Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Crushing the Heavenly Water Five Heroes
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It was unmistakably a Taoist muttering something about the Wudang sword.
What the hell was going on right now?
The distance between the merchant ship and the main ship was nearly five zhang apart.
Far too great a gap to leap across in a single bound.
No way? Water Strider?
Impossible. There was no way a greenhorn Taoist in his twenties could unleash the legendary lightness skill known as Water Strider.
Even Du Nak-tong, who had reached the realm of perfect elasticity, would struggle with a distance like that.
Shring.
While Du Nak-tong was sorting through his jumbled thoughts, Jinmu slowly drew the sword he held horizontally at his side.
Du Nak-tong watched the blade gleam as it emerged into the sunlight.
"You son of a bitch!"
He had no idea what was going on, but one thing was clear.
The insolent Taoist had boarded his main ship without permission.
Du Nak-tong bellowed furiously.
"Kill him!"
At his shout, the bandits drew their weapons and charged toward the bow.
Jinmu's gaze shifted to Du Nak-tong as he eyed the horde of bandits swarming across the deck.
No need to worry about the flanking sloops.
Neither Cheongsang of the Radiant Sword nor Cheongu of the Seven Stars Fist were pushovers; they could handle the bandits without issue.
That left only the main ship for Jinmu to deal with.
'No need to fight them all.'
Just take down the leader, Du Nak-tong, and it would be over.
"Hah!"
With a shout, his foot shot up high.
A cold smile curled on Jinmu's lips.
And then.
Thud.
A tremendous crash rocked the ship as a thousand geun of crushing force slammed down, deeply buckling the bandits' main vessel.
As the bow crumpled, the stern shot up like a lever, exposing the hull.
"Urk!"
The ship tilted sharply off balance, and the bandits rushing toward Jinmu scrambled desperately to steady themselves.
The moment his foot hit the deck, the vessel lurched violently, throwing the bandits off kilter.
Bam!
Jinmu used the momentum to launch himself skyward.
"Du Nak—TOOOONG!"
With a thunderous roar that blotted out the sun, Jinmu plummeted down, slashing vertically as if to cleave Du Nak-tong in two with one stroke.
Claaang!
But Du Nak-tong wasn't the only one in the Heavenly Water Stronghold.
As Du Nak-tong recoiled, a massive cleaver whipped horizontally from in front of him, the clash ringing across the deck like thunder.
"You green little punk!"
The man blocking Jinmu's path with his whirling cleaver was a hulking brute rivaling Cheongu's size.
The only difference? Muscle instead of fat.
"You've lost your damn mind. Boarding the main ship wasn't enough—you're gunning for the stronghold lord?"
"......"
Four more appeared behind the cleaver-wielding man.
All bronzed skin, packed muscle, and ferocious glares.
Jinmu eyed them coolly.
No tension or wariness in his expression.
If anything, annoyance?
"And who the hell are you lot?"
"Hmph, you've probably heard of us. We're the Heavenly Water Five Heroes, the elite of the Heavenly Water Stronghold."
Nope, never heard of you.
And what a half-assed name.
Heavenly Water Five Heroes? Sounded like small fry just from the title—strength drained right out of you hearing it.
"Fool, hitting the flanking sloops first was smart, but you were way too reckless."
But Du Nak-tong seemed to disagree.
With the Five Heroes blocking his path, he looked like he'd summoned a heavenly army.
"Punk, you underestimated us. The left and right sloops..."
"Gaaah!"
Before Du Nak-tong could finish, a scream erupted from the left sloop.
Not Cheongsang's, obviously.
"O-Old Five?"
p>Du Nak-tong's bulging eyes caught sight of a bandit with both arms severed, bleeding profusely, and Cheongsang looming with his robes bloodied and murderous.
And the blue energy emanating from the sword in Cheongsang's hand.
"S-Sword aura?"
Du Nak-tong's face twisted in disbelief.
Faint, but unmistakable sword aura. From someone who looked barely twenty.
"Looks like the left flank's done."
Jinmu slung his sword over his shoulder and sneered.
"Now, how's the right side holding up?"
"......!"
