Rebirth of the Thunder God

And they were all vicious-looking men, and seeing them wearing animal skins, their affiliation could be easily guessed.

"We defeated the water bandits, and now the Green Forest has come out. And there seem to be 40 of them, so that's more than double."

As Namgung Hui said, the number had more than doubled.

It would have been fortunate if only the number of heads had increased, but there were three martial artists who looked much stronger than the Yuangang Fortress Chief he had just faced.

"B-Benefactor. What should we do?"

Escort Leader Bang, perhaps quite flustered this time, showed an anxiety he hadn't shown even when he met the Yuangang Fortress Chief.

And for good reason. The momentum of the Green Forest, which had formed a siege with prior planning, was incomparable to that of the water bandits.

Unlike when they could jump into the river and escape, now there was no escape route in sight.

Gulp.

Here and there, they swallowed dry saliva as if they were extremely nervous.

As the Hyeongmun Escort Agency group cowered like cornered mice, a bandit from the Green Forest group stepped forward and opened his mouth.

"Indeed. She's a woman of some skill. It seems she came after annihilating the Yuangang Fortress. Were there any other outstanding talents of the younger generation in the orthodox faction besides the Six Phoenixes?"

At the bandit's remark, a man in black, who was standing hunched over behind him, spoke.

"Then she must be a woman belonging to the Six Phoenixes. Does your head not work that well?"

"What!? Are you trying to provoke me now? How about we have a match before we deal with them?"

"As for me. I can handle someone like you while warming up. Just say the word if you want to fight. Because my Wolf Fang Saber is crying."

At the words 'Wolf Fang Saber,' Escort Leader Bang tilted his head, then his eyes shot open as he said to Namgung Hui.

"Wolf Fang Saber...! He must be the Wolf Fang Ghost Saber, ranked 12th in the unorthodox path! Although he's not among the ten great masters of the unorthodox path, he is known to have reached the supreme master level."

"Oho. Supreme master?"

Namgung Hui, hearing Escort Leader Bang's words, corrected the information established in his head one by one.

'In my past life, the unorthodox path groups weren't this strong. Is it because there was less conflict with the orthodox faction? For the 12th rank to be a supreme master. Or maybe the level of the entire martial world has risen.'

But even if their realm was high, it was difficult to say they were strong martial artists due to their lack of practical experience.

In his past life, there were many people with abundant practical experience, so there were many people who were strong compared to their realm.

Their realm was low because they lacked internal energy.

Or they couldn't reach the next realm because they hadn't accumulated martial arts training.

Such distinctions of realm often tended to become meaningless when entering actual combat.

It should be said that the one who survives is the strong one.

Anyway, Namgung Hui, while correcting the information in his head, stealthily cursed the Nine Beggars Divine Beggar.

'What, the Martial World Ranking List is accurate and what not? It doesn't even have the rankings of the Blood Cult, let alone the unorthodox path, so it's not even half-complete.'

It was just to the extent of looking at the rankings of the orthodox faction members with interest.

It was definitely not information to be traded on the pretext of Thunder Vigor Wine.

When he met him soon, he would have to ask him to update it to include the forces of the unorthodox path as well as the Hoicheon Association.

'No. I could just write a new one and sell it. While I'm at it, I'll include the personnel of the Blood Cult.'

While Namgung Hui was organizing his thoughts, the man in black and the bandit were still bickering.

"Wolf Fang Saber, my ass. A saber's name only rings out when it's at least the level of my Grand Luxury Saber. What's with a Wolf Fang Saber, whether the saber is crying or not?"

'To have a weapon with a special name, that person must be a bandit from the Asura Division.'

As the bandit and the man in black growled as if they were about to fight right away, the man in the bamboo hat who had been watching them walked forward and separated them.

"If you have been given a mission, carry it out properly. The opponent's limbs are still intact, so what are you doing among allies?"

The man in black and the bandit flinched at the words of the man in the bamboo hat.

Even to Namgung Hui's eyes, the Ki of the man in the bamboo hat was clearly superior to the previous two.

'On top of that, the atmosphere he exudes is somehow different. The man in black is a master of the unorthodox faction, the bandit is a person of the Green Forest. That man in the bamboo hat has something ancient about him, and the feeling of an orthodox faction member also comes out.'

Just by wearing the bamboo hat pressed down, it meant he didn't want to show his face.

