Chapter 398

In that moment, Namgung Seol felt a shiver run down her spine.

A chilling sensation made all the hairs on her skin stand on end. She knew the owner of the voice she had just heard.

‘Could it be?’

Namgung Seol cautiously looked in the direction the voice had come from.

A man was there.

A man with a face that shone even more bewitchingly in the darkness.

“Pyo… Wol!”

Namgung Seol’s fine brows furrowed.

He was a man who should not be here.

His appearance was not part of Namgung Seol’s calculations.

“How are you here?”

The Snow Flower Sword Squad, who followed her, was positioned nearby like a spider’s web. Yet not a single one of them had announced Pyo Wol’s arrival.

It was one of two things.

Either Pyo Wol had slipped past their watch unnoticed, or he had killed them all to silence them.

Either way, it was not a good sign for Namgung Seol.

Pyo Wol was staring intently at Namgung Seol.

Even in the darkness, his gaze felt exceptionally sharp.

Pyo Wol opened his mouth.

“I’m curious, so tell me what happens next.”

“What happened to the Snow Flower Sword Squad?”

“That’s not what’s important, is it?”

“You keep crossing the line. This is not the place for you.”

Namgung Seol’s voice grew cold.

Her eyes, even in the darkness, shone as vividly as Pyo Wol’s.

The intensity of her gaze was such that an ordinary person would not dare to meet her eyes. But Pyo Wol paid it no mind and shifted his gaze to Hong Ye-seol.

Hong Ye-seol was truly in a wretched state.

Her breathing was faint; her life would be in danger if she wasn’t treated immediately.

“You’ve done something foolish.”

“What… do you mean?”

“Everything.”

“What… are you saying? I’m Hong Ye-seol. I don’t… need your help.”

“Is that why you ended up like this?”

“Cough!”

Instead of an answer, Hong Ye-seol coughed up crimson blood.

She no longer had the strength to answer or endure. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

Hong Ye-seol’s breathing grew weaker and weaker.

Leaving her any longer was dangerous.

Pyo Wol approached her. But someone stood in his way.

A man with a long saber at his waist.

The man with a refreshing, handsome face and a cheerful impression was none other than Lee Geom-han.

Lee Geom-han grinned and said.

“Stop right there, friend.”

“I’m no friend of yours.”

“They say all under heaven are brothers, why be so prickly?”

“Move!”

“Trying to get to that woman? Then I can’t let you pass.”

“Why?”

“I’ve been struggling for days to catch her. So I’ll have to ask for your understanding.”

The boyish smile on Lee Geom-han’s face deepened.

His eyes shone as if he had discovered an interesting subject. In contrast, Pyo Wol’s gaze sank even deeper.

They were polar opposites.

Namgung Seol tried to step between them.

“Geom-han! He is not worthy of being your opponent. So please, leave him to me.”

“Sister Seol. That is not so.”

“Pardon?”

“Can’t you see, even after looking? This friend’s true skill. He is not someone you can handle.”

“That’s…”

“Sister Seol! I truly love you. That is why I stand by and do not interfere, no matter what you do. Even if that ridiculous group called the Snow Flower Sword Squad follows you. And I know that all your actions are for my sake.”

“Geom-han!”

“You are more precious to me than anything. That is why I cannot stand by and watch you be harmed by that man.”

“Are you saying I would be beaten by him?”

“Sister Seol! Come behind me.”

“Geom-han!”

“I’m saying this for your own good.”

In that moment, Namgung Seol felt the blood in her veins run cold.

Lee Geom-han had never spoken to her like this before.

The strongest person she knew was Lee Geom-han.

He wasn’t highly regarded simply because he was born of a good bloodline. He had become strong by living like a madman, obsessed with Martial Arts.

A Martial Maniac who staked his life on a single saber.

That was the best way to describe Lee Geom-han.

She had known Lee Geom-han for a long time, but this was the first time she had ever seen him look tense.

Namgung Seol quietly walked behind Lee Geom-han.

