Chapter 86: Pursuit (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 86: Pursuit (2)
The southern entrance of the Fuse.
It hadn't been long since Jin Un-hwi had departed.
Great Immortal Jeongyang let out a hearty laugh as he gazed toward the spot where Jin Un-hwi had vanished.
"Ho ho ho. I hope everything unfolds according to the natural order."
At his words, the Taoist holding the Yin-Yang Plate gave a faint smile and replied.
"It shall be so. Though we call it a small talent, we have all, for the first time, passed our teachings to a single person. Before he is a representative, he is no different from being our joint disciple."
"A joint disciple, indeed."
At his remark, the Taoists all wore thin smiles.
Though they cultivated the Way, they had found themselves competing over their respective disciples for quite some time. Yet, for a common goal, they had united their wills for the first time.
Though brief, that period felt deeply meaningful.
As they looked at one another, seemingly lost in nostalgia, Great Immortal Jeongyang spoke.
"Now, return and teach your respective disciples."
"We understand."
The Taoists brought their hands together and bowed.
Then, Great Immortal Jeongyang’s form blurred and vanished. Following his lead, the other Taoists departed one by one using the Ground Shrinking Method.
The Sword Immortal was also about to return to the Pure Yang Hall when it happened.
"By the way, Senior Brother. You mentioned you were making a spirit treasure to send outside—is it finished?"
The Taoist with the flute tucked into his waist asked him.
The Sword Immortal replied with a smile.
"If it is to follow the natural order, should it not be left behind?"
Only by leaving it behind could the current connection be forged.
"Indeed. I also felt as though I had left nothing in the secular world, so to leave no lingering regrets, I intend to write down a small realization regarding the Shadow Valley and send it out. Please entrust yours to my disciples when they go on their pilgrimage."
"Ho ho. That would be wise."
"Understood. Please let me know when the time is—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the mist at the southern entrance of the Fuse surged, and someone emerged.
The Sword Immortal and the Taoist with the flute could not hide their shock.
"Yang-seon!"
The one who appeared through the mist was none other than Yeoyangseon, the Sword Immortal’s second disciple.
She was in a terrible state as she stumbled forward. The sword wounds covering her body and her haggard face alone told the story of the hardships she had endured.
The Taoist with the flute caught her just as she was about to collapse.
"Are you alright?"
"Haah... Ma... Master..."
At her strained words, the Taoist with the flute turned his gaze toward the Sword Immortal.
The Sword Immortal approached her and asked, "What happened?"
"Master! Aaaah."
Seeing the Sword Immortal’s face, she burst into hot tears.
The Sword Immortal felt his heart tearing apart as he saw her return in this state after being kidnapped by his treacherous disciple, Jagyeongjeong.
Suppressing his emotions, the Sword Immortal spoke to her.
"How did you escape from him?"
"Haah... haah..."
Yeoyangseon, unable to even catch her breath at his question, spoke with great difficulty.
"Master... you must... you must stop Senior Brother."
"Stop him? What do you mean by that?"
"Senior Brother... the Emperor..."
"The Emperor?"
At the unexpected words from her lips, the Sword Immortal and the Taoist with the flute looked at each other with grave expressions.
Tall banners were visible everywhere at the very front of the army.
The large character for 'Emperor' (皇) written on them was something only the Emperor’s own army could use.
It was strange.
For an Emperor to lead an army meant he was personally on a campaign. Even if the Emperor didn't lead the army directly, they wouldn't display the banners so openly. Usually, they would raise the banner of the general actually leading the forces to protect the Emperor.
Yet, this army raised the Emperor’s banner as if to show off.
On the banners lined up behind it, the name of the state was written.
-It says 'Yeon,' right?
Yeon (沇)?
Then this is the army of the Yeon Dynasty?
Considering when the Yeon Dynasty was established, it wasn't that far off compared to the era I came from. It was within a few hundred years, at least.
If I could just find out which imperial dynasty this was, I could figure out who was leading that army.
'Is it over there?'
It seemed certain the Emperor was with the army.
Usually, commanders and generals march at the front, but in the very center, there were about three carriages that looked like entire houses had been moved onto wheels, and the security around them was tight.
I concentrated my Innate True Qi into my eye power to scan the army, but I didn't see any familiar faces.
'Hmm.'
