Chapter 85 :

Chapter 85. The Second Checkpoint of the Hell Official Exam (2)

The one I had worried about most when leaving them behind was Dongryong.

I was afraid that he might use his talent and throw away his own life.

I was most worried that he would do so for the sake of his brothers.

What a relief.

“Eldest Senior Brother……”

Perhaps he had no idea how proud I was of him.

Dongryong stared blankly in my direction with his mouth hanging open.

“Well done.”

I unleashed the World-Solitary Divine Movement and charged at Gam Cheoljin with all my strength.

He evaded my mad rush using Bowing Body Bullet Shadow.

I immediately turned and rushed toward Jong Seogang.

“Damn it……!”

Gam Cheoljin cursed, apparently believing that I had intended to attack him, but I was already within striking distance of Jong Seogang.

Boom!

“Keuk!”

When Jong Seogang crossed swords with me, he was forced back thirty jang.

“What kind of internal energy is this……?”

He was briefly horrified by the unexpected destructive force, but quickly regained his stance.

I continued pressuring Jong Seogang alone, forcing him away from the others.

The warriors of the Yellow Sword Sect, whose highest priority was protecting Jong Seogang, followed us in a long line.

The Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare gradually began to collapse.

“You truly are far too lucky.”

Jong Seogang, whose internal organs appeared to have been shaken, spoke while forcing himself to regain his composure, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

“Does blaming everything on luck make you feel better?”

“Are you saying you knew that demonic creature was here?”

“Your fatal mistake was assuming that I couldn’t break through such a crude Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare.”

As Gam Cheoljin and half of the Yellow Sword Sect’s warriors withdrew, the killing intent within the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare flowed backward.

Those who had been releasing killing intent until now were suddenly engulfed by it, as though facing the full force of water released from a reservoir.

Their eyes turned red.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!

The falsehood and reality of the Twin Heaven Sword Art confused Jong Seogang’s eyes, while his desire to rely on Gam Cheoljin and the other warriors prevented him from concentrating.

In an instant, the front of his robe was sliced apart, his topknot was cut off, and a long wound was carved into his left arm.

“Keuk!”

“Young Master!”

Clang!

Only then did Gam Cheoljin’s sword finally stop mine.

“Young Master, are you all right?”

“……”

He did not answer.

Reduced to rags, Jong Seogang glared resentfully at Gam Cheoljin and the warriors of the Yellow Sword Sect.

His gaze demanded to know why he had been forced to suffer such humiliation.

“……My apologies.”

Only after Gam Cheoljin lowered his head did Jong Seogang turn his gaze toward me.

Meanwhile, the grim-faced warriors of the Yellow Sword Sect began forming a sword formation to protect him.

“I pity your disciples. Their Young Master doesn’t even appreciate that they saved his life.”

Grit.

The sound of Jong Seogang grinding his teeth could be heard.

“You’re still acting relaxed? In your position, I would have used that impressive movement technique to take my junior brothers and escape.”

Just as Jong Seogang said, warriors from the other sects began filling the vacancies left by the Yellow Sword Sect.

The hastily repaired Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare was now targeting not only the disciples of the Taeul Sect but also the Golden-Scaled Blue-Thread Serpent.

“I thought it would be troublesome to leave a future threat behind.”

“Puhaha! Still bluffing?”

Jong Seogang laughed while clutching his arm, from which blood continued to pour.

“Bluffing? You must have investigated me thoroughly.”

“I know your sect obtained a new martial art. But you won’t deceive them with a mere illusion sword.”

Martial artists who had reached the peak possessed eyes capable of distinguishing falsehood from reality.

No matter how outstanding an illusion sword or changing sword might be, before a peak expert, it was merely an illusion.

“Why? Is there a peak warrior mixed in among them?”

“……”

Jong Seogang pressed his lips tightly together as though he had swallowed honey.

“Well, if the Yellow Sword Sect secretly entered its hidden warriors, that would explain how you passed every previous examination so easily.”

“Watch your mouth!”

Jong Seogang’s face flushed red.

“Why are you getting angry? If you were proud of yourself, there would be nothing to feel ashamed of.”

“……What are you all doing? Kill him immediately!”

The Twilight Single Sword Formation.

It was a unique many-against-one sword formation in which numerous warriors moved as though they were a single sword.

With Gam Cheoljin at the forefront, the warriors of the Yellow Sword Sect charged like one sharp blade.

“The Taeul Sect does not possess only illusion swords and changing swords.”

“……”

“This sword will prove that we did not survive the brink of death through mere coincidence.”

The Ten Thousand Seas and Heaven-Earth Sword Art.

Four phantoms separated from the Blue Dragon Sword.

Gam Cheoljin, who had initially dismissed it as an ordinary illusion sword, grew gravely serious.

Though Jong Seogang had previously spoken politely, his tone had now turned informal.

