Darkness Returns (6)
The thunderous roar that erupted reached the heavens beyond the training ground.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Yeon Hojeong quickly retreated. He couldn't withstand the formation's pressure.
“Grrgh!”
“Ugh, ahhh!”
Over a dozen soldiers at the front all staggered back more than ten steps. They had been pushed away by the pressure of Yeon Hojeong's fists.
Yeon Hojeong's power, which forced peak experts to retreat at once, was immense. Yet even more remarkable was that the formation held despite so many being driven back.
The formation itself was extraordinarily flexible. Had they been rigidly aligned, half the ranks would have collapsed from that single strike.
“Huff.”
Yeon Hojeong's eyes gradually turned crimson.
Whoosh.
The Vermilion Bird's flames ignited.
Zing! Zing!
The Yeon Family Divine Elixir spun at high speed, continuously unleashing the Dragon Robe Divine Art. Empowered by explosive momentum, the Vermilion Bird Qi radiated a terrifying aura.
The Vermilion Bird Qi itself was both firepower and killing intent. Though Yeon Hojeong had long wielded killing intent freely through the Vermilion Bird Art, this was different.
Thump! Thump!
His heartbeat surged and his blood flow accelerated.
Sssss!
Scarlet smoke rose from Yeon Hojeong's body. It was not the Vermilion Bird Fire Qi, but killing intent that had taken physical form upon igniting with that fire.
‘……!!’
Muk Bi's face hardened.
She knew how deeply Yeon Hojeong cared for the Myeolsa Army. No matter how realistic the spar, he had never truly unleashed killing intent—not even for intimidation.
This was no mere simulation. It was a genuine battle. Yeon Hojeong was facing the Myeolsa Army with full seriousness.
Just as Muk Bi was about to speak again—
[It's fine.]
Startled, Muk Bi looked toward the front of the Myeolsa Army.
There stood Ok Cheong, rolling his shoulders.
[It's a rare chance to face a master on the level of our commander. It's fine.]
[But!]
[It's also an opportunity to witness the greatest talent our commander possesses. If what I saw is real, we can become even stronger.]
[What……?]
Ok Cheong smiled faintly.
Though his face smiled, his eyes were deadly serious. Even on the verge of eruption, one could feel how perilous Yeon Hojeong's killing intent was.
[Moreover, we owe our commander a great debt. Right now, he looks somewhat precarious to me.]
[……!!]
[This is a chance not only for us to grow stronger, but also to repay even a fraction of the grace we've received. Please entrust it to us.]
After finishing the transmission, Ok Cheong shouted.
“From now on, the formation master shall be myself and Yeo Guk!”
Yeo Guk looked at Ok Cheong.
Ok Cheong nodded.
“Let us properly receive our commander's martial arts.”
Yeo Guk grinned.
“Sounds good.”
Whoosh!
Yeo Guk stepped forward three paces and took the lead of the Myeolsa Army, raising his sword to mid-level.
Whoosh.
In an instant, the Myeolsa Army's atmosphere changed.
Having the formation master inside versus outside made all the difference. While vision narrowed, frontal combat power and reaction speed increased dramatically.
In other words, Ok Cheong and Yeo Guk leading the formation meant they intended to confront Yeon Hojeong in earnest.
The formation the Myeolsa Army had trained in—created solely for them.
The Myeolsa Three Kills Formation, opening.
Yeo Guk shouted.
“Front center!”
Rustle!
The scattered ranks of the Myeolsa Army transformed into a sharp spearhead.
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
It was a smile that carried an inexplicable chill.
“Proper.”
Without a word, he sensed the Myeolsa Army's will.
Clatter!
The Flood Dragon Chain, extended by inner energy, writhed wildly. Crimson flames rippled along its length.
“…….”
Despite the air trembling from the formation's pressure and the Four Gods Qi shaking the atmosphere, a strange silence seemed to descend.
Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh!
Even fierce winds could not penetrate the training ground. The auras of Yeon Hojeong and the Myeolsa Army clashed sharply, forming an intangible barrier of true energy.
Ok Cheong, standing at the formation's center, spoke.
“Capture and attack.”
No sooner had his words ended than fifty Myeolsa Army members moved.
Boom!
Their speed was tremendous.
