The Darkness Returns (5)
The Yeon Family Divine Elixir hummed with a low vibration.
After nearly four hours of energy circulation and meditation, it finally responded. The healing of his internal injuries had reached its final stage.
“It’s already morning.”
He had stayed up all night, yet he felt no fatigue at all. The invigorated Four Gods Qi had stimulated his internal organs and blown away every trace of exhaustion.
Yeon Hojeong rose from his seat and headed straight for the Myeolsa Army’s training ground.
As he drew near, Muk Bi’s booming voice cut through the air.
“North! Slaughter!”
Clangclangclangclang! Whoosh!
The fifty soldiers unleashed weapon techniques brimming with killing intent, making the wind itself scream.
Though each practiced different martial arts, the unity of their formation was astonishingly perfect.
Muk Bi shouted again.
“West! Suppress!”
Whoooosh!Rumble!
Every soldier shifted direction with swift, natural precision.
This too was remarkable. Their movement techniques differed, their skills varied, and their internal energy levels were not the same, yet they moved as a single body right up to the instant they swung their weapons.
Through extreme training they had achieved ideal coordination. They had not yet tested it in real combat, but their collective fighting ability seemed to have more than doubled since before.
When did they become this good? Yeon Hojeong could not hide his inner surprise.
He had heard they had dismantled several of the Jegal family’s highest-level formations, combined their fundamentals, and modified them to suit the Myeolsa Army.
Even though the techniques had been simplified for easier learning, the speed of their progress was unbelievable when one considered the time invested and the wide variance in the members’ abilities.
“Center!”
Swish!
The Myeolsa Army, which had been attacking from every direction, instantly formed ranks at the center of the training ground. The movement was both natural and impeccably clean.
Yeon Hojeong smiled as he walked onto the field.
Muk Bi clicked her tongue.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah.”
“You show up the moment we finish.”
“That’s how it always works. Of course, I didn’t plan it that way.”
“Hmph.”
Yeon Hojeong gazed at the Myeolsa Army.
A few of the soldiers looked at him with welcoming eyes, but none spoke. The formation leader had not yet ordered them to disperse.
Muk Bi called out.
“Disperse.”
The soldiers relaxed their stances as if they had been waiting for the command.
“Commander!”
“Whoa! Hasn’t it been way too long?”
“Where have you been messing around that you only show up now?!”
“We’re going to forget your face at this rate.”
The soldiers approached Yeon Hojeong, each expressing their joy in their own way.
It had been a long time since he had seen his subordinates. A bright smile finally spread across Yeon Hojeong’s face.
“Sorry. I should always be here with you, but there were too many things to handle.”
Normally, such grumbling as a joke would leave the other party embarrassed.
But these men were different.
“Of course you should be! We thought you’d forgotten your responsibilities!”
“Seriously, you must have been sneaking off to eat good food behind our backs. Look how your face has filled out.”
“Did you go around beating up weaklings? You look positively radiant.”
Instead of embarrassment, they piled on more teasing. Seeing their attitude actually lifted Yeon Hojeong’s mood.
“You bastards. Do you have any idea how busy I was, being called everywhere? The problems I had to solve weren’t just one or two… Huh?”
Yeon Hojeong blinked.
“What’s this? Why is that guy here?”
At the far edge of the training ground, Kang Liang leaned against a stone wall. He smiled and waved.
Ok Cheong spoke politely.
“We have been taking turns sparring with him. Brother Kang’s swordsmanship is truly impressive. It has been of great help to us. Of course, it has benefited him as well.”
“Oh? Sparring?”
Yeon Hojeong’s smile deepened. What a commendable fellow. Finding his own path to growth was far more important than raw talent.
At that moment, Muk Bi cut in.
“You’ve been neglecting your duties quite a bit. How about showing us your worth as commander while you’re here?”
“I suppose I should.”
“Right now.”
“Right now? How exactly?”
The soldiers wore meaningful smiles.
Muk Bi shouted.
“Center!”
Whoosh!
The Myeolsa Army moved to the edge of the field and formed their ranks.
It was not a rigid, perfectly aligned formation. At first glance it looked almost sloppy in its naturalness.
Yet their spirit was anything but ordinary.
Whooooosh.
The cold mountain wind seemed to heat up in an instant.
Yeon Hojeong looked at Muk Bi.
She lifted the corners of her mouth in a grin.
“There’s no better opponent than the commander for our first real combat test, right? Care to play along?”
In the end, Yeon Hojeong could only chuckle.
“I can’t stop you lot.”
