¡¯t care less.


    Eun-Ah wasn¡¯t just a white tiger, but a silver tiger. If tigers were the kings of animals and white tigers were the emperors, silver tigers were gods!


    The Poisonblood Horned Serpent had run out when it sensed something invading its territory, assuming it was the humansing to offer it food. However, it actually found itself shivering, suppressed by Eun-Ah¡¯s roar.


    The Poisonblood Horned Serpent was also a spirit beast, one that had lived for two hundred years and had grown abnormally fast due to human sacrifices.


    However, not even a beast like that could show its full strength in front of the strongest of the spirit beasts, Eun-Ah!


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    With another roar, Eun-Ah nimblyunched herrge body and mounted the Poisonblood Horned Serpent, biting its neck right under its head in a single swift move.


    The Poisonblood Horned Serpent''s scales were so poisonous that they could cause fatal poisoning just from a single touch. Moreover, it was so tough that neither swords nor spears could leave a scratch on it.


    However, Eun-Ah¡¯s innate immunity was so strong that the Poisonblood Horned Serpent¡¯s poison wouldn¡¯t even give it a stomachache, and even as a cub, she had teeth strong enough to chew through metal.


    Now that she had grown into an adult tiger, she¡¯d yet to find something that could stop her bite, and this snake was not going to be the first.


    <i>Sssss!!!</i>


    Great pain and the fear of death awakened the Poisonblood Horned Serpent''s instincts.


    In an instant, the Poisonblood Horned Serpent, whose body had been severed in two, quickly moved what was left attached to it and turned its fangs toward Eun-Ah¡¯s neck.


    Its fangs, which seemed small at first, extended out to a terrifying length that looked nearly three times as long as Woo-Moon¡¯s Lightsh as it bit into Eun-Ah¡¯s neck.


    The Poisonblood Horned Serpent was actually able to fight back against Eun-Ah, a testament of its might. However, it was futile. Eun-Ah was a mighty being even among its own kind, and her hide was far tougher than the most refined metal. It wasn¡¯t something that a mere Poisonblood Horned Serpent¡¯s fangs could dig into.


    As if annoyed, Eun-Ah roared harshly and struck the Poisonblood Horned Serpent''s head with her front paw, stomping on it so that it couldn¡¯t move.


    <i>Rumble!!</i>


    The Poisonblood Horned Serpent shook in fear.


    Eun-Ah roared once again, lifting her head in pride.


    <i>ROAR!!!!</i>


    ¡°Hey! You¡¯re being noisy. Hurry up and finish it, you little rascal.¡±


    As Woo-Moon called out to her, Eun-Ah hurriedly bit the head of the Poisonblood Horned Serpent and chewed.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    However, she quickly started whimpering and spitting. Clearly, she was not a fan of the fishy smell and taste.


    As was the case from when she was a baby, Eun-Ah still only ate cooked meat.


    When Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t able to provide any cooked meat, she would spend her days grazing on grass or picking fruit from the mountains. As a result, whenever Woo-Moon would tell her to roam by herself for a while, the herbivores in the surrounding mountains and fields would suffer from ack of food.


    In fact, Eun-Ah was so afraid of raw food that even when she was to help Woo-Moon fight, and even when she would have to bite her opponent, she would take great care not to taste their blood. She had never once before consumed even a drop of blood.


    ¡°Alright, are you done? Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The Poisonblood Horned Serpent was certainly a strong spirit beast, but that was just by normal standards.


    Woo-Moon turned around and was about to leave the cave when Eun-Ah suddenly started digging through the carcass of the serpent with her two massive front paws.


    She carefully picked something up with her tail and walked over to Woo-Moon to show him.


    The dark cave suddenly grew bright as a mysterious qi filled the air, basked in the glow of seven shades of sunlight.


    All of the qi and light was flowing out of what Eun-Ah had grasped in her tail.


    ¡°What is it? Oh, a neidan? Well, I don¡¯t need it, so you eat it.¡±


    Eun-Ah seemed to think about those words for a moment before shaking her head, her bright eyes shining.


    ¡°Hmm? What, it seems good, so you want to give it to the others?¡±


    Eun-Ah was thinking about Gun-Ha, Dae-Woong, Jin-Jin, Woo-Gang, and even the other Song Family guards.


    Moved by Eun-Ah¡¯s heart, Woo-Moon felt his heart twinge. He rapped her head with his knuckles.


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary, you little brat. We¡¯re too far from them to save this for them, the neidan will disintegrate over time now that it''s outside of the serpent¡¯s body. Look, isn¡¯t it getting smaller?¡±


    The energy contained in the Poisonblood Horned Serpent''s neidan was indeed visibly decreasing.


    Although it was a valuable item that any martial artist would covet, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t care for it at all. After all, he was a Paragon, and his qi reserves were beyond what normal people could even dream of.


    <i>Huff.</i>


    Eun-Ah, feeling sad, expressed her wishes to Woo-Moon again through their link.


    ¡°Fine, fine. Are you sure? Then, you take half of it first. The qi inside of this is too strong, and it¡¯ll kill the child if she consumes the entire thing.¡±


    Woo-Moon used Spatial Maniption and surrounded the neidan with qi before splitting it in half and feeding half of it to Eun-Ah.


    The effects were immediate. Her fur turned into deeper shades of ck and white, and the spiritual qi glimmering in her eyes also grew stronger.


    Woo-Moon then walked outside and called out to the girl hiding in the cave.


    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s such a relief that you¡¯re safe!¡±


    As the girl spoke, Woo-Moon took the moment where her mouth was open to flick the neidan into her mouth.


    ¡°Huh? W-what is this?¡±


    ¡°Keep your mouth shut for now,¡± Woo-Moon said as he lifted her body into the air with his qi and immediately started to imbue her entire body with his aura.


    The girl felt a massive surge of energye from within the thing that she had just swallowed. At the same time, she felt a rush of cooling aura prate her body and match the energy of that thing.


    Cleansing someone¡¯s marrow and bonesmonly took quite some time, as not just anybody had the energy to do it in one go. However, as the girl had an enormous amount of qi infused into her body and Woo-Moon¡¯s help in absorbing it all, the transformation proceeded quickly.


    <i>Crack.</i>


    As her bones twisted and grinding sounds rumbled from her body, she actually shed her skin as if she were a snake herself.


    Then, a few momentster, when the process ended, the girl descended to the ground once more.


    Her skin had been well-tanned and full of scratches, scars, and other injuries, making her look older than her age. Now, it was as fresh as a baby¡¯s. She didn¡¯t look as skinny anymore and she even seemed taller. Her eyes shone, and her entire being exuded vitality.


    While she wasn¡¯t ugly originally, after the cleansing of her marrow and bones, she was far prettier. While not otherworldly stunning, she would still be noticed everywhere she went.


    Woo-Moon created a gust of wind with his qi and blew away the foul odor emanating from the girl, as well as the skin she shed.


    As she looked at her hands, she realized that something had changed within her. Something major... Something good.


    She bowed to Woo-Moon deeply.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you so much. Not only did you save my life, but you¡¯ve also given me such grace.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. What was your name?¡±


    ¡°Yu Yu.¡±


    When she said that, Yu Yu suddenly started to shedrge, round tears.


    ¡°My brother¡¯s name was Yu Ho. Even after we became orphans and were forced to wander from ce to ce, he always took care of me. He made sure that whenever there was food, I¡¯d eat first, even if that meant he¡¯d starve himself. We were so happy when this vige said that they would ept us!¡±

 Chapter 168. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (14)

    <h4>Chapter 168. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (14)</h4>


    Although children were considered freebor around these parts, there still weren¡¯t many viges that would ept orphans.


    There was a superstition that orphans were considered bad omens, and it wasmon not to ept them for fear that they carried some kind of disease.


    When Woo-Moon saw the body of that boy earlier, he thought that the boy was the younger sibling. That was why it was heartbreaking to hear Yu Yu exin it was the other way around. Despite being so young, the boy must have been so focused on feeding his younger sister that he never had the chance to eat properly himself.


    Woo-Moon stood still and waited for Yu Yu to stop crying.


    After a while, Yu Yu wiped away her tears.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Like Eun-Ah, Woo-Moon also felt sorry for Yu Yu.


    The Blood-Horned Poison Serpent had died and there would be no more human sacrifices in this vige, but it was only natural for Yu Yu to want to leave as soon as possible. How could she live in a vige that killed her brother and tried to feed her to a giant snake?


    That was why Eun-Ah wanted to give Yu Yu the neidan and empower her.


    ¡°What do you think about following me?¡±


    As expected, Yu Yu also understood the gravity of the situation she was in,pletely at a loss as to what to do next. Thus, when Woo-Moon, someone she thought she could rely on, asked her toe with him, she nodded without much hesitation.


    ¡°C-can I? I would love to! If it weren¡¯t for you, Mr. Warrior, I would have died anyway.¡±


    ¡°Good. But please don¡¯t think about dying anymore, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Woo-Moon thought about whether it would be a good idea to take Yu Yu as a personal disciple or have her join the Baek Family as a warrior. By absorbing the Blood-Horned Poison Serpent''s neidan, she had reached the Peak stage within moments, and if she worked diligently on her cultivation, she could reach the Transcendent stage in very little time.


    Woo-Moon descended down the mountain with Yu Yu and Eun-Ah.


    <i>¡®... I can feel the aura of people from the murim.¡¯</i>


    When Woo-Moon came down the mountain and arrived in front of the vige, he encountered some unexpected people.


    People of the <i>murim</i> of various ages, wearing robes¡ªthe disciples of the Kunlun Sect.


    One of the Kunlun Sect¡¯s Daoists, who were in the midst of an investigation and questioning the vigers, turned to Woo-Moon, eyes zing.


    ¡°Are you the criminal?¡±


    Hearing the word ¡°criminal¡±pletely soured Woo-Moon¡¯s mood.


    ¡°And what crime did Imit for you to start throwing usations around?¡±


    The younger Daoists surrounded Woo-Moon, Eun-Ah, and Yu Yu, forming a sword wall. Then, a middle-aged Daoist with a neat appearance, who had been speaking with the vige chief, turned to look at Woo-Moon with a chilly gaze.


    He was Ki Yeon-Oh, a first-generation disciple of the Kunlun Sect.


    ¡°What a detestable little bastard you are.¡±


    Respect was only returned when respect was given. Moreover, Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t the type of person to tolerate rudeness, even when it came from an elder.


    ¡°Detestable bastard? It doesn¡¯t seem appropriate for someone wearing Daoist robes to spit out such crude insults to someone they¡¯re meeting for the first time. From my perspective, you¡¯re the detestable one.¡±


    The Kunlun Sect disciples started shouting.


    ¡°Y-you dare! How dare you speak so rudely without knowing who you¡¯re speaking to!¡±


    ¡°How dare some wicked bastard insult our Senior Brother?!¡±


    Woo-Moon suddenly looked at the sky and sighed.


    ¡°Daoists are just Daoists. Is there really any need to distinguish who is who when we all pursue <i>Muhwi Jayeon</i>?¡±


    The other Daoists fell silent at the unexpected retort. The middle-aged daoist with the clean-shaven face looked slightly surprised, but then, his expression hardened.


    In Woo-Moon¡¯s memory, the Kunlun Sect was on the good side. His impression of them was good, mostly because of Jin Won-Myeong and Do-Ah.


    Of course, he had also met a certain Yu Mun-Gwang afterward, but on ount of his good rtionship with Jin Won-Myeong, he had decided to ignore that misadventure. Now, however, it looked like Yu Mun-Gwang was not the only rotten apple in the bunch¡ªto Woo-Moon¡¯s dismay.


    Another disciple of the Kunlun Sect came running from far away.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry for beingte, Master.¡±


    <i>¡®Well, well, speak of the devil! Who would¡¯ve thought!¡¯</i>


    It was actually Yu Mun-Gwant himself!


    ¡°Just how far behind are you in your lightness arts?¡±


    Yu Mun-Gwang¡¯splexion darkened, and he lowered his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master...¡±


    To be fair, it wasn¡¯t that Yu Mun-Gwang didn¡¯t have an excuse. His struggles were because he had suffered severe internal injuries after being struck by the Palm Martial Emperor and had just recently recovered.


    While Yu Mun-Gwang hadn¡¯t seen him yet, Woo-Moon was rather conflicted internally.


    <i>¡®My identity will be revealed when Yu Mun-Gwang sees me. If that happens, Martial Heaven might strengthen their defenses. However... if I want to get help from the Kunlun Sect, it¡¯ll be difficult to hide my identity.¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon worried, Yu Mun-Gwang finally saw him.


    He was startled. The first impulse was to act as if he knew Woo-Moon; however, he quickly remembered what he had done at the Leebi Merchant Guild and immediately mped his mouth shut.


    If his master learned about that incident, it would be a big issue.


    <i>¡®It looks like he hasn¡¯t revealed his identity yet. If he says something about me, that¡¯s one thing, but I¡¯m not going to say anything.¡¯</i>


    Seeing Yu Mun-Gwang knew when to shut up, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t pay much more attention to him. Yu Mun-Gwang may not know it, but to Woo-Moon, he was nothing but a small fry now.


    The brief interlude caused by Yu Mun-Gwang¡¯s appearance thus concluded, and his master turned to Woo-Moon again, resuming his interrogation.


    ¡°What nonsense are you saying? Shut up and pay for your crimes!!¡±


    ¡°Pay for my crimes? And what crimes exactly are you using me of?¡±


    ¡°Are you nning on denying it until the end? The vigers have already told me about all the heinous things you have done!¡±


    Woo-Moonughed. What in the world had they told him?


    ¡°Oh, is that so? My memory is rather poor. Pray tell me about all the heinous things I did,¡± he said coldly as he scanned the vige chief and the other vigers.


    Considering they hadn¡¯t learned any martial arts, he had shown them mercy, even though they had killed so many people. Yet his only reward was being stabbed in the back.


    The vigers flinched at his cold gaze. However, they felt that the situation had already gotten under control. They held their heads high, believing in the immortals of their mountain, the Kunlun Sect¡¯s Daoists.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who joined together with that bitch who stole and evenmitted murder before crippling the arms of the good people of this vige?!¡± the vige chief shouted.


    Then, Yu Yu, who was hiding behind Woo-Moon, and hadn¡¯te out to the public yet, couldn¡¯t hold back her anger and came forward.


    ¡°Stealing? Don¡¯t lie! What on earth did my brother and I steal?¡±


    When Yu Yu appeared, the vigers were surprised to see that she had changed so much, while the Kunlun Sect Daoists nodded their heads pompously at her question.


    <i>¡®That bastard probably was seduced by her beauty and attacked the vigers.¡¯</i>


    The vige chief, cunning like an old snake, also sensed the mood and thought hard about how to spin things in his favor.


    At this time, Ki Yeon-Oh looked at the vige chief.


    ¡°Chief. Can you provide evidence that that child stole from you?¡±


    The other disciples of the Kunlun Sect nodded to themselves, thinking that Ki Yeon-Oh was being righteous by asking for evidence. After all, listening only to the opinions of the vigers could cause anyone to be biased.


    ¡°The jade pin that shameless bitch is wearing on her head right now has the character ¡®Ju¡¯[1] written on it. It¡¯s thest character of my wife¡¯s name, and considering it¡¯s the only memento I have left of my wife, who left this world five years ago, how could I have ever given it to someone else?¡± the vige chief said while shedding hot tears.


    As Yu Yu heard those words, she was shocked and felt an extreme sense of betrayal, her face turning pale.


    ¡°T-this... this is a gift you gave me on the first day I came here! You told me you felt sorry for me!¡±


    Yu Yu¡¯s words were true.


    Of course, the chief had intended to take it back after offering her as a sacrifice. He had only given her the jade pin so that the orphaned siblings wouldn¡¯t suspect their intentions.


    Then. one of the women from the vige pointed viciously with her finger and shouted.


    ¡°You, you shit-covered bitch! Our poor little vige took in you orphans who had nowhere to go out of pity! To think you¡¯d do something like this! Our vige is a ce where people can barely make ends meet. Who would believe that the vige chief gave you something so precious!¡±


    "That''s right! That bitch is lying!¡±


    ¡°You must not be fooled by the words of an evil bitch, Sir Daoists!¡±


    The Kunlun Sect Daoists also seemed to havee to believe the vigers'' words as the mood of those organizing the investigation became more sinister.


    ¡°Hand over the jade pin. Let¡¯s check if that character really is engraved on it,¡± Ki Yeon-Oh¡¯s junior brother said.


    Woo-Moon found this current situation to beughable. He wanted to shed all pretenses by this point but held himself back.


    ¡°Can you tell me how you will determine the authenticity of the story by seeing a character? Maybe the character can tell you that the jade pin belonged to the vige chief, but how can it prove whether it was stolen or given as a gift?¡±


    Ki Yeon-oh had no intention to respond to Woo-Moon¡¯s logical words.


    ¡°Hmph! Who would give something like that as a gift to an orphan girl?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ve already made your decision! Okay, fine. Then why would this girl wear her stolen items in front of the vigers? If she really was a thief, wouldn¡¯t she try to hide it?¡±


    ¡°How would she know that we woulde here? These vigers don¡¯t know any martial arts. Even someone mediocre like you could strut around here all day and they couldn¡¯t do a single thing about you, so what did she have to fear as long as she was with you?¡±


    As Woo-Moon was reining in his aura, Ki Yeon-Oh didn¡¯t think very highly of his martial skills. In his eyes, Woo-Moon seemed to have a Second ss or Third ss cultivation at most.


    By this point, the only one who knew Woo-Moon''s identity, Yu Mun-Gwang, secretly hoped that things would eventually devolve into a battle and that Woo-Moon would be attacked and killed.


    While he was treating the internal injuries that he suffered under the Palm Martial Emperor, he heard a rumor that Woo-Moon had be incredibly strong. However, he didn¡¯t believe that Woo-Moon could have gotten strong enough to break through the barrier that Ki Yeon-Oh and the other disciples of the Kunlun Sect had set up.


    Sadly for him, he really had been in seclusion for way too long and he only knew a couple of things. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve changed his opinion rather quickly.


    ¡°If you truly believe that, there¡¯s nothing I can do. I guess the only way is to exchange moves,¡± Woo-Moon said.


    However, Ki Yeon-Oh shook his head.


    ¡°No. I still need to investigate some more. Why are you saying that the vigers are falsely using you? You must have a reason.¡±


    Woo-Moon was inwardly conflicted. He didn¡¯t feel like Ki Yeon-Oh would believe him anyway, and telling a story like this would be a blow to his pride, making him feel as though he was makingme excuses.


    Still, since he was in a position where he needed to seek help from the Kunlun Sect, Woo-Moon ended up telling them about the Blood-Horned Poison Serpent.


    As it turned out, even the vigers themselves didn¡¯t know exactly what was going on. They were also surprised to learn that the thing they had revered as the Guardian God was actually a spirit beast called the Blood-Horned Poison Serpent. And they were even more surprised and flustered when they found out that Woo-Moon had in it.


    Moreover... Woo-Moon noticed Ki Yeon-Oh¡¯s eyes narrow for a split second when he got to the point where he yed the beast.


    After listening to everything, Ki Yeon-Oh spoke up.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go up and check it out. If it¡¯s as you say, the body of the serpent should still be there.¡±


    This was entirely fine as far as Woo-Moon was concerned, so he nodded in agreement.


    1. Öê, meaning ¡°tree root.¡± ?

 Chapter 169. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (15)

    <h4>Chapter 169. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (15)</h4>


    As they all moved toward the cave, Ki Yeon-Oh spoke up.


    ¡°There definitely is something up here. The death qi is getting more and more intense. It could be dangerous for those with lower cultivation, so the disciples and vigers should remain here.¡±


    One of Ki Yeon-Oh''s junior brothers, Du So-Heung, protested.


    ¡°But senior brother! For you to go into the cave along with such a terrible person... He might well be from the ck Hand!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Do you not trust in my skills?¡±


    Ki Yeon-Oh¡¯s two junior brothers, who lived more righteous lives than anyone else and had particr deference for their elder brother, found themselves unable to argue anymore. However, that didn¡¯t mean they would just let things slide. In order to lessen the risk to their senior brother, they called out to Woo-Moon


    ¡°If our senior brother is going up alone, you should do the same. Especially that white tiger... it has to stay with us.¡±


    Even though Eun-Ah was a spirit beast and had awakened her spiritual intelligence, when it came to hiding her aura, shecked control inparison to a martial artist of the same stage. Therefore, those of the Kunlun Sect could instinctively feel she was strong. Of course, they didn¡¯t know that she was strong enough to kill all of them at once, otherwise they would have reacted in a different way altogether.


    This wasn¡¯t something Woo-Moon cared much about, either. After all, he had no reason to be afraid of Ki Yeon-Oh, much less of leaving Eun-Ah alone with Yu Yu.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it that way, then.¡±


    Woo-Moon took the lead, and Ki Yeon-Oh followed. After climbing a little further, the two entered the cave.


    Although some time had passed since the Blood-Horned Poison Serpent died, the death qi still pulsated within the cave. After walking a little further into its depths, the two arrived in front of the serpent¡¯s corpse.


    Ki Yeon-Oh walked forward without hesitation, drew his sword, and rummaged through the insides of the corpse.


    ¡°Are you looking for its neidan?¡±


    Ki Yeon-Oh chuckled at Woo-Moon¡¯s words.


    ¡°Yes. Seeing as it''s missing, you most likely ate it, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°And if I did?¡±


    ¡°Well, considering you¡¯re such a mannerless brat, I¡¯ll have to scold you.¡±


    Woo-Moon was not actually surprised by the sudden change in Ki Yeon-Oh¡¯s attitude. He had seen thetter¡¯s reaction when he told the story about the serpent, and now, he could clearly see disappointment, anger, and greed shing within Ki Yeon-Oh¡¯s eyes as the man looked at the Blood-Horned Poison Serpent.


    ¡°So, was this your n?¡±


    As Woo-Moon spoke, he moved a small bottle of Pure Stctite Milk from his belt pouch into his breast pocket. Luckily, he had portioned the liquid into smaller bottles a while back, as he was intent on sharing it with his family and friends when he met them.


    Because he had done this through qi maniption, Ki Yeon-Oh didn¡¯t even notice what had just happened.


    ¡°I have no reason to answer that.¡±


    With these words, Ki Yeon-Oh dashed forward using the Divine Phantasm Steps, blurring in and out of existence as he rushed Woo-Moon at the same time.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Ki Yeon-Oh''s sword pierced the left side of Woo-Moon''s chest.


    Blood spurted out, dousing Ki Yeon-Oh''s face. Woo-Moon red at him with wide eyes, stepped back, pulled the sword from his chest, and copsed.


    ¡°Y-you cowardly bastard. To think a disciple of the Kunlun Sect would attack so sneakily!¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, you bastard! You have no right to tell me that! Do you know how hard I worked to raise the damn serpent? And you dared to kill it and eat the neidan! Hmph! I thought you might have had some talent because you killed the Blood-Horned Poison Serpent, but I guess it must have been a fluke. I can¡¯t believe you were done in so easily.¡±


    Ki Yeon-Oh took some of Woo-Moon¡¯s blood that had sshed onto his face and licked it.


    ¡°Oho! As expected, this must be the power of the Blood-Horned Poison Serpent''s neidan. Your blood is as full of qi as an elixir. Well, I guess you haven¡¯t had the time to absorb it yet. Thank the heavens for that. I can at least make up for it if I drink all of your blood. Hmm, yes, that¡¯s only natural. After all, I wasted a lot of effort here.¡±


    As if to himself, Woo-Moon muttered, ¡°A lot... of effort?¡±


    Everyone was like that¡ªwhen their ns finally seeded, especially long-term ns, they were very prone to bragging. Moreover, since this was something that had to be kept secret at all costs, Ki Yeon-Oh was even more itching to speak out.


    ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll let you die in peace. Twenty-three years ago, I discovered a Blood-Horned Poison Serpent here. I was going to kill it right away and take the venom and whatnot, but then, I thought better of it. If it ate enough humans, it would be able to evolve into a spirit beast and grow a neidan, so I could harvest that instead. So I gave some money to the vige chief and he convinced the others about the whole Guardian God thing.¡±


    ¡°The Guardian God... So that story was made up by you and the vige chief...?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about right. In any case, the serpent didn¡¯t do anything good or bad to the vige, he just sat here in the cave. And then you fucking had to show up! You greedy bastard, you just gulped down the neidan I''ve been cultivating for twenty years! Well, I guess your blood will have to do. Now if you¡¯ll allow me... huh?¡±


    Ki Yeon-Oh had been talking rather excitedly when he suddenly noticed something strange. He knew that Woo-Moon had managed to twist his body at thest moment to avoid having his heart pierced, but even so, that was a grievous injury. It was rather conspicuous that he was still conscious after so long.


    Realizing that he had been caught, Woo-Moon stopped pretending and stood up with a nonchnt expression on his face.


    ¡°Have you finally noticed it? Don¡¯t get too upset about the Blood-Horned Poison Serpent''s neidan. I mean, because of you, I also lost a precious drop of Pure Stctite Milk. That¡¯s more than enough topensate.¡±


    ¡°Pure Stctite Milk?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see, that massive natural qi you felt in my blood wasn¡¯t from the Blood-Horned Poison Serpent¡¯s neidan. It just so happened that I had a bottle of Pure Stctite Milk in my breast pocket, and when you stabbed me, it mixed with my blood.¡±


    Ki Yeon-Oh''s eyes narrowed as he listened to Woo-Moon''s words.


    ¡°You little brat. You actually mastered a heretical art!¡±


    Now that he was no longer busy bragging, he could see that the wound on Woo-Moon¡¯s chest was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Woo-Moon had stopped restricting his power, and a Paragon¡¯s natural healing factor seemed like downright magic to someone who didn¡¯t know better.


    As long as one reached the Absolute realm, one could recover from all sorts of wounds using nothing but qi. The Palm Martial Emperor and the Night Spear Devil would never have died if it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that their hearts were practically crushed. As for Woo-Moon, who had transcended even the Absolute peak, even less needed to be said. With enough time, he could even grow a new heart. A sword through his chest was nothing.


    Naturally, since Woo-Moon didn¡¯t look like an Absolute Master in any way, Ki Yeon-Oh assumed he had practiced some kind of heretical art.


    ¡°Not at all, but that¡¯s besides the point. You have bigger things to worry about right now.¡±


    Ki Yeon-Oh looked at him in confusion. "What?"


    At that moment, a group of people rushed in.


    Du So-Heung was in the lead, and he was followed by all his fellow disciples. He was pale as paper, and he gritted his teeth while drawing his sword.


    ¡°Senior brother... What have you done? How... How could youmit a sin like this?¡±


    Ki Yeon-Oh''s face stiffened. He was clearly flustered, but he tried to feign calm.


    ¡°What are you talking about, junior brother? What do you mean, sin? Besides, didn¡¯t I tell you to wait outside? Why have youe in?¡±


    Ki Yeon-Oh was no idiot, and the first thing he¡¯d done after entering the cave was to leave behind a soundproof barrier. There was no way his junior brothers and disciples heard his conversation with Woo-Moon... so what was going on?


    Then, he saw Woo-Moonughing heartily.


    <i>¡®You son of a bitch, you did something to my barrier!¡¯</i>


    ¡°You wretched bastard!¡±


    Filled with anger, Ki Yeon-Oh lunged at Woo-Moon with a ragepletely unbing of a Daoist. However, a momentter, he was sted back.


    <i>¡°Cough! Cough, cough!¡±</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s Raging Wind Palm hit him in the exact same spot where he had stabbed Woo-Moon, and he bent over, vomiting blood like a waterfall. It was clear that he had suffered severe internal injuries.


    Seeing this, Du So-Heung and the other Kunlun Sect disciples came to a realization. Ki Yeon-Oh was the strongest of them, so for Woo-Moon to take him down in one move, like this... how strong was he actually?


    ¡°You... To think, this level of cultivation... you... hid... <i>cough, cough!</i>¡±


    After looking down at Ki Yeon-Oh coldly, Woo-Moon looked at Du So-Heung.


    ¡°Now, do you know the truth?¡±


    Du So-Heong cupped his fist and bowed.


    ¡°I deeply apologize, Young Hero. As a fellow disciple of the Kunlun Sect, I am extremely ashamed of this atrocity.¡±


    As he bowed his head, the others also apologized to Woo-Moon at the same time.


    ¡°We apologize, Young Hero.¡±


    The disciples of the Kunlun Sect had clearly heard Ki Yeon-Oh and Woo-Moon¡¯s conversation from outside. Even though they were far away, it had sounded as loud as if it were being said next to them. Woo-Moon had not only secretly destroyed Ki Yeon-Oh¡¯s barrier by using his Paragon Qi, but had even amplified the sound instead and broadcast it to the people outside.


    Then, suddenly, there was amotion outside.


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been fooling us this whole time!¡±


    A mixture of all kinds of shouting, the sound of someone being beaten, and the sound of screaming erupted. Then, Woo-Moon¡¯s figure vanished from in front of Du So-Heung.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Du So-Heung quickly looked around to see where he had gone. When he turned around, he saw Woo-Moon near the vigers. They had knocked the vige chief down and were beating him viciously.


    They, too, had heard the conversation between Woo-Moon and Ki Yeon-Oh.


    ¡°Stop. Do you think you¡¯re qualified to punish the vige chief?¡± Woo-Moon said as he lifted all the vigers who were beating the vige chief into the air and threw them back.


    ¡°Agh!!¡±


    Then, he ced his hand on the shoulder of the vige chief, who was already near death, and imbued him with qi.


    Unless a person had already crossed the river of the underworld, or if their heart or brain was destroyed, Woo-Moon could treat them with the Forbidden Divine Art, which had already reached infinitely close to the root of the Dao.


    Thus, even though the vige chief didn¡¯t have a single intact bone in his body, he immediately regained his strength and held Woo-Moon''s hand while crying.


    ¡°Thank you so much. I can¡¯t believe you showed mercy to such a detestable old man.¡±


    Woo-Moon snorted to himself at the vige chief¡¯s emotions.


    <i>¡®Pft, do you think I helped you out of kindness? If I didn¡¯t have a use for you, then forget about stopping them and healing you, I would have killed you with my own hands.¡¯</i>


    ¡°W-why did you stop us?¡±


    ¡°The culprit behind all of this was the vige chief! Because he tricked us, we...!¡±


    Woo-Moon was truly enraged by the vigers, who tried to look as though they were victims themselves.


    ¡°STAND BACK!¡±[1]


    At his brief shout, the vigers all clutched their ears and screamed, rolling around on the ground. Some of them even had blood pouring out of their nose and ears.


    It was the same for the Kunlun Sect disciples, who were watching from behind. Without exception, each and every one of them turned pale, and some even suffered internal injuries.


    Yu Mun-Gwang even felt every hair on his body rise as goosebumps cascaded down his back.


    <i>¡®W-what the hell is with that bastard? Did he really be an Absolute Master?¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon had already reached the Paragon stage, and his target was Martial Heaven, he didn¡¯t think much about what it meant to be an Absolute Master.


    However, when it came to most of the <i>murim</i>, an Absolute Master was literally that¡ªa paramount being. No faction could ignore an Absolute Master, even if they were on their own.


    Therefore, Yu Mun-Gwang, who already had a lot of worries, was even more shaken to see that Woo-Moon¡¯s strength had increased that much.


    Woo-Moon spoke in a chilly voice.


    ¡°You all truly are disgusting. Yes, it was the vige chief who lied about the Guardian God, but was it the vige chief who made you sacrifice your own daughters? Was it he who made you lure and kill the poor orphaned siblings under the pretense of hospitality? Tell me, were you forced to do any of this?¡±


    The vigers found themselves unable to say anything. Meanwhile, the disciples of the Kunlun Sect, who realized how terrible this incident truly was, closed their eyes tightly as they recited their own Daoist prayers.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true that your chief is the worst offender. But do you think you have the right to criticize him? Do you think you have the right to say anything when not two hours ago you murdered a child for protecting his sister? Do you dare to open your mouths when the girl you wanted to murder is right here, watching you?!¡±


    Woo-Moon found it difficult to control his emotions. Even the sight of these atrocious beings was sickening to him. It seemed as though he really might end up killing the vigers with his own two hands if he were to stay here for much longer.


    1. The original here, ºÈ (gal!) is a word often yelled by Daoist/Muist/Confucian teachers in olden times to express disapproval of someone¡¯s deeds. It literally means ¡°rebuke¡± and it¡¯s fairly close to the biblical ¡°I rebuke thee!¡± ?

 Chapter 170. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (16)

    <h4>Chapter 170. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (16)</h4>


    Woo-Moon ced Yu Yu on top of Eun-Ah and, in spite of his sheer disgust, grabbed the vige chief and picked him up.


    ¡°Huh? W-wait a moment, please!¡±


    Du So-Heung hurriedly chased after Woo-Moon, while the other Kunlun Sect disciples followed swiftly behind, carrying the unconscious Ki Yeon-Oh behind them.


    ***


    It was the middle of a dark night.


    On this night, Ma-Ra had attacked and absorbed thest struggling assassins, achieving aplete unification of all assassin forces.


    Ma-Ra sat alone on the roof of a massive pce she now owned, looking up at the night sky.


    With her right leg dangling and her arms hugging her left knee, at this very moment, she looked as if she was just a normal pretty teenager.


    Of course, from up close, it was clear that her face was still as emotionless as a doll¡¯s, and she was now wearing a tight ck uniform, as befitting of an assassin, rather than her white floral gown.


    <i>Thwip!</i>


    The air next to her rippled as a ck shadow emerged and knelt next to her.


    ¡°Have you still not found them?¡±


    ck Assassin lowered his head with an expression of regret.


    ¡°No. We¡¯re mobilizing all of our intelligence organizations to search beyond Gansu Province and the other surrounding provinces, but at least for now, we haven¡¯t been able to find anything.


    ¡°I see...¡±


    A hint of sadness glimmered in Ma-Ra¡¯s eyes.


    Every time ck Assassin saw her like this, it felt like his heart was breaking.


    It wasn¡¯t from any affection between a man and a woman. Instead, from the moment he discovered the unexpected weakness of his goddess, he had begun to treat her as if she were his younger sister or even his daughter. Thus, her pain was like his own.


    Trying to change the mood, he drew a bottle from his sleeve and politely handed it to her, smiling sheepishly.


    ¡°Hehe, this is something I worked really hard to get: a bottle of Daughter¡¯s Red.¡±[1]


    In her tight ck uniform, Ma-Ra held out her pure white hand and took the Daughter¡¯s Red, putting the bottle to her mouth and gulping it down.


    The deep purple wine that seemed almost crimson under the moonlight flowed down her delicate neck and soaked into her uniform.


    <i>¡®Ha... that was really expensive...¡¯</i>


    Although ck Assassin sighed to himself, he didn¡¯t dare express it openly.


    Ma-Ra almost finished the entire bottle in one sitting¡ªit wasn¡¯t that potent an alcohol, after all. Suddenly, just as she was about to drink thest drop, she opened her eyes sharply and threw the bottle away.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Just as ck Assassin was taken aback by Ma-Ra¡¯s sudden action, the bottle of wine hit something in the air and exploded.


    ¡°Hahaha! Are you trying to show that you¡¯re that bitch they call the Death God or something? To think you could see me so quickly.¡±


    Red aura spread out like a flood, filling the space around them. And it was followed by the strong scent of blood!


    A young man who seemed more beautiful than any woman suddenly appeared in the space dotted with red.


    ck Assassin was so shocked that he stood up and shouted, ¡°Blood Cloud Devil Emperor!¡±


    Since the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had such a notorious reputation, it was impossible not to recognize him, even more so after seeing his token cloud of blood.


    Eight assassins simultaneously revealed themselves around the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, surrounding him. As Ma-Ra¡¯s personal escorts, each of them was a Special Rank Assassin.


    Ma-Ra had never met the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor. After all, Woo-Moon had met her only after his encounters with the man. Still, he had told Ma-Ra plenty of stories during their time together, and she naturally knew about his connection with the evil Absolute Master. Even though she didn¡¯t know him personally, she recognized him right away.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked in a cold tone.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor let out a chuckle as he walked toward her.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡± ck Assassin shouted, and he was the first of the assassins to get himself together and throw a hidden weapon. Quickly after, Ma-Ra¡¯s other guards also threw various hidden weapons.


    ¡°You gnats, piss off! You¡¯re interrupting our conversation!¡±


    As the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor snapped, a bloody film formed around him, and everything around him seemed to move at the pace of a snail.


    He took out his weapon, the Mad Devil Blood Fan, and swung it violently. The blood pushed away by the fan turned into sharp spears as it flew toward all who attacked him.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ma-Ra, who had been watching with cold eyes, finally moved.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Right as her figure disappeared, two Silver Moon Discs flew through the night sky, cleaving through the blood spears created by the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    <i>Riip!!</i>


    Ma-Ra¡¯s figure suddenly flickered, appearing next to the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor in an instant. Her sword tore through the night sky, aiming for the emperor¡¯s throat.


    <i>¡®Ugh!¡¯</i>


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor groaned in shock at her incredible speed and quickly retreated.


    However, Ma-Ra¡¯s sword seemed to move as if it were alive, not wanting to let the emperor¡¯s throat get away quickly.


    While she was also forced to move around the Blood Cloud Vampiric Membrane like the others, her movements didn¡¯t slow in any way as theirs did.


    The Blood Cloud Vampiric Membrane was a weapon suitable for dealing with a group of people weaker than the user. However, it was not of much use against people of equal strength, much less against stronger ones.


    Thus, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was forced to condense the widely spread Blood Cloud Vampiric Membrane into Blood Aura and use it to block Ma-Ra¡¯s swift sword.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    With a tremendous sound, as if a massive amount of blood sttered against the ground, the two quickly separated.


    Then, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor smiled somewhat bitterly and shook his head.


    ¡°It seems the rumors of the Death God reappearing were true. To think an assassin actually reached the Absolute realm! Oh, by the way, I have no intention of fighting you right now.¡±


    ¡°Then why did youe here?¡±


    Being apart from Woo-Moon made Ma-Ra ufortable in more than one way.


    More than anything else, it was just too bothersome having to talk to others. Unlike Woo-Moon, who understood everything she wanted even from a single word of hers, others had to hear full exnations.


    ¡°Actually, I received orders to kill you, but I don¡¯t know if I want to just yet. I¡¯ve decided to just watch you for now.¡±


    Ma-Ra thought for a moment.


    She didn¡¯t fear the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor. However, she was well aware that she would suffer if she wasn¡¯t careful. Moreover, her subordinates would definitely get hurt or even killed.


    Thus, she also decided to wait and see for now.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I think you resemble someone I used to know.¡±


    ck Assassin almost burst outughing at those words, thinking it was just too obvious of a move. He clearly thought that the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was doing this because Ma-Ra¡¯s beauty had seduced him.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was a famous bringer of misfortune. Moreover, no matter his personal story, he was still a murderer among murderers and an evil monster among evil monsters. He was someone who killed innocent people without even blinking, so what kind of qualms would he have if he dealt with assassins like them?


    ck Assassin didn¡¯t like the idea of having someone like that around, and that held doubly true if said person was lusting after Ma-Ra, his revered Death God.


    Thus, ck Assassin was about to open his mouth and advise Ma-Ra to kick him out immediately.


    However, at that moment, Ma-Ra shrugged and sat back down.


    ¡°Do as you please. However, if you touch my subordinates, you¡¯re dead.¡±


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor looked over at ck Assassin.


    ¡°You heard her, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmph...¡±


    ck Assassin couldn¡¯t understand his master¡¯s actions. All he could do was mutter to himself and retreat.


    Themotion thus ended, Ma-Ra returned to savoring the lingering scent of Daughter¡¯s Red that remained in her mouth.


    Starlight sparkled in her bright and cool eyes.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor stood on the roof of the pavilion opposite Ma-Ra¡¯s and watched her quietly.


    As for ck Assassin and the other guards, they stayed up all night, extremely wary of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    Ma-Ra didn¡¯t care whether or not the others were around.


    She looked at the softly shining moon with her indifferent gaze and muttered to herself, ¡°Now... should I go back?¡±


    ***


    Right after Woo-Moon left, the vigers gathered together with dark expressions and talked about various things.


    Most of them had nothing to say but curses for the vige chief, Woo-Moon, and Ki Yeon-Oh.


    Two of the more good-natured vigers, who had special affection for their daughters who had been sacrificed in the past, stood aside and shed tears. Meanwhile, others were whining and clutching at their paralyzed arms.


    While the pain was a problem, they were more worried about what would happen in their future. It was possible to farm with one arm, but ¡°possible¡± did not mean ¡°easy.¡±


    As the vigers talked about their concerns, a strange sound echoed throughout the vige.


    <i>Sssss!!!</i>


    A serpent much bigger than the Blood-Horned Poison Serpent that Eun-Ah had killed appeared in front of the vige, a great golden horn shing.


    ¡°Agh!!¡±


    All of the vigers screamed in fear as the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent looked around at the people with a venomous gaze.


    The males of the species had golden horns, while the females had blood-colored horns. The species had a very skewed male-to-female ratio, with each male mating with three to five female serpents simultaneously.


    However, because the female serpents were extraordinarily proud and refused to tolerate another female in her presence, the male serpent would dig a cave for each of its mates far away from each other and take turns with each mate separately.


    Male Golden-Horned Poison Serpents usually changed their residence every thirty years, and it just so happened that this one was moving here.


    Naturally, the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent was absolutely enraged at the sight in front of it. It hade all this way just to see its mate murdered and eviscerated horribly, and it could even smell the scent of many small beings in his mate¡¯s cave, along with the scent of another spirit beast.


    Thus, it quickly followed the scent of thergest groups of beings, which also seemed the weakest. At the end of the trail, it stumbled upon the gathering.


    When the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent attacked, it grabbed a few vigers at once with its tongue and swallowed them whole.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    At the same time, its huge tail struck the houses around it like a whip, causing the walls to crack and houses to copse. Clouds of poison came out of its mouth and even its scales, causing the vigers who breathed it in to vomit blood and copse.


    Within mere minutes, there was not one living being in the vige aside from the serpent.


    <i>Hisssss!!!</i>


    Still, the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent¡¯s anger had not subsided.


    It thought to itself that there had been many other scents in its mate¡¯s cave. It had to take revenge on that spirit beast who killed its mate and the beings that were with it.


    Moreover, as it turned out, these odd beings that walked on two legs and let out weird sounds tasted delicious.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    The Golden-Horned Poison Serpent moved, flicking his tongue and sniffing the air before heading toward the direction his targets were moving.


    Then, it suddenly stopped.


    A small bipedal being had appeared in front of it. The one with the most dangerous scent among all beings it had ever smelled.


    Woo-Moon walked forward slowly and stood in front of the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to kill you just because you killed some humans that were worse than beasts. Unfortunately, you¡¯ve already developed a taste for human flesh. Moreover, your next target is us, so how can I just stand by? Sorry, but I¡¯ll have to stop you.¡±


    At some point on the way back, Woo-Moon had felt a strange sensation behind him. So, he had left Yu Yu in Eun-Ah¡¯s care and turned around, running like the wind.


    <i>¡®So they were ultimately punished by heaven, then. What can I say... Did I really hope for something like this to happen?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon shook the gloom from his mind and looked at the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent with a cold gaze.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Realizing that this was a major crisis, the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent opened its mouth wide and lunged at the being in front of it, its speed absolutely tremendous.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Woo-Moon unleashed an Imprable Golden Wall around himself, quickly blocking the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent''s attack.


    At the same time, he jumped up and stomped on the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent''s head.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    Although Woo-Moon¡¯s feet seemed minuscule next to the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent¡¯s head, the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent¡¯s head jolted down as if it had been struck by a massive boulder.


    Then, Lightsh and Inkde emerged from their scabbards engulfed in vivid golden light and shed through the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent''s entire body.


    <i>Screech!!!</i>


    The Golden-Horned Poison Serpent let out a horrified squeal. It had begun to smell the scent of his impending death.


    Unlike the other small bipedal beings, the being before him was incredibly strong. Moreover, while his aura seemed warm andfortable at first nce, the serpent could clearly tell that behind this warmthy mortal danger.


    Thus, the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent unleashed all the qi he had and attempted a final struggle.


    1. This wine ismonly known as N¨¹ Er Hong and it''s a specialty of Shaoxing, China. ?

 Chapter 171. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (17)

    <h4>Chapter 171. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (17)</h4>


    Spirit beasts and the likes cultivated by creating a neidan within their body, fostering it over the years just like how a martial artist cultivated qi in their dantian.


    As the neidan grew, the spirituality of the beast grew stronger, and eventually, the beast would gain the opportunity to realize the Dao and be an immortal just like humans could.


    Thus, spirit beasts were invariably reluctant to exert their neidan during battle. The more the power within a neidan was used, the longer it would take for a beast to reach the opportunity to ascend to immortality. Most would only do so when facing imminent death.


    However, not only was the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent filled with rage and sorrow at losing one of its mates, but it also realized that it was facing a moment of life and death. Thus, with a feeling of desperation, it put everything on the line and used the power within its neidan to the fullest.


    The Golden-Horned Poison Serpent''s horn glowed brilliantly and mmed into Woo-Moon with a speed and force that waspletely different from before.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    A terrifying explosion rang out as a deluge of blood fell to the ground.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    The Golden-Horned Poison Serpent''s massive head crashed into the ground, severed from its body.


    Woo-Moon had defended himself, casting the Imprable Golden Wall in the air with Lightsh before immediately switching to Golden Wall Severing Void to cut off the serpent¡¯s head.


    "Whew."


    As he let out a sigh, Woo-Moon also tossed an ember of Samadhi True me, which spread and covered the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent''s entire body.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    The tremendous ze incinerated the Golden-Horned Poison Serpent''s body entirely, with only its golden horn remaining.


    After cleaning things up, Woo-Moon quickly set off to catch up with Yu-Yu and Eun-Ah.


    ***


    Du So-Heung and the other Kunlun Sect disciples silently followed Woo-Moon.


    As it happened, Woo-Moon was also heading toward Mount Kunlun, so there was no need to worry about going their separate ways.


    When they finally arrived in front of the mountain, Du So-Heung turned to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Young Hero... do you mind if I ask you for your name?¡±


    Du So-Heung felt very grateful to Woo-Moon.


    There were many Kunlun Daoists who lived on the mountain, far away from the Central ins and the secr world, detached from fame and fortune.


    Characters like Ki Yeon-Oh and Yu Mun-Gwang were like the dregs that existed at the bottom of every barrel, and people like them who worried about reputation and power weren¡¯tmon in a detached ce like the Kunlun Sect. That was precisely the reason they were so grateful to Woo-Moon and did not me him in the slightest about the disgrace that would mar the sect¡¯s reputation due to Ki Yeon-Oh''s heinous actions.


    Woo-Moon looked into Du So-Heung''s eyes for a moment and then spoke calmly.


    ¡°My name is Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    ¡°I see, so it¡¯s Song Woo... Hey, did you just say Song Woo-Moon?!¡±


    ¡°Wait, Song Woo-Moon? No, there¡¯s no way...¡±


    ¡°The Undefeatable Sword Hero Song Woo-Moon!¡±[1]


    The Undefeatable Sword Hero.


    News had spread of the consecutive spars against the Hegemon n and his incredible feats in the war against the ck Bull Gang. The title of Undefeatable Sword Hero was given to Woo-Moon after the greatest of his known feats¡ªdecapitating the Lust Emperor.


    Just like the other disciples, Du So-Heung also couldn''t hide his surprise.


    ¡°Are you really the Undefeatable Sword Hero Song Woo-Moon? We all heard he was killed by the Heavenly Demon Cult at the Heavenly Demon Mound...¡±


    There wasn''t enough time right now to exin the entire idea of Martial Heaven to Du So-Heung. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t something that these third-generation Kunlun Sect disciples, who were looking at him with bright eyes, needed to know at this point.


    It was best to inform only the sect master and the elders of the Kunlun Sect about Martial Heaven and his n to attack the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. The rest of the sect members could learn about it on the day of battle.


    Thus, Woo-Moon just responded with a calm smile, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true that I fell into the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s trap and was on the verge of death. However, thanks to my grandfather¡¯s sacrifice, I was able to survive, and after healing my wounds, I¡¯m now back in the <i>murim</i>.¡±


    At Woo-Moon''s words, Du So-Heung burst out in anger.


    ¡°Hmph! Those demons of the wicked Heavenly Demon Cult! They¡¯ve be even more sinister than before. In the past, they only tried to conquer through force and refused to use such trickery.¡±


    It made perfect sense for Du So-Heung to respond in this manner.


    The Heavenly Demon Cult had been enough of a disaster for the <i>murim </i>back when they had ignorantly only focused on strength. However, if they had started to use such strategies... it was clear that they would be an even more fearsome foe.


    Although he knew it was only for a moment, Woo-Moon felt a twinge of guilt for practically helping Martial Heaven frame the Heavenly Demon Cult. However, he quickly dismissed it. Whether they were protecting Si-Hyeon or trying to kill her, he still did not doubt in his mind that they had been involved in what had happened to her.


    ¡°Then, is there something you need with our sect, Young Master Song?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to meet someone who helped me a lot a long time ago.¡±


    It was at this point that Du So-Heung remembered a story he had heard before about Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Young Hero Song knows our Divine Phantasm Steps.¡¯</i>


    That was why, even though Woo-Moon didn¡¯t have a direct rtionship with the Kunlun Sect they were still rted in a sense.


    ¡°It seems like we¡¯ve moved a little too quickly to get to this point. I think it would be good for us to take a short break,¡± Woo-Moonmented.


    It was something that all of the Kunlun Sect disciples wanted to ask but never dared to do. They had all used their movement techniques to the fullest in order to match Woo-Moon and Eun-Ah¡¯s incredible speed and were delighted to be able to take a break.


    Well aware of their hardships, Du So-Heung also nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±


    Woo-Moon took the chance while everyone was resting to secretly climb up Mount Kunlun¡¯s rough paths, avoiding all people along the way. He climbed over the fence without any of the disciples noticing, eventually arriving at his most important destination, the sect master¡¯s office.


    His figure slowly materialized in front of Na Ban, the sect master of the Kunlun Sect, catching himpletely by surprise.


    Na Ban had wrinkled skin and white hair, yet the yful expression on his face didn¡¯t quite match his sagely appearance. Although Woo-Moon¡¯s sudden appearance was undoubtedly shocking, he didn¡¯t give off even the slightest hint.


    He simply nodded and said in a calm voice, ¡°And who might you be, young man?¡±


    Woo-Moon cupped his fist.


    ¡°I apologize for not being able to go through the proper channels for my visit. My name is Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon? Weren¡¯t you supposed to have died at the Heavenly Demon Mound?¡±


    Woo-Moon nodded, then proceeded to exin himself. He revealed everything that happened, exining the existence of Martial Heaven and the Cruel Sandstorm Riders being one of Martial Heaven¡¯s subordinate organizations. Then, he requested Na Ban and the Kunlun Sect¡¯s aid in subduing the Cruel Sandstorm Riders.


    Although it was Na Ban¡¯s first time meeting Woo-Moon, he had no doubts that the person standing before him was actually Song Woo-Moon. Considering his incredible cultivation at such a young age, it was hard to think about anyone else. Yet after hearing Woo-Moon¡¯s exnation, the sect master finally showed a hint of surprise on his face.


    ¡°I understand that there wouldn¡¯t be any reason for you to lie to me about some fake organization or another, Young Hero. However... it¡¯s still difficult for me to believe in the existence of the organization you call Martial Heaven, considering I¡¯ve never heard of it before. Hmm... of course, the Cruel Sandstorm Riders have always been a problem, so I see no reason to refuse to destroy them. It¡¯s just that having to join hands with the government is quite a hassle.¡±


    It was an entirely predictable answer, and Woo-Moon had been prepared for it. Thus, he took out an item from his pocket and handed it to Na Ban.


    ¡°I received this from Master Jin Won-Myeong a long time ago. Maybe you¡¯ll recognize it.¡±


    Na Ban¡¯s eyes narrowed a little, but he nodded.


    ¡°Well, in that case... if you¡¯re willing to exchange the Kunlun Friendship Medallion for it, then I will take that as an order. We will do as you ask, Young Hero.¡±


    There was only one Kunlun Friendship Medallion. It was a token held by the greatest elder of the Kunlun Sect and was only given to someone whom they recognized as a friend of the sect. By sectw, the sect and its disciples had toply with whatever request was given by the person who returned the medallion to the sect.


    Woo-Moon had been told by Jin Won-Myeong that this was an important token, but he hadn¡¯t expected that the mere sight of it would get the sect master to simply agree to his request without a moment of hesitation.


    ¡°Actually, I have a way to make you aware of Martial Heaven¡¯s existence, Sect Master.¡±


    ¡°And how would that work?¡±


    ¡°Once I officially arrive at the Kunlun Sect and my arrival bes well known, the moles of Martial Heaven who have infiltrated the Kunlun Sect will definitely send homing pigeons and other such to inform their leaders. When they do, I¡¯ll make sure to catch them all. Then, they¡¯ll...¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll what?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll bite the poison pill hidden in their mouths and choose tomit suicide. Because that¡¯s the Martial Heaven way.¡±


    If things really happened as Woo-Moon said they would, the Kunlun Sect would have no choice but to believe him.


    Na Ban nodded his head.


    ¡°Understood. If things really do happen as you say, we will help you wholeheartedly, and you can keep the Kunlun Friendship Medallion as well. This is a major problem.¡±


    ¡°Thank you in advance.¡±


    Woo-Moon had never expected that the medallion he had received from Jin Won-Myeong a long time ago would be so helpful. The discussion here had gone far more smoothly than the one he had with the Otherworldly Ice Fairy.


    With their conversation over, Woo-Moon left Na Ban¡¯s office and descended the mountain like the wind. Fortunately, the group was still where he had left them, and none of them had any idea what he had just done.


    Pretending that nothing had happened, Woo-Moon spent the rest of the time calmly teaching Yu Yu martial arts.


    Although Yu Yu wasn¡¯t very talented originally, her intellect grew and her body became more suitable for martial training after Woo-Moon reformed her body. She was learning martial arts as quickly as cotton absorbed water.


    Woo-Moon was teaching her the Swordy of the Carefree Goddess, the sword art that Sang-Woon had taught Si-Hyeon. Now that the only two other people who knew the art were gone, if Woo-Moon didn¡¯t find a proper heir for it, the art wouldpletely disappear from this world.


    It was poetic, almost like fate, that the sole inheritor of the Swordy of the Carefree Goddess would be named Yu Yu.[2]


    After some time had passed, Du So-Heung approached Woo-Moon.


    ¡°We¡¯re ready to keep going now. Would that be okay?¡±


    Woo-Moon nodded.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°The road to the Kunlun Sect is steep and has many forks. Please allow me to take the lead.¡±


    ¡°Understood.


    After trekking up the mountain for a while, the group finally arrived at the Kunlun Sect.


    ¡°Junior Sect Uncle! You¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Hey, why do you all seem... what?! Isn¡¯t that Junior Sect Uncle Ki Yeon-Oh? How was he injured so severely?¡±


    The disciples on the main mountain were still unaware of what Ki Yeon-Oh had done.


    Du So-Heung looked coldly at the disciples floundering about and gossiping without bothering to read the room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourselves with this. Just go and announce that a very important guest has arrived. Moreover, call the sect elders over, as I have something to say about Yeon-Oh.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    From Du So-Heung¡¯s tone, even the dullest of the disciples understood that something major had happened. They immediately shut up and dispersed.


    Du So-Heung no longer called Ki Yeon-Oh ¡°senior brother¡± anymore.


    The two disciples guarding the main gate quickly rushed inside. Woo-Moon waited with Du So-Heung for a moment before crossing through the gate into the Kunlun Sect.


    Within just a few moments, almost all of the Kunlun Sect¡¯s disciples gathered, their eyes focused on Woo-Moon and Du So-Heung, as well as Ki Yeon-Oh, who was being carried behind them like a dead fish.


    As the Kunlun Sect disciples murmured among themselves, one of the elders came forward. He was Du So-Heung and Ki Yeon-Oh¡¯s junior sect uncle.


    ¡°So-Heung, what happened?¡±


    Without the slightest hesitation, Du So-Heung exined everything about Ki Yeon-Oh¡¯s deeds.


    ¡°WHAT?!<i> </i>Just how!¡±


    ¡°How could this happen to our Kunlun Sect?!¡±


    The sighs of the elders echoed endlessly as the disciples all forgot their previous gossip and were now just staring in utter shock.


    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened, So-Heung. Okay, there¡¯s no reason for you to lie. But, who is that young man standing over there?¡±


    Before Du So-Heung could exin, Woo-Moon stepped forward and cupped his fist.


    ¡°My name is Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    The murmurs returned with even more impetus at Woo-Moon¡¯s introduction.


    ¡°The Undefeatable Sword Hero? Is he really that Song Woo-Moon?¡±


    This time, Du So-Heung responded to the question.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. This young man is the famed Undefeated Sword Hero, who was rumored to be dead. He is the one who stopped Ki Yeon-Oh¡¯s despicable n and made it known to us.¡±


    What Ki Yeon-Oh had done could only be described in one word: abominable. And given that he was a high-ranking member of the Kunlun Sect, a first-generation disciple, the shock felt by all of the disciples was even more significant.


    As he stood to the side, Woo-Moon looked for Jin Won-Myeong and Do-Ah. However, to his disappointment, they were nowhere to be seen.


    Meanwhile, the sect master summoned the elders for a meeting.


    1. No, this is not the title. It¡¯s just one word off though. ?


    2. The word Carefree is read as Yu Yu. So, the sword technique could also be read as the Swordy of the Goddess Yu Yu. ?

 Chapter 172. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (18)

    <h4>Chapter 172. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (18)</h4>


    Of course, the agenda for the meeting was the punishment for Ki Yeon-Oh.


    While some of the elders who had more favorable impressions of Ki Yeon-Oh expressed their doubts, the vige chief that Woo-Moon had brought along exposed everything that had happened, saying that he was repenting for his mistakes. Naturally, he could not possibly withstand the scrutiny of high-level cultivators, so every word he said was the pure truth.


    Thus, in the end, they had no choice but to acknowledge it. And since they were dealing with such an atrocious sin that vited not just the sectws but even the most fundamental human morality, it did not take long for a decision to be made.


    It wasn''t long before the sect master came out again.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon disappeared, leaving an afterimage in his wake. Lights seemed to sh in all directions around him.


    He reappeared not long afterward, holding a long rope in one hand and a string of homing pigeons in the other. On the other end of the rope were five people hogtied and with their acupoints pressed.


    ¡°Young Hero Song! What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± the elders of the Kunlun Sect shouted, bbergasted. However, Na Ban inserted himself between the elders and Woo-Moon, waving his hands as if to say that everything was okay.


    ¡°Are these all?¡± Na Ban then asked.


    Woo-Moon nodded, leaving Na Ban to continue speaking to the elders in a cold tone.


    ¡°Elders, please handle the details regarding Ki Yeon-Oh. I have something I need to discuss with Young Hero Song. These people are suspected to be traitors of the sect; they are to be locked in a secure ce and interrogated.¡±


    The Kunlun Sect disciples who were listening were startled by what Na Ban just said. Among the five people that Woo-Moon and Na Ban seemed to suspect as traitors, there were three disciples of the third generation, one of the second, and most importantly, an elder of the first.


    Na Ban gave some orders to one of his younger disciple brothers before heading deep into the Kunlun Sect with Woo-Moon. On the way, he also secretly gestured to a passing disciple and separately called for his two most trusted junior disciple brothers.


    Eventually, they arrived at a ce within the Kunlun Sect that no one could ess without the sect Master¡¯s permission.


    Woo-Moon lined up all of the moles. To prepare them for the interrogation, Woo-Moon used Spatial Maniption to force the mouths of all five people open and pluck out the teeth containing the poison pills.


    Then, he disyed the poison pills to Na Ban before releasing their acupoints.


    Na Ban looked at the elder kneeling before him, one of his own beloved juniors. Confusion and sadness were clear in his gaze.


    ¡°Junior brother, just why, why did you join Martial Heaven?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, senior brother. I¡¯ve always been a part of Martial Heaven, from the moment I was born! Martial Heaven will stand eternal!¡±


    Woo-Moon was watching carefully to see if any of the moles might try to bite their tongue andmit suicide. Right as Na Ban¡¯s junior disciple brother shouted ¡°Martial Heaven will stand eternal,¡± he sensed a strange energy stir within all five of their brains.


    ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡±


    Before Woo-Moon could even summon up his qi, all five people bled from their noses and ears, then copsed to the ground, dead in an instant.


    Although Woo-Moon had tried his best to prevent them frommitting suicide, Martial Heaven had a backup n. They had not only embedded poison pills in their members'' teeth, but also parasites within their brains. And the Martial Heaven slogan was what activated these parasites, causing them to let out a massive amount of highly toxic poison, practically melting the brains of their hosts.


    Martial Heaven was truly thorough.


    <i>¡®Most likely... even if I discovered the parasites... they would have other methods as well.¡¯</i>


    These people were truly vicious and viewed human life as less than pebbles on a dirt road.


    ¡°Ha...¡±


    As Na Banmented the loss, the two junior disciple brothers that he had called arrived.


    ¡°There¡¯s extremely toxic poison, so be careful when you take their bodies. We have to conduct an autopsy.¡±


    The two didn¡¯t question how the people had died; they simply trusted Na Ban, their sect master and senior brother, and carried the five corpses to the prison.


    ¡°Then, Young Hero Song. We don¡¯t need to stay here anymore, so we might as well go somewhere morefortable to speak.¡±


    As they walked through the sect grounds, Woo-Moon suddenly saw a man and a woman dressed in shabby robes.


    The man¡¯s age could be seen in his full, gray-white beard, while the girl was as beautiful as a wildflower, even without any makeup.


    Both had sacks full of medicinal herbs on their backs and peaceful expressions on their faces, as if they were .


    "Long time no see."


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re...!¡±


    Jin Won-Myeong''s tone seemed a little more rxed and friendly than before, even though he was surprised.


    Woo-Moon smiled at him.


    ¡°So an Absolute Master appeared in the Kunlun Sect. It¡¯s just that the world doesn¡¯t know it yet.¡±


    The former sect master of the Kunlun Sect, First Sword of Kunlun Jin Won-Myeong.


    In the past, he had gained enlightenment from Woo-Moon''sndscape painting, and after realizing his own greed and innate desires that were an impediment to his Dao, he immediately returned to the sect. There, he spent his time leisurely studying the natural Dao, which he had neglected.


    As he had never once shown his martial skill, no one, not even Na Ban, knew yet that Jin Won-Myeong had reached the Absolute realm.


    Obviously, hearing this piece of news, Na Ban overflowed with joy. He was actually Jin Won-Myeong¡¯s direct disciple, and even though Do-Ah was now attending to Jin Won-Myeong, she was actually Na Ban¡¯s own disciple. And though he was the sect master now, he was first and foremost his master¡¯s disciple.


    ¡°Is... Is that true, Master?¡±


    Jin Won-Myeong responded with a broad smile.


    ¡°Well, I was lucky and was able to make thatst step. It¡¯s nothing major.¡±


    The Kunlun Sect finally had an Absolute Master!


    How long had they been waiting for this?


    There hadn¡¯t been an Absolute Master in the Kunlun Sect for the past three hundred years, including Jin Won-Myeong¡¯s master, his master¡¯s master, and so on.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us about this incredible event? Master, congrattions!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being noisy, you little brat. Why are you happy about some rise in cultivation? It¡¯s not like I attained the Immortal Dao or something¡±


    While Na Ban and Jin Won-Myeong bickered, Woo-Moon spoke to Do-Ah.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Young Lady Do-Ah.¡±


    It might be because of how long she had spent with Jin Won-Myeong, who had reached a high level in both martial arts and cultivation of the Dao, but Do-Ah¡¯s eyes sparkled with wisdom far beyond her age. She gave off an aurapletely different from before as she smiled softly at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Young Hero Song. I¡¯m envious of what time has allowed you to experience.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes, which had been like clear spring water when they first met at the Deungpyeong Inn, were now shining with the light of mellowed candle whose color or depth couldn¡¯t be easily identified.


    The Dao was by no means a uniform path.


    If it were possible to realize the Dao by living ording to the scriptures...


    If it were possible to realize the Dao by following the Dao touted by those of the current Daoist Sects, which were so intertwined with secr causes by now that even they didn¡¯t know what their true Dao was...


    How could there be so many people in the world whose lives ended without reaching enlightenment?


    After all, there were only too many people who walked down such a path, which was standardized and said to be a shortcut to enlightenment.


    As expected of someone of her caliber, however, Do-Ah¡¯s path was different. Like Woo-Moon, she came to understand a lot of things as she traveled alongside Jin Won-Myeong. She had an inkling about what Woo-Moon had experienced, and she genuinely envied him.


    Of course, how could someone carelessly judge the depth of someone¡¯s enlightenment? That was something not even an immortal could do on a whim. Still, Do-Ah trusted her intuition.


    She could tell that the trials and tribtions Woo-Moon had gone through had brought him far, far further along his path than she was even able to see. He was much closer to the Sword Dao¡ªand his own Dao¡ªthan she was.


    Still, Taiji is Taiji. Every path has to end, yet every end is a new beginning, so does the path really end? This is the meaning of Taiji. The path that Woo-Moon walked was his own; there was no reason for Do-Ah to imitate what he was doing.


    Of course, if she did imitate him, she may well realize the Dao as well. But, that didn¡¯t mean Woo-Moon¡¯s path was the only right one, or even the right one for her. It was just one of many roads to the Dao.


    Suddenly, Do-Ah had a strange thought and smiled softly to herself.


    <i>¡®Didn¡¯t I have a little crush on him back then? Yeah, but it went away as time passed. Hmm... What would it be like to marry him? There are definitely things about the Dao that I can realize if I marry him, right? In fact,pared to the kid I was back then, I¡¯ve grown into a beauty that all men in the world would like, so he might even say yes if I bring it up.¡¯</i>


    She had thought of it as a joke, but surprisingly, her heart pounded at this thought.


    <i>¡®Do I still have some of the childishness of that young girl left inside of me?¡¯</i>


    Do-Ah was suddenly shaken as her random thoughts had turned serious for a moment, but then she admonished herself inwardly.


    Although she had some favorable feelings for Woo-Moon, she felt dejected as she was well aware that such feelings would drive her away from her Dao.


    <i>¡®No, I¡¯ll just follow my own path.¡¯</i>


    Suddenly, a feeling of realization descended.


    Enlightenment is neither something grand nor something difficult to attain.


    In fact, the more one ces enlightenment on a pedestal, the more likely one is to ignore all the minor enlightenments that are easily essible.


    Small realizations that one experiences in daily life pile up, eventually culminating in a great enlightenment that may lead one to the next level. Even the slightest bit of enlightenment could be the one final push that brings one over the threshold.


    Woo-Moon had no idea what was going through Do-Ah¡¯s mind as she looked at him.


    However, he noticed her breathing suddenly getting a little heavier as her face turned red. Then, in an instant, her expression suddenly became peaceful as the joy of enlightenment overflowed within her eyes.


    He smiled brightly, knowing that she had taken a step forward in her cultivation of the Dao. And how could he not be happy? She was neither his enemy, norpeting with him; they were walking alongside each other.


    As Woo-Moon and Do-Ah smiled at each other, Jin Won-Myeong shouted from the side.


    ¡°What are you brats doing?! Yeah, yeah, you¡¯re both hrious. Stop smiling at each other and hurry up and follow me.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Old Sect Master.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Jin Won-Myeong seemed more rxed than before.


    After realizing his innate stubbornness and entricity, instead of trying to suppress it even further, he had rather decided to embrace it.


    It was his nature, after all.


    So, he gave up on trying to pretend to be some kind of noble being and began to speak like an old man from the countryside. He also gave up on martial arts training and only concentrated on collecting herbs and making medicine.


    By not lying to himself and trying to change who he really was, Jin Won-Myeong naturally crossed the wall and became an Absolute Master. It was a perfectly casual breakthrough.


    As Woo-Moon followed them toward a pavilion behind the Kunlun Sect, Jin Won-Myeong proudly said, ¡°You know, I thought back then that you would achieve great things in the future, but what you¡¯ve done is far beyond my expectations. It looks like you¡¯ve surpassed the Absolute realm.¡±


    Na Ban was bbergasted.


    ¡°How is that possible? Is that true, Young Hero Song? Are you a Paragon?!¡±


    ¡°My cultivation isn¡¯t quite stable just yet, but yes, it¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Ha...¡±


    Bing an Absolute Master itself wasn¡¯t a feat that could be ignored. After all, it was a level that only fourteen people in the entirety of the Central ins had reached, at least in the public eye.


    Absolute Masters were often called ¡°one-man armies¡± and had the power to destroy major sects all by themselves. Considering that, what could be said about Paragons, who looked down on Absolute Masters?!


    While the Heavenly Demons of the Heavenly Demon Cult became Paragons for generations due to their unique characteristics, thest Paragon to havee from a Righteous Sect was the Sun Moon Divine Wanderer Baekri Hyeon-Yu... and he had died six centuries back.


    And now, another Paragon had appeared right in front of him.


    A Paragon in his twenties!


    Na Ban now knew that he was face to face with someone who was bound to leave an indelible mark on the <i>murim.</i>


    ¡°Good, good. So, why did youe all the way here? You didn¡¯t stop by just to see me and Do-Ah, I presume.¡±


    Woo-Moon chuckled at Jin Won-Myeong''s words, and Na Ban answered instead.


    ¡°Well, Young Hero Song has spoken to us about a mysterious force called Martial Heaven...¡±


    Jin Won-Myeong''s expression gradually turned grave as he listened to Na Ban''s exnation. Apparently, there was a group of psychopaths with the goal of ¡°exterminating the <i>murim</i>¡± and they were plotting a conspiracy that involved several Paragons.


    Jin Won-Myeong believed every word Woo-Moon said.


    ¡°I wanted to cut my ties with the world and live in seclusion on Mount Kunlun, but it looks like those Martial Heaven bastards won¡¯t let me enjoy my retirement. Na Ban!¡±

 Chapter 173. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (19)

    <h4>Chapter 173. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (19)</h4>


    Na Ban politely answered his Master''s call.


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to help him, right? Don¡¯t sit on your ass just because it involves the government.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Master. Besides, Young Hero Song even offered the Kunlun Friendship Medallion for our aid, so how could I refuse him?¡±


    Then, Do-Ah interjected, ¡°Heh, you didn¡¯t know what it was for when you got it. Do you know what kind of gift it was now?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I used to be a fool, but that was a long time ago, you know?¡±


    No one in the world can escape change. Some change overnight due to some event or opportunity, while others change over time, slowly but surely.


    Isn¡¯t that precisely why the world is interesting?


    ¡°Then, have you decided when we¡¯re going to take action?¡±


    ¡°Well, no secret is ever kept secret forever. Moreover, I¡¯ve already inevitably revealed a lot regarding my identity. For now, I¡¯ve stopped all homing pigeons from leaving the sect, but that is only a stopgap measure. So, now that we have all the help we¡¯ll need, I n on going on the offensive within five days.¡±


    Na Ban nodded at Woo-Moon¡¯s response.


    ¡°Understood. Then, I¡¯ll secretly contact they disciples and the disciples who are still outside the sect.¡±


    The Nine Sects and One Gang and the Eight Great Ancient Families were both colossal forces.


    On the surface, it seemed as though the Eight Great Ancient Families wererger and stronger. However, unlike the Eight Great Ancient Families, the Nine Sect and One Gang had secry disciples who didn¡¯t officially belong to a sect but could be of great help as a reserve force in times of crisis.


    If all of the Kunlun Sect¡¯sy disciples and the forces that these disciples led were gathered together under the banner of the sect, then their army would definitely not becking in numbers or power.


    ¡°It goes without saying that you shouldn¡¯t tell them all the details, but do make sure they are informed of what they are doing and more or less what they¡¯re up against and why.¡±


    ¡°Keke. Of course.¡±


    As the tactical discussion came to a conclusion, Woo-Moon looked over at Jin Won-Myeong and mischievously said, ¡°Suddenly, I¡¯m reminded of something from way back. Could I ask you for a spar?¡±


    Jin Won-Myeong burst intoughter.


    As if he had no other choice, he couldn¡¯t help butugh as he got up and smacked Woo-Moon on the shoulder a few times.


    As he passed by Woo-Moon, still smiling, he used his movement technique to the fullest as he ran away, shouting, ¡°You stinky brat, what do you think you¡¯re trying to do, bully an old man?!¡±


    There was a strange silence between the three remaining people.


    Na Ban was embarrassed as he recited his personal Daoist scripture, while Do-Ah jumped up and shouted in the direction where Jin Won-Myeong had gone.


    ¡°Are you really leaving me behind just to run away on your own?!¡±


    Then she smiled and said farewell to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I look forward to seeing you again.¡±


    Do-Ah, who was now in the Transcendent stage, also left to chase after Jin Won-Myeong, while Woo-Moon sent a Harmonic Transmission to him in the distance.


    <i>¡ªI¡¯ve been using the Divine Phantasm Steps that you taught me, and it has been useful to me ever since. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.</i>


    <i>¡ªHmph, of course! The Divine Phantasm... Steps is... the best footwork technique... in all of gangho. Next time... I¡¯ll... you brat...</i>


    While Woo-Moon¡¯s transmission was heard extremely clearly by Jin Won-Myeong, Jin Won-Myeong¡¯s was interrupted and disconnected. In fact, the only reason Woo-Moon was able to hear this much was because his senses were extremely keen.


    Right as he was in the midst of talking to Jin Won-Myeong about the Divine Phantasm Steps, Na Ban patted him on the shoulder, almost as if he had received a hint from Jin Won-Myeong in advance.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. You¡¯ve learned the Divine Phantasm Steps, right?¡±


    Na Ban¡¯s tone had changed slightly. Woo-Moon had a somewhat ominous feeling.


    ¡°Yes, I did, but...¡±


    ¡°Then, you¡¯re ay disciple of our Kunlun Sect! Now, please stamp your seal here before you go,¡± Na Ban quickly said as he held out a nk sheet of parchment.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°This is a certificate that you are ay disciple of our Kunlun Sect.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this just a nk sheet?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ll fill it inter, so just stamp it for now.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡±


    Woo-Moon let out augh eerily simr to Jin Won-Myeong¡¯s and shook his head a couple of times before immediately breaking free from Na Ban''s grasp and running away.


    ¡°Huh? What? Catch him!! He¡¯s one of us now!¡± Na Ban shouted as Woo-Moon spiritually called out to Eun-Ah to follow him with Yu Yu.


    There was nothing for him to worry about regarding Ki Yeon-Oh or the vige chief. If the Kunlun Sect was truly as he¡¯d seen today, both of them would pay the exact price they deserved for their deeds, not a single ounce less.


    ***


    ¡°Get started.¡±


    "Okay!"


    Yu Yu carefully circted her qi ording to the instructions in the sutra before thrusting her sword in three different directions. Then, she looked backward, kicked her foot out once, flicked her wrist as if she were pping something with her sword, and spun in ce as if she were dancing. At the end of her spin, she flicked her sword again and shed the air vigorously.


    She was learning the Swordy of the Carefree Goddess that Sang-Woon had taught Si-Hyeon, and she was now demonstrating a technique in front of Woo-Moon.


    <i>Thwip, thwip!</i>


    A stick fashioned out of a willow branch hit Yu Yu in various ces.


    ¡°Your shoulder is sticking out too much.¡±


    ¡°You have to control your breathing at this point!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just let your knee bend just because it¡¯s hard!¡±


    As proven when he trained the Song family ¡°guards,¡± Woo-Moon was truly strict when teaching martial arts, to the point that Yu Yu shed tears.


    About an hourter, they finished with the day''s training.


    ¡°Ha... ha... hehe. Are we done for today, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You used your qi unconsciously twice today. You need to get more used to practicing your martial arts without using qi.¡±


    Although Yu Yu had instantly acquired a cultivation base and her physical abilities greatly improved after she consumed the neidan of the Blood-Horned Poison Serpent and underwent bone and marrow cleansing, she had never learned martial arts prior to that. Therefore, it was very dangerous for her to try to solve all of her ws using qi. Thus, Woo-Moon made her practice sword techniques and other martial arts without using any qi whatsoever.


    <i>Huff.</i>


    When Yu Yu had first learned the Swordy of the Carefree Goddess, Eun-Ah had watched with some amount of curiosity. However, the longer Yu Yu trained, the more bored Eun-Ah became.


    So, even now, Eun-Ahy on the grass, rolling from side to side and wing at the air for no reason.


    ¡°Hey, you little tyke. It¡¯s over. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Woo-Moon put Yu Yu on Eun-Ah¡¯s back.


    <i>Roar!!!</i>


    Eun-Ah ran forward while making happy noises, apletely different image from just a few seconds back.


    ¡°What? She¡¯ll get stronger anyway, so why train so hard?¡±


    Woo-Moon spanked Eun-Ah with a Raging Wind Palm.


    <i>ROAR!</i>


    Eun-Ah grumbled, asking why Woo-Moon had hit her with a voice filled with pain and resentment.


    ¡°Are you the same as humans? A tiger is still a tiger from birth and is the king of the mountains no matter what. Humans are not the same. The reason we have to make so much effort is because we¡¯re naturally weak from birth. What? Of course, I was extremely weak at first, too. If I hadn¡¯t trained this hard, I would have been weak right now as well.¡±


    <i>¡®Well, is that really the case?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon knew that his case was a bit different than just being called effort.


    The moment he first saw the world inside thendscape painting, he had also fallen in love with the sword. Anything he had to do in order to study the sword was just fun to him.


    He was learning the sword to enjoy himself, nothing more, nothing less. And there was amon saying: azy genius couldn¡¯t beat someone who worked hard, and someone who worked hard couldn¡¯t beat someone who enjoyed the work.


    Still, was Woo-Moon just someone who enjoyed the sword?


    No, that wasn¡¯t right, either.


    There was the Sr Physique, Woo-Moon¡¯s innate constitution.


    Well, it was more like a congenital disorder.


    He had been fated to die before the age of twenty, his entire body¡¯s veins and meridians scorched by the pure yang qi. Yet,pensating for their exceedingly poor physique, those born with the Sr Physique were blessed with divine intelligence. In other words, his ability toprehend and understand was greater than anyone else.


    As Woo-Moonter realized, the martial training he had experienced through thendscape painting¡¯s mental image training was nearly impossible for other people to even attempt, let alone do properly.


    Just take Yu Yu, for example. Even after her metamorphosis, it would be nearly impossible for her to practice her own sword techniques solely through mental image training.


    The martial dao hidden within the depths of thendscape painting¡¯s strokes was truly close to the Dao, and it was too strenuous on most people¡¯s brains. It was only because Woo-Moon was born with the Sr Physique and had incredibleprehension skills that he had been able to memorize it all and unravel it little by little.


    In other words, Woo-Moon was in fact a genius.


    Moreover, he not only enjoyed cultivating the Sword Dao, but he also had the best of teachers, the most perfect of martial techniques, and the greatest of all cultivation methods.


    All of that added together was why he had grown so quickly.


    <i>¡®Hmm. When I think about it, I guess I was really lucky, too. Well, I was destined to die before twenty, so I guess that¡¯s justpensation.¡¯</i>


    That was right.


    If he hadn¡¯t learned martial arts, Woo-Moon would have lived a short and sickly life, dying with only his dreams of bing a man of the <i>murim.</i>


    He thought back to that day, the day he met the old Daoist who drew thendscape painting for him. Moreover, he thought back to seeing the old Daoist again when he turned twenty, the Daoist appearing to him after he woke up from his dream and congratting him for reaching that age.


    For some reason, the tip of his nose started to tingle.


    Thus, as he walked toward the Regional Military Commission, he pondered to himself for a while.


    ***


    A military officer wearing ck armor, with two massive sabers on either hip and holding a guandao in his hand, blocked the path.


    He appeared to be in histe thirties and had quite the impressive beard. He almost seemed like Guan Yu from the Three Kingdoms era.


    <i>¡®The Battle Emperor!¡¯</i>


    He was one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors, but unlike the others, he had no weapon to represent him.


    Because he was skilled in all weapons.


    That was why, unlike the Palm Martial Emperor, Sword Emperor, and Saber Emperor, he was not given a specific title, but rather the generic title of Battle Emperor!


    Now, he was blocking Woo-Moon¡¯s path.


    One hour before, the Martial Emperor had prostrated himself and let out a greeting that made people feel as if the wall was shaking.


    ¡°Lee Gang hase to greet the Princess!¡±[1]


    It wasn¡¯t just a feeling, actually; the Regional Military Commission building actually shook to the point where it seemed as though it would copse, unidentifiable debris falling to the ground.


    ¡°P-please get up.¡±


    Even though she had prepared in advance, ced earplugs in both ears, and had the Formless Flying Sword step forward to block the sound wave, Princess Mok Yong felt her head buzz.


    ¡°Hey, what are the ancestors doing? Why won¡¯t they take that ignorant brute among them already? Hey, you senile old man! Are you trying to get this ce to copse?¡± the Saber Emperor Jeong Yi-Moon shouted.


    The Martial Emperor Lee Gang stood up and retorted bluntly.


    ¡°Our ancestors should take you first. To think you¡¯d have the thick face to stay alive after you broke the Lion God Saber that His Majesty thete Emperor bestowed upon you.¡±


    For Saber Emperor Jeong Yi-Moon, the incident in which the Lion God Saber was broken in the fight against the Dominating Fist Heavenly Demon was his greatest shame!


    ¡°Y-you damn bastard! Fine, let''s see it through to the end today!¡±


    The Martial Emperor Lee Gang snorted coldly in response.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in fighting some idiot who was fooled by some barking puppy. A Paragon, my ass. What, does he also have golding out of his ass?¡±[/ref]Literally, do your words even count as sound? It¡¯s supposed to be really uncouth and rude, so I had a little fun.[/ref]


    Lee Gang was referring to Woo-Moon. He simply refused to believe the rumors that Woo-Moon, someone two generations below and the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor of all people, had surpassed his cultivation.


    Furious, the Saber Emperor suddenly paused and swallowed his pride, changing his tactics.


    ¡°Oh, really? Well, if he shits gold, then will you eat it when he knocks you down?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll eat my own weapons if he can beat me! You say his cultivation is higher? Ridiculous!¡±


    If Saber Emperor Jeong Yi-Moon and Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon were lifelong friends, Martial Emperor Lee Gang and Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon were lifelong enemies.


    He could never admit that his martial skills were inferior not to his most hated enemy, but to the man¡¯s goddamn grandson! No, not even if he had to die!


    ¡°Well, alright then! He left the Kunlun Sect a while ago and should be here soon enough. Why don¡¯t you have a little spar?¡±


    Lee Gangughed uproariously.


    ¡°You know what, why not? Watch me take that little shit down a peg!¡±


    1. In chapter 60, the Battle Emperor¡¯s name was written to be Lee Jong-Gwang. However, the author seems to have switched to Lee Gang now. ?

 Chapter 174. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (20)

    <h4>Chapter 174. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (20)</h4>


    Then, Lee Gang dragged his massive, armored body out onto the road leading to the Kunlun Sect and waited for Woo-Moon.


    Following behind, the Formless Flying Sword called out to her adjutant.


    ¡°For the next three hours, divert all traffic heading for this road. Close off the entire area within... a two hundred zhang radius.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    As the adjutant ran off, Princess Mok Yong asked the Formless Flying Sword, ¡°Who do you think will win?¡±


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s Magistrate Jeong Yi-Moon or General Lee Gang, they¡¯re both stronger than me. Their skills are the greatest among the Heavenly Martial Emperors... Still, Young Hero Song will win.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Even with what the Formless Flying Sword said, Princess Mok Yong felt as though Lee Gang would win.


    Jeong Yi-Moon may not know it, but in her mind, Lee Gang was the greatest of the generals, stronger than anyone else. She felt as though he was invincible and couldn¡¯t be defeated by anyone.


    <i>Growl.</i>


    Eun-Ah growled lowly, sensing the fighting spirit directed at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you little rascal. Stay here and watch.¡±


    Woo-Moon jumped off Eun-Ah¡¯s tail,nded in front of the Battle Emperor, and cupped his fist.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet the weapon and shield of the Imperial Pce.¡±


    Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t say his title out loud. Just like the Saber Emperor, the Battle Emperor would only get angry and feel that Woo-Moon was being disrespectful.


    ¡°Hmph. I heard from Jeong Yi-Moon, that old bastard. So you¡¯re a Paragon, huh? Well, I¡¯ll find out if that¡¯s true for myself!¡±


    Although he looked like Guan Yu, his temperament was a perfect match to Zhang Fei¡¯s.[1]


    As soon as the Battle Emperor finished speaking, he dashed toward Woo-Moon, swinging his guandao up before striking down in a wide arc.


    <i>WHOOOSH!</i>


    With a tremendous roar, all of the dust and stones in the vicinity were sucked into a whirlwind by the movement of the guandao.


    Truly domineering!


    Most swordsmen would be dragged into the blow without being able to even move their swords properly due to the immense rotational force of the guandao, eventually ending up shattered alongside their swords.


    It was the perfect example of guandao technique¡ªcrushing speed and variability with pure force!


    Woo-Moon drew Inkde without hesitation and thrust into the center of the storm created by the Battle Emperor¡¯s move.


    Neither fast nor slow, his thrust moved at just the right speed.


    <i>Clink.</i>


    The sound of metal touching metal resounded softly, and Inkde coiled around the side of the guandao like a snake before borrowing the guandao¡¯s force to push it down and to the side.


    <i>Swish, woosh!!</i>


    Unable to touch its target, the guandao spun in a circle twice and struck the ground far away from Woo-Moon¡¯s position.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    With a loud explosion, a hole roughly a zhang in diameter appeared in the ground, and at the same time, the guandao¡¯s qi created a furrow along the road approximately ten zhang in length.


    ¡°How impressive! To think you¡¯d use softness to subdue my guandao!¡±


    After he finished speaking, the Battle Emperor drew the twin sabers he wore on his waist and ran toward Woo-Moon again.


    <i>Swish! Woosh! Woosh! Whirl!</i>


    The twin sabers seemed to cut the wind as they mercilessly swung all around Woo-Moon.


    Although it seemed as though he would be cleaved open and blood would stter on the ground at any moment, Woo-Moon avoided every attack with just the slightest of movements, avoiding a horrible fate by a hair¡¯s length.


    As Woo-Moon continued to dodge, he suddenly lowered his body and swept the ground with his feet.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    As the Battle Emperor leaped into the air to dodge Woo-Moon¡¯s attack, Woo-Moon stood up and kicked twice with his right foot simultaneously.


    <i>ng, ng!</i>


    The Battle Emperor¡¯s twin sabers flew listlessly through the air.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s enough! You already look pathetic!¡± the Saber Emperor shouted teasingly from behind.


    The Battle Emperor, whose face flushed red, picked up a spear he had previously stabbed into the ground and pierced forward with three thrusts that flickered like lightning.


    His attack was truly the pinnacle of swiftness that could be shown through a spear.


    However, Woo-Moon leisurely kicked up three stones.


    <i>ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The flying rocks blocked all three thrusts.


    Seeing this, the Battle Emperor decided not to hold back anymore and let out all of his powerful aura. He leapt forward and thrust his spear at Woo-Moon, imbuing his attack with a mighty spear aura.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s figure suddenly blurred. When it reappeared, he was dangerously close to the Battle Emperor, and his hand was ced against thetter¡¯s dantian.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop here.¡±


    The Battle Emperor felt his blood run cold.


    ¡°Ahem... fine, I lost.¡±


    Understanding that he was no match for Woo-Moon, the Battle Emperor meekly admitted defeat.


    ¡°Thank you for letting me off easily,¡± Woo-Moon said courteously.


    The Battle Emperor just threw up his hands at Woo-Moon¡¯s humility.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need some constion from the winner! I never would have thought that the saying about the tide washing away the stagnant water on the banks of the Yangtze would ever apply to me. Ha...¡±


    Although the Saber Emperor had hoped for the Battle Emperor to make a fool of himself, actually seeing the Battle Emperor be toyed around and beaten so easily left him conflicted.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    ¡°Hey, you bastard, take it.¡±


    The Battle Emperor caught the flying object, realizing that it was a high-quality bottle of liquor that the Saber Emperor had been savoring sparingly.


    ¡°Are you sympathizing with me?¡±


    ¡°What point is there for us old bastards to keep our pride? I¡¯m giving it to you out of pity, so just drink it!¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± With a snort, the Battle Emperor began to chug.


    ¡°Hey, hey, stop it, you idiot! That¡¯s for tasting, not for quenching your thirst! Do you know how expensive that is?!¡±


    ¡°What, you¡¯re going to give it to me and then take it right back? I¡¯m going to drink it all.¡±


    ¡°No, give it back!¡±


    While the Saber Emperor and the Battle Emperor bickered over drinks, Woo-Moon walked over to Princess Mok Yong and greeted her.


    ¡°We¡¯ve obtained the North Sea Ice Pce and the Kunlun Sect¡¯s cooperation. All that¡¯s left is to act.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now, we can finally drive out those ruthless Cruel Sandstorm Riders. When do you n on taking action?¡±


    ¡°In two days at most.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Understood. We¡¯ll make sure we have all of our preparationsplete by then.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Messengers were immediately dispatched to the North Sea Ice Pce, the Kunlun Sect, and the Baek Family.


    ***


    The next day.


    In arge pavilion within a corner of the Regional Military Commission, three hundred people of all statures, wearing heavy outer robes, stood in front of Princess Mok Yong, Woo-Moon, and the others.


    Each of the men in the heavy robes exuded an extraordinary aura.


    ¡°Well met.¡±


    As the Battle Emperor greeted them, the three hundred people grabbed their robes, tore them off, and kneeled.


    Underneath, they all wore the same ck armor as the Battle Emperor!


    They were the most elite force in the North, under the directmand of the Battle Emperor¡ªthe Iron-Blooded ck Cavalry!


    ¡°Following the orders of the Grand General, we¡¯vee to aid Princess Mok Yong. Please help us cut down those evil horse bandits. Long live!¡± they shouted in one voice.


    The Iron-Blooded ck Cavalry had a total of a thousand members. Lee Gang and the others picked the most elite of the cavalry, three hundred strong. It was clear that these mighty soldiers would y a crucial role in battle.


    Princess Mok Yong personally walked forward and helped one of the cavalrymen stand.


    ¡°I really appreciate all of youing all this way to help me. Everyone, please stand.¡±


    About fifty female warriors entered the hall at this time. Not only were their auras on par with those of the Iron-Blooded ck Cavalry, but many of them seemed even stronger. They were the elite female warriors of the Imperial Demonstration Department led by Formless Flying Sword Yoon Ha-Rin.


    ¡°Long live! Following the Chief¡¯s orders, we¡¯vee to be the Princess¡¯ sword!¡±


    ¡°Even you havee! Thank you.¡±


    While Princess Mok Yong looked impressed, Jeong Yi-Moon looked dissatisfied on his own.


    <i>¡®Hmph, I used to have a lot of subordinates, too.¡¯</i>


    Jeong Yi-Moon was the general of the Embroidered Uniform Guard¡ªeven though he was currently serving as a simple magistrate due to the crime of breaking the Lion God Saber.


    Suddenly, while Woo-Moon was admiring the imperial government¡¯s troops, an additional hundred men wearing imperial uniforms arrived.


    As the pavilion filled up instantly, Jeong Yi-Moon¡¯s eyes widened.


    The older man standing in front of those in the imperial uniform winked yfully at Jeong Yi-Moon before kneeling.


    ¡°One hundred elites of the Embroidered Uniform Guard have arrived to express their loyalty to the former General and Princess Mok Yong. Long live!¡±


    Princess Mok Yong smiled brightly, like a flower in full bloom.


    ¡°Even you all from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I thought you weren¡¯ting! Thank you very much.¡±


    Fearing that there would be many problems if she failed to subdue the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, Princess Mok Yong sent a letter to every government force she could to gather reinforcements other than the troops currently at the Regional Military Commission. One of those forces was the Embroidered Uniform Guard.


    She had done so with Jeong Yi-Moon in mind but had been skeptical about whether they woulde or not, as Jeong Yi-Moon was only their former general and not their current one.


    And yet, here they were!


    ¡°You brats! If you¡¯re here, then who is protecting the Imperial Pce?¡±


    The ones standing before him were the Embroidered Uniform Guard Company that the Saber Emperor had personally raised. They were easily the best of the best among the Embroidered Uniform Guard.


    To his personal dismay, the current general of the Embroidered Uniform Guard couldn¡¯te because he couldn''t leave his position in the pce. His lieutenant was thus taking his ce here.


    The lieutenant grinned. ¡°Well, don¡¯t we have some others from the other forces there? It¡¯ll all work out somehow. <i>Hehehe</i>.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your job, you idiot! Tsk, well... whatever. You were always a bunch of rascals.¡±


    As soon as Jeong Yi-Moon finished speaking, the hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards simultaneously bowed toward him.


    ¡°Our general is still Lord Jeong Yi-Moon!¡±


    The other forces grew rapidly, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards were starting to feel the pressure. They missed their past while under the Saber Emperor Jeong Yi-Moon. Back then, there was nothing rough about their lives; it was a time when their pride in being the best was sky-high.


    On top of that, the Saber Emperor had always been incredibly kind to them as long as they did their work diligently.


    ¡°You brats. No matter what you say, I¡¯ll still be just an ordinary person now with a much lower rank than all of you. Don¡¯t you think General Choong Woon would be disappointed if he heard what you said?


    The lieutenant grinned again.


    ¡°Heh, what are you talking about? We were just repeating Choong Woon¡¯s own words right now. So there¡¯s nothing for you to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Ahem... there¡¯s no winning with you. Just who did you learn this from...?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one to ask?! Who exactly was the one who taught us everything, hahahahaha!!¡±


    The Embroidered Uniform Guards burst intoughter.


    Woo-Moon watched and assessed the forces gathered.


    Although the female officers of the Imperial Demonstration Department had the highest average cultivation, they were outnumbered and thus weaker overallpared to the Iron-Blood ck Cavalry. On the other hand, while the Iron-Blood ck Cavalry had greater numberspared to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the difference in cultivation was too stark to be ovee by mere numbers.


    In other words, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who hade all this way out of loyalty to Saber Emperor Jeong Yi-Moon, was the strongest force here, followed by the Iron Blood and ck Cavalry, andstly, the Imperial Demonstration Department.


    ¡°Alright, I am truly grateful to everyone for being here. Now that everything is in order, it¡¯s time for me to get down to business.¡±


    Princess Mok Yong nodded her head vigorously at Woo-Moon¡¯s words.


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll leave it to you. We¡¯ll also move ordingly.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll get going then.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s figure disappeared from the pavilion in the blink of an eye.


    The Imperial Demonstration, Iron-Blood ck Cavalry, and Embroidered Uniform Guard experts, who had only just met Woo-Moon for the first time, were startled at his ghost-like disappearance. And it wasn¡¯t just them¡ªthe three Absolute Masters in the room also let out disappointed sighs. None of them had been able to see Woo-Moon¡¯s movement.


    The Battle Emperor shook his head with a bitter smile.


    ¡°What the hell... Has that grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor been learning martial arts since he was a fetus? No, even that wouldn¡¯t be enough. Just what is going on....¡±


    1. Another Romance of the Three Kingdoms reference. Just like Guan Yu, Zhang Fei is the sworn brother of Liu Bei (a main character of the story) and he is famous for being brutal and heartless, as well as a nigh-invincible warrior. ?

 Chapter 175. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (21)

    <h4>Chapter 175. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (21)</h4>


    The situation was evolving rather strangely.


    While the Heavenly Demon Cult attacked and destroyed several of the important branches of the Hegemon n, Martial Heaven plotted a n instead of responding directly.


    They spread rumors throughout the <i>gangho</i>, rumors that quickly grew and spoke about how the Hegemon n was being attacked on arge scale by the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    Woo-Moon, who had emerged as the newest hero of the Justice Coalition, was put even further into the spotlight as the voices of criticism against the Heavenly Demon Cult grew louder and louder, calling for justice for his and the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s murders.


    Eventually, mired in the deluge of grief and pain supposedly caused by the Heavenly Demon Cult, countless people across the <i>gangho</i> stood up and began to call for the Justice Coalition to dere war once more.


    Wanting to avoid any unnecessary battles, Si-Hyeon actually took the initiative to send an envoy to the Justice Coalition and reveal the whole truth, as well as the existence of Martial Heaven. Obviously, she also refuted the rumors that the Palm Martial Emperor and Woo-Moon had been killed by the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    However, no one believed them, saying that these ims were just too absurd.


    <i>¡®No one in the gangho believes anything our Heavenly Demon Cult says....¡¯</i>


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    Suddenly Si-Hyeon sighed.


    The report she was reading stated that correspondence and messengers had be more frequent between the Justice Coalition and the Hegemon n recently.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re definitely talking about exterminating the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Dark Wing Demonic Maiden.¡¯</i>


    Now, it seemed as though a Justice and Evil Coalition was about to form.


    This sounded like a breach of their fundamental creed, but it was actually not a first. In the past, there had been instances in which the forces of the <i>gangho</i> had stopped fighting and formed a united front... and it had invariably been in response to a re-emergence of the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    The reason Si-Hyeon had chosen to fight was revenge and revenge alone.


    Revenge for her master, the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon, and for her love, Woo-Moon.


    Therefore, she struggled to reconcile that with fighting against the Justice Coalition. Especially since there was a very personal problem involved.


    <i>¡®If I have to fight the Justice Coalition, I¡¯ll also have to fight the Baek Family.¡¯</i>


    That was something she desperately wanted to avoid more than anything else.


    As she sat on her throne, ovee with anguish, she suddenly heard someone call out to her.


    ¡°The elders are asking for an audience. What should I tell them?¡±


    ¡°Let them in,¡± she said.


    ¡°I heed yourmand.¡±


    Just as the elders came in, Si-Hyeon¡¯s expression turned cruel and cold.


    After disinterestedly listening to their greetings, she asked coldly, ¡°And what are you bothering me for?¡±


    An elder took initiative to speak up, though he was trembling under the pressure of the Dark Wing Demonic Maiden.


    ¡°Currently, we neither have a sessor nor a young Heavenly Demon. The cult members are anxious about our future, so I humbly request that as soon as possible, we...¡±


    The bloodlust and pressure Si-Hyeon was emitting grew more and more intense, causing the elder who was speaking to go mute without even realizing it.


    ¡°As soon as possible we do <i>what</i>?¡±


    The elder closest to Si-Hyeon closed his eyes tightly.


    ¡°I believe that it is best for you to go through with the Marriage of the Heavenly Demon and give birth to the next sessor.¡±


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s eyebrows rose as, at the same time, ck wings formed of demonic qi appeared behind her.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    One of the wing¡¯s feathers stretched out like a tentacle and wrapped around the elder¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°I see. If you really want to die, then you should just say so. I¡¯ll fulfill your wish.¡±


    The bloodlust in Si-Hyeon''s eyes grew deeper.


    However, the elders had experienced many hardships during their tenure at the Heavenly Demon Cult. Since they had made a decision, they would not pull back now just because they were afraid of her.


    This time, another stubborn-looking elder cried out while coughing up blood.


    ¡°The Heavenly Demon is the Heavenly Demon before she is a woman. The cult needs a sessor!¡±


    Six more tendrils emerged from Si-Hyeon¡¯s wings and warped around the necks of all of the other elders.


    <i>¡°Cough, cough, cough!¡±</i>


    Although facing death, none of the elders backed down whatsoever.


    They could never, ever forget.


    They could not possibly forget how much they and the Heavenly Demon Cult suffered after the Dominating Fist Heavenly Demon had died at the hands of his enemies without being able to raise a sessor in time. They remembered <i>exactly</i> how miserable they had been without a Heavenly Demon.


    They would never go through that again.


    Moreover, they also knew what Si-Hyeon had been like before she became the Heavenly Demon, and they knew that the reason she burned with such endless hatred and desire for revenge against Martial Heaven was none other than Woo-Moon, the person she used to love.


    Thus, even though they knew how Si-Hyeon felt, they still decided to risk death in order toe and find her.


    Watching the elders¡¯ determined gazes, Si-Hyeon finally gritted her teeth and released the demonic qi strangling them.


    <i>Thud, thud, thump!</i>


    ¡°Please grace us with an answer!¡± shouted an elder.


    The others shouted in kind, almost coughing up blood from the exertion.


    ¡°Please grace us with an answer!¡±


    Si-Hyeon was also fully aware of how anxious and desperate they all felt. Because she understood their feelings, she couldn¡¯t bear to just kill them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, so get out.¡±


    After all the elders left, Si-Hyeon sighed again.


    She already understood the mood within the cult. She also knew who was the frontrunner as her possible husband.


    <i>¡®Blood Heaven Asura Captain Hwi Ji-Gang...¡¯</i>


    One of the few who had returned alive from the Heavenly Demon Mound.


    He had already been recognized for his abilities prior to the events at the Heavenly Demon Mound and was promoted to the position of Blood Heaven Asura Captain at a young age.


    Moreover, after surviving the battle at the Heavenly Demon Mound, his cultivation had improved greatly, bringing him to the verge of the Absolute Stage.


    That was why everyone considered him as Si-Hyeon¡¯s potential partner.


    Si-Hyeon closed her eyes.


    <i>¡ªJunior sister...</i>


    She could hear Woo-Moon¡¯s voice calling out to her vividly, almost as if he was whispering to her from right next to her.


    The feeling of his lips against hers was still all too clear.


    That was why everything was so painful and difficult. Everything going on right now was just...


    ¡°Senior brother...¡±


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s helpless voice,pletely different from when she was speaking to the elders just moments ago, rang through the hall.


    The only person watching, Dark Sword, said nothing.


    ***


    The Kunlun Sect Sect Master Na Ban had four disciples, and through them, thirty-two grand disciples. In addition, a number ofy disciples who had left the sect were here to respond to the sect master¡¯s call, and they hade with disciples of their own as well.


    In total, the Kunlun Sect had mobilized a total of a hundred and twenty members to attack the Cruel Sandstorm Riders under Na Ban¡¯smand.


    ¡°How strange.¡±


    Na Ban was startled by a voice that suddenly sounded from next to him, causing him to draw his sword.


    ¡°Who are you?!¡±


    The disciples around him moved like lightning and surrounded the red-haired, red-browed man who had suddenly appeared.


    The new arrival didn¡¯t bother to identify himself, so Na Ban¡¯s disciples immediately gathered in a formation and attacked, intent on capturing him.


    <i>Sssss!</i>


    However, the red-haired red-browed man moved as if he was gliding on the ground, breaking through the formation as naturally as if he were water, easily evading the Kunlun Sect disciples.


    ¡°And where in the world could so many mighty figures of the Kunlun Sect be going? ...Actually, never mind, you don¡¯t have to answer. Whatever you¡¯re up to can¡¯t be something good, so I¡¯ll just go ahead and kill you.¡±


    The moment the red-haired man said these words, an overwhelming force arose and enveloped the Kunlun Sect disciples, causing them to tremble in fear.


    ¡°<i>Ugh!</i> Everyone, use your qi to counter the opponent''s pressure and attack!¡±


    Not only was their opponent filled with bloodlust, but he had even dered that he would kill them. It was clear that he was an enemy, and a strong one at that.


    The Kunlun Sect disciples seized the opportunity as Na Ban dissipated a significant amount of the pressure around them and rushed at the red-haired man.


    The red-haired man¡ªYeong Ho-San, the Pce Master of the Great Darkness Pce of Martial Heaven¡ªseemed to be swallowed by the shadows of the Kunlun Sect disciples.


    Three of Na Ban¡¯s four disciples were Transcendents, while Na Ban himself was a peak Transcendent. Another disciple was a Peak ss expert, and so were another seven of their own disciples.


    Of the hundred and twenty people, the twelve martial artists who qualified to be called experts suddenly attacked together!


    Moreover, Na Ban¡¯s disciples even deployed the Four Divine Beast Sword Formation, almost doubling their attack power!


    Therefore, Na Ban had no doubt that the red-haired man would be immediately taken down.


    <i>Bang, bang, bang, bang!</i>


    There was a sh of light and an explosion as all of those who were attacking Yeong Ho-San were sted away, blood spurting from their bodies.


    Na Ban¡¯s eyes widened to the point of tearing at the seams as he stood there unable to move, still withstanding the man¡¯s bloodlust and qi pressure on his own.


    His disciples had been struck without ever knowing what had hit them.


    <i>¡®N-not even an Absolute Master would have been able to escape that attack so easily!¡¯</i>


    Ten people immediately bled to death, and only two of Na Ban¡¯s disciples survived. However, they weren¡¯t in a good state, either.


    Yeong Ho-San held their heads in his palms, pressing down on their Baihui acupoints with his fingers. He let out a soft sigh.


    ¡°Scum of the <i>murim</i>.¡±


    <i>Crack!!!!</i>


    The sound of bones grinding and flesh twisting and tearing spread through the air.


    All over their bodies, their veins sprouted through their skin and burst open, blood flowing everywhere.


    The two people whimpered, unable to even scream from the sheer amount of pain they were in. It was only at thest moment that they were able to let out a feeble sigh as they shriveled up and fell to the ground.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    Na Ban looked in disbelief as his two disciples were turned to shriveled husks.


    ¡°Y-you bastard!¡± he roared.


    All four disciples were akin to his own children.


    They had been orphans he had raised himself, after all. Among them, the youngest had even been abandoned by her parents when she was a newborn and only survived thanks to a vige woman breastfeeding her.


    They were his children, his kids who wouldugh together and bond in happy, sad, and difficult times. Children he could look at forever without a care in the world!


    How could he just sit still and watch as those dear children were not only killed in front of his eyes, but also had their bodies defiled by such a horrible technique?


    Na Ban was not angry. No... he was far past the point of anger.


    Although he was naturally gentle and yful, none of that seemed to exist any longer as he rushed toward Yeong Ho-San, his eyes burning with hatred and thirst for vengeance.


    In an instant, the Supreme Void Dragon-ying Sword unfolded, and the tip of Na Ban¡¯s sword was imbued with a turquoise aura.


    The turquoise aura then exploded, covering a wide area before surrounding Yeong Ho-San from all sides and closing in like a cage.


    However, the moment it approached him, the turquoise aura was simply vanquished by the energy radiating from the small aura sphere floating above Yeong Ho-San¡¯s hand.


    ¡°You¡¯re nothing more than trash.¡±


    Yeong Ho-San grabbed Na Ban''s head.


    <i>¡®H-he¡¯s going to absorb my energy, too!¡¯</i>


    Although he tried to resist, he found himself unable to as all of his qi and vitality were suddenly drained away through his Baihui acupoint.


    ¡°AGHHHH!¡±


    A scream of pain burst from Na Ban''s mouth.


    The Great Absorption Technique not only killed its victims, but it also inflicted such terrible pain on them that some actually prayed for a quicker death.


    Yet even as it robbed him of his cultivation and his very lifeforce, and granted him pure suffering in return, the only pain Na Ban truly felt was in his heart, for his disciples.


    <i>¡®Y-you brats suffered this too... I¡¯m sorry. I failed you.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You devil! Let go of him!¡±


    Those who remained rushed toward Yeong Ho-San.


    Na Ban screamed inwardly as he lost all his qi and died.


    <i>''No!''</i>


    Using the qi he had just taken from the Kunlun Sect Master, Yeong Ho-San created an aura sphere asrge as one of the heads of the warriors rushing toward him like moths to a me.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    With a sharp explosion, the aura sphere blew apart.


    Everyone who had been moving a moment ago was on the ground, blood spurting from their entire bodies.


    Yeong Ho-San threw the withered husk Na Ban into the pool of blood like he was discarding trash.


    ¡°Hmm. I think I need to walk around some more.¡±


    However, a sword suddenly flew at his back.


    <i>Ting!</i>


    Due to Yeong Ho-San¡¯s Paragon Qi, the weak sword flying toward him without even a hint of sword aura simply shattered into dust.


    ¡°It seems you¡¯re choosing death, even till the very end.¡±


    The man who threw the sword was a young man from a small sect founded by ay disciple of Kunlun. He had only survived due to the sacrifice of his father, who had done his best to protect him with his own body.


    With a face covered in tears and blood flowing from a wound on his head, the young man held his head upright even as hey on the ground, ring at Yeong Ho-San.


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    Yeong Ho-San walked through the pile of corpses and ced his foot on the head of the young man. The young man seemed barely neen.


    ¡°Among the scum of the <i>gangho</i>, you bastards from the Demonic Path and the Righteous Faction really are the most tenacious. Hm... does this mean that the extreme ends of two opposing paths actually coincide?¡±


    <i>Crack!</i>


    After killing thest survivor, Yeong Ho-San used his qi to flip the ground over, burying all of the corpses in a single move.


    He wasn¡¯t doing this out of honor or pity; he had no consideration for such useless things. He was simply covering his tracks in order to make sure nothing interfered with Martial Heaven¡¯s ns.


    ***


    The Cruel Sandstorm Riders changed their main camp''s location again.


    However, Woo-Moon was able to easily track them from the original location of their camp.


    <i>¡®Then, shall we start?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 176. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (22)

    <h4>Chapter 176. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (22)</h4>


    Woo-Moon infiltrated the Cruel Sandstorm Rider¡¯s main camp.


    He suddenly appeared where thergest cluster of enemies were gathered and swung his sword.


    <i>WOOSH!</i>


    A thick de of sword aura flew, cleaving through earth and air simultaneously.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°AGHK!!¡±


    Screams erupted, and in an instant, a hundred members of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders lost their lives.


    ¡°It¡¯s an enemy attack!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and sound the rm!¡±


    As soon as the rm bell rang, Woo-Moon unleashed Raging Wind.


    The Raging Wind Woo-Moon performed after bing a Paragon truly lived up to its name; it was less of a human fighting technique and more of a natural cmity. It sted countless Cruel Sandstorm Riders into the air, and they werepletely unable to do anything about it.


    Then, as the wind stopped, they all fell to the ground from rather high up. Some of the more unlucky ones broke their necks and died, while the others were left with multiple broken bones.


    Woo-Moon swung his sword at the four riders who were approaching behind him, decapitating them at the same time, and kicked the support pole of the tent next to him.


    The wooden support beam flew away with a harsh sound.


    <i>Squelch, squelch!</i>


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    Twenty-three members of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders were pierced like skewers by the support beam. The beam turned slightly nted, and when it hit the next two people, it didn¡¯t pierce through them but rather shattered every bone in their bodies.


    Woo-Moon then threw Lightsh and activated Sword Control. And while Lightsh moved on its own, he held Inkde in his hand.


    ughter unfolded.


    The damage caused to the Cruel Sandstorm Riders increased by the second.


    However, an old man with an impressive white and voluminous beard finally came flying over. When Woo-Moon saw him, he stopped attacking and fled the Cruel Sandstorm Riders¡¯ base, and the old man gave chase.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    <i>¡®Alright, sure, I¡¯ll stop.¡¯</i>


    Of course, Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t afraid of the old man¡ªMartial Heaven¡¯s Great Evil Pce Master.


    However, he could sense that the other masters of Martial Heaven were gathering alongside the Great Evil Pce Master. If they were to get here before he could leave, things could be dangerous.


    Woo-Moon grabbed one of the riders he saw along the way and threw him straight at the Great Evil Pce Master, making sure to coat him in a defensive aura first.


    ¡°AGHHH!¡±


    The Great Evil Pce Master blew the man apart with one powerful strike, but by the time he looked ahead, Woo-Moon had disappeared.


    The thought of being tricked like this made the Great Evil Pce Master furious.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s definitely that bastard from back then!¡¯</i>


    The Great Evil Pce Master realized that it had to be the bastard who had fearlesslye to the camp a few days back to spy on them.


    ***


    ¡°Whew, the first attack was a sess.¡±


    Woo-Moon waited for some time, slightly far away from the Cruel Sandstorm Riders'' main camp.


    He nned to attack again in the same manner, taking advantage of when the enemy let down their guard. It was imperative that he repeated this a few times, inflicting as much damage to their forces as he could until his main forces arrived tomorrow.


    So, three hourster, Woo-Moon infiltrated the Cruel Sandstorm Riders¡¯ camp once again.


    He moved with the utmost caution, so quietly that even the Great Evil Pce Master failed to notice his presence.


    <i>¡®What should I do this time?¡¯</i>


    After contemting for a moment, he found a very appetizing goal.


    <i>¡®Good! Let¡¯s do that.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon went to the Cruel Sandstorm Riders¡¯ barracks, eventually finding where they stored their food. In front of him were all of their supplies, piled high.


    He killed and disposed of all of the guards standing inside before they could even scream.


    Then, he closed his eyes and circted his qi. He took control of the natural qi in the air and brought it under his control as well, manifesting Samadhi True me throughout the camp and spreading it over a vast area.


    Even with how strong Woo-Moon was, this one move took a major toll on him.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    ¡°Fuck, that¡¯s the food pantry!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and put it out! Bring water and dirt!¡±


    Woo-Moon hid in the barracks and looked around, using sts of finger qi to pierce through the heads or chests of thoseing to douse the fire withrge quantities of water or dirt.


    <i>Thwip!</i>


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    A member of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, carrying arge water jar, fell forward. The surrounding people simply ignored him and rushed to catch the water jar, worried that it would fall and break, spilling all of its precious water.


    After all, it was the only way they would be able to save their sustenance!


    But they all copsed immediately, spewing blood from their mouths. The water jar also fell and broke, the precious water pouring out uselessly onto the ground.


    <i>¡®This is enough.¡¯</i>


    There was no need for him to mess around for that long. All he had to do was to inflict as much damage as he could while riling up their anger.


    The Great Evil Pce Master only arrived after Woo-Moon had left.


    ¡°You fucking bastard...¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but let out a curse. This was his second loss to this unknown enemy in a single day.


    After that, Woo-Moon attacked the Cruel Sandstorm Riders¡¯ base three more times until the sun rose the next day.


    It was only as Woo-Moon was attempting his sixth attack that the Cruel Sandstorm Riders suddenly did something rather weird.


    Nearly a thousand enemies around Woo-Moon opened their pockets and spread out some powder they had inside.


    <i>¡®Hmm? What are they... Wait, is that poison?¡¯</i>


    An area with a radius of thousands of zhang around Woo-Moon turned into white fog.


    Realizing something was strange, Woo-Moon stopped breathing and closed off all of his pores,pletely stopping the absorption of anything through his skin.


    At the same time, one of the riders closest to Woo-Moon used a surprising movement technique and swung a sword at him.


    <i>¡®Damn, it¡¯s that shameless old man!¡¯</i>


    It was the Great Evil Pce Master. Completely enraged, he had given up his pride and disguised himself as a regr rider, sneakily approaching Woo-Moon and attempting a surprise attack.


    The old man was determined to end this on the spot, so he attacked with all of his might, leaving Woo-Moon with no room to escape.


    Left with no choice, Woo-Moon drew Inkde and unleashed Northern Blizzard, blocking the Great Evil Pce Master¡¯s attack.


    The eerie dark sword flickered as it moved in an unpredictable, changing pattern, piercing at the Great Evil Pce Master¡¯s throat.


    <i>¡®Hmph!¡¯</i>


    The Great Evil Pce Master waspletely caught by surprise. He had certainly not expected to be outssed in terms of techniques of all things, and he was even more shocked when Woo-Moon¡¯s Lightsh also quickly approached through the air and broke through his defenses.


    <i>¡®What sort of sword technique is this?¡¯</i>


    The Great Evil Pce Master prided himself on his knowledge of all the martial arts that existed in the world. However, he could be certain that this was the first time he had evere across Woo-Moon¡¯s sword technique.


    That said, he was still a Paragon and couldn¡¯t be harmed that easily, even by another Paragon.


    The Great Evil Pce Master created a thick barrier around his body, making it so dense that not even a single speck of dust could pass in or out, and deflected Lightsh.


    Then, he thrust his sword toward Woo-Moon¡¯s heart.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    The sword engulfed in an enormous aura flew toward Woo-Moon with rampant force, while other attacks came in simultaneously around him from three directions.


    A sword under Sword Control from the left; arrows from the right; from below, a baton made of dark metal.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t avoid it!¡¯</i>


    Just like the Great Evil Pce Master, a Transcendent expert and two Absolute Masters had disguised themselves in the clothes of regr riders. Now, they had sneaked up to Woo-Moon.


    Their joint attack,bined with the attack of the Paragon Great Evil Pce Master, was a truly terrifying thing to face.


    <i>¡®If I¡¯m going to have to suffer anyway, I¡¯ll at least leave you something to remember me by, you old bastard!¡¯</i>


    If he didn¡¯t do something about the Paragon among his enemies, there was a high chance that he would die in vain beforepleting his n.


    Thus, Woo-Moon opened the pores over his entire body and took a deep breath.


    While doing so filled his lungs with poison, the air gave him the strength to use all of his qi immediately.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s go!¡¯</i>


    As he used the Divine Phantasm Steps, which he had now mastered to the absolute pinnacle, his figure blurred before splitting into dozens of phantoms. Like wisps of smoke, they raced toward the Great Evil Pce Master.


    While doing so, Woo-Moon pulled his arm back like a coiled spring and thrust his palm forward, unleashing Raging Wind Palm.


    <i>BANGBANGBANGBANG!</i>


    A ridiculous amount of palm force erupted, slowing down the Great Evil Pce Master¡¯s sword.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Woo-Moon used Inkde to parry the sword before floating away with the Northern Wind Steps.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    His figure seemed to stretch forward as the distance between him and the Great Evil Pce Master grew closer.


    Woo-Moon stepped on the ground with his left foot and lightly spun forward. The moment his right footnded on the ground, he explosively spun in ce andshed out with Inkde.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Inkde turned into a streak of light and flew forward at a speed that seemed to transcend time and space. It arrived before the Great Evil Pce Master faster than it would take an ordinary person to even think about anything.


    Not even the famed Absolute Masters could block this attack!


    Still, the critical fact was that the Great Evil Pce Master was also one of those who qualified to be called a Heaven Beyond the Heavens, a true Paragon!


    <i>CLANG!</i>


    Gesturing with his hand, he quickly summoned back his sword and imbued it with as much qi as possible, deflecting Woo-Moon¡¯s attack.


    Inkde slid down the Great Evil Pce Master¡¯s sword, cutting off half of his magnificent beard and leaving a bleeding gash on his chest.


    <i>¡®What a close call. Still, I stopped it!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    Right as he felt a moment of relief, the Great Evil Pce Master let out a sound of surprise.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s aura manifestation was about to reach him! Two clusters of aura forming into the visage of a dragon and tiger!


    The dragon and tiger were in perfect harmony with each other, working together to destroy the Great Evil Pce Master!


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t dodge this! I have no choice but to face it head-on.¡¯</i>


    The Great Evil Pce Master''s sword split into dozens, hundreds, thousands, then tens of thousands of swords, each coated in aura.


    It was the strongest technique known to the Great Evil Pce Master, the Million Eon sh.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    A deafening explosion rang out, shaking the very heaven and earth. It was so loud that even the soundwave itself could turn normal people¡¯s brains into mush. And it was exactly what happened¡ªthe riders nearby sumbed to it, bleeding from all their orifices.


    Then, the following shockwave tore through the surrounding earth, the wave of heat sparking another fire.


    It was an impossible sight. No one would ever believe that it was the side effect of just two people fighting.


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    A groan came out of the Great Evil Pce Master''s mouth, and at the same time, he fell to one knee and vomited blood. It was clear that he had suffered severe internal injuries.


    Yet although Woo-Moon was standing upright before him, he wasn¡¯t faring all that great either.


    The difference between him and the Great Evil Pce Master could be said to be paper thin.


    By defeating such a strong enemy so quickly and being forced to exert so much effort continuously, he was dangerously low on qi reserves. And it was only now that he realized what sort of poison he had been struck by earlier.


    <i>¡®Qi Dispersion Poison! And it¡¯s a really strong one!¡¯</i>


    One could be immune to almost every poison in existence just by bing an Absolute Master. To think that this Qi Dispersion Poison was so strong that it could even affect a Paragon!


    It really was an extremely terrifying poison.


    Of course, if Woo-Moon qi reserves had been full, the Qi Dispersion Poison wouldn¡¯t have been able to do all that much. However, now that he had used nearly all of his qi, the Qi Dispersion Poison that had spread throughout his body reared its head.


    It settled in his bloodstream, hindering and dispersing his qi, keeping him from recovering quickly.


    Of course, it couldn¡¯t do anything about the qi he still had in his dantian. Still, keeping him from recovering his spent qi and properly utilizing the one he still had was more than enough to be considered a painful blow.


    ¡°Kill him! He must be killed NOW!¡± shouted the Great Evil Pce Master with blood foaming at his mouth, not caring that his internal injuries were being further aggravated by his shouts.

 Chapter 177. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (23)

    <h4>Chapter 177. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (23)</h4>


    The Absolute Masters who had attacked Woo-Moon earlier were just standing there, mouth agape, as they witnessed Woo-Moon and the Surpassing Evil Pce Master¡¯s sh. Hearing their leader¡¯s call, they immediately jumped at Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®I have to get out of here!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon immediately escaped from their pincer attack, moving like a slippery eel, dodging the iing palm force and batonsing toward him from the two Absolute Masters and the one Transcendent.


    ¡°Stop him! Don¡¯t let him get away!¡±


    Although Woo-Moon knew he had to get away quickly, the issue was that he was deep within enemy territory. Moreover, the number of the enemy troops in front of him was incessantlyrge.


    Suddenly, a toon of Peak ss Cruel Sandstorm Riders, led by one Transcendent, appeared and blocked his path.


    However, rusted steel is still stronger than paper!


    Woo-Moon conserved his qi, only using it to drive his movement art, and instead used pure physical strength to knock aside the Transcendent¡¯s saber and stab him in the stomach.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Woo-Moon didn''t stop there.


    He rammed the Transcendent with his shoulder and continued to rush forward, mming into the Peak ss martial artists behind him.


    <i>SQUELCH!</i>


    The sword pierced out through the Transcendent¡¯s back, impaling three more people behind him as the mass of bodies continued forward without stopping, crushing dozens of people in its wake.


    ¡°Aah!!¡±


    Woo-Moon took a slight step back and then pushed forward with great vigor.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    ¡°AGH!!!¡±


    <i>¡°Cough, cough!¡±</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s force crushed those standing before him, and they died with their spines shattered.


    Woo-Moon leaped into the air the second he was able to pull his sword out from the crowd of bodies and bolted through the path he created through the corpses.


    However, even though it seemed as though he had cleared through the opposition in an instant, the slight dy they caused in his escape was enough for the enemy to regroup as well; an arrow flew forward and pierced through his shoulder.


    Still, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t stop.


    Borrowing the momentum of the arrow, he bolted forward even faster.


    ¡°Catch him no matter what!¡±


    All kinds of shouts erupted from behind Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Hmph, as if. You dogs of Martial Heaven are all bark, no bite.¡¯</i>


    Although Woo-Moon had thought he had finally broken through the siege, the Cruel Sandstorm Riders were sorge of a group that every time he thought he was safe, a new troop would appear in front of him and block his way.


    Considering he could only use qi and not restore it, Woo-Moon realized that if things continued like this, he might actually end up exhausted of all of his reserves and not be able to power his movement art anymore.


    If that happened, it would be the end of everything. His ns, his revenge, even his life.


    Everything would be over.


    Woo-Moon gritted his teeth.


    He tried to spare his qi as much as possible, only killing those in front of him and clearing a path with his physical strength alone.


    Arriving at a forest, Woo-Moon ran along a path between the trees, running his hands over the branches in his vicinity.


    <i>Crack!!</i>


    Soon, his hands were filled with tree branches and pine cones.


    Once again, when he turned to the right on the forest path, he found another dozen Cruel Sandstorm Riders standing in front of him.


    <i>¡®These relentless bastards!¡¯</i>


    No matter how much qi he had lost, no one among the Cruel Sandstorm Riders could keep up with him if he were to use his movement art. Even the two Absolute Masters would be on par with him at best.


    However, the Cruel Sandstorm Riders were intimately familiar with the terrain around them. Through their knowledge, they were able to determine what paths Woo-Moon could take and arrive there first, forming a blockade across all escape routes.


    As Woo-Moon continued forward, he threw the twigs and pine cones in his left hand.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    The projectiles flew so quickly that even arrows shot by a master archer weren¡¯t quite up to par. Moreover, since they were projectiles thrown by a Paragon, the strongest among the gathered Cruel Sandstorm Riders faltered nervously as they tried to deflect them.


    However, while the speed at which the pine cones moved was impressive and the apanying sound terrifying, the actual force contained within them was pretty weak.


    <i>¡®We were tricked!¡¯</i>


    The moment they realized it, Woo-Moon¡¯s knee was already mming into the face of one of the bandits.


    The bandit fell backward with his entire face caved in, blood cascading from his nose and eyes. Without skipping a beat, Woo-Moon continued forward after clearing a path.


    ¡°You slippery little bastard!¡±


    The Peak ss martial artists gritted their teeth after realizing they had been tricked and chased after Woo-Moon.


    However, they weren¡¯t able to get far; a cavalry unit overtook them from behind, trampling them.


    ¡°Get out of the way, you idiots!¡±


    It was the Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron, the horse bandit cavalry that stood as one of the top squadrons of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders.


    The four Peak ss martial artists chasing Woo-Moon were trampled to death as the members of the Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron caught up with Woo-Moon at a frightening speed, at the cost of the lives of their own allies.


    The Demonic Horses raised by the Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron were rare beasts, dozens of times stronger than ordinary horses.


    That was how they were able to catch up with Woo-Moon so quickly.


    The Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron were unique martial artists that, while not stronger than Absolute Masters, were much faster than them.


    ¡°You rat, just die!¡±


    Just like Woo-Moon, the Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron had also been unable to rest whatsoever due to Woo-Moon¡¯s frequent attacks.


    Up until this point, they had been unable to keep up with Woo-Moon, who was much faster than their Demonic Horses with his movement technique. However, now, they had the opportunity to kill him.


    A wide-eyed Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron member approached Woo-Moon from the right and thrust a long spear at him.


    However, Woo-Moon, detecting the attack using only the sound of the spear¡¯s movement, changed his running direction to avoid the spear.


    The issue was with the Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron¡¯s speed.


    All of the squadron¡¯s members worked together to move forward in concert, moving in such unison that it felt like not even water could get by them as they tried to trample Woo-Moon to death.


    Right before Woo-Moon was about to be trampled by the Demonic Horses, he threw himself forward and spun in mid-air, scraping the ground with his back.


    <i>Scratch!!!</i>


    Since he couldn¡¯t protect his body by using qi, the clothes on his back tore, and sharp stones scratched his back.


    Still, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t care whatsoever and instead focused all of his attention on what was before him.


    Again, he fell into a state of Extreme Concentration!


    This extreme concentration was precisely what allowed him to train using mental imagery, and it sped up his thought process to thousands or even tens of thousands of times faster than ordinary people. Now, he could process even the most minute input from his senses.


    He could see the muscle movements of the Demonic Horses in detail.


    He could see which of the Demonic Horses were jumping and how long each of their gaits was!


    The length of the bodies and legs of each Demonic Horse, how their speeds slightly differed, even their habits could be determined through his Extreme Concentration...


    He could observe everything about them, and from that, he could calcte exactly how they would move.


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    Meanwhile, the sound of eighty Demonic Horses galloping so vigorously that it seemed as though their hooves would tear through the ground pounded in his ears.


    With each step, Woo-Moon also analyzed the members of the squadron on each of the Demonic Horses¡¯ backs, seeing what kind of weapons they had, how long their arms were, and what cultivation level they had reached.


    All of the relevant information seared itself into Woo-Moon¡¯s brain.


    At some point, Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes zed over as if he were dreaming. Then, he jumped into action, directly moving ording to the mental image he had created, almost ignoring what was going on in front of his eyes!


    <i>RUMBLE!</i>


    The heavy galloping of the Demonic Horses grew even louder. The fear and intimidation they exuded made Woo-Moon feel more alive than ever.


    He rolled on the ground, fending off attacks from the squadron members.


    Dodging in a fluid motion, he exquisitely avoided the Demonic Horses¡¯ trampling.


    He was in such a precarious bnce that even the slightest misstep would cause him to end with a caved-in head and broken limbs.


    However, the greater the crisis, the faster Woo-Moon¡¯s brain ran and the stronger his concentration grew.


    Of course, not everything moved ording to Woo-Moon¡¯s initial predictions, as unexpected results could happen at any time!


    Still, each time that happened, Woo-Moon continuously demonstrated his amazing improvisation skills by resolving the errors and moving ordingly at every turn!


    <i>Rumble!!!</i>


    Thus, Woo-Moon seeded in avoiding all of the attacks of the eighty Demonic Horses and their riders.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    As thest of the stampeding horses passed him by, Woo-Moon reached out and grabbed it by the tail, using its forward momentum tounch himself into the air.


    His gaze had returned to normal, and he flew through the air in a perfect arc,nding behind the squadron member riding the horse that he had just grabbed.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The moment the squadron member realized something was wrong and turned his head back, Woo-Moon grabbed him by the chin and twisted upward hard.


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    Although it was an attack without even a hint of qi, Woo-Moon timed his attack right as the man showed an opening in his surprise, cleanly twisting and breaking the man¡¯s neck.


    ¡°You dog bastard, how dare you!¡±


    One of the man¡¯srades riding to the right brandished his scimitar, eyes shining with thirst for revenge.


    However, Woo-Moon just looked at him with an ice-cold and indifferent gaze as he swung his free hand.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The pine cone he held in reserve hit the eye of the scimitar-wielding man, disrupting his vision.


    As the scimitar blindly cleaved forward, Woo-Moon twisted his body slightly to avoid any fatal injuries while pulling a steel arrow out of the dead squadron member¡¯s quiver. He stabbed the blinded man right through the gap in his helmet, piercing his exposed eye.


    <i>Squelch!!!</i>


    At the same time, the scimitar fell on Woo-Moon¡¯s upper forearm, cleaving off a thick piece of flesh. Blood sttered everywhere as a long groove was cut through Woo-Moon¡¯s arm.


    At the same time, the man copsed backward and fell off his horse. It was hard for him to hold the reins while he had an arrow lodged in his brain.


    ¡°How dare you, bastard?! What the hell are all of you doing? Hurry and shoot!¡± the squadron leader shouted as he aimed his crossbow and shot at Woo-Moon.


    The other subordinates followed in turn, gritting their teeth and shooting as well.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    The sound of a mechanical device firing bolts rang out continuously, and Woo-Moon''s gaze went nk once again.


    Unable to protect and aid his brain with qi, his overworked brain heated up after using Extreme Concentration twice in session, causing his body to protest in pain and his nose to bleed.


    Still, he had no other choice if he wanted to avoid dying.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s rapidly processing brain urately read all of the bolts¡¯ trajectories.


    Unfortunately, he quickly realized that he couldn¡¯t avoid all of the bolts in his current condition. So he tried his best to move just enough to avoid any fatal injuries.


    <i>Squelch, squelch, squelch, squelch, squelch!</i>


    Five bolts hit Woo-Moon, spread across his calves, thighs, and forearms.


    Pain spread throughout his body.


    <i>¡®Damn it. I just wanted to lure them in by pretending to take a small loss.¡¯</i>


    Although he had predicted that Martial Heaven would prepare some sort of poison, he never could have expected them to have such a vicious Qi Dispersion Poison.


    After grumbling to himself for a moment, Woo-Moon grabbed Lightsh by the de. He dragged it across the Demonic Horse¡¯s forehead, cutting a deep gash just above its eyes.


    Lightsh was a Treasure-grade sword on the verge of bing a Divine-grade one. Not only did it slice through the flesh of the Demonic Horse, but it also left a deep wound on Woo-Moon¡¯s own palm.


    The intense pain and loss of sight caused by the blood flowing into its eyes were too much for the Demonic Horse, which had been already panicking anyway since it felt someone other than its master was riding it.


    Driven over the edge, it began to buck wild.


    <i>Neigh!!!</i>


    It ran around like crazy, jumping left and right, hitting other Demonic Horses head-on. As it rampaged, Woo-Moon jumped off its back and flipped backward before rolling on the ground further away.


    <i>Crack, crack, crack!</i>


    All of the arrows lodged in his body broke off in his tumble.


    Now genuinely bing a man of flesh and blood, Woo-Moon looked ahead to see the Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron, which had been racing back at him at a frightening speed, have their formationpletely scattered due to the Demonic Horse¡¯s rampage.

 Chapter 178. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (24)

    <h4>Chapter 178. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (24)</h4>


    Demonic Horses collided with each other and tripped over the fallen bodies, toppling over, and the Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron members riding them were naturally flung into the distance. The sheer momentum drove them into the ground, breaking their necks.


    Seven of the squadron members ended up dying like this, and the only reason there were so few casualties was that they were all masterful riders.


    As the injured squadron members stood up and freed themselves from the Demonic Horses, a bloody shadow flickered between them.


    ¡°It¡¯s that bastard!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s trying to run past us, stop him!¡±


    Although Woo-Moon was a Paragon, he was still unable to use any qi because of the Qi Dispersion Poison.


    Even the weakest of the Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron members had reached the Peak Stage, while their stronger members were all Transcendents. Considering how strong the squadron was, they all knew exactly how much ridicule they would be under if they were to allow Woo-Moon to disappear, let alone after getting embarrassed to such a degree.


    There was venom in the eyes of the squadron members.


    However, unfortunately, venomous res couldn¡¯t do much to poison people. And while they were pulling themselves together and trying to get back into formation, Woo-Moon fled.


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to escape!¡±


    The Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron leader, who had been quietly watching Woo-Moon move, suddenly swung his great saber with all of his energy. However, instead of trying to be quick, he simply focused on producing the most massive amount of saber force he could muster.


    The other squadron members were confused, wondering why the captain had made that decision.


    Woo-Moon was running away as fast as he could¡ªtoo fast, in fact, for the captain¡¯s strike to reach him under normal circumstances. So why had the captain given up on speed and chosen to put all his energy into sheer power?


    The riders had no idea what the captain was thinking; Woo-Moon, on the other hand, sensed that things were not going well for him.


    <i>¡®Pretty impressive!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon had been dodging all of the attacksing his way so far by using only speed and urate judgment of timing, letting them pass by without using any strength.


    He was more than confident in apetition of speed when it came to quick attacks. However, if his opponent were to choose strength like the Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron Captain had...


    Woo-Moon¡¯s fleeting figure actually stumbled! He was caught in the powerful wind pressure of the great saber!


    Since his qi reserves were running dangerously low and his stamina was gradually reaching its limits as well, he wasn¡¯t even able to withstand the wind pressure, let alone the power of the blow itself.


    <i>¡®As I expected!¡¯</i>


    Internally screaming with joy, the Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron Captain quickly changed the direction of his great saber and swung again.


    <i>WOOSH!</i>


    Arge gash opened up on Woo-Moon¡¯s back, and he was thrown forward, rolling on the ground.


    Barely managing to stop by dragging his legs onto the ground, Woo-Moon vomited blood profusely.


    His legs were shaking.


    His consciousness was fading.


    This was his own n. He had started this gueri warfare in order to make use of his personal strength to minimize casualties among those who were to follow him into the war. Yet because he had let his guard down, he had been hit by that vicious Qi Dispersion Poison and driven to the brink of death.


    He was both dumbfounded and angry with himself.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m a fucking idiot.¡¯</i>


    He couldn¡¯t die here.


    He had to take revenge.


    He especially couldn¡¯t let himself be killed by Martial Heaven.


    Never!


    Woo-Moon tried not to give up hope. However, there was no longer a way out for him in this current situation.


    Things might have been different if he had called Eun-Ah earlier, but it was toote to do that now. She was too far away to be of any help, as he had left her at the base to guard Yu Yu.


    By this point, all of the Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron members had dismounted and were surrounding Woo-Moon.


    ¡°It¡¯s the end for you, you rat bastard.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll boil you in piss and feed you to the pigs!¡±


    A Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron member walked up to Woo-Moon, who no longer had the strength to move, and swung his guandao in an attempt to cut off Woo-Moon¡¯s legs.


    There was no way for Woo-Moon to avoid it.


    However, the moment Woo-Moon gave up all hope, he heard the voice of a girl.


    A voice he had been longing for.


    ¡°Idiot.¡±


    A single word rang through the air as a dazzlingly beautiful girl in a gorgeous dress appeared in front of him, so quickly it seemed like a mirage.


    Right as she appeared, the squadron member who tried to cut off Woo-Moon¡¯s legs with a guan dao fell to the left and right simultaneously. He had been cut in half before he even noticed.


    Then, her hands flickered as two Silver Moon Discs split the air.


    <i>Woosh! Squelch!</i>


    The transparent discs moved in an arc. Their trajectory was invisible for a moment, but then it was marked by a long trail of blood.


    The heads of eight Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron members who had been cursing Woo-Moon were severed simultaneously.


    Ma-Ra had be an Absolute Master and was even called the new Death God. Following her unification of the assassin organization, she had learned all of the best assassination arts in the world.


    Though she was far from being a Paragon, even a Paragon had to be wary of her as long as she was hidden.


    Ma-Ra was one of the two girls Woo-Moon loved the most.


    Well, she was a bit old now to be called a girl, and the look in her eyes showed far more maturity than before.


    ¡°Ha... haha... it¡¯s so good to see you. I think I¡¯m going to cry... are you in a better mood now?¡±


    ¡°Bad boy. Idiot.¡±


    Ma-Ra wondered why Woo-Moon was smiling, considering how much of a mess he looked like. Looking down at him, she felt even more upset.


    Woo-Moon was greatly moved, and he could see a hint of moisture in the corner of Ma-Ra¡¯s eyes as she saw him in this pitiful state.


    Seeing that bit of moisture, he was both surprised and delighted.


    <i>¡®Not only has your cultivation grown, but you¡¯ve also matured a lot. What a relief, Ma-Ra.¡¯</i>


    ¡°And who the fuck are you, bitch?!¡±


    She had suddenly appeared out of thin air and killed nine people without even blinking. Moreover, she had an exquisitely pretty face and pristine clothes that seemed entirely out of ce on the battlefield.


    Thus, it was only natural for the captain to be disconcerted to see her.


    Then, something came to mind.


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me.... You¡¯re Death God Ma-Ra? Then... then, are you Song Woo-Moon?!¡±


    Stories of Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra¡¯s exploits were already famous all throughout the <i>gangho.</i>


    The moment he recognized Ma-Ra, the Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron Captain was finally able to figure out who their hidden attacker was.


    ¡°No exnations for dead people.¡±


    Those were the only words she said.


