BOOOOM! CRACK!

A tree snapped from the base and crashed down from the rebounding force.

It had not even been a strike delivered with full intent. It was only the force that had weakened as much as it could after being blocked once and thrown aside, yet even that was enough to break a tree. It showed just how lethal the killing moves flying through this fight were.

Yeon Hojeong quickly flicked up the back of his hand.

THOOONG!

The Narrow-Edge Blade flying straight at him ricocheted away at terrifying speed.

A huge opening came into view. Yeon Hojeong did not miss it.

BAAAANG!

The piercing hand that shot in at terrifying speed punched through a Death-Soul Team member’s throat.

PUK!

From the fingertips that had pierced the throat, strands of force containing the power of rotating silk unraveled all at once. The Death-Soul Team member collapsed on the spot.

At the same time, Yeon Hojeong realized that this strike had been a trap.

Tch.

PABABABAK!

Narrow-Edge Blades flew in from every direction.

Front, back, left, right—and even above and below. There was nowhere to evade.

You threw your own life out as bait, knowing you’d die?

Yeon Hojeong struck palm force down at the ground. It was the Yeon Clan’s secret art, Reverse Dragon Palm.

KWAANG!

The earth shook, and the paths of the Narrow-Edge Blades shooting toward him wavered ever so slightly.

That infinitesimal gap was the best escape route possible for avoiding the sword strikes. Yeon Hojeong’s two hands moved with a mysterious flow.

THUD-THUD-THUNG! RIIIIP!

As he battered aside the blades of the Narrow-Edge Blades and slipped through, holes were torn all across the hem of his wind cloak.

If he had been even a split second slower, holes would have opened all through his torso. It had been a dizzyingly close moment.

“Hooo.”

Letting out a light breath, Yeon Hojeong looked around.

“Goddamn it.”

The fight had already gone on for half a shichen.

And in that half-shichen, he had only managed to kill twelve Death-Soul Team members. There were still eighteen masters left.

First time, huh.

Since returning, he had tempered his martial arts at terrifying speed. But there were still plenty in this world who were stronger than him.

Still, no matter how many people stronger than him there were, not a single one matched his ability in real combat or his extraordinary talent for pinpointing an enemy’s weakness.

That was Yeon Hojeong’s greatest weapon.

His combat sense had been sharpened through countless battles, but as for his ability to pierce straight through an enemy’s weak points, it was hardly an exaggeration to call it innate. Those two abilities together had made Yeon Hojeong into a monster of a fighter unlike any other.

Maybe that was why. Up to now, he had never once failed to settle a kill-or-be-killed battle quickly.

But now?

These bastards....

The Death-Soul Team members only kept their stances low and watched him. They never attacked first.

Because they were afraid?

No. That was not it.

The Death-Soul Team reacted according to the target’s movements. And whatever kind of Inner Qi they had cultivated, simply taking a moment to steady their breathing restored their spent True Qi at an astonishing speed.

And that was not even the end of it.

BAAAANG!

Yeon Hojeong, who had been charging at their front line at terrifying speed, abruptly changed direction in an instant.

BOOM!

The ground thick with fallen leaves exploded. Before anyone noticed, Yeon Hojeong was already lashing out with a kick at the member on the far right edge of the Death-Soul Team formation.

KWAANG!

The Death-Soul Team members’ reactions were unbelievably fast.

It was a powerful kick, enough to trigger an explosion of force. Before power even entered the equation, its speed alone far outstripped them.

And yet it was blocked. In that tiny instant, three members had rushed in around the target and dispersed the shockwave from the kick.

Force dispersion. Their evasion is one thing, but these bastards are especially outstanding when it comes to defense.

Yeon Hojeong swung both fists.

PAPAPAPAPANG! PUK! 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

He threw eight strikes to land a single hit. And even that one did not hit the face or chest, only the shoulder.

Normally, that should have broken the neck or shattered the breastbone. If it had, he would have thrown off the target’s vision with a follow-up and then picked them apart one by one.

And they’re good in real combat too.

RIIIIIP!

The tip of a Narrow-Edge Blade ripped a long tear through the edge of his wind cloak.

Their attacks are sharp as needles.

Yeon Hojeong’s body spun rapidly, whipping up a white gale.

KRRRRUMBLE!

The dazzlingly scattering White Tiger Qi turned into a bitter wind and slammed into the Death-Soul Team.

It was an attack that lashed them with a wave of Inner Qi instead of fists and feet. It had the drawback of consuming Inner Qi heavily, but also the advantage of striking in all directions.

