Chapter 435

Chapter 435 – Heroes Are Born in Chaotic Times (1)

"Phew!"

Cho Yeon-woon let out a deep breath.

The clothes he wore were completely tattered, stained with sweat and blood. Because he had been cutting through such fierce battlefields. ​

Looking back, he could see Hae So-wol, Cheong-un, So-cheon, and about twenty suicide squad martial artists. Their appearance was no different from Cho Yeon-woon's. Exhaustion was evident on their faces. ​

Where they were now was hundreds of li away from the Demon Cult's main base. Over the past few days, they had fled with all their might to barely make it this far. ​

Even that was only possible because Cho Yeon-woon had led the way breaking through all dangers, otherwise they wouldn't have made it even halfway. ​

The leadership and martial prowess Cho Yeon-woon displayed while escaping the Demon Cult's main base deeply moved the suicide squad martial artists. ​

He didn't allow a single straggler. He broke through the Demon Cult's encirclement while carrying the exhausted and wounded on his back. ​

Cho Yeon-woon never retreated before any crisis. Though he himself was wounded and bled, he tried his utmost to protect his companions. Thanks to this, there were no more casualties, but Cho Yeon-woon suffered many wounds instead. ​

Hae So-wol approached Cho Yeon-woon. ​

"Great Hero Cho. Let's rest a bit." ​

"We don't have time for that. If we rest even a little, the enemies will catch up." ​

"But if we continue like this, you'll collapse first, Great Hero Cho." ​

"I'm fine." ​

"You're absolutely not fine." ​

Hae So-wol shook her head. Then Cheong-un joined in. ​

"Lady Hae is right. At this rate, Great Hero Cho will collapse first. And we need rest. It would be best to rest for just one meal period and then move again." ​

When even Cheong-un said this, Cho Yeon-woon could no longer insist. ​

"Then let's rest briefly." ​

"I'll stand guard, so everyone meditate to recover your strength." ​

Hae So-wol volunteered to be the protector. ​

Cho Yeon-woon nodded and sat cross-legged. Though he tried to act calm, he was also very exhausted. Hae So-wol spoke at exactly the right time when he desperately needed brief meditation. ​

When Cho Yeon-woon entered meditation, the others also began circulating their energy to recover their power and stamina. ​

Only Hae So-wol and So-cheon weren't meditating. Hae So-wol had relatively conserved her stamina so didn't need it, and the gravely wounded So-cheon had already meditated sufficiently while coming here so didn't need to separately. Thanks to this, So-cheon's condition had improved considerably. ​

So-cheon leaned against a large tree and spoke. ​

"We owe him a great debt." ​

"Everyone here owes him a debt." ​

"Indeed. If he hadn't secured an escape route in advance, we couldn't have escaped even this much. Sigh! I wonder what happened to the others." ​

"There must be people who escaped. Don't worry too much." ​

"Amitabha! I hope so." ​

So-cheon's already pale face was cast with deep shadows. The situation was that dire, and a breakthrough wasn't easily visible. It was fortunate Cho Yeon-woon led them, otherwise everyone here would have been annihilated long ago. ​

So-cheon's gaze turned toward Cho Yeon-woon who was meditating. ​

"We're fortunate he's here. Without him, we'd all be wiped out." ​

"That's right." ​

"As soon as we return to Shaolin Temple, I must make his accomplishments known to the world." ​

"There's something we must do before that." ​

"What is it?" ​

"The previous generation suicide squad martial artists, we must reveal the truth about them." ​

At Hae So-wol's words, So-cheon's face hardened like stone. ​

The young prodigies had participated in this mission trusting only the previous generation suicide squad martial artists. Without them, most wouldn't have joined this mission. ​

"Lady Hae is right. We must inform Shaolin Temple and the Martial Alliance that Great Hero Jeok and the previous generation martial artists are suspicious." ​

"To do that, we must return safely to Shaolin Temple." ​

"That will definitely happen." ​

So-cheon answered while looking at Cho Yeon-woon. ​

He was confident that if they trusted and followed Cho Yeon-woon, they would definitely return to Shaolin Temple. He trusted Cho Yeon-woon. The leadership and martial power Cho Yeon-woon displayed during the escape from the Demon Cult was that impressive. ​

While the two conversed, the prodigies meditating led by Cho Yeon-woon began opening their eyes one by one. ​

