The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 45

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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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45
Woo Geom-san Challenges Under Heaven
“Protect the Young Lady at all costs!”
Sado Cheong ordered the Escort Guards, shielding So Seol-yeong behind his back.
“Yes, sir!”
The Escort Guards answered and drew their weapons.
Some of them stepped forward to clash with the raiders, while the rest stayed by Sado Cheong’s side to guard So Seol-yeong.
“Who dares plot such a thing?”
Sado Cheong glared at the raiders with terrifying eyes.
Their outfits varied wildly, and their faces were hidden behind masks.
The martial arts they utilized were completely different from one another as well.
There wasn’t a single shred of uniformity among them; they were completely disorganized. Yet, every single one of them exuded a heavy, murderous intent.
It was clear they hadn’t learned their martial arts formally from a proper sect, but had instead picked them up on the battlefields and in brutal brawls.
As far as Sado Cheong knew, there was only one type of people who fit this description.
“Vagrants.”
They were scoundrels who wouldn’t hesitate to do any dirty work as long as they were paid.
Along with assassins, they were the most despised class of people in the Jianghu.
From behind Sado Cheong’s back, So Seol-yeong spoke.
“It seems someone wants my life.”
“Do you have anyone in mind?”
“There are too many, so I actually can’t pinpoint anyone.”
So Seol-yeong replied with a nonchalant expression.
The place that amassed the greatest wealth Under Heaven was none other than the Man-sang Alliance.
There were even rumors that gold was piled up like mountains inside the Man-sang Alliance’s storehouses.
Countless people coveted those storehouses. However, not once had a storehouse of the Man-sang Alliance been plundered.
Even if they weren’t targeting the gold of the Man-sang Alliance, there were plenty of people who would want So Seol-yeong’s life.
‘There are many internal factions who dislike the fact that a woman like me will become the Alliance Leader of the Man-sang Alliance.’
Even while undergoing her lessons as the successor, she had clashed with numerous merchants.
Merchants who had taken deep root in a region for a long time, like Master Seo, wished to maintain the status quo.
They did not want a woman, So Seol-yeong, becoming the Man-sang Alliance Leader and meddling in their vested interests for no reason.
In fact, several individuals had openly displayed hostility toward her.
They argued that a different successor should be put forward instead of a woman like So Seol-yeong.
The Man-sang Alliance Leader, So Han-gyeong, ignored all of those internal grievances.
It was because he knew of So Seol-yeong’s extraordinary talent for business.
He believed that there was no other successor to follow in his footsteps besides So Seol-yeong. That was why he thoroughly trained her to take over.
The fact that the still-young So Seol-yeong was traveling around the Sub-Branches and Branch Offices of the Man-sang Alliance scattered Under Heaven was also a part of her lessons as the successor.
‘My movements have already been exposed. At the very least, anyone belonging to the Western Branch Office and this Branch Office knows I am here. It wouldn’t be strange if one of them is targeting my life.’
The problem was that there were simply too many suspects.
“I’ll have to root them all out and punish them. Though first, I must survive and get out of here.”
So Seol-yeong looked at the battlefield with cold eyes.
Dozens of Rogue Warriors had rushed in and were engaged in a bloody battle with the Escort Guards, but she was not worried.
The Escort Guards were all martial artists capable of matching a hundred men alone, possessing the martial prowess to slice through such Vagrants like radishes.
In fact, a mere four Escort Guards were overwhelming the Rogue Warriors.
Furthermore, as long as Sado Cheong and five other Escort Guards escorted her flawlessly without a single gap, there was no chance the Vagrants could harm her.
The fight between the Escort Guards and the Rogue Warriors grew even more fierce.
About ten Vagrants collapsed, bleeding out, while two Escort Guards were also wounded, their movements slowing down.
Right at that moment, more Rogue Warriors leaped inside from the outside.
“Die!”
“Aaaagh!”
The Vagrants let out bizarre cries as they attacked the Escort Guards.
Sado Cheong’s face hardened rigidly at the relentless onslaught of Rogue Warriors pouring in endlessly.
This was because far more Vagrants had been mobilized than he had anticipated.
In the end, even the Escort Guards who had been protecting So Seol-yeong had to join the battle against the Rogue Warriors.
Clang, clang, clang!
“Argh!”
“Ugh!”
The clashing of weapons and screams echoed simultaneously.
“What is all this?”
Jin Seo-ho stared at the battlefield with wide eyes.
