Chapter 272
Chapter 272
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 272
Chapter Title: Relentless Sparring and Mobilization
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The sparring continued without respite.
"I told you not to let your guard down, didn't I?"
Biting his lip at Cheonhwi's words laced with mockery, Yuk Segon thrust out his fist with unyielding determination, as if he couldn't accept defeat.
A single palm strike imbued with dignified spirit and inner power.
It was the Kunlun Sect's signature technique, Jade Dragon Palm.
The Jade Dragon Palm unfurled with the ferocity of a dragon charging forward, aiming straight for Cheonhwi's shoulder.
But—
Swoosh—
Cheonhwi effortlessly evaded it with a mere twist of his body, then smacked his lips.
"Too straightforward."
With Yuk Segon momentarily leaning forward from unleashing the full force of his Jade Dragon Palm, Cheonhwi extended his left hand toward him.
A casual flick, as if swatting a bug.
Yet Yuk Segon's face could only grow rigid as he watched it.
The hand was already closing in on his nose.
It was overwhelming speed.
'Too late...!'
Thwack!
"Kuhk!"
A shock like his abdomen had been pierced ripped his mouth open, spittle flying.
And in that instant of his mind going hazy—
Grip!
He clenched his fist tight.
How many times had he been struck down like this? Too many to count on one hand.
'I'll land one hit.'
Flames blazed in his eyes.
Victory seemed impossible.
Just one.
One solid blow was all he wanted.
His eyes bulging, he stomped down to unleash the Chukwoon Fist—
Swoosh—
A pitch-black shadow swallowed his vision.
It was the wooden sword.
'Damn it, again...'
Crack!
A crisp sound rang out.
Yuk Segon crumpled forward powerlessly, sprawling like a frog.
"At least you've got some grit now."
Cheonhwi caught Yuk Segon as he fell with the wooden sword, then tossed him aside.
In the direction he was thrown, a physician was treating the fainted members of the Extermination Squad. Cheonhwi glanced at him and smacked his lips.
"Take care of this one too."
The physician from the Baek Clan Gate, who had come at Snow Sword's request, let out an involuntary sigh.
"Hoo, got it."
He carefully lifted Yuk Segon, who had thudded limply to the ground.
Fatigue was etched on his face.
He had arrived here half a shichen ago.
In that time, he had been busier than anyone else present.
'How many times is this now?'
He had thought he could just treat the injured and those with internal wounds before leaving.
But what was this mess?
Under the guise of training, patients who had been beaten unconscious kept cycling back to him.
Just when he treated them and they regained consciousness, that Plum Blossom Divine Hero fellow knocked them out again with merciless hands.
"No end to it. No end at all."
Glancing sideways at Cheonhwi, Baek Jaemun shook his head feebly.
He had planned to finish quickly and go, but it seemed he wouldn't escape anytime soon.
'Eh, just do what I came for.'
Recalling his duty, he gently checked the pulse of the laid-down Yuk Segon.
'But still, it's amazing.'
Confirming the vigorously pulsing meridians despite the unconsciousness, Baek Jaemun focused his mind.
Normally, a knockout would quiet the pulse, but not for Yuk Segon.
And he wasn't the only one.
All the fainted ones here were the same—a truly wondrous phenomenon.
'How on earth does he do it...'
As he pondered in bewilderment—
"You need to chain your footwork into one fluid motion. Why learn them together if you're going to use them separately? Link them as one..."
Cheonhwi wielded the wooden sword dazzlingly while correcting the disciples' martial arts.
However—
Crack! Thud!
"Guhk!"
"Kek!"
Such advice fell on deaf ears for the Extermination Squad.
They were too busy just trying to block.
"Load your inner power into the sword, and properly into the toes of your stepping foot..."
Dodging Im Hayul's sword, Cheonhwi pointed out her stance while swinging his wooden sword.
"Swing it in one motion. Like this."
"Kyaaak!"
With a scream, Im Hayul's body flew backward.
"Come on, focus."
Due to the overwhelming skill gap, Cheonhwi toyed with them, prodding their entire bodies.
It was practically a beating.
Grind—
The Extermination Squad ground their teeth, glaring at him in frustration.
'What kind of Plum Blossom Divine Hero is this? He's a demon!'
'Hero my ass!'
