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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Breakthrough (3)
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"Where do you think you're going?"
The Kongtong Twin Elders moved quickly, blocking Jinmyeong and Shin Yehyang's path.
*Fwoosh!*
Without hesitation, Shin Yehyang swung her saber, and a massive storm soon engulfed the bodies of the Kongtong Twin Elders blocking their way.
"The Mad Demon's Gale Saber Arts are truly formidable."
"It was decent enough."
Despite being swallowed by the massive storm, the Kongtong Twin Elders were largely unharmed.
"No matter how incredible the Gale Saber Arts are, that child's talent to have mastered it to such a degree is also quite something."
That was why Gok Yang felt that Jinmyeong and Shin Yehyang were far too dangerous.
"One of them must die."
One of the two, Jinmyeong or Shin Yehyang, had to be killed.
It was a blow to their pride, but among the rising generation of the Righteous Alliance, there was no one who seemed likely to become stronger than those two.
"Then let's go."
Gok Jeon dashed forward without hesitation.
And Gok Yang followed right behind him, kicking off the ground.
*Fwoosh!*
Just as the Kongtong Twin Elders were rapidly approaching Shin Yehyang.
At the sound of something slicing through the air, Gok Jeon hastily swung his sword.
"Kuh!"
Gok Jeon grimaced from the heavy impact.
A blazing white flame had suddenly appeared, blocking his path.
"I'll leave this to you, then."
Seeing this, Gok Yang didn't delay, moving past Gok Jeon.
At that, Jinmyeong's five swords, which had been aimed at Gok Jeon, shot toward Gok Yang instead.
*Clang!*
Gok Jeon intercepted Jinmyeong's swords as they flew toward Gok Yang.
"It would have been a nuisance alone, but it's much easier with him blocking for me."
Gok Yang smiled as he closed in on Jinmyeong.
As if he had completely regained his composure, he looked at Jinmyeong with a benevolent smile.
"Seniors ganging up on a junior. Aren't you ashamed?"
"Hmph. If it means we can kill someone dangerous, there's no need to feel ashamed."
Gok Yang grinned slyly.
The martial arts of the Kongtong Sect were so thick with killing intent that they were often said to resemble those of the Unorthodox Faction, despite being from a Righteous, and specifically Taoist, Sect.
But it seemed it wasn't just their martial arts; their personalities were unorthodox as well.
"For renowned masters of the Righteous Faction to think so lightly of ganging up on someone. And on a young junior, no less."
"Keep talking like that. It won't bother me."
In contrast to his benevolent smile, Gok Yang threw a punch thick with killing intent at Jinmyeong's face.
*Clang!*
But Shin Yehyang had appeared out of nowhere, swinging her saber to block his attack.
"Too bad. We're a pair over here, too."
Gok Yang bristled at Jinmyeong's sneer.
He wanted to thrust his fist at Jinmyeong's face right then and there, but seeing Jinmyeong extend his hand, he was forced to twist his body to the side.
*Boom!*
Shin Yehyang didn't miss the opening created when Gok Yang's balance faltered as he hastily dodged Jinmyeong's Finger of the Heavenly Demon.
"Keuk!"
He managed to block it, but unable to withstand Shin Yehyang's strength, Gok Yang's body was pushed back.
"Now!"
Shin Yehyang shouted the moment she saw Gok Yang stumble back.
*Fwoosh!*
At the same time, the five swords Jinmyeong had been keeping Gok Jeon busy with changed direction and shot toward Gok Yang.
"You dare!"
As the swords attacking him changed their target, Gok Jeon launched himself forward.
*Boom!*
Hurrying to get in front of Gok Yang, Gok Jeon swung his sword and began to knock Jinmyeong's swords away.
But since he had moved in a rush, he couldn't defend perfectly.
His sword was pushed back, leaving his body wide open, and one of Jinmyeong's swords flew in, not missing the chance.
It looked as though Jinmyeong's sword would pierce through Gok Jeon's body at any moment.
"Move!"
Gok Jeon's body was shoved aside.
Gok Yang, who had regained his balance while his partner blocked the attack, had pushed him out of the way.
*Boom!*
Gok Yang's fist, wreathed in deep blue energy, collided with Jinmyeong's sword, which was cloaked in pure white flames.
"Damn it! Gok Yang!"
Gok Jeon's face was etched with shock.
Gok Yang had certainly blocked Jinmyeong's sword.
The problem was, Jinmyeong could wield more than one sword.
