The First Warrior-General, Beonjak.

He was the head of the Divine Flame Cult’s Eighteen Warrior-Generals, the strongest Warrior-General in both name and reality, and the owner of martial arts on a completely different level from the other Warrior-Generals. For that reason, the Warrior-Generals called him the Divine General.

Even though he was actually over sixty years old, the realm he had achieved was so high that he looked no older than his mid-forties. Though he had not reached the Limitless Realm, he was a master of such strength that merely saying he had broken through the Wall of Martial Arts could never mean he walked the same realm as others.

Moreover, if he was the head of the Eighteen Warrior-Generals, the masters in charge of the Divine Flame Cult’s vanguard, then calling him the great general of a nation would not be excessive. In other words, Beonjak was the finest vanguard commander the Divine Flame Cult could confidently send into any war.

In Beonjak’s eyes, he saw the face of the young master swinging the huge axe.

A master of the Central Plains, with coldly sunken eyes and an expressionless face that nevertheless conveyed terrifying fury and chilling pressure.

“How troublesome.”

Beonjak threw a punch at the descending axe blade.

KWAAAAANG!

Yeon Hojeong coughed blood and flew backward.

The power of the Green Mountain Tiger Commander, the weight of Mad Dragon, and the offensive force of the White Tiger Art were all blown away by a single punch. Even then, his face was full of ease, as if he had taken no impact at all.

But his eyes held a strange light.

It didn’t land properly?

His fist force had not properly penetrated the opponent. That meant the opponent had deflected almost all of his volcanic power even while being thrown back.

He dispersed my fist force at the moment of impact even though he struck down with all his strength?

He was an interesting one.

Even though the ability he possessed was far beneath Beonjak’s own, he was pulling such tricks. Beyond simple battle experience, the man’s very sense for martial arts was extraordinary.

That was when it happened.

“Hojeong!”

PAAAAAK!

Yeon Wi, Tang Gwan, and Mookbi ran to Yeon Hojeong’s side.

Just moments earlier, all of them had been pushed back by the tremendous explosive force Beonjak had unleashed. Immediately after that, Beonjak had moved a great distance and struck Mo Yonggun away, while at the same time Yeon Hojeong had chased after Beonjak and tried to land a blow.

“Are you all right?”

“Ptoo! I’m fine.”

Yeon Hojeong wiped the blood from his mouth, stood, and glared at Beonjak.

Beonjak spoke as if intrigued.

“You are impressive masters. It has been quite some time since I saw such strong people gathered in one place.”

Rustle, rustle.

The flames that had been surging up from every direction had already calmed considerably.

Neiiiigh!

The cries of countless horses.

The combined Demon-Sweeping and Evil-Smiting forces, having dealt with all the Divine Flame soldiers, were slowly forming ranks and gathering here.

At last, the final battle was beginning. Everyone qualified to end this fight had gathered.

On the Divine Flame Cult’s side, Beonjak and Cheon Gang.

On the Martial Alliance’s side, three Clan Lords of the Six Families, the commanders of the field-force units, and more than five hundred and fifty masters.

They glared at one another, their will to fight blazing fiercely. The end of the long battle was not far away.

Beonjak spoke to Cheon Gang.

“You failed to handle the matter properly.”

“I-I apologize.”

“Tsk. It was my misjudgment to think someone of your level would be enough. I will not hold you separately accountable.”

“......Thank you.”

Beonjak looked around again.

“To think this place was breached to this extent... interesting. Don’t tell me all the Warrior-Generals scattered across Henan were defeated.”

At that moment, Tang Gwan opened his mouth.

“Did you think we reached this place after leaving those bastards alive?”

Beonjak turned to Tang Gwan.

The blue eyes unique to those from the Western Regions deepened like an abyss.

“Poison qi. I know only masters of the Tang Clan of Sichuan possess such poison qi in the Central Plains.”

“You saw well. I am Tang Gwan, the master of the Tang Clan of Sichuan.”

He spoke confidently, but inwardly, Tang Gwan was surprised.

The Guiding-Reversal Three-Yang Return-to-Origin Art perfectly concealed the poison qi inside his body. Hadn’t Yo Roe also failed to realize he was someone from the Tang Clan’s side until he released his poison qi?

Yet Beonjak had seen through it at once. Though his pride was wounded, Tang Gwan had no choice but to acknowledge that Beonjak was a master on a different level.

Beonjak smiled.

His eyes were endlessly cold, but only the corners of his mouth lifted. It was an eerie smile.