    Ma-Ra hated the Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron members to the point where she found it impossible to hold back. She wanted to let them feel what Woo-Moon had endured, hundreds of times over.


    Ma-Ra began to circte her Absolute Death Qi to the utmost, and the apanying pressure made the squadron members freeze.


    It was as if a giant venomous serpent had woken up from slumber and was looking them in the eye.


    Those with weaker cultivation even stopped thinking.


    <i>Swish.</i>


    Her figure flickered for an instant, and suddenly, Ma-Ra was holding both ends of a Formless Silk string. She had wrapped the Formless Silkpletely around the squadron members.


    Then, she crossed her arms and pulled on the ends forcefully.


    <i>SQUELCH!</i>


    The Formless Silk coated in Absolute Divine Death Qi split the squadron members in half, blood sttering everywhere.


    It was truly a massacre.


    However, not all of the squadron members were killed by the Formless Silk. The captain and vice captain, naturally the strongest among the members, managed to dodge in time and shot their crossbows at Ma-Ra.


    Ma-Ra looked at the flying bolts with an indifferent gaze. Her hands turned blurry as she threw her Formless Silk at the bolts, wrapping it around them and snapping them in one swift move. Then, she turned toward the two enemies, striking out with her fists.


    ¡°Die!!!¡±


    The moment the captain and vice captain struck at the fist force with their saber and spear, Ma-Ra¡¯s figure disappeared like a phantom.


    ¡°Where is she?¡±


    A dagger flickered.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Having slit the vice captain¡¯s throat from behind, Ma-Ra looked over at the only remaining enemy, the captain, with an emotionless gaze.


    ¡°Aah!!!¡±


    Feeling the cold fear of death, the Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron captain swung his saber at her. However, in the second it took him to attack, Ma-Ra had disappeared.


    ¡°Damn it! Where is she? Where the fuck are you?!¡±


    Screaming, the captain swung his saber in all directions.


    He seemed to be out of his mind from fear.


    Ma-Ra silently appeared behind the captain. She simply grabbed the captain¡¯s head with her dainty hands and pulled down. Hard.


    <i>Crack!!</i>


    The captain¡¯s neckpletely bent in the wrong direction, blood spewing from his mouth like a fountain.


    Ma-Ra moved away before blood touched her outer robe and slithered up next to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Thanks foring back to me, Ma-Ra.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just back where I belong. There is nothing to be thankful for.¡±


    Her words were so pretty and lovely that Woo-Moon couldn''t control himself and kissed Ma-Ra''s lips.


    "<i>Mmm!</i>"


    Ma-Ra''s eyes widened as her face turned red.


    Her expression was incredibly cute, an expression Woo-Moon had never seen before. In fact, it was so cute that Woo-Moon kept kissing her over and over.


    ¡°<i>Mmmphhh </i>stop!¡±


    Ma-Ra pushed Woo-Moon hard.


    <i>¡°Ughhh, cough!¡±</i>


    Woo-Moon groaned in pain. ¡°T-that hurts, you know! I¡¯m injured!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! You deserve it.¡±


    Woo-Moon clicked his tongue as Ma-Ra drove a verbal stake through his heart.


    ¡°Ma-Ra, we don¡¯t have any time. Take me to this ce.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The moment they got up, they could see people running toward them. They were the Murderous Wind Battalion, a group ranked even higher within the Cruel Sandstorm Riders than the Heaven-Defying Demon Squadron.


    The one at the forefront of the charge was the person who had attacked Woo-Moon alongside the Great Evil Pce Master¡ªthe Murderous Wind Battalion leader, Gam Ak.


    Seeing them, Ma-Ra immediately threw out dozens of hidden weapons she was holding within her sleeves.


    The hidden weapons flew toward the Murderous Wind Battalion like a hurricane. Several cloth pouches thrown along with the weapons exploded mid-air, scattering poison powder everywhere.


    After she had unified the assassin organizations, Ma-Ra had gotten her hands on arge variety of weapons.


    Although her actions were enough to stop most of the battalion, it wasn¡¯t enough for her to stop the leader, Gam Ak, from using his movement art.


    Realizing this, Ma-Ra understood that she had to resort to more drastic measures. She drew one of her remaining Silver Moon Discs and threw it as hard as she could.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Right as the Silver Moon Disc left her hand, she grabbed onto Woo-Moon and quickly darted away into the woods.


    ¡°You try to stop me with a mere hidden weapon?!¡± Gam Ak shouted, splitting the Silver Moon Disc in half with a single strike.


    However, the moment the Silver Moon Disc split in half, a small mechanical device attached to its bottom exploded, shooting out some ck metallic bits.


    It was modeled after the Tang Family¡¯s Lotus Drop and was made by one of the assassin sects skilled in hidden weapons, under Ma-Ra¡¯s orders.


    Its explosive power was so strong that even a single fragment had the power to pierce through an Absolute Master¡¯s defensive qi.


    Gam Ak could sense its power and was startled, swinging his sword with all his might to try to deflect it.


    ¡°I almost died there. Just who the hell is that bitch?¡±


    And then, it clicked.


    ¡°Fuck, that was Death God Ma-Ra! And that bastard has to be Song Woo-Moon! There¡¯s no other exnation as to why she¡¯d appear now. So he wasn¡¯t dead!¡±


    Then, he became even more convinced that he had to chase after and kill Woo-Moon.


    If he were able to, he would be achieving a great deed for Martial Heaven.


    ¡°Hurry! Follow them!¡±


    ***


    As an assassin, Ma-Ra¡¯s lightness art was far ahead of anyone else¡¯s, so her speed was far greater than Gam Ak¡¯s even as she carried Woo-Moon. Obviously, lower-level people could not remotely catch up.


    Thanks to this, Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra were able to steadily increase the distance between them and the Murderous Wind Battalion.


    As they continued on their way through the woods, Ma-Ra suddenly stopped. In front of her, there was a patch of ground that was particrly dark, as if someone had dug the ground recently.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? We have to move quickly,¡± said Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Something is strange.¡±


    Ma-Ra kicked at the ground with her foot, causing the shallowyer of dirt to rise into the air and reveal a tragic scene underneath.


    ¡°This is! Wait... there¡¯s no way... Sect Master!¡±


    Coincidentally, they hade across the ce where Na Ban and hispanions had been massacred by the Great Darkness Pce Master!


    A single nce was all it took to see how gruesomely they had been ughtered. Woo-Moon could clearly see what had happened to the head of one of the young men lying there, and the sight of Na Ban and his disciples, turned into withered mummies by some kind of heretical technique, was painfully seared into his brain.


    He gritted his teeth so hard that he heard a crack.


    ¡°Which...which bastard dared to do this....¡±


    How could he not feel grief?


    The very reason he had been attacking the Cruel Sandstorm Riders and almost ended up dying in the process was precisely in order to avoid casualties among his own allies.


    And yet...

 Chapter 179. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (25)

    <h4>Chapter 179. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (25)</h4>


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ma-Ra. We have to leave.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Ma-Ra made sure to cover the corpses again, while Woo-Moon gnashed his teeth in anger.


    It had been so nice to see Na Ban smiling mischievously and looking so young and bright for someone of his age as the sect master chased after him to get him to be ay disciple.


    Na Ban had been a genuinely good man.


    To think he had died so cruelly, unable to protect his beloved disciples. How much it must have hurt!


    Just thinking about it almost made his blood flow in reverse.


    <i>¡®Just you wait, Martial Heaven. Just you wait.¡¯</i>


    Now that Woo-Moon had some time to breathe, he took out eight small ss bottles, each containing a single drop of Pure Stctite Milk, from his sleeve and drank them one by one.


    Originally, as the Pure Stctite Milk was impure, a person could only drink a single drop of it. However, as Woo-Moon had reached the Paragon realm, that limitation was no longer an issue; his body would process and eliminate the impurities.


    Half an hourter, Woo-Moon was rejuvenated by the qi he absorbed from the Pure Stctite Milk.


    Then, he whispered a few words in Ma-Ra¡¯s ear. She nodded, dropped Woo-Moon off, and disappeared.


    Woo-Moon waited for his pursuers at the narrow entrance of a closed-off ravine. It looked like a mountain pass at first sight, but once you entered, it was clear that the gap between cliffs actually led to a horseshoe-shaped enclosure, with no exit whatsoever.


    When they came into view, he limped through the entrance.


    ¡°We found him!¡±


    ¡°Haha, you imbecile! You ran all this way only to find a dead end. You¡¯re trapped!¡±


    Thinking that Woo-Moon was a rat in a trap, some of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders who had found him leisurely followed him into the narrow opening.


    Meanwhile, the Cruel Sandstorm Riders¡¯ other forces, which had been sent to various ces to find him, received the call to gather and appeared one by one.


    ¡°Ha, ha...¡±


    Woo-Moon took a deep breath and endured his pain.


    Even though he was a Paragon, that didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t feel pain. Moreover, even though he could treat his wounds with his rejuvenated qi immediately, he refrained from doing so. Instead, he simply endured the pain, even though it was getting worse by the moment.


    ¡°You damned bastard! It looks like that assassin bitch abandoned you and ran. Now, we can put an end to that tenacious life of yours.¡±


    Woo-Moon looked back slightly. There was still some distance left. He had to draw them in further.


    Woo-Moon staggered back, letting Gam Ak and the other Cruel Sandstorm Riders follow him in.


    Most of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders who had chased after Woo-Moon had already arrived by this point.


    Gam Ak followed Woo-Moon in and shed down with his sword.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    However, Woo-Moon pretended to squeeze out thest of his qi and use the Divine Phantasm Steps onest time, blood spewing from the injuries on his back.


    Gam Ak¡¯s sword narrowly passed by his side, giving Woo-Moon the opening to step back once more.


    Then, Woo-Moon''s back hit the steep cliffside.


    <i>Twang! Squelch!</i>


    Woo-Moon''s upper body shook as an arrow struck him in the side.


    The Murderous Wind Battalion Vice Leader Geum Yeob had been lying in wait, waiting for an opportunity to shoot.


    Fortunately, the arrow missed Woo-Moon¡¯s vital organs and only pierced through flesh, but still, it wasn¡¯t a small wound. Seeing this, Gam Ak and the other members of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders smiled triumphantly and entered the cliff hollow.


    When Geum Yeob shot another arrow, aiming for Woo-Moon¡¯s head this time, another arrow suddenly fell from above Woo-Moon directly toward Geum Yeob¡¯s arrow.


    <i>ng!</i>


    The two arrows struck each other with a tinny sound and fell to the ground.


    Woo-Moon smiled when he saw that.


    ¡°Young Master, we¡¯re here to help!¡±


    With a shout, ten young men appeared on the cliff above Woo-Moon. They looked young and uncouth, but also strangely majestic in their own way.


    They were the Song Family Guards!


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch a single hair on the Young Master!¡±


    They jumped down the cliff like the wind and blocked the Cruel Sandstorm Riders¡¯ path.


    It is said that a schr who has been away three days must be looked at with new eyes.[1] While Woo-Moon had spent their time apart surpassing the Absolute realm and reaching the Paragon realm, they, too, had achieved incredible feats.


    <i>¡®From First ss to the initial Peak Stage. You¡¯ve all really grown a lot.¡¯</i>


    Except for Jae Hwa, none of them had known any martial arts in the beginning, and even Jae Hwa barely scratched the surface of the lowest-level trash martial arts. To think that in such a short span of time, they had all grown so much.... Something like this wouldn¡¯t have been possible if they hadn¡¯t trained their bodies down to the bone.


    ¡°Do you think these pieces of trash are going to save you?¡±


    Although they were quite surprised at first, they were soon able to figure out the level of the neers¡¯ cultivations by seeing how they went down the cliff.


    <i>¡®The only two that reached the Peak stage are that brat who shot the arrow and the skinny one... the rest are First ss at best.¡¯</i>


    However, right at this moment, a scream erupted from the left.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on¡ª¡±


    Then, a roar seemed to shake the heavens and earth, drowning out Gam Ak''s shout.


    <i>ROOOAAARRR!!!!</i>


    Due to the strength imbued within the roar, the Murderous Wind Battalion members, who were all rtively low in cultivation, were pushed back, legs quivering.


    The one attacking the Murderous Wind Battalion from the left was none other than Eun-Ah!


    Woo-Moon was also surprised by Eun-Ah¡¯s appearance. This hadn¡¯t been nned.


    He was sure... he had clearly told her to guard Yu Yu...


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon smiled faintly, realizing that Eun-Ah, who was connected to him psychically, had realized he was in crisis and had immediately rushed to him.


    Then, behind the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, a group of warriors appeared, blocking the only escape route.


    ¡°We are the swords of the Iron Sword Baek Family!¡±


    They were soldiers wearing pure white clothes and holding iron swords!


    The Baek Invincible Forged Squadron!


    ¡°Now, should we give it another try? Jae-Hwa, it¡¯s the Qi Dispersion Poison.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Jae-Hwa, one of the two Peak ss experts among the guards, drew a vial from his sleeve and threw it at Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon opened the vial and downed it the moment he caught it, immediately beginning to circte his qi slowly.


    Jae-Hwa had just thrown Woo-Moon a verymon antidote to Qi Dispersion Poison. It was an extremelymon and generic antidote; it wasn¡¯t terribly effective, but it did work against all known forms of Qi Dispersion Poison.


    And for Woo-Moon, this minimum efficacy was more than enough.


    He had filled more than half of his massive qi tank already, thanks to the pure natural energy contained in the Pure Stctite Milk, and there was still plenty more energy to process. As he began circting his qi and inspected his meridians, he could clearly sense how the antidote ate away at the Qi Dispersion Poison.


    <i>¡®Good, now, move the qi in the same way!¡¯</i>


    The qi of the Forbidden Divine Art flowed through his body, reproducing the action of the antidote, and almost immediately dispersed all of the Qi Dispersion Poison.


    Moreover, that wasn¡¯t all. Now that he understood how both the poison and the antidote worked, this poison would no longer be effective on him, ever. He had gainedplete immunity; even if he was poisoned again, cleansing it would be a breeze.


    ¡°Fuck! What are you guys waiting for?! It¡¯s just ten people and a cat! Song Woo-Moon is dying, this is our chance! ughter them all, and kill Song Woo-Moon!¡±


    Gam Ak¡¯s shout caused the morale of the Murderous Wind Battalion members to rise, quickly resolving the confusion caused by a surprise attack on two fronts. They immediatelyunched their counterattack.


    ¡°HAAAA!!¡±


    However, Gam Ak didn¡¯t know that Woo-Moon was now free from the Qi Dispersion Poison. Moreover, the resilience of a master at the Paragon Stage was beyond his imagination.


    A tremendous amount of qi surged through Woo-Moon¡¯s entire body, and the qi in his dantian soared explosively as he processed more of the energy in the Pure Stctite Milk.


    After recovering all of his qi in an instant, Woo-Moon smiled coldly.


    ¡°First, you archer rat. I¡¯ll start with you.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s figure disappeared.


    Then, he reappeared right in front of Geum Yeob!


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword passed through the neck of the Vice Battalion Leader as if it wasn¡¯t even there. Then, sting forward with the Raging Wind Palm, Woo-Moon pped Geum Yeob¡¯s head right at Gam Ak.


    Gam Ak hurriedly responded with a fist, causing Geum Yeob¡¯s head to explode. Bone fragments and blood rained down on Gam Ak''s torso.


    ¡°Aghh!!!¡±


    Pieces of Geum Yeob¡¯s skull actually lodged themselves into Gam Ak¡¯s chest due to the sheer force of the sh.


    Meanwhile, Eun-Ah was also showing an incredible performance.


    <i>BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!</i>


    ¡°W-what the hell is this?!¡±


    ¡°Is this a tiger or a god?!¡±


    <i>ROAR!!</i>


    Eun-Ahshed out at those who attacked her with her front paws, while her tail flicked about like a whip.


    ¡°AGH!!!!¡±


    ¡°UGH!¡±


    Anyone hit by her front paw was crushed like rotten fruit, swords and sabers be damned. Meanwhile, her tail broke bones and limbs as if it was a steel whip.


    ¡°You damn monster!¡±


    Go Myeong-Ah, one of the members of the Murderous Wind Battalion, swung a mace asrge and thick as a tree trunk toward Eun-Ah with as much force as he could muster.


    Eun-Ah moved quickly and opened her mouth to catch the mace descending toward her.


    <i>¡®Ha, stupid beast, bite this!¡¯</i>


    Just as he hoped, the steel head of the mace indeed smacked Eun-Ah right in the mouth.


    And then... she indeed bit it.


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    Even though the mace was made of fine steel and ck iron and was coated in mace aura, Eun-Ah¡¯s teeth simply took a chunk off as if it was made of cake and coated in chocte.


    ¡°What the f¡ª¡±


    The impressive upper body of Go Myeong-Ak disappeared, only a piece of miserably torn meat remaining in its ce.


    <i>ROAR!!!</i>


    After pulverizing Go Myeong-Ak to death with a single p, Eun-Ah roared once more and moved on to attack other enemies.


    No one could stop Eun-Ah.


    When Eun-Ah stomped on another enemy, turning him into a meat patty, a tremendous explosion rang out.


    It was the sound of six Transcendents of the Murderous Wind Battalioning together to attack Woo-Moon with all their might.


    However, even that effort had been in vain, as a golden shield appeared, covering Woo-Moon and blocking all of their attacks.


    ¡°Hmph. Golden Wall Severing Void.¡±


    The Imprable Golden Wall flew away, killing sixty bandits in an instant.


    That wasn¡¯t all, either.


    Woo-Moon had realized he could control the Imprable Golden Wall just like he normally controlled his swords with his qi. Under hismand, it changed direction and flew toward another group, razing everything in its path like a death god¡¯s scythe.


    After moving back and forth through enemy lines, the number of people killed by the Imprable Golden Wall exceeded two hundred.


    ¡°That¡¯s as far as you go.¡±


    A young man with red hair and red eyebrows suddenly appeared and thrust his palm at Woo-Moon''s Imprable Golden Wall.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    The Imprable Golden Wall collided with the young man''s palm force and dissipated, causing a massive shock wave that made those around them copse, bleeding from all over.


    The young man with red hair and red eyebrows was the Great Darkness Pce Master Yeong Ho-San. Woo-Moon definitely remembered his face.


    He was one of the two Paragons that appeared when Woo-Moon tried to infiltrate the Cruel Sandstorm Riders and gather information.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s test your skills, why don¡¯t we? Let¡¯s see if you¡¯ll be able to stop me!¡±


    As he said that, Woo-Moon''s figure disappeared in a blur and appeared behind the Great Darkness Pce Master.


    <i>¡®North Wind!¡¯</i>


    A wind carrying a cold chill swept over the Great Darkness Pce Master.


    <i>¡®He disappeared?¡¯</i>


    The Great Darkness Pce Master Yeong Ho-San''s figure seemed to disappear by the wind of the North Wind. Then, Woo-Moon immediately disappeared using Illusive Shift once again, right as he felt a slight breeze from right behind him.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    The Great Darkness Pce Master, who had appeared behind Woo-Moon, had created dozens of beads of power in front of him.


    <i>''What is this?''</i>


    The moment this thought crossed Woo-Moon¡¯s mind, the beads filled with aura exploded.


    A tremendous tsunami of destruction enveloped Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Woo-Moon created a veil of sword energy in front of him, blocking the st.


    Then, he gritted his teeth hard.


    Seeing this attack, he had just realized something.


    ¡°It was you! You were the one who killed Sect Master Na Ban and hispanions!¡±


    Yeong Ho-San smiled coldly.


    ¡°As expected, they had something to do with you. Right, that was me. And after that, I also ughtered a few more groups of bastards who were sneaking around.¡±


    In fact, the Great Darkness Pce Master was precisely on a quest to kill every single one of Woo-Moon¡¯s allies; had onlye this way after hearing the sound of a fierce battle.


    Woo-Moon almost lost control over his qi as he heard the Great Darkness Pce Master say that he had killed not just the Kunlun Sect disciples, but even <i>more groups</i> of people like them!


    mes of rage zed within his eyes.


    ¡°You... That... was thest thing you did. You¡¯ll die by my hand, even worse than they did!¡±


    1. This is an old Chinese saying, implying that traveling changes people¡¯s perspectives, and someone who is intent on learning will practically be a different person when returning. ?

 Chapter 180. Eight Years of Hardships and Suffering

    <h4>Chapter 180. Eight Years of Hardships and Suffering</h4>


    With the unification of the assassin sects nowplete, Ma-Ra had be the master of all the known assassin sects.


    Now, she was the Death God, a being that held the life and death of countless assassins in her hands. The assassins now gathered under her abandoned the names and titles they used to call themselves, bing one under the name of Assassin Gate.


    With that, Ma-Ra had fulfilled her n¡ªto create a force that could support Woo-Moon. It was thus time for her to return to his side.


    ¡°Are you nning on leaving? I¡¯ll attach an escort to you,¡± said ck Assassin, now Vice Gate Master of the Assassin Gate.


    Ma-Ra opened her mouth to refuse but changed her mind in the process.


    Considering her escort would only be assassins anyway, they would escort her through the shadows, not out in the open. In that case, it wouldn¡¯t be much of a bother to have them around when she joined Woo-Moon¡¯s side once again.


    As she nodded, twelve of the Assassin Gate¡¯s most powerful assassins melted into the darkness around her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving in an hour. ck Assassin, you stay here.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Since the leader was leaving, she needed someone to handle matters for her. ck Assassin would remain behind and y that role. ck Assassin was the perfect man for the job: he was extremelypetent, but even though he had all the authority and could practically do whatever he wanted, he would never even dream of betraying her.


    For one, she was at the absolute peak of the Assassin Dao right now; even if he wanted to take her down, it was simply not possible. Moreover, ck Assassin believed in her wholeheartedly and thus didn¡¯t entertain any thoughts of betrayal in the first ce.


    Ma-Ra nced at the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    He was a puppet of Martial Heaven and wasn¡¯t an enemy she could just ignore.


    She could tell that he hade to the Assassin Gate on orders from Martial Heaven¡ªorders to kill her, specifically.


    At first, Martial Heaven seemed to have forgotten about her, assuming she was dead. However, she became an unavoidable issue when she resurfaced during the unification of the assassin sects and began to form her own force. Thus, they sent the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor after her.


    So far, he hadn¡¯t been much of a threat to her. Moreover, even if she were to kill him, the same issue would arise again if Martial Heaven sent another person after her, leading her just to leave him alone as long as he didn¡¯t bother her.


    Even so, she couldn¡¯t just let him follow her around like that. She had to get back to Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Should I kill him?¡¯</i>


    She wondered if she could kill him herself.


    After contemting it seriously, she realized that the answer was like a coin toss.


    Although they were both Absolute Masters, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was still stronger than her.


    Ma-Ra was currently simr in strength to the Imperial Government''s Formless Flying Sword and the lower half of Martial Heaven''s Seventy-Two Heavenly Dippers. By that token, if she fought the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, she was as good as dead.


    However, she naturally had her own advantages; she was an assassin, after all. Nobody said she had to fight him head-on. If she went for a sneak attack rather than engage him in a head-on confrontation, she would have more than a fifty percent chance of killing him.


    Moreover, around her was her force, the assassins she had recruited as her subordinates.


    What would happen if she joined forces with them?


    Although the Assassin Gate would take a good amount of damage, they were practically guaranteed to kill him.


    There were several reasons why she would want to shake the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor off her tail.


    First, Ma-Ra didn¡¯t know how Woo-Moon was doing right now. What if he still hadn¡¯te to his senses? She was worried that if the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor followed her, things would escte the moment he was to see Woo-Moon in hisatose state.


    Second, Princess Namar, Su Ran, Hye-Rim, and the others were there, too.


    They led a secret organization created to fight against Martial Heaven, and taking the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor to their base was absolutely out of the question.


    <i>¡®I have to either shake him off my tail or kill him.¡¯</i>


    Ma-Ra looked over at the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, pondering whether to kill him.


    However, the emperor never felt any bloodlusting from her.


    Let alone the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, not even Paragons, including Woo-Moon, would be able to sense any.


    That was one of the key abilities that Ma-Ra had obtained after bing an Absolute Master using the Death God¡¯s cultivation method.


    It wasn¡¯t a matter of hiding her bloodlust or having a weak bloodlust. It was just that her killing intent was different from others¡¯. To her, all lives were nothing but grass; how could one feel bloodlust toward grass? Nothingness within, nothingness without.


    In the end, she finally made her decision.


    She would kill him.


    Yet even though she had just made up her mind to kill him and was fully intent on carrying it out, she didn¡¯t exude even a hint of bloodlust.


    Coincidentally, just as she was about to make her move, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor called out to her.


    ¡°Do you see the moon in the sky?¡±


    A tiny sliver of moon, so small it would be embarrassing even to call it a crescent, was floating in the night sky.


    Still, a sliver of moon was still the moon. So Ma-Ra nodded silently.


    While she didn¡¯t know where or when the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had gotten any alcohol, he looked extremely drunk.


    The slight blush on his face made Ma-Ra, a woman, think that he looked quite beautiful in the moonlight.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had a beauty that wasn¡¯t inferior to that of Ma-Ra, who was a beauty hard to find across the continent.


    After single-handedly destroying the Blood Cult a long time ago, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor satisfied his thirst for blood by killing countless innocents before suddenly disappearing one day.


    It was only a few years ago that he had returned. Yet, while he was stillmitting massacres, he was killing far less frequently and in fewer numbers than before.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor sat down right next to Ma-Ra.


    With a faint smile, he pointed to the moon, which was as thin as a thread.


    ¡°When we were young, my younger sister would cry every time she saw the moon like that. She said she felt pity for it for some reason, it looked so thin that it felt like it was about to break...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ma-Ra said nothing.


    She felt a little ufortable as the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor started to open up to her.


    Everyone in the world had a story. There was a cause and effect in every action, a reason for someone to do something. When a person performed any action, there was a hint of that story, whether it was done consciously or unconsciously.


    It was the same for the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor. There was a reason, or rather a cause, for everything he did.


    <i>¡®But so what?¡¯</i>


    Those that Ma-Ra had killed, those that Woo-Moon had killed, they all had their own stories, too.


    Woo-Moon had killed them because theymitted evil deeds. However, there must have been some unavoidable circumstances or another that led them tomit such evil deeds. Something that, after hearing their side, would make one nod in understanding, saying, ¡°I see what brought you to this.¡±


    However, he couldn¡¯t take all of that into ount.


    No matter how unfortunate or sad those people¡¯s pasts may have been, that didn¡¯t mean it was enough to forgive them for killing and tormenting others.


    In conclusion, Ma-Ra didn¡¯t care about the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s past, nor did she have any sympathy to give him just because he was reminiscing about his sister with her.


    ¡°My younger sister is currently in the Hidden Pce of Martial Heaven. As long as they have my sister, I can¡¯t disobey their orders.¡±


    ¡°Are you seeking sympathy? Or would you like me to save her or something?¡±


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor grinned.


    ¡°As expected, you¡¯re quite cold. Rest assured, it¡¯s neither of the two. Well, they won¡¯t make too big of a fuss just because I didn¡¯t follow a single order, now would they? I¡¯m leaving now.¡±


    With those words, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor disappeared, leaving behind a dark trail of blood.


    Knowing that she would need to sacrifice her subordinates if she insisted on killing him, Ma-Ra just stood there and let him go.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, run away. You crazy bastard!¡±


    With the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor gone, ck Assassin looked refreshed and cursed as if a rotting tooth he had been suffering from had finally fallen out.


    ***


    A short whileter.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving. I¡¯m not going to wait for you even if you fall behind. Keep up on your own.¡±


    As her words faded in the air, Ma-Ra dashed forward, using her movement art to the utmost, and headed to where she and Woo-Moon hadst parted ways.


    No matter how loyal her subordinates were, she couldn¡¯t risk telling them where Princess Namar and herpanions were. So, Ma-Ra made sure to leave them behind so she could ask about Woo-Moon''s whereabouts first.


    Hearing that Woo-Moon had headed north, she followed his tracks and eventually arrived where she was now.


    Because she had left so quickly, her subordinates struggled to keep up, only able to follow her based on the marks Ma-Ra left behind for them.


    Meanwhile, Ma-Ra discovered Woo-Moon¡¯s traces and joined him, just in time to help him out. And now, she was hiding herself at his request, waiting for an opportunity.


    <i>¡®We can¡¯t make any mistakes!¡¯</i>


    ***


    ¡°You have to die,¡± the Great Darkness Pce Master said as he faced Woo-Moon''s bloodlust.


    Martial Heaven couldn¡¯t tolerate the existence of a Paragon who wasn¡¯t a part of their fold.


    ¡°Me? No, you¡¯re the one who has to die!¡±


    <i>Sssss!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s figure disappeared like smoke and reappeared in front of the Great Darkness Pce Master, firing out forty-eight strands of keen sword qi simultaneously.


    <i>ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The Great Darkness Pce Master swung his outer robe, which was made of steel links, in a wide arc, deflecting the sword qi. Then, he formed a ck bead of aura right before Woo-Moon¡¯s head.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Woo-Moon used Illusive Shift to escape the ensuing storm of aura before reappearing with Lightsh pointed toward the ground.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    His veins and tendons bulged and the arms holding Lightsh swelled terrifyingly. Then, a golden brilliance arose and gathered like a whirlwind around Lightsh.


    ¡°Ha-a-eup!¡±


    With all his might, Woo-Moon swung his sword, coated in an immense golden aura, at the Great Darkness Pce Master.


    In response, the Great Darkness Pce Master created a dark red palm aura and blocked the attack.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    An explosion rang out, and the aftermath of the collision caused the Great Darkness Pce Master to fly into the air. There, he continuously created beads of aura, causing the space around Woo-Moon to explode.


    <i>BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!</i>


    A thick cloud of dust rose where Woo-Moon was.


    Then, a sharp light shed through it.


    ¡°Tsk!¡±


    The Great Darkness Pce Master let his guard down for a moment afterunching his wide-area attack, allowing for an opening. Lightsh flew right past his cheek.


    If he had taken just a fraction of a second longer to react, Lightsh would have pierced his head.


    Under Woo-Moon¡¯s Sword Control, Lightsh flew around the Great Darkness Pce Master and continued to attack.


    <i>¡®One, two, three, now!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon had been watching the Great Darkness Pce Master deal with Lightsh while levitating in the air. He suddenly kicked off the ground and flew forward like an azure dragon, unleashing Northern Blizzard with Inkde.


    At the same time, Lightsh moved even faster than before, dividing into eight sword shadows that targeted the Great Darkness Pce Master¡¯s upper body.


    There was nowhere for the Great Darkness Pce Master to escape, whether below or above.


    Realizing this, the Great Darkness Pce Master let his qi explode outward and coated his entire body in aura.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    Lightsh was unable to ovee the Great Darkness Pce Master¡¯s defensive qi and bounced away first. At the same time, Inkde prated halfway through the defensive barrier that the Great Darkness Pce Master was barely able to erect.


    Then, countless small aura beads appeared in the air. Countless small shes of light erupted as the aura on Inkde was slowly whittled down.


    <i>¡®Damn it!¡¯</i>


    Inkde eventually slowed to a halt. As Woo-Moon cursed under his breath, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i>


    The moment Woo-Moon disappeared, a bead of aura the Great Darkness Pce Master had formed behind him exploded.


    There was a brief lull.


    Woo-Moon and the Great Darkness Pce Master red at each other while floating in the air.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty impressive,¡± said the Great Darkness Pce Master.


    Right as Woo-Moon was about to respond, a sword flew like a beam of light from a blindspot behind Woo-Moon.


    It was the sword of a Cruel Sandstorm Rider Transcendent.


    Those who reached the peak of the Transcendent stage could use Sword Control, but only barely. Not only were they unable to move the sword freely, but they had to exert all of their mental effort to supply and control the qi within the flying sword continuously.


    Therefore, a Transcendent using Sword Control was unable to move and waspletely defenseless, as if they had entered a state of deep meditation.


    The sword, controlled by the elder of the Twin Monsters, came close to Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®It¡¯ll work!¡¯</i>


    The elder of the Twin Monsters was quite excited. If he could put an end to Woo-Moon, the battle would be as good as won, and his contribution would be massive.


    ¡°Martial Heaven... all of you really are out of your minds.¡±


    By the time Woo-Moon finished his sentence, the sword had already reached his feet.


    <i>Twang!</i>


    The sword under the elder Twin Monster¡¯s control flinched for a moment before suddenly changing directions and flying toward the Great Darkness Pce Master at a speed dozens of times greater than before.

 Chapter 181. Eight Years of Hardships and Suffering (2)

    <h4>Chapter 181. Eight Years of Hardships and Suffering (2)</h4>


    ¡°Eeeuek!!¡±


    With his sword forcefully wrested away by Woo-Moon, the elder Twin Monster suffered fatal injuries from the qi bacsh and died on the spot, vomiting blood.


    While a Transcendent had to exert all of their effort to control a single sword using Sword control, that was not the case for Absolute Masters. While there were certainly individual differences, they had the ability to control two swords at the same time, at the very least. Moreover, they could do it while fighting, and their control was good enough that they could split a hair with a flying sword. In addition, they could use a sword to fly.


    So, what about a Paragon?


    Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t sure how many swords he could control using Sword Control, mostly because he had never tried that. Moreover, he had already reached a level where Sword Flight was obsolete. After all, he could fly in the sky without using a sword, solely on the merits of his lightness art, which he had pushed to the extreme.


    With that said, there was no need to use Sword Control on multiple swords. The more swords there were, the less powerful each sword was, to the point where the user wouldn¡¯t be able to prate the opponent¡¯s defensive qi.


    Therefore, Woo-Moon released the elder Twin Monster¡¯s sword the moment he threw it at the Great Darkness Pce Master.


    Even in the midst of the fierce battle, the Baek Invincible Forged Squadron and the Song Family Guards below were filled with awe as they watched Woo-Moon and the Great Darkness Pce Master fighting in the air.


    <i>¡®What in the world?! They¡¯ve gone past even the level of Void-Conquering Path... It¡¯s as if they just exist within heaven itself.¡¯</i>


    That Woo-Moon had risen to such a level was shocking in and of itself; that there was an unknown person who could match him in battle was even more shocking.


    <i>BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!</i>


    Techniques like Sword Control were just for surprise attacks.


    Woo-Moon used the opening he had made through the two controlled swords to arrive at the Great Darkness Pce Master''s side and start a flurry of attacks.


    The explosive sounds of aura colliding with aura resonated like firecrackers, and the twobatants seemed to burst with halos of light as they repeatedly appeared and disappeared at such speeds that the people below couldn¡¯t see them correctly.


    Forced on the defensive by Woo-Moon¡¯s barrage of attacks, the Great Darkness Pce Master took a deep breath.


    ¡°Spring Jade.¡±[1]


    <i>Swish, swish, swish!</i>


    <i>¡®What is this?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was taken aback as thousands of tiny aura beads appeared simultaneously around him. Then, at that moment, the beads of aura exploded.


    <i>BOOM BOOM BOOM!</i>


    The Spring Jades, which contained an extreme yin qi, exploded outward, emitting immense destructive power while simultaneously freezing the atmosphere around them.


    A single Spring Jade didn''t have much power, but thousands of them had exploded at the same time, amplifying each other¡¯s power.


    Moreover, even after the explosions, a residual aura remained that continued to emit frigid qi.


    In an instant, Woo-Moon''s whole body turned white, and he seemed to be frozen in ce.


    The Great Darkness Pce Master took advantage of the opening to strike at Woo-Moon¡¯s heart, shooting a st of ck finger qi.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s fingers, which had turned into white blocks of ice, suddenly moved.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    Three sts of finger qi were released in session, two of which met and offset the Great Darkness Pce Master''s finger qi, while thest one shot at the Great Darkness Pce Master''s heart.


    The next instant, Woo-Moon¡¯s entire body quivered. The ice covering him shattered as he leaped forward, leaving an afterimage behind. He was so fast that he arrived in front of the Great Darkness Pce Master at the same time as his finger qi st.


    <i>¡®Ha, I know what you¡¯re going to do!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s legstched around the neck of the Great Darkness Pce Master, who had predictably coated himself in defensive qi.


    Woo-Moon twisted his lower body vigorously, forcing the Great Darkness Pce Master to rotate along with him. Then he shot out palm force in a wide arc opposing his rotation, as if pushing against the very atmosphere.


    <i>Boom!!</i>


    Because of that, Woo-Moon spun even faster, and at the peak of his rotation, he threw the Great Darkness Pce Master to the ground, leveraging the centrifugal force.


    The throw was perfectly aimed¡ªthe Great Darkness Pce Master fell like a meteor toward where the bulk of the Murderous Wind Battalion was gathered.


    The Great Darkness Pce Master knew that if he were tond on them like this, most of the Murderous Wind Battalion would not survive. He couldn¡¯t let that happen.


    Right before hended, he cleverly redirected his trajectory by kicking one of the Murderous Wind Battalion members in the head.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    The torso of the battalion member he kicked exploded, a mist of blood spreading through the air. The Great Darkness Pce Master bounced sideways before kicking the air and flying back up.


    ¡°River Jade.¡±


    With these soft-spoken words, the Great Darkness Pce Master created twelverge aura beads around Woo-Moon.


    ¡°The fuck is it this time?¡±


    The beads of aura exploded, sending aura flowing like water crashing through a river, pouring towards Woo-Moon.


    ***


    The Murderous Wind Battalion¡¯s Third Squad Leader, Blood Tiger, thought he was having a nightmare. He couldn¡¯t believe it.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no fucking way this is real. No way!¡¯</i>


    When he was young, his greatest fear was the tiger. He had countless nightmares where he was mauled to death by a tiger.


    Even though he was strong enough when he was twelve to crack the skull of an adult, he could never get over his fear of this terrifying beast. It wasn¡¯t until he finally learned martial arts and became strong enough to beat tigers to death barehanded that he was freed from his nightmares.


    However, that childhood fear left a mark on him, turning into a reverence so great that he even named himself Blood Tiger.


    Yet right now, in


    ¡°T-third Squad Leader, save us!¡±


    Blood Tiger couldn¡¯t say anything even after seeing the eyes of his subordinates, who were running toward him in fear.


    The anxiety that came with <i>hohwan</i>, which he thought he had gotten over, had takenplete hold over him.[2]


    Right now, he wasn¡¯t the Murderous Wind Battalion¡¯s Third Squad Leader, Blood Tiger, a beast of a man who wasn¡¯t afraid of anything and fought valiantly against any enemy as long as he had his spear.


    He was just a young viger, so afraid of the wild beast before him that he couldn¡¯t move a single muscle.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    An eerie sound rang in his ear as one of his subordinates was... dwarfed.


    The man had the stature of an umonlyrge bear standing on two legs, yet for some reason he seemed rather short right now.


    Then, Blood Tiger realized that the man wascking his torso entirely, and blood was spraying from his open abdomen.


    The tiger had simply bitten off half his body.


    <i>Grrrrrrr....</i>


    The giant white tiger''s bloodlust-filled eyes looked at Blood Tiger.


    The deep growling sound, as ifing from hell, gripped and twisted Blood Tiger''s heart.


    The next moment, his pants became wet as bright yellow urine trickled down his leg.


    Eun-Ah was about to open herrge mouth and bite the Blood Tiger, but she frowned as soon as she saw the urine and ended up simply pping him to death.


    She had been fighting the enemies without taking a single second to breathe from the moment the battle had begun, but now, she stopped for a moment and looked at how things were unfolding around her.


    Overall, the situation was quite tense.


    Before the Great Darkness Pce Master appeared, they had an overwhelming advantage once Woo-Moon had entered the fight. However, now, they were at a standstill.


    <i>Huff?</i>


    She could see a hostile human with a particrly grotesque odor running toward Jae-Hwa.


    The moment she noticed that, Eun-Ah leaped into the sky.


    <i>ROAR!!!</i>


    Just as that human¡ªthe Murderous Wind Battalion Leader, Eclipse yer Gam Ak¡ªwas about to pierce Jae-Hwa''s head with his sword, Eun-Ah roared, simultaneously unleashing her beast ferocity and all the bloodlust that she could muster.


    Eun-Ah''s roar was aimed only at the Murderous Wind Battalion Leader.


    Gam Ak wasn¡¯t able to kill Jae-Hwa as he had initially intended. The roar made him instantly break out in a cold sweat; he quickly turned around and sted out a spray of sharp sword qi.


    "Huh?"


    There was no one in front of him!


    He btedly felt the one who radiated that incredible bloodlust right behind him.


    <i>Grrr...</i>


    Eun-Ah could sense that if she let this man go, the people she loved would be in danger.


    Realizing this, she bared her teeth, sharper than any sword, and growled as she walked toward Eclipse yer Gam Ak.


    ¡°I was just thinking I had to catch you, rampant little beast. At least you¡¯re smart enough to deliver yourself to me,¡± Eclipse yer Gam Ak said, his eyes narrowing.


    Eclipse yer Gam Ak had been called the incarnation of a heavenly demon due to the particrly strong bloodlust he had emitted from birth. His title came from the fact that his bloodlust was strong enough to blot out the sun!


    He was a famous expert even within the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. However, he was known to be a Transcendent. No one knew that he was actually an Absolute Master.


    <i>Thud, thud.</i>


    He had originally been a disciple of the Chongshan Sect.


    Joining the Chongshan Sect at a young age, he had shown outstanding talent, and quickly advanced in his cultivation. However, the sect¡¯s leadership ended up marginalizing him, whether they did it intentionally or not, due to his deep bloodlust.


    In the end, hearing that the junior brother he had always ignored would be the sect master over him, he ambushed his junior brother and a number of elders, killing them. Then, he ran away with the manual containing the sect¡¯s foundational art, an art which he had never been allowed to learn.


    No one knew whether Eclipse yer Gam Ak had been intent on doing this from the get-go or if it was the words and behavior of his elders and peers that had driven him over the edge. Naturally, all kinds of spections ran rampant throughout the <i>gangho.</i> In any case whatever the actual backstory was, he became a public enemy of the Righteous Faction and thus joined the Cruel Sandstorm Riders.


    As for the Chongshan Sect, after losing all of its experts and its foundational art at the same time, its lineage was severed at the root. Even to this day, it had never recovered its former glory, and it was now just a second-rate sect.


    Eclipse yer Gam Ak lunged at Eun-Ah and swung his sword.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    A sword engulfed in blue sword qi cut at Eun-Ah''s torso.


    <i>ng!!</i>


    Sparks flew.


    Eclipse yer Gam Ak''s sword flew back, and Eun-Ah swung at him with her paws, equipped with ws the size of short swords.


    <i>Swish.</i>


    Eclipse yer Gam Ak moved quickly to avoid Eun-Ah¡¯s attack, leaving an afterimage. He kept his distance and pointed the tip of his sword at Eun-Ah. He was clearly taking her very seriously.


    <i>¡®This won¡¯t be easy. To think a mere beast could be so strong....¡¯</i>


    He had recently entered the initial Absolute Stage. With that level of strength, if it were the old Eun-Ah, he could have bullied her however he wanted. After all, though Eun-Ah was far superior in sheer strength, she could not possibly have his fighting abilities.


    However, after recently consuming half of the Blood-Horned Poison Serpent¡¯s neidan, Eun-Ah was much stronger and had more energy, so she decided that she could take him.


    ¡°As expected, sword qi doesn¡¯t work.¡±


    Right as the Eclipse yer Gam Ak¡¯s greasy voice rang through the air, his figure flickered as he used Illusive Shift. Appearing above Eun-Ah¡¯s head, he viciously swung his sword, now coated in a bright blue sword aura!


    Eun-Ah instantly understood that this blow wasn¡¯t something she could rely on her hide to block, so she reared up on her hind legs, opening her mouth to bite the iing sword.


    <i>ng!</i>


    She caught her sword in her mouth. The moment she tried to twist her head and break the de, however, it slipped right out.


    Eclipse yer Gam Ak was the farthest person from an inexperienced fighter. He instantly figured out Eun-Ah¡¯s intention and quickly pulled his sword back.


    At the same time, he counterattacked insidiously to try to catch Eun-Ah off guard.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    A st of finger qi flew at Eun-Ah¡¯s eye.


    <i>¡®Not even a Vajra Buddha has eyes that could withstand th¡ªwhat?!¡¯</i>


    As if nothing had happened, Eun-Ah red at Eclipse yer Gam Ak with a fierce gaze.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    He was pped to the ground like a fly. Eun-Ah¡¯s tail had struck him from a blind spot.


    ¡°<i>Ke, kekeke, kekekeke</i>. How interesting.¡±


    He didn¡¯t take much damage, as he had coated himself in defensive qi.


    Red veins bulged in his eyeballs as his face suddenly grew distorted, resembling a demon¡¯s. His bloodlust suddenly soared,pletely dwarfing Eun-Ah¡¯s.


    He was beingpletely serious now, and he movedpletely differently from before. Every single move of his was a sharp attack, and they came in a flurry!


    <i>ROAR!</i>


    The two well-matched opponents thus began a fierce battle.


    ***


    ¡°Is that really Eun-Ah?¡± Jae-Hwa asked as he watched in fascination for a moment. He couldn¡¯t believe this was the baby tiger he knew from way back.


    ¡°What are you doing?! You¡¯re going to die if you stand there like an idiot!¡±


    Jae-Hwa clenched his fist again, shaking himself out of his reverie at Ah Sam¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Oh, right. Sorry. Let¡¯s do this!¡±


    The Murderous Wind Battalion was strong. The Song family guards could barely maintain equilibrium with them.


    However, because they specialized in a variety of martial arts and they moved in perfect unison, as if they were real brothers, they were at least able to fight the Murderous Wind Battalion to a standstill.


    Jae-Hwa used his fists and feet to pummel his opponent before suddenly bending down at the waist, as if he was bowing in respect.


    <i>Swish!!!</i>


    He was just paying respects to the dead, however; a sharp arrow flew straight into the face of his opponent.


    The moment he let his arrow fly, Ah Sam moved to nock another arrow with practiced ease and looked up at the two people fighting above.


    <i>¡®If I can help him even a little!¡¯</i>


    He knew it wouldn¡¯t do anything. Still, even if it was just to annoy the enemy, Ah Sam shot an arrow at the Great Darkness Pce Master.


    1. As in a natural water spring. ?


    2. The fear of tigers is such a widespread fear in Asia that mostnguages there have a specific term for it¡ª<i>hohwan</i>, in the case of Korean. The closest word would be tigriphobia, but I thought leaving the original made it seem cooler. ?

 Chapter 182. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (3)

    <h4>Chapter 182. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (3)</h4>


    <i>¡®Huh?¡¯</i>


    Ah Sam''s eyes widened as the arrow, which had been flying straight at the target, suddenly turned around in mid-air and flew back at him.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t dodge!¡¯</i>


    However, right at that moment of desperation, a ck line suddenly appeared in front of Ah Sam¡¯s eyes and split the arrow in half, the pieces of the shaft falling to the ground harmlessly.


    ***


    The energy emanating from the River Jades narrowed in, and they surrounded Woo-Moon as if they were sentient.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who knows how to use aura arts!¡±


    Woo-Moon used Illusive Shift and flew backward to buy time before using Dragon Bind Tiger Strike.


    Two aura clusters, in the shape of a dragon and a tiger, respectively, leaped forward at the same time.


    Meanwhile, therger River Jades were spitting out thousands upon thousands of smaller aura beads, like great rivers splitting into innumerable branches.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s dragon and tiger grabbed the nearest River Jade in their jaws and wed it into pieces before continuing on their way.


    <i>¡®Destroy the River Jades themselves, don¡¯t focus on the tiny ones.¡¯</i>


    The dragon and tiger responded to Woo-Moon¡¯s intention immediately.


    <i>Crack, crack, crack, crack!</i>


    The dragon and tiger grew stronger and faster as Woo-Moon imbued them with more and more qi, destroying all of the River Jades before disappearing.


    ¡°Impressive.¡±


    The Great Darkness Pce Master suddenly sensed somethinging from below¡ªit was Ah Sam¡¯s arrow. With a cold snort, he simply took control of the arrow and shot it right back.


    However, the arrow failed to kill Ah Sam because Inkde was there to intercept it, splitting it in two.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The Great Darkness Pce Masterunched a double palm forward.


    <i>BOOONG!</i>


    An indecipherable sound rang through the air.


    ¡°W-what is that!¡±


    Those fighting below were startled by the sudden whirlwind and tried to stabilize themselves as they shook uncontrobly.


    Although they were all people who could be called experts across the <i>gangho</i>, it was just not possible for them to ignore the shockwaves caused by the Great Darkness Pce Master''s aura attack.


    However, his opponent was standing firmly in the air without any sign of difficulty. The golden aura emanating from the sword in his hand gradually was growing stronger and stronger.


    The color of a martial artist¡¯s qi differed based on the qi cultivation method they practiced. For example, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s Blood Devil Merciless Art was a shade of vibrant, pure crimson.


    In the case of Woo-Moon, the Forbidden Divine Art made his qi take on a brilliant golden hue.


    However, it was extremely difficult for a martial artist to be able to exude enough qi for its color to show. It wasn¡¯t until a martial artist reached the Peak Stage that they could even manifest a color in the first ce.


    As for forming an aura as Woo-Moon had just done, one that looked not like a pale glow or a luminous gas but like liquid gold flowing around him, shining with the radiance of a molten sun... No one under the Absolute Master level understood just what kind of level had to be achieved in order to have that level of aura; the only thing they instinctively knew was that, as far as they were concerned, he was so far higher he might as well be the heaven above.


    Then came a whisper from the Suppressing Darkness Pce Master.


    ¡°Ocean Jade.¡±


    <i>Screech, screech, screech, screeeeech!</i>


    A strange sound, like the grating screech of metal rubbing against metal, echoed in all directions. All those below instinctively covered their ears, but it was pointless; it was as if the sound resonated not in their ears but inside their brains, causing them to be nauseous.


    A ck aura rippled and grew, quickly spreading out in waves toward Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®How odd...¡¯</i>


    It was not actually a pure ck; rather, Woo-Moon felt as if there <i>should</i> be light but there wasn¡¯t, as if he was looking at the sky from the bottom of the ocean.


    <i>¡®That color...¡¯</i>


    This deep, dark aura rippled toward him, descending upon him with the pressure of a thousand zhang of water, like a massive wave crashing against the shore.


    Woo-Moon responded with the Imprable Golden Wall.


    The brilliant golden light surrounding Inkde surrounded his entire body, turning into absolute armor that did not allow a single drop of water to seep through.


    <i>BANG!!!!</i>


    An explosion rang out.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not as big of a deal as I thought.¡¯</i>


    Just as Woo-Moon thought that the impact of the Great Darkness Pce Master¡¯s attack was less than expected, the aura of the Ocean Jade was repelled and merged with the uing waves, rebounding with an even stronger force.


    <i>¡®... Fuck.¡¯</i>


    <i>BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!</i>


    The waves created by the Ocean Jade struck the Imprable Golden Wall six times in the blink of an eye, each time stronger and stronger.


    <i>¡®I have to stop this, and I have to do it right now.¡¯</i>


    He had realized by now that each wave merged with the previous wave that was repelled by his armor, absorbing the rebounding power to strengthen itself. In other words, the longer he allowed this to continue, the more powerful each wave would be.


    If he let this go on, he was doomed. At one point, his armor would fail to stop a wave, and that wave would not just injure him but crush him like a bug.


    <i>''Now!''</i>


    The moment the wave collided with him and then receded, Woo-Moon quickly transitioned from the Imprable Golden Wall into the Golden Wall Severing Void. However, even in the split second it took him to do so, the next wave approached Woo-Moon, getting so close that it was difficult for him to exert his power properly.


    A fraction of a secondter, the Ocean Jade¡¯s wave, now tens of times more potent than the first wave, collided with Woo-Moon''s Golden Wall Severing Void.


    It was a sh between two Paragons!


    Although it seemed obvious that the impact would be enormous, contrary to expectations, the shockwaves were minuscule. The reason was simple: the two had reached such incredible mastery of their own techniques that they could even redirect the aftershocks in order to further empower their own attacks.


    After the blinding sh disappeared, Woo-Moon, now with a paleplexion, immediately unleashed another technique without even taking the time to pull himself together.


    Raging Storm!


    In terms of destructive power, it was the strongest among all of the techniques of the Gentle Celestial Sword that Woo-Moon had learned.


    <i>Bleergh!</i>


    As blood spilled from his mouth, Raging Storm¡¯s merciless sword force flew toward the Great Darkness Pce Master so quickly that it seemed to shift in and out of existence, as if the sword force itself was performing Illusive Shift.


    The Great Darkness Pce Master smiled bitterly.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re overdoing it.¡¯</i>


    The short instant it took Woo-Moon to unfold Raging Storm was incredibly important.


    That fleeting moment, no more than half a second, was enough for Paragons like them to settle their qi. Yet Woo-Moon had just suffered significant internal injuries because, instead of using that time to bring his qi under control, he had spent it unleashing an incredibly strong technique.


    Sixty-four aura beads appeared in an instant before the Great Darkness Pce Master, exploding simultaneously as Raging Storm ruptured the air in front of him.


    <i>BOOM!!!!!</i>


    As Raging Storm dissipated, Lightsh, hidden within it, leaped out like a beam of light and thrust at the Great Darkness Pce Master.


    ¡°A childish trick...!¡±


    As the Great Darkness Pce Master shouted, he suddenly felt a sense of crisis.


    <i>¡®A stealth technique?¡¯</i>


    A girl was hidden within Lightsh¡¯s shadow, using Sword Flight to continue forward.


    His heart pounded.


    It was surprising that an assassin with such an impressive stealth technique existed. Moreover, the fact that an assassin had managed to approach him at such a close range gave him a bad feeling.


    Woo-Moon vomited blood again.


    His pure white robe was covered in blood as he staggered as if it was difficult for him to stay in the air.


    Just unleashing Raging Storm had been difficult, let alone the added effort to manipte Lightsh using Sword Control while protecting Ma-Ra with qi and hiding her within Raging Storm¡¯s sword force.


    It was only natural that his mental power was exhausted by this point to the point where his mind was hazy, and his whole body felt like it was falling apart¡ªthe exhaustion of squeezing his qi to the dregs sunk into his bones.


    <i>¡®But Ma-Ra will get hurt if I let go!¡¯</i>


    He couldn¡¯t feel any strength within his body.


    However, he had to force himself to continue anyway.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Woo-Moon bit his lip as hard as he could.


    A thick chunk of his lip tore off and a sharp pain spread throughout his body. At the same time, he suddenly felt a surge of strength¡ªless like being reinvigorated and more like a sh of terminal lucidity.


    He controlled Inkde with Sword Control, stepping on it and flying toward the Great Darkness Pce Master.


    Meanwhile, the moment Ma-Ra sensed that the Great Darkness Pce Master had detected her, she kicked Lightsh and jumped up, using her stealth technique once again.


    She wasn¡¯t yet at the level where she could float in the air and move at will like the two Paragons.


    Thus, she threw one of the lotuses she had hidden in her sleeves and used it as a stepping stone. It was not the metallic lotus of the Tang Family, but an actual flower¡ªit allowed her to step on it without making a sound.


    Thanks to her stealth technique, she was able to change directions mid-air soundlessly. She jumped above the Great Darkness Pce Master¡¯s head, then threw a second lotus over her own head, flipped herself upside down and kicked off,unching herself downward.


    Then, using Thousand-Catty Bast, she plummeted toward the Great Darkness Pce Master with the sheer momentum of a falling meteor.


    She didn¡¯t draw a sword ahead of time.


    The longer she held a weapon in hand, the more murderous qi and ominous qi exuded from her.[1]


    Although she had already reached a perfect level of control over her emotions and qi, she couldn¡¯t let down her guard even the slightest, considering she was trying to assassinate someone beyond the Absolute realm.


    The Great Darkness Pce Master''s hand, engulfed in ck water, struck away Lightsh as it approached him before creating four aura beads above his head.


    Although he was being ambushed by an Absolute Master assassin while fighting another Paragon and was in mortal danger, there was no way he would miss the traces of Ma-Ra once she hade so close.


    Like Woo-Moon had done just moments earlier, even under the threat of suffering internal injuries, he used his qi forcefully to form more aura beads.


    Swooping down on the Great Darkness Pce Master like a hawk trying to snatch its prey, Ma-Ra¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    <i>¡®Give him some flesh to cut his bones.¡¯</i>


    Instead of dodging, she nned to endure the aura beads explosion in order to kill the Great Darkness Pce Master.


    Ma-Ra knew that if she missed this opportunity, the Great Darkness Pce Master might be able to recover and run away. If that happened, then the opportunity that Woo-Moon had created for her by deliberately overexerting himself would be entirely in vain.


    <i>¡®I have to kill him now!¡¯</i>


    Now that everything was revealed, there was no need for her to keep herself hidden.


    A bloodlust that seemed as though it could tear the sky in half exploded from her entire body.


    If she were to let the explosion of the aura beads strike her, she would unquestionably suffer. While she didn¡¯t think that she would die, she knew that it would be difficult for her to avoid being practically yed alive and having her flesh torn off her body.


    But that did not make her hesitate even for a moment.


    <i>¡®It doesn¡¯t matter!¡¯</i>


    Right at that moment, Woo-Moon flew in front of her like the wind, in a state of being one with his sword, and shed apart the four aura beads simultaneously.


    <i>Boom, boom, boom, boom!</i>


    The aura beads exploded before Ma-Ra arrived, and Woo-Moon became a bloody figure in her stead.


    <i>¡®Go, Ma-Ra!¡¯</i>


    The two were already at a level where they could read each other¡¯s minds just by locking eyes or reading each other¡¯s bodynguage. In fact, they could read each other¡¯s minds without even locking eyes or reading bodynguage.


    <i>¡®Idiot.¡¯</i>


    <i>Screeeeech!</i>


    With a sharp sound, Ma-Ra dropped from above the Great Darkness Pce Master''s head and darted past his entire body down to his feet.


    ¡°You... you cowardly...¡±


    As the Great Darkness Pce Master groaned, his mouth somehow split vertically instead of horizontally.


    And the bloody line at the center of it quickly descended down his entire body.


    <i>Squelch!!!</i>


    Blood gushed from the Great Darkness Pce Master as he was split precisely in half. Meanwhile, an equally bloody Woo-Moon fell from the sky like a bird that had lost its wings, but he was grinning like the idiot Ma-Ra rightfully considered him.


    ¡°Oh no, what ever am I going to do now that you think I¡¯m a coward. I guess I might fight with honor and let you kill all my friends in the meantime, no?¡±


    A ck rope flew in from below, wrapped around his waist, and pulled him to the side.


    <i>Clench.</i>


    Ma-Ra opened her arms and embraced Woo-Moon, groaning at him in a cold yet somehow passionate voice.


    ¡°Idiot.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Woo-Moon justughed in response.


    Even though Ma-Ra couldn¡¯t fly properly, she did have enough agility that she couldnd without suffering the impact, even from such heights.


    mming her palms into the air, shended slightly outside the battlefield and quickly checked Woo-Moon¡¯s condition.


    Right now, there was no condition to speak of. Just as she had expected for herself, all of the skin on his body had been burned off, and his flesh exposed to the air.


    Ma-Ra¡¯s eyes grew red at the gruesome sight.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need treatment. Just let me circte my qi for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Ma-Ra stood guard for him, scanning the surroundings for threats while Woo-Moon sat cross-legged behind her.


    1. We typically trante the word for ¡°murderous qi¡± as ¡°bloodlust,¡± which is the more urate trantion. However, the author actually juxtaposes two different types of energy in this context, which is why we used the literal, less urate trantion. ?

 Chapter 183. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (4)

    <h4>Chapter 183. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (4)</h4>


    A Paragon¡¯s resilience was genuinely monstrous.


    Even if they didn¡¯t take the time to sit properly and meditate... no, even if they were using qi as they fought, their recovery power was unrivaled. As for when they took their time and relied on someone to guard them while they recovered, even less needed to be said. Before the time it took for a single incense stick to burn, Woo-Moon¡¯s entire body rippled as flesh sprouted and new skin covered it. His wounds healed rapidly, and his internal injuries also quickly improved.


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    All of his umted impurities were expelled in a single breath.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a relief that it all turned out well.¡¯</i>


    When Woo-Moon had seen the corpses of Sect Master Na Ban and hispanions, he hadn¡¯t just been angry. From the state of their corpses, he could tell that not much time had passed. Moreover, he could tell from the ck remnant aura that the enemy was a Paragon.


    Sure that the Paragon was one of the two from Martial Heaven and he¡¯de for Woo-Moon before long, he told Ma-Ra to hide and wait for an opportunity to ambush him.


    Of course, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t think that he would lose even if he fought the Great Darkness Pce Master head-on.


    The reason he allowed himself to look as though he was getting pushed back before Ma-Ra¡¯s appearance was that he intentionally took a risk, trying to induce the Great Darkness Pce Master to let down his guard, use stronger techniques, and create an opening. This fight was not about winning or losing; he had to kill the Great Darkness Pce Master and he had to do it quickly. Thankfully, his risky maneuver was sessful.


    Woo-Moon opened his eyes and stood up.


    While he still had some internal injuries he had to take care of, at the very least, he no longer looked like he was made of blood. Anything else could wait untilter.


    He turned to Ma-Ra with a grin.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go finish this.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    They went hand in hand and ran toward the battlefield.


    Then, coincidentally, twelve assassins arrived around her at that moment.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrivedte. We apologize.¡±


    Ma-Ra simply nodded and said one single word.


    ¡°Attack.¡±


    She let the assassins know who their enemy was by letting out a hint of her bloodlust.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The twelve Special Rank Assassins used their stealth techniques to hide themselves and infiltrate the battlefield. Soon, screams began to erupt from everywhere.


    ¡°Wow, they¡¯re pretty incredible! Are they your men, Ma-Ra?¡±


    As if she felt a little flustered, Ma-Ra deliberately didn¡¯t make eye contact with Woo-Moon or even respond, only maintaining her cold expression.


    ¡°You little cutie~¡±


    He was so happy to see Ma-Ra, who seemed to be expressing her emotions in her own way, putting his hand on her head as if she wanted him to stroke her head.


    Then Ma-Ra punched him in the chest.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    After getting punished, Woo-Moon looked around at the situation in the ravine with a pained expression.


    Eun-Ah was engaged in a fierce battle with an Absolute Master from the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. She was doing fine, but overall, they were very much at a disadvantage. Just the number discrepancy was enough to overwhelm them.


    Fortunately, as Woo-Moon said from the beginning, those on his side focused on defensive techniques and being careful. So, although there were a few serious injuries, no one had died yet.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we worked together.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Ma-Ra ran forward at lightning speed.


    <i>nk, nk!</i>


    Their hands separated and a long chain began to emerge from her sleeve.


    <i>Twang!</i>


    The moment Ma-Ra had run as far as she could and was forced to stop due to the tension in the chain, Woo-Moon flicked his end of the chain and pulled, flinging Ma-Ra toward him.


    Like a cannonball, Ma-Ra flew backward to where she had started her run. Using the momentum created through Ma-Ra¡¯s rebound, Woo-Moonunched himself into the air, letting go of the chain at the peak of his arc.


    As it turned out, at the end of the chain that he was holding was a sickle.


    Ma-Ra also reached the peak of her trajectory, and she was holding the other end of the chain, which had a solid steel meteor hammer. As she overlooked the Murderous Wind Battalion from above, she curled into a ball, thenshed out like a spring.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    Like dandelion seeds exploding from the stalk, countless hidden weapons flew in all directions.


    ¡°Aaaahhh!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Screams erupted in unison, just in time for her to use Thousand-Catty Bast and drop down in the middle of the troops at a speed that made even her unable to see where she was going. At the same time, she pulled hard on the chain, and the sickle on the other end whipped back toward her.


    <i>WOOSH!</i>


    As her fiercely spinning scythe passed through the crowd, disembodied heads rose into the air, and arms, legs, and even torsos fell to the ground.


    However, her attack didn¡¯t end there.


    The moment she caught the scythe, about sixty Murderous Wind Battalion members were trapped within the loop formed by the chain.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    They were startled for a moment, and then the chain suddenly tightened around them.


    Those along the scythe¡¯s trajectory were chopped to pieces, while those caught in the chain loop were crushed, unable to handle the strength of an Absolute Master.


    As one of the dying Murderous Wind Battalion members looked around in despair, he saw a massive cluster of golden sword aura flying across the ground toward his otherrades.


    <i>¡®Damn... it...¡¯</i>


    Thest thing he saw as he died was his fellow battalion members disintegrating under the sword aura.


    It would only be natural for anyone to be terrified by this point. However, as horse bandits that had reigned with terror over many years, and who were among the ranks of Martial Heaven to boot, the members of the Murderous Wind Battalion refused to give up and fought until the end.


    Of course, the end was when they all died.


    Eclipse yer Gam Ak, who was fighting Eun-Ah, was also distracted when the Great Darkness Pce Master died. That single opening led to a series of unfortunate events, and he eventually got his head split into three by Eun-Ah¡¯s ws.


    Things were now going ording to n.


    Even if Woo-Moon¡¯s opponent was an Absolute Master, it didn¡¯t make a difference. It would be difficult for anyone on the wrong side of the Absolute Wall to do anything to him; even though Woo-Moon had suffered internal injuries, there was no one around who could even remotely put up a fight.


    ¡°Woohoo!!


    Although they were utterly shocked by Ma-Ra and Woo-Moon¡¯s incredible power, the joy that came with an overwhelming victory soon took precedence over their emotions as Woo-Moon¡¯s allies, including the Baek Invincible Forged Squadron, let out a roar.


    ¡°Although we¡¯ve handled this side, it¡¯s... still too early for us to rest.¡±


    There were two Paragons from Martial Heaven stationed with the Cruel Sandstorm Riders: the Great Darkness Pce Master and the Great Evil Pce Master. The former had just died, while thetter had suffered internal injuries at Woo-Moon¡¯s hands.


    Still, the Great Evil Pce Master should have healed his internal injuries by now. With that in mind, they still had to focus.


    <i>¡®It would be a relief if they were sessful in keeping the Great Evil Pce Master upied. But, if they couldn¡¯t...¡¯</i>


    ***


    After finally treating his internal injuries, the Great Evil Pce Master stood up, feeling very irritated.


    <i>¡®To think I would lose against some puppy rascal...!¡¯</i>


    Then, right as he was about to chase after Woo-Moon, the Great Evil Pce Master sensed a group of people approaching the Cruel Sandstorm Riders'' base.


    ¡°How dare these bastards?!¡±


    The Great Evil Pce Master stood up and floated in the air like a ghost, heading toward the new group of pesky intruders.


    ***


    The Kunlun Sect disciples became worried when their Sect Master, Na Ban, and hispanions never arrived at the agreed-upon meeting point, no matter how long they waited.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Senior brother is way toote.¡±


    ¡°Do you think something happened?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say such ominous things, junior brother! Still, this is a big problem. It¡¯s almost time for us to take action...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it would be a problem if the n is ruined because of our sect? Let¡¯s go forward on our own for now. Senior brother isn¡¯tzy. He¡¯s most likely hiding somewhere andughing at us.¡±


    The first generation disciples of Kunlun joked around to lighten the mood as they marched toward the encampment of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders.


    A few minutester, however, they witnessed a startling sight.


    ¡°Hmph. What a coincidence! You Kunlun Sect beggars came at the perfect time.¡±


    An old man with a white beard floated in the air. The moment they saw the Great Evil Pce Master, the Kunlun Sect disciples were shocked.


    ¡°I-is he floating in the air? He¡¯s using Void-Conquering Path!¡±


    ¡°Is he an Absolute Master? No, not even an Absolute Master can stay standing in the air that long. That¡¯s not possible! How is he doing that?!¡±


    As the murmur among the disciples grew louder, one of the first generation disciples shouted, ¡°Stop panicking, you morons! It¡¯s most likely some heretical art. There¡¯s no need for you to be scared!¡±


    Then, the Great Evil Pce Master''s eyes sparkled and shined.


    ¡°A heretical art? Hehe, so it seems the musty garbage of the Righteous Faction hasn¡¯t changed much.¡±


    The Great Evil Pce Master stretched out a finger, and a ray of orange lightning flew toward the first generation disciple who had just beenforting his fellow disciples.


    <i>¡®...!¡¯</i>


    The bolt of finger qi was so fast that they could only barely see it. As for the man being targeted, it was as if his body was frozen. The first generation disciple of the Kunlun Sect, Na Woon, could only wait for death toe with his eyes wide open.


    ¡°Come to your senses, you dumbass!¡±


    With a roar, an old master with a charming white beard that was not inferior in any way to the Great Evil Pce Master¡¯s rushed forward like a gust of wind and stretched out a palm to block the finger qi.


    <i>¡®Ugh!¡¯</i>


    Jin Won-Myeong blocked the finger qi, but he was forced to take eleven steps backward as a thin stream of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Oho, are you an Absolute Master? Hmm, to think the Kunlun Sect has an Absolute Master now! You¡¯re pretty impressive.¡±


    Wiping the blood with his sleeve, Jin Won-Myeong stood in front of his disciples.


    ¡°You psychopath from Martial Heaven! I cannot just sit idly by and let you harm my disciples.¡±


    The Great Evil Pce Master chuckled.


    ¡°Is there really anyone in the world who isn¡¯t crazy? Now, let¡¯s see if you¡¯re skilled enough to boast like that in front of me.¡±


    As if he was messing about, the Great Evil Pce Master stretched out his fingers as finger aura simultaneously erupted from all ten fingertips and rushed toward Jin Won-Myeong.


    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t be able to stop you alone!¡± Jin Won-Myeong shouted, unleashing the Almighty Unrestrained Hand, letting loose a cluster of palm force as big as his body.


    At the same time, three figures seemed to stretch out from behind him andnd on either side of him, each holding their own weapons: a saber, a greatsword, and a flying sword.


    <i>ng!!!</i>


    An explosion erupted with a grating sound as the Great Evil Pce Master once again expressed his admiration.


    ¡°Oho, what do you know! The three dogs of the Imperial Pce! Who would¡¯ve thought!¡±


    Aiding Jin Won-Myeong were the Saber Emperor, the Battle Emperor, and Formless Flying Sword.


    ¡°The Emperor shall not allow scum like you to undermine the country!¡± the Saber Emperor yelled.


    ¡°Kekeke! Big words for a small man. Whether it¡¯s one piece of trash or four, what difference do you think it makes?¡±


    The moment the Great Evil Pce Master taunted them, an ice spear quickly pierced through the air.


    Although the attack was impressive,cking neither power nor speed in any way, the Frigid Yin Palm that had been transformed into an ice spear evaporated like a mirage when it met the invisible aura in front of the Great Evil Pce Master.


    Next, an eye-poppingly beautiful woman stepped on the shoulders of the Kunlun Sect disciples and ran over to stand next to Jin Won-Myeong and the three Absolute Masters of the imperial court.


    ¡°How about five, dog of Martial Heaven?¡±


    ¡°Ahahahaha! Alright, so now we have four pieces of trash and one frigid bitch. Well, whatever. Might as well entertain you, since you came all this way.¡±


    The Great Evil Pce Master slowly descended from the air with a confident expression.


    The five Absolute Masters opposing him exchanged nces with each other. Then, they spread out, surrounding the Great Evil Pce Master.


    As if signaling the start of the battle, the Battle Emperor struck the ground with his greatsword as they all rushed toward their foe.


    Normally, people like them, who stood at the very peak of the <i>murim</i>, would have disdained joining hands to face a single opponent. Five Absolute Masters fighting as a team was not a sight that anyone alive in the <i>gangho</i> had ever witnessed.


    However, right now, they had no such qualms. They could all sense the strength of the Great Evil Pce Master, an overwhelming force that made them feel as though they were facing a massive mountain.


    A variety of auras emitted from various weapons shot toward the Great Evil Pce Master.


    In response, the Great Evil Pce Master just spread out all ten of his fingers.


    <i>Screech! Screeeeeeech!!!</i>


    ¡°Ten Heaven-Fearing Swords.¡±


    A de of sword aura asrge as the Battle Emperor¡¯s greatsword emerged from each of the Great Evil Pce Master¡¯s fingertips.


    Each de wasn¡¯tcking in any waypared to the auras emitted by the five Absolute Masters. If anything, they were actually more powerful.


    The Great Evil Pce Master moved his fingers as if ying a zither,unching the ten swords in all directions.


    <i>ng, ng, ng!</i>

 Chapter 184. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (5)

    <h4>Chapter 184. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (5)</h4>


    Some of the attacks exploded while the other attacks were cut down by the Great Evil Pce Master''s Ten Heaven-Fearing Swords. The sword aurasing from his fingertips were incredibly fast and, above all, had incredibly precise movements.


    Seeing the Great Evil Pce Master blocking their joint attack so easily, the five Absolute Masters felt a sense of crisis descend upon them once again.


    <i>¡®We have to do everything we can. Otherwise, all of us will die!¡¯</i>


    Right at that moment, all of the remaining forces of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders came rushing out from behind the Great Evil Pce Master. They had seen him fighting from afar and were rushing to help. Once they saw how things were going on that side, however, they turned away and attacked the Kunlun Sect''s disciples.


    The twenty thousand mounted horse bandits attacked like a tidal wave. Their numbers alone were so overwhelming that it seemed as though the Kunlun Sect¡¯s disciples would be annihted within moments.


    Thankfully, like Jin Won-Myeong, the other four Absolute Masters had their own forces, too.


    The first to arrive and help the Kunlun Sect¡¯s disciples were the six hundred warriors of the North Sea Ice Pce.


    Their aid was life saving for the Kunlun Sect¡¯s disciples, as the North Sea Ice Pce¡¯s warriors included the younger generation talents who¡ªby virtue of the Marriage of the Snow Flowers¡ªhad bey disciples stationed within the North Sea Ice Pce for the next decade.


    Of course, they weren¡¯t remotely enough to bridge the gap. But there were other pirs to that bridge: the Imperial Demonstration Department, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, the Iron-Blooded ck Cavalry, and the Regional Military Commission¡¯s thirty thousand troops.


    First, the Iron-Blooded ck Cavalry used the momentum of their own horses to cut through the Cruel Sandstorm Riders¡¯ mounted bandits. They were quickly followed by the Imperial Demonstration Department, all of whom had been taught Formless Flying Sword¡¯s sword arts. The Imperial Demonstration threw flying sword after flying sword into the fray, causing confusion and killing many horse bandits.


    Finally, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, each of whom had Peak Stage cultivation, rushed forward, their gold robes pping in the wind. With each step, they mercilessly ughtered whatever enemies were still breathing.


    The precious weapons that the imperial government had forged for them gave off a sinister light.


    Even though the thirty thousand troops of the Regional Military Commission were rtively weak, they served to fill whatever gap remained through sheer numbers alone and served as stepping stones, supporting the experts.


    Thus, the fight between the forces gradually grew more and more intense, with both sides pushing each other.


    In the midst of the chaos, the fight between the Great Evil Pce Master and the five Absolute Masters was also still ensuing. Unexpectedly, however, it was the Great Evil Pce Master who was losing little by little.


    This was partly because the five Absolute Masters had been extremely focused and nervous at first. Thus, the sum of their joint efforts was less than the parts at the beginning. However, as time passed, they were increasingly able to gauge and understand each others¡¯ strengths and weaknesses, bing more and more in sync with each other.


    ¡°You bugs dare!¡±


    The Great Evil Pce Master, who had been keeping a rxed expression the whole time, burst out with a roar. Kicking off the ground, he soared into the sky and stretched out his ten fingers.


    <i>Crackle, crack!!!</i>


    Dozens¡ªno, <i>hundreds </i>of sts of finger aura poured down like rain on the heads of the five Absolute Masters.


    The most skilled among them with regards to defensive martial arts, the Battle Emperor, tried to block the sts of finger aura by continuously shing out with saber aura in arge area to create a saber curtain. However, it wasn¡¯t enough.


    Thus, the Saber Emperor began to rotate in ce, creating a vortex of saber aura that canceled out the remaining finger aura and lifted some of the burden off of the Battle Emperor.


    While the two defended, the remaining three attacked the Great Evil Pce Master, who was still floating leisurely in the air, with their flying swords and palm force. Unfortunately, gravity is a thing, and attacks that go upward are not quite as effective as attacksing down from above.


    ¡°You bastard!¡± Formless Flying Sword shouted angrily and kicked the ground. She approached the Great Evil Pce Master and threw out sixteen flying swords at the same time.


    The flying swords spun each at a different speed and moved on a different trajectory, striking at the Great Evil Pce Master some from right to left and some from front to back.


    Sadly, they were all simply knocked aside by the Great Evil Pce Master''s defensive technique.


    Jin Won-Myeong and Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee also came up next to Formless Flying Sword, joining forces to trap the Great Evil Pce Master in between them.


    However, the three could only stay floating in the air for an extremely short time. They couldn¡¯t freely float in the air like the Great Evil Pce Master, so in the end, they had no choice but to descend.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± the Saber Emperor swore.


    The Great Evil Pce Master, regaining hisposure, unleashed his finger aura again and shot it downwards.


    <i>Bang, bang, bang, bang!</i>


    The Saber Emperor and the Battle Emperor went on the defensive together. However, both of them turned pale and spat out blood, suppressed by the endless power of the Great Evil Pce Master.


    Seeing this, the other three Absolute Masters could no longer focus only on attacking; instead, they had to focus on helping the two protect themselves and the others.


    Formless Flying Sword Yoon Ha-Rin bit her lip.


    <i>¡®I never thought I could ever feel so helpless!¡¯</i>


    She knew that as the battle dragged on, the five Absolute Masters would eventually run out of qi, and in the end, the only thing left for them would be death.


    As the light of despair slowly began to fill her eyes, a golden meteor flew toward the Great Evil Pce Master in the air.


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon!¡± Yoon Ha-Rin shouted without realizing it.


    As she said, the golden meteor was Woo-Moon.


    He flew toward the Great Evil Pce Master while in a state of being one with the sword, and the Great Evil Pce Master, surprised by the attack, quickly soared into the sky to avoid it


    However, in the midst of his panic, he was only able to notice Ma-Ra, who had been hiding in Woo-Moon¡¯s shadow, a little bit toote.


    <i>Squelch!!</i>


    The Great Evil Pce Master''s side wascerated, and blood spurted out.


    ¡°Such cowardice...!¡±


    Woo-Moonughed at the Great Evil Pce Master¡¯s shout.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I am the coward fighting people far below my cultivation. Well, might as well be cowardly until the end!¡±


    The next moment, Northern Blizzard unfolded!


    The Great Evil Pce Master had learned his lesson; rather than trying to counterattack, he simply dodged. However, Woo-Moon¡¯s golden sword could change directions freely, like a living snake, and whatever the Great Evil Pce Master did, it still flew at his head.


    However, the Great Evil Pce Master was also a Paragon with the same level of power as Woo-Moon!


    Raising his qi to the point of exploding, he used Illusive Shift and eventually was able to avoid Northern Blizzard. However, he could not dodge itpletely; a shred of sword force shaved arge bald patch right on the top of his head.


    The Great Evil Pce Master''s face trembled with anger.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m being attacked by this bastard again!¡¯</i>


    The Great Evil Pce Master had been defeated by Woo-Moon before, and not only had he been forced to retreat in shame, but he had also suffered grave internal injuries. And now, not only was that pest Song Woo-Moon back, he¡¯d also brought some assassin bitch who had barely reached the Absolute realm!!


    The Great Evil Pce Master was absolutely furious. However, he was not the kind who could not separate emotions from reason. Thus, ignoring the fiery rage building within his chest that screamed for him to fight Woo-Moon immediately, he calmly assessed the situation with his head.


    <i>¡®The Great Darkness Pce Master must be dead. What a useless idiot!¡¯</i>


    He had no chance of winning.


    The silver lining was that Woo-Moon seemed to have suffered some measure of internal injuries while fighting the Great Darkness Pce Master. However, the six Absolute Masters present were enough to prevent him from capitalizing on that advantage.


    ¡°You fucking bastard! I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    The Great Evil Pce Master let out a frenzied cry, gathered his qi, and unleashed ten thick rays of finger aura toward Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon used the Imprable Golden Wall to block them, only to realize he had been led by the nose.


    <i>¡®Fuck, he was feigning it!¡¯</i>


    Indeed, those rays of finger aura looked dangerous at a nce, but had very little actual power behind them. What <i>did</i> have some power behind it, conversely, was the Great Evil Pce Master¡¯s movement art as he fled with all his might.


    "Shit!"


    Woo-Moon tried throwing Lightsh at him, but the Great Evil Pce Master was already far enough, and the qi in the sword wasn¡¯t enough to chase him down and kill him.


    As he looked at the Great Evil Pce Master, who had by now be a dot on the horizon, Woo-Moon felt helpless.


    ¡°I should have killed him now to avoid problemster. Damn it! He¡¯s really good at running away.¡±


    Lightsh returned to Woo-Moon¡¯s hand.


    Ma-Ra was falling toward the ground by this point, so Woo-Moon reached out a hand and used Spatial Maniption to catch her and bring her toward him.


    Meanwhile, the other five Absolute Masters had turned toward the Cruel Sandstorm Riders and tore through the enemy lines with all their might. With this crushing blow, the Cruel Sandstorm Riders began to fall apart; most of the bandits died, a number were severely injured, and anyone who still had functional legs used them to flee.


    ¡°That¡¯s one problem solved.¡±


    Ma-Ra nodded her head at Woo-Moon''s words.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it was so hard to destroy a scarecrow group like this. When we have to deal with the actual Martial Heaven...¡±


    As Woo-Moon''s expression darkened, Ma-Ra brushed aside the hair falling down on Woo-Moon¡¯s face with her thin, snow-white fingers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    Ma-Ra looked a lot less like a porcin doll and a lot more like an actual human being as ofte. Well, at least while she was with him. These changes naturally made Woo-Moon happy and made Ma-Ra look even cuter in his eyes.


    <i>Mwah.</i>


    Woo-Moon yfully kissed her on the lips.


    "Thank you."


    The two of them slowlynded on the ground, Ma-Ra in Woo-Moon¡¯s arms.


    The battle had ended, and theynded right in the middle of where everyone was celebrating their victory.


    Countless people looked at Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra.


    Usually, in a situation like this, thedy would blush with great embarrassment and whisper to the man to let her go. However, Ma-Ra¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest as she instead just rested her head on Woo-Moon¡¯s chest.


    Since Woo-Moon was also not the type to care about what others thought when it came to what he wanted, he proudly held Ma-Ra in his arms and walked toward the five Absolute Masters, who had been the greatest contributors to this battle.


    His disy was rather shameless, but nobody could be bothered to point it out. Not only were Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra a beautiful couple, but at the same time, they were the two main characters of the day¡¯s victory. Thus, no one said anything or looked at them with any irritation.


    An Embroidered Uniform Guard blew a long whistle, then pped his hands and shouted, ¡°What a beautiful picture. Very impressive! Hahaha!¡±


    With his interjection, everyone in the crowd burst into brightughter.


    ¡°You¡¯re a flirt, it seems,¡± the Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee said.


    She was somewhat upset by what she saw, as she wanted her own daughter to be the one tied to Woo-Moon. Still, as long as a man was capable and a woman was epting, the culture of the <i>murim</i> didn¡¯t frown upon having multiple wives and concubines, and Ah Hee herself was well aware of that.


    Considering Woo-Moon¡¯s looks and abilities, it would be strange not to be desired by many women.


    ¡°Well, they don¡¯t call it the Hero¡¯s Blessing for no reason, <i>hahaha</i>!¡±[1]


    As the Battle Emperor boisterouslyughed, Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra finally let go of one another.


    It wasn¡¯t that they were ashamed of their expression of affection; they just felt it would be rude to keep it up like this in front of the five elders.


    ¡°We won!¡±


    A tiny soldier with a ckened face appeared in front of Woo-Moon, Ma-Ra, and the five Absolute Masters, shouting in an incongruously cheerful and sharp voice.


    ¡°Uh, Princess?¡±


    Although she may have covered herself in charcoal and disguised herself, Woo-Moon immediately recognized her.


    "Huh! You noticed it right away. Hehe," Princess Mok Yong said as she stuck out her tongue. Even though her face looked as if she¡¯d just gotten out of a chimney, she was rather cute.


    Seeing that, Yoon Ha-Rin put her hand on her forehead and let out a groan.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t believe the Princess is fawning over Woo-Moon like this. This is a problem. How will His Highness, the Crown Prince, react...?¡¯</i>


    The usually cold Princess Mok Yong was behaving rather unlike herself. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like Yoon Ha-Rin didn¡¯t understand what it meant to fall in love at first sight. She knew that even she might have fallen for Woo-Moon if she was the princess¡¯ age.


    The more outstanding a person is, the more attractive they are. It¡¯s only natural; it¡¯s an instinct shared by all species. Calling people shallow for wanting to have someone exceptional as their partner is nothing but denying nature.


    1. TLDR, a Hero always attracts thedies. ?

 Chapter 185. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (6)

    <h4>Chapter 185. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (6)</h4>


    Woo-Moon was handsome, and in spite of his young age, his abilities were outstanding. Barring the mysterious group called Martial Heaven, he was by far the number one expert in the <i>murim</i>.


    After all, there were no other Paragons out in public. And the difference between Woo-Moon and the average Absolute Master was far greater than just the bare minimum needed to win a fight.


    Yoon Ha-Rin, who was lost in thought, suddenly remembered something she had heard not too long ago.


    <i>¡®Oh! Didn¡¯t they say that a new Heavenly Demon has appeared in the Heavenly Demon Cult? I thought that the Heaven Demon¡¯s lineage had been severed... Then, is the new Heavenly Demon also a Paragon? Then, Song Woo-Moon might not actually be number one...¡¯</i>


    Smiling at Woo-Moon brightly, as if she was overwhelmed with joy, Princess Mok Yong only btedly saw Ma-Ra. Surprised by Ma-Ra¡¯s incredible beauty, she felt her heart skip a beat when she saw the two people holding hands.


    <i>¡®So that woman must be the assassin. I really wanted to believe that their rtionship was just a rumor... Damn, it looks like it¡¯s real.¡¯</i>


    Princess Mok Yong''s face darkened for a moment when she realized that Woo-Moon, her first love, was in love with another woman. However, she quickly shook it off.


    <i>¡®I just also need to be someone he loves, right? It¡¯s a bit of a shame that I, the future crown princess, am just going to be one of his wives, but well, whatever!¡¯</i>


    As she smiled again, a fat soldier who also had a face ckened with charcoal came running while huffing and puffing, clearly out of breath.


    ¡°Your Highness, deardy Princess. Princess!¡±


    ¡°Ah, Yu Mo! You managed to keep up without passing out.¡±


    As expected of someone of her status, Princess Mok Yong had learned martial arts.


    Although her cultivation wasn¡¯t very high, since she only practiced martial arts for her health and beauty, it was only natural that she was much stronger and more agile than Yu Mo, who not onlycked any internal energy whatsoever but was also quite overweight.


    Yu Mo had been horrified when Princess Mok Yong, whom she had raised from a young age like her own daughter, told her that she wanted to watch the battle up close and nned to hide among the soldiers.


    Sadly, in the end, no parent could win against their child, leaving Yu Mo to agree on the condition that she would be by the princess¡¯s side.


    Frightened by the battlefield that she was experiencing for the first time in her life, she was amazed to see Woo-Moon fight in the sky, flying around as if walking on solid ground. Finally, she felt the exhration of seeing their side win.


    Still, that was only for a moment, as Princess Mok Yong left her behind once again and ran off, leaving her to give chase.


    Yu Mo moistened the handkerchief she had in her sleeve with clean water mixed with the finest perfume oil and removed the charcoal paint from Princess Mok Yong''s face.


    ¡°Oh dear, our little Highness. What will we do about your fair skin?¡±


    Princess Mok Yong blushed as Yu Mo wiped her face as if cleaning a child.


    ¡°Yu, Yu Mo...!¡±


    Although Princess Mok Yong tried toin, she couldn¡¯t easily shake off the servant who had raised her like her own daughter.


    ¡°No! We can¡¯t! The longer the charcoal stays on your skin, the worse your skin will get. Please stay still.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    It was such a cute and hrious sight that Woo-Moon chucked. The Saber and Battle Emperors burst intoughter, and the Formless Flying Sword Yoon Ha-Rin put a hand on her forehead and shook her head.


    One of the more tactless cavalrymen even burst outughing before freezing and feeling the fear of death upon locking eyes with the infuriated princess.


    ***


    Su Ran, who had been wrestling with informationing from all over, went to bedte at night.


    Taking off her long schrly gown, shey down on her bed in only a translucent gown that subtly showed the shade of her skin below.


    Maybe it was because she was overworking her head, but she had been suffering from insomnia recently, and it was only after tossing and turning for a while that she finally fell into a light sleep.


    Then, suddenly, she felt rough skin brushing against her forearm.


    <i>¡®... !¡¯</i>


    Goosebumps rose all over her body. Even in her panic, she pretended to turn over in her sleep as she pulled the rope that was hidden next to her bed, careful not to let the unknown assant notice.


    As soon as she was able to do so, Su Ran opened her eyes and red at the swine who was trying to get on top of her.


    ¡°Young Master Ok.¡±


    Ok Ji-Gyeong flinched at her calm tone.


    However, he immediately responded with a sweet smile that he regrly used to try to seduce women.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for startling you. However, I¡¯ve loved you from the moment we met. I love you, Su Ran...¡± he said before leaning in for a kiss. However, Su Ran, disgusted, turned her head to avoid his lips and spoke as level-headedly as possible.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I cannot ept your feelings, young master. Please don¡¯t take this any further and leave this ce.¡±


    Upon hearing Su Ran refuse him, Ok Ji-Gyeong became furious.


    He could feel that the way the three beauties looked at him had changed ever since Woo-Moon hade to his senses and left. Thus, he was beginning to get extremely impatient.


    He could feel a sense of crisis looming over him. If things continued like this, he wouldn¡¯t be able to taste even a single one of them, let alone all three. Thus, he hid in the residence of the only one of the three who hadn¡¯t learned any martial arts and was therefore the weakest¡ªSu Ran.


    With his pride extremely wounded, Ok Ji-Gyeong¡¯s anger finally got to him, andbined with his impatience, led him to decide to go ahead anyway.


    His hand flickered as he blocked her acupoints.


    ¡°Well, whatever. Cooked rice can¡¯t be uncooked. Let¡¯s see how stiff you are after this.¡±


    Su Ran was confused for a moment, but then immediately understood what he was after. He was nning to leverage her shame at losing her virginity to him, expecting that after being forced to spend a night with him, she would resign herself to the situation and have no choice but to ept him. After all, if word came out, who would ept her like that?


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t believe he was such a despicable bastard!¡¯</i>


    As Su Ran red at Ok Ji-Gyeong with a gaze full of contempt, Ok Ji-Gyeong grew even angrier and cursed under his breath before beginning to tear off her gown.


    <i>Twang!</i>


    An arrow suddenly flew through the air and pierced Ok Ji-Gyeong¡¯s shoulder, causing blood to spurt out.


    ¡°How could the final sessor of Western Nihility Gate really be so wicked?¡± Princess Namar said, appearing with a bow in hand and exuding a terrifying bloodlust.


    ¡°ARGH!¡±


    Ok Ji-Gyeong let out an ugly scream, fell from the bed, and rolled around on the ground.


    ¡°Shut up. Considering your status, I made sure not to hit a bone. Stop whining about a mere flesh wound, or the next one might not be so light.¡±


    Princess Namar lifted a finger and swiftly jabbed out, unlocking Su Ran¡¯s acupoints.


    The moment she was able to move, Su Ran scrambled up and wrapped a nket around herself before covering herself with her long schrly gown.


    ¡°Princess, watch what you say. After all, he¡¯s still the Western Nihility Gate¡¯s sessor.¡±


    The faction that the two women belonged to was a force built solely to oppose Martial Heaven, the Heaven ying Alliance.


    They were an alliance created by those who had been aided by the Western Nihility Gate when the sect was still standing, as well as many of those who had suffered at the hands of Martial Heaven.


    Therefore, Ok Ji-Gyeong, who knew the Western Nihility Gate¡¯s martial arts and touted himself as their final sessor, was considered special, to the point where they had to be careful how far they went.


    Su Ran looked at Ok Ji-Gyeong with cold, disdainful eyes and spoke in an unwaveringly calm voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let this matter go. However, I hope something this unpleasant never happens again. It¡¯s not appropriate for you to stay in a maiden¡¯s room for long thiste at night, so I¡¯ll have to ask you to leave now.¡±


    Although their hearts were burning with anger, Su Ran and Namar held back for the sake of their mission.


    Unfortunately, Ok Ji-Gyeong was not the kind of person who couldprehend their thoughts, much less feel any gratitude.


    He returned to his quarters, quickly applied Golden Sore Ointment, wrapped his shoulder in a bandage, and ground his teeth while whimpering in pain.


    ¡°How dare you subject me, ME, to this humiliation?! Damned bitches, you think I¡¯ll let this go? I¡¯ll make all three of you kneel before me and beg for forgiveness!¡±


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, truly.¡±


    Woo-Moon bowed and apologized before the dead Sect Master Na Ban¡¯s disciple-brothers and Jin Won-Myeong, who stood with sad expressions. Woo-Moon was keenly aware of his responsibility regarding Sect Master Na Ban and his disciples¡¯ deaths. They had only joined the battle due to his request and had lost their lives because of that.


    <i>¡®I couldn¡¯t protect Mu Bi or Ha Gun-Choong. Moreover, now, Sect Master Na Ban has died because of me.¡¯</i>


    He suddenly thought about Mu Bi and Ha Gun-Choong, who had lost their lives at the Lust Emperor¡¯s hand while standing right next to him. Then, he remembered Na Ban¡¯s cheeky grin and his lighthearted attitude.


    Elder Na Woon shook his head vigorously at Woo-Moon¡¯s sincere apology.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Young Hero. Senior Brother Sect Master fought against the madmen of Martial Heaven in order to carry out thew of the <i>murim.</i> We feel honored that he was able to die for a just cause, and I know that he felt the same, so there¡¯s nothing for you to be sorry about. He and his disciples sacrificed their lives to do what was right.¡±


    Sect Master Na Ban had a total of nine disciple-brothers. Na Myeong, the youngest and most affectionate among them, had tears in his eyes.


    Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t apologize any further. To do so would be to deny the man¡¯s sacrifice.


    Instead, he grabbed Lightsh and drew a long line on the back of his hand.


    Although the cut was deep and blood flowed down his wrist, he spoke without showing any pain.


    ¡°This scar will serve as proof that I will never forget Sect Master Na Ban¡¯s sacrifice. I swear to be a friend of the Kunlun Sect forever. The enemies of the Kunlun Sect will be my enemies.¡±


    After he finished speaking, Woo-Moon bowed deeply to the Kunlun Sect¡¯s elders, cupping his blood-soaked fist.


    ¡°You little brat. Don¡¯t forget what you just said. I¡¯m going to bother you so much that I¡¯ll make you cry in the future,¡± Jin Won-Myeong said.


    Woo-Moon smiled faintly and said his farewells.


    After he left, everyone stood in silence for a while. Then, Jin Won-Myeong spoke up.


    ¡°Oh, you poor little brats. He¡¯s already gone, and we have to focus on how we continue from now on. First, we need to pick a new sect master.¡±


    ¡°Do you have anyone in mind?¡± Na Woon asked.


    ¡°I do. Him!¡± Jin Won-Myeong responded, pointing at the youngest of his disciples, Na Myeong.


    ¡°A-are you referring to me? Master. I¡¯m not worthy.¡±


    ¡°That brat Na Ban also said the same thing before he became the sect master. How do you know how capable you can be before being thrust into the position? Only after you be the sect master will you know if you¡¯re capable. Stopining and do it.¡±


    In the end, Na Myeong had no choice but to follow the words of his master and take on the mantle of sect master. Fortunately, the Kunlun Sect was famed for having incredibly close rtionships between disciples. Thus, none of his senior brothersined; instead, they congratted him wholeheartedly.


    ***


    After parting ways with the Kunlun Sect, Woo-Moon sat down on a stump of what had used to be a massive tree before lying down on his back.


    However, as he did so, Ma-Ra appeared right above him.


    His eyes widened as he saw what she was about to do.


    ¡°What are you doing, Ma-Ra!¡±


    Woo-Moon grabbed Ma-Ra''s wrist as she tried to cut into her forearm with a dagger. She struggled to get away from him and cut herself.


    ¡°Why are you doing this? Stop it!¡±


    Then, Ma-Ra gave him a piercing re.


    ¡°Why are you stopping me from hurting my own body?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I have to stop you! You¡¯re hurting yourself!¡±


    ¡°Do you hate it when I get hurt?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Of course, I do!¡±


    Ma-Ra turned her gaze to the back of Woo-Moon¡¯s hand, which was still seeping with blood.


    ¡°...oh.¡±


    It was only then that Woo-Moon understood why Ma-Ra was acting this way.


    She was reprimanding him for his actions.


    Just like it broke Woo-Moon¡¯s heart to see Ma-Ra cutting herself and bleeding, it also hurt her when he ended up injured due to his actions.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    He had forgotten that Ma-Ra had been watching him. No, frankly, he just hadn¡¯t realized that she would feel this way.


    Ma-Ra continued to re at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°It¡¯s all just excuses. Those who will forget will forget even with a scar, and those who won¡¯t forget won¡¯t forget just because they didn¡¯t have a scar. It¡¯s all just a matter of the heart.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Woo-Moon let out a slight exmation once again. It seemed that Ma-Ra was getting more and more eloquent.


    Now, he was angry with himself and couldn¡¯t believe that he had been so careless and foolish.


    Did he really not understand Ma-Ra¡¯s feelings? No, he fully understood her point and had known it all too well before he had ever taken such an action.

 Chapter 186. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (7)

    <h4>Chapter 186. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (7)</h4>


    What mattered most was the heart.


    No matter what kind of scar it left, a superficial wound left by a superficial action was still nothing more than that: superficial.


    This was something he had known for a long time now. However, he had momentarily forgotten in the moment, and impulsively cut the back of his hand while he made his oath.


    An oath was just a shackle that tied one¡¯s heart.


    As long as he had an unwavering mind and motivation, why would he ever need a shackle like that? Was there any chance he would forget Na Ban¡¯s death? Was there any chance he¡¯d just let Martial Heaven do what they wanted? Of course not. And he knew that very well.


    Woo-Moon had just acted in such a manner as he had been ovee by guilt and driven by passion. And Ma-Ra had just made him see the error of his ways because she didn¡¯t want to see him harming himself for no reason. Being injured in a fight was something both of them were ustomed to, but this was something else altogether.


    Woo-Moon grabbed Ma-Ra''s slender arm and hugged her.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do something like that again. I promise.¡±


    Without answering, Ma-Ra silently drew ointment and a bandage from her sleeve and carefully wrapped Woo-Moon¡¯s hand.


    If he were to circte his qi, he could heal it in an instant. However, Woo-Moon deliberately didn¡¯t do so. He just smiled softly and enjoyed Ma-Ra''s touch.


    The wind blew and made her long, luscious hair flutter.


    Woo-Moon raised his hand and softly stroked Ma-Ra''s head, straightening her hair.


    Even though she had finished treating Woo-Moon¡¯s hand, Ma-Ra stood still and didn¡¯t move. Although she was not expressing it in any way, she was enjoying Woo-Moon¡¯s touch.


    A cat.


    A proud and innocent little cat.


    That was what Ma-Ra reminded him of.


    Hugging her from behind, Woo-Moon kissed her deeply.


    Time sweetly passed as the two continued kissing without even breathing. So long, in fact, that an average person would have died of a pleasant suffocation. Long enough for them both to umte some experience.


    Both of them felt satisfied¡ªas if a quiet frustration had been taken off their shoulders, something they¡¯d longed to do but for some reason had never happened.


    Then, they sensed someoneing.


    Woo-Moon smirked as he looked at Ma-Ra¡¯s luscious lips. ¡°How soft... I could do this all day long...¡±


    Ma-Ra, flustered, punched him in the chest and ran away in embarrassment.


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moon tidied up his clothes and waited for the two people walking toward him.


    ¡°There you are, dear son-inw.¡±


    The first to appear was Ah Hee, the Otherworldly Ice Fairy of the North Sea Ice Pce. The beautiful girl walking behind her was Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°Is there something you need?¡± Woo-Moon asked, cupping his fist.


    Ah Hee looked at him with a deep, thoughtful gaze.


    ¡°Are you returning to the Central ins now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s only a matter of time before news of my survival spreads across the Central ins, and I have things I must go and do.¡±


    Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t finished everything he had set out to do. No, the most important thing he needed to do hadn¡¯t beenpleted yet. Taking down the Cruel Sandstorm Riders was just a detour. Naturally, finding his parents and Gun-Ha topped his list of priorities, but he knew all too well that he was just a single man. No matter how fast and powerful he was, searching for them by himself was an exercise in futility.


    Instead, he could rely on his trusted allies to search, while he himself could focus on the things he <i>could</i> do by himself.


    <i>¡®I have to investigate the Hegemon n. I have to see if they truly are subordinates of Martial Heaven...¡¯</i>


    His parents and Gun-Ha seem to have gone missing due to something rted to Martial Heaven. He had no idea where Martial Heaven was hiding, but he did have a very good idea of where their subordinates were, and that could give him some clues.


    <i>¡®If they did something to them...!¡¯</i>


    Just thinking about the possibility made his blood race.


    ¡°Well, that makes sense. Still, although you might be able to go and track them down yourself if you find a clue or another, in the current situation, where you can¡¯t find a hint of them anywhere, there¡¯s no point in looking for them alone. You¡¯re thinking of leaving the bulk of the search to the Imperial Government, the Kunlun Sect, and our North Sea Ice Pce, right?¡±


    Woo-Moon nodded. ¡°Exactly. You will help me, right?¡±


    ¡°I have one condition.¡±


    Woo-Moon grew instantly nervous at the word ¡°condition.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Please take my daughter with you.¡±


    Woo-Moon found it difficult to refuse, considering he had told Yeo-Seol that he would stay by her side forever. But...


    ¡°It¡¯ll be dangerous. Martial Heaven is strong, so strong that I may find it difficult to protect myself, let alone Young Lady Ha.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, we ept the risks. Even if she has to risk everything, Yeo-Seol still wants to follow you.¡±


    Woo-Moon looked at Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want Young Lady Ha to be in danger.¡±


    Yeo-Seol bit her lip and confidently shook her head.


    ¡°I was so... so sad when I heard that you had died while I was at the North Sea Ice Pce. I don¡¯t ever want to go through that again. I don¡¯t want to sit on the side, far away from danger, and tremble as I wait for news of you. I don¡¯t care if I die. I don¡¯t want to be away from you!¡±


    In the end, Woo-Moon had no choice.


    ¡°Whew... I understand. Then, let''s go to the Central ins together, Young Lady Ha,¡± Woo-Moon said, nodding.


    ¡°Thank you, Young Hero Song.¡±


    Although Yeo-Seol still harbored some conflicting feelings toward Ah Hee and felt ufortable around her, their rtionship seemed to have improved somewhatpared to before.


    Ah Hee had a slight smile on her usually icy face.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much about my daughter¡¯s safety. There¡¯s nothing we can do if she¡¯s targeted by someone stronger than an Absolute Master, the Ten Swords of the North Sea will protect her otherwise.¡±


    The Ten Swords of the North Sea.


    It was a title given to the ten strongest disciples of the North Sea Ice Pce after the pce master and the elders. Funnily enough, although they were called the Ten Swords, most of them didn¡¯t actually use swords.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief, then. With them, Young Lady Ha will be a little safer.¡±


    The Ten Swords of the North Sea were all Transcendents, and they were quite strong even among Transcendents. Unless they were fighting several Absolute Masters or a Paragon, they could definitely ensure Yeo-Seol¡¯s survival.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave, then, as I can¡¯t leave the North Sea Ice Pce empty for long. Please take care of my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Have a safe trip home.¡±


    As he watched Ah Hee depart, he heard her voice ring in his ear.


    <i>¡ªI don¡¯t know how many-eth wife my daughter is, but no matter how heroic and blessed your hero¡¯s blessing is, don¡¯t collect too many of them. Only marry as many as you can handle, okay?</i>


    Woo-Moon''s face turned red at those words.


    Although he hadn¡¯t meant to... he had ended up entangled with several women.


    Ma-Ra, Yeo-Seol, his junior sister Si-Hyeon, who was no longer living...


    <i>Thump!</i>


    As soon as he thought about her, the chronic pain that never seemed to leave his chest reared its ugly head.


    ¡°Ma-Ra,e out.¡±


    Ma-Ra, who had been hiding in Woo-Moon''s shadow, appeared before Yeo-Seol and him.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Yeo-Seol, who had no clue that Ma-Ra was there, opened her eyes wide in surprise.


    Then, she instantly felt threatened.


    By this point, she was no longer as na?ve as before. She was aware that she was outstandingly beautiful. After all, wasn¡¯t she the daughter of Ah Hee, the so-called Goddess of Beauty of the North Sea? Yet, she felt that the girl in front of her was even more beautiful.


    <i>¡®Since we¡¯ll be traveling together from now on, it''s good for us to get the greetings out of the way... Nah. What am I even thinking? Since we¡¯re going to BE together... well... it is what it is. Please don¡¯t hate each other.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon felt like he was getting a headache. He was worried about what would happen if the two of them disliked each other. If that happened, he was doomed. How could they ever start a family like that?


    ¡°This is Ma-Ra. We, well... we met through some circumstances and now stay together.¡±


    Woo-Moon attempted to exin how they had first met. He found it difficult to expose Ma-Ra¡¯s past as a ve, leading him to try to exin it as vaguely as possible.


    Even so, he still flinched as he saw Yeo-Seol¡¯sbative gaze. Moreover, Ma-Ra started to expose her bloodlust when she heard him say ¡°we now stay together.¡±


    <i>¡®It¡¯s already gotten hard, it seems.¡¯</i>


    ¡°T-this is Ha Yeo-Seol. She is the daughter of the Pce Master of the North Sea Ice Pce. I first met her at the inn where I used to live.¡±


    The two girls looked at each other for a moment. Then, Yeo-Seol, who was a little more sociable than Ma-Ra, smiled awkwardly and spoke first.


    ¡°H-hello. It¡¯s nice to meet you, <i>hehe</i>."


    Ma-Ra, on the other hand, was expressionless.


    She was just as cold as Yeo-Seol¡¯s mother, but while Ah Hee had an icy queen demeanor about her, Ma-Ra was simply poker-faced and barely more expressive than a rock. In any case, neither was the type that anyone could just easily approach.


    On the other hand, Yeo-Seol was very kind and weak-hearted. She was the innocent and pretty girl-next-door type, and that was exactly why she brought out such a strong protective instinct in Woo-Moon. Unfortunately, here, that served her poorly, as she was too timid to be friends with someone like Ma-Ra.


    Woo-Moon looked between the two people anxiously.


    Quite unexpectedly, he saw Ma-Ra smiling faintly and nodding her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Ma-Ra!¡±


    Surprised and delighted, Woo-Moon was about to say something when Ma-Ra suddenly disappeared.


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    As Ma-Ra disappeared, Yeo-Seol¡¯s eyes widened again in amazement. She was as cute as a curious rabbit, once again stimting Woo-Moon''s protective instinct.


    Woo-Moon asked her a question, smiling unconsciously.


    ¡°How old are you now, Young Lady Ha?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I turned eighteen this year.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so? Ma-Ra is eighteen, too. You two can just be friends.¡±


    Yeo-Seol shook her head in response.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t! Op... um. Op...¡±


    Woo-Moon was initially hurt by her reaction, taking it as her not wanting to be friends. However, he was confused, finding it strange that Yeo-Seol suddenly found it difficult to speak, stuttering and blushing.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Young Lady Ha?¡±


    Yeo-Seol lowered her face, which was so red that it looked as if it were about to explode.


    ¡°Gege...¡±


    <i>Gege.</i>


    This was the familiar moniker used by a woman to refer to the man she loved.[1]


    Yeo-Seol was embarrassed as she said this word for the first time, while Woo-Moon felt like her voice was so sweet that he was melting.


    After saying it once, Yeo-Seol gained more courage.


    Tilting her head, she continued without stuttering.


    ¡°Since Young Lady Ma-Ra met you first, Gege, it wouldn¡¯t be right for me to treat her like a friend. I should be referring to her as Unnie.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Yeo-Seol was right when it came to etiquette.


    Woo-Moon had fallen in love with Ma-Ra first, and once the war was over and they could finally enjoy life, he would marry Ma-Ra first and make her his first wife¡ªhis main wife, in other words.


    However, Ma-Ra suddenly appeared once again. Without hesitation, she grabbed Yeo-Seol¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like being called Unnie. Let¡¯s just be friends.¡±


    Ma-Ra looked over at Woo-Moon. ¡°Is that okay?¡±


    Naturally, Woo-Moon had no intention of objecting.


    ¡°Yeah. It doesn¡¯t really matter to me. I¡¯m not sure if Young Lady Ha will mind.¡±


    Ma-Ra looked at Yeo-Seol with her colorless eyes.


    "We are friends."


    As soon as she finished speaking, Ma-Ra let go of Yeo-Seol''s hand and disappeared.


    ¡°Ah... w-we can¡¯t do that... What are people going to say...¡±


    Unlike Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra, Yeo-Seol was less liberal in her notions of etiquette and therefore found herself rather flustered by Ma-Ra¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Eh, no worries. Who cares about others? What matters is you being okay with it.¡±


    Eventually, Yeo-Seol nodded. She was, after all, not just the average youngdy; she was a person of the <i>murim</i> and, more importantly, a disciple of the North Sea Ice Pce, which was famed for not being stuck in the stiff ways of the Central ins.


    ¡°Understood. Then, let¡¯s do it that way. But...¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You have to stop calling me Young Lady Ha. It feels really ufortable when you¡¯re so formal.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll rx a little from now on, then. You can do the same, Yeo-Seol. Do whatever you feelfortable with. Just look at Ma-Ra! She just does whatever she wants!¡±


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    Suddenly, a rock the size of a fist flew out of thin air and hit Woo-Moon on the back of his head.


    ¡°Agk! Hey, what¡¯s wrong with you?! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m lying!¡±


    <i>Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!</i>


    1. In ethnic Korean, the term for an older brother from a woman¡¯s side is <i>oppa</i>. In Sino-Korean¡ªin other words, in Chinese¡ªit¡¯s <i>gege </i>(¸ç¸ç). Besides actual siblings, it¡¯s alsomon for women in Korean/Chinese cultures to apply these terms to men they¡¯re familiar with, particrly their boyfriends/husbands. In murim novels, where Hanmun/Sino-Korean root words aremon, they often differentiate the actual brother <i>oppa </i>from the boyfriend/husband <i>oppa </i>by using <i>gege </i>for thetter. ?

 Chapter 187. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (8)

    <h4>Chapter 187. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (8)</h4>


    Rocks continued to fly and hit Woo-Moon''s whole body as he whined like a child.


    ¡°Agk! Argh!!! Stop it!¡±


    That sight was so funny that Yeo-Seol covered her mouth and giggled.


    After a while, Ma-Ra¡¯s barrage ended. When that happened, Woo-Moon turned over to Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°When will the Ten Swords of the North Sea be joining us?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re expected tomorrow. We¡¯ll have to wait until then... I¡¯m sorry for the inconvenience.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Camping is part of my daily life, after all.¡±


    Right then, a series of thuds echoed from afar as Eun-Ah came running over. She had passed out on the spot after using all of her energy to fight Sun yer Gam Ak and had only just woken up.


    She was a rather interesting creature¡ªin spite of her incredible power, equivalent to that of an Absolute Master, she had no qi cultivation to speak of, nor a neidan like the average spirit beast. It seemed that all her powery in her physique, and she had to take a long, good rest once she was spent like that.


    At the same time, Ma-Ra appeared in front of Woo-Moon, once more d in her flower gown.


    <i>Growl!</i>


    Overjoyed at seeing Ma-Ra for the first time in a while, Eun-Ah rushed toward her, growling cutely with her tongue out.


    Ma-Ra flinched as Eun-Ah approached.


    Moving incredibly quickly, she kicked Eun-Ah right as the tiger got close.


    <i>Growl!!!</i>


    The blow had some aura behind it, so Eun-Ah was thrown to the side. She rolled back up before turning to look at Ma-Ra with tears in her eyes, clearly feeling betrayed. She had been so excited to see Ma-Ra after such a long time apart, only to get kicked down like that.


    Ma-Ra tried to exin herself, uncharacteristically slightly embarrassed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You were a little scary and gross.¡±


    Thest time Ma-Ra had seen Eun-Ah was when Eun-Ah was still a baby. Only remembering her tiny and cute appearance, she found it challenging to get used to the giant tiger.


    After Ma-Ra apologized, Eun-Ah approached Ma-Ra again and opened her mouth. But the moment she stuck out her tongue to try to lick Ma-Ra¡¯s cheek...


    <i>THUD!</i>


    Eun-Ah hit the ground once more.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I thought you were trying to eat me.¡±


    In some ways, Ma-Ra¡¯s reaction was natural. Eun-Ah had suddenly be huge and unfamiliar to her, and this giant, unfamiliar beast was opening its maw right at her. Her self-defense instincts kicked in.


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t say anything and just stood on the side, chuckling to himself. Lately, Eun-Ah had been starting to develop an attitude while also forgetting she was not a tiny cat anymore.


    This time, Eun-Ah got angry.


    Then, her old ambition was revived. She had to recover her status in the family!


    <i>Roar!</i>


    Eun-Ah rushed toward Ma-Ra.


    The next moment, however, her eyes widened, and she tilted her head in confusion as Ma-Ra suddenly disappeared.


    She tried to find her through smell, but it wasn¡¯t an easy task.


    Even in front of a spirit beast like Eun-Ah, with an unrivaled sense of smell, Ma-Ra had reached the state where she couldpletely hide all signs of herself. The only ones who could notice her were Paragons, and even they had to be extremely close.


    All of a sudden, two Silver Moon Discs flew toward Eun-Ah without her noticing, striking her in both buttcheeks.


    <i>Kya!!</i>


    Although Eun-Ah couldn¡¯t be hurt by normal attacks, even those coated in aura, Ma-Ra¡¯s attacks made her scream in pain.


    Ma-Ra sneaked around her, caught the Silver Moon Discs, and then disappeared again.


    Having be an Absolute Master through a death qi cultivation method, Ma-Ra waspletely different from ordinary Absolute Masters.


    She was most skilled at concentrating all of her power into a single point, and that concentrated power was easily able to hurt Eun-Ah.


    Silver Moon Discs and various hidden weapons seemed to appear straight out of thin air and hit Eun-Ah''s butt relentlessly.


    <i>Kyaaaang!</i>


    Eun-Ah screamed in pain, her usual majestic appearance nowhere to be found as she scrambled in all directions to avoid getting her butt struck by Ma-Ra.


    Unfortunately for her, Ma-Ra had already decided that Eun-Ah¡¯s bad habits had to be fixed here and now, so she simply continued to follow her around, spanking her.


    In the end, it was only after being hit on the butt a total of a hundred and twenty-four times that Eun-Ah was able to break free from Ma-Ra¡¯s lesson.


    Shedding tears and whimpering, she returned to Woo-Moon¡¯s side. However, her ambitions were ignited once again when she saw Yeo-Seol.


    Eun-Ah was aware that Yeo-Seol had be a part of the family. So, she thought it was only fitting for her to make the new girl¡¯s ce in the family clear.


    Just as she was about to use a little force to teach Yeo-Seol her ce, Woo-Moon red at her.


    Woo-Moon and Eun-Ah were spiritually connected. There was no way that he couldn¡¯t sense what Eun-Ah was thinking, especially considering how close they were.


    ¡°Do you want to die?¡±


    <i>Huff...</i>


    Eun-Ah, frightened, whipped her head around and let out a sound that made her appear like the pitiful baby she once was.


    Yeo-Seol, utterly oblivious to how Eun-Ah felt about her, just felt sorry for the tiger. She walked closer to Eun-Ah and stroked her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry....¡±


    Eun-Ah was incredibly moved by Yeo-Seol¡¯s kindness.


    <i>Huff.</i>


    Forgetting about her wannabe rank, Eun-Ah rubbed her body against Yeo-Seol and shed tears of gratitude.


    Woo-Moon was dumbfounded as he watched her immediately change attitudes.


    ¡°The only thing big about her is her size... whew... what a brat.¡±


    Ma-Ra immediately appeared at Woo-Moon¡¯s words and scolded him.


    ¡°You¡¯re exactly the same. Don¡¯t badmouth Eun-Ah.¡±


    ¡°What about me is the same?¡±


    ¡°Woo-Moon, the only thing adult about you is your body.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so, why?!¡±


    ¡°Selfish jerk.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Woo-Moon knew full well what greed she was referring to, leaving him entirely unable to retort like an idiot.


    After all, it was clear as day that there wasn¡¯t only one, but two women by his side now.


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair that only men can have three wives and four concubines. I¡¯m going to do the same.¡±


    Woo-Moon immediately looked incredibly shocked.


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I know it''s not fair, but you can¡¯t. Even if I do it, you and Yeo-Seol can¡¯t. You can only love me.¡±


    Yeo-Seol was also listening to their conversation. She obviously agreed that it was unfair, but her heart raced strangely and her cheeks blushed when she heard Woo-Moon say ¡°you should love only me.¡±


    ¡°I never do that. All I need is you, Gege,¡± Yeo-Seol said while Ma-Ra grumbled.


    ¡°As expected, you¡¯re a bad boy. A selfish bastard. A greedy little bastard.¡±


    Woo-Moon grinned.


    "That''s right. I''m a bad boy. Didn¡¯t you know? I thought you knew this from a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    While Ma-Rained about the situation being unfair and touted how she wanted to find another man, truthfully, she didn¡¯t even have the slightest desire to do so. She had taken years to get her human emotions back and feel anything for Woo-Moon, and she wouldn¡¯t possibly invest that amount of time and effort into another rtionship.


    ¡°Then, we should leave for the Imperial Pce tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°The Imperial Pce?¡± Yeo-Seol asked, to which Woo-Moon nodded.


    ¡°Yes. I heard that the crown prince really wants to meet us.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Suddenly, Yeo-Seol¡¯s face lit up. It seemed she had a lot of anticipation.


    ¡°The Forbidden City! It must be really big, right? And the architecture must be magnificent. Hehe, are you taking me, too?¡± she asked cutely.


    Yeo-Seol was acting more and more cutesy in front of Woo-Moon these days. She herself was surprised by her change.


    <i>¡®Ugh, I just want to bite your cheeks.¡¯</i>


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t really bite her. So, Woo-Moon just settled for lightly pinching Yeo-Seol''s plump cheeks.


    ¡°Owie! Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re cute. Yes, if you¡¯d like toe, I¡¯ll take you with me.¡±


    ¡°But, the Imperial Pce is where the emperor lives... Is it really okay for you to just take another person inside of it like that?¡±


    ¡°Who cares? I don''t really like the emperor in the first ce, and I¡¯m not afraid of him or whatever. Besides, the crown prince himself called me because he regretted not meeting with me, so it''s not like he canin, anyway. If theyin, I¡¯ll just turn the ce upside down and leave.¡±


    ¡°Wooow....¡±


    After hearing those words, Yeo-Seol looked at Woo-Moon with sparkling eyes and let out another exmation.


    Woo-Moon already seemedrger than life to her. But now, he seemed evenrger.


    ¡°Hehe. As expected, Mr. Attendant, you¡¯re the best.¡±


    Yeo-Seol gently leaned her head onto Woo-Moon¡¯s shoulder.


    She never could have imagined this in her wildest dreams when they first met. Never had she expected that Woo-Moon would have be this important to her.


    Of course, the reason she had first fallen in love with Woo-Moon, a mere inn servant at the time, wasn¡¯t because she was in awe of his abilities. It was just that he was nice to her with no ulterior motives, and he even made her disciple-sisters suffer for bullying her.


    With that in mind, it wasn¡¯t like any woman would dislike the fact that the person she loved was so outstanding.


    Woo-Moon shrugged his shoulders as Yeo-Seolplimented him.


    ¡°How smug.¡±


    Ma-Ra''s cold words came from thin air, and Woo-Moon''s face turned red.


    ¡°W-who said I was feeling smug!¡±


    After a while, they went to get Yu Yu, who was engrossed in her training elsewhere. They found a ce to camp and settled in for the night.


    Yeo-Seol tensed up for a moment when she saw the new girl but soon smiled brightly after hearing that Yu Yu was Woo-Moon¡¯s disciple.


    ***


    Si-Hyeon let out a small sigh.


    When she had obtained the power of the Heavenly Demon and seeded in taking over the cult, she had thought that she would be able to do as she pleased.


    However, in the end, it was still the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    It wasn''t easy leading such a vicious group that only revered power.


    It would be easier if everyone was treacherous. Someone who was cowardly and two-faced, someone who only ttered her because of their own powerlessness, would have been much more convenient to deal with. However, the cult wasn¡¯t like that. They were all genuinely loyal to her.


    Thus, they said whatever they felt without hiding it.


    Moreover, loyalty to the Heavenly Demon Cult and loyalty to the Heavenly Demon came before loyalty to Yeon Si-Hyeon.


    If she really wanted to, she could force them into submission. However, Si-Hyeon couldn¡¯t fathom how many cultists she would have to kill in the process.


    It wasn¡¯t that she had a problem killing people. If they were her enemies, if they were Martial Heaven, then she had no qualms exterminating as many as she saw in front of her. However, it was never an easy task to hurt those who pledged their loyalty to you.


    Moreover, it wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t like her personally. They very much did, and they would have protected and cherished her regardless. It was only that their loyalty to the cult was far greater.


    <i>¡®So, in the end, I¡¯m forced...¡¯</i>


    The engagement.


    The elders had wanted to go through with the Marriage of the Heavenly Demon immediately. However, Si-Hyeon refused topromise on the timing, at the very least. Thus, they decided that she would just get engaged for now.


    Instead, the marriage was set for one yearter.


    On this day, in one year, the Heavenly Demon would get married.


    In her ck robes, Si-Hyeon was truly beautiful.


    She emerged from her chambers with a nk expression. As soon as the numerous cultists saw her, they all quickly got out of her way, shouting expressions of loyalty.


    After a while, she was standing next to her betrothed, the Blood Heaven Asura Captain Hwi Ji-Gang.


    She was only just going through the motions for her engagement. During the entire time, she never once nced at Hwi Ji-Gang.


    Still, Hwi Ji-Gang was happy. He had admired and had feelings for the Heavenly Demon for quite some time and was still excited to be engaged to her, even with things as they were.


    After the engagement ceremony, Si-Hyeon returned to her chambers andy down on her bed with a nk expression, and fell asleep as if nothing had happened. She had realized as ofte that if she buried all of her emotions, she wouldn''t be in pain.


    ***


    The Ten Swords of the North Sea ranged in age from mid-twenties tote thirties. Just as Woo-Moon had expected, they were all Transcendent experts and quite strong at that.


    After greeting all of them, they departed for the Imperial Pce. Princess Mok Yong and the three Absolute Masters of the Imperial Pce had already departed ahead of them.


    Because the Ten Swords of the North Sea were so sharp and exuded a chilling fighting spirit, the party was not bothered by any crazy people. If anything, mountain bandits and the likes praised the gods and buddhas that Woo-Moon¡¯s group didn¡¯t bother to look for trouble with them.


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to arrive.


    ¡°We¡¯re finally at the Imperial Pce! Wow, it¡¯s so big!¡± Yeo-Seol said in an excited voice.


    She seemed entirely enraptured by the sheer size and grandeur of everything in the Forbidden City. Even the Ten Swords of the North Sea following her were amazed, their eyes shifting frantically from side to side.


    Since they had lived their entire lives in the barren North Sea and spent all of their time cultivating, to them, the Forbidden City was a fascinating ce.


    Yu Yu was the same, and all she could say was ¡°Wow, wow!¡±


    Woo-Moon walked toward the main gate of the Forbidden City.


    "Stop! Please identify yourself.¡±


    ¡°My name is Song Woo-Moon. I¡¯vee at the crown prince¡¯s request...¡±


    Hearing the name, the gatekeeper was startled and flustered. He asked Woo-Moon to wait for a moment before hurrying inside to convey a message.


    Then, only a short whileter, a group of eunuchs and courtdies led by the Saber Emperor himself emerged to meet them.


    ¡°So you¡¯re here, you little rascal.¡±

 Chapter 188. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (9)

    <h4>Chapter 188. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (9)</h4>


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t like being looked at like this, so let¡¯s go inside.¡±


    As Woo-Moon said, not only were the passersby staring at them, but random people inside the Forbidden City were all gathering and gossiping as they looked at Woo-Moon and the others.


    ¡°Haha, fine. Let¡¯s go inside. His Highness the Crown Prince is waiting.¡±


    Woo-Moon hade to the Forbidden City once before. Granted, it had been to assassinate someone at night, but at any rate, he at least knew more or less where he was going.


    However, Yeo-Seol and the others continued to look around in amazement, looking like country bumpkins visiting the bustling city for the first time.


    A eunuch looked at Yeo-Seol as if she was an idiot and burst into giggles. Naturally, that did not escape her notice. Blushing in shame, she looked at Woo-Moon with a sullen expression.


    ¡°To think they¡¯dugh at us just for being amazed by a new ce, how rude.¡±


    Her appearance resembled Ah Hee at the moment, with a hint of frostiness and arrogance at the same time. However, every single action she took was still so cute to Woo-Moon.


    He stroked her head.


    ¡°It''s okay. Why does it matter if othersugh at us or not? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll neverugh at you, Yeo-Seol. And I¡¯ll teach them a lesson if they do that again.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Gege! You¡¯re the best!¡±


    At first, Woo-Moon had deliberately tried to distance himself from Yeo-Seol out of guilt toward Si-Hyeon and Ma-Ra. However, now that he had to ept her, he no longer hid any of his feelings and instead expressed them all.


    After a while, they arrived in front of the crown prince¡¯s pce.


    There, a group of people were waiting for them.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Woo-Moon looked surprised as he saw someone in the crowd.


    Princess Mok Yong was standing at the very front, and she was blushing.


    The princess was dressed in formal attire rather than the traveling clothes that she had worn while out in the Central ins. Although she was not quite therepared to Ma-Ra and Yeo-Seol, she was still beautiful, especially as she presented herself in the richly embroidered official garment. Moreover, her youth and freshness only added to her beauty.


    Although Princess Mok Yong wasn¡¯t saying anything, it was as if she was tantly expressing her feelings, asking Woo-Moon through her appearance, <i>¡®What do you think about me?¡¯</i>


    She looked at Woo-Moon with a wild sparkle in her eyes, her face flushed.


    <i>¡®I know I¡¯m not dressed up properly when traveling, but there¡¯s no way you won¡¯t fall in love with me when you see me dressed up properly like this!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon greeted her, speaking respectfully for once.


    ¡°I greet the Princess. You¡¯ve be even prettier in the time we¡¯ve been apart.¡±


    Although it was just a casual remark, Princess Mok Yong felt as though she was floating on a cloud, and she was overjoyed.


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    In front of all of the courtdies and eunuchs, Princess Mok Yongughed and squirmed in a ce like a lovestruck girl. The Formless Flying Sword quickly stepped between them, covering her with her body, preventing Woo-Moon from seeing her act in such a distasteful manner.


    ¡°The Crown Prince has been waiting. Pleasee in, Young Hero Song,¡± she interjected.


    ¡°What are you doing? Move!¡± Princess Mok Yong shouted. However, Yoon Ha-Rin didn¡¯t flinch in the slightest, sending her a voice transmission instead.


    <i>¡ªDenied. I told you that if you behaved like this, I would not listen to your orders.</i>


    The imperial family supported those who wanted to learn martial arts, even though it wasn¡¯tpulsory, and Princess Mok Yong had been interested in martial arts since she was a child. She had zerobat experience¡ªafter all, who would fight a princess in earnest?¡ªbut she was technically a Peak ss martial artist, so she could at least use voice transmissions to some extent. Thus, Princess Mok Yong responded in kind.


    <i>¡ªHmph! What am I supposed to do about liking him?! It''s not like I can control my emotions!</i>


    <i>¡ªYoung Hero Song is equivalent to the martial father of the gangho. He doesn¡¯t suit you, Princess.</i>[1]


    <i>¡ªA Paragon isn¡¯t just the martial father of the gangho. He is someone who can do whatever he wants. Even an Absolute Master can demand any position in the imperial government! Moreover, it¡¯s because he¡¯s a Paragon that Father has called him over to give him an official position!</i>


    Princess Mok Yong was, in fact, right, so Yoon Ha-Rin changed her tactics.


    <i>¡ªEven so, Young Hero Song already has two women by his side. Are you really willing to be one of his many wives with your status?</i>


    <i>¡ªAnd what¡¯s wrong with that? I¡¯m okay with it! Screw wife, I don¡¯t even mind being a concubine! That¡¯s how much I love him! Furthermore, a Paragon can have as many wives as they want, including princesses! Mother and Father would both wee him with open arms.</i>


    <i>¡ªHmm...</i>


    She was right again. Forget about feeling offended, both the emperor and the crown prince would cry in joy and thank the heavens if the only price for having a Paragon on their side was marrying her off.


    But, Yoon Ha-Rin, who considered Princess Mok Yong as her own little sister, didn¡¯t want her to marry Woo-Moon. After all, the life of a martial artist was the furthest thing from stability and safety.


    Even with Woo-Moon being a Paragon, a single slip-up could cost him his life. Moreover, wasn¡¯t Woo-Moon trying to fight a massive force like Martial Heaven?


    Suddenly, she had a great idea.


    <i>¡ªYes, I guess you¡¯re right. But what if Young Hero Song doesn¡¯t like you back?</i>


    Princess Mok Yong felt her heart sink, and her face turned pale.


    <i>¡®W-what do I do if he really doesn¡¯t like me back? What am I supposed to do?¡¯</i>


    However, she quicklyposed herself.


    <i>¡ªN-no, that can¡¯t be! I¡¯m going to be the crown princess soon, and I¡¯m this pretty! Do you really think he can turn me down when I¡¯m this aplished? Young Hero Song is still a man, after all, and there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll turn me down. Yeah, there¡¯s no way!</i>


    <i>¡ªWould you really still like Woo-Moon if he really was someone who¡¯d ept women just because they¡¯re pretty?</i>


    Yoon Ha-Rin finally looked triumphant, confident of her victory.


    However, she still hadn¡¯t realized how deeply and blindly Princess Mok Yong already loved Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡ªYes! I don¡¯t care, even if he did collect women based on their beauty.</i>


    Yoon Ha-Rin, who was yet to find someone she could even start to consider eligible to be her husband, waspletely dumbfounded. Princess Mok Yong was not only shattering her expectations, but also every bit ofmon sense and propriety.


    Woo-Moon, who was waiting for them to finish, finally interjected.


    ¡°Umm... Can I go in now?¡±


    Woo-Moon felt extremely ufortable right now. Not because the two women¡¯s conversation was too long, but because he had overheard every bit of it.


    As a Paragon, he was able to perfectly sense and control the movement of all qi around him and could thus hear any and all transmissions of those around him, apart from those of other Paragons or peak Absolute masters.


    <i>¡®Why does Princess Mok Yong like me so much... hmm.¡¯</i>


    It seemed like more troublesome things would happen in the future.


    He had been reluctant to hold an official position within the imperial government previously, assuming that it would be a hassle. However, he hade on this trip to the imperial government having reconsidered his position, thinking that it would be helpful in his future battle against Martial Heaven.


    However, Princess Mok Yong¡¯s feelings were like a foreshadowing of something much more troublesome.


    Yoon Ha-Rin remembered where they were and hastily spoke up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in. Oh, by the way, we have to ask everyone other than Young Hero Song to wait in the reception room, as the Crown Prince has asked to meet Young Hero Song alone.¡±


    Yeo-Seol felt it was a pity. But, since it was something they couldn''t do anything about, Woo-Moon justforted her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It won¡¯t be much fun, anyway. Wait for me here; I¡¯ll finish things quickly.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that Yeo-Seol felt that it was a pity she couldn¡¯t get to meet the Crown Prince. Rather, she was just sad because she didn''t want to be separated from Woo-Moon, even for a moment.


    After walking a little further, Yeo-Seol, the Ten Swords of the North Sea, and Yu Yu entered the reception room.


    As Woo-Moon tried to walk forward again, the Formless Flying Sword stopped him.


    ¡°What is it? Aren¡¯t we supposed to hurry?¡±


    Then, Yoon Ha-Rin pointed to the empty space above Woo-Moon.


    ¡°That youngdy should be somewhere by your side, right? She has to stay here, too.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. Well, let¡¯s not be too stiff about the rules... Moreover, it¡¯s not like His Highness even knows Ma-Ra exists anyway.¡±


    However, Yoon Ha-Rin didn¡¯t back down.


    Seeing her not move, Ma-Ra suddenly appeared in front of Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Woo-Moon and I are one unit. We go together no matter what.¡±


    Woo-Moon was somewhat embarrassed when he heard Ma-Ra openly say that they were one unit.


    ¡°M-Ma-Ra, you...¡±


    Had she gotten corrupted by his shamelessness?


    Although Yoon Ha-Rin felt flustered, she didn¡¯t let it show and kept her face expressionless, while Princess Mok Yong blushed for some reason.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m jealous. I wish I could have a rtionship like that with Young Master Song.¡¯</i>


    Yeo-Seol, who was watching the situation from outside the reception room, was stimted by Ma-Ra¡¯s bold words and jumped up. Then, she also went and stood next to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Me too! I¡¯m also one with Gege, so where he goes, I go!¡±


    Seeing Yeo-Seol also burst out like that, Princess Mok Yong could feel the urge to do the same. Eventually, she sumbed to her impulsive thoughts and tried to step forward. However, Yoon Ha-Rin noticed her intentions first, and using her Absolute Qi, she prevented Princess Mok Yong from taking a single step.


    <i>¡ªPlease show some self-respect!</i>


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    After stopping her annoying little sister, Yoon Ha-Rin shook her head with a stern look.


    ¡°Absolutely not. Young Hero Song, you must go in alone.¡±


    After looking at Ma-Ra and Yeo-Seol with a slightly embarrassed expression, Woo-Moon then put on a straight face and nonchntly said, ¡°Then, there¡¯s nothing we can do. I¡¯ll just go back now.¡±


    Yoon Ha-Rin¡¯s jaw dropped as Woo-Moon turned around and made to leave the room.


    ¡°W-wait!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Yoon Ha-Rin bit her lip for a moment before turning around and heading to the Crown Prince''s chambers.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him first and return. Please wait for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Well, fine. Okay.¡±


    As Woo-Moon passed the time telling jokes to Ma-Ra and Yeo-Seol, Yoon Ha-Rin quickly returned.


    ¡°He has given you permission. Please enter.¡±


    So Woo-Moon, Ma-Ra, and Yeo-Seol entered the Crown Prince''s chambers.


    The Crown Prince was a man in his mid-thirties with an extremely handsome appearance, a clear exnation as to where Princess Mok Yong''s beauty hade from.


    He stood up with great enthusiasm as soon as Woo-Moon entered.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the rumored Undefeatable Sword Hero! It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°I greet His Highness the Crown Prince.¡±


    Although he had shown proper etiquette to Princess Mok Yong, Woo-Moon only cupped a fist in a strong-willed manner to the crown prince.


    <i>¡®As expected, I can¡¯t. I don¡¯t feel like kneeling before a man.¡¯</i>


    The only men to whom Woo-Moon could even consider kneeling were his deceased grandfather, his father, and the one he considered his master, the old Daoist Immortal.


    The crown prince¡¯s and Yoon Ha-Rin''s expressions turned strange, while as Princess Mok Yong pranced to the crown prince''s side with a gentle gait as Woo-Moon cupped a fist.


    "How¡ª¡±


    Just as Yoon Ha-Rin was about to yell at Woo-Moon for his audacity, the crown prince burst intoughter, interrupting her.


    ¡°Hahahaha! That¡¯s how a man ought to be! I like you even more now. Then, I¡¯ll also greet you in the <i>gangho</i> manner,¡± the crown prince said, cupping his fist.


    It looked somewhat awkward; clearly, he had never done it before. Even so, Woo-Moon thought that it was pretty impressive of the crown prince to humble himself in order to settle a situation that could easily lead to a breakdown in rtions.


    The soon-to-be emperor pulled out a chair and sat down, offering Woo-Moon and the two girls a seat as well.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s sit.¡±


    After everyone was seated, the crown prince began the conversation with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m so excited and happy to be able to meet the hero who solved the issue of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders in person. Moreover, I was surprised to see that you are wiser and more mature than I had heard.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate thepliment. However, I wasn¡¯t the only one who participated in the extermination of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. The Kunlun Sect, the North Sea Ice Pce, and Princess Mok Yong were also incredibly helpful.¡±


    Hearing Woo-Moon praise her, Princess Mok Yong became even more excited, squirming in ce as she blushed.


    The crown prince wasn¡¯t an oblivious person and could immediately understand how his daughter felt.


    <i>¡®You little brat. And here I thought that she would stay a child her whole life. To think that the day woulde when she would fall in love like this. Well, considering who he is, it makes sense.¡¯</i>


    Grumbling to himself, the crown prince turned to Ma-Ra and Yeo-Seol, who were sitting on either side of Woo-Moon.


    ¡°So, are these two fairies your wives?¡±


    Ma-Ra stayed expressionless at the question while Yeo-Seol turned bright red.


    1. The emperor is called the father of the nation, and in turn, the strongest person in the <i>murim</i> can be called the martial father of the realm.He has the same status as the emperor himself, so it wouldn¡¯t make sense for him to lower his status by marrying the emperor¡¯s granddaughter. ?

 Chapter 189. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (10)

    <h4>Chapter 189. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (10)</h4>


    ¡°We haven¡¯t had a proper wedding yet, but you can say that.¡±


    The crown prince made some calctions to himself.


    <i>¡®Mok Yong is my favorite child, but he¡¯s a Paragon. I need to have him by my side. And Mok Yong likes him anyway, so it¡¯s not like she¡¯ll hate me for it.¡¯</i>


    The crown prince was already nning on trying to find a way to have Mok Yong tied to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m not really a fan of small talk. What do you think about getting straight to the point?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I prefer things that way, too.¡±


    ¡°Swear loyalty to the crown. I¡¯ll personally guarantee your status and promise that you¡¯ll be ranked higher than anyone else. Moreover, I¡¯ll give you Mok Yong¡¯s hand in marriage as well.¡±[1]


    ¡°F-father...¡±


    Mok Yong¡¯s face seemed to turn even redder as she squirmed in her seat some more.


    Both she and the crown prince turned to Woo-Moon¡¯s lips, watching for his answer. Princess Mok Yong was mainly waiting for his reply, waiting with extreme eagerness.


