Chapter 106. Me? You?

So U-bin did not collapse in the end.

He stood firm, gritting his teeth so hard they might break, and held onto his trembling legs.

“Senior brother.”

Jin Cheon approached to support him, but So U-bin did not even allow that.

“Don’t touch me. I don’t need your help.”

“……”

“The Fifth Young Master of the great Heavenly Demon Divine Cult never falls, nor does he accept help.”

From So U-bin’s words, Jin Cheon could feel an immense, almost ferocious pride.

It felt less like he was being stubborn and more like he was trying to display the dignity of the Fifth Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

And Jin Cheon’s impression was correct.

“Go.”

So U-bin said to Jin Cheon.

“Go and kill even one more of them. I don’t know how you got here, but since you’re here, that must be your role.”

“……”

“And I warn you.”

So U-bin added.

“Don’t do anything presumptuous next time. No matter how much you are favored by that person, and no matter how high your martial arts have become, I don’t need your help.”

“Yes, well. I’ll keep that in mind. If you say you want to have a one-on-one fight as a martial artist against another martial artist, I will definitely not interfere. However, if it’s a matter of our Cult, the story will be different. I would like you to know that I didn’t come here because I wanted to.”

“Heh!”

So U-bin laughed.

“That’s not a bad answer.”

“……?”

“I hate to admit it, but I quite like that answer this time. It was very befitting of a member of our Cult.”

For some reason, So U-bin seemed to quite like Jin Cheon’s words about putting the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult first.

‘Yes, in the end, it’s a matter of perspective.’

Jin Cheon gave a bitter smile at the thought that he might not remain as a complete rival with So U-bin forever.

Even if they disliked each other as individuals, as long as their hearts were one for the sake of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, they would not be complete enemies.

Of course, if a situation arose where they had to kill each other over the succession, the story would be different…

“Please rest. I will take care of the rest.”

“It won’t be easy.”

“No.”

Jin Cheon shook his head.

“It’s an easy job for me.”

“……?”

“Well then, I’m off.”

Jin Cheon leaped away.

“Arrogant bastard.”

So U-bin sneered as he watched Jin Cheon’s back, which had already grown distant.

“What can a guy like him possibly do…”

However, upon seeing what happened next, So U-bin had to admit that his thoughts were completely wrong.

Swooooosh!

Jin Cheon’s sword was imbued with a jet-black powerful qi.

Then, the sword made of Black Iron by the Demonic Armament Yeom Family turned red-hot.

Even the Black Iron, which was said to have great strength, found it difficult to withstand the heat of the Heavenly Demon Divine Qi’s Extinction Kalpa Flame Seal.

Chwaaaa!

Jin Cheon swung his sword vertically towards the front.

Heavenly Demon Sword Art, Second Form, Creation.

It was a sword art that was said to be able to split even Mount Tai in half upon reaching mastery.

Flash!

Immediately after a dazzling flash of light.

Crack, craaaaaack!

The enemy ship.

The navy warship was split in half and began to sink.

“What kind of ridiculous…!”

So U-bin was astonished by the martial prowess displayed by Jin Cheon.

Slicing a warship with a single sword was amazing enough, but he couldn’t believe the rapid progress he had shown to be able to display such martial prowess in just three years.

* * *

The presence of a master who one dares not approach is bound to change the course of a battle.

That was the law of fights between martial artists.

If there was a very strong master in the enemy camp, one had to have a master of at least equal strength to tie their feet.

Otherwise, the reality was that they could only watch helplessly as the enemy ran rampant.

Unlike simple person-to-person fights, this was something that happened because the difference in capabilities that martial artists who learned internal martial arts could display varied greatly from individual to individual.

The current Jin Cheon was exactly like that.

Jin Cheon, who had sunk an enemy warship with the second form of the Heavenly Demon Sword Art, Creation, began to swing his sword in earnest, cutting down enemies as they came, displaying a truly divine might.

