Chapter 421
Chapter 421
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 110
>Chapter Title: The First Realm (2)
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“Sorry, my lord. My skills fall short against him.”
‘My lord?’
Myeongdo King Son Yun’s eyes went wide.
Did he just say “my lord”?
For a moment, he doubted his own ears.
They had been fighting a monstrous foe that required a joint assault, but Ji Oe was a peerless master known as the Mad Sword Guest, utterly obsessed with the sword.
‘...No way.’
Most martial artists were mad about their arts, but compared to Ji Oe, they were mere fledglings.
Ji Oe was the man who had spent nearly half his life as a guest swordsman in Sword Valley, all to surpass Gu Cheon-mu, lord of Eternal Sword Manor—one of the current pinnacle figures in the martial world, called Six Heavens, no, now Seven Heavens.
Who would dedicate their life to defeating someone’s sword, only to serve under another?
But then—
*Pak!*
As Mok Kyung-un yanked the Demonic Sword Akjeuk from where it was embedded in the ground, he said,
“Sword Demon.”
At Mok Kyung-un’s call, a glint entered the eyes of the Sword Demon Ji Oe, who was bowing in respect.
The way he was addressed, and the shift in atmosphere—it was markedly different.
Mok Kyung-un had always spoken deferentially to everyone, whether sincere or not.
Yet now, he exuded the aura of a grandmaster of an era.
‘...After toppling the Heaven-Earth Society, talking about subjugation and all that—he’s truly set on the path of supremacy.’
Not that it was a bad thing.
He was, after all, the Sword Demon Ji Oe’s lord.
The higher he rose, to realms none could easily reach, the better it was for him too.
Ji Oe clasped his hands together and replied,
“Yes, my lord.”
“Rescue that woman over there.”
Where Mok Kyung-un’s gaze fell.
There lay Wi So-yeon, the Heaven-Earth Society lord’s youngest disciple, passed out as if dead.
The Sword Demon Ji Oe gave a slight nod.
“As you command.”
The moment he took a step forward—
“Wait!”
Myeongdo King Son Yun hurriedly shouted, trying to stop him.
Ji Oe turned to him with a puzzled look.
Son Yun glanced back and forth between Ji Oe and Gi Ok-ryeon—daughter of Yangam Valley Lord Gi Hae, who had plopped down on her butt on the ground—with an incredulous expression.
“Haa... haa... Where are the other reinforcements?”
To this, Gi Ok-ryeon answered awkwardly.
“The reinforcements...”
After witnessing her father’s death right before her eyes, she had been immediately dispatched by the Sword Demon Ji Oe.
She hadn’t been able to do anything but focus on bringing back Mok Kyung-un.
Moreover, when she’d reached the main hall plaza, it was an even greater slaughterhouse than this place.
“Lord Myeongdo. There’s no spare manpower there to call for reinforcements...”
“You call that... *cough cough*...”
With his abdomen pierced, Son Yun couldn’t maintain his stance.
*Thud!*
He finally dropped to one knee and looked at Ji Oe.
“Rescuing the young lady is important, but if we don’t deal with that monster, everything will come to naught.”
Ji Oe shrugged.
“Look here. Seems you’re misunderstanding something. You think there are more reinforcements beyond this?”
“Haa... What nonsense are you spouting right now?”
Frustrated, Myeongdo King Son Yun snapped even amid his pain.
He had confirmed Mok Kyung-un’s rapid growth through the Blood Meridian Valley ritual, and heard about it from his disciples as well.
But the hulking man before them, Gang Yeom, was a monster through and through.
Honestly, without the assembly lord—one of the Seven Heavens—stepping in, no one could suppress him one-on-one.
And they thought Mok Kyung-un alone would make a big difference?
Myeongdo King Son Yun said to Gi Ok-ryeon,
“Go back and request reinforcements again. Mok Kyung-un, join forces with Master Ji Oe to take him down. I’ll join you soon... *urgh*...”
Son Yun tried to stand but staggered.
