Chapter 159 – The Orthodox Alliance (7)

A small white cat-like animal and two men and women were confronting each other in front of Mount Hua Sect’s main gate.

The martial artists guarding the main gate were watching them with troubled faces.

Meow!

What was blocking the two martial artists was Seolmyo who had left the hall.

“It’s incredibly fast! Junior sister, don’t just watch and help!”

“But it’s so cute. Senior brother, please handle it.”

The man wearing clothes with several plum blossoms drawn on his sleeves was swinging his sword without even drawing it.

Though he was swinging with the scabbard because there were onlookers, the speed and contained force were enough that even considerable masters would have difficulty preserving their lives if struck.

However, the scabbard only cut through empty air.

The flashy swordplay only tore through where Seolmyo had passed, and his footwork couldn’t catch up to Seolmyo’s movements.

Clang!

Eventually, the man drew his sword.

“Senior brother!”

The surprised woman shouted, but he pushed internal energy fully into his sword with a stiff expression.

“There’s no way an animal can avoid my sword! It must be a demon!”

“But it’s so cute…”

The man ignored the woman’s trailing voice and pointed his sword, which began shining intensely, at Seolmyo.

“As expected of senior brother Plum Blossom Fourth Moon.”

“Cool. An absolute expert’s sword.”

The second-generation disciples guarding the main gate whispered seeing his sword.

Feeling pleased hearing that, the man swung his sword several times toward the air, then swung his sword at Seolmyo.

Shining lines shot from the sword toward Seolmyo.

An absolute expert’s sword energy shot toward Seolmyo.

When the red line flew toward it, Seolmyo’s eyes sharpened and its hidden claws came out.

Swoosh!

Seolmyo, who was about to raise its claws toward the line, sensed another presence and quickly made a pitiful sound while flying its body backward.

Meow~

The sword energy flew into the sky thanks to Seolmyo withdrawing with good timing, and Seolmyo quickly hid behind the newly appeared person.

Sun-woo looked at Seolmyo who dumped the work on him and quickly fled backward, then shook his head.

Though it could have handled the opponent sufficiently, it clearly pretended to be weak while teasing the opponent.

Thanks to Seolmyo becoming increasingly cunning, Sun-woo was thoroughly feeling like he had become a butler rather than an owner.

“Are you that demon’s owner? To bring such a demon to Mount Hua. If I wasn’t busy, I would have taken you to the sect leader for interrogation!”

The man pointing at Sun-woo instead of Seolmyo hiding behind was in his late twenties with outstanding appearance.

Looking at his skill that seemed to have just surpassed absolute level, he seemed quite a promising disciple within Mount Hua Sect too.

“Junior sister, let’s go now.”

When Seolmyo hid, he gestured to the female disciple behind him, and the female disciple who had been stealing glances at Sun-woo snapped to attention and followed him.

However, he had to stop again because Sun-woo blocked his way instead of Seolmyo.

When Sun-woo blocked his way, the man, Mount Hua Sect’s first generation disciple Plum Blossom Fourth Moon, frowned greatly.

“What business do you have! Was that demon blocking the way intentional too?”

His serious face looked like a sculpture, seeming to unfold a handsome man competition with Sun-woo who stood blocking him with a calm face.

The female disciple following Plum Blossom Fourth Moon was looking back and forth between Sun-woo and her senior brother with an ecstatic expression.

And other disciples who recognized Sun-woo could only stamp their feet not knowing what to do.

“Could it be my senior brother?”

Nanseol’s voice was heard between the two confronting.

Following Sun-woo, Nanseol had also arrived.

Everyone’s gaze turned to Nanseol.

From the disciples guarding the gate, longing, admiration, and goodwill appeared on their faces, and from the female disciple, jealousy clearly showed.

From Plum Blossom Fourth Moon Yeom Seo-gung, a complicated expression mixing envy, goodwill, inferiority complex, and longing all together appeared and ruined his handsome face.

Among the first generation disciples that Mount Hua Sect, which suffered damage close to closing its gates from the great war with the Demonic Cult in the past, had high hopes for, Yeom Seo-gung was the most outstanding.

Until recently, he was receiving great expectations as the next generation’s pillar of Mount Hua with his rapid growth, handsome appearance, and excellent social skills.

However, as time passed, because of his light temperament, the Mount Hua elders came to feel disappointment compared to the popularity he gained from colleagues and junior brothers, and his skill was even about to be buried because of Mount Hua’s Sword Flower who suddenly emerged.

After that, the first disciple who already began handling the sect’s major and minor affairs, and Nanseol who began widely spreading Mount Hua’s name.

Thanks to the two, Yeom Seo-gung became such a disciple popular only around Mount Hua and among disciples.

“But that’s just the past.”

Yeom Seo-gung swept down his distorted face, then continued speaking with a sculpture-like face again.

“Yeom Seo-gung who struggled blocked by the absolute wall no longer exists. While you were outside, I also climbed to absolute level. Rather, this worked out well. Let’s settle superiority and inferiority here.”

The sword that had been toward Sun-woo was now turned toward Nanseol.

“Senior brother…”

Nanseol looked at Yeom Seo-gung with a pitiful expression.

She seemed to have something she wanted to say too, but now it was meaningless words.

“That would be good. The whispers from behind will all disappear if senior brother wins.”

When Nanseol appeared, the female disciple who had been glaring at her with an angry face brightened at his words and further instigated.

“Junior sister! What are you saying! How can you speak that way between fellow members?”

“Hmph! Someone who couldn’t even speak properly before is now chattering excitedly after getting a bit stronger.”

Though she had become quite spoiled by being pampered by the sect leader, thanks to her natural beauty and position as the sect leader’s daughter, she was once called Mount Hua’s Twin Flowers together with Nanseol.

