Chapter 89

Pyo Wol’s residence was a small Thatched Hut on a hill near the Min River.

The Thatched Hut, once used by a fisherman’s family, had long been abandoned, barely maintaining its shape.

Pyo Wol made simple repairs to the abandoned Thatched Hut and used it as his dwelling.

After Tang Sochu left, Pyo Wol lay alone on the simple bed, gazing at the night sky.

It was the same darkness he had seen so much of in the underground cavern. But there was a difference.

A sea of stars flowing along the night sky.

It was the Milky Way.

Pyo Wol did nothing, just stared blankly at the Milky Way.

He thought all his emotions had been worn away, but seeing the brilliantly shining sea of stars stirred a strange feeling within him.

It was then.

Rustle!

He heard the sound of a leaf being crushed.

Pyo Wol sat up and looked in the direction of the sound.

It wasn’t the sound of an animal moving. Pyo Wol’s senses became particularly sharp in the dark. He immediately recognized that the owner of the footsteps was an Expert of Martial Arts.

After waiting a moment, the owner of the footsteps emerged from the darkness.

A strange light flickered in Pyo Wol’s eyes.

He had recognized the uninvited guest’s identity.

‘Yong Seol Lan!’

The woman, who radiated a splendid beauty despite her simple, light attire, was none other than Yong Seol Lan.

She walked straight toward Pyo Wol.

The sight of Yong Seol Lan approaching with her eyes slightly lowered was a picture in itself.

Swish! Swish!

Parting the tall grass, Yong Seol Lan came to a stop in front of the bed.

“It’s been a while.”

“What is it?”

“A guest has arrived, and you don’t even offer a seat?”

“Sit wherever you like.”

“Thank you.”

Yong Seol Lan smiled faintly and sat down in front of Pyo Wol.

She looked around and said.

“You’re staying in a nice place. That’s why it took me so long to find you. I thought you had left Sichuan Province.”

“It’s a place I’d like to stay for a long time.”

“I can see why. If I had my way, I’d want to live in a place like this too. Without any worries or concerns…”

Although the darkness concealed everything in the world, someone of Yong Seol Lan’s level could distinguish the scenery to some extent with their excellent Eye Power.

Behind the Thatched Hut was a low hill that blocked the wind, and in front, the view opened up to reveal the vast Min River and the plains at a glance.

Anyone who came to a place like this would naturally think of staying for a long time.

Suddenly, Yong Seol Lan’s gaze turned to the sky.

The sea of stars entered her eyes.

It was a sight she could see every day from Mount Emei, but for some reason, it looked particularly brilliant today.

The starlight settled in Yong Seol Lan’s eyes.

She gazed at the sky like that for a long time.

After quite some time had passed, Yong Seol Lan looked at Pyo Wol. Until then, Pyo Wol had been watching her without a word.

“I’m sorry. I came here unannounced on a whim, and I was paying attention to something else entirely. A lot happened today, you see. So my mind was a bit of a mess.”

“…”

“I was excommunicated today. To be precise, I requested the excommunication first, and Senior Martial Sister Cheol-sim, who has become the new Sect Master, granted it.”

Even though Pyo Wol didn’t ask for a reason, Yong Seol Lan continued to ramble on.

“I am now a person with no connection to the Emei Sect. Aren’t you curious why I made this choice?”

“Not really!”

“I thought so. But please listen. It’s related to you. Now our sect, no, the Emei Sect, can no longer hold its head high in Jianghu. The cowardly acts my Master committed have been revealed, our reputation has hit rock bottom, and even the sects that were friendly to us until now have all turned their backs. The people’s hearts have also turned away, and no one trusts the Emei Sect anymore. I know, we reaped what we sowed. All the disciples of the Emei Sect know that. But a person’s heart isn’t always rational, is it?”

“…”

“The Emei Sect wants to take revenge on you. They know it’s their own fault, but they still want to save at least a minimum of face. But they can’t, because they’re conscious of the eyes around them. They also know that if they are defeated by you again, they will truly be unable to recover, so they have no choice but to hold back.”

“So you volunteered for excommunication.”

“That’s right. You’re as sharp as ever.”

Yong Seol Lan nodded her head.

She looked at Pyo Wol with a genuinely impressed expression. Pyo Wol had accurately grasped the core of her rambling, disjointed words.

Yong Seol Lan was raised by Elder Nun Guhwa.

