Chapter 170: Rainy Day Victory 4

Baek Moo-jin had largely sorted out his stance on the Heavenly Dragon Sect while facing them. He had clearly realized that no matter what kind of force the Heavenly Dragon Sect was, they would treat him as a demonic cultivator. On the other hand, it also meant that some among them, like the Sixteen Yaksas, could be persuaded by reason.

This was entirely different from confronting the Demon Path or the Black Path.

Just as one couldn’t kill everyone simply because their ideology differed…

When facing the righteous path, relying solely on force was not the best approach. Baek Mujin had confirmed this through the Cheonryongsa.

On the way back, Baek Moo-jin raced like a whirlwind. Running at such tremendous speed that the rain streaked out to the sides, Baek Moo-jin spotted wounded individuals fleeing and immediately drew his White Mist Sword, swinging it.

He addressed the White Path, but there was no need for words with the Demon Path.

Baek Moo-jin’s sword energy sliced through the lower halves of the fleeing figures. Then, leaping in, Baek Moo-jin began slaughtering the resisting ones with an expressionless face. The Sixteen Night Demons, who had followed him, were utterly stunned by Baek Moo-jin’s sudden transformation. Moreover, having already witnessed him sparring with the abbot of Cheonryongsa, they knew he possessed truly rare martial prowess.

With a few swift swings of his sword, Baek Moo-jin instantly killed the five or six who had tried to flee before the Sixteen Yaksha could intervene. Without a word, he deployed his lightness skill again, vanishing from the Yaksha’s sight.

Watching this, three Yachas exclaimed in admiration.

“What a remarkable man.”

“He had so much to say to us… yet he doesn’t open his mouth once when facing demonic arts.”

“Indeed.”

“Let’s pursue him for now. We can’t predict how the situation will unfold…”

“Let’s do as the senior brother says. It seems we should go to help.”

“That was my intention.”

The yakshas began pursuing once more, deploying their lightness skills in the direction Baek Moo-jin had vanished.

2.

Where Baek Moo-jin arrived, most of the Madu who had resisted to the end lay dead, burned by the fire.

Baek Moo-jin wasn’t particularly surprised.

He knew full well that Jin Sohye possessed sufficient skill.

However, the battle with the Demon King was still ongoing. Baek Moo-jin and his group had already formed a wide encircling stance, watching the fight between the Demon King and Nok Nok Maya.

Even though it had taken Baek Moo-jin quite some time to deal with Cheonryongsa and return, the duel between the two was as fierce and deadly as if it had just begun.

Dawang was covered head to toe in muddy water. Baek Moo-jin deliberately drew his White Lotus Sword roughly as he walked, then stopped and looked at Nok Nok Maya.

Luo Luo Maya, who had been deflecting the King of the Way’s explanations, couldn’t help but feel her spirit shrink upon seeing Bai Muzhen approaching, deliberately channeling his full power throughout his body.

‘Those bastards from the Celestial Dragon Sect… are they still watching?’

Baek Moo-jin had no intention of killing the King of Tao, even if he lost. Baek Moo-jin deliberately walked close to Noknokmaya and spoke.

“The head monk of the Celestial Dragon Temple is dead.”

Luo Luo Maya showed no reaction whatsoever. However, as she concentrated all her senses on deflecting the King of Tao’s explanation, her limbs gradually grew dizzy and unsteady.

Baek Moo-jin gripped his sword and drew upon his inner strength.

Even if someone called him cowardly, what did it matter?

To Baek Moo-jin, the life of the Dao King mattered more than the world’s judgment.

At that moment, the King of Tao deliberately deflected Nokrokmaya’s spinning blade and addressed Baek Moo-jin, who was about to join the fray, in a tone of entreaty.

“I’ll handle this. Lord Baek… This battle must be finished by me alone.”

“Hmm…”

In that moment, Baek Moo-jin could only helplessly watch the King and Nomadu from above. Just as he had observed the Chief of the Secret Agents and the martial arts contest, he was assessing their combat prowess to predict the victor.

