92. If You Want to Dance the Sword Dance, Go to a Brothel
The Moonlight Three Returns contained the profound sword intent that the once-in-a-generation genius, Geom Yak Jongju, had comprehended. It was a rare absolute art, a sword technique so elusive that ordinary people might never glimpse it in their lifetime.
Byeok Gyoo Un had unleashed it without reservation, all to win Hwa Yeo-wol's favor, and everyone in the hall suddenly found themselves feasting their eyes.
'Ah!'
Hwa U-cheon and Hwa Yeo-wol were momentarily entranced. Having trained in the Cheongsu Sword Technique, their roots lay in Geom Yak Jong. Just watching the Moonlight Three Returns brought them enlightenment.
To think such a sword art existed in the world. It was as if a full moon illuminated the heavens, its descending sword momentum embracing the entire world.
As everyone marveled at Byeok Gyoo Un's Moonlight Three Returns, Daesan narrowed his eyes fiercely.
'A fine sword art! But it hasn't reached true mastery!'
Facing the Moonlight Three Returns, he had discerned that Byeok Gyoo Un hadn't fully grasped the subtle sword intent embedded within.
The sword momentum was flawless, the energy pure, but without properly embodying the sword intent, it was merely a shell. Even a common Three Talents Sword Technique could become an absolute art if its intent was mastered, while something like Moonlight Three Returns without it was no better than the basics.
It looked flashy... but it fell short against a seasoned killer from Dosanrim, who had weathered countless battles.
"Hmph!"
Daesan let out a cold snort at the sword momentum squeezing him tight, then charged forward, slashing down with his blade in a ferocious rush like a wild boar charging.
He unleashed thirty-eight strikes toward Byeok Gyoo Un, who was unfolding his sword momentum from mid-air.
Boom! Kwaboom! Boom!
Sword and blade clashed repeatedly, the bursts of energy roaring deafeningly.
The two figures were shrouded in blade winds and sword gleams, impossible to make out clearly.
Byeok Gyoo Un's intervention had subtly shifted the battlefield.
The Three Mountain Brothers hadn't reached the summit, but they were also blocking Cheongsu Gate disciples from ascending.
They hadn't captured Hwa U-cheon or Hwa Yeo-wol not because their movement techniques were lacking, but out of fear that leaving the path to the summit unguarded would let the Cheongsu Gate disciples claim it.
The brutal clash between the Hwa brothers atop the summit and the Yin-Yang Twin Blades was too fierce for ordinary warriors to intervene... but if one of them was hiding their true strength and struck from the shadows, the Twin Blades would fall instantly.
But with Byeok Gyoo Un engaging Daesan, the right flank they were guarding became vulnerable.
Jungsan signaled Misan with his eyes, then suddenly leaped, unleashing blade energy toward two of Yang Gwan's disciples.
Shiiik!
A ferocious blade wind carried massive blade energy crashing down on the Geom Yak Jong warriors. Yang Gwan's disciples drew their swords in unison to block Jungsan's blade momentum.
In that moment, Misan launched himself toward the summit.
Shishik!
Iron arrows flew from the dark stone passage, but Misan had anticipated them from his previous encounter. A master like him couldn't be stopped by mere arrows.
He swung his blade to deflect them, soaring unhindered toward the summit.
"Stop him!"
Startled by the sudden shift, Hwa U-cheon shouted and charged forward.
"Fire the crossbows!"
Cheongsu Gate's chief steward, Seok Sung, urged his disciples onward.
But Misan had already reached the mid-summit, hurling blade energy at Hwa Cheon-baek's back as he fought Eumdo.
In battles between masters, ambushes and gang-ups were despised, but Dosanrim's killers couldn't care less about worldly reputation.
"Brother, watch your back!"
Hwa Cheon-gang cried out in alarm, and Hwa Cheon-baek sensed the incoming blade energy, twisting aside. But Eumdo's blade swept across, blocking his path.
