Chapter 240: The World Doesn't Change (2)
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‘Hmm?’
Fire Ape Squad Leader Won-dong tilted his head.
‘What’s this? Did something happen?’
He felt restless for no reason.
Won-dong sighed lightly.
A Fire Ape Squad member asked.
“What is the matter, Squad Leader?”
“It’s nothing. It seems I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”
“Yes?”
Won-dong smacked his lips.
“It’s because it seems our Lord has been moving too radically lately.”
“S- Squad Leader.”
“I’m just saying. Hey! And frankly speaking, didn’t both you and I enter under the Lord to rise in the world and make a name for ourselves?”
“……That’s right.”
“But the evaluation of the one called Lord isn’t very good, is it. She even gets pushed back in rank by an incredibly young bastard, what on earth is this.”
Fire Ape Squad member smacked his lips.
“But we can’t change sides now, can we.”
“My words exactly.”
Won-dong let out a deep sigh.
“Forget it, what meaning is there in saying such things. We just have to live as we’ve been living.”
“Tsk.”
“Let’s tense up again. It wouldn’t happen, but we don’t know if something else might break out.”
“Surely not.”
“Punk, what are you going to do if something really breaks out?”
“Speaking of which, honestly he’s a bit unlucky, but isn’t the new Department Head of Information alone a master who broke through the Wall of the Martial Arts´ End? Besides, our Lord’s martial arts are also amazing.”
“That is true.”
“Decisively, the Department Head of Information is someone who came as the Manor Lord’s proxy. If we kill the Department Head of Information, from then on, the Murong Clan Head will become enemies with the strongest person discussing being the best in the world, so unless we touch him first, it’s not easy for the Murong Clan Head to act out first.”
“……Well, you’re right.”
Won-dong looked at the member with admiring eyes.
“You’re smarter than I thought?”
“Hehe, it’s just at the level of rolling some petty tricks. I heard the Murong Clan Head is such a smart person?”
“So they say.”
“Even I can think like this, so I doubt a human of the Murong Clan Head’s caliber would make a mistake.”
“Hmm, but you know.”
“Yes, Squad Leader.”
“If that gentleman, the Murong Clan Head, is in an exceptionally bad mood today or…… whatever anyway, what happens if an accident really breaks out?”
“What do you mean what happens. Then it’s really…….”
It was then.
Kwaaang!
With a streak of loud explosion, a huge door flew through the air.
The member’s eyes widened.
“……War breaks out.”
Won-dong whistled.
Piiiiiiik!
As soon as the sharp sound pierced their ears, all the Fire Ape Squad members rushed to the place where the explosion occurred.
Won-dong shouted.
“Surround the pavilion…… Heok!”
Flash!
A streak of lightning-like flash dyed his vision white.
And that was the end.
Thud!
Won-dong, whose neck was blown off, collapsed on the spot.
It was truly a merciless fast sword. Even though he couldn’t be compared to Fire Ape, Won-dong, who had achieved a realm similar to the dead Ape Leg, lost his life to a single sword strike.
That wasn’t all.
Flash! Flash!
Every time the deep blue sword light flashed, the bodies of four or five Fire Ape Squad members were split horizontally.
“W- What is it?!”
“What happened!”
“We’re in big trouble! Hurry and contact the other Twelve Earthly Branches…… Keuk!”
The sword light, as fast and intense as lightning, turned a radius of ten-odd zhang into nothingness.
It was a truly tremendous Sword Qi Art. Under the invincible sword technique flashing silently, the Fire Ape Squad was devastated in an instant.
That wasn’t all.
“Hey! Run away!”
“…….”
“Hey, you punk! Heok!”
Swoosh.
The descent of a grim reaper delivering death without any presence.
There was a terrifying assassin going back and forth in all directions like invisible smoke, stabbing daggers into the death acupoints of the Fire Ape Squad.
The only remaining Fire Ape Squad member, Fourth Ape, muttered in terror.
“W- What on earth is happening?!”
Kwaaaang!
A streak of fierce explosion rang out.
In Fourth Ape’s eyes, he saw a person flying across the air.
“Department Head of Information!”
Kung!
Yeon Ho-jeong, who crashed onto the bare ground as he was, vomited a handful of blood.
Fourth Ape quickly approached Yeon Ho-jeong.
“A- Are you alright?!”
