Chapter 20 A Brief Journey (2)

Chapter 20 A Brief Journey (2)

Meanwhile, the masked man stammered, unable to grasp how to counter this.

He had never anticipated Gu Yangjeok would come at him like this.

‘Is he mad?’

He had deliberately waited for a time when Ha Jinak was absent, and the current hour was the hour of the Dog (戌時).

Outside had grown pitch-black by now, so much so that without the candle’s light, one could scarcely make out the surroundings.

Sizzle!

A small spark flew.

That spark illuminated the space between the masked man and Gu Yangji for an instant.

For a moment, the masked man saw it.

The cold, piercing gaze etched upon Gu Yangji’s face.

There was none of the panic or fear commonly seen in late-stage cultivators.

It was as if he were exchanging glances with a seasoned veteran accustomed to such situations.

‘No choice but to step back and finish him off in one go.’

The masked man retreated silently.

Immediately after.

Thud, thud!

Gu Yangji closed in on the masked man.

It wasn’t based on any flimsy premonition or sixth sense.

Drip.

A bead of sweat rolled down the masked man’s cheek.

“You…”

“Seems your wits are sharper than your skills suggest.”

Gu Yangji gave a light shake to his empty cup. The tea that had been half-full was now gone.

Spotting him, the masked man brushed off his trouser leg, now damp with sweat.

“Damn it!”

“Did you wet yourself?”

Whoosh!

Gu Yangji’s hand lashed out like a whip, leaving the masked man no moment to react.

Instantly, the teacup, filled with the power of the Purple Mist, shot toward the masked man like an arrow.

Crack!

The sound echoed, and the scent of blood flowed down the mask.

“I’ll kill you!”

Even in the dimly lit room, Gu Yangji’s mocking sneer radiated a distinct presence.

“All you do is shoot your mouth off. What good is a man like that?”

For the masked man, it was an immense insult.

That bastard was nothing more than simple prey.

Originally, contrary to his original plan, he had intended to use Ha Jin-ak as a hostage to restrain his movements.

‘I thought those Three Evils were stupid…’

But that wasn’t the case.

The masked man retracted his previous underestimation of Gu Yang-jeok.

This wasn’t just some late-stage cultivator with a bit of skill, but a seasoned martial artist.

Seeing the masked man’s gaze shift noticeably, Gu Yang-jeok chuckled softly.

“What difference would that make?”

“I’ll make you regret saying that.”

“Go ahead, try as you please.”

Grit.

The masked man’s teeth ground together fiercely.

His attitude since earlier, and that tone unbecoming of a cultivator, were more than just a little irritating.

He would force that arrogant attitude to its knees immediately, then bone-shatter his limbs.

Resolved, the masked man let out a short battle cry.

“…Hmph!”

Thud, whoosh-

The masked man’s figure seemed to slacken for an instant before vanishing.

Shadow Laughing Kill.

Among the Black Dragon Sect’s members, he ranked among the top ten assassins. Had things gone as planned, he would have been the elite warrior used to subdue and kill Ha Jin-ak.

Particularly, his Shadow Step was a footwork technique nearing the pinnacle of mastery, something only those with innate talent could ever hope to witness.

Even if one could see it, without experience, one would inevitably be deceived by the illusion.

Because of this, the Black Dragon Sect considered Shadow Smile an irreplaceable asset.

‘There’s no time. I’ll have to cut out his tongue and sever his limbs’ tendons and meridians before taking him away.’

The confidence built from countless experiences bolstered Shadow Slayer’s power.

It was essentially a fight with no contest.

He, who had just descended the mountain for the third time, versus more than ten masters he had faced.

Anyone watching would predict the latter’s victory.

A deep sneer formed on Shadow Slayer’s face as he stepped into the Shadow Step.

“Heh heh, can’t even react?”

Gu Yangjie did not answer.

He simply stood still, rolling his eyes.

He would wait until this darkness became familiar.

‘Anyway, these heretic bastards putting on airs are the same everywhere.’

Gu Yangji lightly clenched and unclenched the hand holding the teacup.

