Chapter 314
When Jamang Jin-in suddenly lunged forward, Gong Chu-dong was taken aback and shouted urgently.
“Brother Jamang!”
But it was already too late to stop him.
So he quickly turned to the other masters nearby and called out.
“Everyone, let’s go together! At this point, there’s no other choice…!”
Then, suddenly, a cacophony of crashing sounds and screams reached his ears.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Ughk!”
The gasps and cries from the crowd gathered near the city walls echoed the chaos.
“Ooooh!”
Startled, Gong Chu-dong whipped his head around to look toward Jamang Jin-in.
What he saw was utterly unbelievable.
He had clearly seen Jamang Jin-in charging toward Seol Poong, but now, Seol Poong was standing not far from where Gong Chu-dong was, holding Jamang Jin-in by the neck with one hand, dangling him like a captured prey.
It was like watching a hunter with his quarry.
Meanwhile, Jamang Jin-in, held like a lifeless trophy, showed no resistance at all.
His limbs hung limp, as if broken—probably shattered bones.
Gong Chu-dong muttered under his breath.
“What… what just happened? How did it come to this?”
The suddenness of the situation was too extreme to have happened in the brief moment he looked away.
He couldn’t make sense of it.
So he turned to Ja Woo Jin-in standing beside him and asked.
“Brother Ja Woo, what exactly happened here?”
Ja Woo Jin-in’s eyes trembled as he replied.
“I don’t really know either. That guy charged at an incredible speed, then suddenly spun like a whirlwind of dragon fists, and next thing I knew, it was like this…”
His explanation was vague and confusing.
But that only made Gong Chu-dong more shocked.
Even Ja Woo Jin-in, who had been watching closely, couldn’t fully grasp what had happened in such an instant.
Gong Chu-dong looked back at Seol Poong with trembling eyes, thinking,
“No matter that he’s the heir to the Four Kings, how can someone so young…?”
At that moment, Seol Poong abruptly threw the limp Jamang Jin-in backward.
The warriors of the Hyung-san faction nearby shouted in alarm.
“!”
“Brother Jamang!”
But to their relief, Jamang Jin-in didn’t hit the ground.
Members of the Ban-hyung Association rushed out and caught him midair.
Gong Chu-dong let out a brief sigh of relief—only to have it snatched away by Seol Poong’s next words.
“I entrust the lives of the Hyung-san disciples to you. Settle your own grudges as you see fit.”
Those words horrified Gong Chu-dong.
Seol Poong wasn’t sparing them out of mercy—he was sending them to exact revenge.
He also noticed the Ban-hyung members’ faces, now filled with murderous intent.
Unable to hold back, Gong Chu-dong shouted.
“If you want to kill, then do it cleanly! To cripple warriors and toy with them—what kind of cruel act is this?! If you’re the heir to the Four Kings, shouldn’t you show some dignity?!”
Seol Poong’s eyes locked onto him.
With a voice laced with inner power, he answered.
“Cruelty and dignity, you say? It would have been better if you’d thought that way earlier—before you killed their parents and siblings, before you violated their wives and daughters. Then none of this would have happened.”
Gong Chu-dong gritted his teeth, unable to retort.
Seol Poong continued.
“And this is only the beginning. It’s laughable to speak as if this is someone else’s problem. You’re no different. Our vengeance will continue.”
The faces of the fifty or so Ban-hyung warriors twisted with unbearable rage and sorrow.
Seol Poong turned to them and shouted again.
“We will keep moving forward! Until the bones of the Weojeong State are ground to dust and the grievances of the dead are avenged! Until every Hyung-san disciple kneels before us and apologizes for their wrongdoings! We will not stop!”
The Ban-hyung warriors erupted in a unified roar.
“Waaahhh!”
The cry was fierce and deep, layered with years of hatred and fury.
Seol Poong then turned back to Gong Chu-dong and the Hyung-san warriors.
They swallowed nervously, their faces pale.
Seol Poong cracked his neck with a sharp snap! and began walking toward them.
“Now, it’s your turn. Choose.”
Gong Chu-dong clenched his teeth.
Seol Poong’s presence was like a towering mountain looming over them.
