Chapter 69

“What in the world is this?”

Yong Seol Lan’s pupils trembled violently.

It was because of the unbelievable tragedy unfolding before her eyes.

Disciples of the Emei Sect and the Hundred Flowers Room were lying on the ground, bleeding. Of course, just as many disciples from the Qingcheng Sect and Geumcheon Gate were also down, but Yong Seol Lan didn’t see them.

“Gong-hwa!”

Yong Seol Lan’s eyes fell on a female disciple around her age.

It was Gong-hwa, a second-generation disciple of the Emei Sect.

Although she couldn’t speak to her informally due to their difference in rank, they were of a similar age and would speak comfortably whenever they ran into each other. That was why she felt a special connection to her.

That same Gong-hwa was now a Blood Human, twitching on the ground.

Yong Seol Lan rushed to Gong-hwa without a second thought.

“Who are you?”

“Chaaat!”

The martial artists of Geumcheon Gate who spotted her launched an attack.

Yong Seol Lan held Gong-hwa with one hand and spread the palm of her other hand wide.

Kwaaaa!

In that instant, a powerful palm force erupted from her hand and struck the martial artists of Geumcheon Gate.

“Keoheok!”

“Keok!”

The martial artists of Geumcheon Gate collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

It was the Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm, a technique proudly ranked among the top martial arts of the Emei Sect.

The Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm was a Supreme Art so potent that it was not to be used unless against a life-or-death enemy, but the situation was so urgent that Yong Seol Lan unleashed it without thinking.

Its power was truly astonishing, rendering martial artists who were ranked among the top within Geumcheon Gate incapable of resisting in a single blow.

However, Yong Seol Lan didn’t even glance at the opponents she had felled, instead looking at Gong-hwa in her arms.

“Are you okay? Junior Martial Niece.”

“Senior… Martial Aunt?”

“Yes! It’s me. Hurry and circulate your qi. I’ll help you.”

“I…”

Gong-hwa’s lips moved with difficulty as she tried to say something. But even that faint movement soon ceased. She had stopped breathing.

“This can’t be!”

A look of disbelief appeared on Yong Seol Lan’s face.

This whole situation felt like a lie.

The very scene of disciples, with whom she had eaten and talked just yesterday, now collapsing and shedding blood felt utterly unreal.

Yong Seol Lan was one of the few who knew the truth about why the Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect hated each other so much.

Knowing that the Emei Sect was the first to do wrong, she had no choice but to be passive in the fight against the Qingcheng Sect.

It was the Emei Sect that had placed the commission with the Bloody Shadows Guild, and it was also the Emei Sect that had betrayed them first.

Knowing that the Emei Sect was the root cause of this entire incident, she couldn’t bring herself to stand on the front lines of the war against the Qingcheng Sect. Her conscience wouldn’t allow it.

But now she realized.

Regardless of her feelings, the war had begun, and even as she hesitated, the disciples of the Emei Sect were dying.

“I don’t know how things came to this, but I can no longer tolerate Emei disciples dying before my eyes.”

Yong Seol Lan threw herself toward the disciples of the Qingcheng Sect.

“Haaat!”

The Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm unfolded from her hand.

Kwaaaaaa!

A palm force of immense power swept through the Qingcheng Sect disciples like a storm.

“Keoheok!”

“Ack!”

With Yong Seol Lan’s intervention, the situation spiraled out of control.

Not only the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect, but also the disciples of Geumcheon Gate, the Hundred Flowers Room, and the Crimson Dragon Clan lost their minds and attacked each other.

Reason flew away, and only madness remained, dominating their instincts.

Seeing their comrades die right next to them, the martial artists lost their reason, and the martial artists who lost their reason charged at their enemies without a second thought.

Because of this, their casualties snowballed in an instant.

“What? Why isn’t the Black Cloud Corps coming?”

Jang Muryang looked around the battlefield with a perplexed expression.

The Black Cloud Corps should have arrived by now and joined the battle. But there was no word from Jo Jeok-san, who had been sent to summon them.

Only then did Jang Muryang sense that something was wrong.

“Could it be the Qingcheng Sect? No! They don’t have the luxury.”

He could tell just by looking at the faces of the Qingcheng Sect martial artists fighting here.

If they were orchestrating this whole situation, they would be composed. But there was no trace of composure on any of their faces.

Jang Muryang thought this whole situation was contrived.

It was as if someone was orchestrating this entire situation.

“Snow Leopard!”

