.jpeg){kind=tracking}
C34. The Eastern Holy Artifact, Palju Ryeong
Sa Doyeong, the leader of the men in black, wiped his nose with the back of his hand. Seeing the blood covering his hand, he was astonished, unable to speak.
“Damn it…”
Rather than feeling embarrassed, he was bewildered.
His position in the sect was that of one of the Ten Demonic Riders.
Though he was like a firefly before the sun compared to beings like Ung Jaegwi, the Illusion Demon, one of the Great Demonic Generals, in the martial world, it was not an exaggeration to say he was a supreme master.
Since he became one of the Ten Demonic Riders, he had looked down even on the elders of the Seven Great Sects. And now he was bleeding from the nose after being struck by a brat?
Ung Jaegwi, who was about to leave, stopped and turned around.
Sa Doyeong, embarrassed, quickly spoke.
“I was careless. I will resolve it immediately.”
Ung Jaegwi did not respond and looked at him with disdain.
Sa Doyeong, grinding his teeth, drew his sword. Having blamed his carelessness on a Great Demonic General, he was now going to give his best.
Sa Doyeong, elevating his energy to the maximum, screamed and charged at his opponent.
The sword in Sa Doyeong’s hands gleamed in the air. A red energy emerged from the tip of the sword, heading towards Yeon Jeokha’s torso.
Ssssh.
A bit late, Yeon Jeokha lifted his scimitar (baekdo) in a diagonal motion.
Clang!
In an instant, the red energy dissipated.
The white energy of Yeon Jeokha’s scimitar surged towards Sa Doyeong like a furious wave.
Sa Doyeong, pale with terror, twisted in the air to avoid the energy.
Ssssh.
Though he managed to land without falling, his expression was not good.
As he relaxed, he felt a burning pain in his waist.
Looking down at his waist, he was horrified.
“Damn it!”
Blood was dripping profusely from his waist, a much more severe wound than the one on his nose.
“Step back. You’re no match for him.”
At Ung Jaegwi’s words, Sa Doyeong bowed his head and stepped aside.
Ung Jaegwi walked forward slowly.
“Boy, do you know who we are?”
Ung Jaegwi looked at the young man with a strange expression.
Ung Jaegwi had killed an elder of the Mount Hua Sect thirty years ago and taken refuge in the Yoomyung Cult. Since then, he had risen from Demonic Rider to Great Demonic General, a position that had taken him thirty years to achieve. To him, Yeon Jeokha was just an inexperienced pup.
“I’m not interested.”
“Then, die.”
Ung Jaegwi moved his hand with disdain.
In that instant, three twigs pierced the ground around Yeon Jeokha.
“Ugh!”
Yeon Jeokha let out a heavy groan.
A dark shadow began to envelop Yeon Jeokha, spreading slowly.
Surrounded by the shadow, Yeon Jeokha swung his scimitar with an expression of pain.
Ssssh. Sssh.
The cutting energy flew in all directions, but the shadow did not disperse.
In fact, each time Yeon Jeokha moved his sword, his clothes tore as if they were being cut.
It was a strange scene, but Ung Jaegwi smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
This technique, known as the “Demonic Art of Stealing Souls in the Darkness,” was unmatched when he was a Demonic Rider. Now, as a General, it was invincible.
Yeon Jeokha, finally understanding his situation, stopped. It was as if he had fallen into a black abyss where he could see nothing.
Stopping didn’t solve the problem. His body felt heavier, as if he were sinking into a swamp, and breathing became difficult. If this continued, he would soon be unable to move a finger.
“Ah! Is this some kind of spell?”
The Sage of Heaven and Earth had mentioned that some masters in Murim used extraordinary techniques. He had seen his opponent throw something like chopsticks, but hadn’t imagined it would cause this phenomenon. If he had known, he wouldn’t have been so careless.
“Damn it! What do I do?”
In a situation where he couldn’t distinguish north from south, no solution came to mind.
“Haa, haa, haa…!”
His breathing became more and more labored. For the first time, he thought he might die. The fear of death blanked his mind. The darkness tightened around his body, making it hard to breathe.
“Ugh!”
As he struggled to breathe, he remembered his opponent’s final gesture. The twigs that had been thrown had pierced the ground around him.
If those twigs were the cause of this phenomenon, destroying them might be the solution.
There was a technique that might work.
The Ground Splitting Dragon Claw.
Nothing else came to mind.
With great effort, he lifted his scimitar (baekdo) above his head.
The scimitar traced an arc in the air, descending.
Kwarurung!
The first strike changed nothing.
Yeon Jeokha turned and launched another Ground Splitting Dragon Claw.
Kwarurung!
Thunder rumbled in the dark clouds.
Miraculously, the black darkness began to split slightly.
It was working.
The technique worked.
The pressure crushing his body lessened and he could breathe more easily.
Yeon Jeokha turned his body once more and launched another Ground Splitting Dragon Claw.
Kwarurung!
Finally, the darkness dissipated.
Ung Jaegwi’s eyes widened in disbelief.
It was the first time he had seen someone free themselves from the Demonic Art of Stealing Souls in the Dark on their own.
Though he felt a bit uneasy when the ground cracked due to the scimitar energy emanating from the darkness, he had never seen such a sword technique in any sect of Murim.
Does that young man have such power?
