Star Instructor, Master Baek-Chapter 465: Why...!?

"The Fourth Apostle? How many more of those monsters are there...?" the Phantom King muttered in disbelief. He took a bell from his robes and shook it.
DING! DING!
The iron-masked jiangshi let out a grim, ominous cry as their ashen muscles swelled and their fingernails elongated. "Grrr..."
"It seems I'm running into a lot of enemies today," Blue Eyed Freak mumbled as he drew two daggers, one for each hand.
A thick killing intent pouring from his piercing blue eyes. His Blue Eyes Demonic Art was originally a martial art practiced by the Blood Demon's shadow bodyguards. Now though, the boy who had been raised in anticipation of the Blood Demon's return had grown into a man who despised the Blood Cult more than anyone else.
The Viridian Scholar stared at the Fourth Apostle, stunned. "That man's martial arts... could it be...?"
Having inherited the Bandit King's martial arts and learned the Savage Tiger Fist from Baek Suryong, he could sense the similarity. Not only had the opponent learned the same type of martial art, he had fully mastered it.
Baek Suryong landed without a sound, his crimson eyes glinting in the silvery moonlight. "So this is what siding with the Cult reduced you to. Repenting like a sinner before an altar of rice bowls. Pathetic. You think remorse will cleanse your folly?”
Never before had he seen such a flawless human body. Before learning the Savage Tiger Fist, he wouldn't have even been able to estimate his opponent's abilities.
"...This hurts my pride. Five of us against one apostle?" The Soul Hunting Bow Phantom clicked her tongue in disbelief, but still, she nocked an arrow to her bowstring, her eyes tracking the Fourth Apostle's every movement.
Baek Suryong stood at the forefront of the unorthodox leaders and stared intently at his former trainee. While the others moved into formation, the Fourth Apostle remained still and simply observed them expressionlessly.
He's gotten stronger.
He could feel a transcendent presence from his former trainee. The man seemed to distort the very air around him just by standing still.
Number Four.
That boy had been a frustratingly straightforward child, and the only trainee who had never rebelled against his master. Each day, he would silently complete his assigned training, then collapse soundlessly upon returning to his room.
Although he had the lowest aptitude for martial arts of the four, Baek Suryong had predicted that patience and perseverance would one day lead him to greatness. Now, it seemed his prediction had been correct.
He's surpassed Master Maeng in his prime.
Oddly, like Number Three, his outward appearance had barely changed even though fifty years had passed. Only the youthful sparkle in his eyes was gone, replaced by a gaze as tranquil as a stone weathered by time.
Sensing everyone's fighting spirit, the Fourth Apostle's left eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.
"Be careful," Baek Suryong warned, gathering his inner qi.
With three unorthodox leaders and two of the Ten Supremes, they were a formidable force, with enough power to annihilate most sects overnight. Nevertheless, the five masters were overwhelmed with a sense of hopelessness, as if they were facing an insurmountable wall.
"Hoo..." The Fourth Apostle exhaled slowly, then moved.
In an instant, his figure vanished.
CLANG!!
Baek Suryong barely raised his sword to block the fist and was sent flying back over thirty meters. Even though he had deflected the force of the blow, his hands still throbbed with pain.
At the same time, the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom's arrow shot out like a beam of light, precisely aiming for the apostle's brow.
CRUNCH!
The Fourth Apostle caught the incoming arrow with his hand and crushed it. Any master in the murim could perform such a feat, but it was a completely different story when the archer was the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom.
"Crazy bastard," she groaned as she repeatedly drew her bowstring, unleashing streaks of lightning.
Dozens of arrows rained down upon the Fourth Apostle.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Though the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom could not imbue the arrows with her full power in such rapid succession, each arrow had enough force to shatter boulders and pierce steel plates.
Nevertheless, none of the arrows left a single scratch on the Fourth Apostle's body. A translucent, protective enhanced qi shielded his entire form.
STOMP! STOMP!
He charged at her, deflecting the arrows with his body as if they weren't worth dodging. The distance between them closed in an instant.
SWOOSH!
His fist grazed the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom's face by a hair's breadth.
She retreated with extremely swift movement arts, when a chill suddenly ran down her spine. "Watch out!"
The Blue-Eyed Freak and the Viridian Scholar simultaneously charged at the Fourth Apostle from behind. A fierce energy gathered on their weapons and palms as they prepared their ultimate techniques.
SWISH!
The Fourth Apostle spun around and swung his hand in a wide arc. The air distorted for a moment and a great vortex formed, disrupting the Viridian Scholar's and Blue Eyed Freak's attacks slightly. Seizing the opportunity, he struck at the pair with both palms.
The two grit their teeth and countered the attack.
BOOM!
With a sound like a bursting drum, the Viridian Scholar and the Blue-Eyed Freak were both sent flying backward. Their faces pale, they struggled to breathe.
Although they had deflected as much force as possible by remembering Baek Suryong's warning, they still felt as if their insides had been violently shaken. Their hands, which had made direct contact, quivered uncontrollably.
FWOOSH!
The Fourth Apostle immediately closed in on the Viridian Scholar.
For a moment, a flicker of doubt appeared in his eyes. He, too, recognized the bandit boss's martial arts and thought they were worth a closer look.
SHAW!
Before he could attack, though, a sorcerous fog spread across the battlefield, cast by the Phantom King. His senses ran wild, and illusions of ghosts began to appear.
Angry, he stomped his foot.
BOOOOM!
With that single stomp, all the impure qi was blasted away.
"What a monster..." the Phantom King gasped, but he froze when he saw a fist flying toward him, filling his field of vision. He hastily retreated and called for his jiangshi, but it was too late.
CLANG!
Fortunately, Baek Suryong intercepted the attack, deflecting it to the side. In that time, the Phantom King had retreated to a safe distance.
His eyes met the Fourth Apostle's. Gritting his teeth, he groaned, "How heavy... Just how brutally have you trained?"
"......" The Fourth Apostle stared blankly at Baek Suryong for a moment before forcefully shaking him off.
The Viridian Scholar and the Blue-Eyed Freak charged in again. The Soul Hunting Bow Phantom aimed her bow, watching for an opening, while the Phantom King shook his bell and mumbled an incantation.
Looking at the masters surrounding him, the Fourth Apostle furrowed his brow, as if acknowledging they were not easy opponents. There was not a hint of fear in his eyes, however.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
Every time he swung his fist, the atmosphere trembled. When he stomped his foot, the mountain shook. He pressured the top masters, displaying his formidable divine might.
Conversely, the more Baek Suryong received the Fourth Apostle's attacks, the more his expression darkened , and it wasn't simply because his former trainee's fists were difficult to withstand.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
A curtain of darkness blanketed the sky. Each time the pitch-black energy split open, crimson streaks of blood were revealed, resembling torn flesh. Through the gaps, two peerless masters who seemingly existed in a different world could be glimpsed.
Raging waves of qi turned Mount Heng into ruins. Ancient trees fell, and the ground was carved with marks as if clawed by a dragon.
"Were you waiting for your comrade? Are you afraid I might run away again?" the Black Snake Alliance Chairman asked.
"......" The Third Apostle did not answer.
The Black Snake Alliance Chairman snorted.
Hah! I was a fool for believing those who called me the world's strongest bladesman.
He was the owner of a clownish title created by a small jianghu where the Blood Cult had vanished, by the weak praising each other. Little wonder the Third Apostle found it laughable.
"Well, now that your comrade has arrived, I suppose I'll get to see your full power?"
The Third Apostle muttered, "...I should have killed you back then."
Ten years ago, the Black Snake Alliance Chairman was no match for him, but that was no longer the case. The Bladesman had returned as a troublesome and annoying foe.
The Black Snake Alliance Chairman burst out laughing and said, "Haha! That's the highest praise."
FWOOSH!
The Third Apostle unleashed his suppressed killing intent, instantly replacing half of the Black Snake Alliance Chairman's darkness with crimson.
ROOOOAR!
From the red sky, the Asura of the Blood Heaven roared.
The Third Apostle's mental imagery had taken astonishingly vivid form. Skin touched by that formidable killing intent stung as if cut.
"As expected...!" The Black Snake Alliance Chairman bared his teeth and grinned.
Yes, this is the true face of an apostle! An unbeatable monster, a despairing existence that doesn't feel human.
