Chapter 160 – Rebellion (4)

“Ugh-euph!”

Overwhelmed by excruciating pain, Jin Yu-cheong tried to struggle, but with Han So-un pinning him down, he could only writhe violently.

Regardless, Yu-jin stared into his eyes, and Jin Yu-cheong’s mind completely shattered. There would be no coming back for him.

Looking at the broken man, Yu-jin asked for the information he wanted, and Jin Yu-cheong faithfully answered every question to the best of his knowledge.

“Kill him.”

Once he had all the answers he needed, Yu-jin gave the order, and Ran swiftly swung her short sword, beheading Jin Yu-cheong.

“I really hate it when insignificant cockroaches run rampant. They should spare a thought for the one who has to clean up.”

“I know, right? We should clean up quickly.”

Eun Seol-rin quickly chimed in, agreeing with Yu-jin. Soon, Yu-jin and the women vanished, leaving the numerous corpses behind.

They reappeared at a location overlooking the rebel army’s main camp.

“Master.”

Hwa Un-wol smiled brightly and rushed into Yu-jin’s arms, and he embraced her in return.

If he had his way, he would have thrown her down and ravaged her right then and there, but now was not the time. Yu-jin looked down at the main camp of the rebel forces, pondering how to announce his presence.

* * *

Elder Nam Gun-yeong, who had led the rebellion against Yu-jin, was enraged by the news that the hundred or so warriors stationed around the castle in Fujian Province had been killed.

“Didn’t you say no one was making a move?!”

At Nam Gun-yeong’s shout, Jung Mo-won, the commander of the Heavenly Sword Brigade, couldn’t say a word. He had clearly reported that no one from the True Dragon Sword Clan was coming, so in light of this outcome, he had no excuse, even if he had a dozen mouths.

“Now is not the time for anger, Elder. It seems the True Dragon Sword Clan secretly dispatched a small elite force. If so, it’s understandable that the Heavenly Sword Brigade’s commander failed to detect them.”

As Elder Lee Jun-yong spoke with a calm expression, Nam Gun-yeong reined in his anger and nodded.

The True Dragon Sword Clan certainly had many powerful elite units capable of moving stealthily, away from prying eyes. For them, deceiving the Heavenly Sword Brigade’s intelligence network wouldn’t have been difficult. After all, the Heavenly Sword Brigade wasn’t an organization that specialized in information gathering.

“Besides, a small elite force can’t defeat us anyway. Haven’t most of the sects in Fujian Province already gathered, forming a force of nearly fifteen hundred men?”

Just as Elder Lee Jun-yong said, all the surrounding sects had joined the rebellion. In other words, they had succeeded in gathering a force equivalent to about thirty percent of the True Dragon Sword Clan’s strength.

That was a considerable force. For that reason, Elder Nam Gun-yeong was able to completely calm his anger.

It was then.

*Vwooom!*

A powerful wave of energy resonated throughout the entire main camp. The warriors who had reached the Peak Realm or higher felt their hearts sink.

It was a chilling sensation that shook them to their core, a powerful and terrifying aura the likes of which they had never felt before. And that potent energy violently rattled their very souls.

“What in the world is this…”

Elder Nam Gun-yeong muttered, his face scrunching up. As one who had reached the Transformation Realm, he felt a much stronger impact than the others. If he hadn’t instantly raised his ki, his heart meridians would have suffered a severe blow.

“Who is doing this?”

While they were in this state of confusion.

“You apostates who refuse to obey me and wish to break free from the True Dragon Sword Clan’s embrace!”

“This voice!”

The owner of the booming voice that echoed through the main camp was a name well known to Elder Nam Gun-yeong and everyone else gathered here.

It was none other than Kang Yu-jin, using the Azure Dragon’s Roar to broadcast his presence in all directions.

Nam Gun-yeong’s face hardened.

He had anticipated that the True Dragon Sword Clan would send warriors. But no one had ever imagined that the one leading this small elite force would be Kang Yu-jin himself.

