Chapter 76

Namgung Woo, who had escaped from the street where the Wudang Sect and Banunbang clashed, immediately rushed to the Jegal Family’s estate.

With each large step he took, the surrounding scenery rapidly fell behind.

‘I need to hurry.’

Namgung Woo also noticed the source of the explosion that came from the Jegal Family’s estate. How could he not? With his transcendent senses, he could detect the pungent smell of gunpowder and the rising smoke.

The Jegal Family’s defensive walls had collapsed. What remained was a close-quarters battle where individual strength would determine the outcome.

Paeng Ha-ryeong, Geumshin, Yang Kwae, and Yang Jeong were all formidable fighters who could hold their own anywhere, but Banunbang was on a completely different level.

‘Using gunpowder… Is it really acceptable to openly use explosive weapons in the martial world like this?’

He decided to ask the Jegal Family or Paeng Ha-ryeong about it later. For now, Namgung Woo spread his energy perception as wide as possible. Within the expanded range of his perception, he detected countless energy signatures.

His accelerated thoughts quickly distinguished them and locked onto the energy he was looking for.

‘They haven’t joined yet. Three and two… Ha-ryeong is with Jegal Seon-a.’

They weren’t the only ones. The Jegal Family’s estate had turned into a battlefield, with skirmishes breaking out everywhere. True to their reputation, the Jegal Family members calmly countered the sudden ambush, but they were struggling to push back.

More than half of those fighting against the Jegal Family had distinct energy signatures, likely members of Banunbang. However, the energy from a particularly strong area was familiar to Namgung Woo.

It was Myeolseomma and the warriors of the Myeoljin Sect, which he led.

The clash between Myeolseomma and the Supreme Peak Master, Nungyun Daeju, alongside Jegal Chong, was fierce and intense.

The energy of the Black Sword Ghost, whom he had directly clashed with earlier, was nowhere to be felt. It seemed he had been tasked with drawing the attention of the Orthodox Martial World somewhere in Wuxian.

‘Priority is Ha-ryeong first.’

The opponents Geumshin and the Yang Brothers were facing weren’t too threatening. The three of them could handle it.

However, Paeng Ha-ryeong and Jegal Seon-a’s situation was different. The level of enemies swarming them was not something the two could handle alone.

‘First, over there… Huh?’

Just as he was about to increase his energy output due to the danger, a sudden surge of energy appeared. It was on par with Nungyun Daeju and Myeolseomma.

If that energy belonged to an enemy, Paeng Ha-ryeong and Jegal Seon-a’s lives would be in serious danger.

Namgung Woo attempted to activate a technique from the Jeseon Scripture that he hadn’t fully mastered yet—the Earth Shrinking Technique, the pinnacle of movement arts. Although he hadn’t reached that level, combining the Thousand Miles Courtyard Steps with the Jeseon Scripture’s techniques might work…

As he drew the Spiritual Energy of the Void from his Upper Dantian and channeled it to his feet, Namgung Woo released his energy control when it reached his solar plexus.

‘An ally, perhaps?’

The master he had perceived as a threat began protecting Paeng Ha-ryeong and Jegal Seon-a, blocking the enemies.

For now, the immediate danger was averted. Since there was still a possibility that the person might suddenly turn hostile, Namgung Woo didn’t change his course and continued to rush forward.

When Namgung Woo arrived where the two were, the person had just finished clearing the surrounding enemies.

“Stop.”

Namgung Woo placed his hand on his sword hilt as he spoke.

The man who was about to approach Paeng Ha-ryeong and Jegal Seon-a turned his head and faced Namgung Woo.

Outwardly, he appeared to be in his 30s or 40s. However, as one’s martial arts reach higher levels, aging slows, and it’s possible he could be over 50.

His bold, rugged face was striking. There were no traces of Demonic or Evil Arts. He wielded no weapons, relying solely on his fists. The blood on his knuckles suggested his primary martial art was fist techniques.

The middle-aged man asked, “And you are?”

“Consider me their protector.”

“Is that so? Then you must be that Namgung Woo I’ve heard about.”

“You know me?”

Namgung Woo’s demeanor turned aggressive. The refined energy around him sharpened, prompting Paeng Ha-ryeong to quickly step in and explain.

“W-Wait! This person is trustworthy.”

“Do you know him?”

“Well, sort of…”

“You don’t know me? This is quite a nostalgic feeling.”

The man’s tone wasn’t hostile but genuinely curious and amused.

Jegal Seon-a continued where Paeng Ha-ryeong left off, “This is Hwang Ryong-ho, Yi Ho-yeong, the great hero.”

“Hwang Ryong-ho? Ah, one of the three Supreme Peak Masters among the wanderers?”

