Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Translator: Penny
Episode 21
Zhuge Pyeong, who had been standing guard nearby, rushed over with a panicked expression.
"Chief! It seems there's a problem!"
"Hmm, the True Intent formation is only half-completed... I see. There's no choice then."
O Sangmun urgently gathered the workers.
They were preparing to retreat.
"Hmph, so the Honyeon Faction has launched an attack?"
"It seems so."
"An attack, you say?"
"Well, yes, but... Munhyeon, why does your gaze look like that?"
"Huh? What's wrong with my gaze?"
Zhuge Munhyeon's eyes held a strange, almost manic glint.
Just looking at them made Yeo Mungi's throat tighten, and he swallowed nervously.
"M-Munhyeon! Wait, that's not you, right?"
"What do you mean?"
Zhuge Munhyeon grinned, but Yeo Mungi's heart remained filled with unease.
What's with his eyes...
"Heh heh heh."
Is he... laughing?
At that moment—
Click, whoosh!
The sound of something piercing deep into the ground startled everyone.
All four of them.
He had released all the two hundred geun of Iron Weights.
"W-what are you planning to do?"
"Take good care of the Iron Weights."
"Huh?"
Yeo Mungi, who had a rough idea of what Zhuge Munhyeon was about to do, widened his eyes and tried to stop him.
Crumble, crash!
Zhuge Munhyeon, rolling across the ground with all his might, burst through the forest in a straight line before anyone could react.
He was like a monster freed from its restraints.
I was already seething with irritation from this physical labor disguised under the fancy name of "Formation maintenance." You picked the wrong day to mess with me. Dare to attack the Zhuge Clan while I'm here?
Startled by Zhuge Munhyeon's sudden disappearance, O Sangmun asked, "What's gotten into Munhyeon all of a sudden?"
Yeo Mungi remained silent. I have no idea what that lunatic is up to, he thought, his mind blank with panic. But he couldn't voice such thoughts aloud.
"Um... he probably went to help the area that was attacked," Yeo Mungi stammered.
"What nonsense is that? What good can that apprentice from Byeongju Hall possibly do?"
"Probably... more than the guards here."
"What?"
Zhuge Pyeong and his brothers exchanged uneasy glances and nodded in agreement. After all, they hadn't even been able to defeat Munhyeon.
"Let's retreat for now. You guys handle the Iron Weights."
"Yes, sir."
"Watch your backs. Each weight is fifty geun."
"Huh?"
The workers were startled.
O Sangmun and the Zhuge Family brothers were equally astonished.
It meant he had been walking around as if nothing were amiss, despite carrying over two hundred geun of weight on his body.
"Who's this? Deputy Branch Head Young Master, isn't it? Ha ha! What a stroke of luck! Finally, I have the chance to claim the Zhuge Clan's son's head!"
"Yeom Sangcheol..."
Zhuge Munho, who had rushed to the scene after hearing the whistle, couldn't help but grimace.
The situation was grim.
Not only were the guards dead, but two workers had also perished. The Byeongju Hall Scholars, whom they had risked their lives to protect, were wounded.
The formation they had been constructing was shattered beyond repair.
Moreover...
"There was no need to kill the workers."
"Why not?"
"You bastard! They were..."
"Just Zhuge Clan lackeys."
"What?"
"Don't tell me you're going to lecture me about some outdated 'Chivalrous Spirit'?"
The hulking man, Yeom Sangcheol, sneered, his greatsword slung casually over his shoulder.
"Even the Heretical Factions have their own code of conduct!"
"Code of conduct? Hah! When did that become relevant? This world runs on strength. Power is justice, and might is the Dao of the martial world."
That's the world it had become.
For too long, it had been considered natural to seize the weak's possessions to strengthen oneself.
"And why should we stand by while you build your defenses?"
"This formation is within the Zhuge Clan's territory. Attacking without a declaration of war is..."
"Bullshit. Who decided that?"
"What did you say?"
"You're so out of touch with reality. Zhuge Clan territory? In this world? Whoever claims it first owns it, and if you can't defend it, you lose it."
"..."
