Chapter 261

Pyo Wol withdrew the Soul Restraining Thread.

The shimmering haze that had swayed at his gesture scattered silently like morning mist.

The Ghost Dance Unit also noticed that Pyo Wol had withdrawn the Soul Restraining Thread.

They thought Pyo Wol’s Internal Power had been completely depleted.

Merely maintaining Sword Qi consumed a vast amount of Internal Power, yet Pyo Wol had drawn out a total of ten strands of the Soul Restraining Thread.

Its power might be supreme, but the consumption of Internal Power was bound to be just as severe. That was why they judged he could no longer use the Soul Restraining Thread.

Their judgment was frighteningly cold and sharp. But unfortunately for them, Pyo Wol was not someone who fell within their predictions.

He hadn’t withdrawn the Soul Restraining Thread because he was short on Internal Energy.

He had temporarily withdrawn it because it was no longer efficient.

The Soul Restraining Thread was powerful for ambushes, but in a one-versus-many fight like this, other Martial Arts were far more efficient.

Thwack!

The knee of a Ghost Dance Unit Martial Artist, struck by his lightning-fast fist, was shattered.

The knee, a crucial axis of the human body, had been completely destroyed.

Hungry Ghost Path (Hungry Ghost Realm) Human Body Destruction Art.

The murderous aesthetic unique to the Hungry Ghost Path, which destroys the body’s axes and pivots.

To that, he added Black Lightning.

As the Lightning power stimulated his nerves, his body’s reaction speed transcended human limits.

The movements of such a Pyo Wol were completely invisible to the eyes of the Ghost Dance Unit Martial Artists.

The moment they thought they saw something flicker before their eyes, a joint would be shattered, and excruciating pain would follow.

“Kuaargh!”

“Keuk!”

Screams echoed continuously.

Complex Technique Forms did not exist in Pyo Wol’s Hungry Ghost Path.

It was composed of the shortest lines connecting point to point.

The Ghost Dance Unit Martial Artists were devoured by that simple Technique Form.

“You bastard!”

Finally, unable to watch any longer, Mok Han-seong leaped in.

By then, more than half of the Ghost Dance Unit Martial Artists had already fallen.

Mok Han-seong’s eyes glistened with Killing intent.

He never imagined they would suffer so much damage in such a short time.

It was his miscalculation.

Pyo Wol was no mere Assassin.

He was a Hungry Ghost who possessed Martial Arts that transcended those of an Assassin.

Pyo Wol’s movements, employing Black Lightning, were truly beyond imagination.

They were so swift that even Mok Han-seong’s Eye Power could not keep up.

Shwaaak!

Mok Han-seong’s sword, with a sound of tearing air, chased after Pyo Wol. But his sword never managed to touch Pyo Wol’s body.

It was off by a mere inch.

About a finger’s joint.

A distance that seemed reachable if he just extended his hand a little further. But that gap would not close.

Flying Dragon Flash Sword.

It was the Sword Art Mok Han-seong had devoted his entire life to comprehending.

It contained the essence of a Swift Sword, as free as a dragon flying through the sky and as fast as a flash of light.

The Flying Dragon Flash Sword was a type of Battle Sword.

A killing sword honed on the battlefield.

He had cut away all needlessly flashy Technique Forms and reborn it as an efficient killing sword.

After perfecting the Flying Dragon Flash Sword, there was no one Mok Han-seong had set his mind to kill that he couldn’t. No Martial Artist could withstand ten of his Technique Forms. But today, for the first time, even after unleashing the Flying Dragon Flash Sword for more than ten Technique Forms, it had not touched Pyo Wol’s body.

Pyo Wol was like the moon, forever out of reach.

Mok Han-seong gritted his teeth.

Only now did he feel the caliber of his opponent.

And he keenly realized just how difficult a fight he had chosen.

Mok Han-seong shouted to Jong Ri-gu.

“Retreat with the Demonic Transformation Pill.”

“What? But…”

“That’s an order.”

At the word “order,” Jong Ri-gu flinched.

A flicker of conflict appeared in his eyes.

Mok Han-seong had never once uttered the word “retreat” in his entire life. For him to order a retreat meant he judged the situation to be that desperate.

As Jong Ri-gu seemed to hesitate, Mok Han-seong shouted once more.

