Chapter 85

The shattered sword fragments flew in all directions like Hidden Weapons.

“Keuk!”

Mujeong Jin-in let out a bewildered groan.

A few of the broken sword fragments were embedded in his forearm.

The physical wounds caused him no pain.

What pained him was that his beloved sword had been shattered by Pyo Wol’s single finger.

It was a sword inherited from his Master.

A sword he was meant to pass down to his direct Disciple.

It was a masterpiece of such perfection that it would hardly need maintenance even if passed down for generations.

The fact that such a masterpiece was utterly destroyed by Pyo Wol’s finger dealt him a great mental blow. And Pyo Wol did not miss that opening.

He threw the Ghostly Rain as Mujeong Jin-in staggered.

Two Ghostly Rain daggers flew, each tracing a different trajectory.

Faced with the Ghostly Rain that dug into his weak points like vipers, Mujeong Jin-in forgot his dignity and performed the Lazy Donkey Roll.

Like a lazy donkey tumbling on the ground, Mujeong Jin-in rolled on the floor, hastily evading the full brunt of the Ghostly Rain.

As he got to his feet, Mujeong Jin-in’s face was filled with dismay.

He hurriedly tried to raise his Internal Power to prepare for Pyo Wol’s attack.

Puk!

At that moment, he felt a searing pain in his back.

Mujeong Jin-in, his mouth agape at the unexpected pain, looked behind him. He saw the face of a deeply wrinkled old woman.

“Guhwa… Satae?”

The one who had used the chaos to ambush Mujeong Jin-in was none other than Guhwa Satae of the Emei Sect. She had stabbed a Dagger into Mujeong Jin-in’s back.

Even while dealing with the snakes and Hidden Weapons, Guhwa Satae had been watching for an opportunity to intervene in the fight between Pyo Wol and Mujeong Jin-in. Then, when Mujeong Jin-in’s attention was divided and an opening was revealed, she had boldly launched an Ambush Attack.

Guhwa Satae smiled as she looked at the horrified Mujeong Jin-in.

“You’ve worked hard, Mujeong Jin-in! From now on, I will take care of that Assassin.”

“You cowardly… To use an Ambush Attack.”

“Hmph! What does it matter if it’s an Ambush Attack or a surprise attack? The Jianghu only remembers the victor.”

At Guhwa Satae’s shameless words, Mujeong Jin-in’s face twisted even more wretchedly.

“How can the Sect Master of the Emei Sect think such a thing… The honor of the Emei Sect will fall to the ground because of you.”

“I don’t care what happens to my honor right now. In the end, the Emei Sect will be the final victor and will rule Sichuan Province. When that happens, who would dare curse me to my face? In the end, history only reveres and remembers the victor.”

Guhwa Satae answered calmly.

She was used to being cursed.

From the moment she planned the Assassination of U Gun-sang fourteen years ago, Guhwa Satae had cast aside her own honor.

What she truly wanted was the revival of the Emei Sect, and for that, she had to bring down the Qingcheng Sect.

Mujeong Jin-in was the greatest pillar supporting the Qingcheng Sect. A golden opportunity to topple such a pillar had arrived, and there was no reason to hesitate.

Even if it meant being cursed by all the Martial Artists in Sichuan Province and being told she had dragged the Emei Sect’s honor through the mud.

“You demon. Because of you, the Emei Sect will fall into decline.”

“You should worry about the Qingcheng Sect before that.”

Kwang!

Guhwa Satae struck Mujeong Jin-in in the chest with her Bludgeon Palm as he shouted.

With his chest caved in, Mujeong Jin-in flew back ten Zhang and tumbled across the ground.

“Master!”

“Damn it!”

The Qingcheng Seven Swords tried to run to Mujeong Jin-in, but the Martial Artists of the Emei Sect clung to them tenaciously.

“Hmph! Serves you right.”

Guhwa Satae snorted and approached Pyo Wol.

“I have a certain amount of gratitude for you. Thanks to you shaking up the Qingcheng Sect, I was able to create this opportunity.”

To Guhwa Satae, Pyo Wol’s existence was both a curse and a blessing.

Because he had assassinated U Gun-sang, a war with the Qingcheng Sect had broken out, but paradoxically, it had allowed her to solidify the Emei Sect’s position. And today, thanks to him distracting Mujeong Jin-in, she had been able to eliminate him.

Mujeong Jin-in was a giant who accounted for more than half of the Qingcheng Sect’s power. Having eliminated such a figure, the Emei Sect could now take the initiative in the war against the Qingcheng Sect.

“In return, I will grant you a painless death.”

