Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 121

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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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Episode 121. I’ll grind the Huashan Sect to dust!
Jang An County.
Government Office.
“……The Five Evil Sword Sect’s assassination squad has been defeated by Hyeol Je. It appears he’ll enter Jang An City either today or tomorrow.”
At Dan Yeop’s words, the faces of Hyeonryeong Jo Mujin and Hyeonwi Do Gyeom hardened like stone.
Last winter, Hyeol Je had killed Yi Deokryeong, the imperial clansman and Vice-Inspector of Anseo Provincial Inspector Office, at Hwacheong Palace and vanished.
Yet now he was coming to Jang An City today or tomorrow.
According to the intelligence gathered from the Five Evil Sword Sect, Hyeol Je’s target was the imperial palace.
Hyeonryeong Jo Mujin and Hyeonwi Do Gyeom stared blankly, their eyes blinking in a daze.
Soon Jo Mujin collected himself and spoke.
“Then what of the Five Evil Sword Sect’s assassination squad? Did they simply retreat?”
“Six of them remain uninjured, and two are severely wounded. There was nothing they could do but withdraw. For the time being, it appears they’ll be incapable of taking action.”
“That means we’ll have to face Hyeol Je with nothing but the Urim Army and Geum O Wei.”
Jo Mujin’s expression darkened.
The Urim Army was the imperial guard, and Geum O Wei was the military force tasked with defending Jang An City.
No matter how skilled the high-ranking officers were in martial arts, facing Hyeol Je meant they would be swept away like autumn leaves.
Dan Yeop asked carefully.
“What is the mood of the imperial court? It seems we should prepare a strategy.”
“They’re furious that Hyeol Je is coming to Jang An City. They were placing their hopes on the Five Evil Sword Sect’s assassination squad……. I’m not sure what they’ll do when they learn the Five Evil Sword Sect has been defeated.”
At that moment, Do Gyeom spoke.
“But there’s something odd about Geum O Wei’s response.”
“What do you mean, odd?”
“Even though word spread that Hyeol Je has arrived in Nag An County, their defensive forces have only increased slightly. The Urim Army shows no movement whatsoever.”
“That is strange indeed. By now Gongsun Chan, the commander, should have informed the palace of their failure.”
“It’s far too quiet, considering what happened to the Urim General himself.”
“Well, there must be a reason. We’ll leave the palace to the Urim Army. Do Gyeom, double the patrols of the Pokwae. And…….”
Do Gyeom and Dan Yeop nodded earnestly at Jo Mujin’s continued orders.
***
That night.
Jang An City.
Taegeuk Palace.
During the Triple Watch, around eleven in the evening to one in the morning.
A single figure descended silently from the night sky into the palace courtyard.
The face revealed in the faint moonlight was that of Hyeol Je, Ak Mugun.
He had just begun walking toward Taegeuk Palace.
Someone climbed atop the wall and let out a long whistle.
“Wheeeeee!”
Hyeol Je stopped in his tracks and turned, grinding his teeth.
“You wretch!”
Standing on the wall was the Pokwae who had fled days earlier.
Dan Yeop waved his hand in greeting.
“Ah, old friend! What are you doing acting like some refined gentleman? If you’re going to be a demon lord, then act like one, huh!”
As Hyeol Je swung his sword, Dan Yeop disappeared behind the wall.
Crash!
With a deafening explosion, the wall burst apart.
But Dan Yeop had already vanished.
Hyeol Je, seething with fury, immediately expanded his Qi Perception.
He had decided to eliminate this Pokwae named Dan Yeop before dealing with the imperial family.
But the Urim Army soldiers who suddenly swarmed in like a swarm of bees made finding Dan Yeop impossible.
Whoooosh!
Steel Arrows rained down like a downpour above Hyeol Je’s head.
Yet Hyeol Je remained unflustered.
For ordinary martial arts masters, perhaps they would panic.
But to a supreme warrior, arrows were no different from falling leaves.
Hyeol Je immediately drew upon his Body Protection Vital Energy.
Whoooosh!
