Following Jin Samhyeon's command, the assassins gathered towards a single point.

The pressure of their combined killing intent crushed down, and Byeon Gil-tae's face contorted.

"Senior Brother."

"…?"

"Watch carefully. See what power these hidden weapons, which others call cowardly, truly possess."

With a smirk, Cheonyeong drew upon his Samyang True Energy.

Rumble.

The internal energy pooled in the great reservoir of his dantian rushed out like water from a burst dam, surging towards his strong bow.

As the internal energy flowed through his four limbs and hundred vessels, his entire body tingled with a power he had never felt before, creating a deep sense of pleasure.

He had wanted to try it just once.

This newly obtained power.

The energy of the Middle Dantian that Samyang had spoken of.

The Samyang Divine Lord had ultimately failed to open the path to the Sea of Lightning.

But he had stood against the Demonic Cult and was said to have possessed the power to look down upon the entire world.

He himself had only just reached the entrance. Compared to the realm the Samyang Divine Lord had achieved, he was probably no more than a child.

Thus, he was even more curious about the power he possessed.

Moreover, before him was an exceptionally good opponent.

The assassins of the Jingagu, bound to him by a long and ill-fated knot.

If they were his opponents, he could unleash everything he had without the slightest hesitation.

He was also curious.

When he met the two High Heavenly Ghosts in Qingcheng and Sichuan, he had skills on par with them.

Even though he was stronger than in his past life when he had been chased and killed by them.

In truth, the reason he could stand against them back when he was Sagyo was more due to his superior strategy than his martial arts.

Although he had repeatedly broken through their encirclements and killed numerous assassins, in the end, all he managed was to bite off one of Jin Gumyeong's ears, and didn't it all end in a miserable death?

What about now?

How much stronger had he become?

And so, this was a battle he had chosen.

Fwoosh!

Following Cheonyeong's hands, his outer robe spread wide to the sides, revealing the inner garment worn underneath.

"…!"

A strange light flashed in Jin Samhyeon's eyes as he stared at the exposed chest.

He already knew the Tang Family used hidden weapons.

It was a well-known fact in the martial world.

But why did that inner garment, which held the hidden weapons, look so similar to their own?

The moment a smile appeared on Cheonyeong's lips, Jin Samhyeon could not hide his astonishment.

"Hut!"

His eyes couldn't help but widen.

Cheonyeong's eyes were glowing with a deep golden color.

"G-Golden Eyes?"

For those who train in hidden weapon techniques, the most important thing is the eyes.

To throw accurately, one must see the target accurately.

The eye technique devised for this was the Jingagu's Hyeogan Method.

When one learns the Hyeogan Method, the eyes take on a red hue, and as one's internal energy deepens and proficiency in the eye technique increases, the color of the eyes turns yellow.

And when that proficiency reaches its peak, the eyes eventually turn a golden color.

But the Golden Eyes of the Hyeogan Method was a realm unattainable through effort alone.

"Could it be? Is his internal energy beyond the peak?"

It was unbelievable.

Wasn't it a realm that only the Lord of Assassins, Jin Gumyeong, had achieved within the Jingagu?

But how could that man?

Was his internal energy comparable to the Lord of Assassins?

It couldn't be, there was no way.

There was no way he could possess that much internal energy at his age.

Although the man had participated in the capture of the Ten Thousand Gong Baek at the Namgung Family, he had confirmed that its inner core had already been consumed by Namgung Seonyeong.

Because she had cured her Seven Yin Severed Meridians and was alive and well.

But the astonishment did not end there.

The moment the assassins, who had been steadily closing the encirclement, reached Cheonyeong's vicinity and were about to throw their hidden weapons.

Shiiiii.

The flying needles stuck all over Cheonyeong's inner garment shot up on their own and floated in the air.

And a single phrase was uttered in a low voice.

"Mountain Burst, Spreading Fangs."

Sweeeeeeek! Papapapak!

The soaring flying needles formed a circle and shot out in all directions.

They pierced through the assassins' bodies, shattering trees and breaking rocks.

