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Chapter 288

Mu-yul, along with Ling-ling, had already located over twenty of the bad guys.

However, since Mu-yul’s actions were so conspicuous, the enemies couldn’t help but notice him.

Running on all fours on the rooftop, just as he was about to leap to the next roof,

“Eek!”

“Ukki!!”

Startled by a sudden barrage of sword energy from the ground, Mu-yul and Ling-ling let out bizarre screams and quickly twisted their bodies.

It was far from an elegant air walk.

Mu-yul flailed his limbs wildly, as if swimming in the air, barely managing to fend off or dodge the barrage of sword energy from the ground.

And as he fell to the ground due to gravity, he somehow managed to twist his body like a cat and landed safely on all fours.

It would have been an unsightly fall for anyone else, but strangely, Mu-yul’s stance felt quite stable.

However, just because he landed safely didn’t mean everything was over.

Mu-yul tried to shout boldly at the four men in black surrounding him.

“Here are the bad guys!! Eek!”

He was too busy dodging the enemies’ attacks to even finish his sentence.

These were the key players in this mission.

Notable figures like Jang Yo-san and others, who could be called the mainstays of Shinchun.

When the Shaolin and Wudang sects scattered to protect the commoners of Woe-hyeon,

they hunted them down individually and planned to escape at the agreed time.

Since they were quite skilled even within Shinchun, it wasn’t easy for Mu-yul to handle four of them alone.

“Bad guys! Eek! Help!”

“Ukki! Ukkikki!!”

In his frantic state, as he leaped around and yelled, it almost seemed like he was mocking them rather than being in danger.

And Mu-yul’s erratic behavior paid off.

“We’ll take care of them! Mu-yul Doin!”

Hearing Mu-yul’s cries, others in the vicinity came looking for him.

Among them was the prodigy of the Wudang Sect, Cheongsu Dojang.

Cheongsu Dojang did not have his usual dazed expression. Nor was he crazed with sword intoxication.

He exuded an oddly deep, sunken aura.

While roaming around Woe-hyeon, he had discovered several corpses of commoners.

The bodies of commoners killed by Shinchun to lure them in.

Due to his childhood memories recovered from Guangxi Province, Cheongsu Dojang, who had a pathological hatred for martial artists tormenting innocent commoners, was barely able to suppress his boiling rage. Å₦ＯË

“Take care of the other three!”

Cheongsu Dojang shouted to those who had followed Mu-yul’s voice and charged at the most formidable-looking man.

Jang Yo-san’s eyes gleamed as he watched Cheongsu Dojang charge at him.

He knew Cheongsu Dojang well.

It would be strange if he didn’t know him. Cheongsu had been hailed as the best prodigy of Wudang long before now.

Though his reputation had diminished a bit, being overshadowed by the Shaolin Dragon.

‘If it were the Shaolin Dragon, it would be different. But the Wudang Sword Dragon…’

Jang Yo-san unleashed a swift sword strike at the approaching Cheongsu Dojang.

The sword in his left hand moved at lightning speed.

The subtlety of the techniques emphasized by Wudang was weak against swift swords.

Heavy or strong swords, or illusion swords like the Plum Blossom Sword Technique of the Mount Hua Sect, might have a chance of deflecting the attack.

But a swift sword, far superior in speed, could pierce the opponent’s neck before they had a chance to deflect it.

“!!!”

Clang!

When Cheongsu Dojang countered with a straight killing blow at a speed equal to his own, a ripple of surprise flickered in Jang Yo-san’s eyes.

The two continued to fight like assassins.

They relentlessly aimed at each other’s vital points, unleashing a series of swift strikes, each clash ringing out in the air.

Typically, Cheongsu Dojang would use the Taeguk Sword Technique to disrupt his opponent’s stance before finishing them off with a killing blow, but this time he had no such intention.

There were no commoners to protect around, and the opponent was an evildoer who deserved no mercy.

But the opponent’s skills were formidable.