    ¡°No.¡±


    The crown prince wondered if his ears were working correctly.


    He had just offered him the highest position in the empire and the hand of the most beautiful woman in the Forbidden City, someone whom he cherished more than anyone else. How could anyone refuse?!


    His expression couldn¡¯t help but harden.


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    Woo-Moon took his time to form an answer before speaking.


    ¡°First, regarding Princess Mok Yong.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Princess Mok Yong, who was now weeping, began to listen intently, focusing on keeping her broken heart together.


    ¡°First of all, I haven¡¯t had enough time with Princess Mok Yong to have any sort of feelings regarding her, let alone love. Well, there¡¯s more to it than that, but... I wonder if Princess Mok Yong¡¯s feelings for me really are love or if they are just a young girl¡¯s infatuation. If they really are just infatuation, and thus the illusion of love, I worry that Princess Mok Yong may be unhappy when she wakes up from her dream.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true! I...!¡±


    The crown prince raised his hand to stop Princess Mok Yong from mumbling through her tears.


    ¡°Then why did you refuse office?¡±


    ¡°Can I be honest with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Truthfully, I just wanted to use the government¡¯s power to take down Martial Heaven.¡±


    The crown prince was dumbstruck by Woo-Moon¡¯s incredibly blunt answer.


    He momentarily forgot what he wanted to say from how bbergasted he was at Woo-Moon saying that he wanted to <i>use</i> the imperial government directly in front of said government¡¯s leader.


    He then burst intoughter.


    ¡°Hahaha! How entertaining. Well, I also wanted to use your power, so I guess that makes two of us. Good, then, don¡¯t you think you have to take a government position to do so? Suppose you want to utilize the power of an imperial government official. In that case, not only do you need to have a higher position, but for certain things, you also have to be a member of the Imperial Family.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand. However, the idea of having to spend a long time receiving and taking orders as an official didn¡¯t sit right with me. After all, I think I should be fine to take revenge on my own, even if it would be a little more difficult.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? Then, let me make a new proposal,¡± the crown prince said as he pondered to himself for a moment.


    ¡°What do you think about this? I¡¯ll grant you the title of general. Moreover, I¡¯ll even give you the authority to mobilize any of the imperial government¡¯s troops in whatever capacity you need to deal with Martial Heaven.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And there will be no orders. Not from other officials, not from me, and not even from my father.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s tempting. But there¡¯s a catch somewhere, right?¡±


    ¡°If our empire¡¯s survival is ever at stake, you have to help us. And I will have the right to issue onemand to you.¡±


    Even the promise of a Paragon¡¯s help would be enough to prolong the empire¡¯s existence for a long time. After all, the crown prince was well aware that Woo-Moon would likely survive him and everyone else in the room.


    ¡°...I will not take a proper official¡¯s position, die, or murder someone without cause. I will refuse to ept those kinds of orders.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I promise not tomand you to do anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Then, okay. If it¡¯s only that much, I can ept it. After all, I need the power of the imperial government to take my revenge.¡±


    Princess Mok Yong looked over at the crown prince with an earnest expression. However, he no longer brought up the topic of an engagement.


    ¡°Good. Then, bring me what I prepared.¡±


    At the crown prince¡¯s order, an attendant came up with a sword, armor, a golden identity que, and an imperial decree.


    ¡°Can we really make this decision just like that?¡±


    The crown prince smiled and nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already been given full authority by His Majesty. Also, my own coronation is only fifteen days away, so nobody is going to question my decisions.¡±


    Woo-Moon epted the items that were handed to him by the crown prince himself.


    <i>Thrum!</i>


    As soon as Woo-Moon touched the sword, sheathed in an antique scabbard, he felt a shiver throughout his body, and for some reason, he almost felt like letting out a roar. He didn¡¯t quite understand why, but in that instant, he was incredibly happy.


    Golden Dragon.


    It was the name of the sword, engraved onto the scabbard. As if possessed, Woo-Moon drew the de and looked at its steel, even though having a naked de in front of the crown prince was not only disrespectful but explicitly illegal.


    Even though he didn¡¯t inject any qi into the sword, a brilliant golden light arose and filled the room.


    Woo-Moon raised his hand and traced the de of the sword.


    ¡°What a nice child,¡± Woo-Moon muttered with a mesmerized look on his face.


    It was a Divine-Grade Sword.


    Golden Dragon was undoubtedly a Divine-Grade Sword, like Inkde. Moreover, its golden de also appealed to Woo-Moon.


    <i>Buzz~</i>


    As if they were jealous, Inkde and Lightsh trembled in their scabbards and cried out simultaneously.


    ¡°I¡¯m d to see you like it, <i>hohoho</i>. Now that you¡¯ve seen the sword, how about you check the other gifts as well?¡±


    It was only then that Woo-Moon tore his gaze away from Golden Dragon and took a look at the pure white shining armor.


    The armor was made of an extremely hard metal, yet it was surprisingly lightweight. It was clearly a remarkable item. Even whenpared to Golden Dragon, it didn¡¯t seem inferior at all.


    Still, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t pay much attention to it as he didn¡¯t wear armor in the first ce.


    After half-heartedly looking over the armor, Woo-Moon turned his attention to the identity que and royal decree.


    The golden que had the words ¡°Martial Subduing General¡± engraved on it. The imperial decree bore information regarding his appointment as a general, bestowment of the title ¡°Martial Subduing General,¡± and the details of his authority.


    <i>¡®Martial Subduing General... Does this mean that I¡¯ll conquer Martial Heaven or the murim itself?¡¯</i>[2]


    For now, they would try to conquer Martial Heaven.


    Woo-Moon fully anticipated that if the <i>murim</i> were to be weakened by this war against Martial Heaven, the imperial pce would attempt to conquer and reign over the <i>murim </i>itself. However, that was a concern forter. Now, the critical thing was Martial Heaven.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Haha, no need to thank me for trivialities. Just don¡¯t break the promise we made earlier. That¡¯s my condition.¡±


    The crown prince had also learned of Martial Heaven¡¯s existence after receiving the report.


    Even from the imperial pce¡¯s perspective, Martial Heaven wasn¡¯t something that they could just ignore.


    Even if the reason weren¡¯t for Woo-Moon, they would have to fight against Martial Heaven at some point or another, which was why the crown prince was so easily able to make such an unconventional decision.


    ¡°It seems as though the fatigue of traveling is catching up with me. Would it be okay if I leave first?¡±


    There was no way that a Paragon like Woo-Moon would be weary from travel. The crown prince was fully aware of this as well. However, he didn¡¯t force Woo-Moon to stay. While the crown prince had a desire to get to know Woo-Moon more, he knew that if Woo-Moon didn¡¯t want to wait, it would be better just to let him go for now.


    ¡°Of course! I hope to see you again soon.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way. Then, please excuse me.¡±


    Woo-Moon said his farewells before leaving the pce with Yeo-Seol, Ma-Ra, and the Ten Swords of the North Sea.


    Watching them leave, Princess Mok Yong cried out, her face soaked in tears.


    ¡°Father, how could you just let them leave like that?! I... I...¡±


    Seeing Princess Mok Yong start crying again, the crown prince whispered something into her ear. A few secondster, her despairing expression transitioned into a wide, bright smile.


    ***


    After leaving the Forbidden City, Woo-Moon decided that it was time for them to go to the Heaven ying Alliance, where Princess Namar and the others were.


    He felt that he should go and visit them, considering he had left without ever thanking them for saving him.


    After deciding to camp in the wilderness once more and taking a brief moment to find somewhere to set up camp, Woo-Moon walked over into the nearby mountains with his heart pounding.


    He found a reasonably sized clearing, and there, Woo-Moon drew Golden Dragon.


    <i>Shing!!!</i>


    Even under the faint light of the moon and stars, Golden Dragon radiated a mysterious aura, exuding bright golden light in all directions.


    ¡°How beautiful! Thank the gods it has a scabbard, though. Otherwise, I might as well carry a bright torch with me wherever I go,¡± Woo-Moon muttered to himself as he swung Golden Dragon in the air.


    As he moved, he slowly began to perform a sword dance.


    First Raging Wind, then Heavy Rain, then Raging Storm.


    Then, Northern Blizzard, Imprable Golden Wall¡ªall of his techniques were unleashed.


    Woo-Moon then tested how it felt to direct Golden Dragon in the air using Sword Control, using Sword Control to perform his various techniques autonomously this time.


    After practicing his techniques for about an hour, Woo-Moon exhaled and finally stopped for a moment.


    It was the first time he had moved his body and trained like this since he had ascended to the Paragon stage.


    ¡°Are you done, Gege?¡± Yeo-Seol asked. She had followed him to the clearing and watched him throughout with a happy expression.


    ¡°Yes! Oh, but...<i> aaaargh.</i> I¡¯m sleepy. Let¡¯s go to bed now.¡±


    As Woo-Moon spoke, Ma-Ra emerged from the shadows. The three of them went back to the bed that Yeo-Seol had prepared earlier andy down.


    Woo-Moony in the middle as Ma-Ra and Yeo-Seoly on either side.


    Wrapped in the arms of both women, Woo-Moon found it challenging to fall asleep even after a long time had passed and kept his eyes wide open.


    <i>¡®Why am I like this?¡¯</i>


    The trembling in his heart from meeting a new friend, Golden Dragon, and the excitement from training hadn¡¯t yet subsided.


    After tossing and turning some more, Woo-Moon suddenly turned sideways and faced Ma-Ra.


    Ma-Ra''s ample chest could be seen slowly moving up and down as she slept.


    <i>Gulp.</i>


    After swallowing for no reason, Woo-Moon pretended to turn over and ced his hand on Ma-Ra''s upper stomach nervously. Fortunately, Ma-Ra didn¡¯t seem to react at all.


    Gathering his courage, Woo-Moon very slowly moved his hand up to Ma-Ra''s chest. Finally, he tried to touch it very carefully.


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    Ma-Ra had caught Woo-Moon¡¯s hand, and her expressionless eyes now stared <i>through</i> him.


    ¡°Ha... haha.¡±


    Extremely embarrassed, Woo-Moon turned a bright red and let out an awkwardugh.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    After hearing Ma-Ra''s cold words, Woo-Moon gathered his courage once again.


    ¡°I can¡¯t? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll wear them out.¡±


    Ma-Ra gave Woo-Moon the touch of sweet dreams<i>.</i>[3]


    ¡°No. Go sleep.¡±


    ¡°<i>Tsk</i>.¡±


    Thus, Woo-Moon spent the night suppressing his pounding heart.


    ***


    Si-Hyeon had one problem.


    The Vice Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult, Bloodrush Archdemon, was a troublemaker.


    Just as his title suggested, he had an impatient and easily angered personality and desired revenge against the Righteous Faction more than against Martial Heaven, as his father had lost his life at the hands of a Righteous Faction martial artist.


    Si-Hyeon had dered that Martial Heaven was the main enemy of the Heavenly Demon Cult rather than the Righteous Faction. Because of that, she had ordered that conflicts with forces other than Martial Heaven had to be stopped as much as possible.


    However, the situation was not allowing her to have her way; the Righteous Faction¡¯s view of the Heavenly Demon Cult had swayed due to the ovepping of their long-standing grudge and Martial Heaven¡¯s efforts.


    It wasn¡¯t umon for the Heavenly Demon Cult to be attacked by the Righteous Faction as they carried out attacks against the Hegemon n. So, talks about the need to deal with the Righteous Faction before taking down Martial Heaven grew more and more within the cult. Moreover, the proponents of this course of action had reasonable arguments¡ªindeed, it would get dangerous to battle Martial Heaven if the Righteous Faction was there to stab them in the back.


    The one at the forefront of the movement to take down the Righteous Faction was Bloodrush Archdemon.


    ***


    The Hebei Peng Family.


    They were one of the three families that served as the main strongholds of Daoism within the Righteous Faction.


    Bloodrush Archdemon and those within the cult loyal to him had hidden themselves in the hills near the Hebei Peng Family Estate.


    ¡°Peng Family, I¡¯ll give you a nice surprise,¡± Bloodrush Archdemon said venomously as he ground his teeth.


    The man who had killed his father, Peng Yinggang, was the previous head of the Peng Family. It was said that he had now passed the position of head to his son and spent his time leisurely enjoying himself.


    <i>¡®The bastard who killed my father cannot be allowed to die happily of old age.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Is... is this really okay? If the Supreme One hears about this, she...¡±


    1. For rity, the highest status in this case doesn¡¯t include the status of emperor; the emperor is a deity and cannot be reced. ?


    2. Remember, ¡°martial¡± is Îä (mu) in Korean and is the same as in <i>murim</i>. ?


    3. See back when Woo-Moon was teaching Woo-Gang a lesson. ?

 Chapter 190. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (11)

    <h4>Chapter 190. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (11)</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. This is the best thing we can do for the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Supreme One. We will never have a good rtionship with the Righteous or Evil Factions, anyway. So before we take down Martial Heaven, we need to sort out these guys.¡±


    After waiting for a while longer, Bloodrush Archdemon finally stood up.


    ¡°Go, kill them all!¡±


    Although he only had five hundred troops with him, every single one was among the most elite members of the Heavenly Demon Cult, so there were no worries about his force being able to destroy the Peng Family.


    Bloodrush Archdemon had been forced to put in an incredible amount of effort even to bring out these five hundred troops, even going so far as to leverage his position as vice cult leader.


    An arrow hit the forehead of one of the Peng Family''s guards.


    ¡°E-enemy attack!¡±


    The cultists rushed in like a ck tsunami, first killing the guards at the outermost posts before infiltrating the estate and beginning an indiscriminate massacre.


    The Peng Family was unable to bring about any proper response to the ambush due to how suddenly they had been attacked, and their defenses began to copse miserably.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Demon Cult! The Demon Cult!¡±


    ¡°You dirty cultists! How dare you attack the Peng Family!¡±


    Bloodrush Archdemon frantically yed everyone in his path as he pushed on ahead to find Peng Yinggang.


    ¡°Peng Yinggang! Peng Yinggang! Where are you, you bastard?! I¡¯vee to avenge my father!¡±


    Bloodrush Archdemon continued to move toward the center of the Peng Family. Eventually, he found himself in front of the n Patriarch¡¯s residence.


    However, Peng Tianhao blocked his path.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to get to grandfather.¡±


    After Woo-Moon had disappeared, Peng Tianhao left the Wind Sword Battalion and returned to the Peng Family. There, he trained in the family¡¯s secret foundational techniques and was able to significantly improve his cultivation, eventually reaching the peak of the Transcendent realm.


    Currently, excluding Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra, he was the strongest among the younger generation.


    He had cultivated even more diligently than before after being shocked by Ra-Mi¡¯s, Woo-Moon¡¯s, and Ma-Ra¡¯s techniques.


    However, his opponent was too strong.


    Bloodrush Archdemon had perfected his techniques even more than his father and had reached the Absolute realm. It was only natural; otherwise, how could he be a vice cult leader within the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    ¡°A puppy really doesn¡¯t know what it means to be scared of a tiger. Hmph. Your courage ismendable, at least.¡±


    Bloodrush Archdemon ran toward Peng Tianhao, swinging the great axe in his hand with all his might.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s strong! I¡¯ll have to put everything on the line.¡¯</i>


    Peng Tianhao realized that Bloodrush Archdemon was an Absolute Master. Nervous, he imbued his saber with as much aura as he could andshed out with the strongest attack he could produce.


    <i>BOOOM!</i>


    The shock of the sh sent Peng Tianhao sliding backward, but still standing on two feet. His feet carved furrows in the hard flooring tiles.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    There was a smaller bang¡ªthe sound of Peng Tianhao hitting his back against the wall.


    <i>¡°Cough!¡±</i>


    He coughed, spitting blood. Then, as he looked at Bloodrush Archdemon, blood poured out from wounds all over his body.


    <i>¡®As expected, I... I... and the Battalion Leader was already an Absolute Master by then...¡¯</i>


    Peng Tianhao closed his eyes, remembering Woo-Moon, whom he still thought was dead.


    Bloodrush Archdemon looked at Peng Tianhao¡¯s corpse with a somewhat confused expression. Even as he breathed hisst, Peng Tianhao stood upright and held his sword firmly.


    ¡°How regretful that someone of your caliber died so young. But what can you do? Just me yourself for being born into the Peng Family.¡±


    After giving Peng Tianhao a slight nod of respect, Bloodrush Archdemon turned to the patriarch¡¯s residence and shouted. ¡°Come out now, Peng Yinggang, you little rat bastard! How can you tremble and hide like this while your grandson dies in your stead?!¡±


    With these words, Bloodrush Archdemon ran toward the patriarch¡¯s residence. However, in the middle of his sprint, he suddenly burst into anger and sent a st of axe aura toward the ground.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    The ground exploded, immediately copsing.


    Bloodrush Archdemon was truly enraged. In the midst of his conflicting feelings over killing Peng Tianhao, he suddenly sensed thetter¡¯s grandfather fleeing through a secret underground passage!


    ¡°Even back then, you used unscrupulous means to kill my father! Truly the hypocrite of the Righteous Faction!¡±


    Bloodrush Archdemon immediately jumped into the cavern, continuously swinging his axe at the copsing ground.


    <i>Bang! Boom!!! BOOOM!</i>


    Dirt continuously flew into the air, quickly bing wet with blood.


    After three or four more axe strikes, Bloodrush Archdemon plunged a hand into the ground and pulled out Peng Yinggang''s mercilessly mutted body.


    Then, with bloodshot eyes, Bloodrush Archdemon tore out his heart with his bare hand and took a bite, chewing with a mad expression on his face.


    ¡°Hahaha! Atst! I finally kept the oath I made when I saw your body, father! Peng Yinggang, you bastard! Peng Yinggang!!¡±


    Meanwhile, the Peng Family was being massacred by the other cultists, all of whom agreed with and followed the lead of Bloodrush Archdemon.


    After they left, the Peng Family¡¯s estate was left burning, the fire reaching the sky.


    At that moment, a small group of people from the Hegemon n, who were passing by, watched with bated breath as the estate turned to ashes. Soon after, news of the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s attack on the Peng Family spread like wildfire. \


    More and more people voiced their support for an allied force to rise against the tyranny of the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    ***


    Everyone was still adjusting to their new base.


    The sound of hammering could be heard everywhere as the necessary buildings were being erected one by one.


    Su Ran frowned as she listened to her subordinate¡¯s report.


    ¡°Are you saying you haven¡¯t seen that <i>person </i>since this morning?¡±


    ¡°Yes. No matter where I went or how hard I looked, I couldn¡¯t find him at all...¡±


    Suddenly, Ok Ji-Gyeong appeared with a smile on his face.


    ¡°The person you were looking for has appeared right here.¡±


    Hye-Rim, who was standing next to Su Ran, frowned. ¡°And where did you go without saying anything?¡±


    Ok Ji-Gyeongughed and pointed at Princess Namar, Su Ran, and Hye-Rim, one by one.


    ¡°You three bitches are going to get some good dick today. Better look forward.¡±


    Ok Ji-Gyeong spat these vicious and crude words in front of everyone watching.


    The most hot-headed of the trip, Princess Namar, began to tremble in rage.


    ¡°You say these disgusting things so easily... Clearly, you¡¯re pretty used to doing these things. Su Ran, don¡¯t bother, there¡¯s no use in trying to stop me. I¡¯m going to kill that bastard today.¡±


    Hye-Rim also agreed, putting on her gauntlets.


    ¡°It seems like today I will have to break my vow of not killing.¡±


    Not only the three beauties, but the others within the Heaven ying Alliance were also trembling with anger.


    To them, Princess Namar, Su Ran, and Hye-Rim were like their younger sisters, their daughters.


    Su Ran shouted, ¡°Get him!¡±


    The Heaven ying Alliance members closest to Ok Ji-Gyeong rushed him.


    ¡°Oh dear, isn¡¯t that scary?!¡± Ok Ji-Gyeong said as he slowly retreated. Suddenly, a deluge of arrows poured down like rain from the forest behind him.


    ¡°Agk!!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Five people died, their bodies turned into porcupines.


    Then, one after another, warriors dressed in ck appeared in front of Ok Ji-Gyeong.


    ¡°Martial Heaven!¡±


    ¡°How did you find this ce?!¡±


    As the Heaven ying Alliance was flustered, shocked, and confused by what was happening, Princess Namar shot an arrow with her full strength.


    <i>FWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!</i>


    ¡°Hiiik!!¡±


    Ok Ji-Gyeong screamed in fear as a middle-aged Daoist wearing ck robes suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking the arrow in his stead.


    ¡°Ok Ji-Gyeong... You betrayed us,¡± Princess Namar spat out


    It had only been ten days since they had moved their base.


    Unless someone had revealed their secret, there was no way for Martial Heaven to have discovered them.


    In other words, Ok Ji-Gyeong had purposefully exposed them.


    ¡°Hahaha! Well, you shouldn¡¯t have rejected me, you stupid bitches!¡±


    Behind the ck-d middle-aged Daoist, Ok Ji-Gyeong giggled hysterically. Then, while rubbing his hands together like a fly, he asked the middle-aged Daoist, ¡°Hehe... You¡¯ll keep your promise, right?¡±


    At his question, the middle-aged Daoist stretched out a pale hand and grabbed Ok Ji-Gyeong by the shoulder with enough power to crush it.


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    ¡°I keep my promises. How dare you doubt me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, I would never! I would never!¡±


    After releasing Ok Ji-Gyeong, the middle-aged Daoist continued, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely give you those three girls. Of course, after taking their techniques.¡±


    ¡°T-thank you.¡±


    Although the man¡¯s crushing grip caused him excruciating pain, Ok Ji-Gyeong endured it and bowed his head.


    Meanwhile, the Heaven ying Alliance and the three beauties red at Ok Ji-Gyeong, their eyes full of contempt as they heard his conversation with the middle-aged Daoist.


    ¡°If that happens, I¡¯m going to kill myself first,¡± Princess Namar said decisively.


    Hye-Rim nodded in agreement.


    Then, the Heaven ying Alliance members parted in the middle as a middle-aged schr with a youthful appearance walked out.


    ¡°Alliance Leader!¡±


    ¡°Alliance Leader.¡±


    He was none other than the Alliance Leader of the Heaven ying Alliance, the Springtime Schr Ban Moon-Yeop.[1]


    He had been a guest at the Western Nihility Gate and had been lucky enough to be outside of the sect when it had been destroyed, narrowly escaping death.


    The Heaven ying Alliance was a coalition he had created in order to exact revenge for the sect that he owed so much to.


    ¡°Where did youe from?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The Great Darkness Pce,¡± the middle-aged Daoist answered.


    Ban Moon-Yeop was shocked by the answer. However, after taking a quick look at the Great Darkness Pce members who had appeared, he sighed with quite a bit of relief.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see the Great Darkness Pce Master.¡±


    ¡°I am the new Great Darkness Pce Master.¡±


    Ban Moon-Yeop was shocked once again.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the Great Darkness Pce Master a Paragon in his prime?¡±


    ¡°That idiot was murdered.¡±


    Martial Heavenpletely looked down on any of its members who were harmed or killed by people of the <i>murim.</i>


    ¡°Woo-Moon!¡± Hye-Rim cried out. ¡°He must have been the one to kill him!¡±


    The Great Darkness Pce Master had been a Paragon. The only person she could think of who could kill him was naturally Woo-Moon.


    The new Great Darkness Pce Master, the middle-aged Daoist in ck robes, nodded in agreement. ¡°That is correct.¡±


    Ban Moon-Yeop burst intoughter.


    ¡°Hahaha! Those arrogant bastards from Martial Heaven must have been shocked out of their minds. To think a Paragon from Martial Heaven was killed! Well, let¡¯s fight then. It would¡¯ve been different with the old Great Darkness Pce Master, but I¡¯m not afraid of you.¡±


    Ban Moon-Yeop sted out his aura as he spoke, his loose clothes pping crazily from his Absolute Qi.


    Although he was hardly known within the <i>murim,</i> Ban Moon-Yeop was also an Absolute Master, and not a weak one either.


    However, he quickly felt something strange and hurriedly looked at the new Great Darkness Pce Master.


    "I-impossible...¡± he said as ck blood flowed from between his half-closed lips. ¡°How could you... poison...¡±


    By the time he finished speaking, Ban Moon-Yeop''s entire body had turned pitch ck.


    ¡°Alliance Leader!¡±


    Those were thest words Ban Moon-Yeop heard as he fell to the ground.


    The new Great Darkness Pce Master, Hu Mu-Hae, was the very same poison expert who had created the Qi Dispersion Poison that had almost brought Woo-Moon to his death.


    ¡°Martial Heaven does not give positions to unqualified people. You had the honor of dying from my Paragon Poison, so I hope you feel some gratitude in death,¡± he said softly.


    As soon as Hu Mu-Hae finished speaking, Ban Moon-Yeop''s body began to burn from the inside out. mes quickly began to flicker around him, smoke billowing into the air.


    He was well and truly gone. A single error, not noticing the poison spread through the air during their conversation, had cost him everything.


    The Heaven ying Alliance was left speechless as they watched their Alliance Leader die in apletely absurd manner.


    <i>¡°</i>NOOOO!!!<i>¡±</i>


    A woman burst into tears as many within the Heaven ying Alliance clenched their fists, a desire for revenge burning within them.


    They weren¡¯t afraid of those who hade to kill them or of the new Great Darkness Pce Master. After all, those who felt fear when facing strong enemies wouldn¡¯t have joined the Heaven ying Alliance to battle Martial Heaven in the first ce.


    ¡°Let¡¯s kill them all!¡±


    ¡°Kill the dogs of Martial Heaven!¡±


    Su Ran looked at the Great Darkness Pce Master with a cold gaze.


    ¡°We may die by your hand, but we will never bow to you. Better shattered jade than intact stone!¡± [2]


    ¡°We will never bow!¡±


    ¡°We will never bow!¡±


    Those of the Heaven ying Alliance rushed toward the Great Darkness Pce members, shouting their lungs out.


    ¡°Like moths to a me...¡± the Great Darkness Pce Master muttered as he waved his hand from left to right.


    1. The word for ¡°springtime¡± here is ¡°green/blue time,¡± which we like to think is a nod to Might Guy¡¯s favorite catchphrase. KONOHA¡¯S GREEN BEAST IN THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH EYYYYYYYYYYY ?


    2., a Chinese idiom stating that it¡¯s better to die with your principles than to break them and live. ?

 Chapter 191. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (12)

    <h4>Chapter 191. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (12)</h4>


    <i>Sssssss!</i>


    An extremely fine ck sand drifted through the air like smoke, covering the first twenty or so Heaven ying Alliance members in the front.


    <i>Crackle!</i>


    "Agh!!"


    Each of them was at least Peak ss. However, none of them could avoid the Great Darkness Pce Master''s attack, and they were utterly unable to ovee the poison mixed into the sand. They were engulfed in ck mes and instantly turned into a handful of ash.


    Even so, the ck mes didn''t disappear.


    After the ashnded on the ground, the mes continued to burn, spreading over and incinerating those behind them as well.


    Tears flowed from Su Ran''s eyes as she watched people burn alive.


    They were all her close friends. Her family.


    As those of the Heaven ying Alliance fought against an indomitable enemy, Martial Heaven, the bonds between the alliance members grew stronger than anywhere else.


    However, feelings were feelings and now was a time where action took priority. Su Ran was the alliance¡¯s advisor, and she had to calmly assess the situation and provide a strategy, no matter what was going on.


    She called Hye-Rim and Princess Namar.


    ¡°Take the children and run away. We have to carry on the will of the Heaven ying Alliance. If you and the children die, there is no future.¡±


    Hye-Rim was also sobbing. She shook her head.


    "No, I won''t! I want to fight with you!"


    However, Su Ran firmly shook her head as well.


    "No. We will buy you time, so run away quickly."


    At that moment, Princess Namar, who had spent her childhood on the grasnds and had better eyesight than anyone else, saw something flying in the distance.


    <i>¡®A bird? Is that a bird?¡¯</i>


    However, she quickly realized she was wrong. As the flying object gradually grew closer, she could clearly see that what she had noticed was in fact not one but two, and not birds but <i>people</i>.


    <i>''Is that...''</i>


    "Song Woo-Moon?"


    As Princess Namar shouted in surprise, Hye-Rim and Su Ran both responded in rm and looked up at the sky. Woo-Moon flew over at unimaginable speed. He held Yeo-Seol in his arms, imbuing her with qi as they raced through the air.


    "Hiya!"


    With a cute cheer, Yeo-Seolbined Woo-Moon¡¯s raging qi with her own to unleash a Divine Frozen Soul Palm.


    <i>Wooosh!</i>


    The seemingly unending fire that was consuming the Heaven ying Alliance members was instantly extinguished, and the surrounding area was frozen white.


    Woo-Moonnded lightly.


    "Whether it''s breaking jade or breaking stones or whatever, nothing prettyes out of it. It''s not something you should do."


    The Heaven ying Alliance had moved bases so covertly that Woo-Moon had been entirely unable to find them.


    It was only thanks to Ma-Ra''s incredible tracking skills that he was even able to get somewhat close, and it was only because he had heard them shout their intentions to die for the alliance that he was able to finally pinpoint the location.


    By this time, whoever hadn''t noticed that Woo-Moon was a heaven-defying expert was aplete moron.


    The Great Darkness Pce Master, Hu Mu-Hae, red at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Who are you? Why are you interfering?¡±


    Woo-Moon smirked.


    "Well, there are actually two reasons. First, whatever you guys do, I thoroughly enjoy undoing it. Second, I owe these guys a debt. And there¡¯s also one other thing..."


    Woo-Moon¡¯s expression, which had been perfectly warm and bright, suddenly turned cold.


    He red at The Great Darkness Pce Master with eyes that were burning with anger and intent to kill.


    ¡°I can never forgive you for killing my grandfather and junior sister!¡±


    With a shout, Woo-Moon rushed forward like lightning and unleashed Northern Blizzard.


    He moved so fast that the Great Darkness Pce Master didn¡¯t even think about spreading poison and quickly tried to block the sword with his dagger. However, he found himself unable to keep up with Northern Blizzard''s mysterious and cunning transformations and ended up getting his left arm severed.


    He was a true poison master, no question about that, but unfortunately for him, he was no Paragon. He would¡¯ve suffered even in a head-on sh with Woo-Moon, let alone facing a surprise attack like this.


    To his merit, he was a fast thinker. He understood that the arm was gone, so he instantly moved back, away from his opponent; simultaneously, he drew three of the Paragon poisons from his sleeve and threw them.


    <i>Pop, pop, pop!</i>


    All three bottles struck Woo-Moon square and exploded to bits.


    Right as the Great Darkness Pce Master was about tough, assuming that Woo-Moon would be made helpless by his hidden poison technique, Woo-Moon grinned.


    "It seems I was right on the money. All your poisons are the same. Tough luck."


    Seeing the man¡¯s poison, Woo-Moon had immediately assumed that the man was the one who had created the Qi Dispersion Poison he¡¯d been struck by a while back; thus, he deliberately allowed the three bottles of poison to hit him in order to analyze the poison inside. As it turned out, the poisons were not only from the same source, but almost identical in structure.


    The Great Darkness Pce Master''s actual cultivation was only at the Absolute realm, so unless his poison worked, there was no way for him to defeat a Paragon.


    "How is th¡ª"


    That was all he was able to say before Lightsh pierced his throat.


    How could he have ever dreamed that the consequences of creating the Qi Dispersion Poison for the previous Great Darkness Pce Master woulde back to haunt him like this.


    Then Woo-Moon drew a bright gold sword from its scabbard.


    At the same time, a giant white tiger carrying a girl on its back came running over, charging at the Great Darkness Pce warriors.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    One of them was directly bitten in half. His scream echoed eerily through the mountains, and Yu Yu, who was still young and tender-hearted, frowned slightly at the gruesome sight.


    Woo-Moon turned into a golden sh as he moved freely between the enemies, causing blood to spurt wherever he went.


    Of course, it went without saying that Ma-Ra also appeared here and there like a ghost, and every time she showed up, lives were lost.


    With this, Martial Heaven had not only lost the Great Darkness Pce Master once again but also nearly half of the Great Darkness Pce''s main force.


    Ok Ji-Gyeong had been watching from the side, and when the situation turned awry, his first thought was to flee. Sadly, he was too slow.


    A vast shadow loomed in front of him.


    <i>Grrrr....</i>


    Befitting his status, Ok Ji-Gyeong was a Transcendent expert. However, facing Eun-Ah¡¯s aura, he couldn¡¯t even muster the thought of fleeing, much less fighting back. His legs trembled like crazy, and he was on the verge of pissing himself.


    As he slowly backed away from the giant tiger, he suddenly froze because he could feel something stabbing him in the back.


    Turning around, he saw Su Ran pointing a sword at him.


    Princess Namar and Hye-Rim stood by her side, ring at him with enough venom that it was enough to kill him.


    "Ha... haha..."


    <i>Thud.</i>


    Ok Ji-Gyeong knelt down on the ground and suddenly looked up at the sky.


    ¡°I guess I really did read the weather correctly.¡±


    Those looking at him with gazes that could kill suddenly frowned, their expressions belying their confusion.


    Ok Ji-Gyeong spoke slowly.


    "As you all know, my Western Nihility Gate is a hidden sect. There actually is a secret technique in our foundational text that allows one to predict fate once a year. I tried cultivating it a while ago, and knowing that Great Hero Song wasing today, I intentionally lured Martial Heaven''s forces here to attack us so that we could destroy them all in one sitting. It was all to deal a small blow to Martial Heaven''s forces."


    Ok Ji-Gyeong immediately turned to look at the Heaven ying Alliance members the moment he finished, tears streaming down his face.


    A desperate voice flowed out of his mouth.


    "While I read the ways of the heavens, I wasn''t able to determine the exact time Great Hero Song would arrive. It was my fault that the Alliance Leader and the others died. Moreover, I had to deceive you all, my allies, in order to deceive the enemy and even brought unbearable humiliation on the threedies. It''s all my fault. Please let me repay this insult with my life."


    At first, no one believed his words. However, seeing him shed tears with a genuine expression, it seemed a little more believable. While they all started to doubt him again when he said he would kill himself, most of them were won over when he actually raised his sword and swung at his neck without hesitation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything foolish!¡±


    A warrior from the Heaven ying Alliance ran over and kicked Ok Ji-Gyeong¡¯s arm.


    <i>Riiiip!</i>


    As the sword had already begun biting into his neck, it left a long cut as it bounced off to the side.


    While it wasn''t a fatal wound and was honestly rtively shallow, it seemed to prove that Ok Ji-Gyeong really intended to cut his own throat, which lent his pretext some believability.


    "I... I''m sorry, Young Master Ok... I misunderstood you," Hye-Rim said.


    While almost everyone now believed him, Princess Namar and Su Ran, who had first-hand experience with his obscene behavior, just couldn''t bring themselves to take his words at face value.


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t believe him either. It wasn¡¯t as if he could read minds, but he could even hear the idiot¡¯s heartbeat and notice his body temperature going up. It was clear as daylight that the man was lying.


    <i>''Do idiots like this really exist?''</i>


    Worst of all, throughout this desperate situation, that bastard never stopped ncing at Yeo-Seol while he talked!


    "I''ll believe you if you can show us that technique that allows you to peer into the secrets of the heavens," Su Ran coldly said.


    "I''d love to! Since I had to fool you all as perfectly as possible in order to set the trap, I can understand why you can''t easily trust me, Lady Su Ran. Of course, I can prove it to you. However, the secret technique that allows me to read fate can only be performed once a year, and unfortunately, I''ve already done it once. Once I can use it again next year, I''ll prove it to you then."


    He¡¯d thought it through¡ªif he said it took longer, they might not be willing to wait, but if he said it took less, then he might not have time to escape until then.


    Now, Su Ran found herself cornered in a situation where she would have to wait a full year before she could do anything. She understood that her chance was slipping by, so she continued with the interrogation.


    ¡°Then why did you try to escape just now?¡±


    Su Ran hoped that Ok Ji-Gyeong would panic and make a mistake. However, now that he¡¯d grasped a straw, he wasn¡¯t about to let it go so easily.


    "Anyone in the same situation would have done the same. While I set a trap to strike Martial Heaven, I acted without ever considering my own safety. I expected you to misunderstand, so I wanted to get myself away from danger first."


    The Heaven ying Alliance warriors nodded, feeling that this was a reasonable assumption.


    Su Ran wanted to ask why he had sneaked into her room at night to try to rape her but quickly realized that the wicked Ok Ji-Gyeong would find a way to talk his way out of that, too.


    Something along the lines of doing it on purpose to strengthen the veil of deception or another.


    Unlike the calctive Su Ran, the impatient Princess Namar just couldn¡¯t take this anymore. She suddenly drew her bow.


    "There''s no need for all this back-and-forth. That bastard is a liar. I¡¯ll take care of him before he spouts more bullshit."


    Princess Namar was a valiant warrior from the northern ins. She admired the strong and hated liars and wicked people, and at this moment, Ok Ji-Gyeong seemed uglier than a bug to her.


    However, Su Ran stopped her, knowing that there might be problemster if Princess Namar were to execute Ok Ji-Gyeong just like that.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just bear with it for now, Princess. At the end of the day, Young Master Ok is thest sessor of the Western Nihility Gate. He deserves to have a fair trial before he dies. Moreover, we don''t even know if he''ll still be alive in a year..."


    Woo-Moon, who had been watching quietly, suddenly froze.


    His eyes shed when the words ¡°Western Nihility Gate¡± came out of Su Ran¡¯s mouth, and he abruptly intervened.


    ¡°Wait, did you just say the Western Nihility Gate?¡±


    Su Ran was surprised by Woo-Moon¡¯s sudden intervention, but then nodded.


    ¡°Yes. I said the Western Nihility Gate. Why do you ask?¡±


    Woo-Moon''s expression turned strange. There was absolutely no way there were two Western Nihility Gates, so the one his father had told him about and the one Su Ran was talking about had to be the same. So these people were the Heaven ying Alliance! But then... there was also something that didn¡¯t match.


    <i>''Is this guy really the sessor of the Western Nihility Gate? Howe?''</i>


    ording to his father, the Song Family was the original main branch of the Western Nihility Gate.

 Chapter 192. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (13)

    <h4>Chapter 192. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (13)</h4>


    However, the Western Nihility Gate had been destroyed. Even in the Song Family, the Western Nihility Gate''s techniques were just side arts that they dabbled in.


    Since none of them had the intention of reestablishing the Western Nihility Gate, there was no such thing as a Gate Master or sessor anymore. However, if someone was pretending to be the sessor of the Western Nihility Gate, then, as the actual sessor of the main branch, Woo-Moon had no choice but to step forward.


    <i>''To think that the final sessor or whatever really is such a bastard.''</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s expression turned cold.


    "Are you really the final sessor of the Western Nihility Gate?"


    The warriors of Heaven ying Alliance couldn''t understand why Woo-Moon was asking such a question.


    However, since he was both their savior and a Paragon, none of them stopped him.


    "Yes, Great Hero. I am the final sessor of the Western Nihility Gate.¡±


    Woo-Moonughed inwardly at the words ¡°final sessor.¡±


    From what he knew, there were three sessors of the Western Nihility Gate in his family alone, so how could this loser be the only sessor?


    "I just want you to know, if you''re lying, don''t think about keeping your life. If you''re truly the final sessor, then show me the Western Nihility Gate''s martial arts right now."


    By the Western Nihility Gate''s martial arts, he was referring to none other than the Western Nihility¡¯s Three Annihtions.


    The warriors of Heaven ying Alliance gradually began to be irritated by Woo-Moon''s questioning.


    This chapt??r is updated by free¦Øebnov¨¥l.c?m.


    They had alreadye to trust Ok Ji-Gyeong. With Woo-Moon doubting someone whose identity they had already verified, even going so far as to ask him to prove himself, they began to feel like he was overstepping his bounds.


    As expected, Ok Ji-Gyeong was also irritated at being asked to perform in front of Woo-Moon, someone he disliked.


    "I''m sorry, Great Hero, but I can''t follow your request."


    Woo-Moon just responded firmly.


    ¡°It was not a request. I am ordering you to do it.¡±


    It was at this point that one of the warriors of the Heaven ying Alliance behind Woo-Moon stepped forward.


    "We''ve already verified his martial arts. He''s definitely the sessor of the Western Nihility Gate, so you don''t have to doubt him."


    The others began to grumble, too.


    ¡°We appreciate your help, but we cannot tolerate this excessive interference. Furthermore, even if you were to see the techniques of the Western Nihility Gate, how would you even verify it?"


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t even bother with an exnation. He raised his fingers and jabbed at the air.


    <i>Thwip!</i>


    Three consecutive bursts of finger aura erupted from all ten fingers simultaneously, creating a hole in the rock to his left.


    "F-wless Finger!"


    The eyes of Ok Ji-Gyeong and the others watching nearly split open.


    Woo-Moon had just disyed a peak-level wless Finger.


    "I''ve shown you the wless Finger, and now I''ll disy the Transcendent sh Sword, too."


    A me spread across Lightsh, quickly bing bright white.


    Although Woo-Moon was shielding the others from a considerable amount of heat, those around him were unable to even withstand the meager amount of energy that he let out, and they quickly retreated.


    Woo-Moon swung his sword toward a cliff.


    White mes flew out, billowing toward the cliffside. The trees around it were engulfed in mes and instantly turned to ash, while the rocks and boulders melted intova and flowed to the ground.


    "The Three Annihtions. These are the foundational techniques that only the Gate Master and his direct descendants are allowed to learn. The only exception to that rule was the technique I performed first, the wless Finger. That was sometimes awarded as a reward to those who had made great achievements or reached high positions."


    As he spoke, Woo-Moon suddenly released all of his aura without holding back.


    Immediately, an enormous pressure and untouchable majesty flowed out from his entire body, endowing him with the incredible aura of a true master.


    He looked at Ok Ji-Gyeong.


    "Imand you as the Gate Master of the Western Nihility Gate. If you truly are a member of the Western Nihility Gate, show me the techniques."


    Dae-Woong, who was technically the Gate Master, was currently missing, so it wasn''t wrong for his eldest, Woo-Moon, to dere himself the acting Gate Master. While the only inheritance passed down in the Song Family was the Three Annihtions, Woo-Moon had an idea about the other lost techniques due to Dae-Woong''s exnations.


    Other than Yeo-Seol, Ma-Ra, and Eun-Ah, none of those around him could even raise their heads properly because of Woo-Moon''s aura.


    Ok Ji-Gyeong''s face turned pale.


    Woo-Moon had heard all of his lies, and since he truly seemed to be a member of the Western Nihility Gate, even if not the Gate Master as he imed, he certainly knew there was no secret technique for reading fate or whatever.


    Realizing he couldn''t lie anymore, Ok Ji-Gyeong frantically looked left and right before quickly stomping on the ground and using a movement art to try to escape.


    However, there was no way for him to evade the reach of a Paragon.


    Woo-Moon suddenly appeared in front of him.


    "AHHHH!"


    Ok Ji-Gyeong let out a shout and jabbed out with his fingers.


    <i>Thwip!</i>


    A st of finger aura shot out of all ten fingers simultaneously, aiming for Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon''s eyes lit up in surprise.


    <i>''Hmm, it really is the wless Finger.''</i>


    A Paragon could perfectly control the qi around him. The moment Ok Ji-Gyeong''s wless Finger aura approached him, it quickly dissipated into a breeze.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    Woo-Moon ced Lightsh at Ok Ji-Gyeong''s throat.


    ¡°If you want to remain in this world, answer me. Where did you learn the wless Finger?¡±


    Ok Ji-Gyeong looked around frantically again. He was most likely wracking his brain for what sort of lie would save him here.


    "<i>ANSWER!</i>" Woo-Moon shouted right in front of him.[1]


    The shout shook Ok Ji-Gyeong to the core, and the powerful aura contained within tore through his brain.


    Woo-Moon held Ok Ji-Gyeong''s shoulders so tightly that they almost shattered and stared straight into his eyes. He spoke clearly, revealing the full majesty of a Paragon.


    "Tell me everything, and I mean <i>every single thing</i>. Right now."


    Ok Ji-Gyeong spoke with a trembling gaze.


    "Wh-when I was young, I went to y on a mountain and I fell into a cave. There, I discovered a corpse. I searched his clothes and discovered some manuals marked with a seal that read ¡®Western Nihility Gate.¡¯ The manuals were for the wless Finger and a qi cultivation method. After cultivating it, I went out into the <i>gangho</i>. One of the warriors of the Heaven ying Alliance happened to see me use the wless Finger one day and brought me here."


    Now scared out of his wits and under Woo-Moon¡¯s suffocating pressure, Ok Ji-Gyeong found it impossible to tell even the most minor lie.


    ¡°Who was the one in the cave?¡±


    "He was a member of the Western Nihility Gate named Lee Mu-Gwang. He was lucky enough to survive the ughter and escape. However, he ended up dying of his wounds while in seclusion."


    ¡°What happened to the body and the manuals?¡±


    "I was afraid of someone discovering them if I took them with me, so I burned the manuals after I memorized the contents, then I caused a littlendslide that filled the cavepletely."


    Woo-Moon had been nning to collect the remains and retrieve the manuals, but hearing Ok Ji-Gyeong''s answer, he understood that there was no need to do so. Now, the only reason to keep Ok Ji-Gyeong alive was gone.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword pierced Ok Ji-Gyeong¡¯s heart.


    "An animal like you will only bring shame to the Western Nihility Gate¡¯s name. No, why am I even talking about the future? You already brought shame to it. I''m d to be able to clean up the Gate''s reputation."


    Kicking Ok Ji-Gyeong''s body to the side, Woo-Moon beheaded him and headed toward the Heaven ying Alliance.


    "You did a good deed executing him," Su Ran said.


    Princess Namar sighed. "What a shame; I wanted to be the one to kill him."


    The Heaven ying Alliance warriors looked at each other in puzzlement. They had no idea how to react now, so they naturally turned to Su Ran, wanting her to resolve the situation.


    She looked over at Woo-Moon.


    "Are you really the Gate Master of the Western Nihility Gate?"


    ¡°Only the direct descendants of the main branch of the Western Nihility Gate can learn all three of the Western Nihility Three Annihtions. If we''re being picky about the details, my father is actually the Gate Master. Since he''s currently missing, I am acting in his stead."


    Woo-Moon''s confirmation,bined with the Three Annihtions he had shown them earlier, made the Heaven ying Alliance members quite happy. The fact that the main branch of the Western Nihility Gate still existed was amazing in and of itself; as for the Gate Master being a Paragon, that was just the cherry on top.


    Each of the members had an unresolvable grudge against Martial Heaven. Martial Heaven had attacked and destroyed any force that might have discovered their identity or had techniques that threatened them or techniques they coveted.


    They were all descendants of those who had barely survived the destruction of their sect and discovered Martial Heaven''s existence, gathered together to fight against Martial Heaven.


    Well... maybe it was a bit much to say that they were fighting Martial Heaven.


    It was more correct to say that they harassed Martial Heaven whenever they got the chance while fleeing. In all fairness, their strength was far from enough to be called ¡°fighting against Martial Heaven.¡± After all, they had almost been eradicated by the Great Darkness Pce, which was only one of Martial Heaven''s subordinate groups, albeit one of the important ones.


    In the beginning, a few hundred years ago, they had nned to reveal Martial Heaven''s existence to the public and have all of the <i>murim</i>¡¯s forces fight them together.


    However, no one believed them.


    If they were to try to reveal Martial Heaven''s identity by spreading rumors, those who heard the rumors would simply brush them off as myths. However, if they were to expose themselves to the <i>murim</i> and directly speak out, Martial Heaven would do what they did best and simply ughter them all.


    They had suffered enormous damage more than once by revealing themselves, and the power of the Heaven ying Alliance, which was originally much greater, had eventually weakened to what it was now. In the end, they chose to hide themselves, avoid Martial Heaven''s grasp, and just harass them.


    That was thest option that the Heaven ying Alliance had.


    But now, everyone began to think to themselves that maybe, really <i>maybe</i>, things could change for them. Seeing that the new Western Nihility Gate Master was a Paragon, made them feel like things could finally be different.


    "For now, this isn''t a good ce for us to have this conversation. Let''s quickly handle things and move somewhere else."


    Martial Heaven had already discovered his ce. They would definitely send new troops when they found out that the Great Darkness Pce had failed. And if they sent two Paragons, the Heaven ying Alliance would stand no chance, even with Woo-Moon helping.


    Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra helped the Heaven ying Alliance hide their tracks as they moved toward another secret location.


    While the Heaven ying Alliance was quite skilled at hiding after being on the run for so long, with the help of the Death God Ma-Ra and her elite subordinates, the unified Assassin Gate, they were able to move so perfectly that they left no tracks whatsoever.


    They marched for two whole days without sleeping.


    Of course, walking for two days was nothing for martial artists. However, not all of those in the Heaven ying Alliance were martial artists. Even though the members had devoted their lives to fighting Martial Heaven, that did not mean theycked all human desires. They naturally wanted to find love, form families, and have children. Moreover, since the battle against Martial Heaven was a long one, it was necessary to have future generations continue their battle.


    Of course, none of them wanted to address whether or not it was right for them to have children for the sake of furthering their desire for revenge.


    Their resentment was just too deep for them to consider it.


    In any case, there were many women and children among them who weren''t martial artists. They struggled and suffered from the arduous trek.


    <i>''I''m going to end this. I''ll definitely destroy Martial Heaven with my own two hands. I''ll end all of this myself.''</i>


    Martial Heaven was strong.


    Terrifyingly strong.


    Woo-Moon had long since realized that Martial Heaven wasn''t as simple as he and his grandfather had thought.


    Back then, his grandfather, an Absolute Master, hadn''t considered them to be that great of a danger. And yet... How had things ended up for him?


    Once again strengthening his conviction, Woo-Moon went around looking for those who were struggling and imbued them with his qi. He took turns allowing them to rest on Eun-Ah''s back but felt heartbroken when he realized they were simply too many.


    It was only after another day had passed that Su Ran allowed the Heaven ying Alliance to rest.


    Woo-Moon gathered the children and massaged their arms and legs personally, loosening their muscles while imbuing them with qi to boost their energy. As for the women¡ªthe wives of the Heaven ying Alliance warriors¡ªhe massaged their acupoints using Spatial Maniption, as it wasn¡¯t appropriate for him to touch them directly.


    1. This is the same ¡°I rebuke thee¡± shout he has used before. ?

 Chapter 193. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (14)

    <h4>Chapter 193. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (14)</h4>


    Since Woo-Moon was a Paragon, doing all of those things didn¡¯t take long.


    After finishing, Woo-Moon spent the rest of the break with Ma-Ra, Yeo-Seol, Yu Yu, and Eun-Ah.


    Eun-Ah, in particr, was having a st.


    Now, there were as many as twenty-three people under her in the hierarchy.


    To be precise, if she were to judge things by strength alone, there would be twenty-four people below her. However, Yeo-Seol was the <i>head honcho</i>¡¯s woman, so her strength was irrelevant.


    <i>Huff, huff.</i>


    Eun-Ah, who had been happily wandering around, suddenly raised her paw and struck at the empty air.


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    One of Ma-Ra¡¯s assassins, who was moving in the shadows, groaned in pain as he was smacked by Eun-Ah¡¯s paw.


    While it was only natural for him to feel irritated after being hit out of nowhere, Eun-Ah was a beast of truly unfathomable strength, even to the twelve assassins who made up Ma-Ra¡¯s personal guard.


    Each of them was, at the very least, a First Rank Assassin. However, Eun-Ah was <i>still</i> able to find them very easily, no matter how they tried to hide. And when they struck back, it turned out that her thick hide made her simply impervious to their weapons.


    There was absolutely nothing they could do.


    The assassin who had been hit by Eun-Ah quickly disappeared again, paying attention to his stealth technique even more diligently than before.


    <i>¡®Just how the hell does she keep finding us? Are we leaving something behind? Or maybe it¡¯s the sound of our breathing? Or a trace of scent? Just what the hell is it?¡¯</i>


    The assassins kept thinking about better methods to stay hidden as they continued to hide.


    Ma-Ra didn¡¯t bother to get involved as long as Eun-Ah didn¡¯t take things too far. After all, this ¡°bullying¡± actually allowed their stealth and assassination techniques to improve!


    At first, Eun-Ah had just teased them while carefully watching Ma-Ra, testing the waters as she looked out for any signs of anger. Then, as she understood Ma-Ra¡¯s attitude, she slowly ramped up the intensity.


    Of all of the travelers, there was just one group who looked at the assassins with a pitiful expression: the Ten Swords of the North Sea.


    They and the assassins, two groups that originally should never even have met, had now forged an inextricable bond and felt the pain of empathy.


    <i>¡®How the hell did we end up having to bow down to a freaking pet?¡¯</i>


    Of course, all of them knew that Eun-Ah was no ordinary beast. How many tigers in this world¡ªor how many animals in general¡ªwere Absolute Masters, let alone such powerful Absolute Masters?


    Still, it wasn¡¯t easy for them to adapt to a situation where they, as humans, had to act subservient to a beast.


    No, to be frank, their hearts wouldn¡¯t allow them to adapt.


    Right then, Eun-Ah looked toward the Ten Swords of the North Sea.


    <i>¡®Hiik!¡¯</i>


    Eun-Ah was very simple.


    Whenever her eyes met someone¡¯s, she would target them.


    <i>Huff, huff.</i>


    Eun-Ah walked forward, huffing proudly. She pranced over to the Ten Swords of the North Sea, who were desperately avoiding her gaze. They all froze, nervous.


    Eun-Ah¡¯s target was already decided¡ªthe one who had first met her gaze, the youngest of the Ten Swords.


    Eun-Ah had fought with them earlier to teach them the pecking order and ended up winning. However, to her dismay, that victory came with some unpleasant consequences.


    Because the soft-hearted Yeo-Seol had protested to Woo-Moon with a sad expression, Eun-Ah was disciplined by him at the end of that day. After that, she made sure only to tease the Ten Swords of the North Sea when Yeo-Seol wasn¡¯t looking.


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    Eun-Ah¡¯s thick paw hit the youngest Sword in the back of the head.


    He didn¡¯t even let out a sound.


    Although he had every right to groan in pain and tattle to Yeo-Seol and Woo-Moon about it, he didn¡¯t have the slightest intention to do that. None of them did.


    They just gritted their teeth and fanatically practiced their techniques and cultivated whenever they had time.


    All of them vowed to beat up that white tiger someday.


    There were twenty-three people below Eun-Ah.


    Among them, there was only one who wasn¡¯t subjected to Eun-Ah¡¯s mischievous pranks and instead even received her favor(?).


    Yu Yu.


    Since Yu Yu had been through so much at such a young age, Eun-Ah took great pity on her. Instead of bullying her, Eun-Ah actively took great care of her.


    ¡°Faster!¡±


    ¡°Wrong! Your breathing slowed down, and your sword lost its sharpness!¡±


    After teaching Yu Yu martial arts for some time, Woo-Moon suddenly spoke to her with a solemn expression.


    ¡°While I¡¯ve told you that I¡¯d take you on as a disciple and I have been teaching you martial arts, it seems we haven¡¯t actually held the Master-Disciple Ceremony yet. I kept putting it off because I thought it would be better to do it properly when we had the time, but it seems like that¡¯ll never happen if we keep dying it like this.¡±


    Ma-Ra suddenly appeared right as he finished and grabbed his mouth, stretching it on both sides.


    ¡°Smile. This sternness doesn¡¯t suit you, idiot.¡±


    ¡°<i>Mmmph</i>, move! What are you doing in front of my disciple?¡±


    After a brief scuffle, Woo-Moon finally chased Ma-Ra away.


    Yu Yu, who had been quietly giggling at the sight, quickly became serious.


    ¡°Ahem. Because it feels like the proper ceremony won¡¯t happen anytime soon, let¡¯s hold a simple one for now. Let¡¯s start, then.¡±


    Woo-Moon awkwardly made a serious and stern expression of a master again while Yu Yu sincerely bowed to him.


    After the ceremony ended, he smiled with a relieved expression.


    ¡°Now, you¡¯re officially my disciple. I¡¯ll be teaching you even more strictly in the future, so don¡¯t even think about cking off.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Originally, Woo-Moon was only nning to teach Yu Yu enough martial arts to defend herself, not wanting to take her on as a full-fledged disciple.


    He didn¡¯t want to make her a part of the <i>murim</i>; he just wanted to keep her by his side and take care of her until she was able to stand on her own two feet and find her own path.


    Moreover, if he could find her a good match, he would even introduce her to someone and help her live a quiet and peaceful life.


    There was no part of him that felt regretful over the neidan of the Blood-Horned Poison Serpent or that her acquired qi was wasteful.


    It was Yu Yu herself who had other ns.


    She wanted to learn martial arts properly and be a truly strong person so that she could help other unfortunate children.


    In the end, the world was all about strength.


    If one had strength, money and power would follow.


    Even if you were the greatest merchant in all of the Central ins, even if you were the emperor himself, all that meant nothing in front of a truly powerful martial artist. The wealthy could be beggars, and the noble could lose status in an instant.


    If she wanted to help others, she had to be strong herself. That was the only way she could help as many people as she wanted.


    This was Yu Yu¡¯s conviction.


    Of course, she also wanted to learn martial arts in order to help Woo-Moon fight Martial Heaven, but that particr motivation was a secret that she kept from him.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you this, right? You have a senior brother, Yu Yu.¡±


    ¡°Huh? A senior brother?¡±


    Yu Yu¡¯s eyes widened at the sudden revtion.


    ¡°He¡¯s currently cultivating alone somewhere. I¡¯ll pick him up when I return to the Central ins, so you¡¯ll be able to meet him then. He¡¯s probably... what, a year older than you?¡±


    Woo-Moon thought that Yu Yu would be happy to hear about a new senior brother who could y the same role as her big brother, whom she would only meet in the afterlife. However, her reaction waspletely different from what he had expected.


    She just stood there quietly, expressionless.


    ¡°A senior brother... I see.¡±


    <i>¡®What¡¯s with her reaction?¡¯</i>


    As Woo-Moon was puzzled, Ma-Ra called out.


    ¡°Woo-Moon, I¡¯m sleepy. Let¡¯s sleep.¡±


    Woo-Moon smirked.


    ¡°You know what, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s been a while; let¡¯s put down some fur and sleep on a soft mattress for once.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Yeo-Seol¡¯s expression brightened at Woo-Moon¡¯s response. Seeing that, Yu Yu couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and giggled.


    Right at that moment, Eun-Ah, who had been harassing the Ten Swords of the North Sea and the assassins in the distance, perked up her ears at Woo-Moon¡¯s words and quickly tried to flee.


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?! Come here this instant.¡±


    <i>ROAR!!</i>


    Eun-Ah let out a roar as if rebelling, startling the people around her. However, she immediately rolled over onto her side when Woo-Moon ran over and prodded her with his foot.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to sleep. You used to sleep on my stomach all the time; you still have a long way to go to repay that debt. This isn¡¯t even that hard for you anyway. Why are you being a baby? Ha... this is why they say raising children is a thankless task.¡±


    <i>Mew...</i>


    Hearing what Woo-Moon said, although Eun-Ah grumbled, she knew that what he was saying was true.


    She weakly walked over andy down next to him.


    Woo-Moon was the first to lie down on Eun-Ah¡¯s side.


    ¡°Ah, how nice!¡±


    Ma-Ra went to lie down on his right while Yeo-Seol went to his left. They were in in sight, but Yeo-Seol was far more open-minded than people of the Central ins, while Ma-Ra had no such notion as caring about others¡¯ opinions in the first ce/


    The Ten Swords of the North Sea and the assassins looked at Woo-Moon with envious gazes.


    <i>¡®Such a convenient mobile bed. I¡¯m so jealous.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®And we have to sleep on this hard ground again...¡¯</i>


    Yeo-Seol smiled happily.


    ¡°Ahh, so soft. Hehe... it¡¯s so warm.¡±


    Eventually, Yu Yu went to lie down next to Yeo-Seol, and the Ten Swords of the North Sea and the assassins also made camp and fell asleep.


    ***


    The next morning.


    Woo-Moon woke up and roamed around, hunting some game and starting breakfast. Because of his time at the inn, helping the workers and cooking for himself, his cooking skills were rather passable.


    Of course, he also wanted to be spoiled by his partners. To his dismay, however, the wall between his wives and the kitchen was thicker than the Imprable Golden Wall.


    As a disciple of the North Sea Ice Pce since childhood, Yeo-Seol always had someone else cook for her, and to Ma-Ra, a knife was merely a tool to kill people.


    As his disciple, Yu Yu also had the duty to tend to her master, but she also happened to be a horrible cook. She had been wandering around with her brother since she was young, so how would she know the intricacies of fine cuisine?


    Because of that, Woo-Moon had told Ma-Ra, Yeo-Seol, and Yu Yu that he wanted to teach them how to cook a few days ago.


    While Ma-Ra had immediately refused, Yeo-Seol and Yu Yu were delighted, their eyes shining. They actually felt sorry and embarrassed about not being able to cook.


    Except for when he was teaching martial arts, Woo-Moon was just like a kind neighborhood oppa. So, Yu Yu was all smiles whenever she was being taught how to cook.


    Woo-Moon salted a rabbit and baked it covered in y, serving it with some cooked vegetables.


    After finishing the satisfying meal, Yeo-Seol suddenly looked around.


    ¡°Where did Eun-Ah go?¡±


    Woo-Moon had scolded Eun-Ah when she had tried to take more food after eating seven whole rabbits, telling her that she couldn¡¯t be too greedy when other people had to eat as well.


    Eun-Ah had disappeared afterward.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. She must be grazing somewhere.¡±


    Suddenly, Yeo-Seol¡¯s expression became strange.


    She knew that as a spiritual beast, Eun-Ah wasn¡¯t an ordinary tiger. However, she was still very surprised to find out that Eun-Ah not only ate cooked meat but also vegetables.[1]


    Even now, she was amazed whenever she saw such behavior from Eun-Ah.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s go find her.¡¯</i>


    Yeo-Seol walked carefully, looking around. Eventually, she heard the sound of a tree breaking in the distance.


    <i>¡®What was that? Is she over there?¡¯</i>


    Yeo-Seol moved over, and as expected, Eun-Ah was there.


    Eun-Ah was chirping happily with a tree as big as her own body in her jaws. She was heading toward a river flowing nearby.


    Yeo-Seol carefully followed her, and fortunately, Eun-Ah, too distracted by her food, didn¡¯t notice her.


    <i>Thud, thud!</i>


    Yeo-Seol¡¯s expression grew strange again.


    Eun-Ah waded into the river with the tree in her jaws and shook her head from side to side without any hesitation, washing the tree in the water.


    <i>¡®Wait, is she going to eat that?!¡¯</i>


    As it turned out, Eun-Ah was in fact going to eat that.


    After washing the tree clean, Eun-Ah started chewing on it. The sound of the tree shattering echoed loudly through the forest.


    <i>¡®...¡¯</i>


    Yeo-Seol was speechless at the unimaginable sight.


    After a while, Eun-Ah finished her satisfying meal and looked up with a full belly and a great smile, moving to waddle back to where Woo-Moon was.


    It was at this moment that she noticed Yeo-Seol.


    <i>Huff!</i>


    Eun-Ah stared at Yeo-Seol with her mouth wide open, utterly bbergasted.


    1. Tigers are obligate carnivores, but they actually eat nts to help with digestion. ?

 Chapter 194. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (15)

    <h4>Chapter 194. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (15)</h4>


    <i>¡®Wh-what¡¯s wrong? Why is she so shocked?¡¯</i>


    Eun-Ah immediately turned tail and fled into the forest after locking eyes with Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°Just what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ***


    Mu Hu, who had been entrusted with recovering the Heavenly Demon Orb, was in a bad mood recently.


    The failure of the Heavenly Demon Orb recovery operation was annoying enough. And the fact that Si-Hyeon, the woman who had swallowed the Heavenly Demon Orb, had be the Heavenly Demon and was causing trouble was absolutely infuriating.


    The Martial God hadn¡¯t shown himself for a long time after entering secluded cultivation.


    Now that the n to wipe out the <i>murim</i> was nearingpletion, many of the martial artists of Martial Heaven were acting out of their own ord, not showing any of their former patience.


    Moreover, Woo-Moon¡¯s ughter of Martial Heaven¡¯s puppet forces and the Great Darkness Pce Master had greatly irritated Martial Heaven¡¯s leading figures, Mu Hu included.


    As her irritation worsened, she eventually vented her anger with a cruel order.


    ¡°The spawn of the Palm Martial Emperor who interfered with the Heavenly Demon Orb recovery operation and helped resurrect the Heavenly Demon... Song Woo-Moon and his family. The number one on Martial Heaven¡¯s kill list. Moreover, he even had a close rtionship with the new Heavenly Demon, Yeon Si-Hyeon, in the past. Destroy his family and his lineage. Destroy the Iron Sword Baek Family.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, figures that had been lying around as if dead stood up one by one, each groaning while exuding an eerie murderous aura.


    ¡°Bloooood... keke... Blooooooooood....¡±


    They were one of the many groups who had devoted themselves to Martial Heaven.


    The creations of the former Blood Demon, they were Blood Cultists who had fully devoted themselves to the Blood Cult¡¯s blood arts, slowly losing their sense of self for the sake of power. With each increment in their cultivation came an even stronger thirst for blood.


    Mu Hu was the daughter of the former Blood Demon and had devoted herself to Martial Heaven. Now that her father was dead, she was the new Blood Demon leading the Blood Devils on her own.


    The evil old woman with red eyes pointed to a Blood Devil with a sword strapped to his waist.


    ¡°Left Devil.[1] I¡¯ll give you ten Blood Devils. Give our regards to the Iron Sword Baek Family.¡±


    Applying just the necessary amount of force for whatever they wanted and nothing more.


    That was the pride and arrogance of Martial Heaven.


    To be frank, Martial Heaven was strong enough that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if they were even more arrogant.


    There were a total of a hundred Blood Devils. Most of them were Transcendents, while some of them had broken through the Absolute Wall.


    For example, Left Devil and Right Devil were both Absolute Masters and Mu Hu¡¯s most loyal subordinates.


    Right Devil¡¯s expression distorted as he was passed over for theing bloody festival, while Left Devil burst out in joy.


    ¡°Kekeke! Thank you, Master.¡±


    Left Devil quickly picked out ten of his closest and most loyal Blood Devils and headed toward the Baek Family estate.


    Mu Hu looked at the remaining Blood Devils, who lurked around in an obviously wistful manner.


    ¡°When our Martial Heavenpletes the Murim Annihtion n, you all will drink so much blood that you¡¯ll get sick of it. Just endure for a little while longer.¡±


    Even though Martial Heaven was the strongest force in the world, not even they could guarantee victory if they were forced to fight the entirety of the <i>murim.</i>


    After all, the <i>murim </i>was wide, and there were many hidden masters with terrifying cultivations.


    Woo-Moon himself had reached the same conclusion after running across Paragons like Jin Yo and the Ageless Demon Emperor.


    That was why Martial Heaven had put together the Murim Annihtion n.


    Leveraging old hatreds and animosities between factions, they would weaken the <i>murim¡¯s</i> power before striking them down all at once.


    ***


    The next day, visitors came to Woo-Moon at the crack of dawn: the three beauties of Heaven ying Alliance.


    ¡°...¡±


    After bing a Paragon, Woo-Moon, who had enjoyed sleeping since he was young, came up with a handy skill he called Selective Senses.


    As it would be hard for him to get proper sleep if he were to wake up at every interruption, he intentionally manipted his own senses not to trigger and wake him up unless it was someone who showed hostility or someone he was interested in meeting.


    That was why this lordly Paragon was still in a dazed sleep even though the three beauties were standing right in front of him.


    However, his sleeping position apparently wasn¡¯t appropriate to disy in front of the three beauties, who were stillcking knowledge of certain... matters.


    ¡°I know they haven¡¯t had an official marriage yet, but this...¡±


    Hye-Rim, whose face was red, couldn¡¯t stop herself frommenting.


    Woo-Moon was sleeping soundly with his head on Yeo-Seol¡¯s thigh while Ma-Ra was using his chest as a pillow.


    Of course, none of them were naked or anything, but just the sight of them sleeping together so shamelessly was enough to make the three women blush.


    Woo-Moon actually hadn¡¯t been like this at first; however, after having Ma-Ra tied to his hip at all times, regardless of whether he wanted it or not, he had slowly forgotten how to care about the gazes or feelings of others.


    At first, he had been a well-mannered young man who jumped up and down in protest when Ma-Ra dered that she was going to sleep with him at night.


    ¡°You should get up now.¡±


    Woo-Moon finally woke up at Su Ran¡¯s words.


    ¡°Ahhhh, what a good sleep. Huh? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Seeing as Woo-Moon didn¡¯t seem to even care about propriety, Su Ran and Hye-Rim found themselves unable to say anything; they simply looked at him with bewildered gazes.


    Princess Namar, who had grown up in the grasnds and had a lot fewer manners to bother her, was the first toe to her senses and speak up.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to speak to you about. Follow me.¡±


    Ma-Ra, who had sensed their approach from afar, suddenly disappeared; Yeo-Seol, who had been thest to wake up, hid behind Woo-Moon, her facepletely flushed red.


    ¡°Do you have to go?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Might as well follow for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you, too.¡±


    Woo-Moon ordered Yu-Yu to train as he followed the three women.


    ¡°We¡¯ll follow you too.¡±


    The Ten Swords of the North Sea hade out to escort Yeo-Seol.


    The Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee was actually facing numerous difficulties at the moment after announcing that Yeo-Seol was her daughter. Fortunately, she was sessful in quelling most of the discontent after subduing the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, but there were still many dangerspared to before.


    While the North Sea was said to be more open-minded whenpared to the Central ins, a Pce Master with a daughter who didn¡¯t even know who her father was was subject to much greater moral criticism.


    Ah Hee was actually suppressing most of the ¡°unstable elements¡± that threatened her authority as the Pce Master with her Absolute Stage cultivation. However, the fact remained that many people were still disappointed in her, even among the Ten Swords of the North Sea itself.


    Three of them had absolute loyalty to Ah Hee, three of them were on the fence, and the remaining four were disappointed in the fact that Ah Hee, whom they had thought was chaste and pure, had an illegitimate child out of nowhere. Their expression when looking at Yeo-Seol was quite ominous. It was only because Woo-Moon was by her side that they didn¡¯t do or say anything.


    That didn¡¯t mean that Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t realized that their expressions when looking at Yeo-Seol were filled with subtle contempt.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll have to take care of that sometime,¡¯</i> Woo-Moon thought before turning to leave.


    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Yeo-Seol was the sessor to the North Sea Ice Pce.


    Although she had not been named the official sessor due to her status as an illegitimate child, she was still the daughter of the Otherworldly Ice Fairy and had won the Marriage of the Snow Flowers with the Paragon Woo-Moon.


    So, there was no denying that she was the most likely sessor among the disciples.


    Moreover, Woo-Moon was Yeo-Seol¡¯s husband. Even if he couldn¡¯t demand the Ten Swords¡¯ loyalty, he was still in a position to give orders to them.


    <i>¡®Still, what a relief. At least there aren¡¯t any of Martial Heaven¡¯s spies among the Ten Swords of the North Sea or Ma-Ra¡¯s assassin guards.¡¯</i>


    Every force¡¯s cultivation methods and techniques had their own unique auras.


    That was the same for Martial Heaven, too.


    Moreover, due to Woo-Moon¡¯s deep grudge against them, he paid particr attention to these things. He could easily determine if a person had learned their techniques just by looking at them.


    There was still a chance that some of the spies Martial Heaven had nted into each sect who had not learned Martial Heaven¡¯s techniques and only learned the techniques of the sects they were dispatched to. In that case, Woo-Moon wouldn¡¯t be able to tell them apart based on aura alone.


    That was why Woo-Moon had continuously observed the behavior of the twenty-two subordinates, intending to question them immediately if there was any strange behavior.


    Thankfully, none of them behaved strangely in any way, leaving Woo-Moon relieved.


    At first, he had been quite hesitant about letting them meet Princess Namar and her party. However, when he thought more about it, he realized he didn¡¯t need to be too stressed about it.


    It wasn¡¯t as if Martial Heaven didn¡¯t know about their existence, anyway. The only important part was where their base was hidden. Because Princess Namar and the others moved their base once a year, Woo-Moon was okay with the Ten Swords and the Twelve Assassins meeting them. He nned on staying together with them for more than a year anyway.


    Thus, twelve people moved in the open and followed the three beauties, while thirteen secretly chased them in the darkness.


    ***


    All of the Heaven ying Alliance martial artists were gathered in one ce, a total of two hundred and twenty-two people.


    This was the actual strength of the Heaven ying Alliance, excluding the family members who hadn¡¯t learned martial arts.


    There had originally been around three hundred, but more than half of their members had lost their lives in the attack a few days ago.


    Su Ran stopped and then turned to Woo-Moon.


    While Woo-Moon and his party were trying to figure out what was going on, the two hundred martial artists of the Heaven ying Alliance who had been standing behind Su Ran, Hye-Rim, and Princess Namar all knelt before Woo-Moon.


    The Ten Swords of the North Sea and Yeo-Seol looked surprised, while Woo-Moon looked calm as if he knew this was going to happen.


    Of the three women, Hye-Rim also knelt.


    ¡°The Northern Mount Heng Sect was destroyed three hundred years ago. While it may not have been able to maintain its position among the Nine Sects and One Gang all the time, it was strong enough that whenever it decided to open its gates once more, it immediately rejoined the Nine Sects and One Gang as the greatest Buddhist Sect.¡±


    Woo-Moon had heard of the Northern Mount Heng Sect from his grandfather.


    While the Emei Sect was the only and most famous Buddhist nun sect, the Northern Mount Heng Sect had once been on par with it.


    However, they were destroyed when the Heavenly Demon Cult massacred the abbess and all of the disciples before burning down their main temple.


    ¡°Martial Heaven existed back then, too, and they were just as evil as they are now. At that time, the Abbess had learned of Martial Heaven¡¯s existence through years of tracking. After telling her senior disciple sisters, she had nned to announce the results of the investigation at the Great Murim Gathering. However, Martial Heaven mobilized some of their members who had learned the martial arts of the Heavenly Demon Cult and reduced the sect to ashes in one night. Only four survived the disaster and eventually sacrificed their lives so that Martial Heaven could eventually be destroyed and Northern Mount Heng rebuilt. That was the mission of their disciples and their disciples¡¯ disciples, too.¡±


    Although four nuns had survived, none of them were in any shape to do anything. They had barely escaped with their lives, and they were permanently crippled in the aftermath.


    The four of thembined their knowledge to create a martial heritage and took on disciples, their lineage eventually reaching Hye-Rim.


    The next one to kneel was Su Ran.


    ¡°My grandfather was an official of the court. The mistake my grandfather made was very minor: he happened to run across his superior, Yoo Ji-Cheong, a schr of the institute, talking to someone. That was all. Then, my family was suddenly used of treason, and I was only saved from the fate of bing a courtesan with the help of the previous Heaven ying Alliance Leader. Eventually, I learned that it had all been the actions of Martial Heaven.¡±


    Finally, Princess Namar knelt on one knee as well.


    ¡°When we established the Yuan Empire, we acquired the various martial arts and imperial cultivation methods that the Song Imperial Family had kept until then. Even though our empire declined and we were driven back to the north, my family actually managed to protect the entire martial heritage. However, one day, we were attacked. Not only the imperial family¡¯s martial arts but also our nation¡¯s traditional martial arts secrets were all stolen. Moreover, my family, the direct descendants of the Yuan Imperial Family, were all massacred. All except for me. And all of my people still think that it was the work of the White Lotus Cult.¡±


    The imperial pce had powerful cultivation methods andbat techniques, just like the sects of the <i>murim.</i> After all, while a great number of troops was necessary, having high-level martial artists was also imperative.


    1. In case you¡¯re wondering what¡¯s with all the Left and Right titles: thesee from the Qin Dynasty, but they were used in Korea and Japan as well. The Ministers of the Left and Right were practically both prime ministers, the highest positions in the court as they sat to the left and right respectively closest to the emperor. Priority in the seniority hierarchy was given to the Left as it was per custom on the eastern side and the east was associated with the sun and therefore the emperor himself; however, this was just on paper, and practically they had equal power. The same holds true for the Generals of the Left and Right of the Han Dynasty, and other simr titles. ?

 Chapter 195. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (16)

    <h4>Chapter 195. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (16)</h4>


    The unwritten rule in the <i>murim</i> was that the imperial government and the <i>murim</i> forces would not interfere with one another.


    Yet while the rule was generally well observed in times of peace, things were different during eras of chaos.


    Most of the famous generals in history were masters of martial arts. Some were already masters when the chaotic era began, and they were either enticed to take office under the emperor or they fought alongside the imperial armies for one reason or another. Others were raised cultivating martial arts from within the imperial government from the beginning.


    For instance, Emperor Taizu of Ming, Zhu Yuanzhang, had also been an expert of martial arts.[1]


    Not only was he himself Peak ss, but he had several Absolute Masters under hismand.


    In any case, the imperial arts of the Song Dynasty, a dynasty with a long and rich history, as well as the secrets of the imperial government of the Yuan Dynasty and the northern tribes, were guaranteed to be excellent as well.


    <i>¡®Martial Heaven¡¯s greed must have been overflowing.¡¯</i>


    Princess Namar continued.


    ¡°I was only able to keep my life due to the help of the recently passed Heaven ying Alliance Leader. It was only then that I learned that it hadn¡¯t been the White Lotus Cult that had raided, robbed, and killed my family, but Martial Heaven. After discovering that, I couldn¡¯t just return to the north. I had to get revenge, revenge against Martial Heaven.¡±


    After saying this, Princess Namar bowed her head.


    ¡°I, Princess Namar, swear allegiance to you. Please be the leader of the Heaven ying Alliance. Lead us and fight against Martial Heaven!¡±


    When Princess Namar shouted, everyone else bowed their heads and shouted in unison.


    ¡°We swear allegiance. Please be our Alliance Leader!¡±


    Considering Woo-Moon was the Gate Master of the Western Nihility Gate and a Paragon, it was no wonder they wanted him to be their leader as well.


    Moreover, it wasn¡¯t a bad deal for Woo-Moon either, considering they would be of great help in defeating their mutual enemy, Martial Heaven.


    ¡°Fine. But, I have one condition.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Once the fight against Martial Heaven is over, that is, once Martial Heaven is defeated, I will immediately step down.¡±


    Everyone in the Heaven ying Alliance were people who had dedicated their lives to overthrowing Martial Heaven. They all couldn¡¯t care less about what happened after as long as Woo-Moon was willing to lead them until the moment Martial Heaven was destroyed.


    ¡°We swear allegiance to the Alliance Leader!¡±


    ***


    A littleter.


    Woo-Moon got together with his new advisor, Su Ran, and the two other key figures of the alliance, Princess Namar and Hye-Rim, to discuss the future course of action.


    ¡°There used to be three Absolute Masters in our Heaven ying Alliance.¡±


    Considering that the Heaven ying Alliance only used to have less than three hundred members, the percentage of Absolute Masters was actually quite high.


    Of course, it was still an absurdly small numberpared to Martial Heaven.


    ¡°So, three... If one was the previous leader, who are the other two?¡±


    ¡°My and Hye-Rim¡¯s masters, the Left and Right Teachers, my lord,¡± Princess Namar answered.


    She no longer used informalnguage but instead addressed Woo-Moon with respect.


    ¡°Then where are the Left and Right Teachers?¡±


    ¡°I will answer that question, my lord.¡±


    Woo-Moon looked over at Su Ran.


    ¡°We¡¯ve discovered a force that appears to be a subordinate force of Martial Heaven in Yunnan Province. They are currently operating there.¡±


    The Heaven ying Alliance Leader and the Left and Right Teachers.


    Excluding these three, the most powerful figures were Hye-Rim, Princess Namar, and Su Ran.


    Princess Namar and Hye-Rim were Transcendents, while Su Ran was the advisor in charge of all Heaven ying Alliance activities.


    Woo-Moon continued to listen to Su Ran¡¯s exnation of the Heaven ying Alliance¡¯s organization and its current activities. Even if she wasn¡¯t going into incredible detail, this was something he absolutely had to know as the new alliance leader.


    ¡°By the way.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Su Ran turned to Woo-Moon when he suddenly cut her off.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re taking care of everything, there¡¯s nothing I really <i>have</i> to do, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯llpletely step away from managing the organization so that you will be taking care of everything else.¡±


    ¡°Is that really okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll just go out and fight when needed.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Su Ran also found it much easier this way. After all, she was far beyond Woo-Moon in terms of organizational and strategic knowledge, and she was sure to make the best decisions.


    Furthermore, it was also a suitable arrangement for Woo-Moon, as he wouldn¡¯t have to neglect his training to manage the organization.


    At the end of the day, the most important thing in the <i>murim</i> was one¡¯s own strength. No matter how great or intelligently run an organization was, an absolute difference in strength could not be ovee.


    As another day passed and the Heaven ying Alliance finally settled into a new location, Woo-Moon stayed for a few more days to help them build shelter and do various other necessary work.


    At that time, one of the people in charge of intelligence gathering for the Heaven ying Alliance, who had left thepound to get some news, suddenly came running over, out of breath.


    ¡°Alliance Leader, Alliance Leader!¡±


    Woo-Moon, who was building a cabin by controlling twenty logs simultaneously, looked over.


    ¡°They say... the Iron Sword Baek... the Family... was attacked by devils covered in blood. Most likely, it¡¯s the doing of Martial Heaven.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s face turned pale.


    ***


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Where the hell did these guyse from?!¡±


    The Baek Invincible Forged Squadron and the Song Family guards had quickly left the battlefield and returned to the Baek Family Estate after helping Woo-Moon.


    The day they had returned, as they were recovering from the hardships of travel, they were paid a visit they neither expected nor desired.


    The red-clothed evil devils!


    There were eleven of them, an Absolute Master and ten Transcendents.


    While there were only a few of them, each of their individual skills was incredibly outstanding. That,bined with their sudden attack, left the Baek Family in disarray.


    As soon as they barged in, they scattered in all directions and began ughtering everyone, including the children, elderly, and servants who didn¡¯t know martial arts.


    Their techniques were so cruel and bizarre that even Baek Family martial artists of the same level couldn¡¯t respond properly and were ughtered.


    In minutes, the entire Baek Family Estate was covered in blood.


    The Baek Invincible Forged Squadron was the elite of the Baek Family. There were six Transcendents among them. That level of strength was almost unheard of for a single Ancient Family.


    However, there were ten of these Blood Devils. Moreover, it was as if they could read each other¡¯s minds; they would always intervene whenever one of their fellows was in trouble.


    ¡°Glug... glug...!¡±


    A Blood Devil slit the throat of a maid who looked to be in her mid-thirties and burst into a roar as the hot blood pouring out sttered over it.


    ¡°Kehahahaha!!¡±


    Sparks seemed to fly from the eyes of the Baek Invincible Forged Squadron as they watched the maid die.


    ¡°You fucking beasts!¡± one of them shouted as they rushed at the Blood Devil. However, five other Blood Devils blocked their path and wouldn¡¯t let them advance.


    If they were to just go by the numbers, there would be six Transcendents in the Baek Invincible Forged Squadron, and only five Blood Devils in front of them. The Baek Invincible Forged Squadron should have had the advantage.


    In reality, that wasn¡¯t the case.


    Each of the Blood Devils had reached the apex of the Transcendent Realm, and each of their individual techniques was so cruel and bizarre that the Baek Family warriors had a difficult time adapting.


    Moreover, none of the Peak ss martial artists of the Baek Family were of much help either.


    This was because the Blood Devils used formations, working in pairs or in threes, to fight together. The Baek Invincible Forged Squadron warriors under the Transcendent realm were unable even tond a blow on them and instead died one by one to the Blood Devils¡¯ counterattacks.


    While the five bloodthirsty Blood Devils faced the Baek Invincible Forged Squadron, the rest scattered in all directions and continued their frenzied ughter.


    Their cruelty was truly indescribable.


    Those whom Woo-Moon had greeted every morning, those whom he had talked to whenever he passed them, died one by one.


    The younger generation talents of Woo-Moon¡¯s age, the future of the Baek Family, fought valiantly. And for all their efforts, they were in one by one.


    Tears welled up in the Baek Invincible Forged Squadron warriors¡¯ eyes.


    They weren¡¯t tears of fear or physical pain.


    They were tears of regret, frustration, and rage at being forced to watch their family butchered in front of their eyes.


    They were tears of regret, frustration, and rage over not being able to do anything.


    One of the Blood Devils who had been wandering around happened to discover the Baek Family¡¯s prison.


    ¡°Huh? Hehe!¡±


    It entered, assuming that there would be guards and inmates inside the prison.


    The Blood Devil screamed and ran into the prison at the thought of being able to catch those who couldn¡¯t resist and tear through their flesh and taste their blood.


    The two martial artists of the Baek Family who had been guarding the prison bravely stepped forward and swung their swords, but the Blood Devil dodged them with a strangeugh, leaning over as if he was falling and stretching out both hands.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    In a fraction of a second the Blood Devil¡¯s hands pierced the two martial artists¡¯ throats.


    ¡°Kihaat! This feeling is the best!¡±


    After relishing in the blood spurting on his face, the Blood Devil began to brutally kill the prisoners who had once caused trouble near the estate, one by one.


    At that moment, just one floor below, the cold voice of a middle-aged woman echoed from one of the prisons where the most dangerous criminals were imprisoned.


    ¡°Are you really just going to sit here and wait for your death?¡± said the middle-aged woman¡ªBaek Ju-Ryeong.


    The warden of the basement prison felt cold sweat crawling down his back.


    ¡°B-but...¡±


    Baek Mu-Geon¡¯s mission was to guard his cousins, Ju-Ryeong and Hye-Ryeong, along with their husbands and their sons, and make sure they wouldn¡¯t run away.


    Having to see his cousins, whom he had always been terrified of, every day was too much of a pain. To think that he was now


    He could feel the Blood Devil walking closer and closer to the stairs leading to the lower floor, killing the prisoners above one by one.


    Hye-Ryeong, who had been quietly sitting with closed eyes, suddenly looked at him and shouted.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, open it quickly!¡±


    Baek Mu-Geon had been terrified of Hye-Ryeong more than anyone else since he was young. Eventually, he took the key and opened all of their doors.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t let you noonims die in vain like this. That¡¯s why I¡¯m letting you out.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you pathetic bastard,¡± Hye-Ryeong said as she snatched the iron sword from Baek Mu-Geon¡¯s waist without hesitation.


    Then, she frowned.


    ¡°You stupid brat! How could you ck off this badly? You¡¯re a guard, and you couldn¡¯t even take care of your sword properly. Just what the hell is this?¡±


    Baek Mu-Geon¡¯s sword had rust spots and was chipped here and there.


    Baek Mu-Geon¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment as he was scolded by Baek Hye-Ryeong just like in his younger days.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I had any talent at fighting...¡±


    ¡°Right, and that¡¯s something to be bragging about, you idiot.¡±


    Snorting coldly, Hye-Ryeong slowly moved the sword in her right hand, twisting her wrist here and there and loosening up her stiff joints.


    Finally, the door to the lower floor opened.


    The Blood Devilughed with a bloody face when he saw Hye-Ryeong standing in front of him.


    ¡°Hahaha! You look like fun!¡±


    The Blood Devil hadn¡¯t drawn his sword the entire time he was in prison. But this time, it was different; he immediately unsheathed his sword before attacking her.


    The Blood Devil¡¯s sword whipped about sharply.


    Just on its movement alone, it seemed eerily simr to Woo-Moon¡¯s Raging Wind.


    The Blood Devil¡¯s sword moved in such a way that it deviatedpletely from how a sword was known to move throughout the <i>murim</i>.


    His de bent at such an angle that it was nearly impossible for someone to predict.


    That was why Hye-Ryeong also had a hard time with it at first.


    But as she slowly deciphered the Blood Devil¡¯s sword technique thanks to her own understanding of the Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword, her sword techniques slowly changed.


    She swung her sword.


    It wasn¡¯t the Baek Family¡¯s foundational sword technique¡ªthe Iron Blood Merciless Sword, the next stage following the Thirteen Stances of the Iron Sword¡ªbut a simple swing with no particr form or intent, as if she¡¯d just happened to drop her sword rather than intentionally swinging it.


    Ju-Ryeong, who was watching from behind, let out a soft sigh. ¡°The Formless Sword!¡±[2]


    <i>ng! ng, ng!!!</i>


    At first, she could only counter the Blood Devil¡¯s sword just before it cut her flesh. However, as time passed, the sound of the swords shing grew shorter as she drew closer and closer to the Blood Devil.


    ¡°Kyak!!¡±


    The Blood Devil, flustered and irritated, shouted and used his sword technique faster and more irregrly. However, Hye-Ryeong simply blocked all of his attacks.


    In spite of her cold expression, her eyes were shining.


    1. The founder of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Taizu of Ming, was the one to end the Yuan Dynasty of the Mongols and drive them back into the northern Mongolian ins. ?


    2. This is a reference to<i> The Smiling, Proud Wanderer</i> by Jin Yong. The original is ŸoÕЄ¦·¨, where „¦·¨ is what we usually trante as ¡°sword art¡± while ŸoÕÐ means in this context ¡°without a move¡± (ÕÐ here is ¡°move¡± as in a chess move or a punch in boxing). In Jin Yong¡¯s book, one character exins to another that mastering the essence of fighting means reaching the point where one can abandon all forms and techniques and simply act naturally. ?

 Chapter 196. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (17)

    <h4>Chapter 196. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (17)</h4>


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Soon, Hye-Ryeong¡¯s sword pierced the Blood Devil¡¯s heart.


    ¡°This is the Iron Sword Baek Family¡¯s sword.¡±


    The Blood Devil¡¯s eyes flew open as he fell to the ground.


    Immediately, Do Mu-Sang, who had been hiding to attack at any moment, appeared.


    ¡°Dear, your cultivation has improved. Have you... broken through that wall?¡±


    Before Woo-Moon and his grandfather returned to the family, the Baek Family¡¯s strongest expert was a woman¡ªnone other than Hye-Ryeong. She was at the very peak of the Transcendent realm, only a single step from the Absolute realm, and yet that single step had been impossible to take for many years now.


    Hye-Ryeong smiled bitterly at her husband¡¯s question.


    ¡°As if it was that easy. I was able to glimpse over that wall during this time in prison, but as for breaking through... who knows if I¡¯ll be able to do it in my lifetime?¡±


    Ju-Ryeong picked up the Blood Devil¡¯s sword and held it tight. ¡°Unnie, congrattions on reaching the Absolute realm.¡±


    ¡°Mother, congrattions on reaching the Absolute realm!¡±


    ¡°How could you congratte me on reaching the Absolute realm when I could barely see it? Don¡¯t be like that. I¡¯ll get embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go now, dear. We¡¯ve been in here for too long,¡± Do Mu-Sang said.


    ¡°Yes, we should.¡±


    Led by Ju-Ryeong, the group walked out of the prison.


    Squinting for a moment due to the bright sunlight, Ju-Ryeong arrived above ground just in time to meet face to face with Ye-Ye and the other elders for the first time in a while.


    Ye-Ye, who had been the first to react and move to block the attack of the Blood Devils, had lost to the Blood Devils¡¯ strange techniques and had been forced to fall back with internal injuries.


    Ju-Ryeong smiled coldly.


    ¡°You¡¯re a littlete,¡± she said.


    Baek Ye-Ye looked at Ju-Ryeong with a face filled withplex emotions, then bowed her head slightly.


    ¡°Still, I¡¯m d to see you¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re definitely better than your father. No, you are truly a great talent.¡±


    Right as Ye-Ye was about to respond, Ju-Ryeong stopped her.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go back in once this is over.¡±


    As Ju-Ryeong walked away, Ye-Ye felt a strange sense of defeat. At the same time, a sense of relief washed over her.


    When Ju-Ryeong and the others emerged from the prison, the Baek Family was aplete mess.


    Blood was sttered everywhere, and the small group of Blood Devils were freely moving around andmitting massacres.


    While the Baek Family martial artists were all furious and rushed to fight the Blood Devils in front of them, they only added to the casualties.


    Seeing her family members in that sorry state, Hye-Ryeong¡¯s face distorted.


    ¡°You pathetic bastards! What are you doing?! Gather in one ce as a unit, and flee no matter what if you encounter the enemy with less than ten people!¡±


    All the Baek Family members were startled by the sudden sound of Hye-Ryeong¡¯s voice. However, the years of respecting her orders to the letter were truly well ingrained in their flesh and bones. They immediately reacted as if she had never been imprisoned.


    ¡°Lion Fang Squadron Captain! Move toward the left and then head to the rear!¡±


    ¡°Iron Sword Ferocious Strike Battalion! Have you forgotten what the words ¡°Ferocious Strike¡± mean?! Stop acting like fools and attack the enemy directly in front of you! Eagle Talon Squadron, climb the pavilion next to you and shoot them with your bows!¡±


    Hye-Ryeong¡¯s mouth issued orders without pause.


    As shemanded, her husband, Do Mu-Sang, and the other members of her immediate family went to get weapons that they could use.


    ¡°All of you, stop using your sword techniques! Just watch your opponents¡¯ des and use your sword ordingly! Focus only on speed, not power!¡±


    No one among the Baek Family had uncovered theplexities of the Blood Devils¡¯ sword technique yet.


    Moreover, none of them could use the Formless Sword like Hye-Ryeong, either.


    However, Hye-Ryeong still ordered them to abandon their sword techniques.


    Since the sword style of the Blood Devils was a perfect counter to their own, if they were to use their normal techniques andbinations, they would likely get caught up in the opponents¡¯ unpredictable attacks and grow even more flustered.


    Even if they didn¡¯t understand the sword technique, it would still be easier to just react after simply watching the Blood Devil¡¯s movements than to try to counter with the rigidity of the more powerful sword techniques they had learned.


    Hye-Ryeong¡¯s judgment was correct.


    At first, they had a harder timepared to when they were using their sword techniques. However, as time passed, they gradually began to counter the Blood Devils¡¯ attacks.


    However, even if they knew how to deal with their opponent¡¯s sword techniques, the Blood Devils¡¯ cultivations were still far higher. So, even with their newfound knowledge, they still continued to suffer damage.


    Ju-Ryeong signaled to her group to decide where each of them should go as she herself flew forward to attack the devils.


    Ju-Ryeong, Hye-Ryeong, Do Mu-Sang, Jeon Yun-Seong.


    All four of them were Transcendents.


    If they hadn¡¯tmitted such evil deeds and had been imprisoned, they would have been able to stop the demons without much damage. The fact that their most powerful members were imprisoned was why the Baek Family had suffered so much at the hands of just ten Blood Devils.


    After a little more time had passed, all the devils except for one had been eliminated.


    Thest remaining devil, one who had been fighting ten elders simultaneously, suddenly leaped upward, kicked the eaves of a pavilion, and flickered into existence in front of Hye-Ryeong.


    <i>¡®An Absolute Master!¡¯</i>


    Hye-Ryeong¡¯s body stiffened with tension, her brain spinning at high speed.


    How many of the Transcendents in the Baek Family could make a move at the moment? Was the opponent one who had only just broken into the Absolute realm, or was he a full-fledged master at the peak of the realm?


    Although she had taken down many of the Blood Devils, she hadn¡¯t even realized that one of them was an Absolute Master.


    That was how thoroughly the opponent had hidden himself.


    Augh escaped the mouth of the vice blood demon of the opposing Blood Devils, the Left Devil.


    ¡°Hehehe. I only came to say hello today, so I guess I can¡¯t y as much as I please.¡±


    Hye-Ryeong fully focused on him, unable to move even a single fingertip.


    If she wasn¡¯t careful, the Baek Family could be finished right here and now!


    Do Mu-Sang, who saw her crisis from a little distance away, kicked the ground with both feet and spun his spear, flying forward like a ballista bolt.


    ¡°Dear, let me take him, move back!¡±


    Do Mu-Sang was the current Sect Master of the Cyclic Spear Gate, a martial sect that only ever had a single master and disciple at one time!


    The Vortex Spear he unleashed to save his beloved wife spun toward the Left Devil like a fierce whirlwind.


    ¡°The husband of the heroine. Keke, you should be enough for a greeting.¡±


    The Left Devil¡¯s empty gaze shed with murderous intent.


    Suddenly, chills rushed down Hye-Ryeong¡¯s spine.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Blood... show me your blood! Keuhaha!¡±


    With a smirk, the Blood Devil moved his sword once, generating a bloody sword st that shattered the vortex. Then, countless lines of blood seemed to be drawn all over Do Mu-Sang¡¯s body as thousands of strands of sword qi exploded outward.


    Do Mu-Sang looked at Hye-Ryeong.


    ¡°Dear... ¡°


    With this final word, he began to fall apart into chunks of flesh, starting from his feet all the way up to his mouth.


    His body turned into thousands of pieces of flesh and blood that simply dropped to the ground.


    ¡°FATHER!!¡±


    The guttural scream of a young man echoed through the air, and tears flowed from the eyes of Hye-Ryeong¡ªsomeone famous for being cold and emotionless¡ªas venom and thirst for vengeance filled every corner of her body and soul.


    ¡°YOU DEMON!¡±


    Her qi exploded as she bolted forward. However, the Left Devil let out a strange roar and used his movement art to flee.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in an hour to kill you all. Make sure you struggle! Run away if you can! Hahahaha!¡±


    Hye-Ryeong knew she couldn¡¯t chase after the Left Devil as she hadn¡¯t reached the Absolute realm yet. Eventually, she stopped, even tripping Do-Gun as he was trying to run past her.


    <i>Thud, thud, thud!</i>


    Do-Gun rolled on the ground. With bloodshot eyes, Do-Gun suddenly stood up and red at Hye-Ryeong.


    ¡°Why are you stopping me, Mother?! We have to go after that beast to avenge Father!¡±


    <i>Smack!</i>


    Hye-Ryeong pped Do-Gun on the cheek, her face red with anger.


    ¡°First, we have to think of a way for the Baek Family to avoid destruction! How do you think a brat like you can win against an opponent that killed your father like he was nothing?! Are you nning to end the lineage of the Cyclic Spear Gate, which was everything to your father, with you?¡±


    Tears finally began to drip from Do-Gun¡¯s eyes as he clenched his teeth.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mother.¡±


    Passing by Do-Gun, who was bowing his head, Hye-Ryeong went to where her younger sister, brother-inw, and nephew were carefully picking up the pieces of flesh. Do Mu-Sang had been cut to pieces while he was in motion, so the bits were scattered everywhere. It was a gruesome task.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Blood flowed from between Hye-Ryeong¡¯s teeth.


    ¡°Leave him. The more urgent thing is to find a way to save ourselves right now.¡±


    She called out to Ye-Ye, who was standing far away with a dark expression.


    ¡°Right now, we need to select four of our fastest warriors and send them out in all four directions.¡±


    Ye-Ye immediately understood Hye-Ryeong¡¯s intentions.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ye-Ye immediately turned around and gave orders for four warriors to run as far as they could using their movement arts in the four cardinal directions and escape the city. However, Ye-Ye and Hye-Ryeong, who were standing on the highest pavilion in the Baek Family and watching them leave, soon narrowed their eyes, their expressions hardening in a stone-like mask. The scouts were all turned to bits of flesh and bone before they could even leave Hefei.


    They could have at least hidden themselves among the crowd and escaped if there were people walking around Hefei, but for some reason, no matter whatmotion the enemy made, there were absolutely no people on the streets.


    Considering all this, the imperial government definitely should have stepped in. However, the imperial government was silent.


    The enemy had spread its.


    Most of the Baek Family nned to stay in their ancestral home and fight to the very end, while some were ordered to escape to prevent the lineage of the Baek Family from being severed. Yet now, it seemed neither path had anything at the end but death.


    Half an hour passed as they debated their options.


    ¡°D-damn it. What should we do?¡± Dok-Du said.


    However, no one responded to him.


    The Song Family guards, including Ah Sam and Seol Jae-Hwa, silently cleaned their weapons.


    Gwang Ryeok-Gwi and Rat were shivering under their nkets in fear. Dok-Du was just as terrified. Even now, thinking about the Blood Devils he had seen earlier made his stomach turn.


    Just how did they kill the powerful warriors of the Baek Family like they were a joke and even relish in their blood?!


    ¡°Damn it! I should have run away a long time ago. I should have!¡±


    They should have run away after Woo-Moon died. However, they had adapted to being warm and well-fed all the time while even being allowed to learn martial arts from the Baek Family. Naturally, they continued to make excuses and stay around, and now they were about to suffer for it.


    ¡°Rat, you bastard. I told you we had to run away!¡±


    ¡°W-who could have expected this, hyungnim? How could we have ever expected people to attack the Baek Family like this?¡± Rat replied, trembling.


    The anxious Dok-Du chewed his fingernails.


    However, no matter how he thought about it, there was just no way for them to escape.


    He¡¯d watched everything that just happened from a secret spot. Warriors with higher cultivations than he had run away in four different directions and then in sixteen different directions only to copse to the ground, spewing blood.


    <i>¡®If we¡¯re going to die anyway...!¡¯</i>


    Suddenly, Dok-Du flung open the door and ran outside, entering the room of the servants in front of him. Then, he went to a servant he had his eyes on, watching for some time, and confessed.


    ¡°We¡¯re all going to die anyway! So, why don¡¯t we sleep together just this once so we don¡¯t have any regrets? Since we¡¯re going to die anyway, why don¡¯t we enjoy ourselves before we die?! I like you! What do you think?¡±


    As the terrified servants looked at Dok-Du with bewildered gazes, a person suddenly appeared behind Dok-Du like a ghost and smacked him upside the head.


    ¡°You little brat, you haven¡¯t changed at all. It seems I haven¡¯t beaten you enough. My apologies. I will fix that soon.¡±


    The moment he heard the voice, Dok-Du felt a shiver down his spine, as if lightning was piercing through him from his head to his feet.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s impossible! The Devil King?¡¯</i>


    Dok-Du turned back with a pounding heart.


    However, there was no one there.


    <i>¡®What the hell was that? W-was... was that a ghost?¡¯</i>


    He was horrified to think that the brat who had tormented him so much was following him even in death.


    There was less than half an hour left.


    The Left Devil¡¯s deadline matched sundown.


    Ye-Ye finally let out a gloomy sigh and lowered her head as she watched the sky slowly slip into twilight. Then, as she raised her head to look at the falling sun, Ye-Ye suddenly saw a person floating in the air.


    ¡°He... hey... what the...!¡±

 Chapter 197. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (18)

    <h4>Chapter 197. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (18)</h4>


    As Ye-Ye nked out, stuttering as she stared in one direction like a crazy person, Hye-Ryeong turned and red at whatever it was Ye-Ye was looking at.


    Then, her eyes opened so widely it seemed as though they would tear apart.


    ¡°You!"


    They weren¡¯t the only ones who reacted in this manner. Ju-Ryeong, Jeong Yun-Seong, and Heon-Won were all shocked.


    Under their gazes, Woo-Moon stopped in mid-air and looked around at the miserable Baek Family.


    Anger welled up in his heart.


    <i>¡®One, two, three...¡¯</i>


    Just the bodies he could see numbered a staggering two hundred. In reality, two or even three times as many people must have died.


    He wasn¡¯t just saddened and enraged by the deaths of those who bore the Baek surname and were rted to him by blood.


    As the son of an innkeeper, he had been close with the servants and maids when he lived in the Baek Family Estate. How could he not be enraged by their unjust deaths? No... regardless of whether they were close or not, the fact that innocent people who had never learned martial arts had died at the hands of martial artists made him so angry he couldn¡¯t bear it.


    <i>¡®Martial Heaven. Your reason for existence was to transcend sects and perfect martial arts, right? Bullshit. All I can see is a bunch of lunatics obsessed with cultivating. If you really gathered together for such a pure purpose, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange for you to have be so warped and twisted?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon took the time to look at each of the victims, one by one.


    Although it was a horrifying sight and there was no logical reason for anyone to suffer through it, Woo-Moon never turned his eyes away.


    He swore to himself, <i>¡®Martial Heaven will be destroyed! I will raze it to the ground!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon floated in the sky, the breeze making his clothes flutter.


    It was like a painting, a scene of an immortal descending from heaven that a martial artist would only see in their dreams.


    Hye-Ryeong, who was staring at Woo-Moon with nk eyes, felt dizzy and staggered. A hollowugh flowed out of her mouth.


    ¡°Hahaha. Haha. So you¡¯ve surpassed the Absolute realm, then. You¡¯re what, thirty? No,not even thirty yet. The Absolute realm, the wall that stopped me for so many years... you¡¯re saying you¡¯ve not only broken through but gone past it altogether?"


    Although it was a shock to her system, the psychological impact wasn¡¯t as bad as she would have expected.


    Everyone around looked at Woo-Moon with eyes of disbelief. Some of them looked at him as if he were a ghost, then realized that it was actually him after hearing Hye-Ryeong speak.


    Ye-Ye, who was momentarily shocked into silence, suddenly burst into tears.


    ¡°Uncle! You¡¯re alive! You didn¡¯t pass away!"


    When Woo-Moon borrowed the power of the Baek Invincible Forged Squadron and Song Family guards to attack the Cruel Sandstorm Riders¡ªin fact, the Song Family guards were called more so that they could umte experience than in order to help him¡ªhe had strictly warned them not to let people know that he was alive. That was why even Ye-Ye hadn¡¯t been aware that Woo-Moon was alive.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, so you don¡¯t have to run away anymore. Just clean up this ce. I¡¯ll be back soon," Woo-Moon said to Ye-Ye.


    As he finished speaking, his figure suddenly disappeared. No one, not even Hye-Ryeong, was able to see his movements.


    Baek Heon-Won muttered to himself, ¡°I didn¡¯t just see a ghost or something, did I...?"


    Standing next to him, Ju-Ryeong shook her head.


    ¡°No, I saw him too. That definitely wasn¡¯t a hallucination. He really didn¡¯t die..."


    ¡°To think he can use the Void-Conquering Path... has he reached the Paragon Stage?" Jeon Yoon-Seong said pitifully.


    At that moment, Hye-Ryeong suddenly stood up.


    ¡°Regardless, it¡¯s all over now. Start cleaning up like he said."


    Woo-Moon used the excellent eyesight of a Paragon with the tracking technique he had learned from Ma-Ra to track the Blood Devils.


    It didn¡¯t take long.


    The Blood Devils had gathered at a shabby manor and were just about to leave.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time for the Baek Family to perish," Mu Hu said.


    On top of the twenty Blood Devils surrounding the Baek Family Estate, there were twenty more Blood Devils gathered in the area.


    Left Devil and Right Devil were both present, and so was their master, Mu Hu.


    Right Devil was delighted by Mu Hu¡¯s words.


    ¡°Keuk-ka-kat! Let¡¯s go see blood!¡±


    At that moment, Woo-Moon¡¯s voice rang out above them.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for you to go anywhere," he said in a soft voice.


    Woo-Moon had no intention of talking for long.


    The fingers of his left hand extended, and thirty strands of wless Finger aura shot toward the Blood Devils. From Golden Dragon in his right hand, golden sword aura flew in a long arc.


    <i>Thwip!</i>


    In his single attack, thirteen of the Blood Devils lost their lives without even being able to react.


    Usually, it took seven or eight Transcendents to fight an Absolute Master. Simrly, it took seven or eight Absolute Masters to match a Paragon.


    Thus, mathematically speaking, a group of Transcendents ought to be able to fight a Paragon as long as they numbered about fifty or sixty.


    However, mathematics could never take into ount all the variables, and in this case, the numbers didn¡¯t add up at all.


    A Paragon could butcher a hundred or so Transcendents like chickens. The gap between the two levels was sorge that it simply couldn¡¯t be made up in numbers.


    Mu Hu gave a bitterugh.


    ¡°So you¡¯re that brat Song Woo-Moon or whatever. Here, let me see how much you¡¯ve grown."


    A blood-colored aura flowed out from both of her palms, forming a whip.


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    The Blood Whip Aura swung through the air and struck the air where Woo-Moon was floating. However, Woo-Moon had already disappeared by the point she made her move and appeared elsewhere.


    Mu Hu used another Blood Whip Aura to draw a circle in the air.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwack!</i>


    Tens of millions of streaks of bloody dark qi were created from the circle, pouring out endlessly with Woo-Moon as the sole target.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    Woo-Moon quickly used the Imprable Golden Wall to block the dark qi offshoots of the Blood Whip Aura. The moment the dark qi struck the Imprable Golden Wall, the other Blood Whip Aura returned, striking at his back. However, since the Imprable Golden Wall was indeed like a castle wall that covered his entire body, the returning Blood Whip Aura was blocked as well.


    Then, Mu Hu simultaneously controlled both of the Blood Whip Auras and wrapped them around the spherical Imprable Golden Wall, trapping Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®What is she doing?¡¯</i>


    Right Devil, who was watching Mu Hu and Woo-Moon¡¯s fight from below, suddenly shouted.


    ¡°Move out to the Baek Family!¡±


    They knew they couldn¡¯t get involved in Mu Hu¡¯s battle anyway. So, instead of staying still, they wanted to make their move and attack the Baek Family while Woo-Moon was busy.


    However, a white shadow appeared at that moment with a tremendous roar.


    It was only then that they remembered that Woo-Moon had two beings apanying him at all times, one of which was a terrifying beast.


    After passing all of the Blood Devils in a single leap, Eun-Ah swung her front paw at Left Devil.


    Eun-Ah¡¯s ws, which were stronger than even aura des, shed like cold swords.


    <i>ng!!!</i>


    As the Left Devil blocked Eun-Ah¡¯s attack, a loud noise echoed around the area, and a sh of light erupted. Taking advantage of themotion, Ma-Ra suddenly leaped out of Eun-Ah¡¯s shadow and attacked Right Devil.


    ¡°Wha¡ª?!"


    Ma-Ra threw the eight daggers she had grasped between her fingers simultaneously, then proceeded to disy an incredible quickdraw technique.


    As expected, it was an outstanding assassination art!


    Since she was using the techniques of the Death God, techniques that could even threaten a Paragon, Right Devil was quickly forced on the defensive.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Although Right Devil was able to deflect all of the daggers, he failed to properly block Ma-Ra¡¯s sword, and blood spurted out from his right shoulder. However, the attack wasn¡¯t deep enough to damage bone.


    Yet as soon as her sword hit Right Devil¡¯s shoulder, Ma-Ra vanished.


    <i>¡®Where did she go?¡¯</i>


    The moment that thought formed, Right Devil felt a chill down his spine.


    <i>¡®Behind me!¡¯</i>


    He quickly turned around and sent out a spray of sword aura. Unfortunately, Ma-Ra wasn¡¯t there.


    Suddenly, he felt a very faint sensation above his head.


    <i>Swish!!!</i>


    He quickly rolled forward, barely able to avoid another fatal wound. Even so, he was left with a deep gash on his back.


    The fight between Right Devil and Ma-Ra was a clear victory for Ma-Ra!


    On the other hand, the fight between Left Devil and Eun-Ah was an outright brawl. While Left Devil was able to asionallynd a blow while doing his best to dodge Eun-Ah¡¯s fangs and ws, nothing he did was enough to prate Eun-Ah¡¯s hide.


    Then, the other Blood Devils began to attack Eun-Ah and Ma-Ra as a group. However, Eun-Ah and Ma-Ra were the worst opponents they could have been matched with.


    Eun-Ah had a body that a Transcendent couldn¡¯t scratch, while Ma-Ra couldn¡¯t even be <i>seen</i> by a Transcendent unless she purposefully revealed herself.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    These demons who hadpletely demolished the Baek Family with their extraordinarily bewildering techniques had met their natural enemy.


    Meanwhile, Mu Hu further strengthened her Blood Whip Aura as she watched her aurapletely cover Woo-Moon and his Imprable Golden Wall.


    Right as the blood aura darkened and Woo-Moon felt a sense of crisis, the blood aura exploded.


    Since the explosive power was all directed inward, Woo-Moon was barely able to block the st by erecting three separate Imprable Golden Walls an inch apart from each other.


    Right as the fight-ending blow ended, the tragic scene of the Baek Family that he had seen earlier came back to Woo-Moon¡¯s mind once again.


    The qi of the Forbidden Divine Art rose on its own, rushing through his entire body like a raging storm, urging him to let his anger roar.


    ¡°AGH!!!!"


    From Woo-Moon¡¯s Golden Dragon, a golden Raging Wind and Heavy Rain emerged.


    It was truly a spectacr sight.


    Golden aura shining as bright as the sun poured down endlessly like Heavy Rain. However, each of the strands of sword aura had the same momentum as Raging Wind.


    Looking at it, Mu Hu had no choice but to admit she was impressed.


    Woo-Moon was indeed a solid Paragon in every respect, notcking in any waypared to herself.


    Mu Hu sped her hands together,bining the two Blood Whip Auras into one, creating a single, very thick one. Then, she aimed for the very center of the iing Raging Storm, swinging her whip fiercely.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The golden sword aura exploded as it hit the Blood Whip Aura. Made of extremely concentrated andpressed qi, the Blood Whip Aura attracted the golden sword aura like a ma, destroying all of it.


    As that happened, Woo-Moon used Illusive Shift five times in session and quickly approached Mu Hu, while Mu Hu took a whip made of the skin of a Blood Dragon from her waist.


    Of course, Paragons could create whatever weapon they needed using only qi, whether or not they had a medium for channeling that qi. However, when fighting an opponent who waspletely equal in strength, or even stronger, it was best to fight with a physical divine weapon to get as many advantages as possible.


    The fact that she was forced to draw the Blood Dragon Whip was no different from her admitting that she was in a crisis.


    While Raging Storm was a truly powerful technique, Woo-Moon¡¯s attacks didn¡¯t end there.


    <i>¡®You brutish boarlike bastard,¡¯</i> Mu Hu cursed inwardly.


    Woo-Moon unleashed another attack with his eyes gleaming with anger.


    Dragon Bind, Tiger Strike!


    A golden dragon and a golden tiger flew together, trying to strike and bite Mu Hu. Mu Hu was forced to flick her Blood Dragon Whip in endless circles to intimidate the golden tiger before flicking it sideways to collide with the golden dragon.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    A terrifying explosion rang out. However, Woo-Moon¡¯s relentless attacks continued.


    Thanks to the opening he had created using Dragon Bind Tiger Strike, Woo-Moon got close enough to hit Mu Hu with his sword directly and unleashed Northern Blizzard.


    <i>Swish!!!</i>


    Much unlike Woo-Moon¡¯s burning heart, the Lightsh flew coldly and quietly into Mu Hu¡¯s blind spot.


    It wasn¡¯t a strong and destructive attack like before. But for some reason, it brought an even greater chill in Mu Hu¡¯s heart, terrifying her.


    Mu Hu tried to block Northern Blizzard using a palm aura she formed with her free hand while attacking Woo-Moon with the Blood Dragon Whip. However, her split-second decision had been a mistake.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword cleverly rode over the palm aura¡¯s momentum, showcasing a deadly movement like the tongue of a viper.


    A sword technique like Northern Blizzard had to be countered in a single move using a powerful destructive attack that had a wide range. The problem was that Mu Hu didn¡¯t have enough time or space to do so.


    <i>Riiiip!</i>


    She barely managed to dodge the full blow by using Illusive Shift. However, Mu Hu¡¯s chest now bore a deepceration from her left shoulder down to the base of her stomach, and blood gushed out like a river.

 Chapter 198. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (19)

    <h4>Chapter 198. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (19)</h4>


    Attacking a woman¡¯s chest was taboo in the <i>murim.</i>


    However, that was a taboo only adhered to when sparring. After all, it wasn¡¯t an eptable point to insist on in a fight where both parties had their lives on the line to kill the other.


    No, in fact, even saying that attacking a woman¡¯s chest or their lower important features is cowardly was just utter arrogance! Arrogance based the premise that women are weaker than men!


    If a male expert had to fight a female expert of the same stage with such restrictions, how could they ever win?


    That was why there was a saying in the <i>murim</i>: be careful of children, the elderly, and <i>especially </i>women.


    Countless male martial artists died because they looked down on their opponents and thought they could win even while refraining from striking the breasts or genitals, or because they thought themselves some kind of saints.


    In any case, iWoo-Moon didn¡¯t consider the old-looking Mu Hu to be a woman, or anything other than an enemy for that matter. And he most certainly didn¡¯t look down on her just because she was a woman.


    In any case, the moment Woo-Moon¡¯s sword reached Mu Hu¡¯s chest, three palm prints sunk into his back.


    ¡°<i>Ugh!</i>¡±


    Woo-Moon shook slightly.


    As it turned out, Mu Hu was not oonly a master of the whip, and her Nether Reflux Palm was every bit as powerful as Woo-Moon¡¯s own palm techniques.


    As his sword tore through her flesh, he was also hit in the back by a palm emerging from the shadows behind him.


    Both suffered from external and internal injuries.


    However, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t care about the unexpected counter at all. He barely even felt the pain.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you! Most of those you killed were people who never cultivated. And so many children! Isn¡¯t it enough for us martial artists to kill each other? How dare you involve children?!¡±


    Finally letting out all of the words that spun in his mind, Woo-Moon grabbed Lightsh with both hands and flew toward Mu Hu in a state of sword-body union.


    ¡°Cut the bullshit! The weak die or be toys of the strong. That¡¯s thew of nature!¡±


    Woo-Moon understood that, in fact. After all, he had also had that enlightenment on his way to bing a Paragon. But that didn¡¯t mean he had to ept absolutely everything as it was.


    He himself didn¡¯t like those who touted that they were following the Dao while distorting it to suit their own tastes. But that didn¡¯t mean he would just sit by and watch when the ¡°natural order of things¡± was too cruel for the human heart to bear.


    Just because something was natural didn¡¯t mean it was right.


    In Woo-Moon¡¯s now-firmly established standards of good and evil, harming the innocent for no reason was clearly evil, and what was clearly evil had to be punished.


    Mu Hu flicked the Blood Dragon Whip, trying to catch Woo-Moon¡¯s sword and get it out of the way. However, she was barely able to avoid getting stabbed; meanwhile, Woo-Moon lowered his stance and shifted forward, clearly intending to ram her chest with his shoulder.


    ¡°You brutish bastard!¡±


    She had assumed that after dodging the sword, she¡¯d be able to open up some distance and respond in kind. She hadn¡¯t expected Woo-Moon to just brute-force things.


    Of course, Mu Hu didn¡¯t just stand there and let him hit her. She had absolutely no intention of suffering a loss in this exchange, or in any exchange, so she steeled herself and struck back.


    As soon as she was hit in the chest, Mu Hu¡¯s knee hit Woo-Moon¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°<i>Ugh!</i>¡±


    ¡°<i>Agk!</i>¡±


    A suppressed groan escaped from both of their mouths at the same time.


    Woo-Moon raised his sword to stab Mu Hu in the throat. However, Mu Hu twisted her upper body to the side and swung her whip at Woo-Moon¡¯s back, striking him viciously.


    The blood that burst out from Mu Hu¡¯s pierced shoulder sttered onto Woo-Moon¡¯s face, while the blood that spewed out of his mouth soaked Mu Hu¡¯s chest in turn.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    Yelling like an animal, Woo-Moon struck at Mu Hu¡¯s face with his left fist. He imbued his fist with all the qi he had, including all defensive qi protecting his body.


    This was an all-out strike, made with zero regard for his own well-being!


    Mu Hu¡¯s forearm, which she had raised to defend, was snapped in half, and Woo-Moon¡¯s fingers were crushed all the same. Yet Woo-Moon continued to move his broken fist and hit Mu Hu in the face!


    While his hand was damaged even more, Mu Hu¡¯s face swelled up so much she looked like a weird pig.


    This fight had devolved into an absolute brawl!


    Woo-Moon continued to ignore all defense and just attacked, forcing Mu Hu to do whatever she could to keep up with him.


    The two were already so close that they were almost embracing each other. There was no time for them to widen the distance and use proper techniques. Whoever was to show fear and defend would be the one forced on the back foot.


    Ribs were shattered, internal organs were ruptured.


    Woo-Moon broke her arms while his own arms burst open.


    In just a few seconds, the two were covered in blood.


    Even though he was severely injured, Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes still held a fierce venom, hatred, and desire for revenge; he did not lose even the slightest bit of momentum.


    All he had was anger at losing Si-Hyeon and his grandfather!


    Hatred for Martial Heaven, who brutally killed those who tried to help him!


    Rage against those who attacked his family, turning the Baek Estate into ake of blood!


    A swirl of emotions was clearly visible in Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes as he exploded forward with power that only ever increased.


    As they grew closer and closer, Mu Hu¡¯s conviction began to shrink, as if it was being dissolved away under the downpour of Woo-Moon¡¯s intense emotions.


    There was no way for her to feel anything as intense toward Woo-Moon as what he felt toward her.


    As time passed, Mu Hu gradually began to protect herself and naturally began to react defensively instead of acting offensively. She could no longer find any opening to counterattack and was forced to focus on blocking.


    However, in such a crude brawl, the defender was bound to get injured.


    <i>Crack! CRACK!</i>


    The number of times Woo-Moon¡¯s fists¡ªor rather the clumps of flesh and bone that had been fine hands just moments ago¡ªstruck Mu Hu gradually increased.


    <i>¡®H-how could this... no, it can¡¯t be!¡¯</i>


    Mu Hu realized that the situation was getting worse, but she had already gone beyond the point of no return.


    Woo-Moon looked ike a demon who had wed his way out of the pits of hell, and she... was afraid! For the first time in her life, she was too afraid to fight back!


    Mu Hu felt like she would die if she stopped defending herself. She just wanted to block him. She wanted him to stop.


    She wanted to run away!


    When martial artists of the same level fought, having momentum on one¡¯s side was incredibly important.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s tattered arms wrapped around Mu Hu¡¯s neck from both sides.


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    With a shout, Woo-Moon tightened the remnants of his arms into a vice-like grip, trying to break Mu Hu¡¯s neck. Mu Hu flinched back at his roar as if she could feel death upon her.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    His sharp bones pierced Mu Hu¡¯s throat, and blood spurted out.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    However, now that she was driven to the edge of death, Mu Hu finally snapped.


    The fear of death had awakened her instincts.


    Even the tiniest beast, once it was driven into a corner and on the verge of death, would try to bite the attacker and drag them down with it.


    And that final stand had been triggered.


    Mu Hu¡¯s hand dug into Woo-Moon¡¯s stomach, wrapped around his intestines, and squeezed.


    It was an excruciating pain, beyond imagination!


    If it weren¡¯t for Woo-Moon¡¯s mental power improving considerably after reaching the Paragon realm, he might have fainted on the spot from the sheer pain!


    <i>THUD!</i>


    Right then, the two of them hit the ground.


    Having put everything into attacking, neither had the qi to stay floating in the air.


    Although they had both fallen from a high ce, neither had suffered any damage from the fall.


    No matter how strong the shock of gravity was from whatever height, it could never have the same power as an all-out attack of a Paragon.


    It was only natural; even a First ss expert was strong enough to easily bend a normal sword with their bare hands without getting cut.


    ¡°<i>Cough, cough...</i> You... you poisonous...<i> glug, glug...</i> bastard!!¡± Mu Hu shouted, blood spewing from the tear in her throat.


    Her eyes were filled with venom and hatred. Not only was she dying, but it was hurting the whole time she was dying.


    However, it was still far from enough.


    It was still far from the rage and hatred Woo-Moon had for Martial Heaven and the venom he had toward Mu Hu!


    His knee struck Mu Hu¡¯s left chest; her heart first shrank from the impact, then swelled to more than twice its normal size.


    ¡°AAAAAGHHHHH!¡±


    With a scream that sounded as if her vocal cords had torn apart, Mu Hu grabbed Woo-Moon¡¯s head with both hands and squeezed.


    <i>Crack!!!</i>


    The sheer force caused Woo-Moon¡¯s skull to crack. Blood began to flow out from his entire head.


    But Woo-Moon simply ignored it and just kneed Mu Hu¡¯s left chest again.


    <i>BAM!</i>


    A strange sound came from Mu Hu¡¯s chest. Her heart had burst from the prating force Woo-Moon had emitted through his knee!


    However, she used whatever remaining Paragon qi that existed in her body to keep her blood flowing as she pushed more strength into her hands.


    <i>Creaaaaaaak! Crack!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s skull began to crack more, and blood gushed out.


    Yet he did not relent.


    He used his remaining qi to gather the stubs of his fingers into something that looked like a fist and swung it forcefully.


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    The sound of flesh hitting flesh resonated repeatedly.


    Eventually, the strength in Mu Hu¡¯s hands vanished. A momentter, her body convulsed, and then... there was no ¡°then.¡±


    She was a pile of flesh by now, and that was putting it very mildly.


    Woo-Moon red at Mu Hu¡¯s corpse with crazed red eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you all! All of you crazy bastards, I¡¯ll kill every single one of you Martial Heaven bastards! Fine, if you¡¯re all insane, I¡¯ll go insane, too! I¡¯ll kill all of you! Heaven? The Heaven of Martial Arts? Ha! Don¡¯t make meugh! I¡¯ll tear down your heaven. Destroy it! Your arrogance will lead you to your destruction!¡±


    Woo-Moon understood this fact very clearly.


    The fact that he was still alive right now, the fact that he was destroying Martial Heaven¡¯s forces one by one and killing its masters was all due to Martial Heaven¡¯s arrogance and generosity.


    If two or three Paragons joined forces against him, even Woo-Moon would have no choice but to flee or die. And Martial Heaven¡¯s three Heavenly Martial Kings and three Pce Leaders were all Paragons. If they joined hands to deal with Woo-Moon, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to flee, much less fight back.


    However, Martial Heaven was arrogant.


    They left Woo-Moon alone, as if they were telling him to do whatever he wanted and cause whatever trouble he desired.


    Martial Heaven plotted various schemes to wipe out the entire <i>murim.</i> However, all of these plots and schemes were carried out not by the upper echelons of Martial Heaven, the Paragons, and above, but by the lower echelons¡ªall of their grunt members.


    That was why Martial Heaven showed such contradictory appearances.


    The leaders of Martial Heaven were extremely arrogant, and not one of them was willing to do something they felt was below their dignity.


    None of them felt like taking the initiative to eliminate Woo-Moon. They all just did whatever they wanted as everything was just a game,ughing at their peers who lost to Woo-Moon as if they wereplete failures.


    Woo-Moon red at Mu Hu¡¯s miserable corpse and screamed.


    Finally, his bloodshot eyes turned to Eun-Ah and Ma-Ra.


    Ma-Ra seemed to be about to overpower her opponent while Eun-Ah was covered in blood from the fierce battle.


    As the battle dragged on, Eun-Ah¡¯s natural qi was exhausted, and her defense gradually began to fall. One by one, wounds littered her body..


    Woo-Moon only took the time to heal one arm to a manageable state before grabbing his sword and kicking off the ground.


    A line of blood was drawn across the ground.


    ¡°Whoa!¡±


    Left Devil¡¯s eyes widened.


    When he barely managed to avoid Woo-Moon¡¯s sword, Eun-Ah¡¯s paw struck his head.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Left Devil¡¯s head was simply sted off his shoulders, and that was the end of him. As it turned out, getting beheaded was a little too much even for an Absolute Master.


    At the same time, Ma-Ra ran to Woo-Moon¡¯s side without even finishing off the enemy she was fighting.


    ¡°Woo-Moon, stop! Focus on healing!¡±


    Ma-Ra didn¡¯t stop there. Without waiting for his answer, her hands quickly moved as she pressed multiple acupoints.


    Eun-Ah ran to Right Devil, whom Ma-Ra had been fighting, while Ma-Ra stopped the remaining Blood Devils from attacking Woo-Moon, giving him space to recover.

 Chapter 199. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (20)

    <h4>Chapter 199. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (20)</h4>


    Woo-Moon had never felt this emotional since bing a Paragon.


    When he witnessed the brutal death of Sect Master Na Ban... yes, he felt anger, but he still maintained his rationality, like an ocean whose surface was ravaged by a storm yet whose depths were perfectly still. But now, both above and below the surface, a mighty storm raged.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m... I''m stillcking.¡¯</i>


    Realizing this, Woo-Moon contemted his inner self as he used the Forbidden Divine Art to heal his wounds.


    He suppressed his angry emotions and qi, and got his wrecked body back together.


    Woo-Moon didn''t regret destroying himself while fighting Mu Hu. It was simply inevitable. While it was best to avoid taking such damage when he could, it was an eptable sacrifice when the gains were worth it.


    It was thanks to that conviction that he had been able to defeat and kill his formidable enemy.


    With this, another Paragon of Martial Heaven was gone. It was unquestionably worth it.


    His torn and missing flesh squirmed as he imbued it with qi, new flesh growing to fill in the gaps. The injured bones, including the crushed skull, were also restored to their original state. Before long, he finished recovering.


    When he opened his eyes, Right Devil was already dead, killed by Eun-Ah.


    There were only about twenty Blood Devils left. The moment Woo-Moon moved, blood gushed out from their throats.


    He shook off the single drop of blood staining Inkde, then sheathed it in one smooth motion.


    ¡°We''re done here.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, sparks rose from under Woo-Moon¡¯s feet and spread in all directions, burning the remnants of the brutal fight.


    Woo-Moon lifted Ma-Ra and Eun-Ah into the air and returned to the Baek Family together.


    Although they had won a major victory against one of Martial Heaven¡¯s powerful forces, he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to feel happy.


    ***


    In the midst of a dream, Ra Mi was learning a technique.


    Lucid Dreaming.


    A dream where one realizes they are dreaming and are able to ¡°wake up¡± within their dreamscape, acting as they wish.


    The cultivation method that Woo-Moon had taught Ra Mi allowed her to have and harness lucid dreams freely.


    It was through this method that Ra Mi was able to cultivate even while sleeping.


    She practiced her sword techniques in her dreams and circted her qi using the Lucid Dreaming Art, and the qi in her body also circted at the same time.


    For Ra Mi, who absolutely had to ovee the Transcendent realm and reach the Absolute, being able to do everything in her dreams was an incredibly precious gift.


    As the Central ins suffered, there was also an uproar within the Hainan Sword Sect, where Ra Mi was dreaming.


    Pirates from the east and raiders of the central seas had joined forces to form a powerful faction to plunder the high seas, keeping the Hainan Sword Sect busy.


    These pirates hade all the way into the territory of the sect and plundered everything they could along its coasts. Still, while the enemy wasrge and strong, the Hainan Sword Sect was also a powerful sect that had been ruling over their territory for a long time.


    Just like on the Central ins, the war on the sea was also gradually intensifying.


    ***


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    The entire Heavenly Demon Shrine shook at her rage.


    Dust and rocks fell from the sky, and as if the entire building would copse at any moment, massive cracks spanned the walls.


    <i>Crack, crack, crack crack!</i>


    The statues and pottery that adorned the walls all shattered.


    Si-Hyeon''s qipletely destroyed her surroundings. That was how vast her rage was at the moment.


    ¡°My-my-my lord, please, p-ple...¡±


    All of her subordinates, faces pale, were barely able to open their mouths to try to plead for Si-Hyeon''s mercy.


    Although all of them were Absolute Masters, or at the very least Transcendents, none of them could resist Si-Hyeon''s dominating aura and demonic qi.


    Then, at that very moment, the vice cult leader, Bloodrush Archdemon, entered.


    ¡°Well, speak of the devil. How convenient that you''re here.¡±


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s eyes, filled with anger, red at Bloodrush Archdemon.


    Before he entering the Heavenly Demon Shrine, the vice cult leader, Bloodrush Archdemon, had thought he would put on a confident facade. He would tout his own viewpoint that they had to destroy the Righteous and Evil Factions before moving on to deal with Martial Heaven.


    However, the moment he met Si-Hyeon''s gaze, not a single thought came to mind.


    His body suddenly rose up into the air, and he found himself thrown in front of Si-Hyeon, right in the middle of the hall.


    ¡°Kneel.¡±


    Bloodrush Archdemon quickly knelt at Si-Hyeon¡¯s cold words.


    "What were my orders again?"


    Cold sweat poured down his face.


    "T-they-they... they were not to do anything that would provoke the Righteous and Evil Factions... and to avoid causing any trouble, but..."


    "But?"


    The pressure grew too strong, almost crushing Bloodrush Archdemon. He wanted to justify himself, but he was simply unable to open his mouth.


    ¡°But?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t answer this time either.


    ¡°But?!¡±


    A whip formed from Si-Hyeon''s demonic qi flew and struck Bloodrush Archdemon¡¯s face. His flesh was split open, and his blood gushed out.


    Yet... it was not only fear, but also a feeling of shame bubbling up inside him. To think that he, the vice cult leader, had been whipped in front of his subordinates!


    Barely containing his embarrassment and rage, he spoke through his teeth.


    ¡°P-please allow me to send away the subordinates.¡±


    Si-Hyeon burst intoughter.


    ¡°Kekekekeke! What, are you embarrassed? Are you embarrassed to be beaten in front of your subordinates? You are ashamed of that, yet you¡¯re not ashamed of defying the Heavenly Demon''s orders!¡±


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s demonic qi whip flew countless times and continued to strike Bloodrush Archdemon¡¯s entire body. The sound of the whipping continued to echo throughout the Heavenly Demon Shrine.


    With this, their rtionship with the Righteous Path had crossed a point of no return, and the alliance between the Righteous and the Evil Paths had been established by now.


    From this point on, instead of ignoring these two forces and focusing on fighting Martial Heaven, they were forced to prepare for a decisive battle against the righteous-evil alliance while praying that Martial Heaven wouldn''t attack them.


    Moreover, in the process... they might end up fighting the Baek Family, too!


    Si-Hyeon felt physical pain when she thought about that possibility, so much so that it made her enraged.


    <i>Smack, smack, smack, smack!</i>


    Bloodrush Archdemon was only able to escape Si-Hyeon''s clutches once his entire body was covered in blood.


    He was quickly taken to the medicine hall.


    Si-Hyeon had only spared him because he was the vice cult leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult and an Absolute Master in his own right, a valuable force.


    While receiving treatment at the medicine hall, Bloodrush Archdemon continued to grind his teeth in anger.


    In his heart, the absolute loyalty to the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Heavenly Demon, the only constant that had seemed unchanging throughout his life, was slowly breaking apart.


    A few dayster, Bloodrush Archdemon ¡°just so happened¡± to run into Si-Hyeon''s most beloved maid, and through a series of well-made lies, he led her to his quarters.


    ***


    Woo-Moon returned safely, and Ye-Ye was finally able to heave a sigh of relief.


    Meanwhile, Hye-Ryeong had an indecipherable expression as she looked at him.


    <i>¡ªYour face looked too much like my mother''s.</i>


    That was what Woo-Moon had said when she had asked him why he didn''t kill her. From that day on, she couldn''t stop hearing those words.


    In the end, they were family.


    No matter how much she hated him, no matter how jealous she was of him, they were family. And although she hated to admit it, she and Jin-Jin indeed looked alike.


    Yeah, they were family.


    That was why she also resembled the Palm Emperor Baek Sang-Woon. She wasn''t his daughter like she had always wished, but they were still family. Maybe if she had recognized this sooner, and perhaps if she hadn''t harbored negative intentions, maybe she would still enjoy Sang-Woon¡¯s attention like when she was a child.


    Hye-Ryeong slowly walked toward Woo-Moon.


    Seeing her approach, Woo-Moon stopped walking toward the Song Family Residence.


    ¡°It''s been a while, cousin,¡± she said calmly. ¡°I thought you died. But, seeing that you''re alive, then, is...¡±


    Woo-Moon instantly figured out what she wanted to say.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Grandfather...¡±


    He didn''t have to finish his sentence. Hye-Ryeong felt that tiniest bit of anticipation inside her crumble.


    ¡°I see. How did he die?¡±


    ¡°It was an end befitting his fame. Before he died, he struck a Paragon, and it was a magnificent strike.¡±


    In spite of her pain, Hye-Ryeong felt relieved.


    Her idol, her grandfather, the Palm Martial Emperor, hadn''t been killed by a pack of useless hyenas but by a true lion.


    In life and death alike, he had kept his honor.


    ¡°Did he leave a will behind?¡±


    ¡°He said that... I should be a sword immortal, and never taste defeat.¡±


    ¡°An undefeatable sword immortal, huh...[1] I think I know what he meant. For us martial artists, defeat is death and he... he wanted you to never die...¡±


    In the end, even the great Palm Martial Emperor had been defeated and killed. Yet he wanted his grandson to continue his legacy, and continue it in such a way that it did not end in defeat.


    Hye-Ryeong had been fostering a small hope that Sang-Woon said something about her before he died, but unfortunately, that wasn''t the case.


    Still, she wasn''t all that disappointed. Right now, all she could feel was sorrow.


    "Now that we''ve made it past the disaster, we''ll be heading back to the prison."


    As she turned around and headed to prison, Woo-Moon looked at her walking away. She seemed so lonely... and he knew, without a doubt, that she had changed a lot.


    Then, Ye-Ye approached Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Uncle!¡±


    ¡°Yes, what is it, Matriarch?¡±


    Ye-Ye made a grumpy expression at his polite answer.


    ¡°Are the Ten Swords of the North Sea and Young Lady Ha yourpanions?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that''s right. Please guide them to the Song Family residence.¡±


    With these words, he left her and rushed ahead to his residence. He was worried that someone in his residence might have gotten hurt during the battle.


    When he entered the estate, the ten guards were gathered in the yard waiting for him.


    ¡°Congrattions on your return!¡±


    ¡°Congrattions on your return!¡±


    Woo-Moon smiled because he could feel their sincerity.


    Thankfully, judging from the atmosphere, no one from the Song Family residence seemed to have died.


    At that moment, Rat, who had been watching from the side, jumped forward.


    "I''m so d you came back alive! I can''t even tell you how much I cried in sorrow when I thought you were gone."


    Then, now, and always, Rat was always the fastest and most skilled at ttery.


    When Woo-Moon snickered, Gwang Ryeok-Gwi, who was always one step behind Rat, also ran over with tears in his eyes.


    "I actually cried more than Rat did. I really missed you!"


    "Well, it might have been better to hear that from a woman, but... well, what can I say. I guess I appreciate it. Thank you."


    Finally, Dok-Du also stepped forward hesitantly.


    "I-it''s a relief that you came back safely."


    The first thing that Woo-Moon had seen when he had returned to the Baek Family had been Dok-Du''s ridiculous confession to that maid. Seeing Woo-Moonugh, Dok-Du immediately noticed what Woo-Moon was genuinely feeling and blushed.


    "It really has been a long time since I''ve been back here."


    Woo-Moon slowly walked around the manor.


    While he hadn''t been here a long time, it was still a ce filled with memories. The scent of his father and mother, who were still missing, lingered everywhere.


