The Great Azure Heavens Boundless Sword Formation activated.

Formation Open—!

In an instant, the Gates of Life and Death were formed, and positions were secured according to the cardinal directions. The speed, smoothness, and weight of this formation were beyond comparison to the crude arrays shown by the unorthodox sects’ sword units. Jin Cheonhee felt as though he had stepped into a forest forged of swords.

Ah, so this is what they mean by a mountain of blades and a forest of swords.

A single misstep could cost him a chunk of flesh. Each person was a blade, exuding sharp intent.

[If you break it down piece by piece, the way they support each other’s inner energy is standard for a sword formation. The Gates of Life and Death, the positions—it’s all similar. But the Namgoong Clan far surpasses other martial families. Why do you think that is?]

[Hmm, because even the martial arts of their branch families aren’t far behind the main family’s?]

[Exactly. And since they all pursue the same martial path, their techniques are both powerful and harmonious, without any discord.]

His brother was more scholar than warrior. Even in the midst of this, he calmly observed and dissected the Namgoong Clan’s formation, indulging in intellectual play. What a peculiar man.

[As expected, once they secure their positions, each one becomes a quasi-Transformation Realm master.]

[Quasi-Transformation Realm means they can use sword energy, albeit unstably, right?]

[That’s right! You catch on quick—it makes things easy for me.]

Jin Cheonhee chuckled.

Yeo Ha-ryoon appreciated that. He didn’t need lengthy explanations; with just a hint, his intuition and reasoning led him to the answer. That was the mark of a martial arts novel’s protagonist, the center of this world.

Jin Cheonhee drew his sword.

Shing—

[But being imperfect means their sword energy can only be maintained for a quarter of an hour at most.]

[Still, at this speed, they’ll end it within that time.]

[Exactly.]

All sixteen warriors moved like flashes of light, their swords cloaked in sword energy, attacking from every direction. There was no Gate of Life in sight—only walls of death. They were certain of the White-Robed Divine Dragon’s demise.

“This is the Great Azure Heavens Boundless Sword Formation!”

As the blade neared Jin Cheonhee’s nose, he signaled.

[Now.]

At that moment, Yeo Ha-ryoon struck the ground with his fist.

Black Dragon Shattering Fist[1].

Yeo Ha-ryoon’s variation.

Extreme Shadow Radiant Fist[2]—!

A tremendous roar and shockwave surged forth.

Boom—!

The fist, imbued with sword energy, shattered the earth, sending debris flying in all directions. A cloud of dust rose from the broken ground.

Hehe, the Ice Clarity Sword was a decoy.

The Great Azure Heavens Boundless Sword Formation’s maximum power duration was short. And while their movements were enhanced, they didn’t gain the cognitive abilities of a true Transformation Realm master. Facing them head-on with strength would lead to defeat. Even Yeo Ha-ryoon, the Heavenly Killing Star at the Transformation Realm, couldn’t overpower them with brute force.

But with wisdom, not strength, there was a way to break through.

And that was exactly what they were doing now.

Most martial artists would try to carve a path with their swords, but that would lead to casualties, you fools! Then I’d have to treat them again!

The thought of carrying the injured back to the White Dragon Medical Pavilion’s branch after the duel was unbearable.

Even enhanced by the formation, the swordsmen would lose track of Jin Cheonhee and Yeo Ha-ryoon in this chaos.

As the Ice Clarity Sword was thrust into the ground, Jin Cheonhee pulled out dozens of iron pellets.

Yeo Ha-ryoon’s eyes widened.

This mad brother of his is still pursuing non-lethality even now.

The pellets weren’t imbued with sword energy, just qi at the level of sword aura—enough to avoid fatal injuries for those at the quasi-Transformation Realm. He prepared his Finger Flicking Divine Skill.

In less than a hundredth of a second, a mischievous smile played on Jin Cheonhee’s lips.

Five-Elemental Divine Technique application.

Five Elements Thunderbolt Pellets—!

Lightning qi crackled around the iron pellets. By combining the five elements, he could generate lightning.

The ground was shattered, disrupting the formation’s positions. The shaken positions weakened the array, blocking their movements, while the dust obscured vision and the explosion deafened their ears.

In that gap, Jin Cheonhee’s lightning pellets shot out in all directions.

Ping-ping-ping—!

A wall of iron pellets infused with lightning qi rained down like a storm. The moment they blocked with their swords—

Crackle—!

The lightning traveled through the blades, electrocuting the warriors. The electricity caused muscles to contract and stiffen—an attack even masters of inner energy couldn’t easily resist.

The process was swift and meticulous. In that brief moment, warriors began to fall.

“Aaaargh!”

In martial arts, prolonging the fight leads to casualties, and as a doctor, Jin Cheonhee had no intention of letting that happen.

His Profound Origin Heaven and Earth Divine Technique, having absorbed countless martial techniques, playfully extended its branches, suppressing sword energy and instead unleashing lightning qi to take them down one by one—a spectacle to behold.

Yeo Ha-ryoon didn’t miss the opportunity.

