Chapter 427 : Experts of the Heavenly Central Sect

Chapter 427: Experts of the Heavenly Central Sect

Jeong Minji spread her arms wide as she faced the warriors of Dark Echo Valley.

From her sleeves, the Vermilion Bird Winged Blades slipped out and coiled around her body.

“Go!”

At her cry, the Vermilion Bird Winged Blades danced through the air.

Whirrrrrrr!

As the blades extended forward, the charging warriors of Dark Echo Valley flinched and ducked.

But the warriors behind them weren’t so lucky—they were struck by the blades and collapsed.

“The hidden weapons are spent! Attack!”

Hearing this, Jeong Minji raised both her arms to the sky. The Vermilion Bird Winged Blades, which had been launched, suddenly flared with a crimson light and burst into flames like fireworks.

Fwoooooosh!

The corpse where the Vermilion Bird Winged Blades had embedded ignited, and the flames quickly spread outward.

“Aaaaaargh!”

Screams erupted as the warriors engulfed in flames scattered in all directions.

Jeong Minji tightly shut her eyes and waved her hands.

The screams weighed on her heart, but she reminded herself this was war and forced her emotions under control.

The Vermilion Bird Winged Blades swept through the air with her every gesture.

Thanks to the Azure Dragon Three Marbles, the blades were lighter than paper, and through Yong Hwarin’s Millennium Cold Jade Water, her internal energy had greatly advanced—allowing her to control the blades up to a distance of ten jang.

Behind Jeong Minji, Mu Iso shouted.

“Don’t let a single one of them leave alive!”

Taking advantage of the chaos caused by Jeong Minji’s Vermilion Bird Grand Sky Technique, the Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect began slaughtering the warriors of Dark Echo Valley.

Mo Biyoung stood firm with her sword as dozens of enemies charged her.

There was no fear in her eyes.

She had already become one with her sword.

Having reached the realm of Sword Unification, Mo Biyoung raised her blade.

The onlookers suddenly felt as though hundreds of swords had appeared around her.

“Hooh… Incredible.”

Among the guests of the Heavenly Central Sect were quite a few renowned swordsmen.

Until just moments ago, they had been dissatisfied with Mo Biyoung taking the lead. But now, witnessing her attain the realm of Sword Unification, they rebuked themselves for their ignorance.

Shhhhwing!

With a single motion of Mo Biyoung’s blade, several heads rolled across the ground.

“At this rate, we won’t get a share.”

“Come on, let’s move. If we don’t contribute, we won’t be able to face Lord Yong.”

Worried their own exploits wouldn’t be noticed, the guests surged forward, trying to outpace Mo Biyoung.

“Anyone who dares raise a sword against the Heavenly Central Sect—I’ll personally escort them to hell!”

Mo Biyoung, now a flawless sword herself, shot forward like a bolt.

Jong Seok unleashed the Black Death God Light Poison Technique without restraint.

Thanks to the real combat experiences he’d had recently, his technique was nearing completion.

Boom! Baaaang!

At a single blast of Jong Seok’s palm force, allied warriors of the Dabie Sect dropped like flies, paralyzed by fear.

“That’s the Heavenly Poison Dragon! Watch out for the poison!”

At those words, Jong Seok shouted back.

“Poison arts aren’t something you can just avoid by being cautious!”

Instead, he charged directly into the enemy formation, unleashing poisonous palm strikes in every direction.

“Gyaaaaah!”

Watching his enemies explode with shrieks, Tang Cheolgi felt a surge of competitive spirit.

“Hmph! No matter what, when it comes to poison, the Tang Clan’s poison blades are supreme!”

Tang Cheolgi called out to the Fifty Venoms of the Tang Clan, who had arrived with him.

“This battle must show the world the terror of the Tang Clan! Let’s go!”

The Fifty Venoms smiled as they looked at the now dependable Small Sect Leader, who had finally matured.

As they scattered poison arts and hidden weapons with Tang Cheolgi at the center, corpses began to pile up rapidly.

Pang Giyok and Pang Cheollyeon also unleashed the Five Tigers Blade Art alongside thirty elite warriors of the Pang Clan.

The overwhelming momentum sent the Dabie Sect’s forces scattering like wolves before a tiger.

Yong Biyang observed the battlefield, then spotted the Sect Leader of the Dabie Sect—Hwang Sinjik—and began approaching him.

Following behind Yong Biyang were Yong Kijoong and The Greatest Sword Under Heaven.

“You bastard! Hwang Sinjik!”

