Gu Yongtae should have rushed outside when he gave the signal.

That way, the formation would have been activated immediately.

But he drew his sword and couldn't leave.

The tip of his sword, held in Cheonyeong's hand, was directed at.

Eyes widened in shock, trembling with even the fine hairs standing on end—none other than Meng Serling, the daughter of Grand Elder Meng Sheguang.

"W-why are you...?"

"Quite shocked?"

Cheonyeong smiled wickedly at Gu Yongtae, whose eyes couldn't even blink in surprise.

"I, I am..."

"Well then, how does it feel to have almost killed the daughter of the Black Heaven Sect's Grand Elder?"

At Cheonyeong's mockery, Gu Yongtae's face twisted violently.

"You bastard, you set a trap for me!"

"What?"

Cheonyeong laughed with a bewildered expression.

So that was his conclusion.

There were limits to self-rationalization.

"Listen, you seem to be mistaken. You dug the trap first, and you started the attack first. I just put a veil on her and brought her along."

"Shut up! You despicable and cunning bastard! They call you the Flood Dragon! That name fits perfectly!"

One corner of Cheonyeong's eye twitched slightly, and soon a desolate killing intent surged forth.

He shouldn't have said it.

He shouldn't have called him the Flood Dragon.

Then perhaps he would have taken fewer blows.

"Gu Yongtae."

"What? You little bastard... ugh!"

Gu Yongtae, who had been pouring out his fury at Cheonyeong's informal speech, suddenly swallowed empty air.

Yellowish, no—golden light began to shimmer in Cheonyeong's pupils.

Yellow Eyes.

But to Gu Yongtae's eyes, they looked as sinister as a snake eyeing its prey.

"You shouldn't have crossed the line."

"W-what do you mean?"

Crunch, crunch.

The sword in Cheonyeong's hand bent.

"You?"

Shocked Gu Yongtae unconsciously dropped his sword and stepped back.

He had been pushed back by the killing intent-laden momentum emanating from Cheonyeong.

"Since I've said it, let me show you. How cunning the Flood Dragon truly is."

"Ugh."

He couldn't breathe.

The suffocating wave of internal energy pouring from the man's body pressed down on his entire body.

He had heard that the man had defeated the Ghost Hand... but to this extent?

The internal energy strangling his body didn't even allow his fighting spirit to rise.

Wasn't this opponent beyond his level?

Slide.

Cheonyeong grasps the sword's hilt.

Death flashed through the terrified Gu Yongtae's mind.

He could still see the frightened appearance of Meng Serling, but now it was irreversible.

He had to kill them.

Both Cheonyeong and Meng Serling...

He had no choice but to kill them all and blame everything on the Tang Family.

Otherwise, he would die.

By the sword in Cheonyeong's hand.

Thud.

The moment Cheonyeong took a short step forward, Gu Yongtae, having steeled his resolve, threw his entire body toward the door with all his might.

Crash!

The door shattered.

Gu Yongtae had rammed the door with his torso and escaped outside.

"Activate the formation! Kill them all!"

And his desperate cry was heard.

Rumble!

The formation was activated.

Creak, creak.

The reception hall building placed within the formation made precarious sounds as if unable to withstand the pressure and would collapse.

"Bastard, you're quick at running away."

Cheonyeong chuckled and released his grip on the sword.

It seemed he would have to completely destroy the reception hall building. That way, he could see the situation outside.

"F-Family Head. What should we do? It's because of me..."

Meng Serling, her frightened heart barely settling, asked with worried eyes.

"Because of you?"

Cheonyeong chuckled.

"Yes?"

"Don't be mistaken."

"..."

"Anyone can see it's because of me."

"Yes? What do you mean?"

Meng Serling tilted her head in confusion.

Though it was brief, the pressure Cheonyeong displayed surpassed even her brother, the Black Heaven Sect Leader.

She thought that if she hadn't been attacked, Gu Yongtae wouldn't have escaped, and because of him being trapped inside, the formation wouldn't have been activated.

But why?

"I didn't intend to use it this way, but I brought you as a hostage."

"That's..."

"Gu Yongtae's actions were so amusing that I teased him."