When six scimitar energies caused the ground to split, one of the rods got caught and was thrown. When nine scimitar energies emerged, Ung Jaegwi stepped back slightly.
“What are you waiting for? Kill him!”
At Ung Jaegwi’s order, Sa Doyeong and his subordinates rushed at the young man who had just emerged from the darkness.
“Kill him!”
“Die!”
Twenty-five experts swarmed towards Yeon Jeokha like a swarm of bees.
Ung Jaegwi, who had stepped back, threw ten rods towards where his subordinates and Yeon Jeokha were fighting. He didn’t care if his own men died.
Tss, tss, tss.
The ten rods fell from the air towards the ground.
Yeon Jeokha jumped into the air, passing through the Dark Section.
Then, in the sky, he turned his body nine times, changing position each time.
It was the Eighth Technique of the Nine Heavens Swordsmanship, the Beam of Fragmented Swords.
The experts struck with their swords, but Yeon Jeokha’s figure was like a ghost, dodging their attacks.
After the Nine Turns Dragon Change, he executed the Ninth Technique, the Beam of Fragmented Swords. Nine sword forms fell from the sky towards the ground.
Kwagwang!
The experts who were hit directly by the sword forms died without even being able to scream.
The remaining members, terrified by the devastating technique, retreated. Though they feared the orders, the young man’s technique was even more terrifying.
Just before the ten rods touched the ground, Yeon Jeokha threw his scimitar with all his might.
Sssssh.
The scimitar spun fiercely as it grazed the ground.
The rods got caught in the whirlwind created by the spinning scimitar.
Ung Jaegwi glanced at Sa Doyeong, who was still alive.
Seeing the stunned faces of his men, he thought it was time to change targets.
“Stop him!”
Despite Ung Jaegwi’s order, Sa Doyeong hesitated to move.
But finally, Sa Doyeong and his men positioned themselves in front of Ung Jaegwi.
Though he cursed internally, he had no choice.
Meanwhile, Yeon Jeokha retrieved his scimitar and began to walk towards the men in black.
He said nothing and asked no questions.
That attitude made Ung Jaegwi shudder. No matter what he did, he felt those steps wouldn’t stop.
When Sa Doyeong and the young man faced each other again, Hwan Yeong-shinma fled without looking back.
Yeon Jeokha cut down five more experts from the enemy side.
Then, Sa Doyeong cautiously stepped back.
When even the leader Sa Doyeong retreated, the men in black scattered like locusts.
Yeon Jeokha did not chase them, as he had no particular grudge against them.
Thus, the battle ended.
Pung Yeoncho approached Jang Hanyeong, who was standing stunned.
“Who were those guys? They didn’t seem like mere bandits.”
Jang Hanyeong, impressed by Yeon Jeokha’s skills, responded respectfully.
“I don’t know exactly who they are either. But I think you’re right in saying they aren’t mere bandits. They just took an object that Bangju asked me to guard.”
“What object?”
“It’s a sacred artifact from the East called Palju Ryeong.”
“Is it valuable?”
“It’s hard to come by in the East, but it’s not expensive.”
“Wow! Hard to come by, but not expensive.”
“It’s not something that’s traded much. There aren’t many collectors.”
“Do they commit mass murder just for that? How strange.”
Pung Yeoncho shook his head.
“I don’t understand why someone with such exceptional skills would commit murders for a Palju Ryeong. Ah, my mind is scattered. Thank you for saving my daughter and me. We won’t forget this debt.”
“Don’t worry.”
Pung Yeoncho waved his hand.
He hadn’t intervened to save them, but in hopes of gaining some benefit, so he felt a bit embarrassed.
Tak Gomyung, who was examining the corpses of the men in black, approached with a frown.
“Boss, I checked all the corpses, but found nothing. I don’t know who they are.”
“If they aren’t bandits, we don’t have to worry about them.”
“Ah, then it’s fine.”
Tak Gomyung shrugged and relaxed.
If they were part of Nokrim, they might worry, but they had no reason to if they weren’t.
The Ten Heroes of Five Peaks Mountain decided to take the belongings of the Suwol Chamber of Commerce to the nearest village. Of course, they wouldn’t do it for free. Jang Hanyeong promised three hundred liang of silver to the disciples of the Ascending Dragon Clan.
It was a considerable sum, but both Jang Hanyeong and the Ten Heroes of Five Peaks Mountain were satisfied with the deal. Jang Hanyeong and his daughter recovered their belongings and saved their lives, and the Ten Heroes of Five Peaks Mountain got the benefit they sought.
-----------------
The next day, the Ten Heroes of Five Peaks Mountain and Jang Hanyeong arrived in Suhyeon.
They bid farewell to Jang Hanyeong and his daughter and departed for Hoenam.
Finally, in early September, the Ten Heroes of Five Peaks Mountain arrived in Namjikryeseong.
Though they had arrived in Namjikryeseong, there was still a long way to go south.
Around noon, after a simple meal on the road, Sim Yanggak pointed to a mountain in the distance.
“That is Palgong Mountain. There is a bandit camp called Red Blood Gang.”
The mention of a bandit camp made the eyes of the Ten Heroes of Five Peaks Mountain light up.
They hoped to encounter other bandits from Nokrim. While others feared the bandits of Nokrim, they considered them family and were happy to hear about them.