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Chapter 85: Grand Extermination Demon (4)

Bang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed all around.

Clang! Clang!

Every time the swords met, sparks flew.

The bet-laden sword traced lines through the air.

The lights drawn along the sword path resembled flowing water.

And the footwork was quick and varied.

To embody the principles of swift and agile swords, Nangong Bi-ah practiced the Canglong Step, which added strength to her movements.

It was like the flexible body of a dragon.

Nangong Bi-ah maintained the form of the Imperial Sword Form as she continued to swing her sword.

Though the energy from her Lower Dantian was gradually fading, there was no other choice.

How long had she been swinging the sword?

It had barely been a few minutes.

Still, Nangong Bi-ah sensed that her body had reached its limit.

It felt as if she had been swinging a sword all day.

The arm, fractured from the earlier impact, ached with every movement.

Suddenly, her body, tense from the unexpected combat, refused to move like the wind.

‘Can’t…reach…!’

How vast was the gap between her and her opponent?

Ya Hyeoljeok was merely dodging rather than using his weapons.

She bit her lip to keep her focus.

The force of her bite caused blood to trickle down.

Her footwork, which had started to spread out, was becoming lighter, and the sword that contained her energy lacked power.

The line of light, which had been glowing brightly, was slowly losing its brilliance.

The exhausted body reacted with a slower sword swing.

Ya Hyeoljeok saw this and swung his arm, pushing Nangong Bi-ah back.

“Ugh!”

In a mere instant, Nangong Bi-ah was sent tumbling to the ground with a thud!

“Looks like the pretty girl has never killed anyone before, huh?”

Nangong Bi-ah managed to gasp out a breath at Ya Hyeoljeok’s taunt.

Seeing her, Ya Hyeoljeok thought,

Had she just crossed into adulthood? Looking at her youthful, flawless skin, it could be either…

But it didn’t really matter.

With a face like that, it was clear her body must be just as delectable.

It was simply curious.

Didn’t they call him the Thunder Dragon? A lesser clan leader of Nangong, surely!

Hearing that she possessed the surname of the Nangong clan but was a Thunder Dragon instead had made him chuckle.

Even the old Heavenly Lord and the current clan leader.

The Nangong clan wasn’t doing well nowadays, but seeing this young lady made him reconsider.

Wasn’t it the Imperial Sword Form?

She exuded an aura that pressed down on her surroundings.

Surely, it was as if the dam was bursting, letting her energy flow freely.

Maintaining that alone must be a difficult task.

Yet, she maintained that form and moved with such fluidity.

‘Is the level of Late-Stage Talents really that high nowadays?’

He used to think they were just flashy names, but seeing her, he was forced to rethink.

If time passes like this, the Central Plains will surely be teeming with monsters.

‘But that’s that.’

Ya Hyeoljeok approached Nangong Bi-ah.

‘I wasted too much time.’

He had spent too long trying not to hurt her face or upper body.

Honestly, it would have been easier to just slice her apart, but her looks were just too precious to waste.

At her level of martial skill, she wouldn’t age too quickly, so he could enjoy her beauty for decades to come.

“So, handle her carefully.”

He thought he might want to enjoy himself a little, but another girl who had run away earlier was on his mind.

How long would it take for news to reach Hwasan?

If it took around half a day for news to get here.

“Hmm, considering erasing traces, this could be a bit troublesome.”

Ya Hyeoljeok said as he reached for Nangong Bi-ah’s neck and struck her with a blood seal.

“.••!”

“Just hold still for a moment; your brother has something to do.”

She likely had no strength left to escape, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Ya Hyeoljeok moved towards the energy barrier behind her.

The moment he got within a certain distance, a translucent barrier prevented him from crossing.

Seeing that, the corners of Ya Hyeoljeok’s mouth turned upward.

He could feel the Taoist Qi emanating from the barrier.

Up close, it felt more pronounced.

This was definitely set up by Maehwa Seon.

Just as Bae Chong said, the only one capable of establishing this level of energy barrier in this region was Maehwa Seon.

“To go this far and have no one on watch… What’s the game here?”

He checked his surroundings with his instincts, using a bet just in case, but found nothing.

If nothing was caught by his perception, it was safe to assume none were present.

He couldn’t figure out why the Hwasan Sect was so defenseless, but it was beneficial for him.

That is, unless Shin Yi was there.

“Let’s break it and see.”

Whether there was someone inside or not, he would find out by digging in.

He tightened his grip on the taido and began to infuse his energy into it.

With every layer of Taoist Qi building up, the air around him distorted.

Nangong Bi-ah watched in awe as an unfathomable amount of energy stacked up.

The level of compression he was achieving at that point seemed unbelievable.

Thanks to the blood seal, she could not voice her thoughts.

If she had any energy left, she might have attempted to break it, but it was impossible in her current state.

She had successfully sent Gu Ryeonghwa away, but it was uncertain when reinforcements would arrive.

If this continued, it would be the end.

That man wanted her.

Even if Nangong Bi-ah wasn’t particularly aware, it was clear she would face terrible circumstances if captured.

‘What should I do…?’

She didn’t want to be dragged away.

Nangong Bi-ah recalled the touch of Ya Hyeoljeok’s hand that had caressed her cheek during her weariness.

It was repulsive and dirty.

Just imagining it was enough to send chills through her entire being.

That man’s touch meant just that to her.

Unlike that person…

Nangong Bi-ah found herself lamenting her own thoughts that suddenly emerged.

