Chapter 286: Chapter 286
The moment Nong-jil’s order fell.
A black and red wave surged greatly at Mount Emei, one of the sacred grounds of Buddhism.
As the army of the Four Black Alliances, reaching two thousand people, moved in unison, it caused the onlookers to have such an illusion.
“Amitabha…”
One of the disciples of the Emei Sect pressed her trembling hands together and chanted the Buddha’s name.
It was not just her.
The eyes of everyone who was preparing to face them at the mountain gate of the Subduing Tiger Temple shook.
It was a truly overwhelming sight.
It was to the point that their breath caught for a moment.
In particular, the momentum of the Ghost Shadow Squad and Blood Shadow Squad in battle formation was exceptional.
An intense killing intent and Evil qi that made the skin sting spread rapidly, deeply encroaching upon Subduing Tiger Temple and Mount Emei at once.
Tadadat!
The army that simultaneously unleashed their lightness arts passed Nong-jil standing at the front and ran toward Subduing Tiger Temple.
Unleashing the lightness arts they had each learned, such as the Ghost Slaying Step and Blood Flow Step, they showed bizarre movements and quickly descended upon the mountain gate of the Subduing Tiger Temple.
For a moment, the sky turned pitch black.
As the army of two thousand people leaped and flew in, the sky floating in mid-air was swallowed up.
It was then.
Hwaaaak!
An intense light erupted, and those trying to cross the mountain gate were bounced back.
About fifteen people fell flat in an instant.
In front of them was Abbess So-un, posing as if she had swung the Reincarnation the Six-Ringed Staff.
“How dare you try to enter here!”
Abbess So-Un glared at the army surrounding the gate of Subduing Tiger Temple and opened her eyes wide.
And.
“This place is the Emei Sect…!”
She unleashed the Demon-Subduing Roar.
The voice, carrying the mysterious dharma power of the Great Serenity Divine Art, echoed loudly across the area, making the advance of the Four Black Alliances’ army flinch for a moment.
Dharma power surged throughout her entire body.
It was a dharma power that felt weighty in itself.
It seemed as if her surroundings were distorted by the heavy energy wave that spread opaquely.
It was an appearance that clearly showed why some called her the Mountain God of Emei.
“This is not a place where a vicious group like you can step foot in!”
Abbess So-un shouted with strength in her eyes.
Her benevolent impression, like that of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, turned into that of a Shura in an instant.
It was not just her impression.
Her presence suddenly became massive.
Emitting a firm aura as if she would face the army of the Four Black Alliances alone, she raised the Reincarnation Six-Ringed Staff in her hand high and shouted.
“Disciples of Emei, execute the evil enemies threatening our sect!”
“Sect Leader!”
“As expected of the Sect Leader of the Emei Sect.”
The disciples and martial artists of the Emei Sect, who had been intimidated by the massive army, regained their confidence.
The existence of Abbess So-un.
The fact that an absolute master was with them was a huge strength in a war between sects.
“Execute the evil enemies!”
“It is time to bring condemnation to the Unorthodox Faction!”
Those gathered at the mountain gate of the Emei Sect braced their minds and moved in perfect order.
“Disciples of Emei, deploy the Demon-Subduing Hidden Dragon Formation!”
The disciples of the Emei Sect deployed the formation according to the elders’ guidance, and.
“Disciples of Qingcheng, draw your swords!”
“Execute the Unorthodox Faction.”
The Taoists of the Qingcheng Sect and the martial artists of the Martial Alliance, who had come to help the Emei Sect, also took their starting stances with raised morale.
Meanwhile, although the army of the Four Black Alliances hesitated for a moment, they tightly gripped their respective weapons without shrinking back at all at the sight of Abbess So-un and those martial artists.
And this time, instead of the front, they scattered in all directions and rushed in as if to surround them.
It was a form matching the appearance of an inescapable net.
A moment later, they finally clashed.
The start of a large-scale fierce battle.
Chaeng! Peoeok! Kung!
“Keuk!”
“Kuk!”
All sorts of sounds erupted from all directions.
Screams, the sound of flesh being pierced or cut, the sound of swords clashing, and so on.