    His heart ached with longing.


    When he entered his room, Woo-Moon first looked at the wall. Then, he suddenly flinched and froze in ce.


    <i>¡ªSenior brother, senior brother! Look, isn''t this pretty? Didn''t I do well? I looked for it because your room looked so empty. Since I worked so hard to find it, you should think of me more often and be thankful while looking at it. Okay?</i>


    Hadn''t he promised himself he wouldn''t cry anymore? He had promised himself that he would only shed tears in his heart until the day he defeated Martial Heaven.


    However, emotions were not things that could be easily controlled. Even after bing a Paragon, it was still tricky.


    Especially now... when he got hit by an unexpected moment.


    Tears eventually flowed from Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes.


    Lost in sorrow, Woo-Moon suddenly heard sounds that he shouldn''t have¡ªcouldn''t have heard.


    Sounds made by Eun-Ah, who had entered the residencete. Whether it was the guards, Dok-Du, Rat, or even Gwang Ryeok-Gwi, everyone was startled by Eun-Ah''s drastic change.


    1. As I mentioned before, the title of the story is more literally <i>The Undefeatable Sword Immortal</i>. So this is a nod to the title itself. ?

 Chapter 200. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (21)

    <h4>Chapter 200. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (21)</h4>


    Woo-Moon stared at the painting on the wall for a while with tears in his eyes before wiping his face with his sleeve and going outside.


    Eun-Ah was so excited about being back that she was ying pranks everywhere. Because of her mischief, Dok-Du, Gwang Ryeok-Gwi, and Rat were running around screaming. Just like before, they were Eun-Ah¡¯s main target.


    Woo-Moon turned to see Jae-Hwa. Although he was smiling because of Woo-Moon and Eun-Ah¡¯s return, there was still a deep sense of worry on his face.


    ¡°You must miss Gun-Ha a lot.¡±


    Jae-Hwa slowly nodded with a dark expression at Woo-Moon¡¯s words.


    ¡°How could I not? She is my one and only kin. I want to go and look for her myself even now...¡±


    ¡°You only <i>want </i>to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m too weak. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t go now. If she really was kidnapped by someone the Master and Mistress couldn¡¯t beat, there¡¯s no way for me to do something even if I were to leave now.¡±


    Woo-Moon saw that the bandage wrapped around Jae-Hwa¡¯s fist was seeping blood.


    It wasn¡¯t blood that hade from the past day or so. The bandages and scabs hade from Jae-Hwa training relentlessly, beating himself up every day since Gun-Ha¡¯s disappearance.


    At this time, the Ten Swords of the North Sea, Yeo-Seol, and Yu-Yu entered the residence.


    Woo-Moon introduced them to the guards and servants before giving them their own residences.


    The Baek Family decided to hold a joint three-day funeral for their deceased. Moreover, the Baek Family also provided the resources for each affected branch or servant family to have their own funerals, too.


    About three days after the disaster, rumors spread throughout the entire <i>murim</i>, rumors saying that the Heavenly Demon Cult had attacked the Baek Family.


    Woo-Moon was dumbfounded when he first heard that.


    He knew exactly what was going on.


    Their attackers had definitely been Martial Heaven. There was no way that there was another Paragon in the Heavenly Demon Cult besides the Heavenly Demon.


    However, everyone still believed it had been the Heavenly Demon Cult. Moreover, Woo-Moon had no evidence to prove otherwise. There was nothing on the corpses tying the blood devils to Martial Heaven, either.


    Around this time, another piece of news reached the Baek Family.


    The Hebei Peng Family had been destroyed.


    ¡°And then what happened? What happened to Peng Tianhao?!¡±


    ¡°Peng Tianhao... oh, you mean Young Master Peng of the Wind Sword Battalion... It¡¯s said that he also lost his life in the destruction of the Peng Family,¡± responded the messenger from the Justice Coalition.


    ¡°Haaa...!¡±


    Woo-Moon let out a sigh.


    Recently, too many people he knew and had been close to had lost their lives. It wasn¡¯t enough for Martial Heaven to be causing such trouble, to think the Heavenly Demon Cult was now...


    With this, a total of three of the members of the Wind Sword Battalion had died. After Ha Gun-Choong and Mu Bi, now Peng Tianhao...


    He had even known Peng Tianhao and Mu Bi from before he had even entered the Baek Family. Their loss left an even greater ache in his heart.


    <i>¡®I thought I would be able to protect all of my loved ones, and yet I lose one after the other. It¡¯s not easy; it¡¯s not easy... I will never forgive those who killed Peng Tianhao, and I will never forgive whoever gave the order.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t the kind of person to repay others in kind. Whether kindness or grudge, whatever he received, he repaid <i>tenfold</i>.


    He had a feeling that this incident might also have been Martial Heaven¡¯s doing, and the Heavenly Demon Cult had been framed. Considering this was Martial Heaven, it was quite possible that they attacked the Peng Family simply to create even greater animosity between the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Justice Coalition.


    However, since the fear of the Heavenly Demon Cult had already spread throughout the <i>murim</i>, nothing he said or did would be effective.


    Woo-Moon sighed at the bad news and sent the messenger back. After thinking for a moment, he told Ah Sam and Yeo-Seol that he would be back after a short while. Then, he even left Ma-Ra behind as he headed into the distance.


    He was heading to Gyeong Mu-Gi, the son of Night Spear Devil and Woo-Moon¡¯s first disciple.


    A white streak painted itself through the sky as he soon arrived at the manor where Gyeong Mu-Gi was staying. From the air, he could see Gyeong Mu-Gi practicing his spearmanship alone in the backyard.


    After watching the boy for a while, Woo-Moon descended in front of him.


    ¡°Huh? Wha...¡±


    Gyeong Mu-Gi was surprised, which made perfect sense.


    First of all, it¡¯s only natural to be surprised when someone falls from the sky andnds in front of you. Secondly, it¡¯s even more natural to be surprised when <i>someone you know</i> falls from the sky.


    ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you the one who saved me back at the Goryang ins back then...¡±


    ¡°Yes, that would be me. I am here to see my disciple.¡±


    ¡°Your disciple? Wait, don¡¯t tell me....¡±


    Gyeong Mu-Gi instantly realized that the man before him was the master that his father had found for him. He had heard the man¡¯s name many times and each time with high praise; however, he had no idea Woo-Moon was the one who had saved him, much less that Woo-Moon was his new master.


    Now that he knew all this, he only respected and worshiped Woo-Moon even more.


    ¡°Have you been practicing diligently?¡±


    Although hisplexion had definitely improvedpared to before, Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s skin was still much paler than that of ordinary boys his age. Moreover, Woo-Moon thought that his mother must have been quite beautiful; while Night Spear Devil hadn¡¯t been much of a stunner, Gyeong Mu-Gi was indeed very handsome.


    ¡°Of course, Master!¡±


    Gyeong Mu-Gi suddenly straightened his clothes and took a formal stance.


    ¡°Please allow me to bow to you as my master and officially take me as your disciple!¡±


    Woo-Moon chuckled seeing the young boy¡¯s eagerness. ¡°Haha, that is why I¡¯m here. Go ahead.¡±


    While practicing the cultivation methods that his master had left him, Gyeong Mu-Gi had tried to imagine what this mysterious master looked like. And reality proved to be even better than what he had imagined! His master was young, and he was incredibly cool!


    <i>¡®This is my master, my master!¡¯</i>


    With a heart full of emotion, Gyeong Mu-Gi bowed respectfully.


    Woo-Moon, who was looking at Gyeong Mu-Gi with a proud expression, suddenly sighed to himself.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s going to ask about his father, isn¡¯t he....¡¯</i>


    It was very difficult for anyone to inform a son about his father¡¯s death. Moreover, Gyeong Hong and Gyeong Mu-Gi had such deep affection for each other...


    After Gyeong Mu-Gi finished his bows, he looked at Woo-Moon with eyes full of anticipation.


    ¡°By the way, did my fathere with you? Haha, is he hiding somewhere to tease me or something?¡±


    Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s tone was innocent, and his face showed love and anticipation. The sickly and dark expression Woo-Moon had seenst was nowhere to be seen.


    Yet now, he would have to make the boy sad again.


    Of course, Woo-Moon had yed no part in the death of Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong, but that didn¡¯t console him in any way, and it wouldn¡¯t console Gyeong Mu-Gi.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s serious expression and sudden apology made Gyeong Mu-Gi falter.


    Why would his master apologize like this just because his father wasn¡¯t present?


    Gyeong Mu-Gi felt as if his heart had suddenly stopped. Something was strange. This feeling... Something was really wrong.


    ¡°Wh-why... why are you saying that, Master?¡±


    Even though it was so hard to say, even though he knew saying it would hurt the boy, Woo-Moon had to say it in the end. Moreover, he knew that beating around the bush would just cause the boy to break down even more.


    ¡°Your father lost his life while fighting to save my junior sister from evil viins. He died a hero¡¯s death. He was the greatest spearman throughout the <i>murim</i>, even until the end.¡±


    Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s gaze turned nk.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Woo-Moon approached him silently and caught Gyeong Mu-Gi as the boy fell forward, unconscious.


    ¡°It must be a massive shock... I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    He gently massaged the unconscious Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s entire body with his qi. To prevent any internal injuries from the shock, he also infused his qi into Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s brain and organs, checking their condition and energizing them.


    Although he had nowpletely recovered from his illness and was cultivating, Gyeong Mu-Gi was still weak physically. Having spent his entire childhood with a weak constitution, he couldn¡¯t just randomly acquire an exquisite physique out of thin air.


    The boy woke up a short timeter.


    Even after waking up, he refused to open his eyes. He kept his eyes tightly shut as he prayed to himself.


    <i>Please, let it all be a dream. My master¡¯s visit and my father¡¯s death, let it all be a dream...</i>


    However, when he opened his eyes, all he saw was Woo-Moon¡¯s face.


    Gyeong Mu-Gi started to cry.


    Since his earliest memory, Gyeong Mu-Gi had traveled wrapped in a nket on his father¡¯s back. It should have been very difficult for him, considering his rare illness. However, in reality, it wasn¡¯t anything like that. Even in the sandstorms of the desert, even in the snowstorms of the winter, Gyeong Mu-Gi was warmer and morefortable than anyone else in the entire world.


    That was how much Gyeong Hong had loved his son, more than anything.


    As time passed and Gyeong Mu-Gi matured, he realized exactly how pure and lofty that love was. He cried alone at night, thanking his father for his kindness, and vowed to repay him someday.


    It was only after he was miraculously cured of his illness, and was able to cultivate properly that he saw the hope of being able to do so. That was what led him to cultivate and practice even more diligently.


    <i>¡®But now... now, there¡¯s no way for me to repay my father¡¯s love... no way at all...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Dad... Father! FATHER!¡±


    The Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong was the epitome of chivalry. He was a truly honorable man, one who disdained evil and did his best to crush it whenever he saw it.


    When he first entered the <i>murim</i>, he killed many people and showed a cruel side in order to avenge his parents, which was why he had been given the Devil title, something that did not suggest heroism in any capacity. However, his actions were the very essence of a hero.


    Gyeong Mu-Gi knew that as well, which was why he aimed to clear that stigma someday.


    ¡°My-my father, who worked so hard to get medicine for me, he, he...¡±


    Gyeong Mu-Gi continued to sob.


    With his eyes closed, Woo-Moon just quietly held the boy¡¯s hand, checking to make sure that he didn¡¯t hurt himself in his sorrow.


    As Gyeong Mu-Gi cried, his emotions suddenly changed drastically. A thick, murderous bloodlust that even Woo-Moon was surprised by spilled out of his entire body.


    In an instant, Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s teary eyes shed with bloodlust.


    ¡°Who, who killed my father?! I¡¯ll kill them all! I¡¯ll kill them all!¡±


    ¡°Calm down for now. If you don¡¯t, you might fall into qi deviation.¡±


    However, Gyeong Mu-Gi couldn¡¯t calm down at all.


    ¡°Calm down? What do you mean, calm down?! Those bastards who killed my father are probably still alive! Aren¡¯t they? We have to kill them right now!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze also became fierce.


    ¡°So, you think you can kill an enemy who killed your father?¡±


    However, Gyeong Mu-Gi was resolute despite those words.


    ¡°I¡¯ll put my life on the line to kill them! I¡¯ll ughter them all! No, no I-I-aGHHHHHH! I¡¯LL SLAUGHTER THEM ALL! ALL OF THEM! ALL OF THEM! I¡¯LL KILL THEM ALL! WHY DID MY FATHER HAVE TO DIE?!¡±


    Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s killing intent quickly grew out of control. It was not the cold, controlled intent to kill disyed by a powerful person on the path to revenge; it was the directionless thirst for blood of a madman who would destroy anyone and anything in his path.


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    Woo-Moon pped Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s cheek and scolded him sternly, imbuing his voice with the energy of the Forbidden Divine Art.


    ¡°Who are you trying to kill right now? Shut up and focus.¡±


    The primal qi of the Forbidden Divine Art flowed into Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s ears and into his brain, causing his killing intent to falter.


    ¡°Your father was a hero. Do you want to be like your father? Then control yourself! Do you know what kind of man the Night Spear Devil was? How hurt he would feel if he saw you now!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s words echoed in Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s mind.


    ¡°First, sleep.¡±


    Woo-Moon tapped Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s acupoint, putting him to sleep.


    Taking a deep breath, he thought about his two disciples and his master, the old daoist immortal.


    He could now walk across the air just like his master. But did that mean he saw the world from the same height? By no means. The more his cultivation increased, the more he realized how far he was from that man¡¯s level.


    Let alone anything else, he didn¡¯t have the ability to draw andscape painting like his master had, or do anything on that level. Enlightenment deep enough to engrave the Dao into a painting to the point that he could make someone fall into such a dream... When would he ever reach that point?


    After thinking about this and that for a while, Woo-Moon believed that enough time had passed and unlocked Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s acupoint, waking him up.


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry, Master.¡±

 Chapter 201. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (22)

    <h4>Chapter 201. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (22)</h4>


    Woo-Moon shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I probably would¡¯ve reacted worse if I were in your ce. I¡¯m going to take you away now. Is that fine with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Of course.¡±


    Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s eyes were filled with sadness, and at the same time, his gaze had developed a depth that hadn¡¯t been there before. In that short time, he had grown mentally.


    <i>¡®Little brat. The apple really doesn¡¯t fall far from the tree. He has a strong heart, like his father.¡±</i>


    Woo-Moon took Gyeong Mu-Gi to the owner of the estate where he lived, exining that he was the boy¡¯s master and would be taking care of him for the time being. He let the boy say his goodbyes, then led him out of the estate.


    ¡°How long will it take to get there?¡±


    Woo-Moon answered Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s question casually.


    ¡°A minute, probably.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Woo-Moon lifted the boy up before sting into the air like a slingshot, leaving behind a cloud-like streak.


    Just like he had promised, the two arrived at the Baek Family estate in a minute.


    The incredible experience of flying in the sky allowed Gyeong Mu-Gi to get over his sadness somewhat.


    ¡°So this is the famed Iron Sword Baek Family. It really is big!¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is where you¡¯ll be living from now on.¡±


    While heading for the Song Family residence, Woo-Moon exined Yu Yu¡¯s story to Gyeong Mu-Gi.


    ¡°I have a junior sister?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Her name is Yu Yu, and...¡±


    Woo-Moon slowly told Gyeong Mu-Gi what the little girl had been through.


    Her story was so sad that it,bined with the fresh loss of his father, overwhelmed Gyeong Mu-Gi to the point of tears as he listened to his master.


    He quickly wiped away his tears and put on a brave facade, afraid that Woo-Moon would scold him for being a baby. However, Woo-Moon just snorted and didn¡¯t say anything.


    After all, he himself shed tears just as easily as Gyeong Mu-Gi did.


    Entering the residence, Woo-Moon introduced Gyeong Mu-Gi to the others.


    Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw the warriors of the North Sea Ice Pce, a force that he had only ever heard legends about, and when Woo-Moon said that Ma-Ra was also present, he looked around diligently, trying¡ªeagerly but unsessfully¡ªto find her.


    When he saw Eun-Ah, he was surprised and impressed by her size, but he wasn¡¯t afraid of her at all.


    Since he had been by his father¡¯s side since he was young, he had gone through all sorts of experiences and hardships. His worldview was broad, and his courage vast.


    Finally, Woo-Moon introduced the boy to Yu Yu.


    ¡°Hello, Junior Sister! It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    Gyeong Mu-Gi, who had only just recently gone through the trauma of discovering his father¡¯s death, still greeted Yu Yu with the brightest smile that he could muster.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    However, Yu Yu just simply greeted Gyeong Mu-Gi with a cold expression before turning away.


    <i>¡®Hmm. Why is she acting like that?¡¯</i>


    Having only ever seen Yu Yu being kind and considerate of others, Woo-Moon was quite surprised by her response. Still, it felt ridiculous to scold Yu Yu into getting along with her senior brother, so Woo-Moon just left them to figure things out among themselves.


    <i>¡®Now, there¡¯s one more thing I have to do.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon left the Baek Family estate once again and flew off into the distance.


    ***


    <i>Crack!</i>


    A bottle of liquor hit the wall and shattered, spilling the remaining alcohol everywhere.


    Bi Yeo-Jeong silently walked over, picked up the broken pieces, and wiped the wall clean.


    ¡°Bring me another,¡± said a man with disheveled hair and a bushy beard.


    Bi Yeo-Jeong just responded quietly but with sincerity.


    ¡°If you continue to drink so much while restricting your qi, your body will deteriorate. Your body is no longer the same as it was, senior brother.¡±


    There was regret in her eyes.


    After betraying her lover, Woo-Gang, for the sake of her family, Bi Yeo-Jeong was constantly tormented by guilt. Later, she was truly happy for Woo-Gang when he reunited with his grandfather, the Palm Martial Emperor, gained the strong backing of the Baek Family, and achieved a tremendous step ahead in cultivation.


    Back then, she had sincerely hoped for Woo-Gang¡¯s happiness.


    Wherever she was, at any and all times, she only wished for Woo-Gang to be happy.


    Her days by Yu Cho¡¯s side were unhappy, and every moment was spent dreaming of returning to Woo-Gang. However, she couldn¡¯t do something like that. She hated herself, thinking that it would be both selfish and self-serving for her to return to Woo-Gang after betraying him. She didn¡¯t have the face to return to his side now that he was on top of the world.


    However, when the Palm Martial Emperor and Woo-Moon both went missing and then were eventually confirmed dead...


    When his parents, Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin, both went missing...


    Woo-Gang had suddenly be an orphan... and he had finally reached his breaking point.


    He wasn¡¯t like <i>this</i> at first.


    Shouting that his brother and the Palm Martial Emperor couldn¡¯t have died like this, he refused to listen to the sect and ran all the way to the Heavenly Demon Mound. Entering the ruined cavern, he made a fuss about collecting their remains and getting revenge, fighting scavengers and cultists repeatedly and barely managing toe back alive.


    This happened four times over.


    He was only able to return alive due to the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s mercy, as the cultists guarding the Heavenly Demon Mound had sympathized with him and let him go.


    In any case, he eventually reached his limits and eventually epted their deaths. Once his parents disappeared, and he couldn¡¯t find their whereabouts no matter how hard he searched, he crumbled in grief and began drinking.


    However, his strong cultivation kept him from getting drunk easily, and eventually, he permanently suppressed his qi in order to be able to drink his sorrows away.


    Bi Yeo-Jeong couldn¡¯t bring herself to leave Woo-Gang¡¯s side after hearing what happened to him and confirming his state.


    As soon as he woke up, she would go to his side and take care of him until he fell asleep. It quickly became her daily routine.


    Yu Cho was infuriated, cursing her and threatening her. However, she didn¡¯t have the heart to leave her beloved again as he fell apart in his endless sorrow.


    She just couldn¡¯t do it again.


    Sheter heard that Yu Cho had left to participate in the Marriage of the Snow Flowers at the North Sea Ice Pce. However, she didn¡¯t care at all, just continuing to stay by Woo-Gang¡¯s side.


    However...


    Woo-Gang picked up the chair next to him and threw it against the wall, smashing it before shouting again.


    ¡°Bring me more liquor! Liquor!¡±


    Bi Yeo-Jeong shook her head.


    She had brought him alcohol out of pity all this time, asking herself...how heavy must this burden be that he had to drown himself in alcohol to endure it? However, she now realized that she couldn¡¯t do that anymore.


    Drawing oneself in alcohol and indulging in pleasures to forget and soothe the scars in one¡¯s heart wasn¡¯t the same as healing them.


    Even if it was scary.


    Even if it hurt.


    He had to face his wounds head-on, with a clear mind, and ept and endure them. That was the only way he could properly heal. Relying on alcohol or whatever was just running away from the problem. Fundamentally, it could never be a solution.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, senior brother. It¡¯s time for you to face this. You can¡¯t do this any...¡±


    ¡°Face this? What am I supposed to face? Oh, oh, okay. You want me to face <i>that</i>, then? The time you swore to our future together and then ran off to Yu Cho and whored yourself out for his pleasure? Huh? Is that what you want me to face? That misery? That sadness? Is that it?¡±


    Tears finally flowed from Bi Yeo-Jeong¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry! What right do you have to cry? If you¡¯re going to cry, go find your dear Yu Cho and cry to him, okay?¡±


    At that moment, the door suddenly opened, and someone strode in, walking up to Woo-Gang.


    Surprised, Bi Yeo-Jeong tried to stop the intruder. However, before she even took a step, a few of her acupoints were pressed and she was paralyzed.


    ¡°Hey, who the hell are you?!¡±


    <i>Bang!</i>


    As Woo-Gang shouted violently without even looking at the person who hade barging in, his head suddenly snapped back. To Bi Yeo-Jeong¡¯s shock, the intruder had simply lifted one hand and smacked Woo-Gang in the face.


    The intruder didn¡¯t stop there, continuing to beat Woo-Gang.


    They didn¡¯t even seem to use any qi, only using their physical strength. Yet Woo-Gang, who was born with heaven-defying strength thanks to the incredible bloodline of his father, was utterly unable to resist the intruder. He was like a little child in front of an adult.


    ¡°Wh... who¡ªAH!¡±


    Bi Yeo-Jeong had just opened her mouth to question the intruder¡¯s identity when she finally saw his face.


    <i>¡®He... It¡¯s him!!! It¡¯s Song Woo-Moon!!!¡¯</i>


    He hade to see his brother immediately after bringing Gyeong Mu-Gi home.


    Woo-Gang was his most treasured younger brother, the only direct family he had left. At the same time, he was also the one Woo-Moon trusted and believed in more than anybody else, which was why he hade herest. Yet the scene in front of his eyespletely belied his trust, and he felt incredibly disappointed.


    ¡°Agh! Agk!¡±


    Woo-Gang protected his head with both hands and crouched down as Woo-Moon¡¯s fierce barrage hit him.


    After beating him for a while, Woo-Moon grabbed Woo-Gang by his disheveled hair and lifted him.


    Woo-Gang¡¯s eyes were filled with shock as he checked the face of the intruder.


    ¡°H-hyung! You¡¯re alive.¡±


    Tears flowed from Woo-Gang¡¯s eyes.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s heart was breaking at the sight of his younger brother¡¯s pain. Woo-Gang¡¯s eyes clearly showed the pain and scars he had endured.


    But Woo-Moon had made up his mind.


    He had to teach him a lesson, and that lesson had to be taught <i>now</i>.


    Woo-Gang would never be able to fix this weak heart and rotted nature of his if he wasn¡¯t taught a lesson at the appropriate time, and there was no time better than now.


    Having a drink once in a while to rx is one thing; drinking yourself into a stupor for months on end is something else entirely, and a real man... no, a real <i>human being</i> cannot do something like that. Not to the point where your body and soul are ruined.


    <i>Smack!</i>


    After hitting Woo-Gang in the face once more, Woo-Moon flickered out of the room like a gust of wind, returning after a few seconds.


    Then, he poured the cold water in the bucket he was holding all over Woo-Gang.


    Up until this point, Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t said anything.


    As he gradually sobered up, Woo-Gang also realized why his brother was acting like this. Then, he felt a wave of shame. He could clearly see his older brother¡¯s disappointment. After all... all Woo-Gang had shown him was that his ipetent younger brother was only worth this much.


    However, on the other hand, he felt relieved and at ease.


    Even though it hurt to be hit like this, the pain still lifted the burden off of him.


    Deciding that the water in the bucket wasn¡¯t enough, Woo-Moon took Woo-Gang outside and took him to a nearby valley. As he passed Bi Yeo-Jeong by, he also unlocked her acupoints, allowing her to chase after them.


    Woo-Moon grabbed Woo-Gang by the hair and dunked his head into the water, repeating the process over and over again.


    After doing this for a while, Woo-Gang¡¯s eyes, nose, and mouth were filled with water, and he started gasping and gagging.


    Woo-Moon finally opened his mouth, ring at Woo-Gang.


    ¡°Are youing to your senses now? Good, now back to business.¡±


    Holding Inkde¡¯s scabbard in his hand, he kicked Woo-Gang face-down and started striking his back


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    The sound was so loud and intense that Bi Yeo-Jeong flinched from the side.


    Woo-Gang¡¯s back, visible through his wet white clothes, was now adorned with a thick red line.


    However, Woo-Moon would never have started this punishment if he was going to stop at one.


    <i>Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.</i>


    The sound of wood striking flesh continued to resonate. Yet Woo-Gang kept his lips shut tightly and said nothing, just shedding hot tears.


    Woo-Moon shouted with anger and regret.


    ¡°Your parents disappeared. Then, your grandfather passed away. You probably thought I was dead, too, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    The skin on Woo-Gang¡¯s back was red and swollen, in spite of his tough physique.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to ask how you got to this point. I don¡¯t even care. What matters is how pitiful you look right now.


    In the end, the skin on Woo-Gang¡¯s back was torn open, and his already wet white robes were dyed with blood.


    ¡°I never could have imagined this was how you¡¯d end up. My death? Grandfather¡¯s death? And our parents¡¯ disappearance? What, did that make you sad? Were you frustrated because you wanted revenge but couldn¡¯t do it? Then why the fuck did you start drinking, you loser? You should have whipped yourself harder and worked more diligently! If you wanted revenge, you should have be stronger!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s scabbard was stained with blood.


    After rinsing it in the river, Woo-Moon sheathed his sword and put it back at his waist. Then, he began punching Woo-Gang all over his body.


    This time, it wasn¡¯t just a simple beating. He imbued his fists with the qi of the Forbidden Divine Art, which prated deep into Woo-Gang¡¯s body and drove out the alcohol while releasing his self-imposed qi seal.

 Chapter 202. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (23)

    <h4>Chapter 202. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (23)</h4>


    After everything was over, Woo-Moon spoke.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be staying here any longer. It¡¯ll be harder for you if I just keep looking at you in this state. I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    Only then did Woo-Gang nod and open his mouth.


    ¡°Thank you. When I¡¯m no longer ashamed... When I pull myself back together and I am once more worthy of being the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s grandson and your brother, I¡¯ll go find you myself.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m leaving now.¡±


    Although they didn¡¯t share any warm words, Bi Yeo-Jeong felt as though the two brothers were being exceptionally affectionate.


    After Woo-Moon left, she walked over to Woo-Gang and grabbed him.


    ¡°You should get treatment first. Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    However, Woo-Gang refused to let her support him.


    Standing on his own two legs with difficulty, he held Bi Yeo-Jeong¡¯s hand tightly.


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m sorry for showing you such a bad side of me all this time. Just don¡¯t let go of my hand... ever. I¡¯ll handle walking on my own.¡±


    With eyes filled with tears, Bi Yeo-Jeong nodded vigorously.


    ¡°Mhmm! Yes, I understand, senior brother.¡±


    ***


    Si-Hyeon was worried. Her maid, whom she cherished and cared for, had suddenly disappeared.


    However, despite the many people searching for her, it took a while until she was found.


    In the room of the vice cult leader, who had gone out for whatever reason.


    In a state that couldn¡¯t even be called a corpse.


    After brutally murdering her, he left a letter on the maid¡¯s body, cursing and denouncing Si-Hyeon for humiliating him, and simply left the shrine.


    The news reached Si-Hyeon¡¯s fiance, the Blood Heaven Asura Squadron captain, Hwi Ji-Gang.


    ¡°What? The vice leader betrayed us?!¡±


    Hwi Ji-Gang jumped up at his subordinate¡¯s report.


    As was the case with every force, betrayal was highly condemned, and this held doubly true for a faith-based organization like the Heavenly Demon Cult. There was only one end for traitors to the cult, and that was death.


    Moreover, he had murdered the only person their lonely lord had been close to, and he had done it so cruelly! It was only natural for Hwi Ji-Gang to be enraged.


    ¡°Gather everyone immediately! Send the fastest of our homing pigeons to each outpost to block that bastard! We¡¯re chasing after him to kill him!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The had already been spread by Si-Hyeon¡¯s order. The cultists scattered throughout the area would be able to block Bloodrush Archdemon and buy time for Hwi Ji-Gang to arrive.


    The Blood Heaven Asura Captain Hwi Ji-Gang used his movement technique to its fullest to chase Bloodrush Archdemon.


    <i>¡®You bastard! You dare betray our holy cult and our Lord! I will not spare you!¡¯</i>


    ***


    The Allied Forces of Good and Evil gathered their strength and joined forces to attack the Heavenly Demon Cult. With the extermination of the Cruell Sandstorm Riders by the Imperial Government, the North Sea Ice Pce, and the Kunlun Sect, the Allied Forces were able to fight the Heavenly Demon Cult with peace of mind.[1]


    As news of Woo-Moon¡¯s survival and return gradually spread throughout the <i>gangho</i>, the Allied Forces of Good and Evil sent a messenger to the Baek Family to invite him over.


    Woo-Moon knew it was for the best if they stopped fighting against the Heavenly Demon Cult, as they were also in opposition to Martial Heaven. However, he didn¡¯t have any good feelings toward the Heavenly Demon Cult in the first ce.


    He knew that they were involved in the strange events that led to Si-Hyeon¡¯s death. Whether they wanted to protect her or not, that was irrelevant; the fact of the matter was that she had been living a peaceful life, and the involvement of the Heavenly Demon Cult had resulted in not only her death but also the deaths of the Palm Martial Emperor and the Night Spear Devil.


    That led to his wariness of and discontent with the cult. Moreover, although it had not been confirmed with a hundred percent certainty, the Hebei Peng Family was said to have been destroyed by the Cult, and Peng Tianhao had also been killed, causing his negative feelings to deepen.


    ¡°Well, I guess I should go and figure out how things are going.¡±


    Woo-Moon considered who he would be taking with him to the Justice Coalition. He was worried about what would happen to the Baek Family while he was away.


    If something were to happen again, this time, they could really be destroyed.


    However, taking them with him to the Justice Coalition would also be dangerous. It would be the exact same result if they were to lose to the Heavenly Demon Cult while the entire family was there.


    Moreover, it was realistically impossible for everyone to go anyway.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s nothing we can do.¡¯</i>


    He couldn¡¯t just stay with them and do nothing just because he was worried.


    In the end, he decided to take Ma-Ra and her guards, Eun-Ah, and Yeo-Seol and her entourage. His two disciples, the Song Family Guards, and the Baek Invincible Forged Squadron would not be going with him.


    ¡°Cousin Hye-Ryeong seems to have changed a lot. Of course, reflecting on her actions is nowhere near enough to ovee her sin. However, in the current situation, the Baek Family desperately needs the help of people like her. As the head of the family, you should think well about this and find a way to use their power,¡± Woo-Moon said as Ye-Ye greeted him.


    In fact, Ye-Ye was thinking the same thing. She had only been holding herself back because she was worried about how the others¡ªspecifically Woo-Moon¡ªwould think. Thankfully, Woo-Moon had brought it up first.


    Ye-Ye herself actually had a massive grudge against the two sisters, more so than anyone else in her family. After all, it was her father they¡¯d bullied throughout his life. However, seeing that they had indeed changed, she knew that it was for the best if she could use their power,


    ¡°Understood, Uncle.¡±


    Woo-Moon smiled warmly and set off towards the Justice Coalition, where they were preparing for a battle with the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    ***


    Upon reports that Woo-Moon¡¯s cultivation may have reached the Paragon realm, the Allied Forces of Good and Evil decided to wee him with the utmost sincerity.


    Even if he wasn¡¯t a Paragon as rumored, Woo-Moon had be the young hero of the entire <i>murim</i> through his feats in the battle against the ck Bull Gang; he was worthy of such treatment anyway.


    So, the Allied Forces of Good and Evil selected experts from the Righteous Faction and the Evil Factions¡¯ Hegemon n and sent them to wee him.


    The Righteous Faction had sent Elder Dok Bi-Gae of the Beggar Gang, while the Hegemon n had sent their Second Elder, Shim Bu-Myeong.


    They waited for Woo-Moon in a vige in the middle between the Baek Family and the Allied Forces of Good and Evil.


    ¡°Oho! Young Hero Song! It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    Dok Bi-Gae greeted Woo-Moon first with a big smile. However, Woo-Moon didn¡¯t remember him very well.


    ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t seem to remember...¡±


    The old Dok Bi-Gae quickly cut him off.


    ¡°Hahahaha! You don¡¯t know how sad I was when I heard the horrible news that you had died. Thinking of how the rising sun of the Justice Coalition had gone just like that... but I¡¯m so happy that you¡¯ve returned alive!¡±


    As he spoke, Dok Bi-Gae nced at Shim Bu-Myeong and smirked with satisfaction.


    However, Shim Bu-Myeong snorted inwardly.


    He could sense the awkwardness and could tell that Woo-Moon didn¡¯t know Dok Bi-Gae that well, if at all.


    <i>¡®Poor-ass bastard, do you really want to brag about how close you are to a child?¡¯</i>


    While it was a little insulting, Shim Bu-Myeong had also been dispatched with orders to maintain a good rtionship with Woo-Moon.


    ¡°I am Shim Bu-Myeong, an elder of the Hegemon n. I am honored to meet the hero who yed the most important role in destroying those ck Bull bastards and yed the Lust Emperor.¡±


    Truthfully, whenever Woo-Moon had first met these people, core members of major powers, he had always been treated quite poorly, ignored, and pushed back. So, when these people he was meeting for the first time pretended to be friendly andplimented him, it felt awkward.


    ¡°Ah, yes... ... yes, yes, thank you.¡±


    Seeing Woo-Moon greet them dryly, Yeo-Seol couldn¡¯t help but burst into giggles.


    ¡°<i>Pfft!</i>¡±


    She felt much more pride when her partner was praised than when she herself was praised. However, she had to maintain decorum, so she looked away to hide the big grin on her face.


    The two people who had greeted Woo-Moon in apetitive manner btedly looked over at Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°By the way, Young Hero Song, thisdy is...?¡±


    ¡°This is Young Lady Ha Yeo-Seol of the North Sea Ice Pce. We have a... We¡¯re engaged at the moment.¡±


    The moment Woo-Moon answered, their attitudes toward Yeo-Seol changedpletely.


    ¡°Oho, I was wondering where Young Hero Song found such a peerless beauty!¡±


    ¡°The two of you are a pair that suits each other marvelously! It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that Young Lady Ha is unparalleled under heaven when ites to beauty, and Young Hero Song¡¯s youthful valor would make even Pan An and Song Yu cry!¡±[2]


    Yeo-Seol felt proud when the two praised her and Woo-Moon, while Woo-Moon¡¯s face turned bright red because of their incessant ttery.


    At that moment, he heard Ma-Ra¡¯s voice in his ear.


    <i>¡ªAre you happy?</i>


    The two before them were really shameless. The fact that they¡¯d been selected to greet Woo-Moon was undoubtedly based on this qualification.


    <i>¡®Well, he¡¯s a beggar, so it makes sense for him to learn how to tter others in order to get by. That¡¯s understandable. But... who the hell is the other guy?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Then, who are the rest of the people in your retinue?¡± Shim Bu-Myeong asked.


    ¡°These are the Ten Swords of the North Sea of the North Sea Ice Pce. They are Young Lady Ha¡¯s guards, as she is the Little Pce Master of the North Sea Ice Pce.¡±


    The Ten Swords of the North Sea were the North Sea Ice Pce¡¯s representative experts. They were not a force that could be ignored.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯ve heard great tales of your incredible prowess.¡±


    ¡°Seeing you all, I realize that it is not for no reason that the North Sea Ice Pce has been famous for seven centuries.¡±


    The North Sea Ice Pce was considered a foreign sect, as it did not belong to the Central ins. It also belonged to neither the Righteous nor the Evil Faction; in fact, they were treading the line in-between. For that reason, both Dok Bi-Gae and Shim Bu-Myeong greeted them in a friendly manner.


    Through this introduction, the two elders had also gained new information.


    The person before them was the Little Pce Master of the North Sea Ice Pce. In other words, the sessor of the Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee had been chosen. Moreover, that sessor hade to the Central ins and was standing right before them!


    <i>¡®And she¡¯s Song Woo-Moon¡¯s new fiance?!!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®So it could be said that both the Baek Family and the North Sea Ice Pce are now the forces of this Song Woo-Moon kid. So basically... he¡¯s already formed his own faction?¡¯</i>


    However, there was something they didn¡¯t know yet.


    The Baek Family and the North Sea Ice Pce weren¡¯t the only ones that could be called Woo-Moon¡¯s forces. He also held rule over the Heaven ying Alliance and the unified Assassin Gate through Ma-Ra. Even though they were notrge forces, they were not weak by any means.


    In addition, Woo-Moon also had the authority to mobilize the imperial government¡¯s troops as the Martial Subduing General. Of course, they weren¡¯tpletely under Woo-Moon¡¯s control and weren¡¯t loyal to him. However, it was still true that he could borrow their power if he wanted.


    Dok Bi-Gae and Shim Bu Myeong only knew about a part of Woo-Moon¡¯s forces.


    If everything were to be revealed, not only these two but the entire <i>murim</i> would be surprised. As revealed by the destruction of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, the power of Woo-Moon¡¯sbined allied forces was very muchparable to that of the Hegemon n or the Justice Coalition.


    Moreover, his personal cultivation was high enough that he could even face these powers by himself, as an individual. If he wanted to, he could defeat the entire Justice Coalition, Hegemon n, and the imperial government on his own, as they didn¡¯t have Paragons. Of course, that was assuming Jin Yo didn¡¯t get involved.


    Even if all of the Absolute Masters of the Hegemon n were to attack him, they wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat Woo-Moon. The same went for the Justice Coalition and the Imperial Government.


    That was how strong Woo-Moon was now.


    After finishing their greetings, the two elders guided Woo-Moon and his party to the Allied Forces of Good and Evil¡¯s main camp.


    At that moment, Woo-Moon suddenly heard something.


    ¡°It seems like something is going on.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon disappeared.


    ¡°<i>Huh!</i> Where did he go?¡±


    At that moment, Yeo-Seol received a voice transmission from Woo-Moon.


    ¡°He went that way. Since he heard the sound of fighting over there, he said he would go on ahead and we should follow him there.¡±


    Shim Bu-Myeong and Dok Bi-Gae were dumbfounded at those words.


    Woo-Moon had suddenly disappeared before their eyes.


    Since a person couldn¡¯t just pop out of existence, it could only mean one thing: Song Woo-Moon was fast enough that their eyes couldn¡¯t keep up with his movement.


    <i>¡®Is... is he really a Paragon like the rumors say?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon suddenly appeared where the wounded Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s vice leader, Bloodrush Archdemon, was about to be caught by the Blood Heaven Asura Squadron.


    <i>¡®They aren¡¯t from Martial Heaven... so it must be the Heavenly Demon Cult. But this is the territory of the Allied Forces...¡¯</i>


    ¡°What is the Demonic Path doing here?¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s words were cold and filled with hostility.


    1. The original says Kongtong Sect, but the Kunlun Sect was the one to join them. ?


    2. Pan An and Song Yu are among the most handsome men in Chinese history and are often used as a foil to show how handsome someone is. ?

 Chapter 203. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (24)

    <h4>Chapter 203. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (24)</h4>


    It was only at this moment that Bloodrush Archdemon discovered Woo-Moon, immediately realizing that he was a member of the Righteous Faction and hiding behind him.


    "I am Bloodrush Archdemon, the vice cult leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult! I regret my days of being a member of the cult, and I wish to return to the Righteous Faction! Please help me!"


    However, Woo-Moon didn''t pay any attention to Bloodrush Archdemon. He just looked at Hwi Ji-Gang.


    ¡°Hwi Ji-Gang, the Blood Heaven Asura Captain. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    Hwi Ji-Gang looked at Woo-Moon in disbelief, then his face hardened.


    ¡°What a shame you¡¯re still alive," he responded.


    The rtionship between the two of them hadn''t been that bad while they were in the Heavenly Demon Mound. Woo-Moon had saved him once, and in return, Hwi Ji-Gang had saved Woo-Moon, opening the way for him to save Si-Hyeon.


    But now, things were different.


    Woo-Moon had a lot of hostility toward the Heavenly Demon Cult due to what had happened to his grandfather, his junior sister, and now Peng Tianhao. At the same time, Hwi Ji-Gang had grown wary and resentful of Woo-Moon after bing Si-Hyeon''s fiance.


    <i>''So that bastard is still alive... This is dangerous. The Lord could be shaken if she finds out.''</i>


    Since he was her fiance now, it was only natural for Hwi Ji-Gang to feel hostility.


    Hearing that Woo-Moon had been in love with Si-Hyeon, the woman whom he loved and admired, his jealousy skyrocketed. Furthermore, it was even worse because Si-Hyeon still seemed to love Woo-Moon.


    <i>''I have to kill him here and now.''</i>


    While enduring hardships in the Heavenly Demon Cult, Hwi Ji-Gang had gained plenty of enlightenment. Thus, he had been able to reach the Absolute realm that most people only dreamed of.


    That was the basis for his confidence, making him think that he could easily trample Woo-Moon. It was an understandable mistake, as Hwi Ji-Gang didn''t know how much Woo-Moon had grown in the meantime.


    However, the truth of the matter was that he still felt wary.


    So he decided that he had to shake Woo-Moon''s spirit first, and the best way to do this instantly came to mind.


    "Did you know that the person you call junior sister is still alive?"


    <i>Boom!</i>


    A ripple rang through Woo-Moon''s head.


    It was as if he had been hit in the head by a heavy bat.


    ¡°Wh-what did you say?¡±


    <i>¡®Junior sister... Junior sister Si-Hyeon is alive!¡¯</i>


    It was a possibility he had never even considered. It was understandable that he would be shocked to hear something like that so suddenly.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Dashing forward as fast as he could, Hwi Ji-Gang swung his Asura Saber at Woo-Moon.


    <i>Boom!!!</i>


    His demonic, ck saber aura coated the Asura Saber.


    "Die!"


    If he killed Woo-Moon, there was no one to steal his Lord¡¯s heart from him. She would only see him from then on.


    Hwi Ji-Gang had fallen into the ssic emotional trap. It was understandable; after all, people live their lives deluding themselves, and people in love all the more so. However, just like underestimating Woo-Moon, this was a massive error on his part.


    <i>''Now that he''s shaken, this is my chance!''</i>


    Woo-Moon only made his move and countered when Hwi Ji-Dang''s saber aura was about to hit him. However, the power he put into his counter wasn''t that great.


    Hwi Ji-Gang thought that Woo-Moon was flustered.


    <i>''Hmph, so he won''t fall easily. He must have reached the Absolute realm, too.''</i>


    Hwi Ji-Gang continued to swing his saber withplete faith and unstoppable force.


    "Do you need me to continue? Your junior sister is alive. She''s actually engaged to me now. We''ve promised to get married before year-end."


    The shock of Hwi Ji-Gang''s words was even greater now. Things had gotten to the point that even Ma-Ra, who had been watching while trusting Woo-Moon to handle things, was wondering if she had to step forward.


    <i>Rip!!!</i>


    Woo-Moon''s clothes were torn here and there, and his neatly tied-up hair unraveled, bing disheveled.


    When Woo-Moon, whom he had thought of as his savior, began to be pushed back by that terribly persistent Hwi Ji-Gang, Bloodrush Archdemon backed away with a shit-eating expression. He was nning to run away when he had a chance.


    However, at that moment, Woo-Moon''s ¡°support¡± arrived.


    Catching sight of them, Bloodrush Archdemon hurriedly ran over.


    "I am Bloodrush Archdemon, the vice leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult! I regret my days of being a member of the Demonic Path and I see the light now. Please take me to the Alliance of Good and Evil!"


    The Beggar Gang was a force that used information as a weapon. If what Bloodrush Archdemon said was true, he could prove an invaluable asset in the fight against the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Heavenly Demon, and Dok Bi-Gae did not fail to realize that.


    He quickly stepped in front of Bloodrush Archdemon.


    "I am an Elder of the Beggar Gang, Dok Bi-Gae. Is what you''re saying really the truth?"


    "Of course it is! Please take me to the Alliance for Good and Evil immediately."


    However, Dok Bi-Gae hesitated, knowing he couldn''t just take anyone to the Alliance. Thus, Bloodrush Archdemon took it upon himself to grab Dok Bi-Gae''s hand and ce it on his acupoint.


    "Is this enough? Take me there quickly!"


    "Yes! Let''s go! Follow me!"


    Dok Bi-Gae did not doubt that taking Bloodrush Archdemon back would be a more significant opportunity to gain merit than bing friends with Woo-Moon. The two quickly returned to the Alliance, while Yeo-Seol watched the showdown between Woo-Moon and Hwi Ji-Gang with a heavy heart.


    "Why is he faltering...? Even though that man looks strong, it''s not enough to make Gege struggle like this."


    "It seems like he''s been hit mentally. It¡¯s not that he¡¯s weak, but he''s faltering," said Go Woo-Seong, the first of the Ten Swords of the North Sea and a pinnacle Transcendent expert.


    Hearing Go Woo-Seong''s exnation, Yeo-Seol overcame her shyness and shouted loudly.


    "Gege, cheer up!"


    She only hoped that her cheer would help Woo-Moon.


    At the same time as Yeo-Seol spoke, Ma-Ra also sent a stinging voice transmission to Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡ªCome to your senses. It could be a lie, made just to provoke you. Stop ying a fool.</i>


    Ma-Ra''s words seemed usible. Anger welled up inside Woo-Moon.


    <i>''You dare provoke me by using her name!''</i>


    His anger ballooned into a terrifying force.


    Coming to his senses, Woo-Moon immediately dodged Hwi Ji-Gang''s saber and severed the man''s left arm.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    Hwi Ji-Gang''s arm fell to the ground, pping around a few times as if it were still attached before settling in ce.


    When Hwi Ji-Gang saw that, a sense of loss, frustration, and anger came to his eyes. And then... there was the pain.


    ¡°You dog bastard!"


    Woo-Moon felt sorry for a moment because he felt like he had been too aggressive toward Hwi Ji-Gang, who had helped him in the past. However, he quickly forgot about that feeling due to the rage he felt over the man trying to provoke him by using Si-Hyeon''s name.


    <i>Bleeugh!</i>


    Hwi Ji-Gang was hit in the stomach by Woo-Moon¡¯s palm and flew backward with blood spraying from his mouth. Woo-Moon followed suit and raised his sword.


    Hwi Ji-Gang red at him.


    "Yes, kill me! You want to kill me to cover up your misery. Hahahaha! Yeah, of course you¡¯re miserable when your junior sister, whom you thought loved you, betrayed you and got engaged to me! Yes, it makes sense. That''s why you want to kill me, because I took your junior sister!"


    Woo-Moon¡¯s hands were trembling.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Junior sister is dead.¡±


    "She''s not dead! She came back to life and became the Heavenly Demon of our Heavenly Demon Cult. Haven''t you heard that a new Heavenly Demon has appeared in our cult? Your junior sister is that Heavenly Demon! She is my master... and my lover!"


    Woo-Moon knew that a new Heavenly Demon had appeared in the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    However, since no one other than the cultists of the Heavenly Demon Cult had actually seen the Heavenly Demon and survived, no one even knew whether the new Heavenly Demon was a man or a woman, much less the identity of this person.


    However, as soon as Woo-Moon heard that Si-Hyeon was the new Heavenly Demon, it was as if he had found the missing piece of a thousand-piece puzzle.


    <i>''So that''s what it was, the Heavenly Demon! Si-Hyeon was absorbing demonic qi at that time. The demonic qi of the Heavenly Demon Cult! That¡¯s what made her so strong and allowed her to use those techniques, they¡¯re definitely the techniques of the cult! And that¡¯s what made her behave like that even though I was there!''</i>


    He remembered a story he had heard about the Heavenly Demon Cult: the Heavenly Demon would pass on all of their demonic qi to their sessor before dying.


    He didn¡¯t know about the Heavenly Demon Orb; after all, that was not in any way public knowledge. However, Woo-Moon remembered that the previous Heavenly Demon had died without a sessor and that there hadn''t been a new Heavenly Demon since then. Connecting the dots, he could guess almost exactly what had happened to Si-Hyeon.


    But it was still hard to believe. The new Heavenly Demon was Si-Hyeon! His junior sister!


    Moreover, she was engaged to Hwi Ji-Gang!


    ¡°Prove what you¡¯re saying. Prove that my junior sister, Si-Hyeon, is the Heavenly Demon! How can I believe you?¡±


    ¡°How the fuck should I do that? If you don¡¯t want to believe me, that¡¯s up to you.¡±


    Hwi Ji-Gang logically didn''t have a way to prove it, but... Woo-Moon could tell he wasn''t lying. He had been able to read a person''s breathing, heart rate, eye contact, and behavior to determine the truth of their words since long ago.


    It was just that... he didn¡¯t want to believe it.


    He didn''t want to believe that Si-Hyeon loved Hwi Ji-Gang and even got engaged to him!


    "... I can''t believe it. I refuse to believe it. Why would she get engaged to you?"


    What Woo-Moon wanted to ask was actually <i>Why did she abandon me and choose you?!''</i>


    However, he quickly realized the answer.


    <i>''That''s right. She thinks I¡¯m dead! That''s why! So as long as she knows I''m alive...!''</i>


    However, Hwi Ji-Gang had already fallen deep into his delusion. His blind admiration, love, and obsession with Si-Hyeon made him believe that his own fantasies were the absolute truth.


    ¡°My lord never loved you from the beginning! She just acted as if he had feelings for you because you were by her side and treated her well. Because you liked her! Maybe it was because you had incredible cultivation or because you were the grandson of the Palm Emperor. She told me herself! The only person she ever truly loved throughout her life was me, Hwi Ji-Gang!"


    The more he spoke, the more Hwi Ji-Gang was pleased with his own words.


    Woo-Moon staggered. Then, he shouted, pretending to be angry while hiding his wounded heart, ¡°Leave! Leave now before I kill you!¡±


    Hwi Ji-Gang picked up his arm from the ground, and returned to the Heavenly Demon Cult. The mission to punish the traitor Bloodrush Archdemon was a failure.


    Woo-Moon, in a daze, joined the group and headed to the Alliance for Good and Evil.


    While Yeo-Seol tried to cheer him up by chatting and acting cute, Woo-Moon couldn''tugh. The only thing on his mind were Hwi Ji-Gang''s words, which lingered in his head.


    The Alliance for Good and Evil gave Woo-Moon a grand wee. Many people called out his name and titles, rejoicing.


    Woo-Moon simply nodded when the Alliance for Good and Evil said that they would offer him an advisory position.


    People congratted him, saying that the position of an advisor was directly under the alliance leader and that it was a great thing.


    It was said that the grand battle with the Heavenly Demon Cult wouldmence in three days.


    Woo-Moon returned to his quarters andy down with his eyes closed.


    He stayed still for a while before suddenly jumping up and heading to the ce where Bloodrush Archdemon was being interrogated. The survivors of the Hebei Peng Family and those who were close to the Peng family were screaming in front of the prison, saying that they wanted to kill Bloodrush Archdemon.


    After simply immobilizing the warriors who were guarding the prisoner by pressing their acupoints, Woo-Moon burst into the interrogation room and saw Bloodrush Archdemon.


    ¡°I have a few questions, and if you even think of lying to me, you¡¯re dead.¡±


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The st of finger aura that shot out from Woo-Moon''s hand pierced Bloodrush Archdemon''s shoulder. Bloodrush Archdemon was an Absolute Master, yet he couldn''t even think fast enough to avoid Woo-Moon¡¯s attack.


    "A-ask me anything."


    "Is Yeon Si-Hyeon truly the new Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Cult? Is it truly Si-Hyeon, my junior sister and the Palm Martial Emperor''s disciple?"


    Bloodrush Archdemon nodded without a moment¡¯s hesitation.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Woo-Moon''s head was spinning. Bloodrush Archdemon was undoubtedly telling the truth.


    Pn Shin-Tong, who had been interrogating Bloodrush Archdemon, stepped forward and began to lead Woo-Moon outside.


    ¡°I understand how you feel, but this is an overstep of authority. Please leave.¡±


    After leaving the interrogation room, another question that had been on his mind came to his lips. Not even realizing that he had already left the interrogation room, Woo-Moon asked in the midst of confusion.


    ¡°Was the destruction of the Hebei Peng Family something random, or was it Si-Hyeon¡¯s direct order?¡±

 Chapter 204. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (25)

    <h4>Chapter 204. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (25)</h4>


    The person standing next to Woo-Moon, Pn Shin-Tong, answered him, as he had already asked Bloodrush Archdemon that question himself.


    ¡±It was done on the orders of the Heavenly Demon.¡±


    As expected of the Martial Commander of the Justice Coalition, he was telling the truth.


    Woo-Moon shut his eyes tightly as he staggered toward his quarters.


    He failed to realize one very important issue: the person who had answered his question wasn¡¯t Bloodrush Archdemon, but someone else.


    Even if Bloodrush Archdemon lied, there was no way for Pn Shin-Tong to verify it, considering he wasn¡¯t a Paragon and could not interrogate an Absolute Master like Woo-Moon could. Thus, even though Pn Shin-Tong was telling the truth, it didn¡¯t necessarily follow that his information was urate.


    Thus, another day passed, and therge army of the Allied Forces of Good and Evil arrived to where the decisive battle with the Heavenly Demon Cult was to take ce, with Woo-Moon standing among them.


    The night before the battle.


    When Woo-Moon arrived at the decisive battle site, he coincidentally ran into the Sword Emperor.


    ¡±Oh! Hahaha, and who could this be? You don¡¯t know how happy I was to hear that you were alive! I¡¯ve been so busy with work that I was only able to see you now. Congrattions on reaching the Paragon realm! Now, you¡¯re stronger than me, too! Haha!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes met the Sword Emperor¡¯s as he smiled and greeted him.


    At that moment, while the Sword Emperor didn¡¯t know it, Woo-Moon realized something, and a torrent of emotions surged inside him.


    However, Woo-Moon hid it all behind a smile.


    ¡±It¡¯s good to see that you¡¯re still doing well. My grandfather, he....¡±


    As Woo-Moon¡¯s expression darkened, the Sword Emperor let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with sorrowful longing.


    ¡±The Palm Martial Emperor... I didn¡¯t know that was how he would meet his end. He acted as if he would live forever without dying, to think he would... in vain...¡±


    As he said that, the Sword Emperor looked up at the sky. At the same time, Woo-Moon looked at him with a cold gaze. But the Sword Emperor didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    ¡±Oh, that¡¯s right. Follow me. We¡¯re deciding who will lead us in the final battle against the Heavenly Demon Cult tomorrow. You, of all people, shouldn¡¯t miss this.¡±


    Woo-Moon followed the Sword Emperor, hiding his emotions thoroughly.


    As time passed, his chaotic thoughts and emotions slowly settled.


    ***


    The final battle was just around the corner.


    Then, from the Heavenly Demon cult¡¯s perspective, horrible news had arrived.


    ¡±They say that the Undefeatable Sword Hero, Song Woo-Moon, has returned alive! Moreover, they say that he¡¯s made great progress and be a Paragon.¡±


    ¡°What? Is that true? A Paragon!¡±


    ¡°Yes! There¡¯s a very high chance that it¡¯s true.¡±


    As she listened to the elders and the messengers, Si-Hyeon felt as though she had been hit in the head with a blunt object, just like Woo-Moon had when he heard the news about her.


    <i>¡®Senior brother... Senior brother is alive?!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was alive! She almost cried. Just hearing those words brought her to the brink of shedding tears of joy.


    However, she was now a Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Cult. She couldn¡¯t let herself cry so easily.


    <i>¡®No, wait, do I even need to stay as the Heavenly Demon? Senior brother is alive! I just need to go back to him!¡¯</i>


    Her heart was pounding, and her blood was boiling hot. That was why she didn¡¯t notice the elders ring at her.


    The elders also knew about the rtionship between Si-Hyeon and Woo-Moon. That was why Woo-Moon¡¯s survival was considered a critical danger.


    If Si-Hyeon, the Heavenly Demon, were to abandon the Heavenly Demon Cult, then... there would be no then. There could be no greater disaster for them.


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s heart, which had been pounding, suddenly stopped. Her blood also turned cold.


    <i>¡®B-b-but... I¡¯m the Heavenly Demon now¡ªthe Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Cult. I abandoned Grandmaster¡¯s techniques and started learning demonic arts. Will senior brother even ept me like this? Especially when I got engaged to another man not long after finding out he was dead?¡¯</i>


    Of course, from Si-Hyeon¡¯s perspective, it had all been inevitable.


    She loved Woo-Moon so much that the fires of revenge burned within her, and she had to have the Heavenly Demon Cult by her side to achieve that revenge.


    Her heart kept racing and calming, her body temperature fluctuating endlessly.


    Then, right at that moment, she heard the advisor¡¯s following words.


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon is also said to have fought alongside Ha Yeo-Seol, the Young Pce Master of the North Sea Ice Pce. It seems he has obtained the power of the North Sea Ice Pce. We should also consider the possibility that they will fight on behalf of the Allied Forces of Good and Evil.¡±


    Si-Hyeon had remained cold on the outside until now, but these words made her waver.


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    The messenger bowed his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s all true, my lord.¡±


    She was shocked. However, it still wasn¡¯t as big of a shock as finding out Woo-Moon was alive.


    Si-Hyeon didn¡¯t care about anything as long as she could return to him.


    As she was pondering, Hwi Ji-Gang¡ªnow one-armed¡ªreturned from his mission and entered the shrine.


    ¡°B-Blood Heaven Asura Captain, what happened?!¡±


    ¡°To think the Lord¡¯s fiance ended up like this!¡±


    Hwi Ji-Gang¡¯s heart may have been extremely burdened, but in any case, he was still the most loyal to Si-Hyeon. And unlike the others, his loyalty was to Si-Hyeon alone.


    Si-Hyeon always felt grateful to him for his loyalty and felt pity when she saw his appearance. Moreover, she quickly grew angry at the person who crippled him like that.


    ¡°... while chasing that bastard, Song Woo-Moon blocked my path and saved him. I tried to fight him, but it seems that Woo-Moon has now be a Paragon. My power wasn¡¯t enough... I¡¯m sorry, my lord.¡±


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s heart sank once more when she heard that Woo-Moon had interfered with the execution of the evil Bloodrush Archdemon and had even cut off her fiance¡¯s arm.


    How could things be soplicated?


    Part of her felt resentful toward Woo-Moon. It wasn¡¯t because he had cut off Hwi Ji-Gang¡¯s arm specifically; even if he cut off Hwi Ji-Gang¡¯s head, he probably had good reasons for it. However, his actions were making things more and more difficult for her.


    Si-Hyeon, who had always maintained a calm face while showing off her dignity as a Heavenly Demon, was now truly wavering.


    The elders and captains of the Heavenly Demon Cult gathered at the shrine turned pale when they heard the subtle tremble in her voice. Now that the final battle against the Alliance for Good and Evil was imminent, she was <i>not allowed</i> to waver.


    ¡°... Did senior brother know that I¡¯m alive? Did he talk about me?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s expressions hardened even further.


    Hwi Ji-Gang¡¯s face distorted in regret and pain for a moment before he lowered his head.


    ¡°... I told him the news. That you were alive and wanted to see him.¡±


    Si-Hyeon felt grateful to Hwi Ji-Gang for telling Woo-Moon that.


    ¡°What... What did he say?¡±


    Hwi Ji-Gang made an even more troubled expression.


    Then, as if he couldn¡¯t bring himself to speak, he lowered his head.


    Si-Hyeon urged him. ¡°Tell me quickly!¡±


    ¡°... Please forgive my rudeness. He... he said that he already forgot about you... and that he already had someone else he loved... so... so...¡±


    Si-Hyeon felt as though her heart was about to break. However, seeing how Hwi Ji-Gang was struggling, unable to bring himself to continue due to how she felt, she couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and screamed, urging him on.


    ¡°Hurry up and spit it out!¡±


    Her shout was filled with her qi. Naturally, the demonic qi in the air thickened and suffocated the surroundings.


    Hwi Ji-Gang closed his eyes tightly as if he had no choice but to offend her.


    ¡°He has no desire to see the witch who became the new Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Cult and got engaged to someone else... He could no longer acknowledge you as his junior sister or his grandfather¡¯s disciple... he said he would kill you and clean up his lineage so he could reestablish the morality of the <i>murim.</i>¡±


    The witch of the Heavenly Demon Cult!


    Those words tore at her heart like a knife. Her blood began to boil, raging within her veins.


    The overwhelming blood rush suffocated her, keeping her from breathing. Her eyes were covered in blood, so much so that she couldn¡¯t see anything.


    Demonic qi flowed out of her body, enveloping her.


    Si-Hyeon cried silently, making sure no one could see her.


    Her heart ached so much.


    Just like the irreversible rtionship between the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Righteous Faction, it seemed that the same distance had formed between her and her senior brother.


    The tears that began when she heard that he hated and despised her just wouldn¡¯t stop.


    It felt like they would flow forever.


    After thinking about it for a long time, Si-Hyeon slowly regained her originalplexion and wiped away her tears.


    The demonic qi surrounding her dissipated, revealing a cold and emotionless face.


    The elders thought that this was fortunate. They realized that Si-Hyeon had released so much demonic qi, enough to cover her entire body, because she couldn¡¯t let them see her feel hurt and betrayed.


    They knew that they couldn¡¯t miss this moment. They had to nt a seed of anger toward Woo-Moon, and they had to do it <i>now</i>.


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon will definitely be the one to lead the Alliance of Good and Evil! After all, he¡¯s their only Paragon!¡± one elder shouted.


    Then, the other elders shouted one after another.


    ¡°You must kill him!¡±


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon will be our Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s greatest enemy in the future!¡±


    ¡°We have already crossed the river of no return with those Righteous Faction bastards! In order to defeat the Righteous Faction and wipe out Martial Heaven, we must kill Song Woo-Moon!¡±


    Si-Hyeon squeezed her eyes shut.


    But still, she continued to hear their voices.


    <i>Kill him.</i>


    <i>Kill him!</i>


    <i>KILL HIM!</i>


    She had to kill the one she loved most in the world.


    She still loved him, even though he called her a witch and looked down on her.


    She remembered back to when they first met, when she was a young fool.


    She had gone on a journey in ce of her father, filled with anxiety. Si-Hyeon still remembered the conversation they had in the carriage.


    Could she do it? Could she kill her senior brother?


    <i>¡®What a foolish question.¡¯</i>


    She couldn¡¯t shut off her subordinates¡¯ voices.


    Voices echoed from left and right, but among the mor and ruckus, one thing was painfully clear.


    Everyone around her wanted her to kill her senior brother.


    And... everyone around him probably wanted him to kill her as well.


    No, he might already hate her. Yes... he hated her.


    Hated her for bing the Heavenly Demon and for being engaged to someone else...


    He definitely did.


    <i>¡®He hates me, despises me, rejects me.¡¯</i>


    Tears flowed not in her eyes, but in her heart.


    ¡°Kill the so-called Undefeatable Sword Hero!¡±


    ¡°If we kill him, the allied forces will lose their pir and will be unable to fight us!¡±


    ¡°Kill Song Woo-Moon!¡±


    ***


    At the same time, the center of the Allied Forces of Good and Evil.


    They had unanimously decided.


    Woo-Moon, their only Paragon, would be the one to take on the Heavenly Demon.


    He had to step forward.


    ¡°The moment she became the Heavenly Demon, she was no longer your grandfather¡¯s disciple,¡± said the Sword Emperor.


    The Hegemon Emperor also interjected.


    ¡°The Palm Martial Emperor may have been a selfish man, but he never forgave evil. She¡¯s the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s only disciple. You must wash away that disgrace. Kill her.¡±


    The Shaolin Abbot, Myeong Hyeon, also spoke up with a curse.


    ¡°You have to cut off all ties. She¡¯s already gone down the wrong path.¡±


    Peng Wujun, whose family had been reduced to ashes by the Heavenly Demon Cult at Si-Hyeon¡¯smand, gritted his teeth.


    ¡°If you refuse to deal with that witch, if you refuse to kill her, then we¡¯ll just consider you to have been tainted by the Heavenly Demon Cult, too!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you idiot! How dare you say such ridiculous things?!¡± The Wudang Sect Leader, Venerable Ho Yeon, snapped at Peng Wujun.


    As they all spoke, Woo-Moon tightly shut his eyes. He listened to them squabble like parrots, ordering him to kill Si-Hyeon, his junior sister.


    <i>¡®Junior sister... Why did you be the Heavenly Demon? Why in the world did you...?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t know.


    He didn¡¯t know how heartbroken Si-Hyeon had been when she thought he was dead. How great her desire for revenge had been against the evil Martial Heaven who had killed her sole Senior Brother, and how she had chosen to be the Heavenly Demon in order to achieve that revenge.


    How could he know?


    Night covered the sky.


    The same moon shone over Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon as they listened to those around them pressuring them to kill each other.


    <i>¡®Senior brother...¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®...Junior sister...¡¯</i>

 Chapter 205. Nine in the Fifth Place (1)

    <h4>Chapter 205. Nine in the Fifth ce (1)</h4>


    A child was standing in front of him.


    While he assumed that the child would keep going and head off somewhere else, for some reason, the cute little boy who seemed to be about ten kept walking toward him.


    ¡°You brat! Get out of here! Go y somewhere else,¡± the man shouted at the little boy to chase him away. However, instead of being scared, the little boy just smiled at him.


    ¡°You stink.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I can smell the stench of Martial Heaven on you.¡±


    <i>Squelch!!</i>


    Blood poured out from the man¡¯s gaping chest.


    The man was a disciple of the Mount Heng Great Bear Gate and a low-ranking warrior of Martial Heaven.


    Thest thing he saw was the little boy¡¯s smiling face through his blood-reddened vision. Then, all he saw was ck.


    ¡°Kekeke. I have to kill them all. I¡¯ll send them all to <i>their</i> side to apany them without leaving a single one behind!¡±


    After the Ageless Demon Emperor entered the Mount Heng Great Bear Gate, all sorts of horrifying screams erupted. In but a few moments, no one was breathing within the Mount Heng Great Bear Gate except for the Ageless Demon Emperor.


    The Ageless Demon Emperor looked in a certain direction with eyes full of venom and madness.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon. Wait for me. Kekeke!¡±


    ***


    Daybreak dawned.


    Woo-Moon, who had spent the whole night wide awake, washed his body briefly with water someone had brought him, took out a pure white robe, and put it on.


    Then, he walked out of his quarters with all three swords he had kept by his bedside tucked into his waistband.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Ma Ra appeared before him.


    ¡°...¡±


    Neither said a single word, just exchanging nces while Woo-Moon smiled bitterly.


    Ma Ra seeped into his shadow, and Woo-Moon walked to the ce where the Allied Forces of Good and Evil were facing off against the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    As he approached the center, he met Yeo-Seol and the Ten Swords of the North Sea.


    ¡°I believe in you, Gege.¡±


    Woo-Moon nodded silently at Yeo-Seol¡¯s words, who cheered for him with both hands folded over her heart.


    The line of Justice Coalition members facing off against the Heavenly Demon Cult was so long that he couldn¡¯t see the end. That was how many people had gathered here.


    <i>¡®Once I pass them...¡¯</i>


    Once he and the others made their way past the defensive lines, they would reach an empty field. On the other side of the battlefield would be the main camp of the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    And... his junior sister, Si-Hyeon, would be there.


    Truthfully, it was still hard for Woo-Moon to believe that she was still alive. The image of her dying that day was still so vivid in his mind.


    He wondered, could she really be alive?


    Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t been able to sleep because of that question.


    Moreover, he was also angry at himself for his selfishness.


    In a corner of his heart, he had actually hoped that Hwi Ji-Gang had been lying, that Si-Hyeon hadn¡¯te back to life, and that she had actually died.


    However, in the end, no matter what had happened or how anyone felt, he just hoped for her to be alive, and his heart raced as he looked forward to seeing her again.


    Woo-Moon walked forward.


    Although he didn¡¯t ask anyone to step aside or do anything special, the people lined up in the defensive line for the Allied Forces of Good and Evil moved out of his way of their own volition, shocked by his presence and the aura he gave off.


    ¡°The Undefeatable Sword Hero!¡±


    ¡°Great Hero Song! Please kill that Heavenly Demon Cult witch!¡±


    <i>Roar!!!</i>


    Woo-Moon walked while receiving their cheers and support, standing alone in the empty field.


    The Heavenly Demon Cult members looked at Woo-Moon.


    The Undefeatable Sword Hero.


    His was the most prominent name among the younger generation talents of the Three Factions, and he was the rising star in the Righteous Faction <i>murim</i>, the greatest of their heroes.


    The Heavenly Demon Cult rejoiced when it was announced that he had died. However, to think that he had not onlye back alive but had be even stronger than before...


    No one had expected him to cross beyond the realm of the Absolute and be a Paragon.


    His cultivation was more than enough to make him the most feared enemy of the Heavenly Demon Cult. On top of that, he was also the senior brother and former lover of the Heavenly Demon Si-Hyeon....


    If one were to ask the Heavenly Demon Cult members who they most wanted to kill, they would all say ¡°Song Woo-Moon¡± without hesitation.


    The presence of Woo-Moon was even more vexing than their main enemy, Martial Heaven.


    While all the members of the Heavenly Demon Cult were showing hostility and harboring bloodlust toward Woo-Moon, there was one group that was burning with a stronger bloodlust than the others¡ªthe Blood Heaven Asura Squadron led by Hwi Ji-Gang.


    ¡°Ugh... dog bastard.¡±


    When he saw Woo-Moon, Hwi Ji-Gang felt the paining from his stump be more intense. As he was gritting his teeth, a beauty dressed in ck stepped forward, pushing through the ranks of the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    <i>¡®...!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes filled with shock.


    But that was only for a moment, and the shock disappeared, his eyes filling with joy and delight.


    However, since Si-Hyeon was looking down, not confident enough to meet his gaze, he couldn¡¯t tell how she was feeling.


    When she couldn¡¯t look him in the eye, Woo-Moon¡¯s face hardened.


    <i>¡®Why??! Why are you looking down like you¡¯ve done something wrong?! Is everything Hwi Ji-Gang said true? Is that why you¡¯re doing this?!¡¯</i>


    There were dozens, hundreds of things he wanted to ask.


    But it was too hard to say them out loud.


    At that moment, Si-Hyeon made a decision.


    <i>¡®If he really thinks of me as the witch of the Heavenly Demon Cult and despises me... there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡¯</i>


    When she raised her head and looked at Woo-Moon, her eyes were emotionless. Woo-Moon, who was hurt by Si-Hyeon¡¯s gaze, took out Lightsh with a bitter and wistful smile.


    A cold silver light spread everywhere.


    The Allied Forces of Good and Evil and Heavenly Demon Cult figures watching the two swallowed dryly.


    It was about to begin.


    The confrontation between the two superhumans had not only reached the Absolute Stage but surpassed it.


    The confrontation between Paragons.


    Si-Hyeon made the first move.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    She took a step forward, and demonic qi bloomed from her entire body.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    Another step.


    The demonic qi materialized into ck wings floating behind her.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    The demonic qi that remained after creating the wings gathered andpressed into countless ck whips.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    The tips of the thousands of whips split apart and began to spin, drawing circles in the air and eventually forming into rings.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    <i>Screeeeech!</i>


    The air was filled by what seemed to be the buzz of a massive swarm of wasps. ck aura in the shape of a ring flew toward Woo-Moon so fast it seemed as though it was teleporting through space. Of all the people gathered at the battlefield, all but nine of them were unable to even follow the ck Aura Rings with their eyes.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes opened as he thoroughly identified and calcted the speed and trajectory of the thousands of rings in his head.


    He moved to the left to dodge the first of the ck Aura Rings that flew toward him. The ring pierced through Woo-Moon¡¯s ghost-like afterimage and disappeared.


    <i>Swish! Swish, swish, swish!</i>


    Hundreds of afterimages appeared in an instant as Woo-Moon flickered all over the ce. As each of the afterimages moved on their own, each was pierced by a ck Aura Ring and disappeared.


    Woo-Moon steadily moved closer and closer to Si-Hyeon as he avoided her barrage.


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s beautiful eyebrows twitched slightly as she watched Woo-Moon dodge all of her attacks so easily. Then, all of the ck Aura Rings that had flown past Woo-Moon suddenly changed directions as if they were under Sword Control and returned like boomerangs.


    Of course, their target was Woo-Moon. Instantly, he was surrounded.


    <i>¡®Imprable Golden Wall.¡¯</i>


    Golden light poured out from Woo-Moon¡¯s entire body, the defensive aura forming a sword curtain that wrapped around him like a fortress.


    <i>BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!</i>


    Countless explosions rang out, and dust and smoke rose in thick clouds.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Woo-Moon, untouched by any of the ck Aura Rings, burst through the dust like an arrow and flew toward Si-Hyeon.


    He was using the Northern Wind Steps, which he had by now cultivated past perfection and into a new, transcendent realm.


    Despite his rapid movement, he made no sound. As hebined his Northern Wind Steps with the Divine Phantasm Steps, his figure was all but invisible.


    While there were still dozens of ck Aura Rings left, Woo-Moon used his defensive qi to endure the blows with his body.


    As he kicked off the ground and jumped into the air, his swords erupted into flurries as they multiplied into indescribable numbers.


    <i>¡®Heavy Rain!¡¯</i>


    Millions of golden aura des flew toward Si-Hyeon. In response, Si-Hyeon stretched out her wings and covered her entire body.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    Even though it was aura colliding with aura, there was no explosion, just the harsh sound of metal shing. This was because both of them had already reached a point of fully solidifying their aura to the point where it was indistinguishable from steel.


    Once aura was cultivated to a high enough level, it transformed into something new¡ªtranscendent aura, which could take a myriad of forms. And one of those forms was precisely this incredibly concentrated aura, to the point where it was indistinguishable from solid metal.


    Aura conjured by ordinary masters was as weak as tofu before transcendent aura.


    While Si-Hyeon blocked Woo-Moon¡¯s technique, Woo-Moon had already arrived right in front of her.


    Lightsh flew in a smooth arc.


    They were fighting at close range now.


    From this point on, rather than the strength of one¡¯s aura, one¡¯s techniques mattered more.


    Si-Hyeon moved to stab Woo-Moon¡¯s throat with one hand while striking Lightsh with the other. Her hands were pure white, empowered by the Empty Hand Demonic Art.


    However, her gaze wavered for a moment. Then, her hand followed in kind, moving toward his shoulder instead of his neck.


    Woo-Moon unleashed Raging Storm to knock aside her hand while gently flicking Lightsh, which had been knocked aside, back toward Si-Hyeon for a counterattack.


    This time, it was aimed at her heart.


    Yet it was as if she didn¡¯t care about the lethal attack as she ignored the oing de while attacking Woo-Moon in kind!


    <i>¡®Mutual destruction?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was surprised by her extreme choice.


    However, Si-Hyeon¡¯s hand suddenly shifted, aiming for his shoulder instead of his throat.


    Woo-Moon quickly flicked Lightsh back and forth and deflected her attacks.


    Had he ignored her blow and kept attacking, he could have traded a minor shoulder injury for her life.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze quivered.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Ten whips of ck aura came together to form a sword. Si-Hyeon grabbed it and took a step forward, lowering its tip to the ground before swinging it up in a wide circle.


    <i>ng!!!</i>


    As Woo-Moon blocked her attack, a sharp metallic sound rang out.


    But her attack didn¡¯t end there.


    The aura emitted from her sword created a disc, and almost at the same time as Si-Hyeon¡¯s sword attacked Woo-Moon, the disc flew forward.


    <i>¡®This is like unleashing an Imprable Golden Wall and then firing off a Golden Wall Severing Void,¡¯ </i>Woo-Moon thought as he quickly shook his wrist left and right.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    Countless metallic shes echoed through the air as the disc¡¯s energy eventually dissipated into the void. Lightsh struck its sides repeatedly.


    The sword technique that Si-Hyeon had unleashed was called Void-Breaking Moon Sword and it had been created by a predecessor of hers, the Moon Wheel Heavenly Demon.


    Then, the sword she was holding transformed into a spear. With a flick of her wrist, the spear made of ck aura spun like a whirlwind inside Si-Hyeon¡¯s delicate jade hands, creating a ck vortex.


    <i>¡®Wind Soul-Piercing Iron Spear!¡¯</i>


    It was one of the signature spear techniques of the Wind God Heavenly Demon, a technique that maximized prative power and destructive power. Woo-Moon definitely couldn¡¯t underestimate it.


    <i>¡®I have to dodge.¡¯</i>


    Since this technique maximized destructive power by creating a vortex, it was hard to control once it wasunched. Si-Hyeon wouldn¡¯t be able to follow up quickly, so all he had to do was dodge once.


    Woo-Moon tried to escape by using the Divine Phantasm Steps, but the enormous suction power generated by the vortex refused to let him go.


    <i>¡®Hmph! What a tricky spear technique.¡¯</i>

 Chapter 206. Nine in the Fifth Place (2)

    <h4>Chapter 206. Nine in the Fifth ce (2)</h4>


    While he knew he would be able to escape the vortex itself, its energy was not limited to its visible range. Even if he wasn¡¯t struck directly, he still felt as though his body would be torn in half.


    The destructive power of the vortex was just that great.


    It couldn''t be avoided.


    <i>''Then there''s no other choice. I have to confront it head-on!''</i>


    Woo-Moon had a technique of his own with destructive power that could stand up to the Wind Soul-Piercing Iron Spear! A technique that focused solely on destruction!


    Raging Storm!


    His sword pointed at the sky and a never-ending torrent of sword aura descended, striking the vortex with the force of a hurricane.


    <i>BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!</i>


    A thunderous roar iparable to any sh that had urred up until now resounded throughout the area.


    "Ahh!"


    The eardrums of those with weaker cultivations burst and blood gushed from their ears. They screamed in pain, but their screams were drowned out by the st; even they themselves couldn¡¯t hear them.


    Raging Storm struck the Wind Soul-Piercing Iron Spear relentlessly, and eventually, it gained the upper hand,pletely dispelling the Wind Soul-Piercing Iron Spear and sending it flying back toward Si-Hyeon.


    Although Si-Hyeon had perfectly mastered all of the martial arts of the past Heavenly Demons through the Inherited Foundation Demonic Art, there were bound to be differences even within this so-called perfection whenparing inherited mastery of a technique that wasn¡¯t even practiced with mastery of a self-created technique.


    If it the Wind Soul-Piercing Iron Spear had been used by its creator, it wouldn''t have been inferior in any way to Raging Storm. But it wasn¡¯t Si-Hyeon¡¯s technique, and her mastery was bound to be inferior due to herck of practice.


    With that said, Si-Hyeon also had a technique most suited to herself.


    During the considerable time she had spent within the Heavenly Demon Shrine after being reborn, her burning desire for revenge had inspired her to create a technique of her own.


    Heaven-Rending ck Stream, a technique that allowed her to utilize her enormous reserves of demonic qi directly.


    Some of the feathers adorning her demonic qi wings burst into a flurry and flew through the air, meeting each of the falling swords and canceling them out. Then, the remaining feathers shot toward Woo-Moon.


    However, not a single one targeted his head or heart.


    That was the same for Woo-Moon''s Raging Storm.


    Woo-Moon retaliated with the Imprable Golden Wall to block all the feathers and, borrowing the force of the sh, flew backward to distance himself from Si-Hyeon.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    As soon as hended on the ground, thunderous cheers poured out from both the Allied Forces of Good and Evil and the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    <i>Roar!!!!!</i>


    ¡°Undefeatable Sword Hero Song Woo-Moon! Undefeatable Sword Hero Song Woo-Moon!¡±


    "The Heavenly Demon Cult is eternal!"


    "The Lord''s cultivation has no bounds!"


    Those who watched the fight felt awe and fear at the power of the Paragons.


    Moreover, they couldn''t help but feel strong admiration and respect for the Paragon who was on their side.


    Amid the cheers, Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon looked at each other in silence.


    Now that they had fought, they understood each other''s feelings.


    Woo-Moon thought of his own feelings, as well as the feelings of his junior sister, Si-Hyeon. Each time they had shed, their emotions had been transmitted in their purest form.


    So Woo-Moon tightly shut his eyes for a moment. And when he opened them, there was no longer any doubt visible within, and he spoke with conviction.


    "Whether it be that you don''t love me anymore or that you fell in love with someone else and got engaged¡ªnone of it matters."


    Hearing his words, Si-Hyeon also opened her mouth.


    "None of it matters for me, either. Not that you have a rtionship with someone else or that you look down on me now and consider me to be the witch of the Heavenly Demon Cult. It doesn''t matter."


    The cheering warriors suddenly grew quiet, trying to listen to their conversation.


    After hearing the two speak, a murmur began to ripple through the crowd.


    "What do they mean, it doesn''t matter? What are they saying?" the Allied Forces of Good and Evil whispered.


    Meanwhile, on the side of the Heavenly Demon Cult...


    "M-my lord, why are you talking to that bastard of the Righteous Faction?"


    "Wait... it can''t be..."


    Woo-Moon turned around amidst themotion.


    No longer looking at Si-Hyeon, he turned to face the Allied Forces of Good and Evil with his sword in his hand.


    ¡°I swear on my sword. In the past, now, and in the future, Si-Hyeon is my only junior disciple sister... The enemy of my junior sister is my enemy, and none of those who hurt her will escape my sword."


    With that, a calm and gentle bloodlust slowly rose and enveloped the entire Allied Forces of Good and Evil.


    Almost at the same time as Woo-Moon began to speak, Si-Hyeon also turned her slender body back and spoke, looking at the Heavenly Demon Cult members.


    "I swear on my name, the name of my deceased father, and the names of my grandmaster and the hero who sacrificed themselves for me, the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon and the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong. My senior brother is my only love, now and forever. And his enemies will never escape me."


    The two Paragons of two opposing forces had just made shocking derations!


    And each was so absurd that even though people heard it clearly with both ears, they couldn¡¯t properly understand it for a moment.


    The first to react was the Sword Emperor.


    He suddenly stood up, eyes filled with anger and hands trembling with rage.


    "Song Woo-Moon! You-you dare support the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s witch! To think you chose to abandon the Righteous Faction for the Demonic Path! The Palm Martial Emperor is shedding tears of blood even in his grave! You shameless bastard!¡±


    Woo-Moon looked at the Sword Emperor with a cold gaze.


    "Don''t you dare bring up my grandfather with your filthy mouth, you old geezer."


    "W-what did you say?" the Sword Emperor roared.


    The way those of the Allied Forces of Good and Evil looked at Woo-Moon changed. Suddenly, they were filled with contempt, hatred, and betrayal.


    At that moment, the Hegemon Emperor opened his mouth and looked at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon, it¡¯s not toote to change your mind. No one canpromise with the Demonic Path.¡±


    The Sword Emperor quickly reined in his anger before speaking once again.


    ¡°Your actions are tarnishing the honor of the Iron Sword Baek Family. If you truly join hands with the Heavenly Demon, I will have to name you the traitor of the <i>murim</i>. Then, the Iron Sword Baek Family will lose its renown as a family of heroes and will be condemned by the people for turning into a family of cultists.¡±


    ¡°...and?¡±


    ¡°Think carefully, Woo-Moon! I know you are strong, but even so, you cannot win against all of us. If you join hands with the Demonic Cult, we will have to eradicate you before we destroy the Demonic Cult! By yourself, you...¡±


    Right before the Sword Emperor could finish, voices interrupted him.


    "Whoever told you my uncle is by himself?"


    "Gege isn''t alone!"


    "We will follow the will of the Battalion Leader!"


    Ye-Ye, Yeo-Seol, and So Gun-Pil stepped forward, dashing through the air to stand by Woo-Moon''s side.


    ¡°As of today, I am no longer the Matriarch of the Baek Family. My choice to stand with uncle has nothing to do with the Iron Sword Baek Family," Ye-Ye said. She was clearly intending to mitigate any fallback on the family.


    However, to her simultaneous dismay and delight all of the other Baek Family members, whom she had strictly ordered to stay put, also came forward, repeating more or less the same words.


    "I am now a bastard who abandoned the Iron Sword Baek Family."


    "As of today, I will abandon the Baek name. My actions now have nothing to do with the Baek Family."


    Ye-Ye¡¯s first impulse was to stop them, but she knew what they felt. Didn¡¯t she feel the same, after all? In the end, she said nothing.


    <i>''Follow your heart.''</i>


    These were words that both the Palm Martial Emperor and her uncle Woo-Moon had repeatedly said to her.


    Ye-Ye repeated those words to herself.


    So Gun-Pil, who hade out together with Ye-Ye, also gave the same stance, saying that his choice had nothing to do with his family, the So Family of the Sound Emperor Heavenly Pce. He proudly stated that he would follow Woo-Moon, the Wind Sword Battalion Leader.


    While Woo-Moon was ovee with emotion, Yeo-Seol clung to him and said, "I am no longer the Little Pce Master of the North Sea Ice Pce. From this moment forward, I am just Gege''s lover!"


    ¡°That will not be necessary. I am here to support my son-inw.¡±


    A cold voice echoed and a white cloud appeared in the air, revealing the silhouette of an Absolute Master.


    It was none other than the North Sea Ice Pce Master, Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee.


    Following her appearance, the Ten Swords of the North Sea flickered through the air as they lined up behind her and her daughter, while about five hundred Ice Pce warriors also came running to stand behind Woo-Moon.


    ¡°The North Sea Ice Pce!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee!¡±


    There was a murmur from the Allied Forces of Good and Evil, and the Sword Emperor sneered.


    ¡°Otherworldly Ice Fairy, I hope you are aware that with this choice, you and the North Sea Ice Pce will be on the path to destruction.¡±


    Ah Hee was not weak.


    Although she was not counted as one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors, she was still an Absolute Master who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any of them.


    Confident in her strength, she red back at the Sword Emperor without the slightest hint of being intimidated.


    ¡°Our North Sea Ice Pce is not weak enough to be destroyed by the weaklings of the Central ins.¡±


    The Hegemon Emperor also had a sneer on his face.


    "Song Woo-Moon. So the fact that you came out swinging like this is because you¡¯re relying on the North Sea Ice Pce? How foolish of you to try to fight the entire <i>murim</i> with only these barbarians.¡±


    While the Hegemon Emperor blustered, Woo-Moon sent Ah Hee a voice transmission.


    <i>¡ªThank you foring. But how did you know toe to my aid?</i>


    <i>¡ªHeh. Ask your assassin girlter.</i>


    <i>''Did Ma-Ra call for help?''</i>


    Indeed, the Hegemon Emperor was not wrong¡ªthe Ice Pce was quite weakpared to the Allied Forces of Good and Evil.


    ¡°Ahahaha! And where did you hear that nonsense? Who said that Woo-Moon''s power only came from the North Sea Ice Pce?¡±


    A single figure appeared, splitting the sky with his arrival and taking his ce behind Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Saber Emperor...!¡± the Hegemon Emperor grumbled as shouts erupted from the warriors.


    ¡°The Saber Emperor! The Saber Emperor Jeong Yi-Moon!¡±


    ¡°But why has an imperial government officiale?¡±


    At their shouts, the Saber Emperor¡¯s face turned red.


    ¡°You bastards dare to call me an emperor?!¡±


    To call oneself an emperor before the imperial government was a serious crime that could result in the extermination of one''s n.


    Of course, since the Saber Emperor was an Absolute Master, the <i>actual </i>emperor couldn''t just execute him. After all, he was aware that the <i>murim</i> had its own system and, most importantly, the Saber Emperor was his loyal subordinate; he would have to be ridiculously stupid to be upset just because of a title.


    Still, since the Saber Emperor was an imperial government official, he couldn''t help but be sensitive to such things.


    At this moment, two figures flew through the sky and stood next to the Saber Emperor: the Battle Emperor and Formless Flying Sword.


    As soon as the Battle Emperor appeared next to the Saber Emperor, he looked at the crowd with a serious expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Battle Em¡ª¡±


    ¡°Anyone who calls me by that ridiculous title will be summarily executed.¡±


    With this warning, the voices calling his title were cut off abruptly. None of them doubted that he would carry out his threat verbatim.


    In response to the unexpected situation, the me in the Hegemon Emperor¡¯s eyes was instantly quenched. He grunted coldly.


    "And what brings <i>you</i> here? Are you trying to say that the imperial government is nning on interfering with the <i>murim</i>?"


    Of all people, the Sword Emperor and the Hegemon Emperor had to watch their mouths.


    The Palm Martial Emperor had a close rtionship with the Saber and Battle Emperors; moreover, he was a wanderer with hardly any connection to even his own family. Thus, he had been able to do whatever he wanted and say whatever he wanted. On the other hand, the Sword and Hegemon Emperors were the leaders of their own forces and their word held sway throughout the <i>murim</i>; they could not speak carelessly to those in high positions within the imperial government.


    The Formless Flying Sword stepped forward and answered his question.


    "We''vee to help the general."


    "The what now?"


    Woo-Moon took out an identity que from his bosom.


    Then, the Saber Emperor, the Battle Emperor, and the Formless Flying Sword all saluted Woo-Moon respectfully.


    ¡°We greet the Martial Subduing General!¡±


    ¡°We greet the Martial Subduing General!¡±


    ¡°We greet the Martial Subduing General!¡±


    Everyone who saw this was shocked.


    ¡°The... the Martial Subduing General?! Song Woo-Moon?!¡±


    ¡°When the hell did he get that title?!"


    The position that Woo-Moon had received, the Martial Subduing General, was a position of the upper-first rank.[1]


    While the Battle Emperor was also of the upper-first rank as the Grand General, since Woo-Moon had been given absolute authority to gather the imperial troops under hismand, the Battle Emperor also had to salute Woo-Moon.


    At the same time, a shout erupted from far away.


    ¡°OOOOOH!¡±


    It was certainly not the sound of one person yelling. In fact, it sounded as if there were thousands of them!


    1. During the Ming dynasty, the officialdom was ssified into nine grades, each grade subdivided into two degrees, extending from upper first grade at the top to lower ninth grade at the bottom. The upper first grade is the highest grade one can reach and grants the bearer the right to question even the emperor himself. ?

 Chapter 207. Nine in the Fifth Place (3)

    <h4>Chapter 207. Nine in the Fifth ce (3)</h4>


    The Sword Emperor could tell just from the shout alone that the unidentified iing force numbered around fifty thousand.


    <i>¡®Who are these people?!¡¯</i>


    The total number of troops from the Allied Forces of Good and Evil gathered was only fifteen thousand, while the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s side was seven thousand strong.


    Even if both sides werebined, they wouldn¡¯t amount to more than twenty-two thousand!


    The shout gradually grew closer, and eventually, the identity of the great force approaching from the ins in the distance was revealed.


    It was the troops of the imperial government!


    Armed with spears and swords and trained under strict discipline, the fifty thousand soldiers were charging forward in perfect formation.


    The words ¡°Martial Subding General¡± were clearly embroidered on the gs held by each of their officers.


    ¡°Ho!¡±


    The fighting spirit of the fifty thousand soldiers stopping immediately and shouting in unison made the forces feel intimidated and overwhelmed, as if they were facing an Absolute Master.


    The fifty-thousand-strong army stopped to the side of where the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Allied Forces of Good and Evil were facing each other.


    One of the generals leading them disyed a profound movement technique as he glided to where Woo-Moon was and saluted him.


    ¡°Regional Area Commander Lee Pyeong-An reporting for duty! I havee with fifty thousand fierce soldiers at your call, Martial Subduing General.¡±


    Lee Pyeong-Ahn was a Transcendent expert, and true to his words, the gazes of the soldiers he had brought were sharp and intense, showing that they were far from ordinary.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well.¡±


    Woo-Moon calmly praised Lee Pyeong-Ahn and sent a voice transmission to the Saber Emperor.


    <i>¡ªWhat¡¯s going on? How early did you find out about this that you were able to prepare in advance?</i>


    The Saber Emperor smiled sinisterly as he responded.


    <i>¡ªYou lucky rascal. Your little girlfriend Ma-Ra sent us a letter way back, warning us about this.</i>


    Woo-Moon smiled as he looked off into seemingly empty space, where Ma-Ra had hidden herself.


    For some reason, Ma-Ra¡¯s face turned red from within the shadows. She turned away as she sent him a voice transmission.


    <i>¡ªIdiot.</i>


    <i>¡®I really am lucky to have met a woman like Ma-Ra.¡¯</i>


    As it turned out, Ma-Ra knew Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon better than they knew themselves and had been confident in their reconciliation.


    That was why she had called the imperial government to Woo-Moon¡¯s side, expecting the two to eventually reconcile and go back to how they were before.


    With this, Woo-Moon¡¯s side had five Absolute Masters and one Paragon.


    The Justice Coalition had two Absolute Masters, the Sword Emperor and the Divine Monk, while the Hegemon n also had two, the Hegemon Emperor and the Soul-ying Sword Demon. Putting aside the fact that they already had more Absolute Masters than the Allied Forces of Good and Evil, with the presence of the Paragon, they were firmly ahead in terms of strength. Moreover, the Kunlun Sect, Namgoong Family, and the Baekri Family were on good terms with Woo-Moon. While they couldn¡¯te to Woo-Moon¡¯s side at the moment because of their hostility with the Heavenly Demon Cult, they definitely wouldn¡¯t participate if the Allied Forces nned on fighting him.


    The Sword Emperor and Hegemon Emperor could feel that the situation was going strangely, their expressions turning grave.


    <i>¡®When the hell did that brat turn the North Sea Ice Pce and the imperial government to his side?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon nced back to see how Si-Hyeon and the Heavenly Demon Cult were doing.


    The Heavenly Demon Cult members were still dumbfounded. Clearly, they were struggling toprehend and ept what was going on.


    The Allied Forces and the Heavenly Demon Cult were different, and the influence that Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon had on each faction was different.


    The Heavenly Demon was an absolute being.


    The Heavenly Demon was the being who held dominion over the life and death of all of the members of the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    If the Heavenly Demon wanted them to die, they would allugh with joy and offer up their necks.


    That was why, even if they were confused by what had just happened, there were few among the cultists who would curse Si-Hyeon or express any hostility or betrayal.


    One of the elders of the Heavenly Demon Cult finally spoke up with a trembling voice.


    ¡°M-my lord... What do you mean?¡±


    Si-Hyeon answered coldly and firmly.


    ¡°I meant exactly what I said. However, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m turning over to the Righteous Faction¡¯s side or anything.¡±


    Si-Hyeon wasn¡¯t a fool. She knew full well that the Heavenly Demon Cult wouldn¡¯t be their enemy if she made sure to speak the truth.


    ¡°Are you saying that Song Woo-Moon and the Righteous Faction are separate?¡± the smartest of the elders asked with shining eyes.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Most of the Heavenly Demon Cult breathed a sigh of relief at her answer.


    For a few moments, they had feared their very own Heavenly Demon was about to betray the Heavenly Demon Cult and join the Righteous Faction. It would have been an unprecedented disaster.


    Thankfully, it seemed like that wouldn¡¯t happen.


    The Heavenly Demon Cult existed only for the sake of the Heavenly Demon.


    Without the Heavenly Demon, there was no Heavenly Demon Cult.


    That was proven by the existence of the Heavenly Demon Dan Jeok-Ha when the Heavenly Demon Cult went through great chaos in the past[1]; moreover, they knew from personal experience what it was like to be without the Heavenly Demon.


    While they wanted to persuade her to cut ties with Woo-Moon, every cultist in the Heavenly Demon Cult realized that it would be impossible since she had already sworn before everyone. But while everyone else gave up... there was one person who couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°This is ridiculous! How can you ept Woo-Moon, my lord?!¡± Hwi Ji-Gang shouted.


    Si-Hyeon sighed when she saw him. Her heart was heavy when she considered their engagement and how much he loved her.


    However, Woo-Moon had no such feelings.


    After hearing his scream, he turned to look at Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°Junior sister. He lied to me.¡±


    ¡°What? He lied?¡±


    Si-Hyeon had heard Woo-Moon¡¯s oath.


    Her misunderstandings had melted away like snow after hearing how he still thought of her as his junior sister and that his feelings and actions were the same as hers. However, the misunderstandings had, in fact, happened. And what she didn¡¯t know was that they happened because of Hwi Ji-Gang¡¯s lies.


    ¡°He told me that you only ever loved him and that you never truly loved me, not even once.¡±


    Of course, it had all been a lie because Si-Hyeon had never felt love for Hwi Ji-Gang.


    Her expression turned cold, and she red at Hwi Ji-Gang. There was no way that Hwi Ji-Gang could easily endure the pressure of Si-Hyeon, who was not only a Paragon and the Heavenly Demon.


    His face turned pale, and he only barely managed to ovee his fear.


    ¡°T-that¡¯s true! How could it not be true! You definitely told me that, my lord! You said you only loved me and that you never loved Song Woo-Moon!¡±


    Hwi Ji-Gang¡¯s eyes were filled with madness.


    His hand trembled, and his veins began to bulge as if they were about to burst. Dark, cursed demonic qi began to exude from his entire body.


    Cultivation deviation.


    He was showing all the symptoms of cultivation deviation.


    When someone who had mastered a demonic art fell into a state of cultivation deviation, the demonic qi would seep into their bones and drive them insane.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Si-Hyeon moved like the wind and went to Hwi Ji-Gang¡¯s side. She tapped a few of his acupoints, then struck his dantian.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    As soon as his dantian cracked, the flow of demonic qi that was eating away at his body was cut off.


    Thanks to Si-Hyeon¡¯s quick intervention, she was able to save his life, although at the cost of his cultivation.


    She sighed and returned to her original position before going to Woo-Moon¡¯s side and grabbing his hand.


    ¡°Senior brother.¡±


    ¡°Junior sister.¡±


    A deep affection glistened in their gazes.


    Then, their figures moved instantly simultaneously.


    Without exchanging any words or messages, they both flew to their respective targets.


    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>


    They both moved like lightning!


    The targets of their surprise attack were none other than the Sword Emperor and the Hegemon Emperor.


    ¡°What? Lord Chief Commander Emeritus!¡±


    ¡°Stop them! Protect the Lord Chief Commander Emeritus!¡±


    However, who could stop the surprise attack of two Paragons? The Hegemon n and Justice Coalition figures fell in despair, expecting their leaders to be ughtered.


    <i>ng!!!</i>


    However, what they expected never happened.


    The Sword Emperor and Hegemon Emperor each drew their weapons and countered Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon¡¯s attacks.


    Even though they were merely two Absolute Masters facing the surprise attacks of two Paragons, neither showed any sign of getting pushed back.


    After their attacks, Si-Hyeon quickly retreated to stand by Woo-Moon¡¯s side, coldly shouting with hatred and contempt, ¡°The dogs of Martial Heaven!¡±


    Woo-Moon red at the Sword Emperor, his eyes filled with anger and hatred.


    ¡°I never doubted you because you were friends with my grandfather. But, when I saw you yesterday... When I saw your eyes, I knew you were the bastard who killed my grandfather!¡±


    Although Si-Hyeon shouted that they were dogs of Martial Heaven, barring a few from the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Allied Forces of Good and Evil, no one actually knew what Martial Heaven was.


    They were shocked by Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon¡¯s sudden attack and were even more surprised by Woo-Moon¡¯s words.


    Woo-Moon had just said that the Sword Emperor had killed his grandfather! The Sword Emperor had killed the Palm Martial Emperor at the Heavenly Demon Mound!


    How could they not be surprised when they heard that?


    The Sword Emperor looked at Woo-Moon with a surprised expression on his face, but then he burst intoughter.


    ¡°Ahahahaha! You¡¯re pretty good!¡±


    The Justice Coalition¡¯s chiefmander, Divine Monk, quietly flew over and stood behind the Sword Emperor as if he were guarding him.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes grew even colder.


    ¡°As expected... Divine Monk, you¡¯re also a dog of Martial Heaven.¡±


    Everything was clear now.


    The sudden appearance of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders and their alliance with the ck Bull Gang¡ªit had all been intentional.


    It had all been nned by Martial Heaven.


    After all, the Cruel Sandstorm Riders themselves were just a subordinate group of Martial Heaven.


    Martial Heaven had kept the Cruel Sandstorm Riders and the Hegemon n from taking any losses during their war while causing the Justice Coalition and the ck Bull Gang to engage in fierce battles. With that, they had eradicated the ck Bull Gang and significantly reduced the power of the Justice Coalition.


    The ck Bull Gang had to be eliminated because they weren¡¯t a part of Martial Heaven in the first ce, and the Justice Coalition, while it was led by the Sword Emperor and Divine Monk, was an old-fashioned organization that followed the Righteous Path. Even though both the old and the new chiefmanders were members of Martial Heaven, they simply couldn¡¯t manipte it at will. So, the Justice Coalition was also a target for elimination.


    On the other hand, the Hegemon n was an organization of the Evil Faction, and its members strictly followed themands of their head. Therefore, since the Hegemon Emperor was from Martial Heaven, the Hegemon n was also a force of Martial Heaven.


    This day had been arranged by Martial Heaven to use the remaining power of the Justice Coalition to deal with the final thorn in their side¡ªthe Heavenly Demon Cult.


    All of this was only possible because both the Justice Coalition Chief Commander and the Hegemon n¡¯s Master were figures of Martial Heaven.


    ¡°Hypocrite bastard. I will never forgive you,¡± Woo-Moon spat.


    The Sword Emperor and Hegemon Emperor actually hadn¡¯t learned the techniques of Martial Heaven. They were Paragons who had reached their level through the techniques of the Righteous and Evil Factions, which was why Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t been able to sense them.


    However, Woo-Moon remembered the look in his enemy¡¯s eyes and the single glimpse of qi he had seen when the Palm Martial Emperor had died. It was that glimpse of qi that allowed him to realize that the Sword Emperor was his enemy the moment he saw him again.


    The Justice Coalition¡¯s Martial Commander, Pn Shin-Tong, looked over at the Sword Emperor with a confused look on his face.


    ¡°What are they saying, Lord Chief Commander Emeritus? Martial Heaven... what is that? AGK!¡±


    Pn Shin-Tong fell backward, his forehead pierced by Sword Emperor¡¯s sudden finger technique.


    Blood gushed out of his forehead like a spring.


    ¡°You annoying little brat. You talk too much.¡±


    1. Once again, referencing the main character of one of the author¡¯s previous books, The Sixth Heavenly Lord. ?

 Chapter 208. Nine in the Fifth Place (4)

    <h4>Chapter 208. Nine in the Fifth ce (4)</h4>


    The elders and leaders of the Justice Coalition shouted in surprise. "L-lord Chief Commander Emeritus! What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Why did you do that to the Martial Commander?!¡±


    The Sword Emperor swung his sword yfully, and plum blossoms bloomed from the tip of his de. Petals of aura flew and swept away those who had just protested.


    Battalion Leader of the Rear Guard Lee Chung tightly closed his eyes as he watched the aura flying toward him.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    However, there was only the sound of an explosion, and Lee Chung didn''t feel any pain. He quickly opened his eyes to the sight of the aura disappearing. In its ce stood Woo-Moon, sword in hand.


    ¡°So you''ve gone insane, Sword Emperor. Even with you being a member of Martial Heaven, you all still ate from the same pot, you know?¡±


    The Sword Emperor gave a bitterugh at Woo-Moon¡¯s words.


    ¡°That, we did. And I can''t even begin to describe how difficult it was to have to eat with those pieces of trash.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that''s what I figured. After all, Sword Emperor, you''re a bastard who deceived the world and killed his friends. Yes, you have to be at least this evil!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon stepped forward and swung his sword while spinning around.


    Raging Wind formed at the tip of his sword, devouring an incredible amount of aura before flying forward.


    ¡°Trash! Don''t call me Sword Emperor. I am the Sword King of the Three Heavenly Martial Kings of Martial Heaven!¡±


    Five plum blossoms bloomed from Sword King¡¯s sword and fluttered through the air, surrounding Raging Wind from each direction.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    Raging Wind and the plum blossoms canceled each other out, and petals and scent spread through the surrounding area.


    ¡°Good, Sword King! Then try to block this!¡±


    Woo-Moon''s hand stretched out and thirty bolts of finger aura sted forward.


    <i>ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The Sword King''s sword flickered three times in session.


    ¡°What?! Is this the wless Finger? You... Are you an heir of the Western Nihility Gate?!¡± he shouted.


    The Western Nihility Gate¡ªa hidden force destroyed by Martial Heaven.


    Although it was farcking in terms of size and therefore weaker than Martial Heaven, its techniques weren''tcking in any waypared to Martial Heaven. That was why Martial Heaven had ultimately destroyed them.


    ¡°Yes, that''s right! The grudge for the Western Nihility Gate, for my grandfather, and for making me grieve my junior sister for so long... I''ll make you pay for all of that today!¡±


    Woo-Moon continued to attack, while Si-Hyeon started fighting the Hegemon Emperor on the other side.


    ¡°What are you doing? All of you, attack!¡±


    At the Hegemon Emperor''smand, the Absolute Masters and Transcendents of the Hegemon n rushed Si-Hyeon. On the opposite side, the Heavenly Demon Cult members grew excited when they saw the Hegemon n rushing in.


    ¡°You filthy bastards. You dare join forces?!¡±


    ¡°Chief Commander! We''ll help you, too!¡±


    As the troops of the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Hegemon n fought, Divine Monk drew a long stick from his sleeve and shot it into the air.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    It was a signal re.


    At the signal of Divine Monk, the third Mu Heon in the Martial Soul hierarchy[1], the Hundred and Eight Mu Heons waiting rushed in.


    All Mu Heons from the third to the tenth were Absolute Masters, while most of those below them were Transcendents.


    ¡°We will fight too! All troops, all out war!¡±


    <i>ROAR!!!</i>


    The three Absolute Masters of the imperial government and their fifty thousand soldiers stepped forward and matched the Mu Heons.


    With the Mu Heons'' personal guards, their force numbered roughly three thousand.


    While they were far inferior in terms of numbers, because each of their individual cultivations was so outstanding, they could fight on par with the fifty thousand soldiers even with their mere three thousand.


    <i>ROAR!!!!</i>


    Eun-Ah''s roar ripped through the air.


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    ¡°Agk!!¡±


    Three Mu Heon guards fell down simultaneously, with their upper bodies missing, and blood sprayed everywhere.


    <i>Growl...</i>


    Eun-Ah was no different from Woo-Moon, Si-Hyeon, or Ma-Ra. She also hated and loathed Martial Heaven to the point that she would jump up from her sleep if anyone around her mentioned Martial Heaven.


    ¡°<i>Hiiik</i>, she''s so big... too big!¡±


    The Hegemon n warriors in front of Eun-Ah trembled.


    As martial artists, they weren''t the kind to be afraid just because a tiger was blustering around in front of them.


    However, Eun-Ah was a spirit beast that had reached the equivalent of the Absolute realm, and the aura that rippled from her prickled their skin and terrified them.


    <i>Sssss.</i>


    A bloody smoke-like aura rose and materialized behind Eun-Ah, its color and qi signature reminiscent of the Blood-Horned Poison Serpent.


    Eun-Ah attacked the Hegemon n warriors and Mu Heons'' guards as the bloody snake materialized above her.


    ¡°Agk!!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!!¡±


    ¡°S-save me!¡±


    Screams and shouts continued to erupt around Eun-Ah.


    Humans were more terrified of the prospect of getting attacked by the fangs and ws of a beast than the spears and swords of a fellow martial artist.


    Obviously, Eun-Ah wasn¡¯t satisfied with just a single attack.


    After she tore apart three enemies with her merciless ws, the phantom behind her ripped to shreds five more.


    As time passed, Eun-Ah hadpletely assimted the neidan of the Blood-Horned Poison Serpent and grown even stronger. Now, with her increased strength, the Hegemon n and Mu Heon''s party grew even more helpless under her ws.


    ¡°You bitch!¡±


    A single martial artist blocked Eun-Ah''s path as she ran wild and killed over a hundred enemies.


    ¡°You insignificant little shit! I, Five Steps to Death Je Moon-Gang, will kill...¡±


    The Hegemon n''s Evil Blood Squadron captain, Je Moon-Gang, wasn''t able to finish his words. This waspletely understandable, as it is rather difficult to speak with your heart ripped out of your chest.


    Eun-Ah, who had taken Je Moon-Gang''s heart with a flick of her tail, roared once again and continued violently attacking the surrounding enemies. Since many of those around her were already terrified by Eun-Ah, the roar felt even more powerful.


    At first, the Hegemon n''s warriors hesitated and failed to respond while fighting the imperial government''s troops properly.


    Killing a government official meant bing a criminal in the Central ins, and harming the subordinates of a high-ranking official in the pursuit of official action could be considered a form of treason.


    Thus, in the beginning, the Hegemon n warriors fought passively, only defending. However, as time passed, they began to give in to the ways of the Evil Path.


    In the end, what mattered the most was killing their enemy and surviving. As the blood of theirrades sprinkled in the air, the Hegemon n''s soldiers began to fight with all their might.


    Meanwhile, the Justice Coalition forces, surprised by the Sword King''s sudden change in attitude, had no choice but to step back from the battlefield and watch the situation unfold.


    Woo-Moon struck three times in session in the midst of his battle with the Sword King. Right as his third strike flew through the air, Ma-Ra appeared and flung her Blood Sickle right alongside Woo-Moon''s attack.


    ¡°You assassin bitch! I''ve been waiting for you!¡±


    With a shout, Divine Monk punched the air.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    As a white fist-shaped aura sted forward and deflected the Blood Sickle, Divine Monk dashed like the wind, his yellow robe fluttering.


    <i>Thud! Thud, thud, thud!</i>


    Because of the footwork Divine Monk was using, there was never a case where both of his feet stood in the same ce in the air at the same time. His foundation was incredibly stable as he continued to advance, continuously firing the Hundred Paces Divine Fist.


    All of his fists were aimed directly at where Ma-Ra had briefly revealed herself when she attacked with her Blood Sickle.


    <i>Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!</i>


    Since the Hundred Paces Divine Fist attacked with such speed, Ma-Ra had no choice but to block the fists without being able to dodge or go back into hiding.


    As Divine Monk''s attacks continued, Ma-Ra''s figure gradually became clearer, and eventually, she was forced entirely out of her stealth.


    ¡°I was just waiting for you to reveal yourself!¡±


    Divine Monk''s footwork technique, the Great Victory Heavenly King Steps, was a hidden foundational technique of the Shaolin Temple. It allowed him to move extremely quickly while still disying the incredible stability befitting the name of the Shaolin Temple, a holy ground for martial arts, and its thousand-year history of stability and greatness.


    <i>Ohmmmm!</i>


    Divine Monk advanced right up to Ma-Ra, settled into a deep horse stance, and shook his shoulders roughly, causing a colossal bell sound to resound as a surge of energy rippled around him.


    Because of that sound, Ma-Ra failed to retreat into the shadows again, and Divine Monk bought himself an opening to thrust a palm toward her.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    A palm-shaped st of aura shot forward from the Divine Monk''s right palm, growing bigger and bigger. By the time it reached Ma-Ra, it had be so massive that it dwarfed her tiny body.


    Ma-Ra was trapped, unable to use her stealth technique or even dodge out of the way. She had to confront this attack head-on.


    She drew a sword from her sleeve with a cold look in her eyes.


    <i>¡®Death God''s Secret Technique, Soul-Stealing Meteor Sword.¡¯</i>


    A pure white light appeared and a single meteor appeared above the ground, splitting the iing Tathagata Divine Palm as if cutting through the air.


    ¡°What hellish sword technique is that, you assassin bitch?¡±


    Divine Monk had deliberately avoided getting involved in the battle so that he could deal with Ma-Ra.


    While he couldn''t detect her, he was sure that she would eventually try to help Woo-Moon with a surprise attack of some kind. He bided his time, waiting for her to expose herself, thinking that if he could force her into the air and fight her head-on, he would be able to kill the assassin in no time.


    However, his expectations were wrong. He was dumbfounded that an assassin could disy such an amazing sword technique.


    ¡°There''s no need to tell someone who''s about to die,¡± Ma-Ra said coldly.


    Then, she revealed another Death God technique to the world.


    One, one became two, and two became four, four became eight...


    Her figure split over and over again, and eventually, a hundred twenty-eight Ma-Ra''s appeared in the air.


    ¡®<i>Death God''s Secret Technique, Illusions of Heaven Hiding Shadows.¡¯</i>


    The hundred twenty-eight Ma-Ra''s simultaneously unleashed Soul-Stealing Meteor Swords.


    The Death God''s Secret Techniques.


    They were the two techniques that the Death God had created in hister years to ovee the limitations of assassins, who were weak in direct confrontations once they were discovered and their identity revealed.


    She had never used them until this point because there had been no need. After all, the Death God''s Secret Techniques wouldn''t be needed unless one had been forced out of stealth, so it was somewhat of a shame for an assassin to have to use them.


    However, she had never had to fight directly out in the open so far, only ever helping Woo-Moon in the shadows.


    One hundred and twenty-eight meteors. A true meteor shower.


    A truly incredible spectacle.


    Even in the midst of the war, those who saw her sword skills opened their mouths in awe, unable to stop themselves.


    They had all thought that Woo-Moon was the only one who was outstanding. They never could have expected that the assassin who followed him around everywhere had such incredible martial skills.


    However, Divine Monk wasn''t an easy opponent, either. While he hadn''t quite reached the peak of the Absolute realm yet, he wasn''t a novice by any means.


    "Thousand-Armed Tathagata Divine Palm!"


    As it turned out, just like Ma-Ra, Divine Monk had a technique that allowed him to unleash multiple attacks. His arms seemed to multiply by a thousand, and each arm used the Tathagata Divine Palm!


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    A loud noise rang out, and the Soul-Stealing Meteor Sword unleashed inbination with the Illusions of Heaven Hiding Shadows shed with the Thousand-Armed Tathagata Divine Palm. The two seemed to be on par with each other!


    <i>''No, wait, the Thousand-Armed Tathagata Divine Palm is getting pushed back!''</i>


    <i>Bang!</i>


    A meteor pierced Divine Monk''s shoulder.


    "You insignificant assassin bitch!"


    His pride was damaged, and Divine Monk burst into anger and rushed Ma-Ra.


    "Why do you keep calling me a bitch?"


    Ma-Ra''s eyes were filled with a vicious, murderous intent.


    Although Divine Monk was injured, as an Absolute Master, such an injury was far from being crippling.


    Then, he and Ma-Ra shed head-on again.


    Heavenly Demon Si-Hyeon''s opponent was none other than the Hegemon Emperor.


    To be more precise, her opponent was the Saber King, one of the Three Heavenly Martial Kings of Martial Heaven.


    "You random bitch, you think you can just show off after lucking herself into the power of the Heavenly Demon?!"


    The Saber King swung his saber with a broad motion, and a saber aura of almost unimaginable size was generated, mercilessly destroying the ground below and splitting the clouds above.


    <i>Woosh!!!</i>


    Thirty-six whips extended from the demonic qi behind Si-Hyeon and wrapped themselves around the gigantic de of saber aura.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    The whips tightly wrapped around the saber aura and made a terrifying sound as they tightened.


    ¡°Break!¡±


    <i>Crack!!</i>


    The saber aura cracked and shattered, and Si-Hyeon closed her eyes for a moment before ring at the Saber King.


    1. Mu Heon means Martial Soul. ?

 Chapter 209. Nine in the Fifth Place (5)

    <h4>Chapter 209. Nine in the Fifth ce (5)</h4>


    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>


    The void between Si-Hyeon and the Saber King shattered into pieces as she released Heavenly Demon Force from her eyes, striking the Saber King directly.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    She had just used the Heavenly Demon Remnant Soul Gaze.


    It was a demonic art the cult had created from the techniques of the Death Emperor Heavenly Pce, techniques they had taken after destroying and assimting it.


    The Death Emperor Heavenly Pce had been one of the Three Demonic Sects, three ancient Demonic Path forces that had long been at odds with the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    The Death Emperor Heavenly Pce master''s bloodline heirs possessed the ability to kill an opponent by simply ring at them with bloodlust. This ability was so potent that it had be one of their main weapons.


    The Heavenly Demon Remnant Soul Gaze had two parts: the first was the ability to kill an opponent just by ring at them, known as the Extermination re, and the other was the ability to destroy whatever area it touched with the Heavenly Demon Force.


    Since the ability to kill an opponent with a single re only worked when there was a significant disparity in cultivation between the caster and the opponent, Si-Hyeon used the second aspect of the Heavenly Demon Remnant Soul Gaze.


    The energy of the Heavenly Demon Remnant Soul Gaze broke through the sky and struck the Saber King once again.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    While a loud noise rocked the air, the Saber King simply shrugged off the two strikes. He was using the Hegemon n''s divine art, the Peerless Shield Aura.


    The Saber King kicked the ground hard with his right foot, and concentric ripples spread out endlessly with him at the center. Shooting forward even faster than the circles spread, he fiercely cleaved down with his saber.


    <i>Rip!</i>


    Space itself was torn apart.


    Everything disappeared.


    Even the light was sucked into the void, revealing the ckness of the abyss before it, too, disappeared.


    This horrifying attack with light-devouring power barreled down on Si-Hyeon''s head.


    In response, her hand turned stark white. As she drew a circle above her head with her hand, a white ring formed, emitting absolute frigid qi.


    <i>Ting~</i>


    Clenching her fingers into a fist, Si-Hyeon struck the center of the ring.


    <i>Crack!!!</i>


    It was a fantastic sight.


    White ice rose upward like a volcano as ck demonic qi blended in between the crystals, creating a perfect harmony of ck and white.


    <i>Ding~</i>


    A sound so high-pitched that it couldn''t be heard by normal human ears echoed as the Saber King''s sword bounced off the ring, coated in white frost.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    The Saber King nervously shook his saber to fling off all ice shards. Then he swung his sword once more, this time from right to left.


    Every move he made was incredibly simple.


    Just single shes. There was noplicated technique or anything.


    However, Si-Hyeon couldn''t underestimate those simple shes. Nor could she easily dodge them as she wished.


    While she could dodge them if she really tried her best, it was difficult to do so and counterattack at the same time. The domineering force and void-devouring power from the saber offset any of her attempts.


    ¡°Fine. Let''s do this, Saber King. I''ll make you regret ever daring to challenge the Heavenly Demon Cult in a show of force!¡±


    Overwhelming force surged from her body, encroaching upon the enemy from all sides like a demonic army.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    At Woo-Moon''s hate-filled shout, the Sword King just smiled faintly.


    "You? Little trash of the <i>murim</i>, you¡¯re nothing but a brat who only recently became a Paragon. Do you really think you can beat me?"


    Woo-Moon unleashed Raging Storm as he charged the Sword King.


    <i>ng!</i>


    The Sword King shed with Woo-Moon, their swords producing a sharp, metallic reverberation.


    <i>¡®He''s strong!¡¯</i>


    The Sword King was surprised by the force he felt through his sword.


    ¡°I''ll kill you!¡±


    Woo-Moon repeated the same thing and swung his sword once more. This time, it was Heavy Rain.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The sounds of their des shing echoed incessantly, and the Sword King''s hand began to tremble slightly.


    <i>¡®W-what the hell is going on...!¡¯</i>


    While it had been quite some time since they had reached the Paragon realm, the Sword King and the Saber King had yet to reach the advanced stages.


    That wall was so solid and tall that even after their relentless attacks, they were stillcking somewhat. That was why, with their careless attitude at the time, they had taken nearly fatal wounds at the hands of the Palm Martial Emperor and the Night Spear Devil, who had both reached the absolute pinnacle of their realm.


    When Woo-Moon''s Heavy Rain poured down, the Sword King made a logical but rather rushed assumption after blocking the first raindrop.


    He assumed that, like most techniques, the first blow would be the strongest and that the raindrops would gradually get weaker.


    However, that wasn''t the case. Unlike most techniques, Woo-Moon''s Heavy Rain would grow stronger as it continued.


    Momentster, the raindrops had gotten so strong that it felt like the Sword King''s palms were going to fall apart.


    <i>''This is impossible! How did this brat get so strong?''</i>


    The Sword King had been a Paragon for a solid decade. Meanwhile, Woo-Moon had barely been there for a year.


    As Heavy Rain neared its end, the Sword King was shocked.


    <i>¡®Hey... hold on a moment... I know this feeling! This aura... The Great Darkness Pce Master?!¡¯</i>


    The previous Great Darkness Pce Master¡ªin other words, the defunct pce master¡ªused a unique technique that created aura beads to attack the opponent. One of those techniques was Ocean Jade.


    Ocean Jade generated ripples of aura like ocean waves, which used the rebound force from the opponent blocking the attack in order to achieve greater and greater force.


    The first wave was not particrly strong. The second wave absorbed the rebounding aura of the first to strengthen itself.


    The third wave absorbed the rebounding aura of the second... and so on.


    Each wave absorbed the next, and with each wave that was blocked, the next one woulde even stronger.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s Heavy Rain was using the same principle.


    While the amplification force wasn''t as great as that of Ocean Jade due to the raindrops being scattered rather than one cohesive whole, there were enough of them that they rebounded off of each other, producing greater and greater power.


    <i>''There''s no way the Great Darkness Pce Master would teach that brat his technique. But in that case... how is that possible?!''</i>


    The Sword King felt a chill down to his very bones.


    All martial artists who surpassed the Absolute had the ability to read and copy the techniques of people weaker than them, even going so far as to perfectly imitate them. After all, they had reached the point of being able to create their own techniques that could stand as the foundation of a major martial arts school.


    However, to be able to copy and assimte a technique created after a lifetime of study and training by someone of the same level, and to copy it to absolute perfection not by being taught but by sheer virtue of facing that someone in battle...


    That simply defied belief.


    Either Woo-Moon''s own unique foundational art was incredibly flexible and had excellent absorption abilities, or Woo-Moon''s talent was so outstanding that it made the impossible possible.


    One of these had to be true, and either was a dreadful thought.


    With all these thoughts running through his mind, the Sword King realized that Woo-Moon, whom he had heretofore ignored, was a far more formidable opponent than he had thought.


    Heavy Rain was nearing its end, and Woo-Moon swung his sword for thest time with everything he had.


    <i>CLANG!</i>


    The Sword King''s hand and sword shook as he blocked the final raindrop. As he did so, the skin on his palm tore, and blood flowed down his wrist. Blood also flowed from the corner of his mouth.


    "T-this... this is impossible. Just how?!"


    The Sword King was wounded. On the other hand, Woo-Moon seemed perfectly fine, with only his face growing a little pale.


    The Sword King was being well and truly pushed back.


    He could not believe what was going on. He was shocked that someone who had just recently be a Paragon already seemed to have reached maturity.


    "I''ll kill you!"


    Woo-Moon swung Lightsh.


    <i>CLANG!!!</i>


    Although the Sword King raised his sword to block it, he wasn''t able to bear the force and flew into the air, tumbling into the ground.


    His white robe, embroidered with plum blossoms, and his beautiful white hair and beard that he had grown like an immortal were stained with his own blood.


    "Grandfather called a bastard like you his friend. And you, piece of shit, you murdered him! Well, here¡¯s retribution!"


    Woo-Moon strode toward the Sword King.


    The Sword King drove his sword into the ground and barely got up. He red at Woo-Moon and mustered more qi.


    "I should have killed you a long time ago. I should have ignored our Martial Heaven''s pride and uprooted and crushed you."


    Woo-Moon just smiled.


    "But you didn''t do that. Your arrogance will eventually lead to your destruction," he said coldly.


    The Sword King burst outughing.


    "Pfft... hahahaha!"


    After he stoppedughing, the Sword King red at Woo-Moon with bloodshot eyes.


    "Don''t be so arrogant, you brat! Even though I might end up dying to the likes of you, and even though Martial Heaven may take some damage, Martial Heaven will never fall! You''re still nothing but a mayfly in front of the true power of our Martial Heaven!"


    "True power? Pfft! Are you talking about the Martial Heaven Emperor or the Martial Heaven God?¡±[1]


    As Woo-Moon approached, the Sword King gathered all of his qi and unleashed all he had in one single technique.


    All the surrounding qi gathered to the tip of the Sword King''s sword as if it was being drawn there. It was as if nature itself was assimting into his de. Then, that energy condensed into the shape of a sword.


    Nature Sword.


    Or at least an incipient form, as the Sword King¡¯s wounds prevented him from summoning his power to the fullest.


    ¡°Foolish.¡±


    As soon as Woo-Moon said this word, the Sword King''s heart burst.


    "S... Sword Heart.¡±


    Reaching the Paragon realm meant that one obtained the ability to use the Sword Heart. However, even though they had the ability to use the Sword Heart, Paragons generally refrained from using it in battles against fellow Paragons.


    Not only did it consume an incredible amount of qi, but their opponent also had a sword in their heart; they would easily be able to defend against it.


    In that case, the attacker would be disadvantaged because they would have to use more qi than their opponent.


    Even battling weaker opponents weaker, like those at the Absolute realm, didn''t warrant the usage of the Sword Heart.


    While a Paragon <i>could</i> kill a weaker opponent with the Sword Heart, there was no need to use such a qi-intensive method when they could easily do the same without the massive expenditure.


    In other words, the Sword Heart was something hardly ever used.


    However, Woo-Moon had just used that rarely used Sword Heart, and he had used it to kill the Sword King easily.


    It wasn''t actually because the Sword King was injured, but rather because he had just tried to use the Natural Sword.


    The Natural Sword was a technique requiring a far higher level ofprehension than the Sword Heart. The Sword King was not at the level where he could use it freely, and Woo-Moon had simply


    ¡°<i>Tut, tut.</i> You can''t forget this just because you don''t get many chances to use it. The Sword Heart is faster than any other attack. The time it took you to form your Natural Sword was so long I could¡¯ve had a cup of tea before I killed you.¡±


    Woo-Moon was right.


    The Sword King had overlooked the Sword Heart.


    He had only thought about condensing his Natural Sword and destroying Woo-Moon,pletely forgetting about the Sword Heart


    It seemed he hadn''t fought in a real battle for a little <i>too</i> long.


    ¡°<i>Ugh...</i>¡±


    Not even a Paragon could instantly heal wounds suffered from the Sword Heart.


    That was because the Sword Heart not only shattered its target into pieces, but its qi remained to prevent the flow of qi wherever it struck.


    After spitting out blood, the Sword King red at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°<i>Cough...</i> <i>keke</i>. So you''re not that far behind, then. Well, <i>that</i> being is truly a god. The God of Martial Arts. Humans, humans can... never defeat a god.¡±


    The Sword King recalled his memory of meeting the Martial Heaven God.


    At that time, he hadn''t been able to say or think anything. Even though the Martial Heaven God didn''t emit any aura or special qi, all of his senses seemed to have frozen.


    His vision went dark.


    His mind turned nk.


    Right after meeting the Martial Heaven God, if it hadn''t been for the Martial Heaven Emperor injecting aura into their bodies and circting it throughout their meridians, both the Sword King and the Saber King would have died.


    That was a decade ago, on the day the Sword King ascended to the Paragon Stage.


    <i>¡®Martial Heaven God...¡¯</i>


    Sword King¡¯s eyes filled with unbearable fear as he recalled that title.


    The Martial Heaven God was an existence that could make even a Paragon tremble.


    1. Now that both of them appear in the same chapter, here¡¯s the thing: the Battle Emperor and the Martial Heaven Emperor actually share the same ¡°martial¡± character. We decided to trante them differently because it¡¯s rather easy to confuse them if one is Martial Emperor and the other Martial Heaven emperor. ?

 Chapter 210. Nine in the Fifth Place (6)

    <h4>Chapter 210. Nine in the Fifth ce (6)</h4>


    However, Woo-Moon just lifted the Sword King by the cor and looked him straight in the eye.


    ¡°Even if he is the king of gods, if he''s from Martial Heaven, he''ll die by my hand. End of story.¡±


    The moment the Sword King locked eyes with Woo-Moon was thest moment of his life.


    Woo-Moon decapitated the Sword King with one swift sh of Inkde. He then dropped to his knees and kowtowed in the direction of the Heavenly Demon Shrine, where the Palm Martial Emperor had died.


    ¡°Grandfather! I''ve finally avenged you! But this isn''t the end, so look forward to it! Martial Heaven dared to touch those precious to me, and they will be exterminated by my hand.¡±


    Those who saw the scene felt an extreme chill fall over them, as if they had suddenly been cast under an icy waterfall. That was how extreme Woo-Moon''s bloodlust was.


    Woo-Moon suddenly stood up straight and used Spatial Maniption to pick up the Sword King''s head. He impaled it onto the tip of Inkde, then headed toward Divine Monk, who was still fighting Ma-Ra.


    Their battle was evenly matched.


    No... actually, at a closer look, Divine Monk was losing ground little by little. He was constantly getting caught off guard by Ma-Ra''s array of attacks, as she continuously slipped in various hidden weapons and projectiles while using the Soul-Stealing Meteor Sword.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Woo-Moon called out.


    Ma-Ra nced at him and immediately realized what he was thinking. She slowly began to rx, drawing back from her barrage of attacks without Divine Monk noticing.


    Divine Monk finally got an opportunity to catch his breath, but at the same time, he also caught a nce of Woo-Moon.


    The moment he realized that the head on top of Woo-Moon''s sword was the Sword King, he burst out in surprise.


    ¡°F-father!!¡±


    Woo-Moon was stunned, and so was everyone else. They had no idea Divine Monk was the Sword King¡¯s¡ªor the Sword Emperor¡¯s¡ªson.


    But then Woo-Moon sneered.


    ¡°Oh, sorry. Here, take care of him.¡±


    Woo-Moon swung his sword and hurledthe Sword King¡¯s head toward Divine Monk. At the same time, Ma-Ra rushed in and swung her sword, blocking every direction where Divine Monk could move to avoid the Sword King¡¯s head.


    There was no way for him to avoid it!


    Well, obviously, there were ways for him to avoid it, but he was not in any state to think about them. Thebination between his father¡¯s death and Ma-Ra¡¯s sudden onught left him panicked.


    <i>''If I knock it aside, my father''s head will...!''</i>


    Of course, given the sheer force of Woo-Moon¡¯s throw, the head would be shattered into pieces.


    And while Divine Monk hesitated, the Sword King¡¯s head struck him in the chest.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°<i>Cough!¡±</i>


    Spit and blood flew out of his mouth as four of his ribs broke. On the other hand, the Sword King''s skull half-copsed, his head caving in and blood flowing out.


    The brilliant young Mu Heons that would then be the Sword King and Saber King were each dispatched to the Justice Coalition and Hegemon n, respectively.


    Then, as their martial arts skills and reputation rose rapidly, they acquired the status of the Sword and Hegemon Emperors.


    During that time, the Sword King had an affair with a young nun from the Emei Sect. When he found out that she had be pregnant and secretly gave birth to a child, he had her killed. But, since the child had already been born, not even the ruthless Sword King could have it killed¡ªit was blood of his blood, after all. Thus, he secretly left the baby at the Shaolin Temple and, once his son had grown up enough to learn the truth, made him join the Mu Heon path.


    He himselfter became a Paragon, ascending from the Mu Heon path and bing one of the Three Heavenly Martial Kings of Martial Heaven, while Divine Monk himself rose to be an Absolute Master.


    Divine Monk never found out that it had been the Sword King who had his mother killed, and given their history together, he truly respected and loved his father.


    And that love was what brought him misfortune now.


    The moment Divine Monk was struck by the Sword King''s head, Woo-Moon attacked from the front and Ma-Ra from the back. They crossed paths right as their swords cut through Divine Monk¡¯s midriff and neck, respectively.


    Looking at Divine Monk''s head rolling on the ground, Woo-Moon scoffed coldly.


    ¡°Since you and your father nned to exterminate the <i>murim</i> together, it¡¯s only fitting that you are punished together.¡±


    Ma-Ra disappeared again, while Woo-Moon moved forward, once again picking up the Sword King''s head with his sword. In the distance, he could see Saber King and Si-Hyeon fighting.


    ¡°Let''s see...¡±


    Woo-Moon hurled the Sword King¡¯s head at the Saber King this time.


    The Saber King was in the middle of a close battle with Si-Hyeon, but being a Paragon, he naturally noticed right away as something flew at him.


    ¡°Sword King!¡±


    They had been close friends who had shared joys and sorrows together in their youth as Mu Heons andter bonded over their loneliness as they acted as Martial Heaven¡¯s spies in their respective forces.


    But while his rtionship with the Sword King was even deeper than Divine Monk''s, the Saber King was also far more ruthless.


    He kicked out, sending a st of aura that smashed the Sword King''s head mid-air.


    Even though his friend''s brain, bone fragments, and blood had sttered his face, the Saber King didn''t even blink.


    ¡°Tsk. That''s pretty impressive,¡± Woo-Moon scoffed.


    Then, he looked at the situation on the battlefield.


    By this point, he had already recovered all of the qi he had expended while fighting the Sword King and unleashing the Sword Heart. His incredible cultivation allowed him to recover without actually circting his qi consciously.


    ¡°Let''s go, Ma-Ra.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    He wasn''t worried about Si-Hyeon''s battle. While to a less experienced observer it seemed as though both sides were equally matched, Woo-Moon could tell that Si-Hyeon was slightly more powerful. The real trouble was elsewhere.


    The fifty thousand troops brought by Regional Commander Lee Pyeong-Ahn were clearly elites. However, they were bound to be inferior in terms of martial skill when faced with thebined forces of the Martial Heaven''s Mu Heons and the Hegemon n''s warriors.


    While in the beginning they were able to ovee this discrepancy with their well-organized formations, as time passed, their formations began to copse due to the overwhelming strength of the enemy''s Absolute Masters. Gradually, they were pushed back, and casualties multiplied.


    About twenty thousand troops had already lost their lives.


    The Saber Emperor was fighting the Soul-ying Sword Demon, and the Battle Emperor, Ah Hee, and Formless Flying Sword were fighting the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Mu Heons.


    That left the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Mu Heons.


    These four Absolute Masters were destroying the formations and mercilessly ughtering the soldiers.


    As the Ten Swords of the North Sea and the other Transcendents of the North Sea Ice Pce were struggling against the Transcendents of the Hegemon n, they were utterly unable to help the soldiers.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    "Agh!"


    With each swing of the Seventh Mu Heon''s staff, three or four soldiers would have their heads crushed.


    ¡°I''ll kill you all, you government dogs!¡±


    While the Seventh Mu Heon''s staff, soaked in brains and blood, was swinging ceaselessly, the Eighth Mu Heon walked forward, holding a short saber.


    <i>Thud. Thud!</i>


    One of themanders, who was a fifth-rank official in the army administration, dropped to the ground, crawling backward. A yellowish liquid leaked from between his trouser legs as he uselessly tried to hold onto whatever dignity he had left, shouting, "H-how impudent! How dare you, amoner, dare to harm me, a fifth-rank official! And you dare attack this great nation¡¯s soldiers! This is a rebellion!"


    The Eighth Mu Heon licked his sword, which was covered in blood.


    ¡°A-a-a-a... Y-y-y-you really a-a-a-are a g-g-good talker-r-r... ye-s-s-s... I-if I-I-I ea-t-t y-y-y-our ton-g-gue, t-t-then I-I-I-I shou-l-ld b-be goo-d-d-d a-a-t tal-k-king, to-o-o-o-o, r-r-r-righ-t?¡±


    The Eighth Mu Heon, who had a habit of stuttering, wasn''t able to fix his stutter even after bing an Absolute Master. This was because the stutter wasn''t a physical defect or an illness but an ingrained habit. As a superstitious person, he believed that this stutter would disappear if he ate the tongue of a good talker.


    ¡°I-if you stop here and don''t kill me... I-I won''t have nine generations of your n executed. I swear. I¡ª<i>agh!</i>¡±


    The official tried to use threats, just like he always did when he dealt with witless civilians. Sadly, he was in a ce where his


    The Eighth Mu Heon wrenched open his mouth, grabbed his tongue, and pulled it out violently while stabbing him in the shoulder with his short sword.


    "<i>Agh! Aghh¡ª</i>!"


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    With a creepy sound, the Eighth Mu Heon ripped out the official''s entire tongue.


    Unable to ovee the intense pain and fear, the man keeled over, sumbing to a heart attack.


    The Eighth Mu Heon chewed on the raw tongue with a big smile on his face. Meanwhile, the Sixth Mu Heon frowned from the side.


    ¡°Ugh, you crazy bastard.¡±


    Meanwhile, his hands continued to move and ughtered the soldiers.


    ¡°You demons!¡±


    The Regional Commander Lee Pyeong-Ahn leaped forward with a shout, his aura zing as hemuned with his sword, reaching sword-body union.


    While the enemy''s cultivations were so high that he hadn''t dared to go all out and fight by himself, after seeing his subordinate''s miserable death, he couldn''t bear it any longer.


    In the meantime, the Eighth Mu Heon had finished chewing on the tongue and drew his short saber again.


    <i>ng!</i>


    "Ugh."


    As the Regional Commander, Lee Pyeong-Ahn was a Transcendent. However, he was unable to ovee the power contained in the Eighth Mu Heon''s sword and suffered internal injuries.


    He backed away with blood flowing from his mouth and the Eighth Mu Heon followed him, making a strange sound while swinging his sword wildly.


    "KEKEKEKEKEKEKE!"


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    Lee Pyeong-Ahn tried to block the Eighth Mu Heon''s relentless assault, but with every sh of their swords, he was being pushed back. Eventually, he was unable to stop the strikes anymore, and red lines began to appear all over his body.


    <i>Squelch, squelch!</i>


    Blood spurted out, and Lee Pyeong-Ahn''scerated skin was soon fully covered.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°F-f-first... L-let-t-t''s s-s-s-s-start wi-i-th you-r-r tong-g-g-ue.¡±


    Even though he had just consumed the tongue of the smooth-spoken fifth-rank official, for some reason, the Eighth Mu Heon''s stutter didn''t show any signs of improvement. Thus, he grew incredibly angry.


    ¡°AGH!!!¡±


    His sword was really short.


    So short, in fact, that it was more like a big dagger. From this distance, he wouldn''t be able to cut off Lee Pyeong-Ahn''s arm unless he used aura.


