Chapter 323 The Wounded Tiger-2

Chapter 323: The Wounded Tiger-2

As the killing intent of the half-demon members grew uncontrollably, Seolpung shifted his gaze to Myaoran behind him.

He sought her wisdom for help.

But she shook her head with a bitter expression.

It meant there was nothing to be done now.

Her telepathic voice reached Seolpung’s ears.

– There’s nothing we can do now, Young Master Seol. It seems we can’t stop them any longer until they decide to stop themselves. It looks like blood will have to be shed.

With that, Seolpung finally let out a small sigh and nodded.

He then addressed the Banxing members.

“Understood. I won’t stop you any longer. Do as you wish. But if the sacrifice becomes too great, you must stop quickly…”

It was while Seolpung was saying this.

The Banhyung members could not hear the rest of his words.

The moment he heard the words “Do as you please,” he burst out laughing and dashed away.

“Hahahahaha! Hyeongsanpa, you bastards!”

“The time for revenge has finally come!”

“Die, you enemies!”

Over fifty members of the Half-Brotherhood rushed out like a raging torrent.

They unleashed a fierce momentum that rivaled even the overwhelming aura of the supreme masters who had consumed the Bloodlust Pill, fueled by the pent-up resentment and rage of years.

“Waaaaaah!”

“Dieeeee!”

Yet the supreme masters stood rooted to the spot, merely watching them charge forward.

Outwardly, it seemed as if they were intimidated by the Banxing members’ momentum.

But when the half-immortal disciples finally descended upon them, everyone watching could see it wasn’t true.

One of the Half-Demon Clan members raised his great sword high and brought it crashing down upon them.

“You bastard…!”

POW!

The body of the Half-Demon Society member, who had been bringing down the massive great sword, was cleaved in two mid-air.

He lost consciousness, leaving only a look of utter shock in his eyes.

“!”

And that wasn’t the end of it.

Swoosh!

Chu-haak!

“Guh?!”

Puhwaak!

The half-breed member thrusting his spear found his spear and arm severed before he knew it, while the half-breed member swinging his sword had his head cleaved off, blood gushing like a fountain from his severed neck.

All this happened in the very instant the two sides collided.

And this was merely the beginning.

The moment the front-line members realized their comrades had fallen, the bodies of the members charging in right behind them also split apart with a crack, spewing blood.

“Gah!”

“Oh, no…!”

Splash!

Poooh!

The scene resembled red persimmons hurled against a wall.

The moment the two groups clashed, the half-human members were literally torn apart.

They had to learn the obvious truth—that mere hatred and momentum alone could never overcome supreme martial prowess—by witnessing the futile spilling of their comrades’ blood.

That was also why Seolpung had tried to stop them.

But it was regret that came far too late.

Their numbers, once over fifty, were instantly cut in half.

Then Seolpung shouted urgently.

“Save them!”

Seolpung, of course, had already anticipated that the Half-Form members would be no match for them.

So right after they bolted, I was signaling my men to rush in and rescue them.

But even he hadn’t anticipated they’d be this powerless.

The opponent’s martial prowess amplified by the Bloodlust Clan, and the recklessness of the overly excited Half-Demon Clan members, both far exceeded his expectations.

At Seolpung’s urgent command, the supreme masters of his faction, led by the Three-Pronged Spear Gamsak-hyeong, charged into the front lines.

“Halt!”

Closing the distance in an instant, Gan Zhaoxing swung his massive trident like an axe, striking down like a thunderbolt.

It was a massive strike intended to force the Xingshan Sect masters back from the Half-Demon Sect members.

Gamjak-hyeong was confident.

Unless it was the Honam’s Finest Sword, Wei Zhengguo, no one in the Xingshan Sect could block his trident.

This confidence was only natural, for he was a master ranked among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Masters, equal to Wei Jung-guk himself.

But precisely because he assumed they would naturally retreat, Gamjak-hyeong was stunned the very next moment.

Clang!

The Hyeongsan Sect master who had blocked his massive trident was staggering backward.

Though he stumbled back helplessly, as if repelled, the outcome was entirely different from Gamjak-hyeong’s expectation.

‘He withstood that?’

And that wasn’t all.

While one blocked the sensitized trident, another master from the Hyeongsan Sect nearby pounced.

A sky-blue sword energy pierced toward Gamsak-hyeong like a ray of light.

Shhhhh!

“!”

Gamjak-hyeong saw the attack but made no effort to defend.

