Anger can make a person stronger.

If the enemy was the one who killed one’s parents, even a scholar who had never wielded a blade could take a life.

But did the same apply to a martial artist?

Could it also apply to a swordsman who had endured years of training to achieve a sharp and precise state of mind?

There may be cases where it did, and others where it did not.

Anger intensified the sword.

In situations where one would normally conserve energy strategically, anger would cause an explosive outburst, and the Qi coursing through the body would surge uncontrollably.

Na Hee-yeon was no exception.

Just over a year ago, she ventured into the martial world with her senior aunt and master.

The encounter with Crimson Moon Demoness, a sworn enemy of Putuo’s Priestess, was something none of them had anticipated when they departed from Putuo Temple.

However, her senior aunt seemed to have known all along.

The Crimson Moon Demoness sent her prized disciple, Blood Rakshasi Wi Hyang, while Putuo’s Priestess dispatched Na Hee-yeon’s senior aunt, Sea Sword Fragrance Oh Seong-ah.

Her senior aunt radiated calm determination.

Though only a year apart, Na Hee-yeon regarded her as an elder sister.

“Watch closely. I’ll defeat her in an instant and be right back.”

The confident smile her senior aunt gave her, with a playful wink—that was the last smile Na Hee-yeon ever saw from her.

Her senior aunt was defeated by Blood Rakshasi.

Losing in a martial duel was something that could happen.

It was also not unusual for someone to die as a result.

However, Blood Rakshasi Wi Hyang could have chosen not to kill her senior aunt.

After all, her victory had already been decisive.

Though it was unclear when her skill had risen to such heights, Wi Hyang had already become a transcendent master.

Her chain sickle sank its fangs into her senior aunt’s shoulder, coiling around her body tightly.

“Aaah! Ugh!”

To Na Hee-yeon, it looked as if a giant venomous snake had wrapped itself around her senior aunt’s body.

By now, she should have let go.

But the venomous snake, determined to devour its prey, opened its mouth wide.

Crunch!

The chain sickle, still lodged in her senior aunt’s shoulder, ruthlessly tore into her chest.

Blood gushed into the sky like a fountain, and the enraged Putuo’s Priestess intervened.

The Crimson Moon Demoness, as if waiting for this moment, also stepped in.

The two female masters, who occupied two of the Ten Grandmasters, clashed in a life-and-death battle.

Na Hee-yeon could hardly remember what happened that day.

Blinded by rage that made her head feel like it would burst, she charged recklessly at Wi Hyang.

However, she could not take on Wi Hyang, who had defeated her senior aunt.

By the time Na Hee-yeon regained her senses, she was carrying her injured master on her back, running desperately.

Her face must have been a mess, smeared with tears and snot.

The life-and-death duel between the Crimson Moon Demoness and Putuo’s Priestess ended in a draw.

Putuo’s Priestess retreated into seclusion, lamenting that she had “devoured her own disciple.”

After grieving for a long time, Na Hee-yeon began acting even more cheerfully.

She resumed playing the zither for her master’s sake.

Though her heart festered with grief, leading her to a near-suicide attempt, she eventually reached the pinnacle of martial arts mastery.

And now, the time for vengeance had come.

Today, Na Hee-yeon would publicly defeat Blood Rakshasi Wi Hyang.

And she would kill Wi Hyang in the exact same way her senior aunt had been killed.

“Ahhhh!”

For that, she was willing to die.

“You crazy woman.”

Wi Hyang sneered and hurled daggers.

Five daggers streaked through the air simultaneously—a dagger-throwing technique so impressive that even martial artists of the Tang Clan would be astonished.

Each dagger, imbued with Qi, surged toward Na Hee-yeon’s vital points.

Swiieeeak!

The sound of the daggers cutting through the air left the audience tense with anticipation.

The thrusting sword was a sword technique specialized in thrusting. With its narrow blade, similar to a narrow edge sword, deflecting the daggers was exceedingly difficult.

However, a Sword Aura about a foot long erupted from Na Hee-yeon’s stabbing sword.

Clang!

In one swift motion, three of the daggers were reduced to scrap metal, and the remaining two were dodged as she twisted her upper body.