Even his attire was neatly dressed, a formal attire rarely seen even in the orthodox faction camp.

"Ahem. If the envoy says so. We will have a go at it after the work is done. So, should we take care of that Five Phoenix or Six Phoenix?"

"That's right. She doesn't seem to be an easy woman, so the three of us will attack together."

"Envoy. Even if a mere ronin riffraff is included, is there a need for the three of us to attack one wench? I will handle that bitch alone. In return, please overlook me enjoying some amusement after subduing her."

At the bandit's proposal, the man in black clicked his tongue and continued.

"Tsk, tsk. As expected of a lowly bandit. You've received a mission, and all you can think about is doing that? Let's not do that and let's the two of us attack. If she's a Six Phoenix, she must be at least a supreme master like us, so we can't be careless."

The bandit frowned his thick eyebrows and said.

"A talent of the younger generation is a supreme master?"

"The kids these days eat and grow up well, so their achievements are fast. If she's a Six Phoenix whose face is unknown, she must be the branch family member of the Namgung family who was newly incorporated. Was her name Namgung Jayeon?"

Thanks to the rumors spread by the Sword Dragon, Cheonghak, Namgung Hui's alter ego had gained fame in every camp.

Well, since it was a fake identity anyway, and he had also deceived his enemies about his realm like this, it was useful as a decoy.

Hadn't he just now hooked a bandit from the Asura Division, a ronin from the unorthodox path, and even an envoy from the Hoicheon Association?

Although the envoy from the Hoicheon Association seemed a little strong, since he hadn't come assuming Namgung Hui's original realm, he was sufficiently manageable.

'He probably doesn't know I'm in the Transformation Realm.'

Otherwise. If he knew Namgung Hui's original skills, he wouldn't have sent only supreme masters.

At least four supreme masters were needed to be a match for a master of the Transformation Realm.

And even then, if the master of the Transformation Realm was not at the initial stage, even five would not be enough.

In other words, it meant that even the Hoicheon Association had not yet accurately grasped the existence of Namgung Jayeon.

Or they might not have judged the Namgung Hui who had appeared now as Namgung Jayeon.

And so, the bandit from the Asura Division and the man in black drew their respective weapons and stepped forward.

The envoy from the Association, having decided to watch for now, crossed his arms behind them and entered a spectator's stance.

The bandit from the Asura Division gripped his huge saber and said.

"Your Wolf Fang Saber looks too weak, not manly at all. A saber has to be this big to be able to swing it with all your might."

"Hahaha! If it's just that big, will the opponent even get hit by the attack? It has to be sleek like my Wolf Fang Saber to have less air resistance and be able to cut things smoothly. Tsk, tsk. As expected of a bandit, your head doesn't work well."

"Fine. After we catch that bitch, let's bet on whose head works better. Then!"

As soon as the bandit from the Asura Division finished speaking, he kicked off the ground and flew.

But what was a little strange was that he was holding the huge saber sideways, receiving the maximum air resistance.

It would be normal for him to fly swiftly.

Why was he taking an action that only hindered him? Was his head really that bad?

Namgung Hui's question was resolved when he came right in front of him.

The bandit from the Asura Division, who had reached right in front of Namgung Hui, moved his saber aside, and in his other hand was a strangely shaped mechanical device.

And the moment the bandit from the Asura Division curled his lips.

-Bang! Shushushuk!

An explosion was heard from the mechanical device, and flying needles poured out from all directions.

'Hidden weapons!'

On top of that, seeing the tips of the flying needles shining with a dark blue light, it seemed they were coated with an unusual poison.

So many flying needles were coming that it was difficult to block them all.

Namgung Hui had no choice but to wrap himself in his protective Ki and cross his arms in a '十' shape to cover his vital points. But.

-Pyuk. Pyuk. Pyuk.

Successively, the protective Ki was pierced, and the flying needles were embedded all over his body.

Dozens of flying needles fired from the mechanical device.

Namgung Hui had dodged a considerable number, but since they were fired from such a close range, he couldn't dodge them all.

And the fact that he had trusted his protective Ki also had an effect.

'A hidden weapon that breaks through protective Ki is interesting.'

As if to resolve Namgung Hui's question, the bandit from the Asura Division added an explanation.

