The Undefeatable Swordsman

Chapter 82. The Entire World is My Home (3)

Sensing the ferocious bloodlust threatening to kill him if he didn’t give the answer Do-Gun wanted, the servant nodded his head vehemently. Of course, he wanted to survive.

“Y-yes, that’s right. Her seal was stolen. It’s the truth!”

Do-Gun smirked inwardly as he looked back at Woo-Moon.

“You wicked bastard! Now we know who the thief who stole the seal was. How dare you steal my mother’s seal and create such a slanderous letter!”

This time, it wasn’t Woo-Moon who came forward to refute their rebuttal, but Gong-Su.

“Who would believe such a hastily made story! Besides, the handwriting on the letter is definitely Hye-Ryeong’s!” he shouted.

Do-Gun pointed the Emotionless Iron Sword at Gong-Su and spat, “Who the hell do you think you are?! I’m the patriarch! Do you dare to disobey my words?!”

Gong-Su deflated slightly at those words.

“W-well, that’s... But Hye-Ryeong became enraged and tried to kill me the second the letter was shown! Isn’t that an admission of her guilt?”

Despite Gong-Su’s polite rebuttal, Do-Gun still shook his head.

“No, that’s not it. My mother was just temporarily enraged by you falling for that bastard Woo-Moon’s deception, Elder.”

Gong-Su’s complexion turned red. Do-Gun was being completely unreasonable. He was making things up as he went along, turning the situation to his advantage.

Ju-Ryeong was pleased as she watched Do-Gun perform.

‘He’s better than I thought he would be.’

Of course, being completely unreasonable was ridiculous at times. Anyone could poke holes in Do-Gun’s argument if they just thought to themselves a little. However, no matter how clever a person was, anyone would be easily deceived when faced with such incredible and shocking news.

People only remembered the parts they wanted to. They adapted their memories to benefit themselves, even memories of things they had witnessed minutes before.

The members of the family wanted to believe Do-Gun, someone they had promoted to their new Patriarch, and Hye-Ryeong, who had ruled the Baek Family for a long time.

If Woo-Moon’s words really were true, could any of them really accept it?

Moreover, the fear of Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong had rooted itself in the Baek Family for a very long time, fueled by the overwhelming power and brutality of the two women.

They were too much for any of the Baek Family to dare fight against. Thus, the Baek Family members gradually began to convince themselves that Do-Gun’s ridiculous words were true.

“He’s right! There’s no way Hye-Ryeong would have done that.”

“Of course! How could my son betray the family?”

The parents of the thirty members of the Invincible Forged Squadron began to speak one after another. They couldn’t believe that their children had fallen for the tricks of Hye-Ryeong’s faction after rising to the ranks of the Invincible Forged Squadron only to betray the family and be buried.

Their children could never be traitors to the family.

Their family could never have been driven to their deaths for power!

It was clear! They had all died honorably in battle with the enemy!

They desperately wanted to believe what Do-Gun and Hye-Ryeong spouted.

But as they began to get riled up, Woo-Moon spoke again.

“YOU DARE?!”

Although it was nothing more than a short shout, the energy contained within was incredible. The shout echoed throughout the entire estate, shaking the eardrums of the gathered family.

Woo-Moon’s gaze was sharp as he looked at a warrior of the Invincible Forged Squadron, who was at the center of all of the chaos.

“What does the Iron Sword of the Iron Sword Baek Family represent?”

His words had a strong dignity that no one could easily overlook. It wasn’t a power that came from his status or cultivation, but from the type of person he was and the conviction he held.

So what was the meaning of the two words—Iron Sword?

The confused warrior responded, speaking clearly even in the midst of all the hysteria.

“First, cooperation. Second, to never forget the spirit of a warrior. To devote oneself to martial arts every day. Third, to follow the example of the rough but strong Iron Sword and not indulge in luxury or pleasure.”

Woo-Moon then turned to the Lion Fang Squadron Commander. He knew the commander was one of the family's most confused and shaken members.

“Lion Fang Squadron Commander. What do you think the Iron Sword Baek Family looks like right now?”

As he spoke, Woo-Moon pointed to a richly decorated garden and two towering pavilions that were visibly larger and more beautiful than the others.

The Lion Fang Squadron commander couldn’t answer and just bit his lip.

Woo-Moon started speaking once again, and this time, his voice was filled with the clear, pure qi of the Forbidden Divine Art.

“Isn’t that a fitting image of what the Baek Family has become? Since when has the Iron Sword Baek Family been tainted by gold? Where is the iron now?! WHERE IS THE SWORD?!”

The Forbidden Divine Art was the essence and foundation of all Daoist martial arts. His words were imbued with so much qi that it even had the effect of reawakening people’s spirits.

‘No, this is by no means what the Iron Sword Baek Family should look like!’

It was only after hearing Woo-Moon’s cry that the warriors of the Baek Family began to feel a sense of dissonance.