    However, the Eighth Mu Heon didn''t do that; rather, he just continuously hacked at the Regional Commander''s arm, hitting the same spot over and over again.


    One swing, one inch deep.


    Two swings, two inches.


    ¡°Save the general!¡±


    Lee Pyeong-Ahn''s subordinate, Jeong Cheon-Ho, rushed to save his superior, encouraging the terrified soldiers.


    ¡°Kekeke!¡±


    Suddenly, a horrifying aura, so strong that it left the soldiers speechless, burst out from the Eighth Mu Heon''s entire body.


    ¡°AGH!¡±


    All four hundred soldiers who had rushed the Eighth Mu Heon froze, their feet cemented to the ground. So did Jeong Cheon-Ho, who was a Peak ss martial artist.


    They were unable to move even a finger due to the Eighth Mu Heon''s Absolute Aura.


    ¡°D-d-d-d-d-on''t interf-f-f-ere!¡±


    Dozens of aura des shot out as he swung his short sword at the soldiers.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Mother!!!¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    Jeong Cheon-Ho''s expression froze, his face covered in blood. Half of the four hundred men behind him had been torn to pieces. It was an impossible sight.


    <i>¡®D... damned Absolute Master...¡¯</i>


    He looked down. He was missing a massive chunk of his torso; in fact, most of his chest had been reced by a gaping hole. Blood poured down like a waterfall.


    He fell forward,nding in a puddle of his own blood.


    ¡°KEKEKE!¡±


    At the same time, the Eighth Mu Heon finally seeded in severing Lee Pyeong-Ahn¡¯s right arm.


    ¡°You son of a bitch!¡±


    Lee Pyeong-Ahn let out a beastly roar¡ªnot because of the pain of losing his arm, but because his most loyal subordinate had just died while trying to save him.


    However, no matter how much he struggled, he couldn''t do anything to the Eighth Mu Heon.


    ¡°You''re all insane.¡±


    With this cold remark, a white sh flew in andnded between the Eighth Mu Heon and Lee Pyeong-Ahn.


    ¡°Ke? Y-y-y-ou...?¡±


    The Eighth Mu Heon was confused. He knew that there were two Paragons who were on the opposite side, the Heavenly Demon Si-Hyeon and the Undefeatable Sword Hero Song Woo-Moon.


    However, dealing with them was not the Mu Heons¡¯ job; the Sword and Saber Kings were supposed to take care of them...


    ¡°ARGHHHH!¡±


    The Eighth Mu Heon let out a scream. While he was pondering, Woo-Moon had simply grabbed him by the forearm and torn his arm clean off.


    "Eighth Mu Heon!"


    Hearing his scream, the Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth Mu Heons, who were fighting the soldiers, came running over.


    Seeing Woo-Moon, the Seventh Mu Heon flinched.

 Chapter 211. Nine in the Fifth Place (7)

    <h4>Chapter 211. Nine in the Fifth ce (7)</h4>


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon! Why are you here...?!¡±


    As he looked around, panicked, Woo-Moon responded coldly.


    ¡°If you¡¯re looking for the Sword King, don¡¯t bother. The geezer¡¯s dead.¡±


    The Mu Heons¡¯ hearts skipped a beat.


    They could all feel it.


    If they confronted Woo-Moon here and now, they would all die. It was as simple as that.


    The moment Si-Hyeon and Woo-Moon reconciled and the identities of the Sword and Saber Kings were revealed, the operation had already failed.


    <i>¡®Then...!¡¯</i>


    While Martial Heaven itself was arrogant and proud, the Mu Heons were different.


    The Martial Spirits, Mu Heons¡¯ troop[1], was created in order to allow Martial Heaven¡¯s destruction of the <i>murim</i> to proceed smoothly. They possessed plenty of the awareness and cowardice that the core Martial Heaven group did not.


    <i>¡®Flee, now!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon clearly had to be far past the threshold to the Paragon realm considering that he had defeated the Sword King; even thirty Absolute Masters couldn¡¯t take him down, much less three. The Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth Mu Heons looked at each other for a split second, then immediately fled in different directions.


    The life or death of the other Mu Heons was already out of the question, and they didn¡¯t even care to begin with.


    ¡°W-w-w-where... w-w-w-w-w-where-e-e a-a-are you-u-u g-g-g-oing?! S-s-s-ave me?!¡±


    Woo-Moon cut off both legs of the screaming Eighth Mu Heon and flew forward.


    Ma-Ra, who was always following him like his shadow, moved as well¡ªin the opposite direction this time.


    ¡°Did you really think you could escape?!¡± Woo-Moon sneered.


    The Seventh Mu Heon cursed Woo-Moon, wondering why <i>he</i> had to be the one the Paragon chased first.


    While he wanted to look back to see how close Woo-Moon was, he didn¡¯t dare to do so. He knew that if he slowed down even in the slightest, he would die.


    However, there¡¯s always that pesky part of you that makes you look back even when you shouldn¡¯t. And the Seventh Mu Heon looked back just in the nick of time¡ªhe was barely able to catch a glimpse of the de before it glid through his neck.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    The Seventh Mu Heon¡¯s head shot up into the air with a spray of blood, and Woo-Moon kicked off the ground and flew off to chase after the Tenth Mu Heon.


    In the meantime, Ma Ra appeared in front of the Ninth Mu Heon.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    With this soft word, Ma-Ra pulled on the Formless Silk that had somehow ended up wrapped around the Ninth Mu Heon¡¯s neck.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The Formless Silk was even sharper than normal thanks to Ma-Ra¡¯s qi, and it severed the Ninth Mu Heon¡¯s neck as if it was nothing but jelly.


    ¡°Agh!!¡±


    At the same time, Woo-Moon unleashed his Sword Heart. Since there was no one around him that could threaten him, he felt free to experiment.


    The moment Woo-Moon focused his thoughts on the back of the Tenth Mu Heon¡¯s head, a significant amount of the qi in his dantian vanished.


    At the exact same time, the sword in Woo-Moon¡¯s heart appeared in the Tenth Mu Heon¡¯s brain. The man died without even being able to scream, his brain turned to mush.


    When Woo-Moon returned to where the Eighth Mu Heon was, he saw that thetter was already dead, his body turned to rags by the angry soldier¡¯s spears.


    <i>¡¯Is Si-Hyeon doing okay?¡¯</i>


    Si-Hyeon and the Saber King were so closely matched that it was difficult to say who was stronger. However, in terms of mental state, Si-Hyeon was in a far better ce than the Saber King. After learning that Woo-Moon was alive and confirming his steadfast love for her, Si-Hyeon was full of confidence that she could fight and win.


    Meanwhile, the Saber King was in the exact opposite situation.


    The original n had been to use the Justice Coalition and the Hegemon n to eliminate or at the very least weaken the Heavenly Demon Cult, while forcing Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon to kill each other. However, not only had that n failed spectacrly, but Woo-Moon had also taken down the Sword King without even being injured in the slightest!


    Seeing this, the usually domineering Saber King also started to feel as though he might lose.


    As thoughts of defeat began to circle in his mind, his movements became passive and heavy, and he began to be pushed back little by little.


    That small gap gradually grew as the fight continued. Si-Hyeon could naturally see what was going on, and she had no intention of letting this opportunity go to waste.


    <i>Squlech!</i>


    ¡°<i>Ugh.</i>¡±


    The Saber King let out a small groan.


    His shoulder had been pierced by the demonic whip aura that Si-Hyeon had shot at him.


    The aura generated by the Immortal Heavenly Demon Divine Art disrupted the flow of his qi, just like the Sword Heart or the Natural Sword would.


    Although it wasn¡¯t at the level of the Sword Heart yet, the important thing was that it disrupted the Saber King¡¯s qi. Due to this, the Saber King¡¯s Paragon-level recovery ability wasn¡¯t working properly, and more importantly, he wasn¡¯t able topensate for his injury by using his qi to move his shoulder.


    The scariest part of a Paragon was that even if their limbs were crippled and their hearts were torn, they would be able topensate for the damage with their qi and continue fighting as if nothing had happened. And with their regeneration ability, as long as they had some time to recover, these injuries meant nothing long-term.


    If a Paragon¡¯s dantian was damaged, it would permanently wound them, of course. Even so, they had the heaven-defying ability to create another dantian using the qi that was spread throughout their entire body. Although its efficiency would be lower than that of the original dantian, they would still be able to use it to fight and cultivate.


    In other words, Paragons were virtually unkible... unless their head was crushed to bits.


    The brain was a far moreplex organ than any other and there was no way to rece its role; it wasn¡¯t something that could be made up for with mere qi like the heart or an arm. Head injuries could be healed in time, just like any other injuries, but if the brain was fully destroyed, that was that.


    Unfortunately, the Immortal Heavenly Demon Divine Art interfered with the very root of their recovery ability, their qi control. This effectively prevented both their recovery and their ability to fight while physically crippled.


    It was already difficult for the Saber King to move his arm, so he had a harder time defending himself. And now, facing Si-Hyeon, he had one more weakness.


    <i>¡®It¡¯ll be pretty bad if she stabs me in the heart with that qi of hers.¡¯</i>


    Of course, even if his heart was pierced, that didn¡¯t mean that he would die instantly or even at all.


    The role of the heart was to circte blood throughout the body constantly. However, even if it malfunctioned, it wasn¡¯t an immediate issue for a Paragon; it could be reced using a temporary qi organ that would circte his blood in its ce until it recovered.


    But since that took a lot of mental strength, it often couldn¡¯t be done in the middle of a battle, especially a very close battle like he was in right now.


    In other words, if Si-Hyeon were tond a blow to his head or heart right now, even the Paragon Saber King would die. And unfortunately for him, while one¡¯s mind is distracted, it¡¯s only natural for the limbs to move a little <i>too</i> slowly.


    Almost at the same time as his shoulder was pierced, the Saber King mmed his sword into the ground.


    Lake-Filling Landslide!


    <i>Boom, boom, BOOM!</i>


    Three lines of saber force rose from under Si-Hyeon¡¯s feet and sted into the air.


    Immediately, Si-Hyeon dashed into the air; protecting her feet with her wings, she used the rebound force to add to her momentum as she did a backflip in the air and unleashed the Dark Heavenly Demon w, her fingers turning into deadly talons.


    The five aura ws of the Dark Heavenly Demon w whistled through the air as they descended upon the Saber King¡¯s head.


    The Saber King¡¯s martial arts were simple, and that simplicity was his advantage. He was able to block the opponent¡¯s mboyant attacks with his steadfast Vajra Defensive Qi while using the great saber in his hands to attack Si-Hyeon directly.


    That was the characteristics of the Hegemon n martial arts that the Saber King had learned and perfected himself.


    This time again, the Saber King endured the Dark Heavenly Demon w with his Vajra Defensive Qi while swinging his great saber at Si-Hyeon¡¯s waist.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    However, the Saber King had been forced on the defensive and was well and truly shaken. Even with his defenses up, he took quite a bit of damage from the Dark Heavenly Demon w. He felt a shiver throughout his entire body, and hisplexion turned pale.


    Si-Hyeon had to face an attack of her own.


    ¡°Ha-eup!¡±


    With a shout, the Saber King amplified the qi imbued into his great saber.


    Sensing something was wrong, Si-Hyeon wrapped her wings around her body and simultaneously materialized all the demonic qi she could muster to block the Saber King¡¯s attack.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    There was another explosion.


    Si-Hyeon bounced off the ground twice and kept going. When she bounced for the third time, she kicked off using the rebound force and dashed toward the Saber King again.


    Unlike the Saber King, she didn¡¯t seem to have taken any damage at all.


    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>


    Simultaneously, whipsshed at the Saber King from all directions; all of the feathers on her wings rose and flew toward the Saber King like the Flowers Raining Over the Sky technique of the Sichuan Tang Family.


    <i>¡®Counterattack!¡¯</i>


    The moment he realized it, the Saber King gathered all of his qi in his great saber.


    <i>¡®Iron-shing Hegemon de!¡¯</i>


    The aura on the Saber King¡¯s saber grew massivelyrger beforepressing back to its original size. Then it grew again, and as itpressed for a second time, he shed down with earth-rending power.


    <i>BOOOM!!!!</i>


    The might of the great saber was so incredible that the sky itself trembled as if terrified; the dirt and rocks on the ground rose into the air and were sucked toward the copsing space around the saber.


    ¡°Agk!!¡±


    The vacuum¡¯s strength was so great that the surrounding martial artists weren¡¯t able to keep their footing, and the makeshift barracks at the back copsed.


    <i>Crack, crack, crack!</i>


    The demonic qi whips that Si-Hyeon had created got caught in the great saber¡¯s aura and snapped, and the feathers themselves couldn¡¯t ovee the strength either, dissipating.


    As everything around it copsed, the Saber King¡¯s Hegemon Iron Destruction Chop grew closer and closer to Si-Hyeon, and she gathered all of the demonic qi in her entire body, too.


    <i>¡®Fine, Saber King. I¡¯ll ept your wager! Darkness Drowns My Light!¡¯</i>


    Her hands were slim and her skin was as clear asmb-suet jade. Hher fingers were long and thin, and her nails were dainty, neither too big nor too small. They had a beautiful curve in a blushing pink.


    There wasn¡¯t a single wrinkle on her hands, to the point where it seemed as if they were sculpted from marble rather than being human hands.


    Words simply could not describe how beautiful these hands were.


    Her hands moved slowly, confronting the approaching Saber King¡¯s great saber, which was moving with unprecedented strength.


    A ck aura rippled in front of her hands. Then, those surrounding them were able to witness something they had never seen in their entire lives¡ªpure nothingness. All light vanished around them, leaving nothing but darkness. Even the sun was nowhere to be seen.


    For just a single moment.


    When the light reappeared, what was left under the hot midday sun was a slightly pale Si-Hyeon and apletely bloodied Saber King.


    ¡°<i>Cough... cough, cough!</i> W-what a... terrifying... technique.¡±


    The Saber King fell to one knee.


    ¡°This is a technique I created myself so I could take revenge on you all.¡±


    The Saber King¡¯s stature had diminished.


    At a closer look, it was apparent that his body had been corroded by the light-devouring darkness, and most of his skin and flesh had disappeared.


    ¡°It¡¯s over now, Saber King.¡±


    <i>¡®North Wind.¡¯</i>


    As North Wind blew out from the tip of Woo-Moon¡¯s sword, the sixty or so people in front of him, including the Hegemon n warriors and the Mu Heons, turned into blocks of ice and their limbs fell off.


    As Woo-Moon¡¯s cultivation improved, the Gentle Celestial Sword¡¯s techniques also evolved, and now each technique had additional effects.


    When he unleashed Raging Wind, a real tornado formed, tearing flesh off and shattering bones. When Heavy Rain came in, it wasn¡¯t just a rain of sword qi; the actual moisture in the air would gather and form real raindrops. Each of those raindrops had the power to pierce through human bodies due to Woo-Moon¡¯s sword qi being imbued into them.


    North Wind and Cold Snow now contained a frigid qi that was very much like the frigid yin qi of the North Sea Ice Pce, which had the effect of turning the target into a block of ice.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>Crack.</i>


    Even outside of North Wind¡¯s actual striking range, another forty people were frozen to the bone.


    <i>Ccrack!! Crunch!</i>


    None of them died right away. However, those who tried to move without thawing themselves out first had their legs crumble to pieces underneath them.


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    Well, that didn¡¯t mean they could just choose not to move. The frigid yin qi had already spread throughout their body and was turning them to ice not just on the outside but all the way through, even their heart and brain. Either way, they¡¯d die


    Having killed over a hundred people in a single blow, Woo-Moon proceeded tounch a Dragon Bind Tiger Strike.


    <i>ROAR!</i>


    The roar of the dragon and the howl of the tiger echoed at the same time.


    ¡°Agk!¡±


    ¡°AGHHH!¡±


    The enemies around Woo-Moon clutched their ears in agony. The twenty or so people closest to him immediately died, their internal organs ruptured by the sheer power of the roar. Meanwhile, the thirty or so people outside of the technique¡¯s actual range rolled across the ground with blood flowing out of their ears.


    <i>Meow?</i>


    Eun-Ah, who was fighting far away, suddenly perked up her ears and looked toward Woo-Moon.


    1. Remember, Mu Heon is Martial Soul/Spirit in Korean. ?

 Chapter 212. Nine in the Fifth Place (8)

    <h4>Chapter 212. Nine in the Fifth ce (8)</h4>


    Eun-Ah growled as she looked at the two auras of Dragon Bind Tiger Strike, which were still roaring. Then, she suddenly let out a roar, too.


    <i>ROAR!!!</i>


    Eun-Ah¡¯s roar resonated throughout the surroundings. Some of the enemies died of heart attacks from the shock, while others vomited blood, the qi-imbued soundwaves turning their internal organs into mush.


    Satisfied that her roar was louder and more majestic than the roar of Woo-Moon¡¯s Dragon Bind Tiger Strike, Eun-Ah continued to fight with a proud heart. That roar had stimted herpetitive spirit.


    Meanwhile, the dragon and tiger auras thrashed around viciously, attacking the Hegemon n and Mu Heons and their guards. With each movement, they wreaked absolute havoc around them.


    ¡°A...ahhh!¡±


    The Mu Heons and their guards were somewhat better off. However, the Hegemon n warriors either wet themselves at Woo-Moon¡¯s incredible force or threw their weapons aside and ran away. Only some of them were brave enough that they tried to approach Woo-Moon from behind.


    It was the Hegemon n¡¯s elite force, the Hegemon Dragon Squadron.[1]


    <i>¡®We¡¯ll never be able to kill him head-on. Let¡¯s take advantage of the chaotic situation and...!¡¯</i>


    Squadron Captain Woo Bo-Gwan, a pinnacle Transcendent that only had the slightest bit left until he reached the Absolute realm, gripped his saber tighter before rushing Woo-Moon.


    His subordinates followed to his left, right, and behind him.


    Fortunately, it seemed as though Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t noticed them.


    Woo Bo-Gwan gathered all of his strength, thinking that he would be able to y a Paragon and the Hegemon n¡¯s greatest enemy.


    <i>¡®Huh?¡¯</i>


    A girl wearing a light pink robe appeared before his eyes.


    She didn¡¯t seem to fit in with the battlefield, where blood sttered everywhere and death and hatred were rampant.


    Her cold eyes seemed clearer and deeper than anyke, and her long hair was thick and dark as night, forming a strong contrast with her bright white face.


    Her slender body looked so delicate that it begged to be hugged.


    Her beauty had always been outstanding, and as time passed and she matured, she only became even more beautiful, blossoming with every day that passed.


    She had a unique type of beauty that seemed difficult to categorize as the beauty of a girl, though at the same time, it was difficult to call the beauty of a mature woman. Yet a rose by any other name would smell as sweet; whatever you called it, her beauty was resplendent.


    Woo Bo-Gwan¡¯s mind went nk at the girl¡¯s sudden appearance,pounded by her stunning beauty. All he could see was Ma-Ra. Even on the fierce battlefield, her beauty was so outstanding that it could steal a man¡¯s soul.


    So outstanding that he forgot the age-old adage: the brighter the colors, the stronger the poison.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    A momentter, Woo Bo-Gwan¡¯s head rose into the air, leaving his body behind.


    Until the very end, his expression, the look in his eyes¡ªeverything about his face made it clear that he was unaware of his own death.


    ¡±I-it¡¯s the Killing Flower, Death God Ma-Ra!¡±


    That was the title she had received after forming the new Assassin Gate.


    The rest of the Hegemon Dragon Squadron were only able to escape Ma-Ra¡¯s trap because of the death of their captain.


    ¡°And you call themselves dragons? You¡¯re just a bunch of rats. To think you¡¯d target someone¡¯s back.¡±


    Leaving behind a cold remark, Ma-Ra disappeared into the shadows once again.


    ¡°W-where did she go?¡±


    ¡°Find her! We have to find her quickly!¡±


    ¡°Find the Death God quickly! AGK!¡±


    Suddenly, the throat of one of the warriors searching for Ma-Ra split open.


    A small hand holding a knife appeared faintly, like a ghost. None of the surrounding people had any inkling of where Ma-Ra was.


    <i>Pssssst! Psssst!</i>


    The warrior¡¯s throat had been cut with surgical precision; the carotids were severed, and blood gushed everywhere. While he tried to stop the bleeding by pressing on his neck with both hands, it was hard to keep his hands from shaking as he panicked.


    ¡°G-g-g-eough...¡±


    He eventually fell forward without ever saying a proper word due to the gushing blood.


    Even as a <i>murim</i> expert, he wasn¡¯t able to ovee the dizziness that came with such extensive blood loss, and he would soon die from the excessing bleeding.


    The title of Killing Flower Death God was bound to be on the lips of every martial artist alive after this battle.


    In particr, her ability topletely disappear even in bright sunlight, to act in full stealth even in the middle of a battlefield full of people, and to assassinate countless powerful people by herself was enough to make her an object of fear for everyone in the <i>murim</i>.


    ¡°Come out! Let¡¯s fight fair and square! I refuse to die li... AGH!¡±


    A long spike pierced the heart of the shouting warrior, then was pulled out by the attached chain.


    ¡°Assassination. Start.¡±


    At Ma-Ra¡¯s cold order, her twelve assassin guards made their moves.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    <i>ng!</i>


    <i>Thud.</i>


    Countless sounds rang out.


    ¡°<i>Kuaak!</i>¡±


    ¡°Aaah! S-save me...¡±


    The members of the Hegemon Martial Dragon Squadron were helplessly killed by the hands of death.


    Normally, the twelve Special Rank assassins who traveled with Ma-Ra weren¡¯t strong enough to attempt an assault on the Hegemon Dragon Squadron.


    Since there was quite a disparity in their cultivation levels, none of them would have normally even dared to try assassinating these Hegemon n elites.


    The only reason they were able to kill the squadron members so easily was Ma-Ra¡¯s presence. The Hegemon Dragon Squadron members, consumed by their fear of Ma-Ra, were unable to resist the Absolute Aura of the Death God that she exuded. Suppressed, they were unable to use less than half of their usual senses and movements.


    This was just how terrifying her presence was.


    After severing the head of thest member of the squadron, Ma-Ra appeared for a split second.


    ¡°Thank you, Ma-Ra,¡± Woo-Moon said.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have fallen to that anyway.¡±


    She was right.


    Woo-Moon had long realized that the Hegemon Martial Dragon Squadron was approaching him from behind. He had just ignored them because he had justifiably assumed Ma-Ra would take care of them.


    ¡°Still, thank you.¡±


    <i>Smooch!</i>


    Woo-Moon sneaked over to her side, hugged her tightly, and gave her a kiss.


    <i>THUD!</i>[2]


    Surprised, Ma-Ra punched him in the side before disappearing again.


    ¡°Bastard!¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    Woo-Moon let out a sinisterugh for a moment.


    Not only had he gotten revenge for his grandfather, but he had also resolved the misunderstanding with Si-Hyeon, and it seemed they could be together again.


    He was in a <i>very</i> good mood.


    Then Woo-Moon sensed a peculiar flow in the energy of the battlefield.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s where the Saber King and Si-Hyeon are fighting.¡¯</i>


    The moment he turned around, Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes darkened and then brightened again.


    ¡°How incredible.¡±


    It was the flicker of light-devouring darkness that marked the end of the battle between Si-Hyeon and the Saber King, stealing away the sunlight and briefly engulfing the surroundings.


    With that single technique, Woo-Moon felt the breadth of Si-Hyeon¡¯s technique and admired it, curious about her outstanding abilities.


    ¡°It¡¯s not an application of Sword Heart. Hmm, it seems to be a form of the Natural Sword... Even though she can¡¯t actually use the Natural Sword, it¡¯s an application of the insights she¡¯s gleaned about it. Wow, really incredible.¡±


    While muttering to himself, Woo-Moon got lost in thought about martial arts for a moment.


    He was one of those unhelpable martial arts fanatics.


    The current situation was going <i>too</i> well.


    Si-Hyeon had seized a clear victory over the Saber King, and thanks to Woo-Moon, Ma-Ra, and Eun-Ah¡¯s efforts, the enemies lost their momentum. They were being pushed back by the thirty thousand remaining troops of the imperial government and the North Sea Ice Pce warriors.


    Even within the battle of Absolute Masters, none of the Absolute Masters on his allies¡¯ side had gotten pushed back.


    As Woo-Moon walked toward the Saber King, who had been subdued by Si-Hyeon, someone suddenly appeared in front of him and knelt.


    The figure covered in blood and with one arm cut off was none other than So Geom-Rak.


    As soon as Woo-Moon saw him, he thought back to when they met in that brothel. Woo-Moon thought well of him and looked upon him favorably. Moreover, he was fond of So Geom-Rak and his peculiar way of being.


    That was why he felt truly bitter now that they were forced to be enemies.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    So Geom-Rak bowed his head at Woo-Moon¡¯s words.


    ¡°Benefactor! I received your favorst time, I¡¯m so sorry that I have to ask you for a favor again before I can repay the previous one.¡±


    A favor.


    Woo-Moon already knew what So Geom-Rak was going to ask before the man even said it aloud.


    It had to be a pardon for his father, the Saber King.


    However, the resentment in Woo-Moon¡¯s heart wasn¡¯t negligible enough for him to change his mind at So Geom-Rak¡¯s request.


    No matter what anyone else said, the Saber King was someone who had a hand in the death of his grandfather, the Palm Martial Emperor.


    Moreover, he had killed the Night Spear Devil with his own hand.


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t save your father.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m begging you! If you save my father, I¡¯ll live the rest of my life as your save. Please, please...¡±


    Watching So Geom-Rak¡¯s tears, Woo-Moon¡¯s heart began to ache. No matter how evil the Saber King was, even if he was a mole who had mocked the world as he acted as a spy for Martial Heaven, to his son, he was the only father in the world.


    But even so...


    <i>¡®How could I stand by my beliefs and achieve my revenge if I have to consider all of that?¡¯</i>


    Just as Woo-Moon was about to shake his head again, a variable suddenly appeared.


    ¡°Song Woo-Mooooooon!¡±


    Someone appeared, screeching at the top of his lungs.


    ¡°And who are y¡ªoh, it¡¯s you again!¡±


    As soon as Woo-Moon saw the man, he frowned, and a terrifyingly cold light poured out of his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s you again, and you¡¯re doing the same thing all over again, aren¡¯t you.¡±


    The Ny-Third Mu Heon¡ªthe Mu Heon who had previously plotted against the Baek Family¡ªburst intoughter.


    ¡°AHAHAHAHA! We meet again, Song Woo-Moon! I¡¯ve always waited for this day, the chance to repay you!¡±


    As he spoke, Mu Heon tightened his grip a little. His fingernails bit into Yeo-Seol¡¯s white neck, and blood trickled down.


    While Yeo-Seol was at the peak of the Transcendent Stage and thus simr in strength to the Ny-Third Mu Heon, the Mu Heon had approached her secretly and attacked her the moment she got flustered by the light-devouring darkness Si-Hyeon had unleashed.


    The thing Woo-Moon hated the most was when someone tried to use his loved ones against him. This Mu Heon had caused many of his rtives to die, and now he was holding a hostage.


    He red at the Ny-Third Mu Heon.


    ¡°How strange. I definitely killed you back then. How are you still alive?¡±


    The Ny-Third Mu Heon had cultivated the Immortal Heavenly Demon Divine Art that had been leaked to Martial Heaven by a traitor of the Heavenly Demon Cult. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it was definitely good enough. Of course, Woo-Moon had no way of knowing that.


    ¡°Well, why would that be? Kekeke! Shouldn¡¯t it be me asking the questions here?¡±


    ¡°Really? Do you really think you¡¯re holding a hostage right now?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The Ny-Third Mu Heon was taken aback for a moment.


    Woo-Moon was acting a little <i>too</i> tough right now.


    ¡°Do you think I really don¡¯t know that this bitch is your fianc¨¦e, Ha Yeo-Seol?¡±


    ¡°No, I believe you know that.¡±


    ¡°You do? Then why the hell would you say something like that... <i>oh</i>. Do you possibly not like this woman?¡±


    Even though she had been captured by the enemy and her life was in danger, Yeo-Seol wasn¡¯t scared at all.


    That was because she firmly believed that Woo-Moon would save her.


    ¡°No, I love her. More than my life.¡±


    The Ny-Third Mu Heon cheered inwardly. He had chosen the right hostage.


    ¡°Then put your sword down right now. And tell all those other bastards to stop fighting! Otherwise, you¡¯ll be staring at this bitch¡¯s headless corpse.¡±


    Then Ma-Ra, who had been standing behind Woo-Moon without hiding in the shadows, suddenly vanished.


    Seeing that, the Ny-Third Mu Heon¡¯s eyes filled with madness.


    ¡°Stop her! Tell that assassin bitch or whatever to show herself right now!¡±


    1. The full title is actually Sharp Spirit Hegemon Heavenly Martial Dragon Hundred-Man Squadron. Yes, I am serious. Yes, that is a lot of words. ?


    2. Yes, her punch was louder and more forceful than the other stuff. ?

 Chapter 213. Nine in the Fifth Place (9)

    <h4>Chapter 213. Nine in the Fifth ce (9)</h4>


    The Ny-Third Mu Heon was well aware that he could lose his life in a split second without even realizing it if Ma-Ra were to approach him while under stealth.


    <i>Swish</i>.


    Ma-Ra had no choice but to reappear.


    Because of the Ny-Third Mu Heon¡¯s repeated shouts, everyone around them had already stopped fighting to look over.


    If Woo-Moon were toy down his arms because of Yeo-Seol, they would have no choice but to do the same.


    It wasn''t that they were afraid of their enemy; it was Woo-Moon that they were fearful of. If Woo-Moon was forced to turn against his allies in order to save Yeo-Seol''s life, none of them would be able to resist.


    On the other hand, the only person who could resist him, Si-Hyeon, looked at him as if there was no problem.


    Then, Woo-Moon shook his head.


    "No, I won''t throw away my sword. And Yeo-Seol won''t die by your hand, either."


    "What did you say? Do you really think I won''t do it? Hehe, it''s not like I have a future anyway. Even if I die, I''ll definitely kill this bitch first! Do you really not believe me?"


    As he said that, the Ny-Third Mu Heon tried to tighten his grip again.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The arm holding Yeo-Seol¡¯s neck had exploded. It was unbelievable.


    It was so absurd, in fact, that the Ny-Third Mu Heon didn''t even feel any pain and just looked down dumbfounded.


    "Aren''t you looking down on a Paragon a little <i>too</i> much?"


    Woo-Moon looked at the Ny-Third Mu Heon''s stomach this time.


    <i>Squlech!</i>


    The man¡¯s digestive system was pulverized, just like that.


    With this blow, half of the qi Woo-Moon had built up in his dantian was consumed.


    The Ny-Third Mu Heon let out a hollowugh.


    "T... the Sword Heart? Ha... haha... of course."


    Just as the Ny-Third Mu Heon thought, Woo-Moon had no way of reaching him before he crushed Yeo-Seol¡¯s spine. Not even a Paragon was that fast. However, the Sword Heart was not just fast; it was entirely beyond the notion of speed.


    The moment the user thought about attacking, it happened. Simple as that. And since it functioned by manipting space, there was no way for anyone to defend against it unless they were also a Paragon.


    Thus, the Ny-Third Mu Heon didn''t even know he had been attacked until it was already done. How could he possibly have dodged?


    ¡°Do you understand now? To think you¡¯d dare to take a hostage in front of me with your meager skills....¡±


    As soon as she was released, Yeo-Seol ran and clung to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Were you scared?¡±


    ¡°Not at all! How could I be scared when I have you, Gege? Hehe.¡±


    Right as Woo-Moon smiled in return, something no one could have expected happened.


    ¡°Saber King!¡±


    Someone called out to the Saber King as a dagger hanging from a white string flew toward him.


    ¡°You dare!¡±


    Only subduing the Saber King and not killing him had been a mistake. The moment the Saber King caught the flying dagger, the one who had thrown it pulled hard on the string, and the Saber King flew at him faster than the eye could see.


    ¡°We will meet again, Song Woo-Moon!¡±


    ¡°Forgetful King!¡±


    The one who saved Saber King was none other than the Forgetful King.


    Absolutely shocked, Si-Hyeon and Wo-Moon both tried to finish off the Saber King by using their Sword Hearts. However, the Forgetful King stood in front of the Saber King and used his own body to block their attacks.


    In spite of what had transpired earlier between Woo-Moon and the Sword King, killing a Paragon using the Sword Heart was just a pipe dream.


    Maybe it could finish off a Paragon if they were already heavily injured, or if it took advantage of a momentarypse in attention like it happened with the Sword King, but otherwise, any Paragon could easily block the technique with one of their own.


    The Forgetful King had almost killed both Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon before. No, Si-Hyeon had actually died at his hands and had only been revived thanks to Light Sword''s sacrifice.


    That was why Woo-Moon almost gnashed his teeth to pieces in rage as soon as he saw the Forgetful King. However, he had no choice but to give up chasing him.


    Assuming that the battle had ended, Woo-Moon had used the Sword Heart twice on the Ny-Third Mu Heon. Now, he only had a fourth of his qi left.


    It would be difficult to chase the Forgetful King until the end with what he had left, and if the Forgetful King were to turn around and fight, Woo-Moon knew he would inevitably lose.


    Even though Si-Hyeon was with him, there was no way for him to know whether there was another Paragon of Martial Heaven waiting in the direction the Forgetful King was fleeing.


    So he had no choice but to give up.


    "I''ll definitely kill you and the Saber King someday, Forgetful King."


    The more regrets one had, the more it hurt. While it was heartbreaking to lose the Saber King, he couldn''t allow himself to think about it for too long.


    Woo-Moon nced at So Geom-Rak.


    The young man looked nk as if surprised by the unexpected situation. As he realized how things were going, he shook his head with a bitter expression.


    Since it was clear that he had already given up on fighting, Woo-Moon told the others not to kill him.


    Then, he walked toward the Ny-Third Mu Heon.


    ¡°Senior brother, he''s learned the Immortal Heavenly Demon Divine Art. I can sense a familiar energy flowing out of him," Si-Hyeon said from behind him.


    Hearing the words ¡°Immortal Heavenly Demon Divine Art,¡± Woo-Moon understood how the Ny-Third Mu Heon had survived back then.


    ¡°So you only pretended to be dead back then. Using the Corpse Impression Art to trick us.¡±


    ¡°Hehe... idiotic brat.¡±


    The Ny-Third Mu Heon red at Woo-Moon andughed.


    ¡°Because of you, the Baek Family went through a civil war. So many of us died. Still, I''ll have to thank you.¡±


    Everyone was puzzled when Woo-Moon thanked him.


    ¡°Thank you for giving me the opportunity to kill you twice. This time... I''ll definitely kill you.¡±


    ¡°Kehehehehe!¡±


    As if he had gone insane, the Ny-Third Mu Heon''s eyes rolled back, and he let out a loud cackle.


    ¡°It seems you want to try to escape from the reality that''sing. But no worries, no worries. Insanity will not prevent you from feeling every single bit of what¡¯sing.¡±


    Woo-Moon ced his palm on the Ny-Third Mu Heon''s abdomen and injected qi into his body.


    The man¡¯s entire body suddenly turned red.


    ¡°Haha... ke... ke-cough, cough! AGHK!!!!¡±


    The Ny-Third Mu Heon¡¯s madughter turned into a scream of pain. His eyes, which had been rolled back like a crazy person¡¯s, returned to normal, glowing with pain and fear.


    ¡°J-just.... AGH!!! J-J-J-JUST KILL ME! AGHHHH!¡±


    ¡°Martial Heaven... Only a devil would do something like this, but if I have to be a devil to deal with you, then so be it,¡± Woo-Moon said coldly.


    The Ny-Third Mu Heon''s internal organs were being cooked from the inside. Smoke and steam flowed out of his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes.


    Soon after, his entire body was engulfed in mes from within, and he turned into a handful of ash and disappeared.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    The Justice Coalition and North Sea Ice Pce''s warriors, who had been watching, looked at the Ny-Third Mu Heon¡¯s corpse with horrified expressions. Then, some of them looked at Woo-Moon in fear.


    At this time, Ah Hee seeded in turning her opponent into a block of ice and smashed him into pieces.


    Woo-Moon turned to her.


    "Do you mind if I handle things?"


    Everyone was puzzled by his sudden question.


    However, Ah Hee nodded as if she understood him perfectly.


    "Yes. But... Please hold back."


    Woo-Moon bowed his head to express his gratitude for the consideration and walked toward the North Sea Ice Pce¡¯s warriors.


    The Snow Flowers and their husbands, with whom he had previouslypeted in the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, were also present.


    All of them, including Yu Cho, avoided Woo-Moon''s gaze. They couldn''t act out like they had before.


    It was only natural.


    Woo-Moon was already a master of extreme strength with whom they could neverpare.


    ¡°Ten Swords of the North Sea," he said in a low voice. Anyone who heard it could tell that Woo-Moon was angry.


    When he called to the Ten Swords of the North Sea, many of the onlookers realized why Woo-Moon had asked Ah Hee that question and why he was acting like this now.


    The eldest of the Ten Swords of the North Sea, Gi Pa-Hu, answered with a calm expression, ¡°What is it, Young Master Song?¡±


    ¡°What is it? Did you just ask <i>what is it</i>?¡±


    Woo-Moon red at each of the Ten Swords of the North Sea with a cold expression.


    He let some of his mighty aura leak¡ªthe aura of the strongest. The moment he did so, all of the Ten Swords of the North Sea found themselves unable to bear that pressure and averted their gaze. To them, Woo-Moon seemed no different from a mighty titan looking down at them from heaven.


    Woo-Moon looked back at Gi Pa-Hu.


    ¡°What is the mission of the Ten Swords of the North Sea?¡±


    Gi Pa-Hu tried to resist Woo-Moon¡¯s pressure while avoiding his question.


    ¡°W... what mission... are you... referring to?¡±


    ¡°The mission you¡¯re on right now. Thest order that was given to you by the North Sea Ice Pce Master¡ªwhat is it?¡±


    Gi Pa-Hu tried to act calm, but his face was soaked with sweat. It was too hard to ovee Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze and aura.


    Regardless, he had to answer.


    ¡°... To... protect... the Little Pce Master...¡±


    Woo-Moon took a step closer to Gi Pa-Hu, and the pressure the man felt instantly doubled.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Even... even if you''re... the Little Pce... Master''s betrothed... you can''t... treat me like this...¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth. And?¡±


    ¡°Please stop, Young Master Song. You''re an outsider, so please don¡¯t take things too far,¡± said Oh Mu-Baek, the Fourth Sword.


    He was only able to speak because Woo-Moon had relieved the pressure on the other Swords slightly.


    ¡°I wasn''t talking to you.¡±


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Woo-Moon pped Oh Mu-Baek across the face.


    Blood flowed out of Oh Mu-Baek¡¯s mouth, his cheek split, and his teeth shattered.


    ¡°Young Master Song! What do you think you''re doing right now? Are you looking down on the North Sea Ice Pce?¡± an elder of the North Sea Ice Pce protested.


    ¡°I wasn''t talking to you, either. Just open your mouth again, old fart. See if I don''t p you as well.¡±


    Bloodlust zed from Woo-Moon''s eyes.


    For a single second, he released his Paragon aura without holding back.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Everyone''s chests tightened and they became dizzy.


    Whether it was the elder who had just spoken or everyone else watching what was going on¡ªeveryone turned pale.


    ¡°Answer my question. <i>What were you doing, Ten Swords of the North Sea</i>?¡±


    Woo-Moon looked at Gi Pa-Hu again.


    Gi Pa-Hu gritted his teeth in humiliation and shame.


    ¡°We were assisting the Pce Master and fighting the enemy.¡±


    ¡°Did my mother-inw order you to do so?¡±


    ¡°... No.¡±


    The moment Gi Pa-Hu answered, Woo-Moon split into ten figures and pped all Ten Swords of the North Sea before merging back into one body.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Rather than echoing ten times over, the ps superimposed into one loud crack.


    Then, not only the Ten Swords of the North Sea but all of the members of the North Sea Ice Pce''s eyes filled with shame and gleamed with resentment.


    They all considered this an insult to the Pce, especially in front of so many people.


    Yeo-Seol, who had been fidgeting since earlier, grabbed Woo-Moon¡¯s arm.


    ¡°T-that''s enough, Gege. I''m okay.¡±


    However, Woo-Moon didn''t listen. He simply patted her head, signaling her to be patient, then continued his questioning, exuding even more Paragon aura.


    ¡°What, do you feel offended? Do you think I''m bringing shame upon the honor of the North Sea Ice Pce?¡±


    Gi Pa-Hu red at Woo-Moon, spitting blood and white teeth mixed with his saliva.


    ¡°None of the warriors of the North Sea Ice Pce will forget what you''ve done today, Young Master Song.¡±


    Woo-Moon nodded.


    ¡°Good. Don''t forget. Don''t forget the fact that not a single one of you protected your Little Pce Master. Don¡¯t forget that you failed to carry out a direct order from the Pce Master, allowing her daughter to be a hostage for the enemy. Absolutely, don''t forget this,¡± Woo-Moon coldly sneered.


    The moment they processed what he had just said, the faces of the North Sea Ice Pce members turned crimson.


    The Ten Swords of the North Sea were no different.


    <i>¡®H-he''s right. It truly is shameful...¡¯</i>


    There had been nock ofints about the Pce Master within the North Sea Ice Pce. Many of them were dissatisfied that their Pce Master, whom they had thought of as a virgin, had given birth to and raised an illegitimate child. On top of that, she had even appointed that illegitimate child as the Little Pce Master!


    However, the Pce Master was an Absolute Master. None of them could ever say anything harsh about her.


    Furthermore, after the rebellion, Ah Hee took advantage of the instability to further solidify her power.


    They had to suppress their dissatisfaction, yet after holding back for so long, that dissatisfaction was now being revealed.

 Chapter 214. Nine in the Fifth Place (10)

    <h4>Chapter 214. Nine in the Fifth ce (10)</h4>


    The Ten Swords of the North Sea, who had been entrusted with escorting Yeo-Seol, had left her side, leaving no one to stand by the Little Pce Master¡¯s side.


    Woo-Moon continued.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know what the truly shameful part is; you just bark because you were threatened and beaten. Am I wrong?¡±


    Woo-Moon had likened them to dogs. However, the Ten Swords of the North Sea could not deny his words.


    ¡°If you had anyints, then you should have said them. But at the very least, you should have tried your best in your given mission. Even if you truly couldn¡¯t ept her as the Little Pce Master in your heart, how could you fall short in your duties? If you truly had the North Sea Ice Pce in your hearts and were proud of its heritage, then you shouldn¡¯t have done anything that would disgrace it and lower its reputation.¡±


    Every word out of his mouth was right. No matter how much they disliked Yeo-Seol, she had been appointed as Little Pce Master and it was their duty to treat her as such.


    The Ten Swords of the North Sea knelt before Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°We neglected our duty and allowed for the Little Pce Master to be captured by the viins. I apologize.¡±


    Then, the other North Sea Ice Pce warriors followed their examples.


    ¡°We apologize, Little Pce Master!¡±


    Seeing everyone kneeling, Yu Cho, Jeong Gyeong, and several more of the Snow Flower couples hesitated.


    Most of them had been talents who had harassed Yeo-Seol.


    <i>¡®How can I kneel before that bitch...¡¯</i>


    At that moment, Woo-Moon sent a clear voice transmission to all of them.


    ¡°Last time I checked, you were also members of the North Sea Ice Pce. Am I wrong?¡±


    <i>Thud!</i>


    As his voice fell upon them, so did the pressure. None of them could endure the increased pressure and they were all forced to kneel, even Yu Cho.


    Everyone was kneeling before her. When had Yeo-Seol ever seen such a sight? Moreover, there were many among them who had tormented her all this time.


    ¡°Y.... you don¡¯t have to go this far. Please go up. It¡¯s fine. So...¡±


    Yeo-Seol fidgeted. Then, she went to the North Sea Ice Pce elders who were kneeling before her and forcibly lifted them up.


    While the elders tried to resist, to their surprise, she was actually able to force them to stand. In other words, her cultivation had to be higher than theirs!


    <i>¡®With this level of strength... isn¡¯t she a Transcendent? And she seems to be an advanced one too!¡¯</i>


    Yeo-Seol had never been weak; she had been bullied by her peers due to her meek personality, but she had been a Peak ss martial artist even back in the day. But even so, there was a massive difference between that and the Transcendent realm.


    Ah Hee, who had stepped back, called out to Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°Yeo-Seol. Use the Divine Frozen Soul Palm right now.¡±


    ¡±Pardon? The Divine Frozen Soul Palm?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Following her mother¡¯smand, Yeo-Seol unleashed a Divine Frozen Soul Palm into the air.


    A clear white aura emerged from her palm, producing a plume of white vapor that sted apart everything as it moved forward.


    ¡°She¡¯s really a Transcendent!¡± shouted one of the elders.


    While many high-level masters had made their appearance in the <i>murim</i> recently, making a Transcendent seem less important, the Transcendent realm was still nothing to scoff at. After all, the North Sea Ice Pce elders themselves were nothing but Transcendents as well!


    The disciples of the North Sea Ice Pce looked at Yeo-Seol with new gazes. Then, Woo-Moon sent a voice message filled with bloodlust to all of the North Sea Ice Pce members.


    ¡°The entire time I was with her, Yeo-Seol cultivated whenever she had the time. Even though she had never wanted the position as the Little Pce Master, she had to have a cultivation high enough to represent the North Sea Ice Pce. Even though you bastards ignored her and treated her like an eyesore, she still felt a sense of responsibility to her position and worked diligently.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s words touched the consciences of the disciples of the North Sea Ice Pce.


    ¡°Moreover, even though she was kidnapped by the enemy because of your indifference, she didn¡¯t say anything. She even stopped me when I wanted to punish you like you deserved. Not just once but several times. Even now, she personally helped the elders up.¡±


    The disciples of the North Sea Ice Pce lowered their heads and remained mute, unable to say anything.


    ¡°Remember this. Your Little Pce Master is married to a Paragon. If something like this happens again, it won¡¯t end this easily. I can make your entire sect kneel to me before you can even think of fighting back, and you better not forget that.¡±


    Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t saying he would kill them. He was saying he would make them submit.


    It was always easier to kill than to make someone submit, but he didn¡¯t want to destroy them because that would sadden Yeo-Seol. Otherwise, he could simply level the sect to the ground.


    Of course, Yeo-Seol had never been in any great danger, and it wasn¡¯t as if Woo-Moon had felt any sense of crisis when she was captured, either.


    However, he still couldn¡¯t help but get angry. It was a matter of principle; this was in and clear dereliction of duty and should have never happened.


    Woo-Moon turned around, leaving Yeo-Seol to help each disciple of the North Sea Ice Pce one by one.


    By this time, the others¡¯ fights were also over.


    The Saber Emperor cut off both of the Soul-ying Sword Demon¡¯s arms.


    ¡°What a pity. Your father seems to have left you behind and fled alone.¡±


    The Soul-ying Sword Demon simply let out a lowugh. Then, his veins bulged out as his body swelled up like a balloon.


    ¡°Agh! You fucking bas¡ª!¡±


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    The Soul-ying Sword Demon exploded and covered the Saber Emperor in bone fragments, bits of flesh, and blood.


    With that, the fighting had ended entirely.


    While there were a few remnants of the Hegemon n left, the imperial government¡¯s forces would soon take care of them.


    <i>¡¯Now all that needs to be done is...¡¯</i>


    The two advisors of the Justice Coalition walked up to Woo-Moon.¡±


    ¡°Young Hero So... no, Great Hero Song. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    One of the advisors quickly corrected himself as he was about to call Woo-Moon ¡°young hero¡± like he used to.


    While it would be more appropriate to refer to him as a young hero due to his age, considering his incredible cultivation, the title of ¡°great hero¡± was much more suitable.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Advisor.¡±


    The Justice Coalition was in great turmoil at the moment. Not only had the Sword Emperor, Divine Monk, Hegemon Emperor, and the Soul-ying Sword Demon turned out to be members of a mysterious organization, but the Sword Emperor had even killed some of their Justice Coalition members.


    The betrayal and confusion the two felt were made even more significant considering how long they¡¯d known him and how much they had trusted him.


    Many of those within the Justice Coalition had even shed during the Sword King and Woo-Moon¡¯s battle, tensionsing to a height as the Sword King had fallen on the defensive and was on the brink of death.


    Those who still believed in the Sword King and those who had deep grudges against the Heavenly Demon Cult took the same side and argued that they should help the Sword King kill Woo-Moon.


    However, the Namgoong Family, Baekri Family, Baek Family, and Kunlun Sect came forward and took Woo-Moon¡¯s side, joined by the Shaolin Temple and the Wudang Sect, who had their own grudges against the Sword King and the Mount Hua Sect, further inciting the argument.


    Right as the Justice Coalition was about to split into two factions and break out in battle, Rear Guard Leader Lee Chung stepped forward and prevented the conflict, making one side firmly stronger than the other.


    Stepping forward, he spoke firmly, attesting that he trusted Woo-Moon more than he trusted the Sword King.


    That was the end of it. As even the leader of the Rear Guard was on Woo-Moon¡¯s side, there was nothing more the Sword King¡¯s faction could say.


    In the end, the Sword King was killed by Woo-Moon.


    Woo-Moon looked over at the two advisors.


    ¡°From now on, we must fight a new enemy, and that enemy is not the Heavenly Demon Cult.¡±


    ***


    The child washed his tiny, blood-covered hands in a flowing river.


    Watching the blood flow down the river, he muttered to himself, ¡°I miss you...¡±


    Could the Ageless Demon Emperor really not have someone he had loved?


    Although he had stopped growing from a young age because he had learned a cursed technique, he, too, had a lover in the past with whom he had shared everything. A person who had epted and loved him as he was¡ªNamgoong So-Yool.


    He could still vividly remember thest day he had seen her. The day that she had taken the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s attack on his behalf, she was shattered into pieces, disappearing like dust before his eyes.


    It was only thanks to that sacrifice that the Ageless Demon Emperor had been able to meet <i>him</i> and stay alive.


    ¡°I wonder what he¡¯s doing right now.¡±


    An old daoist who looked more like an immortal the longer one stared at him, with an impressive white beard and a kind smile.


    With his arrival, Martial Heaven¡¯s massacre ended. Thanks to him, the Ageless Demon Emperor, thest survivor among those who fought against Martial Heaven, was able to survive and heal his fatal wounds.


    ¡°The fact that Martial Heaven failed to destroy the <i>murim</i> back then must have been because of him. But then why didn¡¯t he destroy them?¡±


    That day, the Ageless Demon Emperor lost consciousness as he watched the old daoist bring the Martial Heaven Emperor and the Martial Heaven God to their knees for onest time. And when he finally emerged from seclusion after healing his wounds, the <i>gangho</i> and the <i>murim </i>were going about their business just as before.


    Before he knew it, the <i>murim</i> had forgotten about Martial Heaven and the various sects were busy fighting among themselves. In the midst of that chaos, Martial Heaven was once again making a n to wipe out the <i>murim </i>and gradually executing it.


    As for the Ageless Demon Emperor and the others who had fought Martial Heaven?


    They were all forgotten.


    In a way, it was only natural. In the end, Martial Heaven was the only one left, and they slowly encroached upon the <i>murim</i>, killing all those who knew of their existence or turning them into puppets.


    When he woke up, the Ageless Demon Emperor decided to fight Martial Heaven once again.


    Although Woo-Moon, a genius and a junior even he was amazed by, had offered to fight alongside him, the Ageless Demon Emperor couldn¡¯t ept it.


    He couldn¡¯t share camaraderie with anyone anymore. His fear of losing a friend again was too great.


    It... it was still too hard.


    ¡±I... I can¡¯t do this anymore. I can¡¯t endure it anymore. I have to end it.¡±


    The Ageless Demon Emperor was consumed by hatred for Martial Heaven.


    And after spending a long time with revenge and hatred burning inside of him, he was finally able to sense the presence of his ultimate enemy, the Martial Heaven God.


    No matter where he was, he could feel the self-proimed God¡¯s presence and he knew where thetter was.


    The Ageless Demon Emperor considered it the help of his countlessrades who had lost their lives to Martial Heaven.


    <i>¡®Thank you. I''ll end this now.¡¯</i>


    He flew through the air, leaving the nameless stream on an unknown mountain, heading to where the Martial Heaven Gody in seclusion.


    ***


    Dozens of formations had been set up.


    However, thanks to the help of his deceased friends, the Ageless Demon Emperor was better than anyone at breaking formations. It didn¡¯t take him long to crack the formations and find a way into a valley filled with flowers and greenery that surrounded a littleke.


    The Ageless Demon Emperor¡¯s final destination was an underground room at the bottom of theke.


    Ovee with tension and excitement, the Ageless Demon Emperor opened the door and stepped inside.


    <i>¡®So he¡¯s not here. Then could he be further below?¡¯</i>


    He walked down the stairs, heading to the bottom floor.


    <i>Thud... thud... thud...</i>


    Water dripped down the ceiling.


    Finally, he arrived at the lowest floor.


    The Ageless Demon Emperor opened the door and stepped into a huge stone chamber.


    Various skeletons hung everywhere.


    No... at a closer look, they were not actually skeletons, but shriveled corpses, so dry that they looked like nothing more than bone.


    And there were countless of these shriveled corpses, of all shapes and sizes.


    Newborns, young children, teenagers, middle-aged men and women, elderly people... There were corpses that seemed to have a normal shape, but also many deformed ones that seemed to belong to hunchbacks and the likes. There were even some that didn¡¯t appear like either men or women¡ªclearly some kind of intersex people.


    All of them had spikes driven through their palms and were hanging from the ceiling and the walls of the chamber. There were clear traces that showed various experiments had been conducted on them.


    In the center of the chamber was arge tform.


    There sat the Martial Heaven God.

 Chapter 215. Nine in the Fifth Place (11)

    <h4>Chapter 215. Nine in the Fifth ce (11)</h4>


    <i>What the hell is he doing?¡¯</i>


    The Ageless Demon Emperor approached the Martial Heaven God, who waspletely motionless. Even as he walked among a thousand corpses of people who had been brutally murdered without being able to resist, the Ageless Demon Emperor felt no emotion at all.


    His heart was already as dry as a desert.


    <i>¡®Martial Heaven God...¡¯</i>


    He looked every bit as withered as the corpses surrounding him.


    However, that wasn''t the important thing.


    There were thick stakes driven into both sides of his chest, and golden needles were sealing all major acupoints.


    A stake was even driven into his forehead and through his brain.


    With all that considered, it was amazing that the Ageless Demon Emperor could feel a faint sense of life.


    ¡°As expected, you''re a monster. To think you''re still alive even though your brain is mush. But this is the end. I don''t know why you''re like this, but I''ll end you anyway.¡±


    The Martial Heaven God was clearly in some kind of abnormal state.


    Considering this, the Ageless Demon Emperor was sure that the Sword Heart would be effective and, considering the strength of his Sword Heart, it would be able to shatter the Martial Heaven God''s head and turn it into dust.


    A considerable amount of Ageless Demon Emperor¡¯s qi disappeared, and his Sword Heart sted the Martial Heaven God¡¯s head.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    However, the only thing that was shattered and turned into dust was the stake that was stuck in the Martial Heaven God''s head. As for the head, it did not take even the slightest damage.


    The Martial Heaven God''s body, which had only been leaking a very faint aura, gradually began to emit a terrifying energy.


    His eyes shed open, and the gaping hole in his forehead was quickly regenerated.


    ¡°So it''s you, little brat.¡±


    ¡°Y... you monster...! I''ll kill you!¡±


    The Ageless Demon Emperor pulled the corpses and stakes hanging from the ceiling around him and hurled them toward the Martial Heaven God.


    They were all filled with a Transcendent Aura that surpassed ordinary qi aura.


    <i>Pfft.</i>


    There was no explosion or impact.


    Everything that the Ageless Demon Emperor had thrown was turned to dust and disappeared before it even got within one zhang from the Martial Heaven God.


    The Ageless Demon Emperor¡¯s eyes widened.


    He had absolutely no idea what method the Martial Heaven God had used to block his attack.


    At that moment, the Ageless Demon Emperor''s body suddenly rose into the air on its own.


    ¡°Since you were saved by that damned bastard who couldn''t even ascend, you should have lived as well as you could have while being grateful for being saved. Why did you crawl all the way back here? You really don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you.¡±


    The Ageless Demon Emperor suddenly felt as if gravity was shifting. A force of unknown nature was pressing every part of his body, twisting into something impossible.


    <i>Crunch, crunch, crunch!</i>


    Just hearing that sound would make a person''s stomach churn, and in the end, all of the Ageless Demon Emperor''s bones were crushed.


    It was a pain beyond imagination, a pain that would make anyone feel like they would rather die than continue to feel such agony. However, the Ageless Demon Emperor didn''t even make a sound.


    Instead, he just red at the Martial Heaven God.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The Ageless Demon Emperor''s head eventually burst open from the pressure. While he had been concentrating all of his qi on protecting his head, it was of no use.


    And thus, the Ageless Demon Emperor died.


    The Martial Heaven God was about to throw the remnants into a corner, but then a thought struck him.


    ¡°Oh, that''s right. I''ve never eaten human flesh. Hmm. Good. I should gain new experiences. After all, any new experiences can help my cultivation.¡±


    <i>Crunch, crunch.</i>


    A grotesque sound filled the stone chamber.


    The Martial Heaven God''s body quickly swelled, gaining weight and growingrger.


    ¡°My secluded cultivation ended earlier than nned because of this bastard. Hoho... Still, it doesn''t matter. Even as I am now, I can destroy that damned Daoist Woo Bok-Hee.¡±


    The Martial Heaven God rose into the air. He didn¡¯t even bother to take the stairs; whether rock or soil, water or vegetation, everything simply vanished as he approached. Nothing could even touch the hem of his clothes.


    On this day, the Martial Heaven God left seclusion and returned to Martial Heaven.


    ***


    ¡°It feels like a dream.¡±


    The meeting between the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Justice Coalition, mediated by Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon, was set for the next day.


    As for right now, it was the night of the full moon, and Si-Hyeon was leaning on Woo-Moon''s shoulder, her cheek pressed against him.


    No one knew that they were together like this except Yeo-Seol, Ma-Ra, and Woo-Moon''s other close rtives. Ma-Ra and Yeo-Seol had even given up their ces beside Woo-Moon and left him and Si-Hyeon alone for the night.


    Woo-Moon reached out and plucked a strand of Si-Hyeon''s hair, which was swaying in the wind, and brought it to his nose.


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    After savoring its scent, he smiled with satisfaction.


    ¡°I missed this scent so much. I wanted to smell it again so badly I thought I was going crazy.¡±


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s face turned red.


    Woo-Moon''s face, full of love, grew bigger and bigger in her eyes.


    Her lips felt cold yet hot at the same time; they were soft and moist.


    The first time the two kissed was at the Heavenly Demon Mound, before what they thought was eternal separation.


    Two whole years had passed since then.


    That wasn''t a short amount of time.


    The two kissed as passionately as their longing had been for each other.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon''s tongue slipped through her lips. Si-Hyeon was surprised and moved back slightly.


    However, Woo-Moon held her close, exploring her mouth with his tongue.


    Curious at the soft touch and the subtle yet tingling sensation, Si-Hyeon also began to use her tongue carefully, quickly realizing the pleasure.


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    When their lips finally parted, Si-Hyeon¡¯s face was red and hot.


    Woo-Moon hugged Si-Hyeon¡¯s slender body tightly. He had to make sure he would never, ever forget this feeling.


    It was as if their bodies were merging.


    Woo-Moon suddenly felt a cold sensation on his shoulder.


    Si-Hyeon could also feel the cool, wet, tickling sensation that came from her eyes, dripping down her cheeks and pooling under her chin as she held Woo-Moon with all her strength.


    <i>I won''t forget it either. No, I won''t forget anything with you from now on.''</i>


    Si-Hyeon''s tears were the first she¡¯d cried in a long, long time.


    As his shoulder grew soaking wet, Woo-Moon''s heart ached as he thought about how hard it must have been for her.


    <i>''Si-Hyeon had just as hard of a time as I did. It must have been so painful and heart-breaking, almost impossible to bear... Thank you for enduring it all.''</i>


    Woo-Moon was truly grateful for the fact that Si-Hyeon had endured all that pain and had persevered until now.


    Her engagement to Hwi Ji-Gang, everything else that had happened¡ªhe forgot it all. Nothing mattered except the sensation of Si-Hyeon''s touch right now.


    After a while, Si-Hyeon asked carefully.


    ¡°You won''t tease me for crying, right?¡±


    Woo-Moonughed mischievously at her words.


    ¡°Of course I will.¡±


    ¡°You''re so mean! I''m not going to look at you, then.¡±


    As she spoke, Si-Hyeon hugged Woo-Moon even tighter.


    ¡°It''s okay. Your tears are so clear that I can''t even tell if they exist or not.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Woo-Moon quietly patted Si-Hyeon¡¯s head.


    ¡°Was it really hard?¡±


    Si-Hyeon shook her head sideways.


    ¡°Let''s talk about thatter. For now, let''s... let''s not talk about sad things. Okay?¡±


    Woo-Moon smiled faintly.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    The two naturally pulled away before growing a little closer again.


    As they started kissing again, Woo-Moon began to trace the tears streaks on her cheeks with his lips.


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    Si-Hyeon burst intoughter at the ticklish feeling as Woo-Moonughed, too.


    ¡°How salty.¡±


    ¡°By the way, senior brother.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve added another woman to the family?¡±


    Woo-Moon flinched andughed awkwardly.


    ¡°Ahahahahaha...¡±


    ¡°<i>Hmpf</i>. You''re such a yboy.¡±


    She punched Woo-Moon in the chest.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Stop being a little baby! Why are you acting like it hurts when I hit you?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Si-Hyeon, you know you¡¯re no longer a normal human, right? Just who in the world wouldn''t feel pain after getting hit by a Heavenly Demon?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and speaking of that... That guy, Hwi Ji-Gang. Do you like him?¡± Woo-Moon asked bluntly.


    Instead of answering, she just hit him again. This time, she put some power into it.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    ¡°You really haven¡¯t been beaten enough!¡± she said, hitting him over and over again. ¡°Do you really need to ask me to know the answer?¡±


    Woo-Moon scratched his head.


    ¡°Well, no, it''s just... I know it in my heart, but it doesn''t hurt to hear you say it out loud. It''s different hearing this officially than just assuming.¡±


    ¡°I swear... What kind of man are you to be so insecure?¡±


    She leaned her ear against Woo-Moon¡¯s chest. It felt good to hear his heartbeat.


    ¡°So you don¡¯t like him?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so cheap.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You already know exactly how I''m going to answer if you ask me that.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    Si-Hyeon lifted her head off Woo-Moon''s chest and stared at him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You''re not going to throw me away just because I got engaged, are you? You won''t reject me just because you already have Ma-Ra and Young Lady Ha... right?¡±


    <i>Gulp.</i>


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that something <i>I</i> was supposed to ask?¡±


    ¡°I''m asking if you''re still going to ept me even though you already got other women.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°<i>Tsk, tsk</i>. Well, in that case, what can I do? I''ve already fallen for you. I can''t go to anyone else, so I guess it can''t be helped.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, what a relief.¡±


    Si-Hyeon rested her head on Woo-Moon¡¯s chest again.


    ¡°If... if you hadn''t epted me, senior brother, I might have just died.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    While he knew it was only a ¡°might have,¡± he still couldn''t help but be shocked. Just thinking about her dying made his heart seize in pain.


    ¡°Do you know how much it hurt when I found out you had died? I don''t ever want to feel that pain, ever again.¡±


    ¡°Hehe...¡±


    Si-Hyeonughed softly, ovee with happiness.


    ¡°But it''s true. Even... even if you are still alive, if I can''t be by your side, then the world isn''t worth living in, senior brother. I thought about this yesterday, too.¡±


    There was a point, after all, when the two of them were ready to kill each other because they each thought the other had betrayed them. At the same time, they... had made their preparations to die as well. Yet how could they not be anxious? What if... What if it was a misunderstanding? What if they ended up hurting each other because of a misunderstanding?


    Just thinking about it made Woo-Moon¡¯s heart ache as if a spike had stabbed him in the chest, and tears welled up in his eyes.


    ¡°It''s a relief that you didn''t think of doing anything foolish.¡±


    ¡°Because it really, really, really could have been a misunderstanding, I thought, maybe, maybe there was even the slightest chance that it could have been a misunderstanding, I... I believed it could have been a misunderstanding, and I came out to the battlefield because of that hope.¡±


    ¡°And you realized it was true when you saw me for real and when we pretended to fight, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Even though I wasn''tpletely sure, I knew it in my heart.¡±


    ¡°You knew? Or was it that you were nning on dying by my hand?¡±


    Si-Hyeon shivered when she heard these words.


    ¡°So you noticed...¡±


    ¡°I thought we were going to trade fatal wounds, but you changed your target from my heart to my shoulder at thest moment. I may be an idiot, but I am not <i>that</i> much of an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Was I too obvious... Ha... How embarrassing.¡±


    Si-Hyeon had indeed made her decision before fighting Woo-Moon.


    If he truly despised her and didn''t love her anymore, she would rather die by his hand. Then he would be remembered as the hero who had killed the Heavenly Demon Cult''s witch.


    She would have been satisfied with that.


    ¡°Whew... dummy. You should have killed me instead, asking why I betrayed you. Why would you be the one to die?¡±

 Chapter 216. Nine in the Fifth Place (12)

    <h4>Chapter 216. Nine in the Fifth ce (12)</h4>


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you do the same thing, senior brother?¡± Si-Hyeon asked.


    ¡°... No.¡±


    ¡°<i>Keke</i>. Looks like we were both stupid.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because we were both stupid that we were able to resolve the misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. If we really thought wholeheartedly that we were betrayed by each other and actually fought with the intention of killing each other... who knows what might have happened? Everything may have ended in a tragedy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a relief that we¡¯re stupid, then.¡±


    The two of them sat quietly, feeling each other¡¯s heartbeats in the silence.


    After a little more time passed, the two locked lips again and started to explore each other. And this time, their thirst wasn¡¯t quenched with just their lips.


    Was it because they had been apart for so long?


    The two craved to feel the other more deeply, morepletely, to embrace their lover and ept them wholeheartedly.


    Desire bloomed.


    Hands naturally roamed, taking off clothes, and their pale bodies were revealed under the moonlight. No one had taught them such things, but nobody needed to; the two moved ording to their most primal instincts, bing one.


    About an hourter.


    ¡°... I¡¯m so happy,¡± Si-Hyeon said while tracing Woo-Moon¡¯s chest with her fingernails.


    Hearing this, Woo-Moon hugged her tightly.


    As neither was wearing anything, they could feel each other¡¯s soft skin and the warmth that radiated from within.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy too. It¡¯s such a relief I can see you again.¡±


    The moon was slowly setting.


    They had to return to their respective camps before the sun rose. However, even that brief separation felt heartbreaking.


    Si-Hyeon found Woo-Moon¡¯s lips again.


    ¡°There¡¯s... still some time left, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s more than enough.¡±


    The two moved as one again.


    This time, they were both a little more familiar with each other and more considerate of each other, and Si-Hyeon didn¡¯t feel much pain either.


    After their act of love, Si-Hyeon stood up to get dressed.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    As she stood up, she almost immediately lost power in her legs, and pain arose in her lower abdomen. It had hurt terribly when they had first broken the barrier, and now it was hurting again.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    She nodded at Woo-Moon¡¯s words.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. Phew. This is really unfair. Not only do we have to give birth, we also have to suffer through this thing.¡±


    Woo-Moon scratched his head.


    They both got dressed, and just before they parted ways, Woo-Moon suddenly asked, ¡°Your engagement with Hwi Ji-Gang was broken, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Yes, it was a formal engagement, but it¡¯s not like the Heavenly Demon can get married to a lunatic.¡±


    After saying that, Si-Hyeon suddenly felt sorry for Hwi Ji-Gang.


    He was truly a talented person, and he even had a good personality.


    However, he had be obsessed with her and ended up falling into cultivation deviation, bing a lunatic.


    Si-Hyeon knew that she shouldn¡¯t feel guilty because of that.


    He was the only one to me for his own fate. After all, he was the one who had lied to both of them and almost caused them to kill each other. But even so, Si-Hyeon couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for him.


    <i>¡®Whew...¡¯</i>


    She sighed inwardly, but then smiled brightly.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, senior brother.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, junior sister.¡±


    ¡°By the way, that was a relief.¡±


    ¡°What was?¡±


    ¡°That I was your first.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s face turned slightly red.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± he panicked.


    ¡°Because you were as clumsy and scared as I was.¡±


    ¡°Really? Was it that visible?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, it was. It really is a relief. I felt like I was falling behind Ma-Ra and Young Lady Ha after being away from you for so long, but... I think I¡¯ve fully caught up with them, <i>hehe</i>.¡±


    Woo-Moon grabbed her hand.


    ¡°See you tomorrow. Take care, and from tomorrow on, we¡¯ll be together again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, senior brother. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    After Si-Hyeon left, Woo-Moon cleaned up and headed to his own camp.


    ***


    ¡°No, just how can you expect me to fight alongside those demons?!¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s the Undefeatable Sword Hero who¡¯s requesting it, I can¡¯t ept it!¡±


    These were Ok Heo-Ja and Abbess Myeol Jin, the sect master of the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect, respectively.


    Hearing this, the Heavenly Demon Cult Elders Solitary Sword First Demon and Thousand Hands Flying Tiger grew just as enraged and started shouting in turn.


    ¡°Do you really think we like you moldy Righteous Faction bastards?¡±


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for my lord¡¯s orders, I would have already snapped your weak little necks, you hypocritical bastards!¡±


    Si-Hyeon looked at the two elders with a cold expression.


    Immediately, the two coughed awkwardly.


    ¡°<i>Ahem</i>, <i>mmhm...</i>¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that we <i>won¡¯t </i>work with them but...¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond, just continuing to stare at them with her piercing gaze.


    Eventually, they bowed their heads.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lord.¡±


    ¡°We will make sure we don¡¯t act rashly.¡±


    To the Heavenly Demon Cult, Si-Hyeon seemed different today than yesterday. Her beauty seemed even more outstanding, her expression brighter, and above all, her face disyed a sense ofposure and stability that they had never seen before.


    While she had always exuded the same overwhelming aura of invincible might, there had also been a sense of impatience and urgency, as if she was constantly teetering on the precipice of a cliff. However, now, that hint of vulnerability was nowhere to be seen.


    The difference was minute, but the effect was incredible.


    Compared to before, Si-Hyeon¡¯s control over the Heavenly Demon Cult had be even stronger, and the cultists had also be iparably more obedient.


    Everything had changed, thanks to the power ofposure.


    On the other side, Woo-Moon did the same, staring at Ok Heo-Ja and Myeol Jin. Their reactions weren¡¯t much different from the cultists.


    ¡°Ahem, ahem.¡±


    The Sword King and Divine Monk had both died as traitors, while the Fist Emperor had lost his cultivation. Moreover, Jin Won Myeong of the Kunlun Sect, the newest Absolute Master of the Righteous Faction, was on Woo-Moon¡¯s side.


    Thus, all of them had no choice but to be wary of his every move.


    ¡°So, does that mean that the two of you won¡¯t be able to work alongside the Heavenly Demon Cult?¡±


    While watching Woo-Moon¡¯s every move, Ok Heo-Ja and Abbess Myeol Jin stuttered as they carefully spoke.


    ¡°We... we understand that the organization you mentioned, Great Hero Song... Martial Heaven is truly a strong and fearsome entity. However, the Heavenly Demon Cult is one of the true heretical forces that must be eliminated.¡±[1]


    ¡°The resentment between us is so deep, how could we ever...¡±


    Woo-Moon smiled and nodded at their words.


    ¡°I see. I get it. I can understand that feeling, too.¡±


    Ok Heo-ja and Abbess Myeol Jin were delighted.


    ¡°Oho! As expected! You feel the same as us, Great Hero Song.¡±


    ¡°You are indeed the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor. Let us defeat the heretical forces together!¡±


    However, Woo-Moon looked all surprised at their exmations.


    ¡°What are you saying? I never agreed to such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we... pardon?¡±


    ¡°Fight them. Fight the Heavenly Demon Cult. But don¡¯t expect me to help. No, actually, you should be thankful if I don¡¯t side with them and attack the Righteous Faction.¡±


    The faces of the Justice Coalition leadership turned pale.


    It was like a bolt of lightning dropping from a clear sky.


    If Woo-Moon did not side with the Justice Coalition, then neither would the Kunlun Sect, Baek Family, Namgoong Family, and Baekri Family.


    They would not have one single Absolute Master; moreover, with their powers weakened, it would be difficult for the Justice Coalition to even put up a fight against the Heavenly Demon Cult. They wouldn¡¯t even be able to deal with the cult¡¯s Absolute Masters, let alone their leader. Who could stop the Paragon Heavenly Demon?


    It was not just certain defeat that they faced, butplete annihtion.


    All that awaited them was death.


    Moreover, Woo-Moon had taken things a step further. He suggested that there was a chance he himself would side with the Heavenly Demon Cult and attack the Justice Coalition.


    If that truly happened, they wouldn¡¯t evenst for a few minutes.


    ¡°B-benefactor Song... how could you say such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Great Hero Song, you must not forget that you are a member of the Righteous Faction.¡±


    ¡°Without the Righteous Faction, the <i>murim</i> would be rife with evildoers. Please reconsider.¡±


    ¡°Great Hero Song...!¡±


    ¡°Think of your grandfather, the great hero who devoted his life to justice and righteousness.¡±


    ¡°Great Hero Song!¡±


    ¡°Great Hero Song, please reconsider!¡±


    Woo-Moon cut off their pleading words.


    ¡°Hey, hey, cut it off! I haven¡¯t made my decision yet. I¡¯m just saying that my stance can change depending on your attitude. If you work with the Heavenly Demon Cult, I will neither leave nor be your enemy.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    The sect masters of the Nine Sects and One Gang, the patriarchs of the Eight Great Ancient Families, and the leaders of the other Righteous Faction forces found themselves unable to answer him easily; they just groaned and whispered to each other.


    ¡°Please make your decisions quickly,¡± Woo-Moon urged.


    Then, there was an exchange of nces between the leaders, and soon, the sect master of the Wudang Sect and the abbot of the Shaolin Temple spoke up.


    ¡°Very well. We will temporarily work with the Heavenly Demon Cult. However, this will only be until the mysterious force called Martial Heaven is destroyed.¡±


    Inwardly, Woo-Moon was dumbfounded. The Justice Coaition¡¯s current record against the Heavenly Demon Cult consisted of defeat after defeat, so how could they be this obstinate and say things like this?


    <i>¡®No... actually, it makes sense. How could they be trustworthy if they weren¡¯t like this? As the Righteous Faction, they shouldn¡¯t easilypromise with evil, or at least whatever they define as evil. They are the kind of people who refuse topromise on their own ideals of justice even if their lives are at stake. That¡¯s exactly what makes them so trustworthy.¡¯</i>


    ¡°But then how are we electing the new alliance leader?


    Since both the alliance leader, Divine Monk, and the Chief Commander Emeritus, the Sword Emperor¡ªor rather, Sword King¡ªhad fallen, the position of leader was currently vacant.[2]


    If this were a normal case, having the next in line rise as the new leader would have been the easiest solution. They could simply choose one of the two advisors as the next leader. However, there was one problem with doing so.


    Namely, the existence of Song Woo-Moon, and his title as a supreme advisor.


    Although the supreme advisor of the Allied Forces of Good and Evil didn¡¯t necessarily have a higher status than the advisors of the Justice Coalition, it was clear that they were at least on the same level.


    If they were to choose a new leader from one of the Advisors, Woo-Moon could not be ignored.


    But at the same time, from the perspective of the Justice Coalition leadership, Woo-Moon, who was in a romantic rtionship with the Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Cult, could never be chosen as the new leader.


    So, they had to resort to other methods.


    They could either take rmendations from each faction andpete by majority vote or hold an official spar and elect the winner as the new leader.


    Unfortunately, since Woo-Moon had four forces supporting him and his own power was absolutely unrivaled within the Righteous Faction, to the point where no one could hold a candle to him, it was difficult for them to use either method.


    Thus, the higher-ups of the Righteous Path were racking their brains.


    Understanding the delicate situation, Woo-Moon smiled knowingly.


    ¡°Nothing will turn out well if you make a decision too hastily. Please make sure you think carefully and consider everything.¡±


    The Justice Coalition¡¯s leadership blushed, knowing what Woo-Moon¡¯s smile meant.


    ¡°U-understood.¡±


    From the side, Ye-Ye watched with clenched fists.


    <i>¡®In order to prevent any interference with Uncle¡¯s work from now on, someone from our side, or even Uncle himself, must be the new Coalition Leader. By any means necessary!¡¯</i>


    Thankfully, after the Justice Coalition members finished talking, one of the advisors stepped forward as temporary leader to sign the treaty.


    Then, Si-Hyeon signed as well, confirming the alliance between the two forces.


    Woo-Moon smiled to himself.


    <i>¡®With this, one of the biggest obstacles in fighting Martial Heaven has been removed.¡¯</i>


    1. The word here is made of three characters, for evil, demonic, and heretical. That kinda covers everything, doesn¡¯t it? ?


    2. Pn Shin-Tong is also dead, but I guess he doesn¡¯t deserve a mention, RIP. ?

 Chapter 217. Nine in the Fifth Place (13)

    <h4>Chapter 217. Nine in the Fifth ce (13)</h4>


    The Heavenly Demon Cult was now a hundred percent in Si-Hyeon''s hands. Moreover, they had a lot of grudges with Martial Heaven from the beginning.


    As for the Justice Coalition, they would either make Woo-Moon the leader or allow one of his allies to take charge. The Hegemon n, the ck Bull Gang, and the Cruel Sandstorm Riders had been destroyed, so a lot of their enemies were no longer.


    Among the other forces, the North Sea Ice Pce had already pledged to fight Martial Heaven alongside them, and Woo-Moon had secured the imperial government''s promise as well. With the addition of the Heaven ying Alliance, it seemed that, at least in terms of the size of their forces, they had enough to challenge Martial Heaven.


    <i>''The problem is the number of masters. We''re at a disadvantage when ites to Paragons and Absolute Masters.''</i>


    Martial Heaven''s strongest, the Martial Heaven God, and the second-inmand, the Martial Heaven Emperor, were at <i>least</i> at the Paragon realm.


    <i>''... They might even be at a higher level.''</i>


    No, ¡°might¡± was not the right word. They were <i>definitely</i> at a higher level.


    At that thought, Woo-Moon''s chest tightened.


    ***


    Si-Hyeon met with her subordinates.


    ¡°Are you saying that you will be acting separately?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Since the Hegemon n has copsed and we will be joining forces with the Justice Coalition, there currently isn''t an enemy that we can identify or attack. There most likely won''t be a battle until Martial Heaven reveals itself or we find them directly. So, I''ll be alongside my senior brother until then.¡±


    One of the elders looked flustered.


    ¡°B-but my lord. If you leave, many will feel uneasy.¡±


    However, at that moment, Woo-Moon, who had been waiting somewhere else, appeared.


    ¡°Then I''ll go to the Heavenly Demon Cult. It''s no big deal.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay... huh? What did you just say, senior brother?¡±


    Woo-Moon smiled at her.


    ¡°I haven''t visited the Heavenly Demon Cult yet. For now, I''ll go to the cult and stay with you. It''s fine. I''ll stay there for a while, and afterward, I''ll... I''ll think about thatter.¡±


    ¡°Senior brother...¡±


    Si-Hyeon felt like crying. Woo-Moon''s consideration touched her heart.


    Woo-Moon definitely had a lot of fond memories for the Baek Family and could call it home. Yet even though he had a ce to return to, he was willing to follow her to the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    ¡°Oh, we need to contact Jo Mu-Jae as well. I''ll tell him toe to the cult.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    She almost cried again, even more emotional due to Woo-Moon''s consideration of Jo Mu-Jae.


    <i>''That''s right. Now... now everything has been revealed. There''s no need to avoid seeing Uncle Jo.''</i>


    ¡°Then, let''s go to the Baek Estate first before we head for the Heavenly Demon Cult,¡± Si-Hyeon said.


    After she responded to Woo-Moon, Si-Hyeon turned to the elders.


    ¡°You guys go ahead. I''ll return in three days.¡±


    ¡°Understood, my lord.¡±


    Just when it seemed like things wereing to an end, the elder who had spoken to Si-Hyeon first opened his mouth again.


    ¡°But... ... my lord.¡±


    ¡°What is it now?¡±


    ¡°When do you n on getting married?¡±


    The elder nced at Woo-Moon as he spoke.


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s face turned red while Woo-Moon smiled brightly.


    <i>''When we get married, we''ll be able to do that every night...''</i>


    Woo-Moon had only been crazy about cultivation and learning martial arts when he was younger, without any interest whatsoever in the opposite sex.


    A thief who startste knows not of the dawning[1], and after sharing kisses with his loved ones and even going so far as to spend a night with Si-Hyeon, he had opened his eyes to the matters of men and women, and the thought never left his head.


    Though ashamed, Si-Hyeon felt relieved.


    Seeing that the elders considered Woo-Moon first when they asked about marriage, it seemed that everyone had nowe to terms with the fact that she was in love with Song Woo-Moon of the Righteous Faction, that they were now lovers, and that they would get married in the future.


    In the past, she would get terribly pissed if the elders ever brought up marriage, but now, the elders seemed rather adorable when they began the conversation again.


    Well, it wasn¡¯t that the elders were terribly enthusiastic about Woo-Moon, but they had no other choice.


    They had worked hard to persuade Si-Hyeon to get married to Hwi Ji-Gang when Woo-Moon was thought to be dead, but there was nothing else they could say now. Moreover, Woo-Moon''s actions showed that he didn''t have any prejudice or dislike for the Heavenly Demon Cult, either.


    Even though he wasn''t a member of the Heavenly Demon Cult, there wasn''t much reason to refuse a marriage between the two, especially as Woo-Moon was a Paragon.


    ¡°It would be better to get married as soon as possible, right?¡±


    While she tried to make it seem as though she was reluctant, Si-Hyeon actually couldn¡¯t wait a second more. The elder naturally noticed her true feelings and smiled to himself; he found that this Heavenly Demon, a terrifying figure in her own right, was also a cute little child.


    Although they were lord and subordinate, the elder actually had a granddaughter who was around Si-Hyeon''s age. He knew these things.


    ¡°Of course. I think the Marriage of the Heavenly Demon should be held before the end of the month. After all, we don''t know when the final battle with Martial Heaven will take ce.¡±


    ¡°So soon?¡±


    Si-Hyeon pretended to be rmed but was secretly happy on the inside. It seemed as though the elder had understood her feelings.


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Ha... well, if that''s what you think is right, then I have no choice but to follow your directives. What do you think, senior brother?¡±


    Woo-Moon was also secretly ecstatic.


    ¡°Right, right. Let''s do that, then.¡±


    The elder turned to Woo-Moon this time.


    ¡°I would like to ask what your ns are now that the marriage has been brought up... I would like to raise one of your sons to be the Little Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Cult and continue the cult''s lineage.¡±


    Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon were taken aback. They had absolutely no idea that the elder would bring something like that up.


    Moreover, Si-Hyeon grew nervous.


    <i>''Our son as the Little Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Cult.... What will senior brother think?''</i>


    Woo-Moon thought for a moment, then nodded his head nonchntly.


    ¡°Just because he''ll be the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult doesn''t mean he''s not my son, right? It would be interesting to have a Heavenly Demon in the family.¡±


    ¡°T...Thank you, Senior Brother.¡±


    To be honest, Si-Hyeon felt a sense of responsibility toward the cult. Even though she had taken on the role of Heavenly Demon only to use the cult as a tool for revenge, it was inevitable that she would grow fond of it and its members over time.


    Then, Ma-Ra suddenly appeared.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The elders of the Heavenly Demon Cult were shocked. While they always knew that there was an assassin near Woo-Moon, they were still surprised when she suddenly appeared without warning.


    Ma-Ra looked at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Woo-Moon.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The lineage of the Death God must also be continued.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Woo-Moon felt like Ma-Ra was so cute at the moment that he wanted to hug and kiss her to death, but he held back with his superhuman patience. After all, he was in front of the Heavenly Demon Cult elders.


    ¡°Of course. Why are you asking such an obvious thing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know.... Nothing important.¡±


    Ma Ra smiled faintly and disappeared again, only to be reced by yet another person who didn¡¯t want to be left out.


    ¡°I-I must also continue the North Sea Ice Pce''s lineage...¡±


    Woo-Moon nodded happily at Yeo-Seol¡¯s words.


    ¡°<i>Tsk tsk</i>, why are all of you mentioning such obvious things?¡±


    Obviously, neither of the two cared all that much about continuing their respective lineages, but having a child with Woo-Moon <i>was</i> in fact something they very much looked forward to.


    Yeo-Seol smiled brightly, and as she stepped back, the Ten Swords of the North Sea stood guard around her.


    There was a sense of duty and loyalty that had never existed before in their eyes.


    Woo-Moon''s threats and Yeo-Seol''s kind heart had changed their perspectives. Seeing her stay true to her benevolent nature despite having the ability to call upon her Paragon lover''s incredible strength made them look at her in a new light. Moreover, her cultivation was far better than they had expected, giving them another reason to trust her.


    It was enough for the Ten Swords of the North Sea and the other North Sea warriors to see Yeo-Seol differently.


    After a while, Si-Hyeon parted ways with those of the Heavenly Demon Cult and went with Woo-Moon, Ma-Ra, Yeo-Seol, and the Baek Family members who were returning to the family estate.


    ¡°Unnie!¡±


    Si-Hyeon smiled at Ye-Ye''s call.


    Even after the misunderstanding was resolved and Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon were reunited, they were both busy and didn¡¯t have time to greet the others properly.


    Ye-Ye hugged Si-Hyeon with tears in her eyes, and Si-Hyeon stroked her hair.


    It wasn¡¯t just Ye-Ye. Baek Ryeong, who used to be considered the cutest along with Gun-Ha in the Baek Family, also ran to Si-Hyeon with tears in her eyes.


    After their greetings, Ma Ra appeared in front of Si-Hyeon.


    Ma Ra smiled¡ªsomething that Si-Hyeon had never seen before.


    ¡°It''s a relief.¡±


    It was a sentence that had many meanings. It meant that she was d that Si-Hyeon was alive, that the misunderstanding was resolved, and that she had returned to them.


    ¡°Thank you, Ma-Ra. Please take good care of me in the future. From now on, you''re my real family.¡±


    It was a true statement, as all three women would be family if they married Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Family...¡¯</i>


    Ma-Ra repeated the word in her mind once again. As she contemted her lingering feelings, she went back into Woo-Moon''s shadow.


    Then, Yeo-Seol came to talk to her as well.


    ¡°I-it''s good to meet you!¡±


    Si-Hyeon was two years older than Ma-Ra, while thetter was the same age as Yeo-Seol. In other words, Si-Hyeon was the eldest of the family.


    ¡°Hello, it''s nice to meet you. Thank you for being by my senior brother¡¯s side all this time.¡±


    Si-Hyeon was truly grateful.


    She was thankful that Ma Ra and Yeo-Seol had filled the void that she had left behind and that Woo-Moon hadn''t had as difficult of a time as he would have otherwise.


    ¡°O-of course, Unnie! I''m also d you''ve returned.¡±


    Yeo-Seol¡¯s face turned red when she called Si-Hyeon ¡°Unnie.¡± Then she carefully looked at Si-Hyeon¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Unnie? Unnie... hehe. It sounds nice. Thank you, little sister. I''ll be in your care from now on.¡±


    Seeing Si-Hyeon smile brightly, Yeo-Seol also felt ecstatic and giggled cutely.


    Yeo-Seol¡¯s <i>aegyo</i>[2] really was outstanding. It was hard to believe that she had grown up in such a cold and barren ce like the North Sea Ice Pce with the way she was acting.


    ¡°Oh dear, you''re so cute,¡± Si-Hyeon said as she hugged Yeo-Seol.


    Woo-Moon was about a head taller than Si-Hyeon, but Woo-Moon was very tall for a man, and Si-Hyeon was also on the very tall side. Ma-Ra was shorter than her, while Yeo-Seol was shorter still. When Si-Hyeon hugged Yeo-Seol, Yeo-Seol hugged her back tightly, and the whole thing looked just like a little sister hugging her older sister.


    <i>¡®She''s warm.¡¯</i>


    She had heard many rumors about Si-Hyeon, and Yeo-Seol was actually terrified by the fact that Si-Hyeon was the fearsome Heavenly Demon.


    However, actually meeting her in person, Yeo-Seol could tell that she was a really warm and affectionate person.


    Yeo-Seol smiled brightly. She was happy to have one more family member, not to mention that it was such a great older sister.


    ¡°Now, let''s hurry up and go. It''ll be much morefortable inside the house than in a ce like this,¡± Woo-Moon said.


    Si-Hyeon and Yeo-Seol nodded while Ma-Ra sent him a voice transmission as an answer.


    ¡°Ma-Ra.¡±


    Ma-Ra appeared.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°While Si-Hyeon and I can see you even if you hide, Yeo-Seol can''t. Show yourself more often so she won''t be lonely.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... okay.¡±


    Yeo-Seol smiled brightly, taking Ma-Ra¡¯s hand, and the group moved together.


    ¡°Ah... I¡¯m really jealous,¡± Baek Jeong-Woo said.


    Watching Woo-Moon walking sweetly with the most beautiful women in the <i>murim</i>, especially the strongest Paragon beauty, the bachelor that was Baek Jeong-Woo was so jealous that he almost exploded.


    Then, his friend, Baek Ho-Woong, came next to him and poked him in the side.


    ¡°Tsk tsk. Why are you so jealous? You have your own lover, too.¡±


    1. Someone who learns somethingter than others has a tendency to grow even more obsessed with it. From the idea that a thief who starts their robbingter in the night doesn''t realize the dawn ising due to their frenzy. ?


    2. A child-like or feminine cute/charming characteristic. A uniquely Korean concept with such a unique meaning that it is now part of the English dictionary. ?

 Chapter 218. Nine in the Fifth Place (14)

    <h4>Chapter 218. Nine in the Fifth ce (14)</h4>


    ¡°Who, you idiot?¡±


    ¡°Gi Wol of the Spring Fragrance House.¡±


    While it was meant to be a joke, Baek Jeong-Woo''s reaction was unexpected.


    ¡°Oh! That''s right. You''re right, yes. Wow, I really was an idiot.¡±


    ¡°W-what do you mean? What are you on about?¡±


    ¡°There''s no such thing as noble or base upations. A woman''s past isn''t important. I''m going to get Gi Wol out of there and marry her!¡±


    Baek Ho-Woong¡¯s mouth fell open.


    ¡°W-what? Are you crazy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy! You are the one who''s crazy. What''s wrong with marrying a courtesan? Haven''t you ever gone to a brothel or slept with a courtesan before?!¡±


    Baek Jeong-Woo grew louder and louder in excitement, and Baek Ho-Woong, startled, quickly covered his mouth.


    ¡°Hey! B-be quiet!¡±


    However, the other rtives had already heard.


    ¡°Beast!¡±


    ¡°<i>Tsk</i>, why are the oppas so weird?!¡±


    At this moment, Yeo-Seol, who had heard their conversation, stared at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°W-what is it?¡±


    He had a strange feeling.


    ¡°Did you also go to the brothel?¡±


    Woo-Moon jumped up.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°If you didn''t go, then you didn''t go. Why are you acting so rmed?¡±


    ¡°It''s because you asked something strange all of a sudden.¡±


    However, at that moment, Ma-Ra interjected, ¡°It¡¯s because he <i>did</i> go.¡±


    At that moment, Woo-Moon turned pale, and Yeo-Seol''s face darkened.


    ¡°<i>Hiiiii...</i> is that true?¡±


    ¡°No! I didn''t go because I wanted to sleep with a courtesan. It was because...¡±


    <i>¡®I went to save those guys,¡¯</i> is what he wanted to say, about to gesture over to Baek Jeong-Woo and Baek Ho-Woong. However, he hesitated, thinking that it would only look like he was trying to sell them out so that he could ¡°survive.¡±


    Seeing him pause, Yeo-Seol started to cry.


    ¡°I can''t believe you...¡±


    ¡°I said I didn''t! Don''t cry! You don''t have to cry! I just went to stop that brat over there, the one causing the fuss! Hey, Ma-Ra!¡±


    However, Ma-Ra didn''t answer.


    Of course, she wasn''t lying. Woo-Moon <i>had</i> gone to the brothel for one reason or another.


    In the end, Woo-Moon had to sweat for two whole hours to appease Yeo-Seol and exin the situation.


    ***


    The party arrived at the Baek Estate before the sun had set.


    At the main gate, Baek Hye-Ryeong and Baek Ju-Ryeong, who had been guarding the family while the main force was out, were there to greet them.


    ¡°We''re back.¡±


    ¡°You did well.¡±


    Baek Hye-Ryeong smiled softly as she greeted Woo-Moon. She had changed a lot since she was let out of prison.


    After unpacking all of their luggage, they headed to the Song Family residence.


    ¡°Oh, you''ve arrived!¡±


    Dok-Du, Rat, and Gwang Ryeok-Gwi greeted Woo-Moon nervously.


    ¡°Yes. How have you been?¡±


    Rat nodded earnestly. ¡°We''ve been great, of course. We''ve been cleaning every day, waiting for you toe back, Young Master.¡±


    ¡°You did good. And... you can go back now.¡±


    ¡°G-go back... what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It''s been a long time since youmitted those evil deeds, and you''ve lived this quiet life for so long that you¡¯ve be somewhat respectable people. I think it''s fine for you to go out into the world and live among people again.¡±


    Woo-Moon could feel that the aura of the three people had be much kinder.


    Even the most concerning one, Dok-Du, was no longer a viin anymore.


    However, that worrying Dok-Du just shook his head.


    ¡°...I don''t want it. I would like to stay here.¡±


    Woo-Moon was surprised by his words.


    ¡°Why? Weren''t you the one who always wanted to find a way to leave?¡±


    ¡°...I have someone I want to marry.¡±


    At that moment, Woo-Moon suddenly thought back to that time.


    When he had returned to the Baek Familyst time, he saw Dok-Du confessing to a servant and asking her to sleep with him before they died.


    ¡°Oh! The girl back then!¡±


    Dok-Du''s face turned red. Then, he knelt on the ground.


    ¡°I love her so much! I would like to marry her. Please help me!¡±


    Dok-Du, who had taken the longest to let go of being evil, seemed to have changed so quickly because of love.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s jaw dropped.


    ¡°No way... You mean you¡¯re serious about this?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Okay... Fine, I guess? You know what, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Woo-Moon looked at Dok-Du, feeling a weird sense of pride. At that moment, Rat and Gwang Ryeok-Gwi also chimed in.


    ¡°W-we don¡¯t want to leave either.¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Even if we were to go back now, we don''t know how to survive anymore. After all, we don''t want to do those bad things anymore.¡±


    They had never learned any skills or anything of the like. Moreover, watching Dok-Du live a good life, being all lovey-dovey with another servant, made them want such things for themselves.


    ¡°Well, if that''s what you want, do as you like. You¡¯re wee to stay.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°I never taught you any actual martial arts, did I? I think it should be okay for me to teach you now, so get ready.¡±


    ¡°T-thank you, truly!¡±


    Seeing how these three seemed to like(?) Woo-Moon so much, Yeo-Seol felt good, making her smile and giggle.


    Woo-Moon opened the door to the Song Family Residence and went inside. As soon as the rest entered, Si-Hyeon let out a small exmation.


    Her eyes sparkled.


    ¡°I... I''m back. I''m really back now.¡±


    Si-Hyeon walked around the Song Family Residence.


    When she saw the picture still hanging in Woo-Moon''s room, she suddenly froze.


    A strong arm wrapped around her shoulder from behind as she cried. Yes, you''re back.¡±


    The two kissed again.


    ***


    It was nighttime, and Woo-Moon was sleeping in his own quarters.


    <i>Sss.</i>


    Someone came in andy down next to him.


    ¡°Ma-Ra?¡±


    Ma-Ra nodded, her eyes shining in the darkness.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Although they always slept in the same room and sometimes the same bed, this was the first time she had actuallye right next to him under the same nket.


    Ma-Ra hesitated for a moment before grabbing Woo-Moon¡¯s hand and cing it on her chest.


    Woo-Moon felt a sudden heat rising from his lower abdomen. An important part of his body swelled and began to ache.


    He hesitated as he thought back to when Ma-Ra had been ufortable with him touching her chest, but then he figured out what she was up to.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s lips covered Ma-Ra¡¯s lips, and his hands carefully touched her plump chest.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Ma-Ra''s lips opened, and a low moan escaped her lips. Her face flushed with shame and unknown excitement.


    Even though she never disyed her emotions as intensely as others, that did not mean she didn¡¯t <i>feel</i> them as intensely.


    The touch of their lips, the feeling transmitted between her chest and his hands, made Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra even more excited, impatient, and frantic. They simply tore off each other¡¯s clothes.


    Ma-Ra, who still didn''t know what to do, acted passively, while Woo-Moon, who had now experienced <i>it</i> twice, took the initiative.


    Soon, their bodies became one.


    ¡°Mmph!¡±


    Ma-Ra let out a groan of pain as her beautiful brow wrinkled.


    ¡°Is it bad?¡± Woo-Moon asked in a worried tone.


    Ma-Ra shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    As Woo-Moon was considerate of her, Ma-Ra also forgot her pain as time passed.


    About half an hourter, the two of them let out a low sigh andy down side by side on the bed. Their hands were tightly sped together.


    Ma-Ra looked at the nket and sheets with a serious expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s stained,¡± she said.


    Looking at the bloodstains and the wet bed, anyone could tell what had happened.


    When she was about to erase the traces with the Samadhi True me, Woo-Moon stopped her.


    ¡°Eh, it''s okay. What''s wrong with people noticing? We''re getting married anyway.¡±


    Ma-Ra nodded like a well-behaved child.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°But what made you do this all of a sudden?¡±


    At Woo-Moon¡¯s words, Ma-Ra dug deeper into his arms. Her body, smooth and graceful like a silverfish, was perfectly ced in Woo-Moon¡¯s firm embrace.


    ¡°Mmm... just because. I wanted to feel it, too.¡±


    She knew that Si-Hyeon and Woo-Moon were definitely sleeping together. She didn''t even have to see or hear it; she could just tell.


    Finding her cute, Woo-Moon hugged her. He started rolling around with her, touching her everywhere


    ¡°What are you doing, idiot?¡±


    Ma-Ra punched Woo-Moon¡¯s chest. As she did so, she lifted her upper body slightly, identally giving Woo-Moon a clear view of her chest.


    ¡°Impressive!¡±


    Ma-Ra blushed at his words and hid her chest with her hands.


    ¡°Pervert.¡±


    The two spent the night joking and frolicking, and eventually burning with passion again.


    ***


    The next morning, Woo-Moon, who had finally woken up from a good night¡¯s sleep, stretched and raised his upper body.


    ¡°Ah, that feels good!¡±


    As he said that, the nket fell down, revealing his well-developed torso. Ma-Ra¡¯s slender body, curled up like a kitten¡¯s, was exposed under the sunlight.


    ¡°Sleepyhead, wake up.¡±


    Just as Woo-Moon was about to cover Ma-Ra with his arms and tickle her, the door opened.


    ¡°Gege! It¡¯s morning!¡±


    It was Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    The pure white, beautiful body of a woman and the body of a man with solid muscles were entangled on the bed.


    Yeo-Seol froze up.


    Tears welled up in her round eyes.


    ¡°<i>Uwaaa, aghhhh!</i>¡±


    Yeo-Seol burst into tears and left the room as Woo-Moon called out to her.


    ¡°Y-Yeo-Seol!¡±


    Sadly, since he was naked, he wasn''t able to chase after her quickly.


    Rat, who was sweeping the yard, greeted Yeo-Seol happily as she ran out with her head down.


    ¡°Youngest Lady! Good morning...¡±


    Yeo-Seol wasn¡¯t crying of sadness or anything. She was simply surprised by the sudden... <i>situation</i> she had stumbled upon.


    She wasn''t jealous of Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra, nor was she disappointed in Woo-Moon. It was just that she was shocked to be suddenly faced with that unknown world she had never experienced before.


    Yeo-Seol, embarrassed by her own crying, couldn¡¯t return Rat¡¯s greeting.


    Then, thinking that she had to turn Rat''s gaze away from her in case he saw her crying face too closely, she used the Divine Frozen Soul Palm on the ground.


    She was a bit <i>too</i> flustered.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    ¡°AGHHHHH!¡±


    Rat screamed as the ground next to him turned into something very much like the northern permafrost.


    ¡°<i>Hiiii!!!</i>¡±


    Yeo-Seol, who was now even more embarrassed because of her mistake, ran off into the distance.


    ¡°W... wow...¡±


    Rat looked at the icy ground and forgot how to talk.


    He fell onto his butt, his stomach churning as he thought about what could have happened if Yeo-Seol had identally aimed that palm a little higher.


    ¡°Ugh... It¡¯s not only the demon king himself, even his wives are all monsters. I thought at least the Youngest Lady wouldn''t be as strong...¡±


    Woo-Moon was a Paragon.


    Si-Hyeon was also a Paragon.


    While Ma-Ra was ¡°just¡± an Absolute Master, she was still stronger than ordinary Absolute Masters as she had ovee the limitations of an assassin to reach the Absolute realm through assassination arts.


    Finally, Yeo-Seol, the weakest of them all, was only weak rtive to this monster group. A Transcendent expert was considered a powerhouse wherever they went.


    ¡°I really do live in a dragon''s nest.¡±


    Woo-Moon had to sweat once again, trying to appease Yeo-Seol. Fortunately, Si-Hyeon was able to help her calm down before she set out to meet Jo Mu-Jae.

 Chapter 219. Nine in the Fifth Place (15)

    <h4>Chapter 219. Nine in the Fifth ce (15)</h4>


    The Leebi Merchant Guild was doing rather well.


    From what people were saying, several merchants affiliated with the Baek Family hade here to help Jo Mu-Jae after Si-Hyeon had disappeared.


    ¡°Please identify yourselves.¡±


    The warrior guarding the main gate seemed to be someone hired after Si-Hyeon had left, as she didn¡¯t recognize him.


    ¡°Please call Great Hero Jo. His runaway niece has returned.¡±


    Si-Hyeon smiled as she finished speaking.


    That smile was so beautiful that the warrior looked dazed for a moment before btedly going inside with a blush on his face.


    With her beauty, he couldn¡¯t even entertain the thought that Si-Hyeon could be an enemy or a fraud.


    One of the traps that men easily fell into was thinking that if a woman¡¯s face was beautiful, her heart would be beautiful too.


    Thankfully, Si-Hyeon¡¯s personality really was just as lovely as her visage.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± Woo-Moon asked.


    As he stood next to her, reliable and strong, Si-Hyeon turned to look at him with her eyes as round as ake.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Everything just feels strange. I¡¯m worried about how my uncle is doing, but I¡¯m also looking forward to his face when he sees me. He¡¯ll definitely be surprised, right?¡±


    Most of the Justice Coalition members who had gone out to fight the Heavenly Demon Cult already knew that Si-Hyeon was the Heavenly Demon. However, that news hadn¡¯t spread throughout the <i>murim</i> yet, which meant that Jo Mu-Jae most likely didn¡¯t know about it.


    ¡°Of course. He¡¯ll be very surprised and incredibly happy. He might even faint from the shock, so make sure to hold him tight.¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Understood.¡±


    Si-Hyeon chuckled, but inside her, her heart pounded.


    Her uncle Jo Mu-Jae had been by her side since she was a child. And now that her father was gone, he was her only family. Thinking about how sad he must have been when he heard the news of her death made her heart ache.


    At this moment, the gate of the Leebi Guild opened, and a gray-haired man came out.


    ¡°I heard there was someone looking for me¡ª¡±


    Jo Mu-Jae couldn¡¯t finish his sentence.


    Looking at him, it seemed as if the time he had spent alone ran faster. He looked at least twenty years older than before.


    He stood in ce for a long time and just stared at Si-Hyeon. His mouth twitched, and tears welled up in his eyes.


    Quivering, he looked Si-Hyeon up and down repeatedly.


    Si-Hyeon was already shedding tears by this point.


    ¡°U-Uncle, I¡¯m back.¡±


    It was only then that Jo Mu-Jae¡¯s emotions burst out.


    ¡°Si-Hyeon!¡±


    He hugged Si-Hyeon tightly and began to sob. Tears flowed down his wrinkled face like a waterfall.


    ¡°This... This isn¡¯t a dream, is it? Thank goodness. To think you would reallye back alive. When I heard that you had died like that, I didn¡¯t know how I would face my Hyungnim on the other side. I... I really...¡±


    Jo Mu-Jae cared about her so much and worried about her more than anyone else. Si-Hyeon¡¯s heart broke, and she felt so sorry that she had left him worrying about her for so long.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m so sorry, Uncle.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s nose stung, and his eyes became teary. Then, he thought of his parents, who were no longer with him, and whose whereabouts he didn¡¯t even know.


    His father was exactly like a big oxrger than life and truly powerful, but also gentle and kind. He always pretended to be strong, but in reality, he was more vulnerable than anyone else.


    He was a loving fool who had never been able to win an argument with his wife and sons.


    Woo-Moon wanted to see them.


    He wanted to see his family so much it felt like he was going crazy.


    He wanted to eat the food that his father made. He wanted to stand in front of his mother and throw a tantrum. He wanted to see her smile.


    He missed everything about them.


    After turning away from Si-Hyeon and Jo Mu-Jae, who were crying together, Woo-Moon looked up at the sky far above.


    <i>¡®Mom. Dad. Are you doing well...? I miss you.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Dae-Woong followed <i>him.</i>


    While they were following Gun-Ha due to her sudden strange behavior, he and his wife were kidnapped by a group of people.


    They were incredibly strong.


    He had tried to escape with his wife repeatedly, fighting those who tried to block his way. However, he never seeded, and he was barely able to injure a few of them.


    They were strong, so strong that it made him shiver.


    <i>I¡¯m sure of it. These bastards are Martial Heaven.¡¯</i>


    Although they had never revealed their true identities, Dae-Woong was certain of it.


    The Martial Heaven bastards locked Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin in a room and that was that.


    Every day was the same as thest.


    However, today, Dae-Woong was brought somewhere alone. Something was happening.


    <i>¡®What the hell could they be nning?¡¯</i>


    After walking quite a distance, he arrived at a pce.


    Dae-Woong had never been to the imperial pce in the capital, but from what he could imagine, even the Forbidden City had to concede to the pce in front of him.


    Dae-Woong entered arge hall inside the pce. There, his breath got stuck in his throat.


    There stood a beautiful and slender man, so beautiful he could be mistaken for a woman. He was trimming flowers. Yet when he saw this man, Dae-Woong¡¯s instincts instantly screamed, warning him of mortal danger.


    The person who had guided Dae-Woong here immediately disappeared, while the man who looked like a woman just kept trimming flowers for a while.


    Then he sent Dae-Woong a voice transmission.


    <i>¡ªYour son has been attracting my attentiontely.</i>


    <i>¡®My son? Which one? Is it Woo-Moon or Woo-Gang?¡¯</i>


    Dae-Woong considered for a moment before finally deciding that the man was probably referring to Woo-Moon.


    Even while pressured by the aura of the beautiful man that seemed to envelop the entire space, he braced himself and shouted, ¡°If you touch my son, I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    It was a rebellion only possible thanks to his fatherly love. When he finished, Dae-Woong gasped as if this single shout had exhausted him.


    Possibly because of his shout, the tip of the beautiful man¡¯s finger, thinner and paler than that of a woman¡¯s, was pricked by the garden shears, and blood flowed out.


    He frowned.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    A strange sound rang through Dae-Woong¡¯s ears, and the peaceful atmosphere suddenly changed. It was as if he had been dropped at the center of a battlefield, and fierce bloodlust overwhelmed him.


    ¡°<i>Ugh...</i>¡±


    Blood flowed out from the corner of Dae-Woong¡¯s mouth as if he had suffered an internal injury.


    <i>¡ªNoisy. The thing I hate most in the world is when people are noisy. If everyone spoke quietly, the whole world would be quiet. Why don¡¯t people understand that if everyone is quiet, anyone could have a nice conversation?</i>


    <i>Snap.</i>


    The beautiful man snapped his fingers.


    All sounds disappeared from the hall. And there was silence. A silence so quiet it screamed.


    While Dae-Woong was flustered, the beautiful man covered his mouth and chuckled coquettishly.


    <i>¡ªHohoho! Parental love is truly amazing. Even someone as weak as you was able to make a sound in my domain. I want to meet this Song Woo-Moon even more.</i>


    As he spoke, the beautiful man licked the blood flowing from his fingers with his tongue as if it were nectar.


    Dae-Woong was now more certain than ever.


    <i>¡®This bastard is dangerous!¡¯</i>


    The beautiful man was calling out Woo-Moon¡¯s name, saying he wanted to meet him. If he really did meet his son... something terrible would happen.


    His instinct as a father continued to warn him.


    <i>¡®My son! If you touch Woo-Moon, I¡¯ll kill you!¡¯ </i>


    Dae-Woong opened his mouth. He shouted, curses filling his throat.


    Yet the next moment, he felt a chill run down his spine.


    He couldn¡¯t hear his voice at all.


    Even the vibrations resonating in his own body disappeared. It was as if the whole world had lost its sound.


    If this man could do something like this... then what would happen if he found Woo-Moon?


    The Martial Heaven Emperorughed heartily while enjoying the desperate expression on Dae-Woong¡¯s face.


    <i>¡ªI want to see for myself how great and noble filial love is. Let¡¯s see if it¡¯s as strong as fatherly love~</i>


    Dae-Woong screamed until his throat grew sore. He was going to kill the man if the man so much asid a finger on his son.


    All his screams amounted to nothing more than lip movement.


    Martial Heaven Emperor thought to himself for a moment, then licked his lips and smiled wickedly.


    <i>¡ªA good idea came to me. Do you think he could defeat a thousand people while suppressing his qi for his father?</i>


    Dae-Woong screamed in shock.


    <i>¡®No!¡¯</i>


    The Martial Heaven Emperor had used voice transmissions from beginning to end. Apart from Dae-Woong¡¯s first shout, not one sound had echoed in this hall.


    ***


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Woo-Moon clutched his chest at the sudden pain.


    ¡°S-Senior brother! Are you okay?¡±


    The two were on their way back to the Baek Family estate.


    Si-Hyeon was startled by Woo-Moon¡¯s sudden movement and grabbed his arm to support him.


    ¡°Ha... ha... ha... I¡¯m okay.¡±


    While he responded, Woo-Moon, puzzled by the sudden pain, circted his qi and checked his heart.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s nothing wrong, what¡¯s going on?¡¯</i>


    His heart was beating vigorously. There was nothing wrong with the nearby blood vessels, and there was nothing wrong with any other part of his body.


    <i>¡®Something isn¡¯t right.¡¯</i>


    As his expression darkened, Si-Hyeon became worried.


    ¡°Are you really okay, senior brother? Do you have an internal injury?¡±


    Although he had an ominous feeling about the sudden pain, Woo-Moon smiled tofort Si-Hyeon, who was next to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s really okay.¡±


    Seeing Si-Hyeon genuinely worrying about him and feeling relieved when he said he was fine, he really did feel better.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s probably nothing. There¡¯s nothing wrong with my body.¡¯</i>


    After shaking off his anxious feelings, Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon arrived at the main gate of Baek Estate.


    The youngest of the Heavenly Demon Dark Soul Squadron, who had been guarding them, stepped forward and shouted.


    ¡°Open the gates! My Lord and Master Song have returned.¡±


    The Dark Soul Squadron was the greatest of the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s elites and, along with the Light and Darkness Battalion, was one of the Heavenly Demon¡¯s direct subordinate units.


    If the Dark Soul Squadron, which consisted of ten members, acted as the Heavenly Demon¡¯s armor and always protected her from external threats, the Light and Darkness Battalion was the Heavenly Demon¡¯s sword, and consisted of three hundred members.


    True to its mission, the Dark Soul Squadron followed Si-Hyeon all the way here and protected her.


    Whenever he saw their loyal gazes, Woo-Moon felt secure, thinking that they would be of great help to Si-Hyeon if she ever faced great danger.


    When he looked up at the sky, it had already be red.


    <i>¡®I guess I¡¯ll have to solve Dok-Du¡¯s problem tomorrow.¡¯</i>


    The next day.


    Woo-Moon found the servant Dok-Du had feelings for and carefully confirmed that said feelings were not one-sided.


    He then asked her about her family. If her parents were still around, he was going to send a formal matchmaker and petition for marriage. However, as it turned out, her parents had actually sold her to the Baek Family at a young age and weren¡¯t around anymore.


    So, Woo-Moon personally chose an auspicious day and date and had the older servants prepare for the wedding. Moreover, he covered all expenses.


    Thinking that there was no need to rush, he set Dok-Du¡¯s wedding date for roughly three monthster.


    The Heavenly Demon Cult then announced the Marriage of the Heavenly Demon would happen in a month.


    ***


    ¡°Did you hear?¡±


    Inside a dark, secret room.


    At the words of the Azure Jade Buddha Sword Myriad Lives Monk[1] of the Shaolin Temple, the figures of each force sitting with him let out deep groans.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just let this happen. How can we watch the hero of the Righteous Faction marry that witch?¡±


    They were afraid.


    Afraid that the marriage between Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon would result in a true reconciliation between the Righteous Faction and their long-time enemy, the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    The Wudang Sect¡¯s Hae Cheong spoke.


    ¡°We only have one chance. We have no choice but to wait for the moment they leave the Baek Family and return to the Heavenly Demon Cult.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t wrong.


    They wouldn¡¯t even have the chance to get close while Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon were in the Baek Family or the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    The discussion between the elders of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Eight Great Ancient Families gradually got into more and more detail.


    1. Azure Jade Buddha Sword is his <i>jianghu</i> title, and Myriad Lives is his Buddhist name. ?

 Chapter 220. Nine in the Fifth Place (16)

    <h4>Chapter 220. Nine in the Fifth ce (16)</h4>


    Time passed quickly, and after seven days, Woo-Moon and his party left the Baek Family to go to the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    While Ye-Ye and the others were saddened by the farewell, it was not something they could avoid. Woo-Moon and the others eventually departed,forting the others by saying that they would visit as often as possible.


    <i>Clip clop, clip clop.</i>


    Since they had gotten fine horses from the Dark Soul Squadron, the party was able to ridefortably during their travels.


    ¡°This makes me think of that day long ago,¡± Si-Hyeon said.


    Woo-Moon smiled, knowing what she was referring to.


    ¡°When you first came to the Baek Family?¡±


    ¡°Yes, hehe. Time really has gone by so quickly. We''ve been through so many things.¡±


    ¡°We really have.¡±


    As they continued forward, a small scream echoed from somewhere far away.


    It hadn''te from the official roads but from deep in the mountains off to the side.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Si-Hyeon asked.


    ¡°Yeah. It''s the scream of someone who has never cultivated.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go see what it is.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Woo-Moon said while turning to Yeo-Seol.


    ¡°We''ll be back shortly, so wait here.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Gege.¡±


    As the obedient Yeo-Seol smiled at him, Woo-Moon leaped off his horse¡¯s back. His target was, of course, the source of the screaming from somewhere in the forest.


    Si-Hyeon followed behind him, while the Dark Soul Squadron followed along as fast as they could.


    Ma-Ra ordered her subordinates to wait by Yeo-Seol before following Woo-Moon under stealth.


    ¡°Hehe, I should give some of this to Mommy,¡± a cute little girl who had been digging for herbs said as she picked some flowers before returning to the vige.


    Unbeknownst to her, some things were going on in the vige that she couldn¡¯t quiteprehend.


    Holding a precious basket of herbs that she had to sell to put food on the table, the girl headed to her house on the outskirts of town.


    ¡°AGH!!!¡±


    ¡°P-Pease, save me!¡±


    ¡°Mother, mother!!¡±


    Whenever there was a famine, mountain bandits, horse bandits, and pirates would run rampant.[1] Most of them were poor farmers who had picked up knives instead of hoes to feed themselves and their families.


    However, even after the famine ended, most of these farmer-turned-bandits didn''t return to theirnds.


    After all, they had already tasted it.


    They were addicted to thefort of being able to exploit others and easily satisfy their desires by simply relying on violence.


    The majority of those who had just attacked the girl¡¯s vige were people like that. As for the few bandits who weren''t part of that majority... They were the remnants of the ck Bull Gang.


    After the ck Bull Gang was destroyed, the entire ck Hand structure copsed, leaving those who escaped to assimte into bandit dens and gangs of thieves.


    The girl returned home, slightly afraid, only to be stunned by a horrifying sight.


    Her mother and her older sister were being raped by vicious men, while her brothers were all lying on the ground with serious injuries.


    ¡°Kekeke! This is pretty great! Huh? And what might that thing be?¡±


    ¡°A new bitch has arrived, bro.¡±


    The bandits, mad with rage and lust, walked toward the girl as she peed herself in shock and fear.


    ¡°D... d-daddy....¡±


    There was only one person who could save her right now.


    The one who had always protected her family, the one person she thought of as more steadfast than a mountain.


    Her father.


    The girl backed away, hoping for her father to save her.


    ¡°You fucking animals!¡±


    The girl¡¯s father appeared with a shout.


    He was a hunter who had been hunting far into the forest and hade running when he heard the vige''s screams and saw the smoke.


    <i>Twang!</i>


    The man happened to be the best marksman in the vige. His arrow flew true even though he was shooting while running, and it pierced the throat of one of the bandits.


    ¡°<i>Urgh!</i>¡± The bandit tried to say something but failed and fell on his back.


    Nocking another arrow onto his bow, the hunter took aim and shot again, aiming at one of the other two bandits who were approaching the girl.


    <i>Ting!</i>


    However, the arrow hit the bandit''s chest and bounced off weakly.


    The hunter¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Armor?¡±


    This time, he aimed for the head.


    <i>Ting!</i>


    The arrow didn''t prate through the bandit''s head either, even though it hit him right in the forehead. In fact, it didn''t even leave behind a scratch.


    The hunter''s gaze was filled with despair at the sight.


    ¡°M... martial artists?¡±


    That was the term for people with such abilities. Beings who had learned martial arts and became far, far stronger than those who hadn''t. Not just normal strong people, but people with supernatural abilities. Naturally, they were the object of awe and fear to ordinary people.


    To think those very same martial artists were mixed in with the bandits....


    The former member of the ck Bull Gang smirked. He was a physique cultivator, and after years of practice, he was quite literally impervious to des and arrows. The hunter attacked him with his bushcraft knife, but he simply knocked the de aside and proceeded to sh the man¡¯s chest with his palm.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The edge of his palm split open the hunter¡¯s chest like a de, and blood spewed out.


    ¡°D-d-d-daddy!!¡±


    Seemingly unaware of the pain, even as blood flowed from his mouth, the girl''s father looked at her. ¡°Little one... r-run... Run...¡±


    ¡°Keke, catching someone who''s running away is a different vor of fun,¡± said the bandit. He cackled and pulled out his bloody hand.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    The girl¡¯s father fell to the ground, looking around at his family with bloodshot eyes. Then, he died with a single tear on his cheek.


    ¡°D... dad...¡±


    The girl backed away as if she had lost her mind, and the enemy who had killed her father walked over, licking his lips.


    As he reached out to her with his hand covered in her father¡¯s blood, the girl screamed so loudly that it seemed like she would tear herself apart.


    ¡°N-noooo!!!!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s face hardened as he got closer to the source of the screams. Si-Hyeon, who could sense the uncontroble anger rising in his heart, grabbed his hand.


    ¡°N-noooo!!!!¡±


    It was the scream of a young girl.


    The moment he heard it, Woo-Moon disappeared.


    Then, he appeared right in front of the girl.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The ck Bull Gang member opened his eyes wide at the sight of Woo-Moon appearing in front of him.


    <i>Swish.</i>


    The moment Woo-Moon¡¯s hand rose, those who had been raping the girl¡¯s older sister and mother were lifted into the air and flung to one side.


    ¡°Agk! W-what the hell?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh!!!¡±


    The bandits screamed, surprised by the sudden incident. The eyes of the ck Bull Gang member widened with shock and fear as he realized what had just happened. He panicked, gasping for air and almost pissing himself.


    Woo-Moon''s cold gaze seemed to pierce through the eyes of the remnant bandit of the ck Bull Gang and stab directly into his brain.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Themoner bandits, who had acted like demons andmitted all kinds of atrocities against their fellowmoners, were brought down to their knees.


    ¡°You... you pieces of shit...¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s hand grabbed the throat of the ck Bull Gang member, lifting him into the air and ring at him with a gaze colder than the eternal ice of the North Sea.


    <i>Crack.</i>


    The bandit''s body slowly began to rupture¡ªbones, muscles, organs, and skin alike.


    ¡°ARGH!¡±


    Woo-Moon saw six bandits running away from the corner of his eye. However, he didn¡¯t even move a finger. As they were running, their throats somehow split open so wide that their spine was visible through the gaping injuries.


    Ma Ra¡¯s figure appeared through the curtain of blood.


    Woo-Moon let go of the man he was holding.


    The bandit rolled on the ground, quivering as if he had been struck by lightning


    It was only natural. Woo-Moon¡¯s power had broken everything that could be broken in his body. The bandit was now dying slowly and in extreme pain, and Woo-Moon had no intention of putting an end to his torment.


    Woo-Moon''s hand moved, and the girl, her sister, and her mother, who were staring at the scene, fell asleep at the same time.


    If they were to keep looking at this horrific sight and endure this trauma, their minds could simply copse.


    ¡°How horrific.¡±


    This wasn''t the first time Si-Hyeon had seen such a sight. She had asionally seen viges plundered by bandits as she traveled with her merchant caravans.


    However, this was the first time she had seen such a horrifying sight in the midst of plunder.


    Woo-Moon rose into the air.


    After reaching a position where he could see the entire vige at a nce, he stretched his hand and pressed down.


    At this time, the members of the Dark Soul Squadron also arrived, only to be met with the nauseating situation. They were all immediately enraged.


    Although they worshiped the demonic character they called the Heavenly Demon and revered strength and nothing else, they would never, ever stoop so low. And they would grow as angry as everyone else at this kind of inhuman deeds.


    Endless qi spread out from Woo-Moon''s palm.


    There were about one hundred and twenty bandits sweeping through the vige of around three hundred people.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s qi lifted the entire bandit force into the sky.


    ¡°Agk!¡±


    ¡°W-what the fuck is going on?¡±


    ¡°Why are we floating?!¡±


    The bandits were confused.


    One of them happened to look up and saw Woo-Moon.


    ¡°O-over there!¡±


    The leader of the remnant bandits of the ck Bull Gang, the one who had taken over this bandit force, stared at the sky. This was because someone was floating there, in front of him, and that someone looked an awful lot like a young man he had once seen from a distance.


    <i>¡®Those white clothes and the three swords hanging from his waist...!¡¯</i>


    ¡°I-i-it''s the Undefeatable Sword Hero...! The P-Paragon, the...¡±


    The sound of his subordinates groaning in shock could be heard from here and there as they all digested what their leader had just said.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°S-Song Woo-Moon... The Paragon, Song Woo-Moon!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    His title had the word ¡°hero¡± in it. That meant that Woo-Moon had done many heroic acts in the name of justice. And generally, ¡°heroic acts done in the name of justice¡± meant punishing viins.


    In other words, to them, Woo-Moon was no different from the King of Hell!


    They immediately began to struggle to escape.


    However, considering that not one of them was even Second ss, escaping Woo-Moon''s Paragon Qi was just wishful thinking.


    At that moment, Woo-Moon pointed at one of the bandits with his finger.


    ¡°Are you talking about me?¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the man fell down.


    Woo-Moon had withdrawn his qi.


    The group of bandits was over a hundred zhang above the ground. Even for First ss experts, this was a height that could threaten their lives.


    ¡°AAAAHHH¡ª¡±


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Naturally, the man turned into a bloody pancake upon contact with the hard ground.


    ¡°Ah, AHHHHH!!!¡±


    ¡°S-spare us, Great Hero Song!¡±


    ¡°I''ll repent if you let me live, I beg you!¡±


    Woo-Moon looked at the one who had just said that he would repent.


    The focus of Woo-Moon''s cold gaze, the man who had just said he would repent felt as though his entire body had been plunged into ice water.


    ¡°Let me ask you a question.¡±


    ¡°Wha... what is it?¡±


    ¡°If you repent, will the owner of the blood on your handse back to life?¡±


    ¡°U-u-u... I...¡±


    The man couldn''t answer.


    Woo-Moon raised a corner of his mouth in a little smile.


    ¡°Thought so. Well, do one thing for me, and I''ll let you live.¡±


    Hope appeared in the eyes of the man and the other bandits.


    ¡°What would you have us do, Great Hero?¡±


    ¡°Y-your generosity is as wide as the ocean, Great Hero Song!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    The bandits cried out in tears, as if they¡¯d been drowning in a well and someone had just thrown them a rope.


    The eerie smile on Woo-Moon¡¯s lips grew even deeper.


    ¡°Go to the afterlife and beg for forgiveness from those you killed. Then I''ll spare you in your next lives.¡±


    The expressions of the bandits, who had been filled with hope, turned to despair again as the bandit who had replied to Woo-Moon¡¯s question also fell to the ground.


    His eyes then moved to another man. He was a rough-looking man who gave off a warm and steady impression, like the kind of honest and hard-working farmer one could find anywhere.


    The bumpkin shouted at Woo-Moon, ¡°I-I''m amoner who never learned any martial arts! I''m not a martial artist! If you kill me, the world will look down on you!¡±


    Woo-Moon shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about what the world thinks.¡±


    1. Yes, there is a different term for each type of bandit. ?

 Chapter 221. Nine in the Fifth Place (17)

    <h4>Chapter 221. Nine in the Fifth ce (17)</h4>


    The bumpkin shouted once more, ¡°I have a wife and young children! But because the corrupt officials kept exploiting us, I had no choice but to be a bandit so I could make a living! I''m also a victim here!¡±


    ¡°No, you <i>were</i> a victim. But then, through your actions, you became exactly like those corrupt officials. I just follow my own path and draw my line where I stand.¡±


    The bumpkin fell to the ground like the others.


    Watching his death with cold eyes, Woo-Moon spoke up once more in a t tone.


    ¡°Also... If you were going to say something like that, you should have first picked up your trousers from where you took them off....¡±


    Woo-Moon scanned twenty of the bandits simultaneously.


    ¡°Do you all have anything you want to say?¡±


    ¡°I... I!¡±


    They desperately tried to think of something to say, but nothing that could help them survive came to mind.


    ¡°Y-you''re the same as us! Who are you to decide our deaths? In the end, aren''t we the same?¡±


    Woo-Moonughed again.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m just like you.¡±


    Woo-Moon slowly clenched his open palm into a fist.


    <i>Crack! Crack, crack!!!</i>


    The twenty men suddenly folded at the waist, crumpling into balls. A massive, irresistible force did not just twist them, but alsopress them, as if they were squashed in a mortar.


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    ¡°Please, spare me!¡±


    Then their bones shattered.


    <i>Pfft!</i>


    Then their flesh was torn apart, and blood spurted out like fountains in all directions.


    <i>Crack.</i>


    These twenty people... No, there were no people there anymore. There were nothing more than twenty balls of flesh, and Woo-Moon let them drop to the ground.


    Then he looked at the others and... he thought that was enough. Not that he didn¡¯t want to inflict even greater fear, frustration, and despair onto them, there was no time. He had to get rid of them now and be on his way. There were more important things to do.


    When he was about to crush the remaining bandits as well, Si-Hyeon flew into the sky and stood next to him.


    ¡°Just a minute, senior brother.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°After we finish them off, we have to leave, no?¡±


    ¡°... Right.¡±


    The vige had already been plundered, and many of its men had been ughtered. Thus, there was a not insignificant chance that they would suffer even more tragedies in the future. It would be difficult for the vigers to make a living, and once they recovered somewhat, nothing stopped other bandits from trampling on the vige again.


    ¡°Leave it to me. Our Heavenly Demon Cult has many soul arts.¡±


    Soul arts.


    Among the famous¡ªor rather infamous¡ªones were the Soul Assimtion Art and the Soul Bewitching Art. They were techniques that could control the thoughts and feelings of others at will.


    As Woo-Moon withdrew his Paragon Qi, which had been dominating the area, Si-Hyeon''s Paragon Qi took over the space instead.


    ¡°Look into my eyes.¡±


    It was like a voice from the depths of hell.


    All of the bandits obeyed that absolutemand and looked into Si-Hyeon''s eyes.


    Then, their terrified faces rxed and their gazes turned nk.


    ¡°You will serve the vigers in the vige below as your masters and live in absolute obedience for the rest of your lives.¡±


    Their souls had wholly surrendered to Si-Hyeon. As there was no particr need for them to think, Si-Hyeon severed their souls properly, turning the remaining ny or so bandits into little more than walking dead.


    From now on, they would be the faithful servants of the vigers and do whatever they were told.


    This way, the vigers could use them for farming, and if other bandits invaded, they could be ordered to defend them.


    Woo-Moon nodded, thinking that this was a very appropriate solution. He and Si-Hyeon went down with the bandits¡ªor rather, the faithful servants of this vige, the Yoo Family Vige.


    Ma Ra''s subordinates were treating an old man with a wound on his abdomen. It was the vige chief.


    With the excellent Golden Sore Ointment of the Dark Soul Squadronbined with the assassins'' decent medical skills, the vige chief was able to survive this critical situation.


    The other vigers were also being treated in a simr manner. In cases where there were too many wounds and injuries, or it seemed as though they would need long and extensive care, Yeo-Seol and the Ten Swords of the North Sea, who had by now reached the vige as well, came forward and used the Thousand Year Ice Preservation Art.


    It was a technique unique to the North Sea Ice Pce that instantly froze the target, preventing them from dying and allowing them to survive for a long time in a frozen state without suffering from frostbite.


    With the three forcesbining their strength to help the vigers, there were many more survivors than there would¡¯ve been otherwise, and they were all in a much better state.


    Woo-Moon came forward and offered the vige chief words offort while also exining what had happened with the bandits.


    ¡°I-is that really true?¡±


    The vige chief seemed to have a hard time believing Woo-Moon¡¯s words. It made sense, of course. Since they didn''t cultivate, how could they ever have heard of soul arts?


    ¡°It''s true. No matter what orders you give them now, they''ll follow them without question. Even after we leave, even in a hundred years if they live that long.¡±


    The vige chief, looking suspicious of Woo-Moon''s ims, gestured to the leader of the bandits.


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    The man, who had learned martial arts, ran with a speed that the vigers found surprising.


    ¡°W-will you really obey mymands?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    ¡°Then lie down, bark like a dog, and eat the dog poop that has fallen over there.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The manid down without the slightest hesitation, barked passionately and wholeheartedly like the dog he was, then picked up the piece of dog poop the vige chief had pointed at and proceeded to eat it with gusto, as if it were a truffle.


    The vige chief who saw this felt a sense of relief and, at the same time, shed tears. He thought about his son, who had been stabbed to death, and his daughter-inw, who had bitten off her tongue andmitted suicide while being raped.


    This time, the vige chief pointed to another bandit.


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    ¡°Stab yourself in the heart.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±


    If the man had been in his right mind, if he really hadn''t been absolutely obedient to their everymand as Woo-Moon had said, he would have hesitated even a little. However, the bandit simply raised his knife and stabbed himself in the heart without any hesitation or change in expression.


    The other bandits didn''t even look at the bandit who had just killed himself, maintaining a nk expression.


    The vige chief and the vigers who hade to their senses finally believed Woo-Moon¡¯s words.


    ¡°Hahaha, hahaha hahaha... how refreshing!!¡±


    Tears flowed from the vige chief¡¯s eyes as he burst into a sad and uglyughter, and the others alsoughed and cried alongside him.


    The vigers, who had now realized that the bandits had be soulless ves, ran forward and started kicking them.


    ¡°You evil bastards!¡±


    ¡°You demons! Because of you!¡±


    ¡°Bring my father back! Bring my sister back!!¡±


    Blood began to flow from their reopened wounds. However, the vigers simply ignored their own injuries and continued to beat up the bandits. In the end, four of the bandits sumbed to the beating, and Woo-Moon raised a hand to stop them.


    ¡°Enough. I think it would be best for you to stop now.¡±


    Then, a vige youth with bloodshot eyes shouted.


    ¡°Why? Why are you stopping us, benefactor?! We''re going to kill them all!¡±


    ¡°I could¡¯ve done that myself if I thought that was the solution. Don''t you think it would be better to make them work for you? How could you free them of this misery so quickly?¡±


    The vigers stepped back, eximing to themselves as if they had been enlightened.


    ¡°Right, right, how could I not think of that?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll work like cattle and they¡¯ll be treated like pigs!¡±


    The vige chief shouted as well, ¡°Right! Put them in the pigsty!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Chief!¡±


    The bandit puppets followed the vigers to the pigsty.


    <i>¡®You all should be grateful. I''ve given you a chance to atone for your sins.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon turned to the vige chief again.


    ¡°There is something we must do, so we will get going now. But before we go, there are two things I want you to promise me.¡±


    The vige chief grabbed Woo-Moon¡¯s hand with tears in his eyes.


    ¡°What is it, benefactor? I''ll do whatever you say. If you tell me to die, I''ll die.¡±


    Woo-Moon looked at the vige chief with a warm but stern gaze.


    ¡°They will listen to anything the vigers say. I mean <i>anything</i>. This could cause conflicts among the vigers. I''m nning on making the strongest of the bandits only listen to you, Chief. Please use that to coordinate things so that the vigers don''t fight among themselves.¡±


    Any viger could give them orders and the bandits would do whatever they were told. They would be a great help in any task.


    The more bandits a viger had under theirmand, the more money they would make. Because of that,petition and conflicts could arise among the vigers trying to have more of the bandit servants.


    ¡°Understood. I will definitely do that.¡±


    There was no sign of greed in the vige chief¡¯s eyes. Woo-Moon thought that was fortunate¡ªotherwise, he might have been forced to take other measures.


    Smiling broadly, Woo-Moon opened his mouth again.


    ¡°The vige will gain great power because of them. No matter who you order them to fight, they will follow your orders faithfully. So another thing is that you will <i>not</i> use them to pige other viges or attack other ordinary people.¡±


    Anyone could change.


    Some of the bandits had actually been innocent farmers, their evil natures emerging only when they were pushed to their very limits.


    Just because the Yoo Family Vige had just endured such atrocities and couldn¡¯t even imagine acting like this didn''t mean that things would never change in the future.


    ¡°That will definitely not happen, so don¡¯t worry, benefactor!¡±


    As he said that, the vige chief was secretly impressed by Woo-Moon¡¯s meticulousness.


    ¡°Understood. If anything unfortunate happens, I know where to find you. Then, we''ll be leaving now.¡±


    The vigers followed Woo-Moon and his party until the end of the path, bowing and expressing their gratitude.


    Si-Hyeon rode her horse next to Woo-Moon¡¯s.


    ¡°How did things go?¡± Woo-Moon asked.


    ¡°Like you said, I chose the strongest few and made it so that they would only follow the vige chief¡¯s orders,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Did you also check where the martial artists came from?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    When she trailed off, Woo-Moon smiled softly.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, tell me.¡±


    ¡°They''re the remnants of the ck Bull Gang. They say that they took over a bandit den near here after the ck Bull Gang was destroyed.¡±


    That was why Si-Hyeon had hesitated to tell Woo-Moon their true identity.


    The ck Bull Gang was a force that Woo-Moon had yed a big role in bringing down. Naturally, the scattered forces couldn''t dorge-scale damage, but precisely for that reason, they ended up causing trouble in many different ces.


    Woo-Moon felt his heart sink. For a moment, it seemed as if he was about to me himself.


    But then, he shook his head slightly.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do. The ck Bull Gang shouldn¡¯t have existed anyway. It would have been far worse for the entire world if they weren¡¯t destroyed. Moreover, the other ck Hand bastards relied on them as backers to do whatever they wanted...¡±


    Indeed, it wasn¡¯t just the ck Bull Gang; many of the minor ck Hand groups had rampaged throughout thend while using the ck Bull Gang as their backing.


    He looked at Ma Ra, who was riding across from Si-Hyeon. ¡°Ma Ra, I have a favor to ask.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry about this, but can you have your men take a message to the Baek Family?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Tell them to take our remaining troops, I want them to wipe out every single bandit throughout our territory, down to the furthest reaches of the family¡¯s influence. In particr, make sure none of the ck Hand groups survive. Since the ck Bull Gang has long since fallen, there shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I''ll order my other subordinates to do the same.¡±

 Chapter 222. Nine in the Fifth Place (18)

    <h4>Chapter 222. Nine in the Fifth ce (18)</h4>


    Technically speaking, assassins were considered part of the ck Hand. While they didn''t mercilessly harm or plunder civilians like the actual evil cultivators[1], considering they killed people for money, they were bundled together with the rest of the bandits.


    After Ma-Ra ascended to the throne as the new Death God, her subordinates were far more selective with their contracts. But even so, they were still a branch of the ck Hand.


    Now, however, Ma-Ra had stated that she would help Woo-Moon destroy the branches of the ck Hand. This would effectively draw a bloody line between the Assassin Gate and the ck Hand.


    ¡°I would be grateful if you could do that, too, Ma-Ra,¡± Woo-Moon said.


    Si-Hyeon also pledged to the cause.


    ¡°When I return, I''ll dispatch the Blood Heaven Asura Squadron to the other regions to wipe out their branches there, too.¡±


    Because of the actions of their captain, Hwi Ji-Gang, the prestige of the entire Blood Heaven Asura Squadron had fallen to rock bottom.


    Si-Hyeon wanted to give them a chance to make up for it by ordering them to destroy the ck Hand.¡±


    ¡°I will send a letter to my mother,¡± Yeo-Seol quipped. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure nothing like this happens in the North Sea territories.¡±


    Woo-Moon smiled. He was happy that the three women supported him.


    ***


    As they descended the mountain where the Yoo Family Vige was, they found a group waiting for them at the foot of the mountain.


    ¡°Great Hero Song!¡±


    Woo-Moon recognized them all¡ªelders of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Eight Great Ancient Families that he had encountered several times throughout the war against the ck Bull Gang. There were one or two elders from each force.


    ¡°Hello, elders! What brings you all the way here?¡±


    At Woo-Moon''s words, the Myriad Lives Monk, who was in the lead, bowed his head.


