Chapter 16
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Shanxi Sword Sect in Peril
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Seol Hwa-un was about to respond to Jin Pyo's tearful plea when he suddenly hesitated.
‘I’m no longer the Martial Alliance Leader. I’m the Young Lord of the Ice Palace now. Is it right for me to get involved in the conflicts of the Central Plains martial world?’
The distance was considerable, and their spheres of activity were entirely different. To them, Seol Hwa-un was nothing more than an outsider from foreign lands.
Ever since entering the Central Plains, he had seen countless locals eyeing their exotic attire with suspicion and aversion.
Even in Shanxi Province, close to the border where resistance to outsiders was relatively low.
Seeing them like that made the Central Plains feel alien to Seol Hwa-un.
‘I…’
As he wavered, Jin Pyo shouted again.
“Please, I beg you! If our sect is trampled by them, the innocent commoners who know nothing of martial arts will be defenseless before their ruthless blades!”
Seol Hwa-un’s eyes widened as if he had realized something.
‘Innocent commoners.’
He couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
‘I forgot the most important thing.’
He had become the Martial Alliance Leader to protect the weak and uphold justice.
It didn’t matter where they were from.
‘I was once the Heavenly Collapse Fist Emperor Do Cheon, and now I’m the Young Lord of the Ice Palace, Seol Hwa-un. But my core hasn’t changed.’
The righteousness deeply embedded in his heart remained unchanged.
Seol Hwa-un helped Jin Pyo to his feet.
“Lead the way.”
Jin Pyo bowed his head in gratitude, his face overcome with emotion.
“Th-thank you, great hero!”
He turned to the remaining Shanxi Sword Sect warriors and shouted.
“Treat the wounded and rest up before returning to the sect! You won’t be of any help if you go like this!”
“Understood!”
Jin Pyo gritted his teeth and unleashed his lightness skill.
“Mu-hwi, Dong-won! Toss me the golden sore medicine and follow!”
“Yes!”
As Seol Hwa-un was about to follow Jin Pyo, a figure suddenly blocked his path.
“……!”
It was the North Wind Brigade Leader. He asked with a stern expression.
“Young Lord, where do you think you’re going?”
“Step aside.”
“I get the gist of the situation. But we’ve already gone too far meddling here. Getting any more involved in the affairs of Central Plains sects is……”
Flash!
In an instant, Seol Hwa-un’s form blurred, and he slipped past the North Wind Brigade Leader in a heartbeat.
“……!”
Caught off guard, the man could only stare blankly as Seol Hwa-un receded into the distance.
“What!”
It was astonishing. Even if he had been off guard, to be bypassed so easily!
His surprise was short-lived. The North Wind Brigade Leader furrowed his brow and muttered.
“Is it because he’s still young? Acting without thinking things through.”
But with no other choice, he too unleashed his lightness skill.
* * *
Shanxi Sword Sect.
A representative righteous sect of Shanxi Province with a long history. Though their martial prowess was lacking, their scale and number of disciples rivaled most sects.
Prioritizing justice and upholding righteousness, the Shanxi Sword Sect enjoyed the support of countless people.
Roar!
Now, the buildings of the Shanxi Sword Sect were engulfed in flames.
A sight that would make any disciple beat their chest in grief, but there was no time to mourn.
Two groups faced off in the sect’s grand training grounds.
The ground was littered with countless corpses, evidence of multiple clashes.
One side was the Shanxi Sword Sect warriors, the other bandits—and the bandits vastly outnumbered them at a glance.
The sect had fewer than a hundred, while the bandits numbered over three hundred. Their presence was formidable.
And for good reason: they were the elites of Ghost King寨 and Red River寨, part of the Green Forest Eighteen Bandits.
Amid the thick murderous aura in the yard, Yo Rip, the leader of Ghost King寨, grinned wickedly and shouted.
“Sect Leader Jin, why not surrender now? I’ll spare your life if you do.”
Jin Tae-u, the Shanxi Sword Sect Leader, bellowed in fury.
“Shut your mouth! Our sect won’t surrender—and even if we did, you lot wouldn’t let us live!”
“Hahaha! Sharp instincts, as always.”
Murderous intent gleamed in the Ghost King寨 Leader’s eyes.
“You’re right. Today, we’ll erase the Shanxi Sword Sect from the face of the earth!”
“You bastard…… Ack!”
Overcome with rage, the Shanxi Sword Sect Leader spat blood and staggered. Nearby disciples rushed to support him in alarm.
“Sect Leader!”
“A-are you alright?”
“I’m fine. No need to fuss.”
But his face was deathly pale. He had already sustained severe internal injuries from the Ghost King寨 Leader in previous clashes.
Yo Rip, leader of Ghost King寨, was one of the top masters among the Green Forest Eighteen Bandits.
Ambitious, he sought to make Ghost King寨 the greatest power in Shanxi and eventually become the overlord of the Green Forest Eighteen Bandits.
The Shanxi Sword Sect, entrenched in Taiyuan, was a thorn in his side.
He was confident of victory in a direct confrontation, but it would come at great cost to Ghost King寨.
The lesser sects nearby were also a concern—they would surely aid the Shanxi Sword Sect if attacked.
Thus, the Ghost King寨 Leader pulled in his old allies from Red River寨 in northern Hebei.