They were pieces of evidence indicating that life-and-death battles taking and losing lives were occurring.
And within that.
There was a place that was exceptionally quiet.
No, it seemed that even the commotion couldn’t think of intervening.
Abbess So-un and Nong-jil.
Those whose martial arts reached the sky…
The two existences of the Heaven beyond Heavens did not budge in the midst of the fierce battle where people were killing and being killed, and stared at each other.
In the fights of Jianghu, masters were important.
In particular, if they were the supreme masters of each group like Abbess So-un and Nong-jil, their importance was to the point of not needing words.
That was why the two only looked at each other.
Because the power to change the tide of this fierce battle lay in those two.
“Huu.”
Nong-jil, who had been looking at Abbess So-un for a while like that, bit on a long pipe and exhaled smoke toward the sky.
The pure white smoke could not reach the end of the sky, scattering and disappearing in the middle.
She soon tapped the long pipe downward, and then.
Hwiririk…
She spun it once in her hand and adjusted her grip.
She, who had performed a trick mixed with elegant hand movements, gripped the long pipe like a sword.
“It’s amazing dharma power.”
Nong-jil spoke and raised her eyes.
Her pupils, slit long like a snake’s, emitted a fierce light as if she had discovered prey.
“That must be the internal energy of the Great Serenity Divine Art, called the divine art of the Emei Sect, right?”
“The monster has an eye for seeing.”
Abbess So-un answered calmly.
“Huhuhu, as expected…”
Nong-jil let out a laugh.
However, her eyes were not smiling at all as she stared at Abbess So-un.
That gaze was like that of a person who had gone crazy.
“My blood is boiling. Very much…”
Soon, her hair swayed, and a dark, dull energy flowed out of her entire body, spreading like a skein of thread.
The energy was clearly visible to the eye.
It was an evil and dreadful energy.
The energy that was spreading out like that gathered densely onto the long pipe at some point.
It was in the form of wrapping around the long pipe.
The manifestation of mysterious harmony.
However, neither Nong-jil who achieved that nor Abbess So-un who was watching had any change in their expressions.
It was taken for granted to them.
Wooooo…
At that time, a ghost’s wail rang out suddenly.
In an instant, the long pipe loaded with strong energy, harboring the dark, dull energy, fell from top to bottom with a ttuk sound.
It was towards Abbess So-un.
The space between the two distorted.
Kwajijijik!
A slash loaded with intense energy.
‘She is not someone who gained infamy without any reason.’
Abbess So-woon’s eyes sank heavily.
The opponent was strong.
She was not a person who had widely spread her infamy as one of the Seven Monster Immortals or the Blood Tears Joy King for nothing.
However.
“Amitabha.”
She was also not an ordinary master.
Seueuk…
Abbess So-un lifted the Reincarnation Six-Ringed Staff.
Then, the dharma power surrounding her, the internal energy of the Great Serenity Divine Art, condensed.
The dharma power gathered like that began to permeate the six rings of the Reincarnation Six-Ringed Staff.
Flash!
It soon emitted a blindingly radiant golden glow.
Buddha’s Light Universal Illumination Extinction.
The force carrying the condensed internal energy of the Great Serenity Divine Art exploded and advanced.
It was while spilling out an enormous roar.
The rapidly shooting golden glow drew a long tail like an afterimage.
Before long, the Light Extinction that rushed in a split second collided with the slash wielded by Nong-jil.
It was a head-on collision.
Kwaaaaang!
A delayed explosion sound and shockwave erupted.
It was to the point where everything became distant.
* * *
Kugugugu…
At the vibration felt on his soles, Cheon-hwi shook off Hwawol, which had cut down a martial artist, with a hwik sound, and looked at the epicenter.
“Hmm?”
The current distance from the mountain gate was roughly two hundred zhang.
It was a considerably far distance.
Anyone else wouldn’t be able to see anything, but Cheon-hwi was seeing it as clearly as if it were right before his eyes.
The sight of Abbess So-Un fighting against a strangely dressed woman.
“It looks quite fun.”
His interest was slightly piqued.
Abbess So-un’s martial prowess went without saying, but the woman’s martial prowess was also formidable.