“Not bad. Truly not bad. Judging by the faces here, you all seem to have come from the Martial Alliance. Did you already notice our existence?”

Yeon Wi opened his mouth.

“Surrender.”

“Mm?”

“We recognize your strength well enough. But there is nowhere left for you to escape.”

Beonjak chuckled.

“And if I surrender? You will spare my life?”

“That is correct.”

“What a tempting recommendation. Do you have that much authority?”

“I do not. However, I believe I can at least guarantee your lives for the moment.”

“So even if I do not die right now, I may die once I am dragged away.”

“That is correct.”

“You are honest.”

“I do not like lies. And even if I did speak a lie, I doubt you would believe it.”

Beonjak quietly stared at Yeon Wi, then asked as if tossing the question out.

“I would like to know your name.”

“I am Yeon Wi, Clan Lord of the Yeon Clan of Green Mountain in Gangdong.”

“Judge Sword Yeon Wi! Indeed, your character is as fine as your reputation suggests. You show your enemy the minimum courtesy... Though we are enemies, you are a great hero I would like to share a cup with.”

“So, your answer?”

Beonjak shook his head.

“I will not surrender.”

“That is unfortunate.”

“I also find it unfortunate. To think you believe this many troops are enough to capture me. It seems I have been rather underestimated.”

His words carried terrifying confidence.

Tang Gwan’s lips twitched.

“Would you like to test that?”

“There is no need to test anything. You gathered here to capture us in the first place, so naturally, blades will have to go back and forth, will they not?”

“You arrogant bastard!”

That was when it happened.

Flash! KWAAAAANG!

A sword qi like a bolt of lightning struck Beonjak.

Rustle, rustle.

Gray-white smoke rose thickly.

Everyone looked toward the source of the lightning.

The one who had suddenly released the sword qi was Mo Yonggun.

Mo Yonggun spoke coldly.

“Let’s stop chattering uselessly and capture him already.”

PAAAAAK!

Yeon Hojeong leaped into the smoke and spoke briefly.

“Agreed.”

WOOOOONG!

Flame-like Killing Intent gathered thickly around Mad Dragon. The Red-Flame Six-Kill Art had been unleashed.

KWAKWAKWANG!

With an explosive roar, Yeon Hojeong’s upper body snapped backward.

“Tsk, tsk.”

Hooooong.

Beonjak appeared after clearing the smoke. Even though he had taken Mo Yonggun’s sword qi and Yeon Hojeong’s attack, he seemed completely unharmed.

“Launching a surprise attack after gathering this many troops. You are people who know no proper conduct.”

At that moment, Mookbi released her bowstring.

FWIIIIIIIT! Tak!

The arrow that flew like lightning was caught in Beonjak’s hand. His reflexes were astonishing. The movement of his hand as he lightly snatched it, as if he had no need to dodge, carried tremendous ease.

Tang Gwan shouted.

“Kill him!”

PAPAPAPAPANG!

The pouring Five Linked Palms, the Tang Clan Thousand-Poison Hand, shook the air.

As if he had been waiting, Yeon Wi rushed in and executed the sword art of the Great Iron Sword Art, while Mookbi’s arrow, fired again, ghosted past the two of them and aimed at Beonjak’s head and chest.

Beonjak’s eyes deepened.

Even for him, who was called the Divine General, these were not attacks he could easily receive.

HWARURURUK!

Invisible flames gathered in both of his hands and formed a massive dragon-headed blade.

It was the Divine Flame Cult’s peerless art, the Fire Dragon Demon Blade. But it was on a completely different level from the Fire Dragon Demon Blades used by the other Warrior-Generals.

It was far more violent and released far more powerful Fire energy. The Fire energy alone was enough to make half the incoming attacks lose their power.

Beonjak swung both hands.

KWAKWAKWANG! JJEOJEOONG!

Beonjak’s Fire Dragon Demon Blade was not simply powerful. Along with its sharp cutting force, the force wave of the fire blade alone disrupted the masters’ attacks. It was frightening power and outstanding Inner Qi control.

KURURURUNG!

There was another astonishing fact.

Beonjak’s martial arts were not only powerful. In terms of speed, they were no different from Cheon Gang’s.

Flash!

Tang Gwan’s eyes bulged. Before he knew it, he could feel Beonjak’s presence at his rear flank.

“If we keep clashing, your poison will be troublesome to endure. You should go first.”

KWAAAAANG!

Tang Gwan coughed blood and flew sideways.

Beonjak’s eyes narrowed.

It didn’t go in properly.

