Heavenly Demon of Mount Hua

Chapter 41

—–CROW—– 

Just as Ha Woo-jin, startled by the sudden appearance of the intruders, was about to leap back,

Whoosh—

Someone was faster.

“Senior Hyeon-do?”

Hyeon-do looked at those before him.

His face was filled with a murderous intent unbefitting a Taoist.

“Impressive movement technique.”

The Little White Ghost, his eyes glinting, glared at Hyeon-do, who had suddenly blocked his path.

“Were you the one who killed the Soul Slaughter Squad?”

Hyeon-do’s eyebrows twitched.

He immediately recognized the man as belonging to the Hundred Ghosts Castle from his question.

“You’re from the Hundred Ghosts Castle.”

“Reinforcements already?”

“Gasp!”

“The Hundred Ghosts Castle?!”

Ha Woo-jin and the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, who had arrived late, stiffened.

“I knew it.”

Hyeon-do gritted his teeth.

“Are you one of the Four Guardians?”

“Huhuhu.”

The Little White Ghost gave a chilling smile.

“If you want me to introduce myself, shouldn’t you reveal your name first?”

“…You bastard!”

“Hahaha! ‘You bastard’? What a unique name!”

As soon as the mocking words left his mouth, Hyeon-do moved, unable to restrain himself any longer.

Bang!

A swift and elegant movement technique, like a white bolt of lightning, pierced through the rising flames.

“…!”

The Little White Ghost’s pupils constricted.

Hyeon-do’s movement technique far surpassed his expectations.

He hurriedly focused his internal energy, and a white aura enveloped him.

Crackle—

The Evil Yin Ghost Manifestation Art, personally taught to him by the White Ghost Lord!

A chilling, otherworldly aura, a mixture of Yin and ghostly energy, enveloped his right hand.

Then, his right hand moved.

Thud!

A dull thud echoed as he was thrown back.

The Little White Ghost staggered back three steps, his expression contorted.

“The Ghost Yin Palm…!”

He was both surprised and furious.

He was the Little White Ghost, the successor to the White Ghost Lord, destined to become the next Castle Lord.

And yet, he had been forced to retreat.

His face contorted in fury as his pride was wounded.

“Little White Ghost.”

A low voice drifted through the flames scattering in the harsh wind.

‘That voice?’

Hyeon-do, who had just executed the Plum Blossom Palm on the Little White Ghost’s abdomen and was preparing for a follow-up attack, turned his head.

Standing atop the collapsed wall, his left sleeve fluttering in the wind, was a man.

Seeing him, Hyeon-do instinctively uttered the man’s nickname.

“Hand-Severing Lone Sword…!”

“Oh ho, you know of this old man?”

The Hand-Severing Lone Sword’s lips curled into a smile, revealing his yellowed teeth.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know who you are. Who are you?”

“Hyeon-do.”

The Hand-Severing Lone Sword’s eyes widened.

“The Mount Hua’s Greatest Sword…!”

He had expected experts at the Swift Wind Trading Company, but he hadn’t anticipated the presence of the renowned Mount Hua’s Greatest Sword.

“But even so…”

The Hand-Severing Lone Sword’s eyes narrowed.

According to rumors, the Mount Hua’s Greatest Sword had yet to reach the Supreme Martial Realm.

“He couldn’t have annihilated the Soul Slaughter Squad alone…”

He muttered in a low voice and scanned his surroundings, his eyes glinting ominously.

“I see.”

He spotted Ha Woo-jin, concealing his presence and waiting for an opportunity.

“With the Flying Swallow Sword Lord, it would have been possible.”

His thoughts cleared.

The Flying Swallow Sword Lord and Hyeon-do, the Mount Hua’s Greatest Sword, working together could indeed annihilate the Soul Slaughter Squad.

Of course, some questions remained.

Who used the Thunderclap Palm?

And how were the Soul Slaughter Squad members killed with single blows?

But the Hand-Severing Lone Sword didn’t have time to worry about that now.

