Chapter 325 – Responding from Within and Shaking from Without (4)

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Jeok Gyeong-cheon frowned at the sudden commotion.

When he opened the window, the full view of the Martial Alliance engulfed in flames came into sight. He could see Demon Cult martial artists rushing in like a tidal wave.

From the inside, the Chenghuo Merchant Group’s martial artists were cooperating, and from the outside, the Demon Cult’s martial artists were responding. Amidst internal and external troubles, the Martial Alliance couldn’t respond properly and was falling apart.

“Block them!”

“They’re flooding in through the west wall. Send more troops.”

The Inner Hall, Outer Hall, and Five Elements Corps were fighting hard, but they couldn’t reverse the scales that had tilted in an instant.

The Demon Cult’s surprise attack had been carried out at a completely unpredictable moment. The martial artists who had been complacent within the fence called the Martial Alliance couldn’t respond properly.

Jeok Gyeong-cheon clicked his tongue at the unsightly appearance.

“Tsk! It seems the martial world hasn’t learned any lessons all this time.”

He wore an expression of disappointment. But he couldn’t just remain disappointed forever.

He drew his blade and jumped into the battlefield. His target was the absolute master displaying tremendous might at the Demon Cult’s vanguard. The black energy emanating from his body flickered like shadows.

Jeok Gyeong-cheon’s eyes flashed as he swung his blade toward him.

“The Ten Thousand Shadows Divine Lord.”

Swish!

Instantly, an intense cluster of light extended from the blade, creating the form of a large blade. It was blade energy.

CRASH!

Jeok Gyeong-cheon’s blade energy collided with Ten Thousand Shadows Divine Lord Lim Hak’s black energy.

“Mm!”

An unexpected expression appeared on the face of Lim Hak, who had been slaughtering the Martial Alliance’s martial artists without restraint. It was because the shock he received from the collision with Jeok Gyeong-cheon was considerable.

Lim Hak was one of the Demon Cult’s Four Great Corps Leaders. Even within the Demon Cult, there weren’t many masters who could match him. He thought it would be the same in the Martial Alliance. In fact, until now, he hadn’t met any masters who made him feel threatened.

But the moment he collided with Jeok Gyeong-cheon, he clearly realized how arrogant his thinking had been. He could feel the opponent’s strength on his skin.

Lim Hak looked at Jeok Gyeong-cheon and said:

“There was someone in the Martial Alliance after all. Who are you?”

“My name is Jeok Gyeong-cheon, junior.”

“Jeok Gyeong-cheon? Then the Heavenly Sword King?”

“That’s right.”

A cold smile appeared on Jeok Gyeong-cheon’s lips. Lim Hak’s brow furrowed deeply. If the opponent was truly Heavenly Sword King Jeok Gyeong-cheon, he was a martial artist from one generation before him.

In the martial world, being old could be a weakness meaning one’s physical strength had declined accordingly, but conversely, it could also mean one was strong enough to survive to that age.

Moreover, Heavenly Sword King Jeok Gyeong-cheon had been one of the top martial artists in the martial world even long ago. Now that decades had passed, there was no way to guess how strong he had become.

Jeok Gyeong-cheon pointed his blade at Lim Hak and said:

“Decades ago, I raided the Demon Cult’s stronghold and killed many cult members. I still can’t forget the memory of that time. It was too thrilling.”

“How dare!”

Instantly, Lim Hak’s anger exploded.

He didn’t know about other things, but he absolutely couldn’t tolerate insulting the Divine Cult.

Swoosh!

The black energy surrounding his body expanded explosively. The Hundred Shadows Demon Technique, which had earned him the nickname Ten Thousand Shadows Divine Lord, was activated.

Tension also appeared in Jeok Gyeong-cheon’s eyes. His provocation of the opponent had gone as planned, but he felt stronger momentum than expected.

‘As expected of the Demon Cult? To raise a martial artist of this level in such a short time.’

CRASH!

At that moment, Lim Hak charged in. And Jeok Gyeong-cheon swung his blade frantically.

CLANG CLANG CLANG!

The blade and shadows collided, and metallic sounds burst forth chaotically.

The fight between the two completely devastated the area.

“This can’t be!”

Alliance Leader Nam Cheon-san trembled his beard while looking at the Martial Alliance engulfed in flames.

The Martial Alliance was his everything.

At first, he had accepted the position of Alliance Leader simply to protect martial world justice. People around him sneered that he had voluntarily become a hunting dog for the prestigious families. In reality, he had been treated that way by the martial artists from prestigious families who formed the Martial Alliance’s core.

So he gritted his teeth even harder. To show that he wasn’t someone to be used by others, and to make known that he was a guardian who would protect martial world justice, not a hunting dog.

While struggling through hardships like this, he built up power internally. He recruited martial artists who didn’t belong to prestigious families and increased forces that would support him. After three years of struggling through hardships like this, he had established his position.

With Heavenly Sword King Jeok Gyeong-cheon’s joining, his prestige reached its peak, and he had finally gained the power to operate the Martial Alliance according to his will. But all of that was turning into bubbles before his eyes.

“Grr! These Demon Cult members…”

“Alliance Leader!”

Then someone came running toward him with clothes fluttering. Nam Cheon-san showed delight.

“Military Advisor!”

The one who had rushed over was Military Advisor Namgung Chang.

Though they usually had a subtly antagonistic relationship, with the Martial Alliance in such a critical situation, that face was very welcome.

“How is the situation?”

“The worst.”

Namgung Chang answered without even time to catch his breath. Though Namgung Chang was usually busy keeping Nam Cheon-san in check, he had no such leisure now.

If the Martial Alliance collapsed, there would be nothing to check, and they would all perish together. Such a worst-case situation had to be prevented.

“Then what should we do?”

“We must abandon the Martial Alliance.”

“What does that mean?”

“The momentum has already broken. We must preserve what forces remain.”

“But where would we flee to? Where is there a sect that the Martial Alliance’s forces could rely on?”

“There’s Shaolin Temple.”

Namgung Chang answered without a moment’s hesitation.

It wasn’t something he had just thought of. It was a plan he had been thinking about for a long time in preparation for emergencies.

In the world, only Shaolin Temple had the power and scale to accommodate the Martial Alliance’s troops.

“Shaolin Temple?”

“When I went to Shaolin Temple three years ago, just in case, I made an agreement with the abbot in preparation for a situation like this.”

“But how do we get to Shaolin Temple?”

“We detonate the Heaven-Shaking Thunder buried underground in the alliance.”

“But if we do that, our side’s casualties too…”

“Now is not the time to worry about such things.”

Namgung Chang firmly cut off Nam Cheon-san’s words. A light of conflict appeared on Nam Cheon-san’s face for a moment.

Over ten Heaven-Shaking Thunder devices were buried underground in the Martial Alliance in preparation for the final moment. Heaven-Shaking Thunder was ten times more powerful than ordinary thunderbolt bombs. Not only were they difficult to obtain, but they were so dangerous that everyone was reluctant to use them.

“Alliance Leader!”

“Alright. But we must send a retreat signal first before detonating them.”

“Of course.”

After Namgung Chang answered forcefully, he waved his hand. Then a subordinate who had been waiting waved a flag, and shortly after, several fireworks burst in the sky above the Martial Alliance.

BANG BANG BANG!

The Martial Alliance’s martial artists who saw the fireworks shouted.

“Retreat!”

“Everyone evacuate from the Martial Alliance.”

They stopped resisting the Demon Cult and retreated all at once. The Demon Cult’s masters were momentarily puzzled seeing the Martial Alliance’s martial artists withdrawing like an ebbing tide. But among them too, there were quick-witted ones. They sensed an ominous atmosphere and shouted.

“Everyone evacuate from the Martial Alliance!”

“Hurry!”

The Demon Cult’s martial artists also began urgently evacuating from the Martial Alliance.

Immediately after, a tremendous explosion occurred.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Along with black smoke, crimson flames shot high into the sky, and fragments flew in all directions.

Those who couldn’t escape from the Martial Alliance in time were swept up in the explosion and lost their lives, and countless people were injured.

The flames that started in the Martial Alliance soon spread to nearby buildings.

“Fire!”

“Evacuate quickly!”

The flames instantly swallowed up Yueyang.

The Yueyang sky, which had been immersed in deep darkness before dawn, was dyed red by the soaring firelight.

“As expected, they don’t just flee.”

Sang Han-cheon looked at the Martial Alliance and Yueyang with soaring firelight with a cool gaze.

Masters like Ten Thousand Shadows Divine Lord Lim Hak, Muk Cheon-gang, Lim Oh-yeon, and Won Seol-hwa gathered around him. Though they had minor injuries, they belonged to the fairly intact side.

