Chapter 239: Half Time (1)

-Wonhwi, it's your father-in-law!

The person who threw the iron ball was none other than Sima Chak, the Wicked Moon Sword.

I didn't know that he, someone who was hard to find, would be here. Not to mention that he was here at the perfect time to help me.

I almost exposed my identity but managed to barely avoid it.

Sima Chak glanced at me and clicked his tongue.

"Tsk tsk. When I said you wouldn't go around getting beaten up, I didn't think I was being overconfident."

"... I apologize."

It was a bit embarrassing.

I hadn't confronted just anyone but one of the Five Great Evils of Murim. I almost made Sima Young a widow before the wedding.

Cheol Su-ryun.

She was a powerful person who lived up to her name. The problem wasn't even just her skills.

She also used a bizarre kind of sorcery and when to use it, making her a difficult opponent.

-But your father-in-law seems to be making her cautious?

It was just as Short Sword said,

She was clearly wary of him. Moreover, her staff was aimed at Sima Chak since the man appeared and had not moved it at all.

She frowned and said,

"Father-in-law to the Blood Demon?"

"That's right. He is my son-in-law."

She truly didn't seem to understand.

"... a lie. It has to do something with that man."

"What is this now?"

It definitely seemed that my father-in-law had just coincidentally arrived here. He didn't seem to understand what she was saying.

She was saying things about me betraying my master. Did she only know that I possessed the same healing ability and thought that I was affiliated with the golden-eyed man?

"Cheol Su-ryun. I have nothing to do with him. I have never even...."

Pat!

It was then.

Before I could finish, she rushed toward me. The speed was enough to make me dizzy.

I ended up retreating hastily.

"How dare you!"

Cheol Su-ryun rushed in front of me like a shadow.

The Shape Shift Illusion.

Before I realized it, she was trying to block my path of retreat, but then something flew toward where she stood.

Swish!

Sima Chak shot two more iron balls at her.

They had been aimed to pierce her heart and head as she attempted to attack me from the back. At that moment, the woman's form became thicker and then disappeared.

Before I realized it, she appeared two steps in front of me.

-So swift!

I know.

She was clearly beyond my stage of strength. When she waved her cane again, both my legs began digging into the ground.

'It looks quite funny!'

"Huh!"

Puak!

I slashed the ground with the Blood Demon Sword and cracked it open, causing it to explode like a wave breaking on land.

Kukukukuku!

It was the 7th form of the Blood Demon Sword technique. She raised her cane like a sword in the air, a red qi around it.

"Huh! You bastard!"

She was truly a monster to block such an attack.

The ground around me was destroyed as the waveforms spread. Only the part where she stood remained intact.

Shhh!

Cheol Su-ryun appeared right in front of me. Her hand and its long claws dug into my neck. I tried to avoid it using my father's technique, but she suddenly stopped and pulled her hand back.

Chak!

Had she been a little later, her hand would have been cut off by Sima Chak.

"Father-in-law!

"She isn't someone you can deal with."

Chak!

Sima Chak pushed me on the chest. Due to his immense internal qi, I was pushed back a significant amount.

At the same time, he turned the path of his sword to her forehead, forcing her to block using her cane.

Chaaang!

At the point where the sword and cane collided, the air shook as shockwaves formed.

It was a sight that made even the ground tremble.

Paaaaang!

"Kuak!"

I help up Blood Demon Sword blade first to use it as a shield to block the incoming shockwaves. I managed to stop it by using up to my 10th level of internal qi, but I was still pushed back.

Crrrrr!

It wasn't just a few steps, either. In the aftermath of their clash, the power of the two warriors crushed the ground as if it was tofu.

'Ha!'

This was the true strength of those who crossed the wall beyond the wall.

The aftermath of their full-strength collision was a pit with a more than ten-meter radius. Looking at this, I realized that Sima Chak didn't even give his all when he fought me.

-Wow, they are such monsters.

Short Sword clicked her tongue.

