Chapter 428 : Encounter at Sea

Chapter 428: Encounter at Sea

“Huk!”

Jeon Woong gasped as Mo Biyoung blatantly moved her left hand.

Mo Biyoung stabbed her sword through Jeon Woong’s ribs as he stared at her in shock.

“You wretched bitch!”

“Kuhk, I’ve resolved to become more ruthless than anyone… if it means protecting what's mine.”

Jeon Woong’s lips quivered as he felt the cold blade pierce between his ribs.

Then, his body collapsed to the ground.

Thud!

Jeon Woong’s death marked the beginning of the overwhelming defeat of the Dabie Sect alliance.

Sohyonghwa realized this quickly and tried to flee, but only after sacrificing one of his arms to Jeong Minji and Jong Seok was he able to break through the encirclement.

“You bastards won’t leave this place alive!”

It was none other than Jeong Suji who shouted, releasing a wave of chilling killing intent.

“This place will become your collective grave!”

“Daji, stay by your sister’s side and protect her! She’s clearly lost her mind!”

When Jo Gyeongmae shouted in concern, Jeong Daji shook her head.

“She really is out of her mind.”

As Jeong Daji engaged alongside Jeong Suji, the warriors of the Dabie Sect alliance fell like leaves in the autumn wind.

Jo Cheonsaeng, the Greatest Sword Under Heaven, faced off against the elders of each sect alone.

Though the elders of the sects under the Dabie Sect alliance were all masters renowned within their regions—

If they took action personally, it would have inevitably resulted in many casualties for the Heavenly Central Sect.

When the disciples of the Heavenly Central Sect began to fall due to them, Jo Cheonsaeng stepped forward to confront them himself.

“Come fight me instead. Leave the youngsters alone.”

At the appearance of the Greatest Sword Under Heaven, the elders tensed up.

They knew full well that none of them could handle him alone, so they formed a joint attack formation.

Their number neared fifteen. Internally, they thought that even against the Greatest Sword Under Heaven, they might stand a chance.

All of them had reached the Peak Realm, and a few had even stepped into the Supreme Peak. They thought this would make it worth attempting.

“Gahk!”

“Aaaargh!”

But within just a few swings of Jo Cheonsaeng’s sword, several were already dead, and the rest realized they had severely misjudged.

“Fighting a monster like that is nothing but foolishness!”

Some of the elders fled.

In the end, those who remained were left with no choice but to offer up their necks to the Greatest Sword Under Heaven.

On one of the retreat paths for the fleeing elders, Demonic Master and Deung Hwaun were engaged in battle.

The two were fiercely clashing against the warriors of Muhuomun.

They hadn't specifically tried to block the Dabie Sect alliance's retreat, but as the allied forces were being overwhelmed and scattered everywhere, they became isolated at the front.

Neither Demonic Master nor Deung Hwaun had imagined the Dabie Sect alliance would fall apart so easily.

“Let’s get out of here.”

As they tried to escape through the enemy ranks, they ran into the elders who had fled from Jo Cheonsaeng.

“If we kill you at least, we’ll feel a bit better!”

The elders, desperate to vent their frustration from their defeat, charged at Demonic Master and Deung Hwaun.

In an instant, five elders clashed with them.

If more enemies were to arrive, even escaping would become difficult, so Demonic Master said,

“Lady Deung, go on ahead!”

But Deung Hwaun didn’t budge and whipped her weapon from behind Demonic Master.

“I said go!”

Demonic Master yelled, and Deung Hwaun snapped back.

“No! And don’t you dare yell at me!”

Though she sounded angry, Demonic Master could feel her heart—she didn’t want to leave him behind.

Even in danger, he couldn’t help but smile at her because of it.

But the smile didn’t last long.

As more and more of the Dabie Sect alliance's warriors fled backward, Demonic Master and Deung Hwaun began to show openings.

“Urgh!”

Demonic Master finally staggered after taking a blow to his back. Deung Hwaun lashed out her whip and knocked two enemies aside as they tried to strike him.

Whack, whack, whack!

She flung the whipped bodies at other enemies and cleared the area around them. Then she looked at Demonic Master’s back.

The wound was deep.

“Be careful, will you?! You think you’re still in your prime?!”

Seeing the blood flowing from his back, she couldn’t help but yell in frustration.

Just then—

“Kill them!”

As warriors closed in from behind, someone dropped from a tree and slashed through the attackers' necks.

It was Dongoh.

And behind him, Hong Ahyool reached out a hand to them.

“This way.”

Deung Hwaun, relieved to see them, wrapped her left arm around Demonic Master’s waist and grabbed Hong Ahyool’s hand with her right.

Demonic Master wasn’t someone who would falter from a mere sword wound, but he didn’t dislike Deung Hwaun’s care, so he let her.

Dongoh lifted them both onto the tree and said to Hong Ahyool,

“I’ll take Brother Seok. You go with Lady Deung.”

Dongoh leapt away with Demonic Master to another tree, and Hong Ahyool and Deung Hwaun followed suit.

