Star Instructor, Master Baek-Chapter 470: Do You Seriously Think I'd Leave You To Die?

PSSSHHH...
All grass touched by the Asura Blood Heaven Blade's materialized killing intent disintegrated bit by bit. Gravel scattered into the air like sand.
The Third Apostle's overwhelming bloodlust further devastated the area, which had already been ravaged by the battle between peerless masters. Mount Heng, renowned for its exceptional scenery even among the Five Great Mountains, was now a desolate wasteland.
Baek Suryong watched as the Third Apostle, who had perfected the Asura Blood Heaven Blade, approached him. Even among martial masters, few could meet those terrifying eyes.
Number Three...
He gritted his teeth and forced himself to face yet another former trainee of his. The terrifying killing intent seemed to slice his entire body, but the true pain he felt wasn't physical.
"How... dare you...!" The Third Apostle spat viciously, as if he wanted to shred his foes to pieces.
Even so, he didn't attack right away. The Fourth Apostle was still in pain, and he couldn't turn a blind eye to him.
"UUUUUGH...!"
Honestly, he was bewildered. For decades, the Fourth Apostle hadn't let out a single groan, no matter how grievous the injury he suffered, but now he was pulling out his hair in agony.
There were only four of them. Four beings who shared the same past and existed for the same purpose. They were the only ones who understood each other, who shared a destiny.
In other words, they were the closest of friends.
He asked cautiously, "...Are you alright, Number Four?"
"AAAAAAH!"
He had come here thinking that no matter how many enemies attacked together, the Fourth Apostle wouldn't be easily defeated, but he was wrong. He should have killed the Black Snake Alliance Chairman quickly and come back. Had he done so, Number Four might not have ended up in this state.
He ground his teeth at his complacency. After observing his friend closely, he discovered the deep wound on his chest, near the heart.
He whipped around and glared at Baek Suryong. "I'll kill you. Then, I'll track down your family, friends, and anyone else remotely related to you and kill them all. I'll make them die painfully, cursing your name."
His eyes glazed over with insanity as his rage and killing intent boiled over. At the same time, wave after wave of energy clawed at the surroundings, growing more violent with each passing moment.
"You..." Baek Suryong croaked as he recognized the Third Apostle, who was currently being consumed by the Asura Blood Heaven Blade's killing intent.
His body was a wreck. Not only had a sword pierced his body, he also accumulated many more serious injuries. Fighting any further was impossible, but he had no intention of fleeing.
There was just one thing he had to confirm before they fought.
"...Were you the one behind the Hyonwon Clan Massacre?"
Perhaps because he had lost too much blood, Hyonwon Kang's face seemed to overlap with the Third Apostle's.
They're children who learned the same martial arts. Why did their fates have to intertwine so tragically?
The Third Apostle sneered nonchalantly. "Yes, I massacred the Hyonwon Clan."
"......" Baek Suryong's eyes dulled, losing their vitality.
The Third Apostle strode toward him and raised his blade.
"Stop!" the Viridian Scholar shouted, rushing back to the battlefield.
After being carried down the mountain by the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom and resting safely for a while, he regained consciousness. Behind him, Jang Geol and Gu Gil also came into view.
"...Why are you guys here?" Baek Suryong muttered blankly, surprised. He could see that the Viridian Scholar's dislocated right shoulder was firmly secured with a splint and bandages.
Nevertheless, the Viridian Scholar stood next to Baek Suryong and stated firmly, "How could this Junior Brother sleep peacefully when his Senior Brother is fighting so hard?"
Jang Geol and Gu Gil nodded in support.
Baek Suryong was stunned speechless. He thought these two bandits had fled when the fight with the Fourth Apostle began, but it seemed they hadn't gone far.
"...Hyung-nim! We'll fight too!"
"...Bastard! You'll have to step over our dead bodies if you want to hurt our hyungs!"
Although the pair's legs trembled in fear, they didn't back down. Rather, they screamed at the top of their lungs, resisting the suffocating killing intent with all their might.
Furthermore, the Viridian Forest bandits weren't the only ones who returned to the thick of things.
"...I'll lend a hand too," Blue Eyed Freak added determinedly through clenched teeth, forcefully joining the battle even though his face was pale as a corpse and his breathing rough and uneven.