Recognizing her talent, Elder Nun Guhwa raised her with great care. She unsparingly passed down the Emei Sect’s Secret Transmission and had her consume various Spirit Medicines.

As a result, Yong Seol Lan was able to become one of the top Experts in the Emei Sect.

If that had been all, Yong Seol Lan would have protected the Emei Sect with all her loyalty. But Elder Nun Guhwa wanted to get more out of her investment than she put in, and she thought of Yong Seol Lan as a tool to maximize her gains.

Completely ignoring Yong Seol Lan’s wishes, she pushed for a political marriage with Gun-sang, and she unilaterally pushed through countless other matters.

Each time, Yong Seol Lan’s heart was wounded, and in the end, she came to hate Elder Nun Guhwa.

Her senior and junior martial brothers and sisters, who should have been her support, were jealous of her and often ignored her.

Because of that, Yong Seol Lan was an outsider.

Although she was clearly a member of the Emei Sect, she was thoroughly pushed out of the center of power and human relationships, becoming alienated. Still, Yong Seol Lan did not leave the Emei Sect.

No, she couldn’t leave. She thought she had to at least repay the grace she received from her Master.

She spent more than a decade like that. And then, a short while ago, that disaster occurred.

Elder Nun Guhwa died, and the Emei Sect fell into ruin.

The Emei Sect stewed in its grudge against Pyo Wol.

Although this whole disaster happened because of them, they saw Pyo Wol as the cause of it all.

But they couldn’t move carelessly.

If they failed this time, they might truly be unable to recover.

“So I requested excommunication. To fight you, regardless of the Emei Sect.”

The justification was revenge for her Master. Even if she lost, it could be dismissed as a personal challenge unrelated to the Emei Sect.

For the Emei Sect, there was nothing to lose.

As a bonus, they had the advantage of being able to oust Yong Seol Lan, who had been a thorn in their side.

For Cheol-sim, who had newly become the Sect Master and needed to consolidate her power, there was no reason not to accept Yong Seol Lan’s request for excommunication.

Pyo Wol asked.

“And what do you gain from that?”

“Freedom!”

Yong Seol Lan answered with just one word. And her answer pierced Pyo Wol’s heart.

If she had come for some trivial reason, he wouldn’t have even bothered with her, but if she was fighting for freedom, he had to accept.

After all, he himself had been fighting for freedom all this time.

Pyo Wol rose from his spot.

“There’s no reason to drag this out.”

“Thank you. For accepting my rude request.”

Yong Seol Lan also rose to her feet.

A frosty momentum was already radiating from her entire body.

Yong Seol Lan released everything she had been suppressing until now. A storm-like Qi raged in a radius of over ten Zhang around her.

Pyo Wol felt that Yong Seol Lan’s momentum was no less than Elder Nun Guhwa’s. In fact, in terms of the profundity of her Internal Energy, she seemed to surpass Elder Nun Guhwa.

Yong Seol Lan had been hiding this level of achievement until now. Just as Pyo Wol had.

Pyo Wol quietly raised his Internal Energy.

Ssssh!

The one who moved first was Yong Seol Lan.

Her sword split the darkness.

For a moment, Pyo Wol saw a Phantom of lotus petals scattering before his eyes. Every time Yong Seol Lan swung her sword, a lotus-shaped Qi would rise and attack.

Supreme Lotus Sword.

It was a Special Technique that had long been forgotten in the Emei Sect.

It was a Martial Art that had been shelved because it was difficult to learn and took a long time to achieve Complete mastery.

Yong Seol Lan had happened to find the decaying Secret Manual tucked away in a Secret Depot and learned it.

Since she wasn’t learning it officially, she couldn’t ask anyone for help. She had no choice but to comprehend and learn it on her own.

Through such painstaking effort, she had mastered more than seventy percent of the Supreme Lotus Sword.

Its power was beyond imagination.

Just by mastering seventy percent, it possessed a power that surpassed the renowned Supreme Arts of the Emei Sect.

The Supreme Lotus Sword was a good match for the Supreme Yin Immortal Art that Yong Seol Lan had learned. To that, the Nine Turns Phantom Step was added.

Shushushu!

Yong Seol Lan’s figure split into nine.

It was a Phantom brought about by the dazzling changes of the Nine Turns Phantom Step.

Yong Seol Lan unleashed everything she had learned with all her might.

It was an achievement she had kept hidden even from her Master and her martial siblings.

Her Sword Art was truly formidable.

Yong Seol Lan was like a female dancer.

