Chapter 161 – Rebellion (5)

“Are you truly going to act this way, Young Master!”

“Weren’t you the ones who rebelled first? So what’s the problem with me punishing you for your crimes? If you were so displeased, you should have at least requested a proper dialogue. You presumed I was unreasonable, deserted without a word, and now you expect mercy? You old fools are utterly pathetic!”

Yu-jin’s roar echoed through the air. He had no intention of speaking with these old men any longer. Deciding he shouldn’t have engaged them in the first place, Yu-jin began to draw out his power.

Then, thirteen wings of light descended upon the elders and the martial artists of their rank. The attack was imbued with Yu-jin’s fierce will to leave none of them alive.

Instinctively sensing the danger, the elders also drew upon their own power. Though old, they were all among the most formidable warriors of the True Dragon Sword Clan.

Namgun-yeong, in particular, had reached the supreme state of the Transformation Realm. While he might be lacking compared to the absolute masters of the Profound Realm, this level was by no means to be underestimated.

After all, hadn’t Yu-jin himself been dubbed the Star Sword King and filled the vacancy left by the Poison King’s death upon reaching the Transformation Realm?

Merely reaching the Transformation Realm was enough to be recognized as one of the most distinguished martial artists of the era.

Having reached such a sublime state, Namgun-yeong had extracted the essence of all the sword arts he had ever learned to create a new one.

Its name was the Limitless Radiant Yang Sword, an incredibly destructive technique based on the energy of extreme yang. Namgun-yeong unleashed this sword art to counter Yu-jin’s wings of light.

*CRASH!*

Dozens of streams of sword energy deflected the wings of light that had surged toward Namgun-yeong. The new sword art he had created possessed enough power to repel at least one of the wings.

But Namgun-yeong’s assault didn’t end there. He swung his sword at Yu-jin, and once again, dozens of streams of sword energy poured toward him.

A veritable rain of sword energy. The sky was completely covered by Namgun-yeong’s aura. The martial artists watching held their breath at the overwhelming display of power. But Yu-jin was smiling.

“It seems you’ve had some sort of epiphany, but you’re mistaken if you think you can face me with that.”

As Yu-jin spoke, he moved his wings of light. The thirteen wings gracefully enveloped him, forming a protective barrier. Countless streams of sword energy rained down upon them, but they were no match for the wings’ formidable defense.

Undeterred, Namgun-yeong swiftly launched himself forward. He believed that even the sturdiest wall could be shattered by his newly created sword art.

‘I don’t know where he learned such a technique, but it’s meaningless before my sword.’

Namgun-yeong had realized that the wings of light were the ultimate spear on the offense and the ultimate shield on the defense, but he trusted his own sword.

He even considered such a dual-natured technique to be flawed and swung his sword with great force. The streams of sword energy began to form spheres, which then rained down upon Yu-jin’s wings of light.

“I told you it was useless.”

Yu-jin muttered with a smirk. He knew Namgun-yeong’s technique was one of extreme yang and highly destructive, but he didn’t believe it could break through his wings of light.

The wings of light were the very essence of light itself, embodying the quintessence of extreme yang energy. No martial art of extreme yang could be hotter or more destructive than them.

“Hmm…”

“How can this be…”

The other elders and high-ranking martial artists seemed to realize this as well, their faces contorting into frowns. No matter how powerful Namgun-yeong’s attacks were, the wings of light protecting Yu-jin remained completely unscathed.

Thinking this was pointless, the elders drew their swords, intending to strike at Yu-jin.

However, they couldn’t execute their techniques as intended. Six masked women had suddenly appeared, blocking their path.

“It would be troublesome if you were to disturb our master.”

Though they were masked, the elders recognized Eun Seol-rin’s voice as that of a woman and grew furious. The idea of a mere woman standing in their way was absurd.

“How dare a wench like you!”

*WHOOSH!*

At one elder’s cry, all six women began to release their auras.

Each of them possessed martial arts far superior to the elders’. Even Ran, the weakest among them, could defeat any of the elders in a one-on-one fight, with the exception of Namgun-yeong.