If it ended with the King of Tao’s victory, Baek Moo-jin had no intention of intervening. But if Noknok Maya gained the upper hand, even if it meant disrespecting the King of Tao, he planned to leap in and slay Noknok Maya himself.

Baek Moo-jin’s eyes scanned the two combatants.

As they clashed again, a deafening roar erupted.

It was, indeed, a rare, deadlocked battle. The fight was between the King of Tao and Nokrok Maya, yet even Baek Moo-jin found himself drawn into a trance-like state. Predicting the outcome of their duel was no ordinary task. Their martial arts were so evenly matched that no one else, except Baek Moo-jin, could easily foresee the result.

Moreover, the pouring rain obscured their expressions, and with their roughly equal inner strength, their swords clashed relentlessly, making it even harder to tell. Suddenly, Baek Moo-jin let out an involuntary gasp.

‘Huh? Their martial arts share the same essence.’

In that instant, he saw them both using the same sword technique, striking precisely the same point, sparks flying as they withdrew their blades. Moreover, they were already aware their martial arts were identical. That was why the fight had dragged on.

Baek Moo-jin recalled the name of the Martial King, ‘Murong Xiao,’ and couldn’t help but think:

‘Both of them were from the Murong clan.’

One had become a White Path Sword King, the other a Nomad Sword Master. The circumstances of their lives were something no one else could know.

Their internal energy was identical, and while their techniques differed slightly, they stemmed from the same martial roots.

The outcome hinged on whether the Dao King’s instincts would decide it, or whether Luo Kunmaya’s eyes would determine it.

Jin Sohye approached Baek Mujin. Having already wrestled with the same dilemma Baek Mujin now faced, she asked him cautiously.

“Brother, what should we do? It doesn’t look like the fight will end soon. And it’s hard to predict who will win.”

“Just a moment…”

Baek Moo-jin looked over and saw Noknokmaya deliberately shaking her head for a moment. They were fighting so fiercely that even when rainwater splashed into their eyes, they couldn’t spare a hand to wipe it away. Baek Moo-jin watched as the pouring rain actually hindered Noknokmaya’s vision, obscuring her sight.

Meanwhile, despite his blindness, the King of the North was not only defending against every attack from Green Lotus Maya but also launching fierce counterattacks. It seemed the torrential rain had made him even more adept than Nomadu.

Baek Moo-jin let out a small sigh of relief.

‘How astonishing. The rainwater is actually hindering Nomadu…’

Moreover, all those Noknokmaya had brought with her were already cold corpses… Noknokmaya was literally holding on.

Having resigned herself to the fact that even victory meant certain death, she unleashed her lifetime of martial arts training without restraint. Because of this, the two occasionally clashed swords while expressing admiration for each other’s techniques.

Noknokmaya praised the Sword King’s attack in a cool tone.

“Young Master, your skill has improved greatly.”

“Shut up.”

Calling the Sword King ‘Young Master’? Could there be a more awkward title?

Even Baek Moo-jin, watching from the sidelines, found himself wearing an increasingly peculiar expression.

Dowang and Nomadu fought without a shred of regret, giving it their all. In the heat of battle, even the meaning of their bitter enmity and rage seemed to fade… Everything felt washed away by the rain.

It was the moment Baek Moo-jin drew his sword.

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Simultaneously, Noknokmaya unleashed a sword energy strikingly similar to the Heavenly Sword’s, causing the two energies to clash midair.

The Sword King blocked with the sword spirit of the Sword of Clarity.

Noknokmaya also assumed a stance, wrapping her qi around herself to defend.

Thud!

In that instant, the Tao King was flung violently to the left. Despite wrapping his qi around himself to block, he couldn’t withstand the impact and was sent flying.

But Green Lotus Maya stood firm, emitting a sharp zing!

Then, the sword Green Maya held snapped in half and fell to the ground. Green Maya, split vertically, separated into left and right halves, crumbling into muddy water.

3.

Baek Moo-jin nodded and approached the Sword King.

“Are you all right?”

