Chapter 198
Chapter 198
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 198
Chapter Title: A Perfect Frame
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Go Ryong-pung shouted, his face contorted in a grimace.
“What in the world is all this?”
*Swoosh!*
Just then, a sound tore through the sky as some forty martial artists in blue robes landed on Mangyeongdae.
They were none other than the second-generation disciples of the Hwasan Sect, led by Bang Uk, who had come to avenge their humiliation.
“Senior Brother.”
Nam Jin-gun, the youngest of the second-generation disciples, pointed at the Hwasan sword lying before Go Ryong-pung.
At that, Bang Uk gritted his teeth and muttered.
“So that's what this was about...!”
*Swoosh.*
Then, another sound cut through the air as dozens of martial artists in white robes descended from the sky.
It was Yang Yeo-ryong, a disciple of the Jongnam Sect's Master Yeongbo, and his subordinate second-generation disciples.
“There it is.”
The Jongnam disciples also nodded upon seeing the wooden box in front of Go Ryong-pung.
“The bastards of Mabanmun have grown bold. We let them set foot in Shaanxi, and now they dare to insult our sect?”
At Yang Yeo-ryong's shout, Go Ryong-pung's eyes widened.
He had just realized he had fallen into a trap.
“Our only crime was doing a job for money.”
Just then, Jo Nam-cheon shouted to Go Ryong-pung with an aggrieved expression.
“Vice-Leader! Didn't you say that if we just delivered the goods quietly, Mabanmun would handle the rest?”
“What kind of nonsense is that...”
Before Go Ryong-pung could answer, Bu Eun-seol shouted in a loud voice.
“There's no other way. We'll break through!”
As if on cue, with a roar, Hyeok So-jin and the Mubon Squad members charged at the Hwasan and Jongnam masters.
*Paaah!*
Hyeok So-jin, at the forefront, subtly drew upon his Sin-yeol Demonic Qi, careful not to reveal its true nature, and skillfully spread it.
In an instant, the formation of the Hwasan disciples surrounding them fell into disarray.
“It's a strange demonic martial art. Form a battle array!”
Just as Bang Uk shouted,
*Piiing!*
a series of sounds cut through the air as throwing daggers rained down from all directions.
Bu Eun-seol had unleashed a continuous barrage of daggers, blocking the movements of the Hwasan and Jongnam disciples so they couldn't form an array.
*Rumble.*
Taking advantage of the opening, the members of the Mubon Squad broke through the encirclement and began to descend from Mangyeongdae one by one.
“Now! Vice-Leader, you must escape as well!”
Though he shouted this, Hyeok So-jin and the Mubon Squad fled in a hurry without a single glance back.
In the meantime, Bu Eun-seol, who had been throwing the daggers, also escaped Mangyeongdae using a wind-like movement technique.
“...”
In an instant, Mangyeongdae was left eerily empty.
As the Mabanmun disciples stared blankly at Bu Eun-seol's fleeing party,
*'What is this.'*
Go Ryong-pung came to his senses and frowned.
The disciples of the Hwasan and Jongnam sects were all glaring at him menacingly.
Because at his feet lay the wooden box containing the Go board and the Hwasan sword.
*'Those crazy bastards...!'*
Go Ryong-pung tried to retreat quickly, but a shadow had already approached him like a ghost.
It was the Jongnam disciple, Yang Yeo-ryong.
“Kneel at once!”
Go Ryong-pung gritted his teeth as he looked at the Jongnam and Hwasan disciples, who were radiating killing intent.
*'This isn't a situation where they'll believe me even if I deny it.'*
Go Ryong-pung bit his lip.
He was a master who had long ago reached the pinnacle of the peak realm and had since entered the transcendent realm.
He had yet to avenge the humiliation of having Mabanmun's Golden Demon Pills stolen, and now he was supposed to grovel and make excuses to the second-generation disciples of Hwasan and Jongnam?
He would rather bite down on his sword and die; he could not make such a choice.
“Get lost, you brats!”
Go Ryong-pung drew the great saber from his waist.
In the end, a bloody battle erupted between the Mabanmun disciples and the disciples of Hwasan and Jongnam.
***
At the same time, near a mountain pass leading from Janghyeon to the Yulim area.
*Thud, thud.*
Thirty martial artists clad in black uniforms were moving silently.
They were masters of the Amseongdae (Dark Star Squad), who ventured into the martial world to perform various missions.
Their current mission was to confirm the wealth and valuables sent to the escort agencies and banks within their sphere of influence this year, and then return to Mabanmun.
—Do not provoke Hwasan and Jongnam!
The goods bound for Mabanmun bore the sect's mark.
Following the Mabanmun Leader's orders, they were personally escorting the wealth and valuables from the escort agencies and banks back to Mabanmun.