To drag such massive carriages around... as expected of an Emperor’s army, it was beyond imagination.
'Namcheon, go higher.'
-Understood.
The Namcheon Iron Sword increased its altitude.
Crack! Crackle!
I quickly used the Body Transformation Art to change the shape of my face.
I was at a much higher altitude and there was considerable distance, so the chances of them spotting me were slim, but I needed to be prepared for any situation.
-Since there are so many of them, you won't get close, right?
'Right.'
As the Namcheon Iron Sword said, it would be difficult to approach recklessly. Even if I was about two ri away, if I lowered my altitude here, there was a high chance they would notice.
-What should we do, Un-hwi?
Let me think for a moment.
Tremble!
Looking at the needle of the Needle Board shaking violently, the Dharma Tool was definitely inside that imperial army. Moreover, it seemed the tool was being used openly right now.
That meant Jagyeongjeong, the disciple who betrayed the Sword Immortal, was within the Emperor’s army.
-Why on earth is he there?
How should I know?
However, to capture Jagyeongjeong, I had memorized all the information the Sword Immortal knew about him.
-What? That stuff about him caring for the people's livelihood and having a decent personality?
Yeah.
The problem was that the information was almost entirely praise. The more I heard about Jagyeongjeong from the Sword Immortal, the more he sounded like a better person than even those from the prestigious Orthodox sects. He was someone who worried about the people's well-being and lamented the reality of Taoists living confined within the Fuse.
-Then why did a guy like that turn so crooked?
How could I possibly know the depths of a human heart?
-Did he enter the Emperor’s service, then?
Under the Emperor?
That felt strange.
Because the reason he often clashed with the Sword Immortal was that he argued they should actively step out of the Fuse to help the Taoists and martial artists being oppressed by the Imperial Court.
But then he suddenly takes an official post under the Emperor? It was completely nonsensical.
-...Then maybe he infiltrated them to kill the Emperor?
'Kill the Emperor?'
I narrowed my eyes and watched the imperial army’s march.
That certainly fit better than him taking an official post. With his level of martial prowess and a Dharma Tool, he might have considered assassinating the Emperor.
However, the Imperial Court was not that easy of a target. If the Imperial Court had no power, martial artists would never have felt the need to be wary of them.
-Aren't they just pushing through with numbers?
The Imperial Court’s million-man army is terrifying, but I’ve heard there is a hidden power within it. There must be something capable of rivaling the martial prowess of the martial world; otherwise, why would the government constantly try to subjugate the martial world?
-So you're saying he infiltrated to look for an opportunity because of that?
That seems highly likely.
The picture was starting to come together. If my guess was right, Jagyeongjeong also knew he couldn't face the Imperial Court head-on with just a Dharma Tool, so he must have infiltrated them in some way. He might be trying to gain the Emperor’s trust to plot something.
-That could be it. Then are you going to infiltrate too?
That’s the problem.
I have to get inside the imperial army to catch him, but I can't just barge in. If the army were in the process of being mobilized, it might be different, but how do I get in while they're in the middle of a march?
-Hey, you have the Body Transformation Art.
It’s impossible right now. Even if I wanted to disguise myself as one of them, I’d have to wait until nightfall when they set up camp to sneak in and mimic someone. But they’re marching right now.
-Then what are you going to do?
Looking at the sun, it seemed it would set in about two hours. I should head down, keep my distance, and circle around until they set up camp. It won't be too late to strike then. Even with strict military discipline, there will be some gaps once night falls.
-Then I'll leave this area for now.
Since they'll see me if I lower my altitude right now, that’s for the best.
By the way, what a coincidence. If they keep marching like this, they’ll reach the misty forest where the Fuse is located. Of course, the Fuse will disappear soon, so they won't come into contact, but the timing is suspiciously precise for a coincidence.
Well, it could just be a coincidence. Considering the Fuse stays in its spot and the marching speed of that army, they should never encounter the misty forest.
In any case, my priority is infiltrating that—
Swish!
At that moment, I quickly snatched something flying toward me.
It was none other than a long, pole-like arrow.
'An arrow?'
To fire something with a shaft this thick and long was impossible for ordinary archers. Moreover, the direction it came from was none other than the marching imperial army.
'No way...'
They fired an arrow from two ri away?