His youth was irrelevant.
No matter how Gong Chu-dong thought about it, there was nothing in their favor—not their momentum, their cause, or even their martial skill.
But even as he thought this, he couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
What difference would it make to think that now?
If they weren’t going to surrender or run, the outcome was inevitable.
And as members of the Nine Great Sects and warriors of Hyung-san, surrender or flight was unthinkable.
Better to die.
With his mind made up, Gong Chu-dong looked at the others and said resolutely.
“Let’s go all at once. There’s no other way now.”
All eyes turned to him.
No one spoke, but everyone silently agreed.
Gong Chu-dong shouted toward Seol Poong with all his might.
“We will show you the spirit of Hyung-san warriors!”
At the same time, eight top-tier masters charged at Seol Poong together.
Like eight tigers pouncing, or a storm raging forward, their assault was fierce and overwhelming.
“Hyaaah!”
“Die!”
But Seol Poong showed no sign of panic.
He merely curled his lips into a cold, bitter smile.
Then, in an instant, he dashed toward them.
Fwoosh!
His speed and power were astonishing.
The eight Hyung-san warriors who had seemed like tigers moments ago now looked like mere cats in comparison.
When they clashed, the moment was seared into the memories of all who watched.
Pwah!
“Gahhh!”
“Ughhh!”
The crowd was stunned, mesmerized by the overwhelming and electrifying martial prowess.
For the people of Sang-eum and the entire martial world, this was the moment the name Seol Poong was etched deeply into their minds.
“What?! What nonsense is this?!”
Weojeong State’s Hyung-san Sect leader, eyes blazing, shouted.
He was trembling with rage after hearing the report.
Beside him, Outer Hall Master Ja Gwang Jin asked in a shaky voice.
“So… total annihilation? All nine who left the main temple, plus the eleven coming from the northwest and east?”
The reporting warrior bowed deeply and answered.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
It was an unbelievable report.
Ja Gwang Jin was speechless for a long moment.
He had already thought sending twenty top-tier masters was excessive, but total annihilation?
And the unbelievable news didn’t end there.
“Also, while I don’t know about the others, all nine from the main temple were defeated by a single person.”
“What?”
“A single person?”
Both Weojeong State leader and Ja Gwang Jin thought they must have misheard.
Nine top-tier masters defeated by one person? That was absurd.
The leader scowled and pressed the messenger.
“What nonsense is this?! Nine top-tier masters defeated by one? Did some absolute being of the Fifteen appear? The Four Kings themselves?!”
The messenger stammered.
“Not the Four Kings, but the heir to the Four Kings appeared. Seol Poong, the Gale Dragon of the Light Wind…”
Their faces hardened like stone.
“The heir to the Four Kings?”
“Seol Poong?”
“The heir to the Four Kings, Seol Poong, single-handedly defeated nine of Hyung-san’s top masters.”
This rumor spread like wildfire throughout the martial world.
Because all eyes were on the Hyung-san incident, it quickly drew attention.
The emergence of a new prodigy thrilled the enthusiasts.
People always awaited the rise of a new hero.
Especially since the one they had pinned their hopes on—the famed In Pa-rang of Haenam—had recently died fighting Jin Tae-do.
So the arrival of Seol Poong sparked even greater excitement.
But their interest wasn’t just in his current feats.
“Seol Poong was originally the leader of the Thirteen Dragons of the Flying Dragon Corps, fighting the Blood Sect. His nickname was the Gale Dragon.”
“Seol Poong had to spend his childhood away from the Four Kings’ alliance because his father, Seol Ga, the Marquis Seol Cheon, was a sworn enemy of the current Four King, Gwe Gal-hyeon.”
“Yet Gwe Gal-hyeon forgave and accepted Seol Poong as his heir, unable to ignore his incredible talent.”
Such rumors began to circulate from somewhere, quickly spreading throughout the martial world.
His extraordinary lineage, difficult upbringing, and his commendable past fighting the Blood Sect as part of the Flying Dragon Corps.
People no longer saw Seol Poong as just a rising star who appeared like a comet.
The life of Seolpung—the narrative itself—had drawn people in emotionally, not just for the birth of a new divine power, but for the man himself. They began to worship him, not merely as a symbol, but as a person.
