Chapter 89 : Chapter 89

Chapter 89. I’ll Show You What I Can Do (2)

The elite forces of the Hell Gate entered Hunan.

From this point on, the disciples of the Hell Gate were on high alert, yet the Sect Leader himself—the Hellfire Dragon—remained utterly calm.

Hunan was undeniably the territory of the Mugeuk Sect, and the Hell Gate was openly trespassing into another sect’s domain.

And yet, the Hellfire Dragon was unfazed.

As if he were certain that the Mugeuk Sect would never dare intervene.

In fact, the Hell Gate crossed Hunan openly and brazenly, but the Mugeuk Sect showed no reaction whatsoever.

Seeing this, the tense disciples finally relaxed, their faces lighting up.

“Did you foresee that the Mugeuk Sect wouldn’t make a move, Sect Leader?”

“Of course.”

At that, praise poured in from all sides.

“As expected of you.”

“You see a thousand li ahead while seated.”

“Truly an extraordinary insight.”

Blatant flattery.

Ordinarily, a superior should know how to filter out pleasant words like these. However—

“How could dullards like you possibly comprehend my wisdom?”

The Hellfire Dragon Yado was different.

He was the type of man who thoroughly enjoyed such exaggerated and shameless praise.

He lifted his chin even higher, basking in it.

Of course, he wasn’t stupid. He knew full well that this was nothing more than flattery meant to curry favor.

But so what?

‘This is a privilege enjoyed only by the strong.’

It was only natural for the weak to bow their heads and abase themselves to gain the favor of the strong.

And he was strong.

Once no better than a rat crawling in a sewer, he had endured bone-grinding pain and countless life-or-death gambles to finally become a man feared by all.

If so, wasn’t it only natural that he should enjoy this?

‘The world really is all about strength. Money, fame, power, women… everything in this world belongs to the strong.’

To Hellfire Dragon Yado, this wasn’t merely a belief—it was faith.

And that was precisely why he always desired even greater power.

“Once we take Yueyang, which the Geukdo Sect controls, the Hell Gate will grow far larger and stronger.”

“Indeed, Sect Leader.”

“And then we’ll strike the Mugeuk Sect and seize all of Hunan.”

“A most righteous plan.”

“And one day, we’ll force all of the Evil Path Eight Sects into submission. I will become the greatest among them.”

It sounded almost excessively bright and optimistic.

But—

“Your words are entirely correct.”

“Who but you could ascend as the supreme ruler of the Evil Path?”

“Only you can achieve this, Sect Leader.”

There wasn’t a single person in the Hell Gate who spoke honestly.

Because those who did were already dead.

Thus, the Hell Gate continued its swift advance.

The first thing to put a brake on that advance was a single arrow.

An arrow that flew straight toward the Hellfire Dragon’s glabella.

But the opponent was the Sect Leader of one of the Evil Path Eight Sects.

He caught the arrow effortlessly with his hand.

And then—

“Who goes there?”

“Ambush!”

“All units, on guard!”

The subordinates entered a defensive posture a beat too late.

Seeing this, the Hellfire Dragon frowned in displeasure.

“Tsk. Worthless fools…”

If there were any competent subordinates among them, the arrow would’ve been intercepted long before it ever reached him.

Yet not one of them had even sensed it.

‘No talent. None at all…’

Irritation filled him as he slowly stood up from his palanquin.

“Who are you?”

At that moment, a cavalry unit appeared in the distance.

‘Cavalry?’

The Hellfire Dragon furrowed his brow.

Cavalry was a combat unit rarely cultivated by martial sects.

They were expensive to maintain, and once a chaotic melee began, horses only got in the way.

To martial artists, horses were nothing more than transportation.

Or, at best, accessories to impress women.

Yet here, before his eyes, was a proper cavalry unit.

Light leather armor, spears, bows, hand axes…

Their armament was surprisingly thorough.

They looked almost like regular troops.

Then one man stepped forward.

Unlike the others, he carried only a large bow.

A middle-aged man who spoke calmly.

“Greetings. I am Janghyeon, captain of the Geukdo Sect’s Wolf Fang Unit.”

“I am Yado, Sect Leader of the Hell Gate.”

“I have long heard of the Hellfire Dragon’s reputation.”

Janghyeon first observed proper courtesy, then stated his purpose.

“Beyond this point lies Yueyang.”

“I know.”

“That land is under the Geukdo Sect’s control.”

