Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 446 – Wicked Heart Granny (5)

Just half a quarter-hour earlier.

When Six Offices Commander So Ye-rin arrived near the bamboo forest, a fierce battle was already underway.

The situation was a clash between those trying to prevent entry into the bamboo forest and those attempting to break through.

However, one side numbered in the hundreds while the other was just a small group.

Yet the smaller group consisted entirely of extraordinary masters who had surpassed the peak realm, so the battle was somewhat evenly matched.

‘Am I too late?’

Watching their conflict, she couldn’t understand what was going on.

She had hurried here as fast as she could, but had the Secret Society been even faster than her?

Just then, her eyes caught sight of someone.

It was the masked Ma Ra-hyeon, who had assisted her in the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

[Ma Ra-hyeon!]

[Six Offices Commander!]

He too spotted her and called out.

At this, she instantly swept away the enemies rushing towards Ma Ra-hyeon with the Four Shadow Fist and Kick, one of the ultimate techniques of the Wind Shadow Eight Forms.

-Thud thud thud thud thud!

[Gah!]

[Urgh!]

After instantly defeating over ten peak masters with her ultimate technique, she immediately asked Ma Ra-hyeon.

[Has Master Dam Baek-ha arrived already?]

She had asked Dam Baek-ha, the Blood Saint of the Nine Blood Sect, to deliver the information she had discovered to Mok Gyeong-un.

However, unlike herself who had headed straight for the bamboo forest, she had predicted it would naturally take some time for Dam Baek-ha to receive that information.

But seeing Ma Ra-hyeon and familiar faces like Seop-chun and Mong Mu-yak, it clearly meant that Mok Gyeong-un had also arrived here.

Yet,

[Master Dam Baek-ha? What do you mean?]

[Didn’t you receive my message from Master Dam Baek-ha?]

At her words, Ma Ra-hyeon replied with a puzzled expression.

[No, that’s not it. We came here with our lord to prevent that dangerous forbidden technique from falling into the hands of the Secret Society.]

[Ah…]

At his answer, So Ye-rin nodded as if relieved and was inwardly surprised.

It seemed Mok Gyeong-un had already discovered the information she had obtained and had even moved first.

If they hadn’t arrived first, that important forbidden technique might have fallen into their hands.

In any case, the issue now wasn’t who arrived first.

‘That mustn’t fall into their hands.’

So she scanned the surroundings and asked.

[Where is Young Master Mok?]

[He entered the bamboo forest to stop an enemy who had gone in ahead.]

[There was someone who entered first?]

[Yes. Judging by how much quieter the bamboo forest has become compared to earlier, our lord may have subdued that person… Oh no!]

At that moment, Ma Ra-hyeon spotted masked individuals from the Secret Society breaking through their defense line and rushing towards the bamboo forest.

As he was about to move, Six Offices Commander So Ye-rin held out her hand telling him not to intervene and flew off.

-Whoosh!

[I’ll take care of them, you protect this place!]

[Understood.]

Although Mok Gyeong-un’s forces overwhelmed in terms of skill, there were so many enemies that they couldn’t prevent some from breaking through in time.

However, Ma Ra-hyeon thought it fortunate.

The best ally had arrived at the perfect moment.

So Ye-rin, who had flown off, created clones with her Wind Shadow Step and instantly caught up with those using lightness techniques to rush towards the bamboo forest, subduing them.

-Swish! Swish! Swish swish swish swish!

It took her only the time to count to three to subdue five masked individuals.

After swiftly subduing them, she was about to help Ma Ra-hyeon and the others again when she turned her ear to the sounds coming from inside the bamboo forest.

-Clang! Clang!

The sounds of fighting could be heard from inside.

-Kekekeke!

-Kagh! Kagh!

‘That is?’

At this, she entered the bamboo forest and discovered a swordsman fighting against grotesque spiritual beasts.

It was none other than the Ghost Blade.

The Ghost Blade, who had tried to enter through the distorted space gap following Mok Gyeong-un, was blocking the spiritual beasts that were springing out from the hole created by Destruction Emperor.

Seeing the Ghost Blade for the first time, So Ye-rin couldn’t help but be inwardly surprised.

This was because, despite seeming injured, he was easily handling quite strong-looking spiritual beasts alone with remarkable swordsmanship.

‘His flower grafting has reached the extreme.’

Flower grafting is a technique for facing strong enemies with little strength.

The Ghost Blade was demonstrating high-level subtleties, such as deflecting even the grotesque attacks of non-human spiritual beasts with his sword to attack other spiritual beasts.

