“What brings you all here?”
At Do Cheonlin’s question, Do Jongmu, the captain of the Blade Extreme corps from the Blood Flame Blade Sect, rose to his feet and answered.
“We’ll first clean up the riffraff around us!”
Shwick! Slash!
They unleashed the Blood Flame Blade Art, cutting down the charging martial artists of the Black Flag Society in an instant.
Though they were only a small detachment of fifteen men, their blade techniques were extraordinary. In the blink of an eye, they had dispatched every enemy within a dozen zhang.
“Do you know how desperately we searched for you after the Young Master left the main house?”
Do Jongmu spoke between ragged breaths.
When Do Cheonlin had quietly departed the Blood Flame Blade Sect, these men had likewise wandered the martial world for years, seeking him.
“Why?”
“Why? Are we not the Young Master’s men?”
Do Cheonlin shook his head with a bitter smile.
“I am no longer the lesser Sect Leader.”
“That changes nothing.”
Do Jongmu continued swinging his Blood Flame Blade as he spoke.
“Our oath of loyalty was sworn to the Young Master himself.”
Do Cheonlin drew a labored breath.
He had never particularly favored them, never shown them special care beyond training—yet the warriors of the Blood Flame Blade Sect had searched for him to the end, prepared to give their lives in unwavering devotion.
“Let’s finish off these bastards first.”
“Yes, sir!”
The swordsmen of the Blade Extreme corps were warriors of a hundred battles, personally forged by Do Cheonlin’s own hand. With merely fifteen of them reinforcing the line, the crumbling defense was instantly restored.
“The swordsmen of the Blood Flame Blade Sect?”
Dam Ung, enhancing his vision with inner energy, gaped at the sudden appearance of more than a dozen swordsmen from the flank.
“The Ten Great Demonic Sects dare interfere with the affairs of our Society? Impossible!”
Though the Black Flag Society had not yet reached the level of the Martial Alliance or Majeon, it was still the united body of the Black Path. If the Blood Flame Blade Sect—one of the Ten Great Demonic Sects—entered this fight, it would ignite a full-scale war.
“No… that’s not it.”
After watching for a long moment, Dam Ung finally recognized Do Cheonlin and burst into loud laughter.
“Isn’t this the eldest son who was driven out of the Blood Flame Blade Sect?”
Step.
Dam Ung halted his assault.
The battle fell into a momentary lull.
Dam Ung approached Do Cheonlin, who was still drenched in blood and fighting fiercely at the head of the mercenary warriors.
“Do Cheonlin, the Ten Perfection Scholar.”
Dam Ung spoke with a wide, mocking grin. “Why is a man expelled from the Blood Flame Blade Sect here, tangling with our Society?”
“Dam Ung.”
Do Cheonlin shouted back in a grave voice.
“If you withdraw your forces right now, I can still spare that dog life of yours.”
“Hahaha!”
Dam Ung roared with laughter.
“Of course, if Sect Leader Do himself had descended in person, this Dam would have fled with fire licking at his heels.”
He sneered.
“But when it’s just the expelled trash of the sect stepping forward? You haven’t a chance.”
At the word “expelled,” Do Cheonlin’s expression flickered with faint surprise.
In truth, he had not simply gone wandering the martial world. He had quarreled bitterly with his father, Sect Leader Do Mu-cheok, and had severed nearly all ties with the Blood Flame Blade Sect before leaving.
Yet none of that had ever leaked outside—how did Dam Ung speak as if he knew everything?
Do Jongmu thrust forward his great blade and bellowed.
“Do you truly believe you can oppose a man of our sect and live to tell of it?”
“Heh heh heh. It would be even better if the Blood Flame Blade Sect got involved.” Dam Ung replied leisurely. “If the great Blood Flame Blade Sect throws itself into the fray just to save one mercenary market, the outcome will be most… entertaining.”
Do Jongmu fell silent.
Dam Ung was not wrong.
This fight had started as a power struggle among mercenary markets. The ones without justification for interfering were, in fact, Do Cheonlin’s side.
Moreover, the Ten Great Demonic Sects had already lost much of their prestige because of Bu Eunseol. If the Blood Flame Blade Sect moved now merely for a mercenary market skirmish, they would suffer utter humiliation and could never again stand tall in the martial world.
“We have no connection to the Blood Flame Blade Sect. I severed ties and left!”
At Do Jongmu’s frantic shout, Dam Ung only smiled wider.