    ¡°I was deeply moved by your magnanimous intentions to forget all grudges and reconcile with the Heavenly Demon Cult, Great Hero Song. So, I''ve gathered those who shared the same intentions to greet you and Great Heroine Yeon.¡±


    It wasn''t easy for those of the Righteous Faction to call cultists ¡°heroes.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s brow wrinkled slightly.


    <i>¡®That didn''t seem sincere. What could they be up to?¡¯</i>


    He had a bad feeling, but he kept it to himself. In order to make the cooperation with the Righteous Faction as smooth as possible, he had to make sure he didn¡¯t cause unnecessary trouble.


    Woo-Moon smiled, hiding his true feelings.


    ¡°Thank you for saying that.¡±


    An elder of the Beggar Gang and an elder of the Qingcheng Sect, who were standing next to the Myriad Lives Monk, walked towards Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°Great Heroine. We would like to greet you as a sign of our desire to reconcile with the Heavenly Demon Cult.¡±


    Si-Hyeon also knew that she couldn''t cause any trouble. So, she smiled and cupped her fist in return.


    The moment her two hands came together, the elder of the Qingcheng Sect and the elder of the Beggar Gang flicked their cupped fists forward, and a number of needles hidden within flew toward Si-Hyeon.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    While Si-Hyeon was bewildered by their attack, she didn''t concern herself with it that much, thinking that there wasn''t any need to dodge an attack of that level.


    The qi of her Immortal Heavenly Demon Divine Art was triggered by her deepest instincts; the moment she sensed the slightest threat, even unconsciously, it automatically activated to protect her.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    However, the needles the elders shot weren''t any ordinary needles.


    Aura Shattering Needles.


    They were Absolute-grade hidden weapons, secret weapons that the Sichuan Tang Family had created to deal with Absolute Masters.


    The Aura Shattering Needles pierced through Si-Hyeon''s defensive aura as if it weren¡¯t even there.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Because she had put her faith in her defensive aura, her reaction was dyed. While the needles didn''t hit her heart or head, they lodged themselves into her shoulder.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    Si-Hyeon let out a small groan of pain, while Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes filled with anger.


    ¡°Die, you slut!¡±


    The Myriad Lives Monk, who was standing in front of Woo-Moon, and the dozen or so elders behind him, simultaneously rushed Si-Hyeon and threw their own Aura Shattering Needles.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Due to their unique materials and design, the Aura Shattering Needles were able to pierce through aura by spinning at incredible speed. However, Woo-Moon directly jumped in front of Si-Hyeon and unleashed his own aura.


    This time, it wasn''t just any aura; it was an aura barrier reinforced by a Paragon¡¯s Transcendent Aura.


    <i>Ting! Ting, ting!</i>


    The spinning needles all bounced off and flew back at the elders.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    The elders gasped in surprise as their own needles pierced their bodies.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Agk!!¡±


    Six of the elders who had been hit by the Aura Shattering Needles in their heads and chests died, while the remaining five groaned in pain as the Aura Shattering Needles pierced their shoulders, arms, and legs.


    ¡°What. The hell. Do you think. You¡¯re doing,¡± Woo-Moon spat out, bloodlust as deep as the pits of hell rolling off him.


    The members of the Dark Soul Squadron surrounded the elders and drew their weapons, their bloodlust in no wayckingpared to his.


    ¡°How dare you attack our lord?!¡±


    ¡°Hand over your heads, you dirty Righteous Faction bastards!¡±


    The members of the Dark Soul Squadron were understandably beyond furious. These elders had tricked Si-Hyeon and ambushed her. As expected, the hypocrites of the Righteous Faction were not to be trusted!


    However, Si-Hyeon raised her hand to stop them.


    ¡°Don''t get involved. Put away your weapons ande behind me.¡±


    ¡°B-but, my lord!¡±


    ¡°Enough. Are you disobeying my orders?¡±


    ¡°No, my lord!¡±


    Woo-Moon, not the Heavenly Demon Cult, had to deal with the elders. That would be the only way to keep whatever little harmony they still had.


    <i>Shing~</i>


    Woo-Moon slipped his sword out of its scabbard and touched the Myriad Lives Monk¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Speak. What made you do something like this?¡±


    The Aura Shattering Needle that had punctured Si-Hyeon''s shoulder had already fallen out on its own, and her wound had already healed.


    However, the Aura Shattering Needle stuck in the Myriad Lives Monk¡¯s side was still leaking blood¡ªas it turned out, it was hollow, like a straw, and it could not be removed without excruciating pain.


    The Myriad Lives Monk red at Si-Hyeon and the members of the Heavenly Demon Dark Soul Squadron with a murderous gaze.


    ¡°Our Abbot lost his life to the devils of the Heavenly Demon Cult. I must avenge him!¡±


    The other elders also shouted.


    ¡°The Heavenly Demon Cult killed my junior brother!¡±


    Master, grandmaster, junior brother, junior sister, blood brother, father...


    The elders were all in a state of chaos, venting their resentment.


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s expression darkened, but Woo-Moon just sneered.


    ¡°Alright, and you didn''t kill any of them?¡±


    The Myriad Lives Monk tilted his head in confusion, as if he wasn¡¯t exactly sure what Woo-Moon meant.


    ¡°Didn''t you also kill thousands of Heavenly Demon Cult members during the Great War?¡±


    Then, the Myriad Lives Monk burst into a rage.


    ¡°AHAHAHA! Yes, I killed them, so many of them that my hands overflowed with blood! I still feel ecstatic when I think about the time I took the lives of those dirty devils!¡±


    Rage!


    The eyes of the Dark Soul Squadron members were filled with bloodlust, and their hands grabbed the hilts of their weapons.


    Having had enough of the monk¡¯s tantrum, Woo-Moon imbued his voice with qi, and his words pierced the Myriad Lives Monk¡¯s ears.


    ¡°And were those you killed sons of heaven, born from nature itself?¡±


    The Myriad Lives Monk frowned.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I''m asking if they were all born out of rocks or trees or something. Answer me.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! How could I know the family history of those animals?¡±


    ¡°Well, of course you can¡¯t. But unless you are aplete idiot, you know that they also had a family they were born in. You understand that they were also someone''s father, someone''s daughter, someone¡¯s master...¡±


    The Myriad Lives Monk frowned, btedly realizing what Woo-Moon was alluding at.


    ¡°So what?! Why would I care about something like that when killing devils? Those bastards attacked and killed our Righteous Faction members! We were just exacting righteous revenge!¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? Do you really remember exactly who attacked first? Were you there for the entire thousand-year blood war between the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Righteous Faction, do you really know who was the first to kill?¡±


    Of course not. By this point, no one knew who had really started it. Considering the length of time they had foughtpared to the average human lifespan, this might well be a topic of myths and legends. If one really wanted to discuss who killed whom first, it would only end in a squabble between historians.


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense, Song Woo-Moon! What, you just want to do everything your way just because you''ve had some gains in your cultivation? You¡¯re using your strength as a weapon to intimidate the Righteous Faction and support those dirty devils! You''re a traitor to the Righteous Faction, you bastard!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the Myriad Lives Monk spat at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Yeo-Seol, who was watching, screamed in surprise as tears welled up in her eyes.


    Bloodlust exploded from Si-Hyeon and Ma-Ra as if they couldn''t stand the disrespect anymore.


    The Myriad Lives Monk felt the hair over his entire body stand on end. However, he bit his tongue hard enough to almost sever it, forcing himself to pretend to be calm.


    <i>Hiss!</i>


    The Myriad Lives Monk''s saliva on Woo-Moon¡¯s face instantly sublimated to gas, and whatever traces it left were burned to ashes and scattered in the wind.


    Slowly, without any emotion, Woo-Moon spoke up.


    ¡°See, you are wrong. Just like how some of you have managed to convince themselves, I am not a member of the Righteous Faction to begin with. Even my grandfather wasn''t a member of your faction and didn''t act ording to your ways. You were the ones who decided that he was straddling the line between righteous and evil.¡±


    ¡°Of course! That''s right! And just like what we expected, your grandfather took in a dirty witch from the Heavenly Demon Cult as his disciple, and you even protected her and made her your lover. Both you and the Palm Martial Emperor are evils that the Righteous Faction doesn''t need!¡± the Myriad Lives Monk yelled.


    He seemed confident that Woo-Moon wouldn''t kill him.


    The other elders had died because of the rebounding Aura Shattering Needles, so it could be said that it was instinctive self-defense. On the other hand, he thought that Woo-Moon would be reluctant to kill the rest of them now that he had to make a conscious decision to do so.


    After all, Woo-Moon still had to reconcile the Righteous Faction and the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    That was the monk¡¯s source of confidence, or so Woo-Moon thought. But then, he suddenly understood something. The moment he saw the Myriad Lives Monk look at his sword with madness in his eyes, he realized that was not actually the case. No... these elders were prepared to either assassinate Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon or die by their hands. And since the assassination had failed, they were now trying to provoke him so he would kill them.


    ¡°Oh, I see what¡¯s going on. You never said anything to the Righteous Faction about trying to assassinate Si-Hyeon, right? You just said that you wereing to greet us. And if you were to die here, the Righteous Faction would regard Si-Hyeon and me as enemies. That''s the game you¡¯re ying, huh?¡±


    Hearing that, the Myriad Lives Monk and the other elders turned pale. All their intentions had been revealed.


    ¡°Shut up, you dirty cultist bastard! I''m just sorry I couldn¡¯t kill your grandfather with my own hands!¡±


    The Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon was Woo-Moon¡¯s reverse scale. Well, any mention of his family in general was touching his reverse scale.


    However, surprisingly, Woo-Moon didn''t show any change in his emotions.


    ¡°But you know... even if the entire Righteous Faction fights against me, do you think they stand a chance? No, actually, do you even think they <i>want</i> to fight me? I am inclined to think not.¡±


    It was precisely as Woo-Moon said.


    In fact, thest time they met, the leaders of the Righteous Faction were unable to do anything in the face of Woo-Moon''s hard stance and just meekly followed his orders.


    The elders before him were nothing but a small radical group within the Righteous Faction.


    The Myriad Lives Monk snorted.


    ¡°Even if our Righteous Faction ispletely destroyed, we will never join hands with the Heavenly Demon Cult. All of us will sacrifice our lives under the banner of justice and righteousness!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? That might just be <i>your</i> stance, and yours alone.¡±


    Woo-Moon had been nning to simply kill them on the spot, but now, he changed his mind.


    It wasn''t because he was afraid of the Righteous Faction''s retaliation. There was nothing to be scared of regarding a faction that couldn''t see even an inch ahead and only shouted self-righteously about justice.


    It was just that he didn''t want things to go the way these elders wanted.


    ¡°I''ll let you go, then. Do whatever it is you want.¡±


    The Myriad Lives Monk and the elders would never be able to kill Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon. Forget about them, even Ma-Ra alone could easily dispose of them.


    As for the Aura Shattering Needles?


    While they could break through normal aura, they wouldn''t be able to break through the Transcendent Aura that Paragons could use. And besides, there wasn''t any need to fight the elders or their needles anyway. Even those who couldn¡¯t protect themselves with a Transcendent Aura barrier could circumvent the problem by just not being hit.


    Currently, there weren''t many people in Woo-Moon''s party who couldn¡¯t dodge the Aura Shattering Needles thrown by the elders. Namely, Woo-Moon''s two disciples, some of the Ten Swords of the North Sea, and some of Ma-Ra''s subordinates. And with so few of them, Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon could easily defend them. It was only because Si-Hyeon hadn''t been aware of the unique nature of the Aura Shattering Needles that she was hit once.


    Even if they reincarnated and cultivated from scratch, none of these elders would be able to hurt even a single member of Woo-Moon''s party in this life or the next.


    As soon as Woo-Moon let him go, the Myriad Lives Monk picked up his sword again and swung it at him.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    The sword shattered and the shards were flung far away.


    1. The word used here is <i>di</i> (”³), which literally means ¡°enemy¡± and in this context refers to those who have no morals and earn a living by doing evil acts. ?

 Chapter 223. Nine in the Fifth Place (19)

    <h4>Chapter 223. Nine in the Fifth ce (19)</h4>


    Woo-Moon grabbed the Myriad Lives Monk by the jaw with one hand and pulled him right in front of his face.


    "I''ll let you understand what helplessness feels like. I''ll show you that even with you alive and free to do whatever you want, the Righteous Faction and Heavenly Demon Cult will still end up joining forces. The more you insist they can''t, the more they will shun you. They''ll belittle you, saying that you can''t follow the way the river runs. In the end, you all will be abandoned by the Righteous Faction. I''ll make that future a reality for you."


    Yes, this seemed like a better solution than killing them all.


    He was sure of it.


    Those who had dared to try to kill Si-Hyeon and ruin his ns would be ostracized the way they deserved.


    "Fuck off."


    Woo-Moon threw the Myriad Lives Monk away.


    Then, he and the others walked back toward the path to the Heavenly Dem


    ¡°You dirty cultist bastards!!¡± the Myriad Lives Monk shouted as he charged once again with his broken sword. The other surviving elders joined him.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    With a loud mor, they were all thrown back, left bleeding from internal injuries.


    No one could break through the Paragon Qi erected by Woo-Moon.


    "It''s starting to get annoying."


    Woo-Moon swept a hand over them once, shooting sts of aura that pierced their acupoints.


    ***


    For a very long time, Ra Mi didn''t wake up.


    Her family knew that she had learned a new cultivation method with Woo-Moon''s help, and they also knew that it was a new art that allowed her to cultivate even in her dreams.


    However, somewhere along the line, she had fallen asleep and hadn''t woken up for a whole month.


    They knew that with her cultivation at the Transcendent Stage she could go a very long time without food or water. But even so, her father¡ªthe sect master of the Hainan Sword Sect¡ªand his wife were worried and constantly checked on her condition.


    Ra Baek-Do checked on Ra Mi dozens of times a day. It was only after a few weeks that he and his wife Geum Ga-Yeon realized that there was nothing they could do and stoppeding to her room.


    Ra Mi slept.


    Longer than anyone else.


    She dreamed endlessly, practicing her martial arts and cultivating over and over again, three, four, five times more than anyone else.


    Since she had long since reached the limits of her flesh, practicing in her mindscape was an incredible help.


    Three months into her endless sleep, a seven-colored light began to fill her room.


    The light was noting from the outside, but from within her.


    A little more time passed... and there sh!


    Ra Mi¡¯s eyes opened, and a divine light emanated from her eyes for an instant before her gaze quickly returning to the calm gaze of an ordinary person.


    This was the true return to nature.


    As one''s cultivation improved, one would eventually return to the natural state of a newborn human being, as if they¡¯d never lived and never learned martial arts.


    Yet in spite of her ordinary appearance, the aura of a great master flowed from her entire body.


    Having be an Absolute Master, she no longer suffered from narcolepsy. Her control and mastery of her body and mind had be so strong that she could even get rid of a problem she had been born with.


    However, before she could even immerse herself in the afterglow of achieving this high realm, she suddenly stood up.


    "F-father...!"


    "<i>Chikushou!</i>"[1]


    A pirate from the Eastern Inds swung his sword at Ra Baek-Do while cursing.


    ¡°How audacious!"


    Ra Baek-do was the leader of the Hainan Sword Sect.


    Although he may not have fully mastered the Thirty-Six Swords of the South Sea[2], he intimately understood each form''s meaning, and although he wasn''t an Absolute Master, he was an expert strong enough to be counted among the Absolutes thanks to his incredible sword techniques.


    One strike, one death!


    Ra Baek-Do''s sword deflected and pushed away the pirate''s slightly curved sword, then pierced the pirate''s head. However, three other pirates attacked him simultaneously.


    While he struck one down, the other two still cut into his side and shoulder.


    ¡°You monkey ass bastards!¡±


    The two pirates, whose swords were stained with Ra Baek-Do''s blood, were split in two almost simultaneously by his counterattack.


    Ra Baek-do shouted, "You bastards! None of you can enter this room! All of you,e at me! I''ll kill you all!"


    The pirates'' murderous desire intensified as Ra Baek-Do steadied himself, ready to wipe them all out.


    However, it turned out that the pirates were actually no different from the Eastern Inds'' official soldiers, as they even received support from their home country.


    After the Eastern Inds'' civil war ended, they leveraged the power of their countless warriors and engaged in piracy at a national level to reumte national wealth.


    Although the overall martial prowess of the Eastern Inds was inferior to that of the Central ins, the Hainan Sword Sect was gradually pushed back just by the sheer number of pirates. Eventually, the invaders pushed their way all the way into the Hainan Sword Sect''s base, and Ra Baek-Do stayed behind on his own to protect his cultivating daughter.


    Even though he was covered in blood, Ra Baek-Do did not take one step back.


    There was only one thing on his mind.


    He would protect his daughter!


    Just the thought of what would happen to his sleeping daughter after he fell made him dizzy.


    "FUCK OFF!!!"


    As he looked at those before him, Ra Baek-Do''s entire body filled with strength once more. Four pirates were cleaved in twain by one sh his sword, and blood spewed everywhere.


    However, Ra Baek-Do had already reached his limit. While he had cut down countless enemies, the corridors were still full of countless others.


    "Ha... ha..."


    The tip of Ra Baek-Do''s sword slowly drooped downward without him even realizing it. His wrist was losing strength.


    As if jolted awake from sleep, Ra Baek-Do noticed it and tightened his grip on his sword.


    "None of you shall pass!" he shouted again, raising his fighting spirit once more.


    However, the invading pirates were like devilsing from the depths of hell.


    It seemed as if their Dao was a never-ending pursuit of blood.


    Just as the pirates were about to rush Ra Baek-Do again, someone suddenly stopped them from behind.


    "Enough. Step back. I''ll deal with him."


    After berating his men in the Eastern Inds''nguage, which Ra Baek-Do couldn''t understand, a pirate dressed in samurai attire walked toward him.


    While he was tall for an Eastern Inder, he was still somewhat shorter than Ra Baek-Do.


    Ra Baek-Do could immediately tell that his opponent was strong. He was most likely one of the strongest experts of the Eastern Inds.


    If Ra Baek-Do was in a normal state, he would have been able to defeat him. Right now, though, that was impossible.


    Still, he shook off the slight inkling that he would be defeated. He could not afford it.


    <i>''I can''t lose! Ra Mi, Ra Mi is behind me!''</i>


    That single thought gave him strength.


    The samurai held his katana[3] with both hands and raised it above his head. Then, he carefully walked toward Ra Baek Do, step by step.


    <i>¡®I have to win!¡¯</i>


    The pirate¡¯s katana came down upon Ra Baek Do with a fierce sh.


    Although Ra Baek-Do tried to block with his sword, in his current state, he couldn''t keep up with the katana¡¯s speed.


    <i>''No, I can''t die here...!''</i>


    As Ra Baek-Do opened his eyes wide, watching the sword falling over his head, a very familiar scent flowed into his nose.


    "R-Ra Mi!"


    Ra Mi appeared in an instant, like a phantom, standing before Ra Baek-Do and blocking the sword in his stead.


    "Ugh!"


    The samurai was unable to ovee the rebound force that reverberated through his katana and fell backward.


    That was how powerful Ra Mi''s sword was.


    Seeing the samurai fall, Ra Baek-Do was shaken. Then, noticing the significantly different appearance of his daughter, and her eyes, in which not a hint of sleepiness was visible... tears flowed from Ra Baek-Do''s eyes.


    "A-A-Absolute Master! My dear, you''ve... you¡¯ve done it..."


    Ra Baek-Do burst into tears.


    Whenever he acted like this, one could not help but wonder who was the parent and who was the child.


    Ra Mi smiled brightly when she saw her father.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Then, her sword cut a straight line.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Blood spurted out in a line behind the tip of her sword.


    One sword, and neen of the pirates were ughtered, their torsos and necks severed by the sword aura.


    While some of them tried to block her attack with their katanas, the swords were simply cut in two alongside their bodies.


    "Father. I''ll go deal with these bastards first, so please wait here," She said as he pressed the acupoints around Ra Baek-Do''s wounds, stopping the bleeding and giving him simple first aid.


    "Ugh... <i>chikushou... </i>Bitch, you dare!"


    The samurai, who had fallen with internal injuries after being blocked by Ra Mi''s sword earlier, got back up, cursing.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Ra Mi''s sword flickered for an instant, and a hole the size of a soybean appeared in the samurai''s forehead.


    As she walked by him, he simply fell backward.


    Ra Mi shot sword aura in all directions.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    "Agk!"


    "Ahh!"


    "Ugh!"


    A series of explosions and screams rang out, and before long, Ra Mi had driven away the pirates who had invaded the Hainan Sword Sect''s base.


    After the battle, Ra Mi''s mother, who had been in hiding, returned and had a touching reunion with her family.


    The Hainan Sword Sect''s warriors celebrated the survival of the sect and the birth of an Absolute Master, chanting Ra Mi¡¯s name.


    On this very day, the legend of the Sword Empress of the South Sea began.


    ***


    As they approached the Heavenly Demon Cult, Yeo-Seol suddenly started huping.


    "<i>Hic...! H!</i>"


    Even her hupping was adorable.


    Woo-Moon smiled.


    "Are you okay?" he asked.


    "Yes, yes. <i>H!</i> I''m okay."


    Yeo-Seol''s face was pale, as if she was scared.


    It was understandable.


    This was the base of the Heavenly Demon Cult, of all ces.


    Yeo-Seol was tense and terrified as she entered a ce with such a frightening reputation.


    She hadn''t even acted like this when they had entered the Forbidden City. Well, in a way, it was natural. As a martial artist, the name of the Heavenly Demon Cult held more meaning to Yeo-Seol than the emperor¡¯s name.


    Seeing her reaction, Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon smiled.


    "SOOOOONG WOOOOOOO-MOOOOOOOOOOOON"


    Suddenly, someone ran up with a shout and swung a sword at them.


    It was the Myriad Lives Monk.


    This was already the ninth time.


    The Myriad Lives Monk had continued to attack the party. At some point, he began to target Woo-Moon instead of Si-Hyeon or the Dark Soul Squadron.


    It seemed that his personal resentment had grown stronger than his desire for revenge.


    Up until this point, Woo-Moon had simply neutralized him by locking his acupoints, but this time, he felt particrly annoyed.


    Thus, he started by pressing the acupoints of the Myriad Lives Monk and the others again.


    "Kill me!"


    The Myriad Lives Monk looked at him with eyes full of resentment, begging for Woo-Moon to kill him.


    Hearing his bitter shout, Woo-Moon just shook his head and continued by pressing a special acupoint.


    It was the famed Bone-Splitting Muscle-Twisting Technique!.


    While the technique didn''t actually cause any wounds, it would cause extreme pain all throughout the body, as if one''s bones were breaking and their flesh was being torn apart.


    If it were an ordinary person, the sheer pain could even cause immediate cardiac arrest and death. Martial artists would not die from it, but if they were to undergo this torture more than once, most would have a mental breakdown.


    "AHHHHH!!!"


    A desperate scream burst out from the Myriad Lives Monk¡¯s mouth.


    Woo-Moon red at him with a sneer.


    "It''llst half a day. Don''t worry, you won''t go crazy."


    With that, the party headed back to the base of the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    Soon, they arrived in front of the main gate.


    <i>Gulp!</i>


    The sound of a dry gulp echoed loudly.


    It wasn''t the gulp of just one person. Everyone apart from the cultists, Ma-Ra, and Woo-Moon, had swallowed nervously.


    Even if they weren¡¯t huping like Yeo-Seol, they were all nervous about entering the base of the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    The Myriad Lives Monk and his group of elders that had been persistently chasing them had also stopped by this point, either because of the pain of the Bone Splitting Muscle Twisting Technique or because they didn¡¯t feel like being in the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s sphere of influence.


    The youngest of the Dark Soul Squadron, who was in charge of the grunt work, ran forward.


    "Open the gate this instant. The Lord has returned!" he shouted.


    1. Yes, he speaks Japanese. Yes, he really does say that. The word originally refers to being reincarnated on the Animal Path, one of the three lower paths of reincarnation, which is considered to be a punishment. In general it''s not used to curse people (and if it is, it''s incredibly rude, like calling someone a mutt), but rather as a generic "damn it!" ?


    2. Hainan means ¡°south sea,¡± so this would be the fundamental technique of the sect ?


    3. Fun fact, the hanmun for katana is ¡°foreign saber.¡± ?

 Chapter 224. Nine in the Fifth Place (20)

    <h4>Chapter 224. Nine in the Fifth ce (20)</h4>


    ¡°The Heavenly Demon Cult will live forever!¡±


    The door opened with a loyal chant, and upon hearing the news, each of the cult''s elders and experts quickly ran out from all over the shrine, kneeling and bowing on both sides of Si-Hyeon¡¯s path, shouting.


    ¡°The Heavenly Demon Cult will live forever! We congratte you on your return!¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡±


    Si-Hyeon nodded with a cold expression. It was an expression that she had never shown Woo-Moon, but now that he saw her like this, he found that he was quite into it.


    <i>¡®I want you to look at me like that tonight,¡¯ </i>Woo-Moon thought to himself.


    Then he stopped in ce, seriously considering if he was a pervert or something.[1] How could he suddenly feel such that kind of desire as he watched Si-Hyeon act cold and strong?!


    ***


    Time continued to pass, and eventually, the most auspicious day of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the day of the Marriage of the Heavenly Demon, arrived.


    Ma-Ra and Yeo-Seol had agreed to get married at the same time, a monthter.


    The wedding wasn''t taking ce within the Heavenly Demon Cult but in a manor close to the cult''s shrine. The manor had just been purchased by the cult; it was newly built and very spacious, making it more than suitable for the numerous guests.


    ¡°Unnie! You¡¯re so pretty! You look like a fairy, a fairy!¡±


    Yeo-Seol pped her hands in admiration as she looked at Si-Hyeon in her wedding gown. Ma-Ra nodded in agreement.


    Si-Hyeon smiled slightly and covered her mouth with her sleeve.


    ¡°The two of you will look prettier than meter. Thank you.¡±


    At those words, Yeo-Seol blushed and rejoiced as she imagined herself wearing a wedding dress like Si-Hyeon and having pretty makeup. She was so happy.


    To celebrate the historical marriage of two Paragons, congrattory envoys had been sent from all over.


    The North Sea Ice Pce, the Pot Pce, the Great Thunder Temple, the Shaolin Temple, the Nine Sects and One Gang, the Eight Great Ancient Families, the Changbai Sword Gate, and countless small and medium-sized sects, gates, guilds, and gangs throughout the <i>gangho.</i>


    The gifts they had been granted were up to the asion as well.


    As time drew near, Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon emerged from their respective quarters, where they had been getting ready, and began the wedding ceremony.


    However, at that moment, a scuffle was taking ce outside the manor.


    A beautiful woman hade from out of nowhere, drunk out of her mind, and was trying to enter the manor when the Heavenly Demon Cult warriors blocked her.


    ¡°We cannot let you pass, Young Lady. We were told not to allow drunk people inside.¡±


    ¡°You are a cultivator. Please circte your qi and clear your head before entering.¡±


    ¡°What? Let go of me! Do you know who I am? Get out of my way! Aren''t you getting out of my way?! I, I, I! I''m the woman of the Paragon Song Woo-Moon! Get out of my way, now!¡±


    The blue outer robe the beauty was wearing had plum blossom patterns embroidered on its sleeves.


    As Si-Hyeon had ordered them not to cause any trouble with the members of the Nine Sects and One Gang, and since the beauty was a possible acquaintance of Woo-Moon, the Heavenly Demon Cult members found themselves at a loss, unable to do anything.


    Right at that moment, a man with massive stature and a pretty woman approached.


    The massive man looked at the drunk beauty and eximed in surprise, ¡°Junior sister? What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Huh?! Senior brother! Hehe, so it''s you, senior brother Woo-Gang. Come and tell these old men to let me in,¡± Hyeon Yu-Yeon said as sheughed bashfully.


    ¡°Ha...¡±


    Woo-Gang could feel a nagging headache ovee him.


    It had taken him quite some time to not only regain his former strength but also be stronger. It was only because he had seeded that he had finally decided toe looking for his brother, and he was only just able to arrive in time for the wedding.


    Who would have thought that the moment he arrived, he¡¯d find his junior sister like this?!


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Woo-Gang asked Bi Yeo-Jung, who was still by his side and was very much intent on making that position permanent.


    Bi Yeo-Jeong looked at Hyeon Yu-Yeon with a pitying gaze and shrugged. She also didn''t know what to do.


    Woo-Gang''s heart hurt for Hyeon Yu-Yeon. While he had a vague idea that his junior sister had feelings for his brother, he never could have expected that her feelings would be this strong.


    Looking at the drunk Hyeon Yu-Yeon, Woo-Gang sighed as he remembered his old self.


    ¡°Sir, do you know this person?¡±


    Woo-Gang nodded at the cultist¡¯s polite question. Then, he felt something inside of his shift.


    In the past, he had hated the Heavenly Demon Cult, thinking that they were his mortal enemies. However, now, they were to be his inws. Even though he knew about Si-Hyeon, it was still not easy to digest.


    ¡°May I ask you for your name?¡±


    ¡°Song Woo-Gang. My name is Song Woo-Gang.¡±


    The cultist thought for a moment before his eyes suddenly widened.


    ¡°I was told that the Grand Consort had a younger brother...¡±


    ¡°Yes, that would be me.¡±


    Grand Consort.[2] Si-Hyeon''s subordinates all called Woo-Moon that title out of respect.


    The Heavenly Demon Cult warriors bowed to Woo-Gang.


    ¡°Pleasee in...¡±


    At that moment, Hyeon Yu-Yeon suddenly pushed open the gate, which was slightly ajar, and barged in.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Woo-Gang and the warriors were surprised and tried to grab her, but Hyeon Yu-Yeon managed to enter the wedding hall, catching everyone¡¯s attention.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes widened at the sight. Hyeon Yu-Yeon pointed at him and screamed.


    ¡°SOOOOOONG WOOOOO-MOOOOOOOOOON!!¡±


    ¡°Hey, isn''t that Hyeon Yu-Yeon? What¡¯s up with her?!¡±


    All of the acimed figures of the Nine Sects and One Gang and other guests looked at her in surprise.


    As for Hyeon Yu-Yeon, there was nothing but Woo-Moon in her field of vision.


    ¡°You evil bastard! You did everything you wanted to me back then, and now you''re marrying another woman!¡±


    Hyeon Yu-Yeon always had a reckless and stubborn personality, and now, said personality was empowered by a not insignificant amount of liquor.


    There¡¯s nothing quite like alcohol when ites to untying one¡¯s tongue. Unfortunately, it alsoes with a few minor side effects. For instance, one might forget a few words here and there, or the words mighte out a little differently from what¡¯s intended.


    In this specific case, the intended meaning had been ¡°you did everything you wanted to <i>my heart</i> back then.¡± Unfortunately, that meaning hadn¡¯t exactly carried through in speech.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s jaw hit the floor, while Si-Hyeon and Yeo-Seol looked at him with wide eyes.


    ¡°Senior brother...!¡±


    ¡°Gege, you didn''t... Or did you?!¡±


    The eyes of Woo-Moon''s women suddenly turned into slits. There was deep, undisguised suspicion in their gaze.


    ¡°N-no, it''s not true. I didn''t do anything! Seriously!¡±


    Hyeon Yu-Yeon suddenly burst into tears.


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon, you evil bastard, how could you throw me away and marry another woman?! What do you want me to do?! <i>Sob, sob!</i>¡±


    Woo-Moon really had done nothing wrong.


    No matter how much he racked his brain, wondering if he had <i>maybe</i> done something in the past that he had forgotten, he couldn''t think of anything. He had never made even the slightest contact with Hyeon Yu-Yeon''s body or done anything to her.


    Still, cold sweat ran down his entire body. His head was spinning, and his mouth was parched as he wondered how to resolve this situation.


    Then, as he looked at Hyeon Yu-Yeon, he suddenly saw something through the door behind her¡ªoutside the mansion, blood spurted.


    ¡°W-what the hell is going on?!¡±


    Woo-Moon was furious to see that bloodshed had urred on the day of his wedding.[3]


    Fortunately, the ceremony itself was already over.


    As they had already finished bowing to the Heaven God and the Earth God[4], he and Si-Hyeon were already married.


    ¡°Senior brother, what do you think is going on?¡± Si-Hyeon asked.


    Woo-Moon gave her an assuring look as if telling her not to worry.


    ¡°I''ll look into it. Stay here.¡±


    Woo-Moon quickly circted his qi and made his move, instantaneously appearing before Hyeon Yu-Yeon, who was startled and dazed by the sudden development.


    ¡°Myriad Lives Monk?¡±


    The person who had just killed two warriors of the Heavenly Demon Cult and was now fighting Woo-Gang was none other than the Myriad Lives Monk.


    Seeing Woo-Moon, the Myriad Lives Monk walked toward him without paying any attention to Woo-Gang''s attacks.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Woo-Gang''s sword pierced his stomach.


    However, the Myriad Lives Monk simply ignored it and walked toward Woo-Moon with drool dripping from his mouth.


    ¡°Who the hell did this to you...¡±


    The Myriad Lives Monk seemed to have had his mind overwhelmed by some kind of soul arts, just like the bandits who had been defeated by Si-Hyeon earlier.


    As Woo-Moon looked at the Myriad Lives Monk with a stern expression on his face, some of the Justice Coalition¡¯s acimed figures who hade to congratte Woo-Moon on the joyous asion let out a surprised gasp.


    ¡°What?! Isn''t that the Myriad Lives Monk?¡±


    ¡°Esteemed one, what are you doing?! Hurry up and put your sword away!¡±


    However, the Myriad Lives Monk only smiled strangely and didn¡¯t answer. Hisplexion was very dark, making him look a suspicious lot like a <i>jiangshi</i>.


    ¡°<i>Agh... ugh...</i>¡±


    The Myriad Lives Monk tried to say something.


    However, his voice sounded very weird, as if someone else was speaking through his mouth. Rather than his normal stentorian voice, what came out was a high-pitched voice that sounded a lot like a woman¡¯s.


    Coupled with the grayplexion, the dead eyes that seemed to stare into the void, and the aura of death emanating from his entire body, the strange voiceing out of his mouth made for a truly eerie picture.


    Those present at the wedding felt a chill run down their spines.


    The Myriad Lives Monk pointed at Woo-Moon with his finger.


    ¡°If... if you want to save your father... you must...e alone, to the pce...e... <i>ugh</i>!¡±


    Suddenly, the Myriad Lives Monk retched, and a severed ear popped out from his mouth.


    <i>¡®Father!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon knew right away whose ear it was.


    His eyes turned bloodshot instantly. But the moment he raised his gaze to re at the Myriad Lives Monk, the monk suddenly swelled up and burst apart like a balloon.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    This wasn''t Woo-Moon''s doing, nor was it that someone had sneak attacked the monk.


    His blood, bone fragments, internal organs, and brain matter burst out everywhere, making the wedding hall look more like a butcher¡¯s shop before the daily cleaning.


    ¡°Kya!!!¡±


    ¡°Aargh!¡±


    Everyone who got doused in bodily fluids and random bits of flesh retreated with screams, and the inside of the wedding hall became aplete mess.


    The smell of rotting blood and flesh began to fill the air.


    In the middle of it all, Woo-Moon stood still, with a vicious expression, as if he was one step away from murdering someone. A vicious bloodlust so deep that even the sky seemed to darken emanated from every bit of his body.


    ¡°Dear, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Gege!¡±


    ¡°Are you going?¡±


    The voices of Si-Hyeon, Yeo-Seol, and Ma Ra sounded one after another.


    However, Woo-Moon couldn''t bring himself to look back at his loved ones. He could well imagine what his face looked like right now.


    ¡°You kidnapped my father and cut off his ear, and then you ruined my wedding and threatened me... Alright. Good. I hope you are prepared, because heaven is my witness that the moment we meet will be thest moment you live.¡±


    Even Ma-Ra, who had been watching over Woo-Moon from the side for a long time, had never seen him this angry. Because of his murderous aura, everyone gathered in the wedding hall had a hard time even breathing.


    Woo-Moon picked up his father''s ear and handed it to Woo-Gang.


    ¡°Take this.¡±


    Woo-Gang had wanted to show his changed appearance to his brother and get some well-deserved praise for pulling himself together. However, he didn''t have the leisure to care about that right now.


    ¡°Are you going alone?¡± he asked.


    Woo-Moon nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. Since he told me toe alone, I should at least follow along with his request.¡±


    ¡°But... Don''t you think it would be better if someone secretly followed you? I''ll go with you, hyung. It''s dangerous.¡±


    Woo-Moon put a hand on his brother''s shoulder. His gaze finally softened, and he shed a reassuring smile.


    ¡°Don''t worry. It''s me, your big brother. I am Song Woo-Moon. I alone am enough.¡±


    Only then did Woo-Gang nod. He trusted his own brother more than anyone else, after all. ¡°Alright, hyung. Bring Father back. As for whoever did this...¡±


    Bloodlust not losing in the slightest to Woo-Moon¡¯s shed in Woo-Gang¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°They have to die. All of them. And it has to hurt.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    After this brief exchange, Woo-Moon turned around.


    ¡°Don''t follow me. Everyone goes straight to the Heavenly Demon Cult!¡±


    Woo-Moon used his movement technique and ran toward the Capital as the three women watched his back with worried gazes.


    1. Yes. ?


    2. Technically, the term used here (´ó¹«) means Grand Duke or a simr rank. It¡¯s also used to refer to the non-sovereign consort of a sovereign, e.g. how thete Queen Elizabeth II¡¯s husband was prince, not king. ?


    3. Blood being spilled in any way at a wedding is, quite obviously, a terrible omen; there are regional superstitions about this ranging from it meaning that the bride will suffer a miscarriage to the wedding will end in someone¡¯s brutal death. ?


    4. In Muism, the Korean traditional shamanistic religion, there are four major gods, the Sun God, the Moon God, the Sky God (the father of the founding god of Korea) and the Earth God, alongside the Star Gods. In a traditional wedding, you bow to your parents, to Heaven and Earth (so the gods), and to each other. ?

 Chapter 225. Nine in the Fifth Place (21)

    <h4>Chapter 225. Nine in the Fifth ce (21)</h4>


    Ma-Ra didn¡¯t even consider following Woo-Moon using her stealth technique.


    She could sense the fierce Paragon aura of the person who had controlled the Myriad Lives Monking from the monk¡¯s remaining flesh. If that person really was a Paragon as strong as that, then not only would she not y much of a role in the fight, but she might even be captured and used against Woo-Moon.


    <i>¡®Come back safely, Woo-Moon.¡¯</i>


    As for Hyeon Yu-Yeon, she had fainted the moment the Myriad Lives Monk had exploded in front of her.


    ***


    ¡°<i>E-eeek!!!</i>¡±


    The terrified empress stepped back.


    The pce was covered in blood. All the guards and soldiers protecting the emperor were simply torn apart; hundreds of powerful martial artists were turned into nothing more than piles of flesh and puddles of blood.


    The only ones left alive were the emperor and empress.


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    The roar of the emperor wearing the dragon robe resonated through the hall.


    <i>¡ªShut up.</i>


    His voice transmission was clearly heard by everyone under the vast ceiling. The emperor, struck by the formless energy, vomited blood and flew backward.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Two spears lying on the ground flew out and pierced the emperor¡¯s shoulders, nailing him to the wall.


    ¡°Ahh!!!!¡±


    The emperor screamed and writhed in pain. He looked at the Martial Heaven Emperor and begged.


    ¡°P-please... please spare me. Please, the spears, the spears! I¡¯m begging you!¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor burst into a cheekyugh.


    <i>¡ªThese dead guards of yours are far more noble than you. They even sacrificed their lives to save you, and yet here you are, begging for your life after just a little bit of pain Kekeke. How exciting. As expected, this world is so much fun! How could a weakling like you be the emperor?</i>


    Despite the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s mockery, the emperor only cried out for his life. Struck by pain and terror the likes of which he had never experienced before, the emperor could no longer act as a mighty ruler.


    The empress just watched the scene with a nk gaze. None of it felt real. It was all like a dream. She never could have imagined something like this happening in the pce.


    She pinched her cheek, and fortunately, the pain made her wake up to reality. Unfortunately, she found that this <i>was</i> reality.


    <i>¡®H-how is this not a dream?!¡¯</i>


    She wanted to escape this situation somehow.


    Right as she thought that it would be nice if someone coulde and defeat this unknown and cruel enemy, someone came to mind.


    <i>¡®Yes, Jin Yo! If it¡¯s him and his miraculous strength, he can do it!¡¯</i>


    As the empress suddenly stood up, hope in her heart once more, a general d in armor flew into the pce with a great roar.


    ¡°You outrageous bastard!¡±


    The one who had appeared was none other than the Battle Emperor. His sharp guandao, imbued with a mighty aura, seemed as if it would split the enemy¡¯s slender body in twain with a single blow.


    ¡°Battle Emperor!¡±


    The emperor and empress called out to the Battle Emperor in joy, feeling as though they were looking at their savior.


    Then...


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The Battle Emperor¡¯s imposing stature instantly became shorter.


    It wasn¡¯t that he had been verticallypressed, but rather that a part of his body had gone missing. A bright stream of blood gushed out, pouring down his neck, and the hall was once more painted crimson.


    ¡°<i>A-agh-ahhhh!!!</i>¡±


    As thest remaining hope was cruelly vanquished, the emperor¡¯s eyes rolled back and he fainted on the spot.


    <i>¡®Jin Yo, there¡¯s only Jin Yo left!¡¯</i>


    The empress, who had the advantage of not being pinned to the wall like a butterfly in a collection, ran as fast as she could to Jin Yo¡¯s residence.


    <i>¡ªOho. Is there still someone left worth pinning your hopes on? Interesting. How about I follow you there?</i>


    The empress¡¯s steps quickened even more when she heard the strange man say that he would follow her.


    Upon arriving at Jin Yo¡¯s residence, the empress opened the door to the underground secret passage with trembling hands and hurriedly went down.


    The path that had always felt incredibly long due to her anticipation and excitement at meeting Jin Yo now felt even longer... way, way too long.


    ¡°I have to... hurry... hurry... hurry!¡±


    The empress finally reached thest floor and opened the door.


    ¡°Jin Yo! Save me, please, save me!¡±


    Jin Yo was sitting cross-legged and circting his qi.


    The empress ran behind Jin Yo and hid, shivering.


    <i>Thud, thud.</i>


    The sound of the Martial Heaven Emperoring down the stairs echoed through Jin Yo¡¯s room. And it only took moments for his coquettishughter to ring in their ears.


    <i>¡ªThe Imperial Government¡¯s Paragon, you say... Wow, I never would have dreamed that someone like that existed. This should be fun.</i>


    Jin Yo¡¯s eyes shed open; the water in the massive pool behind him rose up like a dragon and flew toward the Martial Heaven Emperor.


    <i>Bang, bang, bang, bang!</i>


    The Martial Heaven Emperor gently held out a hand. A round, ck disc appeared in the air where his hand touched the void, blocking all of Jin Yo¡¯s attacks.


    <i>¡ªA little more. Entertain me a little more.</i>


    The Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s eyes lit up. Transcendent Aura bloomed from the tips of his fingers and flew toward Jin Yo.


    Jin Yo grabbed the soft hand of the empress, with whom he had spent quite some time together, and dodged the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s attack. The Transcendent Aura sted forward, striking the wall of Jin Yo¡¯s secret stone chamber.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    <i>¡®It¡¯s copsing!¡¯</i>


    The moment the thought arose in his mind, Jin Yi erected a defensive qi barrier to protect the empress. At the same time, he broke through the ceiling of the chamber, tunneling through the hard soil into the pavilion above.


    While the basement copsed and the ground caved in, Jin Yo and the empress broke through the ground and emerged into the open.


    <i>¡®Has he note out yet?¡¯</i>


    The moment Jin Yo had that thought, the ground cracked open, and light began to seep through the seams.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s dangerous!¡¯</i>


    The light was all glimpses of Transcendent Aura, sweeping over a wide area in a single bound.


    One of the rays of light pierced Jin Yo¡¯s shoulder. That little ray caused even the defensive qi barrier surrounding the empress to tremble.


    The Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s qi that had entered through Jin Yo¡¯s shoulder spread throughout his entire body before destabilizing, about to explode.


    However, as it had entered Jin Yo¡¯s body, his domain, Jin Yo¡¯s qi had the upper hand, and eventually, he was able to suppress the explosion.


    ¡°J-Jin Yo... I... I love...¡±


    The empress¡¯s voice could be heard from the side.


    Now that he turned to look at her, he saw that her palm had been pierced by the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s attack.


    ¡°No!¡±


    His panicked shout was thest thing she heard.


    The empress exploded, spewing blood and flesh everywhere.


    While the empress had said that she loved him, Jin Yo didn¡¯t feel the same. Even so, can you really be emotionless when you see a beautiful woman dying right after she told you ¡®I love you¡¯?


    Jin Yo¡¯s eyes turned red as he felt true anger for the first time in many, many years. The wound on his shoulder instantly healed.


    ¡°Come out! Come out now! I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    Transcendent Auras in the shape of dragons materialized from Jin Yo¡¯s body, piercing through the ground and flying toward the Martial Heaven Emperor below.


    His unique Transcendent Aura drew in everything around him, absorbing rocks and dirt, transforming them into strength he could use and making him stronger.


    This was the Wuji Aura Art, the cultivation method of Jin Yo¡¯s master that Jin Yo had developed even further.[1]


    Rock Dragons, Earth Dragons, Water Dragons, and Blood Dragons ravaged thend of the Forbidden City.


    The dragons had only one target.


    The Martial Heaven Emperor.


    However, a ray of light shot up from the ground once again.


    <i>BOOOM!</i>


    The dragons all exploded, their qi dissipating into the air. Then, the Martial Heaven Emperor burst through the ground, rising to meet Jin Yo¡¯s gaze.


    <i>¡ªOh you know what, I just remembered something. A long time ago, there was a guy who used martial arts with a simr energy to yours. He fled with everything he had, though. To think he ended uping to the imperial pce and raising you! Ohoho. What trash. As expected, trash can only turn into worse trash.</i>


    There was only one person who truly mattered in Jin Yo¡¯s life. Only one person he truly loved and respected¡ªhis master.


    Jin Yo roared like a beast.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Once again, dozens of strands of Wuji Aura materialized and flew toward the Martial Heaven Emperor in the form of dragons.


    ¡ª<i>Well, I guess it¡¯s a little better than what that piece of trash did, but it¡¯s still far from enough. Haha.</i>


    A defensive barrier formed around the Martial Heaven Emperor, constructed entirely out of Transcendent Aura. None of the dragons created by Jin Yo could prate it.


    The Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s fingertips moved.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    A single strand of Transcendent Aura flew out and pierced Jin Yo¡¯s hand. Before Jin Yo¡¯s qi could move to suppress its explosive power, the strand of aura exploded.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    His forearm was sted apart.


    As Jin Yo¡¯s terrifying Paragon healing factor regenerated his forearm, the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s Transcendent Aura continued to fly.


    <i>BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!</i>


    A series of explosions rang out, and Jin Yo¡¯s entire body, except for his torso and head, was torn to shreds.


    ¡ª<i>Kekekeke.</i>


    All of Jin Yo¡¯s attacks were blocked by the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s protective barrier.


    Seeing Jin Yo¡¯s miserable appearance, the Martial Heaven Emperor seemed to be in a good mood and repeatedly detonated his qi.


    It was at this moment that a seemingly never-ending tidal wave of ck arrows flew into the sky from below, targeting the Martial Heaven Emperor.


    <i>¡ªOh?</i>


    He looked down and saw the emperor cursing vehemently while pointing at himself, with tens of thousands of soldiers surrounding him.


    <i>¡ªYou don¡¯t seem to understand. Whether it¡¯s one big ant or a swarm of tiny ants, what¡¯s the difference?</i>


    Naturally, none of the arrows could threaten the Martial Heaven Emperor.


    While some of the arrows contained the aura of martial artists who had reached Peak ss or the Transcendent realm, that was all there was to it.


    The Martial Heaven Emperor flicked his fingers as if he were plucking a lute in the air.


    <i>BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!</i>


    Hundreds of bolts made of Transcendent Aura fell like hail.


    They flew at precise intervals, piercing hundreds of soldiers at once.


    <i>¡ªBang!</i> the Martial Heaven Emperor quipped.


    As his red lips soundlessly opened, the arrogant soldiers all heard the same sound in their ears.


    <i>BOOOOOOOOM!</i>


    A terrifying explosion rang out.


    All of the soldiers who had just been pierced by the transcendental sts simply exploded, sweeping away the other soldiers crowded around them.


    ¡°Ug... ugh... ah-AHH!!!¡±


    A general, themander of the imperial army, looked around with his left arm and leg missing, letting out a groan as he passed out.


    It was certainly a sight to see¡ªthe whole world filled with the crimson color of blood.


    Over ten thousand people had died instantly, and about twice that number were lying down with minor and major injuries, groaning in atrocious pain.


    <i>¡ªKekekeke!</i>


    With a cursed voice transmission, the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s thin hand once again plucked the lute in the air.


    <i>BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!</i>


    Within seconds of bombardment, all the soldiers lost their lives, leaving only the emperor alive.


    <i>¡ªBring him.</i>


    One of the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s personal Absolute Master retainers leaped into the air and brought Dae-Woong to him.


    ¡°You-you demon bastard...!¡±


    Dae-Woong was horrified by the sight, as any normal person would¡¯ve been. Yet his reaction was not to cower in fear; instead, he turned to the Martial Heaven Emperor and cursed at him.


    <i>¡ªKekeke. Hush hush, your son will soone. You should save your strength.</i>


    The Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s subordinates ran and erected three columns in the Forbidden City, each a whopping twenty zhang high.


    Dae-Woong, Jin Yo, and the emperor were hung from the columns. As the Martial Heaven Emperor had ced a restriction on Jin Yo, Jin Yo found himself unable to use any qi.


    The Martial Heaven Emperor disappeared from the air, reappearing on the pole where Dae-Woong had been hung. He sat down on the top of the pole and licked his lips.


    <i>¡®Now,e quickly, Song Woo-Moon. The leader of those who oppose Martial Heaven in this era. Come and entertain me. If you take too long, who knows who might end up dying? Kekeke.¡¯</i>


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m worried, Unnie,¡± said Yeo-Seol.


    Si-Hyeon hugged her, pulling Yeo-Seol¡¯s head to her chest. Then, she reached out to Ma-Ra, who was sitting next to her, and pulled her close in the same way.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything will be okay. Let¡¯s trust him. He¡¯ll definitelye back smiling with the elders.¡±


    Although her words expressed nothing but trust and hope, Si-Hyeon also felt as though she was dying on the inside.


    <i>¡®Please, you have toe back safely. If... if... if you die, I¡¯m going to bring you back just to scold you.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Uh, um... where am I?¡±


    Suddenly, Hyeon Yu-Yeon came out of the room and wiped the boogers from her face with her hand. Then, she felt the unkind gazes of the three women pour over her.


    ¡°Huh? Who are you?¡±


    Hyeon Yu-Yeon, who had fainted while drunk, seemed to have not yete to her senses.


    An instantter, though, when she looked at Si-Hyeon and Ma Ra more closely, her eyes widened.


    She btedly recalled what had happened.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    She wanted to die.


    1. The <i>wuji </i>here (Ÿo˜O) refers to the primordial oneness that gives birth to yin and yang (which together form the immediately subordinate concept of <i>taiji</i> Ì«˜O). ording to <i>Dao De Jing</i>, the fundamental book of Daoism, the Dao begets one (<i>wuji</i>), one begets two (<i>taiji</i>), two begets three (usually heaven, earth, and man), and three begets all things in existence. Another rted interpretation of <i>wuji</i> is ¡°limitless,¡± and we believe that this is the intended meaning in this context¡ªthat this cultivation method allows the cultivator to ess the essence of all things around them and use them however they please. With that said, there is a veryplex body of research and critical literature, as well as theological literature, concerning what exactly these concepts refer to and how they should be interpreted, so take everything we say about them with a grain of salt. ?

 Chapter 226. Nine in the Fifth Place (22)

    <h4>Chapter 226. Nine in the Fifth ce (22)</h4>


    <i>¡®Kya!!¡¯</i>


    Just as Hyeon Yu-Yeon was about to scream, Woo-Gang quickly ran over and covered her mouth.


    ¡°Calm down, junior sister! Ha... seriously.¡±


    Si-Hyeon, who had been ring at Hyeon Yu-Yeon, soon sighed and shook her head. She had already heard what had happened from Woo-Gang.


    Her head was already spinning, wondering what they were supposed to do with this wild and unruly youngdy.


    <i>¡®Even if nothing happened between him and Hyeon Yu-Yeon, no one would believe it. Only strange rumors would spread. Combined with the fact that he married the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s very own leader, the rumors would be even more vicious... and any chance of her getting married to anyone else is over, too.¡¯</i>


    She hated having to think about this when she was already on edge because of Woo-Moon and her father-inw.


    Si-Hyeon sighed.


    ¡°Ha...¡±


    Yeo-Seol sighed as well.


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Ma Ra shook her head as if she didn¡¯t like it either.


    Hyeon Yu-Yeon started tearfully.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    She was still young, and she wasn¡¯t by any means evil¡ªjust unruly and a little dumb.


    Woo-Gang told her what was going on and she was able to understand how she was being perceived at the moment and what a massive mistake she had made, especially whenbined with the dangerous situation at the moment. She ended up shedding tears in fear and shame.


    Si-Hyeon sighed inwardly when she saw that. Eventually, she just went over and hugged Hyeon Yu-Yeon.


    ¡°Why did you do it if you knew you were going to regret itter? Ha... I¡¯ll talk to him about it. Everything will work out somehow.¡±


    ¡°<i>Hiiiiiiing!</i>¡±


    Hyeon Yu-Yeon burst into tears in Si-Hyeon¡¯s arms.


    As he watched the two, Woo-Gang realized that Si-Hyeon had be much more open-minded and mature than before.


    A faint smile appeared on his lips, even with his heavy heart.


    <i>¡®What a relief. Thank the heavens that my eldest sister-inw is such a good person.¡¯</i>


    ***


    ¡°You must be anxious, junior sister,¡± said Gyeong Mu-Gi.


    However, Yu Yu, who was sitting, hugging her knees, didn¡¯t even look at him.


    Still, Gyeong Mu-Gi didn¡¯t get angry and just continued practicing his spear techniques next to her.


    It was as if he was saying that he would protect his junior sister no matter what happened.


    Yu Yu was simply unable to acknowledge her senior brother¡ªher regret over her brother¡¯s death was just too strong, so how could she just ept aplete stranger taking over the role of a brother protecting her? Yet without her even noticing, she was starting to feel more and more secure in Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s presence.


    ***


    <i>ROAR!!!</i>


    Eun-Ah, who had climbed to the peak of the highest mountain near the Heavenly Demon Cult, continued to roar as she looked in the direction she could sense Woo-Moon¡¯s presence. Her roar was filled with anger and sadness.


    While she wanted to follow him, she couldn¡¯t.


    Woo-Moon had conveyed to her that he had to go alone.


    Although she didn¡¯t understand the details, she understood that Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin might die if she followed, and thus, her paws were tied.


    She couldn¡¯t even throw a tantrum.


    Eun-Ah could only roar in frustration and anger. She hoped that her roar would reach Woo-Moon, far away though he was, and cheer him on.


    ***


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll kill them. I¡¯ll kill them all. I¡¯ll kill everyone in Martial Heaven!¡¯</i>


    Although Woo-Moon felt like crying, he couldn¡¯t do so, and his eyes were bloodshot.


    His head was filled with the sight of his father¡¯s severed ear.


    Just thinking about what his parents must be going through made his heart feel like it would burst. All of the blood in his body felt like it was boiling, on the verge of explosion.


    He finally understood why he hadn¡¯t been able to find his parents or Gun-Ha, no matter how hard he¡¯d searched. They had been kidnapped by Martial Heaven.


    ***


    As he ran at breakneck speed, following the aura trail, a man suddenly stood before him, and behind this man were a thousand others with various weapons in hand.


    <i>¡®What the hell are you thinking, you bastards?¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon kicked the ground and jumped up, trying to fly over them.


    However, the words of the person leading the group of warriors made him stop.


    ¡°Destroy everything blocking your path before youe find me. Otherwise, you¡¯ll never be able to talk to your bear-like father again.


    Just like with the Myriad Lives Monk, it was a feminine voice again,ing from the throat of a burly man.


    <i>Crack</i>.


    Woo-Moon ground his teeth.


    Irritation and anger welled up within him. There was no reason for the enemy to do such cruel things; Woo-Moon wasing anyway. And yet, they were forcing his hand even further.


    Seeing him floating in the air, the thousand armed men, who looked like mountain bandits or the likes, started to murmur among themselves.


    The man who was leading thergest group among these thousand bandits finally grit his teeth and spoke up.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Great Hero Song. Our lives are also at stake here, so there¡¯s nothing we can do. Please understand.¡±


    Woo-Moon heaved a deep sigh and came down to the ground. With equally gritted teeth, he replied, ¡°You crazy bastard. What do you want me to understand? Just hurry up and attack. I¡¯m in a really bad mood right now, but you know what? Never mind. This¡¯ll be a good opportunity to take care of you ck Hand bastards.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon unleashed Heavy Rain.


    <i>BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Agk!¡±


    Three hundred people lost their lives from a single Heavy Rain.


    ¡°A-attack! We¡¯re going to die either way, anyway!¡±


    ¡°None of you bastards have the right to live anyway,¡± Woo-Moon retorted. ¡°You¡¯re going to die either way, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    All of them smelled like blood, and some of them downright <i>stank</i>. That meant that they had killed many people. This was only natural¡ªthey were bandits after all, and which bandit hadn¡¯t ughtered a couple of people? That was what they did best.


    No, even if there were some who hadn¡¯t harmed innocent people, it didn¡¯t matter.


    Since they were members of a mountain bandit den or a pirate crew meant that they had also harassed innocent people and partook in whatever riches resulted from robbing and piging.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take this opportunity to reduce the evil in the world, even a little!¡± shouted Woo-Moon.


    The enemies also went berserk and rushed at him.


    <i>Swish, swish, swish!</i>


    A total of thirty qi bolts shot out of Woo-Moon¡¯s ten fingers and flew indiscriminately in all directions.


    <i>Squelch, squelch, squelch, squelch!!</i>


    ¡°Ahhk!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!!¡±


    Since each of the bolts took at least ten lives, at least three hundred people lost their lives.


    The gang boss who had asked for Woo-Moon¡¯s understanding earlier started to yell, ¡°You demonic bastard! To think you would kill this many people without batting an¡ª<i>ugh!</i>¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword pierced his chest.


    <i>Thud, thud, thud, thud.</i>


    The boss stumbled frantically, trying to get away, while Woo-Moon red at him.


    ¡°When ites to eradicating evil, there can be no half measure. I will be <i>very</i> thorough this time.¡±


    As the boss¡¯s torso burst apart, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword aura extended endlessly, piercing the enemies behind him like a skewer.


    Woo-Moon then swung his extended sword aura around him like a fan, chopping in half every enemy that still stood around him, spraying blood everywhere.


    It had taken him less than half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to kill a thousand people.


    After ughtering all of his enemies, Woo-Moon continued on, transforming into a ray of light, flying toward the Forbidden City and leaving blood flowing like a river in his wake.


    His flight was cut short, though. Not a few li ahead, another massive group of enemies were waiting.


    <i>¡®This time, it¡¯s about two thousand of them. If they keep doubling like this two or three more times, I might be able to kill everyst one of the ck Hand bastards in the empire</i>.¡¯


    A momentter, Woo-Moonnded in front of the enemies and plunged his sword into the ground. Aura flowed out of the Golden Dragon Sword he had received from the Emperor, turning the ground in front of him upside down.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    With that single sword, the entire vanguard, about seven hundred strong, was crushed to death.


    ¡°Kill him! Kill that bastard! That¡¯s the only way we can survive!¡± the enemies shouted.


    Woo-Moon snorted and threw Lightsh forward.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    The path that Lightsh flew along, leaving behind a white trail, was followed by countless bloodshot eyes.


    ¡°S-Sword Control!¡±


    Though they had been in contact with cultivators, they were nothing but low-level grunts. This was the first time they had seen such a high-level sword technique as Sword Control.


    Woo-Moon condensed a strand of Transcendent Aura and focused on making it as sharp as possible¡ªsharp enough to sever anything and everything in its path. And with that strand of aura as a sword, he unleashed North Wind.


    The Transcendent Aura, engulfed in ice, flew forward, drawing a huge crescent moon in its wake.


    <i>ng, ng, ng!</i>


    Whether it was a thick iron baton, a sword, a dagger, or a warrior who had mastered physical cultivation, North Wind passed through them as if they did not even exist.


    None of them could stand up to the Transcendent Aura that could even prate an Absolute Master¡¯s aura.


    <i>Hiss!</i>


    Everywhere North Wind passed, extreme yin qi bloomed, turning everything in all directions into ice. Those who had been lucky enough to avoid the aura de were all turned into ice pirs.


    A horrifying fifteen hundred people had died in this one attack.


    As the number of enemies increased, the number of people who died from Woo-Moon¡¯s techniques also increased. The more of them there were in one ce, the more of them he could mow down in one go.


    ¡°A-agh!!!¡±


    Some of Woo-Moon¡¯s foes who witnessed this sight peed themselves as they fled.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    All who tried to flee, however, exploded like the Myriad Lives Monk; the qi that the Martial Heaven Emperor had ced inside them went wild the moment they turned to flee.


    Whether they fought or fled, the only possible ending was death.


    The enemies¡¯ eyes filled with a vicious light and a will to survive.


    ¡°Fine, all of you,e at me! I¡¯ll kill you all!¡±


    Woo-Moon was more enraged than ever before. He would¡¯ve had no mercy either way, and now that he also had to think of his father¡¯s life, he did not even bother with useless feelings.


    Once again, he and his enemies shed.


    ¡°Agk!!!¡±


    Hundreds of limbs and heads flew into the air from a single blow of Woo-Moon¡¯s sword.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Countless others fell, spurting blood, as they were pierced by Lightsh, which was still flying freely under Sword Control.


    ¡°W-what is this?! Agk!!¡±


    Golden Wall Severing Void minced all of the remaining enemies into paste.


    Now soaked in the blood of his enemies, Woo-Moon let out a huge roar and used his movement technique again.


    A momentter, the Great River appeared in front of him. He could see all of its majesty, spanning a monstrous forty li across.


    On its waters floated countless ships with thousands of enemies, all sending hostile gazes toward him.


    Woo-Moon ran out of the forest toward the river. He stretched out both arms behind him and swung them forward.


    <i>Crack!!</i>


    Dozens of giant trees on his left and right were uprooted by an invisible energy and flew toward the river.


    ¡°W-what the hell is that?! Get out of the way!¡±


    However, the trees were flying under the control of Woo-Moon¡¯s Space Maniption, which was much faster than the ships could possibly maneuver.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    Crack after crack continued to resonate as the ships that collided with the giant trees were shattered into pieces, sending pieces of wood and flesh flying everywhere.


    The shattered remnants of the ships floated on the river, and the water turned red.


    <i>Tap, tap, tap, tap!</i>


    Woo-Moon stepped on the water and ran across the river.


    Unlike a while back, when he destroyed a certain pervert admiral¡¯s fleet, he now needed no tricks and artifices. He could simply run across the surface of the water or fly above it at will.


    Raging Storm was unleashed from the Inkde that had appeared in his hand somewhere along the line and flew in the direction of thirteen ships floating in a group.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The ships that Raging Storm pierced burst apart, and the surrounding vessels were also sunk and shattered by the wind and waves created in the technique¡¯s wake.


    In the meantime, Woo-Moon continued to cross the river. He was by now halfway through, and every time he moved his hands, countless ships were shattered into fragments.


    When he finally reached the other shore, there wasn¡¯t a single ship left floating behind him.


    The Great River could now be renamed as the Great Blood River.


    Many thousands of people had died already. Yet as he continued to run, there were once more people blocking his way.


    This time, there weren¡¯t many, just twenty warriors.


    They were the surviving members of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dippers.[1]


    Seven of them were Absolute Masters, while thirteen were Transcendents.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this over with. Hand over your heads.¡±


    At Woo-Moon¡¯s murderous words, the leader of the Heavenly Dippers snickered.


    ¡°Even if you are one of those so-called almighty Paragons, you still can¡¯t defeat thebined forces of seven Absolute Masters. Your bragging skills are quite impressive, Song Woo-Moon, but this here will be your end.¡±


    ¡°Enough talking!¡± Woo-Moon shouted, charging at them.


    1. They are the superior half of the Seventy-Two Heavenly Dippers. This is a reference to the Korean <i>murim</i> novel <i>The Hundred and Eight Heroes</i>, which itself drew inspiration from <i>Water Margin</i>, one of the earliest known Chinese novels written in vernacr Mandarin. In both these novels, they are a famous group of bandits. ?

 Chapter 227. Nine in the Fifth Place (23)

    <h4>Chapter 227. Nine in the Fifth ce (23)</h4>


    Woo-Moon disyed the North Wind Steps, disying a transcendent level of control that surpassed even the twelfth step of mastery that wasmonly known as perfection.[1] And the next moment, he unfolded the Divine Phantasm Steps, appearing behind the lower-ranking members of the Heavenly Dippers.


    ¡°Watch out! Dodge!¡±


    The stronger Heavenly Dippers were bbergasted by Woo-Moon¡¯s reality-defying movements and warned the others. However, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword had already shed through the necks of the four weakest Heavenly Dippers by that point.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    As their blood flowed into the ground, the other Heavenly Dippers rushed Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Trash, you dare?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tear you apart with my bare hands!¡±


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Holding Lightsh in his hand, Woo-Moo steadied himself as he watched the seven upper-ranked Heavenly Dippers rushing toward him. At the same time, his feet shifted into a flexible stance that would allow him to respond to anything they threw at him.


    Some of them wielded a weapon, while others were barehanded. As the fist, palm, finger, leg, sword, saber, and whip began to attack and surround him from all sides, Woo-Moon spun, using his left foot as the axis, and drew a circle on the ground with his right foot.


    <i>ng, ng, ng!</i>


    All of the Heavenly Dippers¡¯ attacks bounced away.


    The eyes of the Heavenly Dippers grew wide. Even if Woo-Moon was a legendary Paragon, to be able to block them all just like that was too much for them to process. They were confident in their own abilities, so how strong could this man be?


    After blocking all of the enemies¡¯ attacks, Woo-Moon¡¯s sword flickered with a sharp and deadly movement like the tongue of a viper.


    <i>Swish!!</i>


    It flew forward, aiming for the throats of the two Heavenly Dippers closest to him.


    Sensing that the targets wouldn¡¯t be able to defend themselves properly, the surrounding upper-ranked Heavenly Dippers tried to help them.


    Six of the Absolute Masters joined forces to block Woo-Moon¡¯s attacks, while the remaining one attacked him directly, cleaving downward with his saber.


    <i>¡®A... a feint?¡¯</i>


    The six Absolute Masters were shocked. Woo-Moon¡¯s attack only looked threatening on the surface; in fact, it was nothing but a feint with no real strength behind it.


    Quickly pulling his sword back, Woo-Moon swung up, striking the saber of the Heavenly Dipper descending onto him.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    The saber broke in half.


    Woo-Moon caught the tip of the saber that was flying through the air with his free hand, and with the same smooth motion, shoved it through the eye of his enemy into his brain.


    The Absolute Master Heavenly Dipper fell backward, not even understanding how he had died.


    ¡°YOU DARE!!!¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    The other six Absolute Masters, who had only been able to watch as theirrades died, charged at Woo-Moon with a fighting spirit that burned even hotter.


    ¡°Yes,e at me. I¡¯ll kill you all!¡±


    Shouting with bloodlust, Woo-Moon bent backward, disying a perfect Iron Bridge.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    A sharp enemy attack almost touched his chest. He twisted his upper body and used the rotational force to spin midair.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword, fingers, and feet moved at lightning speed as he spun sideways in the air.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Agk!¡±


    Screams erupted.


    One of the Heavenly Dippers had his head shattered by Woo-Moon¡¯s heel; another had his heart pierced by the wless Finger, his eyes opened wide in death; finally, another was shed in half by Lightsh¡¯s razor-sharp edge.


    In an instant, three of the Heavenly Dippers lost their lives.


    The First Heavenly Dipper¡¯s eyes filled with disbelief.


    ¡°I-impossible. Are you saying you¡¯ve already reached the pinnacle of the Paragon Stage? How? Just how did you do it?¡±


    ¡°You Martial Heaven bastards need to be at least on the level of your Martial Heaven Emperor to face me! This is the result of your Martial Heaven¡¯s arrogance!¡±


    Northern Blizzard unfolded from the tip of Woo-Moon¡¯s sword.


    In an instant, white snowkes filled the entire space around him. Then, Lightsh moved through the center of the space.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    With a cracking sound, the frozen space split apart and shattered into pieces.


    At the same time, the remaining Heavenly Dippers also shattered.


    However, each of them exploded out with all of their qi in a moment ofst-minute panic and unleashed a final massive attack, which resulted in Woo-Moon also taking quite a hit.


    Looking down, he saw fiverge wounds on his arms, legs, and abdomen. However, all of the wounds were instantly healed as Woo-Moon¡¯s Paragon Qi circted. His body restored itself as if he had never been wounded in the first ce.


    ¡°Father, wait for me. I¡¯ming!¡±


    He flew forward again.


    Just as he activated his movement art, however, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. There was no reason for something like that to happen, and it triggered a memory from a while back.


    <i>¡®Back then, the pain in my chest... Could it be that... that ominous feeling back then... what if it was because of what happened right now?¡¯</i>


    The sharp instincts of a Paragon allowed him to sense not just things that were happening right then, but also some things that had note to pass. And the pain he felt right now reminded him of a pain he¡¯d felt before, one that was certainly not tied to anything that was happening to him at the time.


    Recalling that terrible pain, he wondered if something really big was going on right now, or if something was going to happen.


    <i>¡®No!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon shook his head violently from side to side.


    ¡°I cannot¡ªI <i>don¡¯t</i> have ominous thoughts. I¡¯ll definitely save Father. Father is still alive, and I <i>will</i> save him!¡±


    His heart zed, but his eyes were filled with a cold light.


    <i>¡®That bastard. I¡¯ll definitely kill that bastard who hurt my father and threatened me! No matter who he is, even if he¡¯s a god! I¡¯ll kill him!¡¯</i>


    For his family¡ªhis father, his mother, his brother, Si-Hyeon, Ma-Ra, Yeo-Seol, and even Eun-Ah!


    Woo-Moon already resolved himself, not caring if he had to kill everyone in the world.


    What was important to him wasn¡¯t the world, and neither was it his own person. It was those whom he loved, and who loved him in return.


    <i>¡®Anyone who touches my family ismitting the gravest sin. I¡¯ll destroy them all!¡¯</i>


    ***


    <i>The Heavenly Demon Mound.</i>


    It was here that the Heavenly Demon Si-Hyeon had risen and fallen, only to rise again thanks to the sacrifice of a loyal subordinate.


    The innerbyrinth nowy in ruins.


    A human palm suddenly popped out from among the rubble.


    Then, a middle-aged man whose face was so covered in dirt that it was hard to see clearly crawled up to the surface, clearly having dug his way from quite deep below the ground.


    ¡°Ugh... Finally, I¡¯vee out. Damn, how long has it been?¡±


    The man looked around.


    ¡°No one seems to be around. I should at least circte my qi for now. Who knows how many days that¡¯ll take....¡±


    The aura he could feel from his dantian was just too weak. Of course, even so, it was a miracle that he was alive to begin with, so having lost his cultivation was not very high on the man¡¯s list of problems.


    ¡°Well, rekindling dying embers really is a difficult task, but it is what it is. I have to recover my cultivation as soon as possible. Only then... Only then can I get my revenge.¡±


    The man went into the nearby mountains and hid in a dark cave hidden by the forest.


    ***


    The Heavenly Demon Cult.


    A group of people appeared and surrounded the Heavenly Demon Cult, systematically removing all of the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s scouts on the outside.


    Then, Martial Heaven attacked.


    ¡°They¡¯reing,¡± Ma-Ra said coldly, inspecting their surroundings.


    Si-Hyeon nodded and quickly gave orders to her subordinates. The entire force of the Heavenly Demon Cult began to fight the attacking Martial Heaven under her orders.


    ¡°He must be fighting harder than we are right now. We must not lose, either. We have to survive!¡±


    Yeo-Seol and Ma Ra nodded with heavy expressions at Si-Hyeon¡¯s words.


    ***


    Yu Yu was feeling quite anxious. Gyeong Mu-Gi went to her, grabbed her hand, and pulled her behind him.


    ¡°Master told me something: A senior brother must protect his junior sister at all times. I¡¯ll protect you, so don¡¯t ever leave my side.¡±


    Yu Yu tried to hold back tears as the image of herte older brother ovepped with Gyeong Mu-Gi¡¯s back.


    ¡°... Thank you, senior brother.¡±


    Gyeong Mu-Gi smiled broadly when he heard her quiet voice.


    <i>ROAR!</i>


    Eun-Ah roared.


    Then, she shed at the enemiesing over the walls of the Heavenly Demon Cult with her sharp ws.


    The enemies¡¯ blood poured everywhere, and Eun-Ah roared once more. The low-ranking warriors of Martial Heaven hesitated at the sight of her majestic appearance.


    Eun-Ah was feeling somewhat better now.


    She had been sad that she wasn¡¯t able to fight with Woo-Moon, so she was d to see that the enemies hade to her in person. It felt good to fight against Woo-Moon¡¯s enemies.


    While the defensive formations spread all across the outskirts of the Heavenly Demon Cult were truly terrifying as far as normal martial artists were concerned, they were powerless against the might of a Paragon.


    Following the orders of the Martial Heaven Emperor, the Great Justice Pce Master attacked the Heavenly Demon Cult with the forces of his Great Justice Pce. He first brute-forced his way through the formations before leading the forces of Martial Heaven to attack the Heavenly Demon Cult without hesitation.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The Great Justice Pce Master¡¯s sword pierced the chests of the Heavenly Demon Cult warriors.


    ¡°Tsk. Weaklings.¡±


    As he muttered, the Great Justice Pce Master roused his qi, and the twenty-four swords in the case on his back flew out one by one and hovered in the air.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    With this single word, the twenty-four swords spread out in all directions under Sword Control, lusting for the blood of the Heavenly Demon Cult warriors.


    ¡°How dare you step into this sacred ce with your filthy feet?!¡± shouted the three Absolute Master elders of the Heavenly Demon Cult, rushing toward the Great Justice Pce Master.


    The Great Justice Pce Master¡¯s eyes turned to the three elders.


    Four of the twenty-four swords changed direction and headed toward the three elders.


    <i>ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The elders¡¯ defensive qi blocked the swords.


    ¡°Oho.¡±


    The Great Justice Pce Masterughed like a grandfather watching his grandson¡¯s antics. Then, he strengthened the aura he was sending to the four swords.


    <i>Thrum!</i>


    The light of the aura surrounding the swords grew stronger as the thickness of the aura started to grow thinner, bing extremelypressed. Then, thepressed aura rebounded, bing as thick as before while keeping the extreme density.


    It had transformed itself, now having be Transcendent Aura.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    One of the flying swords pierced through the three elders¡¯bined Inkcloud Demonic Barrier and pierced their abdomens.


    ¡°<i>Ugh!</i>¡±


    ¡°Hmm, how nd. It seems I didn¡¯t need all four.¡±


    Another of the swords shot forward, this time aiming for the three elders¡¯ necks.


    At that moment, a girl wearing a flower gown appeared from the three elders¡¯ shadow and swung her sword upward.


    <i>ng!! </i>


    A loud metallic noise rang out; the sword was deflected from its trajectory and just grazed the top of the three elders¡¯ heads. Blood ran down their faces, but fortunately, the injuries weren''t enough to threaten their lives.


    ¡°Oh... that¡¯s right. You¡¯re <i>that</i> bitch. The one who inherited the Death God¡¯s assassination art or something like that.¡±


    The Great Justice Pce Master looked at Ma Ra.


    She threw away her shattered sword and red back at the Great Justice Pce Master while stopping the bleeding from hercerated arm.


    ¡°Should we test your skills, then?¡± he said.


    Right as the Great Justice Pce Master was about to make a move, however, a cold voice sounded from behind him.


    ¡°How about you have some fun with a fellow Paragon?¡±


    As soon as the voice finished speaking, dozens of ck whips formed of demonic qished out.


    <i>Swish! Crack!</i>


    The Great Justice Pce Master was pierced by the whips, but his body suddenly turned into motes of light and shattered.


    ¡°Heavenly Demon! Hoho, the first female Heavenly Demon in the history of the cult! Yes, if it¡¯s you, it should be a good match.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Si-Hyeon sneered.


    Her wings spread across the sky, and hundreds of millions of feathers flew out and rained upon the Great Justice Pce Master.


    The Great Justice Pce Master formed a hand seal and pointed at the rain of feathers.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    With a crackling sound, twelve of the swords under Sword Control flew forward and formed a circle in front of the Great Justice Pce Master.


    They turned into a shield, blocking the feathers.


    However, the number and power of the feathers were just too much, and the twelve swords were gradually pushed back.


    ¡°Ah, quite impressive.¡±


    As expected of a Paragon of Martial Heaven, even when the Great Justice Pce Master seemed topliment the attack, hispliments were delivered from a lofty perspective; the man was clearly looking down on everyone.


    Then, he formed another seal with his left hand.


    1. This is the first and only time in the book where the maximum proficiency level and number of intermediate steps are specified. So as it turns out, when it says Woo-Moon is at the sixth step (around 100 chapters back), that¡¯s mid-level proficiency. ?

 Chapter 228. Nine in the Fifth Place (24)

    <h4>Chapter 228. Nine in the Fifth ce (24)</h4>


    Six more swords flew in again under Sword Control, merging into the shield formed by the other swords.


    But even so, the swords were gradually pushed back.


    If the Great Justice Pce Master had been a little slower, he would have been reduced to rags by the rain of feathers!


    Now, his expression was growing serious.


    Six more swords flew in.


    With that, all twenty-four swords the Great Justice Pce Master had were used to block Si-Hyeon¡¯s attack, and it was only after thesest six swords had joined in that he stopped getting pushed back.


    However, because he had been pushed back until this point, Si-Hyeon had the advantage in terms of energy consumption.


    Si-Hyeon smiled coldly.


    ¡°You sure are arrogant. And it¡¯s because of your arrogance that you and your Martial Heaven will perish.¡±


    While the Great Justice Pce Master and Si-Hyeon were engaged in a fierce battle, the overall situation of the main battlefield, where the Heavenly Demon Cult was fighting against the Great Justice Pce, Great Darkness Pce, and other Martial Heaven Forces, was slowly shifting in favor of thetter.


    While the overall sizes of both forces were simr and they had more or less the same number of low-level underlings, there was ack of high-level experts on the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s side.


    This resulted in Ma-Ra being forced to fight against two Absolute Masters of Martial Heaven.


    It was only because Ma-Ra posed a significant danger to the average Absolute Master that she was able to hold out for this long. Otherwise, she would have been in deep trouble already.


    <i>¡®Damn it!¡¯</i>


    Ma Ra cursed inwardly, which was unusual for her, and quickly retreated.


    An instantter, five arrows struck the spot where she had stood.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Ma-Ra left afterimage after afterimage as she continued to retreat while avoiding the opponent¡¯s spears. And in-between the spear strikes, arrows continued to fly, forcing Ma-Ra to focus only on avoiding and blocking, never giving her a chance to counterattack.


    At some point, her back touched the wall of the huge pavilion.


    Si-Hyeon also realized that there was an obstacle behind Ma-Ra, but there was nothing she could do.


    Even if Ma-Ra wanted to try to escape to the other side, the Absolute Master shooting arrows at her from the roof of the pavilion prevented her from doing so.


    <i>¡®What should I do?¡¯</i>


    It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t break through the wall. It was a simple matter to break through and pass to the other side.


    However, Ma-Ra knew that this short dy would prevent her from avoiding the enemy¡¯s attacks.


    At that moment, a light suddenly shed behind the Bow Martial Minister, Martial Heaven¡¯s Absolute Master who was raining arrows down on Ma-Ra.


    Sensing something was off, the Bow Martial Minister quickly dodged as a flying sword narrowly missed his shoulder.


    ¡°Another Absolute Master?¡±


    When the Bow Martial Minister quickly looked in the direction the Sword Control hade from, he saw a long-haired swordswoman entering through the main gate of the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    Behind the beautiful swordswoman were many corpses of Martial Heaven warriors.


    She shouted, ¡°The Hainan Sword Sect will join hands with the Heavenly Demon Cult!¡±


    With those words, a hundred elites of the Hainan Sword Sect appeared behind her.


    Then, Ra Mi blushed slightly, and her voice took on a more cautious tone.


    ¡°By the way, where¡¯s Woo-Mo¡ª<i>ahem</i>, I mean, where is the Wind Sword Battalion Leader?¡±


    In spite of the fierce battles they were locked in, the faces of Si-Hyeon, Yeo-Seol, and Hyeon Yu-Yeon looked as if they¡¯d just enjoyed a particrly juicy slice of unripe lemon.


    <i>¡®Woo-Moon, really now?!! Aren¡¯t you a fucking yboy?!¡¯</i>


    ***


    He couldn¡¯t even remember how many people he had killed.


    At first, he counted them. Butter, that became difficult. He just thoughtlessly shed at the enemies blocking his way.


    The more he killed, the more he worried about his father and the more enraged he grew at Martial Heaven.


    <i>Squelch.</i>


    He twisted the sword stuck in a bandit¡¯s chest and pulled it out.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Inkde, which had just ughtered all the enemies around him, returned to his hand. Then he flicked all the blood off of Inkde and Lightsh before sheathing them once again.


    On a hill with nothing but corpses, Woo-Moon stood alone, looking ahead with gloomy eyes.


    Then, he quickly leaped down. There wasn¡¯t any time for him to be absorbed in feelings and emotions.


    Finally, the Forbidden City came into view.


    The bustling capital spread out far and wide.


    On the long road in front of him leading into the Forbidden City, between the buildings lined up on both sides, it would normally be bustling with merchants and pedestrians.


    Yet now, martial artists lined the path.


    The entire capital was filled with the smell of blood.


    A massive number of people had died, and the air was filled with screams, as well as the sounds of doors and windows being broken.


    The smell of blood filled the entire city.


    Who among the citizens of the capital could ever have imagined that the capital would be trampled by bandits, thieves, and robbers like the viges deep in the mountains?


    However, the warriors of Martial Heaven, under themand of the Martial Heaven Emperor, had ughtered the soldiers of the Capital, and the very same kind of enemies who kept standing in Woo-Moon¡¯s way throughout his journey here were now killing, raping, and piging however they pleased.


    Woo-Moon pursed his lips. Then, augh burst out.


    ¡°Ha... haha... ha... You really are going all the way, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re going so far that there really is no turning back. Martial Heaven...¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon shot forward like a cannonball. Golden Dragon and Inkde came out of their scabbards into his hands. Then, they spun fiercely.


    <i>Swish, swish, swish, swish!</i>


    Golden Dragon and Inkde flew around, shing at the necks and torsos of the enemies blocking Woo-Moon¡¯s path.


    As he passed by, Woo-Moon used Sword Control to throw Lightsh at the surviving enemies, taking their lives without leaving a single one.


    He had now passed about a quarter of the distance.


    By now, he had killed a monstrous one thousand five hundred enemies. There were four thousand five hundred left.


    Inkde and Golden Dragon flew back into his scabbards. Woo-Moon stretched out both his hands.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    As ten sts of finger aura exploded, another ten followed, and then another ten. He kept using wless Finger, shooting out hundreds of sts of finger aura in volleys.


    <i>Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    ¡°AHH!!!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°M-move! Agk!¡±


    While it wasn¡¯t exactly a narrow path, there were so many of them that there was no room to dodge.


    The finger aura sts pierced through the enemies like through butter. Eventually, another one thousand five hundred people lost their lives.


    He was halfway there now.


    Woo-Moon ran across the enemy corpses and coated his sword with an intense golden sword aura¡ªTranscendent Aura. One horizontal sh, and a sharp band of Sword Aura expanded along the road, mowing down everything in its path.


    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    With this attack, he advanced to three-quarters.


    <i>Crunch. </i>


    Gritting his teeth so hard that a few mrs cracked, Woo-Moon flew forward, holding the Golden Dragon in both hands. He spun mid-air, and the union between sword and man generated a massive vortex¡ªit was something reminiscent of the Wind Soul-Piercing Iron Spear that Si-Hyeon had previously used against him.


    Those whose bodies were pierced by Woo-Moon¡¯s sword had their limbs torn apart, and even those who weren¡¯t directly hit by the sword were swept away by the vortex, their entire bodies twisted and broken like twigs.


    Finally, Woo-Moon arrived at the main gate of the Forbidden City.


    He kicked the door open and went inside.


    There, he saw someone waiting for him.


    ¡°DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!¡±


    He called out to his father like he used to when he was young.


    His shout shook the entire Forbidden City and echoed throughout the capital. The citizens of the capital who had survived the plunder shuddered.


    They were all hiding in their homes, desperately hoping for someone to help.


    Dae-Woong, who had been unconscious, instinctively woke up when he heard his son¡¯s voice. His eyes immediately moved in all directions, searching for any sign of his son.


    Then, he saw him.


    He saw the figure of his son that he had always dreamed of, both when he was awake and when he was asleep.


    His son, covered in blood, was standing in the distance, staring at him with burning eyes.


    Tears fell from Dae-Woong¡¯s big eyes.


    However, his joy was short-lived.


    Dae-Woong beat his chest in resentment and shouted, ¡°Why did youe here?! You fool, you idiot! Why did youe?! What did youe all this way for?!¡±


    Woo-Moon did not fail to understand why Dae-Woong was shouting like this. His father¡¯s boundless love made his heart ache.


    He shouted in a hoarse voice, ¡°I am your son! I am Song Dae-Woong¡¯s son, Song Woo-Moon! If I don¡¯te here, who will? Wait for me, Father! After I kill all of these bastards, I¡¯ll save you!¡±


    However, Dae-Woong remembered what the Martial Heaven Emperor had said before¡ªthat he would make Woo-Moon suppress his own qi and fight like that.


    Dae-Woong shook his head desperately.


    Not caring that his shoulder, which was pinned to the pole, was shaking and blood was flowing out, he yelled, ¡°No! Get out of here right now, you brat! Get the fuck up! Hurry up and run away!¡±


    <i>¡ªHohoho. Why, this is making me shed tears. What a true, endless love between a son and a father!</i>


    Woo-Moon finally saw the Martial Heaven Emperor.


    He was sitting on the top of the pole where his father was hanging,ughing.


    ¡°You... are a dead man.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s voice was filled with rage, hatred, and a desire for revenge that seemed to pierce the heavens.


    However, the Martial Heaven Emperor just chuckled.


    <i>¡ªThis situation really is fun. Well, the thing is, no matter how much you hate people or get angry at them, in the end, you can¡¯t ovee everything with your own strength. No matter how much you love someone, in the end, you¡¯ll still die if I stomp on your head and crush it. You... Eh, whatever, I¡¯ll give you a test. Let¡¯s see how well you do.</i>


    ¡°A test?¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor ced his beautiful hand on Dae-Woong¡¯s head. It was precisely where the Baihui acupoint was.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t move that hand right now, I¡¯ll kill you and chew on your bones!¡±


    <i>¡ªCalm down, Song Woo-Moon. The one at the business end of the knife is you, not me.</i>


    He was right. He held the axe, and Woo-Moon could only wait to be executed.


    He thus gritted his teeth and waited for the Martial Heaven Emperor to continue.


    <i>¡ªFirst, restrain your qi. Press your Qihai acupoint.</i>[1]


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t do it, son! This bastard¡¯s going to kill me anyway! Just think of me as a dead man and please survive!¡±


    With that, Dae-Woong tried to bite his tongue andmit suicide.


    ¡°FATHER, NO!!!¡± Woo-Moon shouted, noticing the determination in Dae-Woong¡¯s eyes and the sudden movement of his mouth.


    Then, the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s hand moved. He pressed Dae-Woong¡¯s acupoints to prevent him from attempting suicide.


    He smirked.


    <i>¡ªAre you grateful? I saved your father. Kekeke. Nowe on, you know what you have to do.</i>


    Woo-Moon struck his own acupoint without saying a word. His endlessly surging qi could no longer spread from his dantian to his entire body.


    <i>¡ªEven if you lock the Qihai acupoint, as a Paragon, you still have the ability to use the qi spread throughout your entire body. You will refrain from doing that. From this point on, you will only use your physical strength. Understood?</i>


    Woo-Moon nodded.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it your way.¡±


    <i>¡ªGood, good. At least you can follow an order. Here¡¯s the test: To get here, you had to run down the main street of the capital. There are many other streets in the capital besides that one.</i>


    ¡°And?¡±


    <i>¡ªAnd there are all kinds of martial artists there. Kill them all and return here. Then, I¡¯ll release your father.</i>


    Woo-Moon could see Dae-Woong speaking with his eyes.


    <strong><i>¡®</i></strong><i>Don¡¯t do it. Just run away.</i><strong><i>¡¯</i></strong>


    However, Woo-Moon nodded at the Martial Heaven Emperor, and Dae-Woong squeezed his eyes tightly in frustration.


    ¡°Martial Heaven Emperor. Will you keep your word?¡±


    <i>¡ªOf course, kekeke.</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ll believe you, then.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon ran down the streets of the capital. Since he wasn¡¯t using any qi, his speed was iparable to his usual speed.


    <i>¡ªNow, shall we have some fun?</i> said the Martial Heaven Emperor with a satisfied smile.


    1. Literally ¡°qi sea,¡± the Qihai acupoint is directly above where your dantian would be and is the acupoint that controls all movement of energy. ?

 Chapter 229. Nine in the Fifth Place (25)

    <h4>Chapter 229. Nine in the Fifth ce (25)</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s that bastard!¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha, you fucking sword hero! You killed so many of us, but now it¡¯s your time!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll avenge the Lust Emperor and the ck Hand people today!¡±


    The ck Hand criminals, who had been made aware that Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t allowed to use his qi, smiled proudly.


    They seemed to think that Woo-Moon¡¯s head was in their pockets.


    <i>¡®Well, as they say, there¡¯s always a silver lining. Ever since I was poisoned by that Qi Dispersion Poison, I¡¯ve thought a lot about how to attack and defend without qi.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon was running toward a group of twenty or so bandits, and the moment he was five steps away from them, his speed suddenly shifted.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    When one keeps looking at an object traveling at the same speed, one bes ustomed to that speed without even realizing it.


    Woo-Moon took advantage of this predisposition, tricking his enemies into getting used to his speed before suddenly moving faster, leaving them surprised and, more importantly, unable to keep track of his movements.


    If Woo-Moon had moved this quickly from the beginning, they would have been able to keep track of him easily, but his little psychological trick ensured that initiative was still on his side.


    <i>Swish! Squelch!</i>


    A sword flew in from a blind spot and pierced the neck of a bandit.


    It was North Wind. Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t use his qi, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t use his techniques at all.


    ¡°W-what is this?! Hurry up and attack!¡± the bandit boss shouted with a distorted expression.


    He had just taken a loss to an opponent who couldn¡¯t even use qi; naturally, his pride was quite injured.


    Three bandits attacked Woo-Moon at the same time.


    However, Woo-Moon took a strange step, vanishing before their eyes.


    It was the Divine Phantasm Steps.


    While his body didn¡¯t be illusory, because he wasn¡¯t using any qi, it still allowed him to leave the enemy¡¯s sight and appear behind them before they realized it.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    He stabbed one of the bandits in the back, embedding his sword between the man¡¯s vertebrae. As he pulled it out, he spun around and slit open the throat of the man next to him. While he didn¡¯t cut through the neck entirely, because he needed to conserve his strength, he made sure to sever the arteries, causing blood to spurt out like a fountain.


    At the same time, he kicked another bandit from behind. The kick threw the bandit off bnce, not allowing him to use his qi.


    ¡°W-what?!¡±


    Woo-Moon climbed on top of the fallen opponent and stabbed him.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Blood spurted out andnded on Woo-Moon¡¯s face.


    While he was unable to imbue them with aura for the time being, all three of Woo-Moon¡¯s swords were of excellent quality.


    Golden Dragon and Inkde were divine-grade swords that could cut through the finest iron like butter, and while Lightsh wasn¡¯t at that level, it was still at the peak of the treasure grade.


    The three swords showed their real value now that he couldn¡¯t use qi.


    Woo-Moon pulled out his sword and looked at the remaining bandits.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you all think I was a pushover? Come, let¡¯s see what you got.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have any qi at the moment. If he were to fight head-on, there were many bandits here that could trample him.


    However, Woo-Moon had already killed four of them, and he was in a perfectly arrogant stance, sword hanging by his side,pletely open to any and all attacks.


    ¡°Come, you animals!¡±


    <i>Thump!</i>


    Sensing a Paragon¡¯s aura from Woo-Moon, the bandits were intimidated and took a step back.


    ¡°Well, if you won¡¯te at me... then I¡¯ll go to you. You see, I have to kill all of you as soon as possible.¡±


    He ran toward the bandits.


    The bandit boss, frightened, sent the bandits behind him forward, while he hid behind his subordinates.


    One of those who were pushed forward swung his podao, thinking, <i>¡®Fuck it, let¡¯s fight!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon held his sword diagonally and let the podao slide along the de, deflecting it just as it was about to strike him. Then he reached right in front of the bandit and flicked his sword up.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    With what sounded like the crack of thunder, the bandit¡¯s arms were severed and fell to the ground with his weapon.


    ¡°Agk!!¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Simultaneously, Woo-Moon turned his sword horizontally and decapitated the bandit.


    Then, he transferred Inkde from his right hand to his left, using his now-free right hand to grab the bandit¡¯s messy hair.


    He swung the severed head toward the bandits in front of him.


    <i>St!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°M-my eyes!¡±


    The blood gushing from the head sshed directly onto the bandits¡¯ faces, blinding them. Woo-Moon¡¯s feet moved quickly as he took three steps. On the fourth step, he stomped the ground hard and twisted his hips, using the power of his entire body through his left hand holding the sword.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    With a single blow, four bandits had their heads split open.


    ¡°Nine left.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s cold voice prated the bandits¡¯ ears, and at the same time, another scream rang out.


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    His sword rose up and split one bandit¡¯s head in half, then drew an arc and swung back down, splitting another bandit¡¯s body in twain.


    The swordpleted a full turn, like a wheel, then suddenly shot forward and pierced another bandit through the heart.


    Woo-Moon then pulled out his sword and rolled on the ground just in time for four podaos to cut through the empty air above him.


    Woo-Moon squatted and threw a dragon whip kick, kicking the bandits¡¯ legs from underneath them.


    <i>ng! ng, ng, ng!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword struck the ground and then advanced forward, sending sparks flying.


    A bandit screamed as he saw the sword approaching, cutting through the ground after decapitating hisrade.


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s hand guided his sword along the ground, making sure it passed right through the necks of the fallen bandits.


    ¡°Two to go.¡±


    ¡°Agh!!!¡±


    The boss, who had been confident when he first encountered Woo-Moon, was stricken by fear.


    He had no idea what he was getting himself into. He had thought that if all of a Paragon¡¯s qi was locked away, that Paragon would be no different from an ordinary warrior.


    As it turrned out, that was a terrible mistake.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword moved twice, and the heads of the boss and hisst subordinate rolled on the ground. Paralyzed by fear, they might as well be training dummies in front of Woo-Moon.


    He grabbed a long strip of cloth he saw nearby and twisted it a little, then wrapped it around his waist. Then, he looked toward where he knew the Martial Heaven Emperor was.


    Since he couldn¡¯t use his qi, the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s figure was just a tiny dot on the horizon. However, Woo-Moon was sure that the Martial Heaven Emperor was looking at him.


    Woo-Moon sneered with his blood-soaked face. He moved his lips, mouthing something.


    <i>¡°After I kill them all, you¡¯re next.¡±</i>


    Since he had been dyed, standing in the same ce for a minute, the bandits, thieves, and robbers who had been elsewhere through the city had gathered around him.


    A hundred or so enemies ran in, filling the street in front of Woo-Moon.


    It really was arge number to him now that he couldn¡¯t use any qi.


    However, Woo-Moon wasn¡¯t afraid at all. An inexplicable excitement rose up and caused his entire body to burn up.


    Even though the qi within his dantian couldn¡¯t emerge because his Qihai acupoint had been pressed, all his acupoints took over as secondary dantians and started producing qi to replenish him.


    However, Woo-Moon had made a deal with the Martial Heaven Emperor.


    He would not use his qi, so he simply suppressed it all.


    The robbers and the thieves each held a crossbow or a bow.


    Unlike the bandits he¡¯d just ughtered, they did not limit themselves with melee weapons.


    The archers all pulled on their bowstrings at the same time, aiming at him.


    Woo-Moon untied the thick, wide, and long cloth that he had tied around his waist and spread it out in front of him, swinging his sword with his other hand.


    As countless lines were drawn in the air, the cloth split into dozens of strands.


    At this moment, the enemies shot their crossbows and bows.


    Woo-Moon began to spin while holding the cloth.


    Since he was using all of his body¡¯s strength, even without his qi, therge stretch of cloth spun quickly. He moved as if practicing the Taiji Fist of the Wudang Sect; after threeplete turns, he skillfully changed the direction in which the cloth was spinning, making it spin in a circle in front of him without losing any of the momentum it had built.


    Since the cloth was already spinning, he just had to help it continue spinning by adding a bit of rotational force from his arm.


    Woo-Moon ran forward while spinning the cloth like that. All the arrows and bolts were blocked by the cloth, and none of them were able to reach him.


    Having calcted the positions of thest dozen or so arrows and making sure that they wouldn¡¯t hit him, Woo-Moon took a big step forward and swung the cloth forward.


    The cloth, which contained all the rotational power that he had built up so far, stretched out like Sun Wukong¡¯s Ruyi Jingu Bang and struck the heads of the five bandits in front.[1]


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    The p caused their heads to twist at unnatural angles, and nauseating crunches sounded from their necks. Woo-Moon wrapped half of the cloth around his waist again and ran toward the enemies with the remaining half in his hand.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    His sword cut through the air as he skillfully avoided a bandit¡¯s sword and split open his chest.


    Even without qi, there was a massive difference in skill level, which meant that no one among this riffraff could ever block Woo-Moon¡¯s sword.


    While fighting, Woo-Moon suddenly felt a strange shift in his body.


    The qi that permeated his entire body, which had been tightly suppressed, began to move again, trying to circte in ordance with his movement.


    <i>¡®No!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon suppressed his qi again.


    It wasn¡¯t just his stamina; his mental power was also getting consumed at a rapid pace as he shed with his enemies and used his techniques.


    However, there was something else strange.


    He was now a Paragon, and things that would normally cripple a martial artist¡ªsuch as having their dantian disabled¡ªdid not have the same effect on him. For instance, now that his dantian was locked, each of his acupoints had taken over the burden of absorbing and converting qi, essentially functioning as a miniature dantian.


    With that said, their overall qi output was lower than the original dantian¡¯s, which waspletely normal. However, he now noticed that whenever he suppressed his qi and whenever his qi stirred naturally, the sheer amount and strength of his qi would increase.


    <i>¡®If things continue, I¡¯ll end up using my qi without realizing it.¡¯</i>


    In the end, Woo-Moon took a drastic measure: instead of suppressing his qi, he released it allpletely.


    He let out all the qi in his meridians and acupoints and released it through the pores of his body. All of his qi vaporized into the air, leaving himpletely empty.


    Woo-Moon continued to move and kill his enemies even in this state. However, at some point, a surprising sensation arose within him.


    <i>¡®If I just emptied out all my qi... why is it that I feelpletely full?¡¯</i>


    It was truly surprising. Although he was a hundred percent sure that his entire body had been depleted of qi, he felt as though his acupoints were so full that nothing could enter.


    What was empty and what was full? What was illusion and what was reality?


    Was the difference even something that could be determined?


    At some point, Woo-Moon himself couldn¡¯t properly understand whether he had released all of his qi or if he was absorbing qi with all his might.


    The energy transmitted through his sword, the movements he made with his body, none of them changed in any way that he could quantify.


    However, strangely, it felt morefortable to move, and it felt easier to cut down his enemies.


    Though his qi was gone and he was martially crippled for all practical purposes, it somehow felt better than when he¡¯d just finished cultivating and his entire body was filled with qi.


    ¡°Even if it exists, it doesn¡¯t exist, and even if it doesn¡¯t exist, it exists...¡± Woo-Moon muttered without realizing it.


    Forced to fight countless enemies without using any qi, he was experiencing something nearly impossible for a Paragon to experience. After all, which of these paramount figures would put themselves in such a situation?


    Right at this moment, right as the Martial Heaven Emperor was testing Woo-Moon, Woo-Moon was slowly finding the path to bing a Zenith, master on par with the Martial Heaven Emperor or the Martial Heaven God, both figures beyond the Paragon realm.


    <strong><i>To be continued in the next volume</i></strong>


    1. If you don¡¯t know who Sun Wukong is by now, please look at the 50 million other books on Wuxiaworld that reference him. All jokes aside, he¡¯s the main character of Journey to the West, and Ruyi Jingu Bang is a staff that can change size ording to the user¡¯s will. Also, please kindly reserve some suspension of disbelief when ites to Woo-Moon¡¯s fighting techniques. ?

 Chapter 230. Within Ten Paces, You’ll Find A Fragrant Flower (1)

    <h4>Chapter 230. Within Ten Paces, You¡¯ll Find A Fragrant Flower (1)</h4>


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    A silver light shed, and blood filled the air.


    ¡°D-does he really not have any qi right now?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not supposed to have any qi, and we¡¯re supposed to be fighting with the same physical cultivation, so why the fuck is he butchering us?!¡±


    The enemies Woo-Moon were currently facing were the bandits of the Golden Insect Stockade, a mid-level force among the Green Forest¡¯s Eighteen Stockades[1]. The Golden Insect Boss harrumphed coldly when he heard his subordinates¡¯ conversation.


    ¡°Idiots. This is why people say bandits are stupid.¡±


    ¡°T-then do you know why this is happening, Boss?¡±


    All of the Golden Insect Stockade¡¯s hundred and fifty bandits were still alive and kicking. That was because they had sent some of the bandits who were weaker than them forward, using them as human shields.


    Thanks to that, they still had some breath to spare.


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon is a Paragon... ording to rumors, when experts reach the superior stages of cultivation, they undergo bodily reformation. Their bones and muscles change, and they be physically stronger than any normal human alive. When they reach the Absolute realm, their bodies change so that they can fully make use of their Absolute Qi.¡±


    The Golden Insect Boss had been a disciple of the Zhongnan Sect for ten years. That was why he was more knowledgeable about martial arts than the other bandits.


    ¡°Hmm... I see... So if your qi cultivation increases, your body gets stronger and stronger too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Well, it¡¯s not exactly proportional. Otherwise, given how powerful their qi is, wouldn¡¯t they be able to eat steel and rocks for dinner? It¡¯s not that exaggerated; even Paragons don¡¯t live forever, and they can all be injured and killed.¡±


    In the meantime, the screams grew closer.


    Woo-Moon had killed countless groups of ck Hand criminals and had gotten close to the rear of the multitude of enemies, where the Golden Insect Stockadey waiting.


    The Golden Insect Stockade bandits, including the Golden Insect Boss, really wanted to run away.


    However, they had no choice but to stay and fight due to the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s energy, which made them explode to bits the moment they tried to flee.


    ¡°Damn it! Fuck, he must be tired by now! Attack him! Kill him!¡±


    The Golden Insect Boss¡¯ shout resulted in him and his men falling into the abyss of death.


    It took about a day and a half for the hundreds of men to turn into tens of men and about half an hour for the tens of men to be reduced to just one.


    ¡°Ha... Ha...!¡±


    Woo-Moon put his foot on the chest of his opponent¡¯s corpse and yanked out his sword.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The de was acting as a plug, preventing arterial blood from flowing out. The moment it was removed, hot blood spurted out, sshing his face.


    ¡°Ugh... ugh, agh!¡±


    One of the bloodied bandits tried to get up and run away. However, since he already had a massiveceration on his abdomen, he couldn¡¯t move that fast.


    Woo-Moon threw Inkde and pierced him through the heart.


    There was only one person left standing in the street now: Woo-Moon.


    He went to recover his sword while trying to catch his panting breath.


    ¡°Are you done pretending?¡± he said, pointing his blood-dripping sword toward a corpse lying in a pool of blood.


    As he approached, the Golden Insect Boss, Thousand Year Pig, bounced his fat body like a ball and stood up.


    <i>St!</i>


    The blood-soaked dirt in Thousand Year Pig¡¯s hand flew toward Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes while Inkde, which had taken countless lives by now, moved once again.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    The sound of his sword cutting through the air rippled through the surroundings as the ck de cut the dirt and Thousand Year Pig¡¯s qi at the same time, rendering him incapacitated.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s swordsmanship had already reached a level where he could cut through qi without using even the slightest bit of qi.


    Thousand Year Pig already knew that, of course. He had witnessed Woo-Moon ughtering people like they were chickens.


    ¡°AAAAARGHHHH!!!¡±


    He just wanted to live.


    It¡¯s better to live a terrible life than to die. It¡¯s better to eat dog shit for the rest of your life than to die. He absolutely didn¡¯t want to die. And in order to live, he had to kill Woo-Moon at all costs.


    So he used his secret weapon.


    It was something he had kept hidden all this time, determined only to use it when the moment of life or death came. He found it when he identally stumbled upon the body of a Tang Family warrior who had lost his life in a fight.


    The Meteor Bomb.


    Thousand Year Pig squeezed out all of the qi he had left and threw the Meteor Bomb forward.


    The Meteor Bullet was a secret weapon that required a lot of qi just to activate.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    The Meteor Bomb, which was pointed on one end and wide on the other, spread its wings and flew into the sky as soon as it left the Thousand Year Pig¡¯s hand.


    <i>¡®Right in range, directly above Woo-Moon¡¯s line of sight. Damn, I calcted it perfectly,¡¯</i> Thousand Year Pig thought to himself with wide eyes. Just like he expected, the Meteor Bomb stopped flying exactly between Woo-Moon and the sun before folding its wings back.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Even without qi, Woo-Moon¡¯s vision was far superior to regr martial artists¡¯, let alone normal people¡¯s. However, precisely for that reason, the hot and intense midday sun made it impossible for him to see the Meteor Bomb properly.


    Immediately, Woo-Moon sheathed Inkde and drew Lightsh. The sheathing and drawing of the swords were clean and simple, done in a single fluid motion, almost as if the dark de had been merely a shadow of the shiny de in his hand.


    <i>SCREEEEECH!</i>


    The Meteor Bomb spun at a frighteningly high speed, piercing down toward Woo-Moon like a falling star crossing the dome of heaven.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes were on Lightsh. Since he could not look at the weapon directly, he used Lightsh¡¯s de as a makeshift mirror that somewhat diminished the brightness of the sun. It took him just a fraction of a second to calcte the speed and trajectory of the weapon, then simply swung his sword.


    There was no sound of metal striking metal, but that was not because he had missed.


    The technique Woo-Moon used was Cold Snow.


    As soon as the tip of his de reached the vicinity of the Meteor Bomb, it started spinning and merged into the Meteor Bomb¡¯s spin, moving at the same speed.


    The next step was simple.


    The moment Woo-Moon slightly shifted Lightsh, the Meteor Bomb, now fully assimted into Lightsh¡¯s momentum, was also affected and changed direction slightly.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    The Meteor Bomb passed right by Woo-Moon¡¯s ear, followed by a thin stream of blood and a few severed hairs.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°<i>Ugh!</i>¡±


    As Woo-Moon was dealing with the Tang Family¡¯s weapon, Thousand Year Pig had suddenly rushed in and rammed Woo-Moon¡¯s chest with his shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to die, Song Woo-Moon!¡±


    With a shout, Thousand Year Pig wrapped his thick and strong arms around Woo-Moon¡¯s chest and squeezed with every single bit of his incredible strength.


    Thousand Year Pig had expected that the Meteor Bomb wouldn¡¯t kill Woo-Moon; thus, he used all of his qi to throw the Meteor Bomb, then endured the inevitable qi deviation and internal injuries to squeeze his dantian empty once more.


    As a result, he was able to catch Woo-Moon off guard.


    ¡°At least... you tried. Good try.¡±


    Woo-Moon twisted his wrist with a soft murmur.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Woo-Moon had plunged his sword into Thousand Year Pig¡¯s chest the moment the bandit rammed him, and now, the tip of his sword came out through the man¡¯s back.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Blood poured out between sword and flesh, soaking Woo-Moon¡¯s entire body. With slightly dazed eyes, he pushed Thousand Year Pig¡¯s body away with incredible difficulty.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    The bloated body fell to the ground. Now, he wasn¡¯t pretending any longer.


    It had been a desperate situation. Thousand Year Pig had been a fraction of a second away from ramming Woo-Moon with his shoulder when Woo-Moon drew Golden Dragon and let him impale himself with the sword.


    As a result, Thousand Year Pig found his heart pierced without even knowing how he had been stabbed, and the moment Woo-Moon twisted his sword, the bandit died instantly.


    ¡°Now... how many are left?¡± Woo-Moon muttered, his eyes somewhat zed over as if he was trying to go back to that time long ago.


    He trudged forward, Golden Dragon in hand, looking for the next enemy.


    Even now, his enlightenment was gradually deepening.


    It¡¯s said that when enlightenmentes, one shouldn¡¯t worry about other things so that one can fullyprehend and absorb this enlightenment.


    However, things were different for Woo-Moon.


    Because of his experience learning the Forbidden Divine Art and the Gentle Celestial Sword through thendscape painting, he was good at partitioning his mind so that one part could deal with the enlightenment while another part did other things.


    For instance, killing.


    ***


    Thest enemy in sight¡ªname irrelevant, number unknown¡ªfell to the ground.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s clothes were so drenched with blood that he could barely move. Blood coagtes over time, and the sheer amount of blood on him made him feel as if he had just taken a bath in glue. Or at least that was what he would¡¯ve felt if he could feel anything.


    The gaze reflected in Golden Dragon¡¯s de was cold and uncaring. Woo-Moon himself wouldn¡¯t have recognized those eyes... if he could see them.


    But Woo-Moon¡¯s body was numb and his eyes were nk.


    He was in a trance, just like back then.


    What was different from when he was young was that back then, his head was filled with the techniques of thendscape painting, making it impossible for him to think of anything else through theplicated web of the Dao. Right now, his mind was equally full of thoughts¡ªbut also, at the same time,pletely empty.


    Moving, fighting, and killing enemies who came near¡ªit was all just instinctive reactions engraved in each and every strand of Woo-Moon¡¯s thick muscles.


    Even though he had killed countless people with only his physical strength, Woo-Moon was still going strong, without any fatigue.


    The one watching him from afar, the Martial Heaven Emperor, burst intoughter.


    ¡°Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!¡±


    He was standing with his hand on his slender waist like a peerless beauty, yet hisughter was so great that his body seemed like it would fall apart,pletely unlike his dainty self.


    Suddenly, he stoppedughing and red in Woo-Moon¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Jin Yo, who was tied up with his qi restricted, vomited blood.


    It was because of the mad bloodlust flowing out of the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s body.


    With bloodshot eyes, the Martial Heaven Emperor muttered, ¡°How unexpected.... I was just trying to give him a simple test, but what a result.... His growth is just too great. What a dangerous fellow.¡±


    Dae-Woong¡¯s eyes widened as he heard those words. Besides the fact that the Martial Heaven Emperor was actually <i>talking</i>, which was quite against his habit, the meaning behind them was frightening. It seemed that the Martial Heaven Emperor was nning to nip the problem in the bud.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do, I suppose. You¡¯ll be the one to kill me, Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor smiled bashfully, like an innocent girl.


    ***


    The number of ck Hand criminals that the Martial Heaven Emperor had released in the capital was seven thousand.


    Six thousand of them had died during Woo-Moon¡¯s entry into the capital as he cleared his way forward, leaving a thousand opponents for him to fight with his qi restricted.


    By this point, Woo-Moon had already killed half of those thousand.


    As he dealt with another hundred or so, a strange change urred.


    Even though Woo-Moon¡¯s sword had no qi or aura, it conjured up a wind.


    It was as if his sword itself was controlling nature.


    No, it was as if nature was sympathizing with Woo-Moon¡¯s sword and helping him. Wherever the sword went, the power of nature followed.


    At first, it was just a breeze.


    Just a light breeze that made one¡¯s hair flutter.


    However, soon, it grew strong enough to make people¡¯s hair fly around, and eventually, it became a gale that could blow them away.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    <i>Boom!</i>


    ¡°Agh!!¡±


    ¡°W-why is there a typhoon all of a sudden?¡±


    It was like a bolt from the clear blue sky.


    The sky was, in fact, clear and calm, and there were no signs of a storm, yet a mighty gale still cut through the bandits and blew them away in all directions. Those whocked the ability to control their flight or didn¡¯t have enough qi to support themselves crashed into the buildings around them; their heads burst, their limbs broke, and their organs ruptured.


    The group of ck Hand criminals were busy fighting Woo-Moon and the typhoon all at once, making them realize it toote.


    The typhoon was moving in the direction Woo-Moon¡¯s sword was moving, and Woo-Moon was at the center of the terrifying gale.


    Moreover, Woo-Moon, who still couldn¡¯t use his qi, was even standing in the eye of the storm, looking so peaceful!


    ¡°I-impossible!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you, why are you using qi?! Don¡¯t you care about your father¡¯s life?!¡±


    Woo-Moon would have certainly told him to fuck off... if he could say anything. But he had emptied everything in his mind and was now only thinking of one thing: the Gentle Celestial Sword.


    Meanwhile, there were people with high cultivation even within the ck Hand, and they could tell that Woo-Moon truly wasn¡¯t using any qi at the moment.


    The strongest of them¡ªthe Grand Boss of the Eighteen Stockades, Flying Thunder Sword Fiend Ga Hyun-Woo¡ªspoke up.


    ¡°No.... This isn¡¯t a phenomenon formed by qi. Then, just... just...how...¡±


    Ga Hyun-Woo suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.


    ¡°Nature moves with his sword... So that¡¯s how it is... The Natural Sword!¡±


    1. The Green Forest Stockade is amon bandit organization in Korean <i>murim</i> novels; they dwell in forests and they¡¯re pretty much like Legs and his Greenwood elves but like... robbing people. They are said to have eighteen groups: four strong, five middle-ranked, and nine weak. ?

 Chapter 231. Within Ten Paces, You’ll Find A Fragrant Flower (2)

    <h4>Chapter 231. Within Ten Paces, You¡¯ll Find A Fragrant Flower (2)</h4>


    The Sword Heart was an ability awakened by a Paragon, and a Paragon alone.


    And beyond that, the next stage ofprehension was the Natural Sword¡ªa level where one could freely manipte and use the energy of nature.


    A realm where one could quite literally control the wind and rain like the legendary Daoist immortals.


    The pinnacle of martial arts, a level where one could be called a sage!


    ¡°So this is what¡¯s beyond a Paragon... Is he an immortal now? Should we call him the Undefeatable Sword Immortal instead of the Undefeatable Sword Hero?¡±[1]


    Most of those of the ck Hand before him couldn¡¯t even dream of reaching the Transcendent realm, let alone the Absolute realm. Yet here he stood before them, not one step above the Absolute but two!


    Qi was a concept that no longer applied to this level. Those of the ck Hand who had reached at least the Peak Stage had already realized that. Whether Woo-Moon was using his qi or not, he was not an opponent they could handle.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s dream and enlightenment gradually came to an end. His crossing into the new realm was in its final stages. And by the time it truly ended, so did the lives of those before him.


    In front of Woo-Moon¡¯s sword, even Ga Hyun-Woo, who was a decent Absolute Master, lost his life without even having time to think about putting up a fight.


    Woo-Moon looked at the Martial Heaven Emperor while blood dripped from every bit of his clothes.


    ¡°I did what you wanted. Are you satisfied now?¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor smiled coquettishly at Woo-Moon.


    In the next moment, Woo-Moon appeared in the air before the Martial Heaven Emperor and swung Lightsh.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    Space split open as a strange gnashing sound resounded.


    ¡°Hoho.¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor moved, leaving behind an afterimage and easily avoiding Woo-Moon¡¯s attack.


    Then, five streams of Transcendent Finger Aura sted out from his fingers.


    Bang!


    With a single swing of Lightsh, Woo-Moon deflected all five strands of aura. The collision caused Lightsh to tremble and turn red.


    <i>¡®Huh?¡¯</i>


    As Lightsh was about to crack, Woo-Moon quickly imbued more aura into it to protect it and suppress the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s energy.


    ¡°Aura that explodes from within. I guess that¡¯s your specialty, Martial Heaven Emperor.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon sheathed Lightsh and drew Golden Dragon.


    The Martial Heaven Emperor smiled faintly.


    <i>¡ªYou are pretty rxed for a brat who has only now reached the Zenith realm.</i>


    <i>¡®The Zenith realm! So that¡¯s what it¡¯s called!¡¯</i>[2]


    The Martial Heaven Emperor thrust his palm forward, and instead of the previous Transcendent Finger Aura that he had unleashed, a st of Transcendent Palm Aura was emitted, filling a vast area with light.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s figure disappeared from its position, floating in the air as the light swept through where he had just been.


    When he reappeared, his left arm was a bloody mess.


    The Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s attack had been so fast and broad that he hadn¡¯t been able to dodge it properly.


    ¡°<i>Heup!</i>¡±


    Woo-Moon swung Golden Dragon fiercely, and the wind, light, and other phenomena of nature nearby changed sharply in synchronization, flying toward the Martial Heaven Emperor.


    While Paragons may not be able to use the Sword Heart at will due to its high consumption, Zenith Masters could easily unleash the Natural Sword.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s attack was one that no one would dare to block, but the moment a pure white light of transcendent aura burst out from the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s hand, both it and Woo-Moon¡¯s blow disappeared like snow melting in the spring sunlight.


    <i>¡®Damn, he¡¯s really strong.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Absolute Masters had incredibly fast recovery abilities.


    However, it wasn¡¯t at the level where the deepest of wounds could be instantly healed, like a Paragon¡¯s. Thus, Ma-Ra wrapped her tattered hand with a clean bandage she had in her sleeve.


    It was a wound she had received while blocking the Great Justice Pce Master¡¯s attack.


    Ma-Ra had been confident that she could threaten even Paragons if the battlefield was dark, but the situation she found herself in wasn¡¯t good right now.


    Not only was it broad daylight, where stealth techniques were rtively more easily detected, but the Great Justice Pce Master had already seen Ma-Ra¡¯s presence with his own eyes and was wary of her.


    It was impossible for her to use her assassination arts against him any longer.


    <i>¡®I should move.¡¯</i>


    Ma-Ra briefly red at the Great Justice Pce Master, who was engaged in a fierce battle with Si-Hyeon, before heading to another battlefield.


    Meanwhile, Si-Hyeon, who had been fiercely pressing the Great Justice Pce Master back by taking advantage of his carelessness, stopped right in front of him when the Great Justice Pce Master finally summoned all twenty-four of his swords under Sword Control.


    Her eyes showed deep regret. If she had just pushed a little harder, she could have won easily. She regretted not being able to push just a teeny bit further.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good for a woman,¡± the Great Justice Pce Master said.


    His swords, which had formed a circr shield to block Si-Hyeon¡¯s attack, arranged in a formation,unched an attack all at once.


    The swords that had been gathered spread out in all directions like the petals of a blooming flower, dividing into six groups of four and upying all six directions around Si-Hyeon.[3]


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°The Plum Blossom Sword Formation... No, is it the True Martial Seven Severings Formation? It also gives off a simr feeling to the Shaolin Temple¡¯s Arhat Formation...¡±


    A hazy mist flowed out from the swords that tightly surrounded her. They seemed to be moving somewhat haphazardly, but a closer look revealed that their positions and movements followed clearly defined rules.


    ¡°Rejoice that you are qualified to witness this. This is the Great Justice Supreme Formation.¡±


    A formation created by twenty-four swords under Sword Control!


    This was the Great Justice Pce Master¡¯s unique sword art, based on the most powerful formations within the Righteous Faction, including the Plum Blossom Sword Formation, the True Martial Seven Severings Formation, the Arhat Formation, and the Dog Beating Formation.[4]


    It wasmonly said that if seven Peak martial artists of the Wudang Sect gathered together in the True Martial Seven Severings Formation, they could face off against even a hundred other Peak martial artists. The formation¡¯s main point was the ability to gather the power of those who made up the formation and produce a power greater than the sum of its parts.


    Now that it had been replicated by the Great Justice Pce Master¡¯s twenty-four swords under Sword Control, it was only natural that its power would be much stronger than the formation¡¯s original reference. After all, two or more people would always have their own different thoughts and emotions, but the swords were moving ording to one single will, so there would never be a discrepancy in their movement.


    The twenty-four swords surrounded Si-Hyeon and slowly narrowed the ¡°cage.¡±


    <i>Ping, ping, ping!</i>


    Although she tried to attack the formation by sting it with demonic qi, the demonic qi just dissipated like darkness melting in the sunlight.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite strong. However, the feud between the Righteous Faction and the Heavenly Demon Cult has been going on for over a thousand years. Do you really think that the Heavenly Demon Cult doesn¡¯t have a single method of destroying the formations of the Righteous Faction?¡±


    The Great Justice Pce Master¡¯s formations were far more advanced than the originals, yet they were clearly inspired from the existing formations of the Righteous Faction, Si-Hyeon recalled the formation destruction methods that had been transferred to her memory and carefully examined the formation of the Great Justice Pce Master.


    ***


    Now that her narcolepsy had been cured and Ra Mi had be an Absolute Master, her Sixth-Sense Sword was even more razor-sharp. Her body reacted before she ever saw her opponent with her eyes.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°H-how did you...!¡±


    Even when a Transcendent expert unleashed a quickdraw technique from a blindspot she definitely couldn¡¯t see, her sword flickered like a ghost, blocked the sword, and pierced the opponent¡¯s heart.


    Before her opponent¡¯s sword could even move, Ra Mi¡¯s sword moved first as if predicting the trajectory and force of the blow and cut it off at its origin.


    She seemed to be reading her enemies¡¯ minds, or maybe foreseeing the future.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    She didn¡¯t really have techniques that could take down several people at once. However, her cruel and precise sword thrust through the air countless times in the blink of an eye, causing the blood of her enemies to spread through the air like a thin red mist.


    ¡°You fishy-smelling country whore from the South Sea. This is as far as you go.¡±


    A man in a blue rope stepped in, stopping Ra Mi from ughtering her enemies.


    With his white face and the dark circles around his eyes, he gave off the aura of a corpse.


    His name was Xiao Wu[5], the confidant of the Great Justice Pce Master.


    ¡°Do you really think you can stop me?¡± Ra Mi said with a provocative chuckle.


    Xiao Wuughed brightly, revealing his red gums.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tear you to pieces alive.¡±


    White frost formed in front of Xiao Wu¡¯s palm. Quickly absorbing the moisture in the air, his qi condensed and chilled the collecting moisture until it created a long white sword.


    One would be very mistaken to consider this sword weak just because it was made of ice.


    Xiao Wu was the current master and only disciple of an ancient sect, the Glorious Snow Sect. The ice sword created by him using Absolute Ice Qi was stronger than famous swords made of fine steel.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Ra Mi and Xiao Wu¡¯s swords shed once before they split apart.


    Both of them could sense that their opponent was formidable just from that once fierce blow, and both took on a serious expression as they breathed deeply.


    At this moment, Xiao Wu¡¯s eyes locked onto Ra Mi¡¯s shoulder.


    <i>Ting!</i>


    Ra Mi felt a chill run down her spine, and she suddenly shivered. She immediately flickered out of existence using Illusive Shift and dodged without even bothering to check what wasing for her.


    <i>Rrrip!</i>


    A bolt of frigid yi qi passed through where her shoulder had been, and the empty space itself froze and dropped to the ground.


    It was midsummer, and sunlight should have been warming thend. Yet the ground around where the block of frozen space had fallen quickly froze and turned into a winterndscape.


    ¡°To think you can attack the void and use frost arts. How shocking.¡±


    ¡°You bitch, so you¡¯ve learned sensory arts. Fucking annoying.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s techniques were darkness arts that could attack space directly. However, Ra Mi had learned sensory arts that directly countered darkness arts, making the two of them a good match¡ªor a very poor one.


    However, as she had only recently entered the Absolute realm, while Xiao Wu had been there for a considerable length of time, Ra Mi was at a disadvantage in terms of experience.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, step back. I¡¯ll handle her,¡± a giant man said as he appeared on the battlefield.


    A man more than twice the average height and armed with thick muscles approached Ra Mi, making the entire ground shake.


    He was none other than Da Wu[6], another confidant of the Great Justice Pce Master.


    Ra Mi¡¯s face darkened. Even Xiao Wu alone was strong enough that she wasn¡¯t confident facing him. To see Da Wu appear on top of him, she naturally grew wary.


    <i>¡®No, let¡¯s not be weak-hearted. I must not lose before we even battle.¡¯</i>


    As she braced herself, she saw a girl in a flower gown appear behind Da Wu.


    <i>¡®Good, Ma-Ra!¡¯</i>


    Ma-Ra¡¯s ambush was clean. She perfectly positioned herself behind Da Wu and aimed for his heart, her sword digging into his flesh without hesitation.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Ma-Ra¡¯s sword suddenly stopped.


    Taken by surprise, Da Wu let out a scream and swung his arms backward. Despite hisrge and tough appearance, Da Wu turned out to be surprisingly flexible; he punched straight behind him, right where Ma-Ra was, and could actually throw a good punch even from that awkward position.


    The sword she had plunged into Da Wu¡¯s back didn¡¯te out easily; Ma-Ra kicked Da Wu in the back hard, pulling out her sword and flying backward to avoid his punch.


    ¡°What a cowardly attack!¡± Da Wu roared and lunged at Ma-Ra like a wild boar.


    Ma-Ra pursed her lips tightly and disappeared.


    Da Wu, who wasn¡¯t as fast as he was flexible, lost sight of her and looked around quickly, shouting, ¡°Where are you?! Come out, you cowardly bitch!¡±


    <i>Sss!</i>


    Ma-Ra appeared in the air above Da Wu¡¯s head.


    This time, her sword swung fiercely from above, trying to split the giant¡¯s head apart.


    <i>ng!</i>


    However, this time, Ma-Ra¡¯s attack was easily blocked. Her sword bounced off Da Wu¡¯s head without causing any damage.


    ¡°AAARGH!¡±


    Da Wu swung his fist above his head, and Ma-Ra disappeared again.


    In the midst of the shadows, Ma-Ra considered the situation.


    <i>¡®Physical cultivator. His technique maximizes the power of his body by imbuing his flesh with qi. It¡¯s stronger and more efficient than defensive qi on the surface of his skin. His flesh and bones themselves are saturated with qi. This isn¡¯t a good opponent for me.¡¯</i>


    Ma-Ra was an assassin who used ambushes and sharp attacks to exploit an opponent¡¯s openings. She wasn¡¯t the kind of fighter who used direct and brutal attacks to break down and cut through an opponent even when they blocked.


    For this reason, it wasn¡¯t easy for her to hurt Da Wu at the moment.


    She had been able to inflict some damage with the first attack, as Da Wu had been off guard. Now, however, Da Wu was fully prepared and fortified himself with his qi, causing her a headache.


    <i>¡®I should have gathered all of my strength in the first attack and finished him off in one go.¡¯</i>


    However, it was forbidden for an assassin to ponder on their regrets. Instead of wasting time with that, she had to focus on the battle and analyze the information she had obtained so far to figure out a way to defeat her opponent.


    1. In a previous chapter, I wrote a reference on the title of this book technically being wrong. While it¡¯s called the Undefeatable Swordsman, the title actually trantes to the Undefeatable Sword Immortal. However, for a variety of reasons, we chose to go with swordsman¡ªat least for me, the goal of the story is Woo-Moon finding himself and rising to his true potential to be a hero, not a literal immortal, but I digress. Anyway, this is a reference to the title. ?


    2. There is actually a reference to this in a previous chapter, but it¡¯s made by Woo-Moon and there is no information whatsoever as to how he knows this, given that he didn¡¯t even know what a Paragon was until a while after bing one himself. With that in mind, we removed that reference and added this thought here so that there¡¯s a logical way this level is introduced. ?


    3. Front, back, left, right, above, below. ?


    4. Thetter is a famous art of the Beggar Gang. ?


    5. His name means ¡°little martial.¡± ?


    6. His name is ¡°big martial.¡± ?

 Chapter 232. Within Ten Paces, You’ll Find A Fragrant Flower (3)

    <h4>Chapter 232. Within Ten Paces, You¡¯ll Find A Fragrant Flower (3)</h4>


    If Xiao Wu was a good opponent for Ra Mi, Da Wu was the worst opponent for Ma-Ra. Fortunately, she was stronger than the average Absolute Master, somewhat offsetting the disadvantage.


    The second of the Ten Swords of the North Sea just barely avoided his opponent¡¯s attack and countered.


    <i>ng!</i>


    The opponent, who had blocked the attack in a hurry, backed away, revealing arge opening. However, the Second Sword also had to deal with the rebound force, preventing him from chasing after and delivering a finishing blow.


    <i>¡®Damn it!¡¯ </i>


    As he cursed inwardly in regret, a white palm force that seemed to fly in from out of nowhere struck his opponent¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The enemy hit by the Divine Frozen Soul Palm let out a single scream and froze to death.


    As the Second Sword quickly looked over at where the Divine Frozen Soul Palm hade from, Yeo-Seol nodded slightly at him before moving to another area to help out.


    <i>¡®You¡¯ve learned to see the big picture, not only fighting your own fight but aiding others in theirs.¡¯</i>


    The Second Sword was impressed as Yeo-Seol fought hard together with Eun-Ah, who was firmly protecting her.


    <i>Huff.</i>


    Eun-Ah, who had been fighting excitedly, suddenly looked at Yeo-Seol and lowered her head.


    ¡°Huh? What is it?¡±


    Eun-Ah gestured to Yeo-Seol with her gaze before looking at her own back.


    ¡°Get on? You want me to get on?¡±


    <i>Huff!</i>


    Yeo-Seol nodded.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    Yeo-Seol kicked the ground with her feet and quickly climbed on top of Eun-Ah.


    <i>Growl!!</i>


    Among Woo-Moon¡¯s women, Yeo-Seol was the weakest. That was why Eun-Ah had personally stepped forward to protect her. However, it was much easier to move around with the girl on her back like this.


    Meanwhile, as Yeo-Seol was using the Divine Frozen Soul Palm, which allowed her to attack from a distance, she was able to fight just as well while riding Eun-Ah. In fact, fighting like that reduced the burden on her, allowing her to not focus on protecting herself to a certain extent, making things easier.


    Eun-Ah leaped high into the sky andnded on top of the gathered enemies, crushing many of them and relentlessly stomping down any who survived with her massive front paws.


    Yeo-Seol also picked out those who hadn¡¯t taken much damage or survived Eun-Ah¡¯s attacks and finished them off with the Divine Frozen Soul Palm.


    Currently, Woo-Moon¡¯s side, with the Heavenly Demon Cult as the primary force, had one Paragon and ten Absolute Masters.


    Si-Hyeon was their sole Paragon, and their ten Absolute Masters were the Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee, the Death God Ma-Ra, Ra Mi, the Kunlun Sect¡¯s First Immortal Jin Won-Myeong, the Dark Soul Squadron Captain, the Light and Darkness Battalion Leader, the Sword Demon Cab Leader, the Saber Demon Cab Leader, the Heavenly Demon ck Martial Captain, and Eun-Ah, who, while not a human, possessed Absolute-level strength.


    Since there were a considerable number of Absolute Masters among the Martial Heaven forces sent by the Martial Heaven Emperor, the ten Absolute Masters were scattered as they fought their opponents.


    The battles going on grew more and more intense, and interestingly enough, the battle closest to determining a winner was the one between the Great Justice Pce Master and Si-Hyeon.


    ***


    Dozens of sharp rays of light rained down, filling the sky.


    The only technique used by the Martial Heaven Emperor, the Star Shattering Light Aura, was a Transcendent Aura Art that shaped aura into light.


    One ray of Star Shattering Light Aura could be dealt with, unless it was a surprise attack. However, the Martial Heaven Emperor did not limit himself to a single ray, and neither did he attack in any discernible pattern. Even as a fellow Zenith Master, Woo-Moon found it incredibly difficult to deal with.


    The winds surrounding Woo-Moon gathered together against the dozen rays of light, fiercely spinning around with him at the center, distorting, scattering, and annihting the rays of light.


    Then, Woo-Moon unleashed Heavy Rain. The sky above him and the Martial Heaven Emperor suddenly grew covered in thick dark clouds, and raindrops struck the Martial Heaven Emperor directly.


    Of course, all of the raindrops were imbued with Woo-Moon¡¯s aura.


    <i>Boom, boom, boom, boom!</i>


    An unimaginable roar rang out as the raindrops sshed on the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s defensive qi one after another.


    However, his defensive qi barrier was unshaken.


    <i>Crack!!</i>


    A sh of light appeared between the clouds, and lightning struck the Martial Heaven Emperor.


    Of course, this was no ordinary lightning. Just like the rain, it was also loaded with Woo-Moon¡¯s aura!


    While regr lightning was already incredibly powerful, this was far more so.


    A stream of lightning flowered through the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s slightly thinned defensive qi barrier, which had weakened after the barrage of rain, andnded a square hit.


    <i>Crackle!</i>


    The Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s entire body lit up.


    ¡°Oho! How fun. This tingling sensation is quite stimting. This is my first time experiencing something like this.¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s eyes, which had previously looked dead, suddenly came to life, and he resorted to using actual words rather than mental transmission to express his unusually excited mood.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s expression was distorted.


    ¡°You crazy bastard. All of you Martial Heaven bastards are insane.¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor flew toward Woo-Moon with some of the lightning still wrapped around his body, flickering brightly. He repeatedly flicked his fingers.


    <i>Crackle!</i>


    The Star Shattering Light Aura that he shot out moved like a snake.


    Woo-Moon responded in kind with the Imprable Iron Wall.


    A thick, golden wall appeared in front of him, blocking the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s Star Shattering Light Aura.


    The lightning qi flowed through the Imprable Iron Wall and struck Woo-Moon. However, since it was originally Woo-Moon¡¯s qi anyway, it was easily absorbed into his body and even restored a small amount of his qi.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The outer wall of the Imprable Iron Wall was torn apart, and the explosive power of the Star Shattering Light Aura exploded through the Imprable Iron Wall from the inside.


    However, since the Imprable Iron Wall was a powerful defensive technique used with full intent, unlike the default defensive qi on the surface of a cultivator¡¯s skin, the Star Shattering Light Aura only managed to destroy only half of the Imprable Iron Wall before disappearing.


    In the meantime, the distance between Woo-Moon and the Martial Heaven Emperor had decreased by half, and they continued to get closer and closer while exchanging blows.


    They both had long-range attacks, but at the same time, they both preferred to fight from up close so that they couldnd a critical strike whenever.


    ¡°Light Surface.¡±


    The Star Shattering Light Aura created by the Martial Heaven Emperor spread out long and thin, in a fan-like shape.


    <i>¡®North Wind...!¡¯</i>


    A sharp gust of wind emerged from the tip of Woo-Moon¡¯s sword.


    Unlike Light Surface, which flew at him horizontally, Woo-Moon¡¯s North Wind flew forward vertically.


    Even though they were still some distance away from each other, their attacks struck each other almost instantly, forming a light cross in the air. Then, they seemed to sever through each other, and their halves continued on their trajectory.


    No, actually, they didn¡¯t sever each other. Rather, the parts that collided canceled each other out. And since the aura on both sides was equally strong, Light Surface and North Wind were both torn exactly in half.


    Woo-Moon took control of the severed North Wind. The two halves of the technique split in two directions at the speed of light, one aiming for the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s neck and the other for his waist.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    The Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s figure flickered, dodging the two halves of North Wind. he then controlled his two halves of Light Surface to attack Woo-Moon in turn.


    <i>Swish! Woosh!</i>


    Various shing sounds filled the air; the two continuously avoided their opponent¡¯s attacks while using their own two halves of a technique as swords to attack the opponent.


    The one to break the standoff was the Martial Heaven Emperor.


    ¡°Light Pir.¡±


    A pir of light suddenly appeared where Woo-Moon had been just a fraction of a second before. The pir stretched from the ground all the way to the sky, seemingly with no end.


    The Martial Heaven Emperor looked at where Woo-Moon had just appeared.


    <i>Crack.</i>


    The pir of light split into millions of pieces, taking on the shape of triangles flying toward Woo-Moon, tail to tail. The fragments of Star Shattering Light Aura surged in like a tidal wave.


    Woo-Moon chose not to run away but rather to rush toward the Martial Heaven Emperor.


    As he flew quickly, the wind rose behind him, creating a typhoon, supporting him and helping him fly even faster.


    Woo-Moon raised his sword, and a thick, golden sword aura appeared on Golden Dragon.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Golden sparks rose from the surrounding area and were sucked into Woo-Moon¡¯s golden sword aura, imbuing it with strength.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword aura grew bigger and bigger!


    Eventually, it grew to the same size as the Light Pir that the Martial Heaven Emperor had created.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Woo-Moon swung his golden sword aura and struck the Martial Heaven Emperor.


    An indescribable explosion rang out, and the Martial Heaven Emperor staggered slightly in the air. However, he stretched his hand out toward Woo-Moon as if nothing had happened.


    To Woo-Moon, it was as if the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s hand was the hand of the heavens, sorge that he could neither run nor hide.


    ¡°W-what...?¡±


    As he couldn¡¯t move, the fragments of Star Shattering Light Aura that were chasing him pierced his back.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Blood gushed out from Woo-Moon¡¯s mouth.


    He had suffered an incredibly massive internal injury. However, the extraordinary resilience of a Zenith Master was on full disy, and his internal wounds were instantly healed.


    Moreover, since he had put a lot of effort into maintaining his defensive qi barrier, the fragments of Star Shattering Light Aura did not cause as much damage as they would have otherwise..


    Then the Martial Heaven Emperor raised his other hand and extended it toward Woo-Moon.


    It was a very small, very delicate hand.


    How could that white, slender hand, which looked as delicate as a princess¡¯s, be so scary?


    Another Star Shattering Light Aura condensed again.


    <i>¡®How, how does he still...?!¡¯</i>


    He was just too strong.


