The Wolves Reveal Their Fangs
The corners of Go Rok-gal’s mouth twisted at Namgung Woo’s words and bearing, which carried the casual indifference of someone facing mere training dummies. “Those two greenhorns…? Against this Go Rok-gal?”
A far thicker stench of blood erupted from his body alongside a massive wave of killing intent. Wi Seong-ha felt her breath seize in her throat. Only after Wi Ji-ryang and the others stepped in front of her to shield her from the pressure did she manage to gasp and reclaim her normal breathing.
The pressure weighing on Yang Kvae and Yang Jeong, standing even farther forward, was heavier still. Though the twin brothers prided themselves on having survived every kind of battlefield, Go Rok-gal’s aura felt fundamentally different. It carried the weight of murderous deeds accumulated across long years. The rumor that he had secretly learned the Blood Cult’s arts appeared to be true; even his internal energy felt alien.
As the stories Paeng Ha-ryeong had heard claimed, he was not a Transcendent Realm expert, yet a clear gulf separated him from ordinary Peak Realm masters. Despite this, Namgung Woo turned his head with a sharp flick, as if the enraged Go Rok-gal were beneath his notice.
“And the rest of you—stop skulking and come out already.”
Namgung Woo’s statement was no idle probe. His voice stretched forward without the slightest tremor, carrying a confidence that could only be born from absolute certainty. The unseen listeners recognized that certainty and judged that further concealment was pointless. One by one they stepped into view behind Go Rok-gal.
“A technique, perhaps? Your martial level doesn’t seem particularly high, yet it is impressive.”
A middle-aged man spoke with a sly smile. His face brought to mind the old saying hiding a blade behind laughter. Despite his striking appearance, he was apparently not famous; unlike when Go Rok-gal had revealed himself, no cries of recognition rose from the crowd. The only effect was a sharp rise in tension once the onlookers realized the newcomer’s prowess fell only slightly short of the Blood Alliance Elder’s.
“Keh, so the fame of the Laughing Fierce Wolf isn’t all that impressive either.”
“You’d best shut that mouth, Blood Alliance Elder.”
The two men traded barbs. Even as the Laughing Fierce Wolf spat curses and threats, his eyes and mouth continued to curve in smiles. But Namgung Woo noticed. When those eyes narrowed, the pupils hidden within them held no light whatsoever.
“Did you not hear me? I told you to stop watching.”
This time Namgung Woo infused his voice with internal energy—a clear threat. If you still refuse to move, I will. In truth, he was already circulating Heavenly Thunder Divine Energy through his foot meridians, ready to launch himself at any instant.
The moment the thought struck everyone that the air once controlled by the Blood Alliance Elder and the Laughing Fierce Wolf had shifted toward Namgung Woo, the final hidden figure rose.
“Watching? I simply saw no need to step forward myself.”
This time the reaction was different, bursting mainly from behind the group.
“Blue Dragon Spear!”
“Elder No—how could you!”
Wi Ji-ryang and Wi Seong-ha recognized the man and cried out in near-screams.
“Huh? You know the guy?”
Yang Kvae, who had already drawn his saber, twitched the blade’s tip toward the newcomer. The Clear Water Sect party, having closed the distance after deciding greater separation was more dangerous, answered at once.
“You don’t know him? That’s Blue Dragon Spear No Hae-rip! A renowned expert throughout southern Zhili!”
“But how could Elder No…”
Wi Seong-ha appeared deeply shocked that No Hae-rip had turned hostile, as though they were acquainted. Yet Namgung Woo’s attention lingered more on Wi Ji-ryang’s words than on her reaction.
A famous expert.
So that level of strength was enough to earn one the title of expert and a reputation in any region. Namgung Woo added another data point to the scale of power he had been constructing for this world.
Similar to Paeng Mu-ho. With the right enlightenment, he could step into the Transcendent Realm at any time.
