Chapter 157
Jegal Seoyul stood frozen, staring blankly at the two battles unfolding right before his eyes.
It was clear who the enemies were, and he felt he should help, but his body simply wouldn’t move.
He didn’t even dare to intervene.
The fight between Son Eun-sang, the Azure Demon of the Female Spirit, and Hwa Sa-yu, the Crimson Demon of Temptation, was surreal.
Their speed was almost impossible to follow with the naked eye, and the surroundings crumbled into ruins in an instant wherever they moved.
Son Eun-sang, clad in what looked like a protective aura worn like clothing, and Hwa Sa-yu, whose every outstretched hand seemed to cast destructive spells several meters away…
It felt like watching a scene from a martial arts novel he had scoffed at as a child, thinking it was all lies.
‘This is… a battle between absolute beings.’
Watching them, Jegal Seoyul felt like an ant dropped into a desert, or a minnow cast into an endless ocean.
It was overwhelming and hopeless, like staring down the forces of nature itself.
But even their fight didn’t pierce Jegal Seoyul’s heart as deeply as the other battle did.
The duel between Sunwoo Jin and Gu Yusang.
Two men who seemed close to his own age, fighting in a way completely different from himself.
Tears of self-mockery welled up in Jegal Seoyul’s eyes as he watched.
‘I’m supposed to be the Heavenly Blade? Ha. Ha ha ha.’
Gu Yusang, who seemed like a blood cultist, wielded the Blood Thunder Sword Technique with awe-inspiring skill.
Every swing unleashed streaks of crimson lightning, and the sheer power and speed of each strike sent chills down Jegal Seoyul’s spine.
It was as if the legendary Thunder God himself were fighting right there.
‘I wouldn’t have been able to block even a single strike…’
Yet Sunwoo Jin’s Sunwoo Thirteen Sword and the Four Deadly Sword Techniques matched Gu Yusang blow for blow, their movements almost mystical.
The Sunwoo Thirteen Sword, once wielded by the head of the Sunwoo family, Sunwoo Jung, who had captivated her in the past, now evolved further in Sunwoo Jin’s hands.
Jegal Seoyul found himself whispering without realizing it.
“Beautiful…”
Indeed.
Sunwoo Jin’s swordplay was beautiful.
Jegal Seoyul couldn’t tell which were phantom swords and which were real.
It all seemed like pure illusion.
And the occasional finishing moves using the Four Deadly Sword Techniques were devastating.
The swift, radiant strikes truly lived up to their reputation as the finest quick sword techniques in the martial world.
Though Jegal Seoyul’s own level was lacking, he understood one thing clearly.
On their own, the Sunwoo Thirteen Sword and the Four Deadly Sword Techniques might seem inferior to the Blood Thunder Sword Technique, but their perfect combination was overpowering it.
The deep wounds on Gu Yusang’s face were proof of that.
And now, Sunwoo Jin’s movements were changing once again.
Jegal Seoyul muttered in shock.
“W-what is that?”
Light wings formed from Sunwoo Jin’s sword shadows fluttered.
The pale violet wings, clearly phantom swords, seemed alive, dodging the crimson lightning as they scattered feather-like sword shadows.
The sight was like a giant bird soaring through the sky, evading bolts of red lightning.
The feather-like sword shadows it released were sometimes phantom swords, sometimes real swords—blurring the line between illusion and reality.
Despite unleashing the overwhelming Blood Thunder Sword Technique, Gu Yusang was struggling to withstand Sunwoo Jin’s dazzling assault.
Anyone could tell the end was near.
At that moment, Sunwoo Jin’s sword flashed again, piercing through space like a beam of light.
Swoosh!
“!”
Gu Yusang tried to dodge hastily but wasn’t as lucky as before.
Pew!
His eyes widened in horror as a beam pierced through his shoulder.
Then, with a slight tremble of Sunwoo Jin’s sword, Gu Yusang’s right arm holding the sword was severed.
Splatter!
“No!”
Gu Yusang screamed, stumbling backward in panic.
But Sunwoo Jin wasn’t about to let him go.
“This ends now!”
Just as he aimed again for Gu Yusang’s heart—
Pew!
“Gah!”
Another chest was pierced.
Reacting sharply to the sound, Sunwoo Jin turned his gaze to see Son Eun-sang’s sword piercing Hwa Sa-yu’s chest.
