The Legend of the Northern Blade - Chapter 205: When A Boy Becomes A Man (2)

Wow! This strategist’s abilities are truly incredible.

Seo Mu-Sang marveled inwardly. Escaping the manor had been difficult, but afterward, they faced no obstacles by simply following Ha Jin-Wol’s guidance. Armed martial artists swarmed past them, close enough to touch, yet they never recognized them.

So this is the power of formations.

Ha Jin-Wol had set up a series of mazes and illusions throughout Heaven’s Village and its suburbs. Since he’d set them up in advance, he only needed to activate them.

It was a simple yet brutally efficient method. The martial artists from Heaven’s Summit searched diligently, but couldn’t find the group hidden within the illusions. Each time a search party moved on, Ha Jin-Wol deactivated the formation, led them to the next location, and activated another.

After repeating this process a dozen times, the group made it to the outskirts, far from Heaven’s Village.

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“Phew! I think we’ve shaken them off for now,” Seo Mu-Sang remarked.

“It’s too early to be relieved,” Ha Jin-Wol cautioned. “They won’t give up that easily. By now, they have probably realized that I set up formations and are tracking us with their own experts.”

Tang Gi-Mun’s expression darkened. “Such arrogance! They don’t even consider the Tang Clan a threat.”

“Do you think it’s just the Tang Clan? In the current murim, only the Silent Night can keep them in check. They don’t care about any other sects.”

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“Power without constraints is a frightening thing,” Tang Gi-Mun sighed.

Having lived his entire life within the Tang Clan’s power structure, he had never been oppressed by others, so he had never given the matter much thought. Perhaps that was why he’d never seen the world as an unjust place.

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Ha Jin-Wol gently patted his shoulder. “You can think about it later. Right now, we need to get out of here.”

“Yes, I understand.” Tang Gi-Mun smiled. “Having you with us is reassuring,” he added sincerely.

The others nodded, feeling the same.

“If you’ve recovered your stamina, let’s move again,” Ha Jin-Wol said.

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“What about Mu-Won?”

“He’ll escape on his own.”

“But…”

“Have faith in him. He’s not a man who will die easily.”

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“Hmph!”

“At least, I believe in him,” Ha Jin-Wol declared unwaveringly.

Seo Mu-Sang added his support. “That’s right. The Liege will definitely escape with his life. The best way we can help him is to escape this place safely.”

“I understand,” Tang Gi-Mun conceded. “If you all think so…”

The men who followed Jin Mu-Won most closely were certain. In that case, he had to believe in him, too. “It’s a shame we have to flee like this after working so hard to clear up the misunderstanding about the Northern Army colluding with the Silent Night.”

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Regret filled his voice. Having watched Jin Mu-Won’s journey from the beginning, his disappointment was immense. If they fled now, Heaven’s Summit would surely frame him again.

“That won’t happen,” Ha Jin-Wol said.

“What do you mean?”

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“Do you think I didn’t consider that?”

“Then?”

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Instead of answering, Ha Jin-Wol smiled meaningfully. As Tang Gi-Mun watched him suspiciously, Seo Mu-Sang announced, “I don’t sense any more presences. Let’s move.”

“Let’s.” Ha Jin-Wol casually kicked a stone on the ground.

The surrounding scenery shimmered as the formation dissolved. With the illusion gone, they started moving again. Their enemies had already swept through the area, so they could move with ease, as no presence could be felt nearby.

“So, where are we going now?”

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“We’re going south.”

“South? Not north? The south is Heaven’s Summit’s territory. All the nearby sects are under their influence.”

“They’ll expect that. That’s why we’re going south. We’ll change direction midway through. That way…” Ha Jin-Wol stopped mid-sentence and froze.

“What’s wrong?” Tang Mi-Ryeo asked, puzzled.

Ha Jin-Wol stared straight ahead, motionless as a statue. Seo Mu-Sang and Tang Gi-Mun were the same. They stood with wide eyes, as if they had seen something they should never have seen.

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“What…” Tang Mi-Ryeo’s gaze followed theirs.

She didn’t know when it had happened, but an old man stood there, watching them with his arms crossed. He looked to be in his early seventies with an ordinary face, but his eyes shone with a brilliance that seemed to contain all of the world’s wisdom. He wore a pure white robe with his hair tied back by a matching headband, looking like an otherworldly sage.

Despite this, deep fear etched itself across Seo Mu-Sang’s and the others’ faces. They didn’t know the old man’s name or identity, but from the moment they saw him, goosebumps rose on their skin and refused to subside. Their entire bodies trembled like aspen leaves. Their bodies felt the fear before their minds could process it.

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Who is that old man?

An intense crisis washed over them. They felt that their lives would end if the old man so much as moved. They didn’t dare breathe loudly. The aura he exuded was that immense. However, the pressure Ha Jin-Wol felt was beyond imagination. Unlike the others, he recognized the old man’s identity.

“The Ghost of Zhuge Liang, Seomoon Hwa!” he growled.

