Chapter 198
Go Ryong-pung's grimaced as he shouted:
"What in the world is all this?"
Whoosh!
At that moment, the Sound of Breaking Air reverberated from the sky as forty-some martial artists clad in blue robes ascended Ten Thousand Scenery Terrace.
They were none other than the Mount Hua Sect's second-generation disciples, led by Bang Wook, who had come to repay their humiliation.
"Senior Brother."
Nam Jin-gun, the youngest of the second-generation disciples, pointed to the Mount Hua Sword laid before Go Ryong-pung.
Bang Wook gritted his teeth and muttered:
"So that's what it was...!"
Whoosh!
Then, the Sound of Breaking Air echoed once more as dozens of martial artists in white garments descended from the sky.
They were Yang Yeo-ryong, disciple of the Zhongnan Sect's Lord of the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion, and the second-generation disciples under his command.
"It's here."
The Zhongnan disciples also nodded at the wooden box placed before Go Ryong-pung.
"These Demon Rebel Gate bastards have grown bold. We allowed them to set foot in Shaanxi, and now they dare to insult our sect?"
At Yang Yeo-ryong's shout, Go Ryong-pung's eyes widened.
Only now did he realize he had fallen into a trap.
"We've done nothing wrong except take money for a job!"
Jo Nam-cheon cried out to Go Ryong-pung with an aggrieved expression.
"Vice Sect Leader! Didn't you say that if we quietly delivered the goods, the Demon Rebel Gate would handle the rest?"
"What nonsense are you—"
Before Go Ryong-pung could respond, Bu Eun-seol shouted loudly:
"There's no other way. We'll carve a path through!"
As if they had been waiting for this signal, a roar erupted as Hyeok So-jin and the Rootless Squad members charged at the masters of Mount Hua and Zhongnan.
Fwoosh!
Hyeok So-jin, leading the charge, subtly raised and dispersed his Divine-Rending Demonic Qi with extreme care to avoid detection.
Instantly, the ranks of Mount Hua disciples surrounding them were thrown into disarray.
"Some bizarre Demonic Path martial arts. Deploy the battle formation!"
Just as Bang Wook shouted—
Ping! Ping! Ping!
A series of sounds slicing through the air rang out as flying daggers rained down from all directions.
Bu Eun-seol unleashed a rapid succession of Flying Dagger Art, disrupting the movements of the Mount Hua and Zhongnan disciples to prevent them from forming their battle lines.
Thud-thud-thud.
Seizing the opening, the Rootless Squad members began breaking through the encirclement, descending from Ten Thousand Scenery Terrace one by one.
"Now! Vice Sect Leader, you must retreat as well!"
Though he shouted those words, Hyeok So-jin and the Rootless Squad had already begun fleeing helter-skelker without a backward glance.
Meanwhile, Bu Eun-seol—who had been hurling daggers—activated a Movement Technique swift as a storm and slipped away from the terrace.
"..."
In an instant, Ten Thousand Scenery Terrace was left eerily empty.
By the time the Demon Rebel Gate members stared blankly at Bu Eun-seol's fleeing party—
'What the hell?'
Go Ryong-pung, finally regaining his senses, scowled.
Because every disciple of Mount Hua and Zhongnan was glaring at him with terrifying intensity.
And for good reason—at his feet lay the wooden box containing the Go board and the Mount Hua Sword.
'Those damn bastards...!'
Go Ryong-pung tried to retreat swiftly, but a shadow had already closed in on him like a ghost.
It was Yang Yeo-ryong, the Zhongnan disciple.
"On your knees. Now."
Go Ryong-pung gnashed his teeth as he faced the Zhongnan and Mount Hua disciples radiating Killing Intent.
'Even if I deny it, they won't believe me.'
He bit his lip.
He was a master who had long ago reached the edge of the Peak Realm and had since stepped into the Transcendence Realm.
Not only had he failed to avenge the humiliation of losing the Demon Rebel Gate's Demon-Binding Pills, but now he was expected to grovel and explain himself to these second-generation disciples of Mount Hua and Zhongnan?
He'd sooner bite his blade and die than make such a choice.
"Scram, you brats!"
Go Ryong-pung drew the Great Blade from his waist.
And thus, a bloody battle erupted between the Demon Rebel Gate members and the disciples of Mount Hua and Zhongnan.
At the same time, near the mountain pass leading from Janghyeon to Yulin.
Step. Step.
Thirty martial artists clad in black uniforms moved silently through the area.
They were masters of the Dark Star Unit, operatives who carried out various missions in the Martial World.
Their current task was to verify the wealth and Precious Artifacts sent to escort agencies and trading houses from their territory this year before returning to the Demon Rebel Gate.
—Do not provoke Mount Hua and Zhongnan!
All escorted goods bound for the Demon Rebel Gate bore the sect's mark.
Under the sect leader's orders, they were transporting the wealth and Precious Artifacts entrusted to escort agencies and trading houses directly back to the Demon Rebel Gate.
Normally, they would have marched through villages wearing the blood-red robes and demon masks symbolizing their sect, flaunting their presence.
But they were carrying the very assets that sustained the Demon Rebel Gate, and the sect leader had commanded discretion.
Thus, they had changed into plain uniforms, removed their masks, and were quietly making their way toward Yulin—where the Demon Rebel Gate was based—via secluded mountain paths.
Swish.
Suddenly, five or six shadowy figures appeared at the end of the mountain pass.
Their gleaming eyes bore down on the masters of the Dark Star Unit.
Who are they?
Yi Gwak, the leader of the Dark Star Unit at the forefront, narrowed his eyes.
No way...
A foreboding feeling gripped him as he sharpened his vision with Enhanced Sight, and their forms became clear.
Every one of them wore swords at their waists—unusually thick or thin compared to standard longswords.
At a glance, they were unmistakably the longswords used by disciples of the Zhongnan and Mount Hua Sects.
Swish.
Another five or six figures emerged from behind, blocking the path.
They, too, carried identical longswords.
We must avoid a fight at all costs.
As they drew closer with heavy footsteps, Yi Gwak took a deep breath and clasped his hands together.
"What brings you here?"
But they offered no reply, continuing their steady advance.
With each step, an inexplicable pressure weighed on him, and Yi Gwak bit his lip.
Have we been exposed?
Just as his fingers tightened around the Great Blade at his waist—
"We are disciples of Mount Hua and Zhongnan," a young man with a bristly beard spoke in a low voice.
"We heard rumors that members of the Demon Rebel Gate who attacked our sect recently would pass through here. So we've been lying in wait."
"Ah, I see."
Thank heavens, they don't know yet.
"And who might you be?" the man asked sharply.
Yi Gwak exhaled softly and answered flatly,
"We are disciples of the Black Sand Gate. We've finished our business and are returning to our sect."
"Black Sand Gate, you say."
The man swept his gaze over Yi Gwak and the Dark Star Unit members before nodding.
"I see."
"Then we'll be on our way."
As the man nodded again, Yi Gwak inwardly sighed in relief and turned to his unit.
"Let's move."
Whoosh.
But just as a light breeze brushed past—
Whirl!
A spinning longsword suddenly shot toward Yi Gwak's face.
Zhongnan's Drifting Wind Sword?!
Yi Gwak swiftly swung his Great Blade to block—
But the spiraling sword had already grazed past his shoulder.
"Ghk—!"
A chunk of flesh flew off, and Yi Gwak staggered back with a groan.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
"Meaning?" The man sneered.
"We're just cleaning up the scum of the Demonic Path, leeches who suck the blood of commoners and try to seize control of trade."
"So you knew all along!" Yi Gwak gritted his teeth and barked at his men,
"Kill them all—!"
But his order was cut short.
"Gah—!"
The men surrounding the Dark Star Unit from both sides had already unleashed a barrage of sword strokes.
Whirrr—!
From the front—
The Drifting Wind Sword and Emerald Rain Sword of the Zhongnan Sect, their thick blades spinning fiercely as they unleashed intricate techniques.
Shing—!
From behind—
Mount Hua's Falling Blossoms Linked Sword, raining down like a hawk snatching its prey from above.
All of them... first-generation disciples?!**
Yi Gwak's eyes widened as he desperately parried the relentless swordplay.
But when he clashed blades with them, he realized—
Their Sword Path was nothing like the orthodox techniques he knew.
Swish—!
In the blink of an eye, another sharp sword technique pierced his shoulder.
The way they aimed not for vital points but to shear off his limbs—this was undeniably Zhongnan's swordplay.
Whoosh—!
Then, a gust of wind blew past—
And suddenly, a man with long bangs covering his eyes was right in front of Yi Gwak's nose.
What kind of Movement Technique—?!
Yi Gwak tried to adjust his stance—
But it was too late.
Flash—!
A brilliant sword light erupted from the bangs-covered man's hand—
And pierced straight through Yi Gwak's heart.
A radiant light.
That was the last thing Yi Gwak ever saw.
For a time, the lands of Shaanxi ran red with blood.
It began with an ambush by the Demon Rebel Gate, they said.
They had utterly destroyed the martial courts and branch halls established by Mount Hua and Zhongnan, slaughtering the disciples stationed there without mercy.
Enraged, Mount Hua and Zhongnan gathered their first-generation disciples.
"We turned a blind eye for too long!"
Rumors spread like wildfire—
The two sects were forming an extermination squad composed of their first-generation disciples.
The Demon Rebel Gate had long been a thorn in their side, but its rapid expansion had made it difficult to confront.
Now, with their branch halls and training grounds attacked, the two sects had joined forces to wipe them out in one stroke.
"This is a conspiracy to sow discord between our sects!"
The Demon Rebel Gate immediately denied the accusations.