"Samhyeon!"

In place of him, who had frozen in shock, Jin Obyeong urgently threw his hidden weapons.

Taaang! Tadadang!

But it only managed to slow them down, and Jin Samhyeon and Jin Obyeong had to hastily dodge the hidden weapons.

Silence fell.

Cheonyeong, looking around with his brilliant golden eyes, smiled.

He was pleased.

It was a power sufficient to let him know the extent of his own strength.

And flying needles were enough.

He had made a new hidden weapon called the Great Despair Scale from the scales of the Ten Thousand Gong Baek, but he couldn't use it to catch rats, let alone chickens, could he?

"R-retreat while maintaining the Fine Net!"

While Jin Obyeong urgently shouted to pull the assassins back, Jin Samhyeon looked around Cheonyeong.

The assassins had formed a circle around him.

Many were dead, and a few were groaning in pain with serious injuries.

With a single move, he had neutralized the Fine Net before its attack could even begin.

It was a power so great it made the fine hairs on his skin stand on end.

But what was more astonishing than that power was the fact that the hidden weapon technique he used was so familiar.

"How do you… know Mountain Burst? How do you!"

To his question, which was like a scream, Cheonyeong answered with only a faint smile.

How do I know?

Because I learned it from you.

Because I worked to death for it.

I'm grateful.

For giving me the chance to kill you with what I learned from you.

"You! Alright! Fine. If you won't speak, I'll have to force it open!"

"Force it? You still don't seem to get that it's useless, do you?"

"Arrogant fool. What's spread around you is a formation called the Fine Net. Do you think it has only one method of attack?"

"Of course not. I know, I know it very well. Not just the attack methods, but its weaknesses too."

"What? You know the Fine Net?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Because I know that you are Jin Samhyeon. And that the man behind you is Jin Obyeong."

"Wh-what did you say?"

It felt as if his heart had dropped.

How on earth did that man know their names?

Now, he had no choice but to believe the man's words.

He didn't know what he had dug up from the two dead High Heavenly Ghosts, but he already knew the backer of the Jingagu and had even used Mountain Burst.

Those golden eyes he had doubted must surely be the Golden Eyes, the highest realm of the Hyeogan Method.

Hadn't he already seen it?

That incredible martial prowess of shooting hidden weapons without touching them.

If so, the Fine Net was useless.

The reason the man had been so relaxed until now must have been because he was confident he could win.

"Damn it…"

He didn't know where it had gone wrong, but the reality was clear.

It was they who had fallen into the trap.

Grinding his teeth, Jin Samhyeon made a quick decision.

"Obyeong."

"What!"

Jin Obyeong's voice was sharp.

He too had heard and seen everything, so he had grasped the situation.

"It seems we must flee."

"What? Flee! You and I! There are two High Heavenly Ghosts!"

"Fool. That man called our names. Don't you get it? He knew both of us from the start."

"…"

"It means he lured us in knowing who we were. Our cause of defeat is clear. He knows us, but we did not know him. We no longer have a chance of winning."

Jin Obyeong couldn't refute and just ground his teeth.

Because he already knew as well…

At that moment, as if amused, Cheonyeong spoke to them.

"Flee? Do you think that's possible?"

"What did you say?"

"The Fine Net is a narrow tactic."

"…"

"It's a way to surely kill an opponent by surrounding them, but because it's designed to only look at the center, its structure is bound to be vulnerable to external attacks."

"What did you say?"

"Can't you hear it? This rumbling? And this sound?"

At Cheonyeong's words, Jin Samhyeon frowned and strained his ears.

No, there was no need to strain his ears.

A faint vibration could be felt from the ground.

A large-scale force was approaching.

Reinforcements?

At that moment, the image of the warriors returning to the Namgung Family flashed through Jin Samhyeon's mind.

"Y-you, don't tell me?"

"A counter-encirclement."

"…!"

"There is nowhere for you to run."

Jin Obyeong's and Jin Samhyeon's faces contorted wretchedly.