“So that is the martial prowess of the Emei Sect Leader and one of the Seven Monster Immortals? They have quite a bit of skill compared to what I thought, and their martial arts also seem unique.”
At that time when Cheon-hwi was revealing his interest and watching the situation at the mountain gate.
Tat!
The sound of kicking off the ground was heard.
It was the Zhejiang Ghost Hand.
Not missing the split-second moment when Cheon-hwi turned his head, he immediately began to run away.
It was an action without delay.
‘I can never beat that guy.’
His age was seventy.
As an Unorthodox Faction martial artist, surviving until now was due to his martial prowess as well, but his tact was the biggest reason.
And right now, he had an intuition.
That the guy called the Plum Blossom Divine Hero was a master they could never defeat no matter how much the guys here banded together.
“Do you think you can run away?”
And seeing the Zhejiang Ghost Hand running away while unleashing an extreme footwork, Cheon-hwi took a step at that moment.
The dirt ground was trampled, and the sword was drawn vertically.
The suddenly swung sword strike cleaved the air and closely chased after the Zhejiang Ghost Hand’s back.
It was a speed that was hard to follow even with the eyes.
“…!”
The fleeing Zhejiang Ghost Hand belatedly discovered the sword strike and tried to dodge, but.
Seugeok!
Before he could move, the sword strike cut right through his waist and passed by.
The Zhejiang Ghost Hand’s corpse tumbled on the floor without losing its running speed.
It was a gruesome sight.
Without even glancing at the corpse of the deceased Zhejiang Ghost Hand, Cheon-hwi glared at the other Unorthodox Faction martial artists who were trembling.
“Don’t even think about running away.”
It was a low voice.
However, to the Unorthodox Faction martial artists, it naturally provoked a sense of fear as if it were a voice coming from the Nine Underworlds.
“Because you’ll all die anyway.”
A sentence was handed down from Cheon-hwi’s mouth.
The Unorthodox Faction martial artists trembled at that sentence and bit their lips hard.
Then they all gripped their weapons.
Running away was impossible.
If so, there was only one thing left in the end.
“I will take the left.”
Chu Geon spoke to Ak Sim-gun.
Now that the Zhejiang Ghost Hand was dead, the only ones here who could be called masters were himself, Ak Sim-gun, and that old man with fierce eyes.
“Yin Wind Old Eccentric.”
At Chu Geon’s call, the Yin Wind Old Eccentric frowned and replied.
“What is it?”
“We have to join forces.”
“Against that monster? Are you crazy for death?”
“Then do you have another way?”
“…”
The Yin Wind Old Eccentric fell silent.
As he said, there was no way out.
Looking at the Yin Wind Old Eccentric who had shut his mouth, Chu Geon gripped his sword again and opened his mouth.
“Please take the front.”
With those words, Chu Geon pushed his Red Yang Qi to the extreme and kicked off the ground.
Kung!
Clear footprints were left underneath.
Stomping the ground so hard that even a faint vibration could be felt, he unleashed the Contracting Advance Flight.
The scenery distorted due to the high speed.
Moving to Cheon-hwi’s left, he caught a glimpse of Ak Sim-gun holding a blade on the opposite side and the Yin Wind Old Eccentric raising both hands and charging straight at Cheon-hwi.
Just one exchange.
They bet their victory on that.
Soon, the three reached right in front of Cheon-hwi and unleashed their respective signature ultimate techniques.
Red Heaven Ray Sword.
Reigning Thunderbolt.
Yin Wind Returning Spring Wave.
Their attacks, executed simultaneously, rushed in towards Cheon-hwi from three directions.
Evil energy surged from all directions.
That was not all.
Kkigigigigik…
From the blade swung from the right, an unpleasant sound rang out, tormenting the ears.
It was from a small hole pierced in the blade’s body.
And what about Chu Geon?
His sword, loaded with Red Yang Qi, emitted fierce sword energy, tearing the air apart.
Lastly, as the Yin Wind Old Eccentric, who was facing him head-on, unleashed his all-out strike, the Yin Wind Returning Spring Wave calling a chilling wind.
It was a dreadful pincer attack that would leave even a master of the Limitless Realm unable to gather their bones.
