Number One In Sichuan (3)

“Fall back!”

The shout was urgent, and the action was even faster.

Han Cheol-sang rushed in at tremendous speed, grabbed Do Il-gang by the nape, pulled him back, and unleashed quick saber arts.

Jjeojeong!

In that instant, Han Cheol-sang felt his grip go numb.

It had been a single saber strike aimed at one man. And yet, before he knew it, three men had raised their swords and sabers to block the attack.

‘A formation.’

The formation itself was remarkable. But their proficiency was not good.

Even with that lack of proficiency, they were not easy to handle. To begin with, each of them was close to a peak master, and the particularly outstanding among them possessed martial strength on the level of the Eight Martial Houses’ leaders.

‘So it’s true.’

Jjeojeojeong!

As Han Cheol-sang struck away the attacks coming from every direction one after another, he thought.

‘The Cheongyang Association Leader truly intended to unify Sichuan.’

Anyone could think of it. The question was whether they had the ability to carry it out.

‘With a unit at this level, it’s possible. They are few in number, but depending on how they are used, swallowing several sects would be entirely possible.’

There were only fifty of them, but this was the level required to be called an elite unit anywhere. They were so remarkable that if their formation proficiency rose and they trained their martial arts further, one could believe they were elites of the Nine Sects and Five Clans.

‘The problem is…’

Seogeok!

With a Life-Snatching Saber strike revealed in an instant, one Ghost Gate warrior’s head flew off.

The Ghost Gate warriors’ gazes changed abruptly.

They were men confident that, with this level of martial force, they could erase a sect on the level of the Eight Martial Houses even without deploying a formation.

And yet, two of them had lost their lives to that unidentified saber wielder. They had been the weakest among them, but he had pierced through the flaw in the formation and taken their lives.

“Remarkable.”

A killing-intent-laced admiration burst from the mouth of the Ghost Gate Master, Blood Hand Sword Yun Hap.

“He’s not ordinary. Don’t overreach trying to catch him. Pressure him slowly.”

It meant he intended to openly wage a war of attrition. The reason he deliberately said it aloud and let Han Cheol-sang and Do Il-gang hear was to pressure them mentally.

‘So that is how they want to do this.’

Spread long across the front and both sides, there seemed to be gaps between the Ghost Gate warriors.

But that was only what the naked eye saw. The moment they tried to break through those gaps, dozens of attacks would fly in through swift formation movement.

For the two men with their backs to the building to survive, they had no choice but to flee or kill all of the Ghost Gate warriors.

Naturally, fleeing was not an option.

‘There’s no choice.’

He had to bring out the Red Lotus Divine Fire Art.

With the Red Lotus Divine Fire Art, which was specialized for short decisive battles, he was confident he could face more than half of them in a direct clash.

The problem was afterward.

‘Can Il-gang hold out?’

That was when it happened.

“This won’t do.”

Unlike his somewhat pale complexion, Do Il-gang’s eyes were filled with a blue light worthy of a first-rate swordsman.

“I will block the attacks separately. Steward, please do not worry about me and attack.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“I’ll truly be fine.”

“I won’t be fine. You won’t last ten exchanges before dying.”

“Then let me ask one thing. If you do not have to worry about me, can you break this formation?”

The goal was not to kill them all, but to break the formation.

Han Cheol-sang’s eyes shook.

“Of course I can. But there is no guarantee you will survive until then.”

“No. I can survive.”

Do Il-gang’s eyes went beyond the formation, to Jin-hyeon fighting the Cheongyang Association Leader, Ha Baek-cheon.

“I’ve just realized why the Patriarch brought me here instead of Sister Im.”

“What?”

At that moment, a white haze-like energy poured from Do Il-gang’s body.

He might lack Kangho experience, but the level of martial learning he had studied was extremely high. His master was an unparalleled expert who had once even received the title Martial God.

The inner cultivation method of the Hundred Flowers Divine Lord, the peerless master who had even been called the Magnificent-Sword Demon King during the Three Demons’ Turmoil.

White Mountain Brocade Qi was being fully displayed.

“Sister is only now learning a new martial art, but though I may be lacking, I trained under my master for ten years.”

Jiiing! Jiiing!

The ordinary iron sword seemed to be dyed in pure white light.

The true consummate art of the Hundred Flowers Divine Lord, which he had sealed until now to avoid revealing the Magnificent-Sword Demon King’s infamy.

“If it’s only defense, then even against the Patriarch’s martial arts, I should be able to last thirty exchanges.”

Unlike his normal self, Do Il-gang spoke in a tone full of confidence. In truth, through training with Jin-hyeon, he had achieved something of his own in attack and defense.

Realizing that Do Il-gang had made some kind of resolve, Han Cheol-sang made his decision.

“Hold out until the end.”

“Go.”

Han Cheol-sang’s two eyes began to emit a reddish glow.

Hwareureureureuk!

In an instant, crimson fire qi spread out and emitted powerful heat.

The heat was so intense that most of the Ghost Gate warriors slowly closing in flinched and retreated a couple of steps. The Red Lotus Divine Fire Art had been released to its limit.

Surprisingly, Do Il-gang, who was not far from Han Cheol-sang, seemed completely unaffected by the heat.

Black smoke leaked from Han Cheol-sang’s mouth.

“…I’m going.”

Peooong!

Han Cheol-sang flew forward like an explosion and swung his saber at the Ghost Gate warrior standing in front of him.

It was a simple vertical slash, swung with mountain-pressing might. But within it were the power of Red Lotus and the mnemonics of Life-Snatching. Soon, tremendous winds of force and sharpness whirled around him.

Pababak!

Before he knew it, three Ghost Gate warriors came in from both sides and raised their crossed blades.

Right then, Han Cheol-sang moved to the side.

Flash!

The Red Lotus Life-Snatching Saber, which even split the formation’s configuration, diagonally cut through the bodies of two Ghost Gate warriors who had been waiting.

It was a reaction speed impossible to confirm with the naked eye. Blood Hand Sword Yun Hap’s eyes flashed.

“Umbrella Defense Formation!”

The Ghost Gate warriors sharply narrowed the distance between each other.

But before they could close it, Han Cheol-sang’s saber flew in horizontally.

Kwaaaang!

A saber art that created an explosive sound.

A strike carrying the mnemonics of Heaven-Shattering. The Red Lotus Heaven-Shattering Saber. In the flaming slash that drew a semicircle with merciless fire qi, a full five Ghost Gate warriors were torn to pieces and scattered.

Yun Hap’s face turned pale.

“This is insane!”

It was monstrous martial art. He was no longer the saber wielder who had been scanning every direction with wary eyes just a moment ago.

“Uaaap!”

Bang!

The stomp was heavy, and the blade was swift.

The burning power was light yet intense, and the saber swung as if using flames as ink was destructive and efficient.

At the tips of the branches drawn by his saber, blood-flowers bloomed in full. With each saber strike added to the next, the number of Ghost Gate warriors dwindled one by one. At the same time, stronger and stronger heat poured from Han Cheol-sang’s body.

Storms rode on his swinging saber, his pupils were red as blood, and every time he shouted, small flames and acrid black smoke flowed from his mouth.

He truly looked like a fire god, and at the same time like a demon engulfed in flames. He was the very image of a man of fire, unlike anything seen anywhere else.

Yun Hap shouted.

“First group, attack that young brat! Everyone else, use the Concentrated Attack Plan!”

Pababak!

Ten Ghost Gate warriors unleashed merciless killing moves toward Do Il-gang.

Do Il-gang gritted his teeth.

‘I will block them no matter what!’

Huuuuung!

Outside the iron sword drawing a light circle, white haze broke apart and spread.

It was the Three Absolutes White Crow Sword, which he had sealed until now.

Jjeojeojeojeong!

The sword force of the White Crow Sword blocked the whirling blades and fist-art techniques.

In that instant, Do Il-gang felt his stomach churn.

‘How overwhelming!’

Until now, he had never once fought an intense battle against multiple opponents. For him, the attacks of ten Ghost Gate warriors were far too overwhelming to bear.

But Do Il-gang believed in himself.

He believed in his master, and he believed in the martial arts his master had passed down to him.

Huuuuung!

The increasingly dense white sword strikes made splendid sword-flowers bloom.

It was not a martial art meant to attack the opponent, but a threatening art that kept them from approaching. But the true qi and sword force carried on the blade weren’t ordinary.

The white smoke scattering with each swing looked like flower petals, and also like incredibly tiny birds. Every one of those fragments was sword force.

A sword art with extreme internal energy consumption.

But its power was beyond question. The Ghost Gate warriors could not attack rashly and approached carefully, watching for an opening in Do Il-gang.

And then.

Paaaak! Peoeok!

Han Cheol-sang, who had been attacking the remaining Ghost Gate warriors indiscriminately, approached with Lotus Eighteen Steps and blew away the entire upper body of one Ghost Gate warrior who had been about to attack Do Il-gang.