In an instant, the distance between Na Hee-yeon and Wi Hyang was completely closed.

Na Hee-yeon thrust her Sword Aura directly at Wi Hyang’s heart.

Crack!

Instead of blood, sparks flew.

Wi Hyang had twisted her body and raised a reverse-grip blade to meet the thrusting sword.

However, her reverse-grip blade failed to produce its own Blade Aura.

Facing Sword Aura with an ordinary blade infused with Qi, the reverse-grip blade quickly became dull and chipped.

But Wi Hyang wasn’t wielding just one reverse-grip blade.

Like a mantis striking a butterfly, she swiftly aimed another reverse-grip blade at Na Hee-yeon’s side.

Yet, even in her rage, Na Hee-yeon scoffed.

“Such childish tricks!”

She lowered her thrusting sword.

At such close range, a sword technique specialized in thrusting would typically become ineffective.

However, the swordsmanship of the Sword Pavilion was not so easily countered.

The hook attached to the guard of Na Hee-yeon’s sword snagged Wi Hyang’s reverse-grip blade and twisted it away.

Clang—

As the reverse-grip blade fell to the ground, Na Hee-yeon’s elbow struck Wi Hyang’s face.

Smack!

No—Wi Hyang raised her arm to block it.

And that’s when Na Hee-yeon’s assault began in earnest.

Her thrusting sword targeted Wi Hyang’s entire body.

It was unclear where Wi Hyang had managed to hide so many weapons on her body, but this time, she pulled out a whip sword to counter.

“Bring out your chain sickle already!”

Wi Hyang remained silent, continuing to swing her sword.

The whip sword, with its pliant movements, starkly contrasted with the fierce strikes of Na Hee-yeon’s thrusting sword.

Wounds began to appear all over Wi Hyang’s body.

When she barely twisted her head in time to avoid Na Hee-yeon’s blade, the thrusting sword left a long scar across her cheek.

Meanwhile, Wi Hyang’s whip sword failed to land a single blow on Na Hee-yeon.

“Uwaaahhh!”

“The Seven-String Sword Edge is overwhelming!”

The supporters of the orthodox sects shouted and cheered.

The momentum of the duel clearly seemed to be in Na Hee-yeon’s hands.

She also appeared to have the upper hand.

However, the VIP seats remained silent.

Cho Gyu-seo turned to Yi-gang and asked, “Yi-gang, do you think the child you trained will win?”

“…I’m not sure,” Yi-gang replied.

His expression was grim.

Though Na Hee-yeon seemed to be in control, that wasn’t the reality.

The thrusting sword was a sword meant for thrusting.

It’s a weapon that needed to pierce the opponent’s torso and leave a hole in their organs to secure a victory.

But not a single critical attack had landed.

“Na Hee-yeon doesn’t handle anything better than her thrusting sword.”

For some reason, Blood Rakshasi Wi Hyang still hadn’t brought out her main weapon.

No matter how skilled a martial artist, their strongest weapon should always be their specialty.

And yet, Na Hee-yeon was failing to take the decisive advantage.

It seemed that both Putuo’s Priestess and the Crimson Moon Demoness shared similar thoughts.

“Hohoho, I expected something more, but is this really all she has?”

The Crimson Moon Demoness covered her mouth with her hand and sneered, “She’s so rigid, just like her master. Utterly dull.”

“Shut up!”

They bared their teeth and growled at each other.

Cho Gyu-seo glanced at them and muttered, “Pathetic, don’t you think?”

Yi-gang did not respond.

But inwardly, he agreed.

It was not a pleasant sight.

Both the Crimson Moon Demoness and Putuo’s Priestess were no better than each other.

“If one says that a master is like a father, shouldn’t they also care for their disciples like their own children? Yet, these so-called masters push their grudges onto their disciples.”

Cho Gyu-seo had pinpointed exactly what Yi-gang was thinking.

Both factions had their own forces and positions in the martial world, making it impossible to openly antagonize one another.

That’s why they let their disciples fight, using them to resolve their own personal feuds.

“…”

“Tsk, tsk…”

Yet, revenge was something one must carry out personally.