Normally, they would have passed through towns ostentatiously, wearing the blood-red robes and demonic masks that symbolized Mabanmun.
But not only were they carrying the treasures that sustained Mabanmun, they also had the sect leader's order to act with discretion.
Therefore, they had changed into plain uniforms, removed their masks, and were quietly heading toward Yulim, where Mabanmun was located, via a deserted mountain path.
*Ssk.*
But suddenly, half a dozen figures appeared at the end of the mountain pass.
They looked down at the Amseongdae masters with gleaming eyes.
*'Who are they?'*
At the head of the group, Yi Gwak, the leader of the Amseongdae, narrowed his eyes.
*'Could it be?'*
An ominous feeling prompted him to focus his vision, and their forms became clear.
They all wore swords at their waists, which were either much thicker or thinner than typical longswords.
At a glance, they were the longswords used by the disciples of Jongnam and Hwasan.
*Ssk.*
Another half a dozen figures appeared from behind, blocking their path.
They too were equipped with the same longswords.
*'I must avoid a fight at all costs.'*
As they approached with heavy steps, Yi Gwak took a deep breath and clasped his hands.
“What can I do for you?”
But they simply walked forward without a word.
Feeling a strange pressure with each step they took, Yi Gwak bit his lip.
*'Have we been discovered?'*
Just as he gripped the great saber at his waist,
“We are disciples of Hwasan and Jongnam.”
A young man with a bristly beard spoke to Yi Gwak in a low voice.
“We heard that the Mabanmun disciples who attacked our sects are passing through this area, so we are waiting here.”
“Ah, I see.”
*'Thankfully, we haven't been discovered.'*
“And who might you be?”
The man asked with a sharp gaze. Yi Gwak let out a quiet sigh and said calmly.
“We are disciples of the Heuksamun (Black Sand Sect). We are on our way back to our headquarters after finishing some business.”
“The Black Sand Sect, you say.”
The man nodded after sweeping his gaze over Yi Gwak and the Amseongdae members.
“I see.”
“Then we will be on our way.”
The man nodded, and Yi Gwak, inwardly sighing in relief, said to his men.
“Let's move.”
*Whoosh.*
But what felt like a light breeze was actually a spinning longsword, already boring into Yi Gwak's face.
*'Jongnam's Pyopung Sword?'*
Yi Gwak quickly swung his saber to block it.
But the spinning blade had already grazed past his shoulder.
“Kugh.”
A chunk of flesh flew off, and Yi Gwak groaned, stumbling backward.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“What do you think? We are eliminating the demonic fiends who suck the lifeblood of the common people and seize control of commerce.”
“You knew who we were all along!”
Yi Gwak bit his lip and said to his men.
“Quickly, deal with them and...”
But his shout was cut short.
“Kuaack!”
The men surrounding the Amseongdae from front and back had simultaneously unleashed their sharp sword techniques.
*Hwiriririk!*
From the front came the Jongnam Sect's Pyopung Sword and Chwiu Sword, their thick longswords spinning fiercely and unleashing profound techniques.
*Swaeaek!*
From behind rained down the Hwasan Sect's Nak-hwa-yeon-hwan-geom (Falling Flower Chain Sword), like a swift hawk snatching its prey from above.
*'Are they all first-generation disciples?'*
Yi Gwak's eyes flashed as he parried the relentless storm of sword techniques.
As he crossed sabers with them, he realized their sword paths were progressing in a way quite different from the orthodox sects' techniques.
*Hwiririk!*
While he was distracted, another sharp sword technique dug into his shoulder.
Seeing how they aimed to sever his shoulder and forearm instead of targeting vital points, it was definitely a Jongnam sword technique.
*Hwiik!*
Just then, a gust of wind blew, and a man with long bangs covering his eyes had already closed in on Yi Gwak.
*'What kind of movement technique...'*
The startled Yi Gwak tried to adjust his stance, but it was too late.
*Flash!*
A brilliant flash of sword light erupted from the hand of the man with long bangs, piercing through his heart.
A brilliant light.
That was the last thing Yi Gwak ever saw.
***
For a time, the Shaanxi region was stained with blood.
It was said to have started with a surprise attack by Mabanmun.
Mabanmun had completely destroyed the martial arts halls and branches established by Hwasan and Jongnam, brutally murdering the disciples from the main sects stationed there.
Enraged, Hwasan and Jongnam gathered their first-generation disciples.
—We turned a blind eye until now!
Rumors quickly began to spread that the furious Hwasan and Jongnam sects were forming a punitive expedition force composed of their first-generation disciples.
Mabanmun had always been a thorn in their side, but their rapid growth had made them difficult to deal with.
However, with their branches and halls attacked, the two enraged sects joined forces to drive them out in one fell swoop.
