Chapter 72 - The 'First' Gate of the Hellish Regular Exam (6)

A person who has lived their whole life throwing their weight around cannot suddenly bow down. Furthermore, if the other party was someone who used to bow earnestly to them, they would feel a sense of betrayal rather than lower their head.

But even so, I didn't expect him to send the supreme experts he hired over to our side at such a critical time.

'How stupid.'

While I was thinking about the second task I had requested of Haomun, Han Geumtak of the Windless Demonic Rod unraveled a transparent thread from his demonic rod and spoke.

"This is why quick-witted brats are no fun."

Han Geumtak's specialty was blurring his opponent's line of sight with his threatening demonic rod while moving an invisible thread and needle independently of it, hooking the opponent's body before they even realized it.

I sheathed the Black Dragon Sword and said.

"Don't you need to follow your employer?"

"The Gyeryong Merchant Group has already prepared more military force than needed for their targeted stronghold. And that's not something for you to worry about right now."

"What did the Merchant Group Leader order you to do with us?"

"He asked us to bring him one right arm and a Dantian. If that isn't feasible, he said we could cut off your heads."

"Isn't that too cruel, even for free warriors?"

"Who knows. We just make sure to do the work we're paid for."

While we conversed, the distance between us gradually closed.

I spoke to the three brothers.

"Yeon Chu-ak of Yama's Axe is known for having incredibly strong downward strikes with his axe. Maintain your sword array, disperse his strength as much as possible, and think about how you can win."

"..."

"..."

Practitioners are able to devote themselves even more to their training when they confirm their own improved level. Just like that, I handed Yeon Chu-ak over to the three brothers.

The kids, experiencing real combat for the first time, were trembling in fear, but their eyes did not cloud over.

I kicked off the ground and simultaneously unfolded the World-Traversing Lone Footwork, closing the distance between the three men and me in an instant.

"Hup!"

"What...!"

"Damn it!"

At the same time, I executed the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist, creating nine fist forms in the empty air.

BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!

Han Geumtak and Dam Cheolgak frantically swung their signature supreme arts and retreated, while Yeon Chu-ak deflected the fist forms with his axe and naturally turned sideways to rush at the three brothers. The confrontation setup I wanted had been created.

"Careful!"

Along with my words, I executed the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist once more and concentrated nine fist forms onto the two of them.

CLANG! CRASH!

From within Dam Cheolgak's sleeves, a Turtle Shell Hand, shaped similarly to a turtle's foot, shot out and struck the fist forms. Han Geumtak retreated frantically to widen the gap, but the more he did, the closer I stuck to him without letting the distance grow.

"Damn it!"

Knowing that Han Geumtak needed distance, Dam Cheolgak dug in between the two of us. Just as the distance widened and Han Geumtak was about to swing his demonic rod to control the fishing needle...

"You aren't the only one who uses Heavenly Silkworm Thread."

"Keugh, since when?!"

I recovered the Flying Dragon Claw that I had embedded in Han Geumtak's chest along with my fist forms, lifting him into the air in a semicircle before slamming him into a rock.

SMASH!

"Gah!"

He truly lived up to standing on the boundary between the First-Rate and Peak Realms. Though his nose was smashed and his face was scarred, Han Geumtak had offset the impact in that brief moment and pulled out the Flying Dragon Claw embedded in his chest.

"Bastard! You're even more despicable than the rumors say."

"What rumors?"

"Didn't they say 'Black Flame' refers to despicable thoughts?"

"... It means thoughts as deep as pitch-black darkness..."

"Shut up!"

I already disliked that moniker, but having it interpreted like that made me hate it even more.

"I'm going to tell on you to the Peak Master of the Four Emperors Peak later."

I drew the Black Dragon Sword and immediately poured out the Twin Heaven Sword Art.

Illusionary swords and shifting swords filled the space between the two men and me, starting to blur their vision.

Dam Cheolgak, who initially tried to strike away every sword visible before him, realized there were illusions mixed in and began concentrating on deflecting only the real swords.

