Chapter 83. The Entire World is My Home (4)
Mu-Hoon hesitated even after everything that had just happened. His kind and weak personality held him back.
“No matter what you say, that idiot could never even think about pointing a sword at us,” Hye-Ryeong said, laughing coldly as she calmly watched Mu-Hoon hesitate.
Everyone’s gaze moved from Woo-Moon to focus on Hye-Ryeong for a moment.
Even the Invincible Forged Squadron warriors who had been grinding their teeth in anger swallowed nervously as they saw the cold expression on the face of the woman who had been the object of awe through her years of reigning over the family.
That was a testament to Hye-Ryeong’s presence within the Iron Sword Baek Family.
She gestured as she slowly rose from her seat.
The moment she did so, the Soaring Heavens Battalion, the Dragon Fang Squadron, and two-thirds of the elders ran to stand behind her. Additionally, four secret guards suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stood guard over her.
Finally, about a hundred warriors wearing white uniforms suddenly appeared from all over the Baek Estate and lined up behind Hye-Ryeong, displaying incredible cultivations.
Although Woo-Moon didn’t know all of the warriors from the Baek Family, he could still accurately distinguish each of the different forces. Even so, he couldn’t figure out who the warriors dressed in white were, even though a force with martial skills comparable to his would definitely have been memorable. Woo-Moon was sure that this was the first time he had seen these warriors since he had come to the Baek Family.
It was the same for the other members of the Family, too. No one knew who they were.
In truth, it was only natural, as they did not belong to the family but to Hye-Ryeong herself, given to her by the mysterious faction she had joined hands with.
In the blink of an eye, as many as six hundred and seventy people stood behind her.
Seeing that, Woo-Moon spat coldly, “So, you insist on spilling your family’s blood to the very end? You really plan to cause a bloodbath among your own flesh and blood for some measly power?”
Hye-Ryeong burst into laughter at his words.
"Family? My own flesh and blood? What’s the use of it all? Do you really wonder if I could kill my own family for power? Hah! Just look carefully at the annals of history. You’ll see just how common this is!”
Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty had each killed their older and younger brothers, along with numerous blood relatives. They had even gone so far as to take their siblings’ wives, and there was even a rumor that Emperor Yang had killed his own father, Emperor Wen.[1] And they were just two examples among many.
“How ridiculous! To think you’d have the absolute gall to justify your evil actions like that!”
Woo-Moon’s words made Hye-Ryeong seethe with rage—yet, at the same time, the emotion she felt most distinctly was not anger, but craving.
‘I want to smell that scent again.’
She felt like she craved it even more because of the considerable amount of time since she had last been exposed to it.
Hye-Ryeong was suddenly shocked as she realized something, albeit a little too late.
‘How can I think of something like that, even in this situation? This is almost... aren’t these the thoughts of someone with an addiction?’
As she began to have doubts about the incense given to her by Mu-Heon, she suddenly remembered something that had happened a while back.
It was when she said that she couldn’t wait any longer and would remove Mu-Hoon from his position as the patriarch. In order to do so, she planned to deliberately make him suffer defeat in the expedition against the Mount Qian Sect.
The image of her sister came to mind, and her shocked face when she heard Hye-Ryong’s words.
Hye-Ryeong had responded extremely coldly to her younger sister when questioned about the harshness of her plan to kill the warriors, her own blood relatives. Hye-Ryeong remembered her response: there was nothing she wouldn't do for power.
‘Was that really a decision I made of my own free will? If it was before I started using that incense, would I really have made the choice to drive my own family to death?’
She knew she definitely wouldn’t have.
No matter how much she coveted power, she would never have gone to this extent.
Suddenly, Hye-Ryeong raised her head and glared at Mu-Heon with a terrifying look in her eyes. Mu-Heon was shocked by the sudden bloodlust he felt radiating from her.
‘There’s no way. Could she have realized the effects of the Heavenly Incense?’
Right then, almost as if he was trying to help Mu-Heon, Woo-Moon opened his mouth and distracted her. Immediately as he did so, Hye-Ryeong shifted to focus on him, as her anger at Woo-Moon, who was like a dog’s shit that she could never wipe off of her shoe, was far greater than her sudden rage at Mu-Heon.
“There can never be any justification for your actions. Immortal deeds are just that, immoral and can never be justified in any situation. You’re just one of the many devils who kill their own blood, blinded by power.”
Ju-Ryeong grit her teeth as the other members of Hye-Ryeong’s faction had heavy expressions. The corner of Hye-Ryeong’s mouth twitched slightly before rising into a sneer. As Hye-Ryeong’s side began to steel themselves, Woo-Moon sent a message to the new Invincible Forged Squadron Commander Baek So-Hoon.
