C 457
The black shadows emitted a similar aura to Baek Ho-gyeong.
They all gave off a sinister and dangerous vibe.
Blood Cloud Ghosts
They were Baek Ho-gyeong's followers.
Usually, they roamed Kangho individually, but they would gather as a force only for special occasions.
The Wind Saint was not an easy opponent.
His martial prowess was on par with Baek Ho-gyeong.
Baek Ho-gyeong had to risk his life to fight him equally.
If it had been a fight for pride or an official duel, he would have faced him alone. He, too, was a martial artist with sky-piercing pride.
But what he was doing now was a very cowardly act, and since he was already acting cowardly, he decided to be even more despicable.
There were twenty members in the Blood Cloud Ghosts.
Each one was a master possessing supreme martial arts skills.
What made them particularly fearsome was their proficiency in both group battles and one-on-one fights. Especially during the dark depths of the night, their power reached its peak.
Baek Ho-gyeong threw Nam Shin-woo, who was slumped against his side, to the Blood Cloud Ghosts.
"Hand over the child."
Wind Saint tried to fly in and catch Nam Shin-woo, but Baek Ho-gyeong blocked his way.
"Your opponent is me."
"Finally showing your true colors? You despicable demon!"
Wind Saint's robe swelled up.
With his disheveled hair waving like seaweed, an immense pressure emanated from him.
Baek Ho-gyeong's expression darkened.
The momentum he sensed from Wind Saint was no joke.
Baek Ho-gyeong ordered the Blood Cloud Ghosts.
"You all take the child and leave this place."
"Yes!"
The leader of the Blood Cloud Ghosts responded, carrying Nam Shin-woo on his back.
He immediately withdrew from the battlefield with his followers.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Wind Saint unfolded his Wind Ocean Sword towards him.
Kwaang!
However, the Wind Ocean Sword never reached the Blood Cloud Ghosts. Before he knew it, Baek Ho-gyeong had blocked it.
"Didn't I tell you? Your opponent is me."
"So, you want to settle this once and for all?"
"I've always disliked your pretense of nobility. You pretend to be noble, you pretend to be clean, but at the end of the day, aren't you just like us?"
"Shut up!"
Wind Saint became furious, as if Baek Ho-gyeong's words had struck a nerve.
Without any hesitation, he charged towards Baek Ho-gyeong.
Whooosh!
Fierce winds swirled around his entire body.
In that state, he collided with Baek Ho-gyeong.
Boom! Boom!
Explosive sounds echoed continuously.
Wind Saint's Wind Ocean Sword and Baek Ho-gyeong's White Lotus Hand.
Both were renowned martial arts techniques in the world.
Their collision brought disaster to the surroundings.
Rumble!
A huge pavilion collapsed, and the walls crumbled.
"Ahhh!"
"Save me!"
It was like a scene from hell.
People screamed and ran out of the collapsing buildings.
Eun-yo spoke to Pyo Wol.
"Brother, are you just going to watch?"
She had a pained expression on her face.
The ominous energy filled the sky, and it was incredibly painful for her, who had a sensitive perception.
Do Yeonsan looked at Pyo Wol with the same expression.
"Yeon-san! Eun-yo!"
"Yes!"
"Brother!"
"Find Shin-woo."
"Okay!"
"Got it."
As soon as the two replied, they took off.
They vanished in an instant, heading in the direction where the Blood Cloud Ghosts had disappeared.
Rumble!
At that moment, Wind Saint and Baek Ho-gyeong were still fiercely fighting.
They were both beyond human limits.
The battle between the two martial artists, who possessed the greatest power in Kangho, was destroying the bustling city of Yueqing.
If left as it is, not a single building in the area would remain intact.
Hiss!
The threaded serpent qi surged from Pyo Wol's hands.
An intangible force that cuts through darkness.
It was so subtle that ordinary people couldn't detect it, but Wind Saint and Baek Ho-gyeong immediately noticed it.
"What is this?"
"Huh!"
Taken by surprise at Pyo Wol's sudden intervention, the two raised their protective energy around their bodies. However, Pyo Wol's intent in releasing the threaded serpent qi wasn't to attack.
Whir!
The threaded serpent qi wrapped around the two, protective energy and all.
Pyo Wol swung the threaded serpent qi with all his might, throwing their bodies into the distance.
"Ugh!"
"How dare you!"
Wind Saint looked dumbfounded, and Baek Ho-gyeong was furious.
They couldn't have imagined being thrown away by a young martial artist like Pyo Wol.
Both were true masters and didn't suffer any injuries. However, their pride had been more than sufficiently wounded.
Wind Saint and Baek Ho-gyeong landed on the outskirts of Yueqing.
Pyo Wol flew down and landed near them.
Baek Ho-gyeong narrowed his eyes.
"What are you doing? You little brat!"
"If you're going to fight, do so without harming the people."
"What?"
Sparks flew from Baek Ho-gyeong's eyes.
No one had ever dared to say such a thing to him.
"You don't think I'm afraid of you because you're called ‘the reaper’ by Kangho, do you?
The murderous intent in Baek Ho-gyeong's voice was truly frightening.
"Gasp!"
"Ugh!"
Just hearing his voice caused the people living on the outskirts of Yueqing to foam at the mouth and collapse.
When one's martial arts skills reach an extremely high level, a single word can kill a person.
The Lion's Roar that Baek Ho-gyeong was displaying now was similar.