Paeng Mu-ho was a completed martial artist. His physical conditioning, the depth of his internal energy, his understanding of martial arts—none showed any glaring deficiency. Yet he lacked that final piece: enlightenment. In the end, the third Transcendent Realm expert of the Paeng Family had become Paeng Ja-ryeong rather than Paeng Mu-ho.
No Hae-rip was the same. His vitality, energy, and spirit were stable and balanced, and his skill as a warrior stood high. Nevertheless, he remained a Peak Realm expert—an aspirant who could only gaze at the Transcendent Realm from just below its threshold.
“Ryeong-ah, he looks like a good match for you.”
“Leave it to me.”
She had been itching to release the lightning energy that filled her middle dantian. A high-level opponent? All the better. The foes Paeng Ha-ryeong had faced until now had been formidable. Her original sparring partner had been Paeng Mu-ho, who stood at a similar level to No Hae-rip. During the Beijing upheaval she had even clashed with the Transcendent Realm expert known as the Black Tortoise Messenger. After returning to Tianjin she had received continuous guidance sparring from both the peerless Paeng Hu-sang and Namgung Woo himself.
It had been a long time since opponents weaker than herself could satisfy her. In that sense, No Hae-rip was the perfect test. He would let her measure exactly how much stronger she had grown over the past several months compared to her earlier bouts with Paeng Mu-ho.
“Wait. There is no need to rush. Must we truly spill blood?”
No Hae-rip restrained Paeng Ha-ryeong, who was already radiating fighting spirit as if ready to charge, and addressed Namgung Woo—the clear leader of the group.
“What I want is simple. Hand over the Dragon Eye Wood possessed by the Clear Water Sect, and I will withdraw peacefully.”
“Despicable! To covet a treasure and ally yourself with such scoundrels…! Have you no shame for the title of great hero once bestowed upon you?”
Perhaps it came from being the young master of his sect, or perhaps he trusted that Namgung Woo’s party would intervene. Either way, Wi Ji-ryang stepped forward boldly and shouted. Yet No Hae-rip did not spare him so much as a glance. He kept his eyes fixed solely on Namgung Woo and spoke again.
“What say you? I warn you now—if we begin this fight, I will not hold back.”
Wi Ji-ryang, who had advanced so confidently, recoiled under the pressure radiating from No Hae-rip. Even within the same Peak Realm, the gap could be vast. A novice who had only just entered the realm and a veteran who had trained for decades as a Peak expert—the difference was greater than that between a third-class and first-class martial artist.
“N-Nam So-hyeop…”
In the end, Wi Ji-ryang had only Namgung Woo to rely on. If they fought, the three from the Clear Water Sect would almost certainly be annihilated even if they combined their strength; they could not overcome No Hae-rip alone.
Ignoring Wi Ji-ryang’s desperate gaze, Namgung Woo spoke.
“So that was what the Clear Water Sect was hiding—the Dragon Eye Wood.”
From the beginning, Namgung Woo had sensed the sect concealed something. How had the rumor of the Blood Alliance Elder’s appearance spread so quickly? The Western Gold Gate members who had been reduced to puddles of blood in the Elder’s hands had left no survivors. That could only mean there had been companions traveling with them. And there had been those who set out early, survived an ambush, and barely reached Nanjing.
“You used the Western Gold Gate as bait?”
At Namgung Woo’s icy question, Wi Ji-ryang paled and waved his hands frantically.
“T-that’s impossible! We didn’t even know No Hae-rip was targeting us!”
“So at first only the Blood Alliance Elder moved. I see. If they had seen all three of you, they could never have returned to Nanjing. Even if they survived by some miracle, they would not have hired only ronin and set out from Nanjing again. Hmm… was my guess wrong? Or is the relationship between you worse than expected?”
It was difficult to tell whether Namgung Woo was asking questions or simply organizing his thoughts aloud. The Blood Alliance Elder, who had remained silent while No Hae-rip spoke, finally lost patience. He drew a pair of sickles from behind his waist.
