Chapter 16 – Tomb of the Sword God (4)

Yu Hong-rip was bewildered, never imagining his attack would be blocked by such a brat.

“Shouldn’t a saber wielder fight another saber wielder, senior? I, the Northern Saber Hegemon Dragon, Paeng Won-jun, will be your opponent.”

As Paeng Won-jun spoke with a cold smile, Yu Hong-rip flared up and shouted loudly.

“Fine! I’ll deal with you!”

With that cry, Yu Hong-rip began to swing his saber fiercely. His strikes, infused with potent internal energy, were powerful enough to shatter boulders.

But Paeng Won-jun parried Yu Hong-rip’s attacks with ease, which meant his internal energy was in no way inferior.

“Haaat!”

Yu Hong-rip’s saber strikes, combining internal energy with the power of his formidable muscles, possessed the ferocious might of lightning.

Unleashing such attacks in rapid succession was Yu Hong-rip’s fighting style, yet Paeng Won-jun calmly blocked them all.

“What is this!”

The very fact that a brat who hadn’t lived half as long as him was fighting him on equal terms was a humiliation. Paeng Won-jun smiled at Yu Hong-rip and began to speak.

“Did you know, senior? The Seven Dragons and Five Phoenixes of today are completely different from the rising stars of the past.”

As he spoke, Paeng Won-jun infused even more power into his saber. Strands of saber energy coiled around his blade, twisting together to form a single azure aura.

Yu Hong-rip had suspected it, but he never truly believed Paeng Won-jun could wield a saber aura at such a young age.

To see someone in their twenties reach a level he had only achieved after thirty years of training felt like he’d been cheated.

“Here I come!”

Paeng Won-jun unleashed the Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain technique, bringing his saber down with immense force.

*Kwaang!*

“Keuk!”

Yu Hong-rip coughed up blood, likely from internal injuries caused by the massive impact. Paeng Won-jun seized the opening, swinging his saber powerfully and severing Yu Hong-rip’s head.

“You shouldn’t insult the Seven Dragons and Five Phoenixes with skills like these, senior.”

Paeng Won-jun wiped the blood from his Lion Saber as he gazed at Yu Hong-rip’s corpse.

Yu-jin was also looking at the body, his expression slightly stiff.

*’This generation of Seven Dragons is certainly strong. The problem is, the real ordeal is just beginning.’*

Yu Hong-rip’s true identity was that of a ‘herder’—someone whose role was to intimidate other martial artists and drive them deeper into Mount Hua.

He was a warrior dispatched by the mastermind of the plot here. Although he didn’t hold a high rank in their organization, he was still a saber wielder who had hidden his identity in the martial world for decades.

Paeng Won-jun’s skill in defeating such a man in just a few exchanges was incredible, but now that he had caught their attention, problems were sure to arise.

*’In the original story, their attack caused Kang Yong-hoon and his group to be separated.’*

Normally, Kang Yong-hoon would have had a fateful encounter after that, reached the Sword God’s tomb, and obtained the secret manual, but…

*’He’s already left with the others, so there shouldn’t be a problem.’*

And he himself had already retrieved the Sword God’s secret manual.

*’All I have to do is lightly deal with the attackers who are coming and give the mastermind who doesn’t know their place a little pat… easier than I thought, huh?’*

Yu-jin thought to himself and smiled.

***

“Yu Hong-rip is dead? And at the entrance?”

As the Third Elder of the Demonic Cult, Tak Un-jin, asked with a frown, the masked man before him lowered his head.

“Yes. Our subordinates report that he lost his life fighting the Northern Saber Hegemon Dragon, Paeng Won-jun.”

“To be taken down by brats like them… how absurd. I suppose there’s nothing to be done about low-ranking members.”

Though he said that, Tak Un-jin already knew how strong the rising stars of the Seven Dragons and Five Phoenixes were. Of course, he didn’t see them as a threat to himself.

“I wasn’t hoping they’d come, but this works out well. Mobilize the warriors of the Heaven-Defying Brigade and capture them. No matter the sacrifice, they must be taken alive. Their bodies are worth that much.”

“I will carry out the Elder’s command!”

The subordinate spoke and then vanished. Tak Un-jin returned to his work. Before him lay the corpses of numerous masters who had come to Mount Hua only to die in vain, submerged in a special liquid.

“The power of our cult is great. But mere strength is not enough to advance into the Central Plains. The Cult Leader may not approve, but this is the only way for our cult to move forward.”

Muttering to himself, Tak Un-jin raised both hands, and an ominous gray energy enveloped the corpses. But it was still incomplete.

“Truly difficult to create. But it is nearly complete. All that remains is to make good use of the bodies of the Seven Dragons and Five Phoenixes who are on their way.”

Having said this, Tak Un-jin gave a small smile. The day his and the cult’s long-cherished wish would be fulfilled was not far off.

***

“Whew!”

Paeng Won-jun let out a light whistle.

“Wow! What a magnificent view.”

Dang Geon-woo also exclaimed in awe at the grand harmony of nature spread before him.

“They say Mount Hua’s scenery is breathtaking, and it truly lives up to its reputation.”

It was a spectacle so majestic that even the cold Mo Yong-jin was moved to admiration.

What they were looking at was a massive canyon. Sheer cliffs, which could only be described as a creation of nature’s harmony, faced each other.

