CLS-Chapter 280

Chapter 280

Seeing Wei Yan-ho charging toward him at a terrifying speed, Gwangmuryang’s face hardened like stone.

‘Fast.’

It wasn’t mere bluffing.

He was someone who could gauge an opponent’s level just by looking at a single movement or motion. But the speed Wei Yan-ho was displaying now was so fast that even he couldn’t guarantee he could move similarly.

An incomprehensible matter.

“Khat!”

Gwangmuryang’s both hands clawed through the air.

Ten blade energies stretched long, cutting through the world as they rushed toward Wei Yan-ho.

Wei Yan-ho swung his sword vigorously toward the incoming blade energies.

Kaaaang!

Wei Yan-ho’s sword, filled with brilliant white light, deflected the incoming blade energies.

‘So easily?’

Gwangmuryang’s eyes bulged as if they might tear.

Martial skill level could indeed be high. After all, there are things called geniuses in this world who transcend age.

Of course, Wei Yan-ho was excessively strong to be called merely a genius, but there was no law saying geniuses could only be this strong at this age, so it wasn’t incomprehensible.

But internal energy was different, wasn’t it?

No matter how outstanding a genius with exceptional comprehension might be, internal energy required time to accumulate. Even if one started accumulating internal energy from their mother’s womb, that would barely be twenty years—so how could he possess such strong internal power?

‘Think later.’

For the first time, tension began to show on Gwangmuryang’s face.

With such martial skills and such internal energy, he could no longer look down on Wei Yan-ho. Gwangmuryang, who had only shown courtesy to even the Plum Blossom Sword Master based on age and achievements, now acknowledged Wei Yan-ho as his rival.

‘Sura Claw has its limits.’

Gwangmuryang’s both hands began to turn black.

Demon Emperor’s Heaven-Shaking Hand.

As the now-serious Gwangmuryang began drawing up his energy, a massive whirlwind of qi started forming around him. Even without showing any particular movement, the atmosphere was swirling up around him, creating a tremendous storm.

But Wei Yan-ho’s eyes were accurately tracking Gwangmuryang within the storm.

Woooooong!

With a sound like tens of thousands of bees vibrating, Gwangmuryang’s both hands extended toward Wei Yan-ho.

An exclamation flowed from Wei Yan-ho’s mouth.

From Gwangmuryang’s extended hands flew pitch-black hand energies. What started as palm-sized hand energies grew larger as they flew toward Wei Yan-ho’s location, eventually becoming human-sized and reaching out to grab Wei Yan-ho.

“Huh?”

It was an unheard-of, truly unfamiliar martial art.

Weren’t the discharged hand energies moving like living hands?

‘Interesting?’

Wei Yan-ho flinched slightly.

‘How was I supposed to deal with this kind of thing?’

Surely Master had already told him how to deal with all the martial arts he would encounter when venturing into the martial world, so this martial art too…

“Ah, damn it! I should trust the one I can trust!”

Wei Yan-ho pulled his sword back.

If there was no countermeasure, there was only one method, wasn’t there?

In an instant, Wei Yan-ho’s sword began emitting brilliant light. Simultaneously, radiance that seemed ready to devour the world gathered on Wei Yan-ho’s sword.

“Uraaacha!”

As the sword pulled back to its fullest was swept down from top to bottom, a crescent moon-like mass of light shot out at terrifying speed.

The brilliant light that Wei Yan-ho unleashed—whether sword energy or sword light, no one could tell—cleanly split Gwangmuryang’s Demon Emperor’s Heaven-Shaking Hand in half, then continued flying toward him without stopping.

“Gasp!”

Gwangmuryang threw his body to the side in shock.

Kakakakakak!

Wei Yan-ho’s sword energy that touched the ground made rough sounds as it burrowed downward.

“…What the?”

Gwangmuryang stared at the spot where he had been with vacant eyes.

The sword light had burrowed so deep into the ground that the bottom couldn’t be seen. No matter how much he enhanced his vision, he couldn’t see its end.

