chapter 238

Even if the World Shakes, Only One Person Matters 1

Everyone was startled by the sudden appearance of the fog.

“What?”

Yuk Sa-myeong, the branch head of the Black Market, was particularly shocked.

Having worked with Han So Cheon before, he was well aware of how formidable she could be when given cover.

In contrast to Yuk Sa-myeong’s alarm, Han So Cheon’s face lit up with opportunity.

Whoosh!

She merged with the fog, vanishing from sight.

“shit!”

Yuk Sa-myeong gritted his teeth, realizing the worst-case scenario had unfolded.

“Everyone, back to back and guard all directions.”

At his command, the martial artists grouped together, watching their surroundings closely.

The dense fog obscured their vision, not even allowing them to see a foot ahead. The white mist instilled an inexplicable, chilling fear in them. Then, that fear materialized.

Thump!

Suddenly, a low sound echoed from behind them.

Shocked, they turned to see one of the martial artists bleeding from the neck and collapsing.

“What?”

“When?”

Thump!

Another thud followed, with another martial artist falling, blood gushing from his throat.

Silent, invisible attacks.

With the cover of fog, Han So Cheon demonstrated just how terrifying an assassin can be.

“Gurk!”

“Ugh!”

The Black Market martial artists fell one after the other.

No matter how focused they were, or how tightly they strained their senses, it was futile. They couldn’t detect or defend against Han So Cheon.

Veiled within the white fog, Han So Cheon was like a grim reaper.

Each time her sword moved, the Black Market’s martial artists lost their lives without resistance.

The group of dozens of martial artists had quickly halved in number.

As the situation worsened, deep fear filled the eyes of the remaining martial artists.

“Ugh! We’re going to die.”

“Please, save us! We were just following orders.”

Fear overpowered their rationality, swelling uncontrollably.

“Snap out of it. She’s alone. If we all work together, we can kill her.”

Yuk Sa-myeong’s desperate shouts went unheeded.

His commands had no effect on the martial artists. Instead, as time passed, their fear only grew.

Seeing no change, Yuk Sa-myeong, with veins bulging in his neck, bellowed.

“Come out! Stop hiding and ambushing like a coward, Assassin King.”

Yuk Sa-myeong’s voice echoed through the fog, but no answer came back.

Thud! Swoosh!

Instead, faint sounds of struggle continued to reach them.

“Ugh!”

A groan escaped Yuk Sa-myeong’s lips as he frantically looked around.

All the martial artists that had surrounded him were nowhere to be seen. In a blink of an eye, they had all been wiped out, leaving him alone.

Yuk Sa-myeong was overwhelmed with terror.

His earlier bravado had vanished without a trace, and he was shaking uncontrollably.

“Eek! Assassin King! If you are a true martial artist, come out and face me. I am without my men now; how long will you hide and ambush? I am…”

Thud!

At that moment, a low sound accompanied by a sharp sword penetrated his chest.

Seeing the black blade protruding from his chest, Yuk Sa-myeong’s eyes trembled.

Drip, drip!

The blood flowing down the blade was unmistakably his own.

“Cough!”

Yuk Sa-myeong coughed up blood.

In an instant, his face turned pale, and life rapidly drained from his eyes.

Only then did Han So Cheon emerge from the fog.

Her complexion was as pale as Yuk Sa-myeong’s, strained from overexerting herself with stealth and assassination techniques.

Yuk Sa-myeong looked at her weakly.

“Cowardly… Aren’t you ashamed…”

“I’m an assassin. This is how I fight.”

There was not a hint of shame or regret on Han So Cheon’s face.

Regardless of others’ condemnation, it didn’t matter to her.

Assassins have their own way of fighting, and questioning that in a battle for survival only proved Yuk Sa-myeong’s naivety as a martial artist.

She pulled her sword from Yuk Sa-myeong’s body. After a brief glance at his corpse, she approached a man standing in one corner of the room.

He was of medium height, with a pockmarked face and even missing a front tooth, giving him a somewhat humorous appearance.

Han So Cheon approached him and performed a fist salute.

“Thank you for your help.”

Even in the chaotic battle, she had clearly seen it.

The man had planted the chair legs into the floor, causing the fog to rise. In that brief moment, he had set up a fog formation using the chair legs.

Though it was a simple formation, it was perfectly suited for an assassin like Han So-cheon.

The man had accurately assessed her needs and provided the perfect support.

Han So Cheon was curious about the man’s identity.

The man revealed his yellow teeth in a grin.

“It’s been a while, Miss Han.”

“Do you know me?”

“I’ve never had the honor of speaking directly, but I’m aware of you. The leader’s eyes have always been on you.”

“The leader? Could it be?”

“I served under Leader Lee Gwak. Never thought I’d meet Miss Han here.”

“Ah!”

Han So-cheon involuntarily gasped. Now that she thought about it, she vaguely remembered seeing him by Lee Gwak’s side once. His striking appearance had left an impression.

“Have you met Gwak oraboni?”

“I only heard of the Leader today, in this place. I’ve always believed he was alive, but this is the first time I’ve received actual news of him.”

“I see.”

“You also seem to have just heard about the Leader.”

“Yes… that’s correct.”

Han So Cheon nodded with difficulty.

“Then let’s go together to meet the leader.”

“I’m being pursued by the Hidden Blood Squad. If you come with me, you could be put in danger too.”

“Ha! If we don’t get caught, that’s the end of it, right?”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t worry. If there’s one thing I’m confident in, it’s hiding and escaping.”

Ki Jin Hwi flashed his missing tooth with a broad grin.

＊＊＊

“Sigh.”

Lee Gwak let out a soft sigh. His entire body was drenched in red blood.

He suddenly turned around to see dozens of corpses.

