114
Chapter 114
"This is not a sword for the likes of you to wield."
The Hundred-Faced Old Demon's face twisted as he saw the murderous intent swirling in Mu Hwi's violet pupils. A grotesque expression that seemed both angry and laughing at the same time. One thing was certain—he was undoubtedly enjoying himself.
Even as Mu Hwi locked eyes with the Hundred-Faced Old Demon, he stretched out his left hand and snatched the broken blade of the Black Iron Greatsword.
'Yes. This is my sword.'
Despite not having held it in a long time, it fit perfectly in his hand, just as it had some time ago.
Whoosh!
Even without consciously channeling his inner energy, the Black Iron Greatsword briefly emitted a sword cry. But Mu Hwi had no time to dwell on it.
He immediately clenched his right fist and, like a hammer strike, slammed down on the blade of the Plum Blossom Sword with all his might.
Boom!
The Plum Blossom Sword, already piercing the Hundred-Faced Old Demon's palm, drove even deeper into the ground. At the same time, Mu Hwi's left hand, gripping the Black Iron Greatsword, rose above his head.
Whoooosh!
The Black Iron Greatsword, infused with the Purple Sunset Divine Energy, turned violet. In place of the broken blade, a surge of violet sword energy erupted, filling the void.
Swish!
A sword energy so dense it formed a complete blade in midair. The Black Iron Greatsword, momentarily restored to its full form by the Purple Sunset Divine Energy, slashed diagonally.
Clang!
The Hundred-Faced Old Demon extended his left palm to block the Black Iron Greatsword. A metallic screech rang out repeatedly from his palm as it deflected the blade.
The Hundred-Faced Old Demon's left hand, shifting from a palm strike to a claw technique, began scraping along the Black Iron Greatsword's blade, pushing it back.
"Kehehe!"
Sensing danger, the Hundred-Faced Old Demon swung his right hand—still impaled by the Plum Blossom Sword—downward, smashing it into the ground.
Kwaaang!
The sheer force of the strike tore the Plum Blossom Sword loose, sending it flying upward. With his right hand now mangled and bleeding, he immediately unleashed a palm strike toward Mu Hwi's chest, spraying blood.
Sssk!
Mu Hwi countered with the Plum Blossom Scattering Hands, dispersing the force of the palm strike. But the gale-like pressure was overwhelming.
'Tch.'
The Hundred-Faced Old Demon's palm strike, traveling through Mu Hwi's meridians, worsened his internal injuries. He could feel blood rising in his throat.
Yet Mu Hwi didn't focus on defending against the palm strike. Instead, he concentrated his inner energy into the Black Iron Greatsword, pressing the blade toward the Hundred-Faced Old Demon's neck.
Creak!
The Hundred-Faced Old Demon's left hand, blocking the Black Iron Greatsword, was slowly being pushed back. The blade inched closer, sending a chill down his neck.
"Kekekeke!"
Amused by Mu Hwi's willingness to risk death, the Hundred-Faced Old Demon burst into laughter.
The two masters now engaged in a simultaneous clash of inner and outer energy.
Their muscles trembled violently as they channeled their inner energy through their locked hands and blades, each trying to overpower the other.
In terms of outer energy, Mu Hwi had the upper hand, but the Hundred-Faced Old Demon surpassed him in inner energy. On top of that, Mu Hwi was already exhausted from his earlier battle with the Sword King and suffering from internal injuries.
"In this life-or-death moment, this strange tug-of-war is oddly entertaining. To think I’ve lived this long without knowing such pleasure. Kekekeke!"
The Hundred-Faced Old Demon spoke with leisure, but Mu Hwi couldn't open his mouth. Black blood dripped between his tightly pressed lips.
'Damn this old monster!'
Fighting two Transcendent Realm masters in a row was indeed overwhelming.
Still, Mu Hwi relentlessly gnawed at the Hundred-Faced Old Demon, explosively wielding the Purple Sunset Divine Technique.
He reserved only the bare minimum energy needed to maintain the Plum Blossom Scattering Hands, pouring everything else into the Black Iron Greatsword.
Thanks to that, the gap between the blade and the Hundred-Faced Old Demon's neck had narrowed to the width of a finger.
By now, the Hundred-Faced Old Demon had closed his eyes, focusing entirely on shaking Mu Hwi's insides with his White Ape Palm Technique. Blood gushed from Mu Hwi's nose and mouth.
The two masters stood frozen like statues, their entire bodies trembling as they fought for dominance.
Just as their struggle reached a stalemate, a gust of wind swept past them.
"If I were from the orthodox set, I might have respected the pride and honor of martial artists and stayed out of this."