Goosebumps began rising on Gwangmuryang’s back.

If he had faced this sword head-on, could he really have blocked it?

“Just where the hell did you come from?”

“Huh?”

Wei Yan-ho asked back as if wondering what that meant.

“You… after going on about ending bloodlines and whatnot earlier, what are you saying now? Do you have dementia? I’m my dad’s son, you know?”

“Keu…”

Gwangmuryang glared at Wei Yan-ho with murderous eyes.

‘What kind of martial art is this?’

He had never heard of such a sword existing in the Central Plains. It was such a distinctive sword technique that if it possessed this much power, its existence should naturally have been known.

Crack.

Gwangmuryang clenched his fist.

‘I’ll die if I let my guard down.’

For the first time, he began to feel something called a sense of crisis. And that sense of crisis kept growing.

‘This bastard is showing this level of skill at this age. If he continues to grow like this, just how much stronger will he become?’

Perhaps he was having the good fortune of witnessing the childhood of a great master. If Wei Yan-ho were a member of the Demonic Cult, it would be an incredibly joyful and delightful thing, but unfortunately, Wei Yan-ho was his enemy.

Then he had to cut off his breath before he could grow further.

“…What a shame.”

“Huh? You won’t praise me? I was secretly looking forward to it.”

Seeing Wei Yan-ho resting his sword on his shoulder and grinning, Gwangmuryang bared his teeth.

Gwangmuryang’s both hands began to be covered in pitch-black demonic energy.

Wei Yan-ho’s face hardened slightly.

Though the appearance was similar, it was different from before. His body pulled back slightly as he took a defensive stance. Before his mind could think, his body first recognized the danger and reacted.

“Looks like something powerful is coming?”

“Didn’t I say words were unnecessary?”

Gwangmuryang swung both hands and shouted.

“Then it would be good to feel it with your body. This is the true power of the Demon Emperor’s Heaven-Shaking Hand.”

Feeling the hand energies bursting out like a storm, filling the world as they rushed toward him, Wei Yan-ho sighed.

“Why is my luck so damn bad?”

***

“To the back! Go to the back! Right now!”

Jang-il was frantically weaving through the crowd.

“Block the front!”

To buy time for the spectators to evacuate, someone had to stop the Demonic Cult members.

“Easier said than done!”

Annoyance showed on Eonhyo’s face.

“Big brother!”

“Yeah! I’m going!”

Peng Dohyeong drew his large blade and shot blade energy toward the charging Demonic Cult member. Seeing the Demonic Cult member swat away the incoming blade energy like shooing an annoying fly made him groan involuntarily.

There was something about the appearance of the Demonic Cult member charging with both eyes dyed red that stimulated human fear.

“Uaaaa! Dragon Form Cannon!”

The fist energy Eonhyo unleashed took the form of a dragon as it blocked the Demonic Cult member. But the Demonic Cult member simply raised his hand and struck, blowing away Eonhyo’s fist energy.

They couldn’t stop him.

“B-big brother! Please retreat to the back!”

“Dohyeong!”

Seeing Peng Dohyeong charging toward the Demonic Cult member with his blade, Eonhyo screamed in shock.

They couldn’t stop that Demonic Cult member with their strength. Then someone had to buy time. But that shouldn’t be Peng Dohyeong’s job.

Seeing Peng Dohyeong swinging his blade as he charged, the Demonic Cult member smiled bitterly and caught Peng Dohyeong’s blade with one hand.

Kaang!

The blade struck a person’s arm, yet absurdly, a metallic sound rang out.

The blade bounced away.

A chest left wide open.

Then the outcome that followed was all too obvious.

“Dohyeoooong!”

Peng Dohyeong looked at the Demonic Cult member’s hand boring into his chest with a face dark as death.

The moment that hand pierced his heart, death would come.

He couldn’t dodge, couldn’t block. His chest burned as he could only watch the confirmed death.

‘In a place like this…’

Just as the Demonic Cult member’s hand was about to pierce through his chest!

