Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Ancient Clan's Martial Arts Genius
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Soon, chunks of flesh and sprays of blood erupted in all directions. Most of it belonged to the enemies, but gradually, it was their group that fell back.
GoOOO!Paat!Chaeng!
"I'll avenge Lady Unbi!"
"How dare these heretics overstep their bounds!"
"Find the Yuk clan members. Report back especially on the young one. If we let him live, he'll surely return as a future threat."
The area buzzed with noise. Shouts, screams, the thud of feet slamming into the ground, the clash of metal... The din of warriors clumping together and scattering repeatedly was enough to deafen the ears.
Yuk Jin-yang swung his sword without hesitation, one strike after another. Each time, severed heads rolled across the ground.
If he unleashed the Sword Phantom Shadow Art or Dengsa Victory Dance, he could easily cut down far more foes. But he held back. Yuk Jin-yang was wary of the enemy's main forces, who had yet to reveal themselves.
In the end, the group split into two with the shrine at the center. Those who entered were now isolated. Yuk Ryul shouted urgently.
"Jin-yang, you protect Jeong-baek! I'll handle the carriage!"
"Understood."
Yuk Jin-yang gave a curt reply and kicked off the ground. Not a mere foot technique—he launched his body into the air. Using the Leaf Drifting Divine Skill, he crossed several dozen feet in a single bound.
As if they'd been waiting, figures blocked his path. They weren't wearing White Lotus Cult hoods. Warriors of the Hwangbo clan.
A thick-bearded middle-aged man stepped forward. He curled his lips in a sneer, his fierce visage reminiscent of a bandit chief. He spoke.
"Do you know Hwangbo So-so?"
"Can't say I do."
He had already slain dozens in Shandong alone. Perhaps even a hundred by now.
Unless one was the King of Hell overseeing lowly monks, it was impossible to remember every departed soul. Unless they were particularly memorable opponents.
Yuk Jin-yang deliberately twisted his mouth in a mocking grin.
"At least, she didn't leave much of an impression on me. I don't remember a thing."
"Is that so."
Killing intent gathered in the man's nodding eyes.
"I'm her father."
Without waiting for a reply, he charged. His steps blended footwork and lightness skill seamlessly. His speed, mismatched with his bulk, momentarily stole Yuk Jin-yang's breath.
"Even if you don't remember her, do you know how long I've thirsted for revenge to kill you?!"
With a roar, a fist flew. Yuk Jin-yang blocked with his sword flat. The tremendous force made the Silver Dew Sword vibrate wildly, shock traveling up the blade to his hand.
A flurry of blows followed. Yuk Jin-yang circulated the Tiger Claw Seizing Forest Art. Like a hawk snatching prey, he seized the man's wrist in an instant and snapped it.
"For all that thirsting, you're awfully weak."
With cold words, he shattered the arm. He twisted the writhing man's neck to end his pain. There was no time for a clean beheading to confirm the kill. Enemies pressed in from both flanks.
Fortunately, allies blocked them from the sides. Unknown Five Harmony Alliance warriors, whose names he hadn't even exchanged, shouted at Yuk Jin-yang.
"Hurry on!"
"We'll hold them!"
Yuk Jin-yang sent silent thanks as he entered the shrine. Combat raged inside the hall as well. Yi Jeong-baek paced before the spirit tablet enshrining the young master's mortuary plaque.
Yuk Jin-yang asked.
"Is the formation disassembly complete?"
No answer came. Yuk Jin-yang felt unease.
"Is there a problem?"
Suddenly, Yi Jeong-baek's back jerked sharply. He turned slowly. Yuk Jin-yang flinched upon glimpsing his expression. His face was utterly vacant.
"It seems we've fallen into a trap."
Yi Jeong-baek muttered in dismay. Just then, Yuk Ryul bellowed from outside.
"How much longer?!"
Somehow, he'd caught the whisper amid the melee. Or perhaps instinct had alerted him to the anomaly. Yi Jeong-baek announced what he'd seen in a trembling voice.
"The formation... the formation's structure has changed!"
"What?"
The words stunned the entire group. As Yi Jeong-baek tried to add more.
Six Harmonies Voice Projection. A superior technique that advanced beyond sound transmission through qi, projecting intent across all directions.
It was obvious who was doing this, even without them announcing it. It had to be Hwangbo Myeong, the Hwangbo clan's young lord.
"That damned bastard!"
Yi Jeong-baek lost his composure and roared in fury.
The moment the villain concluded his Six Harmonies Voice Projection.
Darkness enveloped everything once more. As if the sun had defied the natural order and hidden itself again.
Yuk Jin-yang realized his senses were dulling. Likely the effect of the altered formation.
The unexpected crisis struck at their vulnerability perfectly. The enemies bared their fangs without missing a beat. Sword flashes gleamed in the gloom. Yuk Jin-yang swung relying on his qi sense to parry.
The other warriors fared worse. They held a sword formation, but more and more fell one by one.
Even those resigned to death began to appear.
"I figured I wouldn't go quietly, but to die by heretic blades of all things."
"This is the end. Damn it all."
"Everyone, you've worked hard. Let's meet again in paradise."
