Chapter 327
There was a legend that had been passed down like a myth within the Hyeongsan Sect.
Long ago—so long ago that no one could say exactly when—a swordsman from Hyeongsan had claimed the title of the world’s greatest warrior. It was the kind of wishful, fanciful tale that the martial artists of Hyeongsan liked to tell themselves.
The reason it was considered mere fantasy was simple: the story existed only as oral tradition. No historical records or official annals of the sect ever mentioned it.
So the young disciples would sometimes argue over whether the legend was true or not, while the older warriors would just chuckle, saying that it was natural to believe in such stories when you were young.
But there was one person in Hyeongsan who knew the truth.
Only Wi Jeong-guk was aware that the legend was not just a myth—it was an undeniable fact.
The reason was that, while fleeing after killing his own brother, Wi Jeong-guk had stumbled upon a secret chamber left behind by that very legendary figure.
Even now, thinking back to that moment sent chills down Wi Jeong-guk’s spine.
“When I fell off that cliff, I thought it was all over…”
But as he dangled from a branch on the cliffside, he discovered the hidden chamber just below. Inside, he found records of various Hyeongsan techniques that had been tested in real combat, along with the insights and interpretations of that legendary swordsman.
Those teachings explained how, in just twenty or thirty years, Hyeongsan had produced so many top-tier masters.
And there, Wi Jeong-guk also uncovered the sword art created and left behind by ‘him.’
It was called ‘Bijogeomhae’—a unique martial art belonging solely to the world’s greatest swordsman from Hyeongsan.
The reason this legendary figure wasn’t recorded in the sect’s official history was simple: he had been expelled from Hyeongsan when he was young.
According to his diary, he was a prodigy in martial arts but so arrogant that the sect cast him out.
But Wi Jeong-guk didn’t buy that explanation.
“Expelled just for arrogance? That’s nonsense.”
A martial arts sect that treasures talent like life itself wouldn’t throw out a genius simply for being arrogant.
There had to be some other, hidden reason.
“Maybe… like me, for killing his own brother.”
As a youth, Wi Jeong-guk imagined the unspoken circumstances behind the expulsion and felt a strange kinship.
That was when he made a vow.
He would never teach the sword art ‘Bijogeomhae’ to anyone else—he alone would master it.
Of course, since he hadn’t shared the Oro Sword Technique with anyone either, there must have been other reasons as well.
In any case, Wi Jeong-guk spent years trying to learn ‘Bijogeomhae.’
But…
Despite years of effort, his pride took a hit—he simply couldn’t master the technique.
Only later did he realize those years had been a waste.
Thinking back, he still ground his teeth in frustration.
“It was ridiculous. To learn the sword art, I first had to master ‘Igieogeom’—a technique that made no sense.”
After that realization, Wi Jeong-guk had no choice but to give up on ‘Bijogeomhae.’
‘Igieogeom’ was a realm only absolute masters of the martial world could reach.
So ‘Bijogeomhae’ wasn’t a technique you could learn to become an absolute master—it was a technique you could only learn after becoming one.
For Wi Jeong-guk, it was utterly maddening.
Lost in these thoughts, Wi Jeong-guk let out a fierce shout and threw his sword with all his might toward Seolpung, who stood before him.
“Uhaaah!”
Before taking the Gwanghyeoldan pill, Wi Jeong-guk couldn’t use ‘Igieogeom.’
It wasn’t that he hadn’t learned it—he simply couldn’t wield it.
The enormous energy consumption was beyond his capacity.
Even swinging his sword in a straight line drained all his internal power, making it almost better to just throw the sword.
But now, with the Gwanghyeoldan amplifying his energy, he might be able to use ‘Igieogeom’ after all.
And at this moment, he had no other choice.
Whoosh!
He threw his sword with a Dragon Fist Wind technique toward Seolpung, gritting his teeth and focusing his mind on the blade.
“Hup!”
Then, the sword flying toward Seolpung suddenly radiated a brilliant light and transformed.
It took the form of a celestial phoenix, with sky-blue wings spread wide, a glowing tail feather, and feathers shimmering with ethereal light.
Screeeech!
The sky-blue phoenix cried out and accelerated even faster.
Whoosh!
Its speed was enough to pierce through the Dragon Fist Wind.
Watching the duel, Sunwoo Jin’s face suddenly stiffened.
He shouted urgently, “Dodge, hyungnim!”