“Whether you came from the sect or not, you are currently crashing a power struggle among mercenary markets and ruining everything.”
Dam Ung’s face turned solemn.
“I’ll give you one last chance. Withdraw from this fight.”
“And if we refuse?”
“Well, you’ll die a shameful death alongside the mercenaries. Even if you claim to have severed ties, Sect Leader Do will lose sleep for nights on end from the disgrace.”
Do Jongmu’s expression shifted.
Come to think of it, he had never understood why Do Cheonlin was risking his life in this Red Sky Veil.
“Young Master.”
“You may fall back.” Do Cheonlin told Do Jongmu. “I will hold this place.”
Unyielding resolve blazed in his eyes.
“Understood.”
Do Jongmu asked nothing more.
From the moment he had resolved to follow Do Cheonlin, he had abandoned all status and position and left the sect. Even if their destination was hell itself, he would walk there smiling.
He roared to his men in a thunderous voice.
“Blade Extreme Corps! All forces, prepare to attack!”
Clang!
At his command, the warriors simultaneously raised their Blood Flame sabers level above their heads.
“Young Master, they insist on dying like dogs out of misplaced loyalty. Will you simply watch?”
Crimson killing intent flared in Do Cheonlin’s eyes.
“I may not be able to slaughter all of them, but I can at least cut you down.”
“As if you could.” Dam Ung raised his right hand with a laugh. “Then let us begin again—for real this time.”
Yet what happened next was utterly unexpected.
“Argh!”
“Guh!”
Suddenly, the mercenary warriors holding the final defensive line of the Red Sky Veil turned and began attacking their own allies.
It turned out the Black Flag Society had bribed not only Deputy Gu Oh of Dam Yuyeon, but countless mercenaries long ago.
At this rate, even if Do Cheonlin and the Blade Extreme corps resolved to die in battle, victory was impossible.
“So it wasn’t simply about coveting the wealth the Red Sky Veil had amassed.”
Do Cheonlin muttered as realization dawned.
“Demanding her black ledger was just an excuse. From the very beginning, they wanted this land.”
Now everything made sense.
The reason the Black Flag Society had Dam Ung establish a mercenary market, approach Dam Yuyeon, and demand both the black ledger and marriage—it was partly greed for the immense fortune the Red Sky Veil had hoarded, but more than that, they had chosen this place as the new base for the Black Flag Society’s main forces on the frontier.
Having united various black-path factions and seeking even greater power in the future, they needed a foothold in the Central Plains at all costs.
“Quick wits.”
Dam Ung nodded.
“The Red Sky Veil possesses every condition our Society could desire for a new headquarters.”
If the Black Flag Society Master had marched openly to seize the land, it would have been branded an invasion.
But by investing gold to have Dam Ung build a mercenary market and fight under the banner of the Wind-Rain Market, it became nothing more than a power struggle among mercenaries.
The Society had long supported Dam Ung with troops and money, bribing mercenaries of the Red Sky Veil and building a nearby market—all to frame this as an inter-market conflict.
“Argh!”
“Aaah!”
Meanwhile, screams from the rear grew ever louder.
They were clearly targeting Dam Yuyeon, who was commanding troops from her tent.
“Lady Dam may well die by their hands before she has time to quarrel with you.”
At Dam Ung’s shout, Do Cheonlin ordered Do Jongmu, “Hold this place!”
Whoosh!
He immediately dashed toward the rear.
‘Lady Dam!’
The tent where Dam Yuyeon had been was already collapsed.
Fortunately, around a hundred loyal mercenaries still surrounded and protected her, locked in fierce combat with the turncoats bought by the Black Flag Society.
“Out of my way!”
Do Cheonlin leaped into the air and unleashed the Evil Dragon Shatter Form.
Boom!
The mercenaries lunging at Dam Yuyeon could not withstand the pressure and spat blood, collapsing instantly.
Thud.
Landing, Do Cheonlin stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Dam Yuyeon.
“Young Master Do.”
Do Cheonlin glanced sideways at her, then raised his demon-killing sword high.
“Let us fight together.”
It was a moment of certain death, yet faint smiles touched both their lips.
To die on the same day as the one you love—was that not the most blessed death a martial artist could ask for?
Clang! Slash!
Back to back, Do Cheonlin and Dam Yuyeon madly cut down the swarming enemy.
