As soon as Jang San-hong, a warrior of the Black Serpent Alliance , saw two of his subordinates sliced in half with a single sword strike, he shouted:
"Everyone, form up! This guy is no joke!"
His eyes darted quickly, assessing the enemy.
It was just one man who still looked quite young, and a little brat. The brat was of no concern, but the man was unexpectedly strong.
Swoosh
Jang San-hong made a quick hand signal to his subordinates.
The man had likely consumed a lot of internal energy with that sword strike. If they could drag this into a battle of attrition, they could wear him down and claim victory without pushing themselves too hard.
Judging by the power of his sword aura, his level was likely around the Peak Stage . Including Jang San-hong himself, they had three warriors at the Peak Stage, so if they didn’t overextend, they might win without much loss.
"Attack!"
Jang San-hong took the lead in their formation and advanced. Seo-jun stepped forward to confront them.
Boom!
The ground froze from where he stomped. The warriors of the Black Serpent Alliance , reacting quickly, surrounded their feet with internal energy, blocking the invading cold.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Seo-jun charged toward the enemy.
The leader, Jang San-hong, narrowed his eyes and swung his sword.
"Haaa!"
A strike aimed at Seo-jun’s right chest. Seo-jun deflected it easily with Hwangun Divine Sword’s Flowing Sky technique.
At that moment, other warriors surrounded him, aiming for every direction. Instead of counterattacking, Seo-jun crouched and then instantly exploded outward.
Pow!
He shot to the right, locking eyes with one of the warriors.
"Hello there."
"Ugh…!"
Seo-jun swung his sword.
Clang!
The warrior barely managed to block it.
Meanwhile, the others closed in, their swords aimed at all sides of Seo-jun.
‘So this is a formation.’
Since they were all swordsmen, it was a sword formation. Seo-jun had seen this type of formation at Cheongha Gate , but experiencing it firsthand was much more troublesome.
"Hang in there!"
Chun-bong shouted, charging toward the battle with her sword drawn.
But there was no way Seo-jun was going to ruin his pride by relying on his sister for help.
He stared intently at the approaching swords, then turned his gaze away. Ignoring the incoming swords, he swung his sword once more at the nearest warrior.
"Iseo-jun…!"
Chun-bong screamed in shock.
Ka-kang!
The swords bounced off Seo-jun’s skin, unable to penetrate.
Now, it was the warriors of the Black Serpent Alliance who were left shocked, their jaws dropping.
" Unbreakable Body !?"
Not quite. Even Seo-jun could get cut under normal circumstances.
It was just that he had successfully replicated the Body Protection Technique used by armored beasts. It wasn’t particularly efficient for humans, but it worked well enough for now. Not something he would use often, though.
However, the warriors of the Black Serpent Alliance had no way of knowing this. They were simply dumbfounded.
The warrior in front of him was so stunned that he allowed Seo-jun’s strike to land.
Slash!
A deep cut appeared on the man’s shoulder.
"Grr…!"
Bang!
Seo-jun gathered his energy in his feet and shot forward like a bullet.He passed by the man’s side, and with a smirk, he swung his foot.
Thud!
His kick landed square in the man’s chest, sending him flying.
Instead of catching their comrade, the other warriors charged toward Seo-jun, which turned out to be a poor decision.
The man who had been kicked had a yin energy mark left on his chest.
Seo-jun pressed his thumb against his middle finger.
Mixed Yin-Yang Finger .
A bullet of yang energy shot from his hand, colliding with the yin energy embedded in the man’s chest, forming a crude Taiji .
────────────!!!!
A massive explosion erupted.
"Heh…."
Seo-jun grinned.
A thrilling sensation climbed from his fingertips and shot down his spine.
These guys from the Black Serpent Alliance were different from ordinary enemies.
Aside from the Cheongha Gate Master , this was the first time Seo-jun had fought proper warriors, and the satisfaction of this fight was on a whole new level.
While he was chuckling to himself, Chun-bong finally caught up.
"Hey! Are you okay!?"
Chun-bong rushed over, checking Seo-jun’s body. His clothes were torn, and some spots were slightly swollen where the blades had grazed him, but not a single drop of blood had spilled.
