Episode 487

One Internal Enemy is Scarier Than a Hundred External Ones (3)

 

“Haa…”

 

Namgung Yeon-hwa let out a deep sigh. Her face was filled with weariness. The endless battles had taken a heavy toll on her. Yet, she couldn’t afford to show weakness.

 

There were numerous martial artists surrounding her.

 

As their morale was directly linked to her own, Namgung Yeon-hwa forced a brave expression and asked.

 

“What are the casualties?”

 

“From our main sect, over seventy dead and over two hundred wounded.”

 

“Have the bodies of the deceased been recovered?”

 

“Yes! We barely managed to recover them while the enemies retreated.”

 

“You’ve done well.”

 

Namgung Yeon-hwa nodded at her subordinate’s report.

 

Her expression darkened.

 

It was because there had been many casualties this time as well.

 

The Celestial Demon Troupe had been attacking like waves, thousands of times, day after day. The Thousand Kingdom School had been holding its own against them, but as fatigue accumulated, numerous casualties had occurred.

 

The only reason the Thousand Kingdom School had been able to hold on until now was due to the dedication of the Namgung siblings, Namgung-in and Namgung Yeon-hwa, and the Thousand Kingdom School martial artists gritting their teeth and fighting. But even that was now reaching its limit.

 

All the defensive lines set up to protect the Thousand Kingdom School had been breached, and only the last one remained. If this place was also breached, the Thousand Kingdom School would be completely exposed to external threats.

 

The Thousand Kingdom School wasn’t just home to martial artists.

 

Including the families of the martial artists and the workers, a great number of people resided there.

 

If the last defensive line was broken, not only the martial artists but also countless innocent people would die. Knowing this fact, the martial artists of the Thousand Kingdom School had no choice but to be desperate.

 

The one small comfort was that the martial artists who came as support from the Myriad Merchant Troupe were providing significant help.

 

Go Mu-yeong and the White Flower Group, who came from the Myriad Merchant Troupe, joined forces with the Thousand Kingdom School and engaged in fierce battles against the Celestial Demon Troupe. Thanks to their help, the Thousand Kingdom School had managed to hold out until now. Because of this, the martial artists of the Thousand Kingdom School felt great gratitude towards the White Flower Group and the Myriad Merchant Troupe.

 

Namgung Yeon-hwa was one of those people.

 

“Unit Master Go, thank you for your hard work. What are the White Flower Unit’s casualties?”

 

“Fortunately, we have no fatalities on our side. Only a few have received minor and major wounds.”

 

“That’s amazing.”

 

Yeon-hwa couldn’t hide her admiration at Go Mu-yeong’s reply.

 

Compared to Thousand Kingdom School’s heavy losses, the White Flower Groups’ damage was negligible. It was proof of their prowess.

 

She had come to trust Go Mu-yeong and his squad completely, placing them in a crucial position: the very center of the defensive line—the most dangerous place, where the Celestial Demon Troupe struck hardest.

 

With guilt in her expression, she said:

 

“I’m sorry, for placing you in the most dangerous spot.”

 

“Not at all. This is what we wanted.”

 

Go Mu-yeong flashed a subtle smile. Seeing him like that made Namgung Yeon-hwa feel even more apologetic.

 

It was shameless to entrust the most dangerous place to guests they had invited.

 

“Once we get through this crisis, I will fully compensate the Myriad Merchant Troupe.”

 

“We are not doing this for compensation.”

 

“Still, shouldn’t the Myriad Merchant Troupe also gain something? I will take responsibility for this matter and speak to my brother.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

At that, Go Mu-yeong didn’t refuse any further and accepted her words.

 

“Then I’ll leave this position to you.”

 

Namgung Yeon-hwa gave a respectful bow and stepped back.

 

Namgung Yeon-hwa made a fist-and-palm salute towards Go Mu-yeong and withdrew.

 

Go Mu-yeong stared intently at Namgung Yeon-hwa’s retreating back. A cold glint had unknowingly settled into his eyes. His gaze was far from friendly.

 

Unaware of this, Namgung Yeon-hwa moved to find Namgung In.

 

***

 

Namgung In was moving along the lengthy defensive line, encouraging the warriors of the Thousand Kingdom School.

 

The leaders of the Thousand Kingdom School wanted Namgung In to command from a safe location. But Namgung In refused their wishes and stood at the front lines, blocking the attacks on the Thousand Kingdom School.

 

The warriors of the Thousand Association Kingdom school gained courage just from Namgung In’s presence.

 

Namgung In and Namgung Yeon-hwa.

 

Both were leading the warriors of the Thousand Kingdom School with selfless dedication.

 

“We will definitely win.”

 

“How can we rest comfortably when those two are struggling so hard?”

