Novel Martial Artist Lee Gwak - chapter 391
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Episode 391
When the World is in Turmoil, Heretical Cults Run Rampant (3)
Lee Gwak silently stared at the martial artist. The man’s face turned even redder with anger, convinced Lee Gwak was looking down on him.
“Attack! All of you!”
“Drop your weapon!”
“How dare you cause trouble at the Sun Martial School!”
The martial artists charged at Lee Gwak with terrifying momentum.
“Danger—!”
The moment Pi Jin-ui cried out in alarm—
Whoosh!
“Ack!”
“Argh!”
The martial artists were thrown back at twice the speed they had rushed in. Lee Gwak had unleashed his Leaf Hand Blade.
Ordinary martial artists stood no chance against him. Those struck by his technique slammed into the walls and lost consciousness.
“Ugh…!”
The martial artist whose sword Lee Gwak had grabbed groaned in pain. Only now did he realize his opponent was a master far beyond his imagination.
Fear crept across his face.
“Wh-who are you?”
“Lee Gwak.”
“…”
The martial artist blinked in disbelief.
Lee Gwak’s reply was so absurd that it felt unreal.
‘Lee Gwak?’
In all of Jianghu, there was only one man with that name—a man who had no reason to be here.
“L-Lies! Why would the Sura Blade be here…?”
The martial artist shouted in denial, but deep down, he wondered if the man in front of him was really Lee Gwak. The terrifying skill he had just seen left no other explanation.
Snap!
Lee Gwak tightened his grip on the man’s sword—until it shattered.
Swish!
With a flick of his hand, Lee Gwak flung the broken blade toward the main gate of the Sun Martial School.
The martial artist’s eyes widened in horror.
Boom!
The thick wooden gate exploded into splinters upon impact. The sheer force of the destruction made the man’s legs give out, and he collapsed to the ground.
“T-That’s impossible!”
His pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck. The scene before him was too shocking to comprehend.
“He really is the Sura Blade…”
Now, he believed Lee Gwak’s words.
Lee Gwak’s martial prowess was proof enough.
Ignoring the fallen man, Lee Gwak stepped past the wreckage and into the Sun Martial School.
“We’re under attack!”
“Who dares?!”
The sudden destruction of the gate sent the martial artists inside into a panic. Their faces were filled with confusion—how could their gate be destroyed in the middle of a banquet?
A lone man stepped over the shattered remains.
Crunch… crunch…
The broken pieces of wood screamed under his feet.
Behind him lay the unconscious bodies of the sect’s guards.
“……”
The martial artists exchanged glances. Instinctively, they knew that this man was the cause of the chaos.
Lee Gwak scanned the interior of the hall.
A banquet was in full swing—tables laden with food filled the grand training yard. At the head table sat an obese old man in his early fifties, flanked by two skinny Taoists.
It was Deung Juhwang, master of the Sun Martial School.
Deung Juhwang’s obesity was a side effect of his martial art, the Extreme Yang Art, making it hard to believe he was a true master.
He frowned at Lee Gwak.
“Who are you? How dare you destroy my property without permission?”
His eyes burned with killing intent, but Lee Gwak ignored him, focusing instead on the two Taoists standing beside him.
A sinister aura radiated from them. Lee Gwak immediately recognized them as members of the Heavenly Fate Sect.
His suspicion was confirmed when Pi Jin-ui, still on Seok Yi Cheon’s back, pointed and shouted:
“They’re the ones who attacked Heishi Village with Hall Master Deng!”
“Heishi Village?”
Deung Juhwang wrinkled his nose. He hadn’t expected to hear that name here.
The Taoists beside him sneered.
“Hah! So there were survivors from Heishi Village.”
“Instead of living quietly, they sought revenge and brought help. How amusing.”
As Lee Gwak had guessed, the two Taoists were envoys from Heavenly Fate Sect.
They were known as the Black and White Emissaries — the cult leader’s right and left hands. Deung Juhwang had been treating them lavishly to solidify their alliance.
Clicking his tongue, Deung Juhwang said:
“No need to trouble yourselves, honored guests. My hall can handle this.”
“Of course! We wouldn’t expect less. This is why our leader holds the Sun Martial Hall in such high regard. Hehe!”
“With our sects united, we’re like a tiger with wings!”
Deung Juhwang and the envoys laughed together.
They knew that no force in the region could oppose them now.
The Nine Dragons Clan, their biggest threat, was too busy dealing with the aftermath from kidnapping the Hao Clan’s young master to worry about anything else.
After the Zealous Justice Clan was annihilated, the Heavenly Fate Sect quickly moved to absorb weak sects and spread their teachings among the populace.
Their expansion was so rapid that no one could respond in time. The Heavenly Fate Sect had grown so vast, no one dared oppose them now.
Deung Juhwang concluded it was better to join them than resist.
If the Jade Heaven Alliance or the Seven Great Sects were here, they could have crushed the Heavenly Fate Sect effortlessly. But in this remote region, no such power existed.
The Sun Martial Hall was the only sect capable of resisting—and now, they had joined hands with the sect.
Since their alliance, the Heavenly Fate Sect’s atrocities had escalated. The massacre of Heishi Village, which had refused to submit, was a prime example—a warning to all who defied them.
Deung Juhwang gestured to his men.
“Kill him and bring me his head. I’ll offer it to the sect leader.”
“Yes, sir!”
More than fifty martial artists charged at Lee Gwak with confidence.
No one in Joyang had the strength to match them. They had no fear.
Deung Juhwang turned back to the envoys with a grin.
“Let’s drink. Consider his death a fine appetizer.”
“Haha! You certainly know how to enjoy yourself, Master Deung.”
