Chapter 227
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 227
Chapter Title: Chapter 227
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 227
Chapter Title: Bandits Live on the Mountains (2)
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There were only two of them.
One young man with no trace of martial arts training.
And another young man who, at best, seemed to have just barely stepped into the early Peak realm—a rather handsome fellow for a guy.
Naturally, she figured she could subdue them easily, without even deploying a single technique from the likes of One Flower Five Leaves Array, just with enough leisure to puff on a pipe of Mangwoocho smoke.
But.
While keeping watch over the man who had already raised both hands in surrender...
No, how could one even call it "keeping watch"?
He couldn't so much as twitch his mouth right now. An invisible sword blade pressed right up to his Adam's apple, forcing him to desperately manage his expression.
Where in the world did "kids nowadays" learn to wield an Invisible Energy Sword?
His common sense came crashing down.
Baek Liyeon's common sense was crumbling just the same.
She had thought that, through all her spars with Geum Sihyeon, she had learned quite a bit and deepened her insight into swordsmanship.
Every single one of her movements—no, every exaggerated breath, every twitch of muscle—was observed without miss, followed by an immediate transmission.
And not a single piece of advice was wrong.
If she swung aiming for a vital point, an invisible formless blast of wind would shoot out immediately, twisting her trajectory ever so slightly.
Even more, it was as if invisible hands gripped her feet, nudging her into the perfect posture.
Real-combat tailored coaching, through and through!
"Kehhehe, not bad at all?"
"That young lady's no ordinary one!"
In response to Baek Liyeon's counters, even the bandits crossing weapons with her couldn't help but let out exclamations of admiration.
Of course.
'Fuck...'
Baek Liyeon's insides were rotting away.
Nevertheless.
Geum Sihyeon and Baek Liyeon had no idea, but the people gathered here were the elders of the Great Branch Stronghold who had retired alongside former chief Seo Taepyeong when he handed the reins to his daughter.
Of course, given their bandit roots, none of them boasted transcendent realms or anything of the sort.
But they could proudly claim to excel over any group in the world at chain assaults and wheel battles. Excluding those cowardly baldies from Shaolin Temple, that is.
Yet even against that relentless barrage, Baek Liyeon didn't retreat an inch. She swung her wooden sword with flawless precision, without the slightest error.
And even when flickers of killing intent occasionally burst forth, the attacks never truly targeted vitals.
How could elite bandits from the Great Branch Stronghold—the pinnacle of the Green Forest Eighteen Strongholds—fail to grasp that intent?
...Of course, the actual Thousand Kills girl (or not) was trembling with the urge to slaughter them all outright, but she kept it off her tongue.
Thus, naturally, Green Forest comrades and WWE/UFC fanatic Baek Liyeon put on a semi-coerced WWE spectacle—the kind you couldn't see even if you paid at Great Branch Mountain.
"Hahat! Try this! Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms!"
"What──"
The middle-aged bandit she'd been crossing swords with—could he actually be a Beggars' Sect master?—caused the tip of Baek Liyeon's wooden sword to waver just a bit.
With Geum Sihyeon's coaching now laced with exasperation, Baek Liyeon barely saw through the feint.
What actually flew at her was a net.
Something orthodox sect folks dismissed as low-class, but one of the most effective tools against middling experts.
A net infused with blatant intent to capture alive.
Baek Liyeon hurriedly channeled sword energy into her wooden sword and swung.
"──!"
But warrior-grade nets were designed tough enough that mere sword energy couldn't snap them easily.
Instead, she panicked upon seeing her blade get tangled in the net.
In that moment of hesitation.
"Hey! Hey!"
Geum Sihyeon forgot all about transmissions and bellowed aloud, berating Baek Liyeon's lax positioning.
And sure enough.
Baek Liyeon ended up fully entangled in the net, sword and all.
Movement restrictions were one thing, but a swordmaster unable to wield her blade freely posed a massive risk.
Baek Liyeon's response was swift.
The moment she sensed mortal danger, she felt the Thousand Kills aura surging within. Her eyes instantly blazed with vicious flames as she drew her real sword from her waist──
"Stop!"
Thousand Kills trainer Geum Sihyeon leaped forward, shoving Baek Liyeon aside.
"Enough!"
A heavy, resonant voice crushed the entire scene.
Seo Taepyeong felt a twinge of absurdity.
[Chunsik: Some crazy young punks showed up looking for the "supreme evil faction guy"?]