Han Geumtak finally swung his demonic rod, whipping the fishing needle in erratic directions.

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!

Every time the Black Dragon Sword and the Turtle Shell Hand clashed, the air exploded. The moment the invisible fishing needle tried to hook my nose, I executed the Taiyi Eighty Thousand Divine Steps and retreated.

"Aaaagh!"

At the same time I retreated, the Flying Dragon Claw I had stealthily embedded in Dam Cheolgak's chest pulled taut, delivering a surge of pain to him.

"Since when?"

"When you focus on one thing, it's naturally hard to see the rest."

I unleashed the phantom steps of the Taiyi Eighty Thousand Divine Steps, dodging the fishing needle while ripping out the Flying Dragon Claw with all my might.

RIP!

Along with the sound of flesh being torn away, a massive, fist-sized wound opened up on Dam Cheolgak's chest.

"Keugh."

Blood poured out like a waterfall, quickly soaking his martial robes crimson.

The moment Dam Cheolgak pressed a hand against his wound, I reached out with my left hand and activated the Jade Dragon Bracelet.

"What is this!"

Perhaps because his vital essence was sucked away by the Jade Dragon Bracelet, the bleeding quickly stopped, but the wound rapidly began to necrotize instead. In that chaotic moment, I unleashed the Twin Heaven Sword Art at the rushing Han Geumtak and the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist at the retreating Dam Cheolgak.

BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

Illusionary swords and fist forms scattered everywhere, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.

"Cheolgak! Are you okay!"

Han Geumtak searched for Dam Cheolgak through the hazy dust, but Dam Cheolgak gave no answer.

The moment I saw Han Geumtak's silhouette, I executed the Taiyi Sword Emperor's ultimate profound art, the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art.

Looking at the three swords floating in the air, Han Geumtak furrowed his brows and let out a sneer.

"Is that all there is to your damn illusionary swords!"

Han Geumtak swung his demonic rod in all directions to meet the sword forms.

It was a procedure to verify which were real swords and which were illusionary swords.

However, none of the illusionary swords disappeared even after being struck by the rod's wind.

"Wh-What!"

The sword forms he thought were illusions were all real.

Having wandered in search of the real swords to conserve his strength, he ultimately failed to distinguish between the real and illusionary swords and belatedly pulled his body back.

But the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art already erupted against his body.

SLASH-SLASH-SLASH!

Two shallow wounds pierced both shoulders, and one deep wound slashed across his torso.

Han Geumtak squeezed out his final bits of true qi and shot out his demonic rod and fishing needle.

SWISH! TING!

However, the fishing needle, which passed through the afterimage left by my phantom steps, flew a little further before hitting a rock and bouncing off.

"Huh, how..."

Standing behind Han Geumtak, I spoke.

"There's a saying among our Minor Orthodox Unit members: Being fooled once is a mistake, being fooled twice makes you a fool, and being fooled three times makes you an absolute idiot."

Han Geumtak turned his head, his eyes trembling violently as if he had seen a ghost.

"This is... the level between Second-Rate and First-Rate?"

As if to answer his hollow words, the Black Dragon Sword moved.

Illusionary swords and real swords filled the reflection in his pupils.

"You despicable bastard..."

The greatest compliment one could hear in the middle of a battle. I lightly expressed my gratitude.

"Thanks for the praise."

* * *

After taking care of Han Geumtak and Dam Cheolgak, I headed to where the three brothers were.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG! CRASH!

The three Geum-eun-dong brothers were desperately fighting Yeon Chu-ak.

Although they had sustained many small wounds here and there, they were deflecting Yeon Chu-ak's axe as much as possible, just as I had told them, while fully utilizing the advantage of their sword array to stall for time as they fought.

"Damn it! You wretched bastards!"

Yeon Chu-ak's attacks were continuously blocked, and conversely, the three of them aimed for those openings to attack little by little.

