Chapter 357: The Start of the Cleanup (7)
Thud thud thud thud.
Yeon Wi’s eyes shone.
The sun was slowly rising from the east over there. It had already been over three shichen since Murong Jun left.
Nevertheless, Yeon Wi did not kill his extremely opened senses. Thanks to that, he was quite tired, but he could hear the sound of horse hooves ringing from far away.
Dash!
Yeon Wi rushed at a terrifying speed toward the place where the sound of horse hooves came from.
A moment later.
“Entire army halt.”
The person who stopped his horse at the front was a neatly-featured young man.
He looked like a young man, but the brilliance and wisdom dwelling in his two eyes indicated that his age was not as young as it appeared.
A Murim warrior dressed in heavy armor and riding a peerless fine horse. A military longsword, longer and wider than any sword in the Central Plains, hung at his waist.
It was the appearance of the Army Commander of the Demon-Sweeping Army, Murong Yu.
“You have arrived.”
Rustle.
Murong Yu, who got off his horse, saluted formally.
“I am Demon-Sweeping Army Commander Murong Yu. I greet the Clan Head of the Yeon Clan.”
Yeon Wi’s eyes shone.
‘I felt it before, but he is truly an outstanding figure.’
In terms of his gaze, aura, and demeanor, everything feels close to perfection.
He contrasts so much with the eldest. If one feels the aesthetics of breaking the mold from Yeon Ho-jeong, Murong Yu was someone who lived embracing the aesthetics of orthodoxy. If Yeon Ho-jeong was as hot and dangerous as a burning fire, Murong Yu was as proud and stable as calm water.
Two young men who had reached the peak of rising stars despite having completely different dispositions.
‘To think such a young man is the younger brother of Clan Head Murong, it is truly a mystery.’
He didn’t know how they could be so different despite sharing the same bloodline. Just looking at his own two sons, their temperaments are completely different, but fundamentally both of them live embracing the value of ‘uprightness’.
In that sense, it was doubtful if Murong Jun and Murong Yu really even shared the same blood.
“You suffered a lot coming all this way.”
“No, I did not.”
“I heard the sound of the Demon-Sweeping Army’s horse hooves from the garrison far away. I thought you might be discovered by the enemies if you moved any further, so I came to find you first.”
“I see. I also thought about stopping around here.”
“Right.”
“But…”
Murong Yu looked around.
“By any chance, where did Honored Guest Murong go? I don’t feel his presence.”
If he heard the sound of horse hooves, Murong Jun would have come finding him before Yeon Wi. But since he couldn’t be seen, it was understandable to wonder.
Yeon Wi spoke with a serious face.
“I have something separate to tell you regarding that matter.”
He relayed to Murong Yu the operation with Murong Jun.
Murong Yu’s eyes wavered.
“…Will that truly be possible?”
“Honestly, I’m not certain. But Clan Head Murong said it’s fully possible. We are in a position where we have to ask for a favor, but thinking differently, they are an archenemy that Lord Yeo must somehow defeat as well. If so, I think there is a possibility.”
“I see.”
“The problem is you guys.”
Yeon Wi asked with a somewhat worried voice.
“It’s an operation thought up on the spot, but… have you by any chance trained separately for this kind of tactic?”
It was a question thrown without great expectations.
Surprisingly, Murong Yu nodded his head.
“Of course.”
“Hah! Really?”
“Yes. The Demon-Sweeping Army is different from the Evil-Annihilating Army. If the Evil-Annihilating Army is suited for special attacks, our Demon-Sweeping Army excels in all-out war.”
“Then isn’t it more strange? If the Evil-Annihilating Army had done such training, maybe…”
“No. The Demon-Sweeping Army always fights head-on at any time. We must push through with overwhelming power and combat strength, but sometimes our force can drastically decrease due to the enemy’s bizarre tricks.”
“Hmm.”
“We have trained a lot in preparation for such situations. The two Honored Guests will not have to worry much.”
Yeon Wi nodded his head.
“Since you are so confident, understood. I trust you.”
“Thank you.”
Murong Yu pointed at the Demon-Sweeping Army with his hand.
“I will briefly hand down the operation and return.”
“Please do.”
Murong Yu, who gave a short nod, called in the unit leaders and handed down the operation.
