Chapter 127
The sound of insects filled the air. It was quiet. So quiet that he could hear the insects chirping, the wind blowing, and even the faint rustling of mice.
Twitch—
Cheon Ryang slowly moved his fingers. Cold sweat dripped down his body. It was the result of his desperate efforts to unblock his disrupted energy flow.
As he started to regain movement little by little. Cheon Ryang forced his voice out in the direction where Un Hyang had disappeared.
“That… bastard…”
He struggled to utter each word, thinking of Un Hyang. Would she really return before the next stream?
No way.
‘Cha Unhyeop came.’
Just as Un Hyang had long been part of Shinryeonseong, so had he. Even though he didn’t possess the god-given talent that Un Hyang did, Cheon Ryang was well-versed in the workings of Shinryeonseong after having spent considerable time there.
If anything, he was even more knowledgeable about Shinryeonseong’s affairs than she was. Because that’s how the weak survive.
If you have strength, you can shut out the world and focus on yourself. But if you’re weak, you must bow down and open your eyes and ears.
That’s the only way to know who you can’t afford to provoke. And among them, Cha Unhyeop was.
‘You can’t beat him, you fool.’
One of the few in Shinryeonseong who could truly threaten Un Hyang.
‘Those other guys are elite too.’
Moreover, there were thirty martial artists accompanying Cha Unhyeop. Not a single one was an easy opponent.
While they might not have posed a significant threat to Un Hyang, they were skilled enough to distract or annoy her.
And that was fatal when fighting an opponent like Cha Unhyeop. Sending Cha Unhyeop alone would have been bad enough, but sending thirty more along?
Shinryeonseong was serious.
Clench—
As his energy flow started to return, strength slowly came back to his body. Gritting his teeth hard enough to crush them, he reached out his hand.
His vision turned red as the small blood vessels in his eyes burst. With trembling hands, he managed to pick up his fallen kit and shakily dialed a number.
‘I can’t help.’
With his skills, he couldn’t even handle one of the martial artists following Cha Unhyeop, let alone Cha Unhyeop himself.
Unlike Un Hyang, he wasn’t born with talent and had stopped trying after facing setback after setback.
But that didn’t mean he could just stand by and do nothing. He needed someone who could come immediately, who was much stronger than himself, and who could help.
‘Please pick up.’
Only one person came to mind. He wasn’t sure if that person could change the situation.
Nor was he certain that person would fight against a significant force like the Murim World for people he had only known for a few months.
But.
Step—
He had no one else to rely on.
*
Drip, drip—
Blood from his forearms—whose, he didn’t know—pooled at his fingertips and dripped onto the ground. The smell of blood stung his nose.
The blood, mixed together, created a hellish scene. Nearly twenty martial artists lay dead. All slaughtered by the sword of one beautiful woman.
‘She’s like a wounded beast baring its fangs.’
Blood vessels had burst in Un Hyang’s eyes, turning the whites red. Her presence was so terrifying that the remaining martial artists hesitated, retreating in fear.
To make those ready to die for their cause retreat spoke volumes about her aura.
“What are you doing? Not fighting?”
Even while staggering from heavy blood loss, Un Hyang didn’t stop.
Step—.
Un Hyang advanced towards Cha Unhyeop. As if her life had no value, she paid no heed to her bleeding.
“Don’t overdo it.”
“You can’t kill me anyway.”
She had a point. Shinryeonseong’s objective from the beginning was to capture her alive. Knowing this, Un Hyang could continue fighting despite the odds.
“You’re right.”
In truth, Cha Unhyeop had to be cautious while fighting her. Even when he could have severed her head or pierced her heart.
He focused on inflicting minor wounds rather than striking deadly blows.
“But that doesn’t change the situation. It just takes a bit longer.”
“Your words are long.”
Step—.
“And your feet aren’t moving.”
Despite her injuries, it was Un Hyang who closed the distance. With her eyes now blazing red, she glared at Cha Unhyeop.
“Are you scared of me?”
“Gasp—”
Crackle—.
Blue electricity gathered on the tip of Cha Unhyeop’s sword.
“Cutting Thunder—!”
Boom—!
With his sword strike, a blue wave surged forth. The already leveled bamboo forest’s ground erupted, mixing black soil with blue electricity.
Swish—.
Un Hyang plunged through the chaos, closing the gap in an instant.
Swipe—.
One hand swept the sand aside. Absorbing the shock of the electricity with her body, she swung her sword at Cha Unhyeop.
Slash—.
Slash—.
A long cut appeared from his chest to his shoulder. If he hadn’t twisted his body, she could have easily severed his neck in one blow.
Moving slowly, he had thought she was exhausted.
‘Does she still have this much strength left?’
Boom—!
Wielding his sword imbued with electricity, Cha Unhyeop showcased his prowess as the Heavenly Thunder Sword.
Un Hyang and Cha Unhyeop clashed again. Both were injured, but Un Hyang had sustained more severe wounds.
Drip, drip—.
Her arm was paralyzed and mangled. The wounds on her waist and shoulder were all critical.
She tried to muster her focus, but her consciousness began to blur.
‘Am I losing?’
She had to admit it.
Her opponent was Cha Unhyeop. He had wielded a sword long before she was even born and had trained relentlessly, becoming a high-ranking master in the tower.