A shield of vital energy formed around Hyeol Je faster than the arrows could fall.
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack.
The arrows struck the shield of vital energy and scattered around him.
Even flies circling in your presence grow bothersome.
How much more so if the opponent was an archer unleashing Steel Arrows.
Hyeol Je hurled the sword he was holding.
Whisssh!
The blade flew like an arrow, sweeping through the archers standing on the roof of the pavilion.
Hyeol Je systematically eliminated the archers with the Sword of Two Phases.
When the arrows finally ceased, he retrieved his blade.
Then the Urim Army officers came pouring into the courtyard, Hoengdos in hand.
Hyeol Je swung his sword with an impassive face.
Dozens of sword shadows erupted from the tip of his blade like phantoms.
It was the Flicking Sword Invading Darkness—his signature technique.
Screeeech!
Some of the officers met the sword shadows with their Hoengdos; others hastily threw themselves aside.
That single action decided who lived and who died.
The sword shadows shattered the Hoengdos and pierced into the officers’ bodies.
“Aah!”
“Ghk!”
“Ugh!”
Yet even those who had dodged did not last long.
A few sweeps of Hyeol Je’s blade in either direction, and not a single officer remained standing.
With a single use of the Flicking Sword Invading Darkness, he had disposed of the Urim Army.
Outside the Taegeuk Palace, officers began regrouping once more.
As the courtyard fell silent, Hyeol Je turned back toward the Taegeuk Palace.
When he reached the doors of the Taegeuk Palace, it happened.
A Songmun Ancient Sword flew toward him like a flash of lightning.
Whisssh!
Hyeol Je could not ignore it and pivoted sharply, slashing his blade.
Clang!
The Songmun Ancient Sword fell to the ground, broken in two.
From a distance, Dan Yeop folded his Sword Silk with an expression of regret.
He had been attempting to imitate the Sword of Two Phases, but the blade had shattered in a single blow.
Hyeol Je, seeing the broken sword, shouted up at Dan Yeop on the wall.
“You loathsome snake! So you’re a dog of the Huashan Sect! I’ll grind that sect to dust!”
Since Dan Yeop had provoked him and fled, Hyeol Je had decided to take revenge on his master’s lineage.
Dan Yeop merely blinked from afar, offering no response.
It was a blade he had claimed last winter on Mabak Mountain, after killing Jang Gak of the Western Peak Blood Sword.
He had brought it along tonight thinking it might prove useful, never imagining it would cause such a misunderstanding.
Meanwhile, Hyeol Je, momentarily torn between Dan Yeop and the Taegeuk Palace, soon moved toward the palace doors.
He no longer wished to waste time on Pokwaes.
He pushed open the palace doors with his blade and stepped inside.
Or rather, he tried to.
The instant Hyeol Je took a step forward, he urgently threw himself backward.
Hundreds of glimmering sword shadows rolled toward him like a wave.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
Hyeol Je swung his blade wildly, in all directions.
Screeeech! Screeeech!
Dozens of Flicking Sword Invading Darkness techniques flew toward him head-on.
Crack, crack, crack, bang!
Yet the Flicking Sword Invading Darkness was helplessly engulfed and obliterated by the wave of glimmering sword shadows.
The glimmering sword shadows advanced toward Hyeol Je with relentless force.
For the first time, a look of bewilderment crossed Hyeol Je’s face.
He had never imagined there could exist a technique that consumed the Flicking Sword Invading Darkness.
He retreated all the way to the courtyard and unleashed the Void Palm Strike.
Whack! Whack!
Rumble! Boom!
The glimmering sword shadows exploded like fireworks.
With a massive detonation, the glimmering sword shadows faltered for the first time.
Yet the number of glimmering sword shadows still reached hundreds.
It was overwhelming force incarnate.
Then it happened.
The glimmering sword shadows that had been extending in a single stream suddenly split into ten branches.
A tremendous roar tore through the air—!
Ten gleaming Sword Shadows streaked toward Hyeol Je.
They moved like a serpent opening its jaws to devour prey.
