Chapter 77

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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At the moment I wondered how the True Martial Pavilion Unit Leaders had come here at this hour.

-Stay here for a moment. If you can hear more rumors regarding the Yeo Family Clan, do so.

-What about you, Master?

-I have a place I must visit. I should set up at least a ‘minimum safety device.’

‘At least a minimum safety device…’

Thanks to Master’s foresight, I had essentially saved my life.

However, the danger had not vanished.

There were still many masks.

In addition to the Changyou masks, even the black Python-masked bandits began to gather one after another.

Above all, the man wearing a flood dragon mask.

The problem was that the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas, whom we had thought dead, had returned.

Furthermore, the aura felt from him had changed considerably compared to before; if at that time it was just a sticky aura like that of a bizarre person from a heterodox sect, now…

‘Non-human?!’

The demonic energy that had been spewed by the Penghou and Qiuer summoned by the Ghost Immortal Valley’s Bachelors and Masters was felt.

Looking closely, his appearance had also changed.

The pale skin of his disheveled front chest, shoulders, and neck had mutated to black as if dyed with ink; in contrast, the color of his two arms was just as before.

It was as bizarre as if broken parts had been replaced.

In addition, the qi perception felt through the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition told me.

That the source of the demonic energy was that mutated torso.

He was a human, yet not human.

Replacing and inserting a torso?

Even with the advanced medicine in the butterfly dream, it was not an easy task, but it was highly plausible if it were the power of an existence beyond the Empty Gate; that place was still a space that could not be physically interpreted.

It was safer to assume he was stronger than before.

And just like that thought.

“All of you, move forward! It is dinner time!”

Following the shout, the subordinates of the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas, the Python-masked bandits, revealed themselves one after another in the darkness.

Just as the previous Changyou-masked bandits, their eyes were muddy.

Having lost their reason, they moved as one body instead.

It was an ability that the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas had been unable to show before.

The Great Sage Who Overturns Seas and his subordinates were those who had mastered water-based arts, which were most powerful on water, but.

‘Their numbers are great.’

Even if Martial Uncle Im-won and Martial Aunt Hye-won had joined, the numerical disadvantage could not be ignored.

At that moment, Martial Aunt placed her hand on my shoulder, and.

“Do not worry.”

She spoke gently.

A refreshing true qi swept down my acupoints and fine meridians injured by internal damage.

My anxious mind settled down comfortably along with it.

Only then was I able to feel.

Welcoming presences, which had been obscured by the fierce waves of qi emitted by the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas, the Great Sage Who Drives Spirits, and the masked warriors, were drawing near.

“Junior Brother Yeon!”

Senior Sister Yi Chae-yang landed on the right.

“Junior Brother! What is that wound?!”

Senior Brother Myeong-hun landed on the left.

Sparks flew from their eyes as they looked at my two legs, which had been scraped and bloodied on the ground.

“How dare they.”

They drew their swords straightaway.

It was not just the two of them.

“Nan-sin!”

“Are you badly hurt?”

The eldest disciple of the Greedy Wolf Unit, Senior Brother Myeong-jin; Senior Sister Yoon Heun, who always looked after me warmly; and even the senior brothers and sisters of the Prosperity Star Unit who had helped me in the Four Symbols Flowing Sword training—all of them had arrived.

All the dispatched Wudang Sect disciples surrounded me and stood before the masked bandits of the Green Forest.

“Can you move?”

At Martial Aunt Hye-won’s question, I tried raising my cultivation power.

Even with the cultivation power Martial Aunt had infused, the degree of internal injury was considerable; it was the price of directly taking the attack of the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas, a master of a higher caliber. Fortunately, thanks to that, the family members of the Yeo Family Clan hiding inside the building were safe, but.

‘Ugh.’

Every time the flowing cultivation power coursed through my fine meridians, it felt painful enough to tear. Still.

‘It is not to the point where I cannot move.’

It was thanks to the function of the Three-Section Brocade body protection technique.

‘Without the body protection technique, I probably would have crossed the River of Three Crossings. Thank you, Grandmaster!’

Sending a thought of gratitude to the Sword Immortal elder in my mind, I raised my body.

“I am fine.”

Well.

In truth, I might not have been fine.

Even so, only by enduring such pain would I be able to grow into a true martial artist.

I swallowed the pain and repeated to myself.

I am fine.

I am fine.

‘Since I realized how to use the minimum amount of Four Symbols Flowing Sword internal strength.’