The Black Flag Society had not only bribed existing mercenaries; they had also planted agents disguised as Red Sky mercenaries long ago. Those now betraying from the rear and attacking Dam Yuyeon were infiltrators embedded years in advance.
“Deploy the Infinite Evil Demon Formation!”
Not only were they highly skilled individually, they were also using a formation.
Whirr! Whirr!
Once the formation activated, Do Cheonlin and Dam Yuyeon could not help but struggle.
Battles in the martial world differ from ordinary warfare. Formations can gather the power of many warriors into one, producing martial might that surpasses individual limits and creating openings to fell even the strongest masters.
The same was true for the Blade Extreme corps fighting Dam Ung at the front.
Buzzzz.
The surroundings had turned pitch black, their senses dulled.
Realizing they were trapped in the formation, Do Jongmu shouted to his men,
“Fight by instinct!”
Demonic martial arts, which center on raw power, place far greater importance on the body’s senses than orthodox arts do. That is why the Ten Great Demonic Sects possess secret techniques—like those of the beasts of Nangyang Pavilion—that sharpen the senses to extraordinary levels.
“Urgh.”
Yet groans eventually escaped the lips of the Blade Extreme corps swordsmen.
Against so many enemies using a bizarre formation and attacking without pause, victory was impossible.
Still, they fought without fear of death.
So too did Do Cheonlin and Dam Yuyeon.
“Haa… haa…”
Both were drenched in the blood of fallen enemies and their own.
No matter how many they cut down, the formation did not break and whenever a gap appeared, more men filled it at once.
Thus the two could not rest for even a moment, continually slashing at foes in the darkness.
Swish!
Suddenly a keen blade stabbed toward Dam Yuyeon’s back.
Engaged with enemies in front, she had no time to dodge.
Clang!
Do Cheonlin hurled his demon-killing sword, deflecting the strike.
Slash!
In that instant, a sharp blade energy carved deep into his side.
“You…”
Only then did Dam Yuyeon realize what had happened and cry out in shock.
Yet Do Cheonlin merely asked her gently, “Are you hurt?”
He himself was the one gravely wounded, yet he worried only for her.
“There is only a matter of moments between us. Never do something like that again.”
At her words, Do Cheonlin’s face darkened.
Death was already certain.
Even if he saved her for a fleeting instant, Dam Yuyeon would still die.
And… in the end, he too would fall.
Whoosh!
Using Void Grasping, he recalled his sword and murmured, “I don’t know why I lack such talent.”
He looked around regretfully and sighed.
“If it were him, he could have broken through this place alone.”
He spoke of Bu Eunseol.
Bu Eunseol, who had probably reached the Limitless Realm, would not have flinched even against thousands of warriors of this level.
Yet Do Cheonlin had never reached that realm, and for the first time he could not protect the woman he had come to love.
“There’s no need to compare.” Sensing his anguish, Dam Yuyeon replied calmly, “You have done your utmost in your own way. You are strong enough.”
“Is that supposed to comfort me?”
“It is not comfort—it is fact.”
Do Cheonlin gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
“True, he is strong, but far too cold and devoid of human warmth. He had the power to help yet did not.”
“The heir of Majeon cannot rashly involve himself with other factions. Especially since the Black Flag Society has close ties to the government, and Shaanxi is dominated by orthodox sects…”
Dam Yuyeon actually took Bu Eunseol’s side.
“Without proper justification, his intervention in this fight would make no sense.”
Only then did Do Cheonlin let out a soft “Ah.”
No matter how much Bu Eunseol ignored trivial intelligence, he could not possibly have missed reports of the Black Flag Society moving massive forces toward the Red Sky Veil.
Yet even if he wished to help, his position made direct intervention impossible.
“And all this time I resented him to the death without knowing.”
“It’s natural to feel wronged when you are wronged. I feel the same.”
At Dam Yuyeon’s words, Do Cheonlin smiled faintly and gathered his inner energy.
“Then we should prepare for the finale.”
Heat haze rose from his entire body.
“One last time, together—let us see the clear sky.”
Raising his energy to its peak, he prepared to unleash the greatest sword technique he could muster, intending to shatter the formation in a single strike and glimpse the open heavens once more.
“There is no need.”
Dam Yuyeon grasped his hand with her left.
“My resolve to remain with you until the very end is firm. Then let us journey to the next world together.”
“What do you mean?”
“I suspected the Black Flag Society’s filthy methods long ago. The reason I held out was to land one good blow on them.”
She gave a faint smile.
