Chapter 16 (1)
Chapter 16 (1)
"You...you guys......."
"Hm? Keuh~ As expected of yours truly. Running into you right here."
"No, how......."
Cheon Hye-un couldn't understand how they could possibly run into the Five Tigers of Pursuit in such a vast place.
Regardless, the important thing was that there was a middle-aged man with a face almost identical to the drawing of the Blood Wind Lust Demon on the bulletin board, and that there were people wearing clothes with the black sun symbol of the Demonic Cult.
"You brats dare......!"
Puk!
"Ugh!"
The Blood Wind Lust Demon, who had suffered a stab wound to his palm, tried to explode in anger, but Jincheon, who had used the Yuseong Ilsal, made him shut his mouth.
"Scram, small fry. The ones I have business with right now are you Demonic Cult bastards."
"What? Where does this brat dare to......!"
"2-ho! Don't step forward!"
The Demonic Cultist was about to jump in, but when the Squad Leader shouted, he stepped back with a puzzled expression.
No matter how much of a martial artist one is, it is not easy to gauge an opponent's level at a single glance.
However, the Jamyung 8th Squad Leader, who was used to meeting various types of martial artists and evaluating their worth, felt tension at the sight of Jincheon and Cheon Hye-un.
'They are definitely not below me......!'
"Oh, I've finally met someone decent after a while. You've got a pretty good eye, don't you?"
"Squad Leader?"
2-ho, who had been watching the arrogant Jincheon and the stiff-faced Squad Leader, grew tense as the Squad Leader drew the crescent blade (wol-do) from his waist without a word.
The crescent blade was a weapon similar in shape to the Guan Dao famously used by Guan Yu of the Three Kingdoms, but it had been modified to fit the form of a sword.
The Squad Leader drawing his weapon without a word meant he considered the opponent a dangerous existence.
However, the Blood Wind Lust Demon, who had no way of knowing such a fact, went wild, perhaps because of the wound on his hand.
"What are you doing, acting all serious! Those bratty bastards might be skilled, but if we attack together!"
"Shut up!"
"Ugh!?"
The Squad Leader, who had snapped at the Blood Wind Lust Demon for not reading the room, opened his mouth toward Jincheon.
"You clearly look young, but you're impressive. To possess such aura already."
"Yeah, is that your last word?"
"It seems you don't have a nickname, but is there any reason to operate in the Central Plains Murim that doesn't recognize your worth? In this Central Plains, there will definitely be bastards who hold you back just because of your age. But in the Demonic Cult, if you have the skill......."
"Sorry, but I'm going to destroy that Demonic Cult."
"What?"
For the first time, the Squad Leader looked angry at Jincheon's statement.
"I cherish what's mine very dearly. To the point where I wouldn't have anything to say if you called it an obsession. So, if someone takes what's mine, I absolutely cannot stand it."
Kwaaaaa!!
"Keuk!"
"Ugh!"
"Huh!?"
The moment Jincheon exploded his internal energy, pebbles flew and the bushes began to shake excessively.
"You dared to take my woman. That one reason alone is more than enough for the Demonic Cult to disappear from this world!"
Jincheon, who had finally vomited out the anger he had to suppress when Im Ha-yeon was taken, gave instructions to Cheon Hye-un and lunged forward.
"Take care of the two!"
"Yes, Sang-gong!"
Cheon Hye-un lunged toward the Blood Wind Lust Demon and 2-ho, while Jincheon lunged toward the Squad Leader.
"You crazy bastard! You'd destroy the Demonic Cult over just one woman!? Know your place!"
"I know what I'm saying, you asshole!"
The Squad Leader swung his crescent blade, coated in blade energy, in a dazzling display, creating numerous feints.
The feints of a weapon coated in energy are enough to pose a sufficient threat on their own.
The energy gathered on the surface of the blade created afterimages, threatening Jincheon even more menacingly, but,
'He's rushing in?'
Despite having used a finger technique, Jincheon abandoned his own advantage, lunged with an angry expression, and took a stance to throw a punch.
'Crazy bastard! Does he think those measly gauntlets can block blade energy! I'll cut your arm right off!'