Even with an internally injured body, I can perform sword techniques as long as I bear the pain.

Coincidentally, Senior Brother Yo Yeon-myeong approached and handed me a sword.

In the situation where my sword had broken while blocking the water pillar unleashed by the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas, not wanting to hide behind my senior brothers and sisters, I received Senior Brother Yo Yeon-myeong’s sword and bowed my head.

“Thank you.”

“Do not step forward. Fall back and protect yourself. Their murderous intent is concentrated on you. Even if we protect you, ultimately, you must protect your own body yourself.”

I nodded at Senior Brother’s words.

Just as he said, without distinction between Changyou masks and Python masks, most of their gazes were directed toward me.

It was blatant enough to be felt even though my senior brothers and sisters blocked the front.

It was probably thanks to the history of clashing with the Changyou-masked bandits several times while destroying the poison workshop in Guangxi, and having contributed to half-killing the leader of the Python-masked bandits.

Since stepping forward now would rather put my senior brothers and sisters in a difficult spot, I drew back and held my sword.

Martial Aunt Hye-won and Martial Uncle Im-won stood in front of the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas who was dispersing demonic energy, and at that moment.

“Strike!”

The moment the spoken command of the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas fell, the Python-masked bandits began to rush forward brandishing the weapons they used for water-based arts.

At the same time, the Changyou-masked bandits also shouted.

“Aim for the young boy!”

“The Great Sage elder wishes to use him as a test subject!”

“He said it doesn’t matter even if he’s a corpse!”

Attacks began to concentrate on me without distinguishing between Changyou masks and Python masks; and that was rather a good thing.

“The attacks are concentrating! Protect Nan-sin!”

“Block the paths!”

Since the opponent’s intention being clear meant it was that much easier to defend against.

My senior brothers, spreading in a crane-wing formation, stood to block the enemies while keeping me behind them.

Of course, due to the large number of masks, there were some enemies heading toward me, but.

‘Below the right armpit.’

When I deflected the enemy’s attack with the minimum application of cultivation power, Senior Brother Myeong-hun’s sword and Senior Sister Yi Chae-yang’s hand-blade carved through the enemy’s mask.

Thus gaining a bit of breathing room, while dealing with the masked bandits, I observed the fight of Martial Uncle and Martial Aunt who came into my view.

‘To be in the truly sublime realm!’

A vivid blue cultivation power formed upon Martial Aunt Hye-won’s two palms and Martial Uncle Im-won’s sword blade; up to that point, it was similar to the cultivation power application of the Elixir Condensation Stage, but.

‘Its form is distinct.’

The true qi did not scatter; as if coalesced like water in both hands and upon the blade, it rippled yet did not flutter away like a haze.

Possessing a clear form, it rather honed its edge.

Cultivation power manifested outside the body naturally possesses the property of trying to return to the state of the originally existing natural qi.

However, it seemed that Martial Uncle and Martial Aunt’s sword qi and palm qi rather pulled in the surrounding natural qi to maintain their forms.

Assimilation with nature occurring in a different manner.

In that manner, Martial Uncle Im-won’s sword that parted water slashed a corner of the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas’s water wall, and Martial Aunt Hye-won’s palm force, which seemed to contain the blue sky, burst black water droplets and slammed into the side of the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas’s waist.

The moment I engraved that scene in my mind.

‘Whoops.’

Turning my eyes back, I deflected the harpoon of an approaching Python-masked bandit with the flat of my sword; that alone put a significant load on my fine meridians and major acupoints formed in my upper arm.

‘Minimize cultivation power operation and…’

Gain superiority over the opponent with only sword forms.

I mixed the martial logic of the Tai Chi Sword Manual.

‘Increase the contact surface to disperse the force and utilize the enemy’s relative velocity in reverse.’

Placed on the path of the enemy pushing in by simply twisting the sword blade, the movement that was attacking me cut their own neck.

“Kkeureureuk!”

He spat out blood foam through the lower jaw exposed beneath his mask.

However, since it was shallow, I had to apply a follow-up attack.

“Keo-heok!”

Senior Brother Myeong-hun’s sword split the fellow’s back.

There was no need to achieve everything alone.

It was thanks to the presence of my fellow sect brothers and sisters.

While minimizing the consumption of physical strength and cultivation power in that manner, I endured the long night’s blood battle.

Around the time we passed the hours of the Ox and the Tiger and entered the sharp hour of the Rabbit.

As the rain stopped and the dark clouds began to clear, a faint light dawned beyond the eastern wall.