The fact that she had to leave Hong Ye-seol like this was regrettable, but she decided not to hold on to any lingering feelings.

Lee Geom-han said to Pyo Wol.

“There’s one thing I want to ask. Do you know who instigated that woman?”

“I don’t!”

“Is that woman’s assassination attempt related to you?”

“That’s more than one question.”

“My apologies! They just keep coming to mind. Will you answer my questions?”

“If you’re done with your questions, move.”

“I believe I told you I can’t do that. This woman is mine. I’ve worked for days to catch her, so I can’t give up just because you say so. This woman assassinated and killed the Seven Sages Scholar right before my eyes.”

“Her profession is killing people.”

“I know that. I can even respect her profession. But please understand my position as well. The person she killed was the Seven Sages Scholar. He was a man of great renown in the Jianghu. If the secret behind his death is not revealed, a great conflict could arise in the Jianghu. The atmosphere is already tense as it is, and the death of the Seven Sages Scholar could be the spark that ignites a war.”

Lee Geom-han was resolute.

He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Pyo Wol.

In his form, Pyo Wol saw a towering wall.

It was an immense presence he hadn’t even felt from Jang Mu-guk.

‘He’s strong.’

It wasn’t just his Martial Arts that were strong.

The man named Lee Geom-han was strong in and of himself.

It made him wonder what kind of process a person had to go through to acquire such a gaze and aura.

If time permitted, he would have wanted to have a conversation with him. But right now, Pyo Wol had no time.

Even as he was talking with Lee Geom-han, Hong Ye-seol’s condition was visibly worsening.

He could not leave her be any longer.

The moment Pyo Wol’s gaze changed, Lee Geom-han’s gaze changed as well.

Lee Geom-han’s eyes became as heavy as a rock, making anyone who saw them feel an instinctive pressure.

Phat!

The one who moved first was Pyo Wol.

He unleashed his Serpentine Steps and approached Hong Ye-seol.

At that moment, Lee Geom-han also moved.

“Didn’t I tell you? I cannot permit you to take her.”

He had already blocked Pyo Wol’s path.

Instead of clashing with Lee Geom-han, Pyo Wol chose another route.

Just as a snake goes around a rock, Pyo Wol tried to circle around Lee Geom-han. But once again, Lee Geom-han blocked him.

Lee Geom-han’s Footwork, moving without lifting the soles of his feet from the ground, had similarities to Pyo Wol’s Serpentine Steps.

It was a Footwork called the Spinning Wheel Step.

It was a Secret Transmission Footwork that only the Sect Leader’s lineage could learn within the Radiant Martial Gate, and it displayed its greatest power when used in conjunction with his Saber technique.

The Spinning Wheel Step was characterized by its use of rotation to control acceleration and deceleration. When spinning fiercely, its destructive power was maximized, and when the rotation was slowed, its power decreased significantly.

Lee Geom-han had mastered the Spinning Wheel Step to its peak.

Without even drawing his specialty, the Saber technique, he threatened Pyo Wol with the Spinning Wheel Step alone.

Kwaaaah!

A powerful vortex formed around Lee Geom-han, pushing Pyo Wol back.

Pyo Wol used the vortex to instead circle around Lee Geom-han. But Lee Geom-han unleashed the Spinning Wheel Step and tenaciously blocked Pyo Wol.

It was a battle of spear and shield.

One who sought to break through and one who sought to block.

They clashed ceaselessly, yet they did not actually attack each other.

The current clash was a sort of probing battle.

They were gauging each other’s level through their Footwork.

Papat!

Their movements were so fast that only faint afterimages could be seen.

Namgung Seol couldn’t close her gaping mouth in surprise.

“Is that man’s Lightness Art on a similar level to Geom-han’s?”

Lee Geom-han was someone who could kill Experts with his Footwork alone.

The Spinning Wheel Step, developed over three generations, possessed tremendous destructive power in its own right.

Lee Geom-han could crush most Experts with just the Spinning Wheel Step. Yet Pyo Wol, while facing the Spinning Wheel Step, had not taken any damage.

