Chapter 153: Chapter 153
“S-Sect Leader!”
The Ilhwa Sect Leader, Ju Song, who was treating the disciples, narrowed his brow as he looked at the disciple who suddenly burst through the door.
“What is it?”
“T-The Gwiyu Sect Leader has arrived!”
“What did you say?!”
The moment Ju Song was about to get up.
Kwang!
An explosion sounded from outside.
“What is……!”
By the time the bewildered Ju Song blankly stared at the completely shattered main gate.
Crack…
A middle-aged man with a sturdy build stepped in, stepping on the debris that was the door until a moment ago.
“Is the Ilhwa Sect Leader inside?”
“……Gwiyu Sect Leader.”
Ju Song swallowed his tension.
The Gwiyu Sect Leader was the acknowledged undisputed number one master in the current Yan’an area.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Hahaha, what do you mean.”
The Gwiyu Sect Leader’s eyes narrowed.
“I merely accepted the declaration of war made by the Ilhwa Sect.”
With those words, he raised his blade.
It was his beloved blade, the Nine-Ring Blade, which he had used since before establishing the Gwiyu Sect when he obtained the title Blood Ghost Blade.
“What are you talking about……. Heup!”
The Ilhwa Sect Leader lightly jumped back.
Hwooung!
A sharp wind cut past his sleeve, and the hem of his clothes fluttered.
“……Are you trying to see the end?”
“Didn’t I just tell you?”
Holding the Nine-Ring Blade, his eyes gleamed.
“I accepted the declaration of war.”
Ju Song bit his lip.
“Everyone take shelter inside.”
“But Sect Leader!”
“Quickly go inside!”
At Ju Song’s shout, the Ilhwa Sect disciples tightly closed their eyes, opened them, and moved.
“Hoo, you still act like a Sect Leader.”
The Gwiyu Sect Leader revealed a twisted smile as he watched Ju Song guarding the door alone.
“But you are mistaken. Do you think I’ll face you alone?”
He rested the Nine-Ring Blade on his shoulder.
“Everyone come in!”
As soon as those words ended.
“We have arrived!”
“Sect Leader!”
The Gwiyu Sect disciples poured inside.
Seeing the Gwiyu Sect disciples occupying the Ilhwa Sect, Ju Song found it difficult to hide his bewilderment.
“Weren’t you trying to settle this in a one-on-one duel?”
“Why would I do such a thing.”
The Gwiyu Sect Leader smirked.
“When we have the advantage in numbers.”
The Gwiyu Sect Leader spoke while looking at his disciples.
“Kill every single one of the Ilhwa Sect disciples.”
“Understood!”
“Did you all hear that? The Sect Leader says to annihilate the Ilhwa Sect!”
The Gwiyu Sect disciples cheered.
It was the moment to finally see the end of the Unorthodox Faction War that had been sluggish until now.
Just when they were about to emit killing intent.
“Sect Leader!”
One of the Gwiyu Sect disciples shouted urgently.
Wondering what could be so urgent, the Gwiyu Sect Leader frowned as he looked at him running in out of breath.
“R-Right now, there are people attacking from behind.”
“What?”
The Gwiyu Sect Leader’s expression distorted.
‘I rushed right over after hearing that they went to the Black Tiger Gang just a moment ago,’
He quickly asked.
“Have the Plum Blossom Swordsmen already arrived?”
“N-No, it’s not them…….”
“It’s not?”
The Gwiyu Sect Leader furrowed his brow.
“Then who is it?”
“It’s the Soheung Fort!”
At his words, everyone froze in place as if time had stopped.
“What? Soheung Fort? Why are they?”
The dumbfounded Gwiyu Sect Leader spoke as if it was absurd.
It was the same for Ju Song.
“The Soheung Fort?”
The Soheung Fort was of the Unorthodox Faction, but to think they were helping him, it made no common sense.
At that time.
“Everyone attack the Gwiyu Sect!”
A Lion’s Roar was heard from outside.
At the same time, the Gwiyu Sect Leader and Ju Song regained their senses and looked outside the door.
