Death is Fair to All (4)
“What the hell?”
Mak Won sprinted through the forest, gasping for breath. He wanted to look back, but he couldn’t. Even the slightest twist of his body felt like it would tear a scream from his throat.
Right now, all he could do was keep running. In a forest thick with nothing but death, a single path to survival had opened before him.
“Just who in the world is that man?!”
Kwa-du-du-du-duk! Ku-woong!
Terrifying sounds erupted from behind him. Ancient trees shattered wholesale, boulders flew through the air, and the ground itself trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
It was the sound of dozens of assassins being swept away by an invincible martial art and a madman’s technique. The aura radiating from the spear wielder only grew stronger with each passing moment.
“An extraordinary expert. And at that age… But why is he helping me?”
In that instant, Mak Won recalled the young man’s words—spoken with absolute confidence as he revealed his identity.
“I am the Grand Adjutant of the Martial Alliance’s Deliberation Army and Special Operations Deputy Commander of the Black Dragon Department’s Iron Cavalry.”
“I am Yeon Hojeong, eldest son of the Yeon Family of Byeoksan.”
“Ah!”
He had been too dazed to properly register the introduction at the time.
“That young man?!”
Mak Won had heard the rumors circulating through the jianghu.
“The greatest rising star under heaven.”
The young prodigy who, upon entering the martial world, played a decisive role in toppling the Nine Provinces’ greatest clan of the era. He later became commander of the Martial Alliance’s elite forces, crushing countless unorthodox sects, and became the youngest to break through the Wall of No Summit, earning the title of the greatest rising star under heaven.
Such a genius had come to his aid.
“Has the Martial Alliance made its move?”
Just then, Mak Won sensed another expert approaching. Not on the same level as Yeon Hojeong, but still formidable. The refined aura of a peak-level master was closing in rapidly.
Mak Won tensed.
Paaang!
The figure that appeared before him in an instant was a middle-aged martial artist. A short, broad sword hung at his waist, and he held a single-handed spear in his left hand.
Mak Won hesitated.
The middle-aged man, Pae Yul, asked, “Are you the Hundred Weapons Divine Lord?”
“I am.”
“Pae Yul of the Jeomchang Sect.”
“Ah!”
“Have you met Yeon Hojeong?”
The tension on Mak Won’s face eased. “I have.”
“Looks like he’s already fighting.”
The tremors shaking the earth reached them even here. Merciless killing intent and explosive true qi rattled the forest.
Pae Yul frowned. “He’s always in a hurry, yet he still insists on fighting alone.”
His voice carried a note of exasperation.
Mak Won felt a sudden wave of absurdity.
Pae Yul clicked his tongue and turned around. “If you go a little farther, you’ll find our allies. They’ll protect you.”
Allies—clearly a Martial Alliance unit.
“Get on my back.”
“W-what?!”
“Even if you’re the Hundred Weapons Divine Lord, you’re in no condition to keep up right now.”
“I’m fine. I can match your pace.”
“My comrade is fighting a life-and-death battle over there. I need to help him.”
“……”
“Drop the pride.”
Mak Won was flustered. Pae Yul’s voice sharpened. “Hurry up!”
Damn it. How humiliating.
With an embarrassed expression, Mak Won climbed onto Pae Yul’s back.
“My apologies.”
Without a word, Pae Yul took off running.
Paa-aaang!
Mak Won’s eyes widened. He’s fast.
The Jeomchang Sect’s martial arts were known as the most practical among the Nine Great Sects. “Practical” meant speed—striking faster and more lethally, regardless of profound principles.
Pae Yul’s movement technique was exactly that: swift, far-reaching, and deadly. It allowed him to pierce through defenses with terrifying velocity.
Hwaaaak!
In the blink of an eye, Pae Yul had crossed several mountains. At last, the Iron Cavalry came into view, marching forward and kicking up clouds of dust.
Pababak!
Pae Yul stopped. Hwang Seok-tae’s eyes gleamed. “Who is that?”
“The Hundred Weapons Divine Lord, Mak Won.”