He stepped onto the training ground and took position opposite the Myeolsa Army. The field itself was so vast that nearly twenty jang separated them.
Muk Bi asked.
“No Mad Dragon Axe?”
“Do I need to kill the kids?”
Clatter!
A dark-gray iron chain flowed from inside Yeon Hojeong’s sleeve.
“I’ll use this.”
“You’ll lose.”
“If I get hit, it means my skill is lacking. No matter how realistic the sparring is, I can’t go around severing the children’s limbs.”
“You’re being awfully considerate. That Shaolin monk—Beomun or Beomon—supposedly broke someone’s arm.”
“He didn’t cut it off. So, when are we starting?”
Muk Bi gave a small laugh.
“East. Momentum.”
Clang!
The soldiers drew their weapons.
Their eyes changed in an instant.
…… Yeon Hojeong’s expression grew serious. Look at these guys.
The eyes glaring at him were filled with fighting spirit and overwhelming pressure. No other emotion could be seen.
They were neither excited nor relaxed. The moment the formation activated, they treated their opponent strictly according to its principles.
They had been trained that way.
“Good.”
Thud.
Yeon Hojeong lowered his stance.
“Very good.”
Muk Bi spoke in a cold voice.
“Direct Assault Formation.”
Boom!
The instant her order fell, all fifty soldiers of the Myeolsa Army charged toward Yeon Hojeong at once.
Yeon Hojeong, who had been about to rush forward to meet them, froze in surprise.
Ooooong!
An invisible force penetrated every part of his body, slowly constricting his bones, blood vessels, and muscles.
The formation’s power is…?!
It was strong.
Simply forming the formation and charging released an incredible aura. That aura soon transformed into formless energy, creating pressure that bound the opponent’s flesh.
Swinging weapons was not the only form of attack. Their positions and the unified momentum they emitted were weapons in themselves.
There was no need to hold back or worry about appearances.
Whiiiiir!
The Yeon Family Divine Elixir spun at terrifying speed, pouring out powerful energy.
Whoooosh!
Bolstered by the Dragon Robe Divine Art, the White Tiger Qi roared violently.
Kwaaaaaang!
It sounded as if a house-sized tiger from somewhere far away had roared with full intent. The kingly roar spread beyond the training ground for dozens of jang, sending shivers through everyone who heard it.
Yeon Hojeong stepped forward with power.
Thud!
With that single powerful step, his left palm thrust forward. It was the Yeon family’s secret Reverse Dragon Palm.
The Reverse Dragon Palm was superb for offense, but its true worth revealed itself in counterattacks.
Even so, Yeon Hojeong had chosen it because he judged the formation’s power itself as an attack. His judgment was correct.
Kwaaaaaang!
The formation’s power and the palm force collided, producing a tremendous explosion.
It was louder than thunder. The intense shock slightly slowed the Myeolsa Army’s charge, and Yeon Hojeong was driven back three full steps.
His eyes gleamed. What tremendous power.
It was the wave emitted when fifty peak experts became one. They had not even launched a physical attack, yet the Reverse Dragon Palm he had infused with considerable strength was pushed back without displaying much effect.
If their momentum alone was this strong, how powerful would they be when their weapons actually clashed?
Whoosh!
The pure white gale was instantly dyed deep red flame.
At the same time, Yeon Hojeong’s body moved with explosive speed.
Bang!
He advanced while trailing red-and-white flames. It was the Blood Wing Soaring Heaven of the Vermilion Bird Art.
The formation’s pressure was so heavy that he could not reach his previous speed, yet he was still lightning fast. Yeon Hojeong instantly broke into the front line of the Myeolsa Army.
He swung his fist with power. His footwork belonged to the Vermilion Bird, his fist technique to the White Tiger’s Tiger King Nine Wall Strike.
Yeo Guk at the front calmly swung his sword.
Claaaaang!
Hup!
Yeon Hojeong’s body staggered violently. What is this?!
The power was terrifying.
Intense pain lingered in the fist wrapped by the Flood Dragon Chain. And this was a fist reinforced by both the Dragon Robe Divine Art and White Tiger Qi!
Yeon Hojeong’s body spun fiercely.
Papapapang!
It was a kicking technique meant to check five soldiers simultaneously. Rather than practical close-quarters combat kicks, it was the free-form Blue Dragon Crossing the Sea of the Blue Dragon Art.
However.
Boom boom boom!
Yeon Hojeong’s body was thrown backward.
The soldiers’ power was simply too strong. Had he clenched his teeth and exerted full force, he might have kicked two in the chest, but that would only have left bruises. In exchange, his own body would have been carved with blade marks.
