Shaking the Foundations (1)
Muk Bi's intervention proved to be nothing short of a masterstroke.
Boom-boom-boom-boom—! Baaang!
Straight shots and arcing trajectories bombarded So Bang's body without pause.
Normally she would have widened the distance to evade such a barrage or looked for an opening to charge through. It wouldn't have been easy, but it was hardly an insurmountable task.
The problem was that So Bang's current condition was anything but normal.
I'll kill them!
Bang-bang-bang! Swish!
So Bang's sleeve split open with a sharp tear.
Her responses were growing increasingly difficult. The addition of a single archer had strengthened the oppressive aura radiating from the five spearmen, and the sticky, web-like pressure now enveloping her entire body made movement feel like wading through mud.
What in the world is this formation?!
It was truly astounding.
To avoid falling for the same trick twice, she had attempted to eliminate the women with long-range attacks before they could even establish their formation.
But that had proven impossible. They had already charged forward while maintaining the formation, and the closer her palm strikes came to their aura, the more their power was brutally shaved away.
She had unleashed every long-range attack at her disposal, yet those five spearmen blocked her energy strikes with astonishing coordinated skill.
Even our sect doesn't possess a formation like this. I've never heard of anything similar in the Blood Sect or the Myth Sect.
So Bang ground her teeth.
This was cheating. They were nothing more than five lowly insects she could kill with a single punch, yet the mere activation of a formation allowed them to stall a high-level expert on the verge of the semi-divine stage?
Was such a thing even possible? It defied all common sense.
Kwaaaang!
A fierce shockwave erupted as So Bang staggered back two steps.
The flow of her qi grew even more sluggish. Her stamina was dropping visibly, and the power behind her strikes seemed diminished by at least thirty percent from their usual strength.
If things continued this way, she would inevitably suffer the same fate as before.
What now? There's no solution at all...
Suddenly So Bang's eyes trembled violently.
The instant she realized she could not kill her enemies no matter what she tried, a single word surfaced in her mind.
Retreat.
“......”
“I'll devour you all!”
Fwoooooosh!
Her extreme rage caused the Blood Yin Demonic Qi to blaze even more fiercely.
So Bang spat out a maddened cry.
“Do you truly think I would retreat because of worthless worms like you?!”
Kwa-kwa-kwaang!
This palm strike carried terrifying force.
Guhk!
Song Yeon-gyeong and two of the spearmen vomited blood.
Anyone could form a formation with rigorous training, but its true power inevitably depended on the internal energy and enlightenment of its members.
The spearmen, who had honed their coordinated techniques at Emei long before joining the Myeolsa Army, boasted the strongest minor formation within the entire force.
It was precisely that level of skill that allowed them to endure So Bang's relentless assault. Any other soldiers would have seen their formation collapse long ago.
“I'll slaughter every last one of you!”
As So Bang charged forward with a thunderous roar, she caught the sudden flicker in the spearmen's eyes.
Huh?
In that razor-thin instant.
So Bang's keen senses detected the formation aura beginning to unravel.
It's shaking? The formation aura?
Only then did realization strike her.
That's it. Those bitches have reached their limit too!
She was correct.
The Myeolsa Three Kills Formation displayed exceptional power in battles against superior experts.
Yet no matter how outstanding the formation, it could not sustain such power indefinitely. There was a clear limit, and crossing that threshold brought mortal danger to those maintaining it.
The limit of the Three Kills Formation was its duration.
A small number could confront a supreme expert, but the energy forming the aura itself originated from the members' internal energy.
Amplifying that energy to this degree required an explosive surge of true qi, which in turn caused extreme fatigue. Once the time limit was exceeded, it could inflict severe internal injuries on the users.
In short, it was an equivalent exchange. A formation that granted extreme power at the risk of killing its own members if the limit was breached.
That was why it was called Three Kills. Either the opponent died, or the user died—or both enemy and ally perished together.
And right now, the five spearmen had reached that limit.
Paaaaang!