It had only been half a shichen, but their perception of Cheonhwi had shifted dramatically.
And rightly so.
With the sparring being nothing but one-sided thrashings, how could their feelings not be hurt?
Seeing their eyes now filled only with stubborn tenacity, Cheonhwi smiled in satisfaction.
"Finally, some life in your eyes."
He muttered softly—
Screeech!
They all charged at once.
Through the endless sparring, they had realized that holding back meant getting beaten anyway, so they chose the most promising attack.
Whoosh—
Cheonhwi deflected Danri Kwangcheon's Nimble Wind Sword Art from the frontrunner and spoke.
"A sword art that wields innate killing intent—do you think flailing around will work?"
Danri Kwangcheon's eyes widened at Cheonhwi's words.
They echoed exactly what his master had said when teaching him the Nimble Wind Sword Art.
'He sees through the Nimble Wind Sword Art...?'
As his eyes shook violently—
"Keep your reason ice-cold."
With those words, Cheonhwi drew up the inner energy of the Plum Blossom Divine Art.
Then he continued.
"Even innate killing intent—no, even if it's heavenly fate—the master of martial arts is always human."
Uttering the supreme truth transcending the Nimble Wind Sword Art to encompass the essence of all martial arts under heaven, Cheonhwi moved his left hand, the one not gripping the wooden sword.
"Only when heart and self remain unshaken can you avoid being swept away by the martial art you wield."
His left hand rippled like waves, flowing like the wind through the air, then bounced off empty space several times.
Whoosh!
Like handling orchids, the soft and graceful hand motion created a massive vortex.
It was the manifestation of the Mount Hua Sect's lost technique from centuries past: Orchid Flower Dao Blood Hand.
"...!"
Danri Kwangcheon gasped.
His body was being inexorably drawn into the vortex brimming with overwhelming momentum.
'At this rate...!'
As he desperately tried to anchor himself with Thousand Catties Drop—
Grab!
Cheonhwi's left hand seized his.
The hand softly coiled around Danri Kwangcheon's arm, yanked it, spun his body around, and hurled him back.
"Danri, watch out!"
"Hup!"
The following Extermination Squad members halted at the suddenly flying Danri Kwangcheon.
And in the instant they hurriedly caught him—
"Caring for comrades is good, but..."
Cheonhwi, who had appeared beside them unnoticed, looked down at them with a smiling face.
A gentle smile lingered on his lips.
Yet cold sweat beaded on the Extermination Squad's foreheads as they beheld it.
And at that moment—
"Don't forget your opponent."
His wooden sword moved, birthing countless sword shadows that engulfed them.
Thwack-thwack-thwack!
"Kwaaak!"
"S-stop!"
"Captain!"
Screams and impacts filled the air.
But Cheonhwi didn't stop.
Instead, he pressed the Extermination Squad even harder, swinging his wooden sword fiercely.
Moments later, not a single one remained standing; they all lay scattered on the ground.
Cheonhwi looked at them and spoke.
"Sigh, this weak?"
The fallen ones' eyebrows twitched.
'Weak?'
'You're just too strong!'
Indignation welled up inside.
Yet none dared voice their resentment.
They knew not what fate awaited if they spoke.
Shaking his head once, Cheonhwi opened his mouth.
"Rest a bit, then we'll go again."
Again?
The Extermination Squad's faces paled.
This alone felt like death; doing more after rest?
Seeing their expressions, Cheonhwi laughed.
"You'll thank me later."
With those words, his eyes flashed.
"Thanks to this, you'll survive at least once."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The murim world grew increasingly chaotic.
Starting from the Green Forest bandits' raid on Mount Hua Sect, waves of upheaval crashed in.
Among them, the biggest topic.
Rumors that conflict would erupt between the Murim Alliance and the Evil-Black Alliance.
The spreading rumors piqued everyone's interest, but most predicted nothing would happen.
If those two clashed, only the idly watching Bicheon Society would profit.
It was obvious for anyone with brains.
But subsequent rumors made them swallow hard unwittingly.
"The Murim Alliance has declared war on the Evil-Black Alliance and is exterminating every evil sect in the northern murim!"
"The Murim Alliance made an example by crushing the Red Tiger Troupe!"
At first, no one believed it.
But when it became known that the Red Tiger Troupe's bandits had been captured by the authorities, the world realized the rumors were true.