This is impossible.
Yeon Hojeong was genuinely shocked. Just by training a single formation, they can gather different types of energy into one and amplify it?!
Even during his days as the Black Dark Emperor, he had never encountered a formation like this.
Of course, it was not a technique suited for a battlefield filled with screams and flying flesh. It might somehow hold against two hundred, or even three hundred enemies, but beyond that its effectiveness would inevitably drop.
Yet in a one-versus-many duel, the story changed completely.
Muk Bi shouted.
“Slash!!”
Flash!
The light of blades and swords split the air.
Yeon Hojeong’s body scattered like smoke.
Thudthudthudthud!
Dozens of sword scars appeared on the training ground floor.
Considering each soldier’s original skill level, the power was absurd. They were amplifying the force of their strikes by boosting one another’s energy.
This is no joke.
Clatter!
Yeon Hojeong, now high in the air, held the Flood Dragon Chain extended to its full length.
Muk Bi shouted.
“Heavenly Charge!!”
Flash!
Dozens of sword energies and over ten fist winds poured down on Yeon Hojeong.
He spun the Flood Dragon Chain at high speed.
Boomboomboom!
The sword energies and fist winds shattered like fireworks against the spinning chain’s defensive barrier and scattered in all directions.
Damn it!
Thick veins bulged on Yeon Hojeong’s forehead.
Even though he had blocked by squeezing out the full power of the Dragon Robe Divine Art, the shock still transmitted across his entire upper body. The difference in internal energy density should have made blocking easy despite the added power, yet his whole body throbbed as if covered in bruises.
Whiiiiiiiing!
Pure white gales rose across Yeon Hojeong’s entire body. He had raised his White Tiger Qi to its limit.
“I’m getting serious now.”
Boooom!
Yeon Hojeong’s body plummeted with monstrous speed.
Kwaaaang!
It was a Thousand Pound Drop powerful enough to shake the entire training ground.
The moment he landed, he swung the Flood Dragon Chain again.
Boom boom boom!Clang!
The Flood Dragon Chain was strong.
Like cracking a whip, it struck in every direction. The sound of exploding air came even before impact. Its speed and power surpassed imagination.
Yet it was blocked.
Cling! Clang! Clangclangclang!
The peak sword techniques of Huashan, Kunlun, and Wudang first neutralized the chain’s shockwaves.
Whoooosh!Boom boom boom!
Yeon Hojeong’s body shook. Palm forces and fist winds had slipped through the gaps and struck him.
They were glancing blows, but the impact was considerable. The attacks were so precise that a fraction slower reaction speed would have shaken his three dantians.
Impressive.
As Yeon Hojeong continued attacking the Myeolsa Army with the Flood Dragon Chain and dynamic fists and feet, a rare spark of genuine enjoyment rose in his eyes.
In such a short time, to reach this level…!
It was then.
Clang!!
A chilling sound. The noise of something piercing the Flood Dragon Chain’s circular defense.
Startled, Yeon Hojeong spun around.
Song Yeon-gyeong’s Demon-Subduing Spear—the finest practical spear technique of the Emei Sect and the strongest among its lay disciples—flew like lightning, aiming straight for his throat.
It was too late to dodge. Yeon Hojeong’s arms twisted like snakes and wrapped around the iron spear.
Explosive force erupted from both hands.
Booom!Thud!
In the process of deflecting the spear, three fist winds slammed into his back.
Cough!
After spitting a mouthful of blood, Yeon Hojeong executed the White Tiger Dominating Step.
Kwaaaaaang!
“Ugh!”
“Th-this!”
With a monstrous forward surge that sent five soldiers flying, Yeon Hojeong instantly reached the edge of the training ground.
“Hoo.”
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
His expression gradually filled with delight.
“This is excellent!”
Muk Bi, who had been smiling while watching from atop a nearby structure, suddenly stiffened. Huh?
Her extremely trained eyes caught the look in Yeon Hojeong’s gaze. What is that?
His eyes were slowly being dyed with pitch-black darkness.
It was a gaze she had never seen before—one that radiated terrifying madness.
……!!
In that instant, goosebumps erupted across Muk Bi’s entire body. The energy radiating from Yeon Hojeong had begun to carry clear killing intent.
“Come at me, you bastards!”
Swish swish!
The Myeolsa Army charged once more with terrifying speed.
Muk Bi unconsciously cried out.
“Stop!!”
Yeon Hojeong’s fist pierced through the air.
Kwaaaaaang!