Chapter 47 – Golden Lifeline

===================

Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read more at Nineheavens.org

===================

Chapter 47 – Golden Lifeline

Having been struck without warning, Yi Du-hwang couldn't even scream properly.

"Kuh… khek…"

His half-rolled-back eyes and his jaw moving jerkily conveyed the tremendous pain.

While the White Mountain Gate party was each struck with shock, a furious roar burst from Sect Master Guk Gyeong-in's mouth.

"Damn! What are you doing!"

His hand was already tightly gripping his sword hilt.

Cheol Ryu-heun didn't even blink as he let out an indifferent voice.

"Can't you tell by looking? He's paying for his crimes."

An informal tone thrown out abruptly.

"…!"

Guk Gyeong-in was speechless.

The sudden situation was secondary – it was because Cheol Ryu-heun's attitude was completely different from before.

He had heard the story from Young Guild Master Choe Yeon of the Azure Hound Merchant Guild who had visited White Mountain Gate previously, but actually facing him like this felt like seeing a different person.

Moreover.

Cheol Ryu-heun's strikes were also incomprehensible.

Although Yi Du-hwang wasn't in the genius or prodigy category, his martial skill was absolutely not at a level where he would easily allow such a simple surprise attack.

Just then.

Step, step, step, step-

White Flash Sword Tiger Hyeop Mu-geuk, White Mountain Sword Excellence Yeop Hwon, and the rest of White Peak Sword Sect stepped out in orderly fashion and lined up behind Cheol Ryu-heun like a screen.

In that instant, great ripples spread through the eyes of the White Mountain Gate swordsmen.

'No way…!'

It was surprising.

Even if Cheol Ryu-heun, who had been vegetative for half a year, recovering could be chalked up to heavenly fortune, for Yeop Hwon, who had suffered from a mysterious illness for about eight years, to be moving his limbs perfectly too…

Guk Gyeong-in stammered with a flustered face.

"E-Elder Yeop, how…?"

"Am I still the sect elder to you? I've erased everything from my mind."

Despite Yeop Hwon being famous for his usual gentle temperament, his words and actions were cold at this moment.

That wasn't all.

Everyone in White Peak Sword Sect, including Hyeop Mu-geuk, was displaying undisguised hostility with cold gazes.

Well, it was natural.

The White Mountain Gate party that had appeared here were traitors who had abandoned the sect and left, weren't they?

They were a group who had heartlessly turned their backs, saying they would find their own way to live centered around Guk Gyeong-in – there was no way good feelings remained in anyone's heart.

When the White Mountain Gate delegation came half a year ago, they had only received them with courtesy out of necessity since it was during Sagong Woon's funeral.

Hyeop Mu-geuk's eyes shone sharply as he recalled what Cheol Ryu-heun had said about half a shichen ago.

-White Mountain Gate is no different from a den of thieves who have unlawfully stolen our martial arts to profit. Of course, that's only because my master, considering the bond of master and disciple, showed final leniency. But I am not my master. Groups that forget favor and betray righteousness should now be properly dealt with. So today, I plan to expose all of the White Mountain Gate gang's deeds that you don't know about yet and reassess our sect's status. That is all, message ends.

Looking at Yi Du-hwang's miserable state, he was certain.

There was most likely a justified reason why Cheol Ryu-heun had used the stone tablet to discipline the opponent.

Just like the cases with Eul Sa-jeok and Gul Ma-hun.

Guk Gyeong-in stepped forward and raised his voice again.

"Don't test my patience! After the funeral, old feelings kept coming to mind, so I thought it was time to mend old grievances a bit – what is this atrocity…!"

CRACK-!

Cheol Ryu-heun completely ignored him and forcefully stomped on Yi Du-hwang's other side ribs, breaking them.

"AAAGH, AAAAHK!"

Only then did a squeezed-out, piercing scream emerge.

Guk Gyeong-in immediately drew the sword at his waist.

Cheol Ryu-heun's merciless actions were one thing, but seeing the White Peak Sword Sect members standing by watching made him even more furious.

He couldn't just stand still as the Sect Master.

After all, his sect's senior disciple, no less, had just been brutalized like that.

Bam!

Guk Gyeong-in, grinding his teeth tight, kicked off the ground and charged.

Simultaneously.

Bam!

Cheol Ryu-heun kicked off the ground in response, closed in on his opponent's face in the blink of an eye, and rapidly extended his right foot.

'Hup!'

Startled, Guk Gyeong-in raised his sword in front of his chest as the right foot struck the blade.

CLANG- BOOM!

