Chapter 329: Facing Hundreds of Spears
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 329: Facing Hundreds of Spears
Boom!
Sun-woo kicked off the ground, launching himself forward like a bolt of light.
A cloud of dust erupted behind him, leaving only afterimages as his physical form seemed to vanish into thin air. It was the legendary Transposition Technique, a feat whispered of in myths.
Swoooosh!
He tore through the wind, surging forward. By accelerating his blood flow and surging his internal energy, he pushed his physical capabilities to their absolute limit.
In this state, he gained instantaneous acceleration through the Bow-Body Shadow-Flicker. Combined with his mastery of the Wind-Dust Step, his speed rivaled that of a Thousand-Mile Horse.
Boom!
Boom!
Perhaps it was the sheer momentum, but every time his feet struck the earth, a thunderous roar echoed, the ground trembled, and plumes of dust billowed into the air. His silhouette streaked across the landscape like a flash of lightning.
After some time had passed, something finally began to appear over the horizon. Sun-woo narrowed his eyes, focusing his visual prowess.
There, he saw it—the edge of the massive walls surrounding the Ice Palace.
‘Almost there.’
Boom!
Sensing the proximity of the Ice Palace, Sun-woo pushed his internal energy even further, redoubling his speed.
Creeeak.
‘Ow, ow, ow...’
Soon, Sun-woo began to feel an immense pressure weighing on his entire body. The sheer velocity was taking a physical toll.
Boom!
Yet, he did not slow down. He was fully aware of the gravity of the situation.
Boom!
Finally, the entirety of the Ice Palace came into view.
‘Huh?’
Sun-woo felt a jarring sense of cognitive dissonance. A massive crowd was gathered in front of the palace.
‘What is this?’
Confused, Sun-woo sharpened his eyesight to examine them more closely. His confusion quickly turned to bewilderment.
They were soldiers—fully armed and armored.
He couldn't understand why an armed military force was standing in a standoff before the Ice Palace. Sun-woo shifted his gaze further ahead.
Then, he saw her.
Bukgung Yeon was there, covering her chest with both hands. Hundreds of spears hovered in the air, and a man stood before her, pointing them directly at her.
‘The Evil Demon!’
The moment Sun-woo saw him, he knew. This man had to be Ju Do-san, the Evil Demon—Bukgung Yeon’s sworn enemy.
Sun-woo surged his Yin-Yang Harmony Qi. He deliberately stomped his feet harder against the ground. A roar far louder than before erupted, echoing across the snowy plains.
Startled by the sound, the man who had been aiming the spears turned his head toward Sun-woo.
Sun-woo inwardly cheered. He had successfully drawn the man's attention.
Boom!
Sun-woo poured internal energy into his legs and stomped again, even more violently. A massive explosion of sound shook the heavens and the earth.
Perhaps irritated by the noise, the man pulled a spear back behind his shoulder. With a sudden, fluid motion, he hurled it.
Straight at Sun-woo.
Screeeeeech!
The spear tore through the air, whistling as it flew toward him. Sun-woo was momentarily taken aback by the suddenness of the attack. He had intended to draw attention, but he hadn't expected an immediate projectile.
‘He really is a son of a bitch, just like they said.’
Sun-woo recalled the vague descriptions of the Evil Demon he’d heard from the search party and Bukgung Yeon. The man’s personality was clearly as rotten as his reputation suggested.
Sun-woo stared the flying spear down. He circulated his internal energy, sharpening his senses to their peak. He felt the flow of the spear’s trajectory, intending to send it right back.
‘What incredible strength.’
Sun-woo marveled inwardly as he felt the massive force behind the spear. The power contained within it was beyond imagination.
Yet, strangely, he felt no fear.
Was it because he had seen the Heart Sword of the Sword Man, which could cut through all things? Or perhaps because he had witnessed Neung So-hwa’s Black Flame, which could incinerate anything its master desired?
Compared to those, this spear—though filled with internal energy and murderous aura—seemed almost trivial.
Swoosh!
The spear reached Sun-woo’s face, poised to impale his head.
“Twist.”
As Sun-woo watched the spear, he forcibly twisted its flow. The weapon suddenly veered off course, looping back to fly toward the man who had thrown it.
Whizzzzzz!
The man reacted instantly, reaching out and snatching the returning spear out of the air.
Slide.
The impact was significant enough to force him back several steps, his feet carving ruts into the snow. He stared at Sun-woo with a look of pure bewilderment.
Sun-woo flashed him a mischievous, taunting grin.
Boom!
He kicked off the ground again, streaking past the man like a bolt of lightning.
Swoosh!
His form blurred, reaching Bukgung Yeon’s side in an instant.
Thud.
Poof.
Sun-woo came to a dead stop right in front of her, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Whoooooosh.
A cold gust of wind blew across the snowy plain, clearing the dust and revealing Sun-woo to the world.
“Are you alright?” Sun-woo asked, looking at Bukgung Yeon.
“Pant... pant... I’m fine.”
“Your breathing says otherwise.”
“Pant... This is just... because I’m excited... from seeing you naked...”
“Ha.”
Sun-woo let out a hollow laugh. She was clearly in a precarious state, yet she was cracking jokes.
“Pant... pant... Anyway, why are you... undressed?” Bukgung Yeon asked.
“Circumstances. More importantly, why are you completely naked, Palace Master?”
“I also had... circumstances.”
“The world seems to be full of circumstances today.”
“It would seem so.”
Sun-woo and Bukgung Yeon continued their idle banter.
“Pant... pant... pant...”
Suddenly, Bukgung Yeon’s breathing became even more labored. Sun-woo detected something strange in her ragged exhales.
‘Poisonous Qi?’