Just as Yi-gang had personally killed Baek Jin-tae and vowed to take revenge on the Evil Cult, instead of baring their teeth and growling like frightened dogs, they should have taken action themselves.

Yi-gang stood up from his seat.

“I’ll step out for a moment.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m heading down. Closer to the dueling stage.”

Cho Gyu-seo nodded.

Yi-gang approached the stage.

The martial artists of the Murim Alliance, who were guarding the area and preventing audience access, recognized Yi-gang and stepped aside.

Yi-gang looked at the stage.

Na Hee-yeon and Wi Hyang were still locked in a fierce exchange of attacks.

Na Hee-yeon had achieved dazzling progress over the past year.

She had already surpassed the skills of her deceased senior aunt.

Even Wi Hyang, who had been maintaining her composure, now had a tense expression.

Finally, she resolved to use the chain sickle she had vowed not to rely on.

“Amazing,” Wi Hyang muttered, her face stern.

Na Hee-yeon’s face was equally serious.

Perhaps from overexerting her inner energy, her Qi was surging uncontrollably through her body.

The chain sickle she had been waiting for finally emerged from Wi Hyang’s grasp.

However, it appeared in a way Na Hee-yeon had never imagined.

Clink—

Wi Hyang was still wielding her flexible sword.

But how could the sound of a chain be heard?

Na Hee-yeon glanced downward and was shocked.

The long hem of Wi Hyang’s skirt extended, and tied to her slightly outstretched left ankle was the chain sickle.

With just a simple rotation of her ankle, the chain sickle unraveled and whipped through the air.

Na Hee-yeon leapt into the air, trying to avoid the chain sweeping across the stage.

But at that moment, Wi Hyang’s flexible sword twisted around Na Hee-yeon’s thrusting sword.

She attempted to sever it using her Sword Aura.

Crack!

But with her Sword Aura weakened from overexertion, she couldn’t cut through the flexible sword.

The chain, which had swept across the stage, wrapped tightly around Na Hee-yeon’s leg.

“Gah!”

Na Hee-yeon, utterly shocked, managed to free herself.

If she hadn’t previously seen Wi Hyang’s chain sickle in action, she would have met her end right then and there.

It was the experience gained from her senior aunt’s death that saved her life.

But the iron sickle at the end of the chain managed to slice through Na Hee-yeon’s body before retreating.

From her right shoulder to the nape of her neck, her cheek, and her temple—

Slash!

A long wound stretched from Na Hee-yeon’s temple down her cheek to her neck.

Bright red blood trickled from the torn flesh.

There was no way such scars wouldn’t remain, meaning the renowned beauty of the Seven String Sword Edge would be no more.

“Hah, hah.”

But Na Hee-yeon wasn’t concerned about something as trivial as her reputation.

The wound on her right shoulder, where the sickle blade had first struck, was deep.

A large chunk of flesh had been torn away, leaving an empty void.

It was difficult for her to continue fighting while holding her sword.

Na Hee-yeon pressed her left hand against the pressure points on her right shoulder to stop the bleeding.

Then she switched her sword to her left hand.

“Hmm, you can use your left hand too?”

“That’s all I need to put a hole in your chest.”

“Good. That’ll make this less boring.”

Wi Hyang appeared unscathed.

Now fully wielding her chain sickle, she grabbed the chain and began spinning the sickle in wide circles.

And then, a sinister light began to envelop the blade of the sickle.

“Qi reinforcement with an exotic weapon…!”

“Amazing!”

The audience erupted with admiration.

To achieve mastery of Qi reinforcement with an exotic weapon like a chain sickle, rather than a sword or blade, was an extraordinarily difficult feat.

Na Hee-yeon felt a deep sense of despair.

It was then that she heard a voice transmitted to her ear.

-Forfeit, Na Hee-yeon.

It was Yi-gang.

Somehow, Yi-gang had made his way close to the dueling stage.

He urged Na Hee-yeon to surrender.

-That was our agreement.

Na Hee-yeon had promised Yi-gang.

If defeat became inevitable, she would forfeit.

“…”

But she hesitated.

It was undoubtedly a hopeless situation.

