Chapter 332
At that moment, Ha Cheong-yeon descended toward Dang Yeo-eun like a shooting star.
Byuk Ri-jung hurriedly threw himself forward, trying to block her path.
“Stop!”
But it was impossible.
Without even glancing at him, Ha Cheong-yeon flicked her fingers in annoyance, and his body was swept away by an invisible force, flying far into the distance.
“Ugh!”
It was an intangible energy technique.
Dang Yeo-eun’s gaze wavered at the sight, but she refused to let her focus scatter any further.
She concentrated solely on Ha Cheong-yeon, swinging her sword desperately.
“Hah!”
A hazy, reddish aura resembling a blood moon scattered like mist before her.
It was the White Crane Old Sword of her grandfather, Yang Moon-heon.
Dang Yeo-eun’s sword strikes were by no means weak.
She had already activated the Moonlight Phantom Sword Dance’s third form, “Swift Moon,” channeling power comparable to a top-tier master ranked among the Thirty-Six Stars of the World.
Yet, unfortunately, even that wasn’t enough to stop the Overturned Blood Demon, Gwa-yeom.
Clang!
Dang Yeo-eun’s sword aura shattered like glass against Ha Cheong-yeon’s defensive energy.
Ha Cheong-yeon then looked down at the now-exposed front of Dang Yeo-eun’s chest.
With a wicked smile, she thrust her hand forward, aiming to pierce through.
Ssshh!
Or rather, she tried to.
If not for something flying in from behind Dang Yeo-eun at that very moment.
Whoosh!
Three objects shot through the air at incredible speed.
Even Ha Cheong-yeon, possessed by the Overturned Blood Demon, found their velocity unsettling.
Frowning, Ha Cheong-yeon abruptly swiped her hand away from Dang Yeo-eun and spun around.
Dang Yeo-eun’s body, caught in the intangible energy, was flung backward, suspended midair as if bound.
“Ahh!”
Turning her head, Ha Cheong-yeon saw the incoming objects were white wolf-shaped energy spheres.
White and translucent, like ice—wolves made of pure frost.
Ha Cheong-yeon’s eyes narrowed in confusion.
“Bingbaek Shingong?”
Muttering the name of the ancient Northern Sea Ice Palace martial art, she casually waved her hand, shattering the three spheres.
Crack!
Then she turned her gaze to the man charging toward her, wild hair and a white sword engraved with a wolf’s head in hand.
Mayu-gyeom, leader of the Fourth Squad of the Flying Dragon Thirteen, grandson of the Blood Demon Jeon Mu-gwang, and rival of the Haenam Sect, had arrived near the Flying Dragon Thirteen long ago.
He had returned here immediately after parting ways with Sunwoo-jin.
He missed the people.
For a long time, burdened by the crimes he had committed and the guilt that robbed him of purpose, Mayu-gyeom had yearned deeply for his comrades ever since Sunwoo-jin spoke of the Flying Dragon Thirteen.
Hearing that they still thought of him despite his terrible deeds had moved him profoundly.
“Those fools…”
Back when Mayu-gyeom was their leader, he had regarded his squad members as mere passing acquaintances.
His sole purpose was the revival of the Jeomchang Sect, and his comrades in the Flying Dragon were just branches supporting that goal.
But after experiencing the genuine loyalty of his squad, he had come to cherish them as much as the sworn brothers of the Jeomchang Sect.
That made his betrayal all the more unbearable.
He had betrayed all their hopes and sincerity with his actions…
Mayu-gyeom longed to see them again.
Yet even now, he couldn’t bring himself to face them.
So he had been wandering like a ghost around the Flying Dragon Thirteen for a long time.
But then…
“Miss Dang!”
There was someone he wanted to see even more than his comrades, though he dared not admit it.
The most precious person in the world—Dang Yeo-eun—was suspended midair, bound and struggling.
And the one who had done this was someone he knew well.
Mayu-gyeom ran toward her, shouting,
“Miss Hae! What is the meaning of this?!”
Then a voice echoed in his mind.
— I don’t know who this Miss Hae is, but that monster is definitely not her!
It was Seol-rang, the sword spirit inhabiting the Seol-rang Sword, speaking like Muk-rang of the Muk-rang Sword.
