Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: I'm Just the Grand Branch Master!
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*Swish!*
At that moment, six assassins attacked from the ground and the air. It was a perfect web of attacks with no room for escape.
Go Un-hyo suddenly appeared in the air two *zhang* above the assassins, then shot downward, headfirst.
He had been standing on a nearby tree branch, and now he plunged toward the second wave of attackers, swinging his Blood Shadow Sword.
*Kiiik!*
‘Six of them is too much!’
Even if Go Un-hyo managed to kill all six, he would be exposed and his stance broken. When the third wave of assassins attacked, he would be defenseless, if only for a moment.
Though Go Un-hyo’s internal energy was a century deep, on par with the Fifteen Venerables of the martial world, his absolute lack of combat experience prevented him from using his abilities to their fullest in a situation like this.
I threw the Yin Essence in my hands toward the two closest assassins.
Throwing was slower and less forceful than emitting it, but it was still faster than the assassins could swing their swords.
*Paaat!*
“Keuk!”
The two assassins struck by the Yin Essence froze mid-motion, their bodies rapidly icing over.
In that instant, two streaks of blood-red sword energy shot from the Blood Shadow Sword, piercing their heads, while the sword itself decapitated the other two.
Go Un-hyo spotted swarms of assassins closing in from all directions and let out a short cry.
“Brother!”
Go Un-hyo landed beside me, clutched his Blood Shadow Sword, and quickly scanned our surroundings.
He knew I was far more powerful than him, yet he instinctively moved to protect me.
I gripped the Fire Dragon Sword on my shoulder.
‘Is it the mind that perceives danger? Or the body?’
I wondered what, exactly, permitted my martial arts to activate in moments like this.
“Brother, stay behind me.”
Go Un-hyo stood firmly in front of me, readjusting his grip on the Blood Shadow Sword.
Of the forty-five Northern Underworld assassins hidden on this mountain, nine were dead. The remaining thirty-six were now attacking all at once.
This meant they had watched the first two attacks, of three and then six assassins, fail.
The thirty-six Northern Underworld assassins drew their swords in unison from the ground and the air.
*Shhhhiing!*
‘The mind? Or the body?’
I focused all my senses on that question.
As the thirty-six assassins closed to within three *zhang*, a tense Go Un-hyo spoke again.
“Brother! Be careful!”
But I was more worried about Go Un-hyo.
Individually, the assassins were nothing special, but a combined assault from thirty-six of them was a force to be reckoned with.
It was a moment of crisis.
*Swoosh!*
I shot straight up into the air. My martial arts had activated, but it happened so quickly that I still couldn’t tell whether it was my mind or my body that had permitted it.
I had launched myself upward when the assassins were three *zhang* away. By the time I reached a height of four *zhang*, they were within two *zhang* of Go Un-hyo.
As I ascended, I thought of trying something new.
To use the Divine Eyes of the Skynet from Skynet's Ultimate Reach to perceive all thirty-six Northern Underworld assassins at once, while simultaneously unleashing thirty-six streams of the Myriad Calamities Lightning from the Three Absolutes of the Azure Sky.
Looking down, the Divine Eyes instantly pinpointed not only the locations of the thirty-six assassins swarming from the ground and air but also their vital points, all in a fraction of a second.
And then the Fire Dragon Sword split the air.
*Craaackle!*
A sudden thunderclap tore through the clear sky as the Fire Dragon Sword unleashed a thick bolt of lightning.
It was a collaborative attack between the Divine Eyes and the Myriad Calamities Lightning.
*Zzzzzap!*
The single, thick bolt of lightning split into thirty-six slender streams as it descended, a sight akin to an umbrella opening.
*Thud!*
The surroundings flashed brightly, followed by a sound like beating a wet blanket.
*Fwoooosh!*
The thirty-six Northern Underworld assassins became thirty-six fireballs, tumbling across the forest floor.
Go Un-hyo stood frozen, his mind blank from the completely unexpected turn of events.
