Chapter 81

Support for the Akan Branch (1)

Mount Okhwa 

A mountain that could only be reached after traveling far south past Poyang Lake and Nanchang in the northern part of Jiangxi Province.

From Anhui Province to Jiangxi Province, the Heavenly Sword Hall displayed astonishing speed in their lightness-art movement.

Although their ranks ranged from First Cloud to Fourth Cloud, not a single member fell behind.

Their stamina was managed meticulously so they could respond to unexpected situations at any time.

Part of it was thanks to Lee Seha's experienced leadership, but it was also proof that every member of the Heavenly Sword Hall maintained the minimum standards expected of one of the Ten Halls.

The title elite of the Changcheon Society suited them well.

Whoosh!

With the hot wind as their companion, the Heavenly Sword Hall raced across the wilderness and arrived near Mount Okhwa.

"Stop."

Despite sounding almost like a mutter to himself, Lee Seha's quiet command drew an immediate response.

Boom!

The dry earth trembled beneath their feet.

Dust stirred low like rippling waves from the force of their movement techniques, but it did little more than brush against their trouser legs.

Namgung Jun raised his head and gazed at the distant mountain range.

That mountain was undoubtedly Mount Okhwa, the site of their mission.

At our current speed, we'll arrive in roughly two gak—about thirty minutes.

Estimating the remaining distance and their pace, Namgung Jun lightly tapped the ground with his foot.

My current movement art is serviceable, but...

He had been combining movement techniques from the Society's martial repository with principles from the Namcheon Palace arts as needed, but he still wasn't satisfied.

Unlike when he had first joined the Changcheon Society, his essence, energy, and spirit were now in harmony, and his mastery of movement techniques had advanced tremendously.

He no longer lagged behind other members of the Heavenly Sword Hall.

Yet the situation still left him somewhat dissatisfied.

His current movement art was certainly excellent, but not something worthy of devoting a lifetime to.

Like Infinite Steps and Heavenly Sovereign's Immovable Body, he needed a martial art that could take root deeply within his mind and completely merge with his body.

Only then would his movement techniques naturally intertwine and become a single unified motion.

Only after creating a movement art truly suited to him would he be able to produce satisfying movements instinctively.

Movement arts... If it were swordsmanship, I'd feel at ease. This is proving much more difficult.

As Namgung Jun reflected on footwork, body techniques, and movement arts, his gaze slowly shifted.

An unfamiliar presence was approaching.

Lee Seha seemed to have noticed it already. His eyes, which had been fixed on Mount Okhwa, moved toward the brush on the opposite side.

The other members sensed it one after another as well, but none reacted rashly.

They simply waited for Lee Seha's orders.

Crunch!

The sound of dry leaves breaking beneath footsteps gradually grew closer.

Soon, a middle-aged man pushed through the brush and revealed himself.

Judging by his breathing and footwork, he was an ordinary civilian with no martial training.

"Greetings."

Finding dozens of armed martial artists in such a remote mountain area would normally be startling.

Yet the middle-aged man showed no surprise and approached naturally, as if he had expected to find them there.

Though untrained in martial arts, he was clearly someone accustomed to dealing with the martial world.

"Here it is."

"The information arrived without any problems. Thank you."

The man walked directly up to Lee Seha and handed him a tightly rolled scroll.

After Lee Seha expressed his thanks, the man immediately turned around, looking as though his task was complete.

Namgung Jun watched his retreating back.

He's not affiliated with the Society.

Yet he was helping them.

That meant there was some sort of connection.

I heard there are secret forces cooperating with the Society. Perhaps he's one of them.

After a moment's curiosity, Namgung Jun turned his attention away.

Lee Seha quickly read through the contents of the scroll and murmured,

"Fortunately, it seems the Akan Branch trapped on Mount Okhwa is still safe."

Burning the scroll to ashes with Sammae True Fire, he looked around at the hall members.

"Let's review the mission."

The secret branch in Akan, Jiangxi Province, had been discovered and attacked by the Sun Moon Demonic Cult.

The Akan Branch had immediately abandoned the secret base and fled.

A secret branch lost its value the moment it was exposed, but more importantly, they possessed information that absolutely had to be delivered to the Society's headquarters.

"The Akan Branch continued fleeing until they reached Mount Okhwa. They've been holding out there and buying time ever since."

The Changcheon Society maintained hidden refuges throughout the martial world in case one of its branches was destroyed by the forces of the unorthodox path.

Mount Okhwa was one such refuge.

