Chapter 365 – No One Can Predict Even an Inch Ahead in This World (3)
Gwan Mu-oe smiled.
In front of him, Geom Yul-cheon and Eum Yu-kyung were fighting fiercely. Their battle was truly evenly matched.
While Geom Yul-cheon was far superior in pure martial strength, he couldn't give his all against his beloved Eum Yu-kyung. Conversely, Eum Yu-kyung, who had received the sacred object's command, had no choice but to attack with all her power.
A battle between one who couldn't do their best and one who fought with full force – naturally the former was at a disadvantage.
Splash!
Cuts accumulated across Geom Yul-cheon's entire body. The more this happened, the more Eum Yu-kyung's heart bled.
'Yul-cheon!'
She cursed herself for being unable to refuse the sacred object's command. But she could not deny the sacred object's authority.
"Haaaah!"
She consecutively deployed the ultimate moves of the Falling Moon Divine Sword. Tremendously powerful techniques continuously hammered Geom Yul-cheon's body.
Thump!
Geom Yul-cheon retreated with heavy footsteps. Deep footprints were carved where he had stepped back.
Gwan Mu-oe and the Void Spirit Killers watched this scene intently. The battle situation clearly favored Eum Yu-kyung, but it didn't seem like the fight would end easily.
The corners of Gwan Mu-oe's mouth curled up.
Though they appeared to be fighting fiercely on the surface, they were clearly stalling for time. They were trying to drag out time as long as possible while finding a solution.
"Should we step in after all?"
Gwan Mu-oe whistled long. Then two martial artists appeared from the opposite side of the gorge. They were warriors dressed identically to the Void Spirit Killers positioned around Gwan Mu-oe.
These were Void Spirit Killers who had been waiting inside as a precaution, responding to Gwan Mu-oe's call.
When all seven Void Spirit Killers had gathered, Gwan Mu-oe gave his command.
"Attack together and kill Geom Yul-cheon."
"Yes, sir!"
The Void Spirit Killers responded in unison.
They had no resistance whatsoever to the command for joint attack.
Their essence was that of assassins. Killing enemies as efficiently as possible was their supreme task.
They secretly surrounded the two people while watching for an opening to attack.
Gwan Mu-oe muttered while watching this scene.
"What a pity. He would have been useful if he had become our ally."
Geom Yul-cheon was a man of strong backbone.
Once he set principles, he was a man with thick bones who never reversed them. The path he had walked until now proved this fact.
He already knew that Geom Yul-cheon would never side with them. Nevertheless, he had tried to draw him in because he saw that much potential in him.
Gwan Mu-oe looked at the sacred object in his hand.
On the surface of the ordinary plaque were embossed burning sacred flames and unknown characters.
"To regard such a scrap of metal as equal to the Cult Leader's commands. The thoughts of Demon Cult members are incomprehensible."
Gwan Mu-oe mocked the Demon Cult warriors who were obsessed with such mystical objects. But thanks to this, he could execute his plan to kill with a borrowed knife – truly the world was unpredictable.
The Void Spirit Killers were preparing for joint attack.
All five of them…
Gwan Mu-oe tilted his head.
There were seven Void Spirit Killers accompanying him in total.
'But only five?'
Stab!
Suddenly Gwan Mu-oe felt fiery pain in his side. Looking down, he saw one of the Void Spirit Killers had thrust a sword into his side.
"You?"
Swoosh!
At that moment, a sharp air-cutting sound rang out. Another Void Spirit Killer attacked his arm holding the sacred object.
"Ugh!"
Gwan Mu-oe hastily retreated. But the Void Spirit Killer's charging speed was faster than his retreat. Eventually Gwan Mu-oe allowed a sword strike to his arm and lost the sacred object.
"Groan!"
He tried to recover the sacred object again, but the attacking Void Spirit Killer intercepted it first.
The Void Spirit Killers who had seized the sacred object quickly retreated.
Gwan Mu-oe, who had been ambushed by subordinates he trusted completely, glared at them with disbelieving expressions.
"You must have gone mad. How dare you attack me, your lord?"
At that moment, the Void Spirit Killers who had seized the sacred object stroked their faces with their hands. Then thin face masks like cicada wings peeled off, revealing completely different faces.
