Episode 443

Where the Giant Star Falls, a New Star Rises (3)

“Ugh!”

 

Shim Wol clutched his chest and dropped to his knees.

 

A deep sword wound was carved into his chest. Ja Hong-cheon’s blade had sliced through him.

 

Dark crimson blood flowed from the wound.

 

Simwol tried desperately to stop the bleeding, but it was no use.

.

He had lost too much blood in too short a time; his mind was fading.

 

Click!

 

Ja Hong-cheon looked down at Shim-wol and sheathed his sword.

 

Shim-wol had been undeniably strong.

 

With that level of martial prowess, he would have been respected in any sect, not just the Hao Clan.

 

But he had drawn the wrong opponent.

 

The man Shim-wol had faced was Ja Hong-cheon, the one said to be the closest to becoming the undisputed strongest under heaven.

 

From the very beginning, Shim-wol had stood no chance.

 

Ja Hong-cheon’s martial prowess had long surpassed the limits of humanity. Defeating him was an impossibility.

 

“Ja… Hong-cheon! The Hao Clan won’t fall just because I die.”

 

“I suppose not. But losing both you and the young master at once will throw them into chaos. That’s all I need.”

 

“Do you truly intend to plunge the Jianghu into turmoil? How long do you plan to continue this meaningless slaughter?”

 

“Meaning isn’t for you to decide. It’s for me to define.”

 

Ja Hong-cheon spoke indifferently.

 

Shim-wol gazed at him with fading eyes.

 

Ja Hong-cheon stood arrogantly. He wasn’t even looking at Shimwol anymore; his gaze was fixed on the high heavens above.

 

‘You still only look upward. That’s why you fail to see what’s happening below.’

 

Shim-wol smiled faintly.

 

If Ja Hong-cheon had been someone who looked not only above but also below his feet, the darkness covering the world would never lift. He would have no weaknesses.

 

But fortunately, Ja Hong-cheon had a tendency to disregard those beneath him.

 

The only one he considered a worthy opponent was the lord of the Celestial Demon Troupe.

 

To him, all other martial artists were mere stepping stones to him.

 

Yet true change—the kind of upheaval no one anticipates—always begins from below.

 

And in the Jianghu, that change had already begun.

 

In the depths Ja Hong-cheon’s gaze could not reach.

 

‘Mad… Martial Sect.’

 

The last hope Shim-wol had seen.

 

His body collapsed weakly.

 

It was the end of an absolute leader who had led the Hao Clan for decades.

 

Only then did Ja Hong-cheon glance back at Shim-wol.

 

His face showed no emotion.

 

To him, Shim-wol had never been an equal opponent, just an inconvenient obstacle.

 

Ha Gong-wol approached his side.

 

“Congratulations on removing such a longstanding nuisance.”

 

“What about their young master?”

 

“It seems he managed to escape from Suzhou.”

 

“Didn’t you say you tracked him down?”

 

“He used his guards as decoys. Apparently, he disguised someone of a similar build and had his close guards accompany the decoy. We were completely fooled.”

 

“And?”

 

Ja Hong-cheon’s eyes turned cold.

 

The sharpness in his eyes was more piercing than a famed blade, and Ha Gong-wol

feel as if his whole body were being shredded.

 

Sweating profusely, he quickly continued.

 

“But there’s no need for concern. We’ve prepared the Heavenly Martial Squad for this very scenario.”

 

“Then all we have to do is wait.”

 

Satisfied with the answer, Ja Hong-cheon nodded.

 

He stood motionless like a statue, closing his eyes.

 

Now, all that remained was to wait for the Heavenly Intelligence Hall to locate Nam Woo-gyeong.

 

***

 

“Huff!”

 

Hoe-an exhaled roughly.

 

His entire body was drenched in blood, making him look like a demon from hell.

 

Countless corpses lay scattered around him.

 

Among them were the bodies of the Death Reaper Squad, who had accompanied him.

 

With somber eyes, Hoe-an looked upon the fallen martial artists.

 

Among them was Go Ju-yeol, the man who had disguised himself as Nam Woo-gyeong.

 

The Death Reaper Squad had fought desperately to protect him. Though they were martial artists who could each take on a hundred, their opponents this time were simply too strong.

 

Gritting his teeth, Hoe-an glared at the martial artists standing before him.

 

“You call yourselves the Heavenly Martial Squad?”

 

There were four attackers, all members of the Heavenly Martial Squad.

 

Their martial prowess was terrifying.

 

Individually, none of them was weaker than Hwean.

 

The Death Reaper Squad never stood a chance.

 

Hoe-an fought valiantly, but he couldn’t hold off all four at once. While two kept him occupied, the other two slaughtered the Death Reaper Squad.

They had done so with chilling ruthlessness.

Hoe-an could only watch helplessly as his comrades died before his eyes.

 

“Even if I die today, I’ll take at least some of you with me.”

 

Gathering every last ounce of his internal energy, Hoe-an prepared for his final stand.

 

Whoooosh!

 

An overwhelming aura erupted from his body.

 

“Impressive!”

 

Seok Pa-cheon, the eldest of the Heavenly Martial Squad, let out an admiring sigh.

 

Hoe-an’s martial arts were truly extraordinary.

 

He was easily a match for any one of them. Never before had the Heavenly Martial Squad struggled so much against a single opponent.

 

“A pity. Had we not been enemies, we might have been good friends.”

 

Their similar ages made it all the more regrettable.

 

A part of him wanted to spare Hoe-an. But having pledged allegiance to Ja Hong-cheon, they couldn’t let him live.

 

Keeping someone like Hoe-an alive would only invite endless retaliation.

 

For the future of the Jade Heaven Alliance, he had to die.

 

Hwean roared.

 

“Enough nonsense. Come at me!”

