Chapter 74 The Crimson Sword of the Red Sun-1

Chapter 74: The Crimson Sword of the Red Sun-1

Bi Sayeong knew full well he had no chance of winning. Even if it were just the initial phase of the peak, it would be impossible. But judging by the length of that sword’s aura, it didn’t seem like even the initial phase.

If he clashed head-on, he would undoubtedly be split in two in a single strike.

But he couldn’t run away either.

Leaving Jeong-an behind to flee was not only humiliating, but it was also clear what would happen to her if he abandoned her here.

Biseaeng gritted his teeth.

‘I didn’t want to risk my life…’

This time, it seemed unavoidable.

Meanwhile, Jangsansa-sama’s second-in-command, Myeongdaesul, who watched Biseoyoung, thought he understood why the fool was recklessly trying to take him on.

‘It must be because that woman was captured.’

He was probably this woman’s lover.

That made it all the more intriguing.

What I wanted to see was the expression that woman would show when she witnessed Jeong-in’s death right before her eyes.

He intended to show her the most cruel expression possible.

Myeong Daesul, who had been walking slowly, suddenly lunged forward.

“Die!”

Thud!

But Myeong Daesul, who had intended to immediately strike and sever the man’s arm, found himself uttering a startled voice instead.

“Huh?”

Despite his surprise charge, the distance between them hadn’t closed.

The enemy had leaped forward while simultaneously retreating backward, maintaining the exact same distance between them.

To move backward at that speed—he was certainly a formidable opponent when it came to his footwork.

Ming Daesul sneered at the guy with a sour look.

“What? Didn’t you want to save that girl? You worthless piece of trash, looks like all you can do is tuck your tail between your legs and run away? Thought you were some kind of knight-errant, but you’re just a worthless piece of shit, aren’t you?”

He intended to provoke the man.

After all, provoking those righteous faction bastards who always acted so pious was nothing to him.

But contrary to Ming Daesul’s expectation that he’d storm over in a rage, Bi Sa-yeong just snorted derisively and retorted.

What the hell are you talking about? You slowpoke. You couldn’t even keep up when I backed up, so now you’re shooting your mouth off? Unbelievable. Hey! Why are you so slow? Was your mother a turtle, or something?

Guh!

Myeong Daesul was so flustered he started coughing.

He was sure this guy was from a righteous sect, but what the hell was this street thug…

Besides, since becoming a peak master, Myeong Daesul had never been treated like this.

How dare this insect-like creature insult not only him but his mother too?

Though he was the demon lord of the Blood Sect, Ming Daesul, who had held onto his gratitude toward his mother, felt rage begin to boil up inside him.

His expression completely changed as Ming Daesul gritted his teeth and said.

“You bastard…”

But Bi Sa-yeong wasn’t finished speaking.

He had spoken while putting on an exaggerated look of surprise.

“Oh my, sorry! Telling your mother to grow up! Did I go too far? My apologies. If you’re a slug, then your mother must be a slug too. Isn’t that right, you slug-fetus?”

At Bise-yeong’s final question, delivered with a sly grin, Myeong Daesul finally exploded.

“You son of a bitch!”

Myeong Daesul roared and charged at Biseyoung.

But Bi Sa-yeong swiftly backed away, evading his attack range.

All the while, he clicked his tongue disapprovingly and shook his head pityingly.

“Gaaah! I’ll tear you to pieces!”

Myeong Daesul pushed himself to his absolute limit, accelerating.

Nothing else seemed to register in his eyes until he tore that bastard apart.

The only thing visible to his eyes was the distance between them gradually shrinking.

But inside, Bi Sa-yeong, sneering at Myeong Dae-sul with a cold, bitter expression, was more composed than ever.

For someone who had always spent his days trading verbal jabs with Seonwoojin, mocking an opponent of this caliber was as natural as eating and drinking.

At the very least, it was far easier than offering praise or expressing gratitude.

Bisaeng, who had been scanning his rear with every sense but his eyes, coldly alert, suddenly realized something was in his path behind him.

And he immediately devised a plan.

The next instant, Myeong Daesul saw the man who had been mockingly leaping backward suddenly step on a rock.

“Huh?!”

Then, the startled look on the bastard’s face immediately caught his eye—the bastard had fallen straight backward.

Overcome with joy, Myeongdaesul burst into laughter and pounced on him.

“Hahahahaha! Gotcha…!”

But at that very moment, Biseoyoung’s body, which had fallen backward and rolled once on the ground, suddenly shot diagonally toward his side like an arrow.

Bang!

Seeing Bi Sa-yeong’s figure transform into a streak of light flying in the opposite direction, Myeong Dae-sul could only let out a startled scream.

“Wha-!”

The technique Bise-yeong had just used was the Explosive Charge used by the mighty warrior, Jeo Ung-won.