They had only kicked the ground, yet explosions rang out. The true energy circulating organically within the formation doubled everyone's speed.
The Myeolsa Army charged toward Yeon Hojeong like lightning.
Yeon Hojeong's reaction was immediate.
Swoosh!
Before the soldiers could close the distance, the Flood Dragon Chain swept horizontally.
It was the Red Flame Six Kills Art of the Vermilion Bird Qi, imbued with the explosive force technique maximized by the Dragon Robe Divine Art.
Rumble!
The Myeolsa Army's formation shook violently.
Yeon Hojeong's martial arts, attacking with genuine killing intent, were shockingly powerful. The force was so immense that the charging soldiers' speed dropped by thirty percent in an instant.
But the Myeolsa Army did not panic.
Whoosh!
Sword Qi and energy shot out in all directions.
It was a response anticipating Yeon Hojeong's attempt to disrupt the formation with overwhelming power and break through individually. Yeon Hojeong, who had intended to instantly reach the end and take down the Ami's spearmen first, had to immediately change tactics.
Clang! Boom!
Various parts of the training ground exploded or were gouged out by force and shockwaves.
Yeon Hojeong swung his fists and kicks.
Boom! Crash!
The recoil was tremendous.
With his right hand unleashing the Red Flame Six Kills Art through the Flood Dragon Chain and his left fist executing the Tiger King's Nine Wall World of the White Tiger Art, he used the Azure Dragon Cloud Treading Step and White Tiger Sovereign Step to minimize damage while delivering efficient attacks.
Yet the formation showed no signs of breaking. Far from breaking, it was regaining its elasticity. It felt as if every attack was being absorbed.
‘In that case.’
Flash!
Yeon Hojeong, who had instantly soared into the air with Blood Wing Flight, drew a deep breath.
Whoosh!
As if they had anticipated his leap, Yun Ho and Dong Ho of the Volcano unleashed the Plum Blossom Three Edge Sword.
Whirl!
Intangible force scattered like dozens of flower petals, surrounding Yeon Hojeong.
In that moment, Yeon Hojeong tensed his lower abdomen.
Roar!!
It was an immense lion's roar.
No, perhaps it should be called the White Tiger Roar. The sound wave released by inflating his lungs to the extreme with White Tiger Metal Qi carried an enormous shockwave.
Clang clang clang! Boom!
The rising plum blossom sword auras all shattered.
Not only that. The unexpected sound attack disrupted the Myeolsa Army's formation, causing over half the soldiers to stagger.
If the intangible barrier hadn't formed, more than ten would have had their eardrums burst. The shockwave was that powerful.
Whoosh!
The Flood Dragon Chain writhed in the air and attacked the soldiers.
Clang! Clang! Crash!
The Flood Dragon Chain's movements were truly astonishing.
It moved as if the chain itself were alive.
It was majestic like a dragon writhing, yet sinister like a snake. Under that clever and grand attack, the soldiers were busy deflecting the chain.
Whoosh!
Yeon Hojeong, who had descended to the outer edge of the training ground, swung the Flood Dragon Chain again.
Clatter!
Dong Ho's eyes trembled. The Flood Dragon Chain, flying like a beam of light, had wrapped around his sword before he knew it.
Yeon Hojeong forcefully pulled the Flood Dragon Chain.
‘……!’
Surprisingly, Dong Ho wasn't pulled along. Nor did he let go of his sword.
He endured. Dong Ho, incomparable in both strength and inner energy, was withstanding Yeon Hojeong's power.
It was the power of the Myeolsa Three Kills Formation. Even if the formation was disrupted, it was possible to channel energy to a few when their will united.
Whoosh!
At that moment, Ok Cheong led the Ami's spearmen and charged into Yeon Hojeong's left and right flanks.
It was a truly exquisite moment. Yeon Hojeong was surprised by the attack targeting the instant his breathing entered.
Whoosh!
Releasing the Flood Dragon Chain, Yeon Hojeong spun his body on the spot.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Four spears and one sword left shallow wounds on Yeon Hojeong's body.
Boom boom boom!
Ok Cheong and the spearmen were flung backward by the Reverse Dragon Palm fired while spinning.
Flash!
Faster than the flung Ok Cheong and spearmen, Yeon Hojeong pierced into the heart of the formation and madly unleashed fists and kicks in all directions.
