Chapter 350
Ha Cheong-yeon gazed brightly into the forest where their enemies were hiding.
Though they had tried to conceal their presence, she had already reached the edge of the Hua-gyeong realm, and with that, she could sense the approximate locations and strengths of those in hiding.
More importantly, none of them radiated an aura comparable to the Four Kings.
‘As expected.’
She had suspected faintly that this might be a trap.
Among all the figures of this era, the sword master she cared about most had just broken his seclusion and appeared at this very moment—and he had even inherited the advancements of the Sword God and Thunder God.
Everything felt far too coincidental.
‘It’s almost as if they’re calling me out specifically.’
Yet, even with that thought, there was nothing she could do.
This was the kind of trap you had to fall into, even knowing it was there.
Just in case it wasn’t a trap, Ha Cheong-yeon had no choice but to leave the Martial Alliance’s territory secretly to deal with him.
In truth, she even hoped it was a trap.
It was far easier to accept that this was a setup designed to catch her than to believe someone truly possessed the combined advancements of the Thunder God and Sword God.
And now, at this very moment, she could finally confirm that everything was indeed just a trap.
Exactly as she had hoped.
From what she could roughly gauge, the ambushing enemies’ strength didn’t seem any better than the forces she had prepared.
‘Four Hua-gyeong masters, huh? And none of them at the Four Kings level? The rest haven’t even reached Hua-gyeong, so they’re not worth worrying about. This is going to be a piece of cake.’
Only now could Ha Cheong-yeon smile brightly.
The fake sword master, Mu Guk-pae, and the likes of Pyo Seo-geuk didn’t even register on her radar.
The overwhelming presence of supreme masters surrounding the four Hua-gyeong experts was equally insignificant.
In this situation, those who hadn’t reached Hua-gyeong were simply not worth her attention.
Ha Cheong-yeon was now completely confident of victory.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t the only one thinking this way.
Ha Un-baek, the Sword Saint and Ha Cheong-yeon’s father, who was also lying in ambush, shared similar thoughts about the six Hua-gyeong masters now arrayed.
He felt they stood no chance.
The future looked bleak.
The Sword Saint clenched his teeth as he spotted familiar faces among those standing behind his daughter.
‘The Strange Sword Seo Il and the Strange Rogue Ga Chu-hak…’
Two of the Five Monsters had joined the enemy’s side.
It was nothing short of a nightmare.
To make matters worse, the supreme master Yeokcheon Hyeolma was also on the opposing side.
For any hope of victory, their side needed to outnumber the enemy’s Hua-gyeong masters.
But not only was the enemy’s top master present, their numbers had also grown stronger.
‘And there are two of them…’
Of course, there were top-tier masters like Seon Woo-jin, Seol Poong, and Yong Woo-shin—among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars.
But frankly, in a battle between Hua-gyeong masters, they wouldn’t be much help.
If the forces were balanced, they could be a wild card, but in this lopsided situation, they were more likely to be meaningless sacrifices.
Ha Un-baek watched his daughter, Ha Cheong-yeon, who was smiling with a seductive charm she had never shown before.
‘Cheong-yeon…’
His third daughter, whose extraordinary talent and beauty had always made him feel protective.
He could never allow such a precious daughter to become a scourge upon the world.
He would protect her with his life if necessary.
Even if it meant killing her with his own hands.
But…
‘Is even that impossible?’
The Sword Saint, who had never given up or surrendered in any crisis, now felt a deep despair.
At that moment, a sudden transmission reached his ear from Seon Woo-jin.
Hearing that, Ha Un-baek was stunned.
The situation had changed drastically, yet they were sticking to the original plan—it sounded reckless.
Having Seon Woo-jin and another guard watch over his daughter was only feasible if others could handle the remaining Hua-gyeong masters.
But with the enemy’s overwhelming strength, there was no way the plan could proceed smoothly.
Ha Un-baek immediately sent a transmission back.
Before he could finish, Seon Woo-jin’s voice came again.
At that moment, Ha Un-baek was left speechless.
Seon Woo-jin’s voice was so resolute and confident it was almost baffling.
He wondered what grounds he had for such certainty.
Yet, despite not understanding, Ha Un-baek felt a flicker of hope rekindling within him.
He wanted to believe in that confidence.
So, he finally replied.
Then, Ha Cheong-yeon spoke toward the forest where their enemies were hiding.
“Not planning to come out? Then shall we go in first?”
She looked at the Strange Sword Seo Il and Strange Rogue Ga Chu-hak.
“Would you two like to lead the way?”
