The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

It was common in Jianghu to encounter bandits when crossing mountains.

Especially on long journeys, if you hadn’t encountered bandits even once, you should be grateful to the heavens and the gods.

However, among the countless bandits, if you happened to encounter a bandit stronghold belonging to the Thirty Six Forts of the Green Forest, you could consider yourself particularly unlucky.

The 36 forts gathered under the old monster Gal Sahyuk, known as the Tyrant King of the Green Forest, were considered elite among bandit factions.

Even a Supreme Peak master could not withstand the combined attacks of these bandits. They would never fight fairly.

Ambushing and shooting arrows were just basic tactics, and digging pits and setting traps everywhere were common practices.

Some of the worst ones even shot poisoned needles of unknown origin. Of course, there was no antidote.

But what if you encountered one of the strongest five forts, the Five Tiger Forts, among the 36 forts?

That would be the unluckiest of all misfortunes.

The leader of the Ghost Tiger Fort, Mad Flame Ghost Blade Ak Jung-ryang, was a Supreme Peak master.

He had ambushed Jin Valley under the orders of the chief leader of the bandits, Gal Sahyuk.

The order was simple.

Capture the envoy of the Murim Alliance who would pass through that place.

Ak Jung-ryang felt uneasy, as if using a cow-killing knife to kill a chicken.

The strongest opponent would probably be a mere dog of the Baek Noble Clan, someone known as the Tranquil Sword or something.

Since there was no news of him becoming a Supreme Peak master, several of his subordinates would shoot arrows and throw nets to capture him without any trouble.

Nevertheless, there was only one reason Ak Jung-ryang brought out his Ghost Head Blade on this winter day.

It was because it was a strict order from the Tyrant King of the Green Forest.

“Kaak, phooey.”

Spitting out a wad of phlegm, Ak Jung-ryang recalled the face of the Tyrant King of the Green Forest.

Judging by his nickname alone, one might imagine a muscular hero of the mountains, but the Tyrant King of the Green Forest, Gal Sahyuk, was already close to being an old monster with a beard that had turned completely white.

He still tried to flaunt his masculinity, but in Ak Jung-ryang’s eyes, it just looked like the desperate struggles of an old man.

However, his martial arts skills were undeniably real.

Someday, in order for Ak Jung-ryang to take over the position of the chief leader of the Green Forest, he needed a solid accomplishment.

To achieve that, it was also necessary to win the favor of the higher-ranking villain, the Unorthodox Union Leader.

Ak Jung-ryang spoke in a low voice to the envoys of the Murim Alliance who appeared before him, “Hey, this is a path our Ghost Tiger Fort has honed day and night, so such an unannounced intrusion is… Eh!”

How long had it been since such direct exchanges of hostility occurred?

Anyway, the objective was to capture the three except for the one with superior skills. Ak Jung-ryang simply revealed his true nature.

He thrust his Ghost Head Blade deep into the rock.

Crack!

With that single move, he revealed that he was a Supreme Peak master.

As the blade dug into the rock like it was tofu, the fire applied to the blade ignited and burned brightly.

“If you don’t want your limbs cut off, kneel on your own.”

In front of him were four martial artists.

Leading with a cold expression was Neung Ji-pyeong.

Behind him was the bulky Peng Gu-in of the Peng Clan, and Tang Eun-seol, the precious daughter of the Tang Clan.

And the pale-faced, flashy one whom Ak Jung-ryang particularly disliked was none other than Baek Yi-gang, the son of the Vice Leader of the Murim Alliance.

It was a splendid assembly, as if the Seven Stars Conference were being held here.

“Kneel? No way, you bastards!”

“Don’t do something you’ll regret,” Neung Ji-pyeong said, glaring coldly at Ak Jung-ryang.

Naturally, none of them knelt.

“How dare you keep your chin up in front of the Ghost Tiger Fort… Hey, you Tang Clan girl!”

Ak Jung-ryang quickly raised his Ghost Head Blade and pointed at Tang Eun-seol.

“The deeds of the snake-like Tang Clan are obvious. The moment you try to use poison, I’ll cut off your hands and feed them to the dogs. I don’t bluff. Isn’t that right, guys!”

The bandits responded with loud shouts.

Tang Eun-seol crossed her arms again. She subtly shook her sleeve, realizing that he had caught her attempt to use poison.

Ak Jung-ryang was indeed a man aiming for the position of the next chief leader.

He had even chosen his position to stand in the direction of the wind, to guard against any possible poison.

The shabby bandits raised their arrows and aimed at her.

“If you let us pass, neither side will need to shed blood.”

It wasn’t Neung Ji-pyeong who said this quietly.

Ak Jung-ryang twisted his eyebrows. It was the young brat Baek Yi-gang, the one they were warned to capture alive because his martial skills were strong but his body was weak.

“A kid dares to speak when adults are talking.”

“Where did you get that tiger skin?”

“…What?”

Ak Jung-ryang momentarily hesitated at the unexpected question.

