Chapter 346 Reaper of the Drifting Moon

Chapter 346 Reaper of the Drifting Moon

Jo Jakyung’s eyes were filled with rage as he looked at Pyo Wol.

Although not a direct descendant, Jo Ik-gwang was like a grandson to him. Moreover, he was now relying on the blue peacock manor.

Naturally, he couldn’t help but be furious at Jo Ik-gwang’s death.

Not to mention, he had just suffered a huge humiliation in the confrontation with Ghost King, and since the intrusion of the Master of Life and Death, he had been completely overwhelmed.

As a result, Jo Jakyung’s pride had hit rock bottom.

He had thought he would never be inferior to the Ghost King or the master of Life and Death, but reality was different from his imagination.

Both the Ghost King and the master of life and death were much stronger than him.

In particular, the ghost king’s martial prowess was so extraordinary that it was beyond speculation.

If the master of life and death had not intervened in time, Jo Jakyung wouldn’t have been able to stand on his own two feet.

In the end, Jo Jakyung had to experience the humiliation of being pushed to the periphery of this fight.

It was an unprecedentedly embarrassing situation for him.

That was why his heart was filled with rage, and he saw the tragic death of Jo Ik-gwang, who was like a grandson to him and Pyo Wol was standing beside him.

It was an utterly infuriating situation for Jo Jakyung.

Jo Jakyung shouted.

“I asked if this was your doing. Is it your doing?”

“No!”

“Don’t lie. There’s clear evidence, and yet you deny it.”

“Why ask if you don’t believe me anyway?”

“That kid was a precious child who would have led the Namgyeong Clan. You’ve practically severed the lifeline of Namgyeong Clan. Do you understand now? Do you realize the gravity of the crime you’ve committed?”

“Do you know what kind of crime Jo Ik-gwang committed?”

“If you’re trying to insult a dead child, just give it up. It won’t work on me.”

Jo Jakyung raised his spear and aimed it at Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol closed his mouth.

There was nothing more unproductive than talking to someone who had already closed their ears.

Jo Jakyung had already labeled Pyo Wol as the monster who killed Jo Ik-gwang.

No matter how much Pyo Wol argued, it was clear that Jo Jakyung would not change his mind.

What Jo Jakyung needed now was a scapegoat to restore his shattered pride. And as luck would have it, Pyo Wol was there.

Whooosh!

Intense heat and flames rose from the spear that Jo Jakyung held.

This was a phenomenon that occurred when the Fire Dragon Spear Technique was fully unfolded.

“Pay for your sins.”

Swoosh!

Jo Jakyung’s spear swept across like a broom, aiming for Pyo Wol.

At that moment, Pyo Wol lifted his foot to block the spear shaft.

Although the spear shaft was emitting intense heat, it had no effect on Pyo Wol’s clothes or flesh.

“Not bad.”

Jo Jakyung twisted his spear, and the spear shaft bent like the head of a poisonous snake, aiming for Pyo Wol’s neck.

The spear Jo Jakyung held was no ordinary weapon. Made of a special material, the spear had a strong elasticity, making it as flexible as a whip.

Without knowing this characteristic, there was a high probability of being caught off guard by such unexpected attacks.

However, Pyo Wol had not let his guard down, and as the spearhead aimed for his neck, he leaned back to dodge it.

Shuuwoong!

The spear cut through the air, passing by the tip of Pyo Wol’s chin.

At that moment, Pyo Wol’s counterattack began.

Swoosh!

His ghost blade emerged.

Jo Jakyung narrowly dodged the ghost blade that burrowed at close range like a poisonous snake.

Pyo Wol aimed for the back of Jo Jakyung’s head while retrieving the ghost blade with the soul reaping thread .

“No way.”

Ddadadadang!

Jo Jakyung fiercely rotated the spear along with a loud yell. The ghost blade bounced off the spear shaft.

Jo Jakyung continuously unfolded the ultimate moves of the Fire Dragon Spear Technique.

It was as if a single fire dragon was swimming through the sky. The enormous fire dragon opened its massive mouth, attempting to swallow Pyo Wol.

“Oh my! It’s a dragon.”

“The dragon is angry.”

People who saw the spectacle from afar fell to the ground, trembling in fear.

Although it was merely a condensed mass of formless energy, it appeared as a real dragon in the people’s eyes.

