Slash!
"Cough, gurgle..."
Hao Yujin adjusted his grip on his sword and furrowed his brow after slashing down the martial artist who had charged at him.
'Are there still this many of them?'
He felt he had slashed at least several dozens of them.
Yet, there was no sign of the number of martial artists in front of him decreasing, making his chest feel stifled.
At that moment.
"My, my."
A refreshing voice came from above.
"With such a commotion, I thought the Murim Alliance was attacking, but to think you're being ravaged by merely three people."
In front of the door stood a middle-aged man with a dignified impression, the moon at his back.
"N-Northern Lord!"
Hao Yujin's eyes hardened slightly.
'Northern Lord? Then this guy is Pojian Gui!'
Upon hearing someone shout 'Northern Lord,' Hao Yujin grasped the middle-aged man's identity.
"Pathetic bastards."
Pojian Gui spoke toward the martial artists.
"They are not opponents you can handle."
The moment Pojian Gui lightly kicked off the ground.
"……!"
Hao Yujin's pupils shook greatly.
As if his shadow had stretched out, his figure suddenly elongated, and he instantly closed a distance of five zhang in a single breath.
'What a bizarre and astonishing movement technique. Is it the Yixing Bu of the Buer Jianmen?'
Hao Yujin's face stiffened slightly.
Pojian Gui stood exactly one step outside the range where their swords could reach each other.
It had happened in a single breath.
"To think four great squadrons of Baigui Cheng were crushed by just three guys... Even if we resolve this situation, this disgrace will be talked about for a long time."
Pojian Gui's eyes narrowed.
"Since it has come to this, I will tear your limbs to shreds this instant and derive at least a small comfort from it."
As soon as those words ended.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Ten figures appeared around Hao Yujin and swung their swords horizontally.
Shreeeng!
Hao Yujin urgently spun his body, dodging the sharp swift swords sweeping in from eight directions while simultaneously attempting a counterattack.
Clang!
Sparks flew around Hao Yujin.
A moment later, the eight swordsmen who had ambushed him leaped backward and retreated.
Surprise appeared on Pojian Gui's face.
"Impressive. Those who have managed to block the combined attack of the Guizhan Dui do not even number ten."
Hao Yujin bit his lip.
Trickle—
A streak of blood flowed down his cheek from a swift sword he couldn't quite dodge.
Drip, drip.
They weren't called the Guizhan Dui, one of the Three Great Ghosts of Baigui Cheng, for nothing; the swordsmanship of all eight was extraordinary.
'The Guizhan Dui and Pojian Gui... it's too much to face them both alone at the same time...'
"So you're Pojian Gui."
A familiar voice came from beside him.
"Senior brother?"
Hao Yujin looked at the side profile of Xuandao, who had appeared beside him like a ghost.
It was an expression he was seeing for the first time in his life.
Such is the demeanor of a man consumed by rage.
"...An astonishing aura."
Pojian Gui's face hardened for the first time.
The aura Xuandao was unleashing toward him right now was comparable to the aura he had felt when facing the Lord of Baigui Cheng alone.
"Guizhan Dui."
At the call, the Guizhan Dui prepared to execute their moves at any moment.
"Attack."
In an instant, they dispersed.
Swoosh— Swoosh—
Hao Yujin hastily rolled his pupils.
Their qinggong was so light and swift that the sound of their sleeves fluttering in the wind reached the ear only belatedly.
Xuandao also glared at them.
Everything was clearly visible to his eyes.
Not only how the Guizhan Dui moved, but also how they would swing their swords.
Xuandao erupted his internal energy.
Whooom!
While the Guizhan Dui flinched at the storm of qi that engulfed them, Xuandao suddenly disappeared.
"……!"
As Xuandao vanished without a trace, the panicked Guizhan Dui tried to raise their qi perception.
"Hup!"
The Guizhan Dui member on the far left quickly bent his waist backward at the sound of wind splitting and striking his ear.
Flutter.
Cut hair fell to the ground.
The Guizhan Dui member's blood ran cold as he saw the thick clumps of falling hair.
'W-What an incredible swift sword!'
The sharp sword he caught a glimpse of in that fleeting moment was so fast it was blurry.
But that wasn't the end.
Startled by the 'swish' sound immediately following from behind, he turned around.
At that moment, a pure white blade devoured his vision, and his consciousness faded away.
Slash!
Looking at the Guizhan Dui member whose head was split open, Xuandao swept his gaze over the remaining Guizhan Dui members one by one with eyes colder than the harsh northern wind and snow.
"Today, I can finally avenge my youngest junior brother."
The tone, as if chewing and spitting out the words, contained an indescribably thick killing intent.
The Guizhan Dui members who met his eyes shuddered at the intense aura that made it hard to believe he was a Taoist.
Tap.
This time, Xuandao moved first.
When he appeared behind a Guizhan Dui member and swung his sword to slash his neck.
Clang!
Someone blocked the sword.
Pojian Gui glared at Xuandao with a sharp gaze and immediately drew his sword.
"...I will be your opponent."
