Chapter 247: Chapter 247
Arriving near the battlefield, Cheon-hwi carefully put down the Sect Leader he had been carrying on his back.
Then, he calmly observed the situation of the battle.
Disciples of the Mount Hua Sect and the Green Forest bandits were fighting a bloody battle all around.
“Shall we see the results of your training?”
Cheon-hwi, who was observing the battle, looked towards the Flying Sword Squad, which was unfolding the Flying Sword Formation.
Thrust!
Jeok-geom’s sword pierced the shoulder of a Green Forest bandit who had been targeting him from behind, scattering blood.
“Keuk! How did you block the surprise attack…?”
“It is because I felt a sense of incongruity.”
Jeok-geom calmly replied to the question that the flustered Green Forest bandit blurted out unknowingly.
“…A sense of incongruity?”
Seeing him frown as if he couldn’t understand, Jeok-geom wore a smile.
Slash…
At the same time, he cleanly slashed the chest of the man trying to retreat and stepped back.
The same spot as before.
And that spot was exactly the center of the Flying Sword Formation that was currently unfolding.
‘It feels as if my senses have spread all around.’
Jeok-geom felt as if he was floating.
He could feel everything around him.
Emotions, momentum, even the five senses.
And it wasn’t just him feeling it.
Unbeknownst to them, the exact same smile as Jeok-geom’s hung on the lips of all the Flying Sword Squad members.
“Oho, it seems they trained quite hard. In this state, there’s nothing more to touch upon regarding the Flying Sword Formation.”
Spitting out high praise, Cheon-hwi naturally shifted his gaze towards the Martial Bloom Squad.
Clang! Clang!
The Martial Bloom Squad, too, was fighting against the Green Forest bandits without being pushed back.
“…Please move the injured to the back.”
Seol Ran’s eyes deepened limitlessly.
The fishy smell of blood continuously tickled her nose, and the sound of groans ceaselessly dug into her ears.
Some must have suffered fatal wounds.
“Everyone must survive.”
At Seol Ran’s words, the Martial Bloom Squad members nodded and protected the injured.
Soon, Seol Ran stepped on the origin of Yin and Yang, and the rest of the squad members occupied the Four Directions and the Eight Trigrams.
Martial Bloom Sword Formation.
By the cooperative formation made of supreme defensive arrays, the area instantly turned into something like an iron wall.
“We prioritize saving others.”
At Seol Ran’s words, the Martial Bloom Squad members gripped their swords and answered in loud voices.
“Understood!”
It’s a bit regrettable, but at this level.
Cheon-hwi nodded his head.
Although there were still some regrettable parts, it was still fine at this level.
‘Because we can train later.’
He continued to turn his gaze to the side.
While the Martial Bloom Squad prioritized protecting the injured, the Splendid Spirit Squad right next to them was running rampant against the Green Forest bandits.
“Push them!”
Headed by Cheon Hyang, the Splendid Spirit Squad was relentlessly pushing the Green Forest bandits.
‘Compared to the Black Shadow Squad, this level is…!’
‘Thinking about that time, this is nothing!’
Was it thanks to fighting a fierce battle risking death against the Black Shadow Squad, the elites of the Evil Black Lotus?
They gained the upper hand against the Green Forest bandits.
Neither assassins nor surprise attacks bothered them.
Slash!
Cheon Hyang’s sword, having unfolded the Jade Ring Wondrous Step, cleanly slashed the chest of a rushing Green Forest bandit.
A flashy and fierce sword.
Witnessing her Plum Blossom Sword Art, which exactly showcased the Mount Hua Sect’s sword art known to the world, the Green Forest bandits naturally backed away.
“D-Damn it!”
“Why are they so strong?!”
The Green Forest bandits were visibly flustered by the rapidly changing situation.
Their expressions, which had been relaxed just a moment ago, had already changed to anxious ones.
It was because they were overwhelmed by the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect, who began to ride their momentum to the fullest with the participation of Hyeon-yang and Hyeon Heo, along with the active performance of the Three Martial Squads.
“Now they are making good use of each cooperative formation’s strengths. Their bodies also seem considerably lighter than before, so there are results from their training.”
Cheon-hwi muttered while touching his chin.
“But their individual skills are still lacking.”
