Chapter 119
Chapter 119
Sudden Intrusion (2)
The Diancang Sect disciple, caught off guard by Se-woon's strike, was sent flying through the air before collapsing, unconscious.
What in the world just happened?
Except for Ungil, the remaining Diancang Sect warriors wore expressions of utter bewilderment. The man they had assumed was an ally from the Central Plains had just revealed himself to be a hidden member of the Beast Palace.
"Ooooh! Welcome, nameless brother!"
"Our nameless brother has come to aid us!"
Wahhh!
Meanwhile, the Beast Palace warriors erupted into cheers.
Their distinctive, boisterous voices echoed across the battlefield.
What a bunch of simple souls.
Se-woon couldn't help but think as he watched them celebrate his arrival with pure joy. Despite their rough, bandit-like appearances, their innate sincerity was unmistakable. Not a single one of them seemed suspicious of his sudden appearance.
"Don't falter! It's just one more enemy!"
"Diancang disciples, draw your swords!"
At that moment, the Diancang warriors steeled themselves, their expressions hardening.
Yet, the resolve in their eyes wasn't quite the same as the grim determination of a life-or-death battle.
Se-woon, drawing from his memories of the past timeline, could already piece together the situation.
This must be before the Diancang Sect's Blood Purge. Just a clash of pride that escalated unexpectedly.
Even in the previous timeline, the Diancang Sect and the Beast Palace—both major factions of Yunnan—had been locked in fierce conflict.
But that had all been due to a misunderstanding.
A scheme orchestrated by the Blood Cult, which had secretly infiltrated the Beast Palace.
Given the current atmosphere, I can make a show of strength that impresses the Beast Palace warriors without seriously injuring the Diancang disciples.
It was true that Se-woon had intervened in this battle to win the Beast Palace's favor.
But that didn't mean he could afford to deal fatal blows to the Diancang Sect's disciples.
The Diancang Sect is part of the Alliance Faction. They'll be valuable allies against the Blood Cult in the future.
The Diancang Sect and its leader, the Four Sun Sword Sovereign, were staunch supporters of the Sword Emperor.
There was no need to weaken their forces.
That was why Se-woon had struck with meticulous precision.
Though the sight of a man being sent flying with a single punch was shocking, if the Diancang warriors retreated to check on their comrade, they'd be puzzled.
I held back so much he'll barely have a scratch.
Aside from minor bruises, the disciple's body would be completely unharmed.
In truth, it was far harder to strike with just enough force to avoid injury than to simply obliterate an opponent.
And Se-woon had executed that delicate control flawlessly.
Now, onto the next act.
Se-woon suddenly raised his voice toward the Beast Palace warriors.
"Brothers, push from your side! I'll drive them back from here!"
"Oho! A fine plan, nameless brother!"
"I, Oldeokjeok, second son of Oldeokgol, shall follow your lead, nameless brother!"
It was time for a proper fight.
The Diancang warriors were sandwiched between the Beast Palace forces on the left and Se-woon on the right.
Whoosh!
Se-woon kicked off the ground, dashing forward just as the Beast Palace warriors surged in from the opposite side, roaring with excitement.
In an instant, Se-woon closed the distance to the enemy.
"You traitor—!"
Ah, that's a nostalgic insult.
Swoosh!
A blindingly fast sword draw flashed toward Se-woon.
The azure sword aura radiating from the blade made it clear—this was a peak-level technique.
Likely one of the Diancang Sect's elite disciples.
The Thirty-Six Splitting Light Swords.
Though inferior to the Four Sun Sword Art—a secret technique reserved for the sect leader's direct disciples—the Thirty-Six Splitting Light Swords was still one of the Diancang Sect's signature techniques.
Clang!
Though devoid of killing intent, the strike carried enough force to incapacitate an ordinary warrior for at least a month.
Swish!
"......Hmph!"
Yet Se-woon effortlessly sidestepped the attack with a single, casual step.
Tsk tsk. Even if you're holding back, dulling your blade like this won't do you any favors.
Se-woon clicked his tongue internally before—
Whoom!
"!!"
—thrusting his fist forward in the shortest, straightest line possible.
The air along the path of his punch rippled violently.
Boom!
Crash!
With another explosive sound, the elite disciple was sent flying through the air, just like his junior before him, before crashing to the ground.
"U-Unjeong, senior brother...?!"
"No way... Senior brother Unjeong was taken down in one punch...?"
The Diancang disciples couldn't hide their shock. One of their top-ranking warriors had been defeated so effortlessly.
"Stay focused! He's coming again!"
"Ghk!"
But they had no time to dwell on their dismay.
"You dare lay a hand on my brothers? Pay the price!"
Whoosh!
Se-woon's voice, gruff and transformed by the Hwanhonjieumga technique, boomed as he charged like a storm, wreaking havoc.
The Diancang warriors finally acknowledged the gap in strength.
No longer attempting to face him one-on-one, multiple elite disciples now surrounded Se-woon.
Only then did the battle seem somewhat balanced.
