Boom!

The ground shook violently, causing the demons surrounding them to stumble. The force surged from the earth, traveling up through powerful thighs and exploding from the waist, where muscles twisted and coiled, amplifying the strength that rose from below.

This immense power was channeled into Ma Yeon-ho’s right arm, where the muscles swelled and quivered, ready to unleash their full might.

In that moment, as the muscles screamed with tension, the demons found themselves staring at the massive fist resting at Ma Yeon-ho’s waist. It wasn’t a conscious choice; their eyes were drawn to it, sensing the imminent threat of death.

In an instant, the fist seemed to grow larger, hurtling towards them like a colossal boulder.

Boom!

The air exploded with a deafening roar as Ma Yeon-ho’s fist unleashed its devastating power, obliterating everything in its path. The demons caught in the trajectory of the attack vanished as if they had been vaporized.

“Aaargh!”

A demon, its right arm and part of its torso blown away, screamed and collapsed. Yet Ma Yeon-ho’s eyes remained as cold as the ice of the Northern Sea.

“Hmph!”

He exhaled sharply, sweeping his left foot across the ground like a whip. The earth tore apart, and several demons who had been targeting Woo Tae-gang were swept away.

Seizing the opportunity, Woo Tae-gang lunged forward, crushing the chest of a demon with his shoulder and shattering a sword aimed at his waist with a powerful punch.

“Can you hold on?”

“Yes, Master. I’m still fine.”

Thud!

Woo Tae-gang smashed a demon’s head with a single punch and quickly moved to Ma Yeon-ho’s side to catch his breath. Though he couldn’t take down dozens of demons with one strike like Ma Yeon-ho, he was steadily reducing their numbers one by one. Ma Yeon-ho observed Woo Tae-gang, who was breathing heavily.

‘Tsk. He’s starting to tire.’

Even though Woo Tae-gang was one of the most promising young warriors, his skills were not yet fully developed. It was impressive that he remained unscathed against the relentless onslaught of demons.

As Ma Yeon-ho watched over Woo Tae-gang, a massive shadow suddenly loomed overhead. Instinctively, Ma Yeon-ho raised his fist diagonally.

Crash!

Despite being a clash of fists wrapped in cloth, the impact resonated like a collision of heavy weapons, sending nearby demons tumbling backward as if caught in a wave.

A middle-aged man with graying hair, who had absorbed the force of Ma Yeon-ho’s punch and landed lightly, burst into laughter.

“Haha! They said you crushed the head of the Blood Fist Emperor, and indeed, your reputation is well-deserved.”

Ma Yeon-ho’s chest muscles twitched at the grating voice that echoed across the plains.

“Who are you?”

The man merely smirked, clenching and unclenching his fists.

“Just a nobody without fame in the martial world. But here, they call me the Demon of the Collapsing Mountain.”

The Demon of the Collapsing Mountain exhaled a dark, smoky aura, his fists colliding with a thunderous clap.

“They say you’re the closest to being the world’s greatest fist after defeating the Blood Fist Emperor. My fists are itching for a fight.”

The intense aura radiating from the Demon of the Collapsing Mountain was so overwhelming that even the surrounding demons instinctively backed away.

‘The Demon of the Collapsing Mountain. Such a formidable master hiding in the shadows? The demonic path truly defies common sense.’

Normally, Ma Yeon-ho would have reacted immediately to the demon’s aura, but instead, he surveyed his surroundings.

The Demon of the Collapsing Mountain knew why.

“Sigh. Fist King, why the hesitation?”

The demon’s eyes settled on Woo Tae-gang, who was partially obscured behind Ma Yeon-ho’s shoulder.

“Is this the time to worry about your disciple? What’s so important that you can’t just let him die and train another? Come, enjoy the moment with me.”

Ma Yeon-ho’s neck cracked as he tilted his head, a deep laugh rumbling from his chest.

“Haha!”

Shaking his head, Ma Yeon-ho looked at the demon.

“Well, judging by your words, I understand. You truly are a demon.”

The veins on Ma Yeon-ho’s temples bulged, his voice as barren as the wind sweeping the plains.

As Ma Yeon-ho’s muscles tensed with anger, a heavy aura emanated from him, causing the demons’ knees to tremble under its weight, like a mountain pressing down on them.

“If I can’t protect a single disciple with these fists, what meaning does being the world’s greatest hold? Pathetic demon.”

“Tsk, you’re soft.”

The Demon of the Collapsing Mountain, seemingly uninterested in further conversation, launched himself forward, his thighs bulging like ancient trees.

Ma Yeon-ho immediately lowered his stance, driving a powerful punch into the ground.

Boom!

The earth split open, spewing dirt and rocks as the ground trembled like an earthquake.

“Retreat!”

“Get out of the way!”

“Aaah!”

The demons surrounding Ma Yeon-ho were swallowed by the tidal wave of earth and stone.

Ma Yeon-ho’s single punch had overturned the land, but the Demon of the Collapsing Mountain charged through the rising walls of earth and rock, smashing them aside with brute force.

By then, Ma Yeon-ho had already positioned his fist at his waist, his muscles rippling as he unleashed a cannon-like punch.

“Haha! That’s it!”

The Demon of the Collapsing Mountain laughed wildly, extending his fist to meet Ma Yeon-ho’s. Just as their fists were about to collide, the space behind Ma Yeon-ho wavered.

Woo Tae-gang, who had been watching Ma Yeon-ho’s back from a distance, widened his eyes.

‘What the—!’

A black blade emerged from the rippling space, aiming for Ma Yeon-ho’s back.

It all happened in an instant, too fast for Woo Tae-gang to even open his mouth before disaster struck.

“Master!”

Woo Tae-gang shouted with all his might, but the black blade, which had suddenly appeared from thin air, was about to pierce Ma Yeon-ho’s back.

Woo Tae-gang wanted to rush forward and block it, but the masters seemed to exist in a different time, rendering him powerless.

As bloodshot eyes filled with helplessness, a purple flash struck Woo Tae-gang’s vision.

Clang!

The sound of metal breaking echoed in Woo Tae-gang’s ears. The mysterious black blade, which had emerged from the distorted space, was sliced in half, spinning in the air.

The owner of the severed blade, eyes narrowed, stared at the newcomer who had entered the battlefield.

A white robe fluttered violently as it descended from the sky, embroidered with vivid purple plum blossoms on its sleeves.

But what drew the eye more was the jet-black sword that had cleaved the black blade. The mysterious sword, exuding a purple glow, possessed an enchanting power that captivated all who beheld it.

“Unbelievable. A blade made of black iron and celestial steel, cut so easily?”

“Black iron and celestial steel? What’s so special about that?”

“Seeing that sword, I understand.”

The owner of the black blade accepted the taunt with a nod.

Ma Yeon-ho exchanged a brief glance with the newcomer, then charged at the Demon of the Collapsing Mountain without a word.

The newcomer, feeling the fierce energy of Ma Yeon-ho’s clash with the demon, tilted his sword forward.

The white mask covering the lower half of the black blade owner’s face was familiar to the newcomer.

“Why is the Shadow Emperor working with the demonic path?”

The world’s greatest assassin, the leader of the Heavenly Assassins, stood before him. And then, in an instant, vanished.

Before the broken black blade hit the ground, the Shadow Emperor disappeared from sight. Even though the newcomer had kept his eyes on him, he couldn’t track the Shadow Emperor’s vanishing act.

Whether it was a movement technique or stealth, the skill was astonishing, yet the newcomer calmly rotated his body.

As the mysterious sword swung backward, two blades struck down in quick succession.

Clang!

The Shadow Emperor, who had somehow positioned himself behind the newcomer, wielded a straight sword and a curved blade in each hand.

He unleashed a flurry of attacks, as if performing a deadly dance, while occasionally throwing hidden weapons to further complicate the battle.

Despite the chaos, the newcomer couldn’t help but admire the Shadow Emperor’s martial prowess.

An assassin who fails in stealth and assassination typically loses half their strength.

Yet the Shadow Emperor, facing the newcomer head-on, displayed the full extent of his mastery.

He had transcended the limits of an assassin.

The movements of the newcomer and the Shadow Emperor were so swift that their feet seemed to blur.

“Shadow Emperor, with such skills, why ally with the demonic path?”

“You’ve just reached the transcendent realm, boy. What do you know?”

Swoosh!

With a swift motion, the dark figure deflected Mu-hui’s sword strikes, which split into dozens of paths, and retaliated with a flurry of twin blades.

Seizing the moment when Mu-hui split the incoming attack, the dark figure twisted his body and thrust a straight blade forward.

Mu-hui swept his sword downward, deflecting the attack, but the dark figure quickly spun around, slicing diagonally with a curved blade.

“Feeling confident after cutting off the Sword King’s arm, are we? Think you can take this arm too?” the dark figure taunted.

Mu-hui smirked. “You talk too much for an assassin.”

Once again, the dark figure vanished from sight. At the same time, Mu-hui stepped onto a shadowy mark, and his form dispersed like an afterimage.

Clang!

In a completely different space, the two masters reappeared simultaneously. The dark figure crossed his twin blades to block Mu-hui’s sword, which was aimed at his waist, and glared at him.

“You…”

“Getting used to it, aren’t you?” Mu-hui replied.

The dark figure couldn’t believe how quickly Mu-hui was adapting to his movements. Yet, his hands, wielding the twin blades, grew more precise, wary of Mu-hui’s relentless assault.

Both fighters spun in circles, unleashing waves of sword and blade energy.

As a barrage of iron spheres rained down, Mu-hui’s sword technique blossomed like petals, forming a wall.

The sword, which had split dozens of spheres, began to multiply into countless paths.

Swish!

Dozens of points appeared in the air simultaneously. The points struck by Mu-hui’s sword blossomed into plum blossoms.

Despite the spectacle of plum blossoms filling the space, the dark figure continued to vanish and reappear, launching surprise attacks on Mu-hui’s blind spots.

‘Hmm.’

But even this was becoming increasingly difficult.

The dark figure’s eyes darted around, capturing the unfolding scene. The endless transformations of Mu-hui’s sword seemed infinite, growing more elaborate and complex.

Even the dark figure, skilled with twin blades and accustomed to various changes, found it hard to keep up, feeling dizzy.

The purple petals scattered everywhere had already filled the space, and the number of blooming plum blossoms had grown to about forty, each displaying its beauty.

Plum Blossom Gradation.

Mu-hui stood at the center, making it impossible for the dark figure to attack without resorting to throwing weapons from afar.

‘So, he’s telling me to give up on stealth.’

Despite the immense energy consumption, Mu-hui maintained this state, likely to restrict the dark figure’s ability to move freely and stealthily.

‘Cocky brat.’

Normally, the dark figure would have scoffed and tested how long Mu-hui could hold out.

Patience was a virtue for an assassin.

But now was not the time for that.

Seeing the surrounding terrain altered by the monstrous Gaesanma and the Iron Mountain Fist King, the dark figure adjusted his grip on his blades.

‘There’s no time.’

He needed to quickly kill the young swordmaster and then take the head of the Fist King.

Having made his decision, the dark figure leaped back, creating distance. He lowered his stance, raising his arms diagonally like a bird about to take flight.

Boom!

In an instant, the dark figure charged at Mu-hui like a bird piercing the sky.

As his arms flapped like wings, the twin blades met in front, spinning furiously.

Whoosh!

The spinning blades, like a windmill, sliced through the petals and plum blossoms blocking the way, splitting them into dozens of pieces.

The dark figure became a streak of light, cleaving through the garden Mu-hui had created.

Silver Moon Flying Crow.

The endlessly spinning, erratically curving blades traced countless paths, hurtling toward Mu-hui’s neck.

Mu-hui simply raised his sword, which emitted a purple glow, to a high guard.

The nameless technique that had shattered the Black-faced Monster’s heavy sword.

Breaking the Sword, Seeking the Past.

Mu-hui had devised a new technique to follow it, one that would shatter the dark figure’s blades and save his senior, the Fist King.

Breaking the Blade, Seeking the Future.

As Mu-hui resolved to unleash the newly named technique, his sword, which had been bending like a soft blade, straightened, exuding the weight and solidity of a heavy sword.

Whoosh!

As the sword, imbued with the intent of Breaking the Blade, Seeking the Future, twisted bizarrely, tearing through the air, the dark figure, now a streak of light, brushed past Mu-hui.

In an instant, the two masters stood back-to-back.

Thud!

Hearing a sound from below, the dark figure looked down.

His mask, split in two, lay on the ground.

A red line slowly formed along the split in the dark figure’s face, blood beginning to trickle down.

Despite the stinging pain and the blood streaming down his face, the dark figure slowly turned to face Mu-hui.

The lower part of his face was completely drenched in blood.

Mu-hui looked at the dark figure, now wearing a new mask of blood, and spoke.

“I aimed for your head instead of your arm. What a pity.”