Pae Yul set Mak Won down. “These men will protect you. I’m off.”
Paa-aaang!
Pae Yul launched himself in the opposite direction, heading to aid Yeon Hojeong. Despite the immense distance he had already covered, he showed no sign of fatigue.
Hwang Seok-tae dismounted and clasped his hands in salute. “Hwang Seok-tae, commander of the Dragon Fang Iron Cavalry, greets the Hundred Weapons Divine Lord.”
His tone was unusually respectful. It couldn’t be helped. Mak Won was his senior in age, and more importantly, he was one of the strongest martial artists in the jianghu. To a true unorthodox warrior who revered strength, the title of one of the Three Lords commanded genuine respect.
“Please mount my horse. We will escort you to safety.”
Mak Won’s mind raced. The Dragon Fang Iron Cavalry? Since when did the Martial Alliance have such a unit?
Judging by the disciplined military aura and the thick scent of blood they carried, this was no orthodox force.
Mak Won shook his head. Now isn’t the time to worry about that.
For a moment, he wondered if they intended to use him, but the thought was meaningless. If they wanted him dead, they would have killed him already. Even if they planned to exploit him, survival came first—better than dying in enemy hands.
Thus, the Iron Cavalry withdrew with Mak Won in tow.
Before retreating, Hwang Seok-tae gazed toward the distant battlefield. “……He really is an incredible bastard.”
* * *
Puhwaak!
A long spear blade burst through flesh and blood, gleaming with a pure white radiance.
Flash!
Seven assassins lost their heads as the blade swept horizontally across a wide area.
A spear was fundamentally a thrusting weapon, no matter how long its blade. But Yeon Hojeong was different. He wielded it with masterful distance control, executing slashes as fluidly as thrusts. He could also smash bones with the shaft or crush enemies outright with sheer force.
Not bad.
He handled the long spear like a demon. It was impossible to tell whether a demon wielded the spear or a man possessed by one.
Per-eok!
The spinning spearhead pierced an assassin’s chest. The blade burst out his back, and the wind pressure it generated tore through a tree beyond, striking a hidden assassin in the shoulder.
He’s completely adapted to it.
Wielding a weapon as heavy as the Mad Dragon Axe required mastery of spear techniques. Yet even Yeon Hojeong hadn’t handled a spear in a long time. No matter how naturally it came to him, truly making it an extension of his body required time.
Yeon Hojeong had combined that training with his internal energy cultivation and tested it against the Iron Cavalry.
Vermilion Bird.
Papapapang!
In a single burst of flame-like footwork, he pierced through a hundred jang. Every one of the twenty-five assassins within that range had their throats pierced.
It was a spear art of terrifying range, blending the speed of the Vermilion Bird, the power of the White Tiger, and the flexibility of the Azure Dragon—the martial arts of the Three Gods.
At that moment, a streak of flame flashed in the distance.
Yeon Hojeong planted his spear into the ground.
Uuuuuuung!
The Three Gods Qi sank away in an instant. All the true qi within the Yeon Family Divine Elixir awakened the Black Emperor of the North Heaven.
North Heaven was Profound Heaven, and Profound Heaven was the Black Tortoise.
It was the manifestation of the Black Tortoise arts: the North Heaven Twelve Walls and the True Martial Great Emperor Heavy Wall.
Flash!
A translucent black fortress wall materialized in front of Yeon Hojeong.
Then—
Kwaaaang!
Yeon Hojeong’s body shook. The impact was tremendous, yet his organs remained untouched and he suffered no external wounds.
Chiiiiiik!
The powerful fire qi evaporated most of the water qi forming the surface of the True Martial Great Emperor Heavy Wall.
But that was all. Yeon Hojeong’s body was completely unharmed.
He had blocked a cannonball.
The explosive iron projectile, saturated with fire qi, failed to penetrate the True Martial Great Emperor Heavy Wall.
Kwaaang!
Using his heavy movement technique, Yeon Hojeong closed the distance and arrived before the cannon in an instant.