Whooosh!

The ruins of a mansion, which had been broken in the clash with the ghost king, were set on fire as the Fire Dragon swept through them.

As if the chaos wasn’t enough, a hellfire was added to the mix.

As Jo Jakyung unfolded the Fire Dragon Spear Technique, the flames grew more intense. It seemed as if it would engulf the entire Taeho lake.

Pyo Wol hid within the flames.

“How cowardly of you to hide.”

Jo Jakyung shouted in anger.

There was nothing more despicable than hiding during a fair duel between warriors.

His hostility towards Pyo Wol intensified.

Hooowooong!

A powerful energy resembling a fire dragon gathered on Jo Jakyung’s spear.

It was the Fire Dragon Spear Energy.

Jo Jakyung maintained the Fire Dragon Spear Energy while heightening his senses.

‘I’ll kill him with a single blow.’

With Jo Jakyung’s senses, he could even detect the movement of an ant in extreme chaos.

Let alone now, when he was maintaining the Fire Dragon Spear Energy, his senses were activated at an incomparably sharp level.

Jo Jakyung was confident.

No matter how stealthily Pyo Wol approached, he could immediately detect him. But soon, a perplexed expression appeared on his face.

Despite maximizing his senses, he couldn’t feel Pyo Wol’s presence at all.

He couldn’t even sense his opponent’s heat due to the surrounding flames.

It was a situation where he was caught in his own trap.

Only then did Jo Jakyung come to his senses.

He had chosen Pyo Wol as an outlet for his rising anger, but he didn’t even know Pyo Wol’s name or identity.

It was a mistake he would never have made under normal circumstances. But it was too late for regrets.

‘First, I’ll subdue him and find out his identity.’

Jo Jakyung thought as he cautiously moved.

His gaze sharply scanned the flames, but Pyo Wol was still nowhere to be seen.

‘He’s more formidable than I thought.’

There were only a few people in the martial world who could deceive his senses to this extent.

At this level, one had to master high-level stealth techniques and extraordinary assassin skills.

There weren’t many assassins in the martial world who had reached such a level.

At best, they were the Ten Blood Assassins of the Hundred Wraith Union and a recently notorious newcomer assassin, the Reaper.

‘Reaper? Could he be the Reaper?’

The idea suddenly came to him.

It was just a baseless guess, but he was certain about his conjecture.

An assassin bold enough to challenge him, one of the Eight constellations, could only be the reaper.

Jo Jakyung felt tense naturally.

If his opponent was indeed the reaper, he was in the worst possible situation.

He shouldn’t have let an assassin of that level hide; he should have finished the fight before the assassin went into hiding.

This time was not his time.

It was the time of the assassin, Pyo Wol.

He was exposed in the bright area, and the assassin, Pyo Wol, was hidden somewhere in the flames.

It was an environment overwhelmingly favorable for Pyo Wol.

However, Jo Jakyung believed in himself.

In his senses.

In the spear techniques he had honed throughout his life.

He maintained his Fire Dragon Spear and prepared for Pyo Wol’s surprise attack.

It was a battle of patience and endurance.

No matter how profound Jo Jakyung’s inner strength was, it wasn’t infinite.

He could maintain the Fire Dragon Spear to some extent right now, but he couldn’t hold it indefinitely.

Jo Jakyung closed his eyes while maintaining the Fire Dragon Spear.

With his vision blocked, his other senses become more active. akhi buy me a coffee

‘Where are you? Where are you hiding?’

The world was never absolutely quiet.

Crack! Crackle!

The fire was burning the wood.

The inferno he had created was rather confusing his senses. Still, Jo Jakyung didn’t give up and tried to detect Pyo Wol.

Finally, he was able to detect a sign that he suspected to be Pyo Wol.

Thump! Thump!

A faint sound echoed at regular intervals.

The sound was so faint that even Jo Jakyung wouldn’t have been able to detect it if he hadn’t activated his senses to the extreme.

Jo Jakyung’s mouth curled into a smile.

‘The sound of your heartbeat. You’ve hidden everything else, but you couldn’t hide the sound of your heart beating.’

Jo Jakyung’s sharp gaze turned to where the heartbeat was coming from.

