Chapter 229: Hwangbo Clan Leader (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 229: Hwangbo Clan Leader (1)
"Phew…"
Seo-jun exhaled a slightly ragged breath, his gaze sweeping over the devastated ruins of the Sword Sect.
Nothing drew breath here anymore. He had erased every trace of life; not even a single ant remained.
A lone survivor of a destroyed sect gathering strength to swear bloody revenge? That was far too cliché. He had zero interest in dealing with that kind of headache.
Had there been innocent civilians who knew nothing of the martial world, things might have been different. But given the very nature of the Sword Sect, no such people existed here. He hadn't hesitated for a second.
'Still, I'm glad things went according to plan.'
The rest didn't matter much. His battle against Geom-hyeon, the former leader of the Sword Sect, hadn't strayed from his calculations, making the task relatively simple.
To an onlooker, it might have seemed like an easy victory secured by a single counter-technique like 'Sword Destruction.' Beneath the surface, however, a fierce battle of wits had unfolded.
Seo-jun had secured a relatively easy win because he held far more hidden cards than Geom-hyeon, and because the old master's martial arts were entirely devoted to Ye—absolute sharpness.
Had it been otherwise, Seo-jun would never have intentionally allowed himself to be pierced by the man's blade. If the sheer impact had blown his entire body apart, even he might not have been able to regenerate.
'Showing him my clones last time probably played a part, too.'
That prior display had caused Geom-hyeon to hesitate for a fraction of a second at the very end, creating a decisive opening.
Regardless, the moment the man chose to counterattack instead of retreating, the outcome was set in stone. Winning a battle of wits against an old master who had survived the brutal Murim for decades—that alone made this clash incredibly valuable.
'I'm certain of it now. There isn't a single martial artist in the Central Plains who holds more hidden cards than I do.'
Seo-jun took a deep breath and pulled Geom-hyeon's sword from the bloodstained earth.
According to Jegal Tong, this blade was called the Thousand Flower Sword. Apparently, it was a Divine Weapon of considerable value.
Ching— Riiing—
Gripping the hilt, he activated the Sword Control Art, drawing in the scattered blades from the surrounding ruins. Just the mental strain of magnetically reattaching a thousand fragmented blades back onto the main sword made his head throb.
'I'll leave it at the Namgung Clan; someone there can put it to use.'
It certainly wasn't something he planned on wielding. Controlling a thousand physical blades with the Sword Control Art? That was pure madness. He would much rather just manifest thousands of Qi Swords.
Slinging the Thousand Flower Sword—now locked into its heavy greatsword form—onto his back, Seo-jun kicked off the ground and soared into the air.
The job had wrapped up faster than expected, leaving a comfortable distance between him and the encroaching Transcendent Realm masters of the Black Lotus Union.
'Everything is going according to plan.'
He immediately tore through space to relocate.
The enemy forces were closing in while maintaining a loose perimeter, but their primary goal was simply to block him from fleeing back to the Righteous Faction's territory.
However, Seo-jun had no intention of returning to the Namgung Clan just yet.
'The Great Black Mountain Sect.'
A faction located close to the Sword Sect and a prominent member of the Seven Evil Black Sect. He was going to strike the home base of the bastard who had participated in the ambush on Namgung Jin-cheon.
* * *
Seo-jun traversed the distance by literally tearing through the fabric of space. His speed utterly eclipsed that of most Transcendent Realm masters.
While the Primordial Unity Step played a massive role, the sheer act of ripping through space for travel was an exceptionally profound technique in its own right. Namgung Jin-cheon had used it effortlessly, but that man was an absolute outlier.
In Seo-jun's case, he utilized his absurdly vast domain, tearing the space between his current location and the very edge of his territory. This method was only possible because the space within a domain fell under the absolute control of the martial artist who deployed it.
'My body isn't in perfect condition yet.'
He still felt a lingering, foreign sensation where Geom-hyeon's sword had pierced him. The Astral Qi infused into that strike stubbornly clung to the edges of the wound.
'He was definitely strong.'
He hadn't expected the sheer mental imagery embedded within the Astral Qi to actively hinder his physical regeneration. While Astral Qi generally possessed that characteristic to some extent, Geom-hyeon's was unusually persistent compared to anyone else's.
Perhaps that pure essence of Ye—sharpness—had, to some degree, managed to cut through the very concept of "Seo-jun" himself.
