No one had ever doubted the victory of the righteous martial world.

That’s how much the difference in scale between the righteous and heretic paths was, truly like heaven and earth.

But with an explosion that seemed to tear apart the heavens and the earth, the righteous martial world, which was strong enough to conquer the entire martial world, collapsed.

The few surviving martial artists fought a bloody battle against the men of the heretic path who were pouring down like rain.

“There’s the Golden Dragon Divine Sword! Kill him!!”

“That bastard’s neck is mine!”

“Hehehehe! The Golden Dragon Divine Sword’s sword is mine!”

The men of the heretic path, who had trembled at the mere sight of Namgung Muhyeok’s shadow until now, rushed in like a pack of beasts that had found delicious prey.

Namgung Muhyeok’s sword, which was cutting them down without mercy, quickly became dull.

‘Did I suffer an internal injury?’

His ears were ringing, and his vision was blurry.

The explosion that tore apart the heavens and the earth and the blast wave that resulted from it were something that even Namgung Muhyeok could not withstand.

If his internal energy had been even slightly lacking, his organs would have been torn apart, or his limbs would have been ridiculously blown away.

The only reason Namgung Muhyeok could resist with a sword in his hand was thanks to his profound internal energy.

But even that was now reaching its limit.

“Hoo… hoo…!”

Swallowing back the rising blood, Namgung Muhyeok swung his sword.

His sword, stained with a golden light, still boasted a strong martial prowess and cut down at least five to eight men of the heretic path.

The golden qi, along with the blade, cut through the men of the heretic path.

But as time passed, Namgung Muhyeok’s breathing became rough, and his once firm sword qi became faint and wavered.

“He’s weakened too.”

“No matter how strong he is, there’s a limit!”

“Everyone, rush in!”

The men of the heretic path, who had noticed that Namgung Muhyeok was struggling, launched another offensive.

At this, Namgung Muhyeok scattered his sword qi in all directions and threw his body.

‘The White Moon Divine Lord…’

Namgung Muhyeok raised his head and chased after Cheon Yusin.

Where his gaze landed, Cheon Yusin was fighting a desperate battle with five martial artists.

He too was resisting with all his might to survive.

“Alliance Leader!!”

At Namgung Muhyeok’s shout, Cheon Yusin drew a half-moon with his sword and looked back.

‘Namgung Muhyeok! You’re alive!?’

In a situation where one master was desperately needed, Namgung Muhyeok’s survival was a stroke of luck for Cheon Yusin.

“Namgung Family Head! Can you move!?”

Namgung Muhyeok answered with a fierce sword qi instead of words.

Through this, Cheon Yusin, who had realized that Namgung Muhyeok was still intact, put his internal energy into his blade and jumped high.

“Heup!”

As Cheon Yusin’s sword cut through the air five times, a sword qi containing a fierce cold air poured out.

At this, the five Five Evils pushed back Cheon Yusin’s sword qi with their respective weapons and took a few steps back.

Taking this opportunity, Cheon Yusin threw his body into the huge pit.

“Hoo—!”

Cheon Yusin’s sword shone again.

“G-get away!”

“It’s the White Moon Divine Lord!”

“Be careful not to touch the sword qi!”

As a cold air that seemed to freeze even the bones rushed in, the men of the heretic path fled in all directions.

They had already learned from several battles that they should never touch the White Moon Divine Lord’s sword qi.

Of course, a few low-level men of the heretic path could not avoid Cheon Yusin’s sword qi and froze in place.

Cheon Yusin cut down the men of the heretic path who had not been able to escape and had frozen in place in a single breath.

Cheon Yusin, who had killed more than a dozen martial artists in an instant and had joined Namgung Muhyeok, straightened the tip of his sword.

“What happened to the rest?”

“About 90% of the martial artists… couldn’t avoid the explosion and died.”

“…”

Ninety percent.

It was too many.

The situation of the few surviving martial artists was not good either.

They had luckily survived the explosion, but immediately after, they had to fight the men of the heretic path who were pouring into the pit.

The martial artists who had survived by luck.

The martial artists who had survived by their own strength.

All the righteous path martial artists were bleeding on the torn and broken flags.

