Chapter 513

It ain’t easy to do the whole teamwork thing, you know?

Just like how blind arrows in battle are dangerous, the blades of your comrades can come at you from unexpected angles when you least expect it.

They call it a “cooperative technique” when a big group takes on a small one, hence the need to train together and roll around like a bunch of clowns.

Not an easy ride.

So, when it comes to the three avengers working together, it’s more like sequential attacks than actual teamwork.

Dan Hwa-cheol makes the first move, gripping his sword, then the swordsman follows up, and lastly, the spearman looks for a narrow opening with all three tangled up.

Who knows if they practiced together or just happened to vibe with each other on the skill level?

Anyway, true to form, Dan Hwa-cheol’s sword relentlessly tightens its grip on Qing’s trajectory.

He forces the target’s sword into a predetermined direction and a skilled opponent won’t let that flow break, clinging like a leech.

This is what they call the Suction Method, or “흡” in Muhak’s terms.

Then the swordsman makes his move, sweeping in from the right in a wide arc towards Qing.

Qing still has one hand left — without the weapon, she’s more than capable of blocking with her bare hands thanks to the Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat training.

But wait, now it’s no hands, huh?

And still, the spearman is left.

But the spear is just a straight line aimed to pierce one spot.

You can dodge it with a flexible body.

Until this point, it’s been the same playbook, but would you really fall for the same trick twice?

No way, not gonna happen!

Instead of just dodging the spear, you gotta shift your stance for an advantageous position.

Qing’s head is spinning.

In the moment the spearman attacks, she loosens her grip on the entangled swords and swings.

Her left hand angles the sword, brushing it aside elegantly.

As she slips away, all three of the enemy weapons will slice through the air, creating a beautiful opening behind them.

And with the Awakening Skill activated, from all directions, the spearman’s three strikes, then two, then just one—bam!

Where you aiming for, huh?!

Ah! The thigh!

Just as Qing’s eyes flash with determination!

She takes a step back, leaning her upper body forward with all her might, loosening her sword’s grip while angling her left hand slightly.

The tip of her sword shoots up towards the sky, flowing gracefully, brushing against her forehead with its edge.

Just as she flips back like a sparrow…

That’s when it happens.

Suddenly, the spearhead whips around like a whip.

The hand that snatched the middle of the spearhead suddenly starts to curve, bending that straight line and transforming the tip into a wide arc, cutting through the air like a fan.

Wow, they can hit with the spear too!

Qing has a huge lightbulb moment.

And as a payment for that enlightenment — smack!

It feels like her shin is about to snap off.

A Supreme Martial Artist swung with all his might, bending her knee and forcing her foot to fold back, her heel knocking against her thigh with a loud thud and shooting back.

With her foot now in the air, she’s naturally about to teeter, rapidly getting closer to the ground.

In that instant, she feels the mass of the air rushing towards her.

That’s exactly the shape of a foot.

Qing grits her teeth and desperately tilts her head back.

A rough kick slams into Qing’s cheek.

She’s sent flying like a kicked ball.

The sky and the ground are spinning as she flies, crashing down with a violent thud to the back of her head.

Hot on her tail are the three vengeful attackers.

Three weapons come crashing down like lightning strikes.

As the crowd collectively gasps, Qing transforms into a new version of herself—yet again, she becomes eight.

The avengers’ weapons slam into the poor ground.

Behind them, Qing wipes her cheek with her sleeve.

These jerks, kicking a lady’s face?

Even in the Life and Death Match, there are limits!

Just for reference, Qing always practices her soccer skills by kicking people’s heads whenever she gets the chance.

She’s reaping what she sows.

Her cheek is stinging and puffy.

It’s gonna get all swollen up.

The delicate inner lining of her cheek is torn, feeling like she’s gushing out thick disgusting blood while her tongue is left with a salty aftertaste.

Qing grits her teeth together.

It’s all good, no biggie.

Thanks to tilting her head, her eyes didn’t pop, and her ears didn’t go deaf, so aside from her cheek being ripped, she’s mostly fine.

After all, kicking people isn’t exactly a martial artist’s game, right?

It’s just mindless brute force.

Her incredibly strong physique is just too much for those wimps to hurt.

If her head hadn’t tilted, she’d have been in trouble and busting her eardrums would be the least of her worries.

But the avengers can only lament that Qing dodged their attacks.

Qing learned from experience just what happens when you get kicked in the face.

“Hang in there!” “Woohoo!” “Whoo!”

Cheering and jeering flood the arena.

But the trio’s goals are no longer focused on demonic arts or anything silly.

They’ve seen the soldiers waiting in the wings, and they are hell-bent on avenging their fallen comrades.

With no time to spit out the blood pooling in her mouth, Qing swallows it and clashes swords.

But hey, lesson learned!

Don’t assume you know your opponent’s moves!

Qing is deeply reflective.

Somewhere along the line, she got swept up in strength and victory, looking down on her enemies like they’re all morons.

She thought she could sweep through a Supreme Martial Artist like it’s nothing, being all cocky.

Every warrior usually has a secret weapon they carry to save their own skin, you know?

You’ve got to consider that they all have at least one trump card they’ll unleash in case of desperation.

Qing charges into the fray again.

In any case, three weapons are involved; the rest will be just her fists. She can simply tough it out.

As long as she dodges the fatal hits, it might sting a bit, but with her monstrous body and defensive skills, she will manage.

She rolls, takes a few hits.

Continuously walking the path of Nengpa Mibo, it’s all about the life or death stakes at this point.

So, the Life and Death Match has Qing rolling, getting hit, and flying around, constantly on the defensive.