'I'm sure I knocked almost all of them away!'
He had knocked away four swords, but failed to block one.
And that one sword was definitely blocked by Gok Yang.
But another sword, which had appeared from nowhere, was piercing Gok Yang's stomach.
*Thud!*
Gok Yang's massive body fell backward.
Gok Jeon rushed to his side and pulled out the sword piercing his stomach.
'He's still breathing.'
He needed immediate treatment.
'What should I do?'
Gok Yang had wanted to kill Jinmyeong at all costs. But if he wasn't treated, he could die.
If he let Jinmyeong escape now, Gok Yang would be furious when he woke up.
"Keuk! The disciples..."
Gok Jeon couldn't easily finish his sentence.
Since it was always the now-fallen Gok Yang who made the decisions, it felt awkward to decide for himself.
When he was young, he had joined the Kongtong Sect, become a disciple, and met Gok Yang.
It seemed he hadn't made a single decision for himself since he started partnering with him.
Having lived that way for so long, it was difficult to judge whether his own decision was the right one.
"This seems to be our chance."
Jinmyeong noticed the hesitating Gok Jeon and kicked off the ground.
Six swords were now floating around him.
"When did the swords..."
Shin Yehyang, who was about to ask when the number had increased to six, closed her mouth.
She had noticed that the sword in Jinmyeong's hand was gone.
"How many more swords can you control?"
Jinmyeong still looked at ease.
"Who knows. I'd rather not show all my cards."
Jinmyeong picked up his pace.
"Hey! You there!"
"Yes!"
Gok Jeon watched Jinmyeong and Shin Yehyang pass by him, then quickly called over a few of his disciples.
"Treat Gok Yang. You must save him."
"Y-yes, sir."
"I said, you *must* save him."
Otherwise, they would pay with their lives.
"The rest of you, chase them!"
He could have sent only the disciples, but having seen Jinmyeong and Shin Yehyang's martial prowess, he decided to go himself.
"We will kill them, no matter what."
"Yes, sir!"
Gok Jeon began to pursue Jinmyeong and Shin Yehyang, leading the disciples of Kongtong.
And the two, noticing the pursuit, also increased their speed.
'To think he actually defeated one of the Kongtong Twin Elders.'
Shin Yehyang looked at Jinmyeong with fresh eyes.
'I'd heard his power was immense, but...'
She had heard that he made the Mad Demon drop his saber, even if the latter wasn't using his full strength.
With that level of power, it wasn't impossible to break through the defense of one of the Kongtong Twin Elders.
'He used his surroundings to restrict his opponent's movements and then delivered an unavoidable attack.'
He mainly used the Finger of the Heavenly Demon, but in the end, he even used Shin Yehyang.
And Gok Jeon as well.
'Does this mean he's improved even more?'
She heard that he had sought out the Mad Demon after feeling frustrated during his fight with Gye Buil.
But it wasn't that he had compensated for his weaknesses simply by learning the Asura Sword Forms the Mad Demon gave him.
'It's still more comfortable for me to exploit openings with the Finger of the Heavenly Demon than to use the Asura Sword Forms.'
He had grown accustomed to the Asura Sword Forms, but a real battle was a different story.
Perhaps because he had to fight with his own body, he felt himself stiffen slightly at the opponent's attacks.
'Still, I'm glad it worked out as planned.'
That was why he had attacked by appropriately mixing the Heaven-Embroidering Sword Control Arts and the Finger of the Heavenly Demon.
The synergy between these two martial arts was better than he had expected.
"Anyway, they're quite persistent."
"..."
Jinmyeong and Shin Yehyang glanced back.
Gok Jeon was chasing them, his face twisted like a demon's.
"Shall we go a little faster?"
Jinmyeong immediately used his movement technique at full power.
'As expected, she's keeping up.'
And Shin Yehyang was matching his pace.
In fact, unlike Jinmyeong, who was going all out, she still seemed to have some energy to spare.
'Still, the distance between us and those guys is growing, so I should be fine if I maintain this speed.'
He was matched by Shin Yehyang, but the distance between them and the Kongtong Sect's Taoists was steadily increasing.
He thought that while he couldn't go any faster, he should be fine if he kept up this pace.
"It seems you've finally given up."
How long had they been running?
When Jinmyeong, who had been running for a while, stopped, Gok Jeon also halted and spoke.
"Seeing you tremble like that makes me feel sorry for you."
"You bastard!"