Diancang Sect disciples, navy generals, Righteous Heavenly Alliance martial artists, and so on… no one was a match for Jin Cheon.

Even the Diancang Divine Sword, who had the highest martial arts, had died in battle with So U-bin, so there was no way the Righteous Heavenly Alliance and Imperial Navy coalition could win this battle, even if they died and came back to life.

They needed to at least hold Jin Cheon down, even if they couldn’t kill him, to have any chance, but even that was impossible, so they could only be slaughtered one-sidedly.

Moreover, Jin Cheon was not the only master on the side of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Yama Fortress.

There was the Blood Qilin, there was Danmok Cheong, and although exhausted, wasn’t So U-bin still alive and well?

As a result.

“Re-retreat! Retreat quickly!”

The Righteous Heavenly Alliance and Imperial Navy coalition began to flee like a receding tide.

Right after the battle started, they had been on the verge of annihilating not only the Yama Fortress but also the masters of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, but due to the appearance of Jin Cheon’s party, they ended up suffering a great defeat and retreating.

“My lord, congratulations on your victory.”

“Congratulations.”

Danmok Cheong and the Seventh Divine Demon Squad knelt on one knee before Jin Cheon and paid their respects.

“You all worked hard. First, treat the injured, and then recover the bodies of the fallen.”

“As you command!”

Danmok Cheong and the Seventh Divine Demon Squad moved in perfect order, administering medical treatment to the injured and recovering the bodies of the fallen.

This was in faithful execution of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s principle of never abandoning the bodies of the fallen, thereby carrying out the will of the current Cult Leader, the Iron-Blooded Demonic God.

“Tsk. I was really looking forward to it, but it’s just a bunch of small fry.”

The Blood Qilin grumbled while sitting on the corpse of the Diancang Divine Sword.

For the end of a man who was once renowned as a master representing the Diancang Sect, it was an incredibly pathetic sight.

‘That’s a bit much.’

Jin Cheon was slightly bothered by the Blood Qilin sitting on the corpse of the Diancang Divine Sword.

Not because he was defending the Diancang Divine Sword, but because it felt like he was dishonoring the body of a martial artist, which gave him a slight feeling of repulsion.

Nevertheless, Jin Cheon did not specifically call out the Blood Qilin’s actions.

‘No, it’s just a useless thought.’

If So U-bin had been killed by the Diancang Divine Sword, would his body have been left intact?

Of course, since it hadn’t happened, he couldn’t be sure, but it was needless to say that there was a high probability that his body would have been dishonored.

For all he knew, it would have been displayed in a public place like a marketplace, and even after that, it would never have seen a good end.

‘Yes, this isn’t simply a fight between martial artists. It’s a war.’

Thinking so, Jin Cheon said a word to the Blood Qilin.

“It’s all good, but can’t you go wash up a bit?”

“Hmm?”

“How much blood did you get on yourself? It’s unsightly, that.”

As Jin Cheon pointed out, the current Blood Qilin could not be seen as having a human appearance.

Covered in blood and flesh from head to toe, the Blood Qilin’s appearance, stained completely red, was that of a Blood Person itself.

The gruesomeness was truly immense, to the point where one might wonder if this was what a demon fresh from hell would look like.

“Ah, does it look a bit bad?”

“You call that a question? And aren’t you uncomfortable?”

“It is a bit uncomfortable. Human blood is sticky and oily…”

“Enough, go take a dip in the Yangtze River.”

“He acts like he’s the cleanest person in the world. Tch.”

The Blood Qilin pouted and quietly left the place.

“May I know your future plans?”

Jin Cheon asked So U-bin.

“We have to keep fighting. You call that a question?”

“By keep fighting, you mean…”

“This is just the beginning.”

So U-bin gave what could literally be described as a rotten smile.

“Neither the Righteous Heavenly Alliance nor the Imperial Family will just stand by. They will send more martial artists and stronger masters. In a few hours, stronger bastards will swarm in like a hive of bees.”

