Chapter 7

The White Wolf Squad members had already assumed a battle formation as two ships bearing the Sea Dragon Gang’s sigil rapidly approached.

Baek Mu-Gun moved to Baek Cheon-Ung’s side, standing with the White Wolf Squad.

"Uncle!"

"I guess they're here to give my nephew a big welcome," Cheon-Ung said with a bitter smile.

"The heavens seem to hate me. They’re already challenging me this early."

"You look relaxed despite saying so though?"

"If the first son of the Baek Sword Sect trembles because of mere pirates, we would lose face."

"Calling the Sea Dragon Gang mere pirates is an understatement. They’re more than capable to obliterate average small and medium-sized sects."

"Even if so, they're just pirates."

"It's good to have confidence, but you’ll find yourself in a tough situation if you keep looking down on your opponent.”

"I'm not looking down on them. I’m just stating things as they are."

"I hope you don't mistake confidence with arrogance. Members, take aim!" Cheon-Ung ordered.

The White Wolf Squad members pulled out the bow hanging on their shoulders. Bows were useful weapons in naval battles. Hence, the warriors of the Baek Sword Sect learned archery along with swordsmanship, their main focus.

Even if they only had basic archery skills, they proved beneficial in their battle against the Sea Dragon Gang. As the White Wolf Squad nocked an arrow on their bows, the enemy ships came three hundred meters closer.

Cheon-Ung raised his voice and shouted in the direction of the Sea Dragon Gang's vessels.

"Halt! I am Cheon-Ung, squad leader of the Baek Sword Sect’s White Wolf. Stop your advance and stand down immediately, Sea Dragon Gang. Ignoring my warnings and continuing your approach will be considered provocation, which is enough justification for us to immediately launch an attack!"

Despite Cheon-Ung's warning, their enemies continued to approach them without slowing down. Cheon-Ung frowned at the sight.

"Commence battle! Everyone, fire!"Cheon-Ung ordered, and the squad members standing by released the arrows.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

As the volley moved in an arc and poured down on the Sea Dragon Gang's ships, the Sea Dragon Gang outlaws protected themselves with a large shield they had prepared beforehand. The arrows still hit some of them since they couldn’t shield themselves properly, but the numbers were minimal.

The White Wolf Squad continued to fire arrows, but they failed to penetrate the Sea Dragon Gang’s shields.

Mu-Gun stood next to Cheon-Ung, observing the naval battle. Soon, he intuitively realized that if the Sea Dragon Gang's ships advanced further and close-quarters combat took place, the White Wolf Squad would suffer considerable damage. To minimize that, he had no choice but to step forward.

'I'm going to have to destroy a ship,'

Mu-Gun nonchalantly came to a decision that some would consider crazy if heard. He waited for the Sea Dragon Gang's ships to get closer.

In the meantime, the Sea Dragon Gang's ships broke through the rain of arrows and narrowed down the distance between them by one hundred meters. With any further attacks by arrows rendered meaningless, the White Wolf Squad tossed their bows aside and drew their swords in preparation for close-quarters combat.

At that moment, Mu-Gun suddenly dashed to the prow of the ship. He then launched himself off the floor and soared up to the sky. Unleashing the Thunder God's Shadow, a divine technique of the Heavenly-Descent Thunder God Sect, he crossed one hundred meters to descend on one of the Sea Dragon Gang's ships in a single motion.

"...!"

His actions, which unfolded in a flash, took Cheon-Ung and the White Wolf Squad aback. They could only stare at Mu-Gun with bewildered expressions as he crossed over to the enemy ship.

The same was true for the outlaws of the Sea Dragon Gang. It was clear as day that the First Young Master was out of his mind, given that he came over to the enemy's ship alone. Ignoring their gazes, Mu-Gun shouted gallantly.

"I am Mu-Gun, first son of the Baek Sword Sect! From this moment onward, I shall show you the consequences of opposing the Baek Sword Sect!"

"Whoa, you're the first son of the Baek Sword Sect?" A middle-aged man asked after stepping forward from among the outlaws. He had a long scar spanning from his hooked nose to under his chin.

Behind him, two other middle-aged men walked forward simultaneously. The three of them looked so similar that one could tell by their faces that they were brothers.

"That's right. I'm the first son of the Baek Sword Sect, Mu-Gun."

"Great timing! I was worried about how we’d find you among all those trash. Fortunately, you came to us on your own."

"My point exactly, elder brother," one of the middle-aged men said, delighted. The two behind him were also smiling with great joy.

"As I expected, you came for me."

Their attitude convinced Mu-Gun that the Sea Dragon Gang was after him.

"Haha, did you come over to this ship despite knowing that?"

"You guys won’t be able to capture me anyway."

"If you knew who we were, you wouldn't be able to speak so confidently," One of them replied, finding the whole situation absurd.

