Chapter 272: Chapter 272
The sparring continued on.
“I told you not to let your guard down, didn’t I?”
Yuk Se-gon, who bit his lip at Cheon-hwi’s words that were full of mockery, soon forcefully extended his fist as if he could not lose.
A palm strike loaded with noble aura and internal energy.
It was the Kunlun Sect’s palm art, the Jade Dragon Palm.
The Jade Dragon Palm, which unfolded forcefully as if a single dragon was advancing, aimed at Cheon-hwi’s shoulder, but.
Swish…
Cheon-hwi easily dodged it just by lightly twisting his body, and then opened his mouth.
“You are too honest.”
Cheon-hwi extended his left hand toward Yuk Se-gon, who had momentarily leaned forward while unfolding the Jade Dragon Palm with all his might.
A light hand gesture swung as if catching a bug.
However, Yuk Se-gon’s face, who was watching it, had no choice but to gradually stiffen.
Because the hand had already approached right under his nose.
It was an overwhelming speed.
‘I’m late…!’
Thwack!
“Keheuk!”
His mouth opened wide and spit splattered from the intense impact that seemed to pierce his abdomen.
At the moment when his consciousness was faintly fading away.
Clench!
He tightly clenched his fist.
How many times had he already suffered like this, it was to the point where he couldn’t count them on his hands.
‘I will hit him.’
Flames soared in his eyes.
The thought that he would win did not cross his mind.
Just one hit.
He wanted to land just one hit properly.
At the moment he, with glaring eyes, was about to step down hard to unfold the Falling Cloud Fist.
Swoosh…
A pitch-black shadow swallowed his vision.
It was precisely the wooden sword.
‘D, damn it, again…’
Crack!
A cheerful sound rang out.
Yuk Se-gon helplessly tumbled forward and sprawled out like a frog.
“Still, you’ve gained some grit now, haven’t you?”
Cheon-hwi, who supported the collapsing Yuk Se-gon with his wooden sword, tossed him to the side.
In the direction Yuk Se-gon was tossed, there was a physician who was treating the unconscious Extermination Unit, and Cheon-hwi, who threw a quick glance at him, opened his mouth.
“I’ll leave this one to you again too.”
A sigh naturally slipped from the mouth of the physician, Baek Ja-mun, who came after receiving Seol Geom’s word.
“Phew, I understand.”
He carefully moved Yuk Se-gon, who had helplessly collapsed onto the floor with a ‘thud’.
Fatigue was cast over his face.
It had been half a shichen since he arrived here.
During that time, he had been moving his hands more busily than anyone else here.
‘How many times is this already.’
He thought he only had to treat the injured and those with internal injuries and leave.
But what kind of mess was this.
Patients who had fainted from the beatings carried out under the name of training kept returning to him.
Just when he thought he had treated them and they regained consciousness, that fellow called the Plum Blossom Divine Hero would knock them out again with ruthless methods.
“There’s no end. There’s no end.”
Baek Ja-mun, who was glancing sideways at Cheon-hwi, helplessly shook his head from side to side.
He had intended to treat them quickly and leave, but it seemed wrong to escape for a while.
‘Ah, let’s just do what I have to do.’
Recalling his duty, he checked the pulse of Yuk Se-gon, whom he had laid down gently.
‘But really, it’s fascinating.’
Baek Ja-mun, who confirmed the actively beating pulse despite him being unconscious, focused his mind.
If one fainted, their pulse would naturally quiet down, but Yuk Se-gon was not like that.
Moreover, it wasn’t just him.
It was a truly profound matter since everyone who had fainted here was like that.
‘Just how on earth did he do it…’
Around the time he was wondering.
“Footwork should be combined and used as one. If you were going to use them separately, why would you have learned them together. You must link them as one…”
Cheon-hwi was dazzlingly moving his wooden sword while pointing out the unit members’ martial arts.
However.
Crack! Thwack!
“Keok!”
“Kek!”
Such words did not enter the ears of the Extermination Unit.
They were just too busy blocking.
“Load the internal energy properly onto the sword, and the tips of the toes stepping on the footwork…”
Cheon-hwi, who dodged Im Ha Yul’s sword, swung his wooden sword simultaneously while pointing out his posture.
“Swing it at once. Like this.”
“Kyaak!”
Along with a scream, Im Ha Yul’s body was sent flying backward.
“Now now, let’s focus.”
Due to the overwhelming difference in skill, Cheon-hwi was currently toying with them and beating their entire bodies.
To the point where it was practically no different from a thrashing.
Grind…
Unable to endure it, the Extermination Unit gritted their teeth and glared at him.
‘What kind of Plum Blossom Divine Hero is this! He’s an evil spirit!’
‘Uwaaaak! What great hero!’
It had barely been half a shichen, but their perception of Cheon-hwi had changed a lot.
It was understandable.
Since a one-sided beating continued throughout the sparring, how could their feelings not be hurt.