And between them, a fog so thick it obscured their vision moved with the wind like a living creature.

It made the canyon’s scenery appear all the more mystical, but also dangerous.

*’If we were attacked in a place like this, we wouldn’t even be able to find our bones.’*

While everyone else was marveling, Yu-jin sighed.

“The fog is thick!”

“I’ve never seen the fog this thick before…”

Je-gal Min furrowed her brow slightly. She had passed through this place a few times, but the fog had never been this dense.

Even with heavy rain, this felt unsettling. There was an inexplicable sense of artificiality to it.

***

Je-gal Min’s intuition was not wrong.

Atop both sides of the canyon, a group of shadowy black figures stood in a line.

They were the warriors of the Heaven-Defying Brigade, acting on Tak Un-jin’s orders.

They were currently suppressing their presence and concealing their killing intent, watching the group in the canyon below.

“The First through Twelfth Brigades are all in position.”

The Brigade Leader of the Heaven-Defying Brigade, Lee Hak, nodded at his subordinate’s report. His eyes were fixed on the group below, like a hawk spotting its prey from the sky.

“Attack.”

The warriors of the Heaven-Defying Brigade moved.

***

Je-gal Min spoke with a grim expression.

“This fog is too artificial. I think we have guests waiting for us.”

At Je-gal Min’s words, everyone’s face hardened.

“Attack!”

Before her words had even faded, countless warriors of the Heaven-Defying Brigade charged toward Yu-jin’s group. The party drew their weapons and swung at the approaching warriors.

Swords clashed against swords, and hidden weapons cut through the air. The movements of the ambushers, the Heaven-Defying Brigade, were those of highly trained assassins.

The enemy had superior numbers, but the group showed no signs of being pushed back. Everyone calmly faced the unidentified assailants.

Yu-jin watched the group with a composed gaze.

*’In terms of individual skill, our side is on a much higher level. I thought what they lacked was only experience in life-or-death combat, but they’re surprisingly adept in a real fight.’*

Just as Yu-jin thought, the Heaven-Defying Brigade warriors, realizing they were no match in one-on-one fights, formed four-man sword formations and began to press the group. And a few warriors rushed toward Yu-jin.

[You must protect Namgung Hwa-rin at all costs.]

Yu-jin sent a telepathic message to the four handmaidens who were about to move toward him. They hesitated for a moment, then returned to Namgung Hwa-rin’s side.

Without watching them, Yu-jin swung his sword at the four warriors charging him. Dozens of silver sword glints erupted, piercing through the bodies of the Heaven-Defying Brigade warriors.

“Argh!”

The warriors of the Heaven-Defying Brigade fell futilely, unable to even put up a proper resistance.

The light Yu-jin created was a technique too destructive for the Heaven-Defying Brigade warriors to block. Yet, they charged at him once more.

“Your movements are decent, but you chose the wrong opponent.”

The Heaven-Defying Brigade’s combat tactic against a superior foe was to preemptively block their movements, thereby sealing off their skills.

In other words, they would restrict the opponent’s range of motion and disrupt their breathing to prevent them from using their full abilities. However, against an absolute master like Yu-jin, it was meaningless.

“If there weren’t so many eyes on me, I could have killed you more easily. A bit of a shame.”

As he spoke, Yu-jin swung his sword again, cutting down four warriors in a single strike. The sword energy he unleashed didn’t stop at just slicing through their bodies.

*Kwaang!*

The sword energy exploded in the canyon. The immense impact caused the canyon wall to crack.

Yu-jin held his sword in his right hand and infused internal energy into his left. A black sphere soon formed in his left palm.

Without hesitation, Yu-jin threw the sphere.

*Kwakwakwakwang!*

A sudden roar erupted as one side of the canyon completely collapsed. Both the group and the Heaven-Defying Brigade warriors scattered in horror at the sight.

As luck would have it for the group, the Heaven-Defying Brigade warriors had moved toward Yu-jin, and the collapsed canyon completely blocked them off from the party.

“Young Master Kang!”

“Young Master!”

Namgung Hwi and Namgung Hwa-rin cried out in shock. The four handmaidens were equally flustered. It was impossible not to be, seeing Yu-jin suddenly surrounded by enemies.

They believed that no matter how inferior the individual skills of the Heaven-Defying Brigade warriors were, it was impossible to fight against such large numbers. However, the collapsed section of the canyon was too high to cross with movement arts.

It was then.

“Kuaaaargh!”

The desperate screams of the Heaven-Defying Brigade warriors reached their ears.

After lightly cutting down the warriors, Yu-jin shouted loudly so those on the other side could hear.

“You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll catch up soon, so please go on ahead!”

“But, Young Master!”

Namgung Hwa-rin cried out with tears in her eyes, but Yu-jin shouted once more to persuade her.

“Hwa-rin! Leave with the others. The canyon could collapse at any moment!”

As Yu-jin said, the canyon was on the verge of collapsing.

Namgung Hwi gritted his teeth, stepped behind Namgung Hwa-rin, and struck her pressure point, knocking her unconscious. He then handed her to the four handmaidens.

“Take good care of Hwa-rin! Everyone, follow me!”

As Namgung Hwi shouted and ran forward, the others reluctantly began to run as well. The handmaidens remembered Yu-jin’s final order, and in the end, Yeon carried Namgung Hwa-rin on her back.

Whatever the order, Yu-jin’s command was absolute.