The center of the scattered blood drops was cut with eerie precision by a sword sharpened to an uncanny degree. The sword, which drew a vivid line, severed the neck of the man whose mouth was agape.
Puung!
It was a perfect cut that did not even register the slightest resistance at the tip of the blade.
The hearts of the pirates who witnessed this sight were naturally filled with fear.
The Justice faction sects would never sympathize with their feelings upon seeing this sword. Only those who had experienced it could understand it.
Those who had killed countless people knew it: it was absolutely not easy for a person to kill another.
No matter how accustomed one was to killing, there was bound to be a small hesitation when stabbing a person in a vital spot. That was a human instinct that could not be overcome by will or determination.
However, there was no such hesitation in this man's sword.
Even at the moment of slicing down another human, there was no hesitation or wavering.
A sword that could kill countless people or a sword that could be used without pause.
The pirates, who knew from experience what kind of beings those who wielded such swords were, could not help but tremble with a cold feeling.
'Ugh…'
So maybe it was fortunate.
The fact that the demon didn't even give them a chance to properly feel that genuine fear.
Kwang!
The deck burst open as Chung Myung charged towards the pirates.
"Ughhhh!"
The terrified ones screamed and hurled their spears as if in a fit of panic.
It wasn't a stab meant to knock down the opponent. It was a movement closer to an instinct to block the opponent's approach, not a will to kill.
Regardless of their intentions, the sight of dozens of harpoons flying at one person must have been terrifying.
However, the young swordsman with a cold chill in his eyes simply smiled with one corner of his lips raised, watching the dozens of harpoons flying towards him.
Sssh.
It was a sight like something out of a fantasy book.
You could step back. Counter.
There must be dozens of ways to respond to the opponent's attack. However, the method Chung Myung chose was the most reckless and efficient.
Shhh.
Chung Myung slipped into the small gap revealed between the dozens of harpoons like a ghost.
Kakakng!
He lightly knocked away the harpoons coming from the side and twisted his shoulder to push away the ones that had passed by. That is how he carved his own space through the forest of harpoons.
The pirates opened their eyes wide.
At that moment, they encountered a single devil laughing whitely among the countless harpoons.
Pffft.
The sword aimed at the lower left moved slightly ahead.
The sword strike that started slowly accelerated explosively and drew a perfectly straight line.
In an instant, the red sword slash that cut through the pirates' necks flew through the face of another pirate. The pirates let out animal-like howls without even thinking about running.
Paaat!
No, he tried to puke. But before that could happen, Chung Myung cut off his neck.
In an instant, five bodies were split in half. Their upper bodies, unable to handle the power of the sword, were cut off and shot into the air, spinning like tops.
The slashed blood poured down like rain from the sky over the Yangtze River.
A single sword killed more than a dozen people. The pirates stepped back hesitantly, watching the blood splash from the bodies of those who hadn't yet fallen.
There were still dozens of comrades for them. All there was was one enemy.
But what did all those facts even mean now?
Chung Myung turned his gaze as he was hit by the slashed blood.
His face was still wet with blood that hadn't yet cooled down, and his black hair was stuck to it.
The dark eyes stared at the pirates without any emotion.
"Ugh, uhh…"
Swish!
Chung Myung, who had finally brushed off the blood on his sword, moved as if looking for his next prey.
"Uckkkkkk!"
"S-save me!"
The collapse began.
The pirates screamed desperately and turned around. Unaware that their harpoons would pierce their comrades' bodies, they grabbed those running in front of them and started fleeing at a speed they had never experienced before.
There was only one thing on their minds.
'I WANT TO LIVE!'
Being in the same space as that devil meant death for all. For the pirates who understood this fact, their sole task on earth was to escape the devil's clutches and survive.
The thought of being punished for running away was already out of their minds. How could those who had learned what true fear was, have the luxury of thinking about anything else?
Those whose minds were blank threw themselves off the ship, screaming. If they just jumped into the river, that devil wouldn't chase after them anymore.
But unfortunately, the devil had no mercy once it got a taste of blood.
Paat!
The sword moved without a moment's hesitation, slicing through the pirates' backs. It struck down the ankles of those who kicked the deck and severed the spines of those who had fallen.
Boom!
Chung Myung, who had kicked off the floor again, shot up and drew out sword qi one after another towards the backs of the pirates who were jumping into the river.
The crescent-shaped sword qi slashed at those who dared turn their backs on him, cutting them down without hesitation.
"Accck! Euk!"
"Kuaaaak!"
The screams of the pirates pierced by the sword qi in the air poured down miserably onto the waters of the Yangtze River.
Plop! Plop!
The pirates who had reached the water they so desperately wanted, where the devil's sword couldn't reach, were unfortunately unable to rejoice. The dead cannot rejoice or be sad.
Tak!
Chung Myung's gaze, which had landed on the deck, turned to the trembling pirate in front of him. He was someone whose ankle had been cut off and couldn't jump into the water. His face turned pale, and he stumbled.
"H-how can you, towards someone running…."
Then Chung Myung laughed.
"If you fight each other to kill each other and then turn your back and run, do you expect mercy?"
Chung Myung slowly approached him.
"That…"
"You people do whatever you want, but we have to show mercy? Because we are the Justice faction?"
As he approached, the pirate's eyes trembled.