‘…To think now, in such a situation…’

With no idea of her fate, the fleeting thought conjured the face of someone.

‘Please….’

Nangong Bi-ah struggled desperately to break free, but her energy faded, and her battered body resisted such an effort.

Nevertheless, Nangong Bi-ah persevered.

If things went wrong, her Blood Qi could shatter, but there was something even more urgent.

Thinking that if this continued, she might never see that person again made it impossible for her to stop.

As she braced against the surging pain and tried to summon more strength…

“…Don’t force it.”

The voice penetrating her ear caused Nangong Bi-ah to cease her effort.

The touch that grazed the back of her neck caused her tense body to relax in an instant.

“Ah…!”

Was the blood seal not fully lifted? Nangong Bi-ah realized her voice wouldn’t come out right.

Because of that, she was unable to articulate even a single word.

The boy looked at Nangong Bi-ah and said,

“Just stay quiet. Even if you try to run, it wouldn’t work; just hide quietly.”

Saying that, he gently patted her head.

Cautiously, so as not to damage her.

“…What a relief.”

As if to release the words he’d been holding back, he uttered a small, breathy sigh.

The boy then immediately approached Ya Hyeoljeok.

Nangong Bi-ah gasped in surprise and tried to stop him, but the boy had already burst into flames and shot away.

Ya Hyeoljeok felt an icy, chilling sensation crawling up his spine and released his energy while twisting his upper body.

Woosh—

Following his instincts, he successfully dodged, but he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.

Wrapping his abdomen reflexively with his hands, he felt the impact push in relentlessly, compelling him to retreat.

With the impact forcing him backward, Ya Hyeoljeok stumbled away.

Crunch.

His foot scraping against the grass produced a rough sound as he tried to stop himself.

“Ugh…!”

Barely regaining his balance, Ya Hyeoljeok spat out some blood.

Though he had wrapped himself well, the area struck in the abdomen trembled violently.

A burning smell wafted through the air.

From his own belly.

Ya Hyeoljeok glared at the figure who had delivered the blow.

The quivering corners of his mouth crept upward.

“Did that brat just…? Hah!”

Flame Burst!

The heat enveloped him as a familiar presence approached.

Ya Hyeoljeok immediately recognized his opponent.

“…Our young master was planning to visit, but now he has come directly?”

He had sent the kids to gather intel, but the culprit appeared right before Ya Hyeoljeok.

Surrounded by flickering flames.

“Are you introducing yourself or something?”

As if announcing that he was indeed the bloodline of the Gu Clan.

To his dismay, this kid looked just like the Flame Ghost from the ancient battlefield.

‘Bloodline is bloodline, huh.’

Ya Hyeoljeok thought, feeling his tension rise.

Though he looked young, much younger than he expected.

Seeing him, one would think he was taking his first steps as a martial artist.

Yet, the power behind that previous attack was real.

Ya Hyeoljeok had been focused on gathering his energy, not sensing any movements.

The kid had come sneaking up without even a whisper.

‘This is bad; there are more monsters than expected.’

The pretty girl he’d laid down was one thing, but this lad in front of him had exceeded that level.

While it didn’t seem like he had reached the peak, it wouldn’t take long.

Ya Hyeoljeok himself had been stagnating at this level for over ten years.

“…I don’t like this.”

Sprouting light like this from a sapling meant they’d grow bigger someday.

And if given time, they would easily surpass someone like him.

Thus, Ya Hyeoljeok took delight in stamping out young sprouts.

He enjoyed stomping them down, not letting them grow from the get-go.

Especially those that shone so brightly.

The problem was that now wasn’t a good time to do so.

‘I wanted to finish this quickly.’

He had thought to capture the Gu Clan brat and torment him, but this made things too easy for him.

Regrettably, it seemed he had no choice.

Ya Hyeoljeok gripped his great sword and got into position.

While he had been caught off guard and hit, his opponent was merely a Late-Stage Talent.

As long as he didn’t become careless, there was no way he could lose…

‘…Wait? Where’d he go…?’

The flaming ball that had surged appeared to vanish from sight.

Such a blazing presence couldn’t just disappear in an instant.

Ya Hyeoljeok immediately spread his senses to locate him.

The moment he felt the kid’s presence in all directions, Ya Hyeoljeok swung his great sword.

Because that presence was right behind him.

Boom!

The great sword sliced through the air without any sense of contact.

Instead, a massive impact hit Ya Hyeoljeok’s side, sending him flying once again.

His heavy frame rolled across the dirt, and a thick dust cloud formed, obscuring his vision.

“Damn brat…!”

Frustration boiled over as Ya Hyeoljeok swung the great sword to blow away the dust.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, the place cleared up, revealing only the boy standing there, forming a perfect stance.

The flames that encircled the boy vanished as if they never existed, leaving only a slight warmth lingering in the air.

“I remember now.”

At Gu Yangcheong’s words, Ya Hyeoljeok growled in irritation.

It was humiliating to have been struck twice by someone who hadn’t even reached the peak.

Gu Yangcheong looked on at the irked Ya Hyeoljeok and said,

“Ya Hyeoljeok…. I think that was your name.”

And quietly uttered his own name.

“You shouldn’t just call adults by their names so casually, you brat.”

How did that kid know his name?

The alias of the Grand Extermination Demon wasn’t unknown, but to say it so decisively was not something to boast about.

Moreover,

‘What the hell is this feeling?’

Hearing Gu Yangcheong utter his name sent an inexplicable chill down Ya Hyeoljeok’s spine.

 

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