Kang Sogun

The red powder that spread from the Red Rakshasa's hand covered Kang Sogun.

The Red Rakshasa's skill in using the wind was exquisite, and the red powder covered Kang Sogun's entire body.

Son Jo and the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth quickly retreated.

"You despicable bastard!"

Jo Unryong shouted and was about to intervene in the fight.

Suddenly, a bloody killing intent erupted from Kang Sogun's entire body.

"It's demonic energy!"

Son Jo shouted loudly.

A fierce qi wave swirled around Kang Sogun's entire body as if an angry dragon were running wild.

The staggering Kang Sogun's two eyes were stained with blood.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth did not miss the opportunity.

"Die!"

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth's white jade sword flew towards Kang Sogun's chest.

-Ting!

Kang Sogun's left hand deflected the white jade sword and then dug into the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth's chest.

"Hah!"

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth, who had been thrusting with great momentum, took a breath and tried to retreat.

In an instant, a bloody energy extended a full foot from the red jade dagger in Kang Sogun's right hand.

"Kuh!"

Blood was sprayed on the white snowfield.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth's right arm was cut off from the elbow.

The hand holding the white jade sword twitched on the snowfield.

"How can this be!"

The Red Rakshasa was terrified to see him cut off the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth's arm even after being hit by her poison powder.

"You bastard!"

The Demonic Sword of Qilian, Son Jo's, roar was heard through the rough wind.

Just before Son Jo's sword stabbed Kang Sogun's back.

Kang Sogun turned around and deflected the sword blade with his blood-stained fingers.

-Clang!

The sound of qi and qi clashing erupted, and the red jade dagger drew a line in the air.

-Slice!

With the sound of a bone being cut, Son Jo's arm was also cut off.

"Hah!"

As two people lost their arms in an instant, the Red Rakshasa was greatly shocked and soared up, trying to flee.

Kang Sogun did not stop.

He threw the red jade dagger at the fleeing Red Rakshasa.

-Swish!

-Thwack!

As the red jade dagger grazed the Red Rakshasa's left arm, her arm was cut off as if by a lie.

The Red Rakshasa ran like mad without even looking at her fallen arm.

Jo Unryong could not close his mouth.

Even after being covered in the Red Rakshasa's poison powder, he had cut off the arms of the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth and the Demonic Sword of Qilian.

'Are you saying he's immune to a hundred poisons?'

Although he did not know what kind of poison it was, since it had been spread from the Red Rakshasa's hand, it would not be a shabby one.

Nevertheless, Kang Sogun seemed fine.

Moreover, what was that blood energy?

It was incomparably fierce and had a thick killing intent compared to the red qi of his Fire Dragon Saber.

"Ugh!"

Son Jo and the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth each picked up the swords from their fallen arms and aimed them at Kang Sogun.

Blood flowed endlessly from their severed arms.

Kang Sogun did not use his hands anymore.

Instead, he spat out a word in a low voice.

"Go!"

The two glared at Kang Sogun with eyes full of resentment and then picked up their arms and disappeared.

Only the Red Rakshasa's arm was rolling on the snowfield.

As Kang Sogun slowly walked to retrieve the red jade dagger.

-Swish.

A strange sound of something cutting through the air was heard through the fierce wind.

"Be careful!"

An iron arrow flew towards Kang Sogun.

Kang Sogun quickly picked up the red jade dagger and rolled on the snow.

-Clatter!

The first iron arrow that flew was embedded in the ground, and the iron arrow that flew after it was deflected by Kang Sogun.

Jo Gaeryang, not feeling at ease even after sending the fifth to the tenth of the Ten Guests of Heavenly Martial, had dispatched two teams from the Ghost Shadow Brigade, which had returned after chasing the Fire Heaven Brigade, to follow behind.

Jo Gaeryang had told the Ghost Shadow Brigade to ambush if Son Jo and the others were at a disadvantage.

But the fight had ended so quickly that there was not even a chance to ambush.

The Ghost Shadow Brigade had belatedly shot the iron arrows.

The iron arrows were twice as long as normal arrows.

"Ghost Shadow Arrow!"

Jo Unryong recognized the origin of the iron arrow and shouted. It was an iron arrow shot from a siege crossbow and was a weapon that the Heavenly Martial Faction's Ghost Shadow Brigade prided itself on.

The force it carried was so powerful that even Kang Sogun almost dropped his dagger while deflecting it from the shock.

-Swish!

The iron arrows flew in succession.

