Chapter 18
Upon arriving at the Sea Dragon Palace, Baek Mu-Gun immediately headed inside. There, he found Ak Gun-Hyo alone, sitting on his throne.
“So, it was you, huh?”
Gun-Hyo immediately knew Mu-Gun was the Baek Sword Sect’s first son the moment he entered the Sea Dragon Palace.
“You seem to be waiting for me.”
“Even if this is where I meet my end, I wasn’t planning on going down without killing you first,” Gun-Hyo looked prepared to die.
“I don’t know if you’re capable enough to do that,” Mu-Gun responded as he examined Gun-Hyo’s martial arts.
When it came to just qi levels, Gun-Hyo was stronger than the Sickle Slaughterer. Even someone at the Peak Realm would be seriously injured against him.
‘I have to be careful.’
It wouldn’t be easy for Mu-Gun to deal with a Peak Realm expert with his current realm and internal energy. To make matters worse, Ak Gun-Hyo was prepared to die.
This battle would certainly be extremely difficult. However, that didn’t mean he was afraid.
Despite how hard it could be, Mu-Gun was confident in defeating Gun-Hyo.
“You seem to be in high spirits just because you killed the Sickle Slaughterer. If you think I’m the same as him, you are greatly mistaken.”
“The way I see it, I don’t think it will be much different.” Mu-Gun raised his right hand as he responded.
Bzzt!
A golden thunderbolt formed in his right hand.
‘That’s—!’
Recalling the attack that defeated the Sickle Slaughterer, he swiftly noticed Mu-Gun’s attempt to use the same technique on him. Gun-Hyo immediately bounced off his throne and dodged sideways.
However, his hasty evasion was for naught. Mu-Gun didn’t release anything. Having intentionally pretended to invoke the Thunder Sword Cannon, he made Gun-Hyo move hastily. He then used that gap to charge forward and thrust his sword toward Gun-Hyo.
A sword-shaped thunderbolt rose from Mu-Gun’s sword and spread out like a fan, oppressing Gun-Hyo. Mu-Gun had just executed the Celestial Moonlight Sword, a technique he recently developed by combining the 36 Phantom Moon Blades and the fundamental principle of the Thousand Sky-Enveloping Palms. He also infused the Heavenly Thunder Constellation Divine Art’s thunder qi into it, causing it to take the form of a sword-shaped thunderbolt.
The attack forced Gun-Hyo to concede the flow of the battle to Mu-Gun. Now having the upper hand, Mu-Gun went on the offensive.
“How dare you use such petty tricks!”
The fact that Mu-Gun, a young lad still wet behind the ears, made a fool of him angered Gun-Hyo. Enraged, he lifted his sword and faced Mu-Gun. He then unleashed a raging sword qi, sweeping away Mu-Gun’s sword-shaped thunderbolt.
Mu-Gun hurriedly stepped back to evade the penetrating sword qi that tore apart his sword-shaped thunderbolt. Upon noticing his retreat, Gun-Hyo swiftly chased after Mu-Gun and unleashed sword qi again. The latter simply kept dodging instead of facing the sword qi head-on.
Gun-Hyo’s sword qi was fast and powerful. However, it was rendered useless since it couldn’t hit his opponent, who kept avoiding it with great ease.
Mu-Gun’s movements weren’t particularly faster than Gun-Hyo’s attacks. The real reason why he could avoid them without much difficulty was that he could predict their trajectory.
Through the countless battles he fought during his earlier reincarnations, he obtained a high level of martial arts enlightenment. In his eyes, it was clear as day where and how Gun-Hyo would direct his attack.
As Sun Tzu once said, ‘if you know both yourself and your enemy, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.’
Gun-Hyo couldn’t land even a single hit with Mu-Gun predicting his attacks and avoiding them half a beat quicker. As a result, Gun-Hyo’s sword qi could only smash the floor, pillars, and furniture in the Sea Dragon Palace.
“Are you just going to keep evading me like a rat?!” Unable to stand the fact that he kept missing his target, Gun-Hyo flew into a rage.
“I’m actually about to start attacking now since your attacks are so boring.”
After saying such gut-wrenching words, Mu-Gun pounced on Gun-Hyo, who thrust his sword at Mu-gun as if he had been waiting for that exact moment. Gun-Hyo’s sword qi struck down at Mu-Gun’s head just as the latter charged in.
However, just before it could make contact with Mu-Gun’s head and split him in half, a golden thunderbolt formed around Mu-Gun’s two feet and propelled his body sharply to the side. Gun-Hyo’s sword qi brushed past Mu-Gun’s sides and shattered the floor of the Sea Dragon Palace.