Yi Jeong-baek turned to Yuk Jin-yang with half-resigned eyes.
"Yuk hero, I'd rather die fighting honorably outside than make this cramped place my grave. Will you join me?"
Without waiting for an answer, he prepared to launch into lightness skill. Yuk Jin-yang grabbed his shoulder. With things like this, he had no choice but to step up.
"Wait a moment. It's too early to talk of death."
"What do you mean?"
"It'll just take a bit."
Yuk Jin-yang glanced around, surveying the surroundings.
The shrine honoring the young master's achievements bore the heretics' touch everywhere. Roof beams, pillars, even the spirit tablets. They had infused objects with qi to toy with the world's vital energies.
The heretics had defiled a place honoring a great sage, deceiving the masses. It deserved divine punishment.
'I see where the mistake came from.'
It wasn't a Quadrant Formation. The premise itself was wrong. It had merely been disguised as one.
'If I'd known it would come to this, I should have insisted on inspecting it from the start.'
No. If the situation hadn't been this dire, they wouldn't have trusted his words rashly. Excellence in martial arts didn't guarantee proficiency in formations.
Yuk Jin-yang continued analyzing the formation's structure.
Though sorcery-based, its roots stemmed from the Eight Trigrams of the Book of Changes. The White Lotus Cult practiced ancient shamanic arts from antiquity, and the Book of Changes was a relic of that era—it wasn't strange.
Having grasped the essence, disassembly wouldn't be difficult.
Yuk Jin-yang calmly revealed his confidence.
"I can break this formation."
"Hm?"
Yi Jeong-baek frowned. That was mild; the other warriors dismissed his claim sharply.
"What nonsense is this?!"
"Young master, your confidence exceeds reason. No mere warrior can succeed where this great hero failed!"
"If it were just martial realm, maybe, but how could the young master unravel heretic sorcery? We might fall into a deeper trap."
"If you're giving false hope, stop now. We're prepared to die gloriously."
Laymen's drivel. Yi Jeong-baek raised a hand to silence them, then asked earnestly.
"Can you truly break it?"
"There's a way. For now, I ask for your protection."
Yuk Jin-yang replied vaguely and moved past them.
One field he'd immersed himself in during his past life was formations. They meshed well with his aptitudes.
Deploying formations didn't require mid or upper dantian activation separately. Understanding objects mattered more than profound inner power.
He hadn't stepped forward only because Yi Jeong-baek claimed to have analyzed it.
Yuk Jin-yang examined the formation more closely.
Its foundation was White Lotus Cult handiwork. Their sorcery's unique traits were evident.
However, parts showed crude alterations. Cracks had formed when the Hwangbo clan arbitrarily rebuilt the existing formation.
'Of course. With Lady Unbi—the formation's modifier and repairer—dead, just scattering the array would unravel it naturally.'
Its horrific effects had instilled fear in the Five Harmony Alliance warriors. But knowing its true nature made it nothing to fear.
Yuk Jin-yang placed his hand on the young master's spirit tablet. The released Moon Maiden Divine Art qi expelled the heretics' foul demonic energy. The alliance warriors startled. Some senses returned.
Yi Jeong-baek asked.
"Did you truly disassemble the formation?"
"No. Still far from it."
Yuk Jin-yang slowly walked through the shrine, emitting qi. With each step, the air rippled from the waves of freed inner power. Like a desert mirage.
All watched Yuk Jin-yang, speechless.
The formation that had beguiled their senses until now wavered.
The enemies reacted immediately. Flashes erupted from the darkness.
Chaeng!
Yuk Jin-yang swung his sword to deflect a sudden arrow. Unknowingly, his lips curved into a smile.
'Sloppy ambush.'
Proof of their panic. Yuk Jin-yang glanced back.
"Please continue guarding me."
"Leave it to us!"
Yi Jeong-baek rushed forward urgently, backed by the Five Harmony Alliance warriors. Enemies charged fiercely, but the fully bloomed sword formation permitted no approach.
Step.
Yuk Jin-yang walked toward the formation's origin. Its true anchor wasn't in the shrine. Trifling outdoor objects were the core—impossible for outsiders to find.
Hwangbo's voice boomed. Simultaneously, assassins hidden in the formation leaped out. Like stirring a hornet's nest.
The alliance warriors met them with resolute expressions.
Waaaaah—!
Roars echoed from all sides. At the same moment, Yuk Jin-yang moved.
Kwang!
Yuk Jin-yang stomped, shattering the stone slab underfoot. As fragments flew, he swiftly swung his held sword. The debris struck by the flat shot toward his intended targets.
Paaat!
Stone shards embedded everywhere. The formation's anchors shook simultaneously. Invisible qi ripples spread. The sorcery formation's energies scattered in all directions.
An illusion shook the earth. Their beguiled senses couldn't keep up with the rapid change.
"H-heavens!"
Someone suddenly bellowed amid the chaos, pointing skyward.
The night's veil shrouding the sky rippled. Precariously, as if about to overflow.
Creeeak! Crack!
Cracks formed one by one. Through them peeked the blue the formation had hidden. Finally, even the sun reemerged. Brilliant sunlight poured down upon them.
The moment the Illusionary Heaven Covering Formation was utterly shattered.