Energy waves spreading out explosively.

"Urk!"

Pushed back by the massive force like a stomp, Guk Gyeong-in was flung backward and barely managed to stabilize and stop.

A figure that had retreated about two jang in an instant.

In the deep silence, each member of the White Mountain Gate party wore expressions of great shock.

An incomprehensible situation in succession.

Guk Gyeong-in's martial prowess had been remarkable to the point of rivaling Hyeop Mu-geuk even during his time at White Peak Sword Sect.

Yet to think he would be pushed back by a mere single kick.

And the opponent was Cheol Ryu-heun at that.

Of course, it had been clearly demonstrated through Yi Du-hwang that his martial prowess had reached quite a high level unlike before, but they never expected he could gain the upper hand against Guk Gyeong-in's strength.

Cheol Ryu-heun had already returned to his original spot.

"Stay out of it. I haven't finished talking yet."

No sooner had those words ended than Hyeop Mu-geuk stroked his sword hilt and warned in a resolute tone.

"Sect Master Guk, keep in mind that I won't stand idly by next time."

Yeop Hwon, standing beside him, also chimed in.

"Do you think only my condition has improved? Go ahead, keep swinging your sword. I'll personally show you my physical state."

Guk Gyeong-in put all his strength into the hand gripping his sword hilt.

'Damn it!'

It was awkward to move again.

He had thought there was no threatening figure besides Hyeop Mu-geuk, but if Yeop Hwon had regained his original martial level, it would be difficult for him to handle both of them.

At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun's foot pressed down on the neck of Yi Du-hwang, who lay collapsed on the ground.

"Kek…!"

"Punishment for damaging the revered ancestor's relic ends here."

"Ke… khek…"

"From now on, let's reveal new crimes."

Cheol Ryu-heun then lowered his eyes and asked.

"Shall I give you one chance?"

Yi Du-hwang, suffering from not being able to breathe, moved his head in a nod without any more thought.

He didn't know what kind of chance he meant, but for now he had to agree unconditionally.

Cheol Ryu-heun finally lifted his foot and spoke in a dry voice.

"Tell me everything you did to me in the past, with that mouth of yours."

"That…"

The moment Yi Du-hwang hesitated and rolled his eyes.

WHAM!

Cheol Ryu-heun's foot stomped on his broken ribs again.

"GYAAAAGH! P-Please, ggkkh!"

"Every time you hesitate, another bone will break."

Yi Du-hwang, a mess of tears and snot, showed a labored nod while seized with fear.

Thus began his confession of past deeds.

As all the ugly things he had done driven by jealousy and envy – those shameful truths – were revealed one by one, intense anger appeared on the faces of the White Peak Sword Sect disciples.

'So THAT was the conduct we didn't know about!'

'To have bullied him so persistently while hiding from sect members' eyes…!'

'Despicable bastard! Indeed, he deserves this treatment!'

They were newly impressed by Cheol Ryu-heun's upright character.

How had he endured all that without showing any outward sign?

It made sense now, to some degree.

Cheol Ryu-heun's words, actions, and personality that had completely changed after his physical recovery.

Perhaps on top of those incidents, with Eul Sa-jeok's deeds piling on, he had resolved that he could no longer show his former demeanor.

After all, patience or whatever had its limits.

Right after Yi Du-hwang's confession ended.

About a dozen people among the White Mountain Gate party were visibly anxious.

A reaction that proved they had been part of the group that committed evil deeds alongside Yi Du-hwang back then.

Meanwhile, Guk Gyeong-in was quite dismayed by the unexpected past events.

'Gah! That fool, only telling me this now…'

He had known from the beginning that Yi Du-hwang's character wasn't particularly good, but he never imagined he had bullied him so severely.

Cheol Ryu-heun soon opened his mouth expressionlessly.

"Are you going to insist it was a forced fabrication?"

At that, Guk Gyeong-in's face distorted slightly.

Yes, he wanted to if he could.

However, because Yi Du-hwang had explained every detail as if confessing, it was difficult to carelessly deny.

Suddenly.

Whoosh!

Cheol Ryu-heun grabbed Yi Du-hwang's collar as he lay on the ground and lifted his body high.

"Urk!"

"Any last words?"

"Kuhhh… Th-That is…"

"Well, if not, fine."

A dull sound striking his ears.

THWACK-

Simultaneously, Yi Du-hwang's body bent like a bow as he flew to the side, crashed into an old tree, and.

THUD- CRACK-!

Collapsed face-down on the ground, vomited blood, and lost consciousness just like that.

