Chapter 11: Black Tiger Sect (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 11: Black Tiger Sect (2)
Under the cover of night, Seo-jun stepped out into the street and quietly scanned his surroundings.
As he distanced himself from home, a faint, sticky red glow bled into the streets—the crimson lanterns of the Red Pavilion.
The muffled sounds of women's moans and the crude slapping of flesh drifted from the surrounding buildings and alleyways. Through a nearby window, he caught sight of a cheap courtesan staring up at the moon, her eyes hollow and empty.
He didn't like it.
After lingering on her for a moment, Seo-jun resumed his pace.
It wasn't long before a large building came into view, surprisingly imposing for the slums. This was the Black Tiger Sect.
Seo-jun looked up at the outer wall and clicked his tongue.
Taking out the trash, finding the medicine to cure his sister's illness, and lining his pockets while he was at it. It wasn't just killing two birds with one stone; it was three. Definitely worth a try.
"Whew..."
He clenched his trembling hands tight, then slowly released them. The shaking stopped. Fortunately, the moonlight was thin tonight, casting the world in deep shadow. Even the heavens were on his side.
Executing the Yellow Dragon Crossing the Clouds, Seo-jun leaped lightly onto the wall to survey the compound.
Security wasn't particularly tight. So, where to?
His eyes gleamed as they locked onto a building far more ornate than the rest.
His footwork unfolded gracefully, like a yellow dragon soaring through the sunset. Evading the torch-bearing guards, Seo-jun pressed his back against the ornate building's wall and checked the perimeter.
They weren't complete idiots; there were no obvious blind spots to slip through. In that case, he would just take the front door.
Thwip—!
Finger Pellets shot through the air, striking the foreheads of the men guarding the main entrance. They collapsed without a sound. He hadn't been discovered yet, but that was only a matter of time.
He swiftly opened the door and stepped inside, revealing a long hallway stretching out before him.
"Who's there at this hour... Who are you?!"
So much for that.
Abandoning stealth, Seo-jun drew his sword.
"Me? I'm Chun-bong's older brother."
Squelch—!
As the guard's severed head hit the floorboards, the heavy thud of multiple approaching footsteps echoed down the hall.
The night was still young.
* * *
The Sect Leader of the Black Tiger Sect was a king in the back alleys. That was the power of the First-rate realm. It was the true starting line for anyone calling themselves a master.
Of course, in the eyes of genuine high-level masters, he wouldn't even register. But to ordinary people, he occupied a terrifying position—a distant, unreachable expert.
And since no true master would waste their time scratching their belly in a filthy back alley, this slum was the Sect Leader's absolute domain.
"Ahhh~ My Lord. You're so naughty."
"Ho-ho, come here."
"Aing. Don't be like that, have a bite of this first."
"Hehe, I don't want the meat; I want to eat you."
"Kyaaa!"
Crash—!
The Sect Leader, who had been guzzling wine with a woman in each arm, furrowed his brow at the sudden commotion outside.
"What nonsense are those fools up to now?"
"My Lord, just ignore them. A little noise makes for a good side dish with the wine, doesn't it?"
"I suppose that's true..."
Bang—!
The door burst open, and a sect disciple rushed inside. The Sect Leader scowled at the intrusion, but the disciple shouted in sheer panic.
"S-Sect Leader...! It's a disaster!"
"What disaster? Did the Murim Alliance Leader invade or something?"
The Sect Leader chuckled, but the disciple screamed, his face as pale as a ghost.
"It's the Killing Ghost! The Killing Ghost has inva—! Ack!"
A bloody sword tip sprouted from the front of the disciple's throat.
"Kyaaaaak...!"
The women shrieked in terror, scrambling away to cower in the corners of the room. The Sect Leader let out a hollow, incredulous laugh.
"You crazy bastard. Where do you think you are, barging in here alone?"
The disciple's corpse slumped to the floor, revealing the Killing Ghost. It was a boy, drenched in blood from head to toe. He had only a few minor scratches on him; the rest of the gore belonged to someone else.
He had heard the Killing Ghost was young, but he was just a kid?
The Sect Leader clicked his tongue. Watching him, Seo-jun simply tilted his head.
"Hey, old man. Do you have any Spirit Herbs?"
"Spirit Herbs? Even if I did, why the hell would I give them to you?"
"Hmm."
The Killing Ghost raised an empty hand. The Sect Leader sneered, unconcerned. The most he needed to watch out for was a hidden dagger. He was more than confident he could react to a simple throwing knife.
That was why, when the boy flicked empty air and the Qi gathered at his fingertip shot forward like a bolt of light, the Sect Leader was caught completely off guard.
"Peak Realm?!"
He threw himself aside in a panic, but his reaction was a split second too late. His left arm was pierced clean through, instantly hanging limp at his side.
The Sect Leader glared at the Killing Ghost, a cold sweat breaking out across his forehead from the searing pain.
"What grudge does a Peak Realm master have against the Black Tiger Sect to target us like this?!"
"..."
The Killing Ghost said nothing. He simply stared at the Sect Leader with dead eyes.
Out of the corner of his eye, the Sect Leader gauged the position of his cherished weapon. He spoke while slowly shifting his weight.
"No matter how great a Peak Realm master you are, you won't be able to handle me and all my subordinates at once. If you leave now, I won't pursue— Damn it!"
The Killing Ghost's hand twitched. Reacting instantly, the Sect Leader reached out, grabbed one of the courtesans by the collar, and hurled her forward as a human shield.
"Kyaaaaaak...!"
Unfazed, Seo-jun fired the Finger Pellet he had already prepared.
Thwack—!
The flying woman was struck by the blunt force of the Qi. She spun once in the air and collapsed to the floor, her unconscious body trembling slightly.