However, the spiritual beasts were no ordinary foes, and as they kept coming up through the hole, it seemed too much for him to block alone.

So she flew towards them to attack the spiritual beasts and help him.

[I’ll help too!]

-Whoosh!

Then,

[Huu… Huu… I don’t know who you are, but if you serve him, help the one who went inside.]

The Ghost Blade rejected this and pointed at the distorted space gap with his left hand.

At his words, Six Offices Commander So Ye-rin thought,

‘One who serves him?’

What on earth did that mean?

Had he mistaken her for one of Mok Gyeong-un’s subordinates?

Rather, she had thought he was an acquaintance of Mok Gyeong-un or someone related to him.

As she wondered, the Ghost Blade shouted at her.

[The highest executive of the Secret Society is inside. If the forbidden technique falls into his hands, everything is over.]

[The Secret Society?]

So they hadn’t completely blocked them?

At the Ghost Blade’s cry, So Ye-rin finally changed direction and flew into the distorted space gap.

***

The first thing that caught Six Offices Commander So Ye-rin’s eye upon entering was none other than the devastated meadow and an unconscious man wearing white scale armor.

However, her gaze didn’t linger on him for long.

This was because of two peerless masters facing off with an extraordinary aura.

‘…Is this possible?’

Seeing this, she couldn’t help but be inwardly astonished.

This was because the aura emanating from them was so tremendous that it surpassed even Gu Seong-baek, the Northern Blade King and also Southern Pacification Commissioner, one of the Six Heavens, no, Seven Heavens, called the pinnacle of the current martial arts world.

She truly couldn’t help but be surprised.

‘Is that really Young Master Mok?’

She knew better than anyone that he possessed monstrous talent, having faced him directly.

But this was hard to believe.

It had barely been two months since they parted at the Imperial Palace?

Although she too had developed her martial arts further in the meantime, gaining enlightenment through her confrontation with the Northern Blade King, this was truly astonishing.

What Mok Gyeong-un held in his hand was undoubtedly a formless sword, said to be possible only after reaching the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

That meant,

‘Has he surpassed the wall of walls?’

He was truly a monster who had transcended human limits.

How could such a monster exist?

After being at a loss for words for a moment, she then looked at the opponent facing off against Mok Gyeong-un.

While Mok Gyeong-un’s rapid increase in power was remarkable, that woman was no pushover either.

She looked to be barely in her early twenties on the outside, but how had she reached such a level of martial arts?

Looking at them, the titles for the pinnacle of the current martial arts world would have to change.

But Six Offices Commander So Ye-rin’s eyes widened as she looked at the woman facing off against Mok Gyeong-un.

‘No way?’

She remembered a story her father, Jin Yeong-in, had told her long ago.

He had told her anecdotes of their ancestors as if telling old folk tales, and there were people who appeared in those legends.

Her father had described their appearances in detail.

So she remembered exactly.

‘It can’t be. Has she been alive all this time?’

She was so surprised that she covered her mouth with her palm.

It was hard to believe, but she soon came to her senses.

Thinking about it, even the Elder and Dam Baek-ha of the Nine Blood Sect had lived this long, so there was no reason she couldn’t either.

Moreover, wasn’t she the person who had lived the longest even in those days?

So she thought she couldn’t just stand by.

‘I must stop their fight.’

-Whoosh!

So Ye-rin flew towards them as they faced off and shouted.

“Stop!!!”

Despite her ear-splitting cry, neither Mok Gyeong-un nor Wicked Granny took their eyes off each other at all.

Thinking this wouldn’t do, she flew between them, squeezing in.

Wicked Granny urged her.

“Don’t interfere, woman.”

“I can’t do that, Wicked Granny Cheol Su-ryeon.”

“You… Who are you?”

At this question, Six Offices Commander So Ye-rin employed the Grand Blood Expansive All-Overseeing Heavens Art[1].

-Grrr!

Then her black hair turned blood-red.

Wicked Granny’s eyes widened as she watched this.

To her, Six Offices Commander So Ye-rin, whose hair had completely turned the color of blood, clasped her hands in a salute and said.

“Jin Ye-rin, daughter of Jin Yeong-in, the last young sect leader of Mushang Fortress, pays respects to Master Cheol Su-ryeon, who served that person!”

‘!?’

In an instant, Wicked Granny’s expression, which had been at the peak of fighting spirit, completely softened.

This woman before her eyes was that person’s blood descendant?