 

The warriors of the Thousand Kingdom School were deeply moved by the two of them.

 

Even with only one defensive line remaining, the Thousand Kingdom School’s morale was at its peak.

 

“Brother!”

 

“Yeon-hwa!”

 

“How are things here?”

 

“Morale aside, the situation isn’t very good.”

 

“It’s the same on my side.”

 

“It can’t be helped. Morale and reality are separate things. How about your side?”

 

“It’s the same. Still, it’s fortunate that morale hasn’t dropped. And the martial artists from the Myriad Merchant Troupe are a great help.”

 

“That’s fortunate.”

 

Just as Namgung In and Namgung Yeon-hwa were exchanging these words…

 

“Sect Leader!”

 

A subordinate came running urgently.

 

“What is it?”

 

“The Hao Clan has sent a letter.”

 

“A letter?”

 

“Yes! They said it’s urgent and to deliver it directly to you, Sect Leader.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

Namgung In furrowed his brow, but he accepted the message.

 

Hao Clan had never sent such a direct message before, which raised his suspicions.

 

Just as he was about to open it, however—

 

“Enemy attack!”

 

“The Celestial Demon Troupe is attacking again!”

 

Urgent cries erupted from the front lines.

 

Namgung In didn’t have time to read the letter and had to move immediately.

 

In the distance, from the Celestial Demon Troupe camp, numerous troops were rushing towards them.

 

“Hmm!”

 

Namgung-in let out a groan without realizing it.

 

The enemy’s momentum felt different this time, an enormous number of martial artists had been mobilized, as if they intended to end everything with this offensive.

 

Among them were many masters who had not shown themselves until now.

 

Especially, the aura of the old martial artists leading the charge was extraordinary.

 

Namgung-in realized they were the Ten Blood Demons, the top masters of the Celestial Demon Troupe.

 

They had clashed numerous times, yet the Ten Blood Demons had never stepped forward personally.

 

Namgung In sensed that Go Geom-wol had sent his forces with serious intent.

 

The letter from Hao Clan was no longer his concern. He crumpled the letter roughly, stuffed it into his robe, and shouted.

 

“The bastards have mobilized their full strength. All masters of the Thousand Assembly, step forward! If we cannot stop this attack, the Thousand Assembly will be destroyed like the Vast Heaven League.”

 

His roar resonated loudly across the front lines.

 

Namgung Yeon-hwa and the warriors of Thousand Kingdom School stepped forward with solemn determination.

 

The enemy charged forward like a tidal wave.

 

It was clearly on a whole other scale than previous attacks.

 

If they broke through, the destruction of Thousand Kingdom School was inevitable.

 

“Let’s go!”

 

“Hold them back!”

 

Under Namgung In’s command, the warriors rushed forward.

 

There were no more traps or formations left to use.

 

They had to block this head-on, with their bodies alone.

 

And yet, no one hesitated.

 

Namgung Yeon-hwa was among them.

 

She could’ve stayed behind and no one would’ve blamed her, but she deliberately ran toward the most dangerous part of the battlefield.

 

“So you’re Namgung Yeon-hwa.”

 

The massive martial artist charging towards Namgung Yeon-hwa was Sun Moon True Demon, Guk Sah-wan.

 

Without any warning, Guk Sah-wan unleashed a fist qi towards Namgung Yeon-hwa.

 

Whoosh!

 

Namgung Yeon-hwa didn’t dare believe she could block the fist qi.

 

Although she was considered a rare talent, she was still far from Guk Sah-wan’s level. Instead of clashing head-on, she used her qigong to barely evade the fist blast.

 

“Miss, we will help!”

 

The elite Sword Soul Squad rushed to her side.

 

They had originally been led by Namgung In before he became the chief and had been leaderless ever since.

 

Even with their support, Yeon-hwa’s expression was tense.

 

The Sword Soul Squad was one of the elite squads of the Thousand Kingdom School. It had originally been led by Namgung In, but ever since he became the leader of the entire sect, the position of squad leader had remained vacant.

 

Even with the Sword Soul Squad martial artists joining, Namgung Yeonhwa’s face was filled with tension. That’s how fearsome a master Guk Sahwan was.

 

The opponent was a monster who had reached the Absolute Realm.

 

She had no confidence in handling such a monster.

 

‘Perhaps today might be the Thousand Kingdom School’s last day.’

 

Namgung Yeon-hwa bit her lip until it bled.

 

Despair overwhelmed her, but she had no intention of giving up easily.

 

“Yaaah!”

 

She let out a battle cry and charged forward with all her might.

 

The Sword Soul Squad followed behind her.

 

Jang San, the Mad Heaven Demon Lord, had attached himself to Namgung-in.

