Chapter 223: Blood Sea Demon Yun Sak-1
Chapter 223: Blood Sea Demon Yun Sak-1
"Uwaaaaaahp!"
Yun Sak rushed in like a madman, pummeling Seonwoo Jin with a barrage of blade strikes.
Shuhaaaak!
But Yun Sak's blade never touched Seonwoo Jin.
It was because Seonwoo Jin was rapidly retreating, maintaining his distance from Yun Sak.
Ssssssseuk!
Seonwoo Jin's movement technique flowed like the wind, lightly deflecting Yun Sak's blade.
The difference in their movement techniques was simply too overwhelming.
With Yun Sak's level of movement technique, he couldn't even catch Seonwoo Jin's backpedaling when the latter was deliberately retreating.
Eudeuk!
Yun Sak ground his teeth, glaring at Seonwoo Jin with eyes that looked ready to devour him.
But Seonwoo Jin merely curled the corners of his mouth into a sardonic smirk and clicked his tongue.
"Tsk."
It was as if he was mocking him, asking if that was really all he had.
And to Yun Sak, it also felt as though he was being asked whether he truly thought that was acceptable.
Suddenly, Yun Sak looked around.
Then he saw the three from the Jin Family Estate pursuing him, right on his heels.
Individually, none of them were particularly threatening, but combined with that bastard called Inparang, they felt like an impossibly thick wall...
And further out, the warriors of the Jin Family Estate and the White Shark Sect were still in the thick of battle.
"Haaap!"
"Keuak!"
"Die!"
"Uwaaak!"
But even at a glance, the tide of battle was clear.
The ordinary warriors of the White Shark Sect were no match for the Jin Family Estate.
The signs of defeat were painfully obvious.
Yun Sak had no choice but to make a decision in that moment.
There was no other option now.
It was time to retreat to the main force.
As quickly as possible.
Yun Sak hurled himself to the side to evade the three from the Jin Family Estate who were swinging their staves at him, and shouted.
"Retreat!"
And without even confirming his subordinates' movements, he first began running toward the boat.
Pababak!
At his sudden command, the White Shark Sect warriors couldn't help but be thrown into confusion.
The Blood Sea Demon Blade, Yun Sak—who had never once uttered the word retreat, who would sooner behead his own men without hesitation if they suggested pulling back—had suddenly screamed retreat and fled first.
At that, the already crumbling White Shark Sect warriors now completely lost their will to fight and began to flee.
"Re, retreat? Retreat! Everyone retreat!"
"Retreat! Run for your lives!"
Seeing this, Jin Family Estate Head Jin Gong-mu did not miss the opportunity and shouted, imbuing his voice with internal energy.
- Don't let them get away! Do not let a single one of the bastards who dared invade the Jin Family Estate return alive!
"Uwaaaaaaaah!"
The White Shark Sect martial artists abandoned by Yun Sak fell into utter disarray.
They began fleeing without any spirit, completely unable to resist the Jin Family Estate martial artists pursuing from behind.
Now, it was no longer something that could even be called a battle—it had become a slaughter.
Watching that spectacle, Jin Gong-mu felt his chest burn with emotion.
Just moments ago, he had been anticipating his own death, so to be alive and achieve such a great victory was simply overwhelming.
And then, his gaze fell on his daughter.
More than anything, Jin So-eun—the existence of this daughter he was only now truly realizing—was deeply moving.
The one who would revive the Natural Staff technique, which he had thought utterly severed, had appeared... and that she was his own daughter—even if this were a dream, he felt it could not have been this profoundly moving.
Jin Gong-mu felt the impulse to run straight to his father and daughter.
But as the head of the Jin Family Estate, he knew well what the priorities were.
First, he approached Seonwoo Jin and clasped his hands in a solemn salute, saying,
"Thanks to our benefactor, our Jin Family Estate was able to escape this crisis. I extend my heartfelt gratitude, Young Master Yin."
No matter that Jin So-eun had revived the Natural Staff, he knew all too well that without that young master named Inparang, they could never have defeated Yun Sak.
The Jin Family Estate was greatly indebted to him.
At that, Seonwoo Jin, who had been staring at the fleeing back of Yun Sak with an unreadable gaze, turned his eyes and clasped his hands in solemn return to Jin Gong-mu, saying,
"It was merely a matter of avenging my enemy coincidentally intersecting with the Jin Family Estate's fate. And... I am sorry, but let us continue this conversation later. It would be best for the Family Head to first check on your father's condition."
Having said that, Seonwoo Jin launched himself in an instant, shooting forward like an arrow.
Paaang!
His destination was the side of Yun Sak, who had already boarded the boat and was fleeing.
Seonwoo Jin chased after the boat in the blink of an eye, kicked off the water's surface several times like a swallow, and then clung to the rear of Yun Sak's boat.
It seemed he intended to pursue him.
Jin Gong-mu assumed his actions were likely for revenge, and purely admired his movement technique.
"Water Surface Flying—huh! How could someone at that age reach such a realm..."
And then, he recalled the last thing Seonwoo Jin had said.