Unaware of this fact, the elders were simply bewildered by the overwhelming pressure.

“They say a woman’s wrath can bring frost in midsummer. You will deeply regret underestimating us.”

As soon as Eun Seol-rin finished speaking, the six women launched themselves into action.

Hwa Un-wol and Na Ye-jin unleashed streams of moonlight energy, while Eun Seol-rin and Ran ambushed warriors from the shadows.

Bukri Eun fired off a terrifying barrage of Icy Palm strikes, and Han So-un brandished her whips of black demonic energy.

Jung Mo-won, the commander of the Heavenly Sword Brigade, and the other elders moved to intercept them, but their strength was no match for Yu-jin’s women.

Amidst the chaos, the fight between Yu-jin and Elder Namgun-yeong continued. In truth, the development of their battle was quite monotonous.

Elder Namgun-yeong tried to break through Yu-jin’s defense, while Yu-jin maintained his guard.

It was, without exaggeration, a clash of spear and shield.

But as time passed, Elder Namgun-yeong’s strength began to wane. Though he had attained a vast amount of internal energy upon reaching the Transformation Realm, it was bound to be insufficient against Yu-jin, who possessed an infinite supply.

“Getting tired, are we? I suppose at your age, you’re bound to tire out faster than a young man like me.”

Though it wasn’t a matter of age, Yu-jin mentioned it anyway. Namgun-yeong knew it was a ploy to anger him, but he still fell for it, closing the distance in a rage.

He merged dozens of streams of sword energy into one and hurled it at Yu-jin. Not to be outdone, Yu-jin thrust all thirteen of his wings of light forward.

The two immense forces collided at a single point, triggering a massive explosion.

*BOOM!*

A large crater formed in the ground, and the deafening roar of the explosion forced the gathered martial artists to cover their ears and retreat.

Those with weaker internal energy collapsed, their eardrums burst and bleeding, or they fell unconscious. Those who managed to stay conscious could see him—Elder Namgun-yeong, battered and broken.

“It’s… not over yet!”

Despite being struck by a tremendous force and suffering severe internal injuries, Namgun-yeong did not let go of his sword. Instead, he swung it.

An immense number of sword energy streams descended upon Yu-jin, but he deflected them all with a sweep of his wings.

Elder Namgun-yeong was utterly horrified that his attack had failed even at such close range.

Yu-jin slowly walked toward him. A confident smile played on his lips, but to Namgun-yeong, Yu-jin looked like a demon.

“Did you really think you could oppose me with such a paltry technique? How utterly laughable.”

Yu-jin reached out a hand toward Elder Namgun-yeong, who was struck squarely in the abdomen and sent flying.

*BAM!*

Namgun-yeong felt a tremendous shock but struggled to his feet. In the end, however, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The brutal impact had shaken his internal organs so violently that it was difficult to remain conscious. But Namgun-yeong, driven by a sense of duty to vanquish the villain Yu-jin, refused to give up and stepped forward.

“Persistent.”

Displeased by Namgun-yeong’s desperate movements, Yu-jin swung his hand down. In that instant, an formless stream of sword energy severed Namgun-yeong’s right arm, the one holding the sword, from his body.

“Gaaahhh!”

A harrowing scream erupted from Namgun-yeong’s lips. No matter how skilled a master of the Transformation Realm he was, he could not endure the pain of having his arm cut off.

Yet, even in that state, Namgun-yeong reached out with his left hand. But Yu-jin casually swung his hand again, and the attack severed Namgun-yeong’s left arm as well. Now, forever unable to hold a sword, Namgun-yeong stared at Yu-jin with eyes full of despair.

“Are… are you truly a warrior of the Transformation Realm! It can’t be! Absolutely impossible!”

In a battle between masters of the Transformation Realm, neither side could overwhelmingly dominate the other. This wasn’t limited to just the Transformation Realm.

One might gain an advantage, but completely overpowering an opponent was unheard of in a fight between equals.

