Chapter 261

Jin Taedo recognized the two figures running ahead—a man carrying a woman on his back and a lone woman sprinting beside them.

The man carrying the woman, likely Miao Aran, was Inparang, and the woman running alone was Jin So-eun.

“We’ve finally caught up! This time, we won’t let them slip away!”

Jin Taedo and the Six Harmonies Sword Masters pushed themselves to increase their speed with all their might.

It was odd that Baekrang Sword Dog wasn’t in sight, but they didn’t dwell on it. They assumed his condition had worsened and he’d been left behind. More importantly, their focus was on Inparang, not him.

Meanwhile, Sun Woojin and Jin So-eun had spotted Jin Taedo’s group as well.

“Here they come, Gongja!” Jin So-eun shouted.

Sun Woojin glanced back at the sound and saw Jin Taedo and the Six Harmonies Sword Masters closing in at an incredible pace.

“So he finally lost his followers. No wonder the chase got faster,” Jin So-eun remarked.

“What should we do?!” she asked anxiously.

“We need to pick up the pace!”

“Yes!”

Sun Woojin and Jin So-eun accelerated, determined not to be caught.

The distance between the two groups stopped shrinking and held steady.

If it were just Sun Woojin, he might have widened the gap, but with Jin So-eun’s new technique, it was too much to handle.

Though she hadn’t yet reached the pinnacle of mastery, it was impressive enough that they weren’t being caught by such elite pursuers.

This was only possible because Mayu-gyeom had been sent over to the Six Harmonies Sword Masters’ side.

Before entering meditation, Sun Woojin had planned to send Mayu-gyeom and Jin So-eun away with Sakwol and the Six Harmonies Sword Masters.

Since Miao Aran was the one being chased, she couldn’t be sent off, but Mayu-gyeom was still healing from injuries, and Jin So-eun was exhausted—there was no need for them to stay together.

But Jin So-eun refused to leave.

“When things get urgent, someone has to watch over Miao Sojeo. No matter how skilled you are, Gongja, you can’t wield your sword while carrying her on your back. And besides…”

She smiled brightly and added, “You told me I couldn’t go anywhere, remember? So I want to stay by your side.”

Sun Woojin was taken aback and tried to respond.

“Ah, well, that’s…”

Those words echoed what he had told her before, back at Phoenix Mountain, when she had resolved to sacrifice herself so as not to be a hindrance.

More precisely, he had said, “You can’t go anywhere without my permission.”

It wasn’t exactly fitting for the current situation.

Still, instead of arguing, Sun Woojin just looked at Jin So-eun’s innocent smile.

She looked so endearing that he felt like ruffling her hair.

Finally, with a wry smile, he nodded.

“Very well. Then we move together.”

From then on, with Jin So-eun guarding him, Sun Woojin entered meditation.

“Chief Jin! Look over there!”

A voice from a Jaeseong Jin person caught Jin Taedo’s attention.

He glanced around to where the finger pointed—hills surrounding the Guan Road.

As the chase continued, the terrain had shifted into rolling hills.

Not as high as Phoenix Mountain, but if the target slipped into those hills, they could lose sight of him again.

Just then, as expected, Jin Taedo spotted Sun Woojin and Jin So-eun veering off the Guan Road and entering a narrow gorge.

Grinding his teeth, Jin Taedo muttered, “Those bastards again…”

They wouldn’t leave the clear Guan Road for no reason.

They must be planning some trick.

A sudden unease crept into Jin Taedo’s heart, fueled by memories of past failures to catch the target.

Clenching his teeth, he said, “This time, no mistakes… Hurry up! That girl’s technique hasn’t reached its peak yet! If she keeps using it, her inner strength will be drained!”

With grim determination, Jin Taedo and the Six Harmonies Sword Masters plunged into the gorge in pursuit.

But what they saw inside was completely unexpected.

Jin Taedo’s eyes widened as he shouted, “A dead end?!”

