Chapter 174
Chapter 174
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: This is Not a Fake
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Bang Durip used his subordinates to slip away alone, running with a sense of relief.
But his time alone was not long.
"Commander Bang! Let's go together!"
Bang Durip frowned and glanced back.
Three martial artists from the Black Alliance were fiercely chasing him from a short distance away.
And behind them, five warriors from the Five Great Families were visible.
It seemed one from each family had broken away.
Apparently, they too had ordered their subordinates to hold back the other pursuers.
Bang Durip slowly reduced his speed.
"Let's do that."
The warriors who had followed him were startled by his words.
They hadn't expected him to agree to go together so easily.
Honestly, the Black Alliance warriors had even planned to coordinate with the warriors of the Five Great Families to fight Bang Durip.
They had brought it up while chasing him and, although they hadn't received a firm commitment, they had elicited a positive response.
Everyone knew what a formidable master Bang Durip was. They probably wouldn't be able to defeat him unless they all joined forces.
But with Bang Durip being so cooperative, their plan was shaken.
It would be troublesome if even one of the warriors from the Five Great Families wavered at his words. So they couldn't rashly start a fight.
"Do you find it strange that I'm saying this?"
"Frankly, yes."
"There's nothing strange about it. I've simply judged that now is the time for us all to join forces."
"Join forces? It seems all the mechanisms have been destroyed..."
Bang Durip furrowed his brow.
"Then who do you think destroyed those mechanisms?"
Everyone fell silent. It wasn't as if they hadn't considered that possibility.
"I don't know who it is, but if they've made a move, shouldn't we also join forces?"
They believed it was the work of a group, as it was by no means something a single person could accomplish.
From their perspective, that was a natural assumption.
Bang Durip said this and turned back around.
"And among those who went ahead of us, there is a considerable master."
"A master formidable enough for you to say that, Commander Bang?"
"That's right. Even I cannot guarantee victory."
At his words, everyone's expression turned serious.
"Will it be enough with just us?"
"It will be enough if we all work together. Let's deal with that master first, then we can talk amongst ourselves."
Everyone's minds were racing.
From now on, every move was crucial.
"Understood. It would be troublesome if they get the Profound Heaven Sword first, so we should hurry."
Bang Durip nodded and shot forward again.
The others ran along with Bang Durip.
A short while later, Byeok Taesan's group could be seen walking leisurely in the distance.
"There they are!"
Bang Durip increased his speed even more. A gap began to form between him and the others.
Still, he didn't mind. He believed they might not start fighting immediately, and even if they did, the others would quickly catch up and help.
But despite increasing his speed, the distance didn't close quickly.
Of course, it was gradually closing, but the pace was too slow.
'They are clearly walking...'
In any case, the distance continued to shrink, and they hadn't found the Profound Heaven Sword yet.
Bang Durip infused more internal energy into his legs.
His speed increased even more.
* * *
Byeok Taesan's group was moving on foot.
But it only looked like walking; in reality, they were faster than most who used lightness techniques.
The Sword Demon somehow managed to walk at a similar pace to Byeok Taesan.
Hwaok, however, could not. She wasn't skilled enough yet.
Nevertheless, Hwaok was moving on foot just like Byeok Taesan and the Sword Demon.
She was holding Byeok Taesan's hand.
The moment she took Byeok Taesan's hand, she could walk exactly like him, as if by magic.
However, the fact that she was walking hand-in-hand with Byeok Taesan concerned her far more than the fact that she was matching his pace.
Hwaok glanced sideways at Byeok Taesan's profile. Her cheeks flushed slightly.
At that moment, Byeok Taesan asked.
"Are you getting the feel of it now?"
"Ah... not yet..."
Hwaok's face grew redder. She was embarrassed that Byeok Taesan was taking the trouble to teach her, yet her mind had been elsewhere.
"Focus."
"Yes."
Hwaok's face burned even more, feeling as if her inner thoughts had been exposed.
How long had they walked like that?
"Bang Durip has caught up."
Startled by the Sword Demon's words, Hwaok checked behind them.
Bang Durip was literally running for his life.
He was running so hard that he was approaching quite quickly.
"What should we do?"
