Chapter 354
Upon hearing Hae Cheong-yeon’s words, Jeon Mu-gwang—the Blood Demon of his era—narrowed his eyes in surprise and asked again.
“A Sword Saint? You mean the Sword Saint from a hundred years ago?”
Sun Woo-jin let out a short, mocking laugh.
“Your manners when speaking to your elders are terrible. No wonder you’re barely better than a beast.”
Jeon Mu-gwang frowned slightly at the retort, then turned his gaze toward Hae Cheong-yeon, silently asking what was really going on.
With a hateful glare fixed on Sun Woo-jin, Hae Cheong-yeon explained.
“It’s the lingering spirit of the Sword Saint. That damn fool seems to have left his memories behind for future generations. Though it’s only memories, not his soul, so he doesn’t possess the same power as before. Still, he’s been quite a nuisance. I thought killing one of them last time would be the end of it, but…”
Jeon Mu-gwang nodded as if he finally understood, then addressed Sun Woo-jin.
“I see. But if that’s all he is, do I really need to get involved?”
Sun Woo-jin chuckled softly.
“Oh? You said you wouldn’t intervene, didn’t you? I was starting to like that.”
And with that, he vanished in an instant.
Shhhk!
“Huh?!”
Jeon Mu-gwang immediately raised a hand to shield his face—and blood began to drip from his palm.
Plop.
The reason? Sun Woo-jin’s Mukrang Sword was embedded in his hand.
He had just blocked an attack of extreme speed.
Sun Woo-jin smiled faintly and said, “You said you wouldn’t get involved, but here we are.”
Sun Woo-jin had just combined the Sword Saint’s Blink Step with the Issa-Sail technique from the Jeomchang faction to launch a surprise attack on Jeon Mu-gwang.
It was an incredibly swift strike, barely perceptible to the eye.
But the expression on Jeon Mu-gwang’s face showed no more ease.
He narrowed his eyes and tried to grab the blade of the Mukrang Sword.
Yet, at that moment, Sun Woo-jin had already stepped back beyond five jang—a blink step executed with perfect control.
Jeon Mu-gwang let out a fierce laugh.
“Indeed, even as a mere lingering spirit, a Sword Saint is still a Sword Saint. Very well, let’s see what you’ve got.”
With one hand, he used his intangible energy to levitate Hae Cheong-yeon into the air and sent her to Cheokgang.
“Take good care of her.”
“Understood!”
Clenching both fists until his knuckles cracked, Jeon Mu-gwang grinned fiercely and strode toward Sun Woo-jin.
“Come on, let’s fight properly, Sword Saint.”
Sun Woo-jin met his approach with a calm, indifferent gaze, as if it hardly mattered whether Jeon Mu-gwang came or not.
But inside, he was anything but indifferent.
The Sword Saint muttered to himself, almost a groan.
He’s enormous.
Indeed, Jeon Mu-gwang’s presence was colossal—not just physically, but in sheer aura.
It was as if a giant whose head touched the sky was taking massive steps, each one threatening to crush him beneath its foot.
A pressure unlike anything he had ever felt while alive.
And Jeon Mu-gwang wasn’t the only source of this overwhelming pressure.
How much time is left? About half a gak?
Time was running out.
The Sword Saint’s manifestation could only last about half a gak.
If he couldn’t finish this fight within that window, he would have to vanish forever, leaving Sun Woo-jin alone.
And alone, Sun Woo-jin would stand no chance against that monster.
Amid all this pressure, the Sword Saint’s eyes flashed sharply as he spoke again.
“But—”
At the same moment, his body disappeared.
Another blink step.
Sun Woo-jin appeared at Jeon Mu-gwang’s side and slashed.
A strike as swift as Issa-Sail, wielding the Jinryong Sword Technique of the Haenamjin family.
I’m no less than one who bears the title ‘God’!
Shhaaaak!
His speed was truly phenomenal.
Far beyond what Mayu-gyeom had shown before.
Even Hae Cheong-yeon looked on in surprise.
Unlike Mayu-gyeom, who hadn’t reached the pinnacle, Sun Woo-jin’s martial prowess had ascended to the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars level.
Yet, despite moving his body with such speed, the only thing the Sword Saint could cut was Jeon Mu-gwang’s palm.
Reacting instantly, Jeon Mu-gwang extended his hand and caught the blade.
Screeeech!