Cheongsu Dojang was fighting with the intent to kill Jang Yo-san, using his full strength, but he couldn’t overwhelm him in speed.

Clang!

Amidst the rapid exchanges, their swords clashed, producing a metallic sound.

Swoosh!

Each unblocked strike left light scratches on their bodies.

If their movements had been even slightly slower, their vital points would have been pierced.

Ironically,@@novelbin@@

‘…Is he smiling?’

The life-and-death struggle was leading Cheongsu Dojang into a state of Muah Ji-kyung.

In his heightened state of concentration, Cheongsu Dojang perceived Jang Yo-san’s sword coming at him in slow motion.

It wasn’t that Jang Yo-san’s sword had slowed down. It was just that he had entered a state where the world felt slow.

Naturally, Cheongsu Dojang’s own movements were also slow, but,

‘Then, let’s try this.’

In the slow-moving world, Cheongsu Dojang subtly adjusted the path of his sword.

Jang Yo-san’s sword aimed at his heart.

Instead of clashing, Cheongsu Dojang’s sword brushed against it.

His sword moved like a snake climbing a tree, sliding smoothly along Jang Yo-san’s sword.

In the process, Jang Yo-san’s sword trajectory was slightly altered, missing Cheongsu Dojang’s body.

Swoosh!

Riding up Jang Yo-san’s sword, Cheongsu Dojang’s blade succeeded in slicing off Jang Yo-san’s index finger gripping the sword.

It was the moment when Cheongsu Dojang, alternating between Taeguk Sword Technique and killing blows, managed to truly combine both techniques simultaneously.

“…”

Jang Yo-san, being a seasoned warrior, didn’t moan in pain. But he knew.

How critical losing a finger was in a duel between swordsmen.

And after a few more exchanges,

Jang Yo-san, who had lost a finger, ultimately failed to fend off Cheongsu Dojang’s killing blow.

Swoosh!

Even as his head was severed, Jang Yo-san didn’t utter a single groan or scream.

After briefly staring at Jang Yo-san’s lifeless body,

Boom!

Cheongsu Dojang’s attention was drawn to the fierce clash of energy coming from a small forest beyond Woe-hyeon.

* * *

Boom!

Wi Ji-hak’s projectile energy collided with Mu-jin’s Invincible Divine Fist, creating a loud explosion.

Wi Ji-hak then, as usual, used his footwork to create distance and alternately swung his fists.

Watching the barrage of energy projectiles from Wi Ji-hak’s Falling Star Fist, Mu-jin moved calmly.

It was already his fourth encounter with Wi Ji-hak.

From the pursuit by the Martial Alliance’s Tianluo Network, at Mount Zhongnan, the recent clash in Woe-hyeon, and now this final confrontation.

Having faced Wi Ji-hak’s Falling Star Fist three times, Mu-jin had grown accustomed to his techniques.

Precisely, he was applying what he had learned from Yunheo Zhenren of the Wudang Sect in real combat.

When he had gone to Wudangshan to teach wrist rehabilitation exercises to the old swordsmen,

Yunheo Zhenren had advised him.

If he could read his opponent’s movements, mind, and energy, he could deflect their attacks at will.

Although he had ended with some cryptic advice about reading the world, which Mu-jin hadn’t quite grasped, the earlier guidance had been immensely helpful.

‘The fourth attack is the projectile energy.’

Having familiarized himself with Wi Ji-hak’s martial arts, Mu-jin could now easily identify which of the dozens of energy projectiles Wi Ji-hak sent was the real threat.

Therefore, Mu-jin moved like Mu-gung.

Using the Golden Turtle Technique, he ignored Wi Ji-hak’s projectile energy and charged forward, only dodging the real threat to gradually close the distance.

He could have used the Invincible Divine Fist to shatter the energy projectiles as he did in the initial exchange, but that would have wasted too much internal energy.