Kang Sogun took a stance and deflected the flying iron arrows.

But at some point.

-Bang!

At the sound of a firework exploding, Kang Sogun ducked his head like a thunderbolt.

-Thwack!

Blood spurted from Kang Sogun's shoulder.

"Even a fire lance?"

Jo Unryong shouted and was on guard in all directions.

For a fire lance, which was only used in the military, to appear.

Jo Unryong could not believe it.

The fire lance was controlled by the court, so only a very small part of the military possessed it.

He had not yet heard the information that the Heavenly Martial Faction's Ghost Shadow Brigade even had a fire lance.

Kang Sogun did not move and glared at the place where the fire lance had spewed fire.

-Swish!

The iron arrows flew in succession.

The fire lance was very powerful, but it was difficult to hit accurately, and it took a little time to shoot.

The Ghost Shadow Brigade was trying to restrict Kang Sogun's movements with iron arrows and cut his breath with a fire lance.

Just then.

The inn door opened, and Yeomga appeared and shouted.

"Eliminate them!"

Yeomga's voice echoed in the blizzard-filled darkness.

It seemed there were the killers of the sixth hall.

The sound of weapons clashing and screams were heard, mixed with the sound of the wind, from the darkness.

As no more iron arrows flew, Kang Sogun stopped. The bloody energy that had been on his entire body had not yet disappeared.

Yeomga watched Kang Sogun with an interested eye and muttered.

"It's surprising that even poison doesn't work. And to even avoid a fire lance. Who on earth is that man?"

Although it was a monologue, he was actually asking Jo Unryong, who was standing next to him.

"He is a man called Kang Sogun."

"Kang Sogun? The one who killed the Heavenly Martial Faction Master's son."

Yeomga nodded as if he understood and then turned his body and went back into the inn.

The blood dragon energy that had been spread throughout his entire body's veins by the Red Rakshasa's poison powder had awakened again.

The blood dragon energy, which had been suppressed for a long time, had awakened not long ago due to Kang Sogun's mental agitation.

That was why it had naturally reacted to the poison powder that contained fire poison.

The blood dragon energy quickly circulated through his blood vessels, burned the poison, and as if its anger had not subsided, it suppressed the Golden Elixir True Art and manifested.

The blood dragon energy, which had awakened once, ran wild as if in rebellion against the prohibition of the past.

Kang Sogun circulated the Golden Elixir True Art and quietly watched the rampage of the blood dragon energy.

The blood dragon energy, which was racing through his blood vessels, rushed to his internal organs, which were hardening due to his internal injuries.

"Kuh!"

Kang Sogun gritted his teeth. Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

An extreme pain, as if his blood vessels were being scraped by a sharp blade, rushed in.

The blood dragon energy raged as if it were scraping his blood vessels.

If he had not divided his consciousness with the Golden Elixir True Art, he might have gone mad right away.

Kang Sogun's body trembled with extreme pain.

When the blood dragon energy ran wild, it was difficult for Kang Sogun himself to control it.

"Brother Kang!"

Jo Unryong approached and called Kang Sogun, but he could not answer.

If he gave his body to the blood dragon energy, it would be difficult to control it again.

Jo Unryong, feeling that something was unusual from Kang Sogun's blood-red face, drew his Fire Dragon Saber and guarded his side.

Whirl.

Half an hour passed.

As snowflakes flew again, Kang Sogun was becoming a snowman.

As the cold snow touched his body and melted, the pain of his blood vessels being scraped gradually disappeared.

When the raging blood dragon energy was about to slowly settle in his dantian, Kang Sogun spread the energy of the Golden Elixir True Art, which had been holding its breath, to all the major meridians of his body.

The clear energy of the Golden Elixir True Art drew the energy of the blood dragon energy and guided it to all the minor meridians of his body.

The blood dragon energy, which had run wild for a while, was pulled like a gentle sheep and spread to all the minor meridians of his body.

The moment the blood dragon energy fell asleep.

"Ugh!"

Kang Sogun spat out a lump of dark red blood. It was a lump of blood mixed with the evil energy of his internal organs, which the blood dragon energy had stirred up.

Kang Sogun's face was pale.

It was a good thing that he had shocked his internal organs, which had been hardening due to his chronic illness, and had scraped out the evil energy, but this was also like an internal injury.

It meant that he needed to rest for a while.

'Of all times.'

There was a reason why Kang Sogun had deliberately cut off the arms of Son Jo and the others.

It was to draw in new masters by incapacitating those who were chasing him.

