Fighting the Black Sword Pavilion (2)
"Huh? What?"
There’s a saying in the martial world of the central plains.
When struck by an extreme swift sword faster than the eye can follow, the bleeding reacts even before the pain does.
That was exactly Yeon Jiryang’s reaction right now.
And there was another reason he couldn’t feel the pain.
"Why...?"
Yeon Jiryang stared blankly at Eum Ji-myeong, forgetting even to staunch the bleeding.
How could this interim sect leader, who was practically half-crippled, unleash such ferocious sword qi?
"What do you mean? It means my senior brother has made a full recovery."
Clank!
Hyeon Yucheon answered in his place.
At the same time, he had already positioned himself behind them and even shut the doors of the Demon Sword Sect.
‘You can barge in as you please, but leaving won’t be so easy.’
With that thought, Hyeon Yucheon moved to minimize their escape.
Flinch!
Yeon Jiryang finally managed to staunch the bleeding, but he was even more shocked than when Eum Ji-myeong had slashed him.
‘I sensed Eum Ji-myeong’s attack coming, even if it was fast.’
But this young boy’s movements—not to mention how he’d spoken first—had gone completely unnoticed.
That meant the boy was an absolute master far stronger than him.
And what shocked him even more was the boy’s identity.
Hyeon Yucheon had called Eum Ji-myeong "senior brother."
But no matter how he looked at it, he wasn’t the third disciple of the Demon Sword Ghost Old Man.
"Y-You... who are you?"
Yeon Jiryang panicked greatly at the appearance of yet another unforeseen expert.
Shing! Shing, shing!
The thirty first-rate experts of the Black Sword Pavilion’s vanguard drew their blades, but Hyeon Yucheon paid them no mind.
"This doesn’t seem like the time for questions."
Hyeon Yucheon flashed a relaxed smile and pointed at one man.
Naturally, it was the Flash Light Flying Gentleman, Eum Ji-myeong.
Eum Ji-myeong wasn’t satisfied with just slicing Yeon Jiryang’s shoulder and charged again.
‘How dare you insult the Demon Sword Sect that Master and I have staked everything to protect?’
Yeon Jiryang’s words had crossed the line, igniting Eum Ji-myeong’s fury.
The Demon Sword Sect was everything to him.
To mock something so precious.
Moreover, the Black Sword Pavilion had long eyed the Demon Sword Sect covetously, tormenting Eum Ji-myeong for years.
They were at least thirty percent responsible for the inner demons that had plagued his heart.
"Vanguard! What are you doing? Block him!"
As Eum Ji-myeong raged like a madman, Yeon Jiryang shouted in alarm to his subordinates.
Whoaaa!
The intimidated Black Sword Pavilion warriors hurriedly formed a chariot formation to shield their leader—right then.
Flash!
A sudden blaze of light erupted before their eyes, and the Black Sword Pavilion began paying for their accumulated sins.
A burst of brilliant sword qi that blazed even in the darkness.
This was, of course, Hyeon Yucheon’s handiwork.
Unlike his usual formless sword qi, his sword force now radiated a dazzling light.
There was only one reason for this.
To etch his presence into their minds while instilling utmost terror.
‘How dare you insult Master?’
In truth, Hyeon Yucheon was as furious as Eum Ji-myeong—no, even more so—at Yeon Jiryang’s words.
He wanted to deal with Yeon Jiryang himself, but his senior brother had first claim.
The hapless subordinates became the outlet for his anger.
Whoosh!
The barrage of radiant sword qi Hyeon Yucheon unleashed exploded like fireworks, instantly shredding the enemies.
A single man facing thirty first-rate experts—it was a spectacle for the ages.
"Kaaack!"
"Aaaagh!"
"My eyes!"
The Black Sword Pavilion members screamed in agony, turning the place into pandemonium in an instant.
What they’d first thought was mere beautiful light now advanced at terrifying speed, pouring down like a torrential rain and slaughtering them everywhere. It felt like the heart of a battlefield.
Tremble, tremble!
Yeon Jiryang watched his men pierced through the throat, blinded, and limbs shattered. Rather than pity, he felt only terror.
Who said humans are empathetic creatures?
Yeon Jiryang couldn’t calm his mind, gripped by the fear that he’d soon join them.
And what drove him madder still was...
Step, step.
The man before him: the Flash Light Flying Gentleman, Eum Ji-myeong.
"Deputy Pavilion Master Yeon Jiryang of the Black Sword Pavilion. As a member of the unorthodox paths, you dared insult our Master, who bestowed rivers-and-seas-like grace upon us, and further mocked the Demon Sword Sect."
In truth, the Demon Sword Ghost Old Man and the Demon Sword Sect had done much for the unorthodox martial artists, actively defending their rights.
That’s why, even after the old man vanished and his two pillar-like disciples disappeared, the sect had barely maintained its lineage—thanks in part to tacit support from the unorthodox world.
No wonder even this pavilion master waited some time before growing greedy.
"You will pay for your sins."
Eum Ji-myeong gritted his teeth.
His fierce demeanor shocked even his fellow Demon Sword Sect members.
The interim sect leader they knew was a man of great virtue and magnanimity.
Yet today, he seemed a ruthless warrior perfectly suited to the brutal martial world.
Elastic sword qi launching forward with tremendous force—not from the blade itself, but akin to an arrow or crossbow bolt.