"War between the Murim Alliance and Evil-Black Alliance?"
"Such a thing happening!"
Not only those in the murim world but even unrelated folk were shocked beyond measure.
It threatened the end of the decades-long era of the Three Great Evil Powers dominating the Nine Provinces.
The murim world erupted in turmoil.
It was like hurling—no, dropping—a boulder into a still pond.
"Finally, the era of the Three Great Evil Powers dominating the Nine Provinces ends!"
"Is this something to celebrate? A bloodwind will sweep the murim!"
"Hahaha! I've long thought the era of the Three Great Evil Powers dominating the Nine Provinces unfit for the murim world. Peace? Nonsense! A world of slaughter and the law of the jungle is true murim. The murim demands bloodwinds."
As news of the clash between two of the Three Great Evil Powers spread, opinions divided sharply.
Some welcomed the new era, others worried or feared sparks flying their way.
But one thing.
All agreed on this: chaos was coming!
As everyone focused on the Murim Alliance that had declared war—
Rumble—
The firmly shut western gate of the Murim Alliance swung open, and a group on horseback rode out.
Their appearance was truly unique.
Clad entirely in pure white flying cloaks, exposing only their eyes, those eyes brimmed with chilling malice.
Then, one man walked out belatedly.
"Exactly four days have passed."
It was Snow Sword, holding his whisk.
Snow Sword approached the one at the forefront and lifted his head.
A face exposing only the eyes appeared.
The pitch-black pupils staring fixedly ahead seemed bottomlessly deep, as if one might be sucked in just by looking.
Snow Sword spoke to him.
"Then, I entrust this mission to you as well, Young Hero Cheonhwi."
Cheonhwi lowered his gaze slightly.
His calm eyes showed no trace of tension.
'...This much is nothing to him.'
Instead, Snow Sword swallowed his own tension inwardly—
Swoosh—
A pale white hand extended before his face.
As Snow Sword looked at the sudden hand quizzically, Cheonhwi spoke.
"Hand it over quick if you have it. You're busy too."
"As expected of the young hero. You catch on fast."
Smiling faintly, Snow Sword drew a booklet from his bosom and handed it over carefully.
"This booklet contains information on your mission target, the Blood Rain Sword Clan."
"Pretty thick."
As Cheonhwi eyed the booklet and squinted, Snow Sword added softly.
"It details their organization, experts, and cultivated martial arts."
"Hm, I see."
Cheonhwi glanced at the booklet, nodded, then lazily shoved it into the luggage tied to his horse.
"I'll read it later."
"...You must read it. As I said before, the Blood Rain Sword Clan is a deep-rooted evil clan. Not an easy foe—prepare thoroughly and proceed with caution."
Snow Sword said with sunken eyes.
The evil Blood Rain Sword Clan was a family that had dominated the border between Hubei and Sichuan for over two hundred years amid righteous sects.
Their power was self-evident.
"Oh, and also..."
Trailing off, Snow Sword pulled out another booklet. This one was thicker than the one on the Blood Rain Sword Clan.
"This is the personal information on the Extermination Squad you requested last time."
Cheonhwi grinned and took the booklet at the quietly murmured words.
"You said it would take time, but you prepared it quick."
"It's the young hero—no, the Extermination Squad Leader's request, isn't it? I prioritized it above all else."
Snow Sword emphasized 'Extermination Squad Leader' and 'prioritized'.
Meaning: recognize my efforts.
"Good. Then preparations are complete."
Nodding in satisfaction, Cheonhwi looked back.
The Extermination Squad members in white fur-trimmed flying cloaks exuded sharp auras.
Three days of nonstop sparring day and night.
Their nerves were on edge, their momentum blazing.
Confirming them, Cheonhwi gripped the reins and said.
"Let's go."
Snow Sword stepped back a few paces.
"Go carefully."
No sooner had he spoken than Cheonhwi turned to the Extermination Squad.
"Everyone ready?"
"Ready!"
The Extermination Squad bellowed, eyes glaring.
Hearing the thunderous response, Cheonhwi twisted his lips in satisfaction.
"Then, move out."
No sooner had he spoken than the forty-three horses kicked up a fierce tremor, charging westward violently.
Toward their destination, the Blood Rain Sword Clan.