That was why the Akan Branch had managed to survive even after being caught by the Sun Moon Demonic Cult.

The cult clearly had not yet discovered the hidden refuge on Mount Okhwa.

"The Sun Moon Demonic Cult forces occupying Mount Okhwa are divided into two groups."

Picking up a branch, Lee Seha wrote the characters for Okhwa on the ground and drew a large circle around them.

"Most of their forces are blocking all the approaches around the mountain. Using that encirclement as a base, a portion of their members is actively searching for the Akan Branch."

The main force had established a siege around Mount Okhwa, while a separate detachment combed through the mountain itself in search of the hidden branch.

"There are too many enemies. Charging upward from the base of the mountain isn't a good option."

"Exactly. Our first objective is to create enough chaos to divide their attention."

When Namgung Jun spoke, Lee Seha asked,

"What do you think? Want to handle it, my disciple?"

After a brief moment of thought, Namgung Jun shook his head.

"You would be more suitable than I am, Master."

"Oh? Why?"

"The reputation and martial prowess of the Heavenly Sword Hall Master and the Wandering Play of Clouds technique would attract far more attention from the Sun Moon Demonic Cult. If you reveal yourself personally, the enemy's main force at the foot of the mountain will react much more aggressively."

Lee Seha nodded as though hearing the expected answer.

"Good. The next part is just as important. If we fail to wipe out the detachment searching the mountain, we won't be able to rescue the Akan Branch. I'll leave that task to you."

"Yes, Master."

Namgung Jun had just been assigned the second most important role after Lee Seha himself.

Not a single member questioned the decision.

Within the current Heavenly Sword Hall, aside from Lee Seha, there wasn't a swordsman capable of matching Namgung Jun.

Moreover, he had recently advanced to the rank of Third Cloud, making him fully qualified.

"I'm curious about the youngster's command ability."

"Fighting alone and commanding subordinates are entirely different skills."

The veterans seemed more interested in seeing what sort of performance Namgung Jun would display.

"We won't need many people going up the mountain."

Using the information received from the middle-aged informant, Lee Seha quickly completed the distribution of forces.

Having memorized their assignments, the swordsmen of the Heavenly Sword Hall released powerful auras, looking ready to depart at any moment.

Lee Seha nodded.

"Let's go."

After a brief rest that restored them to peak condition, the Heavenly Sword Hall immediately charged toward Mount Okhwa.

+

"Still no news?"

"No, sir."

"Mount Okhwa isn't even that large. Why is it taking so long?"

"It seems they've dug themselves a rabbit hole and hidden well. Even so, it shouldn't be much longer now."

Listening to the report from one of the cultists, the Bright Cult Guard let out a sigh.

"This should never have dragged on for this long. We should never have given those Akan Branch rats a chance to escape. The Changcheon Society will surely respond."

"Yes. We'll resolve the matter quickly before it becomes more complicated."

The Bright Cult Guard in charge of exterminating the Akan Branch, Sa Haengdo, clicked his tongue in irritation.

The Akan Branch was believed to be the largest secret branch operated by the Changcheon Society in Jiangxi Province.

Moreover, the item the Akan Branch had intercepted this time was extremely important.

That was why no fewer than five Bright Cult Guards had been mobilized for the operation.

Every force that could be immediately deployed from Jiangsu Province had been sent at once.

Tsk. Those bastards took the detached-unit assignment—the real prize.

Sa Haengdo clicked his tongue as he looked toward the peak of Mount Okhwa.

Even among the Bright Cult Guards, differences in strength and status naturally existed.

Among the five, Jeok Mungeom and Ho Gongno, two of the strongest, had been assigned to the detached force.

From Sa Haengdo's perspective, he could only hope that the Akan Branch would somehow evade the detached unit and attempt to descend the mountain.

Only then would he be able to claim a greater achievement for himself.

"All I'm doing is sitting at the foot of the mountain."

BOOOOM!

Having been stewing in dissatisfaction, Sa Haengdo had just leaned back in his chair when he abruptly sprang to his feet.

A tremendous explosion had suddenly erupted outside.

The encirclement at the base of the mountain was normally too secure for any disturbance to occur.

Something had clearly gone wrong.

Could it be that the Akan Branch escaped the detached unit?

Excitement briefly appeared on his face as he rushed out of the tent.

Moments later, his expression twisted.

Swordsmen were cutting down cultists left and right.

The cultists were resisting as best they could, but they were being overwhelmed without any means of fighting back.

It was only natural.

Their opponents were one of the Ten Halls proudly maintained by the Changcheon Society.