—This is a conspiracy to drive a wedge between our sect and the two sects!
Mabanmun immediately denied the accusations.
No matter how audacious they were, for them to kill the disciples of Hwasan and Jongnam while based in Shaanxi of all places?
It was an act of suicide, like biting down on one's own sword.
—We will uncover the truth!
To clear their name, Mabanmun immediately sent four hall masters and ten disciples skilled in saber arts to each of the two sects.
No matter who was trying to sow discord, Mabanmun's Maban Saber Technique was a unique style created by Jeon Il-hon to teach his disciples.
They believed that by examining the wounds of the dead, they could easily prove their innocence.
The envoys of Mabanmun confidently met with the masters of Hwasan and Jongnam.
And with their own two eyes, they were able to confirm it.
The traces of Mabanmun's unique saber technique left on the corpses.
And not just that, but also traces of a very clever attempt to conceal and erase the saber wounds.
Ten days later, fourteen heads arrived before Mabanmun—the decapitated remains of their envoys.
The enraged sect leaders of Hwasan and Jongnam had personally cut off their heads.
—Wipe out every last one of those demonic fiends!
With the solemn command of their sect leaders, Hwasan and Jongnam formed punitive squads composed of their most outstanding disciples.
At last, Hwasan and Jongnam had resolved to annihilate Mabanmun.
***
*Tatatak.*
A group of about a hundred people was racing through the forest using movement techniques.
The faces of the urgently fleeing group were all covered with eerie masks.
It was none other than Jeon Il-hon, the Leader of Mabanmun, and his trusted subordinates.
They had no other choice.
Hwasan and Jongnam, two great pillars of the Nine Sects One Union. When they were determined to retaliate with force, how could Mabanmun possibly stop them?
While their disciples held back the swarming masters from the two sects, the leadership, including Sect Leader Jeon Il-hon, began to flee Shaanxi.
*Hwiriririk. Tak.*
After running swiftly through the forest for some time, they found a hidden cave and paused their journey.
“We will rest here for a while and assess the situation.”
Jeon Il-hon, who had shouted briefly, bit his lip.
The masters of Hwasan and Jongnam had surely set up an encirclement network everywhere.
To escape Shaanxi safely, they couldn't just rush blindly; they had to bide their time and move stealthily.
“What has happened!”
Upon entering the cave, Jeon Il-hon shouted, his face filled with explosive rage.
“Who the hell stole our sect's saber techniques and killed those orthodox bastards!”
Mabanmun's saber technique was not recorded in any manual.
Jeon Il-hon would teach the technique to the hall masters, who would then pass it down to the disciples.
A technique that was impossible to learn unless one was a Mabanmun disciple, yet not just one person, but dozens had learned it as a group?
It was an utterly unbelievable situation.
“What? You said if we acted with discretion, this would all blow over?”
Jeon Il-hon's explosive anger finally turned on Go Ryong-pung, who was nearby.
“The ones who did this must be the same bastards who stole the Golden Demon Pills! If you had caught them, none of this would have happened!”
“Their movement techniques were exceptionally fast. And even though I had destroyed the bridge in advance, they had set up a clever device...”
“Then you should have reported it to me at the time!”
“Well... at the time, I thought I could catch them quickly.”
*Crack.*
As Go Ryong-pung continued to make excuses, the bones in Jeon Il-hon's fist cracked audibly.
His temper made him want to draw his sword and send the man's head flying.
But in an emergency like this, every bit of strength was precious.
He couldn't kill Go Ryong-pung, his trusted subordinate and a powerful fighter.
“I apologize, Sect Leader.”
As Go Ryong-pung bowed his head, Jeon Il-hon swallowed his anger.
“Enough.”
Regaining his composure, Jeon Il-hon looked into the empty space and spoke.
“As long as Hwasan and Jongnam were entrenched in Shaanxi, something like this was bound to happen eventually.”
He bit his lip and said.
“I established branches of our sect in various places for a time like this. First, we will build our strength there, and then... one day, we will return this humiliation to Hwasan and Jongnam.”
The reason Mabanmun hadn't been checked by Hwasan and Jongnam while expanding its influence was because they had limited their main sphere of influence to the Yan'an region, while discreetly establishing branches and seizing commercial power in various places, reaching as far as Gansu and Lanzhou.
A sly rabbit builds three burrows.
While growing Mabanmun's power in Shaanxi, where Hwasan and Jongnam stood firm, Jeon Il-hon had prepared for unforeseen circumstances by building foundations in several other locations.
“Such grand dreams.”
But a low voice echoed from the other side of the cave.
“Who's there!”
As Jeon Il-hon shouted, dozens of figures landed on the ground one by one, opposite them.
It was Bu Eun-seol, Hyeok So-jin, and all the members of the Mubon Squad.