The gorge was blocked at the far end.

Sun Woojin and Jin So-eun stood before the blocked exit, trapped with nowhere to go, calmly watching their pursuers.

Jin Taedo’s momentary confusion quickly turned to elation.

“You fools! You’ve fallen right into my trap!”

His face lit up with a brightness that couldn’t grow any more radiant.

The slippery target who had escaped countless dangers like an eel was finally cornered.

In truth, Jin Taedo had been anxious all along.

How many times had he thought this was the end during the chase?

He had been both amazed and horrified by the target’s cunning that had turned those moments to nothing.

He had even feared he might never catch him.

But now, the target was trapped.

Surrounded by cliffs ten zhang high, with no ability to fly, there was no way out.

His heart swelled with triumph, thinking all their hardships had led to this joyous moment.

Jin Taedo’s gaze suddenly fixed on the pure white sword Sun Woojin held.

“And that White Tiger Sword… not only will I kill him, but I’ll finally claim that too!”

Until now, the heads of the Haenam Yu family and the Oga family had resisted him because they lacked that very sword—the White Tiger Sword, a treasured heirloom of the Haenam faction.

If he obtained it, they would have no choice but to acknowledge him.

Nothing could be better.

Unable to contain his joy, Jin Taedo burst into laughter.

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

They charged forward and reached Sun Woojin.

Sun Woojin handed Miao Aran to Jin So-eun and drew his sword, ready to face them.

Jin Taedo glared fiercely and shouted, “Inparang, you bastard! This is the end! I’ll tear you to a thousand pieces and show them to the other heads! After killing you and claiming the White Tiger Sword, no one will dare oppose me!”

Sun Woojin smirked.

“Is that so? Haven’t you said that a few times before? Why do you think this time will be any different?”

For someone trapped at a dead end, he seemed far too relaxed.

Jin Taedo’s smile vanished instantly.

That calm confidence stirred an inexplicable unease within him.

Still, he forced down his anxiety and scoffed.

“Hmph! A rat trapped in a jar, yet you keep up the bluff! What tricks could you possibly have left? Do you really think you can survive a direct fight against me and the Jin masters of Hyungsan Sect?”

He was one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World, accompanied by six supreme masters.

Even if the target had grown tremendously through some chance, there was no way he could survive here.

But just as he thought that, a sudden laugh echoed.

“Ha ha ha ha ha! Why assume I have no tricks? ‘Rat in a jar’—what a fitting description! Ha ha ha ha!”

Jin Taedo was horrified.

“What?!”

He quickly looked up toward the top of the gorge.

Someone was already there.

And when Jin Taedo saw the countless martial artists looking down from above, his face went blank.

“This can’t be…”

Not only that, but when he spotted the large, white-haired old man who seemed to lead them, Jin Taedo was nearly stunned into silence.

“Makyeong…? How?”

Indeed, the old man with a sinister smile looking down from above was none other than Makyeong.

Namhae Makyeong Manhaksoong—the one Jin Taedo feared most in Namhae.

The monster had left the Southern Great Path and come all the way here.

Makyeong Manhaksoong looked down at Jin Taedo and said, “At last, we meet again! Welcome, Jin Taedo! To celebrate our reunion, I’ll make this day your funeral! Ha ha ha ha!”

Hearing this, Jin Taedo looked at Sun Woojin in disbelief.

Sun Woojin smiled faintly back at him.

Only one word echoed in Jin Taedo’s mind.

“Trap.”

It seemed this had all been planned.

He thought he was chasing the target, but in reality, he had been lured.

A deep sense of despair and rage filled him.

Sun Woojin returned his gaze with a cold smile and repeated Jin Taedo’s own words.

“This is the end for you, Jin Taedo. I’ll tear you to pieces and bring them to Haenamdo.”

Jin Taedo trembled with fury.

