Nano Machine c 391 to 400

 Chapter 391 - The Heavenly Demon Emperor (2) Chapter 391: The Heavenly Demon Emperor (2) A reputation that came after the breakup of the alliance with the Forces of Justice. A reputation that was close to notoriety. Threatening the emperor to change the state religion and kidnapping the leaders of the Forces of Justice after cutting down their arms, including Yeon Buso, who was thought to be the future of the Yulin. Those were the things that the new Lord of the Demonic Cult had done. What he did was completely different from what the previous Lords of the Demonic Cult had done. This man, Chun Yeowun, seemed unstoppable. “That young man over there is the Lord of Demonic Cult?” “The Heavenly Demonic Emperor!” “He doesn’t look that strong… huh!” It was the first time for many to see Chun Yeowun’s face and there was one thing that shocked the Masters of the Blade God Six Martial clan. No matter how much they looked at him, Chun Yeowun didn’t look like someone important or capable. ‘Huh, it hasn’t been that long, but he didn’t change much at all.’ 6th leader Poong Chungwun looked at Chun Yeowun, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. He was the one who could recognize Chun Yeowun’s face in an instant. If there was anything that changed about Chun Yeowun, then it was the energy surrounding him. If it could be expressed in terms of alcohol, then in the past he was close to turning into a strong wine and now he looks like a high-quality wine that would exude subtle fragrance. ‘In such a short amount of time he was able to grow so much?!’ Was it the position that changed him? He looked more reliable and dignified than at the time when Poong Chungwun met him in the Demonic Cult. It looked like Chun Yeowun was the same, yet different at the same time. The Yulin members were surprised, but there was another person who couldn’t help but be surprised when he looked at the Lord of the Demonic Cult for the first time. He was Gar Mojam, a member of the 18 River families, who attended the treaty as a representative for the Forces of Evil. His expression hardened as he looked at Chun Yeowun. He couldn’t help but remember the words that were said about this Lord. [He was a young man with a pure white face, Chun Yeowun, the leader of the Demonic Cult. Ah… he must be coming from the Ten Thousand Mountains, but seeing the Lord treat him so politely, it looks like Yang Danwa was someone of a high ranking position in the Demonic Cult.] At that time, he had thought that Yang Danwa was the person who had to be caught. However, seeing the Lord of Demonic Cult, who revealed his face from the mask, only one thing passed through his mind. ‘… Demonic Cult… Lord of the Demonic cult?’ It was a guess, but Gar Mojam was certain. This man had to be the true culprit behind what happened, the one who beheaded his nephews, and disappeared right after killing them. This man on the podium was Chun Yeowun, whom he vowed to kill once the civil war within the Forces of Evil subsided. ‘That bastarddddd!’ He couldn’t even express his anger through his mouth. It was because of the absurd strength he had just displayed to everyone on the castle grounds. Even if there was a slight chance of success, he would have rushed over to the podium and torn him to pieces. ‘Shit!’ While he was struggling, something passed through his mind. [The Lord of the Demonic Cult killed my nephews.] […. have some debts to pay.] [Give me the chance to repay the debt. When the treaty is over, confusion is sure to arise. If that’s the case, we already know who the Forces of Justice or those Blade Clan bastards will target, right?] It was what he had discussed before leaving for the treaty. The words of Hang Yen, the West Strong King. In order to kill that monster, everyone had to work together. Only then was there a possibility of taking him down. ‘Now that I look around, I am not the only one who wants to kill him.’ The expressions of the Forces of Justice and the Blade God Six Martial clan, who were all supposed to be stronger than the Forces of Evil, were stiff. Even the 3rd leader Nam Gung-kyong, an extremist, was in deep thoughts. ‘Isn’t this situation like out of the frying pan into the fire?’ -¹* At first, he was trying to use the power of the Blade God Six Martial clan. He hoped that they, who had 12 Superior Masters behind them and 3 Supreme Masters in the beginning level, would be able to create a strategy to take down the Lord of Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun. But when he looked at the bomb on the ground, he realized that the Blade God Six Martial clan was a lot more dangerous than he made them out to be. ‘Did they intend to kill everyone in here?’ Bombs like that could get the task done. He had been to the Imperial palace before when they were demonstrating the bomb and the explosive powers it held within it. However, this bomb, which was in the castle, was three times larger than the Imperial palace bombs. ‘I shouldn’t use those men.’ Even the Forces of Evil, which were considered to be evil, would never take such actions. However, it was safe to say that bombs were something that the people of Wulin would never ever touch. With that alone, the Blade God Six Martial clan was very close to being the 1st faction that had to be destroyed. ‘Which of the two should I aim for first?’ After seeing the level of Chun Yeowun, Lord of the Demonic Cult, he was even more confused. Looking at how he took control over the Air Swords, it looked like no one in the castle could stand up to Chun Yeowun, who was a Divine Master, in a one-on-one battle. Even Yi Mok, one of the five strongest warriors of Wulin, didn’t seem to be an opponent. ‘Great Leader…’ It was very clear from the dark expression that Great Leader Yi Mok had. He was at the crossroads of making a decision. A situation that was difficult to decide on which side to aim for first to suffer the smallest losses from. That was when he heard someone call him. [Leader Nam Gung.] He tried to see who was sending him a telepathic message, but the most shocking thing was the person who sent it. It was the member of the Blade God Six Martial clan who had shown the Air Swords moments before. He was shocked at the sudden contact from an unknown person, but the next message puzzled him even more. [No, shouldn’t you be called the Leader of the Forces of Great Heaven (Name of their Extremist group)?] ‘Ah?’ Shockingly, that man from the Blade God Six Martial clan knew his true identity. It was even more shocking when his true identity was brought up from the mouth of someone who was a part of the Six Masters of the Blade God Six Martial clan, whom he never met before. ‘How did he know about that?’ Just in case, he looked over at Dang Pil-soon, another member of the Forces of Great Heaven, but it seemed like Nam Gung was the only one who received the message. That being said, this man from the Blade God Six Martial clan knew that Nam Gung Kyong was the leader of Forces of Great Heaven. ‘Terrifying information gathering. Could there be a spy among us too?’ While he didn’t respond, the Blade God Six Martial clan master kept on talking. [I’m going to make a suggestion. As you have seen, that man there is of the Divine Master level, a monster who went beyond the level of human beings.] That was one thing Nam Gung-kyong could agree with. Even the Great leader of the Forces of Justice and Yulin, Yi Mok, a Supreme Master level and one of the five strongest warriors, was called a one-man army. Just the Supreme Master level is difficult for anyone to touch, but if Chun Yeowun went higher than that, it meant that Chun Yeowun was close to being invincible. The Blade God Six Martial clan was an enemy, but it felt like it was worth listening to him. Hesitating for a moment or so, Nam Gung-kyong sent a message. [What is your suggestion?] [Here, when everyone is ready to fight their own battles, it would be better for the Forces of Great Heaven and us to join hands.] [….] [I even know about that thing you are hiding.] After that comment, Nam Gung-kyong frowned. It seemed like the Blade God Six Martial clan knew about their plan. It was definite that there was a spy inside his organization, and that spy seemed to be in the top ranks for him to gather such information. Fortunately, the contents of the plan were only known by him, who was the leader of the organization. [Why don’t we form an alliance until we defeat him?] Nam Gung-kyong’s eyes narrowed at the suggestion from Sword Master Lee Wook. Yet, the proposal was, as expected, to form an alliance. It meant to eliminate the common enemy first and then fight among themselves. It was mutually beneficial, but he never thought that such an offer would be made. ‘So they fear the Lord of the Demonic Cult this much?’ Seeing that, Nam Gung-kyong couldn’t help but think that the Lord of Demonic Cult was indeed great. It was nothing more than a temporary alliance, and the Sword Master of Blade God Six Martial clan, who just got overpowered by the Lord of the Demonic Cult, turned nervous enough to propose such an alliance. If only this faction, the Blade God Six Martial clan, hadn’t been considered an evil force, they could have been considered as elite warriors. ‘… there isn’t much of a choice here.’ After pondering for a while, Nam Gung-kyong made a decision. If the five strongest warriors were scared to move against Chun Yeowun, then it was better to join hands with the enemy and kill Chun Yeowun on the spot for the sake of the future. It would be even more of a mess if everyone fought for themselves and ended up with more sacrifices on their side rather than the Demonic Cult. As he was about to answer, he heard something startling. [I have already reached an agreement with the representative of the Forces of Evil. Have you decided?] ‘Forces of Evil?’ These people were moving fast. In a way, it would have been embarrassing to ask for help from others, but these people of the Blade God Six Martial clan seemed dead set on wanting to kill Chun Yeowun. Chun Yeowun seemed to have made too many enemies. [Understood. We will keep up the alliance until we kill the Lord of the Demonic Cult.] [… we are running out of time, persuade the Great Leader of the Forces Of Justice.] [I will.] It felt like the Great Leader of the Forces of Justice, Yi Mok, would side with Nam Gung-kyong. When his son’s severed arm was sent back, he displayed great anger. Nam Gung-kyong seemed sure that there would be no objection to the fact that everyone should kill the Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun, first. “Listen! Our enemy is here. It is Chun Yeowun, the Lord of the Demonic Cult, who destroyed the 18 River families in Yongho!” Perhaps there was anger residing in him, Yellow River’s Gar Mojam was the first one who ordered his subordinates. His subordinates didn’t know about the Yongho, and listening to that, they couldn’t contain their anger. These people were feared in the Yellow River, some even considered them as scary as the 18 river families. “Today we will soothe the souls of our fallen comrades with his blood! Follow me!” Clang! With that, Gar Mojam drew his Water Dragon Blade, and seventeen elite members with excellent skills pulled out their own respective weapons and shouted. “Let’s soothe the souls of our fallen comrades with blood!!!” It was to raise their morale. They too knew that the Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun, was a monster. Yet, they had to shake off the fear to deal with the enemy. “Descendants of the Blade God! For the sake of our future, the Lord of the Demonic Cult has to be killed!” As a response to Gar Mojam’s order, Sword Master Lee Wook shouted at the twelve masters who were behind him. The members of the Blade God Six Martial clan shouted to boost their morale. “Wahhhhhhhh!!!” The atmosphere was set. Almost all the people who were aiming for Chun Yeowun’s neck were elite warriors. ‘This momentum needs to be kept.’ Nam Gung-kyong hastily sent a telepathic message to Great Leader Yi Mok. [Great Leader. This is a great opportunity. At this point, we need to take down the Lord of the Demonic…. Ah?] However, something unexpected happened. Tak! Even before he could complete what he was saying, Great Leader Yi Mok went onto the podium and stood beside Chun Yeowun. [Great Leader! Don’t tell me that you want to side with him…?] Nam Gung-kyong was thinking that it was impossible for Yi Mok to go one-on-one with Chun Yeowun and was trying to plan something, so he didn’t even see what his Great Leader was doing. ‘No, what is that man doing!?’ There was another person who was climbing up onto the podium. It was Poong Chungwun, the 6th leader, who walked up and stood beside the Great Leader. “Let’s go!” Nam Gung-kyong’s eyes widened at the voice of 7th leader Moyong Kang. ‘!?’ Not just Moyong Kang, even the other leaders who came to the treaty, slowly moved up the podium. In addition to Poong Chungwun, Moyong kang and the 11th leader Hong Pilwoo and 13th leader Jegal’s head, Jegal Yonggi, stood next to Yi Mok. That meant that all the leaders of the Forces of Justice except him had moved onto the podium. “What is this?” And that wasn’t it. Rumble! Rumble! About one hundred and forty heads of small factions of Yulin walked up and stood on the podium. ‘This?’ Embarrassingly, the remaining 100 people who didn’t move were the members of the Forces of the Great Heaven organization. The way everything happened made it look like Yi Mok was siding with the Lord of the Demonic Cult. No, it was more like he was in on the plan, like they were working together. Confused, Nam Gung-kyong asked in a loud voice. “Great Leader! What are you doing right now? You are not planning to work with the Lord of the Demonic Cult, right?” The alliance was broken. In addition, Yi Mok was the one who looked like he wanted to punish the Lord of the Demonic Cult with his own hands until a couple moments ago. From Nam Gung-kyong‘s perspective, who completely trusted Yi Mok, this was like a blow to his head. That was when the Great Leader spoke. “Leader Nam Gung-kyong! How dare you plan to join hands with those people?!” “!?” Nam Gung-kyong’s eyes went wide. Pointing to the Blade God Six Martial clan and calling him out like a spy, he couldn’t help but go speechless. Although he was running the Forces of Great Heaven behind Yulin, it was his aim to seek true justice, but for him to be pushed away like this was unexpected. ‘Do they have differentiating opinions?’ Lee Wook, who had been waiting for a response, realized that something had gone wrong, looking at how the people of Yulin were climbing up the podium. Lee Wook, who had watched what unfolded, shouted at the Great Leader of Forces of Justice. “Great Leader of the Forces of Justice of Yulin! Are you siding with the Lord of the Demonic Cult? As far as I know, the alliance with the cult is broken, so isn’t this too much?” It was his attempt to help out Nam Gung-kyong, who was in trouble. Moreover, Lee Wook didn’t want Chun Yeowun to have any helpers on his side. He didn’t want to see even a single possibility of someone helping Chun Yeowun. ‘… to get the help from a member of the Blade God Six Martial clan.’ Nam Gung-kyong’s expression crumbled. It was a shame for the leader of the Forces of Great Heaven to get help from those who seek destruction. However, if he couldn’t get back into the good graces of the Great Leader, then the situation in which he would be alienated would occur. That was when Yi Mok looked at Lee Wook. “I don’t think you should talk about such rightful things.” “What is that supposed to mean?” “Did you think that I wouldn’t know if you planted spies and tried deceiving me with that booklet?” “!?” This time, it was Lee Wook’s eyes which went wide at the unexpected words. Shockingly, Yi Mook seemed to have known that the hidden booklet inside the fist of Yeon Buso’s severed arm was a fake one. ‘How did he know?’ Great Leader Yi Mok and his people had moved as Lee Wook had intended. Not only did they break off the alliance with the Demonic Cult, but they even tried their very best to make sure that the people of the Demonic Cult didn’t come over to the treaty, so he thought everything was going as planned. Looking at Yi Mok’s eyes, Lee Wook knew that the Great Leader knew the truth. He opened his mouth as if to counter it. “Yulin has been fighting the Demonic Cult for hundreds of years. Do you know what it means to hold their hands after such a long confrontation?” “?” “That is something that only a new faction, which recently stepped foot inside the Wulin, would say. You know nothing.” “I know nothing?” “I have been exchanging information with the Lord of the Demonic Cult for a while and not once have I ever heard or been reported that he called himself the Lord of the Demonic Cult.” Sword Master Lee Wook couldn’t understand it. Although he reviewed the booklet several times, he made sure that it was flawless. ‘… what is the problem with calling the Lord of the Demonic Cult as Lord of the Demonic Cult?’ However, the expression of Nam Gung-kyong crumbled as he mumbled. “… Chun Ma… Chun Ma of the Sky Demon Order!!” “Chun Ma of the Sky Demon Order?” At those words, Chun Yeowun smiled. The words ‘Demonic Cult’ were something that people who didn’t know about the Demonic Cult used in general terms. The members of the Demonic Cult introduced their Lord as Chun Ma of the Sky Demon Order, but not as the Lord of the Demonic Cult, yet, Chun Yeowun had abbreviated himself as ‘Lord of the Demonic Cult’ in the booklet. ‘This…!’ It was only then that Lee Wook realized his mistake. He got caught because of a few words that he used! “Ha! To get caught by such a simple thing…” It was weird. It was something that most people would have ignored, but the insight of the Great Leader, who noticed the subtle difference, was even more shocking. Clang! Yi Mok pulled out his sword, Blade of Heavenly Peace, which was on his waist while looking at Lee Wook, aimed his sword in his direction and spoke. “It was your mistake to not understand what you were writing.” “Tch!” It was said that when one fights for a long time, one would understand the enemy a lot better than the ally. It was a fatal mistake that Lee Wook overlooked. Editor Notes ¹* = Figure of speech. The phrase is used to describe the situation of moving or getting from a bad or difficult situation to a worse one, often as the result of trying to escape from the bad or difficult one. Chapter 392 - The Heavenly Demon Emperor (3) Chapter 392: The Heavenly Demon Emperor (3) “The Great Leader will never forgive the Blade God Six Martial Clan, who threatened our empire and tried to alienate our allies by using unjust means!” As if waiting for those words to fall, the 4 leaders and the heads of the other factions began to draw their weapons. Srrrng! Srrrng! Srrrng! “We will follow the Great Leader!” “I just can’t let people like them live among us!” “Wahhhhh!” Srrng! Srrrng! Srrrng! Everyone from Yulin seemed determined. They were ready to set out and take the others down. The heads of the other factions, who had joined the Forces of the Great Heaven organization, couldn’t hide their embarrassment. ‘What is going on?’ ‘Huh… isn’t this the time where we join hands and fight the enemy?’ Until a moment ago, the colleagues, who had been standing alongside them, were now facing them. ‘Is this how things are going to work out? Shit!’ Nam Gung-kyong never thought that such a split would happen. He was completely deceived by the Great Leader, Yi Mok. ‘Everything is wrong!’ The Great Leader of the Forces of Justice wasn’t such a person, so Nam Gung-kyong never expected that he would backstab him by cooperating with the Lord of the Demonic Cult. [Leader. What are we supposed to do now?] Dang Pil-soon, a member of the organization, who was next to him asked in a telepathic message. [Our morale is gone.] Woong- Woong- Woong! Although they were working behind the Forces of Justice‘s back, Nam Gung-kyong hadn’t thought of confronting people of the same Yulin faction, so everyone around him was confused. If this situation worsened, it would mean that in no time at all, everyone would start killing each other. ‘Ahhh!’ Nam Gung-kyong, who had to make the decision, was starting to get confused. He already decided to make a temporary alliance with one of the Six Martial Masters to kill the Lord of the Demonic Cult. But fighting with his comrades was impossible for him. [Make sure to state your position, Leader Nam Gung-kyong.] It was Sword Master Lee Wook’s words that passed through his mind. ‘This person is deliberately pushing me.’ Lee Wook’s intentions were clear. Make one faction, divide them internally and then take them down. Upon hearing Lee Wook’s words, Nam Gung-kyong was able to determine what he wanted. Srrrng! After pulling out his Great Blade, a treasured sword of the Nam Gung clan, he spoke. “How could we ever fight the comrades, who seek justice, just because we have differentiating opinions! Our only purpose is to take down the Demonic Cult’s Heavenly Demon Emperor!” “Waaahhhh! Let’s protect justice by killing the Heavenly Demon Emperor!” The heads of the factions, which sided with the Forces of Great Heaven, struggled to make a choice. If such an announcement was made, it would be difficult for the Great Leader Yi Mok to attack them. ‘Damn, he solved it already.’ Sword Master Lee Wook clicked his tongue looking at it. If he managed to sway Nam Gung-kyong a little more, he would have had the chance to witness fights within the largest faction. At Nam Gung-kyong’s words, Great Leader Yi Mok also felt glad. ‘A battle between the members of the Yulin has been avoided. But…’ If they got killed during the confrontation with Chun Yeowun, Yi Mok couldn’t hold Chun Yeowun accountable for it. It was sad how things were unfolding. Yi Mok, who noticed the plan of the Blade God Six Martial clan because of the booklet, secretly cooperated with Chun Yeowun, who was in the Imperial Palace, so they constantly exchanged information with each other. ‘Forces of Great Heaven…’ Thanks to that, Great Leader Yi Mok learned that within all the factions of Yulin, there weren’t just spies of the Blade God Six Martial clan, but also learned of the existence of the Forces of Great Heaven, an organization with an extremist ideology. Although they were known to be a weak organization in the Yulin, finding them out turned into trouble as he learned that the organization’s true purpose wasn’t self growth, but to build a world with no evil. ‘I want to ask him to show mercy on them, but…’ It wasn’t like Yi Mok hadn’t heard about Chun Yeowun, the Lord of the Demonic Cult, who never showed mercy to those who wanted him dead. Nam Gung-kyong’s clan was a part of the Forces of Justice, but the organization he ran was an enemy to the existence of the Demonic Cult and Chun Yeowun. Great Leader Yi Mok, who was looking at Nam Gung-kyong, returned to reality. ‘Ugh, Lord Chun. I did everything that we planned to, but can you really get out of this situation?’ He didn’t say it out loud yet, but Yi Mok looked at Chun Yeowun with concern. Although he and the leaders had chosen to pick the Demonic Cult‘s side, it wasn’t just the Forces of Great Heaven, but the North Justice Blade didn’t move either, which meant there were two hundred warriors standing against Chun Yeowun. [How could the Great Leader side with the Lord of the Demonic Cult, who took Yeon Buso as a prisoner? This is unacceptable, even if you are his father!] [Seung Baek….] Yi Mok couldn’t say anything back to Seung Baek, who was leading the North Justice Blade warriors. Even after being told in advance about the collaboration, Seung Baek straight up refused to join hands. If the situation came, he said that he would unconditionally fight the Lord of the Demonic Cult. ‘The difference is too big, Lord Chun.’ Yi Mok’s judgement was correct. Even though the Yulin faction was divided here, it was still good enough for the Blade God Six Martial clan. Because what they were aiming for was Chun Yeowun. Even though the number of people aiming for Chun Yeowun decreased, the Blade God Six Martial clan was glad that they at least got the support of the North Justice Blade’s warriors. “It seems like I worried for no reason. Just because you found the booklet doesn’t change anything. Great Leader of Yulin, just because you and some leaders stand beside the Lord of the Demonic Cult, the situation won’t change.” “Only when things are dealt with will the results come out!” At Yi Mok’s response, the Sword Master provoked him. “Things are dealt with. You think we are that easy? Fufufu, but still, let me thank you. Thanks to you, the members of the Demonic Cult were prevented from advancing north…” Bang! A loud roar came from the north. The eyes of everyone in the castle turned towards it. “Ugh! Th-the northern gate?” “No way!” The only open gate, the northern one, of the Jin Castle closed like the other gates. The members of the Demonic cult seemed to have cut the rope. “No, what are we going to do now?” “Lord Chun!” 6th leader Poong Chungwun looked at Chun Yeowun in confusion. Their only hope was that they would fight with their backs against the northern gate, the only exit route. It was supposed to be their anytime-escape route. ‘He cut that off!’ ‘Wh-why did he do that?!’ It was only natural for the people of Yulin to be shocked. As Sword Master Lee Wook looked at the northern gate, which closed down, he couldn’t hold back his laughter. When the battle started, the first gate which was supposed to be blocked was the north gate. “Hahahaha! You blocked your escape with your own hands! Lord Chun, thank you so much for creating trouble for yourself.” To the sarcastic words, Chun Yeowun responded casually. “You don’t have to show me any gratitude. It was just preventing everyone in here from escaping.” “What? What nonsense are…!?” Swipe! At that time, Lee Wook stopped speaking and looked at the wall with surprised eyes. Noh Do-kyong, who was next to him, looked at the wall with bewildered eyes too. ‘What is that? That energy?’ All of a sudden, a lot of people were sensed from behind the wall. It was then. Step! Step! Step! The sound of people stepping onto the outer wall of the castle. The number of people who appeared seemed to be large. They soon appeared above the wall. “H-how could this be?” “Are they all from the cult?” As shocking as it already was, they were all warriors in the realm of Master level. From east to west, to south and to the north, all the members of the Demonic Cult surrounded the entire castle, the number itself looked to be three hundred. At that time, the large man who was standing close to the bomb, shouted as if he waited for them to make an appearance. “Being directly under the Lord and as his escorts of warfare, does it make sense for you people to be this late?” “Wh-what was that?” When it came to escort warfare, it worked directly under the Lord. That meant, all the Master level warriors on the wall were here to kill everyone. “You are being too mean. Is there any need for us to be with the Lord? Does that make sense?!” Jump! Jump! Jump! Five young men and women jumped from the wall of the castle along with a sarcastic voice. The men and women who jumped down seemed to be nothing more than Master level warriors, but unlike their appearance, they seemed to be extremely trained in martial arts skills. After jumping down, they all approached the podium near Chun Yeowun and knelt. They then started shouting. “Six Swords, Second Sword Mun Ku!” “Six Swords, Third Sword Bakgi!” “Six Swords, Fourth Sword Sama Chak!” “Six Swords, Fifth Sword Hou Sanghwa!” “Six Swords, Sixth Sword Che Takim!” They were the Six Swords, Chun Yeowun’s personal warriors, who lead the members of the cult. The large muscular man grinned at them, approached the Lord and then knelt as well. “Six Swords, first Sword Ko Wanghur, greeting the Lord once again!” The large man was Ko Wanghur. All Six Swords of Chun Yeowun made their first appearance ever. Thud! When the Six Swords were done with their greeting, more than five hundred Master level warriors knelt down on one knee, right next to the wall, and shouted loudly. “The warriors of the Demonic Cult greet their Lord!!” “Woah!” “What a sound!” Everyone’s eardrums rang with the shouts. The leaders of the Forces of Evil and Blade God Six Martial clan went stiff at the sound which vibrated the earth below their feet. It wasn’t just the members of the cult who shouted. And this was what shocked Nam Gung-kyong the most. “Wh-what is this?” The two hundred Guards, who were around the podium, and three thousand regular soldiers of the palace were all kneeling on one knee while looking at the Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun. They all called themselves warriors of the demonic cult. ‘No way… are they all from the Demonic Cult?’ Everyone wondered why the guards and soldiers didn’t move when the eunuchs and Northern Commander ran out. To their surprise, they were members of the Demonic Cult! “!!!” Yi Mok and the leader of the Forces of Justice, who previously sympathized with Chun Yeowun, were also unaware of the fact; they couldn’t help but be stunned at the sight of the vast number of Demonic cult warriors. ‘He deceived us by dressing them up as Guards and soldiers?’ ‘Ha! Is this why there was no battle when the Yellow River got blocked?’ No one expected it. Who would have imagined that such a large number of cultists had already disguised themselves as officials. They thought that the Lord of the Demonic cult was behind all the power, but their stance on that topic changed. And the problem didn’t end there. ‘What is this energy?’ ‘This energy!’ Unlike the others, Sword Master Lee Wook and Fire Sword Master Noh Do-kyung looked to the east gate side. The reason was soon revealed. Phat! Eventually, from the wall of the east gate, an unusually large middle-aged man with two huge swords on his back slowly came down the castle wall by stepping on air. ‘Huh, Steps of the Wind god!’ Which meant that that man was no ordinary master. That was when one of the leaders from Forces of Evil shouted in surprise. “Martial Dual Sword!!!” “Eiiik!” Even he was shocked hearing others recognize him. There would be those who don’t know him yet as they never saw his face, but there were people from the Yellow River in the castle. “Martial Dual Sword, Wang Jing!” Along with Yi Mok, the Great Leader of Yulin, Wang Jing was one of the five strongest warriors too. In his peak time, when he was looking for the Yellow River Pirates, he single-handedly killed 3000 people. “He, how is he… here?” Gar Mojam of the 18 River families simply couldn’t hide his shock. Throb! The left eyes, which he covered with a black patch, throbbed and the pain returned. The Martial Dual Sword, Wang Jing, was the terrifying man who stole his left eye. But why did he appear in the Jin Castle? He had nothing to do with the nonaggression treaty, so why? ‘He is one of the five strongest warriors, Martial Dual Sword! Why is he here?’ Shockingly, the members of Blade God Six Martial clan were in shock too. Wooooo! At that time, with terrifying energy exuding from dual swords, Wang Jing took huge strides towards Chun Yeowun. Every leader of Yulin, who was behind Chun Yeowun, went stiff witnessing that. At that moment, Wang Jing knelt down on one knee and greeted Chun Yeowun in a loud voice. “At the command of the Lord, I came here as fast as possible.” “!!!” At the shocking words from Wang Jing, all the people of Wulin were shocked, except for the Demonic cult members. ‘Wh-what does this mean?’ Everyone was doubting their ears. Martial Dual Sword, Wang Jing, a member of the five strongest warriors who had been in hiding for a long time turned into a subordinate of Chun Yeowun, the Lord of the Demonic Cult! “Th-this is absurd…” Nam Gung-kyong couldn’t hide his shock. Two of the five strongest warriors had taken the side of Chun Yeowun. Chun Yeowun spoke with a low voice towards the Blade God Six Martial Clan, the Forces of Evil and all of the Yulin people who sided with the Forces of Great Heaven. “I told you. No one will be able to escape from here.” “!!!” This was the reason why the northern gate was closed off too. The eyes of Lee Wook, who ridiculed him a moment back, began to move around, his body trembling. Although the bombing failed, he thought that he could still take down the Lord of the Demonic Cult, but they were deceived and they were the ones driven into a corner. “This is going to be your grave.” “Lord… of the Demonic Cult… woah!!!!” Chun Yeowun’s lips curved into a smile and started the war with the most cynical words he could gather. “The second-generation Chun Ma of the Sky Demon Cult, Chun Yeowun, commands. Kill everyone, leave no one alive!” “Yeahhhhh!!!” Chapter 393 - Second Generation Chun Ma (1) Chapter 393: Second Generation Chun Ma (1) The command which came out of the Lord of the Demonic Cult’s mouth made all the people of Wulin gathered in the Jin Castle tremble. Indeed, they came to know that his purpose was to annihilate everyone who was on the castle grounds. The plan to drive the enemies into one place, which wasn’t even in the domain of the Demonic Cult but in the realm of another faction wasn’t just bold but simply terrifying. ‘He’s Chun Ma?’ On the other hand, the faces of the four leaders of the Forces of Justice and the Great Leader, who were on his side, were in shock. They were shocked with his order to kill everyone in the castle grounds, but what shocked them even more was Chun Yeowun referring to himself as the second generation Chun Ma. Chun Ma (Heavenly Demon) There was not a single person in the entire Wulin who wouldn’t know that name. In the entirety of Wulin he was known to be one the “Four Great Warriors“ along with Lone Supreme Warrior (Dokgo Gupae), Western Dharma and Jang Sambong. Chun Ma is a legendary figure, who was known to be the strongest in the history of Wulin and the founder of the Demonic Cult. Even though he pursued the path of demons and even when his reputation was overshadowed by the other factions, he was still the only one who shook the entire Wulin. There was no way anyone would deny that Chun Ma was a legendary figure. Great Leader Yi Mok and the leaders of the Forces of Justice didn’t know why Chun Yeowun was calling himself Chun Ma. As far as they knew, the person named Chun Ma was a demon who walked like a king only to lose his way. ‘Oh my… he called himself Chun Ma, is he also going to lose his way? Heavenly god!’ It was an unusual choice of word for the others. One thing was certain to them, when looking at Chun Yeowun, they were constantly being reminded of the actions of Chun Ma, the original Lord. “Waaahhhhhhh!!!” Watching the warriors of the Demonic Cult march forward, shouting about killing everyone, the warriors of the Forces of Evil, Blade God Six Martial clan and Forces of Great Heaven took out their weapons as well. Chang! Chang! Chang! The war, which consisted of the best from each faction, was no longer a war where only the leaders could be involved and ask the warriors to step back. This was turning into a war which could have a profound effect on the balance of power in each faction in the future. “Damn it!” Even before the Lord of the Demonic Cult appeared, Gar Mojam of the Yellow River was worried that he would only get to take revenge on the Lord but not be able to damage the Cult. However, now it turned into a nightmare for the 17 River families which had accompanied him into the war. Woong! Woong! Seeing the man wield two swords in both of his hands, he immediately remembered what happened in the past. It was literally a slaughter. With thousands of people along with him, and in just half a day, they were being driven into a corner by the Martial Dual Sword, Wang Jing. Gar Mojam did grow when compared to the past, but the energy he was feeling from the war instilled fear in him. “This is my first task.” This was supposed to be Wang Jing’s first time working as someone’s subordinate. He wondered what kind of battles would unfold while accompanying Chun Yeowun and when he would be summoned, but seeing this sight, he couldn’t help but feel satisfied. He was given the chance to annihilate the remaining heads of the River families which had joined hands with the Forces of Evil. “I’ll grab the leader first!” Tak! Wang Jing took a stance of javelin throw, and with all his might, he was ready to throw one sword to the place where Yellow River’s Gar Mojam was. “Damn it! Is he aiming for the leaders right away?” It was impossible for him to step back as there were subordinates behind him. Gar Mojam gathered internal energy on the Water Dragon Sword. Woong! He was trying to look for the moment when the sword would come in contact with him and he already had a nervous expression, but someone blocked it for him. ‘?’ The back view showed a man with white hair and a red sword on his back. He was Noh Do-kyung, one of the 6 Martial Masters of Blade God Six Martial clan. Thanks to him, Wang Jing, who was about to throw his sword towards Gar Mojam, stopped. “Phew…” Gar Mojam, who was nervous, breathed out a sigh of relief without realizing. Noh Do-kyung, who saved Gar Mojam from the crisis, began to release intense energy and spoke to Wang Jing. “A man who aims for the weak to seem strong to others. Pathetic.“ Although he was a little mean, Gar Mojan couldn’t help but frown at the words that called Wang Jing weak. However, Noh Do-kyung wasn’t concerned about it at all and gestured to the back to send a message. [You should go and attack the podium by attacking with the remaining Yulin warriors who are divided into two groups. Leave this to me.] There was no choice given. Gar Mojam nodded his head and led the 17 River Families¹* and one hundred warriors and advanced towards the podium. ‘Is he one of the Six Martial Masters that the Lord spoke of?’ Wang Jing’s eyes sparkled. A person who wasn’t the head of the clan, but one of the leaders, was in front of him. Although he hasn’t competed with this man, Wang Jing knew right away that his ability was similar to his own. “I never realized that there was such an old person in Wulin.” “Huhuhu, you are a person who is valued. You are one of the Five strongest warriors of Wulin. Only as I grow old will I be able to overpower you.” They were arrogant words wrapped up in a polite manner. For a moment, neither of them spoke and they only looked at each other, not a single person took a step ahead. They needed a proper provocation to move ahead. “If you want a fight with a great opponent, how about you go fight with our Lord?” At those words, the face of Noh Do-kyung went stiff. He wanted to say something, he knew that he wouldn’t win in a one-on-one battle with the monstrous Lord of the Demonic Cult. “Your mouth is the only thing that is strong. Our Lord has something specifically prepared for him, so you will have to fight me!” Clang! Even before Wang Jing could complete his words, Noh Do-kyung’s bright red sword reached for the head of Wang Jing. There was no way that Wang Jing, who was in his best condition, couldn’t prevent it. Lightly raising his sword to the side, he managed to block the attack. Kang! ‘Surprise attacks don’t work on him. This much was expected from one of the five strongest warriors.’ Keeeeeek! Wang Jing’s greatsword shuddered. Yet, he wasn’t pushed back nor had he suffered any internal injuries. ‘That power isn’t normal.’ The two of them seemed to possess the same amount of power, which meant that their attacks would be nullified. That meant they had no choice but to confront each other by using qi. “Let’s do it right, old man!” Lightly wielding the greatsword in his right hand, Wang Jing jumped for Noh Do-kyung. Cha! Cha! Cha! Cha! Cha! The true swordsmanship skill which was just as anyone would expect from one of the five strongest warriors, this man, Wang Jing, was wielding a greatsword as if he was holding onto a branch. “Nice!” Tatatak! Perhaps he was too excited from seeing Wang Jing’s swordsmanship, that’s why Noh Do-kyung performed a unique foot work of the Extreme Art to avoid letting the sword get too close to him without moving more than three steps. It was a risky gamble. ‘Is he that confident that he can avoid getting hit by my sword?’ Without such confidence, no man would have stayed in the same place. However, Noh Do-kyung made the right choice. The only weakness of the Martial Dual Sword, Wang Jing, was that he used greatswords as his weapon, which made it difficult to use sword qi in close distances. ‘This is going to be a close fight!’ Just the thought of it made a smile creep onto Wang Jing’s lips. On the other hand, the Blade God Six Martial clan’s warriors and Forces of Great Justice were getting pushed back by the warriors of the Demonic cult, contrary to what they had planned. Perhaps it was because of being with their Lord, but the morale of the warriors of the Demonic Cult seemed to have soared to the sky. “Wahhhhhhh!” Slash! Slash! Slash! If it was Chun Yeowun alone, the opponents would have had an easy time to focus on him, but with his warrior’s in front of him, it seemed like getting through them would be tough. ‘Woah! You were well prepared, Lord of the Demonic Cult!’ Nam Gung-kyong’s eyes raged in anger. How did he even get the idea of bringing in his men disguised as officials of the palace? His audacity made Nam Gung-kyong more furious. ‘I need to pour all my power into my attacks to take down that guy…! Where is he though?’ Although it was a difficult battle, the plan to take down Chun Yeowun hadn’t changed. Just cutting down Chun Yeowun’s head could change the entire scenario. In order to do that, the Superior Master level warriors or clan heads had to move first. “Move!” Cha! Cha! Cha! Cha! “Kuak!” Nam Gung-kyong unleashed his flame sword and defeated the warriors of the Demonic Cult who rushed towards him. In the meantime, he searched for the whereabouts of the other leaders of the Blade God Six Martial clan. They were moving forward little by little too, but the leaders couldn’t be seen. Among the sounds of numerous people clashing, the exceptional sound of high level people clashing their swords caught his ears. “Ah!” When he turned to that place, the leaders of the Forces of Justice and other clan heads of the Yulin faction were colliding with the warriors of the Blade God Six Martial clan. From the very beginning, the Yulin faction aimed to take down the Blade God Six Martial clan. “Great Leader…” Forces of Justice’s Great Leader, Yi Mok, was competing with the one called Lee Wook, who seemed like the one leading the Blade God Six Martial clan in the treaty. As soon as war started, Yi Mok immediately moved to take Lee Wook as his opponent. ‘This is amazing!’ Indeed, he was one of the five strongest warriors of Wulin, who represented the Yulin. The three Air Swords which Yi Mok was handling seemed effective in pushing back Sword Master Lee Wook. Chachachachachang! ‘To create such formations using the Air Swords, he truly is a great man.’ Even Lee Wook, who was a master in controlling Air Swords, couldn’t help but admire Yi Mok’s skill. It displayed his will as a leader, who wanted to end the battle to avoid any more unnecessary losses. ‘But to act so hastily against me means you are being arrogant!’ Chachachachachachang! Sword Master Lee Wook created a net-like pattern to block the Air Sword. While raising energy in his left hand, he gestured the lift of something into the air. Cracks formed on the ground and the energy around split the ground as the chunks of stones soared high at once. Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! “Av-avoid it!” It was so powerful that the leaders of the Forces of Justice and the others of the Blade God Six Martial clan, who were having their own battles in close by places, tried to avoid getting hit. It was a technique where the force qi was used by those who reached the Supreme Master level. ‘Huh! Each of those stones is moving with the speed of a released cannon!’ When Yi Mok, who was a little startled, pushed his left hand, one of stones which was coming for him passed through the Air Sword and ended up cracking into multiple more rocks. Swwosh! Papapapak! “Ugh? Those fragments too?” “Urgh!” The rock, which broke into multiple small fragments, showed incredible power. Enough to pierce into the bodies of nearby warriors. “S-step back!” “Don’t get near their battle!” Warriors of both sides decided to move away from them at the same time. It was a high level battle which left viewers in awe. ‘Ha! Is this the level of the five strongest warriors?’ It could be said that their confrontation looked like past-human stage. It was tough for someone who was having a confrontation with Yi Mok to help others in taking down the Lord of the Demonic Cult. [Leader!] At that time, the voice of Dang Pil-sun entered the ears of Nam Gungkyong. At a short distance away, Dang Pil-sun was standing there, and it could be said that they had advanced around fifteen steps closer to where the Lord of the Demonic Cult was standing. [The Forces of Evil are now blocking the warriors of the Demonic Cult. This is the right time to hit their Lord!] A voice filled with determination. As Dang Pil-sun said, the Six Swords seemed busy fighting with the Yellow River members, Gar Mojam and the 17 River families which came from the west. ‘I thought they were nothing special, but I am impressed.’ Due to the nature of the Forces of Evil, Nam Gung-kyong thought that they wouldn’t move unless they were cornered. Of course, Nam Gung-kyong didn’t know that the Forces of Evil just took the easiest person to deal with by leaving Wang Jing to Noh Do-kyung. [Member of the alliance! You are not alone! Even after saying that to…] [Where is the Divine Master? This is our chance to take him down. With a secret move we will aim for the Lord of the Demonic Cult!] [Secret?] The word secret made Nam Gung-kyung’s eyes flutter. It seemed like he was talking about the same secret that Dang Pil-sun was talking about before coming to Tongho. Dang Pil-sun said that he was unmatched in terms of poison when compared to the Demonic Cult’s Poison Clan head, Baek Oh. ‘Is he trying to perform the ‘Thousand Poison’ Martial arts?!’’ Thousand Poison Martial Arts. The highest level for those who were learning poison arts. When someone reached a state where that person could release poison from all over their body. However, there was known to be a limit as to how much the caster could endure. [There is intangible poison in my hands.] [Huh! You mean you managed to do it?] [… there is only one bottle of poison left on me.] It was no exaggeration to say that the intangible poison was the best poison produced by the Dang family. This poison, which had neither a form, nor smell, nor taste was so powerful that once poisoned, even the Super Master levels warriors cannot help but die. ‘We are lucky that he didn’t leave it behind.’ Aside from its amazing power, it was likely that one would confuse it because of its colorless or odourless properties, so it was a forbidden poison that Yulin had decided to never use. Its formula was extremely complicated and considered a secret. Every poison samples and books regarding it had been discarded, but it was great that some kept that poison hidden. [This is the last bottle I have left. I will risk my life to kill that Lord of the Demonic Cult and push him to the underworld. I hope God turns a blind eye to this.] Nam Gung-kyong looked at Chun Yeowun, who was standing on the podium. He was battling with the 7 members of the Blade God Six Martial Clan, who were using Seven Star Extreme Blade Art. This was supposed to be a trump card prepared by the Blade God Six Martial clan and it was shocking how they were able to hold up well against Chun Yeowun. ‘Ah! This is our chance!’ When Chun Yeowun would turn tired, it seemed like using the poison of the Dang family was possible. [… I get it.] Nam Gung-kyong finally gave the permission. As it was already known, he wasn’t in a position to kill the Divine Master at his level. ‘There is a chance since this is the intangible poison.’ If it was such a great poison, then it would surely be able to kill that monster on the podium. However, the use of poison was considered as foul in Wulin. This was the very reason why the five strongest warriors were chosen based on their ability to kill people with their own weapons. That was also why monsters like Baek Oh of the Demonic cult and the Dang family weren’t recognized in Wulin. ‘I will use this body to kill the Lord of the Demonic Cult! If that happens, then the name of my family will have to resonate within Yulin!’ Dang Pil-sun looked sad as he went close to the podium. The closer he got, the more difficult his face seemed. Not only the warriors of the Demonic Cult, but several other warriors were entangled in fights. He was taking advantage of the gap and kept moving ahead. ‘Nine steps.’ “Kuak!” Chachachang! ‘Eight more steps.’ Dang Pil-sun moved forward as much as he could. With minimal movement, Dang Pil-sun moved very slowly to avoid getting hit by the battles which were happening around him. As a result, there were five steps left. This was enough distance to use the intangible poison. Even Nam Gung-kyong’s face was turning tense, holding his breath as he looked around at what was happening. Gulp! Gulp! Dang Pil-sun took out the vial from his pants and drank it at once. It was something that normal people shouldn’t do, but he was someone who was accustomed to poison and his body was trained to fuse with the poison. ‘Wah! This is burning. Even though I am used to it, my body seems to be burning from inside.’ Such a thing was bound to happen since it was the strongest poison in all of Wulin. Even if the poison fused with the body of Dang Pil-sun, it would still bring the death of any Divine Master. “Ughhh!” Shhhhhh! Dang Pil-sun, who fused with the intangible poison, was screaming in pain. The vicious poison was emanating from his body and purple energy flowed from his body. Chhik! “Kuak! Poi-poison!” “Poison user!!!” Even the warriors of the Demonic Cult who were trying to stop him were bewildered at the sudden energy coming out of Dang Pil-sun. They couldn’t let someone like him onto the podium. At that moment, a swordsman rushed ahead and blocked the warriors of the Demonic Cult from coming ahead. Swoosh! Dang Pil-sun noticed it as Nam Gung-kyong, who was trying to pave the way to the Lord of the Demonic Cult, was coming forward to block the Demonic Cult‘s members. [Go ahead! Become a hero!] ‘Leader!’ Dang Pil-sun was moved by Nam Gung-kyong’s act, without any hesitation, he moved towards Chun Yeowun, who was on the podium. ‘I am sure to succeed!’ Psssssst! His body was releasing so much poisonous energy that everything which came close to Dang Pil-sun’s body was melting. Even if he exploded, the explosion would cover up to a radius of ten meters. “Huh?” “A poison user?” “Get away!” Phat! The 7 masters of the Blade God Six Martial clan and the Six Swords both looked towards Chun Yeowun, while the 7 masters of the Blade God Six Martial clan were slowly retreating. That was the moment Dang Pil-sun had been waiting for. Chun Yeowun, the Lord of the Demonic Cult, was standing there, waiting for his death. Dang Pil-sun will remain in the hearts of everyone as a hero who contributed to the future of a fair Wulin. “Lord of the Demonic Cult, for justice, you will have to go to the underw…!?” Dang Pil-sun, who was screaming, went speechless. Two steps away from the podium, he got lifted into the air by Chun Yeowun. Floating! “Wh-what is this?” Chun Yeowun lightly waved his palm as if he blocked something and looked at the man. Dang Pil-sun was so frustrated that he couldn’t put it into words. ‘Da-damn it!’ He didn’t think of this. Who would have predicted that Chun Yeowun would hold him in mid-air! The difference between their skills turned out to be too much. ‘This monster! Maybe I should blow myself up!’ Dang Pil-sun, who was flustered, tried to blow himself up! “Are you thinking of committing suicide? I have already felt enough poison until now. You can go to the underworld all alone.” “What?” Jijiijijik! At that moment, his body began to grow cold. “W-wait a moment, this…” Krrr! Before he could even finish what he wanted to say, Dang Pil-sun’s body turned cold, as if trapped in ice. When he was completely frozen, Chun Yeowun pushed the floating and ice cold body with his hand, as it moved with great speed and fell outside of the castle walls. Swoosh! Bang! Crack! The sound of something falling and exploding outside the castle was heard inside. Nam Gung-kyong was at a loss for words as he looked at the black smoke rising outside the castle. ‘Crazy bastard… how did this… happen… in this way…’ Editor Note ¹* = Previously known as “18 River families”. But remember, Yeowun and his group wiped out one of the families while trying to “rescue” the Godly Doctor‘s granddaughter. Chapter 394 - Second Generation Chun Ma (2) Chapter 394: Second Generation Chun Ma (2) Leader Nam Gung-kyong was dumbfounded. Dang Pil-sun, who was determined to take Chun Yeowun down with him, died alone in vain. What had happened was definitely a possibility, but who would have imagined that Dang Pil-sun would freeze and blow up? ‘What else does he know?’ This was a skill that the people of the North could do. Occasionally, Nam Gung-kyong saw a few warriors with strong yin and yang handle such skills, but never did he think that Chun Yeowun, someone who was yin based, could do that. Unfortunately for Dang Pil-sun, he ended up dead without achieving anything. ‘… he is a scary man.’ Nam Gung-kyong truly felt afraid of Chun Yeowun. From being frozen to preventing a suicide by blowing himself up right in the midst of an ambush to being thrown out of the castle. Such tremendous ability to judge a situation. ‘If the poison had spread, I would’ve died a dog’s death.’ If Chun Yeowun had thought about his own safety first and pushed Dang Pil-sun away, Nam Gung-kyong would have gotten involved in the explosion. Then the poison would have also spread inside the castle. ‘That experience helped me.’ It wasn’t intentional, but Chun Yeowun was reminded of the time when he competed with Baek Oh. Thanks to the spread of the poison, those who were witnessing the battle and the people of the Blade God Six Martial clan, who were fighting closely, retreated. If the poison spread within the castle, it would have been a completely different fight. ‘Now there need to be three members of the Forces of the Great Justice organization left, including one called Hoe-ju.’ The organization was already small enough as is, and now one of its members just died. Chun Yeowun looked for the next target, meaning Nam Gung-kyong, who was right in the middle of the grounds. ‘… is he aiming for the leader of the organization? Me?’ Nam Gung-kyong, who made eye-contact with Chun Yeowun, couldn’t hide his confusion. Chun Yeowun looked straight at him after killing one of the members. Nam Gung-kyong could feel his heart pounding for some reason. ‘No, it can’t be…! Is he also aware of my position like the Blade God Six Martial clan…?’ That was impossible. So why was Chun Yeowun looking at him? At that moment, a strange energy began to rise behind Nam Gung-kyong. ‘This?’ Shocked at the sudden energy, Nam Gung-kyong turned his head back. Behind him was a young man dressed in a blue hood in an imperial palace uniform. It seemed like he was a warrior of the Demonic cult in disguise, just like Chun Yeowun. Smirking, the man in the blue hood spoke to him. “You are here! Hehe, I found you thanks to my Lord. Being called a leader of the Forces of Justice who is of high rank, but hides away in the midst of a battle?” Chuk! Nam Gung-kyong aimed for the man with his sword. On the outside, the young man looked like nothing impressive, but the energy… The energy his body was emanating was telling him that this man was a Superior Master. ‘… who is he?’ Hu Bong figured out the name of the leader he was aiming at was Nam Gung-kyong of the Forces of Justice. In a low-pitched voice and with a thumb pointing to his puffed-out chest, Hu Bong decides to introduce himself. “Me? I‘m Hu Bong.” “Hu Bong?” It was a name he was hearing for the first time. Among the people of the Demonic cult, there were people called the Six Swords and they seemed to be introduced for the first time. This one seemed to be someone of importance in the cult too. Of course, he was way higher than the Six Swords based on the energy he was emanating. “I am the first subordinate of Chun Ma of the Sky Demon Order and the lieutenant of the escorts! Need to know something more? If so I will let you know!” Whoop! With those words, Hu Bong’s blade began to generate flames. The flames were ominous and a foreign energy for Nam Gung-kyong. It didn’t seem like Hu Bong was a man who should be taken lightly just because he was young. ‘If I am not careful, problems will occur.’ Nam Gung-kyong held the sword and looked at the man. Papak! Meanwhile, others appeared on the podium where Chun Yeowun was standing. They were the seven masters of the Blade God Six Martial clan, who ran away sensing the poison from Dang Pil-sun. Sadness was etched on their faces. “I wanted those Yulin men to do something right. It was unfortunate.” One of the seven, Master Gye-sang, who came up on the podium, walked ahead while mumbling. He was one of the people who hoped Chun Yeowun would die from the poison. The poison emitted by Dang Pil-sun, who took the poison, was so strong that even they felt it was dangerous to stay close. “I wonder if this is called fate. For us to fight a Divine Master with our own hands. Open formation!” “Open formation!” Pak! When Gye-sang took the flag of their clan, the other six masters, who were with him, each took a different stance. Seven Star Extreme Blade Art. This was a formation made by the leaders of the clan. This was a formation made to face the most skilful masters in the world. This formation was known to be sophisticated and it made the power of their attacks many times stronger than an individual who reached the Superior Master level. The faces of the seven Masters were full of confidence. Probably because they thought that they could fight Chun Yeowun on an equal footing. ‘I was nervous because he is a Divine Master, but this is the best. No, this formation, this attack deserves to be called as the strongest one ever!’ As the war began, warriors of the Blade God Six Martial clan were burdened by the orders from Sword Master Lee Wook. Even the Supreme Masters in their clan were getting their asses handed to them by the Divine Master. It was questionable if they could even deal with Chun Yeowun on their own. “Even if you are a Divine Master, you aren’t invincible!” Chun Yeowun wasn’t as scary as they thought. The fact that they could compete on equal footing with Chun Yeowun, a Divine Master, meant that they had a chance to defeat him. “You talk a lot. Are you going to keep talking?” Unshaken, Chun Yeowun asked him. Gye-sang smiled at that and answered. “I think we did take a long time. Let me tell you that what you see us do was just a prelude to this technique. I’ll show you the last and the strongest form of the Seven Star Extreme Blade Art!” “Seven Star Extreme Blade Art!” At the cry of Gye-sang, the other Superior Masters behind him seemed shocked. Chun Yeowun’s eyes lit up. ‘This is not a formation.’ This time, it felt safe to assume that force qi was being used to attack him. Chachachacha! Until now, the seven of them were cleverly creating force qi and were combining their attacks into different attacks, however, this time, all their attacks seemed to merge into one and their power far surpassed the previous ones. ‘He barely stopped the attacks before. With this attack, the Lord of the Demonic Cult might be defeated!’ Their eyes were clouded in victory. The blue qi with splendid trajectory showed no signs of any gaps whatsoever. It was at that moment. Creep! Suddenly, foreign energy began to rise from Chun Yeowun’s body. All their eyes narrowed to see what was happening. ‘Is it changing to black?’ The blue color on the sword Chun Yeowun was holding turned into a blackish color. The black sword, which seemed to be demonic in nature, gave everyone an ominous feeling which couldn’t be expressed in words. Chun Yeowun’s body moved for the first time. Swoosh! “Ah!” His form split into seven afterimages, exploiting the tiny gaps in their formation. Chachachacha! “Th-this makes no sense!” “How is he doing this all at the same time?” The seven masters, who witnessed that, were shocked. The gap, which Chun Yeowun was exploiting with his black sword, was the space where the sword qi connected. ‘We’ll have to defend ourselves.’ If they did anything more than that they would end up widening the gap and their formation would be ruined. The seven of them forcibly continued using the sword qi. But, Chachachachacha! “Wh-what power!” Something even more surprising happened. The final formation of the technique began to emit twice as much as the initial power. ‘I feel like my hands are going to rip apart!’ But there was something that they couldn’t endure. “Huh!” Jeez! Clink! Their right arm, which was their dominant arm, began to hurt and the sword in their hands began to crack and soon broke. “Kuak!” “Kuk!” Crack! Their swords breaking apart was one thing, but their bodies, which seemed to meet with the aftermath of using that formation, got thrown all over. They were pushed to the walls on each side, and no matter how much they tried to defend against the onslaught of attacks, they coughed up blood. “Ugh, how can the last formation break this easily?” “Cough, cough… h-how could something like this happen? Until recently, we were on equal footing…” In addition, the last formation was twice as powerful as the initial one. Finding the gaps should have taken a lot of time, but Chun Yeowun didn’t just find the gaps, he somehow destroyed them. To the shocked warriors, Chun Yeowun spoke. “It looks like you are mistaken about something.” “Mistaken about what?” “You guys thought you were strong enough to deal with me because of that technique?” “What?” “There are two reasons why you couldn’t deal with me.” “Two?” “Well, it isn’t like you need to know.” Chun Yeowun raised his left hand and shook it. Then suddenly, a cold chill began to erupt and a sword made of transparent ice appeared in the air. Jeezzz! The sight itself shocked them. “What is that?” “What is…?” Chun Yeowun waved another hand. Flustered at what was happening, they hurriedly stood up, but even then, seven ice swords, which didn’t exist until a moment ago, cornered them. Float! “Th-this is an Air Sword?” They couldn’t believe it. Making Ice Swords was tough enough, but this man was using Ice Swords as Air Swords. But more than that, these seven ice swords were cornering them, ready to take them down any second. “Wh-what is he trying to do?” Chun Yeowun’s lips slowly turned into a smile and spoke to those who couldn’t understand what was happening. “Thanks to you, I learned a nice thing.” “Learned?… wa-wait a minute!” Swoosh! At that very moment, the ice swords floating around them moved with impeccable harmony. The eyes of the seven masters of the Blade God Six Martial clan looked like they were going to explode. “N… nonsense!!!” Shockingly, it was the same formation they performed, Seven Star Extreme Blade Art! Seven icy swords spread out and laid up attacks one after another. Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! “Kuakkk!” “Agh! H-how could this happen!” They all went stiff not knowing what to do. They even lost their swords as they broke down. Their bodies, which were helpless and weaponless, were torn apart. Tear! What was even more frightening was that any cut through the ice sword made them feel pain and death at the same time. [Terminating the system which combined the schematic of the Seven Star Extreme Blade Art.] Pssss! Along with Nano’s voice in his head, the ice swords soon lost their color and collapsed. The severed heads of the seven masters were so startled that all the heads had their eyes wide open. ‘Since I already know the formation, I was able to learn it quickly.’ Chun Yeowun scanned the formation on the spot with the help of Nano. Because of Nano there was no need for Chun Yeowun to use his strength, and when Nano would replay the formation, Chun Yeowun understood how the formation worked. If Nano couldn’t replay the schematic, it would have taken a long time for Chun Yeowun to learn it. That was what Chun Yeowun was aiming for. From the first time he saw them unfolding something new, he knew that formation was enhancing the force qi, which was why he deliberately fought them. From the viewpoint of those who suffered this was nothing less than robbing the treasure. “Woah!” The battle of Chun Yeowun on the podium was witnessed by the others. The Six Swords, Hu Bong and even the others who were fighting. All of them had come from the Ten Thousand Mountains for the sake and wellbeing of their Lord. The elders constantly advised him. [Lord, you cannot always solve everything on your own. It isn’t that you can’t handle the enemy, but the warriors in our academy also need to gain practical experience.] This was one of the reasons why Chun Yeowun battled with those seven masters of the Blade God Six Martial clan. It was his intention to show his power and his form to the new warriors of the Demonic academy, as a means for them to see the war and gain experience first hand. ‘Right. One needs to be strong to follow the strong.’ Chun Yeowun’s lips formed into a smile as he looked at his Six Swords who were fighting in the middle of the battlefield. Chapter 395 - Second Generation Chun Ma (3) Chapter 395: Second Generation Chun Ma (3) Clang! Clang! Clang! Two people were fighting fiercely, colliding in the air about three times until they stepped on the ground. They were Yi Mok, Great Leader of the Yulin and Sword Master Lee Wook. Their actions and their movements seemed to be at such a high-level that everyone acknowledged them as Supreme Masters. In close distance, they would use their weapons to strike each other and when the distance grew between them, they would use Air Swords to constantly collide, making everyone break out in cold sweat. “Phew… phew…” Sword Master Lee Wook was gasping for air. It was a short battle, but there were a few attacks that were directly aimed at him to take his life. ‘I thought that even if you were one of the five strongest warriors he wouldn’t be this tough of an opponent, but his skills are worthy of his reputation.’ Lee Wook calmly analyzed the current confrontation. In close combat, even though he was using the Extreme Art of Blade God, he was being pushed back. And when he tried to corner Yi Mok with force qi and Air Swords, Lee Wook was the one getting close to being killed. ‘I’ll have to take my chance with close combat.’ Although the defense of Yi Mok seemed great, it seemed to be a level lower than Lee Wook‘s. This was going to be a fight of stamina. Lee Wook would have to deal with Yi Mok quickly so he could join in and help the seven masters who he sent to deal with Chun Yeowun. However, something unexpected happened. ‘What?’ Sword Master Lee Wook’s expression hardened. A short distance away, he watched the battle between Chun Yeowun and the seven masters who were supposed to be working together. ‘No way!’ Suddenly, he saw pieces of Ice on the podium. There was something on the podium that he recognized, the head of one of the masters. ‘Did he defeat all seven of them?’ Lee Wook was well aware of how great the Seven Star Extreme Blade Art was, as he personally competed with those 7. Even though he knew the schematic for making it work, he found it hard to tackle the technique no matter how much he tried. ‘Shit! We are in trouble!’ The fact that the seven of them were defeated meant that there was no one else in the Jin castle to keep Chun Yeowun in check. Sword Master Lee Wook, who was in shock, made a decision. ‘This isn’t the time for me to lament.’ Two of their tricks ended up getting broken and they were left with the last trick. And the last trick had to be used when the Forces of the Great Heaven’s organization and the Forces of Evil were still high in number. “Where are you looking at with the other eye?” After those words three Air Swords came in fast. “Huh!” Papapak! Sword Master Lee Wook quickly created a curtain of force qi, blocked the Air Swords and shouted at the people in the castle. “Implement the other strategy!” “Yes!!!” The moment his command fell, the eyes of the surviving sixty five warriors of the Blade God Six Martial clan, who were competing with Yulin and the Demonic Cult, began to turn red and the muscles of the whole body began to swell as well. Tuktuktuktuk! The clothes on the upper body started being ripped apart and their body stature was close to the one of a giant. Rather than human beings they looked more like monsters. That was noticeable from anywhere on the battlefield. “Huh? Th-this is?” “Blood Reversion Art?” Flustered by the sudden change, the other warriors began to keep their distance from the warriors of the Blade God Six Martial clan. ‘Blood Reversion Art? No, this is different.’ There were warriors in the Demonic Cult who experienced the Blood Reversion Art with their very own eyes. Their veins didn’t pop out and neither were these warriors crying out like beasts. This was the Completed Blood Reversion Art. ‘Is this their hidden trump card?’ Nam Gung-kyong, who was fighting with Hu Bong, also sensed the change in the castle grounds. ‘That man is quite clever.’ Their hidden trump card is similar to his. Nam Gung-kyong’s eyes narrowed. The fact that the Sword Master of the Blade God Six Martial clan used this meant that they were at a disadvantage in this war. Which meant that there was no need for him to save his hidden trump card either. “It isn’t over yet! Hup!” ‘A truly tenacious one!’ Strictly speaking, Hu Bong was one level lower than him. And it hasn’t been long since Hu Bong took a step forward. Only after taking in the fire did changes occur. He didn’t have any practice fights to understand his newly found skills, yet, he was trying his best to be on the same level as Nam Gung-kyong. Chachachachak! Nam Gung-kyong’s sword was keeping Hu Bong in check, who was rushing in like a crazed man. He was too excited with the level up. Cha! “Euk!” Nam Gung-kyong’s sword passed through Hu Bong’s thighs as he couldn’t defend himself. Thanks to that, Hu Bong’s movements slowed down a bit. ‘This is the time!’ Nam Gung-kyong took a flute which was hanging around his neck and blew into it. He blew it hard. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! “Ah!” As the sound of the flute resounded throughout the battlefield, some of the heads of the factions, who joined the organization, took out something they prepared in advance. The sound of the flute was a signal to initiate the plan. Their hands held a needle and after taking a deep breath, they pierced a specific blood vessel between their back and neck. “For the clear blue sky!” Puck! “Kuak!” “What are these men doing?” The act of stabbing themselves in the middle of a fight was strange to see. Even though they thought that it was a strange act, the warriors of the Demonic Cult didn’t miss the opportunity to attack them. Slash! While the members of the organizations were momentarily stiff, many of them got stabbed. But something even more shocking happened. Those who were cut by the swords didn’t seem to feel any pain, or was that simply their way to handle the pain? Moreover, their movements seemed to differ from the previous. Not only were they more agile, but their physical strength seemed to have doubled. It was to the point where every strike was aiming to cut someone done. Clang! Clang! “H-how did they get stronger so suddenly?” “What are they doing?” After stabbing their necks, they seemed like completely different people. Even more frightening than being strong was to not feel any pain. Slash! “I-I cut his arm too!” Even when an arm was cut off, the members of the Forces of Great Heaven attacked without any changes in their expression. Not only did they not feel any pain, but they turned fully expressionless. As if their emotions disappeared, they were making it seem like they were fighting a non-human being. ‘They plagiarized our skill!’ Seeing that, Crazy Sword Master Cha Yunkang, who was fighting with the Great Guardian Marakim, went stiff. What was theirs seemed to be used by the Forces of Great Heaven. “They did something interesting.” The corners of his mouth rose. This was supposed to be a technique which made the body capable enough to artificially perfect their clans teachings which exceeded the limits of the human body. And the ones who managed to master it were the Six Martial Masters of the Blade God Six Martial clan and the Blade Lord. The Forces of Great Heaven had stolen a relic by ‘that man’ which held the secret to using this technique. ‘Do they not feel pain anymore?’ Moreover, it seemed like an improved version, a perfect weapon for killing. A monster which had no emotions. ‘Great. If we get out of this war safely, we can rip this art from them.’ That definitely were some good news. Cha Yunkang pointed to the changing situation with his left hand. “Can you see that? This is just the beginning. Now you will witness my true power. From now on, it’s going to be a slaughter. Kuakuakauk!” Marakim’s eyes narrowed through his mask. He did guess that some hidden cards must have been there for the Blade God Six Martial clan and the divided Yulin, but he never guessed that they would use humans as weapons. This situation made him lose a little bit of confidence. In that moment, Marakim’s mind perceived a message. [Great Guardian, practical experience for the warriors ends here.] It was Chun Yeowun’s voice. Marakim, who heard the message, couldn’t help but chuckle. “Right. I need to make sure that the slaughter happens through my hands.” “What nonsense… huh?” The puzzled expression of Cha Yunkang turned to the air. Something felt odd, someone seemed to have stepped into the air. The person was the Lord of Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun. “No!” There was no way others wouldn’t notice him. “Wind God Step Skill!” Woong! He was unfolding the Wind God Step Skill which was known to be close to divinity. It was something that anyone who reached Supreme Master level could do, but if you go one step further, “Woah!” “He’s practically floating in the air!” Chun Yeowun, who reached the middle of the Jin castle in the air, was floating. More like flying in the sky. This seemed different from the level of walking or using air for balance with internal energy. Captivated by the feeling, Sword Master Lee Wook stopped his fight with Yi Mok for a moment and lashed out. “Lord of the Demonic Cult! You bastard! What are you planning on doing?” Papapapak! Sword Master Lee Wook swung his left hand and fragments of rocks flew towards Chun Yeowun who was in the air. However, the fragments flying towards Chun Yeowun stopped and then fell to the ground as if they lost power. He reached out his hand and every fragment stopped. Tututututk! ‘Why is it not working?!’ Lee Wook was proud of his skills, but no matter what he did, it didn’t work for Chun Yeowun. It was as if every attack that was connected with force qi was being eroded. Chun Yeowun opened his mouth, looking down at Lee Wook and the other warriors and said. “You brought this upon yourselves.” “We what?” Everyone seemed puzzled at the cynical words of Chun Yeowun, who seemed to be in anger. What the hell was he trying to do from the middle of the castle? Drrrrr! “Wh-what is that?” “It is shaking.” A strong vibration on the ground. At that moment, normal warriors, who were exhausted and had fallen to the ground, had their weapons raised into the air. “Ehhhh!” Everyone was shocked looking at how the warriors’ weapons were rising into the air. But that wasn’t the end. “Eeeiik!” Among the warriors, there were the Forces of Great Heaven, the Forces of Evil and the North Justice Blade, they were shaking and trying to get their weapons back into their hands. “Eiikk!” “My-my sword!” Those with high skills held onto their weapons, but those who were mere beginners lost their weapons. Around two hundred people’s weapons were floating in the air. The appearance of the warriors’ weapons floating in the castle was nothing short of a spectacular sight. “Oh my god!” “They… are really all…?” Everyone turned still. The weapons of the warriors soon began to be controlled like Air Swords. That occurrence made people forget about the battles they were in. Everyone looked at the sky and no one took another step. Thud! ‘No! impossible. Even if he is at Divine Master level, not a single person can use more than a dozen Air Swords.’ Sword Master Lee Wook shook his head. It was only a waste of energy to control so many weapons in the air. Who would be able to stop the attack from weapons which would suddenly come from the air? “The swords will drop! Defend yourself with everything!” At the shout of Lee Wook the warriors of the Blade God Six Martial clan, as well as the warriors from other factions, held their weapons tightly. Chun Yeowun looked down at the people on the castle grounds and ordered Nano. ‘Nano, target designation.’ [Enable Multi lock on system.] Numerous red shaped lines formed in Chun Yeowun’s augmented reality and Nano’s voice resonated in his head. Pip pip pip pip pip pip pip! When all the targets got locked onto, Chun Yeowun raised his internal energy. That was when something happened. Woah! Woah! Gasps erupted from everywhere. “Th-that’s ridiculous!” “The, these are all… all Air Swords?” Just controlling one sword was amazing enough already, but 200 swords in the sky at the same time was like a constellation twinkling in the sunlight. “Is… is he even human?” The leaders of the Forces of Justices, heads of the Yulin clans, even Yi Mok looked up in the sky in shock. Looking at the Forces of Evil, Blade God Six Martial clan and Forces of Great Heaven’s organization, who were looking up, Chun Yeowun spoke. “I have a name for this one.” “?” “Sky Flash.” “Sky… flash? Wait… no!” Lee Wook shouted with anxiousness on his face. Chun Yeowun’s hands slowly pointed to their direction. Swoosh! Swoosh! At that moment, the eyes of the Wulin people who were in the castle looked into the sky to see the numerous swords. This wasn’t a technique. This… power, which unfolded with two hundred swords, was, to their surprise, the most powerful sword attack, Sky Flash. The swords, which filled the sky of Jin Castle, fell down like raindrops and in an instant, the castle seemed to be covered with light. Bababang! “This is crazy!” “Av-avoid it!” “Run away!” Screams and shouts from all over the castle grounds could be heard, but it soon turned into wails. “Kuakkk!” “Arghh!” The phrase “lighting up“ wouldn’t be enough. As Chun Yeowun named it, it was like a Sky Flash, a small beam of light that shined and killed everything the very next instant. As shocking as it was, the swords only rushed towards the enemies. Kwakwakwakwang! As he watched the enemies being torn apart right in front of him, the Great Leader, Yi Mok mumbled with gleaming eyes. “Ah, he… he is Chun Ma… THE Chun Ma has returned.” Chapter 396 - Second Generation Chun Ma (4) Chapter 396: Second Generation Chun Ma (4) Kwakwakwang! The entire castle grounds seemed to be colored blue. The power of the Air Swords that fell from the sky were more like a meteor shower in bringing destruction than anything else. The destruction was so large that all of the Yulin clans, the Forces of Evil, the Blade God Six Martial clan and even the people of the Demonic Cult couldn’t help but be in awe. “Kyak!” “Is-is this really power coming from a human?!” “Help me!” The Forces of Evil, who were relatively weak, were in a mess. Every single time the blue light sword descended from the sky it blew up the ground. Their people were either hurt or had their bodies shattered to pieces. “Defend! Defend yourselves!” The 17 River families, including Gar Mojam, who led the troops shouted, but it was to no avail. The power emitted by the Divine Master seemed to be on a whole different level from what they had imagined. “Ma-master! We need to run for it! Th-that man is a monster…” Bang! One of the 17 River families, who advised Gar Mojam to escape, were hit by the Sky Flash technique and disappeared in an instant. Puck! Gar Mojam’s face flushed red while looking at the bloodshed around him. What he was facing was truly a force beyond the realm and capabilities of human beings. “Huh?” Pajack! “Kuak!” He hurriedly avoided the Sky Flash Air Sword that was coming for him. He tried to defend himself with his sword, but his two hands, which were holding onto the sword, began to hurt as if they were about to crack from inside. ‘Wh-what power is this?’ Comparing that power to a regular technique seemed wrong. Each attack of the Sky Flash Air Sword had the power to annihilate the head of elite warriors in a single shot. Gar Mojam was truly frightened. Even if Chun Yeowun was at the Divine Master level, the assumption that three forces joining hands would be enough to subdue Chun Yeowun was a clear misunderstanding on their part. ‘… this monster can annihilate everyone in this place.’ He wasn’t sure if another Divine Master could do it. But witnessing Chun Yeowun’s power, it seemed more than possible. The slaughter that was happening inside the castle grounds was enough proof of that. Warriors were dying helplessly due to the non-stop rain of swords. Only those who were at the Superior Master level or above seemed to have a chance. ‘Di-did we touch a monster that shouldn’t have been touched?’ Crack! “Kuak! Do-does this much power even make sense?!” Nam Gung-kyong of the Forces of Great Heaven couldn’t help but be shocked by the Air Swords that were coming for them. Even he, who had reached Superior Master level, could barely block it. Even more shocking was this, Swoosh! Bang! Bang! “Move away! If you get too close you will be hit!” “Crazy! How can one avoid the Air Swords that are chasing us?!” “Kuakk!” More than two hundred Air Swords poured down on the enemies as if it was snowing. It was as if two hundred warriors were handling the swords for their leader. ‘This is a technique where the Air Sword and the force qi turn into one. No matter how skilled he is, how can he control so many at once?’ Conceptually it was impossible. It was all Nano’s computing that made this possible. The combination of a Multi-lock-on and a panel based system on the computation power of Nano, which was known to be the future of aggregate technologies, has helped in evolving the Air Sword technique into a truly disastrous level. ‘It is fortunate that we don’t feel any pain.’ As they managed to remove the sense of pain and emotion, they were able to move regardless of any injuries. Bang! In fact, even though their limbs were cut off, the speed at which the people pierced the back of their necks with needles didn’t change. But, ‘Nano. Aim for their heads.’ [Understood. Specified the detailed parts of the targets as headshots.] The beams of the force qi aimed for their heads. Even those who were unable to feel any pain got their heads blown away. As they weren’t immortal, they simply died off without being able to do anything. Bang! Bang! Bang! The bodies of those who lost their heads staggered a couple more steps and then helplessly fell to the ground. “H-he is aiming for the heads!” Nam Gung-kyong’s expression distorted. By now, more than half of them had turned into corpses already. As a result, things changed. ‘It can’t be… are they all afraid?’ Just because one couldn’t feel pain didn’t mean that all their cognitive abilities were clouded. It would be even stranger if they wouldn’t be scared despite knowing that they were all going to be killed. Hu Bong walked in front of Nam Gung-kyong. Seeing how happy he looked, it seemed like he was proud of Chun Yeowun’s thrilling display of power. “I have to finish my task too!” Slash! “N-now isn’t the time for..!” Pak! Nam Gung-kyong defended himself from the flying Air Sword. He was too nervous and angry at the Sky Flash Air Sword, but he didn’t even have a second to breathe. However, even Hu Bong was attacking him now. Despite that situation, Nam Gung-kyong, who was angry at the change in battle and the man who was aiming for him, performed a Special¹* Sword technique, which was close to completion. Chow chow chow! It was then, Creep! A blue force swept down the head of Nam Gung-kyong who was gathering energy. Nam Gung-kyong used his sword to block Hu Bong’s flame sword, not even giving him a single break. “You coward!” Chachachachang! Hu Bong’s flames had nothing to do with his internal energy as they were his natural energy which made it much easier for him to wield the sword without getting exhausted. In an instant, Nam Gung-kyong’s left arm flew off when Hu Bong used his Sword of Illusion. “Kuak!” Nam Gung-kyong, who had never been defeated in his life, was defeated by Hu Bong who was a level lower than him. His face was red in shame. Meanwhile, Lee Wook, one of the Six Martial Masters, couldn’t help but be astonished by the Sky Flash Air Swords technique. ‘What the hell is all of this?’ It was a situation he couldn’t understand, even though he had mastered martials arts and force qi too. It was shocking how accurate the swords were falling on Chun Yeowun’s enemies without a single mistake while also accurately aiming for the heads. Bang! Bang! Bang! “Argh!” “Kuk!” Even those who used the Blood Reversion Art were no different from the Forces of the Great Heaven’s warriors who got their heads destroyed at once. However, the only difference was that those of the Supreme Master level, who had great internal energy due to their constant training, were able to stand their ground unlike the Superior Master warriors. Swoosh! “Spread away and stop it!” They were struggling while blocking the swords falling from the sky. If there were no other enemies, the damage would have been minimal. But with the leaders of the Forces of Justice from Yulin taking the Demonic Cult’s side and attacking them without missing the opportunity, the extent of the damage only increased. “Lord, help me to get rid of the enemies!” “Wahhh!!!” Because of that, their morale rose and they ended up turning it into a battle that couldn’t be compared with anything. It was more of a slaughter than a battle. The strong smell of blood filled the castle ground. ‘If things go on like this, we will be annihilated. Our plans have already been unsuccessful. Should we retreat to avoid any further sacrifices?’ Sword Master Lee Wook wasn’t sure on what had to be done. Even if they left the Jin Castle now, they would only be able to save minimum power. It was then. “!!!” Lee Wook’s eyes narrowed at the sudden scream in the midst of the battlefield. At first, he was shocked to see the non-human ability that the Lord of the Demonic Cult was displaying, a power he couldn’t ever hope to stand up against, but then an idea struck him. ‘Even if he is a Divine Master, there is a limit as to what a human can do.’ Even he, who, in order to use 12 Air Swords, would shorten the distance to have control over them for a longer period of time. Now Chun Yeowun was using amounts of Air Swords that were ten times the actual number, which consumed a terrifying amount of energy. Kwakwakwa! The entire castle grounds were destroyed. He already killed half of the number of warriors, so Chun Yeowun might be soon reaching his limit. ‘Now now… if I hold on a little longer, I may have the chance to aim for the life of that monster. If not now, when else would I have the chance to kill him?’ The only chance for a turnaround. It completely changed his thoughts about retreating. ‘I need the consent of the other Sword Masters too.’ Cha Yunkang was dealing with the Dark King, Marakim, when he sent a telepathic message to Lee Wook. [Sword Master Lee Wook, if things go like this, we will be annihilated. Even if we are being reprimanded, the only way to survive this situation is to collect our men and retreat right away.] [… that monster is much stronger than us.] They knew that the plan would completely fail. [There still is a way.] [What way?] At Lee Wook’s statement, the other two Masters asked with a questionable expression what he meant. Although sacrifices seemed reckless and inevitable, if the plan worked and made sense it would be a big achievement nonetheless. [If we fail this time, do you think we will be able to defend ourselves any longer?] [Hmm…] Even with his Divine Master level, no matter how skilled Chun Yeowun was, he was bound to run out of strength sooner or later. The cautious one, Noh Do-kyung, didn’t like the idea, but Cha Yunkang agreed with the plan immediately. ‘Good!’ Lee Wook was pleased after receiving their consent. “Keep going!! No matter how long, you must endure this!” “Yes!” He tried his best to boost the morale of the warriors who were barely holding on. It was his role as a representative of the Blade God Six Martial clan. To maintain morale in the face of despair. Kwakwakwakwang! By the time it came to an end, A change occurred inside the castle grounds, which were so destroyed that it was impossible to recognize them. The swords, which were aiming for the heads and were shining like stars in the noon sky, lost their power. Taptaptapap! There was only one explanation for it. ‘Finally!’ Chun Yeowun, the Lord of the Demonic Cult, the Divine Master, has finally exhausted his internal energy. Lee Wook’s eyes flashed at the opportunity. The eyes of the surviving enemies inside the castle soon looked at Chun Yeowun who was floating in the air. Swoosh! Chun Yeowun began to reach the ground as if he couldn’t float in the air any more. It was then. Pat! Pat! Pat! “Ah!” The warriors of the Demonic Cult shouted in shock. “Lord!” “Don’t! it’s too dangerous!” Three people suddenly rushed towards Chun Yeowun who stopped floating and came back to the ground. The three Sword Masters of the Blade God Six Martial clan, who were waiting for Chun Yeowun’s internal energy to get exhausted, used this opportunity to finally kill the Lord of the Demonic Cult. ‘Huh! Were they aiming for this moment?’ Yi Mok wondered if this was why they didn’t retreat even though they were in a very unfavourable situation. He was desperately holding onto the battle while avoiding getting hurt, so while waiting for Lee Wook to give his best, Lee Wook’s goal had always been the death of the Lord of the Demonic Cult. ‘He must have been arrogant thinking he was invincible!’ ‘I have been waiting for this moment!’ ‘Lord of the Demonic Cult, you need to die here!’ The three Sword Masters were ready to kill him at any point and time. It was this exact moment they had been waiting for. Their only chance to kill the Lord of the Demonic Cult! Chachachacha! They began to raise their internal energy, ready to take on any form to kill Chun Yeowun. ‘Ah?’ However, among the three, Noh Do-kyung, who was aiming for Chun Yeowun, noticed something. Chun Yeowun, who should have been at least a little worried, was actually smiling. ‘He’s smiling?’ It didn’t feel right. This was supposed to drive Chun Yeowun into a corner, so why was he smiling? Noh Do-kyung, who got worried, was about to warn the other two, when Chun Yeowun spoke to them. “Did you think that you’d have the chance to kill me once I exhausted my energy?” ‘How did he know that?’ All three of them were surprised. In front of their bewildered eyes, something even more surprising happened. An ominous energy began to rise from Chun Yeowun’s body, causing a shiver to run down their spines. Swoosh! At that moment, Chun Yeowun’s left hand brought out a Cold Ice Sword and his right hand held a Flame Sword. The moment the swords came into view, the three of them said the same thing. “Invisible Sword!!!” What Chun Yeowun had just displayed, who was believed to have exhausted his strength, was the legendary Invisible Sword which only a Divine Master can unleash. ‘Shit! Did he fool us?’ Editor Note ¹* = Important! We decided to change the original name to “Special Sword Technique“ because the original name could lead to confusion. The original name is “Black Sword technique“ and we were worried that confusion may arise because the word “Black“ is usually associated with very special techniques in this Novel. We believe the Author‘s choice wasn’t the best, so we decided to stick with “Special“ as that technique isn’t giving the story any relevancy anyways. Chapter 397 - Second Generation Chun Ma (5) Chapter 397: Second Generation Chun Ma (5) Sword Master Lee Wook’s judgement was correct. Even if one was a Divine Master, as long as he was a human, there was a limit to what he could do. It was normal for one, even for a Divine Master, to end up opening a gap when all the internal energy was exhausted. If it went according to plan, this could be their big win. Except that there were two things he hadn’t guessed correctly. ‘This unbelievable amount of internal energy! Does this mean that this much amount of internal energy is left despite firing all those Air Swords for an extended period of time?’ The amount of internal energy possessed by a Divine Master, which was vaguely speculated by Sword Master Lee Wook, was not even comparable to the Supreme Master level. This was because the internal energy in Chun Yeowun seemed different. To be able to hold the Air Swords and control them with that accuracy made everything seem weird already. That was why they aimed for the moment when Chun Yeowun would stop using the Sky Flash Air Sword. “Did you think that you’d have the chance to kill me once I exhaust my energy? Fools.” ‘Ugh, this guy! Does this mean that he only pretended to exhaust his inner strength?’ This plan was supposed to be excellent, but Sword Master Lee Wook didn’t realize that someone could fool him too. Shockingly, Chun Yeowun deliberately acted like that to deceive them. ‘No! Was he trying to take advantage of this situation?’ ‘Wh-what kind of man is he?’ They never imagined that, even in such a situation, he would try to deceive them. It was like Chun Yeowun was looking into their minds. What was more dangerous than the strong people were the ones who were not only strong, but also intelligent. And recently, the cause for all their failures ended up being this one person only. ‘This guy is way too dangerous!’ For a brief moment that was what passed through their minds. However, even if they realized it, the invisible sword of force qi, which was radiating black flames and black ice, was already ready to attack the 3 Martial Masters. Hweeeing! Jeezz! In the end, there seemed to be no escape. They had no other choice but to face the legendary invisible sword. ‘Kuk! Nothing more we can do about it! Even then!’ In terms of power, there was bound to be a difference, but they prided themselves for possessing and surpassing the Extreme Martial Body. Even in the battle’s before, one of the five strongest warriors, Yi Mok, was also pushed back. “Haaa!” Aiming at Chun Yeowun’s feet, Noh Do-kyung unfolded Blade Ascension, a technique of the Blade Art. Crazy Sword Master, Cha Yunkang, unfolded his Sword Strike, one of the most extreme moves. And Sword Master Lee Wook aimed for Chun Yeowun’s heart with the fifth formation of the Extreme Art of Blade God. Chachachacha! “Su-such speed!” “Were such skills ever existent before?” The techniques were so eye-catching that everyone was amazed by it. These were the supposed techniques of the Blade God, who was known to be the best in all of Wulin. Even within the warriors of the Blade God Six Martial clan, the only ones who had properly mastered the essence of the Blade God were the Six Martial Masters and the Blade Lord. The power they were wielding in their hands right now was difficult to compare to what they used before. But still, ‘Is he using different forces of qi with both hands?’ The eyes of the three Sword Masters, who were in a desperate situation, went wide. Shockingly, the black ice sword in Chun Yeowun’s left hand and the black flame sword in his right hand were made of different force qi. Moreover, the black ice sword on his left hand felt familiar for some reason. “!?” The technique unfolding in Chun Yeowun’s left hand was the Extreme Blade Art. This was something Lee Wook had learned his whole life, there was no way he wouldn’t recognize it. ‘No way!’ ‘H-how can that guy use this technique?’ They couldn’t help but be shocked. It wasn’t someone else, but Chun Yeowun, the Lord of the Demonic Cult, who was displaying the Extreme Blade Art. It even seemed more vigilant than when they were using it. The three Masters were shocked when the swords from Chun Yeowun came for them. “Kuk!” Chachachacha! The force qi attacks, which were performed by all of them, clashed violently. Everyone in the Jin castle held their breath and watched the confrontation. The Divine Master vs the three Supreme Masters. The confrontation between superhumans, which couldn’t be seen anywhere else, was unfolding in front of their eyes. What would the results be? ‘Wh-what the hell is this?’ However, before long, the three Sword Masters were turning tired. Weird things were happening while they unfolded their force qi. Cha Yunkang, who was tackling the Black Ice Sword, would suddenly freeze. Jrrrrk! ‘What kind of cold qi is this?’ It was cold enough to halt his movements. Not just that, Lee Wook and Noh Do-kyung seemed to be having trouble with the Black Flame Sword. ‘Is this really a type of sword qi?’ Noh Do-kyung, who was skilled in fire qi, tried to create fire, but his fire was nothing in comparison to the black flame. Chachachang! Although they had fallen into Chun Yeowun’s trap, they were still three of the Six Martial Masters who predicted that they would have an equal chance of killing Chun Yeowun if they worked together. However, conflicting results clearly showed them the difference between a Divine Master and Supreme Master level warriors. Before they could even grasp the situation, changes were constantly taking place. “Avoid it!” Lee Wook urgently shouted at Cha Yunkang. Constantly freezing the attacks from Cha Yunkang with the ice, Chun Yeowun’s Black Ice Sword almost cut his head off. “Ugh!” Flustered, Cha Yunkang quickly moved to the left, but his reactions were already slowing down. Chun Yeowun’s Black Ice Sword dug right into his right shoulder. Puck! “Cough!” Blood gushed out of Cha Yunkang’s mouth. A very chilling cold penetrated his shoulder. The piercing cold felt more like a cut than anything. He desperately wanted to get out of there, move away and create some distance, but he simply couldn’t. Jeeerrrrk! “Ahhhhh!” A scream erupted from Cha Yunkang. The sword, which pierced his shoulder, suddenly cut his upper body in half. Split in half in such a dreadful manner, his body fell to the floor. Crack! Shockingly, the body of Cha Yunkang froze and shattered into ice cubes as it touched the ground. ‘Kuk! This man is acting nothing like a human!’ Lee Wook began to rethink his plan. What was supposed to be balanced by the three of them now turned into a battle of two, one of them dead. There was no way they could handle a Divine Master now. “You shouldn’t look elsewhere in a battle.” “What?” Puck! Fire! “Ugh!” The Black Flame Sword pierced Noh Do-kyung’s left thigh. It was burning away the flesh by releasing black smoke. ‘I am not able to put out the flame!’ He tried raising his internal energy and focused on his thigh, but instead of driving out of the flame, it seemed like it was alleviating the pain. ‘This is messed up! We can’t fight this monster. We can only escape from here.’ Due to the burning pain, Noh Do-kyung came to the conclusion that he couldn’t kill the Lord of the Demonic Cult. Which meant that continuing the battle would be nothing less than dying a dog’s death. At least with the remaining power he had left, he had to do something worthwhile. His left leg was already hurt, which meant it was impossible for him to get out of the place. ‘… I failed this time, but next time the same mistake won’t happen.’ Noh Do-kyung looked at Lee Wook with a bitter smile. What use was holding onto life after reaching seventy? If he could save the young one beside him, it felt like his death wouldn’t be in complete vain. Noh Do-kyung’s lips formed into a stiff smile while looking at Lee Wook. Lee Wook, who looked at him, was trembling while looking at the stab wound in Noh Do-kyung’s thigh. ‘Should I run away?’ Lee Wook could guess what was running through Noh Do-kyung’s mind. Lee Wook was about to shout no, but Noh Do-kyung threw himself at Chun Yeowun. It was at that moment when Noh Do-kyung went closer. Bang! Noh Do-kyung took the red sword into his hand and slammed it into the ground. At that moment, as the floor cracked beneath the sword, eight swords rushed for Chun Yeowun. Chacha! It was the Eight Swords of Blade God technique. The eight swords, which encircled Chun Yeowun, displayed an incredible amount of explosive power. Although they were close to him, Chun Yeowun knew the major flaw of this technique. ‘The heart of the formation.’ All that was needed was to attack the heart and soon after the technique would start crumbling down. A simple weakness, however, not many would have the courage to enter the middle of the eight swords. Swoosh! Chun Yeowun boldly stabbed the Black Flamesword in the centre of the formation where the eight swords were placed. ‘He knows this too.’ Looking at Chun Yeowun, Noh Do-kyung’s eyes narrowed. There was no way one could know the weakness of it without learning the technique, but Chun Yeowun was able to act rather fast. Woooh! “Kuak!” Chun Yeowun moved close and his sword pierced the heart of Noh Dokyung. However, something unexpected happened. Noh Do-kyung, who should have died because of that, suddenly hugged Chun Yeowun. Crack! Muscles began to bulge from Noh Do-kyung’s upper body. He hugged Chun Yeowun with all his might, even when he was suffering. “It worked!” “?” “Being aware of the formation, I knew that you would come right into the centre which was the weak point of the formation.” It was a trap laid out by Noh Do-kyung to stop him. He was prepared to face death, so he decided to let Chun Yeowun get close to him. While he unfolded the technique, he also used the Blood Reversion Art so the Black Flame Sword wouldn’t penetrate his heart. As Noh Do-kyung caught Chun Yeowun, he yelled with all his might. “Go and run away!!!” Short order. But everyone knew what that meant. The surviving Forces of Evil and Forces of Great Heaven, even the remaining warriors of the Blade God Six Martial clan, ran without looking back. “Catch them!” “Don’t let them get away!” All the warriors of the Demonic Cult and Yulin who heard that command couldn’t just let them run away. They tried their best to block the wall and prevent them from escaping. However, those who survived the Sky Flash Air Sword were the most powerful ones, so the resistance wasn’t enough to stop them. Besides, “Even with their arms cut off?” “Are they really unable to feel any pain?” Whether cut off or not, the warriors of the Forces of Great Heaven didn’t stop climbing up the wall. They already lost the battle, so at the very least they wanted to live. However, since their number was small, they could get caught at any time. “Ahh!” Great Guardian Marakim and Dual Martial Sword Wang Jing tried to catch Lee Wook who tried to escape by jumping over the eastern wall. However, the moment they reached him they were blocked off by the warriors of the Blade God Six Martial clan, who were of the Superior Master level and had already unfolded the Blood Reversion Art. “We are not letting you touch him!” “You need to pass through us to get to Sword Master Lee Wook!” No matter how great the two were, they couldn’t take down so many Superior Master level warriors at once. They were all ready to die if it meant getting that one person out of the castle. ‘That one shouldn’t be allowed to go!’ Meanwhile, Lee Wook jumped over the wall. He wasn’t the kind to abandon an opportunity created by his people who were risking their lives for his sake. Bulge! The muscles of the upper body were larger than Ko Wanghur’s and the eyes of Noh Do-kyung, who was holding Chun Yeowun, shook. Shake! “Kuak!” He was a man who reached the highest limit of human beings by using the Blood Reversion Art. Naturally, he prided himself for being beyond normal warriors, but even then, holding Chun Yeowun felt like his muscles were about to break. ‘Wh-what kind of power is this?’ It made no sense. He, who reached Supreme Master level, was using the Blood Reversion Art, yet he was having such a tough time. It was natural since the opponent was a Divine Master. But still, how could a single human possess so much power? ‘Well, I managed to give them time.’ Even if no one else could escape, Lee Wook had to be the only one to do so. That was the most important thing. Tremble! The muscles within both arms were torn to shreds and soon after blood began to gush out. There was a limit to how long he could tie a Divine Master down. “Lord of the Demonic Cult, you are a monster! How about we head down towards the underworld together?” Tremble! When Noh Do-kyung’s body trembled, the blood vessels began to pop. In the Blood Reversion Art, there was a secret of self-destruction by letting one’s internal energy explode. The higher the internal energy, the stronger and bigger the explosion. He was sure that no one would be able to withstand that explosion. “Even a monster like you won’t survive this time…” “Everyone before you said the same thing.” “What?” It was at that moment. Crack! “Kuaaaaaakk!” Electric shocks began to spread in Chun Yeowun’s body and shortly after reached Noh Do-kyung. The moment his body met with the shock, Chun Yeowun’s arms began to get stronger. And Noh Do-kyung, who was holding him down, was getting torn apart from the inside. Tear! “Kuakkkkk!” Noh Do-kyung, whose arms were torn, screamed in pain. Due to the sacrifice, Lee Wook managed to escape the castle and already headed east. He already ran to a far off distance with all the might he could gather. In his view, the castle soon turned small. ‘Kuak!’ Lee Wook’s eyes were filled with shame as he ran, yet he survived and had to pass the information to the others. Drip! Blood was dripping from his mouth. One thing was clear. They are the enemies who had to be eliminated. If they didn’t kill Chun Yeowun, the Lord of the Demonic Cult, their generation would end up dead. ‘Enjoy this victory now, Lord of the Demonic Cult. No matter how strong you are, there is always a weakness.’ There were plenty of ways to take Chun Yeowun down, even if it wasn’t a direct confrontation. For example, if his precious members were kidnapped, no matter how cold Yeowun was, he wouldn’t stop from shaking in fear. Though he didn’t turn back and ran like a coward, Lee Wook vowed to himself. ‘If ‘he’ comes back, the Lord of the Demonic Cult will disappear from Wulin…’ Puck! “Kuak!” Sword Master Lee Wook looked down on his chest which was burning him slowly. Crackle! Smoke began to flow out with the sound of burning. Shockingly, the Black Flame Sword pierced through his chest. “Th-this is…” It was the Black Flame sword, the invisible sword which Chun Yeowun, Lord of the Demonic Cult, was using. Sword Master Lee Wook turned his head towards the Jin Castle with an absurd look. Chapter 398 - Rise to the Five Strongest Warriors (1) Chapter 398: Rise to the Five Strongest Warriors (1) Around five miles away from the Jin Castle were the Bihyeon mountains. Several trees were standing on the peak of the mountain. Among those trees was a person who elegantly tiptoed on a branch of the tallest pine tree. It was an unidentified man wearing a long black robe and a bamboo hat. He was standing on a branch for around half an hour and was looking at some place, not taking his eyes off of said place. The direction of Jin Castle was the place where the man in the black robe was looking towards. ‘It is too far away so I can’t get a good look.’ This man was being looked at by another man from below. A man with bandages on his face was standing right underneath the pine tree. Even without standing on the branches, just being on the peak of the mountain was enough to see the vast land below. However, everything was so small that even the people looked like fine dust. ‘Is he really able to see the Jin Castle?’ He had a strong belief in his skills, but no matter how hard he focused, nothing could be seen well. Seeing Jin Castle felt strange. But seeing that the man on the branch’s gaze never fell off of Jin Castle, it seemed like he could see something. It was a moment of wondering what he could actually see. Bang! ‘Huh?’ The man on the branch soon came down from the pine tree. He didn’t just come down normally, he smashed the tree to reach the ground. “Bl-Blade Lord.” Shockingly, the true identity of the man on the branch was Blade Lord, the head of the Blade God Six Martial clan. He had personally come to this place to observe the battle which took place in the castle. Blade Lord opened his mouth and spoke to the flustered man in bandages. “We are heading back.” When he revealed his intention to head back, the bandaged man’s eyes were filled with confusion. Had the great event proceeded according to the original plan, Blade Lord wouldn’t have had such a neutral reaction. “Blade Lord. If there was a setback in the plan, how about we send in our slaughter squad?” “… it was an utter defeat. No matter who we send, we won’t get the desired results.” “De-defeat?” The man in bandages couldn’t hide his shock. The plan was something that everyone put in lots of effort into for a long time. From manipulating the eldest prince of the Imperial Palace to planting the spies in the clans of Yulin, everything was the groundwork for this day. “Huh… how could that happen…” If this was a failure, then the wrath of Blade Lord couldn’t be expressed in words. The bandaged man trembled in fear. A calm voice responded to the bandaged man who was extremely scared. “It doesn’t matter. I managed to obtain something more important.” After hearing those words, the eyes of the bandaged man lit up. The reaction he received was completely different to what he initially thought he would see. Blade Lord’s voice seemed elevated, pleased even. To the man who was puzzled, Blade Lord spoke. “Because I finally found him.” “Him?” “The Demon God!” The eyes of Blade Lord, who looked through the bamboo hat, flashed. A few hours later. The noises in the Jin castle, which were full of screams and wails of the warriors, finally subsided. Inside the Jin Castle, which was devastated by the war, it reeked of blood. People couldn’t help but frown at the number of corpses lying on the castle floor. The number of veterans who died were close to 600 and the number of the wounded was well over 1000. It could be called the largest battle that took place in the past ten years. And the winner of the battle were the allied forces of the Demonic Cult and Yulin. The leaders of the Forces of Evil and the Forces of Great Heaven‘s organization were the only ones who survived this brutal battle. “Kuek! Kill me! I said kill me!” “Goodness. How could I ever kill you? You will have to pay for the evil deeds you committed.” People tried to commit suicide because of their subordinates who died, but they were caught before they could kill themselves. Yulin always had their eyes on the Forces of Evil. Unlike the Forces of Evil, the battle of the Blade God Six Martial clan ended rather terrifyingly. It wasn’t because the warriors of the Demonic Cult had no mercy. “… they are awful people.” “They didn’t leave anyone behind?” The Six Swords, including Ko Wanghur and Bakgi, trembled at the sight. The corpses they were looking at had their heads blown off. Most of the warriors of the Blade God Six Martial clan died on the battlefield, but the warriors of the Demonic Cult succeeded in capturing eight of them, as well as one master. However, all of a sudden, their heads swelled up and exploded at the same time. Something that was planted in their heads seemed to have activated at the same time which is the reason why they all died together. ‘They are quite thorough.’ That even made the Great Guardian Marakim go stiff. The behavior of the Blade God Six Martial Clan was very strange. Whoever led them made absolutely sure that nobody is ever able to get caught or leak any information. What was the information that they were afraid of revealing? ‘But even they must not have expected this.’ His two eyes looked at someone. Crrk! There was still an old man with a bald head with a flinching body due to the shocks. Not only was his hair gone, even his eyebrows had burned to a crisp. The pain and agony that man was going through was truly terrifying. Both of his arms were torn apart and black blood was dripping out of the corners of his mouth. Noh Do-kyung the Fire Sword Master. “This… this monster…” Noh Do-kyung, who looked like a person who lost his reasoning and soul, kept muttering those words. What was worthwhile was when everyone’s heads began to explode, Chun Yeowun succeeded in removing the worm from his head. The dried up black blood was proof of that. ‘How far ahead does the power of the current Lord reach?’ As he had always felt, Chun Yeowun was quite different from the other Lords. He couldn’t figure out where the limit was. He began to expect that his wishes of witnessing the second Chun Ma might end up becoming true. Maybe Chun Yeowun really was the second generation Chun Ma. Meanwhile the Yulin and the Demonic Cult were in conflict over one last issue. Nam Gung-kyong who survived. Hu Bong managed to cut off the arm of Nam Gung-kyong who tried to escape. Coincidentally Leader Moyong Kang was on top of the castle wall too. That’s how he was able to stop Hu Bong. “He was caught by us. Even if we are in an alliance, you need to follow the rules. How can you force us to hand over our prisoner to you?” The Yulin didn’t want to give up Nam Gung-kyong. It was already a shock knowing the role of Nam Gung-kyong. Nam Gung-kyong was a leader of the organization, something which he created behind the backs of Yulin, and was secretly joining hands with the Blade God Six Martial clan in the battle. ‘If we let them take him, the secrets within our Yulin factions will be revealed.’ ‘Besides, if we hand him over to the Demonic Cult, the probability of finding information and misusing it would increase. We shouldn’t let this happen.’ ‘… the information from the organization needs to be used only for the sake of Yulin factions.’ All the people of the Forces of Great Heaven died in battle. And the only surviving man of the organization had to be killed on the spot as he was an enemy. He couldn’t be used as a prisoner. “You people caught him?” “Yes.” Hong Pilwoo responded. To them, Hu Bong was someone who was aiming to take away the life of Nam Gung-kyong. It was funny for Hu Bong to hear that the Yulin leaders were trying to take credit for catching the wounded man. “Excuse me, Leader Nam Gung-kyong. Didn’t you run away because I cut your arm with my sword?” Hu Bong asked Nam Gung-kyong, who was bound by ropes and held captive. At that, without even making eye contact, Nam Gung-kyong mumbled. “There was no such thing.” “Hah! The cut on your arm must have burned too, can’t you get yourself to remember that? You are one hell of a spineless man.” Hu Bong’s face turned red as he slowly began to get annoyed. If it wasn’t for the sake of alliance, his hands, which were twitching, would have already killed the man. “I was caught by leader Moyong Kang and Hong Pilwoo, I don’t know what you are talking about.” Nam Gung-kyong spoke awkwardly as his real identity was revealed. However, Nam Gung-kyong had no other option but to side with the Yulin. ‘I should never get taken in by those men.’ The Demonic Cult would rip him open to know everything about the organization and his death would be the obvious result. He would be tortured so they would get the information they wanted. “Still, weren’t you the one who got him, Hu Bong?” “Lord.” When Hu Bong was getting annoyed, Chun Yeowun came towards them after capturing Noh Do-kyung. Unlike when dealing with Hu Bong, the moment Chun Yeowun appeared, the Leaders turned stiff. ‘Even if it is the Lord of Demonic Cult we shouldn’t just hand him over.’ ‘His power is not normal.’ They were both terrified in their hearts because they were looking at a monster with their very own eyes. However, the loss they would face from losing Nam Gung-kyong was too great. ‘Great Leader!’ Hong Palwoo, a leader, glanced in the direction of Great Leader Yi Mok, asking for help. And he came forward, as it was only appropriate for the leaders of each side to have a conversation. ‘Hmm…’ Nam Gung-kyong sent a telepathic message to Yi Mok. [I apologize! If I get taken over, the information of the organization and the secrets within the faction will all fall into the hands of the Demonic Cult… if that happens, not only the Forces of Justice but the entire Yulin will be in great danger, are you fine with that?] The reason why the leaders were going so far to protect him was because they heard the same message from Nam Gung-kyong too. While contemplating what to do, when he heard that voice, Yi Mok seemed to make up his mind. ‘There is truth in the words of Nam Gung-kyong.’ It felt dangerous to let the Demonic Cult know more about the information of the Yulin faction. Even then, the battle just proved that the Demonic Cult was a lot stronger than before. ‘If we let him get any more powerful, balance within the three major factions may be completely disrupted.’ Great Leader Yi Mok, who was struggling, finally decided to help. To not let Nam Gung-kyong be taken. That was the decision Yi Mok came to. Pak! Yi Mok, who made up his mind, stepped out in front of the leaders and spoke to Chun Yeowun boldly. “Lord Chun, you can understand this, right?” “Excuse me?” “Even if your man managed to injure the leader, in the end, it was our two leaders who caught him, making sure that he didn’t escape. Considering this, you cannot deny that his life should be given to us. I can’t…” “Phew.” Before Yi Mok could finish speaking, Chun Yeowun sighed and pulled something with his hand. Woong! “Huk! B-body!” The body of Nam Gung-kyong, who was behind the leaders, floated into the air and flew in the direction of Chun Yeowun. Yi Mok grabbed him in the process. Pak! “Wh-what is this!” He was getting angry due to the sudden action of Chun Yeowun. Chun Yeowun didn’t even care and pulled him. Woong! ‘What strength!’ The power was thrilling to feel. Nam Gung-kyong was caught between the power of two major heads of Wulin, the Great Leader and the Lord of the Demonic Cult. “Gre-great Leader! Don’t let go!” However, even when Yi Mok tried to forcefully hold him, the gap in sheer power was too wide. After not being able to hold on for too long, the clothes of Nam Gungkyong suddenly tore off. Tear! “G-great leaderrrr!” “This!” Wheeing! Tear! “Eiik!” Nam Gung-kyong’s body soon flew around and got into Chun Yeowun’s hand. Nam Gung-kyong, whose head was in Chun Yeowun’s hand, went pale not knowing what to do! “W-what is this?” “Leader Nam Gung-kyong!” Chun Yeowun looked at Yi Mok and the leaders of the Forces of Justice with a cynical smile. “You were saying that he belonged to the person who caught him, so this person’s life is now in my hands, right? Chapter 399 - Rise to the Five Strongest Warriors (2) Chapter 399: Rise to the Five Strongest Warriors (2) Did he just provoke the Great Leader? ‘This…’ Great Leader Yi Mok and the leaders of the Forces of Justice were speechless. Seeing Nam Gung-kyong in Chun Yeowun’s hand, no one could object anymore. He cleverly used their words against them. “Then I’ll be taking this one.” Clench! When no one else objected anymore, Chun Yeowun clenched his hands which were holding onto the head of Nam Gung-kyong. Nam Gung-kyong looked at Yi Mok with a contemplating look and shouted. “Great- Great Leader! How can you just give up like this! If I get taken by them, then…” “Shut up.” Tatatatal! “Hmmp! Hmmpp!” Before he could finish his words, Chun Yeowun pressed the blood points on his throat. After his blood points were pressed Nam Gung-kyong couldn’t do anything else other than moan. Poong Chungwun, the 6th leader, who saw that situation unfold in front of him, took a step ahead and spoke. “Goodness, Lord Chun. Have some courtesy for the alliance. Can’t you just hand over Nam Gung-kyong to us? He is a leader of the Forces of Justice too, just saying.” Unlike the other leaders, Poong Chungwun was the only one who was acquainted with Chun Yeowun. Considering their relationship, he tried not to step in at each situation, but thinking that handing over Nam Gung-kyong was rather precarious, so he decided to speak out. Despite his intervention, Chun Yeowun didn’t let go of Nam Gung-kyong. Bewildered, Poong Chungwun raised his voice. “A-are you really going to act like this?” Without even blinking, Chun Yeowun asked. “Leader Chungwun, if it were you, would you let go of an enemy who tried to kill you?” “Well, that would…” It was true that Yulin was divided in the Jin castle and Nam Gung-kyong was the head of an organization which wanted to execute Chun Yeowun and all the warriors of the Demonic Cult. When Poong Chungwun didn’t answer, Chun Yeowun looked at the other leaders and spoke in a cold tone. “Using courtesy to the alliance to make things go your way is an easy way out. Are you all trying to protect Nam Gung-kyong as your colleague?“ Woong! When Chun Yeowun reached out his hand, one of the corpses from Jin Castle flew towards him. One of the members of the organization’s body, whose head has been cut off, flew in. They were the ones who lost their pain and emotions, the ones who wouldn’t die unless their heads were cut off. “Are you afraid that this thing he used will get into our Cult?” “Th-that is…” “If you wanted to protect Nam Gung-kyong from the very beginning, shouldn’t you have persuaded him before the battle to strengthen your numbers?” “…” The leaders couldn’t respond to those words at all. As Chun Yeowun said, there was only one reason for Yulin to protect Nam Gung-kyong. The method of the Extreme Martial Body. It was to prevent the fall of the procedure which created non-humans who felt no pain. They feared that it could fall into the hands of the Demonic Cult. Surely the Yulin could try to use it too, but it wouldn’t be as scary as letting the Demonic Cult have it. Not a single person opened their mouth, except Yi Mok. He very cautiously opened his mouth and started to speak. “Lord Chun, I’ll be honest with you. As all the warriors in the castle saw, that skill is too dangerous. As you said, I am concerned about that getting misused by the Cult.” Great Leader Yi Mok expressed his opinion without sugar coating it. There was only one reason why he was honest. Because there was always a chance of abuse of power in any faction, he asked the Demonic Cult about keeping Nam Gung-kyong as he was too worried about the information leaking out. ‘Ah!’ At Yi Mok’s words, Hong Palwoo and Moyong Kang admired him in their hearts. Obviously, speaking out like this meant that the chance of Lord Chun taking away Nam Gung-kyong by force was eliminated. Even Jegal Yong-un appreciated it and continued. “Exactly. As Great Leader Yi Mok said, we are concerned about such abuse. If Lord Chun has no such intention, you should punish him according to the Wulin. Placing him in captivity isn’t a problem, right?” ‘Ohh!’ In addition to the accusation from Yi Mok, Jegal Yong-un’s words made the other leaders filled with joy. As a result Chun Yeowun, the Lord of the Demonic Cult, lost the justification to take Nam Gung-kyong. If he took the prisoner forcefully, it would be like saying that he has the intention of using that extreme martial technique. ‘Lord of the Demonic Cult, you will have to concede this time.’ ‘Can you really come out and say that you have malicious intent in a place where the warriors of Yulin are gathered?’ Whatever choice was made, it was beneficial to Yulin. If he gave up Nam Gung-kyong, then they would end up learning about the technique he used and if Chun Yeowun still insisted on taking him away, they could spread the news that the Demonic Cult was trying to use dangerous techniques. They all thought that Chun Yeowun was in trouble. Chun Yeowun, who was silent, shook his head. ‘Even if you are smart, there is no favorable answer for this particular situation.’ Seeing that, Jegal Yong-un smacked his lips, convinced that his plan worked. And Chun Yeowun answered. “There is truth to that statement.” Even the Six Swords, who were close by, were shocked to hear Chun Yeowun’s words. It looked like he really was ready to hand over the man to Yulin. ‘Yes!’ Jegal Yong-un, who thought that Chun Yeowun was stepping back, decided to push his luck even further and make Chun Yeowun more uncomfortable. “After all, Lord Chun is also under the guidance of the heavens. I know that Lord Chun has no such malicious intent.” He was purposely pushing Chun Yeowun. If they used power, no one could go against Chun Yeowun. Which was why he used words. Next, he spoke to the members of Yulin. “Leader, can you bring me leader Nam gung-kyong…” “Wait.” “… what is it?” When Chun Yeowun suddenly stopped him, Jegal Yong-un, who was anxious, asked cautiously. There was no way he could find a way out of the situation, yet, the fact that Chun Yeowun was a Divine master was what made him tremble. “Let’s make this clear.” “What do you mean?” “The Forces of the Great Heaven as another member and also their head, someone called Hoe-ju.” “That was information Lord Chun sent to our Great Leader, right?” Chun Yeowun was the one who sent the information regarding the organization that the Yulin factions were unaware of. Based on that, the Forces of Justice were able to find out the traces of members who joined it before the treaty. However, the man called Hoe-ju and another member couldn’t be found. Since Nam Gung-kyong was of a high position and said that he was the only one who knew about Hoe-ju, they were thinking of using this opportunity to find him. “Catch them.” ‘Ah?’ Jegal Yong-un realized what Chun Yeowun’s words meant. This man, he really was a new kind of Lord which the Demonic Cult never had before. With a voice full of determination, Jegal Yong-un spoke. “We will! It was something that Lord Chun has trusted us with, so will most definitely see it through. Please trust us.” “You should. If you fail to catch them, I will never forgive the Forces of Justice or the Yulin, who will end up creating trouble for my Cult.” “!?” Jegal Yong-un’s expression turned sour at the warning. Rather than a request, it sounded more like a threat. The words were closer to intimidation though. Jegal Yong-un hesitantly answered, knowing that they weren’t words filled with malice. “Kuekm. I understand. That will never happen.” “Nice. Then you can take him.” At those words, Jegal Yong-un asked subordinate Jacheong. “Bring him, Jacheong.” “Oh, yes, 13th leader.” The man went closer and tried to pick up Nam Gung-kyong who had a lot of blood on him. Puk! “Kuek!” Drip! Dark blood flowed out of Nam Gung-kyong’s swollen eyes. Shockingly, his broad forehead was pierced with a sword in an instant. Tremble. Nam Gung-kyong shook violently before he fell down. ‘!!!’ Everyone was stunned as they stared blankly at the dead Nam Gung-kyong. At the sudden turn of events, none of the leaders could hide their shock. “This, what is this?! Didn’t you decide to hand him over to us?!” Jegal Yong-un’s face turned red as he shouted. It wasn’t agreed that the prisoner would be handed over and then not be killed. Chun Yeowun spoke with a cold expression. “I don’t remember saying that I would give him to you alive.” “Wh-what!” Everyone was speechless as they looked at Chun Yeowun, who spoke in a provoking manner. ‘Indeed!’ Hu Bong, who was seeing this, and the Six Swords, who listened, were all smiling. It was impossible for Chun Yeowun, the Lord they knew, to just hand over what was his so politely. On the other hand, Yi Mok strongly shouted back. “Lord Chun, this isn’t a situation to act like this. This is an act that looks like you are insulting us.” “Insult?” “Right, how could you kill Nam Gung-kyong, whom you decided to hand over to us!” Yi Mok pointed his finger at the dead man. Such a death was unfair to a man who tried to live through the war using every tactic he could. Chun Yeowun calmly asked Yi Mok, who was furious. “Are you contradicting what leader Jegal just said?” “What the hell does that have to do…” “He just said it a moment back. He said to punish this man in Wulin’s way, right?” “What!?” With those words, Chun Yeowun looked at Jegal Yong-un. Jegal Yong-un was taken aback by those words. Obviously he said that, but it was only to pressure Chun Yeowun. But he just used those words as an excuse to kill the man? “Ah-no. Lord Chun. What I said earlier didn’t mean…” Goooooo! “Huh!” With a sudden rise in energy, the people present around turned stiff. It felt like they were standing on a slope with a knife to their throats. Jegal Yong-un opened his cold lips. “The… Dark King!” The person who released the energy was Marakim. He was standing left to Chun Yeowun. A man famous for bringing death. Marakim spoke in a low voice. “Leader Jegal, who do you think is standing in front of you?” “Wh…” “Are you trying to change the words you said to the Lord? If that is the case, I won’t forgive you!” It felt like Marakim was ready to kill him at any moment. Jegal Yong-un tried to think of what had to be done. Woong! ‘Ah! When?’ All of a sudden, the members of the Demonic Cult gathered around him. It was as if they were protesting for insulting their Lord. With a sneering voice, Chun Yeowun spoke to the bewildered leaders. “Well, if he was a man who hit your backs, shouldn’t it be fine taking back his corpse? The so-called technique that you are so worried about being misused won’t happen now.” ‘What? Does that mean he never intended to use the technique?’ At those words every single leader was confused. There was no need for the technique. The leaders didn’t know, but the person who developed that technique was currently in the Demonic Cult. Until recently, those who were delighted that the Demonic Cult wouldn’t be able to get their hands on the technique were in utter shock at the failure of their plan. ‘Ha! How did this…’ It was only then that Jegal Yong-un realized what Chun Yeowun had been scheming. Chun Yeowun didn’t aim for the technique from the beginning. ‘Kuek! This is what he meant when he said he wouldn’t forgive those who threatened the Demonic Cult.’ The true goal of Chun Yeowun was to find the real head of the organization. But that didn’t mean that he would give up Nam Gung-kyong to the Forces of Justice, who were completely unaware of the existence of the organization until Chun Yeowun told them. The Demonic Cult meddled in the Forces of Justice and made them search for the organization. ‘… we were outplayed!’ Thud! Jegal Yong-un, unable to hold in his rage, bit his lower lip. ‘Uhhhh! Lord of Demonic Culttttt!!!’ It turned out to be a foolish mistake to intervene. The results ended up turning bizarre. Thanks to that, not just Jegal Yong-un, but everyone was able to know one thing. ‘He really is… the current Lord of Demonic Cult!’ No hesitation in his moves. They had to accept the fact that Chun Yeowun was completely different to the previous Lord of the Demonic Cult that they knew. Chapter 400 - Rise to the Five Strongest Warriors (3) Chapter 400: Rise to the Five Strongest Warriors (3) What was it called again? The tiger’s momentum? The momentum of the Demonic Cult’s side, including that of Lord Chun Yeowun‘s, was like a flooding wave that had long surpassed the current Yulin forces. ‘Ah, we can’t help it.’ Great Leader Yi Mok sighed deeply. Contrary to the Demonic Cult’s side, the Yulin and the Forces of Justice had fewer than a hundred people, including their leaders, standing unscathed after the battle. However, the Demonic Cult still had over a thousand people. Of course, even if the cult had no warriors standing, it would be no exaggeration to call the Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun, a disaster level one-man army who couldn’t be defeated. The bottom line was that it was impossible for them to bring down the Lord of the Demonic Cult no matter what they would try to do. ‘Sigh…’ Another sigh. Great Leader Yi Mok’s thoughts when he took the first step into the Jin Castle for the ceremony were different compared to what was actually going on in his mind right now. He thought that the situation in Wulin would change. And the result was, ‘… for the time being, it is the time of Lord Chun.’ The entire place has become a place where the existence of Chun Yeowun is absolute. Now the entire Wulin would know of his greatness. In a situation where everyone was tense after being surrounded by the warriors of the Demonic Cult, the Great Leader opened his mouth. “Enough!” ‘Great Leader?’ While everyone was nervous, their eyes turned towards the Great Leader. “Lord Chun. We too had absolutely no intention of abusing that technique. Lord Chun said that he resolved the enmity he had with Nam Gung-kyong out of concern for his Cult, but I can no longer turn a blind eye after this.” ‘Ahh…’ ‘How could this be?’ At the words of the Great Leader, who took a step back, sighs flowed from everywhere. The feeling of concession was entirely different. It was like the man, who was the most respected figure in a faction and one of the five strongest warriors, was deciding to kneel because of the overwhelming power of the Lord of the Demonic Cult. ‘I am sorry to all the warriors and leaders.’ The Great Leader, Yi Mok, shook his head slightly as he looked at each of the leaders of the Forces of Justice and Yulin factions, who couldn’t hide their disappointment. However, this was a choice he had to make. If Chun Yeowun really was what he had shown so far, then it would be impossible for the Yulin to stay strong if friction rose between the two. ‘Great leader. I know your intentions are good.’ Of course, not everyone was disappointed. Poong Chungwun, a long time member of the Mount Hua Sect, and Hong Palwoo believed that this judgement was indeed correct. It was humiliating, but this had to be done. ‘Even the strongest men were said to have endured more terrifying things than this, so what is the problem with letting go of the pride?’ They sent their sympathetic gazes to ease Yi Mok’s heavy heart. Yi Mok looked at Chun Yeowun and spoke. Pak! “Lord Chun. I apologize that the situation turned uncomfortable because of the incident with Nam Gung-kyong. So, how about the Lord and I go back and discuss the future together?” Yi Mok held his posture while clasping his hands together. Chun Yeowun, who looked at Yi Mok, raised his hand. The warriors of the Demonic Cult, who encircled them quickly, retreated as if they were never there. Woo! “Haaa…” Seeing that, the leaders of factions and the Forces of Justice sighed in relief. If the situation had gotten any worse, it wouldn’t seem strange for another battle to happen. ‘I put in enough pressure so the matter would stop right here.’ In fact, even Chun Yeowun had no plans to push his luck any further with the Yulin. Although the battle was won they didn’t get to deal with the Blade God Six Martial clan, which meant that he couldn’t break the alliance with Yulin’s Forces of Justice yet, especially because the Forces of Evil seemed to be joining hands with the Blade God Six Martial clan. It was too early to break the alliance. ‘Let’s hold on a little bit longer…’ The corners of Chun Yeowun’s mouth rose slowly. -------- The Dragon Palace in the Empire. The emperor sat solemnly on the throne and on a seat which was lower than his was 1st prince Zhu Taikhan, who was given the title of the Crown Prince starting from the Dano Festival. Although nothing was said outside of the palace, Zhu Taikhan had turned into a catalyst in the Shrine incident and eventually took the place of crown prince. He was gleaming on the inside. However, the atmosphere in the throne room was too heavy for him to smile. All because they had to focus on one event. In the middle of the throne room was Yeongjo, the Northern Commander and an eunuch of West Spear, both kneeling on one knee. In front of them was a round piece of iron, about twice the size of a male fist. The emperor and the others who saw that were astonished. [How could such a group of people use weapons that hold gunpowder, which are only used within the military?] In addition, this bomb seemed a lot stronger than theirs. Apart from the non-aggression treaty, explosives were dangerous weapons of lethality that were prohibited by the laws of the Empire. Possession of bombs was a problem, but that wasn’t the major problem. What made the emperor furious was the report that bombs were being laid out in the underground of the Jin castle. [Does that mean that they plotted such an outrageous conspiracy to kill the officials and the prince, who would go there on my behalf? They really are rebels! I can’t just sit back and watch this anymore! This is it!] The emperor immediately ordered the subjugation of the Blade God Six Martial clan. Originally, the Lord of the Demonic Cult had informed the emperor that he would take care of them, but the Blade God Six Martial clan had gone too far for the emperor to stay still. Baek Jagi, the Supreme Commander, and Southern Commander Yon Namgung led 2,000 guards along with 10,000 soldiers to the Jin castle. For the first time since the founding of the empire, they were going to declare war on a Wulin faction. But, [What? They’re coming back already?] Within a few hours after the military was deployed, they received a report that Supreme Commander Baek Jagi was returning already. The emperor was waiting to know what happened. Just then, the eunuchs in the throne room, who were outside, shouted. “Your Majesty, the Supreme Commander Baek Jagi is requesting to enter.” “Send him in.” The emperor’s orders fell and Baek Jagi, who was wearing grey solid armor, hurried into the room. “I, Baek Jagi, the Supreme Commander, request an audience with His Majesty!” As soon as Baek Jagi greeted him, the emperor asked what he was most curious about. “Why did the Supreme Commander return when it hasn‘t been long since your deployment?” The guards and the soldiers hadn’t returned yet, but the commanders were the only ones who came back since they had to inform the emperor of the situation directly. “Your Majesty, before the imperial army of the empire arrived at the castle, the spies and rebels in the castle had already been annihilated.” “The entire group of rebels were annihilated?” The emperor’s eyes lit up with curiosity. At the request from the Lord of the Demonic Cult, he lent him the armors of guards and soldiers. However, he didn’t expect the end of the war in such a short amount of time. “Didn’t it happen too fast?” Even if it was a battle between martial arts users, it was too fast. Baek Jagi said the same thing again, it was definite that the battle was over. “As the emperor ordered, we rushed to Jin Castle. We first sent in excellent guards to check out the situation…” All the officials in the throne room were doubting their ears at the report of Baek Jagi. At the time when the Northern Commander and the eunuch escaped from the Jin Castle, it wasn’t like there were no other officials of the palace. Some members of the guards were present for the sake of monitoring the situation. Through them, the guards were told about the amazing things that unfolded in the Jin Castle and were reported to the commanders. Even the Supreme Commander Baek Jagi, who first reported it, couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Is that even possible?” Most of the reports that he heard were so ridiculous, they made it sound like Chun Yeowun had surpassed the stage of a human being. Later, it was told that he was the one who killed the vast majority of enemies. They reported that it was not a battle, but a slaughter. Besides, “What? He flew into the air and made swords rain down from the sky?” When talking about Sky Flash, even the emperor seemed at a loss for words. There was no other way to explain the Air Swords which brought in blood shed. “Huu, how could a human body perform…” Admiral Seo Tae-sik of the Cardinal Spear mumbled to himself, not being able to believe the report he just heard. The admirals and the commanders were all well aware of martial arts, but never had they imagined that a Divine Master would be such a monster. ‘… he is no human. I am really fortunate to be allied with Lord Chun.’ Crown prince Zhu Taikhan once again realized that his choice wasn’t wrong. Chun Yeowun, the Lord of the Demonic Cult, was too dangerous to make an enemy out of. “That was why the army returned already, your Majesty!” When the Supreme Commander Baek Jagi was done with his report, the entire throne room was filled with silence. That was how shocking the information about Chun Yeowun, the Lord of the Demonic Cult, was. ‘Your Majesty must be very surprised.’ As a ruler of an empire, a monster with that much power was a threat to him. Maybe he was feeling even more fear than before. Everyone was in deep concern when the emperor, who had been silent, slowly opened his mouth. “… Th… there will never be a change in the state religion until my time ends.” ‘!?’ A fact which no one could dispute. -------- Time passed quickly and a full month had passed since the day of the Dano festival. News went around very fast. It didn’t take long for the events in the Jin Castle to spread throughout the Jianghu. Although they participated in the victory of the alliance, they were humiliated to the extent of being overpowered. To hide this humiliation, they announced that the battle in the Jin Castle of Tongho was something that the Forces of Justice and the Demonic Cult’s alliance planned together to defeat the Forces of Evil and the Blade God Six Martial clan, but there was no way the truth could stay hidden. The heads of multiple factions under Yulin had witnessed it with their very own eyes. Chun Yeowun’s monstrous strength spread throughout all of Wulin, and the humiliation the Forces of Justice faced spread as well. The Forces of Justice strongly denied it in Yulin, but the consequences that followed made it undeniable. In a fortress of the Ten Thousand Mountains. A middle aged man with short hair was drinking something while he was on the bed. He was the former lord, Chun Yujong. After months of staying in a coma, he finally woke up. He was extremely skinny as he hadn’t moved for a long time, however the side effects had disappeared from his body and his lively spirit returned. Gasp! Gasp! “Kulkulkul, drink it slowly, Lord.” Next to him, a middle-aged man in shabby clothes with an eye patch was seated. It has been three days since the former Lord has woken up. However, he was extremely weak, and it took two days for Submeng to get permission to see him. Submeng visited the former Lord from the day before and informed Chun Yujong about all that had happened. Coincidentally, Chun Yujong’s memories after the battle with the Blade God Six Martial clans warriors were like shattered fragments. He could hardly remember anything from that day. “Keep talking, Right Guardian.” Chun Yujong wiped off the medicine he was drinking with his sleeve. While Submeng continued talking. “How far did I tell?” “… Yeowun.. no, you were talking about the current Lord.” Calling not himself, but Chun Yeowun as the Lord felt a little awkward for Chun Yujong. When he lost consciousness and woke up, so many things seemed to have changed. As soon as he woke up, he couldn’t get used to people calling him the former Lord. “Ahh! Right, as I was saying earlier, the Lord is very busy with the work of the academy.” “Huu.” A sigh escaped from Chun Yujong’s mouth. It was shocking enough to hear it all over again, and yet it was still unbelievable. It was said that the entire Henan province was officially under the domain of the Demonic Cult. “And the Yulin people and the Forces of Justice tolerated it?” “Tolerate? There was nothing else they could do.” While promoting the Sky Demon Order, which was currently the state religion of the empire, the imperial order built a branch of the Cult not only in the Imperial Palace but also in the capital. Since it was the domain of the Yulin, there was no way that they would have agreed to it. Since the announcement was made by the emperor, the Yulin announced that it would accept it by honoring the emperor and respecting the alliance. “Actually, that wasn’t it. Hehe.“ As the faction heads who joined the Forces of the Great Heaven were annihilated, they lost nearly thirty percent of their power. And if they immediately broke the alliance with the Demonic Cult right now, they would get surrounded by all the enemies, including what is left of the Blade God Six Martial clan. “All of this was possible because the Lord showed incredible devotion in the battle of Jin Castle.” That was the biggest reason. With the war, Yulin realized that there was no chance of winning a war against the current Lord of the Demonic Cult. That’s why even when it was humiliation, they conceded. ‘That child reached Divine Master level.’ That was the most startling news for Chun Yujong. It was astonishing that so many things happened since he lost consciousness. Chun Yujong spoke in a frustrated voice. “It seems like the title of being one of the Five Strongest Warriors should be passed down to the Lord.” Hearing those words, Submeng licked his lips and spoke cautiously. “Hm, hm, Former Lord. I apologize, but the current Lord is already considered one of the Five Strongest Warriors due to the war.” “What? For real?” Five strongest warriors. A title that only five people, who stand at the top of the Wulin, hold. It was unprecedented for a warrior to attain that title at Chun Yeowun’s current age. After hearing that, Submeng, who took pride in being the teacher of the current Lord, couldn’t hide his joy. ‘Ahhh!’ Chun Yujong was suddenly engulfed in a strange feeling. It was thrilling that Hwa Yun and his child, who struggled to learn martial arts, stood tall, all by himself. Chun Yujong was looking at Submeng, who was extremely happy for some reason, and asked. “Kum, if he has become one of the five strongest warriors, he probably has a name worthy of the title.” At that question, Submeng answered with a wide smile. “He got a name that suits the Cult best!” “Best?” “Demon God! The Lord is being called the Demon God!” Chun Yeowun’s new name, which he obtained after being recognized as one of the 5 strongest warriors, is truly befitting. Demon God! Regardless of whether he was the Lord or not, the members of the cult considered him a Demon. However, due to his thrilling actions, everyone else called him a God. “Demon God!!!” Chun Yujong couldn’t contain his trembling at Submeng’s words. It wasn’t that he was surprised by the crazy and wonderful name, but it was because after the previous Lords, this was the second time that the title of Demon God was given to someone after Chun Ma.