Chapter 251
Hyo Chigon of the Blue-Turban Horse Army stood on the bow deck, arms crossed, staring ahead.
As they set off, the surrounding ships hurriedly steered clear of their path.
It was only natural—after all, they flew the flag of the Ma Kyung faction.
But Hyo Chigon paid them no mind. Instead, his thoughts drifted to a certain In Parang, who was likely in the cabin.
“That kid’s got some guts,” he mused.
In truth, Hyo Chigon wasn’t pleased that Ma Kyung had ignored the Hyungsan faction’s offer and reached out to In Parang instead.
He had believed that the Hyungsan faction alone was strong enough to topple the Bokgeon Yongga clan and pull them out of Daenamdo.
“If that happens, there’d be no need to move to Haenamdo, just like the boss said.”
So, Hyo Chigon had planned to provoke In Parang somehow, hoping to stir up trouble.
If the kid made the first move, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill him.
But In Parang hadn’t reacted to his provocations at all.
No anger, no fear.
He had simply said to him,
“Whether I’m a tiger cub or a kitten is for Ma Kyung to decide.”
To Hyo Chigon, that was a clear message:
“You’re not the one calling the shots, so don’t waste your energy.”
He realized immediately that In Parang had seen right through his intentions—and was politely telling him to stay out of it.
It left Hyo Chigon feeling like he’d been outplayed.
“Damn arrogant brat.”
As he gazed out at the vast blue horizon, that thought crossed his mind.
Then, suddenly, he noticed other ships cutting into their path.
“Hmm?”
Hyo Chigon’s eyes narrowed.
It was rare for other vessels to intrude on a course marked by Ma Kyung’s flag.
Just then, a subordinate behind him shouted,
“Boss! We’re being surrounded!”
Surrounded?
At that, Hyo Chigon quickly scanned the area.
Not only ahead but all around, unknown ships were closing in, encircling them.
His anger finally erupted.
“Who dares to surround us?!”
At that moment, through the gap ahead, a black ship appeared behind the blockade.
He recognized it instantly.
“That’s—!”
“The Black Dragon Ship! The Haenam faction’s! Looks like they were waiting for us!”
The Black Dragon Ship was the elite flagship of the Haenam faction’s naval squadron.
Hyo Chigon quickly counted the ships encircling his own—over thirty in total.
Among them, no fewer than seven were Black Dragon Ships.
His face twisted in a grimace.
“So they were waiting for us to bring In Parang out.”
Among the Black Dragon Ships surrounding Hyo Chigon’s vessel, the largest was the Black Dragon Flagship.
Standing on its deck was Jin Taedo, the Haenam faction’s elder swordsman, wearing a sly, bitter smile.
“How thoughtful of them—to catch that brat and hand him over on the open sea. Now, what should I do to repay them?”
They had arrived at Sandu Port just after Hyo Chigon’s arrival.
Thanks to that, Jin Taedo had spotted Hyo Chigon first.
After a moment’s thought on how to handle them, Jin Taedo decided to wait until they found In Parang.
He figured that In Parang would try to escape once found, but if Hyo Chigon joined him, they could capture them both easily.
“Just like this,” Jin Taedo murmured with satisfaction, watching Hyo Chigon’s ship struggle to break through the encirclement.
Hyo Chigon stood at the bow, shouting orders to his crew.
“Turn the bow to starboard! That’s the thinnest part of their encirclement! Prepare to fire! All warriors, ready for battle!”
Following his command, the ship smoothly veered right.
Though five enemy ships waited there, none were Black Dragon Ships.
That was why Hyo Chigon judged it the weakest point.
But even without the Black Dragon Ships, these were still elite naval warriors.
The closest enemy ship turned its bow to expose its flank, preparing to fire.
But Hyo Chigon didn’t wait for their volley.
Before the enemy ship could fully expose its side, he lunged forward.
“Yahhh!”
Snap! Snap!
Like lightning, Hyo Chigon’s new-style shinvie (spirit step) struck the waves twice, then soared high above the enemy flagship.
The naval warriors looked up, startled, and sounded the alarm.
“Enemy! It’s the Blue-Turban Horse Army! Watch out!”
But their reaction came too late to stop the feared Daenam Scourge’s attack.
Before Hyo Chigon even landed back on the deck, he raised his crescent moon blade high and slashed fiercely.
“Hyaaaah!”
Swoosh!
A massive blade arc, over ten feet long, tore through the naval warriors, the cannons ready to fire, and even the deck beneath them.
It was a catastrophic strike no ordinary warrior could withstand.
“Ughhh!”
“Ahhh!”
Screams filled the air as bodies were cleaved apart.
In that instant, Hyo Chigon was already swinging his blade at the remaining warriors on deck.
“Puhahhh!”
“Arrghhh!”
Before the Daenam Scourge, the difference between the top-tier warriors and the rest was negligible.
In moments, the crew of one naval ship was wiped out.
Meanwhile, Hyo Chigon’s ship smoothly passed alongside the enemy vessel.
Seeing his ship slip through safely, Hyo Chigon sent a powerful crescent blade slash toward the cabin entrance.
Shu-shaak!
Kraaaang!
Without even checking if the cabin was destroyed, he leapt toward the next ship.
If he could take out two or three ships like this, his own vessel would have enough time to escape.
Swoosh!
Like a seagull skimming the waves, his shinvie propelled him high above the next ship.
“Two more to go.”
Just as he raised his crescent blade to strike again, a sudden, high-speed crescent blade came flying from behind.
Shu-shaak!
“!”