Seon Woo-jin, who had discovered the Blood Sect’s martial arts manuals and the secret manual of the Exploding Fist Technique in the dead man’s possession, had split the Blood Sect manuals in half and sent each half to different people as letters. However, regarding the Exploding Fist Technique manual, he had proposed to Bi Sa-yeong that they should try to master it.

He added that it would be amusing to have Bae Jong-gwan learn it.

Even when Georyeokma used it, the Exploding Bullet Technique demonstrated explosive acceleration like a cannonball. That Bi Sa-yeong used it meant it was utterly beyond what a master of the Mingdae technique could possibly handle.

‘Perfect!’

Flying toward Jeong-an, who had been watching with his acupoints sealed, Bise-yeong finally smiled genuinely.

It was his victory.

From the very beginning, Biseyeong’s goal was to rescue Jeong-an, not to fight and defeat that man.

“Young Master!”

It was just as Biseoyoung was about to reach Jeong-an.

A laugh echoed from somewhere.

“Hahahaha! This is fun! Truly remarkable!”

It came from the rooftop.

At that moment, Biseoyoung’s heart grew cold.

A third person he hadn’t sensed at all.

He was falling from the roof, heading straight toward Jeong-an.

Before Biseyoung could reach Jeong-an.

“Guh!”

Bisaeng clenched his teeth.

It seemed he truly had no choice but to risk his life now.

“Haah!”

Shu-hak!

The swift blade of the non-projectile sliced through space as a thin line.

But, unfortunately, it failed to reach its target.

Thud!

The opponent had simply caught Biseyoung’s blade with his index finger.

Bisaeng’s vision blurred.

Not just dodging or blocking his sword—they caught it. And so easily.

He couldn’t even begin to guess what level of mastery this opponent possessed.

It seemed he had reached his limit here.

But contrary to Biseyoung’s expectations, the opponent merely smiled and spoke.

“It’s alright. I’m not your enemy.”

“…Huh?”

In Biseyeong’s eyes, Jeong-an, whose acupoints had been released, staggered slightly before regaining her balance.

She spoke with a bright expression.

“Ah, the pressure point’s gone!”

It seemed the other party had done it.

‘Is she really not an enemy?’

Only then did Biseoyoung begin to properly examine the other person’s face.

He was a man in his early twenties, exceptionally handsome…

His pale face, clear smile, and eyes that were inexplicably kept tightly shut were striking.

He spoke again.

His voice was as clear as his smile.

“I’m sorry to startle you. I was searching for the women kidnapped with the executioner when I happened to discover two—no, four of them during an inspection.”

Biseaeng blinked in shock.

Looking for the kidnapped women?

No, wait—four means you know about Seon Woo-jin and Lady Jeongyeon too, right?

But before Bise-yeong could ask him anything, he spoke first.

“We’ll talk about the details later. First, we need to deal with that guy over there.”

When Biseoyoung suddenly turned around, Myeong Daesul was charging toward them with a demonic expression.

“You son of a bitch! I’ll kill you!”

Then the man with his eyes closed walked past Biseyoung toward him.

His footsteps felt strangely weightless, as if he were walking somewhere unreal, not in reality.

And Biseoyoung instantly understood what it meant.

‘An incredible divine technique.’

He swallowed hard.

At a glance, he could tell the man’s divine technique was no less than his own.

But what was astonishing wasn’t just the sword technique.

He slowly drew his sword.

Not particularly fast or unusual, just a simple movement you could see anywhere.

But I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t tear my gaze away from there.

It felt as if he alone existed in a different world.

And when the sword finally drew and began to move, Biseyoung could see it too.

As the blade, formed of a blue sword aura, slashed through, a crimson sunset spread out around it.

It was a scene too majestic to comprehend with the mind.

“No way… that’s possible.”

But none of these events were as astonishing as what happened next.

The body of the man charging toward the sword was splitting apart.

The man, who seemed to be a peak master with over seventy years of cultivation, was leaping forward as if offering his body to the sword, splitting into two pieces.

At first glance, it almost looked like suicide.

At that moment, Jeong-an’s horrified voice murmured from beside me.

“Cheongun… Jikha Sword? How?”

Hm? The Blue Cloud Falling Sword?

I had heard of it before.

A sword technique said to be achievable only by geniuses who appear perhaps once every hundred years, even within the Blue Star Sect.

Wasn’t that the very sword technique that even Han Gyoseong, the squad leader hailed as a genius within the Cheongseong Sect, couldn’t master?

Then what about the author?

He turned around and greeted them with the same bright smile he’d worn earlier, having just effortlessly slain a peak-level master.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Lee Geon of Cheongseong.”

***

I had sensed their arrival just before the temporary formation was deployed.

That’s why I could answer the one who addressed me without flinching.

“One-Time-One-Day? Are you from the Pointing-Fist Sect?”

“I’m not an official disciple of the Pointing Star Sect, but I suppose you could say I’m similar. So who are you, the Demon Lord of the Blood Sect?”

Outwardly, he answered casually, but inwardly, a sigh escaped him.

I took down one peak-level expert, yet three more appear.