"..."

"This fight was ultimately a problem the Tang Family had to resolve. Whether through conversation or battle."

Meng Serling couldn't say anything.

Wasn't the problem with the Minglun Chamber itself caused by her rejection of the political marriage?

Yet Cheonyeong had never blamed her even once.

Moreover, he accepts it.

He doesn't avoid the fights he's walked into and smiles.

That's the kind of person he was.

But one more thing bothered her.

"What about those outside? As you said earlier, if everyone at the wharf is a Minglun Chamber martial artist, their numbers seemed to exceed two hundred."

"Quite impressive, you counted them?"

"Ah, it's habitual..."

"A martial family's child is a martial family's child indeed."

At Cheonyeong's words, Meng Serling's face reddened and she smiled awkwardly.

"Don't worry about outside. Sanghui is stronger than you think. Haven't you seen it yet? What she looks like when she gets angry?"

"No, she was always kind."

"That's a facade. She's actually quite terrifying. Probably to the point where it's hard to believe she's pregnant."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, but actually there's one more besides her."

"...Are you referring to the Taoist from Blue Green?"

"That's right. The Minglun Chamber bastards, if they underestimate them, won't just get their noses flattened—they'll be cut clean off."

"I see."

"So worry about yourself first. I have to survive to worry about others."

"Yes."

At Cheonyeong's words, Meng Serling nodded.

Somehow it seemed like the very personality of Tang Cheonyeong was reflected in those words.

I must survive to help others.

It might seem cold at first glance, but wasn't that statement actually correct?

"By the way, to what level have you mastered martial arts?"

"I can use Foot Propulsion."

"Hmm, only that?"

"Yes?"

"Well, it can't be helped. Come over here."

Cheonyeong gestured toward Meng Serling.

"You're far away."

Grasping her waist, Cheonyeong pulled her close to his body.

Her head touched his chest.

For some reason, her heart beat rapidly and her face felt hot.

"I'm going out. Just in case, raise your internal energy to protect your body. If your fair skin gets wounded, your value as a hostage will decrease later."

"...Yes."

Meng Serling answered in a small voice, her face buried in Cheonyeong's chest.

It was her first time.

Being this close to a man.

"But the formation has been activated, how...?"

"It's fine. There's no formation that can contain me unless it's something devised by the Zhuge clan. And no matter how strong a formation is prepared, it will burst from the outside."

Cheonyeong spoke confidently and smiled wickedly.

For some reason, to Meng Serling's eyes, that smile looked trustworthy.

"Huu..."

The sound of Cheonyeong's breath, released in preparation for internal energy, reached Meng Serling's ear like thunder.

And with the Samyang Divine Art's internal energy released at once, Cheonyeong forcefully rolled across the ground.

Rumble!

The ground, shaken by the step driven deep, cracked like a spider's web.

Crack, crack, crack!

The cracks spread in all directions, burst through the building's pillars, and shot up, blowing away the entire reception hall.

Startled by the shock wave accompanying the roar, Meng Serling unconsciously hugged Cheonyeong's body tighter.

* * *

Sanghui had been resting in the shade.

Following Cheonyeong's words, she had arranged the Green Warrior Unit in a circle centered on the tree.

Soon the wharf people began bustling about, and they gradually gathered toward their position.

It started after Woo Junghwan, who had guided the Tang Family, left the reception hall.

It seemed it would start soon.

[Taoist Qinghua.]

[Yes?]

At the suddenly heard sound transmission, Yu Seong-yeon, who had been resting, quickly turned his head to look.

[Please thrash about.]

At the chilling smile and the sound transmission, Yu Seong-yeon tilted his head.

Thrash about? What?

[Ah, and stay as far away from the Tang Family as possible. More than you think.]

[How far?]

[Well, considering the destructive power, safely about thirty zhang? Start from around there. You'll need to wait at least two times.]

[Destructive power? Two times?]

[You'll understand when you see it later.]

Sanghui smiled brightly while making eye contact.

Bizarre.

What was gathered at her lips was coldness, yet what was in her eyes was brightness.

But thinking there must be some meaning to it, Yu Seong-yeon nodded.