She intended to send the two mercenaries forward first.
Seo Il glanced at her with a sullen expression and stepped forward.
Ga Chu-hak, who had been staring blankly at Ha Cheong-yeon, startled at her call and also stepped forward.
At that moment, Seon Woo-jin, hidden nearby, sent a transmission to Son Eun-sang, the Spirit Mistress of the Moon.
Son Eun-sang smiled brightly and dashed out of the forest.
“Good!”
Her new form shot forward like a beam of light toward the Strange Sword and Strange Rogue.
In her hands, the glowing energy of her old form trailed behind like a red meteor.
Shuaaaak!
It was an astonishingly fast surprise attack.
But her opponents were also Hua-gyeong masters.
Seo Il and Ga Chu-hak remained unfazed, drawing their weapons like lightning and slicing at her.
Shyaaak!
The blue and gray energies clashed with the red energy of her attack.
At the same time, a massive explosion erupted.
Kraaaang!
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
The fierce force sent the three flying in different directions.
But as Seo Il grimaced and was knocked back, he suddenly panicked.
Son Eun-sang, who had been knocked back with them, had already leapt out of the explosion and was charging straight at him.
Her excited face loomed large in Seo Il’s vision.
“Yahaha!”
“Ugh!”
Seo Il hurriedly lunged toward Ga Chu-hak, swinging his sword to block Son Eun-sang’s strike.
Kraaaang!
“Ugh!”
The powerful impact sent Seo Il flying back again.
His arm tingled from the force.
‘Damn!’
Seo Il had to admit she was a far superior master.
In fact, she seemed even stronger than he had expected.
Still, he sneered to himself.
‘Hmph! It’s only one of her!’
No matter how strong she was, there was no way she could take on both of them—two Hua-gyeong masters—at once.
Look now.
While she was attacking him, Ga Chu-hak was closing in on her side.
By focusing on just one opponent, she was bound to leave an opening.
Chuaaaak!
Ga Chu-hak’s gray blade tore through the space beside Son Eun-sang.
His attack was rough and jagged, like a wolf’s teeth.
His saw-like sword was trying to tear into Son Eun-sang like a beast.
‘Serves her right!’
Seo Il smiled bitterly at the sight.
He thought Son Eun-sang had no chance to dodge that strike.
After all, she hadn’t yet recovered the sword she had thrown at him.
But in that moment, Son Eun-sang spun her body and released a protective energy.
Hwaaaak!
“!”
Ga Chu-hak’s eyes widened in shock.
The precisely timed release of her protective energy, combined with her spin, smoothly deflected his strike to the side.
Ssshhh!
“!”
Ga Chu-hak was stunned.
To deflect a sword strike with protective energy, not even a hand, was unbelievable.
If she had just blocked it, it would be one thing, but this was an extraordinary display of skill.
‘Son Eun-sang can do this much?!’
Ga Chu-hak was momentarily shaken by the expression on her face as she launched a sword strike through the opening created by deflecting his attack.
She was smiling brightly, as if enjoying herself.
Kraaaang!
“Ugh!”
Ga Chu-hak barely blocked the strike by releasing protective energy and was knocked back.
The impact was tremendous.
Though not directly hit, it rattled his insides.
And the fight wasn’t over.
Son Eun-sang was ghosting after him, relentless.
Her fierce assault and radiant smile were both terrifying.
“Yahaha!”
With a spirited shout, Son Eun-sang launched another sword strike.
Ga Chu-hak hadn’t even regained his balance.
“Ugh!”
At that moment—
“Stop!”
Seo Il flew in urgently, charging toward Son Eun-sang’s side.
He knew that if one of them fell, he would be next, so he had no choice but to fight desperately.
His attack was hasty but timely.
It was enough to rescue Ga Chu-hak and to exploit a gap in Son Eun-sang’s defense.
But the problem was Son Eun-sang’s response was beyond their expectations.
Pak!
“?!”
When Son Eun-sang’s new form abruptly changed direction at a right angle, ignoring inertia, Seo Il was shocked beyond words.
No matter how skilled he was in the art of Hwagyeong, the way Son Eun-sang moved seemed almost impossible.
But there was no time for him to dwell on that.
He had to find a way to block her powerful strike charging straight at him.
Seo Il let out a fierce battle cry and swung his sword with all his might.
“Ughaaah!”
KRAAAASH!
At first, Hae Cheong-yeon had worn a faint, bitter smile when Son Eun-sang suddenly appeared from the forest.
She had already sensed her presence.