Cheol Ryu-heun's gaze fixed on Guk Gyeong-in again.

"You need to pay for your crimes too, right?"

"What…!"

"The crime of unlawfully stealing our sect's martial arts without consent."

"That…"

"You abandoned shame for advancement."

"Sect Master Sagong in his lifetime didn't take issue with it!"

"You knew beforehand. That even if you operated a sect that way, my master would turn a blind eye once due to old sentiment."

"…!"

"From the very beginning when you left here, you intended to exploit that heart of his. Am I wrong?"

"So… What do you intend to do?"

"Closure."

At Cheol Ryu-heun's simple and clear answer, both Guk Gyeong-in and his subordinate swordsmen flinched in surprise.

What he just said meant forcibly closing them down.

On the other hand, everyone in White Peak Sword Sect felt their hearts clear.

He was truly unrestrained.

Cheol Ryu-heun was.

A faint smile passed over the lips of Hyeop Mu-geuk, who had been standing silently.

'You realized too late. That the Sect Master is no longer the Sect Master you knew…'

Cheol Ryu-heun drew the Liver and Intestines Sword and spoke quietly.

"Our sect will not tolerate any branch sects. If you want to be an exception, prove it with your personal martial prowess."

Meaning if he fought and won here, he would acknowledge White Mountain Gate's existence.

"Did you think I would refuse!"

Guk Gyeong-in, screaming desperately, channeled his internal energy.

A haze enveloping his body.

Of course, he had already grasped that Cheol Ryu-heun's martial prowess was stronger than expected, but he was confident that if he poured out sword forms with peak power almost as if to kill, he could at least achieve a draw.

"If you last three exchanges, it's your victory. Then White Mountain Gate can maintain its existence."

"How arrogant!"

Guk Gyeong-in roared savagely and kicked off the ground.

But at that moment.

BOOM!

The body of Guk Gyeong-in, who had been charging fiercely, flew backward again and crashed into a tree.

"Kek!"

Blood gushed from his mouth.

He had been pushed back by Cheol Ryu-heun's sword energy, emitted in the blink of an eye.

Whoosh-

Cheol Ryu-heun's figure disappeared.

Guk Gyeong-in, his heart shaken, couldn't even compose himself before thrusting out his right-hand sword sideways.

It was an instinctive movement.

Having sensed a presence rapidly approaching.

CLANG- KA-BOOM!

Metallic and explosive sounds erupted.

"AAAHK!"

Guk Gyeong-in, who had screamed, flew rapidly like a leaf swept by wind and crashed BANG! into a boulder.

Thud.

Blood mixed with saliva dripped long from beneath his chin as he lay collapsed on the ground.

His arm was broken.

His shoulder blade and collarbone were also shattered.

And internal injuries too – the acupoints of his major meridians were all twisted.

All by just one heavy sword force.

"Kuh…"

In the instant Guk Gyeong-in let out a groan.

Stab!

A chilling sound rang out.

Cheol Ryu-heun, who had appeared beside him at some point, had deeply stabbed his left side with his sword.

"HUAAAKK!"

Guk Gyeong-in screamed in agony and then felt his body being lifted somewhere.

The pain spreading even more severely.

It was because Cheol Ryu-heun, using arm strength, had thrust the Liver and Intestines Sword into his body and raised it high as if skewering him.

"AGH, AAAGH…!"

While Guk Gyeong-in was stuck on the sword and struggled.

"It would have been better to honestly say from the start that you came at the Azure Hound Merchant Guild's request."

"…!"

"Do you know why my master left White Mountain Gate alone? A deep meaning was hidden in that leniency. Your martial arts are merely an offshoot of the White Peak Sword Manual anyway, so no matter how much time passes, you can never surpass our sect's essence."

Cheol Ryu-heun immediately whipped the Liver and Intestines Sword around rapidly.

FWOOM-!

Guk Gyeong-in was yanked out complete, flipping over and over as he flew and crashed BANG! into a boulder on the other side.

"GWUHHH…!"

Having suffered extreme shock, he lay sprawled on the ground, his eyelids trembling, before quickly losing consciousness.

The White Mountain Gate party went completely cold and stiff.

An indescribable fear.

How on earth had someone who was a vegetable until just recently transformed into such a powerful person?

Cheol Ryu-heun turned his head and spoke curtly.

"You've got to pick the right line to stand in. Especially in the human world."

At that, the White Peak Sword Sect members all nodded their heads.

Yes indeed, Lord Golden Lifeline!

We're going to hold on tight and never let go from now on.