Kang Sogun

"Isn't he completely insane?"

At Kang Sogun's words, Gu Yangun looked around and spread his hands as if seeking agreement, his voice full of disbelief.

The Heavenly Martial Faction warriors snickered. No matter how they looked at it, he seemed ignorant of the martial world. Even so, to say he would kill the Third Young Master when there were dozens of armed warriors was absurd.

However, Bang Geon, standing behind Gu Yangun, thought differently.

Bang Geon was a cautious man and had an excellent ability to instinctively sense danger.

A sense of foreboding had enveloped him ever since the name Xinjiang Samrang was mentioned.

Seeing Yeon Hwasim clinging to Kang Sogun, he had guessed that he was no simple man.

'Strange. He's strangely calm.'

Bang Geon observed Kang Sogun carefully.

In the world, unexpected things often happen. A life-threatening crisis often arises from such unexpected events.

Bang Geon's instincts sent a warning.

Bang Geon approached Gu Yangun and said quietly.

"Third Young Master, it won't be too late to talk to Miss Yeon after sending that man away first."

Bang Geon's words did not reach the ears of Gu Yangun, who had already become an incarnation of jealousy.

He wanted to personally capture and bring to his knees the man to whom Yeon Hwasim was so desperately clinging.

He wanted to cut his throat in front of her to show her clearly how strong he was.

He wanted to completely crush her so that she would never resist again.

"Kekeke. You'll kill me? Do you know what you just said? You dared to talk about killing a direct descendant of the Heavenly Martial Faction. That alone is reason enough for you to die."

Gu Yangun glared at Kang Sogun as he approached step by step.

Kang Sogun watched the approaching Gu Yangun. There was no wavering.

The more it was so, the more Gu Yangun's anger soared. He considered it a disregard for him.

Bang Geon could not stand still due to an indescribable sense of foreboding.

He blocked Gu Yangun's path and shouted to his subordinates.

"Third Young Master! There's no need for you to step up yourself. What are you doing? Subdue that man."

At Bang Geon's gesture, two warriors ran forward.

The warriors grabbed Kang Sogun's arms from both sides, twisted them, and kicked the back of his knees with their feet.

Thud!

The warriors kicked Kang Sogun's legs, but Kang Sogun did not budge.

No, the warriors couldn't even twist his arms in the first place.

'He was a master after all!'

Bang Geon realized that his prediction was correct and instinctively knew that this place would be ominous today.

"This bastard!"

The warriors used their strength again to twist Kang Sogun's arms and tried to strike his abdomen and neck with their free hands.

When Kang Sogun swung his arms, the warriors' stances were broken, and their offensive was rendered useless.

"If you believe in them, I'll warn you one last time. Just go."

Kang Sogun said to Gu Yangun.

It was impossible for these words to enter the ears of Gu Yangun, who was blinded by jealousy.

In his eyes, now was the perfect opportunity, with Kang Sogun being held by his subordinates.

"You bastard, die!"

Gu Yangun's sword extended, aiming for Kang Sogun's upper, middle, and lower vital points while his arms were held.

"Young Master! Be careful!"

Bang Geon shouted, but it was already too late.

"Kuh!"

The warriors holding Kang Sogun's arms were thrown back, spitting blood.

At the same time, Kang Sogun's left arm drew a circle and wrapped around the tip of Gu Yangun's sword.

Gu Yangun's sword was bent in a circle following Kang Sogun's hand.

Kang Sogun's right hand struck Gu Yangun's chest.

Thud!

Gu Yangun's movements stopped.

Gu Yangun stared wide-eyed at his own sunken chest. Then he raised his head and looked at Kang Sogun.

The moment Gu Yangun opened his mouth, a lump of blood gushed out. The dark red lump was not just blood, but a piece of his internal organs.

His internal organs were shattered in a single move.

"Third Young Master!"

Bang Geon ran and supported Gu Yangun.

Gu Yangun tried to open his mouth to say something but collapsed.

Bang Geon was startled. It felt as if his heart had dropped.

"Third Young Master! Young Master! Get a hold of yourself."

Bang Geon placed his hand on Gu Yangun's neck, but he was already dead.

Gu Yangun, the third young master whom the Heavenly Martial Faction Master, Gu Yeongang, cherished, passed away in vain without leaving a single word.

"You're ruthless!"