Rather than strike the Shanxi Sword Sect directly, they targeted the surrounding lesser sects.
Unable to withstand them, those sects sought aid, and the Shanxi Sword Sect dispatched elite disciples to help.
The sporadic raids dragged on for days, gradually wearing down the sect like clothes soaked in drizzle—accumulating damage and fatigue.
In the end, the Shanxi Sword Sect lost half its disciples. Seizing the moment, the two bandit strongholds mobilized their elites for a full assault.
The Shanxi Sword Sect Leader sighed in lament.
“The Martial Alliance has abandoned us after all. Has the Vice Sect Leader not returned yet?”
At his question, a nearby disciple replied with a heavy expression.
“Yes. It seems unlikely……”
With no other hope, the Sect Leader had sent Vice Sect Leader Jin Pyo to the Black Refinement Sect as a last resort.
The Black Refinement Sect was the largest in Shanxi Province—rivaling, or perhaps surpassing, the Shanxi Sword Sect.
The problem was their status as an unorthodox sect, long-time enemies of the righteous Shanxi Sword Sect.
A slim chance, but he clung to that faint hope.
“……”
The Shanxi Sword Sect Leader gripped his sword with a resolute expression.
“Disciples, hear me!”
“Understood!”
Despite the overwhelming disadvantage, the Shanxi Sword Sect disciples’ morale remained unbroken.
“Today, you and I may all perish! But against these lawless thieves, that is an honor. Even if our sect vanishes into history fighting them, our ancestors will understand!”
He raised his sword high.
“Fear not death! Take down as many of those villains as you can to protect those who suffer by their hands!”
“Waaaaah!”
As the Sect Leader charged first, his emboldened disciples followed.
The bandits from the two strongholds faltered in surprise.
“Th-these bastards……!”
Clang clang clang!
Overwhelmed by the Shanxi Sword Sect’s momentum, the bandits began to fall back.
From the rear, arms crossed, the Ghost King寨 Leader frowned.
‘Hmph, a temporary surge from emotion. Their stamina will plummet soon enough.’
But he had no intention of dragging it out.
He turned to the Red River寨 Leader beside him.
“Jeon,寨 Leader.”
“Hm?”
“Are you just going to watch your men die?”
The Red River寨 Leader frowned involuntarily.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Make them feel despair.”
The Red River寨 Leader quickly grasped his meaning.
“……Tch, fine.”
‘He could do it himself, so why send me?’
But he couldn’t say that. The Ghost King寨 Leader’s blade was fearsome even to him.
He spun his massive iron rod and slowly approached one man—the Shanxi Sword Sect Leader.
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
Pale-faced, the Sect Leader panted harshly yet swung his sword with terrifying ferocity.
The sword aura clinging to his blade had weakened, but it was enough to fell bandits.
Swoosh!
“Argh!”
‘One more……’
He downed one bandit and turned to find another when a chill suddenly emanated from his left.
Whoooosh!
“……!”
Without time to think, the Sect Leader raised his sword to block.
Claaaang!
Crack!
“Gah!”
He spat blood again and was sent reeling chaotically. His sword was snapped in half.
‘Ugh, who……?’
Turning, he saw a hulking man standing with a massive iron rod. The Red River寨 Leader.
“Residual Blood Rod, Jeon Geum.”
“Oh? You withstood that. Not bad.”
Jeon Geum approached with a sinister smile.
“Jin Tae-u, time to die.”
“Dream on.”
But the hand gripping his broken sword was torn and bleeding, his arm trembling faintly.
The Shanxi Sword Sect Leader calmly assessed his condition.
‘Two more…… maybe?’
Considering his remaining internal energy and stamina, he doubted he could swing more than that.
‘At least take one of his arms!’
Flash!
A sharp sword aura formed on the broken blade, squeezed from his last reserves.
“Ke ke, you think that’ll stop my iron rod?”
“Come on, you thief.”
“Ke ke, bandit, please.”
The Red River寨 Leader swung his iron rod like lightning.
Whoooosh!
It carried brute force but no internal energy.
‘I’ll slice it in one stroke and end you!’
Confident, the Sect Leader thrust his sword to meet it. But.
‘Huh?’
The incoming rod vanished.
‘A feint?’
“Ke kek, did you think I’d be that simple?”
His sword missed empty air, and the Red River寨 Leader’s rod came arcing back.
Whooosh!
Faster than before. Faint saber aura now enveloped it, infused with his internal power.
‘Farewell.’
Jeon Geum was certain this strike would crush the Sect Leader’s skull.
Claaaang!
Yet, astonishingly, a sharp metallic clash rang out, repelling the rod.
“What?!”
‘It’s cold!’
That wasn’t all. A surge of potent yin energy invaded through the rod, nearly wrenching it from Jeon Geum’s grasp.
He circulated his internal energy to expel the yin and examined the rod closely.
Gulp.
He swallowed dryly. Few knew, but his rod was forged with black steel ore, far tougher than ordinary iron.
Even infused with internal energy, it was deeply dented.
‘No way.’
He scanned the surroundings urgently.
“Who’s there!”
He had clearly seen a pure white ring-shaped aura strike his rod.
‘No one in the Shanxi Sword Sect can do that!’
Ssssh.
A chilling cold descended. His head turned instinctively.
“……!”
There stood Seol Hwa-un, emanating a frosty aura, striding toward him.