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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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“The Crimson Bamboo Hero!”
“One of the Ten Prodigies has appeared!”
The people desperate to get close to Ho Cheon-an and Black Cat instantly retreated.
Everyone knew the reputation of Yeo Il-ye, who was currently shaking the entire Sacheon martial world, and they also knew that Yeo Il-ye extremely disliked outcasts.
Watching a fight between masters may be the most exciting spectacle in the world, but no one wanted to lose their life to a blind sword.
“[Those who use evil sorcery should have their hands broken, and it still wouldn’t be enough.]”
-Benefactor, please avoid this place for now.
The Six Harmonies Divine Voice was a technique that resonated with internal energy to produce sound.
There was no need to actually move the mouth.
However, Yeo Il-ye was mouthing the words appropriately to disguise the fact that she was sending a Sound Transmission.
“[That should be the case, but I cannot shed blood in front of the Hwang Gold Clan, an old friend of the Jeomchang Sect, so step back.]”
-This Yeo Mo does not know what you are aiming for, but it seems you have already achieved sufficient results, so it would be best to plan for the future.
Ho Cheon-an thought,
‘She really thinks of me as a true benefactor.’
Ho Cheon-an knew that Yeo Il-ye’s parents had lost their lives at the hands of outcasts.
However, if asked whether he knew Yeo Il-ye’s circumstances well beyond that, he didn’t.
To Ho Cheon-an, the current Yeo Il-ye was an unfathomable existence.
‘Tsk, I think some unknown trigger occurred because I just threw enlightenment at her and ran away…’
As a Sacheon outcast, giving Yeo Il-ye enlightenment and running away.
It was an unknown action that even Ho Cheon-an, who had played Murim Cheonha for over 10 years and seen the endings over a thousand times, had never experienced.
‘It wouldn’t be bad to get close to her…’
Yeo Il-ye herself was a bundle of variables that old-timers disliked so much.
However, such variables were very much needed for Ho Cheon-an.
The accumulated knowledge and know-how of 10 years were of no help in erasing the characteristic of Mixed Blood.
The unknown situations led by new variables would guide Ho Cheon-an to a new path beyond the Murim Cheonha he had experienced.
And somewhere beyond that, there would be information about Mixed Blood and a solution.
‘It’s not like there are no scenarios involving Yeo Il-ye, but she’s not a significant character in the first place.’
Although characters with Yeo Il-ye’s martial prowess are uncommon, that’s only after she breaks through her limits by gaining enlightenment.
Yeo Il-ye was a peak martial artist burning with anger, so it was difficult for her to be involved in major storylines.
‘Even when she became a transcendent, she didn’t appear in any major stories, so it should be fine.’
However, there was one thing Ho Cheon-an overlooked.
If Yeo Il-ye, the leader of the [Ten Prodigies], didn’t gain much significance in any of the stories Ho Cheon-an had experienced so far, the probability of her playing an important role in stories he hadn’t experienced was very high.
Of course, Ho Cheon-an was just an old-timer, not a god, so expecting him to predict all such aspects might be asking too much.
Ho Cheon-an was also human and had encountered unexpected situations countless times.
Like the chemical reaction that was about to occur between Black Cat and Yeo Il-ye right now.
The moment when Ho Cheon-an finished his thoughts and nodded to wrap things up,
Black Cat stepped forward.
“Who are you to order us around?”
“…What?”
Yeo Il-ye’s aura instantly skyrocketed.
It was such a vicious aura that the surrounding crowds screamed and stepped back.
However, Black Cat seemed unfazed and rudely put her hands on her hips.
“Who are you to order outcasts around, Miss Crimson Bamboo Hero?”
Black Cat looked at Yeo Il-ye and the Hwang Gold Clan behind her.
‘In the end, are you gradually approaching the true identity of your enemy?’
The fact that Yeo Il-ye had visited the Hwang Gold Clan made Black Cat ponder various things.
Also, Yeo Il-ye was now actively stepping forward to protect Ho Cheon-an.
‘I’m sorry, but you and Senior Ho shouldn’t leave any connections.’
Black Cat didn’t know who had burned down the Yeo-ga Mountain Villa.
Still, she could roughly deduce the culprits in her mind based on circumstantial evidence and suspicions.
Even if only half of them were correct, a bloody storm would blow through Sacheon, involving Yeo Il-ye and those around her.
But in such a public place, the Crimson Bamboo Hero shows mercy and drives away the outcasts?
Who are Yeo Il-ye’s [enemies]?
Aren’t they the people who massacred and burned an entire mountain villa
Would those enemies spare any means to stop her when Yeo Il-ye starts her revenge?
The more Yeo Il-ye lingered around Ho Cheon-an and showed goodwill, the more Ho Cheon-an would be exposed to the threats of the targets of revenge.
