Chapter 23 A Brief Journey (5)

Chapter 23 A Brief Journey (5)

To be honest, Ha Jin-ak wasn’t particularly important to Gu Yangjie.

He was merely a ‘role’ to encourage the Huashan Sect.

A ‘necessity’ to keep Yu Zhangming and Zhao Hun from wavering, to be kept alive for that purpose.

He had glimpsed the abilities Ha Jin’ak possessed during that time, but that was all.

He didn’t particularly care for the type who meticulously assessed ability to choose who to keep by their side.

But, at some point, Gu Yangjie came to understand the person Ha Jin’ak was.

After spending ten days with Ha Jin-ak, Gu Yang-jeok glimpsed warmth within him.

He also came to understand that Ha Jin-ak’s past actions were simply the unavoidable method chosen to revive the dying Huashan Sect.

Furthermore, Gu Yang-jeok thought.

Ha Jin-ak’s coldness and his sword technique, the Heavenly Flow Flower Cloud Sword, would be of great help to the Huashan Sect in the future.

That was his belief…

Gu Yangjie looked up at Ha Jin-ak, bleeding to death at the Seven Cavities.

“…It was arrogance.”

Contrary to his inner thoughts, Gu Yangjie’s lips curled up slightly.

“Of course you can escape.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

Ha Jin-ak forced out a strained, laughter-laced sound. Even that came out as a gurgling noise from deep within his lungs.

Gu Yang-jeok’s lips twitched.

‘This wasn’t some role-playing game.’

Swish.

Gu Yangji gripped his knees and struggled to his feet.

Still reeling from the shock, he staggered but endured.

‘You knew things would change?’

To think he’d been pretending to know everything about the future based on that alone.

‘It makes me laugh.’

Gu Yangji drew a deep breath. His throat felt like it was on fire. The air, heated by the explosives, stung.

But Gu Yangjeok paid no heed, pulling his muscles, scorched by the intense heat, with all his might.

“Still, I can’t run away alone, can I?”

Gu Yangjeok forced Ha Jinak to his feet, then hooked his arm through his. They moved forward, dragging their feet.

“……”

“The disciple is suffering like this, yet the senior brother says nothing.”

Even to those words, no reply came from Ha Jin-ak.

Gu Yang-jeok thought it was probably just exhaustion and wanted to let it go.

Scratch, scratch.

Scraping the grains of sand, blackened by the instant heat, with his claws, Gu Yang-jeok thought.

He knew the past life.

He knew who would become a powerful martial artist in the future.

He knew what events would unfold.

From Gu Yangjeok’s perspective, having lived through a past life, this was perfect.

He hadn’t even considered whether the people of the present would follow his intentions.

‘But knowing that Zhao Hun is starving and pretending not to notice…’

He was no different from the Gu Yangjeok of his past life.

Thinking this, Gu Yangjeok couldn’t suppress a wry smile.

“Goodness me, I’ve truly become a hermit.”

Just as he murmured this to himself, a pain piercing through his back engulfed him.

“…Guh.”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Red eyes flashed beneath the moonlight. It was no illusion woven by sheer force.

Even knowing the sonic blast was coming, he hadn’t been able to dodge the shockwave, causing the blood vessels in his eyes to burst.

The sword gripped by the Ten-Step Sword had pierced through both Gu Yangjeok and Ha Jinak’s backs.

Gurgle.

Blood seeped from the corner of Gu Yangjeok’s mouth.

Crimson blood, boiling within, trickled down his jawline.

Yet Gu Yangjeok did not release his grasp.

Even if this hand were to shatter, he could not let Ha Jinak fall.

“…You.”

Merely uttering that single syllable, calling out Yibo Shijian, caused a pain like a knife gouging his heart.

Gu Yangjie grimaced, clenching his teeth.

Uncontrollable energy tore through the air indiscriminately.

Zzzzz!

With a chilling sound, Yibo Shijian gasped in shock.

“Huh?!”

Seeing half the skin on his hand gone, Yibo Shijian’s body froze for an instant.

When had this happened?

No, it wasn’t a matter of when. Clearly, Gu Yangjie hadn’t attacked.

” What kind of magic did you use?!”

Having witnessed this unidentifiable martial art, perhaps fear was stirring within him.

Watching the One Step Sword, now on high alert, Gu Yangjie thought of a rat.

A rat that sees crumbs on the ground but hesitates to move, only peering cautiously from afar.

A spark ignited in Gu Yangjie’s eyes.

‘To be defeated by such a rat.’

Rage surged within him.

“I’ll face you with one hand.”

Gu Yangji awkwardly grasped the Zhanxian sword with his left hand.

His right hand was already wrapped around Ha Jin’s shoulder, holding him close, leaving him no choice.

Gyu Yang-jeok exhaled, regaining his composure as he watched the two men rising.

The Black Shadow Sword, clutching his abdomen as if slashed, and the Moon-Shattering Sword, his face charred black, were the protagonists.