The blow from Gang Yeom’s saber had worsened his wound, causing heavy bleeding.
Right then—
*Tatatat!*
Mok Kyung-un struck his pressure points to seal the bleeding.
At the same time, he yanked out the crude saber embedded in Son Yun’s abdomen.
*Puuk!*
“Guh!”
Myeongdo King Son Yun couldn’t hide his shock.
In a situation where the wound couldn’t be treated, pulling out the saber suddenly meant no way to stop the bleeding.
“Urgh... you!”
Was this bastard trying to kill him?
But Mok Kyung-un pressed his palm to the wound and formed a hand seal with his other hand.
Then—
*Sizzle!*
The wound area heated up intensely.
“Guuuh!”
Son Yun could endure most pains, but this was too much—he twisted in agony, clutching Mok Kyung-un’s shoulder and groaning.
Soon after, Mok Kyung-un shoved him away.
*Pak!*
Son Yun stumbled and pathetically collapsed to the ground.
Mok Kyung-un looked down at him with impassive eyes and said nonchalantly,
“I’ll spare your life since you helped me get here.”
“What?”
Son Yun, sitting on the ground, checked his abdomen.
It seemed he’d cauterized the wound with something like scorching solar energy, but for such a simple method to heal it...
“This?”
Son Yun’s eyes widened.
The wound had already closed up.
What the hell had he done?
Amazed by the bizarre sight, he then saw the Sword Demon Ji Oe chuckle before launching himself toward the masked figures guarding Wi So-yeon.
“J-Ji Oe...”
They couldn’t afford to split their forces...
That was when—
*Boom!*
Mok Kyung-un stomped the ground.
The floor cracked, sending rippling waves through the air.
In an instant, eight out of the twenty or so masked figures surrounding them clutched their chests and vomited blood.
“Gurk!”
“Guh!”
The masked assailants collapsed face-down, writhing in pain.
Seeing this, Myeongdo King Son Yun’s pupils trembled.
Something flashed through his mind.
[Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step?]
[Yes, they say he shattered Shaolin’s 108 Arhats Formation in a single step, hence the name.]
[A single step...]
It was a tale hard to believe even upon hearing it.
Though bedridden by illness, Son Yun remembered the assembly lord’s prime.
Even that lord—could he collapse Shaolin’s famed top force, the 108 Arhats Formation, in one step?
No, impossible no matter how he thought about it.
Yet here, elite masters beyond peak realm crumpled from a single stomp, clutching their chests. He couldn’t help but be stunned.
“You...”
Right then—
*Shuk!*
Mok Kyung-un’s form before him blurred and vanished.
Where had he gone? In a blink, Mok Kyung-un had closed in right before Gang Yeom, who had spread out his stance backward.
This was the monster who hadn’t moved more than two or three steps despite all their joint attacks.
Yet—
*Slash!*
As Mok Kyung-un swung the Demonic Sword Akjeuk, Gang Yeom shifted his massive frame, deploying lightness skill to retreat and widen the gap.
How could a monster like that dodge a mere sword swing?
In that puzzled moment—
*Shhslashshhslash!*
Air split along the sword’s path, and soon the rear walls and building debris cleaved straight in a single line.
The sword intent kept slicing endlessly, its reach unknown.
Yangam Valley Lord Gi Hae’s daughter, Gi Ok-ryeon, gaped at the sight too.
[That man will get even stronger.]
[He’s already surpassed the Five Tigers, the pinnacle of late-stage assembly elites. How much stronger can he get?]
[Who knows. Can’t even gauge it.]
[That much?]
[Yeah. Lately, I’ve even been thinking...]
[What?]
[...He’s a vessel too vast for me, or anyone, to hold.]
[Not even including the assembly lord, right?]
[Sorry to my master, but honestly... yeah.]
Back then, she’d humored her with “Wow, really?” but deep down, she thought that though he’d beaten her beloved senior brother, he was just a righteous faction hostage who’d soon die to mounting enemies.
