Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: The Road Back
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Cheolmaksim watched the unfolding situation in utter bewilderment. "Stop this! Didn't I say I'd stay behind!" "It's too late for that." Moyong Cheon spat the words while glaring at the Sword King. The Sword Demon could handle the Heavenly Firmament Sword Formation, leaving him to deal with the Sword King. The Moyong Clan's elder-level experts could take care of the rest. In truth, Moyong Cheon hadn't even realized these men were the Sword King and Sword Demon. It made sense—he'd never met them before. But their power was unmistakable. In this moment of imminent clash, Dan Hyeong-u finally made his move. The first thing Dan Hyeong-u did was turn his gaze toward Moyong Deok. ⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Heavenly Thunder A bolt crashes down without warning! Dan Hyeong-u hadn't moved a muscle, yet lightning tore from the sky, cleaving Moyong Deok in two. It all happened in an instant.
One bolt sent an icy chill rippling through the hall.
"Th-this... what..."
Moyong Yeonghwan trailed off, shock and fury choking his words. Dan Hyeong-u turned his gaze on him. ⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Heavenly Thunder Target split asunder! Moyong Yeonghwan split in two as well.
Only then did Moyong Cheon grasp how grave things had become. This overlooked fool was a monster of an expert.
"What are you idiots doing? Form the Heavenly Firmament Sword Formation!"
At Moyong Cheon's shout, Dan Hyeong-u shifted his gaze to him. ⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Heavenly Thunder Lightning descends relentlessly! Clang!
Moyong Cheon parried the plummeting bolt with his sword. He'd caught on that lightning followed Dan Hyeong-u's gaze, or he'd never have blocked it.
Crack!
As Moyong Cheon exhaled in relief, fissures spiderwebbed across his Azure Dragon Sword—the one that had weathered the strike.
"Gah! What madness is this?!"
The Azure Dragon Sword was a legendary blade forged from Dark Yin Profound Iron. It had never so much as chipped before. Now cracks raced across it like a spider's web.
Shatter!
The Azure Dragon Sword exploded into fragments. A thin rivulet of blood trickled from the crown of Moyong Cheon's skull.
"I... I..."
Those were his final words before he cleaved in two. The first bolt had already doomed him.
Dan Hyeong-u eyed the Heavenly Firmament Sword Formation as it flickered to life.
Crack! ⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Heavenly Thunder (x4) Formation obliterated! Several bolts hammered the spot. The formation crumbled.
That ended it. The Moyong Clan's surviving warriors had lost all fight. People dropping dead from a mere glance was pure terror.
Cheolmaksim stared in shock, then gazed warmly at Dan Hyeong-u. With that, he slipped into unconsciousness. Nothing left to trouble him.
Dan Hyeong-u scooped up the fainted Cheolmaksim. He scanned the surroundings.
The Moyong clansmen cowered in collective dread. His companions gaped at Dan Hyeong-u in astonishment. None had imagined he could wield Heavenly Thunder barehanded.
Tang Ho-gwan suddenly wondered if the Tang Clan's Heavenly Thunder could dispense with projectiles altogether.
Dan Hyeong-u carried Cheolmaksim and turned back the way they'd come.
No one dared bar his path.
The group trailed him slowly, faces tinged with lingering unease. The Sword Demon scowled deepest, torn on whether to stay and mop up solo.
The Sword King gave the Sword Demon's shoulder a light tap and shook his head.
The Moyong Clan had already descended its first step toward ruin. The Azure Dragon Sword was gone.
The gulf between possessing a Top Ten Expert and not was vast. Losing one already held? Catastrophic.
And Moyong Yeonghwan was dead too—the man who'd practically forged the modern Moyong Clan. His absence meant a brutal path ahead. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Cheolmaksim lay motionless like the dead for two full days before stirring. His body wasn't fully mended yet, but recovery loomed soon. Dan Hyeong-u's crew poured every effort into his healing.
Awake, Cheolmaksim spotted Dan Hyeong-u at his bedside and struggled upright.
"The sword... what of it?"
Dan Hyeong-u offered the half-finished sword shard. From the forge, this alone had to come—he'd fetched it personally.
Cheolmaksim took it gingerly and muttered.
"Gotta finish the sword."
Cheolmaksim rose. Dan Hyeong-u didn't hinder him. Forging now would tax his wounds sorely, but stopping him was impossible.
As Cheolmaksim exited, the waiting companions blocked him.
"Eek! You can't be up yet! You're not healed!"
"Yes, back inside, please."
Umun Hye and Jo Seol-yeon pleaded, but his iron will held. In defeat, Umun Hye set up a forge for him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Hammer strikes rang ceaseless from the forge. Despite his ravaged body, the tone rang true as ever.
Dan Hyeong-u stood vigil before the forge, watching Cheolmaksim swing the hammer.
Two days nonstop, he hammered without cease. No food, no sleep.
At last, the sword was done.
"I'm staying put."
Dan Hyeong-u couldn't sway Cheolmaksim's resolve again. He wouldn't abandon Shenyang and his wife's grave.