Dokgo Yul, who had hidden himself at a distance when the battle began, appeared beside the Hundred-Faced Old Demon, swinging his heavy sword.
"But my master was the First Sword of the Evil Path. I’m sure this is what he would have done."
Dokgo Yul didn’t give the Hundred-Faced Old Demon time to speak. He swung his arms with all his might, unleashing a sweeping slash with his heavy sword.
"To those who followed him—"
Swish!
The Hundred-Faced Old Demon’s words were cut short.
The heavy sword cleanly split the air, and the Hundred-Faced Old Demon's head soared upward. His body slumped forward, lifeless.
Mu Hwi, drenched in the Hundred-Faced Old Demon's blood, also dropped to one knee.
"Ugh..."
Gripping the Plum Blossom Sword to steady himself, Dokgo Yul quickly supported him.
"Are you alright?"
"I’m fine. And you did well."
As Mu Hwi smiled, Dokgo Yul smiled back. But then his smile faded as he looked at the Hundred-Faced Old Demon's decapitated corpse.
"For all his evil deeds, his end feels too... Insignificant."
"In this world, is there any death that stands out? Those who live by the sword mostly meet such ends."
Mu Hwi was satisfied that the Hundred-Faced Old Demon hadn’t escaped. It was fortunate that he had kept charging at him, confident in his victory. Had he fled, Mu Hwi might not have been able to stop him.
Looking at the Hundred-Faced Old Demon's head, still wearing that eerie smile, Mu Hwi frowned.
"Damn old monster."
Having finally slain the Hundred-Faced Old Demon, who had schemed between the Sword Saint and the Sword Devil in his past life, Mu Hwi felt a weight lift off his shoulders.
'To think I’d live long enough to be saved by my own disciple...'
When Mu Hwi stared at him intently, Dokgo Yul asked with a puzzled look.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"No reason."
At Mu Hwi's faint smile, Dokgo Yul scratched his head with a slightly dumbfounded expression.
***
Clang!
Kwaaang!
Sword energy and sword winds raged from all directions, while the petals of scattered sword energy rippled under the relentless bursts of fist strikes.
"Hyeon Gak! Assist Muryun and Muho!"
"Apply more pressure on the Kun (坤) and Kan (坎) positions!"
The shouts of Hyeon Baek and the elders of the Paewangseong echoed simultaneously within the cave. The Twenty-Four Hands Plum Blossom Sword Formation spun like a top, ferociously rotating.
Around the flower-shaped formation, violet petals fluttered down like snowfall.
The sword energy petals swirling around the formation seemed to protect the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, maintaining them.
Clang!
A martial artist from the Four Kings Unit swept aside a thick cluster of petals, only to block two Plum Blossom Swords slashing at his chest in quick succession.
"Tch!"
The formation's transformations were endless, and the sword energy petals constantly obstructed vision, limiting movement.
The flower-shaped formation rotated relentlessly, pushing back enemies while swaying like petals in the wind, effortlessly deflecting the assaults of the Four Kings Unit and the Giant Dragon Unit.
Like the Hwasan Sect's sword techniques, the formation was unpredictably fluid. Combined with the occasional blossoming of plum flowers from the Twenty-Four Hands Plum Blossom Sword Technique, their opponents were struggling.
'This formation is exquisite. Since when did Hwasan have such a technique?'
The elder of the Bloodshed Clan watched the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, their movements synchronized like gears in a machine.
No matter how advanced the formation, it would be useless if the martial artists executing it were lacking.
While the first-generation disciples were formidable, the fact that second-generation disciples—barely mid-tier experts—were mixed in had initially amused him.
Yet, even these second-generation disciples held their ground against the relentless assaults of the Four Kings and Giant Dragon Units. They didn’t seem like mere fledglings.
"And those youngsters..."
The Bloodshed Clan's gaze turned toward the Hwasan Three Flowers.
Kwaaang!
As Mu-cheol disrupted the Giant Dragon Unit's coordination with his Iron Plum Sword Technique, Mujin and Mu-hwa flanked from both sides, launching surprise sword strikes. The elder clicked his tongue.
They weren’t just defending—they were actively cutting down elite attackers while maintaining the formation.
"Plum Blossom Swordsmen? Just who are these people?!"
The Paewangseong elder’s muttering made the Bloodshed Clan elder cross his arms.
"If word spreads that two elite martial forces couldn’t break an unnamed formation of the Hwasan Sect, it’ll be a disgrace."
"Hmph. We were conserving strength to deal with the Hwasan Sword Devil, but this is a disaster."
Just as the elders of the Paewangseong and Bloodshed Clan prepared to join the assault, they froze at the sight of a figure emerging beyond the stone gate.
