Chapter 248: No Forgiveness

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A chilling sound of a body being pierced.

“AAAAK!”

Simultaneously a sharp scream erupted.

It was Sa Am.

Mun Bin’s sword had been driven into his left side.

Instinctively he generated an intangible protective barrier.

But the sword energy accompanied by the ghost-fire energy ruthlessly destroyed even that and carved a wound into his flesh.

It was the majesty of the Ghost Phosphorus Energy, the unique divine ability of the Ink God Robe that momentarily amplifies the power released by its owner’s True Ink Heaven Meridian.

The sword technique itself was also special.

The charging move Mun Bin had just executed was the authentic transmission of the Ghost Fire Sword God Jong Ri-yung.

‘KKEUK! I’ll trade!’

Despite the agony, Sa Am swung his right-hand blade horizontally.

CHWAAAAT-!

It was a close-range slash.

The so-called resolve to sacrifice one’s own flesh to cut the opponent’s bone.

As proof that the awe-inspiring title of Martial Fiercest was not empty, it was a heavy blade technique.

It was remarkable in itself that he could unleash such a powerful blade strike while a sword was embedded in his body.

But.

KKWAKWANG-!

The blade force was swallowed by the explosive sound.

No.

It was shattered.

By the Phosphorus Fire Energy of the Ink God Robe that protected its owner.

In the blink of an eye, blue-green flames channeled through the absorbing configuration swept up and detonated Sa Am’s blade energy.

PAAAAT- KKUGOONG- UJIJJEUK!

Sa Am’s body, pushed by the explosive force, flew backward and crashed into an old tree.

“KEO…”

The energy Mun Bin had infiltrated earlier through the deep wound was wildly scrambling his internal energy channels.

SPURT.

In the end, Sa Am vomited a large amount of blood.

His condition was deteriorating.

‘Damn…’

The despair harboring in his heart grew even greater.

A wielder of the blade grins while scattering killing techniques – hence he’d earned the fierce alias Grinning Ghost Blade.

But that eerie smile had long since vanished.

Before the ghost sword that had overpowered his own ghost blade…

He suddenly noticed personnel leaving the battlefield in the distance.

PAPAPAPAK, PAPAPAPAK…

Each and every one fled toward the shadowy forest far away without looking back.

Flee.

That was the choice of those remaining.

When the top experts of his side, including Sa Am himself, showed signs of defeat, they had completely lost their fighting spirit and survival instinct alone dominated their minds.

At that moment.

PUHAAK-!

The loud sound of flesh being torn came from somewhere.

Following that.

“KEOK!”

A single swordsman collapsed onto the ground with a dying scream.

A gruesome sight with one arm severed.

A swordsman in white martial attire embroidered with flame wheel patterns.

A master of near-Martial Fiercest level. It was Pavilion Master of Flash Pavilion, Flash Fire Sword Soul Eup Yu-cha.

He too, who had crossed blades with Ye Woon-rang, was ultimately defeated.

That wasn’t all.

The core experts of Frost Blade Hall, Rainbow Flow Sword Sect, and others who had enthusiastically participated had also died, with only a tiny few exceptions.

Descending Frost Blade Traveler Mang Yu of Frost Blade Hall, famous for scattering frost-like blade work, shed blood and died before the sword of Martial Fiercest Whirlwind Sword Lord Ximen Jwa.

And Rainbow Sword Knight Byeok Chu-in, Sect Master of Rainbow Flow Sword Sect, became a lonely soul at the hands of Mount Hua Sword Perfection Zu Won, the Mount Hua Sect Sect Leader, and his supreme-level Plum Blossom Seven Forms Sword.

Truly transcendent.

The swordsmanship of Zu Won, known as Mount Hua Sword Perfection of the Shaanxi Four Great Martial Fiercest.

His demonstrated Plum Blossom Seven Forms Sword was outstanding enough to rival the status of Mount Hua Sect’s first patriarch.

Seeing that, Sa Am bitterly murmured to himself.

‘So… this is how the curtain falls.’

Meanwhile, a line of personnel was moving busily.

Lower-level disciples of the Mount Hua Sect were transporting all the unconscious Zhongnan Sect members somewhere.

That meant only one thing.