‘At this rate, we’ll just be defeated one by one.’

Cheon Yusin felt the need to gather the remaining forces in one place.

“I am the Martial Alliance Leader, Cheon Yusin! Those who can fight, gather where you can hear my voice!!”

In the midst of the chaos, the righteous path martial artists who had heard Cheon Yusin’s voice, which was filled with internal energy, began to throw their bodies in the direction where the voice was heard.

The number that had gathered was less than a hundred.

‘It’s devastating. But there is hope.’

As they had survived the huge explosion, the survivors were masters who were well-known in the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families.

“From now on, we will break through the escape route together. Everyone, get a grip and hold your swords!”

As Cheon Yusin had commanded, the survivors all gripped their swords again.

Among them were Ilmun and the Wudang Three Swords, as well as Hwang Jichun of the Zhongnan Sect and other renowned masters.

“Sect Master Ilmun!”

At Cheon Yusin’s call, Ilmun came running.

“Sect Leader Gu, you’re alive too.”

Gu Daepil, who had appeared late, limping, also stood facing him, holding his begging stick.

“I’m sorry… all of this…”

Gu Daepil seemed to be in a daze after being caught in a completely unexpected trap.

Cheon Yusin grabbed the shoulders of Gu Daepil, who was unable to easily escape from his guilt, and shook him, saying.

“Now is not the time to argue about right and wrong! We have to survive!!”

“Ah, I understand!”

Cheon Yusin, who had woken up Gu Daepil, gathered the survivors in one place and looked at the east, which would be their escape route.

But the men of the heretic path, who had already seized the momentum, were blocking the escape route and closing in from all directions.

Among them was the Poison Sect.

“Hehehe… you’re in a fine mess, you Martial Alliance bastards.”

The sect master of the Poison Sect, Hamgi, put the poison men of the Poison Sect at the forefront.

“The Poison Sect…”

Cheon Yusin gritted his teeth.

Normally, he would have scoffed at the intervention of the Poison Sect.

Except for the Formless Killing Poison they possessed, the poison of the Poison Sect was nothing more than a nuisance to the masters of the righteous martial world and was not a particular threat.

But now it was different.

‘Now, we don’t have the luxury to ignore poison.’

The thoughts of the few surviving martial artists were all similar.

In a situation like this, even a mere ronin rushing in was a threat. They didn’t have the luxury to fight while dealing with the poison of the Poison Sect.

And although they didn’t say it out loud, the martial artists had another worry.

‘The Blood Demon has not yet appeared.’

The great enemy of the heretic martial world.

The Blood Demon, Ma Seongun, had not yet fully engaged in the fight.

“Namgung Family Head.”

“Please speak.”

“What do you think our situation is?”

“I would say it’s desperate.”

“It seems they have no intention of letting us live…”

Enemies are on all sides.

There is no escape route.

‘How could they have prepared such a large amount of explosives?’

Cheon Yusin was puzzled, but he soon shook his head.

Now was not the time to worry about the source of the explosives.

“It seems the family head and I will have to break through a path.”

Namgung Muhyeok nodded his head and gathered his internal energy.

Due to the internal injury, it was not easy to operate his internal energy.

Nevertheless, he held his sword and stood side by side with Cheon Yusin.

‘If I hesitate, I will die.’

Until death broke his sword.

He could not stop.

Cheon Yusin gripped his sword, caught his breath, and then shouted with all his might.

“Listen, righteous path.”

The few surviving martial artists raised their heads.

“The war is not over, and the righteous cause is not yet broken.”

The martial artists gripped their respective weapons and bit their lips.

“We are not dead. Are we not.”

“That’s right!”

“Then prepare for battle.”

“Don’t give them a break and push them back!!”

The men of the heretic path poured in once again.

The five Five Evils licked their lips and looked back.

There was Mu Yu, watching the battlefield with a face full of joy.

“What should we do?”

At the question of the Five Evils, Mu Yu laughed and said.

“Run wild to your heart’s content.”

“Huhu.”

The five Five Evils, who had finished their preparations to fight, picked up their respective weapons and walked towards the pit.

The men of the heretic path followed them.

“We’re going too.”