His opponents were Hyeon-do, the Mount Hua’s Greatest Sword, and Ha Woo-jin, the Flying Swallow Sword Lord, tacitly acknowledged as the next Sect Leader of Mount Zhongnan.

‘One opponent wouldn’t be a problem…’

But facing both of them alone would be too much.

He gestured to the Little White Ghost.

“I’ll take care of Hyeon-do. Southern Guardian, take the White Ghost Squad and deal with the Flying Swallow Sword Lord and those Plum Blossom Swordsmen.”

“Very well.”

The Little White Ghost replied readily.

He felt relieved that the Hand-Severing Lone Sword would handle Hyeon-do, the most troublesome opponent.

‘It’s a shame I can’t kill him myself, but it can’t be helped.’

He was still angry about Hyeon-do’s earlier attack, but completing the mission was his priority.

“Then I’ll leave this to you.”

He turned swiftly.

He saw Ha Woo-jin and the Plum Blossom Swordsmen staring at him, frozen in place.

“Southern Guardian?”

Ha Woo-jin’s jaw dropped as he recalled the title the Hand-Severing Lone Sword used to address the Little White Ghost.

“You’re the Little White Ghost…!”

The Southern Guardian of the Hundred Ghosts Castle was the White Ghost Lord’s only disciple, a genius known to have reached the Supreme Martial Realm at a young age.

Long ago, he, Hyeon-gang, and the Little White Ghost before him were known as the three rising stars who would lead the Shaanxi Province, so he knew him very well.

‘The fact that he, who never steps outside the Hundred Ghosts Castle unless it’s a critical matter, is here…’

Ha Woo-jin sensed that the situation was taking a serious turn.

Swish!

The White Ghost Squad members surrounding them from afar launched hidden weapons.

Pababak!

The sudden attack was effective.

The Plum Blossom Swordsmen, already tense from watching the Little White Ghost and the Hand-Severing Lone Sword, were caught off guard by the unexpected barrage of projectiles.

“Execute the Plum Blossom Butterfly Dance!”

Jeok-geom, the first to recover, shouted, and the Plum Blossom Swordsmen drew their swords.

“Hah!”

“Hah!”

“Hup!”

Shouts erupted from everywhere.

The Plum Blossom Swordsmen’s swords left dozens of trails, weaving a net-like barrier.

The true form of the Plum Blossom Butterfly Dance.

A sword screen.

The sword screen deflected or knocked away the incoming projectiles, blocking the attack.

Their movements were precise and swift, a stark contrast to their panicked state a few days ago.

“Hup!”

“Another sneak attack…!”

But it was a feint.

The White Ghost Squad members charged forward, swords drawn, as they threw their hidden weapons.

The Plum Blossom Swordsmen, wary of the White Ghost Squad members attacking from all sides with throwing knives, countered, and the two groups clashed.

Jeok-geom raised his sword and shouted,

“Form the Plum Blossom Sword Formation!”

The Plum Blossom Swordsmen quickly formed a circle, backing each other.  A red aura enveloped them.

A somewhat rough aura for Taoists.

But that was the manifestation of the Mount Hua Sect’s prized Plum Blossom Sword Formation.

Jeok-geom and the other Plum Blossom Swordsmen looked at the warriors charging at them like a pack of wild dogs.

They were different from the Hegemon Clan disciples from a few days ago.

Each one was at least a first-rate expert.

They were indeed warriors of the Hundred Ghosts Castle, one of the Six Grand Sects.

But the Plum Blossom Swordsmen didn’t waver.

So what if their opponents were from the Hundred Ghosts Castle?

“We are the Plum Blossom Swordsmen!”

“Uwaaaa!”

“Come on!”

“I am Jeok-bi of Mount Hua!”

Following Jeok-geom’s shout, the other four members of the Plum Blossom Sword Formation also roared, raising their swords.

The two groups collided.

Bang! Clang! Boom!

Explosions, the clash of swords, and the sound of air bursting.

A cacophony of sounds.

Despite the relentless attacks from the White Ghost Squad, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen held their ground.

Each one was flawless, like an impenetrable fortress.