—I’ll take care of Cousin Hye-Ryeong and Do-Gun. Can you take care of our other family members who weren’t able to judge the right path properly and took their side? Of course, while avoiding as much bloodshed as possible.
So-Hoon looked at the elders, Soaring Heavens Battalion, and Dragon Fang Squadron warriors on the other side.
—It will be hard, but we will do it. Our Invincible Forged Squadron can handle it.
—Understood. Then, I’ll get started right away.
Woo-Moon knew that the most important thing at this point was a quick resolution. They had to quickly subdue Hye-Ryeong, Ju-Ryeong, and Do-Gun in order to minimize the damage to the Baek Family.
The moment he made his decision, his figure flickered, then disappeared. It was the Divine Phantasm Step that had just reached the seventh level of completion!
“Huh?!”
Hye-Ryeong’s husband, Do Mu-Sang, and Ju-Ryeong gasped in surprise as the sound of swords clashing suddenly rang through the grounds.
Clang!
Before they knew it, Hye-Ryeong and Woo-Moon were in the middle of a flurry of blows.
The Iron Blood Merciless Sword on one side, and the Gentle Celestial Sword on the other!
‘W-what is this sword art? Just who the hell made it? Not even the Palm Martial Emperor would be able to create a sword art of this level!’ Hye-Ryeong thought to herself in shock.
Just as Hye-Ryeong was shocked by the Gentle Celestial Sword, Woo-Moon was also taken aback by her martial skills. Among the experts he had met so far, she seemed to be the strongest by far if he excluded the Absolute Masters such as his grandfather or the Saber Martial Emperor.
She was at a level where even Jin Won-Myeong, the strongest expert of the Kunlun Sect, would have to retreat in front of her. Woo-Moon had to admit that she was good; unlike her younger brother, she certainly lived up to the Iron Sword Baek Family’s name.
However, that didn’t mean he thought he would lose.
‘Even with her cultivation, I’m still stronger!’
Raging Storm blew from the tip of his sword.
Hye-Ryeong began to sweat as she struggled to keep up with his irregular movements, barely predicting where Woo-Moon’s attack would come from and moving her sword in the nick of time to intercept it.
As Raging Storm ended, Cold Snow began.
His sword suddenly became calm. At first glance, it seemed impossibly slow. However, hidden within that slowness was extreme variability and fluidity!
Like a butterfly leisurely floating in the breeze, Woo-Moon’s sword glided across the force exuded by Hye-Ryeong’s blow. However, Hye-Ryeong lived up to her name as the strongest in the Baek Family.
When she realized it would be impossible to shake off Cold Snow with just her sword, she used the Baek Family’s finger technique, the Winter Leaf Finger, and released a white finger aura.
Woosh!
A terrifying finger aura that could even penetrate boulders pierced toward Woo-Moon, who responded with the Nine Yin White Bone Claw using his free hand.
Woo-Moon’s hands, engulfed in a golden claw aura, destroyed the Winter Leaf Finger Aura. However, at that moment, Hye-Ryeong’s tiny feet, which were difficult to see because of her fluttering skirt, flew toward Woo-Moon’s solar plexus with a terrifying momentum.
“Hmpf!”
Woo-Moon was far superior in terms of swordsmanship itself. However, when it came to actual combat, Hye-Ryeong seemed to have the edge.
Woo-Moon stepped back to avoid Hye-Ryeong’s kick.
However, as if they had been aiming for this very moment, attacks barreled toward him from all sides!
Do-Gun’s sword attacked him from behind!
Ju-Ryeong’s sword attacked from the left!
Do Mu-Sang’s sword from the right!
On top of it all, Hye-Ryeong’s four secret guards appeared out of nowhere, trying to restrain him with chain scythes and hooked chains.
As Hye-Ryeong stood in front of him, he couldn’t dodge in that direction, either.
It was an attack from all fronts!
Everyone was confident that they could take Woo-Moon’s life.
A brilliant golden light burst from Woo-Moon.
Woo-Moon activated his qi to the utmost, and as if it was sentient, his qi circulated around and wrapped in a thick layer around his entire body. However, that wasn’t enough for him to be reassured. The enemy still had hooked chains. If he got tied down, he would be in danger.
Thus, along with the layer of defensive qi, Woo-Moon also began to move.
His sword drew a circle in the air. It was the newest technique of the Gentle Celestial Sword, the Impenetrable Golden Fortress.
It was the ultimate defensive technique. A sword perfectly turned into a shield, creating a protective barrier around the user with thousands of cuts and thrusts in all directions!
A golden sword curtain formed around Woo-Moon.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
All of the attacks coming his way were continuously deflected, and the clashes were deafening.