Hwa Cheon-baek summoned his protective energy, meeting Eumdo's blade head-on and shoving forward.
Papap!
"Urgh!"
Misan's blade energy struck Hwa Cheon-baek's back. He'd twisted, so it glanced off, but a chunk of back muscle tore away, blood erupting.
"Got him!"
Eumdo roared, reversing his grip on the blade to slit the staggering Hwa Cheon-baek's throat. Misan landed within arm's reach, swinging to bisect his waist.
Suddenly, sword energy poured down like a waterfall from above. Hwa Cheon-gang had abandoned Yangdo to rescue his brother.
Kwakwakwa!
Central Plains' top hundred master Hwa Cheon-gang unleashed the Cheongsu Sword Technique's ultimate move, Fierce Torrent Scouring the River, at full power. Like raging rapids sweeping a river, savage sword momentum crashed toward Eumdo.
Like raging rapids sweeping a river, savage sword momentum crashed toward Eumdo.
'Gasp!'
Eumdo flipped his blade, meant for Hwa Cheon-baek's throat, to block Hwa Cheon-gang's sword momentum—but a single strand pierced his right shoulder.
Meanwhile, Misan landed behind Hwa Cheon-baek and slashed downward, only for a sword to suddenly thrust from Hwa Cheon-baek's side.
Misan hadn't expected such a swift counterattack despite the grievous back wound. He dodged hastily, but too late.
Cheongsu Gate's life-saving ultimate, Reverse Cold Water, punched a hole through Misan's side.
Cheongsu Gate's life-saving ultimate punched a hole through Misan's side.
"Urk!"
Cries of agony erupted simultaneously from Eumdo, Hwa Cheon-baek, and Misan.
Hwa Cheon-gang wasn't unscathed either. As he turned to save his brother, Yangdo followed up, smashing his blade down.
Having been forced into defense by Hwa Cheon-gang's preemptive strike, Yangdo now struck in true fury with a single overhead slash. Desperate, Hwa Cheon-gang channeled energy into his left arm to deflect, but Yangdo's blade severed his elbow clean off.
Thud!
As Hwa Cheon-gang's left arm hit the ground from the elbow down, Hwa Cheon-baek's eyes rolled back in rage.
The brothers, thick as thieves since childhood, shared an unbreakable bond. Seeing his younger brother lose an arm to save him drove him mad.
Ignoring Misan retreating with his pierced side, he charged Yangdo with Cheongsu Sword Technique's mutual destruction ultimate, Flying Stream Straight Down.
Cheongsu Sword Technique's mutual destruction ultimate.
Flying Stream Straight Down offered one's own shoulder to claim the enemy's heart.
"No!"
Hwa Cheon-gang shouted, but it was too late.
Yangdo twisted away as Hwa Cheon-baek charged. Then he spotted the wide-open chest. Years of training made his body react instinctively, slashing at the gap.
In that instant, Hwa Cheon-baek's chest pulled back, taking the blade on his shoulder instead. Simultaneously, his sword thrust straight for Yangdo's heart.
Yangdo was a master too. Realizing it was a mutual destruction move, he spun with all his power.
Puk!
"Kuhuk!"
The sword pierced Yangdo's chest, narrowly missing his heart. But the agony of shattered ribs and shredded flesh was unavoidable.
"Urghhh..."
Even masters were human. Painful groans echoed from all sides.
It was a gruesome sight.
Hwa Cheon-gang had lost his left arm from the elbow down, Hwa Cheon-baek bore fatal wounds to shoulder and back, Eumdo's right shoulder was pierced, Misan's side holed, and Yangdo's chest stabbed through.
In the end, mutual devastation.
Clang! Cha-clang!
Below the summit, Daesan clashed fiercely with Byeok Gyoo Un, while Jungsan battled Yang Gwan's two disciples.
Yangdo saw Daesan holding the advantage, Jungsan locked in a tense stalemate.
'We miscalculated. Underestimated Cheongsu Gate.'