It was an imitation of the throwing technique Song Mu had displayed before him at the Nine Dragons Grand Assembly.

Not bad.

Though the martial arts he had mastered in his previous life were far superior, they were solely focused on body movement techniques, footwork, and swordplay.

He hadn’t even touched other weapons or miscellaneous skills.

That was the limitation of Gu Yangjeok, who had been called the Purple Sword God in his previous life.

But… this time, he intended to reach out to other areas as well.

‘There’s plenty of time, and plenty of formidable opponents to face.’

Therefore, to Gu Yangji, the Shadow Assassin was nothing special.

A wooden dummy to test the martial arts he’d stolen with his eyes.

That was precisely the weight it carried.

Clang!

A small spark flew from the swung blade, and the tea fragrance Gu Yangji had scattered instantly drew near.

“Die!”

“……”

At Amyeong Sosal’s cry, Gu Yangjeok shifted his right foot to the right.

The Half-Step—a fundamental technique taught upon entering the Huashan Sect.

With that alone, Gu Yangjeok evaded both Amyeong Sosal’s Shadow Step and his Yuexian Sword.

Amyeong Sosal’s mouth gaped open.

‘He grasped my true form?!’

Before Shadow Slayer could even finish his horrified expression, Gu Yangji twisted his right hand once.

He had to immediately neutralize Shadow Slayer and find out where Ha Jin’ak was being held.

However, the highly Taoist-influenced sword techniques of the Huashan Sect made failure highly likely.

‘If I miss this chance, it’ll get harder.’

Therefore, he had only this one chance.

He had to strike now, while the Shadow Assassin was defenseless, exposing all his vital points.

‘I really didn’t want to unleash that old man’s martial arts.’

Tch.

Gu Yangji clicked his tongue lightly and clenched his fist.

He intended to mimic the martial art known as the Divine Demon Fist, famed for its inherent lethality and treacherous nature.

Gu Yangji assessed the total internal energy in his dantian and frowned.

Even with the Zahajinqi, which embraced all energy, five years of cultivation proved insufficient.

But to defeat the Shadow Assassin with just a single strike, it was an unavoidable choice.

Crack!

The moment Gu Yangji raised his fist, lightning struck down.

“Shaking Heaven’s Thunder Strike.”

Kwaaang…!

* * *

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Under the moonlight, seven swordsmen were locked in combat.

To an observer, it might look like a brawl, but that was far from the truth.

One against six.

And each of them was a peak swordsman, their cultivation levels comparable to Ha Jin’s.

Ha Jin-ak clenched his sword grip tightly.

‘The enemy should be safe.’

He never imagined the lay disciple who had provided information on the Black Dragon Sect would betray him.

‘Was I too naive?’

His belief that at least a disciple of Huashan would never betray him had led him into a trap.

“This won’t be easy,” Ha Jin-ak muttered under his breath before swinging his sword again.

Clang!

Ha Jin-ak bit his lip at the recoil he felt within his grip.

Not only was his sword energy mature, but he had also mastered the sword techniques he had trained in since childhood.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been natural for Yi to be overwhelmingly defeated.

But that wasn’t the case.

‘This opponent is no ordinary challenge.’

Even so, Ha Jin-ak calmly parried the enemy’s sword strikes.

In fact, the six swordsmen facing him seemed to be growing weary.

Especially Gal Hyeon, the warrior of the Black Dragon Sect leading the charge, felt the greatest pressure.

‘What on earth makes him so strong?’

Though the six swordsmen hadn’t had the time to gather and practice their formation together, they were still martial artists who had reached the pinnacle of their craft.

-Hey, you bastard. If you’ve got the time, go stab me in the side.

Coordinating like this, using something like telepathy, at least meant their hands wouldn’t get tangled.

There were six swords like that.

It was laughable to judge superiority by numbers alone, but to face a warrior of equal skill with just one sword?

Gal Hyeon inwardly admired Ha Jin-ak, yet never forgot he was the enemy.

-…Very well.

A palpable aura extended over an inch from the tip of Galhyeon’s blade.

That’s no ordinary thing.

