Chapter 260

CRASH!

The roof where Pyo Wol had been standing until just a moment ago was smashed to pieces.

Pyo Wol, suspended in mid-air, looked at the one who had attacked him.

An aging man holding a sword.

He was none other than Mok Han-seong, the leader of the Ghost Dance Unit.

“Who are you? How did you get in here?”

Mok Han-seong’s gaze toward Pyo Wol was utterly savage.

He wasn’t greatly agitated, nor did he show any sign of wavering.

He simply stared at Pyo Wol with cold, calm eyes, like a predator stalking its prey.

At the sudden explosive sound, the Martial Artists in the Thatched Huts poured out in a rush.

They were surprised to see Pyo Wol landing on the roof of a Thatched Hut, but they did not waver like Mok Han-seong.

It was an island surrounded on all sides by a canyon.

It was practically a natural fortress.

On top of that, they had concealed their presence by deploying a peerless formation called the Ten-Mile Illusion Formation, yet an intruder had snuck in.

Most people would have been shocked or flustered, but these men were different.

Although it was unexpected for an outsider to have secretly infiltrated, they did not get excited and kept a close watch on Pyo Wol.

It was truly astonishing that not just one or two, but the entire group could maintain their composure without being shaken.

It was proof that they had experienced countless situations, enough to not be flustered even when faced with the unexpected.

‘Has there ever been a group like this in All Under Heaven?’

No matter how full of surprises the Jianghu was, it was something Pyo Wol couldn’t quite comprehend with his common sense.

A group this disciplined is never born from Training alone.

Only by crossing the line between life and death in numerous battles could they be reborn as such an elite force. But in the last few decades, there hadn’t been a single major battle in the Jianghu.

Minor power struggles occurred frequently, but going through a few such small battlefields doesn’t create an elite force of this caliber.

Only those who have fought their way through countless life-or-death Asura Fields possess this kind of aura. Which meant they were beings who could never have been born in the current Jianghu.

‘Then, are they from the Outer Regions?’

Pyo Wol’s eyes glinted coldly.

Unlike the Jianghu, which had been in a period of stability for decades, the Outer Regions were still rife with chaos. Wars broke out frequently, and countless people lost their lives.

A place like that had all the necessary conditions to create a monstrous group like this.

Mok Han-seong leaped onto the roof of a Thatched Hut near Pyo Wol.

He met Pyo Wol’s gaze and spoke.

“I asked who you are.”

“And who are you?”

“Hoh! You won’t answer?”

A faint Killing intent rose in Mok Han-seong’s eyes.

While he held Pyo Wol’s attention, Vice Captain Jong Ri-gu gestured to the Martial Artists with his eyes. The Martial Artists then moved without a sound.

Some blocked the Retreat Path, while others secured the optimal positions for an attack.

Without needing detailed instructions, they moved, finding their own roles.

A thick scent of blood emanated from them.

The kind of smell one could only find on a battlefield.

Mok Han-seong, who had been watching Pyo Wol, nodded as if he had realized something.

“You smell like one of us.”

He, too, caught the thick scent of blood from Pyo Wol.

Such a scent could not be exuded unless one had killed a great many people.

Mok Han-seong, his gaze still fixed on Pyo Wol, spoke to his Subordinates.

“Everyone, be careful. He’s a dangerous one.”

Not a single one of his men answered.

They did not take their eyes off Pyo Wol for even a single moment.

Over forty Experts were staring only at Pyo Wol, their fighting spirits ablaze.

Pyo Wol felt the need to unsettle them.

“What did you hope to gain, crawling here from the Outer Regions?”

“Hoh! You figured that much out? You’re a more dangerous friend than I thought.”

“What terms did Lee Yul offer to hire you?”

“Why? Will you offer more if I tell you?”

“It’s not impossible.”

“Hoh! We’re quite expensive. Can you afford it, young friend?”

“How much should I give you?”

“I think your life would be enough.”

“That’s a little difficult.”

“Then the negotiations have failed.”

Mok Han-seong smiled playfully.

In that time, the Ghost Dance Unit’s Encirclement was complete.

A tiger always does its best, even when catching a rabbit.

The Ghost Dance Unit was the same.

