The Legend of the Northern Blade - Chapter 201: Crisis and Ill-Fated Encounters (1)
TL: FoodieMonster007
A gray space between darkness and light.
Some people live in a murky, gray world, one side light and the other dark. They toy with the world, holding darkness in one hand and light in the other.
I have only now realized. To face them, I too must become gray.
The Black Soul Corps wore black martial arts uniforms and red coats. All of them were once homeless orphans who had wandered the Central Plains. When they were young, the Undefeated Clan had selected the most talented among them and sent them to a secret location.
There, death pushed them through its gates, driving them beyond human limits. A comrade who stood beside them yesterday might be a cold corpse today. At first they mourned, but they couldn’t grieve freely. Death would claim them the moment they dropped their guard.
Time stripped the orphans of their laughter. They lost their consideration for others and, one by one, every human emotion. Basic feelings vanished, reborn as killing machines. The Black Soul Corps formed from the cruelest and most skilled of these machines.
They thought nothing of others’ deaths or even their own. They enjoyed killing yet believed they’d have no regrets if they died. This made them more terrifying than any weapon. To kill a target, they cast aside their own lives like worthless straw without hesitation.
The Black Soul Corps swarmed Jin Mu-Won, launching a wave-like assault with their wolf-fang blades. The blades’ serrated edges were reminiscent of a wolf’s teeth.
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
Dozens of these blades flew at Jin Mu-Won with the goal of hacking his body to pieces, but Snow Flower weaved between them, sending sparks flying with every clash. Instead of being pushed back by the relentless wave, Snow Flower aimed even more sharply for its enemies’ throats.
Overpowered, the Black Soul Corps changed their strategy. Rather than face Jin Mu-Won head-on, they began circling him. Aware of his powerful technique, they kept ample space between them, yet their movements remained perfectly coordinated.
Jin Mu-Won admired their agility. He had annihilated the Heavenly Hunters so easily because they relied only on strength and clustered together, making them vulnerable to a powerful technique like Storm Forest.
The Black Soul Corps was different. They were wary of his immense power, which made them far more difficult to deal with.
Jin Mu-Won glanced sideways. Seo Mu-Sang led Ha Jin-Wol, Tang Gi-Mun, Tang Mi-Ryeo, and the others from the manor. The Black Soul Corps saw this too, but not one of them paid attention, focusing their attacks solely on him.
His gaze shifted to Gwan Dae-Seung and Seomoon Hye-Ryung. They smiled.
Does this mean they’re fully prepared?
He’d expected a counterattack someday, but not this soon. Regardless, there was no time to think. The Black Soul Corps pressed in skillfully.
Watching Jin Mu-Won hold his ground without yielding an inch, Seomoon Hye-Ryung bit her lip. His martial prowess was more formidable than she’d imagined.
I’m already covered in filth. No matter what it takes, I have to kill him here and now.
She couldn’t escape criticism by doing this. No matter what excuse Heaven’s Summit made, people would never view it favorably. Still, she had to see it through.
He’ll surely become Soo-Cheon’s greatest obstacle. I can’t just stand by and watch him block his path.
If Dam Soo-Cheon had known, he would never have allowed it. That was the kind of person he was. For this reason, she hadn’t stopped Yuk Ji-Mun from asking Dam Soo-Cheon to deal with the witch. It was the only way to legitimately send him away.
“Hwa-Yeong.”
“Yes, Young Lady?” Chae Hwa-Yeong appeared behind her.
Seomoon Hye-Ryung’s gaze fell on Seo Mu-Sang, Tang Gi-Mun, and the others. “What happened here must never get out.”
“The Seomoon Clan elites are already guarding the perimeter. They’ll never make it out alive.”
“Wait! What do you mean they won’t make it out alive? We agreed that you wouldn’t touch Master Tang or my junior sister, didn’t we?” Myeong Ryu-San interjected.
“That was only if you kept your promise.”
“I did what you said, didn’t I?”
Then you should have testified as you were told.”
“That’s…”
“You’re the one who broke the promise, so why should I keep mine?”
Myeong Ryu-San’s face flashed with anger. Seomoon Hye-Ryung had approached him first, fanning the flames in his already excited heart. He knew he shouldn’t have, but he fell for her temptation and delivered information about Jin Mu-Won. She’d promised him a sweet future. When he still hesitated, she promised the safety of Tang Gi-Mun and Tang Mi-Ryeo, identifying and breaking the one barrier that held him back.
“Still, not my master and junior sister.”
“It’s too late.” Seomoon Hye-Ryung replied coldly.
Myeong Ryu-San trembled at her impenetrable indifference. Shaking his fist at her, he shouted, “You crazy bitch, retract the order right now!”
“How dare you!”
“You dog-like bitch! You won’t even die a peaceful death when you fall into the fires of hell!” Myeong Ryu-San spat venomously, then launched himself in the direction Tang Gi-Mun and the others had gone.
Anger flashed across Seomoon Hye-Ryung’s face. In that short time, Myeong Ryu-San had vanished.
Chae Hwa-Yeong consoled her. “Young Lady, are you alright? I’ll take care of him.”
“No, he can’t escape anyway. For now, let’s just focus on Master Jin.”