However, after Nanseol came to be called Mount Hua’s Sword Flower separately, the name Mount Hua’s Twin Flowers calling her was no longer used.

Thanks to that, things completely soured with Nanseol, with whom she hadn’t been on good terms even before, and now she was pouring hatred toward Nanseol fully.

It was when she tried to continue pouring anger on Nanseol.

Sun-woo, who had been watching silently, opened his mouth.

“Didn’t you hear the story to gather a moment ago? Everyone else is gathering in front of Jade Stream Hall.”

“I didn’t hear. Originally, I had business to go to Chengdu with my junior sister. It’s already late now, so I need to go quickly.”

As soon as Sun-woo spoke, Yeom Seo-gung immediately rebutted. However, at the obviously visible lie, Sun-woo only laughed emptily.

“Then first gather and go together. Or you can wait here briefly.”

Instead of using force, Sun-woo decided to wait for people first.

This was in front of the main gate of Mount Hua, a huge sect. To avoid unnecessary misunderstanding, he needed to arrest at least in front of elders or many people.

At Sun-woo’s words, Yeom Seo-gung’s eyes trembled.

“I have to go now! It’s already late I said!”

“Senior brother, it hurts!”

At Sun-woo’s words, Yeom Seo-gung grabbed the arm of the female disciple standing behind while ignoring all the events so far and tried to rush off.

Whooom.

However, he couldn’t take a single step due to the sensation suddenly pressing down his entire body.

It felt like a giant hand was grabbing and pressing him down.

Surprised, he looked around, but other people seemed to feel nothing strange.

The sect leader’s daughter looking at him with a puzzled expression, other disciples unable to take any side and fidgeting, and Nanseol looking at him with a pitiful expression.

If there was a difference, it was that the black-haired martial artist wearing strange clothes standing in a relaxed posture in front looked several times larger.

“What sinister magic is this…”

Yeom Seo-gung, who at least learned who was doing it, tried to inform others of this matter.

However, the pressure pressing him down disappeared like a lie when Nanseol walked out and stood before him.

“Please. Let me do it.”

At Nanseol’s words blocking Yeom Seo-gung’s way, Sun-woo nodded.

Sun-woo, who had briefly tested the ki utilization method he realized through the fight with Martial Elder at the Orthodox Alliance, stepped aside following her words.

Though directly stepping forward would end quickly, he also didn’t like smashing a Mount Hua fellow disciple in front of her unnecessarily.

Mount Hua Sect’s matters should be finished by Mount Hua Sect.

“You wandered outside and now dishonor Mount Hua together with an outsider!”

“Kyaa!”

He pushed away the sect leader’s daughter he had been holding and rushed at Nanseol.

His sword blazed red and bloodshot eyes rose greatly in his eyes.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

His sword was fast and rough.

Though the sword moved according to Mount Hua’s sword path, it looked like it would destroy and smash everything, unlike Mount Hua’s sword that embraced and wrapped.

Nanseol calmly blocked such sword strikes.

When he pressed roughly, she quietly withdrew, and when he swung strongly, her sword that gently sent it backward gradually made Yeom Seo-gung’s sword begin losing strength.

“Haa. Haa. Why, why is there still a difference?”

Yeom Seo-gung, who withdrew backward, lamented while breathing roughly.

He gave up many things for power.

Money and dreams, and even affection and loyalty to his sect.

Yet after surpassing absolute level this way, there’s still such a difference.

Yeom Seo-gung couldn’t understand at all.

He looked around with a gloomy expression.

Lotus Flower Immortal who had already arrived and was watching here, and other disciples and martial siblings descending toward here.

Though he could no longer feel love for them from recently, regret still remained.

Yeom Seo-gung took out a pill from his chest and poured it into his mouth.

Eyes that instantly turned red. Explosively increasing internal energy.

Changed to murky colored eyes, he charged at Nanseol while screaming.

“Aaaah!”

“Plum Blossom Falling Flowers Second Style.”

Plum blossoms poured down before him as he rushed wrapped in red ki.

The hundreds of beautiful petals were all sword energy created by Nanseol.

The ki spouting like flames struck the sword energy appearing like petals Nanseol released and was shaved away.

Having arrived right before Nanseol, he ultimately couldn’t advance further and collapsed before her.

“Cough, why doesn’t it work for me. Why.”

Though he turned bloody, he seemed to have no danger to his life.

And Nanseol, who couldn’t bear to kill him and deliberately used a big technique to ensure the opponent wouldn’t die, was breathing exhaustedly before him.

And Sun-woo approached beside the collapsed Yeom Seo-gung.

Sun-woo’s eyes looking at Yeom Seo-gung who became a contaminated person himself were very cold.

“Sir Sun-woo, please.”

At Sun-woo’s appearance looking like he would immediately end Yeom Seo-gung’s breath, Nanseol requested with an exhausted voice.

Sun-woo agonized for a while, then eventually took out contamination antidote from his chest and put it in his mouth.

Yeom Seo-gung’s murky appearance gradually began returning to its original appearance.

“Thank you so much.”

At Nanseol’s gratitude heard from behind, Sun-woo shook his head.

“Since he became contaminated, there’s no guarantee he’ll be fine. He might lose his martial arts.”

“Still, thank you.”

Of course, there was no one who lost abilities after contamination was cured. Sun-woo had just put in only half the antidote.

No matter how brainwashed he was, Sun-woo had no intention whatsoever of properly healing someone who became contaminated on their own.

Sun-woo, who briefly placed his hand on the fainted Yeom Seo-gung’s back, rose from his seat and looked down the mountain.

“He seems to have tried escaping because of what happened at the Orthodox Alliance. We seem to have caught the Blood Cult’s tail.”

Among people’s surprised exclamations, Seolmyo’s cry that caught the scent was heard lowly.