Chapter 173: Chapter 173
“Hey! Can you come to your senses?!”
Cheol Sun-jik checked the pulse of the Blue Crown Sect disciple he had found.
‘He is alive.’
Fortunately, he was alive.
However, seeing him continue to foam at the mouth with his eyes rolled back, his condition did not look very good.
“There is someone here!”
“Here too!”
“Over here as well!”
Most of the people found not far from the place where the incident had occurred had lost their reason.
Their centered minds had been tainted by witchcraft, something they had only learned about in theory.
If they dragged this out any longer, they might have to live their entire lives without reason.
He placed his hand on the man’s Dantian and infused internal qi into him.
However, the hasty first aid only made the other man’s condition even more critical.
“Grrrk, grrrk, grrrk.”
The Blue Crown Sect disciple trembled violently and even spewed bloody foam.
‘This is no ordinary witchcraft.’
If he had fallen this deeply into a heart demon, this was no longer something they could deal with.
Only Spell Practitioners who had trained in Dispelling Evil and Spirit Suppression would be able to save him.
“Move aside for a moment.”
Seong Mo-ran suddenly pushed Cheol Sun-jik aside and examined the Blue Crown Sect disciple.
“This is beyond our ability……”
Whether Cheol Sun-jik continued speaking or not, Seong Mo-ran suddenly took a talisman from within her robes and stuck it to the Blue Crown Sect disciple’s chest.
Then she placed her hand on the talisman and began infusing internal qi into it.
“No, if you recklessly touch the Middle Qi Center—”
“Stay still, please!”
“…….”
The Middle Qi Center was a more dangerous place than the Lower Qi Center.
If an outsider mishandled it, it would not end at merely making the person unable to speak.
And yet Seong Mo-ran was injecting internal qi as if she did not care about such things at all.
Cheol Sun-jik watched straight ahead with eyes full of disbelief.
But then.
“Hm?”
Strangely, the Blue Crown Sect disciple’s face slowly began to relax.
Color returned to his complexion, and his breathing became calm.
After a short while, he even began to open his eyes slowly.
“S-Save me……”
“Do not worry. We came to save you.”
The Blue Crown Sect disciple, who had regained his senses, fainted again with a thud.
Seong Mo-ran checked the Blue Crown Sect disciple’s pulse, confirmed that he had entered a stable state, and rose from her seat.
Cheol Sun-jik awkwardly stepped back and made room.
“H-How did you do that? About Dispelling Evil and Spirit Suppression……”
“That is not it. It is this.”
Seong Mo-ran showed him the talisman.
Cheol Sun-jik realized at a glance what the talisman was.
“Is that the Mount Heng Sect’s Demon-Subduing Talisman?”
“You recognized it at once?”
“There may be no one who buys this item, but there is no one who does not know what it is.”
“That is true.”
“Does the Iron Sword Sect always carry this around?”
“No.”
Seong Mo-ran shook her head.
“Young Master Jin So-un gave this to me.”
“Representative Jin…… did?”
Again.
It was Jin So-un again.
“That is right. For some reason, he told me to take this with me. I did not know I would end up using it like this.”
“…….”
Cheol Sun-jik could not understand it at all.
Was Jin So-un saying that he had foreseen everything, from an enemy even the Beggars’ Sect had failed to properly identify to the situation unfolding now?
It was not as if he had come from the future.
In the end, it had turned out like this.
All the actions that had not been predicted were ultimately moving according to his intentions, and all of this, in the end……
“Young Master Cheol!”
Cheol Sun-jik, who had sunk into thought, snapped back to his senses.
“Y-Yes?”
“can’t you see that we are busy right now?”
Seong Mo-ran and the members of the Twelve Peak Citadels had each received one Demon-Subduing Talisman and were awakening people’s minds.
“If you are not going to work, at least stand guard properly! We do not know when the enemy might launch a surprise attack.”
“U-Understood.”
Cheol Sun-jik nodded and climbed up a tree.
Seong Mo-ran looked at Cheol Sun-jik, shook her head, then let out a sigh.
“I wonder if the others are all right.”
“Brother Geum-pyo, what do we do now?”
Eun-ho and Dong-ryong looked at Geum-pyo while running, but Geum-pyo did not know what answer he should give.
“…….”
At the Academy, they had been taught three procedures to keep in mind when reporting to a superior.
One, report as briefly and clearly as possible.
Two, organize the key points of when, where, who, what, why, the response, the time, and the result, and deliver them specifically.
Three, exclude emotion and speak logically.