If Lee Geom-han’s Spinning Wheel Step was hard, Pyo Wol’s Serpentine Steps were soft.

Even amidst the threat of the Spinning Wheel Step, the Serpentine Steps constantly moved, searching for a path of life.

Though they weren’t brandishing weapons, they were in fact clashing fiercely.

Lee Geom-han found it increasingly difficult to block Pyo Wol.

This was because Pyo Wol’s Serpentine Steps grew more refined as time passed.

When Pyo Wol first unleashed the Serpentine Steps, the gaps between his steps were so large that his movements were easy to predict. But as time went on, the unnecessary movements that had clung to his steps like excess baggage disappeared, and they became more refined.

‘Did he perceive his own problem in that short time and correct his movements?’

He had met countless Martial Artists, but this was the first time he had seen someone with this level of martial talent.

It was then.

Shhhk!

Pyo Wol dug into his left side.

Lee Geom-han naturally unleashed the Spinning Wheel Step to block his path. But Pyo Wol’s movement suddenly changed.

He changed direction not to the left, but to the right.

“Kkh!”

For the first time, a look of bewilderment appeared on Lee Geom-han’s face. He hurriedly spun and changed direction.

In that instant, Pyo Wol’s speed momentarily increased.

He had unleashed Black Lightning, multiplying his body’s reaction speed several times over.

Pyo Wol became a black flash of lightning and passed Lee Geom-han.

It was too late to block him with the Spinning Wheel Step alone.

For a moment, a flicker of conflict appeared on Lee Geom-han’s face. But it was only for a moment; the long saber at his waist was soon drawn.

Sssiit!

Faster than sound, the long saber was drawn and slashed at Pyo Wol’s waist.

It was truly a strike like a flash of lightning. But Pyo Wol, unfazed, drew a Ghostly Rain to block his strike.

Jjeo-eong!

With a metallic clang, a tremendous shockwave washed over Pyo Wol.

The Ghostly Rain that had collided with the long saber shattered.

The long saber and the Ghostly Rain were worlds apart in terms of weight and destructive power. Moreover, the one wielding the long saber was none other than the Martial Maniac, Lee Geom-han.

He was a Martial Artist who had already reached the absolute level when it came to the Saber technique. It was a natural result for the Ghostly Rain to shatter after clashing with a saber wielded by such a Martial Artist.

Pyo Wol’s hand was covered in blood from the aftermath of the Ghostly Rain shattering. But Pyo Wol, without batting an eye, took out another Ghostly Rain.

Lee Geom-han’s expression was dark as he looked at Pyo Wol.

Because he had broken an unspoken promise.

Just as Lee Geom-han had not used his Martial Arts, Pyo Wol had also tried to break through using only pure Lightness Art without resorting to Martial Arts.

Lee Geom-han had been confident he could block Pyo Wol’s breakthrough with the Spinning Wheel Step alone. But to his pride’s dismay, he had allowed Pyo Wol to break through and had been the first to draw his weapon.

Lee Geom-han felt ashamed.

It wasn’t drawing his saber that was shameful, but the fact that he had subconsciously looked down on Pyo Wol.

Unleashing the Spinning Wheel Step with his hands behind his back against Pyo Wol was clearly an act of looking down on him.

While he had outwardly acknowledged him, deep in his heart, he had clearly belittled him as an Assassin.

Such a mindset was definitely wrong.

“Hoo!”

Lee Geom-han let out a sigh.

In that instant, Pyo Wol felt a chill.

He realized that Lee Geom-han’s aura had changed.

‘The real fight starts now.’

His opponent was Lee Geom-han.

The man called the Martial Maniac.

The one who inherited the strongest Saber technique of the strongest Sect in Jianghu.

His intimidating presence was real.

Lee Geom-han aimed his long saber at Pyo Wol.

The Saber technique created to kill the heavens.

Heavenly Killing Blade.

That ultimate Saber technique was unleashed towards Pyo Wol.