'Check on my father's condition?'
Earlier, his father Jin Sa-mong had been slashed across the chest by Yun Sak's blade.
But because he had immediately sealed his acupoints, the bleeding hadn't been severe...
As Jin Gong-mu was thinking this and turning his head, Jin So-eun's urgent voice suddenly reached his ears.
"Grandfather! Grandfather! What's wrong?!"
Jin Gong-mu looked over in alarm.
There, Jin Sa-mong had collapsed into Jin So-eun's arms, his face pale as a blank sheet of paper.
Jin Gong-mu frantically ran to his father.
"Father! Father, why...?!"
As he cried out, it suddenly came to him.
The fact that, until just moments ago, Jin Sa-mong had been an invalid lying in bed.
That man had suddenly appeared brimming with vigor like a strong young man and had fought none other than the Blood Sea Demon Blade Yun Sak.
Jin Gong-mu unconsciously muttered to himself.
"No way..."
Jin Gong-mu knew well that when Jin Family Estate martial artists prepared for death, they consumed the Blood Burst Pill.
And he also knew that Jin Family Estate martial artists, who used rage as the source of their martial arts, died with nearly a ninety-percent probability after taking the Blood Burst Pill.
He muttered with a face full of stunned despair.
"Father? Father...!"
***
'Will he be alright?'
Seonwoo Jin clung to the side of Yun Sak's boat and asked Mukrang.
At that, Mukrang sighed and answered.
- Who can say? It will be decided by heaven's will.
On his way here, Seonwoo Jin had heard various stories from Jin So-eun, who had completed her energy cultivation and rest.
The story of how she had trained in the mountains with her grandfather for fifteen years, and how her grandfather's illness had worsened, leaving them no choice but to come down from the mountain.
But the appearance Jin Sa-mong had shown when fighting Yun Sak was not at all that of an old man incapacitated by age-related illness.
The figure overflowing with vigor, no less than a strong young man, and the red energy visible to the eye—Seonwoo Jin had seen such a sight before.
From the old man Seok Gyeong-dal, who had taken the Blood Burst Pill to fight the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord Ji Gwang-ok.
Moreover, was it not a well-known fact throughout the martial world that the masters of the Jin Family Estate carried Blood Burst Pills and did not shy away from dragging their enemies down to mutual destruction?
As was the fact that those who took the Blood Burst Pill almost all died.
Thus, it was easy to guess what state Jin Sa-mong was in.
"Huuuuu."
Seonwoo Jin let out a deep sigh and shook off the regret he felt for him.
It was not the disposition of frontline martial artists to hold in their hearts worries about things that were beyond their control.
Now was the time to focus on what was right in front of him.
On none other than the Blood Sea Demon Blade Yun Sak, who was aboard this very boat.
At the same moment, Yun Sak stood at the bow of the ship, staring intently ahead.
He had not the slightest thought that Seonwoo Jin was clinging to the rear of the boat.
The reason he had failed to notice Seonwoo Jin's presence was not solely because Seonwoo Jin's movement technique was too elusive.
It was because his entire mind had been concentrated on the main hall of the White Shark Sect.
Yun Sak bit his lip and swore in his heart.
'If anything has happened to my son, I will never let them live. I will chase them to the ends of hell and tear them to pieces!'
Yun Sak had been particularly unlucky with having children.
Strangely, the women he had taken had been unable to conceive.
At first, he had not paid much attention to it.
But as the situation continued past the age of forty, Yun Sak had no choice but to accept it.
That heaven had not granted him the ability to have children.
Then one day, it happened.
His elder brother, the Hainan Demon Sword Jin Tae-do, had presented him with a beauty.
'Brother! I have picked out the finest beauty for you! A beauty that would not pale even against Myo A-ran of the Hainan Myo Family, the greatest beauty of Hainan Island! You will certainly be pleased!'
The woman Jin Tae-do had brought was indeed as beautiful as he had said.
Yun Sak took her without hesitation, and unlike other women, he cherished her considerably since she had been a gift from his brother.
Then, a few months later, unbelievable news arrived.
It was news that she was pregnant.
At first, Yun Sak had been flustered.
He had doubted whether such a thing was even possible.
Though no one had ever muttered it openly before him, he knew well that people called him a seedless watermelon.
A male with no reproductive ability, they said.
So he too had thought that perhaps it was true.
But to have a son...
It was truly an unbelievable thing.
It was enough to make him suspect that it might be another man's seed.
But Yun Sak, who had cared for her so dearly, knew better than anyone that she had never been in contact with any other man.
Yun Sak finally concluded that he had been unable to have children because he had never met a proper match, and because he had never cherished a woman before.
And he rejoiced.
It was a joy so great he could not remember ever having been this happy in his entire life.
From then on, Yun Sak cherished the woman and child like treasures.
He always made sure they saw only good things, ate only good things, and he was happy just looking at them.
And yet....
The words that bastard Inparang had spoken suddenly surfaced in his mind.
'Let you taste the pain of losing your family as well. Most bitterly.'
Yun Sak roared, radiating a blood-red killing intent.