“Enough! Enough! Save your babbling for when you wander the nine heavens!”
“Wait! I have not yet received an answer!”
“Answer? Can’t you see? The man is already prepared to fight us. This is why cooperation with the righteous sects never works.”
The Laughing Fierce Wolf drew a peculiar blade whose edge was notched in several places and released a savage aura.
“The old men certainly catch on quickly. And you—No Hae-rip, was it? You should choose your words more carefully next time. When moving as a group, say ‘we,’ not ‘I.’”
No Hae-rip had spoken of what he wanted. He had never used “we” to include the Blood Alliance Elder and the Laughing Fierce Wolf. That meant even if No Hae-rip might be satisfied with the Dragon Eye Wood and withdraw, the other two would not. From the very start, a fight had been unavoidable. All three desired different things, and no negotiation could satisfy them simultaneously.
“Well, if there even is a next time.”
No Hae-rip might have been clumsy at negotiation, but his decisiveness was unmatched.
“Kahat!”
With a short shout, No Hae-rip thrust his spear and charged like lightning. At the exact same moment, Paeng Ha-ryeong’s arm—already resting on her hilt—lashed out like a thunderbolt.
“How dare you raise a hand against Gaga!”
A spear strike that pierced straight toward the vital point, carrying the full power of the Blue Dragon Spear Technique.
Clang!
Both sides unleashed their spear energy and blade energy without restraint. The resulting shockwave shook the clothes and hair of everyone present.
“The little bitch has a fierce hand!”
No Hae-rip was a true martial artist; he knew no complacency. The thrust he had just unleashed was the ultimate technique of his signature Blue Dragon Spear Method—the Flying Dragon Divine Thrust. Yet it had been stopped by the draw of a mere young woman.
Her internal energy is stronger than mine?
What had all those years of training been for? Thirty years since first stepping onto the path of martial arts. Could the accumulation of all that time equal the mere decade-plus of effort put forth by this young girl?
She’s a genius… you too…!
No Hae-rip’s face twisted. The Bokmanghoe targeted late-generation geniuses out of pure inferiority. They hated those more outstanding than themselves, yet could not defeat peers who had already surpassed them. Therefore they killed the younger generation to overcome their own sense of inadequacy—an escapist choice that avoided the difficult path and took the easy one.
Yet the members of the Bokmanghoe were by no means untalented. Quite the opposite. They too had once been called geniuses. Only when the gap was ambiguous did inferiority take root. Only when the gap was ambiguous could it not be overcome, and the spirit collapsed. No Hae-rip, once a hero of the righteous path, had thrown himself into the Bokmanghoe for that very reason.
“Die!!”
His spear wrapped itself in ferocious momentum and bent at a strange angle, aiming for a blind spot. It was a sure-kill strike. Yet to Paeng Ha-ryeong, even a blind spot was not a blind spot.
Gaga’s lightning energy…
Paeng Ha-ryeong drew forth the Heavenly Thunder Divine Energy Namgung Woo had granted her from her middle dantian. The flow of the Linked Ring Seizing White Blade suddenly transformed, becoming the Heaven and Earth Roaring Thunder Blade.
Thunder roared as the blade struck the spear shaft and the body behind it in a single devastating blow.
Kwarurung!
The sound was like a lightning strike. No Hae-rip instinctively pulled his body back to minimize damage, but the impact was severe. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth—clear evidence of internal injury.
Yet Paeng Ha-ryeong did not pursue. She stood arrogantly, as if inviting him to steady himself and come at her again. Sensing her intent, No Hae-rip gripped his spear shaft with a face warped by rage and jealousy.
The exchange between the two had lasted only three moves. The time it took for those three exchanges to occur had been merely two breaths.
While the Clear Water Sect members, the Blood Alliance Elder, and the Laughing Fierce Wolf all stared in stunned silence, Namgung Woo gave the Yang brothers a light push from behind.
“What are you waiting for? You two go fight as well.”