While they had looked from the side, many things had changed in the estate that didn’t match the ideal of the Iron Sword. However, none of them had actually realized it, and they had just kept living their lives as if it were only natural.

They had been living a lazy life because it was what Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong had wanted!

As the atmosphere grew increasingly stranger, Do-Gun shouted in turn, “D-don’t listen to his nonsense! Don’t listen to him!”

However, those who had been awoken to reality after Woo-Moon’s Azure Dragon’s Cry no longer listened to his words.

The places Woo-Moon had pointed out as representing luxury and pleasure all belonged to two people: Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong.

Woo-Moon turned to the Invincible Forged Squadron again.

“How many of you are there now?”

A young member answered, despite their new commander’s dissuasion. “One hundred and fifty in total.”

“As far as I remember, there were two hundred of you. Then what happened to the other fifty warriors?”

The members of the Invincible Forged Squadron realized what Woo-Moon was insinuating and clenched their fists.

Woo-Moon continued.

“I guess you don’t know, then. Well, should I let you know? Thirty of you betrayed Patriarch Mu-Hoon and the other warriors. They followed Hye-Ryeong’s command and returned to the Baek Estate early, pushing twenty people of their family to their deaths. And they were joined by seventy Dragon Fang Squadron warriors who also betrayed us.”

The shocked gazes of the onlookers littered the surviving members of the Dragon Fang Squadron and their former commander, who had resigned due to feeling responsible for the deaths of the vice commander and the other warriors.

Woo-Moon stomped the ground forcefully.

Rumble! Shing!!

A deep footprint was left on the ground, cracks emerging from it like spiderwebs in all directions. As the ground shook, the iron swords of the Iron Sword Baek Family warriors resonated and released piercing cries.

“We fought to protect our lives! And we only were able to win after a fierce struggle! But even in that situation, we took matters into our own hands and didn’t kill anyone; we just took them down so they couldn’t hurt us. But Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryoeng were so afraid that their secrets would be revealed if we survived that they triggered an explosion, so we would all die there!”

Although Woo-Moon had arrived late and didn’t know for sure if any of the Invincible Forged Squadron warriors attacked by his father were actually killed or not, that didn’t mean he was lying to the crowd. He was able to make this claim with a clear consciousness, as he had sensed the breathing of the fallen warriors and he was well aware that the vast majority of them had still been alive when he had arrived.

Dae-Woong had also fought to the point where he had passed out by that time, so he couldn’t attest to their situation either. The only person who could, Jin-Jin, had kept silent about it at the time as well.

As Woo-Moon continued to shout, rage began to fill up the gazes of the Baek Family members. The longer he continued, the darker Ju-Ryeong’s complexion became, and the more Hye-Ryeong’s insanity grew.

Do-Gun continued to swing the Emotionless Iron Sword to his heart’s content and told everyone to ignore Woo-Moon and attack him. However, everyone had already tuned him out, only focusing on Woo-Moon.

“Just where has the Iron Sword Spirit of the proud Iron Sword Warriors gone? What should we do with those who betrayed their comrades and split the blood of their family? Should we honor and follow such people as the new patriarchs of the family?”

The ripples created by Woo-Moon shook the hearts of all of the warriors of the Baek Family.

Ye-Ye, who had been listening silently, walked toward Woo-Moon.

‘I believe in the man that saved our lives.’

She stood next to him and drew her sword.

“Anyone who betrays their family out of a greed for power must pay for their crimes.”

Her courageous actions encouraged others.

The other talents of the Ten Distinguished Swords followed her and lined up next to Woo-Moon. Although their time together had been short, they, too, had experienced life and death by Woo-Moon’s side.

“What, what the hell do you think you’re doing?! Are you trying to start a rebellion together?! Go and kill them all, kill all of those bastards!”

However, no one followed the new patriarch’s words.

“...”

The elders watched with heavy expressions as some of them even lamented over the situation at hand. The Ten Distinguished Swords were the future of the Baek Family. Yet now, all of them were standing by Woo-Moon’s side and had drawn their swords against Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong.

Ju-Ryeong closed her eyes.

‘The pendulum has shifted.’

Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong had made the choice that drew them over the point of no return—the choice to kill the Song Family for finding out the truth.

Because they had failed and Woo-Moon had returned alive, everything was already over.

Immediately after the Ten Distinguished Swords stepped forward, the former Lion Fang Squadron commander shouted to his subordinates, “Does the Lion Fang Squadron feel the ringing of the Iron Sword Spirit?!”

Many of them had joined the Baek Family and become warriors of the Lion Fang Squadron because of the heroic story of the first head of the Baek Family, the Invincible Iron Sword Baek San.

Six hundred years ago, as a mere wanderer, Baek San had traveled the world like a whirlwind with nothing but the Iron Sword in his hands, becoming number one under heaven and establishing the Iron Sword Baek Family.

They all remembered his story once again as the entire Lion Fang Squadron drew their iron swords, bowed their heads, and shouted.