“Ah…”
The fireballs, however, had started a massive fire in the mountains. It was early winter, and the grass and trees were bone dry.
*Whoooosh!*
The blaze raged with such intensity that it seemed poised to consume the entire mountain.
Go Un-hyo leaped out of the flames, shouting.
“Brother! Get away!”
“Stand back.”
Still hovering high in the air, I infused Yin Essence into my hands, stretched my palms downward, and unleashed the Great Power Vajra Palm.
*Swoooosh!*
A shower of blue-white ice flowers rained down, a breathtakingly beautiful sight like tens of thousands of blossoms.
*Sizzzzzle…*
The fierce flames were instantly extinguished, leaving behind clouds of white steam.
Go Un-hyo watched me descend slowly to the ground, his expression dreamlike.
“Ah!”
I landed and sheathed the Fire Dragon Sword on my shoulder.
“Un-hyo, are you hurt?”
“Ah! Brother!”
“What is it?”
“It was so incredible… I’m speechless!”
Even after seeing me kill thirty-six assassins with a single bolt of lightning and then extinguish a raging fire in an instant, Go Un-hyo’s expression was one of disbelief.
“Hahaha! Is that so?”
“Yes! Brother, you are a celestial god!”
“Hahaha! You rascal! You’re making me blush!”
Go Un-hyo, normally quiet and gentle, had become quite talkative, a testament to how shocked he was by what he had just witnessed.
“Brother! I truly respect you.”
“Did you only start respecting me after seeing that?”
“No. I respected you before, too.”
“Then what was the respect you felt then, and what is the respect you feel now?”
“That is…”
Wordplay is always fun.
“Let’s go.”
***
We returned to Dong-ro County to hunt down the remaining ten Northern Underworld assassins.
To restore his tarnished reputation, Jang Ung had mobilized the entire Beggars’ Sect in Dong-ro County.
Therefore, if the Northern Underworld assassins were still within the county, escape was impossible.
A man sat alone by a tavern window, silently eating his meal. He had an ordinary appearance, the kind you could see anywhere.
He carried a single sword on his shoulder, but even that looked so commonplace that it was unlikely to draw a second glance.
But he was one of the Northern Underworld assassins.
People often imagine assassins to exude a sinister, chilling killing intent, but the mark of a top-tier assassin is the ability to conceal such things perfectly.
The tavern was about half-full, but no one paid him any mind.
*Step, step!*
A person entered the tavern.
He was a young man of such striking beauty that, in complete contrast to the assassin, he captured the attention of everyone present.
The young man didn't scan the room for an empty seat. He walked straight toward the assassin.
The dining assassin glanced up at the young man, who had stopped three steps away, then shot to his feet, drawing the sword from his shoulder.
*Swish!*
“Keuk!”
But before the assassin could draw his sword even halfway, his head was lopped off by a faint, blood-red line. Not a single drop of blood was spilled.
At the sight, the other patrons screamed and burst into a commotion.
The beautiful young man sheathed his red sword on his shoulder and walked out of the tavern as if nothing had happened.
The waiters then moved with practiced efficiency, clearing away the decapitated assassin and the dishes he had been eating.
One of the waiters then shouted to the crowd.
“Everyone! It’s nothing to worry about! Please, continue your meals!”
As if nothing had happened, the patrons resumed their chatter and their meals.
This tavern was owned by the Crouching Dragon Group.
And the beautiful young man, of course, was Go Un-hyo.
Together, Go Un-hyo and I moved through Dong-ro County, systematically killing the remaining Northern Underworld assassins and the masters from the Ten Heavens of the Unorthodox Path.
Thirty-five masters of the Unorthodox Path, gathered from all over Zhejiang Province under the banner of the Zhejiang Unorthodox Heaven, were scattered and hiding throughout Dong-ro County. We were killing them alongside the Northern Underworld assassins.