"Tsk, tsk. Still clinging to delusions of past glory, blind to the reality of the world. No wonder Zhuge ended up like that—losing everything good to others, forced to hole up in Yungjungsan..."
"Shut up!"
Zhuge Munho roared at the insult to his clan, sending a shockwave rippling through the air with a clang.
But Yeom Sangcheol didn't even blink. Instead, his mockery grew even more scathing.
"Enough talk. We won't tolerate your formation here. Good riddance, actually. Once you're dead, the Zhuge Clan will abandon their dreams of formations. I'll hang your head at the mountain ridge pass as a warning."
Yeom Sangcheol tilted his chin slightly, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent as he looked down at Zhuge Munho.
Damn it, why now...?
Zhuge Munho couldn't act rashly.
Yeom Sangcheol, the Jujube Sun Great Moon Blade.
Standing over seven feet tall, he was a renowned martial artist in Northern Honam.
Once a wandering swordsman who had made a name for himself, he had become the sworn brother of the Honyeon Faction Leader after being courted by the faction.
A master who had wielded Sword Qi far longer than Zhuge Munho, Yeom Sangcheol had reached the pinnacle of martial arts.
Having clashed with the Honyeon Faction several times, Zhuge Munho knew firsthand the man's formidable strength.
Shit, what do I do?
The signal horn had sounded, but the Zhuge Clan warriors were scattered across the defensive line, while Yeom Sangcheol and the Honyeon Faction warriors had concentrated their forces for a focused assault.
Support would be late, and the enemy showed no sign of releasing him.
More importantly, a full-scale battle was impossible with the scholars and workers still constructing the formation.
But they couldn't afford to retreat. The mountain ridge was a crucial strategic point that had to be defended at all costs.
If the enemy seized the ridge, the formation would become useless, requiring massive investment in manpower and resources—an impossibility given the Zhuge Clan's current circumstances.
They had to hold the line, no matter what.
At least until support arrived.
Zhuge Munho quickly surveyed the battlefield.
His forces numbered roughly twenty, while the enemy numbered over fifty.
They were severely outnumbered.
But even after agonizing over it, there was no other choice. Even if it meant losing their lives, they had to protect the powerless. That was the duty of a martial artist.
Clang!
He drew his sword, pointed it at Yeom Sangcheol, and shouted:
"Listen up! Divide our forces in half immediately! Black Tiger Corps warriors, escort the scholars and workers to retreat! The Branch warriors will cover our rear!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Five men per enemy! Form the One-Line Golden Lock Formation! I'll take the lead!"
At Zhuge Munho's command, the formation quickly took shape.
Five warriors advanced in a staggered line, while the remaining five positioned themselves slightly behind, filling the gaps between the front row.
"D-Deputy Branch Head! What are you saying? You can't possibly stop fifty with just ten men! We'll fight alongside you!"
"Silence! I am the commander here!"
"Deputy Branch Head!"
"Retreat immediately!"
Zhuge Munho glared fiercely at the Black Tiger Corps warrior and roared, "Ensure the scholars and workers retreat safely. That is your duty!"
"...Understood. But we'll return soon."
The Black Tiger Corps warrior retreated with a grimace.
And so, the retreat began.
"Heh, hahahahaha! This is truly touching. Our young master is quite something. Not only does he dare to fight me, but he thinks he can stop us with just ten men!"
"Hmph! We can easily stop the likes of you."
"Well, that suits me just fine. It'll make it even easier to take your head and offer it to our Faction Leader."
Yeom Sangcheol lowered his Crescent Blade.
The moon-shaped blade, as large as a child's torso, glinted under the sunlight.
"Kill them all!"
"Yes, sir!"
At his chillingly smiling command, the Honyeon Faction warriors charged forward in unison.
"Hold out with all your might!"
Zhuge Munho stood his ground, unleashing a brilliant azure Sword Qi, while Yeom Sangcheol charged forward, swinging his Crescent Blade mercilessly.
Clang! Clang!
The metallic clashes echoed through the forest.
"Hmm."
A short distance from the battle...
Zhuge Munhyeon, perched on a thick tree branch, frowned.
