Chapter 38 : Second Round (2)

Chapter 38: Second Round (2)

Jang Woo-hyun moved immediately, his gaze fixed in one direction.

‘They’re not far.’

Though the presence was suppressed, he unfolded his Qi-gong and precisely pinpointed their location.

They were different from those he had encountered before, yet oddly familiar.

This was the aura of the Sword Yakshas of the Asura Sword Sect.

‘So they were hiding to observe the outcome!’

As Jang Woo-hyun drew Black Wilds Sword and swung, a massive slash struck between the trees in the distance.

‘No way!’

Lee Doo-heung couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed.

Jade-Faced Spider Lord Tang Ga-ryang and One-Fist of Annihilation Hwi Jeon.

They were the Asura Sword Sect’s hidden trump cards, brought in to assassinate a high-level martial artist.

Naturally, he thought they would kill him. Even if they failed, he assumed they would inflict enough damage for him to finish the job.

Yet there stood Jang Woo-hyun, unscathed, calmly conversing with his companions.

‘Perhaps…….’

Even if the Sect Master came in person, he might not be able to win. A dreadful thought kept festering in his mind.

To shake it off, he shook his head and made up his mind to retreat.

‘I must not fight that man.’

That was the conclusion Lee Doo-heung came to.

Things had already spiraled beyond control, but this couldn’t go on. It wasn’t just the reputation of the Asura Sword Sect at stake—at this rate, the entire sect could fall into irreversible crisis.

Three Master Level experts had already fallen to Jang Woo-hyun. The losses were too severe.

‘We have to abandon the Young Sect Master.’

They shouldn’t have gotten involved to begin with. It was a poor judgment.

“We’re pulling back.”

He issued the command to his subordinates to retreat.

The people around him were Black Yakshas raised specifically for covert operations. He had brought four of the six, but even with them, it would be difficult to face Jang Woo-hyun and his group.

Just as he began to pull back—

Lee Doo-heung felt a chill run down his spine and turned his head.

“Damn……”

He wasn’t sure how, but Jang Woo-hyun had found him from afar.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

At this point, there was no choice but to fight. There was no way Jang Woo-hyun would let them go.

As he drew his sword, a massive slash tore through the trees and flew toward them.

KWAANG!

As he drew out his sword qi to counter the slash, Lee Doo-heung instinctively knew.

He was going to die here.

This was not something he could block.

“Form a sword formation around me! We need to fall ba—”

Before he could even finish speaking, Jang Woo-hyun had already closed the distance and slashed his sword, unleashing a tremendous wave of Qi that engulfed everything.

That same martial art that had obliterated the Jade-faced and One-Fist.

As the overlapping shockwaves rolled in, followed by a deafening roar, everything was destroyed—small rocks, trees, even the Black Yakshas who had drawn their swords.

Lee Doo-heung flung his body backward, barely neutralizing the shock.

He had clashed just once, yet it felt like his palms were being torn apart. This wasn’t a normal attack.

Clutching the hilt tightly to keep from dropping his sword, he glared at his opponent.

A man holding a black sword.

Before he knew it, Jang Woo-hyun, the One-Slash-to-Kill, stood right before him.

“You’re from the Asura Sword Sect, aren’t you?”

Jang Woo-hyun’s gaze turned to the two surviving Black Yakshas. The other two had been killed instantly in the earlier attack, their bodies shattered.

“You’re unusual. Different from the other Sword Yakshas I’ve seen. Your presence is faint.”

The two survivors tried to position themselves behind Lee Doo-heung with their swords drawn, but even that looked like a struggle. Just one attack had overwhelmed one Master Level and four Peak-Level martial artists.

It was enough to make one wonder, ‘Is he really just at the Master Level?’

“Ah!”

As he examined the Black Yakshas, Jang Woo-hyun seemed to realize something and brightened.

“So that’s it—your hidden force. You raised them like assassins? That’s why their presence is so faint?”

At his nearly spot-on deduction, Lee Doo-heung’s eyes twitched.

