MTLNOVEL Chapter 30
Chapter 30
—–CROW—–
The man who emerged from the main gate, the Hegemon Clan Leader, glared at the young Taoist priest who was speaking down to him, then flinched at the surrounding scene.
‘What is this?’
People in Hegemon Clan uniforms lay around the young Taoist priest, groaning or collapsed in a gruesome state.
As he hurriedly examined them.
“…!”
The Hegemon Clan Leader’s expression changed drastically.
Those collapsed around the young Taoist priest were the Hegemon Middle Group members and the Blood Slaughter Swordsman.
‘The Blood Slaughter Swordsman…’
His mind raced.
The Blood Slaughter Swordsman was one of the top five experts within the Hegemon Clan.
Yet, he was lying there, defeated in less than an hour.
Along with the Hegemon Middle Group members.
‘That means this young brat is at least a peak-level expert!’
As the Hegemon Clan Leader was pondering.
Smirk—
Cheon-hwi’s lips curled into a grin.
His pearly white teeth gleaming in the darkness, he looked at the Hegemon Clan Leader and spoke,
“Are you the leader?”
The Hegemon Clan Leader’s eyebrows shot up.
A killing intent emanated from him, his robes billowing, at the disrespectful tone of this much younger man.
“You little brat!”
Who was he?
He was the Rotating Blade, one of the top experts in Shaanxi Province and renowned throughout the world.
Moreover, he was the leader of the rapidly growing Hegemon Clan.
“Did you do this?”
“Who else would have done it? You’d know if you weren’t blind.”
The Hegemon Clan Leader’s forehead creased, veins bulging, at Cheon-hwi’s condescending look.
“How dare you… in our clan’s…”
He stopped mid-sentence, glaring.
He finally noticed the young Taoist priest’s attire.
Dark, almost black robes with blood-red patterns.
His eyes widened as he saw the intricate embroidery on the sleeves.
‘P-Plum blossoms?’
The Hegemon Clan Leader was shocked.
There was only one place in the world where Taoist robes were embroidered with plum blossoms.
‘D-Did the Cold-Faced Blade Demon and the Hegemon Scenic Group fail their mission?!’
As he was gritting his teeth.
“Master!”
“Clan Leader!”
About a hundred martial artists appeared beside him and knelt simultaneously.
They were the Hegemon Heaven Group, the last of the Hegemon Clan’s three martial arts groups.
The Hegemon Clan Leader looked down at the young man at the front and roared,
“What were you doing while this was happening?!”
“I-I apologize.”
The young man, So Jeong-myeong, the Hegemon Clan’s chief disciple and leader of the Hegemon Heaven Group, trembled all over at the Hegemon Clan Leader’s furious roar.
He hurriedly lowered his head.
“I’ll take care of this immediately.”
The Hegemon Clan Leader glared at the back of So Jeong-myeong’s head and thought,
‘Although he’s much weaker than the Blood Slaughter Swordsman, his combined attack with the Hegemon Heaven Group members is unmatched in our clan.’
The Hegemon Clan Leader smiled inwardly.
Although So Jeong-myeong was his disciple, he felt no affection for him.
To him, So Jeong-myeong was just a weapon.
Nothing more, nothing less.
‘Although victory seems unlikely, we can at least gauge his strength.’
Having finished his calculations, he said,
“Then what are you waiting for?”
“Yes, sir!”
At the Hegemon Clan Leader’s cold command, So Jeong-myeong and the Hegemon Heaven Group roared in unison and stood up.
So Jeong-myeong glared at Cheon-hwi.
“Who are you?”
“You insolent brat! Not only did you cause havoc in our clan, but you dare speak to our Master like that? I’ll teach you a lesson!”
The Hegemon Clan disciples’ faces brightened at So Jeong-myeong’s spirited rebuke.
“Leader So Jeong-myeong has stepped forward!”
“With the Hegemon Heaven Group, even he…!”
So Jeong-myeong puffed up his chest, his pride swelling at the cheers and trusting gazes of the Hegemon Clan disciples.
‘Hehehe, if I show a good performance here, the next Clan Leader position will be mine.’
As he was about to draw his sword, smiling inwardly.
‘I wonder if this will be enough for my after-dinner exercise.’
Cheon-hwi, watching him, surveyed those surrounding him.
Two hundred terrified Hegemon Clan disciples and one hundred martial artists ready to attack.
That was the extent of the presences he had sensed.