Mayu-gyeom agreed silently.
‘I think so too. What on earth is that…?’
Annoyed, Ha Cheong-yeon snapped,
“Descendant of the Ice Palace? All sorts of pests crawl out these days!”
Seol-rang gasped in shock.
— The Overturned Blood Demon?! Yukyeom! Retreat immediately!
But Mayu-gyeom did not back down.
No, he couldn’t.
Even if the opponent was a monster that startled a sword spirit, it made no difference.
“That’s impossible!”
His eyes were fixed only on Dang Yeo-eun, suspended and bound behind Ha Cheong-yeon.
She was the one he could never forget, even when he had given up on life.
The one he cried and apologized to every night in his dreams—Dang Yeo-eun, struggling like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web.
He had to save her.
At that moment, Ha Cheong-yeon stretched out her hand toward Mayu-gyeom.
Suddenly, crimson claws shot out, aiming to slash his face.
It was the Blood Sect’s ultimate technique—the Blood Demon Claw.
Ssssh!
The attack came at an incredible speed, as if space itself had been crossed.
But Mayu-gyeom was no pushover.
He hurriedly swung his sword downward, aiming at the ground just before him.
Whoosh!
From the earth, a towering wall of ice shot up, blocking Ha Cheong-yeon’s path.
It was the first form of the Seol-rang Sword Technique—the Celestial Ice Wall.
Ha Cheong-yeon let out a small exclamation.
“Oh!”
But it was merely an acknowledgment of skill, not enough to stop her attack.
Crash!
The thick ice wall shattered into pieces under the red claw-shaped energy.
It couldn’t even hold her off for a moment.
Yet Ha Cheong-yeon’s expression shifted to one of surprise as she muttered again.
“Impressive?”
Her recognition wasn’t because of the ice wall.
She hadn’t spotted Mayu-gyeom behind the shattered ice.
He had quickly realized the ice wall alone wouldn’t hold and dodged to the side.
A remarkably quick assessment of the situation.
“Hmm, a descendant of the long-destroyed Ice Palace, and such sharp judgment. Interesting.”
But as she murmured, a deadly smile spread across her face.
“But still, a nuisance.”
At the same time, nine blood dragons erupted from her body, shooting out in all directions.
Krrrrrraaa!
The Blood Sect’s strongest technique—the Nine Heavens Blood Dragon Demon Art.
The fierce dragons howled as they charged, curving into arcs toward the remaining ice walls.
She intended to end this with a single move, no matter where he hid behind the ice.
Roar!
The blood dragons tore into the ice walls, triggering a chain of massive explosions.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Ha Cheong-yeon sneered softly as she watched.
This was the end.
Her opponent was hardly worth using the Nine Heavens Blood Dragon Demon Art on.
Even Yang Moon-heon’s White Crane Old Sword, which had surpassed the Fire Mirror Wall, had failed to block that attack properly.
There was no way this guy, who hadn’t even reached the peak of the supreme level, could withstand it.
But just as she thought that, Ha Cheong-yeon was stunned.
Whoosh!
Mayu-gyeom emerged alive from the explosion.
And he looked just as unscathed as before.
She couldn’t help but shout,
“How?!”
At that moment, as Mayu-gyeom charged at Ha Cheong-yeon, he thought,
‘Thank you, Elder. And… I’m sorry.’
Seol-rang laughed heartily in response.
— It’s alright. That young man, Sunwoo-jin, will carry on the Mang-a technique. But how about you? I can’t hold out much longer. Actually, I’m not even sure I can hold on at all.
The one moving Mayu-gyeom now was not himself, but the will of the sword spirit, Seol-rang.
Realizing he had no chance relying on his own strength, Mayu-gyeom had quickly called on Seol-rang for help.
With a shout, Seol-rang launched the attack on Ha Cheong-yeon.
“Hah!”
The first form of the Seol-rang Sword Technique—
Northern Wind Sword Style.
Whoosh!
The sword’s swift swing unleashed a misty cold wave, a blizzard so vast it obscured Ha Cheong-yeon’s vision.
Caught in the wide-reaching attack, Ha Cheong-yeon hastily deployed her defensive energy to block the cold wave, shouting,
“You bastard! You’ve been hiding your true strength!”