Sunwoo Jin’s signature move, the Sunwoo Thirteen Swords’ Phoenix Manifestation, transformed his spear into the shape of a phoenix before launching it.
Because he used that technique, he immediately understood how terrifying the power of this sword art was—transforming ‘Igieogeom’ into the form of a phoenix.
Seolpung, who had been preparing to strike the phoenix with a spear charged with energy, quickly leaned back at Sunwoo Jin’s warning.
He instantly deployed the Iron Plate Bridge technique.
The sky-blue phoenix passed just above Seolpung.
Screeeech!
Seolpung saw the space where the phoenix had passed was split into a vacuum.
It was so sharp that the vacuum remained for a moment afterward.
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
Had he tried to block head-on, he would have died on the spot.
But the danger wasn’t over yet.
Wi Jeong-guk snapped his fingers in reverse and shouted, “Where do you think you’re going?!”
The phoenix that had passed over Seolpung suddenly changed direction in an instant.
It surged toward Seolpung, who hadn’t even fully recovered.
Screeeech!
“!”
Seolpung realized he couldn’t dodge this time.
There was no other way.
“Haaah!”
He rose up, shouting fiercely as a red veil of protective energy enveloped his body.
It was his Body Guard Energy.
But Wi Jeong-guk sneered and shouted, “You think you can block me with that?!”
At the same moment, Mukrang’s voice echoed in Sunwoo Jin’s mind.
“Eh?!”
The phoenix gently pierced through Seolpung’s protective energy.
Pfuuk!
Seolpung’s eyes widened in shock.
“Hahk!”
The next moment, he stared blankly ahead.
The sword that had so easily broken through his defense was now back to its normal blade form—Wi Jeong-guk’s sword.
Seolpung swallowed hard without realizing it.
He had come dangerously close to death.
He glanced toward Wi Jeong-guk and saw him collapsed on the ground, coughing up blood.
It was truly a miracle.
Just before the sky-blue phoenix was about to slice Seolpung’s body in two, Wi Jeong-guk had exhausted all his internal power.
Because of that, he couldn’t maintain ‘Igieogeom,’ and the phoenix form of the sword had to revert to a normal blade right before Seolpung’s eyes.
It was a matter of mere moments.
Sunwoo Jin, who was staring at Wi Jeong-guk with the same stunned expression as Seolpung, heard Mukrang mutter in his mind.
Sunwoo Jin could only nod blankly.
The battle was over.
After Wi Jeong-guk collapsed, Seolpung sealed his pressure points to restrain him.
Cheong Gong-jin, the former head of Hyeongsan Sect, along with the swordmaster Mo Dong-ju, gathered the sect’s disciples to restore order.
It seemed that, for the time being, Cheong Gong-jin would have to resume his role as head and lead Hyeongsan once more.
The first thing he did upon returning was to apologize to the three thousand warriors who had gathered under Seolpung, many of whom bore grudges against Hyeongsan.
He knelt before them, including the rebellious members, and begged for forgiveness.
“All of this happened because I failed to properly train my disciples. I know that for those who have already lost family, my apology means little. But still, I offer my sincerest apologies. I swear on my remaining life that Hyeongsan will do everything in its power to compensate for your losses.”
Nearly a thousand other Hyeongsan disciples knelt behind him.
In unison, they voiced their apologies.
“We sincerely apologize!”
Watching this scene, the three thousand warriors couldn’t help but shed tears.
As Cheong Gong-jin had said, accepting the apology wouldn’t bring back lost family or friends.
But it wasn’t meaningless.
They had witnessed Wi Jeong-guk’s downfall with their own eyes and realized that even within Hyeongsan, there were victims of his actions.
They agreed to forgive their grudges on the condition that Hyeongsan would exhaust all its resources to compensate them and close its gates for ten years.
So, for the foreseeable future, news of Hyeongsan would likely disappear from the martial world.
Meanwhile, as old grudges were being settled, Sunwoo Jin and Seolpung embraced warmly.
“Hyungnim, you’ve worked hard!”
“You too, little brother! Thanks to you, I’m still alive. If you hadn’t weakened their forces before the fight, I’d probably be buried here.”
Seolpung shook his head, recalling Wi Jeong-guk’s final move.
He wasn’t joking—he had nearly crossed the river to the afterlife.