The cut on his palm was only a slight crack, even without releasing his protective energy.
Seeing this, the Sword Saint ground his teeth in frustration.
Incredible durability.
But the surprises didn’t end there.
In the next moment, the wound on Jeon Mu-gwang’s hand healed almost instantly.
It was near-regeneration.
“Ha ha ha ha!”
Jeon Mu-gwang laughed heartily and struck diagonally downward with his other hand.
Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!
The strike was so fierce and fast it momentarily created a vacuum in the air.
But Sun Woo-jin had already vanished from that spot.
Shhhk!
Appearing behind Jeon Mu-gwang, Sun Woo-jin stabbed his sword into his back.
A blade of light—another Issa-Sail.
Shiiik!
But then Jeon Mu-gwang let out a short shout.
“Hah-ap!”
A violent wave of energy exploded from his body like a storm.
Even Sun Woo-jin, who had just stabbed his sword in, was caught in the blast and thrown backward.
Fwaaak!
“Ugh!”
Jeon Mu-gwang spun around immediately, charging fiercely at Sun Woo-jin, determined not to lose him.
“Ha ha ha! You’re fast, but you’re like a mosquito!”
Sun Woo-jin frowned slightly.
It was an unpleasantly accurate description.
Though he had the speed advantage, he couldn’t land a decisive blow.
Sun Woo-jin planted his feet to dodge again.
But at that moment, Jeon Mu-gwang’s hand split into hundreds, like the thousand-armed Guanyin.
“Try dodging this too!”
Pabababababap!
From his multiplied arms, hundreds of crimson hand shadows rained down like hail.
This was the Blood Sect’s Heavenly Art: Cheonhwan Majang.
Instead of focusing on a single strike, he scattered attacks across the entire area.
A highly effective countermeasure against Sun Woo-jin.
While Jeon Mu-gwang barely felt any damage from Sun Woo-jin’s attacks, even a light hit from Jeon Mu-gwang could cause fatal harm to Sun Woo-jin.
Shwaaaaaa!
Within moments, a radius of about five jang was engulfed in the crimson blood energy, trapping Sun Woo-jin.
His blink step couldn’t cover that much ground.
“Heh heh heh heh!”
Jeon Mu-gwang smiled coldly.
It seemed this would be the end.
But then, Sun Woo-jin’s body suddenly radiated a brilliant pale violet light, like a blazing sun.
Sunwoo Thirteen Swords, Thirteenth Technique:
Phantom Sword Mirror.
Sunwoo Thirteen Swords, Fifteenth Technique:
Form is Emptiness.
Fwaaak!
The hail of blood energy began to explode.
Hundreds, even thousands, of pale violet phantom swords materialized, intercepting the blood energy.
Puff puff puff puff puff!
It was an astonishing counterattack.
But Jeon Mu-gwang wasn’t merely admiring it.
Seeing his attack neutralized, he leapt up to launch the next assault.
“Hah-ap!”
From the void above, a massive crimson hand shadow, over ten jang in size, descended toward Sun Woo-jin.
This was the Blood Sect’s Heavenly Art: Pokryeok Hyeoljang.
Ku kwak kwak kwak kwak!
It was as if the palm of the Buddha himself was pressing down on Sun Woo-jin, threatening to crush him like an ant.
But at that moment, Sun Woo-jin’s sword technique shifted.
Southern Cross Sword, First Technique:
Gwanhae Sipjagyeok.
Chwaaak!
A glowing violet cross-shaped slash cut across the crimson palm.
This was the legendary sword technique of Namhae Sword King In Jung-ho, said to pierce the sea floor with a cross-shaped strike.
The crimson blood energy, which had seemed to crack open, split apart and exploded.
Kwaaaang!
Jeon Mu-gwang’s expression twisted into a terrifying scowl.
“You bastard!”
He dropped down like a falling stone and fired a palm strike at Sun Woo-jin.
But Sun Woo-jin’s form had already vanished again, reappearing five jang away.
Jeon Mu-gwang’s palm strike smashed the ground in vain.
Kwaaaang!
Sun Woo-jin smiled faintly and said, “I thought you were a beast, but you’re just a bug. A grub.”
Jeon Mu-gwang seethed with anger.
Unaware of the Sword Saint’s time limit, he found the drawn-out fight deeply frustrating.
He wanted to crush his opponent decisively, right now.
Grinding his teeth, he said, “Fine. Let’s see how long you can keep running.”