"Who are you guys?"

"Ehem, in murim, us brothers are referred to as the Fujian Three Dragons," the eldest of the Fujian Three Murderers said with pride.

Unable to call themselves the Fujian Three Murderers, they nicknamed themselves the Fujian Three Dragons instead.

Mu-Gun had also heard about the Fujian Three Murderers before. Indeed, as the rumor went, they had atrocious looks, and their martial arts also seemed quite strong. However, Mu-Gun didn’t feel threatened.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Rather than the Fujian Three Dragons, the lot of you look more like the Fujian Three Hounds."

"You impertinent bastard!"

The youngest of the Fujian Three Murderers chared at Mu-Gun upon hearing his mockery, unable to contain his anger. His speed and momentum were quite intimidating. However, Mu-Gun wasn’t taken aback. On the contrary, he drew his sword as if he had been waiting.

Swish swish swoosh!

Upon executing the 36 Phantom Moon Blades, his sword shadows, reminiscent of the moonlight, flashed disorderly in front of the youngest of the Fujian Three Murderers.

The man hurriedly mustered up his palm force to block the sword shadow from hitting him. However, there wasn't anything that made contact with his palm force.

'An illusory technique!'

However, by the time he had realized it, a cold sword had pierced into his neck.

"Kuhkk!"

The youngest of the Fujian Three Murderers fell backward and screamed in his death throes.

"Brother!"

"You bastard!"

Enraged by the death of their youngest brother, the eldest and second brothers of the Fujian Three Murderers unleashed their palm forces and attacked Mu-Gun from both sides. A dreary qi poured out from both their bare palms and struck at Mu-Gun's left and right sides.

The technique they had just performed was their famed ultimate skill—the Ghostly Wraith Palm. The Ghostly Wraith Palm had poison qi imbued in it, so those it had struck were likely to suffer internal injuries.

Instead of backing down, Mu-Gun swung his sword at the palm force of the two men. With moonlight seemingly gushing out from his sword, a flurry of sword shadows formed and penetrated his opponents’ palm forces. The two quickly stepped back, not daring to clash head-on against Mu-Gun's sword shadows, which penetrated through sharply.

After making them back down, Mu-Gun wasted no time rushing toward the second brother’s right and thrusting his sword again.

His target’s expression hardened, dazed by the fast-moving sword shadows. He couldn’t distinguish between what was real and what was fake. It was already too late to avoid it.

He only had one option left. Regardless of whether it was real or fake, he had to break through every single sword shadow. With all his might, the second brother of the Fujian Three Murderers unleashed the Ghostly Wraith Palm.

Crackle-!

He mustered up a palm force incomparably stronger than the previous one. He truly had no doubt that the palm force of the Ghostly Wraith Palm would destroy all of Mu-Gun's sword shadows.

If Mu-Gun executed the original 36 Phantom Moon Blades, his opponent’s palm force would’ve shattered his sword shadows. However, the 36 Phantom Moon Blades that Mu-Gun executed contained the qi of the Heavenly Thunder Constellation Divine Art. As a result, the sword shadows he shot forth didn’t just break the Ghostly Wraith Palm’s palm force. It also tore the palm force’s qi into pieces and penetrated within.

Stab!

Mu-Gun deeply embedded his sword into the heart of the Fujian Three Murderers’ second brother. The latter collapsed as blood gushed out from his heart.

"Second brother!"

The eldest of the Fujian Three Murderers screamed in sorrow, but his second brother had already fallen.

"You motherfucking bastard!"

Unable to overcome his anger, the eldest of the Fujian Three Murderers focused solely on his intention to kill his opponent. He stubbornly dashed toward Mu-Gun and launched an attack that disregarded all defenses. Mu-Gun used the Thunder God’s Sky-Soaring Steps to easily avoid his offensive, then immediately counterattacked.

Due to his rage-filled assault, the eldest brother failed to evade Mu-Gun's lightning-speed counterattack.

Boom!

"Kuhkkk!"

With a sword embedded in his neck, the eldest brother collapsed to the floor as he stared at Mu-Gun in disbelief.

If the Fujian Three Murderers had combined their forces and worked together against him from the very beginning, their battle wouldn’t have ended so easily.

However, unable to stand Mu-Gun’s mockery and threats, the youngest of the Fujian Three Murderers was killed in an instant the moment he rushed in first. The death of their youngest brother then made the other two lose their composure, causing them to suffer a death unfit for their actual skills.

The inferiority or superiority of one’s martial arts wasn’t the only factor that determined the outcome of murim battles. Breaking the opponent's composure and preventing them from unleashing their best was also an important element in determining the result of the fight. In this regard, Mu-Gun basically held the upper hand against the Fujian Three Murderers.