And if you factor in the altitude, the distance increases significantly. Even with innate divine strength, this was too far. To accurately aim at someone at this distance and altitude was not easy, even for a master who had surpassed the wall.
If someone could shoot after seeing what must have looked like a faint dot, it was no exaggeration to call their archery skills that of a Bow God.
'Did it really come from over there?'
It could have been fired from closer, but there was no one in the immediate vicinity.
I was wondering about it when—
Swish, swish, swish!
I saw arrows flying in succession, precisely from the direction of the imperial army. They were coming from the center of the force.
Thwack!
I lightly waved my hand and caught all the incoming arrows.
'Did Jagyeongjeong fire them?'
With his martial prowess and cultivation, he might have spotted me. But he was nowhere to be seen.
I concentrated my eye power and stared intently at the direction the arrows had come from.
In front of the house-sized carriage, I saw someone who looked like a faint dot aiming a bowstring at me. They were so small they were blurry, but it definitely wasn't Jagyeongjeong.
'That person saw me?'
If so, they were absolutely no ordinary person. The distance was too great to determine their martial prowess, but they were undoubtedly an archer whose eye power and internal energy rivaled a master who had surpassed the wall.
'Namcheon. Let's get out of here, fast.'
The people around the archer were all looking this way, wondering what was going on. They probably couldn't see me, but if the commotion grew, Jagyeongjeong might notice.
Using Sword Flight, I quickly moved away from the army. As the distance grew, even I could no longer see the marching imperial army.
'Damn it.'
-What now?
With this, I doubt they'll be able to camp and rest peacefully. I didn't expect there to be someone with such ridiculous eye power. If I had been at a more noticeable angle, it would be one thing, but to discover someone at such a high altitude was astonishing, even if it was by chance.
-Do you think they saw you flying on a sword?
That’s impossible. Even for me, who had grown stronger through training in the Fuse, the archer looked like a blurry dot from that altitude even with my eye power enhanced by Innate True Qi. No matter how good that archer’s eyes are, they couldn't have seen something as thin as a sword. Even if they saw me, I would have just looked like I was flying through the air.
-Even so, their alertness must have skyrocketed because of this.
This is troublesome. At this rate, waiting for them to camp is out of the question. I need to find another way, but what?
-Un-hwi, look over there.
'Where?'
-To the southeast!
At the Sodam Sword’s words, I looked down. I saw a group of about thirty people there. About twenty were on horseback.
'Military uniforms?'
They were wearing armor similar to the imperial army I had found earlier. From the looks of it, they seemed to be scouts. Otherwise, there was no reason for them to be heading back exactly toward the imperial army.
'Ah!'
This is perfect. I might be able to use them to infiltrate the imperial army.
-What are you planning?
'Namcheon, take me closer to them.'
-Understood.
The Namcheon Iron Sword lowered its altitude and approached them. They were blurry from afar, but as I got closer, I saw the scouts on horseback dragging about ten people with ropes.
No matter how I looked at it, they were prisoners.
What was more interesting was that I thought they were ordinary scouts, but one of them was a Peak Realm master, and the rest were first-rate masters.
-Those guys are brutal.
The imperial soldiers on horseback didn't seem to care at all that the prisoners were falling and being dragged along the ground. Among them was even a boy who looked about fifteen. With shorter legs and slower than the adults, the boy was covered in blood as he was dragged along; it was a sight that made me frown.
Zip!
Without hesitation, I jumped off the Namcheon Iron Sword. I landed right in front of the men on horseback.
Thud!
Seeing me suddenly drop from the sky, the imperial soldiers couldn't hide their bewilderment. They drew their weapons from their waists.
Clang!
"Who are you!"
the one who appeared to be the leader, the Peak Realm master, shouted at me.
I smirked at them and said, "You don't need to know that. You'll have to release those people behind you."
"What!"
At my words, the faces of the people exhausted from running with their upper bodies bound by ropes brightened. But looking at them from this close, their abdominal areas were stained with blood. Specifically, around their Dantians. It seemed they were people who had practiced martial arts, but their Dantians had been destroyed.
"You've come to rescue these wretches. Seize him!"
"Yes, Thousand-Man Commander!"
I didn't think he was a scout, but a Thousand-Man Commander? A Thousand-Man Commander refers to a general who commands a thousand soldiers. No wonder his martial arts were decent.
