The Legend of the Northern Blade - Chapter 209: If You Can Kill, You Can Also Be Killed (3)

Jin Mu-Won looked like a man made of blood. His reddish-brown uniform was soaked through, and his eyes completely bloodshot.

Across from him, Jo Un-Kyung could have been his mirror image. Like Jin Mu-Won, he was wounded and bloodied, but ironically, he was in better condition.

Such was the power of the Demonic Cross of Blood. The martial art empowered its user by absorbing the blood of others, granting an unparalleled regenerative ability.

As such, the field of corpses where they stood was the perfect condition for Jo Un-Kyung, allowing his wounds to heal visibly.

He wasn’t the only one. Tae Mu-Kang, who had been lying on the ground, pushed himself to his feet. His injuries were almost fully healed. He looked around dazedly for a moment, finally focusing on Jin Mu-Won. Madness radiated from him once more.

Jin Mu-Won straightened his back, his breathing heavy and ragged. The continuous back-to-back battles seemed endless, but he couldn’t give up. If he retreated now, there would be no place left for him in the jianghu.

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!

Gwan Dae-Seung emerged from the darkness, clapping slowly. Behind him followed Seomoon Hye-Ryung, who seemed lost in thought. Dozens of bodyguards surrounded.

Jin Mu-Won stared at Gwan Dae-Seung, who only clapped louder in response.

“Truly impressive!” Gwan Dae-Seung praised. “I’m honestly surprised. I really didn’t know you could last this long against those two.”

Jin Mu-Won didn’t answer. He couldn’t. If he opened his mouth, the chaotic inner qi rampaging through his body would spiral out of control. He desperately focused on stabilizing the corrupted energy within him.

Gwan Dae-Seung smiled. He had appeared precisely because he judged that Jin Mu-Won had reached his limit. After all, the young man had fought one fierce battle after another, from the assassins of the Black Soul Corps to the Chaos Demon and Jo Un-Kyung. None were easy opponents. The fact that he had lasted this long was a miracle.

“Given your strength, in time you will surely rival the Nine Skies.” His smile deepened. “You should be proud. Still, it seems you’ve finally hit your limit.”

Jo Un-Kyung and Tae Mu-Kang moved to flank Jin Mu-Won. Jo Un-Kyung wore a faint smile, while Tae Mu-Kang appeared disgruntled.

“I’m not done yet,” Jin Mu-Won gasped, having finally stabilized his inner qi.

“Still denying reality? You can’t possibly defeat them. They’ve already analyzed your martial arts. Even if you were a deity, today is the day you’ll die,” Gwan Dae-Seung stated with certainty. “Everything you hold dear will disappear from the world today. That includes everyone connected to you.”

“What a joke. And you still call Heaven’s Summit a righteous organization?”

“A righteous organization? Do you think such a thing exists? It’s human nature to seek power and authority, and those who do so are never righteous. The world may be buzzing about you now, but it’ll soon forget all about you. Do you know why?” Gwan Dae-Seung paused. “Because we’ll make it so.”

“I think I understand now,” Jin Mu-Won said. “So this is how you’ve managed to rule the world for so long.”

“Oh? Elaborate.”

“You incite the Silent Night to plunge the world into fear and then have Heaven’s Summit clean up the mess. The Silent Night receives the world’s hatred and resentment, while you rule the jianghu from a safe distance. You maintain your position with the blood of others without shedding any of your own. Am I right?”

Gwan Dae-Seung smiled faintly in silent affirmation.

Jin Mu-Won pursed his lips grimly. His suspicions were confirmed.

They’re truly meticulous. To think they’ve ruled the Central Plains this way for over a century. The jianghu and the Silent Night are just puppets dancing in their hands.

The truth was terrifying enough to make his teeth chatter.

Gwan Dae-Seung stepped closer to Jin Mu-Won. “You’re a fine talent. If you weren’t the successor of the Northern Army, I would’ve gone out of my way to recommend you to Him.”

“Who?” Jin Mu-Won asked. Convinced that he was going to die, Gwan Dae-Seung seemed willing to reveal critical information than he otherwise never would have.

“The true absolute ruler of the jianghu, of course. Compared to him, the other members of the Nine Skies are quite lacking. Ah, I think I’ve said too much. Now, it’s time for you to die. That way, I can deal with the next nuisance, the witch, with an easy mind.”

“The witch?”

“I’ve left her to the Lone Star of the Azure Sky for now, but she’s been on my mind, just like you. Hence, I plan to nip the problem in the bud.”

Jin Mu-Won’s eyes wavered. Han-Seol.

She was in danger, just as he was. This was no longer just about his own survival.

He glanced at Seomoon Hye-Ryung, but she wasn’t looking at him. She was lost in her own thoughts, her complex emotions all too plain on her face.

He tightened his grip on Snow Flower. Its surface, once seemingly unbreakable, was now covered in a fine web of cracks. Its cry had weakened significantly.

Just a little more, Snow Flower. Just a little more.

VWOOOONG!

The sword’s response to his desperate plea was a fierce cry, followed by a release of dense, cursed energy dancing along its blade.

Gwan Dae-Seung flinched at the ominous sight.

“YAAAAAAH!” With a loud roar, Jin Mu-Won charged him.

Jo Un-Kyung and Tae Mu-Kang moved quickly to block his path. They met his charge by unleashing the Demonic Cross of Blood and the Primordial Fiend Art in unison. Two demonic arts, each overwhelming on its own, converged upon him.

A deafening roar tore through the air as a wave of demonic qi surged forward, threatening to obliterate everything in its path.

Trapped with nowhere to run, Jin Mu-Won appeared as fragile as a leaf in a typhoon. Gwan Dae-Seung and Seomoon Hye-Ryung felt certain that this clash would be his last.

