Chapter 108 : Showing of Strength (2)

Chapter 108: Showing of Strength (2)

Sa Ilhyang stood beside him.

Then, Ho Maeyok positioned herself to his right and spoke.

"Has the Mount Hua Sect ever turned its back on a comrade? In the history of Mount Hua, such a thing has never happened."

"Brother, even if we die, as long as we die fighting valiantly, there will be no regrets. I'm sorry, junior sister. I shouldn't have brought you here. It's all because of that Heavenly Central Sect."

"Hohoho, if I die, I should follow that Heavenly Central Sect. I ended up dying just trying to see his face once."

Even in the face of death, Ho Cheongun smiled as he watched the two women, who stood firm and joked with a burning will to fight.

"Mount Hua Sect! Forever!"

As Ho Cheongun shouted, Sa Ilhyang said something unexpected.

"You bad guy, Heavenly Central Sect!"

The three of them bit their lips as they looked at the approaching Iron Blood Demon Sect.

They had always thought they might die wielding their swords, but this felt too soon.

'I'm a female swordsman of Mount Hua.'

Sa Ilhyang straightened her sword and thrust it toward the charging member of the Iron Blood Demon Sect.

At that moment, someone flew in from behind, stepped on Sa Ilhyang's sword, and leaped into the air, unleashing a sword qi.

Shhhhaaa!

The sword qi flew, slaughtering the Iron Blood Demon Sect members within a span of one zhang.

Three of them were cut down, unable to block the sword qi, and two barely managed to defend against it.

However, while they hesitated, a young man descended and passed by them.

Saaak!

There was only the sound of cloth being cut, and the demon-like members of the Iron Blood Demon Sect trembled and collapsed.

"Why am I the bad guy?"

When the young man turned and asked, Sa Ilhyang looked bewildered.

As the Three Chivalrous Sisters landed behind him, Yong Hwarin spoke.

"Please take charge of this area. Monk Gak Woo is guarding the rear gate, so the trainees will be evacuated soon."

When Jeong Minji nodded, Yong Hwarin asked Sa Ilhyang,

"Do you know where the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Central Sect is?"

Sa Ilhyang couldn't speak and simply pointed behind the building.

Ho Cheongun said to him,

"Master Yong is guarding the rear."

"Father always acts out of unnecessary chivalry."

Without another word, Yong Hwarin performed the Cloud Dragon Ascension Technique and soared onto the roof of the building.

Watching Yong Hwarin disappear, Sa Ilhyang asked Jeong Minji,

"Who is that person?"

"Didn't you hear? It's Master Yong Hwarin of the Heavenly Central Sect."

At Jeong Minji's words, Ho Maeyok's eyes widened.

"He's the Heavenly Central Sect?"

The two women stared into the air, following the sudden appearance of the Heavenly Central Sect, prompting Ho Cheongun to shout.

"Get a grip! There's no time to be distracted."

Then, he made a fist salute toward Jeong Minji.

"I am of the Mount Hua Sect..."

"There's no time for leisurely introductions!"

Jeong Suji, standing beside them, scolded and began sweeping through the Iron Blood Demon Sect with a sword filled with killing intent.

Sa Ilhyang said to the dazed Ho Cheongun,

"Senior brother, snap out of it."

Yong Hwarin climbed onto the roof of the training hall, surveyed the battlefield, and soon leaped toward the place where two people were confronting each other.

"Father."

Yong Biyang, having sustained serious injuries from several clashes, staggered as if he would collapse at any moment.

However, to maintain his pride, Yong Biyang forced his buckling knees to stand.

"Impressive. If you had the strength, it would have been quite an entertaining duel."

Jeon Man had no intention of killing Yong Biyang.

There was something he needed to gain through him.

"Master!"

The Twin Dragons of Fury Sword struggled to reach Yong Biyang, but Jeon Woong and the Iron Blood Demon Sect blocked their advance.

"Ugh! You bastards. Get out of the way!"

Their eyes were bloodshot, resembling demons.

"Tsk!"

Jeon Man clicked his tongue in displeasure as his son Jeon Woong failed to handle them.

"Bring Master Yong."

Yong Biyang no longer had the strength to hold his sword.

"Haha, to think I'm inferior to those Twin Dragons. They were right. Our clan's sword techniques need a complete overhaul. I realized this too late."

Yong Biyang felt despondent.

He didn't even have the energy to swing his sword at those approaching to restrain him.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew, and something flashed as the head of an approaching Iron Blood Demon Sect member exploded.

Then, Yong Hwarin descended from the air and stood before Yong Biyang.

"Father!"

For a moment, Yong Biyang couldn't tell if this was a dream or reality.

