Amazing.

Indeed, the branch leader of the Evil Cult was strong as rumored; it was no lie.

Yi-gang’s first target was the exposed nape of Jong Eui-ji.

If the neck bone was cut, it meant instant death.

But Jong Eui-ji sensed the killing intent in an instant and bent his body forward.

Yi-gang’s sword sliced his back instead of the nape.

One cannot unleash sword aura in torrents during a surprise attack; Yi-gang’s sword lacked cutting power.

Several of his ribs were cut, but it was insufficient to kill instantly.

Jong Eui-ji gritted his teeth and spun his body.

With a demonic face, he swung his sword up sharply.

And suddenly, he began to scream wildly.

“Kkieeeek!”

The sound was eerie and, above all, deafening enough to make the bones resonate.

Then, raising his sword, he began to wildly strike down at Yi-gang.

Yi-gang met the sword with a bewildered expression.

Clang, chaechang! clang!

Yi-gang also released his sword aura.

Though it looked ridiculous, Jong Eui-ji’s reckless swordsmanship was by no means light.

If you actually countered, you would inevitably be overwhelmed by his momentum.

At that moment, Jong Eui-ji’s atmosphere changed abruptly.

It was a surprise attack.

He dropped his sword and drew a small sword from his waist, slicing his opponent’s abdomen like lightning.

He used the sword technique that had saved his life several times before once again.

However, Yi-gang was not alone.

Baek Do-yeom’s sword pierced through Jong Eui-ji’s chest.

Blood gushed out from Jong Eui-ji’s mouth.

Was the surprise attack on Yi-gang successful? Not exactly.

Yi-gang calmly blocked the sword.

There was that much difference in skill between them.

Jong Eui-ji tried to withdraw once more.

But Yi-gang did not let him go.

This time, the tip of the Shooting Star Fang sword definitely sliced through Jong Eui-ji’s neck.

Shuk!

Blood sprayed brilliantly from the severed carotid artery.

Baek Do-yeom chopped off his fleeing left arm.

Jong Eui-ji staggered and then collapsed headfirst onto the ground.

Blood pooled on the floor in an instant.

Undeniable instant death.

Relief settled on Baek Do-yeom’s face.

“It’s done. Let’s clean up!”

The most dangerous branch leader was dead, and the contact who used the centipede jar was also caught.

Several people hid and searched to see if anyone else possessed the centipede jar.

Two more centipede handlers were found and all were killed.

Meanwhile, Yi-gang stayed out of the fight quietly.

For some reason, a foreboding feeling crept up.

And this kind of intuition rarely betrayed Yi-gang.

Sure enough, from the wall where dead Jong Eui-ji lay collapsed.

Someone slipped out from the shadow.

This was someone Yi-gang’s intuition did not catch. They wore clothes similar to those of the Wa.

His masked eyes glowed like will-o’-the-wisps.

Yi-gang was certain the opponent used stealth techniques similar to Dam Hyun’s level.

If the person had hidden until the end and disappeared, Yi-gang’s existence would have been revealed.

A chill ran down his spine.

But instead of fleeing, he clung to Jong Eui-ji’s corpse.

In an instant, he sewed Jong Eui-ji’s severed arm back on and sutured the opened carotid artery.

Instead of stopping the suspicious act immediately, Yi-gang expanded his intuition.

The subtly expanded intangible energy surrounded all sides.

There was not only one person. Three more were hidden in the shadows. It was ghostly stealth technique.

Yi-gang recalled Mang-hon’s Hidden Ghosts he had met at Wudang.

The person who appeared forcibly lifted the sewn-up Jong Eui-ji’s body.

Jong Eui-ji was clearly already dead or on the verge of death.

Yi-gang could not understand what they intended to do with him.

The person grabbed Jong Eui-ji’s lifted chin.

And like ventriloquism, shook his jaw.

“I humbly report…”

The voice was extremely sinister.

The aura was no joke.

The person continued shaking Jong Eui-ji’s chin.

