Chapter 234

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 234: The Invincible Sword (1)

Blood ties, regional ties, academic ties.

There are countless connections in the world, but this was a first for Yeongwoo.

‘Should I call this a different kind of bond...?’

Yeongwoo double-checked the banner held by the Chinese, unable to believe his eyes.

《Shandong Province welcomes your entry.》

– Shandong Twin Evils, Zhang Jaham

The peculiar wording of “your entry” was almost certainly referring to Yeongwoo himself.

The banner’s direction, towards the southeast coast of Shandong Province—essentially facing the Korean Peninsula across the Yellow Sea—made it clear. Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

Zhang Jaham, having identified Yeongwoo’s passage across the Yellow Sea through territorial markings, hastily prepared these banners.

Shandong Province needed to quickly convey that they had no intention of fighting against Korea’s Strongest Sword to avoid disaster.

‘Wow, this guy wasn’t just any Strongest Sword but a regional magnate, it seems?’

There were at least several hundred Shandong residents mobilized just to hold these banners along the coast.

Numerous banners were erected at regular intervals along the shoreline.

This was an unprecedented show of hospitality.

‘He really meant it when he said we should go to the next dungeon together.’

Yeongwoo reproached himself for not acknowledging Zhang Jaham’s sincerity.

And once again, he learned a valuable lesson.

Diplomacy indeed stems from military strength.

“What’s that? A banner?”

“What does it say?”

Eventually, the Strongest Swords of Incheon, seeing the banners lined up along the Shandong coast, widened their eyes in astonishment.

At first, they thought it was a battle flag, but as time passed, they realized the writing on the banner was in Korean.

“Welcome to... entry?”

“Who’s Zhang Jaham?”

“How did they know we were coming and write that in advance?”

Suspicious of the unexpected hospitality from the Chinese side, the Strongest Swords began murmuring, prompting Yeongwoo to speak in a calm tone.

“He’s an acquaintance of mine. But just in case, don’t let your guard down completely.”

Although Zhang Jaham was welcoming them with open arms, one could never be too sure of the world’s unpredictability.

‘Of course, seeing how they’ve deployed residents at the forefront, it seems like they truly are welcoming us.’

Rumble...!

Meanwhile, the tremors around Yeongjong Island grew stronger than before.

They were significantly reducing their cruising speed.

In fact, the distance to Shandong had decreased so much that they could now distinguish not only the banners but also the faces of the people holding them.

“There’s a huge crowd gathering...?”

“Is that all a welcoming party?”

It became clear that the people on the Shandong coast were waving small flags as well as holding banners.

The fact that they were holding such harmless items instead of weapons unequivocally indicated Shandong’s unconditional welcome or even surrender.

Naturally, all eyes turned to the “Strongest Sword of Korea.”

Who was this outsider whose reputation had spread across the Yellow Sea to China?

“How do the Chinese know you, sir?”

“...Explaining it all now would be too complicated. Just know that there’s an Olympics-like event where representatives from each country showcase their strength.”

Yeongwoo was referring to night dungeons, but for the Strongest Swords of Incheon who had no dungeon experience, this was difficult to grasp.

“Showcase strength...?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Does that mean our country won that Olympics?”

Yeongwoo pointed to the Shandong coast, now only about a hundred meters away.

“Well... something like that. To be precise, Zhang Jaham saw me winning.”

Rumble rumble rumble!

At last, Yeongjong Island made a violent tremor akin to an earthquake as it rapidly decelerated, causing the Chinese waving flags on the opposite shore to begin retreating.

And then.

Boom!

With an earth-splitting roar, Yeongjong Island connected with the southeastern part of Shandong Province.

“Wow, damn....”

“The land actually connected.”

“Is this really okay?”

The Strongest Swords of Incheon stared in disbelief at the junction between Yeongjong Island and Shandong.

It was surreal enough when Yeongjong Island connected to Incheon Port, but now, it had even connected to China, creating a land route.

“Uh... sir, what happens now?”

An ordinary Strongest Sword might have been enraged at Zhang Jaham for not informing him of this ambush, but Yeongwoo was different.

『Shandong’s Twin Evils』

He noticed that the title ‘Shandong Twin Evils’ was also attached to the man who introduced himself as Wu Chengjin and immediately understood the situation.

It wasn’t the whole of Shandong that was welcoming his entry.

‘Of course, since there are two Twin Evils, it makes sense.’

The two great evils representing Shandong.

One, Zhang Jaham, knew exactly who Jeong Yeongwoo was, but the other didn’t.

So, it was only natural for the other to send a very different kind of greeting.

‘That means this ambush must have been discussed with Zhang Jaham in advance.’

In the moment when Wu Chengjin’s sword was flying at him, Yeongwoo confirmed that Zhang Jaham was retreating.

Indeed, this ambush was a sort of verification process approved by Zhang Jaham.

It was an unavoidable discourtesy meant to demonstrate the strength of the demon Jeong Yeongwoo to everyone.

Slash!

In that moment, the tip of Wu Chengjin’s sword reached Yeongwoo’s bare chest, right at the position of his heart.

“......”

So, Yeongwoo...

Swoosh!

He reached out like lightning and caught Wu Chengjin’s sword between his index and middle fingers.

He was mimicking a scene he had seen in martial arts novels before.

Displaying a level of skill that could catch a sword with his fingers would ensure obedience without question in the future.

‘Judging by the senses I’ve gained, he’s a total amateur. At best, he’s only average among Seoul’s Strongest Swords.’

Yeongwoo had calculated this performance attempt and succeeded in it.

The blade that was about to pierce his chest came to a halt.

“......!”

“Huh?”

“Ah!”

Zhang Jaham, the residents of the Shandong coast, Incheon’s Strongest Swords, and even the attacker Wu Chengjin gaped in astonishment.

Catching a named swordsman’s ambush with bare fingers was an unimaginable feat.

However, shortly thereafter...

Creak!

The seemingly halted blade in Wu Chengjin’s hand twitched.

“What the...?”

“Oh...!”

There was a variable Yeongwoo hadn’t accounted for in his desire to put on a performance that would captivate everyone present.

It was the fact that...

Creak!

Some masters prioritize other attributes over sensory skills.

‘What? This isn’t right.’

The blade caught between his fingers began to move again, and before Yeongwoo could respond, it pierced his chest.

Swoosh!

NG.

It was a catastrophic mistake that should never have happened.

“Mister?”

“No, that idiot!”

“Damn, I knew this would happen.”

As the Strongest Swords of Incheon, witnessing the fall of their pillar, simultaneously drew their weapons, and even Zhang Jaham was reaching for his sword in the face of this unexpected disaster.

Clang!

At that moment, a clear metallic sound echoed from inside Yeongwoo’s chest.

“Huh?”

“What was that?”

“What...?”

The source of the metallic sound was so obvious that everyone’s eyes were fixed on Jeong Yeongwoo07’s chest, where the blade was embedded.

Even Yeongwoo, who was as surprised as anyone, quickly looked down at his chest and realized.

The sword hadn’t penetrated the ‘Heart of the Poison Dragon.’

‘Wow, what’s this?’

So, what should he do next?

Smoothly, with a now calm expression, Yeongwoo raised his head, pulled out the sword with his bare hands, and shouted.

“Did you see that? I am the invincible sword, Jeong Yeongwoo!”

[PR/N: Dugu Qiubai?]

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]