Originally, twenty Gwancheonbang subordinates were to support tomorrow's ambush. He'd thought lacking the master Yang Gwan was better... but Hwa Cheon-gang's prowess was beyond expectation.
In truth, Hwa Cheon-gang was a born warrior. Otherwise, how could a Cheongsu Gate janitor become a Geom Yak Jong master's disciple?
Yangdo groaned inwardly, addressing Hwa Cheon-gang.
"Worthy of Sangyang's top master. We've both taken losses—why not call it here?"
"......"
Hwa Cheon-gang glared at Yangdo, Eumdo, and Misan.
He'd lost his left arm, his eldest brother gravely wounded. No amount of vengeance could sate his fury.
"No need for mutual destruction, is there? If we don't return, Dosanrim will send more."
"Hmph! Nonsense. We'll slaughter every one that comes!"
Hwa Cheon-gang had no intention of letting them go easily.
With Hwa Cheon-un and Yang Gwan returning, he could finish them off. Or even capturing one—like Byeok Gyoo Un, Yang Gwan's disciples, Daesan, or Jungsan—would let him wipe out Dosanrim's elites tonight.
'What the hell is Yang Gwan doing?'
He despised the man, but right now, his absence stung.
Unaware Yang Gwan had already crossed to the afterlife, he scanned for him.
Yangdo guessed Hwa Cheon-gang's intent, groaning inwardly as he assessed the situation.
All five were gravely wounded. Hwa Cheon-gang, minus his left arm, was weakest—right-handed and without internal injuries.
The others had torso piercings, hindering their inner energy.
Fortunately, Hwa Cheon-baek's wounds limited his mobility.
Another clash could go either way. Worst case, all five die.
He didn't want that.
Yangdo's gaze shifted to the battlefield below the summit.
Daesan and Jungsan... if one felled an enemy, victory was possible.
'Daesan, do something... can't even take down that punk!'
With lives on the line, he resented Daesan's dawdling.
Byeok Gyoo Un felt frustrated. This boar-like brute... wouldn't yield an inch. His sword was being pushed back by the simple, brutal overheads and sweeps.
Daesan was biding his time inwardly. His blade art seemed simple but used subtle twists to disrupt Byeok Gyoo Un's Moonlight Three Returns momentum.
Yet he didn't press—aiming to rout Byeok Gyoo Un with a single overwhelming strike, not kill him.
Killing Geom Yak Jongju's disciple would invite disaster. If the master came personally, the Three Mountain Brothers were done for.
And the chance came.
As Byeok Gyoo Un retreated, coiling his sword for a strike, Daesan shot forward, slashing ferociously.
His massive blade seemed to stretch unnaturally.
"Blade River!"
The moment Byeok Gyoo Un cried out in shock, the blade carrying Blade River plummeted toward his crown. He raised his sword with all his might to deflect it, but the blade shifted, clashing head-on.
The blade carrying Blade River plummeted toward his crown.
Kang!
As the sword snapped, Daesan spun powerfully, driving a back kick into Byeok Gyoo Un's abdomen.
Thud!
Byeok Gyoo Un bent like a shrimp, flung back a zhang.
"Urgh!"
Blood sprayed from Byeok Gyoo Un's mouth. He barely touched down but staggered six or seven steps, legs buckling—he could hardly stand.
Daesan had held back just enough to spare his life; a full hit would've ruptured his organs, killing him.
Daesan lowered his blade with a sneer.
"Whelp... if you want to dance the sword dance, go to a brothel."
It was humiliating mockery, but Byeok Gyoo Un couldn't retort. Blood surged to his throat, his ears ringing deafeningly.
"Kuhuk!"
He finally spat a handful of blood to steady himself.
Meanwhile, Jungsan was locked in a grueling fight with Yang Gwan's two disciples. They had no desire to risk their lives for others' business, so they weren't going all-out, allowing Jungsan to hold against their combined assault.
But with Daesan kicking Byeok Gyoo Un away, urgency gripped him.