With every breath, a faint trace of poison leaked out.
Grab.
Sun-woo quickly took hold of her arm.
“Pant... pant... Now isn't... the time... for breeding...”
“Stop talking nonsense and stay still.”
After a brief scolding, Sun-woo channeled his Yin-Yang Harmony Qi into her, observing her internal state. He discovered a significant amount of poison spread throughout her body.
‘This is an incredible amount of poison.’
Sun-woo was startled. The concentration was high enough to be lethal to any ordinary martial artist.
He circulated more Yin-Yang Harmony Qi through her body.
Hummmmmm.
The energy began to draw all the poison from her system into Sun-woo’s own body. Before long, every drop of the toxin had been successfully transferred and neutralized within him.
‘Phew.’
Only then did Sun-woo breathe a sigh of relief. If he had been even a moment later, the poison would have caused irreversible damage.
“I’ve absorbed all the poison. You’ll be fine now.”
“...How did you do that?”
Bukgung Yeon looked at him in shock, feeling the encroaching poison vanish completely.
“I may not use the surname, but I am of the Tang Clan. Removing poison is easier than breathing for me.”
“...I owe you one.”
Bukgung Yeon lowered her head slightly as she spoke.
“First, circulate your energy. Even though the poison is gone, some of your nerves are likely damaged. You need to heal.”
“I’d like to, but I don’t think he’s going to give me the chance.”
Bukgung Yeon gestured with her chin toward the front. Sun-woo followed her gaze.
There stood the man, watching him with an indifferent expression.
“Who are you?” the man asked slowly.
“Jang Sun-woo.”
Sun-woo replied with a calm face.
“How did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“How did you send my spear back?!”
Lee Yeon’s voice rose. He seemed uncharacteristically agitated.
“Curious?”
“Of course I am! How could you return an attack like that without any loss of internal energy? I have never heard of such a technique!”
“Then your knowledge is lacking.”
Sun-woo smirked. It was amusing that a former Elder of the Demonic Cult couldn't recognize one of their own Cult Protection Martial Arts.
“Speak plainly.”
“Find out for yourself.”
Sun-woo looked at Lee Yeon with an incredibly serious gaze.
“You’re a man who’s begging for a coffin.”
Lee Yeon’s eyes turned cold as ice.
Vroooooom.
A terrifying murderous aura surged around him.
Whoosh!
That aura crashed over Sun-woo like a tidal wave.
Tingle, tingle.
Being directly exposed to such bloodlust made Sun-woo’s entire body prickle. He could feel it now—the man before him was someone who had transcended the wall. He had suspected it, but experiencing it firsthand turned suspicion into certainty.
This man was strong. He was on par with Neung So-hwa or Bukgung Yeon.
‘...I can’t do this alone.’
He realized he couldn't defeat this opponent by himself.
“Palace Master.”
Sun-woo turned his head slightly toward Bukgung Yeon.
“If you focus on recovery as fast as possible, how long will it take?”
“One il-gak.”
Bukgung Yeon answered calmly.
“I like the clarity.”
Sun-woo grinned.
“Then I’ll buy you that fifteen minutes.”
“You’ll die.”
Bukgung Yeon spoke with concern. She had a rough idea of Sun-woo’s level. No matter how miraculous his techniques were, it was absurd to think he could hold out against Lee Yeon, who had reached the Profound Realm.
“I won’t die.”
Sun-woo looked at her with eyes full of determined will.
“I made a promise. I promised not to die.”
“People who say things like that usually die early.”
Bukgung Yeon countered.
“Do you have to be so pessimistic?”
Sun-woo chuckled. It was funny to hear her joking in such a dire situation.
“Fine. I’ll trust you.”
“It’s an honor.”
Sun-woo nodded and turned back to the front. Hundreds of spears were already flying toward him.
“You son of a bitch, don't you have any manners? You can't even wait?”
Sun-woo frowned. Wasn't it a villain's duty to wait while someone was setting a flag or transforming? How could he just launch an attack like that?
“In war, you die the moment you show an opening! How dare you look away when your enemy is right in front of you!”
Lee Yeon roared.
“I’ll turn both you and Bukgung Yeon into skewers!”
Screeeeeech!
As soon as he finished speaking, the hundreds of spears began to rain down on Sun-woo.
Seeing this, Sun-woo immediately began to circulate his internal energy according to the principles of the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth. To face a Profound Realm master while he himself had yet to cross that wall, he needed a martial art that defied the natural order.
He needed the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth.
Whirrrrr.
His senses sharpened to an extreme degree, and he began to feel the flow of the hundreds of spears. Each one was imbued with a massive amount of internal energy.
Sun-woo waited with a steady gaze, watching the spears. He waited for their flow to enter his domain.
Swoosh!
One by one, the spears entered his range.
“Twist.”
Sun-woo forcibly redirected the flow of the spears.
Whizzzzz!
The spears veered in mid-air, turning back to swarm toward Lee Yeon.
“Do you think I’ll fall for the same trick twice?!”
Lee Yeon shouted in irritation. He concentrated his internal energy and forcibly altered the trajectory of the spears once more.
Swoosh!
The spears stopped dead in the air, spun around, and poured down toward Sun-woo again. Sun-woo activated the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth once more to counter them.
Whizzzzz!
After the spears had changed direction several times, a flicker of worry began to rise in Sun-woo. Every time he twisted the flow of the spears, a significant amount of his internal energy was consumed.
It wasn't a burden yet, but if this continued, it would turn into a war of attrition. That was his concern. He couldn't be certain that he had more internal energy than the man standing before him.
‘This won’t work.’
There was a massive army standing behind that man. In such a situation, exhausting all his energy would be a foolish choice.
Sun-woo realized he needed to try something else.