Those who participated through forced brainwashing would naturally be protected, while groups that had voluntarily colluded with the Sun Moon Demon Cult would be resolutely executed…

In other words, if they didn’t discard their weapons and surrender, there would be no opportunity for forgiveness.

The group that had just fled into the forest would probably be pursued to the end.

Sa Am soon braced himself against the broken tree and re-gripped his sword handle.

‘Those fools… they would have been better off dying in battle than running.’

Soon someone’s cold voice knocked on his ears.

“Still refuse to give up even now?”

It was Mun Bin, closing the distance from ahead.

CHEOK, CHEOK, CHEOK, CHEOK…

That imposing posture conveyed the majesty of a transcendent warrior.

Sa Am squeezed out his final strength and infused energy into the blade.

“Surrender? That’s out of the question. If I kneel here, the future is as clear as day.”

He no longer cared about the humiliation of defeat.

What came after was more important.

If he surrendered and submitted here, nine times out of ten, harsh punishment would follow.

From the martial world’s various circles led by the Nine Great Sects including Shaolin Temple and Mount Hua Sect…

Then a comeback would be virtually impossible.

Night Smoke Band would naturally undergo dissolution procedures, and he himself as its leader would find it hard to remain active as a martial artist.

Rather than living like that, death was preferable.

So.

He chose.

To resist instead of surrendering.

The energy infused into the blade clearly demonstrated his will.

WOONG-

As Sa Am released a murderous glare and roared.

“If I feared losing my life, I wouldn’t have joined hands with the Sun Moon Demon Cult in the first place!”

BOOM-!

His form charged forward with explosive momentum.

Simultaneously, Mun Bin also dashed forward, releasing heavy power.

HUUUUK!

Blade energy erupted with wind sound, crossing the space.

A blade technique as sharp and powerful as a giant ghost performing a cleaver dance.

Mun Bin’s form was already covered in flames.

But.

It wasn’t a single color.

Blue-tinged flames and violet-tinged flames intermingled.

A perfect harmony of Phosphorus Fire Energy and Phosphorus Ghost Energy with their different applications.

Had he advanced another level in that short time?

Yes.

Mun Bin had leaped over another barrier.

The supreme technique of the Ink God Robe’s first owner from a thousand years ago, the technique of the Ink Sword Emperor who was a transcendent unorthodox master at the time – a gift from Cheol Ryu-heun.

He had grasped the introductory essence of the supreme technique called the Ink Soul Sword Technique.

Sword energy accompanied by two flames shot out fiercely.

WUUUUUUUU-!

It was a piercing sound resembling ghost wails.

Following the path of the swift sword energy, jet-black shimmer expanded like a massive cave.

As if to swallow everything before it.

Sa Am’s blade energy, advancing fiercely, lost direction and curved away due to the powerful suction force of the Phosphorus Fire Energy.

And then.

Sword force harmonized with the Phosphorus Ghost Energy displayed the opposite propulsive force, rapidly compressing the gap.

KKWAWUUUUUWOONG-!

The Large ink-colored sword energy swept the front with expansion and explosion.

KWAKWAKWAKWA, KWAKWAKWAKWA…!

Trees, rocks, and such were indiscriminately destroyed and scattered about.

It became a wasteland in an instant.

Sa Am, who had been blown fiercely back, shattered numerous old trees in a row before collapsing face-down.

THUMP!

DRIP, DRIP…

A large hole had been punched through his torso.

Not a sound escaped his quivering lips.

That’s right.

The jet-black shadow of death was descending.

Amid his hazy consciousness, Sa Am was inwardly amazed.

A powerful rising star has been born!

He had already experienced Netherworld Sword Fork Jeo Gyeom’s Soul Salvation Sword Style a few years ago.

But compared to Mun Bin before him, that was merely a parlor trick.

It was a staggering level of martial prowess.

Enough to give even him, a Shaanxi Martial Fiercest, a hard time.

No, that was wrong.

Hard time? What hard time?

He had been overwhelmed by that power from start to finish.

How could that be?

It hadn’t been that long since Jeo Gyeom died, yet to achieve such remarkable progress without a master…

Before long, Mun Bin had approached.

“I’m honestly surprised too.”

“KKEU…”

“This power… is thanks to Sect Leader Cheol’s arrangement.”

“Cheol… Ryu… heun…?”

“Yes. I have nothing more to say to you. Farewell.”

