Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Bang!

A man hurled an object and roared in fury.

“So what am I supposed to do! Do I have to wander the Central Plains myself?”

On closer inspection, he did not seem young enough to be called a man. Judging solely by his appearance, he looked well past fifty.

Yet his massive, hardened physique made the old man appear as imposing as any warrior in his prime.

“B-Branch Leader, please calm down just a little…!”

Kwaaang—!

The old man swung his fist straight at the face of the one who had dared to speak. True to his size, his strength was tremendous.

As he watched his subordinate crash into the wall, the old man snarled.

“It’s already been two months! I was already furious about losing Kang Yongchong, and now we’ve let those bastards slip away too?”

The old man’s name was Poan, the Branch Leader of the Black Dragon Branch, a force wielding enormous influence in Shanxi.

Poan rampaged long enough to make the entire building tremble.

“It’s been two months since those sons of bitches humiliated us! And you’re telling me to calm down?”

Poan’s booming voice, rivaling a lion’s roar, shook the Black Dragon Branch to its core.

What Poan knew was this: the Shanxi Three Swords of the Black Dragon Branch had been defeated by someone whose name and appearance were completely unknown.

They had all been Master Level experts who represented the Black Dragon Branch. As if pouring oil onto a fire, news had spread that four of their Master Level experts had fallen, and rival forces were beginning to subtly pressure the Black Dragon Branch.

Of course, those men were not the entirety of the Black Dragon Branch’s strength, so such probing from others could be brushed aside as little more than petty antics.

What infuriated him far more was the fact that they could not trace the whereabouts of the one who had killed the Shanxi Three Swords.

It was true that word had been delivered claiming they would personally come to the Black Dragon Branch—but how many would believe that? Naturally, Poan did not.

That was why he had tried to track them down himself, yet they were nowhere to be found. The only thing he knew was that the blacksmith named Kang Yongchong—whom Poan had coveted—had helped them.

With his rage boiling over, he had immediately gone to find Kang Yongchong, intending to interrogate or torture him if necessary to extract information.

However, as if the world itself had erased him, there was not a single trace of Kang Yongchong to be found.

‘To be precise, it felt as if someone had deliberately wiped away Kang Yongchong’s traces. Damn it all!’

As matters stood, Poan’s temper grew ever more explosive, and there were now few among his close aides who could withstand the blaze of his fury.

By this point, his anger should have begun to subside, yet Poan’s rage showed no signs of diminishing.

While he was still unable to contain his temper—

One of the branch members approached him and spoke.

“B-Branch Leader.”

“What is it?”

His tone carried such killing intent that it seemed he would kill the man on the spot if the words proved trivial. The branch member hurriedly continued.

“It seems a guest has arrived. He said you would understand if he mentioned the Shanxi Three Swords….”

Grab!

Poan’s bloodshot eyes widened as he seized the man by the collar.

“What did you just say?”

“A-a guest….”

“No. After that.”

“He said you would understand if he mentioned the Shanxi Three Swords….”

Realizing he had not misheard, Poan let out a hollow laugh.

“Ha, haha… hahahaha!”

Soon, that laughter turned maniacal.

At that moment—

Kwaaaaaa—!

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Poan unleashed a terrifying aura that made the surrounding objects tremble, his fierce gaze blazing.

The branch member who had come to report had long since fainted after wetting himself.

Whoosh—

Poan suddenly returned to a calm expression and spoke.

“Those madmen. To willingly enter a tiger’s den.”

“Not particularly mad.”

“…!”

At the voice that came from behind him, Poan instantly grabbed the twin axes hanging at his waist.

“I came from the Unorthodox Alliance. Let’s have a brief talk.”

Though utterly bewildering, Poan re-hung his axes at his waist and turned around.

There stood Youngho, smiling faintly.

“Come outside first.”

As Youngho moved, Poan silently followed behind him.

Had others witnessed this scene, they would have been unable to hide their shock.

Poan’s behavior was completely unlike his usual self. But there was a reason he followed Youngho without protest.

‘An Absolute Master!’

The man before him seemed devoid of the martial presence unique to martial artists, as if he had never learned martial arts at all. Yet Poan found that very fact even more unsettling.

Since the man stood within his sensory range, he should have been able to feel his aura. All the more so if he truly had not cultivated martial arts.

And yet, Poan could sense absolutely nothing from Youngho—so much so that if he closed his eyes, he would not even be able to tell where Youngho stood.

Though within the range of his Qi sense, Youngho felt like an empty void. In that nothingness, Poan sensed an overwhelming gap between them.

Various possibilities began to flash through Poan’s mind.

If that man had swung an axe instead of speaking to him, what would have happened? If he had been an enemy—or an assassin targeting him—what then?

With ten chances out of ten, he would have died. He likely would not have even realized he was dead. That was the caliber of his opponent.

‘Wait… before he said he came from the Unorthodox Alliance….’

He had clearly said he was not mad.

‘But that was directed at someone else.’

…Could it be?

By the time Poan’s thoughts reached that point, they had already arrived at the training ground.

Youngho looked at Poan again.

“My name is Youngho. And yours?”

“Poan.”

Respectful speech slipped out of him instinctively. His opponent was an Absolute Master who surpassed even a Transcendent Peak Master like himself.

‘Then at the very least, he’s in the Transformation Realm!’

Despite his youthful appearance, he must have easily lived sixty years. That thought made it all the more perplexing.

‘Did the Unorthodox Alliance have someone like this? No… perhaps he recently underwent Bone-Marrow Reforging.’

Though countless assumptions spun through Poan’s mind, Youngho continued speaking as if none of it mattered.