“We feel the Iron Sword Spirit!”

“Good! Then let’s go!”

The Lion Fang Squadron commander and the subordinates under his command stood next to the Ten Supreme Swords.

Witnessing the Lion Fang Squadron’s courage, the vice commander of the Invincible Forged Squadron, Baek So-Hoon, broke ranks alone and walked forward. Determined, he headed directly for Woo-Moon.

The entire way, his mind spun furiously.

No matter how great of a trap it may have been, there was no way that the Invincible Forged Squadron could have possibly been defeated by a measly Mount Qian Sect. He thought back to his dear junior brothers who had lost their lives so horribly and the thirty people whose faces were completely unrecognizable due to fire.

‘Yes. It was all strange. There was no way all of you would have died from an attack of flames. You bastards betrayed us all, pretending to be dead and leaving the scene under Hye-Ryeong’s orders, knowing our remaining brothers would die.’

Baek So-Hoon was truly the kind of person most suited to being an Iron Sword Warrior. As detached from power, luxury, and comfort as possible, he trained his martial skills harder than anyone else and worked diligently to keep the squadron cohesive. It was for that reason that he had no choice but to give up the position of commander to Baek Ja-Hoon not too long ago.

As Baek So-Hoon walked toward Woo-Moon, Baek Ja-Hoon, the new Commander of the Invincible Forged Squadron and a member of Hye-Ryeong’s faction, drew his sword.

“Stop right there, vice commander! You dare point your sword at the patriarch? Your betrayal is unforgivable, and I—aghh!”

Suddenly, someone kicked Baek Ja-Hoon from behind.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

Baek Ja-Hoon turned around in anger. However, as he did so, his expression crumpled as he watched the Invincible Forged Squadron warrior who had just kicked him kneel down on one knee toward Baek So-Hoon and hit the ground with his right fist.

Bang!

The skin on his fist split open and bled as the warrior did not use his qi to protect it. Even still, he looked at Baek So-Hoon with a clear gaze and shouted without any change to his expression.

“Invincible Forged Squadron Warrior Baek Geom-Gun requests Baek So-Hoon to be his Commander!”

Baek Geom-Gun was the youngest warrior of the Invincible Forged Squadron, the same age as Do-Gun. And as it turned out...his seniors did not lack that youthful spur, either.

Bang! Thud!

In unison, every other Invincible Forged Squadron Warrior did the same as Baek Geom-Gun, got down on one knee, and slammed their fists into the ground.

“The Baek Invincible Forged Squadron commander is Baek So-Hoon!”

Blood flowed from the fists of the warriors of the Invincible Forged Squadron, the Family’s strongest martial force! Their fighting spirit enveloped the entire estate with its tremendous majesty.

“You, you... you lunatics! What the hell do you think you’re doing?! All of you get up now!” shouted Baek Ja-Hoon with bloodlust in his eyes.

However, the Invincible Forged Squadron warriors all glared at him simultaneously and shouted in unison, “A bastard like you is not our commander! We follow Commander Baek So-Hoon!”

It was a terrifying aura of one hundred and fifty people being emitted simultaneously!

‘Y-you damned bastards,’ Baek Ja-Hoon thought to himself as the Squadron had already escaped his control. Frightened by their fighting spirit, he hesitated for a moment before subconsciously taking a step back. Having retreated without even realizing it, he then sneakily ducked behind Hye-Ryeong.

The Invincible Forged Squadron warriors coldly watched him flee before standing up and walking behind Baek So-Hoon.

Although he was quite moved by their display, Baek So-Hoon didn’t say a word. Rather, he silently continued forward until he reached Woo-Moon’s side.

That was exactly the type of person he was.

The Invincible Forged Squadron warriors stood together like unsheathed swords filled with a refined fighting spirit.

They were all enraged.

Of all of the members of the family, who felt the greatest guilt and agonized the most over the deaths of their comrades—their mothers and fathers, their brothers and sisters?

It was them!

Moreover, how shameful was it that the family’s strongest martial force had been defeated by the Mount Qian Sect? How could something like that happen even if they sent a single five-man platoon, let alone two entire squadrons?!

And this incredibly shameful thing had happened because their own comrades had betrayed them in order to appoint Do-Gun as the new patriarch!

Their rage was indescribable.

The actions of the Invincible Forged Squadron, the symbol of the Iron Sword Baek Family, had a great influence. Shortly after, the Ferocious Strike Battalion, as well as the Eagle Talon and Tiger Fang Squadrons also joined Woo-Moon and Ye-Ye’s side. They were also appalled by Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong’s plot.

At first, Woo-Moon had been forced to come forward alone and face everyone.

But now, the people were with him.

Woo-Moon bowed deeply toward Mu-Hoon.

“The defeat was not your fault, Patriarch. Thus, you should never have been forced to take responsibility for the failure of the expedition and resign from your position. Please give the order, Patriarch. Give the order to punish those who dared to deceive, attack, and betray their own blood!”