The Wanderer King, Hwang Ryong-ho, and the Undefeated Warrior.

These three were the pinnacle of the countless wanderers in the martial world.

While the Wanderer King was considered the strongest, Hwang Ryong-ho was the one who earned respect even from the Orthodox Martial World.

The character “hero” in his title perfectly described Yi Ho-yeong.

Known more as a wanderer or a knight-errant, even the Orthodox Martial World, which often looked down on wanderers, referred to him as a great hero and showed him respect.

Yi Ho-yeong smiled warmly and said, “I was planning to observe the situation longer before intervening, but this incident made it unnecessary. Using gunpowder in a martial world conflict is beyond the pale. Banunbang has crossed the line.”

His tone, initially light, grew heavier with anger and determination as he spoke.

The change in his emotions affected the surrounding energy, a hallmark of a Supreme Peak Master.

“By the way, junior, there’s somewhere you need to go. Leave this place to me and go ahead.”

“…Thank you for your help.”

“It’s my duty. And helping a promising junior and the Jegal Family on the brink is also part of it.”

“I apologize for my earlier rudeness.”

Yi Ho-yeong shook his head lightly.

“Don’t worry about it. It was a natural reaction.”

He brushed off Namgung Woo’s earlier aggression with magnanimity.

“Then.”

“…Wait!”

The eye of the storm.

As Namgung Woo was about to leave for the center of the battlefield, Jegal Seon-a called out to him.

Instinctively, she had called out, but now she looked unsure of what to do. Her flustered expression reminded Namgung Woo of a frightened small animal, and without thinking, he placed his hand on her head.

The moment he felt the smooth texture of her hair, Namgung Woo realized his mistake, but it was too late. Trying to play it off, he patted her head a few times before removing his hand.

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely fulfill the request.”

“I, I also, want to come…”

“Wait here.”

“…Okay.”

Jegal Seon-a nodded deeply, her hands clasped tightly. Though her face wasn’t visible, the tips of her ears peeking through her hair were bright red.

Paeng Ha-ryeong, who had been watching Jegal Seon-a’s reaction intently, pursed her lips and then smiled wryly.

“Take care, Woo. I’ll be waiting.”

“Thank you, Great Hero Yi.”

“Likewise.”

As Namgung Woo’s figure began to fade into the distance, Yi Ho-yeong muttered with a hint of nostalgia.

“Ah, youth.”

§

Dongbang Hwa blocked the lightning strike aimed at him from the clear sky.

The Taiji Reverse Martial Arts formation drawn in the air.

Taiji Reverse Martial Arts. A technique that completely inverts the fundamentals of the Wudang Sect, embodying the principle of using softness to overcome hardness.

This technique, straddling the line between sorcery and martial arts, neutralized the thunder energy and dispersed the impact.

Though he hadn’t fully committed to the sneak attack, Dongbang Hwa executed the Single Flash of Extreme Light flawlessly. The immense force contained in that single strike was unraveled by the Taiji Reverse Martial Arts and reflected back.

Whoosh-!

Namgung Woo twisted his body mid-air to evade the rebound force gathered on the Taiji Reverse Martial Arts formation.

Dongbang Hwa, having expended his energy to deploy the Taiji Reverse Martial Arts, chose to create distance rather than launch a second or third attack.

Without a moment to catch his breath, Namgung Woo’s sword surged toward Dongbang Hwa. Following the Single Flash of Extreme Light was the Thunder Cloud Strike. The combination of techniques that had torn Yi Ja-ryong to shreds now aimed to pierce Dongbang Hwa’s defenses.

“Your internal energy is absurd! Did you eat some kind of miracle pill?”

But Dongbang Hwa was different from Yi Ja-ryong.

While Yi Ja-ryong had mastered both sorcery and martial arts, he lacked real combat experience.

In contrast, Dongbang Hwa was a seasoned veteran who had been through countless battles.

With movements as if he were stepping on clouds, Dongbang Hwa soared into the air using the Wudang Sect’s secret technique, the Cloud Ladder.

Namgung Woo didn’t pursue. He released the thunder energy he had gathered and replaced it with the Vast Heaven Divine Energy from his Middle Dantian. A prolonged battle would be more suitable for the Vast Heaven Divine Art.

However, this action confirmed Dongbang Hwa’s suspicions.

“Unbelievable…! That energy, that martial art! It’s unmistakable. It has to be!”

Dongbang Hwa laughed in disbelief, his voice filled with astonishment.

As Jegal Chong prepared to join forces with Namgung Woo to capture him, and Namgung Woo prepared to dash forward with the Infinite Steps, Dongbang Hwa spoke again.

“You… you’re Namgung, aren’t you?”