Unlike ordinary swordsmen swinging up close, he subtly created distance before piercing the foe with blinding speed: the signature move of the Flash Light Flying Gentleman!
Since reaching the super peak realm, Eum Ji-myeong had never once neglected the Flash Light Flying Sword Technique.
Some might ask why he obsessed over it, but his answer was simple.
Master’s swordsmanship would be inherited by Hyeon Yucheon, but who else but him could grasp the ultimate essence of the Flash Light Flying Sword Technique?
His relentless effort had borne fruit.
Swoosh!
Crunch!
His sword qi instantly shredded Yeon Jiryang’s upper garments into rags.
"Eum Ji-myyyung!"
But Yeon Jiryang wasn’t one to crumble easily.
This was the Black Cloud Secret Sword, a famed assassin who’d racked up kills.
Hide the sword in black clouds.
True to his epithet, Yeon Jiryang unleashed his specialty.
A practical, blindingly fast sword from a standout assassin-swordsman of the Black Sword Pavilion.
Invisible qi amid dark thunderclouds seemed poised to shred Eum Ji-myeong in an instant.
Shing, shing, shing!
The two masters’ sword qi clashed chaotically, filling the Demon Sword Sect with the scent of blood for the first time in ages.
Right then.
Thud!
Like a light tap on the torso, Yeon Jiryang—who prided himself on ascending sword qi arts—froze mid-motion.
Eum Ji-myeong’s blade had stealthily and swiftly pierced his upper body.
"H-How...?"
Yeon Jiryang gazed at Eum Ji-myeong, blood surging up his throat.
To his horror, the sword was embedded in his own body.
"The Demon Sword Sect’s arts include a sword like this."
Eum Ji-myeong declared proudly, fulfilling his duty as the sect leader’s senior brother.
A technique befitting a super peak master.
"This... truly the Demon... Sword Sect!"
With those words, Yeon Jiryang became a guest who would never return.
For a top assassin who’d wielded power in Hebei Province, it was an utterly pathetic end.
"Uwaaaagh!"
"The deputy master’s dead!"
The leader’s death shattered their unity.
The vanguard elites panicked wildly the moment Yeon Jiryang fell.
They hadn’t been able to stop it.
Had they just stood by?
No.
Another obstacle stood before them.
The Demon Sword Sect leader himself: the Demon Sword Prince, Hyeon Yucheon.
"Don’t worry. You’ll follow soon enough, so the road to the afterlife won’t be lonely."
Hyeon Yucheon left those cold words and gladly stained his hands with blood.
A consummate technique of the Formless Flash Quick Sword, optimized for felling multiple foes.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
This wasn’t a fair fight—it was a one-sided massacre.
The sheer ferocity made even Little Light Demon Gyeon Jong-o and the young Demon Sword Sect disciples tremble.
Gulp!
They swallowed hard, sharing the same thought.
‘No matter what, we must never upset the new sect leader.’
Gyeon Jong-o, who’d once scratched Hyeon Yucheon’s nerves, especially needed to watch himself.
Regardless of their thoughts, Hyeon Yucheon’s relentless assault methodically and tenaciously cut down the Black Sword Pavilion members.
"Spare us!"
"If you let me go, I’ll become an ordinary villager and live quietly like a dead rat."
They begged pathetically for their lives.
Hyeon Yucheon gazed at them, briefly recalling his past—but only briefly.
"Ridiculous. You think you can just become ordinary villagers?"
He sneered.
It was impossible.
Heaven knew it, earth knew it, Hyeon Yucheon knew it, and the enemies themselves knew it best.
"The moment you gripped a sword and stained it with others’ blood, you drifted far from ordinary."
Hyeon Yucheon shouted.
The words applied to him too.
He had no intention of denying it.
The Demon Sword Prince planned to confront that fate head-on.
"Since you hold swords, answer with your swords."
If they truly wanted to live, they should try escaping with their own blades.
With that, Hyeon Yucheon showed mercy.
He sent them off without further suffering.
Huuu.
After the storm passed, Hyeon Yucheon looked down at the dead and steadied his breath.
Then he turned to the young disciples gazing at him with reverence and shouted.
"The Black Sword Pavilion not only belittled our sect but also insulted our spiritual pillar and everything—our Master, Demon Sword Ghost Old Man Cheon Baeksang. And this vanguard is just the start; they’ll keep targeting us relentlessly."
In the past, they would have trembled at the Black Sword Pavilion and its master, Black Dragon Blood Sword Jo Do-hwan.
But the Demon Sword Sect had changed greatly.
Not just Hyeon Yucheon and Eum Ji-myeong—even the Black Wolf Three Swords had barely shown themselves today.
"We won’t allow ambushes anymore. The next battle will be...!"
Hyeon Yucheon clenched his fist and continued.
"We’ll strike the Black Sword Pavilion instead!"
No sooner had the new sect leader finished than the disciples roared.
Whoaaa!
Gyeon Jong-o and the young members shook like aspen leaves.
To their generation, the Demon Sword Sect had been endlessly weak and vulnerable.
But look at it now.
The Demon Sword Prince wielded prestige rivaling the Demon Sword Ghost Old Man.
And not just that—Eum Ji-myeong’s generation, Elder Jeong Inheon, and the Black Wolf Three Swords writhed in profound emotion.
‘We will revive the Demon Sword Sect alongside the Demon Sword Prince!’