The Beginning of the Purge
A man wearing a bamboo hat raced across mountains and rivers.
Whoosh.
His movements as he kicked off the ground were light and graceful. Yet they were also swift. With each leap he covered over ten jang without effort, repeating the motion dozens of times without so much as a single labored breath.
His legs brimmed with elasticity, his breathing remained perfectly steady, and the swing of his arms to increase his speed was so fluid it resembled the beating of a bird’s wings.
Thus the man ran.
His posture was noble and elegant, yet his speed surpassed that of any master.
How long had he been running?
Flash!
Beneath the bamboo hat, a pale green light burst from the man’s shadowed eyes. ‘Over there.’
Whoosh!
He had already been fast, but now he moved even faster. His figure as he kicked off a boulder and soared into the sky was like a bird in flight.
Tap-tap-tap!
After leaping high and bounding across countless branches, the man finally spotted a middle-aged figure ahead.
Flash!
The bamboo-hatted man descended like lightning, landing directly before the middle-aged man.
Moyong Gun’s face showed a hint of admiration.
“They say throughout Gangdong that when the Judge takes flight, all evil holds its breath… Indeed, your lightness skill is as remarkable as your decisiveness.”
“You flatter me.”
The man removed his bamboo hat.
It was Yeon Wi.
“You’re fast. I thought it would take at least two more days.”
“We cannot afford leisure when we do not know when battle will erupt.”
Moyong Gun nodded.
“I was beginning to wonder if I would have to capture them alone.”
Yeon Wi asked, “Have you received word from your army commander?”
“I have. They should arrive in half a day.”
“Half a day…”
Yeon Wi turned his head. It was a dark night. The moonlight was clear, yet clouds drifted appropriately. While it was not difficult to distinguish objects, the world was not as bright as day.
Yet both men were among the strongest in the entire martial world—save for those who had reached the Sacred Heavens realm. At this level of brightness, they could clearly perceive their surroundings by channeling their inner energy into enhanced vision.
“There it is.”
Yeon Wi pointed toward a massive estate. Its scale was so enormous that even high-ranking officials would have marveled at it. Though not ostentatious, it was vast enough to comfortably house hundreds of retainers.
Moyong Gun spoke. “They have spent the past year relocating all nearby civilians. Thanks to that, there is not a single commoner within a ten-li radius of the estate.”
“That is fortunate.”
“Whether it proves fortunate or unfortunate will be decided in battle.”
“Have you assessed their forces?”
“Of course.”
Moyong Gun produced a small letter from his robes.
“This is intelligence gathered by Commander Yeo Sang-do’s spy network.”
Yeon Wi’s eyes deepened as he read the letter.
“Four…”
“To be precise, it could be four in the worst case. Since we have stirred up trouble everywhere, they must be in disarray. If they have dispatched experts elsewhere, we can assume two or three top-tier masters remain here to face us.”
“I doubt only they will be present.”
“Naturally. Even excluding those who have broken through the Wall of No Return, there should be several hundred highly skilled experts.”
“Several hundred…”
“When I secretly met with Commander Yeo, roughly fifty men were monitoring him. Each of those fifty possessed outstanding skill—none could be taken lightly.”
Yeon Wi nodded. “Ho-jeong said they are called the Divine Fire Soldiers.”
“Divine Fire Soldiers…” Moyong Gun smirked. “A grandiose name. Then again, they must have possessed tremendous confidence to attempt seizing control of the government offices.”
That was not the important part. ‘Then the number of experts the Shinhwa Sect originally sent to the Henan government offices was…’
Gyujuk and Yoro. Adding the three martial generals sent against Yeon Hojeong and Dang Gwan, plus the experts at the location they now intended to assault… ‘Nine peak masters alone…’
It was a chilling number. They had been fortunate to eliminate two through divide-and-conquer tactics. Even assuming Yeon Hojeong, Dang Gwan, and Muk Bi wiped out the rest, four would remain.
It was formidable strength. After all, if one wished to dominate an entire province, such power would need to be deployed.
Moreover, they reportedly had several hundred skilled subordinates. ‘Can we take it?’
Yeon Wi’s gaze grew profound as he looked at Moyong Gun. ‘The Moyong patriarch… surely has a hidden card.’
Moyong Gun’s martial prowess was often underestimated because his political acumen was so exceptional. Even standing still, his strength was no less than Yeon Wi’s own. Furthermore, rumor held that Moyong Gun cultivated another art besides the Moyong family’s signature Geongonmu.
In other words, he was concealing his true ability. ‘I am the same.’
There was a difference, however. Moyong Gun had deliberately hidden his strength to prepare for the future, whereas Yeon Wi had simply never had the opportunity to display his.
What mattered was that both men were at least one level stronger than publicly known. ‘Yet their martial arts may also exceed expectations.’
Especially since the place they targeted was essentially the enemy’s command center. It had originally been built by Yeo Sang-do to host military discussions with his officials. As a result, it was expansive and offered excellent defensive advantages.
Furthermore—
“Would you mind if I conduct a brief reconnaissance?”
Moyong Gun glanced at Yeon Wi. “Are you confident you won’t be detected?”
“Do not worry about that.”
“Very well. Let us go together.”
Whoosh!
