Chapter 265: Chapter 265

“There he is!”

The rogues and martial artists who had flocked together discovered someone and shouted loudly.

The group, numbering nearly fifty, unsheathed their swords, each and every one of them exuding killing intent.

The sound of their swords being drawn all at once was so grand that it resounded loudly.

A man was standing in front of them.

He was holding a sword, but his eyes were unfocused.

His entire body was no longer in a human state. His face, visible through his disheveled hair, was also depleted to an equal extent.

He was so skin and bones that it looked as though he could not even hold a sword properly, yet the sword in his hand never fell, and he was holding it even tighter instead.

“Prepare yourself!”

No matter how shallow one’s skills were, there were always those who threw themselves forward like moths to a flame in order to gain wealth and fame.

Because they knew their own strength was weak, they gathered in small groups and acted without thinking.

“Stop this!”

They even ignored the voice coming from behind.

Glancing over, they saw people who appeared to be warriors of the Martial Alliance running over in a hurry.

Watching this, the rogues gathered here sneered.

Telling them to stop after seeing that skin-and-bones figure?

Did he not look as though he would collapse at any moment?

With just one swing of a sword, they could take his head, make a name for themselves in this Martial World, and live grandly with wealth and fame.

Therefore, not a single person in this place backed down.

Without even realizing the clear fact that it was a mistake.

Splat-!

At the same time that countless people rushed in at once, they were turned into pieces of flesh and strewn across the ground.

The sight was truly hideous, and even someone who had been in the Martial World for a long time could not help but feel disgusted.

“Ugh!”

“Blegh!”

They began to vomit all over the place.

Even as they witnessed their comrades and friends dying absurdly before their eyes, there was nothing they could do.

And Murong Hyukmun never hesitated.

Slash-!

Like a wolf jumping into a flock of sheep, his ferocious sword killed and cut down those in front of him.

This was not a chaotic battle; it was a one-sided slaughter.

“Aaargh!”

“Run… run away!”

Those who realized the situation too late decided to flee, but there was no mercy in Murong Hyukmun, who rushed like a beast targeting its prey.

Just as he chased after those fleeing and swung his sword to cut off one more head.

“You scoundrel!”

A Shaolin monk blocked Murong Hyukmun’s path, unleashing palm force.

At that moment, sword qi flew from behind and intercepted the palm force.

Boom!

An explosion erupted with a heavy sound.

When the startled Shaolin monk turned his head, someone quickly sprang out and thrust a sword toward him.

Swoosh-!

The blade that flew in an instant aimed at the Shaolin monk’s neck.

Terrified by the sudden situation, the Shaolin monk twisted his head, regained his faltering balance, and threw a punch.

Bang-!

The fist and sword collided, and both of them slid backward.

At the same time, as if Murong Hyukmun had discovered something, his pupils visible through his disheveled hair shook greatly.

Murong Hyukmun’s killing intent, which seemed as if it would kill everyone in front of him, vanished as if washed away, and he soon leapt and quickly left the place.

“Grand Patriarch!”

Someone called him, but no answer could be heard.

Everyone in the field stared blankly at the back of Murong Hyukmun, who disappeared into a speck.

“What on earth are you doing!”

The shout rang out.

Those who were chasing Murong Hyukmun, including the Shaolin monk, glared at the warriors of the Murong Clan who had suddenly appeared and shouted.

It was practically a golden opportunity to capture Murong Hyukmun, but they had lost him right before their eyes, so how resentful must they be?

The people of the Martial Alliance gnashed their teeth and glared at the warriors of the Murong Clan.

“As long as we are here, no one can harm the Grand Patriarch!”

Someone from the Murong Clan shouted. Since it was a statement filled with sincerity, the momentum of the Martial Alliance began to surge even more fiercely.

It seemed that a clash was unavoidable.

Just then.

Rustle-!

The sound of someone moving quickly was heard not too far away.

As everyone’s gaze turned toward that place, a group of figures was seen approaching quickly while displaying lightness art.

The moment they saw that, the eyes of both the Martial Alliance and the Murong Clan warriors widened.

At the same time.

Pop, pop, pop, pop-!

Smoke bombs thrown by someone exploded, obscuring their vision for a moment, and they ran at a fierce speed toward the direction where Murong Hyukmun had disappeared.

“Heavenly Sword Society!”

An elder of the Murong Clan gnashed his teeth.

* * *

Five days had passed since Namgung So-hye collapsed.

For her, who still could not regain consciousness despite using good medicinal herbs, Dan So-mi came out today with Sa Do-hak to dig up herbs.

“Look at this, Grandfather!”

“Oh, you dug up a good herb again. Well done, well done.”

Sa Do-hak and Dan So-mi traveled quite a far distance to dig up herbs.

It was because the herbs near the clan had already been finished off by Dan So-mi, leaving almost none.

Since Sa Do-hak traveled with lightness art and Dan So-mi traveled on the back of the White Tiger, they covered a distance that would have taken several hours by carriage in an instant.

Once they entered a fairly deep mountain, herbs were scattered everywhere.

Although it was a pity that she could not find any spiritual herbs, Dan So-mi was still digging up countless high-quality herbs that would make any mountain dweller’s eyes turn.

Sa Do-hak also picked up a trowel, dug up herbs, and smiled.

