My Father Is the Number One Under Heaven - Chapter 154

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 154. The War Continues, and

A cave shaped as though a demon had opened its maw wide.
A middle-aged man had just stepped out from within.

“Phew. This place should suffice for now.”

He was the Heavenly Strategist.
He moved to read another thread of Heavenly Fortune and set down fresh arrangements in its place.
No one would ever know.
What the Heavenly Strategist had done throughout his life for the sake of All Under Heaven.

“By now they should be well into it.”

His eyes were fathomless as he gazed at the sky for a long moment.

“Please. Just this once, let the mission not go awry.”

And with those cryptic words, the Heavenly Strategist turned his steps elsewhere.

***

“Has it already begun?”

Jin So-baek had just arrived at the Peng Estate, leading an elite force of Hao Wen warriors he’d hastily assembled.
A massive battle was already raging in front of the estate.
Discovering that the Demonic Sect had arrived earlier than expected, Jin So-baek had ridden hard with a darkened expression, but now his face brightened.

“The Five Great Clans—they’ve come!”

Somehow all the Five Great Clans were fighting alongside the Peng Estate.
That they had arrived at just the right moment to aid them was nothing short of miraculous.
But there was no time to dwell on such thoughts.
He had to reach the battlefield and help.

“Don’t any of you dare fall. If you find yourself pushed back, retreat without hesitation and charge back in!”
“Ha, now that’s stirring! Though couldn’t you manage something a bit more stirring for an occasion like this?”

Bae Cho-jin, standing beside Jin So-baek, shook his head as though he couldn’t be helped.

“The point is: survive. That’s what fighting well and winning means. Understood?”

With that, Jin So-baek rushed forward into the fray.

“Then why did you bring us along at all? Tch. Come on, everyone! Let’s go!”
“Yes, sir!”

And so the elite forces of Hao Wen entered the battle.
For the Peng Estate.

“Hao Wen has come to aid us!”

The faces of the Peng Estate warriors brightened at the sight.
More allies were always better in a situation like this.
Meanwhile, the fighting grew only fiercer.

Clang-clang-clang!
Bang-bang-bang!

It was nothing short of war.
Everyone fought with everything they had, desperate to survive, desperate to win.
Even amid the chaos of the melee, there were certain duels that drew the eye.

Azure Heaven Flying Star
Burning Heaven Thunderbolt Sword

Emperor Invincible Sword Strength Namgoong Hwan faced off against Jian Ma

Heavenly King Three Fists
Rakshasa Frozen Soul Palm

Gwangpung Shingeun Hwangbo Gyun fought Leng Ma.

Linked Chain Twelve Slashes
Asura Eighteen Claws

And among them, Dang Jinwoo, who watched the battlefield with the most caution, was locked in fierce combat with Jik Ma, no less formidable an opponent.
And then,

“You dare lay a hand on my family and household?”

Peng Mugang’s eyes blazed with fury as he snarled at Chu Ma.

“Hmph. What a shame. I was curious what face you’d make watching those you cherish die before your very eyes.”
“Lies and drivel! The one who dies here today is you!”

Peng Mugang’s savage assault bore down upon Chu Ma.

White Tiger Jumping Stream
Blood Wolf Twelve Swords

But Chu Ma struck back with equal refusal to yield.
Though Chu Ma lacked the offensive prowess of Jian Ma, he surpassed him in technique and precision.
Thus the fight did not end swiftly as it had with Jian Ma.
And so the Clan Patriarchs of the Five Great Clans and the Ten Demons clashed without any of them giving ground easily.

“Have half the Youryong Sword Unit protect the Peng Estate’s household members. The rest reinforce the Red Moon Brigade and White Martial Brigade.”
“Understood!”

Meanwhile, Heavenly Strategist Jegal Seung read the ever-shifting flow and balance of the battlefield, positioning and directing forces across the field.
At the same time, the heirs of the Five Great Clans led the elite Martial Units of their respective houses in fierce combat against the Demonic Sect disciples.

“Die, you Demonic Sect bastards!”
“You seem to be having fun with this.”
“How could I not? Crushing Demonic Sect dogs—it’s exhilarating!”
“Fair point!”

Namgoong Sanghyuk, Dang Mujun, Hwangbo Chun-woo, and Jegal Ujin fought alongside Gwangryong Peng Sejin.
They had all come here of their own accord.
Despite being heirs to their respective clans, they harbored not the slightest hesitation.
It was all for the Peng Estate.
And their enemy was none other than the Demonic Sect.
If the Sa-do Alliance was a clash of interests and ideology, the Demonic Sect was merely a horde of fanatics intoxicated with murder.
They were simply enemies with whom no compromise was possible.
The anger directed at them was justice itself—none questioned this truth.

“Mother……”

All the while, Yul-i burrowed deeper into Peng Seo-yeon’s embrace.
The small body trembled.

“It’s all right, Yul-i. It’s all right.”

