"What brings you all here?"
At Do Cheon-rin's question, Do Jong-mu, the leader of the Saber Extremes Squad, rose and said.
"First, we will take care of the riffraff around here!"
Swish! Paat!
They unleashed the Bloodflame Saber Technique, cutting down the charging members of the Black Flag Society.
Though they were a small squad of only fifteen, their saber technique was formidable.
In an instant, they cleared the forces within a ten-jang radius.
"Do you know how long we've searched for you since you left the main house, Great Young Lord?"
Do Jong-mu said, catching his breath.
After Do Cheon-rin had quietly left the Bloodflame Saber Hall, they too had wandered the Martial World, searching for him.
"Why."
"What do you mean, why? Are we not your men, Great Young Lord?"
Do Cheon-rin shook his head with a bitter expression.
"I am no longer the Young Sect Master."
"It does not matter."
Do Jong-mu said, continuously swinging his Bloodflame Saber.
"The one we pledged our loyalty to is you, Great Young Lord."
Do Cheon-rin gasped for breath.
He hadn't treated them particularly well or cared for them, other than training them.
Yet, the men of the Saber Extremes Squad had been searching for him to offer their loyalty to the very end.
"First, let's deal with these bastards."
"Yes!"
The sabermen of the Saber Extremes Squad were all warriors capable of fighting a hundred men, personally trained by Do Cheon-rin.
With the addition of just fifteen sabermen, the collapsed defense line was restored in a flash.
"Sabermen of the Bloodflame Saber Hall?"
Dam-ung, who had sharpened his vision, widened his eyes as he confirmed the dozen or so sabermen who had suddenly appeared from the side.
"The Ten Demonic Gates are interfering with the affairs of our society? That can't be."
Although not yet on par with the Martial Alliance or the Demon Palace, the Black Flag Society was an alliance of the Black Path.
If the Bloodflame Saber Hall, one of the Ten Demonic Gates, were to intervene in this battle, a large-scale war would truly break out.
"No, that's not it."
After watching for a while, Dam-ung, who had finally recognized Do Cheon-rin, laughed heartily.
"Isn't that the firstborn whelp who was kicked out of the Bloodflame Saber Hall?"
Clank.
Dam-ung halted the assault.
The battle briefly entered a lull.
Dam-ung approached Do Cheon-rin, who was fighting fiercely at the forefront of the Rogues Unit, soaked in blood.
"Scholar of Ten Perfections, Do Cheon-rin."
Dam-ung spoke, a smile playing on his lips.
"Why is someone who was kicked out of the Bloodflame Saber Hall here, clashing with our society?"
"Dam-ung."
Do Cheon-rin shouted at him in a solemn voice.
"If you withdraw your troops now, you might be able to preserve that dog-like life of yours."
"Hahahaha!"
Dam-ung laughed heartily.
"Of course, if Clan Head Do himself were to grace us with his presence, this Dam would have to flee so fast his feet would catch fire."
He smirked and said.
"But if someone who was kicked out of the Bloodflame Saber Hall steps forward, that's a different story."
Hearing the words 'kicked out,' Do Cheon-rin showed a slightly surprised expression.
In truth, he hadn't simply left on a journey through the Martial World.
He had a major falling out with the clan head, Do Mujeok, and left for the Martial World, nearly severing all ties with the Bloodflame Saber Hall.
But this fact was completely unknown to the outside world, so how could Dam-ung act as if he knew everything?
Then, Do Jong-mu pointed his large saber and said in a loud voice.
"Do you think you can survive unscathed after confronting a figure from the main house?"
"Huhu. It would be even better if the Bloodflame Saber Hall stepped in."
Dam-ung said leisurely.
"If the great Bloodflame Saber Hall were to jump in just to save a single Rogue Market, the result would be quite amusing."
Do Jong-mu fell silent.
Dam-ung's words were not wrong.
This fight was, from the start, a power struggle within the Rogue Market.
The one who had interfered without any justification was, in fact, Do Cheon-rin's side.
Moreover, the prestige of the Ten Demonic Gates was currently much diminished due to Bu Eunseol.
So if the Bloodflame Saber Hall were to make a move just to get involved in a Rogue Market power struggle?
They would only suffer great humiliation, and the Bloodflame Saber Hall would no longer be able to stand tall in the Martial World.
"We have nothing to do with the Bloodflame Saber Hall. We left after severing our ties!"
The flustered Do Jong-mu shouted, and Dam-ung smiled slyly.
"Whether you're from the Bloodflame Saber Hall or not, you are currently interfering in a power struggle in the Rogue Market."
Dam-ung said with a solemn expression.
"I'll give you a chance now, so withdraw from this fight."
"And if we refuse?"