Startled, Hyo Chigon quickly turned his blade to parry the incoming strike.
Bwaaaang!
Kraaaang!
“Ugh!”
The powerful impact sent a jolt through his hand.
This crescent blade was no subordinate’s.
As Hyo Chigon fell onto the deck, he immediately recognized the attacker.
A middle-aged man with a clear, sharp gaze and a sword in hand was descending with a faint smile.
He floated down gently, as if carried by the wind.
Hyo Chigon grimaced and spat out the name.
“Jin Taedo! You bastard!”
Jin Taedo slowly landed on the deck like a stroll and replied,
“Long time no see, Blue-Turban Horse Army. Seven years, was it?”
Hyo Chigon gritted his teeth.
He never imagined Jin Taedo himself would come—this was the worst possible scenario.
Though he rarely showed his strength openly, Hyo Chigon knew all too well that Jin Taedo’s power matched the legendary Thirty-Six Stars of the World.
As far as he knew, no one in Ma Kyung’s gang except Man Haksoong could stand against him.
Jin Taedo approached leisurely, speaking calmly.
“Glad to meet you again. And even more grateful you brought that brat to me. So… I’ll spare you the pain.”
Hearing that, Hyo Chigon clenched his teeth tightly.
No matter who the opponent was, he wouldn’t accept such treatment.
After all, he was Hyo Chigon, the Ma Du of the South Sea, the Blue-Turban Horse Army.
“You arrogant fool! Your pride’s about to reach the heavens—!”
But as he shouted, a chilling sensation forced him to swing his crescent blade defensively.
Whirl!
Clang!
Jin Taedo’s sword strike bounced off his blade.
It was a near-instinctive block.
A shiver ran down Hyo Chigon’s spine.
An invisible, ultra-fast thrust.
The swift swordsmanship that earned Jin Taedo the title of Haenam Swordsmanship had just unfolded before his eyes.
Jin Taedo smiled admiringly.
“Ho! To block that—impressive, Blue-Turban Horse Army!”
To be amazed at a single parry—such arrogance.
But Hyo Chigon was too tense to retort, stepping back cautiously.
If Jin Taedo closed the distance further, he wasn’t sure he could react to the next swift strike.
“Seven years ago, I thought you were terrifying… but you’ve only gotten faster.”
Clang! Clang!
As he retreated, Hyo Chigon barely blocked two sudden sword strikes.
Jin Taedo smiled brightly again, impressed.
“Oh! You blocked those too? Well then…”
Zzzt! Zzzt!
“Ugh!”
Hyo Chigon barely managed to fend off a three-strike combo that was invisible to the eye.
But he couldn’t be sure whether he had actually blocked the strike or if the blade had pierced through the polearm above him.
He barely had time to react.
And to make matters worse, Jintaedo was smiling as if enjoying the fight, speaking again.
“Oh ho! This one too? Well then…”
At that, Hyo Chigon’s heart raced.
Jintaedo wasn’t bluffing.
The opponent’s sword strikes, already too fast to respond to, were only growing quicker.
If they sped up any more, there was no way he could keep up.
Desperate, Hyo Chigon decided to make one last, frantic attempt.
If he just kept defending like this, he’d die without ever landing a single blow.
“Ughahhh!”
With a fierce shout, Hyo Chigon charged at Jintaedo.
A surge of blue protective energy burst from his entire body.
His plan was simple and clear.
He intended to use his defensive energy to absorb the attacks while closing the distance inside the range of Jintaedo’s sword.
‘His thrusts are fast, but light. If I can get inside his sword’s reach and force close-quarters combat—!’
It was a risky but not unreasonable idea.
Especially since Hyo Chigon had already faced Jintaedo seven years ago and knew what he was up against.
But at that moment, a cold smirk curled at the corner of Jintaedo’s mouth. Then, for the first time, he let out a sharp battle cry.
“Haahhh!”
The first move of the Jinryong Sword Style.
“Maengryong Gwanhae.”
The fierce dragon’s strike that pierces through the sea.
With a swift slash—
“Shuhaaak!”
Jintaedo’s blade, glowing with deep blue sword energy, suddenly pierced through Hyo Chigon’s protective aura and even his body.
Hyo Chigon was horrified.
The strike was so fast he couldn’t react at all.
“Damn… cough!”
Blood gushed from Hyo Chigon’s mouth.
His chest felt as if it had been shattered by a thick pillar, leaving him unable to utter a single word.
Jintaedo casually withdrew his sword and asked him,
“Well? Don’t you think this blade would work even against your boss, Ma Kyung?”
But the already dead Hyo Chigon couldn’t answer.
With a heavy thud, Hyo Chigon’s body collapsed onto the deck, chest pierced through.
Jintaedo looked down at the fallen man and continued speaking.
“I have two feelings inside me. One is that I never want to see Ma Kyung again. The other is that I want to meet him once more and test this sword against him. Honestly, I’m not sure which feeling is stronger.”
Speaking softly, as if to an old friend, Jintaedo suddenly turned his gaze toward Hyo Chigon’s ship.
All the warriors aboard stared back at him, their faces blank with shock.
With a light step, Jintaedo leapt onto Hyo Chigon’s ship.
Then he addressed the crew.
“Now then, would one of you kindly guide me to that Inparang fellow?”
At his words, Hyo Chigon’s men nodded fearfully.
There was no way they could resist someone who had just killed their leader, the Blue Robe General, so easily.
As Jintaedo followed their guidance, his thoughts turned to Inparang.
At last, the time had come to end this long-standing grudge.