Peng Seo-yeon held Yul-i close, shielding her from the blood-soaked carnage unfolding before them, yet the very sound and atmosphere of the battlefield—where life and death exchanged places—was more than the child could bear.
Peng Seo-yeon did everything in her power to soothe her.
It would be all right. Everything would be all right. Everyone had come to help, after all.
But what was this gnawing sense of dread?
She watched the battlefield with an uneasy gaze.

“This is madness. Absolute madness.”

Gwak Un-do, who had been observing the flow of battle, wore an expression of deep bewilderment.
The situation was unfolding in a direction he had never anticipated.
The sudden arrival of the Five Great Clans and Hao Wen, deploying their full strength as if they had been waiting all along, was nothing short of absurd.
And yes, as though they had been waiting for this very moment.
It was utterly incomprehensible.
How could the Five Great Clans, each stationed across the Central Plains, possibly gather here in their entirety?
It made no sense to him.
Yet even as he watched, the tide seemed to shift further toward the Demonic Sect’s disadvantage.

‘This cannot continue.’

It seemed the moment had come when he would need to resort to “that.”
Had his father anticipated such a situation?
There was no way to know now.
In any case, he could no longer afford to merely observe and wait.

“Prepare that.”

At Gwak Un-do’s command, a massive cart emerged from somewhere.
But what it carried was hidden from view.
The entire cart had been covered with a heavy cloth.

“What is that?”

The ominous presence of the cart drew the gaze of every combatant toward it.
In that instant, a tremendous hand burst forth from within the cart, seizing the head of a Demonic Sect disciple nearby.

“Uhhh—aaaahhhhh!”

The screaming disciple’s head exploded like a melon in an instant.

Screech!

The Demonic Sect disciples recoiled in terror from the cart.
What in the heavens could be inside?
When none of them dared move, Gwak Un-do snarled impatiently.

“What are you doing? If you don’t want to die by my hand, open it now!”
“Y-yes, yes…”

The Demonic Sect disciples had no choice but to carefully approach the cart.
As the cloth fluttered and fell away, what emerged was a massive iron cage—a prison structure of terrible proportions.
As the disciples removed the chains and locks that had bound it tightly,

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

The Iron Cage’s restraints came completely undone.

Ding.

Gazing at the Iron Cage, Gwak Un-do drew out a small bell inscribed with intricate patterns and shook it.
The Iron Cage lurched.
A confident smile had already spread across his lips.
Yes. As long as he had this, there was no way he could lose.
Better still.
He would annihilate the entire fighting force of one of the Five Great Clans assembled here.
Something no previous Sect Master had ever accomplished.
When this was over and he returned, his ascension to Vice Sect Master was virtually assured.
And so Gwak Un-do found himself grinning at a future yet to arrive.
He shook the bell in his hand once more.

Ding. Ding.

Clang.
Then something that had been crouched inside slowly rose to its feet.
Covered in a long mane of white hair and beard, its entire body was flushed a crimson red.

“Kuooooooo!”

It unleashed a roar toward the heavens.

“Keeegh!”
“What in the…?”

The massive wave of power that accompanied that roar widened every eye on the battlefield.
Human? No. This was no human. It was a monster.
The moment this creature appeared, the atmosphere of the battlefield transformed entirely.

“Go! Sweep away every last one of those Five Great Clans dogs!”

As Gwak Un-do rang the bell and shouted, the creature’s gaze fixed upon those suffused with Righteous Energy.
And then,

Kuuuuung!

The creature’s body shot forward like lightning.

“Hm?”

Its first target was Namgoong Hwan.
While engaged with Jian Ma, Namgoong Hwan hastily raised his sword to block as the creature descended upon him with a massive fist.
But,

Craaaaaash!

The force of that blow defied imagination.
Namgoong Hwan was driven back violently.

“Gah!”

Namgoong Hwan swiftly righted his stance and attempted a counter.

Emperor Invincible Sword Strength.

His attack struck the creature’s body directly.
Yet,

“This cannot be…”

The grotesque figure bore down on Namgoong Hwan without so much as a scratch, launching into another savage assault.
Strike after strike came without pause.

Crash! Crash!

Each blow carried a devastating force beyond imagination.
Finally, Namgoong Hwan’s sword was knocked spinning from his grip, leaving him completely exposed.
The grotesque figure seized the opening, slamming him backward.

“Damn it!”

Hwangbo Gyun could stand it no longer and stepped forward.

Mighty Force Dominating Heaven Fist.

He unleashed the fullest expression of his power against the grotesque figure’s body.
But—

“Hah…!”

Just as with Namgoong Hwan, not a single mark appeared on the grotesque figure’s flesh.
And then—

Crash!

Hwangbo Gyun, too, fell to the grotesque figure’s counterattack.
It was overwhelming martial power.
In that moment, the sky turned black.
Dang Jinwoo leaped high into the air and unleashed his most devastating technique.

Sky Filled with Flower Rain.

An enormous barrage of projectiles descended like a second sky toward the grotesque figure.
But the grotesque figure vanished from that spot in an instant.
Dang Jinwoo’s eyes widened.