"Who exactly is whose subordinate?"
The man looking at Gwan Mu-oe with a face full of mockery was precisely Peacock Noble Sword Sin Mu-wol. The young-faced boy standing beside him was Myeong-cheon.
Myeong-cheon hastily shouted toward Eum Yu-kyung.
"Fourth Sister, you don't need to attack anymore. We've recovered the sacred object."
At his shout, Eum Yu-kyung stopped deploying her martial arts. Her face was covered with tear stains.
She hurriedly approached Geom Yul-cheon.
"Are… you alright?"
"I'm fine!"
Geom Yul-cheon calmly patted Eum Yu-kyung's shoulder. Only then did Eum Yu-kyung breathe a sigh of relief.
That's when it happened.
"How dare you deceive me?"
Gwan Mu-oe erupted with killing intent. Geom Yul-cheon opened his mouth in response.
"Is there a law that says you can deceive but we can't?"
"You?"
"Anyway, thank you. Thanks to you, we easily recovered the sacred object."
Geom Yul-cheon looked at the sacred object in Sin Mu-wol's hand.
All of this had been Myeong-cheon's idea.
As soon as Myeong-cheon learned that Eum Yu-kyung had been kidnapped, he prepared with Sin Mu-wol for any eventuality. They moved secretly and successfully eliminated the Void Spirit Killers who had been hiding secretly in the gorge.
Recovering the sacred object was an unexpected bonus.
Sin Mu-wol deliberately repeated throwing and catching the sacred object, mocking Gwan Mu-oe.
Gwan Mu-oe suddenly burst into maniacal laughter.
"Hahaha! Yes, I acknowledge it. That I underestimated you too much. I apologize for trying to control you with such a scrap of metal."
Roooooar!
The voice filled with tremendous internal energy amplified as it struck the gorge. Because of this, the entire gorge shook as if an earthquake had occurred.
Gwan Mu-oe decided to no longer hide himself. He would fully manifest his presence as one of the Five Great Warriors.
"Ugh!"
"Mmph!"
At Gwan Mu-oe's tremendous presence, Sin Mu-wol and Myeong-cheon unconsciously stepped back. Though Sin Mu-wol was a martial artist who had completed his martial arts to some degree, enduring Gwan Mu-oe's presence wasn't easy. His face had already turned pale.
"Damn it!"
That's when thick hands grabbed his shoulder.
"You've worked hard. Leave it to me from now on."
"Big brother?"
It was Geom Yul-cheon. He was now solidly supporting the two from behind. From his entire body flowed momentum like Mount Tai.
Geom Yul-cheon's anger was being expressed as momentum.
Gulp!
At such an appearance of Geom Yul-cheon, Sin Mu-wol and Myeong-cheon swallowed dry saliva. It was the first time they had seen Geom Yul-cheon this angry.
The Geom Yul-cheon they knew was a man who maintained cool reason in any moment. For him to show emotion like this was not a common occurrence.
Geom Yul-cheon took steps toward Gwan Mu-oe. Gwan Mu-oe also walked toward him.
Crackle!
White lightning flickered around Geom Yul-cheon's body.
The Thunder God had descended to the mortal world.
At that moment, Gwan Mu-oe began assimilating with the surrounding scenery. Like his alias Void Spirit Guest, he was fully displaying his unique skill.
The first to move was Geom Yul-cheon. Wrapping lightning around his entire body like armor, he charged toward Gwan Mu-oe.
Instantly, Gwan Mu-oe's figure completely disappeared from Geom Yul-cheon's vision. He had perfectly assimilated with the surrounding scenery.
Not only his appearance, but his breathing and presence were perfectly erased.
Gwan Mu-oe had become nothingness.
His sword was a sword in darkness – the Dark Sword.
Decades ago, he had become one of the Five Great Warriors with just the Dark Sword. Now, decades later, his Dark Sword had developed even further.
Gwan Mu-oe thought this was a good opportunity to test his Dark Sword.
He moved soundlessly behind Geom Yul-cheon. Until then, Geom Yul-cheon was completely unaware of his approach.
'Die!'
Gwan Mu-oe thrust his sword toward Geom Yul-cheon's neck. His sword approached Geom Yul-cheon's neck, cutting through the texture of air without sound.
That's when it happened.
Crackle!
Suddenly the lightning flickering around Geom Yul-cheon's body surged greatly.
"Gasp!"
The lightning traveled up the sword and penetrated Gwan Mu-oe's arm. Flesh cooked and fine nerves burned. In an instant, his right hand holding the sword was paralyzed.