“I understand.”
Seomoon Hye-Ryung composed herself. Beneath her calm exterior lay the confidence that nothing would change, no matter how hard Myeong Ryu-San tried. She had poured everything into this day.
He wants to rebuild the Northern Army? I can’t let that happen. Absolutely not!
She looked in front of her, where Jin Mu-Won was still locked in battle with the Black Soul Corps.
RUMBLE!
A ferocious wind raged. Soon, corpses from the Black Soul Corps began piling up on the ground. Jin Mu-Won’s martial skill was formidable to say the least. He moved with ethereal grace amidst their relentless assault, killing his opponent with teffifying efficiency. Every time his sword cut through the air, a spray of blood blossomed like a flower, and someone died.
“He’s truly fearsome,” Seomoon Hye-Ryung remarked. “His talent, his patience, his tenacity.”
“Young Lady.”
“For ten years, he secretly trained in martial arts. He concealed himself so thoroughly that no one suspected him. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Had he hidden and amassed his power for just a few more years, he would’ve shaken the very foundations of the jianghu.”
Chae Hwa-Yeong held her breath, surprised. She had never heard Seomoon Hye-Ryung evaluate someone so highly.
The Young Lady seems to be feeling a far greater sense of crisis than I expected.
The man who could make her feel such crisis was fighting before them. Even without using any special techniques, Jin Mu-Won easily overpowered the Black Soul Corps.
Chae Hwa-Yeong’s eye twitched. Jin Mu-Won emitted no powerful inner qi, not even common sword qi, yet she could feel his restrained strength. His movements radiated the decisiveness and composure of someone with absolute confidence in his power. As a martial artist who pursued the pinnacle, she felt Jin Mu-Won’s strength all the more keenly.
The Black Soul Corps was tenacious. They ignored their comrades’ deaths. When one fell, another took its place, fighting desperately to even scratch Jin Mu-Won. Their sheer persistence was enough to make one shudder. Chae Hwa-Yeong doubted she could survive an attack from ten of them, yet Jin Mu-Won was gaining the upper hand, steadily eliminating them one by one.
Goosebumps rose on her forearm. At this rate, he would defeat the entire Black Soul Corps and come for them next.
“He’s strong, as expected, but no matter how strong he is, he’ll never survive today,” Gwan Dae-Seung muttered, his voice filled with conviction. The Black Soul Corps wasn’t his only hope. They were merely bait to drain Jin Mu-Won’s strength. The true force, with power incomparable to theirs, would be deployed next.
“Rampage all you want, Jin Mu-Won. No matter how much you struggle, you won’t escape the hell unfolding in Wuhan.”
Seo Mu-Sang’s eyes gleamed coldly. A group of about a dozen martial artists blocked his path, each of them radiating murderous auras. Their attire was varied, and each aura was unique. They appeared to be a disorderly mob, but he knew better.
“As they say, good men don’t come, and those who come aren’t good.”
There was no reason for people with good intentions to block his path with weapons. These were enemies. He drew his sword.
SHING!
The martial artists flinched. The moment the blade met Seo Mu-Sang’s hand, a sharp energy, like that of a well-forged sword, radiated from his body.
“You remember what I said, right? Advance just thirty more paces, no matter what. A path will open,” Ha Jin-Wol whispered in his ear.
“Just trust me, Strategist.”
“I will!”
Despite being surrounded, Ha Jin-Wol’s expression remained unchanged.
A strategist prepares for the future. I prepared for this. The problem is that it arrived sooner than I expected.
He’d thought he would have more time. This crisis was brought on by because he hadn’t expected their enemies’ counterattack to happen so quickly. He vowed to himself never to be careless again, but first, he had to survive.
He whispered to Tang Gi-Mun, “Hyung-nim, be ready to spread the poison if necessary. They’ll surely try to kill us to silence us. This is no time to be picky.”
“I understand,” Tang Gi-Mun said, his expression grim. No matter who Gwan Dae-Seung was, he couldn’t afford to ignore the Tang Clan. To persecute an Tang Clan elder like this showed clear intent to kill him and leave no witnesses.
“Mi-Ryeo, don’t you dare leave my side.”
“Yes, Uncle,” Tang Mi-Ryeo replied, fingering her hidden weapons. She couldn’t help Seo Mu-Sang, but she was determined to protect Ha Jin-Wol and Tang Gi-Mun.
The martial artists charged. A giant axe bore down on them, while swords and daos whistled through the air.
PWING!
Lightning flickered. A coin-sized hole appeared on the forehead of the man who was charging at the front. This was the Blue Cloud Sword Technique, an Outer Hall skill. Though it was considered a third-rate martial art, in Seo Mu-Sang’s hands, it was anything but mediocre.
SHWIIING!
Fangs sharper than a viper’s and fiercer than a wolf’s pierced an enemy’s throat. A violent wind stirred, whipped up by Seo Mu-Sang himself. He swung his sword again and again, his clothes and blade stained red with blood.
Still, he didn’t stop. This was the first order his liege had given him.
He gritted his teeth. I will protect them, no matter what.
Corpses piled up.
Until this moment, no one knew the great change this day’s battle would bring to the jianghu.