Uncertain of how much internal energy Wi Ji-hak had left, using his internal energy recklessly could result in a repeat of the Tianluo Network incident.

As Mu-jin slowly closed the distance, finally reaching Wi Ji-hak’s proximity,

Wi Ji-hak predictably swung his energy-infused right fist.

It was a situation that had repeated several times since Mount Zhongnan.

If he met the attack with the Invincible Divine Fist, Wi Ji-hak would once again use the recoil to create distance.

Ignoring the attack and countering would result in mutual destruction.

Despite the enhanced Golden Turtle Technique and Jade Vajra Technique, they couldn’t withstand the energy-infused fist.

Evading and counterattacking was also not feasible.

The attack was too fast, and at such close range, it was difficult to dodge. Moreover, Mu-jin’s footwork was specialized for explosive movement relying on defensive strength, not for precise evasion.

Wi Ji-hak had likely chosen this tactic because he had grasped Mu-jin’s martial arts as well.

‘Is

he smiling?’

As Wi Ji-hak’s punch aimed at Mu-jin, a smile appeared on his face.

He might have been planning to use the recoil to escape.

But he had made one mistake.

Assuming that Mu-jin was too simple-minded to use his head.

Mu-jin had also been waiting for this situation.

Gathering the remaining internal energy in his dantian, about one and a half units, Mu-jin channeled it to the Yongcheon Point on his feet.

The immense flow of energy started from the Yongcheon Point, coursing through his meridians, repeatedly accumulating.

Typically, Mu-jin never used more than one unit of internal energy for the Invincible Divine Fist.

Even his well-tempered iron body couldn’t withstand more than that.

But Mu-jin, aiming for a decisive victory, ignored those limits and used his internal energy.

Perhaps Wi Ji-hak’s assessment of Mu-jin was correct. That he only knew how to charge ahead recklessly.

Mu-jin, true to his principles, chose to use more force instead of strategy.

Screech!!

As a result, Mu-jin’s ears were filled with a metallic ringing, a hallucination.

His meridians, unable to withstand the immense energy, and his muscles and bones, failing to endure the accumulated force, screamed in agony.

But Mu-jin didn’t care.

His brain, tempered through long years of weight training, had reached a point where he felt muscle pain as pleasure.

As the overwhelming energy, built up through repeated accumulation, burst forth from Mu-jin’s right fist,

the world turned golden.

The golden energy melted Wi Ji-hak’s energy like the warmth of spring melting snow.

And the remaining energy shredded the black-scaled gauntlet on Wi Ji-hak’s hand.

“!?”

In an instant, the smile on Wi Ji-hak’s face disappeared, replaced by confusion and dismay.

As the black-scaled gauntlet and Wi Ji-hak’s right hand were torn apart,

Mu-jin ignored the screams of his muscles and bones, embracing Wi Ji-hak’s sides with both arms.

Wi Ji-hak instinctively tried to swing his right fist at Mu-jin’s face, but with his hand already shattered, it was futile.

And by the time Wi Ji-hak tried to move his left hand,

“!?”

the world had already flipped upside down.

Boom!!!!

Using his remaining strength, Mu-jin executed a body slam, slamming Wi Ji-hak’s body into the ground, emitting a deep groan.

“Ugh. I’m gonna die.”

Mu-jin collapsed next to Wi Ji-hak’s corpse, whose head had been crushed by the impact, leaking brain matter and blood.

“What’s wrong?”

Mu-gyeong, having defeated his three guards, approached with a puzzled look and asked.

“It feels like every muscle is torn apart. I can’t even move a finger.”

Mu-jin replied, slightly lifting his trembling arm to show.

As Mu-gyeong observed Mu-jin’s arm trembling from his fingers to his shoulder, he spoke with a hint of curiosity.

“Then, you’ll have to take a break from weight training for a while?”

Mu-jin looked at Mu-gyeong with a face that said, ‘What nonsense are you talking about?’

“Exercise helps muscle pain recover faster.”