The Squad Leader swung his crescent blade down with all his might, intending to vertically slice the fist that was reaching toward him quickly but simply.
'I'll carve your body into pieces, joint by joint!'
To think he would be crazy with anger and use such a simple attack, despite possessing an aura that even he couldn't ignore.
The Squad Leader, who had mocked Jincheon's inexperienced behavior, prepared to slice off his wrist once his crescent blade split the fist.
Kachaang!
"...Ah?"
In an instant, the crescent blade that had struck Jincheon's gauntlets shattered into pieces.
The gauntlets flew toward him without a single scratch.
'This is nonsense! The power of this wave is like that of the Hwagyeong (Flower Realm) masters, like the Guardian Envoys......!'
Ujijijik!
Following that, as the fist struck the center of the Squad Leader's face, the sound of bones crushing as his face caved in rang out, but the power contained in Jincheon's fist continued to grow stronger.
Tukwaaaaaang!!
In the end, flesh and brain matter splattered behind the Squad Leader whose head had exploded, and a storm of energy swept through, turning the trees, bushes, and rocks behind the Squad Leader into fragments.
It wasn't the martial art called Cheonryong Mugeuk (Heavenly Dragon Limitless).
He had simply abandoned efficiency and everything else, poured out his internal energy ignorantly, and threw the punch with all his heart and soul.
Chwachak!
"Argh!"
"Aargh!"
At the same time, Cheon Hye-un succeeded in suppressing them by stabbing her sword into the Demonic Cultist's body and piercing the Blood Wind Lust Demon's knee until the bone shattered.
"You fucking dog-like bastard! I was just about to vent my anger, and you're already dead! Huh! Get up! Get up, you fucking dog bastard!"
Puk! Puk! Udeuk!
However, Jincheon, who had just exploded his anger toward the Demonic Cultist, began to kick and stomp on the body of the Squad Leader, whose head had exploded in one blow.
Even if it was a Demonic Cultist, excessively desecrating a corpse was not a pretty sight, but the Five Tigers of Pursuit couldn't say anything because they could feel the deep grudge (Han) in the way he was beating the dead corpse with bloodshot eyes.
"Sang-gong!"
In the end, it was only after Cheon Hye-un, who had suppressed the Blood Wind Lust Demon, called out as if to tell him to stop, that Jincheon's desecration of the corpse ended.
"Ha, fuck. He looked strong, so I went all out, but look at this."
"Sang-gong, you need to realize for yourself just how strong you are."
"But I can't help it. I've never met an opponent against whom I could use my full power until now."
Of course, Cheon Hye-un was a master, but not enough to block Jincheon's full power, and Jincheon also couldn't choose the dangerous option of attacking with full power when she could die.
A human who extremely loathes losing his female wouldn't perform a dangerous experiment where he could kill his female with his own hands, would he?
"Keueuk......! You...damn Demonic Cult bastards! All talk, no action idiots! To die without being able to handle one brat like that!"
The Blood Wind Lust Demon, who had no way of knowing how strong Jincheon was or what the Squad Leader was shocked by before he died, cursed the Squad Leader who had died from Jincheon's single punch.
"That guy's mouth is still running. Smash his other knee so he can't run away."
"Yes."
Peogeok!
"Kuaaaak!"
Cheon Hye-un, who had learned that mercy was a luxury for a lust demon who slaughtered innocent people and weak martial artists and turned women into mummies through Chae-eum Bo-yang, stabbed her sword into his remaining knee and twisted it, completely shattering the bone.
The Five Tigers of Pursuit, having watched them suppress and deal with the lust demon and the Demonic Cultists so easily, were staring at the scene with dumbfounded expressions.
"Thank you. And I apologize for our rudeness, Young Hero, Young Lady."
The leader of the Five Tigers of Pursuit, who was the first to come to his senses, stood up somehow despite his wounds, performed a fist salute, and expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you, both of you!"
"I'm sorry for insulting you both just a moment ago! I will pay the price with my head!"
"Second brother! I was the one who insulted you first! So I should be the one to offer my head!"
