NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 143
“Yunhong. Is the task I entrusted to you proceeding well?”
“It’s proceeding smoothly.”
“Good. Since the burden on your shoulders is heavy, proceed with caution.”
“Yes! Master!”
Martial Prohibition Leader Jin Mu-han stroked his beard and looked out the window.
The city shrouded in darkness.
The sound of the wind cutting through the stillness.
‘The task is proceeding smoothly.’
The grand plan to grow from the head of a small faction to a major villainous leader, powerful enough to counter the Martial Alliance, was only now coming to fruition. In time, many people of the Central Plains would remember him not as the leader of the Blood Sect, but as the head of the Evil Sword Association.
“…Luckily, the interference from those pesky individuals has lessened. Once we settle the alliance, we’ll be set.”
Green Forest Syndicate.
Grand River Water Sect.
Evil Sword Association.
Should these three forces unite, even the Martial Alliance would dare not look down on them.
‘…However, we must continue investigating why their interference has diminished.’
The reduced influence of the Demonic Sect, which suddenly seemed to have lost interest in the Blood Sect, was a cause of concern. Without understanding the reasons behind the sudden reduction in their support and interference, he feared they might bring disaster.
‘If we can swallow up Haaomen and establish a widespread network of information across the Central Plains, the Demonic Sect won’t dare interfere with us easily.’
Even with the power they have amassed since retreating to Xinjiang after their previous defeat in the righteous and evil war, without the assistance of the Evil Sword Association, the Demonic Sect won’t be able to deploy troops easily into the Central Plains.
“…It’s too smooth, which makes me uneasy.”
Jin Mu-han sighed and picked up the wine bottle, which had chilled in the night air.
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“I, Iron Sword Chasing Soul Na Deok-jo, challenge you to a martial prohibition.”
“Young whelp, challenging me to a martial prohibition? Hmph, I’ve been living quietly, and now an ignorant one has come looking for trouble.”
On a dim mountain path, Na Deok-jo, upon seeing the pale youth revealed under the moonlight, drew his sword.
A sword four feet in length.
The well-maintained blade shone with a luster that slid under the moonlight.
“How did you know I’d be enjoying a stroll at this hour?”
“…Wherever a person walks, footprints remain.”
The voice was thin for a man’s. His eyes opened slightly.
‘Is this someone I have an unsettled relationship with? But strange.’
Martial artists, carrying their weapons, traverse the world and aren’t strangers to bloodshed.
There’s no meaning in learning martial arts for combat and then not using them for the purpose they were intended. Therefore, he concluded that this could be the offspring of someone he’d killed and assumed a combat stance.
His Blood Wind Continuous Sword style relied on relentless combination attacks to create openings and then unleash a powerful strike in the gaps.
Therefore, he didn’t indulge in any allowances or take defensive stances, as he usually gave to lesser opponents.
The killing intent in the enemy’s eyes hinted that this martial prohibition would likely be a battle to the death.
‘I’ll end it quickly then leave.’
In the blink of an eye, his figure darted toward the mysterious opponent.
A peak martial artist’s movement technique unleashed at full power—its daunting speed left Deok-jo standing in a combat stance, frozen. Despite appearing tense, Deok-jo smirked and swung his sword.
‘This kid. I’ll have to take better care of my blade again…’
“You’re slow.”
Before Deok-jo could retort, a heavy impact struck his sword repeatedly.
“What is this…!”
He urgently rolled away to escape the distance of the opponent’s sword strike and stood up.
“Na-ru-ta-gon.”
While despised by the martial world, there was no shame in such actions if no one was watching.
And what’s the use of maintaining honor if one is already dead?
‘Is it swift swordplay? Or an illusionary sword technique?’
Was it overwhelming speed that continuously struck his sword, or was it an advanced illusionary sword technique that materialized reality and struck his sword in one go?
Attempting to analyze what happened in that brief moment, he asked the approaching young man.
“Just who are you?”
“Three incidents of civilian murders.”
“What?”
“Involved in the attack on the Yuan family estate. Killed the family head and his kin.”
“…How do you…”
“Entered the Blood Sect three years ago.”
Taken aback as the opponent listed events from his past, Deok-jo couldn’t mask his bewilderment.
‘Who could this be? If he’s a survivor from the Yuan family, he’s far too strong. There’s no way someone from the Yuan family estate, whose main expertise is boxing, could produce a martial artist of this caliber who can overcome me in a single move, let alone the family head who was among the top tier of first-class fighters.’
His thoughts spun around furiously.
But no matter how much he thought about it, he could not figure out his opponent’s identity.
Naturally, it was impossible.
Since the person had no direct relation to him.
“I don’t know who you are… but you’re a formidable martial artist.”
“Whether or not I am a formidable fighter, you must finish this martial prohibition if you wish to go home.”
“I understand.”
‘Must analyze the opponent’s martial techniques first.’