"Phew!" ​

Though they had only meditated briefly, their complexions had noticeably brightened. Much of the accumulated fatigue had been relieved. ​

Cho Yeon-woon rose and checked his body. His body, which had been quite heavy just moments ago, had lightened somewhat. That alone was a great help to Cho Yeon-woon. ​

It was when Cho Yeon-woon was about to smile and express gratitude to Hae So-wol. Suddenly Cho Yeon-woon wrinkled his nose. ​

"Everyone stop breathing." ​

He suddenly shouted to his companions. ​

The prodigies were startled by his sudden cry, but stopped breathing instead of questioning. That's how much they trusted Cho Yeon-woon. ​

That's when it happened. ​

Hiss! ​

Suddenly a faint sound echoed through the air. And the air turned black. ​

Cho Yeon-woon and the prodigies hastily retreated backward, avoiding the blackened air. Right after, someone's voice rang out. ​

"Quite perceptive. To detect the Hidden Soul Sand." ​

With a cold voice, a young martial artist appeared. A man with remarkably black skin appeared like a ghost and looked at Cho Yeon-woon and the prodigies. ​

The moment they saw him, Cho Yeon-woon and Hae So-wol felt an eerie sense of crisis they couldn't identify. ​

"A Demon Cult pursuer?" ​

"Hmm!" ​

The pursuer wasn't just him. ​

A group also appeared behind them. ​

Over a hundred people. Young martial artists who appeared similar in age to Cho Yeon-woon and his group. ​

The moment they saw them, Cho Yeon-woon and the others grew tense. Because the momentum felt from them seemed ominous. Above all, the fact that they hadn't detected their presence until they approached close range amplified their sense of crisis. ​

"How fortunate. Daring to flee yet leisurely taking meditation breaks." ​

A man with a long whip coiled around his waist spat out a voice full of killing intent. ​

"Ugh!" ​

Hae So-wol groaned at their appearance. ​

Because it was precisely she who had suggested they rest briefly while she watched for pursuers. ​

Then Cho Yeon-woon said. ​

"Lady Hae, it's not your fault. Even if we hadn't rested, they would have caught up eventually." ​

"But……" ​

"So there's no need to apologize. Thanks to you, Lady Hae, we recovered some strength." ​

Cho Yeon-woon smiled at Hae So-wol. ​

His words weren't merely to comfort Hae So-wol. With the skill level of the pursuers before their eyes, they would have been caught quickly even fleeing without rest. It was much better to have recovered some internal energy and stamina through meditation. ​

Cho Yeon-woon's gaze turned toward the young martial artist who spoke first. ​

"Who are you?" ​

"My name is Im Dok-o. Remember it well, for it's the name of one who'll turn you into blood sand." ​

"Im Dok-o?" ​

Since he'd never heard the name, Cho Yeon-woon tilted his head. At this, Im Dok-o's expression turned even grimmer. Because he thought Cho Yeon-woon's attitude was disrespecting him. ​

He was a member of the Ten Soldiers. ​

Excluding the leader Jeong Cheon-ak, no one within the Ten Soldiers could match him. He was essentially the Ten Soldiers' second-in-command. ​

The Hidden Soul Sand dormant in his body began to stir. ​

Hidden Soul Sand was literally sand. Made of grains dozens of times smaller and finer than actual sand. ​

The microscopic grains invisible to the eye had very special properties and could become the most fearsome weapon in the world depending on how they were handled. ​

To properly handle Hidden Soul Sand, one first had to absorb it into the pores. No matter how much finer than sand, the process of absorbing foreign substances into pores couldn't be smooth. ​

Flesh is torn, and bone-scraping extreme pain arrives. Because no one could endure this process, no one in the Demon Cult had absorbed Hidden Soul Sand until now. ​

Im Dok-o was the first martial artist in hundreds of years of Demon Cult history to make Hidden Soul Sand his own. Under his pores and skin resided an incalculable amount of Hidden Soul Sand. ​

Someone approached Im Dok-o as he emanated Hidden Soul Sand. ​

His name was Nam Jeong-ok. He too was a member of the Ten Soldiers, and at this moment was burning with greater anger than anyone. ​

"I've heard the Nine Martial Dragons are called the greatest prodigies of the martial world. But I don't believe those words. The phrase 'greatest in the world' exists for us Ten Soldiers." ​

