Crash! Boom!

Cheonyeong did nothing.

Or rather, just by remaining still within the formation, he was having an enormous impact on the battle.

The formation?

It couldn't be an obstacle.

He possessed the strength to escape easily even with Meng Serling.

However, if he had escaped early, the formation would have collapsed and the martial artists forming its axis would have been freed to attack the Tang Family and Yu Seong-yeon outside.

So he simply remained still to more easily dismantle the trap the Minglun Chamber had devised.

But Gu Yongtae, driven by impatience, couldn't possibly know Cheonyeong's thoughts and still hadn't properly grasped the situation.

"Block them! Block them with all your strength!"

Though he said so, he was gradually realizing his own insufficiency.

"Damn bastards."

What kind of people were they anyway?

Two hundred martial artists were collapsing against just slightly over ten. If he had known this, he would have mobilized the entire Minglun Chamber.

He had to block them somehow.

This battle couldn't end in the Tang Family's victory.

If rumors spread that they had been defeated despite digging traps and fighting with several times their numbers, the Minglun Chamber would be finished.

All of Sichuan would mock the Minglun Chamber.

Even if many martial artists remained at the main branch... the vulture-like creatures stationed throughout various regions would swarm to devour the Minglun Chamber's remaining flesh, now rumored to be weakened.

And it would collapse.

Torn to shreds.

There was only one method in Gu Yongtae's mind.

That he had almost killed Meng Serling was a later concern.

First, he had to survive.

"Damn it, shoot the signal flare! Hurry! Call for the Black Heaven Sect's reinforcements!"

"Ah, understood."

At Gu Yongtae's shout, Woo Junghwan urgently pulled a signal flare from his pocket.

Whoosh~ Boom!

As red sparks shot high and burst, hope appeared on Gu Yongtae's face.

"Hold on! Just hold on a bit longer! If we just hold until the Black Heaven Sect arrives, we'll win."

Whether because of his desperate cry or because of the Black Heaven Sect's name, the morale of the Minglun Chamber martial artists surged dramatically in an instant, and their movements became more agile.

The Tang Family members, who had been breaking through with unstoppable momentum, noticeably slowed.

Though it felt like chewing on sand, Gu Yongtae laughed while looking at Cheonyeong trapped within the formation.

You bastard, how does it feel?

No matter how much you struggle, you can't overcome the power of a faction.

That was the look in his eyes.

"Hmm."

And Cheonyeong frowned.

He was displeased that the bastard, who seemed about to collapse, was already looking smug as if he had won.

And the signal flare.

Were there reinforcements?

Cheonyeong glanced at Sanghui and the others.

It wasn't that he didn't trust them.

Since Yu Seong-yeon had already joined their side, there shouldn't be great danger.

But if reinforcements were added, they would grow tired.

Internal energy wasn't infinite, and there were limits to human stamina.

"It seems we've used up most of the hidden weapons too."

Cheonyeong smiled bitterly and looked at Meng Serling.

"Should we let go?"

"...Yes?"

"My neck hurts."

"Ah!"

Meng Serling, startled, released her hands and stepped back.

Her expression was full of regret.

"You won't be in great danger."

"Yes?"

"You saw it earlier. How panicked the Minglun Chamber Leader was when he attacked you."

"Ah..."

"If you walk away from me, you'll be able to safely exit the formation. Gu Yongtae will make it that way on his own."

"But Family Head..."

"Me? The kids said something about it."

"Yes?"

"There's nothing more useless in the world than worrying about me."

At Cheonyeong's confident words, Meng Serling couldn't help but smile.

Somehow she understood.

Though they were together only briefly, Cheonyeong didn't seem like someone who would fall into danger.

"Please be careful."

"Careful is... what they need to be."

Cheonyeong smiled and walked toward the formation.

All formations have many gates.

Among them, there is one formation principle that absolutely cannot be overlooked: the Gate of Life.

It is literally the path to survival, but it also carries another meaning.

The beginning and end of the formation.

It can be activated from anywhere, but to stop safely, the Gate of Life is necessary.

"Well, sometimes there isn't one."

Cheonyeong, smiling as he looked at the formation, fixed his gaze on one spot.

"Is the Gate of Life roughly around there?"

With the words, hidden weapons appeared in Cheonyeong's empty hand, and immediately they were released filled with internal energy.

It looked like a light gesture, but the sound of what was shot pierced through space.

"Hidden weapons! Thicken the formation!"

The martial artist in charge of the axis shouted, and the martial artists rushed to the front of the Gate of Life, wrapping around it like a shield.

It was only their delusion that they could block it.

Bifeng, Xuanziyuan.

They were thin hidden weapons the length of a palm, and though the speed was slow, because they contained Samyang Divine Art, their power was no different from a rafter.

"Such trivial hidden weapons!"

A martial artist swung his sword to knock the hidden weapons away.

Crunch!

"Ahhhhh!"

The hidden weapons, upon impact with the incoming sword, pierced not only the sword but also a large hole through the martial artist's chest.

"Ahhh!"

"Ugh!"

Five locations in total.

The martial artists guarding the Gate of Life fell from a single volley of hidden weapons.

"The gate... opened wide?"

It didn't open—it was completely destroyed.

Cheonyeong laughed broadly and immediately threw his body toward the gate.

Boom!

"S-stop him! He's coming...!"

Slash!

The martial artist who tried to block him had his neck cut by the horizontal trajectory created by Cheonyeong's sword strike.

Glancing, Cheonyeong saw Meng Serling safely exiting the formation.

"Well then, shall we reduce the numbers?"

Thud!

The sword in Cheonyeong's hand was planted in the ground, and hidden weapons filled his now-empty hands.

"Don't let him escape the formation! Don't lose him!"