In real combat, the most crucial aspect is information.
By understanding the martial techniques the opponent uses, their characteristics, and whether they have any habits in executing them, flaws begin to reveal themselves.
‘Seeing openings will lead to seeing life and death.’
He had done it till now, and he believed he could survive this time too. Firmly trusting his life experiences of rolling in the mud and being soaked in blood.
So, once more, he leaped.
Like a lone wolf cutting through the moonlit night, his sword created five afterimages in a flash, aimed at the young man’s vital energy points.
The neck, chest, stomach, thigh, head.
Which was feint and which was real?
With eyes on her target, Dan Mok-kyeong calmly followed the trajectory of Deok-jo’s sword.
‘Eun-gong’s swordplay is even faster and more concise than this.’
Because a superlative martial artist had trained with her every day, Mok-kyeong could calmly counter a peak martial artist’s strikes.
‘It’s the thigh!’
Mok-kyeong’s sword moved belatedly.
The technique of the late-mover dominating.
‘This youth, newly into adulthood, surpasses me in swordplay?’
Deok-jo’s face showed signs of defeat.
But once something has happened, it cannot be undone.
He drew internal energy from his dantian and unleashed a sword qi.
‘The only method is to overwhelm him with internal energy.’
Given their age difference, nearly two-fold, his quantity of internal energy must surely be greater.
He put his hope in that and swung his sword.
A powerful sword strike. To Mok-kyeong, however, it didn’t feel too formidable.
‘Compared to a sword beam, this is like a flea’s bite. Calmly deflect it and it’ll be fine.’
Mok-kyeong’s sword glowed with a pale blue light under the moon.
The encircling sword qi struck dozens of afterimages of the oncoming sword, aiming for vital points. A dazzling and fantastical scene as dozens of reflected swords created a kaleidoscopic illusion under the moonlight. However, Deok-jo wasn’t able to take in the spectacle.
“Ugh…!”
As Mok-kyeong’s sword qi shattered his and tore deeply through his chest.
Deok-jo staggered a few steps back and frantically applied pressure point techniques.
Though he minimized the bleeding and reduced the damage by pressing the right pressure points, it was temporary at best. To survive, he needed to escape from the youth who had struck his chest.
“Who the heck are you that you are trying to kill me!”
“You bear no direct grudge against me. However…since you’ve caused wickedness under the Blood Sect, consider this your punishment.”
Instinctively stepping back. However, that alone could not save him from the death that had approached.
“Dang…”
Before Deok-jo could finish his sentence, his head sailed through the air.
Mok-kyeong gazed at Deok-jo’s falling body and the head rolling on the ground, then quietly walked over and wrapped his severed head in a cloth.
“Good job.”
“Thank you for letting me help!”
“…Thanks to Eun-gong.”
“You did well yourself.”
The blond-haired, blue-eyed man William smirked as he searched through Deok-jo’s corpse. His skillful search for hidden items in the body drew a puzzled look from Hye-ryeong.
“Uncle, aren’t you a bit too familiar with this?”
“It’s the way to collect war trophies to survive a war.”
In war, you strip the dead of anything you can.
“I’ll help too!”
“You don’t need to…just find an appropriate burial place.”
“A burial place?”
“We can’t leave the body on the road, can we?”
“Ah…Yes!”
‘This was nothing. He was said to be a long-time guest, but doesn’t seem to be an important person.’
Hoping to uncover some clues about the Blood Sect, but unfortunately, this opponent proved to be a wasted attempt.
Still, it was just the first step. There was still plenty of time.
“Bury the body and hang his head in the marketplace.”
“In the marketplace?”
“We need to provoke them.”
What they needed was chaos and attention from their foes.
The more chaos in the Blood Sect, the more their goal becomes easier to achieve.
‘Reminds me of the days when I was knight.’
Strategies and tactics are key in the battlefield.
William watched Hye-ryeong digging the ground and stood up.
“Hye-ryeong, hand me the shovel.”
“Eh? Why?”
“You’re not using the shovel correctly. It should be used like this—”
For veterans, properly using the shovel is crucial.
William started digging while explaining the proper technique of using a shovel.
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“Hey? What for?”
“The shovel’s not meant to be used that way. It’s used like this—”
For those who’ve served in the military, knowing how to properly dig is important.
William started lecturing on proper digging techniques before starting to dig.
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“Corpse buried, hang this guy’s head in the marketplace.”
“In the marketplace?”
“We need to provoke them.”
“What we need is to confuse and attract the enemy’s attention.”
The more chaos in the Blood Sect, the easier our goals will be achieved.
“Feels like I’ve gone back to my knight days.”
On the battlefield, strategy and tactics are essential.
William stood up after watching Hye-ryeong digging.
“Hye-ryeong. Give me the shovel.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Shovels are not meant to be used that way. They’re meant to be used like this…”