The person he had considered the most terrifying in the world was none other than Oh Gang-yeol, the Chief of the Cheongmun Gang.
It was because Oh Gang-yeol was the strongest person he knew. However, even that Oh Gang-yeol seemed infinitely weak compared to the Escort Guards protecting So Seol-yeong.
Watching the Escort Guards fight desperately to protect So Seol-yeong, Jin Seo-ho realized that the world he had known was truly insignificant.
Oh Gang-yeol was merely boasting inside the small well of Guangu County; in the wider world Under Heaven, there were countless experts stronger than him.
Considering that even a mere escort guard could surpass Oh Gang-yeol, it said everything.
The world Jin Seo-ho had known shattered apart, and a new world beyond it came into view.
It was the world Jin Seo-ho needed to advance into.
Of course, to advance into that world, he had to survive this place first.
Then, an anomalous sight suddenly caught Jin Seo-ho’s eyes.
Amidst everyone fighting so fiercely, only one person maintained a completely serene composure.
It was Woo Geom-san, who had been conversing with So Seol-yeong until just moments ago.
Though blood splattered and screams ran rampant right before his nose, Woo Geom-san watched without even blinking an eye.
Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, he did not suit this violent scene at all. Yet, it didn’t feel out of place either.
‘What is he? That guy.’
He already knew that Woo Geom-san practiced martial arts.
The martial artists of the Cheongmun Gang, as well as the Dosu and Baishu who had come to steal the tea, had all been defeated by Woo Geom-san. So he had simply thought his martial arts were strong.
But looking at him again, he could sense something more from Woo Geom-san. However, he couldn’t quite tell what exactly that something signified.
“Kill the wench!”
“Chaaat!”
While Jin Seo-ho was lost in thought for a moment, the tide of battle turned unfavorable for Sado Cheong and the Escort Guards.
The Escort Guards were breached one by one, allowing the Rogue Warriors to approach the immediate vicinity of So Seol-yeong.
In the end, even Sado Cheong, who was the final line of defense, had to draw his sword.
He spoke to Jin Seo-ho.
“Protect the Young Lady with your life.”
“What?”
“Then I will pass down my martial arts to you.”
Without even waiting for Jin Seo-ho’s reply, Sado Cheong began to fight the Rogue Warriors.
Slash! Swish!
Every time his sword sliced through the air like a flash of lightning, Vagrants sprayed blood and collapsed.
His specialized sword style, the Lightning Thirteen Styles, was deployed.
Jin Seo-ho stared blankly at the sight of Sado Cheong running rampant.
Sado Cheong’s martial arts were on a completely different dimension compared to the other Escort Guards.
He possessed the skill to completely sweep away the likes of these Vagrants who had broken into the Zhuyang Inn.
The moment he intervened, the tide of battle turned completely.
The Rogue Warriors, who had been pouncing ferociously like wolves, fled here and there as if they had turned into sheep.
Watching that scene, Jin Seo-ho thought to himself.
He would absolutely become like that too.
He would never live miserably while being beaten up again just because he lacked power.
It was right then.
Jin Seo-ho noticed the wooden floorboards vibrating subtly.
Instantly, an unknown sense of crisis washed over him.
By instinct, Jin Seo-ho pounced on So Seol-yeong, and they rolled across the floor together.
Crash!
Immediately after, a black spear shot up from the floorboards where So Seol-yeong had been standing.
So Seol-yeong’s eyes widened at the unexpected situation.
It was an event that occurred right when the attention of Sado Cheong and the other Escort Guards was entirely drawn to the Rogue Warriors.
If Jin Seo-ho hadn’t perceived the danger in advance and saved her, she would have been pierced through by the black spear like a skewer and died.
Bang!
At that moment, the owner of the spear burst through the floor and appeared.
“A mere brat dares interfere with my work?”
It was Go San-gyeong, the Black Snake Spear, a martial artist wearing a black bangrip and black clothes.
The one who had hired the Rogue Warriors and instigated the attack on So Seol-yeong was also Go San-gyeong.
Because even he found Sado Cheong, the Lightning Sword guarding So Seol-yeong closely, to be a burden, he had plotted this scheme.
To seize a single opportunity, he had been hiding beneath the floorboards, holding his breath until now.
Yet, because of Jin Seo-ho, the opportunity he had painstakingly captured went up in smoke.
Naturally, he couldn’t help but be furious with Jin Seo-ho. However, eliminating So Seol-yeong before Sado Cheong could intervene took priority.
“Chaaat! Black Snake Blood Venom Fang!”
Go San-gyeong unleashed his trump card technique.
Swish!
The ten-foot-long Black Snake Spear spun at a terrifying speed and flew toward So Seol-yeong.
“Young Lady!”
Sado Cheong, who noticed So Seol-yeong’s crisis too late, rushed over, but it was impossible to save So Seol-yeong in time.
An illusion of So Seol-yeong collapsing while spraying blood seemed to flash before Sado Cheong’s eyes.
It was right then.
An event that no one could have anticipated occurred.
Clang!
Just before it could pierce So Seol-yeong, a blunt wooden club struck the shaft of the Black Snake Spear.
From that impact, the shaft bent heavily, causing the Black Snake Spear to veer away from So Seol-yeong and pierce the innocent floor instead.
“Haa!”
So Seol-yeong, who had saved her life by a hair’s breadth, let out a heavy breath. Her face was deathly pale.
No matter how boldly she acted, she was still merely a young fifteen-year-old girl.
The threat of death she had experienced for the first time in her life was more than enough to make her hair stand on end.
Her heart pounded frantically, and cold sweat poured down her face.
Her eyes turned toward the entity holding the club that had diverted the trajectory of the Black Snake Spear at the crucial moment.
The man holding the broken leg of a chair was Woo Geom-san.
Right before So Seol-yeong could die, he had intervened.
Though the detailed circumstances were unknown to him, he couldn’t just let the girl he was talking to die right before his eyes, so he had no choice but to step forward.
“What are you supposed to be?”
Go San-gyeong shouted loudly and thrust his Black Snake Spear toward So Seol-yeong once again.
He attacked with the absolute determination to kill So Seol-yeong no matter what.
At his spear technique filled with murderous intent, Woo Geom-san let out a faint sigh.
The force contained within the spear stretching out with a powerful momentum was immense. However, he wasn’t particularly afraid.
Go San-gyeong was certainly strong. But he wasn’t as strong as Baek Ho-yang.
Woo Geom-san took pride in having achieved a certain level of mastery, yet he still believed he couldn’t even match the tips of Baek Ho-yang’s toes.
Baek Ho-yang’s martial arts had truly reached the realm of a heaven beyond heavens.
Woo Geom-san was someone who had been passed down martial arts by Baek Ho-yang and had engaged in a martial duel with him every single day. To such a Woo Geom-san, Go San-gyeong’s spear technique didn’t seem all that grand, nor did it feel threatening.
Woo Geom-san lightly thrust the chair leg forward.
Thud!
Once again, the chair leg lightly deflected the Black Snake Spear away.
He had deployed Cheongryugyeol, the first form of the Choyen Sword Technique.
Instantly, Go San-gyeong, who was holding the spear, felt his chest violently rattled and was startled.
It was difficult to breathe, as if a heavy boulder had been placed upon him.
“Cough!”
Ultimately, Go San-gyeong exhaled a ragged breath and retreated backward.
He glared at Woo Geom-san with bloodshot eyes.
Go San-gyeong wanted to ask Woo Geom-san, ‘What kind of sinister sorcery did you use?’ However, he was not given the chance to ask.
“You bastard!”
It was because Sado Cheong, who arrived late, unleashed his Lightning Thirteen Styles.
“Dammit!”
Go San-gyeong spat out curses while blocking Sado Cheong’s attacks.
His chest was rattled by Woo Geom-san’s light blow, and the hand holding the spear had lost all sensation, becoming practically paralyzed.
He managed to block Sado Cheong’s first attack somehow, but facing him any further was impossible.
‘This request is a failure.’
Realizing that the chance of victory had shifted to the other side, Go San-gyeong cast aside his pride immediately and chose to flee.
Smashing through the window to the outside, Go San-gyeong utilized his lightness skill to the fullest and ran away.
“You, you rogue!”
Sado Cheong gritted his teeth as he watched Go San-gyeong’s back rapidly recede.
With the client, Go San-gyeong, fleeing, the Rogue Warriors lost all motivation to attack further as well.
Leaving their wounded behind, they followed Go San-gyeong and fled.
Sado Cheong gritted his teeth.
In his heart, he wanted to pursue him to the very end and kill Go San-gyeong, but right now, So Seol-yeong’s safety took priority.
“Are you alright, Young Lady?”
“I am fine.”
So Seol-yeong replied with an forcedly calm expression. However, fine tremors were running through her shoulders.
She looked at Woo Geom-san.
“You… what are you?”

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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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