In truth, Sun Woojin had met Manhaksoong’s subordinate, Biyoma General Sang Dokyung, right after awakening from a one-hour meditation.

True to his name—Biyoma, meaning “Flying Ray”—he was pursuing Sun Woojin up the Guan Road with a formidable new technique.

When he spotted Sun Woojin meditating, he tried to wake him immediately.

But Jin So-eun, standing guard, stopped him, forcing him to wait.

If it weren’t for Jin So-eun, he might never have met him—or worse, he would have been forcibly pulled out of his meditation. Having her there was truly a blessing.

Afterward, when Sun Woo-jin emerged from meditation and met him, he learned that Ma Gyeong Manhaksoong had personally come to Sangpo.

His plan to lure Ma Gyeong and force a confrontation with Jin Tae-do was finally bearing fruit.

The long-awaited counterattack was at hand.

Sun Woo-jin turned to Sangdo-gyeong with a request.

“I’ll lure Jin Tae-do out. You set a trap to capture him.”

And that was exactly how things had come to this moment.

Jin Tae-do shouted at Sun Woo-jin with a twisted expression.

“Are you an idiot? Don’t you realize you’ve just called in a tiger to catch a fox? Dragging the greatest enemy of Haenam here just for some petty revenge! No matter how this ends, you’ll end up nothing more than a plaything for Ma Gyeong! Why can’t you see that?!”

Sun Woo-jin smiled faintly in response.

“Worried about me now? How amusing. But… crying while you say that doesn’t make it any more convincing, you know.”

“You bastard!”

At that moment—

Manhaksoong and his three subordinates, who had been perched above the gorge, dropped down.

Like feathers drifting gently to the ground, they landed softly near the gorge’s entrance.

They had effectively blocked the exit Jin Tae-do and the Six Harmonies Sword Masters would have used.

Manhaksoong’s gaze was thick with murderous intent as he spoke.

“Back in the day, you’d have run away without a second thought, but your judgment’s slowed, hasn’t it, Jin Tae-do? Is that because of the little tiger?”

Jin Tae-do swallowed hard.

Alongside Manhaksoong, the three remaining members of the Great Southern Four were glaring at him like predators ready to devour their prey.

He quickly scanned them, thinking, They’re out for revenge on the Blue-Robed Horse Army. This won’t be easy.

He hadn’t tried to flee earlier because he knew escape was impossible.

With Manhaksoong blocking the entrance, running would only draw attention.

If he wanted to survive and get out of here, he needed a different bait to divert Manhaksoong’s gaze.

Jin Tae-do asked Manhaksoong.

“Is it madness to leave Daenamdo undefended just because of that guy, Ma Gyeong? The Saintess will surely target Daenamdo.”

Manhaksoong chuckled.

“You even have the luxury to worry about me. Not bad. But crying while you say that? It’s not very convincing.”

He echoed Sun Woo-jin’s earlier sarcastic remark, causing Jin Tae-do to grit his teeth.

But he wasn’t just seething with anger.

While speaking to Manhaksoong, he quickly sent a telepathic message to Ja-seong Jin-in.

—Jin-in, can you hold Ma Gyeong for a moment? Without Ma Gyeong, the Great Southern Four aren’t a match for me. Let’s take them down quickly and then join forces against Ma Gyeong.

Ja-seong Jin-in swallowed hard and looked once more at the overwhelming presence of Manhaksoong, the Absolute One of the Heavenly Thirty-Six Stars and leader of the Hyungsan Sect.

He was clearly a powerhouse on a different level from the Hyungsan Sect’s chief master, Wi Jeong-guk, or Haenam’s Sword Saint Jin Tae-do.

Can the Six Harmonies Sword Masters really hold their ground against him?

He had no confidence.

But…

There was no other choice.

The Six Harmonies Sword Masters were definitely better suited for defense than offense.

So if Jin Tae-do could quickly take down the three members of the Great Southern Four, as he said, there might be a chance.

