Chapter 141. Trying to Row a Boat On Land (12)

His torso had been ravaged by a saber, and his wounds were so deep that his internal organs were visible. He clearly had some things he couldn’t let go of, seeing as he was forcing himself to keep breathing through sheer will alone. However, it didn’t seem like he could last long.

Woo-Moon walked over to the Night Spear Devil and knelt before him.

“Of course. I’ll do whatever I can, no matter what.”

The relationship between the Night Spear Devil and Woo-Moon was far deeper than just casual pleasantries. Woo-Moon owed a lot to the man.

“Take this. If you end up escaping from here, could you find my son and become his master? My son is currently recuperating at a Confucian school in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province.”

Woo-Moon nodded, taking the small pendant the Night Spear Devil held up and putting it into his sleeve.

“All right. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure he becomes a master of the spear, one that surpasses his father.”

The Night Spear Devil smiled, feeling happy at Woo-Moon’s assurance that his son would become a better master than himself.

“Thank you...”

With these final words, the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong closed his eyes for the last time.

The two Absolute Masters who had fought in the battle of the century in Goryang Plains, the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon and the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong, died together, like brothers, in this silent stone chamber, with only Woo-Moon to watch over them.

“Ma-Ra, let’s go.”

“Mmm.”

Ma-Ra’s tone felt heavier than usual.

Woo-Moon quickly dashed deeper into the cave system. His whole body felt strong and full of energy. Once more, he felt confident that he could accomplish anything and defeat anyone who stood in his path.

‘I refuse to lose you too, Si-Hyeon. I’ll definitely save you. Just wait for me, Si-Hyeon!’

A while after Woo-Moon left the stone chamber, something happened to the Palm Martial Emperor’s corpse. Something that neither Woo-Moon nor the Sword King, the one who had killed the Palm Martial Emperor, could ever have expected.

Although his heart had stopped, the Palm Martial Emperor's brain was still alive, as was his dantian.

‘To deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your allies. I'm sorry, Woo-Moon. And... Martial Heaven... look forward to the day I come back. I will rise as the Dark Palm Martial Emperor, and that will be the last day of your lives.’

Unfortunately, his revival would take a very long time.

Hundred Deaths, Thousand Lives was a mystical revival art that the Palm Martial Emperor had learned from a heretical cultivator whom he had met by chance during his days wandering the

gangho.

It was an incredible art, something that approached divinity. However, it had one major drawback—it took an incredibly long time to take effect.

***

Si-Hyeon was facing a desperate crisis in front of the final seal.

The Staff, Baton, and Sword Martial Ministers were now attacking her after a persistent chase.

Although her wounds may have healed significantly due to the incredible regeneration abilities of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Si-Hyeon's injuries had been so severe that she was still not fully recovered.

At this point, even Dark Sword had to step in as well, and the only people left to protect her were the Dark and Bright Sword duo.

Things were manageable at first. However, as the other Martial Ministers began to appear, starting with the Leg and Saber Martial Ministers, the two gradually began to lose ground.

The brutal battle continued.

Squelch!

Suddenly, the Sword Martial Minister’s sword pierced through Dark Sword’s stomach.

“Agh—RAH!”

Although the Dark Sword shifted from a scream to a roar as he threw a throwing knife, the Sword Martial Minister retreated so quickly it wasn’t even funny as he dodged the blade.

Then, the Martial Ministers exchanged glances, and one of those holding Dark Sword and Bright Sword back disengaged and moved to attack Si-Hyeon.

To make matters worse, four of the high-ranking and eight of the low-ranking Seventy-Two Heavenly Dippers had also appeared, attacking Dark Sword and Bright Sword together.

Bright Sword found himself once again astonished by Martial Heaven’s tremendous power. It seemed that even in their last war with Martial Heaven, their enemies hadn’t shown their full strength. Otherwise, the power they displayed now made no sense; it would have been impossible for them to raise such a number of powerful experts during this time.

He couldn’t even begin to fathom how many experts they had.

‘No, it’s not that they’re strong. No, it’s that we, the Heavenly Demon Cult, have become too weak. If only we were as strong as before—if we still had our previous glory!’

In order for them to regain glory, the Heavenly Demon must be reborn.

A Heavenly Demon Cult without the Heavenly Demon could never truly become strong.

However, helping the Heavenly Maiden break the seals was a tall order right now. The enemies in front of them were by no means weak.