Jang Muryang called out to a close aide nearby.

“Yes! Unit Leader.”

Snow Leopard approached him, covered in blood.

Some of it was his own, but most of it belonged to others.

“Something about this flow is strange. The fact that Jeok-san hasn’t returned yet, and everything feels contrived.”

“I think so too. The situation is escalating too quickly.”

“You quietly slip away and survey the surroundings.”

“Pardon?”

“I have a feeling someone is instigating this fight. Go and confirm if such a person really exists.”

“I understand.”

Snow Leopard withdrew without another word.

He, too, had felt something similar to Jang Muryang.

Snow Leopard quietly slipped out of the battlefield.

He was attacked a few times along the way, but he only evaded without retaliating.

He sustained minor injuries as a price. But he ignored the wounds.

He had suffered injuries like this countless times.

Looking at the battlefield from the outside, there was no hellscape like it.

It had been a long time since he had seen a battlefield dominated by this level of madness. And it was by no means an easy feat for disciples of prestigious sects like the Emei Sect or the Qingcheng Sect to be consumed by such madness.

‘Just as the Unit Leader said, someone must be instigating this.’

Snow Leopard looked around.

His gaze suddenly turned to the highest point in the area.

It was a large tree, not far from the street where the fight was taking place.

From up there, one would have a clear view of the entire area.

He had a feeling that if there was someone truly orchestrating this situation, they would surely be on that tree.

Those who preside over a battlefield consider securing a line of sight to be of the utmost importance.

Snow Leopard didn’t hesitate and launched himself toward the large tree.

His body broke through the dense branches and landed lightly on the thick trunk.

Pish!

At that moment, he felt an intense sense of danger.

Lifting his head, he saw a flying dagger plunging toward the crown of his head.

“So you were here, you bastard!”

He twisted his body to dodge the flying dagger and shouted.

He had shouted loudly, hoping Jang Muryang would hear, but unfortunately, his voice did not reach Jang Muryang’s ears.

Having no other choice, Snow Leopard decided to capture the culprit himself.

Snow Leopard was confident he had the skill to do so.

In fact, he was skilled enough to be ranked within the top thirty of the Black Cloud Corps.

He couldn’t compare to seasoned martial artists with strong personalities like Daoshi Go or the Blood Monk, but he was still among the strong of the younger generation of martial artists.

Snow Leopard believed in his martial prowess.

“Wait for me.”

He launched himself in the direction the flying dagger had come from.

The leaves and branches were so dense that he couldn’t see the ambusher. That was why he threw himself forward, trusting only his gut.

It was then.

Shhh!

Another flying dagger flew at him.

Snow Leopard tried to evade it again.

He had dodged it just a moment ago, so he thought he could easily dodge it this time as well.

“Huh!”

But he couldn’t help but wear a bewildered expression.

The trajectory of the flying dagger had changed in mid-air.

The flying dagger, as if it were a living creature, abruptly changed direction and flew toward his side.

“Damn it!”

Kang!

Snow Leopard swung his sword with all his might. Fortunately, the flying dagger was blocked by his sword.

Snow Leopard kicked off a branch again, intending to launch himself forward. But at that moment, the flying dagger, which seemed to have lost its momentum and was falling to the ground, flew at him again with terrifying speed.

“Huh! What the?”

Snow Leopard was horrified.

In his common sense, this was an impossible event.

‘Could it be the Qi Sword Control Technique?’

A look of terror dawned on his face.

If his opponent was truly an expert capable of using the Qi Sword Control Technique, he was a being he could not dare to handle.

“Damn it!”

Horrified, he tried to leap out of the tree.

Kang!

But once again, his path was blocked by the flying dagger that flew at him like a ghost.

Shwishwishwish!

The flying dagger, as if it were a living creature, flew back and forth, attacking Snow Leopard.

Snow Leopard tried to shake off the flying dagger and escape somehow, but it was useless. He felt his situation was like that of a moth trapped in a spider’s web.

And it was true.

The flying dagger gradually closed in on him.

He was running out of breath.

Extreme terror dominated his mind.

The fact that he hadn’t even seen his opponent’s face despite being cornered to this extent made him even more afraid.

Puk!

The flying dagger pierced through his shoulder.

Snow Leopard’s mouth fell open in extreme pain.

At that moment, an invisible noose was placed over his head.

It was the Soul Restraining Thread, a thread made of qi.

The Soul Restraining Thread tightened around Snow Leopard’s neck.