The martial artists swarmed toward Cheonyeong like a swarm of bees, standing before the formation's gate.

A cruel smile appeared at the corners of Cheonyeong's mouth as he crouched with both hands gathered at chest level.

"Mountain Burst, Treasure Skill."

Whoosh!

Both arms extended and hands spread wide.

Boom!

The hidden weapons held in his hands were shot in all directions without a specific target.

The martial artists who had rushed toward Cheonyeong were pierced by the hidden weapons and fell to the ground with thuds.

Compared to Xuanziyuan, the power was weaker, so most only suffered injuries. But Cheonyeong was not one to forgive those who aimed for his life.

Slash!

The sword in Cheonyeong's hand created countless trajectories, and with each trajectory, human bodies were severed and scattered.

"I'll... kill you all."

It was a brutal sight.

Creating a rain of blood and smiling eerily within it.

As Cheonyeong began to actively collapse the formation, changes occurred on Sanghui and Yu Seong-yeon's side as well.

In a situation almost like a combined attack, the Minglun Chamber's lines began to crumble.

Fear began to spread in the eyes of the Minglun Chamber martial artists, and their surging fighting spirit subsided as if cold water had been poured on it.

Moreover, the reinforcements they had hoped for didn't appear even as time passed.

"Damn it..."

At the brutal sight, Gu Yongtae finally fell into despair.

He realized he had been abandoned.

Splash!

Blood spread across his face.

The martial artist who had been before him fell, and fierce eyes looked toward him.

"Cheonyeong."

He was there.

Casually resting his sword on his shoulder and smiling.

"I told you, didn't I?"

"..."

"That I'd trample the Minglun Chamber."

Cheonyeong walked toward Gu Yongtae.

Though the sounds of battle still filled all directions, there were no martial artists blocking Cheonyeong's path.

Drenched in blood and smiling, with each step forward, the martial artists around him backed away in fear, creating a path.

Gu Yongtae smiled bitterly.

He had been abandoned again.

By his own subordinates...

Crunch!

But he gritted his teeth.

For martial artists, pride is more important than life, isn't it?

Even if he lost, he intended to die like a martial artist.

"Don't underestimate me, bastard!"

Whoosh!

Gu Yongtae's sword was swung, and Cheonyeong immediately countered.

Clang!

Sparks flew as metal clashed.

Cheonyeong, feeling the pressure in the sword was heavier than expected, smiled wickedly.

"...You were worth killing."

As fierce exchanges of sword and sword unfolded, the martial artists around gradually withdrew to both sides, creating a wide space.

Like spectators enjoying a fight to the death, the martial artists stopped fighting and retreated to the sides.

No one shouted or spoke, but they knew.

That the fight between the two was the battle between the Tang Family and the Minglun Chamber.

And that the victor of that fight would be the victor of the entire battle.

Everyone, with swords lowered, began to focus on the duel between the two.

Clang! Clang!

In fact, Cheonyeong was somewhat surprised.

Minglun Chamber Leader Gu Yongtae.

He had underestimated him, but he had the skill to be the master of a faction.

The pressure in the colliding sword was stronger than expected.

Mixed with the unorthodox faction's emphasis on unconventional tactics was a heavy sword that overwhelmed opponents.

"Too bad. If I had known you had such fine swordsmanship, I would have brought Yongcheon."

He expressed genuine admiration.

But admiration didn't mean his skill was threatening.

Nor did it mean he would be forgiven.

Thud!

Cheonyeong deflected the descending sword and cut Gu Yongtae's knee.

"Ahhh!"

Despite his center of balance being destroyed, Gu Yongtae desperately swung his sword to block Cheonyeong's approach.

But that was only his intention.

Slash!

"Ugh!"

His wrist was severed and blood sprayed.

Cheonyeong, indifferent and calm, circled the wounded Gu Yongtae, slowly adding wounds to his body.

The situation was hopeless.

No matter how much Gu Yongtae struggled, he couldn't match Cheonyeong.

That's when it happened.

"Stop for a moment, would you?"

A heavy voice, as if heard from right beside him, reached Cheonyeong's ear, and simultaneously, sinister killing intent surged from all directions.

Tap, tap, tap, tap!

With the sound of feet striking the ground, five flashes of light approached Cheonyeong.

What now?

The reinforcements called by the signal flare earlier?

Though Cheonyeong could have severed Gu Yongtae's lifeline before they arrived, he frowned and retreated.

The voice belonged to an old man.

And wasn't the tone a request rather than a command?

As Cheonyeong created distance, the flashes transformed into people, standing before Gu Yongtae as if protecting him.

"Those bastards!"

Sanghui, thinking the fight had been interrupted, tried to step forward, but Cheonyeong raised his hand to stop her.

The martial artists who had appeared weren't pointing their swords at him.

They simply intended to separate him and Gu Yongtae as commanded by the voice's owner—they had no intention of fighting.

But Cheonyeong's eyes suddenly widened as he looked at them.

Behind him.

Not close.

From a considerable distance away, he felt as if a massive dark cloud was pressing down on the earth and approaching.

Cheonyeong quickly turned his body and looked.

There was Meng Serling.

No, she was leisurely following behind an old man approaching.

Who is that old man?

But he immediately understood.

That he was Meng Sheguang, the Grand Elder of the Black Heaven Sect.

Damn, if it's like this... is it too late to destroy the Minglun Chamber?

Cheonyeong frowned, but soon gripped his sword in reverse and bowed his head toward Meng Sheguang.

"The Family Head of the Tang Family greets the great senior of the Black Heaven Sect."

At the respectful greeting, Meng Sheguang approached with an enigmatic smile and revealed his identity.

"I am Meng Sheguang."

No other words were necessary.

He was already introducing himself through his tremendous presence.

(End of Chapter)