Swordless Demonic Path

Chapter 225 : Boat Song

A late night.

At a time when the moon was floating in the sky and countless stars filled the whole world, one person moved slowly.

He, holding a bottle of alcohol, boarded a cruise ship docked at the pier.

On the cruise ship, a table with alcohol was set, and two people were already sitting, drinking and looking at the sky.

It was Seo Mun-ryeon and Jo Geom-ok.

Jin Sa-wol came up on the ship, sat in an empty seat, and put down the alcohol bottle. Seo Mun-ryeon, as if by instinct, poured alcohol into a cup and said.

"I think the alcohol here tastes better than the alcohol I used to drink in the Demonic Cult."

At her words, Jo Geom-ok and Jin Sa-wol drank silently. Seo Mun-ryeon asked as if she were curious.

"When do you plan to start moving the gold?"

"When the Martial Alliance leaves."

"In two days."

At Jin Sa-wol's answer, Seo Mun-ryeon thought of the Hao Faction's council of elders. When Son Muk entered Guguang Fortress, the remaining warriors at the inn would naturally all follow.

When Son Muk returned to the alliance, Namgung Ji also had to follow along.

"Cross Poyang Lake by boat, and then by carriage?"

"People are faster than carriages. I'm currently looking for a suitable place to hide the boats."

Jin Sa-wol thought of Jo-rim. She was crossing Poyang Lake and heading south.

It was to secure a place to hide the boats and a hideout to use as a warehouse. Since it was a considerable distance to Guryeon Mountain, they needed time to prepare.

Seo Mun-ryeon asked with a curious face.

"Where is the place?"

"It's a secret."

"A secret even to me... I'm disappointed."

"Come visit Guryeon Mountain when you have time."

At Jin Sa-wol's words, Seo Mun-ryeon drank her alcohol with a sigh.

If it were up to her, she would want to go to Guryeon Mountain with Jin Sa-wol, but she couldn't because of the Hao Faction.

*Thump-thump!* The sound of hurried footsteps was heard, and then Namgung Ji came up on the cruise ship.

"Did you have a drinking party here without me? Are you treating me like a stranger now that you're leaving?"

"Come on in. Sit down."

At Jo Geom-ok's words, Namgung Ji sat next to Jo Geom-ok and drank. She asked Jin Sa-wol as if she had thought of something.

"By the way, where are General Manager Bi and Sister Jo?"

"They went south for a while on business."

"What kind of business?"

"Family matters."

Hearing Jin Sa-wol's answer, Namgung Ji did not ask any more about the whereabouts of the two.

"They'll come before I leave for the Martial Alliance, right?"

"They will."

Jin Sa-wol answered and then drank.

***

In a basin near Nobong Mountain, located in the center of the Guryeon Mountain Range in the northwest of Jangju Fortress, several buildings were lined up.

It looked like a manor boasting a considerable scale, but now it was a place where people's footsteps had almost ceased.

It didn't mean there were no people, but that the number of people living there was small compared to its size.

In the past, the Blood Killing Faction was there, but after most of them had left, only about fifty had returned.

They and the nearby ronin had gathered, and now about a hundred martial artists were gathered.

The one leading them was a person named So Pal.

He, with a burly physique and wielding a large broadsword, was a man who overwhelmed everyone with his strength.

He called himself the Giant Mountain Hegemon Sword and commanded his subordinates.

He hung his name as a signboard. So now it was called the So Pal Faction, and he was sitting in the position of the faction master.

The place he sat was a seven-story giant pavilion that was once called the Blood Killing Pavilion.

On the grand master's chair placed in the main hall on the first floor, So Pal, who had a face as big as a tiger's, was visible. He had a face full of worries.

"Haa..."

He didn't have to worry about what to eat right now, but the problem was from next year. The granary was showing its bottom, and since the Ghost Hand Valley had taken most of the many treasures, there was almost nothing left.

He had to feed about a hundred subordinates, but even if he wanted to plunder, most of the villages nearby were empty.

"Faction Master! We're in big trouble!"

*Rumble!*

With an urgent shout, three men rushed into the main hall.