"The Hwasan Sword Devil!"
Even without orders from the elders, the Four Kings and Giant Dragon Units halted.
A vicious wave of energy, as if tearing through space itself, swept over them. The elders stiffened as the hairs on their skin stood on end.
Mu Hwi's robes were drenched in blood, but there was no way to tell whose it was.
His aura was far too fierce for someone who should have been injured.
Mu Hwi’s gaze swept over the Four Kings and Giant Dragon Units, then the elders behind them. None dared meet his violet-glowing eyes.
"Will you die, or will you retreat?"
A razor-sharp energy, cold as a mountain of swords, merged with a murderous intent as dense as flames.
Those exposed to it quietly lowered their weapons. Their spirits were utterly crushed.
'Such pressure...'
'If we clash now, we’ll die.'
The elders felt their backs drenched in sweat, the droplets trickling down their spines.
They were grateful their hands were clasped behind their backs—it hid their trembling.
The elders of the Paewangseong and Bloodshed Clan exchanged glances and nodded.
"Let’s withdraw."
Had they subdued the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, it might have been different. But as things stood, their chances were slim.
The Hwasan Sword Devil’s infamy was already widespread. Fighting wasn’t even an option.
The Paewangseong and Bloodshed Clan tucked their tails and left.
Mu Hwi’s reputation alone had won the day.
As the enemies retreated, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen dispersed the formation and rushed to Mu Hwi’s side.
"What happened?" Hyeon Baek asked, examining Mu Hwi’s bloodied state.
Mu Hwi glanced at the broken Black Iron Greatsword in Dokgo Yul’s hand.
"The Hundred-Faced Old Demon’s schemes."
As Mu Hwi explained, the faces of Hyeon Baek and the other Plum Blossom Swordsmen hardened.
***
On their way down the mountain after exiting the cave, no one blocked their path.
It should have been swarming with opportunistic martial artists, yet it was eerily quiet.
Mu Hwi only understood why when they reached the Hwasan Sect’s tents at the mountain’s base.
As the Plum Blossom Swordsmen began packing up, martial artists from other sects gathered under Hwasan’s banner.
The crowd was massive—almost like being surrounded by an army.
The sheer number alone made the atmosphere tense.
"What did you find in the cave?"
"Is it true Hwasan monopolized the treasures?"
For this moment, every martial artist outside Hwasan stood united. Their numbers inflated their confidence.
Voices grew louder, fueled by self-assurance.
"Leaving the cave so quickly—you never planned to share, did you?"
Hyeon Baek glared at the distant elders of Paewangseong and Bloodshed Clan, undoubtedly the instigators.
"Esteemed swordsmen of Hwasan wouldn’t lie. Tell us the truth!"
"Exactly! We have a right to know!"
Shouts erupted from all directions.
"Everyone, calm down!" Hyeon Baek yelled, but his voice was drowned out.
With so many masters present, the scene quickly devolved into chaos.
The martial artists’ eyes gleamed with greed. Logic and reason had no place here.
Mu Hwi realized words alone wouldn’t resolve this.
"Silence."
A single voice, cold and domineering, cut through the noise. The mountain itself seemed to tremble.
The crowd fell silent.
"This cave was the Hundred-Faced Old Demon’s creation. You’ve all been played."
Mu Hwi pointed to the broken Black Iron Greatsword.
"All we gained was his head and this broken blade. What more do you want from Hwasan?"
"But Paewangseong said—"
The speaker stopped mid-sentence as Mu Hwi suddenly raised his hand toward an empty space.
There, Hwasan’s banner fluttered.
Thud!
The banner’s pole tore from the ground and flew into Mu Hwi’s hand.
Gasps spread through the crowd.
"Void Manipulation!"
"That pole must weigh a ton, and he moved it so easily!"
"Don’t tell me the Hwasan Sword Devil has reached the Transcendent Realm?!"
Void Manipulation—using inner energy to move distant objects—was a technique so demanding that even peak masters avoided it. Only Transcendent Realm emperors, attuned to natural energies, were said to wield it.
The Paewangseong and Bloodshed Clan elders gaped in shock.
"I have no patience to persuade or placate you. If words fail, martial power decides. That is the law of this world."
Gripping the banner pole, Mu Hwi drew his sword and declared to the crowd, "As the leader of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, the Plum Blossom Sword Lord, I accept all challenges under Hwasan’s banner."
Silence fell over Bongwon Mountain. None dared step forward.
Only the two characters embroidered on the red banner—Hwasan (華山)—fluttered proudly.
< In this world, is there any death that stands out? > End.
< Hwasan will always stand firm. >