“These bastards!”
“Why……?”
There were dozens of martial artists of the Soheung Fort with the Lord of Soheung Fort at the forefront.
“Fortress Lord. Is this right?”
“No matter what, helping the Righteous Faction bastards is…….”
The Lord of Soheung Fort frowned at the words of his reluctant subordinates.
He also felt like he was going crazy right now.
What Unorthodox Faction in the world would strike the same Unorthodox Faction to help the Righteous Faction!
The Soheung Fort would be the first.
But what could he do.
‘Since that demon told us to help when the Ilhwa Sect was in danger…….’
Briefly recalling Cheon-hwi, he shivered, glanced at his subordinates who were bursting with complaints, and opened his mouth.
“It is all part of the plan.”
“Yes? A plan?”
“What kind of plan is it that…….”
The subordinates pricked up their ears.
“We joined hands with the Mount Hua Sect a little while ago.”
“Yes?!”
“……Is that possible?”
Everyone was suspicious at those words.
The Mount Hua Sect was a Daoist sect that was one of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, and they extremely hated the Unorthodox Faction.
But they joined hands with such a place?
It was hard to believe.
At that time, the Lord of Soheung Fort added an explanation.
“Think about it carefully. Why do you think the Plum Blossom Swordsmen stopped attacking a while ago and left you guys alone. Even if we surrendered, wasn’t it strange.”
“Ah!”
“Then the reason they withdrew their power in the middle…….”
The subordinates let out exclamations.
They had thought it was strange, but hearing the Fortress Lord’s words now, all their doubts were cleared.
At the same time, they looked up to the Lord of Soheung Fort with eyes of admiration.
To think he joined hands with that Mount Hua Sect.
It was something that could never be achieved in any Unorthodox Faction.
“Ooh!”
“As expected of the Fortress Lord!”
When the atmosphere was reviving.
Seueuk…
The Lord of Soheung Fort raised his hand high.
“If you understand, attack the Gwiyu Sect immediately!”
As soon as his command fell, the martial artists of the Soheung Fort rushed at the Gwiyu Sect.
Waaaaah!
Seeing the martial artists of the Soheung Fort rushing in like a swarm of bees, the Gwiyu Sect disciples were flustered.
“W-What is this?”
“They’re really fighting? Leaving the Ilhwa Sect alone and fighting us?”
They thought they would just come, but they never expected them to actually fight them directly.
“We will attack too!”
“Show those bastards a lesson!”
Soon, the two forces clashed.
Chaeng! Chaeng!
Watching his subordinates fighting from afar, the Lord of Soheung Fort swept his chest.
‘Did we pass the crisis for now.’
At that time, a cold wind seemed to blow, and the Gwiyu Sect Leader appeared before his eyes.
“Lord of Soheung Fort.”
“……It has been a while. Gwiyu Sect Leader.”
The Gwiyu Sect Leader opened his eyes sharply.
“What is the meaning of this right now?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Isn’t attacking the Ilhwa Sect the priority?”
The Lord of Soheung Fort snorted.
“Since when did we care about such things?”
“Are you saying you will help the Ilhwa Sect, which is a Righteous Faction despite you being an Unorthodox Faction, you are a disgrace to the Unorthodox Faction.”
“What Righteous Faction am I help…….”
At the words that provoked his pride as an Unorthodox Faction, the Lord of Soheung Fort was about to shout but stopped.
No, to be exact, he froze in that state.
It was because a demon he was all too familiar with was standing at the main gate of the Ilhwa Sect.
‘W-When did he get here?’
At that time, the demon smiled.
Seeing that evil smile, the Lord of Soheung Fort shed tears of blood and moved his lips.
“Is it not natural to help as a sect in Yan’a that we have lived with for a long time.”
“What kind of bullshit…….”
When the Gwiyu Sect Leader was finding it absurd.
“Enough of that, come at me!”
The Lord of Soheung Fort drew his sword.
“……Words don’t get through to you.”
