Chapter 101
“Break through!”
“Don’t let him reach the Sect Leader!”
Chae-chaeng!
Leaving behind the sounds of Xian Zhu holding off the Extreme Heaven Sect warriors, Mu Hwi stepped forward.
Sseok!
The sound of fabric being sliced by the Thirty-Six Swords of the World.
Xian Zhu’s footsteps, her breathing.
Just from those sounds, Mu Hwi knew she was nearing her limit.
Yet, he did not turn back.
Because he trusted the look in her eyes.
‘She’ll break past her limits. I recognized her talent for a reason.’
A talent worthy of being called the future Sword Empress.
There was no way she would fall here.
As he listened to the sounds, Mu Hwi assessed his own condition.
‘I owe her for this.’
Had he taken the front as originally planned, he would have had to expend far more stamina and internal energy.
But because Xian Zhu had carved the path, he had preserved nearly all of his strength.
“Sect Leader. Your plan backfired. You brought these men to exhaust me, didn’t you?”
Mu Hwi chuckled as he walked forward, and the Extreme Heaven Sect Leader gritted his teeth.
“Hmph.”
“Sword Devil…”
From afar, the Extreme Heaven Sect Leader had thought Mu Hwi was merely exceptionally talented for his age.
But now, up close, as Mu Hwi unleashed his aura, the feeling was entirely different.
The profound, expansive presence, unique to Taoist martial arts.
And the sharp, piercing killing intent that spread like frost, oppressive enough to suffocate an ordinary person.
“Sword Devil of Hwasan. A fitting title.”
Even the elders of Extreme Heaven Sect, veterans of countless battles, tensed as they sharpened their senses to track Mu Hwi’s movements.
Watching them, Mu Hwi took deliberately slow steps, taunting them, testing their patience.
At the same time, he honed his aura even further, grating on their nerves.
Just as Mu Hwi’s foot edged forward—
“I’ll take the lead!”
“Third Elder!”
One of the elders, unable to endure, leaped forward, gripping two halberds from behind his waist.
As the elder’s face rapidly closed in, the corner of Mu Hwi’s mouth curled up to his ear.
The Plum Blossom Sword rose high.
Its blade, shimmering violet, tore through the canyon’s shadows.
The tilting sword painted a crescent moon in the air.
“How dare—!”
The Third Elder scoffed at the simple vertical slash.
He acknowledged Mu Hwi’s deep internal energy for his age, but relying on mere sharpness for such a basic strike was laughable.
He raised his left halberd to block, intending to counter with his right the moment the swords clashed.
But the instant the Plum Blossom Sword met his halberd—
‘Why is it so heavy…?’
Mu Hwi’s strength wasn’t in sharpness.
It was in the sheer, crushing weight behind the blade.
The elder hastily twisted his wrist to deflect, but Mu Hwi had already anticipated it.
His sword followed the elder’s wrist movement—
Swaaang!
A clean, slicing sound—and the halberd was split in half.
So was the elder’s body.
A deep diagonal slash from his left shoulder down to his ribs.
The bisected elder collapsed to his knees.
The other elders froze, their faces contorted in shock as they alternated glances between Mu Hwi and the fallen Third Elder.
“Third Elder!”
“That was… A heavy sword technique? How can a Hwasan disciple—?”
The Extreme Heaven Sect Leader stared at Mu Hwi, not with shock, but disbelief.
Mu Hwi’s Iron Plum Sword Technique—
As always, its greatest strength was its deceptive opening move.
Those familiar with Hwasan’s traditional swordplay would recklessly block, only to be cleaved apart.
A psychological trick was made possible precisely because Hwasan’s techniques were so well-known.
And with it, Mu Hwi had felled a peak expert with insulting ease.
“The Twenty-Four Hands Plum Blossom Sword is famous, but the Iron Plum Sword Technique hasn’t spread yet, has it?”
The elders glared warily at the violet glow enveloping Mu Hwi’s sword.
“Iron Plum Sword Technique?”
“That heavy sword technique just now…”
Mu Hwi had deliberately named it.
Now, the Leader and the two remaining elders would have to account for both the Twenty-Four Hands Plum Blossom Sword and the sudden shifts into the Iron Plum Sword Technique.
He had given them one more thing to worry about.
Having accomplished his goal, Mu Hwi wasted no more time.
Dark Scent Flutter—his body shot backward as if pushing the earth away.
His feet, no longer touching the ground, flowed through the air like the wind.
The two elders wouldn’t let him reach the Leader unchallenged.
“You think you can just pass?!”
A crescent slash from the left, twin halberd energies from the right—both surged toward him.
Mu Hwi’s robes fluttered violently as he spun.
He deflected the slash upward with his sword while redirecting the halberd energies with Plum Blossom Scattering Hand.