The Five Tigers of Pursuit realized that Jincheon and Cheon Hye-un were masters beyond what they could imagine, and tried to apologize by cutting off their heads.
They were trying to appease the two's anger even by doing that.
However, even while mocking them as brats, they hadn't shown lust toward Cheon Hye-un, and they were taking a stance to protect each other here as well.
If they were villains, they would have tried to kill Jincheon and rape Cheon Hye-un.
On top of that, the one called the leader, despite his fierce face, was worried about the two and advised them to return.
Jincheon, who reacts sensitively to malice but is quite generous to those without it, and Cheon Hye-un, who realized they weren't villains, didn't take it to heart.
"I'm not interested in your heads, so stop with the bromanc... I mean, just stop it."
"R-really?"
"Th-thank you!"
"Thank you, Young Hero!"
The Five Tigers of Pursuit repeatedly thanked the two.
'Of course, I need people to have seen our performance to become famous.'
Before he became strong, he didn't have the leisure to think about fame, but now that he was strong enough, it was fine to gain a reputation.
And he thought that only if his reputation was high would the Demonic Cult send high-ranking personnel to deal with him.
"Consider yourselves lucky. If you had spouted lewd nonsense at her, I was planning on taking at least two of your heads."
Of course, Jincheon, who had no intention of becoming a foolishly kind righteous faction member, emphasized that they were alive because they knew how to keep their mouths shut.
'I, I lived!'
'See? You lived because I warned you not to say things like that!'
'I need to watch my mouth from now on!'
Actually, he had intended to say a few lewd words as a joke, but it was fortunate that the leader of the Five Tigers of Pursuit kept his mouth shut because he disliked such things.
"The trail leads here!"
"Let's take care of those ronin over there first!"
At that moment, the remaining Demonic Cultists, who had found the trail left by the Jamyung 8th Squad Leader, gathered and swarmed in.
"Perfect timing. Sang-gong, you said you wanted to keep one Demonic Cultist alive, right?"
"Of course. I need at least one guy to deliver my warning to the Demonic Cult."
"Me? Or you?"
"You do it. I have trouble controlling my emotions whenever I see Demonic Cult bastards."
"Yes, I'll take the right side."
Before approaching the Demonic Cultists, Jincheon opened his mouth toward the Five Tigers of Pursuit.
"I smashed his knee, but I don't know what tricks he might pull, so keep that bastard suppressed. If you're greedy for the bounty and want to steal him, feel free to try. I've always loved playing the chaser in tag."
"H-how could we do such a thing to our benefactor!"
"Don't worry and go! We'll keep this guy well-restrained!"
The Five Tigers of Pursuit skillfully gagged the Blood Wind Lust Demon with cloth, tied his arms so he couldn't commit suicide, suppressed him, and guarded the area like guard dogs.
Seeing that, Jincheon rushed toward the Demonic Cultists swarming in this direction along with Cheon Hye-un.
An incident occurred in Hubei.
It started when the Blood Wind Lust Demon, who had touched the daughter of a noble family in Beijing, became a wanted criminal with a large bounty of 20 gold at once.
Countless ronin from Wuchang flocked to it, and it was an amount that even made ronin from other cities with fast information move.
The Blood Wind Lust Demon had become no different from a public enemy of the Murim for touching the daughter of a powerful person, but an unexpected situation arose.
The Demonic Cult had tried to recruit the public enemy of the Murim, the Blood Wind Lust Demon.
The Blood Wind Lust Demon, who had joined the Demonic Cult, slaughtered the ronin who had chased him along with the Demonic Cultists.
The Demonic Cultists dealt with the ronin cruelly without leaving any witnesses, and the incident, which was about to be known as a blood massacre late due to the lack of information, was resolved by two new experts.
The new experts, known as a couple, killed dozens of Demonic Cultists and even suppressed the Blood Wind Lust Demon, rising to the ranks of experts at once.
Countless people called the two, who had clean faces and youthful impressions, by the nickname Ok-myeon Ssang-ryeo (Jade-Faced Couple) and showed interest in the appearance of the new experts.
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