Boom! Crash! Thud!
Three or four retreated, five held their ground, and two staggered while vomiting blood.
Even without wielding an axe, Yeon Hojeong's fist and kick techniques possessed enough power to kill a person if they landed properly. The two soldiers who vomited blood from his fists eventually lost their strength and collapsed.
Whoosh!
The formation shook.
The formation didn't collapse just because two had fallen. But Yeon Hojeong didn't miss that perfect moment when the formation wavered.
Boom!
With the most powerful footwork since the spar began, gathering his strength, Yeon Hojeong charged toward Yeo Guk. His intention was to take down the one who was the core of the formation and affect the flow of the formation technique.
It was then.
‘……?!’
Yeon Hojeong, who had been charging toward Yeo Guk, suddenly twisted his body and ambushed Paeng Man-ho.
“Huh!”
Startled, Paeng Man-ho swung his great blade with the force to cleave him in two. It was an agile reaction unbefitting his large frame.
Yeon Hojeong spread his palm and swung it horizontally.
Crash!
The great blade was flung aside. Blood burst from Yeon Hojeong's hand as well.
Thud!
“Gah!”
Paeng Man-ho collapsed on the spot from the elastic short-range kick.
Whoosh!
In that instant, the formation shook violently.
‘As expected.’
Yeo Guk and Ok Cheong were the cores of this formation.
However, there were several soldiers leading the formation from unseen places. One of them was Paeng Man-ho, who played a more crucial role than Yeo Guk when demonstrating overwhelming offensive power.
‘This was the weakness…….’
It was then.
Boom!
Yeon Hojeong staggered, vomiting blood. White smoke rose from his back.
‘……?!’
Yeon Hojeong's eyes trembled.
Sssss!
Between the white smoke, crimson smoke suddenly surged before vanishing with a whoosh.
“Huff, as expected.”
Rustle.
The wavering formation settled. The soldiers had calmed their true energy.
“As expected of our commander. To attack the ten-thousand-man commander in one go in such an urgent and chaotic situation.”
Yeon Hojeong turned around.
Ok Cheong was smiling. Though his breathing was quite rough.
“My eyes were right. The innate talent hidden behind our commander's monstrous practical combat ability—I've confirmed it properly in this moment.”
“Talent?”
“It is talent. You instinctively see through weaknesses, don't you?”
“……!”
“The military advisor said this. With this formation, even Abbot Gong Gong Dae-sa or our sect leader senior brother wouldn't be able to endure. Of course, we would suffer considerable damage as well.”
Yeon Hojeong's eyes trembled.
“I know your martial arts are still lacking compared to those two. Yet you targeted the formation's weakness and gradually dismantled the formation's momentum. Thanks to you, commander, we've learned what the weakness of this formation—no, our weakness—is.”
Drip.
Blood flowed from Ok Cheong's mouth. He too had suffered internal injuries from the excessive attack.
“It's not much as repayment, but we've expelled the unvirtuous madness lurking within you, commander.”
The palm force embedded in Yeon Hojeong's back.
It was none other than the Dan Geum Palm of Sword Immortal Tak-mu-ja. A martial art of enlightenment that freely transcended form and style, containing the realization of the immortal path within, leading to truth.
“How is it? Do you feel a bit better?”
“……
Hah.”
Yeon Hojeong stroked his chest.
For some reason, the dark and stuffy feeling had noticeably improved.
“We could have expelled it right away, but it seemed that evaporating it when emotions were heightened would make the difference clearer, so we had no choice but to be discourteous.”
Ok Cheong cupped his fists.
Simultaneously, all the soldiers cupped their fists. The entire Myeolsa Army had understood Ok Cheong's intention and pooled their strength.
“We have learned much!”
The resounding voices swept through the training ground.
Yeon Hojeong, who had been silently watching Ok Cheong, soon gave a bitter smile.
“……
Well, this is something.”
He had tried to teach them a move, but instead received help from the soldiers.
But why? His pride wasn't hurt. He felt sorry for making the soldiers worry about him, but somehow his heart felt warm.
In the end, what Yeon Hojeong had to say was just this.
“Take care of me from now on as well.”
“Please take care of us as well!”
The spar that had begun fiercely ended in a gentle atmosphere.