Cheon-hwi, who was looking somewhere, stealthily grabbed a small stone and flicked it with his index finger.
Clang!
The stone that flew in an instant struck away the blade body of a Green Forest bandit who was targeting the back of a Martial Bloom Squad member.
“What is this…!”
The Green Forest bandit trembled at the shock that suddenly struck his blade body.
An opening created in an instant.
The nearby Martial Bloom Squad member did not miss the opening and cut down the Green Forest bandit.
‘Why all of a sudden…’
The Martial Bloom Squad member was flustered that the Green Forest bandit suddenly stopped his attack, but soon shook off the thought.
Now was not the time to care about such things.
Around the time the Martial Bloom Squad member focused on the Green Forest bandits again.
Grab…
Cheon-hwi picked up a pile of stones. And while observing the battle situation with narrowed eyes, he continuously shot out the stones.
“No matter if it’s a real battle, not even one person should die.”
* * *
“…Is it decided?”
Hyeon-yang stealthily looked back.
The place where explosions and shockwaves had been erupting as if heaven and earth were tearing apart just a moment ago had already become quiet.
That meant one thing.
That someone had fallen.
He looked at that place, but there was no way to know who the fallen person was.
Because the distance was considerable, and it was only quiet.
And following him, several people around turned their heads and glanced, but there was no way for them to know the result either.
‘Who is the one that fell?’
Anxiety and hope began to sprout at the same time.
The two conflicting emotions mixed together and were lighting a fire in his chest.
Would it be the Green Forest Great Emperor, or Cheon-hwi.
Or would it be both of them.
The result of the war would be decided depending on who the victor of that decisive battle was.
It was then.
Swoosh!
The sound of cutting through the wind was heard.
Hastily turning his head, he discovered something approaching while tearing the air.
‘A chain-sickle blade?!’
Surprised, Hyeon-yang urgently swung his sword and barely struck away the chain-sickle blade.
Clang!
The chain-sickle blade, which was roaming through the air with a swaying chain, was soon pulled and returned to the hands of the Jingmen Slaying Ghost.
“It’s a pity. It was a chance to cut off your neck right away.”
The eyes of the Jingmen Slaying Ghost, who lightly caught the chain-sickle blade, gleamed with killing intent.
Right now, unlike the others, he did not look at the place where the fierce battle was happening.
No, he didn’t even seem to have the thought of looking.
It was because he had a firm belief, a trust in the Green Forest Great Emperor.
‘There’s no way the General Stronghold Leader would lose.’
The Green Forest Great Emperor was a god and an absolute being to him.
Such a thing as defeat could not exist.
The Jingmen Slaying Ghost swung his chain-sickle blade round and round.
‘To have doubts about Cheon-hwi.’
Seeing the Jingmen Slaying Ghost’s unswerving eyes, Hyeon-yang clicked his tongue inwardly and gripped the sword in his left hand even tighter.
That guy believes in the Green Forest Great Emperor so firmly, yet doesn’t he himself look like someone who couldn’t believe in Cheon-hwi?
Hyeon-yang braced his mind and gathered his inner qi. The Plum Blossom Qi Art, which had been with him continuously since he entered Mount Hua, reacted as if it had only been waiting for this moment.
“Come.”
Along with his words, he raised his left-hand sword.
The sword tip held straight accurately pointed at the Jingmen Slaying Ghost who was spinning his chain-sickle blade.
“You must be crazy to want to die.”
The muttering Jingmen Slaying Ghost let go of the chain-sickle blade he had been spinning round and round in an instant.
Chwa-reu-reuk…
The chain-sickle blade shot out like an arrow.
Hyeon-yang swung his sword towards the chain-sickle blade flying while raising a cloud of dust.
The sword path drawn in a straight line.
However, unlike a normal sword path, due to the nature of a left-hand sword, it was drawn from right to left.
The Jingmen Slaying Ghost’s eyebrows twitched as he faced Hyeon-yang’s sword.
‘Something is strange…’
Left and right were merely reversed.
However, the footwork stepped on, the starting posture, everything was reversed left and right, so a bizarre sense of incongruity dominated his eyes.
But at that moment.
Seu-euk…
The sword drawn in a straight line seemed to delicately shake, and then it began to bloom plum blossoms.