“T-This!”

“Behind us!”

“What are you doing! Take down that saber bastard!”

Savage shouts finally burst from the mouths of the Ghost Gate warriors, who had stayed silent until now.

They had trained in the Yan Clan’s formation for a long time, but that couldn’t change their nature. To begin with, before Ha Baek-cheon recruited them, they had been criminals whose names were listed on wanted notices as public enemies.

Pusyuk!

Do Il-gang did not miss the opening revealed by Han Cheol-sang’s attack and stabbed one Ghost Gate warrior in the Adam’s apple.

‘!’

In that instant, Do Il-gang’s eyes trembled.

‘I killed him!’

It was shock, not joy.

The shock of a first kill, which most warriors living in Kangho experienced. Those who could not overcome it would put down their blades and retire, and even those who overcame it would struggle to escape the shock for some time.

But Do Il-gang did not even have time to dwell on that shock.

Jjeojeojeong!

He instinctively shifted into the defensive posture of the White Crow Sword. The impact remained in his blade, but he could still hold out.

‘It works.’

He forced away the shock of killing. For now, he only had to hold out.

Fortunately, he had mainly trained the defensive forms of the White Crow Sword. It was his master’s harsh consideration, calculated with the many dangers a Kangho newcomer would face and Do Il-gang’s temperament in mind.

Jjeojeojeong! Peoeong!

The forms of the White Crow Sword, which felt somewhat awkward because he had not revealed them for a long time, quickly became familiar again.

Surprisingly, the Ghost Gate’s first group could not easily break through Do Il-gang.

The sword forms covered such a wide range that one could hardly believe a single person was unfolding them, and the sword qi was sharp enough that if they charged in rashly, they would have to worry about serious injury.

Naturally, it was not a martial art that could be maintained forever. In truth, it was a sword art with extreme internal energy consumption, and Do Il-gang’s dantian was already half empty.

And by then, Han Cheol-sang had already dealt with twenty Ghost Gate masters.

“You bastard!”

Jjeooooong!

Perhaps unable to leave things as they were, five of the First-Class Ghost Gate’s top masters, led by Yun Hap, charged straight in and pushed Han Cheol-sang back.

‘Damn.’

Han Cheol-sang’s face twisted.

The fire qi pouring from the Red Lotus Divine Fire Art grew even stronger. But it was not something to celebrate.

This was the last flare of the divine art. The art already had problems with endurance, and this was the result of pouring out internal energy too forcefully in order to reduce the enemy’s numbers as quickly as possible.

‘I’ll kill three before it goes out.’

Han Cheol-sang’s gaze spat fire.

One of those three was, naturally, Blood Hand Sword Yun Hap, the leader of the Ghost Gate.

Paaaaang!!

With tremendous charging force, Han Cheol-sang passed the Ghost Gate warriors rushing in from both sides and unleashed Heaven-Shattering Second Saber, Collapsing Mountain.

Kwadududeuk!

Before it even unfolded, the fire qi and blade pressure made hairline cracks in the ground.

The faces of Yun Hap and the five masters turned pale. Han Cheol-sang had not even brought the saber down yet, but the pressure made it feel impossible to breathe, and even their limbs grew heavy.

‘Die!’

At that moment, the fire qi vanished as if washed away.

Kwadudeuk!

“Kraaak!”

Because the fire qi vanished in an instant, the saber form of Collapsing Mountain only managed to smash the bodies of two masters. Yun Hap, the one he had vowed to kill, was not harmed in the slightest.

Han Cheol-sang gritted his teeth.

‘Damn it!’

He could no longer draw out Red Lotus. He had to settle the fight with what little internal energy he had left.

Yun Hap shouted.

“He has lost his strength! Kill him!”

Pababak!

The Ghost Gate warriors rushed in from every direction.

‘Patriarch.’

Heaven-Shattering shifted into Life-Snatching, and Han Cheol-sang caught the openings in half of the approaching enemies.

‘We may not last much longer.’

The moment Han Cheol-sang’s saber was about to draw an arc.

Kwadududududeuk!!

Under the tremendous force field pressing down on heaven and earth in every direction, everyone’s bodies collapsed on the spot.

It was pressure beyond imagination. Even with the strength of a peak master, it was hard to raise one’s head even once.

‘This is?!’

Surprise rose on Han Cheol-sang’s face.

He knew better than anyone the true nature of this energy creating such tremendous pressure.

‘Patriarch!’

Han Cheol-sang raised his head with all his strength.

In that instant, he saw a white wolf scattering blue flames.