“Umm…”

The elders and other warriors, who knew of Yu-jin’s decisiveness and cruel nature, were seized by fear. Even as they trembled, Yu-jin’s shout continued.

“There will be no mercy for you! There will be no negotiation! I will not accept your surrender! Today, I will show the world what happens to those who defy me! So fight! Fight desperately against me until you die!”

The elders were left speechless by Yu-jin’s words, a declaration that he would absolutely not let them live and that they should fight with all their might.

It was an incredibly arrogant proclamation, but they knew all too well that Yu-jin always kept his word.

Just then, Elder Nam Gun-yeong spoke.

“There is no need to be afraid. No, this could even be a blessing in disguise. If we kill that villain here today, this will all be over. His martial prowess may be absolute, but he cannot defeat our fifteen hundred men.”

Reassured by Elder Nam Gun-yeong’s words, the other elders and warriors nodded.

“Now, let us go subjugate the villain.”

Elder Nam Gun-yeong stroked his sword and rose from his seat. But then, something else happened that startled them once again.

*KABOOM!*

“Kuaaaargh!”

A tremendous explosion erupted, followed by the desperate screams of men.

The elders and the commanders of the combat units hurriedly rushed out. Something terrible was clearly happening. And it was at the hands of the very man they were opposing, Kang Yu-jin.

* * *

Having declared that he would grant death to all his enemies, Yu-jin smirked as he stared down the rebel forces’ main camp.

Their numbers were greater than he had expected, but it wasn’t enough to wipe the smirk from his face.

At Yu-jin’s declaration, a look of terror appeared on the warriors’ faces, and they grew flustered. It wasn’t as if they were unaware of Yu-jin’s cruel nature. Since he had made such a proclamation, he would most certainly keep it.

“Now then, shall we begin?”

Yu-jin smiled faintly and leaped from the mountainside, with the women following close behind. It was a drop of about thirty jang, but neither Yu-jin nor the women jumped with any hesitation.

The height was a bit much for Ran, but Han So-un gave her a hand, allowing her to land safely as well.

“It’s… it’s the Young Master!”

As a few warriors who recognized Yu-jin cried out, fear of him spread like wildfire. They were already terrified by the fact that they had opposed him, and now he had appeared in person.

They didn’t dare raise their heads. Yu-jin smiled faintly and unleashed his aura, which rose like a tidal wave and engulfed the warriors. They felt their bodies grow heavy and their breath catch in their throats.

“Let’s start with a light warm-up.”

Yu-jin smiled faintly and channeled his ki. In that instant, thirteen wings of light unfurled from his back. He looked just like a celestial god, and the warriors could only stare at him with blank faces.

“My, my, it’s troublesome if you don’t even try to resist.”

Yu-jin had sworn to show them what true terror was on this day. But it was problematic if his opponents were going to be like this. Thus, Yu-jin withdrew the aura that was pressing down on them.

Then he aimed his hand at one man. An incredible suction force immediately pulled the warrior toward him.

“Keuk!”

The warrior, caught by the throat, struggled violently, but he couldn’t break free from Yu-jin’s grasp. Yu-jin looked at the man with a smile and spoke.

“Your comrades who have already departed are waiting for you, so you won’t be too lonely.”

*Crack!*

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu-jin snapped the warrior’s neck, and the man’s life came to an end. Having disposed of one person so easily, Yu-jin tossed the corpse aside and looked at the other warriors.

“Do you pieces of trash really think you can defeat me just by gathering together? It would be better for you to just die by my hand right now.”

At Yu-jin’s continued mockery, the rebel warriors finally erupted in anger. Even a cornered mouse will bite a cat.

Faced with a Yu-jin who offered them no room for compromise, they had no choice but to be furious. Their anger instantly transformed into fighting spirit, and that spirit began to press down on Yu-jin.

“Yes, this is more like it. Now you’re worth fighting.”

Yu-jin smiled faintly, and with his wings of light active, he shot forward. The group of rebels at the forefront charged at him.