Plum blossoms bloomed following it as if the sword body was a tree trunk.
It was a truly beautiful sight.
Enough for anyone’s gaze to be stolen.
The Jingmen Slaying Ghost gathered his inner qi.
Seeing the plum blossoms blooming one by one, the Jingmen Slaying Ghost loaded his inner qi into the iron chain.
Pa-ang!
The iron chain that was wriggling like a snake in an instant stood upright, and sharp blade qi soared from the chain-sickle blade.
Intense gangqi that was unparalleled in its ferocity.
The chain-sickle blade curved like a sickle drew a large trajectory in order to bite off Hyeon-yang’s neck, just like the teeth of a tiger that discovered its prey.
Tiger Fang Slaying Blade.
The Jingmen Slaying Ghost displayed with all his might the blade art that had made him the master of Mount Jingmen.
Soon, the sword flowers and the chain-sickle blade clashed.
Ka-ga-ga-ga-gang!
A fierce explosion erupted.
The Tiger Fang Slaying Blade could not pierce the trajectory of Hyeon-yang’s extended sword and stopped just like that.
Feeling the strong true qi through the iron chain, the Jingmen Slaying Ghost sharply opened his eyes.
“…You’re quite good.”
Along with his words, he swung his hand.
The iron chain that had been stretched straight coiled up in a single breath, and soon surged like waves.
Chwa-reu-reuk…
In a flash, the trajectory of the chain-sickle blade changed chaotically and soon divided into dozens of branches.
Hyeon-yang’s eyes deepened.
Dozens of chain-sickle blades stormed fiercely like a tempest along with blade qi.
Eventually, wounds appeared on Hyeon-yang’s body.
His Taoist robe was torn to shreds, and blood flowed on the skin sparsely visible through it.
However, his eyes did not waver in the slightest.
They were solid and heavy.
‘Just a single sword.’
Staring at the surging chain-sickle blades, Hyeon-yang raised the left-hand sword grasped in his hand.
‘I will complete a single sword.’
A sharp light bloomed in his pupils.
At the same time, his sword was wrapped in wind as red plum blossoms engulfed the chain-sickle blade.
Slash! Slash!
The plum blossom petals were cut and disappeared repeatedly.
Even so, the sword continued to bloom new plum blossoms and fought against the chain-sickle blade.
‘What is this…?’
The Jingmen Slaying Ghost was momentarily flustered.
Following the Tiger Fang Slaying Blade, the Ring Chain Eighteen Kills was a sure-kill martial art.
Except for the Green Forest Great Emperor, everyone had lost their lives to the Ring Chain Eighteen Kills, yet.
‘How is he blocking it?’
Wounds were increasing all over Hyeon-yang’s body who was facing him, but he was still enduring the Ring Chain Eighteen Kills.
He couldn’t believe it at all.
If one asked if he possessed outstanding martial prowess, it was definitely not the case.
It was rather to the point of feeling inexperienced.
‘It’s a skill level that should die immediately!’
It was then when his bewilderment erupted.
Crack…
Weight was added to Hyeon-yang’s extended right foot, and the dirt ground cracked open with a jjeok sound.
And at that moment.
Hwa-a-ak!
Plum blossoms bloomed in the void following the sword, and then flowed mixed with a light wind.
Chaotic Flower Wind Flow Sword.
The fast sword and illusion sword unfolded with the left hand soon manifested as chaotic flowers and wind flow.
‘…!’
The Jingmen Slaying Ghost’s eyes widened.
It was because the iron chain was greatly shaking, escaping his control in the blowing wind.
‘How dare you escape my control…!’
The Jingmen Slaying Ghost ground his teeth and roughly shook his right forearm to wrap the iron chain around it.
Crack!
Muscles and bones burst into tears under the pressure of the constricting iron chain, but the Jingmen Slaying Ghost did not stop his movements.
Rather, loading his inner force, he swung largely towards the wind that was pressuring him.
Booooom!
The air exploded.
At the same time, Hyeon-yang, who missed his sword, bounced backwards and rolled on the ground.
“Junior Brother!”
Hyeon Heo, who was cutting down Green Forest bandits, urgently kicked off the ground and approached, supporting Hyeon-yang.
“Keu-heok.”
