Chapter 77 – Unrivaled Hero (2)

Chapter 77 – Unrivaled Hero (2)

Although war was currently raging in Hanzhong, there was one place that remained more peaceful than anywhere else.

Xianhua Hall. It was the residence of the greatest master of music in the Central Plains.

The duet of the seven-string zither and the tung flute echoed softly, singing of nature. The clear yet mournful melody was gentle yet full of vigor, and at times, utterly enchanting. It was truly enough to tug at the heartstrings of any listener.

At one point, the sound of the tung flute stopped.

“Master, someone is here!”

Several presences were approaching the vicinity of Xianhua Hall. Yeon Seo-hwa had detected them long ago.

‘It seems the west gate has been breached.’

The outcome of the war was of no concern to her. However, if her disciple’s safety was threatened, that was a different matter.

Setting down her seven-string zither, she stood up. Instead, her hand gripped a small wooden tube containing flying needles.

“Do not stop playing the tung flute. No matter what happens, you must maintain your peace of mind.”

“Yes, Master!”

So-so sat cross-legged in front of the door and began to play the tung flute again.

Yeon Seo-hwa moved and flung the doors wide open. She saw about a dozen soldiers who had clearly mastered martial arts to a considerable level. They seemed to have come with the intention of causing chaos inside the city to divert the defenders from the north gate.

A moment later, her brow furrowed, and anger flared in her eyes. The soldiers were scanning her up and down with lewd, suggestive gazes.

“You seem to have a death wish.”

Her chilling voice was completely at odds with her elegant appearance. Sensing the killing intent laced in her voice, the soldiers felt an instinctive shiver.

The squad leader spoke to his men:

“A refined woman, indeed. Don’t kill her; just knock her out.”

At his command, five soldiers rushed toward Yeon Seo-hwa. The moment they closed the distance to within three zhang, a terrifying demonic qi erupted from her body.

Whoosh—!

Shocked by the sudden surge of energy, the soldiers halted their steps and stumbled.

“Ugh!”

“Gah!”

The soldiers grimaced in pain. Their bodies felt frozen, and they could barely draw breath.

At that instant, she opened her right hand. Five flying needles rose from the wooden tube, hovering in the air.

“This is the price for daring to look at me.”

Yeon Seo-hwa clenched and then threw open her right hand. The flying needles shot forward like arrows, piercing the throats of the five soldiers.

Thunk! Thunk!

“Argh!”

“Gah!”

The five soldiers spat blood from their throats and collapsed simultaneously.

She was a master of the martial world, and far from an ordinary one. The squad leader quickly blew his whistle to call for reinforcements.

Peeeeep—!

Drawing his sword, the squad leader muttered in disbelief:

“Where did this witch come from…?”

In that instant, Yeon Seo-hwa’s figure glided forward like the wind. Moving at an incredible speed, she appeared right in front of his nose.

“Ah!?”

Yeon Seo-hwa’s right hand moved like a flash, gripping the squad leader’s neck.

Squeeze!

“Say that again.”

A dark, black energy flowed from her jade-white hand, seeping into the soldier’s face like poison.

It was an supreme demonic art, a technique that had taken the lives of countless orthodox martial artists.

As Yeon Seo-hwa released her grip, the squad leader collapsed, his body going completely limp. Her gaze turned toward the walls of Xianhua Hall. Three Salatai warriors were leaping over the wall, unleashing their sword qi.

A sword energy flared from Yeon Seo-hwa’s palms. A moment later, her double palm strike clashed with the three streaks of sword qi, erupting in a loud explosion.

Boom!!!

The Salatai warriors were blown backward, crashing against the wall.

“Ugh!”

“Gah!”

Yeon Seo-hwa glided backward and glanced behind her. So-so was playing the tung flute with a worried expression.

“Your melody is wavering. Keep your composure.”

Meanwhile, more Salatai warriors continued to gather around Xianhua Hall. They seemed determined to seize this compound, which was situated right in front of the west gate.

