Chapter 641

Lee Geom-han stared ahead with a stern expression.

In the distance, a fierce battle was raging.

Those standing against the Silver Lotus Hall were none other than the martial artists of the Golden Heavenly Hall.

Having clashed several times before, their faces were familiar.

Suddenly ambushed, it was clear that these were the martial artists of Golden Heavenly Hall.

“Charge!”

“Die!”

The martial artists of the Golden Heaven Hall attacked the martial artists of the Silver Lotus Hall with fierce determination.

They had already won a great victory, so their morale was through the roof.

“Hold them back!”

“Form ranks on the left! Don’t let them break through.”

The martial artists of the Silver Lotus Hall defended with all their might.

But the terrain was against them.

They were in the midst of a gorge.

In an effort to avoid the watchful eyes of Golden Heavenly Hall, they had chosen a secret route that led them through this gorge.

The enemies were attacking from the heights of the gorge, while the martial artists of Silver Lotus Hall were at the bottom, defending against their onslaught.

Casualties were mounting.

Namgung Seol approached Lee Geom-han.

“Geom-han?”

“Either the information got out, or they anticipated our move and prepared for it.”

“Hmm. I think it’s the latter.”

“Then it’s our mistake.”

“No, it’s mine. As a strategist, I should’ve seen this coming.”

“I can’t escape responsibility either.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Now is not the time for blame games. If we were ambushed, the other sects must be under attack as well.”

Lee Geom-han clenched his teeth.

If the enemy had anticipated their movements and deployed troops in advance, the damage would surely be greater in other areas.

If things went wrong, they could lose half their forces before they even regrouped at Lake Poyang.

Namgung Seol spoke,

“We shouldn’t worry about the other sects right now. We must repel them with all our might and establish contact.”

“You take command.”

“Geom-han!”

Ignoring Namgung Seol’s call, Lee Geom-han lunged forward.

In a blink, he reached the frontlines and swung his sword.

Swoosh!

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

Many fighters screamed and fell.

Lee Geom-han was like a lion diving into a herd of sheep.

With his awe-inspiring martial prowess, he brought down the Golden Heavenly Hall martial artists.

When Lee Geom-han joined, the spirit of the Silver Lotus Hall martial artists surged, and they fought the Golden Heavenly Hall martial artists with renewed vigor.

Namgung Seol’s tactics were seamlessly integrated into the defense.

“Support the right wing, Master Oh. Master Geum, lead your subordinates to flank the enemy.”

She calmly read the situation and organized the troops.

Under Namgung Seol’s command, the martial artists of the Silver Lotus Hall regained their momentum and overwhelmed the battlefield.

Unable to withstand their defense, the Golden Heavenly Hall martial artists began to retreat.

“Everyone, fall back.”

“Retreat in formation.”

The Golden Heavenly Hall martial artists receded like an ebbing tide.

Although they emerged victorious, the expressions on Lee Geom-han and Namgung Seol’s faces remained somber.

“A formation retreat?”

“Do they have reserve forces waiting?”

They paid close attention to the word “formation” mentioned by the retreating Golden Heavenly Hall martial artists, indicating the presence of more reserve troops.

Lee Geom-han sighed deeply and murmured,

“They have thoroughly fortified their defenses.”

“We have to break through head-on. If we divert our path, we’ll waste precious time.”

“Indeed.”

They had a predetermined rendezvous time.

If they failed to arrive within that time, there was a high probability that the Silver Lotus Hall and the other sects would not be united and would most likely split.

Lee Geom-han issued an order.

“Track them down immediately and break their formation in one go.”

“Yes, Lord!”

The Silver Lotus Hall martial artists responded in unison.

Leaving their fallen comrades behind, they pursued the remnants of Golden Heavenly Hall.

They were certain that the formation the enemy had indicated would be found in the direction they were retreating.

Lee Geom-han, unleashing his qigong, muttered,

“I hope everyone arrives safely.”

＊＊＊

Pyo Wol and Hong Ye-seol traveled along a main road.

This time, Salno was with them.

He had lost one arm and one leg, along with sustaining significant internal injuries, which made it impossible for him to even move a few months ago. But now, he walked confidently, thanks to the prosthetic arm and leg.

These intricate prosthetics were the craftsmanship of Tang Sochu from the distant province of Sichuan.

At Pyo Wol’s request, Tang Sochu had personally crafted and sent the prosthetics to Sea Gate city. Thanks to this, Salno could move freely without any discomfort.

He seemed quite pleased with his new limbs.

“These are truly impressive.”

Clang!

A metallic sound echoed each time he tapped his prosthetic.

Salno’s prosthetics, forged from a special metal by Tang Sochu, were not only intricate, but also incredibly strong, making them formidable weapons in their own right.

When he lost his limbs, Salno believed he could no longer work as an assassin. So he had decided to focus on training the assassins of the Black Sect. However, a part of him always longed for his former profession.

But now, thanks to Tang Sochu’s prosthetics, he could move freely again.

Being an assassin required stealth, so returning to active duty was still out of the question. But just the ability to walk again gave him immense satisfaction.

Now that he could walk, he could serve Pyo Wol once more, and this delighted him.

“Did you say that the craftsman who made this item is Tang Sochu?”

“Yes!”

“I owe him a great debt. This level of metalwork craftsmanship is beyond belief.”

Salno looked at the prosthetic with renewed admiration.

Pyo Wol was equally impressed.

He had asked Tang Sochu for assistance, but he never expected the prosthetics to be this intricate.

“I’ll personally meet him and offer my gratitude later.”

“I should as well. Thanks to him, I’ve regained my life. Even if I give him all of my wealth, it would be worth it.”

“You have some hidden wealth?”