As if politely guiding them, Jinmu's words drew Du Nak-tong and the Five Heroes' gazes naturally to the right.
Crack! Thwack!
He was getting pummeled.
The right sloop's boss, Baektan, his obese flesh jiggling under his robes, was taking heavy blows from wild punches, grunting with each hit.
"Right side looks about wrapped up too."
"......"
This easily?
They were the Heavenly Water Stronghold's elites, survivors of countless battles who had crossed the line between life and death.
And yet.
"Alright, that leaves just the main ship. Can't have my juniors outshining their martial uncle, right? Where's the face in that?"
Brilliant blue sword energy surged vividly from Jinmu's body.
"Martial uncle?"
He'd assumed the left-flank punk pulling sword aura meant First Generation Disciple.
Then...
A Wudang elder in his twenties?
Absurd.
Not like some legendary rejuvenated immortal.
"Damn it!"
No way that kid was an elder.
The 'martial nephew' talk must've been him mishearing 'martial brother.'
Even if stronger than his underlings, probably just faint sword aura at best.
And even if a bit stronger, no issue.
The punk was alone.
Didn't see how he crossed, but reinforcements were too far off.
So, kill him quick, sink the Qingyang Merchant Group's ships, done.
"What are you idiots doing? Kill him!"
At Du Nak-tong's roar, the Five Heroes spread out with ferocious auras.
"Who? You lot? Me?"
Jinmu flashed a wicked grin at the shout.
Shuuuuk! Crackle!
Blue sword energy erupted from Jinmu's sword, gouging into the wooden deck.
"......?"
Sword aura for sure.
Moreover, a deep, vibrant blue rivaling their own—high-density stuff.
'Fuck. Did the crumbling Wudang hold an elixir feast or something? Why are their kids this strong?'
Du Nak-tong and even the Five Heroes' eyes bulged like saucers.
Sword aura wasn't child's play—green Daoists wielding it this easily?
"You third-rate candy hawking punks think you can kill me?"
Pretty fresh taunt.
Comparing him to sticky, sweet candied fruit. Skilled in martial arts and trash talk—this Daoist had game.
But no time to admire it.
Bam!
In that instant.
The moment Jinmu stepped forward a pace and launched.
Crack!
Jinmu's knee buried deep into the face of the Five Heroes' leader, Yi Chi-ryong.
"You bastard!"
Caught off guard, the Five Heroes swung their weapons in unison.
Startled, but effective response.
Whoosh!
As the four weapons converged, Jinmu's form blurred into afterimages and scattered.
Thwack!
"Grahhh!"
The third, Du Gyeon, twisted sideways with a agonized scream.
Jinmu's fist embedded deep in his side.
And that fist swiftly hammered the opposite flank, then his face.
Thud!
Grabbing the collapsing Du Gyeon's collar, Jinmu kept pummeling.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
Downing Yi Chi-ryong and beating Du Gyeon to a pulp happened in a blink.
Du Gyeon, a bloody mess, dangled in Jinmu's grip.
And Jinmu's fists showed no sign of stopping, though they could've.
"You punk! Stop that!"
As the second, Wang Jeok, swung his iron mace at the brutal sight of his brother-in-arms, Jinmu hurled Du Gyeon by the collar.
There, released.
"Eek! You vile scum!"
Wang Jeok frantically halted his mace to avoid hitting Du Gyeon.
"Told you to let go, and now you curse me?"
Crunch!
Jinmu's toe speared Wang Jeok's solar plexus without missing a beat.
"Guh!"
Boom!
Jinmu's head smashed straight into Wang Jeok's nose bridge.
"Guek!"
Before the fourth, Han Dugwang, could follow up.
"Too slow, you moron!"
Crack!
Han Dugwang's jaw shattered against Jinmu's upkicking foot.
Crunch!
Stepping on and snapping Wang Jeok's leg as he fell back.
Wham! Wham! Wham!
Jinmu mercilessly battered Han Dugwang's airborne body with his scabbard.
"You damned Daoist bastard!"
Didn't even use sword aura.
Just fists and feet turned the Heavenly Water Stronghold's elite Five Heroes into rags.