The duel between the two top masters was over.
But Son Eun-sang’s expression wasn’t pleased, despite easily piercing Hwa Sa-yu’s chest.
“What’s this? You deliberately exposed your chest?”
Indeed.
Hwa Sa-yu, pushed back relentlessly, had seemingly offered her chest to Son Eun-sang as if committing suicide.
And as Son Eun-sang’s sword pierced her, she clung tightly to the arm.
Even as she was dying, Hwa Sa-yu smiled bitterly.
“Let’s go together, Son Eun-sang.”
“What?”
Suddenly, a deep crimson light exploded from Hwa Sa-yu’s eyes.
It was the same terrifying sight Sunwoo Jin remembered—the self-destructing Sek Kyung-dal, who had sacrificed himself against Ji Gwang-ok of the Bloodthirsty Demon Army.
Sensing the danger, Son Eun-sang quickly smashed Hwa Sa-yu’s head with her other hand.
Crack!
But the secret technique of the Blood Cult, the explosive Blood Thunder, didn’t stop even without a head.
A massive explosion followed.
KRAAAASH!
The power was incomparably greater than the blast Sek Kyung-dal had caused.
“Good heavens…”
Jegal Seoyul muttered in stunned disbelief at the unprecedented explosion.
The blast radius of about ten jang (roughly thirty meters) was completely devastated.
A chill ran down his spine.
‘If I had been caught in that…’
He would have been wiped out without a trace.
And since the explosion happened right where it did, he would have been caught for sure.
Jegal Seoyul looked again with newfound gratitude at the two who had saved his life—and the lives of the Sunwoo family members who had come outside to watch after hearing the commotion.
Son Eun-sang was retracting her massive protective aura that had shielded them from the blast.
Behind her, Sunwoo Jin smiled and said,
“Phew, I almost died. You saved me, didn’t you? I never imagined I’d owe my life to someone else—especially someone so young.”
At that moment, Sunwoo Jin, who had rushed in like a gale to sever Hwa Sa-yu’s hands holding Son Eun-sang, smiled awkwardly.
“I came to help but almost got caught in the mess myself. Thank you, senior. You saved me.”
As he cut off Hwa Sa-yu’s hands, Sunwoo Jin shouted, “Protective Aura!”
Son Eun-sang immediately understood, pushing Hwa Sa-yu’s body away and activating her protective aura.
That was why the two survived the massive explosion—and why Jegal Seoyul and the Sunwoo family members watching from behind survived as well.
Son Eun-sang cupped Sunwoo Jin’s cheek with both hands, beaming.
“Oh my, how can you speak so sweetly? Coming to save me in that situation was incredible, young one. I’ve seen countless so-called heroes, but very few act like you.”
Then, with a tender look, she asked,
“Are you really serious about being with me…?”
But just as she was about to say more, she suddenly stopped, as if remembering something.
Sunwoo Jin grinned and asked,
“Senior Son, how is Master Goeui doing?”
Son Eun-sang flinched slightly, avoiding his gaze with a sulky expression.
“Who? That stubborn old man? How would I know? Whether he’s doing well or not, I don’t care.”
Sunwoo Jin couldn’t help but find this seemingly youthful woman—who was probably over sixty—endearing.
She looked like a teenager or someone in their twenties, especially when a man she cared about didn’t go her way.
Knowing from his past life that the two had been together, Sunwoo Jin hoped that wouldn’t change in this life.
So he carefully said,
“Oh, I see. Sorry, senior. When I last saw you two, you seemed to get along well, so I must have been mistaken.”
Son Eun-sang twitched slightly and asked quietly,
“…Did we look like we got along?”
“Yes, though you’re definitely the more impressive one.”
“Of course! That’s only natural! Who’d want an old geezer like that?”
Of course, Sunwoo Jin didn’t mention that Son Eun-sang was actually older.
Suddenly in a better mood, she glanced around and asked Sunwoo Jin,
“So, is everything I needed to do here finished?”
She looked like she wanted to leave immediately.
Sunwoo Jin smiled and nodded.
“Yes, it’s all over. Now, I should treat you properly…”
“No! No need! Once the job’s done, that’s enough! I’m leaving now!”
With that, Son Eun-sang’s protective aura vanished in an instant.
Even Sunwoo Jin, who prided himself on his speed, shook his head at how fast she disappeared.
