Chapter 53
Clang! Clang!
The two swords, interlocked like gears, showed no intention of separating.
The sleeves of Baek Yu and Huang Jin-jun fluttered violently, as if they might tear at any moment.
With each clash of their blades, sharp waves of energy erupted, ruthlessly tormenting the surrounding nature.
Branches and leaves, caught in the spreading energy, were often sliced cleanly and fell to the ground.
“Hmm?”
Baek Yu narrowed his eyes as Huang Jin-jun’s sword subtly angled downward.
The moment Baek Yu shifted his foot to the left, the ground where his foot had been split open deeply.
Had he not noticed, his foot would have been pierced.
Baek Yu, having anticipated Huang Jin-jun’s intent, swiftly thrust his sword forward.
Right collarbone, dantian, left waist.
“Three-Layered Plum Blossom Sword Technique: Three-Layered Flower Plucking!”
From the moment the Three-Layered Flower Plucking was revealed, it underwent countless transformations, bewildering Huang Jin-jun’s eyes.
The three-pronged sword energy, in an instant, transformed thirty-six times, twisting and merging into a single, unified strike.
A sinister purple light shot straight toward the center.
Though his face turned pale, Huang Jin-jun slashed forward without hesitation.
A hazy, dust-like yellow sword energy coiled around his blade, forming a yellow crescent moon.
“Boom!”
The purple sword energy and yellow sword energy clashed, and both masters were sent flying backward.
For the first time since their relentless exchange of over a hundred moves, the two masters paused.
Baek Yu had only taken five steps back, but Huang Jin-jun was forced to retreat, carving deep furrows into the ground as he slid.
Baek Yu, with a bleeding shoulder, used acupressure to stop the bleeding and spoke.
“I heard you severed the arm of the Cheongseong Sect’s leader. The reputation of the Five Martial Lords is not unfounded.”
Huang Jin-jun, swallowing the blood rising in his throat, smirked.
“Even a rotting Hwasan is still Hwasan, huh? You’re stronger than the leaders of the Sacheon Sect’s.”
Huang Jin-jun had clashed multiple times with the leaders of Cheongseong and Ami at the front lines of Paewangseong.
And just a few months ago, he had managed to sever the left arm of the Cheongseong Sect’s leader, forcing their retreat.
‘I had thought the martial prowess of the Nine Sects’ Leaders was exaggerated by their reputations.’
Hidden behind the fame of the Hwasan Sword Saints produced by the Hwasan Sect for generations, the Hwasan Sect leader’s sword was as fierce as ever.
“The purple plum blossoms that only the Purple Sunset Heart Technique can produce. To witness this, I could die here without regret.”
“Whoosh!”
A burst of yellow energy erupted from Huang Jin-jun, tearing apart the surrounding ground.
Baek Yu’s eyes darkened as he gauged the situation.
‘The words of my Senior Disciple, come to mind anew.’
In his later years, the disciple had founded a family called the Hebei Peng Family.
Baek Yu suddenly recalled the words the disciple had spoken during the founding ceremony of the Hebei Peng Family.
– The current martial arts world is in a period of great upheaval, overflowing with talent. In the future, the martial arts world will be chaotic, and the role of the orthodox sects will be crucial. Juniors, remember this.
“The Opening of Heaven.
A time when the heavens open, and celestial energy descends, infusing all things.
A rare era where countless geniuses emerge.
The disciple’s words could not be taken lightly.
Forty years ago, the Seven Sects were called the Seven, but now they are known as the Nine Sects and One Faction.
The Three Great Families, the Seven Heroes, and the Paewangseong have all emerged as powerful forces.
Compared to the martial arts world of a hundred years ago, the current martial arts world, filled with numerous factions and masters, is either in a golden age or a time of chaos.
In another era, even someone like Huang Jin-jun would not be a master who could serve under just anyone.
A figure more than qualified to lead a sect.
‘Today, I must cut him down. Even if it costs me an arm.’
The Paewangseong saw today as an opportunity to kill two of the Nine Sects’ Leaders in one fell swoop, but for the leaders, it was the same opportunity.
With resolve, Baek Yu’s eyes shimmered purple. Along with it, a purple energy flow swirled around his body like a sunset.
“Clang!”
As the energy waves of the two top-tier masters collided head-on, the air screamed as if a giant drum had been torn apart.
The gazes of the two masters, who had been eyeing each other’s openings, suddenly shifted in the same direction.
They had sensed a new presence cutting through their energy waves. For someone of their level, it should have been impossible for anyone to approach so close.