Just then, Cheong Geonmin, fleeing below, threw daggers at them.

Muhoumun, to which Cheong Geonmin belonged, was a secular offshoot of the Wudang Sect and had inherited several of their martial arts.

The throwing daggers he used now were the Seven-Star Daggers of Wudang.

The Seven-Star Daggers belonged to the same lineage as Wudang’s Seven-Star Sword and Seven-Star Fist—one of their advanced ultimate techniques.

The Sect Leader of Muhoumun had once made a name for himself with these daggers and earned the alias Seven-Star Leaf Daggers.

That legacy had now been passed on to Cheong Geonmin.

After a duel with Yong Hwarin long ago, Cheong Geonmin realized that his sword alone was insufficient and began training in the arduous Seven-Star Daggers.

He had sworn to kill Yong Hwarin with it—one could imagine the intensity of his training.

Seven daggers flew toward Deung Hwaun and Hong Ahyool.

Unable to block them all, Deung Hwaun chose to deflect only those aimed at Hong Ahyool.

She drew Hong Ahyool into her embrace and swung her whip.

Swish!

Using Tail of the Snake in the Wind and Rain, she spun her whip in the air to form a rotating barrier.

Ping ping ping ping!

Four daggers were deflected by the barrier, and two lodged themselves into the tree branch where she stood.

Thwack!

But one dagger still struck her in the side, deeply piercing her ribs.

“Khugh!”

Her lungs were likely pierced. Her breathing stopped for a moment, and her qi scattered.

The dagger’s imbued qi was wreaking havoc inside her.

“Ah!”

Deung Hwaun lost her balance and fell from the tree.

Hong Ahyool, who had watched her shield him with her own body, saw her plummet.

Seeing this, he instinctively screamed,

“Mother!”

Even as her mind blurred from the pain, Deung Hwaun looked up at him.

“Are you okay?”

Tears fell from Hong Ahyool’s eyes onto her face.

“My child, don’t cry. I’m fine.”

As he watched, Cheong Geonmin pulled out another seven daggers from his robes.

“How dare you—!”

Just then, Jong Seok rushed in and threw a poisonous palm strike.

He had recently taken great interest in Hong Ahyool, who often isolated herself in the Heavenly Central Sect.

Seeing her in danger, he ran into a battlefield swarming with enemies.

“Tch.”

Cheong Geonmin, well aware of the fearsome poison in Jong Seok’s strikes, chose flight over fight.

He retreated from the battlefield faster than anyone.

Muhuomun’s warriors followed him.

In the meantime, Hong Ahyool held Deung Hwaun in her arms.

“When did you find out?”

“When you were wounded at Heochang’s infirmary. I saw your chest wound while treating it.”

“Ah, you saw the tattoo. You remembered it all this time?”

“I didn’t have many memories with you, so I tried not to forget even the smallest ones.”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t bring myself to tell you I was your mother.”

Hong Ahyool wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.

She had too many thoughts, and didn’t know what to say first.

“Let’s get out of here first.”

At Demonic Master’s words, Hong Ahyool snapped out of it and quickly carried Deung Hwaun on her back.

In that moment, Deung Hwaun was experiencing something truly strange.

Though the dagger piercing her side caused her great pain, oddly enough, once she was on her daughter’s back, the pain seemed to fade, and a smile formed on her lips.

She was filled with gratitude for being able to share warmth with the daughter she had only been able to watch from afar.

And having never even embraced her son after seeing him, the overlapping regrets brought tears streaming down Deung Hwaun’s face.

Feeling her back becoming damp, Hong Ahyool gripped Deung Hwaun’s legs tightly.

As if to say she would never let go again.

After retreating, Cheong Geonmin regrouped the forces of Muhuomun.

“There are over a hundred dead, and seventy wounded.”

Hearing the report, Cheong Geonmin closed his eyes.

It meant that half of his clan’s elite force was dead or injured.

And it wasn’t as if they had even dealt a significant blow to the Heavenly Central Sect.

The fact that they had been overwhelmed so one-sidedly—he couldn’t help but feel furious.

“Are you saying we just have to retreat like this?”

The Dabie Sect alliance had been formed by those who held a grudge against the Heavenly Central Sect or Yong Hwarin.

The five sects, gathered under the pretense of revenge, had formed the alliance with the intention of erasing the Heavenly Central Sect from Murim.

Fearing their own strength might not be enough, they even roped in warriors from the Demonic Cult and Dark Echo Valley.

Yet even with that, they ended up in this state—it still felt unreal. Now, more than rage toward the Heavenly Central Sect, fear took precedence.

“Though this attack has failed, we cannot retreat like this. We must regroup the alliance’s forces and attack again.”

Despite his subordinate’s words, Cheong Geonmin felt only hopelessness.

Just then, someone approached and delivered a piece of news to Cheong Geonmin.

Upon hearing it, his sullen expression changed in an instant.

“Is that so? Truly? How fortunate.”

Turning toward the opposite side of the sky, Cheong Geonmin spoke to his subordinates.

“Rather than continuing a fight where there’s no gain, it would be better for us to break away from the alliance and act on our own.”

