The Lecher looked up at the cliffside of Baeksa Island and said,

“You’re not saying we have to climb that, right?”

“Idiot.”

I answered the Lecher and moved to the left of the cliff. We had arrived in one piece, and I intended to kill everyone, whether they were the Lord of the Island or his subordinates. Whether I went up the cliff or ran through a flower field, it made no difference.

The moment I stepped off the sharp, slippery rocks and onto flat ground, I felt the firm reassurance of solid earth.

But the silence was strange. If the boat hadn’t returned as scheduled, shouldn’t they have strengthened their defenses?

At first, I expected a swarm of snakes, flaming arrows raining from above, and a bloody siege. Instead, I felt like I’d landed on a deserted island.

Checking behind, I saw the boat that brought us lingering a little ways off the coast.

As we headed toward the center of the island, the Lecher chattered excitedly.

“Master, it’s my first time on an island. A first experience.”

“It’s nothing special.”

“It’s perfect for going into seclusion. Wasn’t there once a reclusive master called the Island Lord who showed off absurd martial arts here?”

Sword Demon nodded.

“Sometimes experts did emerge from the borderlands.”

“What happened to him? I was too young back then.”

“Died in a duel, I believe.”

“Ah, yes.”

The Drunk, listening to the conversation, looked around and said,

“Feels like a deserted island.”

A short while later, we crested a hill on the access path and spotted a small village beyond the slope.

It wasn’t a deserted island.

Beyond the sparse cluster of houses was a fairly large estate. It was obvious that if the Island Lord was anywhere, it would be there. But there was no need to head down the hill. The village itself was eerily silent, as if no one had ever lived there.

The Drunk spoke.

“They’ve already fled.”

Looking around, I spotted a boat cutting through the current and approaching the island. It was the one we’d come on, now arriving at full speed with the Gokgongs leaping off.

Even the way they were running looked frantic.

“Lord!”

The Gokgongs called to me desperately.

“Hm.”

I leapt onto the largest nearby tree and scanned the full expanse of Baeksa Island. I couldn’t see past the cliff, but surprisingly, I could see the entire perimeter of the island.

It wasn’t large to begin with. No docked ships. No signs of life.

The Gokgongs running toward us shouted,

“The Sado Alliance’s warships are coming!”

“Warships incoming!”

I was already watching the warships taking formation on the horizon.

How elegant—those ships glided forward in perfect formation.

It felt like the descendants of Lu Xun or Zhou Yu were now strategists, as large and small warships began encircling Baeksa Island.

“Wow, that’s incredible. The whole island’s being surrounded by ships.”

The Four Great Villains, now perched in the trees, scanned the surroundings like curious monkeys.

The Drunk said,

“Looks like more than forty ships.”

“If each ship holds thirty to forty men, how many in total?”

“What’s the point? Just say it’s a lot.”

The Lecher marveled,

“This is pretty brilliant strategy. Surrounding us like this makes it hard for the Lord of Haomun to come help. They’ll aim to sink his ship first. Even if the whole Haomun shows up, they’ll just end up swimming. Master, when do you think we got tricked?”

Sword Demon answered,

“If this is a strategy, then even the Gokgongs were deceived. Seems they have a tactician.”

It felt like they’d sacrificed a few pawns before going all in. The Sado Alliance had suddenly deployed its full force. Since we were right inside their encirclement, I couldn’t help but admire the view.

“Incredible. They’ve completely isolated us. But why doesn’t this feel bad? Any idea why?”

The Drunk answered,

“Probably because the Sado himself might show up.”

That wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Only if we die does this strategy succeed. Only if we die does Baeksa Island become a trap.

If we live, then neither strategy nor trap matters.

That’s how Jianghu works.

Sword Demon said,

“Let’s go greet them.”

We leapt down from the trees and walked toward the approaching ships as if we owned the place.

The Gokgongs, reuniting with us midway, looked flustered and asked,

“Lord, did we lead you into a trap?”

They were panting as they looked at me.

I said my farewell to the Gokgongs.

“A trap only works if I die, so don’t worry. You all aren’t martial artists, so I won’t bother asking whether you were tricked or not. Head into the village and hide. Dismissed.”

I waved my hand, and the Gokgongs retreated as instructed. It’s only right that matters of Jianghu are resolved by martial artists.

