Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: Nine Dragons Great Battle
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One of the Guangxi Three Fiends couldn't withstand the gale and was torn apart.
A sword wind brimming with profound energy.
With the Red Dragon Aura thoroughly infused into it, even the remaining scraps of flesh burned up fiercely, filling the air with a foul stench.
"Big brother!!"
The Second Fiend saw what happened and let out a furious roar, charging straight at me—
But before he could,
"You filthy ghost, how dare you lay a hand on him!!"
The Daoist Corps Leader Han In-su positioned himself in front of me first, swinging his blade ferociously.
The blade aura flashed.
The Second Fiend had no chance to block it.
Not even before his body suddenly stiffened rigidly.
Soul Binding Seal.
The technique I'd prepared in advance worked perfectly.
Boom!
The blade aura cleaved straight from the Second Fiend's crown to his groin in one stroke.
Han In-su looked puzzled for a moment, wondering why a supposedly sturdy jiangshi felt so soft, but then he realized something and shouted to the Daoist Corps members following behind.
"The jiangshi movements have slowed! Don't leave a single one—crush them all!!"
The Daoist Corps showed exactly how they'd overcome their origins as ronin wanderers to become hegemons of the Gui Prefecture martial world.
Clang clang clang!
Boom boom boom—
Their movements were so unstoppable that the phrase "sweeping freely in all directions" came to mind unbidden.
From the North Sea Fury Emperor's perspective, already pinned down by the fierce exploits of the Pure Wind Pavilion and Green Ancestor Brigade, the Daoist Corps must have felt like a piercing awl or a crushing hammer.
That had been my preemptive countermeasure from the start, after all.
「The North Sea Fury Emperor's forces are mostly composed of brainwashed jiangshi, which is an advantage—but it can also be a weakness.」
「In normal times, their blind obedience to the command structure means even a slight disruption leaves them clueless and faltering—」
「Strike that opening without mercy, and they'll crumble in an instant.」
「Their fate was sealed the moment they set foot in the Nine Dragons Precinct—」
「This was decided the instant the Young Lord resolved to punish the Demonic North Sea Sect!!」
Kiiiiiaaaah!
The demon soaring through the sky let out a massive shriek.
A curse upon the North Sea Fury Emperor, a blessing upon our allies.
The tide of battle flipped in an instant.
"Over there—"
"Ah, sorry."
I set down Sima Seon-ui, who had been wriggling in my arms.
Her nose seemed a bit flushed.
Had she been injured somewhere?
"Could you have been poisoned by the venom? If you need it, I can provide an antidote—"
"I-I'm fine."
"?"
Sima Seon-ui hurriedly shook her head and averted her gaze.
Puzzled, I tilted my head in question, but the lingering spirits shook their heads.
「How can he be so clueless about a woman's heart—」
「What a waste of that handsome face. If only I'd had a face like that in life, I would've...!」
「Doesn't he have a lover? This doesn't add up—is he for real?」
「Hey! Don't you know the Young Lord yet? He's even deceiving us with a feint!」
「Exactly—」
I pondered how to deal with the spirits chattering away in their private code, then decided to ignore them and spoke to Sima Seon-ui.
"Then I'll assume you're alright and join the Daoist Corps. If anything feels off, just let me know later."
"Me too! I'll help too!"
"That would be greatly appreciated."
Sima Seon-ui returned to her serious expression and drew her sword.
The sword energy gleaming along its edge shone with a bluish hue.
Beyond Peak.
Proof that she'd reached the Three Flowers Converging realm, where the Three Stages of Power linked as one, allowing qi to flow freely without obstruction.
Yet even that color suggested she was on the verge of surpassing it soon.
Whatever had happened, the insight she'd gained this time seemed to have shattered a major wall.
Judging purely by innate skill, she wouldn't fall short of Yi Cheol-san.
With proper refinement, she might even match or surpass him in some areas.
Such added firepower would greatly aid the battle.
Flash—
From then on, Sima Seon-ui and I focused on aiding spots that needed support or where the tide hadn't fully turned.
The first we helped was Sima Seon-ui's friend, Yu Su-min.
She was locked in a back-and-forth struggle not far away against a former demon lord known as the Heavenly Mountain Devil.
But once we struck from behind, he collapsed on his own.
"You righteous bastards, fighting dirty—"
His aggrieved expression, with a hole drilled through his brow, was a sight to behold.
I laughed openly.
"In war, who cares about dirty or fair? Victory is all that matters."
Thud!
After felling the Heavenly Mountain Devil, I turned to Yu Su-min.
"Senior Sister, you—"
Despite her exhausted appearance, she glanced between Sima Seon-ui and me, then flashed a sly, knowing smile.
"Eheheheh! Denying it so hard when it's so obvious."
"?"
I cocked my head, while Sima Seon-ui flared up oddly.
"It's not like that! Don't get weird ideas!"
"Sure, sure."
"I mean it!"
"Yeah, got it. I get it... pfft!"
"I said it's not!!"
"??"
I had no idea why Yu Su-min and Sima Seon-ui were bickering, but we moved to the next spot right away.
My plan was simple.