Hyeon-yang vomited blood.
Fortunately, as if it wasn’t a deep internal injury, clean fresh blood was soaking his Taoist robe.
On the other hand, the Jingmen Slaying Ghost was also not in a good state.
He was letting his right arm, tightly wrapped in the iron chain, hang down limply.
Drip. Drip.
Drops of blood flowed between the iron chain.
The Jingmen Slaying Ghost moved his left hand to grab the chain-sickle blade, and then untied the iron chain.
His right arm was a mess.
Blood flowed here and there, and parts that were misaligned as if bones had broken in several places caught the eye.
“Such dog-like…”
His brow furrowed.
Right now was the time when the Green Forest was facing a soaring flight.
Yet to receive such a fatal injury.
‘How dare you…!’
When he, bursting with killing intent, switched the chain-sickle blade to his left hand and was about to approach Hyeon-yang and Hyeon Heo.
“No more.”
An unfamiliar voice knocked on his ears.
Looking towards that direction, a young Taoist was slowly walking over here.
“Cheon-hwi!”
“Martial Uncle!”
“Junior Brother!”
Around the time when all the Taoists of the Mount Hua Sect welcomed Cheon-hwi revealing his appearance.
‘Could it be the General Stronghold Leader? No way…’
The Jingmen Slaying Ghost and the Green Forest bandits were engulfed in astonishment.
“W-Where is the General Stronghold Leader?”
Cheon-hwi gently put down the Sect Leader he had been carrying on his back to the side once again, and opened his mouth.
“He ran away.”
“Nonsense!”
The Jingmen Slaying Ghost shouted in anger.
The Green Forest Great Emperor he knew was a person who might die fighting, but not someone who would run away.
“Suit yourself if you don’t believe me.”
Cheon-hwi spoke nonchalantly whether he believed it or not and tried to grip his sword, then hesitated.
“Ah right, it broke.”
Cheon-hwi raised his hand that had momentarily lost its way and awkwardly scratched his head.
I can’t take out the Demonic Sword here either.
Tsk, it can’t be helped.
Cheon-hwi, who was thinking for a moment, took a step forward.
“Heup!”
The Jingmen Slaying Ghost’s eyes shook.
It was because the young Taoist who had clearly been at a distance of about ten zhang from him was standing right under his nose.
“Then goodbye.”
At the moment he thought he saw a pure white smile on his lips, his consciousness snapped off.
Cheon-hwi, who knocked out the Jingmen Slaying Ghost with just a single palm in a single breath, dusted his hands.
Then he approached the bewildered Hyeon Heo, and asked.
“Can I check the Guild Leader’s condition?”
“…Do so.”
Along with his words, Hyeon Heo carefully handed over Hyeon-yang, who he was holding in his arms, to Cheon-hwi.
Cheon-hwi immediately checked his pulse.
Reading the unstable flow of inner force flowing inside the body, Cheon-hwi nodded his head.
“It’s not that big of an internal injury.”
“…That’s a relief.”
Hyeon Heo let out a sigh of relief.
He could trust Cheon-hwi’s words.
Because it was widely known in Mount Hua that Cheon-hwi’s talent in medicine was outstanding enough for the Divine Physician to want to teach him.
Soon, Cheon-hwi raised his body.
Then, sweeping his gaze over the Green Forest bandits who were stiff like stone statues since he appeared, he lightly stretched his hands.
Crack, crack…
“Hmm, then shall we put an end to this now?”
“Heop!”
“Heup!”
The Green Forest bandits swallowed their breaths.
And at the same time, they rapidly exchanged glances, and then scattered in all directions in an instant.
It was an escape.
“Oh?”
Seeing them running away, Cheon-hwi loaded his inner qi into his foot, then heavily stamped his foot.
The ground cracked with a jjeojeok sound, and the small stones on the ground momentarily floated into the air.
And for a moment, Cheon-hwi’s hands seemed to move rapidly, and dozens of lightning flashes were shot.
Crack! Smack! Crack!
“Keu-heok!”
“Ugh!”
The Green Forest bandits tumbled on the ground while running.
Cheon-hwi smiled cheerfully looking at the Green Forest bandits who collapsed on the ground foaming at the mouth.
“Do you guys think you can run away like that guy?”