One of Hye-Ryeong’s four secret guards, who had the weakest skills among all of Woo-Moon’s attackers, suffered severe internal injuries and vomited blood
“T-this can’t be...”
Squelch!
As Do-Gun muttered to himself in shock, Woo-Moon quickly lunged forward and pierced his right shoulder, even in the midst of maintaining his sword curtain.
“You bastard!”
With a cry of indignation, Hye-Ryeong rushed Woo-Moon as the others followed quickly behind.
Woo-Moon frowned slightly—the Hye-Ryeong’s joint forces were proving to be somewhat burdensome.
However, right at that moment, an ear-shattering roar shook the Baek Estate.
“WHO DARES TO TOUCH MY SON!”
‘Father!’
Surprised, Woo-Moon looked up at the sky only to see a massive shadow.
His father’s titan-like body obscured the sun for a moment as he leaped into the fray from who knew where.
“Ha-a-EUP!!”
With a great roar, Dae-Woong unleashed two incredible fists, striking Do Mu-Sang and one of the secret guards simultaneously. At the same time, Woo-Moon saw two translucent beams of light flash by. He turned around to see Ma-Ra, who looked like a small child alongside the giant Dae-Woong.
Swish!
Moving at a speed difficult to track with the naked eye, the Silver Moon Discs lopped off the heads of two secret guards at the same time before spinning full circle and returning to Ma-Ra’s hands.
Dae-Woong’s fist wind caused one of the secret guards’ chest to cave in, killing him instantly, while Do Mu-Sang was forced to retreat from the remnant force of Dae-Woong’s other attack.
Now, all that was left were Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong.
Woo-Moon cleverly used the Divine Phantasm Step to retreat before once more condensing the absolute shield of the Impenetrable Golden Fortress to block their attacks.
Thud!
Tap.
Dae-Woong landed on Woo-Moon’s left, shaking the ground, as Ma-Ra almost silently drifted down to his right.
“Father! Ma-Ra!” Woo-Moon happily called out to them.
Dae-Woong turned and slapped his son on the back of his head, causing him to stumble forward.
“You arrogant brat! How dare you even consider doing something like this without your father?!”
Ma-Ra also glared at Woo-Moon with a venomous gaze.
“Bad bastard.”
The two were able to use their unique methods to break through Woo-Moon’s acupoint suppression and join so quickly.
Among all of the Murder Arts that Ma-Ra had learned, there was one that had a meridian cleansing effect to counteract any acupoint suppression methods to make her lose consciousness. As for Dae-Woong, his recovery rate was so monstrous that his meridians had cleared themselves near instantaneously. The only one to still be unconscious was Jin-Jin due to the combination of her injuries and not having any special methods to counteract acupoint suppression methods.
As the two lectured Woo-Moon, a battle was taking place on the other side as well.
The Invincible Forged Squadron, one-third of the elders, the Ferocious Strike Battalion, and the Lion Fang, Tiger Fang, and Eagle Talon Squadrons of the Iron Sword Four Beast Battalion were dealing with those who had joined Hye-Ryeong’s side. Although the overall power of the Invincible Forged Squadron was significantly greater, they were having a difficult time suppressing their kin without bloodshed.
However, it seemed like it would only be a matter of time on their side, too, before they would be able to succeed.
The reason Woo-Moon’s side had been able to gain this much of an advantage was that he shouldered a lot of the burden on his own. Just stopping Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong by himself brought his side an overwhelming advantage. Now, even that burden had been eased thanks to Dae-Woong and Ma-Ra’s appearance.
Woo-Moon sent a transmission to the two people.
—Father, take care of Do Mu-Sang and Do-Gun. But you cannot kill them. Ma-Ra, deal with those bastards in white over there.
“Hmpf. Fine.”
“Okay.”
Ma-Ra immediately drew the Silver Moon Discs from her sleeves as she ran forward.
Fwish!
The sound produced by the Silver Moon Discs was hardly audible, even when focusing, but their visual effects were anything but invisible. In two different, distant locations, two streams of blood spurted out.
“Ugh!”
Two warriors collapsed with their heads hanging down, their white clothes dyed red.
Ma-Ra suddenly disappeared, hiding in the midst of the chaos brought on by the Silver Moon Discs. She suddenly leaped out of the shadows in front of the warriors in white as she slashed down with her sword before catching the returning Silver Moon Discs.
It wasn’t anything flashy or pretentious, just an extremely practical swordsmanship perfect for murder!
The moment the cold flash of steel glinted in the sunlight, two of the warriors in white had their chests explode open.
1. Two of the emperors who had the most impact on China’s history and killed their family members for the throne. One was seen as arguably China’s greatest tyrant (Yang), and the other as arguably China’s greatest ruler (Taizong). ☜