Hyeol Je, seized by alarm, unleashed a Void Palm Strike at the nearest cluster of Shadows.
Bang—!
The cluster faltered, but surged forward faster than before.
In that same breath, nine more ribbons of Sword Shadow reached him.
Hyeol Je had no choice but to hurl himself left and right, evading like a madman.
The luminous Shadows writhed with serpentine grace, hunting him relentlessly.
Desperate to live, he rolled across the courtyard, throwing himself in every direction.
His once-neat hair fell loose and tangled; his immaculate robes grew filthy as a vagabond’s.
From his perch on the wall, Dan Yeop clicked his tongue inwardly.
He swore he had never imagined such sword technique.
It was as if ten water serpents encircled Hyeol Je, snapping and tearing at him.
Yet astonishingly, those serpents were in truth dozens upon dozens of Sword Shadows.
Ten coils of Shadow, relentless and ceaseless, drove him back.
Even Hyeol Je’s bizarre sword technique could not shatter the brilliant Shadows.
‘Will he die like this?’
It was a pity he would not fall by his own hand, but that suited him well enough.
Hyeol Je’s grotesque sword art was beyond what he himself could manage.
Until now, even after practicing the Water Moon Divine Movement countless times, he had never tired.
Yet after evading Hyeol Je’s sword technique just a few times, his breath came short.
Though he did not realize it, he had expended that much vital force.
‘Playing with such a Hyeol Je inside Taegeuk Palace itself?’
A chill crept across his skin.
The palace Master had not even emerged from Taegeuk Palace.
And yet he was driving the legendary Hyeol Je into a corner.
Meanwhile, Hyeol Je had descended into such ruin that even calling him a Master of Open Realm would have been charitable.
His steel-hard skin, scraped and worn from rolling across the ground, now beaded with blood.
He had no chance to summon Body Protection Vital Energy, and so it had come to this.
Yet Hyeol Je was a seasoned warrior.
Even as death crept near, his eyes blazed with sudden clarity.
‘Could he be controlling them with Sword Silk?’
Behind the ten brilliant Sword Shadow clusters, long threads stretched taut.
They were unmistakably Sword Silk.
The Shadows had seemed like colossal water serpents only because of these threads.
If striking the Shadow clusters left them unharmed, what of the threads themselves?
If he severed the threads, would the Shadow clusters lose their power?
With this thought blazing through him, Hyeol Je hurled himself skyward.
As he soared to a height of some thirty meters, the brilliant Shadow clusters rose to meet him.
When ten coils converged, hundreds of Sword Shadows crashed down upon him.
Hyeol Je wrapped his entire body in Body Protection Vital Energy and drove a Void Palm Strike forward as he fell.
Crackle-crack! Bang! Boom!
He plunged through the billowing debris of shattered Shadows.
Ten coils of Shadow clusters clung to him as he descended.
At a height of some nine meters above ground, Hyeol Je drew his blade in a long, sweeping arc toward the ten threads of Sword Silk.
Shriek—!
The instant his blade cleaved through the air and severed all ten threads, the ten Shadow clusters—now freed—crashed down upon him.
Tremendous crash—!
The moment impact struck, Hyeol Je pushed his Body Protection Vital Energy to its absolute limit.
Thud-thud-thud-thunk! Thud-thud-thud-thunk!
Hundreds of Sword Shadows hammered against his protective barrier like a downpour.
“Raaahhh!”
Roaring to endure, Hyeol Je was flung high into the night sky.
Drops of blood scattered downward through the air.
Yet he did not plummet—instead, like a night bird cleaving the darkness, he vanished into the heavens.
As Hyeol Je disappeared from view, Dan Yeop turned his gaze toward Taegeuk Palace.
‘So the Imperial family harbors a descendant of an Ancient Sect Lineage.’
Now, at last, the actions of the Geum O Wei and the Urim Army made sense.
The moment Hyeol Je vanished, armed officers poured into the courtyard.
Dan Yeop, who had been standing atop the wall, hurled himself urgently in the direction Hyeol Je had vanished.
He might not find him, but he had to try.

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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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