“You were here watching to wrap things up in case those two failed to kill me, weren’t you? Am I right?”

“Brother Jang!”

“Hyung-nim!”

Hwang An and Jin Ha-un landed beside him, having followed close behind.

“Lee Doo-heung, the Instant Sword King? Ha, unbelievable.”

Hwang An scrutinized the man’s face and identified him, then began speaking furiously.

“So the so-called Three Sword Kings were hiding here waiting for a chance? I told you, didn’t I, Brother Jang? This is the kind of trash they are. What now, drag Sang Mun-cheon over to apologize if they lose? Crazy bastards. Hey, you dirty sons of bitches! Planning to stab us in the back? Even the name ‘Ten Demonic Paths’ is wasted on scum like you!”

Despite Hwang An’s fierce outburst, Lee Doo-heung didn’t respond. Jang Woo-hyun’s presence was already weighing down on him.

“Ha-un, can you take the two in the back?”

“Of course. In that condition, I can handle them on my own.”

“I’ll help too! We can’t let these filthy bastards off easy.”

“Sounds good? Then shall we go this way?”

As Jang Woo-hyun gave a nod and shifted to the side, Lee Doo-heung had no choice but to follow.

While moving, Jang Woo-hyun sheathed Black Wilds Sword and drew Flying Swallow Sword.

The Asura Sword Sect was renowned for their Swift Sword techniques.

He wanted to witness their swordplay properly.

‘Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen it even once.’

He had killed the Blood Sword King with a single slash, and the rest had been handled by flinging *Black Wolf Fang* or by his companions, so he hadn’t actually seen their true sword techniques.

Now, for the first time, he was going to witness the swordplay of the Asura Sword Sect.

And fittingly, his opponent was the Instant Sword King, known to strike faster than the blink of an eye.

They relocated to a flat area without trees, and the two faced each other.

“Let’s dance a little.”

Lee Doo-heung moved first.

His sword quickly closed the gap, targeting Jang Woo-hyun’s throat.

‘Fast, but still manageable……!’

SWISH!

Sensing Tanger, Jang Woo-hyun twisted his body to evade the blade.

Horse King’s Second Step: Eight Shadows.

If not for the enhanced footwork, he would’ve lost his neck just now.

‘What was that?’

The speed had suddenly increased. An unexpected strike he hadn’t anticipated.

He widened the distance and met Lee Doo-heung’s eyes. What he saw was confidence shining fiercely.

One of the Three Sword Kings of the Asura Sword Sect—Instant Sword King, Lee Doo-heung.

He, too, was a man whose name was known throughout the world. Even if Jang Woo-hyun possessed overwhelming growth and talent, Lee Doo-heung was not someone to be taken lightly.

‘Another lesson learned today.’

Those who had reached a certain level always had something unique. They should never be underestimated.

Jang Woo-hyun decided to go all out. He unfolded his Qi-gong to observe Lee Doo-heung’s movements and sword closely.

Then, he stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

Horse King’s First Step: Extreme Proximity.

In a blink, he slipped into Lee Doo-heung’s blind spot—a position that made it difficult to counterattack.

From that spot, Jang Woo-hyun used his own *Swift Sword* technique.

Single-Heart Sword.

A sword art optimized for thrusting, also known as Piercing Sword or Needle Sword.

He stabbed toward Lee Doo-heung’s throat.

‘Huh?’

His sword felt like it snagged on something just as Lee Doo-heung twisted his body and slashed. Even in an unstable position, his speed exceeded Jang Woo-hyun’s.

‘What was that just now?’

That strange sensation—

It felt like something was pushing Lee Doo-heung’s sword.

They exchanged several more strikes.

Each time, Lee Doo-heung’s sword would suddenly accelerate, and Jang Woo-hyun, having raised his senses to their limit, could barely evade.

In those flashes, Lee Doo-heung’s sword surpassed his own.

‘There’s something here.’

But he couldn’t tell exactly what. It was a completely new situation and slightly disorienting—but only for a moment. Jang Woo-hyun found a method.

