Chapter 195: Gathering in One Place
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Jinjo Jeok-je examined the appearance of his disciple who had fallen at his feet.
For now, there were no external injuries.
Though traces of coughed blood were visible at the corner of his mouth.
An aftermath of internal injury.
Undoubtedly.
If so, he must have fainted from having the energy blood in his body shaken.
A question that flashed by in a moment.
Could he have been taken down in a single blow?
Like the rumors say?
Several Jackal Fang Squad blade practitioners hurriedly moved, checked the condition of Jong Pyeong’s body lying on the ground, then supported and moved him to the rear.
At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun’s dry voice was heard again.
“Feed him a bit more. He collapsed after just one hit.”
Jinjo Jeok-je, veins bulging, glared fiercely at the front.
“HOW DARE YOU!”
No sooner had the angry shout burst out than one person standing behind him shot forward like an arrow.
PAK!
A middle-aged blade practitioner drawing a curved saber and charging.
It was Eom Baek-sang, the Vice Squad Commander of Jackal Fang Squad.
SSWAEAEAK-!
A horizontal blade technique executed instantly after crossing the gap.
Like the sharp fangs of a jackal targeting its prey.
PEOPHENG-!
Simultaneously with the heavy explosion.
SPIN SPIN SPIN-
Ground and sky rapidly switched ceaselessly.
This was Eom Baek-sang’s vision.
His body, wrapped in haze, had been spun and flipped and bounced back.
The moment he felt a dizzying vertigo, rough hands came for him.
GRAB- THUD!
Two Jackal Fang Squad members, jumping out with startled faces, barely caught and steadied his body.
Led by his subordinates’ hands and barely stabilizing himself, Eom Baek-sang immediately bent deeply at the waist and coughed blood.
“BWEHHH…!”
Blood reddening the floor.
Before just one move, his major meridians were shaken and he received internal injuries.
The crowd who had witnessed Cheol Ryu-heun’s martial prowess began to stir greatly.
Most of them were martial world people.
“Just now… Did you see?”
“Incredible.”
“My god.”
“That Eom Baek-sang suffered internal injury from just one move…”
“Hmm, maybe all the rumors are true…”
“Anyway, at this rate, it seems a big fight might break out.”
The Jackal Wolf Blade Sect side had the same reaction.
The Jackal Fang Squad members showed signs of considerable agitation.
Knowing Eom Baek-sang’s martial prowess, it was shocking.
Also,
Even Jinjo Jeok-je.
‘He’s skilled!’
Finally realized.
Cheol Ryu-heun was a genuine powerhouse.
Furthermore, he had even held back.
It was natural.
Because although Eom Baek-sang was one of the sect’s upper blade practitioners, he was below his disciple Jong Pyeong.
Yuk Geum-gang standing beside Jinjo Jeok-je smiled as if finding it interesting.
‘This is amusing. Did he restrain his power so that people around wouldn’t get hurt?’
Sure enough, Cheol Ryu-heun spoke briefly.
“That was just a taste.”
At that, Jinjo Jeok-je laughed.
“Hoho.”
A chill was evident in his upturned mouth corners.
Suddenly.
SWISH-
With the sound of smoothly drawing a blade came a man walking forward.
It was Eom Baek-sung, the older cousin of the humiliated Eom Baek-sang and the Squad Commander of Jackal Fang Squad.
“I will recover the trampled pride of this corps on behalf of my younger cousin.”
His presence, gripping the curved saber that was Jackal Fang Squads’ signature weapon, was outstanding as befitting the elite master of the Jackal Wolf Blade Sect.
The second-in-command of the Jackal Wolf Blade Sect.
That’s right.
The current martial prowess of Eom Baek-sung, commonly called Swift Jackal Blade, was higher than that of Jong Pyeong, the sect’s direct disciple.
But he himself knew too.
That he couldn’t easily win.
Yet he had to step forward.
In name as a Squad Commander…
At that moment, Jinjo Jeok-je’s solemn voice was heard.
“Stand down.”
Eom Baek-sung flinched and turned his head.
“Sect Leader.”