A commander carrying a spear stepped forward. At a glance, he was an expert of extraordinary skill.

“A woman who practices demonic arts. Who are you?”

Yeon Seo-hwa’s ruby-red lips curled into a smile. It was a bewitching expression, filled with a demonic beauty capable of stealing a man’s soul. However, the voice that slipped from her lips was chillingly cold:

“I believe I told you not to speak so loosely in my presence.”

Yeon Seo-hwa reached her right hand behind her. The seven-string zither rose into the air and flew into her hand. It was telekinesis, a high-level technique that could only be executed by those who had reached the Transformational Realm or the peak of the demonic path.

Realizing her level of martial arts, the commander was shocked and quickly shouted:

“Form a formation!!!”

Before the Salatai could take their positions, Yeon Seo-hwa’s fingers plucked the strings of the zither. A crisp melody erupted, sounding like jade beads rolling on a tray. However, this soundwave carried the Jade Flower Maiden’s demonic energy.

Twang! Twang!

“Ugh!”

“Gah!”

The Salatai stopped in their tracks, stumbling. Even the commander leading them sweated profusely, unable to take a step forward.

Yeon Seo-hwa spoke without looking back:

“Play the Heavenly Slaughter Call.”

The melody of So-so’s tung flute shifted, growing faster. In response, Yeon Seo-hwa’s zither joined in.

The sound of the tung flute and the seven-string zither merged into one, blasting toward the enemies in front of them. To others, it would sound like a fast-tempo, upbeat song. But to the enemies receiving it head-on, it twisted their meridians and forced them to stumble in agony.

“Argh!!!”

“Gah!”

The soldiers with weaker internal energy coughed blood from their ears and collapsed to the ground.

“Block your ears!!!”

The commander tore a piece of his uniform and stuffed it into his ears. The Salatai followed suit.

Rip! Rip!

Although their internal energy was still in turmoil, they were now able to move. A few who recovered first charged toward Yeon Seo-hwa.

Watching them, she curled her lip in contempt. Stopping her play, she turned the seven-string zither upright. Her fingers, filled with internal energy, gently plucked a single string.

Thrum—!

The soundwave turned into a blade of energy, striking the closest soldier.

Slash!

With a single pluck of her finger, the Salatai warrior was cleaved in two. The terrifying display made everyone hesitate.

“Deflect it with sword qi!”

The commander and the Salatai warriors capable of unleashing sword qi stepped forward. Yeon Seo-hwa continuously plucked the strings, releasing soundwaves.

Twang! Twang! Twang!

Dozens of crescent-shaped, pale-white blades of energy rained down relentlessly. The soldiers in front fought desperately to deflect them.

Clang! Clang! Clang!!!

It was a battle of attrition where the side that exhausted their internal energy first would perish. Although she had shared a significant amount of her energy with So-so, her dantian, having reached the peak of the demonic path, was still on a completely different level compared to the Salatai.

However, the issue lay elsewhere. In a corner of the garden about five zhang away from the hall, Yeon Seo-hwa’s younger sister, Yeon Cho-hee, was struggling against a dozen newly arrived soldiers. Having once belonged to the administrative division of the Demonic Cult, martial arts was not her specialty.

Left with no choice, Yeon Seo-hwa spoke softly:

“Sister Cho-hee is in danger.”

The meaning was clear. Putting down her tung flute, So-so quickly gripped her short sword.

Since the situation was unstable, her father had instructed her to always carry a self-defense weapon. Sprinting forward, So-so leaped into the air, flying straight over Yeon Seo-hwa’s head.

“Sister Cho-hee!”

Although the age gap was too large to call her sister, the child simply called her what she was told. Her leap was faster and more agile than before. So-so executed a flip in the air and descended toward the soldiers surrounding Yeon Cho-hee.

“Yah!”

Thwack! Bam!

“Ugh!”

“Gah!”