"The Heavenly Sword Hall!"

Sa Haengdo cried out in shock as he recognized them.

"You're a Bright Cult Guard, aren't you?"

A voice suddenly sounded from directly above him.

Sa Haengdo raised his head.

An exquisitely beautiful face had appeared frighteningly close.

Under normal circumstances, he would have been captivated by such beauty.

This was not one of those circumstances.

Acting on instinct, he raised both hands and circulated his internal energy to block.

Compared to the sword streaking toward his neck, however, his hands moved painfully slowly.

That was the last thing Sa Haengdo remembered.

Slash!

After decapitating the Bright Cult Guard in a single strike through a surprise attack, Lee Seha landed lightly on the ground.

"Ghk!"

"It's the Heavenly Sword Hall!"

"The Heavenly Sword Hall has arrived!"

"Request reinforcements from the other side!"

Despite being caught completely off guard, the cultists showed no signs of retreating.

Instead, they unleashed every demonic art they possessed in an attempt to push back the Heavenly Sword Hall.

Lee Seha welcomed the situation.

The more commotion they caused, the more divided the enemy's attention would become.

And the easier it would be for Namgung Jun, who had already gone up the mountain, to act.

Crackle!

Dense lightning qi danced across Lee Seha's sword.

"I wonder if any of you are capable of receiving my blade."

Lee Seha began searching for the presence of the other Bright Cult Guards responsible for commanding the main force below Mount Okhwa.

***

While the Heavenly Sword Hall wreaked havoc among the enemy's main force, Namgung Jun moved separately.

Breaking through the mountain slopes, he advanced directly into Mount Okhwa.

Behind him followed Gong Junam, Heo Il, and Man Yewon.

They were the team assigned to deal with the detached force searching the mountain.

"This way."

Under the decisive leadership of their squad leader, Namgung Jun, the others silently followed.

His spiritual senses had become broader and sharper after achieving harmony between essence, energy, and spirit.

Using those enhanced senses, Namgung Jun carefully swept his awareness across Mount Okhwa.

Eventually, he found them.

A small group of presences being pursued by a cluster of foul demonic qi.

There was no doubt.

They belonged to the Akan Branch.

"Let's increase our speed."

Namgung Jun accelerated.

The wind splitting around the edge of his bamboo hat became noticeably fiercer.

After crossing a low hill in a single bound, a woman came into view.

She appeared to be one of the younger generation.

She was covered in blood.

Her yellow robes were stained dark red in numerous places, yet the embroidered cloud on her sleeve remained visible.

Others accompanied her.

All of them appeared to be Clouds of the Changcheon Society.

The survivors of the Akan Branch.

Upon spotting the Society's cloud insignia, Namgung Jun's hand naturally settled upon his sword hilt.

Several presences were chasing them from roughly twenty paces behind.

Tap!

Namgung Jun, who had been advancing at maximum speed, slid to a stop.

His left hand gripped the end of the scabbard.

His right hand rested lightly on the hilt.

"Stop!"

A voice rang out from the distance.

Namgung Jun understood immediately.

The shout was not directed at the fleeing woman.

It was aimed directly at him—the man preparing to draw his sword.

But he paid it no mind.

Even the rebound force generated by abruptly stopping his movement technique became part of his sword power.

Get down.

At the same moment he transmitted the message to the woman and the other Akan Branch survivors, he drew his sword.

Heavenly Wind Sword Art.

First Gathering Wind.

The instant the blade left its sheath, a long sword wind erupted forth.

The curved sword wind bent like a reed and stretched horizontally, splitting the air above and below.

There was not the slightest hesitation in the strike.

Hearing the voice transmission, the woman widened her eyes and crouched down.

Several strands of hair that had not fully escaped the blade's path were cleanly severed and drifted through the air.

Swaaash!

The chilling sound of flesh and wood being sliced apart echoed throughout the forest.

Namgung Jun cut down seven demonic cultists pursuing the woman.

Several trees fell alongside them.

Yet he did not lower his sword.

Holding the blade low after releasing the sword wind, he watched the slowly toppling trees.

"Who are you?"

The same voice that had tried to stop him earlier sounded again.

Before Namgung Jun could answer, another voice spoke first.

"Namgung Jun...?"

The woman who had ducked beneath First Gathering Wind stared at him blankly.

Hearing her mutter, Namgung Jun turned toward her.

However, he had no idea who she was.

Thus, he asked in return,

"Who are you?"

At his question, the woman's lips slowly parted.