The two men suppressed their presence and closed the distance to the estate.
How close had they approached?
Moyong Gun’s eyes flashed. [Did you catch it?][I did.]
Moyong Gun frowned. [These bastards prepared thoroughly.]
The first thing to stimulate their heightened senses was the faint smell of oil.
Even an ordinary person—or even a peak master—would have missed it unless they pushed their senses to the absolute limit. The scent had been carefully concealed. [They are all masters of the Heat Yang Art. According to your son, they ignite their own flames, absorb the amplified fire qi to reduce inner energy consumption, and even strengthen themselves.][I have heard the same.]
In fact, Yeon Wi had personally visited the site of the battle between Yeon Hojeong and Gyujuk. It was fortunate they had acted quickly to contain it; otherwise, a massive forest fire would have erupted.
It was truly remarkable. No matter how skilled a practitioner of the Heat Yang Art might be, turning the surroundings into a sea of flames was no easy feat. For ordinary warriors it would be a reckless gamble, yet for them it was not. It was a tactic that required an extraordinarily heat-resistant physique.
Of course, before even considering the gamble, the feat of igniting such a vast area through inner energy projection was itself extraordinary. ‘They fight in an environment favorable to them… It is basic strategy, yet…’
The two men moved with even greater caution. No matter how skilled they were, both had trained in orthodox martial arts. While their mastery of qi allowed them to freely suppress or release their presence, they could not employ first-rate stealth techniques.
In short, infiltrating the interior would be difficult. If only masters below the Wall of No Return were present it might be possible, but even a single martial-general-level expert would greatly increase the risk of detection.
After circling the entire outer perimeter, the two returned to their starting point.
“This has become troublesome.”
Moyong Gun’s eyes deepened. “The smell of oil is everywhere. If battle breaks out, they will ignite the oil first.”
“I agree.”
“Truly interesting fellows. Their fire attack not only fails to work against them but actually benefits them… How fascinating.”
After a moment of contemplation, Moyong Gun spoke casually. “At this level, extinguishing the flames would be impossible unless a torrential downpour occurs.”
“……”
“Creating a favorable environment is fundamental to battle. If they have already prepared everything, then our first task must be to eliminate that advantage before engaging.”
“You are correct.”
“Ordinary water will not suffice. That means we must change the battlefield.”
“Hmm.”
“If we can lure them to a location favorable to us…”
“Is that truly necessary?”
“What do you mean?”
Yeon Wi fell silent for a moment, his expression unusually grave. Moyong Gun waited patiently until Yeon Wi had organized his thoughts.
Finally, Yeon Wi spoke. “It would have been good if the Dang patriarch were here. He could have used poison to drastically reduce their combat effectiveness.”
“The problem is that he is not.”
“Indeed. In that case, we have three options.”
“Speak.”
“First: abandon the battle.”
“…Well, that is one possibility. It would be better to plan for the future than to attack recklessly and fail.”
“Correct. The issue is that I cannot imagine how they will react if my son and the Dang patriarch send word of victory.”
“That is why you and I came. The best course is to wipe them out completely while we have the chance.”
“Then there is the second option. As you suggested, we lure them into changing the battlefield. In other words, we must employ a diversion tactic.”
“That seems the most desirable. A riverside would be ideal.”
It was not merely to neutralize the Shinhwa Sect’s fire attacks. Moyong Gun knew that his Noejeonggong would be amplified by water qi. If successful, he could incapacitate most of them in a single strike. That was why he wished to lure them to a riverside.
“The problem is whether such thoroughly prepared enemies will fall for a diversion.”
“Hmm.”
Moyong Gun nodded, then asked with a puzzled expression, “Then what is the third option?”
“We fight here.”
“The worst possible choice.”
“It is the worst, yet depending on the circumstances, it may also be the best.”
“What do you mean?”
Yeon Wi whispered in a low voice. Moyong Gun’s eyes widened.
“…Have you gone mad?”
It was clearly a historic moment. Such words rarely escaped Moyong Gun’s lips—especially when they expressed admiration.
Yeon Wi sighed. “I would never have thought of this if we had not allied with Commander Yeo. Moreover, whether he will easily agree…”
“No, he will agree.”
“Are you certain?”
“Of course. Commander Yeo’s fury toward them is no less than mine. He is a man who would stake his life to drive them out. What could he possibly refuse?”
“Then…”
Moyong Gun’s lips curved upward. “Even if their battle ends, it will take three days for news to reach here. And if Commander Yeo lends his strength, we can complete all preparations within two days.”
“…Very well.”
Yeon Wi spoke with conviction. “Then let us begin work immediately. You should personally visit Commander Yeo.”
“Understood. You wait here for the Tangma Army.”
“I shall.”
Moyong Gun turned to leave, then paused. “Patriarch Yeon.”
“Speak.”
“Do not worry too much about your son.”
It was an uncharacteristic encouragement from Moyong Gun. Yet, knowing his true intentions, it was also very much like him. He did not want Yeon Wi to lose his composure during the coming battle out of concern for his child.
Yeon Wi smiled. “Go safely.”
Whoosh!
Moyong Gun vanished at terrifying speed.
Yeon Wi looked up at the sky.
“…Even if you cannot win, it is fine. Just do not get hurt.”