Light Novel: Volume 18 Episode 16
Manhwa: N/A
Jin Pyo-du and Geum Pyo-du simultaneously swung their single-edged swords.
The black and white swords tore through the air, heading straight for Pyo-wol.
Using the Snake Steps, Pyo-wol evaded their attack.
The two swords missed and passed by Pyo-wol just by a hair’s breadth.
Pyo-wol, capitalizing on the momentum, tried to bypass the two men.
His primary target was still Ma Won-ik on the boat and the scriptures he had taken.
Once they cleared the bend ahead, the river would widen again. If the boat entered the wider part of the river, chasing it would become much more challenging.
He had to catch up no matter what. So instead of facing Jin Pyo-du and Geum Pyo-du, he tried to get past them. However, both Jin Pyo-du and Geum Pyo-du were exceptional martial artists beyond Pyo-wol’s expectations.
“Ha!”
“Don’t even think about it!”
Swish!
They spun in place like a spinning top, sending their swords flying towards Pyo-wol’s back.
The two swords intersected, making it impossible for Pyo-wol to ignore or dodge them.
Left with no choice, Pyo-wol turned around and parried the blades with both hands.
Clang!
The sound of metal echoed as the swords from the two Pyo-du were deflected.
Seeing Pyo-wol deflect the swords with his bare hands, both Jin Pyo-du and Geum Pyo-du’s eyes widened in shock.
“What the?”
“Bastard!”
They had never anticipated that Pyo-wol would deflect their swords with his bare hands.
It was a common understanding in Jianghu that unless one had mastered a special technique, it was impossible to block a sword barehanded. Pyo-wol had just defied that belief entirely.
Then, they noticed the armored gauntlets on Pyo-wol’s hands and forearms.
“He’s wearing an armor!”
“Tsk! Resorting to petty tricks.”
Both were infuriated upon realizing Pyo-wol had used gauntlets rather than his bare hands to deflect their attack.
Whoosh!
Pyo-wol dashed close to the ground, like a swallow.
He had now tested and confirmed the durability of the gauntlets made by Tang Sochu for him.
Even without using any internal energy, the arm guards didn’t have a single scratch.
With him wearing these, he would not be afraid of any swords in the world.
Jin Pyo-du and Geum Pyo-du launched another series of attacks.
Pah-bah-bang!
The air exploded around their black and white sword.
Pyo-wol parried all their attacks using his gauntlets and advanced forward.
Shuuu!
The Soul-Reaping Thread was released.
“Heh!”
At that moment, both Jin Pyo-du and Geum Pyo-du leaped backward.
They had already received intel about Pyo-wol’s deadly technique, the Soul-Reaping Thread, and were fully prepared.
They waited for the thread to pass before counter-attacking.
“Take this!”
“Curse you!”
It was common knowledge that at close range, short weapons like swords and daggers had an advantage over long weapons like whips and threads.
Shhhhh!
The two black and white swords sliced through the air in a dizzying array.
Like the deadly teeth of a predator, they struck with lethal precision.
The two men had known each other for a very long time so their coordination was impeccable.
They could tell what each other was thinking with just a glance or a gesture
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Pyo-wol’s gauntlets clashed repeatedly with the two blades.
Sparks flew in all directions.
Pyo-wol realized the sword techniques they were using were extremely practical.
A single-edged sword like the dao was originally more practical than a double-edged sword.
While mastering the intricacies of a double-edged sword and applying it in real combat could take a long time, a single-edged sword like the dao was much more intuitive and easier to master.
Despite this advantage, the dao techniques they displayed were extremely fierce. It contained a ferocity that only those who have honed their skills in real combat could possess.
“Ha!”
“Cha!”
Like a flash, they struck horizontally and vertically.
The black and white sword lights dazzled Pyo-wol’s eyes.
Yet, even as he blocked their strikes, Pyo-wol studied their faces.
Their features were plain, devoid of any distinguishing characteristics.
If they were bandits with such skills, they should have been famous in the Jianghu. But Pyo-wol had never heard of bandits with such faces.
There was only one possibility left.