Just looking at her blood-red hair, she was undeniably that person’s blood relative.

Then who was the one facing off against her?

She had naturally assumed he was a blood descendant because he could use the Luminous Star Sword Art[2], one of that person’s ultimate techniques, and the lightness technique of the Wind Shadow Eight Forms[3].

As if reading her thoughts, So Ye-rin, no, Jin Ye-rin turned her head and said to Mok Gyeong-un.

“Young Master Mok. This person is not an enemy. Please stop. And Master Cheol Su-ryeon. Young Master Mok here is not unrelated to our Jin family. he is the Four…”

-Shiver!

Before she could finish speaking.

‘!!!!!’

Jin Ye-rin had naturally thought they would stop fighting once she informed them they were allies.

But something completely unexpected happened.

Mok Gyeong-un moved with tremendous killing intent.

“Young Master Mo…”

-Thud!

“Ah!”

As Mok Gyeong-un waved his hand, Jin Ye-rin’s body was flung to the side by a ferocious energy.

Along with this, Mok Gyeong-un’s figure blurred and became a black line that cut through the air.

‘Oh no!’

At this, Wicked Granny, whose fighting spirit had subsided due to Jin Ye-rin’s appearance, hurriedly tried to grab the single strike concentrating all power into one point with her two hands wrapped in formless claws.

Unlike the early stages of their confrontation, she thought she couldn’t just block Mok Gyeong-un’s sword that had become even sharper.

She had to use all her strength to block it.

-Clash clash clash clash clash clash!

The moment the two hands wrapped in formless claws and the formless sword collided, blue flames burst out in all directions along with a flash of light, and the ground cracked and caved in from the aftermath.

-Rumble!

-Tremble!

Wicked Granny’s two hands and arms shook violently.

Her expression contorted.

Although her fighting spirit had subsided, this single strike was distinctly different from all the power until now.

The sword contained only a persistent single-minded focus to kill her and…

-Creep!

‘What is this?’

The formless sword was becoming tinged with a ferocious black energy, and,

-Thud! Thud!

“Hnngh!”

Gradually, her figure began to be pushed back.

Moreover,

-Crack!

Cracks were also forming near the palms of the two formless claws gripping the formless sword.

Because of this, she could understand.

It wasn’t a matter of fighting spirit.

At this moment, this man was overwhelming her.

If she let go of her hands and was pushed back further, she would be cut in half like this.

-Grr!

As her life was in danger, she gathered all her true qi into her two hands, beyond her limits.

Her formless claws also became tinged with an even whiter light.

Meanwhile, someone approached, barely breaking through this tremendous aftermath, and shouted.

-Whoosh!

“Young… Master… Mok… Stop…”

Even though she was protecting her body with blood-red strong energy, she was having difficulty even breathing due to the tremendous aftermath.

At this, Wicked Granny, seeming worried about her, spoke with difficulty.

“Wh-Why… are you doing this? If… you have a connection… with the Jin family’s blood relative… there’s no reason… to fight… like this… risking your life…”

“This is retribution for annihilating her.”

“Her? What…”

‘!?’

Suddenly, Wicked Granny’s expression contorted.

She wondered who “her” could be, but because of the word “annihilation,” she thought of something.

Wicked Granny asked, hoping it wasn’t true.

“Wait… You don’t mean… that… vengeful spirit?”

“Your life is the price.”

“Huh?”

Wicked Granny was genuinely dumbfounded.

Was he really trying to kill her like this because of one vengeful spirit?

What on earth was she that he would do this?

How could a mere soul filled with resentment cause such anger and killing intent?

It made no sense at all, but she soon revealed the truth.

“She… wasn’t… annihilated.”

“…What?”

“That… vengeful spirit… woman… is trapped… in that thatched house… over there.”

No sooner had those words finished.

-Whoosh!

“Huh?”

Mok Gyeong-un, who had been pressing in with his sword as if to kill, suddenly withdrew his strength and deflected it.

Because of this, Wicked Granny, who had been holding the formless sword, couldn’t withstand the force and fell forward.

-Boom!

As she fell forward and couldn’t withdraw her strength, the ground touched by the formless claws shattered and caved in.

Regardless, Mok Gyeong-un was flying towards the thatched house.

‘!?’

Watching his retreating figure, even Jin Ye-rin stared blankly, not understanding what was happening.

‘His expression?’

It changed suddenly.

That cold and indifferent face that had been full of terrible killing intent just moments ago brightened in an instant.

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