The Legend of the Northern Blade - Chapter 202: Crisis and Ill-Fated Encounters (2)

TL: FoodieMonster007

Seo Mu-Sang carved a path of blood. Men screamed as their bellies split open, and gurgled with slit throats.

Ha Jin-Wol ordered them to move thirty paces forward, but the distance felt like more than five kilometers. Seo Mu-Sang had already killed dozens, yet there were several times that many left. The way ahead stretched on endlessly.

“Huff, huff!” Pained groans escaped his lips.

If he were alone, he would’ve covered the distance and more, but he had people to protect, and they held him back. However, he would never consider them a burden, nor would he ever give up. He unleashed the Blue Cloud Sword Technique to defend himself, Ha Jin-Wol, and the others. Together, they barely held on, aided by the little strength Tang Mi-Ryeo could offer.

Nevertheless, Tang Mi-Ryeo’s expression darkened as she threw her hidden weapons, trying to keep their enemies in check. Her supplies were dwindling. If only she had been better prepared, she would have brought more. Unfortunately, she’d let her guard down at the Tang Estate. Normally, weapons would be hidden all over her body, but now she had only ten left, a pitifully small number to hold back the tide.

The enemy relentlessly targeted Tang Gi-Mun and Ha Jin-Wol, correctly identifying them as the group’s weak points. They focused their attacks on the two men, knowing that under constant pressure, a weak spot would eventually appear. Under the onslaught, the two men’s heads spun and their vision blurred, scattering their focus.

Caught up in the chaos, Tang Gi-Mun couldn’t find an opening to release his poison. Seo Mu-Sang and Tang Mi-Ryeo were engaged with the enemy, so a misplaced dose could harm them as well.

Ha Jin-Wol was equally helpless in the midst of the chaos. He just had to hold on, and there were only twenty more paces to go.

A strategist predicts and prepares for countless futures. I had already anticipated a situation like this and prepared a countermeasure. We just need to reach the trigger!

At least he was in better shape than Tang Gi-Mun. Lacking stamina and agility, Tang Gi-Mun had already been wounded.

“Keuk!” Tang Gi-Mun let out another frustrated groan as an enemy blade gashed his leg. It was only a flesh wound, not life-threatening, but it would slow him down.

Of all places, why my leg?

He tried to follow Seo Mu-Sang, limping along, but his pace gradually slowed. The distance between them widened, causing Ha Jin-Wol and Tang Mi-Ryeo to fall behind as well.

He grit his teeth in determination. “This won’t work. You go on ahead.”

“What are you saying, hyung-nim?”

“I’m sure you can tell that I’ll only be a burden. You at least have to get out of here safely.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! How could I abandon you and Mi-Ryeo?”

“But if you stay with me, you’ll get dragged down, too.”

“Hyung-nim!”

Tang Gi-Mun ignored Ha Jin-Wol’s cry. He had made his decision.

SHWIIIAK!

Seeing a spear flying toward him, he squeezed his eyes shut. The attack was impossibly fast and unavoidable, even if his leg were uninjured, and Seo Mu-Sang and Tang Mi-Ryeo were too busy to help.

CRACK!

A shattering sound reverberated in his ears, but he felt no pain. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw a familiar figure. Myeong Ryu-San had struck down the spear wielder.

“Ryu-San.”

Without looking back, Myeong Ryu-San said, “Hurry and follow him. I’ll cover the rear.”

“Ryu-San!”

“Damn it! I’m sorry. I lost my mind for a moment and gave in to that bitch’s temptation. Scold me later, just get out of here.”

“It’s alright, Ryu-San. It happens. You know what you did wrong. That’s enough.”

Myeong Ryu-San smiled brightly. “Master! I can call you Master, right?”

“Yes, I am your Master.”

Myeong Ryu-San’s smile grew even wider at Tang Gi-Mun’s reply. He had longed to hear those words, but his stubborn pride had kept him from asking.

This is enough. I’ve heard what I so desperately wanted to hear.

“Master, hurry and get out of here.”

“Ryu-San, let’s go together.”

“Someone has to stay behind and stop them. I’ll hold them off and catch up, so please go.”

“You have to survive, Ryu-San. I still have a lot of poison to feed you.”