Gwan Mu-oe gritted his teeth and circulated internal energy to prevent the lightning from penetrating further into his body. But in the meantime, his right arm was completely ruined.
At that moment, Geom Yul-cheon turned to look at Gwan Mu-oe. He already knew this would happen.
Thunder Lightning Style Fourth Form – Lightning Armor.
This technique of wrapping lightning like armor consumed so much internal energy that even Geom Yul-cheon rarely deployed it.
Using lightning like protective energy was a great burden for Geom Yul-cheon too. But the net of lightning flickering around him didn't permit the invasion of any metal.
Just like right now.
Roar!
Geom Yul-cheon unleashed a strike filled with anger.
Gwan Mu-oe tried to assimilate with the surrounding scenery again, but having been injured in the arm, his reaction was inevitably slow. Eventually he had no choice but to swing his sword to defend against Geom Yul-cheon's attack.
'Damn it!'
Bang!
With a thunderous sound, Gwan Mu-oe's body shook greatly.
The fierce battle between the previous generation's absolute master Void Spirit Guest Gwan Mu-oe and the new generation's absolute master Geom Yul-cheon began like this.
Roar!
At their battle, the narrow gorge cried out in rough screams as if it would collapse at any moment.
Sin Mu-wol, Eum Yu-kyung and others didn't remain idle either. They engaged in fierce battle with the Void Spirit Killers.
Swoosh!
Swords cut through air and powerful palm force destroyed the earth. At their fierce battle, the narrow gorge was devastated.
Especially Eum Yu-kyung's sword was fierce beyond measure.
Because she had to attack her beloved Geom Yul-cheon after succumbing to the sacred object's authority, the anger she felt was even greater. She put all her anger into her sword as she fought.
Swish!
"Ugh!"
"Mmph!"
At Eum Yu-kyung's tremendous offensive, the Void Spirit Killers were continuously pushed back. Sin Mu-wol and Myeong-cheon penetrated through the gap.
Having shared their aspirations for a long time, they could understand each other's intentions just by looking at each other's eyes. As if they had trained in joint attacks for a long time, their movements meshed together precisely.
"Gagh!"
Eventually, at their wave-like offensive, one Void Spirit Killer allowed a sword strike and fell.
That was the beginning.
Like a dam bursting, the Void Spirit Killers fell one after another. The blood they shed dyed the earth red.
Eum Yu-kyung, Sin Mu-wol, and Myeong-cheon stood tall on the blood-stained earth.
"Ah!"
"Whew!"
The sighs they had been suppressing flowed from their mouths. Because it hadn't been an easy battle, the mental fatigue they felt was tremendous.
"Where's Yul-cheon?"
Eum Yu-kyung searched for Geom Yul-cheon's whereabouts without even time to catch her breath.
That's when it happened.
Boooom!
Suddenly a tremendous shockwave swept across the entire valley. The three people, startled by the tremendous energy wave, turned their heads toward the source of the shockwave.
There were Geom Yul-cheon and Gwan Mu-oe.
Gwan Mu-oe's sword was penetrating Geom Yul-cheon's chest, and Geom Yul-cheon's fist was buried in Gwan Mu-oe's side.
"Yul-cheon!"
Eum Yu-kyung's scream echoed through the gorge.
At that moment, Gwan Mu-oe's body collapsed. His upper body was burned black.
"The… great work is right before us…"
That was the last words Gwan Mu-oe left in the world.
Thud!
Following that, Geom Yul-cheon also knelt down. Gwan Mu-oe's sword was still embedded in his chest.
Eum Yu-kyung hurriedly embraced Geom Yul-cheon.
"Yul-cheon!"
"I'm… fine."
Covered in blood, Geom Yul-cheon smiled. Such an appearance of his made Eum Yu-kyung even more emotional.
Geom Yul-cheon raised his hand to stroke Eum Yu-kyung's cheek.
"I'm sorry. Because I wasn't strong enough, I made you suffer."
"No."
"If only I had been a little stronger…"
Even in this state, Geom Yul-cheon blamed himself. He was that kind of man. One who only blamed himself for everything and never blamed others.
Such an appearance of Geom Yul-cheon made Eum Yu-kyung's heart ache even more.
'You will become stronger.'
Her gaze turned to the sacred object in Sin Mu-wol's hand.
The sacred object they had recovered with difficulty held a secret no one knew. That secret was only passed down orally to the Holy Maiden.