Seeing their pupils left with nothing but malice because of that, Cheon-hwi smiled in satisfaction.
“Now your eyes look a bit alive.”
At that moment when he was murmuring quietly.
Swaaek!
They rushed in simultaneously.
Thinking that they would be beaten anyway if they didn’t attack through the continuous sparring, they chose the attack with the highest possibility.
Whoosh…
Cheon-hwi deflected Danli Gwan-cheon’s Wind Riding Blade Art, who rushed in first, and opened his mouth.
“It seems to be a blade art that handles the killing intent of innate nature, but should you be swayed by it?”
Danli Gwan-cheon’s eyes widened at Cheon-hwi’s words.
Because it was in the same vein as what his master had said when he taught him the Wind Riding Blade Art in the past.
‘He saw through the Wind Riding Blade Art…?’
When his eyes momentarily wavered greatly.
“Keep your reasoning cold.”
Along with his words, Cheon-hwi drew up the internal energy of the Plum Blossom Divine Art.
And then moved his lips.
“Even if it is the killing intent of innate nature, no. Even if it is heaven’s decree, the subject of martial arts is human.”
Cheon-hwi, who spat out a supreme martial principle that contained the essence of all martial arts scattered in the world beyond the Wind Riding Blade Art, moved his left hand that was not holding the wooden sword.
“The heart and the person must not waver so that one is not swept away by the martial arts they possess.”
His left hand swayed like waves and rode the air like a fluttering wind, then soon flicked the empty space a few times.
Hwaaak!
Like handling an orchid, the smooth and elegant hand gestures created a massive vortex.
It was the manifestation of the Mount Hua Sect’s technique that had been lost hundreds of years ago, the Orchid Blade Blood Hand.
“……!”
Danli Gwan-cheon gasped.
Because his body began to be gradually pulled into that vortex harboring an overwhelming momentum.
‘At this rate…!’
When he urgently used the Thousand Catty Weight to try and endure.
Grab!
Cheon-hwi’s left hand grabbed his hand.
The hand that gently began to wrap around Danli Gwan-cheon’s arm snatched the arm as it was, then returned his body as it was and tossed it.
“Young Hero Danli!”
“Heok!”
The Extermination Unit that was rushing in closely behind flinched at Danli Gwan-cheon who suddenly came flying.
And the moment they urgently caught him.
“It’s good to think of your comrades, but…”
Cheon-hwi, who had suddenly appeared next to them, stared down at them and opened his mouth with a smiling face.
A soft smile lingering on his lips.
However, cold sweat flowed down the foreheads of the Extermination Unit looking at it.
And at that moment.
“You shouldn’t forget your opponent.”
As his wooden sword moved, countless sword shadows appeared and descended upon them.
Papapapak!
“Keuaaak!”
“S, stop!”
“Unit Leader!”
Screams and the sounds of getting hit ran rampant.
But Cheon-hwi did not stop.
Rather, he pushed the Extermination Unit even more roughly and swung his wooden sword hard.
After a while, the Extermination Unit, without a single person left, was left rolling on the ground.
Cheon-hwi opened his mouth while looking at them like that.
“Sigh, to be this weak.”
The eyebrows of those who had fallen twitched.
‘Weak?’
‘It’s just that you are strong!’
Anger surged up from within.
However, no one dared to spit out their resentment through their mouths.
Because they didn’t know what kind of mess they would suffer if they said it.
Cheon-hwi, who shook his head once, opened his mouth.
“Then let’s rest a bit and do it again.”
Do it again?
The faces of the Extermination Unit turned pale white.
They were on the verge of death just from this now, yet to think he planned to do more after resting.
Cheon-hwi smiled as he saw their expressions.
“You’ll probably thank me in the future.”
Along with his words, his eyes flashed.
“Because of this, you will save your life at least once.”
* * *
Jianghu grew confused.
The upheaval that arrived starting with the Green Forest’s attack on the Mount Hua Sect surged like waves.
Among them, the biggest topic of conversation.
It was precisely the rumor that a clash would break out between the Martial Alliance and the Four Black Alliances.
Everyone showed interest in the spreading rumors, but most expected that nothing would happen.
Because if the two clashed, only the Flying Heaven Society that stayed still would reap the benefits.
It was a natural thought if one had a brain.
However, they unwittingly swallowed their breaths at the subsequent rumors.
“The Martial Alliance has declared war with the Four Black Alliances, and is currently trying to exterminate all the Unorthodox Factions in Jiangbei Martial World!”
“The Martial Alliance destroyed the Red Tiger Stronghold as an example!”
At first, they couldn’t believe it.
However, as it became known that the bandits of the Red Tiger Stronghold were captured by the government, the world realized that the rumor was true.
“A war between the Martial Alliance and the Four Black Alliances?”
“To think such a thing is happening!”
It was a very shocking event to the point where not only those who immersed themselves in Jianghu but also those who were unrelated could not hide their astonishment.