I was shocked as well. Their internal qi was twice as much as mine. It made me realize again just how powerful those at the peak of Murim were.

'The wall beyond the wall....'

I didn't think it would be like this.

Cheol Su-ryun and Sima Chak confronted each other multiple times. The woman then opened her mouth with a frown.

"... Wicked Moon Sword!"

Without looking in front of her, she could grasp who her opponent was with just one clash.

Sima Chak spoke with an expressionless face.

"Long time no see, oldie."

"Your internal qi has definitely improved since then."

Uh?

Were they familiar with each other?

Anyone who heard their conversation would conclude that they've met before. The conversation continued, but Sima Chak simply pushed her without hesitation.

Chang!

She immediately blocked it and even tried to counter it.

It wasn't a complicated technique, but its simplicity seemed to incorporate everything into it.

Paaang!

Sima Chak also blocked that blow. His defensive stance prevented anything from touching him.

He wanted to move from the defensive, but as soon as Cheol Su-ryun removed her hand from the and launched her palm, it was as if all defenses had become irrelevant.

Wooong!

To see such a high level of skill being used right in front of me during a life-or-death duel.

It was truly amazing.

It was hard to even take his eyes off this sight.

Chang! Chang! Chang!

The two, who had been clashing on the ground, now did the same in the air.

Wheeing!

The wind around them was moving in a spiral as they clashed. For some warriors, just even doing this would be difficult.

'Now is my chance.'

I wanted to see more of this fight, but I realized I needed to use this chance to get Ah Song out. Looking at how the fight was going so far, it seemed my father-in-law could not easily win. I needed to hurry and get Ah Song...

Pat!

When I approached Ah Song, I saw that he was still clutching his head in pain, but the swollen veins had fortunately subsided. Perhaps Cheol Su-ryun could not maintain her sorcery while fighting with Sima Chak.

As I approached, he tried to push back despite being in pain.

"Ah, I am sorry. Be patient."

Crack!

I dislocated both of his limbs and bent him backward. It wasn't to the point where I broke his bones, but I knew that any movement would normally cause pain to him. However, I was mistaken.

Ah Song could not feel any pain now. He even tried to move that damaged body to get away from me.

"Stay still!"

Chak!

I used my internal qi and cut off the thread that had sewn his eyes together. As soon as I cut it, his closed eyes opened.

'...!?'

What was this?

The moment I saw his eyes, I was speechless.

-What is that? They look like corpse eyes.

Just like Short Sword said, his eyes were dilated as if they were the eyes of a dead person. His vision could seem to never focus. At first glance, it seemed like a hypnosis technique, but it felt different.

'... his meridians are working, so why does it look like he is slumbering?'

Just what was that woman doing to these people?

Well, it would be hard to tell unless I looked closer.

'Let us move for now.'

I escaped from there by tying up Ah Song's whole body using silver string.

I needed to move him to a remote location away from people. I then covered his mouth with a cloth and hid him out of sight.

Now I needed to help my father-in-law.

No matter how strong he was alone, would that woman be able to hold on if I joined him? Even if all I did was stand around as they fought, it should be enough to serve as a distraction.

Channg! Paaang!

As I returned to where they were dueling, a sharp wind blew past me. The force of this wind flowed out without pushing me back.

It was a banquet of blows that made me realize just how much I lacked.

-Wonhwi. But isn't it strange?

'Uh?'

-Look at that old woman's face.

Amazed at their hand-to-hand combat, I shifted my sight to the woman's face and...

'..!?'

What was that?

If I wasn't seeing things, the woman now looked more like an old woman instead of a middle-aged woman. Her wrinkles had increased, and her hair was gray.

It was as if she was aging rapidly, and I couldn't guess why.

-Isn't she at an age where she could die at any moment?

I was thinking so as well.

Judging from her expression, she seemed more relaxed than before. However, looking at her condition, I thought this was a good chance.

Pat!