Hwoong!

The bludgeon in Guhwa Satae’s hand cried out.

It was a phenomenon that occurred as she injected all of her Internal Power into it.

Pyo Wol watched Guhwa Satae with narrowed eyes.

If not for her ambition, he would have just wandered All Under Heaven, living as a nobody.

An ordinary, mundane life.

Or perhaps he might have died a miserable death somewhere on the road.

The Jianghu was terrifyingly cruel to a beggar who had nothing.

Guhwa Satae’s ambition had made him who he was today.

The Assassin, Pyo Wol.

A monster who didn’t even bat an eye while surrounded by countless Martial Artists.

Now it was time to show her just how vicious and terrifying the monster she had created was.

Pyo Wol unleashed Black Lightning and rushed toward Guhwa Satae.

“Not a chance.”

Guhwa Satae had carefully observed Pyo Wol’s fight with Mujeong Jin-in. So she was able to prepare for Black Lightning.

Hwoooong!

Guhwa Satae unleashed the Golden Light Barrage Technique Form from her Golden Light Staff Technique toward the spot where the ki was fluctuating.

The Golden Light Barrage was a technique that coated the staff with ki and struck more than ten times in a single breath.

Since it wasn’t a direct strike with the staff, there was no fear of it being destroyed by Pyo Wol’s strange technique.

Sssiit!

At that moment, a sharp sound of something cutting through the air echoed in the darkness, and a Flying Blade shot out.

It was the Ghostly Rain.

“Hut!”

Startled by the sudden appearance of the Flying Dagger, Guhwa Satae ducked her head.

She thought she had dodged Pyo Wol’s Ambush Attack, but there was more than one Ghostly Rain.

Sssit!

A continuous sharp sound of cutting air echoed in the darkness as more Ghostly Rain daggers were launched in succession.

In the end, Guhwa Satae had no choice but to withdraw the staff she was about to use for the Golden Light Barrage and strike down the Flying Daggers.

Jjeolgeureong!

The Flying Daggers that had threatened her life were deflected in all directions.

“Is this all you’ve got?”

Guhwa Satae sneered at Pyo Wol.

But she didn’t know.

That while she was striking away the Ghostly Rain, the Soul Restraining Thread was coiling around her ankle like a snake.

The Ghostly Rain he had launched earlier was merely bait to focus Guhwa Satae’s attention elsewhere.

He had made a snare with the Soul Restraining Thread and launched the Ghostly Rain to lure her into it.

Paeng!

When Pyo Wol pulled the Soul Restraining Thread, Guhwa Satae’s body swayed violently.

“Hut!”

In the unexpected situation, Guhwa Satae was terrified and hurriedly tried to regain her balance. The moment she showed an opening was extremely brief, only as long as a single breath. But for Pyo Wol, that was enough.

Pyo Wol unleashed Black Lightning once more and advanced.

Adding Black Lightning to his Heart Speed doubled his velocity.

In a realm nearing the speed of sound, a speed that human Eye Power could never perceive, Pyo Wol clenched his fist.

Pyo Wol’s weight was added to his incredible speed.

Pyo Wol himself had become a weapon of immense destructive power.

Guhwa Satae’s eyes widened.

She had instinctively sensed Pyo Wol. But before she could even react, Pyo Wol’s fist exploded into her abdomen.

Peo-eong!

“Keok!”

With a sound like a Thunderbolt Bomb exploding, Guhwa Satae was thrown backward.

Guhwa Satae’s face was covered in blood as she tumbled across the ground.

A look of horror appeared on her face.

Pyo Wol’s single punch had scrambled her insides and shaken her heart meridian.

In each of her hands, she held a piece of her broken bludgeon.

Just before Pyo Wol’s fist struck, Guhwa Satae had blocked her front with the bludgeon using superhuman reflexes.

Even so, she couldn’t completely defend against Pyo Wol’s attack.

The bludgeon, known as one of the sturdiest in All Under Heaven, had broken in the middle, and she herself had suffered massive internal injuries.

A pain as if her entire body was being dismantled washed over her.

For the first time, a look of fear appeared on Guhwa Satae’s face.

“Seol Lan, Black Cloud Corps Unit Leader! Attack him together.”

She ordered her Disciple and Jang Muryang to attack him jointly.

It was a cowardly act, but she had no time to consider such things.

The most important thing at this moment was her own life.

Even if her honor fell to the ground, as long as she was alive, she could always recover it.

She intended to save her own life, even if it meant sacrificing Yong Seol Lan and Jang Muryang. But Pyo Wol had no intention of letting her go.

He had barely managed to lure Guhwa Satae out of Mount Emei.

