Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: The Fall of the Young Master
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“W-what in the world?”
“Impossible! How the hell did that bastard shatter the Dark Embracing Heaven Formation...!”
“Hwang Bo-myeong! You must have tampered with the formation and caused this mess! Get out here and take responsibility!”
The faces of the White Lotus Cultists turned pale with shock. They seemed to have completely forgotten they were in the middle of a battle. Some even started shoving at their allies, trying to shift the blame.
Coincidentally, the warriors of the Five Harmony Alliance had gone just as white. With the illusionary spell that had dulled their senses now gone, the presence of enemies scattered everywhere became starkly clear.
And there were far more of them than expected.
Killing intent poured out from quite a distance away. Despite the defeats he'd inflicted several times already, the overwhelming gap in power remained unchanged.
However, the Alliance warriors quickly regained their composure. The most troublesome formation had already crumbled. All that was left was to drive off the enemy. Compared to before, the conditions were vastly improved.
Some even deliberately raised their voices to boost morale.
“Everyone, keep your heads in the game! We can really make it out alive!”
“Damn right. We can't die at the hands of these cult scum.”
“Even if we die, we take at least one more of their heads with us.”
The scattered group reunited. Thanks to the enemies' confusion, they were able to merge without intense clashes. Yuk Ryul, drenched in blood, offered his honest praise repeatedly.
“Well done. You did amazingly. Without you, we'd all be dead.”
“Save the praise for later. Let's focus on getting out first.”
“Right, you're right.”
Finishing the exchange, Yuk Jin-yang spotted a familiar face amid the crowd. It was Hwang Bo-myeong, arguing with his escorting warrior.
“Don't fall back! We still have the numbers advantage!”
“Young Master, please! Get to safety first. This place is too dangerous. What if the enemy targets you?”
“Shut up. Are you trying to disrupt morale right before the decisive battle? Or shame me?”
After a burst of anger, Hwang Bo-myeong glared around with bulging eyes.
Then their gazes met. Spotting the culprit who had shattered the formation, Hwang Bo-myeong stared straight at him with a grin of twisted delight.
“So you survived after all. Tough bastard. But that's good. Now I can cut your head off myself.”
Yuk Jin-yang shot back without flinching.
“Found you.”
“What?”
“Thanks for saving me the trouble of hunting down the leader. Beheading you will give us the momentum easily.”
Hwang Bo-myeong's face twisted. Yuk Jin-yang sneered at his frozen expression and pressed on.
“You said I'd soon learn how vast the world is, right?”
“You little...”
“Is it time now?”
The light taunt had a big effect.
Hwang Bo-myeong's hands trembled with rage. Veins bulged as sharp killing intent surged. His glaring eyes blazed fiercely.
The startled Yuk Ryul sent a transmission.
Can you handle him? Shall I join you?
I'll face him alone. Uncle, look after the other warriors.
No sense wasting manpower when every fighter counted. Better to handle it solo if possible.
Yuk Jin-yang honed his spirit. His opponent did the same without backing down. Naturally, the two squared off.
“Your confidence is excessive for a brat. Fine, I'll show you how vast the world truly is.”
“Your tongue's too long. I doubt I need your lessons on that.”
“This flashy-mouthed pup!”
Unable to contain his fury, Hwang Bo-myeong brushed off those holding him back and charged. His clenched fingers, like a beast's claws, brimmed with light power. It was a claw technique starter form.
The Five Harmony Alliance warriors blocking his path were flung aside helplessly.
Ssssk!
The air ripped with a tearing sound as the preemptive strike flew in. Straightforward and simple, but fast. Yuk Jin-yang barely blocked it by reversing his grip on his sword.
Cliiing!
The thunderous clash of metal shook his eardrums. Numbing vibrations raced up the Silver Dew Sword's blade into his hands. Truly monstrous power.
Unlike the Hwang Bo Clan warriors he'd fought so far, this was far fiercer and more threatening. Hard to believe they shared blood.
In a brief moment, they exchanged several punches and sword strikes. A light probe to gauge each other's full strength. Neither landed a decisive blow, and they pulled back.
But Hwang Bo-myeong immediately leaped high. Kicking off the ground, his silhouette arced over Yuk Jin-yang's head like the sun. He raised his leg high and stomped down with his heel.
“Die!”
Yuk Jin-yang dodged without blocking. A massive explosion erupted right beside him.
Kwaaaang!
The shockwave was enormous. Shattered stone fragments pelted his face, and thick dust billowed. Before he could think of a counter, a follow-up thrust like a awl came stabbing in.
Whooong!
The punching fist whipped through the air, carrying wind. It split the dust cloud, unleashing its power. Yuk Jin-yang deflected it with his sword handguard, but the distance closed in an instant.
Hwang Bo-myeong's left arm curved like a snake, aiming for Yuk Jin-yang's liver on his side.
At such excessively close range, weapons lost much of their utility. Mostly. From there, it entered the realm of bare-hand strikes and grappling techniques.