He knew exactly who stood behind him.

Then, in the next instant, just as he expected, another beam of light flew in from behind and knocked the sword away.

Clang!

It was Baek Gilang.

He parried the attack aimed at Gamjak-hyeong and immediately swung his sword, slashing the attacker.

It was a smooth and swift combination of strikes that appeared as one fluid motion.

But his attack, too, could not succeed.

Clang!

“?!

Baek Ki-ryang wore a slightly startled expression.

He hadn’t expected his opponent to block it, since he had aimed for the opening left by the opponent’s full-power attack.

That attack was one that absolutely could not be blocked unless the defender was of comparable skill.

Gamjak-hyeong and Baek Ki-ryang instantly realized something was terribly wrong.

They had believed that within the Hyeongsan Sect, only the Wei Jung-guk faction could be their opponents, yet these completely unexpected individuals were demonstrating an unexpected level of skill.

I couldn’t help but wonder if I had underestimated my opponent’s strength.

And as they watched the other masters who had followed them engage in battle, they soon realized their earlier thought had been correct.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

“Ugh?!”

Hongchu, the White Bone Demon who had pounced on a Hyeongsanpa master, was pushed back instantly, groaning in pain, barely moments after clashing weapons.

The same fate befell the masters from the Snow Wind faction who had clashed with the enemy immediately after.

The Golden Invincible Axe, the Danak Paebu’s Go Sangjong who had swung his axe with all his might, and the Yeodeng Samgeom who claimed three together could easily handle even the most supreme masters—all three began to be pushed back in an instant.

Clang! Clang clang clang!

“Ugh?! You… you bastards?!”

“Wh-what the hell?! Why are they so strong?!”

Despite each facing a single Xingshan Sect master, they found themselves overwhelmed in an instant, their defeat becoming clear.

This was despite the fact that the Hyeongsan Sect only had eight masters—meaning there were still masters left over even after pairing each one against a master from the Seolpung faction.

One of them charged at Yeo Deung-samgeom, the weakest fighter among them.

The plan was to reduce their numbers starting with the weaker ones.

“Haah!”

Shhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Already being pushed back, the three swordswomen could only scream as the swift strike exploited their opening.

“Huh?!”

Then Gamjak-hyeong swung his trident wide to halt him.

“Where?!”

Zing!

But even his trident couldn’t drive the Xingshan Sect master far away.

The Xingshan Sect master who blocked it did step back a few paces, but in that moment, the opponent he had originally been facing instead attacked Gamjak-hyeong.

Shh!

“!”

Gamjak-hyeong suddenly felt cold sweat trickling down his back.

Each of these opponents possessed an excessively high level of skill.

Even for himself, facing two seemed to be his limit.

No, to be honest, even two felt burdensome.

‘Is this… the effect of the Blood-Boosting Pill?’

It was the moment Jin So-eun’s warning flashed through his mind—that if a leopard took the Bloodlust Pill, it might turn into a tiger.

That was when it happened.

Another Xingshan Sect master, who had been lurking behind waiting for an opportunity, charged forward like lightning.

This time, it was aimed at Gao Shangzong of the Dan Yue Pai.

Shhhhh!

“Gah!”

Ko Sang-jong was a master whose specialty was powerful strikes using a massive axe.

Therefore, his fighting style was simple and powerful rather than intricate, and he often displayed overwhelming power against those who couldn’t withstand his fierce strikes.

However, just as his strengths were clear, so were his weaknesses.

When his powerful strikes failed to land, he was left with nothing else he could do.

This very moment was one such instance.

Clang! Clang clang clang!

The Hyeongsanpa swordsman, who had easily parried Go Sangjong’s initial charge, was now closing in, unleashing a storm of sword strikes.

It was a fierce and swift sword strike that Go Sang-jong could not possibly counter.

“Guh!”

Such a delicate and swift sword strike was the type of attack he struggled with most, and so he was being pushed back pitifully, as if he might spill blood at any moment.

But then, another Hyeongsanpa swordsman charged at him.

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

While his axe blocked one slash, another struck like a bolt of lightning through his back. Go Sang-jong’s eyes went blank.

‘Is this the end?’

But it seemed his luck hadn’t run out yet.

Go Sang-jong stared blankly at the sword strike piercing toward him, for a silver streak of light had flown in from somewhere and struck the blade cleanly.

Clang!

That silver light was a silver iron mace radiating white energy—it was Jin So-eun.