“It feels just like farming.”

“Hehe, do you want to try it? So-mi is really good at farming.”

“Is that so? This grandfather thinks it would be better to have something that can be eaten quickly.”

“How about sweet potatoes? They are very sweet. Everyone likes sweet potatoes.”

“Aiyah! You rascal, if you eat those, do you not just fart?”

At Sa Do-hak’s complaint-filled remark, Dan So-mi burst into laughter.

Come to think of it, there were indeed many times when eating a lot of sweet potatoes caused farts to come out.

Just thinking about it was funny, and the smile did not leave her face.

“I think this should be enough, shall we head back?”

“No! So-mi wants to catch carp over there.”

“Carp?”

At the sudden mention of fishing, Sa Do-hak wore a puzzled expression. He had wondered why she brought a fishing rod when they left, and it seemed she wanted to fish.

“I heard steamed carp is so good for the body. I thought it would help sister…”

“Carp is indeed good for nourishment.”

Then, suddenly feeling something, Sa Do-hak stiffened his face but immediately composed his expression and smiled warmly at Dan So-mi.

“Then go ahead and fish. This grandfather will take a short walk around.”

“Yes! You have to come back quickly.”

“Haha, of course.”

Dan So-mi began to head somewhere holding the fishing rod. Since the White Tiger and the White Cat followed her as if guarding her, he was relieved no matter what happened.

As Dan So-mi’s figure grew distant, Sa Do-hak suddenly hardened his expression and turned around.

He began to walk slowly toward somewhere.

Although it was a presence felt from a very far distance, he leaped forward using lightness art and advanced in an instant.

The Heavenly Demon Lightness Step was a lightness art that was no exaggeration to call the most outstanding in the Central Plains.

His figure disappeared and reappeared repeatedly as he leaped forward dozens of yards with each step.

It was after moving for about half a quarter of an hour.

Sa Do-hak suddenly stopped his lightness art.

“It has been a while?”

He looked at the person in front of him with a somewhat displeased expression.

Disheveled hair, a haggard appearance.

So much had changed that the appearance of the past could not be found at all.

But the momentum alone told him the fact that this madman was Murong Hyukmun.

To Sa Do-hak’s greeting, Murong Hyukmun replied with killing intent.

“You will die like that, you know?”

Murong Hyukmun frowned at the words Sa Do-hak casually spat out.

Toward the Sword Emperor Namgung Cheon, he was only full of jealousy and envy for not being able to catch up to him.

On the other hand, Murong Hyukmun harbored a deep fear in his heart toward Sa Do-hak. For it was Sa Do-hak who had dealt him a defeat that frustrated even his soul to the bone, rather than a simple loss.

That fear crept up latently.

“You look like a mess. I can no longer find any trace of your past self.”

“…”

“Seeing that you came all the way near here, did you really come targeting that fellow Dan Woo-hyun?”

“Dan… Woo-hyun…!”

Grit!

The moment he heard the name Dan Woo-hyun, Murong Hyukmun gnashed his teeth. His surging killing intent swelled as if it would pierce even the sky.

Sa Do-hak chuckled.

A killing intent that made the whole body numb; this was something that would have been impossible for the past Murong Hyukmun.

Although he could not know what had changed him like this, Sa Do-hak wondered if the Murong Hyukmun in front of him was truly alive.

“If you do not want to die, go back quietly. The path ahead is not a place you can handle.”

“Sa… Do-hak…”

“Go back.”

Sa Do-hak narrowed his eyes and raised his hand.

Dark red demonic qi surged from his hand.

It was a vast energy that swallowed everything, leaving not even a trace.

Sa Do-hak was showing his intention to never let Murong Hyukmun pass beyond this point.

It did not matter to him at all whether that fellow pointed a sword at Namgung Cheon or wished to kill Dan Woo-hyun.

However, Dan So-mi was ahead, and he did not want to show that child, who had already suffered a bad experience, the sight of acquaintances fighting.

Therefore, he blocked the path.

Murong Hyukmun raised his sword.

Watching this, Sa Do-hak harbored a sneer.

If it were now, unlike in the past, he could have a fairly good match, but the match with this fellow belonged to someone else, not Sa Do-hak.

“You do not wish to face me either, do you? So take another path back. The one to kill you is someone else.”

He wanted to kill him right away, but he held it in.

Namgung Cheon was only now trying to hold a sword.

Interfering with that was an action that should never be done if one respected him as a martial artist.

“If you have even a shred of sanity left, think. This is the last warning.”

Sa Do-hak took a step forward.

“Go back.”

The surroundings touched by his dark red demonic qi literally turned into a land of death.

The freshly sprouted green shoots withered to black, trees died, and even the sounds of mountain birds vanished.

Sa Do-hak.

His true power had revealed itself.

Murong Hyukmun, holding his sword, forced out his last remaining reason and took a step back.

It was not that he thought he would lose if he fought Sa Do-hak here, but he might have deemed that he would have to give up an arm or a leg.

Sending a fierce momentum and sharp gaze, he slowly turned around and headed toward another path.

As if to show that he was by no means running away out of fear of Sa Do-hak, he slowly distanced himself.

Before long, watching Murong Hyukmun gradually disappear, Sa Do-hak sighed.

“Sigh… what an idiot.”

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