Light Novel: Volume 22 Episode 23
Manhwa: N/A
The man watching the confrontation between Lee Geumhan and Yong Hasang from the inn was undoubtedly Pyo-wol.
Even though only his mouth and chin were visible under the deeply pulled-down hat, Namgung Seol was convinced that it was Pyo-wol.
A man with unusually red lips and a handsome yet sharp jawline could only be Pyo-wol.
At least, among all the people she knew, he was the only one to possess such features.
‘Why is he here?’
Namgung Seol furrowed her brow.
It seemed that Pyo-wol was too preoccupied with Yong Hasang and Lee Geumhan to notice her presence.
‘What should I do?’
If Pyo-wol happened to have some kind of relationship with Yong Hasang, it could complicate matters significantly.
If he were to secretly intervene in their fight, it could change the course of the battle.
Pyo-wol was certainly a man with enough capabilities to do so.
Moreover, the relationship between Pyo-wol and Lee Geumhan was not that good.
Having clashed once before, he might still harbor resentment.
Namgung Seol pondered for a moment, then slightly moved her lips.
She was sending a telepathic message to the Snowflake Sword Squad members mixed in with the crowd.
―Pyo-wol is in the inn. Keep an eye on him, and if he shows any signs of intervening in the fight, attack him.
At her command, the Snowflake Sword Squad members nodded and moved into action, however, with the crowd’s attention so focused on Lee Geumhan and Yong Hasang, they failed to notice their movements.
It was then.
“Stop right there.”
Suddenly, a soft voice of a woman came from behind Namgung Seol.
Instantly, a cold sweat trickled down Namgung Seol’s spine.
She hadn’t even noticed the woman’s approach until she opened her mouth.
Even if she was surrounded by many people, it made no sense for a master of Namgung Seol’s caliber not to notice someone coming up right behind her.
The fact that she hadn’t noticed someone so close meant the person had mastered a martial art specialized in concealing their presence and movements.
In Jianghu, most who mastered such martial arts were assassins.
Namgung Seol happened to know such a female assassin.
“It’s you.”
She said without turning around.
“You remember me.”
“How could I forget an assassin like you? But how bold, for you to come here on your own.”
“I’ve heard that a lot before.”
The woman standing calmly behind Namgung Seol, responding nonchalantly, was none other than Hong Ye-seol.
Hong Ye-seol’s gaze was fixed on Pyo-wol, visible in front of Namgung Seol.
“He has no intention of intervening in this fight. So, call off your men.”
“How am I supposed to believe that?”
“I don’t care if you don’t believe me, because if you don’t listen to me, only you and your man will stand to lose.”
“How shameless. All this trouble happened because of you, and yet you show up like this. Are all assassins as shameless as you?”
“That’s standard for an assassin.”
“Don’t you feel any responsibility for this situation? You killed the Scholar as Wise as Seven Sages Noh Kang-hyun, causing this great Jianghu conflict to break out.”
“I’m merely a tool. The problem lies with the person who commissioned the job, not me.”
“Are you trying to shirk from the responsibility?”
“I’ve already paid a sufficient price. Don’t be unreasonable.”
Hong Ye-seol’s calm reply made Namgung Seol frowned.
In her heart, she wanted to turn around and attack Hong Ye-seol right then and there. However, Hong Ye-seol wouldn’t just let herself be attacked.
From the moment Hong Ye-seol had taken her back, Namgung Seol was at a complete disadvantage.
There was no clear way to resolve the situation at the moment.
After clenching her teeth for a moment, Namgung Seol sent another telepathic message to the Snowflake Sword Squad.
―Everyone retreat from the inn. I revoke my command.
At her command, the Snowflake Sword Squad looked puzzled for a moment. But then they quickly obeyed her order and stepped away from the inn.
Namgung Seol asked,
“Are we done now?”
“……”
But no answer came from behind her.
Only then did Namgung Seol cautiously turn around.
“Euk!”
Namgung Seol clenched her teeth in humiliation.
Hong Ye-seol, who had been threatening her until now, was nowhere to be seen.