The Sword King lay drenched in rain across the entire field. As Baek Moo-jin approached, the Sword King asked.

“The Green Lotus…”

Baek Moo-jin held out his hand and said.

“She was split in two.”

Dowang replied in a bitter tone.

“It’s fortunate no one else joined in. If someone had interfered in this fight, I would have been furious.”

Dowang rose, grasping Baek Moo-jin’s hand. Baek Moo-jin looked at Dowang. Dowang had lost both eyes. Yet, to Baek Moo-jin’s eyes, Dowang appeared to be crying. Even though it was impossible to tell if it was rainwater or tears, his expression was one of weeping.

Baek Moo-jin supported the King as he spoke.

“I knew you would win.”

“Really?”

Baek Moo-jin walked while supporting the King of Dohwang. Inside, he was startled. The King of Dohwang was trembling all over. It wasn’t from depleted inner energy, but the aftermath of emotion. People followed behind Baek Moo-jin and the King of Dohwang.

As the King walked, he said.

“Someone’s running this way.”

“It’s the Cheonryongsa.”

“The Heavenly Dragon Sect? Hmm… So these demons were captured by the Heavenly Dragon Sect, then…”

“That’s likely the case. Did you know the man we just killed?”

Dowang nodded at Baek Mujin’s words.

“So now we’re dealing with the traitor to the family. Only after the family was gone…”

Dowang couldn’t continue. The others had nothing to say either.

Dowang spoke in a tone of utter emptiness.

“I trained my martial arts to kill that man. I lived in the shadows to kill that man. I thought anger was my master… but after killing him, I realized. Luo Luoma, Murong Qing was my lifelong master.”

Bai Wuzhen, who had suspected they were from the same clan, nodded.

“No wonder your martial arts were identical.”

“It had to be… He was the one who trained the Murong clan’s forces… He was so exceptional he coveted the clan leader’s position, and the clan fought until it split in two and both sides perished.”

Dawang stopped speaking there, as if he had nothing more to say. Only then did Baek Moo-jin check on the others. Go Seon-woo and Dang Gwi-soon were covered in mud, looking like beggars, while Seo Mun-geuk and Hong Yu-gang, who had rushed out from inside, were also soaked through.

In contrast, the more powerful Kwonwang and Jin Sohye had already used their qi to dry themselves off. Only then did Baek Mujin circulate the Yan Emperor’s energy through his body once, instantly expelling the moisture.

The people present watched with smiles or expressions of bewilderment as the moisture vanished from Baek Moo-jin’s body with a sound like “tsueeut…”

Only then did the Sixteen Night Riders arrive and call out to Baek Moo-jin.

“Lord Baek…”

Baek Moo-jin nodded and replied.

“This place is settled. What about the others?”

“They’ll be here soon.”

Baek Moo-jin introduced the Sixteen Yaksha to his companions.

“These are the monks from Cheonryongsa Temple who had been holding the Madu demons captive. They learned of the demons’ escape and were pursuing them when we encountered them.”

“Hm?”

Jin Sohye looked at Baek Moo-jin. Baek Moo-jin smiled back, meeting her gaze. He deliberately chose not to mention that Cheonryongsa had tried to attack him. The others sensed something was off, but when Baek Moo-jin let it go, they didn’t press the issue.

Instead, the Sixteen Yaksha who had tried to attack Baek Moo-jin was experiencing a strange feeling.

Baek Moo-jin gestured inside as if inviting Cheonryongsa in.

“Please come in.”

The Sixteen Yaksha, hearing Baek Moo-jin speak as if welcoming a distinguished guest, walked inside with awkward expressions.

Baek Moo-jin deliberately stayed behind, surveying the surroundings.

The heavy rain was still pouring down.

Baek Moo-jin gazed at the rain and thought.

‘Bicheon, if you are the most rotten scum in the martial world, then I shall carve out that diseased part for you.’

He planned to persuade those who understood reason to become allies, and crush those who did not with martial arts to dismantle the Heavenly Fallen.

Victory in the Rain 4 End