Nam Jeong-ok unwound the whip coiled around his waist. ​

A whip as thin and long as a snake writhed. ​

It was his unique weapon, the Nine-Cut Ten Thousand Poison Whip. Once caught in it, one could never escape. Only after flesh was torn and bones were severed could one find freedom, but by then death had already arrived. ​

At Im Dok-o and Nam Jeong-ok's deadly momentum, Cho Yeon-woon frowned. But his gaze was actually directed not at the two but behind them. ​

Shiver! ​

Suddenly goosebumps rose on his skin. ​

Simultaneously, intense crisis struck him. ​

Someone behind Im Dok-o and Nam Jeong-ok was making him feel threatened. ​

There was a big shot in the back. ​

That's when it happened. ​

"Impressive. To notice me." ​

With a heavy voice, someone revealed himself from behind the two. At his appearance, Im Dok-o and Nam Jeong-ok each stepped aside to make way. ​

A robust-looking man in blue war robes revealed himself. A large scar crossing the middle of his face stood out prominently. ​

"Who are you?" ​

"My name is Jeong Cheon-ak." ​

"Jeong Cheon-ak?" ​

"I am the leader of the Ten Soldiers." ​

Two women appeared behind Jeong Cheon-ak. Seomun Ha-gyeong and Ji Su-hyeon, they too were Ten Soldiers. ​

Except for the Ten Soldiers who lost their lives to Dam Ho, all had revealed themselves here. ​

Cho Yeon-woon's expression was hardened more than ever. Though he never lost his composure under any circumstances, the Ten Soldiers before his eyes were enough to make him tense. ​

Cho Yeon-woon suddenly looked back. ​

He saw Cheong-un and Hae So-wol approaching. They too felt threatened by the Ten Soldiers' appearance. Even So-cheon, who had been gravely wounded and practically carried until now, was forcing himself up. ​

Like predators recognizing other predators, they too recognized the Ten Soldiers' strength and were tense. ​

Jeong Cheon-ak looked at Cho Yeon-woon and said. ​

"I'll praise you for noticing me. That alone makes you worthy of recognition." ​

"What nonsense." ​

"……" ​

Perhaps because Cho Yeon-woon's answer was unexpected, Jeong Cheon-ak briefly closed his mouth. Then Cho Yeon-woon shot back at him. ​

"Did you think someone would be scared because you appeared after hiding in the back? Where do you get off acting like a big shot?" ​

"You seem to have a rag in your mouth. Drunken Cloud Dragon." ​

"The rag is someone like you. You stink." ​

Cho Yeon-woon made a fanning motion at his nose with his palm. Then Jeong Cheon-ak's eyes glinted even more eerily. ​

He knew Cho Yeon-woon's actions were to provoke him. He knew the reason too. ​

"You wanted to focus my anger on yourself it seems, Drunken Cloud Dragon. Quite clever, but useless." ​

Jeong Cheon-ak raised his hand. Then Ji Su-hyeon, Seomun Ha-gyeong, and about a hundred subordinates who came with him all stepped forward at once. ​

"What? Wasn't it one-on-one with me? You're more cowardly than you look, Jeong Cheon-ak." ​

"This isn't a duel between martial artists. It's the Divine Cult punishing the Martial Alliance's trash." ​

"Tsk!" ​

At Jeong Cheon-ak's indifferent answer, Cho Yeon-woon realized his provocation had failed. ​

His plan to focus all anger on himself to buy time for others to flee had come to nothing. ​

Then Hae So-wol who approached said. ​

"Don't try to shoulder all the burden alone. Let's fight together." ​

"Let's do that, Great Hero Cho." ​

"Though meager, I'll lend a hand too." ​

Cheong-un, So-cheon, and others agreed with Hae So-wol's words. ​

Though they didn't say it, the twenty suicide squad martial artists shared the same sentiment. ​

The Ten Soldiers and about a hundred pursuers were similar in age to them. Just as they were the martial world's future, they too were the Demon Cult's future. If they grew safely, they would someday stand at the martial world's peak and inevitably clash. ​

Even if not now, they were destined to fight to the death someday, so they were burning with fighting spirit. ​

Jeong Cheon-ak looked at the suicide squad martial artists burning with fighting spirit and smiled coldly. ​

"Insolent! Not a single one of you will escape this place today." ​

His words became the signal. ​

The Ten Soldiers and martial artists all charged at Cho Yeon-woon's group at once. ​

At some nameless mountain, the martial world's greatest prodigies were clashing. ​