The instructor had said that if they reported according to these three points, a superior would surely listen carefully to his subordinate’s words and act accordingly.
‘It does not work!!’
The elders and disciples of Kunlun Sect did not listen to the three brothers at all.
It had been what they expected from the beginning.
There was no way those bastards who had come to the event to check Eldest Senior Brother’s authority would listen to Eldest Senior Brother’s warning.
But no matter how he thought about it, he could not ignore the words of Eldest Senior Brother, who was like the heavens to them.
Of course, the three brothers did not know exactly what was happening in Sichuan right now either.
However, at the very least, they knew well that if Eldest Senior Brother said something was “dangerous,” then it was truly “dangerous.”
‘This was said by someone whose standard of common sense does not match ours in the first place!!!’
If a madman who had looked down on the Regular Exam as nothing and said he would jump into it alone was this tense, then the opponent surely possessed a terror comparable to those bizarre humans they had met on the Puyang Plains.
“Damn it…….”
And yet those stupid fools were ignoring the warning without even realizing that they were ants walking into an antlion pit on their own.
“Eun-ho, Dong-ryong.”
After thinking deeply, Geum-pyo looked at the two of them.
“What was Eldest Senior Brother’s order?”
“If we saw traces of the enemies, first run away, then report. And if the Academy students had not met the enemies yet, stop them as much as possible.”
“Right. But we still have not seen the enemies, and the Academy students have not met the enemies yet, have they?”
“…….”
“And if we leave them as they are, they will meet the enemy Eldest Senior Brother called ‘dangerous.’”
At Geum-pyo’s action of nodding as if he had made up his mind, Eun-ho asked uneasily,
“Brother, what are you planning to do?”
“What we learned at the Academy is useless anyway.”
“……Do not tell me.”
Geum-pyo looked at his younger brothers with a resolute expression.
“Then we have to use what we learned from Senior Brother.”
“……What is that?”
Geum-pyo did not answer Eun-ho’s question.
However, Eun-ho soon realized what it was.
Eun-ho frowned deeply.
“……This is driving me insane.”
Geum-pyo looked at Eun-ho and Dong-ryong and asked,
“If you do not want to do it, you can stay out.”
“…….”
“…….”
Eun-ho and Dong-ryong glared at Geum-pyo at the same time and frowned.
“Brother, that is not like Eldest Senior Brother at all. Do not imitate him.”
“Eldest Brother, that is weird. Do not do that.”
Geum-pyo’s face flushed red.
“I was not imitating him!”
CLANG! CLANG!
Whether Geum-pyo shouted or not, Eun-ho and Dong-ryong drew their swords at the same time.
“Are you doing it with me?”
“……If you die, I have to inherit the mill. I decided to become a warrior who races through the murim. So it would be a little troublesome if you died.”
“Mother and Father would be sad if Eldest Brother died.”
“You might as well curse me outright.”
Geum-pyo began increasing his speed.
Eun-ho and Dong-ryong increased their speed in step with him, and soon, the disciples and lay-affiliated martial sect Academy students led by the elder of Kunlun Sect entered the three men’s sight.
WHIRRR. THUD.
The three of them crossed the forest and landed before Kunlun Sect.
“Ahem.”
Elder Sangwon of Kunlun Sect, who frowned at the sight, shouted sharply.
“Did you fail to understand even after I spoke kindly?”
“I apologize. However, I cannot stand by and watch you walk into the jaws of death yourselves.”
Geum-pyo politely clasped his hands in greeting and lowered his head, but Elder Sangwon’s anger showed no sign of fading.
“It seems you are under the delusion that the Taeul Sect has become something great simply because it barely seized the Academy Representative position……. What are you all doing? Do the disciples of Kunlun intend to stop their steps merely because of the Taeul Sect?”
“““Yes, sir!”””
With a resounding shout, nearly twenty Kunlun disciples surrounded the three brothers at the same time.
“Haa…… I thought we would not have to fight our allies after the Regular Exam.”
At Geum-pyo’s grumbling, Eun-ho lifted his sword and whispered,
“At this point, maybe the people were right, and we were actually Black Path all along?”
No sooner had Eun-ho finished speaking than the Kunlun disciples began swinging their swords.
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
Dong-ryong unfolded the White Tiger Sure-Kill Sword Formation, which he could now use as freely as his own hands and feet, and blocked seven of the Kunlun Sect disciples’ swords.
The eyebrows of the Kunlun Sect disciples, who knew Jin So-un’s skill well but did not know much about the three brothers’ abilities, rose sharply.
“Hm?”
