Mount Sword Sect's Crisis – 2
But after briefly glancing at the fleeing allies, Seol pung turned his eyes back toward the tide of warriors rushing in like a storm surge.
It was only natural to run, but he didn't want to.
Suddenly, Je Won-yeong, who had been retreating, called out to him with a panicked face.
"Captain Seol pung?!"
Though he hadn't told Je Won-yeong, the truth was that the plan hadn't failed yet.
Because among the rushing enemies, Sak Muhun was surely hidden.
From the start, Hae Cheong-yeon knew it would be impossible for just them to cleanly dispose of three peak masters.
That was why—though he hadn't revealed it to Je Won-yeong, who didn't know Sak Muhun's true identity—the real plan was for the hidden Sak Muhun to assassinate the rest.
But that wasn't the only reason Seol pung didn't flee.
As he faced the tide of warriors bearing down on him, Seol pung recalled memories of the past.
Warriors surging from all sides, his home drowned in blood and flames, his mother clutching him while wounded, fleeing for his life, and his grandfather, bloodied and struggling desperately to hold the line.
Memories he never wanted to recall.
The reason Seol pung first came to the battlefield wasn't revenge or chivalry like the other squad members.
It was simply… because I wanted to run away.
Yes.
Seol pung wanted to run.
From his grandfather's dying wish for revenge, and from his own bloodline that even his grandfather never knew about.
Then, suddenly, he remembered the advice once given by Cheong-yeon's father, the Sword Saint Hae Un-baek.
"You already have everything you need to move to the next stage. But the reason you cannot break through the wall isn't your body, it's that there's a wall in your heart. I don't know your circumstances, but if you take a deeper look inside yourself, you'll find the clue."
He had seen right through Seol pung.
Though Seol pung always drove himself ruthlessly, training like a madman, deep down he feared the rise of his martial skills.
Because he knew what he would have to do once his martial prowess truly reached its peak.
It weighed on him unbearably, and it terrified him.
So he only wanted to live as Seol pung, Captain of Squad Seven of the Flying Dragon Thirteen. If that were possible.
But…
Seol pung also knew.
That if he never broke through the wall and stayed in place, he wouldn't even be able to continue as Captain of Squad Seven.
Though he had run to this place, in the end, he would lose everything that had now become precious to him.
So now he had to choose.
Would he stay here, forever running from fate? Or would he move forward, to protect what was dear?
And as long as he was a warrior, the answer had been decided from the start.
Seol pung looked at the surging wave of warriors with eyes more solemn than ever.
And he murmured like a declaration:
"I will… run no longer."
The next moment, the flood of warriors from the Justice Alliance swallowed him whole.
"Yaaaaaahhh!"
"Die!"
"Haaaap!"
In the storm of blades raining down from all sides, Seol pung first pushed aside the edge of a saber descending to split his head.
The strike went off at a slant, the warrior's upper body tipping forward off balance. Seol pung gave him a light push.
"Uh?!"
In the next instant, the warrior's body, without realizing it, flew into his comrades' path, impaled by their weapons.
Splurt!
"Guaaaah!"
As the warriors hesitated, stunned by the sight of stabbing their own ally, another warrior swung his axe—only to be flung unknowingly toward his comrades as well.
And he too blocked their weapons with his body.
Splurt!
"Guuhh!"
It was bizarre.
The warriors rushing to engulf Seol pung were somehow turned against each other, clashing in chaos.
But this was only the beginning.
The warriors near Seol pung were hurled again and again toward their comrades, as if swept by an irresistible current.
As if they were caught in a Dragon Fist Storm.
And this fight was completely different from Seol pung's usual ferocious, beastlike slaughter.
Another piece of Hae Un-baek's advice came back to him.
"Right now, your martial arts are excessively skewed toward movement. That isn't bad in itself, but movement without stillness becomes scattered. If you can grasp the mystery of stillness within motion, you won't just overcome the wall—you'll reach the next stage too."
Though Seol pung's feet stood rooted to the ground, unmoving, the warriors rushing at him were flung away in all directions, as if caught in a Dragon Fist Storm.