They gave their all, no matter what enemy they faced. Mok Han-seong had trained them that way.

Mok Han-seong thought he had bought time for the Encirclement without giving Pyo Wol any information, but Pyo Wol had already gleaned enough from him.

‘War Wanderers active in the Outer Regions.’

He didn’t know if there was a more fitting term, but for now, there was no other word to define them.

This was no simple group of Wanderers like the Black Cloud Corps.

They were far more meticulous and highly trained Wanderers of the battlefield.

“It seems we’ve sized each other up enough. Kill him.”

Mok Han-seong gave the order.

Swish!

At that moment, an arrow was shot toward Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol dodged the arrow and threw himself backward. A few members of the Ghost Dance Unit then sprang out, firing arrows in succession.

The bows were only about half the size of a normal bow, small enough for a child to play with. But their power was beyond imagination.

Swish! Swiiish!

Every time an arrow was fired, the sound of the air being torn apart echoed.

A mere graze would cause a serious injury, and a direct hit seemed to warrant being prepared to lose a limb.

The arrows they used were not from the Jianghu.

They were Devilish Creatures brought from the far-off Haedong, their power several times greater than the bows of the Jianghu.

While the archers fired their arrows, the swordsmen who had been waiting approached at high speed.

Clack!

They simultaneously assumed a sword-drawing stance and approached Pyo Wol.

They bent their waists in the same posture and drew their swords at the same speed to attack Pyo Wol.

Shwaaak!

Silver Sword Light tore the night sky to shreds.

Pyo Wol dodged their attack by a hair’s breadth.

Tatatak!

Just then, the sound of footsteps was heard, and this time, Martial Artists wielding sabers leaped over the heads of the swordsmen to attack Pyo Wol.

Shgaaak!

A dozen saber lights flew toward Pyo Wol as if to butcher his body.

In that instant, Pyo Wol took out his Ghostly Rain.

Kagagagang!

Pyo Wol parried the sabers with his Ghostly Rain and retreated. But the swordsmen had already blocked his Retreat Path and were swinging their swords.

The coordination of the swordsmen and the Bladesmen.

And the arrows of the archers, aiming for any opening.

All of it combined to pressure Pyo Wol menacingly.

Their attack was like a relentless, crashing wave.

They pressed, and pressed again, crushing their opponent.

It was a movement that could only be shown by those who knew for certain how to kill an opponent efficiently.

Their movements required no commands.

Just by looking at their comrades’ eyes and positions, they found their own places to attack.

They attacked and attacked Pyo Wol, sealing him in so perfectly that not a single drop of water could leak through.

Kakakang!

Pyo Wol blocked their wave-like assault with his two Ghostly Rain daggers.

Sparks flew in all directions, and the clang of metal rang out chaotically.

Mok Han-seong did not join the fight himself, but watched his Subordinates attack Pyo Wol.

They were Subordinates he had trained with his own hands.

In terms of individual Martial prowess, they couldn’t dare compare to the first-rate Disciples of the prestigious Orthodox Factions.

At best, they were at the level of second-rate Disciples.

Nevertheless, the reason Mok Han-seong wasn’t worried about the Ghost Dance Unit was that they had been forged on the battlefield.

The Ghost Dance Unit was a group of war Wanderers trained on the battlefields of the Outer Regions.

To be more precise, they were war proxies.

While a typical Wanderer simply wields their martial power for money, they paint a much bigger picture.

They establish an overall plan and deploy personnel accordingly to carry out the war.

They use every method to achieve victory.

Poison, Hidden Weapons, traps, even taking hostages.

They held no such thing as the vain pride of a Martial Artist.

To them, the only thing that mattered was victory in war.

A group that valued a cowardly victory more than an honorable defeat.

The Ghost Dance Unit was such a group.

And at its pinnacle was Mok Han-seong.

Mok Han-seong wanted a group that could win.

Not a group of half-baked Martial Artists who whined like children over a small wound, but a group of Martial Artists who would not yield to any injury and knew how to seize victory.

The Ghost Dance Unit was such a group.

Until now, they had carried out an innumerable number of wars and defeated countless enemies.

