Chapter 1226

<Chapter 1226> The Ascension Path of Light

Seon Hae-do and Choo-jeo stared at each other with serious expressions.

“Is it true that the Byung-sal Sect Leader’s communication has been cut off?”

“Last night, I sent a trustworthy warrior to the Byung-sal Sect headquarters. He returned this morning. Apparently, the Byung-sal Sect has been neatly cleaned out.”

“…Did the Byung-sal Sect get attacked?”

“It doesn’t seem like it. They took their assets and vanished. There were no signs of battle.”

“…Did the Byung-sal Sect go into hiding? Did they abandon the mission?”

“That doesn’t seem likely. I know the Byung-sal Sect Leader well… He’s full of ambition. He’s not the type to stop here.”

“Then… could he…?!”

“That seems unlikely too. He’s very cautious. He doesn’t move alone. Do you think he could handle the assassins of the Byung-sal Sect by himself? Someone else is involved.”

“…The Heavenly Horse Spirit Cult. It has to be them.”

“Yes. The Heavenly Horse Spirit Cult. And if they’re moving directly… it means…”

“Our time is running out.”

“That’s right. I wanted him to suffer, but it seems we need to deal with him today. I’ll summon him to the square by noon. After that… it’s up to you. Can you do it?”

“I’ll make sure to sever his life completely.”

“You’re reliable. Let’s move. Since he might use underhanded tactics, I’ll secretly set up an array in the square. It’s small, but it should help you.”

“Thank you, Family Head.”

Just then…

A massive explosion shook the ground and buildings. It felt more like an explosion than an earthquake. They stood up and opened the window to look outside.

Seon Hae-do’s eyes widened. One of the annexes of Seon Manor was half-collapsed and on fire.

“AAAAAAAAAAH!”

“My arm!!”

“Warriors, rescue the people first! Others, bring water to put out the fire!!”

“This is an attack! Conduct reconnaissance immediately!”

Screams and black smoke rising high into the sky. Seon Manor quickly turned into chaos.

KWAANG! KWAANG!

Explosions continued to occur.

As someone had said, this was indeed an attack.

“Damn it! These are Thunderclap Bombs! Is the Heavenly Horse Spirit Cult using Thunderclap Bombs to attack?!”

Seon Hae-do slammed his fist against the window frame.

KWAANG!

An explosion occurred in the main building where Seon Hae-do was.

“GRRRRRHHHHH…”

Seon Hae-do’s reaction was slightly delayed due to his rage. He jumped out of the window with burns on his back.

“AAAAAAAAAAH!”

Choo-jeo burst out through the wall. His left arm was gone due to the explosion.

Seon Hae-do quickly approached Choo-jeo. With clumsy skill, he pressed acupuncture points on Choo-jeo’s left shoulder.

•••

KWAANG! KWAANG!

I trembled at the sound of the Thunderclap Bombs exploding.

Watching the dog-like Seon Manor crumble made me feel inexplicably happy.

Shake shake shake.

I found myself dancing without realizing it. That’s how good my mood was. Of course, it wasn’t as good as during sex.

I was inside Seon Manor. Using Illusion Arts to conceal myself, I watched as the manor crumbled due to the Thunderclap Bombs.


From the , I kept watch.

Gruuuh.

I pressed the button in my right hand. The eighth wall-cracker bomb, carelessly buried in the ground, exploded. The bodies of the warriors running around it soared into Heaven. Unable to withstand the wall-cracker’s firepower, they shattered like falling porcelain. Limbs were torn apart, and torso after torso shot up into the air, spraying blood and guts everywhere. It was a scene of utter despair.

“9th explosion!”

KUUUAAAAANG!

The wall-cracker placed in the pond detonated. A water pillar erupted, and carp fell dead onto the ground.

Wall-crackers aren’t normally remotely detonated. They’re similar to grenades.

“But this world has magic arts.”

With the help of Miling, the three-star spellcaster, I could remotely trigger the wall-crackers.

“Consecutive explosions up to 15!”

Explosions continued one after another. Flames engulfed the Xian residence, and black smoke obscured the sky. The proud warriors of the Xian residence fell as scattered corpses.

As I walked forward, triggering the pre-installed wall-crackers, I soon spotted Xian Haidao. He was with Chuzhe. Having dispelled their illusions, they revealed themselves.

“Xian Haidao. Seeing you here makes me glad. How are you?”

“YOU…! Yan Qiushuo!!”

“Is this your doing!!”

Chuzhe and Xian Haidao shouted, drawing their swords and pointing them at me. Their bodies, having been attacked by the wall-crackers, were far from normal. Especially Chuzhe, who had lost his left arm. Things were going better than expected.

“You fool!! Using wall-crackers—have you lost your mind?! Are you not afraid of the laws of the Jianghu? Because of this, even the Tianma Sect won’t escape the condemnation of the Jianghu!”

“Wall-crackers? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t use any wall-crackers.”

“Now you deny it?! Who else would use wall-crackers but you!!”

“Don’t accuse someone based on mere suspicion. If you want to pin this on me, show some evidence. Evidence. I just happened to arrive when I saw the Xian residence burning, thinking it was a perfect chance to hunt down Chuzhe hiding within. And as you can see, things went exactly as I planned. Heh heh.”

“Yan Qiushuo…!! You’ll regret revealing yourself before me. I will kill you here, and with the power of the Tianyi Alliance, I will hold the Tianma Sect accountable for this!!”

I grinned and firmly pressed the button in my hand.

KUUUAAAAANG!

The wall-cracker installed at the back gate of the Xian residence exploded.