‘Observe the surroundings.’

Something he learned from Ma Choong-won, the former hunter, during his time at the Demon Extermination Sect.

He had said that observing the surroundings, not just the target, could reveal hidden information.

That experience had also helped Jang Woo-hyun develop his own style of Qi-gong.

He retracted his previously widespread Qi threads.

This time, he narrowed the range and concentrated the density.

Though the range of detection decreased, the density of the Qi threads expanded enough to seize complete control of the nearby area.

Previously, it had been like casting long threads over a wide net. Now, he used short threads to tightly wrap the entire space.

And at that moment—something snagged in his senses.

There was a space where the Qi threads could not pass through. Jang Woo-hyun manipulated the Qi threads and examined that area in detail.

“Ha!”

A laugh burst out of him at the new discovery.

‘So martial arts can be used like this too!’

A constructed Sword Path.

Just like how Jang Woo-hyun expanded his Qi-gong, Lee Doo-heung had created invisible sword routes in advance.

SWISH!

Sure enough, the moment his sword entered that route, its speed increased dramatically. That was the secret behind the Swift Sword.

“You didn’t get the title of ‘Demonic Ten’ or ‘Sword King’ for nothing!”

Jang Woo-hyun shouted with excitement.

This was the Asura Sword Sect’s famed Swift Sword.

It wasn’t a conventional technique, but that didn’t matter.

Who said there was only one way to wield martial arts? Each sect, each person had their own styles and insights. There were countless martial arts and realizations in the Martial World.

This was why he traveled the martial lands. This was why he declared a challenge that everyone called madness. It was to fight the strong.

Today, Jang Woo-hyun encountered a new martial path—and took another step forward.

KAANG!

When he blocked the sword instead of dodging, Lee Doo-heung’s eyes widened. He swung his sword again—

KAANG! KANG! KANG!

But every strike was blocked.

Jang Woo-hyun had already figured out the method. He had begun to perceive the Sword Paths, so it wasn’t difficult to block the attacks. The routes that boosted sword speed were limited, after all.

“H-How……?”

“That was fun.”

Leaving Lee Doo-heung’s stunned reaction behind, Jang Woo-hyun stepped forward.

BOOM!

A burst of Qi surged from the ground, shaking the surroundings and erasing the hidden Sword Paths.

Then, with a smooth advance, Jang Woo-hyun slashed downward.

It was the ultimate technique of the Tiger Form Sword—Mountain Lord Descends.

CLANG! SHRAAK!

With that slash, Lee Doo-heung’s body was cut cleanly in half.

As he gazed at the vertically split corpse, Jang Woo-hyun muttered:

“That was a good experience.”

Jang Woo-hyun grew again through that experience.

And the Asura Sword Sect lost its third Master Level martial artist today.

Shangguan Family, Changsha, Hunan Province.

They had formed the Xuanwu Alliance alongside the Grand Sabre Sect and had earned a place among the Ten Demonic Paths.

Today, they faced calamity.

Their gate and plaque were shattered. Dozens of the family’s martial artists were killed in an instant—all by a single person.

Even now, the strongest expert of the Xuanwu Alliance, the Sect Leader of the Grand Sabre Sect, was on his knees.

Pyo Deuk-won coughed up blood and stared at the iron-tower-like old man standing firm before him.

‘Right Minister……’

One of the two figures who served the Demon Cult Leader.

But that title was merely a formality. In truth, he was the number two figure in the Demon Cult.

A demon among men—the one who stands just below one, and above ten thousand.** That was the Right Minister of the Demon Cult.

Naturally, his strength was the peak of the Demon Cult.

Together with the Cult Leader and the Left Minister, he was considered on par with the Eight Lords.

Within the Demon Cult, he was called Ma Sam-cheon.

In the Central Plains, he was referred to as one of the Three Demon Lords, rivals to the Eight Lords.

That was the identity of the old man standing before him.

“Ughhh!”

Pyo Deuk-won struggled to his feet.

