Chapter 210: Hangzhou (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 210: Hangzhou (3)
Tomorrow’s Teaching Aid fled with all his might. The pride of a Super Peak master? The Teaching Aid knew better than to cling to such useless things; he valued his life over his pride.
What was the point of challenging a monster who could casually unleash such nonsensical attacks?
Vengeance for his fallen subordinates didn't matter. Running away was the only right decision.
However, he had made one fatal miscalculation: he actually believed he could escape from Seo-jun.
Kwah-aaaaang!
Executing the Primordial Unity Steps, Seo-jun was several times faster than the Teaching Aid.
"Hi there."
The Teaching Aid stared blankly at Seo-jun, who was now running right alongside him. It didn't feel real.
Is this a dream?
At that moment, his vision went dark.
Ah, I guess it was a dream.
The Teaching Aid fell into a very pleasant dream.
* * *
Returning to the port, Seo-jun casually handed the captured Teaching Aid over to Yeo Un-jeok.
"I've already sealed his pressure points, so just lock him up somewhere until tomorrow."
Yeo Un-jeok didn't dare refuse. After witnessing everything that had just unfolded, he simply wasn't bold enough to shake his head.
This was the same man who had desperately hoped for the Namgung Clan’s support, only to simultaneously worry they might extend their reach into Zhejiang Province. He had even been rude to the women accompanying the "Genius Under Heaven."
Of course, his words hadn't been entirely out of line given the situation, but that was simply how the Murim worked. Even perfectly reasonable words had to be swallowed and reconsidered a dozen times when addressed to the absolute strong.
Ultimately, Yeo Un-jeok slung the Teaching Aid over his shoulder and trudged back toward the Haebyeok Sect in silence.
Seo-jun and his party remained at the harbor.
"Do we still have something to do?"
At Chun-bong’s question, Seo-jun used Void Object Grasping to casually toss Chu Gyeom’s battered corpse into the sea before answering.
"Treasure ship exploration."
"What?"
"A ship just sank into the ocean. Don't you want to check it out?"
"No, I mean, how are we even supposed to do that?"
"I have my ways."
Seo-jun hummed a tune as he casually strolled across the surface of the water. Behind him, Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah followed, performing a somewhat clumsy version of Walking on Water.
Shwaaaa—
A slightly larger wave rolled in. Chun-bong lost her balance and stumbled.
"Uh, uh...? Hey, hey, hey! I think I'm gonna fall...!?"
She flailed her arms wildly, but Seo-jun just laughed.
"If you fall, just go for a swim."
"I don't know how to swim!"
"I do, though."
"You son of a—eep!?"
Her sudden burst of anger caused a disturbance in her flow of internal energy, instantly breaking her already unstable Walking on Water.
Just as Chun-bong was about to sink into the dark depths, Seo-jun grabbed her by the scruff of her neck.
"Gyahhh...!"
"Aw, did you really think I'd let our little Chun-bu-i fall in?"
"Heh, hieee..."
Terrified that she was actually going to drown, Chun-bong placed a trembling hand over her thumping heart.
"I... I thought my heart was going to drop out of my chest..."
"What! Whose baby is it!?" Seo-jun gasped dramatically.
"Yours, you son of a bitch!"
Still dangling by the scruff of her neck, Chun-bong delivered a skillful dropkick. Thwack! Struck squarely by the blow, Seo-jun went rolling across the surface of the sea.
"Oof...!"
Watching Seo-jun tumble so naturally as if the ocean were solid ground, Namgung Su-ah giggled.
"He really is good at being weird."
Seo-jun scrambled up and ran over to Namgung Su-ah.
"Noona! She hit me!"
"Is that so? Do you want Noona to give you a hug?"
Without waiting for an answer, Namgung Su-ah pulled Seo-jun into her warm, soft embrace.
"Whoa..."
They say the sea is the mother of all life. Right now, Seo-jun could see the boundless ocean within Namgung Su-ah’s chest.