The Gwiyu Sect Leader also raised his Nine-Ring Blade.
Eventually, the two clashed.
Kaang! Kaang!
As sharp sounds of metal erupted, those nearby hastily backed away.
Around that time, the Ilhwa Sect was in chaos.
While the Gwiyu Sect disciples who had occupied the Ilhwa Sect’s manor urgently slipped outside, Ju Go Yul came inside.
“Father!”
He discovered Ju Song, who was collapsed on the floor and bleeding, and ran over.
“A-Are you alright?”
Perhaps he had suffered a strike from the Gwiyu Sect Leader, there was a blade mark drawn across his chest.
“K-Keugh. Is, is it Go Yul?”
“Do not speak! We must treat your wound right now…….”
“H-Heok. No. It is…… already too late. The wound is too…… deep.”
“S-Still…….”
Ju Song, whose complexion had become pale, stared blankly at the weeping Ju Go Yul.
“I should have…… requested help from the Mount Hua Sect like you said……. I am leaving…… a heavy burden on you.”
“Father…….”
When the father and son were shedding tears.
“For just a slight cut, you are exaggerating too much.”
A shadow fell.
It was none other than Cheon-hwi.
“No matter if you are a Young Hero, those words are too harsh…….”
Cheon-hwi sat next to Ju Go Yul, who was bursting out without being able to hold back his anger, and moved his hands.
Tadadak…
He struck forty-two acupoints in a single breath.
Then, color began to return to Ju Song’s face.
“Let’s see. You just bled a little.”
As Cheon-hwi looked at the wound and loaded internal energy into his finger.
“A-Astral Qi?!”
“……!”
Ju Go Yul and Ju Song, who had never seen such a clear Astral Qi, were astonished.
Cheon-hwi tore his sleeve thinly.
The cloth became thin as thread, and was soon pulled out long by Cheon-hwi’s two fingers.
“Then it’s done now.”
Cheon-hwi’s hands moved quickly.
Hwik… Hwik…
The cloth, which had become thin as thread, moved elegantly and stitched up the wounds in an instant.
At that astonishing divine skill, Ju Go Yul’s mouth hung wide open, and his eyes glared.
A moment later, Cheon-hwi dusted off his hands.
“The acupoints will be released later, and he will be fine now if you just feed him.”
As Cheon-hwi spoke to him, Ju Go Yul regained his senses and held his hands tightly.
“T-Thank you!”
“It’s fine.”
Cheon-hwi waved his hand.
‘It will become more troublesome if the Ilhwa Sect Leader dies here.’
Cheon-hwi subtly turned his head.
“I will go clean up the back for a moment.”
Panicked by those words, Ju Go Yul tried to look at him, but his traces were already gone.
“There was a reason why the Sect Leader told us to rest assured.”
“As expected, there is nothing as good as real combat.”
Cheon-hwi nodded as he watched Jeok-geom and Seol Ran fighting the Gwiyu Sect disciples.
Right now, the Gwiyu Sect disciples were very suitable opponents for them.
Even if they were rated highly, the martial arts of those who barely hovered between third-rate and second-rate were not a threat, but…….
A feast of weapons that were normally hard to see.
While there was one who forcefully swung a saw-tooth blade with an irregular edge, another threw a sickle tied to a chain.
How could it not be good when they were given the opportunity to encounter all sorts of weapons in the Jianghu.
“But they did grow quite a bit.”
Even though they saw bizarre weapons they had never heard of or seen before, the two did not act rashly.
‘Is this how they swing it.’
‘Compared to the swords our Martial Uncle wielded and the iron spheres of the First Plum Blossom Gate we experienced earlier…….’
Rather, they responded very calmly.
Jeok-geom and Seol Ran calmly blocked the weapons they swung.
Compared to Cheon-hwi’s harsh training and the First Plum Blossom Gate they barely experienced for a day, they were very shoddy attacks.
The two, who blocked or deflected a few attacks, naturally made eye contact with each other.
‘Then I will leave the left to you, Junior Martial Sister!’
‘Okay!’
