Chapter 596
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 596
Chapter Title: Well Done
Kaifeng and Luoyang.
Military units departed from both places at nearly the same time.
Though their destinations differed.
The Black Resolve Unit's goal was to encounter and annihilate the enemy as far from Kaifeng as possible.
Iron Tan Valley had clearly instructed them to prioritize a safe return, but they were warriors all the same.
Twenty members of the Black Resolve Unit, many of whom were veterans of the Martial World Great War.
The fact that the enemy was Bang Sa-uk, the former Rear Guard Captain, felt off-putting, but they couldn't move with retreat in mind from the outset.
They ran swiftly.
As Iron Tan Valley had described, they would encounter Bang Sa-uk near the point closest to Kaifeng when dividing the distance between their starting point at Cheonjung Mountain and Kaifeng into thirds.
In other words, around two-thirds of the way from Cheonjung Mountain to Kaifeng.
"Huff... huff... Let's slow down a bit."
At the words from the squad member running right behind him, Dam Mu-hun picked up his pace even more.
He immediately drew fierce glares from the surrounding members.
It was obvious they'd blame him for making Dam Mu-hun speed up.
[Damn it. You saw the orders. You know time's tight, so why say something like that?]
A telepathic grumble reached the ears of the one who'd spoken.
No one else could see the expression of the man running right behind Dam Mu-hun.
He hadn't said it because he wanted to, either.
[Well done.]
Dam Mu-hun's telepathy reached his ears.
That was right.
Dam Mu-hun had made him complain.
It was Dam Mu-hun's ploy to create an excuse to increase their speed.
[I could've just sped up on my own. Why use me as the sacrifice?]
A resentful telepathic message reached Dam Mu-hun's ears.
[You can handle running more.]
That was true.
The one keeping pace right behind Dam Mu-hun with lightness skill was among the top five in the Hocheon Corps for it, so he still had plenty of energy left.
[The others aren't like that. Better to put you out front as the lightning rod than me. It'll make them run harder. I'll buy you a drink after this is over.]
[Make it two.]
[Deal.]
Their speed increased further.
And rightly so—they didn't have much time.
The operation outlined in the orders had been devised by Heavenly Eye Pavilion Lord Gong Son Dan-gyeong.
It specified the projected location and time for the Black Resolve Unit to encounter the ferocious beast.
They were to arrive on time, support the unit, and take down the beast.
They truly had to move fast.
The distance from Luoyang to the site was a full one-and-a-half times farther than from Kaifeng.
They needed to move more than twice as fast as the Black Resolve Unit.
'Damn. Bang Sa-uk. How the hell did that bastard survive and...'
Only Ha Mu-baek knew the ferocious beast was Bang Sa-uk.
The sole difference between the orders given to the vice corps leader and those to the squad members was the beast's identity.
The members had only been told it was a powerful monster on the level of a Blood River Corpse.
The vast training chamber beneath the Alliance Lord's quarters.
Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader So Hwi-woong sat there alone.
In his hand was a handwritten copy of a report.
It detailed how Ha Mu-baek had fought at the Huashan Sect.
He had no idea how many times he'd read it by now.
"Whew. Truly a monster."
He murmured it again as he read through it once more.
A pile of papers stacked in one corner of his training chamber all recorded Ha Mu-baek's recent battles.
Those that eyewitnesses had documented.
Among them, the one he'd reviewed most was the final battle in the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
He had recorded what he'd personally witnessed, and compiled others' accounts as well.
He reviewed them for one simple reason.
They inspired him.
Not to imitate Ha Mu-baek, but to ponder what he would do in the same situations.
How he would counter if Ha Mu-baek pulled those moves on him.
Contemplating such things expanded the limits of So Hwi-woong's imagination and sharpened his insight into martial arts.
He felt it himself, which was why he was confirming the Huashan Sect battle in the same way.
The fight atop Lotus Flower Peak against No Hu-myeong.
And Ha Mu-baek's display while dismantling the formation that had trapped the Huashan Sect.
'Overwhelming power to crush it down. Then spread it wide just like that...'
Deep in meditation, immersed in his inner world, So Hwi-woong suddenly stood in the heart of the Huashan Sect.
Countless fragments of demonic qi flying past toward him.
Ha Mu-baek had swept them away with his Energy Sword.
But So Hwi-woong's response differed.
Heaven-Severing Demon-Slaying Blade.
The absolute swordsmanship of nine forms.
The ninth and final, strongest form: Heaven-Rending Demon Annihilation.
Heaven-Rending Demon Annihilation unfolded from So Hwi-woong's hand.
A typhoon capable of shattering the heavens raged.
That typhoon swept up the rain of demonic qi falling from the sky, obliterating every last drop.
However.
"Huff... huff... huff."
So Hwi-woong had not a scrap of internal energy left, either.
A strike with every ounce of his power.
No Hu-myeong, who had been pouring down that rain of demonic qi, was swept away and annihilated by it as well.
But if even one more enemy had been present, So Hwi-woong would have faced mortal peril.
So Hwi-woong slowly opened his eyes.
His body, focused solely on meditation, was drenched in sweat.
"Whew. Truly a monster."
He hadn't yet trained in his mindscape to replicate the record of Ha Mu-baek single-handedly shattering the formation that had dyed Huashan in blood.
There was a wall he had to overcome first.
So Hwi-woong gripped his sword.
The sword blade of the Ink Golden Divine Sword, now his beloved weapon, clung perfectly to his hand.
He moved the sword slowly.
Forms of the Heaven-Severing Demon-Slaying Blade flowed out one by one.
Passing through the swift pinnacle of Heaven-Severing, the Myriad Demons Severing that cleaved ten thousand demons unfolded, until finally, the last form.
Heaven-Rending Demon Annihilation completed.
So Hwi-woong stood tall, sword in hand.
He closed his eyes then, utterly still.
A tidal wave of enlightenment had crashed over him, and he surrendered to it completely.
How much time passed like that?
Crack. Crack.
The sound of bones shifting echoed.
Crack.
Cracks began forming on his skin.
In an instant.
A brilliant explosion of light burst from So Hwi-woong's body.
His skin crumbled away like dust.
Black, turbid fluids from his body soaked his clothes.
His skin grew smoother, the wrinkles around his eyes fading.
"Shedding the mortal shell... It's been a while."
So Hwi-woong chuckled softly to himself.
A foul stench emanated from his body, but he seemed unbothered.
He closed his eyes again, slowly examining his body.
After inspecting every corner, he nodded.
"Fourth form of the Heaven-Severing Demon-Slaying Blade, and the brink of the Hwagyeong's peak..."
He objectively confirmed his current realm.
Back during the Martial World Great War, the early Hwagyeong had been his limit.
No—even after the war ended, he'd stagnated for quite some time.
Yet after Ha Mu-baek left the alliance, he'd attained the third form, and now the fourth.
And somehow, he'd reached the edge of the Hwagyeong's peak.
He couldn't even guess what came next.
And on top of that.
"Just how far has Mu-baek gone...?"
He couldn't even estimate Ha Mu-baek's level.
Ha Mu-baek and his two disciples had left Sangnam and entered Henan Province.
To him, it was a return home, but for the two children, it was their first real trip.
They'd traveled from Luoyang to Sangnam before, but that had felt more like relocation than a journey to them.
A full day after departing Sangnam, the children's faces brimmed with anticipation.
The sadness and longing of parting from their parents lingered in a corner of their hearts, but for now, they radiated excitement for new experiences.
Ha Mu-baek didn't hurry.
His pace accounted for the two young children.
And it wasn't just travel, either.
They trained along the way, making the journey extremely slow.
Had he been alone, he would've passed Luoyang by now, but with the Gong siblings—Ha Bin and Ha Jun—he'd only just entered Henan.
