Heo Munseung frowned.
He could read the killing intent. It was even clearer because the opponent didn’t bother to hide it.
Heo Munseung was accustomed to ambushes.
The people of the Sacred Sword Sect had to be prepared for surprise attacks even while sleeping. In particular, the Sect Master and his three sons were targets of attack for a hundred thousand demons. So they must never let their guard down.
A surprise attack? It wasn’t unfamiliar.
But he wondered why the surprise attack had to be today of all days. He wanted to avoid a fight today. It was the day his father passed away. It was not enough to hold the funeral with all his sincerity.
Conversely, this surprise attack was prepared.
Wasn’t it a blade that flew towards the person who would become the Sect Master as soon as his father passed away?
Someone had been watching and then launched a surprise attack.
“Who is it? Come out.”
Heo Munseung said coldly.
If he had to receive a surprise attack, he wanted to end it quickly.
The opponent had no intention of ambushing him either. Weren’t they not even bothering to hide their killing intent? It was a frontal attack. So they wouldn’t hide either.
“Huhu, as expected of the young master. I heard you’ve mastered more than sixty percent of the Illuminating Thousand Swords. Let’s see it.”
Simultaneously with the voice, the snowfield stirred. And four people who had been hiding in the snow revealed themselves.
‘The Four Demons of Mount Yin!’
Heo Munseung’s brow furrowed deeply.
The Four Demons of Mount Yin were demon lords who were active with Mount Yin in Hubei Province as their base.
The Sacred Sword Sect had subjugated the Four Demons of Mount Yin.
The evil deeds of the Four Demons of Mount Yin were too excessive. The petitions of the nearby residents pierced the heavens.
The Four Demons of Mount Yin lost all their subordinates. They abandoned everything and barely escaped with their lives. They were also severely injured, to the point where they could never make a comeback.
But the fact that the Four Demons of Mount Yin had escaped, that they had saved their lives, this was important. The fact that they had survived an attack from the Sacred Sword Sect meant that their martial arts were not ordinary.
The person who had led that attack at that time was Heo Munseung.
Heo Munseung had discovered traces of the Heavenly Yin Demonic Art on Mount Yin.
The Heavenly Yin Demonic Art was a vicious study that was said to require the killing of a hundred people to achieve the first level.
It was a demonic art that was mastered by killing people.
It was a demonic art among demonic arts that increased its practical application by cutting down people.
Since the martial arts of the Four Demons of Mount Yin had each reached the seventh or eighth level, it meant that they had each killed at least seven or eight hundred people. With four of them, that meant nearly three thousand people had died.
The Four Demons of Mount Yin were murderous fiends.
They did not care about killing at all. They were beasts who had already refused to be human.
How did they get into the secret place of the Sacred Sword Sect? How did they evade the guards of the Sacred Sword Sect? Why did no one contact him while they were coming?
He would figure out the questions later. First, he would deal with them.
Swoosh!
Heo Munseung stepped forward with his right foot. And he slightly bent both knees.
He held the sword with his right hand.
He only lightly touched the hilt with his thumb and index finger. He was going to draw the sword with just two fingers.
“Huhu! I knew you would use the Flying Bird Splits the Belly. How about changing to another form? Don’t regret it later.”
The Four Demons of Mount Yin recognized the Flying Bird Splits the Belly.
It was the fastest sword technique among the Illuminating Thousand Swords. It could even split a flying bird. It splits the belly. It was a sword form so fast and accurate that it could split the belly of a flying bird in mid flight.
Heo Munseung half opened his eyes.
As if open, as if closed… He half closed his eyes and focused all his senses on his ears.
The Four Demons of Mount Yin had taken up positions in the four cardinal directions.
The one in front was at the greatest disadvantage. He was directly facing Heo Munseung’s sword. On the other hand, the one behind him was very comfortable. He only had to worry about a surprise attack.
Conversely, Heo Munseung was most wary of the one behind him.
He couldn’t see him with his eyes, but he used all his five senses and his sixth sense to read the movements behind him.
“Taaat!”
The attack began. The Four Demons of Mount Yin all swung their weapons at once.
The one in front used a flail with a chain.
It was a form with an iron weight attached to a chain, and the chain was quite long. He could attack without entering the range where the sword could be extended, the range where Heo Munseung could move, the sword circle.
The one on the left used a long bladed spear. It was a long weapon with a willow leaf blade attached to a spear shaft.
