Chapter 225
Yoon Sak decided not to drag things out any longer.
He had to finish this before his condition worsened.
Moving underwater like a dolphin gliding beneath the surface, he searched for the sinking bodies.
One by one, he removed the heavy weights from them, infused them with his energy, and forcefully launched them upward.
“Hup!”
One.
“Hup!”
Two.
And finally, almost simultaneously, he sent three bodies shooting toward the surface.
“Hup!”
Whoosh!
Earlier, Yoon Sak had confirmed that the enemy couldn’t accurately sense what was beneath the water. The opponent only judged whether something was a corpse or not after it broke the surface.
So even if he knew these were just bait, the enemy couldn’t help but pay attention to them.
Of course, he’d be careful not to leave any trace, but no matter what, some kind of reaction was inevitable.
“But by then, it’ll be too late.”
Watching the bodies surge toward the surface, Yoon Sak’s eyes flashed sharply.
He began to move.
Swish!
He followed closely behind the fourth body he’d sent upward.
His plan was to strike from behind when the enemy, having checked the repeated baits and dismissed the fourth as just another decoy, let his guard down.
At that moment, the first body burst through the surface.
Splash!
“First.”
The corpse soared high above the water.
But unlike before, there was no sign of the enemy’s reaction.
Just as expected.
Then the second body shot up.
Splash!
“Second.”
Again, no response.
Yoon Sak wasn’t disappointed—it was exactly what he had predicted.
“But maybe from the third one onward…”
Almost simultaneously, the third, fourth, and fifth bodies broke the surface.
Finally, a reaction came.
“Found you!”
Hiding behind the fourth body, Yoon Sak caught sight of the enemy beyond the corpses.
The enemy’s gaze was fixed on the fifth body.
At last, a gap had opened.
Without even taking a breath of air, Yoon Sak summoned all his strength and struck.
“Hup!”
Shing!
His blade sliced through the world in a single, horizontal arc.
And he saw it clearly—the streak of light had cut through the enemy’s waist, who hadn’t yet turned around.
Shing!
“!”
Yoon Sak clenched his left fist tightly.
He had finally caught him.
“Done…!”
But at that moment, Yoon Sak’s eyes froze in disbelief.
The enemy’s body, severed in two by his strike, suddenly vanished like a ghost.
Whoosh!
“!?”
Yoon Sak was baffled, but Sun Woo-jin had just unleashed the secret technique of Cheonpung Shinbeop—Cheonpung Hwayeop—to its extreme, creating a single illusion indistinguishable from reality.
A moving, breathing illusion that had completely fooled Yoon Sak.
And at that moment, the first corpse Yoon Sak had sent flying earlier was falling back down from high above the water.
Behind it, Sun Woo-jin appeared like a phantom.
Swish!
With a sword that tore through space itself.
Mukrang Sword Technique, First Strike.
Gaechun.
Shraaak!
“!”
Yoon Sak’s eyes went blank as he watched the space before him split apart.
He had lost the tactical battle once again.
But he refused to give up.
He tried to thrust his blade forward to block the Gaechun.
Crack!
But there was no way his blade could withstand Sun Woo-jin’s strike that literally tore the space apart.
With a loud crack, Yoon Sak’s blade shattered to pieces.
And so did his body…
Puhak!
“Ugh!”
Sun Woo-jin’s strike tore from Yoon Sak’s left shoulder down to his leg, ripping him apart.
The only reason his head hadn’t been split was that he had sacrificed his blade to barely twist his body out of the way.
Bang!
The recoil from the Gaechun sent Yoon Sak flying into the river, missing a quarter of his body.
Puhak!
Sun Woo-jin felt a surge of exhilaration as his Gaechun struck the enemy’s torso.
Finally, the Blood Sea Demon Yoon Sak, a South Sea Three Horseman and a top-tier master ranked among the Thirty-Six Stars of the world, had been caught.
But as Yoon Sak’s torn body was flung into the water, Sun Woo-jin’s expression hardened once more.
“?!”
He clearly saw the enemy’s bloodied face, eyes blazing with fierce determination.
In that instant, he realized.
Those were not the eyes of someone ready to give up.
Sun Woo-jin hesitated briefly, standing on a floating debris, unsure how to proceed.
Could someone so badly wounded still pose a threat? The fight wasn’t over yet.
No, if the enemy managed to escape now, that would be an even bigger problem.
A man that ruthless surviving here meant who knew what havoc he could wreak in the future.
He had to end this here and now.
So, after a moment’s pause, Sun Woo-jin silently called out to Mukrang in his heart and plunged into the water.
“If I die, it’s on you, Elder Mukrang!”
Splash!
The cold water enveloped Sun Woo-jin’s entire body, plunging him into a darkness deeper than night.
It was his first time experiencing the underwater night firsthand.
Until now, Sun Woo-jin had trained his water techniques in dreams, learning the Southern Cross Sword and practicing water skills.
Thanks to his battle with the Haenam faction, he realized that without mastering water techniques, he could do nothing in the sea.