Sunwoo Jin chuckled to himself, then slowly approached Gu Yusang, who was collapsed to one side.
He had tried to flee hastily during the explosion…
Perhaps Hwa Sa-yu’s self-destruction was meant to buy him a chance to escape.
But in the end, that chance never came.
By sheer misfortune, a shard of Hwa Sa-yu’s bone pierced his heart, killing him instantly.
This was a bitter outcome not only for him but also for Seon Woo-jin, who had hoped to capture him and extract information about the Blood Sect.
Still, aside from that, everything else had gone perfectly.
The Seon Woo family had wiped out all the maternal relatives’ factions and exposed the Blood Sect’s agents lurking in Guizhou Province.
Moreover, none of the key warriors of the Seon Woo clan, including his father, had been killed or seriously injured.
It was truly the best possible result.
Seon Woo-jin finally looked up at the sky and smiled with relief.
“We did it.”
Je Gal Seo-yul and the others from the Seon Woo family watched him in stunned admiration.
A day had passed since the decisive battle between Son Eun-sang and Hwa Sa-yu, and between Seon Woo-jin and Gu Yu-sang.
For the martial world’s gossipmongers, it had been an incredibly eventful day.
News had spread far and wide that the Yun family, once thought respectable, had been nothing but puppets of the Blood Sect.
Reports also came in that the Martial Alliance’s strike team, which had raided the Yun family, had been utterly annihilated by Hwa Sa-yu, the Flame-Tempered Demon of the Blood Sect.
In response, the Martial Alliance had launched a fierce crackdown on the Blood Sect’s operatives in Guizhou, a development that thrilled the rumor mills.
But nothing excited the martial world more than the news that Hwa Sa-yu, the Flame-Tempered Demon who had attacked the Seon Woo family, had been killed by Son Eun-sang, the Moon-Tempered Demon who happened to be there.
The martial world buzzed with excitement.
“The Flame-Tempered Demon is dead?!”
“Yeah! And killed by the Moon-Tempered Demon Son Eun-sang, no less! The second strongest demon slain by the strongest!”
“Wow, that’s incredible! If it’s true, it’s a historic event—the Demon War itself! I wish I could’ve seen it with my own eyes!”
Of course, some wondered why Hwa Sa-yu had targeted the Seon Woo family in the first place, and why Son Eun-sang happened to be there at that exact moment.
But such questions were few and far between.
The entire rumor had been carefully crafted and spread by No Sam-ryong, the exiled branch chief of the Hao Sect.
That was also why Seon Woo-jin’s name was nowhere to be found in the stories.
Meanwhile, the Seon Woo family had managed to erase much of the battle’s traces within their estate.
The eldest son, Seon Woo Seong, and Je Gal Ji-yong, who had gone to Gaeyang Gate, as well as the fourth son, Seon Woo Gi, and his wife—who had escaped to the Secretary Hall through the back door during the Blood Sect’s previous invasion—had all returned safely.
Then, Seon Woo-jung, the head of the Seon Woo family, suddenly summoned everyone to the training grounds.
It was an extraordinary gathering: not only the Seon Woo family members but also the Je Gal family, Dan Ha-seon—the eldest son of the Dan family—and all the ordinary warriors of the Seon Woo clan were called together.
Standing before the assembled crowd, Seon Woo-jung spoke.
“I have gathered you all here today to excise the rotten parts that have been eating away at our Seon Woo family and to ensure such disgrace never happens again.”
His voice was grave, but the powerful inner energy behind it made everyone present understand the seriousness of his words.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd, uncertain of his exact meaning.
Then Seon Woo-jung continued.
“Bring forth the guilty.”
Two women, bound and guarded by warriors, were dragged to the center of the training grounds.
They were Lady Yun, Seon Woo-jung’s fourth wife, and her daughter, Seon Woo Yeon-ha.
Their gaunt, pale faces—seemingly still under the effects of acupuncture point sealing—left the crowd stunned and whispering anxiously.
“Lady Yun? The youngest miss?”
“What’s going on here?”
“Is this like the situation with the Ha family during the last fight?”
Seon Woo-jung spoke again.
“Two days ago, our Seon Woo warriors risked their lives to fend off an invasion by the Blood Sect’s demon leaders!”
Everyone fell silent, focusing intently on his words.