    Even after raining down so many attacks upon Woo-Moon, the Martial Heaven Emperor was still attacking with a powerful, seemingly endless qi!


    Woo-Moon gritted his teeth and poured all of his qi into his techniques. However, no matter how much qi he squeezed out, it fell far short in front of his opponent¡¯s aura.


    Unprecedented, infinite... that was the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s energy.


    ¡°AGH!!!!¡±


    Even though he had poured all of his qi into it, Woo-Moon was thrown backward, unable to block the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s attack. He was able to use thest of his qi to guard his body, preventing it from being torn to shreds, but that was indeed thest bit of qi, and using it up left himpletely drained.


    Woo-Moon closed his eyes tightly, thinking that he had lost. He resented himself for not being able to fight the Martial Heaven Emperor properly despite having reached the same level.


    <i>¡®Damn it! I don¡¯t have any qi left... left?¡¯</i>


    As this thought crossed his mind, he suddenly shivered.


    <i>¡®I really am a fucking idiot. To think I forgot the enlightenment that led me to the Zenith realm!¡¯</i>


    He was empty,pletely drained.


    But what was emptiness, and what was fullness?


    What was the point of such a distinction? Being empty meant being full, being full meant being empty.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze seemed toe back to life. He smiled faintly and swung his sword at the Martial Heaven Emperor.


    <i>Swish!!!</i>


    With a sharp roar, an unprecedented qi exploded outward, iparable to the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s!


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no limit to my qi. My vessel ispletely emptied, so I can pour out infinite power at any time.¡¯</i>


    <i>ng!</i>


    A sharp sound rang out as the Martial Heaven Emperor and Woo-Moon exchanged blows and retreated an equal distance.


    ¡°Impressive.¡±


    A faint smile also appeared on the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s face.


    <i>ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The two shed and separated without rest. As if someone was setting off firecrackers in the air, sts of qi exploded here and there.


    At that moment, an Absolute Master and a girl arrived on the ground.


    ¡°F-Father!¡±


    Princess Mok Yong¡¯s shriek reached Woo-Moon and the Martial Heaven Emperor. She screamed as she looked at her father hanging from the end of a pir in a miserable state. She had heard of the disaster at the imperial pce, so she had an idea of what to expect. Yet even so, when she saw her father like that, she immediately fainted.


    The Saber Emperor, who was guarding her, caught her and made sure she was fine, imbuing her with qi so that she wouldn¡¯t get hurt.


    ¡°Ho ho, is that a princess?¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor stretched out a hand.


    <i>Zzt!</i>


    To him, it was a nonchnt move, nothing more than swatting a pesky fly. But to those below, it was as if the sword of a god of death was descending upon them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look away from me, Martial Heaven Emperor!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s Lightsh split the heavens and annihted the finger aura flying toward the two people on the ground.

 Chapter 233. Within Ten Paces, You’ll Find A Fragrant Flower (4)

    <h4>Chapter 233. Within Ten Paces, You¡¯ll Find A Fragrant Flower (4)</h4>


    ¡°<i>Keke</i>. You should have attacked me directly if you saw an opening when I looked away instead of just yelling at me.¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor naturally noticed Woo-Moon¡¯s intent to keep the princess and the Saber Emperor alive, and heunched a series of attacks.


    Hundreds of bolts of Transcendent Finger Aura!


    However, not a single one of them reached the ground because of Lightsh, which busily took care of them all.


    ¡°Martial Heaven Emperor, your opponent is me. Don¡¯t do such lowly things.¡±


    As he said that, Woo-Moon felt puzzled. He could sense that the Martial Heaven Emperor, who had difficulty expressing emotions of any kind, actually seemed to harbor a hint of bloodlust and hatred toward Princess Mok Yong.


    ¡°<i>Kekeke</i>. Lowly, you say? But isn¡¯t that my specialty? I was the one who captured your family and used them as hostages to lure you in, and I was the one who cut off your father¡¯s ear while he couldn¡¯t resist.¡±


    The anger that Woo-Moon had briefly forgotten as he faced an increasingly urgent situation and obtained enlightenment surged up again.


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Woo-Moon tightened his grip on Inkde.


    From the tip of his sword, fierce, uncontroble, infinite attacks spread out, explosively sweeping across the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s entire body.


    Before he knew it, dark clouds had gathered, casting a dark shadow over thendscape, and as lightning and rain struck the Martial Heaven Emperor directly, Raging Wind arose.


    ¡°Ahaha, how impressive! You really are amazing!¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperorughed out loud, as if he was really fond of being hit by Woo-Moon¡¯s Raging Storm. Just like that, his delicate body seemed to sink downward and get shredded by Woo-Moon¡¯s attacks.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    Then, a burst of dazzling light so intense that it made even Woo-Moon grimace filled the air.


    ¡°Light Explosion!¡±


    Light spread in all directions from the Martial Heaven Emperor. The light extinguished Raging Storm¡¯s energy and advanced rapidly.


    However, it wasn¡¯t long before Raging Storm showed off its power again.


    Light Explosion and Raging Storm struck each other, in a perfect deadlock. Neither could move forward or push the other away, and they eventually vanished at the same time.


    ¡°This time...!¡±


    A fierce, deste, and bleak wind rose. It was a wind sharper and keener than any sword.


    Apanying the wind were countless snowkes, all containing extreme yin qi.


    ¡°Light Surface.¡±


    The light spread out widely in a fan shape, almost like a thin sheet of cloth. However, Northern Blizzard wasn¡¯t just a sharp and cold sword attack. The moment it collided with the aura of the light, the aura of Northern Blizzard flew across the sheet of light in an amazingly smooth movement the likes of which Woo-Moon had never disyed before, flying toward the Martial Heaven Emperor.


    ¡°Ho ho!¡±


    After letting out an exmation of appreciation, the Martial Heaven Emperor took on a serious expression for a moment before unleashing his first technique once again.


    ¡°Light Surface.¡±


    Once again, it was Light Surface.


    <i>¡®What is he nning?¡¯</i>


    Once more, Northern Blizzard slid along Light Surface. However, the moment it reached the center, Martial Heaven Emperor clenched his open hand into a fist, and Light Surface covered Northern Blizzard like a nket.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    An explosive sound rang out as both Northern Blizzard and Light Surface disappeared. At the same time, the first Light Surface the Martial Heaven Emperor had shot out earlier approached Woo-Moon. However, it was in turn blocked by the Imprable Iron Wall that Woo-Moon had unfolded just in time.


    At that moment, the Martial Heaven Emperor stretched out his hand toward the pir that Dae-Woong was tied to.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Unlike earlier, when he had nonchntly flicked his hand at Princess Mok Yong, his attack was incredibly fast. Moreover, Woo-Moon was surprised by the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s sudden change of direction, so he could not get there in time to block


    The middle part of the pir that Dae-Woong was tied to was shaved down from the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s attack.


    Because the pir was so tall, it was greatly affected by the wind, and the middle of the pir, which had be weak, shook dangerously, as if it was about to break at any moment.


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperorughed as he watched Woo-Moonburning with even greater anger than before.


    ¡°Just a little more, Song Woo-Moon. The pir will break soon, and your father will fall to the ground. Considering your father has only just reached the Transcendent Stage, if he falls to the ground with his qi restricted like this, it might be a little difficult for him to survive.¡±


    <i>Snap!</i>


    While the Martial Heaven Emperor was speaking, the thinned part of the pir couldn¡¯t withstand the strong winds and indeed broke.


    The sight of his father falling to the ground seemed to growrger andrger before¡¡Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes, and it was as if time slowed down.


    <i>¡®If I try to save my father right now, the bastard will take advantage of that gap. I have to kill him first!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon made up his mind.


    He couldn¡¯t think of a way to kill the Martial Heaven Emperor. But he believed in himself, and he believed in the Gentle Celestial Sword.


    He would surelye up with a solution!


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s go. For now, let¡¯s go!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon flew quickly through the air toward the Martial Heaven Emperor. Without knowing what kind of technique he was performing, he simply raised his sword.


    <i>¡®I know now, I know. I have a sword technique¡ªI have a sword that contains the entire world!¡¯</i>


    <i>All the Myriad Things in the World!</i>


    This was the final technique of the Gentle Celestial Sword.


    It wasn¡¯t an impressive disy of strength like Raging Storm, Northern Blizzard, or Imprable Iron Wall. On the contrary, it was pretty much an untrained viger¡¯s sword swing; any martial artist worth their salt would¡¯ve just shrugged and yawned seeing it.


    It wasn¡¯t shy like other aura techniques. That was natural, since it didn¡¯t even contain any aura in the first ce.


    The strike was just in in every aspect of the word.


    It didn¡¯t overpower the opponent with a powerful disy of aura, nor did it evoke a sense of dread with its sharp qi and bloodlust.


    It was just a casual swing, so casual that it was enough to make one doubt their eyes. Was it really a swing meant to kill an opponent, or was it just done for the sake of swinging a sword?


    Yet in that swing, the Martial Heaven Emperor saw despair.


    A wall of despair so thick and high that it couldn¡¯t be jumped over or broken through.


    ¡°All the... Myriad Things... in the World... <i>Ha, ahahaha, ahahahaha</i>!¡±


    At this very moment, the final form of the Gentle Celestial Sword was revealed to the world for the first time.


    No one had told the Martial Heaven Emperor the technique¡¯s name. Obviously, Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t yelled the name out loud. Yet somehow, the Martial Heaven Emperor had just said the name of the technique.


    With his eyes wide open, the Martial Heaven Emperor poured everything he had into his Transcendent Finger Aura.


    And Woo-Moon severed it.


    Everything the Martial Heaven Emperor had learned and created over the years; everything he did, and everything he was. Woo-Moon severed it all.


    His casual strike cut through the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s Transcendent Finger Aura as if cutting through a radish. In the end, it cut all the way to the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s chest.


    And when the sword fell, Woo-Moon had already passed him by.


    ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡±


    Hearing that, the Martial Heaven Emperor snickered, but did not move to stop him.


    Woo-Moon quickly flew over and caught Dae-Woong. He smiled all the way up to his eyes, still feeling the warmth of his father¡¯s love, feeling that it was more than he deserved.


    ¡°Father. I¡¯m sorry; this useless son of yours was sote.¡±


    Dae-Woong¡¯s massive hands, which had cooked for his wife and two sons for half his life and took on all kinds of work at the inn for their sake, gently wiped away his son¡¯s tears.


    ¡°No, my son. Thank you for saving this useless father of yours.¡±


    Words of gratitude from his father.


    For some reason, Woo-Moon suddenly burst into tears.


    ¡°What do you mean, thank you? I¡¯m the one who should be thankful. Thank you for surviving. Thank you for giving me a chance to see my father again.¡±


    The round tears eventuallynded on the ground. At the same time, the Martial Heaven Emperor¡ªwho had been staying still in the air, as if frozen¡ªalso dropped to the ground with blood spurting from his chest like a fountain.


    Seeing that the winner had been determined, the onlookers cheered.


    ¡°Hurray!¡±


    ¡°The Undefeatable Sword Hero, no, the Undefeatable Sword Immortal has won!¡±


    Everyone shed tears of joy and chanted Woo-Moon¡¯s name, realizing that they were finally safe.


    Formless Flying Sword, who had only just arrived, also breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that Woo-Moon had resolved everything.


    She had gone to Woo-Moon¡¯s wedding alone as the imperial pce¡¯s representative. There, she had learned that the imperial pce was in danger and had set out immediately after Woo-Moon. However, she hadn¡¯t been able to keep up with Woo-Moon¡¯s movement technique and had only just arrived.


    The surviving soldiers, citizens, and various officials who had been holding their breath and waiting for their deaths due to the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s terrifying and overwhelming force and cruelty forgot about their identities and embraced each other.


    Now that they had been liberated from the dread known as the Martial Heaven Emperor, a terror that transcended humanity, nothing else mattered.


    The Saber Emperor came forward and climbed up the pir where the emperor was hanging to save him. Formless Flying Sword went to rescue Jin Yo, whose identity was unknown to everyone except for Woo-Moon and the courtdies.


    ¡°<i>Kyaaaa!</i>¡± Formless Flying Sword screamed and threw Jin Yo to the ground.


    Her face was red, and she looked down at Jin Yo with eyes full of bloodlust.


    While Jin Yo¡¯s cultivation was still restricted, he could still move his limbs. He was curious about the Formless Flying Sword, a woman he had never seen before, and he unconsciously<i> moved</i> his hands out of sheer habit. How could Formless Flying Sword, who was not only unmarried but a virgin in every respect, not be surprised?


    Woo-Moon hurriedly sent a voice transmission, worried that Yoon Ha-Rin might actually kill him.


    <i>¡ªPlease don¡¯t attack him. He¡¯s a bit of a pervert, but he¡¯s by no means an evil person. He¡¯ll be of great help in the future battle against Martial Heaven.</i>


    Due to Woo-Moon¡¯s voice transmission. Yoon Ha-Rin tried her best to suppress her bloodlust. Obviously, that did nothing to dispel her anger, so she harrumphed in irritation and moved away from Jin Yo.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll kill you someday.¡¯</i>


    While Princess Mok Yong was busy moving around to treat her father, Woo-Moon stood up after treating Dae-Woong.


    ¡°Son, where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Give me a moment.¡±


    Woo-Moon was headed to where countless soldiers were ring at the Martial Heaven Emperor with eyes full of resentment. Fortunately, the soldiers were still afraid of the Martial Heaven Emperor and wouldn¡¯t actually move to kill him.


    That was fortunate for Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Step back. I have something to say to him.¡±


    As Woo-Moon walked forward, the soldiers bowed and stepped aside to make way for him.


    The Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s very spirit was growing dim. Not even a Zenith Master could survive in this state.


    He began to speak slowly.


    ¡°At some point, Martial Heaven lost its direction. Its goal was to gather together to see the ultimate end of martial arts. And yet that martial will changed, turning into stubbornness and self-righteousness; they started to believe that Martial Heaven was the only keeper of true martiality. They despised all martial artists who weren¡¯t a part of Martial Heaven and deemed them heretics that had to be eliminated. They even went so far as toe up with a n to wipe out the entire <i>murim</i> and leave only Martial Heaven behind. They put this n into action immediately. Well, that was a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°So why hasn¡¯t it seeded by now? With the power of Martial Heaven, that n should have been aplished, as you said, a long time ago.¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperorughed. Every time he did, blood and pieces of shattered organs came out of his mouth.


    ¡°It<i> was</i> aplished. With the power of our countless experts, we subdued the <i>murim</i>, wiped out countless schools, and absorbed all of their martial arts. While we within Martial Heaven also suffered a lot of damage in the process, we didn¡¯t really care. Even with that damage, we were still able to wipe out all of the <i>murim</i>.¡±


    Woo-Moon could only imagine how many people must have shed tears from their reign of terror and how much blood must have been shed in the process. He felt his hatred for Martial Heaven, the Martial Heaven Emperor, and the Martial Heaven God boil over once again.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re telling me this, I suppose there¡¯s a ¡®but¡¯ somewhere in your story, huh?¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor, who could sense Woo-Moon¡¯s tumultuous emotions, let out another heartyugh.


    ¡°But... we didn¡¯t know... that there was a reclusive master... a real monster. Haha, can you imagine? People call us monsters... but we ended up meeting someone <i>we</i> called a monster!¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s words absolutely shocked Woo-Moon. To think there was someone who deserved being called a monster by the entire Martial Heaven...


    ¡°Who was it?¡±


    ¡°Your master.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes widened at those words. Then, he understood.


    The old Daoist.


    Every now and then, as his cultivation progressed, he recalled his master¡¯s feats and wondered whether he could replicate them. And every time, the answer was the same. Even now that he was a Zenith Master and had defeated the Martial Heaven Emperor, he still didn¡¯t feel any closer to that goal.


    ¡°Woo Bok-Hee. That bastard stopped us. I, the Martial Heaven God... and the others rushed at him, wondering... what kind of crazy old bastard would block our path. But... none of us were able to touch even a single strand of Woo Bok-Hee¡¯s clothes.¡±

 Chapter 234. Within Ten Paces, You’ll Find A Fragrant Flower (5)

    <h4>Chapter 234. Within Ten Paces, You¡¯ll Find A Fragrant Flower (5)</h4>


    He finally understood why, in spite of its overwhelming might, Martial Heaven was not the only martial arts organization in existence.


    ¡°... That bastard didn¡¯t even kill us. He just beat us up, made us kneel, and then forced us to stop our ns and go back into hiding again. His power was impossible to even ascertain, let alone fight against, so we had no choice but to go into hiding again.¡±


    <i>¡®Huh? Why didn¡¯t Master kill these crazy bastards?¡¯ </i>


    It was as if the Martial Heaven Emperor could read Woo-Moon¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Keke, I wondered that too. Why didn¡¯t he kill us? And the answer is... how should I know? In any case, many years passed again, after which the Martial Heaven God began to be filled with pride once more. He thought that, considering how much his cultivation had developed in that time, he would now be able to defeat Woo Bok-Hee. Moreover... considering how much time had passed, he felt that Woo Bok-Hee might have ascended anyway.¡±


    Of course, Woo-Moon knew that his master hadn¡¯t ascended for many years in his pursuit to treat the Sr Physique.


    ¡°Did Master show up and stop you this time, too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That damn Daoist was still there, and he showed up again. Because of that, we had no choice but to go into forced seclusion once again. As time passed, we started to n to conserve our strength as much as possible, in case Woo Bok-Hee was still around.¡±


    Martial Heaven had overwhelming power and treasured power above all else.


    Woo-Moon had thus been wondering why such a pride-filled organization was going around plotting and scheming so underhandedly like this, and he only now understood the reason behind their actions.


    <i>¡®Martial Heaven was afraid of Master. That¡¯s why they tried to use as little strength as possible to deal with the murim. So that they could fight more effectively if Master showed up again in the future.¡¯</i>


    They had established their dominance, and Woo Bok-Hee had shown up to stomp them into the ground. Then, they had gone into hiding and built up their strength again, going as far as to erase their very existence from the annals of history. When they regained their power, they showed up once again, only to be stopped by Woo Bok-Hee a second time.


    That repetition had brought them to this point.


    ¡°I realized that you were that damned Daoist¡¯s disciple when we first exchanged moves.¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor had been mortally wounded. The wound caused by Woo-Moon¡¯sst strike was not something that could ever be healed.


    It was inevitable. All of the qi within his body had been exhausted while trying to endure All the Myriad Things in the World.


    Indeed, it was not that his dantian was dried-up and he needed replenishment. Every single bit of the qi normally spread throughout his body was gone, and his dantian had been abused to such an extent that it could no longer recover... ever. The very foundation of qi itself had been stripped from the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s body.


    The only reason he was still alive, with his chest split open and massive blood loss, was not actually his remaining qi¡ªthere was none remaining. It was the enlightenment of martial arts that he had achieved in his lifetime that was keeping him alive.


    Even though his life¡¯s me had already been extinguished and his soul should have left his body, that high-level enlightenment allowed him to forcefully hold himself for a little while. A really, really little while.


    The end was near.


    With the aura of death filling his gaze, the Martial Heaven Emperor looked at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Kill the Martial Heaven God. Kill that bastard, no matter what. Stop those damned bastards.¡±


    If someone could hear him now, they might have thought that the Martial Heaven Emperor was regretting his past and had grown tired of the bloodshed. However, Woo-Moon felt otherwise.


    ¡°You harbor great hatred toward the Martial Heaven God. And it¡¯s not because of what happened just now.¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperorughed again.


    Before he knew it, the Martial Heaven Emperor¡¯s eyes turned crimson, and he smiled seductively at Woo-Moon.


    At that moment, Woo-Moon felt his heart pounding. Even though the Martial Heaven Emperor was a man, right now, even Woo-Moon¡¯s three fairies would have to concede to him in terms of attractiveness.


    <i>¡®The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was like that too. To think the Martial Heaven Emperor is even more seductive.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I was a woman.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.


    ¡°What.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think you can tell I¡¯m a man now, but I really used to be a woman. I... I...¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor stopped mid-sentence and suddenly looked at Princess Mok Yong with bloodlust-filled eyes.


    The emotion within his gaze was a swirl of longing, sadness, and jealousy.


    ¡°There was a time like that for me, too. A time when my heart would beat quickly while I secretly yearned for someone. A time when I was still like a fresh flower that had not yet bloomed. When my chest was not fully grown, but even so...¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor looked down at his manly chest and quivered.


    A terrible venom seemed to exude from his eyes.


    ¡°That bastard... is the devil. He only cares about himself and doesn¡¯t think about the feelings of others. He''s a demon who fundamentally cannotprehend the suffering of others.¡±


    As he spoke of the Martial Heaven God, the Martial Heaven Emperor felt hatred, anger, fear, and yet an inexplicable longing; his emotions constantly shifted.


    Woo-Moon said nothing.


    ¡°He was the person I loved. But he... Knowing that I had an exceptional talent for cultivating, he tricked me into bing his experiment. His trial for martial arts. Not knowing this, I fell for his trick and learned what he gave me. Since it was a cultivation method that my lover had given to me, I never doubted him for a second...¡±


    ¡°If you were tricked into cultivating something that turned you into a man, why are you still with the Martial Heaven God?¡±


    ¡°When I found out that he had experimented on me and my cultivation method was turning me into a man, well, I would¡¯ve had to be an idiot not to realize it...¡±


    ¡°The Martial Heaven God didn¡¯t really love you...¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor nodded sadly.


    ¡°But I couldn¡¯t leave because I loved him just as much as I hated him. Maybe the opposite of love isn¡¯t hate. Because even though I hated him, my love didn¡¯t disappear.¡±


    Love and hate¡ªwere they really pr opposites?


    ¡°Please kill the Martial Heaven God. He isn¡¯t someone that should exist in this world. He¡¯s not a human. Please, kill...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I was going to do that anyway. But you¡¯re no different, either. Whether it was because of the Martial Heaven God¡¯s orders or because of your past wounds, you yourself are also a viin who killed countless innocent people. That much is clear.¡±


    Hearing Woo-Moon¡¯s words, for some reason, she smiled as if she felt relieved.[1]


    That was the final moment of her life.


    The second strongest master within Martial Heaven after the Martial Heaven God.


    One of the main enemies that Woo-Moon had to kill. The enemy who had cut off his father¡¯s ear and made his life hell.


    Yet although he had seeded in killing this enemy and had be who knew how much stronger in the process... Woo-Moon felt more bitter than relieved.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    And thus, the bloodshed in the capital came to an end.


    ***


    ¡°What is it, Father?¡±


    While the Martial Heaven God smiled at Eun Dang-Hwi¡¯s words, his smile never reached his eyes.


    ¡°The Martial Heaven Emperor is dead.¡±


    Eun Dang-Hwi trembled as if he had been struck by lightning.


    ¡°M-mother...¡±


    The Martial Heaven Emperor had indeed been a woman, and in the distant past, during the embryonic period of Martial Heaven, she had actually been the Martial Heaven God¡¯s wife. No one except for the three members of the Martial Heaven God¡¯s family knew that fact, of course. Everyone else had all been killed by the Martial Heaven Emperor.


    But it was the first time in hundreds of years that Eun Dang-Hwi had referred to the Martial Heaven Emperor as ¡°Mother.¡±


    After bing a man, the Martial Heaven Emperor had strictly acted as a man, even going so far as forbidding Eun Dang-Hwi to call her mother, treating her child like a stranger.


    ¡°Which... Which bastard did it, Father?¡±


    ¡°A Zenith has passed away, and before that, another Zenith was born. A person who could be a Zenith Master while not being a member of Martial Heaven.... It¡¯s most likely the one receiving the most attention right now, Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    ¡°Song Woo-Moon!¡±


    Eun Dang-Hwi gritted his teeth. He thought back to when he had briefly encountered Woo-Moon at the entrance of the Heavenly Demon Tomb.


    <i>¡®I should have killed him back then. I should have killed him instead of just ying around! I should have put the Heaven-Spanning Flying Dagger through his head!¡¯</i>


    Eun Dang-Hwi, filled with murderous intent toward Woo-Moon, stormed out of the room. He then called Martial Heaven¡¯s subordinates to join him and kill Woo-Moon.


    The Martial Heaven God did not stop him.


    He simply poured himself a cup of tea and sipped it slowly, smiling quietly.


    ***


    One target, one kill!


    This was the answer.


    Ma-Ra realized it not long after starting to fight Da Wu, so she continued to attack Da Wu¡¯s side over and over again.


    ¡°AAARGH!!¡±


    As Ma-Ra¡¯s long, luscious hair fluttered in the wind, Da Wu¡¯s fierce fist failed to hit her face and only cut through the air.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The terrifyingly keen Silver Moon Discs struck Da Wu in the same ce once again. Her first couple of strikes had achieved nothing whatsoever, but her tenacity was now bearing fruit¡ªDa Wu¡¯s flesh was bruised and swelling, something he hadn¡¯t felt in years.


    Feeling both pain and fear, Da Wu took a deep breath, and his already massive upper body became significantly more massive.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Ma-Ra said softly.


    With that, she swept the ground with her hands and leaped into the air, shoving arge rock into Da Wu¡¯s wide-open mouth.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    As Da Wu took a deep breath, the stone was sucked in along with air, stuffing his mouth.


    ¡°ROAR!!!!¡±


    It was as if he was using every sound technique from every martial art, all at once. His roar simply pulverized the solid stone lodged in his mouth into dust, spreading the particles forward with tremendous force.


    Ma-Ra didn¡¯t dodge, didn¡¯t cover her ears, or even stimte her qi to block it.


    ¡°I said, shut up.¡±


    She simply swung her sword, Death¡¯s Pursuit, straight down. The sword strike, as cold as frost and as sharp as her gaze, split Da Wu¡¯s sound qi exactly in half, rendering it useless.


    <i>nk, nk, nk!</i>


    At the same time, Ma-Ra¡¯s other hand swept across her wasp-thin waist, and the chain sickle shot out and cut into the same spot as before: the right side of Da Wu¡¯s waist.


    Furious at being attacked without being able to retaliate, Da Wu quickly punched forward. Well, it was quick as far as he was concerned. From Ma-Ra¡¯s perspective, the attack was slow enough she had time to ponder tomorrow¡¯s meal n.


    Of course, the fist was apanied by a powerful pressure. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to hold Ma-Ra down.


    She flickered through the shadows using her stealth technique and appeared right next to Da Wu, scratching into Da Wu¡¯s side again with the sharp iron ws in her hand.


    ¡°You damned assassin bitch!¡±


    Da Wu was naturally furious.


    Thick veins bulged all over his entire body as he swung his right fist at Ma-Ra¡¯s torso, which was vaguely revealed because of her attack with the iron w.


    Suddenly, Ma-Ra flipped through the air. Looking down at Da Wu from above, she put her hands into her robes, then flicked her wrists out at lightning speed.


    <i>Swish! Swish, swish...!</i>


    Ten heavy daggers made of Profound Iron flew forward with Millennium Blood Threads hanging behind them.


    In this situation, an average warrior would have tried to dodge or deflect the daggers. However, Da Wu trusted his Transcendent Aura-reinforced physique and continued to attack without worrying about defense.


    Ma-Ra twisted her wrist.


    <i>Swoosh!</i>


    Before they reached Da Wu, the ten Profound Iron daggers spread out in different directions, and the threads wrapped around Da Wu like snakes. And when Ma-Ra let go of the Millennium Blood Threads that she was holding, it turned out that there was another Profound Iron dagger attached at the other end of the threads as well.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The Profound Iron Daggers hanging from each end of the ten Millennium Blood Thread met and crossed each other, tightly squeezing Da Wu¡¯s body. Thanks to their intervention, Da Wu¡¯s right fist stopped right in front of Ma-Ra.


    <i>¡®This bitch really has some tricks!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Fuck off now!


    The Millennium Blood Thread was wrapped around his body and his right arm, impeding his movement. However, he still had one free arm, and his left fist struck at Ma-Ra without a moment¡¯s hesitation.


    1. The raws have switched pronouns here. ?

 Chapter 235. Within Ten Paces, Youll Find A Fragrant Flower (6)

    <h4>Chapter 235. Within Ten Paces, You''ll Find A Fragrant Flower (6)</h4>


    Ma-Ra threw more Profound Iron Daggers hidden within her bosom.


    <i>ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The left side of Da Wu body, which had been wrappedparatively loosely, was now tied stiff with even more Millennium Blood Thread.


    "Y-you...!"


    Da Wu started to be a little worried. He thought that there had to be a reason Ma-Ra was trying to prevent him from moving. So he gathered his strength and tried to break the Millennium Blood Threads.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The Millennium Blood Threads stretched and dug into Da Wu''s flesh. However, they didn¡¯t break. These threads were the treasures of the Pure Flower Hall of the Four Great Assassin Gates that were now subservient to the Death God Ma-Ra, and they were almost unbreakable, even for an Absolute Master.


    With that said, though the threads resisted, Ma-Ra knew they were at their limit. Against a physique cultivator like Da Wu, who could quite literally increase the size of his body and had iron-like skin, all they could do was temporarily prevent him from moving.


    Ma-Ra threw her forty remaining Profound Iron Daggers and the twenty Millennium Blood Threads connecting them, wrapping around Da Wu''s entire body again.


    "AGH!!"


    Da Wu screamed and strained. However, the forty Millennium Blood Threads supported each other and barely held on.


    She had to finish him off before they broke.


    Ma-Ra deactivated her stealth technique and dropped to the ground while fully exposed. At the same time, she drew her sword, Death¡¯s Pursuit.


    <i>¡®Death God''s Secret Technique, Illusions of Heaven Hiding Shadows.¡¯ </i>


    Ma-Ra''s figure went from one to two, then four, then eight.


    In the end, a total of one hundred twenty-eight Ma-Ras appeared; the hems of their white gowns fluttered in the wind, filling the heavens and the earth with flowers.


    <i>¡®Meteor Stealing Soul Sword.¡¯ </i>


    The first Ma-Ra unleashed the Meteor Stealing Soul Sword and shed Da Wu¡¯s side. Then, the second Ma-Ra struck the same spot before the qi of the first Meteor Stealing Soul Sword faded.


    This action repeated a hundred twenty-six more times; one hundred twenty-six swords unerringly struck the exact same spot on Da Wu''s waist.


    After her barrage of Meteor Stealing Soul Swords unleashed using the Illusion of Heaven Hiding Shadows was over, Ma-Ra''s clones merged back into one. She unleashed three Silver Moon Discs, a Blood Sickle, and a flying dagger in quick session, leaving Da Wu no time to breathe.


    It was truly a magnificent series of strikes.


    Right as the flying dagger bounced off Da Wu''s side, Ma-Ra had already rushed directly in front of him; she used all of the momentum she had gained and all of her qi to drive her sword.


    <i>Riiiip!</i>


    The sound of something tearing rang through the air.


    Ma-Ra''s thrust, with all of her power umted into a single point, broke through Da Wu''s defensive qi barrier and his incredibly tough skin, ripping through his flesh and entering his body.


    <i>''The stab is not enough!''</i>


    As that thought crossed her mind, Ma-Ra''s sword pierced deeper into Da Wu¡¯s abdomen, and her qi poured out like a tidal wave. She was driving her own qi to its limit!


    "Ugh!"


    It was a very minute hole, yet the de that entered through itpletely tore apart Da Wu''s insides.


    Unable to withstand the internal pressure, blood spurted out from Da Wu¡¯s eyes, ears, nose, and all other orifices at the same time.


    Fearing that the blood would get on her clothes, Ma-Ra quickly stepped back to avoid it.


    ¡°Seven Deaths.¡±


    At Ma-Ra''s soft call, the assassins who had been hiding within the shadows revealed themselves and prostrated before her.


    "The Seven Deaths are present, my lord."


    Ma-Ra pointed to Da Wu''s body.


    "Handle this."


    "Understood."


    The Seven Deaths untangled the Millennium Blood Thread from Da Wu''s body and pulled out the daggers, carefully cleaning the blood and grime off the metal.


    In the end, she had won. However, it had been a more intense and difficult match than she had expected.


    Ma-Ra arranged her disheveled clothes and straightened out her hair as she watched Xiao Wu and Ra Mi fight.


    <i>''Looks like she has it handled.''</i>


    As soon as the Seven Deaths cleaned her weapons and brought them to her, she bolted away.


    She was headed toward the other major battle¡ªGreat Justice Pce Master and Si-Hyeon.


    ***


    The battle between Ra Mi and Xiao Wu ended ndly.


    To be fair, it was a battle that should have ended quite a bit faster, considering thepatibility between their techniques.


    However, Ra Mi was fighting an Absolute Master for the first time since bing one herself. She had difficulty adjusting to both the opponent and her own abilities, and she struggled at the beginning, which was what caused the battle to drag on for so long.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    After blocking Xiao Wu''s frost art with her sword, Ra Mi cut off Xiao Wu''s head with her frozen sword.


    Her Sixth-Sense Sword had grown sharper during the battle. As she was getting used to her newfound power, her senses were gradually awakening and bing more and more sensitive.


    Conversely, however, the longer she went without fighting, the more her senses would dull.


    <i>''Before I lose this sensitivity, might as well profit!''</i>


    Ra Mi used her movement technique to the utmost and headed toward another battle, where she continued to disy her splendid Sixth-Sense Quickdraw.


    The tip of her sword took life after life.


    It seemed like it wouldn¡¯t take long for the title ¡°Sword Empress of the South Sea,¡± which Ra Mi¡¯s father had personally created and forced the disciples of the Hainan Sword Sect to call her, to spread throughout the Central ins.


    Her prowess and beauty were on full disy.


    On this side of the battlefield was the Sword Empress of the South Sea, and on the other side was a beautiful girl riding a giant white tiger and spreading around her the cold of the North Sea.


    Yeo-Seol and Eun-Ah.


    The situation was rapidly bing unfavorable for Martial Heaven.


    However, it was still too early to rx.


    Even if everyone here were to stop fighting and join forces, that wouldn''t be enough to be considered their win.


    After all, the real battle¡ªthe battle of the Paragons¡ªwas not over yet.


    The Great Justice Pce Master and Si-Hyeon¡¯s fight was the only thing that really mattered; once one of them secured victory, the other side was doomed altogether.


    ***


    The twenty-four swords spread out in formation, surrounding Si-Hyeon like a cage.


    However, Si-Hyeon wasn''t flustered in any way. While the formation grew stronger and stronger, while even the air grew heavy and weighed down on her entire body, she remained calm.


    <i>Swish.</i>


    Two thick strands of demonic qi stretched out from the darkness behind her.


    "Spiral Line."


    The two strands of demonic qi began to intertwine and twist into one. As they repeatedly twisted around each other, they stored an incredible amount of force; the twisted strand held much more power than the two individual strands added together.


    Spiral Line swung through the air and struck the right side of the Great Justice Invincible Formation.


    "Your formation is pretty impressive."


    Spiral Line failed to prate the formation and was forced back. But then, six more strands of demonic qi split away from the mass behind Si-Hyeon. Then, they paired up in twos to form three more Spiral Lines, then entangled with the original one to form an even thicker Spiral Line formation.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    The Great Justice Pce Master''s eyes twitched at the sight.


    He could sense his formation trembling slightly.


    <i>¡®What an impressive power. Still, it doesn''t seem like she can make anything stronger than this.''</i>


    As if mocking the Great Justice Pce Master, Si-Hyeon immediately formed another eight strands.


    <i>''Damn, that might be a problem.''</i>


    Thinking that Si-Hyeon''s terrifyingly concentrated power would be able to destroy a part of his formation, the Great Justice Pce Master concentrated the power of the formation toward the direction where Si-Hyeon''s Spiral Line was targeting.


    <i>Thump!</i>


    The Spiral Line that the Great Justice Pce Master had assumed would contain incredible power collided with the sword formation only to bounce away like a powerless piece of rubber.


    <i>''What?''</i>


    The moment the Great Justice Pce Master understood that this was a feint, another Spiral Line that Si-Hyeon had been secretly braiding right behind her flew out and struck the opposite side of the formation.


    <i>BOOOOM!</i>


    A powerful explosion ensued, and four of the swords were sted out of the formation. Even the Great Justice Pce Master¡¯s Sword Control was not enough to keep them in ce under such tremendous stress.


    Si-Hyeon sneered at the Great Justice Pce Master.


    "It¡¯s an amazing formation; too bad the formation master¡¯s not up to par," she said.


    As a hole appeared in the formation, aura began to leak. Not missing the opportunity, Si-Hyeon flew out, escaping the cage.


    Then, her counterattack began. Her delicate, jade-like hands turned into des, the billowing ck robe sleeves barely able to disguise their sharpness. And through a side slit of her fluttering robe, one could sometimes glimpse her long, white legs as she moved at a ridiculous speed.


    Everything about her appearance was captivating, but the Great Justice Pce Master had more important things to pay attention to¡ªnamely, the sheer power behind her every move.


    Four of his swords blocked Si-Hyeon''s Palm des, and six more rose to meet her demonic qi.


    "Ho ho," Si-Hyeonughed lightly.


    At the same time, a wave of demonic qi rose right behind the Great Justice Pce Master. It was a strand of demonic qi that she had secretly sent underground.


    "As if I¡¯d get fooled by the same trick twice!" shouted the Great Justice Pce Master.


    Ten of his swords rushed in and formed a Great Justice Minor Invincible Formation to block the wave of demonic qi.


    The remaining four swords came flying in from above, below, and either side of Si-Hyeon, shing down at her at the same time.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    The swords cut through nothing but her afterimage.


    Si-Hyeon activated the Empty Hand Demonic Art on both hands, both palms turning a translucent white and giving off a menacing might as she ran toward the Great Justice Pce Master.


    With a single thought from thetter, ten of his swords came in front of her to block her, while fourteen more came from behind to attack her.


    <i>Tap, tap!</i>


    An incredible scene unfolded.


    Si-Hyeon simply sidestepped the ten swords that floated in mid-air, then used them as footholds to shoot forward at an even greater speed. It was clear that her movement art was not something to take lightly, and the more she fought, the more proficient she became.


    ¡°How dare you?!¡±


    The Great Justice Pce Master waved his hands in a chaotic manner in front of his chest, forming hand seals, and finally pointed at Si-Hyeon. The twenty-four swords under Sword Control intertwined as they flew in, striking at her simultaneously.


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s demonic qi wings wrapped around her.


    <i>ng, ng, ng!</i>


    Not a single one of the swords could pierce through her wings, and the moment she spread them outward, the ck demonic qi around them condensed into spears.


    Thousands of these demonic qi spears flew toward the Great Justice Pce Master.


    Once again, the sound of the Great Justice Pce Master¡¯s swords shing with Si-Hyeon¡¯s demonic qi rang out loudly through the air. In the meantime, Si-Hyeon finally approached the Great Justice Pce Master.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Her white fingers bent like an eagle¡¯s talons and shot at the Great Justice Pce Master''s neck.


    <i>ng!</i>


    One of the swords flew over to block her hand; even though it managed to deflect the strike, the sword was also flung away. Si-Hyeon immediately followed up with her other hand, and it too was blocked by a second sword.


    She kicked the ground with her left foot and jumped up, leading with a right knee kick.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    The Great Justice Pce Master blocked Si-Hyeon''s knee attack with his left forearm. Then Si-Hyeon spun around in the air and kicked him with her right foot.


    Another sword blocked Si-Hyeon''s foot, while six others tried to stab Si-Hyeon in the back. However, she was not about to disengage just because of that. Her demonic qi encroached on her opponent from all sides in an all-out attack!


    Both of them were now attacked from behind, and both took the same evasive action. They disappeared at the same time, reappearing about three zhang from their original location.


    Although they both used Illusive Shift, it wasn''t by chance that they had both appeared in the same ce. Si-Hyeon had actually followed the Great Justice Pce Master''s movements during the split second it took him to use Illusive Shift.


    As soon as they appeared, Si-Hyeon grabbed her right fist with her left hand and twisted her torso, throwing a powerful elbow strike at the Great Justice Pce Master¡¯s ribs. It was so fast that it whistled through the air, as if she was wielding a sword.


    However, the strike barely cut through the Great Justice Pce Master¡¯s robe before he used Illusive Shift once more.


    The two appeared in a different location again. And just like before, Si-Hyeon used Illusive Shift just a fraction of a secondter, sticking to the Great Justice Pce Master¡¯s side like a bramble.


    The two used Illusive Shift sessively dozens of times, blinking in and out of existence as if they were ghosts on a chase.


    Finally, the Great Justice Pce Master emerged from a shady spot under arge tree.


    <i>Swish!</i>

 Chapter 236. Within Ten Paces, You’ll Find A Fragrant Flower (7)

    <h4>Chapter 236. Within Ten Paces, You¡¯ll Find A Fragrant Flower (7)</h4>


    He suddenly found himself face to face with a disembodied head¡ªno, it was just Ma-Ra¡¯s head, which was still very much attached to her neck. She had been standing on a tree branch, and as the Great Justice Pce Master appeared underneath, she simply let herself fall upside down, swinging her sword at his Baihui acupoint.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    It was such a ridiculous ambush that the Great Justice Pce Master couldn¡¯t even think of blocking it and instead tried to dodge instinctively.


    However, Si-Hyeon¡¯s demonic qi surrounded him, preventing him from moving away. It was as if she had anticipated this situation.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no ¡°as if,¡± these brats nned to corner me!¡¯</i>


    The Great Justice Pce Master realized that the trap was nned the moment he saw the look in Si-Hyeon¡¯s eyes.


    Gritting his teeth, he looked for his swords, only to realize that they were all trapped by Si-Hyeon¡¯s demonic qi and it was toote for him to pull them out.


    <i>¡®This bitch really went as far as hurting herself to manifest enough demonic qi!¡¯</i>


    Si-Hyeon¡¯s face was pale and blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. Indeed, she had pushed herself too far, all for the sake of blocking the Great Justice Pce Master¡¯s movements and creating the perfect trap with Ma-Ra.


    <i>¡®Even if I die, I refuse to die at the hands of some assassin who barely reached the Absolute Realm!¡¯ </i>the Great Justice Pce Master thought as he dodged Ma-Ra¡¯s attack and jumped directly into Si-Hyeon¡¯s demonic qi trap.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Four strands of demonic qi pierced the Great Justice Pce Master¡¯s shoulder, both legs, and groin simultaneously. Blood burst out from his mouth.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    At the same time, twelve swords flew forward from behind Si-Hyeon. She quickly manipted her demonic qi to block while dodging what she couldn¡¯t block, but she failed to catch all of them and onecerated her left arm as it passed.


    Still, anyone could see that the Great Justice Pce Master had lost it heavily in the exchange.


    Moreover, Si-Hyeon¡¯s Flowing Darkness Whip Heaven was a technique that greatly suppressed the opponent¡¯s recovery, even if said opponent was a Paragon. It was more difficult for the Great Justice Pce Master to heal his wounds aspared to usual.


    The Great Justice Pce Master took a step back, his resentment-filled eyes zing.


    ¡°Ugh...<i> cough, cough. </i>You treacherous whores. To think you¡¯d not only ambush me but also use a joint attack...¡±


    Si-Hyeon responded in a cold tone.


    ¡°Oh my, those with power massacring those without for ridiculous reasons areining about those who join forces to stop them. I¡¯m really not sure who the treacherous ones are.¡±


    The fact that Si-Hyeon chose to cooperate with Ma-Ra did not mean she was admitting her loss or that she was inferior to the Great Justice Pce Master. In fact, the two were almost perfectly matched, and no one could tell who would have been thest one standing.


    However, Si-Hyeon couldn¡¯t risk her life on a gamble.


    She thought it was more important to survive, protect her other loved ones, and wee Woo-Moon back alive than to risk her life for some nebulous concept of martial honor. In the first ce, the Great Justice Pce Master and she had different burdens.


    The Great Justice Pce Master ground his teeth as he watched Si-Hyeon and Ma-Ra coldly looking down at him. His pride as a warrior of Martial Heaven was so hurt that his blood boiled.


    <i>¡®To think I¡¯d end up like this just from an attack by those two bitches!¡¯</i>


    It had been a long time since he hadst gone out into the<i> gangho</i>. Moreover, that ¡®long time¡¯ couldn¡¯t be measured in years, or even decades. To those at his level, a long time meant centuries. Due to being deprived ofbat for so long, he had now suffered a defeat at the hands of two absolute novices.


    And now, he was about to lose his life to what he considered the most cowardly tactic, a joint ambush nned by an assassin!


    ¡°Well, since things have already gone this way, then you, Heavenly Demon bitch, are going down with me! AGHHH!¡±


    The Great Justice Pce Master let out a guttural roar that seemedpletely out of ce considering his clean-cut appearance and mannerisms, and quickly rushed Si-Hyeon.


    He instantly ignited all his qi and reversed its flow deliberately, forcing himself into a state of qi deviation. And due to that, his power immediately rose to more than double!


    Although it was a power that would disappear within a single moment, during that single moment, the Great Justice Pce Master was quite literally strong enough to tten a mountain.


    <i>¡°Gasp!¡±</i>


    Si-Hyeon burst out in worry. Her eyes were filled with a sense of urgency. Her keen senses were telling her that she would die if she didn¡¯t dodge.


    However, she couldn¡¯t move away in time.


    The Great Justice Pce Master was just as fast as her to begin with, and due to the momentary amplification from burning his innate qi to the point of causing qi deviation, his speed had now reached unprecedented heights.


    <i>¡®Senior brother, I¡¯m sorry...¡¯</i>


    Si-Hyeon was about to close her eyes and ept her fate, but just as her eyelids were approaching each other, her vision was blocked by arge and sturdy-looking back.


    ¡°You¡¯re pathetic.¡±


    With these words, Woo-Moon swung his sword, and the Great Justice Pce Master¡¯s powerful momentum quickly melted away like snow in the spring sunlight.


    ¡°AGHHH!¡±


    With a great roar, the Great Justice Pce Master rolled across the ground. His bones and veins twisted and ruptured, and he died a gruesome death.


    Woo-Moon smiled and turned around to face Si-Hyeon and Ma-Ra.


    ¡°I¡¯m back. Thank heavens I was able to return in time.¡±


    ¡°S-senior brother!¡±


    Si-Hyeon ran to Woo-Moon and hugged him. He looked surprised for a moment, then smiled gently and hugged her back.


    ¡°What about Father-inw?¡± Ma-Ra asked.


    Woo-Moon smiled brightly.


    ¡°He¡¯s fine. Right now... Look, he¡¯s over there.¡±


    Dae-Woong could be seen reuniting with Woo-Gang and Eun-Ah in the direction Woo-Moon pointed to.


    A look of relief could be seen in Ma-Ra¡¯s eyes.


    Si-Hyeon looked at the body of the fallen Great Justice Pce Master and suddenly realized that Woo-Moon had easily taken him down even while he was under a ridiculous power boost.


    ¡°You¡¯ve reached another realm, haven¡¯t you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°The Zenith Realm?¡±


    Si-Hyeon was one of the extremely, extremely few who knew exactly how impressive an achievement this was. It was practically a feat of legends!


    Paragons, while rare, could still be found. Most Heavenly Demons had been Paragons, after all, and she knew the techniques they¡¯d left behind. And so far as the cult¡¯s records told her, they would sometimes sh with other Paragons from outside the cult.


    Zenith Masters, on the other hand, never appeared.


    There had only been one confirmed Zenith Master in all of the<i> murim¡¯s</i> history, as far as she knew: the absolute ruler of the<i> murim</i> during his time, the First Heavenly Demon.


    There were two others who had <i>possibly </i>reached the Zenith Realm¡ªthe Sun Moon Sword Hero Baekri Hyeon-Yu and the Wind God Heavenly Demon Dan Jeok-Ha.[1] However, many questioned whether that was actually true, and even assuming it was, there were absolutely no records of anyone else apart from them


    Yet now, Woo-Moon had surpassed the Paragon Realm and reached this mythical Zenith Realm!


    Si-Hyeon felt a sense of pride and joy swell in her heart. Ma-Ra, on the other hand, was just as impressed as she usually was.


    The battle wasn¡¯t actually finished yet. Even now, there were many warriors fighting.


    While the overall situation was unfavorable for Martial Heaven, they still held on tenaciously and kept struggling, persevering thanks to their outstanding individual prowess.


    Woo-Moon then drew a deep breath and let out a shout.


    ¡°Begone!¡±


    One simple word, one simple result.


    All of the remaining Martial Heaven warriors shuddered before their flesh, bones, and organs were turned into mush. They slumped to the ground as nothing more than sacks of human skin filled with a nondescript paste.


    It was only then that the others realized Woo-Moon had returned.


    Some were soaked in blood.


    Some were exhausted.


    Some were in pain.


    But all of their expressions brightened at the same time.


    ¡°Great Hero Song has returned!¡±


    ¡°The Undefeatable Sword Immortal has returned!¡±


    They were all happy that they had survived.


    And...


    ¡°Gegeeeeeeeeeeeeee!¡±


    Right as Woo-Moon left Si-Hyeon¡¯s embrace, another girl came running over like a cannonball andunched herself into his arms.


    ¡°Hahaha. I missed you, Yeo-Seol.¡±


    ¡°Really? I really, really, really, really, really missed you too, Gege! And... I was... I was also really worried. <i>Ughhh</i>...¡±


    Yeo-Seol wiped away her tears. Woo-Moon smiled at her cute appearance, then looked at Ma-Ra with a warm gaze.


    ¡°I also missed you, Ma-Ra.¡±


    Ma-Ra¡¯s white cheeks turned bright red at his words, and she immediately slipped into the shadows with her stealth technique.


    She was absolutely embarrassed.


    In fact, if he was to talk about bonds, the one he had the most special bond with was Ma-Ra. They had spent a long time together, had gone through all sorts of difficult battles, and saved each other¡¯s lives repeatedly.


    While it most likely would never happen, if the world changed and he was forced to only pick one woman...


    <i>¡®If that¡¯s the case, then I most likely...¡¯</i>


    Let¡¯s stop there.


    Woo-Moon immediately cut off that thought. If he were to go down that hole, he would bemitting a sin against all three women. If something like that really were to happen, Woo-Moon and the two women who he would have to give up on would live their whole lives in misery. Naturally, the one who ended up with him wouldn¡¯t be terribly happy either.


    The love they had for each other couldn¡¯t be reced by anything or by any other love.


    And speaking of love, at that moment, there were two women standing in different ces and crying while looking at the four people.


    Hyeon Yu-Yeon of the Mount Hua Sect and the Sword Goddess of the South Sea, Ra Mi.


    Hyeon Yu-Yeon was crying out of loneliness, as she couldn¡¯t see a ce for herself within their lovely image. The fact that she was just watching them from afar, wanting to fit into their happiness, made her feel even more miserable. It made her feel hurt and alone, as if there was no one for her in this world.


    Ra Mi, on the other hand, was so confused that she couldn¡¯t even figure out what her own feelings were. She couldn¡¯t tell if her feelings for Woo-Moon were actual love or not.


    In a way, that was only natural.


    Because of her narcolepsy, the years she had actually lived were less than a tenth of her actual age. She¡¯d never had enough time to experience the feeling of love.


    But at the same time....


    A tear flowed from her eye as she watched the four of them together.


    But while the two wallowed in sadness, the world happily revolved around Woo-Moon¡¯s triumphant return.


    <i>Huff!</i>


    With a loud roar, Eun-Ah ran over and rubbed her cheek against Woo-Moon¡¯s back.


    <i>Huff, huff.</i>


    ¡°Little beast. Yes, I missed you too. What? Haha, don¡¯t worry about that. Do you really think I¡¯d go somewhere just to get beaten up?¡±


    While Woo-Moon wrestled with Eun-Ah¡¯s massive head, Dae-Woong walked over, following the tiger.


    Ma-Ra saw him approach.


    ¡°What a relief. I missed you.¡±


    Now, Dae-Woong was Ma-Ra¡¯s father-inw, in practice at least, if not on paper. But even so, Ma-Ra¡¯s way of addressing him was still perfectly casual.


    Well, it wasn¡¯t like Ma-Ra was the type to bother with such concepts as formality and seniority.


    Dae-Woong, of course, was also very happy to see Ma-Ra.


    ¡°Whoa, Ma-Ra, you¡¯re actually talking now! You¡¯vee a long way. Good job!¡±


    Seeing Ma-Ra smile faintly at those words, Dae-Woong was even more surprised.


    ¡°Oh my! Are you even smiling now?¡±


    A simple thing like Ma-Ra¡¯s smile really moved Dae-Woong. Of course, even if his emotions weren¡¯t as vivid as Woo-Moon¡¯s when he first saw her smile, Dae-Woong had always felt sorry for Ma-Ra and thought of her as a daughter, and seeing her smile made his nose sting.


    Dae-Woong wiped his eyes, trying to pretend that nothing was going on. Then he smiled mischievously.


    ¡°I should have realized when I saw you two together back then. Well, it¡¯s to be expected. You¡¯ve been sharing a room for so long it¡¯s understandable you¡¯d develop feelings,¡± he said teasingly.


    Yeo-Seol, who waspletely unaware that Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra had been sharing a room since long ago, turned to look at Woo-Moon in disbelief, just in time for Si-Hyeon¡¯s jaw to drop to the ground.


    ¡°There were special circumstances. I didn¡¯t...¡±


    Just as Woo-Moon was about to say that he wasn¡¯t the one who had proposed that arrangement, Ma-Ra cut him off.


    ¡°He was a bad guy.¡±


    With that short sentence, Ma-Ra disappeared.


    ¡°W-what?!! Hey, hey, hey, what are you talking about?! Come out now!?


    Woo-Moon¡¯s face turned pale.


    How many times had he been misunderstood because of Ma-Ra¡¯s actions?!


    By this point, it was clear that she was doing it intentionally.


    1. The main characters of the author¡¯s two other books, <i>The Sun and Moon Divide the Heavens</i> and <i>The Sixth Heavenly God</i>. ?

 Chapter 237. Within Ten Paces, Youll Find A Fragrant Flower (8)

    <h4>Chapter 237. Within Ten Paces, You''ll Find A Fragrant Flower (8)</h4>


    He wasn¡¯t sure whether tough or to cry.


    Ma-Ra was finally enjoying herself and even ying pranks, and that naturally made Woo-Moon happy. On the other hand, however, her fun was really making his life rather difficult right now.


    "You pervert!" Si-Hyeon said, ring at him.


    Yeo-Seol also looked at him with anger. "What they say is right. Men are all beasts!"


    "I-I told you, that''s not true! Why won''t you believe me?!"


    "Hmph!"


    "Hmph!"


    The two of them snorted and turned their heads at the same time.


    Because of the way they moved, Woo-Moon didn''t notice that they were smiling as they turned their heads.


    Then, they realized they¡¯d forgotten something rather important and rushed to greet Dae-Woong.[1]


    ¡°Father-inw, what a relief it is to see that you''re okay."


    "I-it''s good to meet you, Father-inw. My name is Ha Yeo-Seol."


    Dae-Woong looked at Si-Hyeon, who had been his son''s junior sister and was now his son''s wife, with a pleased expression. Then, he looked at Yeo-Seol, who was just as pretty as Si-Hyeon or Ma-Ra, and felt even more pleased.


    <i>''Well, at least one of my sons is filial.''</i>[2]


    "Good. It¡¯s so nice to see you again, Si-Hyeon. And you said your name was Ha Yeo-Seol, right? I heard a lot about you from Woo-Moon. You¡¯re just as cute and lovely as he says.¡±


    ¡°Oh? <i>Ehehe...</i>.¡±


    Yeo-Seol nced at Woo-Moon and smiled, seemingly grateful for the kind words. Her face was filled with happiness.


    Woo-Moon, who had been smiling, suddenly made a sheepish expression.


    "Speaking of that, Father, I have to apologize."


    "Hmm? About what? What is it?"


    "Because I got married without permission from you or Mother, and because I got married even though I couldn''t find you."


    Dae-Woong¡¯s expression turned bitter. Indeed, thinking about it made him sad. However, he understood the general situation at hand¡ªSi-Hyeon had to fulfill her duty as the Heavenly Demon¡ªso he took a deep breath and shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind.


    "Well, from what I heard, the wedding was interrupted before it ended. Isn''t it fine if we just continue it now?"


    Woo-Moon''s eyes widened. That did in fact make some amount of sense.


    "You know what, you¡¯re right. How about we just start from the beginning?"


    ***


    And that was what they did.


    While someined, saying that this was unreasonable and against etiquette, Dae-Woong, Woo-Moon, and their familypletely ignored all of it.


    What mattered most was their happiness. Their own happiness and satisfaction.


    They cared nothing about etiquette or what other people thought. Who had the luxury to think about things like that?


    Who knew when one of them would die?


    Who knew whether Woo-Moon would emerge alive from his inevitable encounter with the Martial Heaven God?


    And if he, the strongest of them, died... then everything would be over for everyone.


    Nothing was more important than the present.


    Although Woo-Moon¡¯s mother wasn''t there, he was happy that his father was able to attend. Now that he had his father''s blessing, getting married held much more meaning.


    ***


    After the dreamlike first night, the next morning came.


    Woo-Moon carefully left the bedroom so as not to wake Si-Hyeon, who was sleeping soundly next to him, and headed to his father.


    Fortunately, Dae-Woong was awake. No, to be exact, he had been up all night, unable to sleep.


    He was alone in the training hall behind the manor, training.


    "Father."


    "Huh? Oh, you''re here, son."


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Dae-Woong¡¯s face was filled with worry. How could it not be? His wife, the mother of his children, was locked in a prison somewhere alone!


    However, Dae-Woong forced a smile in front of his newlywed son.


    "Brat. On days like today, you''re supposed to stay by your wife''s side until she wakes up. Well, I guess you still don''t know much about married life, do you."


    "... You said Mother is still there, right?"


    Startled by Woo-Moon''s sudden question, Dae-Woong shook his head from side to side, then sighed.


    "Yes. I am really worried about her... Well, your mother would be so happy to hear the news of your and Si-Hyeon''s marriage. She really would have wanted to be at your wedding."


    Woo-Moon clenched his fists.


    The hatred he felt toward Martial Heaven for turning his happy family into this mess was already bone-deep.


    <i>''Before I end it all, I have to save Mother and Gun-Ha first. That way, I can fight with peace of mind.''</i>


    He looked at Dae-Woong.


    "Do you know where those bastards'' headquarters is?"


    Dae-Woong shook his head. He had thought about this for hours on end; however, no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn''t even begin to guess where it was.


    "Both when they took me there and when they took me out, they knocked me out. I honestly have no idea."


    Woo-Moon absolutely had to save his mother, but he didn''t even know where to go. It was incredibly frustrating.


    He felt a sigh escape his lips.


    Although he had to save Jin-Jin and Gun-Ha even a day sooner if possible, there was nothing he could do.


    <i>''Just a little longer... Just wait a little longer, Mother. I''m sorry. I''ll find you as quickly as possible. Until then...''</i>


    From that day on, the Righteous Faction of the <i>murim</i>, Heavenly Demon Cult, and the external hidden forces simultaneously began to scour the Central ins thoroughly.


    They had been searching anyway at Woo-Moon''s request. But now that the influence of the supreme existence named Song Woo-Moon had grown stronger, and awareness of Martial Heaven spread throughout the <i>murim</i>, they began to search more deeply and actively than before.


    ***


    Three days passed.


    Woo-Moon was training alone, as always.


    Before, he had only practiced martial arts for his joy and pleasure. Training was certainly hard, but he thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it, and he trained for sheer enjoyment.


    Now, he was training for his family, for their survival.


    How could it not feel different?


    There was a lot for him to gain from it. After all, there was a difference between when he was training with a joyful heart because he enjoyed martial arts and when he was training desperately, forcing himself to keep going. The differences he felt between those two were a form of training of its own.


    After trainingte into the night, Woo-Moon prepared to go to bed. By his side was Ma-Ra, dressed in the same flower gown as always.


    Suddenly, as he looked at her, he felt a pang of pain in his heart.


    The next morning, he went out as soon as the sun rose, bought a bundle of pretty clothes from the most popr store he could find in the city, andid them out in front of Ma-Ra.


    "What is this?"


    Woo-Moon rubbed the tip of his nose as if embarrassed.


    "It''s a gift. Clothes for you. From now on, please wear these too."


    Ma-Ra looked at the clothes for a moment. Then she calmly looked at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Woo-Moon was taken aback.


    "Why? You''ve been wearing that flower gown for too long. It''s time to try other clothes, too..."


    ¡°No!¡±


    Ma-Ra¡¯s eyes showed a hint of anger. As her eyes shed, Woo-Moon felt quite upset in turn.


    He had been looking forward to seeing Ma-Ra excited since the morning and had imagined her pretty appearance in the new clothes. Seeing her response, he felt like an idiot.


    "Hey, why are you reacting like this? I got these for you because I thought you¡¯d like some more nice things. Don¡¯t you like them?"


    Ma-Ra looked away, avoiding Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°That¡¯s... that''s not the problem.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it?¡±


    "This is the first pretty thing I''ve ever worn."


    As she said that, Ma-Ra looked down at her gown. There was clear affection in her voice.


    To her, this old gown held deep meaning. Not only was it something she herself had worn for years now, but it was a gift from a very important person.


    Woo-Moon was also looking at her flower gown¡ªthe flower gown worn by Jin-Jin when she was young and passed down to Ma-Ra the day she¡¯d joined the household.


    <i>''It looks... exactly the same. Even after all this time. There''s no wear, and it doesn¡¯t even have a stain, even after all the fierce battles we''ve been through.''</i>


    Ma-Ra had done everything to keep her flower gown pristine, even if she herself had to get hurt.


    Woo-Moon realized just how much effort she had put into this, and his eyes turned red. He was both touched by her innocence and deeply sorry for the unfortunate childhood that made her cherish such an old flower gown to such a degree.


    <i>''But... now that she''s grown up, it''s time to say goodbye to it. Only then will she be able to grow mentally.''</i>


    Children cherished their first doll until it waspletely worn out and could no longer be used to y. And parting with it was a moment of change in mentality¡ªthey¡¯d be more mature.


    Ma-Ra was exactly like those children right now. First doll, first pretty garment; the form was different, but the thoughts were the same.


    Unable to hold back his sympathy and pity, Woo-Moon hugged Ma-Ra tightly.


    Then, he swore to himself. He would protect this delicate girl from anything and everything, even if it meant giving up his life. He would show her more and help her feel more.


    "Okay. I''m sorry. I made a mistake. I didn''t understand your feelings properly. I... I was too careless. Please forgive me."


    Ma-Ra wasn''t being stubborn just because. This was not just the first present she¡¯d ever received, but also a reminder of Jin-Jin¡¯s love and care. How could she not be attached to it?


    Now that he understood all of that, Woo-Moon shed a tear without realizing it.


    At the same time, tears flowed from Ma-Ra¡¯s eyes as well.


    ¡°We¡¯re crybabies.¡±


    Hearing Ma-Ra''s blunt words, Woo-Moonughed as he felt the tears flowing down his cheeks.


    ¡°Haha, hahahaha. Hahahahahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Idiot,¡± Ma-Ra said quietly as she rested her head on Woo-Moon¡¯s solid chest.


    The two of them stood there, unmoving, enjoying each other¡¯s heartbeat and scent.


    ***


    When he wasn''t training, Woo-Moon spent most of his time instructing his two disciples and the Song Family guards, who could be considered his unofficial disciples. Besides that, he spent every moment with his three women.


    "Alright, stop. Even though I told you to rx, you''re still using too much strength. Loosen up a little. While having moderate tension can be helpful, being too tense is worse than not being tense enough. Keep reminding yourselves of that."


    Woo-Moon was always strict in front of his disciples.


    After diligently guiding his disciples, Woo-Moon walked over to the well for some water, filled a bucket, and drank. For some reason, having some fresh water from the well always made him feel good.


    "It''s been a while, Battalion Leader."


    "Hmm?"


    Woo-Moon raised his head, and the clear water dripped down his chin, flowing down his neck, soaking his clothes and dripping onto the ground.


    He wiped the water dripping down with his sleeve andughed.


    ¡°Ra Mi! It¡¯s so good to see you! I heard you''re now called the Sword Goddess of the South Sea. What a title! Your narcolepsy is all gone now, right?"


    Her first love and her first pain.


    Even though it still hurt, Ra Mi kept it tightly hidden in her heart and smiled.


    "Yes. It''s all thanks to you, Battalion Leader. Thank you so much.¡±


    "No, I may have taught you something, but you¡¯re the one who made the effort. You''ve even reached the Absolute realm. Congrattions."


    "You''re still the same, Battalion Leader. Ah... I''m really happy. I''ve always dreamed of having a real conversation with you without falling asleep in the middle of it."


    "Yeah... It¡¯s a lot easier for me too. It was pretty tough in the past, you know?"


    The past.


    Ra Mi chuckled as she recalled the events that had taken ce during her time as part of the Wind Sword Squadron, fighting the ck Bull Gang. Thinking back now, she really felt nostalgic.


    "Yes, yes. I know. Well... I know it''s a littlete, but I''m really grateful and sorry, Battalion Leader."


    "Come on, don¡¯t take it like that. We¡¯re friends, aren¡¯t we? Anyway, where have you been these past few days? I tried toe say hello but I couldn''t find you at all."


    Ra Mi was speechless for a moment but soon answered with a smile.


    "There were a lot of injured people back at the Hainan Sword Sect, I was so busy taking care of them that I didn''t even have time to close my eyes.[/ref]The original here is ¡°not have time to <i>open</i> one¡¯s eyes,¡± meaning that the time it takes to blink is too much time wasted.[/ref]


    ¡°Hehe, isn¡¯t that good though? You¡¯ve had your eyes closed for long enough.¡±


    1. In Korean culture, you''re expected to drop whatever you¡¯re doing and greet your elders when they arrive, <i>especially</i> your parents-inw. ?


    2. Filial piety dictates that one must get a good wife and have children. ?

 Chapter 238. Within Ten Paces, You’ll Find A Fragrant Flower (9)

    <h4>Chapter 238. Within Ten Paces, You¡¯ll Find A Fragrant Flower (9)</h4>


    ¡°Pfft! I get it, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    It was true that she had tended to her injured subordinates. However, she wasn¡¯t as busy as she said she was. In fact, she had actually thought about going to see Woo-Moon several times in between her duties. She just couldn¡¯t bring herself to do so because of how much her heart ached.


    Ra Mi paused for a moment and then cheerfully said, ¡°So, you must really be happy with your newlywed life these days, Battalion Leader.¡±


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve always dreamed of. Ra Mi, when you meet a good person and get married, you¡¯ll understand, too.¡±


    Ra Mi smiled.


    However, her eyelids and the corners of her mouth couldn¡¯t help but tremble.


    ¡°Yeah. I should too... a good person... when I meet a good person, I mean.¡±


    The two chattered for a while longer, and then Woo-Moo left.


    He walked away, while she stayed there by herself.


    After walking for a while and turning into an alley, Woo-Moon heaved a deep sigh, and a dark expression appeared on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± he quietly muttered.


    Meanwhile, Ra Mi, who was standing still, looking down at the ground, kicked a rock without any reason before suddenly bursting into tears.


    ¡°A good person... There¡¯s no one like that, Battalion Leader. There¡¯s no one better than you, so what am I supposed to do...¡±


    She wanted Woo-Moon to help her.


    Just like when he had helped her when she was in danger. Like when he had taken care of her warmly without getting annoyed while she still had narcolepsy. Like when he had created an entire cultivation method for her and patiently taught her, helping her be an Absolute Master.


    Ra Mi, still a child in an adult¡¯s body, sobbed, rubbing her arms with both hands as if she was cold.


    ***


    Woo-Moon and Dae-Woong walked together behind the training hall.


    ¡°Father, have you remembered anything by any chance?¡±


    It was maybe the hundredth time he was asking, but once more, Dae-Woong shook his head with a serious expression.


    <i>¡®What should we do?¡¯ </i>


    At that moment, a red fog suddenly appeared on one side of the training ground.


    ¡°I-Is that the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor?¡±


    Dae-Woong was shocked, but Woo-Moon reached out and calmed his father.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I noticed he was here. I just let him approach because it seemed strange. He knows I can kill him, so I¡¯m not sure what he¡¯s even doing here.¡±


    Indeed, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor appeared from the blood mist.


    ¡°Thanks for sparing me the trouble of looking for you. Killing you was one of the things I had to do before I started my battle with Martial Heaven. But... why did youe to me? Did youe here to offer your head out of regret over your past evil deeds?¡± Woo-Moon spoke coldly.


    Now that he had be a Zenith Master, untouchable energy flowed out from him, making it so that even an Absolute Master like the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had difficulty standing upright.


    ¡°I know where your mother is imprisoned. Martial Heaven¡¯s headquarters. I can guide you there.¡±


    Woo-Moon and Dae-Woong both quivered.


    <i>¡®What are you nning, Blood Cloud Devil Emperor?¡¯</i>


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was, in a sense, quite simr to the Martial Heaven Emperor. While he was a man, he looked more beautiful than a woman.


    Of course, the Martial Heaven Emperor had originally been a woman, only turning into a man unintentionally due to another person¡¯s tricks, and actually missed and reminisced about his time as a woman.


    On the other hand, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was greatly ashamed of his womanly appearance. Having been forced to spend years as a sex ve, he had fostered hatred for himself and even greater hatred for everyone else.


    The two were extremely different.


    However, as Woo-Moon said before, he couldn¡¯t forgive the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor just because he had such a horrid past.


    Of course, he personally felt pity for the man¡¯s cruel life, but that did not excuse his deeds. After all, there were definitely many innocent people among those that the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had indiscriminately ughtered.


    ¡°If you¡¯re trying to get something in return for that information...¡±


    Before Woo-Moon could finish his sentence, Blood Cloud Devil Emperor took action first.


    <i>Thud! </i>


    It was the sound of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s knees dropping to the ground.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor pounded his forehead against the ground and shouted so emotionally it sounded as if his throat was bleeding.


    ¡°No conditions! Just please, I beg you! I beg you! Please, help my sister!¡±


    It was hard for Woo-Moon to maintain his cold gaze any longer. His cultivation as a Paragon already allowed him to know when an Absolute Master was lying, and such things were ten times as clear now that he was a Zenith Master. He knew that the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was not putting on a show.


    Of course, there had to be a story behind it.


    At that moment, Ma-Ra appeared behind him like an illusion.


    ¡°...Help him,¡± she whispered in his ear.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    That was the entire discussion. He didn¡¯t even bother to ask why; if that was what she wanted, she certainly had her reasons, and he fully trusted her.


    <i>¡®I need his help anyway, so there¡¯s that.¡¯</i>


    Ma-Ra looked at the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor with pity for a moment before disappearing into the darkness.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll help you. Or rather, I¡¯ll help her. As for your punishment, that remains to be decided.¡±


    The blood that burst from the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s forehead soaked his beautiful face. However, he stared at Woo-Moon without blinking.


    ¡°Thank you. From my heart. Thank you. As long as you can save my younger sister, I don¡¯t care about my life. Once I know she¡¯s saved, you can do whatever you want with me. But... are you really a Zenith Master, like the rumors say?¡±


    The shocking battle between the Martial Heaven Emperor and Woo-Moon was already famous throughout the <i>murim</i>. After all, there had been many witnesses, and they were not bound by any oath of silence.


    The reason the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor hade to see Woo-Moon himself was precisely this rumor.


    ¡°I have indeed reached the level above Paragon.¡±


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s eyes were filled with excitement.


    <i>¡®Good. I didn¡¯te to the wrong person. This is the only way to escape this damned repetition, to save Cho-Ah.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Then what should I do to help you?¡±


    ¡°My little sister... Cho-Ah was kidnapped by Martial Heaven thirty years ago. To be exact, by that damned Sword King.¡±


    ¡°The Sword King? Why?¡±


    ¡°So that he could use me. He would point out those who interfered with his activities or would be harmful to Martial Heaven and made me kill them.¡±


    Woo-Moon knew for a fact that was the truth, but not the entire truth. Not all of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s murders were at the Sword King¡¯s order. Even without thetter, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had a taste for blood and enjoyed the act of killing.


    Those he killed at the Sword King¡¯s orders were just the cherry on top.


    <i>¡®Even so, Martial Heaven and that bastard Sword King are unforgivable. Hypocrites of the highest order.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon regretted killing the Sword King so cleanly.


    ¡°Is your sister also held captive in Martial Heaven¡¯s stronghold?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know where it is, but Ick the ability to do anything about it. You, on the other hand.... You can save her.¡±


    <i>¡®Well, at the very least, he sure loves his younger sister. I¡¯ll give him that.¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon looked at Dae-Woong. The father nodded to his son, and the son grasped his father¡¯s hand tightly to convey his intention.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back. There¡¯s no time to waste, so please tell the others for me, Father, Ma-Ra.¡±


    ¡°Okay, son. You and your mother have to return safely.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Ma-Ra made to follow Woo-Moon. But he shook his head.


    ¡®I¡¯m going alone. It¡¯s dangerous... if we end up meeting the Martial Heaven God, and if he¡¯s stronger than me, you¡¯ll die too.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. If we have to die, we die together.¡±


    Woo-Moon smiled at Ma-Ra as she stood firm.


    <i>Tap.</i>


    He then pressed her acupoints in one swift move, causing her to faint.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I am making light of your resolve. If you choose to die with me, I respect that. But we can¡¯t let our love lead to the death of our child, right?¡± Woo-Moon quietly muttered as he held her in his arms.


    Dae-Woong¡¯s eyes widened at his words.


    ¡°S-son, are you serious? Is my dear daughter really pregnant?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said. In about nine months, you¡¯ll be a grandfather. Ma-Ra must have begun to notice it, too. Of course, I knew the moment the baby was conceived. I could tell when the new life was born.¡±


    Dae-Woong, eyes filled with tears, held onto Woo-Moon¡¯s hand tightly.


    ¡°Son, please. You have toe back alive. For my grandchild!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Woo-Moon immediately left the manor with the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    ***


    A pnquin was slowly moving along the road.


    Two bald, middle-aged men were being carried by ten bearers, both men and women.


    In front of them, four men were diligently sweeping the road of dust, and behind them, five women were taking flower petals out of the baskets they carried and scattering them across the ground.


    Next to them, a boy carrying a load much bigger than his height was walking silently, sweating profusely. The load contained the two men¡¯s various belongings and even more flower petals.


    The entire group walked quietly.


    Well, it wasn¡¯t like they had any alternative. After all, all the attendants had damaged vocal cords and didn¡¯t have the ability to make a sound even if they wanted to.


    About thirty years ago, the two middle-aged men¡¯s attendants were secretly badmouthing them as they served them. Once they found out, the two middle-aged men killed them all, then proceeded to remove the vocal cords of all ves they subsequently purchased.


    As for the two men...


    One was among the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors, while the other was one of the Six Rising Challengers.


    They were real blood brothers, and they were known as the Five Poisons Twin Emperors.[1]


    The elder brother was the first to perfect his martial arts and was appointed one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors. Then, he sacrificed countless people and massive amounts of poison to help his younger brother develop his poison arts as well. Eventually, the younger brother became an Absolute Master and one of the Six Rising Challengers.


    The elder of the Five Poisons Twin Emperors, Geum Jae-Beom, had a colorful scorpion in his hand and was petting it as if it were some kind of cute butterfly.


    ¡°Adorable little rascal. You have to grow up well.¡±


    While the attendants were extremely skinny due to not being able to eat properly, the two men were very plump, and even the scorpion looked like it was quite well fed.


    ¡°Are you hungry? Here, let me give you some food.¡±


    Geum Jae-Beom opened the box on one side of the pnquin and held a bright red marten in his hand.


    As soon as Geum Jae-Beom touched it, the marten trembled before falling t on its back and fainting.


    <i>Crunch, crunch, crunch.</i>


    The scorpion chewed the marten with relish. Then, at some point, the scorpion¡¯s shell suddenly changed and began to emit a five-colored light.


    ¡°Oho! Your venom has finally reached its peak.¡±


    Geum Jae-Beom quickly lifted the scorpion to his mouth and bit off its head.


    <i>Crunch.</i>


    Such are the whims of nature¡ªone moment you¡¯re the predator, one moment you¡¯re the prey.


    Geum Jae-Beom greedily ate the scorpion raw. Although the red scorpion was about as venomous as anything could get, to Geum Jae-Beom, it was the most delicious food and an elixir to increase his own venom.


    At that moment, from a box that Geum Jae-Beom hadn¡¯t closed yet because he was too busy eating the scorpion, a Fire Dancing Rat crawled up and escaped.


    ¡°Huh? How dare you?!¡±


    Geum Jae-Beom naturally noticed the Fire Dancing Rat¡¯s escape and quickly caught it again. However, by that point the rat had already caused an ident.


    A pnquin bearer whose neck had been bitten by the Fire Dancing Rat suddenly lost all of his strength and copsed on the spot.


    Though they were used to their masters¡¯ venomous ways, the other pnquin bearers were startled and stopped on the spot in shock.


    Geum Jae-Beom grimaced and then shouted, ¡°What the hell are you doing? Why are you stopping?! Walk, walk faster, run! The moment the smell of that corpse reaches my nose, all of you will die!¡±


    1. The Five Poisons are the five poisonous/venomous creatures known in ancient China: snakes, scorpions, centipedes, toads, and spiders. ?

 Chapter 239. Within Ten Paces, You’ll Find A Fragrant Flower (10)

    <h4>Chapter 239. Within Ten Paces, You¡¯ll Find A Fragrant Flower (10)</h4>


    ¡°What? The Fire Dancing Rat? Damn it! Hurry up and keep going!¡±


    Geum Seung-Beom, Geum Jae-Beom¡¯s younger brother, also urged the ves. As his words were not enough, he picked up a thick whip and swung it wildly.


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    As the group hurriedly left, the pnquin bearer who had been bitten by the Fire Dancing Rat and had been left behind soon had blisters all over his body, as if he was being roasted. Before a minute had passed, he was already dead.


    The Five Poisons Twin Emperors entered arge inn located where four major roads intersected.


    Most of the ves stayed outside; only two of the particrly pretty girls went in with them.


    The two emperors frowned as soon as they entered the inn and pointed to where they would sit.


    ¡°Clean it immediately.¡±


    The two girls rushed over and diligently wiped the chairs and tables.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you work harder?¡±


    Geum Jae-Beom swung his whip, striking one of the girls across the back. Her clothes tore and her flesh turned red, starting to swell. However, she didn¡¯t show any signs of pain and just quietly did her work.


    The moment Geum Jae-Beom and Geum Seung-Beom sat down to order, the door to the inn opened, and two young men entered.


    One of the two young men was so beautiful that it was difficult to tell if he was a man or a woman, and while the other appeared ordinary at first nce, he was actually exceptionally handsome if one looked closely. The first one had a fan tucked in his belt, while the other, in an unusual disy, had not one but three swords.


    Woo-Moon and the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor found a ce to sit and ordered some food as well.


    After a while, their dishes started toe out one by one, and both parties began to eat.


    Apart from them, there was one other party inside the inn¡ªdisciples of the most powerful sect in the area, the Azure Eagle Gate.


    As Woo-Moon ate, he kept ncing at the Five Poisons Twin Emperors, frowning. Both their aura and the sight of the two girls standing around without even eating made him extremely ufortable.


    Those of the Azure Eagle Gate also looked at the two warily before eventually rxing and beginning to chat.


    ¡°Junior brother, so there was nothing on your side either?¡±


    ¡°Yeah... Honestly, we searched until we couldn¡¯t walk anymore, but we found nothing at all. No news of Martial Heaven or Song Woo-Moon¡¯s mother. ¡°


    ¡®I see. Well, we have to work even harder. Who knows, she might be around here. The<i> gangho</i> relies on us.¡±


    Woo-Moon felt both happy and guilty as he listened to their conversation.


    <i>¡®But they don¡¯t seem to know me... Well, they wouldn¡¯t know what I look like, would they? It¡¯s not like they¡¯ve ever seen me before.¡¯</i>


    He didn¡¯t really have any intention of telling them who he was, either. He just nned to finish his meal quietly and hurry on his way.


    Still, the Five Poisons Twin Emperors kept bothering him.


    <i>¡®The bloodlust those two have... They¡¯ve definitely killed a lot of people. And those mute girls... Were their vocal cords damaged? And they look numb, as if they don¡¯t even care about their own lives anymore. Is that because of those two Absolute Masters?¡¯</i>


    By this point, the conversation among the disciples of the Azure Eagle Gate was getting more and more animated.


    They had reached the stage where they were all shouting back and forth, saying that they must wipe out the Martial Heaven bastards for the sake of the <i>gangho</i>, and protect the <i>gangho¡¯s</i> justice. Then, the youngest disciple identally hit his bowl in his fervor, causing one of his stir-fried onions to fly through the air andnd on Geum Jae-Beom¡¯s shoe.


    Geum Jae-Beom¡¯s eyebrows rose as he emitted a burst of bloodlust.


    Watching it all, Woo-Moon was about to take action. However, Geum Seung-Beom shook his head at that moment and pped his brother¡¯s leg.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t in the Western Swamps anymore. Let it go, Hyung.¡±


    Since they valued their own lives more than anything else, they were worried that they might get chased out of this foreignnd if something really happened.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, sir. I made a mistake, so let me clean it for you,¡± said the young disciple, grabbing a cloth.


    Following his brother¡¯s words, Geum Jae-Beom decided to hold back. So, he suppressed his anger before speaking up.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll spare your life this time, so lick my shoe clean.¡±


    Geum Seung-Beom nodded, thinking that his older brother was being very patient indeed.


    For the two of them, who had ruled as tyrants in the Western Swamps, this was truly a lot to endure. However, from the perspective of the disciples of the Azure Eagle Gate, that wasn¡¯t the case at all.


    The youngest member of the Azure Eagle Gate blushed in shame, and at the same time, the eldest of the disciples stood up immediately.


    ¡°Hey, old man, aren¡¯t you going too far over a single onion?¡±


    In this ce, where the Azure Eagle Gate held great influence, the fact that he wasn¡¯t mentioning the name of his sect was enough to show that he was a person of great integrity.


    However, Geum Jae-Beom didn¡¯t think so. He sneered.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even want to have to listen to what you brats were saying in the first ce. What? Martial Heaven? Hmph, talking all that shit about some useless person or another. It¡¯s really funny to see you weaklings talking nonsense and praising that Song Woo-Moon or whatever as if he¡¯s the king of the world.¡±


    ¡°What? How dare you, bald bastards!¡±


    As the angry Azure Eagle Gate members stood up, the Five Poisons Twin Emperor snapped his fingers.


    ¡°Ke... kekeke.¡±


    A cold, mockingughter echoed throughout the inn.


    The Five Poisons Twin Emperors stopped in their tracks and turned around, ring at the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor with a fierce expression.


    ¡°You dareugh at us adults?¡±[1]


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor leaned back on his chair, raised both hands, and shrugged his shoulders. He was motioning for Woo-Moon, who was the stronger of them and in fact the topic of the ongoing conversation, to handle things himself.


    Woo-Moon also made up his mind about the two emperors.


    ¡°The existence of the group called Martial Heaven is now a fact that all martial artists cannot deny. Considering they are incredibly powerful and fully intent on wiping out the <i>murim</i>, all of the <i>murim</i> should be joining forces now against them. So, why are youughing at them?¡± he said, looking directly at the two.


    The Five Poisons Twin Emperors looked at Woo-Moon as if wondering who the fuck he was that he dared address them.


    ¡°Martial Heaven? The annihtion of the <i>murim</i>? Wasn¡¯t it that brat who said such a preposterous thing? And even if it¡¯s true, so what? That so-called Zenith of yours, Song Woo-Moon should be the one to step forward and handle it. Otherwise, why do you Righteous Faction dumbasses keep pping your lips about him?¡±


    Geum Seung-Beom snickered at Geum Jae-Beom¡¯s words.


    ¡°Right, that brat is just bragging. Zenith, <i>pfft.</i> You should say at least something reasonable. Martial Heaven? If those bastards attack us, they should first hope that they don¡¯t turn into a handful of blood from the poison.¡±


    ¡°I mean, even his grandpa, that bastard Palm Martial Emperor, was full of it. The grandson is no different. Anyway, tsk, tsk...¡±


    The Azure Eagle Gate disciples, whose faces turned red, rushed at the Five Poisons Twin Emperors all at once.


    ¡°You bastards, I¡¯ll make you regret talking nonsense right this minute!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! You little rascals dare!¡±


    The moment Geum Seung-Beom red at the Azure Eagle Gate disciples, an invisible energy materialized and captured them all.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    It was a disy of Absolute Qi. Even though the emperor wasn¡¯t using his hands, the Azure Eagle Gate disciples¡¯ faces turned pale, and they started to choke.


    ¡°How dare you? Do you even know who we are?¡±


    ¡°It looks like it¡¯s been too long since we¡¯vee to the Central ins. Who would have thought that there would be people who would attack the Five Poisons Twin Emperors without knowing who they¡¯re dealing with?¡±


    The Azure Eagle Gate disciples struggled like butterflies caught in a spider¡¯s web. However, none of them could escape.


    ¡°Who should I kill first? Hmm, let¡¯s see if your great sword hero or whatever can save you.¡±


    As one of the Five Poisons Twin Emperors was about to lift his sword, Woo-Moon took a step forward.


    At that moment, all of the Absolute Qi that the Five Poisons Twin Emperors had been spreading disappeared all at once.


    The Five Poisons Twin Emperors looked at Woo-Moon in surprise at the unexpected surprise.


    ¡°What a bluff. I wonder if you bastards could really say that in front of Woo-Moon himself,¡± the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor said coldly.


    Geum Jae-Beom and Geum Seung-Beom looked at each other.


    ¡°Do you know who the hell that is?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, Hyung. He seems to be an Absolute Master...¡±


    The difference in cultivation between Woo-Moon and the Five Poisons Twin Emperors was so great that the two weren¡¯t able to properly gauge Woo-Moon¡¯s power. They just vaguely guessed that he was at a simr level to them.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. There are two of us. That bastard next to him who looks like a woman seems to be a Peak expert or something.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Then...¡±


    Geum Jae-Beom red at Woo-Moon and grumbled like a lynx.


    ¡°Yeah. Of course, I can say it to him. That brat is a braggart, and his im of being whatever Zenith isplete nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Really...? So that¡¯s what you think, then. Well, I¡¯m that braggart brat Song Woo-Moon.¡±


    As he said this, everyone except for the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, who was chuckling behind him, could see a noticeable stir in the air.


    The eldest of the Azure Eagle Gate disciples suddenly pointed to the three swords on Woo-Moon¡¯s waist.


    ¡°L-l-look at those three swords! That white one must be Lightsh, the ck one Inkde, and the golden one Golden Dragon! H-he... he really is Great Hero Song!¡±


    The Azure Eagle Gate disciples seemed greatly moved. They opened their eyes wide and blinked as if they couldn¡¯t believe their own eyes as they stared at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Let me ask you again. Do you really think I¡¯m lying?¡±


    ¡°Of...¡±


    Geum Jae-Beom was about to say, <i>¡®Of course, I do!¡¯</i>


    However, he found that he couldn¡¯t say anything due to the bloodlust that suddenly washed over him and the pressure that weighed down on him. The same went for Geum Seung-Beom.


    The two werepletely overwhelmed by Woo-Moon¡¯s aura.


    It was only natural. In terms of cultivation, Woo-Moon was two major realms higher than them. It was more than just the difference between an adult and a child; it was more like the difference between an adult and a small bug.


    ¡°Ugh.... agk!¡±


    The Five Poisons Twin Emperors were in pain.


    Woo-Moon suddenly withdrew his aura. As soon as he did so, Geum Jae-Beom and Geum Seung-Beom quickly stepped back and crossed their arms in front of their chests.


    Woo-Moon extended his hand toward them.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The two were struck by a formless, intangible blow. They rolled across the ground, smashing through the tables and chairs of the inn.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t as big of a blow as they had expected, so Geum Jae-Beom and Geum Seung-Beom simultaneously leapt into the air and unleashed two Five Poisons Heaven ying Palms.


    However, their terrifying poison attacks, which had taken the lives of countless people, were nothing more than a tickling breeze to Woo-Moon. The worst it could do was make him scrunch his nose because of the stench.


    ¡°I-impossible!¡±


    Curses spilled out of the mouths of the Five Poisons Twin Emperors in a state of disbelief. They felt the hairs on their bodies stand on end. That was how vivid their fear of Woo-Moon was.


    They couldn¡¯t believe their own eyes, beginning to wonder if the boasts about Woo-Moon being a Zenith Master were true. It was inevitable after seeing his transcendent power.


    Woo-Moon passed them by and walked toward the two girls.


    The two girls were trembling with fear at the incredible sight of their masters being knocked down by a young man.


    Woo-Moon smiled gently as his qi, filled with gentle softness, enveloped them.


    ¡°<i>Aaagggg</i>...¡±


    Their voices sounded nothing like the articte speech of a human; they sounded like animals groaning.


    Woo-Moon, heart aching, walked towards the two and reached out a hand.


    His qi spread out and enveloped them, scanning their entire bodies to check their conditions before going to the terribly damaged vocal cords and carefully enveloping them.


    Then, after pressing their acupoints and numbing their ability to feel pain, he tore their faulty vocal cords and started to reattach them, putting everything back together properly.


    Something unknown was happening inside their bodies. Of course, that would normally cause them to be scared, but Woo-Moon¡¯s presence was... warm, a warmth that they had never felt before in their lives. It was so warm that they didn¡¯t even think of fighting back; they simply let him do whatever he was doing.


    After a while, Woo-Moon smiled brightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright now. Say something,¡± he said.


    1. Remember, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor looks like a teenager. ?

 Chapter 240. Within Ten Paces, Youll Find A Fragrant Flower (11)

    <h4>Chapter 240. Within Ten Paces, You''ll Find A Fragrant Flower (11)</h4>


    The two hesitated, unable to believe Woo-Moon¡¯s words. Then, they nced at the Five Poisons Twin Emperors out of the corners of their eyes. They were afraid that they would be punished if they followed Woo-Moon''s words.


    "Are you afraid of them? You don''t have to be."


    Of course, they vaguely guessed that Woo-Moon was stronger, seeing that the Five Poison Twin Emperors were still staying still even after being beaten by Woo-Moon earlier. However, the brutal abuse they had endured on their bodies had imprinted on their souls.


    Thus, even though they felt that something had changed in their bodies, their instincts warned them against breaking their masters¡¯ orders.


    "First of all, if we stay here, we''ll be a nuisance to the inn. Let''s go outside."


    As he said that, Woo-Moon shed out of the inn, handing a gold tael to the innkeeper on the way out.


    ¡°T-this is...!¡±


    The innkeeper¡¯s eyes widened.


    What Woo-Moon had just given him was an enormous amount, absolutely dwarfing what Woo-Moon and the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had eaten. Even ounting for the damage to his restaurant, it was still an absurd amount.


    <i>''I''ve met the God of Wealth, the God of Wealth! With this amount of money, I''ll be able to feed the kids delicious meat dishes for a while!''</i>


    ¡°Thank you, Great Hero Song, thank you!¡±


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor followed behind Woo-Moon, and like chicks following the mother bird, so did the Azure Eagle Gate disciples.


    Meanwhile, the Five Poisons Twin Emperors hesitated, looking at each other. Woo-Moon nced at them.


    ¡°Come out.¡±


    As soon as he said that, a sharp qi wave stabbed at their backs, and the Five Poisons Twin Emperors hurriedly followed after him, feeling their backs prickle.


    As they walked, however, Geum Jae-Beom dipped his finger in a poison he hid within his robes and flicked it at Woo-Moon.


    There was no sound, no scent, no color.


    It was impossible to tell how many people lost their lives to this sneak attack. In fact, since well before he had be an Absolute Master, Geum Jae-Beom had killed enemies much stronger than himself in this manner.


    The moment the poison touched Woo-Moon''s nape, the expressions of Geum Jae-Beom and Geum Seung-Beom brightened. While they didn''t have any faith in hurting him if they failed to poison him, they felt that if the poison actually reached him, that would be the end of him.


    What Geum Jae-Beom had just used was the Absolute Poison they had created themselves, the Crouching Tiger''s Fang. It prated the skin as soon as it touched it, destroying the nervous system of one''s entire body and stopping the heart in a single breath. It was his magnum opus that he had worked on for his entire life.


    He was confident that it would win against any other poison master''s most potent poison, whether in the Central ins or the foreignnds.


    Sadly, Woo-Moon was just fine. His physique had been immune to Absolute-level poisons for years, and even Paragon-level poisons would fail to hurt him in the slightest now.


    Woo-Moon simply strolled forward without any issues, and the Five Poisons Twin Emperors, whosest hope had disappeared, clenched their teeth.


    After everyone emerged from the inn, Woo-Moon looked at the two girls.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid of those baldies anymore. I''ll help you if they try anything."


    As he said that, Woo-Moon stretched his hand toward the sky.


    Then, a truly fantastic sight emerged. A golden light shot out of his hand and soared into the sky, touching a cloud that was leisurely passing by.The golden light vanished, but the next moment, the cloud changed its shape.


    The long, flowing cloud gathered into a single mass, forming a circle before plummeting toward the ground.


    Something happened that seemed to break everyw of nature: a circle of clouds was floating right above Woo-Moon¡¯s palm.


    "Ah, ah?!"


    "Howsi..."


    The two girls eximed in surprise, then btedly noticed that they had eximed in surprise.


    "I-I can talk!"


    "My throat doesn''t hurt anymore!"


    At this moment, the two even forgot about the Five Poisons Twin Emperors.


    Tears filled their eyes and flowed down their cheeks.


    <i>''What a relief. It hasn''t been that long since they had their vocal chords severed, so they haven''t forgotten how to speak.''</i>


    Woo-Moon looked at the cloud that was quietly resting on his palm.


    Normally, if one dragged a cloud down to the ground, it wouldn''t exist in this form. It would shrink due to the changing temperature and pressure, turning into a fog before eventually dissipating.


    However, Woo-Moon had covered the entire cloud with his qi, creating an environment identical to that of the high altitudes.


    He sent the cloud toward Five Poisons Twin Emperors.


    <i>Swoosh!</i>


    A refreshing sound rang out.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The gray-white cloud covered the Five Poisons Twin Emperors. They were enveloped in such thick fog that they couldn¡¯t even see their own hands.


    Even if they were to open their mouths to say something, nothing that they said would be transmitted to the outside world due to Woo-Moon¡¯s qi barrier.


    Woo-Moon looked at the two girls.


    "They are the ones who ruined your voices and abused you, right?"


    It wasn''t just the two girls, actually. The other ves who were waiting outside for the Five Poisons Twin Emperors were also watching the current situation and were agitated.


    Although Woo-Moon had asked them a question, the two girls still hesitated to answer. They were still terrified of the Five Poisons Twin Emperors, who were still struggling within the cloud.


    However, eventually, the braver of the two girls spoke up.


    "Yes... yes. They are the ones who severed our vocal cords. A-and that''s not all. Whenever they were in a bad mood, they would whip us and abuse us in all sorts of ways. I saw many of us children die because of that. Those bastards... Those bastards are truly the worst devils under the heavens! They''re evil! Evil!"


    Once she opened her mouth and started to tell Woo-Moon all of her grievances, she grew bolder and bolder.


    Then, all the anger she had been holding back burst out, and the girl began spewing out all kinds of curses and swear words.


    At that moment, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, who had been silent until then, opened his mouth.


    ¡°What are you doing, Woo-Moon? How much longer are you going to spend here? Stop ying knight and let¡¯s go.¡±


    "No worries, it¡¯s only going to be a minute. It''s not like I can just let this go after seeing it, can I?"


    Woo-Moon had already been thinking that he couldn¡¯t waste any more time here.


    He had just stepped forward as he felt that his mother would hate it if he just pretended not to see anything.


    Woo-Moon nced at the eighteen ves whose vocal cords were still damaged. Then, aura seeped out of his body and passed through each and every one of them without fail.


    All of their vocal cords were fixed.


    None of them believed him at first when Woo-Moon told them to speak. However, after one of them tried to speak as a test and was indeed able to produce sounds, the others also followed. They burst with tears of joy at having regained their speech.


    Still there was a problem.


    While the younger children were able to recover easily, as it hadn''t been long since their vocal cords had been severed, some of the young men who had been carrying the pnquin had been mute for as long as ten years and thus couldn''t speak properly.


    "Good. Then, for now, all of you children close your eyes. No... you know what, let me do that."


    The children¡¯s arms moved against their will, covering their own eyes.


    Then Woo-Moon looked at the Five Poisons Twin Emperors. The fog that had surrounded them disappeared all of a sudden.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to die now.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes filled with bloodlust.


    "D-damn it!"


    Thinking that they couldn¡¯t just die like this, the Five Poisons Twin Emperors each unleashed their Five Poisons Heaven ying Palms at Woo-Moon.


    "Tsk. And here you were thinking this weak stuff lets you be on top of the world. Pathetic."


    As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon swung his sword in the air.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The qi de instantly cut off the legs of the Five Poisons Twin Emperors.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHH!!!¡±


    A scream that sounded as if it was tearing one''s vocal cords echoed through the air. The young men who had been carrying the pnquin clenched their fists at the sound.


    They felt a strong sense of exhration, and who could me them? They had suffered immeasurably at the hands of the Five Poisons Twin Emperors.


    "Well, I could be here all day chopping you up bit by bit, but I don''t have the time."


    These words sealed their fate.


    Two aura bolts flew out from his fingers and pierced the Five Poisons Twin Emperors¡¯ foreheads.


    With that, two Absolute Masters of the <i>murim</i>, one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors and one of the Six Rising Challengers, lost their lives simultaneously.


    The Azure Eagle Gate disciples were left speechless.


    Before Woo-Moon had appeared, the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors and the Six Rising Challengers were absolute beings. In the <i>murim</i>, no one could approach them, and everyone had to keep quiet for fear of offending them.


    Among them, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor and the Five Poisons Twin Emperor reigned as absolute nightmares. Although everyone denounced them, iming that they should be killed, no one dared to say that to their faces, much less actually step forward.


    Well, even if they did, they would have ended up corpses anyway.


    However, Woo-Moon had killed the terrifying Five Poisons Twin Emperors all by himself when he wasn''t even in his mid-twenties. And it wasn¡¯t a prolonged and difficult battle; he had done it with a literal flick of his fingers.


    Woo-Moon called out to them as they stood there ck-jawed.


    "Sorry, do you mind if I ask a favor from the Azure Eagle Gate?"


    The eldest disciple of the Azure Eagle Gate regainedposure and cupped his fist.


    ¡°Of course, Great Hero Song. Whatever youmand.¡±


    "Thank you. If it''s fine with you, I¡¯d like you to take care of these people here. It seems like they''re in a miserable state with nowhere to go in the future. Could I ask the Azure Eagle Gate to take responsibility for them? I''lle to offer my thankster."


    Technically, the eldest disciple was still just a disciple and didn''t have the authority to ept such a proposal. However, he was so impressed by Woo-Moon and so excited that his mouth began to move before he could even think.


    ¡°Understood. From now on, they will all be part of the Azure Eagle Gate!¡±


    But Woo-Moon shook his head.


    "No. If any of them want to learn martial arts and be martial artists, then please ept them as disciples. But if they don''t want to, then please just help them with whatever they want. That''s my wish for them."


    "Ah! Understood, Great Hero Song. I will definitely do so.¡±


    One of the Azure Eagle Gate disciples with a rtively cool head tried to stop the eldest disciple from making a hasty decision before quickly changing his mind.


    <i>''No. Making Great Hero Song owe us a debt here is much more valuable than what it would cost to take responsibility for a few children. I''m sure that the Gate Master will be happy about it.''</i>


    After finishing the conversation, Woo-Moon turned the bodies of the Five Poisons Twin Emperors into dust and blew them into the air. He didn¡¯t want the young children to see the bloody scene, after all.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go, Blood Cloud Devil Emperor," Woo-Moon said after releasing the children.


    When Woo-Moon called his partner ¡°Blood Cloud Devil Emperor,¡± the Azure Eagle Gate disciples¡¯s jaws dropped once again. Not only had Woo-Moon obliterated two of the <i>murim</i>¡¯s long-feared devils, but he was apanied by a third!


    <i>The Undefeatable Sword Immortal and the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor... What are they doing together?</i>


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Seob Un-Ha used his movement art and left first, while Woo-Moon followed him leisurely.


    ***


    "Why did you get involved?"


    "I didn''t have any specific reason. I just felt strangely ufortable."


    As he finished speaking, his interlocutor suddenly began to wilt and then melted to death on the spot, without even a scream.


    Martial Heaven God¡¯s eyes briefly filled with surprise at this scene.


    <i>''How strange. The phenomenon of people dying around me should have disappeared now that I have reached a new realm.''</i>


    Before Martial Heaven God began his closed-door training, he couldn''t have anyone around him other than the Martial Heaven Emperor.


    This was because the martial arts he had learned with the sole purpose of defeating the old Daoist Woo Bok-Hee had be a poison to the world, and even though he had no intention to do that, his Zenith Qi would flow out and kill people around him.

 Chapter 241. Within Ten Paces, Youll Find A Fragrant Flower (12)

    <h4>Chapter 241. Within Ten Paces, You''ll Find A Fragrant Flower (12)</h4>


    <strong><i>Disimer: The opinions expressed in this chapter do not reflect the opinions of Wuxiaworld, our employees, or our partners.</i></strong>


    After finishing his closed-door training and achieving a level that he believed surpassed even Woo Bok-Hee¡¯s, that phenomenon had ceased to ur. Yet now, it was happening again, for some reason he couldn¡¯t understand.


    <i>''Why is this happening?''</i>


    The Martial Heaven God was lost in thought. However, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn''t figure out a reason for this.


    In the end, the Martial Heaven God went back to his quarters and sat there frozen in ce like a stone Buddha, neither sleeping nor eating.


    ***


    The Absolute Master led the way as the Zenith Master followed.


    Naturally, their traveling speed was mind-boggling. Yet even after traveling like this for a long time, Martial Heaven¡¯s headquarters was nowhere in sight.


    This was not because it was terribly far and they couldn¡¯t reach it; the actual reason was the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor''s memory issues.


    A special characteristic of the Blood Devil Merciless Art was that it forced the user to absorb blood to replenish their vital energy periodically. Otherwise, not only their meridians but even the actual blood vessels throughout his body would harden and result in death.


    That was the crux of the problem.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor took Woo-Moon on a search for Martial Heaven''s base using what vague memories he had of his encounters with Martial Heaven¡¯s representatives. However, his mind gradually grew troubled as he wasn''t able to kill and consume blood.


    The first andst time he had visited Martial Heaven¡¯s headquarters was forty years ago. The memories would¡¯ve been faint even if he was perfectly lucid, let alone when his Blood Devil Merciless Art was causing his mind to be as unstable as it was now.


    "...So it wasn''t here, either. There''s no waterfall on this mountain, right?"


    "Don''t push me too hard. We would have already arrived at Martial Heaven if you hadn''t wasted our time at the inn."


    "You''re pretty good at making excuses. We barely spent a few minutes there. And even if we spent that time here instead, do you really think that you would have found the way?"


    As the two argued, not hiding their sharp thorns, they spotted a group running toward them from the opposite mountain path.


    Woo-Moon naturally stepped forward, protecting the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    Right now, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was his only link to Martial Heaven''s base, and he couldn''t afford to lose him.


    Those who came from the other side of the path looked quite impressive¡ªall of them were Transcendent experts or higher.


    A momentter, the young man at the front spotted Woo-Moon and let out a shout.


    "You bastard! Song Woo-Moon, enemies really do meet on a narrow path!¡±


    The man was Eun Dang-Hwi, the son of the Martial Heaven God and the Martial Heaven Emperor. He was also the person whom Woo-Moon had encountered in front of the Heavenly Demon Mound in the past.


    Woo-Moon smiled brightly as he saw him and the Silver Martial Squadron guarding him. Considering the circumstances of their meeting, he was by now aware that this young man had to be someone important in Martial Heaven¡ªin other words, someone who had information he needed.


    "How great. It''s a relief that we''ve run into you."


    Eun Dang-Hwi pulled out his sword, pointed it at Woo-Moon, and shouted, ¡°I should have killed you back then! I let you live because you looked fun, and I thought that you might be able to be my future rival. How fucking dare you do this to me?! How dare you hurt my mother?!"


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes widened, and then he sneered coldly. <i>¡®Well, well, what do we have here!¡¯</i>


    ¡°I see... so you¡¯re her son, huh? The son of the Martial Heaven Emperor! You sure know how to hate others for your ownck of power. If you truly pitied your mother, you should have tried to change Martial Heaven with your own two hands and try to return her to her original state. However, you couldn''t. Moreover, someone like you doesn''t get the right to take pity on someone."


    ¡°Shut up, Song Woo-Moon!¡±


    "Even the concept of you taking pity on someone, <i>anyone</i>, is a betrayal and an insult to the countless innocent people who were killed by you bastards. A devil like you pretends he¡¯s the victim? Are you even serious? Stop saying such boring nonsense. No matter what the cause or motive, no matter what sort of strange fate you''ve been given, in the end, youmitted all of your evil deeds with your own two hands and of your own personal will. You im to be the victim? As if! You bastards can only be divided into more evil and less evil perpetrators!"


    Eun Dang-Hwi couldn¡¯t listen to Woo-Moon¡¯s words any longer. No, he didn¡¯t need to listen. Now that he was standing before his enemy, he had to kill him, and that was that.


    ¡°Kill him!¡±


    The Silver Martial Battalion, which consisted of two Absolute Masters and about a hundred Transcendent experts, rushed Woo-Moon with the momentum of a typhoon. This battalion alone was strong enough topete with the Allied Forces.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor flinched at that overwhelming momentum.


    There were two Absolute Masters who were no less powerful than him and an incredible hundred Transcendent experts. Moreover, Eun Dang-Hwi was moving toward them with incredible momentum¡ªhe was clearly a Paragon! His sheer aura made even one of the world''s strongest, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, tremble!


    However, Woo-Moon waspletely rxed. He simply let Eun Dang-Hwi¡¯s attacks slide by like a swaying willow branch.


    <i>Swish! Shing! Bang!</i>


    While Eun Dang-Hwi''s sword continued to swing at Woo-Moon, apanied by cracking sounds that made it seem as if space itself was tearing, not a single one of his blows even grazed the hem of Woo-Moon¡¯s clothes.


    "You said something about a future rival? Well, I¡¯m sorry about that."


    "Sorry for what?"


    "There¡¯s already something pretty important between me and you."


    No matter how much Eun Dang-Hwi attacked, nothing he did seeded. He felt like he was going crazy right now.


    "And what''s that?!"


    <i>Tap.</i>


    Woo-Moon simply grabbed Eun Dang-Hwi¡¯s head.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Cold sweat ran down the young man¡¯s face. He had no way to dodge Woo-Moon''s hand. How could he, when he couldn''t even see when or how Woo-Moon moved?!


    As long as Woo-Moon applied a little amount of force, if he just struck Eun Dang-Hwi''s acupoint, Eun Dang-Hwi would instantly die.


    He froze in fear.


    "Let go of the Little Heaven!"


    Eun Dang-Hwi''s subordinates rushed at Woo-Moon from behind.


    <i>ng, ng, ng!</i>


    Suddenly, a whirlwind formed around Woo-Moon and flung them all away. About half of the Transcendents died instantly, their torsos torn apart like rags, while the other half were badly injured, left rolling across the ground.


    "I stopped you from attacking innocents, but they are not innocent. Whatever you do now is up to you."


    Immediately, madness shed in the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor''s eyes. And the moment his hand rose, a domain was created around him.


    Blood Cloud Vampiric Membrane!


    All of the Transcendents, dead or alive, fell within the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor''s domain. Their blood was instantly sucked out and into the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor''s body.


    "Keke... <i>Kekeke!</i>"


    The two Absolute Masters, although not fatally injured, were unable to move due to their severe internal injuries. Of course, now that the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was dealing with them, they would no longer move... at all, ever.


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moon sneered at Eun Dang-Hwi, who was clearly in a panic.


    ¡°There¡¯s a gap.¡±


    Eun Dang-Hwi red at Woo-Moon, who snickered again.


    "There''s a gap between you and me that a bastard like you can never ovee."


    Born and raised in Martial Heaven, Eun Dang-Hwi had lived his entire life in the light of the Martial Heaven God. The pride he held was equivalent to the prestige with which he had been imbued since birth.


    And that prideful Eun Dang-Hwi was beingughed at by the very enemy who had killed his mother! He was treated like trash by the scum of the <i>murim</i> that he had so generously spared in the past!


    Ovee by shame and humiliation, he started yelling at Woo-Moon withplete disregard for his own life.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll kill you!!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you would if you could. Sadly, that¡¯s not possible, and it never will be. Allow me to demonstrate," Woo-Moon¡¯s coldly said.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Eun Dang-Hwi¡¯s arm fell off and rolled on the dusty ground. Normally, a severed arm was dead and gone, but his arm kept pping like a fish, clearly still usable.


    "AGH!!"


    Eun Dang-Hwi clenched his other hand into a fist and tried to strike Woo-Moon.


    <i>Shing! Thud!</i>


    The other arm rolled across the ground, too.


    "Ugh... AHHH!"


    The next moment, Eun Dang-Hwi¡¯s lung was pierced by Woo-Moon¡¯s sword, and he spat out blood.


    Eun Dang-Hwi had just be a Paragon; in front of a Zenith Master, he couldn''t boast about his resilience.


    His body was being torn apart, and his mind was disintegrating.


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll meet in the next life and be actual rivals, who knows.¡±


    With thesest words, Woo-Moon drew his sword and finished off his wannabe rival.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had already absorbed the blood of the two Absolute Masters while treating his internal injuries. Then, he saw Woo-Moon discard Eun Dang-Hwi¡¯s corpse. He brought that corpse into his domain and absorbed his blood as well.


    "You should be feeling better now. Let¡¯s go."


    As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon started moving ahead, without waiting for the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor''s guidance.


    His eyes were seeking the traces of Eun Dang-Hwi and his men, using the tracking technique he had learned from Ma-Ra in the past.


    From that point on, things went far more smoothly. Not only did Woo-Moon have some more hints to follow, but the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s condition had stabilized and his memories were getting clearer the closer they got to Martial Heaven''s base.


    Since the two of them had found their paths, and their methodsplimented one another''s, they were no longer wandering aimlessly.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s been forty years. What if... my sister is already dead?¡±


    Although he seemed to be asking Woo-Moon, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor already knew the answer.


    Woo-Moon didn''t respond to him. He wanted to distance himself from Seob Un-Ha as much as possible.


    He didn¡¯t get along with Seob Un-Ha by nature. It had been that way since the first day they met. He still vividly remembered the vengeful spirits of the thousands of people who had been unjustly killed by Seob Un-Ha.


    He was an unforgivable viin.


    Even now, having no other choice but to work with him made Woo-Moon so disgusted that he almost broke out in hives. However, he couldn''t help but feel someone moved, little by little, by the earnest feelings and words of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    <i>''This isn''t good.''</i>


    "Before our family was annihted, my sister and I were truly happy. Well... were we? Who knows, it might just seem better than it actually was because it''s the past."


    "..."


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t say anything and continued to look for the way to Martial Heaven. However, Seob Un-Ha continued to speak, as if he was just talking to himself.


    "That little rascal.... There was an entire eight years between us. In fact, when my mother or our nanny wasn''t around, I used to carry her on my back and take care of her. Haha, you don''t know how cute she was, I almost died of cuteness when I looked at her getting rice on her cheeks because she couldn''t use her chopsticks properly."


    Woo-Moon realized it for the first time¡ªthat even a viin who had abandoned his humanity like the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor couldugh as purely and clearly as a young child.


    Seob Un-Ha''s excited voice gradually softened. He slowly told Woo-Moon about his family and his little sister, all the way until... as it turned out, his entire family was murdered, his sister included.


    "After that, my family was annihted, and I was sold to a ve trader. And that''s when I met my younger sister."


    Woo-Moon had assumed that the younger sister that Seob Un-Ha wanted to save was his blood sister. As it turned out, that wasn''t the case.


    "My younger sister, Cho-Ah, was the daughter of a poor farmer. She had been sold to the ve trader in the midst of a famine. She was such a kind child... She approached me first and spoke to me warmly, even though everyone else was avoiding me and calling me a traitor.


    "Cho-Ah and I were the most beautiful ves that the ve trader had, and the two of us were sold to the Blood Cult together. At first, we were both really happy because we could stay together. Keke...


    "I started my life as the cult leader¡¯s servant, and my younger sister, who was fourteen at the time, as the cult leader¡¯s concubine. But less than a monthter, that bastard revealed his true nature.¡±


    Woo-Moon found Eun Dang-Hwi¡¯s traces in a stream. If he continued on, it seemed like it wouldn¡¯t be long before he reached the end.


    <i>''There should be a waterfall, right? Looking at the mountains ahead, there has to be a waterfall.''</i>


    "Taking me in as a servant and my younger sister as a concubine was just a ploy to hide his homosexuality. That bastard was a pervert who couldn''t get an erection in front of women. From then on, I became his dirty ything, and my younger sister... my younger sister became the prey of his sadistic and perverted hobby.


    ¡°It''s still so vivid. Whenever he wasn''t assaulting me, I would hear my sister''s screams...


    "<i>He... hehe...</i> I swore that I would protect her, but in the end, I couldn''t. Even though my little sister looked for me to save her, I didn''t have the strength to help. While there were some within the sect and even some outside the sect who found out about our situation, all of them pretended not to know. They all just looked at us with disgusted pity. Each of their gazes seemed to say, ''please understand that the Blood Cult is too strong and we can''t help you.'' Haha. Yeah, that''s how it was."


    When Woo-Moon heard this, he realized something. The blind hatred and distrust that the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had toward people had been formed during this time.

 Chapter 242. Within Ten Paces, Youll Find A Fragrant Flower (13)

    <h4>Chapter 242. Within Ten Paces, You''ll Find A Fragrant Flower (13)</h4>


    Following their enemies¡¯ trails, they arrived at a waterfall.


    <i>''It''s through the waterfall, there''s an opening inside.''</i>


    It was an extremely tall waterfall, as high as fifty zhang.


    About forty zhang up, there seemed to be the entrance to a cave.


    Woo-Moon and the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor rose into the air and flew, breaking through the waterfall and entering the cave. With Woo-Moon''s continued urging, the two went deep into the long and winding cave.


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moon had found out the name of the Blood Cult leader¡ªMoon Ryang.


    That was because the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor cursed Moon Ryang for a long time. His eyes shed with a bloody light as he spoke, his voice dripping with madness.


    "Hey, Song Woo-Moon. That bastard, Moon Ryang, I mean. He must have gone to hell, right? Hehe, and I''ll be going to hell in the end, too, right?"


    "... Of course.¡±


    "That''s good. Good. I''ll go kill that bastard Moon Ryang in hell again. Since you can''t die after reaching hell, I can kill him twice, three times, dozens, hundreds... <i>kekeke...</i>"


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s resentment was so strong that even Woo-Moon got goosebumps. He suddenly felt his chest tighten, and his thoughts started to wander.


    <i>''That''s why I have to end this sadness. Evil people are born at the hands of evil people... if there were no evil people, the cycle would end.''</i>


    Woo-Moon strengthened his conviction regarding his path and beliefs even more.


    Of course, Woo-Moon himself already knew it would be impossible.


    It was impossible to remove evil from the duality of good and evil.


    However, he knew that he could at least reduce it if he tried. He would be able to make things better¡ªor less bad, at the very least.


    With that, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor stopped speaking. He was incredibly anxious and nervous, wondering if the ending he dreaded woulde to be.


    A fairlyrge spacey at the end of the cave, with a pond in the center.


    "There. If you go inside, you''ll find Martial Heaven''s headquarters."


    ¡°Into the pond? How strange.¡±


    The two jumped into the pond at the same time, using Thousand Catty Bast to sink quickly.


    The deeper one goes down into the water, the colder it gets and the stronger the pressure bes, so there¡¯s a limit to how far a human can free dive. However, such concepts simply did not apply to the two.


    After sinking for a while, they reached the bottom of the pond.


    Seeing that a vague light was glowing from what looked like a small hole at the bottom, Woo-Moon sent a Voice Transmission.


    "Should we go down there?"


    "Yes."


    The winding passage was only wide enough for one person to swim through. Woo-Moon took the lead, followed by the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    After a while, Woo-Moon finally swam to where he could see the light. He could see the surface of the water above.


    <i>''Here we go.''</i>


    <i>Ssh!</i>


    Woo-Moon sshed water everywhere as he emerged from theke.


    <i>Ssh!</i>


    As he flew out of the water and spun like a top, water droplets flew out in all directions and pierced the bodies of the seven Martial Heaven warriors guarding theke. The seven Martial Heaven warriors fell forward with shocked expressions. As they died, Woo-Moon discovered a very thin, transparent string connected to their waists.


    <i>''They''re connected to rm bells!''</i>


    Woo-Moon flicked his hand and shot seven sts of finger wind, cutting off the strings.


    However, Martial Heaven was thorough.


    Six of the seven were attached to an rm bell connected far away that would ring if the person connected to the string suddenly moved. However, one of them was actually attached in a manner where the rm bell would ring if the string suddenly lost tension.


    <i>Ring, ring, ring!</i>


    An rm sounded throughout Martial Heaven. Right as it red, Seob Un-Ha emerged from theke.


    "Damn it! I got caught, Seob Un-Ha."


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had an anxious expression.


    "How can a Zenith Master be this sloppy? We have to move quickly. Quickly!"


    Woo-Moon was also feeling quite regretful. He should have thought about it. Instead of simply cutting the threads, he should have used his qi to pin the threads in the air and keep them from moving.


    "Let''s split up, since our goals are different anyway."


    "But I won''t be able to run around Martial Heaven alone. I¡ª"


    "Don''t worry. This is happening because of me, so I''ll take responsibility. I''ll make as much noise as possible to attract their attention, so you move as quietly as possible and go save your little sister."


    No one had ever infiltrated Martial Heaven like this; Woo-Moon definitely was the first. However, the Martial Heaven warriors still acted quickly despite the unexpected situation. He could already hear countless footsteps nearby.


    "You may have killed the Martial Heaven Emperor, but the Martial Heaven God is strong. If hees forward, make sure you keep yourself safe as long as possible and buy time."


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was obviously asking him to hold back the Martial Heaven God until he could save his younger sister.


    Woo-Moon nodded with a serious expression.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    <i>''The higher up you are, the longer it takes you toe down. The Martial Heaven God will send his subordinates first to assess the situation before making a move himself. So, I''ll take this opening to quickly save Mother and escape before he does that!''</i>


    While he felt a little guilty¡ªif the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was too slow, there was nothing he could do¡ªWoo-Moon nned to escape first.


    He didn''t think that he would necessarily lose in a battle against the Martial Heaven God. However, he couldn''t gamble with his mother''s life.


    The time for a decisive battle wasn''t now. His fight woulde after he saved Jin-Jin.


    "Then, let''s split apart here."


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor remembered perfectly the location his younger sister was imprisoned. However, he said that he had no idea where Jin-Jin was. In the end, Woo-Moon had to find her himself.


    <i>''I just hope that the base isn''t that big.''</i>


    Woo-Moon suddenly looked up. Of course, he didn''t see a sky above him, but a cave ceiling. However, countless beads were embedded into the ceiling, all emitting light and warmth.


    <i>''Sunlight Pearls.''</i>


    The Sunlight Pearl was practically a legend, something that only appeared in obscure books that detailed objects people never really came across. They were simr to Luminous Night Pearls, but of a far higher level.


    True to its name, the light from the Sunlight Pearls embedded in the ceiling was no different from normal sunlight. This light was unquestionably why countless nts and animals grew in this cave just like outside, even though it was fully closed.


    Woo-Moon grabbed a massive cleaver that was as tall as he was from among the dead warriors¡¯ weapons. Then, he destroyed the wall of the stone chamber surrounding theke.


    <i>Boom! </i>


    Thick dust rose through the air; the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor turned into a wisp of blood-red smoke, hid himself in the dust, and slipped away.


    ¡°I am Yang Cheon-Hwi, the hidden master of the Imperial Pce! I''vee to punish you, unruly Martial Heaven bastards!¡±[1]


    Woo-Moon shouted whatever came to mind and killed the Martial Heaven warriors rushing toward him with the great cleaver.


    ¡°Ya-Yang Cheon-what?¡±


    "The hidden what of the what? I''ve never heard of a bastard like... agh!"


    Woo-Moon advanced forward, plowing through his enemies with great momentum.


    The underground cave where Martial Heaven was located was extremely tall and wide. It was in fact not much smaller than the imperial capital, and there were numerous pavilions built everywhere.


    "Who dares block the path of General Yang Cheon-Hwi!"


    The reason Woo-Moon was lying through his teeth so audaciously was to confuse Martial Heaven as much as he could, even if it was only for a second, and dy any harm that mighte to Jin-Jin.


    Warriors burst out from each of Martial Heaven¡¯s pavilions. Although there weren''t many of them, each and every one of them was extremely strong. One would be hard-pressed to find a single person who hadn''t reached at least the Peak Stage.


    <i>''I should try to hide my level as much as possible. But I still have to make as much fuss as possible.''</i>


    "HAHAHAHA! BY ORDER OF HIS MAJESTY THE EMPEROR, FUCKING DIE!"


    Completely unlike his usual self, Woo-Moon shouted crazily as if he were a battle-thirsty brute.


    "One de, Two Halves!"[2]


    A Martial Heaven warrior in front of him fell to both sides, with his body split exactly in half.


    While Woo-Moon had the ability to kill thousands of them in a single move, he didn''t do so. He was worried that doing something like that might indeed prompt the Martial Heaven God into making a move.


    <i>''I have to avoid fighting that bastard here as much as possible.''</i>


    Woo-Moon raised his foot and kicked a Martial Heaven warrior in the chest.


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    As the man had his chest crushed and was pushed back into the others, Woo-Moon followed swiftly behind.


    He then grabbed a spear from a warrior close to him and stabbed four people clumped together, impaling them simultaneously.


    "Ha-a-eup!"


    He swung the spear around, impaled people and all, striking everyone in its path. Both the people impaled on the spear and those around him were crushed and random limbs flew everywhere.


    "You damn imperial government dog, you dare?!"


    An Absolute Master pushed past and flew above his subordinates.


    <i>''What kind of weapon is that? Are those Moon Discs attached to chains?''</i>


    <i>nk, nk!</i>


    Eight Moon Discs, each connected to a finger, flew fiercely toward Woo-Moon.


    Of course, from his perspective, they moved slowly enough he had time to get breakfast before they arrived.


    "One de!"


    Woo-Moon lifted the cleaver above his head. Then, his figure seemed to growrger than it actually was. The onlookers felt an enormous sense of intimidation; although only a small part of it was released, his sheer aura was enough to create such an illusion.


    "Two Halves!"


    The great cleaver mmed down on the air with a bang.


    <i>Swoosh! BOOM!</i>


    The sound of air copsing on itself echoed through the cave, and a terrifying wind pressure was generated around the cleaver as it crossed the sound barrier. As the cleaver swung down, it urately split a Moon Disc down the middle.


    The other discs were all sucked in by the vacuum created by the falling saber, and even the fine metal chains imbued with qi shattered, unable to ovee the force.


    ¡°What the...!¡±


    The Absolute Master of Martial Heaven wasn''t able to finish his words. He seemed fine after the attack, but that was just for a moment before he was directly cut in twain.


    Even though he hadn''t been directly hit by the great cleaver, he had been cut by the saber qi imbued into it and the minute amount of Zenith aura disguised within.


    Woo-Moon kicked off the ground once again and dove into the enemy wave.


    "Yang Cheon-Hwi, the hidden master of the Imperial Pce, is here to enact justice on behalf of the heavens! Who dares stand against me!"


    While pretending to be some kind of overpowered government official and causing a massivemotion, Woo-Moon searched for Jin-Jin while conveniently destroying all of Martial Heaven''s halls. Of course, he did his best to avoid giving the impression that he was searching for something.


    ***


    "What? Yang... who? Master of what now?"


    The Forgetful King, who had been diligently cleaning his dagger, as always, frowned. He obviously wasn''t happy with his subordinate''s report.


    "Y-Yang Cheon-Hwi, my lord. The hidden master of the imperial pce, Yang Cheon-Hwi, broke in and is causing amotion."


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    The dagger flew past the cheek of the subordinate and then returned to the Forgetful King''s hand.


    "The next one goes into your throat. Don''t bother me about some dirty dog of the emperor that I''ve never even heard of."


    The Forgetful King went back to sharpening his dagger again.


    This was his favorite time of the day. It made him feel good when these daggers, with which he had spent his entire life, were shining brightly.


    <i>Swish! </i>


    The next moment, a dagger pierced another subordinate''s shoulder before returning to the Forgetful King again.


    ¡°I just told you people not to bother me.¡±


    The subordinate knelt down in pain, sweating profusely.


    "I deeply apologize! However, even the Privy Council¡¯s Fourteenth Martial Spirit was taken down by that bastard."[3]


    It was only then that the Forgetful King stopped sharpening his dagger.


    ¡°The Fourteenth Martial Spirit? Wasn''t that bastard at the peak of the Absolute Stage?"


    "Yes, my lord."


    "Then that Yang Cheon-Hwi must be a Paragon, I suppose. Good, it''s getting a little interesting. What kind of bastard is he?"


    "He''s so massive it''s almostedic, and the saber technique he uses is incredibly crude and barbaric. It seems like he only knows this technique called One de, Two Halves; he just keeps using it over and over again and does nothing else."


    "Oh. Fine... Let''s go see how he is."


    1. The name ?? can mean ¡°fight the heavens¡± or ¡°tie up the heavens.¡± ?


    2. An idiom that means to act without hesitation. In this case, it also works literally. ?


    3. There is no hanja for this man''s title, so it might change based on future context. ?

 Chapter 243. Within Ten Paces, Youll Find A Fragrant Flower (14)

    <h4>Chapter 243. Within Ten Paces, You''ll Find A Fragrant Flower (14)</h4>


    There were twelve Paragons in Martial Heaven.


    Of the twelve, the Great Justice Pce Master, the Great Evil Pce Master, the Great Dark Pce Master, Mu Hu, the Sword King, and the Saber King had lost their lives. Only six remained: the Forgetful King¡ªthe sole survivor among the Three Heavenly Martial Kings, the Four Great Attendants, and Eun Dang-Hwi.


    Of course, that was as far as Martial Heaven knew. They were unaware that Woo-Moon had killed Eun Dang-Hwi, so in reality, there were only five left.


    One of the five, the Forgetful King, slowly approached Woo-Moon while leaving his subordinates behind.


    <i>''Damn it! Just where the hell is she?''</i>


    Although he had thus far managed to avoid involving the Martial Heaven higher-ups by using the made-up identity of Yang Cheon-Hwi, he still had to find Jin-Jin quickly. Moreover, if he wasn¡¯t able to match timing with the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, then saving thetter¡¯s younger sister would also be impossible.


    <i>''Damn it! Just where is she?!''</i>


    Inplete contrast with his impatient and chaotic thoughts, Yang Cheon-Hwi¡¯s external disy was lively, confident, and full of energy. In the meantime, he had killed another two Absolute Masters in a single blow.


    When he had covered about half of the vast Martial Heaven headquarters, the jig was finally up.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    <i>¡®He¡¯s here...¡¯</i>


    A dagger flew in stealthily, but easily Woo-Moon caught it.


    "You! You morons, this guy isn''t whatever Yang Cheon-Hwi, he''s Song Woo-Moon!" shouted the Forgetful King, immediately revealing Woo-Moon¡¯s identity.


    "Forgetful King!" Woo-Moon shouted back in anger.


    How could he have forgotten the grudges of the Heavenly Demon Mound?! He ran toward the Forgetful King and swung his great cleaver wildly.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    Thousands of arcs of saber qi formed in the air and flew toward the Forgetful King.


    Astonished by the speed and power of the saber qi, the Forgetful King only barely managed to dodge.


    "T-that bastard is a Zenith Master!! Hurry up and call the Lord of Heaven!"


    The Lord of Heaven.


    The Lord of Martial Heaven.


    In other words... the Martial Heaven God.


    Woo-Moon grew incredibly anxious when he heard the Forgetful King''s order. It would be disastrous if the Martial Heaven God got involved.


    <i>''No, this can''t happen. I have to save Mother first!''</i>


    How could he fight an opponent like the Heaven God while his mother was still held captive? Woo-Moon felt incredibly anxious.


    <i>''For now, I should kill this bastard quickly!''</i>


    The situation waspletely different from before.


    The Forgetful King couldn''t even think of fighting Woo-Moon, instead running around hoping to keep his life at the very least. He regretted his actions in the past, or rather hisck of action.


    <i>''I should have been more thorough back then. Damn it! Just how did he advance to the Zenith Realm so quickly?''</i>


    He never could have imagined this. To think that Woo-Moon, who was a childpared to him, could have reached the mythical Zenith realm before him!


    To Woo-Moon¡¯s dismay, an obstacle appeared in his way the moment when he was about to finish off the Forgetful King.


    ¡°Forgetful King! I''ll help you!"


    <i>Twang, thwip, thwip, thwip!</i>


    Countless attacks flew through the air, and countless moves were made to defend against them. Then, the defending Woo-Moon shot out an attack toward the one who had interfered. Unable to defend against Woo-Moon''s attack, the man fled backward, furiously trying to dispel the attack.


    This new enemy was one of the Four Great Attendants, Second Attendant Yu Chi-Sang.


    Thanks to his intervention, the Forgetful King was able to catch his breath, and the two distanced themselves from Woo-Moon.


    In that gap, the others from Martial Heaven filed in. In an instant, about three thousand Peak and Transcendent experts lined up in front of Woo-Moon.


    No fewer than fourteen Absolute Masters rushed to assist them.


    As the number of allies reached the level of an army, Second Attendant Yu Chi-Sang shouted, "Kill him! All of you, attack and kill him!!"


    The Absolute Masters took the lead and rushed toward Woo-Moon.


    <i>''More Absolute Masters. How many of them do you have, Martial Heaven?!''</i>


    "Bastard! You dog of the Imperial Pce, how dare youe here?!"


    "Chop him apart!"


    Woo-Moon sneered.


    Then he firmly drew Lightsh and pointed at the numerous masters rushing toward him.


    "Feel this."


    <i>BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!</i>


    Fourteen Absolute Masters and a full thousand Transcendent and Peak experts rushed at him while cursing. The distance between them grew closer and closer.


    "And repent before your deaths."


    There were some among them who had actually nevermitted any evil deeds with their own two hands. Many of them had stayed inside the Martial Heaven headquarters, waiting for the moment the Martial Heaven God decided it was time¡ªthe day that would spell out the end of the<i> murim</i>.


    However, that didn''t mean that they hadn''tmitted a mortal sin.


    Being part of Martial Heaven, going along with Martial Heaven¡¯s crazy n, and waiting for that day itself was evil. There was not the slightest doubt in Woo-Moon¡¯s mind; this organization was a cmity and had to be destroyed at all costs.


    The group of Martial Heaven warriors reached one zhang away from Woo-Moon.


    The Absolute Masters of Martial Heaven thought they would be able to crush him. They had been practicing martial arts by themselves for a long time, waiting for the moment they¡¯d emerge to conquer the world, so they were incredibly happy that they suddenly had a chance to see blood.


    Then... Woo-Moon made his final deration.


    ¡°This is the sword that contains the universe. The sword that brings down judgment. All the Myriad Things in the World!"


    The three thousand Peak and Transcendent experts and the fourteen Absolute Masters.


    All of them opened their eyes so vast that they were almost torn apart. Before their eyes was a sword so vast that they couldn''t see it in its entirety.


    It was as if the world itself was enveloping them.


    And then... there was no ¡°then.¡±


    <i>Shing.</i>


    What broke the absolute silence was the sound of Woo-Moon sheathing his sword.


    In front of him stood nobody.


    "Ugh... <i>cough, cough</i>... W-what a terrifying sword."


    No, actually, there was one person still standing: the Forgetful King.


    ¡°You despicable bastard. You only barely managed to survive by hiding behind that other bastard.¡±


    Indeed, at thest second, the Forgetful King had pulled the Second Attendant in front of him.


    The moment Woo-Moon was about to draw his sword once more and take the Forgetful King''s life, the thing he had been most afraid of happened.


    Someone shouted from behind him, ¡°Stop right there, Song Woo-Moon! You didn¡¯t forget that we have your mother, did you? The moment you make a move, your mother dies!"


    <i>Swoosh!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s Golden Dragon emerged from the heart of the one who had just spoken before returning to its master.


    <i>''Damn it! I thought she would be right next to him.''</i>


    He had thought that the one threatening him actually held his mother, and he tried to save her by attacking like a bolt of lightning. However, it turned out that wasn''t the case. That bastard had just been standing there alone.


    Woo-Moon lowered both hands, gesturing that he wouldn''t resist.


    Then, another warrior shouted in anger, "This is thest fucking trick you pull! One more move and she¡¯s dead, you get me?"


    "I understand. We''ll do things your way."


    Woo-Moon wracked his brain as quickly as he could, even while surrendering, trying to find a way out of this situation as quickly as possible.


    <i>''Fuck.... At this rate, the Martial Heaven God will show up, and there''ll be no turning back.''</i>


    However, no matter how much he thought, no good ideas came to mind.


    In the meantime, the Forgetful King staggered as he walked closer to Woo-Moon.


    "<i>Ke... keke</i>. Good. In the end... Yes, that''s right. You idiots of the<i> gangho </i>always end up getting swept up by your emotions...There''s no need for such things in the true world of martial arts."


    <i>''You fanatic bastards!''</i>


    While Woo-Moon cursed inwardly, he did not so much as bat an eye outwardly. His mother¡¯s life was at stake.


    If he were to close his eyes right now, he could still see his mother, and he could still feel her warm touch and motherly affection. He could still vividly feel thefort and warmth he felt inside when he wouldy on his mother''sp as she dug out his earwax.[1]


    This wasn''t about filial piety or whatever other social values. Woo-Moon truly loved his father and mother, and he couldn''t bear ever to lose them.


    <i>''But if I die, then... what about the gangho? No, forget about the gangho, what about the rest of my family? My disciples? All the people I love?''</i>


    The right thing to do was to give up on saving his mother¡¯s life and kill every single person in thispound before fleeing. Then, he could duke it out with the Martial Heaven God when he was ready.


    He knew that. It was the logical thing to do.


    But his body refused to do it.


    He couldn''t even move a finger. The moment he tried to move, all he could think about was his mother falling to the ground, bleeding.


    <i>''Just, just, just what the hell can I do?!''</i>


    Even though he had used Second Attendant Yu Chi-Sang as a shield, the Forgetful King hadn''t gotten through Woo-Moon''s attack unscathed. He was covered in wounds that would have killed him if he wasn''t a Paragon.


    However, since he <i>was</i> a Paragon, and he was not dead, he was very much recovering. Although Woo-Moon''s qi still remained in his wounds and was slowing down his recovery, he was going to be fine, eventually.


    And the Forgotten King knew that he had to kill Woo-Moon, even if it meant pushing himself and aggravating his injuries.


    <i>''This is my chance. I have to kill Woo-Moon right now, no matter what!''</i>


    The Forgetful King walked right up to Woo-Moon, took out a dagger from his bosom, and aimed for Woo-Moon''s throat.


    Woo-Moon still couldn''t move. He was stuck with his thoughts even as death approached.


    However, just before the Forgetful King''s dagger was about to sink into Woo-Moon¡¯s throat, apletely unexpected voice rang in his head.


    <i>¡ªI got Jin-Jin!</i>


    ***


    A few days ago, at the Heavenly Demon Mound.


    Sang-Woon dusted off his clothes, which were covered in mud from digging his way out of the rubble.


    "Tsk, tsk, to think one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors could fall to this state."


    <i>Crack, crack, crack.</i>


    As Sang-Woon stretched to relieve his spine, a violent bone-crunching sound rang out of his entire body.


    "Ugh. Oh. <i>Agh.</i> My back! A man''s lifeblood is his back, oh dear."[2]


    As he grumbled, Sang-Woon suddenly locked eyes with five people.


    "Oho, well met, gentlemen! You must be mountain bandits, am I correct?"


    The five bandits, who were trying to grill something to eat, looked incredibly shocked.


    ¡°A-are you a ghost?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The bandits¡¯ faces turned pale at Sang-Woon¡¯s calm answer.


    "L-look. I told you we shouldn''t h-h-havee to the Heavenly Demon Mound," one of the bandits stammered.


    After the Heavenly Demon Mound copsed, both Martial Heaven and the Heavenly Demon Cult lost interest in the area. Afterward, the other forces searched for a while to see if there was anything special, only to give up as well after a while.


    This ce was nothing more than an ordinary ruin now, and these five bandits used it as an asional hideout.


    Sang-Woon¡¯s eyes turned to the bandits¡¯ weapons.


    "Looks like there''s some blood on your weapons. So, who did you just kill?"


    The bandits flinched at his question.


    ¡°T-that''s not it. This is nothing.¡±


    "We just hunted a wild boar."


    Of course, Sang-Woon wasn¡¯t the type who couldn¡¯t tell the difference between pig''s blood and human blood. These five bandits had actually killed two people. It wasn¡¯t that the people fought against the bandits or anything; the bandits robbed them, then realized they had too little money and killed them in a fit of anger.


    Sang-Woon gave them his signature sly grin.


    ¡°No matter how much time passes, you guys are still the same.¡±


    <i>Thud!</i>


    As Sang-Woon walked away, circting his qi, the headless corpses of five bandits were piled up neatly behind him.


    As he moved, Sang-Woon organized the enlightenment he had gained from spending so long in the dirt.


    <i>''So this is what it feels like to be one with nature... Amazing. But now that I think of it, why does it feel so much like what those assassin bastards do?''</i>


    As a result of his enlightenment, Sang-Woon was able to make himself invisible better than even the best of assassins using the best stealth and concealment techniques.


    Even if his opponents were far more skilled in martial arts than he was, if Sang-Woon didn¡¯t want to be noticed, then he would not be noticed. Even if they were to look straight at Sang-Woon, they wouldn''t notice him. And even if they noticed him, they wouldn''t even recognize him as human, much less figure out who he was.


    All they would see was the surroundings.


    As he strolled into the forest while circting his qi, Sang-Woon was suddenly struck by an idea of how to use this newfound enlightenment.


    <i>¡®Martial Heaven¡¯s headquarters. Yup. There¡¯s definitely something good there.¡¯</i>


    Naturally, Sang-Woon wasn''t aware that Dae-Woong, Jin-Jin, and Gun-Ha had been kidnapped by Martial Heaven. Unlike Woo-Moon, however, he had a good idea where the headquarters was. He had been hunting Martial Heaven members for a while, and he knew the general area.


    For that reason, Martial Heaven was out to kill him as well.