PABABABAK!

Every Death-Soul Team member retreated backward.

They had cultivated incomparable defensive techniques, but even so, Yeon Hojeong’s martial arts were simply too threatening. Since the Death-Soul Team had first been created, never had so many members died like this.

Just as Yeon Hojeong had never faced monsters like the Death-Soul Team in his life, the Death-Soul Team had never met an enemy as dangerous as Yeon Hojeong.

BOOM! KWA-DRRRRCK!

The place where the battle had broken out could already have been called an open field. The ground had been torn so cleanly open on all sides that the moonlight pouring down only brightened the view further.

“Hooo.”

Yeon Hojeong breathed out lightly, his eyes flashing.

By now, they should’ve met up with Gangryang.

All one could say about the Death-Soul Team’s abilities was that they were incredible.

But Yeon Hojeong had not yet gone all out either. The purpose of this battle was not to wipe out the enemy, but to keep their eyes fixed on him and buy time for his allies to escape.

There was no need to get worked up for nothing. That was why, even through a close fight that had lasted nearly half a shichen, Yeon Hojeong could still afford to stay composed.

I just need to drag /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ it out a little longer. Another half-shichen at most. After that, I can head north too, and that’ll be the end of—

That was when it happened.

FWEEEEEEEEET!

One Death-Soul Team member blew a small horn.

It was not loud, but the sound itself was piercingly sharp. It was such a strange sound that if he had not raised his Inner Qi in time, he might have lost his hearing for a moment.

Yeon Hojeong’s face hardened.

WOOOOOOONG.

As he drove the Wall of Martial Arts to the extreme and expanded his senses, he felt a group approaching rapidly from far off to the east.

“...Come on. That’s a little much, isn’t it?”

Another Death-Soul Team unit. They had become certain they could not end this fight with their current numbers alone.

Damn it, I didn’t see this coming.

He had been locked in close combat for nearly half a shichen, and yet no reinforcements had joined them.

He had not even felt the presence of the Soul-Slaughter Band that had been chasing the others. For Yeon Hojeong, it had been only natural to conclude that once he dealt with these ones, it would be over.

But that judgment had been wrong.

If it had been the Soul-Slaughter Band, maybe one thing—but now he was about to face another full Death-Soul Team unit of the same size.

If that’s how it is....

WOOOOOOOSH.

His wind cloak fluttered in the low-blowing wind.

The Death-Soul Team felt the abnormal wave of qi, and tension spread through all of their eyes.

“From here on out, things are going to get a little hot.”

Red-and-white light flared in Yeon Hojeong’s eyes.

BAAAANG!

This was utterly different in elasticity and speed from the Heaven-Granted Flowing Flight that used the stable Wall of Martial Arts.

Yeon Hojeong had decided to accept excessive expenditure of Inner Qi. At last, Vermilion Bird wings spread at his feet.

KWAAAAANG!

Its destructive force was terrifying.

Following the movement of One-Wing Flying Kill from the Red-Flame Six-Kill Art, a single palm strike crashed down and caved in one Death-Soul Team member’s collarbone.

“Urk!”

A pained groan spilled from the Death-Soul Team member’s mouth.

His collarbone had suddenly broken before he even had time to prepare himself. For any human being, that reaction was only natural.

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes flashed.

KRAK! KRRK! PUUUK!

A knife-hand to the midsection crushed ribs, a left knee strike from the side shattered the hip joint, and a half-palm to the jaw smashed the jawbone apart.

This was speed on a completely different level from before. One Death-Soul Team member died without even managing to assume a defensive posture.

The flustered Death-Soul Team members all swung their Narrow-Edge Blades at once.

In that moment, Yeon Hojeong’s body moved like a winding wave.

WOOOOONG.

Heavy, slow movement. Yet before they knew it, his body had already passed through the Death-Soul Team and taken the rear. It was Strange Pillar Immovability of the Black Tortoise Art.

It was not only Vermilion Bird and White Tiger that had changed after obtaining Azure Dragon Qi. Since he could immediately dissolve the strain on his body, he could now shed attacks even with heavy footwork.

The startled Death-Soul Team members twisted around at once.

But they were too late. Yeon Hojeong had already decided that before the reinforcements arrived, he would wipe out these ones at least. Right now, he had transformed into a monstrous aberration unlike any other, one holding in his hands inborn combat instinct, eyes that pierced weakness, explosive speed, and limitless destructive power.

Yeon Hojeong’s left leg hammered left and right at terrifying speed.

PUH-BUH-BUH-BUH-BUK!