"You cruel bastard! To kill an innocent woman so easily!"
He hadn't killed her. She had just fainted. Besides, wasn't the Sect Leader the one who threw her in the first place?
Snorting at the hypocrisy, Seo-jun immediately executed the Yellow Dragon Crossing the Clouds and charged. The Sect Leader hurriedly snatched up his flashy broad blade and swung with all his might.
Slash—!
A murky blue arc carved through the air.
Seo-jun’s eyes sparkled. Is that Sword Qi?
"I won't go down like this!"
The Sect Leader kicked off the ground, bypassing Seo-jun and bolting straight for the door.
Frowning, Seo-jun fired a rapid succession of Finger Pellets.
Clang, clang—!
Deflecting the condensed Qi with his blade, the Sect Leader managed to escape into the hallway. Corpses were strewn along the length of the corridor. The Sect Leader gritted his teeth at the gruesome massacre.
He truly is a Killing Ghost...!
As he retreated toward his remaining subordinates, frantically blocking the relentless barrage of Finger Pellets, the Sect Leader suddenly realized something was off.
Why was the boy only firing Finger Pellets? No matter how strong a Peak Realm master was, facing an entire sect's forces head-on would still be a headache. Furthermore, the power behind these Finger Pellets was strangely weak. It shouldn't be this easy to deflect Qi fired by a superior master.
Yet here he was, blocking them without much difficulty.
Is he playing with me?
Swallowing his rage, the Sect Leader finally regrouped with his rushing subordinates and bared his teeth like a cornered beast.
"Now, what will you do!"
He had about a dozen men with him, ranging from Third-rate to Second-rate. And with himself, a First-rate expert, leading the charge, he was confident they wouldn't be taken down easily.
"This is a bit ambiguous," Seo-jun muttered, watching them as he casually rolled Qi over his fingertips.
The reason the Sect Leader had mistaken him for a Peak Realm master was simple. Usually, only those at the Peak Realm could project Qi outward so effortlessly.
Wait. If that level of power was considered the Peak, then wasn't he already close to it himself?
Squelch—
Leaving bloody footprints on the floorboards, Seo-jun slowly raised his sword.
His impatience subsided, replaced by a surging thrill. It had been like this ever since he first fell into the Murim. He genuinely enjoyed fighting.
He wanted to see the absolute limits of this thing called Qi. Simply because it was fun. The burning curiosity of what lay at the very apex of martial arts was enough to drive him mad.
"Whew..."
He exhaled a long breath, forcing his excitement down. His hand naturally tightened around his sword hilt.
No, that won't do.
He hadn't come here to enjoy a battle. He was here to save Chun-bong. Just reminding himself of that grim reality made his mood plummet.
Step—
The Yellow Dragon Crossing the Clouds he had practiced relentlessly for a year unfolded as naturally as breathing. His figure shot forward like a dragon cutting through the air, plunging violently into the midst of the Black Path thugs.
Whoosh—!
Weapons lunged at him from all sides. A faint madness flickered in Seo-jun’s eyes. Slipping flawlessly into the gaps in their defenses, he swung his sword in a brutal, wide arc.
Splatter—!
Blood sprayed across the walls. The familiar Three Talents Sword Art flowed from him, thirsting for slaughter. In the chaotic press of a group battle, the Three Talents Sword Art was still far more comfortable to use than the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword.
"You brat!" the enraged Sect Leader roared, charging in. The faint blue light coating his blade chased after Seo-jun's neck.
Seo-jun effortlessly evaded the strike, exclusively targeting the subordinates. By the time his erratic, phantom-like footwork finally came to a halt, the Sect Leader realized the horrifying truth.
"You...! You're not in the Peak Realm!"
Am I not?
Seo-jun pondered the question as he leveled his blood-drenched sword at the man.
He had seen enough of the man's Sword Qi to understand it. It was simply a form where the Sect Leader’s internal energy flowed outward through the medium of the blade.
Suddenly struck by curiosity, Seo-jun concentrated his internal energy into his empty hand instead of his sword.
The sensation wasn't much different from forming a Finger Pellet. He just refrained from firing it, allowing the volatile internal energy to pool and linger across his palm.
A strange, absolute sense of certainty washed over him.
Without a second of hesitation, Seo-jun released the internal energy directly over his skin.
"Ah..."
A faint golden haze bloomed over his hand. Seo-jun internally lamented his own foolishness.
The reason I couldn't use Sword Qi before was simply because I lacked enlightenment regarding the sword itself.
A weapon was not an extension of one's own flesh. Therefore, to imbue cold steel with internal energy and project it outward, a martial artist needed the kind of enlightenment that allowed them to treat the weapon as a part of their own body.
Legendary states like the Unity of Man and Sword were born from that exact enlightenment.
But his hand was different. His hand was already his own body. With a mere thought, Hand Qi naturally shimmered to life across his palm.
Normally, manifesting Hand Qi was considered far more difficult than Sword Qi. If the density of the Qi became high enough to be expressed externally, the sheer pressure could easily mangle the user's unprotected flesh.
However, Seo-jun’s monstrous talent for Qi completely ignored such common sense rules. Just by holding the Hand Qi for a single moment, he fully grasped its underlying essence.
Seo-jun let out a hollow laugh.
"It really was nothing special."
That physical realization translated directly into his sword arm. Enlightenment regarding the sword? He didn't need it. He simply substituted it with his absolute enlightenment regarding Qi.
He reminded himself of a simple truth: My talent is Qi. There is nothing I cannot achieve with that alone.
As his steel blade suddenly ignited with a brilliant, blazing golden light, a predatory smile played on Seo-jun’s lips.
"I've finally reached it. First-rate."
Martial arts... they really ain't that big of a deal.