Even in a one-on-one fight, she couldn’t be sure she would win. And Cha Unhyeop was supported by thirty highly skilled martial artists.
It was difficult. At this rate…
Blur—.
For a moment, Cha Unhyeop’s sword appeared as two. Her consciousness slowly started to fade. Half-conscious, she swung her sword.
Slice—
Boom—!
Cha Unhyeop’s forearm was slashed deeply, while an explosion of electricity erupted in Un Hyang’s abdomen.
Both staggered. With both sustaining injuries, they momentarily distanced themselves from each other.
“Truly a talent bestowed by the heavens.”
A voice without a face spoke. Her vision blurred. She sensed Cha Unhyeop aiming his sword at her once more.
With her eyes and mind hazy. As she instinctively swung her sword, hazy memories from the past unfolded before Un Hyang’s eyes.
“Who are you, mister?”
“He’ll be the one teaching you from now on.”
“Teaching me?”
It was Un Cheon-guk who answered Un Hyang’s question. The man who spoke of heavenly talent and used difficult words looked at her with an expression akin to observing a curious animal.
Boom—!
Once again, a wave of blue electricity enveloped her body. It felt strange. Just a moment ago, it hurt as if she was about to die, but now she felt nothing.
“So, is this mister my teacher?”
“Something like that.”
“Who is this mister anyway?”
She wasn’t genuinely curious when she asked.
-To be honest, she found it amusing. A nameless stranger who suddenly appeared and claimed he would teach her.
“How will you prove you’re qualified to teach me?”
She was merely eighteen. A confident youth.
-And she had every reason to be. She was always the best among her peers, and even among the adults at higher ranks, not many could match her.
“Wouldn’t it be troublesome if the student surpasses the teacher too quickly?”
She was confident there were few in the world who could teach her. But then.
“Prove it—”
The man proved his qualification in a manner far surpassing what Un Hyang had expected.
“Urgh—.”
“Is this enough proof?”
The man, right then and there, used his hand to pierce Un Cheon-guk’s belly. Blood dripped down in chunks from Un Cheon-guk.
Bright red blood stained the man’s hand, and the overwhelming smell of blood hit her senses for the first time.
All of this happened in the middle of Shinryeonseong. In shock, she was immobilized. When she asked for proof, she meant a sparring match with her.
But he easily subdued Un Cheon-guk, inflicting near-fatal injuries. As if it didn’t matter if he turned the entire Shinryeonseong into his enemy.
It was terrifying.
What had been confidence that no one could teach her now turned into fear at the prospect of having such a person as her teacher.
‘That time—’
Recalling the past, Un Hyang let out a small laugh.
‘If Father had died, what would have happened?’
Un Cheon-guk survived. No one knew the secret behind his injuries. Despite the attack occurring in his own private quarters, Un Cheon-guk kept everything strictly confidential.
‘What if I hadn’t met him?’
Un Hyang learned the man’s identity much later. Probably after learning a great deal from him.
“Are you curious about who I am?”
“If I weren’t, would I keep asking?”
A man who had the power to subdue the Lord of Shinryeonseong in an instant, at the heart of Shinryeonseong.
It was impossible not to be curious. It would have been odd not to be. After asking countless times, the man finally spoke.
“I am—”
She wished she hadn’t heard it. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have to grapple with these thoughts now.
Grit—
Clenching her teeth and pulling herself together, she focused back on Cha Unhyeop’s face as their swords clashed fiercely.
It felt like coming back to reality.
Boom—!
Cha Unhyeop unleashed thunder once more. The force was immense, but strangely, it didn’t hurt as much as before.
‘Are you going to go back like this?’
A small voice whispered in her ear. She knew exactly whose voice it was.
‘Shut up.’
‘You hate it, don’t you? Then make a decision.’
Her mind wavered. She had made a decision long ago. But the thought of losing now was utterly repugnant. Losing to Cha Unhyeop meant returning to Shinryeonseong.
‘Just close your eyes once.’
She knew it wasn’t just once. Most things that start by saying ‘just once’ lead to a beginning.
But.
‘Just once…’
Sometimes, the inescapable horrors right in front of you make that ‘just once’ seem acceptable.
‘Fine.’
Slurp—
The color of the magic flowing from Un Hyang’s body changed.
‘Just this once.’
And at that moment.
Flinch—
Cha Unhyeop paused, sensing the change in Un Hyang’s aura. Her previously relentless steps halted, and the tip of her sword, which had been aimed at non-lethal points, wavered.
Pop—
He hurriedly leaped back to increase the distance. Looking back, Un Hyang was still standing, albeit staggering.
‘What’s this?’
For a moment, the very air felt different. Even if it was only for a second, he felt as though his neck was severed, and his entire body was torn apart.
As if he had felt fear.
Swish—
Cha Unhyeop touched his neck as he looked at Un Hyang.
Drip, drip—
She stood there, bleeding. Though both were injured, he still had the upper hand.
‘The situation hasn’t changed.’
He had made a mistake by retreating and losing his advantageous position due to a momentary lapse.
‘I’ll have to reflect on this when I get back.’
Just as he was about to finish the fight with Un Hyang.
Flash—!
A yellow lightning bolt exploded in the sky.
Boom—!
With a deafening roar, a massive bolt of lightning enveloped Cha Unhyeop.