The only regrettable thing was that even when an opportunity to attack arose while executing the sword array, they hesitated and couldn't finish it.

"How long are you going to keep fighting?"

"Eldest Senior Brother!"

"Senior Brother!"

As the three brothers called out to me, Yeon Chu-ak began to pay attention to me.

"Already? How the hell did this... Damn it!"

Yeon Chu-ak, whose attention was divided by me, showed an opening.

Geumpyo thrust his sword but hesitated, and Eunho stepped in to block Yeon Chu-ak's axe instead.

"Dam Cheolgak! Han Geumtak!"

Yeon Chu-ak called out to the two men, but they did not answer.

And the moment he kicked off the ground to flee, seemingly having made his decision...

I soared up with him and poured the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist upon him.

BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!

Taking the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist with his whole body in midair, Yeon Chu-ak was slammed into the ground. The three brothers quickly formed their sword array around him again.

However, their prowess from training wasn't showing. Even though they had internal energy to spare thanks to their moving cultivation, they couldn't press the attack.

The gap between real combat and training was showing.

"Will you only fight properly when one of you gets his arm cut off and his Dantian shattered?"

"..."

"..."

Snapping back to their senses, the three brothers' swords turned fierce. Yeon Chu-ak's speed was gradually slowing down.

CLANG.

Eunho, who had the most internal energy, created an opening in Yeon Chu-ak's guard. Geumpyo thrust his sword in.

'But it's shallow.'

Killing a person is not such an easy task. Even while attacking an opponent harboring hostility, one instinctively hesitates.

In the end, just as I was about to swing the Black Dragon Sword, Dongryong's eyes dyed red as he charged out from between Eunho and Geumpyo.

At the same time, killing intent poured out from Dongryong's body—an amount that could not possibly explode forth from someone his age.

"Uwaaaagh!"

Overwhelmed by the suddenly erupting killing intent, Yeon Chu-ak's face turned white.

'Could it be...'

While I was momentarily dazed by Dongryong's state, Dongryong landed one last, massive wound on Yeon Chu-ak's body.

"That's enough."

As I pressed my sword against Yeon Chu-ak's neck, the bodies of the three brothers and Yeon Chu-ak all froze, everyone panting heavily.

Drenched in sweat, misty steam rose up from their entire bodies.

"Haa, haa, haa."

While Geumpyo and Eunho caught their breath, Dongryong was still staring at Yeon Chu-ak with eyes full of killing intent.

Yeon Chu-ak was more terrified of Dongryong than of me holding a sword to his neck.

"Withdraw your killing intent, Dongryong."

"... Ah? Yes."

No sooner had I finished speaking than Dongryong's eyes returned to their usual bright state, and at the same time, as if the tension had snapped, he began panting heavily.

"S-Spare me!"

I looked down at Yeon Chu-ak as he begged for his life.

"Didn't you come to kill us?"

"I-I only did it to make some money. I don't hold any personal grudge against you!"

"Would you have accepted this commission if we were the Wudang Sect instead of the Taiyi Sect?"

"..."

CRACK!

"Kuaagh!"

Without hesitation, I crushed Yeon Chu-ak's arm into powder and simultaneously shattered his Dantian.

"Gah!"

Suffering deep internal injuries, Yeon Chu-ak spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Remember this. If anyone carelessly points their sword at the Taiyi Sect in the future, their end will not be a good one."

* * *

"..."

"..."

While having our late-night meal, Geumpyo and Eunho were sullen.

On the other hand, completely unaware that he had emitted tremendous killing intent toward Yeon Chu-ak earlier in the day, Dongryong was eating several bowls of porridge made from rice and jerky, saying it was delicious.

When I subtly exuded killing intent, the bodies of the three brothers holding their spoons flinched.

"!"

"!"

"!"

However, they didn't convulse and back away. They were already experiencing no discomfort while using their moving cultivation.

As I chuckled at the sight, Geumpyo cautiously opened his mouth.

"I apologize, Senior Brother."