‘Has the outcome already been decided? If it’s the Red Flame Army, this could be wrapped up easily.’
‘Who could it be? Hong Xian?’
But their expectations were off.
Seeing the figure emerging from the trees, Baek Yu was startled and shouted.
“Mu Hwi! Why are you here?”
Mu Hwi glanced at Baek Yu and Huang Jin-jun alternately, then lightly swung his Plum Blossom Sword toward the ground.
“Splat!”
The blood on the blade splattered on the ground like ink. Looking at the now-clean Plum Blossom Sword, Mu Hwi slowly took a step forward.
“Sect Leader, I’ll take care of this old man.”
“Huh?”
Huang Jin-jun’s eyebrows shot up, and Baek Yu was momentarily speechless. But Mu Hwi had no intention of patiently persuading Baek Yu.
Mu Hwi stepped in front of Baek Yu and glared at Huang Jin-jun.
“Sect Leader, protect the disciples. Killing this man is the duty of Hwasan’s sword, my role.”
Even without Mu Hwi stepping in, if the two masters fought to the death, Baek Yu would likely win. But Baek Yu would not emerge unscathed.
He would likely suffer internal injuries requiring months of recovery, and in the worst case, he might lose a limb.
This was something that absolutely could not happen to the current Hwasan Sect.
“Sect Leader, this is the best course of action for Hwasan.”
At Mu Hwi’s dry tone, Baek Yu’s grip on his sword tightened.
Baek Yu’s Plum Blossom Sword trembled slightly for a moment. Mu Hwi must have had a reason for not directly saving the members of the martial stage and instead coming here.
Perhaps Mu Hwi believed that facing Huang Jin-jun himself would lead to a more favorable outcome. In an instant, Baek Yu considered all possible scenarios and hesitated.
Handing over a master like Huang Jin-jun to a second-generation disciple was beyond common sense.
But Baek Yu did not think Mu Hwi would foolishly act recklessly in such a critical situation.
Should he follow common sense, or trust his disciple?
Even in that brief moment, Baek Yu wrestled with countless thoughts.
“Can you hold out?”
He didn’t waste words on trivialities like ‘My opponent being a top-tier master’.
The Plum Shadows Fill the Sky Mu Hwi had displayed during his duel with Xian Zhu was not something that could be executed with just a few blossoms.
It was not a level achievable by someone merely at the peak of mastery.
Hearing this conversation, Huang Jin-jun opened his mouth with a look of disbelief.
“Sect Leader, are you out of your mind, handing me over to a mere late-stage foundation level disciple? If this gets out in the martial arts world…”
Huang Jin-jun couldn’t finish his sentence and hurriedly raised his sword.
“Clang!”
The Plum Blossom Sword aiming for his neck was barely blocked by Huang Jin-jun’s sword.
“What will get out in the martial arts world… Is that the Five Martial Lords’ general was cut down by a mere late-stage foundation level disciple?”
A sneak attack using the Phantom Mirage Step.
Of course, Huang Jin-jun was caught off guard, and even Baek Yu missed Mu Hwi’s movement in that instant.
“I’ll be back soon.”
Seeing this single sword strike, Baek Yu cast aside his final hesitation and kicked off the ground, retreating.
“You brat!”
A look of confusion flashed in Huang Jin-jun’s eyes, followed by rising anger.
As Huang Jin-jun stomped the ground, releasing a burst of energy, Mu Hwi sheathed his sword and stepped back.
“Swish!”
Huang Jin-jun thrust his sword straight toward Mu Hwi’s chest.
A swift sword strike that even a peak master would struggle to defend against. Mu Hwi lightly deflected it and countered with his own swift strike.
“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
As Mu Hwi accurately identified and countered Huang Jin-jun’s swift strikes, Huang Jin-jun’s eyes widened in surprise before his demeanor changed.
“Swish!”
The sound of Huang Jin-jun’s sword cutting through the air changed.
As the Yellow Sand WhirlWind Sword reached its peak, the yellow sword energy obscured the blade, making it difficult to discern.
The rapid sword strikes, pouring down as if to pierce Mu Hwi’s entire body, were like a sandstorm sweeping across a desert.
‘Yellow Sand Whirlwind… It seems this old man is getting serious.’
In his past life, Mu Hwi had fought three of the Five Martial Lords, including Huang Jin-jun. Naturally, Mu Hwi was well-versed in the Yellow Sand WhirlWind Sword.
Reading the opening move of the Yellow Sand Whirlwind, Mu Hwi slashed diagonally.
In that moment, the Plum Blossom Sword’s blade blurred, drawing a straight line in the air.