But no matter how vivid the dream, this was his first real experience underwater.
A true life-or-death adventure.
“Huff!”
Unlike in his dreams, the sudden pitch-black darkness startled him.
The water was unbearably dark.
The faint light visible above the surface seemed swallowed whole beneath the waves, leaving only darkness.
If Sun Woo-jin relied solely on his eyes, he would have been helpless in this blackness.
Fortunately, he had trained his “Shin-an” — a spiritual eye that perceives the flow of air more precisely than sight.
That skill ultimately saved his life.
“!”
With a sharp movement, Sun Woo-jin flipped his body and blocked the enemy’s arm.
Clack!
The broken blade was mere inches from his throat.
He had just barely escaped death.
A chill ran down his spine.
“As expected of a demon!”
True to form, Yoon Sak hadn’t fled.
He had been lurking just beneath the surface, waiting for the right moment.
As soon as Sun Woo-jin plunged underwater, the sudden sensation of the water had thrown him off balance—and that was when Yoon Sak struck.
A truly relentless and vicious opponent.
But now that his only remaining arm was caught, Yoon Sak’s options seemed limited.
Sun Woo-jin grabbed the enemy’s arm with one hand and stabbed his sword into Yoon Sak’s abdomen with the other.
Shuuk!
Though underwater, the strike was like a beam of light piercing through the gloom.
Sun Woo-jin didn’t think Yoon Sak could dodge such a precise strike at this range.
But the enemy did.
Swish!
“!”
Yoon Sak flowed sideways like water itself, evading the blade with incredible water mastery.
Gritting his teeth, Sun Woo-jin stabbed again.
“Hup!”
Shuuk!
But once more, Yoon Sak slipped away like a current, dodging the blade.
Then, letting go of his last remaining blade, he grabbed Sun Woo-jin’s arm tightly with that hand.
“?!”
Sun Woo-jin couldn’t understand what Yoon Sak was trying to do.
He wouldn’t be able to use his last leg underwater to escape, and having dropped his blade, there wasn’t much he could do.
But Sun Woo-jin’s assumption was wrong.
Yoon Sak still had one move left.
Whoosh!
“?!”
Suddenly, Sun Woo-jin was yanked fiercely, dragged downstream at an incredible speed.
He realized what Yoon Sak intended.
“So that’s it! He’s trying to drag me underwater and drown me!”
Yoon Sak was betting everything on his overwhelming water mastery.
“Impressive.”
Sun Woo-jin admired the enemy’s cunning and tenacity.
But no matter how formidable, he wasn’t about to die quietly.
He urgently began stabbing his sword again.
Shuk! Shuk! Shuk!
But Yoon Sak’s water mastery was astonishing.
Even while dragging Sun Woo-jin with one arm, he flowed effortlessly, dodging every strike.
“Hah!”
Sun Woo-jin let out a breath of admiration and looked at the arm gripping his own.
He planned to cut it off.
Even if Yoon Sak could dodge his body, he couldn’t avoid the blade aimed at the arm holding him.
Severing it would foil Yoon Sak’s plan to drag him under and drown him.
But after a brief glance at the arm, Sun Woo-jin gritted his teeth and resumed stabbing at Yoon Sak’s body.
Shuk! Shuk! Shuk!
He silently repeated the core principle of water mastery taught by Mukrang.
Mukrang had told him, “The essence of water mastery is to read the flow of water and harmonize with it. In that sense, it shares a connection with Cheonpung Shinbeop. That’s why I believe you’ll learn water mastery quickly.”
Indeed.
Sun Woo-jin was rapidly adapting to the underwater environment.
Shuk! Shuk! Shuk!
His strikes grew faster and faster.
Though his breath shortened, he ignored it, entering a near-meditative state as he continued to thrust.
Shush-shush-shuk!
By now, hitting Yoon Sak was no longer the priority.
He focused solely on blending with the flow of the water.
Shu-shu-shu-shuk!
And then, in an instant—
Sun Woo-jin’s sword suddenly unleashed eight bursts of Ilshisa-il in a single strike.
Shu-haaaak!
It was the final technique of the Sailsword Style: the Descendant’s Forty-One.
Until now, the Descendant’s Forty-One had been blocked by seven walls, but at this moment, it had ascended one step higher.
“It’s done!”
A surge of joy flooded Sun Woo-jin’s heart—he had broken through the barrier.
If he could break through just one more wall, he would be able to wield the legendary Descendant’s Forty-One perfectly.
With a face full of triumph, Sun Woo-jin looked at Yoon Sak.
The man, pierced through the stomach by eight Ilshisa-il strikes, stared back at him in shock.
And then, the light in his eyes quickly faded.
Kurruruk!
Finally, Yoon Sak exhaled the last of his breath, his body going limp.
The Blood Sea Demon Yoon Sak was truly dead.
Swoosh!
“Phew!”
Sun Woo-jin burst to the surface, gasping deeply before lying back, floating on the river as he rested for a moment.
His entire body screamed from the fierce battle.
Recalling the fight, a bitter laugh escaped his lips.
“Ha, haha, hahahaha!”
He had barely survived.
It was a razor-thin margin.
He suspected that life and death had been separated by just that sliver of difference.
“Haah!”
For a while, he stared blankly up at the night sky, then suddenly turned his gaze toward the burning Baekgyo Gang.
It was time to head there and meet his sworn brothers.
“What did you say?!”
Jin Tae-do, the grandmaster of the Haenam faction, roared in fury at the news his subordinate brought.
“Baekgyo Gang… what happened to it?!”
His subordinate trembled under Jin Tae-do’s murderous glare and answered hesitantly.
“They… they attacked the Guangdong Jin family estate but were actually defeated. After that, Baekgyo Gang’s main base was destroyed…”
“The main base? By the Jin family estate?!”
“I… I don’t know for sure. But judging by how it burned right after the attack, it’s likely the Jin family did it…”
“That’s nonsense…”
Jin Tae-do couldn’t believe it.
Though the Guangdong Jin family was a renowned martial clan, he never imagined they were strong enough to defeat the Blood Sea Demon Yoon Sak.
He pressed again.
“What about Yoon Sak? The Blood Sea Demon? And his young son?”
“I don’t know. After the defeat at the Jin estate, his whereabouts are unknown. He probably died when Baekgyo Gang’s main base fell…”
Jin Tae-do’s face fell into despair.
Only a few close aides knew this, but Yoon Sak was like a sworn brother and disciple to him—they had trained together since childhood.
Jin Tae-do could never forget the day his father first brought home that scrawny, filthy pirate boy.
His gaunt, sunburned face was pitiful, but his eyes burned with fierce determination.
From then on, they trained together in secret, growing stronger side by side.
When they became adults, Jin Tae-do’s father sent Yoon Sak out to sea—to become a pirate and one day be a source of strength for Jin Tae-do.
And Yoon Sak had fulfilled that mission brilliantly.
He had grown into the feared Demon of the South Sea.
They had only reunited a few years ago and vowed to rule the South Sea together…
Jin Tae-do muttered to himself.
“That bastard’s dead? No way.”
There was no way such a fierce man had died so easily.
Jin Tae-do was certain Yoon Sak was alive somewhere, preparing his revenge against the Jin family.
With that thought, Jin Tae-do regained some composure.
Though the loss of Baekgyo Gang’s forces was a tragedy, as long as Yoon Sak lived, they could rebuild—no matter how long it took.
He forced himself to calm down and asked his subordinate.
“Any news of Yoon Sak’s son?”
This was a secret no one else knew: Yoon Sak’s son was actually Jin Tae-do’s own child.
Jin Tae-do had sent a woman to Yoon Sak, planting his seed first.
It was partly a special gift for Yoon Sak, and partly because he was curious to see his own bloodline cherished by another.
So even if he hadn’t raised the boy himself, he couldn’t help but care deeply.
But the subordinate’s answer was vague again.
“No information on the child yet. We don’t even know how Baekgyo Gang fell…”
“Hmm.”
Jin Tae-do nodded silently, and the subordinate cautiously continued.
“Also, there’s something else you should know.”
“Hm?”
The subordinate shrank back nervously, wary of Jin Tae-do’s reaction.
“That troublemaker In Pa-rang was involved in the fight with the Jin family estate. He joined forces with them to defeat Yoon Sak…”
“What?!”
Those words reignited Jin Tae-do’s fury.
And the subordinate wasn’t finished.
“He even declared to the martial world that Baekgyo Gang now belongs to him…”
“Damn it!”
Jin Tae-do could no longer contain his rage.
That slippery bastard In Pa-rang kept interfering with him—first the Hapsan faction, now Baekgyo Gang.
It was clear that In Pa-rang’s involvement was why Baekgyo Gang fell to the Jin family.
He had to be eliminated. And fast.
Jin Tae-do began naming the assassins he had lined up to deal with In Pa-rang.
“What about Am Hyeol-hyang? Have you made contact? Still no sign?”
“Yes, sir. Strangely, she’s been missing for some time now.”
Jin Tae-do had previously ordered a meeting with Am Hyeol-hyang to arrange In Pa-rang’s assassination.
She was the cheapest and most reliable blade he had.
But for some reason, she hadn’t appeared.
The woman who was said to appear like a ghost whenever someone sought her.
Grinding his teeth, Jin Tae-do shouted again.
“We can’t wait any longer! Put in a request with the Blood Rain Alliance! They’re expensive, but they’ll definitely take care of him! And send a letter to the Hyungsan faction! What are they waiting for if they’re not eliminating that bastard?”
“Yes, sir! Understood!”
If Am Hyeol-hyang was the best assassin, the Blood Rain Alliance was the deadliest assassin organization in the martial world.
Though their fees were high and the process complicated, Jin Tae-do had no choice now.
After a moment’s thought, he added one more name.
“Also, send a request to Ha-won’s Moon Maid. She might be interested.”
“Yes, sir! Understood!”
Jin Tae-do gritted his teeth, thinking:
One of these three blades would surely end that bastard’s life.