    Sang-Woon went to the ce he hadst explored and, in a state of being one with nature, wandered around the area, looking for traces of Martial Heaven.


    1. This is normal in Korea. It''s a sign of affection. ?


    2. An old precept¡ªa man needs his back to be healthy enough to do the baby-making stuff, hehe. ?

 Chapter 244. Within Ten Paces, Youll Find A Fragrant Flower (15)

    <h4>Chapter 244. Within Ten Paces, You''ll Find A Fragrant Flower (15)</h4>


    Not long after, Sang-Woon happened to run into a man walking into the waterfall and simply chased after him. Although the man kept feeling as if someone was following him and looked around from time to time, he never even looked in Sang-Woon¡¯s general direction.


    Thus, Sang-Woon found his way into Martial Heaven¡¯s headquarters. He went around here and there to gather information, but as he moved... he eventually ran into a crisis of his own.


    The Martial Heaven God.


    As Sang-Woon calmly walked around Martial Heaven as if it were his own yground, he discovered the Martial Heaven God¡¯s existence and approached to observe him more closely.


    Then, when he got roughly about ten zhang away, the Martial Heaven God sensed him.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Shocked, Sang-Woon quickly ran away while further increasing his assimtion with nature.


    Fortunately, the Martial Heaven God was concerned more with the strange changes that happened around him recently and didn¡¯t feel like a random bug sneaking around was anything important.


    From that point on, Sang-Woon avoided going near the Martial Heaven God as much as possible, and instead roamed around the edges of the massive underground cave.


    It was then that he found her¡ªhe found Jin-Jin, trapped in a prison.


    <i>¡®What the hell?! Why is that child here?¡¯</i>


    Naturally, Sang-Woon wanted to grab Jin-Jin and get out. However, while it was perfectly easy for him toe and go as he wished, escaping with Jin-Jin was out of the question.


    Thus, he decided to go find his grandson Woo-Moon and ask him for help. But right as he was about to do so, some big oaf of the imperial pce named Yang Cheon-Hwi came out of nowhere and caused a massive ruckus.


    At first, he tried just to pass by and get out by himself. However, for some reason, he felt that he shouldn¡¯t just ignore Yang Cheon-Hwi and thus continued to follow themotion. Eventually, he discovered that the rumored Yang Cheon-Hwi was actually his very grandson.


    <i>¡®Fuck, isn¡¯t that convenient?¡¯</i>


    He had thought about rescuing Jin-Jin the moment Yang Cheon-Hwi had started the brawl, but he feared that if the so-called hidden master was killed by Martial Heaven, he and Jin-Jin might be discovered midway and fall into serious danger.


    Now that he knew Woo-Moon was the one here, and clearly sensing his power, Sang-Woon had no more misgivings. He merged with nature perfectly and headed toward where Jin-Jin was being held captive.


    While this was happening, Woo-Moon¡¯s identity was discovered, and some of the more cunning members of Martial Heaven started to threaten him with Jin-Jin¡¯s life.


    Meanwhile, Jin-Jin actually didn¡¯t appear to have any injuries or suffered much.


    She was, however, shaken awake by the suddenmotion outside, only to be surprised a few minutester to hear the viins of Martial Heaven shouting her son¡¯s name.


    <i>¡®Woo-Moon! It¡¯s my son, Woo-Moon!¡¯</i>


    She tried to get out, and she tried to shout. But with her cultivation suppressed, how could she leave her cell and deal with her guards?


    She burst into tears when she heard her son¡¯s life being threatened with her own. She wanted to shout and tell him not to worry about her. Sadly, her captors had taken care of that already¡ªher throat acupoint had been sealed to shut her up, and without qi, she couldn¡¯t unlock it.


    She wanted to sacrifice her own life to save her son¡¯s, but she knew she couldn¡¯t do so while her son couldn¡¯t see her. If she were tomit suicide while her captors kept her hidden and continued to threaten her son, he may just end up dying as well.


    At this very moment, Sang-Woon arrived.


    Two Transcendent experts were guarding Jin-Jin. Sang-Woon moved right behind them and stretched out both his hands at lightning speed.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    With a nigh-inaudible sound, the two men had their hearts and lungs simultaneously ruptured by and lost their lives just like that.


    As his assimtion with nature was interrupted the moment he attacked, Jin-Jin was able to see Sang-Woon.


    Her eyes widened for a moment, and then tears flowed down.


    ¡°Alright, my dear daughter, I know you want to say something, but we have other priorities. I¡¯ll let you talk when we¡¯re out.¡±


    Then, Sang-Woon ambushed and killed the warrior guarding the entrance to the prison in the same manner and took advantage of the moment when everyone was watching Woo-Moon to take Jin-Jin and run away.


    While his assimtion with nature wouldn¡¯t work as he carried Jin-Jin away, Woo-Moon was drawing every bit of Martial Heaven¡¯s attention, so there was no chance of being discovered.


    Then, the moment the Forgetful King was about to kill Woo-Moon, Sang-Woon sent his grandson a Voice Transmission.


    <i>¨CI¡¯ve saved Jin-Jin!</i>


    <i>¡®Grandfather?¡¯ </i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s mind and body moved simultaneously.


    He generated a defensive qi barrier to deflect the dagger, while his hand grabbed the Forgetful King¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Ugh! Y-you bastard... your mother...¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s about enough. Shut it.¡± Woo-Moon smirked. ¡°You see, I had a secret n. It was so secret that not even I knew about it, but you get my point.¡±


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Woo-Moon twisted the Forgetful King¡¯s neck, then simply ripped his head off as if it was some kind of weirdly-shaped fruit.


    <i>Crunch! </i>


    He mmed the Forgetful King¡¯s head into the ground and smashed it into pieces.


    ¡°You fucking bastard! Hey, you there, kill that bitch immediately!¡±


    Woo-Moon flinched for a moment, still notpletely believing that his grandfather had sent him a voice transmission.


    <i>¡®What if what I heard was a hallucination?¡¯</i> he thought to himself, worrying that the situation itself was ridiculous. After all, to the best of his knowledge, his grandpa was well and truly dead.


    However, the next moment, the warriors of Martial Heaven kindly confirmed that everything was real.


    ¡°What are you doing? Kill that bitch!¡±


    As soon as the warrior finished speaking, another warrior behind him shouted, ¡°She... She disappeared! The guards are dead and that bitch is gone!¡±


    ¡°What? What the fu¡ª¡±


    The warrior couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. It¡¯s rather hard to finish a sentence when your head and your body part ways, so that was understandable.


    At that moment, Sang-Woon¡¯s voice reached Woo-Moon.


    ¡ª<i>Hey, I¡¯ll take your mom and run for the hills. You deal with this until I take her out.</i>


    <i>¡°Understood! Go ahead, I¡¯ll follow you soon.¡±</i>


    Woo-Moon was greatly worried about what would happen to his grandfather and mother during the escape, so he quickly followed along.


    <i>¡®What a relief! Grandfather is alive! And not only is he alive, but he somehow managed to find this ce and rescue Mother!¡¯</i>


    In spite of the terrible situation overall, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. He was nervous because he didn¡¯t know when the Martial Heaven God would appear, but for now, he seemed to be safe still.


    <i>¡ªWe¡¯re out!</i>


    The voice of his grandfather reached him again, and after a while, Woo-Moon also arrived in front of theke, the exit that led to the outside world.


    <i>¡®What about the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor? He¡¯s not here...¡¯</i>


    It seemed as though something had gone wrong while he was saving his younger sister.


    Worried about his grandfather and mother, Woo-Moon moved to jump into theke immediately. However, at thest moment, his body stopped moving.


    <i>¡®Damn it!¡¯</i>


    Woo-Moon cursed inwardly and headed toward where he hadst seen the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor. While fighting, he had noticed the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor sneakily go underground in one of the halls.


    ¡°It¡¯s him! Kill him!¡±


    He was discovered once more, but as long as the Martial Heaven God didn¡¯t appear, there was nothing for him to be afraid of.


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    Woo-Moon suddenly vanished from the air.


    The countless people who had been looking up at him from below looked around frantically, unable to find him.


    A few momentster, Woo-Moon stealthily entered the hallway where he¡¯d seen the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor disappear and found a staircase leading to the basement.


    Then, he saw the back of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor in the deepest room underground.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s her?¡¯</i>


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was holding a block of ice in his arms and using his Burning Yang Palm Force to melt it.


    Inside the block of ice was a beautiful girl who looked to be in herte teens, sleeping.


    Examining the ice as he approached Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze suddenly grew wide.


    ¡°Seop Un-Ha, stay your hand right now!¡±


    But it was toote.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had already melted through the ice and woke the girl up.


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    The girl let out a small moan, as if she wereing to her senses; at that moment, the madness that had always been in the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s eyes disappeared, and warmth emerged. Yet right when the girl finally opened her eyes and saw him, white smoke suddenly rose from her entire body.


    ¡°Cho-Cho-Ah... Cho-Ah!¡±


    ¡°Big brother...!¡±


    The girl¡¯s eyes rolled back before she could finish her sentence and she started convulsing; she was clearly in excruciating pain. An unbearable heat rose from within her body.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Woo-Moon quickly tapped the girl¡¯s acupoints, the smoke emanating from her body subsided.


    ¡°W-what... What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s happening to Cho-Ah?!¡±


    Woo-Moon kept manipting the girl¡¯s meridians.


    ¡°Fucking Martial Heaven God! You idiot, he was just ying with you!¡±


    ¡°W-what are you saying?!¡±


    ¡°A Zenith Master has ced a seal on her. A Zenith Master who is much stronger than me, I have to tell you.¡±


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor froze in fear. Even worse... Woo-Moon was equally terrified.


    He could get a sense of the Martial Heaven God¡¯s incredible cultivation just from the seal that the Martial Heaven God had ced on Cho-Ah.


    <i>¡®Is he even human? How the fuck is this even possible?!¡¯</i>


    Even grasping the full extent of this seal was beyond Woo-Moon¡¯s abilities.


    The Martial Heaven God was just that strong.


    He had most likely already reached the peak of the Zenith realm. As someone who had only just entered this realm, Woo-Moon definitely was no match for him.


    ¡°W-what sort of seal?¡±


    ¡°There was me locked in her meridians... a me so strong it might as well be the fire of Hell. The moment the block of ice around Cho-Ah was melted, the seal was set in such a way as to trigger this me. And let me tell you: This was not something the Martial Heaven God ced here with the intention of removing itter. This was meant to kill her from the get-go. Specifically, to kill her the moment you thought you¡¯d gotten her back.¡±


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was already aware of Woo-Moon¡¯s level. And if someone at that level called it ¡°so strong it might as well be the fire of Hell,¡± then that me had to be terrifying beyond his imagination.


    <i>¡®But even so... My only hope is Song Woo-Moon.¡¯</i>


    Seob Un-Ha copsed on the spot, crying with tears streaming down his face.


    ¡°Please save her! Please save Cho-Ah. She¡¯s the only reason I¡¯m alive. I was never able to protect her before and I can¡¯t let her go like this. Please save her! Please!¡±


    However, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t answer easily.


    This was the power of none other than the Martial Heaven God. There was no guarantee that he could do it even if he tried, and he had to focus a hundred twenty percent on the task. In other words... he would bepletely defenseless.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t die here. I have to live.¡¯</i>


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor threw away all of his pride as an Absolute Master, grabbed Woo-Moon¡¯s pant leg, and shouted while spitting out blood.


    ¡°Please, please, I¡¯m begging you! You know, I¡¯ve even saved your life once! No, not just once! Many times! So, please help her in return, I¡¯m begging you!¡±


    ¡°Huh? You? You saved me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Before you became an Absolute Master, a long time ago, remember when I tried to kill you in Hefei? I was there under Martial Heaven¡¯s orders, but the Saber Emperor interfered. Actually, I looked for you again once I got away from him, but....¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    Even as they talked, Woo-Moon¡¯s hands continued to move, suppressing the heat rising within Cho-Ah¡¯s meridians.


    ¡°When I found you again, you were at the underground ve market. And you were saving Ma-Ra.¡±


    Woo-Moon felt a cold sweat run down his face as he listened to the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no way he knows this. It was just me and... So he really was there! How else could he possibly know that I met Ma-Ra at the ve market? And I had no idea he was watching me... He could¡¯ve killed me ten times over and I wouldn¡¯t even know it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you kill me?¡±


    ¡°I saw Ma-Ra. She... she looked like Cho-Ah. I couldn¡¯t kill you after seeing you save her and then... I saw you spend time with her. I didn¡¯t want to break up that peace and happiness. So, I¡¯m telling the truth. I was around you for a long time, not just for a day. I thought countless times during that time about whether or not to kill you. And I didn¡¯t! So I saved your life! I saved it hundreds of times!¡± the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor screamed.


    His voice was filled with sincerity¡ªhis sincere desire to save Cho-Ah.


    In the end, Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t help but curse again.


    ¡°Damn it! Fuck, I¡¯ll do it. Well, with three conditions. First, I really don¡¯t know if I can remove the me. You can¡¯t me me if I can¡¯t. Second, while I¡¯m doing this, I¡¯mpletely defenseless. I can already hear a bunch of peopleing in, and you¡¯ll have to stop them all. Third, if all three of us survive and we get out of here, I¡¯m killing you first to get rid of a pest. Are you sure you¡¯re willing?¡±


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor Seob Un-Ha smiled brightly.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m willing!¡±

 Chapter 245. Within Ten Paces, You’ll Find A Fragrant Flower (16)

    <h4>Chapter 245. Within Ten Paces, You¡¯ll Find A Fragrant Flower (16)</h4>


    ¡°Damn you, bastard. I¡¯m starting. You have to stop them!¡±


    Woo-Moon sat cross-legged and brought the unconscious Cho-Ah floating in front of him.


    He moved his fingers in a dazzling manner as if he was picking gold from thin air, examining Cho-Ah¡¯s meridians and trying to find a solution.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor stepped back, holding his breath. He was afraid of disturbing Woo-Moon. He then looked closely at Cho-Ah¡¯s face, the face of his younger sister whom he hadn¡¯t seen in forty years.


    Heughed while shedding tears.


    <i>¡®You have to live, no matter what, Cho-Ah. I... even if I live, I can¡¯t be with you. The smell of blood on my hands can never be cleansed, and this cursed demonic art of mine makes it impossible for me ever to escape it or control my desire for blood. So, don¡¯t be sad. I was destined to die anyway.¡¯</i>


    On that fateful day of his awakening, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had killed the Blood Cult leader in his bed, absorbed the entirety of his Blood Devil Merciless Art cultivation, and then knocked out Cho-Ah by pressing her acupoints.


    Then, he murdered every single member of the Blood Cult and used every single drop of their blood to hold a bloody banquet for himself. It was nothing to write home about; after all, he had be an Absolute Master, and none of the Blood Cult members could stand up to such power, much less one that used the Blood Devil Merciless Art.


    He had only ever had a few happy moments: when he was young, when he was with his family, andter when he was with Cho-Ah.


    Thinking back to that time of his life, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor imbued his finger with qi and pressed his Huiyin acupoint.


    As the Blood Devil Merciless Art qi passed through the acupoint, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor writhed in pain. But he continued, pressing onto the next acupoint.


    Then, part of his qi started to boil and flow in reverse, ording to the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s guidance.


    <i>¡®I didn¡¯t want to show you this side of me, the side of me that enjoys killing people and lusts for blood. I¡¯m sorry for what you¡¯ll hear about me when you wake up.¡¯</i>


    That was why the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had knocked out Cho-Ah before murdering the entire Blood Cult.


    How could he know that was thest time he would be able to talk to Cho-Ah?


    The Sword King had been sent to subdue the Blood Cult, and he¡¯d arrived just in time to find that there was no Blood Cult to be subdued.


    Meanwhile, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had been taking a bath to get rid of the dirt and the thick smell of blood on his body. He nned to wake Cho-Ah up once he got clean. However, the Sword King simply beat him up as if he were a dog. Then, he took Cho-Ah as a hostage, and the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had to live as a puppet of Martial Heaven.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s finger pressed hisst acupoint. The rampaging qi boiled throughout his body, bringing forth a power that he had never felt before, as well as an equally strong thirst for blood.


    Under the long and luscious hair that was even more beautiful than a woman¡¯s, the white face of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was lit up by an eerie smile.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t stay here any longer.


    The desire for blood was too strong, and the moment he lost control of his sanity, he would even attack Woo-Moon and Cho-Ah without a second thought.


    Seob Un-Ha dug through the ground and emerged from the chamber, stepping onto the dirt.


    ¡°As expected. It¡¯s you, Blood Cloud Devil Emperor! You were the one who dragged Song Woo-Moon all the way here! I knew it, you brought that bastard here!¡± said the vice cab leader of Martial Heaven¡¯s Worshiping Martial Cab, Yoo Dae-Gwang.


    He brought his palms together, creating a massive Palm Sphere, and threw it at Seob Un-Ha.


    Fortunately, he was the vanguard. In other words, all Martial Heaven underlings were behind him. In other words... As long as the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor blocked the entrance, Cho-Ah would be safe.


    His eyes turned red as he watched the flying Palm Sphere, and terrible madness flowed through him.


    ¡°Hahaha, a new bloody banquet! <i>Kehehe!!</i>¡±


    As Seob Un-Ha¡¯s thin white hand cut through the air, Yoo Dae-Gwang¡¯s Palm Sphere bounced off weakly, piercing countless other Martial Heaven warriors.


    ¡°What the... my Palm Sphere?¡±


    Seob Un-Ha was an Absolute Master, but so was Yoo Dae-Gwang. Their strengths were simr, incredibly simr for that matter.


    <i>¡®So how did he block my attack so easily?¡¯</i>


    Before Yoo Dae-Gwang could finish his thoughts, Seob Un-Ha moved, leaving countless afterimages behind him, and arrived in front of him. It was only then that Yoo Dae-Gwang realized that Seob Un-Ha wasn¡¯t in a normal state.


    <i>¡®The Blood Devil Merciless Art... wait, that¡¯s not it! What the fuck is he doing?!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Y-you, you¡¯re throwing your life away! You¡¯re using Reverse Bloodstream!¡±


    Reverse Bloodstream¡ªit sounded simple enough, but what it did was reverse the flow of the Blood Devil Merciless Art qi and cause the user to go berserk, producing an even stronger burst of power than the typical qi deviation. The duration varied depending on the level of the user, but itsted roughly the length of time to drink a cup of tea. Once it ended...


    ...the user¡¯s blood would burst out of their every pore, and they would die without question. And it would hurt the whole time they died.


    ¡°Ke¡ªhahahahaha!¡±


    Blood Cloud Devil Emperor used his beloved weapon, the Mad Devil Blood Fan, to continuously attack Yoo Dae-Gwang.


    Yoo Dae-Gwang¡¯s subordinates tried to rush in from behind. However, they were unable to move as they wanted due to the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor having already spread the Blood Cloud Vampiric Membrane, which was continuously consuming their blood.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Yoo Dae-Gwang¡¯s arm was cut off.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    In an instant, all of the blood within the severed arm was sucked out and flew toward the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    Having tasted the blood of an Absolute Master, the insane re in the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor flickered even darker.


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    ¡°A-agh!¡±


    A streak of blood pierced into half of Yoo Dae-Gwang¡¯s face and then pulled out a vein. From there, blood flowed out like a fountain and was absorbed by the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    ¡°AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!¡±


    The roar of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor, who had by now entirely sunk into madness, shook Martial Heaven.


    Yet although he had lost all sanity, for some reason, he didn¡¯t take a single step away from the entrance to the underground chamber.


    ***


    <i>¡®Is this... Really now?¡¯</i>


    The more he examined Cho-Ah¡¯s body, the more the Martial Heaven God¡¯s seal resembled something he was rather familiar with.


    The disease that Woo-Moon himself was born with¡ªthe Sr Physique.


    Realizing this, he recalled what the old Daoist had told him and unleashed the Gentle Celestial Sword using the Forbidden Divine Art.


    However, he had to be extremely careful with the treatment. The natural Sr Physique and the Sr Physique created by the Martial Heaven God would be different.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s even more extreme than my own condition. Martial Heaven God, what were you trying to do? Were you trying to experiment to see if you could create your own Sr Physique?¡¯</i>


    Creating an illness in someone versus curing an illness in someone.


    Of course, curing the condition was invariably the more difficult task. The Martial Heaven God had been able to not only reproduce the Sr Physique, but even cause it to be more extreme. Yet was he able to resolve it? Questionable.


    <i>¡®Well, that¡¯s as far as others are concerned. Thank you, Martial Heaven God. Of all things, you just had to choose the Sr Physique.¡¯</i>


    As he grew more familiar with the Sr Physique that the Martial Heaven God had created, his treatment gained momentum.


    ***


    <i>¡°Huff, huff...¡±</i>


    Compared to the beginning, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s strength had diminished significantly. However, in front of him were piles of withered corpses, all dead by total blood loss.


    ¡°You relentless bastard! He has to be tired by now. Everyone, attack with all your might!¡±


    Following someone¡¯s shout, the ordinary warriors of Martial Heaven rushed toward the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor all at once.


    The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was covered in woundsrge and small. The biggest one barely missed his heart, and there were many cuts, bruises, and punctures across his body; some on his arms, some on his legs, and several everywhere else. But the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor didn¡¯t fall. He continued to endure with the help of Reverse Bloodstream.


    Sadly, no matter how big a jar is, if one keeps scooping, the bottom will eventually show.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    A spear pierced the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The one holding the spear had his chest sunken in by Seob Un-Ha¡¯s attack and died instantly. The Blood Cloud Devil Emperor broke the spear¡¯s shaft, then grabbed it and swept it around in a wide circle.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Three more heads were shattered, and three more wounds appeared on the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s body.


    ¡°Ke... <i>cough</i>, keke...¡±


    The madness that had been shing in the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s eyes had diminished. His movements had slowed down.


    The end was near.


    ¡°Cut off his head!¡± someone else¡¯s shout rang out again.


    The one closest to Seob Un-Ha raised his sword and struck down. However, at thest moment, an image appeared in the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s mind. It was Cho-Ah¡¯s smiling face¡ªthest smile he¡¯d seen forty years back.


    ¡°RAHHHH!¡±


    He snatched the opponent¡¯s sword and turned the man¡¯s wrist, using it to cut off its master¡¯s neck. Then, having regained his senses for a moment, he looked behind him.


    Taking advantage of his distraction, several Martial Heaven warriors had slipped past and were heading toward the stairs leading to the basement.


    <i>Bang, bang! Crack!!</i>


    He shed the bottom of the pir next to him with the sword. Then, gathering his remaining qi, he knocked it over. He lifted the pir sideways and swung it around with immense strength.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Those who had slipped by and were trying to go down the stairs were unable to avoid the pir and screamed as every bone in their bodies was crushed.


    ¡°STOP!¡± the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor shouted as he ran forward. The long pir simultaneously pushed the Martial Heaven warriors backward.


    <i>¡®None of you can pass. None of you will get down there!¡¯</i>


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Seob Un-Ha had pushed the pir with thest of his strength, and he was once again pierced by swords and spears.


    Despite his efforts,despite trying to avoid getting hit in the head at all costs, a spear finally pierced his temple. And it was only then that Seob Un-Ha¡¯s heart gave out.


    ¡°You fucking undying bastard! And what the hell are you all doing? Hurry up and go down!¡±


    The warriors of Martial Heaven went down the stairs, stepping over Seob Un-Ha¡¯s body.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    An explosion echoed from the bottom of the stairs, and bone fragments and blood spurted out onto the stairs!


    ¡°W-what!¡± shouted in surprise the man who had been giving orders from the safety of the rear.


    Then, a ck shadow shed from within the stream of blood spurting up the stairs.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s Inkde cleaved through his head right at nose level.


    He looked at the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s body as he flew past the falling dead body.


    <i>¡®He was a viin, but...¡¯</i>


    He didn¡¯t finish his thoughts; he just stretched out a hand and struck the air, setting the corpse of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor on fire and instantly incinerating it. In the same move, he grabbed the remaining ashes in his hand.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll definitely pass this on to Cho-Ah.¡¯</i>


    Cho-Ah was on his back. He had finished the treatment, and she was still unconscious.


    There was no one who could block Woo-Moon¡¯s path or chase after him. However, he was still anxious until the very end. He jumped into theke, hoping that the Martial Heaven God wouldn¡¯t appear.


    And the Martial Heaven Emperor... did not, in fact, appear.


    This should have made Woo-Moon feel relieved, but what it <i>actually</i> did was make him question things.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on? He didn¡¯t evene out even though there was such amotion in the courtyard, even until the very end. It¡¯s too strange just to assume it¡¯s because his ass is too heavy.¡¯</i>


    He emerged from theke, but Sang-Woon and Jin-Jin weren¡¯t waiting for him. It was an obvious decision; the important thing was to get as far away from Martial Heaven as possible. Staying behind and waiting could have caused them to be a burden for him.


    <i>¡®The Baek Family. Grandfather will definitely go to the Baek Family. I can meet him if I go there. I can see my grandfather and my mother!¡¯</i>


    His mind was already racing as he sted through the sky like aet, heading toward the Baek Family.


    Meanwhile, the martial artists of Martial Heaven were engulfed in anger as if they would explode at any moment.


    ¡°How dare those scumbags!¡±


    In the long history of Martial Heaven, something like this had never happened before.


    Instead of them going out to fight, their enemies had invaded their base, killed countless of their people, and leisurely escaped!

 Chapter 246. Within Ten Paces, You’ll Find A Fragrant Flower (17)

    <h4>Chapter 246. Within Ten Paces, You¡¯ll Find A Fragrant Flower (17)</h4>


    Moreover, Woo-Moon had the leisure to cremate the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor and collect his ashes before leaving through the main door. That was just adding insult to injury.


    The first of the Four Great Attendants, Yang Moon-Yeol, gnashed his teeth.


    ¡°And the Lord of Heaven? Is he still there, unmoving?¡±


    ¡°Yes... If anyonees near him or speaks to him, he ughters them without question.¡±


    If the Martial Heaven God hadn¡¯t been acting strangely, this never would have happened. No matter how strong Song Woo-Moon was, he could never have defeated the Martial Heaven God.


    ¡°Just what, what the hell is going on? Damn it!¡±


    Yang Moon-Yeol could do nothing but yell in anger.


    ***


    ¡°Mother!¡±


    Woo-Moon descended from the sky,nded in front of Jin-Jin, and grabbed her hand.


    ¡°My son, my son!¡±


    Jin-Jin couldn¡¯t hold back her excitement and hugged Woo-Moon tightly. Woo-Moon¡¯s tears flowed helplessly as he embraced Jin-Jin, feeling that she was even thinner and lighter than before.


    <i>¡®Now, now I have both Father and Mother.¡¯</i>


    In the midst of his joy, Woo-Moon thought of Gun-Ha, whom he still hadn¡¯t been able to find.


    <i>¡®Gun-Ha. I¡¯ll save you too. No matter what.¡¯</i>


    After the emotional reunion between the mother and son, Woo-Moon looked at Sang-Woon.


    ¡°What happened to you, Grandfather?¡±


    Sang-Woon put on his usual shit-eating grin.


    ¡°You greedy little tyke. I heard that you took a whole three beauties as your wives.¡±


    If it were before, Woo-Moon would have blushed at such teasing, but after all he¡¯d been through, his face was thicker than a city wall, impervious to des and arrows.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just because I¡¯m amazing. Why, are you jealous?¡±


    ¡°Y-you damned little tyke!¡±


    ¡°More importantly, what happened?¡±


    Sang-Woon tried to satisfy Woo-Moon¡¯s questions by telling him about the Hundred Deaths, Thousand Lives, the secret heretical art that he had learned.


    ¡°... and that¡¯s how I eventually survived. Also, in that time, I gained some great enlightenment and was able to be the greatest assassin.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if the direction of your enlightenment was right, but I guess it¡¯s a good thing nheless.¡±


    ¡°Are you looking down on assassins right now?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I didn¡¯t say anything of the sort.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I escaped unscathed even after seeing the face of the Martial Heaven God. Do you still think you can look down on me?¡±


    ¡°Are you proud of running away? Where did your spirit of never retreating in battle, the Palm Martial Emperor¡¯s signature, go?¡±


    ¡°Dumbass. I don¡¯t run away if I¡¯m fighting, but that wasn¡¯t the time to fight.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I see, I see. Anyway, I¡¯m really d you¡¯re alive. By the way, did you see Gun-Ha in Martial Heaven?¡±


    He felt as though he was asking something pointless. If Sang-Woon had seen Gun-Ha, he would have definitely tried to save her, too.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I went to every nook and cranny of Martial Heaven, but she was nowhere to be found.¡±


    ¡°Is that so...¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, that youngdy on your back... If I remember correctly, she¡¯s that girl who was frozen underground. Why is she on your back? Are you trying to take her on as your new wife?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! Well, that¡¯s... it¡¯s a bitplicated.¡±


    Woo-Moon slowly exined the story of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor.


    ¡°Hm... so that¡¯s how one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors and Six Rising Challengers breathed hisst. He might have been a viin, but his end was truly admirable. For that, I apud him.¡±


    Jin-Jin was wiping away her tears because of the sad story.


    And there was one other person crying: Cho-Ah, who was still on Woo-Moon¡¯s back.


    She had been awake since Woo-Moon had started talking about the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor. Woo-Moon naturally realized it but continued his story nheless.


    It felt like the best way to tell her about the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor¡¯s death.


    <i>¡°Big brother... Big brother Un-Ha... sniff...¡±</i>


    Woo-Moon carefully put Cho-Ah down.


    ¡°Big... Big brother...¡±


    Cho-Ah kept sobbing while repeating the same words. Then, she stumbled, and Jin-Jin quickly caught her.


    ¡°... She fainted. The shock must have been too great for her to handle.¡±


    While Jin-Jin herself was wiping her tears, Woo-Moon and Sang-Woon couldn¡¯t hide theirplicated expressions.


    What a strange life the girl hand.


    After suffering through all sorts of hardships and being frozen for forty years, she had woken up only to find that the only person she could rely on had died on her.


    How shocking that must have been...


    ¡°I... I will definitely, definitely destroy Martial Heaven. Those bastards are too unreasonable, and they¡¯re breaking their own moral code like nothing.¡±


    Martial Heaven was originally exactly what the name said: a group that gathered to learn martial arts.


    However, as they closed themselves off from the world, separated from the<i> gangho</i>, and cultivated their skills, they soon developed a dangerous ideology. They convinced themselves that they were superior to all others and that they must rule over all <i>murim</i>.


    From there onward, it was a slippery slope. They changed again and again, and now, they were just a group of assholes with incredibly high martial power, not much different from the ck Hand of the<i> murim</i>.


    The harm they caused for their cause was truly great. Moreover, their cause itself was just too dangerous.


    Wanting to rid the world of all inferior people for the sake of their<i> superior</i> selves.... Dividing social status based on the strength and level of one¡¯s martial arts...


    <i>¡®While the emperor and the other officials also think in terms of nobility and whatnot, they can¡¯t do anything so excessive. After all, they¡¯re afraid of the united power of themon people. That¡¯s why the world is somewhat bnced. But Martial Heaven is different. They... they¡¯re too strong. They destroy the bnce. There¡¯s nothing that can stop their way of thinking or their ns. So, if the rest of them die, then truly...¡¯</i>


    ***


    Dae-Woong cried so much that he almost fainted.


    While Si-Hyeon, Woo-Gang, and Jin-Jin also cried, they didn¡¯t cry to that extent, showing just how delicate Dae-Woong¡¯s heart waspared to his rough appearance.


    Jin-Jin smiled as she looked at Si-Hyeon, who had be her daughter-inw, and Ma-Ra and Yeo-Seol, who would be her daughters-inw as well.


    Then, when she saw that Ma-Ra was still wearing the clothes she had given her and that they were still as clean as the day she had first given them to her, she hugged Ma-Ra tightly.


    Ma-Ra felt a strange emotion while in Jin-Jin¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°... Mother.¡±


    An assassin must always be inplete control of their body and spirit.


    Thus, somewhere along the line, such words and emotions be taboo.


    Yet now, the very Death God Ma-Ra had made a rookie mistake.


    ¡°Yes. I <i>am</i> your mother, Ma-Ra. From the day I first saw you, I wanted to take you in as my daughter. And now... Well, since you can¡¯t be my daughter, then I¡¯ll take you as my daughter-inw right now! I want to hear you call me Mother, <i>hehe</i>.¡±


    Jin-Jin held onto Ma-Ra¡¯s hand tightly as she finished speaking, and looked over at Cho-Ah.


    ¡°It¡¯s so great to have so many daughters-inw that are like my own children. And I also got an actual daughter! Cho-Ah, my dear,e over here.¡±


    Jin-Jin had many conversations with Cho-Ah on their way here. In that time, she had offered many warm embraces to Cho-Ah and helped her move on from her painful past and her sadness at losing Seob Un-Ha. It was only natural that her maternal instincts would arise.


    ¡°Yes, M...Mother.¡±


    It was still awkward, and there was a lot of work to do, but it was clear that Cho-Ah was healing. She went and hugged Jin-Jin.


    Woo-Moon watched them for a moment before turning to the three women he loved.


    ¡°You really are selfish, senior brother,¡± Si-Hyeon said with an angry expression.


    She red at Woo-Moon fiercely.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But you have to understand my feelings as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware that things would have been more dangerous if I insisted on following you. But you still could have told me first, you know? Do you even know how we felt?¡±


    Looking at them now, he saw that both Si-Hyeon and Yeo-Seol¡¯s faces were swollen. He could only guess how much they had cried throughout it all.


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Yeo-Seol wiped away her tears.


    ¡°If something were to have happened to you, we... we¡ªI thought we would have to part ways without ever being able to say our final goodbyes. Do you know how that made me feel?¡±


    Yeo-Seol said everything she wanted to say, even while sobbing.


    Unable to think of the words to apologize, Woo-Moon just walked up to them and hugged them tightly.


    <i>¡°Hiiiiiiing!¡±</i>


    Yeo-Seol burst into an even louder sob, while Si-Hyeon also began to cry. Woo-Moon conveyed his warmth to them, his embrace filled with his love andforting them. It was only after a good while that they calmed down.


    Then, right when Woo-Moon let go of the two and turned around¡ª


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Someone had hit Woo-Moon in the cheek with a fist.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    It was Ma-Ra. She hit Woo-Moon again and again, to the point that he couldn¡¯t see properly. It was such a fierce barrage that it made everyone wince even though they were just spectators.


    <i>Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!</i>


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t dodge or block Ma-Ra¡¯s punches. He didn¡¯t use his qi to protect himself, either. He just took the hits and endured the pain.


    Dae-Woong, who had been watching from the side, tried to step in, but Jin-Jin stopped him.


    ¡°Leave them. You know what our child feels.¡±


    Dae-Woong scratched his head.


    ¡°What, are you going to hit me like thatter if I do something wrong, too?¡±


    ¡°If you know what¡¯s good for you, then don¡¯t make me.¡±


    Suddenly, Dae-Woong remembered the old Jin-Jin, who was weak but much gentler than she was now, and let out a low sigh.


    <i>¡®It sure was tough back then, but maybe that was better...¡¯</i>


    A person who is energetic when healthy could be temperamental when sick, and a person who is fearless might be a coward depending on the state of their body. It can¡¯t be helped; one¡¯s physical condition influences one¡¯s mental state, and vice versa.


    With her recovery and cultivation, Jin-Jin¡¯s personality had changed as well, and she was a lot more active and prone to resorting to... direct methods.


    Of course, just because Dae-Woong was thinking this way now didn¡¯t mean he truly wanted Jin-Jin to be weak again. He was just grumbling that his peaceful days as the man of the house were over.


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moon¡¯s nose was bleeding, his eyelids were swollen, and his lips split.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    The world-renowned Song Woo-Moon, the Undefeatable Sword Immortal, the one and only Zenith Master in all of the <i>murim</i>, was being thrashed like a little boy.


    They were at the headquarters of the Heavenly Demon Cult, so there were naturally many cultists of the Heavenly Demon Cult present. In fact, there were also some people from the Righteous Faction as well. And they all looked at the scene, not knowing whether they shouldugh or cry.


    Ma-Ra¡¯s fists were stained with blood.


    She bit her lip and continued to hit Woo-Moon without saying a word. Meanwhile, Si-Hyeon and Yeo-Seol watched from the side, and their faces showed clear approval of her actions. The dainty and sensitive Yeo-Seol even encouraged her.


    ¡°Hit him harder! A bad man like him deserves to be punished!¡±


    The beatingsted for a long time.


    ¡°Ugh... that hurts. Well, are you feeling better now?¡±


    Looking at Woo-Moon, who was in a state of disarray, Ma-Ra wiped a tear off her cheek with her sleeve.


    ¡°You bastard.¡±


    Before leaving for Martial Heaven, Woo-Moon had struck Ma-Ra¡¯s acupoints and put her to sleep. Her surprise and disappointment when she woke upter were indescribable.


    ¡°Ughhhh, the pain.¡±


    Yeo-Seol burst into tears again when she heard Woo-Moon say that it hurt. Up until a moment ago, she had pretended to be angry and encouraged Ma-Ra, but it seemed that she was actually really worried inside.


    ¡°<i>Hiiiiih!</i> Are you okay, Gege? Does it really hurt?¡±


    Si-Hyeon directly interjected, ¡°It¡¯s fine. No matter how much it hurts, it wouldn¡¯t be as much as he hurt us.¡±


    She then turned to Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Now that she¡¯s done venting, stop standing there like an idiot and heal your wounds. I don¡¯t want to see you like that.¡±


    ¡°Ah... yes, sorry about that.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, his nosebleed stopped, his torn lips healed, and his swollen eyelids subsided.


    ¡°If you pull that kind of trick again,¡± Si-Hyeon continued, ¡°it¡¯ll be thest time you see us.¡±

 Chapter 247. Within Ten Paces, You’ll Find A Fragrant Flower (18)

    <h4>Chapter 247. Within Ten Paces, You¡¯ll Find A Fragrant Flower (18)</h4>


    Everything was unfamiliar to Cho-Ah.


    A new ce.


    A new father, a new mother, a new... older brother.


    New older sisters and many other people who greeted her warmly and treated her with the utmost care.


    Everything was different from the world she had known, the world that had always been cold to her and tormented her in every way imaginable.


    The only one who had ever treated her like this was Seob Un-Ha, and not a single other person.


    That was why she felt even more resentful and wronged.


    <i>¡®This is what ordinary people¡¯s lives are like. Everyone else got to live happily like this, with the love of their parents and the consideration of those around them. So why, why did I...¡¯</i>


    But she did her best to suppress those feelings. If she were to think of the past negatively like this, she was worried that her memories with Seob Un-Ha would also darken.


    <i>¡®The Blood Cloud... Devil Emperor. My dear big brother killed so many people... no. I don¡¯t want to believe it. No, I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t. To me, he was the warmest, the kindest big brother.¡¯</i>


    She repeated those resentful thoughts of the world hundreds of times a day before changing her mind over and over.


    Knowing how she felt, the others respected her space as much as possible. Right now, she needed some space to think. Then, as one day passed, two days, a month... Cho-Ah would open her heart up, little by little.


    It was inevitable.


    People ultimately want a warm and bright ce where they can restfortably. No one truly desires darkness; nobody truly wants to live a cold life. People who think so are not just deluding themselves, but abusing themselves.


    Cho-Ah had never lived a normal life before, but there were still some things she could recognize.


    The Song Family.


    She could recognize that the Song Family was quite unique and interesting. Well, that was very mildly put. In fact, they were a motley crew of proper entrics.


    First, their patriarch, the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon, who was now Cho-Ah¡¯s grandfather.


    Needless to say, his entricity had been famous throughout the <i>murim</i> for quite some time. His odd way of being, shit-eating grin, and reckless behavior made it hard for anyone to reconcile his image with that of an Absolute Master who was over a hundred years old.


    Then, there was Song Dae-Woong.


    He used to be the owner of some rural inn, but from what she¡¯d heard, he was apparently the sessor of a mysterious and powerful sect when he was younger. While he looked scary, blunt, and simple from the outside, that couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. The closer they got, the more he talked and cried.


    Above all, he was timid. Moreover, he was so prone to jealousy that he would easily get upset if Cho-Ah was taking care of Jin-Jin more or showed more signs of affection toward her than toward him.


    On the surface Jin-Jin seemed the most normal, yet... even this normal person was a straightforward and brash brawler. Never mind scolding her children or husband; she would even tell her own father to kick dirt when she was angry! Cho-Ah felt that she had to tread lightly around her.


    As for Song Woo-Moon... She still wasn¡¯t sure. Every time, she saw a different side of him.


    What was clear was that although he seemed quite strong on the outside, he was actually quite a delicate person. And after getting to know him some more, it was clear that he had a very... strong will.[1]


    On top of it all, even though he was known as a hero in the <i>murim</i> and he did in fact care about justice and whatnot, he clearly cared far more about his family than about anything else.


    <i>¡®He would probably ughter the entire murim twice over if it meant that he could save his family. Well... Am I part of his family? For some reason, he looks very reliable....¡¯</i>


    Even worse, Woo-Moon¡¯s wives included the Heavenly Demon Yeon Si-Hyeon, the Death God Ma-Ra, and the Divine Maiden of the North Sea Yeo-Seol.


    It was a trulyplicated and interesting family.


    <i>¡®Oh, that¡¯s right. Since Ma-Ra and Yeo-Seol¡¯s wedding is in five days, I can¡¯t say they¡¯re his wives yet.¡¯</i>


    Cho-Ah trained martial arts with Yu Yu and Gyeong Mu-Gi in the mornings, following Woo-Moon¡¯s rmendation. He thought it would be better for her to focus on a concrete goal and interact with people of a simr age than to just lie still in her room.


    In the mornings, she trained in martial arts, and in the afternoons, she studied under Faceless One, the most learned person in the Heavenly Demon Cult.[2]


    While Gyeong Mu-Gi and Yu Yu were also supposed to learn together with her, they often skipped out on their academic studies.


    ¡°So you¡¯vee, Miss. Then, let¡¯s get started.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Cho-Ah was amazed.


    When she was young, she had heard that the Heavenly Demon Cult was scarier than the Blood Cult and that all cultists of the Heavenly Demon Cult were like evil demons. As it turned out, in reality, it couldn¡¯t be further from the truth.


    Although they were indeed brutal warriors and some of their basic principles made them quite different from ordinary people, in other ways, they were rather pure.


    ¡°To love learning is akin to knowledge; to study diligently is akin to benevolence; to know shame is akin to courage.¡±[3]


    Cho-Ah carefully moved her brush while listening to Faceless One¡¯s exnation.


    She was having fun. It was fun to train in martial arts and move her body, but it was even more fun to learn and discover things she didn¡¯t know before.


    A few hourster, Faceless One smiled and said her farewells.


    ¡°As expected, you are quite the perspicacious youngdy. Thank you for kindly listening to my teachings, Miss. Have a good day.¡±


    Cho-Ah still wasn¡¯t used to the polite mannerisms of the Heavenly Demon Cult members. She had been a ve all her life, so it wasn¡¯t easy for her to adapt to people treating her like... well... a person.


    ¡°Y-yes.¡±


    But Cho-Ah liked this life. How could she not?


    The days were peaceful, warm, and filled with a love that she had never felt before.


    And as she wrapped up her papers and emerged from the study room, she noticed that the Heavenly Demon Cult was beginning to grow busy.


    Of course, that was because Woo-Moon, Ma-Ra, and Yeo-Seol were getting married in five days.


    The Heavenly Demon Cult itself had nothing to do with the wedding, but because of their rtionship with Woo-Moon¡¯s first wife, they stepped forward and helped as if one of their own was getting married. Of course, part of it also stemmed from a desire to strengthen their bond with Woo-Moon as much as possible.


    ¡°Nuna!¡±


    Cho-Ah had lived through incredibly hard times since childhood, yet although she had lived twenty years before she was frozen in ice for another forty, she still only looked as if she was sixteen.


    That was why it felt a little strange when Gyeong Mu-Gi suddenly appeared from behind her and surprised her by calling her ¡°Nuna.¡±


    ¡°Kyaaa!¡±


    When someone suddenly appeared behind her and grabbed her tightly by the shoulder, she was instantly brought back to the past, and trauma hit like a brick. The person who had tormented her the most, the leader of the Blood Cult, came to mind.


    As she dropped to the ground, shivering, Gyeong Mu-Gi panicked.


    ¡°Huh? N-nuna, I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    At that moment, a beautiful woman wearing a flower gown appeared behind Gyeong Mu-Gi.


    <i>Bam!</i>


    Ma-Ra first smacked Gyeong Mu-Gi, then proceeded to scold him.


    ¡°You reckless idiot, I can tell you¡¯re Woo-Moon¡¯s pupil! Like master, like student. Be careful!¡±


    ¡°Oww.... Sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Gyeong Mu-Gi answered with a tearful face. He really did seem to be very sorry as he kept ncing at Cho-Ah.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m okay. It was my fault.¡±


    Ma-Ra frowned slightly. Cho-Ah was still in the habit of saying everything was her fault. Ma-Ra felt pity as she saw her like that.


    <i>¡®She should be scolding Mu-Gi at a time like this...¡¯</i>


    Such is the ve mentality. When you¡¯re used to being treated as the lowest scum all your life, it¡¯s hard to change within the short span of a month.


    But as long as everyone continued to love her, things would definitely change in the future.


    Cho-Ah wiped her tears, ¡°Hey, your wedding is in five days. You must have a lot to prepare. Is it really okay for you to stay here and concern yourself with this?¡±


    Ma-Ra¡¯s cheeks puffed out. It seemed like there were many things she wasn¡¯t fond of.


    ¡°It¡¯s annoying. They keep bothering me. That¡¯s why I ran away.¡±


    Cho-Ah smiled bashfully at Ma-Ra, thinking she was adorable.


    Ma-Ra proceeded to grab her by the arm and drag her over to the market, where they spent hours eating sweets and buying essories. Of course, Ma-Ra wasn¡¯t that fond of that kind of thing, but she did her best to enjoy it for Cho-Ah¡¯s sake.


    Seeing these two young women smile andugh together, the men in the market were so happy that they even shed tears, saying that they must have umted good karma in their past three lifetimes if they could see such beauties even once.


    ***


    All this time, there was someone who was hovering around Cho-Ah, peeking at her.


    It was none other than Ah Sam, the leader of the Song Family guards.


    After arduous training, Ah Sam was reaching the pinnacle of the Peak stage, but he had absolutely no thoughts of cking off and enjoying the fruits of his cultivation. On the contrary, the higher he got, the more diligently he worked.


    Yet in the midst of his harsh training, Woo-Moon returned with a girl named Cho-Ah.


    Since the moment he first saw her, Ah Sam hadn¡¯t been able to sleep properly, even once. She came to mind when he trained, and she came to mind when he didn¡¯t. He dreamed of her when he slept... and even when he was awake.


    The sight of her looking around in fear, her pretty eyes filled with sadness and anxiety, stimted Ah Sam¡¯s protective instincts and set the heart of the honest young man, which had never fixated on a woman before, on fire.


    However, Ah Sam couldn¡¯t approach her.


    She had been adopted by Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin and was now his master¡¯s younger sister. Therefore, she was someone he could never approach.


    And thus began his life of worry.


    ***


    When evening came, the Song Family and the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s congrattory delegation headed for the Baek Family¡¯s estate.


    Although Woo-Moon had promised to live in the Heavenly Demon Cult for some time, he wanted to hold this wedding at his family residence, at the Iron Sword Baek Family estate. Thus, the Heavenly Demon Cult was considerate and stepped aside.


    In a way, this was a family trip that had beening for a long time.


    They forgot about the confrontation with Martial Heaven and the Martial Heaven God, their terrifying opponents, and enjoyed the happy trip.


    When they arrived at the Baek Family Estate after three days, everyone in the Baek Family came out to wee the Song Family and the Heavenly Demon Cult. Clearly, the rtionship between the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Righteous Faction and other martial sects had improved tremendously.


    And thus, the joyous day finally arrived.


    ***


    ¡°Agk, how infuriating! It¡¯s all so infuriating!¡±


    Jeong Gyeong was throwing a fit over nothing <i>again</i>. This had been going on from the moment they had left the North Sea Ice Pce and all the way to where they were now.


    In the meantime, Yu Cho, who had grown a beard and looked rather manly and dignified, tried tofort his wife.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be there soon, so let¡¯s calm down a little, dear.¡±


    ¡°Calm down? How can I calm down?!¡±


    Jeong Gyeong, whose anger and annoyance grew worse the closer she got to the Baek Family estate, finally spoke her true thoughts.


    ¡°That damned bitch Ha Yeo-Seol had the luck of meeting one good man and she¡¯s now even stronger than me. And she¡¯s going to be the next Pce Master! How the hell am I supposed to calm down?! Just who would have thought that damned attendant would be the great Zenith Realm Undefeatable Sword Immortal?!¡±


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Yu Cho ground his teeth.


    While he obviously didn¡¯t feel good about being chosen to be a member of the North Sea Ice Pce¡¯s congrattory delegation to congratte the Song Family¡¯s new marriage, hearing such words from his wife made him incredibly furious.


    When he subconsciously raised his fist without even realizing it, a cold voice drifted over, causing them to freeze.


    ¡°Stop showing such ugly sides of yourselves.¡±


    Yu Cho and Jeong Gyeong came to their senses at the sound of the Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee¡¯s voice, and immediately felt massive embarrassment. Considering how loud their fight was, they knew that everyone else must have heard.


    <i>¡®Yeah, it¡¯s all because of that bitch Ha Yeo-Seol. If it weren¡¯t for her, I might have gotten along with Song Woo-Moon back then. Then I could¡¯ve been the wife of the Undefeatable Sword Immortal! So why?! Why?! Why have things turned out this way?!¡¯</i>


    Yu Cho was gnashing his teeth, just like his wife.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s all because of that bastard Song Woo-Moon. That bastard stole Ha Yeo-Seol from me and ruined my life. To think on top of that, that bastard... that bastard even has good parents and even went so far as to luck his way into bing a Zenith. Just why does heaven help a bastard like that? Why am I abandoned like this?!¡¯</i>


    1. Nice-people-speak in Korean for being incredibly stubborn. ?


    2. A reference to the Chang Hen Ge, a famed Tang Dynasty poem by the Poet Bai Juyi. Basically, the word now means "one who cannot hold their face up due to shame" and is amon title to the holder of records of an organization in a pseudo-shamanic sense. It only refers to women and has a hint of mysticism to it. ?


    3. A famous quote of Confucius. It is one of the prime ts of Confucianism and one of the main <i>hanmun </i>(ssical Chinese used in Korea) phrases that are taught early in Korean education. Much of the East¡¯s collectivist mindset is attributed to this and a few other Confucian ideals. ?

 Chapter 248. Within Ten Paces, Youll Find A Fragrant Flower (19)

    <h4>Chapter 248. Within Ten Paces, You''ll Find A Fragrant Flower (19)</h4>


    Yu Cho was, honestly speaking, quite the hypocrite.


    Since a very young age, he¡¯d always been using his status to bully others, and he had felt it was entirely natural¡ªthose below exist to serve those above, and that¡¯s just how the heavens mandated it. Yet now, when he saw someone standing above him, he immediately startedining about the unfairness of the heavens.


    Regardless, the congrattory delegation from the North Sea Ice Pce continued on. As they arrived at the Baek Family¡¯s estate, the Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee met her daughter and new son-inw, and was finally able to relieve her regrets from the past.


    Congrattory delegations arrived from all over for Woo-Moon¡¯s wedding. Various gifts came from the Shaolin Temple, the Wudang Sect, the Mount Hua Sect, the Beggar Gang, and the other major forces of the Nine Sects and One Gang, as well as the Hainan Sword Sect, the North Sea Ice Pce, the Pot Pce, and many others.


    Since he was having another wedding not too long after his marriage with Si-Hyeon, he sent letters to each of the sects saying that they didn''t need to send gifts. However, he still received various expensive gifts, most of which were just as good as the ones he¡¯d gotten the first time.


    Finally, the wedding ceremony began, and Woo-Moon was amazed by the sight of Ma-Ra and Yeo-Seol in their wedding attire. They were so beautiful that anyone who saw them would have their standards of beauty entirely thrown off.


    Ma-Ra had taken off her usual flower gown and put on a red wedding gown at Jin-Jin''s insistence, and the way she puffed out her cheeks a little awkwardly made her even cuter.


    Eventually, the wedding ended, and the night fell.


    As Ma-Ra had already cooked the rice with Woo-Moon, the three of them jointly decided that he would spend the night of the wedding with Yeo-Seol.


    ***


    Woo-Moon entered the room and sat down next to Yeo-Seol, who was waiting on the bed. He carefully removed her veil.


    "You''re beautiful, Yeo-Seol."


    Yeo-Seol blushed and lowered her head. Her entire body was shaking, filled with tension and fear of the new experience she was about to face.


    Woo-Moon slowly untied Yeo-Seol''s clothes and then gently took them off.


    "Ah."


    The moment her bare skin was exposed and met the cold air, the moment she met Woo-Moon''s fierce gaze... Yeo-Seol fell backward.


    "Y-Yeo-Seol?"


    She had fainted.


    It was because she was extremely nervous.


    Since it was the first night, Woo-Moon considered waking her up again to do something, but then gave up.


    "Welp. Let''s just go to sleep. Damn, was she really that scared?"


    Woo-Moon changed Yeo-Seol''s clothes,id her down on the bed, and covered her with a nket.


    Hey next to Yeo-Seol and tried to fall asleep, but found himself unable to. Thus, he grabbed Lightsh, hung it from his waist, slipped out through the window, and climbed onto the roof.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± he asked.


    Ma-Ra, who was sitting on the roof looking at the moon, threw him the bottle of alcohol she was holding.


    Woo-Moon put the bottle to his lips and drank. It was incredibly bitter, but whether it was because he was craving alcohol or some other reason, Woo-Moon continued to drink without stopping.


    "Enough."


    Ma-Ra quickly went to stop Woo-Moon, afraid that her precious alcohol would run out. However, there already wasn''t a single drop left in the bottle.


    "Drinking it all, you bad... mmph!"


    Woo-Moon¡¯s mouth covered Ma-Ra¡¯s mouth as she spoke.


    Her eyes widened in surprise, but then they closed, and her arms wrapped around him.


    ¡°Whew, ha! That was really some delicious alcohol. How sweet.¡±


    Ma-Ra blushed at Woo-Moon¡¯s crude words and punched him in the chest.


    Woo-Moon grabbed her fist and flipped her onto the roof before lying down with his head on her thigh.


    "I can''t sleep, Ma-Ra. Let''s stay together tonight."


    Ma-Ra gently stroked Woo-Moon¡¯s head.


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Waaaaaaah!¡±


    Yeo-Seol burst into tears.


    She was absolutely mortified to hear that the first night she had always looked forward to had been ruined by her fainting.


    "It''s okay, it''s okay. I''m not upset in any way; I fully understand. No worries, we have tonight and tomorrow night, and then many nights after that. Don''t cry, Yeo-Seol."


    However, Yeo-Seol proceeded to faint a second time, exactly as Woo-Moon touched her for the first time.


    Finally, on the third day, she managed to steel her resolve enough to go through the act with Woo-Moon.


    While there were powerful enemies, known as Martial Heaven and the Martial Heaven God in their way, and although they would have to fight them to die in the near future, the people of the Song Family were faithful to each and every day and enjoyed their happiness to the fullest.


    ***


    The Martial Heaven God, who had been sitting quietly in seclusion even when Woo-Moon''s invasion caused chaos in Martial Heaven, opened his eyes.


    "Ageless Demon Emperor, you really were a pesky one. You were a weakling, but I underestimated your hatred."


    The Martial Heaven God let out a deep breath and fully focused, finally erasing the traces of the Ageless Demon Emperor that remained in his body.


    Those who had reached a high level, like the Martial Heaven God, could be greatly affected by even the slightest changes that urred in their internal mindscape. Meanwhile, the Ageless Demon Emperor''s hatred and resentment toward Martial Heaven were so strong that they were engraved into his very flesh and soul¡ªand the Martial Heaven God consumed them along with the Ageless Demon Emperor¡¯s body.


    <i>Hiss!!</i>


    Smoke rose from his body, and the flesh on his body quickly withered away, making him look mummified.


    "You were a really annoying brat, I have to admit. But now, it¡¯s goodbye for good."


    The Martial Heaven God left his quarters. Then he looked around at Martial Heaven, which hadn''t yet fully recovered.


    "I''m beginning to get interested, Song Woo-Moon. It''s about time we met."


    ***


    About half a month had passed since the wedding.


    Woo-Moon was out alone in the training hall at night, training. While he was unquestionably the greatest expert of all <i>murim</i>, he still trained harder than anyone else.


    <i>''I need to work with my sword directly. Now that I''ve reached the Zenith realm, this has be even more important.''</i>


    Once he surpassed the Absolute realm and became a Paragon, he only focused on visualization training and left aside directly moving and experiencing things with his body. Having already passed the lower stages, he had assumed that visualization training was more helpful. Now, he realized that was a mistake. Even at this level, it was just as important to actually move his body and train physically as it was to train mentally.


    Right as he finished training and was about to enter his quarters, he froze.


    "Ugh!"


    Suddenly, he let out a groan and ran almost as if he was falling forward, before doing a somersault andnding on the ground. In the blink of an eye, he pointed his drawn sword at a spot in the darkness.


    ¡°Martial Heaven God!¡±


    The clothes on his back had been split apart, and blood was flowing from an open wound. He had been hit by the hidden attack of the Martial Heaven God.


    <i>''If I had been even the slightest bit slow to move, it would¡¯ve been way worse.''</i>


    Had that happened, it would have spelled his inevitable defeat, considering he was facing such a formidable opponent.


    The Martial Heaven God looked as if he was in his early thirties. He had short hair and wore earrings, which was unusual for a man. He stood incredibly tall, taller than Woo-Moon.


    <i>''Is... is he really a person?''</i>


    Woo-Moon''s instincts screamed at him.


    Even though the Martial Heaven God hadn''t yet done anything or let out any special aura, Woo-Moon could feel the hair on his entire body stand on end, and he shivered from his very core.


    The Martial Heaven God was alien.


    He was a being that couldn''t exist, a being that <i>shouldn''t</i> exist.


    Yet that being was standing right before Woo-Moon''s eyes.


    He wasn''t a person, he wasn''t even a living organism in the normal sense; he was fundamentally foreign to natural order.


    Woo-Moon''s instincts warned him of this, sending him endless rms.


    The Martial Heaven God cupped his fist.


    "Today, I finally get to meet the Undefeatable Sword Immortal, whose glorious name is renowned throughout the world. Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Eun Jang-Cheon."[1]


    Then he smiled.


    ¡°Ugh!"


    Woo-Moon let out a low groan; he barely blocked the fist that appeared directly in front of him with his forearm while flickering away with Illusive Shift.


    <i>''W-what an incredible qi.''</i>


    Of course, Woo-Moon also possessed a practically infinite amount of qi and had no need to fear depletion. Yet there was clearly a stark difference between him and his opponent when it came to the maximum amount of qi that could be released in a single instant.


    "I heard that you visited the house of an unremarkable martial artist like me and left me a great gift. I feel ashamed that I wasn''t able to meet you then because of a problem I had at that time, so I''vee here to show my gratitude."


    The Martial Heaven God continued to attack as he spouted nonsense, and the two of them flew freely like bees from rooftop to rooftop, across the pavilions of the Heavenly Demon Cult.


    Suddenly, the Martial Heaven God''s hand moved in a circle and trapped Woo-Moon''s arm. An invisible energy clung to his arm, and the moment Woo-Moon tried to pull his hand away, startled, the opponent¡¯s fist struck his chest.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Woo-Moon stepped back.


    "I didn''t think it polite to express my full gratitude from the beginning, so I started off lightly. Are my greetings suiting your taste?"


    The Martial Heaven Godughed again. It was such a fullugh that his eyes narrowed until they were almost invisible. However, to Woo-Moon, that expression was more terrifying than anything.


    Moreover, the fact that the Martial Heaven God could feel such emotions made Woo-Moon angry.


    <i>''Damn it!''</i>


    "I''ve seen your closebat skills already, so this time, I would like to see the famed Undefeatable Sword Immortal Song Woo-Moon''s aura arts."


    Putting some distance between them, the Martial Heaven God opened both palms wide toward the sky. Above each, a round sphere of terrifying aura appeared¡ªone white, the other ck.


    Then, he brought his hands together in front of his chest, as if he was praying.


    <i>Zzzzzzzt!!</i>


    The space around the Martial Heaven God distorted and the atmosphere itself warped, sending shockwaves in all directions. The energy level was so high that even a non-cultivator could clearly see it.


    Even moonlight and starlight distorted before scattering when they came near the Martial Heaven God, dissipating.


    Woo-Moon tightly gripped the one sword he had brought for his training, Lightsh.


    His hands were soaked in sweat.


    <i>''He''s strong... he''s insanely strong.''</i>


    The ck and white beads were forciblybined by the Martial Heaven God, their colors swirling together. As they mixed together more and more, the power exuding from the Martial Heaven God''s palms grew stronger.


    Even when the two aura spheres werepletely merged, the Martial Heaven God continued to bring his palms closer together. Eventually, the sphere changed into an ovoid that grew longer and tter, and its power was further and furtherpressed.


    Then, the Martial Heaven Godughed.


    "This is Burning the Cosmos. Please enjoy it.¡±


    <i>THWOOM!</i>


    The aura of Burning the Cosmos was suddenly freed, and like a spring that had beenpressed to the ultimate limit and then abruptly released, it shot toward Woo-Moon at breakneck speed.


    <i>''I can''t dodge this...''</i>


    Although Woo-Moon wanted to avoid it, knowing a full-on confrontation was not to his advantage, the aura shot was too fast, making it impossible for him to dodge.


    <i>''There''s only one move that can block it.''</i>


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword contained the world, and the entire world became Woo-Moon¡¯s sword.


    <i>¡®All the Myriad Things in the World!¡¯</i>


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    A powerful explosion rang out, shaking the entire Heavenly Demon Cult.


    Fortunately, the damage from the collision was minimal. Both Woo-Moon and the Martial Heaven God were incredibly skilled at concentrating and controlling their power.


    "AGK!"


    Woo-Moon flew backward with a scream, and Lightsh shattered into pieces. He pierced through the highest tower of the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯spound and finally ended his flight by crashing into a cliff.


    "Oh my. Was my gift too much?"


    1. The name actually appears in this chapter with no exnation whatsoever. We added this part in order to make the transition smoother. ?

 Chapter 249. Within Ten Paces, You’ll Find A Fragrant Flower (20)

    <h4>Chapter 249. Within Ten Paces, You¡¯ll Find A Fragrant Flower (20)</h4>


    As the Martial Heaven God smirked, the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s emergency strike team, the Mad Demon Squadron, appeared and rushed toward him, having heard the loud noise and realizing the presence of an intruder.


    ¡°It¡¯s an intruder, kill him!¡±


    Meanwhile, Woo-Moon dug his way out of the cliff; he was aplete mess, with his clothes torn and his hair disheveled. When he saw them, he shouted, ¡°No, retreat!¡±


    But the Martial Heaven God¡¯s hand had already moved.


    When he snapped his fingers, a small bead popped out, flying toward the Mad Demon Squadron.


    It really was small, only the size of a cherry, and it flew at a speed that didn¡¯t look particrly high. But Woo-Moon knew that was only perception. Inside the bead of aura was a terrifying rotational power, which was gathering an incredible amount of energy.


    Although he wanted to rush over and save the Mad Demon Squadron, Woo-Moon¡¯s condition was terrible.


    He had suffered considerable internal injuries due to the blow from Burning the Cosmos earlier. Since it was an attack of the Martial Heaven God, who was also a Zenith, it was difficult for him to recover quickly. The Martial Heaven God¡¯s qi had a property that hindered the opponent¡¯s recovery, just like Woo-Moon¡¯s.


    The Mad Demon Squadron didn¡¯t realize how much power the aura bead had. Thus, they ignored it and tried to rush the Martial Heaven God instead.


    And then... the bead got in the middle of the Mad Demon Squadron.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    The moment it reached its destination, it exploded, conjuring a massive tornado of aura around it. Red streams of blood rose up with the winds of the tornado, and when the aura bead disappeared... so did the Mad Demon Squadron.


    Not even a speck of dust remained.


    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve dealt with the pesky intruders, shall we begin our game again?¡±


    As the Martial Heaven God spoke, he approached Woo-Moon and stretched out his hand to shoot another aura bead.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes suddenly widened as he looked at the Martial Heaven God.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Ma-Ra had appeared behind the Martial Heaven God and was swinging her sword at him. In response, the Martial Heaven Godughed.


    <i>Cough, cough!</i>


    Woo-Moon shed forward, even while vomiting blood, and hugged Ma-Ra, taking the Martial Heaven God¡¯s attack square to his back.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    The shock was so massive he couldn¡¯t even scream.


    At the same time, Si-Hyeon also ran forward and struck at the Martial Heaven God. But no attack could break through the barrier of aura that surrounded him; her attack simply vanished into thin air.


    <i>BANG!</i>


    Hit in return by the Martial Heaven God, Si-Hyeon flew backward, spitting out blood like a fountain. The Otherworldly Fairy Ah Hee leaped into the air and tried to mitigate the shock by catching her from behind, but the sheer force of the st was so great that they were both propelled backward as if shot from a sling.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    Woo-Moon, Ma-Ra, Si-Hyeon, and Ah Hee rolled across the ground simultaneously and vomited blood at the same time.


    Even though Woo-Moon had taken on the brunt of the Martial Heaven God¡¯s attack instead of Ma-Ra, the aftershock was enough to cause Ma-Ra severe internal injuries. At the same time, Ah Hee suffered internal injuries so severe that it would take at least three months to heal just by catching Si-Hyeon.


    ¡°Great Hero Undefeatable Sword Immortal Song Woo-Moon, you killed my only son. You see, I¡¯m a person far detached from mere human emotions, but even so... it¡¯s not a good feeling. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d understand.¡±


    <i>Thud, thud.</i>


    The Martial Heaven God slowly walked toward Woo-Moon.


    By this point, Sang-Woon, Dae-Woong, Jin-Jin, Yeo-Seol, the Song Family guards, Woo-Moon¡¯s disciples, and countless warriors of the Heavenly Demon Cult had arrived.


    ¡°Woo-Moon!¡±


    ¡°Lord!¡±


    ¡°Gege!¡±


    All of them called out to Woo-Moon, each in their own way. But as they ran toward the Martial Heaven God like moths to a me, Woo-Moon stopped them, even while spitting out blood.


    ¡°S-Stop! <i>Cough, cough,</i> stop right there! Don¡¯t move, or you¡¯ll die!¡±


    Woo-Moon stood up on shaky legs.


    ¡°<i>Hah, hah, hah...</i>.¡±


    Although he took several deep breaths, his breathing didn¡¯t stabilize. The powerful qi of the Martial Heaven God was still raging inside of him.


    He used all of his strength to stand up straight. Then, he stretched out both hands and summoned Inkde and Golden Dragon, which were in his room.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    Inkde and Golden Dragon quickly flew toward Woo-Moon. But the moment they approached, the Martial Heaven God stretched out his hands. The two swords quickly changed directions and entered the Martial Heaven God¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Clutching his chest, Woo-Moon suffered another tremendous shock as the flow of the Sword Control was wrestled away from him.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need such unsightly things between us, do we?¡±


    The Martial Heaven God grabbed Inkde and Golden Dragon and simply smashed the two swords together.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Inkde and Golden Dragon shattered into pieces, which fell to the ground.


    Then, the Martial Heaven God appeared right in front of Woo-Moon using Illusive Shift.


    ¡°Actually, I expected this from the beginning.¡±


    As he said that, the Martial Heaven God grabbed Woo-Moon¡¯s head.


    ¡°I was convinced of it when I heard that the youngest Paragon in history was born not within Martial Heaven or the Heavenly Demon Cult, but from some random family in the <i>murim</i>. And even more so when I heard that he reached the Zenith realm in just a few moments. I came here to confirm it.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s feet rose into the air.


    ¡°And I see I was right. You¡¯re the disciple of that damned Daoist, Woo Bok-Hee.¡±


    ¡°AGHHH!¡±


    Woo-Moon screamed in pain.


    The Chaotic Finger Qi that seeped from the Martial Heaven God¡¯s hand roamed around Woo-Moon¡¯s body, destroying everything in its way and tormenting him like nothing before.


    The extreme pain of having his body pierced by ten thousand nails and burned alive made Woo-Moon wish he no longer had a body at all.


    ¡°Everything will be over once I kill you. It won¡¯t matter if Woo Bok-Hee shows up again; I¡¯ll still carry out my n.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s gaze, tinged with pain, met the Martial Heaven God¡¯s smiling gaze.


    Then, Woo-Moon realized it. The Martial Heaven God really was insane. He really was not human.


    He had be intoxicated by his own strength and had lost his humanity. He wanted to be a god himself, transcending even Immortals. He could see that deep, unending desire within Eun Jang-Cheon¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Oh, have you figured it out? Yes. The extermination of the <i>murim</i> is nothing but one step of my n. I don¡¯t need those imperfect bugs with ridiculous martial arts in my world. Sadly, it¡¯d take far too long to kill ten thousand or a hundred thousand bugs by myself, so I have to use some bugs to fight other bugs. What, you think I¡¯m being ridiculous? No, it¡¯s YOU people who are being ridiculous. The <i>murim</i>, the martial artists are the ones who are in the wrong!¡±


    The Martial Heaven God did not intend to eliminate the <i>murim</i> and leave behind Martial Heaven. No... Martial Heaven itself was nothing but an expendable tool bound to be eliminated. He intended to kill all those who had learned martial arts, except for himself.


    ¡°Ugh, ha, <i>cough, cough</i>... I... I... AGH! I...!¡±


    ¡°Oho? You¡¯re actually trying to <i>speak</i>? To think you could endure my Soul Burning Ritual!¡±


    The Martial Heaven God was, in fact, somewhat impressed. The sheer pain caused by this Zenith-level technique likely surpassed the very mes of hell, let alone mere torture of the mortal world.


    But in the midst of this extreme pain, Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes also shed with madness. The stubbornness of not wanting to lose to anyone and the spite of never wanting to show weakness, at least in front of Martial Heaven, dominated his mind.


    ¡°Yes... <i>agh!</i> You¡¯re right, we are stronger than everyone else! Everyone else with delusions of power is just being ridiculous, since we can kill thousands of people with a single swing of the sword. And I don¡¯t really know if the <i>murim</i>, or cultivation for that matter, are even necessary in this world. Nor do I care to think about it or make any judgments. But one thing, I <i>do</i> care about.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s voice was blunt.


    The Martial Heaven God tried to increase the power of the Soul Burning Ritual, thinking that he simply wasn¡¯t putting enough elbow grease into it.


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    This time, Woo-Moon¡¯s voice didn¡¯t waver.


    ¡°My family are all martial artists, so if you¡¯re nning to exterminate <i>all</i> martial artists, then they¡¯re on your list, no? I will not allow that to happen.¡±


    ¡°So you only care about your family, then. How selfish.You seem very different from the swordsmen that I once knew. It seems like the world never knew this side of you... but well, I suppose it makes sense. Anyway, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little quiet here? How about you scream for me now?¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the Martial Heaven God unleashed another Soul Burning Ritual, this time with as much power as he could put into it.


    ¡°AGHHH!¡±


    Woo-Moon writhed in pain. It seemed that he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out for long.


    The Martial Heaven God smiled.


    Then, the breeze shifted in five different directions around him.


    It was Sang-Woon, Jin-Jin, Dae-Woong, Yeo-Seol, and... Jin Yo.


    Jin Yo¡¯s viewpoint had changed a lot since the carnage at the pce. Although he had suffered a miserable defeat after standing up and fighting the Martial Heaven Emperor, Jin Yo actually felt relieved.


    He realized that living in seclusion was no longer the answer. That was why he hade to the Heavenly Demon Cult to talk to Woo-Moon. He wanted to tell Woo-Moon that he would help him fight Martial Heaven.


    He had arrived just a few days before, and was now able to witness Woo-Moon being tortured by the Martial Heaven God. Thus, he joined the impromptu four-man squad led by Sang-Woon, performing an exquisitebined assault. Five attacks were about to strike the Martial Heaven God at the same time.


    Sadly, Woo-Moon could have destroyed all of them with one hand behind his back. So how could they stand a chance against Eun Jang-Cheon?


    The Martial Heaven God grabbed Woo-Moon by the head with his right hand, continuing the Soul Burning Ritual, while stretching his left hand upward.


    Woo-Moon¡¯s mouth opened wide when he saw that.


    ¡°No... no!¡±


    With that shout, both his body and his qi began to move. The qi of the Forbidden Divine Art filled Woo-Moon¡¯s meridians with a flow that could never be halted, rushing throughout his body like a great river.


    The five attacks were blocked by the barrier around the Martial Heaven God, and five sts of Zenith Aura, far surpassing the Transcendent Aura of a Paragon, shot out of the Martial Heaven God¡¯s fingers.


    But at the same time, Woo-Moon broke the Martial Heaven God¡¯s grip and took the sts of Zenith Aura in ce of the others.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    As soon as he was hit by the first st of Zenith Aura, his body rose into the air and blood gushed out of his body.


    <i>Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!</i>


    Four more dull sounds rang out, and Woo-Moon dropped to the ground, listless. Meanwhile, the five people who had attacked the Martial Heaven God were simply bounced away, with severe internal injuries due to the rebound.


    But right now, their severe internal injuries were quite low on the list of priorities.


    ¡°My son!¡±


    ¡°Woo-Moon!¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother!¡±


    ¡°Gege!¡±


    Pitiful screams burst out of the mouths of Woo-Moon¡¯s family.


    Meanwhile, the Martial Heaven God also stood there unmoving. He simply looked at Woo-Moon with a questioning gaze.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. How did you ovee the Soul Burning Ritual? How did you escape?¡±


    ***


    Cho-Ah was sitting in her room writing a letter. While her handwriting was rather sloppy, as she was only now learning how to write properly, she was so focused on her work that she was sweating.


    Soon, the letter wasplete.


    She put down her brush with a satisfied smile and quietly reviewed the contents of the letter.


    <i>Plop.</i>


    A tear fell on the letter. She wiped it away and walked over to the window, letter in hand.


    Then, she burned the letter using the me of a candle and sent the ashes flying into the sky.


    She put her hands together, thinking of the person she wanted to send the letter to¡ªnaturally, Blood Cloud Devil Emperor Seob Un-Ha.


    But at that moment, a loud noise shook the room, making her scream and cover her ears.


    ¡°Ahh!!¡±


    What could have happened?


    Cho-Ah, terrified, climbed onto the bed, covered herself with a nket, and shivered.


    ¡°N-no, I don¡¯t like this. I¡¯m scared... Big brother, save me. I don¡¯t like this, I¡¯m scared. No... Please, I don¡¯t like this.¡±


    The loud noise continued to resonate.


    After a few moments, she heard familiar voices calling for someone... screaming... Woo-Moon¡¯s name?


    <i>¡®Woo-Moon, Song Woo-Moon. My new... big brother. Big Brother?¡¯</i>


    Cho-Ah ran out of her quarters as if she was wind itself, running and running until she was out of breath.


    Then, she saw it¡ªthe Martial Heaven God holding onto Woo-Moon¡¯s head and torturing him.


    ¡°AH!¡±


    <i>¡®Big Brother is suffering!¡¯</i>


    The image of the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor ovepped with Woo-Moon¡¯s. Hot tears flowed from her eyes.

 Chapter 250. Within Ten Paces, You’ll Find A Fragrant Flower (21)

    <h4>Chapter 250. Within Ten Paces, You¡¯ll Find A Fragrant Flower (21)</h4>


    ¡°Ahh... Ahh!¡±


    Five people had tried to attack the Martial Heaven God, and Woo-Moon had taken the counterblow in their stead. He soared into the air, bleeding heavily, before crashing into the ground like a puppet with the strings cut.


    <i>¡®N-no, I don¡¯t want this. If he dies..¡¯</i>


    ¡°No! Stop it!¡±


    Cho-Ah¡¯s throat-tearing scream echoed through the quiet air.


    The Martial Heaven God, who had been staring at Woo-Moon with a questioning look, turned his gaze to Cho-Ah.


    ¡°Oho!¡±


    As soon as she matched the Martial Heaven God¡¯s gaze, Cho-Ah¡¯s eyes widened.


    <i>¡®H-he¡¯s not human. I¡¯m scared... scared...¡¯</i>


    However, at that moment, someone walked between them, blocking the Martial Heaven God¡¯s sight from Cho Ah¡¯s eyes.


    It was a young man with incredible muscles and unusually long arms¡ªAh Sam.


    He didn¡¯t say anything. He just silently stood in front of Cho-Ah and faced the Martial Heaven God with his teeth clenched.


    The Martial Heaven God looked at Woo-Moon.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, that girl is the one I experimented on with the Sr Physique. Is that right?¡±


    Woo-Moon was lying there like a dead dog, but when he heard the Martial Heaven God¡¯s voice, his fingers twitched. Then, he slowly woke up from his dazed state. For some reason, the Martial Heaven God simply waited for him to get up without doing anything.


    <i>¡°Cough, cough!¡±</i>


    After spitting out more blood, Woo-Moon barely raised his head and looked at him.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right... I healed her.¡±


    The Martial Heaven God startedughing. For a moment, hisughter held a tinge of anger, but that quickly dissipated as he continued tough.


    ¡°Hahahahahaha! How interesting. Well, I suppose that was my loss then.¡±


    While Woo-Moon wanted to say something, he simply didn¡¯t have the energy to speak anymore.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that someone could actually cure the Sr Physique. Not even I am confident in doing so. I see. Well, that was one loss, and this is one victory for me. Want to make this a two-out-of-three? Since we still haven¡¯t had our final battle yet, I guess it¡¯s fine to say that your title of Undefeatable-whatever is still intact.¡±


    The Martial Heaven God looked at Woo-Moon with newfound appreciation.


    ¡°Three months. I¡¯ll give you three months, and not a day more. If you don¡¯t do anything, I¡¯ll put my n into action and kill all martial artists. I hope that you¡¯ll be able to stop me before then. We¡¯ll have our final battle at that time.¡±


    After finishing everything he had to say, the Martial Heaven God was silent for a moment before speaking up again.


    ¡°A long time ago, when I first decided to be a god and create my own world, the first thing I looked at was the <i>murim</i>. If you think about it that way, martial artists live outside the rules of the world, don¡¯t they? They are the very representatives of this idea. So, I thought to myself... Since I am the representative figure of destroying the rules of reality, why not go ahead and create a new world? In doing so, I would also eliminate the very martial arts that allowed some people to gain power over others.


    ¡°So, I slowly changed Martial Heaven, the force I created myself. I nted arrogance in their hearts, making them think that they were fundamentally different from ordinary people. It was easier than I had expected. I mean, to be fair, they thought that way in the first ce. They just never expressed it specifically. But when I tried to carry out my n using Martial Heaven the first time, Woo Bok-Hee stopped me.¡±


    Woo-Moon had already heard what happened next from the Martial Heaven Emperor. After several attempts and failures, the Martial Heaven God had started to carry out preemptive actions to reduce the damages his forces took.


    ¡°... and that¡¯s how we¡¯vee this far. Now, my n is only one step away from being realized. Are you curious as to why I¡¯m telling you all of this? It¡¯s because I¡¯m worried that you might misunderstand me. You see, I have no intention of leaving Martial Heaven behind, and my conviction is firm. Please use these next three months carefully.¡±


    When he finished speaking, the Martial Heaven God disappeared. Like a mirage, like an illusion, he vanished from the sight of everyone gathered.


    At the same time, Woo-Moon¡¯s eyes closed.


    ¡°Woo-Moon!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s wives took turns staying by his side through the night, the next day, and then the following night...


    He only woke up after three days and three nights.


    He opened his eyes, his pupils dark and listless, and as soon as he woke up, he immediately sat upright and circted his qi without saying a word. He had to heal the internal wounds he had suffered fighting the Martial Heaven God.


    One month passed, and then another.


    After an entire sixty days, Woo-Moon finally woke up from his meditation with an extremely haggard face.


    ¡°Are you okay, senior brother?¡±


    ¡°Woo-Moon...¡±


    ¡°Gege! You¡¯re awake!¡±


    Woo-Moon didn¡¯t respond to his three wives¡¯ affectionate greetings. He just walked out of the room like a dull-eyed ghost, snatched a longsword from a nearby Heavenly Demon Cult member, went outside, and started swinging it.


    He was training. However, his movementscked strength.


    Woo-Moon shook his head while swinging his sword, his expression betraying his dissatisfaction with something. But he simply continued, minute after minute, hour after hour, forgoing food and rest, and just swinging his sword without a word. Although his family tried to talk to him, Woo-Moon just continued to do his thing as if he couldn¡¯t hear anything.


    Five days passed like that.


    There were now only twenty-five days left until the deadline. The mouths of those watching Woo-Moon became increasingly dry.


    Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin brought food and handed it to their daughters-inw.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for all this. You¡¯re having a hard time because of my son....¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Mother,¡± replied Si-Hyeon, shaking her head.


    The five of them could do nothing but stare at Woo-Moon; the meal they were eating felt like sand, almost impossible to swallow, but unlike him, they had to fill their stomachs. After finishing the meal, Dae-Woong thumped his chest, as if he was feeling stuffed.


    ¡°How frustrating, it¡¯s so frustrating. It feels like we¡¯ve gone back to the past. This really reminds me of when Woo-Moon was a fool obsessed with thatndscape painting.¡±


    Suddenly, Woo-Moon froze.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Dae-Woong looked at his son with surprised eyes. Woo-Moon looked back at him.


    ¡°Father, what did you just say?¡±


    ¡°What, what, you little brat?¡±


    ¡°What you said just now, that!¡±


    ¡°I said it feels like we¡¯ve gone back to when you were a fool obsessed with thatndscape painting, you brat!¡±


    Woo-Moonughed and shouted, ¡°Thendscape painting!¡±


    He seemed to have realized something.


    His wives and his mother sped their hands together in anticipation as they looked at him.


    ¡°What is, isn¡¯t, and what isn¡¯t, is!¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s listless gaze had vanished; his eyes now sparkled like stars in the night sky as he looked at his family.


    ¡°There¡¯s a ce I have to go right now. I¡¯ll be back!¡±


    Woo-Moon transformed into a beam of light and flew across the sky, arriving at the Baek Family in what felt like the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Oh, Uncle!¡±


    Baek Ran noticed him and ran over with a bright smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but see youter!¡±


    Woo-Moon ran to the now-empty Song Residence as if he was being chased by demons and started rummaging through his room.


    ¡°Where is it? I have to find it, I have to find it quickly!¡±


    He was going at it manually, like a normal person, when he btedly realized that there was an easier way and quickly expanded his qi senses. His nieces and nephews, who had juste running in, looked at him with strange gazes.


    ¡°Uncle, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Are you looking for something? Can we help you?¡±


    But right then, he found it.


    Woo-Moon used Spatial Maniption to pull it out and bring it into his grasp, bursting withughter.


    ¡°Hahahahahahaha! I found it, I found it!¡±


    What Woo-Moon held in his hand,pletely delighted, was a roll of nk paper. Judging from its shape, it looked like a piece of paper meant for drawing.


    ¡°Huh? What is that?¡±


    ¡°Did youe all the way here just to get that paper? Are you giving up martial arts and starting to paint for a living? You could have just gone to the market to buy some... wait, Uncle, did you run out of money? Should we give you some pocket money?¡±


    Woo-Moon couldn¡¯t respond to his nieces and nephew¡¯s jabs. His mind waspletely focused on something else.


    ¡°Hahahahahaha!¡±


    Kicking off the ground andunching himself through the air, he broke through the roof of the residence and flew into the depths of an unknown mountain far away, leaving behind the bbergasted Baek Family youngsters.


    There, he hung the nkndscape painting on a tree and suddenly... dropped to the ground and started to kowtow.


    <i>Thud, thud, thud.</i>


    He kowtowed three times, as was the custom when dealing with one¡¯s master.


    When he got up, he was smiling brightly. Then, he spoke to the formerndscape painting¡ªnow a nk paper¡ªas if he was talking to a person.


    ¡°Absolute nothingness is everything in the world. I¡¯ve now realized that truth. And I¡¯ve also realized that... the veryndscape painting that had be nk when you left, Master, literally contained everything in the world.¡±


    Woo-Moon still had a smile on his face. He could see the scenery in thendscape painting.


    A cliff towering high into the sky, a waterfall flowing under the shade of a majestic pine tree, deer running around... Everything was so vivid it was almost as if... no, it wasn¡¯t ¡°as if.¡± Everything was actually moving.


    The scenery within the frame of thendscape painting broke out of its bounds, spreading out even more.


    Eventually, it covered everything around Woo-Moon, and he found himself in the very fairnd that he had once stared at for years.


    An old daoist riding a crane flew in front of him. It was none other than the old Daoist who had created thendscape painting for Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Woo Bok-Hee, who looked somehow more gaunt than when they had first met, got off the crane and immediately started grumbling.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had a single day of peace because I have to take care of the seniors. Yes, yes, it has been a long time, my child.¡±


    Woo-Moon could guess as to who the ¡°seniors¡± were¡ªfrom the perspective of Woo Bok-Hee, who had ascended to the Heavens, people worthy of being called ¡°seniors¡± could only be the others who had ascended before him and be sages.


    Woo-Moon chuckled as he realized that the world beyond wasn¡¯t much different from the human world, at least in some aspects.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, it¡¯s funny, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I realized a long time ago that even immortals aren¡¯t that much different from people.¡±


    ¡°Haha. That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why evil immortals exist, after all. Right, looking at your face, I can tell that you¡¯re suffering because of those brats that call themselves Martial Heaven.¡±


    Woo-Moon lowered his head without answering. Woo Bok-Hee looked at him with a kind expression for a moment, then spoke up again.


    ¡°Fine, fine. Did you learn thest form of the Gentle Celestial Sword?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re referring to All the Myriad Things in the World, then yes, I have.¡±


    ¡°Is that really the case?¡±


    Woo-Moon was at a loss for words for a moment. Then he opened his mouth with great difficulty.


    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s why this disciple of yours has fallen into despare.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that you don¡¯t think you can¡¯t defeat the Martial Heaven God with All the Myriad Things in the World, is that it?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Woo Bok-Hee shook his head, chuckling, and said, ¡°I left you two things in thendscape painting: the Celestial Sect¡¯s Forbidden Divine Art and the Gentle Celestial Sword, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Woo-Moon wondered why Woo Bok-Hee was asking such a question. Was he being sarcastic? Was there more that Woo-Moon hadn¡¯t discovered yet?


    But Woo Bok-Hee¡¯s response waspletely unexpected.


    ¡°I did no such thing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t leave you any techniques. All I did was create a ce for you to practice.¡±


    It felt as if a light suddenly shone upon a deep, dark corner of his mind.


    ¡°That¡¯s... what are you saying?¡±


    ¡°In the end, people are the universe. There¡¯s a universe within every being. At its core, the answer to even the worst of tribtions that the Heavens might cast upon you is within yourself. I realized that and helped you achieve it, but that was merely lending you a hand. <i>You</i> have aplished all of this, everything on your own. What you learned in that dream wasn¡¯t my martial arts; I didn¡¯t teach you anything of the sort.¡±


    Countless explosions rang in Woo-Moon¡¯s head.


    Everything he had ever known, the facts, <i>the truth</i>, was crumbling.

 Chapter 251. Within Ten Paces, You’ll Find A Fragrant Flower (22)

    <h4>Chapter 251. Within Ten Paces, You¡¯ll Find A Fragrant Flower (22)</h4>


    His jaw dropped.


    ¡°Thendscape painting brought you into a dream, and the cultivation method and sword art were created by you alone. You weren¡¯t directly aware of it, but you did that in order to heal yourself.¡±


    That was all. The Gentle Celestial Sword and the Forbidden Divine Art had been created by Woo-Moon in his dream after bing aware of his illness and making countless efforts to cure it.


    Raging Wind, Heavy Rain, North Wind, Cold Snow, Imprable Iron Wall, Dragon Bind Tiger Strike, All the Myriad Things in the World...


    It wasn¡¯t that he was remembering things he had forgotten. He had wrongfully med himself for his poor memory; it was simply that he was actually creating the techniques himself, without even being aware.


    Whenever Woo-Moon was in danger or was ovee by passion, he had actually created a technique that suited him in that situation.


    As it turns out, people themselves are the gods they worship.


    Woo Bok-Hee smiled as his disciple gained enlightenment.


    ¡°So you finally understand.¡±


    ¡°The key to everything was inside of me. People are the universe. There are people in the world, and there is a world inside of people. It¡¯s not just people, too. Even the wind that brushes past me, even a single weed, even in every tiny thing, the universe is contained within it all. I... I...¡±


    <i>Tap.</i>


    Woo Bok-Hee ced a hand on Woo-Moon¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Take it all in. Take everything that makes you yourself and put it into your sword.¡±


    ¡°Right. This time, All the Myriad Things in the World will really be worthy of that name.¡±


    ¡°Then go. Go to that brat that¡¯s fallen into a dream and teach him reality.¡±


    ¡°I will. Those who are unaware or ignore the fact that they¡¯re also part of this universe will learn their lesson.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahahaha!¡±


    With a satisfiedugh, Woo Bok-Hee left.


    Woo-Moon found himself on the field of grass, once more, but he did not return to his family. Instead, he simply stood there nkly for another two days. Now, there were only twenty-three days left.


    ***


    ¡°Is he really going to be okay?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Maybe he actually just died, standing like that. Look, he¡¯s not breathing.¡±


    Jin-Jin red at Sang-Woon.


    ¡°You really must be feeling good cursing your own grandchild.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you think about it, there¡¯s nothing to feel good about, is there? Why did I do that again?¡±


    <i>Bam!</i>


    Jin-Jin kicked Sang-Woon in the shin.


    ¡°Oh dear, oh dear. I¡¯ve lost so much strength now that I¡¯m over a hundred years old that even my own daughter is beating me up.¡±


    ¡°Should I hit you some more, then?¡± Jin-Jin asked with augh.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re right, no matter how old you are, if you do something wrong, you deserve to get punished. Even if it has toe from your own daughter.¡±


    Right then, Woo-Moon, who had been standing still without moving even a single finger, opened his eyes.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    As the people of the Song and Baek families who were there to keep guard let out gasps of surprise, Woo-Moon smiled gently and gratefully toward his worried family before flying away.


    <i>¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything will end soon.¡±</i>


    Si-Hyeon looked at Yeo-Seol in surprise.


    ¡°Did you feel that too, little sister?¡±


    ¡°I did...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did, too,¡± Ma-Ra also answered.


    None of them heard Woo-Moon¡¯s message¡ªthey had <i>felt</i> it.


    Woo-Moon had conveyed his message to their hearts, not their heads, with his feelings.


    ***


    A day at the cksmith¡¯s workshop was very much like any other day at the cksmith¡¯s workshop.


    Choo Min-Sang, now a healthy young man, was making a hoe with his skillful hands.


    In front of the workshop, Mr. Choo was sitting on a chair in a sunny spot, smoking arge pipe.


    Now that his son had grown up and could do everything on his own, he finally had the confidence to let go of his hammer. Looking at the smokeing out of his pipe, Mr. Choo suddenly recalled the old days.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s been quite some time since that brat of the Song family left. I wonder how he¡¯s doing... That brat was much better than his brute-like father. He really was good at making swords.¡¯</i>


    Mr. Choo smiled as he reminisced about the past, like any other old man, when a shadow suddenly passed by, blocking his sunlight.


    ¡°W-what? Agk!¡±


    Startled, Mr. Choo let go of therge pipe, and when the embers hit his bare shin, he screamed and got up quickly. Then, he hurriedly went into the workshop to scold the person who had just entered. However, what awaited him was aplete surprise.


    ¡°Y-y-you! Aren¡¯t you Woo-Moon?!¡±


    <i>ng.</i>


    The sound of Min-Sang¡¯s hammer suddenly stopped. He was startled when he saw Woo-Moon suddenly enter. ¡°You, you¡¯re that idiot...!¡±


    Min-Sang was still just as mannerless as before. However, Woo-Moon felt cheerful andughed at the thought, wondering who else in the world would call him an idiot right now.


    ¡°Uncle, I want to make a sword.¡±


    Mr. Choo narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°What kind of sword?¡±


    ¡°A sword that can hold the whole world.¡±


    Mr. Choo chuckled. ¡°Well then, I suppose you¡¯vee to the right ce. You know the drill; grab that hammer and go at it.¡±


    As if he had gone back in time, Woo-Moon lit the forge and started working.


    The materials he used for his sword were the fragments of Lightsh, Inkde, and Golden Dragon.


    Since Min-Sang had something he¡¯d wanted to ask Woo-Moon for a while, he thought that this was a good opportunity and tried to approach him. But Mr. Choo held out his pipe and stopped him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mess with him right now.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Min-Sang asked bluntly.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    The pipe smacked Min-Sang on the head viciously. It seemed the young brat had let his new position as head cksmith get to his head, and a bit of humbling was in order.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you see it, so keep quiet.¡±


    ¡°H-hmph. Why did you hit me? You already tell me I¡¯m too dumb because all I can do is forge.¡±


    Ignoring his son¡¯sints, Mr. Choo watched Woo-Moon with a pounding heart. To be exact, he was watching the sword Woo-Moon was making.


    <i>¡®I saw it in his eyes. The true sword¡ªit was there!¡¯</i>


    <i>ng! ng, ng! ng, ng, ng, ng, ng!</i>


    Woo-Moon was unstoppable.


    To be honest, at his level, it was much easier and more urate to pound and heat a sword with his qi than it was to forge one with a hammer and furnace. However, Woo-Moon still chose to use both a furnace and a hammer.


    Using his qi, and using the seemingly unnecessary hammer and furnace.


    He would use both to forge his sword.


    The forging didn¡¯t take long. But for Woo-Moon, Mr. Choo, and Min-Sang, it was by no means a short time. It felt like eternity.


    What was surprising was that not just Mr. Choo, but even the ¡°dumb¡± Min-Sang, had some measure of enlightenment as they watched Woo-Moon work.


    Woo-Moon even made the sword hilt and scabbard himself, and in the end, he ended up holding a longsword in hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s... beautiful.¡±


    Mr. Choo was truly amazed. The sword forged by Woo-Moon seemed more beautiful than anything else to his eyes. Even more beautiful than Min-Sang¡¯s mother.


    If two people were to catch sight of the sword simultaneously for the first time, they would fight each other. One would say that it was too dull, and the other would say it was too sharp.


    Then, if they looked at it more closely, they would fight again, but in the opposite position. The person who said it was dull at first would say it was actually sharp, and the person who said it was sharp at first would say it was actually dull.


    Both were correct.


    The sword forged by Woo-Moon was short, yet long. Sharp, yet dull. Shiny, yet matte and mottled.


    Even those who thought it was sharp at first would feel it was dull if they focused enough and looked at it more closely, and then would think it was sharp again if they looked even more closely again.


    That was Woo-Moon¡¯s sword.


    Mr. Choo eximed in admiration, ¡°Boundless! Its name must be Boundless!¡±


    Woo-Moon looked at him in surprise. The old cksmith was somehow able to intuit the name he had chosen for this sword¡ªit seemed that people with simr attainments would get simr inspiration. ¡°Yes, this is Boundless.¡±


    Woo-Moon confirmed the name of the sword, but didn¡¯t carve it into the guard as was customary. He didn¡¯t think that it was necessary.


    Actually, the reason he and Mr. Choo had both instinctively known the name of the sword was that it wasn¡¯t a name thought up by either of them. It was the name of the sword; it was what the sword <i>was</i>.


    At that moment, Min-Sang couldn¡¯t hold back any longer.


    ¡°Woo-Moon... Hyung. Hyung, are you truly the Undefeatable Sword Immortal?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what they call me now.¡±


    Min-Sang¡¯s jaw dropped open. Even though everyone else had told him that, Min-Sang couldn¡¯t believe it. To think it really was true...


    ¡°I-incredible. But... I mean... weren¡¯t you a fool?¡±


    Woo-Moon grinned.


    ¡°I guess the Sword Immortal and the fool are two sides of the same coin.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon vanished


    ¡°Huh? H-Hyung!¡±


    Mr. Choo didn¡¯t seem all that surprised by Woo-Moon¡¯s sudden disappearance. He turned to look at his son.


    ¡°What¡¯s this Undefeatable Sword Immortal thing?¡±


    Mr. Choo didn¡¯t keep up with the current events, so he didn¡¯t know much about what was going on in the <i>murim</i>. In fact, it was knowledge that he actively avoided, and even if he found something out, it would soon be relegated to the farthest possible corner of his mind.


    Then, Min-Sang told him various stories about the Undefeatable Sword Immortal, so excited that droplets of spit were flying everywhere. However, contrary to Min-Sang¡¯s expectations, Mr. Choo wasn¡¯t very excited; in fact, he looked rather indifferent.


    <i>¡®What the heck? As expected, Father really is strange. Even after hearing these amazing stories, he doesn¡¯t really care much....¡¯</i>


    Mr. Choo only said one thing at the end.


    ¡°So, now Woo-Moon is going to fight that... Martial Heaven or something? I hope he doesn¡¯t get hurt....¡±


    That was all he had to say. He was just worried that Woo-Moon would get hurt.


    ***


    He went back to Martial Heaven.


    ¡°I-I-It¡¯s Song Woo-Moon!¡±


    ¡°That bastard¡¯s back again!¡±


    Woo-Moon hade alone. He hadn¡¯t brought anyone with him, nor had he bothered to tell them anything. As soon as he was done forging his sword, he was here.


    As he slowly walked forward, Martial Heaven warriors jumped out and ran toward him.


    One Absolute Master shed forward, getting about ten zhang away from him.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    He let out a scream, spat out blood, and ran a few more steps due to inertia before copsing. He was dead before hitting the ground.


    Following behind were three Transcendents and five Peak experts, getting within the same distance.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Simultaneously, a single scream escaped their lips. Then, all eight of them copsed, spewing blood from their mouths.


    Screams erupted, one after another.


    Everyone who got within ten zhang of Woo-Moon died instantly.


    Whether it was a Peak ss martial artist or an Absolute Master, if they entered that range, they would die without fail. Yet Woo-Moon didn¡¯t even look in their general direction, let alone bother to raise a finger.


    He just walked slowly, looking at thergest pavilion, where he could feel the presence of the Martial Heaven God.


    ¡°J-just what the hell is going on? Is that really a martial art? Just what sort of attack is that?!¡±


    There were three remaining Paragons in Martial Heaven: three of the Four Great Attendants. Second Attendant Yu Chi-Sang had lost his life during Woo-Moon¡¯s previous invasion.


    First Attendant Yang Mun-Yeol looked over at Fourth Attendant Hu Tong-Ah. Thetter nodded.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Hu Tong-Ah bravely ran to attack Woo-Moon.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    A momentter, he fell just like the others.


    Woo-Moon still continued forward. He hadn¡¯t even turned his head to look at Hu Tong-Ah as thetter approached him from behind, and hadn¡¯t done anything, for that matter.


    ¡°A-a monster! That bastard is a monster! Seo Moon-Gang, this time, you attack!¡±


    Third Attendant Seo Moon-Gang gritted his teeth.


    Then, he ran to Woo-Moon, and when he was almost within ten zhang of Woo-Moon, he used all of the energy he could muster into an Illusive Shift.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll finish this in a single blow!¡¯</i>


    Thinking that, Seo Moon-Gang swung his sword, focused on nothing else in this world but the back of Woo-Moon¡¯s head.


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    His de hit nothing but air.


    Then, he felt something snap inside him with a nauseating, crunchy sound. And just before his life ended, all he saw was the distance between him and Woo-Moon¡ªstill ten zhang.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Yang Moon-Yeol shouted. His hands trembled.


    ¡°W-why isn¡¯t the Martial Heaven Goding out again?! My lord, why are you just watching us getting ughtered like this?¡±


    There were already more than two hundred corpses of Martial Heaven warriors in Woo-Moon¡¯s wake.


    Each and every one of them had lost their lives without even being able to approach him, much less attack him.


    ¡°Who¡¯s left? Uh...¡±


    Yang Moon-Yeol looked around.


    ¡°Hahaha, am I the only one? Am I the only one left in this ce?¡±

 Chapter 252. Within Ten Paces, Youll Find A Fragrant Flower (23)

    <h4>Chapter 252. Within Ten Paces, You''ll Find A Fragrant Flower (23)</h4>


    Yang Moon-Yeol was an archer.


    He grabbed the longbow on his back and nocked an arrow.


    ¡°Bastard! I¡¯ll kill you! Don¡¯t underestimate the power of Martial Heaven!¡±


    His eyes sparkled with madness as he drew the bow to the limit. He imbued all of his qi into the arrow and bowstring, to the point that he spat blood when he let go.


    <i>Twang!</i>


    The arrow gained rotational power from Yang Moon-Yeol¡¯s fingertips. It flew through the air, creating a powerful vortex that broke the ground and tore space itself apart.


    ¡°Die, Song Woo-Moon!¡±


    As he shouted, Yang Moon-Yeol¡¯s eyes suddenly widened. Then, the arrow that he himself had shot pierced his own forehead. The moment it had reached within ten zhang of Woo-Moon, the arrow had simply turned around, as if the tornado-like momentum behind it simply did not exist.


    Silenced flowed in Martial Heaven.


    Woo-Moon walked without stopping toward the same ce he had been looking at from the beginning until now¡ªthe ce where the Martial Heaven God resided.


    <i>Thud, thud.</i>


    Only the sound of Woo-Moon¡¯s footsteps filled the space.


    He entered the first floor and slowly walked up to the second.


    The third... the fourth... the fifth.


    Finally, on the sixth floor, Woo-Moon faced the Martial Heaven God once more.


    ¡°Have you arrived, Song Woo-Moon?¡±


    ¡°I gave it some thought and I decided that I have to teach you a lesson.¡±


    ¡°Teach me? What do you have to teach me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out in a moment.¡±


    The Martial Heaven God narrowed his eyes and smiled. He then tapped the crystal coffin in front of him with his finger.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you something, too. The reason why I kidnapped this child.¡±


    Inside the crystal coffin was Gun-Ha, the girl that Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin had adopted as their daughter.


    ¡°And what might that be?¡±


    ¡°I have a desire. I want to break free from my form and be a true god.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°To do that, I need to perfect my martial arts.¡±


    ¡°And Gun-Ha is supposed to help you with that?¡±


    ¡°Yes. One of your wives, that girl named Si-Hyeon, identally consumed the Heavenly Demon Orb and became the new Heavenly Demon. Am I correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Woo-Moon felt a heat exude from the Martial Heaven God Eun Jang-Cheon¡¯s eyes. It must have been the manifestation of his desire, from the thought that what he had been wishing for would soone true.


    ¡°If there is a poison, something that can detoxify said poison would be created next to it. The Heavenly Demon Orb created by the Heavenly Demon is the same. After the Heavenly Demon Orb was created, it was left untouched for an incredibly long time. After such ages, something with an opposing nature, the Heavenly Sacred Orb, formed next to it. My cultivation art is called the God-ying Self-Perfecting Art. In order to attain perfection in it, I need a pure, untainted child that consumed the Heavenly Sacred Orb.¡±


    ¡°But the Heavenly Demon Orb was stolen, and the Heavenly Sacred Orb also disappeared. Why did you neglect something that was so important to you?¡±


    ¡°Well, you know the age-old adage, nothing is done well unless you do it yourself. I trusted my subordinates, and that turned out to be a mistake. In any case, it¡¯s not a problem. I didn¡¯t need the Heavenly Demon Orb anyway, and if the Heavenly Sacred Orb was consumed by someone who wasn¡¯tpatible, that person would die before a year passed, and the Heavenly Sacred Orb would find its way back into the world. So basically, if someone ipatible took it, I could just take it back from their corpse, and if someonepatible took it, well, that was my n all along.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re saying that Gun-Ha is in factpatible and you are going to make use of her.¡±


    ¡°That is correct. This child has slept for quite a while and has finally digested the entire Heavenly Sacred Orb. So... Today is the day. Now, everything will beplete. In order to make sure this goes perfectly, I¡¯ve even gathered all those useless low-level techniques like the Great Cosmic Absorption Art andpiled them into a peak-level devouring art.¡±


    ¡°It looks like she¡¯d already finished digesting the Heavenly Sacred Orb before I even arrived, so why did you wait until now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. I wanted to show it to you. My new birth.¡±


    Woo-Moon snickered.


    ¡°Right.... There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been thinking about for a long time now.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be?¡±


    ¡°When my sh with Martial Heaven first started, one of the Absolute Masters or Paragons here could have simply stepped forward and dealt with me. Then, the situation would never havee this far.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. But at the same time, your presence here is of no consequence.¡±


    ¡°I beg to disagree. You see, I am no longer the same, and you haven¡¯t killed Gun-Ha yet.¡±


    ¡°<i>Haha</i>. Do you really think that you can defeat me now? Just because you learned a new technique? Like that ridiculous thing where you use all of your qi to create that huge defensive qi barrier?¡±


    ¡°You beat me once and that makes you think you¡¯re untouchable. That pride will be your downfall.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon moved.


    <i>Whoosh! </i>


    He appeared right in front of the Martial Heaven God.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The Martial Heaven God¡¯s eyes widened. But by the time that happened, Woo-Moon¡¯s fist had already struck his face.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    He flew backward and broke through the tower¡¯s wall.


    ¡°J-just how...!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t finish his words. Before he could even stabilize himself in the air, Woo-Moon disappeared before his eyes again. He looked up¡ªright above him was Woo-Moon¡¯s foot, which quickly mmed down.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    The Martial Heaven God plummeted down. However, Woo-Moon moved even faster. He grabbed the Martial Heaven God by the neck and fell with him.


    ¡°The inferior can¡¯t judge the cultivation of those superior to them. That¡¯s why you never realized that I¡¯ve reached an entire realm higher than three months ago.¡±


    The Martial Heaven God Eun Jang-Cheon red at Woo-Moon. His face was now full of blood¡ªhe couldn¡¯t even remember when he hadst felt that.


    ¡°Boundless! Are you saying that you¡¯ve reached the Boundless Realm?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Woo-Moon mmed Eun Jang-Cheon onto the ground, then picked him up by the throat like a chicken and proceeded to punch him in the face again.


    ¡°T-this is... this is impossible... are you saying you¡¯ve reached the Boundless Realm in three months? The realm I¡¯ve never been able to reach?!¡±


    ¡°Yes. It wasn¡¯t that hard after I changed the way I thought.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous!¡±


    Eun Jang-Cheon¡¯s tone changed somewhere down the line.


    In an instant, he let out an explosion of qi and escaped Woo-Moon¡¯s hand. He red at Woo-Moon, his eyes mad with rage.


    ¡°Someone like you, the trash of <i>murim</i>?! The disciple of that idiot Daoist Woo Bok-Hee?! It¡¯s ridiculous even to entertain the notion that someone like you has reached a higher level than me!¡±


    ¡°And why not? You¡¯re a bunch of losers anyway. It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve ever defeated my master, not even once, right? How can a bunch of people like you call themselves Martial Heaven?¡±


    ¡°AGHHH!¡±


    Eun Jang-Cheon formed ck and white aura spheres in both hands using all of his qi. He then fused them into one between his palms and shot the cluster of qi toward Woo-Moon.


    <i>BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!</i>


    Burning the Cosmos distorted space, causing it to crack as it headed toward Woo-Moon.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show it to you, then. All the Myriad Things in the World.¡±


    Woo-Moon¡¯s sword moved casually. He simply cut through the air, aiming at nothing in particr. But Eun Jang-Cheon¡¯s eyes widened once more¡ªBurning the Cosmos was simply quelled down, as if the world itself did not tolerate its existence.


    ¡°<i>Ke... keke.</i>¡±


    Eun Jang-Cheon, with his chest cleaved open, let out a lowugh.


    Woo-Moon walked toward him and drove Boundless into his heart.


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    Hot blood sttered on Woo-Moon¡¯s face, but he simply ignored it and casually spoke to Eun Jang-Cheon as if he wasn¡¯t in the process of killing him.


    ¡°What did you say about our existences? That they were distorted? That we went beyond the rules of nature? No. Just as we humans were born from nature, the martial arts that we discovered and mastered were also given to us by nature itself.


    ¡°You said you wanted to be a god? No, you were already a god.


    ¡°Did you say that you wanted to be special? No, you¡¯re no more special than a random street rat.


    ¡°You, too, are a part of nature. Just one among many.¡±


    That was the end of what he wanted to tell Eun Jang-Cheon.


    Now, if Woo-Moon infused his sword with his qi and turned Eun Jang-Cheon into a pile of pulp, everything would be over. He stood no chance against Woo-Moon¡¯s de.


    ¡°... together...¡± Eun Jang-Cheon muttered softly.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll die together, Song Woo-Moon. And this world will go down with us,¡± Eun Jang-Cheon said with red eyes. His energy was now swirling.


    All of his remaining qi was fusing together, as if he was using Burning the Cosmos inside his own body, waiting for the right moment to explode.


    Eun Jang-Cheon¡¯sst move was to pull his enemy down with him.


    Woo-Moon tried to pull his sword out and cut him down. However, Eun Jang-Cheon grabbed its de with both hands.


    ¡°We¡¯ll die together.¡±


    Woo-Moon frowned and then lightly responded, ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    He kicked Eun Jang-Cheon¡¯s head at the same time as he released Boundless.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Eun Jang-Cheon¡¯s head exploded like a watermelon struck by a stone, and Woo-Moon flew backward using the recoil. Then, his body exploded with an enormous force.


    However, Woo-Moon was not affected by the explosion; he simply let the shockwave propel him back to the pavilion where Eun Jang-Cheon originally resided, where hended gracefully.


    He took Gun-Ha out of the crystal coffin and held her in his arms.


    Eun Jang-Cheon had said that the world would die along with them. This was not a metaphor¡ªhe was fully confident that if he used Cosmic Annihtion, his suicidal technique, the entire Central ins, and maybe even the continent, would be blown to smithereens.


    Although he had used a considerable amount of qi fighting Woo-Moon, he thought that what he had left would be enough to produce that level of power.


    However, the Cosmic Annihtion that he had used at the cost of his own life did nothing more than wreck Martial Heaven¡¯s headquarters. Even the underground cave they were in hadn¡¯t copsed.


    Holding Gun-Ha in his arms, he took a big leap¡ªdown to the center of therge crater that now decorated the bottom of the cave. There, he bent down and picked up something from the ground.


    ¡°Sorry for making you do this. You took the blow for everyone.¡±


    It was other than Boundless.


    <i>Ding!</i>


    Arge crack appeared on the de. Then, smaller cracks, like a spider web, appeared from there and spread throughout the entire sword.


    <i>Crack.</i>


    Boundlesspletely disappeared, without leaving even a single speck of dust.


    It had taken the brunt of the explosion while being embedded in the heart of Eun Jang-Cheon.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    At this moment, Gun-Ha woke up.


    ¡°Hey, sleepy kitty. Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Eldest Brother! Uh, but... where are we? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Woo-Moonughed at her cute voice.


    ¡°Heh, you slept for too long. You even got yourself a big sister in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°P-pardon?¡±


    Gun-Ha¡¯s big eyes opened even wider as she wondered how to take Woo-Moon¡¯s words. Then, she smiled bashfully.


    ¡°Is she a good unnie? Oh, is Jae-Hwa doing well?¡±


    As it turned out, while on the way to the Heavenly Demon Mound where the Heavenly Demon Orb was located, Gun-Ha had been kidnapped by Martial Heaven and had been asleep since then. Fortunately, Eun Jang-Cheon had taken great care of Gun-Ha, and there was nothing wrong with her.


    ***


    Hand-in-hand with Gun-Ha, Woo-Moon opened the door to the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s headquarters.


    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡±


    There were still twenty-two days until the final day that Eun Jang-Cheon had spoken of.

 Chapter 253. Epilogue (1)

    <h4>Chapter 253. Epilogue (1)</h4>


    A mouth opened so wide it seemed as if it would tear at the seams. A huge breath entered the lungs, passing through the throat and causing the uv to shake.


    Then, it started.


    ¡°MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!¡±


    The other boy in front of the shouting boy quickly blocked his ears.


    Then, their second mother appeared from thin air.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re being noisy.¡±


    After scolding the crying child, she turned to the one who had caused the crying.


    ¡°I told you to stop bothering him.¡±


    The second mother was the scariest. Her words were short, and her temper even shorter. The moment she appeared, both the crying child and his brother ran away screaming.


    ¡°Aaaghh!¡±


    ¡°I was wrong!¡±


    ¡°You two, stop right there!¡±


    While she shouted at them, the seemingly angry second mother didn¡¯t chase the children. She just smiled faintly and looked at the children vanishing in the distance.


    The arm of a man wrapped around the slim waist of Ma-Ra. Even though many years had passed, she still looked as if she was just in her early twenties.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they cute?¡±


    Ma-Ra put her head on his shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah. But it¡¯s also a little gross.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± asked her husband.


    ¡°With this many brats that take after their father, the<i> gangho </i>is going to suffer.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Well, the<i> gangho </i>should be suffering a little, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    While Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra talked, the children fled as fast as they could until they eventually arrived at a treerge enough that even a grown man couldn¡¯t fully grasp the trunk with his arms.


    ¡°It¡¯s all because of you, fifth brother! I almost got punished by Second Mother because you hit me!¡±


    ¡°It looks like you still need to be punished!¡±


    As the two squabbled, they heard a voiceing from the tree.


    ¡°Hey, dummies! There isn¡¯t a single day that you guys don¡¯t get in trouble, is there?¡± said a cute girl who looked about fifteen as she peeked out through the branches.


    ¡°Second sister!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, second sister! What are you doing there?¡±


    Instead of responding, the girl showed the <i>Analects </i>she held in her hand.[1]


    ¡°Oh, so you were studying...¡±


    ¡°W-we should... be studying, too...¡±


    The voices of the two children grew smaller and smaller. Considering they had gone to y every day without studying, they were already anticipating the scolding they would get from their older sister.


    The girl smiling slyly, Song Hye-Min, threw them a letter she had kept inside the pages of the <i>Analects</i>.


    Her younger brothers caught it.


    ¡°What is this, Nuna?¡±


    ¡°Yeonie sent it to you from the South Sea. It arrived yesterday. Well, maybe you should give it back to me after all. I¡¯m not sure you¡¯ll be able to read it.¡±


    ¡°Wow! Yeonie sent it?¡±


    ¡°T-t-there¡¯s no way we wouldn¡¯t be able to read it if Yeonie sent it. I¡¯m older than her by two whole years!¡±


    Hye-Min smirked.


    ¡°Okay~ But if you can¡¯t read it, then you stop being Yeonie¡¯s elder brother.¡±


    Irked by the idea of losing his ce as an older brother, Woo-Moon¡¯s fifth son Song Ha-Sung tried to take the letter from Song Ha-Do, the sixth son.


    ¡°Let me see it. I¡¯m going to read it.¡±


    Then, Ha-Do urgently pulled the letter back.


    <i>Crinkle!</i>


    In that short time, the letter exchanged hands four times.


    ¡°You little... Alright, you wanna go at it?! Let¡¯s go then!¡±


    ¡°Pfffffrrrrttt!¡±


    After blowing a raspberry at Ha-Sung, Ha-Do turned around and fled.


    He was incredibly curious to hear how their sister Hye-Yeon, who had been gone for a whole year, was doing.


    After chasing each other like that for a while, they eventually stopped in front of a group of five men and women.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, it¡¯s you, Ha-Sung and Ha-Do.¡±


    The two children smiled brightly as if they hadn¡¯t just been fighting.


    ¡°Hello, second uncle! Hello, second aunt, third aunt, third uncle, and fourth aunt!¡±


    They had run into Woo-Gang and his wife, Bi Yeo-Jung; Cho-Ah and her husband, Ah Sam; and Gun-Ha, who rejected countless men who came to court her every day.


    Because of her biological brother, Jae-Hwa, and her adopted brothers, Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang, her standards were just too damn high, so what kind of man could catch her eye? Moreover, thanks to the incredible physique andprehension she had obtained after assimting the Heavenly Sacred Orb, she was already a Paragon by this point. That made the pool of eligible bachelors even smaller.


    Cho-Ah caressed her rounded belly. ¡°You should make sure you also study instead of ying all the time, alright?¡±


    ¡°And you have to be careful not to get hurt. Or I¡¯ll get scolded by Hyungnim.¡±


    ¡°And if you meet a decent unmarried guy, bring him by, okay?¡±


    The two children nodded her heads at Cho-Ah, Woo-Gang, and Gun-Ha¡¯s words.


    ¡°Yes, yes! Understood!¡±


    Then, Ha-Do bolted off again, leaving the surprised Ha-Sung to chase behind.


    ***


    The Heavenly Demon Cult.


    It was the strongest of the sects within the<i> gangho</i>, and it ruled with an iron fist.


    Within the estate of that terrifying Heavenly Demon Cult, a boy was walking nonchntly on a path built at the center of the Heavenly Demon Shrine. He had dark hair that contrasted with his pure white face, and a cold expression that made him look mature beyond his years.


    He was Song Ha-Gang, the second son of Woo-Moon.


    Dozens of cultists followed meekly while reporting to him about recent developments.


    ¡°Reporting on the training of new talents for the new Mad Demon Squadron.¡±


    ¡°The amount ofpensation received from the Flying Fan Gate was twenty-seven thousand taels, of which twelve thousand were spent onpensating the believers who lost their lives or were injured, and three thousand...¡±


    ¡°The report on the changes in the Shaanxi region¡¯s awareness of our religion. Compared tost year, the number of friendly responses has increased...¡±


    Song Ha-Gang listened to their reports simultaneously without missing a single one and gave clear instructions to each and every subordinate. It was obvious that this was not the first time doing it; his organizational abilities showed not just talent, but plenty of experience.


    ¡°...and that¡¯s it.¡±


    When thest subordinate¡¯s report was finished, Song Ha-Gang finally took a breath and let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Now the hardest part is over. Oh, what is Mother doing, by the way? It seems like there was more to do than usual.¡±


    ¡°That is... she wanted us to convey her apologies, Young Master. She left early in the morning to go meet the Grand Duke. She said she would return in three days.¡±


    Song Ha-Gang¡¯s expression looked rather ugly.


    ¡°What? Are you saying she left today at dawn? And she¡¯s noting back tomorrow, but in three days?! She¡¯s really enjoying herself, isn¡¯t she?! Even as her own flesh and blood is suffering here, doing the hard work! I want to see Father, too!¡±


    The Little Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Cult was grumpy for a while.


    After wrapping up the meeting with his subordinates, he headed toward the Returning Demon¡¯s Nest, where the Cult received its guests. There, he was weed by three beauties.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while!¡±


    ¡°Our dear little Ha-Gang seems to have gotten cooler~¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. He¡¯s old enough to get married now. <i>Hehe</i>, you¡¯ve be an adult~¡±


    Listening to the three women¡ªPrincess Namar, Su Ran, and Hye-Rim¡ªHa-Gang blushed. He was clearly embarrassed, and his face disyed none of the coldness he usually showed in front of outsiders.


    ¡°Aunties... why are you teasing me again?¡±


    After Woo-Moon took Martial Heaven down, the Heaven ying Alliance was naturally dismantled. Afterward, those who followed the three beauties gathered together to form a new force called the Chivalrous Sword Alliance, which had now grown into a force of the Righteous Faction on par with the Justice Coalition.


    With the dismantling of the Heaven ying Alliance, Woo-Moon ended his master-servant rtionship with the three beauties and took them in as sworn sisters, which naturally made them Song Ha-Gang¡¯s aunts.


    ¡°Well, so the Chivalrous Sword Alliance... uh... We sort of need funds right now.... It¡¯s pretty urgent....¡±


    Song Ha-Gang¡¯s expression turned serious.


    ¡°I will have to apologize, but the budget is a bit tight....¡±


    ¡°What? I¡¯ve already looked into it all. What¡¯s with the fa?ade? I heard that the Heavenly Demon Cult¡¯s merchantpany made a lot of money after that massive deal they did abroad. Are you really going to be like this to your own aunts? Why can¡¯t we eat and live together?¡±


    ¡°W-we can¡¯t. There are a lot of things we need that money for!¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, don¡¯t be like that. If you keep acting like this, we might have to pinch your cheeks again and teach you a lesson!¡±


    ¡°A-anything but that!¡±


    <i>Fuck, I can¡¯t win. Mother needs to be here to properly negotiate with the aunties.</i>


    Song Ha-Gang continued to sweat as he continued to squabble with his aunts.


    ***


    Tension was higher on the ferry than even the top of the great mast.


    About twenty pirates with swords and rugged expressions had just appeared in front of the people who had gathered to disembark.


    ¡°Now,e on. Give me everything you have. If any of you hides anything, you get a stab for every single tael of silver.¡±


    Twenty years had passed since Woo-Moon, and his will had wiped out all of the ck Hand from the <i>gangho</i>.


    Yet where there¡¯s light, there¡¯s darkness. That is the immutablew of nature.


    After the majority of the ck Hand disappeared, the Righteous Faction, Evil Faction, and the Heavenly Demon Cult continued to manage their own territories as usual. Even under such circumstances, however, those of the ck Hand continued to pop up out of nowhere, doing the same thing they always did.


    The Water Dragon Gang assaulting the ferry right now was one of those groups.


    The Water Dragon Gang was led by the Yangtze River King, who called himself the son of the Great Leader of the Eighteen River Gangs of Yangtze. They had been rapidly growing in power in the Yangtze River area in recent years and had been uniting numerous river pirate gangs, as if they were trying to recreate the Eighteen River Gangs of the past.


    ¡°Quickly! Hurry up and hand it over!¡±


    The Water Dragon Gang members wanted to collect their spoils and leave quickly, but they met with some unexpected resistance.


    ¡°Excuse me, well....¡±


    It was a young man with a pale and handsome face, wearing a white robe.


    He looked around with an odd expression, as if he had never experienced this sort of situation before.


    ¡°If you want me to excuse you, then shut the fuck up and hand over your money.¡±


    ¡°I believe that is a bit of an issue.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually from the North Sea, so I¡¯m not that familiar with the customs of the Central ins, but why should I give you my money again? Are you... Are you all beggars, by any chance?¡±


    ¡°W-what? Beggars? Are you insane?!¡±


    ¡°I-is that not it? In the North Sea, they say that there are a lot of people in the Central ins that go around begging for money. Seeing you all....¡±


    The boy looked around at the pirates with a pitiful gaze in his eyes.


    ¡°I mean, look at yourselves. There are many of you standing around half-naked, isn¡¯t it because you can¡¯t afford a shirt? You smell as if you haven¡¯t taken a bath sincest year, you have ck dirt smeared all over your faces, and you look very hungry. No matter how I look at it, you all really seem like beggars....¡±


    The faces of those who were listening crumbled in an instant.


    ¡°Y-y-you bastard! Hey, hurry up and kill him!¡±


    ¡°How dare you look down on us and call us beggars?!¡±


    One of the pirates rushed to the boy holding a massive saber and exuding an immense amount of bloodlust. Seeing it, the boy¡¯s eyes grew round.


    ¡°As expected, Mother was right. If they get too hungry or the other person doesn¡¯t respond in the way they want, sometimes, even beggars turn into bandits!¡±


    The boy nodded to himself as his respect for his mother increased; what Yeo-Seol had told him was clearly correct.


    ¡°But whether it¡¯s Father or Mother, they both say the same thing. If someone shows bloodlust toward me, I can¡¯t let them keep a weapon in their hands.¡±


    The Little Pce Master of the North Sea Ice Pce and Woo-Moon¡¯s third son, Song Ha-Yeom, moved his hands.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    The saber in the hands of the pirate moved into Ha-Yeom¡¯s hands, and at the same time, the pirate¡¯s face turned to see his back, at an angle obviously ipatible with life.


    Not a single one of the pirates was able to see Ha-Yeom¡¯s movements.


    With one of theirrades dead, the rest of the pirates grew even more incensed. Even though the young man had moved so fast that none of them had been able to follow his hands, seeing how young he was and the fact that he was alone, they still thought of him as a child. If they rushed at him, how could he not get scared?


    ¡°Everyone, attack him together!¡±


    ¡°Die, you brat!¡±


    Ha-Yeom bowed to them.


    ¡°I must apologize. Since you appear to be intent on hurting me, I will have to prevent you from doing that.¡±


    <i>Crack, crack, crack!</i>


    The aura of the Divine Frozen Soul Palm sted out of his hands and passed through the entire group of pirates, leaving behind eighteen ice statues.


    ¡°Agk! A-a-a-AHHHH!¡±


    The surviving pirate trembled as if he was facing the King of Hell.


    Ha-Yeom turned to him and asked, ¡°Where is your boss? Is there a Great Bandit or something like that?¡±


    Of course, there was no such thing as a Great Bandit in the Water Dragon Gang, but the pirate could tell what Song Ha-Yeom wanted. He quickly told the young man where the Water Dragon Gang¡¯s boss was.


    ¡°Thank you for the information. Oh, but I must apologize again. My father told me that I shouldn¡¯t leave behind anything that could hurt me.¡±


    Right as he finished his sentence, thest pirate also became an icicle.


    Ha-Yeom jumped off the boat and crossed the Yangtze River by using Floating Duckweed Crossing Water.


    A number of people who hade to save the passengers but almost ended up robbed blind by the pirates looked at him go, absolutely dumbfounded.


    Not long after, all sorts of screams echoed from the Water Dragon Gang¡¯s ships, and in the end, even the Water Dragon Gang¡¯s chief, the so-called Yangtze River King, let out a squeal like a dying pig.


    ¡°Ahh!! You, you bastard, who the hell are you? How is a pipsqueak like you so strong? How is this even possible?¡±


    Meanwhile, three people were watching Ha-Yeom from the shadows: Jin-Jin, Dae-Woong, and Sang-Woon.


    ¡°Looks like our grandson really fights well,¡± said Dae-Woong.


    Jin-Jin nodded.


    ¡°Yes. I was worried that his personality was too gentle, so I¡¯m d that he was able to ovee it when it mattered.¡±


    From the side, Sang-Woon quipped, ¡°Of course he was! After all, he¡¯s blood of my blood. I was worried about him inheriting the personality of my stupid son-inw, but it¡¯s a relief that the kids are smarter than that.¡±


    Jin-Jin red at Sang-Woon.


    ¡°And how does someone who is <i>oh so smart </i>have absolutely no tact?¡±


    ¡°Tact? What do you mean, tact?¡±


    Sang-Woon avoided his daughter¡¯s gaze, clearly embarrassed.


    ¡°Why did youe along when this was supposed to be a couple¡¯s trip?!¡±


    ¡°D-dear, don¡¯t be so hard on your father....¡±


    ¡°Dear, you stay out of it!¡±


    ¡°U-understood! I¡¯ll be quiet now.¡±


    Sang-Woon pouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too much, Jin-Jin? What happened to wanting to live with me forever? Do you really want to go everywhere and be all lovey-dovey with your dear husband while leaving behind this sick, hurting, poor, and pitiful father of yours?¡±


    ¡°No shit. If you¡¯re sick, hurting, and whatnot, then what am I supposed to say? You¡¯re clearly going to live longer than me!¡±


    ¡°T-that¡¯s not true. I¡¯m going to die soon.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Screams continued to echo from the Water Dragon Gang, but the three just ignored them and floated down the Yangtze on their bot. It was a fun trip in its own way.


    1. The <i>Analects </i>is aption of Confucius¡¯s sayings,piled by his contemporaries. ?

 Chapter 254. Epilogue (2)

    <h4>Chapter 254. Epilogue (2)</h4>


    "So this is the ce. Yes, this is the first step in my cultivation journey."


    The Divine Dragon Cult was a cult that had recently emerged in the Shaanxi region and was rapidly expanding its influence. While they presented themselves as a legitimate religion, with a god that they believed in, a High Priest, and so forth, they were in fact very much a ck Hand gang.


    No, the atrocities theymitted¡ªmurder, plunder, rape, and the like¡ªwere much worse than what the average ck Hand gang had done in the past.


    Recently, the Divine Dragon Cult''s branches were being attacked and disappearing one by one at the hands of a mysterious enemy. Thus, the remaining ones were heavily guarded, and the headquarters even more so.


    Right now, a young boy was talking about some cultivation journey and other ridiculous things in front of the headquarters¡¯ main gate.


    The gatekeeper was dumbfounded.


    "Uh... right, right. Well, you''vee to the right ce."


    He didn''t n on letting the boy leave just because he was young and obviously stupid. In fact, he nned to drag the kid inside and skewer him up on a spear. Watching him squirm was bound to be a good show.


    Well, that was what he thought, anyway. As it turns out, reality sometimes betrays our expectations.


    The boy drew the sword on his waist, showing off a brilliant sword light, and said two soft words.


    "Raging Wind."


    His sword moved at a speed that the gatekeeper of the Divine Dragon Cult could not even imagine, let alone avoid, and separated the man¡¯s head from his body.


    The fourth son of Song Woo-Moon then kicked the main gate of the Divine Dragon Cult with his foot and shouted, ¡°Here I''vee! Evildoers of the Divine Dragon Cult, be prepared!¡±


    After shouting so bravely, Song Ha-Baek felt deeply satisfied. He felt that the image of the swordsman he had always imagined himself to be was finallying to life.


    <i>''I''m the hero now. This is it!''</i>


    "What the hell, who''s that idiot?"


    "Oi, dumb brat what are you doing?"


    Ha-Baek let the tip of his sword droop toward the ground, looking up at the sky for no reason before bursting into heartyughter.


    "Ha! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"


    The Divine Dragon Cult warriors were looking at him wide-eyed. In all honesty, the image was indeed really funny; sadly, the person at the center of it all had no idea how ridiculous he looked.


    "Is that bastard crazy or something?"


    "I really don¡¯t think he¡¯s in his right mind.¡±


    Ha-Baek was so absorbed in his own world that he couldn¡¯t even hear their conversation.


    "I, Song Ha-Baek, came out to the world of martial arts for the first time today, only to meet some extremely evil people and end up in danger. But I have no regrets about the sword I picked up, and I will fight for justice with no hesitation! Come, I''ll put my life on the line to defeat you!"


    "What the fuck..."


    "Can someone please kill him now? At this rate we might all die of cringe."


    The Divine Dragon Cult warriors, who had goosebumps all over from Ha-Baek''s cringeworthy remarks, rushed toward the swordsman.


    <i>ng, ng, ng!</i>


    The sound of swords shing echoed, then six streams of blood shot into the air.


    "Huh?"


    A Divine Dragon Cult warrior let out a dumbfounded sound. Something was going wrong right now.


    That child who called himself Song Ha-Baek... His sword was so fast that it was invisible, and his movements were soplex and mysterious that they felt dizzy just from looking at him.


    His silhouette was like falling autumn leaves swaying in the wind!


    And every time Ha-Baek''s sword pointed somewhere, a Divine Dragon Cult warrior would fall, spewing blood.


    However, Ha-Baek''s words told apletely different tale.


    "Ugh! You evildoers are too strong."


    "When good rises by one chi, evil rises by one zhang[1]. While heroes disappear by the day, the wicked increase in number and grow even stronger!¡±


    "I''m losing strength, bit by bit. Oh, what a crisis, is this where the great hero Song Ha-Baek will fall? No, it cannot be. For the sake of the <i>gangho</i>, I will make sure that before that momentes, I will kill at least one more evildoer!"


    Ha-Baek continued to say these ridiculous things while ughtering the Divine Dragon Cult warriors.


    The Divine Dragon Cult''s vice leader sincerely acknowledged the boy. Well, it was the boy¡¯s sheer insanity that he acknowledged, but that was also a form of acknowledgement.


    "Y-y-you crazy bastard! What the fuck is wrong with you?! You think we¡¯re here just for decoration? I¡¯ll chop your head off and see if you can still spout nonsense after that!"


    As soon as the vice leader finished speaking, Ha-Baek suddenly stopped. At that moment, a spear passed right by his shoulder.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    "Ugh! Is this the end? It hurts, but the pain of the people who have been hurt by your hands must have been even greater! I won''t give up like this!"


    The wound amounted to nothing more than a paper cut, yet Ha-Baek screamed as if he had been impaled through the stomach.


    "T-this crazy..."


    Song Ha-Baek''s sword passed through the vice leader''s throat right as he was about to speak.


    "Now, Divine Dragon Cult Leader! It''s your turn this time!"


    Right then, the moment Ha-Baek wanted to head to the cult leader''s chambers, a man in a daoist robe with a missing arm ran out of the building.


    "Agh!"


    "Huh? What''s going on?"


    Ha-Baek finally came out of his own world due to the unexpected development and looked at the man in confusion. Then, a masked young man walked out of the cult leader''s dark chambers.


    "Eldest brother?"


    Woo-Moon''s eldest son, Song Ha-Gwang, suddenly appeared in front of Ha-Baek using Illusive Shift and smacked him on the head.


    "You dumb brat! I barely heard a few sentences and I already feel like vomiting! Do you want to die? How dare you bring such shame to our family?!"


    While they were talking, four Divine Dragon Cult members rushed toward the two young men. However, two Silver Moon Discs flickered out of Song Ha-Gwang''s sleeves and cut through the air, slitting the throats of the cult members in one fell swoop.


    "Hey, what''s going on? Why are you here, Hyung?"


    Ha-Gwang caught the returning Silver Moon Discs.


    "That bastard apparently reached the Transcendent Realm, so my mother told me to slit his throat. The Divine Dragon Cult has been going way too far. But what''s going on with you? Didn''t you follow Fifth Mother to the Mount Hua Sect?"


    Ha-Baek puffed out both cheeks. He seemed to be extremely angry.


    While they were talking, the Divine Dragon Cult leader tried to run away, leading Ha-Gwang to throw a chain sickle and Ha-Baek to throw a Dark Fragrance Petal, cutting off both his feet at the ankles.


    "Mount Hua isn''t for me! If I do anything, Mother scolds me, telling me I shouldn''t embarrass Father. All I get to do there is learn Mount Hua''s martial arts day in and day out without ever getting the chance to y."


    "Then just get used to it, you little brat. You like martial arts anyway."


    "No! I like Father''s Gentle Celestial Sword. I''m not even a girl, so how can I move around drawing flowers with my sword? And what, I''m supposed to bring about the scent of plum blossoms when I reach a higher level? I want to be a hero, not a eunuch!"


    Ha-Gwang couldn¡¯t hold back hisughter at his little brother¡¯s words.


    "Don''tugh! Look, you''re going to inherit the Assassin Gate. Second Brother will be the Heavenly Demon, and Third Brother will be the North Sea Ice Pce Master. You''re all so cool! But me, I''m..."


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    Ha-Gwang smacked him again.


    "You dumb brat! How could you say that? How heartbroken would Fifth Mother be if she heard you? Father and the Mount Hua Sect are her whole life."


    Ha-Baek also realized that he had made a slip of the tongue and mumbled.


    "I... I''m sorry... But it¡¯s not like I was trying to speak ill of Mother''s sect. It''s just... it really doesn''t fit me."


    The Divine Dragon Cult Leader, who was listening to them squabble, felt dizzy even in the midst of his pain.


    <i>''The eldest will inherit the Assassin Gate, the second will be the Heavenly Demon, the third will be the North Sea Ice Pce Master? W-wait, that... that means... the Undefeatable Sword Immortal.... Fuck.''</i>


    "Be good to Fifth Mother. Even without you being like this, she''s crying way too much...."


    "I know. I would do that even if you didn''t say anything, Hyung."


    Ha-Baek thought of his mother, Hyeon Yu-Yeon, and made a promise to himself. He decided to work harder so that his mother wouldn''t cry.


    "Anyway, let''s end this and go."


    <i>Squelch!</i>


    The Divine Dragon Cult Leader''s heart burst open, and blood gushed out. Then, the two boys left.


    On the wall of the destroyed fortress, where the two had just disappeared from, the following words were engraved:


    <i>The Greatest Hero Under the Heavens Song Ha-Baek has destroyed the Divine Dragon Cult.</i>


    Below that, there was another sentence, written as small as possible.


    <i>Song Ha-Gwang, who showed up for absolutely no reason, came and helped the Greatest Hero Song Ha-Baek a little. Really, only a little.</i>


    If Ha-Gwang ever found out about this, Ha-Baek was bound to get smacked by <i>sweet dreams</i> a hundred times[2].


    ***


    A few dayster, on the South Sea Inds.


    A boy and a girl who looked to be about eight years old were sitting on the sandy beach, making sand castles.


    Arge old man walked toward them.


    "You little tykes, here you were. It''s been a while since you''vee to see your grandpa. It seems like you like ying in the dirt more than ying with me?"


    Hearing Ra Baek-Do''s bitter words, his twin grandchildren giggled.


    "Hehehe~"


    "Grandpa, let''s do this together!"


    "Grandpa, can you please stop the waves? <i>Hehe.</i>"


    Ra Baek-Do was just <i>amazed </i>by the very existence of his grandchildren, and he couldn''t pretend to be upset any longer. So he just chuckled to himself and stopped the waves.


    "Fine, fine. What are your parents doing now? I haven''t seen even a hint of their noses since a while ago."


    The children''s answers startled him.


    "Who knows? Dad¡¯s probably busy making some more siblings with the mommies right now."


    "O-oh, are the other four here, too? They already have more than ten kids, do they really want to make more? I heard Mok Yong got pregnant with her second a while ago...."


    Princess Mok Yong was Woo-Moon¡¯sst wife. Initially, he had no intention of marrying her, but when the emperor brought up his past promise and asked him to marry, he didn''t have the option to refuse.


    He had clearly promised the emperor that apart from a few taboos, he would obey one order regardless of what that order was. Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t thought of including ¡°marrying Princess Mok Yong¡± among said taboos.


    "Hehe. It''s good to have many younger siblings! Also, our mommies go visit wherever our daddy goes. They all travel back and forth from the South Sea to the Central in, considering it only takes like half an hour."


    The children were much more mature than they appeared. They were the opposite of their mother, Ra Mi; due to all the years wasted sleeping, her thought process was a bit behind her actual age.


    "When we were inside earlier, all of the mommies came to visit us, and as soon as we left, they locked the doors."


    "O-oh, I see..."


    "Ah! Grandpa! The waves areing, the sand castle will... <i>hiii</i>."


    "Oh dear, I''m so sorry."


    Such was the bustling daily life of Woo-Moon¡¯s family.


    The End.


    1. The original here is ¡°when the Dao rises by one chi, demons rise by one zhang,¡± i.e. there will always be more evil people than good ?


    2. Do you remember this from Brother vs Brother earlier on? ?


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