In the midst of it all, Mu-Gun executed the Thunder God’s Aerial Steps, repeatedly changing directions at lightning speed until he had made his way to Gun-Hyo’s back. The Thunder God’s Aerial Steps was a movement art that lifted the practitioner off the ground by discharging thunder qi through both feet, then freely changing their direction. At its peak, it could even be used to climb the sky just like its name suggested.
With movements akin to a divine skill, Mu-Gun reached behind Gun-Hyo instantaneously and unleashed the sword-shaped thunderbolt without delay.
‘This crazy—!’
Mu-Gun’s movements, which transcended common sense, took Gun-Hyo aback. Nevertheless, the latter hurriedly rolled forward, causing the sword-shaped thunderbolt Mu-Gun let loose to narrowly whizz past Gun-Hyo.
Mu-Gun invoked the same technique again before Gun-Hyo could manage to stand back up.
Like the moonlight that separated the darkness, the sword-shaped thunderbolt flashed all over Gun-Hyo. Clenching his teeth, he unleashed his sword qi.
Gun-Hyo deflected and shattered Mu-Gun’s attack, causing a loud roar to resonate. A Peak Realm master’s sword qi was certainly powerful. Mu-Gun’s thunderbolts were destroyed before they could even break past Gun-Hyo’s sword qi. However, Mu-Gun still took the initiative and went on the offensive.
Not giving his opponent time to breathe, Mu-Gun burrowed into Gun-Hyo’s flank. The Thunder God’s Aerial Steps displayed movements beyond what Gun-Hyo expected, causing him to respond half a beat slower. Nevertheless, he was able to withstand Mu-Gun’s attack due to his strong sword qi.
Mu-Gun continued to corner Gun-Hyo while he still had the advantage. In all honesty, he could get a much easier victory against Gun-Hyo if he just used the Heavenly Descent Thunder God Sect’s martial arts properly. However, Mu-Gun insisted on using the Baek Sword Sect’s martial arts despite how crucial this fight was so he could familiarize himself with it.
Mu-Gun was a part of the Baek Sword Sect, which meant he would use its martial arts much more often than the Heavenly Descent Thunder God Sect’s.
And there was no better way to train it than using it in actual combat. Hence, he used this confrontation with Gun-Hyo to achieve his goal. It would’ve even been better for him if he could deal with the opponent using the Celestial Moonlight Sword alone, but Gun-Hyo was currently too powerful for him to avoid using the Thunder God’s Aerial Steps.
There was no need for him to push his limits when his martial arts were still incomplete. His life was more important than anything else.
Pushed back by Mu-Gun’s attacks, Gun-Hyo frantically unleashed his sword qi. Even if he was a Peak Realm expert, he was bound to run out of internal energy if he kept releasing that much sword qi.
As expected, Gun-Hyo began to run out of internal energy due to the excessive use of his sword qi, and the aftereffect made his movements sluggish. Mu-Gun’s internal energy was on the verge of exhaustion as well, having continuously invoked the Thunder God’s Aerial Steps. The martial arts of the Heavenly Descent Thunder God Sect fundamentally consumed heavy amounts of internal energy, and the Thunder God’s Aerial Steps was no different.
‘I have to end it now.’
Without further delay, Mu-Gun soared into the air while concentrating all his internal energy on his sword. His sword then plummeted down at Ak Gun-Hyo.
Mu-Gun soared to the ceiling of the Sea Dragon Palace as lighting sword qi surged from his sword like radiating light.
Supreme Moonlight! It was one of the Celestial Moonlight Sword’s strongest techniques. Gun-Hyo’s eyes widened at the lightning sword qi raining down on him, the power of which was on an entirely different level compared to the techniques Mu-Gun used earlier. Gun-Hyo clenched his teeth and swung his sword, releasing a violent sword qi that contain every single drop of his nearly depleted internal energy.
A loud roar resonated as soon as Gun-Hyo’s mustered-up sword qi clashed with the Supreme Moonlight’s. The ground shook.
Soon, Gun-Hyo’s sword qi shattered, and the lightning energy penetrated him.
The lightning energy pierced through the arm he was using to hold his sword, causing it to stiffen up and drop his weapon.
Before he knew it, Mu-Gun had descended in front of him and stabbed him again. Gun-Hyo did not avoid it, however. Instead, he used it as an opportunity to close in on Mu-Gun.
The moment his chest was penetrated, his left hand reached out for Mu-Gun’s head, executing an attack that disregarded defense.
He aimed to perish together with Mu-Gun. However, that was within Mu-Gun’s expectations. He had reached out with his left hand and struck Gun-Hyo’s shoulder before the latter could do anything.
Imbued with lightning energy, Mu-Gun’s palm force shattered and paralyzed Gun-Hyo’s left shoulder.
Gun-Hyo’s attack, which was aimed at Mu-Gun’s head, bounced off the shock from the latter’s counterattack.
“Kuhkk.” Gun-Hyo groaned as he knelt on the floor. He clutched his chest, which Mu-Gun’s sword had pierced through.