If he let her go now, he didn’t know when another opportunity like this would come.

Pyo Wol rushed toward Guhwa Satae.

“You bastard!”

Jang Muryang, who was nearby, stepped forward first.

Jang Muryang unleashed the Zhang Family Spear Art and attacked Pyo Wol.

At that moment, Pyo Wol swung the Soul Restraining Thread with a Ghostly Rain dagger attached to it.

Chwareureuk!

The Soul Restraining Thread coiled up the spear like a viper.

“Hut!”

Jang Muryang was horrified.

To shake off the Soul Restraining Thread, he had to abandon his spear. But a Martial Artist’s pride would not allow him to discard his spear.

While he hesitated, the Ghostly Rain attached to the Soul Restraining Thread was shot out at an invisible speed.

Puk!

The Ghostly Rain lodged itself directly into Jang Muryang’s right chest.

Jang Muryang collapsed, spewing blood from his chest, but Pyo Wol didn’t even glance at him and continued toward Guhwa Satae.

“Stop!”

Yong Seol Lan swung her sword to block Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol did not evade, instead raising his arm to meet Yong Seol Lan’s sword directly.

Yong Seol Lan’s sword dug almost halfway into his forearm.

Flesh split and blood splattered, but Pyo Wol’s expression did not change one bit.

Yong Seol Lan flinched for a moment, not having expected Pyo Wol to take her attack with his bare body.

Pyo Wol did not miss that opening and passed her using Serpentine Steps.

In an instant, Pyo Wol passed the two of them and reached Guhwa Satae.

“You baaastard!”

Guhwa Satae screamed at the top of her lungs, but her body was frozen like a frog before a snake.

The moment she saw Pyo Wol’s red eyes, Guhwa Satae felt extreme fear.

Guhwa Satae saw a hallucination of a giant snake of incalculable size opening its maw wide and swallowing her whole.

Seogeok!

At that moment, a sharp cutting sound echoed from Guhwa Satae’s neck.

A Ghostly Rain had sliced across her throat.

“Kkeueueu!”

A sound like air escaping a leather pouch leaked from Guhwa Satae’s mouth.

She touched her neck with her hand.

Her palm was wet.

Red blood flowed between her fingers.

“I, I can’t die. The hegemony of Sichuan Province is so close…”

Guhwa Satae’s body trembled.

She had spent her entire life running toward the single goal of the Emei Sect’s revival. Now that the destination was not far, she could not accept the fact that she was losing her life to a mere Assassin.

“You demonic bastard, if only you didn’t exist…”

Guhwa Satae reached out her hand to grab Pyo Wol. But her hand could not reach him.

Pyo Wol stared intently into Guhwa Satae’s eyes and said.

“Now, get out of my life.”

“Kkeueueu!”

Guhwa Satae collapsed, coughing up bloody foam.

“Master!”

“Sect Master!”

The Disciples of the Emei Sect ran over, calling out to Guhwa Satae in distress.

They were all in a state of terror and extreme confusion.

The death of Guhwa Satae, whom they had revered like the heavens, felt completely unreal.

“That crazy bastard!”

“That’s not human.”

The heroes trembled in fear as they watched Guhwa Satae fall.

Pyo Wol, standing tall and covered in Guhwa Satae’s blood, did not look human at all.

At some point, the Mechanisms had stopped, and Hidden Weapons were no longer being fired. Yet, the heroes did not dare to challenge Pyo Wol.

They were overwhelmed by the very presence of Pyo Wol, standing there covered in blood with his red eyes gleaming.

“Where did such a Killing Star come from…”

“He’s a Reaper. One who brings death…”

“Ugh!”

Those with weak minds felt an extreme, maddening fear just from looking at Pyo Wol. They wet themselves without even realizing it.

‘It’s over! Everyone is overwhelmed by him.’

Yong Seol Lan’s pupils trembled.

Hundreds, thousands of Martial Artists were overwhelmed by the presence of a single man.

And the one who overwhelmed them was an Assassin they had so despised.

The sight of them, unable to move, overwhelmed by a single Assassin, was too surreal.

If this many people rushed him at once, even Pyo Wol would not escape unscathed. But no one could step forward.

Yong Seol Lan sensed that a new ruler had emerged in Sichuan.

A Reaper who ruled with blood and fear.

Then, something no one had expected happened.

From a place behind Yong Seol Lan that no one was paying attention to, someone stood up.

A Taoist priest, glaring at Pyo Wol with eyes consumed by madness.

“Eu-heo-heo-heong!”

His lion’s roar pierced through the battlefield.