Caught off guard by the sudden ambush, two Salatai warriors lost consciousness and collapsed. The remaining attackers backed away to assess the situation. A young girl holding a short sword was glaring at them, looking like an angry puppy.

“You bad uncles, don’t hurt Sister Cho-hee!”

Even the Salatai, who were known to be emotionless, looked utterly bewildered.

“What is this little chick?”

Yeon Cho-hee was clutching her left shoulder, which had been slashed, blood seeping through her fingers.

So-so used her small frame to shield Yeon Cho-hee. Meanwhile, the number of enemies continued to grow. Seeing the child trying to protect her, Yeon Cho-hee felt a deep wave of affection.

“So-so, I am fine, so run away…”

There were simply too many enemies for a single child to face. So-so also seemed to realize this, as her expression turned grim. These opponents were on a completely different level compared to the pillaging bands she had fought before.

It was then that Yeon Seo-hwa’s voice rang out:

“Dragon-Striking Lion’s Roar!”

So-so had only achieved ten percent mastery of this technique. Only upon reaching complete mastery would the true power of the lion’s roar be unleashed.

Even so, So-so automatically began to gather her internal energy. A terrifying true qi, exceeding one hundred and twenty years of internal energy, rushed toward her chest. A whirlwind of energy erupted in a one-zhang radius around her. Startled by the ominous energy, the soldiers hesitated to approach.

A moment later, the swirling vortex of qi was absorbed into So-so’s small mouth in a single breath.

While the soldiers stared in bewilderment at this strange sight, So-so clenched both her fists at her waist and assumed a horse stance. Then, she let out a lion’s roar.

“Raaaaaargh!!!”

A massive roar erupted from her tiny mouth. The roar turned into a physical soundwave, slamming into the surrounding soldiers.

“Aaargh!”

“Ugh!”

Dozens of soldiers stumbled, blood pouring from their ears. Although it was only ten percent mastery, the power of the lion’s roar executed at point-blank range was not something they could ignore.

Without missing this opportunity, So-so launched her attack. Running like a swift squirrel, she darted between the soldiers, her blunt short sword slamming mercilessly into their legs.

Thwack! Bam! Crack!

“Ugh!”

“Gah!”

The stumbling Salatai fell like reeds, unable to even think of defending themselves. Only after six soldiers had fallen did one of them manage to steady himself and shout:

“Take the brat as a hostage first!”

They had realized that Yeon Cho-hee was her weakness. So-so tried to return to protect her, but three Salatai warriors blocked her path, unleashing their sword qi.

“Oh no…”

So-so stamped her feet in frustration as she drew her own sword qi.

Even at this moment, the number of enemies continued to increase. Yeon Seo-hwa was also fully occupied, fighting the Hui commander and dozens of Salatai on her own. Before long, a Salatai warrior pressed his blade against Yeon Cho-hee’s neck, threatening them:

“I thought it was strange, but you are the snake of the volunteer militia. If you don’t want to see this woman’s head fly, drop your weapon.”

Yeon Cho-hee shook her head and said, “Don’t worry about me, run away…”

So-so looked on the verge of tears, her eyes welling up.

“Uwah… Sister Cho-hee…”

The Salatai wanted the child to drop her sword quickly. They intended to rush in and kill her the moment she did.

But a breath later, they were left utterly confused. The crying child had suddenly burst into a bright smile. Such a rapid shift in expression was something only a child could pull off.

“You uncles are in big trouble now~ Hehe.”

Sensing something amiss, everyone turned their heads to follow So-so’s gaze. Instantly, their expressions turned to horror.

Dozens of dark figures were leaping over the walls of Xianhua Hall simultaneously. Their movements were extraordinary, suggesting they were all top-class first-rate masters. They were the members of the Wolf Fang Squad, who had rushed over upon hearing the lion’s roar.

Il-gwang was the first to charge, shouting:

“Wipe them all out!!!”

Seizing the distraction, So-so activated her footwork—the Sword Saint’s Lightning Shadow Step.