Namgung Geol asked Jin Ja-gang.

“Poison Dragon. Are we still far off?”

Jin Ja-gang answered.

“I don’t know.”

“From my perspective, you don’t seem qualified…”

An Ryeong chuckled. But since she was the only one who laughed at that lame joke, An Ryeong quickly became embarrassed.

Soon Yuk Ha-seon stepped forward with her blade as if replacing Jin Ja-gang. Yuk Ha-seon also knew well that they had to defeat the Arhat monks.

“Let’s quickly clear away those monks in front.”

Thin silk clothing close to nudity and a thick blade.

Though they seemed mismatched, there was a strangely harmonious aspect to them.

Yuk Ha-seon didn’t go straight toward the Arhat monks but stopped.

Then she took out a small pouch the size of a fingernail hidden inside her silk clothing and threw it to Namgung Geol.

“What is it?”

“It’s called antidote powder. If you dab it under your nose, you can escape the influence of Joyful Love Maiden.”

“Hmm.”

Namgung Geol opened the pouch that had been tightly tied multiple times. Suddenly he involuntarily gagged.

“Huh… this is…!”

Yuk Ha-seon giggled.

“It’s powder made from drying the flowers, pollen, and stems of the most foul-smelling Giant Flower in the martial world. The flower blooms once every few years, and when it starts blooming, the smell is so terrible that people can hardly approach it. In the world, it’s also called the corpse flower.”

“A name that perfectly fits the smell. You want me to dab this on?”

“It’s the only poison prevention method that can withstand the pleasure of Joyful Love Maiden.”

Namgung Geol grimaced deeply and dabbed plenty of powder under his nose.

“Oh my… there’s no need to take so much.”

“…Sniff.”

Martial artists with developed senses are also sensitive to scents. Namgung Geol kept swallowing saliva. His eyes even became bloodshot from holding back nausea.

Namgung Geol handed the pouch to Im Yi-eon. Im Yi-eon glared at Namgung Geol and firmly conveyed her refusal.

“I am not a man.”

Yuk Ha-seon said with a smile.

“Joyful Love Maiden doesn’t distinguish between men and women. That would be interesting too, wouldn’t it? Seeing the Sword Empress soaked in pleasure begging me for affection?”

Im Yi-eon’s face turned bright red. Im Yi-eon took the pouch and very lightly dabbed powder under her nose with her fingernail. From the constant gulping sounds in her throat, the smell seemed quite severe.

Im Yi-eon threw it to Ham-geun as if she couldn’t bear holding it. Ham-geun quietly applied it and passed the pouch to An Ryeong.

An Ryeong took the pouch and brought her nose to the opening, then immediately started retching.

“Ugh! Bleh!”

Tears streaming down, she barely managed to apply it under her nose.

An Ryeong handed the antidote powder to Jin Ja-gang as if to see how he would react.

The smell was certainly terrible.

But for Jin Ja-gang, who had already lived with corpses for years in confined spaces, it wasn’t a particularly meaningful smell. Jin Ja-gang even tasted it.

An Ryeong was horrified.

“You’re eating that?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“How can I not worry! Just from talking, the smell is already… ugh.”

It was absurd that she worried about someone else’s breath smell after applying it under her own nose.

Yuk Ha-seon walked gracefully forward, then looked back at Jin Ja-gang and said.

“The proposal I made to the young hero earlier, I’ll wait for an answer.”

An Ryeong glared at Jin Ja-gang.

“What proposal?”

But Jin Ja-gang didn’t care.

Yuk Ha-seon burst into coquettish laughter and began dancing as she approached the Arhat monks.

“Ho ho ho ho!”

The Arhat monks’ eyebrows twitched. The areas near their bald crowns and earlobes visibly reddened. Their eyes became bloodshot. They gritted their teeth to control their lustful thoughts, making the tendons in their jaws stand out prominently.