Her right arm was unusable, and she had completely exhausted her internal energy, rendering her Sword Aura ineffective.

But aside from a few scratches on her body, Wi Hyang was in perfect condition.

“I…”

As Na Hee-yeon hesitated for a moment, Wi Hyang seemed to catch on to something and burst into laughter.

“Haha, are you still afraid of dying?”

“…”

Wi Hyang, spinning the chain sickle glowing with Qi reinforcement, truly looked like a rakshasa.

“Your senior aunt was composed at first. But once she was bound by the chain sickle, she started screaming and crying.”

“…You.”

“You were worse. Don’t you remember?”

Na Hee-yeon’s eyes widened.

She couldn’t make sense of what Wi Hyang was saying.

“When my master faced your master, you charged at me to avenge your senior aunt, didn’t you?”

“…”

She couldn’t recall the details.

All she remembered was losing.

But then Wi Hyang said something completely unexpected, “When I subdued you and was about to cut your throat, you cried and begged for your life. Don’t you remember that?”

It was an unbelievable—no, an unbearable—thing to hear.

Na Hee-yeon, overwhelmed with confusion, muttered to herself, “…Lies.”

“You begged for your life. Pleaded for mercy, saying, ‘Please, just spare me.’”

Wi Hyang laughed sadistically.

“Your change in attitude was so dramatic that I decided to let you live. And yet, you’re still the same.”

“Stop lying!”

She had no such memory. Nor could she tell if it was the truth.

But Na Hee-yeon absolutely refused to accept Wi Hyang’s words.

Even Yi-gang’s transmitted voice urging her to stop was lost on her.

In a state of complete irrationality, she charged at Wi Hyang.

With her thrusting sword, which could no longer form Sword Aura, she faced the glowing chain sickle.

Her burning, muddled thoughts told her one thing—she would lose.

This time, the chain sickle seemed poised to pierce her heart.

Then, in the midst of it all, a blinding light flashed before her eyes.

A blue lightning strike consumed Wi Hyang’s red Qi.

Boom!

Someone had stepped in front of Na Hee-yeon.

Na Hee-yeon squinted, trying to make sense of what was happening.

“…M-Master?”

No, it wasn’t.

The person who had stepped in front of her and deflected Wi Hyang’s chain sickle was not Putuo’s Priestess. It was Yi-gang.

Wi Hyang’s chain sickle had been severed.

The Shooting Star Fang, which had flown from somewhere, had cut the chain.

“I told her to surrender, but she insisted on resorting to a lethal move,” Yi-gang said, glaring coldly at Wi Hyang.

Wi Hyang sneered as she glanced at Na Hee-yeon.

“You should’ve said so directly.”

“In the end, Na Hee-yeon was clearly incapacitated. She dropped her sword and stood still.”

“I know. But still…”

Na Hee-yeon’s thrusting sword had flown far from her grasp.

Her body was covered in numerous wounds, large and small, beyond just her shoulder.

“She’d probably prefer dying here. She’s already been thoroughly humiliated.”

The audience was silent.

Everyone had heard Wi Hyang’s words.

They had all learned about the duel between Putuo’s Priestess and the Crimson Moon Demoness, as well as the shameful claim that Na Hee-yeon had once begged for her life.

Although the truth could not be confirmed, having been defeated by Wi Hyang, Na Hee-yeon would carry the burden of disgrace.

“If you’re going to squirm and live like a worm….”

Yi-gang silently listened to Wi Hyang’s words.

She stepped closer.

She looked down at Na Hee-yeon, who was slumped behind Yi-gang.

With a mocking tone, she spoke each word deliberately and clearly, “Why don’t you die now and join your senior aunt….”

Her words were left unfinished, because Yi-gang’s fist had landed squarely on Wi Hyang’s face.

Boom!

Wi Hyang flipped through the air three times before being flung away.

Yi-gang’s punch, powered by the peak force of the Heavenly Thunder Bell, was impossible for Wi Hyang to avoid.

Blood gushed from Wi Hyang’s nose as she lost consciousness.

With blue lightning flickering from his eyes due to the Heavenly Thunder Bell, Yi-gang muttered, “How rude.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep