The Lively Provocateur. (2)

Jeon Sa-ryong stood towering on the cliff face, his features alight with fury.

His fiendish glare promised death to anything nearby.

Still, Yu Seol’s provocation continued unabated.

If anything, it grew more intense.

Finally, among the sprawled strange monks, she began to wiggle her hips and sing.

“Come on down, anchovy~ Good for your body and tasty anchovy~ We’ll eat you deliciously~”

Jeon Sa-ryong’s face contorted.

Yu Jinsan looked up at him and felt his heart pound with anxiety.

‘Incredible. He can sense the killing intent all the way out here…’

They were at least a hundred meters apart.

The icy bolt of energy he sent unnerved Yu Jinsan.

So he really is a peerless master at the Profound Realm?

A level he simply couldn’t handle.

He had a gut feeling it was dangerous to let the provocation continue.

“Th-that should be enough, child.”

“Why? He’s not coming down.”

“He’s probably waiting for his subordinates. They’ll move soon, so get ready to flee.”

Yu Jinsan knew why he hesitated.

He must be waiting for the Tianzhu warriors in golden masks to gather.

Despite his formidable martial skill, he was cautious.

At that moment, his granddaughter shouted excitedly.

“More have appeared!”

To Jeon Sa-ryong’s left, a gold-masked warrior appeared.

Only one for now, but more would arrive.

Staying here any longer could be dangerous.

But Yu Jinsan couldn’t leave easily.

‘We must somehow ascertain the number of strange monks.’

It was worth taking a bit of risk.

Sure enough, as time passed, more gold-masked warriors appeared around Jeon Sa-ryong.

“One, two… three… There are three in total.”

At that moment Yu Seol’s index finger twitched and pointed somewhere.

“No. There’s one more.”

At the edge of the cliff, another gold-masked warrior ran toward Jeon Sa-ryong.

Four more Supreme Realm masters in all.

Add Jeon Sa-ryong, and their combat power was tremendous.

If they hadn’t reduced their numbers by two earlier, they wouldn’t have dared resist.

“That’s enough confirmation. Let’s retreat quickly…”

He fell silent, widening his eyes.

Jeon Sa-ryong leapt from the cliff.

Ta-at-!

As if in answer, the four gold-masked warriors hurled themselves forward too.

Their intent was clear.

Having seen comrades killed in the main camp’s front yard and being provoked, their fury would be immense.

The terrifying momentum of the five was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

Meeting her grandfather’s eyes, Yu Seol cried urgently.

“Run now!”

She wasn’t afraid of the enemies.

She sensed that if they fought like this, her grandfather would be in danger.

The grandparent and grandchild turned their backs and fled before the others could reach them.

Tat-tat-tat-!

As Yu Jinsan dashed off, a chill ran down his spine.

When he glanced back, all those pursuing had fire in their eyes.

They looked determined not to give up, as if they would never let them escape.

“Grandpa, faster!”

Yu Seol urged him, clearly aware.

But Yu Jinsan was already running at full speed.

“Child, this is the fastest speed your grandpa can go right now.”

The four gold-masked warriors weren’t overly threatening; their light footwork skill was similar to Yu Jinsan’s.

The problem was Jeon Sa-ryong leading the charge.

His light footwork was outrageously fast, and the distance kept shrinking.

At this rate it was only a matter of time before they were caught.

Worry burned in Yu Jinsan’s gut.

He glanced sideways and saw Yu Seol preparing something.

Wuuuummm-!!!

Qi gathered and condensed at the tip of the granddaughter’s outstretched index finger.

‘Buddha’s One Light Line?’

It was a secret technique of the Emei sect, said to be the greatest finger technique in the murim world.

Its power matched its huge internal qi consumption, making it an excellent choice for the current situation.

Yu Jinsan couldn’t stand idly by.

He quickly followed his granddaughter and began gathering qi at his fingertip.

Wuuuummm-!!

Unlike Yu Seol, he had not yet mastered this martial art.

His chance of success was a mere thirty percent.

But perhaps desperation raised that probability.

The swirling qi condensed at his fingertip into a small sphere.

‘Success!’

There was no time to rejoice.

His granddaughter was already ready, but she yielded the turn.

“Grandpa, you shoot first.”

Yu Jinsan agreed; it was the better option.

While fleeing, he turned and fired the technique at Jeon Sa-ryong.

Swoooooosh-!

A beam of light sliced through the air and flew straight ahead.

It was a destructive, intimidating technique, capable of piercing anything.

But Jeon Sa-ryong didn’t even flinch when it reached him.

Rather than evade, he extended his left hand, intending to receive Yu Jinsan’s Buddha One Light Line head-on.

At the moment of impact, his left hand flashed with a sudden red radiance.

Kwah-aaang-!!

With a thunderous bang the beam vanished, and Jeon Sa-ryong’s upper body rocked slightly.

But that was all.

It didn’t even halt his light footwork.

Disappointment clouded Yu Jinsan’s eyes.

Suddenly another golden beam shot straight toward him.

Swoooooosh-!!

This time too, Jeon Sa-ryong tried to block it with one hand.

But there was one thing he had overlooked.

Yu Seol’s Buddha One Light Line packed power on a wholly different level than the previous one.

Its speed and destructive force were several times stronger.

At the moment of collision, an enormous roar and blinding flash burst forth.

Kwah-aaang-!!!

“Ugh!”

The left hand he had used to defend twisted as if it would snap behind his back.

At the same time his torso reeled violently and his legs tangled.

