Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: The Returning Sword Society Leader
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Pfsh!
Blood burst forth from the diagonal line that had been carved into him. It was a fatal wound that started at the ribs, severed the spine, and split the collarbone. It was hard to believe such sword force had come from a single strike.
The upper half of the bisected corpse plummeted to the deck. It was a limp fall, like a scarecrow toppled by the wind. The Returning Sword Society assassins who witnessed the gruesome sight were overcome with shock.
Yuk Jin-yang was inwardly surprised as well. He could feel that the sword force was even stronger than in their previous clash. He soon understood why.
The changes from opening the middle dantian went beyond merely improving the speed of gathering internal energy and its output capacity. They were also closely linked to the functions of the Moon Maiden Divine Art.
The Moon Maiden Divine Art was a body-tempering qigong that combined breathing techniques and physical training methods.
It followed the same path as the Five Animals Frolic created by Hua Tuo or the Yi Jin Jing of Shaolin. The stronger the internal energy's output capacity, the more potent the art became. Thanks to this, his body's channels and bones had gradually been refined throughout.
"How arrogant!"
One of them spat in frustration and slipped through a gap in the sword formation once more. It was a clear lightness skill that crossed the space in a single leap.
The narrow, sharp tip of the narrow sword in his hand sliced through the air viciously as it approached, accompanied by a reverse gale that clawed at his face. At the same time, veins bulged on the back of Yuk Jin-yang's hand gripping his treasured sword.
In an instant, a gale whipped up. Along with his sword that had suddenly risen.
The colorless sunlight settling on the sword tip was dyed red. The assassin's head, now unmasked, flew off and spun through the air. The sword mark that ran diagonally from his chest to his mouth was horrific.
Once again, a one-strike kill.
The successive deaths of the assassins sent massive ripples through the battlefield.
He had felled two assassins with a single exchange each. The first might have been coincidence, but not the second onward.
A heavy silence dominated the space in an instant. Only chaotic gazes crisscrossed in various directions. The assassins, barely regaining their composure, fell back and muttered tensely among themselves.
"One exchange...? Twice in a row?"
"Was the Crown Prince's martial arts really that profound? Were the rumors false?"
"It might be a secret art of the Zhu imperial family. Don't waver. The enemy's strength is greater than expected, but it's still a manageable variable."
They tried to calm their agitation with trivial words. Yuk Jin-yang deliberately leaned back against the bulkhead, adjusting into a relaxed posture.
The assassins' eyes sharpened at that utterly imperial arrogance, unfit for the battlefield. Ignoring them, Yuk Jin-yang immersed himself in imitating the Crown Prince.
"Called assassins, yet your words outpace your swords. Truly pathetic."
"...!"
The assassins reformed their ranks and charged again. With a silent roar of killing intent. Their auras, disrupted by emotion, were savage and rough.
But like an arrow that loses momentum piercing multiple layers of cloth, their assault lacked its previous force. They had overexerted themselves in the recent successive infiltrations.
Soon, the official army's sword formation began pushing back the Returning Sword Society assassins.
They struck in concert with exquisite timing, forming a mutual support formation like horns locking together. Even as the assassins used flashy footwork to disrupt them, the formation didn't waver.
On the contrary, the auras from the Returning Sword Society side were growing faint.
Yuk Jin-yang, with some leisure, turned his gaze. To Won Yeong, who was facing the Red Sword Sect Leader.
They clashed while darting around all sides of the ship. It was an intense speed battle targeting fleeting moments.
With astonishing visual acuity, they used every object on the ship as footholds, freely traversing the space. It was like watching birds of prey fight.
The collisions were fierce as well.
A hooked chain swung on an iron chain pierced the space as it flew in, while the iron spear struck and thrust in all directions with its unique movements, gauging the distance.
However, Won Yeong's spear strikes were growing bolder. The stride of her kicking foot widened as she advanced. It meant she was seizing control of the space.
Each time the iron spear flashed, the chain swayed precariously. The Red Sword Sect Leader staggered, as if overwhelmed.
Far from exploiting the strange trajectories possible with his chain weapon, he was flailing about, unable to control his own limbs.
Clang!
The iron chain, which had withstood several heavy blows, finally snapped.
At that moment, Won Yeong's iron spear bent like a reed. It was an unbelievable flexibility. She had infused qi into the metal shaft, transcending its natural properties to draw out extraordinary utility.
The iron spear traced a semicircular arc. Dodging the Red Sword Sect Leader's counterattack even after he lost his weapon, it smashed into his side.
Bam!
A bursting sound erupted from his side, struck squarely by the metal shaft. Along with blood. The Red Sword Sect Leader's body crashed into the cabin's bulkhead.
I thought he had lost consciousness, but no. His rolling body sprang up again like a弹丸. With his back turned. It seemed he intended to retreat momentarily and regroup.
"Where to."
With a cold utterance, the iron spear shot out.
The spear's curved tip sliced the Red Sword Sect Leader's heel. It didn't sever the ankle, but it tore the flesh and severed the tendon. A critical injury.
Especially for an assassin who valued visual acuity above all. The Red Sword Sect Leader plummeted helplessly, rolling on the deck with an ugly scream.
Won Yeong looked down at him with a ruthless expression. Her pale blue eyes held a chill like winter wind.
