The woman and the child stared intently at Cheon Woojin.
Their expressions were neither terrified nor questioning.
With faces devoid of any emotion, they took one step, then two steps closer, and said.
"Great Hero, what do you an by that?"
The voice was incredibly sweet and pleasant to hear.
Suddenly, the two threw themselves forward. The woman embraced Cheon Woojin's entire body, and the child grabbed his right hand.
At the sa ti, with eyes red as if filled with blood, they shouted.
"Heavenly Demon Thousand Years, Ten Thousand Demons Bow in Submission!"
With the shout, the two beca living explosives and caused a red explosion. It seed to be a demonic art that reversed the demonic ki to burst the entire body's ki ridians.
The explosive power was quite massive, as if a fairly large explosive had been detonated whole.
Simultaneously with the explosion, Cheon Woojin raised his protective ki to shield his body. Also, he spread his energy to montarily gather the explosive power that was trying to spread in all directions.
The sensation of controlling the Berserk Demon's explosion previously remained intact in Cheon Woojin's palms. This was exactly what the White Master and the Black Master had marveled at the most.
Teach him one, and he realizes ten; teach him ten, and he realizes a thousand. Once he experienced sothing, from then on, he was as skilled as soone who had done it hundreds of tis.
Soon, the explosive power condensed into a single point.
Cheon Woojin pondered for a mont whether to use this energy, but since it was difficult to distinguish between assassins and commoners, he shot it into the sky.
A streak of ki wave soared high into the sky and caused an explosion in the clouds. The sky brightened as if a firecracker from the Thunderbolt Gate had gone off.
People watched the sight for a mont and grew tense. The spectacular explosion looked like a signal flare announcing a battle.
If that massive explosion had been left alone, a dozen or so commoners nearby would have died.
The problem was that it was difficult to distinguish who among those Cheon Woojin had just saved were real commoners and who were assassins. That was the crux of this battle.
Thinking so, Cheon Woojin approached the corpses of the woman and the child. Because the two were at the center of the explosion, their corpses had already been blown to pieces and scattered.
However, just by looking at the remaining bones of the two, one could tell that they were not a woman and a child, but adult n. In this way, assassins could not be judged by their outward appearance.
Soon, a fight broke out in the distance.
The first target was a Taoist from the Zhongnan Sect.
An assassin who suddenly revealed himself rushed at an old woman running a street stall as if to take her hostage.
It was an action aid at the nearby Zhongnan Sect Taoist, but since he was not a novice either, he hesitated, thinking that even the old woman might be an assassin.
However, in that brief mont of hesitation, the assassin's sword slashed past the old woman. The old woman spurted blood and collapsed on the ground. Her unclosed eyes were directed at the Zhongnan Taoist.
"..."
His eyes trembled. The thought that an innocent person had died due to his mistake crossed his mind. Belatedly, he rushed in to kill the assassin.
The heavy sword unique to the Zhongnan Sect rushed towards the assassin.
However, the assassin suddenly changed direction. Just like a mont ago, he rushed in aiming for another commoner. It was a middle-aged man who slled slightly of alcohol, perhaps having had a drink since dayti. The red-faced middle-aged man was startled as he watched the assassin flying towards him.
"Uh, uh..."
At that, the Zhongnan martial artist, who had witnessed the sacrifice earlier, hurriedly threw his body. Because the old woman had already died right before his eyes due to his mistake, his body moved first without ti to think.
Soon, the middle-aged man's lips twitched slightly.
A thin poison needle squeezed through his lips and rushed forward.
The mont the Zhongnan Sect Leader and the Wudang Sword Immortal, who saw this, were greatly surprised and about to throw their bodies.
A streak of finger wind precisely squeezed through the crowded people and reached the poison needle. The finger wind did not stop at deflecting the poison needle but even pierced the middle-aged man's forehead.
At the sa ti as Cheon Woojin saved the Zhongnan Taoist with his finger wind, the Wudang Sword Immortal, who had arrived at so point, cut the assassin's torso in a single stroke and killed him.
He shook off the blood on his sword and said.
"If you don't have the skill to distinguish, consider everyone an assassin."
