Novel Martial Artist Lee Gwak - chapter 354
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Episode 354
Only those at the bottom die the most (1)
The Fifth Demon scanned his surroundings.
As one of the Ten Blood Demons, he was considered one of the strongest in the Dragon Heaven Valley. Normally, it would be unthinkable for someone of his stature to personally go on a reconnaissance mission.
If anyone else had asked him to do such a thing, he would have flatly refused. But the request had come from Mok Seon-wol, whom he cherished like his own granddaughter.
The Fifth Demon couldn’t refuse her request.
The five martial artists who had accompanied him had scattered to search for the enemy’s main camp.
The Fifth Demon thought it was a futile effort.
Common sense dictated that the enemy’s main camp couldn’t possibly be so close to the Hundred Eyes Fortress. It would be far more efficient to station troops directly in the Hundred Eyes Fortress rather than setting up a separate camp elsewhere. The Fifth Demon was certain that the enemy’s main camp was located far away.
Still, he couldn’t neglect the reconnaissance mission that Mok Seon-wol had entrusted to him.
As The Fifth Demon trudged along, a strange sound suddenly reached his ears.
“Is it this way?”
“Definitely!”
“They’ve cleverly set up camp in a hidden place.”
The voices, carried by the wind, were so faint that only a master like the Fifth Demon could hear them.
The Fifth Demon’s eyebrows shot up instinctively, sensing something suspicious.
Whoosh!
He activated his qinggong and dashed toward the direction of the voices.
Despite his terrifying speed, not a single sound of footsteps or rustling clothes could be heard.
The Fifth Demon was controlling the flow of air around him with his powerful internal energy.
Among the Ten Blood Demons, he was renowned for his delicate control of internal energy. When it came to utilizing and controlling internal energy, no one could match him.
In an instant, the Fifth Demon arrived at the source of the voices.
There, he saw men armed with weapons, clearly martial artists of the Jianghu.
The Fifth Demon’s eyes narrowed.
“Oho!”
Instinctively, he was sure that they were from the Jade Heaven Alliance.
If they were from Dragon Heaven Valley, he would have recognized their faces. The only ones who would move stealthily with weapons in this area were from the Jade Heaven Alliance.
The martial artists were chatting among themselves as they walked somewhere. Though they remained vigilant, it was impossible for them to detect him at their level.
The Fifth Demon stealthily followed them without being noticed.
The martial artists continued walking, unaware that they were being followed. After a while, they arrived at a dense forest.
Just as the Fifth Demon looked around with a puzzled expression, their figures suddenly vanished from his sight. However, he wasn’t surprised.
‘An illusion array?’
His eyes sparkled.
Judging by the flow of energy, it was clear that a large-scale illusion array had been set up. An array of this magnitude likely concealed a large force.
‘What should I do?’
the Fifth Demon considered retreating at this point.
Even this much information would be enough for Mook Seon-wol to devise a countermeasure. But he wanted to gather more detailed information.
Although the illusion array was troublesome, infiltrating it silently was no problem for someone with his abilities.
He swiftly threw himself into the illusion array.
As its name suggested, the illusion array only showed illusions and posed no physical harm.
“Hah! Look at these bastards.”
The Fifth Demon let out an exclamation as he passed through the array.
The scene before him was nothing short of shocking.
A vast number of military tents were lined up. Considering that there were usually more than twenty people in each tent, there were thousands of martial artists gathered here.
The fact that such a large force had moved without being detected by the Dragon Heaven Valley was alarming.
“The forces of the Hundred Eyes Fortress were just a drop in the ocean. This was the real thing.
The Fifth Demon murmured to himself.
They had no idea that such a large force was gathering right in the front yard of Dragon Heaven Valley.
Had they attacked the Hundred Eyes Fortress without knowing this, they would have been ambushed and annihilated.
“Good thing I listened to Seon-wol. She truly has foresight.”
Now that he had confirmed the enemy’s forces, all that was left was to return and inform Mok Seon-wol.