Sunwoo Jin smiled and replied…
“That was the role I insisted on taking myself. If I hadn’t even managed that, I wouldn’t have earned my keep. Besides, if things hadn’t been as they were, there’s no way he would have consumed the Bloodlust Pill. He probably wouldn’t have even gotten that far. It would have ended with the Azure Sword Technique. So, in the end, even if it hadn’t been me, you would have won, brother. Though the cost would have been higher.”
“Is that so? Well, in any case, thank you.”
Just then, Miao Aran of the Haenam Miao Clan, the mysterious sword master, approached them. True to her title as Haenam’s most beautiful, she still radiated an almost otherworldly glow.
“Long time no see, Inparang Gongja. Are you really going to pretend you don’t know me now?”
Hearing the name Inparang after so long caught Sun Woojin off guard. He forced a wry smile and greeted her.
“Of course not. I’m not so shameless as to ignore Miao Sojeo, whom I personally invited. I’m truly grateful, Sojeo. Watching you respond to the Weijing Kingdom gave me a good sense of your prowess.”
Seol Poong nodded with a smile.
“That’s right. If Sojeo hadn’t been here, it would have been chaos. I simply couldn’t stand against the Weijing Kingdom on my own. It’s a serious matter. With a mind this dull, I wonder if I can even properly lead a small sect, let alone the Four Kings’ Alliance. Perhaps we should formally invite Sojeo to join us.”
Miao Aran smiled softly at that.
“An invitation to the Four Kings’ Alliance? I’m honored. But I’m also part of the orthodox faction… Hmm, I’ll decide after seeing what Sun Woo Gongja does from now on.”
Sun Woojin was slightly taken aback. Why was she tying her decision to join the Four Kings’ Alliance to him?
He asked her with a puzzled look.
“If you’re joining the Four Kings’ Alliance, shouldn’t you decide after seeing what my brother does? Why involve me?”
Miao Aran smiled meaningfully.
“Well, you should ask the Sun Woo clan head and Lady So at Haenam about the details.”
“Ask Father and Lady So? What’s that about…?”
Sun Woojin’s expression turned completely flustered.
Seol Poong burst out laughing at his usually composed younger brother’s rare display of embarrassment.
“Hahaha! Miao Sojeo is truly remarkable! I’ve never seen anyone fluster you like this.”
Sun Woojin’s father, Sun Woojung, was currently staying at Haenam with the wild witch So Nanso. They had been discussing the Sun Woo family’s entry into the Haenam faction.
At that time, Sun Woojin had agreed to teach the Haenam faction’s chosen children the Southern Cross Sword technique of the Haenam clan, in exchange for the Sun Woo family becoming the faction’s thirteenth house.
He had sent a message through Haomun to ask his father’s opinion, and Sun Woojung had come to Haenam immediately, overjoyed without hesitation.
It wasn’t a retreat from Guiju, but rather an alliance with the powerful Haenam faction, so there was no reason to refuse.
Sun Woojin had been shocked—not by his father’s quick decision, but by the fact that his father had become involved with the wild witch So Nanso.
He had complained to Seol Poong, “He already had five wives, and now a sixth? No wonder people call him a rake.”
Seol Poong had just smiled enigmatically without answering.
Meanwhile, as Sun Woojin, Seol Poong, and Miao Aran chatted and laughed, two others watched from a distance: Yeon Taejin and Jin Soeun.
Yeon Taejin shook his head with a wry smile.
“She’s really beautiful, isn’t she? Maybe not quite as much as me, but close. Honestly, I got nervous when someone that pretty and smart showed up out of nowhere. Turns out, I wasn’t the one who should have been nervous.”
Looking at Yeon Taejin, Jin Soeun sighed deeply. She knew Miao Aran and had seen her injured before, so it was good to see her fully recovered—but still, her feelings were complicated.
And Miao Aran wasn’t the only one stirring those feelings.
Shortly after, Woo Nanseol of the Sunmu Martial Arts approached Sun Woojin.
She had been watching him talk with Seol Poong and Miao Aran, and as their conversation ended, she stepped forward and bowed politely.
“Woo Nanseol greets the savior of my life.”
Sun Woojin returned her smile warmly and began speaking with her.
Seeing this, Yeon Taejin was at a loss for words and glanced nervously at Jin Soeun.
Even Yeon Taejin, counted among the four beauties of the demonic sect, had heard of Woo Nanseol’s reputation—and seeing her in person, he had to admit she was a beauty he couldn’t easily outshine.
Jin Soeun’s troubled expression lingered, refusing to fade away.