Drawn with a clear ringing sound, the sword emitted a dangerous light from Pojian Gui's hand.
"Huashan's Plum Blossom Sword Art releases a plum blossom scent and blooms flowers, right?"
Pojian Gui moved his right hand.
"I've always wanted to see it once; this works out well."
Instantly, the sword qi blooming from his sword drew a half-moon shape and shot toward Xuandao.
Whoooosh!
It was the taboo sword art, Pojian Lu (Sword-Breaking Record), which the successive sect masters of the Buer Jianmen had personally sealed away, deeming it too dangerous.
Boom!
Shockwaves exploded in all directions.
The storm of dust swept fiercely through Baigui Cheng, swallowing even Hao Yujin, who had kept his distance.
"Ugh!"
Meeting the intense storm head-on, which contained a tingling malicious energy, Hao Yujin stepped back and narrowed his eyes.
'That's not a place for me to intervene.'
Seeing Xuandao unleashing his pent-up anger on Pojian Gui, Hao Yujin turned his body.
'What I need to do is...'
Hao Yujin imbued his sword with the internal energy of the Xuantian Qiankun Qi and pointed it at the Guizhan Dui.
'Take down those bastards!'
His gaze hardened.
Following that, his sword moved slowly, and the Tianhe Thirty-Six Swords revealed its form.
Third Stance: Tianhe Xingsan (Heavenly River Star Scatter).
A beautiful sword reminiscent of a meteor shower rained down on the Guizhan Dui members.
Tap!
But they were not called the Guizhan Dui for nothing; executing their footwork, they scattered in all directions and evaded the range of the Tianhe Thirty-Six Swords.
At that moment, Hao Yujin's sword changed.
Whirrl!
Having anticipated their evasion, he twisted his downward-swinging sword into a reverse stroke.
Fourth Stance: Tianhe Daoxie (Heavenly River Upturned Pour)!
One of the Guizhan Dui members attempting to flee was instantly struck by the upward slash of the Tianhe Daoxie, his chest splitting open with a sickening crack.
"Number Seven!"
The Guizhan Dui members shouted in panic.
However, the already dead Guizhan Dui member's chest bones were exposed, and his innards spilled out.
"How dare you do this to Number Seven...!"
As their comrade was struck down, the surviving Guizhan Dui members' eyes filled with soaring killing intent.
Sword qi containing killing intent rose from their swords, and they unleashed a fierce sword art.
Swoosh— Swoosh—
True to being an elite few, their sword arts were all at a high level.
But his opponent was the Feiyan Jianjun Hao Yujin, who was believed without a doubt to become the next Zhongnan First Sword of the Zhongnan Sect.
'I must decide the match in a single exchange.'
Hao Yujin gripped his sword tightly and poured out three sword stances in a short instant.
Tianhe Taotao (Heavenly River Surging Waves) and Tianhe Feixie (Heavenly River Flying Spillage), and finally, Tianhe Xingchen (Heavenly River Stars).
The three fierce and lightning-fast ultimate techniques unfolded in succession, slashing them.
Around the time Hao Yujin was dancing the sword dance.
Slash!
"Ugh!"
Amidst the blood scattering into the sky, Pojian Gui staggered and stepped back.
His retreating figure was in bad shape.
His clothes were torn to shreds, and deep sword wounds were clearly visible between them.
"Is that the martial art of the Buer Jianmen you tried to obtain even at the cost of heavenly punishment?"
Pojian Gui's brows furrowed.
'That guy is on par with me?'
Recalling the words the strategist had said to him, cold sweat trickled down Pojian Gui's forehead.
The palm gripping his sword was damp with sweat.
The relaxed expression he wore when he first appeared had long vanished without a trace, and he firmly bit his lip.
'He was spouting bullshit!'
The opponent was clearly superior to him.
And not just by one or two moves, but by several.
Tat!
At that moment, Xuandao charged again.
"Receive the price of your heavenly punishment."
Click!
Clenching his teeth, Pojian Gui imbued his inner qi and swung his sword, shooting out a blue sword qi shaped like a half-moon, the Yueguang Bo (Moonlight Wave).
'That bizarre sword skill again...'
The charging Xuandao paused.
That sword skill had been annoying him since earlier.
The unique sword waves unleashed every time he approached were blocking his advance.
Clang!
When Xuandao knocked the Yueguang Bo aside, a loud boom rang out, leaving a long mark on the ground.
"...Damn it!"
Pojian Gui's expression became miserable.
Since their clash, he couldn't count how many times he had faced life-or-death crises.
Fortunately, thanks to the supreme ultimate art called Pojian Lu, he had barely managed to save his life.
But that too had reached its limit.
'Half of my inner qi is depleted.'
It was the major flaw of the Yueguang Bo.
It was an amazing sword skill that could fire sword qi even at a low level of mastery, but the consumption of inner qi was incomparable to other sword skills.
'It can't be helped. I've been hiding it to use against Baishishen, but...'
Finally, Pojian Gui prepared the ultimate stance he had kept hidden until the very end.
Internal energy surged and enveloped him.