“I know that as well.”

“Then you must also know that we will block your advance.”

“Hahahahahaha!”

The Hellfire Dragon laughed heartily.

Hands clasped behind his back, head thrown back, he laughed with unrestrained arrogance.

Then he spoke.

“You ants think you can block me?”

“Of course we do.”

“Hahaha. Admirable spirit.”

He spoke as if praising a brave child.

It was the ease of one who stood as an overwhelming superior.

After his laughter faded, he continued.

“Tell me your name again.”

“I am Janghyeon of the Geukdo Sect.”

“Your sobriquet?”

“It shames me, but my brothers call me ‘The Arrow That Does Not Avoid Death’.”

“Fitting.”

The Hellfire Dragon recalled the arrow from moments earlier.

He’d stopped it easily, but that was only because it was him.

Most first-rate fighters would’ve died without even knowing what hit them.

“I will give you a chance.”

“……”

“Abandon the Geukdo Sect and serve me. I will pass down supreme arts and make good use of you.”

Janghyeon gave a bitter smile.

‘So that’s what he wanted to say…’

Even for a Sect Leader of the Evil Path Eight Sects, this man’s arrogance was excessive.

That condescending tone—speaking as if bestowing mercy upon an enemy met on the battlefield—

‘It’s irritating.’

Janghyeon was a patient man, but even so, it left a sour taste.

And then—

“Brother, what exactly is that runt blabbering about right now?”

Not everyone present was as polite as Janghyeon.

In the first place, Janghyeon wasn’t the one leading the cavalry.

“Brother Jo Bi, watch your words.”

“Watch my words, my ass. If he wants to talk, he should at least make sense.”

Jo Bi was blunt.

“Hey. You ugly little runt over there, listen up.”

Gasps escaped from the Hell Gate disciples.

Ugly? Little runt?

That man with his hair tightly tied back had just committed two taboos at once.

And then—

“It’s not even a proposal from some peerless beauty. Why would I accept an offer from an ugly, unlucky-looking runt like you?”

He wasn’t just touching the reverse scale—he was scraping it raw.

“This old man’s giving you advice. Either piss off quietly, or put your neck out. Choose one.”

Jo Bi just kept going.

At this point, even allies were left gaping.

“What’s gotten into our captain?”

“Wasn’t he always like this?”

“He’s always had a loose mouth, but wasn’t this a bit much?”

The opponent was the Sect Leader of the Hell Gate—one of the Evil Path Eight Sects.

Normally, martial artists faced such figures with awe and fear.

However—

“What? Why are you all acting like that? I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?”

Jo Bi was different.

Originally, he’d been a military officer in the northern armies, not a martial artist of the Jianghu.

He’d heard of the Evil Path Eight Sects, sure, but—

‘At the end of the day, they’re just the bosses of bad guys.’

That was about the extent of it.

He couldn’t truly grasp the weight carried by the title of an Evil Path Sect Leader.

And—

“Kuh… kehehehe…”

It hit its mark.

“It’s been a long time. A very long time since I’ve felt such filthy anger.”

Hellfire Dragon Yado.

He was a demonic cultivator who’d risen from the bottom.

Low birth, hideous looks, a small frame.

In the past, he’d been all too familiar with scorn and humiliation.

But since becoming the Sect Leader of the Hell Gate, no one—ally or enemy—had dared treat him this way.

Not a single one.

And now, seeing someone openly disdain him like this after so long—

“I’ll tear you apart alive!”

His rage exploded.

Leaping from the palanquin, the Hellfire Dragon took to the air.

The ornate palanquin shattered into pieces from the force, its bearers collapsing.

He rose again into the sky and drew his saber.

A massive wave of flaming saber qi erupted from the blade.

Fwoooooosh!

Suspended high above, gripping the blazing saber with both hands, the Hellfire Dragon swung it powerfully at Jo Bi.

“Die!”

A gigantic crescent-shaped wave of flaming saber qi flew forth.

Spreading wide, it engulfed Jo Bi and the entire cavalry unit within its attack range.

“Tsk.”

“Evade! Scatter—”

The cavalrymen scrambled to flee.

At that moment, Jo Bi moved.

“Haa!”

Kicking hard against his horse’s flank, he shouted, and the horse surged forward without hesitation.

Animals naturally fear fire.

But a master who had fully mastered horsemanship could suppress a horse’s instincts and force it to obey commands.