“From now on, this is the Unorthodox Alliance’s affair. First, you as Branch Leader are to die without exception, and the rest will be spared or killed at our discretion.”

“…Pardon?”

Poan was no fool. He instantly realized what action of his had provoked the Unorthodox Alliance and was just about to take the initiative—

“Young Master. The Alliance Lord said there was another message to deliver.”

At Horyeung’s words, Youngho made a displeased expression.

“How troublesome… but since it’s Master’s command, it can’t be helped.”

Poan’s eyes widened in disbelief. In that fleeting instant, he had clearly attempted a surprise attack.

In a sliver of time split into dozens of fragments, just as he was about to swing his axe—

The young man who appeared to be around forty merely took a single step, yet Poan found himself unable to move, as if bound by a lie made real.

A chill crept down his spine. It had been only one step. Yet with that single movement, Poan’s innate domain as a martial artist had been invaded.

Had that man advanced even a little further in that state, Poan would have died without anyone noticing.

‘Is that one also a master of the Transformation Realm?’

It did not feel like coincidence that his domain had been breached. That meant the youth before him was likewise a master of the Transformation Realm.

It made no sense. Had they truly sent two masters of the Transformation Realm just to capture him?

While Poan stood unable to make any move, Youngho spoke.

“Oh, and if you shatter your own Dantian, they’ll spare your life and let you live out your days in the underground prison.”

“Kill them at once!”

At Poan’s shout, his subordinates—who had been on standby, sensing something amiss—immediately charged toward Youngho’s group.

Watching the branch members rush at them, Youngho spoke.

“Horyeung.”

“Yes.”

“This time, you take down the king.”

“Understood.”

Boom—!

The ground trembled, and in the same instant, Horyeung’s body form flashed like a streak of light and vanished. As the branch members searched in panic for him—

Kwaaang—!

An absurdly loud explosion erupted from behind them. Startled, they whipped around.

They stared with eyes wide as lanterns, mouths hanging open, as if they had just witnessed something impossible.

“N-no…?”

It was a situation utterly incomprehensible to them. It would have made more sense to believe they were dreaming.

Poan, the Branch Leader of the Black Dragon Branch, was kneeling on one knee, unable to suppress the blood surging up his throat as he coughed it out repeatedly.

Even as chunks of his organs mixed with the blood, even as he endured pain like his entrails were being torn apart, Poan kept his eyes wide open and focused on Horyeung.

‘The gap is this vast?’

With that single strike, he had realized it—the man before him was a master of the Transformation Realm.

And he could not accept it. That he had been defeated in a single move.

In truth, it was Poan’s first time facing a master of the Transformation Realm. Perhaps that was why he had underestimated that realm.

He had thought he could at least withstand thirty exchanges. But as seen before him, the result was utterly miserable.

Even though he had merely defended, his five viscera and six bowels were twisted, and a considerable amount of the internal energy stored in his Dantian had been consumed.

As Poan tried to rise, Horyeung met his gaze and spoke.

“I will ask you one question.”

“……”

Though he knew Poan was too focused on him to respond, Horyeung continued.

“Do you intend to surrender?”

“Uaaaaaah!!”

Poan’s Lion’s Roar, infused with internal energy, erupted so fiercely that it ruptured even the eardrums of his own men.

“Foolish.”

Poan charged at Horyeung with the speed of a lightning-like charge.

After watching briefly, Youngho turned to the others.

“Master told us to gather any documents, so let’s collect the documents.”

“Isn’t that what the cleanup squad is for?”

At Kang Chowon’s question, Youngho nodded and clicked his tongue.

“You’re right. What a nuisance.”

Meanwhile, Hyeon-gang ignored Youngho’s words and looked around nervously.

“I’m not going to die here, right, Young Master? Even if you haven’t formally accepted me yet, you did say I’d be the next Medical Hall Master?”

“Good grief, you talk too much… Don’t worry. I’ll protect you properly.”

On the other hand, Kang Hosan and Kang Chowon quietly followed behind Youngho, clearly shocked by Horyeung’s earlier display.

Kang Hosan was astonished at how Horyeung seemed like an entirely different person after reaching the Transformation Realm, while Kang Chowon felt a burning desire to reach that realm herself. Various thoughts crossed their minds—

“Even if I’m here, this is still enemy territory. Stay sharp.”

With that single remark from Youngho, they quickly regained their senses.

“It’s good to run toward a grand goal. But while running, you might trip over a stone. So remove the stone first.”

It was an enigmatic statement. Yet for some reason, Kang Hosan and Kang Chowon understood it.

“Now then, let’s head inside.”

Not a single person blocked Youngho’s group. Or rather, there was no one capable of blocking them.

Most of the branch members had fainted from Poan’s earlier Lion’s Roar, and even those who had withstood it had to devote their full strength to facing the monster called Horyeung.

‘It won’t be easy.’

Before coming to the Black Dragon Branch, Youngho had placed one restriction on Horyeung. It was merely a spoken promise, but still—

—Only use Sword Force if you’re about to die. If you use it otherwise, I won’t forgive you.

—Why is that? Isn’t the strength of the Transformation Realm found in Sword Force?

—If you rely too much on Sword Force, the precision of your techniques will dull. In short, if someone of equal level appears, you won’t be able to do anything and you’ll lose.

Horyeung had looked startled when Youngho pointed out something he had not considered, but soon nodded.

—That is certainly true.

Thus, when infusing internal energy into his sword, Horyeung resolved to manifest it only in the form of pure Qi rather than Sword Force.

‘In other words, he can use everything except Sword Force.’

Whether it be sword wind, sword qi, or sword aura—it was all permissible, so long as it was not Sword Force.

Thinking of Horyeung in the future, grown even stronger, Youngho hummed softly to himself.