The Fifth Demon decided it was time to retreat.
Just then.
“Tsk! I never thought that a member of the Ten Blood Demons would sneak into our camp like a rat.”
A taunting voice came from behind him.
The Fifth Demon’s eyebrows twitched.
Even though he was preoccupied with the scene before him, not noticing someone approaching from behind was a serious matter.
The Fifth Demon casually turned around to see a lion-like man standing there with his arms crossed, staring at him.
The moment the Fifth Demon saw the man, he felt a shiver run down his spine.
“Who are you?”
“Yong Cheon-myeong.”
“You’re Yong Cheon-myeong?”
His eyes flickered violently.
He never dreamed that the successor of the Jade Heaven Alliance would appear here in person.
“That’s right! I am Yong Cheon-myeong.”
“How dare you act so insolently, knowing who I am.”
“The title of Ten Blood Demons might instill fear in some, but it means nothing to me.”
“Huh!”
The Fifth Demon made a disbelieving expression.
He had met countless martial artists, but none were as arrogant as Yong Cheon-myeong.
No matter how famous Yong Cheon-myeong was, he couldn’t compare to the Ten Blood Demons who had long been at the top of the Jianghu.
His face twisted in disgust.
“Are you provoking me right now?”
“Just stating the facts.”
“Huh! Even your master, Ja Hong-cheon, wouldn’t dare speak to me like that.”
“You overestimate yourself. My master wouldn’t even notice someone like you.”
“How dare you!”
A killing intent rose on the Fifth Demon’s face.
If he were to retreat after such an insult, he would no longer have the right to call himself a master in the Jianghu.
For martial artists like him, pride was everything.
He couldn’t just walk away from such a humiliation.
Even if this was enemy territory, surrounded and isolated.
Whoosh!
The Fifth Demon gathered his energy.
Yong Cheon-myeong continued to look at the Fifth Demon with his arms crossed, completely ignoring him.
This only fueled the Fifth Demon’s anger.
“You fool!”
He charged at Yong Cheon-myeong in a rage.
Whoosh!
As the Fifth Demon rushed forward with full force, Yong Cheon-myeong muttered.
“Old man, you seem to have forgotten where you are.”
This was the Jade Heaven Alliance’s military camp.
Yong Cheon-myeong wasn’t alone.
Swish!
Long ropes shot out from all directions.
They were “dragon ropes”, made from the skin and sinews of flood dragons, renowned for their elasticity and toughness. Even the most skilled martial artists would find it difficult to cut through them with a single strike.
“Cha-haht!”
The Fifth Demon unleashed his signature technique, the “Whirlwind Palm Strike.” A tremendous force erupted, deflecting the Dragon Ropes in all directions. However, the wielders of the ropes were no ordinary martial artists
They were part of a secret force trained by Ban Cheon-sang, and they wielded the Dragon Ropes as naturally as if they were extensions of their own limbs.
He attempted to sever the ropes with a precise strike of his Whirlwind Palm Strike. While palm techniques weren’t typically the most efficient means of cutting, at his level such differences were negligible.
Just as the Fifth Demon’s focus was entirely on the ropes, a sudden movement caught his attention.
Thud!
Yong Cheon-myeong, who had been standing still like a statue, stomped the ground.
“Huh!”
By the time the Fifth Demon realised what was happening, Yong Cheon-myeong was already within striking distance.
Boom!
Yong Cheon-myeong’s strike landed squarely on the Fifth Demon.
The Fifth Demon barely managed to block the attack with his palm, but the impact was far greater than he had expected.
“Kuh! You coward…!”
He was stunned. He hadn’t expected someone of Yong Cheon-myeong’s stature to resort to a sneak attack.
But Yong Cheon-myeong only sneered in response.
“In war, there is no such thing as cowardice.”
The faint scar running across his cheek twitched slightly.
It was the scar he had received from Lee Gwak a long time ago.
Because of this single scar, he almost lost Ja Hong Cheon’s trust and fell into disgrace.
That’s when Yong Cheon Myeong realized.