“I’ve saved a considerable amount from my active days. I have no need for it, so I’d gladly give it all to him.”

Salno spoke with genuine sincerity.

Only after losing his arms and legs did he truly realize the value of being able to move on one’s own.

No amount of wealth could replace the joy of moving independently.

“Tang Sochu is fortunate. With one gesture, he has become rich.”

“Shall I share a bit with you too?”

“No need.”

“Hehe! I thought as much.”

Salno grinned with his signature smile.

Watching Salno, Hong Ye-seol felt that he had changed a lot.

The old Salno barely smiled and always appeared sinister. But in front of Pyo Wol, he transformed into an ordinary old man.

The kind of old man you see everywhere.

Few could guess from his demeanor that he was, in reality, a fearsome assassin.

At least, not unless they were of similar rank to Salno, or higher.

‘Is it because of him?’

Hong Ye-seol glanced at Pyo Wol.

From their first meeting to the present, Pyo Wol hadn’t changed a bit. He had always been consistently single-minded. Nevertheless, the people around him were influenced by him, and they all changed a little bit, all in a positive way.

‘Amazing how someone can influence those around them in this manner.’

She had heard tales of such people.

Individuals who, by their very existence, changed those around them. But she never imagined she’d be so close to one of those individuals.

Merely being near Pyo Wol gave her a sense of reassurance.

Suddenly,

“Hmm!”

Pyo Wol stopped abruptly.

There was a pile of bodies where his gaze was directed.

Salno stepped forward, examining the bodies.

“These appear to be related to the Silver Lotus Hall.”

“It seems there was a battle here.”

Pyo Wol murmured, scanning the area ahead.

There were traces of a fight ahead.

They followed the trail. The ground was trampled, and fresh blood stains were starkly visible.

The still fresh blood indicated the intensity of the recent battle.

From not far away, angry shouts reached their ears.

“shit!”

“Cowards, ambushing us!”

“Argh!”

Their pace quickened upon hearing the harrowing screams.

Pushing through the thick underbrush, they emerged onto a vast clearing where a fierce battle was unfolding.

The combatants were martial artists of the Heavenly Martial Sect and Thousand Swords, the external division of the Thousand Kingdom School.

Thousand Swords were among the elite forces of the Thousand Kingdom School.

They operated independently of the martial artists led by the leader of the Thousand Kingdom School, Namgung Jin.

All this was to fool the watchful eyes of the Golden Heavenly Hall. However, despite their efforts, they were ambushed by the martial artists of the Heavenly Martial Sect and were on the verge of destruction.

More than a third of the Thousand Swords martial artists had already perished, and the surviving members were barely holding on.

“They’re this strong?”

The leader of Thousand Swords, Gong Jimon, surveyed the scene with despair.

The Thousand Swords was on the verge of extinction, and everywhere he looked, only the martial artists of the Heavenly Martial Sect could be seen.

The martial artists of the Heavenly Martial Sect were terrifyingly powerful.

Not only were they individually superior to the Thousand Swords, but they also excelled in group combat and outnumbered them.

For every Thousand Swords martial artist, two Heavenly Martial Sect martial artists would swoop down and overwhelm them.

Considering the disparity in martial arts skills and the coordinated attacks, the Thousand Swords martial artists could barely resist and fell one by one.

“Argh!”

“Leader! Save me……”

The agonizing screams of his subordinates reached Gong Jimon’s ears. Yet, he was powerless to help them.

He himself was involved in a fight with a martial artist from the Heavenly Martial Sect.

His opponent was Lee Se-mun, the leader of the Shadow Unit from the Heavenly Martial Sect.

Recognized by Jang Cheonhwa, Lee Se-mun was particularly skilled in spear techniques.

Clang! Clang!

Their sword and spear clashed endlessly.

Wielding his sword furiously, Gong Jimon questioned,

“How did you know we’d pass through here?”

“It’s obvious you’d take this route from Thousand Kingdom School to Poyang Lake.”

“You knew in advance of our movements?”

“How hard is it to predict? How many sects could the defeated Silver Lotus Hall turn to for an alliance?”

“Gah!”

Despair contorted Gong Jimon’s face.

If Lee Se-mun’s words were true, then every sect heading towards Poyang Lake would be under attack at this moment.

Before even engaging in the real combat, they were on the verge of annihilation.

The Silver Lotus Hall and its allied sects had moved separately to deceive the Golden Heavenly Hall and the Heavenly Martial Sect.

If they had known this would happen, they would have been better off uniting their forces instead of scattering them.

Whoosh!

Gong Jimon swung his sword with all his might. Yet, with a flourish of his spear, Lee Se-mun effortlessly deflected the attack.

Thud!

Gong’s sword was knocked aside, exposing his chest.

Lee Se-mun’s left palm exploded onto Gong Jimon’s chest. It was “Bursting Palm,” one of Lee’s signature techniques.

Boom!

With a loud blast, Gong Jimon’s body flew backward.

The Bursting Palm, imbued with the art of penetrative force, wreaked havoc on internal organs. Victims were left incapacitated, unable to muster their strength.

That was the state Gong Jimon found himself in.

“Cough!”

He spat out a mixture of dark blood and shards of his shattered organs.

That was Gong Jimon’s end.

“Hmph!”

Only then did Lee Se-mun sheathe his spear and survey his surroundings.

He naturally expected that the Shadow Unit had wiped out all the martial artists of Thousand Swords.

Just moments ago, the Shadow Unit had the upper hand.

Indeed, the Thousand Swords were all annihilated.

The problem was with the Shadow Unit.

Instead of rushing to his side, they were eerily silent.

As Lee Se-mun scanned the vicinity, his eyes widened in shock.

“What in the world?”

Somehow, the entirety of Shadow Unit had been transformed into lifeless corpses.