—Understood, Chief Jin. We’ll do our best to act quickly.

—Please, Jin-in.

Exchanging telepathic messages with Ja-seong Jin-in, Jin Tae-do smiled slyly to himself.

If this goes well…

In truth, he had no intention of cooperating with them.

In his mind, the only way to survive was to have the Six Harmonies Sword Masters hold off Manhaksoong while he broke through the Great Southern Four and escaped.

Of course, he figured he’d need to keep the feet of Sangdo-gyeong, the master of the new techniques from the Biyoma Army, firmly planted to avoid unnecessary trouble.

As he was formulating his escape plan, Sun Woo-jin suddenly spoke from behind.

“I can guess what you’re scheming. You probably asked the Hyungsan Sect folks to hold Manhaksoong for you, planning to run off alone while they’re distracted.”

Jin Tae-do flinched at those words.

They hit too close to home, as if Sun Woo-jin had read his mind.

Ja-seong Jin-in was also startled and looked at Jin Tae-do.

Jin Tae-do hurriedly said to him, “Nonsense, Jin-in! Don’t pay any attention!”

But Sun Woo-jin smiled coldly and continued.

“You should pay attention, Jin-in. Think about the kind of person he is. If he were truly entrusted with holding Manhaksoong, would he run away? Or would he come back?”

Jin Tae-do clenched his teeth.

Seeing the coldness in Ja-seong Jin-in’s eyes, he knew exactly what conclusion he had reached without a word.

“You bastard, you little—!”

He glared at Sun Woo-jin as if ready to breathe fire.

At that moment, Manhaksoong burst into laughter.

“Ha ha ha ha! This is fun! So much fun! This little tiger is worth raising after all! Having him around will be a real joy! I’m looking forward to it! Ha ha ha ha!”

Manhaksoong looked at Sun Woo-jin with a smile that said, “You’re just too adorable.”

Sun Woo-jin smiled gently and gave a slight bow.

But inside, his heart was cold and calculating.

From that one statement alone, he could easily guess what Manhaksoong planned to do with him.

He probably intends to keep me close and use me to swallow the Haenam faction whole. That’s why he led his subordinates out of Daenamdo.

Unaware of these thoughts, Manhaksoong still smiled as he turned back to Jin Tae-do.

“So, Jin Tae-do, were you really thinking that six old men could hold me back? That’s laughable.”

Jin Tae-do gritted his teeth, but Sun Woo-jin answered instead.

“They’re not to be underestimated. They’re the Six Harmonies Sword Masters, the secret weapon of the Hyungsan Sect. When they unleash their sword formations, even the Hyungsan Sect’s chief master, Wi Jeong-guk, can’t stand against them.”

Ja-seong Jin-in gasped in shock.

“W-What?! How is that possible?!”

Both Ja-seong Jin-in’s shocked gaze and Manhaksoong’s intrigued eyes turned to Sun Woo-jin.

Sun Woo-jin bowed politely toward Manhaksoong and said,

“That’s why I have a request. As a token of my allegiance to Ma Gyeong, may I ask for one gift?”

The three members of the Great Southern Four frowned.

Though they said nothing, their expressions said it all: How dare this kid make demands of Manhaksoong?

Manhaksoong stroked his beard with an unreadable expression and asked,

“A gift, huh? What is it you want?”

Sun Woo-jin looked directly at Jin Tae-do and said,

“If the Six Harmonies Sword Master Pa Cheon-jo is anything like you say, he’ll be more than enough to ease your boredom, Elder. So… will you give me Jin Tae-do? Let me take my revenge with my own hands.”

Sun Woo-jin’s eyes shone with fierce intensity as he stared at Jin Tae-do.

Manhaksoong laughed, clearly entertained.

“Oh ho!”

Jin Tae-do looked at Sun Woo-jin in disbelief.

He never dreamed Sun Woo-jin would request a one-on-one duel with him.