Seeing her own side’s masters being pushed back, she had belatedly joined the fray.

Goh Sang-jong, now pale with shock, thanked her.

“T-Thank you, Miss Jin!”

“Not at all!”

Moreover, Yeon Tae-jin joined the fight against Chohagon, the Invincible Golden Sword, who was being pushed back next to Gosaengjong.

“Great Hero Cho! Hang in there!”

“Oh! Thank you! Young Lady Yeon!”

It was the moment when the masters of the Snow Wind faction, who had seemed on the verge of collapse, finally caught their breath.

***

Meanwhile, Seolpung remained unable to go out and support them even in that situation.

His expression was set as he locked eyes with Wei Zhengguo.

Wei Zhengguo, as if signaling that he too would step forward if Seolpung did, fixed his gaze solely on him.

Wei Zhengguo’s face currently appeared remarkably composed.

Even with Jin So-eun and Yeon Tae-jin joining the fray, their side still held the upper hand.

A faint, bitter smile even formed at the corners of his mouth.

When Wei Zhengguo thought about it, in that state, he felt he could kill someone soon.

And if even one of their masters died, the balance would collapse in an instant.

Plans for what came next were already forming in Wei Zhengguo’s mind.

‘After winning this battle between supreme masters, I must immediately join forces to kill that bastard Seolpung and escape. It’ll take some time, but since all of Hyeongsan’s secret techniques are in my head, I can easily make a comeback elsewhere.’

It was at that very moment he was thinking this.

Seolpung suddenly let out a soft chuckle.

It was a laugh that seemed utterly out of place given the unfavorable situation, as if he found it incredibly amusing.

Woo Jung-guk’s eyes narrowed at the sight.

He didn’t like the look on the man’s face.

He gave Seolpung a sly smile and said.

“You’re trying hard! Pretending to be so calm when you’re clearly not…”

That was when it happened.

Seolpung sent a telepathic message to him.

– The seeds you sow will ultimately be your downfall.

It was an unexpected remark.

Startled by his sudden telepathic message, Wi Jeong-guk frowned and retorted.

“…What?”

That was when it happened.

A group of people suddenly flew in from the sky and joined the fight.

Whoosh!

“?!”

Wee Jeong-guk stared at them in shock.

There were five people in total, all of whom appeared to be elite-level prosecutors.

Upon confirming their identities, Wei Jung-guk’s expression instantly scowled at the sudden appearance of these new figures, only to widen his eyes in disbelief moments later.

So shocked, he blurted out without thinking.

“Who are they?!”

His initial shock stemmed from the attire of the five intruders.

The attire they wore was white martial arts robes with blue hero sashes—the very uniform of the Hyeongsanpa warriors.

Five elderly-looking Hyeongsanpa swordsmen suddenly appeared and attacked the elders.

“…Martial artists from our main sect?”

But moments later, Wei Zhengguo realized that his initial shock was merely the beginning.

Because the five of them had drawn their swords and begun confronting a single elder.

The Hyeongsan Sect elder, who had been attacking Gamjak-hyeong, frowned and shouted at the sight of the fellow Hyeongsan Sect warriors suddenly attacking him.

“Who are you?!”

But the response that came back was not an answer, but a sword strike.

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Clang!

The sword strike launched by the lead swordsman collided with the elder’s blade, after which the swordsman immediately retreated straight back.

Then, like gears meshing, two other swordsmen moved in from both sides, swinging their blades.

Shhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

The elder was flustered.

“Ugh!”

The rapid succession of attacks that followed was excessively sharp.

Even for the Hyeongsan Sect elder, whose martial prowess had risen through the Bloodline of Light, it was a threatening attack he could barely block.

Clang!

“Wh-…?!

But the moment he barely parried that sword strike, his eyes widened in shock.

Suddenly, slashes like rays of light stabbed at him from beneath his feet and above his head.

Thud!

“Guh!”

Pierced through chest and abdomen, he stared at his opponent with disbelief before consciousness faded.

He, a peerless master, had died without even managing to unleash his protective aura.

It was a chain strike, tightly woven like the gears of a machine, moving at a speed that left no room for any countermeasure.

Then, Wi Jeong-guk realized that this threatening chain strike was a sword technique he knew all too well.

And that their faces looked familiar.

He muttered, his face blank with disbelief.

“The Demon Slayer Six-Combination Sword Technique? They… they couldn’t possibly…?”