The warriors of the Yellow Sword Sect seemed accustomed to it, as they formed their sword formation and charged without the slightest change in expression.

“Aaargh!”

“Keuk!”

“I-It’s coming!”

“Maintain the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare!”

Screams erupted from every direction.

Like a swarm of ants attacking an earthworm, the seven hundred people maintaining the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare surrounded the Golden-Scaled Blue-Thread Serpent and attacked without pause.

The Golden-Scaled Blue-Thread Serpent began with the nearest humans, swallowing them, biting them to death, and crushing them beneath its body.

Whenever anyone attempted to approach, it sprayed blue venom from its mouth.

The first warrior drenched in the venom died before he could even scream, his vocal cords melting away.

“Keep your distance!”

“Attack it with flying swords and arrows!”

Flying swords and arrows were lethal concealed weapons against humans, but they had no effect on the Golden-Scaled Blue-Thread Serpent.

When the weapons struck its hard, slick scales, they were stopped by the fluid secreted from its skin and fell powerless to the ground.

“Keuk!”

“R-Run!”

“Don’t run! Anyone who retreats will not be forgiven!”

Chaos did not begin to describe it.

As the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare collapsed, the killing intent that had filled it burst outward in every direction.

Among the allied warriors who had formed the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare, some began swinging their swords at one another.

Hell on earth unfolded there.

“Huh……”

Geumpyo, who was standing closest to the Golden-Scaled Blue-Thread Serpent, let out a calm sigh.

“Geumpyo! Use your footwork properly! Didn’t you see that dung-colored snake swallow a person whole?”

“It doesn’t seem interested in us anyway.”

Although the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers were clearly the closest people to the Golden-Scaled Blue-Thread Serpent, none of the warriors maintaining the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare had the leisure to wonder why they were not being attacked.

The serpent was spraying venom directly in front of them and opening a maw as enormous as a cave.

“The snake isn’t the only problem. We’re still inside the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare.”

“I know.”

It was the footwork Jin Sowoon had forced them to learn when they barely had enough time to sleep.

‘I thought it just had an ominous name.’

They had possessed no internal energy at the time, and because they had learned it while half asleep, Geumpyo barely remembered how he had mastered it.

He was simply following Eunho’s feet as desperately as he could, since Eunho had the best memory among them.

This footwork, called the Ghost-Breathing Step, was said to conceal one’s presence perfectly.

When Geumpyo had asked whether they could simply use it to escape, Jin Sowoon had said that they had not separately learned stealth arts, so they would still be caught if seen.

At the time, Geumpyo had cursed his Senior Brother inwardly for depriving them of sleep over something so useless.

I’m sorry, Eldest Senior Brother.

I’m the idiot and the fool.

How boundless is Eldest Senior Brother’s grace?

Thanks to this incomplete Ghost-Breathing Step, the dung-colored snake could not perceive them.

Instead, it rolled its body wildly and opened its mouth at those releasing intense killing intent.

“……Dongryong, are you all right?”

“……Yeah. I’m fine.”

“You little brat! I told you not to take this off carelessly!”

Geumpyo quickly hung the Demon-Cleansing Spirit Beads around Dongryong’s neck.

He understood why Dongryong had rushed forward.

And if Dongryong had not done so, one of the three brothers might truly have lost an arm and inherited the Poison Hand Flying Sword, or the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers might have become only two brothers.

Even so, Geumpyo could not overlook the fact that the youngest had done something dangerous.

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“If you do something dangerous one more time, we really will leave you behind.”

“I understand! Stop saying you’ll leave me behind.”

“Anyway, don’t you think we’ll be fine if we just stay like this?”

The Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare was gradually collapsing.

The dense killing intent constricting their throats was slowly thinning, and the enemies who had charged from every direction to kill them were now completely occupied with the dung-colored serpent.

“……”

However, Eunho did not give the relieved answer Geumpyo expected.

“Hey, those people’s killing intent means we can……”

“No. Look over there.”

At the place Eunho indicated, men wearing blue clothing and carrying great sabers finally released the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare and stepped forward.

They leaped into the air together and unleashed torrents of saber energy.

Screeeech!

For the first time, the Golden-Scaled Blue-Thread Serpent, which had seemed unmatched among the humans, screamed.

Its scales, which had not budged even beneath a rain of arrows, scattered from its body.

Blood poured from the exposed flesh beneath them.

“It’s wounded! Concentrate your attacks!”

The Golden-Scaled Blue-Thread Serpent thrashed even more violently under the focused attacks of the Qingdao Gang’s warriors.

The other warriors avoided it out of fear of injury, yet continued firing arrows and throwing flying swords whenever they had the chance.

Screeeech!

“Run!”

“Damn it!”

At Eunho’s signal, the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers burst forward using the Taeul Eight Myriad Divine Steps.

“There are the disciples of the Taeul Sect!”

“Capture them first!”