 

Jang San was also one of the Ten Blood Demons, an absolute master renowned for his domineering palm techniques.

 

“Euhahaat!”

 

Every time he laughed and swung his arms, tremendous palm qi swept through like a storm.

 

“Uak!”

 

“Evade!”

 

Even those near Namgung In suffered from the shockwaves.

 

“Stop right there!”

 

Namgung-in raised all his internal energy and charged at Jang San.

 

Unknowingly, sword qi had also formed on his blade.

 

The clear, tangible sword qi meant he had already reached the Absolute Realm.

 

Kwaang!

 

The palm qi of Jang San and Namgung-in’s sword energy collided, creating an explosive sound.

 

“Young man, you are impressive.”

 

Jang San sincerely admired Namgung-in’s powerful martial prowess.

 

It was astonishing that such a young junior had reached this level of mastery. He thought it would have been better if they hadn’t met as enemies.

 

Setting aside allegiances, meeting such a talented young martial artist was a very pleasant thing. If he had met Namgung-in during peacetime rather than war, he would have praised and encouraged his achievements.

 

But now, they had met as enemies.

 

Encouragement was inappropriate.

 

For the sake of the Divine Demon Alliance, he had to crush this young master.

 

“Haaa!”

 

Jang San doubled his internal energy and pressed down on Namgung-in.

 

Namgung-in’s face contorted unpleasantly. But he gritted his teeth and held on.

 

If he fell here, the entire Thousand Kingdom School would collapse.

 

Fortunately, the Thousand Kingdom School was still firmly withstanding the Celestial Demon Troupe’s relentless attack.

 

‘I can do it. Hold on until the end.’

 

The two clashed dozens of times in an instant.

 

Their battle continued evenly. But then, an event occurred that broke the tense stalemate.

 

Boom!

 

“Ahhh!”

 

A woman’s scream rang out.

 

It was quickly drowned out by the battle, but Namgung In immediately knew—it was Yeon-hwa.

 

“Yeon-hwa!”

 

 

He turned toward the sound instinctively and froze in disbelief.

 

Yeon-hwa, who had been holding her own against Guk Sah-wan, had collapsed from a sneak attack.

 

The one who struck her was Go Mu-yeong, the leader of the White Lotus Group whom they had trusted so deeply.

 

His strike had shredded her back like cloth. As Yeon-hwa weakly lifted her head to look at him.

 

“You… why?”

 

“I’m sorry, Lady Namgung. But I had no choice. Our sect lord ordered it.”

 

“Sect Lord? Don’t tell me… Eun Il-myeong ordered you to betray us?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“That… cannot be…”

 

Her eyes trembled. The wound in her heart hurt more than her body.

 

After Go Mu-yeong’s strike, the White Flower Group turned on the Thousand Kingdom School.

 

Allies had become enemies.

 

“Urgh!”

 

“Keuk!”

 

The sudden betrayal wreaked havoc. With the Celestial Demon Troupe attacking from the front and the White Lotus Group from behind, the Thousand Kingdom School was trapped.

 

Namgung In faltered at the shock. Jang San seized the chance.

 

“Forgive me, young lion of Thousand Kingdom School.”

 

His palm crashed into Namgung In chest.

 

Namgung In belatedly summoned his protective qi, but it was useless.

 

“Guh!”

 

The intense shock sent Namgung In flying, blood spurting from his mouth.

 

“Master!”

 

His men rushed to catch him, cushioning the blow, but the situation remained serious.

 

“Bring down the Thousand Kingdom School!”

 

“Uwooooh!”

 

The warriors of the Celestial Demon Troupe roared, their morale sky rocketed at the sight of their enemies collapsing. The warriors of the Thousand Kingdom School, overcome with despair, began to crumble.

 

It was because his heart felt uncomfortable, as it wasn’t a victory obtained through a fair fight. The one who noticed his discomfort and stepped forward instead was Ja Hyeon-gik, the Lord of the Northern Heaven Pavilion of the Divine Demon Alliance.

 

Unlike Jang San, Ja Hyeon-gik was a person who clung to practical benefit over honor.

 

“Lucky me. I get to sever the throat of the Thousand Kingdom School’s Lord with my own hands.”

 

He gathered internal energy in his hands.

 

“Is this the end?”

 

The warriors of Thousand Kingdom School, too, sank into hopelessness—

 

Until—

 

Ssssshhk!

 

A chilling sound split the air.

 

Ja Hyeon-gik’s face twisted in shock.

 

“Who’s there?!”

 

He spun, unleashing a blast of palm qi.

 

Thud!

 

A quiet groan rang out—

 

A straight blade had pierced through his hand and embedded itself in his chest.

 

“Huh?”