He was deliberately trying to pressure his opponent. akhi buy me a coffee

Jo Jakyung imbued his gaze with his internal energy, intending to give his opponent a stronger sense of pressure. And his intention worked brilliantly.

Swish!

In the end, Pyo Wol couldn’t bear it and leaped out.

“It’s over, you bastard!”

Jo Jakyung thrust the Fire Dragon Spear towards Pyo Wol.

Boom!

The spear burst like a firecracker, piercing through Pyo Wol.

‘It’s done.’

A triumphant light appeared on Jo Jakyung’s face. However, the next moment, a look of horror appeared on his face. akhi buy me a coffee

Pyo Wol, who was hit by the Fire Dragon Spear, disappeared in an instant like mist touched by the morning sunlight.

‘An illusion?’

It was an unbelievable sight.

He had confirmed the heartbeat, and yet it was an illusion.

It was something that Jo Jakyung’s couldn’t possibly understand.

Whoosh!

At that moment, Jo Jakyung felt an intense pain in his waist.

“Ugh!” akhi buy me a coffee

He could feel a damp breath from behind.

He didn’t need to turn his head to know who the owner of the breath was.

‘Pyo Wol!’

He had ambushed Jo Jakyung.

“Argh!”

Jo Jakyung endured the pain and fiercely spun around on his left foot.

He was trying to shake off Pyo Wol who was clinging to his back. However, when he turned around, Pyo Wol was no longer visible.

It was because Pyo Wol had rotated at the same speed as him.

In his hand, he held another Ghost Blade.

Pyo Wol ruthlessly stabbed the Ghost Blade into Jo Jakyung’s waist.

At that moment, Jo Jakyung unfolded his self-defense barrier. akhi buy me a coffee

Bang!

The Ghost Blade bounced off the barrier.

Having successfully defended, Jo Jakyung went on the offensive again.

Jo Jakyung attacked Pyo Wol with the Fire Dragon Spear Technique.

He thought Pyo Wol would hide and ambush him again, but contrary to his expectations, Pyo Wol didn’t hide nor evade.

One surprise attack was enough.

He didn’t expect the same tactic to work twice against a master like Jo Jakyung.

Instead, he was satisfied that he had inflicted such a deep wound using the Demonic Shadow Exchange.

Breaking a master like Jo Jakyung in one go was almost impossible, as he was like a solid barrier.

It had to be attacked relentlessly and broken down one by one, like water falling drop by drop to make holes in a huge boulder.

The ghost blade lodged in Jo Jakyung’s waist was the starting point of the dripping water. akhi buy me a coffee

Swish!

Soul reaping threads were released from Pyo Wol’s hands.

Each Soul reaping thread attacked Jo Jakyung with a ghost blade attached.

“Using sorcery.”

Jo Jakyung fiercely rotated his spear, repelling the ghost blades and the Soul reaping threads.

Crack!

Sparks flew and waves of energy, along with metal fragments, scattered between the two.

Both Pyo Wol and Jo Jakyung fiercely attacked each other without retreating a single step.

The nine ghost blades seemed like living creatures.

Jo Jakyung had to exert all his strength to swing his spear to block the ghost blades flying with different trajectories.

‘Ugh!’

Suddenly, Jo Jakyung’s face contorted.

His internal energy flow, which had been smooth, suddenly became interrupted and impure.

The ghost blade lodged in his back was the problem.

It was interfering with his qi.

As a result, he could no longer maintain the Fire Dragon Spear Technique, and even unfolding his spear techniques became difficult.

Pyo Wol did not miss the opportunity and pressed on.

Following Black Lightning, the Jade Shatter Technique(palm technique) unfolded.

Boom!

With a loud explosion, Jo Jakyung was flung backward.

His hair was disheveled, indicating the extent of the shock he had received.

It was fortunate that he had blocked the Jade Shatter technique with his spear just before it hit, otherwise, he would have died.

“Ugh!”

Jo Jakyung groaned in frustration and staggered.

Pyo Wol reached out towards the struggling Jo Jakyung.

At that moment, a thread shot out like a snake.

Unlike the Soul reaping thread, this energy thread with a distinct shape was called the threaded serpent qi.

Jo Jakyung concentrated all his remaining energy into his spear.

At that moment, the threaded serpent qi collided with the spear.

Screech!

Jo Jakyung’s eyes widened.

His spear was shattering before his eyes.