Give It A Try

A combined formation of first-rate martial artists.

At a glance, it looked well-constructed.

But Gyo-ha, who had fought the Red Flame Unit led by the Wild Gale Blade, could tell.

They had only matched the form.

‘Their breathing is different.’

It stood out only because they had learned the same martial arts, but the Red Flame Unit’s combined formation had been more troublesome.

Of course, the Cold Qi pouring out from all sides was enough to cow martial artists.

But Gyo-ha had already experienced a similar martial art.

A martial art that handled Ghost Qi.

Mun Ryang’s Nine Hells Ghost Reaping Blade (九幽鬼薦刀).

Of course, the Nine Hells Ghost Reaping Blade wasn’t a Yin art.

Yin, too, was also a fundamental part of nature.

It was rare, but it was still an orthodox art.

Even the famous Wudang Sect handled Yang and Yin.

The Nine Hells Ghost Reaping Blade was different.

A heretical art that handled death qi.

That was why its eeriness was even greater.

Naturally, Gyo-ha wasn’t fooled by the cold. With sharp eyes, he saw through the formation’s weakness at once.

Gyo-ha swung his fist.

“Keuk.”

The young man staggered back, his balance collapsing.

Behind him, Namgung Hyeok’s sharp sword flashed past.

Their momentum broke.

The two didn’t miss that moment.

They pressed in.

But the men didn’t give up easily either.

They clenched their teeth and blocked them.

At that sight, power gathered in Gyo-ha’s fist.

If he held back, it wouldn’t end.

The moment he steeled himself.

“Enough.”

An old man’s voice rang out.

The men withdrew the instant the word fell.

Their perfectly synchronized movement was startling.

The old man looked at the men with cold eyes.

“Useless wretches.”

“…We apologize.”

The men quickly lowered their heads.

Soon as the old man rose, the men bent down to form steps.

At that sight, neither Gyo-ha nor Namgung Hyeok felt like fighting further.

The old man stepped down on the men and looked at the two.

“Namgung is one thing, but you’re a strange one.”

The old man’s gaze was on Gyo-ha.

“You have good eyes.”

At the old man’s words, a strange light rose in Gyo-ha’s eyes. Anyone who saw Gyo-ha fight was always astonished at his inhuman athletic ability.

But not this old man.

It wasn’t that no one had ever said something like that.

‘Grandpa Sword, Granny Nun, and…’

Darkshadow Mountain Ghost.

Aside from the Darkshadow Mountain Ghost, they were all people who had crossed the wall.

Even the Darkshadow Mountain Ghost had once crossed the wall.

His master Yun Heo had said it once as well.

‘Be careful of those who are wary of your eyes.’

The old man was watching Gyo-ha with evident interest.

“Brother.”

Namgung Hyeok spoke carefully, meaning it as a warning.

But even without Namgung Hyeok, it was obvious.

That old man.

He was seeing the same world as Namgung Jin-young or the Sword Queen.

“It’s a pity there’s a problem with your dantian, but from the looks of it, you’ve found a way to compensate.”

Gyo-ha felt goosebumps rise.

‘Oh, chills.’

He hadn’t expected him to notice that fast from just a brief look.

Faster than Grandpa Sword.

But why was it?

He was starting to enjoy it more and more.

As if reading that in Gyo-ha, the old man let out a low exclamation.

“You’ve got guts too. It’d be a waste to kill you here.”

The old man stepped toward Gyo-ha. The men stood behind him like attendants.

“My name is Cheol Du-sim.”

“…Cold-Blooded Grim Eunuch.”

A byname slipped out of Namgung Hyeok’s mouth.

A cold, cruel official.

It wasn’t a good meaning. But Cheol Du-sim chuckled as if he liked it.

“Is he famous?”

Gyo-ha asked. But he didn’t really need to.

Someone with this level of presence couldn’t be ordinary.

Namgung Hyeok nodded.

“Yes. He was also called the Severing Sage Demon because he went around cutting off men’s manhood. He was one of Anhui’s Three Great Evildoers.”

It was in the past tense. Meaning not anymore.

“Hmph. Don’t lump me in with trash like them.”

At Cheol Du-sim’s words, Namgung Hyeok thought for a moment, then spoke.

“Certainly. They said your skill was the greatest among Anhui’s Three Great Evildoers.”

Cheol Du-sim nodded as if it were obvious.

But Namgung Hyeok wasn’t finished.

“I heard you fled after fighting my grandfather, and your whereabouts became unknown.”

Twitch.

Behind the mask, his eyes contorted viciously.

“…That Sword Dragon ran his useless mouth. Your insolence resembles your grandfather too.”

Killing intent leaked from Cheol Du-sim’s body.

A vicious killing intent.

You could tell why he had been counted among Anhui’s Three Great Evildoers.

Cheol Du-sim took his gaze off Namgung Hyeok.

“You aren’t a Namgung. If you cut off your own manhood, I’ll take you as a disciple. You could become my successor.”

The ones who reacted to that weren’t Gyo-ha.

The men behind him stiffened.

One man glanced to the side. A middle-aged man was there.

Unlike the others, the middle-aged man’s expression was calm.

“Well?”

“Shut up. Brother isn’t someone the likes of you can reach for.”

“…Fine. If that’s what you want, I’ll tear your mouth open first.”

Cheol Du-sim’s eyes rolled wide.

Under the pouring pressure, Namgung Hyeok bit his lip.

It was pressure that made the flesh tremble. He had been defeated by Namgung Hyeok’s grandfather, the Sword Saint, but he wasn’t on a level Namgung Hyeok could compare to.

When the Sword Saint brought Cheol Du-sim down, he was already close to forty.

And Cheol Du-sim had grown stronger since then.

Then Gyo-ha took a step forward.

Naturally, the pressure bearing down on Namgung Hyeok thinned.

“Brother?”

Gyo-ha faced Cheol Du-sim’s killing intent head-on.

He smiled at the killing intent tightening around his breath.

A sensation he hadn’t felt from the Sword Queen or the Sword Saint. The true intent of a master who had reached the peak.

“I’ll take that guy. You handle the others.”

At Gyo-ha’s words, Namgung Hyeok bit his lip.

Cheol Du-sim wasn’t the only one here. His disciples were here too.

Hearing them, Cheol Du-sim looked at Gyo-ha as if he couldn’t believe it.

It meant he intended to face him alone.

“…An insolent bastard. So there’s a reason why you hang around Namgung. Before I take you as a disciple, I should correct your manners.”

Cheol Du-sim raised his sword.

Then he spoke to his disciples.

“You lot take the Namgung brat. You can take off an arm or a leg.”

In the first place, the reason Cheol Du-sim had held his disciples back was to deal with the two himself.

Because moving together with his disciples didn’t match his style.

But now the situation had changed.

He wasn’t facing an enemy. He was disciplining a disciple.

A sword held lightly.

But that aura was never light.

Watching that, Gyo-ha curled his fist.

‘…If I just clash head-on, it’s certain defeat.’

Gyo-ha hadn’t stepped out without thinking.

It wasn’t just his body and internal energy that he had.

A power Cheol Du-sim hadn’t perceived.

He had Yokai power.

It couldn’t become a weapon that overwhelmed Cheol Du-sim, but at least it could be a small dagger.

And it was Kangho where people lost their lives over a small dagger.

‘Let’s give it a try.’

Steeling himself, Gyo-ha hurled his body toward Cheol Du-sim.

Gyo-ha’s fist aimed for Cheol Du-sim’s head.

Even up to that moment, Cheol Du-sim hadn’t moved.

Then Cheol Du-sim’s sword moved belatedly.

The instant he registered the movement, the blade was in front of Gyo-ha’s eyes.

“Uwat.”

Blood sprayed.

Even though he jerked his head back, the blade cut across his forehead.

He lost it in his vision.

But he had no room to marvel.

In the blink of an eye, Cheol Du-sim’s sword was thrusting into Gyo-ha’s chest.

Koong!

He knocked it aside with his fist, and the blade carved across his chest as it passed.

Blood sprayed again.

Gyo-ha retreated in a hurry.

At the chilling sensation, Gyo-ha swallowed hard.

His chest grew damp with blood.

“Aren’t you taking me as a disciple?”