"Oh, Apostle."
To fight you again, I lived the last ten years as if they were a hundred.
"I believe it's time I take back what I left with you last time."
"...What are you talking about?"
"The title of the world's strongest bladesman. I'll take it back."
The Third Apostle's brow twitched at the arrogant declaration. His expression, indifferent to any provocation, finally distorted. "...You're dreaming a futile dream."
Nevertheless, he had to admit that the bladesman before him was not an opponent he could cut down while distracted. One of the people fighting Number Four unnerved him, but he had to focus on the greater threat before him.
"...I'll kill you."
"Of course. Try your hardest, won't you?"
The two peerless bladesmen charged, aiming for each other's lives. The trajectories of their blades intertwined fiercely, splitting the sky again and again.
"What... what kind of monster is that...?" The Phantom King stared at the Fourth Apostle, appalled. Though hidden by the jade mask, his face was stricken with terror.
The unorthodox leaders gathered here were all top masters and hegemons of their regions who could wield enhanced qi. Still, their attacks were almost completely ineffective against the Blood Cult apostle. His body was so robust that it brought to mind the legendary Vajra Body. Attacks below a certain level were completely ineffective.
Only attacks imbued with enhanced qi could deal any damage, but even those were blocked by the defensive enhanced qi that flawlessly enveloped his entire body.
"...Can defensive qi even be that sturdy?" the Viridian Scholar gasped, exhausted.
"Even attacks that penetrate the skin and damage the interior don't work at all. Just how in the world did he train his body...?" Blue Eyed Freak added.
"......" The Soul Hunting Bow Phantom could not focus properly. Her gaze occasionally shifted toward the Black Snake Alliance Chairman. Formidable shockwaves erupted one after another from that direction.
Maeng Ryonghwi remained silent, his face like an expressionless corpse. His exhaustion was palpable. He had been the one receiving the Fourth Apostle's attacks head-on and protecting the others.
The Phantom King quickly assessed his chances and made a decision. He contacted the apostle telepathically. [I'm the Phantom King, the Sect Leader of the Mount Mo Sect. Apostle, I have a proposal for you.]
He didn't feel a shred of guilt. After all, his relationship with the other leaders was based on mutual interest. If the situation changed, so too would their alliance. In that case, it was better to strike first before someone else betrayed them.
[The Mount Mo Sect will cooperate with the Blood Cult. I'll help you kill these men right now. In return, please promise me a few things. First, leave their corpses as intact as possible so that...]
The Fourth Apostle paused his attack and seemed to give a slight nod.
A sinister smile spread beneath the Phantom King's jade mask.
[I'll take that as agreement. Then let's kill the most annoying one, Maeng Ryonghwi, first.]
"......"
The Phantom King, who had been standing in the back, suddenly charged forward. It looked as if he were attacking the apostle, but he was actually aiming for Baek Suryong's back.
SWISH!
Unfortunately, Baek Suryong sensed something was wrong and quickly veered to the side.
WHOOSH!
The Phantom King's nails clawed through the empty air, barely grazing Baek Suryong's shoulder.
"Phantom King! What are you doing?" the Viridian Scholar shouted, his face enraged after witnessing the scene. Blue Eyed Freak and the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom's expressions also hardened.
"Betrayal?"
"We should've killed him sooner..."
The Phantom King turned his back to the Fourth Apostle and clicked his tongue. "Tsk. You're quick on the uptake, but now that I've changed allegiances, none of you will leave this place alive."
RING! RING!
He rang his bell, and the jiangshi protecting him scattered and charged at the unorthodox leaders.
The unorthodox leaders tensed. The jiangshi themselves were hardly a threat. The problem was the Phantom King, who was letting out a strange laugh, and the Fourth Apostle behind him. They could not gain the upper hand when it was five against one, and now the balance of power was clearly in their enemies' favor.
The Phantom King cackled, certain of his victory. "Oh, Apostle. Don't forget my contribution. For your reference, I've always been interested in the Blood Cult's sorcery..."
GRAB!
A large hand seized the Phantom King's shoulder. Startled by the immense force, he spun around. "W-Why...?!"
He did not hear an answer. No, he could not hear the answer.
The Fourth Apostle ripped him in half as if he were a piece of paper.