Chapter 497: Chapter 497

For Dan Woo-hyun, this was also a day that made him think a lot.

The fact that he didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy even while smelling the thick scent of blood from the corpses of the dead might be because he was having countless thoughts even as he cut down people.

The faces of countless people flashed before his eyes and disappeared.

Those who had died, and those who had not.

Those who were precious, and those who were not.

Those he had laughed with, those he had experienced sorrow with.

He retraced and thought about every single thing he had seen and felt so far, reflecting on himself and pulling himself together.

He also recalled the Heavenly Martial Emperor.

When did they first meet again?

For what reason did they meet?

Because it was such an ancient matter, even that memory was hazy now, and the purpose could not be known either.

Dan Woo-hyun raised his head.

Slash!

He cut down another person and the blood splattered all over his body.

Before he knew it, Dan Woo-hyun’s figure, drenched in blood, was truly like a beast, and in another sense, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a grim reaper.

He didn’t tell anyone to step aside.

He just silently continued to cut.

Those who approached, those who blocked his path.

Those who harbored murderous intent towards him.

As if that situation itself was his purpose, or as if he was born to do this, Dan Woo-hyun, who was approaching step by step, felt his murderous intent fluctuate even more and his strength grow.

Thud! Thud!

Countless people collapsed and shed blood.

Was there no one left alive, for not a single groan could be heard.

The world-renowned Dan Woo-hyun had swung a strike with the perfect intention to kill his opponents, so if there were survivors, that would be even more surprising.

At some point, there was no one left to block him.

Since his steps weren’t blocked, that too felt strange.

He chuckled, thinking an unfunny thought that in this situation, a few more should come out to block his path.

He wiped the blood off the corners of his eyes and stood tall in one place.

Someone appeared before his eyes.

Confirming the shape of the person that was slowly becoming clearer, Dan Woo-hyun tilted his head.

Why was that guy alone?

He briefly looked around.

He wondered if others were hiding in places he couldn’t see, but he couldn’t feel the presence of anyone around.

The moment he sent a suspicious gaze.

“Hah… It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

A voice mixed with a hint of mockery was heard.

It was clearly ridicule directed at his opponent.

And it sounded like a rebuke asking why he had appeared here.

There was no fear of Dan Woo-hyun in his eyes, which seemed to be due to the pride of the man standing before him, Ryu Tae-seo.

Dan Woo-hyun took two steps forward.

The distance to the opponent was already five zhang.

It was a good distance to swing a strike to kill each other if they set their minds to it.

“Why are you alone?”

Dan Woo-hyun narrowed his eyes.

There were many who followed the Heavenly Martial Emperor. Breaking the expectation that he would be with such guys and standing alone, it was natural to feel puzzled by it.

He tried to figure out the opponent’s intentions, wondering if he perhaps had another plan.

But Ryu Tae-seo shook his head side to side.

“It’s a simple story. Everyone is dead. Three guys went to the Hunan Dan Family, and one went to the Zhoushan Archipelago. And one here as well… In the end, I’m the only one left.”

At the mention of the Hunan Dan Family, Dan Woo-hyun’s eyes changed.

He glared more sharply and his momentum erupted.

The ground cracked and the wind shook violently just from the bursting momentum.

The power pressuring all directions swelled to an excessive degree.

“Hah… Don’t worry too much. Even though one guy died, it seems everyone else is safe.”

“…Died?”

“Yeah, the big guy died.”

“…”

Dan Woo-hyun shut his mouth.

By “big guy,” he meant Ma Jang-gang. He was usually a man of few words, but he had always guarded his side with his steadfastness.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was a necessary talent for the Hunan Dan Family, although not as much as Jang Sam-tae, and upon hearing the tragic news about him, his heart unconsciously wavered.

But he soon tried to calm his mind.

While the desire to exact revenge was the same, his heart must not waver under any circumstances. Thus, maintaining his composure, he opened his mouth with a sneer.

“I heard you had fallen… I guess now you only strike at the weak.”

“Haha, it just happened that way… And I wasn’t the one who killed him. It was the subordinates who were there.”

“…”

Swoosh-

Dan Woo-hyun disappeared.

As his presence abruptly vanished from before his eyes, Ryu Tae-seo widened his eyes. But Dan Woo-hyun wasn’t the only one who was composed.

Ryu Tae-seo was also someone who knew how to control himself.

That was why he was the Heavenly Martial Emperor’s right arm.

Clang!

He stretched out his sword and blocked.

Taking the blade of Dan Woo-hyun, who had approached within arm’s reach at some point, they began a contest of strength.

“To make a move first? That’s not like the old you?”

“You talk too much.”

“Haha, getting old naturally makes one talkative.”

“I’m saying your breath stinks. Shut it.”

“Hahaha.”

Clang, clang, clang!

Three sword blades flashed and swung.

The two men exchanged positions, clashing, retreating, and closing the distance.

The swords were so fast that one couldn’t even tell how they were flowing, and even if the Five Emperors were here, they would never be able to see their movements.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

The continuous collisions were fierce.

They gave each other flaws and dug into openings in return, pressuring, retreating, loosening, and tightening in a relentless, rare battle.

This was exactly Ryu Tae-seo, the Heavenly Martial Emperor’s right arm.