“Xian Haidao. I believe I mentioned this last time—I’d return someday and reduce the Xian residence to nothing but rubble, leaving not a single stone standing. I usually keep my promises. I also said I’d violate your wife, tear your daughter limb from limb, and burn all your relatives alive. But here’s the thing: your wife is too old. Too old for me to bother violating. And there’s no daughter; you only have three sons. So I decided just to kill them.”

I pointed with my index finger toward a side building attached to the main hall. That was where Xian Haidao’s family lived.

Click, click, click, click.

I quickly pressed the button four times.

The four wall-crackers I’d installed in the side building detonated simultaneously. Even one wall-cracker could destroy an entire inn. Here, there were four.

“Heh heh heh! Your wife and brat kids are dead!”

Xian Haidao’s face froze for a moment. Then, contorting his features, he screamed.

“You son of a bitch!!!!”

Xian Haidao swung his sword. A sword qi accompanied by wind came flying at me. I dodged to the side and swung my blade backward.

“Kghhh!”

Behind me, Chuzhe, who had sneaked up quietly, took the blade straight into his chest. He staggered. Without mercy, I slashed his head off.

“Chuzhe, I’ve got eyes in the back of my head.”

My Celestial Eye had silently tracked Chuzhe’s movements without moving a muscle.

The rage that Xian Haidao had been spewing suddenly turned cold. His fury had been an act to draw my attention. Calmly, Xian Haidao raised his sword. I lifted mine and aimed it at him.

Normally, I wouldn’t fight. Xian Haidao is at the second rank of Perseverance, while I’m currently at the second rank of Initial Mastery. The gap between us was clear.


Hmm, if that bastard were to go all out, I wouldn’t last ten moves before dying…

‘That’s with him at full strength. But he got hit by an explosive pellet. He’s got burn marks on his back, and judging by the shaking of his sword, his shoulder isn’t in good shape either. Even without releasing my seals, there’s a chance I could win.’

I channeled the dark energy of the Heavenly Demon Art.

“Heh heh… So it seems. You never cared about your wife or kids, did you? Was it all just for appearances?”

“Are you planning to call me a hypocrite?”

“Not really. I just couldn’t help but laugh since you’re exactly as predictable as expected. This is how the world of righteous heroes works, after all.”

“…I will avenge my wife and children. After killing you and holding their funeral, I’ll rebuild the Sword Sect!”

He kicked off the ground and charged towards me like a whirlwind.

Xianhai Dao – The Elegant Crane Sword.

They say his swordplay is as noble as a crane and as graceful as a deer.

But the swordplay of Xianhai Dao before my eyes had neither nobility nor grace. All I felt from his blade was sharp killing intent and anger like a volcanic eruption.

KAAANG!

His sword crossed with my blade. I was being pushed back. While barely holding off Xianhai Dao’s attacks, I took steps backward.

“Ho ho! Not bad for someone with merely Entry-level skills!”

If I were just any ordinary Entry 2nd Rank warrior, the battle would’ve already ended in my defeat.

“Don’t try to flatter yourself. The reason I can block your attacks so easily is because… your swordplay is weak.”

“We’ll see how long you can keep yapping. Don’t disappoint me!”

Xianhai Dao adopted a solemn expression.

‘Is he going to use some kind of ultimate finishing move?’

It did come flying…

A pile of dirt.

‘This guy just kicked up dirt.’

Dirt flew into my eyes, and I instinctively closed them.

“I’ve got you now.”

Xianhai Dao grinned with satisfaction. A blade of energy shot out from his sword, aiming straight for me. How do I know? I’d been using Heavenly Eye continuously this whole time.

‘Snap.’

[Using Snap (刹那). Remaining stacks: 6]

I stepped back, evading Xianhai Dao’s blade.

Perfectly avoided. Yet blood still sprayed from my body. From my right shoulder to my left side, I was slashed diagonally.

‘This guy is seriously annoying. The end part of the blade energy was transparent, making it impossible to see. What kind of cheap trick is this from someone who claims to be a master?’

Only after focusing hard did I manage to barely notice it.

“You think you dodged? Lucky bastard. But that won’t last long. With your eyes still shut, you’re dead.”

“You’re the one who’s dying.”

Grrr.

I pressed the button on my left hand.

The explosive pellets hidden on the ground detonated.

BOOOOM!

‘…At the moment of explosion, I surrounded myself with a protective barrier, redirecting most of the blast upwards while jumping into the air.’

He proved that his “ultimate form” wasn’t all that great.

‘He didn’t completely evade it. His right ankle is gone, and his left ankle is barely hanging on. This guy has no mobility left.’

This means I’ve won.

Xianhai Dao landed on the ground but didn’t give up. He stiffened his face, pretending to be fine, and swung his sword at me.

Sword energy cut through the air, heading straight for me. The best thing this ankle-less guy can do now is send out sword energies, hoping I die.

I mocked Xianhai Dao as I moved my body left and right, dodging all his sword energies without even needing to use Snap.

“Damn it!!”

Xianhai Dao’s resistance didn’t last long. Sending out sword energy consumes internal energy recklessly. It’s not a sustainable attack.

“If you beg for your life, maybe I’ll spare you.”

“…Will begging save me?”

“No.”

I threw an explosive pellet at him. Seeing the pellet rolling toward his feet, Xianhai Dao sighed deeply. Then, glaring at me with hatred, he shouted:

“I’ll curse you in hell!!”

KABOOM!!!

Not a single stone of the Sword Sect remained.

‘Mission complete.’