“Damn it! Just go!”

Myeong Ryu-San stayed behind, fending off the enemies that rushed toward them. Beast-like screams and shouts shook the earth.

“Let’s go, Hyung-nim. It’s the only way to help him,” Ha Jin-Wol said, pushing Tang Gi-Mun’s back.

Still, Tang Gi-Mun couldn’t take his eyes off Myeong Ryu-San.

Finally, Ha Jin-Wol called out, “Thank you, Ryu-San. I believed in you.”

“Believed in me, my ass. Still, thanks. Thanks for not giving up on a worthless piece of shit like me. I feel relieved now, thanks to you.”

“I mean it. I truly hope you make it to safety.”

“If I can…” Myeong Ryu-San replied bluntly. Even as he spoke, his hands and feet blurred, deflecting and redirecting attacks. Tang Gi-Mun and Ha Jin-Wol were rapidly growing distant.

“Ah, fuck!”

Tears threatened to well up as he watched them retreat, but he forced them back.

I was acknowledged by Master, right? That makes me a disciple of the Tang Clan too. Me, Myeong Ryu-San, a country bumpkin from Sichuan has made it big!

The journey had been utterly absurd. He was just a nobody from the western plateaus of Sichuan , but everything changed when he met Jin Mu-Won’s group. He became a true martial artist who could emit qi and earned the alias of the Unyielding Bloodhound. He still hated taking poison, but it had made him who he was today.

“Bring it on, you sons of bitches! I’ll tear you all apart!”

Myeong Ryu-San rampaged like a madman.

CRACK!

His punch caved in an enemy’s face, splattering blood across his own face and chest. He didn’t care. He fought with none of the clumsy forms he’d learned in some third-rate academy. These were the movements Jin Mu-Won had beaten into him, pure instinct honed by pain. He used no special techniques or rigid forms. He simply moved, and the enemies couldn’t evade his attacks.

KWAJIK!

“Kuaargh!”

The sound of breaking bones echoed alongside an enemy’s scream.

Myeong Ryu-San fought with everything he had. The longer he held them back, the better Tang Gi-Mun’s chances of escape.

“Hah, hah!”

Soon, however, his breathing grew ragged. Still, he moved like a madman, pushing his stamina to its limit. He knew his greatest weakness was his rapid growth. His qi and skills had increased so quickly that he lacked a stable foundation, especially in stamina and qi management. Nevertheless, he compensated for his physical weakness with sheer grit, and made up for his lack of control with insane athletic ability.

Myeong Ryu-San became a blood-soaked wolf. For every wound he inflicted, he received one in return. Excruciating pain wracked his body, but he gritted his teeth and endured.

While he struggled, Tang Gi-Mun and the others vanished completely from sight. Only then did he let out the laugh he’d been holding back.

“Hehehe!”

“This son of a bitch…”

The martial artists who had lost their targets because of him released their killing intent.

“I’ll grind your bones to dust!”

“Fuck off, you bastards! What right do you assholes who break promises and launch sneak attacks have to talk so much?”

Myeong Ryu-San had a knack for getting under people’s skin. Provoked by his words, their faces flushed with rage , and they charged at him desperately. A large hole was torn in his side. He sent the head of the man who did it flying, but his expression didn’t relax.

“Keuk!”

He clutched his torn side and staggered back, his intestines spilling between his fingers. The pain made his mind grow distant. In that opening, a martial artist plunged a sword into his back.

Myeong Ryu-San desperately twisted and kicked the man in the chest, feeling the sternum shatter under his foot. Before he could savor it, though, another wave of agony washed over him.

He forgot why he was fighting. He just charged like a mad dog, tearing at the enemy. His body was drenched in blood as he gasped for breath. In the chaos, he suffered more fatal wounds to his stomach and shoulder. Still, he never stopped moving. When the strength left his limbs, he used his teeth to tear at an enemy’s neck.

He didn’t let go until the man stopped breathing, his mouth filling with flesh and blood. As the man’s struggles subsided, he loosened his jaw and collapsed onto a pile of corpses.

“Huuuh!”

He no longer had the strength to move. His punctured lungs couldn’t draw in fresh air. His vision blurred and the world turned red.