From that moment, the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas began to be pushed back by the two unit leaders, and the Great Sage Who Drives Spirits, who was fighting Master, shouted.

“Retreat!”

The two bloodied Great Sages along with their subordinates began to retreat over the collapsed wall of the manor.

We had overcome the numerical inferiority and repelled the enemy.

It was the end of the long blood battle.

**

Yeo Mun-yang, the temporary family head of the Yeo Family Clan, stepped forward as the representative to express gratitude to us.

“How can we ever repay this life-saving grace?”

“As friends who have shared a bond for a long time, we merely did what naturally had to be done, Family Head.”

At the words of Immortal Gangwon, who looked slightly tired but did not lose the restraint in his demeanor, Yeo Mun-yang deeply clasped his hands and spoke.

“I know that many have suffered internal injuries. These are the spiritual medicines currently held by our family. Please accept them.”

“The loyalty you have shown is more than enough.”

The words of Immortal Gangwon.

He was referring to the Yeo Family Clan having held out against the pressure to defect from the Chaotic Heaven Green Forest. At that, Yeo Mun-yang replied with a smile.

“It cannot be compared to the value of our family members’ lives. Above all, did not you, Immortals, save my younger brother?”

With that, Yeo Mun-yang glanced at Yeon Baek-jung and whispered quietly.

“I watched the entire fight. If your disciple had not blocked that water-based art, we brothers would not have been able to see the rising sun this morning. We wouldn’t have been able to meet Immortal Gangwon now, either.”

Meanwhile, Yeo Mun-yang spoke earnestly once more.

“Since it occurred while trying to protect us, please allow us to compensate.”

Right after the fight with the Great Sage Who Drives Spirits, Immortal Gangwon’s entire qi perception was directed toward his disciple.

‘Hmm.’

For he felt that his disciple’s breathing and cultivation power flow were uneven.

“In that case, I shall not refuse.”

He accepted the box containing spiritual medicines.

And Immortal Gangwon moved his lips toward Yeo Mun-yang.

[I know that the news inside the manor has leaked to the outside. The troublesome thing about the minions of the Chaotic Heaven Green Forest is that they are clearly distinguished when they wear masks and when they take them off. There must surely be those possessing masks within the manor. We shall seek them out.]

He said to the Family Head that they would search the manor.

He was seeking consent.

Of course, for Yeo Mun-yang, there was no reason to refuse.

Rather, it was a welcome thing.

Yeo Mun-yang also knew that there was a traitor, but under the circumstances where they had lost most of their guard personnel and guests, they simply lacked the capability to seek them out, so it was a task he had been unable to do.

-Please do so.

He agreed with his eyes.

Seeing that look, Immortal Gangwon deliberately whispered in a small voice.

“In that case, we shall trouble you for a few days, Family Head.”

“You may stay as long as you like.”

**

I was able to recover quickly after consuming the healing pill given by Master. And seeing me like that, Master was.

“Are you even human?”

He looked at me as if looking at someone he had never seen before in his life.

“Thank you for raising me to be sturdy.”

The moment I bent my waist in a deliberately exaggerated manner, I could feel the twitching of Master’s lips.

Although he returned to his usual expressionless face when I raised my head, I spoke with a laugh.

“Certainly, a wealthy house is indeed nice. The efficacy of the medicine is kicking in properly.”

“Is that so?”

Was it thanks to my internal injuries being healed and my qi perception becoming sensitive?

I could feel a sigh of relief beneath Master’s expressionless face. Moreover, I even noticed Master’s worried eyes scanning my legs beneath the table for a split second.

Because the scars remaining on my legs from the wounds sustained while blocking the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas’s attack had not completely vanished yet.

I answered in a deliberately cheerful tone.

“The leader of the Six Evils was not as strong as I thought, either.”

Of course, it was a bluff; I had almost died.

And Master shook his head while hardening his face.

“Seeing you talk nonsense, it seems you have indeed fully recovered.”

“Nonsense? He really wasn’t that str—”

“Right, since you dealt with a weak fellow, your body must be normal now.”

“Of course!”

“Then your senses must also be normal now?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes…?”

A feeling that I had been caught in a trap.

The sound of my plan to comprehend the moment Martial Uncle Im-won and Martial Aunt Hye-won dealt with the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas as soon as I recovered from my internal injuries going awry was heard.

And just like that thought.

“Then, let us do a job together.”

I had to put my plans on hold for a while.