With that, he let out a fierce shout.
“Uaaah!”
Nine crimson dragon-shaped energies burst forth from his body.
This was the Blood Sect’s ultimate Heavenly Art: Gucheon Hyeolryong Magong.
Krarrarrarrak!
The nine blood dragons spread out from his body, not charging immediately but lurking like venomous snakes stalking prey.
Sun Woo-jin muttered under his breath.
“Gucheon Hyeolryong Magong.”
Thanks to Maeng Hwi-yeom, who had witnessed the battle between the Four Kings and the Reverse Blood Demon, Sun Woo-jin already knew how to handle Gucheon Hyeolryong Magong.
After all, the Sword Saint himself had fought the Reverse Blood Demon in the past.
But just as Sun Woo-jin was bracing himself for the Blood Dragon’s charge, he couldn’t help but be taken aback the next moment.
Unlike Yeokcheon Blood Demon, who attacked from a distance by launching the Blood Dragon, Jeon Moo-kwang charged straight at him himself.
“Uahahahaha!”
A massive palm barreled forward, as if to crush him.
It was the Thunderclap Blood Palm.
“Hmph!”
Sun Woo-jin scoffed and shifted his shadow form five steps to the side.
Whoosh!
At that very instant, a gigantic Blood Dragon lunged at him from right beside him.
Apparently, nine Blood Dragons had already divided the area among themselves, waiting in ambush.
Krrrraaaah!
Sun Woo-jin hurriedly leapt away, narrowly dodging the Blood Dragon.
“Ugh!”
One of the massive Blood Dragons grazed past his side.
But the attack wasn’t over.
Jeon Moo-kwang himself was charging directly at him.
“Uahahaha!”
“Damn it!”
Sun Woo-jin tried to evade again, but Jeon Moo-kwang was faster.
“Die!”
In an instant, his crimson claws shot out like spears.
It was the Blood Sect’s secret technique: Blood Demon Claw.
Sssiiik!
The long, spear-like claws of energy pierced through Sun Woo-jin’s body like a lance.
Puuuuk!
Finally, a hit.
Jeon Moo-kwang let out a triumphant yell.
“Got you!”
But the next moment, Sun Woo-jin’s shadow form vanished from that spot with a soft whoosh.
It was just an afterimage.
“Huh?!”
Jeon Moo-kwang frantically turned his head, searching for Sun Woo-jin’s shadow form.
“Five steps behind!”
At the same time, a massive Blood Dragon pounced on Sun Woo-jin’s shadow form.
Since the Blood Dragons had been lurking nearby, they left no opening.
Kraaaang!
The giant maw of the Blood Dragon swallowed Sun Woo-jin, triggering a massive explosion. Jeon Moo-kwang let out a bitter laugh.
For just a moment.
But then, Jeon Moo-kwang’s eyes widened in horror as he saw Sun Woo-jin swinging his sword down from above his head.
“?!”
The first strike of the Mukrang Sword Technique—
Gaechun.
A sword slash that tore through space itself struck Jeon Moo-kwang.
Gaechun was the most devastating single strike attack.
Jeon Moo-kwang hastily raised his arm to shield his head from the ominous slash.
But this time, it wasn’t enough.
Shhaaaak!
His steel-like forearm split about two-thirds down, nearly severed.
“Ugh!”
Clutching his wounded arm with the other hand, he quickly leapt backward, sending the remaining Blood Dragons charging toward Sun Woo-jin.
Eight Blood Dragons surged forward, bombarding Sun Woo-jin.
Kwak kwak kwak kwak kwak kwang!
But at that moment, Jeon Moo-kwang had to witness something.
Sun Woo-jin’s shadow forms, now split into several copies, fluttered like petals, effortlessly dodging the Blood Dragons’ relentless assault.
It was the pinnacle of the Cheonpung Hwayeop technique.
“You bastard!”
Jeon Moo-kwang felt his blood boil.
The phantom-like figure that seemed just within reach yet impossible to catch was maddening.
He glanced at his nearly regenerated forearm and unleashed more Blood Dragons.
Fwaaak!
Sun Woo-jin landed gracefully on the ground with a relaxed air and smirked at him.
“The Blood Sect’s martial arts are a bit lacking. Is that all you’ve got?”
Jeon Moo-kwang ground his teeth.
“You slippery eel!”