Even though the swords were clearly infused with internal qi, Dong-ryong blocked seven of them by himself, bared his teeth, and growled.
“We…… are not Black Path!”
“What is this!!”
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
The seven swords scattered in every direction as if flower buds were blooming, and through the gap, the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist erupted.
THUD THUD THUD THUD THWACK!
The Kunlun Sect disciples who were struck by the unexpected blow had no choice but to swallow the words that were about to burst out, along with the pain that made their breath catch.
Who called you Black Path?!
Nam Hwa-seong swallowed hard.
The blood-robed men standing before him felt different from the ones he had seen in the Illusion Formation.
The ones he had seen in the Illusion Formation had strangely moved simultaneously with movements that were far too identical.
On the other hand, while these men were likewise disciplined, they clearly felt like people.
‘These are real…….’
Jin So-un, who had dealt with enemies using only an iron staff until now, drew his sword.
SHIIING.
The clear ringing of the blade made Nam Hwa-seong even more tense.
“Nam Hwa-seong.”
“Y-Yes!”
“Do not enter the fight. Save your inner arts as much as possible.”
“U-Uh? What does that mean?”
“Shut up and do as I say!”
“U-Underst…….”
Before Nam Hwa-seong could even finish speaking, Jin So-un threw himself toward the blood-robed men.
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG.
At the same time, the blood-robed men, who had drawn heavy swords from their backs, also threw themselves forward and pressured Jin So-un from all directions.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.
Jin So-un blocked dozens of swords stabbing in from all sides with a single Black Dragon Sword.
WHIP-WHIP-WHIP-WHIP. WHIP-WHIP-WHIP-WHIP.
Each time Jin So-un’s Black Dragon Sword swung once, more than ten Illusion Swords appeared and vanished in repetition.
Guh.
Kgh.
Aaaagh.
The blood-robed men who had leapt up after Jin So-un fell like leaves.
THUD.
The blood-robed men rushed at Jin So-un, who had landed on the ground, from all eight directions like a pack of dogs.
Far from retreating, Jin So-un advanced instead, swinging a sword with one hand and a fist with the other.
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG.
Each time the Illusion Sword and the Real Sword swept through the right side, blood sprayed everywhere, and bodies and chunks of flesh flew in all directions.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.
When the Fist Form swept through the left side, the blood-robed men’s arms and legs bent in places they should not bend, as if a storm had passed through, and they flew away even faster than they had rushed in.
It was truly an unstoppable momentum like Xiang Yu roaming a battlefield alone.
‘What kind of martial art is this…….’
If one thought it was an Illusion Sword and ignored it, the Real Sword was there.
If one thought it was the Real Sword and blocked it, it was an Illusion Sword.
The blood-robed men could not distinguish which of the dozens of swords and fists targeting their lives were real and which were illusions.
It had become even sharper than what he had witnessed before, and even Nam Hwa-seong himself could no longer distinguish the Illusion Swords from the Real Sword.
No, in the first place, could this even be called an Illusion Sword?
How stupid had he been to look down on Jin So-un all this time for using an Illusion Sword?
He had never even imagined that such a realm existed within Illusion Swords.
Moreover, what about that fist art?
At a glance, it seemed as if its strength was poured only into illusions, but each and every blood-robed man struck by it was unable to fully control his body.
That meant its destructive power itself had already surpassed a martial artist’s defenses.
Even though it was not a martial art focused on fist power, each blow’s destructive power was already comparable to the Deer-Horn Radiance Fist.
With illusions layered over that, the enemies could not block it even if they knew, and even if they blocked it, they did not remain intact.
CRACK, CRACK, CRACK.
With the sound of bones breaking, three blood-robed men sank to the ground.
However, they soon tried to rise again on their broken legs.
“Heavens…….”
He was overwhelmed by that ferocious resolve, and his brows furrowed.
The pain of broken bones was clearly something a human could not endure.
That abnormal will was so chilling it made him feel nauseous.
‘That is the enemy we have to face…….’
He already felt his spirit shrinking.
“Huh?”
However, at that moment, Jin So-un paid it no mind and quickly ran toward them.
Then, without delay, he sent the Black Dragon Sword flying and cut off the three men’s heads.
“Cockroach-like bastards…….”
After saying that, he threw himself among the blood-robed men again.
Nam Hwa-seong could only stare at that sight with his mouth hanging open.
The blood-robed men who tried to stand up on broken legs to kill their enemy.
And Jin So-un, who cut off the heads of such men without the slightest delay.
He could not tell who possessed the more ferocious resolve.
‘But one thing is certain…….’
The side he did not want to face as an enemy was not the blood-robed men, but…….
‘Jin So-un.’
While he was thinking that, more blood-robed men rushed in and began surrounding Jin So-un.
So many people charged at Jin So-un that it was impossible to even estimate how many had gathered around him.
Like ants swarming to catch a single spider, countless blood-robed men surrounded Jin So-un, who wore black clothes.
Even though it was Jin So-un under Heaven, the situation looked extremely dangerous.
“J-Jin So-un! Do you want help?!”
Nam Hwa-seong forced himself to gather his courage and shouted, but Jin So-un’s answer was cold.
“Shut up and save your inner arts, you bastard!”
“Th-That bastard has to run his damn mouth no matter what…….”
The good feeling that had briefly formed crumbled away like a sandcastle.
Watching Jin So-un pull in even the blood-robed men who had reached Nam Hwa-seong with a strange golden cord and deal with them, he could not even guess what Jin So-un was plotting.
The moment he sank into such thoughts, a shout burst from Jin So-un.
“Nam Hwa-seong! Are you ready?”
While Nam Hwa-seong was bewildered by Jin So-un’s sudden shout.
“I asked if you are ready to run, you bastard!”
Ready to run?
At that moment, he felt the air tremble faintly.
The vibrating air began sweeping rapidly toward one side.
It was a sensation different from wind, as if a giant were swallowing the air.
And the place where the air was being sucked in was none other than Jin So-un’s hand.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE BOOM.
With a massive vibration like the heavens collapsing and the earth caving in, an enormous Palm Force poured from Jin So-un’s hand.
The blood-robed men who had swarmed in like a mass of ants were swept away by the wind like fallen leaves, and even the hard crust of the earth was torn up and driven along with them.
‘What kind of Palm Force is this……!’
The destructive power was like a storm shrunk down into a small space, and the moment his mind nearly slipped from the sight, Jin So-un’s voice struck his eardrums hard.
“Run! Nam Hwa-seong!”
“Eeek!”
Summoning even the strength he had used as a nursing babe, he unfolded the Deer-Horn Wind-Cloud Step.
The path he ran along after Jin So-un was filled with the corpses of blood-robed men.
In one sense, it was no different from charging straight into the middle of the enemy formation, yet Jin So-un did not hesitate.
The blood-robed men who had been sent flying by the shockwave outside Jin So-un’s Palm Force began rising one by one.
Then they tried to surround Jin So-un and Nam Hwa-seong as if forming an encirclement.
“J-Jin So-un, is this all right?”
No matter whether he looked front, back, left, or right, there were only blood-robed men everywhere.
Even if they broke through the blood-robed men like this, it was obvious they would not escape their pursuit.
Jin So-un was calm.
Thinking back, he had always been calm like this.
“It is fine. Reinforcements will come.”
“Reinforcements?”
Victory Tiger Hall was still far from reaching this place.
When had he separately called reinforcements?
At that moment, noisy shouts began to come from far away.
“There they are! Catch those bastards!”
“How dare you look down on our Red Flower Stronghold! We will tear you to pieces!”
“Our Flower Garland Stronghold comes first! Move aside!”
Behind them, hundreds of Green Forest bandits were charging wildly with great sabers and axes in hand.
“……Do not tell me the reinforcements are…….”
Jin So-un, whose face was smeared here and there with blood from the fierce bloody battle he had just fought against the blood-robed men, smiled wickedly.
“Then why else would I have dragged the Green Forest strongholds here?”
Only then did Nam Hwa-seong remember the time they had spent being chased by the three Green Forest strongholds.
“……You thought this far from the beginning?”
Jin So-un grinned.
“This is called the using barbarians to control barbarians strategy.”
“Fucking hell…….”
Nam Hwa-seong cursed without realizing it.
Just how deep did his schemes run for him to think this far?
No, leaving aside whether his schemes were deep or not, Nam Hwa-seong could not even estimate how much courage one needed to personally carry out this kind of strategy.
Nam Hwa-seong once again passed beyond thinking Jin So-un was amazing and began to find him terrifying.
Gulp.
He swallowed hard.
Thinking back, how many times had he walked the line between life and death before Jin So-un since the Regular Exam?
‘I danced before Death’s messenger.’
Right now, dancing before Death’s messenger seemed less dangerous than what he had done in the past.
“Nam Hwa-seong! I am increasing our speed from now on. So follow me as if your life depends on it! If you become annoying, I will leave you behind.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Nam Hwa-seong spoke politely without realizing it and desperately moved his legs.
***
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