"Not too tired?"
Ha Mu-baek asked.
It was the third time today alone.
"We're fine."
"No problems here."
The children answered spiritedly.
One might think they'd grow tired of the repeated question, but they smiled brightly each time.
"Looks like we'll have to camp out tonight."
The sun was already setting.
A quick scan with his senses revealed no inns reachable at their current pace.
The children's faces flushed slightly with excitement.
It would be their first time camping.
More eager than worried.
And why not? Camping was a staple in the heroic novels circulating in the markets.
Gong Ha Jun's face especially glowed with anticipation.
Even before learning martial arts, he'd sneak peeks at those heroic tales.
Unlike the children's excitement, Ha Mu-baek thought:
'This is a problem. Camping wasn't in my calculations.'
He'd spoken calmly, but he was a bit flustered.
His estimates hadn't matched their actual speed, creating this discrepancy that forced the campout.
They had no food on hand, either.
Just the water in the bamboo canteen.
Until now, they'd stayed at inns near the main road for meals and lodging.
There had been one at a suitable distance today, too, but their travel had slowed more than planned.
Not for any special reason—the training session had run long.
The children's skills ripening day by day had gotten him carried away, extending today's practice.
'Need to watch the time more closely from now on.'
Reviewing today's mistake, Ha Mu-baek resolved as much.
Whether he'd repeat it was another matter.
He forgot the world when immersed in martial arts, too.
Just the other day, he'd gotten carried away in sparring, pushing Gwan Ha-kyeong too hard.
The sun dipped lower, twilight spreading and claiming the land.
It was about time for hunger to set in.
'Hunting it is, then.'
The road from Sangnam to Luoyang wound through mountains, with the main path carved through.
Stray just a bit off it, and you were in the woods.
Hunting wouldn't be hard, but leaving two children alone in the mountains was out of the question.
If he could set up a formation, maybe.
But Ha Mu-baek knew how to break them, not create them.
'No choice.'
After devising a plan, Ha Mu-baek spoke to the children.
"We'll camp around here tonight. Let's head off the road into the woods."
As they veered from the path into the mountains, Gong Ha Jun darted about, gathering dry twigs one or two at a time.
Following her brother's lead, Gong Ha Bin began picking up twigs too.
It wasn't necessary at all, but Ha Mu-baek said nothing, finding their initiative praiseworthy.
By the time they reached a suitable clearing, night had fallen.
The moon, slightly smaller than full, still brightly lit the night sky.
Thick trees blocked some moonlight, but it was enough to make out their surroundings.
The two children each clutched armfuls of dry twigs.
"Well done. This spot looks good."
Ha Mu-baek drew his sword and lightly cleared the ground around them to make a fire pit.
After setting down the twigs, Gong Ha Jun fetched nearby stones.
He couldn't venture far in the darkened woods, so he relied on moonlight to gather what he could find close by.
As a result, they didn't have quite enough.
Ha Mu-baek and the children ringed the fire pit with what they had.
As Gong Ha Jun piled the twigs in the center, he remembered they had no flint or tinderbox.
"Uh...?"
He hesitated on how to bring it up.
Whoosh.
Flames seemed to spark from his master's hand, then leaped to the twigs in an instant.
Warmth quickly rose.
"It's warm."
Gong Ha Bin smiled as she spoke.
Gurgle.
The same rumble echoed from both children's stomachs at once.
Ha Mu-baek grinned at their embarrassed faces.
"Makes sense you'd be hungry. Let's warm up first, though."
At his words, the children sat by the fire, basking in its glow and letting the heat seep into their bodies.
Meanwhile, Ha Mu-baek extended his senses outward.
He couldn't leave the children behind.
They might get scared.
In the end, the only option was to hunt right there from his seat.
His energy flowed out, enveloping the area.
The presences of Ha Mu-baek and the children vanished completely, and soon after, mountain beasts began stirring one by one.