Chapter 89
The sudden appearance of the Namgung clan's young head, Namgung Ak.
For Jaseong and his group, his arrival was a heaven-sent opportunity.
"Great hero! A gap has opened among the Heavenly Demon's disciples!"
Lee Rin shouted in a low voice.
Now that all of Yeom Musa's attention was focused on facing Namgung Ak, it was the perfect chance to rescue the slash-and-burn folk.
Kwaaaang!! Kang-kang-kang!!!
As the fierce duel between Namgung Ak and Yeom Musa raged on, Jaseong quickly assigned roles to his group.
"The guardians from the North Sea, secure a retreat route."
"Understood. The encirclement on the village's east side is the loosest, so we'll open a path there."
Han Soweol nodded, drawing her sword along with the guardian subordinates.
"Gu Janghu, Lee Rin, you two come with me to rescue the slash-and-burn folk."
"Understood, leader."
"Let's go, great hero!"
Still masked, Jaseong's group leapt off the tall trees like the wind.
They then activated the Shadowless Body Technique to its limits, dashing toward the slash-and-burn folk's village.
Swooosh! Swooosh! Swooosh!
True to the term 'Shadowless,' not even a trace of their shadow was left at that speed.
Another stroke of good fortune soon followed.
By the time Jaseong's party reached the slash-and-burn folk, Yeom Musa and Namgung Ak were fiercely dueling a fair distance away.
It was the optimal situation to rescue the villagers.
Lee Rin approached the slash-and-burn folk at once and said,
"We're here to save you. Trust us with your safety."
Jaseong's group had a very simple method for the rescue.
They were martial world experts each possessing at least a decade's worth of inner energy.
So, they simply picked up the villagers under each arm and swiftly used their movement skill to carry them out of the battlefield.
"From here, you'll need to go on your own. Run into the eastern forest."
Jaseong spoke as he set down the rescued villagers in the midst of the forest.
"Thank you, great hero!"
"We'll never forget this favor!"
The villagers bowed repeatedly in gratitude, then sprinted with all their might toward the eastern woods.
After confirming that they had safely gotten away, Jaseong returned to the village to save even more of the slash-and-burn folk.
Of course, the rescue operation was far from smooth sailing.
At some point, obstacles began to appear one by one.
They were Yeom Musa's subordinates, each bearing the character 'Demon(魔)' on their backs.
They looked to be experts in their own right.
However, thanks to Jaseong's group's might, they were easily dealt with.
Lee Rin froze a demonic cult expert's energy channels with the Ice Lord Asura Sword Art.
Gu Janghu, hiding in the underbrush, took out any demonic experts who appeared using exquisite dark weapon techniques, eliminating them without a sound.
Chuaak! Chuaaak!!!
Of course, no one was as ruthless in eliminating the demonic cult experts as Jaseong himself.
'The demonic cult... My sister-in-law's and nephew's killers.'
Jaseong cut down the demonic cult experts with brilliant flashes, striking with deadly excitement.
In truth, rescuing the villagers was merely an excuse—perhaps what he really wanted was to exterminate every disciple of the Heavenly Demon and all the demonic followers who had appeared.
In any case, thanks to the seamless teamwork of the three, almost all the villagers escaped successfully.
Roughly twenty lives were saved thanks to Jaseong's decisive action.
'Now, all that's left... is the little girl and her younger brother who gave me the acorn.'
But just as Jaseong once again used the Shadowless Body Technique to rescue the final villagers—
"Urgh!"
Suddenly, a groan of pain escaped Namgung Ak's lips.
In front of him stood Yeom Musa, wearing a chilling smile.
"That was rather entertaining, grandson of the Murim Alliance leader. But you didn't quite meet my expectations."
Scarlet blood gushed from Namgung Ak's shoulder.
Regrettably, despite seeming to be evenly matched, Namgung Ak's martial skills were far inferior to Yeom Musa's.
Yeom Musa had only indulged him for the pleasure of toying with the Namgung clan's Imperial Sword Form.
"I won't kill you. You'll make 'a good hostage' for our cult's resurgence."
Yeom Musa scattered crimson sword energy into the air.
Namgung Ak mustered his remaining strength and executed a technique of the Imperial Sword Form.
But unfortunately—
Kwaang!
With a monstrous crash, Namgung Ak's treasured sword was snapped in two and sent flying skyward.