Heavenly Demon Divine Arts: Yeo Ha-ryoon’s variation.

Heavenly Demon Soul Snatching Hand[3]—!

Originally a technique to tear limbs apart, Yeo Ha-ryoon had weakened it to conceal its origins. He used formless qi to bind his opponents’ movements, then approached to dislocate their joints.

“Ha-ryoon?”

“…”

Crack-crack—!

At his brother’s call, he merely dislocated joints, drawing no blood. The Heavenly Killing Star thirsted for carnage but suppressed it, again and again.

Jin Cheonhee thought, Impressive, as expected of the protagonist. He took down three in an instant.

Even enhanced by the formation, they were no match for Yeo Ha-ryoon, who had reached the Transformation Realm—and not just any Transformation Realm, but that of the protagonist.

Only six remained.

As the dust settled, Jin Cheonhee and Yeo Ha-ryoon stood amidst the shattered stones. Yeo Ha-ryoon stood tall, while Jin Cheonhee crouched, examining the dislocated joints.

“Oh, as expected of you! Clean dislocations.”

“Hyung, enough.”

Yeo Ha-ryoon shook his head.

Jin Cheonhee finally stood up.

The remaining six were frozen in shock at what the two had accomplished in mere moments.

“Insane… this is unreal…”

“Are they even human?”

“Eccentrics, monsters!”

Jin Cheonhee tucked his hands into his sleeves, smiling leisurely.

“I think this should suffice… or do you need more?”

The Great Azure Heavens Boundless Sword Formation.

Collapsed.

In this surreal scene, everyone swallowed hard.

The formation, said to be lethal to all but the Three Venerables, had been dismantled by just two Transformation Realm masters.

It was a blow to the Namgoong Clan’s pride.

Shing—

Namgoong Cheong drawing his sword was, in a way, inevitable.

“Heh heh… who would’ve thought. This might be pathetic, but how about a one-on-one duel with me?”

A matter of face, perhaps. On a small scale, it was petty; on a larger scale, it was wise. The martial world was survival of the fittest. After dismantling their formation so easily, they couldn’t let him leave unscathed.

It was laughable, but as he himself admitted, this “pathetic” move was the rational response.

“Let’s do it. Ha-ryoon, step back…”

At that moment, Yeo Ha-ryoon answered, “I’ll handle this, hyung.”

[Hmm. You won’t kill him, right?]

His eyes gleamed slightly with the Heavenly Killing Star’s influence.

Yeo Ha-ryoon replied, [I’ll endure. Isn’t that part of training? You can’t always step in for me…]

[If you lose control, I’ll stop you.]

[That’s reassuring, hyung.]

Whether serious or joking, Yeo Ha-ryoon stepped forward.

“The White-Robed Divine Dragon isn’t stepping up? Whoever comes, I won’t hold back.”

Jin Cheonhee answered, “I know. He’s quite strong, so don’t hold back—give him a good thrashing.”

The two warriors took their stances at a distance.

Jin Cheonhee sat between them, slightly apart, like a referee.

He clapped his hands.

Clap!

“Begin.”

As soon as he spoke, Namgoong Cheong unleashed the Emperor Sword Form.

Rumble—

The pressure of formless qi from a Transformation Realm master surged forth. But it wasn’t to constrain others—it was to enhance himself.

In response, Yeo Ha-ryoon used the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts.

Heavenly Demon Domineering Step—!

Rumble—!

Recognizing the technique, Namgoong Cheong shouted, “That’s the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts! Has the White Dragon Medical Pavilion allied with the Demonic Cult?”

Jin Cheonhee replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s the martial art of the sole successor, the Black Sword Sect.”

“Indeed, it’s the Black Sword Sect’s technique.”

The two brothers answered nonchalantly.

Jin Cheonhee added, “Besides, didn’t you swear on the Namgoong Clan’s name?”

Yeo Ha-ryoon said, “It’s already misunderstood as a sole successor’s art—quite frustrating.”

It was a blatant denial, but even if Namgoong Cheong claimed Yeo Ha-ryoon was the Demonic Cult’s minor cult leader, there was no proof. Unlike the Zhuge Clan’s nearly extinct techniques, which were well-known, the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts wasn’t public knowledge.

Judging by experience from duels, Namgoong Cheong’s practical knowledge was limited. The Namgoong Clan, being a secular family, focused on profit rather than ideology, unlike sects like Wudang or Shaolin. They had more experience fighting unorthodox factions than the Demonic Cult.

Moreover, Yeo Ha-ryoon had twisted the technique, making it resemble powerful unorthodox arts, confusing Namgoong Cheong. He knew the theory of the Sun Moon Divine Cult’s sword forms but lacked the practical sense to confirm.

That left one option: call in elder warriors with more experience against the Demonic Cult.

But that would escalate things.

The promise. And his face.

Having already lost face by challenging them to a duel after the formation’s collapse, breaking the oath made in the clan’s name would be too much.

Namgoong Cheong’s face was a canvas of countless dilemmas.