Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Slaying the Jin Clan Lord
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The martial artists of the Guangdong Jin Clan simultaneously unleashed their lightness skills. The ground rumbled under the thundering footfalls as they leaped forward. Thick clouds of dust billowed into the air.
The Haenam Sect warriors, as if they had been waiting for this moment, launched a fierce counterassault. Those hidden among the trees drove their five-foot longswords down onto the crowns of their foes.
The two forces clashed from every direction, filling Yeomo Peak with horrific screams that echoed far and wide.
Yuk Jin-yang kicked off the ground as well. Unfurling the Moon Stream Subtle Steps, he began carving through the enemy ranks.
The Silver Dew Sword, drinking deep of blood, traced a massive arc. It felt as though he were a savage beast plunging into a herd of livestock. Blood sprayed with every pass he made, screams erupting in his wake.
He naturally stood out amid the chaos of melee. All eyes were drawn to him.
"Kill that brat!"
"Eerie footwork. Bring him to a halt first."
"Hmph, this ends here!"
Three foes blocked his path. They moved with the familiarity of practiced joint attackers, confidently covering each other's flanks.
Yuk Jin-yang made no retort. He swirled past them like a gust of wind. Their eyes couldn't track the Moon Stream Subtle Steps. In an instant, he was behind them, swinging his sword in a wide arc.
Slash!
A crescent-moon trajectory rent the air. Two heads flew in a single stroke. The last tried to resist with his twin hooks, but the Moon Maiden Sword Art's crisp line pierced his chest.
"Gah..."
As he withdrew the blade, the man clutched his chest and collapsed with a final scream.
Yuk Jin-yang shook the blood from Silver Dew and surveyed the battlefield. Thanks to the efforts of several masters, the Haenam Sect held a precarious advantage.
"Where do you think you're looking?!"
Clang!
A fist strike came out of nowhere. He barely blocked it with the flat of his blade, but the impact wasn't fully absorbed. As he staggered back a few steps, the attacker pressed his assault.
Fierce winds whipped past his ears from the punches. From the martial arts style and facial features glimpsed briefly, Yuk Jin-yang had a rough idea of his identity.
"You're a direct descendant of the Guangdong Jin Clan, aren't you?"
"You want to exchange names leisurely in the thick of battle? What a fool."
"Thought so."
Not Jin Cha-geon himself, but older-looking than Jin Won-gi, likely the eldest son—or perhaps another nephew.
Yuk Jin-yang extended his left arm, tracing a wide arc. It was the preparatory motion for the Cloud Dance of the Ten Thousand Rivers Single Source Art, but here it was a feint.
The enemy fell for it all too easily. His body followed instinctively to counter.
As the fist shot forward, Yuk Jin-yang twisted his left arm and seized the man's wrist with Iron Grasp Technique. In that split second, he slashed upward diagonally with Silver Dew in his right hand.
There was a sensation of protective energy, but it tore through like paper. The Silver Dew Sword cleaved the spine diagonally. A gruesome snap reverberated, the vivid feedback traveling up the blade to his hand.
Splatter!
A gush of blood erupted. The severed upper body spun like a top before tumbling to the ground. Yuk Jin-yang wiped his face with his sleeve and looked up. Shocked cries poured toward him.
"The young clan lord!"
"How could such a tragedy...?"
"Find the body—quick!"
So he was the young clan lord after all. Yuk Jin-yang struck down at a charging Jin Clan warrior.
Another clutched the severed lower half of the young lord, staring in dazed horror.
"You bastard...! Do you even know who he was before doing this...?!"
"This is a battlefield. Should I show mercy because the enemy is of high status? What a fool. Him—and you too."
Throwing the dead young lord's words back at him flushed the Jin Clan warrior's face. He spat without even trying to hide his rage.
"You mad dog, not afraid of repercussions?"
"The Jin Clan's line ends today anyway. What repercussions?"
With a mocking jab, Yuk Jin-yang circulated his qi even further.
Blood pooled thickly around Yuk Jin-yang. Every attacker lost their head or had their torso split open, leaving vengeful spirits to wander the underworld. He caught his breath and assessed the battle.
The Haenam Sect was pushing back the Guangdong Jin Clan, if only by a hair. But among the masters, the tide had turned sharply.
Boom!
A blade wave from the Jin Clan Lord swept the front lines. Sa Jong-seop, blocking with his sword, was sent flying helplessly. The gap in raw power was glaring.
The elders attempting a joint assault recoiled in shock.
"You old fools don't know your place."
The Jin Clan Lord exhaled heavily. Even in the chaos, his presence dominated. He had the skill befitting a clan lord.
He issued a chilling warning to the elders.
"You've walked into the jaws of death yourselves. I'll make sure you pay the price too. Half of Hainan's elders will die to my blade today."
"How dare you spout such nonsense!"
Enraged, Sa Jong-seop was hurled back by the next sword strike. The veteran master's form betrayed the ravages of time. Skill remained, but strength and stamina flagged.
The other elders fared no better. Even together, they could barely hold one man.
'Time to join the fray.'
Clashes between Jianghu factions always boil down to the masters. Even hundreds of third-rate fighters couldn't match one elite.
Not all Hainan disciples were third-rate, of course—but without the elders and Sa Jong-seop, slaying the Jin Clan Lord remained doubtful.
Yuk Jin-yang gathered his qi and deployed Moon Stream Subtle Steps. Over ten paces shrank to nothing in a blink. The Jin Clan warriors' eyes widened.
"What?!"
"He's heading for the lord—stop him!"
They formed a sword formation with disciplined precision. Yuk Jin-yang ignored them and pressed on.