The fact that she hadn’t noticed Hong Ye-seol’s departure, just like her arrival, made her feel humiliated.
She looked around, but she could not find any sign of Hong Ye-seol anywhere.
The realization that she would have been dead by now if Hong Ye-seol had harbored any malicious intent sent shivers down her spine.
In a head-to-head confrontation, she was confident she would never lose, but in the case of such a sneak attack, her life was in danger.
She felt a strong sense of crisis.
She had never felt this much danger since she had learned martial arts.
‘I won’t let this go. I will hunt her down to the ends of hell if I have to.’
Fire filled Namgung Seol’s eyes.
It was then.
Boom!
Suddenly, an explosive sound rang out.
Namgung Seol immediately snapped out of her reverie and looked in front of her.
Lee Geumhan and Yong Hasang were clashing.
Neither of them had drawn their swords yet.
The fight began with bare fists.
Although both primarily used swordsmanship, they were also skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
There was nothing better than fists to gauge an opponent’s strength.
Boom!
The fists of the two men clashed, causing a series of explosions to erupt.
One was the heir of the Dragon Sky Valley, one of the Three Supremes, and the other was the young leader of the Frenzied Warrior Sect, one of the Two Strongholds.
Both men had mastered the supreme skills of the Dragon Sky Valley and the Frenzied Warrior Sect to an exceptional level.
Every move they made with their bare fists was a peak technique of martial arts.
Puff, puff, puff!
Their fists crossed and intertwined countless times.
With each contact, the air exploded, and the ground was deeply indented.
“Heuk!”
“Step back, step back!”
The spectators hastily scrambled back at the fearsome surge of qi.
Staying too close could mean getting swept up in the qi waves and losing their lives.
Yong Hasang, with a fist charged with internal energy, exclaimed,
“You’re a great warrior, Lee Geumhan!”
“So are you.”
He had no choice but to admit it.
Both Yong Hasang and Lee Geumhan had a deep understanding of their own martial arts.
It had been a long time since he had faced an opponent like this.
The corners of Lee Geumhan’s lips curled into a smile.
Since Pyo-wol, Yong Hasang was the first opponent to push him to this extent.
With such a great martial prowess, Lee Geumhan couldn’t understand why he had been so passive against the Golden Heaven Society.
“Ha!”
With a shout, Yong Hasang launched a punch with all his might. This caused his fist to be enveloped in a bright halo of light.
“I, It’s Fist Qi!”
“Leader Yong has released Fist Qi!”
“Wow!”
Exclamations burst forth.
It was everyone’s first time seeing martial artist who had reached the point where he could freely unleash Fist Qi.
Unleashing qi to their fists was tantamount to proof of being an absolute master.
Being recognized as an absolute master meant Yong Hasang’s martial prowess was among the top in Jianghu.
Whoosh!
Yong Hasang’s Fist Qi rushed towards Lee Geumhan with terrifying momentum.
People wondered how Lee Geumhan would respond.
There was no need for him to confront the Fist Qi head-on.
A more sensible response would have been to dodge, or even deflect it. However, Lee Geumhan did not do so.
As a martial artist, especially as someone leading the era in Jianghu, he must never show weakness.
He must face all trials and threats head-on so that people will trust him and follow him.
Lee Geumhan had always considered himself as man who would lead and guide Jianghu.
He had been educated to think and act that way from a young age, and it was always in his mind that he should be.
“Cha!”
Lee Geumhan launched a punch towards the incoming Fist Qi.
Instantly, his fist also emitted an intense beam of light.
“F, Fist Qi!”
“Master Lee has also unleashed Fist Qi.”
Boom!
At that moment, the two Fist Qis collided.
As if a meteorite had fallen, a tremendous explosion of sound and qi swept through the area.
“Ugh!”
“Keuk!”
People caught in the shockwave were sent flying like leaves in the wind.
Only those martial artists who had reached high levels of mastery managed to stand firm, but even then their faces were marked with tension and shock.
Shiver!
Goosebumps rose on their skin.
Being born a martial artist and witnessing such a level of combat was a great fortune.