“Your servant offers his life and seeks your power, please manifest…”

Yi-gang recalled the concept of Power Borrowing.

As the Honor Flower Disciples said, it was to borrow the power of someone in the heavens.

They spoke of the heavenly realm and immortals.

It seemed Wa deities also truly existed.

The person spoke the name of a god Yi-gang had never heard before.

“Susanoo-no-Mikoto.”

“Yi-gang! You must kill that guy!”

Of course, Yi-gang had no intention of letting that suspicious act continue.

The waist of the person holding Jong Eui-ji’s chin.

At the tip of the thrown spear stuck there, a purple flame flashed.

The three others hiding in the wall’s shadow also revealed their positions as sparks flew from their weapons.

“What…!”

As the person panicked and the dead Jong Eui-ji’s body twitched convulsively.

Yi-gang unleashed his Supreme Ultimate Technique.

Wasn’t it named Thunder Lord’s Descent by Nine Spear King So Jin-gwaeng?

Judging by the result, it was a perfectly fitting name.

Zzjeojeojeojeong!

Lightning extended from the tip of Yi-gang’s sword.

Jong Eui-ji’s corpse and the person holding him.

And the three others hiding in the shadows.

All were electrocuted in an instant.

When fighting many low-level opponents.

If the pre-activation time was resolved, Thunder Lord’s Descent was the optimal technique.

All the people fell.

But for some reason, the dead Jong Eui-ji still stood upright.

Yi-gang sensed with his keen intuition.

Something… something very powerful was trying to manifest through his body.

「Priest, strike that guy’s neck!」

Zhang Sanfeng shouted urgently.

Immediately, Yi-gang personally cut off Jong Eui-ji’s neck.

The severed head spun and rolled on the ground.

Only then did Jong Eui-ji’s body collapse.

The gaze of something watching from the sky to the earth also vanished.

Yi-gang looked up at the sky, sweating cold sweat.

They said the world changed… what on earth had happened?

He subdued the hidden people and even killed Jong Eui-ji.

It didn’t take long to finish off the rest.

Meanwhile, Yi-gang asked the reappeared Zhang Sanfeng.

‘Jin-in, why did you disappear?’

「Priest Yi-gang Dojang…」

Zhang Sanfeng did not answer despite Yi-gang’s repeated calls.

This time too, only his voice was heard; he did not show himself.

「If you find such a person again, kill them before they borrow power or manifest anything.」

Zhang Sanfeng, a Taoist, usually refrained from killing.

It was rare to hear him speak in such a strong tone.

‘Isn’t borrowing power originally something not anyone can use?’

「That’s right. Even now, it’s the same, but…」

Yi-gang suddenly looked up at the sky.

The immortals in the heavenly realm were clearly separated from the earth.

But the gaze of that presence he just felt seemed very close.

「The path to heaven has opened. Yes, it has come to be so.」

Zhang Sanfeng muttered that in a flustered voice.

Then he disappeared again without a word.

「It’s useless, he hid again.」

The Heavenly Demon answered instead. Zhang Sanfeng had disappeared again.

Yi-gang frowned deeply. It was an extremely frustrating situation.

「Do not blame Zhang Sanfeng. Since he’s hiding his form is for your sake.」

The Heavenly Demon rarely defended Zhang Sanfeng.

Meanwhile, the surroundings were completely cleared.

Yo Yeon-bi and Noh Shik wore solemn faces.

What they hoped for had been achieved.

The Evil Cult that had been wreaking havoc here in Xi’an.

By wiping out the entire local branch, they achieved their revenge.

But their expressions were neither refreshing nor hopeful.

Because they knew it wouldn’t end even if they caught and eliminated all Evil Cultists in Xi’an.

The entire Central Plains had already fallen into their hands.

Noh Shik forced a smile and said.

The Evil Cultists had also killed many beggars in Xi’an.

The Xi’an branch that supported Noh Shik had long been destroyed.