Relieved, Chun-bong drew out her sword, enveloping it in a brilliant white sword aura, standing guard where the Mixed Yin-Yang Finger had exploded.
"Seo-jun."
"What?"
"I’m not going to leave everything to you. I’ve got your back."
Seo-jun chuckled.
"How reliable."
Almost simultaneously, the dust and debris settled.
The man who had taken the Mixed Yin-Yang Finger to the chest had completely disappeared, his body vaporized. The rest of the warriors had either died or suffered serious injuries.
Only three were still standing, all of them clearly at the Peak Stage.
"How… how could this happen…?"
The remaining warriors looked dazed, but their leader snapped at them.
"Snap out of it! If you space out, we’ll all die!"
"Wrong."
The correct answer is: you’re all going to die, no matter what!
Seo-jun charged at the leader. Chun-bong followed closely behind.
In Seo-jun’s mind, a fierce storm brewed. Rain poured down, lightning flashed, and thunder boomed. The swelling river waters flowed violently, finally flooding the entire area.
Hundred Rivers Returning to the Sea .
The swordsmanship he had copied from Cheongha Gate unfolded in his hands.
Rumble!
His sword came crashing down.
Jang San-hong swung his sword upward with all his might.
Boom!
With a deafening explosion, wind blasted in all directions.
Inside Seo-jun’s turbulent sword aura, sharp spikes emerged.
Jang San-hong barely dodged, his eyes wide in shock.
"How many martial arts have you learned…!?"
"If it were you, would you tell?"
Honwon was the foundation of Honwon Divine Art —the essence of all things. In a split second, Seo-jun shifted the internal energy in his sword to pure yang and swung wide.
Golden flames spread outward in every direction.
"Ugh…!"
Jang San-hong retreated.
Seo-jun quickly glanced over at Chun-bong. To his surprise, she was holding her own against two Peak Stage warriors, and even had the upper hand.
'She really can’t complain about my talent, can she?'
Muttering to himself, Seo-jun pulled his sword back.
His internal energy, replenished by Honwon Divine Art , flowed into the blade.
He captured the essence of Heaven, Earth, and Man .
One of the Three Powers , the Way of the Immortal .
The path of the Immortal was winding and arduous, but at the end, the destination was always reached.
If swordsmanship was lacking, he could replace it with energy techniques.
Seo-jun thrust his sword forward, unleashing a torrent of sword energy into the air. Countless tendrils of sword aura split off, weaving through the air.
"Dammit…!"
Jang San-hong swung his sword furiously, deflecting most of the attacks, but three strands slipped through.
"This is Illusion Sword ."
Though it had deviated quite a bit from the Three Powers Sword Art’s Way of the Immortal , the result was the same—three strands of sword aura twisted and pierced Jang San-hong’s chest.
"Urgh…!"
By the time Jang San-hong realized it, Seo-jun had already driven his sword into his chest, grinning wickedly.
"Time to go."
Shhhhk!
As Seo-jun pulled out his sword, blood spurted out.
He licked the blood off his lips. It was bitter. Spitting it out, he lunged toward the remaining two warriors.
"Big brother’s coming, Chun-bong!"
It didn’t take long to finish off the remaining warriors.
After the battle, Seo-jun let out a satisfied sigh.
"Ahh… That felt good."
"You're crazy."
Chun-bong clicked her tongue as she sheathed her sword.
Although it felt like Seo-jun had recklessly charged in and swung his sword like a madman, it wasn’t really a problem.
When you’re dealing with elite warriors of the Sapha who reek of malice and invade Shanxi , it’s perfectly acceptable to start swinging your sword first.
It’s like sneaking into enemy territory with ill intentions—you’re bound to get slashed.
If they had entered openly, they wouldn’t be skulking around like this.
‘But that guy…’
Did he know all this when he started slashing? Probably not.
He must have sensed the hostility and just charged in blindly.
Chun-bong felt a chill. She already knew, but seeing Seo-jun kill so effortlessly and without hesitation was unsettling.
Chun-bong felt a chill. She already knew, but seeing Seo-jun kill so effortlessly and without hesitation was unsettling.
She would have to keep a close eye on him. After all, his conscience seemed to come and go as he pleased.
Meanwhile, Seo-jun, the owner of that detachable conscience, was chuckling as he surveyed the dead Sapha warriors lying around.