There were five Absolute Masters and four high-level Transcendents standing before them. They definitely weren’t opponents that the Bright and Dark Swords could handle by themselves.

Even after seeing the Saber and Baton Martial Ministers move to attack Si-Hyeon, they were unable to free themselves from their opponents and help her.

From Si-Hyeon’s point of view, the two were powerful enemies, enemies she wouldn’t have been able to handle even one-on-one in the first place. It was a given, as each and every one of the Martial Ministers was an Absolute Master.

Gradually, she began to make mistakes, and eventually, the Baton Martial Minister’s two-sectioned baton struck her in the side.

“...!”

Blood spurted from the corner of her mouth, a testament to her major internal injuries.

Behind her, the Saber Martial Minister struck, cutting a long gash from her abdomen down to her hip.

Si-Hyeon found herself unable to reach the last crystal, and she eventually collapsed. However, with the same blank expression on her face, she kept crawling toward the onyx.

“This is the end of the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Heavenly Demon!” the Baton Martial Minister said as he swung his two-section baton down on Si-Hyeon’s head.

"Stop!"

With a loud cry, Woo-Moon leaped down and launched the dart he had taken from Ma-Ra.

Swish!! Clang!!!

The qi imbued within the dart was so strong and Woo-Moon’s aim so accurate that it forced the Baton Martial Minister to stop his attack and retreat quickly. However, the dart, which initially seemed to be flying in a straight line, suddenly turned rapidly and changed direction as soon as the Baton Martial Minister dodged it.

“

Heup!

”

The Baton Martial Minister was startled by the dart’s seemingly impossible change of direction, hastily swinging his two-section baton and deflecting the dart.

In the meantime, Woo-Moon cut through the air and flew toward Si-Hyeon, landing next to her.

Her miserable appearance was visible at a glance. She looked more like a pile of flesh stitched together than a human being.

Her clothes were torn, exposing her skin. Yet what used to be flawless was nothing but crimson and dirt. Her feet were bare, bloody, and bruised.

A gash marred her abdomen on one side, and another one stretched from her abdomen to her hip. Moreover, she had a massive bruise on her ribs, clearly caused by the two-section baton striking her just moments ago.

Woo-Moon’s hands trembled almost audibly, his muscles and tendons bulging to the point of bursting. His fingernails dug into the palms of his hands, blood dripping through his fingers.

Woo-Moon felt as if his heart was about to explode, the sight before his eyes compounding with his rage over losing his grandfather.

He didn’t know what Si-Hyeon had come here to do. He had just followed because she had disappeared without a word.

However, one thing was more than clear enough.

Si-Hyeon was someone he had to protect, even at the cost of his life, and the bastards that had brought her to this condition and caused his grandfather to die were these bastards right here.

When Si-Hyeon saw Woo-Moon, her dazed eyes returned to normal, and tears started flowing.

‘Senior brother...’

Woo-Moon walked up to her and gently hugged her as she lifted her slim, dainty hand and placed it on his cheek, stroking it to feel his warmth.

“Don’t cry, senior brother...”

Seeing Si-Hyeon in such a miserable state immediately after witnessing his grandfather’s death was too much for Woo-Moon to bear, and before he knew it, tears were streaming down his face.

“I’m sorry. I was too late. I left you alone for too long.”

Woo-Moon could tell that something had happened to Si-Hyeon while he was away. It was almost instinct.

All he could do was apologize.

“You mean senior brother... I was so lonely and scared, and all I wanted to do was see you, senior brother... I-it hurts... I feel like my whole body is falling apart.”

Although she hadn’t felt anything while in that dazed state, everything came rushing when she came to her senses. The pain was so horrid that it felt like she was going insane.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

Woo-Moon hugged Si-Hyeon tightly.

“It... it’s okay. Now that I can see you like this, I feel better... but I’m sorry. There’s something in my head telling me what to do. It keeps me from only thinking about you. I can’t even think about you because of how much it fills my head. I don’t like it. It hurts. I just wanted you here...”

Woo-Moon wasn’t so obtuse that he couldn’t recognize Si-Hyeon’s confession.

Si-Hyeon slowly pushed Woo-Moon’s chest to loosen his embrace before lifting her head and pressing her lips against his.

As if this kiss was some sort of memory spell, Woo-Moon recalled something at that moment.

Their first meeting hadn’t been at the inn while he was waiting tables. No... the first time had been before he fell into that trance.