Had the old man progressed just a single step further, he might have truly grasped the essence of the Heart Sword.
BOOM────────!!
Upon arriving in the airspace above the Great Black Mountain Sect, Seo-jun forcefully purged the last remnants of Geom-hyeon's energy.
The foreign sensation in his wound vanished instantly, completely pushed out and cleansed by his own raging Qi.
"Now then…"
Woooooom────────
An astronomical amount of natural energy gathered rapidly between Seo-jun's palms, warping the air itself.
"Nice to meet you."
Without a single hint of a smile, he slammed down the full, unbridled power of his Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art.
* * *
Great Black Mountain, home to the Great Black Mountain Sect, was a rugged, towering peak in Heilongjiang Province.
It was renowned for its breathtaking scenery, boasting uniquely shaped peaks and bizarre, majestic rock formations. But now…
"That absolute lunatic."
Heuk-gang, the leader of the Great Black Mountain Sect, gnashed his teeth as he stared at the hollowed-out, hideous crater that used to be his mountain. This was unmistakably the work of that madman, the Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord.
'Did he know that old man Ryeo-won wasn't here?'
Ryeo-won was a former master of the Great Black Mountain Sect. Although he was a Transcendent Realm master, his whereabouts had been completely unknown since he assisted in the Union's operation some time ago.
That was just the way the old man operated. He was likely off drinking in some remote tavern. He wasn't called a "former master" for nothing; he rarely stepped onto the front lines anymore, treated more like a relic of a bygone generation than an active combatant.
"…I am sorry, Sect Leader. We tried to hold our ground, but…"
Heuk-gwol, a surviving disciple of the sect, bowed his head in shame. Heuk-gang shook his head bitterly.
"Enough. This happened because I was away."
The Sword Sect and Great Black Mountain were geographically close. Because of the Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord's sudden rampage, the Great Black Mountain Sect had suffered catastrophic damage.
Heuk-gang had fully intended to use the encirclement as an opportunity to eliminate the Heavenly Lord once and for all, only to find his own home base obliterated instead.
He had been completely blindsided.
'He's a monster, all right.'
No one in their right mind would dare dive deeper into the Black Lotus Union's territory while being actively hunted by multiple Transcendent Realm masters. By the time Heuk-gang realized something was horribly wrong and rushed back, half of the Great Black Mountain Sect had already been pulverized into dust.
"What are the casualties among the disciples?"
"…Four Super Peak masters alone have perished."
Heuk-gang ground his teeth, channeling his internal energy into his eyes. Woom! A strange, dark pattern manifested in his irises, and the ambient Qi in the area began to violently fluctuate.
Rumble—!
The massive boulders that had crushed the sect's grand pavilions rose into the air, while the shattered debris was telekinetically sorted and piled to one side.
The broken bodies of the disciples were gently gathered as well, but… many were so gruesomely mangled they couldn't even be identified, let alone given a proper burial.
'…Cunning bastard!'
Now, far from seeking revenge, Heuk-gang couldn't even afford to step foot outside the sect.
The Namgung Clan was located deep within the heart of the Righteous Faction's territory, making it a nightmare to infiltrate. Unless an assassin was exceptionally confident in their Lightness Skill, they would simply be marching to their own execution.
The entire reason they couldn't catch the Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord in the first place was because his Lightness Skill was completely off the charts.
And that was the core issue. What if that demonic boy returned the exact moment Heuk-gang left? The remnants of the Great Black Mountain Sect would be wiped off the map permanently.
"Damn it…!"
A trickle of blood leaked from Heuk-gang's tightly clenched teeth.
The Sword Sect was annihilated.
The Great Black Mountain Sect was half-destroyed.
These were the humiliating results of their grand encirclement.
* * *
After leaving his explosive "greetings" at Great Black Mountain, Seo-jun took a long detour to the east, smoothly slipping back into the Namgung Clan's estate.
The perimeter the Union had formed was decent, but if they truly wanted to trap him, they should have gathered at least six Transcendent Realm masters and coordinated a proper net.
At their current speed, they would only ever be chasing his shadow.
Given the Black Lotus Union's stretched resources, deploying that much manpower was likely impossible anyway, but that was hardly Seo-jun's concern.
"I'm back."
As he perched on the high compound wall and waved his hand, Namgung Su-ah looked up and offered a soft, welcoming smile.
"You're back?"