There is no righteousness in war.
Only the victor is righteous, and he who wins by any means will enjoy all the glory.
Swish!
As the Fifth Demon staggered from Yong Cheon-myeong’s attack, the Dragon Ropes coiled around his limbs.
The Fifth Demon quickly gathered his internal energy and tried to break free, but the elasticity of the ropes far exceeded his expectations.
They stretched but did not break.
Realising that he had acted too hastily, he reached for a dagger hidden in his robe, intending to infuse it with energy and cut through the ropes.
But Yong Cheon-myeong didn’t give him the chance.
Boom!
“Kuhuk!”
This time Yong Cheon-myeong’s strike landed squarely on his abdomen.
Bound by the ropes, the Fifth Demon couldn’t even fight back and vomited blood.
It was a strike imbued with the essence of Yong Cheon-myeong’s signature technique, the ‘Chaotic Light Fist’.
With that single blow, the Fifth Demon’s meridians were severed, and his internal organs were ruptured.
Blood poured out from his seven orifices.
Yong Cheon-myeong looked down at him with an indifferent expression.
The Fifth Demon barely managed to lift his head and look at Yong Cheon-myeong.
His face, covered in blood, was a horrifying sight.
“You… Seon-wol will avenge me.”
“Hoho! Shall I tell you something? The one you trust so much will die by the hand of the person she trusts the most.”
“What?”
Boom!
Yong Cheon-myeong’s massive fist came crashing down on the Fifth Demons head.
Even as his consciousness faded, the Fifth Demon thought of Mok Seon-wol.
‘Seon-wol…’
The Fifth Demon’s Head Shattered and his life came to an end.
Yong Cheon-myeong looked down at the Fifth Demon’s mangled corpse and muttered, “This is just the beginning.”
***
The Hundred Eyes Fortress stood prominently in the middle of a vast plain. The unobstructed view made it stand out even more.
Mok Seon-wol inhaled deeply as she looked at the Hundred Eyes Fortress.
All around her, martial artists from the Dragon Heaven Valley and the Martial Sword Troupe were waiting for her command.
While wars fought by soldiers depended on tactics, morale, and formations, battles between martial artists tended to be decided by individual strength.
This was especially true for localized conflicts like the one before them.
Mook Seon-wol quietly gathered her energy.
‘We’ll take it in one swift strike.’
Although the towering walls of the fortress stood three zhang high, they were no obstacle to someone of Mok Seon-wol’s or Woo Mun-pae’s calibre.
For a moment, a flicker of doubt crossed Mook Seon-wol’s eyes.
Issuing the command was easy, but the fact that the fifth demon had not yet returned bothered her.
‘Sigh… I hope I didn’t make a mistake by sending him.’
Still, she believed nothing could go wrong.
After all, there was no one in this area capable of harming the Fifth Demon with martial prowess.
Mok Seon-wol shook off her thoughts and surveyed her surroundings.
The martial artists of Dragon Heaven Valley and the Martial Sword Troupe were all looking at her, awaiting her orders.
Mok Seon-wol took a deep breath.
There was no turning back now.
Having come this far, they had to see it through to the end.
“Everyone, attack!”
Her battle cry echoed across the battlefield.
“Waaaah!”
The martial artists let out a mighty roar and charged toward the Hundred Eyes Fortress.
The momentum of their charge, weapons in hand, was overwhelming.
Mok Seon-wol also rushed towards the Fortress.
Swish!
The snake belly sword at her waist unfolded.
As she infused it with energy, the whip-like sword took on the form of a blade.
Creak!
With a heavy sound, the gates of the Hundred Eyes Fortress began to open.
“Waaaah!”
Enemies poured out from the Fortress.
Their eerie screams pierced Mook Seon-wol’s eardrums.
Kwaaaang!
The two forces collided in the middle of the Hwangwon Plains, sending black ash soaring into the sky.
The ash blotted out the sun, casting the world into darkness.
In the darkness, the two groups unleashed their madness.
The world had gone insane.