Tang Gwan had changed the Tang Clan Thousand-Poison Hand into the Vajra Five-Poison Palm in an instant. In terms of poison qi, it could not match the perfected Thousand-Poison Hand, but in the hardness and elasticity of the martial art itself, the Five-Poison Palm was several steps above it.

A master who responded by changing the type of martial art he used according to instinct.

It isn’t only him.

Beonjak turned his head to the side.

Flash!

A sword force that flew like an arrow grazed his cheek and passed by.

It was Yeon Wi. No one knew when he had arrived so close, but the sword art he swung with cold composure was like an iron wall.

Beonjak swung the Fire Dragon Demon Blade again.

JJEOJEOJEOJEOJEOONG!

Blade and sword collided more than ten times, creating tremendous sparks.

Yeon Wi staggered backward. Though he embodied a nearly perfect martial path, he had no choice but to be pushed back by Beonjak in power.

However, Beonjak was startled.

Drip.

A line of sword wound was carved into his shoulder. It was a wound created by Yeon Wi’s Great Iron Sword Art.

He pierced that?

The attack had pierced through the dual barrier of the Fire Dragon Demon Blade and the Gold Emperor Pure Fire Art and made a wound. Though it was only a sword strike that cut flesh, what mattered was the fact that it had pierced through an Inner Qi shield of this level.

Pababak!

Unlike his usual self, Yeon Wi took Beonjak’s side with elastic footwork.

KURURURUNG!

A sound of thunder rang from Beonjak’s hand.

It was not the Fire Dragon Demon Blade. It was the Heat-Fire Divine Palm.

Yet simply gathering the power of the Heat-Fire Divine Palm produced a tremendous explosive roar. It was a thunderous sound that made the opponent predict that the force of one strike would be equivalent to a fire bomb.

Let’s see if you can receive this too.

Beonjak swung the Heat-Fire Divine Palm.

HOOF!

It was terrifying flame.

He had only swung once, but a pillar of golden fire poured out.

At this level, it would not be unreasonable to call the Heat-Fire Divine Palms used by the other Warrior-Generals child’s play. The moment the flames burst forth, even wood five zhang away caught fire.

PAAK!

The masters nearby withdrew more than ten zhang without realizing it. It was because the ultra-high-temperature firepower was difficult to withstand.

Then what about Yeon Wi?

PUH-PUH-PUH-PUH-PUH-PUH-POONG!

The palm force, like cannon fire from artillery, collided with the sword screen Yeon Wi drew and released explosive roars one after another.

PUH-PUH-PUH-POONG! HWARURURUK!

With repeated explosions, the palm force that had been gradually diminishing suddenly shot high into the sky.

......!

Beonjak’s face hardened.

“Hooo.”

Before him stood Yeon Wi, lowering his stance with his sword raised. His clothes were burned in various places, but his expression remained as cold as ever.

“You blocked that?”

He had not merely blocked it. He had repeatedly blocked and rebounded it, then once the power of the palm force had been shaved down to a certain degree, he pulled it in and sent it flying high into the sky.

It was truly divine swordsmanship. Tang Gwan, and even Mo Yonggun, could not help admiring that perfect destruction of the technique.

“You truly are strong. But it seems I can somehow receive your attacks.”

Yeon Wi relaxed his stance, then took his opening stance again.

It was an offensive stance unlike his usual self. As if he meant to take Beonjak’s head with a single strike, a keener edge than before wrapped around his entire body.

Clan Lord of the Yeon Clan of Green Mountain, Judge Sword Yeon Wi.

The man who wielded the most perfect sword art among the swordsmen of the current martial world.

Putting aside the strength or weakness of Inner Qi, his enlightenment regarding the sword had reached a supreme realm. His overwhelming ability to break stronger power using simple forms alone came from that very enlightenment.

The corners of Beonjak’s eyes trembled slightly.

Clan Lord Yeon was this strong? When he is merely the head of a sword clan that has only been famous in the martial world for fifty years?

That was when it happened.

THUD!

Along with a chilling sound of flesh being struck, Cheon Gang’s scream rang out.

Beonjak reflexively turned his head.

“Huff, huff! Ah, damn, that bastard was filthy fast.”

Beonjak’s face contorted.

Yeon Hojeong, covered in blood, was lifting Cheon Gang by the collar. Cheon Gang must have been struck properly by the axe, for an enormous cut had been carved into his {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} upper body.

Yeon Hojeong kept breathing roughly as he glared at Beonjak.

“Now you’re really the only one left.”