“I wonder if an hour will be enough.”
Cheon-hwi muttered chilling words with an indifferent expression, then tilted his head.
Swish!
The Hegemon Heaven Group members charged at him like a swarm of ants, swinging their swords.
“No matter how skilled you are, you can’t escape this Combined Attack Formation!”
As they were about to launch their combined attack.
Step—
Cheon-hwi took a step forward, and those charging felt a blow to their chests.
“Cough!”
Dozens of them were sent flying backward.
“W-What…?”
So Jeong-myeong was horrified as the Hegemon Heaven Group members were blown away like leaves before they could even launch their combined attack.
Thud!
He felt a sharp pain in his chest.
And that was the end for him.
“…!”
The Hegemon Clan Leader’s eyes widened as he saw So Jeong-myeong collapse, his chest caved in.
‘W-With one blow?’
A cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
No one else seemed to have seen what had just happened, as they were all confused, but he had clearly witnessed it.
Dozens of afterimages appearing and disappearing.
‘When did Mount Hua Sect produce such a monster…?’
The Hegemon Clan Leader’s mouth went dry.
“S-Spare… Ugh.”
Meanwhile, Cheon-hwi continued to take down his opponents one by one.
The Hegemon Heaven Group members, who had charged so confidently, lay dead, and those who had barely survived were too terrified to even think about running away.
It was because of Cheon-hwi’s overwhelming presence.
“Now then…”
Cheon-hwi turned his head from side to side.
Flinch!
The Hegemon Clan disciples hurriedly averted their gazes to avoid his eyes, but.
“About a hundred left?”
Cheon-hwi’s gaze swept over them all.
Tap.
He tapped his foot lightly, and a one-sided massacre began.
“C-Clan Leader!”
“Help us!”
The Hegemon Clan disciples fled towards the Hegemon Clan Leader, pleading for help.
“…Stop.”
The Hegemon Clan Leader finally stepped forward.
He drew his sword and glared at the approaching Cheon-hwi.
Shing—
The sword had a rather unique shape.
The blade was much wider than usual, but the length was about six inches shorter.
The Hegemon Clan Leader, his sword resting on his shoulder, spoke in a low voice,
“You’re quite skilled.”
Cheon-hwi, who had been looking at him with a disdainful expression, finally looked like he had encountered someone worthy of his attention.
“Well, as the leader, I guess you have some discerning eyes, unlike the others.”
“Why is a Mount Hua Sect Taoist priest attacking our clan?”
Cheon-hwi chuckled.
His intention was too obvious.
“Why? So you can feign ignorance?”
“…”
The Hegemon Clan Leader’s eyes narrowed.
As expected, he had come to the Hegemon Clan knowing everything.
“What do you want?”
“What do I want? Nothing in particular… Oh! There is one thing.”
Cheon-hwi, who had been speaking as if it wasn’t even worth considering, suddenly changed his tone and smirked.
“What is it? I’ll do my best to fulfill your request, so let’s just forget about this incident…”
The Hegemon Clan Leader tried to appease him, but he soon realized his mistake.
Cheon-hwi’s eyes turned cold.
“Your head.”
“…No deal.”
The Hegemon Clan Leader, sensing that negotiation was impossible, unleashed his internal energy.
“Of course.”
Cheon-hwi’s smirk deepened.
The Hegemon Clan Leader’s eyebrows twitched.
He quickly suppressed his rising anger and scanned Cheon-hwi and his surroundings with cold eyes, then asked,
“You came alone?”
“I take back what I said earlier. Your eyes are also just decorations.”
Cheon-hwi looked at the Hegemon Clan Leader with a condescending gaze and added,
“Of course I’m alone. Who else would be with me?”
A smile touched the Hegemon Clan Leader’s lips at his answer.
“So you’re alone.”
Cheon-hwi smiled back.
“Why? Do you think you can kill me if I’m alone?”
“Easily.”
The Hegemon Clan Leader’s smile vanished.
Whoosh!
A powerful energy surged outwards.
His eyes gleamed as he circulated his Rotating Wheel Divine Art’s internal energy, learned from an unknown, excommunicated monk in his youth.
‘My chances of winning are over seventy percent.’
He calmly calculated his odds.
Although his opponent was undoubtedly a formidable expert, he was confident in his victory.
He believed in his Rotating Wheel Divine Art’s internal energy and Rotating Blade Techniques, which had earned him his nickname and fame.