They were martial artists mobilized as part of White Light Sect’s Heaven and Earth Net.

This was a checkpoint they were guarding. Naturally, when they spotted Lee Gwak’s group, they attacked immediately.

Though they were backed by the White Light Sect, the martial artists couldn’t compete against him.

Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang Woo eliminated them as quickly as possible, but they couldn’t prevent them from firing a signal arrow.

Red fireworks burst in the sky.

Soon, the martial artists mobilized by the Earth and Earth Net would swarm like a pack of wolves.

“Sigh.”

Lee Gwak sighed again.

His legs felt heavy.

The blood of the fallen martial artists on the ground seemed to be binding his legs.

His heart was heavy, but Lee Gwak maintained his composure.

It was a fight to protect his children.

He was prepared to face even more bloodshed if it meant saving them.

Suddenly, Lee Gwak lifted the edge of the his cloak. There, tucked against his back, was Lee Cheong.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah! I’m fine.”

Lee Cheong’s face was somewhat flushed as he nodded.

Cheol Gwang-woo approached Lee Gwak’s side. On Cheol Gwang-woo’s back was Lee Soo-ah, unharmed and intact.

“How is Soo-ah?”

“I’m okay too.”

Lee Soo-ah tried to smile brightly. However, her complexion was pale.

No matter how composed she was, Lee Soo-ah was just a six-year-old child. It would have been strange if she could remain calm after witnessing such a horrific scene.

Lee Gwak reached out and patted Lee Soo-ah’s head.

“Let’s try to hold on a little longer.”

“Yes!”

Lee Soo-ah nodded vigorously.

The blood-stained appearance of Lee Gwak reminded one of a asura ascending from hell. Yet, Lee Soo-ah did not find it scary.

He was a father walking through hell to protect them. She felt she couldn’t forgive herself if she found such a father scary.

Lee Cheong felt the same way.

“Dad!”

Lee Cheong buried her face deep into Lee Gwak’s back.

Though she didn’t speak, her feelings were fully conveyed to Lee Gwak.

Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo moved again.

They had to escape before their pursuers caught up with them, so they put all their efforts into their qigong. However, they soon ran into their enemies again.

“Whew!”

“Wow! They’ve gathered quite a lot.”

A look of dismay appeared on the faces of Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo.

The force confronting them now was of a different caliber than before.

It was as if all the personnel mobilized by the Heaven And Earth Net had gathered in one place.

To Lee Gwak’s eyes, there seemed to be thousands of them.

“We’ve finally caught them.”

White Light Sect’s Destroy Heaven Squad leader, Ju Gwang-ui, bellowed as he glared at Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo.

His shoulders were heaving.

For the past few days, he had commanded the Heaven And Earth Net.

He had placed martial artists from various sects at key points where they might pass, predicting their movements and relentlessly pursuing them.

Usually, such pressure would cause the pursued to mentally collapse and make a critical mistake. However, Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo mocked their efforts by devastatingly defeating them and escaping.

Because of this, Ju Gwang-ui was unable to sleep and had to be on high alert. Being the leader of the Heaven And Earth Net, he had to grasp the entire situation.

“These monsters!”

Ju Gwang-ui clenched his teeth.

If they couldn’t eliminate Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo here, the aftermath would be endless.

The final defense line they had set up was at Nandan.

It was the outermost area of White Light Sect’s territory, near Dragon Heaven Valley, one of the Ten Sects. It was a place where conflicts occasionally broke out.

If Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo crossed into Dragon Heaven Valley’s territory, they would be like a dog chasing a chicken. They had to kill Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo here to completely eliminate any future problems.

Ju Gwang-ui suddenly looked around.

There were thousands of elite martial artists mobilized by the White Light Sect and Black Market, as well as martial artists from nearby martial sects.

If they couldn’t kill Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo with such a force, White Light Sect’s prestige would hit rock bottom, and they couldn’t even claim to belong to the Ten Sects.

It was a fight not just for revenge but for the sect’s prestige.

“Kill them!”

With Ju Gwang-ui’s command, thousands of martial artists surged towards Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo like a tidal wave.

Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo looked at each other briefly.

Suddenly, Cheol Gwang-woo handed Lee Soo-ah to Lee Gwak.

“Brother, I’ll take the lead. Please follow and protect Soo-ah and Cheong.”

“Are you sure?”

“Heh, I’m Cheol Gwang-woo. Their attacks won’t even leave a scratch on me.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Lee Gwak cradled Lee Soo-ah in his arms, wrapping her tightly in cloth, and then covered her with his bear skin cloak.

He carried Lee Cheong on his back and Lee Soo-ah in his arms.

It was uncertain how much the bear skin cloak would protect them, but it was the best he could do.

“Let’s go!”

As soon as Lee Gwak spoke, Cheol Gwang-woo roared and charged towards the enemies.

“Roar!”

Like a bear, he ferociously charged at the front-line martial artists who swung their weapons at him.

Clang!

But as soon as their weapons touched Cheol Gwang-woo’s body, they snapped like straw. However, the martial artists couldn’t even show a stunned expression.

Because Cheol Gwang-woo, like a buffalo, had already charged into them.

Boom!

“Agh!”

“Ugh!”

With a loud noise, about a dozen martial artists were flung in all directions.

They flew away with broken bones and burst innards, crashing into nearby martial artists.

“Ugh! What is this?”

“shit!”

The people who collided with the flying bodies stumbled and fell, breaking their formation.

“Roar!”

Cheol Gwang-woo’s roar continued to echo.

His charge split the sea of people.

Lee Gwak, carrying the two children, followed Cheol Gwang-woo. Cheol Gwang-woo shattered the frontlines, and the enemies swarming from the sides were Lee Gwak’s responsibility.

Swoosh!

His blade flickered in the air.