Crack!

Seonghoe’s sword swung violently up and down, mimicking the turbulent waves of the South Sea. The path of the sword, like a raging wave, clashed with five streams of sword energy and a massive force.

“Ugh!”

Struggling to withstand the impact, Seonghoe was pushed back, slightly bent at the waist. Eui-cheon Daeju caught him from behind.

“Are you alright?”

Seonghoe, too exhausted to respond, wiped the blood from his lips, sweat trickling down his face. Eui-cheon Daeju’s expression was far from calm as well. They had barely managed to hold their ground against the combined assault of Ilwang Daeju and Manhyeol Daeju, and Seonghoe’s arrival had only just given them a moment to breathe.

‘How much longer can we hold out?’

Watching the fierce battle around him, Eui-cheon Daeju tightened his grip on his sword, tasting the metallic tang of blood in his mouth.

No one had fallen yet, but most were injured to varying degrees. They were hanging on by sheer willpower, a fragile flame that could be snuffed out at any moment.

In this dire situation, the exceptional efforts of the younger warriors were breathing life into Eui-cheon Dae.

The scent of plum blossoms filled the air, drawing Eui-cheon Daeju’s attention. A female swordsman was weaving through the Manhyeol Dae’s ranks, scattering purple petals in all directions.

Moving with a speed that even the Manhyeol Dae couldn’t easily follow, Mu-hwa was causing chaos in the enemy lines.

‘Just a little longer!’

Gritting her teeth, Mu-hwa’s plum blossom robe was torn in several places. With each scattering of petals, droplets of blood fell. Despite having more than five wounds, she never stopped her sword.

Her reckless actions drew the enemy’s attention, giving her allies a chance to catch their breath. Though not inflicting significant damage, such actions were necessary given the desperate situation of the Murim Alliance.

“You insolent girl!”

“Relying on your speed, you’ve lost your mind.”

As the Manhyeol Dae’s swords closed in to tear Mu-hwa apart, a strong scent of plum blossoms enveloped them.

Boom!

Three massive iron plums bloomed, surrounded by ten more plum blossoms.

The techniques of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword and Iron Plum Sword unfolded in succession, painting the battlefield with plum blossoms.

“Mu-hwa! That’s enough!”

“Fall back!”

Mu-cheol and Mu-jin rushed in to support Mu-hwa. But even with two skilled warriors joining, the Manhyeol Dae was not easily shaken. It was merely a distraction.

“You brats!”

Red sword energy from the Manhyeol Dae rained down from three sides. Mu-jin quickly deflected it with his plum blossom sword, but a gap in his defense was exploited, and a sword wind came flying.

‘Damn. Too late.’

Perhaps due to exhaustion, his mind was alert, but his body was slow to respond. Just as Mu-jin gritted his teeth and tried to move his left hand—

Thud!

U Tae-gang suddenly appeared in front of Mu-jin, crossing his arms to block the three streams of sword wind with his Iron Mountain Technique.

Soon after, the bloodied Seon-woon and Baek-ri-sang joined the fray, protecting Mu-cheol’s flanks as he fought alone at the front.

“Mu-cheol! Your back is exposed!”

“Focus on holding the line, not defeating the enemy!”

Hearing the voices from either side, Mu-cheol nodded grimly, thrusting his plum blossom sword with determination.

“Move aside!”

Pang Ho-yeon leaped forward, scattering red lightning to fend off the Manhyeol Dae warriors, creating an opening for Mu-hwa to regroup with the younger warriors.

“Thank you, Pang.”

“Think nothing of it. Compared to your reckless bravery, it’s nothing.”

The younger warriors stood shoulder to shoulder, glaring at the Ilwang Dae and Manhyeol Dae with fierce determination.

Unlike their opponents, whose swords still gleamed with energy, the younger warriors’ weapons and internal energy were fading. They were at their limits.

Mu-jin tried to calm his racing heart, taking deep breaths.

‘Thanks to the Jahasim Technique, we’ve held on this long, but even that has its limits.’

He looked down at his plum blossom sword, now devoid of petals, with a somber gaze. The others were no different.

Seon-woon’s once dense white energy had thinned to a mist, and the red lightning that had crackled around Pang Ho-yeon’s sword had long since quieted.

‘We’re all at our limits. It’s a miracle we’ve lasted this long.’

Je-gal Myeong’s expression darkened as he assessed the state of the younger warriors. Despite racking his brain, he couldn’t think of a way to turn the tide.

“Haah!”

Pang Ho-yeon let out a fierce shout, slashing his sword at the Manhyeol Dae warriors.

Boom!

A massive thunderclap shook the sky.