“I couldn’t bring you along with me to the afterlife. Pity.” Gun-Hyo said, frustrated.
“You shouldn’t let that get you down. The many vengeful spirits you so unjustly killed will surely give you a violent welcome.”
“Kuhukk! Ugh, don’t be so conceited. What makes you think you’re any different from me, you bastard?” Gun-Hyo said as he coughed out a handful of dark-red blood.
“Don’t be concerned about me. I only kill those who deserve to die, just like you. Now, it’s time to end this.”
There was no need for further chatter. Mu-Gun beheaded Gun-Hyo without hesitation, causing the latter to collapse to the floor. With his death, the fate of the Sea Dragon Gang, which dominated the eastern sea of Zhejiang, came to an end.
***
Shortly after Mu-Gun defeated Gun-Hyo, Baek Cheon-Gi, Baek Cheon-Ho, and Baek Yong-Hwan entered the Sea Dragon Palace. The three men looked surprised upon finding Gun-Hyo wretchedly lying cold on the floor.
“Is that the Sea Dragon Gang Leader?” Cheon-Ho asked as he pointed to Gun-Hyo’s corpse.
“Yes.”
“Did you kill him?”
“Yes.”
“You truly have really formidable martial prowess.”
Cheon-Ho was genuinely impressed. The martial prowess of Ak Gun-Hyo, the Sea Dragon Gang Leader, was known for not being any bit inferior to Baek Cheon-Sang, the strongest master within the Baek Sword Sect.
Even so, Mu-Gun singlehandedly defeated Gun-Hyo, which essentially served as proof that his martial arts were on the same level as Cheon-Sang’s. Mu-Gun’s tender age of twenty-three years old only made it even more shocking.
“Well done,” Cheon-Gi praised Mu-Gun.
He hoped that it would be a lose-lose situation between Mu-Gun and Gun-Hyo, but Mu-Gun emerged victorious unscathed.
With things transpiring this way, Mu-Gun’s martial prowess would only be highlighted further.
‘How strong is he actually?’
Cheon-Gi became afraid of Mu-Gun’s martial prowess. As Yong-Hwan said, it seemed that even the successors of the Seven Great Clans wouldn’t be at his Mu-Gun’s level. Cheon-Gi certainly wasn’t confident he’d be able to defeat Baek Mu-Gun even if he had a plan.
‘Do I really have to give this up?’
Cheon-Gi smiled bitterly, thinking he’d have to let go of his lifelong dream.
“Thank you. What’s the situation outside?”
“The Sea Dragon Gang’s pirates have been dealt with. However, a few seem to have escaped. I’m worried they’ll cause trouble in the future.” Cheon-Ho expressed his concerns.
“Even if so, they’re just pirates. They won’t become a problem in the future.”
“Mu-Gun is right. The Sea Dragon Archipelago has also fallen to ruin, so why are you worried about the remnants of a destroyed gang?” Cheon-Gi didn’t think much of it either.
“There seems to be nothing to worry about, then.”
“What do you plan to do with this place? I personally think this can be a good fortress in times of emergency.” Yong-Hwan expressed his opinion on how to use the Sea Dragon Archipelago.
“We can do that. It’s a good location to build our strength while avoiding the eyes of the other forces as well.”
Mu-Gun had no intention of abandoning the Sea Dragon Archipelago. The Sea Dragon Archipelago was hidden in the Fantasy Fog Array, making it the best fortress for them to build up their strength secretly. Even if that wasn’t the case, it was worth using in many other ways. The Sea Dragon Archipelago was the best of the spoils they gained from their war against the Sea Dragon Gang.
They had to make use of it in some way. There was no need to rush, though, since it wasn’t an urgent matter.
“Taking our time to decide on this issue shouldn’t be a problem. For now, let’s head back to the Maritime Defense Base.”
“Please go on ahead. I want to stay here for some time. There’s something I want to look for.”
“What would that be?”
“I can’t tell you yet. I’ll explain it later once I confirm it.”
Mu-Gun wanted to confirm his suspicions about the Heavenly Seafarer leaving his legacy here in the Sea Dragon Archipelago. He couldn’t reveal it yet, though, since he wasn’t certain of it yet.
“You’re not going to do anything dangerous, are you?” Cheon-Ho asked anxiously.
“What danger would there be? We’ve already dealt with the entire Sea Dragon Gang.”
“Fine. We’ll head back first. Return immediately once you’re done with what you have to do.”
“Understood.”
“But for us to get out of here, don’t you have to guide us?”
“Don’t worry. I will guide you all out of here, then come back in.”
“Alright. That’s fine, then.”
After an hour of sorting out the mess at the Sea Dragon Island, the three squads of the Baek Sword Corps left the Sea Dragon Archipelago.
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