“Don’t worry. The heart should have been avoided.”

Looking at Cheol Du-sim speaking so calmly, Gyo-ha let out a hollow laugh.

Had he called Gyo-ha arrogant?

He certainly had the right to say it.

Even though he could read the sword path from fighting the disciples, he still couldn’t keep up.

Gyo-ha wiped the blood running down his chest.

“If you apologize even now, your punishment will be lighter.”

“…Oh, so it’s decided I’m getting punished.”

“You must pay the price for your arrogance.”

Before he knew it, blood from his forehead flowed into his mouth.

The metallic scent of blood spread through his mouth.

Gyo-ha wiped the blood from his forehead as well.

“Wow, that really clears my head.”

He couldn’t deny it. He’d thought it would be too easy.

He got hit without even landing a proper attack.

This wasn’t the time to prepare a hidden dagger.

‘If I don’t pull out everything, I can’t even fight.’

If it weren’t for sparring with the Sword Saint, he wouldn’t even have been able to react.

Gyo-ha glanced behind him.

Namgung Hyeok was continuing to fight the disciples. Even without Gyo-ha, he was fighting well.

In a short span, he had improved even more.

The words ‘genius of the world’ weren’t given for nothing.

But that wasn’t all. For some reason, the men’s swords weren’t as sharp as before.

‘I don’t know why, but I don’t need to worry about it.’

Gyo-ha loosened his stance and stared straight at Cheol Du-sim.

At the sudden change, Cheol Du-sim furrowed his brow. Then Gyo-ha shook his head.

“Yeah, people won’t do it.”

The feeling isn’t coming.

In the end, he had no choice but to revive that feeling from before.

Gyo-ha hopped lightly in place.

Tong-tong.

He hopped about twice, then kicked at empty air.

“What kind of bizarre…….”

Cheol Du-sim’s words didn’t continue.

Something unknown pressed down on his shoulders and head.

Mara Twenty-Four Forms.

Form 4. Knocking Down Birds.

“……!”

Gyo-ha rushed in without missing that moment.

The moment Gyo-ha’s knee was about to slam into Cheol Du-sim’s head, he was bounced away.

Cheol Du-sim was already aiming his sword.

At that sight, Gyo-ha clicked his tongue.

‘As expected, the effect is weaker when they’re on the ground.’

It was effective against an opponent in the air.

“…You. So you use sorcery.”

Sorcery. It wasn’t wrong.

That didn’t mean it had no effect.

“Old man. Didn’t you get lazy with training because you trusted your internal energy too much?”

Cheol Du-sim’s arm was trembling faintly.

So slight you wouldn’t notice unless you looked closely. Gyo-ha’s strength worked even on someone who had crossed the wall.

“You…”

Cheol Du-sim’s gaze changed.

His fury reached even here.

“…Before taking you as a disciple, I should teach you to respect your master first. It wouldn’t be bad to let you witness the martial art you’ll learn.”

He adjusted his grip on the sword.

With that, the atmosphere changed completely.

At that, Gyo-ha realized too late.

‘Did I provoke him too much?’

But regret was already too late. Gyo-ha licked his lips and took his stance.

“Watch. This is Merciless Moon Tune, the art you will learn.”

Cheol Du-sim swung his sword.

Elegant movements, like a woman dancing.

The sword was gentle too, like a woman’s touch.

But the force carried on the tip of the sword was not gentle at all.

“Keuk!”

In an instant, holes opened in his shoulder, elbow, and knee.

But Gyo-ha didn’t retreat.

He reached out toward Cheol Du-sim.

Red Blossom Palm.

And a red flower bloomed on Gyo-ha’s hand.

But it wasn’t Gyo-ha who made it bloom.

Chwaak!

Blood lines appeared on his hand.

Cheol Du-sim’s sword had shredded Gyo-ha’s palm and wrist.

Gyo-ha furrowed his brow.

It wasn’t because of the pain.

‘My wrist could’ve been cut off.’

There was only one reason his wrist wasn’t severed.

Cheol Du-sim still intended to take Gyo-ha as a disciple.

Hence it was still intact.

Realizing that, Gyo-ha’s eyes gleamed.