Weapons assailed him from all sides. Blade arcs filled the space, the killing intent and pressure prickling his skin.
'Precise, but slow.'
The systematic flow of their joint attack was clear at a glance. He mapped the counters in his mind instantly.
His thoughts dissected forms and predicted trajectories at lightning speed, far outpacing their strikes.
Yuk Jin-yang advanced without hesitation. His wind-like subtlety tangled their paths. Any who directly blocked were cut down.
Layer after layer of defensive formation crumbled.
Finally reaching the center.
"Another moth to the flame."
The Jin Clan Lord swung down.
Clang!
The sword force flowing along the blade was formidable—heavy and sharp. Like a heavy sword infused with blade energy principles.
Staggered back a step, and in that instant, a fist whipped like a lash toward his face. A seamless, flowing connection. Switching between sword and fist made prediction difficult.
He barely twisted his neck aside. At point-blank range, the Jin Clan Lord whispered.
"So you're that Yuk Clan brat."
This time, a fierce kick flew at his ribs. No chance to dodge—it struck true. Even with hastily erected protective qi, it was futile.
Yuk Jin-yang flew back far. His muscles tingled all over. Like a spear crudely jabbed deep.
Fortunately, reinforcements arrived. Sa Jong-seop and the elders, recovered somewhat, rejoined to block the Jin Clan Lord.
This bought Yuk Jin-yang a brief respite. Circulating qi to mend internal injuries, he watched as elders who took the Jin Clan Lord's strikes were flung away one by one amid the chaos.
His prowess was eerily high. Even for a master, dominating all elders shouldn't be possible.
Then it clicked.
'Burning his innate qi...!'
As he had boldly declared. The Jin Clan Lord had no intention of leaving alive.
Ferocious strikes rained down relentlessly. Desperate to drag as many down with him as possible.
Soon, Sa Jong-seop's turn came. Blood trickled from his mouth as he gasped for breath.
Yet the Jin Clan Lord's state was equally dire. Wounds from stabs and slashes covered him. Like a wounded beast, he roared and swung.
"Die!"
A mighty blow poised to bisect Sa Jong-seop.
That moment—Yuk Jin-yang stomped the ground and leaped high.
His aerial speed was monstrous. The roaring wind clawed at his ears, deafening him.
Amid air resistance, he bent at the waist, leaning forward. Shoulders drawn tight, his sword hovered near his hip.
An extreme posture for explosive velocity.
Silver Dew's white blade plunged vertically. A strike like a bolt of lightning.
Ching!
The Jin Clan Lord's lips curled as he blocked with his blade. Did he think it his triumphant counter?
Yuk Jin-yang used the rebound to twist in midair. His form swirled unpredictably like the wind. Moon Stream Subtle Steps reached its zenith, serving as evasion.
Rotational force condensed in his left arm. First form of Ten Thousand Rivers Single Source Art: Cloud Dance.
A massive blade wave smashed down on the Jin Clan Lord. He countered with a rising slash, as if anticipating it.
Craaaang! Boom—!
Their ultimate techniques resonated.
The aftermath was immense and chaotic. Shockwaves raged outward like a tempest.
Cracks spiderwebbed the ground where the Jin Clan Lord stood, fierce wind gusts slicing Yuk Jin-yang's cheek faintly, drawing blood.
Yuk Jin-yang spun largely in the air. Dissipating the recoil while chaining to the next move.
His foe, however, seemed unfazed. Eyes blazing, the Jin Clan Lord lunged forward boldly. As if it were nothing.
The Jin Clan Lord's sword slashed diagonally at his ribs.
Ching!
Barely parried, but Yuk Jin-yang abandoned the weapon. No attachment to the blade—he let Silver Dew go with the recoil.
Hands now free. Their distance perilously close. Yuk Jin-yang took one more step.
Whoosh!
An elbow flew, but he entangled it with Iron Grasp, widening an opening. Qi gathered in his fist.
One more step.
The Chaotic Torrent Strike of Ten Thousand Rivers Single Source Art reemerged.
Thud-thud-thud! Bang!
In an interval too tight for power loading, inch-force strikes poured like rain. The Jin Clan Lord punched back but couldn't break Yuk Jin-yang's flow.
Dazzling combos shattered his protective qi. Not stopping there, they hammered into his torso. A flashy, disorienting barrage.
"Guh, urk!"
The Jin Clan Lord vomited blood. Barely steadying himself, he swung wide desperately to create distance.
The instant Yuk Jin-yang retreated.
"Take it!"
Sa Jong-seop tossed his five-foot longsword. Yuk Jin-yang snatched it mid-stride. In that instant, their eyes met—the Jin Clan Lord's filled with shock.
The five-foot sword traced a beautiful arc.
Slash.
A flash of light. A thin, neat line traced across the thick neck.
The Jin Clan Lord's mouth gaped. No voice—only blood poured out. His head soon rolled across the ground.
Yuk Jin-yang hoisted the gruesome trophy high.
"Your clan lord's head is here!"
Cheers and cries of horror erupted from all around.
"No!"
"The lord is slain—we must retreat!"
Most Jin Clan warriors panicked, but some sneered coldly.
"Better if he'd died to the elders or taken one down with him. No such disgrace."
"He's only boosted that kid's fame. The Jin Clan name will be mocked for generations after our annihilation!"
Meanwhile, Haenam Sect's morale surged. Wounded elders withdrew with support, but Sa Jong-seop remained, rampaging like a furious beast with the White Moon Division.
Demoralized foes crumbled swiftly. Unable to reform ranks, they were pushed back. Countless died fleeing.
Hainan warriors showed no mercy. The Guangdong Jin Clan forces were all slain before dawn.