The condensed force, like bundled petals, twisted the trajectories subtly—
—And the Fourth Elder’s halberd energy veered toward the Second Elder.
“Hmph!”
As the Second Elder blocked the strike aimed at his chest, Mu Hwi lunged at the Leader, his sword blooming.
There was no need to fight them one by one.
When outnumbered, the best strategy was simple,
“Focus on beating one to death.”
“You bastard!”
Ka-ka-ka-kang!
The Leader’s relentless halberd strikes shredded the blossoms Mu Hwi summoned.
The Leader’s martial prowess proved he hadn’t inherited his position solely through lineage.
As Mu Hwi unleashed over a dozen slashes, the elders closed in from behind.
Halberd Heaven’s Twin Halberd Dance—the very art that had elevated Extreme Heaven Sect to one of the seven major sects.
Twin halberds, wielded with arms fully extended, tore through the air like a storm.
With three peak experts executing the technique simultaneously, Mu Hwi stood at the eye of the hurricane.
The blade winds, laden with killing intent, whipped at his hair and sleeves.
“Let’s see if the Sect Leader’s calculations were correct.”
“Shut your mouth!”
The Leader and the two elders spun, their halberds a blur, while Mu Hwi mirrored their movements.
The four masters clashed.
Kkeo-geo-geo-geong!
Six halberds and one sword intertwined endlessly, sparks flying.
Where the embers faded, violet petals took their place.
Mu Hwi’s sword split into dozens of streaks, compensating for the numerical disadvantage with endless variations.
Whoooing!
The gales from the halberds sent petals scattering.
The elders had to focus not only on deflecting his sword but also on the petals threatening to land on them.
Amidst this, the Fourth Elder suddenly crouched, sweeping his halberd along the ground.
Mu Hwi leaped to evade—only for the Leader to jump and slash downward at his head, while the Second Elder thrust at his chest like a spear.
Twisting midair, Mu Hwi unleashed diagonal slashes from his fingertips.
The sword streaks arced strangely, splitting into two—deflecting the strikes aimed at his head and chest before diving toward the Fourth Elder below.
Ka-ka-kang!
The Plum Blossom Sword slipped perfectly between the crossed halberds, disrupting their balance.
A single stroke countering attacks from three directions—an astounding feat.
Though outwardly a late-stage foundation level disciple, his swordplay rivaled that of a seasoned master.
Chwa-reu-reuk!
The tip of his sword pierced the air, blossoms unfurling.
The elegant sword fragrance thickened, making the Leader and elders grimace.
As the plum blossom scent intensified, Mu Hwi’s sword grew faster, more dazzling—his figure nearly hidden behind violet afterimages and petals.
‘How is this possible?!’
‘His sword moves like a demon’s—utterly sinister!’
The elders struggled to keep up.
Mu Hwi wasn’t just defending—he was overwhelming all three at once.
His sword split into dozens of streaks, forcing their halberds into a frantic dance.
Amidst the radiant violet swordplay, Mu Hwi’s eyes gleamed—pupils deep with profound internal energy, encircled by rings of sharp killing intent.
Eyes that seemed to pull those who met their gaze into an abyss.
The true gaze of a Sword Devil.
‘What kind of eyes does a brat like him have…?’
The Extreme Heaven Sect Leader, momentarily frozen, flushed with rage at his own hesitation.
“Hwasan Sword Devil!”
With a furious roar, he clashed the ends of his halberds together.
Whirlwind Halberd of the Returning Heaven.
Bwoong!
The spinning halberds, like a windmill, shredded blossoms as their thick blades bore down on Mu Hwi.
The Leader executed the technique head-on, while the two elders flanked him from the left and rear.
Six halberds whipped up a cyclone, their winds intertwining, growing larger.
Swaaaah!
The gales howled like tidal waves, crashing forward.
Behind them, halberd energies capable of splitting boulders spun toward Mu Hwi.
Yet, Mu Hwi simply slashed downward.
A single sword streak split into two, then multiplied endlessly.
In the blink of an eye—a dense forest of vertical slashes, like bamboo stalks, erupted.
Plum Blossoms Wander Through Green Bamboo.
Amidst the bamboo, plum petals danced.
Not even the Whirlwind Halberd’s fury could shake the bamboo’s resolve.
And between the stalks—
Petals poured down.
Violet sword energy scattered in all directions, streaks of light raining among them.
“Kuhk!”
The Fourth Elder groaned as Mu Hwi’s sword pierced his shoulder.
Cheolkeok!
Rather than retreating, he hooked the curved blade of his halberd around Mu Hwi’s sword, locking it in place.
With bloodshot eyes, he shouted,
“Now!”