Following that, a heat haze bloomed from his sword, and intense colors melted into it.
The sword moved within the hazy scenery.
Fwaaash!
Yueguang Bo poured down in clusters, looking as if it would tear Xuandao to shreds.
"I acknowledge your skill."
Seeing Xuandao seemingly frozen while looking at the dozens of Yueguang Bo, Pojian Gui sensed victory and smiled a smile of triumph.
'This scent... plum blossoms?'
Pojian Gui's eyebrows twitched.
An intense and rich plum blossom scent tickled the tip of Pojian Gui's nose, then devoured his senses.
"The tricks are over."
A dry voice struck his ears, and the Yueguang Bo shattered miserably.
"Yueguang Potian (Moonlight Heaven-Breaking Wave)..."
Pojian Gui's eyelids trembled violently.
Along with that, dozens of plum blossoms bloomed and completely overwhelmed him.
"N-No way..."
Dozens of red bloodstains bloomed across the clothes of the man wearing an expression of sheer disbelief.
Thump—
Pojian Gui slumped to his knees.
Looking down at the collapsing Pojian Gui, Xuandao twitched the hand holding his sword.
"Is the sword art of the Buer Jianmen only this much?"
Xuandao shook his head.
"No. It is I, it is Huashan who is strong."
His gaze intensified.
The sword art of the Buer Jianmen was outstanding.
However, he, the opponent, was overwhelmingly stronger, and the Plum Blossom Sword Art did not lose to the Buer Jianmen's sword art either.
The hard-won victory against Pojian Gui injected him with confidence.
"Baishishen..."
His gaze turned toward Baigui Cheng.
Subsequently, Anxiang Piao (Flickering Dark Fragrance) unfolded in an instant. For a brief moment, the scenery distorted with his rapid speed, and before long, he arrived at the entrance.
"Senior Brother Xuandao?"
Hao Yujin had arrived at the entrance first.
He seemed to have fought a bloody battle; his clothes were torn in places, and the blood from his cheek was covered by other blood.
"Are you okay in that state? If your wounds are severe, you don't need to force yourself to follow."
At Xuandao's words, Hao Yujin shook his head and spoke firmly.
"I am fine. I also did not follow with a light heart."
At those words, Xuandao said no more.
Because he knew better than anyone that it was hard to change the mind of someone whose resolve was already set.
Instead, he stood side-by-side with Hao Yujin and took a step together toward Baigui Cheng.
* * *
While Tianhui, the first to enter Baigui Cheng, was passing through a lightless corridor.
"Are you going to keep hiding?"
He suddenly spat out.
Then he raised his chin, looking up at the ceiling, and issued a low warning.
"This should be your last chance, right?"
Instantly, those who had been holding their breath to ambush from the ceiling poured down.
Fwaaash!
They poured down like rain and tried to thrust their swords at Tianhui, but Tianhui's hand moved faster.
As his hand slashed through the air, five blade auras manifested and bisected them in a single breath.
Slash—!
Along with a gruesome sound, dozens of limbs and blood scattered in all directions.
"Why do they always have to be annoying."
A path opened in front of Tianhui.
A path carved between blood and corpses.
The five fingers he had swung had bisected them, creating a path.
It was the result of a claw technique bordering on the divine.
"Now let's see. Is it over there?"
He stepped forward again after pausing briefly.
Step— Step—
After walking along the path for about a quarter of an hour, he stopped his steps.
Tap.
At the end of the corridor, at a dead end, a lavish door stood imposingly.
And on both sides of the door, two old men resembling twins stood rigidly, as if guarding the door.
"Oho."
The corners of Tianhui's eyes curved.
Then, as he approached the door.
Swoosh—
The gazes of the two, who had been staring straight ahead, dropped downward.
With no change in their expressions, they only tilted their heads to capture Tianhui in their pupils and slowly opened their mouths.
"You cannot pass through here."
"You cannot pass through here."
Their voices resonated and echoed.
At the voices that tickled and mocked the ears, Tianhui twisted the corners of his mouth.
"Is that so? That works out well."
In an instant, Tianhui's atmosphere changed.
The surrounding air grew heavy, and the presence emanating from him shifted.
"……!"
"……!"
At that change, the two, who had been standing still like statues, flinched and hastily grabbed their respective saber and sword at their waists.
"I was planning to kill you anyway."
At Tianhui's following words, their eyes flashed fiercely. At the same time, they swung their sword and saber horizontally in a wide arc.
Whoooosh!
The crossing swings of their sword and saber carried ultimate inner qi.
Eventually, they fell toward Tianhui's crown.
Boom!
The entire structure shook violently.
Their sword and saber were embedded in the ground, having created massive fissures. Seeing the deep craters, the two snapped their eyes open sharply.
Tianhui, whom they had assumed would be pulverized by their sweeping blade and sword, was standing there just as leisurely as before.
"Who are you?"
"Who are you?"
Voices seething with anger overlapped.
"Me?"
Having dodged their attacks by merely twisting his body to the side, Tianhui smirked.
"The one who will kill you."