“There’s no time. Hurry.”

“As you command!”

Jong Ri-gu hesitated no longer.

He commanded the Ghost Dance Unit Martial Artists who could still move.

“We are retreating.”

The pupils of the Ghost Dance Unit Martial Artists wavered. But not a single one of them defied Jong Ri-gu’s order.

They hoisted their dead or injured comrades and retreated.

When Pyo Wol tried to pursue them, Mok Han-seong blocked his path.

“It may be impossible to capture you, but you won’t get past me easily either.”

Pyo Wol furrowed his brow.

He had never encountered a group like this.

Usually, when comrades died, people would burn with a desire for revenge and charge forward, disregarding their own lives. But these men suppressed even that anger and followed orders.

It was a sight one could never find in the prestigious Orthodox Factions of Jianghu.

Jong Ri-gu and the Ghost Dance Unit vanished from the battlefield like a receding tide in an instant.

They had something more important than their lives.

He couldn’t know what exactly it was, but it was clear that it was abnormal.

Mok Han-seong said.

“I don’t know how a bastard like you came to be, but now that you’ve become our enemy, your life will become quite tiresome.”Is that ‘we’ you speak of the Nine Dragons?””

“……”

“So it is!”

“How surprising. That another person has mentioned that name.”

The corner of Mok Han-seong’s eye twitched.

He was so surprised he couldn’t deny Pyo Wol’s words.

From his reaction, Pyo Wol confirmed that what Jin Geum-woo had been chasing was not an illusion but something real.

Pyo Wol’s gaze became resolute.

He had finally caught the tail of the Nine Dragons.

He had to definitively subdue Mok Han-seong and get closer to the true nature of the Nine Dragons.

Sssiit!

Pyo Wol rushed toward Mok Han-seong at a terrifying speed.

Boom!

Following his Serpentine Steps, Jade Destruction exploded.

Mok Han-seong’s body was flung backward.

Even though he had blocked Pyo Wol’s attack with the body of his sword, the immense impact sent him flying.

A trace of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The formidable destructive power had shaken his internal organs.

This one exchange made it certain.

The fact that he could not defeat Pyo Wol with his sword.

He didn’t know how Pyo Wol had acquired such Martial prowess, but it was beyond common sense.

He too possessed strength that was beyond common sense, but compared to Pyo Wol, it was a drop in the ocean.

Pyo Wol was truly a new breed of Martial Artist, one that had never existed in the history of Jianghu.

It was impossible to face such a man with normal methods.

Through a few exchanges of blows, Mok Han-seong felt it keenly.

Without hesitation, Mok Han-seong took out a small wooden box from his robes. Inside the box was a dull-colored pill.

It was the Demonic Transformation Pill produced in Snow Blade Sword Manor’s Secret Ground.

Mok Han-seong tossed the Demonic Transformation Pill into his mouth.

As the Demonic Transformation Pill dissolved, he felt a pain as if his Dantian was on fire.

In reality, the Demonic Transformation Pill was burning the Internal Energy accumulated in his Dantian. The effect of the Demonic Transformation Pill was to ignite one’s Internal Energy to draw out several times more power than usual.

“Chyaaat!”

Mok Han-seong unleashed the Flying Dragon Flash Sword.

Chwaeaak!

In an instant, his Sword Qi extended a full five ja.

The length of the Sword Qi was as long as a decent staff.

Mok Han-seong burned everything he had to attack Pyo Wol.

Since he disregarded his own life, his attacks were relentless.

A radius of over ten Zhang was completely under his control.

Pyo Wol launched Ghostly Rain at Mok Han-seong. But the Ghostly Rain was all struck down by the sword Mok Han-seong wielded.

At that moment, Pyo Wol drew out a single strand of the Soul Restraining Thread.

Sssiiit!

The Soul Restraining Thread flew, aiming for Mok Han-seong’s forehead.

“Don’t even think about it.”

Mok Han-seong shouted loudly and unleashed the Ultimate Technique of the Flying Dragon Flash Sword to protect his entire body.

Although it was momentary, his Internal Energy was amplified several times more than usual. Mok Han-seong was confident he could naturally cut Pyo Wol’s Soul Restraining Thread.

His sword was just about to strike the Soul Restraining Thread.