And that storm only grew stronger with time.
"Th-that's insane!"
Naeng Gu-eon, who had held back, driving the ordinary warriors forward, ground his teeth at the sight of Seol pung's growing power.
It seemed he would have to act himself.
If I just throw hidden weapons from afar, it shouldn't be too dangerous, right?
Though Seol pung was frightening, seeing him rooted in place gave Naeng Gu-eon confidence. He carefully advanced, hidden weapons ready.
Seol pung's eyes were closed as if in a trance, his storm of bodies still swirling.
Naeng Gu-eon aimed the stolen hidden weapons at Seol pung, pouring his internal power into them.
"You bastard… die!"
Whizz-whizz-whizz!
Four hidden weapons, charged with his full strength, shot toward Seol pung like bolts of lightning, far too fast for most warriors even to sense.
And Seol pung's eyes remained closed, seemingly unaware.
With a triumphant grin, Naeng Gu-eon watched the projectiles fly—
—only to freeze in horror as they turned back toward him.
Whizz-whizz-whizz!
"?!"
He couldn't even understand what had happened.
But understanding didn't matter now—he had to move or die by his own weapons.
"Damn it!"
As he tried to leap aside, a sharp sting flared in his lower body.
"Ugh?!"
Suddenly his strength drained, his legs giving out. He couldn't move.
"What… what's happening?!"
Panicked, he lifted his arms to block—
But realized he couldn't move them either.
"Uwaaaah?!"
His horrified scream was the last sound Naeng Gu-eon ever made.
The next instant, all four hidden weapons pierced through his chest and throat.
Thud!
"Guuhh!"
The surrounding warriors cried out in shock.
"Leader Naeng!"
"Le-Leader Naeng is dead!"
"Wh-what?! All the peak masters are dead?!"
As the warriors of the Justice Alliance fell into confusion, Sak Muhun—who had ambushed Naeng Gu-eon from hiding—once again slipped back among them.
And then he gazed at Seol pung, who stood there with a trance-like expression, summoning a human Dragon Fist Storm.
He had always been an extraordinary man, but today he seemed on a completely different level.
As though he were one of the true absolute masters of the martial world.
Yunnan Province, Mount Jianchang.
Once the headquarters of one of the Nine Great Sects, Jianchang Sect's stronghold had now become the main base of the Blood Demon Cult.
And there, seated comfortably in the sect leader's study, was Sa Hye-hyeolma Jeon Mu-gwang, the current leader and great hero of the cult, leisurely reading a letter sent by Jegal Jigang.
After finishing the letter, he smiled faintly, like a refined scholar, and then suddenly spoke aloud:
"So, the Justice Alliance has finally been exposed."
From the empty air, a voice replied:
"They held out longer than expected, my liege."
The Blood Demon chuckled and asked:
"So then, the seeds have been sown thoroughly?"
"Completely, my liege."
"Good. Then it's time to tidy things up. Take Cheok Gang and Sa Yu, and go."
After a pause, the voice returned, sounding slightly troubled:
"Just I alone would be enough, my liege. Especially asking me to take Cheok Gang, that mad boar of a man…"
At his subordinate's uneasy tone, the Blood Demon burst into hearty laughter.
"Hohohoho! Gi-eum, so even you find Cheok Gang troublesome? The reason I'm sending all three of you isn't for this mission, but because of the Sword Saint."
"…The Sword Saint, my liege?"
"Yes. It seems Jegal Jigang wishes to have the Celestial Sword Saint removed. He plans to send him toward the Justice Alliance. Now then, could you handle the Sword Saint on your own?"
The voice could not bring itself to answer in the affirmative.
Though the Sword Saint was not on the same level as his own master, the Blood Demon, he was still a master of a realm far higher than his own.
The Blood Demon smiled again and continued:
"Besides, this matter must be resolved openly, in front of the orthodox sects. That way Jegal Jigang won't be able to make excuses later. In truth, Cheok Gang is the more suitable one for this. I am sending you only to make sure he doesn't overstep."
When the Blood Demon finished, the voice—sounding weaker than before—responded:
"By your command. It shall be as you will it, my liege."