So Bang retreated more than thirty feet.
She was not fleeing. She was buying time, waiting for the formation to collapse on its own.
Muk Bi fired her arrows with desperate speed.
Papapapapapang! Baaang!
Six shots were blocked, but the final arrow could not be fully deflected. An explosion erupted from So Bang's shoulder.
It was acceptable. She had shifted from an offensive battle—trying to kill before her own power ran out—to a defensive one, waiting for her opponent's strength to fail. She could endure this much by gritting her teeth.
Paaaaak!
Muk Bi soared into the air.
The opponent had realized the weakness of their formation. In that case, the only option was to unleash overwhelming offensive power before it broke.
Bang! Boom-boom! Baaang!
Muk Bi attacked with seemingly divine archery while So Bang evaded with irregular footwork.
Between them, the spiderweb-like formation aura gradually lost its strength.
And at last.
Thud! Crack!
So Bang's eyes flashed.
She could feel the web-like formation aura binding her body snapping apart, strand by strand.
Hwaaaaaah!
The previously sluggish flow of her true qi suddenly accelerated dramatically.
Kwaang!
This time she did not dodge Muk Bi's arrow. So Bang's palm strike shattered one of the formless shots into pieces.
Muk Bi's eyes wavered.
Crack-crack-crack-crack! Crack!
Roughly half the power of the Three Kills Formation restraining So Bang had been severed.
Fwoooooooosh!
The domain of the Blood Yin Demonic Qi expanded to twice its previous size.
So Bang felt her breathing clear at last. Now she could finally display her true strength.
“You filthy bitches! I've waited long enough!”
Flash!
So Bang appeared directly above Muk Bi's head.
Her speed was on an entirely different level from before. With her qi flow accelerated, her reactions quickened and the density of her power rose accordingly.
Flash!
Muk Bi dropped back to the ground. Had she not reacted instantly, her neck would have been snapped by So Bang's hand.
“You're fast, archer.”
Paaaaak!
She was still slower than Muk Bi, but catching up was no longer impossible.
So Bang closed in on Muk Bi at terrifying speed. The five spearmen no longer concerned her in the slightest.
If I can just capture that bitch...!
It was then.
...?!
The archer's fiercely focused face held a strange expression—as if she had known So Bang would approach exactly like this.
In that instant, So Bang sensed killing intent creeping toward her from the left, right, and above.
Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang—!
A violent explosion tore through the air.
It was the Dragon-Slaying God Net of the Nine Dragon Wave Heaven Bow—firing formless shots in every direction to create a net, then manipulating them with qi to ensnare the target.
Unlike other techniques that could utilize both arrows and formless shots, the Dragon-Slaying God Net could only be executed with formless shots. The reason was the absolute need for precise qi control.
It was the supreme archery she wielded for the first time since breaking through the martial wall.
Did I catch her?
Muk Bi, staring into the air, suddenly gritted her teeth.
Damn it!
She executed the Dragon Flight Swift Movement.
Paaaaak! Kwaaaang!
A large crater formed where Muk Bi had stood.
“You wretched bitch!”
Thud!
The sight of So Bang as she landed was gruesome.
Her body had torn and burst in multiple places from failing to withstand the pressure of the formless shots. She was drenched in blood from head to toe.
While none of the wounds were fatal, she had lost a considerable amount of blood in an instant. Dragging the fight out any longer would bring no advantage.
Saaaaaaaah!
By now nearly all of the Three Kills Formation's aura had dissipated.
Hoooooooong.
The bleeding from So Bang's wounds stopped. The Blood Yin Demonic Qi had sealed them all at once.
Song Yeon-gyeong clenched her teeth.
“Everyone, give everything you have! We must hold her down no matter what...!”
At that moment, Muk Bi shouted.
“No! If you do that, you'll die!”
“Department Head Muk!”
“Disperse the formation! Even if it means letting her escape, do not push yourselves!”
“But...!”
“I won't repeat myself! Disperse the formation! That is an order!”
