Repaying the Ambush (2)
Startle!
At Hyeon Yucheon's blunt words, Bi Ryudam froze solid.
Just half a shichen ago, he had declared that the conquest of the Demon Sword Sect was right around the corner.
For the man who had said that to now become a guest who would never return.
Even more shocking was the fate of the entire vanguard.
"What nonsense is that?"
"We'll let that go about the vice leader, but the entire vanguard is dead?"
Ignoring the rigid Bi Ryudam, the elders of the Quick Sword Sect surged forward, crowding Hyeon Yucheon with their bluster.
"That's what I said."
Hyeon Yucheon replied with a leisurely smile.
It wasn't that he took human death lightly or mockingly; he was simply meting out stern judgment on those who had ambushed his sect.
"How could you!"
"You fiendish demon!"
In response, the Quick Sword Sect elders pointed accusing fingers at Hyeon Yucheon, venting their blood-boiling outrage.
Hyeon Yucheon found it all utterly laughable.
"Fiendish demon? From the start, it was you who came charging into the Demon Sword Sect with swords drawn. Don't you think you're the real fiends? And you timed it perfectly when I, the Black Wolf Three Swords, and Senior Brother Eum were all away."
Hyeon Yucheon struck right at the heart of the matter.
From the beginning, it was the Quick Sword Sect who had started it.
Not just them, but every sect in the martial world had the habit of belittling others or crying foul whenever they found themselves at a disadvantage.
"Th-that's..."
"Urgh!"
And sure enough?
Pierced to the core by Hyeon Yucheon's words, they fell silent.
"It was you who invaded my sect, my disciples, my home—with weapons in hand and filthy boots trampling the ground. Are you the righteous ones, while we who repay your sneak invasion are the fiends?"
As he spoke, Hyeon Yucheon felt his anger swelling.
"Then I'll gladly become the fiendish demon."
He didn't care a whit for their logic or reputation anyway.
The important thing is yourself.
So follow what you believe in, what your heart tells you.
Recalling the words of the Demon Sword Ghost Lord Cheon Baeksang, Hyeon Yucheon walked that path unwaveringly.
Even at his young age, Hyeon Yucheon's strong spirit came from what he had inherited from Cheon Baeksang, combined with his innate genius temperament.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, Hyeon Yucheon thrust his hand into the air.
Invisible to ordinary eyes.
"Heavens! Formless Energy Sword! Could it be... the Formless Flash Quick Sword?!"
To Bi Ryudam—a super peak realm master and one of the Ten Great Sapa Experts—it was crystal clear.
The formless blade gleaming ferociously under the moonlight.
Invisible blade gleaming with moonlight ferocity.
Whoaaa!
With Hyeon Yucheon himself charging into battle, there was no more holding back.
He had slaughtered the vice leader Cheong Kwae-gyeokgeom Jo Hwan-yong and the entire Quick Sword Sect vanguard, then left the exhausted and wounded behind with Eum Ji-myeong and Elder Jeong Inheon, advancing here with the Flash Light Demon Sword Squad.
"Flash Light Demon Sword Squad!"
Hyeon Yucheon showed no hesitation.
"Slaughter every last one of the Quick Sword Sect!"
Displaying the true mettle of sapa's strongest warrior, he embodied what a sapa overlord truly was.
"Understood!"
Even more terrifying were Squad Leader Dohyeonbo and his subordinates.
They charged without question or retort, like emotionless blades obeying Hyeon Yucheon's command.
In truth, if Hyeon Yucheon ordered them to leap into the sea or lava, they would do so with smiles.
Clang! Screeech!
Thus, the Flash Light Demon Sword Squad tangled with the Quick Sword Sect's reinforcements and main force in a chaotic melee.
Of course, the Quick Sword Sect held the overwhelming numerical advantage.
"Black Wolf Three Swords seniors, no need to guard me."
Hyeon Yucheon deftly dispatched the Black Wolf Three Swords to join the squad.
"Understood."
"Understood!"
Guarding the far stronger Demon Sword Sect Lord wasn't efficient anyway, so the Black Wolf Three Swords rejoined the Flash Light Demon Sword Squad.
With three super peak experts added, the balance finally tipped.
"Demon Sword Sect Lord Hyeon Yucheon! You dare think you can defeat our Quick Sword Sect...?"
From the start, it was an even match, so while tense, Bi Ryudam believed his sect could hold.
The Demon Sword Sect's full force numbered less than two hundred, while his side was still largely intact.
"I didn't come to win."
Yet Hyeon Yucheon remained utterly calm.
He replied with a murderous smile.
"I came to kill you all."
Hyeon Yucheon's words were literal.
He had no intention of holding back.
Since they ambushed, he planned to crush them thoroughly.
"You mad bastard!"
"Sect Leader, no need to waste words on this lunatic."
"Indeed. We'll handle him, the Seven Quick Sword Elders."
The vice leader Cheong Kwae-gyeokgeom Jo Hwan-yong's death had weakened the Quick Sword Sect greatly, but the Quick Sword Seven Elders remained.
These seven were veteran survivors from the Demon Sword Ghost Lord Cheon Baeksang's era, battle-hardened warriors.