At the Thousand-Man Commander’s order, the imperial soldiers, composed of first-rate masters, charged at me on horseback.
In response, I casually put my hands behind my back. The soldier charging at the front with a spear looked at me in disbelief.
"This brat has lost his mind—"
Boom!
At that moment, I stomped my foot hard against the ground.
Wham!
"Gah!"
"Ugh!"
With a powerful blast of wind, about ten imperial soldiers in the front row were instantly blown off their horses.
At that sight, the eyes of both the imperial soldiers and the prisoners widened. It was an expression that said they never imagined such a formidable master would appear.
"R-Run!"
Was it because I had shown such incredible divine authority? The judgment of the man called the Thousand-Man Commander was very fast. As soon as that shout left his lips, the imperial soldiers tried to drop the ropes holding the prisoners and flee, but—
Snap!
The moment I flicked my fingers, the remaining ten imperial soldiers, including the Thousand-Man Commander, were knocked unconscious and tumbled from their horses. A few were unlucky enough to fall headfirst, their necks snapping.
'Oops.'
I didn't intend to kill them like that, but it can't be helped.
Turning around, I saw the prisoners tied with ropes staring at me, dumbfounded. They were so shocked they couldn't even speak. As I approached them, a few people asked me.
"Just what kind of great master are you to..."
Slash!
"Huh?"
I didn't answer but formed a sword-secret gesture and swung it, cutting their ropes with sharp killing intent. As they looked on in confusion after being freed, I spoke.
"Never mind that. Tens of thousands of imperial troops are coming this way, so hurry and escape."
"Hieee!"
At the mention of tens of thousands of imperial troops, they recoiled in horror. I couldn't help but click my tongue, seeing how much they must have suffered to react like that.
"Thank you for saving us."
"Please, at least tell us your honored name."
The prisoners asked as they untied the remaining ropes. However, I shook my head. Our connection ended here anyway, and since I wouldn't be staying, I didn't feel it was worth telling them.
After asking a few more times, they eventually gave up and fled in the opposite direction with words of gratitude.
However, one person remained. It was the youngest, the boy who looked about fifteen. Having been dragged by a horse, the boy’s appearance was nothing short of horrific, covered in wounds.
"Why aren't you leaving?"
At my question, the boy struggled to pick himself up. Then, he suddenly bowed to me.
"I am grateful for your help, benefactor. But as a descendant of a martial family, I have become a body that can no longer practice martial arts. How can I say I am truly alive?"
'Hmm.'
It seemed to be because his Dantian was destroyed. This boy, like the other prisoners, had his abdominal Dantian area stained with blood. They were truly heartless people. I thought that this might be why Jagyeongjeong hated the imperial army.
I let out a sigh and said to the boy, "Just because your Dantian is destroyed doesn't mean there is no way. If you've kept your life, consider it fate and try to find a way to live."
At my words, the boy stood up without a word. Then, he suddenly picked up a sword hilt an imperial soldier had dropped on the ground. And then, was he not trying to slit his own throat with the sword?
"You brat!"
I lunged forward to grab his sword. As I closed the distance in an instant, the boy, seemingly startled, shouted at me and instinctively swung the sword.
"Don't stop me!"
But as he moved his feet and swung the sword, I couldn't help but pause for a moment.
'This is...?'
I caught the boy’s incoming sword with two fingers. Even though he had no internal power, the boy let out a gasp of admiration as his sword was blocked so easily.
"Ah..."
I asked the boy, "Who did you learn this sword technique from?"
At my question, the boy stammered in confusion.
"W-Why are you asking that?"
"Just answer me."
At that, the boy looked miserable and said to me, "It is my family’s sword technique."
"Your family’s sword technique?"
"Why on earth are you asking that?"
"Where are you from?"
"...Yunnan Province."
There was only one reason I was asking this. This sword form he had swung unconsciously, though crude, was a basic form of the Life Bright Sword Technique.
I asked him again. "What is your name?"
"No, why are you doing this? Even if you are my benefactor, how can you stop me from dying by my own hand like this..."
"Answer what I asked."
The boy was startled by the weight in my voice. Then, watching my reaction, he spoke in a small, crawling voice.
"It's... Ho Jong-won."
'!!!'