"For what?"

"For what happened earlier."

Was he still thinking about that?

"We should have ended it quickly. In the end, we had to borrow your hand, Senior Brother..."

"Murder is not that easy. I think it's impressive enough that you didn't break out of the sword array in order to protect each other."

"... But still."

"Anyway, in the end, it was the three of you who defeated Yeon Chu-ak, wasn't it? I just finished him off."

Only then did the three brothers' faces gradually brighten up.

"Senior Brother, since we defeated those three men, won't Merchant Group Leader Gye Yeonseok send more people after us now?"

At Eunho's words, Geumpyo and Dongryong gulped down their saliva.

"There is no need to worry about that."

"Pardon?"

"I told you I asked Haomun for two favors."

"One of them was to track Merchant Group Leader Gye Yeonseok."

I nodded and said.

"That's right. And the other was to pass information to the stronghold they are targeting."

Using his wealth, Gye Yeonseok had selected the stronghold with the smallest force among those designated by the Murim Alliance.

The Saho Stronghold located near Fuyang, Zhejiang Province.

Except for their leader and vice leader who had learned martial arts, it was a stronghold with no notable experts.

I had news delivered to them.

Now that they knew the Gyeryong Merchant Group's escort warriors and free warriors were targeting them, the Saho Stronghold might band together with other strongholds or even request help from one of the Seventy-Two Strongholds of the Green Woods.

"Th-Then what happens?"

"The Seventy-Two Strongholds of the Green Woods are practically off the scale. They aren't a place that a mere Academy applicant could take on just by bringing a hundred warriors."

The Seventy-Two Strongholds of the Green Woods boasted a scale and force that was remarkable even among the thousands of large and small strongholds scattered throughout Jianghu.

A single stronghold was no different in size from a single sect, and though they were a ragtag bunch, they had all learned a snippet of martial arts, so even warriors from prestigious noble clans would often take a detour to avoid these strongholds.

"Then..."

"If the Saho Stronghold is smart, the Gyeryong Merchant Group won't even be able to recover their corpses, and if they're foolish, they'll at least manage to recover the bodies."

"Ha..."

Hearing my words, the three brothers dropped their jaws.

"... Senior Brother, you really are a terrifying person."

Trembling once, Geumpyo shook his head.

I chuckled at him.

"That is simply the nature of Jianghu."

Having envisioned a rainbow-colored future in Jianghu, the guys were speechless for a while, as if crushed by the weight of the cold-blooded reality of Jianghu they were facing for the first time.

Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, Eunho spoke.

"... It really seems like people gave you a fitting moniker, Eldest Senior Brother."

"... What was that, punk?"

"Hahaha."

Before I knew it, the three brothers were sitting side by side, smiling.

Eunho asked me.

"Ah right, Senior Brother, then which stronghold are we going up against? You said Merchant Group Leader Gye Yeonseok found the weakest one."

As I poked the campfire with a piece of kindling, embers scattered in all directions.

"It's the Ssangmak Stronghold, one of the Seventy-Two Strongholds of the Green Woods."

"..."

"..."

"..."

* * *

While Eunho and Dongryong laid down and prepared to sleep, I approached Geumpyo, who was standing guard.

"Senior Brother, your joke earlier went too far."

"Hmm? What joke?"

"... Is the Ssangmak Stronghold really our target?"

"Since we started late, there aren't many strongholds left for us."

"... No, even so... Phew... Never mind."

Geumpyo let out a long sigh.

"More importantly, you aren't sleeping... What are you doing?"

"Geumpyo."

"Yes."

"Don't be surprised and listen to me."

"... Hearing you say that makes me even more anxious, Senior Brother."

Turning my head toward the campfire, I saw Dongryong curled up tightly to avoid the pranks of Eunho, who was lying next to him.

"About Dongryong. I think he might be the Star of Heavenly Slaughter."

"... Mmph!"

Geumpyo's eyes, his mouth clamped shut by my hand, were twitching violently.