Especially compared to the Demon Sword Sect, which had only one elder left—Plum Death Gentleman Jeong Inheon—after all others retired, it bred a sense of inferiority.
Elders and senior experts are the roots of any sect.
The mightiest sapa sect of all time, the Demon Sword Sect, had but one such root, while the Quick Sword Sect had seven or more—leaving Sect Lord Hyeon Yucheon with a bitter taste.
"Senior experts, indeed. Since your sect showed discourtesy first, don't expect any mercy."
Hyeon Yucheon suppressed his feelings, preparing an even brighter formless sword qi.
"Hmph! We didn't expect any."
"If anything, you shouldn't beg for mercy from us!"
Deeming Hyeon Yucheon's words arrogant, the Quick Sword Seven Elders.
Though somewhat deflated now, they were the true symbol of the Quick Sword Sect—seven who could move mountains when united, or so the jokes went.
In fact, two super peak experts from the Nine Great Sects once picked a fight with the Quick Sword Sect and faced these seven; the duo were slaughtered without a proper fight.
"Form up."
"Deploy!"
The reason they crushed those two super peak warriors was the ultimate formation passed down from the sect's assassin days: the Extreme Killing Seven Shadowless.
Only those recognized as Quick Sword Sect elders could learn this ultimate joint formation, rooted in assassin arts—dense with killing intent, infamous for relentlessly pursuing and tearing apart small targets.
Its ferocity was so extreme that even the Quick Sword Sect tabooed it unless absolutely necessary.
And now, they deployed it against Hyeon Yucheon?
This was a declaration of total commitment to killing him.
The terrifying joint formation of seven elite masters—stalking and slowly devouring their prey like hunters—the Extreme Killing Seven Shadowless radiated killing aura.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Far from frail with age, the seven veteran elders were seasoned; lifelong brothers-in-arms, their Extreme Killing Seven Shadowless was perfection itself.
United, they wielded the might of fifty—no, a hundred men.
Here they come!
As the seven became one and closed in, he watched with thrilled eyes.
His first time facing a formation from seven peak experts—expectations soared.
Seven elders like cunning hunters, activating the mighty formation without direct confrontation—spewing mist to conceal their blades within its profound, mysterious power.
It's like fighting deep in fog.
Was this how his foes felt battling him?
Hyeon Yucheon braced for attacks emerging unpredictably from the thick fog.
Just as the mist sought to engulf him completely!
Quick Sword Seven Elders unleashing the killing phase—thrusting long swords through the mist gaps like skewers probing bushes, making Hyeon Yucheon seem like cornered prey.
Finally, the Quick Sword Seven Elders launched their killing strike.
Sensing the moment ripe, they all thrust their long swords through the mist.
Bi Ryudam laughed so hard his back arched.
"Demon Sword Young Master Hyeon Yucheon! This harsh martial world isn't won by strong martial arts alone."
His words held merit.
If victory depended solely on martial prowess, there'd be no upsets or change.
"Kill him!"
"Strike!"
Just as the elders, opening the Great Slaughter phase, herded Hyeon Yucheon into a kill zone and thrust—their victory in sight.
But what was this?
Swish! Swoosh!
No matter how they stabbed, only empty mist met their blade tips.
Not even grazing Hyeon Yucheon's clothes, let alone flesh.
How is this possible?
As the lead elder of the Seven, puzzled and tilting his head, Hyeon Yucheon perched casually on a massive pine branch of the Quick Sword Sect's great tree, displaying ethereal lightness skill.
"I've enjoyed the old men's little show thoroughly."
From the start, he'd been atop their heads, merely playing along to mock them.
In truth, he'd watched arms crossed from the tree.
"Nothing more pathetic than senile fools losing their dignity."
Hyeon Yucheon's words enraged the seven elders sufficiently.
"Grrrr!"
"You bastard!"
They recalled their mist and killing swords, aiming for Hyeon Yucheon atop the pine—but it was already too late.
Hyeon Yucheon ignites flames with inner power, infusing his quick sword—formless sword qi blazing with terrifying might.
Hyeon Yucheon's strike was faster.
Roooar!
Using inner power to summon flames, channeling them into his quick sword.
The result: his formless sword qi erupted with flame-clad ferocity.
Especially lethal against the Extreme Killing Seven Shadowless, which hid blades in stealthy mist—the flames were its perfect counter.
Krunch! Crunch!
Hyeon Yucheon's formless sword qi tore through the mist and shattered the formation in an instant.
Normally, breaking a formation required finding the closing gate opposite the opening or tracing the Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces mysteries—but he was different.
He simply overwhelmed it with sheer skill, technique, and sword qi.
"Kaaaaagh!"
"Aaaagh!"
"Impossible!"
"The Extreme Killing Seven Shadowless formation..."
"...broken by one man!"
Not only the Quick Sword Sect's proud formation, but the Seven Elders themselves suffered total defeat, rolling on the ground.
Several of the older ones fainted outright or became permanent guests of the afterlife—proving Hyeon Yucheon's prowess to all under heaven.
"Bi Ryudam. As leader of a sect, isn't it time you stepped up?"
Not stopping there, Hyeon Yucheon beckoned the Quick Sword Sect Lord Bi Ryudam with an open palm.