"Hwarin?"

"Yes, Father."

"You... What are you doing here?"

Yong Hwarin frowned at his father, who asked such a question in this situation.

Still, it was fortunate he was unharmed.

Then, he shouted toward the Twin Dragons of Fury Sword.

"To think you couldn't handle those guys and let the Master end up like this!"

"Uwahahaha! Young Master! These guys are no joke!"

Nam Wook shouted even louder.

"Facing a hundred men, this is already impressive!"

"You two should prepare for hellish training later."

"Haha! If we survive, what's hell compared to this?"

"Father, please get on my back."

Without time to think, Yong Biyang climbed onto Yong Hwarin's back.

As they spoke, Yong Hwarin approached the Bamboo Forest Flying Dragon and thrust his sword toward Jeon Woong.

It was so stealthy that Jeon Woong was startled and had to retreat to the right.

"Ugh!"

However, as he retreated, Jeon Woong clutched his side.

A wound appeared, bleeding, though he didn’t even know when he had been cut.

Even while carrying someone on his back, such a swift sword—Jeon Woong shuddered inwardly.

At the same time, Yong Hwarin killed two Iron Blood Demon Sect members and rescued the Twin Dragons of Fury Sword.

“From now on, don’t leave Father’s side.”

Jeon Woong, slightly shaken, shouted.

“Catch that bastard!”

As the Iron Blood Demon Sect charged in, Yong Hwarin swept them away.

“They say poisoned trees bear poisoned fruit. You pick the fruit and cut down the tree.”

Gripping his sword, Yong Hwarin unleashed the first form of the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword—Dragon’s Talon Sweeps the Mountain.

By opening the Vision Meridian and drawing the Demonic Master’s cultivation into his Dantian, a soft azure sword qi flowed from Yong Hwarin’s blade.

“I will receive everything with your deaths.”

He murmured in a low voice and stepped forward with a precision footwork technique.

Thud!

From that moment, blood-colored flames bloomed from Yong Hwarin’s sword.

The Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword was destructive.

It swept the surroundings with the overwhelming momentum of a rampaging dragon.

“So our family’s sword was this powerful!”

Yong Biyang muttered in surprise at his son's swordplay.

While pushing back the strikes of the Iron Blood Demon Sect, Namwook responded.

“Sect Leader! That’s not even half of Young Master's real power. You should’ve seen him fight Zhao Qiansheng of the Blood Demon Castle. Those bastards are all dead now. The Young Master is here.”

A moment ago, the Twin Dragons looked like they were on the verge of death. Now, with Yong Hwarin’s appearance, they swung their swords with renewed energy.

All while shouting, “We’re the famous Twin Dragons of Fury Sword!”

‘So these men are Hwarin’s people.’

Yong Biyang suddenly felt it—an indescribable, complex emotion.

In less than two hours, Yong Hwarin killed over fifteen members of the Iron Blood Demon Sect, causing the rest to retreat.

It was due to the command of Jeon Man, Sect Leader of the Iron Hawk Gate.

“So, you are the Heavenly Central Sect?”

Yong Hwarin stared at Jeon Man and spoke.

“That’s right.”

Jeon Man let out a sigh and muttered.

“There was no word that you would be coming here.”

Yong Hwarin replied to that.

“Did the Demonic Master tell you that?”

Jeon Man flinched, startled by Yong Hwarin’s words.

“You know him?”

“I know him well.”

“In any case, it looks like it's time for us to settle this.”

“It does.”

“Let’s see the skill of the famed Heavenly Central Sect. If you can block my Iron Hawk Blade, I will acknowledge you.”

Yong Hwarin had no intention of dragging things out with a duel.

Only swift and decisive action would save more trainees.

From the start, Yong Hwarin opened with Rain Pierces the Heavens, moved to Slash the Falling Sea, and launched the Thunder Dragon’s Advance—a storm of attacks that briefly disoriented Jeon Man.

“Same techniques, but how can the momentum and character be this different?”

Jeon Man had already experienced the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword through Yong Biyang.

But Yong Hwarin’s sword was completely different from Yong Biyang’s.

It looked the same in form, but the essence was altogether different—making it all the more confusing.

After exchanging blows for over ten seconds, Jeon Man made up his mind.

‘He’s someone that cannot be allowed to live. I must kill him here.’

Jeon Man gathered all his inner energy.

He drew upon a century and a half’s worth of cultivation.

Though not publicly known, Jeon Man had long surpassed the pinnacle of the Second Cycle.

He was a warrior striving for the pinnacle of the One-and-a-Half Cycle state.

As he injected qi into his blade, threads of energy wrapped around it, then wove into a net—a Qi Web.

