Chapter 311
The battles at the three locations were now nearly settled.
After Jeungchil finished his fight first, he watched the other two battles unfold. Next up was Jin So-eun, who had just leapt over the wall again.
So, at this moment, everyone stood there watching the duel between Baekgol Goema Hongchu and the swordmaster Modongju from Beomgang.
The two were so focused on their fight that they barely noticed their surroundings.
And their battle was truly a spectacle.
Well, more precisely, it was a feast for the ears.
“You little octopus! How can the glow from your head be brighter than your martial energy?! Is that even martial arts?!”
“You demon who kidnaps and rapes! Looks like your mother’s disappearance is your doing!”
“What, you filthy heretic demon?!”
“Heh heh heh! Getting mad, you bastard?!”
It was a strange fight where the orthodox swordsman from Hyeongsan Sect insulted his opponent’s appearance, while the heretic Hongchu attacked the orthodox’s morality.
Their weapons clashed evenly, and their verbal sparring seemed endless.
Watching this, Jeungchil clicked his tongue and said, “Tsk, tsk. If they didn’t waste so much energy on words, this fight would’ve been over already.”
Jin So-eun, who had been smiling nervously, nodded in agreement.
“From what I see, both of you seem to be putting more effort into your mouths than your weapons.”
At that moment, Hongchu and Modongju, hearing Jeungchil and Jin So-eun’s voices, finally became aware of their surroundings.
They realized that the other two battles, aside from their own, had already ended.
A spark ignited in Hongchu’s eyes.
He knew, though hated to admit it, that Jeungchil—the rival he faced ten years ago—had now surpassed him.
But to be outdone by that young master Jin So-eun was something he simply couldn’t accept.
“You bastard! Now I’ll show you my true strength!”
Hongchu gathered all his energy to unleash his hidden secret technique, Bijang Jeolcho.
Though using it openly was a bit much, he figured it was better than leaving the fight unresolved.
If he had to rely on Jeungchil’s help, the humiliation would be unbearable.
His Baekgol Goema weapon blazed with gray energy.
“Fwoosh!”
With a solemn expression, Hongchu shouted, “Die, you bastard…!”
Just then—
As he was about to unleash his secret move, Modongju suddenly stepped back, raised both hands high, and shouted,
“Surrender! I surrender!”
“…What?”
Hongchu blinked in confusion.
Surrender? Had he misheard?
“Surrender?”
“A disciple of Hyeongsan Sect? And an ultra-elite master at that?”
Others were just as stunned.
The orthodox sects, especially the ancient Great Gate sects, lived and died by their pride.
For them, surrendering—or even retreating—was a disgrace.
Yet here was a disciple of Hyeongsan Sect, a top-tier master, raising his hands in surrender.
No one knew how to process this.
Hongchu stood there, weapon still burning with gray energy, speechless.
The flames around his Baekgol Goema flickered and began to die out.
“Y-you…”
He was too shocked to say anything.
Then Jeungchil approached and patted his shoulder sympathetically.
“Tsk, tsk.”
Hongchu’s mouth dropped open.
He felt as if the sky was collapsing on him from the injustice.
Desperately, he shouted,
“N-no, the fight isn’t over yet!”
He turned to Modongju.
“You bastard! Surrender? Don’t be ridiculous—pick up your sword!”
Modongju laughed heartily.
The man who had just been hurling vicious insults and fighting fiercely now wore a gentle, almost sheepish smile.
He even tossed his sword to the ground.
With an awkward grin, Modongju asked Hongchu,
“Did you hear me say earlier that the glow from the old man’s head was quite charming? You look like an immortal. Ha ha ha! Ha ha…”
Modongju had been startled when he heard Jeungchil and Jin So-eun’s voices and immediately scanned his surroundings.
That’s when he realized his sworn brothers had already become lost souls.
He alone had been unaware—the tide of the battle had already turned.
‘Damn it!’
He immediately thought of fleeing.
He was naturally free-spirited and had grown disillusioned with the sect’s affairs; he had no intention of sacrificing his life for sect loyalty.
But as he searched for an escape route, he spotted four figures watching him from the walls and rooftops around him.
One of them was a burly old man wielding a massive trident.
The name flashed through Modongju’s mind.
‘The Three-Pronged Divine Spear, Gam Jak-hyung?!’
He nearly popped his eyes out in shock.
Gam Jak-hyung was a master no martial artist could fail to recognize.
He was ranked among the Thirty-Six Stars of the World alongside Hyeongsan Sect’s top master, Chief Elder Wi Jeong-guk.
And he wasn’t alone.
‘One of the guards is the Three-Pronged Divine Spear? Then who are the others?’
Swallowing dryly, Modongju gave up on fleeing.
There was no hope.
He raised his hands high and surrendered.
“Surrender! I surrender!”
As he did, the four watchers leapt lightly down into the clearing.
Modongju took in their faces and swallowed again.
‘So it really is the Three-Pronged Divine Spear Gam Jak-hyung. And that one must be Geumdo Mujuk Chohagonin. And that one… huh?! Gui-do Baek Gi-ryang?! What the hell is this impossible lineup?!’