Gyu Yang-jeok’s lips, trembling from pain, stopped. What followed was a leisurely smile.

“You are no different.”

Clang!

The sword pointed at them emitted a clear, piercing ring.

It held both a domineering power that seemed ready to cleave through anything and a fragility that appeared it could be crushed by the slightest force.

The three swordsmen recognized it.

‘The power of that sword is truly peerless, yet the wielder’s strength is at rock bottom.’

Simultaneously, greed flared within them. The eyes of the three swordsmen crossed.

-That one is mine!

Kwoong!

The first to charge was the One-Step Ten-Sword, closest at hand.

The speed of the Turyukbo was formidable, but the power packed into that single step was immense, rivaling even Shaolin.

Yet, Gu Yangjeok did not retreat. He simply raised his sword calmly.

“I wasn’t planning on giving it up, but you’re getting a taste first.”

Gu Yangjie’s jaw tightened slightly.

Whoosh.

In that opening, Yibo Shijian’s sword swung. The sharply honed sword energy tore through Gu Yangjie’s chest.

‘Damn, it’s heavy.’

Gu Yangjeok resisted the urge to fling Ha Jinak aside and swung the Chameon.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Chameon slid along the sword swung by Ilbosipgeom, bending the entire blade.

Of course, the area beneath wasn’t unscathed.

Because it was flesh, not steel, it couldn’t withstand the Chameon’s force.

“Kyaaah!”

Gu Yangjeok, having cleanly severed Ilbosipgeom’s fingers, brushed the blood from his sword.

Swoosh.

At that sound, the expressions of the two remaining swordsmen froze. They could no longer take this man lightly.

They scrutinized his features closely.

-Could that bastard be… Yu Zhangming?

-Impossible! The Three Evils of Shaanxi wouldn’t have vouched for him.

Confused whispers continued to flow.

In that moment, Gu Yangjie’s voice cut through them.

“What’s got you so troubled?”

Gu Yangjie openly infused Ha Jiajin with the Xiahajin Qi, taunting him.

“If you’re just going to stand there, then just let him go.”

“Gah, you bastard!”

Gu Yangjie watched the two swordsmen charging toward him with cold eyes.

He didn’t relax his guard toward the head of the Shaanxi Three Evils lurking behind them, the evil general.

Now that the powder had been ignited, they would surely try to kill him completely.

If he let them go now, not only the Black Dragon Sect but even the Three Evils of Shaanxi would become targets hunted by the authorities.

Gu Yangjie tightened his grip even further.

Kwaaah.

The pain intensified slightly, but his mental elevation soared even higher.

“Shall we play?”

Humming words he’d heard from the Sword Demon in his past life, Gu Yangjie unfurled the Plum Blossom Sword.

Whoosh!

The Purple Sea True Qi erupting from Gu Yangjie’s dantian coalesced at the tip, taking on a form resembling mist.

Seizing the opening without hesitation.

“…Hmph!”

Thud, clang!

The rushing Moon-Shattering Blade struck a pebble.

Though it carried no significant inner energy, it was judged sufficient to harass Gu Yangji.

‘What a nuisance.’

Gu Yangji tilted his sword slightly, deflecting the pebble.

Moonlight reflected off the blade’s surface.

He frowned for an instant, and in that gap, the Black Shadow Sword plunged in.

He must have been confident he hadn’t been spotted.

Gu Yangji channeled the Purple Mist Qi into his sword, firing a tangible sword energy in the shape of a form.

The Black Shadow Sword’s face instantly contorted in horror, and he collapsed.

Almost simultaneously, the Ten-Step Sword pushed forward toward Ha Jin-ak.

‘That despicable brat. Does he intend to capture my senior brother and use him as a shield?’

However, Gu Yang-jeok did not reveal that thought outwardly.

They were despicable to begin with, which is why they joined a rogue sect like the Black Dragon Sect. For them, despicability was a way of life.

And Gu Yangjie had already anticipated this situation.

“Senior Brother, I’m sorry.”

With the urgency of the moment, formalities were dropped. Gu Yangjie’s hand grabbed Ha Jin’ak’s nape and yanked him back.

Whoosh!

The sword of the Ten-Step Sword slashed not at Ha Jin’ak’s neck, but tore through his robe.

The following Sliver Moon Sword was kicked away by Gu Yangjie himself.

“What the hell kind of brat…!”

As the Sabre of the Moon recoiled, intimidated by Gu Yangjie’s momentum, Gu Yangjie grinned, revealing teeth stained with blood.

“Where you think you’re going, brother?”

Gu Yangjie pushed the hilt of his raised sword with the sole of his foot.

Suddenly, the Sabre of the Moon, who had been backing away, found himself pushed backward.

“You’re gonna pay for that.”

Gu Yangjie’s teeth clenched tightly.

Now that his opponent had lost his balance, it wouldn’t be difficult.

‘Take this!’

Swoosh!