Blood spouted from his chest, and a sea of blood spread in the village's center.
"......!"
Witnessing this, the righteous experts' faces turned pale.
The duel, which just moments earlier had seemed tense and even, ended in an instant.
"If anyone else wishes to entertain this seat, come out quickly."
"......."
"Is there truly no one?"
"......."
"Ha, has the demonic cult really handed the world over to these street rats?"
Glancing at the righteous experts as they shrank away, Yeom Musa's face twisted with scorn.
Deep contempt for the righteous sects was visible in his eyes.
Then, suddenly, his gaze shifted beyond the bushes to his left.
"Yet as I was thoroughly enjoying myself, some foolish mice dared to interrupt my amusement."
Yeom Musa's cold gaze locked directly onto the bushes where Jaseong's group was hiding.
"Did you really think you could steal this cult's slaves?"
In that instant, Yeom Musa's body vanished from everyone's view.
Ssst!
An unimaginable burst of movement skill.
Yeom Musa, in the blink of an eye, crossed a distance of thirty yards and appeared before Jaseong's group.
"......!"
"......!!"
It was at that moment that Jaseong's group was just in the act of rescuing the girl and her little brother.
Naturally, they could not help but be tense.
To them, Yeom Musa's sudden appearance was akin to teleportation.
"Ho, you're stronger than the riffraff outside. Impressive inner strength for your age."
Yeom Musa pierced right through the party's strength with a glance.
In the chilling gaze, Lee Rin sent a secret transmission with a tense face.
[What do we do now, great hero?]
A tense glint appeared in Jaseong's eyes as well.
The Heavenly Demon's fourth disciple.
Since coming into the martial world, he had never faced such an opponent before.
Even so, Jaseong had already made up his mind.
[I'll lure him away. In that gap, take the villagers and escape.]
[But great hero...!]
[Don't worry. I didn't train my martial arts to the edge of death all these years just to die like this.]
After sending this secret message, Jaseong drew the imitation Seven-Star Cloud Blade from his pack.
Ssshh—
At that moment, Yeom Musa's formerly complacent eyes twitched.
"That blade...?!"
"Yes. This is the very Seven-Star Cloud Blade you've been searching for."
The instant Yeom Musa's gaze fixed upon the Seven-Star Cloud Blade, Jaseong immediately turned and fled.
'That bastard is trying something...!'
Yeom Musa sensed a trap, yet followed him anyway.
Even if it was a trap, he was confident he could crush it with his own power.
Swoosh! Tap-tap-tap!
Thus began the chase through the forest.
Jaseong performed the Divine Seamless Movement, the third stage of the Shadowless Body Technique, leaping from tree to tree like the wind.
Yeom Musa pursued at fierce speed.
'... Even in the cult, it's rare to see movement skill of this level. What sect could he have learned this from?'
Chasing Jaseong, Yeom Musa clicked his tongue.
Even he, able to cover dozens of yards in an instant, found it difficult to catch up to Jaseong.
Yeom Musa, determined to stop Jaseong, drew a short sword from his waist.
Next—
Shuaak!!
Yeom Musa hurled the short sword at Jaseong's back.
It was charged with a deep, crimson sword energy.
Forced to react, Jaseong had to rotate his inner energy into his hand and intercept the flying blade, even as he ran.
Kaang!!
Jaseong's sword struck away Yeom Musa's short sword.
And, without a moment's delay—
Papapat!
Yeom Musa appeared right in front of Jaseong.
He struck at Jaseong with the golden-nailed hand technique, trying to seize the Seven-Star Cloud Blade.
'Heaven Evading Flash Sword, first move-variation—Ultimate Heaven Evading Shadowless Slash!'
Jaseong immediately slashed his sword vertically, producing a brilliant flash.
With a blindingly strong light, the lightning-fast sword strike flew at Yeom Musa's face.
Yet Yeom Musa, without so much as blinking, twisted his body and avoided it with ease.
"Hmm. What are you, really?"
For the first time, a note of curiosity entered Yeom Musa's voice.
"Such a movement skill I've never seen in my life, and that flash-like swordplay just now... I've never seen that technique before either."
"......."
"And your martial strength seems beyond that of the alliance leader's grandson whom I faced just now..."