 

His battle cry echoed through Suzhou.

 

Seok Pa-cheon exchanged glances with the others.

 

Given enough time, Seok Pa-cheon could’ve dueled Hwean one-on-one. But that would be too inefficient.

 

With a coordinated attack, all four could kill Hoe-an without injury.

 

Their greatest strength was that they felt no shame in ganging up on a single opponent.

 

Unlike most martial artists, who considered joint attacks dishonorable, they cared only about winning, no matter the means.

 

Moving as one, they struck.

 

Whoosh!

 

Seok Pa-cheon charged head-on.

 

Another leapt into the air.

 

One circled to the left in a wide arc.

 

The last rushed in from the right.

 

“Haap!”

 

Hoe-an let out a loud cry and unleashed his ultimate technique, Furious Dragon Demon Shadow Fist.

 

Boom! Boom! Boom!

 

The sound of clashing fists was deafening, like a relentless drumbeat.

 

Hoe-an and the Heavenly Martial Squad clashed at speeds beyond mortal perception.

 

BOOM!

 

A house in their path was shattered as if a wall bomb had exploded.

 

Massive trees splintered, and water from the nearby canal rose into the air before falling like rain.

 

It was as if war had broken out.

 

“Waaah!”

 

“Help!”

 

To the townspeople, it was a disaster.

 

People screamed and fled in terror. Adults could escape, but young children fell, separated from their parents.

 

“Mommy! Waaah!”

 

A little girl wailed, having lost her mother’s hand.

 

And by cruel fate, the battlefield was shifting toward her.

 

Hoe-an’s eyes widened as he saw the defenseless child.

 

If this continued, her fragile body would be torn apart without a trace.

 

Her chubby, tear-streaked face filled his vision.

 

Without thinking, he moved.

 

BOOM

 

A massive explosion rang out.

 

Hoe-an’s body hit the ground with a thud. His back was torn open, exposing bone.

 

“Cough!”

 

He spat blood.

 

“Sob…”

 

The girl cried in his arms.

 

She was the same girl who had been crouching alone along the path where they had just fought.

 

At the last moment, Hoe-an had snatched her up, shielding her with his body.

 

The price was taking the full force of the Heavenly Martial Squad’s attack.

 

His back muscles were shredded and his broken bones were piercing his organs. The wounds were fatal.

 

“Are you… okay?”

 

His voice was weak, but the girl nodded, stifling her cries.

 

Hoe-an smiled.

 

“Good. Go to your mother now.”

 

“But…”

 

“Go!”

 

He gently pushed her and watched her stumble toward safety.

 

Hoe-an watched the girl’s retreating back with a smile.

 

“Why did you do that?”

 

“Do… what?”

 

“Was that girl’s life worth more than yours? You’d never even met her.”

 

“You don’t need to know someone to value their life. Children… should always be protected.”

 

“Even at the cost of your own?”

 

“I’ve lived long enough. A dying old man like me is worth less than a child’s future.”

 

“You… are a fool.”

 

Seok Pa-cheon sighed.

 

Despite being enemies, he couldn’t help but respect Hoe-an. That only made it harder.

 

BANG!

 

Suddenly, fireworks burst in the sky.

 

“It seems the sect leader you were so desperate to protect has been found.”

 

Hoe-an’s head turned weakly toward the explosion.

 

The vibrant colors painting the sky seemed unbearably beautiful.

 

“Woo… gyeong.”

 

His eyelids trembled.

 

He wanted nothing more than to rush to Nam Woo-gyeong’s side, but his body was broken beyond recovery.

 

Seok Pa-cheon pressed his sword to Hoe-an’s throat.

 

“It’s time to end this.”

 

The feeling of the cold blade against his neck was chilling.

 

Hoe-an closed his eyes.

 

‘So this is as far as I go. Forgive me.’

 

Swish!

 

The sound of slicing air filled his ears, and Hoe-an braced for death.

 

But the scream came from someone else.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Seok Pa-cheon’s pained cry and the metallic clang rang out simultaneously.

 

A gust of wind brushed past Hoe-an’s face, forcing him to open his eyes.

 

What he saw stunned him.

 

Seok Pa-cheon was staggering back, clutching his wrist.

 

Screech!

 

The sword in his hand was trembling violently.

 

Embedded in the ground at his feet was a straight blade.

 

Only then did Hoe-an understand.

 

Just as Seok Pa-cheon was about to strike, someone had hurled a blade and blocked the attack.

 

Blocking a master like Seok Pa-cheon from a distance meant that the attacker was extremely skilled.

 

“Who’s there?!”

 

“Show yourself!”

 

The Heavenly Martial Squad turned toward the direction from which the blade had come.

 

Suddenly—

 

Vrrrr!

 

They looked on in disbelief as the blade flew back the way it came.

 

“What the—?”

 

Before the squad could react, the blade disappeared into the distance.

 

“Void Manipulation?!”

 

Seok Pa-cheon’s face hardened.

 

They hadn’t even seen who threw the blade.

 

But the fact that it had returned mid-air meant someone had retrieved it using Void Manipulation, a rare technique.

 

Seok Pa-cheon warned his comrades.

 

“Be on guard.”

 

To retrieve a weapon over that distance meant the opponent’s internal energy was beyond imagination.

 

None of them had ever seen such overwhelming qi.

 

Then, one of the Heavenly Martial Squad martial artists shouted,

 

“There! He’s here!”

 

Whoosh!

 

A man appeared from across the canal and sprinted toward them at terrifying speed.

 

In his hand was the blade that had just flown away.

 

The distance was too great, so none of the Heavenly Martial Squad could make out his face.

 

But one person recognized him immediately.

 

Hoe-an.

 

“It’s… Gwak!”

 

He was coming.