“You already know. His strength.”
“However…”
“The rest is my share.”
“Hmm… Yes, understood.”
The two passed each other as if switching places.
STEP BY STEP.
Jinjo Jeok-je didn’t stop walking and went straight forward to arrive where Cheol Ryu-heun was standing.
The stirring had disappeared at some point.
Everyone held their breath and quietly watched the figures of Cheol Ryu-heun and Jinjo Jeok-je.
Amid the confrontation heightening the tension.
‘How strange.’
The eyes of Jinjo Jeok-je, who had murmured that inwardly, wavered slightly.
It was his first time.
Seeing such an indifferent face.
As if having emptied out all emotions that any person would hold…
That wasn’t all.
It was also strange that even standing at close range, he couldn’t sense the power flowing in that body.
Could it be an extremely secretive martial art?
No, that couldn’t be.
Setting aside the fallen status of White Peak Sword Sect, the martial arts existing there were famous.
This was the first he’d heard of any cultivation of an attribute different from the internal technique leading to White Peak Sword Art.
He wanted to find out.
The hidden power.
Curiosity and competitive spirit crossed in his chest.
“Ha, are you confident you can handle the aftermath? Cheol Ryu-heun?”
Cheol Ryu-heun threw back the question Jinjo Jeok-je posed.
“And you’re confident?”
At that, Jinjo Jeok-je no longer hid his murderous intent.
KWAK-
A hand gripping the sword hilt.
Depth of training could be felt in each thick joint.
It was a simple motion, but highly threatening.
The violent momentum of Hungry Wolf Blade Demon, who was said to boast bladework as terrifying as a starving wolf, was fully loaded in that small movement.
But then.
PAUSE.
Suddenly, transparent ripples spread in Jinjo Jeok-je’s pupils.
‘…!’
It was because of Cheol Ryu-heun’s numb reaction.
He had thought that as soon as he gripped his sword hilt, that one would also show movement.
But he didn’t even stir.
He was merely sending an inscrutable, indifferent look.
‘He’s different!’
He was different from anyone he had fought until now.
He simply couldn’t calculate the moves.
After drawing the blade, how should he swing it…
Was closing the distance a mistake from the start?
Looking at those eyes even gave the feeling that the other was seeing right through his mind.
At that moment, a quiet voice was heard.
“You get one chance.”
Jinjo Jeok-je’s eyebrow twitched upon hearing Cheol Ryu-heun’s words.
‘…!’
He had understood the hidden meaning.
What he had just said was a warning that if he couldn’t cut him down in one blow, he would be the one who died instead.
You’re something.
This guy is.
An ominous premonition assailed him.
Somehow it felt like it would really turn out that way…
Just then.
CLIP-CLOP, CLIP-CLOP-
A man leading a horse pushed through the crowd and approached.
“Shouldn’t asking the reason for the incident be the proper order?”
Simultaneously, Jinjo Jeok-je’s expression changed.
“You are…”
The identities of the man and horse were Divine wind and Beon Sa.
Murmuring sounds leaked out from here and there.
“Huh? It’s the Mountain Shattering Sword.”
“Of Broken Mountain Sword Manor…?”
“Yes. They say he’s the disciple of Blue Robe Sword Noble.”
Beon Sa soon took a conspicuous position beside Cheol Ryu-heun.
Seeing that, Jinjo Jeok-je’s eyes flashed fiercely.
“What’s this, you’re saying you’re in the same group!”
Just as Beon Sa was about to respond.
-Haha. The young man’s words aren’t wrong, so why be like this?
A thread of resonant voice rang out, then a figure floated gracefully down from the rooftop of a nearby building.
Just from the motion as soft as a feather, one could tell he was a master.
The owner of the resonant voice was an elderly man in his seventies with a clean and noble appearance.
Wearing white Taoist robes and showing a benevolent expression, his identity was Taoist Cheon Mu, the Sect Leader of the Mount Heng Sect.
Exclamations soon leaked out from here and there.
“WOW!”
“It’s the Mount Heng Sect Leader!”
“This is my first time seeing him!”
