Chapter 223
“Waaahhh!”
Yoon Sak charged wildly, unleashing a flurry of strikes at Sun Woo-jin.
Shuaaaak!
But none of Yoon Sak’s blows landed.
Sun Woo-jin had quickly stepped back, maintaining a safe distance.
Swish, swish, swish!
Sun Woo-jin’s new technique flowed like the wind, effortlessly deflecting Yoon Sak’s attacks.
The difference in their martial arts was overwhelming.
With Yoon Sak’s style, he couldn’t even catch Sun Woo-jin as he deliberately retreated.
Gritting his teeth, Yoon Sak glared at Sun Woo-jin with a look that said he wanted to devour him.
But Sun Woo-jin only curled his lips into a cold, bitter smile and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk.”
It was as if he was mocking Yoon Sak, saying, “Is that all you’ve got?”
And somehow, it felt like he was silently asking, “Are you sure you want to keep this up?”
Suddenly, Yoon Sak glanced around.
Right behind him, the three warriors of the Jin family were closing in.
Individually, none of them seemed too threatening, but combined with that In Parang fellow, they formed an impenetrable wall.
Further out, the battle between the Jin family’s warriors and the Baekgyo faction’s fighters raged on.
“Haah!”
“Gah!”
“Die!”
“Ugh!”
But the tide of battle was clear at a glance.
The Baekgyo warriors were no match for the Jin family’s fighters.
Defeat was all but certain.
In that moment, Yoon Sak had no choice but to make a decision.
There was no other way now.
It was time to retreat to the main ship—and fast.
Dodging the three Jin warriors wielding their staves, Yoon Sak shouted as he leapt aside.
“Retreat!”
Without even checking on his subordinates, he turned and sprinted toward the ship.
Flap, flap!
His sudden order left the Baekgyo warriors stunned.
Never before had Yoon Sak called for a retreat; in fact, he was known for striking down any subordinate who even suggested it.
But now, he was the first to flee.
The already crumbling morale of the Baekgyo fighters shattered completely, and they began to scatter in panic.
“R-Retreat? Retreat! Fall back!”
“Retreat! Everyone, run!”
Seizing the opportunity, Jin Gong-mu, head of the Jin family, shouted with inner energy.
“Don’t let them escape! Anyone who dares invade the Jin family must not be allowed to live!”
Abandoned by Yoon Sak, the Baekgyo warriors fell into chaos.
They fled in disarray, unable to mount any resistance against the pursuing Jin fighters.
What had once been a battle had turned into a massacre.
Watching the scene, Jin Gong-mu felt his chest burn with emotion.
Just moments ago, he had been certain death awaited him, yet here they were, victorious and alive—it was overwhelming.
His gaze shifted to his daughter.
More than anything, Jin So-eun—the daughter he had only just come to realize existed—filled him with joy.
To think that someone had appeared who could revive the Natural Staff technique, which he had thought lost forever—and that it was his own daughter—was so moving, even a dream couldn’t compare.
Jin Gong-mu felt an urge to rush to both his father and daughter.
But as head of the Jin family, he knew his priorities.
First, he approached Sun Woo-jin and bowed respectfully.
“Thanks to your help, the Jin family has escaped a crisis. We are truly grateful, Lord In.”
No matter how much Jin So-eun had revived the Natural Staff, Jin Gong-mu knew well that without Lord In Parang, they could never have defeated Yoon Sak.
The Jin family owed him a great debt.
Sun Woo-jin, who had been watching Yoon Sak’s fleeing back with an unreadable expression, turned his gaze to Jin Gong-mu and bowed politely.
“My actions were only coincidentally tied to the Jin family as I sought to avenge my own grudge. And… I’m sorry, but let’s discuss the rest later. You should first check on your father’s condition.”
With that, Sun Woo-jin suddenly launched himself forward like an arrow.
Bang!
He headed straight for the ship where Yoon Sak was already boarding.
In an instant, he caught up to the rear of the ship, pushing off the water like a swallow, and clung to the back.
He was clearly pursuing him.
Jin Gong-mu admired Sun Woo-jin’s pure martial skill, guessing this was a quest for revenge.
“Such a refined technique at that age… incredible.”
Then he recalled the last thing Sun Woo-jin had said.
“Check on your father’s condition?”
Earlier, Jin Sa-mong had been cut across the chest by Yoon Sak’s staff.
But since the wound had been quickly sealed, the bleeding wasn’t severe.
As Jin Gong-mu turned his head, he suddenly heard Jin So-eun’s urgent voice.
“Grandfather! Grandfather! What’s wrong?!”
Startled, Jin Gong-mu looked over.
Jin Sa-mong had gone pale as a sheet and collapsed into Jin So-eun’s arms.
Jin Gong-mu rushed to his father’s side.
“Father! Father, what’s wrong?!”
As he shouted, a thought struck him.
Jin Sa-mong had been bedridden until just recently.
Yet now, he had appeared full of vigor, fighting fiercely against Yoon Sak, the Blood Sea Demon.
Jin Gong-mu muttered to himself.
“Could it be…?”
He knew well that when Jin family warriors faced death, they took the Blood Rage Pill.
He also knew that those who relied on rage as their martial source often died after taking it—almost without exception.
His face fell as he whispered.
“Father? Fatherrr!”
‘Will he be okay?’
Clinging to the side of Yoon Sak’s ship, Sun Woo-jin asked Muk-rang.
Muk-rang sighed and replied,
“Who can say? It will be decided by the will of heaven.”
On the way here, Sun Woo-jin had learned a lot from Jin So-eun, who had just finished her breathing and energy regulation.
He heard about her grandfather’s fifteen years of mountain training, and how his old age had forced him to leave the mountains.
But the Jin Sa-mong who fought Yoon Sak was nothing like a frail old man.
He was as vigorous as any strong man, with a visible red aura.
Sun Woo-jin had seen that before—in the old man Seok Kyung-dal, who had taken the Blood Rage Pill to fight the Bloodthirsty Demon General Ji Gwang-ok.
Moreover, it was well known throughout the martial world that the Jin family’s masters carried the Blood Rage Pill and were willing to die alongside their enemies.
And that most who took it ended up dying.
So Sun Woo-jin could easily guess Jin Sa-mong’s condition.
“Haah…”
He exhaled deeply, shaking off his worry.
Worrying about things beyond control wasn’t the way of warriors on the front lines.
Now was the time to focus on what was right in front of him.
On this ship, the Blood Sea Demon Yoon Sak.
At the same time, Yoon Sak stood at the bow, staring ahead intently.
He had no idea that Sun Woo-jin was clinging to the rear of the ship.
It wasn’t just because Sun Woo-jin’s technique was so subtle.
Yoon Sak’s entire focus was on the Baekgyo faction’s main force.
Biting his lip, Yoon Sak swore silently.
“If anything happens to my son, I will never let it go. I’ll chase him to the ends of hell and tear him apart!”
Yoon Sak had always been unlucky with children.
Strangely, none of the women he had taken had ever become pregnant.
At first, he hadn’t cared much.
But as he passed forty, the reality sank in.
He had to accept that heaven would not grant him offspring.
Then one day, his older brother, Jin Tae-do of Haenam, gifted him a beauty.
“Brother! I’ve brought you the finest beauty! She rivals even Myao Ah-ran of the Haenam Myao clan! You’ll surely like her!”
The woman Jin Tae-do brought was indeed stunning.
Yoon Sak took her without hesitation and, unlike with other women, cherished her as a gift from his brother.
A few months later, unbelievable news arrived.
She was pregnant.
At first, Yoon Sak was stunned.
He doubted it was possible.
Though no one whispered it to his face, he knew people called him a seedless watermelon—a male incapable of reproduction.
He had assumed the same.
So to have a son…
It was unbelievable.
He even suspected the child might belong to another man.
But Yoon Sak knew better than anyone that she had no contact with other men.
He concluded that his failure to have children before was because he never found the right partner and never cared for women properly.
And he rejoiced.
He couldn’t remember ever feeling so happy.
From then on, he treasured the woman and child like a precious treasure.
He gave them only the best, fed them well, and found happiness just in seeing them.
But then…
The words of that In Parang man echoed in his mind.
“Feel the pain of losing your family. Truly, utterly.”
Yunsak shouted, his voice dripping with murderous intent.
“How dare you!”
He could never forgive this.
He would never allow it.