The one on the right also used a long weapon, a spear.
The one behind him threw a hidden weapon. Just by hearing the sound of it cutting through the air, he could tell what kind of hidden weapon it was. A throwing star!
They thoroughly avoided close combat.
He had known that the weapons of the Four Demons of Mount Yin were a sword, an axe, and a halberd, but they had chosen unfamiliar weapons.
That was how much they were wary of close combat.
They didn’t give him the distance for the sword to approach. If he approached, they would retreat, and chase. If he turned around, they would again increase the distance and attack.
They were not in a hurry. They were not at all rushed while attacking the young master inside the Sacred Sword Sect. It was as if they were going to enjoy the hunt slowly. They even had smiles on their faces.
Also, their attacks were based on the Heavenly Yin Demonic Art.
Every time they moved their weapons, a fishy smell wafted.
Poison!
The weapons became blurry as they got closer. And when they were right in front of him, they disappeared completely. The yin energy of the Heavenly Yin Demonic Art spread out like a shadow and hid the weapons.
“Taaat!”
Heo Munseung shot forward as if sliding.
It looked like a reckless counterattack… but he had already slid a long way and swung his sword up at the chain attached to the flail.
Clang!
The iron weight was lifted up as if it were being pulled.
The heavy flail fell from the sky. Heo Munseung swung his sword up at such a flail. The two forces clashed, but the flail was lifted up without any resistance.
Heo Munseung’s internal energy overwhelmed that of the Four Demons of Mount Yin.
“Ugh!”
The one in front let out a cry of astonishment and his eyes widened.
Swoosh! Paek! Puk!
The sword pushed the lifted flail to the side. And it fell straight down from the air, and cut the one in front horizontally.
One person fell with a thud.
Heo Munseung also staggered. He had inhaled the poisonous energy contained in the weapon while recklessly launching an attack. But it would take time for the poisonous energy to take effect. And the fight would be over before then.
Chwaaak!
Heo Munseung’s body floated up into the air.
Whirlwind Drill!
A whirlwind arose. His body and sword spun around like a whirlwind. The sword became a drill, and the body became the handle. Sword and body as one, he shot forward like a drill.
Bbakak! Bbakakakak!
The head of the one holding the spear disappeared.
The Whirlwind Drill had struck his head. But the fiercely whirling sword had completely pulverized his head.
He couldn’t even scream and collapsed with a thud.
Heo Munseung’s body did not stop for a moment and shot straight towards the third demon.
Paaat!
The distance between the one on the left and Heo Munseung was closed in an instant.
The distance between the two was quite far, but a sword circle was formed in a single leap.
A distance where the long bladed spear was difficult to use, a distance where the sword was very useful!
Bbakak! Bbakakak!
The long bladed spear was broken. The seventeen linked sword strikes that unfolded in an instant had turned the long bladed spear into small pieces of wood.
Swoosh!
The sword cut his abdomen.
Heo Munseung did not look at the falling man. He immediately turned his body and deflected the flying throwing stars.
The one behind him had thrown twelve throwing stars. And he had disappeared without a trace a zhang in front of Heo Munseung. His very existence had melted away like snow and was not visible.
But Heo Munseung accurately grasped the flying throwing stars.
The yin energy of the Heavenly Yin Demonic Art could hide the form. But it could not hide the iron energy, the energy that iron emits.
The sharp energy that the metal object spewed out stimulated Heo Munseung.
Tang tang! Tang! Tang tang!
Heo Munseung deflected the throwing stars. And he looked at the last remaining martial artist.
He had already foreseen his own death. What day was today? It was the day the Sacred Sword Sect Master died. It was the day Heo Munseung’s father died. If they had come on such a day and launched a surprise attack, he would not forgive anyone.
Wasn’t Heo Munseung, who was usually even called the Great Hero of Benevolence and Righteousness, mercilessly pouring out killing techniques?
In that instant, Heo Munseung’s body moved in a zigzag pattern.
He seemed to be going to the left, then to the right, and then he seemed to be going to the right, and then he bounced back to the left. And in no time, he was right in front of him and used his sword. He cut straight up from below.
“Kuk!”
The last demon let out a scream.
A searing pain, as if being branded with a hot iron, shot up from his side to his right chest.
* * *
Heo Munseung could not move even after killing the Four Demons of Mount Yin.
