Chapter 240 – The Wind of Blood Blows Regardless of Place (3)

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Cho Cheon-geum’s body suddenly froze.

 

Many people in the world speak of grudges and revenge. In the murim where grievances flow like spring water, these were very common words. But Cheon Oh-gyeong’s words were different.

 

Though he spoke so calmly, the moment they heard his words, their hearts pounded violently with pain as if their chests were being carved with a dagger.

 

Cho Cheon-geum’s body reacted before his mind could. The same was true for others present.

 

Their bodies stiffened, cold sweat dripped down their foreheads, and their pupils shook violently as if an earthquake had struck.

 

“Old… old man, who are you?”

 

“Don’t you already know? Why bother asking such a difficult question?”

 

“The Demonic Cult?”

 

“I came from the Divine Cult.”

 

The moment Cheon Oh-gyeong’s answer came out, Cho Cheon-geum desperately shouted.

 

“Everyone attack!”

 

“Waaah!”

 

The warriors who had been frozen until now rushed toward Cheon Oh-gyeong all at once. Though over a hundred warriors came crashing like a tidal wave, Cheon Oh-gyeong showed no sign of intimidation.

 

Cheon Oh-gyeong stretched out his hand. A branch lying nearby flew into his grasp.

 

“Void… Void Grasp?”

 

Cho Cheon-geum muttered in surprise.

 

At that moment, Cheon Oh-gyeong lightly swung the branch in his hand.

 

It was a simple horizontal sword strike.

 

“…”

 

Silence fell.

 

The warriors rushing toward Cheon Oh-gyeong stopped moving and only blinked their eyes. Something had clearly happened. Yet they couldn’t exactly perceive what had occurred and only felt confused.

 

Swoosh!

 

That’s when it happened. Suddenly, red lines appeared simultaneously across the waists of over a hundred warriors.

 

“Wh-what?”

 

“This is?”

 

The warriors who belatedly noticed the blood lines appearing on their bodies wore puzzled expressions.

 

Thud thud thud!

 

At that moment, their bodies collapsed like puppets with cut strings. Over a hundred warriors were cut in half at the waist and perished.

 

“Im-impossible!”

 

Cho Cheon-geum’s mouth gaped open.

 

His heart stopped and his mind went blank. The scene he witnessed was so shocking it didn’t seem real.

 

Cho Cheon-geum was frozen stiff and couldn’t move. Cheon Oh-gyeong approached him.

 

His gait was still that of an immortal with an otherworldly appearance. But to Cho Cheon-geum’s eyes, he no longer looked like an immortal.

 

“The… Sword Devil.”

 

“I was called that when I was young.”

 

“Ugh!”

 

“Now tell me. Are there Hundred Battles Sect warriors above?”

 

“S-some are there.”

 

“That will do.”

 

Cheon Oh-gyeong nodded and walked past Cho Cheon-geum. Cho Cheon-geum touched his neck and muttered.

 

“Am I alive?”

 

That’s when it happened.

 

Slash!

 

Suddenly, a blood line appeared around his waist and began spilling enormous amounts of blood.

 

Only then did Cho Cheon-geum realize. He had already stepped onto the path of death.

 

“Wh-when?”

 

Though Cho Cheon-geum wondered until his last breath, his question remained unanswered.

 

Leaving Cho Cheon-geum’s bisected corpse rolling on the ground, Cheon Oh-gyeong climbed Mount Zhongnan.

 

Mount Zhongnan, full of spring energy, was covered in vivid green foliage. The sunlight shattered against the greenery, scattering brilliant fragments, and the sky was incomparably blue.

 

“Zhongnan, I’m sorry.”

 

Screech!

 

At that moment, a signal flare shot into the sky, and high-pitched flute sounds echoed throughout Mount Zhongnan.

 

It was a signal that an enemy had invaded.

 

Swoosh!

 

Warriors of the Zhongnan Sect came running through the bushes.

 

Cheon Oh-gyeong swung his branch toward them. Though he didn’t use any special techniques or release sword energy, the warriors fell while spraying blood. Their spilled blood dyed the verdant Mount Zhongnan red.

 

“Enemy!”

 

“Stop him!”

 

The Zhongnan Sect and martial arts leaders rushed toward Cheon Oh-gyeong. He swung his branch at them mercilessly.

 

His movements were like water, and his sword was like fire.

 

His body moved without hindrance, and his sword struck down everything in its path like flames.

 

As deaths accumulated, an aura of death began to surround the once-pure Mount Zhongnan.

 

The arrival of just one person brought such change to Mount Zhongnan.

 

“Ugh!”

 

“W-we cannot stop him.”

 

Seeing the situation unfold, the Zhongnan Sect warriors and visiting martial artists hesitated, no longer daring to charge forward.

 

“Stop!”

 

At that moment, a lion’s roar echoed throughout Mount Zhongnan.

 

At the thunderous roar that shook the mountain, Cheon Oh-gyeong stopped for the first time.

 

About ten warriors came rushing in as if flying. They arrived instantly and blocked Cheon Oh-gyeong’s path.

 

These people emanating extraordinary auras were none other than Seol Mun-cheon, the sect leader of Zhongnan, and the elders.

 

Seol Mun-cheon thundered.

 

“How dare you commit massacre on Mount Zhongnan. Do you not fear heaven?”

 

“I once feared heaven. But not anymore.”

 

“Who are you? Who dares to stain the pure Mount Zhongnan with blood?”

 

“My name is Cheon Oh-gyeong.”

 

“Cheon Oh-gyeong?”

 

“Actually, that’s not important.”

 

“Then what is important?”

 

“What’s important is whether Hundred Battles Sect’s disciples are here.”

 

“Hundred Battles Sect?”

 

Seol Mun-cheon wore an incredulous expression. The elders beside him spoke up.

 

“Sect Leader, don’t mind his words.”

 

“He dared to stain Mount Zhongnan with blood, so we must rightfully punish him.”

 

The elders were furious and looked ready to charge at Cheon Oh-gyeong at any moment.

 

Seol Mun-cheon looked around.

 

The Zhongnan Sect warriors and martial artists who had gathered were surrounding Cheon Oh-gyeong. Their numbers reached about a thousand. Yet Cheon Oh-gyeong maintained his dignified appearance without showing any sign of intimidation.

 

‘Only the truly strong can act like that. It seems today’s losses will far outweigh any gains.’

 

The aura emanating from his opponent was absolute, and beyond.

 

He couldn’t guarantee victory even in a direct confrontation. No, honestly, he wasn’t confident of winning even if he joined forces with the elders.

 

If they clashed with Cheon Oh-gyeong now, the Zhongnan Sect would suffer tremendous damage. But they couldn’t back down either.

 

This was Zhongnan Sect’s territory. If a sect abandoned its territory and fled, there would be no place for them in the murim.

 

Only then did Seol Mun-cheon understand how the Mount Hua Sect warriors must have felt back then.

 

TL Note- Seol Mun-cheon is referring to the previous demonic war (not ongoing one) where Mount Hua suffered considerable damage and no other sects came forward to help them.

 

‘Hah! Was it like this for them too? Was it this bleak?’

 

The Mount Hua disciples never retreated when their main mountain was invaded. Though they suffered tremendous losses, they ultimately managed to protect Mount Hua.

 

Seol Mun-cheon thought it was now Zhongnan Sect’s turn to do the same.

 

“All disciples, fight to the death. Attack that demon until the very last person.”

 

“Wait a moment, Sect Leader Seol.”

 

Just then, someone blocked Seol Mun-cheon’s path.

 

A middle-aged man with disheveled hair like a magpie’s nest, rags that seemed patched over a hundred times, and a huge saw-toothed blade at his waist – nothing about him was ordinary.

 

Most striking were his eyes hidden beneath his wild hair.

 

This was Jang Il-san, the leader of Hundred Battles Sect. He had been temporarily staying at Mount Zhongnan and finally revealed himself.

 

“It seems he bears a grudge against my sect. Then it would be right for me to step forward. If I fail, it won’t be too late for Zhongnan Sect to intervene.”

 

“Leader Jang?”

 

Jang Il-san walked past Seol Moon-cheon and stood before Cheon Oh-gyeong.

 

“I am Jang Il-san, leader of Hundred Battles Sect. It seems you harbor a grudge against Hundred Battles Sect, sir.”

“So you’re the leader of Hundred Battles Sect. I can’t say I’m pleased to meet you. It wouldn’t be right to exchange pleasantries when I’ve come to settle a grudge.”

 

“It seems you have a grudge against my sect?”

 

“Your disciple killed mine.”

 

“Ah! Is that so? Yeon-woon accomplished something great then.”

 

“Something great?”

 

“A warrior of your caliber must be a key figure in the Demonic Cult. Wouldn’t killing your disciple be a great achievement for the Murim Alliance?”

 

“One could think that way. But have you considered what a great threat this has brought to the Murim Alliance? You’ve drawn out this old man who had walled himself off from the world.”

 

“Sir, why so naive? Even if it wasn’t my disciple, you would have emerged eventually. Do you think the Demon Cult Leader would have let an absolute master like yourself remain in seclusion? Such an absolute fighting force?”

 

“…”

 

Cheon Oh-gyeong fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words.

 

“My disciple was merely the catalyst. You were bound to return to the murim eventually. Don’t use my disciple as an excuse.”

 

“Your tongue is quite sharp.”

 

“Hehe! I hear that often.”

 

“Where is your disciple?”

 

“Have you ever seen a master who would sell out his disciple’s safety? No proper master would ever do that.”

 

“I apologize. Then I’ll have to force you to open your mouth.”

 

“Can you manage that? I am Jang Il-san. Just as you bear a grudge against my disciple, I too have an unforgivable grudge against the Demonic Cult.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“When it comes to anything related to the Demonic Cult, I’m prepared to grind even a single pebble between my teeth.”

 

Jang Il-san smiled wickedly. It was a smile full of killing intent.

 

Cheon Oh-gyeong’s eyes grew dark.

 

“I don’t see the Hundred Battles Flag. You must have passed it to your disciple.”

 

“That’s right!”

 

“We’ll soon see if he has the ability to protect it.”

 

“You’ll have to get past me first, sir.”

 

Swoosh!

 

Jang Il-san drew the saw-toothed blade from his waist.

 

This was the blade that earned him the title “Demon-Slaying Divine Blade.” With this worn saw-blade alone, he had fought fierce battles against the Demonic Cult.

 

Woong!

 

The saw-blade released a magnificent resonance.

 

Admiring the extraordinary aura, Cheon Oh-gyeong said:

 

“Your skills are impressive, junior. In that spirit, I’ll give you three moves. Come at me first.”

 

“I won’t decline.”

 

Ta-at!

 

Jang Il-san stomped the ground.

 

His saw-blade shot toward Cheon Oh-gyeong’s chest. But Cheon Oh-gyeong moved like a ghost, completely avoiding his attacks.

 

After three instant attacks ended, Cheon Oh-gyeong’s counterattack began.

 

His branch danced in the air.

 

Clang clang clang!

 

When the blade and branch collided, the sound of metal rang out.

 

“I will never lose.”

 

Jang Il-san gritted his teeth and burned with fighting spirit.

 

Whoosh!

 

A clear blade aura formed on his weapon. Meanwhile, Cheon Oh-gyeong’s branch showed no change. Yet it was completely crushing Jang Il-san’s attacks.