Seomoon Hwa smiled faintly. “As expected, you recognize this old man. I knew you would.”

“Why are you here?”

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“I came here to see the face of the person who repeatedly thwarted my granddaughter’s plans.”

“Kuh!” Ha Jin-Wol narrowed his eyes. Damn it! Did I attract a tiger while avoiding the fox?

Seomoon Hwa smiled amusedly at his reaction. The Seomoon Clan was known for being home to the world’s brightest minds, and among their young prodigies, Seomoon Hye-Ryung was considered the most intelligent.

Consequently, he had high expectations for her, but recently, she suffered repeated setbacks.

The one who caused them was Ha Jin-Wol, so he was curious about him. The Seomoon Hye-Ryung he knew was a rare genius. Though he wasn’t pleased that such a talent had emerged from outside his family, the fact that another genius had appeared to rival her piqued his interest.

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Ha Jin-Wol scowled. This is the worst.

Seomoon Hwa was also an extraordinary martial artist who ranked among the Nine Skies. Before his power, tricks and schemes were meaningless.

Most despairing of all was that Seomoon Hwa was also brilliant. To call him a genius was an insult to his intelligence. He was the most perfect being Ha Jin-Wol knew, skilled in both literary and martial arts.

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He found Seomoon Hwa’s curious gaze difficult to bear. To the old man, it might have been simple amusement, but to him, who didn’t know martial arts, it was disastrous.

Seomoon Hwa’s smile deepened. “Quite impressive. You mixed bewilderment and illusion formations appropriately, even preparing to set them up at key points. You’re certainly a step above Hye-Ryung when it comes to improvisation.”

“I don’t know what to say to such praise. Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me. Do you know why?”

“With my limited knowledge, I wouldn’t dare guess.”

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“Then let me ask you something else. Why is the Seomoon Clan known as the smartest in the world?”

“That’s something I’ve never thought about.”

“I thought so. No one ever doubts it. Why are only the smartest people produced by the Seomoon Clan? Do they have a special method? Why doesn’t anyone suspect such a thing?”

“Then let me ask: Is there a special method?”

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Seomoon Hwa smiled innocently.

Goosebumps erupted all over Ha Jin-Wol’s body, but he forced himself to endure it. He had to buy time, no matter what.

“It’s true that members of the Seomoon Clan are born with some of the best brains in the world. Our experiences and methods, accumulated over hundreds of years, made that possible. However, the world sometimes gives birth to beings called geniuses, beings who can see through the principles of heaven without help and understand ten things when taught one. True prodigies. We of the Seomoon Clan have always been more wary of such individuals than anyone else.”

Ha Jin-Wol’s pupils trembled. “So?”

“If you were me, could you just stand by and watch people destroy a fortress you’ve built? For generations, it’s been the Seomoon Patriarch’s duty to eliminate any genius who could threaten our clan.”

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“Ugh!”

“Now you understand why I’m here, don’t you?” Seomoon Hwa looked at Ha Jin-Wol expectantly, as if waiting for praise.

However, Ha Jin-Wol couldn’t smile back. Seomoon Hwa’s intention was clear. He would eliminate him before he could grow into a greater threat.

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His mind raced to search for a way out of his dilemma.

“Your granddaughter wouldn’t want this,” he finally said, his voice strained. “She’s looking forward to competing with me. Are you planning to betray her expectations?”

“In this world, you can’t always get what you want. To gain one thing, you must give up another. It’s time for Hye-Ryung to learn that.”

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Seomoon Hwa didn’t hide his true intentions. He judged Ha Jin-Wol as a threat and decided to eliminate him. His granddaughter’s competitive spirit had no influence on his decision.

Waves of energy began to flow from his body, dominating the area. The spiderweb-like energy constricted Ha Jin-Wol and the others, preventing them from moving.

Unable to watch any longer, Tang Gi-Mun shouted, “For the great Seomoon Clan to resort to such petty tricks… Have you no shame?”

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“Shamelessness is the greatest virtue for one who manages the world,” Seomoon Hwa replied calmly. “How can one manage the world by weighing morality and precedence?”

“However, Senior…”

“What makes you think only the Seomoon Clan is like this? The Tang Clan rose to power in the same way. You know full well how many people died and how many sects fell when the Tang Clan established itself in Sichuan. For one great family to rule a region, at least a thousand lives must be sacrificed. That’s reality.”

Tang Gi-Mun was stunned speechless. Seomoon Hwa’s words were like a dagger, digging into his heart.

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As if he knew that would happen, Seomoon Hwa smiled faintly and unfolded his arms. “This conversation has gone on too long. I should hurry and finish you all off so I can watch Jin Mu-Won’s final moments.”

He took a step, and the world changed completely. They had been in a forest, but their surroundings had transformed into absolute darkness.

“T-The Heaven Ascending Tiger Steps?” Ha Jin-Wol exclaimed, almost screaming.

The secret Seomoon Clan technique that could deploy formations with mere footsteps unfolded in a nameless forest on the outskirts of Heaven’s Village.

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