But Yu-jin had dominated Namgun-yeong to the point of toying with him. The fact that Namgun-yeong had been shattered the moment Yu-jin attacked proved it.

“The Transformation Realm… You’re right, it has been a long time since I reached that stage.”

With a smile, Yu-jin extended his hand and began to gather energy in his palm. A sword formed in his hand, made of pure energy.

It was the sword that manifested when the blade within one’s mind was brought into reality—the Mind Sword.

The Mind Sword, a feat achievable only by absolute masters of the Profound Realm who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, was now being wielded in Yu-jin’s hand.

“How… at that… that age!”

Reaching the Transformation Realm in one’s twenties was astonishing enough. But seeing with his own eyes that Yu-jin had truly become an absolute master of the Profound Realm, Namgun-yeong could only stammer.

“The world becomes more interesting when a freak like me shows up every now and then.”

At Yu-jin’s words, Namgun-yeong couldn’t help but shout.

“Why? Why would the heavens grant such power to someone like you! You are a tyrant! A dictator! With you as the head of the True Dragon Sword Clan, it will surely perish in the future! You are the worst enemy who will ruin the entire glorious history of our clan! For the heavens to give such formidable power to you! What has become of the heavens!”

“Oh? It’s not right to lash out at someone just because you don’t like them, is it?”

As Yu-jin spoke, Namgun-yeong suddenly charged at him.

An immense amount of energy roiled within his charging body. With his internal energy depleted, the only power he could use was his innate life force. As he reached Yu-jin, his body erupted in a massive explosion.

*BOOOOM!*

The explosion was so large it created another crater within the first one, but Yu-jin emerged from the blast unscathed.

Of course, he wasn’t entirely without minor injuries, but they healed in the blink of an eye.

“Ah, this has become a bother.”

With the death of Elder Namgun-yeong, the leader of the rebels, Yu-jin found it too troublesome to deal with them one by one.

*WHOOOOSH!*

He infused his wings of light with the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Energy and began to merge them. Soon, a colossal ink-black dragon descended upon the mortal realm.

After creating the Ink Dragon, Yu-jin glanced at the women. The six of them had displayed formidable martial prowess, turning countless warriors into corpses strewn across the ground.

But the moment the Ink Dragon descended, they immediately disengaged from the battle. They knew the dragon’s terrifying power all too well and made sure to get out of its way.

“Erase them.”

Seeing that the women had withdrawn, Yu-jin gave the command. The Ink Dragon roared in response and opened its mouth toward the dazed warriors.

And then, a massive, thick beam of black light tore through them. The warriors struck by the beam vanished without a trace.

In that moment, the rebellion was completely suppressed.

***

-The Young Master of the True Dragon Sword Clan single-handedly annihilates those who opposed him!

This news struck the central plains of the martial world, leaving all its inhabitants in a state of shock.

Most martial artists had expected the True Dragon Sword Clan’s civil war to be a protracted one.

The majority of warriors in Fujian Province had joined the rebel forces, creating a power far greater than that of most regional hegemons.

But Yu-jin had single-handedly brought this formidable force to an end. At first, people refused to believe it, but when the Underworld Sect and the Beggars’ Sect began to spread the news, they had no choice but to accept it as truth.

And amidst it all, another piece of news came to light.

-The new Young Master of the True Dragon Sword Clan is not a master of the Transformation Realm, but an absolute master of the Profound Realm!

This news was even more earth-shattering than the end of the civil war, a development that could reshape the entire political landscape of the martial world. All eyes began to turn toward the True Dragon Sword Clan.

Regardless, Yu-jin paid no mind to the attention of others and simply focused on his duties as the Young Master. In doing so, he proved his capability to truly become the head of the True Dragon Sword Clan.

Even those who hadn’t joined the rebellion but still harbored discontent toward him all ended up submitting to his authority.

Finally, the auspicious day for the clan head’s inauguration ceremony was just a week away, and countless people began to flock to the True Dragon Sword Clan.

For the foreseeable future, the True Dragon Sword Clan would not be leaving the world’s spotlight.