On his back was something that looked like a must-have item for a bandit leader.

It was the best of the best. Even the Tyrant King of the Green Forest, Gal Sahyuk, had coveted that tiger skin.

It not only blocked the wind but also elevated his dignity as a fort leader.

“The kid has a good eye.”

What Ak Jung-ryang had obtained for a fortune was no ordinary tiger skin.

It was from the greatest of great tigers, and not just any great tiger, but one that was almost a spirit beast.

It even had an extra head.

“…It’s the skin of the Twin-Headed Tiger! Have you heard of it? The legendary beast called the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger!”

Ak Jung-ryang puffed out his chest and spoke proudly.

A few years ago, rumors circulated that a Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger had been found in the Central Plains.

Since then, there was a craze to find the Twin-Headed Tiger.

Bandit leaders liked tiger skins as much as the powerful families, so Ak Jung-ryang desperately wanted to obtain it.

About a year ago, he found the Twin-Headed Tiger skin at the black market and purchased it for several times the price of an ordinary tiger skin.

But the reaction Ak Jung-ryang had hoped for did not come.

“Heh.”

“Phuhuhuhu.”

Yi-gang and Neung Ji-pyeong laughed as if it was absurd.

Even children would realize that it was mocking laughter.

“What is so funny, you bastards!”

“If you believe that is the skin of the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger…”

Yi-gang skillfully cut off Ak Jung-ryang’s enraged words.

At that moment, the dark clouds in the sky were gradually growing.

“You’d believe a mongrel was a wolf.”

“What?”

“At a glance, it’s a poorly stitched tiger head onto some cheap fur,” said Yi-gang, who had actually encountered the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger and skinned it himself as a gift to his father.

Both Neung Ji-pyeong and Yi-gang immediately noticed that the tiger skin Ak Jung-ryang was wearing was not from the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger.

Ak Jung-ryang desperately denied it. He had thoroughly checked the item.

“Th-that can’t be!”

And the moment he turned his head to look at his tiger skin—

It’s basic not to be distracted before a fight, but Ak Jung-ryang momentarily forgot that basic principle.

It was probably also because he trusted his subordinates, who already had their bows at the ready.

Crackling—!

With a noise that seemed to tear his ears apart, a flash occurred behind him.

Dazed by the thunderous sound, Ak Jung-ryang turned his body completely.

There, one of his subordinates was trembling violently and had fainted.

White steam was rising from his entire body, and his hair was emitting a smoldering smoke as if it had caught fire.

He could instinctively tell—that his subordinate had been struck by lightning.

In the unbelievable situation, the Ghost Tiger Fort members were all distracted.

Even those aiming their arrows at Yi-gang’s group did the same.

“The flaw is that I can’t control it well.”

It was Yi-gang who said this, as if he had summoned the lightning himself.

The bandits of the Ghost Tiger Fort turned back to Yi-gang’s group, but it was already too late.

Tang Eun-seol didn’t miss the opportunity and scattered black beads in all directions.

Pop pop pop—

In an instant, a choking smoke clouded their vision.

“Attack!”

The vice fort leader assisting Ak Jung-ryang shouted, but the bandits were more eager to cover their mouths and noses with cloth than to draw their bowstrings again.

This was because they didn’t know what kind of poison might be mixed in the smoke created by the daughter of the Tang Clan Head.

They belatedly shot arrows, but none of them hit Yi-gang’s group.

Ak Jung-ryang snorted.

It didn’t matter anyway. He firmly grasped his still-burning Ghost Head Blade and swung it towards the smoke.

Whoosh—

The rough sound of air being torn apart cut through the smoke, and a white blade emerged from within to clash with it.

Clang—!

The fact that the sword wasn’t cut despite Ak Jung-ryang’s Blade Aura indicated that the opponent’s level wasn’t low either.

As expected, Neung Ji-pyeong calmly approached Ak Jung-ryang.

“This should have happened from the start!”

Neung Ji-pyeong had not yet stepped into the realm of Supreme Peak. Nevertheless, he was the strongest among the targets.

In other words, Ak Jung-ryang alone could subdue them all.

“There was never a reason to keep you alive anyway!”

The Ghost Head Blade danced wildly, leaving red afterimages.

It would be a mistake to think that he was slow just because of his large build.

Through a stroke of luck in the past, he obtained the Ghost Flame Tiger-Slaying Blade technique and this Ghost Head Blade.

The strange blade, with the head of a sinister demon at its end, was like an extension of Ak Jung-ryang’s own limbs.

Clang!

Beads of cold sweat dripped down from Neung Ji-pyeong’s sideburns.

He was definitely the inferior fighter.

“Huuup!”

However, Neung Ji-pyeong had also gained much during his time at Wudang.

His body flickered, leaving only afterimages behind.

Ak Jung-ryang only managed to slash through where Neung Ji-pyeong’s neck had been a moment before.

Inwardly, Ak Jung-ryang felt a chill run through him.

‘A blink shift technique…?’

At least in terms of movement techniques, it seemed superior to his own.