It was, without a doubt, the birth of a hero.
The reaction of the Sawangryeon warriors toward Seolpung grew even more fervent.
As always, the achievements of someone from their hometown felt all the more moving when they happened far away.
The Sawangryeon warriors no longer saw Seolpung as an outsider.
They took pride in him as the rightful successor of the Sawang.
“Seolpung, the Supreme Divine of the World, the Radiant Wind and Soaring Dragon.”
This was the title Seolpung had earned in such a short time.
What thrilled his admirers even more was that his journey was far from over.
Now, with the entire martial world aware of the Hyeongsan Sect’s misdeeds, everyone was watching with bated breath as Seolpung prepared to punish its sect leader, the greatest swordsman of Honam, Wi Jeongguk.
While Seolpung’s status soared like a dragon ascending to the heavens, the Hyeongsan Sect’s reputation plummeted like a falling star.
The entire martial world now knew of the sect’s crimes.
No one still considered the Hyeongsan Sect part of the old orthodox schools.
In fact, they weren’t even regarded as righteous anymore.
Though the Martial Alliance and the old orthodox schools had yet to make official statements, the Hyeongsan Sect was now treated much like the Blood Cult.
And internally, things were far from stable.
“Sect Leader! The warriors of Suyeong have risen up! They’ve attacked our puppet sect, the Suyeong Sword Sect!”
“Sect Leader! There was an attack in Dareung as well!”
“Sect Leader! And in Soyang too…!”
In nearly every region they had once subdued, the righteous sects were now revolting.
Though the Hyeongsan Sect’s power remained formidable, the sheer number of simultaneous uprisings made it impossible to quell them all.
But the real threat wasn’t these minor sect attacks.
Wi Jeongguk, the sect leader, turned to his deputy, Ja Gwangjin.
“How far has that Seolpung fellow come?”
“He’s reached the counseling hall. He should arrive at Hyeongsan by tomorrow.”
“Still only about a hundred and fifty men with him?”
“No, more warriors from neighboring sects have joined. His numbers have already surpassed a thousand.”
A thousand.
In sheer numbers, they had already outmatched the Hyeongsan Sect.
But Wi Jeongguk scoffed.
“Hmph! No matter how many third-rate scum they gather, they’re still just insects.”
Ja Gwangjin winced, then replied, “I don’t think they’re all third-rate. Rumor has it that the Three Divine Spears’ Gam Jak-hyeong and the Ghost Blade Baek Giryang are by his side.”
“What?!”
Even Wi Jeongguk couldn’t maintain his composure at that.
Gam Jak-hyeong and Baek Giryang were formidable warriors he wouldn’t dare face lightly.
Gritting his teeth, Wi Jeongguk barked, “Immediately gather all the top-tier and supreme warriors! Summon those dispatched to the southern regions, and even those hiding in the mountains training!”
“Yes, yes! Understood!”
But even that was easier said than done.
Another urgent report came in.
“Sect Leader! Warriors from the Bokgeon Yongga are approaching from the east!”
“What?! Bokgeon Yongga?!”
And that wasn’t all.
“Sect Leader! The Hae-nam Sect’s warriors are rapidly advancing northward from the south!”
“What is this? Why would the Hae-nam Sect be coming here?!”
No one knew their reason.
But everyone understood it wouldn’t be good.
Ja Gwangjin’s face turned pale as he spoke.
“Sect Leader, we should have the warriors dispatched to the south keep them in check.”
More than ten supreme warriors had been sent to the southern region from Hyeongsan.
If they were tasked with restraining Bokgeon Yongga and the Hae-nam Sect, fewer than ten supreme warriors would remain at the Hyeongsan headquarters.
Realizing this, Wi Jeongguk’s gaze wavered, and he barely managed to say, “Then… at least those hiding in the mountains training…”
Ja Gwangjin answered in a grim voice, “Those warriors have already been drugged into a coma. To create the ultimate sword master, the ‘Six Harmonies Sword Saint’ Pa Cheonjo…”
Wi Jeongguk was left speechless, his expression one of utter despair.
They were trapped with no way out.