We strolled toward the port of Baeksa Island, watching the ships approach.

“They sure come in all types.”

Not just different in size, but their shapes, flags, and paint colors varied too.

But every one of them was a warship.

Judging by the aura of those aboard, I could already tell the Sado’s military strength was formidable. It felt like the king of Dongho had appeared, commanding every waterborne force that had roamed these seas for decades.

“Still... what a majestic sight.”

He wasn’t some slacker who stumbled into the title of Dongho’s Greatest Sword. A dozen ships stayed in open water while the rest docked.

About thirty ships lined up along the pier and shore.

But over ten remained on the water. From one of them, a man holding a white fan emerged and spoke, his voice laced with internal energy.

“......Four mangy dogs, daring to challenge the King of Dongho?”

The Lecher muttered,

“Dogs? That’s a bit much. Is that guy the Number One of the Evil Path?”

The Drunk replied,

“Too young. Not him.”

We looked at the flood of enemies pouring off the boats, but couldn’t tell who was who. Still, each boat in the rear seemed to house one master-level figure.

I spoke with internal energy.

“Has the Number One of the Evil Path come? Or just more underlings?”

The fan-wielding man replied,

“Silence. A message to the former Left Guardian of the Heavenly Demon Cult. The Lord of the Sado Alliance has no interest in who or what the Lord of Haomun is. If the former Left Guardian brings his head, the Sado will welcome you as an honored guest of Dongho. What is your reply?”

Sword Demon let out a tired sigh and spoke quietly.

“Even answering is a hassle. Disciple.”

“Yes, Master.”

The Lecher drew in a deep breath and shouted with internal energy,

“Don’t bark orders at my Master. Tell your precious Sado to show himself. I’ll face him. King of Dongho, my ass. He’s just a bandit chief sending his lackeys to die. Not even worthy of being called a thief—”

Yelling with internal energy takes effort, and the Lecher paused to catch his breath.

“Huff.”

Now the enemy forces lined up at the docks. It looked like all the underlings under the Number One of the Evil Path had arrived. Baeksa Island was starting to feel too small. But clearly, this wasn’t an army.

They lacked unity, likely because they were a coalition of various Dongho factions.

I’d never seen such a grand encirclement in my life.

Not even the Demonic Cult or Martial Alliance had done this. It was like being trapped in a celestial spider’s web, from the sea.

“The Sado might be an idiot, but damn, he’s impressive.”

Those who landed seemed to be elite warriors, carefully selected. And even if we killed them all, the dozen ships on the water still seemed to house each faction’s top leader.

Then the largest, most distant ship moved into position at the center, protected by ten others, like the main tent of a grand army.

Its extravagance made it obvious: this was the flagship.

The enemies kept silent.

From the flagship’s prow, a middle-aged man in lavish attire appeared, speaking leisurely.

“Lord of Haomun, Sword Demon, Left Guardian, Master of Six Harmonies. I don’t take you # Nоvеlight # for fools, so let me ask—do you really think you stand a chance?”

I answered as representative of the Four Great Villains.

“...What the fuck are you saying? You wanna die? Who are you?”

“That your answer?”

“Is that your last words?”

The middle-aged man shook his head, as if mocking my bravado.

I turned to the Four Great Villains.

“No helping it. There’s too many of them to bluff. Not even sure if that idiot is the Sado. Still not making the first move. Let’s offer condolences to the ones who’ll die first.”

The Lecher, Sword Demon, and Drunk looked at me.

They seemed to have figured out what I was planning.

But I planned to handle this a bit differently today.

“You’re the Left Guardian. He’s the Right Guardian. Eldest plays the Chief Commander. You must protect me. Understand?”

The Lecher furrowed his brow.

“Why? What for?”

“You know why.”

Sword Demon said to them,

“Do as he says. There’s too many. We have no choice.”

Even Sword Demon admitted how bad things were.

I had more orders.

" The Heaven-Piercing Sun-Moon Radiance is heavy. When I throw it into the air, all three of you add your internal energy to push it forward. What happens after that is not our concern.”

The Drunk estimated the distance.

“Still feels too far.”

I told them,

“Then let’s run and close the gap.”

The Lecher shouted,

“No!”

But Sword Demon and I leapt forward at once. He barked,

“Pull yourself together!”

“Ugh.”