He didn’t realize that it was not merely a movement technique, but part of the Radiant Shadowless Art that Yi-gang had passed on to Neung Ji-pyeong.

And then a sword flew from behind.

For a moment, it seemed as if Ak Jung-ryang had been pierced through the back by Neung Ji-pyeong.

Sizzle—

But was it a stroke of divine intervention?

Neung Ji-pyeong’s sword grazed Ak Jung-ryang’s side, instead of piercing him, and was caught by his forearm.

“Hehe, it’s over!”

Ak Jung-ryang laughed.

Once he took down the strongest, Neung Ji-pyeong, capturing the rest would be as easy as pie.

The Ghost Flame Blade, filled with Blade Aura, seemed about to slice Neung Ji-pyeong’s body in half.

At that moment, a white sword thrust out from the smoke to block the blade.

Yi-gang’s pale face followed like a ghost.

Clang—!

Ak Jung-ryang’s blade was pushed back.

It was unbelievable, but it happened.

Even though Ak Jung-ryang was at the entry level of Supreme Peak, to counter Blade Aura, one needed an equivalent proficiency in the Aura Qi technique.

Ak Jung-ryang noticed that Yi-gang’s sword was not originally white.

What glowed brilliantly on the dark blade was undoubtedly Sword Aura.

‘A kid who is still wet behind the ears… at the level of a Supreme Peak master!’

Reaching the level of a Supreme Peak master at an age just over 20 was extremely rare even in the vast Jianghu.

Someday, he would be a contender for the title of the best in the world.

Ak Jung-ryang gritted his teeth and resolved to kill Yi-gang here and now.

He kicked Neung Ji-pyeong away with his back foot and charged at Yi-gang like a fierce tiger.

But Yi-gang vanished, leaving only an afterimage, just as Neung Ji-pyeong had done.

“You bastard!”

However, Ak Jung-ryang’s subconscious retained the experience of facing Neung Ji-pyeong just a moment ago.

He twisted his waist and spun his body like performing a mid-air somersault.

This time, he correctly aimed at Yi-gang, who had gone behind him.

Whoosh—

But Ak Jung-ryang’s blade cut through the empty air again.

What he had cut was another afterimage.

Gritting his teeth, Ak Jung-ryang swung his Ghost Head Blade wildly at the sense of an attack coming from behind.

It seemed like he was swinging aimlessly, but the momentum was incredibly fierce.

An attack in all eight directions, known as Eight Directions Wind and Rain.

Even a street peddler’s common technique became an ultimate move when performed by a master of his caliber.

Ak Jung-ryang thought that if he could just block one of Yi-gang’s slippery attacks, he could cut him down.

However, he soon regretted it.

Clang—

Clang—

Clang!

Somehow, Yi-gang seemed to be moving in flashes from east to west and north to south.

From all four directions, no, from all eight directions, swords were thrust at him.

How could swords come from all eight directions? His mind was suddenly clear, but his vision was dazzled by brilliant lights.

This was the Radiant Shadowless Art, the divine art of the Quanzhen Sect.

Just as Ak Jung-ryang was desperately trying to retreat—

“…”

—Yi-gang’s face appeared right in front of him.

At the moment their deep eyes met—

“…Huh!”

—he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

So absurdly, his chest had been pierced by Yi-gang’s sword.

And then, Neung Ji-pyeong struck Ak Jung-ryang’s neck from behind.

The last thing Ak Jung-ryang saw was the sight of him rising into the sky.

Thus died the leader of the Ghost Tiger Fort, a Supreme Peak master.

Since the smoke that Tang Eun-seol had scattered had thinned out, everyone saw the scene.

Everyone saw Yi-gang pierce the chest of the branch leader who had ruled the Ghost Tiger Fort.

The bandits were in chaos, but due to their sheer numbers, Yi-gang’s group was still at a disadvantage.

However, Neung Ji-pyeong did not miss this opportunity.

“Your leader was slaughtered by this Immortal Divine Dragon!” he shouted, holding up Ak Jung-ryang’s severed head.

Yi-gang flinched for a moment and looked back at Neung Ji-pyeong, but he calmly gestured to Yi-gang.

Eventually, Yi-gang also raised his sword and said, “I… took him down!”

“Who else dares to obstruct the Murim Alliance’s mission!”

The Ghost Tiger Fort was in complete disarray.

At that moment, Peng Gu-in timely provided assistance.

“Huh, y-you bastards! Put down your bows!”

The vice fort leader he had subdued shouted, bleeding profusely from his severed arm.

Peng Gu-in held a blade to his neck.

“Put down your swords, you bastards!”

If Ak Jung-ryang were alive, this would never have happened.

The bandits began to quietly drop their weapons.

It was a clear victory for Yi-gang’s group.

A great master, who was predicted to be the next leader of the Green Forest, was killed by a young successor.

From this day on, the fact that the Immortal Divine Dragon Baek Yi-gang had risen to the level of a Supreme Peak master began to spread throughout the Central Plains.