Byeok Taesan let out a small laugh at the Sword Demon's question.
The fighting spirit and anticipation in the Sword Demon's voice just now had been immense.
Byeok Taesan slowly came to a halt.
The Sword Demon stopped as well. A faint smile graced his face. He was probably unaware that he was smiling.
As Byeok Taesan's group stopped, Bang Durip arrived before them in an instant.
"Huuuuu."
Bang Durip quickly regulated his breathing and calmed his surging internal energy.
As if he often trained this way, he composed his body and mind to a state of calm clarity in the blink of an eye.
Bang Durip carefully examined the three people standing before him.
First, the Sword Demon. Just looking at him sent a shiver down his spine. He couldn't gauge if he could win in a fight. It felt like a very close call.
Hwaok was definitely beneath him in skill.
'Still, she's quite something. She doesn't look very old. With that level of skill, her future is promising.'
Greed subtly welled up inside him. Having a woman like that would be useful in many ways.
'She seems smart, too.'
Bang Durip thought this upon seeing the treasure map in Hwaok's hand.
That treasure map wasn't a map one could easily read just because it was deciphered.
That was why he himself had entrusted the map to his smartest man. Even so, it hadn't been smooth, and he had needed a great deal of help from others.
Finally, looking at Byeok Taesan, Bang Durip tilted his head.
'What's with this guy?'
He was too ordinary. Of course, he wasn't a commoner who hadn't learned martial arts.
He had clearly learned martial arts. And at a fairly high level, too.
But despite that, he was ordinary. His level was clearly lower than the other two here.
If that was all there was to it, Bang Durip wouldn't have thought it strange.
The reason Bang Durip found Byeok Taesan strange was because he felt a very peculiar sense of unease.
The problem was that this unease was severely unsettling his senses, and yet he couldn't pinpoint its source.
If he had observed Byeok Taesan a little longer, he might have reached some plausible conclusion.
But unfortunately, Bang Durip didn't have the time.
Because the Sword Demon approached.
As the most troublesome opponent drew near, all his senses focused on him.
"I am Bang Durip from the Martial Alliance. I humbly serve as the Commander of the Heavenly Sword Group."
"So you're a famous one. I am Na Chungil."
"Na Chungil?"
Bang Durip tilted his head. He had actually expected it to be a name he had heard at least once or twice somewhere.
But now that he heard the name, it was someone he didn't know at all.
'He seems to have some age on him...'
He was definitely not the kind of person who had spent his entire life training in the mountains before coming down. Bang Durip was sure of that.
Such a person wouldn't exude that kind of aura.
Unless, perhaps, enemies frequently ambushed him on that mountain, allowing him to accumulate vast combat experience.
Even if that were the case, his name would have become known.
A reputation is something that naturally grows as one interacts with people.
"I just don't get it. Anyway... I suppose we can begin now."
Bang Durip said this with a grin.
The people from the Black Alliance and the Five Great Families who had been chasing them had arrived.
"Now, I'll make a proposition. How about you help us and receive a suitable reward? If you want money, I'll give you money. If you want martial arts, I'll give you martial arts. If you want something else, I'll give you something else."
At Bang Durip's words, the Sword Demon slightly turned his head to look at Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan gave no hint or signal. He just watched calmly, as if telling him to handle it all himself.
The Sword Demon let out a low sigh.
"Huu. I'm afraid that won't do."
"Greed brings misfortune."
The Sword Demon nodded.
"That's exactly what I wanted to say."
Bang Durip scoffed and drew his sword.
"It would take too long and be too risky for me alone, so I'll need two of you to help. Since you're all well-known figures, I trust you won't get in the way."
When people who haven't coordinated before try to attack together, it can be worse than fighting alone. No, most of the time, it is.
So they had to fight with the mindset of a supporter, determined to create openings.
The ones who stepped forward were two men from the Five Great Families.
"We've done this sort of thing often, so don't worry and fight to your heart's content."
Bang Durip nodded and then spoke to the others.
"If you capture those two over there, this could end much more simply. They might be quite skilled, so be careful."
The remaining men nodded and put some distance between themselves and Bang Durip.
Then they slowly approached Byeok Taesan and Hwaok.
At that moment, Bang Durip lunged at the Sword Demon.
*Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!*
The swords of the Sword Demon and Bang Durip tangled in a dizzying flurry.
Both men were surprised by each other's skill. Of course, they had anticipated it to some extent, so they weren't flustered.
A very tense duel unfolded breathlessly.
The exchange of blows was so fast that the two warriors from the Five Great Families, watching eagerly for a chance to join in, couldn't find an opening.
Bang Durip focused even harder.
After exchanging a few blows, he knew for sure.
'He's stronger than me!'
His opponent was a greater master than him. The gap just wasn't so large that he couldn't hold on.
So, the moment his concentration broke, he would be defeated.
If he kept focusing, the warriors of the Five Great Families would somehow create an opening.
He had no choice but to fight with that belief.
He was confident he could turn the tide of this fight if he could just seize one moment of opportunity.
In Bang Durip's view, that was the extent of the difference between him and his opponent.
Pouring all his focus onto the Sword Demon, he naturally saw nothing else around him.
In Bang Durip's eyes, there was only the Sword Demon.
The moment his concentration reached its peak, the two warriors who had been eagerly waiting for an opportunity made their move.
Bang Durip saw two swords shoot out almost simultaneously, aiming for the Sword Demon's calf and shoulder.
The Sword Demon swung his sword in a fluid motion to parry the swords of the Five Great Families' warriors one after another.
Bang Durip precisely captured the moment the Sword Demon turned to parry the swords and thrust his own.
It was a very strained movement and a forced use of internal energy, but he gritted his teeth and attempted it.
With the feeling that this was his first and last chance.
*Clang!*
The swords of the Five Great Families' warriors were powerfully knocked away.
And Bang Durip's sword pierced the Sword Demon's neck.
No, it seemed to have pierced it.
The Sword Demon had suddenly closed the distance, almost touching Bang Durip's body.
*Kwa-gwang!*
The Sword Demon struck Bang Durip with a sharp movement, as if shrugging his shoulders.
Bang Durip flew back like a kite with its string cut, spitting blood.
Without even glancing at Bang Durip, the Sword Demon spun around and swung his sword.
*Shuk-gak!*
The dantian area of the warriors from the Five Great Families split open, splattering blood.
Their internal energy scattered, the two warriors lost all their strength and collapsed.
"Huuu."
The Sword Demon exhaled deeply, calmly settling his raging internal energy.
Then he turned to look at Byeok Taesan.
Around Byeok Taesan and Hwaok, six men—that is, the three warriors from the Black Alliance and the three from the Five Great Families—lay fallen.
Bang Durip, who had been sent flying while spitting blood, staggered to his feet and looked toward Byeok Taesan and the Sword Demon.
He couldn't believe that he had been defeated.
And he couldn't believe the sight of the men he had sent to take hostages lying so futilely defeated.
Byeok Taesan looked at Bang Durip and extended his hand.
"Come here."
Bang Durip's eyes widened as if they would tear from shock.
The moment Byeok Taesan extended his hand, Bang Durip was sent flying through the air and caught by the crown of his head in Byeok Taesan's grasp.
He struggled to resist being pulled, but it was useless.
"He seems to know a lot, so let's take this one with us for now."
With those words, Byeok Taesan tossed Bang Durip to the Sword Demon.
Seeing the now unconscious Bang Durip, the Sword Demon gave a wry smile and shook his head.
Byeok Taesan strode forward.
"Please wait a moment."
Hwaok spoke urgently and quickly moved among the fallen men, leaving her own marks upon their bodies.
This was something she had done often while in the Underworld Sect.
Her task was to erase any trace of the Sword Demon.
Byeok Taesan and the Sword Demon watched Hwaok and waited for a moment. The task was finished sooner than expected.
Even after she was done, Hwaok checked one more time.
When she nodded as if to say she was finished, Byeok Taesan started walking again. The Sword Demon and Hwaok quickly followed.
Just a little further and they would arrive at the location of the Profound Heaven Sword.
After traveling for a short while longer, a waist-high rock came into view.
A single sword was embedded in the rock.
"Found it."
Byeok Taesan's eyes gleamed.
And behind him, the Sword Demon muttered in disbelief.
"That's... not a fake."