Chapter 144

Namgung Woo did not immediately address the issue of Byung Chan-ju’s identity. Now was not the time for that.

The battle was still ongoing.

Although the tide had turned again with Yi Ho-yeong stepping forward, it was still too early to relax. If it was the Black Ghost Gate, the real threat hadn’t even shown up yet.

After Gwak Dan sacrificed himself to take down the Netherworld Horn and Paeng Hu-sang slaughtered the rest.

Both Gwak Dan and Paeng Hu-sang had reached the realm of monstrous strength, disguised as humans.

Yet, why did Gwak Dan struggle so much against just the Netherworld Horn, even burning his own life to barely capture it, while Paeng Hu-sang could suppress dozens of them without a scratch?

Even among the demons from the same Ghost Gate, there were differences in strength. Just because it’s the Black Ghost Gate doesn’t mean every one of them is so strong that even a Peerless Master would struggle.

In the first Ghost Gate Namgung Woo encountered, there was the Soul-Stealing Ghost Phantom, and during the Manse Mountain incident, the Netherworld Horn. In the Ghost Gate, there are one or two extremely powerful demons. They are like the gatekeepers. The top existence within the collective known as the Ghost Gate.

In the world, such demons are called Ghost Gate Masters, Ghost Kings, or Gatekeepers.

The level of the Ghost Gate is determined by the strength of these Gatekeeper demons.

If the demons could be easily handled by a Supreme Peak Master, it means the Gatekeeper hasn’t appeared yet.

Namgung Woo wasn’t just idly watching the battle from a distance; he was wary of the Gatekeeper demon that could appear at any moment.

And in Namgung Woo’s mind, he had already calculated that if Yi Ho-yeong stepped forward, things would be settled.

“Here they come again!”

Although Yi Ho-yeong stepping forward had dampened the demons’ advance, he was only one person.

Even if he could hold one side, it was impossible to block all the demons rushing from other directions.

Already, over a hundred demons had turned into bloody puddles on the ground, but there were still plenty left. Especially the transformed ghosts, which were gradually learning and mutating into forms more suited to fighting martial artists.

They reduced their size to narrow their striking points and increased their density to prevent their limbs from exploding, thereby enhancing their strength.

Namgung Woo’s gaze pierced through the dark wave of demons.

In his eyes, he saw those struggling in even worse conditions than here.

‘Should I step in?’

He wanted to conserve his strength as much as possible.

Even Gwak Dan, who was on par with or perhaps even stronger than Namgung Woo now, had to risk his life to capture the Netherworld Horn.

Of course, Gwak Dan was already in a bad state, having clashed with Yi Ja-ryong several times and being poisoned in his main blood vessels, but the Gatekeeper of the Black Ghost Gate was not an opponent to be taken lightly, even for a Peerless Master.

And if Namgung Woo couldn’t defeat the Gatekeeper demon, the outcome would be disastrous.

Knowing this, no one complained about Namgung Woo not joining the battle. Everyone understood that Namgung Woo was the trump card to be used in the greatest crisis.

Even if everyone else died and only Namgung Woo remained, it would be meaningless.

‘Just one strike.’

A single strike to achieve maximum effect with minimal cost.

If he wanted a single burst of power, the Thirteen Thunder Swords still appealed to him.

Namgung Woo adopted the Scattered Thunder Gathering Flash stance of the Thirteen Lightning Flash Swords. Not an offensive move, but a preparatory step to transition into the tenth form. It was a stance to gather the scattered Thunder Qi around him and steady his posture.

The energy of the battlefield began to flow around Namgung Woo. Even the evil energy and demons couldn’t reveal their ferocity in the face of such a powerful will and were pushed back.

The residual Thunder Qi left by the Yang Brothers as they fought, and the Thunder Qi spread across the battlefield by Yi Ho-yeong, all condensed into a single point.

Three Thousand Divine Techniques would be overkill. Just the domineering Thunder Qi of the Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art alone sharpened his Aura Energy, causing lightning to crackle and heat the atmosphere of the battlefield.

“Evade! Clear the east and south!”

At Yi Ho-yeong’s shout, the martial artists quickly moved. Not just him. They helped other martial artists who were trapped by demons and had no way out, all together.

From Luoyang to the Daepa Mountain Range, and now this joint battle. The sense of camaraderie was taking root and sprouting in their hearts.

As half the forces fell back and the martial artists’ formation shifted northwest to reform, the demons rushed in to fill the gap. Like air rushing into a vacuum, the demons’ momentum became even fiercer.

But they didn’t realize it was like a moth flying into a flame.

A large horizontal bond was drawn. The extending Sword Aura looked like a golden crescent moon descending to the ground.

The crescent-shaped slash cut through the demons. The Sword Aura, imbued with Thunder Qi, didn’t just sever bones and flesh but burned away the evil entities themselves, erasing them from the world.

Single Flash of Extreme Light, Crescent Moon Flash.

Now, Namgung Woo had moved beyond the mere form of the initial stance, extracting only its essence to draw new sword paths as he wished.

Even as the soundless lightning faded, the lingering aftermath was not easily dispelled.

“…I thought he was a monster just with the Single Blade Cliff.”

“Even that wasn’t his full strength.”

“But if he uses this much power, it’ll be hard to deal with the Ghost Gate Master…”

“It’s because we’re being pushed back.”

“We need to step up.”

Admiration and lamentation.

While they poured out admiration for Namgung Woo’s single strike, they also lamented their own shortcomings and the future of the battle.

Those who live by the sword, die by the sword. That is the way of martial artists. Those who remained here were all prepared to die, seeking the honor Namgung Woo had spoken of at the end.