Yeon Ho-jeong ground his teeth and shouted.
“Enemy attack! Call all the remaining Twelve Earthly Branches!”
“I receive your command!”
Fourth Ape turned his body and shouted.
“Enemy attack!”
The resounding voice was transmitted beyond a hundred zhang.
At that time, Yeon Ho-jeong’s hand blade was swung.
Slash.
Fourth Ape’s neck flew off.
“You.”
Murong Jun’s face, who appeared in front of the annihilated Fire Ape Squad at some point, was crumpled like a piece of crushed paper.
“What on earth have you done?”
“Kyaaak! Ptooey!”
“Why didn’t you kill that guy before he shouted?”
“Would anything change even if I did?”
“What?”
Papapapapang!
Four masters rushed from the empty air in all directions at a terrifying speed. And no less than three hundred warriors followed behind them.
“Department Head of Information!”
“Are you alright!”
Yeon Ho-jeong glared at Murong Jun and shouted.
“Kill the Murong Clan Head! He launched a surprise attack!”
Murong Jun’s face contorted heavily.
‘This bastard!’
It was right for things to proceed this way anyway. Because they could safely escape only by killing Yeon Ho-jeong and further bringing in all the Operations Group and disguising their deaths.
However, even in the same flow, things could become easier or more difficult depending on a trivial response.
‘Why does he keep blowing things out of proportion unnecessarily?!’
At that time, Illusion Snake approached Yeon Ho-jeong.
“Are you alright?”
“I am fine, so hurry up and kill him! He is much stronger than expected!”
Fire Ape Squad was already annihilated, and even the Department Head of Information was vomiting blood. It was not a time to question the circumstances.
Illusion Snake shouted furiously.
“Everyone, kill Murong Jun! I will escort the Department Head!”
Hwaaaak!
Azure Tiger, Water Dragon, and Mad Dog emitted killing intent in unison.
Murong Jun, who was about to swing his sword immediately, flinched for a moment.
‘These guys.’
The killing intent being spewed out was not ordinary.
The martial power of each individual was definitely below his, but as the spirit of three people poured towards him at the same time, he couldn’t ignore it at all.
Kwaaang!
Azure Tiger emitted internal energy to the extreme with a strong foot stomp.
Crack! Crackle!
Eerie sounds resounded from various joints of his body.
Azure Tiger opened his mouth wide.
Keuheoooargh!!
It was a vigorous and intense roar to the point of giving one goosebumps. It was a Sound Art twice as loud and ten times as intimidating as the roar of an actual large tiger.
Hwaaaak!
That wasn’t all. Water Dragon and Mad Dog were also emitting much more mighty energy than usual, and it wouldn’t be strange to call that power the power of peak masters who broke through the Wall of the Martial Arts´ End.
Murong Jun’s face hardened.
‘What are these guys?!’
Until they appeared, they were just guys who would be annoying to deal with, but in an instant, they changed to a level that was tricky to deal with.
A change hard to believe even when seeing it with one’s eyes; this was exactly the best card possessed by those chosen even among the Twelve Earthly Branches.
Yeon Ho-jeong shouted once again.
“The troops of the Murong Clan are hiding by the river to the west! The remaining troops handle that side!”
Murong Jun was genuinely flustered.
“You!”
Yeon Ho-jeong didn’t give Murong Jun a chance to speak.
“What are you doing! Attack immediately!”
“We obey!”
Azure Tiger, Water Dragon, and Mad Dog charged at Murong Jun in unison.
That wasn’t all. The troops under the four people moved to the west according to Yeon Ho-jeong’s order.
Countless masters were intertwined. It was no exaggeration to say it was truly a complete mess.
“Keuuuung.”
Yeon Ho-jeong gritted his teeth and grabbed his flank.
Illusion Snake asked urgently.
“Department Head of Information! Are you alright?”
“Senior, please take me and break away from the battle area for a moment. I was hit by an Infiltration Force.”
“Heok!”
If properly hit by an Infiltration Force, it is common for internal organs to be damaged, and in severe cases, one can die from a single strike.
Illusion Snake quickly put Yeon Ho-jeong on his back. Although he was a newcomer, he was someone who had directly seen Yeon Ho-jeong’s brilliance. He couldn’t let such a person die.
It was then.
Flash! Kwaaaang!
The bodies of Illusion Snake and Yeon Ho-jeong floated up.