"I won't let you die easily. I'll offer your severed limbs at my sibling's grave."
It was a voice boiling with resentment.
Suddenly, words from before came to mind. It was during her fight with Dong Jung-bo, who was the Red Sword Sect Leader's subordinate.
Back then, Won Yeong had vaguely mentioned her past entanglement with the Red Sword Sect Leader. That he had targeted and invaded her family in the past. Now it seemed she had lost siblings in the process, birthing this grudge.
The Red Sword Sect Leader laughed openly. Even cornered, he didn't hesitate to wag his venomous tongue.
"Your sibling? Ah, that fool. They got in my way without knowing their place and had their neck snapped."
Wrinkles formed on Won Yeong's fair brow. Instead of replying, she slammed down her iron spear. Then intervention came from the side. A swift sword strike extended, deflecting the spear.
As a brief gap opened, other assassins quickly filled the spot.
Before long, the situation had completely reversed. The official army now overwhelmingly dominated. With key forces injured or dead, the scales had tipped entirely.
In the meantime, the two ships carrying the group had cast off their chains and passed halfway through the gorge.
In another half shichen, they would reach the point connecting to the land route. That was the rendezvous with the official army and the place to seal the battle's outcome.
'But why haven't the Embroidered Uniform Guards appeared?'
Yuk Jin-yang suddenly felt a sense of unease.
They must be watching the situation as well. With both sides already battered and no reaction, it was blatantly suspicious. Were they hiding some scheme?
The eerie silence heightened his vigilance. Yuk Jin-yang observed without letting his guard down.
When they entered the section where the steep gorge gradually flattened.
"Min-ah! You at least escape!"
"Uncle!"
Fragments of screams and shouts faintly drifted from ahead. An ominous sign. As the ship advanced, the sounds grew louder, then abruptly cut off.
The confusion was brief.
Thud!
A figure crashed through the half-collapsed cabin ceiling.
Unexpectedly, it was a battered woman. Not just external wounds—her internal injuries were severe, blood continuously pouring from her mouth. Her pale skin was soaked entirely in blood.
Yet strangely, her face was familiar.
Yuk Jin-yang soon recalled her face and name. Kwak Min, Embroidered Uniform Guard. Daughter of a founding merit subject, and a woman he had clashed with once in Shandong.
"What...?"
His expression hardened at the unforeseen event.
And then.
"I wondered where the wounded bird was flying."
A dispassionate voice rumbled. From right behind. A chill ran down his spine like a shiver. Yuk Jin-yang sprang up, aiming his treasured sword.
Beyond the intact cabin wall.
A heavy presence settled at the ship's stern. Even with fighting still raging at the rails, this side's eerily static aura pressed in more distinctly.
Boom!
The rear wall flew far off as if torn by a gale. At last, Yuk Jin-yang could confirm the faces of those who had suddenly assaulted the ship.
Their number was a mere seven.
However, the aura they exuded was on another level from the previous assassins. Even incomparable to the Red Sword Sect Leader, clutching his useless leg and groaning.
It seemed the Returning Sword Society's elites had all gathered.
Especially the one in the center—a middle-aged man with dual swords at his waist stood out. In his hand, he gripped the hair of a severed head, a truly grotesque sight.
Yuk Jin-yang scrutinized him closely. His attire was plain. Just simple black martial robes. But aura doesn't lie.
Though his energy sank calmly, it pressed intensely. Like staring into the eyes of a deep-sea predator lying in wait.
Moreover, his grotesquely twisted arms were surely marks of training a poison martial art. There, Yuk Jin-yang was certain. No doubt. That was the Returning Sword Society Leader.
The man twisted his lips.
"Conveniently the same direction this seat was headed. Take these as well."
The man tossed the two heads he held. The miserably rolling severed heads on the deck were faces Yuk Jin-yang recognized.
Embroidered Uniform Guards Yun Hyu and Yun Kang.
To encounter here, in this way, those he had met in Shandong.
The Returning Sword Society Leader showed no emotion even at having beheaded the Embroidered Uniform Guards. He merely scanned the situation with indifferent eyes.
"And you."
One of the Returning Sword Society Leader's dual swords was already drawn, aimed at Yuk Jin-yang. A chilling aura gathered, shimmering like heat haze.
"You're not the Crown Prince. There's no way that fool possesses arts this profound."
"A mere assassin with a loose tongue spouts nonsense as he pleases."
Yuk Jin-yang roused his whole body's energy. But the Returning Sword Society Leader didn't buy the act at all. He tilted his head slightly and ordered his subordinates.
"Kill all the others as well."
"Leader, it seems the Crown Prince went by land route. Shouldn't we divert some forces there?"
"No. Seeing how much effort they put into luring us here, it's surely a diversion tactic. Then those remaining must be elites capable of handling an assault. Better to concentrate our forces and crush them individually than split up."
"Sound reasoning. Then we'll leave this one to you, Leader."
No sooner had the words ended than the other assassins vanished. Only the rising wind hinted at their paths. Astonishing visual acuity.
But Yuk Jin-yang couldn't warn his companions.
Bam!
It was a charge too swift to even follow with the eyes. In an instant, it closed in, drawing sword paths like driving snow. He barely blocked with his treasured sword.
"Oh, five moves."
The Returning Sword Society Leader whispered while their swords clashed.
"That should suffice to take your head."