As I dashed toward the enemies, I wrapped Moonlight Cold Heart Technique around my left hand. Before I could even coat my right in Geumgu Soyo Gong, Sword Demon passed me. Then the Lecher flew overhead, and the Drunk passed on my right, sword drawn. Even the usually calm Drunk shouted,

“This is insane! Are you serious?!”

“Dead serious.”

I closed the distance with light footwork and stopped at a suitable spot, combining Heaven-Piercing Sun-Moon Radiance.

The Lecher and Drunk stopped to take up the Left and Right Guardian positions ahead.

Sword Demon arrived behind and cracked his neck.

As I stared at the bewildered enemies, I realized the Heaven-Piercing Sun-Moon Radiance I was forming was larger than usual.

Had it really been that long since I last used it?

I must’ve deepened my internal energy with all the things I’d consumed lately. The crimson power of Geumgu Soyo Gong and the white energy of the Moonlight Cold Heart Technique began bleeding into each other, becoming pure red and white.

Zzzzzrzzzzzzt...

The sound was even more horrific than before.

I was a little terrified by the monstrosity I was creating. It felt like that dizzying moment before leaping off a cliff without inner energy.

While I was lost in that moment, arrows rained from above and hidden weapons flew from the front. The elites of the Number One of the Evil Path began charging at us.

I tossed the half-formed Heaven-Piercing Sun-Moon Radiance into the air.

“...Ah.”

A sigh slipped out.

The Lecher, the Drunk, and Sword Demon simultaneously raised their hands and blasted waves of internal energy. All three were exceptional, and even without a word, they pushed Heaven-Piercing Sun-Moon Radiance forward the moment they saw it fly.

The ominous glowing mass spun in the air, then was hurled far forward by the combined force.

As it hovered above the dock, countless weapons, forces, sword energy, blade waves, and gusts surged toward it.

SHRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!

I shouted to the three of them.

“Careful.”

At that moment, Sword Demon grabbed his disciple and the Drunk by the scruff and threw them behind me. Drawing the Bright Sword, he held it with both hands and released a vertical beam of sword energy skyward.

A black, rectangular light shot up. I faintly heard the eldest’s muttering.

“...Sword’s Ultimate Truth.”

It looked like a counter to Heaven-Piercing Sun-Moon Radiance’s aftermath. Sword’s Ultimate Truth—the truest meaning discovered at the tip of the sword.

My ears stopped functioning. It sounded like the sky groaning from miles away.

The moment Heaven-Piercing Sun-Moon Radiance exploded, pain struck my eardrums like a physical blow. I winced instinctively. Sword Demon, who’d launched the counter, was blown back even as he stood his ground. The Lecher and the Drunk rushed in, each grabbing his shoulder.

I leapt in, catching both their backs with my hands.

The shock from the distant explosion was enough to knock the four of us back.

We looked toward the dock together.

People floated in the air. Broken rocks flew. Water spouted in all directions.

The spot where Heaven-Piercing Sun-Moon Radiance landed had been blasted into an immense crater. Water now flooded into it like an empty bowl being filled.

What the hell had I just done?

Even seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn’t believe it. The Four Great Villains and I stood in silence, staring at the devastation.

“......”

The entire vanguard was gone. Nowhere to be seen.

A short distance away, a not-so-large ship fell from the sky and shattered with a thunderous crash. Multiple ships had been destroyed. Debris mixed with river water. What was once a beautiful island now looked like a landfill.

Sword Demon muttered,

“...The youngest’s technique alone is already top-tier in the world.”

The Lecher and the Drunk were still too stunned to speak. Even I couldn’t deny Sword Demon’s thoughtful praise.

“Agreed... Now that we’ve asserted dominance, how about we scare them with more bravado?”

After wiping out the Sado Alliance’s troops with Heaven-Piercing Sun-Moon Radiance, I wrapped my hands in internal energy again. The Lecher flinched and looked at me.

This time, it was Hundred Battles Tenfold Technique.

With both hands wreathed in lightning, I created a roar that rivaled Heaven-Piercing Sun-Moon Radiance’s.

Zzzzrzzzzzzt...

I said to the three of them,

“Let’s go. Let’s show them who really fell into whose trap.”

Finally, the Four Great Villains broke into laughter. The moment all three burst out laughing, a wave of relief surged through me.

Maybe this is what they call heroic spirit.

We were finally breathing in perfect sync.