I kicked up into the air and slashed Blood Demon Sword right in the center of their fight.

The moment I appeared in the middle of their clash, both of them noticed my presence. There was an incredibly sensitive feeling.

Sima Chak's frown seemed to be asking me what I was doing. At that moment, I managed to come up with a good idea.

'Let's do something like this.'

I breathed a deep breath, concentrated all the qi into my throat, and exhaled everything.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

A warrior who had reached beyond the level of humans could roar and cause internal wounds and rupture ears. What would happen if I had also crossed the wall beyond the wall like them?

"Acckkkk!"

The old lady who had been fighting with Sima Chak had to cover her ears at this scream. It worked!

If my prediction was correct, then this blind woman had focused her senses on her hearing. Therefore, she wouldn't hear this roar normally.

"ACKKKK! This brat!"

Cheol Su-ryun swung her cane in my direction. The space trembled as dozens of enhanced qi shots flew at me at the same time.

Chachachahcak!

'Thousandfold Weight!'

I had expected her to attack me, so I changed the weight of my body using my qi. I continued to roar even as I fell.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!'

"Ack! T-this brat!"

She was so incensed and looked like she wanted to rip me to shreds. At that moment, however...

Sima Chak didn't miss his chance and released his sword. The sound of the slash was mixed with my roar, and his sword would need to be closer to her before she would notice.

Yet, just as the sword was about to touch her, she tilted her body.

'Ah!'

So she wasn't just sensing it by sound. Sword qi typically created a wave of air.

She sensed that and avoided the blow.

But...

Chak!

"Ack!"

It did not matter if she noticed it. It was the Wicked Moon Sword's slash and was impossible to completely avoid.

Cheol Su-ryun's arm was cut off.

Not missing this chance, Sima Chak changed his sword path and stabbed her sword right at the center of her chest. This forced the old woman to defend herself, but Sima Chak refused to let up.

He moved like an eagle.

It was then.

Tak!

Cheol Su-ryun turned around and threw away the corpse-like pale child that was with her with all her might.

It was as if she wanted the child to survive.

Did she not want a dead child to be hurt?

Puak!

Sima Chak pierced his sword into her chest, using the gap created when she threw the child.

It pierced right through her heart, making her body tremble. Sima Chak then said,

"You've lived for nearly 200 years now. Just die, oldie."

Two hundred years?

Were the rumors true, then?

I thought this was just another exaggerated rumor, but she really lived that long?

"Cough!"

Black blood flowed from her mouth. Her face was much older now, appearing to belong to someone in their 80s or 90s.

It seemed like she was about to collapse, but she continued to hold onto the blade and said,

"This is not the end...."

Chak!

At that moment, Sima Chak's blade turned and moved inside her body. There was no mercy there, and her body was split open in an instant.

"Go to the underworld instead of talking nonsense."

Shhh!

Sima Chak brushed the blood from his sword with two fingers and then placed it back in his sheath. The brutality was to the point where I was glad to be on his side.

Since there was no resentment when dealing with the enemy, there was no regret.

'Haaa....'

I saw things that I wouldn't have been able to see even if I paid a lump sum.

Two absolute warriors in the top five of Murim fought for dominance today, and one died.

"Hmmm...."

Sima Chak just looked silently at her corpse. Was he considering the merit of winning with my help?

I was feeling regretful as well.

I needed to find out the lord's secret as well as what she did to Ah Song using her skills. I didn't think she would die at Sima Chak's hand like this.

Still, thanks to that, I managed to avoid trouble. I needed to thank him.

"Father-in-law, thanks to...'

He then raised his hand to stop me from talking, shocking me, and said,

"Stop with the greetings. Do you not have anything to say to me?"

"Uh?"

Why was he suddenly asking me this?

"Is there anything I should tell my father-in-law?"

He took a deep breath at my question and spoke coldly.

"On my way here, I stopped by the guest house you were staying in."

'...!!'

My heart stopped for a beat.