For them, ganging up to kill a single Martial Artist who had snuck in like a stray cat was nothing.

Jong Ri-gu approached Mok Han-seong’s side and asked.

“Do you have any suspicions as to who he is?”

“Seeing as he mentioned Lee Yul, I suspect he’s a Martial Artist from Jin Clan’s side.”

“You mean Jin Clan has already sent someone after us?”

“It seems there’s a problem on Lee Yul’s end. The way he singled him out suggests it.”

“Lee Yul is not one to make mistakes…”

“That’s proof of how outstanding that man is. In any case, for the sake of our secret, we must eliminate him here today.”

“He’s already a dead man.”

Jong Ri-gu smiled faintly.

Until now, no enemy, no matter how powerful, had ever overcome the Ghost Dance Unit. A mere lone Martial Artist who had infiltrated would surely be eliminated in an instant.

However, contrary to Jong Ri-gu’s expectation, the fight did not end easily.

Shwaaak!

The Ghost Dance Unit relentlessly pushed Pyo Wol. But Pyo Wol, like a snake, deflected or dodged their attacks by a hair’s breadth.

Moreover, they hadn’t managed to injure him as much as they thought.

Pyo Wol’s appearance was much cleaner than Jong Ri-gu had expected.

At that sight, Jong Ri-gu felt a deep sense of unease.

It was because, logically, it made no sense.

“What is he? That guy. To hold out this long against the Ghost Dance Unit.”

“It seems our uninvited guest’s Martial prowess is beyond what we imagined.”

“Are you saying his Martial prowess is on par with the Eight Constellations? He’d have to be at that level to hold on somehow.”

At that moment, Pyo Wol’s face became visible between the members of the Ghost Dance Unit.

A face more beautiful than any Jong Ri-gu had ever seen.

The moment he saw that appearance, which didn’t seem human, Jong Ri-gu recalled information he had recently acquired about a certain Assassin.

“Pyo… Wol!”

He was the one who had recently emerged as the most dangerous man in the Jianghu, and information about him was specially managed.

“If that man is really Pyo Wol, it’s danger…”

Sssiiit!

At that moment, a faint sound of something slicing through the air rang out.

The hairs on the back of Mok Han-seong’s and Jong Ri-gu’s necks stood on end.

Their long experience of rolling on battlefields allowed them to sense the danger.

“Everyone, do—”

Jong Ri-gu’s shout was not completed.

“Keuk!”

“Ugh!”

It was because a dozen of the Martial Artists attacking Pyo Wol collapsed, blood spurting from their foreheads.

On their foreheads were tiny holes, difficult to see with the naked eye.

“What?”

“What the hell?”

For the first time, a stir ran through the Ghost Dance Unit.

They had been certain they had the upper hand.

Pyo Wol was cornered, and they were confident of victory.

The mishap occurred in that very moment.

In an instant they hadn’t even perceived, ten strands of Soul Restraining Thread shot out from Pyo Wol’s fingers.

The Soul Restraining Thread was so fine it was hard to distinguish with the naked eye.

By the time they felt a sense of crisis from the sound of its release, it was already too late.

The Soul Restraining Thread had pierced their comrades’ heads.

In the past, his training had been insufficient, and he had to attach the Ghostly Rain daggers for it to have great power. But now, it was different.

Even without attaching the Ghostly Rain, Pyo Wol could use the Soul Restraining Thread as he willed. This meant that even more stealthy movements were now possible.

Pyo Wol’s Martial Arts displayed their greatest power when they were stealthy.

The Soul Restraining Thread without the Ghostly Rain was the ultimate Martial Art for Pyo Wol.

It was like a tiger that had grown wings.

That was not to say the Ghostly Rain was unnecessary.

Shwishwishwish!

Pyo Wol launched the Ghostly Rain in all directions.

Some dodged the Ghostly Rain, but a few ended up allowing it into their waists and shoulders.

“Keuk!”

“Heuk!”

Screams erupted from their mouths.

No matter how trained on the battlefield a Martial Artist was, they could not completely endure physical pain.

In an instant, their formation collapsed.

Pyo Wol did not miss that moment and furiously stormed them.

In this moment, he was not an Assassin.

He was a Martial Artist.