Especially the three who had endured Cheon-hwi’s monstrous training, disguised as body tempering, were completely different from their previous stiff selves.

They blocked attacks smoothly and counterattacked.

One or two might have been manageable, but with all five Plum Blossom Swordsmen displaying above-average skills, the White Ghost Squad was taken aback.

“Such swordsmanship at their age…”

Jeok-bi seized the opportunity when a White Ghost Squad member was momentarily stunned and executed the Falling Plum Blossom.

Slash!

“Cough!”

A bloody gash appeared from the White Ghost Squad member’s shoulder to his waist, and he fell to his knees.

‘Was it always this easy to move?’

‘Was my sword always this light?’

‘Did I really just attack?’

He was surprised by his own success in calmly blocking the attack and counterattacking.

His body felt lighter than usual, and perhaps because his entire being was overflowing with vitality, his internal energy moved faster than his thoughts.

And what about his opponent’s attack?

A palm strike infused with internal energy hit his abdomen, but it didn’t hurt.

Or rather, compared to the excruciating pain he had felt during the body tempering training, it was as insignificant as a mosquito bite.

It wasn’t just Jeok-bi.

Jeok-jae and Jeok-un also began to block and counterattack the White Ghost Squad members.

It was an unbelievable improvement compared to a few days ago when they had struggled against the much weaker Hegemon Clan disciples.

‘Was that really training?’

‘Was that actually training?’

‘Wasn’t he just torturing us?’

The three looked bewildered.

Although Cheon-hwi had called it training, they had believed it was punishment for refusing to train.

The three exchanged glances.

Nod—

Confidence filled their faces as they nodded.

It had only been eleven days.

But the change was noticeable.

“Let’s go!”

“Let’s do this!”

“Charge!”

As the three surged forward,

“I can leave them to you without worry.”

“Senior Brother! Focus on your opponent!”

Jeok-geom and Seol-ran, as if unleashed, displayed even more impressive swordsmanship than before.

Their skills were superior to the other three.

So much so that the White Ghost Squad faltered and retreated, overwhelmed by their momentum.

Then,

Whoosh— Whoosh—

The warriors who had been charging recklessly retreated.

They gave up on their direct assault and began to spread out, slowly encircling and pressuring the huddled Plum Blossom Swordsmen.

They had switched to a war of attrition.

“Damn it…”

“They figured it out.”

Jeok-geom and Seol-ran’s faces darkened.

As expected of the White Ghost Squad, they had realized the Plum Blossom Sword Formation’s weakness and changed their tactics.

Clang! Clang!

They attacked and retreated repeatedly.

Just as the Plum Blossom Swordsmen were about to counterattack, the White Ghost Squad members would jump back, creating distance, and other members would immediately follow up with another attack.

With their well-timed assaults, the battle didn’t tilt easily in either direction, but rather, it began to turn unfavorable for the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.

The Plum Blossom Swordsmen tightened their grips on their swords.

They wanted to chase after the retreating White Ghost Squad members, but they couldn’t.

Doing so would break the Plum Blossom Sword Formation and worsen the situation.

“The fearsome Hundred Ghosts Castle is running away with their tails between their legs.”

“They’re scurrying away like cowards.”

Jeok-geom and Seol-ran taunted them, but their opponents remained calm.

Whoosh— Clang!

Instead of reacting, they continued their sharp hit-and-run tactics.

‘Damn it!’

The metallic taste of blood filled Jeok-geom’s mouth. He had bitten his lip too hard.

‘We’re trapped like fish in a barrel.’

Their opponents outnumbered them ten to one.

As the war of attrition dragged on, Jeok-jae and Jeok-un began to falter.

“Are you alright?”

“U-Ugh. I’m fine.”

“Still good.”

Jeok-geom bit his lip.

If this continued, they were sure to lose.

***

Whoosh!

The fire, whose origin was unknown, consumed the Swift Wind Trading Company.

Go Gye-yeong, watching the flames spread to the main building, shouted urgently,

“Everyone, evacuate!”

Perhaps because it was the second time he experienced this, he assessed the situation calmly and prioritized the safety of his servants.