Just watching such a level of duel elevated one’s standards.
With elevated standards came a deeper understanding of martial arts, spurring further advancement.
Especially for those who had already reached certain levels of martial arts, watching such high-level duels often led to enlightenment.
The martial artists couldn’t tear their eyes away from the duel between the two.
After a moment, as the tempest-like qi calmed, the figures of the two men were revealed.
Both men appeared to remain unscathed, which was hard to believe since their Fist Qis had just collided.
The only difference was that Yong Hasang’s face appeared slightly more flushed.
Yong Hasang grasped the handle of his sword, saying,
“I don’t think we’ll be able to settle this fight easily with just our fists.”
“I agree.”
Lee Geumhan also tightly held his sword’s handle.
Both of their true expertise lay in swordsmanship.
What had transpired was merely a prelude. The real battle was about to begin.
Whoosh!
The two men pointed their swords at each other, both unleashing an immense aura.
“Cha!”
It was Yong Hasang who moved first.
Whizz!
The sword in his hand flew towards Lee Geumhan with a chilling sound of slicing air.
At that moment, Lee Geumhan’s gaze turned icy cold.
He slightly bent his waist and lunged forward.
It was the Wheel Turning Step, a move that complemented the Heaven Slaying Sword.
Swish!
His sword swung with terrifying momentum.
Sword clashed against sword.
Clang!
Simultaneously, the swords cried out.
“Ugh!”
“My ears…”
The sharp sound of the swords forced people to cover their ears in agony.
But covering their ears proved to be futile.
The wailing sound of the swords penetrated people’s brains, shaking them to the core.
People started collapsing one after another.
Only a few martial artists were able to remain standing on their own two legs.
Among them were Namgung Wol and Ju Seolpung.
Their faces were grim as they watched the clash between Lee Geumhan and Yong Hasang.
It seemed like an evenly matched fight.
Neither of them could decisively overpower the other, and it appeared they were engaged in a fierce battle. However, the two of them knew too well that this was not the case.
“It’s over.”
“Hoo!”
Both of them sighed deeply at the same time.
Yong Hasang’s swordsmanship was certainly remarkable.
It was a technique worthy of the renowned Dragon Sky Valley, capable of dominating an era.
However, he had the wrong opponent.
The name of the sword technique that Lee Geumhan had mastered was called the Heaven Slaying Sword.
It was the sword technique of Lee Gwak, who established one of the Two Strongholds, the Frenzied Warrior Sect, with just a single sword.
In terms of power alone, it could be said to be the best in the world.
It was unclear to what extent Lee Geumhan had mastered the Heaven Slaying Sword, but simply in terms of the power of the techniques, the Dragon Sky Valley’s swordsmanship couldn’t match the Heaven Slaying Sword.
They were well aware of how great Yong Hasang’s pride was. However, if he truly wanted to defeat Lee Geumhan, he should have chosen a different martial art.
It was impossible for the Dragon Sky Valley’s swordsmanship to beat the Heaven Slaying Sword.
At least, that’s what they thought.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal burst forth continuously.
Now, the figures of the two men were no longer visible.
They were moving at such a terrifying speed that it was difficult to catch with the naked eye.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The speed at which their sword collided increased.
It was clear that the confrontation between the two was reaching its climax.
Accordingly, the hearts of the spectators were also beating faster.
It was at the moment when heartbeats reached their peak—
Bang!
With a resounding clash, an unprecedented sound of metal and shockwave erupted.
People squinted their eyes or covered their faces with their hands.
Only after the tremendous shockwave had passed did they look back at the battlefield.
One person was standing with his sword trailing on the ground, while the other was on one knee.
Finally, the victor and the defeated were decided.
At the moment their faces were recognized, the crowd burst into cheers.
“Wow! Master Lee Geumhan has won!”
“Sword Maniac has bested Leader Yong!”
The person standing upright was Lee Geumhan, and the one on one knee with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth was Yong Hasang.
This was the moment when the leadership of the Silver Lotus Society was passed on from Yong Hasang to Lee Geumhan.
You cannot copy content of this page