[Chunsik: At best Peak realm though]
He might have slaughtered all the human scum and turned them into vegetable fertilizer when he quit as chief and passed it to his daughter.
Still, every last one was born a bandit.
They had to be tormenting the young ones with something like, "Hehe, just shout 'long live Green Forest' nice and meek, and we'll let you go."
That's what he had figured.
So he had come out lighthearted, like a casual stroll.
But what was this scene?
Right at first glance upon arrival.
Had holing up in the mountains dulled their senses completely?
Not only had they surrounded a mere Peak-level guy, they were even pulling wheel tactics on him. He barely suppressed the urge to chew them out.
Fun new toy after ages or not, was that really necessary?
But such thoughts evaporated soon enough.
A blatant sense of wrongness.
The vicious killing intent that occasionally flashed in her eyes resembled Thousand Kills.
Yet she moved with perfect precision beyond any Peak master—calmly, never scattering lethal blows.
And moreover.
His eyes saw it clearly.
Intangible energy wafting softly, instantly correcting any tiny error in those perfect movements.
Follow that source with his gaze, and there...
Alongside Chunsik, who looked utterly unsure if he was the hostage-taker or the hostage.
'Whoa.'
An outright monster.
No trace of that distinctive aura from half-rejuvenated old freaks.
Though seemingly concealed, the glimpses of presence were explosive enough to surpass Fusion Realm.
Even the depth of his inner power was so profound and pure it made Seo Taepyeong tense up momentarily, laced with an irrepressible feral explosiveness.
And it didn't end there.
With every subtle twitch of his fingers.
Not mere wind blades—as if invisible energy swords extended from his fingertips, moving with exquisite delicacy.
How could such a feat exist in this world?
Unbelievable, even seeing it with his own eyes.
Fundamentally different from any known finger technique.
As if each finger had been granted its own tiny new body, controlling the whole seamlessly.
As Seo Taepyeong's curiosity began surging wildly.
"Hey! Hey!"
The shouts from the observing man triggered a sudden shift.
The moment the suppressed Thousand Kills aura flared viciously, Seo Taepyeong stepped forward to shield his men.
At the same instant, the man lunged ahead to save his comrade—or friend.
And then.
No telling who struck first.
The swung axe and sword clashed ferociously.
The Great Branch Mountain shook violently.
Crossing beyond Shaanxi into Henan.
And with plans to spank the guy quick, head back, and crash hard, Seo Dohee raced on.
Thus, before long, the northern fringes of the Great Branch Mountains.
Climb this mountain, ford the valley, scale that peak, crest the hill—destination nearly there, but fatigue was already creeping in.
But what could she do?
Repaying the grace of birth and upbringing meant enduring at least this much.
But it was such a hassle.
Way too much of a hassle...!
This time, upon return, she vowed to grab her father's collar and drag him near Xi'an to lock him up tight—filial impiety be damned.
Such unfilial thoughts swirling, Seo Dohee pressed on with her steps.
And soon.
Boom...!
Flutter flutter...!
Boom, crash...!
Sudden commotion sent birds fluttering skyward, followed by massive qi bursts booming one after another.
"Eh...?"
Seo Dohee's expression hardened.
Opponent unknown.
But one of those two earth-shaking auras was all too familiar—her father Seo Taepyeong's.
Who the hell?
Her mind spun in chaotic circles.
Recently heard that Mad Demon bastard devoured Sa Do-ryeon or something—could it be a Sa Clan raid? No, the opponent's aura was far too pure for that. Murim Alliance then? Why? No real reason, and they knew he'd retired ages ago──
A torrent of emotions exploded forth in an instant.
Seo Dohee bolted toward the clash site as fast as she could.
Crunch, slash, boom...!
Every forest in her path was futilely felled and toppled, but Seo Dohee paid it no mind.
Just recently, she'd finally learned what ordeal her most cherished disciple, Geum Sihyeon, had endured.
Such a demon might have gone after her father too.
Once again, in her absence, unbeknownst to her, someone she knew could be getting hurt.
No more of that. With that single resolve.
Seo Dohee ran desperately.
"Haha! Fun! So much fun!"
"The elder's no slouch himself!"
And into her sight.
"......"
Seo Taepyeong and Geum Sihyeon clashing weapons, bizarrely grinning like kids in utter delight.
What the...? When did this guy get here? Why?
Is Dad losing it or something?
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