A moment later, the presence hidden in the shadows vanished, leaving the Blood Demon alone once more. He let out a sigh.
For he heard familiar footsteps approaching from afar.
They belonged to his daughter, Jeon Hee-geum.
She was his only remaining family, the one who had bound him to the Blood Demon Cult, and the precious daughter he had finally reclaimed.
Yet even though his beloved daughter was coming, his face was not bright.
Because he knew why she had come.
The Blood Demon waited a moment, and when Jeon Hee-geum reached the door, he opened it for her with invisible force.
There entered a beautiful woman who appeared no older than her thirties.
Her beauty hinted that she had been even more radiant in her youth. But as she looked at the Blood Demon, her eyes brimmed with tears.
The Blood Demon greeted her with a warm smile.
"Come in, Hee-geum."
But even at his gentle words, Jeon Hee-geum, still on the verge of tears, asked bluntly:
"Father, is there still no word of Yu-gyeom?"
At this, the Blood Demon sighed and answered:
"It's confirmed he left the Flying Dragon Corps, so he must be on his way. But perhaps he's taking time to settle his heart. The truth about Jianchang Sect and about you must have been a great shock to him."
Tears finally streamed down Jeon Hee-geum's cheeks.
"Father, if something happens to Yu-gyeom, I won't be able to go on living."
At that, the Blood Demon frowned slightly.
"Nonsense! The boy has already surpassed the peak realm. To you he may be just a child, but he is an accomplished master. What danger could possibly befall him? Soon we'll hear good news. So calm your heart. You wouldn't want to look haggard when you meet him again, would you?"
Consoled, Jeon Hee-geum wiped her tears.
Forcing a smile, she said:
"You're right, Father. When I see him again, I want to show him my best self. I'll devote myself to training."
But as she turned to leave, she suddenly paused and asked:
"I can… trust you, can't I, Father?"
At his only beloved daughter's question, the Blood Demon sighed inwardly and answered:
"Trust me. I will never deceive you again."
With those words, Jeon Hee-geum left the study.
When she was gone, the Blood Demon's face darkened with rare fury.
So it's true. With the accursed Ma blood in his veins, that brat is nothing but trouble from beginning to end.
Though Ma Yu-gyeom was his grandson, the Blood Demon had never intended to acknowledge him as blood—because he carried the hated blood of the Ma Clan, his enemies.
So from the moment he had found his daughter again, the Blood Demon had told her Yu-gyeom was already dead.
For a long time, Jeon Hee-geum grieved bitterly, but years later she slowly regained her strength.
Recently, she had even begun assisting her father in various tasks, and the Blood Demon had permitted it—that was his mistake.
While searching for information on her "dead" son, she discovered that he was alive and well.
And in an instant, the trust between father and daughter collapsed.
The Blood Demon had been forced to hastily change a planned meeting with the Martial Alliance Leader into a meeting with the Flying Dragon Thirteen Corps instead.
All of it was arranged just to bring that brat of the Ma Clan here…
And everything had gone according to his design.
It was he who had implanted the suggestion in Yu-gyeom, forcing him to learn the Blood Cult's martial arts and leave the Flying Dragon Corps. All of it had been by the Blood Demon's arrangement.
But then, the unexpected happened.
Yu-gyeom did not return to the Blood Cult as planned.
Instead, after leaving the Flying Dragon Corps, his whereabouts became untraceable.
Even Sa Hye-hyeolma Jeon Mu-gwang, famed for his serpent's wisdom, had never anticipated this outcome.
The Blood Demon regretted it.
He should have simply kidnapped the boy.
No—he should have killed him before Jeon Hee-geum ever learned the truth.
But now he understood.
Unless Yu-gyeom was found again, his relationship with his daughter could never be mended.
Having deceived her once, if Yu-gyeom's trail vanished completely, she would inevitably believe that he had killed him.
The Blood Demon stepped outside the study and fixed his gaze on a towering tree.
In an instant, the tree erupted into flames.
Whooosh!
In just a single breath, the tree was reduced to ashes, consumed by furious fire.
All from a single glare of the enraged Blood Demon.