If anything happened to those two…
It was at that moment.
Standing tall at the ship’s side, eyes fixed ahead, Yunsak’s gaze suddenly widened.
“!”
In the distance, a light flickered.
A huge blaze, as if a great fire had broken out.
And Yunsak immediately knew where it was.
It was Baekgyobang.
His Baekgyobang was burning.
Yunsak bellowed furiously.
“Faster! Increase speed! Hurry!”
It was a rare, unusually long command from him.
But none of that mattered now.
He had to get back there as quickly as possible.
He had to find them…
Then—
Krazzzt!
Behind him, the sound of something breaking rang out, and the ship suddenly lurched forward.
“Ugh!”
“W-what’s happening?!”
“The ship, the ship?!”
“Help us!”
The sudden impact sent the warriors and sailors on board tumbling across the deck.
Only about half remained on the deck; the rest were falling below.
“Ahhh!”
Splash! Splash!
But even as everyone else fell, Yunsak was different.
He immediately regained his balance and spun around, eyes blazing with fury.
What he saw was horrifying.
The rear of the ship had been shattered and torn away, and descending slowly from the sky like a feather was a man…
It was him.
The kid with the sharp features and a cold, twisted smile.
Inparang, the heir of Haenam Inga.
Yunsak’s eyes filled with shock and deadly intent as he shouted.
“You?!”
Slowly stepping onto the tilting deck, Seon Woojin smiled coldly and said,
“Hey there. Busy, were you? But you should finish what you started before you leave, right?”
Seon Woojin had been waiting for this moment from the start.
He knew Yunsak’s heart would be racing after seeing Baekgyobang under attack.
What he told Yunsak earlier wasn’t a lie.
Seolpung and Jeungchil had planned to raid the empty Baekgyobang, and he already knew Yunsak’s beloved son was there.
That’s why he deliberately mentioned it—to lure Yunsak out.
But it wasn’t to avoid fighting him.
On the contrary, it was to fight properly.
Not as Inparang, heir of Haenam Inga, but as Seon Woojin.
To fight with everything he had, not just the Southern Cross Sword, but all his power, away from prying eyes.
“You brat!”
Yunsak grabbed his sword tightly, twisting his body and crouching low.
He was gathering all his strength, preparing to unleash his ultimate sword technique—the supreme secret art that had brought him to the pinnacle of his power.
He intended to take down Seon Woojin as quickly as possible.
Seeing this, Seon Woojin grinned.
Then he activated the Moonlight Sword Dance.
Moonlight Sword Dance, Third Form.
Hyeonmangwol activated.
Whoosh!
A hazy veil covered the world, and Seon Woojin’s entire body was enveloped in a strange sensation, as if he had left his body and was watching from a third-person perspective.
At that moment, Yunsak drew his sword.
Shhhhk!
It was an incredible slash.
Even with the Moonlight Sword Dance slowing time to its limit, the strike was nothing but a blur of light—an overwhelming cut that seemed to cleave the very fabric of reality.
Facing that devastating blow head-on, Seon Woojin smiled darkly.
From the moment he first saw Yunsak draw his sword while rescuing Jingongmu and Jinsamong, he had been unable to resist.
He wanted to face that draw directly.
Not in a group fight, but one-on-one.
For that, he was willing to put everything else on hold.
Even if it meant delaying his revenge as Inparang.
“Hah!”
Seon Woojin swung his sword down against Yunsak’s world-rending strike.
It was the first form of the Mukrang Sword Technique—Gaechun.
Chaaahhh!
In an instant, a massive fiery cross was drawn over the river.
Not by the Southern Cross Sword of Haenam Inga, but by the clashing strikes of Yunsak and Seon Woojin.
Pfoooahhh!
The impact was tremendous.
The already-splintered ship exploded apart, sending the warriors aboard flying like cannonballs in all directions.
Kraaaang!
“Ahhh!”
“Help me!”
“Ughhh!”
But that wasn’t all.
From the center of the collision, a towering wave surged upward, rippling outward in concentric circles.
Chaaahhh!
Like a tidal wave, the massive swell rocked every nearby ship violently.
“Ahhh!”
“It’s a tsunami!”
“Hold on tight!”
All of this was the aftermath of a single, earth-shattering clash.