He gripped his sword and smiled as he saw Cheon-hwi standing motionless before him.
‘He’s overwhelmed by the pressure of my Rotating Wheel Divine Art’s internal energy.’
But did he know?
That Cheon-hwi wasn’t frozen.
He was simply standing still because he didn’t feel the need to use his superior martial arts.
‘Well, as the leader, he’s a bit better than his underlings.’
Cheon-hwi assessed the Hegemon Clan Leader’s aura.
Indeed, his internal energy’s quantity and quality were completely different from his subordinates.
‘His internal energy is definitely superior to that guy at the Swift Wind Trading Company.’
His power, slightly surpassing that of the Cold-Faced Blade Demon, the strongest opponent he had faced since leaving Mount Hua, made his robes billow.
Then, perhaps due to the internal energy infused into his sword, the blade’s color began to change.
It was sword qi.
“I’ll kill you.”
The Hegemon Clan Leader kicked off the ground.
Instantly closing the distance between them, he raised his sword diagonally and slashed.
The sword qi transformed into a sword wind.
Swish!
A massive vortex formed.
It was the Rotating Wheel Flash, the fastest and most agile technique of the Rotating Blade Techniques.
Cheon-hwi raised his palm as he watched the approaching sword wind, devouring the surrounding air.
In that split second, as the Hegemon Clan Leader smiled triumphantly at the sight of his white palm.
Clang!
Sparks flew.
“…!”
The Hegemon Clan Leader’s eyes widened. The white palm had easily caught his sword, imbued with sword qi.
“The Rotating Wheel Flash…”
“Rotating Wheel Flash?”
The corners of Cheon-hwi’s eyes curled upwards.
“Too grandiose a name for its power.”
“You bastard!”
The Hegemon Clan Leader gritted his teeth.
He poured all his internal energy into his sword once again and lunged forward, swinging his blade.
Whoosh—
Cheon-hwi twisted his waist and dodged.
But the Hegemon Clan Leader, anticipating his dodge, changed the angle of his sword and attempted to execute the Rotating Wheel Void Slash.
Clang!
Cheon-hwi’s palm struck the blade.
“Ugh!”
The Hegemon Clan Leader’s face contorted from the force that traveled up his arm.
But that wasn’t the end.
Cheon-hwi grabbed his sword-wielding hand and twisted his wrist.
Crack!
His hand bent at an unnatural angle.
“Aaagh!”
The Hegemon Clan Leader, screaming in pain, finally lost his grip on his sword.
Thud—
The Hegemon Clan Leader, stunned by the swift series of attacks, clutched his twisted wrist and groaned.
“How did you deflect the Rotating Wheel Void Slash with a mere hand technique…?”
“Hand technique? It was just a flick of my wrist.”
Cheon-hwi said nonchalantly.
But the Hegemon Clan Leader’s face was filled with shock.
“J-Just a flick of your wrist?”
“Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut… Oh wait, you’re not even a nut.”
The Hegemon Clan Leader’s face crumpled at Cheon-hwi’s condescending tone, his pride deeply wounded.
But he couldn’t say anything.
He had acutely felt the difference in their skill in that brief exchange.
‘I can’t win.’
His initial seventy percent chance of winning had completely vanished.
He looked at Cheon-hwi with a desperate expression, searching for a way out, and mentioned the clan that had been supporting him.
“The Hundred Ghosts Castle is backing me.”
“I already know that.”
“You know?!”
The Hegemon Clan Leader was shocked by his curt reply.
“B-But you still did this?”
“Get your facts straight. This happened because you attacked first.”
“If you kill me, the Hundred Ghosts Castle won’t let you get away with it.”
“How?”
“Even if you’re from Mount Hua Sect, the Hundred Ghosts Castle will use all their power to kill you…”
“Oh really? That sounds fun.”
The Hegemon Clan Leader was flustered by his welcoming tone and shouted,
“Y-You madman!”
“Madman, huh? That’s a nostalgic word. But you know what?”
Cheon-hwi channeled internal energy into his palm.
“Everyone who’s called me that in front of me has died.”
His robes billowed, and.
Boom!
An explosion echoed.
The Hegemon Clan Leader vomited blood and innards, the light fading from his eyes.
“Wait there a moment.”
Cheon-hwi looked at the dying man and added, offering words that might bring him some comfort in his final moments,
“I’ll send them to join you soon.”
—–CROW—–
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