Bang Geon glared at Kang Sogun and shouted as if in a frenzy.

"Heaven's Mandate Brigade, listen up. The Third Young Master is dead. If we fail to take revenge, we will all be buried here today!"

The Heaven's Mandate Brigade warriors, flustered by the sudden situation, charged with their swords forward.

Swish! Swish!

The nimble swords flew towards Kang Sogun like snakes.

Kang Sogun waved his hand towards the charging swords. His movements were simple, and his hand movements were not large.

Nevertheless, the swords of the Heaven's Mandate Brigade warriors could not reach Kang Sogun.

On the contrary, they coughed up blood and collapsed from Kang Sogun's fists, palms, and grappling techniques.

Crack!

"Ugh!"

Thud!

Kang Sogun did not use more than two moves on one person. He deflected them lightly as if it were a promised sparring session.

At that light hand movement, the bones of the Heaven's Mandate Brigade warriors were broken and their flesh was torn.

Bang Geon watched the scene with a dazed look. His subordinates, with whom he had shared life and death, were falling like moths to a flame.

He was no different from the god of death. The moment Bang Geon gripped his sword and was about to charge.

A deep Buddhist chant erupted.

"Namu Amitabha. Almsgiver! Show mercy in your hands. Do you intend to kill them all?"

Bang Geon came to his senses.

"St, stop! Everyone, fall back!"

Bang Geon restrained his subordinates.

He could no longer drive his subordinates to a meaningless death.

As the Heaven's Mandate Brigade warriors retreated, Kang Sogun also stopped using his hands.

There were only five or six Heaven's Mandate Brigade warriors standing properly. In an instant, more than twenty had fallen.

"What is your esteemed name?"

Bang Geon asked with a trembling voice.

Kang Sogun looked at Bang Geon with calm eyes.

"..."

When Bang Geon met Kang Sogun's eyes, his heart trembled.

He was so calm that it was hard to believe he was a person who had just committed murder.

What a strange thing.

Even Bang Geon, who had lived on battlefields of life and death, got goosebumps.

'He's the god of death!'

Only the word "god of death" lingered in Bang Geon's mind.

Only the god of death could kill people without any emotion.

The man in front of him was such a man.

Kang Sogun did not answer Bang Geon's question and turned around.

The Heaven's Mandate Brigade warriors hesitantly retreated and opened a path.

A strange silence flowed at the pier. The autumn sunlight shone warmly on the cruel murder scene.

Kang Sogun disappeared into the silence.

"Heuk!"

Someone let out a low groan.

The consciousness of the people who had been frozen in fear was released.

The surviving Heaven's Mandate Brigade warriors looked at their fallen comrades.

Their comrades, who had been alive and kicking just a moment ago, were lying there, covered in blood. They were no longer of this world.

Even the Heaven's Mandate Brigade warriors, who had experienced countless battles of life and death, were so shocked by the sudden tragedy that they just stood there blankly.

Bang Geon also didn't know what to do.

Gu Yangun was dead.

If things continued like this, it would be difficult to keep his life even if he returned. Nevertheless, he had no confidence to face Kang Sogun again.

Even if he gave an order, there were no warriors who would follow. It was a short moment, but everyone had seen it clearly with their own two eyes.

If you stand before him, you die!

Jungrang watched Kang Sogun's back in utter astonishment.

"Who is that man?"

Only after Kang Sogun disappeared did he ask Yeon Hwasim.

Yeon Hwasim answered with a frightened face, stammering.

"Kang Sogun."

***

Bang Geon collected the bodies of Gu Yangun and the Heaven's Mandate Brigade, loaded them onto a carriage, and left with the Heaven's Mandate Brigade warriors.

As the people of the Heavenly Martial Faction, who had occupied it for nearly a month, disappeared, White Dragon Temple regained its peace.

Cheoludae called Yeon Hwasim to the abbot's room.

Cheoludae's complexion was grave.

"Female almsgiver, why do you try to drag him onto the path of a killing demon?"

"..."

Yeon Hwasim had nothing to say.

She had intended to ask Kang Sogun to stop the ambitions of the Heavenly Martial Faction.

But seeing him today, she was not sure if it was the right idea.

It was true that she had been furious with Gu Yangun. But seeing him die in an instant without leaving a single word, she became afraid of Kang Sogun.

Yeon Hwasim wondered if her search for Kang Sogun had been a childish romance.