As the distance closed, the blade in Yuk Ha-seon’s hand gleamed. The blade light extended horizontally like a meteor’s tail.

Dam-gok with his massive cleaver stepped forward to receive Yuk Ha-seon’s blade.

Clang! Clang clang!

Though the fluttering silk clothing should have been inconvenient, Yuk Ha-seon actually used it to her advantage. The clothing obscured vision, making it difficult for Dam-gok to properly see Yuk Ha-seon’s movements.

After a couple exchanges, Yuk Ha-seon spun around once. The silk that had been covering her body swirled greatly, revealing her bare legs and prominently exposing her upper body.

Gasp!

Very briefly, Dam-gok’s pupils shook. Still, he quickly regained self-control and his gaze returned. But by then, Yuk Ha-seon’s right arm had already disappeared, hidden by silk.

Multiple layers of silk fluttered and overlapped, completely concealing her arm’s movement.

Mu-gak shouted.

“Compassion!”

Yuk Ha-seon’s blade fell from above like lightning.

At the same time, Arhat monks rushed out from Dam-gok’s left and right.

Dam-gok raised his massive cleaver to block the blade like he had done with Im Yi-eon. The massive cleaver was made of special material that couldn’t be damaged even by sword energy. What Yuk Ha-seon held was a crude blade carried by the Cherry Blossom Corps youths – how strong could its durability be? It would be fortunate if it didn’t break in half.

But completely unexpectedly, Yuk Ha-seon’s blade exploded upon striking Dam-gok’s cleaver.

Clang!

The blade completely shattered, showering tremendous fragments over Dam-gok’s head. This was Yuk Ha-seon’s specialty, Pressing Nail Blade.

The Arhat monks who had rushed out wrapped themselves in Iron Shirt and surrounded Dam-gok from left and right.

Thud thud thump! The blade fragments either embedded in or bounced off the kasayas of the Arhat monks wrapped in Iron Shirt. If their assistance had been even slightly delayed, Dam-gok would have become a porcupine from the blade fragments. But that wasn’t the end – silver powder was also flying above.

A soft fragrance spread.

Joyful Love Maiden.

Dam-gok and the Arhat monks quickly held their breath and retreated. Yuk Ha-seon didn’t just leave them like that.

Yuk Ha-seon rushed toward the Arhat monks with both hands extended to either side. Several blades that had fallen to the floor were drawn into Yuk Ha-seon’s hands as if alive.

“Telekinetic Object Control!”

An Ryeong shouted.

At first glance, one might easily regard Pleasure Heaven Lord as lowly, using only aphrodisiacs, but the reality was completely different. Possessing such internal energy at thirty years of age meant she had already reached a tremendous level. There was a reason she could face Sword Empress Im Yi-eon without being intimidated.

Yuk Ha-seon floated several blades in the air. Then she leaped up to catch the blades. An Arhat monk with a spear, not wanting to miss the opportunity, used his spear to vault from the ground and kicked at Yuk Ha-seon’s abdomen. Yuk Ha-seon brought her hands together at her chest and spun in a straight line. The silk wrapped around the Arhat monk’s ankle, making his ankle spin with Yuk Ha-seon.

Crack!

His foot completely turned around with the heel facing forward. The Arhat monk bit down hard on his molars and swung his spear. But even the spear was already wrapped in silk. Though he exerted enough force to turn his face red, with his shoulder and leg wrapped in silk, he could do nothing in mid-air. He was like a moth dangling in a spider’s web.

Yuk Ha-seon stepped on one of the blades floating in the air and climbed onto the Arhat monk’s shoulder, strangling his neck with her legs. Silver powder fell from Yuk Ha-seon’s body.

“Kugh!”

The Arhat monk dropped his spear and kicked it to embed it in the floor. Then he stood on one leg atop the embedded spear and shook his body. The spear shaft with the Arhat monk on it swayed back and forth.

But Yuk Ha-seon didn’t fall. The Arhat monk’s struggle didn’t last long. His fierce expression gradually softened and foam began bubbling at the corners of his mouth. His pupils also almost lost focus. The spear shaft’s movement gradually decreased. He was poisoned by Joyful Love Maiden.

Yuk Ha-seon gripped one of the blades floating in the air.

