Chapter 179 – The Great War Begins (2)

Using his newfound power as he pleased was what Kang Yong-hoon truly desired. To that end, he had deliberately asked Yu-jin for a chance to fight, and fortunately, he had achieved his goal.

“I was born and raised in an exceptional environment since childhood. I received better support than others and learned martial arts. I am a manufactured master. That is why I cannot call myself a true master. A true master is forged in countless life-or-death battles. I will be reborn as a true warrior. And I will challenge my brother once again.”

His muttering finished, Kang Yong-hoon launched himself toward the battlefield, a place filled with curses, shouts, and the clash of weapons.

“Let’s show them the spirit of the True Dragon Sword Clan!”

“Waaaaaah!”

Seeing Kang Yong-hoon shout as he ran, the warriors of the True Dragon Sword Clan let out a great roar.

“Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived!”

The Martial Alliance warriors, who had been helplessly pushed back by the Demonic Cultists, smiled brightly. Just when they thought they would all die, reinforcements had finally arrived. And not just any reinforcements, but the warriors of the True Dragon Sword Clan, known as the greatest family in the Central Plains.

*Crack!*

The heads of the Demonic Cultists blocking Yong-hoon’s path fell to the ground from his swinging sword. Dark red blood gushed from their necks.

Spurred on by the overwhelming martial prowess of Yong-hoon, who had reached the Profound Realm, the warriors of the True Dragon Sword Clan and the Martial Alliance raised their morale.

“Cut down all the lawless Demonic Cultists!”

There was no hesitation in Kang Yong-hoon’s sword as he shouted loudly. He mercilessly cut down the cultists who stood in his way.

Thanks to his overwhelming performance, the Martial Alliance was able to halt the Demonic Cult’s invasion.

***

As the front lines began to falter, the Martial Alliance brought out all the power they had kept hidden. The great sects and great families began to show all the cards they had held back.

This was because they were stimulated by Kang Yong-hoon of the True Dragon Sword Clan’s great achievements. They could not remain idle due to the public outcry questioning what the other great sects and families were doing while the True Dragon Sword Clan was so active.

“He’s doing well.”

Yu-jin nodded as he read the regularly arriving letters. For now, the hunting dog named Kang Yong-hoon was faithfully fulfilling his role.

The more active Kang Yong-hoon became, the higher Yu-jin’s reputation grew, as he was the one who had decided to use the clan’s full strength first, without regard for potential losses.

While Kang Yong-hoon’s name did become widely known in the process, it was nothing compared to his own unshakable position as the number one in the Central Plains, so Yu-jin paid it no mind.

“The Nine Great Sects, including Wudang, Shaolin, and Huashan, and the Five Great Families, like the Namgung Clan and the Hebei Paeng Clan, have also made their move. But they can never surpass the name of the True Dragon Sword Clan. He’s a man I’ll have to deal with one way or another after the war, but I have to admit his martial arts are impressive.”

Kang Yong-hoon was an unknown master of the Profound Realm. Of course, he was likely weaker than any other Profound Realm master in the Martial Alliance, but even at his level, he was nothing short of a nightmare for the Demonic Cultists.

“Work hard, little brother. Your big brother will be watching with a smile.

Yu-jin smiled faintly and began to process the documents. But a moment later, he felt something in his mind.

“Are you coming, Heavenly Demon? I suppose I’ll have to make my move soon as well.”

Yu-jin instinctively sensed that the time for the Heavenly Demon to make his move was not far off.

***

Having annihilated the Demonic Cultists on the western front, Kang Yong-hoon led the warriors of the True Dragon Sword Clan and began hunting the cultists who had entered Hubei Province.

After hunting down small units of Demonic Cultists, Yong-hoon discovered their base and launched an attack without hesitation.

While the Demonic Cultists numbered well over three hundred, compared to the just over one hundred warriors of the True Dragon Sword Clan, Yong-hoon was unconcerned. He was confident he could cut them all down by himself.

“You monster!”

A cultist shouted as he looked at Yong-hoon. But what returned to the one who shouted was Yong-hoon’s cold sword.

*Swoosh!*

The cultist’s head flew off, followed by a spray of red blood. Yet not a single drop of blood stained Yong-hoon’s sword.

“I’m getting used to this.”

He had already confirmed the cultists’ strength with his own body. Although they were strong and skilled in group combat, they were nothing compared to him.

Kang Yong-hoon displayed such tremendous martial prowess that it would be no exaggeration to say he was second only to the clan leader, and the True Dragon Sword Clan warriors who witnessed it gained confidence.

“Die!”

The cultists’ demonic energy erupted explosively, spreading in all directions and causing the True Dragon Sword Clan warriors to falter.

But Yong-hoon looked at the cultists with indifferent eyes, swung his sword down, and the body of a charging cultist was bisected.

“Kuaaaack!”

Hearing the desperate screams, Yong-hoon continuously drew his sword through the air. Each time he swung, the cultists’ bodies were split apart and sent flying.

Yong-hoon relentlessly charged toward the Demonic Cultists, swinging his sword. The cultists tried to block with their sword energy or aura, but Yong-hoon’s sword cut through the energy itself.

Amidst Yong-hoon’s onslaught, the Demonic Cultists were forced onto the defensive.

“You bastard!”

The eyebrows of Byeok Gon-pung, who was commanding the Demonic Cultists, shot up fiercely. The sight of his subordinates’ limbs being torn off, their torsos collapsing to the ground, further fueled his rage.

Byeok Gon-pung, who had always treated his subordinates like his own flesh and blood, became greatly enraged and thrust his spear toward Yong-hoon.