Seeing the distant, lofty realm of a single strike, instead of feeling despair and envy, they resolved to exert themselves even more.

The martial artists’ momentum revived. Like dying embers reigniting into a wildfire that consumes the mountain, their fading fighting spirit, riding on their reverence for martial arts, regained its original ferocity.

Yi Ho-yeong, though visibly running low on internal energy, muttered as he watched the martial artists, whose momentum had grown stronger than before.

“Pure martial power inspires admiration, doesn’t it?”

Without paying attention to the others’ reactions, Namgung Woo finally checked the group of survivors on the other side, whose formation had collapsed, and quickly turned around.

Without even sheathing his sword, Namgung Woo shouted as he rushed forward.

“I’ll take the lead! Geumshin! Stand before me! You’re the vanguard.”

“An excellent decision, Great Master!”

Geumshin, who had trained both external and internal energy to the utmost, was undoubtedly the strongest in terms of physical strength.

Even setting aside Namgung Woo, who was in a league of his own, compared to Yi Ho-yeong, Geumshin’s pure physical strength was not far behind.

Moreover, the Hundred Directions Footwork Technique, which allowed him to deploy footwork in any situation and attack with kicks, truly shone in such chaotic battles.

Geumshin, at the forefront, raised his internal energy, imbued with the power of the Great Origin Heart Technique, to its peak.

Clad in a bronze-colored protective aura, wielding his staff, Geumshin looked like a golden guardian deity.

Behind him, the Yang Brothers quickly followed.

They inserted their swords and blades into the gaps Geumshin created, widening the breach.

The powerful initial stances of the Thirteen Lightning Flash Swords added to Geumshin’s strength were like wings. No longer needing to worry about the flanks, Geumshin’s charge made one understand what it meant to advance alone like a rhinoceros horn.

Feeling that even the three of them weren’t enough, Myorin joined in.

While Geumshin engaged in close combat at the front and the Yang Brothers focused on supporting him, Myorin stealthily eliminated the threatening strong individuals.

Despite the inconvenience of deploying the Phoenix Feather due to the Ghost Realm, her movements were still free. The Myeongryeo Footwork Technique, passed down from the Cheongjeong Sect’s founding ancestor, Sonbul, traversed the space as quietly and profoundly as the night sky.

Even if other techniques were unavailable, the always-active Spirit Ghost Flame still played its role in one corner of Myorin’s mind. Myorin dodged the demons’ attacks as if in a sparring match, precisely eliminating only the targeted ones.

“Good, Ha-hee, Hyeon-dun, let’s move out too.”

At Cheok Mu-hong’s words, the two members of the Yeongmu Unit he had established silently swung their weapons.

So Seonpung, Seok Ha-hee, used a chain sickle, a unique weapon for long-range support, while Tan Yu Geomsa, Hyeon-dun, wielded an ordinary sword but shot out sword winds along with the wind.

Cheok Mu-hong, Seok Ha-hee, and Hyeon-dun, all trained in mid-range martial arts, adjusted their spacing remarkably well. There was no chance of their hands getting tangled with Geumshin, Yang Kwae, or Yang Jeong’s areas.

They gradually melted in. The creaking coordination took on a plausible form, and the tangled footsteps now clearly knew where to step without needing words.

Those who had previously recognized each other as strangers and maintained some boundaries began to slowly break down those barriers and blend together.

§

At that moment.

A little distance away.

At a distance where only Namgung Woo could detect their location, there were those who were in a precarious state, seemingly on the verge of collapse.

The Wind Chasing Unit’s combat power was considerable. Even in a head-on battle with the martial artists Namgung Woo had brought, they had a 40% chance of winning.

But that was when the Wind Chasing Unit was intact. With half their forces lost and their combat power fragmented, just holding on was a struggle.

“Great Master! Euncheon is at his limit!”

There was no time to send a Whispering Transmission.

At Song Woojeol’s hoarse shout from his cracked throat, Byeok-un quickly stomped the ground.

True to his nickname, the Wind Evader, his speed was incredibly fast.

*Crack! Thud!*

Byeok-un’s fist, filled with fist energy, tore through the air and exploded the demon’s body.

Speed equals power. The faster, the more terrifying the force contained in that fist.

Even after successfully rescuing a unit member and killing a demon, Byeok-un’s expression remained dark.

‘Damn it, where are you? Why haven’t you shown up yet?’

The Ghost Gate Master who hadn’t appeared.

The only one who could possibly face it was Byeok-un himself.

His nerves were inevitably scattered. He had to respond the moment it appeared. Otherwise, the precious few unit members he had worked so hard to protect would be lost in an instant.

If it weren’t for this situation, Byeok-un would have noticed the presence of those who had come to support.

He would have sensed the change in the wind’s texture through the Wind Evasion Technique.

But Byeok-un had no mental energy left to spare for the outside.

His Wind Evasion Technique was only used to sense the wind within a radius of three zhang, enough to cover his unit members.

Thanks to that, Byeok-un could react without delay when the wind stopped.

‘It’s here!’

An existence that even the wind held its breath for.

The master of the Black Ghost Gate, who could only be assured of victory if a Peerless Master came.

Byeok-un gritted his teeth and gathered all his remaining internal energy. Even that wasn’t enough, so he prepared to ignite his Innate Life Force at any moment.

And following the sound of the wind, Byeok-un saw.

A young man in black robes, with blue sleeves fluttering.

‘A person?’

The moment he thought that.

The young man’s arm moved, and a flash of lightning shot out from his waist.

It was a thunderous light.