"You dare!"
He could never forgive this.
He could never tolerate this.
If anything were to happen to those two....
It was then.
Yun Sak, standing tall at the ship's bow and focused entirely on the path ahead, felt his eyes widen.
"!"
Far in the distance, he could see a light.
A great light, as if a massive fire had broken out.
And Yun Sak realized instantly where that place was.
It was exactly where the White Shark Sect was located.
His White Shark Sect was burning.
Yun Sak shouted furiously.
"Faster! Increase speed! Hurry!"
It was a long sentence, something he rarely ever uttered.
But that was not important.
He had to return there as quickly as possible, no matter what.
So he could find them....
It was then.
KWA-JI-JI-JIK!
A sound of something breaking came from behind him, and at the same time, the ship pitched sharply forward.
"Ugh-huk!"
"Wha, what happened?!"
"The ship, the ship?!"
"Save me!"
From the sudden impact, the warriors and sailors on board had no choice but to tumble across the deck.
Only half of them remained on the ship; the rest were in the process of tumbling overboard.
"Uwaaaah!"
Splash! Splash!
But even if everyone else had fallen, the transcendent peak master Yun Sak was not among them.
He immediately regained his balance and whirled around with blazing eyes.
And it entered his vision at once.
The gruesome sight of the ship, its rear split and fallen away, showing exactly what had happened, and the figure of a man descending slowly from the sky like a feather....
It was the bastard.
The young bastard with the handsome face, wearing a sardonic smirk.
That very bastard called Inparang of the Hainan In Clan.
Yun Sak looked at him with eyes filled with both shock and killing intent, and roared.
"You bastard?!"
At that, Seonwoo Jin slowly descended onto the tilting ship and spoke to him with a sardonic smile.
"Hey there, were you in a hurry? Still, shouldn't you finish what you started before you go?"
Seonwoo Jin had been aiming for this moment from the start.
The moment when Yun Sak's heart would be at its most impatient after seeing the raided White Shark Sect.
What Seonwoo Jin had said to Yun Sak earlier had not been a lie.
In truth, Seol Pung and Jeung Chil had planned to sack the empty White Shark Sect, and he had already known that the son Yun Sak cherished so much was there.
So he had deliberately spoken of it to make the bastard retreat.
But the reason he had made him retreat was never to avoid a fight with him.
Rather, it was to fight him properly.
As Seonwoo Jin, not as Inparang, the successor of the Hainan In Clan.
To fight, avoiding the eyes of others and pouring out every ounce of power he had, not just the Southern Cross Sword.
"You wretch!"
The Blood Sea Demon Blade Yun Sak seized the hilt of his blade and twisted his body, coiling himself tightly.
It was a stance as if gathering all the strength in his body, preparing to unleash the ultimate secret technique that had led him to the transcendent peak realm — the quick-draw blade technique.
He seemed intent on finishing off Seonwoo Jin as quickly as possible.
Watching him, Seonwoo Jin grinned.
And he activated the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance.
The third form of the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance.
Illusory Full Moon, activated.
HWAAAAAH!
The world was veiled in a hazy curtain, and a strange sensation covered Seonwoo Jin's entire body, as if he had undergone astral projection and was observing everything as a third party.
In that moment, Yun Sak drew his blade.
SHAAAAAACK!
It was truly a tremendous slash.
Even though time had been slowed to the utmost by the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance, it appeared as nothing but light — a fearsome cutting strike as if cleaving the world itself.
Facing that tremendous slash head-on before his eyes, Seonwoo Jin suddenly broke into a deep smile.
From the moment he had first seen the bastard's quick-draw while going to rescue Jin Gong-mu and Jin Sa-mong, he had found it utterly unbearable.
He had wanted to clash head-on against that quick-draw.
Not fighting in a combined attack with many people, but in a one-on-one duel between just the two of them.
For that, he could put everything else aside for a while.
Even if it was his revenge journey as Inparang.
"HAAHP!"
Seonwoo Jin brought his sword down toward Yun Sak's quick-draw that was splitting the world.
It was the first technique of the Mukrang Sword Technique, which tore the world itself apart.
Mukrang Sword Technique, First Form.
Opening Heaven.
CHWAAAAAAAK!
In an instant, a gigantic cross was drawn upon the river.
Not due to the Southern Cross Sword of the Hainan In Clan, but a cross drawn as Yun Sak's and Seonwoo Jin's slashes collided against each other.
PUH-WAAAAAAAK!
The aftermath of that collision was immense.
The ship, already split and sinking, was torn apart as if exploding, and the martial artists on board were hurled in every direction like cannonballs.
KWAAAAAANG!
"Uwaaaaaah!"
"Save me!"
"Kuaaaak!"
That was not all.
From the epicenter of the collision, waves surged outward in concentric circles, spreading in all directions.
CHWAAAAAAAK!
In the face of that tremendous wave, like a windstorm, all the ships nearby staggered violently.
"Uwaaaah!"
"It's a tidal wave!"
"Hold on tight!"
All of this was the aftermath of just a single clash.