Judging as much, Hajinak withdrew his swung sword and unleashed the first strike of the Cheonryuhwun Sword Technique.

Fire Cloud Emerges from the Sea.

Like summer clouds spreading across the sky like a sea, the distinctive purple aura of the Purple Heart Qi seeped into the blade.

Then.

Whoosh!

Scorching heat enveloped Ha Jin-ak within a three-zhang radius.

“…Guh!”

“Is this the Heavenly Flow Fire Cloud Sword?”

The heat generated by Fire Cloud Rising Sea instantly pierced the eyes of six pairs.

Some rubbed their eyes as if burned.

Of course, Ha Jin-ak was no clumsy warrior to miss such an opening.

“……”

Ha Jin-ak’s sword traced a graceful curve.

Yet the six swordsmen before him failed to grasp him accurately.

-Pass the test with your own techniques!

-That seems wise.

Since they didn’t know the technique Ha Jin-ak was about to unleash, overwhelming him with greater force would suffice.

Moreover, all six swordsmen were martial artists from the Black Dragon Sect, a notorious faction.

If they turned their backs and fled in such a favorable situation, they would be branded cowards.

If that happened, they’d have to flee at least as far as the vicinity of Shaanxi.

The six swordsmen began unleashing the very essence of their respective sword arts.

-Now!

Whoosh-!

The wind was cleaved by six blades, filling the air with the pungent smell of iron.

In an instant, the martial prowess unleashed filled the space around Ha Jin-ak with a palpable aura of vicious energy.

In that hair-trigger moment of crisis, the sword Ha Jin-ak gripped pulsed slowly.

“…Heavenly Flow, White Heat.”

As the ultimate strike of the Heavenly Flow Flower Cloud Sword was unleashed, the sword techniques deployed by the six swordsmen lost their path.

No, it was more accurate to say they melted away.

The sword paths charging toward Ha Jin-ak collapsed in an instant.

The air had become intensely heated, swelling to a point where wielding swords was utterly impossible.

Even more.

“Kraaah!”

Gal Hyeon screamed, struggling to pry his hand off the sword.

But he couldn’t.

He knew it himself. If he forced it, the skin on his palm would be torn off.

If he wasn’t careful, he risked losing all feeling in his hand.

-I’ll stand back.

-Wise choice.

The remaining five swordsmen chuckled, recalling Gal-hyeon’s shriek, which sounded like a girl’s.

There was no sense of camaraderie among them.

They had gathered solely to eliminate Ha Jin-ak, the peerless genius.

The problem was that he wasn’t an easy opponent… The swordsman with long hair voiced his doubt.

-When is the Shadow Assassin coming?

-He must be messing with some late-stage cultivator again. I told him to finish his business first.

-I wish he’d hurry up.

The swordsmen nodded in agreement at that telepathic message.

Though his individual skill might lag behind, Shadow Slayer’s martial prowess could exploit Ha Jin-ak’s weaknesses.

Their shared time was about fifty seconds, perhaps.

Thump, thump.

A figure began to emerge over the hill as dawn broke.

The five swordsmen cheered, recognizing him.

“Join us quickly!”

But the reply was strange.

“…Who are you people to act like you know me?”

Gu Yangji sneered at them, clearly amused.

He then relayed the reply received via messenger pigeon to Ha Jin-ak.

“He’ll arrive in about an hour, Senior Brother.”

“Understood.”

Gyu Yang-jeok, observing Ha Jin-ak’s expression, could grasp the situation to some extent.

Even after facing six men alone, he didn’t seem particularly troubled.

‘……Not quite as strong as me, but still. He’s quite powerful.’

Truly a senior brother.

A proud smile spread across Gu Yangjie’s face.

If things continued like this, he could change it.

The name Ha Jin-ak would no longer be synonymous with the tragedy of the Huashan Sect, but would stand as a proud martial artist.

However, something still felt unsettling.

‘For a death shrouded in mystery… wasn’t it all a bit too easy?’

Just as Gu Yangji tilted his head in puzzlement.

Plop!

A chilling sound echoed.