As the Qingdao Gang focused on the Golden-Scaled Blue-Thread Serpent, warriors from the other sects gained enough freedom to rush toward the three brothers.

“Will one of us finally become the successor to the Poison Hand Flying Sword?”

“Geumpyo! Please stop saying ominous things in a situation like this!”

“That’s right! Eldest Brother always says ominous things!”

“……”

After being scolded while forming the sword formation, Geumpyo took the lead and stared at the approaching enemies.

“Huh…… How is this possible?”

Jong Seogang could not tear his eyes away from the scene before him.

“……What in the world?”

It made no sense.

Gam Cheoljin was a master whose skill rivaled that of an elder within the Yellow Sword Sect.

Even after forming the Twilight Single Sword Formation with such a master, Jin Sowoon had broken through it?

According to the investigation, Jin Sowoon pressured his opponents by alternating between illusion sword and swift sword techniques.

He then added changes and heaviness, confusing his opponents even further.

Against a martial artist of equal level, he was unquestionably an extremely troublesome opponent.

But only against one of equal level.

Gam Cheoljin, who had rushed over to protect Jong Seogang after the Twilight Single Sword Formation was destroyed, did not appear to be in good condition either.

“H-How…… How could a mere illusion-sword trickster……”

Once a martial artist reached the peak and could clearly distinguish falsehood from reality, illusion swords became useless.

That was why gossipers in the murim world disparagingly referred to martial artists who used illusion swords as illusion-sword tricksters.

“It is not an ordinary illusion sword.”

Unlike usual, Gam Cheoljin spoke firmly.

“What?”

“It is not a mere illusion sword. It is a true sword that looks like an illusion sword.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Young Master…… I believe it would be best to withdraw for now.”

“What are you saying? Withdraw?”

A disciple from an insignificant sect possessed eight first-checkpoint plaques.

Whether by coincidence or intention, a demonic creature that appeared to possess a spirit core had also emerged.

If Jong Seogang fled because he feared a disciple of the Taeul Sect, he would be unable to sleep from self-loathing, even before considering how the people of the murim world would look at him.

“All disciples of the Yellow Sword Sect, assemble!”

Jong Seogang’s voice thundered through the area.

The Qingdao Gang members fighting the Golden-Scaled Blue-Thread Serpent and the warriors from the sects barely maintaining the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare beside them all stared at him questioningly.

“I said assemble! We must capture this man! He possesses the first-checkpoint plaques!”

However, none of the Yellow Sword Sect’s warriors moved hastily.

“You……”

Jong Seogang’s face reddened at the sight of his own disciples ignoring his command.

In the end, Gam Cheoljin sighed and spoke quietly.

“Everyone, assemble.”

At his command, the warriors of the Yellow Sword Sect who had barely been supporting the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare descended around Gam Cheoljin and Jong Seogang at once.

“Huh……”

Those men had not budged at the command of the person destined to lead their next generation, yet they moved like lightning at a single word from Gam Cheoljin.

Jong Seogang was dumbfounded, but soon realized this was not the time to become angry and suppressed his fury.

He forced a triumphant smile and looked at Jin Sowoon.

“You possess a decent trick. However, the Hell Official Exam cannot be passed through petty schemes and insignificant techniques alone.”

More than fifty warriors of the Yellow Sword Sect stood before him, yet Jin Sowoon showed no sign of tension.

“I was wondering what nonsense you were going to say.”

“If you hand over the first-checkpoint plaques now, I will pretend none of this happened.”

“Ha. More than fifty warriors from your sect have been killed or wounded, and you’ll simply let it go? Do you think your sect’s warriors will accept that?”

Jin Sowoon’s skill was real.

Even so, Jong Seogang remained confident.

The Golden-Scaled Blue-Thread Serpent was gradually being subdued by the Qingdao Gang, and more than five hundred allied warriors were still spread throughout the surroundings.

No matter how skilled Jin Sowoon was, he had no chance of escaping or winning here.

“Do you wish to die here?”

“Die? Us? Did you not listen earlier? I entered Makgan Mountain deliberately.”

“Yes. Thanks to you, we will pass the second checkpoint with ease.”

Jin Sowoon then sheathed his sword.

Jong Seogang’s expression brightened.

“Have you given up?”

“Given up? Nonsense.”

“Do you believe you can escape this place?”

“Why else would I have come here?”

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

The ground suddenly began to shake.

Grrruk.

Grrrruk.

“Keuk!”

“What is it this time?”

“Damn it!”

Screams began to echo from the distance.

The eyes of the Yellow Sword Sect’s warriors, who had been preparing for battle, widened like those of rabbits.

“Did you think that snake was the only thing I prepared?”

The One-Horned Blue Toad.

The black toad said to prey upon snakes was hopping toward them with surprising agility despite its enormous body.

A long horn protruded from its head, and poisonous energy spread in every direction around it.