All eyes turned to Pang Ho-yeon, who blinked in surprise, clearly not the source of the sound.

“Wasn’t that your Honwon Lightning Sword?”

“No, I don’t have the energy to create such a thunderclap.”

Even at full strength, creating such a deafening sound was beyond Pang Ho-yeon’s current abilities.

As Je-gal Myeong questioned him, another thunderclap echoed.

This time, a vivid red lightning bolt struck from the sky.

The red lightning was aimed at the Sa Do-cheon Lord. The Manhyeol Dae, watching alongside the younger warriors, shouted in shock.

“Lord!”

* * *

A shimmering space in Sa Ma-gang’s hand.

A dark brown light extended from the trembling space, forming a spear.

The level of mastery Sa Ma-gang displayed, crafting a weapon from internal energy, was nothing short of astonishing.

Among swordsmen, this ability to create and wield an intangible weapon was often referred to as the realm of the Formless Sword.

The beginning of the Heart Sword, as it was known.

‘Still so many walls to overcome.’

As Mu-hwi forced his aching arm to move, raising his Simmyeong Sword vertically, Sa Ma-gang’s Formless Spear suddenly shot skyward.

Boom!

The massive red lightning bolt descending from the sky was split in two by the Formless Spear.

But the split lightning quickly divided into five, striking Sa Ma-gang’s entire body.

Crash!

The overwhelming force of the attack forced Sa Ma-gang to spin his Formless Spear fiercely, retreating.

Thud!

A massive old man blocked Mu-hwi’s path.

His muscular physique belied his age, and the red martial robe he wore was embroidered with a large tiger, matching the fierce tiger eyes he possessed.

Sa Ma-gang looked at the red blade the old man held and smirked.

“Doje. I thought you’d died of old age, but here you are. How long do you old gingers plan to live, like the Sword Saint?”

“I’m ten years younger than the Sword Saint, you brat.”

Doje glanced at Pang Ho-yeon in the distance, then pointed his red saber at Sa Ma-gang.

“I heard my youngest grandson from the Ha-buk Pang family was in danger. An old man with nothing better to do had to come to the rescue.”

Boom!

Sa Ma-gang squinted at the thunderous noise from afar. An old man was altering the landscape with a single punch, joining the battle between the Tyrant King and the Cooperative Emperor. It was the Iron Mountain Fist King.

The Iron Mountain Fist King and Doje.

Though the other forces of the Murim Alliance were still tied up in Ho-nam, their presence was insignificant.

The appearance of these two absolute masters was enough.

“How did you get here? The Ghost King and the Blue Ice King should have been blocking the way in Ho-nam.”

The Ghost King from the Tyrant King’s faction and the Blue Ice King from Sa Do-cheon’s side had been deployed.

Their goal was not just to block the Murim Alliance’s reinforcements but to push them out of Ho-nam entirely.

For the Iron Mountain Fist King and Doje to appear unscathed was no small feat.

“Heh. Those two are probably being held up by the Sword Saint.”

“The Sword Saint left Mount Wudang?”

It had been over twenty years since the Wudang Sword Saint had secluded himself on Mount Wudang, not showing himself in the martial world. It was hard to believe, but Doje’s words didn’t seem like a lie.

At the mention of the Sword Saint, the smile vanished from Sa Ma-gang’s face.

Doje looked at the Cooperative Emperor standing beside the Iron Mountain Fist King and spoke.

“It seems Ho-baek anticipated the worst-case scenario. I didn’t expect him to call on the Sword Saint after me. But given that Sa Do-cheon and the Tyrant King joined forces, it was indeed the worst-case scenario.”

In other words, the Ghost King and the Blue Ice King were instead tied up by the Sword Saint, allowing the Iron Mountain Fist King and Doje to rush south.

“How did he manage to bring out the Sword Saint? Isn’t he a stubborn old man?”

“He told me his juniors were heading into danger and asked me to watch their backs. He probably used the same excuse with the Sword Saint, selling out the younger warriors. That cunning leader.”

Doje burst into laughter, casting a mischievous glance at Hyeopje.

“No wonder you didn’t even try to escape. You had a plan all along.”

Sama-gang turned his head, directing his final words at Hyeopje. Despite the distance between them, Hyeopje responded immediately.

“Well, I have a lot on my shoulders. Especially the lives of my juniors—they weigh heavily. As a leader, I must use every resource at my disposal.”

Kang Ho-baek’s lighthearted remark made Sama-gang chuckle.

“Hey, Overlord. Things have gotten complicated, haven’t they?”

The mere appearance of a supreme master could throw plans into disarray. But these weren’t just any masters.

Cheolsan Fist King and Doje.

Cheolsan Fist King needed no introduction, and Doje, though one of the oldest among the supreme masters, was a fearsome swordsman who had taken down two other legendary masters.

Even an old tiger, when faced head-on, still had sharp claws and teeth.

“Overlord, what will you do? It seems your plan has gone awry.”

The Overlord looked at Cheolsan Fist King, Hyeopje, and Sama-gang, then at Doje and the Sword Saint of Mount Hua, shaking his head.

“I didn’t expect to use the old ones like this. Doje was within expectations, but I never thought the Sword Saint would move. That was my mistake.”

“Normally, yes. Even as a leader, one should respect the elders who are half-retired. But you know I prioritize the lives of my juniors over formalities.”

Kang Ho-baek seemed to have his priorities straight as a leader. From the beginning, he knew that it was impossible to protect and gain everything through countless acts of chivalry.

“Hyeopje, you saw through me, but I failed to see all of you. That’s where the gap in our strategies widened.”

As the Overlord raised his hand, the forces that had paused their battle due to the arrival of the supreme masters quickly retreated. The same went for the Blood Army of Sadocheon.

Mu-hwi and Doje joined the Murim Alliance’s ranks, and the three factions returned to their respective sides, facing each other.

The Overlord glanced between the Murim Alliance and Sadocheon, then fixed his gaze on Hyeopje at the forefront of the Murim Alliance.

“Hyeopje, or should I say, Leader. Today’s battle is our defeat.”

“Hey, Overlord. We only lent a hand to your event at the Overlord’s Fortress, so leave Sadocheon out of this.”

Ignoring Sama-gang’s words, the Overlord turned to Mu-hwi, who stood shoulder to shoulder with the supreme masters.

“Sword Saint of Mount Hua, your reputation is well-deserved. I hope our next encounter will be more entertaining.”

“Next time, I’ll aim for your neck, not just your spear.”

Despite Mu-hwi’s threat, Sama-gang laughed and led the Blood Army eastward.

The Overlord watched Mu-hwi, who stood unfazed by the overwhelming presence of the Overlord’s forces. Although Kang Ho-baek had prepared by mobilizing the Sword Saint of Wudang, the two supreme masters had arrived late.

Had Mu-hwi not held his ground against the overwhelming odds, the situation might have ended before the Cheolsan Fist King and Doje even arrived.

‘The Sword Saint of Wudang and the Sword Saint of Mount Hua. Two unexpected factors.’

The Overlord had noted the inclusion of the Sword Saint of Mount Hua in the Murim Alliance’s delegation, but he hadn’t anticipated that a newly transcended warrior could withstand the martial prowess of the Three Thrones.

With fiery eyes, the Overlord addressed Mu-hwi.

“Sword Saint, as I said at Mount Hua, I look forward to it. I will always reign over the affairs of my fortress.”

The Overlord led his forces westward.

As Sadocheon and the Overlord’s Fortress disappeared from view, the tension in the Murim Alliance’s ranks finally eased, and they let out heavy breaths.

“Is it over now?”

“We survived.”

“Assess the wounded!”

The medical team sprang into action, while the younger warriors collapsed where they stood.

“Grandfather!”

“Master!”

Peng Ho-yeon and Woo Tae-gang ran toward Doje and the Cheolsan Fist King with relieved expressions, and the old masters looked proudly at their disciples and grandchildren who had fought bravely.

“Mu-cheol, is your back injury okay?”

“I’m fine, senior brother.”

After checking on Mu-cheol, Mu-hwi turned to Mu-jin and Mu-hwa. Both were on the verge of exhaustion, but their injuries weren’t life-threatening.

Their tattered robes spoke volumes about the fierce battle they had endured.

“Senior brother… Can this robe be restored?”

Mu-hwa clutched the robe to her chest, her face a picture of distress.

“You all did well.”

“You too, senior brother. You worked hard.”

Mu-jin’s words brought a smile to Mu-hwi’s face.

Watching Mu-hwi and the younger warriors, Kang Ho-baek let out a sigh of relief and removed his battered bamboo hat.

The hat was beyond repair after the fierce battle with the Overlord, but Kang Ho-baek discarded it without hesitation.

He could always get a new hat, but he had successfully protected what couldn’t be replaced.

“Leader, are you alright?”

At the inquiry from the head of the medical team, Kang Ho-baek nodded.

“It was thrilling to cross swords with the Overlord again after so long. But everyone did well.”

As the head of the medical team nodded, Kang Ho-baek looked northward.

“Let’s go back. To the Murim Alliance.”