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The cold wave collided with the red defensive energy, instantly freezing into a wall of ice surrounding Ha Cheong-yeon.
The scene suddenly resembled an icy valley in the Northern Sea.
Even the battle-hardened Overturned Blood Demon, Gwa-yeom, was momentarily taken aback.
“What is this…?!”
In an instant, the entire area was encased in transparent ice walls.
Even the Bingbaek Shingong technique from the past hadn’t been this extreme.
Moreover, perhaps because she was out of sight or due to the ice walls, the intangible energy binding Dang Yeo-eun suddenly snapped.
Dang Yeo-eun was free.
Realizing the truth, Hae Cheong-yeon’s expression twisted into one of fierce anger as she began to unleash her energy.
“How dare you!”
Whoosh!
A massive wave of energy burst from her body, transforming into a scorching red gale that swept away the surrounding ice walls.
It was a wild, tempestuous force, as if it could obliterate everything in an instant.
But at that very moment—
Seol Lang, who had been waiting for Hae Cheong-yeon to release her protective energy, launched a surprise attack.
Seol Lang Sword Technique, Step One: Absolute Ice Blade.
Shhhhk!
The ice wall behind Hae Cheong-yeon shattered into fragments, and from the debris, a transparent ice blade shot out in a flash.
It was the very same technique Sun Woo-jin had once used to land a decisive strike on Ma Kyung Man-haksoong.
The ambush with the Absolute Ice Blade was deadly.
Instead of stabbing with a physical sword, it extended a blade of ice formed from moisture in the air, making it nearly impossible to detect—even for masters.
Among the fifteen absolute warriors of this era, almost none could block it.
Unfortunately for Hae Cheong-yeon, her body was possessed by Gwa-yeom, the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon.
The strongest blood demon in the history of the Blood Sect, who had reached the pinnacle of the Fiery Realm.
Sensing the chilling presence behind her, she immediately shouted and unleashed her protective energy once more.
“Haaah!”
Crack!
The transparent ice blade shattered into pieces against the fierce red barrier she had summoned.
The ambush had failed.
Only then did Hae Cheong-yeon realize what had just happened, and a cold shiver ran down her spine.
She had narrowly escaped a strange, unseen attack.
With a fierce expression, she turned her gaze behind her and spoke.
“Not bad at all. But you failed, descendant of the Ice Bow. Or are you even truly a descendant of the Ice Bow?”
Her eyes landed on Ma Yu-gyeom and Dang Yeo-eun, who were standing there.
With the ice walls completely gone, there was nowhere left to hide.
Hae Cheong-yeon smiled—a wild, yet sly and beautiful smile—and added,
“One thing’s clear. I don’t know who you are, but you’re certainly not close to our Cheong-yi. To try killing her without hesitation like that…”
At that moment, Hae Cheong-yeon wasn’t the only one unsure of the stranger’s identity.
Dang Yeo-eun, who had been saved by this unknown person, looked at his back with cautious eyes.
His wild hair, tattered clothes, and the beard covering his face made it impossible to recognize him.
Without turning back, Ma Yu-gyeom spoke in Seol Lang’s voice.
“Run quickly, young lady. You may not be able to hold out much longer.”
Hesitating for a moment, Dang Yeo-eun soon nodded in thanks and began to flee again.
“Thank you, great hero! I don’t know who you are, but thank you!”
In his heart, Seol Lang asked,
—Are you sure this will be enough? If you reveal yourself now, you might still be forgiven.
Ma Yu-gyeom gave a bitter smile.
‘To be forgiven by her…’
Since Sun Woo-jin had once told him she hoped for that, Ma Yu-gyeom had never forgotten those words—not for a single moment.
They stirred his heart, filling it with warmth and hope.
Just holding onto the possibility that it might happen someday gave him the will to keep living.
But he shook his head.
‘Right now, the important thing is to save her—not to be forgiven by her. I can’t afford to waste time on that. I’ll leave it for another chance.’
—…I see. So be it.
Yet both of them knew the truth.
Seol Lang wouldn’t have much time left to control Ma Yu-gyeom’s body, and after that, there might be no next chance at all.