Watching that sight from afar, Yeon Wi smiled without realizing it.
‘He’s a decent young man.’
A moment later, the soldiers each led their horses and scattered here and there. After feeding hay to their horses, they each rested comfortably, but the gaze looking around in all directions remained as fierce as ever.
Murong Yu approached.
“I will take charge of this place. How about we meet again when Honored Guest Murong returns?”
“Of course we should. Because we also have to keep an eye on the situation over there.”
“Yes, understood. Ah!”
“What is the matter?”
Murong Yu asked as if curious.
“What happened to Army Commander Yeon’s side? Has there been no contact yet?”
Yeon Wi shook his head.
“The battle probably ended several shichen ago.”
He did not speak of the result of that battle. Of course, he believed that Yeon Ho-jeong, Tang Kwan, and Muk Bi would have done well, but human affairs are unknown.
Seeing a sliver of anxiety appearing on Yeon Wi’s face, Murong Yu smiled and said.
“Do not worry too much. If it’s Army Commander Yeon, he would have done well enough. Let alone with the Tang Clan Head going with him, they will soon send news of victory.”
“I hope so.”
“Even if they couldn’t win, everyone will be safe. The Army Commander Yeon I saw is not a personality to linger on a losing fight, so he will surely act wisely.”
Yeon Wi smiled.
“It seems you know my son well.”
Murong Yu smiled back.
“Of course I must know him well. Only by knowing even a little more can I at least chase after Army Commander Yeon’s toes, wouldn’t I.”
“What? Haha.”
At Murong Yu’s words, Yeon Wi burst into laughter. He knew they were words meant to soothe his heart, but still, hearing such words seemed to lessen his worries considerably.
Thus, time passed.
Murong Jun, who said he would come within two days, arrived at the place where the group was only after two days and a half had passed.
Dawn, the time when the Chou hour (1-3 AM) was passing.
“I have arrived.”
Yeon Wi said calmly.
“You are later than expected.”
“I apologize. I tried to contact you in the middle, but I was so busy.”
“Hmm?”
“Let’s gather first.”
Murong Jun called Murong Yu.
“How is the Demon-Sweeping Army?”
“There will be no problem fighting a battle at any time.”
“Good.”
Yeon Wi asked.
“So, what did Lord Yeo say he would do?”
Murong Jun smiled.
“It succeeded. He will send goods here within one shichen.”
“…That is a relief.”
It was a relief, but from now on is the time to truly be tense. Because the battle will start as soon as those goods arrive.
At that time, Murong Jun brought up a significant remark.
“In any case, it seems the fight will become easier.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because the people bringing those goods will become our allies.”
“Hmm?”
Murong Jun smirked.
Yeon Wi and Murong Yu, not knowing the reason, could only tilt their heads.
* * *
Two days ago.
Tap tap tap tap!
Tang Kwan’s hidden weapon techniques were truly fear itself.
It seemed like he was just scattering them haphazardly, but people died every time. Even excluding Seok Gyeong and Mu Seong, there was no one who would be evaluated as weak even as empty words, but a person died every time.
Seok Gyeong ground his teeth.
“This dog-like thing!”
Poison, and hidden weapons.
He wasn’t careless, but honestly, he thought such petty tricks would be completely useless in front of the sacred fire.
It was a natural confidence. Any poison art or hidden weapon technique scattered in the Central Plains would not be able to exert its power in front of the Heat Yang Art of the Divine Fire Cult.
However, if the person using that poison and hidden weapons was at Tang Kwan’s level, then the story changed.
If the elders of the Tang Clan had attacked in a group, it would have been easier. But Tang Kwan was a super-expert who used poison arts that the elders couldn’t use and naturally handled hidden weapons that they couldn’t handle as if he was breathing.
The threat of death scattered by that one person was surprisingly completely blocking the advance of the Divine Fire Soldiers. Of course, if they rushed in throwing away their lives, they could somehow break through the barrier, but that was like killing dozens of hunting dogs just to catch one wolf.
No matter how important the order was, they couldn’t do that.
That was why the fight was becoming sluggish. They wanted to conquer it somehow, but they couldn’t approach Tang Kwan at all.
If so, there was only one breakthrough.
Clang!
An axe swinging widely from the bottom up to the upper right finally made Mu Seong vomit blood.
There was a limit to the qigong shield. The weight of the Crazy Dragon Axe couldn’t be blocked just by trying to block it. The accumulated shock kept triggering internal injuries.
“Hoo.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s face also became somewhat pale.
It was because he had completely opened the Yeon Clan’s Divine Elixir and was engaged in combat drawing out all the Four Gods Qi.
No matter if he had an inner core, drawing out output to this extent inevitably caused a depletion of internal energy. If he hadn’t built up his cardiovascular abilities through extreme physical training, his breathing would have slowly faltered as well.
Dash!
Seok Gyeong, who was observing Tang Kwan, suddenly charged at Yeon Ho-jeong.
Clang!
Yeon Ho-jeong vomited blood and backed away. He blocked the palm force with the spear shaft of the Crazy Dragon Axe, but the penetrating force that struck in was shaking his insides.
Woooong!
The Black Tortoise Qi soared and blocked the penetrating force of fire qi. However, even though it blocked the penetrating force, it couldn’t stop his five viscera and six bowels from shaking.
At that moment, Tang Kwan’s eyes flashed.
Whoosh! Boom!
Seok Gyeong stepped back three or four steps at the right time.
He knew that if he attacked Yeon Ho-jeong, Tang Kwan’s attack would surely follow. Because he prepared for it, he was able to offset the shock by stepping back three or four steps. If he hadn’t, he would have been poisoned by the poison palm.
Then, a surprising thing happened.
Dash!
Mu Seong, charging while spraying blood, grabbed Yeon Ho-jeong by the collar and pushed him just like that.
Seok Gyeong’s eyes widened.
“Mu Seong!”
“Haaah!”
Mu Seong swung his fists like crazy.
Boom!
Along with the explosions, Yeon Ho-jeong’s body shook.
Thwack! Crunch!
Yeon Ho-jeong also swung his limbs like crazy. His knee strikes and elbow attacks turned Mu Seong’s face into a mess.
However, both of them were attacks that couldn’t exert their proper power. Because the distance was too close, if they put more power than necessary, both of their lives could fly away.
The two, who seemed to take a breather for a moment, swung their fists like crazy at each other again.
Thwack! Smack thwack thud! Spurt!
It was a dogfight that happened out of nowhere. At Mu Seong’s appearance, which he had never seen before, Seok Gyeong couldn’t help but be flustered.
Mu Seong shouted.
“Step back! We lost the first battle!”
Seok Gyeong’s eyes shook as if there was an earthquake.
That one phrase he couldn’t dare to believe, didn’t want to believe.
Yes. Even though there was such a huge difference in military power, they couldn’t break through Yeon Ho-jeong and Tang Kwan.
It was because Yeon Ho-jeong’s martial arts were more like an iron wall than expected, and Tang Kwan’s poison and hidden weapons were terrifying beyond imagination. If it was a one-on-one duel, it would have been easier, but in this’war’ using the terrain and features, they were defeated.
“Cough! I will hold these bastards back, so hurry and retreat to the entrance! First, widen the distance from these bastards and reorganize…!”
That was when.
Thwack!
Yeon Ho-jeong, who struck Mu Seong’s arm away, grabbed his collar and slammed him directly into the ground.
“Urgh!”
It felt like his entire back that was smashed into the ground would break.
Mu Seong instinctively struck up with a kick technique.
Thwack!
Blood splattered from Yeon Ho-jeong’s mouth. Before he knew it, Yeon Ho-jeong’s face also became as bloodied as Mu Seong’s face.
However, Yeon Ho-jeong did not back down.
Crack!
“Gurgh!”
Yeon Ho-jeong, who choked Mu Seong’s neck with the spear shaft of the Crazy Dragon Axe, buried his head into his back and shouted.
“Muk Bi!!”
In an instant, Seok Gyeong saw a streak of light flashing from the top of the cliff far away.
“No!”
Boom!
A long iron arrow blew away Mu Seong’s head.
Seeing that sight, Yeon Ho-jeong smirked. He was cheering with a swollen face.
“You held back well all this time. You’re entering the battle from now on.”
Dash!
Muk Bi, soaring like a bird, nocked five iron arrows on the Red Lotus Bow.
Seok Gyeong shouted without realizing it.
“Retreat! Everyone retreat!”
Twang twang twang twang!