“Huk!”
“Y-you bastard?!”
The men loading the cannon were clearly government officials. Yet all of them possessed considerable martial arts—not government techniques, but those of the jianghu.
Flash!
Killing intent blazed in Yeon Hojeong’s eyes.
He hadn’t sensed it earlier amid the chaos, but now that he was this close, he could clearly identify the martial arts they cultivated.
His killing intent surged reflexively, and that only confirmed it.
Blazing Sun Art!
It wasn’t the Blazing Sun Art of the Central Plains. Though its level was low, Yeon Hojeong had seen this unique fire qi-infused version before.
Yeon Hojeong’s spear moved like a streak of light.
Kwaaaang!
The Vermilion Bird fire qi exploded from the spear tip jammed into the cannon’s muzzle. Gunpowder detonated in all directions, creating a massive shockwave.
No matter how well they had cultivated the Blazing Sun Art, they couldn’t withstand such an explosion unscathed. Three officials were sent flying, covered in blood.
Hwarururuk.
Terrifying flames engulfed the forest.
Chiiiiiik!
The flames clinging to Yeon Hojeong’s robes smoked and vanished. Even in that massive blast, he remained largely unscathed.
“I see.”
Brrrrrr.
The phrase “the mountains and rivers tremble” existed for moments like this.
The forest howled beneath the monstrous aura Yeon Hojeong radiated. Branches quivered, and the rising flames seemed desperate to flee to other trees.
Hwaaaak!
The Yeon Family Divine Elixir, refined through the Biying True Art, Dragon Robe Divine Art, Divine General Qi, and Sword Limit Qi, spun at incredible speed.
Ziing! Ziiing!
An enormous amount of true qi was generated, pushing Yeon Hojeong’s senses to their absolute limit.
In that instant, his eyes blazed.
“There you are!”
Kwaaang!
With a thunderous roar, Yeon Hojeong charged forward at a speed no eye could follow.
Kwang! Kwaang! Per-e-e-eong!
He smashed through every tree and boulder in his path, charging in a straight line.
Watching him now, drenched in killing intent, the nickname “Wall Mountain Fierce General” felt utterly mismatched. He was no noble commander of the green mountains—he was a blood-soaked demon general charging forward.
Come out.
Kwarrung! Kwaang! Kwaaang!
He destroyed everything in his way. He didn’t consider retreat or detours. He took the shortest possible path toward the single target his senses had locked onto.
Yeon Hojeong roared, “Come out!!”
Kwaaang!
His spear strike split a boulder the size of a house into four pieces.
Beyond the shattered rock stood a large Westerner, covered in blood, his face filled with shock.
Chiiiiiik!
White steam rose from Yeon Hojeong’s body.
Thump-thump!
The Vermilion Bird fire qi pulsed through his veins like a second heartbeat, boiling his blood.
“How long has it been? It feels like ages, yet seeing you again makes it feel like yesterday.”
Yeon Hojeong’s voice, laced with laughter, only heightened the other man’s terror.
Srrrk.
Demonic killing intent poured from the slowly rising spearhead.
Before him, at a distance of five jang, stood a man Yeon Hojeong had never expected to encounter in a place like this.
“……Yeon Hojeong?!”
“That’s right. Good. You should remember.”
Yeon Hojeong’s white smile revealed fangs that looked as sharp as a wolf’s.
Chiiiiiik!
The splint on the man’s broken right arm burned away in an instant.
A peak-level expert could realign broken bones with precise internal energy control and harden them. They wouldn’t regain full mobility, but they could still use martial arts.
Pusss.
That wasn’t all. The blood at the corner of his mouth also evaporated in white smoke. It was impossible to tell what kind of internal energy manipulation allowed such a feat.
Of course, none of that mattered to Yeon Hojeong.
What mattered was that he had stumbled upon prey he thought he’d lost.
“It’s been a while, Beon Jak.”
The First Martial General of the Shinhwa Sect—the invincible vanguard known as the strongest among the Eighteen Martial Generals—stood before him.