It was certainly a mistake to have considered Kang Sogun a righteous hero who would save the Three Blade Sect from its crisis.

He was a ruthless god of death and was not interested in other people's affairs.

'I've made things worse. I was foolish.'

She also felt a sense of self-reproach for her reckless actions.

Gu Yangun was dead.

The Heavenly Martial Faction would not stand still.

As long as she was involved, the Three Blade Sect could no longer avoid a direct confrontation. The result would probably be the destruction of the Three Blade Sect.

'Oh, no... because of me... I have to get him somehow.'

Yeon Hwasim once again felt like she had to clutch at straws. The destruction of the Three Blade Sect was more terrifying than her fear of Kang Sogun.

First, she wanted to know even a little more about Kang Sogun.

"What was the reason for accepting him at White Dragon Temple?"

"It seems the female almsgiver has misunderstood. Did you not see for yourself that he is a person who cannot be stopped from coming and cannot be held back from leaving?"

"Is that all there is to it?"

"He said it himself. As long as no one tried to harm him while he was staying at White Dragon Temple, he would not kill either."

"What kind of person is he?"

"He is a person I cannot understand either. He appeared one day, disappeared for a while, and I only saw him again today. He is a person like the wind."

Yeon Hwasim could not have any hope from Cheoludae's words.

"I'm sorry. A bloody battle occurred at White Dragon Temple because I came looking for him."

"Namu Amitabha. I heard that the deceased was the third young master of the Heavenly Martial Faction. He was confident as if he had everything in the world, but it is the way of mortals to go so in vain. I hope that the female almsgiver will also gain something from this."

"The Heavenly Martial Faction is the hegemon that has conquered the Hubei martial world. They are urging my family to submit. My father is refusing because he does not agree with the path of hegemony they are walking."

"Amitabha. The rise and fall of human affairs is just a process of endless reincarnation. If you cannot protect it, it is better to discard it to attain the Way."

"I can't do that. There are over three hundred family members. If we abandon the manor, where will those people go and how will they live?"

"You do not know that that thought is arrogance and greed."

The still young Yeon Hwasim could not accept Cheoludae's words.

While Cheoludae and Yeon Hwasim were talking, Jungrang paced outside the abbot's room.

Kang Sogun's movements did not leave Jungrang's mind.

The swords of the Heaven's Mandate Brigade warriors had accurately stabbed Kang Sogun, but when he waved his arms, they were swept away by an unknown force and missed.

The powerfully thrust swords were swept away like reeds in the wind, and in between, Kang Sogun's fists or palms split them.

'Tai Chi is said to use the enemy's power, but this is different. It was as if he was moving the surrounding space at will. Is such a martial art possible?'

There are countless masters in the world.

Among them, the ten most outstanding are called the Ten Great Masters.

Jungrang had never met one of the Ten Great Masters.

'Aren't there no young people like that among the Ten Great Masters?'

The youngest of the Ten Great Masters is said to be Namgung Ak, the Azure Sky Martial Dragon, who is in his mid-thirties. His martial arts are considered a mystery in the martial world.

Kang Sogun was even younger, looking to be in his mid-twenties.

'Returning to youth?'

Jungrang shook his head.

He thought he was not in his right mind because he had been so shocked.

To even think of returning to youth, which only appears in legends.

Frustrated, Jungrang went down to the courtyard and drew his sword.

Jungrang swung his sword and shook off his distracting thoughts.

There was only one sword he believed in.

The sword path that could reach the enemy in the shortest amount of time.

The Heavenly Star Sixty-Four Forms of the Heavenly Star Sword Manual given by Yeon Seongyeol was a supreme art that made this possible.

Jungrang was reborn from a ronin to a martial artist by learning the Heavenly Star Sixty-Four Forms.

After unfolding all of the Heavenly Star Sixty-Four Forms in an instant, Jungrang stood there and was lost in thought again.

'Still at the seventh star. If I reach the tenth star, will I be able to touch his body?'

He didn't know the answer, but for some reason, he had no confidence.

Jungrang unconsciously looked at the hill behind the abbot's room.

The hill where Kang Sogun's thatched hut was located was shrouded in darkness. He felt a demonic energy in that darkness.

It was the first time in his life that he was afraid of someone.

'Kang Sogun... who are you?'

(End of Chapter)