However, the opponent was bad.
From the entire body of Cheon-hwi, who was looking at the three rushing in simultaneously, an elegant red light emerged.
It was the harmony of the Plum Blossom Divine Art.
Soon, a mysterious sight as if twilight had descended unfolded around Cheon-hwi.
Hwirik…
At the same time, Cheon-hwi’s sleeve swayed.
Beneath that sleeve, Hwawol containing the twilight was lifted, and waves of red qi fluctuated.
The world became dyed in the waves of qi.
The pure white snow and the blazing sunlight were enveloped in red light, and were soon sucked in.
What the red light painted like that was a single streak of trajectory.
Before long, everything was absorbed into the trajectory, and then.
Seugeok!
A single sound rang out in the silence.
A small sound of something being cut.
However, to those present here, it was heard louder than any sound.
And a moment later.
Pusyuk…
Blood sprouted from three places.
The three people who had rushed at Cheon-hwi collapsed forward, suffering deep wounds on their chests.
There were no screams.
Only the sound of them collapsing powerlessly rang out belatedly.
Without even glancing at those who had fallen, Cheon-hwi turned his head to the side.
The remaining remnants were trembling.
Even in the midst of that, some were stealthily inching backwards, in a posture that seemed as if they were preparing to run away at any time.
“I told you not to think about running away just earlier, but you don’t understand my words.”
Cheon-hwi immediately unleashed the Dark Fragrance Float.
His figure flickered.
It was because Cheon-hwi’s movements appeared disconnected due to the overly fast speed.
A footwork realm that couldn’t even be followed with the eyes.
Soon, the image of Cheon-hwi swinging his sword around them only remained as an afterimage.
While leaving blood behind everywhere belatedly.
A moment later.
Teolsseok, teolsseok.
Puddles of blood slowly filled up everywhere on the dirt ground, and gradually, only silence accumulated.
Cheon-hwi looked at the place he had wiped out, then turned his head and looked at the Extermination Unit.
Their situation was also mostly sorted out.
Corpses of Unorthodox Faction martial artists were piled up around the Extermination Unit.
The blood-wind cloaks and sleeves of those who unleashed fists and palms had turned dark red due to blood, and blood dripped from the tips of swords and blades, giving off the scent of blood.
As if out of breath, the members of the Extermination Unit all heaved their chests heavily.
Although they had faced a group of ragtag members from minor sects and gangs, not a major squad of the army, they were not necessarily weak.
Some were difficult to deal with because they were seasoned veterans in Jianghu, and some seemed even stronger than the major squads, the Ghost Shadow Squad and Blood Shadow Squad.
Was it because of that?
The Extermination Unit, who had dealt with them, couldn’t be said to be in a very good condition either.
Some had their blood-wind cloaks torn to shreds, and some had their wounds exposed.
It was the trace of a fierce bloody battle.
‘Still, there are no internal injuries…’
Cheon-hwi was satisfied with the current situation.
There were no internal injuries.
That alone was a great achievement.
And what he liked the most was.
‘They’ll be able to show their proper skills a bit now.’
The fact that the expressions of the Extermination Unit members were distinctly different from when they first went to do a mission.
The momentum exuding from their entire bodies was sharply honed, and they were in a completely excited state.
The battle where lives came and went amidst the stench of blood must have put their nerves on edge and raised their five senses to the extreme.
‘Is it time to run wild now?’
Cheon-hwi, who smiled broadly, shook off Hwawol.
The blood stained on the sword body splashed into the puddle of blood beneath his feet, scattering the scent of blood everywhere.
At that action, the Extermination Unit, who had been catching their breath, turned their gazes to Cheon-hwi and focused.
“It seems they’ve started fighting at the mountain gate now, so it’s become a bit easier. They won’t be able to manage all that many personnel.”
Cheon-hwi spoke in a calm tone.
“Let’s go right away.”
At that order, the Extermination Unit members, who were catching their breath, nodded at the same time.
It was while exuding a sharp momentum.
The mission of the Extermination Unit was only just beginning.
Looking at them with determined faces, Cheon-hwi stared at the massive army and murmured.
“To defeat those guys individually.”