"It's a hidden weapon called the Blue Lotus Flower that I recently obtained. It tears through protective Ki like it's nothing. What do you think? Pretty useful, right? Ah. You can't speak because the poison is spreading? Hahaha!"

At the bandit's laughter, the man in black who was still waiting behind him said.

"Hey. It doesn't seem like the poison has spread yet, so stop being so relaxed."

"Tsk, tsk. Since the purpose is to capture her alive anyway, we have to watch the progress until the poison spreads. The envoy is also staying still, so why are you making a fuss?"

Namgung Hui, sensing the poison spreading from his limbs, observed his interior for a moment.

Just by looking at the path the poison was spreading and the pain and symptoms he felt, he could roughly figure out what kind of poison it was.

'A poison that gathers in the Dantian with neuralgia. It's a mixture of a skill-scattering poison and a paralysis poison. This must have been extracted from a poisonous snake.'

He couldn't immediately guess the type of poisonous snake.

But the sticky energy seemed to be from a species that inhabited the Nanman area.

This was probably from the Five Poisons Sect, which belonged to the Northern Heaven of the Hoicheon Association.

Namgung Hui slowly melted the poison not with the Purple Thunder Divine Art, but with the Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art.

Although the Purple Thunder Divine Art was fast in detoxification, as fast as it was, there was a chance that noise would leak to the outside.

In other words, it meant that the fact that he was Namgung Hui could be revealed.

Instead, the Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art felt like it was trapping the poison energy by pressing down on it and quietly compressing it.

Like a poisonous snake slowly digesting its prey.

Namgung Hui, who had suppressed the poison, stared at the enemies, and the bandit looked at Namgung Hui with a stiff expression.

"What? Do you have a poison-resisting pearl? Still, there's no way the Blue Lotus Flower wouldn't work."

"Whether it's a Blue Lotus Pill or a Red Lotus Pill, isn't it just pathetic? Since it's not working, let's go with the direct approach. Instead of trying to knock her down."

"Ahem! The envoy also said to capture her alive if possible, but what can we do. Since the Blue Lotus Flower has no effect. Tsk. Then. Let's go in at the same time."

The man in black nodded his head and split to the left and right with the bandit.

As if intending to attack Namgung Hui from both sides, they measured the distance and then shot their bodies forward at the same time.

-Swoooosh. Swoooosh!

Although their sizes were different, the weapons, which had the commonality of being sabers, exuded a fierce momentum as if to split Namgung Hui.

The atmosphere trembled, and straight lines were drawn from both sides, aiming for the upper and lower body respectively.

-Cha-chaeng!

Namgung Hui spun his body, receiving both sabers at the same time, and used the rotational force to extend his sword.

A textbook-like movement performed swiftly and accurately.

A result followed Namgung Hui's flawless stance.

Crack!

The large saber split and shattered into pieces, falling to the ground.

It was clearly a saber wrapped in Sword Ki.

Why did it break so powerlessly?

The bandit, seeing his saber shatter like a defective product, frowned and tilted his head.

"Following the Blue Lotus Flower, even my Grand Luxury Saber is broken like this? My luck is really bad today."

"Should I introduce you to a new blacksmith? You stay back for a moment. I'll have my subordinate get a new saber..."

The moment the man in black was about to buy time for the bandit.

"Keuk...!"

Suddenly, the bandit clutched his chest and slammed his knees on the ground.

And then, the bandit who had knelt down.

"Cough! Cough!"

He coughed up blood and then fell flat on the ground.

"..."

When a large body falls, the chest is bound to swell with inhalation and exhalation.

If so, it would be normal for the body to stir.

But there was no movement at all from the fallen bandit's body.

Even the blood he had been coughing up did not come out.

"Y-You. Don't tell me you're dead?"

"..."

"If you ask a dead person, will he be able to tell you? I'll send you to where that bandit is, so go and ask him yourself."

This time, Namgung Hui exploded his internal energy from his Yongcheon points and rushed forward.

Namgung Hui's figure, disappearing in an instant like a phantom.

Since it was a speed that was beyond the realm of perception, the man in black lost sight of Namgung Hui for a moment.

When the man in black spotted Namgung Hui again, Namgung Hui's blade was already touching his neck.

The moment the man in black's neck was about to be cut off.

-Kang!!

The man in the bamboo hat, who had been watching from behind, had approached at some point and was blocking Namgung Hui's sword.

"Hoho. This is the sword of Diancang."