“Hmm.”

“In contrast, our Cult’s support will take at least a few more days, so we should see this as having barely overcome one crisis.”

Certainly, there was no flaw in So U-bin’s words.

No matter how much the Diancang Divine Sword was a master representing the Diancang Sect, he was just one of the countless masters in the Central Plains.

Furthermore, due to the defeat in this battle, the Righteous Heavenly Alliance and the Imperial Family would clench their teeth and deploy more forces, so it was no exaggeration to say that it was one mountain after another.

“Do you have anything in mind.”

“We have no choice but to hold on until our Cult’s support arrives.”

So U-bin answered.

“As long as we succeed in holding on, the waterways in this area will be as good as ours. Like our Cult, neither the Righteous Heavenly Alliance nor the Imperial Family will have the luxury of waging an all-out war. If we can just get past this hurdle, we can consider it as securing a stable waterway for the next few years.”

“Then I will help at least until our Cult’s support arrives.”

“Foolish. To volunteer for hardship on your own two feet.”

“As I said, it’s a matter of our Cult, so I can’t just pretend I don’t know, can I?”

“You talk a good game.”

Even as So U-bin said that, he didn’t seem displeased.

“I’ve seen your skills, but it won’t be easy.”

“I know.”

Jin Cheon knew all too well why So U-bin said that.

The true strength of the Nine Sects One Gang, and further, the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, was not just what was revealed.

That was something history proved, something close to a long-standing tradition.

Why else would the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult have repeatedly failed to advance into the Central Plains, despite the existence of the Heavenly Demon?

The existence of masters who usually lived in seclusion as if they were dead, but popped out in moments of crisis, always held back the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

It would probably be no different this time.

They lost the battle, and the Diancang Divine Sword, who was their star master, died.

If so, it would be no exaggeration to say that the real battle was just beginning.

“For now, So Senior Brother, you should reorganize the fleet and continue to lure the enemies.”

“And you?”

“I plan to go find them first.”

“……?”

“Instead of waiting for the enemies to come, wouldn’t it be faster for me to go find them first? In an already disadvantageous situation, can we afford to give up the initiative as well?”

“You’re crazy.”

So U-bin dismissed it.

“To say you’ll take the initiative when you’re at a disadvantage, you don’t really mean that, do you? How can the disadvantaged take the initiative.”

“Well, for now, I plan to stir things up as much as possible.”

“Are you crazy about dying? This area is the territory of the Diancang bastards. No matter how high your martial arts have become, if you run wild without a care…”

“Are you perhaps worrying about me right now?”

“……What?”

So U-bin, caught off guard, scrunched up his face.

“It seemed like you were worried just now. Was I the only one who felt that?”

“Me? You?”

“Yes.”

“Bullshit.”

So U-bin ground his teeth as if the mere thought was unpleasant.

“Why would I worry about the likes of you? After hanging out with the sixth one, it seems you’ve caught his flippancy.”

“Th-that’s contagious?”

This time, Jin Cheon’s face turned pale.

* * *

Naturally, when the news of the defeat became known, the Righteous Heavenly Alliance and the Imperial Navy were turned upside down.

It wasn’t just that they had failed to subjugate the Yama Fortress.

What had only been a suspicion until now—that the Demonic Cult was actually behind the Yama Fortress—being officially revealed was an even greater shock.

Now that it was official that the Demonic Cult was aiming not just beyond Qinghai Province but for the waterways of the Yunnan Province area, this was a very serious problem.

An incident had occurred that could, if handled poorly, become the spark of an all-out war.

In the midst of this, the shock received by the Diancang Sect, a member of the Nine Sects One Gang and the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, was beyond imagination.

Who would have expected that the Diancang Divine Sword, an outstanding master representing his sect, would be killed by the Fifth Young Master of the Demonic Cult?

And this news, in the blink of an eye, was delivered to an old man who was living in seclusion deep within Azure Mountain…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep