“Break through!”

“Don’t let him get near the master!”

Clang!

As Sunju held off the warriors of the Geukcheon Sect, Mu-hwi moved forward without looking back.

Swish!

The sound of fabric being sliced by the Thirty-Six Swords of the World.

Sunju’s footsteps and breathing.

Just from those sounds, Mu-hwi knew Sunju was nearing his limit.

Yet, Mu-hwi didn’t turn around.

He trusted the look in Sunju’s eyes.

“He’ll break through his limits. It’s a talent I recognized.”

A talent worthy of being called a Sword Queen in the future.

He wouldn’t falter at something like this.

While listening to the sounds, Mu-hwi assessed his own condition.

“Thanks to Sunju, I’ve benefited.”

If Mu-hwi had taken the lead as initially planned, he would have expended a significant amount of energy and inner strength.

But with Sunju clearing the path, he was able to conserve his strength almost entirely.

“Master, your plan has gone awry. You brought them to wear me down, didn’t you?”

Mu-hwi chuckled as he approached, causing the Geukcheon Sect Master to grind his teeth.

“Hmm.”

“Sword Demon…”

Watching Mu-hwi cut down the disciples from afar, the sect master initially thought he was just exceptionally talented for his age.

But as Mu-hwi drew closer and began to unleash his aura, the feeling changed.

A deep, profound aura unique to the Dao.

Combined with a sharp killing intent that pierced the skin, it created an oppressive atmosphere that made it hard for ordinary people to breathe.

“The Volcano Sword Demon. A fitting title indeed.”

Even the seasoned elders of the Geukcheon Sect tensed up, their senses heightened as they watched Mu-hwi’s movements.

Mu-hwi walked slowly, deliberately provoking the elders’ tension and patience.

Meanwhile, he honed his aura even sharper, keeping the elders on edge.

As Mu-hwi’s foot moved forward little by little.

“I’ll take the lead!”

“Elder Three!”

Unable to hold back, one of the elders grabbed two spears from his back and lunged forward.

Seeing the elder’s face rapidly approaching, Mu-hwi’s lips curled into a smirk.

The Plum Blossom Sword rose high.

The blade, shimmering with a brilliant purple hue, sliced through the shadows of the canyon.

The sword arced gracefully, painting a crescent moon in the air.

“How dare you!”

The elder scoffed at the seemingly simple vertical strike.

He acknowledged Mu-hwi’s formidable inner strength for his age, but relying on the sharpness of his sword to deliver such a straightforward attack seemed laughable.

The elder raised his left spear to block the Plum Blossom Sword, planning to counterattack with his right.

The moment the sword and spear met, the elder sensed something was off.

“Why is it so heavy…”

Mu-hwi wasn’t relying on sharpness.

What overwhelmed the spear was a weighty, destructive force.

The elder quickly adjusted his wrist to angle the spear, but Mu-hwi had anticipated this.

The sword’s path twisted, following the elder’s wrist.

Whoosh!

With a crisp sound, the spear was sliced in half. The elder’s body beneath it met the same fate.

A deep diagonal cut ran from his left shoulder to his side.

The elder, his upper body split, fell to his knees.

The other elders, who had been about to join the fray, halted in shock, their eyes darting between Mu-hwi and the fallen elder.

“Elder Three!”

“Was that… a heavy sword? How could a disciple of the Volcano Sect…”

The Geukcheon Sect Master stared at Mu-hwi in disbelief.

Mu-hwi had executed the Iron Plum Sword Technique.

As always, it was devastatingly effective when unleashed in a surprise attack at the start.

Warriors familiar with the traditional Volcano Sect sword techniques often found themselves split in two, caught off guard.

The well-known characteristics of the Volcano Sect’s swordplay allowed for this psychological tactic.

Mu-hwi used it to effortlessly cut down a top-tier master.

“The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique is fairly widespread, but the Iron Plum Sword Technique is still unknown.”

The elders eyed Mu-hwi’s sword, enveloped in a purple glow, with wary eyes.

“Iron Plum Sword Technique?”

“That heavy strike just now…”

Mu-hwi intentionally mentioned the Iron Plum Sword Technique.

Now, the Geukcheon Sect Master and the two elders would have to consider both the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique and the sudden appearance of the Iron Plum Sword Technique.

Having achieved his goal, Mu-hwi didn’t delay the fight any longer.

He launched forward like a shadow, his feet barely touching the ground as if riding the wind.

The two elders didn’t stand idly by as Mu-hwi’s sword aimed directly at the sect master.

“Stop him!”

A massive crescent slash from the left, and two horizontal spear strikes from the right surged toward him.

Mu-hwi spun, his robe flaring, deflecting the slash with an upward strike and redirecting the spear strikes with the Plum Blossom Mountain Stream technique.

As the gathered force of the petals spun, the direction of the spear strikes subtly shifted.

The spear strike from Elder Four inadvertently aimed at Elder Two.

“Hmph!”

While Elder Two deflected the incoming spear strike, Mu-hwi was already blossoming a flower toward the sect master.

There was no need to face them one by one as they wished. The best way to handle multiple opponents was to focus on one.

“Just beat one to death.”

“You insolent wretch!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sect master’s spears tore through the plum blossoms Mu-hwi conjured.

The sect master demonstrated martial prowess that proved he hadn’t merely inherited his position.

As Mu-hwi unleashed a dozen consecutive strikes, the elders quickly closed in from behind.

The martial art that elevated the Geukcheon Sect to one of the Seven Heavenly Sects, the Geukcheon Twin Spear Dance.

With arms extended, the two spears sliced through the air, creating a tempest.

Caught in the midst of this whirlwind, Mu-hwi’s hair and sleeves fluttered wildly in the wind charged with energy.

“Let’s see if the master’s calculations are correct.”

“Silence!”

The sect master and the two elders spun, their spears whirling, and Mu-hwi matched their movements.

The four masters became entangled as one.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Six spears and one Plum Blossom Sword clashed endlessly, sparks flying.

As the sparks faded, purple petals filled the void.

Mu-hwi’s sword, splitting into dozens of paths, continuously adapted, compensating for the numerical disadvantage.

Whoosh!

The wind generated by the spears scattered the petals in all directions.

The elders had to maneuver their spears not only to fend off the sword strikes targeting their vital points but also to keep the petals from settling on their bodies.

In the midst of this, Elder Four suddenly lowered his stance, sweeping the ground with his spear.

Mu-hwi leaped to avoid it, and the sect master jumped, aiming to strike Mu-hwi’s head, while Elder Two thrust his spear like a lance, aiming for his chest.

Mu-hwi twisted his body mid-air, his sword unleashing a diagonal strike.

The peculiar arc of the strike split into two, deflecting the attacks aimed at his head and chest, then targeting Elder Four below.

Clang!

The Plum Blossom Sword precisely exploited the moment when the two spears crossed and exchanged offense and defense, disrupting their balance.

A single move countered the three-pronged assault with astonishing skill.

Though he appeared to be a mere late-stage practitioner, his swordplay was akin to that of a seasoned master.

Swish!

The sword’s tip delicately pierced the air, causing flowers to bloom.

The elegant sword scent wafted over, causing the sect master and elders to wrinkle their noses.

As the plum blossom scent intensified, Mu-hwi’s sword grew faster and more dazzling. His form was nearly obscured by the purple sword light and petals.

“How can this be!”

“The sword truly moves like a ghost’s, so eerie.”

The elders found it increasingly difficult to withstand Mu-hwi’s sword.

Mu-hwi wasn’t merely defending against their combined assault; he was driving the three of them back.

His sword strikes, splitting into dozens of paths as if exploding all at once, forced the three to move their spears even more frantically.

Amidst the brilliant purple sword light, Mu-hwi’s eyes gleamed with a sharp, ghostly light. His pupils, tracing a purple circle, revealed his profound inner strength.

Within that circle, a keen edge and heavy killing intent mingled, filling it completely.

Those ghostly eyes seemed to possess a force that could draw in anyone who met their gaze.

Truly the eyes of a Sword Demon.

“How can a young one have such eyes…”

The sect master momentarily hesitated, his face reddening as he realized he had flinched at Mu-hwi’s gaze.

“Sword Demon of the Volcano!”

The sect master, locking eyes with Mu-hwi, shouted in anger, bringing the ends of his spear handles together.

Whirlwind Spear Dance.

Whoosh!

The two spears spun like a windmill, tearing through the plum blossoms and presenting their thick blades to Mu-hwi like axes.

The master of the Extreme Heaven Sect unleashed a powerful whirlwind technique at the front, while the two elders flanking him mirrored his movements in perfect unison.

The six spears they wielded whipped up a fierce wind, intertwining and growing in strength.

Whoosh!

The surrounding air roared like crashing waves, surging forward with relentless force.

In the midst of this chaos, Mu Hui stood firm, his sword slicing vertically through the air.

A single sword strike split into two, then multiplied into countless more, each one straight and true.

In the blink of an eye, the strikes shot upward, dense and unyielding, reminiscent of a bamboo grove.

Plum Blossoms Among Green Bamboo.

Amidst the towering bamboo, plum blossoms danced gracefully.

The fierce winds of the whirlwind technique, no matter how violent, could not shake the resolve of the bamboo grove.

Petals rained down through the bamboo, scattering the sword energy in all directions, with streaks of purple light cutting through.

“Ugh!”

The first elder groaned as Mu Hui’s sword pierced his shoulder.

Clang!

Instead of retreating, the elder hooked his spear around Mu Hui’s sword, trying to immobilize it.

With bloodshot eyes, he shouted, “Now!”

In that fleeting moment when Mu Hui was momentarily restrained, the sect master and the second elder seized the opportunity to launch their attacks.

Full Moon Twin Lotus.

The sect master’s twin spears traced a massive circle, descending upon Mu Hui’s head.

Twin Horns Advancing.

The two spears converged into a single point, thrusting towards Mu Hui’s waist.

‘He’ll have to abandon his sword,’ thought the sect master.

But Mu Hui had no intention of letting go. There was no need.

A true master could divide a moment into countless fractions, making decisions and acting with unparalleled speed.

Even among those at the pinnacle of martial arts, not all were equal. The higher the level, the greater the disparity.

Mu Hui, having once reached the transcendent realm in a past life, was now on the verge of surpassing it once more.

The sect master could divide a moment into several parts, but Mu Hui could do so into dozens.

Their differing judgments led to a catastrophic outcome.

‘What is this?’

In an instant, the sect master and the second elder sensed Mu Hui’s form becoming indistinct, his movements too swift for even their expert eyes to follow.

As a purple aura enveloped Mu Hui, his muscles tensed with explosive power.

Vroom!

With a surge of internal energy, the plum blossom sword vibrated, loosening the elder’s grip and tearing through his shoulder.

By the time the sword, having sliced through the elder’s armpit, reemerged, the attacks were only halfway to their target.

Mu Hui was operating on a different timeline altogether.

This was the time of one who had once touched the transcendent realm and was now striving to reach it again.

The gap between him and ordinary masters was vast.

Swoosh!

A purple sword light tore through the air with a piercing sound.

Plum Blossom Sharpness.

The sharpness of the blooming plum blossoms chased after the sword light, shredding the wind pressure created by the spears.

The plum blossom sword pierced through the precise point where the twin spears met, driving into the second elder’s chest.

“Gah!”

Even as a hole was punched through his chest, the second elder reached out, but his efforts were in vain, scattered by the plum blossom’s might.

Simultaneously, Mu Hui spun, becoming a blur as he evaded the massive energy of the Full Moon Twin Lotus.

The ground split open where the attack landed, but Mu Hui had already slipped through the gap, closing in on the sect master.

In a heartbeat, Mu Hui was upon him, moving with the wind.

The sect master caught a whiff of plum blossoms, as if Mu Hui had ridden the scent to reach him.

Instinctively, he swung his spears, aiming to cut Mu Hui down.

But the plum blossom sword, now deeply tinged with purple, arced diagonally.

‘The technique that felled the third elder in a single stroke!’

The sect master, realizing the danger, hastily withdrew his spears.

The compressed energy within the plum blossom sword dispersed, transforming into petals that scattered in all directions.

The sect master’s eyes widened. “An illusion.”

Mu Hui’s lips twisted into a smirk. With a single word, the plum blossom sword bent impossibly, as if twisted by an unseen hand.

To the sect master, it seemed as if an invisible force had wrenched the sword.

“Ha!”

Slash!

A diagonal strike from below left a crimson line across the sect master’s chest.

Following the soaring plum blossom sword, a trail of blood arced into the sky.

“Don’t underestimate me! I am—”

Despite the deep wound, the sect master roared, raising his spear high.

The concentrated energy around the spear was so intense that the surrounding cliffs trembled.

Yet Mu Hui remained unfazed.

With a flick of his wrist, the plum blossom sword traced an elegant curve, now fully saturated with purple.

“Remember this. It’s the Iron Plum Sword Technique.”

As the sword’s edge brushed past his neck, the sect master could say no more.

His head flew through the air, blood spraying upwards.

“Master!”

“Plum Blossom Demon!”

Cries and screams erupted from the sect members behind him, but Mu Hui merely flicked his sword, shaking off the blood.

Buzz!

At that moment, Mu Hui sensed a new presence.

With the sect master and elders dead, Mu Hui was the only master left.

Yet now, a new master was entering the fray.

Mu Hui turned, focusing on the source of this new energy.

“Remember this. It’s the Iron Plum Sword Technique.” End

“I intend to form a new organization.”