‘Damn it!’
Looking back, the surface of the ground had sunken deeply. Looking at the location, it seemed an explosion occurred from a sword strike blown by Murong Jun.
‘Dog-like bastard.’
Unlike Illusion Snake who quickly took a posture, Yeon Ho-jeong fell to the ground weakly.
Kung!
Illusion Snake’s face turned pale.
No matter how much of a master one is, falling from a height of three zhang without any preparation is bound to injure bones. Furthermore, the Department Head of Information was even suffering from internal injuries.
“Department Head of Information!”
Illusion Snake quickly approached Yeon Ho-jeong.
It was then.
“Cough! You, come here!”
Yeon Ho-jeong vomited blood again and called a master who was heading west.
Illusion Snake hurriedly asked.
“Department Head of Information! Are you alright?”
Yeon Ho-jeong spoke with a pale face.
“At least one person must survive to report this situation to the Manor!”
“Yes!”
“But it’s not me or you.”
“Yes?”
In an instant, Yeon Ho-jeong’s hand bent like a snake.
Thwack!
‘Heok!’
Illusion Snake opened his mouth wide.
In his gradually blurring consciousness, Yeon Ho-jeong’s benevolent voice rang in his ears.
“Thank you for everything.”
Illusion Snake felt a surge of emotion.
‘Department Head of Information! Don’t……!’
Swoosh.
Illusion Snake collapsed.
“Carry Senior Illusion Snake on your back and return to the Manor! Hurry!”
“Y- Yes!”
Thus the warrior carrying Illusion Snake on his back distanced himself rapidly.
Immediately, a healthy color returned to Yeon Ho-jeong’s face.
He looked around.
‘Good.’
The life-or-death struggle between Murong Jun and three of the Twelve Earthly Branches.
And the three hundred masters heading to the far west.
‘What about that bastard who acted under Murong Jun?’
Yeon Ho-jeong was certain of Mu-yeon’s existence.
Ooooooong.
The Black Tortoise Qi rose and increased the humidity in all directions.
‘……!’
He was quite lucky. An existence moving like a ripple was caught by the Black Tortoise Qi.
Mu-yeon, who was moving at a distance of two zhang to Yeon Ho-jeong’s right, was advancing towards the west in a single breath. It was to support the troops of the Murong Clan.
Ooooooong.
The Azure Dragon Qi soared from Yeon Ho-jeong’s body.
Hwaaaaak.
The liver capacity was activated, and the forced internal injury he had suffered recovered at a rapid speed.
‘Now, there are no eyes directed at me.’
Paaaaak!
In the moment he thought a streak of flame flashed, Yeon Ho-jeong’s body moved like a ray of light.
It was a movement breaking away from the battle area in a single breath. The exploding Vermilion Bird Qi was heating his heart like crazy.
‘Murong Jun.’
Yeon Ho-jeong breaking through the empty air with movements faster than anyone else.
‘The mission is a success. If I just get out properly, that is.’
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
‘However, I can’t miss this golden opportunity. You are you, but the momentum of the Black Dragon Manor also needs to be broken once.’
Thus Yeon Ho-jeong became a streak of light and disappeared. The place he was heading to was exactly a street in Changsha where the Operations Group would be moving.
Kwaaaang!
With a heavy sword strike, Azure Tiger, Water Dragon, and Mad Dog were all bounced back.
‘This bastard.’
Murong Jun could hardly focus on the fight.
‘What on earth is he plotting?!’
It was clear that Yeon Ho-jeong had played some trick. He wanted to figure it out immediately, but the situation unfolding was too urgent.
His anger had reached its peak, but he couldn’t swing his sword at Yeon Ho-jeong either. After all, he was the commander of this mission, and safely returning all the Operations Group was his job.
‘But why on earth?!’
He could safely return to the Alliance if he just stayed still, so why on earth did he cause such a mess?!
At that time, Azure Tiger’s complexion became pale.
“Heok!”
Smack!
Mad Dog, who was bounced back again by Murong Jun’s sword strike, vomited blood and asked.
“Damn it! What is it?!”
Azure Tiger’s two eyes became heavily bloodshot.
“Murong Jun, this son of a bitch!”
He ground his teeth and shouted.
“Urgent report! The headquarters was surprise attacked by the troops from the Murong Clan side!”
“……!!”
Murong Jun’s complexion turned pale.