However, his Lion's Roar only affected those who were weaker in their internal strength or those who had not learned martial arts.
Both Wind Saint and Pyo Wol were skilled martial artists who possessed powers that didn't fall behind him.
Although their minds were slightly shaken, they didn't suffer any significant damage.
Pyo Wol opened his mouth.
"Fight in a place where there's no one around."
"What?"
“Because of you, the guest house is destroyed and I have to sleep outside.”
"Is that the reason you intervened? How dare you! My actions…
"
Baek Ho-gyeong's anger surged to the tip of his head.
Unable to contain his anger, he charged at Pyo Wol.
"Your opponent is me."
At that moment, Wind Saint stood between Baek Ho-gyeong and Pyo Wol.
"Get out of the way!"
"Haat!"
With a shout, Wind Saint unleashed the full power of his Wind Ocean Sword.
As they were now quite far from the residential area, they could fight without holding back.
Wind Saint glanced at Pyo Wol just before clashing with Baek Ho-gyeong.
'If it's him...'
Though he didn't know Pyo Wol well, he was aware that Pyo Wol cared for Nam-shin-woo.
Although not entirely righteous, he definitely cherished and protected those within his own circle.
Given Pyo Wol's nature, he would never leave Nam-shin-woo alone. Thus, Wind Saint could put aside his worries about Nam-shin-woo and focus on the fight.
"Haat!"
"Chaat!"
Kwaang!
A storm swept across the outskirts of Yueqing.
***
"My goodness!"
"What kind of lightning is this?"
Lee Shin-pil and Goo Sang-hak muttered in despair as they looked at the damaged guesthouse.
The guest house, caught in the fight between Wind Saint and Baek Ho-gyeong, was no longer in a state where guests could sleep.
The pillars were barely holding up, but it was uncertain when they would collapse.
No one could have predicted that the guesthouse they came to for a good night's sleep would be destroyed like this.
Lee Shin-pil spoke to the martial artists.
"Check the condition of the horses and belongings quickly."
"Yes!"
The martial artists moved busily.
At least they were trained in martial arts, so they could react quickly and be safe. Among the commoners, many were crushed under the wreckage of debris.
"You guys help me rescue the injured."
Goo Sang-hak, along with a few of his subordinates, rescued those trapped in the debris.
Lee Shin-pil looked around with a fed up expression.
The fight between Wind Saint and Baek Ho-gyeong here was extremely brief. However, in that short time, the once-bustling street was thoroughly destroyed beyond recognition.
If Pyo Wol hadn't intervened and driven them away, there would have been a tremendous number of casualties.
Lee Shin-pil sighed.
"Isn't it against the way of the world for such people to exist? Why did the heavens grant such power to an individual?"
They were too strong.
An individual's power was enough to shake the world's order.
It was questionable whether a martial artist should possess such power.
"At least Pyo Wol intervened, or else this street would have been completely destroyed."
He was grateful, even in hindsight, for Pyo Wol's intervention.
Under his command, the people of Zigong merchant group efficiently managed the situation.
Fortunately, all the belongings and horses were safe.
If they could just endure this night, they could leave right away.
"Phew!"
Lee Shin-pil sighed with relief.
Now all he had to do was wait for Pyo Wol and Do Yeonsan to return.
"By the way, are those kids alright?"
He thought of Eun-yo and Do Yeonsan, who had pursued the Blood Cloud Ghosts.
***
Do Yeonsan sped through the darkness at a terrifying pace.
The trace of the Blood Cloud Ghosts led them out of the village and deep into the mountains.
The Blood Cloud Ghosts was as secretive as snow leopards.
Once they left the village, they sprinted at full speed.
Catching up with them was by no means an easy task.
It was even more impossible for a martial artist like Do Yeonsan, who hadn't mastered the art of tracking, to follow them.
Despite this, they were able to keep up and pursue them, thanks entirely to Eun-yo.
Eun-yo raced through the darkness at a terrifying speed, so fast that it was hard to believe she couldn't see.
"Left!"
As Eun-yo said, they changed direction to the left.
"They crossed a stream here."
She tracked the Blood Cloud Ghosts as accurately as if she were seeing them with her own eyes.
Do Yeonsan moved without question, following Eun-yo's directions.
It was when they jumped over a fairly wide stream in a single bound.
Swish!
A sudden sword energy flew at them.
The rear of the Blood Cloud Ghosts had noticed the two pursuing them and attacked.
Tatat-tak!
Five people broke away from the group and rushed at the two.
Their momentum as they tore through the darkness was extraordinary.
Do Yeonsan concentrated his energy in his fist and struck out.
Kwaang!
With a loud bang, the three were sent flying backwards. However, they immediately charged at him again as if nothing had happened.
They had swung their swords to dissipate the energy before it hit them.
"Bastards!"
"Die!"
Their eyes flashed with ferocity.
Do Yeonsan fought them while stealing glances at Eun-yo.
He was obviously worried about her.
Seok!
At that moment, a sharp slicing sound was heard.
At the same time, the martial artists who had charged at Eun-yo fell, spraying blood from their necks.
Eun-yo had instantly killed them.
A black belt was wrapped around her hand.
The black belt was not an ordinary item.
It was a weapon that Tang Sochu had created by mixing the Heavenly Silk and the strong silver thread.
Tatat-tak!
Eun-yo chased after the remaining Blood Cloud Ghosts and disappeared into the darkness in an instant.
"Go, go with her!"
Do Yeonsan cried out urgently.
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