When the unparalleled Taoist known as White Cloud Sword Duke, clearly the foremost of the Two Dukes who were said to be the pinnacle within the Five Supreme Martial Experts of Hunan Province, appeared suddenly, everyone showed signs of excitement.
Soon, as Taoist Cheon Mu took position beside Cheol Ryu-heun while swaying his long beard, Jinjo Jeok-je released his grip on the sword hilt and quickly stepped back.
‘Tch! White Cloud Sword Duke!’
His side just ached for no reason.
It was the area that had been greatly injured when exchanging moves with Taoist Cheon Mu in the past.
At that moment, Tai Saber Kun Yuk Geum-gang from behind quietly approached.
“It seems he intends to shelter Cheol Ryu-heun.”
“Hmm, it seems so.”
“We can’t ignore his name value… It would be nice if he appeared and took our side at times like this.”
Yuk Geum-gang smacked his lips with regret.
The ‘he’ he had just mentioned meant the supreme master of the unorthodox faction who rivaled the Two Dukes of the Five Supreme Martial Experts of Hunan Province for the top position within the Six Extremes of Hubei – the current Palace Lord of Heaven-Shaking Sword Palace.
Suddenly.
-It’s been a while, Mount Heng Sect Leader.
Someone else’s resonant voice burst out.
Following that.
FLUTTER FLUTTER-
With the sound of a long robe fluttering, a figure appeared crossing the void and landed with a THUD.
A swordsman in his sixties with a beard over two chi long and gray hair styled up with a golden dragon ornament.
The pair of phoenix eyes set on a solemn face scattered light sharp as blades, and around where his two feet stood, there was a feeling of air as heavy as rock flowing.
It was a tremendous pressure.
He, wearing a black long robe densely embroidered with long sword patterns, evoked the appearance of a divine general descended to earth.
“Heaven-Shaking Sword Palace Lord!”
With one person’s shout, the murmuring grew.
The Palace Lord of Heaven-Shaking Sword Palace, Wei Ta-gong.
As if answering Yuk Geum-gang’s expectations, a powerhouse of the highest rank within the Six Extremes of Hubei had appeared.
The giant of the unorthodox faction, whose alias Black Silken Sword Sovereign alone was said to overwhelm ten thousand, moved his form.
STEP, STEP, STEP…
Every time Wei Ta-gong took a step, it felt as if the atmosphere was undulating.
Before long, standing shoulder to shoulder with Yuk Geum-gang and Jinjo Jeok-je, he cast his gaze forward and asked.
“So the Mount Heng Sect Leader intends to intervene in this fight?”
It was direct.
As if speaking to his personality.
Befitting a powerhouse said to be unrivaled in swordsmanship throughout the Hubei region, even his voice overflowed with authority.
However, Taoist Cheon Mu looked relaxed.
“Ohoho. Well… Shouldn’t we hear them out first? Whether this is something to fight over or not.”
Suddenly, the crowd in one direction parted left and right.
Following that.
STEP BY STEP…
A middle-aged man in pure white attire approached, revealing a solemn formless presence.
His appearance, with a black beard hanging down to his chest and handsome facial features, was outstanding enough to be compared to Black Silken Sword Sovereign Wei Ta-gong.
Also,
The dignity surrounding his form.
It was white martial attire that was apparently extraordinary.
Yellow lines chaotically embroidered like lightning striking on pure white background…
Everyone immediately recognized those clothes and let out sharp exclamations once again.
“WOW!”
“Thunder Lightning Sect Leader!”
“It’s the Thunder Cloud Sword Duke!”
“The famous Two Dukes of the Hunan region in one place…!”
Wei Ji-am, the Thunder Cloud Sword Duke, the current Sect Leader of the orthodox Thunder Lightning Sect and one of the Two Dukes who were the best of the Five Supreme Martial Experts of Hunan Province.
Seeing him, Wei Ta-gong wore a faint smile and said.
“Ha, a worthy rival has come.”
As several powerhouses representing Hunan and Hubei gathered together, a strange atmosphere of war settled over the street.