Dan Hyeong-u nodded mutely. At his belt hung a rough-hewn yet striking scabbard, sheltering a matching rugged blade.
Cheolmaksim's handiwork. His life's pinnacle, soul-infused with the materials his "son" unearthed, spirit-fired.
"Fits you perfect."
Cheolmaksim eyed the blade at Dan Hyeong-u's waist and grinned. A rough, striking grin—like his forgecraft.
Dan Hyeong-u bowed low, reverence and heart poured in.
Cheolmaksim nodded, deeply satisfied.
As Dan Hyeong-u turned away, Cheolmaksim's voice echoed like a lingering ring.
"That 'father' you spoke of... I won't forget."
Dan Hyeong-u halted a beat, then strode on. His form blinked out of sight.
Cheolmaksim's smile endured. So did the tears in his eyes. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Chapter 8
The Road Back
Leaving Shenyang, the group boarded the carriage bound for Hebei.
Five women inside as usual; men atop the roof.
The carriage women had bonded deeply on the journey, endless chatter forging ties. Less dialogue, more gossip—but that knit them tighter.
"Still... leaving him like that nags at me."
Umun Hye murmured. Cheolmaksim had etched a vivid mark, his tie to Dan Hyeong-u far from casual. Worry was inevitable.
She'd quietly leveraged her clan for covert aid, yet unease clung.
The Moyong Clan loomed there. Total annihilation? Fine. But half-measures invited reprisal.
'Our Young Master Dan won't let it slide, though.'
Umun Hye knew his prowess inside out. Henan to Shenyang? A blink if he willed.
As Umun Hye fretted, Jegal Rin smiled softly and spoke.
"He'll be alright, I'd wager."
The women turned curious eyes her way. Jegal Rin met them evenly.
"Assuming the Moyong Clan harbors no utter fools." ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The Moyong Clan draped itself in funeral gloom. Scores of warriors reduced to bloodstains and mist; two pillars slain; one heir vanished. Inevitable.
Moyong Deok aside, Moyong Yeonghwan and Moyong Cheon's deaths rocked the foundations.
No whispers abroad yet, but Azure Dragon Sword's fall would quake the realm soon.
Moyong silence wouldn't matter—his slayers would trumpet it.
Liaoning's power scramble loomed. No Top Ten Expert, warriors halved, morale in the dirt—Moyong couldn't muster strength. Shenyang grip would slacken.
Elders barricaded indoors, faces unseen. Trauma's grip? Long thaw ahead.
Steering the Moyong ship now: firstborn Moyong Hu. Martial talent aplenty, leadership? Wanting.
Plugging that hole: Moyong Seol, the Ice Orchid.
Moyong Hu and Moyong Seol pooled strength to banish the pall of dread.
"Rebuilding wrecked halls takes time—clear the debris, turn it into a drill yard."
Moyong Hu nodded at Moyong Seol's counsel. Most proposals? Rubber-stamped.
Listen. Execute. That was his limit.
"Agreed."
Moyong Hu paused, then pressed on.
"This sticks too bitter for sleep. Kill that blacksmith at least. They've fled Shenyang—no sweat. Snatch him now."
His tone simmered with quiet ire, erupting into wildfire by the end.
Moyong Seol eyed him and sighed.
"Haa... don't."
"How can I sit idle after that?!"
"The blacksmith's blameless. He just knew the mighty."
"Still, no him, no this. I can judge him."
Moyong Seol shook her head.
"Touch him, the clan crumbles. Ending Moyong's line your aim?"
Moyong Hu's mind iced over, ice-water shock.
"What... end the line?"
"Harm comes to him—they sit quiet?"
Gooseflesh prickled Moyong Hu.
"R-right. Missed that."
"We're his shields now."
Moyong Seol held his stunned stare.
"Trouble strikes him—who's first suspected?"
Moyong Hu's features warped. Disaster. Rumors fly? Cheolmaksim hunters emerge. Moyong foes exploit it gleefully.
"Their identities... for future vengeance..."
Moyong Hu clung to vendetta. Couldn't not.
"Recall the plaque-thrower?"
Moyong Hu nodded. Moyong Yeonghwan pegged her Umun Clan.
"Umun folk?"
Moyong Seol shook her head.
"Henan Escort Bureau."
"Henan Escort Bureau?"
Moyong Hu's face twisted grotesque. An escort outfit packing that punch? Absurd. Five Great Clans tier, minimum.
"Henan Escort Bureau's shielded by Umun Clan and Sichuan Tang Family. Sword King, Sword Demon based there. Both were present—no openings."
Moyong Seol pictured Dan Hyeong-u front and center, flexing dominance. Shudder-worthy might. Clan bulks up? Futile. Top Ten Moyong Cheon felled by a look.
Moyong Seol shook her head. Vengeance? Pipe dream. Guarding the ruins taxed fully.
This was Moyong karma, regardless. She knew Cheolmaksim's tale as their smith—inside out. Their sin. Price exorbitant, sure.
Moyong Seol's words drooped Moyong Hu's head earthward, unlifting. Despair dwarfed revengefire.
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