Considering that no one had ever received Dan Woo-hyun’s sword to this extent before, it meant Ryu Tae-seo’s skill was also comparably strong.

Slash! Slash!

The two of them stepped back before they knew it.

Dan Woo-hyun realized his own shoulder had been cut.

Slash!

“Keuk!”

However, conversely, Dan Woo-hyun’s single strike had sliced Ryu Tae-seo’s chest. Although it couldn’t be called a deep wound, he had completely overpowered his opponent.

Ryu Tae-seo staggered and retreated.

He gritted his teeth.

If he lost his balance here, nothing could be more disastrous.

Because a battle between masters meant dying the moment even a small weakness was revealed, Ryu Tae-seo tried his best not to show any openings to Dan Woo-hyun.

But there was an unbridgeable gap between Dan Woo-hyun and Ryu Tae-seo.

Slash, slash!

The moment he tried to regain his balance, a light sword ki stretched in and aimed at Ryu Tae-seo’s right side. He quickly tried to launch his body to dodge while simultaneously attacking.

But.

Smack!

Dan Woo-hyun’s knee, which had approached at some point, struck Ryu Tae-seo’s face.

Crash!

He flew and swept across the ground.

He tumbled down so miserably that it couldn’t be seen as the state of the world-renowned Ryu Tae-seo.

Yes, this was the difference.

Ryu Tae-seo, who had reached a higher realm than anyone else, hadn’t fought such an intense battle for a very long time.

He had lost his touch.

Having reached a realm where he could kill a person with just a light move or momentum, he basically hadn’t had a need to fight intensely.

On the contrary, Dan Woo-hyun hadn’t avoided fighting in any situation.

Although he killed opponents in one breath, because of the circumstances, numerous people had attacked him, and as a result, he hadn’t fought by subduing and killing people while just standing idly like Ryu Tae-seo.

That gap in experience was showing clearly.

“You’re weak.”

“Keugh.”

“It’s almost pathetic.”

Dan Woo-hyun scoffed, looking at Ryu Tae-seo struggling to get up from his spot. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Ryu Tae-seo would be sad to be called second in terms of strength.

Seeing such a person crawling on the floor unable to even use his hands properly, what could be more amusing than this sight?

Ryu Tae-seo couldn’t even stand properly.

It was because his strength had already drained from being struck in the jaw.

Dan Woo-hyun approached the collapsed Ryu Tae-seo, standing idly and looking down at him while smirking.

“It’s even pitiful.”

“Keuk… You bastard…!”

“Where is the Heavenly Martial Emperor?”

“No chance!”

Whoosh!

Ryu Tae-seo swung his sword with all his might.

He intended to at least take off one of Dan Woo-hyun’s limbs with this one move. With the strength he possessed exploding from the tip of his sword, whoever was hit would have their entire body ripped to shreds the moment of impact.

Thud!

But a bizarre thing happened.

Dan Woo-hyun nonchalantly stepped on his blade with his foot.

In an instant, all the power gathered in the sword drained away. Standing there calmly like someone who hadn’t been affected in the slightest, the sight was truly astonishing.

Because doing something like this was impossible even for the Heavenly Martial Emperor.

Ryu Tae-seo had given it his all.

It was a move that unleashed all the power he possessed.

Yet to block it just by stepping on it with a foot?

Was this a dream? Or reality?

If it was a dream, it could be called an unending nightmare, and if it was reality, it was one situation he absolutely never wanted to experience.

“H… How…? It… it shouldn’t have been to this extent…”

Dan Woo-hyun casually stroked his chin.

It was natural for him to be surprised.

This was the world-renowned Ryu Tae-seo.

No matter if he was the Martial God, the fact that he was human didn’t change, and destroying all of Ryu Tae-seo’s full power with merely one foot was close to impossible.

But Dan Woo-hyun had achieved it.

Because of that, Ryu Tae-seo’s mind was even more dizzy.

“Should I say thank you for this? Thanks to it, I absorbed a bit of the Ten Thousand Year Ice Crystal…”

“W… What crazy…!”

Slash!

Dan Woo-hyun did not hesitate.

He thrust a single strike looking at the one screaming in astonishment.

The severed neck flew up into the air.

Countless amounts of blood surged up from the body, which swayed heavily before falling over with a ‘Thud!’.

It was also at that moment that the head, still wearing a look of disbelief, hit the floor.

Dan Woo-hyun watched Ryu Tae-seo’s end.

The gaze of the head rolling on the ground seemed to be looking at Dan Woo-hyun. With astonished eyes and expression, he seemingly couldn’t believe this reality even in death.

He brushed past him.

He wiped the blood off his body and caught his breath.

He didn’t feel any sense of elation from killing the world-renowned Ryu Tae-seo. As if the joy of victory wasn’t even in his head, he was just walking while staring fixedly ahead.

From the beginning, there was only one goal.

It seemed he himself knew he wouldn’t feel any sense of accomplishment until he struck off his neck.

Dan Woo-hyun, who had been walking for a while, stopped tall in one spot.

And then he looked straight ahead.

There, a single white-haired immortal, leaving his body to the fluttering wind, stood idly with a gentle smile.

“Hahaha-.”

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