"Grrr...!" Silver Tiger showed up as well. He had been thumping his feet while watching Baek Suryong's fight from afar. Unable to stay still any longer, he finally ran over. Crouching low, he stood ready to bite into the Third Apostle's neck at any moment.
"All you bugs..."
The Third Apostle glared at the sudden increase in enemies and unleashed his killing intent.
WHOOSH!
The sky was bathed in red as an Asura of the Blood Heaven roared from behind the Third Apostle, brandishing a bloodied dao.
"I'll kill you all!"
Baek Suryong stepped forward and asked everyone for help. "You guys, avoid facing him directly and focus on keeping him busy."
Now wasn't the time to be stubborn about fighting alone. He was worried about the Black Snake Alliance Chairman, but he knew he had to put aside his other concerns for the moment.
Gripping the hilt of the Divine Azure Dragon Sword tightly, he said to her, [Can you use sorcery one more time? I want to break the spell on Number Three's heart, too.]
[...You wouldn't listen even if I said it's impossible anyway,] she sighed.
Baek Suryong smiled bitterly. [I'll try not to get a hole in my body this time.]
He had a slight advantage. The Third Apostle still didn't know who he was. He had been too busy fighting the Black Snake Alliance Chairman to pay attention to this side, and they hadn't clashed head-on yet.
He wouldn't even imagine that I know the Heaven Defying Divine Art. Moreover, Number Three is clearly exhausted. If I can take advantage of that opening...
While maintaining his outward composure, he calculated various strategies until his head felt hot.
The tension spiked to the point where a sudden attack by either side wouldn't have been surprising.
RUMBLE!
Suddenly, the ground quaked violently.
Everyone turned to look at the Fourth Apostle, the cause of the commotion. The man, who had been lying prostrate, was now hoisting himself up.
Despite his bloodshot eyes and heaving shoulders from labored breathing, he still struck fear into the hearts of those who remembered his terrifying might.
It was hard enough with one, but now we have to deal with two apostles at the same time?
Despair took root in everyone's minds.
At that moment, however, the Fourth Apostle used sign language to communicate with the Third Apostle.
"We retreat."
The Third Apostle's eyes widened. "...What?"
"If we fight any longer, we'll also be in danger."
"Bullshit. I can wipe them all out by myself."
The Fourth Apostle shook his head stiffly and moved his hands busily.
"What if one of us dies here? It'll be a massive loss to our Cult. Please prioritize our great cause over some petty deaths, Number Three."
Everyone watched the gesturing apostle anxiously. Unfortunately, the Third Apostle was the only person here who knew sign language.
"...Did you kill the Black Snake Alliance Chairman?"
The Third Apostle hesitated for a moment before nodding. He hadn't confirmed the death, but he felt the man was as good as dead.
"Since we achieved the most important goal, there's no need to risk our lives for nothing. We retreat."
The Fourth Apostle rarely expressed his opinions, but once he started being stubborn, no one could bend his will.
"...Understood." Sighing, the Third Apostle withdrew the Asura Blood Heaven Blade. The sky that had been dyed red regained its original color.
He glared at the surrounding martial artists before turning toward Baek Suryong and hissing, "You. I hope we meet again."
Baek Suryong fiddled with his sword hilt for a moment before nodding. For now, letting the duo go was the best course of action. "...Right. That's a promise."
The apostles turned around and kicked off the ground simultaneously. No one dared to get in their way.
BOOM!
Baek Suryong stared distantly at his former trainees' backs as they turned into tiny specks and disappeared. "...He was hesitating," he mumbled to himself.
He clearly remembered Number Four gazing at him one last time before they left. Unlike before, when he seemed completely emotionless, his feelings were noticeably more intense.
I thought he would want to kill me, so why wasn't there any killing intent in those eyes?
Well, he had no way of verifying it right now. Perhaps Number Four was just staging a strategic retreat.
In all likelihood, his was a vain hope. Those children could never forgive him.
He just... prayed that the sorcery engraved by the Blood Demon had disappeared.
With that, all the fighting ended.
THUD! THUD!
Jang Geol and Gu Gil collapsed on the ground, their legs buckling beneath them. The Viridian Scholar sighed deeply. The Blue Eyed Freak sat down cross-legged and resumed his recovery meditation.