Moving at such speed, his body rolled over the ground a dozen times.

Ku-ku-kukung-!!

Choking on dust, he rose from the ugly fall.

There had been a huge impact, but surprisingly he seemed unscathed.

Nothing had changed—except that his face was twisted with rage.

But he was not the Yin Yang Twin Monster to let such an opportunity slip.

“Hold on tight, Grandpa!”

Hoisting her grandfather onto her shoulder, Yu Seol streaked through the sky, her light footwork like a dagger.

By then the distance had already widened considerably.

Jeon Sa-ryong soon had to give up the chase, not least because his subordinates were falling further behind.

Stopping, he glared at the two retreating figures with bloodshot eyes.

---

Meanwhile, having shaken off the pursuit, Yu Jinsan and his granddaughter did not return to base immediately.

They feared they might be tracked.

So they hid in a nearby forest to catch their breath.

“He was really terrifying. Grandpa, I thought my heart would fall out.”

Just as she finished speaking,

As if on cue, a thunderous cry erupted somewhere, shaking the woods.

【Kkraaahh!!】

A fierce echo tore through the woods as if the sky were collapsing.

Birds, startled by the furious roar, scattered in every direction.

“He must be extremely angry.”

“Likely. He’s probably desperate to kill us.”

“But judging from the sound, he seems nearby. I’ll go take a quick look.”

“Why do something dangerous?”

Yu Seol patted her grandfather’s shoulder reassuringly and said,

“So we can get back to base safely.”

There was truth in that.

It was the first time Jeon Sa-ryong had come outside the barrier himself.

If they were even slightly tailed, the location of their base would be exposed.

“Can you manage alone?”

“Yes, don’t worry—wait here a bit.”

Yu Seol knocked her grandfather’s shoulder twice to reassure him, then silenced her presence and slipped away.

“Be careful, child…”

Yu Jinsan murmured softly, but his granddaughter was already out of sight.

He wanted to go with her, but risked being detected by Jeon Sa-ryong.

He held his breath and waited for his granddaughter to return.

As dusk fell, his worry grew.

‘…Why isn’t she coming?’

He crouched and scanned the surroundings for a while.

A small voice came from nearby.

“Shh.”

From a nearby thicket, Yu Seol emerged.

She tiptoed forward, finger pressed to her lips.

Yu Jinsan, tense, whispered.

“…What happened?”

“It’s bad, Grandpa.”

“What is it? Bad?”

Yu Seol glanced around and said in a low voice.

“Jeon Sa-ryong and his subordinates are searching for us.”

“Still?”

“Yes. Five of them travel together. I even saw over fifty red-masked ones.”

It seemed they had sensed the presence of people hiding in this forest.

He truly was a terrifying foe.

Moreover, judging by his resolve, he’d search the entire island to find them.

They had to halt all resistance activities, including patrols.

But the way to get there wouldn’t be easy.

“We need to return to base quickly—this is serious.”

“What should we do?”

After a moment’s thought, Yu Jinsan said with a dark expression.

“This won’t do. Seol, you go back to base alone and report this.”

“Then what about you, Grandpa?”

“I’ll hide for a while.”

Yu Seol shook her head as if she couldn’t accept that.

She felt uneasy about leaving her grandfather alone here.

“I have a good idea.”

“A good idea?”

Yu Seol met her grandfather’s eyes and spoke solemnly.

“I’ll lure them away on the way to base. In that gap, Grandpa, you escape too, and we’ll meet at base.”

“No. That’s too dangerous.”

How could he use his granddaughter as bait and run?

Yu Jinsan said firmly, but Yu Seol had no intention of relenting.

“Don’t worry. I’m faster.”

She only had to attract attention on the way; if the enemies chased her, she’d shake them off and then return to base.

Yu Seol’s form leapt above the bushes.

Ta-at-!

Bursting out of the woods and into the sky, Yu Seol sprinted off, not even hiding her presence so the enemies could spot her.

After advancing a short while, shadows rose up one after another, beginning to chase the granddaughter fiercely.

But there were only four shadows.

Looking closely, it was Jeon Sa-ryong and three gold-masked warriors.

“Phew.”

Yu Jinsan couldn’t help but deliberate.

Clearly his granddaughter’s plan had merit, though it hadn’t gone exactly as intended.

There must be one more gold-masked warrior left somewhere in this forest.

Then a decision had to be made.

Either find a suitable place to hide until the end, or attempt a breakthrough now.

‘Right. I can’t waste the opportunity my granddaughter made for us.’

With Jeon Sa-ryong absent from the immediate area, what was there to fear?

Even if discovered, he was confident he could deal with one gold-masked warrior.

Resolved, he gripped the Dragon Slaying Spear and moved to the opposite side.

He planned to reach the shoreline and circle around the sea; for now it was the safest route.

‘See you at base, child.’

The dim forest had not a single light, but the darkness was no obstacle for him.

He maximized his bodily senses and continued onward.

Just as his granddaughter had said.

Everywhere he went, formidable enemies were patrolling with supreme prowess.

It seemed they had mobilized all their subordinates to capture them.

‘It’s best to avoid fighting if possible.’

He could easily subdue an enemy warrior, but avoiding noise would be difficult.

Whenever he sensed the slightest disturbance, he skirted around it as much as possible.

Perhaps because of that, even after half an hour he couldn’t find an exit from the forest.

And then, after advancing a little further, he stopped in his tracks.

“That’s strange. By now the forest should be ending.”

He immediately looked around with startled eyes.

‘…Could it be?’