If he focused the attention of the Heavenly Martial Faction like that, the force poured into Yeon Hwasim would be relatively weakened.

Although No Ichil and the Three Tigers of Shandong were masters, it was a desperate measure that Kang Sogun had chosen because the Heavenly Martial Faction had countless masters.

Kang Sogun opened his eyes.

Jo Unryong, who was guarding him, came into his eyes.

"Thank you."

At Kang Sogun's one word, Jo Unryong smiled.

***

Jeongha Martial Hall in Hefei City.

The rear courtyard, no matter how you looked at it, did not look like a martial hall.

Snow was piled up gently in the well-tended garden.

The blizzard that had raged last night was gone, and it was a quiet morning.

Water from the melted snow dripped from the eaves where the sunlight fell warmly.

The sound of swords clashing was heard from the small training ground behind the garden.

-Clang, clang!

Yeon Hwasim's sword, emitting a starlight-like sword light, pushed Jungrang.

Jungrang blocked each and every sword light and guided Yeon Hwasim's sword path.

"Don't try to control your energy. The Heavenly Star Sixty-Four Forms itself is a single energy."

Jungrang unsparingly passed on the sword intent of the Heavenly Star Sixty-Four Forms that he had realized.

But the same words were interpreted differently by different people.

Yeon Hwasim's Heavenly Star Sixty-Four Forms, unlike Jungrang's, had a lot of variation.

If Jungrang's sword came down like a meteor, Yeon Hwasim's bloomed numerous sword lights like the stars in the night sky.

While guiding Yeon Hwasim, Jungrang once again realized the subtlety of the Heavenly Star Sixty-Four Forms.

'For the same sword art to be able to change like this depending on the intent of the one who unfolds it.'

As Jungrang and Yeon Hwasim were engrossed in their sparring, No Ichil entered the rear courtyard.

Yeon Hwasim's party had arrived in Hefei with No Ichil yesterday morning.

For some reason, No Ichil had been in a great hurry on the way.

As soon as they arrived, he had given the rear courtyard to Yeon Hwasim, Jungrang, and the Three Tigers of Shandong as their residence and had immediately disappeared.

Jungrang did not let down his guard and was watching the movements outside.

This was because he did not know for sure what No Ichil's intention was in showing such goodwill to Yeon Hwasim's party.

The Jeongha Martial Hall, the safe house of the Great Righteous Martial Hall in Hefei, was also bustling.

Warriors were coming and going busily, and this morning, dozens of them had ridden out on horseback.

It was clear that something unusual was happening in the Great Righteous Martial Hall.

When No Ichil came, Yeon Hwasim bowed her head in greeting and entered her residence.

No Ichil and Jungrang sat on the main hall floor overlooking the garden.

A maid brought tea.

"Is there any inconvenience?"

No Ichil had placed three servants in the rear courtyard and had also attached two maids to Yeon Hwasim.

"Thanks to you, we are comfortable. I'm even worried about the excessive hospitality."

There was an intention in Jungrang's words.

It meant that he wanted to know the reason for showing such goodwill.

As if he had understood the meaning of Jungrang's words, No Ichil sipped his tea and said.

"Do you know that there are people you are drawn to without a reason?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"To be honest. I think that if you are here, I can meet him, Kang Sogun, again."

As expected, No Ichil was conscious of Kang Sogun.

"Then I must tell you the truth. Hwasim has not known Great Warrior Kang for long."

"I know. And I have no intention of demanding anything from him using Miss Yeon as a pretext."

"Then why are you showing such goodwill, even to the point of being at odds with the Heavenly Martial Faction?"

"The Heavenly Martial Faction is dreaming of unifying the world. We don't want it either, but we will have to clash someday anyway."

No Ichil glanced at Yeon Hwasim's room and then said the purpose of his visit.

"There is something going on in the martial hall. I hope you will understand even if it is a little noisy. And I would appreciate it if you did not leave the rear courtyard as much as possible."

Jungrang nodded. The movements of the Jeongha Martial Hall were busy, so it seemed there was definitely something going on.

"If you need a hand, I will lend my strength."

"No, there's no need for that. I'm just saying this because I'm worried there might be a troublesome matter, so please understand."

No Ichil finished his words and went to the place where the Three Tigers of Shandong were staying.

'What on earth is going on?'

Jungrang frowned. No Ichil was clearly nervous.

A sense of anxiety that he might get caught up in a dispute between martial arts factions flashed through Jungrang's mind.

(End of Chapter)