“Huh!”
Huang Jin-jun gasped.
Though it seemed like the brat had only slashed diagonally once, seven of his sword techniques were severed in an instant.
Huang Jin-jun recalled a Hwasan sword technique upon seeing Mu Hwi’s sword move.
“Seven Supreme Plum Blossom Sword!”
One of the highest-level martial arts of the Hwasan Sect.
Though he didn’t know the details, he knew it was so complex that only a few elders and talented first-generation disciples could master it.
‘And this brat has mastered it?’
In the meantime, Mu Hwi, having broken through the Yellow Sand Whirlwind’s opening move and closed the distance, thrust his sword.
“Swish!”
A terrifyingly swift sword strike that seemed to bridge the distance in an instant. Mu Hwi’s swift strike was not inferior to his own.
In the midst of executing his technique, Huang Jin-jun focused on defending with his sword.
“Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Swish!”
“Bitter Flower.”
Six consecutive metallic clashes. The last sound was not metal but fabric being cut.
A clear bloodline was drawn on Huang Jin-jun’s cheekbone as he tilted his head to the side.
Had he not noticed the sudden change in the sword’s trajectory at the last moment, a hole would have been pierced through his forehead.
“Truly a sinister sword technique.”
Though it seemed like a single strike, Mu Hwi had thrust seven times at Huang Jin-jun.
“Swish!”
As if waiting for it, Huang Jin-jun pierced Mu Hwi’s chest, but only a black afterimage flickered at the tip of his sword.
Mu Hwi’s robe fluttered as a horizontal slash was drawn across his lower body. Huang Jin-jun deflected it and retreated three steps back.
For a master to retreat against a late-stage foundation level disciple was humiliating, but Huang Jin-jun had no time to dwell on it.
Wiping the blood flowing down his cheek, Huang Jin-jun looked at Mu Hwi.
“So that’s why the Sect Leader left without hesitation. You’ve been raising a monster.”
The sword technique Mu Hwi displayed was on par with a top-tier master, if not beyond.
The sharpness and threat he exuded were clearer than Baek Yu’s, yet he didn’t seem to have reached the level of a top-tier master.
It was truly bizarre.
‘He must have roughly gauged my condition.’
Reading Huang Jin-jun’s cautious gaze, Mu Hwi tightened his grip on his sword.
For a martial artist to elevate their realm, the balance of heart, energy, and body is crucial.
Mu Hwi’s heart, the realm of enlightenment, was far ahead, but his energy and body could not keep up.
Such an extreme imbalance was rare, and it was likely due to Mu Hwi’s new life.
‘The longer this drags on, the more disadvantageous it becomes. I must end this in one exchange.’
“Whoosh!”
Mu Hwi unleashed the inner energy of the Heavenly Containment Heart Technique without reserve.
The inner energy in his dantian began circulating through his meridians, and the Plum Blossom Sword began to emit a sword hum.
The sharp energy waves and thick killing intent, mixed with the scent of plum blossoms, made the surrounding vegetation tremble. Huang Jin-jun had a thought.
‘I must kill him. He will be a future threat.’
Seeing the sharp red light in Mu Hwi’s eyes, Huang Jin-jun raised his sword and asked.
“You… What exactly are you?”
Mu Hwi simply raised the Plum Blossom Sword.
“Hwasan Sword Devil.”
At those words, Huang Jin-jun frowned, and Mu Hwi became a streak of light. Not missing this, a beam of light shot from Huang Jin-jun’s right hand.
“Swish!”
Behind the swift sword strike that could pierce even rock, the yellow sword energy stretched out, and a haze of yellow sand seemed to pour down, blocking Mu Hwi’s vision.
It was like a sandstorm sweeping across a desert, capable of grinding even boulders to dust.
“Sandstorm Grinding Rock.”
The ultimate technique Huang Jin-jun had used to break the Cheongseong Sect Leader’s Sword and sever his arm.
The trajectory of the Sandstorm Grinding Rock was clearly imprinted in Mu Hwi’s widened eyes. In that moment, the Plum Blossom Sword turned into a streak of red light.
Like a tightly stretched thread snapping and tangling, the Plum Blossom Sword’s trajectory, which had been a straight line, scattered chaotically in the air.
“This…!”
Huang Jin-jun’s eyes widened.
The Sandstorm Grinding Rock was being dismantled by the Plum Blossom Sword, which slashed indiscriminately through the air without any pattern.
The yellow sword energy was torn apart, and the Plum Blossom Sword energy flickered within.