Unlike the portly Gok Yang, Gok Jeon's body was bone-thin.
Watching Gok Jeon tremble, unable to contain his rage, Jinmyeong taunted him.
*Clang!*
Unable to hold back his anger any longer, Gok Jeon charged at Jinmyeong and thrust his sword, but it was blocked by one of Jinmyeong's floating blades.
"Don't get so worked up. You're a Taoist, aren't you?"
"You!"
"But are you sure you'll be okay? You're all alone."
As soon as Jinmyeong finished speaking, five swords flew toward Gok Jeon simultaneously.
"Kuh!"
Gok Jeon quickly retreated, starting to parry Jinmyeong's swords.
And Shin Yehyang charged at him, swinging her saber.
*Fwoosh!*
Gok Jeon hastily threw himself aside to dodge the attack.
The gale that erupted from Shin Yehyang's saber washed over him.
"Ugh!"
Thanks to his protective energy, Gok Jeon's body remained steady even in the center of the gale.
The problem was that Shin Yehyang wasn't the only one attacking him.
*Clang!*
Something whitish flew at him suddenly.
Gok Jeon instinctively raised his sword to block it, but his body, which hadn't budged even in Shin Yehyang's gale, shook violently.
"Keuk!"
He knew it wasn't an ordinary finger technique, but the attack was incredibly heavy.
But that wasn't the end of it.
*Fwoosh!*
Swords continued to fly at him, attacking relentlessly.
While he was frantically blocking the fast-moving swords, a finger technique would fly in to threaten him.
And while he was dealing with Jinmyeong's attacks, Shin Yehyang would close in and swing her saber at his neck.
"Damn it."
Gok Jeon quickly put distance between himself and the pair.
"I didn't think you'd actually follow us so recklessly."
The reason Jinmyeong had run at full speed was simple.
It was because only Gok Jeon could keep up with him.
'No matter how pathetic my movement technique is, it's not so bad that the other Taoists could catch me.'
It was just him running by lightening his body with an absurd amount of internal energy, but it was a speed that martial artists below the Transcendent level couldn't match.
"You get isolated because you get so worked up and charge thoughtlessly like an angry boar."
"Do you really think the two of you can defeat me?"
"Why do you think it's impossible? If anything, you should know by now, right? It's only normal to think this is dangerous for you."
Jinmyeong knew that Gok Jeon's composed appearance was all a bluff.
In reality, Gok Jeon hadn't been able to handle Jinmyeong's attacks properly.
With Shin Yehyang's attacks added to the mix, he was being pushed back helplessly.
"I heard you two were strong, but only when you're together, right?"
Gok Jeon and Gok Yang, the Kongtong Twin Elders, were only strong when they attacked together.
In other words, if one was separated, he wasn't all that strong.
"And having fought you, you don't feel that strong either."
Jinmyeong could say that because he had never faced the combined attack of the Kongtong Twin Elders.
After all, hadn't he defeated Gok Yang more easily than expected?
"Your mouth is truly number one under the heavens."
"Is it? Or is it just that you guys get worked up too easily?"
Gok Jeon wanted to charge at Jinmyeong right then and there.
But seeing Jinmyeong's swords aimed at him, he couldn't move rashly.
Moreover, with Shin Yehyang's gaze also fixed on him, he felt he was at a great disadvantage.
'If I had waited for the disciples, I would have lost them.'
That's why he pursued them so recklessly.
Now, he couldn't shake the feeling that it had been a mistake.
He should have realized sooner that defeating Gok Yang wasn't a fluke.
The problem was that seeing Gok Yang fall had paralyzed his reason, preventing him from making a proper judgment.
"I really want to tear that mouth of yours to shreds."
"Haha. I agree. I really do want to tear that mouth apart."
At the sudden laughter, Jinmyeong, Shin Yehyang, and Gok Jeon all turned their heads.
There, they saw Mok Jagyeong approaching them with a relaxed air.
"Even though he's my youngest junior brother, he's so annoying it makes me want to use a killing blow."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"To take that as a compliment... I'm speechless."
Even though the two didn't seem to be on good terms, Gok Jeon couldn't relax.
After all, he had no allies here.
'It was hard enough dealing with two, and now there's one more.'
It seemed less like he would be avenging Gok Yang, and more like Gok Yang would have to avenge him.
"Hoh. Just as expected of the Demonic Cult scum. Three of you ganging up on one person like this."
But the voice that followed gave Gok Jeon a glimmer of hope.
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