“What do we do now?”

“We must hide. There are those resisting the Evil Cult and the imperial family, so we must ally with them.”

Noh Shik’s words were correct.

The war was not over; it continued like this.

Meanwhile, Baek Do-yeom returned.

He entered the clan head’s hall and brought an item.

It was tightly wrapped in silk cloth.

Baek Do-yeom handed it to Ha-jun.

“Unwrap it.”

Ha-jun quietly unwrapped the silk cloth.

Then, a jade seal appeared.

“It’s the clan head’s seal. I should have taken it when escaping the family, but I couldn’t.”

“How could I leave Xi’an without handing it to you? That was my duty.”

It became clear why Baek Do-yeom and the warriors stayed in Xi’an and obsessed over revenge.

He probably wanted to keep this seal symbolizing the Baek Family.

“…I still cannot die peacefully. I’ve found out the family is not completely ruined.”

Baek Do-yeom fueled his own desire for revenge once more.

They gathered the corpses in one place.

“Elder.”

Yi-gang called Baek Do-yeom.

There was something that had been bothering him.

“What is it?”

“I heard these Evil Cultists are searching the family for some item.”

Baek Do-yeom had heard roughly the same.

In fact, traces of searching remained throughout the family estate.

There were signs of digging, tearing walls, and even holes in the ceiling as they searched thoroughly.

“Do you know what it is?”

Could it be that the item they sought was the clan head’s seal?

He could hardly believe that.

What use would there be for the seal of a family already annihilated?

“…Hmm.”

Baek Do-yeom pondered briefly.

Actually, Yi-gang did not have much expectation.

But soon, Baek Do-yeom said with some puzzlement.

“I have something I took with me, it might be that.”

“What kind of… item?”

“It’s a relic. The hand mirror of the Grand Elder.”

The hand mirror of great-grandmother Baek Yeong-ryeong.

It was a meaningful item, but could the Evil Cultists really be after that?

When Yi-gang asked, Baek Do-yeom shook his head.

“No, it’s not an ordinary item. I’ll show you when we return.”

Yi-gang said he understood for now.

Noh Shik gathered all the corpses and said.

“Shall we leave now?”

“Burn them. Set fire to the building.”

Baek Do-yeom said so.

The other family members flinched.

The idea of setting fire to the manor came from none other than the strict elder.

“Anyway, whatever happened here will soon be revealed. Better to burn everything with the corpses.”

The dead government troops and the thunder sound accompanying Yi-gang’s Supreme Ultimate Technique.

These were things impossible to hide.

“Is it really okay to set fire then?”

Actually, Noh Shik was more flustered.

“It’s already ruined and trampled. What importance do the pavilions have? We can reclaim and rebuild later.”

“What do you think, Young Clan Head?”

Baek Do-yeom formally asked Ha-jun, the young clan head.

“Burn it.”

He agreed.

“By burning, we announce to the world that they have been dealt with.”

They finally put the corpses inside the building and set it on fire.

After confirming the fire spread to the pillars, they turned away.

By the time they left the manor, the family head’s hall was ablaze.

Some clan members wiped their tears.

Yi-gang and Ha-jun headed straight to Baek Do-yeom’s residence.

The residence was too shabby for a prestigious Baek Family elder.

It was a hunter’s hut abandoned in the mountains, and Baek Do-yeom stood Yi-gang in front of it.

“Wait a moment.”

Then he brought out a very luxurious wooden box.

Inside was a neat hand mirror made of copper.

“This is the Grand Elder’s relic.”

“It looks ordinary.”

Yi-gang asked if this was really what the Evil Cultists sought.

Baek Do-yeom shook his head.

“When the Grand Elder was sleeping, a brilliant aura appeared in his chamber.”

Baek Yeong-ryeong was said to be near death then.

“I asked the awakened one, and she said she had a very vivid dream.”

At the following words, Yi-gang’s face hardened.

“She said that Immortal Divine Sword appeared in her dream.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep