Chapter 52

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Because tearing a person apart by force was something only possible for the monsters of the northern martial world beyond the Great Wall.

Just as the absurd thought of ‘A person from the northern martial world all the way here in Guangxi?’ arose.

Someone approached the man.

The moment the man was about to unleash the sword in his hand, the approaching elderly man rolled up his sleeve to show his arm. A black butterfly tattoo was exquisitely engraved in the middle of his biceps.

Insofar as tattooing one’s body meant belonging to a specific organization.

“The Black Society Alliance’s Black Butterfly, I see.”

“It is an honor to meet the renowned successor of the River of Three Crossings.”

The Black Society Alliance and the River of Three Crossings were both among the six sects vying for the strongest of the unorthodox and demonic paths. In particular, the Black Society Alliance was the River of Three Crossings’ number one regular customer.

The reason the man in the bamboo hat had come all the way here was also by the command of his master, the Sect Leader of the River of Three Crossings.

Of course, whether to accept a request or not was something that could be judged by the man in the bamboo hat himself, given his position.

Instead of replying to the elderly man’s words, the man held out his hand.

As if it were only natural, Black Butterfly immediately handed over a map.

“This is the predicted route of movement for the target of the request.”

On the map, the terrain of the Guangxi region was roughly drawn. What stood out among it was a single long, continuous red line.

Starting from Liuzhou in Guangxi, passing through Wuyi, Pingnam, Bukyu, and the final destination was.

‘Hapfo.’

Since it was a port city at the edge of the continent.

“It is the last poison manufacturing workshop established by the Chaotic Heaven Green Forest’s Great Sage Who Drives Spirits in the Guangxi region.”

The man in the bamboo hat tilted his head and continued speaking.

“Surely you don’t mean to use me as a guard?”

At the question of the man in the bamboo hat, Black Butterfly shook his head.

“How could that be? Even if you run there now, you would have nothing to see but a burned manufacturing workshop. Besides, as long as the Great Sage Who Drives Spirits is alive, manufacturing workshops can be created again, so there is no reason to defend it.”

“Then?”

At his question, Black Butterfly smirked and replied.

“Is it not important that the sprouts of the righteous martial world have been exposed to the severe winter cold?”

Following Black Butterfly’s smile, a similar smile formed on the lower jaw beneath the bamboo hat.

“That is a bit of an interesting matter.”

The man concluded his words with a smile.

“Sprout trampling, is it? That request. I accept it.”

**

Although the Murim Alliance was a temporarily held assembly, its chain of command had to be unified to function properly.

As the Shaolin Temple took its place as the backbone of that command, the leaders dispatched from each sect to the Murim Alliance assembly were also situated in Shaolin.

In other words, this was where the missions of the Murim Alliance entered and exited. As soon as the Beggars’ Sect disciple dispatched to the Murim Alliance recited the information tied to a carrier pigeon, it was delivered to the Murim Alliance leaders.

“This is the message from Group A dispatched to Qinghai. They have destroyed three branches of the Dawn Sky Blood Cult in Datong, Huzhu, and Ledu. It is said that two Daywalkers of the Phantom Shadow Bloodline were decapitated by the sword of the team leader, the Affectionate Swordsman, and one Blood Pouch Shepherd was captured alive!”

“Thanks to the outstanding activity of the Flying Tiger of the Peng Family of Jiangxi’s Group Eul-ja, they have cut off the necks of the Three Devils of Mount Lu who had been recruited by the Black Society Alliance!”

The performance of the rising waves of the martial world, the Eight Talents of the Rising Wave, was indeed at a dazzling level.

However, there was not only good news.

“It is said that Group Bing-ja dispatched to Guangxi has also destroyed the last poison manufacturing workshop in Hapfo. However, there is intelligence that the Chaotic Heaven Green Forest also anticipated the target, and numerous masked warriors under the Great Sage Who Drives Spirits have left the mountain stronghold. Because they did not wear masks during movement, the exact number has not been grasped!”

At that moment, the eyes of the one who received and stored in his mind all the incoming and outgoing intelligence—Immortal Gangwon, who took on the role of the practical strategist in the Murim Alliance—widened.

On the other hand, the Beggars’ Sect disciple who had heard of Group Bing-ja’s performance multiple times said calmly.

“Unless a Great Sage-class mask has been dispatched, I honestly think that Group Bing-ja’s personnel alone will be sufficient to handle them, but what shall we do?”

The Beggars’ Sect disciple’s words were not empty talk.

The growth rate of Group Bing-ja, to which Yeon Baek-jung belonged, as they carried out their missions was just that rapid compared to other mobile forces.

Regarding this part, all the Murim Alliance leaders, including Gangwon who received the information, were to the point of feeling doubtful.

The only difference from the other groups was that the recently rapidly rising young martial artist of the Wudang Sect, Bringer of Chaos, belonged to Group Bing-ja. The Murim Alliance leaders merely speculated that the young genius’s skills had improved drastically as he gained real combat experience.

However, inside Gangwon’s mind, he quickly flicked the abacus beads, repeating calculation after calculation on the incoming information.

Soon he opened his mouth and poured out commands rapidly.

“Tell Group Gap-ja and Group Eul-ja to return to Shaolin, and I will dispatch the Wudang Sect’s Greedy Wolf Unit Leader to Group Bing-ja under my own authority.”

“Do you mean you will send the Greedy Wolf Unit Leader yourself?”

“That is so.”

The Wudang Sect’s Greedy Wolf Unit Leader was one of the Nine Swords of Wudang.

Since she was a force corresponding to the absolute highest tier among the Murim Alliance forces currently gathered in Shaolin.

‘Is he playing the doting master just because she is his disciple?’

It was a decision that could not help but make such a thought cross the Beggars’ Sect disciple’s mind, but then again, among the commands Immortal Gangwon had issued so far, none had been wrong.

‘No way.’

The reporting Beggars’ Sect disciple headed to the residence of Taoist Nun Hye-won without saying much else.

The affairs of the martial world were turning that fiercely and busily.

**

Concealing oneself in a port city in the height of summer was an ordeal.

It was because the salty air soaked the entire body.

However, not a single member of Group Bing-ja complained.

Rather, they even went so far as to feel regretful about this hardship.

[Today will be the last time we receive your teachings, Taoist Yeon?]

[Let us continue our discussion of martial arts even during the return journey.]

[…Thank you. If by any chance you have cause to arrive in Hefei where our Namgung Clan is located, be sure to contact me. I will surely repay the debt I owe to Taoist Yeon.]

The one who said he would repay the debt.

Was Namgung Hyeok of Group Bing-ja.

Having initially thrust his sword at me, declaring he could not accept me, he had sought my advice regarding martial arts whenever there was a spare moment after experiencing a crisis in our first mission, saying that among peers, I was the only one who had broken the Three Stances of the Developing Wind so easily.

At first, I was reluctant to speak, keeping in mind the common sense of the martial world, but Namgung Hyeok’s persistence resembled that of a scholar thirsting for knowledge. Ultimately, I back-calculated the sword path and the force-release formula he had shown and gave him brief advice.

-Concentrate on the sensation of the flexor digitorum profundus and the palmaris longus. Relax the force in your wrist. Since the Great Derivation Celestial Wind Sword Art appears to be a sword style that feels and utilizes the flow of true qi, do not struggle to control the turbulence of the sword wind, but simply feel it. Then the sword path will open.

Perhaps because that brief advice was helpful, Namgung Hyeok began to show outstanding performances in our missions thereafter.

-Taoist Yeon. It is the latter half of the sword path of the Hainan Sword Sect’s Thirty-Six Swords of the South Sea. True qi does not flow easily; could you take a look?

-By any chance, do you also have expertise in hidden weapon techniques…

-You possess deep expertise in footwork force; how would it be right to step in a situation like this…

Whenever the team members finished their missions and rested in the mountains, they eventually reached the point of asking me questions regarding the areas where they were stuck in their respective martial arts.

[Please visit Hainan Island sometime. If it is Taoist Yeon, I will speak to our Master and even open the forbidden grounds of Mount Yeomo for you.]

[Before coming to the Hainan Sect, please stop by the Tang Clan as well. Thanks to Brother Jong-hyeok, there are many people in the clan who wish to meet Taoist Yeon.]

All the team members were acting as if they owed me a great debt.

‘I only gave light advice, though.’

Seeing the sight of the team members’ skills rising from my brief advice also came to me as a unique pleasure, so strictly speaking, it was a win-win situation for both sides.

Even more so, since the martial arts of the prestigious righteous sects were all results that those who would be called grandmasters had contemplated and polished over hundreds of years, the questions the team members threw at me contained the insights of each martial lineage intact.

Considering the insights I had personally gained in that manner, it was actually a situation where I had received far more.

I sincerely bowed my head to my colleagues.

[I am actually the one who is grateful. This is because I, too, was able to obtain many insights through our discussions of martial arts. Therefore, you do not have to speak as though you have incurred a debt of the heart.]

However, at my words, the gazes of the team members became even softer.

[Taoist Yeon is a great man.]

[Even if you say so, the debt of the heart we owe to Taoist Yeon will not disappear.]

[If the opportunity arises, we will surely invite you to our clan, Taoist Yeon.]

Having no confidence to endure the embarrassing telepathic voices any longer, I wiped the sweat flowing on my forehead and shifted my gaze.

[Let us discuss that gradually. Over there is the last poison workshop in Guangxi. This time as well, let us all prioritize our own safety above all else and complete the mission.]

The change of topic was successful.

As the telepathic voices ceased and momentum gradually began to rise from the bodies of the team members.

I looked back at the team members and nodded.

It was a signal to rush in and sweep them out.

The moment I signaled, all the team members began to move in perfect order. These were movements that had already become second nature through executing operations multiple times.

“Enemy raid!”

“Block them!”

The men in green monkey masks scattered various strange weapons and the imitation poison they had manufactured, but it was to no avail.

[It is poison!]

[I have blown it all away with sword wind, so charge in!]

[Watch your back!]

Jjeong!

[Thank you!]

Because it was something all members of Group Bing-ja had done as naturally as breathing for the past few months, we guarded each other’s backs and rapidly swept away the numerous bandits.

“Hehehe. Do not think this is the end…”

After crushing the dantian of the Changyou mask who left those strange final words, we completely burned down the poison workshop.

“We have also incinerated all the raw materials for the imitation Immortal Ruiner poison.”

After receiving confirmation from Tang Si-hyeok of the Tang Clan, we immediately left the scene.

This was because the Changyou mask’s words were bothersome, and we also feared that reinforcements from the Chaotic Heaven Green Forest might arrive.

Having completely left the place along with our concealment arts, the place we reached was a deep valley in the mountains.

Since moving along valleys was advantageous for erasing traces, the place where we gathered after a mission was always such a valley. In addition.

“Even if the mission is completed, we must do what needs to be done, right?”

“Indeed, right?”

We immediately immersed our bodies in the nearby valley water.

The heavy and humid summer air of the Guangxi region was swept away in an instant by the coldness of the valley water.

Although rising stars of the caliber belonging to Group Bing-ja could cope with cold and heat through the internal energy accumulated in their bodies, even so, they could not dispel the heat as effectively as the coldness of valley water.

“Wow! I feel alive!”

“Taoist Yeon, come in quickly too!”

“Understood.”

The moment I headed toward the valley water with my answer.

Namgung Hyeok approached me and clasped his hands in greeting.

“Thanks to Taoist Yeon, it seems I will soon be able to enter the Unimpeded Firmament Sword. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Seeing that, the other nearby team members also clasped their hands toward me while wet.

“I am the same. Thanks to Taoist Yeon, I was able to obtain a step of achievement in footwork force. If you have cause to come to Hainan Island in the future, call me anytime. I will definitely roll up my sleeves for Taoist Yeon.”

A situation where, in addition to being liberated from the heavy pressure of leading the team members as the assistant leader, the praises of the team members were pouring in.

Forcing down my shoulders which were trying to shrug in pride, I repeated my master’s words to myself.

‘At times like this, be humble.’

“Not at all. Your achievements are thanks to your own training. I merely pointed out a small, visible part.”

“Hehe. All of us gathered here are people who obtained insights thanks to Taoist Yeon’s advice. You do not need to be so humble.”

The one who spoke this time was Jeon Uk, a team member from the Hainan Sword Sect. I did not hide my rising cheekbones at Jeon Uk’s words.

“Then shall I?”

At my words, the team members nodded and burst into hearty laughter.

Since it was a place to fully enjoy the sense of liberation anyway, I set aside my dignity.

“Now you finally look like someone of that age.”

“If one had obtained such achievements at Taoist Yeon’s age, you may puff out your chest. If it were me, I would shout at the top of my lungs: ‘The future number one in the world is me!’”

“If I did that, my master would deliver a fist strike to my Hundred Convergences acupoint, so my body naturally shrinks.”

“Haha. To govern even someone of Taoist Yeon’s caliber so strictly, it is indeed Wudang of the South!”

Just as we were enjoying the sense of liberation of the completed mission while sharing well-wishes, right when our bodies relaxed like a released bowstring.

The Tai Chi Diagram Exposition of my upper dantian became active, and a chill brushed past my spine as if cold water had been dumped over me.

The moment even Taoist Su-gyo, who was always crouching inside the concealment of internal energy of the Subtle Concealment Method, drew his sword.

As the flow of the surroundings began to pass slowly, the sensory perception added to my five senses unfolded the space upon my upper dantian.

As a pure form of sword path, devoid of any malice or killing intent, aimed at Namgung Hyeok’s back.

I shouted exactly as I felt.

“Brother Namgung! Behind your back! A sinking sword!”

At my shout, Namgung Hyeok drew his sword reflexively without a moment’s delay, laying the blade flat, and pressed down from above to below.

It was a moment when the trust built while continuing the missions shone brightly.

Simultaneously, Taoist Su-gyo and I took a step toward Namgung Hyeok. However, the enemy’s sword was too close.

Jjeong!

Namgung Hyeok’s sword broke into two pieces, and his body flew through the air.

Catching Namgung Hyeok, I examined his injuries.

“Are you alright?”

“Keo-heok!”

Although Namgung Hyeok seemed to have suffered internal injuries from the surprise attack, he spat out a clump of dark blood and nodded.

“I am fine. The other team members!”

The place where I turned my head after raising Namgung Hyeok up.

In the spot where Namgung Hyeok had originally been standing, a man wearing a black bamboo hat pressed deep down stood holding a sword.

And seeing that figure, Taoist Su-gyo murmured softly.

“Young Spirit Slayer?!”