Hmm, this seems about right for now.
Despite being a master of the Transcendent Realm realm, Se-woon was limited in the martial arts he could display here.
Reverse Heaven Energy, Divine Poison Energy, Golden Arm Energy—
He couldn't use any of his primary internal energy techniques.
The reason became clear when observing the Beast Palace warriors fighting on the opposite side.
"Splitting Cloud Sword Strike!"
"Shut up, Central Plains dogs! Who talks in the middle of a fight?!"
Clang!
Even as razor-sharp blades rained down, the Beast Palace warriors fought bare-handed.
"Hyaat!"
"Black Cat, right side!"
Roar!
They battled alongside tigers the size of houses, yet stubbornly refused to use anything but brute force.
The most astonishing part?
Not a single trace of internal energy emanated from them.
Of course. The Beast Palace doesn't use internal energy.
That was right. The Southern Barbarian Beast Palace was unique in its rejection of internal martial arts.
Instead, its warriors trained exclusively in external martial arts—physical conditioning pushed to the extreme.
While most external martial arts in the Central Plains focused on toughening the body to the point of resembling iron armor, the Beast Palace's secret ancestral methods elevated external arts to a whole new level.
Enough to stand toe-to-toe against sword auras and other internal energy techniques.
Which is why I can't use anything but external techniques either.
It was unavoidable if he wanted to infiltrate the Beast Palace.
He needed to convince them he was one of their own—and the moment he used internal energy, the ruse would be over.
"Huff... We've got him cornered!"
"Take him down slowly!"
Just then, the Diancang elite disciples, panting heavily, shouted as if they had gained the upper hand.
With three elite warriors pressing him from the front, Se-woon's back was now against a wall.
It looked like a moment of crisis—
Pfft.
"......!!"
—but Se-woon curled his lips into a smirk.
How adorable.
The ones cornered weren't him.
It was them.
Whoosh!
Se-woon shot forward at blinding speed, slipping between his opponents.
"Guhk!"
"Block him!"
The elite disciples panicked, swinging their swords in unison.
They had intended to subdue Se-woon without dealing fatal wounds, but his sudden suicidal charge left them no choice.
They didn't want unnecessary casualties, but—
Clang!
Snap!
"......!!"
What the—?!
The tables turned in an instant.
Every sword that struck Se-woon's back and arms bounced off harmlessly.
Some blades even chipped from the impact.
You think mere sword auras can pierce this body?
Se-woon's external martial arts had already reached the pinnacle.
A realm none of the Beast Palace warriors had ever attained.
The Divine Doctor's Robe of Invulnerability.
After all, the Robe of Invulnerability itself originated from the external art Iron Shirt.
He had recreated the technique—which turned clothing as tough as armor—directly on his own body.
"Uwoooh!"
"R-Retreat!"
"Gah!"
Kaboom!
This time, the sound wasn't of a drum bursting but of a cannon firing.
Se-woon, having broken through the rain of swords, rammed into the elite disciples like a battering ram.
Three bodies soared into the air before crashing down.
"Ooooh!"
"The nameless warrior has sent more enemies flying!"
"Incredible! A little higher and they'd reach the clouds!"
The Beast Palace warriors cheered wildly at Se-woon's display.
The battle had been dragging on due to the Diancang warriors' formidable skills—but ever since this mysterious new brother appeared, the tide had turned decisively in their favor.
His muscles are a bit lacking, but...!
His external martial arts are peerless!!
Tch, if only his muscles were a bit bigger!
While the Beast Palace warriors showered him with admiration—
This can't go on!
Ungil, the Diancang Sect's top disciple currently fighting the Beast Palace warriors, changed tactics.
"I'll handle him! Elite disciples, focus on the Beast Palace warriors! Second-tier disciples, rescue the wounded!"
"Yes, senior brother!"
Whoosh!
Confirming his orders were being followed, Ungil—the Diancang Sect's Rising Sun Dragon—charged at Se-woon.
You shameless savage!
His eyes, already sharp, burned with even greater intensity today.
Whooom!
A sword aura far more refined than those of the elite disciples erupted from his blade.
Such breathtaking sword aura!!
The senior brother must be planning to take one of his arms!!
The overwhelming energy—proof of his mastery at the peak of the Extreme realm—drew gasps of awe even from the Diancang disciples mid-battle.
Shing!
The pinnacle of swift swordsmanship, the Sun-Piercing Sword Art, was unleashed upon Se-woon in a single stroke.
Yet Se-woon's gaze didn't waver in the slightest.
Even a top-tier warrior like Ungil, hailed as the Rising Sun Dragon, was nothing more than a worm to him.
Swish!
"......!!"
Se-woon dodged the strike—imbued with all of Ungil's enlightenment—with a mere half-step.
Time to end this.
Thud!
In an instant, Se-woon appeared behind Ungil and delivered a full-force chop to the back of his head.
Darkness swallowed Ungil's vision.
The self-proclaimed Tyrant of Sichuan was out cold.