"What is it?"

"The bastards from the White Sword Sect have invaded up to the foot of the mountain!"

"Ha! They're puppies who don't know how scary a tiger is. I'll go out right now!"

So Pal, who had let out a loud shout, slung the large broadsword over his shoulder and went outside.

As So Pal went out, a man in black appeared like a ghost in the empty main hall.

He stepped out of the shadow of a pillar, looked around the main hall, and then nodded.

"The condition is fine."

He was Bi-sun, who had come down from the inn.

Bi-sun thought that this place called the So Pal Faction was not bad.

High peaks called Nobong Mountain and Nogunbong, along with their friends, surrounded the basin like a folding screen. It was an area where entry and exit were not easy because it was blocked by high mountains on all sides.

The size of the basin was also considerable, seeming to be two or three li in all directions. A river also flowed, and there was a small pond.

If there was one thing he didn't like, it was the people living here.

Bi-sun left the main hall, flew up to the roof with a *whoosh*, and then chased after the bandits who were going outside.

***

Thirty members of the White Sword Sect were standing on a wide plain near the valley leading to Nobong Mountain.

They, wearing white martial arts uniforms with the words 'White Sword' written on the left chest, were all standing with a spirited appearance.

At their feet, about ten bandits of the So Pal Faction were dead.

Im Gwon, the grand master of the White Sword Sect's Iron Horse Squad and the Falling Moon Swordsman, was a person in his late thirties.

Although he had an average height and a normal physique, he was a considerable master, enough to be the grand master of the White Sword Sect.

He had fought with the Blood Killing Faction several times and was a survivor.

Recently, he had heard a rumor that the Blood Killing Faction had scattered, and he had come with his members to find out whether the rumor was true or not.

"They said there were many masters in the Blood Killing Faction, but it was all a lie. I'm greatly disappointed that they're worse than pig bastards."

"It's because the grand master's martial arts are so high that they all look like pig bastards."

"Don't flatter me. You all know well that they're worse than pigs, don't you? They say they all died after being beaten by the Martial Alliance while attacking the Gangnam Grand Inn, and it seems to be true. At this opportunity, we must avenge our comrades who were killed by the Blood Killing Faction. Kill them all."

"Yes!"

At Im Gwon's words, the members all answered at once. Immediately after, with a war cry, dozens of So Pal Faction members came running down from the mountain.

"Kill all the caterpillars of the White Sword Sect! Let's avenge our dead comrades!"

"Waaaaah!"

"Die! You dog bastards!"

As the So Pal Faction members rushed in, Im Gwon raised two fingers. Then, the members of the Iron Horse Squad formed a defensive formation and stood.

Since they were well-trained, it took only a moment to form the defensive formation. Immediately after, the personnel at the back rushed forward, and it became a crescent shape.

"Charge!"

"Waaaaah!"

The Iron Horse Squad of the White Sword Sect, which had gathered in a crescent shape, rushed towards the So Pal Faction members.

A short while later, the two groups were entangled.

*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*

"Kraaak!"

"Aaargh!"

As blood splattered and flesh burst, screams echoed in all directions like an echo.

The crescent formation created by the Iron Horse Squad was one that allowed for both defense and attack at the same time, and the So Pal Faction members, whose martial arts level was not high, fell helplessly.

"Uwaaaak!"

Bi-sun, who was standing on a tree not far away and watching the fight between the two groups, frowned.

'It's one-sided.'

Although the White Sword Sect was short on personnel, they were killing the So Pal Faction members with their superior skills.

No, it should be said that they were tearing them apart.

The Iron Horse Squad of the White Sword Sect was not like martial artists, but like soldiers, forming a three-man cell.

It was a form where two defended and one attacked.

Three formed a cell, and ten cells gathered to form a crescent-shaped formation. They carried out attack and defense in an orderly manner.

'I heard the White Sword Sect had a hard time with the Blood Killing Faction, so how can this be?'

Looking at the movements of the Iron Horse Squad, it seemed the Blood Killing Faction could never win. But in the past, the Blood Killing Faction had not only pressured this area but also the White Sword Sect, and had even pushed back the Hainan Sect and the Hengshan Sect.