Slap! Shwaaaa—
Along with the sound of gentle waves, a stinging sensation erupted on his back. That sharp slap wasn't the sound of a wave breaking; it was the sound of his back being smacked.
"Having fun?"
At Chun-bong’s icy question, Seo-jun pulled away from Namgung Su-ah’s embrace and nodded shamelessly.
"It's incredibly fun."
Chuckling, they walked a bit further until they reached the exact spot where the treasure ship had sunk.
Unlike the shallow waters near the shore, the sea here was a deep, dark blue that looked almost pitch-black. Staring intently at the abyss beneath her feet, Chun-bong sneakily climbed onto Seo-jun’s back.
"Holy crap... if I fall in here, I'll die, right...?"
"I doubt it."
It would be quite a joke if a Super Peak master drowned in the sea. Maybe if she were dropped in the middle of the vast ocean and ran out of strength, but certainly not here.
"Anyway, shall we head down?"
"D-Down...?"
Chun-bong tightened her grip around Seo-jun’s neck.
"Leave me out of this!"
"No can do."
Seo-jun grinned. He lifted his leg and stomped down hard on the water's surface.
Jje-eeeeee-ok!
It was a simplified version of the Heavenly Demon Ruling Step. A massive circular hole was blasted straight into the sea, and the group plummeted downward.
"Eek-kyahhhhh...!!!"
Chun-bong shrieked in absolute horror. Beside them, Namgung Su-ah giggled, thoroughly enjoying the thrill of the freefall.
"Hup...!"
Maintaining a light layer of the Qi Spirit Scripture, Seo-jun unleashed the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art.
Unlike his usual method, he didn't condense the energy into a sphere. Instead, he spread the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art paper-thin, coating the watery walls of the cylindrical hole he had punched into the ocean.
Shwaaaaaa—
The profound principles of Taiji toyed with the ocean itself. The crushing seawater could not collapse into the empty void; instead, it flowed rapidly along the protective walls of the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art.
Tap.
Landing gracefully on the seabed, Seo-jun looked up.
The hole far above looked no larger than a fist. It only appeared that way because of the sheer depth; that tiny speck was the night sky.
In the pitch-black darkness, Chun-bong clung to Seo-jun, trembling like a leaf.
"O-Oppa... turn on a light..."
"Light."
Samadhi True Fire ignited at Seo-jun’s fingertips, instantly illuminating their surroundings.
To their sides, black seawater spun wildly with white bubbles. Beneath their feet lay damp, dark mud.
As the warm light brightened the murky depths, a fish swimming leisurely past the barrier made eye contact with Chun-bong.
"Wh-What are you looking at, you punk! You want a piece of me!?"
A completely terrified Chun-bong tried to threaten the fish. But the fish was no pushover.
Judging by the faint Qi radiating from its body, it seemed to be a spirit creature. Perhaps out of wounded pride, it charged headfirst toward the wall of the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art.
Crack!
And just like that, it vanished, obliterated into bloody fragments.
"Hiek..."
Chun-bong quietly withdrew the fist she had just raised. Their Chun-bong was quite the coward.
"Want to touch it?" Seo-jun asked.
Chun-bong’s eyes immediately sparkled. She was a coward, true, but she was also incredibly curious.
She tentatively poked a finger toward the wall of seawater.
"Hyaak...!"
Hissing like a startled cat, she quickly yanked her finger back. Her fingertip was wet. Staring at it for a moment, Chun-bong suddenly stuck the finger into her mouth.
"Oh... it really is salty."
Fascinated by the taste, she dabbed the water a few more times to lick the salt off before finally turning her head.
Now that her curiosity was satisfied, the sight of the massive ship snapped in half finally came into view.
Her heart began to race. Shipwrecks possessed a strange, magical quality that made a person's heart pound with anticipation.
"Let's go!"
Jumping off Seo-jun’s back, Chun-bong sprinted forward. A short while later...
"There really is nothing here."
Namgung Su-ah shook her head in disappointment as she stepped out of a sunken cabin.