“So, evil energy , huh?”
At first, Seo-jun had considered copying their martial arts. If he mimicked their techniques right in front of them, they would probably lose their minds with shock.
But the reason he didn’t was simple.
“It just doesn’t suit me.”
It felt off. Not only that, it was an unpleasant, grimy feeling. He didn’t particularly want to copy it, even if he could.
More importantly, he hated the idea of using the martial arts of the people who had wiped out Chun-bong’s family.
“Or...”
Would it be more fun to master their techniques and mock them with it? He pondered, grinning to himself. Maybe he’d ask Chun-bong about it later.
But first, a short break.
“Ahh…”
Seo-jun groaned as he sat down, clutching his stomach. It wasn’t like the sharp, spicy pain from eating something too hot. No, this was a raw, scraped feeling—like he’d been cut open.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Seeing Seo-jun slump to the ground, Chun-bong hurried over, her small hands patting him down, feeling for injuries. Realizing what had happened, she frowned deeply.
“You idiot! You used Georyeong Divine Art , didn’t you?”
How did she know? Seo-jun glanced at her, surprised, as Chun-bong stamped her feet in frustration.
“Ugh! You’re going to drive me crazy! I told you not to use weird techniques all the time! You’re going to end up dead!”
“Aww, but I know you’ll take good care of me, Chun-bong.”
“You promised you’d take care of me, didn’t you?!”
“Of course, I will. I’ll always look after you.”
“Urgh! You idiot!!”
Chun-bong exploded in frustration.
Of course, it only took Seo-jun about five minutes to calm her down.
“I think we should hurry to Mount Hua ,” Chun-bong said seriously, sifting through the belongings of the dead warriors, her expression tense as she bit her lip.
“Why? Isn’t the Martial Arts Tournament still a long way off?”
“The tournament isn’t the issue. The problem is these guys—they’re definitely from the Black Serpent Alliance .”
“So what? What’s the big deal?”
Chun-bong spat on the bodies, dusted her hands off, and sighed.
“That guy is practically lucky to die. He’s getting a reward, really.”
Then she turned to Seo-jun, her gaze sharp.
“Do you even know what the Black Serpent Alliance is?”
“Nope, not a clue.”
“I figured.”
Chun-bong gestured for him to follow, her strides quick and determined. At her pace, Seo-jun realized it’d be faster to carry her.
So he hoisted her onto his shoulders and sped down the mountain.
“Woohoo!”
Smack! Chun-bong lightly hit him on the head.
“Hey! Hey! At least let me explain before you go racing off!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Slowing down, Seo-jun listened as Chun-bong continued her explanation.
“You’ve heard of the Martial Alliance , right?”
“More or less. It’s some sort of gathering for the orthodox sects, right?”
“Well, you’re not wrong. The Black Serpent Alliance is similar. It’s a gathering for the unorthodox sects.”
“Aha. So?”
“The difference is that unlike the Martial Alliance , the Black Serpent Alliance wields a lot of power. You could even consider it a single, massive sect.”
Seo-jun blinked, surprised.
“Wow, that’s a pretty huge sect, then.”
“It’s big. And strong. And their warriors are filled with that thick evil energy .”
“Aha?”
So that ominous aura from earlier was evil energy , huh?
“But that’s not what’s important right now. The real problem is that they’re here, in Mount Hua territory.”
“Because if something goes wrong, it could start a war?”
“Maybe the war’s already started. Just not openly.”
Well, that was definitely an issue.
Nodding thoughtfully, Seo-jun gently lowered Chun-bong from his shoulders.
“Ah…”
She made a small noise of disappointment, but it was easier for him to carry her in his arms if they were going to run at full speed.
“Alright…”
Seo-jun held her firmly in his arms, focusing his internal energy into the Yongcheon Acupoint in his feet.
“Hold on tight.”
“…Okay.”
With a sound like a bowstring being released, Seo-jun shot forward like an arrow.
It seemed their carefree wanderer lifestyle would have to wait.
One day after two months and half of a month has passed again. "Fucking fucking real. You're crazy, aren't you? It's not a country crossing, it's only in Shaanxi, and what's the time it takes for him to move like this?” Finally arrived at the Mount Hua.