—Link all the battlefronts into one.
Once the Nine Dragons Golden Barrier Formation was fully active, the momentum had already shifted decisively our way.
But that only held for the fragmented individual clashes; we hadn't fully seized control of the war yet.
Currently, the Green Ancestor Brigade operated independently, as did the Pure Wind Pavilion and the Hidden Valley Eight Sages.
I planned to connect them into one cohesive, organic whole.
To do that, someone had to step up and unite the isolated groups.
And that someone was me.
The first group I aimed to link was those fighting the ice ghosts on the frontmost lines.
The Hidden Valley Eight Sages.
They'd already strategically deployed considerable fighters around them.
A sign they possessed not just martial prowess, but leadership to rally people.
It explained why the Shadow Lord had rated them so highly.
The nearest was the Nine Dragons Odd Hero Hyeon I-jin.
With her short bob haircut, she could pass for a handsome boy at a glance, but she flashed a cheerful smile.
"Whew! Thanks! I thought we were done for, diving so deep into enemy lines, but you three saved our skins! This Hyeon won't forget this life debt!!"
I'd wondered if an "odd hero" would be eccentric, but contrary to rumors, Hyeon I-jin showed the refined courtesy worthy of a true hero.
"You're guests here to aid our estate—it's only natural."
"Hahaha. A life debt is a life debt! Name it, anything at all. I'll make it happen."
"Then, if it's not too much trouble, could you assist me?"
"Of course! It's exactly what this Hyeon hoped for!! What do you need?"
"Guard my rear."
"Oh ho. You mean...?"
"Yes. I'm going to unite the front lines."
I took point, with Sima Seon-ui and Yu Su-min on the flanks.
Hyeon I-jin and her followers shored up the rear solidly, forming a wedge-shaped formation (∧).
A simple battle array, but one that maximized breakthrough speed and mobility for huge effect.
Especially the thrill of wedging into the North Sea Sect lines and rampaging freely defied words.
"Damn rebels!"
"Block them! I said block—argh!"
The North Sea Sect resisted tenaciously.
But I maxed out my Crimson Dragon Demonic Body and smashed through them wildly.
The Fear Wind Fan spewed scorching blasts nonstop.
Sword thunder flashed, radiant winds swept the ground.
Trample, trample, trample...
In the midst, the other Hidden Valley Eight Sages joined one after another.
Particularly, the Flying Heaven Tiger-Horse Gongsun Beom had rallied the largest group, commanding them like his own sect.
"I'm not one for taking orders, but for the young master of the estate? Can't complain! Count me in fully!"
「Even in this chaos, guarding his scrap of power like a petty tyrant.」
「That rat-faced look rubs me wrong. Should I smash his mug?」
His swagger grated, but his swift footwork and staff techniques were impressive enough to note.
The Thunderbolt Tiger Monk Hong Ryeo and Night Horse Archer Yong Geom-guk also shone fiercely.
Hong Ryeo, who'd been fighting solo due to communication issues, unleashed her full potential once allies covered her back.
Yong Geom-guk, who'd insisted on supporting from the rear, ensured no stray arrows reached me.
A hundred-percent accuracy that rivaled any master archer.
Numbers kept swelling after that.
Stragglers from the field, the fallen behind, the wounded—all merged into the formation, lending what strength they could.
By the time the Green Ancestor Brigade and Pure Wind Pavilion joined, it was an impregnable fortress no one could touch...!
"Whoa!"
"I wondered who could rampage through the battlefield like this! As expected, Brother Un-hwi!"
The last to join, Dang Gyu-jin and Yi Cheol-san, gave wings to the wedge.
In the end, the North Sea Fury Emperor—pushed to the estate's final defenses—couldn't hold and collapsed in a heap.
"Evacuate! Fall back to the rear, all of you!!"
The North Sea Sect's retreat began.
But after all we'd suffered at their hands, we weren't about to let them go.
Boom boom boom boom!
"Pursue them!"
"Don't let a single one escape!!"
Especially the Pure Wind Pavilion and Green Ancestor Brigade, with their deepest grudge against the Demonic Cult, clung ferociously, multiplying enemy losses.
Explosives buried along escape routes detonated, bizarre formations twisted their paths.
They might've entered freely, but leaving? No chance.
Just as I'd hoped, this place was an ant hell for them.
The more they thrashed to escape, the tighter it gripped their lives—like an ant hell.
"Ahh, our great cause... our dream of conquering the world...!"
One demon lord stood dazed, utterly lost.
I knew him well.
North Mang Old Master Gu Ro-dae.
An elder of the Demonic North Sea Sect, long loyal to his faction.
The sight of six years' pent-up efforts crumbling seemed to have broken his mind.
No mood for talk—I just slashed his neck with the Fear Wind Fan.
"Great cause, my ass."
I scoffed.
"You should've known this would happen the moment you relied on outside forces instead of your own strength."
「Well said!」
「Little bro, recruit one more newbie!!」
「Loyalty! Loyalty!!」
* * *
‘This front's as good as won.’
The battle here was essentially decided.
That left just one.
The North Sea Sect Lord.
I turned my gaze that way.