Every single movement was graceful and beautiful. But the result was by no means beautiful.

Thwack-thwack-thwack!

Everything her sword directly struck was riddled with holes.

Huge trees and large rocks were covered in countless holes.

Pyo Wol moved ethereally, avoiding her sword. But shaking off Yong Seol Lan was no easy task.

The Nine Turns Phantom Step that Yong Seol Lan displayed contained the essence of the Emei Sect’s Martial Arts. It made him wonder why Elder Nun Guhwa hadn’t learned such Footwork.

It wasn’t that Elder Nun Guhwa hadn’t learned it, but that she couldn’t.

To perform the Nine Turns Phantom Step, one needed innate martial talent and outstanding senses. The only one who met all those conditions was Yong Seol Lan.

Against Yong Seol Lan, Pyo Wol took out the Ghostly Rain.

Screeech!

A chilling sound of something tearing through the air echoed in the night sky.

The two Ghostly Rain daggers tore the darkness to shreds, aiming for Yong Seol Lan’s life.

Clang-clang-clang-clang!

Yong Seol Lan’s sword and the Ghostly Rain clashed dozens of times.

Sparks flew and died, and severed blades of grass scattered in the air like rain.

Yong Seol Lan unsparingly unleashed everything she had.

Her Internal Energy was hitting rock bottom, and her muscles screamed in pain. Still, she never stopped her attack.

The justification was revenge for her Master and the Emei Sect, but at this moment, such trivial reasons did not exist in her mind.

Before her eyes was an absolute powerhouse.

Only the thought of defeating him at all costs filled her mind.

Fwip!

In an instant, Pyo Wol’s figure vanished from her sight.

He had unleashed Black Lightning.

With Heart Speed also activated, Pyo Wol’s thoughts became several times faster.

Everything around him slowed down.

It was as if he alone had entered a different world.

In return, the pressure on his body increased severalfold. But Pyo Wol’s body, trained to the extreme, endured such a load as if it were nothing and appeared before Yong Seol Lan.

Yong Seol Lan tried to defend by unleashing the Ultimate Technique of the Supreme Lotus Sword, but Pyo Wol’s movement was faster.

BOOM!

With a deafening roar, Yong Seol Lan was sent flying backward.

Jade Destruction had exploded.

The intense pain, as if her entire body was being dismantled, made Yong Seol Lan tumble to the ground without even being able to scream.

Even as she became a complete mess, she tried to grab her sword.

At that moment, Pyo Wol gently stepped on her sword.

Yong Seol Lan put her strength into it, but the sword wouldn’t move, as if it were wedged under a giant rock.

Grip!

Yong Seol Lan grabbed Pyo Wol’s trouser leg and forced herself up.

“Heok! Heok!”

Gasping for breath, she punched Pyo Wol with her fists.

Thud! Thud!

Her Internal Energy was depleted, so there was no power in her fists. Rather, with each punch, she felt a pain as if her muscles were tearing. Still, Yong Seol Lan did not stop punching Pyo Wol.

Grab!

At some point, Pyo Wol grabbed her wrist.

Yong Seol Lan struggled to break free, but she could not shake off Pyo Wol’s hand.

Pyo Wol held both of Yong Seol Lan’s hands and looked at her.

“Haa! Haa!”

Yong Seol Lan forced her breathing to even out and looked at Pyo Wol.

Their gazes clashed in mid-air.

“…”

In that moment, a fierce exchange of emotions occurred between the two.

Pyo Wol released Yong Seol Lan’s arms and pulled her by the waist. Her ant-thin waist fit into one of his arms.

Yong Seol Lan stretched out both her arms and wrapped them around Pyo Wol’s neck. And she pressed her lips against his.

Lips met lips, and tongues intertwined.

They devoured each other’s lips as if they would inhale each other’s Soul.

No thoughts came to mind.

They only craved each other.

Without either of them initiating, they fell to the ground.

Clothes came off one by one, and their pure white naked bodies shone under the starlight.

They explored each other without a hint of shyness.

Sucking on lips, breathing heavily on each other’s necks, they made love.

Yong Seol Lan wrapped herself around Pyo Wol’s body like a snake, and Pyo Wol drove into her as if to destroy her.

Until the sea of stars covering the sky disappeared, they did not stop their craving for each other.

＊＊＊

When Pyo Wol opened his eyes, Yong Seol Lan was nowhere to be seen.

She had disappeared just like that, without leaving even a common note or a farewell.