No matter how bold they were, would they really be foolish enough to kill disciples of Mount Hua and Zhongnan—right in Shaanxi, their own territory?
That would be akin to biting down on their own blade to commit suicide.
—"We will get to the bottom of this!"
The Demon Rebel Gate immediately dispatched four Hall Leaders and ten disciples skilled in saber techniques to the two sects to explain themselves.
No matter how much they tried to sow discord, the Demon Rebel Gate's Magic Board Saber Art was an exclusive saber technique devised by Jeon Il-hon to teach his disciples.
They believed that by examining the scars on the deceased, they could easily prove their innocence.
The envoys of the Demon Rebel Gate boldly made contact with the Masters of Mount Hua and Zhongnan.
And there, they saw with their own wide-open eyes—
The traces of their sect's exclusive saber technique left on the corpses.
Traces that had been cunningly concealed in an attempt to erase the saber technique's scars.
Ten days later, fourteen severed heads—now mere corpses—arrived at the gates of the Demon Rebel Gate.
The furious sect leaders of Mount Hua and Zhongnan had personally beheaded them.
—"Wipe out those scum of the Demonic Path completely!"
As the solemn decree of the sect leaders was issued, Mount Hua and Zhongnan formed an extermination force composed of their finest disciples.
At last, Mount Hua and Zhongnan had resolved to annihilate the Demon Rebel Gate.
Tap-tap-tap-tak!
A group of over a hundred sprinted through the forest, their movement techniques in full display.
The faces of those fleeing in desperation were all concealed behind eerie masks.
They were none other than Sect Leader Jeon Il-hon of the Demon Rebel Gate and his most trusted subordinates.
They had no choice.
Mount Hua and Zhongnan were two of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, the pillars of the orthodox sects. If they had decided to retaliate with force, what hope did they have of stopping them?
While the disciples of the Demon Rebel Gate held back the advancing Masters of the two sects, the leadership—including Sect Leader Jeon Il-hon—began their desperate escape from Shaanxi.
Whoosh— Tak!
After sprinting through the forest at breakneck speed, they finally halted upon discovering a hidden cave.
"We'll rest here briefly and assess the situation."
Jeon Il-hon's voice was clipped as he bit his lip.
The Masters of Mount Hua and Zhongnan had undoubtedly set up encirclements everywhere.
To escape Shaanxi safely, they couldn't just charge blindly—they had to move stealthily, biding their time.
"What the hell happened?!"
The moment they entered the cave, Jeon Il-hon roared, his face twisted with fury.
"Who the hell stole our sect's saber techniques and used them to kill those orthodox bastards?!"
The Demon Rebel Gate's saber techniques weren't recorded in a martial arts manual.
Jeon Il-hon personally taught them to his Hall Leaders, who then passed them down to the disciples.
For dozens of outsiders to have mastered a saber technique that only the Demon Rebel Gate should know—
This was an impossible situation.
"What? You think this will blow over if we lay low?!"
Jeon Il-hon's rage, unable to be contained, finally exploded at Go Ryong-pung, who stood nearby.
"The ones who did this are definitely the same bastards who stole the Demon-Binding Pills! If you had caught them back then, none of this would've happened!"
"They were absurdly fast... And even after we cut off their escape, they had already set up cunning traps—"
"Then you should've reported it to me immediately!"
"I... I thought we could capture them quickly at the time."
Crack.
As Go Ryong-pung continued making excuses, the sound of knuckles cracking echoed from Jeon Il-hon's clenched fist.
His temper screamed at him to draw his saber and behead the man on the spot.
But in an emergency like this, every last combatant was precious.
Go Ryong-pung was both his trusted subordinate and a formidable fighter—killing him now would be idiotic.
"My apologies, Sect Leader."
As Go Ryong-pung bowed his head, Jeon Il-hon swallowed his rage.
"Enough."
Regaining his calm, Jeon Il-hon stared into the empty air and spoke.
"With Mount Hua and Zhongnan entrenched in Shaanxi, this was bound to happen sooner or later."
He bit his lip.
"That's why I established branch bases everywhere. We'll regroup there, rebuild our strength... and one day, return this disgrace to Mount Hua and Zhongnan."
The reason the Demon Rebel Gate had expanded without drawing the ire of Mount Hua and Zhongnan—
They had confined their main territory to Yan'an Prefecture, while discreetly spreading their influence across Gansu and Lanzhou, establishing branch bases and quietly seizing control of trade.
A cunning rabbit's three burrows.
A clever rabbit digs three burrows.
While expanding the Demon Rebel Gate's power in Shaanxi—under the noses of Mount Hua and Zhongnan—Jeon Il-hon had prepared multiple fallback bases for exactly this kind of situation.
"How ambitious."
But then, a low voice echoed from the opposite side of the cave.
"Who's there?!"
As Jeon Il-hon shouted, dozens of shadows descended from above, landing one by one on the ground before them.
Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin, along with every last member of the Rootless Squad, stood before them.