Muk Bi's voice carried undeniable authority.
Song Yeon-gyeong bit down hard.
“...... Everyone, dismantle the Three Kills Formation.”
Srrrrrrrrr.
The power of the Three Kills Formation vanished as if washed away.
“Huk!”
“Cough!”
The spearmen staggered, gasping violently. Two of them bled from both nose and mouth. They had already reached their limit and sustained internal injuries.
Whoosh!
So Bang's qi, which had surged like a volcano, condensed back into her body in an instant.
“...... I've waited long enough.”
Crack.
So Bang rolled her shoulders.
She had suffered internal injuries and her external wounds were severe, but now that she could wield the Blood Yin Demonic Qi freely, such things no longer mattered.
So Bang sneered coldly.
“You first, archer? Or shall I deal with those over there first? Choose whatever suits your taste.”
Muk Bi raised her Crimson Lotus Bow without answering.
So Bang's words were not empty threats. With the Three Kills Formation dispersed, the tide of battle had completely reversed. The qi waves alone made that clear.
Even so, Muk Bi remained composed.
Creeeeeeeak!
The Crimson Lotus Bow screamed as she poured every ounce of her bowstring reinforcement qi into it.
“Ah, you first? As you wish.”
Muk Bi released the string.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
A massive explosion erupted directly in front of So Bang.
It was a powerful formless shot, yet that was all.
Srrrr.
As the smoke cleared, So Bang stood with her hand outstretched. She had blocked it with a single palm.
So Bang's eyes grew cold.
“The performance is over, you damn bitch!”
It was then.
Chrrrrrrrrrrrrk!
At the chilling metallic sound, So Bang's eyes widened in shock.
Muk Bi spoke in an icy voice.
“Yes. The performance is over.”
Clink-clink-clink-clink!
“Huk!”
The Flood Dragon Chain that had flown in at some point now wrapped tightly around So Bang's left arm.
It was so fast she couldn't even react. In truth, the distance had never been that great to begin with.
While drawing the Crimson Lotus Bow once more, Muk Bi continued.
“I knew you would block rather than dodge. That arrogance of yours made it obvious.”
So Bang glanced behind her.
At some point, Yeon Hojeong had closed to within three jang.
Only then did So Bang understand. The archer had poured her full strength into those formless shots to generate shockwaves that would conceal that ghost-like bastard's approach.
So Bang met Yeon Hojeong's eyes.
Eyes that revealed no emotion whatsoever—the absolute pinnacle of indifference.
No!!
Paaaaak!
So Bang tried to leap backward while releasing Blood Yin Demonic Qi to break free of the Flood Dragon Chain.
Baaaaang!
“Kaaaak!”
Struck in the abdomen by a formless shot, So Bang screamed and collapsed where she stood.
Muk Bi showed no mercy.
Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!
Five consecutive formless shots slammed into So Bang's body.
“Cough!”
Even the internal shield of her Blood Yin Demonic Qi could not prevent her insides from being shaken.
And it did not end there.
Fwoooooosh!
The tremendous fire qi transmitted through the Flood Dragon Chain began devouring her Blood Yin Demonic Qi.
Chiiiiik!
White smoke rose from So Bang's left arm as the Vermilion Bird fire qi burned her flesh.
“Kyaaaaaaaak!”
Thud-thud-thud-thud! Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Muk Bi continued firing formless shots with cold precision while So Bang, helplessly restrained by Yeon Hojeong's internal energy, was struck squarely by twenty-eight of them.
Thump!
So Bang collapsed on the spot, unconscious from the severe internal and external injuries.
Yeon Hojeong quickly approached and stomped on her thigh.
Crack!
So Bang's femur shattered. Even if she regained consciousness, she would be unable to flee.
Muk Bi let out a sigh of relief.
“You've worked har—”
“Hurry and carry this bitch. We're moving to the third outpost.”
“Pardon?”
“Ok Cheong is in danger. He's somehow clinging to life, but we must get him to a physician immediately.”
“......!!”