The sharp blade of the Chameon instantly sliced through Sakuyue Man-geom’s torso in a single stroke.

Plum Blossom Sword’s Ascending Style, Plum Fragrance Becomes Flow.

Plum fragrance forms a wave.

True to its name, the Zha Xia Jin Qi clinging to the sword’s aura materialized as a wave and cleaved through.

“What? Where did that guy come from!”

The final, stunned cry of the remaining Yibo Shijian proved just how profoundly skilled Gu Yangji had become.

He could only sigh in defeat.

But Gu Yangji’s perspective was different.

‘If only my power had been a little greater. If only my mind, body, and spirit had been even slightly more in sync…’

The regret lingered thickly.

Half a year of seclusion had yielded the best possible result, but ultimately, it was an excuse.

In the martial world, strength meant survival.

Gu Yangji’s gaze turned to Ha Jin’ak, who stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

After all, if someone was going to die here, leaving him behind wasn’t so bad.

‘But.’

Gu Yangji had learned from him.

Things like the righteousness and principles of the Huashan Sect.

About things he hadn’t known in his past life, Gu Yangji had learned much.

So, he had no choice but to put it to use.

“You’re quite the handful, aren’t you?”

Muttering to himself, Gu Yangji tightened his grip on Ha Jin’ak.

At that moment, Yibo Shijian spoke.

“You said your name was Gu Yang-jeok?”

“…Hmph.”

“Even if you appear calm, your fear is plain as day to my eyes.”

“Looks like your eyes are inflamed.”

Gu Yangjeok glanced sideways at Ha Jin-ak, still bleeding from the Seven-Hole Sword.

‘Shouldn’t you be prioritizing your own self-defense instead of protecting me?’

Gulp.

A man who was like a senior brother, someone who had always been selective in his friendships, was protecting Gu Yangjeok—the very person he had shunned in the final moment.

Gu Yangjie brushed away cold sweat mingled with blood.

As long as his body still moved, he couldn’t show weakness.

At least, that was his resolve until the Demon Lord reappeared.

“…You.”

“Remarkable. Truly astonishing.”

The Demon Lord praised Gu Yangjie and Ha Jin-ak with an expressionless face.

But his inner feelings weren’t entirely devoid of emotion.

What boiled within the Evil Lord was clear hostility and hatred.

‘To lose both my elder brother and younger brother to a brat not even twenty years old.’

And to think he’d mobilized six swordsmen and even resorted to gunpowder, meant only for the worst-case scenario.

Had the Madman not died, there would have been no need to use gunpowder.

Akgun stared at Gu Yang-jeok with stubborn eyes.

Meanwhile, Gu Yang-jeok spoke.

“…What.”

“Hm?”

“What the hell is so funny!”

“Huh.”

At those words, Akgun wore a faint smile.

“You’re dead anyway.”

“Who do you think you are to say that?”

Snap, crack.

As they exchanged blows, the sound of dry branches crunching underfoot brushed past the ears of the three men.

Only then did Ha Jin-ak’s eyes flicker open slightly.

But no one noticed this change.

Their attention was entirely focused on whether that sound meant reinforcements for themselves or for the enemy.

“…Ha.”

Seeing the late arrivals, Akgun’s mouth twisted in a sneer.

He had requested reinforcements just in case, but never imagined they would arrive at such a precise moment.

“Ahaha, ahah, ahahahaha!”

Akgun roared with laughter, mocking Gu Yangjeok.

“Did you think the entire world was in your grasp?”

“……”

“Speak up, you fool. From now on, I’ll make sure you can neither die nor live in peace!”

Then, suddenly, a middle-aged man’s voice boomed powerfully from the cliff above.

“Enemy, what on earth is going on here!”

Gu Yangji bowed with one hand to the figure who emerged from the woods.

He couldn’t hide his weary expression.

“Elder Guo, you’re terribly late.”

“…….”

Instead of roaring in anger, Guo Yunpai held back a rage as vast as Mount Tai.

Then, a familiar voice sounded from behind Gu Yangjie.

“I am Ha, the direct disciple of the current Sect Leader, Bai Danxian, and the designated successor to the position of Sect Leader…….”

Thud.

Ha Jin-ak’s thumb pressed down on the Jianjing acupoint located on Gu Yang-jeok’s shoulder blade.

His entire body felt as if water had seeped in, sinking deeply.

‘……Oh, la.’

Gu Yang-jeok, collapsed on the floor, stared blankly up at the blood-soaked Ha Jin-ak.

His eyes were filled with resolve.

“I, Ha Mo-ga, command Elder Gwak one last time before I die.”

Ha Jin-ak, breathing heavily as if death were imminent, smiled with a pale face.

But Gu Yang-jeok knew.

He knew Ha Jin-ak’s body was utterly broken, so much so that he couldn’t even manage a smile.

Yet Ha Jin-ak smiled.

“…Hold them back until I let go.”

To Gu Yangjeok, it was a deeply tearful smile.

Slowly, his eyes closed.