One of them had over eighty years of cultivation, while the other two seemed to be just entering the peak realm.

It’s not like peeling an onion.

That the Blood Sect could dispatch masters of that caliber even to such a small region… their reserves were truly formidable.

Or perhaps they valued this place far more than I had imagined.

Anyway, it was clearly an incredibly dangerous situation by any reasonable standard.

So naturally, the right thing to do would be to escape quickly…

‘This is awkward.’

Strangely, my mind felt far too calm.

Instead, I kept feeling an urge to fight.

Ever since that entity called Mokrang confronted me and Georyeokma last time, I’d been replaying that situation and my responses in my mind whenever I had a chance.

Probably dozens, even hundreds of times.

That was the conclusion I reached.

The world I saw before that fight and the one I see now are clearly different, and except for the final emptiness-is-form, I feel I could do all of it myself now.

So I wanted to test how far I could go now.

‘That very bastard—facing off against that eighty-year-old demon horse that, until recently, I would have been too scared to even confront.’

But after a brief surge of impulse, I ultimately resolved to flee.

I couldn’t risk it with Young-yeon here, even if I were alone.

‘What a pity.’

After calming himself, he sent a telepathic message to Lady Jeongyeon in urgent tones.

– This is a master I cannot handle. Seems like someone with over eighty years of cultivation. Looks like I’ll have to flee with all my strength. On the count of one, two, three, you must climb onto my back. Get ready. One, two…

I had only just managed to separate from her body and regain my composure, so having to carry her again felt a bit awkward, but what could I do now?

The bastard was answering my question right now.

My utterly nonchalant demeanor seemed to have convinced him I wasn’t going anywhere.

“Heheheh, this elder is Yang Bul-gi, the master of Jangsan-sama’s magic field. And that fellow you just killed was my fourth younger brother…”

Then I shouted.

“Three! Let’s go, young lady!”

Just as I grabbed her and was about to dash out,

Suddenly, another figure streaked toward us like a shooting star from the direction of the Sword Gate.

“Haah!”

A crimson sword aura shot out from the blade the man held, leaving a trail like the tail of a shooting star.

A sword aura that long? That man must be a peak master with at least eighty years of cultivation.

‘But… the sword aura isn’t aimed at me, it’s heading toward that Madu over there, right?’

I hesitated, pausing my attempt to flee and deciding to assess the situation instead.

Yang Bul-gi, the first disciple of Master Jangsan, belatedly noticed the attack and urgently drew his sword to clash with it.

“Who the hell are you?! Ugh!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa

In the air where the two clashed, crimson and black energy collided, erupting in a dazzling burst of sparks.

In that brief instant, the two exchanged several moves in the blink of an eye.

And through that exchange, their respective advantages became starkly clear.

“Ugh!”

Kwaaak!

The man wielding the sword, Majangdo, unleashed a powerful sword technique reminiscent of the one I had faced earlier.

Each time he swung his sword, it felt like crimson lightning was striking down from the sky.

In contrast, the man’s sword was like the sunset glow.

Shwaaah!

As the man unfurled his sword, a crimson glow like sunset spread through the space, and even the red lightning itself melted within it, losing its power.

It was as if the lightning was seeping into the sunset.

At that moment, the delighted voice of Young Lady Jeongyeon sounded beside me.

“The Crimson Sword Technique! Brother Hwa!”

Huh? Brother Hua?

So this man is Hua Yingbin, the Red Sword Master and disciple of the Five Monsters of the World, the Azure Star Demon Sword?

At Young Lady Jeongyeon’s words, I looked at him again with an admiring expression.

The first thing that caught my eye was his striking appearance.

Despite being in his mid-to-late thirties, he possessed such a youthful appearance that he looked like a handsome young man in his late twenties.

And his cultivation was truly astonishing.

His cultivation level was roughly ninety years?

He didn’t seem to have reached the pinnacle yet, but he appeared to be standing right at the threshold of that realm.

Among the martial artists in their thirties I’d met, he was the first whose cultivation level seemed higher than even Seolpung Jo-jang’s.

Moreover, his Red River Sword Technique was beyond words.

It wasn’t as swift and deadly as the Four-Sword Technique, but just watching it unfold was as majestic as beholding the great outdoors, wasn’t it?

‘That must be the sword technique of true Taoist masters pursuing the Way.’

It was a sword technique that naturally evoked such thoughts.

It was then.

Two demonic horsemen who had arrived with Yang Bulgi at the peak’s entrance leapt forward, seemingly preparing a joint attack.

“You bastard! We’re here too!”

“Lord! We’ll help!”

A smile suddenly spread across my face.

Of course, it didn’t seem like the Demon-Slaying Sword would lose just because they joined the fight, but I couldn’t just stand by and watch, could I?

At least facing those guys would help me blow off some steam.

He leaped forward, shouting at them.

“Why are you going that way?! How disappointing!”

The brilliant wings created by my sword aura spread wide toward them.