"Well, you'll suffer a disgraceful death along with the rogues. Though you've severed ties, Clan Head Do will surely not be able to sleep well at night from the humiliation."
Do Jong-mu's expression changed in an instant.
Come to think of it, he couldn't understand why Do Cheon-rin was fighting to the death in this Silent Heaven, Empty Earth.
"Great Young Lord."
"You may leave."
Do Cheon-rin said to Do Jong-mu.
"I will protect this place."
His eyes held a firm resolve.
"Understood."
Do Jong-mu asked no more questions.
He had decided to follow Do Cheon-rin from the beginning, abandoning all status and position to leave the Bloodflame Saber Hall.
He could walk into hell with a smile on his face if that was the destination.
He shouted to his men in a thunderous voice.
"Saber Extremes Squad! All units, prepare to attack!"
Clank!
At Do Jong-mu's shout, the squad members simultaneously held their Bloodflame Sabers horizontally and raised them above their heads.
"Great Young Lord. They're about to throw away their lives in a misplaced sense of loyalty. Are you just going to stand by and watch?"
In that moment, a blood-red killing intent flowed from Do Cheon-rin's eyes.
"I may not be able to kill them all, but I can certainly cut you down."
"I'm sure you could."
Dam-ung smiled and raised his right hand.
"Then let's begin again. For real, this time."
Then, an unexpected situation occurred.
"Gah!"
"Ugh!"
The rogues on the final defensive line of Silent Heaven, Empty Earth suddenly turned and began attacking their own allies.
It turned out that the Black Flag Society had not only bribed Dam Yuyeon's adjutant, Gu-o, but also numerous other rogues.
If the situation had come to this, even if Do Cheon-rin and the Saber Extremes Squad were prepared to fight to the death.
There was absolutely no way they could win this battle.
"They weren't just after the wealth Silent Heaven, Empty Earth had accumulated."
Do Cheon-rin muttered as if he had realized something.
"Asking for her black ledger was just an excuse. They were after this land from the very beginning."
Only then could he understand the whole situation.
The Black Flag Society had gone to the trouble of having Dam-ung establish a Rogue Market and approach Dam Yuyeon, demanding marriage along with her black ledger.
It was partly because they coveted the vast fortune Silent Heaven, Empty Earth had amassed.
But they had also chosen this place as a new location to move the Black Flag Society's main base, which was located on the frontier.
Having united various factions of the Black Path, they needed to establish a foothold in the Central Plains to wield even greater power.
"You're quick-witted."
Dam-ung nodded his head.
"Silent Heaven, Empty Earth has the perfect conditions for our society to establish itself."
If the leader of the Black Flag Society were to take the land by force, it would be an invasion.
But if they invested funds for Dam-ung to set up a Rogue Market and then fought under the name of Punguji?
It would become a power struggle among rogues.
The Black Flag Society had long been bribing the rogues of Silent Heaven, Empty Earth with immense military and financial support for Dam-ung.
Their plan was to create a nearby Rogue Market to frame it as a conflict between Rogue Markets.
"Kugh!"
"Aargh!"
Meanwhile, the screams from the rear grew louder.
It seemed they were aiming for Dam Yuyeon, who was commanding the troops from the barracks.
"Lady Dam might be killed by their hands. You don't have time to argue with me."
At Dam-ung's shout, Do Cheon-rin spoke to Do Jong-mu.
"Defend this place!"
Paat!
He then immediately rushed toward the rear.
'Lady Dam!'
The barracks where Dam Yuyeon was located had already collapsed.
But fortunately, about a hundred rogues were surrounding Dam Yuyeon, fighting a fierce battle against the rogues co-opted by the Black Flag Society.
"Move aside!"
Leaping into the air in an instant, Do Cheon-rin unleashed the Vicious Dragon-Shattering Form.
Paa!
The rogues charging at Dam Yuyeon couldn't withstand the pressure and collapsed to the ground, vomiting blood in an instant.
Thud.
Descending from the air, Do Cheon-rin stood beside Dam Yuyeon.
"Young Master Do."
Do Cheon-rin, who had been glancing at Dam Yuyeon, raised his sword high and said.
"Let's fight together."
It was a moment of life and death, but a faint smile graced both their lips.
To die on the same day, at the same time, with the one you love.
Was that not the most blessed death for a martial artist?
Chaeng! Chwaak!
Do Cheon-rin and Dam Yuyeon stood back-to-back, madly cutting down the swarming enemies.
The Black Flag Society had not only bought off existing rogues with money but had also infiltrated their own men into Silent Heaven, Empty Earth under false identities.
The ones betraying them from the rear and attacking Dam Yuyeon now were rogues who had infiltrated Silent Heaven, Empty Earth long ago.
"Use the Demon-Destroying Ghost Formation!"