Swaeeeak!

With a sound of tearing air, red blade energies flew toward the Demonic Cult member in streams.

“Kuk.”

Though the Demonic Cult member had shattered Peng Dohyeong’s blade energy with his bare hands, he must have thought the blade energy now flying toward him was not to be taken lightly, as he withdrew his hand and stepped back.

“Hmm…”

After slightly stabbing Peng Dohyeong’s chest and getting blood on his hand, the Demonic Cult member licked it with his tongue and turned his head.

“Dohyeong!”

“You…”

Peng Dohyeong’s face contorted.

Peng Dogeuk flew over with an urgent face and stood in front of Peng Dohyeong.

“Stand back.”

“Who asked you to help…”

“Stand back!”

Peng Dohyeong bit his lips tightly.

It wasn’t the usual dull Peng Dogeuk. Holding a large blade in one hand while blocking his path and emanating a blade-like aura, Peng Dogeuk looked as strong as if he had become a different person.

‘Damn.’

Wasn’t Peng Dogeuk the one who achieved good results in a competition that he himself couldn’t even participate in?

Though he didn’t want to admit it, the gap between him and Peng Dogeuk had already widened considerably.

“Move aside! I’ll handle…”

At that moment, Peng Dogeuk turned his head and glared at Peng Dohyeong.

“…”

“I understand childish behavior. But don’t do stupid things.”

Peng Dohyeong hung his head without being able to say anything.

“Are you having a chat while leaving me in front? Central Plains people seem to have more courage than I thought?”

“Amitabha, one must not fall behind in courage alone.”

“Hm?”

The Demonic Cult member frowned as he saw a monk slowly walking over to stand beside Peng Dogeuk.

“Shaolin?”

“I am called Musan.”

“Kukuk, Peng Family and Shaolin… This should be worth fighting.”

“It would be good to be careful. My fist is fierce.”

“Experiencing Shaolin’s fist was one of my wishes.”

The Demonic Cult member began charging toward the two as if no more words were needed.

“Be careful.”

“You as well, benefactor.”

Musan and Peng Dogeuk drew up their internal energy as they faced the Demonic Cult member.

“Just a little! Just hold on a little longer!”

“Kueueu.”

The face of the groaning man was whiter than a blank sheet of paper. He had already lost too much blood, and his consciousness was half gone.

“You can’t lose consciousness!”

“M-miss, this place is too dangerous. After moving people to the back, treat…”

“Then this person will die!”

Jin Ye-ran desperately shouted while wrapping bandages around the man’s wound and tying it tightly.

‘I need to stop the bleeding.’

There was no time to stitch the wound. If blood continued flowing from the gaping wound like this, no matter what she did, she couldn’t save him.

“Kueueu…”

The man raised his trembling hand and grasped Jin Ye-ran’s hand.

Jin Ye-ran looked at the man with shaking eyes.

“Just endure a little…”

“Th…”

Every time the man opened his mouth, blood gushed out.

“Thank…”

Finally, the man’s head fell to the side.

Jin Ye-ran stared blankly at the man’s face, then reached out to close his wide-open eyes.

Rising slowly from her spot, Jin Ye-ran looked around.

Screams and the sounds of weapons were rampant. Each was shouting, yelling, and swinging swords to kill the other.

To her, who had devoted everything to saving a single person’s life, the martial artists who were frantic to kill each other were incomprehensible beings.

“Everyone’s gone mad…”

Someone grabbed the arm of her as she muttered blankly.

It was a familiar face.

“What are you doing here!”

“…Miss.”

Seomun Dayeon grabbed her arm with a hardened face.

“You’ll die if you stay here. This way.”

“I… I…”

“Talk later, come this way! If you stay here!”

At that moment, a tremendous explosion erupted from the front.

Kwaaaaang!

It was such an explosion that one might suspect their ears had gone deaf for a moment.

Those who had been thrusting swords at each other unconsciously stepped back and turned their heads toward where the explosion had occurred.