“I buried thirty thousand jin of gunpowder around the entire base. They may take this land, but Dam Ung and every last one of their vanguard will go straight to hell.”
Dam Yuyeon had sensed the Black Flag Society’s ambitions long ago.
Realizing they would frame everything as a mercenary-market struggle until the end, and seeing no way to defeat them outright, she had poured all her wealth into secretly planting gunpowder around the Red Sky Veil so she could perish together with them.
She had endured and endured, luring their forces into the vicinity so she could blow them all to oblivion in one explosion.
“Can you detonate it now?”
Dam Yuyeon nodded, removed a stone from where her tent had stood, and revealed a single transparent cord.
“Good.”
Do Cheonlin smiled and nodded.
“Let us meet again in the next life.”
“Do Cheonlin.”
Dam Yuyeon suddenly gathered her courage and kissed him.
Then she immediately reached to pull the cord and ignite the gunpowder.
But then something strange happened.
Whoosh!
The pitch-black darkness vanished, and suddenly agonized screams rang out from all directions.
“Agh!”
“Argh!”
Yet the screams did not come from the Red Sky Veil mercenaries—they came from the Black Flag Society forces.
“What…?”
Do Cheonlin and Dam Yuyeon blinked in shock.
From the rear of the Black Flag lines, a cavalry clad in black suddenly charged forth.
They wore black-lacquered armor that gleamed darkly and fluttered black cloaks as they smashed through the Society’s troops.
Shrieeee!
With the cry of an eagle, black shadows performing unbelievably swift lightness skill poured in behind the cavalry.
Slash! Slaaash!
Like hawks skimming the ground, they darted across the battlefield, felling Black Flag warriors in an instant.
“Who the hell are those bastards?!”
Dam Ung roared in fury.
They had been on the verge of swallowing the Red Sky Veil—where had these forces appeared from?
Thud thud thud thud!
The rider at the vanguard drew two short blades from his waist and leaped from his horse.
Shiiiiing!
He became a streak of lightning, mercilessly cutting down Black Flag warriors.
His movement was like lightning, and with his black cloak billowing, he seemed like a dark storm cloud sweeping the battlefield.
Thud. Thud.
Every time his blades sliced the air, warriors fell like autumn leaves in the wind.
One of the Red Sky Veil mercenaries watching the scene shouted,
“It’s the Mercenary King!”
The Mercenary King.
For several years, a young mercenary operating beyond the borders had single-handedly completed missions no one else could, amassing astonishing achievements.
He had also saved countless commoners and powerless mercenaries from death.
As time passed, mercenaries began following him of their own accord, and before anyone realized, he had built a massive force.
The King of Mercenaries.
That was what the mercenary world now called that young man.
Slaaash!
The black shadow flew like a bolt of lightning toward Do Cheonlin and Dam Yuyeon, cutting down enemies as he came.
Finally reaching them, he flipped once in mid-air and landed before the pair.
Whoosh!
Ripples of energy spread in perfect circles, and the masked man revealed himself.
“Lady Dam.”
“Who are you?”
When Dam Yuyeon asked, the masked man removed his covering.
Beneath it appeared the dazzling countenance of a young man whose eyes shone like morning sunlight.
“I am called Black Leopard. I do not know if you remember me.”
“Black Leopard…”
Dam Yuyeon searched her memory for a moment, then her eyes widened.
“Surely… you are the Black Leopard who served as attendant to Martial Soul Command Lord Bu?”
At her question, Black Leopard broke into a delighted smile.
“Yes, exactly. You do remember me.”
How could she forget?
Long ago, Bu Eunseol had registered at the Red Sky Veil under the name Seolso, together with Black Leopard, and had lived as a mercenary alongside him for some time.
Yet the Mercenary King who now shook the borders was none other than that very Black Leopard?
“I trust you have been well.”
“Thanks to you. But how did you—”
Black Leopard looked at the stunned Dam Yuyeon and answered politely, “The Command Lord said he could not aid Lady Dam directly, so he ordered me to do it in his stead.”
Do Cheonlin and Dam Yuyeon stared at each other, mouths agape.
In truth, Bu Eunseol had received detailed reports of the Red Sky Veil situation from Soyo long ago.
Understanding that, as heir to Majeon, he could neither solve the matter personally nor intervene directly, he had instead moved the Mercenary King operating beyond the borders—Black Leopard—to come to the aid of the Red Sky Veil.