That was the only way. Due to the bizarre formation that crushed ki sense, even the Wudang Sword Immortal found it difficult to properly distinguish between assassins and commoners. Let alone the Taoists of the Wudang Sect and the Zhongnan Sect.
In the end, to minimize the sacrifices of the Martial Alliance, they had no choice but to assu everyone was an assassin and maintain their composure no matter what happened.
Soon, a quiet battle between the Taoists and the assassins unfolded.
The Taoists guarded all directions with a tense attitude. Because they didn't know when an assassin would pop out.
The assassins hid among the commoners, ready to unleash their killing moves at any ti.
The sound of weapons clashing was heard occasionally.
Usually, it was the assassins who moved first.
Every ti a killing move was executed among the commoners, either an assassin or a Taoist died.
The situation was advantageous for the assassins, but the montum of the battle gradually tilted towards the Taoists. Because there were two Heaven Beyond Heaven martial artists on this side.
At first, they were flustered by the assassins' ingenious attacks a few tis, but after getting used to it, the cases of Taoists dying or getting injured significantly decreased. The corpses of assassins were piling up one by one around them.
The Wudang Sword Immortal judged that at this rate, they could kill most of the Ghost Demon Unit within a few hours and return to the alliance. It was when he was thinking so and had cut down another assassin.
In an instant, he felt a chill that made the back of his neck tingle.
The Wudang Sword Immortal was also a master who had reached Heaven Beyond Heaven. He instinctively took a step back. Soon, a long spear that looked to be a good eight feet long popped out from the spot where he had been.
If he had been even one breath late, he would have been pierced straight from his foot to the crown of his head.
The Wudang Sword Immortal imdiately stomped his foot. Then, with a roar, a majestic internal energy rcilessly burst the ground.
Dirt and stones burst out in all directions. Surprisingly, what was holding the long spear in the pit was not a person but a wooden doll.
The Wudang Sword Immortal's eyes narrowed. There was only one assassin in the world who used such a technique.
"Don't tell ..."
Soon, a low voice was heard right behind his back. As if a large piece of ice had been placed on the nape of his neck, the hair on his entire body stood on end.
"That's right, Sword Immortal."
The Wudang Sword Immortal quickly turned his body and swung his Taiji Sword.
The space writhed along the trajectory where the sword passed. The sword, which stretched out drawing a strange flow like a wave, reached its destination in an instant. It clearly drew a curve, but it was a sword that arrived twice as fast as a straight line.
It was the Wudang Sect's ultimate technique, the Taiji Wisdom Sword.
It controls the space itself through the profundity of Taiji. It was not that the sword was fast, but rather it folded the space the sword passed through to shorten the distance.
Therefore, if one thought of it as an ordinary sword and faced it, their neck or heart would be pierced by the sword at an unexpected mont.
"..."
However, his sword failed to cut the opponent.
There were few people in the world who could break the Taiji Wisdom Sword executed directly by the Wudang Sword Immortal.
"Divine Assassins' Society Leader, you were still alive."
The Divine Assassins' Society.
It was a group of assassins from the previous generation. It was not famous because the assassins were strong, but it was a group that beca famous solely because of one person, the Society Leader who had reached the realm of Heaven Beyond Heaven as an assassin.
Divine Assassins' Society Leader, Myeong Hwi. Unlike his na, which ant shining brightly, he was a rare assassin who had road the darkness for decades and killed many masters regardless of whether they were from the orthodox, evil, or demonic factions.
"Divine Assassins' Society. I've long forgotten that old-fashioned na. Please call the Ghost Demon Unit Commander."
"A Unit Commander at that age. Aren't you ashad?"
"Being bound by titles is truly like you. The elders of the Demonic Cult, the young masters, they all tremble before , so what does it matter if I'm a Unit Commander or a Hall Master."
The Wudang Sword Immortal's eyes narrowed. To think that the Divine Assassins' Society Leader, who had disappeared decades ago, was raising assassins in the Demonic Cult.
With his appearance, the assassins who had hidden themselves everywhere began to step forward in earnest. The symbolism of an assassin who had reached Heaven Beyond Heaven was imnse. The montum of the assassins rose as if to pierce the sky.