"Of course we can. There are people like that. But…"
Stab!
Chung Myung's sword mercilessly pierced the pirate's heart.
"But not me."
The pirate stared blankly at his chest where the sword was stabbed.
Paat!
The moment the sword was pulled out, his head fell down as if he died. Without any more hesitation, Chung Myung looked up and confirmed that there was no one standing on the deck. He kicked the ship ahead without hesitation and pushed himself into the air.
Kwaang!
He then kicked the water and moved ahead, twisting the corners of his mouth.
Where he was headed was not to the main force of Mount Hua but to another ship approaching Mount Hua.
"T-these damned bastards!"
A roar erupted from the Black Dragon's mouth.
"What the hell are you doing! You damned bastards!"
His eyes were bloodshot.
Those damned Mount Hua people were now freely crossing the Yangtze River, but the pirates he boasted about were unable to stop them at all.
Neither the arrows he poured down nor the spears they threw stabbed anyone. Even the White Thunder Cannons he had placed were being taken down in an instant.
There was no way to understand how that could even happen.
The Namgung family and even Shaolin were afraid of the pirates because the Yangtze River was their playground. So how was Mount Hua fighting while overwhelming them on the waters?
"Floating platform!"
The Black Dragon King roared until his throat tore.
"Destroy that platform, you morons! Don't just fight back—destroy the platform! If you just drag them into the water, they are nothing! Aim for the damned platform in front of them!"
Clearly, that judgment was correct.
Sometimes, very small factors can make a huge difference. It was clear that this entire situation stemmed from the small wooden blocks the Mount Hua disciples were stepping on.
However, any judgment is meaningless if it isn't made quickly.
The Plum Blossom Island, which once seemed too far to cross, was now close enough to reach in an instant if you ran on flat ground. As the Black Dragon King shouted, the leader of Mount Hua's rally almost reached the island.
"Those fucking rats!"
The Black Dragon King raised the crescent moon blade with a determination to destroy the ship with his attack.
Wooong!
At the end of the sword, an incredible qi began to form. His red eyes glared at Baek Cheon, who was leading Mount Hua.
"DIEEEEEEE!"
Kwaaaak!
His blade swung down fiercely from above!
The sword qi exploded towards Baek Cheon. It was the very force that made the Emperor's Sword sleep eternally in the flowing water. It was the sword qi that clearly proved why the name of the Black Dragon King reigned in fear over the Yangtze River.
Kwaaaa!
The sword qi tore through the air, and the qi wave alone drew a long line on the river.
The Black Dragon King was certain that this blade qi could change the situation. The flimsy sword could never block this.
At that moment, Baek Cheon, who was running in a straight line, caught a glimpse of the flying blade qi. But that was it.
Baek Cheon clearly saw the attack but looked forward again and ran faster.
It was the moment the Black Dragon King inhaled.
"Am-mi-ta-bha!"
A roar came.
A roar that could be heard anywhere in the Central Plains, but a roar that couldn't be heard there, on the Yangtze River.
"What?"
Soon, someone rose like a ray of light in front of the blade qi, which was flying towards Baek Cheon. A golden, magnificent Buddhist light emanating from him poured out like the sun.
"S-Shaolin?"
The Black Dragon King was shocked.
"AHHHH!"
Hae Yeon, who had risen up, thrust his fist forward with all his might.
Wooong!
The Hundred Steps Divine Fist he unleashed collided with the flying blade qi.
The blade qi, which had been flying straight towards Baek Cheon, twisted upwards, passed over the Mount Hua disciples, and crashed into the ship encircling them from the other side.
Kwaaang!
"Ackkkk!"
"Water is coming in! Stop it! The ship is sinking!"
The power of the blade qi was amazing, splitting the bottom of the ship entirely. The blue water of the Yangtze River surged into it like a whirlpool.
However, the sight of the ship did not even enter the vision of the Black Dragon King.
His gaze was fixed on the one person who managed to deflect the blade qi.
The man was wearing a black robe like the disciples of Mount Hua. But even so, wasn't his identity obvious?
There was just one question.
"Why is Shaolin here? Why!"
But there was no one there to answer his shout.
Meanwhile, Baek Cheon, who believed in Hae Yeon and ignored the Black Dragon King's blade, pushed forward even more and ran ahead.
Kwang!
After a while, Baek Cheon's body, which had been kicking the wooden block as if it would shatter, rose into the air. He leaped over the river, which was overflowing, and became a black line cutting across the blue sky.
And finally.
Thud!
Baek Cheon's two feet landed on the ground, not on the wooden block.
Right there, on Plum Blossom Island.
"…"
The pirates he encountered at the edge of the island looked at him with tired faces.
Baek Cheon, who had bent down to land on the ground, slowly raised his upper body and opened his mouth.
"Follow the sect leader's orders."
"…"
"Defeat the pirates and rescue the Namgung family."
Baek Cheon raised his sword and aimed ahead.
"GOOO!"
At that moment.
The Mount Hua swordsmen who had arrived at Plum Blossom Island then passed Baek Cheon and rushed towards the pirates.
"Ahhhhh!"
"Defeat them!"
A red sword qi rose from the tips of their swords at once. The sword qi soon bloomed brilliantly, creating red plum blossoms worthy of the name on one side of the Plum Blossom Sword.
Truly beautiful and intense.