Chapter 553
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 553
Chapter Title: Of course.
The sun hung at its highest point in the sky.
The sunlight had grown quite harsh by now.
The shadows cast on the ground were at their shortest.
Noon.
Pung Geon and Gwan Ha-kyeong knew that the people from Plum Fragrance Sect would attack Yunwu Martial Hall at this exact hour.
Gwan Ha-kyeong had slipped out of Yunwu Martial Hall in secret to find Elder Kang.
And he had given her the precise time.
Five warriors stood before Yunwu Martial Hall.
Four stood in front, with one positioned behind them.
Plum Fragrance Sect Leader Ban Yun.
He gazed at the backs of the four men ahead of him.
Not bad.
When Black Face Hall first clashed with the maidservants,
He had received a report that their deputy leader, Gwan Po, had unleashed the aura of a peak expert.
To be precise, his own son, Ban Go-rok, had been humiliated by Gwan Po.
At that time, Ban Go-rok hadn't yet reached the peak realm.
Afterward, they shifted to simply keeping an eye on Black Face Hall as long as they didn't cross the line.
Defeating Ban Go-rok—who was at the cusp of the peak realm, on the verge of true mastery—meant Gwan Po was undoubtedly a peak expert himself.
There was no reason to waste the sect's full might on a fight with such a master.
Not for a third-rate black path faction, at any rate.
He had judged it wiser to watch and wait.
And so, this was the first time Ban Yun had laid eyes on Gwan Po in person.
Seeing him now...
Go-rok deserved to lose that badly.
His presence far exceeded expectations.
Even now, Ban Go-rok seemed no match for him.
The three corps leaders standing beside him looked almost pitiful by comparison.
To think he could hold out against me for at least fifty exchanges...
It was baffling why a man like this was merely the deputy leader of a place like Black Face Hall.
Still, for the moment, having a peak expert on their side was reassuring.
Ban Yun glanced around.
It was quiet.
As the gates of Plum Fragrance Sect opened and the four masters headed this way, the people on the eastern street had scattered like the tide.
By the time they reached Yunwu Martial Hall, Gwan Po was already there.
Which was why the area was deserted.
The nearby shops had shuttered their doors long ago.
Yet gazes peeked through cracks in windows and doors, watching furtively.
They had chosen noon precisely so everyone would witness it clearly.
Ban Yun silently turned his eyes to Yunwu Martial Hall.
Master still hasn't arrived...?
Another reason he scanned the surroundings.
His master had replied that he would descend the mountain, but there was still no sign of him.
He looked for any trace nearby, but found none.
If he said he'd come, he will.
Noon had arrived. Time to focus fully on Yunwu Martial Hall.
Heavenly Fragrance Corps Leader Ji Mun-gi checked the time and took the first step forward.
The moment his hand reached for the hilt of his sword to smash the front gate...
Kiiiik.
The gate creaked open.
Revealing the spacious training ground beyond.
And in its center stood a man and a woman.
"Must be them."
As Ban Yun muttered upon confirming their figures...
Pang!
With a sharp whoosh, Gwan Po launched himself forward.
His drawn blade gleamed with thick blue saber energy.
Kuwaaaang!!!
The saber swung straight at Gwan Ha-kyeong!
But it clashed against her shield with a deafening boom.
A plain-looking wooden shield.
Yet infused with her inner energy, it radiated a faint blue glow, blocking Gwan Po's saber energy.
The Plum Fragrance Sect members were startled by Gwan Po's sudden charge.
"Th-that..."
In particular, Infragrance Corps Leader Ban Go-rok trembled with rage.
He had been allowed to join the sect's operation, so he should have hung back and awaited orders—instead, Gwan Po charged ahead without a word.
Ban Go-rok wanted to strike the bastard from behind and teach him a lesson.
But with his father, the sect leader, standing silently behind him, he couldn't act rashly.
Ban Yun admired Gwan Po's saber technique.
A famed family's saber art.
He couldn't identify the sect, but it was clear.
Not the style of an unorthodox or black path group.
The sudden duel between Gwan Ha-kyeong and Gwan Po unfolded.
Pung Geon held back, watching.
The Plum Fragrance Sect members followed Ban Yun's lead and refrained from jumping in.
Kang! Chaeng! Kwang!
Saber energy against saber energy.
Saber energy against shield.
They clashed, parried, and intertwined in fierce exchanges.
Gwan Ha-kyeong gritted her teeth.
Impressive.
This must be Gwan Po, the deputy leader of Black Face Hall.
She hadn't expected an unorthodox warrior to wield such refined saber arts.
Pung Geon watched their duel with a grave expression.
Strong.
If the other four were on his level...
They might have to retreat to end today's fight.
Gwan Po was equally taken aback.
He'd never heard of a saber style incorporating a shield.
A saber wielder holding a shield in his off-hand?
He wanted to cry heresy, but he himself was from the black path, much like the unorthodox sects.
And moreover...
That shield's defense was incredibly solid.
The woman was extraordinarily powerful.
For Gwan Po, who prided himself on his skills, this was unforeseen.
He thought he could overwhelm a startled foe in an instant.
Kwang! Kang! Kang!
Even as she defended, her counterattacks lashed out viciously at times.
Her saber movements were majestic yet forceful.
Ban Yun watched their exchange, then frowned.
The shield had thrown him off at first.
But observing longer, he recognized the origin of the woman's saber style.
"This is a headache..."