The sound of weapons clashing against each other beca more frequent everywhere.
The Ghost Demon Unit Commander, Myeong Hwi, grinned at the Wudang Sword Immortal.
"How about a bet between old n? Between you and , who kills more people."
Soon, the Ghost Demon Unit Commander's figure disappeared.
To be precise, it would be correct to say he beca transparent.
The Wudang Sword Immortal quickly spread his ki sense and tried to find Myeong Hwi, who had disappeared before his eyes.
However, not only were there few people in the world who could find the Divine Assassins' Society Leader's stealth in the first place, but it was even more difficult due to the unique formation that crushed ki sense.
Soon, a few steps away, a Wudang Sect Taoist's chest was split open. In front of the Taoist who collapsed spurting blood stood the Ghost Demon Unit Commander.
He looked straight at the Wudang Sword Immortal and smirked.
"Shouldn't you move quickly? At this rate, all those Wudang Sect Taoist bastards you cherish will die."
Saying so, he hid his body again.
The Wudang Sword Immortal gritted his teeth. Even though his disciples were dying right before his eyes, there was nothing he could do.
'We must retreat.'
That thought ca first. Entering a board set up by an assassin of the level of the Divine Assassins' Society Leader, not just any assassin, and fighting was too risky.
In the first place, it was a mistake that the Martial Alliance had not grasped his existence. This mission had been buttoned wrong from the start.
It was when he was thinking so.
Out of nowhere, a sound like a drum bursting was heard.
Cheon Woojin struck the empty air with his Crescent Moon Staff.
And the Ghost Demon Unit Commander, who was hit in the solar plexus, flew away just like that and crashed into the wall of soone else's house.
Everyone, including the Wudang Sword Immortal and the Zhongnan Sect Leader, looked at Cheon Woojin with surprised eyes. How on earth could he have figured out that guy's stealth!
Of course, the most surprised was the Ghost Demon Unit Commander himself. More than the pain felt in his solar plexus and back, the surprise that his stealth had been broken was much greater.
The Ghost Demon Unit Commander, who had gotten up, spat out blood-mixed saliva.
Then he glared intently at Cheon Woojin.
There were few people he had failed to assassinate in his entire life. Including those called the Three Lords of the World, they could be counted on one hand.
But among those few guys, there was also one who carried around an iron staff like that.
"...What on earth is your true identity?"
"I am Cheon Woojin."
He hadn't asked for his na.
The Ghost Demon Unit Commander thought so and hid himself again. Once could have been broken just by chance or due to carelessness. But if he executed it with determination, the situation would be different...
This ti, he was struck on the back. If he had raised his protective ki even a little later, his spine would have been broken and he would have died.
The Ghost Demon Unit Commander fell flat on the floor. He didn't faint, but it was awkward to get up.
"..."
Everyone looked at such a Ghost Demon Unit Commander.
Even the assassins, who usually thoroughly controlled their emotions, showed bewildernt on their faces.
Cheon Woojin did not miss this and shot finger wind at a few guys who were violently agitated.
Assassins, all with their foreheads pierced, lay back.
In that gap, the Ghost Demon Unit Commander, who had jumped up, distanced himself from Cheon Woojin. He instinctively realized. There was no chance of winning head-on, no matter what trick he used.
'Could it be that he has undergone Return to Youth?'
No, he was too handso to say that. Even if he underwent Shedding Mortality and Exchanging Bones a hundred tis, that guy couldn't beco that handso.
The Ghost Demon Unit Commander felt a sense of regret. He had been too busy teaching assassins while holed up in a dark cave. If he had been active, he would have grasped all the information in the world.
The Ghost Demon Unit Commander, who clicked his tongue inwardly, said in a low voice.
"Close."
The voice was small, but it contained internal energy, so everyone here could hear it. As soon as the words fell, the assassins didn't even think of hiding their figures and started running towards a single point.
Each of them held a hostage in their hands.
Cheon Woojin, the Wudang Sword Immortal, and the Zhongnan Sect Leader killed the assassins who montarily revealed themselves. Nevertheless, since they couldn't kill everyone in an instant, about thirty assassins gathered in one place.