“A toast, then.”
Just as their cups met—
Shiiiik!
A sharp sound of air splitting echoed through the hall.
The three of them froze in place as they felt an unidentifiable, eerie sensation.
“What…?”
Deung Juhwang and the Black and White Emissaries cautiously turned towards Lee Gwak.
The instant they did, their eyes went wide as though they might tear apart.
Deung Juhwang’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
The sight before him was unbelievable.
“H-How…?”
“This can’t be…!”
More than ten martial artists from the Sun Martial Hall who had approached Lee Gwak lay collapsed on the ground.
They had heard only a single burst of that piercing sound, and yet over ten had fallen. Their bodies were stiff, like stone statues, and only their eyes blinked.
They had no idea how they were subdued. One moment, there was a flash before their eyes, and the next, their entire bodies were paralyzed. And they couldn’t move a muscle.
“Damn it!”
“Grrk!”
They tried with all their might to move, but it was useless. Their petrified bodies would not budge.
Only then did they realize they were facing a master beyond their imaginations—an absolute martial artist.
Assessing the situation, Deung Juhwang quickly stood up. He assumed a respectful bow with a serene expression on his face.
“I am Deung Juhwang, the head of Sun Martial Hall. I must apologize for not recognizing such a distinguished guest. If you would kindly share your name, I, Deung, would do my utmost to extend every courtesy.”
His eyes darted nervously as he looked at Lee Gwak, reflecting his confused thoughts.
‘Where on earth did such a master come from?’
Until now, this whole area was like a lawless zone. That’s why Sun Martial Hall could team up with the Heavenly Fate Sect—a cult—and do whatever they wanted without fear of repercussions. If there had been even one master of Lee Gwak’s level around, they would never have advanced so brazenly.
Lee Gwak looked at Deung Juhwang in silence.
There is a saying that the eyes are the windows to the soul. You can gather an endless amount of information through someone’s eyes: their mood, martial prowess, level of cultivation, even their intentions. No matter how advanced a master may be, it is virtually impossible to hide everything that shows through one’s gaze.
Deung Juhwang prided himself on his ability to read people. He could discern subtle shifts in expression, minute changes in demeanor—yet Lee Gwak’s eyes said nothing.
They were completely ordinary.
Had he not just witnessed Lee Gwak’s terrifying skill, he would never have believed such an ordinary-looking man could possess such overwhelming martial prowess.
His eyes and appearance gave away nothing.
In the end, Deung Juhwang’s attention settled on the plain blade in Lee Gwak’s hand.
‘A bladesman of this calibre…?’
A name surfaced in his mind—a martial artist renowned for his humble appearance and the most terrifying blade techniques in the Jianghu.
“No way…Lee Gwak?”
His voice trembled involuntarily. Especially when he said the name “Lee Gwak,” his voice was nearly a scream.
Lee Gwak neither confirmed nor denied it. But his silence only deepened Deng Juhwang’s certainty.
“My God! It’s the Sura Blade……. What the hell is Sura Blade doing here?”
Lee Gwak was someone who should never have been here.
A man whose reputation rivaled the leaders of the Seven Great Sects—what business did he have in this desolate area?
Deng Juhwang shook his head as if denying his own conclusion, but the more he resisted, the more certain he became.
“Damn it all!”
“Lee Gwak?!”
The Black-White Emissary reacted instantly to the name.
For cultists like them, orthodox martial artists like Lee Gwak were their greatest fear.
They were like oil and water—utterly incompatible.
And Lee Gwak was notorious for his unyielding righteousness and overwhelming martial prowess.
A man of his stature and reputation would never debase himself by allying with the Heavenly Fate Sect.
The Black-White Emissary exchanged glances.
Lee Gwak walked slowly towards them.
With each step, the pressure they felt grew like an avalanche.
If this continued, they would be crushed under his aura, unable to do anything.
“Haaap!”
“Yiyooop!”
They let out bizarre cries and lunged at Lee Gwak from both sides.
Black and white qi erupted from their palms and converged on Lee Gwak.
Yin-Yang Twin Palms.
‘‘He’s still human. If he’s hit by this technique, he can’t survive.’’
Lee Gwak was a renowned master, but he was still human. Killing him would mean inheriting his fame and prestige – just the thought of it made their hearts race.
Then—
SHIIING!
A chilling sound of slicing air echoed.
The Black and White Emissaries instantly felt a chill run down their spines.
Like they had plunged into an icy cave, their blood went cold, and their consciousness began to fade.
Everything became blurry.
Lee Gwak, the surroundings of the Sun Martial Hall—everything faded from view.
But strangely, the murmuring voices of the onlookers remained crystal clear.
“Oh my god! The Black and White Emissaries…”
“No way!”
Confusion flickered across their faces.
Why were the martial artists of the Sun Martial Hall reacting like this?
‘Why?’
‘What happened to us?’
They tried to ask, but no words left their lips.
The dead cannot speak, and both men had already breathed their last.
Thud!
Their bodies hit the ground with a dull thump. A deep gash had opened across both of their necks—a mortal wound severe enough to rob them of life.
“….”
A suffocating silence fell over the hall.
No one dared to speak.
Not Deng Juhwang, not the martial artists of the Sun Martial Hall.
None of them had even seen how Lee Gwak had killed the Black-White Emissaries.
One moment, something flickered—the next, the black-and-white qi split apart, and the emissaries were corpses rolling on the ground.
Faced with Lee Gwak’s incomprehensible martial prowess, they were too terrified to utter a word.
Lee Gwak finally spoke to Deng Juhwang.
“Where is it? The place where the Heavenly Fate Sect is hiding.”