“What do you mean, sir?”

Cheong Geonmin bared his teeth as he replied.

“Word just came that Hoi Unkyung of the Heavenly Sea Trading Company and Namgung Yoo of the Namgung Clan are en route to the Heavenly Central Sect from the Southern Sky King’s Division.”

“Aren’t those two people quite close with Yong Hwarin?”

“Yes. Namgung Yoo has become a friend to Yong Hwarin beyond gender, and Hoi Unkyung has strong financial ties with the Heavenly Central Sect. They’re both important to him.”

“You’re planning to target them?”

“Exactly. Whether we take them hostage or kill them—if we get our hands on them, this expedition won’t be a total loss.”

Cheong Geonmin no longer intended to attack Yong Hwarin directly, who was beyond his control. Instead, he planned to vent his wrath on those around him.

“Tell our clan’s warriors to prepare to leave this place.”

“Yes, Young Sect Leader.”

Cheong Geonmin turned his head, watching the fleeing warriors of the Dabie Sect alliance.

His expression said he had nothing to do with them anymore.

Yong Hwarin chose the fastest route back to the Heavenly Central Sect—taking the river downstream.

But the stretch of river connecting to the Heavenly Central Sect from where he was had deep waters and many gorges, making it too dangerous for sailing.

Because of that, no boatmen operated in the area.

He had no choice but to find a boat himself and row it alone.

Just as he spotted a boat at the ferry and began to approach, someone else claimed it first.

Seeing the boatman smiling and holding a money pouch, it seemed the man had already bought the boat.

The man boarded with what looked like two subordinates.

With the only boat drifting toward the river’s center, Yong Hwarin didn’t have time to ask for permission and launched himself toward the boat.

As he leaped and neared the vessel, the man aboard ordered his two subordinates to row quickly.

The boat instantly slipped ten jang downstream.

Yong Hwarin tapped the river surface with his toes and flew again.

“Please wait a moment!”

Speaking mid-air while using movement arts, Yong Hwarin startled the rower, who stopped his hands.

Yong Hwarin’s body didn’t arc in a parabola but flew straight, landing on the stern of the boat.

The two subordinates, radiating killing intent, dropped their oars and gripped their sword hilts.

“Until I say otherwise, just row.”

At the man’s words, the two subordinates said nothing and resumed rowing.

The man quietly stared at Yong Hwarin.

Yong Hwarin clasped his hands and spoke first.

“I apologize. I acted rudely as I was in a hurry. May I ask where you’re headed?”

The man replied curtly.

“We’re heading downstream toward the river mouth.”

The river mouth was in the direction of the Heavenly Central Sect.

“I’m headed that way as well. Would you mind taking me aboard? I’ll pay you as much as you want.”

“If it were me, I’d use that money to find another boat.”

“I apologize. I’m short on time, so I ask for your understanding.”

After thinking for a moment, the man replied.

“I don’t need your money. But I do have errands for my subordinates, so I’ll briefly bring the boat ashore.”

“I have no complaints. Please do as you wish.”

Bringing the boat to shore, the man seemed to issue orders via telepathy to his two subordinates.

One of them glanced at Yong Hwarin, bowed slightly, and quickly disappeared from the area.

When only Yong Hwarin and the man remained aboard, the man spoke.

“Now you row.”

Yong Hwarin had never rowed a boat before, but he couldn’t refuse.

“Very well. However, I must ask for your understanding as I’m inexperienced with rowing.”

“For someone who runs atop water, rowing shouldn’t be a problem.”

As the man continued to speak curtly, Yong Hwarin shifted the conversation.

“May I ask for your honored name?”

Thinking the man was about his age, Yong Hwarin asked out of courtesy.

“It’s just a borrowed boat—no need to know my name.”

With such a firm rejection, Yong Hwarin thought the man might be angry.

“I understand.”

Yong Hwarin said nothing more and began rowing, infusing the oar with jin-gi.

The boat sliced through the water as if gliding.

‘What a coincidence.’

The man who had bought the boat was Eungjo.

And from the moment Yong Hwarin boarded the boat, Eungjo had recognized him.

As he watched Yong Hwarin row, Eungjo couldn't quite figure out how to interpret this unexpected encounter.

He hadn’t expected to run into Yong Hwarin like this.

Eungjo was on his way to Haun County, having postponed his involvement in the Dabie Sect alliance’s attack.

Like Yong Hwarin, he had also sought the shortcut to the Heavenly Central Sect via the river and secured a boat.

But he hadn’t expected Yong Hwarin to board it.

Now that he was facing him directly, Eungjo felt that he, along with just two subordinates, was insufficient to handle Yong Hwarin.

So, he had sent them ahead to regroup their forces at the river mouth and lie in ambush along the road to the Heavenly Central Sect.

Since he knew Yong Hwarin’s identity and Yong Hwarin didn’t know his, Eungjo began to think he could deceive and kill him.

‘Is this a chance the heavens gave me?’

Eungjo stared at Yong Hwarin with cold eyes.