It was a kicking art that combined the explosive force of True Qi with the elasticity of the lower body. And layered over that were the White Tiger’s fangs. Five Death-Soul Team members vomited blood and collapsed on the spot.

The destructive force was monstrous.

They wanted to disperse the force, but they could not. The power was one thing, but the speed itself was on a completely different level. They could not even react properly.

Hup.

Of course, Yeon Hojeong was not unharmed either.

He was explosively using the arts of the Three Divine Forces, apart from Azure Dragon Qi. He was trying to decide the fight in the shortest time possible even if power was wasted, and it felt as though his Inner Qi and stamina were being shaved away by the second.

BAAAANG!

We won’t just keep taking it. The Death-Soul Team members’ sword strikes seemed to say exactly that.

A Narrow-Edge Blade thrust out like a skewer punched straight through Yeon Hojeong’s clothing.

PUUUK!

The Death-Soul Team members’ faces all froze.

He’s gone?!

The loose wind cloak fluttered in empty air. The person who had been wearing it had vanished without a trace.

One Death-Soul Team member shouted.

“Scatter Palm!”

KWAAAAANG!

Before they could even disperse the force, a heavy strike slammed into them, turning six Death-Soul Team members into bloody lumps on the spot.

It was the Northern Heaven Twelve Walls of the Black Tortoise Art, with the speed of Vermilion Bird and the pressure of White Tiger added onto it. Like dropping an unbreakable iron fortress off a cliff, the body-check unleashed savage force. The six members who died from it were almost crushed apart into pieces and scattered in all directions.

“T-this can’t be!”

A groan finally escaped from the surviving members.

Six Death-Soul Team members, those who styled themselves reapers, had died in a single body-check without even managing to lift a finger. It was power so absurd it was impossible to believe even while watching it happen.

Ghk!

Yeon Hojeong’s complexion turned visibly pale.

He had taken internal injury from forcing his power too far. It was a shock that even the wondrous power of Azure Dragon Qi could not fully block.

Can’t be helped. Just two more....

That was when it happened.

Another group entered Yeon Hojeong’s senses.

...!!

Color returned to his face.

TIIIIIIING!

Sword Aura came flying out of the darkness to the left.

The new Death-Soul Team. The instant they entered the clearing, they launched Sword Aura at Yeon Hojeong.

Fire burst from Yeon Hojeong’s eyes.

KWAANG!

With an explosion, his body shot north.

“He’s fleeing!”

“Catch him!”

PASASASASAK!

The newly reinforced Death-Soul Team, along with several surviving members of the original unit, rushed after Yeon Hojeong.

WHOOSH! WHOOOOSH!

Scarlet flames rippled from Yeon Hojeong’s body.

Vermilion Bird Qi was leaking out beyond his body. It meant something had gone wrong in the circulation of his power.

Sssrrr.

Naturally, the speed of his movement technique slowed as well. It was his most explosive qi, so after using it without restraint, the backlash was bound to be severe.

PABABABABAK!

The distance between the Death-Soul Team and Yeon Hojeong gradually shrank.

At this rate, things were dangerous. In his current state, Yeon Hojeong did not have enough Inner Qi or stamina left to handle a force of this size.

That was true.

The current Yeon Hojeong was like that.

But what if he recovered his original self?

If the conditions were met for his martial arts to display their greatest possible power, then what would happen?

WOOOOONG!

The eyes of the Death-Soul Team leader running closest to Yeon Hojeong flashed.

What’s that?

For an instant, there was a dark object flying in, blocking the moonlight.

A bat?

No.

It was not a bat.

A bat’s tail was not that long, nor did it look that heavy.

The pitch-black object cutting through the air dropped at terrifying speed.

...An axe?

That was when the Death-Soul Team leader heard Yeon Hojeong’s voice.

“I told you not to throw it just anywhere.”

His voice was full of laughter.

In that instant, Yeon Hojeong leaped high into the air.

PUUUUUUNG!

Yeon Hojeong launched himself upward with every ounce of his strength.

He reached out toward the axe.

CLENCH.

The cold haft sent a jolt through every nerve in his body.

At last, the giant axe weighing over eighty geun—the peerless weapon called the Mad Dragon—fell into his hand.

Floating in the air, Yeon Hojeong twisted his body.

Those eyes blazing with ferocious Killing Intent belonged to the Commander of the Evil-Smiting Corps, the finest real-combat force in the Alliance of the Martial World.

“Kill them.”

KWAAAAANG!

Trees and rocks exploded apart as fifty riders charged in.