Separately from Yu-jin, the women moved to their predetermined positions and began their own attacks.

“Now, let’s begin in earnest!”

As the thirteen wings of light swung, each wing became a spear, piercing through the warriors.

“Kuaaaargh!”

The warriors fell with desperate screams. In the blink of an eye, a dozen men were dead.

But Yu-jin moved the wings of light with an unfazed expression. The warriors swung their sword qi and saber qi at the wings, but the wings simply deflected them and swung back with even more terrifying force.

*BOOM!*

With a massive roar, warriors were sent flying, reduced to bloody pulps.

“Is this all you’ve got?! At this rate, you won’t even be able to leave a single scratch on me! Come at me like dogs! Otherwise, not even your souls will find salvation!”

Yu-jin shouted loudly as he swung his wings of light. The warriors who charged forward, braving death against that immense power, lost their lives in an instant.

In the face of the overwhelming power of the wings of light, the martial arts they were so confident in were useless. Countless warriors rushed to stop him, only to be struck by the wings and have their entire bodies shattered before they could even get close.

“Die!”

One warrior exploited a gap in the wings of light and rushed toward Yu-jin. Since all the wings were striking other warriors, an opening had inevitably appeared, and the warrior targeted it precisely.

Moreover, he seemed to be a fairly strong warrior, as a faint but distinct sword force coated his blade. He brought the sword down with all his might.

*’I’ve got him!’*

the warrior thought. Without the wings of light to protect him, Yu-jin wouldn’t be able to block his attack.

But in that instant, a dark green flame formed in front of the warrior and immediately enveloped him.

“Kuaaaargh!”

The warrior screamed in agony as his entire body burned. He frantically rolled on the ground to extinguish the flames, but they wouldn’t go out. No, they raged even more fiercely, turning the warrior completely to ash.

“Hmm, I’ll praise you for being quite impressive. But it’s a problem when you underestimate me so much.”

Yu-jin chuckled and looked at the warriors. Not much time had passed, but the warriors who had been at the forefront were already completely annihilated.

While it wasn’t without the help of the women, it was no exaggeration to say that Yu-jin had dominated the battle all by himself. Just then, Yu-jin sensed a being with a colossal aura.

“Oh?”

Soon, Elder Nam Gun-yeong and the other elders appeared before Yu-jin. Yu-jin looked at them, smiled, and then spoke.

“I didn’t expect the apostates to reveal themselves so brazenly.”

Despite Yu-jin’s words, Elder Nam Gun-yeong said nothing. He simply scanned the surroundings with cold, sunken eyes.

And he realized that not a single one of the warriors who had been at the forefront had survived.

He didn’t even notice the presence of the other women. His eyes were fixed only on Yu-jin.

Witnessing hundreds of warriors being overwhelmed by a single man, his anger surged.

*’No. I can be angry, but I must keep a cool head. I can’t let that villain sway me any further.’*

With that thought, Elder Nam Gun-yeong cooled his head and glared at Yu-jin. Only then did the rebel warriors feel a sense of relief, seeing that the elder himself had stepped forward.

Nam Gun-yeong looked at Kang Yu-jin and spoke.

“Those men were also warriors of the True Dragon Sword Clan. Your methods are far too cruel toward them, Young Master.”

“Who are you calling warriors of the True Dragon Sword Clan? Are you telling me the ones who just died by my hand were warriors of the clan? To think there are warriors of the True Dragon Sword Clan that I don’t know about. How interesting.”

As Yu-jin spoke with a low chuckle, anger flared on the faces of Elder Nam Gun-yeong and the other elders.

“Though we may have risen up in defiance of you, we are still members of the True Dragon Sword Clan!”

“That’s just what you think. There is no one left who considers you warriors of the True Dragon Sword Clan.”

Yu-jin replied coldly to Elder Nam Gun-yeong’s words. No matter what they clamored, Yu-jin had no intention of entertaining them.