'And you think that's your domain.'
Yuk Jin-yang stepped sideways with footwork, slipping inside the gap. A brilliant move. As Hwang Bo-myeong's fist whiffed harmlessly, Yuk Jin-yang twisted his arm at an extreme angle and swung his sword upward.
Hwang Bo-myeong crossed his arms to block. The Silver Dew Sword whipped his forearms. Sword force beyond expectation crashed like a tsunami. The unbelievable rebound sent his arms flying back helplessly.
“What...!”
His torso was wide open. The moment Yuk Jin-yang had waited for.
'End it in one exchange.'
Yuk Jin-yang's upper body muscles rippled like an enraged beast. His pectorals swelled, gripping his shoulder blades, as the Moon Maiden Divine Art's sturdy true energy infused his rotator muscles.
Twisting his waist, he thrust his left arm out. A concise, swift motion. As compressed power exploded, drawing out his body's full explosive force, he poured true energy without restraint into a killing blow.
The first form of the Ten Thousand Rivers Single Source Art, Riding the Waves, unleashed a violent rupture. It properly detonated light power right at the opponent's solar plexus.
Kwaang!
With the boom, Hwang Bo-myeong's body flew far off. Thick dust clouds obscured the view. Sweeping it away with his sword revealed scraps of cloth and bloodstains left on the ground.
His gaze slowly shifted forward. The fallen opponent came into view.
“This is absurd, utterly...”
Hwang Bo-myeong groaned, trying to rise but collapsing again. He couldn't even support his own body.
The man's state was wretched.
His clothes had burst from the energy clash, exposing his bare upper torso. The struck solar plexus was caved in concave. Bruised, dark red blotches like wilted flowers marred his skin. Internal injuries.
Hwang Bo-myeong tried to speak, but surging blood clogged his throat. Blood streamed from every facial orifice. Seven apertures bleeding—a fatal sign.
Even that was the result of hastily erecting a protective barrier in an instant. A slower reaction, and his upper body would have been obliterated.
Hwang Bo-myeong's defeat threw the battlefield into chaos.
The young master of the clan, a renowned expert in Shandong Province, had fallen. The White Lotus Cultists, already deprived of their Illusion Master, and even the Hwang Bo Clan warriors couldn't hide their dismay.
In contrast, the Five Harmony Alliance warriors shouted and surged with momentum.
“Waaah!”
“Young Hero Yuk defeated the Hwang Bo Clan's young master!”
The enemies couldn't accept reality. No one had imagined even their young master would fall.
Yuk Jin-yang was no longer seen as just a promising youth. He was acknowledged as an extraordinary expert.
The assassins, losing their will to fight, began slinking back.
“The young master defeated? What kind of monster is that?”
“Even Mount Tai's Giant Bear, top among the later generation...”
“No chance of winning. We have to run!”
“Nonsense. Fight to the death! At least then we can go to the Pure Vacuity Realm!”
Chaos erupted among the enemies. The weak-willed fled first, one by one. Some drew blades to block retreating comrades, but it was futile.
“Chase them!”
The Five Harmony Alliance warriors seized the opening and charged. The White Lotus Cult and Hwang Bo Clan forces shattered like broken jade fragments, scattering everywhere.
What followed was a one-sided slaughter. Once more, clashes of metal and screams filled the air from all directions.
Only Yuk Jin-yang maintained calm amid the uproar.
He slowly approached Hwang Bo-myeong. The man leaned against a tree, gasping for breath.
His footsteps made the half-closed eyes slowly open.
“What a laughable sight. I tried to teach you, but ended up schooled instead. Looks like I was the ignorant fool.”
Hwang Bo-myeong muttered, having barely gathered his wits. Death's aura hung thick over him. His faint breaths seemed ready to snap any moment. A pool of blood gathered at his feet.
Yet perhaps he refused to show weakness to the enemy. Hwang Bo-myeong forced his mouth open and continued.
“That was truly splendid technique. What was the name of that martial art you used at the end?”
“Ten Thousand Rivers Single Source Art.”
“Ten Thousand Rivers Single Source Art... Indeed, it evoked raging torrents crashing in. I thought myself confident in close quarters.”
“Need time to put your affairs in order?”
“I'll gratefully accept the courtesy.”
Scoffing, Hwang Bo-myeong staggered to his feet with great effort. He raised his head to gaze at the distant sky. In that proud final pose, a warrior's dignity shone.
Hwang Bo-myeong drew a deep breath.
“How vast the world is!”
The lament soared high. His final words in life, a moment of realization.
Yuk Jin-yang swung his sword without hesitation. The upward diagonal slash flickered with sword light. He fully felt the sensation of flesh and bone parting together.
Yuk Jin-yang slowly turned his back.
The Five Harmony Alliance warriors, having mopped up the remnants, surrounded him.
Waaaaa――!
Cheers erupted in an instant.