It was a large four-story pavilion, but strangely, it had no windows and the entrance was small.
Soon, a voice was heard from inside the pavilion.
"It seems misunderstandings have piled up between us. Is there a need to fight like this when it's been over a decade since I retired? I request a conversation. If the three of you drop your weapons and co in empty-handed, I will release the villagers imdiately."
The three people he was talking about would be the Wudang Sword Immortal, the Zhongnan Sect Leader, and Cheon Woojin. He was ntioning a conversation, but it was a clear threat. That if they didn't co in, he would kill all the commoners taken hostage.
The Martial Alliance fundantally defends justice and protects the commoners. Therefore, those who faced the Martial Alliance often used hostages.
Of course, not all people of the orthodox faction were the sa. After a brief mont, the Wudang Sword Immortal clicked his tongue.
- Our Wudang Sect will return now. What does Zhongnan plan to do?
He spoke through telepathy, conscious of the villagers remaining in the area.
The Wudang Sword Immortal was certain that a Killing Formation was laid out inside that pavilion.
A Killing Formation was a formation executed by assassins to kill a small number of masters. It was known as a Killing Formation where three peak masters could kill a transcendent peak master, and inside there was Myeong Hwi, a master of Heaven Beyond Heaven.
Go in there empty-handed?
It was the sa as telling them to die.
Soon, the Wudang Sword Immortal also sent a glance to the Wudang Sect Taoists. His will to collect the bodies and return to the alliance was firm.
Since they had already killed about fifty assassins, they had accomplished the punishnt against the Demonic Cult that the Martial Alliance had originally wanted.
The Zhongnan Sect Leader also nodded. If the Wudang Sect returned, they had no other choice. It was a difficult situation even if they fought together, and half of their combat power was reduced.
It was then.
"Kuaaak!"
A single scream erupted.
The Taoists who were about to return turned their heads and looked there.
In an instant, the faces of the Taoists were dyed with sha.
There is a saying that despair and hope are friends. Even in this frustration, there was soone struggling to create hope.
Shafully, he was not a mber of the Martial Alliance. A middle-aged man who sold dumplings tried to pour boiling oil on the assassin guarding the entrance of the pavilion to save the hostages, but was counterattacked instead.
Covered in oil all over his body, he was writhing in pain. Cheon Woojin blew a wind to scatter all the oil, but even so, his skin was already lting in places.
However, the middle-aged man did not give up. He picked up a stone next to him and threw it at the assassin. Starting with that, all the villagers began to throw stones and all sorts of household items towards the pavilion.
"Hey, you bad guys! Release the people right now!"
So even tried to set fire to burn down the entire pavilion.
Those called Taoists had given up on the situation, but they could not give up. They had lived here their whole lives, and their families were inside, so how could they give up?
"Are you still going to retreat even after this?"
Cheon Woojin asked calmly.
The Wudang Sword Immortal looked at Cheon Woojin and the villagers for a mont and then frowned.
"It's a war. We can't save everyone. Also, we can't throw ourselves into a situation where dozens of elites of the Righteous Path might die just to save a few. At least I am not that kind of person."
Indeed, it was the Wudang Sword Immortal who had told the Chief Strategist to draft more martial artists from the Zhongnan Sect instead of the Wudang Sect to reduce the sacrifices of the Wudang Sect in the first place.
Cheon Woojin nodded.
It was just a difference in values. As the leader of a faction, how could one live without calculating?
The White Master also had no interest in the position of Martial Alliance Leader for that reason.
But, isn't he a Sword Immortal?
Isn't he the only existence on this land called an immortal?
If it were his master, who was called the White Flower Sword Immortal, he would have thrown away his Crane Feather Fan right away and stord into the pavilion.
"The title of Sword Immortal does not suit you."
"W-what did you say!"
The Wudang Sword Immortal let out a roar as if having a seizure.
It must have been even more so because the Wudang Sword Immortal originally had an inferiority complex towards the White Flower Sword Immortal.
Regardless, Cheon Woojin roughly threw the Crane Feather Fan and the Crescent Moon Staff on the floor. Soon, he entered the pavilion single-handedly. A few Taoists just looked at his back with ashad faces.
(End of Chapter)
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