Suddenly, however, an ink-black light burst from Snow Flower, silently dyeing the entire world in its color. In a flash, it swallowed Jo Un-Kyung, Tae Mu-Kang, and Gwan Dae-Seung.

This was Jin Mu-Won’s final technique: the Sixth Form of the Shadow Blade of Destruction, Shadowless World.

The area consumed by darkness vanished as noiselessly as it appeared, as if sliced away from the world.

Seomoon Hye-Ryung, who was standing in the back, widened her eyes at the unbelievable sight. She had barely avoided being devoured by the dark domain!

“KAAAAARGH!”

“GURK!”

Moments later, desperate screams shattered the silence as the three men were flung from the darkness.

They were in a wretched state. Jo Un-Kyung and Tae Mu-Kang had turned into mangled lumps of flesh, barely breathing, but the one who had suffered the greatest shock was Gwan Dae-Seung.

“GUUUUH! UAAAAARGH! Jin Mu-Won!”

A strangled groan escaped his lips. His left shoulder felt oddly light. The arm that had been attached to it mere seconds ago now lay on the ground, cleanly severed.

Gwan Dae-Seung’s face warped from pain unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Suddenly, he was struck by the realization that if he could kill, then he could also be killed. Pain and rage worse than death blotted out his mind.

Seomoon Hye-Ryung frantically searched for Jin Mu-Won. Having used his final technique, he staggered and toppled over to the side, utterly drained.

Before he could hit the ground, though, a black shadow appeared, snatched him, and vanished.

A carefully whispered rumor began to spread through the jianghu that Heaven’s Summit, driven by a lust for power, had destroyed the Northern Army, and was now trying to eliminate its last successor, the Northern Blade.

No one knew who started the rumor, but it spread like wildfire. By the time Heaven’s Summit learned of it, it had already spread far and wide. Eager to confirm the rumor’s authenticity, several nosy individuals uncovered evidence that Heaven’s Summit had indeed carried out a large-scale operation a decade ago.

Furthermore, to trap Jin Mu-Won, Heaven’s Summit set up an extensive cordon around Heaven’s Village and the Hubei area, the kind usually reserved for a public enemy of the jianghu. Because of this, word spread among Hubei’s people that their movements were controlled by Heaven’s Summit.

The rumor spread with frightening speed. Before a day had passed, everyone knew. Whenever martial artists gathered, they spoke of the incident.

Heaven’s Summit panicked. No matter how absolute their power was, they couldn’t silence everyone.

An all-out war against the Silent Night was looming, and their public opinion had soured. The favorable sentiment from the Demon Hunters event had completely turned against them. At a time when they needed to unite the jianghu, public opinion was now divided.

They hastily tried to control the damage, claiming it was a misunderstanding and that the rumors were false.

However, that wasn’t enough to stop the gossip. The rumor that started in Heaven’s Village quickly spread throughout Hubei, and it was only a matter of time before the entire jianghu heard about it.

Desperate, Heaven’s Summit threatened to make an example of those spreading false rumors.

Still, it was useless. Evidence emerged that suggested Heaven’s Summit had manipulated public opinion, tarnishing the Northern Army’s reputation. Overnight, those who were leaning in favor of the Northern Army recoiled at Heaven’s Summit’s meticulous misinformation campaign and cover-up of the affair.

Consequently, the rumors spread more clandestinely and rapidly.

Mae Wol-Ryung gasped in admiration at the events unfolding before her. “Amazing. Truly amazing.”

Most people thought the rumors were a mere coincidence, but she knew the world wasn’t that simple. No rumor could ever spread so timely and swiftly. Not unless someone intentionally planned it.

One person came to mind.

“The Triune Scholar, Ha Jin-Wol. This is definitely his work.”

Despite the intense summer heat, she felt a shiver run down her spine. Neither she nor the Black Moon expected Heaven’s Summit to move so quickly against Jin Mu-Won, but Ha Jin-Wol had already prepared his response. Even as he went on the run with his companions, these rumors were being spread. None of this would be possible if he hadn’t planned everything in advance.

“Did he make allies in that short time?” she muttered, furrowing her brows.

Most people couldn’t predict the consequences of these events, but she could. Furthermore, Ha Jin-Wol had acted so covertly that even the Black Moon’s intelligence network had missed it.

She felt goosebumps rise on her skin.

“Because of this, Heaven’s Summit has had its reputation irreparably sullied. A sanctuary that no one dared to touch has been violated. The people of the jianghu are now aware that Heaven’s Summit isn’t the noble organization they thought it was.”

Still, Heaven’s Summit remained in control for now. No organization dared to challenge them.

Now that its honor had been compromised, however, it was no longer flawless. Those who had held back would now exploit the blemishes and squeeze through the cracks. The effect might be minimal for now, but no one knew what would happen in the distant future.

Clearly, Ha Jin-Wol had thought that far ahead.

“The problem is that they have to survive until then.”

It wouldn’t be an easy task. Heaven’s Summit would surely come to the same conclusion as her. Once they did, there was only one path they could take to remedy the issue,

“They have to annihilate Jin Mu-Won and his companions, no matter the cost. That’s the only way to minimize the fallout.”

Mae Wol-Ryung’s face darkened. Ha Jin-Wol was painting a grand picture for the future, but in doing so, he invited even greater danger upon himself and his companions.

Though, she wasn’t worried about Jin Mu-Won or Ha Jin-Wol. As much as she liked them, they were strangers.

Only Cheong-In, who followed them, was different. She had raised Cheong-In since he was a child. To her, he was always an immature younger brother who needed looking after.

Recently, though, he had left her embrace to find his own path, and of all things, he had chosen the most dangerous one.

“Please survive,” she prayed. “Survive, and prove that your choice was the right one, my little brother.”