“Isn’t this too much of a loss for us? We captured two members of the Demon Cult, and yet you come and destroy everything indiscriminately.”

The old man nodded slightly with a blank face.

“My apologies. They rushed in suddenly, so I had no choice.”

“And you think we’d just sit quietly while you break down our gates? We’re still one of the Ten Demonic Paths! Let me ask you something now.”

“Go ahead.”

“Who was it?”

At that question, a crack finally appeared on the old man’s emotionless face.

“To come into the Martial World without permission and be killed by the weak of the Central Plains is a disgrace for a cultist.”

He paused briefly and then continued.

“But as the grandfather of my only blood relative—I couldn’t let it pass. This is not the will of the cult. This is personal.”

The moment the word "blood relative" was mentioned, Pyo Deuk-won’s expression darkened.

So this man had come to the Shangguan Family to avenge the Demon Cultist who had died at the auction. If someone of his caliber had gone this far for revenge, then the relationship was likely deeper than expected.

‘What a dogshit mess.’

The monkey mask guy who rampaged at the auction and died—he turned out to be the grandson of the Right Minister of the Demon Cult.

For Jang Woo-hyun, this wasn’t just bad luck—it was a catastrophe, something close to a natural disaster.

‘Junior Jang, I hear you’ve been making quite a name for yourself lately. I hope your future continues to rise, eh?’

After that brief thought,

Pyo Deuk-won judged it better for him to settle this matter personally rather than leaving it to the younger Jang Woo-hyun.

Besides, the auction incident had happened because Jang Woo-hyun’s group helped the Xuanwu Alliance. He couldn’t let that monster go after them.

“I think I’m the one who killed that monkey-mask guy. Oh, maybe you don’t know? Your grandson was wearing a monkey mask and…”

KWAAANG!

“Gah!”

Caught off guard by the sudden strike, Pyo Deuk-won rolled across the ground.

The old man’s hand, now pale as snow, had already moved.

Each swing of it felt like it would crush his body.

“It’s been a long time since I got wounded on the hand. You’re quite the decent martial artist.”

The old man raised his slightly scratched right hand.

Pyo Deuk-won pushed his exhausted body upright and lifted his sabre again.

“Hoo… Wound, my ass… It’s already healed.”

“Sect Leader of the Grand Sabre Sect, Pyo Deuk-won. I’ll remember you.”

“It’s an honor.”

Despite his battered state, Pyo Deuk-won raised his sabre with a gleam in his eye, preparing one final technique.

‘Even if I lose, I’ll land at least one blow.’

He had no illusions about defeating the supreme martial master before him. Still, he wanted to land a solid hit.

Perhaps sensing that, the old man silently waited while Pyo Deuk-won gathered his Qi.

“Come, then.”

As Pyo Deuk-won charged forward with his brilliantly glowing sabre, the head of the Shangguan Family came running.

“We’re not the ones who killed him!”

“Hyung-nim! What are you saying right now…!”

“I can’t let you die!”

“Still… No! I killed him! Your grandson—I slashed his throat in a single strike!”

Pyo Deuk-won shouted, but the old man had already turned his gaze away from him.

“I said it was me, you old bastard! I did it!”

Just as he screamed and tried to lunge forward, the old man waved his hand two more times, and Pyo Deuk-won was sent flying.

“Then who was it?”

“It was Jang Woo-hyun and his companions—the ones who’ve been the talk of the Martial World lately. They’re the ones who killed the two.”

“Hyung-nim! What the hell are you doing! To them…!”

“This couldn’t be helped! I couldn’t let you die. Your life is more important to me than theirs.”

At Shangguan Ho’s resolute words, Pyo Deuk-won could no longer argue. He could feel the sincerity in his heart.

“Damn it all.”

He flung his sabre aside and collapsed onto the floor. Never before had he felt so powerless.

Shangguan Ho anxiously watched the old man, but the old man’s interest was already locked in one direction. He paid no further attention to those around him.

“Jang Woo-hyun, huh…”

With that name muttered, the living catastrophe that had descended upon the Shangguan Family vanished without a trace.