*Whoosh!*

An immense demonic energy gathered on Byeok Gon-pung’s spear, creating a black spear aura. And when he swung the spear, a dozen streams of that aura poured toward Yong-hoon, who was slaughtering the cultists.

Judging at a glance that this was no ordinary aura, Yong-hoon swung his sword, and a dozen streams of sword aura flew out to intercept the spear aura.

*Kwwaaaaang!*

A tremendous roar and a fierce gust of wind swept across the battlefield. A sandstorm rose, obscuring vision, and the masters fighting nearby had to cover their ears and stumble backward.

The aftermath of the colossal clash resounded throughout the battlefield. But Byeok Gon-pung and Kang Yong-hoon charged at each other as if nothing had happened.

The two men moved at a terrifying speed, impossible to follow with the naked eye. The movements of their spear and sword were just as unbelievably fast.

A faint blur would appear in the air, and a moment later, a throat would be threatened. Their exchange of attacks and defenses, deflecting weapons to aim for each other’s vital points again, was dangerous beyond imagination.

‘This is the first time I’ve faced a proper master.’

In truth, Yong-hoon could have killed him in a single exchange if he’d set his mind to it, but since this was the first time he’d seen a cultist who had reached this level, he was holding back.

*Kwaang! Kwaang!*

A fierce clash of spear aura and sword aura. As the clashes continued and reached a hundred exchanges, Byeok Gon-pung’s face began to contort.

It was a natural result, as he had been wielding his demonic energy without restraint in an attempt to kill his opponent instantly. In contrast, Yong-hoon remained calm and composed.

“Is this your limit?”

Yong-hoon spoke, believing he had seen the extent of his opponent’s abilities. And his words, of course, enraged Byeok Gon-pung.

“Just because you have a mouth doesn’t mean you can run it so carelessly!”

Shouting this, Byeok Gon-pung retreated. Then, all the demonic energy he currently possessed began to gather on his spear.

A moment later, Byeok Gon-pung threw the demonic-energy-shrouded spear at Yong-hoon, and it shot toward him like a black thunderbolt. The strike was powerful enough to impress even Yong-hoon.

“I suppose I should respond to a special technique with one of my own.”

Even as the black thunderbolt approached, Yong-hoon muttered leisurely and gathered power in his sword, soon creating an aura that reached ten *jang* (about 30 meters). Then, he lightly thrust his sword.

The black thunderbolt was instantly destroyed by that brutish force, and Byeok Gon-pung had to take the full brunt of the sword aura with his body. Without even a proper scream, Byeok Gon-pung lost his life.

*Kwakwakwakwang!*

Not only Byeok Gon-pung but also the Demonic Cultists behind him lost their lives, and the base was destroyed.

In that state, Yong-hoon swung his sword horizontally. The bodies of countless Demonic Cultists began to be sliced apart by the sword aura. By the time he withdrew the aura, dozens of cultists were already dead.

“Let’s finish this.”

“Waaaaaah!”

Having witnessed Yong-hoon’s divine might, the warriors of the True Dragon Sword Clan cheered and charged, and soon, the Demonic Cultists were annihilated.

“Congratulations on your victory, Young Master.”

“It was only possible because you were all here.”

Yong-hoon replied, looking at Jin Baek-cheon of the Heavenly Sword Brigade. But Jin Baek-cheon knew full well that they would never have won without Yong-hoon.

“Not at all, Young Master. Without you, we wouldn’t have even made it this far. This is all thanks to you.”

At Jin Baek-cheon’s words, Yong-hoon finally broke into a smile. But the smile didn’t last long. He felt a demonic energy so intense it was unsettling.

Yong-hoon hurriedly turned his head and saw dozens of cultists. And he quickly realized that these were no ordinary cultists.

The atmosphere of the battlefield, which had been fierce with blood and sweat, became unbearably sinister.

A bizarre current began to flow through the battlefield. This alien atmosphere, completely different from before, was enough to put the warriors of the True Dragon Sword Clan and others on high alert.

“I have seen them before. Cursed monsters who have transcended the boundary between life and death.”

It was the appearance of Jiangshi. And not just any Jiangshi, but Living Jiangshi, each one said to have reached the level of the Transformation Realm. This meant that the main force of the Demonic Cult had finally arrived.

Normally, Jiangshi are the dead and cannot handle ki. However, the Demonic Cult’s Black Death Hall had continuously researched them.

So why did the Demonic Cult pursue Jiangshi? The reason was simple. It was because the Demonic Cult had a limit it could never overcome.

No matter how strong the Demonic Cult’s warriors were or how accustomed they were to military tactics, they faced a numerical limit they could not surpass against the Central Plains’ martial world.

Dealing with the martial world of the Central Plains was already a struggle, but if the Imperial Family were to make a move, the Demonic Cult would inevitably be defeated. Thanks to the Heavenly Demon, they weren’t completely overwhelmed by the martial world and the Imperial Family, but they were still not at a level where they could dominate.

So, while building its strength, the Demonic Cult also ordered the Black Death Hall to research Jiangshi.

Hundreds of years were spent researching Jiangshi. The Black Death Hall went beyond the Iron Jiangshi, who could wield ki, and finally succeeded in creating the worst kind of monster: the Living Jiangshi, which could freely wield all the ki it possessed in life.

They even possessed amplified internal energy and maintained a degree of reason. They were truly worthy of being called the strongest of monsters.

And now, fifty of these Living Jiangshi, each possessing power equivalent to the Transformation Realm, were gathered and advancing toward Yong-hoon and the True Dragon Sword Clan warriors under his command.

The sinister and alien energy emanating from the Living Jiangshi washed over Yong-hoon and the warriors.