Despite having numbers several times greater than the Heavenly Central Sect, Hwang Sinjik was in utter panic as his allied forces were being crushed mercilessly.

Only elite forces from the allied sects had been gathered for this assault, and in addition, warriors from the Demonic Cult and Dark Echo Valley had joined to form a massive army.

He had been confident that with such strength, they could even contend with one of the Nine Great Sects and still win.

‘Are they saying the Heavenly Central Sect can contend with the Nine Great Sects now?!’

He simply couldn’t comprehend the current battle situation.

Four major sects—Saryong Sect, Songcheon Sect, Dabie Sect, Iron Response Sect, and Muhuomun—had each attacked from different directions, but not one was gaining the upper hand.

Never had he imagined that just a few battles would make him realize that defeating the Heavenly Central Sect was impossible.

Just then, Yong Biyang approached with a murderous aura, causing Hwang Sinjik to flinch.

“You must really want to die, huh?! If you had stayed put, the Dabie Sect could have kept its prestige, but you went and dug your own grave! I told you again and again not to do anything you’d regret!”

“Kill him!”

Without saying another word, Hwang Sinjik ordered his subordinates to attack.

Dozens of them rushed to slay Yong Biyang.

But Yong Biyang cut through them with ease and continued forward.

Rather than attacking, Hwang Sinjik first thought of retreating.

However, when he turned around, he found that Yong Kijoong was already leading the warriors of the Heavenly Central Sect and had seized the rear.

Seeing them, Hwang Sinjik turned back and shouted toward Yong Biyang.

“Hmph! If you think you’ve won, you're gravely mistaken!”

Piiiieeeeeeeeek—!

As Hwang Sinjik blew the horn in his hand, a cloud of dust rose from beyond the horizon and warriors began to appear.

“You thought this was all the strength I had? I’ve hidden the rest to lure you in!”

Waaaaaaaah!

With a triumphant expression, Hwang Sinjik looked at Yong Biyang.

The warriors charging in from beyond the horizon were reinforcements mobilized by Eungjo.

Even at the sight of a force numbering nearly a thousand, Yong Biyang stood calmly, unmoved.

Seeing that, Hwang Sinjik jeered.

“Scared stiff, are you?”

Yong Biyang smirked.

“You thought you were the only one with a hidden card?”

“Nonsense! Don’t think I don’t know that half of the Heavenly Central Sect went to aid Sangmubo! Your bluff won’t work!”

Yong Biyang spoke to him coldly.

“Fool! Your misjudgment has brought the downfall of the Dabie Sect, which guarded Mount Dabie for so long!”

As Yong Biyang raised his hand, Yong Kijoong shouted.

“Fire the signal!”

At his words, the subordinates launched fireworks into the sky, and cheers erupted from Mount Tianzhong.

Waaaaaaaaaaah!

The Heavenly Central Flying Dragon Unit, which had been lying in wait at the base of Mount Tianzhong, burst out all at once and struck the rear of Eungjo’s forces.

The battle instantly devolved into complete chaos.

However, even in chaos, the disciples of the Heavenly Central Sect maintained distance and used Dragon Scale Finger to fire Large Needles, causing the Dabie Sect’s alliance to suffer the most casualties.

Furthermore, each disciple had taken an elixir made from Millennium Cold Jade Water, making them incredibly resilient.

Instead, the warriors of the Heavenly Central Sect felt themselves growing stronger mid-battle and fought with even fiercer resolve.

When even Eungjo’s reinforcements proved ineffective, Hwang Sinjik began scheming to escape.

Then his eyes fell upon a young woman fighting with a silk sash.

Though she was felling warriors with her silk ribbon, she still looked like a fledgling in Hwang Sinjik’s eyes.

And nearby, another youngster was swinging the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword.

“Break through the left flank!”

He believed the area where Seok Unjeong and Hae Cheollyeong were positioned was the weakest.

The Dabie Sect elites and Gocheok of the Saryong Sect all charged in that direction.

With retreat becoming a necessity, Gocheok threw away all pretenses and charged in first.

“Die!”

As Gocheok lunged to strike Seok Unjeong from behind, Hae Cheollyeong suddenly rushed in and blocked his sword.

Chaaang!

Due to lacking internal energy, Hae Cheollyeong was knocked back three steps.

“You’ll have to come with me!”

As Gocheok reached to seize Hae Cheollyeong as a hostage, Seok Unjeong’s Black Tortoise Tail Sword intercepted him.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Seeing Seok Unjeong trying to block him with a mere piece of silk, Gocheok scoffed.