Not only did they possess excellent martial prowess, but they were also deploying a formation.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As the formation's power was unleashed, Do Cheon-rin and Dam Yuyeon struggled to hold their ground.
Battles in the Martial World are different from ordinary battles.
Formations like this could gather the power of martial artists, allowing them to display martial might beyond their limits.
It also created opportunities to take down strong masters who were difficult to face.
This was true not only for Do Cheon-rin but also for the members of the Saber Extremes Squad who were fighting Dam-ung on the battlefield.
Zing.
The surroundings had suddenly turned dark, and their senses were dulled.
Realizing he was trapped in a formation movement, Do Jong-mu shouted to his men.
"Use your senses to fight the enemy!"
Demonic martial arts, which centered on power, placed great importance on the human senses, unlike the Righteous Faction.
That was why the Ten Demonic Gates had unique secret methods to enhance senses, like Nangya Pavilion's Beast Path.
"Ugh."
But eventually, groans escaped from the mouths of the Saber Extremes Squad's sabermen.
As long as this many troops deployed a bizarre formation and relentlessly attacked, victory was impossible.
But they fought without fear of death.
The same was true for Do Cheon-rin and Dam Yuyeon.
"Hoo. Hoo."
The two were covered in a mixture of the blood of their fallen enemies and their own.
No matter how many enemies they cut down, the formation did not break.
If a weak point appeared, there were always enough people to fill it.
Therefore, the two fought relentlessly in the darkness without a moment's rest.
Swish!
Just then, a sharp blade pierced toward Dam Yuyeon's back.
But she was too busy dealing with the enemies in front of her to dodge it.
Chaeng!
Do Cheon-rin threw the demonic sword in his hand to deflect the blade.
Pah!
In that instant, a sharp saber energy dug deep into his side.
"You."
Dam Yuyeon, finally grasping the situation, let out a horrified gasp.
But Do Cheon-rin, on the contrary, looked at her with a gentle expression and asked.
"Are you hurt?"
Although he was the one who was deeply wounded, he was only concerned about Dam Yuyeon.
"It's only a matter of time. Don't ever do that again."
At Dam Yuyeon's words, Do Cheon-rin's expression darkened.
Death was already certain.
Even if he saved her for a moment, Dam Yuyeon would eventually die.
And... he, too, would eventually fall.
Shuuk!
Using object manipulation through the air to grab his sword again, Do Cheon-rin muttered softly.
"I don't know why I'm so untalented."
He looked around regretfully and lamented.
"He would have been able to break through this place alone."
He was talking about Bu Eunseol.
Bu Eunseol, who had long ago reached the Transcendent Primordial Attainment, would have been unfazed even if thousands of martial artists of this level swarmed him.
But Do Cheon-rin had not reached that state.
And he could not protect the woman he had come to love for the first time in his life.
"There's no need to compare."
Dam Yuyeon, guessing Do Cheon-rin's anguish, said calmly.
"You did your best, and you are strong enough."
"Are you trying to comfort me?"
"It's not comfort, it's the truth."
Do Cheon-rin shook his head with a bitter expression.
"True, he is strong, but he is so cold and lacks humanity. He had more than enough ability to help, but he didn't."
"The successor of the Demon Palace cannot rashly fight with other factions. Especially since the Black Flag Society is closely related to the government, and Shaanxi is a place where the Righteous Faction holds sway..."
Dam Yuyeon actually took Bu Eunseol's side.
"Without a just cause, it makes no sense for him to get involved in this fight."
Do Cheon-rin finally let out a sound of realization.
No matter how much Bu Eunseol ignored trivial information, it was impossible for him not to have received intelligence that the Black Flag Society was moving a large force to Silent Heaven, Empty Earth.
But even if he wanted to help, his status made it impossible for him to intervene in this fight.
"And I, not knowing that, resented him to death."
"Feeling resentful is feeling resentful. I felt the same."
At Dam Yuyeon's words, Do Cheon-rin smiled faintly and raised his internal energy.
"Then, I suppose we must prepare for the end."
A heat haze was rising from his entire body.
"Let's see the clear sky together, one last time."
Do Cheon-rin was about to draw upon his Original Essence Energy and unleash the greatest sword technique he could muster.
To break the deployed formation in one fell swoop and see the clear sky once more.
"There's no need for that."
Dam Yuyeon took Do Cheon-rin's hand with her left hand.
"Since your resolve to be together until the end is firm, let's depart for the netherworld together."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I've long suspected the Black Flag Society's dirty methods. The reason I held out was to give them a taste of their own medicine."
She smiled faintly.
"I have buried thirty thousand pounds of gunpowder around the main base. They may be able to take this place, but that entire division, including Dam-ung, will all be sent to hell."