Because the era of the Nine Provinces Three Supreme Powers that had lasted for decades might collapse.
Jianghu shook greatly.
It was an impact like throwing a stone, no, a boulder into a calm lake.
“Finally, the era of the Nine Provinces Three Supreme Powers is coming to an end!”
“Is this something to be happy about now? Isn’t it something that will bring a bloodstorm to Jianghu!”
“Hahaha! I’ve always thought that the era of the Nine Provinces Three Supreme Powers was an era that didn’t suit Jianghu. What peace! A world of mountains of blades and forests of swords, where the strong are supreme, is the true Jianghu. Jianghu is exactly the place where a bloodstorm should blow.”
As the clash between two of the Nine Provinces Three Supreme Powers became known, people’s opinions were deeply divided.
While there were those who welcomed the new generation, there were also those who worried or were concerned that the sparks would fly to them.
But there was only one thing.
There was an opinion that everyone presented with the same thought.
That a turbulent era was soon arriving!
Like that, when everyone was paying close attention to the Martial Alliance that declared war.
Rumble…
The tightly closed West Gate of the Martial Alliance opened, and a group of people riding horses emerged.
Their appearance was truly unique.
Draped entirely in pure white cloaks, they only barely revealed their eyes, and a chilling malice could be felt from their gazes.
At that time, one person walked out belatedly.
“Exactly four days have passed.”
It was the man holding a folding fan in his hand, Seol Geom.
Seol Geom approached the person at the very front and lifted his head up.
A face that only revealed its eyes could be seen.
The pitch-black pupils that quietly observed the front were so infinitely deep that it felt like one would be sucked in just by watching.
Seol Geom opened his mouth toward him.
“Then please take good care of this mission as well. Young Hero Cheon-hwi.”
Cheon-hwi slightly lowered his eyes.
Not a single hint of nervousness showed in his calm gaze.
‘…Is he saying that this much is nothing.’
When Seol Geom swallowed his nervousness inwardly instead.
Swoosh…
A pure white hand was thrust in front of his face.
When Seol Geom looked at the abrupt hand as if it was strange, Cheon-hwi opened his mouth.
“If you have something to give, give it quickly. You should be busy too anyway.”
“As expected of you, Young Hero. To recognize it immediately.”
Seol Geom, who spoke with a beaming smile, took out a book from his bosom and carefully handed it over.
“This is a book that contains information about the Blood Rain Sword Clan, our current mission.”
“It’s quite thick.”
Around the time Cheon-hwi, who was looking at the book, wrinkled his eyes, Seol Geom quietly added his words.
“The organization chart, the number of experts, and the martial arts they learned are all recorded.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Cheon-hwi glanced at the book, nodded his head, and then shoved it into the luggage tied next to the horse as if it was a bother.
“I’ll look at it later.”
“…You must definitely read it. As I told you before, the Blood Rain Sword Clan is an Unorthodox Faction clan with quite a deep history. It is not a place to be easily dealt with, so you must prepare as much as possible and be careful.”
Seol Geom spoke with a darkened gaze.
The Unorthodox Faction, Blood Rain Sword Clan, was a clan located on the border of Hubei and Sichuan, and it was a clan that had reigned for over two hundred years in an area teeming with righteous faction sects.
It would only hurt the mouth to talk about its underlying strength.
“Ah right, and…”
Seol Geom, who blurred the end of his words, took out another book. It was thicker than the book containing information about the Blood Rain Sword Clan.
“This is the personal information of the Extermination Unit that you mentioned last time.”
Cheon-hwi, who heard the words quietly spilled in a low voice, grinned and picked up the book.
“You said it would take a little time, but you prepared it quickly.”
“Isn’t it the request of the Young Hero, no, the Extermination Unit Leader? I gave it priority over anything else.”
Seol Geom spoke while intentionally putting strength into the words ‘Extermination Unit Leader’ and ‘priority’.
It meant that he should acknowledge it since he put in the effort.
“It’s good. Then it seems the preparations are finished now.”
Cheon-hwi, who nodded his head with a satisfied expression as if in reply to that, looked back.
The Extermination Unit members draped in white cloaks with fur had a fiercely sharpened momentum.
Sparring that continued day and night for three days.
With that, their nerves were tightly on edge, and their momentum was burning.
Cheon-hwi checked them like that, grabbed the reins of the horse, and spoke.
“Let’s go now.”
Seol Geom stepped back a few paces.
“Please go safely.”
As soon as those words ended, Cheon-hwi immediately opened his mouth toward the Extermination Unit.
“Is everyone ready?”
“We are ready!”
The Extermination Unit all glared with their eyes.
Cheon-hwi, who heard the resounding answer, twisted his lips with a satisfied face.
“Then let’s go.”
As soon as those words ended, forty-three horses caused rough vibrations and began to gallop wildly toward the west.
Towards the destination, the Blood Rain Sword Clan.