The buildings could be rebuilt, but human lives were irreplaceable.

Go Gye-yeong’s eyes suddenly widened.

“M-My wife?”

Yeon Su-ran was nowhere to be seen.

“You’re handling this well the second time around.”

Go Gye-yeong turned sharply at the sudden voice behind him.

Standing there, where there had been no one just moments before, was Cheon-hwi.

And he was carrying Yeon Su-ran in his arms.

“My wife!”

Cheon-hwi handed her over to Go Gye-yeong.

“She seems to have inhaled quite a bit of smoke and lost consciousness.”

“Thank you.”

Tears welled up in Go Gye-yeong’s eyes.

His wife’s face was smudged with black soot.

If he had been even a little later, she might have perished in the flames.

No, it was highly likely.

The fire was that intense.

“Benefactor, this kindness…”

“You should focus on putting out the fire.”

“But the water…”

“I broke down the wall leading to the lake in the back garden.”

“The wall…!”

Go Gye-yeong immediately shouted,

“Everyone, go to the back garden and fetch water from the lake!”

The servants, who had finished evacuating, rushed to the back garden at his command.

“I’ll be going now.”

Cheon-hwi watched Go Gye-yeong running with Yeon Su-ran on his back and raised his head.

“The urgent fire is out.”

With everyone gone and him alone in the main building, only the crackling of burning pillars and walls filled his ears.

“The wind has died down, so the fire shouldn’t spread any further.”

He looked up at the sky.

The embers and flames that had been scattering in the strong wind had calmed down and were now rising straight up.

“I was going to just watch.”

He had intended to observe from a distance once the attack began.

But he couldn’t.

Perhaps because they were from the evil sects, they were despicable.

Those fighting Hyeon-do, Ha Woo-jin, and the Plum Blossom Swordsmen weren’t the only ones.

They had split their forces.

A main force that openly revealed themselves, and a separate unit tasked with eliminating the servants.

Their plan was to draw attention with the main force while secretly taking out the trading company members.

“The Swift Wind Trading Company is quite important to the Mount Hua Sect right now.”

Cheon-hwi’s eyes gleamed.

His eyes, reflecting the blazing flames, embers, and darkness, were chilling.

As his gaze sharpened,

Bang!

The air exploded, and the flames erupted.

The White Ghost Squad members, who had been watching stealthily, were startled by the sudden change.

As they exchanged glances,

Crack!

With a shattering sound, a red liquid, brighter than the flames, rained down on them, splattering everywhere.

“…!”

The White Ghost Squad members, forgetting their concealment, stared at the corpse in shock.

The corpse that had fallen amidst the flames was mangled.

Its upper body was completely crushed, as if torn apart by a wild beast.

Its head, in particular, was so badly damaged that it was unrecognizable.

“F-Fourth Brother?”

As they muttered in shock,

“You gathered yourselves nicely.”

Tatak!

The White Ghost Squad members raised their weapons warily at Cheon-hwi’s sudden appearance.

Normally, they would have been flustered or shaken by the unexpected situation, but they quickly regained their composure.

They judged Cheon-hwi as an enemy and prepared to attack.

Their movements were not those of ordinary trained individuals.

They were the movements of those thoroughly trained and accustomed to such situations.

But…

“Nineteen, huh?”

Cheon-hwi whispered, scanning each White Ghost Squad member with indifferent eyes.

And at that moment,

Thud!

One of them collapsed.

There was no warning, no change.

The White Ghost Squad was thrown into confusion.

‘W-What just happened?’

‘What?’

The White Ghost Squad members were dumbfounded.

The fallen member showed no sign of getting up.

Looking closely, he had a small hole in his forehead and was bleeding profusely on the ground.

As if he had been struck by a ghost.

At that moment, the ghost’s lips curled into a smile, revealing pearly white teeth in the darkness.

“Let’s finish this.”

The ghost’s voice was low.

The White Ghost Squad members instantly recalled the fear and dread they had forgotten.

After a period of intense fighting, with the White Ghost Squad members paralyzed by fear, not a single one remained alive.

—–CROW—– 

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