Chun-bong, equally disappointed, seemed to lose all interest in the ship. She tapped Seo-jun on the waist.
"Let's go now. I'm hungry."
"Aw, is our Chun-bong hungry?"
"Yeah. We're by the sea, so there'll be fish, right?"
"If we ask for it, they'll have to give it to us."
"Oh..."
Chun-bong licked her lips. Then, she made eye contact with something lurking in the dark waters.
"Huh...?"
It was huge. The diameter of its eyeball alone was taller than Chun-bong.
"A whale...?"
As Chun-bong stared blankly at the massive creature, the whale let out a deep cry as if in response.
Oooooooo—
In the pitch-black surroundings, the whale’s echoing call was unexpectedly eerie.
While Chun-bong stood frozen in place, a massive amount of energy began to gather around the whale’s gaping maw.
Kugugugugu—
It was an energy as gargantuan as its body. Chun-bong’s face drained of color.
"We're screwed..."
A violent whirlpool swirled around the whale’s mouth. But just as it was about to fire, the whale and Seo-jun made eye contact.
Oooo—?
Gulp! The whale instantly clamped its mouth shut.
It knew how to read the room.
Rolling its giant eyes back and forth, the whale gave a slight, awkward nod of its head before leisurely swimming away into the dark distance.
Watching Chun-bong still frozen in a daze, Namgung Su-ah giggled.
"The ocean is quite fun too."
It was certainly a dynamic experience.
* * *
Returning to the Haebyeok Sect, the group enjoyed a lavish full-course fish dinner before heading to bed.
Chun-bong must have been exhausted; she fell into a deep sleep almost immediately, snoring softly.
"My, she's sleeping well."
Seo-jun looked down at her with a fond expression. His younger sister. And now, his fiancée.
He watched Chun-bong smiling brightly in whatever pleasant dream she was having, then eventually stood up.
Yeo Un-jeok’s presence was approaching.
It didn't feel like he was plotting anything sinister; rather, it felt like something urgent had happened...
Stepping out of the room quietly so as not to wake Chun-bong, he found Yeo Un-jeok arriving just in time.
"We have a problem."
"What is it?"
Seo-jun's response wasn't particularly kind. It was only natural, given he had just been robbed of the chance to watch the softly snoring Chun-bong.
"One of the Super Peak martial artists remains, does he not? That fellow has caused trouble."
The higher the realm, the more catastrophic a battle between martial artists becomes for the surroundings. If commoners were nearby, they would inevitably be slaughtered by the sheer shockwaves.
To prevent such a tragedy, the Haebyeok Sect had evacuated the commoners of Hangzhou deeper into the city.
"However, he managed to break through to the inner area and has taken the commoners hostage."
"I see."
One couldn't exactly blame the Haebyeok Sect for incompetence. How could ordinary disciples stop a Super Peak master who was absolutely determined to break through?
Yeo Un-jeok was the only Super Peak master in Hangzhou. Since he couldn't guard every single location at once, a breach was unavoidable.
The unspoken truth, of course, was that the sect deemed its own safety more important than the commoners, so they hadn't stationed their main forces in the evacuation zone to begin with.
Moving alongside Yeo Un-jeok, Seo-jun soon saw torches illuminating the dark night.
In the center of a tight perimeter formed by numerous martial artists, members of the Seven Evil Black Sect were clutching the throats of terrified commoners.
A man who appeared to be the Super Peak master stepped forward, holding a hostage by the neck in each hand.
"Prepare a ship immediately! If you let us leave peacefully, I promise not to lay a finger on these people!"
Staring blankly at the scene, Seo-jun stepped forward. The surrounding martial artists hurriedly parted like the sea to make a path for him.
Standing beside Yeo Un-jeok at the front of the crowd, Seo-jun scratched the back of his head.
Beyond mere annoyance, his first reaction was pure, unadulterated confusion.
"I mean, seriously. Are you a moron?"
He truly couldn't understand why they were acting like this. It made absolutely no sense.