Her expression was noticeably brighter than before. Had something helped her mood? He didn't know the exact reason, but her condition seemed vastly improved, and that was enough for him.
Seo-jun hopped lightly down from the wall and immediately pulled Namgung Su-ah into a tight embrace.
"Is this enough?"
"Hehe, you didn't forget?"
"Of course not."
Letting out a soft giggle, Namgung Su-ah leaned in and whispered into his ear.
"Then, hold me a little tighter."
Even tighter?
He was momentarily worried about crushing her, but then remembered she was a Super Peak master herself. A tight hug wasn't going to snap her ribs.
Squeeze!
He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her so tightly that her slender waist arched against him.
"Haa…"
Exhaling softly at the intense pressure, she leaned her head against his chest, smiling contentedly.
Seo-jun playfully poked Namgung Su-ah's flushed cheek and asked, "By the way, do we have guests? The estate feels a bit hectic today."
"Ah, the delegation from the Hwangbo Clan has arrived."
"Already?"
"Yes. Since Lady Hwangbo is staying here, they made haste."
"Ah, right."
Since his future sister-in-law hailed from the Hwangbo Clan, it wasn't strange for them to arrive early to discuss matters.
Sweeping his constantly active domain over the estate to gauge the situation, Seo-jun took Namgung Su-ah's hand.
"Let's head to the Family Head's Hall. Chun-bong is wandering around near there, too."
* * *
After scooping up a wild Geum Chun-bong along the way, Seo-jun made his way toward the Family Head's Hall.
Namgung Myeong hadn't officially ascended to the position of Family Head just yet, but due to the clan's current circumstances, he was utilizing the grand hall. Since he was already handling all the practical duties of the Family Head, no one raised an issue.
'It still feels strange.'
Seo-jun used Void Object Grasping to push open the heavy wooden doors.
Back when his father-in-law was alive, these doors would always open on their own to welcome him. Pushing aside the sudden wave of melancholy, he stepped inside, receiving respectful salutes from the clan's martial artists stationed along the corridor.
"Myeong, I'm coming in."
"Yes, Brother."
Entering the spacious room, he found Namgung Myeong sitting quietly alongside Hwangbo Hye-ji.
Aside from her, no other members of the Hwangbo Clan were present. Since evening was fast approaching, the formal greetings and banquets had likely already concluded.
"Senior Jin Gi-jae-cheon."
Accepting Hwangbo Hye-ji's formal fist-and-palm salute, Seo-jun offered a casual nod. "It's been a while. How are things with your mother lately?"
Hwangbo Hye-ji glanced cautiously at Namgung Myeong before answering.
"Very well. My mother seems to have finally understood my intentions and is now strictly focusing on her training."
Judging by her stiff tone, it sounded more like she was half-forcing her mother into secluded cultivation. Seo-jun chuckled in amusement and took a seat.
"Well, that's good to hear. I'm not interrupting anything between you two, am I?"
"Ah, no…" Hwangbo Hye-ji's cheeks flushed slightly red. "It's nothing like that."
Despite her shy denial, she didn't look nearly as bright as he expected a newly reunited fiancée to be. Was something wrong?
Glancing over at Namgung Myeong, Seo-jun noticed the young man wearing a similarly bittersweet, strained smile.
Seo-jun realized it instinctively. That unfamiliar presence of a Transcendent Realm master he had felt upon entering the estate… perhaps…
"Did the Head of the Hwangbo Clan say something out of line?"
"Ah…"
Namgung Myeong and Hwangbo Hye-ji let out identical, startled gasps simultaneously.
'Would you look at this.'
Seo-jun's eyebrow twitched dangerously. A cold, peculiar smile played on his lips.
'Does this guy need a brutal beating to come to his senses, too?'
First, it was Hwangbo Jun. Then, it was Hwangbo Hye-ji's mother. It seemed the high-and-mighty members of the Hwangbo Clan generally needed to be knocked around a bit before they learned how to behave properly.
Seo-jun calmly stood up from his chair.
"If something like this was happening, you should have told me immediately."
"Brother?"
"Just wait here. I'll go take care of it."
If the Head of the Hwangbo Clan wanted to march into another family's home and act all high and mighty, Seo-jun was more than happy to deliver a violent reality check.
"That disrespectful bastard. Who the hell does he think he is, looking down on the Head of the Great Namgung Clan?"
The Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord, Lee Seo-jun, turned on his heel and marched out of the hall.