“Though we suffered many losses, through our combined strength, we defeated those fiends! We drove out the Blood Sect’s demon leaders who had terrorized the entire martial world and protected the Seon Woo family with our own hands!”
The warriors clenched their fists, their hearts still burning with the memory of that fierce battle.
But then Seon Woo-jung’s voice darkened.
“However, after the battle, we uncovered a shocking truth: the Blood Sect’s demon leaders who attacked us had actually come from my wife’s family—the Yun clan in Geumsa! The Yun family had long since become a den of the Blood Sect!”
For those who hadn’t yet heard the news, it was a staggering revelation.
The ordinary warriors whispered in disbelief, while Lady Yun and Seon Woo Yeon-ha’s faces turned ashen.
But Seon Woo-jung was not finished.
“Even more shocking was the fact that the one who invited them into our Seon Woo family was none other than my own daughter, Yeon-ha!”
The assembled Seon Woo members were speechless, staring blankly at Seon Woo Yeon-ha.
The revelation was simply too overwhelming.
Lady Yun, too, looked at her daughter in horror.
At that moment, Seon Woo Yeon-ha, pale as death, began shaking her head frantically.
She seemed desperate to speak.
Seon Woo-jung fixed her with a stern gaze and said shortly,
“Release the acupuncture seals.”
Her seals were lifted, and Seon Woo Yeon-ha cried out desperately.
“I—I didn’t know the Yun family was a Blood Sect nest! I only asked to avoid marrying into Gaeyang Gate. I had no idea what would happen afterward! Father, I’m innocent! I never—”
Seon Woo-jung cut her off coldly.
“Like when you killed Dan Ha-sang of the Dan family and framed your brother Jin?”
His words were like an icy blade piercing her heart.
She froze on the spot.
She had never imagined her father knew about that.
Her wide eyes trembled with shock.
Then Seon Woo-jung’s voice boiled over with rage.
“How dare you! You hired someone to kill innocent Dan Ha-sang, then framed your own brother! Did you think I wouldn’t find out? And now you ask me to do the same thing again, claiming you didn’t know they were Blood Sect members? Innocent? Wronged? Are you even human?”
The crowd looked on in stunned silence, shifting their gaze between Seon Woo Yeon-ha and Seon Woo-jin, who regarded her with a deep, piercing look.
Seon Woo-jin felt a surge of emotion rising in his chest.
Now that the truth of that day was finally known, people were looking at him with apologetic eyes.
For others, it had been less than a year, but for Seon Woo-jin, it was like crossing a lifetime to finally receive this silent apology.
He closed his eyes tightly.
His heart churned with the release of long-held injustice and the sudden image of a friend who had died so tragically.
Seon Woo-jung raised his voice once more.
“Lady Yun, who conspired with the Yun family to disrupt our clan, shall be locked away in the prison immediately! As for Yeon-ha, she will be sent to the Dan family estate! Whether they tear her apart or keep her as a servant for life, I will not interfere!”
All eyes turned to Dan Ha-seon, the eldest son of the Dan family, who stood behind Seon Woo-jung.
People had wondered why he had remained there all this time, but now it was clear.
Seon Woo-jung bowed deeply to him.
“I am truly sorry. For failing to manage the family properly and raising my children poorly, a precious talent of the Dan family was lost. I will spend my life making amends to the Dan family.”
Dan Ha-seon shook his head with a bitter smile.
“How could this be your fault, Lord Seon Woo? It was all the Blood Sect’s conspiracy.”
At the time of Dan Ha-sang’s death, the Yun family had not yet been fully controlled by the Blood Sect.
Dan Ha-seon knew this well.
By saying this, he shifted the blame entirely onto the Blood Sect, signaling that he would not hold the Seon Woo family responsible.
As he clasped Seon Woo-jung’s hand firmly, Dan Ha-seon glanced toward Seon Woo-jin.
He approached slowly and said,
“You’ve suffered much under false accusations. You’ve endured, Jin. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.”
With that, Dan Ha-seon embraced Seon Woo-jin tightly.
Witnessing this, many eyes grew moist.
Seon Woo-jin’s own eyes welled up as well.
Though they all knew the truth and understood this was meant to clear his name, a deep sigh escaped him.
“Phew…”
At last, he could release the suffocating injustice that had weighed on his heart since his previous life.