These thirty-five had been rigorously selected from the sects and factions under the Zhejiang Unorthodox Heaven to kill me, but to me, they were nothing more than a disorderly mob.
They had been chosen right after I killed the Sword Demon King, Nu Jinsang.
Since then, however, I had grown much stronger by killing many formidable foes.
The masters of the Ten Heavens had overlooked the fact that I was growing stronger by the day, which led them to make this blunder. Had they been making the decision now, they surely would have thought differently.
Go Un-hyo killed more than half of the ten Northern Underworld assassins and the thirty-five masters of the Ten Heavens.
Among the fifty-five Northern Underworld assassins and thirty-five unorthodox masters killed today, not a single one was on the same level as Sword Demon King Nu Jinsang.
One can only imagine how tedious it must have been for me.
They weren't even a match for Go Un-hyo.
***
Jang Ung spoke respectfully.
“My lord, will you continue to stay at the Dong-ro Branch?”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, sir. I was simply concerned that the annex at the Dong-ro Branch might be uncomfortable for you and was thinking of arranging a new residence.”
“It’s not uncomfortable in the slightest, so don’t worry about it.”
Compared to my time at the Martial Alliance headquarters or in the Gwalchang Mountain cave, life in the Dong-ro Branch annex was the height of luxury.
It is human nature that once people are well-fed and warm, they begin to desire an even more comfortable life.
That can lead to a dissolute lifestyle, causing one to lose sight of their original purpose.
I constantly push and discipline myself to never forget my initial resolve.
It had been a while since I last visited Jaun Pavilion. Jaun was so thrilled that she bustled about, serving the dishes with a flurry of excitement.
“Jaun, you sit down too.”
“Yes!”
I had Jaun, who had been busy setting the table, take a seat as well.
Jang Ung, Go Un-hyo, and Jaun. These three were like family to me.
“There’s something you all should know.”
I intended to summarize for them everything that had happened to me.
Sensing this, the three of them looked at me with tense expressions.
“We’ve decided to establish the Martial Alliance headquarters in Dong-ro County.”
“Has it been decided?”
“Yes.”
Jang Ung and Go Un-hyo, having been by my side, had some inkling of the situation, but this was the first Jaun had heard of it.
“The Martial Alliance headquarters? Is that really true?”
“It is.”
“Ah! That’s amazing! I can’t believe it!”
Jang Ung, suppressing his tension, spoke.
“My lord, what should we do?”
“Hmm! First, we need to accommodate the people who have joined the Dong-ro Branch.”
“We have purchased three manors within Dong-ro County and have distributed the new members among them. The maximum capacity is about seven hundred people. If more space is needed, I will secure a few more manors.”
“Well done.”
“The Martial Alliance headquarters will probably have to be built from scratch.”
“I suppose so.”
“So I’ve looked into a potential site.”
“Is there a suitable piece of land?”
“Guanzhong Road seems like a good spot.”
“Isn’t that in the center of town?”
“It’s located where the Tianmu Stream and the Qiantang River meet, so the headquarters could even build a port behind it.”
“Show that location to Mae-dang.”
“Understood.”
Jang Ung asked cautiously.
“How far should we be involved?”
“Only as far as showing the land for the headquarters to Mae-dang.”
I did not want the Peerless Sect or the Crouching Dragon Group to suffer any losses or harm.
“Bill Mae-dang for the funds spent on the Dong-ro Branch.”
“Understood.”
Jaun wore a curious expression.
“When the headquarters is established here, what will your position be, my lord?”
“I’m just the Grand Branch Master.”
“What? Does that make any sense?”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
Jaun shot to her feet.
“You’re the one who built up the Dong-ro Branch! And isn’t it because of you that the headquarters is being built here in the first place?”
“So, Jaun, would you like it if I were appointed to a high-ranking position in the Martial Alliance?”
“Of course you should be!”
Jaun looked from me to Jang Ung, then to Go Un-hyo, before a look of bewilderment crossed her face.
“Am I wrong?”