"Nyaaah!" Silver Tiger ran over and licked Baek Suryong's wounds, his large eyes brimming with worry.
Baek Suryong petted the furball's head. "...I'm okay," he whispered, although he didn't look okay at all. Rather, he was the most severely injured person present.
Still, he looked for the missing person.
"Where's the Black Snake Alliance Chairman?"
"...You came here sooner than I thought."
The Black Snake Alliance Chairman leaned comfortably against a tree, basking lazily in the warm sunshine.
The fight that started at midday lasted until the afternoon. Now, he watched as the mountain ridges were slowly dyed orange by the sunset.
"Chairman," Baek Suryong greeted as he approached.
The Black Snake Alliance Chairman frowned. "Don't block the sunset. It's the last scenery I'll see, and I'd hate for a naked man to ruin it."
"...Who says I'm naked? My clothes just got a little torn while fighting."
"That guy must've been quite something too. Stil, you managed to survive."
"He withdrew on his own. I was lucky."
"Luck is also a skill."
Baek Suryong looked at the gaping wound where the Black Snake Alliance Chairman's qi center should be. The inner qi he had built up his entire life must have all scattered. He understood that devastating sense of loss better than anyone, so he didn't bother trying to console the man.
"Are there any other fatal injuries besides that one?" he asked.
"I did first aid," the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom replied weakly, squeezing the Black Snake Alliance Chairman's hand tightly. "I sealed his acupoints and stopped the bleeding... but his inner injuries are too grave."
"......" Baek Suryong fell silent, feeling shaken. He'd noticed the dried tear marks at the corners of her eyes.
Surprisingly, the Black Snake Alliance Chairman was the calmest person present.
"Hmm... I've been thinking." He stroked Crimson Moon, which was resting on his lap, one last time before offering it to Baek Suryong. "You should take this."
"...What? Why?"
"I promised you something before, didn't I? I said that if you ever visited the Black Snake Alliance, I would give you a good blade. Of all the daos I own, this one is the best."
Baek Suryong shook his head. "That's too precious for me."
"At first, I considered leaving it to one of my disciples, but none of them are outstanding enough that the others would accept my choice peacefully. Hell, they'd probably start fighting amongst themselves just to claim Crimson Moon."
"......"
"So you take it. I can't bear to see an unqualified guy swinging it even in death, so you keep it... and if you meet a suitable bladesman, you can pass it on."
WOOONG!
Crimson Moon cried, unwilling to leave its master. The Black Snake Alliance Chairman gently stroked his trusted companion, then placed it in Baek Suryong's hands.
Staring blankly at Crimson Moon, Baek Suryong let out a long sigh. "Do you seriously think I'd leave you to die?"
He put Crimson Moon down next to him and sat cross-legged.
The Black Snake Alliance Chairman chuckled. "It's useless."
The Soul Hunting Bow Phantom had tried everything to save him, but the Asura Blood Heaven Blade's energy was relentlessly ravaging his insides. If handled carelessly, it would wreak even more havoc and speed up his demise.
However, one thing had slipped his mind—Like the Third Apostle, Baek Suryong had learned the Asura Blood Heaven Blade. Moreover, his understanding of martial arts theory was far superior to his student.
"I can't fix a broken qi center, but I can save your life."
"...Don't bother trying, it's pointless."
"We'll see if it's pointless or not. Soul Hunting Bow Phantom, will you help me?"
"...Can you really save him?" The Soul Hunting Bow Phantom's eyes, previously resigned and lifeless, shook with renewed vigor.
Baek Suryong nodded assertively. "If you lend me a hand, I'm confident I can pull it off."
The Soul Hunting Bow Phantom turned the Black Snake Alliance Chairman around, and Baek Suryong placed his palm on the man's back.
"Mmm..." The Black Snake Alliance Chairman frowned. He still thought Baek was doing something meaningless, and he didn't want to give the Bow Phantom false hope. "...Should just let me go comfortably on my last journey..."
"Shut up and bear with it. This is going to hurt quite a bit."
Baek Suryong began to extract the energy of the Asura Blood Heaven Blade from the Black Snake Alliance Chairman's body.