“You two are from the Kowloon Assassin Guild.”
“What?!”
“……”
For a moment, Jin Pyo-du and Geum Pyo-du felt as if their hearts had dropped.
Though they were extremely experienced, they couldn’t hide their flustered expressions at this particular moment.
Their reactions confirmed Pyo-wol’s suspicions.
‘Then, the Silver River Escort Agency, perhaps even the New Moon Manor, has ties with the Kowloon Assassin Guild.’
The Kowloon Assassin Guildk had been as elusive as a floating cloud until now.
While Pyo-wol had confirmed its existence, he had not been able to uncover its true nature. Yet now, unexpectedly, he had come close to their true essence.
Pyo-wol asked,
“Why is the Kowloon Assassin Guild targeting the sacred scriptures?”
“Shut up!”
“Silence!”
Jin Pyo-du and Geum Pyo-du’s eyes glowed in anger and attacked more fiercely.
Whoosh!
Their fierce sword strokes consistently targeted Pyo-wol’s vital points.
The assault was like a storm, slashing away unnecessary branches and focusing only on the main trunks.
At first glance, Pyo-wol seemed like a leaf swept away in a storm.
He looked like he was being helplessly tossed about by the two men’s attacks. However, not a hint of danger could be detected on Pyo-wol’s face.
On the contrary, the two attackers seemed to grow more anxious.
‘Damn it!’
‘Is he a ghost?’
All of their attacks missed Pyo-wol by mere centimeters.
It was as if they were dealing with a disembodied ghost.
They had fought many battles, but this was the first time they had faced such an enemy.
Cold sweat trickled down their backs.
They realized that Pyo-wol was not fighting back, not because he was cornered, but because he was observing them.
“Hyaa!”
“Don’t underestimate us!”
They two shouted as they each unleashed their strongest technique.
Whoosh!
The air was filled with afterimages of swords.
Hundreds of black and white sword afterimages hurtled towards Pyo-wol.
In a split second, Pyo-wol unleashed Black Lightning.
As lightning stimulated his nerves, his body’s reaction speed increased several times faster than normal.
Boom!
A rain of swords poured down on the spot where Pyo-wol had once stood. But Pyo-wol was no longer there.
In the blink of an eye, he had circled Jin Pyo-du and Geum Pyo-du and landed at a considerable distance from them.
“Huh?”
At that moment, Jin Pyo-du’s eyes caught sight of a silver thread flowing from Pyo-wol’s hand.
Only then did it dawn on him that Pyo-wol had circled around them.
“Could it be?”
“Damn it!”
At that instant, Pyo-wol yanked the silver thread.
Jin Pyo-du and Geum Pyo-du widened their eyes in shock.
They felt a burning pain around their waists.
Looking down, they saw a strand of silver thread slicing through their waists.
It was the Snake Qi Thread.
Pyo-wol had circled the Snake Qi Thread around the two men’s bodies, forming a noose.
In an instant, the noose had severed their waists.
The upper bodies of Jin Pyo-du and Geum Pyo-du slid from their waists and fell to the ground with a thud.
After retrieving the Snake Qi Thread, Pyo-wol immediately chased after the boat.
He had wasted a lot of time dealing with them.
He unleashed his qinggong at full power to catch up to the boat.
In the meantime, the boat carrying Ma Won-ik and the others had left the bend and was entering a wider part of the river.
This was his last chance to board the boat.
Thud!
Pyo-wol launched himself off the ground.
His body soared through the air like a bird.
It was then.
Suddenly, an arrow flew from the boat with fierce momentum.
Boom!
Just from the sound of the air bursting, one could tell how powerful it was.
It was too late to dodge while in mid-air.
Pyo-wol crossed his armored hands to block the arrow.
Bang!
With a loud noise, Pyo-wol was sent flying backwards.
He ended up crashing into the water’s edge.
He wasn’t injured, but his gauntleted wrists ached.
Picking himself up, Pyo-wol watched the boat sail away.
The one who had shot the arrow was Ma Won-ik.