Then Im Yi-eon shouted while rushing in.

“Get away!”

Namgung Geol and Im Yi-eon swung their swords from both sides, trying to leap up to help Yuk Ha-seon.

Mu-gak shouted.

“Block Advance!”

An Arhat monk with clubs and an Arhat monk with a spear blocked Namgung Geol and Im Yi-eon.

Mu-gak’s shout came from above Yuk Ha-seon’s head. A massive bulk was jumping down over Yuk Ha-seon’s head.

Mu-gak was there. Mu-gak’s twisted hand was trembling as it emerged from the Vajra monk’s embrace.

Yuk Ha-seon swung her blade upward without releasing the legs strangling the Arhat monk’s neck. A long blade light tail extended diagonally upward from Yuk Ha-seon’s body. The Vajra monk presented his side shoulder. The blade that struck his shoulder exploded.

Bang- clatter clatter! The blade fragments couldn’t pierce the Vajra monk’s golden kasaya and scraped past. This was Golden Silk Iron Beads, one level higher than the Arhat monks’ Iron Shirt.

Yuk Ha-seon didn’t give up and pulled another blade with her left hand to deploy Pressing Nail Blade once more.

From below to above, the blade light connected to the Vajra monk’s sole. When the Vajra monk stepped on the blade light, the blade exploded. The Vajra monk used the explosion’s recoil to leap up once more in mid-air and spin his body diagonally. The blade fragments that exploded and flew out struck the Vajra monk and scattered in all directions. The silver powder of Joyful Love Maiden scattered in the air was also swept away by the wind.

One of the Vajra monk’s feet had his clothing and shoes torn to shreds, but his flesh wasn’t seriously injured.

The Vajra monk’s body dropped from mid-air. He accelerated his fall with Thousand Pound Drop. Mu-gak’s hand appeared again from the Vajra monk’s chest.

Yuk Ha-seon leaned her body backward. She hooked silk to the spear shaft to secure her body and completely bent the spear shaft. She barely escaped the distance Mu-gak’s hand could reach.

Moreover, she had scattered silver powder in her original position. The Vajra monk and Mu-gak who jumped down were exposed to the silver powder. The Vajra monk spun his body once while landing to clear away the Joyful Love Maiden. While doing so, he lightly grazed the spear shaft with his toes. The spear shaft was cleanly cut as if sliced by a blade.

Meanwhile, Yuk Ha-seon applied force to her legs to completely break the Arhat monk’s neck, then leaped to the inn’s second floor. The Vajra monk immediately kicked off the ground and followed Yuk Ha-seon to the second floor.

Seeing this scene, Im Yi-eon shouted.

“Disaster Sword Guest, go help Pleasure Heaven Lord!”

While saying this, she took on Namgung Geol’s Arhat monk as well, fighting two against one.

Mu-gak wasn’t retreating after failing his attack like before. It meant he intended to kill Yuk Ha-seon first.

Yuk Ha-seon was not only strong in martial arts but also used Soul Bewitching Dance that disturbed the Arhat monks’ unmoving minds while scattering poison. From the Arhat monks’ perspective, she was extremely troublesome.

Just as they were trying to quickly deal with the Arhat monks to remove Mu-gak’s shields, Mu-gak also intended to kill Yuk Ha-seon first to increase the Arhat monks’ effectiveness.

Namgung Geol withdrew to fly toward the Vajra monk holding Mu-gak.

This time, another Vajra monk blocked his path. Namgung Geol took a breath and scattered the sword energy of Heaven Sky New Sword.

The Vajra monk stood tall and crossed both arms to block.

Crash crash crash!

While sword energy had some effect on the Arhat monks’ Iron Shirt, it couldn’t properly penetrate Golden Silk Iron Beads.

Namgung Geol bit his lip. It was difficult to pierce Golden Silk Iron Beads with sword energy. He attacked the areas where Golden Silk Iron Beads didn’t reach as much as possible.

Eyes, nape, wrists, ankles!

Light beams drew multiple arcs and continuously slashed at the Vajra monk. The Vajra monk was blocking when he suddenly thrust his fist. Namgung Geol used footwork to lean his waist backward. With a heavy whooshing sound, the fist grazed past his mouth and nose.

Pop.

His nose bled from the wind pressure.