The horse charged forward, and Jo Bi, riding that momentum, thrust his spear with full force.

[ Jo Family Spear Art: Shattering Formation Steel Spear ]

Man and horse as one.

In that instant, Jo Bi and his mount moved in perfect harmony, like a single living being.

Booooom!

A strike combining the charge of cavalry with human martial arts.

It completely shattered the attack the Hellfire Dragon had unleashed with full intent.

“Hahaha! That was nothing.”

Jo Bi shouted proudly after breaking the attack head-on.

Seeing Jo Bi repel the Hellfire Dragon’s blow directly, the cavalrymen were stunned.

“Was our captain always this strong?”

“He just countered the Hellfire Dragon’s attack head-on, didn’t he?”

“So he wasn’t just a guy chasing after women?”

Perhaps he’d never earned much trust from his subordinates.

And seeing Jo Bi’s defiant display, the enraged Hellfire Dragon roared,

“Capture them! Especially that insolent bastard—bring him before me alive! Tear his limbs off until his blood spills everywhere—! Huh?”

Mid-sentence, the Hellfire Dragon froze.

Because—

“Retreat!”

“All units, retreat!”

Before a real clash could even begin, the enemy chose to withdraw.

They attacked first, then retreated without engaging.

“What in the—”

The Hell Gate disciples were dumbfounded.

The enemy’s behavior was far removed from common Jianghu sense.

“Should we pursue?”

At the cautious question from a subordinate, the Hellfire Dragon replied, “No. This is far too blatant a lure.”

“You mean… a trap?”

“Do I really need to spell it out for you?”

“My apologies.”

The subordinate bowed hastily under the Hellfire Dragon’s sharp rebuke.

Clicking his tongue, the Hellfire Dragon complained, “How is it that there isn’t a single capable person under me? Not one.”

He lamented his lack of reliable subordinates.

Wary of a trap, he chose not to pursue.

But was that choice truly correct?

***

As Janghyeon rode, he glanced back and spoke.

“They’re not coming.”

Jo Bi replied, “Yeah. He looked hot-headed, too…”

In truth, the Hellfire Dragon’s prediction had been correct.

There was a trap prepared to counter a pursuit.

“Did we pull back too early? If we’d fought a bit longer, it might’ve worked.”

“No. That wouldn’t do.”

“Why not?”

At Janghyeon’s question, Jo Bi raised his arm slightly.

Then—

“Your arm…?”

“That little bastard packs a punch.”

Jo Bi gave a bitter smile.

His wrist was swollen, his grip torn open and bleeding.

Lowering his arm, he continued, “He was far more of a monster than I expected. If we fight him properly, our men will take heavy losses.”

“Hmm…”

Janghyeon nodded.

So that was why Jo Bi had ordered an early retreat.

Then Jo Bi spoke with a serious expression.

“Are all the Sect Leaders of the Evil Path Eight Sects like that?”

“In terms of sheer martial might, they say the Heavenly Demon Sect’s leader is the strongest. Below that, it’s hard to rank them definitively.”

“So at the very least, we should assume they’re all on that level.”

Jo Bi let out a sigh.

‘The Jianghu isn’t as easy as I thought.’

Hardened through brutal wars against northern barbarians, Jo Bi had honestly looked down on Jianghu battles involving a few hundred fighters at most.

Now he realized that was a mistake.

‘Even if they’re fewer in number, duels between Jianghu martial artists are far more dangerous in quality.’

Jo Bi was the type of man who accepted his mistakes the moment he recognized them.

To him, Janghyeon asked, “So what now? If the lure failed, then our mission failed too, didn’t it?”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“What do you mean?”

“The mission isn’t over yet.”

“……?”

“Brother, there are two kinds of strategies in this world.”

“Hm? If you’re going to quote the Art of War—”

“What would that old man know? He’s ancient.”

“……”

“Ahem. Anyway, broadly speaking, there are two kinds of strategies.”

“Go on.”

With his usual good-natured expression, Janghyeon gestured for him to continue.

Then Jo Bi said—

“One is a strategy where the enemy falls for it because they don’t know.”

“And the other?”

“The other is a strategy where they fall for it even though they know.”

“……”

“Just because the enemy sees through your intent doesn’t mean the strategy has failed.”

“……”

“Just watch. I’ll succeed in this operation against those rookies who don’t even know the ‘war’ in warfare.”

Jo Bi’s face was brimming with confidence as he said it.