Dam Yuyeon had sensed the Black Flag Society's ambitions long ago.
She had seen through their plan to open a Rogue Market and frame the conflict as a struggle between rogue factions to the very end.
Realizing she had no way to deal with them.
She had spent all her wealth to secretly plant gunpowder around Silent Heaven, Empty Earth to take them down with her.
She held on until the very end.
Her plan was to lure their forces to the vicinity of Silent Heaven, Empty Earth and blow them all up at once.
"Can you set it off now?"
Dam Yuyeon nodded and moved a rock from where the barracks had been.
A transparent string popped out from under it.
"Excellent."
Do Cheon-rin smiled and nodded.
"Let's meet again in the next life."
"Do Cheon-rin."
Dam Yuyeon suddenly mustered her courage and kissed Do Cheon-rin on the lips.
Then, she immediately tried to pull the string on the ground to set off the gunpowder.
But something strange happened.
Fwoosh!
The darkness that had dyed everything black disappeared, and suddenly, screams echoed from all directions.
"Ugh!"
"Kuaak!"
The desperate screams were not from the rogues of Silent Heaven, Empty Earth, but from the forces of the Black Flag Society.
"Who are they?"
Do Cheon-rin and Dam Yuyeon blinked their eyes.
A cavalry unit dressed in black had suddenly appeared at the rear of the Black Flag Society's forces.
They were all wearing armor that gleamed with a black luster, and with their black wind robes fluttering, they were crushing the Black Flag Society's troops.
Screeeech!
With the cry of a hawk.
Following the cavalry, black shadows displaying incredibly fast lightness skills began to pour out.
Swish! Swiiish!
Like hawks flying low, they swept across the battlefield, leaping and instantly taking down the forces of the Black Flag Society.
"Who the hell are those bastards!"
Dam-ung roared in fury.
He was on the verge of swallowing Silent Heaven, Empty Earth.
Where in the world did such forces suddenly appear from?
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Just then, the man leading the charge on horseback drew two daggers from his waist and leaped off his horse.
Swoooosh!
He became a streak of lightning and began to mercilessly cut down the forces of the Black Flag Society.
He moved with lightning-fast lightness skill and was cloaked in a black wind robe, making it look as if a black cloud was sweeping across the battlefield.
Drip.
Drip-drip.
Every time the daggers sliced through the air, martial artists fell like autumn leaves.
One of the rogues of Silent Heaven, Empty Earth who was watching the scene shouted.
—It's the Rogue King!
The Rogue King.
For several years, a young rogue active outside the Central Plains had been single-handedly completing missions that couldn't be handled alone.
He had been accumulating an incredible number of military achievements.
Not only that, but he was said to have saved countless common people and the lives of rogues who were dying helplessly.
As time passed, numerous rogues began to follow him voluntarily, and soon, he had formed a huge force.
The King of Rogues.
At some point, the rogues had started calling that young rogue the Rogue King.
Chwaaaak!
The black shadow flew like a streak of lightning toward Silent Heaven, Empty Earth, cutting down enemies.
Finally, upon reaching where Do Cheon-rin and Dam Yuyeon were.
He flipped his body in mid-air and landed in front of the two.
Fwoosh!
A shockwave of true energy spread out like a ripple in all directions, and a masked man revealed himself.
"Hall Master Dam."
"Who are you?"
When Dam Yuyeon asked, the masked man revealed his face.
Then, the dazzling features of a young man, sparkling like the morning sun, were revealed.
"My name is Heukpyo. I'm not sure if you remember me."
"Heukpyo..."
Dam Yuyeon, who had been searching her memory for a while, widened her eyes.
"Don't tell me, you're the Heukpyo who was Lady Bu's retainer?"
At Dam Yuyeon's question, Heukpyo showed a pleased smile.
"That's right. You remember me."
It was impossible not to remember.
In the past, Bu Eunseol had registered as a rogue of Silent Heaven, Empty Earth under the name Seolso, along with Heukpyo.
He had lived the life of a rogue for a while, traveling the Martial World with him.
But to think that the Rogue King who was making a name for himself outside the Central Plains was that same Heukpyo?
"I hope you have been well."
"Thanks to you. But how did you get here?"
Heukpyo looked at the bewildered Dam Yuyeon and said politely.
"The Lord said he could not help you directly, Hall Master Dam, so he asked me to come instead."
Do Cheon-rin and Dam Yuyeon looked at each other and their mouths fell open.
In fact, Bu Eunseol had already received a full report on the situation at Silent Heaven, Empty Earth from Soyo.
He had realized that as the successor of the Demon Palace, he could not directly resolve the situation or intervene himself.
So instead of getting involved himself.
The Rogue King outside the Central Plains.
He had mobilized Heukpyo to help Silent Heaven, Empty Earth.