Their faces were full of regret. They hadn’t expected the Heaven-Shaking Thunder to be detonated.

Among them, Ten Thousand Shadows Divine Lord Lim Hak’s expression was particularly dark. It was because he couldn’t finish his match with Heavenly Sword King Jeok Gyeong-cheon due to the Heaven-Shaking Thunder.

Tremendous flames and crowds blocked their path. Meanwhile, the Martial Alliance’s martial artists were retreating.

“Namgung Chang is quite something. To use the Yueyang people as shields. Quite something indeed. For someone claiming to be from the Orthodox School to use such a cruel trick.”

A look of regret appeared on Sang Han-cheon’s face. It had been a surprise attack prepared for almost a year. They had even revealed that the Chenghuo Merchant Group was the Demon Cult’s Outer Garden to carry out the attack, yet they had achieved only half the results, so it was bitter. But Sang Han-cheon soon shook his head to cast off his lingering attachment.

“All forces reorganize. Riding this momentum, we attack Wudang Sect and the Namgung Family.”

“Your order!”

With powerful answers, the Demon Cult’s martial artists began to move.

The flames of war that started at the Martial Alliance in Yueyang soon spread to the Namgung Family in Anhui Province and Wudang Sect in Hubei Province.

The embers that had seemed extinguished for three years burst forth with explosive momentum in various places throughout the world.

It was the beginning of a true great world upheaval.

***

“Waaaah!”

At the sudden shout, Dam-ho opened his eyes.

He could see three or four small boats floating on the water surface where silver fragments were breaking. Fishermen pulling nets, and the boisterous laughter of children who appeared to be their offspring pierced his eardrums.

Dam-ho raised his body. Then the small boat he was on swayed.

Snort!

Black Ghost, standing in the middle of the boat, showed affection by shaking its head.

“Black Ghost!”

Dam-ho raised his body and patted Black Ghost’s back. Then Black Ghost rubbed its large head against Dam-ho’s face.

Dam-ho also leaned on Black Ghost and recalled his memories for a moment.

He had poured everything into the bloody battle with the Tang Clan. He had been poisoned by numerous toxins and suffered internal and external injuries that would have killed an ordinary person several times over.

With his body on Black Ghost, he had arrived at some unknown riverside and lost consciousness after boarding a small boat.

While Dam-ho was unconscious, the Dark Soul Heart Technique seemed to have moved to heal his injuries. Minor wounds had already healed, and internal injuries were also healed to some extent. Though considerable poison energy still remained in his body, it seemed he could expel it if given just a little time.

Dam-ho looked around with his hand on Black Ghost’s neck. While he was unconscious, the boat seemed to have drifted freely down the river. An unfamiliar landscape he was seeing for the first time unfolded.

Then one fishing boat that had been casting nets approached. On the boat were a middle-aged fisherman and a boy who appeared to be about ten years old. The boy’s eyes were shining with curiosity.

The fisherman who had approached nearby called out:

“Are you alright?”

Dam-ho nodded silently. Then the boy who appeared to be the fisherman’s son asked with a face full of curiosity:

“Mister, where did you come from? Did you really come from upstream?”

“That’s right.”

“Wow! Then you came from the Sichuan Province direction. The river there is very dangerous, so it’s not easy to get here.”

“Where is this?”

“This is Chishui.”

“Chishui?”

“Yes! It’s a small county at the border between Sichuan Province and Guizhou Province.”

At the boy’s answer, Dam-ho frowned briefly.

If it was Guizhou Province, it was located in the south even within the Central Plains. The northwest of Guizhou Province bordered Sichuan Province, and the east bordered Hunan Province. While he was unconscious, the boat had drifted an incredibly long distance. It was a miracle it hadn’t capsized while coming this far.

Dam-ho thought it had rather turned out well. If he crossed Guizhou Province from west to east, he could reach Yueyang in Hunan Province where the Martial Alliance was located, and if he went north longitudinally, he could reach Shaanxi Province where the Mount Hua Sect was located.

Whichever way he went, recovering his body completely was the urgent priority now. While he was unconscious, his wounds had healed considerably, but his stamina was depleted.

Then the boy said:

“Mister, would you like to come to our house?”

The boy’s eyes looking at Dam-ho were particularly bright.