As he brought his sword down toward the incoming silk, it twisted like a snake and wrapped around his neck before he could dodge.

Slice!

Seok Unjeong yanked the Black Tortoise Tail Sword wrapped around his neck, slicing a thin red line across it.

Just then, Hwang Sinjik arrived and slapped Gocheok on the back.

“Lord Go! What are you doing? This isn’t the time for games.”

Seeing Gocheok frozen mid-swing, Hwang Sinjik had assumed he was merely toying with the enemy.

Thud!

But Gocheok’s severed head rolled backward.

Stunned, Hwang Sinjik instinctively caught it, then screamed and hurled it at Hae Cheollyeong as he charged in.

But Yong Biyang stepped in front of Hae Cheollyeong.

“Cheollyeong!”

“Ah! Master!”

“Fall back.”

At Yong Biyang’s order, Hae Cheollyeong retreated.

With even his escape cut off, Hwang Sinjik felt despair creeping in.

He looked around desperately for So Yonghwa.

Among their remaining forces, So Yonghwa had the strongest background and highest martial skill—he was the only one Hwang Sinjik could rely on now.

But So Yonghwa was surrounded by Jeong Minji and the Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect, locked in combat with no way in or out.

“Tch…”

Hwang Sinjik lowered his sword without a word.

It was a gesture of surrender.

“Restrain him!”

At Yong Biyang’s command, Yong Kijoong sealed Hwang Sinjik’s acupoints and subdued him, causing the Dabie Sect’s guards who had been protecting him to go wild.

In a cold tone, Yong Biyang spoke.

“Kill anyone who does not surrender.”

At that command, the Violent Dragon Twin Swords and Deungae annihilated Hwang Sinjik’s personal guards.

As Hwang Sinjik looked at Gocheok’s severed head rolling on the ground, he turned his gaze northward.

The Iron Response Sect, which had attacked from the north, had the most elite troops—he placed a shred of hope in them.

Jeon Woong, the Sect Leader of the Iron Response Sect, had brought not just the sect’s warriors but also its elders—it was effectively the full force of the sect.

However, watching his elders and subordinates—his right and left arms—being cut down by the Heavenly Central Sect’s guests and elites, Jeon Woong ground his teeth.

But he couldn’t approach them.

Because standing before him, as if out of a painting, was a beautiful swordswoman holding a single blade.

“You must be Mo Biyoung, the Single Blossom of Yongjung?”

Mo Biyoung nodded.

“Heh… Who would believe that a mere expert of the Heavenly Central Sect could rival this sect leader in skill?”

Though they had already exchanged dozens of moves, he had yet to gain the upper hand over her.

“From now on, I must be very careful.”

Recently, he had mastered the Penetrating Art from the Iron Blood Saber Manual of the Iron Response Sect. He now intended to use it.

Jeon Woong raised his blade and infused it with all his internal energy, bringing it down upon Mo Biyoung.

His plan was to stir her internal energy with the Penetrating Art, then strike her neck while she was momentarily stalled.

He had deliberately refrained from using the Penetrating Art in their previous exchanges just for this.

Mo Biyoung raised her right hand to block the attack.

Toooong!

Their energies clashed with a strange sound. The Penetrating Art seeped into Mo Biyoung’s body.

“Guh!”

Failing to see through his technique, Mo Biyoung was struck by the Penetrating Art.

Her internal energy was thrown into disarray, blocking her flow.

In this state, forcing her energy would lead to Qi Deviation.

As a groan escaped Mo Biyoung’s lips, Jeon Woong angled his saber at her throat once more.

Even if she countered, the embedded Penetrating Art would only amplify the backlash.

At that moment, Mo Biyoung barely managed to activate the Left-Right Split Mind Technique she had learned from Yong Hwarin. She forced the invading qi to the right, redirected it into her sword, and blocked Jeon Woong’s saber by mixing her own energy with his.

Chaaaang!

Startled by the sudden rebound of his own Penetrating Art, Jeon Woong faltered as his internal energy was disrupted.

At the same time, blood spurted from Mo Biyoung’s lips.

It was the price of forcibly channeling the intruding qi into her sword using the Left-Right Split Mind Technique.

Jeon Woong also stiffened for a moment as he tried to dispel the technique.

‘You managed to block my Penetrating Art… but your recovery will be slower than mine.’

But as if mocking that very thought, Mo Biyoung reached out with her left hand and regripped the sword in her paralyzed right.