"They must have pushed with numbers."

Besides that, nothing else came to mind.

No matter how great a master was, if countless personnel continuously pushed, they had to give up their lives.

The reason the orthodox martial world had created the Martial Alliance was also to overwhelm the Demonic Cult and the evil sects with numbers.

The Demonic Cult was also a place where numerous foreign forces were gathered.

It was the same for the Beggars' Sect and the Hao Faction.

Bi-sun organized various thoughts in his head and watched the fight between the White Sword Sect and the So Pal Faction members.

At first, the White Sword Sect had pushed the So Pal Faction members, but because there was a three-fold difference in personnel, the fight continued for longer than expected.

"Uwaaaap!"

As So Pal swung his large broadsword and rushed towards the Iron Horse Squad, the remaining subordinates also attacked the Iron Horse Squad with a fierce war cry.

"Kraaak!"

"You dog bastards!"

"Die! Die! Kraaak!"

The messy fight, with blood splattering and limbs being cut off, continued. But it seemed that would also end soon.

The sword of Im Gwon, the master of the Iron Horse Squad, was deeply embedded in So Pal's heart. So Pal's eyes widened.

"Ugh!"

"You're just big, but your movements are slower than a turtle's!"

Im Gwon, who had shouted loudly, pulled out his sword and then stabbed the forehead of the retreating So Pal.

With a *thwack!* sound, the sword of Im Gwon, which had pierced his forehead, was stained with red blood.

The remaining subordinates of the So Pal Faction, who had seen that, were startled and retreated.

"Faction Master!"

"Uwaaaah! The faction master is dead!"

"Fuck! Run away!"

The subordinates of So Pal hurriedly turned their bodies and ran into the forest.

"Hurry up and chase them! Chase them and kill them all! Not a single one should be left alive!"

At Im Gwon's shout, his members quickly chased after the enemies.

Im Gwon, after stepping on the dead So Pal, headed for the main headquarters of the Blood Killing Faction.

***

*Thump!*

Im Gwon, who had vigorously opened the door of the Blood Killing Pavilion and had entered, nodded his head as he saw the wide main hall.

The ceiling was high, and a dragon and a phoenix were floating above.

The grand master's chair placed at the end of the main hall was wide, so it seemed he could even lie down.

"It's fine."

Im Gwon, with a satisfied face, crossed the main hall and sat on the grand master's chair.

"I can set up a branch here. I should suggest it to the sect master and make it the Guangdong branch."

If he informed the sect that the Blood Killing Faction had all disappeared, the sect master would surely be pleased.

On top of that, there were no particular sects or troublesome evil sects around here.

"It's an ownerless mountain. Hahahaha!"

Im Gwon laughed loudly, feeling as if he were the owner of this house.

Im Gwon stood up from his seat and approached the tea table placed to the right of the grand master's chair. He was thirsty, so he poured tea into a teacup and drank.

"Why are these guys so late?"

Im Gwon frowned at the lack of news from his subordinates who had gone out to scout the surroundings.

He suddenly felt a fishy aftertaste from the tea.

"Is it old?"

Im Gwon, who was smacking his lips while holding the teapot, saw a man in black who had fallen from the ceiling with a *thud!* and drew his sword with a hardened expression.

"Who are you?"

"I put poison in the tea, and you drank it."

The man in black was Bi-sun.

"What kind of nonsense is that...?"

Im Gwon tried to circulate his qi, but he felt a pain in his heart and his eyes widened. Immediately after, his stomach started to hurt, and he felt the strength draining from his legs.

As a blue bruise appeared on his neck and pain surged, he finally realized for sure that he had been poisoned.

Bi-sun showed a smile to Im Gwon and said again.

"Anyone who comes here wants to sit on the grand master's chair at least once. As you sit in the chair, you will naturally want to drink tea. So I put poison in the teapot. I had a feeling of 'what if'. I thought you would leave without drinking, but I'm relieved that you drank it."

"You... you bastard... what are you..."

(End of Chapter)