He had arrived some time ago.
The Honyeon Faction warriors numbered roughly fifty.
Considering the safety of the True Intent Formation I had painstakingly created, I wanted to leap down and smash them to pieces immediately. However, since they were engaged in a standoff and exchanging words, I decided to observe for a while. Suddenly, Zhuge Munho divided the warriors into two groups and ordered the workers and scholars to retreat.
"The brat's got some guts," Munhyeon muttered. "Yesterday he was like a puppy wagging its tail, but now he knows how to protect the weak."
Still, ten against fifty was a bit much.
And then there was the One-Line Golden Lock Formation.
That was a desperate last-stand formation.
It arranged a small number of troops in a diagonal grid pattern to block the enemy's advance.
They probably judged that they couldn't yield the Mountain Ridge and planned to hold out until reinforcements arrived. Or perhaps it was to buy time for others to escape.
But this wasn't a Suicide Squad, and their individual Martial Prowess wasn't particularly remarkable, so the Formation's effectiveness was bound to be limited.
"Sacrifice... What a pointless gesture."
In Zhuge Munhyeon's world, where the weak deserved to die, survival was paramount. Only by living could he exact revenge.
To him, this was an incomprehensible act.
Yet, his eyes soon fell upon the corpses scattered across the battlefield. Not just warriors, but even laborers lay dead.
"Sigh... Even the Heretical Factions used to have some sense of restraint. How did we end up in a world where these fools can't even distinguish between those they should fight and those they shouldn't?"
Though they lived for different purposes, they shared a certain pride as martial artists.
"I secretly hoped for more, fighting against the Zhuge Clan at the border, but it seems they're just third-rate thugs after all," Zhuge Munhyeon said with a bitter smile, watching the Zhuge Family warriors being pushed into a defensive position.
It had been a hopeless battle from the start.
They had risked their lives only because they had no other choice...
"Hmm."
He frowned in thought, but the course of action was obvious.
"Damn, my blood's boiling. Right, I'm no longer the Heavenly Demon, but a descendant of the Zhuge Clan, aren't I? I can't ignore my bloodline. Whether it's the Demonic Cult or the Zhuge Clan, I'm the one who gets to beat them down, not the other way around. My pride won't allow it. This is my Zhuge Clan now."
Leaping from the tree, Zhuge Munhyeon immediately activated his Heavenly Mechanism Evasive Steps, gliding across the icy ground as if it were a frozen lake.
He soon encountered the warriors clashing at the edge of the battlefield.
"Hey!"
"...?"
The moment the warrior turned his head, Zhuge Munhyeon grinned and threw a powerful punch.
Thwack!
The warrior, unable to withstand the force-laden blow, spun like a whirlwind before collapsing heavily to the ground.
"First, secure the weapon."
All eyes naturally turned to Zhuge Munhyeon as he seized the saber from the fallen warrior.
Especially given his snow-white scholar's robes.
"The Zhuge Clan?"
"That's right."
"You crazy bastard!"
Ducking beneath the wildly swinging blade of a Honyeon Faction warrior, Zhuge Munhyeon lightly kicked his knee.
Crack!
The warrior's kneecap shattered, sending him collapsing to the ground.
Thwack!
A single, brutal kick instantly ended his life.
There was no need for any martial technique.
Such was the gulf between one who had once been the Heavenly Demon and a mere third-rate Heretical Faction lackey.
Ting!
Munhyeon flicked the blade of the saber in his hand, producing a dull, clanging sound.
Cheap. But what does quality matter when cutting down cheap bastards who couldn't even tell the difference?
"Alright, I've joined the fray. Now, let's thin the herd a bit."
"You bastard!"
Enraged by the sudden appearance of this newcomer and the swift defeat of their comrade, three warriors charged at Zhuge Munhyeon.
Swish!
With each step, his wide-sleeved robes billowed softly. A casual flick of the saber in his hand left a faint blue afterimage in the air.
Slice, slice, slice!
The sharp, tearing sound was followed by the warriors' bodies being cleaved into three or four pieces, blood spraying in all directions.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny