Kang Bo-eum rushed towards the source of the clashing energies, only to be taken aback by the scene before him.

Mu-hui and the Taoists from the Jongnam Sect stood side by side, locked in a fierce contest of internal strength.

For a moment, Kang Bo-eum wondered if they were simply drunk and upset, but the intensity in their eyes told him otherwise.

Mu-hui’s gaze was as sharp and cold as a sword, while the Jongnam Taoists’ eyes were filled with a murderous intent that was anything but ordinary.

This was not the kind of aura one would expect from a Taoist. As Kang Bo-eum gripped his sword with his left hand, Mu-hui shouted.

“Strike them down!”

Though Kang Bo-eum didn’t fully understand the situation, he trusted Mu-hui.

He swung his sword vertically, sending crescent-shaped energy waves slicing through the air.

Swish!

“Aargh!”

“My arm!”

The arms of the two fiends, extended in their struggle of strength, were severed cleanly by the sword energy, spraying blood everywhere.

“Does it hurt, you worms?”

Mu-hui, unfazed by the blood splatter, reached out to his right.

He struck Il-hun’s temple with his elbow, then swiftly moved to his left, grabbing Il-seon’s neck and driving his knee into the man’s solar plexus.

The sound of the blows echoed almost simultaneously, and the fiends collapsed, unconscious.

“Mu-hui Dojang!”

Kang Bo-eum’s face was a picture of questions waiting to be asked.

“These are the fiends Jongnam was pursuing.”

“Fiends, you say?”

As Mu-hui explained the situation while sealing the pressure points on the severed arms, Kang Bo-eum’s expression hardened.

“Truly insane individuals.”

Had things gone according to the fiends’ plan, Jongnam’s reputation would have suffered greatly, regardless of the outcome.

If misunderstandings weren’t cleared and the truth wasn’t revealed, it would lead to the worst-case scenario. Even if they managed to resolve the situation, it would only highlight Jongnam’s incompetence in allowing it to escalate.

In the worst case, their relationship with Hwasan would have been strained. The thought of the fiends visiting Hwahunmun for this purpose made Kang Bo-eum’s blood boil.

“Shouldn’t we just kill them now?”

“I’d like to, but they seem to be disciples of Baekmyeon Gwino.”

“Baekmyeon Gwino! That crazy old man’s disciples?”

Baekmyeon Gwino was a figure known more for his infamous nickname than his true identity, with only a handful having seen his real face.

Despite this, his notoriety stemmed from his countless bizarre deeds.

For Baekmyeon Gwino, disguising himself as someone else was child’s play, and he used this skill to commit numerous atrocities.

He would kill the leader of a small sect, impersonate them for a while, and then, when bored, annihilate the entire sect overnight.

He would also incite conflicts between sects by playing both sides, leading to famous incidents like the clash between two factions of the Seven Stars.

So infamous was he that the two factions, upon learning the truth, joined forces to capture him in an attempt to erase their shame.

He would leave behind evidence of his deeds, mocking those he deceived, which only added to his infamy.

‘That damned old man, I should have killed him back then.’

Mu-hui had encountered Baekmyeon Gwino in a past life. Amusingly, Baekmyeon Gwino had disguised himself as Hyeonjo, trying to sow discord with the Sword Demon.

The Sword Demon, having seen through the disguise, attempted to kill Baekmyeon Gwino, but the old man’s exceptional martial arts, especially his agility, allowed him to escape.

The memory of Baekmyeon Gwino impersonating Hyeonjo still sent shivers down Mu-hui’s spine.

“We should keep them alive to gather information on Baekmyeon Gwino. They might not talk, but it’s worth a try.”

“Understood.”

Meanwhile, as the Hwahunmun disciples on guard duty elsewhere rushed over, Kang Bo-eum scolded them harshly.

“Why are you so late?”

“We apologize, Master.”

Mu-hui, having finished sealing the pressure points, straightened up.

“Master, I’ll head to the annex.”

Kang Bo-eum, recalling that there were three fiends disguised as Jongnam Taoists, widened his eyes.

“If one is left, this is no time to be complacent!”

“It’s fine. My disciples aren’t that weak.”

Mu-hui’s smile carried a deep trust in his disciples.

* * *

Crash!

Slash!

The wooden floor beneath Il-mu’s feet shattered under the relentless assault of the heavy sword, sending him airborne as a flurry of sword energy followed.

Il-mu, deflecting the sword energy with a fist wrapped in internal energy, retreated lightly.

While Il-seon and Il-hun went to kill Kang Bo-eum, Il-mu headed for the annex where the Hwasan disciples were.

The moment Il-mu first laid eyes on Mu-hwa’s beauty, he couldn’t resist his primal instincts.

Assuming that the female disciple Mu-hwa would be alone in her room, as the Hwasan disciples stayed separately in the annex, he stealthily opened the window to sneak in.

But what greeted him was Mu-hwa’s sharp thrust.

Just as Mu-hui had instructed, Mu-jin and Mu-cheol, who had been hiding their presence, joined in, launching a coordinated attack.

“Huff!”

Il-mu, breathing heavily, glared at the Hwasan disciples surrounding him from three sides.

‘How are these youngsters so skilled at coordinated attacks?’

Il-mu glanced down at his torn and slashed robe, revealing his skin beneath.

Initially, he had scoffed at the three young disciples charging at him.

Il-mu knew that to satisfy his desires, he needed exceptional martial skills, so he had never neglected his training.

Thus, he was confident he could easily overpower the Hwasan disciples.

Contrary to his expectations, the Hwasan disciples didn’t charge recklessly but pressed him with a systematic, almost formation-like attack.

Look at them now.

The Hwasan disciples, positioned on three sides, were moving one step to the right, ready to exploit any opening.

Despite being hit by his internal energy, which should have caused them to cough up blood, they moved with calm precision.

‘Damn it, by now my brothers should have killed the one-armed master. If I don’t deal with these guys soon, I’ll be mocked for a while.’

Il-mu’s eyes darted around before he charged at Mu-jin, whose face was pale from enduring two hits of internal energy.

Mu-jin’s eyes glinted calmly.

‘As expected.’

Mu-jin knew he was in the worst condition.

If Il-mu were to target someone to break their formation, it would be him.

Thus, Mu-jin focused on defense, prioritizing holding his ground. But despite his resolve, his feet slid back helplessly.

The sword that deflected Il-mu’s punch trembled.

‘Is it really this hard to manage internal energy while fighting?’

Suppressing Il-mu’s energy that had invaded his meridians made controlling his internal energy, which usually felt effortless, surprisingly difficult.

Mu-cheol and Mu-hwa quickly joined in, but Il-mu persistently targeted Mu-jin.

He was determined to inflict an injury severe enough to incapacitate him, channeling internal energy into both hands.

As Il-mu’s palm, shrouded in a pale aura, aimed for his waist, Mu-jin flinched and stepped back.

“Haha, coward!”

Il-mu halted his palm midway and switched to punch Mu-hwa beside him.

‘A feint..!’

Il-mu seemed to have already grasped Mu-jin’s tendencies and was exploiting them.

Mu-jin, having fallen for the feint, bit his lip and supported Mu-hwa. Il-mu’s hand flipped again, targeting Mu-jin once more.

Crack!

As Il-mu unleashed a barrage of punches and palm strikes in a single breath, the wooden floor around Mu-jin cracked under the pressure.

For a moment, Mu-jin felt dizzy, unable to steady himself.

Whoosh!

At that moment, Mu-cheol swung his sword mercilessly, aiming to cut Il-mu’s waist, while Mu-hwa, who had leaped into the air, swung her sword down at Il-mu’s head.

“Ugh.”

Mu-jin groaned at the metallic taste rising in his throat. His internal injuries worsened, his body grew sluggish, and his sword felt heavier.

– Mu-jin, you’re too cautious in battle. That habit shows even when you’re fighting in formation.

Why did the words of his senior brother come to mind now?

Mu-jin looked at his two fellow disciples, who were bleeding and fighting Il-mu.

They were covering the gap left by Mu-jin, barely holding off Il-mu’s attacks.

‘Damn it, what am I doing?’

As his strength waned, Mu-jin’s sword trembled.

– Is it wrong to be cautious?

– It’s not wrong. But if you let that cautiousness become a habit, you’ll be helpless against a superior opponent. To survive, you need to think about how to close the gap when facing someone stronger.

Mu-jin raised his sword, which had been pointing at his toes.

– Remember, focusing on defense and being overly cautious are not the same.

His senior brother’s prediction that this habit could make him a target during coordinated attacks was spot on.

After exchanging a few blows, Il-mu had fixated on him, relentlessly pursuing him.

“Spit!”

Mu-jin spat out the blood pooling in his mouth and rejoined the formation.

Intercepting Il-mu’s kick aimed at Mu-hwa’s thigh, Mu-jin signaled to Mu-cheol with his eyes.

Mu-cheol, understanding the signal, unleashed a powerful strike without worrying about Mu-hwa.

Swoosh!

Even Il-mu felt the pressure of facing Mu-cheol’s full-force strike head-on and quickly dodged towards Mu-jin’s side.

At the same moment, he raised his fingers, aiming to claw at Mujin’s chest.

If Mujin blocked with his sword, the plan was to grip it and channel internal energy to inflict severe internal injuries.

“Senior brother, I can’t think of any way to close this gap.”

Mucheol’s strength and weight.

Muhwa’s light footwork and fluid movements.

Compared to them, he couldn’t think of anything he had.

All he could rely on was his sword, honed through relentless training.

“Haah.”

With a deep breath, Mujin stepped forward with determination, unleashing his Nongpung Sword technique.

His eyes shone even brighter than before, despite the internal injuries. Seeing this, Ilmu’s fingertips twitched.

Even though his internal energy wasn’t flowing smoothly and his fingers trembled, Mujin managed to unleash a sword strike as swift as a ray of light.

Mujin’s sword never deviated from its intended path.

His unyielding spirit, determined not to let his fellow disciples get hurt, drove his body forward. This resolve naturally infused his sword with power.

As the movements ingrained in his body and the internal energy surged through his veins, a faint red glow began to emanate from Mujin’s sword.

It was faint, but it was unmistakably sword energy.

Swish!

A faint red line traced through the air.

Mujin’s sword didn’t block Ilmu’s claw technique but instead thrust straight toward his heart, as if aiming for mutual destruction.

“I haven’t found a way yet, so I’ll make do with my body.”

In that fleeting moment when sword and hand crossed, Ilmu’s eyes widened at the unexpected boldness of Mujin’s attack.

“The guy who was holding back suddenly pulls a stunt like this? It’s just bravado.”

But Mujin’s gaze was resolute.

Ilmu’s eyes twitched as he hastily twisted his upper body, narrowly avoiding the sword.

In doing so, his claws only managed to tear the front of Mujin’s robe.

“Damn it, I can’t believe I flinched at a kid’s gaze.”

Ilmu’s balance was thrown off as he forcibly changed his stance mid-attack.

Seizing this opportunity, Mucheol aimed to split Ilmu’s head. Ilmu had no choice but to extend both hands in a prayer-like gesture to catch Mucheol’s sword in mid-air.

Thud!

With Ilmu’s hands occupied blocking Mucheol’s heavy sword, Muhwa didn’t miss the brief opening.

He gathered all his remaining internal energy and executed a swift step.

Slash!

“Ugh!”

Muhwa’s form brushed past Ilmu.

Moments later, a red stain rapidly spread across Ilmu’s side.

“Damn it.”

With the injury to his side sapping his strength, Ilmu cursed in frustration.

His hands trembled uncontrollably, and eventually, he lost his grip on the heavy sword.

Mucheol took the opportunity to slash across Ilmu’s chest.

With his side and now his chest cut open, Ilmu could no longer hold on and collapsed.

Seeing Ilmu’s body fall, Mujin finally relaxed.

The strength he had been barely holding onto drained away, and he fell to his knees.

“Senior Brother Mujin!”

Muhwa rushed over to Mujin, who was bleeding from his mouth.

End