Suddenly, the Soul Restraining Thread seemed to tremble, then became as distinct as a shooting star.

Thwack!

The Soul Restraining Thread pierced straight through Mok Han-seong’s sword.

The single line extending from Pyo Wol’s finger penetrated the sword and reached Mok Han-seong’s forehead.

It was no ordinary Soul Restraining Thread.

It was Silken Serpent Strong Energy, a Gang Qi created from the Soul Restraining Thread.

“Hoo!”

Pyo Wol let out a shallow breath and withdrew the Silken Serpent Strong Energy.

Because it was Gang Qi condensed into the form of a thread, its Internal Power consumption was several times more severe than ordinary Gang Qi.

He was on the verge of collapse after unleashing it just once. Still, Pyo Wol showed no sign of difficulty and looked at Mok Han-seong.

A small, dot-like hole was pierced in Mok Han-seong’s forehead.

It was the mark left by the Silken Serpent Strong Energy.

“Huu! Where did a bastard like you… Still, you won’t find out anyth…”

Thud!

Mok Han-seong fell backward.

His breathing had stopped.

Pyo Wol searched Mok Han-seong’s robes. But he found nothing that could prove his identity or anything related to the Nine Dragons.

It was then.

Kwa-kwa-kwang!

Suddenly, an explosion occurred at the Thatched Hut.

The Thatched Hut was instantly destroyed, and its remains were engulfed in flames and smoke.

Pyo Wol looked at the Thatched Hut with a furrowed brow.

Sss-sss!

As the Thatched Hut exploded, the formation array must have been broken, as the thick fog that had settled over the entire island began to slowly lift.

The fog disappeared, and the island revealed its true form.

Nowhere on the island could the Ghost Dance Unit be seen.

They had vanished completely, leaving only Mok Han-seong’s corpse behind.

Pyo Wol searched the island. But nowhere was there any evidence that they had stayed.

He couldn’t find any traces related to the Nine Dragons either.

They had truly evaporated completely.

Just then, a strange stench pricked Pyo Wol’s nose.

Looking toward the source of the stench, he saw Mok Han-seong’s corpse rapidly melting.

Pyo Wol couldn’t tell if it was a side effect of the Demonic Transformation Pill or due to some Great Method.

The important thing was that all the flesh on Mok Han-seong’s body had melted away to the point where his form was unrecognizable.

With this, all traces that Mok Han-seong and the Ghost Dance Unit had stayed here were completely erased.

Pyo Wol let out a faint sigh.

“Hoo!”

Several days of effort had come to nothing. His point of contact with the Nine Dragons had completely disappeared.

Still, Pyo Wol was not disappointed.

Because he had, at the very least, confirmed that the Nine Dragons existed.

Now that he knew they existed, he would be able to find them someday.

Above all, a point of contact with the Nine Dragons still remained.

‘Lee Yul!’

“Captain!”

Jong Ri-gu looked at the burning island in the distance.

They had buried a Thunderbolt Bomb in the Thatched Hut they used as a temporary shelter, just in case.

It was buried to erase all traces in case of an emergency. But he truly never thought an occasion to detonate the Thunderbolt Bomb would arise.

That was how much Pyo Wol’s appearance was an event that did not exist in their calculations.

He couldn’t know how he had tracked them here. But this made one thing certain.

The fact that the existence known as Pyo Wol would become a threat to them.

He was an enemy unlike any they had ever experienced before.

Despite being an Assassin, he was abnormally strong and possessed various weapons that other Martial Artists did not. Those would surely become a great threat to them.

They had already lost an outstanding Martial Artist in Mok Han-seong.

No one could fill the sense of loss they felt.

Jong Ri-gu looked at one of the Martial Artists on the boat.

“From now on, you are the Vice Captain.”

“Understood.”

The Martial Artist accepted Jong Ri-gu’s command.

“Make a plan to extract this investigator when he is in danger.”

“As you command!”

The Martial Artist replied with a Fist-Palm Salute.

Jong Ri-gu ground his teeth and watched the receding island.

“You may have won for now, but it will not last long.”

With Mok Han-seong dead, he was now the Captain of the Ghost Dance Unit. And the Captain of the Ghost Dance Unit had a duty to avenge the previous Captain.