In that split second—
The Leader and the Second Elder unleashed their killing techniques without hesitation.
Twin Moons of the Full Moon—a massive circle of halberd energy descended onto Mu Hwi’s head.
Twin Horns Piercing the Flood—two halberds overlapped into a single point, thrusting toward his waist.
‘He’ll have to abandon his sword.’
Contrary to the Leader’s expectations, Mu Hwi didn’t let go.
He didn’t need to.
A peak expert could divide a single moment into fractions—analyzing and reacting.
But not all peak experts stood on the same level.
The higher the realm, the wider the gaps.
And the peak realm—just below the transcendent realm—was no exception.
If the Leader could divide a moment into fractions, Mu Hwi could split it into dozens.
Their judgments were worlds apart.
And that difference spelled doom.
‘What—?’
Suddenly, the Leader and the Second Elder saw Mu Hwi’s figure blur.
Even with a peak expert’s vision, they couldn’t follow his movements.
As violet energy surged around Mu Hwi, his arm muscles tensed violently.
Wooong!
A torrent of Purple Sunset Heart Method internal energy erupted, and the Plum Blossom Sword wailed.
Using vibration, Mu Hwi loosened the halberd’s grip—then tore through the Fourth Elder’s shoulder with a blend of internal and external force.
By the time the Plum Blossom Sword, having sliced through the elder’s armpit, reemerged, the killing techniques were only halfway to their target.
Mu Hwi was operating on an entirely different timeline.
This was the time of a martial artist who had once touched the transcendent realm—and was now nearing it again.
The gap between him and an ordinary peak expert was insurmountable.
Ssweaek!
A violet sword beam shot forth, tearing through the air with a sonic boom.
Plum Blossom’s Sharp Guidance.
The razor-sharp intent chased the sword light, shredding the halberd’s pressure.
The Plum Blossom Sword pierced precisely where the two halberds of Twin Horns Piercing the Flood met, then continued straight into the Second Elder’s chest.
“Ghk—!”
Even with a hole in his chest, the elder stubbornly reached forward—only for his will to be crushed by Plum Blossom Scattering Hand.
Simultaneously, Mu Hwi pivoted, his body dissolving into afterimages.
Kwaaaang!
Twin Moons of the Full Moon split the ground into two gaping fissures.
He had countered Twin Horns Piercing the Flood and evaded Twin Moons of the Full Moon by a hair’s breadth.
As he dodged, Mu Hwi lunged at the descending Leader, exploiting the opening midair.
Merging with the wind, he closed the distance instantly.
The Leader caught the scent of plum blossoms—an odd thought crossed his mind. Had Mu Hwi ridden the fragrance here?
Instinctively, he thrust both halberds—one toward Mu Hwi’s shoulder, the other his waist.
Meanwhile, the Plum Blossom Sword gleamed violet, poised diagonally.
‘The same move that bisected the Third Elder in one strike!’
The Leader’s mind sharpened—he yanked his halberds back.
But at that moment—
The Purple Sunset Heart Method compressed within the sword suddenly dispersed.
The energy coalesced into petals, scattering in all directions.
The Leader’s eyes widened.
“A feint.”
Mu Hwi’s lips, pressed tight until now, twisted.
With that single word, the Plum Blossom Sword—held straight until now—curved unnaturally.
As if an invisible hand had forcibly bent it.
That was how it looked to the Leader.
“Ha!”
Puhak!
A diagonal slash from the lower left.
A crimson line appeared across the Leader’s chest.
Blood sprayed in an arc, following the Plum Blossom Sword’s ascent.
“Don’t underestimate me! I am—!”
Despite the deep, bone-exposing wound, the Leader roared and raised his halberds high.
As if flaunting the vast internal energy of a peak expert, immense halberd energy surged—
—Transforming the short halberd into colossal polearms.
The sheer density of energy made the canyon walls tremble.
Yet, Mu Hwi remained unimpressed.
His wrist twisted—the Plum Blossom Sword drew a bizarre curve, now drenched in violet.
“Remember. This is the Iron Plum Sword Technique.”
The instant the sword grazed his neck—
The Extreme Heaven Sect Leader could no longer speak.
His head flew through the air.
Blood rained upward as the Leader’s severed head soared.
“Sect Leader!”
“Sword Devil!”
Behind him, the wails and screams of the Extreme Heaven Sect’s disciples rang out—but Mu Hwi merely flicked his sword, shaking off the blood.
Ziiing!
Then, he sensed a new presence.
Mu Hwi had slain the Leader and all the elders. The only master left was himself.
Yet now—another had arrived at the Three Great Sword Sect.
Turning, Mu Hwi fixed his gaze on the source of this new master aura.
< Remember. This is the Iron Plum Sword Technique. >
< I want to create a new organization. >
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