Despite the calm expression, Sun Woo-jin—or rather, the Sword Spirit—was actually quite anxious.
Time was slipping away helplessly. The opponent’s incredible durability allowed him to block the most destructive single strike, Gaechun, with just his forearm—and then regenerate it instantly.
He was nothing short of a monster.
Most of all, Sun Woo-jin feared that if this dragged on meaninglessly, once he disappeared, Sun Woo-jin would be left alone.
The thought of his most precious, beloved disciple being left to die alone at the hands of the enemy was unbearable.
He had to find a way to defeat this fiend.
But the Sword Spirit knew that to do so, he had to appear calm.
The more urgent the situation, the more one must take a step back; the less time there is, the more composed one must seem.
Sun Woo-jin yawned suddenly, wearing a bored expression.
“Haahh, I’m getting a bit tired, so I have to ask—do you have anything else to show me?”
At that, Jeon Moo-kwang finally exploded.
“You bastard!”
His body charged forward like a cannonball.
The nine lurking Blood Dragons followed closely behind.
A torrent of crimson energy poured down like a heavy rain.
Sshhaaa!
Behind him, a massive red palm pressed down.
Whoooooosh!
The giant Blood Dragons spread out in a semicircle, attacking from all directions.
Krrrraaaak!
The others watching from a distance were left speechless, swallowing hard.
Bisa-yeong muttered in disbelief.
“It’s like watching the world collapse. Is that even human?”
No one disagreed.
It was a horrifying sight, an unbelievable display of martial prowess.
Yet amidst the crumbling world, Sun Woo-jin’s expression remained calm.
His eyes closed slightly, his mind’s eye projected the scene perfectly.
In a colorless, black-and-white space, Sun Woo-jin calmly observed everything rushing toward him.
His multiple shadow forms fluttered like petals, letting the energy streams flow past.
He dodged the Thunderclap Blood Palm and Blood Dragons by using continuous teleportation.
Jeon Moo-kwang shouted in frustration.
“Don’t run away, you slippery eel!”
But Sun Woo-jin didn’t respond, eyes still closed.
He was analyzing Jeon Moo-kwang’s abilities.
—Since he’s an artificial body, his intangible energy isn’t as strong compared to his physical abilities. In fact, Yeokcheon Blood Demon’s internal power and intangible energy control are superior.
This meant that despite his overwhelming presence and physical strength, the Blood Demon’s martial arts had clear limits.
—Then!
Sun Woo-jin’s eyes snapped open.
He watched Jeon Moo-kwang charging like a meteor, throwing a straight punch.
“You bastard!”
Jeon Moo-kwang’s eyes flashed.
For some reason, Sun Woo-jin had stopped moving.
This time, it seemed he could land the hit.
“Die!”
But just then, a sudden gust of wind blew, pushing Jeon Moo-kwang’s body slightly to the side.
“What!?”
Whoooosh!
His punch barely grazed Sun Woo-jin’s hair.
At that moment, Sun Woo-jin’s sword slashed across Jeon Moo-kwang’s side.
The first strike of the Mukrang Sword Technique—
Gaechun.
Shhaaaak!
“Argh!”
Jeon Moo-kwang screamed for the first time since arriving here.
His side was split open.
Though a Blood Demon, no blood spilled, but the red flesh and internal organs were exposed.
He hastily wrapped one arm around his side.
As Sun Woo-jin raised his sword again overhead, Jeon Moo-kwang tried to retreat.
But then—
His foot, planted to push off the ground, suddenly sank into the earth.
Puuuuk!
“!”
Jeon Moo-kwang was horrified.
The solid ground had suddenly turned to mud.
And at that moment—
Sun Woo-jin’s Gaechun exploded.
“Haahh!”
Shhaaaak!
“Ugh!”
Jeon Moo-kwang raised his arm, armored with protective energy, to block it.
But it was useless.
Pfuwaak!
The blade easily sliced through the protective energy and cut halfway through his forearm.
Even for a Blood Demon, it was a terrifying strike.
Jeon Moo-kwang was completely thrown off.
The sudden gust, the mud beneath his feet, the sudden ferocity of his opponent’s assault—it was all overwhelming.
He couldn’t understand what was happening.
What Jeon Moo-kwang didn’t know was that the technique Sun Woo-jin had just used was Mang-a Gong.
The Sword Spirit’s ultimate secret technique, Mang-a Gong, had manifested through Sun Woo-jin’s body.