But is that really how it is?

Her enemies are increasingly feeling the heat.

The more this fight progresses, the more uncoordinated their teamwork becomes incredibly refined, while on the flip side, Qing’s Cheonhwa-geom is also managing to hold out longer and longer.

Even without hitting her in most places, she’s barely showing any signs of struggle.

This makes the tension rise.

This girl is turning into a monster, isn’t she?

Not just a sparring match where they beat each other up without a care but a brutal Life and Death Match where they target each other’s lives.

If she survives this, it’ll be an immense boost to her skills, but if she loses, the tale of her becoming the Best Female Martial Artist will be just a joke.

So it’s a must to take her down.

If defeated, it wouldn’t just be about the sorrow of not avenging; the death would become a permanent laughingstock.

So, the vengeful trio decided to throw away even the bare minimum dignity of warriors.

As a punch comes flying, Qing clenches her muscles tightly, channeling all her strength into her hometown’s biceps.

Suddenly, the punch she was throwing extends wide, and she’s thinking, “What the heck? Why am I opening my hand here?”

Then comes the sound of ripping fabric.

Out of the blue, a cool breeze rushes under her armpit.

Qing realizes that the jerk is trying to strip her!

But you gotta recognize when you have a capable opponent and when you don’t.

When your life is on the line, what’s showing a little skin gonna matter?

But it was still pretty annoying.

Her cheek’s already swollen blue, and after rolling on the ground like it’s her bed, her once pristine clothes are in tatters.

Now, one shoulder is wide open, while her arms, unaffected by the Nengpa Mibo, are dotted with bruises.

Hmm. Time to wrap this up and move on to the next one.

But Qing is actually feeling super confident.

She’s been holding back her absurd strength and has been facing these guys with pure swordsmanship, right?

The avengers, who’ve been tugging on her clothes and trying to tear them, are looking more desperate.

And then, with one strike.

Qing grabs Dan Hwa-cheol’s sword with her left hand.

The look of shock on his face is priceless.

What? He thought she would just keep blocking with her hand this whole time? Didn’t expect her to grab it with stronger skin?

So the swordsman coming from the right gets flustered, trying to hurriedly pull out his moves.

His sword slices through the air with the sharpness of a crescent moon, three of them in total, as the Moonlight Sword strikes clash together, making a glorious sound.

Right hand for right hand, left hand for left hand.

Right foot on the right, left foot on the left.

A martial artist properly uses their limbs when all four are in their rightful positions.

In the meantime, the spearman is looking for an opening.

Qing points the sword she’s holding at him, exerting her grip on the sword in her hand, pushing it backward while the fool is desperately trying to pry it away—

Now!

All at once, her sword is free and heads straight for the spearman, and in the midst of their entanglement, she rushes at the swordsman.

Dan Hwa-cheol and the spearman hurriedly withdraw their weapons but can’t pull back their bodies, colliding and tumbling over in that moment—

Suddenly, Qing’s fighting style disappears.

No, it hasn’t disappeared.

It’s just her sword, now wielded like a human figure.

Qing grips her sword with both hands and raises it high towards the heavens, aiming for the stern sun.

The Divine Maiden Sword’s Three Cuts.

Heavenly Lady Virtue.

Originally, the first moves of the Divine Maiden Sword flowed gracefully like fine strands of hair, elegantly slicing through.

Her master infused the path of a warrior within, and so too can a woman become a valiant figure, reaching for the heavens.

But is the world truly so?

Even after claiming the title of Best Female Martial Artist, it hasn’t translated to the realities she faces, fueling her rage and desperation outward.

The scream of a female martial artist cuts through the air, cleaving the world in half.

From her shoulder, she drives straight through the ribs, penetrating the spear shaft, through her opposite wrist and across the side of her waist and down to her hip, finally slicing through the thigh, even with the force to bury deep into the ground.

A few older martial artists nearby shivered, seeing a figure resembling someone wielding a Cheonhwa-geom with the same stance.

Ah, she’s her disciple, isn’t she?

Whether master or disciple, wearing the guise of beauty, their ferocity is identical, just like raising the same type of student.

The swordsman collapses, split in half.

Qing exhales deeply.

Hmm. Master, after living through both, I realize there’s nothing specifically unjust about being a woman.

It’s just balls with brains, moaning about how they want you to strip or give them babies, all sorts of silly nonsense thrown around, right?

But it feels good and creepy all at once, though it’s also a hefty advantage.

Even in the Green Forest, she ended up surviving as a woman.

Why is she still so angry, though?

Just like that Nengpa Mibo who just grasped her sword earlier.

The motivations of the Nengpa Mibo whispered chillingly that all men should be wiped out.

Once you enter the gate of demons and become a demon, you’d probably find yourself leaning into those whispers.

Ah, that’s why it’s called Demonic Arts. You get corrupted and bam, you’re out of the Martial World in a flash!

There’s one more reason to steer clear of that gate of demons.

Qing brushes the blood off her sword and looks back.

That’s when she sees the two hesitant avengers.

Qing pauses to contemplate.

Hmm, I feel like I’m about to figure something out.

Is the essence of martial arts shining through, becoming transparent in some way?

But did I come to that conclusion through brute force?

It’s on the verge of spilling out like a sneeze, just a little—maybe a bit more than a little left to realize?

Qing makes her decision.

Let’s do this one more time!

She stands, embodying the elegant stance of Seomun Sulin from the Divine Maiden Sword, gently opening her mouth.

“I mentioned I would take on three of you, but now it seems to just be two. So if any of you want to settle your grudge, feel free to fill my numbers back to three.”

---