Is this the end? I’ve done all I can. I have no regrets.

He let out a faint laugh. There was no reason for it, laughter just came. He’d always wondered how he would die and had never wanted an insignificant end, and now, he’d burned away his everything to protect his master and companions. It was a hero’s end.

As his consciousness faded, someone appeared before him.

Fuck… there’s still one left? Damn it, I don’t know anymore.

He figured Seo Mu-Sang would handle the last one.

To his surprise, the newcomer lifted his body. Myeong Ryu-San opened his eyes with great effort. Someone was looking down at him. The face was blurry, but the gaze seemed sad.

“Who…who are you?”

“Ryu-San.”

I know this voice.

“Mu-Won?”

The man, covered in blood just like him, was Jin Mu-Won. He held Myeong Ryu-San in his arms and looked down at him.

“Sh… shit!”

“You did well.”

“Bullshit… keul!”

“Master Tang and the others escaped safely because of you.”

“Heheh!” Myeong Ryu-San tried to smile, but he couldn’t muster the strength. He’d burned every last shred of his life force. Not even the most powerful immortals could save him now.

Jin Mu-Won could tell his condition, so he said nothing. He had done his best to shake off the Black Soul Corps to get here, but he was too late.

Myeong Ryu-San muttered, “Ma… ster said… I’m also… a disciple of the Tang Clan…”

“Yes, you are a disciple of the Tang Clan. If I could, I’d want you in the Northern Army too,” Jin Mu-Won replied not as himself, but as the Lord of the Northern Army.

Myeong Ryu-San grinned faintly. “Ri… ght?”

With that, he was content. This was his final smile.

Jin Mu-Won looked down at the young man, speechless. His smiling face looked as if he might wake up at any moment and start grumbling.

“…Ryu-San?” Far in the distance, Tang Gi-Mun suddenly looked back, thinking he heard Myeong Ryu-San’s voice, but no one was there. “You must come back safely. I still have a lot of poison left to feed you.”

Seomoon Hye-Ryung stared blankly at the horrific scene before her. A mountain of corpses and a river of blood unfolded before her. The Black Soul Corps’ bodies formed the mountain, and their blood formed the river.

Jin Mu-Won’s martial prowess was beyond her imagination. The Black Soul Corps was strong, but he was stronger. The final technique he used completely overturned her common sense. His sword flashed, and in an instant, more than twenty corps members were sliced in two. She didn’t know it was the third technique of the Shadow Blade of Destruction, Dividing the Heavenly Seas, but its power was seared into her mind as fear.

In the end, he shook them off and escaped. The surviving members pursued him, but she knew it was useless. His power was that shocking.

“Jin Mu-Won…”

“Even so, he won’t survive.”

Despite witnessing the same scene, Gwan Dae-Seung was much calmer. Seomoon Hye-Ryung looked at him, and he offered a smile.

“The perimeter around Heaven’s Summit is tighter than you think, and the most bizarre man in the world is chasing him. He’ll never escape Hubei.”

“A bizarre man?”

“Just trust that such a man exists. Our job is to follow his trail and witness his final moments,” Gwan Dae-Seung said with conviction.

Seomoon Hye-Ryung found herself nodding at his unwavering assertion. However, she had to ask herself a question.

Is that really true? Really…

Jin Mu-Won was a man who always achieved what others called impossible. If the greater Dam Soo-Cheon didn’t exist, perhaps she might’ve chosen him.

Did I underestimate Gwan Dae-Seung too much?

Her gaze turned to the man beside her. She and the rest of the world knew him only as the administrator of Heaven’s Summit, but the glimpse she’d just caught of the real man wasn’t so simple.

Even her grandfatther, Seomoon Hwa, had warned her to be wary of him. In all her life, she’d never seen her grandfatherher so openly cautious of anyone. That alone made it clear that Gwan Dae-Seung was a dangerous individual.

Gwan Dae-Seung started strolling leisurely in the direction Jin Mu-Won had disappeared.

Seomoon Hye-Ryung and Chae Hwa-Yeong followed quietly behind him. Regardless of her feelings, she had to witness Jin Mu-Won’s end with her own eyes. Only then could she sleep soundly.

The long night was still not over.