One person remained. He walked through the snow with his hands behind his back.
‘Uncle…!’
He knew it would be his uncle. On the day his father passed away, the only person who would do such a thing was his uncle.
When his father was bedridden, the opinions of the martial artists of the Sacred Sword Sect were divided.
They had to prepare for the aftermath of the Sect Master’s death, and a considerable number of them were of the opinion that they should deal with his uncle first.
In particular, his younger brothers strongly insisted that they should tie his uncle up in his residence or expel him from the Sacred Sword Sect. They said that even if it meant cutting ties with his uncle, they had to deal with it cleanly.
It was a foolish thing to say.
From what he had secretly gathered, seven tenths of the real power of the Sacred Sword Sect was already in his uncle’s hands.
Even if he just glared at his uncle, his uncle would draw his sword.
In terms of power, real power, martial arts, and connections… he was no match for him in any aspect.
The only way to avoid bloodshed was to hand over the position of Sect Master.
He had already reached an agreement with his mother on this matter. Although there was an unwritten rule of primogeniture in the Sacred Sword Sect, he was thinking of handing over the position of Sect Master after obtaining the consent of the elders.
But today, his uncle… had revealed his intentions before even holding his father’s funeral. In a very brutal way.
“Uncle.”
Heo Dogi approached without hesitation.
“A good sword. One person per move. One strike kill. So you had this kind of decisiveness in you.”
“Uncle, you don’t have to do this. The position of Sect Master is…”
“Nephew! Aren’t you a martial artist! If you’re a martial artist, you should speak with your sword!”
Heo Munseung clearly understood his uncle’s intentions. His uncle was trying to eliminate not only him but also his younger brothers. Everyone in a position to inherit the position of Sect Master would be exterminated.
Heo Munseung looked at the Four Demons of Mount Yin.
Now he understood why they had attacked him. On the day his father passed away, a large number of demons had launched a surprise attack. And he and his three brothers would have died by the swords of the demons.
If he handed over the position of Sect Master, he would be criticized for taking his nephew’s position, but if his nephew died at the hands of demons, he could have even stronger control. It would be a justification for breaking his seclusion and entering the martial world.
Since his uncle had drawn his sword, his younger brothers were sure to die. What would happen to his mother?
Heo Munseung shook his head from side to side.
Focus! Focus! Focus!
Now was the time to focus on the fight.
Heo Munseung flicked his sword and scattered the blood on it onto the snow.
His uncle walked forward without hesitation. It was as if he didn’t even care about Heo Munseung’s sword.
Just like before, Heo Munseung stepped forward with his right foot and slightly bent both knees. With the sword in his hand, he aimed at his uncle’s glabella. He held the hilt with his right hand as if using a slingshot, and lightly supported the sword body with his left hand.
“Nephew. You can only use the sword once!”
His uncle said with a smile.
He knew his uncle’s martial arts better than anyone. He was no match for him. But he would do his best. If he did his best, he might be able to win.
He focused all his senses on the sword.
He glared at his uncle. He tried to read even the movement of his fine hairs.
“Here I come!”
Chaang!
The sword was drawn!
In that instant, Heo Munseung swung his sword faster than ever before. If he even allowed his uncle to attack first, it would be over. He would strike first with all his might, with a blow he wouldn’t regret, and then get out.
Heo Munseung swung his sword down with all his might, wondering if he had ever attacked so quickly before.
Clang!
The sword and the sword clashed.
‘Ugh!’
It was only for a moment… but a shiver ran down Heo Munseung’s entire body.
His uncle had not attacked Heo Munseung. As if he knew where Heo Munseung would attack, he held his sword diagonally. He bent his body to the side and raised his sword.
Kaaaaaaak!
Heo Munseung’s sword slid with a sharp scraping sound. It followed his uncle’s sword and fell down diagonally.
His sword missed his uncle. It completely missed to the left. And Heo Munseung’s right side was wide open.
Paaat!
The obvious attack, his uncle’s sword fell straight down from above.
Since he was holding the sword diagonally, he didn’t need to swing it up, he just had to cut down.
Peok!
Heo Munseung felt a strong blow to his side.
“Nephew. Take good care of your father. If you’re really that resentful, let’s have another round in hell.”
His uncle walked away through the snow.
Heo Munseung collapsed with a thud. While suppressing the scream that was about to burst out.
(End of Chapter)