This was the only time his technique had been so helplessly dismantled.
“Sword Devil!”
When he had encountered the Sword Devil trapped in the Heavenly Net, his techniques had been dismantled, and he had barely escaped with his life.
To experience that humiliating moment again, and against such a brat, is unbearable.
“Roar!”
With a roar, Huang Jin-jun desperately thrust his sword, but the Plum Blossom Sword was already at close range.
“Splat!”
As the Sandstorm Grinding Rock was dismantled, the yellow sand that had been raging around disappeared, and plum blossoms bloomed everywhere.
The scent of plum blossoms, thicker than before, enveloped Huang Jin-jun. His surroundings were already dyed in red and white.
“Your technique has changed a lot since last time. Did you gain enlightenment after being dismantled back then?”
Mu Hwi’s low voice. Huang Jin-jun’s eyes widened, but he couldn’t speak.
The plum blossoms that had bloomed everywhere burst simultaneously. A waterfall of petals poured down from all directions, covering Huang Jin-jun.
“Jade Plum Blossom Sword: Fragrance Fills Heaven and Earth.”
As the petals, gathered by the wind from the mountains, scattered across the slopes, Huang Jin-jun knelt.
Huang Jin-jun’s yellow robe was dyed red, as if it had always been red.
Around Huang Jin-jun, a strange scent, a mix of plum blossoms and blood, began to emanate.
As his consciousness faded, Huang Jin-jun thought this must be the scent of death.
“Sword Devil…”
Huang Jin-jun’s rough voice trailed off.
Mu Hwi, looking at Huang Jin-jun kneeling with his head bowed, covered his mouth.
“Damn it.”
Forced to execute the technique, his meridians were twisted, and his internal injuries were severe.
Wiping the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, Mu Hwi turned away without hesitation.
***
Paewangseong was defeated.
Jie Yan-jun managed to lead only thirty out of a hundred martial artists out of the mountain.
One martial force was annihilated, and the other was half-destroyed.
But Hwasan and Jongnam also suffered heavy losses.
Excluding the third-generation disciples who had retreated to the halls, there was no one unharmed. Five second-generation disciples and two first-generation disciples were on the brink of death.
Had Baek Yu not intervened during the martial stage, the casualties would have been even greater.
The mountain villa was bustling with workers carrying medicinal herbs and physicians brought from the Jia Hua and Mo Yu Sect.
“Young Hero Mu Hwi, are your internal injuries alright?”
Mu Hwi, sitting alone on a rock near the villa, turned his head.
Xian Zhu, leaning forward, stared at Mu Hwi’s face and furrowed her brows.
“I heard your internal injuries were severe, but you seem fine?”
“This level of injury is nothing. But it seems there’s good news?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
Xian Zhu, slightly surprised, looked at Mu Hwi and raised the corner of her mouth.
“The physician just confirmed the details of the severely injured. They’ve passed the critical stage and their lives are no longer in danger. It’s truly a relief.”
Mu Hwi also let out a faint sigh.
Among the severely injured, teetering on the brink of death, were Musan and Muho.
Xian Zhu, smiling brightly, had a slight glimmer of moisture in her eyes.
She had spent the night nursing her fellow disciples and Senior Disciples, who were on the brink of death, without tending to her own injuries. Her heart must have been heavy.
Mu Hwi glanced at Xian Zhu and raised an eyebrow.
Xian Zhu had been injured on her wrist, and the bandage wrapped around it was half undone, revealing the wound.
“A swordsman not even properly guarding her right arm. What are you doing?”
Mu Hwi pulled Xian Zhu’s arm and clicked his tongue at the bandage. It was already stained red with blood and couldn’t be reused.
“Tsk.”
Boohoo!
Mu Hwi tore off his sleeve and used it to cover the wound instead.
“Phew!”
Xian Zhu, who was looking at Mu-Hwi with surprised eyes, burst into laughter. At this, the furrow between Mu-Hwi’s eyebrows deepened even further.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Oh, no. Maybe it’s because I saw something new. I’m sorry if I offended you.”
The sleeves that Mu Hwi had torn had plum blossoms embroidered on them.
Xian Zhu, who was carefully stroking the newly bloomed plum blossom on her wrist, looked at Mu Hwi.
“Disciple Mu Hwi, do you want to come down the mountain with me? I need to run an errand.”
“What errand?”
“You’ll know if you go with me.”
Xian Zhu grabbed Mu Hwi’s torn sleeve and pulled him.
< Hwasan Sword Devil. > End
< Hwasan Sword Devil… Wonder what kind of guy he is. >
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