Though Son Eun-sang seemed the strongest among them, there was no way she could take on two Hwagyeong masters at once.
But after their clash, the smile vanished from Hae Cheong-yeon’s face.
Son Eun-sang was displaying impossible senses and movements, overwhelming Seo Il and Ga Chu-hak.
She wasn’t yet a direct threat to Hae Cheong-yeon herself, but her presence was undeniably different from what she had originally sensed.
It was as if her martial energy had suddenly intensified.
‘This is like…’
Hae Cheong-yeon felt a strange sense of dissonance she thought she had experienced before.
But recalling when exactly had to wait.
If she failed to resolve this situation, they might lose two Hwagyeong masters foolishly.
She turned to Mo Yong-gum and said sharply,
“Go help them.”
Mo Yong-gum, who had been watching Son Eun-sang’s fight with wide eyes, frowned slightly but leapt into action as if he had no choice.
“Stop right there, you lecher!”
Hae Cheong-yeon believed that with Mo Yong-gum joining in, they could handle this easily.
Despite Son Eun-sang’s surprisingly formidable martial energy, their side still held the clear advantage, and Mo Yong-gum’s skill was better than the two who had initially engaged.
What she didn’t know was that at that very moment, Sun Woo-jin had sent a secret signal.
This time, it was directed at Cheongseong Gwe-seon’s Cheong Gwang-jin.
Jin-in! I’m counting on you!
Leave it to me!
Mo Yong-gum struck at Son Eun-sang’s back with the Baekryong Sword Technique of the Mo Yong family.
“Hah!”
But his sword had to stop mid-swing.
He had to block the sudden attack from Cheong Gwang-jin.
CLANG!
Barely fending off the surprise strike, Mo Yong-gum shouted in shock,
“Ugh! Gwe-seon?!”
Cheong Gwang-jin smiled kindly but spat out a cutting remark.
“Long time no see, clan leader. Or should I say, the Blood Sect’s new demon lord?”
Mo Yong-gum gritted his teeth.
Grit!
He couldn’t stand being mocked by a mere Gwe-seon.
Even though they were both among the fifteen absolute masters, he was the Mo Yong clan’s king, while Gwe-seon was just one of the lowest-ranked five demons.
“How dare you!”
Without hesitation, Mo Yong-gum unleashed the Baekryong Sword Technique’s ultimate move, Baekryong Nanmu, pressing Cheong Gwang-jin hard.
“Hah!”
But the white sword energy that surged forward as if to shred him vanished in an instant.
Cheong Gwang-jin’s sword radiated brilliant red and blue light, melting the attack away.
Swish!
Seeing this, Mo Yong-gum clenched his teeth and muttered,
“Cheongun Jeokha Sword?”
Cheong Gwang-jin smiled faintly.
Though gentle, the smile felt like a taunt, as if asking, “Is that all you’ve got?”
Enraged, Mo Yong-gum ground his teeth and charged again.
“Come on! Try blocking this too!”
They clashed once more.
Sparks flew in all directions.
Bang! Thud! Crash!
Though Mo Yong-gum managed to block the attacks, it was clear his skill was slightly superior to Cheong Gwang-jin’s.
Still, Mo Yong-gum struggled to gain the upper hand.
Shu-shak!
“Ugh! You lecher, you witch!”
Red energy orbs flew at him from the side intermittently.
They were the powerful energy spheres from Son Eun-sang, who still had enough strength to spare even while facing Seo Il and Ga Chu-hak.
The battle had evolved into a three-on-two group fight.
And despite that, the side of Son Eun-sang and Cheong Gwang-jin held a slight advantage.
Hae Cheong-yeon’s expression twisted in displeasure at the sight.
She hated seeing three of them being pushed back by just two.
Muttering coldly,
“Fools.”
She had thought they could handle this without her stepping in, but now it seemed her assumptions were off.
Besides herself, only the Blood Demon Kyeolheo Satdae and Ma Won-ung remained on their side, while the enemy still had two Hwagyeong masters left.
Moreover, the presence of those two felt stronger than their own.
In the end, it looked like she would have to join the fight herself.
Hae Cheong-yeon frowned briefly at her miscalculation.
But then she smiled alluringly and murmured,
“Fine. If that’s what you want, I’ll step in myself. And… I’ll make you regret it.”
Just as she was about to move forward, she froze.
Another figure was emerging from the forest.
Someone Hae Cheong-yeon knew very well—her father, the Sword Saint Hae Un-baek.
With a look of concern, he spoke to her.
“Cheong-yeon, your father has arrived.”