Yeom Musa regarded Jaseong with eyes full of intrigue, somehow different from his interest in Namgung Ak.
And then, in the next instant—
Goooo!!!
An overwhelming energy surged from Yeom Musa.
Even Jaseong, who had reached the peak realm, found his breath seized by its force.
Saaa—
By instinct, Jaseong activated the Samadhi Eyes and gripped the sword hilt tight.
Then, Yeom Musa said something wholly unexpected.
"A descendant of some hidden hermit who never showed themselves in the martial world, perhaps? No matter."
"?"
"Unlike my two bloodthirsty elder disciple brothers, I have a tolerant nature. I gather talented people widely and reward those who achieve much. Therefore—"
"......?"
"I'll give you a chance."
"... A chance?"
"Attack this seat now, and you'll die a dog's death."
"......."
"But if you give up the Seven-Star Cloud Blade and follow me, you'll rise to a high position in our cult. Together, we'll rule the world."
* * *
Yeom Musa's proposal arrived utterly out of the blue.
But in truth, with the power streaming from Yeom Musa, only a top elder from Mount Hua or Wudang could face him.
With Jaseong's current might, it was simply impossible to defeat him—a truly invincible opponent.
"Decide. Will you come to the cult with me, or die here?"
Yeom Musa pressed the question once more.
A certain old saying flitted through Jaseong's mind—
"Sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall."
To avenge one's enemies, one endures bitter hardship.
Just like that saying, it seemed all Jaseong could do was go to the demonic cult and bide his time while serving as their 'dog.'
If not, what other plan could there possibly be here?
Ssshh—
Finally, Jaseong knelt on one knee before Yeom Musa and offered up the Seven-Star Cloud Blade.
Upon seeing this, Yeom Musa's lips curved in satisfaction.
"Heh heh. You're a reasonable one."
"......."
"A wise choice. If you serve below me, you'll be highly valued in our cult."
With a smile, Yeom Musa took the blade and swiftly drew it from its sheath.
But as he examined the Seven-Star Cloud Blade, his expression grew puzzled.
"... This is supposed to be one of the eight great treasures of the martial world? I sense no energy at all... Is something wrong?"
At that moment—
Flash! Flash! Flash!
Suddenly, flashes exploded before Yeom Musa's eyes.
Immediately after, thunderbolt-like sword strikes rained upon him.
'Heaven Evading Flash Sword, third move—Hundred Descending Calamities.'
A hundred astonishingly swift consecutive slashes, like a hundred bolts of lightning.
Having prepared in advance, Jaseong's ambush was blazingly fast.
Yeom Musa reacted on reflex, stepping through footwork to avoid it—
Chuak!
But in the next moment, blood spurted from Yeom Musa's left flank.
Jaseong had wounded the Heavenly Demon's fourth disciple—something even Namgung Ak, at full strength, hadn't managed.
"?!"
It had been ages since anyone managed to injure him, and Yeom Musa's eyes grew wide.
In contrast, Jaseong smirked darkly to himself.
'Just as planned.'
The real reason he knelt was to launch this very sneak attack.
He had never had any intention, even for a moment, of becoming the demonic cult's dog.
"... You dare trick this seat. Seems you don't want an easy death."
Goooo—
"I shall skin you myself. Then I'll tear your flesh and bone apart while you still live. I'll make you beg me for death!!!"
With Yeom Musa's lion's roar, overwhelming demonic energy engulfed the entire forest.
It was murderous intent so fearsome that it could make anyone's knees buckle—enough to bring even righteous experts to their knees without a single swing of the sword.
Yet Jaseong didn't move an inch.
'... No matter how strong the enemy, no matter how lofty their realm—
I made a promise.
That I would become strong enough to shake the world,
destroy every enemy who killed my eldest brother, sister-in-law, and nephew.
So whether it's a disciple of the Heavenly Demon or whatever else, I'll cut them all down!'
A fierce, unyielding glare burned in Jaseong's eyes.
Then, in the very next moment—
Kwakwaakwaa!!
A colossal, platinum aura erupted from Jaseong's body.
It was as if the very gates of heaven and earth were being flung open.
Having recently reached the peak realm, Jaseong unlocked the new gate of the Celestial Gate Opening Art—Heaven's Gate.
While pretending to kneel before Yeom Musa to buy time, Jaseong had in reality been opening that fatal gate.