In merely five steps.
Du Nak-tong's face twisted demonically at the scene.
"You fucking dog! You're begging to die, chanting your sutras!"
As Du Nak-tong surged with rage at the sight of his fallen, battered Five Heroes.
Shuuuk!
Blue energy lanced from his cleaver.
Should've done that from the start.
But what now?
Too late.
Should've ganged up from the beginning.
Used underlings as bait, ambushed with poison, hidden weapons, arrows—anything.
Not like they were righteous sect types; why bother with honor?
Bandits weren't honorable for a reason.
If so pure, open a dojo, teach kids.
Help the needy, do charity.
Shameless evil faction hack with no pride.
"Die, you bastard!"
Grrrumble!
Du Nak-tong gripped his cleaver two-handed and swung at the approaching Jinmu, blade qi roaring like a dragon as it extended.
In that moment.
Jinmu charged straight into the blade qi.
"Got you..."
Clang! Grind!
Expecting impalement, Jinmu deflected the qi with his scabbard instead, his form stretching forward.
"Hup!"
Du Nak-tong yanked back his cleaver at Jinmu's penetration in a single pace.
The shot blade qi whipped like a lash toward Jinmu's back.
'Die, punk!'
From watching Jinmu's moves, aiming below the ribs.
Du Nak-tong planned to trade his own flank for a fatal slash.
But.
Jinmu's palm thrust unexpectedly from an odd angle.
"Heup!"
Du Nak-tong frantically gathered qi and countered.
Claaaang!
The light palm strike chained into a storm of escalating force.
Wudang's Cotton Palm.
Minus the preparatory stance it should have.
Boom!
"Grk!"
Du Nak-tong groaned deeply after the thirty-sixth shift, shoved back.
"Urk!"
Crimson-black blood sprayed as he reeled.
Silence fell over the bandits crowding the Heavenly Water main ship at their leader's state.
Only Jinmu stood at the center, staring blankly at his palm.
Imperfect palm technique mimicking some nameless elder.
Applied to Wudang's Cotton Palm.
"Not bad."
Jinmu grinned and turned.
And then.
Jinmu advanced on Du Nak-tong, viscous blue sword energy rising.
"You fucking bastard!"
Du Nak-tong couldn't contain his boiling fury.
His gut roiled, ready to burst.
Glancing around, his men all wore terrified faces.
'Useless trash.'
Bandits were like that.
Numbers, sure, but elites? Few.
Most joined out of desperation.
They fought hard only with elites guarding their backs.
With top elites like the Five Heroes pounded like dogs and even him vomiting blood, morale collapse was natural.
In the end.
"You double-dog bastard. Fine! Let's go all the way!"
Heavenly Water Stronghold Lord Du Nak-tong channeled all his qi into his cleaver.
Clink!
The rings on the tip trembled finely from the surging energy.
Grind! Grind!
Du Nak-tong scraped the deck and charged.
"Hah!"
The gouging blade rose perpendicularly.
Lightning-fast.
Whoosh!
Fierce wind pressure swept Jinmu's front.
'Cross Blade Qi.'
Many elites targeting Du Nak-tong had their waists severed by this trick.
Thus, he was called "Waist-Cleaving Blade."
The Waist-Splitting Saber.
A monstrous cross slash: massive jaws to draw eyes, hidden claws to bisect foes.
Du Nak-tong's most trusted ultimate technique, evil faction master's pride.
Jinmu sidestepped the vertical first slash.
Now!
"Kekeke! Got you, punk!"
Seizing Jinmu's direction post-dodge, Du Nak-tong smugly yanked his hooked saber from his waist.
End. This'll sever his waist...
Claaaang!
But the hooked blade barely emerged before halting.
"......!"
Foot.
As Jinmu sidestepped and closed in, his foot stomped hard on Du Nak-tong's hand drawing the hooked saber.
"Sneaky bastard. This ends it."
"......!"
Jinmu seized Du Nak-tong's hair.
The sword clattered away, and Jinmu's fists rained down divinely.
Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!
The screams of the great Lake Bandit Du Nak-tong echoed endlessly across the river.