In his hand was a great bow, the size of a child. He had sniped Pyo-wol with this great bow.
While Pyo-wol was falling down, the boat had moved further away.
Now, even if he were to launch himself, it would be impossible to board the boat in a single attempt.
“Hoo!”
Pyo-wol exhaled softly, glaring at Ma Won-ik.
Ma Won-ik, too, panted heavily as he looked back at Pyo-wol.
The great bow he was holding was called the Black Heavenly Great Bow. Its destructive power with a single shot was said to rival that of a siege weapon. However, the problem was that it consumed an enormous amount of internal energy and mental strength.
After firing a shot, his body felt as if it had melted, leaving him without the strength to draw the bowstring again.
Thunk!
Ma Won-ik threw the Black Heavenly Great Bow to the ground.
Since the bow could only shoot one arrow at a time, there was no point in holding it any longer.
Only two steel arrows remained.
There was no guarantee that he could fire them directly at Pyo-wol next time and it was uncertain if Pyo-wol would reveal himself like this again.
Ma Won-ik instructed the captain,
“Sail the boat at full speed.”
“Yes!”
All the sails were fully unfurled.
With the wind filling the sails, the boat sped down the river at a terrifying speed.
Ma Seo-won approached Ma Won-ik.
“Father, are you all right?”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to fire the Black Heavenly Great Bow again.”
Ma Won-ik replied with a frown.
“But now that we’ve gained some distance, I think we can relax.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
“What?”
“Look over there.”
Ma Won-ik pointed in the direction of Pyo-wol.
Following his gaze, Ma Seo-won’s eyes widened in shock.
It was because she could see Pyo-wol running after their boat despite taking a significant blow from the Black Heavenly Great Bow.
Even if the distance had grown considerably between them, he has yet to give up on pursuing them.
“Father!”
“I’ve heard tales of tenacious individuals, but he is truly something. It seems he’s determined to follow us to the very ends of hell.”
Ma Won-ik’s beard trembled.
He, too, was a seasoned martial artist, having heard tales of such relentless warriors from his youth. Without that determination, he wouldn’t have been able to establish a large enterprise like the Silver River Escort Agency. But even he was taken aback by Pyo-wol’s relentless pursuit.
Both Jin Pyo-du and Geum Pyo-du, who had initially blocked Pyo-wol, were formidable martial artists in their own right. Yet, both were cut in two only after a few seconds.
Pyo-wol’s martial arts prowess was at a level that surpassed imagination.
The problem was that Pyo-wol was still on their trail.
Ma Won-ik asked the captain,
“Is there a section of river ahead where the width narrows?”
“Yes, about two hundred li ahead.”
“How narrow does it get?”
“The width of the river narrows to about fifty meters, the current also increases rapidly.”
“Fifty meters?”
Ma Won-ik clenched his teeth.
It was a tricky distance.
Too far to leap across in one go, but if one were to throw a piece of wood or a waterborne vessel as a stepping stone, it would be within reach.
They had to get past the narrow section before Pyo-wol could catch up. But given Pyo-wol’s tenacity, it seemed an impossible feat.
Ma Won-ik had to make a decision.
After a moment of contemplation, he turned around.
“Ju Pyo-du!”
“Yes, my lord.”
A martial artist called Ju Pyo-du stepped forward.
“It looks like you’ll have to make a sacrifice.”
“I understand.”
Ju Pyo-du responded without a moment’s hesitation.
Looking at him, Ma Won-ik’s face was filled with anguish.
Ju Pyo-du was weaker than the already deceased Geum Pyo-du or Jin Pyo-du.
Asking him to stop Pyo-wol was akin to asking him to commit suicide. But Ma Won-ik had no other options.
Ju Pyo-du had a secret technique besides his martial arts, which could be the only means of stopping Pyo-wol.
The captain steered the boat to the riverbank, and Ju Pyo-du leaped onto the sandy shore.
The boat left him behind and gradually disappeared from view.
Ju Pyo-du gritted his teeth as he stared ahead.
A demon-like human was closing in on him at a terrifying pace.
luna-cave
You cannot copy content of this page