"And, you are now within my domain."

"What does that mean?"

"It's great to have power. Things that were impossible before are now easily possible. Like noticing your crude pursuit, and shattering the formation you're so proud of."

Cheonyeong smirked and stretched out his hand.

From the tips of his spread fingers, a white, thread-like energy began to emanate.

"A radius of one hundred feet. Is this the extent of my power's reach for now? But it should be enough."

When Cheonyeong's low words ended, the countless threads of energy that had emanated from his fingertips connected to the flying needles used in the first attack.

And they floated as if there were a giant lodestone in the air.

"Wh-what is this!"

It was a sight he had never heard of or seen before.

To manipulate hidden weapons with internal energy…

Paaak!

Before the shock could subside, the flying needles shot out in all directions, following Cheonyeong's waved hand.

Papapapak!

In an instant, the number of casualties increased.

Jin Samhyeon and Jin Obyeong stared blankly at the falling assassins.

"Lord Tang is in danger! Kill all the enemies!"

The warriors of the Namgung Family, who had just arrived, crushed even their will to escape.

"Damn it, we've been had. They called you the Cunning Dragon of Sichuan, and your schemes are truly wicked. To think you'd use a counter-encirclement."

At Jin Samhyeon's words, a crack appeared in Cheonyeong's smile.

Words that should not have been said.

Especially by them…

"Don't be mistaken."

"…?"

"Don't tell me you think I asked the Namgung Family for help because I was afraid of you?"

"What did you say?"

"It was to kill you, all of you. To make sure not a single one of you escaped from the trap I made."

"What does that mean?"

"It can't be known yet. It would be troublesome if Jin Gumyeong were to hide again."

They couldn't understand.

What intention Tang Cheonyeong had in saying such things.

But Cheonyeong, who had no intention of resolving their confusion, spoke without looking back.

"Senior Brother."

"Yes?"

Byeon Gil-tae answered, startled.

Well, it was understandable to be surprised.

What had unfolded before his eyes was a wondrous sight beyond imagination.

"You asked before, why hidden weapons?"

"…You said it was to protect."

"Yes, that's right. And there's one more thing."

"Yes?"

"With hidden weapons, there is no second time."

"…?"

"It means one-hit-kill."

Ping!

Cheonyeong's sleeve fluttered, and with a clear sound, a pure white flash cut through the air.

"Obyeong!"

Confirming the direction the flash was heading, Jin Samhyeon urgently shouted, and Jin Obyeong, realizing he couldn't dodge, tried to block it.

But could he block it?

It was a hidden weapon shot by a warrior who had opened his Middle Dantian, and it was none other than the Great Despair Scale.

Something that could never be blocked without Blade Energy…

Thwack!

Jin Obyeong couldn't even scream.

The white flash pierced through the two forearms he had crossed to block, passed through his heart, and embedded itself in the tree behind him.

Crack! Craaash!

The giant tree fell whole, and Jin Obyeong collapsed forward without even closing his eyes.

Jin Samhyeon just stared blankly at his death.

A hidden weapon that cannot be blocked.

It was futile.

He had started a fight whose outcome was already decided.

It was because he did not know that Tang Cheonyeong was a master of a different dimension, incomparable to the name of High Heavenly Ghost.

It was the result of arrogance.

"Heh."

The moment despair welled up in his heart, countless noises filled his ears.

It was the sound of fighting, and the screams were all from the Jingagu assassins.

It was broad daylight, and they had been ambushed.

How could they possibly win in a direct fight against the warriors of the Namgung Family?

A hollow laugh escaped him.

And he tried to end his own life.

Because that was the only way to protect the secret.

Thwack!

But he couldn't even achieve that.

Four streaks of white light that left Cheonyeong's hand had severed the tendons in Jin Samhyeon's arms and legs.

And, approaching him, he sealed his paralyzing point and smiled.

"I still have things I want to ask. You can't die yet."

"…"

Jin Samhyeon, realizing his fate where he couldn't even decide his own death, smiled bitterly.

(End of Chapter)