The three corps leaders glanced back at his low mutter.
"What is the matter...?"
Heavenly Fragrance Corps Leader Ji Mun-gi asked cautiously.
"Can't you recognize that woman's saber art?"
In a situation ripe for calling her a wench, he said "woman."
That alone proved her origins were no trifles.
But they couldn't place it.
Tsk.
Ban Yun clicked his tongue.
"Heaven-Severing Demon-Slaying Blade."
The three men's eyes widened at the answer.
Heaven-Severing Demon-Slaying Blade?
Wasn't that Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader So Hwi-woong's signature technique?
Which meant her sect of origin was...
"A woman from Dorim Sect, of all places..."
Ban Yun muttered irritably.
No matter how this played out, they had to send her back unharmed.
Even if it was her personal affair, harming a Dorim disciple could spell disaster.
The Black Face Hall and Yunwu Martial Hall feud had started over a matter of face, after all.
If she were injured, Dorim could use that as pretext to strike Plum Fragrance Sect.
Though they were facing Black Face Hall's deputy leader, Gwan Po, the sect leader Ban Yun himself was present.
"Step aside."
At Ban Yun's words, the three corps leaders parted left and right, clearing a path.
Ban Yun drew his sword and leaped forward.
Purple sword energy blazed along his blade.
Purple Light.
The signature trait of Huashan Sect swordsmanship.
The violet sword energy...
Kaaaang!
As Ban Yun swung, Gwan Po and Gwan Ha-kyeong each staggered back two steps.
Ban Yun himself retreated one step from the recoil of facing both at once.
He frowned slightly at the result.
They were stronger than anticipated.
"What?"
Gwan Po snarled at Ban Yun.
He was furious at the interruption but didn't charge—the clash had revealed Ban Yun as a superior master.
And his current target was the woman before him.
"Well then, enough with the greetings. Shall we talk for a moment?"
With his refined features, white hair, and beard, Ban Yun looked every bit the venerable elder of a righteous famed sect.
Though his slightly upturned eyes hinted at his temperament.
Gwan Ha-kyeong eyed him warily.
"You're truly a disciple of Dorim Sect?"
Gwan Po flinched at the name.
He knew what Dorim was.
Gwan Ha-kyeong gave a small nod.
"As I thought. That saber art is indeed the Heaven-Severing Demon-Slaying Blade."
Gwan Po flinched again.
He had thought it a tricky style, but to think it was the Heaven-Severing Demon-Slaying Blade—the current world's greatest saber art, praised across the land.
Of course, it held that title as So Hwi-woong's famed technique.
"This is a matter between Black Face Hall, Plum Fragrance Sect, and Yunwu Martial Hall. Does your involvement mean Dorim's will?"
From Ban Yun's continued questions, Gwan Ha-kyeong gleaned his intent.
He feared Dorim's intervention.
"This is my personal affair. I'm stepping in to help a friend. It has nothing to do with Dorim."
Ban Yun nodded at her crisp reply.
At least this wouldn't lead to bad blood with Dorim.
Provided Gwan Ha-kyeong emerged unscathed.
"Does that mean you'll keep opposing us?"
"Of course."
Her saber tip turned toward Ban Yun.
"Insolent!"
Ban Go-rok shouted in fury.
"Very well. Let's continue, then. But whatever the outcome, accept it gracefully."
With that, Ban Yun stepped back instead.
The three corps leaders, at his glance, advanced.
"This one's mine."
Gwan Po stepped forward.
He was surprised to learn she was from Dorim but not backing down.
"Can you handle it?"
Ban Yun asked, aware from Sa-hon of Gwan Po's obsession with her.
"Hmph! Dorim or whatever, it doesn't matter."
If worst came to worst, he could flee beyond the central plains.
No matter how vast Dorim was, they couldn't scour the entire world.
There were even the outer reaches.
It rendered Yunwu Martial Hall pointless, but Gwan Po valued avenging his brother over any gains from it.
"Any issues with Dorim arising from her will be Black Face Hall's responsibility alone."
Gwan Po nodded at Ban Yun's words.
Sa Hoon, hiding far away and watching the fight, overheard it too.
His face drained of color.
Fuck. He's telling us to die! What the hell is Big Brother thinking, tangling with a woman like that...?
Ban Yun was slyly shifting Dorim blame onto Black Face Hall. Sa Hoon wanted to burst out cursing, but he couldn't.
He clenched his teeth and fists, watching helplessly.
Now, he hoped Gwan Po lost.
If she were harmed, they might all die at Dorim's hands.
"Doesn't matter to me. Plum Fragrance Sect might fear Dorim, but I, Gwan Po, couldn't care less!"
At Gwan Po's shout, Ban Yun signaled the three corps leaders, who advanced on Pung Geon.
Srung.
Pung Geon drew his sword and raised his shield.
Ban Yun retreated again.
No need for him to step in yet.
His sword returned to its sheath.
Gwan Po faced Gwan Ha-kyeong once more.
"How about ditching that cumbersome shield and fighting fair? The Heaven-Severing Demon-Slaying Blade isn't meant to cower behind one, is it?"
Gwan Po taunted.
But Gwan Ha-kyeong gripped her shield tighter.
"If you wanted to talk like that, you should've come alone."
Blue saber energy surged along her blade.
Her shield glowed faintly blue.
"Fuck."
Gwan Po spat a curse as blue saber energy poured from his blade.