‘We need to clash.’
That way, the fact that Yeo Il-ye had treated Ho Cheon-an with goodwill could be concealed.
If Yeo Il-ye had simply let the outcasts go, it would have been strange and suspicious, but it would have been natural if she clashed with the outcasts.
Also, Yeo Il-ye’s skills needed to be gauged.
How far had Yeo Il-ye risen after gaining enlightenment from Ho Cheon-an?
Had her power reached a level where she could avenge her enemies?
The more balanced Yeo Il-ye’s power became with that of her targets of revenge, the fiercer the bloody storm blowing through Sacheon would be.
If she could understand Yeo Il-ye’s skills, she could estimate the impact of Yeo Il-ye’s actions to some extent.
Skill confirmation was essential.
Black Cat wasn’t confident enough in her martial arts to defeat Yeo Il-ye.
Still, currently, Yeo Il-ye was a swordsman without a sword.
With this much, she should be able to see the bottom, right?
“Hey, hey!”
“Senior, please stay still for a bit.”
“Senior?”
Yeo Il-ye’s eyebrows twitched.
A female outcast wrapped in bizarre internal energy.
To penetrate that internal energy, Yeo Il-ye enhanced her vision.
‘Beautiful.’
Only then did the Qi technique enveloping her body reveal Black Cat’s appearance.
Even as a fellow woman, she had to admit it was a figure that elicited admiration.
Still, apart from that figure, she was a very suspicious woman.
The fact that even the vision of a transcendent master couldn’t peek inside that black hat was proof that she was using martial arts that only those immersed in darkness would learn.
Thief.
Assassin.
Intelligence.
Yeo Il-ye, who had hated Sacheon outcasts more than anyone else, knew Sacheon outcasts well.
The black hats Sacheon outcasts wore were not used to prevent personal information from being leaked.
It was to conceal individual characteristics that would be disadvantageous when carrying out external tasks.
If it was revealed that Yeo Jin-sang of the Whale Sword was a first-rate warrior, but he was defeated by a second-rate warrior in the Gyeongsu Market?
How would the people of Sacheon, who were already sensitive to manipulation incidents, receive this fact?
It was to prevent such situations that they wore black hats.
It wasn’t that they were terrified of their names and identities being exposed.
But an outcast who wore a black hat and used a Qi technique to conceal her body and face…
That much could not be accepted.
‘Strong.’
Sacheon outcasts were active as outcasts in Sacheon for money and advancement in their realm.
According to Yeo Il-ye’s estimation, the female outcast in front of her was at least in the late peak stage or early transcendent stage.
A martial artist of that level couldn’t advance their realm through outcast activities, and even if they weren’t a Sacheon outcast, they could freely engage in any money-making activities.
There was no reason for someone who had no need to be a Sacheon outcast to be one, which was highly suspicious.
‘Is she someone related to the benefactor?’
While looking at Ho Cheon-an, who was gesturing at Black Cat to back off, Yeo Il-ye was inwardly filled with questions.
‘Although she calls the benefactor senior, her attitude is arrogant.’
She should have followed her senior’s instructions if she was a junior.
Still, Black Cat ignored Ho Cheon-an’s intention and provoked Yeo Il-ye.
Yeo Il-ye operated her internal energy, thinking she should slap Black Cat once to make her back off.
Swish-!
Yeo Il-ye compressed three steps and thrust her hand in the time it took for the tense crowd to blink once.
Hand Sword.
It was simply holding the hand upright, but when a martial artist’s mental image, the transcendent realm, and internal energy combined, the hand that was blunt beyond comparison became as sharp as a sword.
One Step Three Swords.
The One Step Three Swords that Gang Jun had flaunted as his nickname unfolded through Yeo Il-ye’s hand.
Although she compressed three steps instantly, Yeo Il-ye’s hand divided even that instant into three.
Pa-pa-pak!
“Hoh.”
If it were Ho Cheon-an, he would have been stabbed three times and died, but that One Step Three Swords was lightly blocked by Black Cat’s footwork.
Yeo Il-ye looked at the palm shadows being swallowed by the Black Shadow Qi technique operated by Black Cat and thought she had quite some skill.
The essence of palm techniques is to release internal energy through the palm and dominate that space.
Palm techniques, which are not as solid as fist techniques, as compressed as lightness techniques, or as destructive as claw techniques, have survived until now because the palm can spread internal energy into space more freely than any other body part.
Therefore, the level of palm techniques was determined by how many palm shadows one could spread and how efficiently and quickly.
In that sense, the palm technique operated by Black Cat was genuinely cunning.
‘Is it deceptive?’
Instead of meticulously erecting palm shadows, it appeared as if holes were punctured.
Still, Yeo Il-ye, who witnessed some palm shadows being concealed by the Black Shadow Qi technique, couldn’t be sure if those holes were genuinely empty.
‘As expected, you’re not an outcast.’
If she were someone who knew the Jeomchang Sect, she wouldn’t have responded in such a slack manner.
Yeo Il-ye was one of the [Ten Prodigies].
An arrow that had been shot never stops or retreats.
It only crushes the enemy by burning its body.
A shoddy palm barrier can’t even catch the ankle of the Ten Prodigies.
A vortex of Qi that couldn’t be thought of as simply a blade formed by gathered fingers erupted from Yeo Il-ye’s fingertips.
The storm-like momentum that swept away everything instantly pierced through Black Cat as if the true and false nature of the palm shadows didn’t matter.
‘Let’s tear that veil and see your face.’
Black Cat’s hand raced, and several overlapping palm shadows blocked Yeo Il-ye’s hand sword, but they were all insufficient.
The attack of Yeo Il-ye, a master of the Jeomchang Sect, renowned for having the world’s sharpest body and sword techniques, flew toward Black Cat’s face.
And it was deflected.
Sting.
Feeling the pain rising from her Qi-wrapped hand, Yeo Il-ye looked at her own hand.
Looking at the area where she felt pain from the palm strike, only that part had sunk in by about half a finger joint.
Lightness Technique.
On Black Cat’s upright index finger, very thick Qi was flowing.
The faintly shimmering Qi was the pre-stage of Hard Qi, the symbol of the transcendent realm.
‘Did I think wrong?’
Black Cat inwardly broke out in a cold sweat as she raised her index finger.
The location was in front of the Hwang Gold Clan, and Yeo Il-ye was in a state without even carrying a weapon.
Had Yeo Il-ye indeed gained enlightenment from Ho Cheon-an?
And if she had gained that enlightenment, how strong had she become?
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to satisfy her curiosity, so she had acted, but…
She was too strong, even if she was strong.
Is this the skill of someone who has just reached the transcendent realm?
Rumble.
A sound similar to thunder emanated from Yeo Il-ye’s body.
A phenomenon that occurred when the vast internal energy contained in Yeo Il-ye’s body spread into space at once.
That powerful vibration made the body tingle regardless of will.
‘How can someone who hasn’t taken a single medicinal pill have such internal energy…?’
Black Cat realized one thing for sure.
That the enlightenment Yeo Il-ye had gained was far greater than she had thought.
‘I might run out of money…’
Black Cat lowered her posture.
Her head was lower than the waist height of a normal posture.
It was a posture that seemed to stick to the ground and jump out at any moment.
Seeing that posture, Yeo Il-ye also pulled her hand sword up to her chest.
The opponent was someone who operated a unique Qi technique that blocked vision.
If she suddenly blocked the sight from such a low posture, it would create the illusion of disappearing.
‘I should have brought a sword.’
Yeo Il-ye clicked her tongue as she looked at her hand where the vortex of Qi was swirling.
The appearance of Hard Qi particles forming and not forming.
With a sword, she could draw out Hard Qi, but with a hand sword, her cultivation was still insufficient to draw out Hard Qi.
She could have suppressed her instantly if she could only use Hard Qi.
No matter how much internal energy she had, she couldn’t take advantage of the overwhelming gap if she couldn’t draw out Hard Qi.
In terms of endurance, Yeo Il-ye had the overwhelming upper hand.
Still, the offensive power of a single blow they could unleash was evenly matched.
There was a possibility of being instantly reversed by Black Cat’s bizarre technique, so Yeo Il-ye had no choice but to be on high alert.
Kwung! Kwang!
Black Cat and Yeo Il-ye clashed several times.
Yeo Il-ye, who charged forward while unleashing extreme speed body techniques and fast hand swords, and Black Cat dodged Yeo Il-ye’s charges with bizarre movements and fired ground wind and ground Qi.
Not only the gazes of ordinary people but even the elite warriors of the Hwang Gold Clan found it challenging to grasp the movements of the two.
“Huu…”
The one who retreated first when the ultra-fast confrontation continued was Black Cat.
Unlike Yeo Il-ye, who possessed vast internal energy, Black Cat only had a level of internal energy befitting her realm, so she had no choice but to retreat to catch her breath.
Yeo Il-ye was also calmly catching her breath and preparing her second strike.
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
“Excellent, truly excellent!”
What now?
Ho Cheon-an, who had been staring at their fierce battle with wide eyes, Black Cat, who had been catching her breath, and Yeo Il-ye, who had been preparing to thrust while pulling her hand, all thought that and turned their gazes toward the sound of applause.
There stood a man in the robes of the Tang Clan.
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What was the plan?