“Keok!”

Snow Leopard clutched his neck and struggled.

Then, his body was yanked up toward the top of the tree.

Pyo Wol had pulled the Soul Restraining Thread.

The Soul Restraining Thread dug into his neck.

In his fading consciousness, Snow Leopard could finally see the face of the man who had killed him.

A man with a face so handsome it would make another man’s head spin. But in Snow Leopard’s eyes, he appeared as the King of Hell.

“You, you?”

Swish!

At that moment, the Soul Restraining Thread dug into Snow Leopard’s neck, completely cutting off his breath.

Pyo Wol gazed at the face of the breathless Snow Leopard for a moment before retracting the Soul Restraining Thread. Snow Leopard’s corpse then fell from the tree, catching on a large branch and stopping with a jolt.

A terrible event had occurred within the large tree, but the people outside were completely unaware.

The large tree swayed nonchalantly in the wind, as if nothing had happened.

Pyo Wol swung the Soul Restraining Thread to retrieve the flying dagger that had fallen to the ground.

The combination of Ghostly Rain and the Soul Restraining Thread was truly absolute.

It demonstrated absolute power, especially within a tree with such dense leaves or in a forest.

For now, he could only combine one Soul Restraining Thread with one Ghostly Rain, but in the future, as his realm deepened, he would be able to freely handle ten Ghostly Rains with ten Soul Restraining Threads.

It was then.

Kwaang!

Suddenly, a tremendous explosion erupted from the battlefield.

As if a Thunderbolt Bomb had gone off, the entire street was destroyed, and a storm-like Qi Wave engulfed the tree where Pyo Wol was concealed.

Kwaruru!

The large tree shook precariously, as if it would break at any moment.

Because of this, Snow Leopard’s corpse, which had been caught on a large branch, plummeted to the ground.

Pyo Wol swept his hair back and looked at the source of the explosion.

Two people, a man and a woman, were there.

It was Cheong-yeop and Jeong Hwa.

A huge crater was gouged out between Cheong-yeop and Jeong Hwa.

The massive crater had been created by the impact of the Ultimate Techniques the two had unleashed.

“Keub!”

“Cough!”

Neither of them was in good condition.

Cheong-yeop’s face was deathly pale as he bled Fresh Blood from his mouth and nose.

Jeong Hwa’s condition was even more wretched.

She was on one knee, continuously vomiting blood. She had suffered a deep internal injury.

By a narrow margin, Cheong-yeop had overpowered Jeong Hwa. However, Cheong-yeop’s condition was also not good, making it a pyrrhic victory.

“Senior Martial Sister!”

Yong Seol Lan shook off the persistently pursuing Cheong-san and rushed to Jeong Hwa.

“Are you okay?”

“Keeeuh!”

Jeong Hwa only groaned, unable to give a proper answer. Her eyes had already lost focus. She had almost lost consciousness.

Yong Seol Lan hurriedly hoisted Jeong Hwa onto her back and shouted.

“Everyone, retreat to the Hundred Flowers Room.”

At her command, the disciples of the Emei Sect and the Hundred Flowers Room picked up their wounded and dead and retreated.

“Senior Martial Brother!”

Cheong-san rushed to Cheong-yeop.

Cheong-yeop couldn’t open his mouth. If he were to speak now while forcibly suppressing his qi, his internal injuries would worsen.

If he had his way, he would have pressed the advantage and decisively subdued the Emei Sect right then and there. But the casualties of the Qingcheng Sect and Geumcheon Gate were also so immense that he couldn’t.

Understanding Cheong-yeop’s intentions from his gaze alone, Cheong-san gave the order instead.

“We are also retreating.”

The disciples of the Qingcheng Sect and Geumcheon Gate also picked up their casualties and withdrew. Among them were the martial artists of the Crimson Dragon Clan and Po Sanhae, who had suddenly found themselves on the side of the Qingcheng Sect.

He could see the glares of the Emei Sect disciples directed at him.

He wanted to make the excuse that it was a misunderstanding, but he knew better than anyone that it would be useless.

Now, no matter what anyone said, the Crimson Dragon Clan was seen as being on the side of the Qingcheng Sect. And they had suddenly made an enemy of the great sect known as the Emei Sect.

‘Heavens…’

He resented the heavens for making it so. But he did not know.

He did not know that it was not the heavens that had made it so, but a single martial artist.

And that the man was still watching this entire situation from high up in a tree.