But now, witnessing this, she couldn’t close her mouth.
This was the monster who hadn’t budged a few steps even under joint assault from her father Yangam Valley Lord Gi Hae, Mad Sword Guest Ji Oe, Myeongdo King Son Yun, and great division leader-level warriors.
And he was overwhelming it?
How strong did one have to be to do that?
*Slash!*
‘This bastard...’
Gang Yeom’s expression soured as he dodged Mok Kyung-un’s sword.
It looked casual, but Gang Yeom’s eyes saw the sword intent carried enough to cleave a small mountain.
That’s why he was properly using lightness skill to evade for the first time in a while.
What the hell was this guy’s identity?
As that one had said, the only one here who could oppose him in flesh was the Heaven-Earth Society lord, heir to that one’s blood.
So what was this strength?
An unforeseen variable even that one hadn’t anticipated?
*Paht!*
*Slash!*
In that instant, sharp sword energy grazed his cheek.
His skin split, but instead of red blood, viscous blue fluid oozed out.
Seeing this, Mok Kyung-un’s eyes narrowed.
“...Not human after all, huh.”
Even Myeongdo King Son Yun, who’d been staring in shock, furrowed his brow.
They’d thought he was so strong he transcended human walls, but never an inhuman being.
Blue blood? What the hell was that?
*Shuk!*
First Realm Gang Yeom wiped the blue blood from his cheek with his sleeve.
The wound mark vanished almost instantly.
“Phew. You finally managed a scratch, and everyone’s making a fuss.”
“A fuss?”
“Impressive, though. I thought you’d dodge it. Human potential really exceeds imagination.”
“No more pretending with that human mask, then?”
“I never claimed to be human from the start. Just fighting at your level.”
*Squeeze!*
At Gang Yeom’s words, strength entered Myeongdo King Son Yun’s clenched fist.
He’d sensed the bastard was holding back to drag things out, but hearing it from his own mouth was humiliating as a warrior.
Yet even more astonishing was Mok Kyung-un’s prowess.
He himself had brought the bastard into the Heaven-Earth Society.
Back then, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’d barely learned any martial arts.
[...This guy might be the real monster.]
Yet in mere half a year, he’d reached an absurd realm.
Unprecedented in martial history.
Then Mok Kyung-un pointed his sword tip at Gang Yeom, who had pulled back distance, and said,
“You’re like that half-white-haired woman. Handling demonic energy like internal energy. Learned from Three Eyes?”
‘!?’
For the first time, Gang Yeom’s expression changed.
‘What the hell?’
The half-white-haired woman he mentioned was surely Chun Chu of the First Realm like himself, and Three Eyes was undoubtedly the third Mokgan.
Knowing that meant that one’s scheme was proceeding as planned—but how was a guy with this level of skill here...?
“You shouldn’t wait around.”
“What?”
“Ah, you haven’t gotten orders from your master yet?”
“What the hell are you—”
“I mean, after abandoning the body you’d just seized and attempting self-destruction, did you even have time to order your underlings to flee?”
*Grooooowl!*
No sooner had Mok Kyung-un finished than scorching heat and immense killing intent erupted from Gang Yeom’s body.
The aura was on another level from before—enough to make everyone nearby jolt and stare.
Ignoring it, Gang Yeom glared ferociously at Mok Kyung-un and snarled,
“It was you. You’re the one Mokgan spoke of.”
*Crunch! Crunch!*
Gang Yeom’s shoulder muscles bulged, sharp scale-like protrusions emerging from his skin...
*Slash!*
“Guh!”
*Shuk! Thud!*
A black line appeared, Mok Kyung-un’s form flickering behind him before stopping.
The Demonic Sword Akjeuk, cloaked in black sword energy, slid into the sheath at his waist.
*Click!*
Turning only his head, Mok Kyung-un sneered at Gang Yeom, who staggered with a hole pierced through his chest center.
“You didn’t expect me to wait, did you?”
[Episode 110: The First Realm (2)] End