It was around the time he became weak as a child—the bullies in his neighborhood tied his hands and feet together and threw him in a roadside ditch.

A very pretty little girl jumped in to save him.

Yes... he remembered that day. He had forgotten many things during the dream-like years spent in front of the landscape painting, and now, these memories flooded him once more.

‘Maybe... Maybe I’ve had a crush on her since I was a kid, without even realizing it.’

A few moments later, their lips finally separated, and Si-Hyeon's eyes opened... only to reveal that blank look once more.

As if all her pain had never existed, she resumed crawling across the ground toward the onyx.

“Junior sister! What’s wrong? You should be staying still and resting right now.”

Si-Hyeon’s life was in danger from the wounds and blood loss. However, although Woo-Moon tried to stop her and explain, Si-Hyeon continued to struggle and tried to force her way toward the onyx.

“I have to go... I have to go...”

Woo-Moon quickly realized that he couldn’t stop her... and maybe it was for the best that he did not stop her.

“You have to go? You mean you have to get that thing, right? Fine, then I’ll protect you. Even if it means giving up my life, I’ll protect you so you can get there, junior sister.”

Woo-Moon bit his lips before standing up tall and drawing Lightflash.

The turmoil in his heart slowly settled, and he looked over with cold equanimity at the Martial Ministers who were preparing to attack.

At the same time, Ma-Ra stopped hiding. It was pointless, since everyone in the room knew she was there. Thus, she gave up trying to sneak attack them and reappeared behind Woo-Moon.

An eerie voice echoed throughout the room.

“Anyone who stands in the way of my junior sister will not be able to escape my sword.”

The Saber and Baton Martial Ministers rushed forward first, laughing.

“What a brave little dog! Bold words for a

murim

puppy

!

”

“Aren’t you a little arrogant, young man?”

Lightflash pointed at the ground, and Woo-Moon looked calmly at the two Absolute Masters, the Saber and Baton Martial Ministers, as they rushed toward him.

“A while ago, these words might have been just arrogance. But that was then, and this is now.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Woo-Moon’s figure turned blurry.

It was a new level of the Divine Phantasm Steps, a level that surpassed transcendence!

Woo-Moon’s silhouette hadn’t even completely disappeared from his original spot when he appeared behind the Baton Martial Minister.

“What?”

Horrified, the Baton Martial Minister quickly used the legendary Donkey Roll and barely avoided Woo-Moon’s attack.

The Sword Martial Minister’s eyes widened. He was known for being the most level-headed of the group, and he immediately realized things were not going well for them.

“Be careful! Don’t underestimate the kid!”

Two of the higher-ranked Heavenly Dippers and the Staff Martial Minister, who were heavily pressuring the Bright and Dark Swords through sheer numbers, rushed to attack Woo-Moon together instead.

‘It’ll be difficult to deal with them once they join forces. Before that, I have to kill one of... it’ll be you, then!’

Woo-Moon could easily tell that the terrifying gash that extended from Si-Hyeon’s abdomen to her hip was the Saber Martial Minister’s doing.

‘Northern Wind!’

Without a single sound or even a hint of bloodlust, Woo-Moon’s sword flickered faster than any quick sword technique toward the Saber Martial Minister’s blind spot.

“...!”

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The Saber Martial Minister only noticed the sword right as Northern Wind almost grazed his clothes and he hurriedly tried to pull his shoulder back. However, he was unable to dodge the attack completely, ending up with a shallow cut across his chest.

Even though the Sword Martial Minister had warned him, the innately arrogant and haughty Saber Martial Minister was still caught off guard by Woo-Moon’s prowess. Even so, he was relieved, thinking that he had avoided the technique.

Bang!

However, Woo-Moon’s Raging Wind Palm suddenly shot up from below and struck him square in the chest.

“Ugh!”

It was an instant kill.

Woo-Moon’s Raging Wind Palm shattered the Saber Martial Minister’s sternum and ruptured his heart and lungs.

The Palm Martial Emperor and the Night Spear Devil had been stronger than the Martial Ministers even though they were all in the same cultivation realm, and Woo-Moon was now even stronger than his grandfather had been.

This result was inevitable.

Everyone in the hall, whether it be those from Martial Heaven or those from the Heavenly Demon Cult, was shocked.

The Saber Martial Minister wasn’t someone who should have been killed so easily, no matter how careless he was.

‘While I’m at it, there’s another bastard, too!’

Woo-Moon thought as he dashed toward the Baton Martial Minister.