The two, who communicated with their eyes, moved.
Taat!
It was the manifestation of the Seven Stars Footwork, the footwork they had continued to learn under Cheon-hwi’s guidance.
“It’s better than before.”
Cheon-hwi smiled beamingly.
Still, it was much better than before, as if the continuous teaching had an effect.
“I should teach them other martial arts when we return to Mount Hua.”
Cheon-hwi, who spat out words that would have made the two jump in joy had they heard it, moved his feet.
Hwik…
The outside of the Ilhwa Sect was a battlefield.
Perhaps because both were Unorthodox Factions, the war between the two sects was truly dirty and ruthless.
In a one-on-one fight, surprise attacks were natural, and some even acted as if they had fallen.
Was that all.
Chwaaak!
They even threw sand into eyes.
Cheon-hwi walked among them.
“Huh?”
“What was that just now?”
Those who were fighting felt something strange, but they couldn’t know exactly what it was.
To be exact, Cheon-hwi had already passed by before they even felt it.
A moment later, he arrived at the place where the most intense sounds of tearing through the air resonated.
“Wow, this is fierce.”
The fight between the Lord of Soheung Fort and the Gwiyu Sect Leader was very fierce, just as Cheon-hwi said.
“This bastard, cowardly throwing sand!”
“Ptui! You threw it first when you were almost seizing the victory!”
“Despite using something like the Lazy Donkey Rolls!”
The two were busier running their mouths with coarse voices than displaying their martial arts.
“Try avoiding this!”
“Hmph! A martial art like that is nothing, oops!”
“Running away with your tail between your legs!”
……It is truly unsightly.
Cheon-hwi was about to intervene but stopped.
‘It will be awkward if I intervene here. It would be better to show the Lord of Soheung Fort winning.’
As he thought, he smiled.
[Put your left foot behind this step. And raise the sword in your hand up to your chest.]
“……!”
‘This voice?’
The Lord of Soheung Fort was startled by the sudden telepathy and hastily followed those words.
‘Eh, whatever!’
That moment.
Puk!
“H-How…….”
The Gwiyu Sect Leader opened his eyes roundly.
He was gradually seizing the victory.
So he tried to stick close on purpose to deliver the final blow.
“To notice that opening, kkeureuk… “
The Gwiyu Sect Leader collapsed to the ground.
Kung!
As his massive frame collapsed, the Gwiyu Sect disciples nearby were astonished.
“T-The Sect Leader…….”
On the contrary, the martial artists of the Soheung Fort raised their hands upon seeing the Lord of Soheung Fort.
“Waaaaaah!”
“The Fortress Lord killed the Gwiyu Sect Leader!”
Meanwhile, the Lord of Soheung Fort was flustered.
‘W-What just happened?’
It was a situation where a ghost would wail.
He just followed what he was told literally, yet his sword had pierced the Gwiyu Sect Leader’s heart and taken his life.
‘What are you doing zoning out with that?’
As the Lord of Soheung Fort looked at the Gwiyu Sect Leader’s corpse with a dumbfounded face, Cheon-hwi shook his head.
He merely read the flow of the Gwiyu Sect Leader’s martial arts and told him the moment to sever it.
However, contrary to Cheon-hwi’s thoughts, that was a matter of an incredibly astonishing realm.
Who in the world would read the flow of a martial art they saw for the first time, and grasp the moment to sever it.
It was something only Cheon-hwi could do.
But Cheon-hwi, the person in question, thought nothing of it.
[What are you doing not coming to your senses?]
“Ah!”
The Lord of Soheung Fort, who had been zoning out for a long time due to Cheon-hwi’s telepathy, regained his senses.
At the same time, he raised his sword high and shouted.
“The Gwiyu Sect Leader has fallen by my hands!”
As a voice loaded with internal energy spread.
Tuk, tuk.
The Gwiyu Sect disciples dropped their weapons.
Since their Sect Leader had lost in a one-on-one duel, there was no longer any reason for the Gwiyu Sect to fight.
“We surrender.”
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