Mun Bin spoke coldly, then swiftly drove his sword down with his right hand.

PUK-!

The sword tip piercing the heart.

And so Grinning Ghost Blade Sa Am ended his life in this world.

Having soon turned his head, Mun Bin looked into the distance and spoke.

“Foolish ones… flight was not a wise choice.”

* * *

Those rapidly running along the shadowy forest path.

“HEOK, HEOK, HEOK…!”

“SHIT…!”

They were about thirty martial artists of the Night Smoke Band, in the middle of fleeing.

But suddenly.

“HUT!”

The one at the very front turned deathly pale and stopped his dash.

UTTUK.

Those behind simultaneously halted as well.

Because a woman had suddenly appeared not far away.

“TSK.”

The woman clicked her tongue lightly, then furrowed her brows.

“You lot… have even thrown away your chance to surrender.”

Then one of the members muttered with a terrified expression.

“C-Chrysanthemum Martial Hall Master…”

Byeok Song-ha, one of the Three Upper Seats representing the most powerful masters of Guizhou region, the Chrysanthemum Fragrance Sword Mother of the Chrysanthemum Martial Hall, had appeared.

There was no need for formal introductions.

Setting aside the gorgeous attire lavishly embroidered with white chrysanthemums in full bloom, even the chrysanthemum hairpin fixing her neatly tied-up hair revealed her identity.

It was a hairpin famous for symbolizing the Hall Master of Chrysanthemum Martial Hall through the generations.

SEUREUREUNG-

Byeok Song-ha drew her sword.

Just with a simple motion, she displayed the aura of a swordsmanship grandmaster that overwhelmed the thirty-some Night Smoke Band members.

Just as everyone flinched in surprise, a voice was heard from behind.

“My master said never to forgive bad people…”

Swiftly turning their heads back, the figure of a young girl caught their eyes.

The disciple whom Head-Severing Yama Seop Pyo cherished like his own life.

It was Cui Lan.

Suddenly.

SEUSEOS-

Cui Lan’s entire body turned transparent before she vanished without a trace.

Immediately after, one member died futilely.

CHYUHAAK- TUTUK…!

The head that had fallen to the ground spewed crimson blood.

“UGH!”

“NO!”

Right at that spot, Cui Lan quietly revealed herself.

A ghostly stealth technique.

Seeing that, Byeok Song-ha clicked her tongue in admiration.

‘Indeed, she is worthy of being his disciple.’

Cui Lan released a voice transmission while executing the stealth technique again.

-I’ll pray that you repent when you get to the underworld.

* * *

A fierce melee inside Zhongnan Sect.

Amid the ceaseless roar of various weapons and energies fiercely colliding, a vast black mist arose, blocking everyone’s sight.

PONG, PEOPONG, PONG…!

They were smoke bombs detonated by the Sun Moon Demon Cult side.

“Stay calm!”

“Focus on presence!”

“Here!”

While sharp shouts erupted from the orthodox-unorthodox side, a single swordsman collapsed, shedding blood.

“KEUK…!”

The owner of the groan was a Swift Wind Squad member.

Soon a cold voice reached his ears.

“You’re slow.”

It was right beside him.

The startled member turned his head, only for.

SEUGEOUK!

The person who had uttered the cold voice to sever his head.

ROLL…

The one who had executed the killing technique was Yeom Sang-ah.

Following that.

HUHUHUNG, HUHUHUNG-!

As Yeom Sang-ah swung her chained sickle in a wide arc, Swift Wind Squad members fell one after another, spraying blood.

“EUUK!”

“KKEUHAAAK!”

“KEOK!”

Just then, a single figure approached rapidly from behind like a flash of light.

Yeom Sang-ah spun around with a HWIK! and crossed her sickle and chain.

Simultaneously.

JJEOEOEOEONG- PEOEOEOONG-!

A heavy sword force struck from above and exploded.

“HEUT!”

Yeom Sang-ah scraped her feet long against the ground and retreated.

JIIIIIIK- JIIIIIIIK-!

Having stopped her body, Yeom Sang-ah glared at the figure ahead and ground her teeth with a CRACK!

The one who had just released the heavy sword force was Ximen Family’s third young master, Celestial Wind Sword Youth Ximen Yue.

‘TCHIIK! Ximen Yue… how dare you betray me?’