He doubted his own eyes for a moment.
Among Hyeongsan Sect’s ultra-elite masters, he was one of the most active and curious warriors.
His knowledge was the broadest among Hyeongsan’s martial artists.
There was no way he could misjudge the identities of those standing before him.
‘I was told there’d only be Chohagon and some Ban Hyun-hoe warriors at most…’
Clearly, the information had been severely downplayed.
And it seemed less a failure of Hyeongsan’s intelligence network and more likely a trap.
Modongju thought,
‘This is going to be a serious blow to our Hyeongsan Sect.’
But then he reconsidered.
‘Does it really matter to me? Actually, maybe this is for the best.’
He had been growing disillusioned with the sect’s conduct.
So long as the sect didn’t completely collapse, he wouldn’t mind if the chief elder fell from power.
Having made up his mind, Modongju spoke boldly to the group.
“Need any information? If it’s about Hyeongsan Sect, I can tell you everything! Just guarantee my safety, and I’ll spill it all!”
Modongju betrayed his sect with such ease and confidence.
The group exchanged incredulous looks and chuckled awkwardly, glancing at Sun Woo-jin.
They seemed to be silently asking what to do with him.
Noticing their gaze, Modongju was shocked.
From the atmosphere, it seemed their leader was the young man they had barely paid attention to.
‘The short-haired woman caught their eye because she’s beautiful, but they completely ignored me…’
Sun Woo-jin, watching Modongju’s changing expression, smirked and said,
“You’ve got sharp instincts. Might even be better than your martial skills.”
Modongju laughed heartily.
“Ha ha ha! You have a keen eye, sir. I’ve heard that a lot. Before I broke through the ultra-elite barrier, my instincts were definitely sharper than my martial arts.”
Sun Woo-jin smiled.
He could tell who held the real power just from the flow of the battle and the atmosphere.
He admired Modongju’s decisiveness in surrendering without hesitation once he understood the situation.
And the way he respectfully addressed him, a much younger man, showed a flexibility that intrigued Sun Woo-jin.
He was starting to find this man interesting—a type he hadn’t encountered before.
But interest didn’t mean he’d let him live.
Sun Woo-jin’s smile vanished instantly as he unleashed a powerful aura.
“Fwoosh!”
Modongju’s eyes widened.
The intangible energy became tangible, even stirring his hair.
This was definitely the level of a Thirty-Six Stars master.
‘At that age… is he some kind of minor leader of the Cheonma Shin-gyo?’
Just then, Sun Woo-jin’s cold voice cut through the air.
“Why should I spare your life?”
Modongju instinctively knew his fate hinged on this answer.
He swallowed hard and replied,
“I don’t believe the direction of Hyeongsan Sect—or rather, the chief elder’s direction—is right. Of course, saying this after following orders all this time is irresponsible, but I wasn’t in a position to refuse his commands. So I had no choice but to obey, though I was only ever assigned fighting missions. At least, unlike what Old Man Hong just accused me of, I never took on tasks like kidnapping or rape.”
After saying that much, Mo Dong-ju glanced cautiously at Sun Woo-jin before carefully finishing his sentence.
“So, to sum it up… as long as my safety is guaranteed, I’m willing to share any information that might be unfavorable to Jang Moon-in.”
At this, Hong Chu scoffed derisively.
“Hmph! How are we supposed to believe that? Gongja, don’t listen to him! It’s obvious he’s lying! Didn’t you see how he was hurling insults at me earlier?”
Hong Chu still hadn’t let go of his grudge against Mo Dong-ju.
Or rather, his resentment seemed to have grown even stronger from the frustration of not settling the score.
But, much to Hong Chu’s dismay, Sun Woo-jin knew deep down that Mo Dong-ju was telling the truth.
Because Muk-rang had told him so in his mind.
Hearing Muk-rang’s words, Sun Woo-jin nodded and addressed the group.
“At the very least, it seems he’s being honest.”
Hong Chu, who had been insisting all along that they shouldn’t trust the guy, froze on the spot.
At the same time, Mo Dong-ju’s face lit up with a bright smile.
“That’s right! I swear on my life, this is my absolute truth! To think you’d see through it—truly impressive, little hero, or should I say, Gongja!”
Hong Chu felt wronged.
How on earth did he know that Mo Dong-ju was sincere? He wasn’t some kind of mind reader!
Just as he was about to protest to Sun Woo-jin, Jeung Chil suddenly spoke up, sounding impressed.
“Oh? So he really means it? What an unusual fellow.”
Jin So-eun nodded in agreement, her expression equally amazed.
“Yeah, he’s definitely a very unique person.”
Both of them spoke as if there was no reason to doubt Sun Woo-jin’s judgment.
Hong Chu, dumbfounded, looked to Gam Jak-hyung and Baek Gi-ryang for support.
But the two stood silently, showing no interest whatsoever.
Their expressions suggested it didn’t really matter whether Mo Dong-ju was telling the truth or not.
In the end, unable to shake off his frustration, Hong Chu could only move his lips in silent protest.