Yong Hwarin knew he was aiming for the kill and also drew on the Demonic Master’s inner force. When he suddenly invoked such vast power, his body flared with pain.

But thanks to circulating it with the Tai Chi Dantian and tripling its output over three cycles, the pain had become bearable.

It meant his meridians had become somewhat used to the power of three cycles.

Jeon Man’s blade left his hand and flew at Yong Hwarin.

At the same time, Jeon Man threw himself at Yong Hwarin.

Yong Hwarin immediately used Dragon Claw Thunder Strike to deflect the blade.

“Kh!”

As he deflected the strike, Yong Hwarin felt a strange force penetrate his body.

It was the Iron Hawk Gate’s prized technique—True Permeation Technique.

Normally, when inner qi clashes, it either explodes or rebounds. But the True Permeation Technique seeped into the opponent’s body when it clashed.

If one was aware of the technique, it could be expelled—but if unaware, it would damage the internal organs and cause death.

It was through this technique alone that the Iron Blood Swordsman had risen to elder rank in Dark Howling Valley.

As Yong Hwarin staggered from the force of deflecting the blade, Jeon Man grinned.

No one had ever survived being struck by the True Permeation Technique. But just then, the infiltrating qi flowed into Yong Hwarin’s Yin Dantian.

Because it was an evil energy, the Yin Dantian absorbed the True Permeation Qi.

Jeon Man caught his rebounding blade in mid-air and unleashed the most domineering technique of the Iron Hawk Blade—Heaven’s Severing Intent.

It looked similar to a single stroke bisecting all, but Heaven’s Severing Intent sealed all eight directions, surrounding the target in blade energy to cut them into eight pieces.

More than enough to turn someone into eight scattered limbs.

“Yes!”

Jeon Woong clenched his fist, forgetting the pain.

For his father to use Heaven’s Severing Intent—a technique reserved for life-and-death duels—meant that brat, the so-called Heavenly Central Sect, would soon be minced.

Yong Hwarin felt the massive pressure of Heaven’s Severing Intent.

Even pouring in all of the Demonic Master’s energy, he knew he would not come out unscathed.

So he instantly activated the Tai Chi Dantian.

He expelled the infiltrated True Permeation Qi from his Yin Dantian while simultaneously drawing power from his Yang Dantian.

The two dantians’ energy twisted together like a rope and surged through his meridians, erupting from his Right Palace Acupoint in the palm.

Gathering the stormy energy into his sword, he unleashed Cloud Dragon Covers the Sky.

Yong Hwarin’s sword and body twisted several times, and with each movement, bursts of blue sword qi exploded outward, crashing down toward Jeon Man like the reincarnation of a blue dragon.

Rumble! Boom!

An illusion of dozens of blue lightning bolts entwining Jeon Man unfolded before them.

As Jeon Man’s saber and Yong Hwarin’s sword clashed, the two were flung through the air and landed lightly back on the ground.

Until that moment, neither showed any expression, so it was impossible to tell who had taken more damage.

“What a splendid saber technique.”

Yong Hwarin held his sword in a reverse grip and offered a clasped-fist salute toward Jeon Man.

“The most beautiful dragon I’ve seen in my life.”

Jeon Man bowed his head to Yong Hwarin, who had treated him as a warrior to the end.

Then, he threw his saber down in front of Yong Hwarin.

“My son, now is the time to withdraw. Come retrieve my saber later. Until then, will you keep it?”

Yong Hwarin nodded.

“I’ll gladly keep it for you.”

With that, Jeon Man summoned the last of his strength and shouted:

“Blood Iron Demon Unit, return to the main house!”

At his command, the Blood Iron Demon Unit halted their fighting and withdrew in perfect order.

Not a single one expressed doubt or resistance.

Their demeanor showed complete obedience to Jeon Man’s words.

Seeing this, it became clear why even Mount Hua could not easily provoke the Iron Responding Sect.

Jeon Woong ground his teeth and spoke.

“Father, we can win. Why do you order a retreat?”

Jeon Man coughed up blood as he replied.

“You cannot defeat him. Obey my words.”

At that sight, Jeon Woong clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth as he glared at Yong Hwarin.

Yong Hwarin looked back at him and said,

“You people were the first to attack. Why do you look at me like that? Just like the saying, ‘Those who fart first are the ones who get angry.’”

As expected, even in such a serious situation, the Sect Leader of rumors made an odd remark, causing Namwook to bow his head and stifle a laugh.

“I’ll collect the bodies of my subordinates. Will you permit that?”

“Do as you will.”

“Much obliged.”

Jeon Woong could no longer hold back his fury seeing his father now asking Yong Hwarin for permission.

“Collect the corpses!”