Hamgi also hurriedly led the poison men.

Anyway, the victory and defeat had already been decided.

With an explosion that tore apart the heavens and the earth, ninety percent of the righteous path martial artists had lost their lives.

They were not just any riffraff, but the elites selected by the righteous martial world.

“The Poison Sect can’t be left out of such a festival.”

The time to repay decades of humiliation had returned.

Looking at the enemies pouring down from above, Cheon Yusin and the men in white prepared for the final battle.

Along with the blades, the hatred for each other began to dance.

It was the beginning of the final bloody battle.

***

“My goodness.”

Yeom Yoa and the young late-stage prospects looked at the battlefield blankly, at a loss for words.

Who would have known.

That a huge explosion that transcended a distance of hundreds of zhang, tore through the atmosphere, and shook the earth would tear apart ninety percent of the righteous path martial artists.

‘How many survived?’

Because the distance was quite far, even with the eyesight of a master like Yeom Yoa, she couldn’t see how many had survived in the pit.

“Temple Master!”

Namgung Seoru and Namgung Seong came running to Yeom Yoa’s side.

“We have to go too.”

“Are you in your right mind?”

“Yes. I am in my right mind.”

Even at Yeom Yoa’s rebuke, Namgung Seoru did not back down.

She just looked straight at Yeom Yoa with unwavering, upright eyes.

In those pupils, a faint fear could be seen.

“Hoo…”

Yeom Yoa covered her face with one hand.

“Are the ones who followed you of the same mind?”

Behind Namgung Seoru, the rest of the late-stage prospects were also standing.

Cheon Gasung and Cheon Yerang of the White Moon Palace.

And the late-stage prospects from the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families.

They were afraid of death, but they wanted to go to the battlefield.

“You also know… that you can’t win.”

“…”

They were young, but they were not fools.

Even if they had no experience, they knew that the tide of the war had turned against the righteous martial world.

Nevertheless, the late-stage prospects wanted to go to the battlefield.

“It would be better to plan for the future.”

“That may be so. But… we can’t turn a blind eye to the people who are dying.”

Yeom Yoa clenched her fists.

If only they were not martial artists belonging to the righteous path.

If she hadn’t felt fear in their eyes.

Yeom Yoa would have risked her own life to stop these young martial artists from going to the battlefield.

But Yeom Yoa could not stop them.

Because she too was a martial artist who walked the path of the righteous.

“I will take the lead, so follow me.”

“Yes.”

Yeom Yoa turned to the battlefield.

She had also restored her broken flexible sword.

“From now on, it’s a real battle. Prioritize survival, but don’t hesitate or retreat. They are people who will stab a sword into the back of a retreating person without any hesitation.”

“We will keep that in mind.”

“…Follow me. We…”

Yeom Yoa took her first step towards the deep pit.

“Are going to hell.”

***

‘They all have the same thought. Except for one.’

Cheon Yusin felt like he was about to let out a hollow laugh.

The surviving masters of the righteous path were busy rolling their eyes while cutting down the men in black who were rushing in from all directions.

Just to survive.

‘They’re looking for a way out.’

They were just hoping that someone would sacrifice their body to break through a path.

‘Well, who would want to die?’

Even Cheon Yusin himself was constantly looking for a way out.

The only one who was not looking for a way out and was fighting the enemies was Namgung Muhyeok.

“Hoo— hoo—!”

Between his hot breaths, he could taste the thick blood.

‘Was the internal injury deep?’

The internal injury caused by the blast wave was more severe than he had thought.

The blood flowing from the injured organs kept coming up his throat.

“Are you the Golden Dragon Divine Sword?”

Namgung Muhyeok lowered his sword and turned his head in the direction where the voice was heard.

There stood a man holding a spear.

From the moment he faced the man, Namgung Muhyeok could feel it with his skin first.

‘He’s a master.’

Following the endlessly rushing men of the heretic path, now even masters comparable to him had appeared.

Namgung Muhyeok spat out the blood that had collected in his mouth and smiled faintly.

“I am the family head of the Namgung Clan, Namgung Muhyeok.”

The man with the spear aimed the tip of his spear forward and said.

“Masok.”

(End of Chapter)