And he thought he understood what "thrash about" meant.

The air around them had just changed.

Savagely.

That's when it happened.

Boom!

The reception hall door burst open, and Minglun Chamber Leader Gu Yongtae bounced out through the broken door, rolled across the ground, and shouted.

"Activate the formation! Kill them all!"

Rumble!

The martial artists at the wharf, and those hiding in all directions, poured out at Gu Yongtae's shout.

Most surrounded the reception hall, while some surrounded Sanghui and the Green Warrior Unit resting under the tree shade.

"Go!"

Sanghui shouted like thunder, and Yu Seong-yeon rushed forward like an arrow.

Though the Minglun Chamber's numbers were considerable, they were insufficient to block Yu Seong-yeon, who was determined to escape.

After all, he was the champion of Janggin Hoei, who had defeated Cheonyeong, and possessed considerable skill.

And thirty zhang.

When Yu Seong-yeon drew his sword and turned around, he could see a sinister smile appearing at the corners of Sanghui's mouth in the distance.

"You bastards! Let me show you how meaningless numbers are against the Tang Family!"

And the shout.

The Green Warrior Unit stood up.

Each holding a cylindrical object.

Pop!

The sound of string being pulled on the object held in the hands of the Green Warrior Unit, which had turned outside the circle.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Followed by a massive noise like a giant storm, hidden weapons spread blackly and covered all directions.

"Ahhhhh!"

"Ahhhhh!"

Screams followed one after another.

Only then did Yu Seong-yeon understand Sanghui's words and his mouth fell open.

T-that's terrifying!

But he didn't join immediately.

Sanghui had definitely said two times.

"Kill them all!"

Behind the cruel expression and shout that made one wonder if a pregnant woman should act this way, another storm came.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The hidden weapons in the Green Warrior Unit's hands instantly turned their surroundings into a honeycomb.

"Green Warrior Unit! Slaughter the enemies! Save the Family Head!"

"Yes!"

Weapons appeared in the Tang Family martial artists' hands.

In one hand were close-range weapons like swords, and in the other were sharp and pointed hidden weapons.

Slash!

Sanghui particularly stood out.

The way she moved through the enemies was as nimble as a tiger, and the twin swords in both her hands cut through enemies without hesitation.

"The Tang Family really is an amazing place."

Yu Seong-yeon, who had been standing dumbfounded, couldn't help but admire.

But soon he drew his sword.

As Sanghui had said, now it was his turn to thrash about.

The sword flowed like drifting clouds...

Slash!

With each step forward, Yu Seong-yeon's sword cut through the Minglun Chamber martial artists.

Whoosh!

Some barely avoided the sword, but the pale blue sword energy extending from the sword's tip curved like a whip and cut them down.

Though not born as a Taoist, he was one now.

His sword didn't take lives.

It merely shed blood so they couldn't fight again.

"W-what?"

At the unexpected situation, Gu Yongtae's face turned pale yellow.

He had thought it would end if he just trapped Cheonyeong in the formation...

Nearly half of the martial artists he had stationed to kill the Tang Family's people were dead or wounded and collapsed.

By hidden weapons he had never heard of or seen before.

The Minglun Chamber martial artists still fighting didn't seem like they could hold out much longer either.

A woman wielding small swords in both hands cutting down martial artists, and the Green Warrior Unit behind her fighting with hidden weapons and weapons in hand.

And.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A young punk creating shock waves everywhere while pouring out pale blue sword energy in streams.

This was serious.

The current formation was meant to trap Cheonyeong inside the reception hall, making it vulnerable to external attacks.

If this continued, he would lose everything.

The destruction of the Blue Serpent Sect suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Block them...! I said block them! Stop those bastards and protect the formation!"

Gu Yongtae shouted desperately.

At the same time, the reception hall exploded.

Boom!

Building debris and energy waves swept out like a storm, and from within, a massive presence—a snake with a smile directed at Gu Yongtae.

It wasn't the cunning snake that people spoke of becoming a dragon, but an imoogi standing before the dragon itself.

"S-Sichuan's... great hope."

(End of Chapter)