“Where—where are you!”

His vision darkened suddenly.
The grotesque figure had appeared directly above his head.
Just as Dang Jinwoo was about to receive the blow—

A piercing blade sang out!

A savage saber strike cleaved between the grotesque figure and Dang Jinwoo, separating them.

“Stop your reckless rampage!”

Peng Mugang had entered the fray.
He and Dang Jinwoo locked eyes before launching a coordinated assault.
Their combined strength proved formidable.
Gradually, the grotesque figure was being forced backward.

A low growl rumbled.

Then the grotesque figure’s eyes blazed blue.
Something ominous gathered in the air.
Both its hands began to glow crimson.

Heavenly Demon Blood Snake Palm

A massive crimson serpent erupted from both his hands.
At a speed beyond imagination.
In the end, unable to withstand the assault, Dang Jinwoo and Peng Mugang collapsed.
Their bodies would not move again.
But what shocked them most was something else entirely.
They had discovered the monster’s true identity.
The martial technique he had just employed was none other than the forbidden art of the previous Demonic Sect master.
Gwak Cheon-gang, the previous Demonic Sect master known as Heaven-Shattering Asura Emperor—a figure who once held a place among the Twelve Supremes, and was said to have been killed by the current sect master.
He now stood before them in the form of this monster.
In truth, the previous sect master, who had dreamed of becoming supreme under heaven, had pushed his Demonic Cultivation too far, lost his Sanity, and descended into complete madness.
And the Demonic Sect had bound that crazed former master through sorcery, weaponizing him.
How very like the Demonic Sect.

“A thorough madness, through and through.”

No matter how evil the Demonic Sect was, how could it do such a thing while wearing the mask of humanity?
In that moment, Gwak Cheon-gang—or rather, the mindless monster he had become—seized Dang Jinwoo’s throat and lifted him into the air.

“Nnnngh!”

Tremendous force threatened to shatter his neck entirely.

Crack!

In that instant, a fist strike came flying at the monster’s face.
The monster’s gaze shifted toward the source.
It was Peng Mugang, already drenched in blood.

A low growl rumbled forth.

The monster hurled Dang Jinwoo aside and turned toward Peng Mugang once more.
As if to kill him.
But then—

“Wait!”

Jian Ma approached Gwak Un-do.
Gwak Un-do rang the bell, and the monster halted.

“What is it?”
“Young Master, I wish to kill that one with my own hands. I beg you.”

Jian Ma grew stubborn at this critical moment.
He wanted to personally slay Peng Mugang before everyone’s eyes—the man who had dealt him the shame of defeat.
Ha.
Gwak Un-do found it absurd, yet after calculating what favor this might earn him from Jian Ma later, he nodded.

Ding.

As the bell rang, the monster withdrew.
Jian Ma then grinned wickedly as he approached Peng Mugang.

“Tsk, tsk. So you fall to my hand at last. How does it feel?”
“A shameless creature you are. Such mockery.”
“What did you say! Even now, even in this state, you wag your tongue? Very well!”

Jian Ma drew his sword high.
All eyes widened at the sight.
And screams erupted from every corner.
Namgoong Hwan and Dang Jinwoo lay sprawled on the ground, unable to move.
The other warriors, including Peng Sejin, were all pinned down by the Demonic Sect disciples, trapped between inaction and desperation.

“Ugh……”

The fallen Hwangbo Gyun struggled to his feet.
The sight of the Peng Estate’s household members—Peng Seo-yeon and Dan Hee-young among them—wailing in anguish filled his vision.
Despair had already settled deep into his features.

‘The Heavenly Strategist… how has it come to this?’

He had been certain that with all Five Great Clans assembled, they would be strong enough to overcome their enemies.
But what in the name of heaven was this?

‘Remember this: if all of the Five Great Clans come, we’ll be able to hold our ground no matter what. That’s why everyone must come. Do you understand?’

Wait.
Only now did Hwangbo Gyun realize something was wrong with what the Heavenly Strategist had said.
Not that they could defeat the Demonic Sect, but that they could merely hold their ground? What did that mean?
In that moment,

“Hmm?”

Yul-i, who had been turning from the battlefield, caught sight of Peng Seo-yeon and her grandmother stamping their feet anxiously.

“G-Grandfather?”

In the next instant, a cruel smile spread across Jian Ma’s face.

“Die! Tiger of Hebei! Shamefully, before all these eyes! Kahahaha!”

His blade was already streaking toward Peng Mugang’s throat.
It seemed no one could stop Jian Ma’s sword now.
Tears welling in her eyes, Yul-i let out a desperate cry.

“Grandfather! No, no, nooo!”

And in that instant,

A deep, resonant hum shook the air.

The very atmosphere of the battlefield shifted.
The air convulsed.

A low, rumbling growl.

At the sudden disturbance, Gwak Cheon-gang looked up faster than anyone else.
And then,

A thunderous roar split the heavens.

From the vast sky above, a golden dragon descended to the earth.
He had arrived.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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