Chapter 175
Chapter 175
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: At the Ghost Spirits' Stronghold
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“Family Head Peng, you will announce the start of the war.”
“Me? What about you, Sect Leader?”
“Kekeke, beggars just run in and fight. We don't do declarations. And Family Head Peng is better suited for it than I am.”
“…”
Peng Mu-seon took a deep breath and gathered his energy, preparing to sound the prelude to war.
Thump!
The sorcerers beat their drums.
His right hand was clenched into a tight fist. Peng Mu-seon opened it, extending all his fingers stiffly in one direction.
Thump!
“Heroes of Hebei!”
Then he thrust it forward.
Thump!
“Charge!”
With his command, the war against the remaining Painted-Skin Ghosts of the Jinju Yeon Clan began.
The war of the allied Hebei Peng Clan and Beggars' Sect to defeat the Jinju Yeon Clan. Beneath the blue sky, the warriors of the two martial factions gathered, heightening the atmosphere of the battlefield.
A chilly wind blew, and the allied forces of the Beggars' Sect and the Peng Clan steeled their hearts. The sorrow of having to eliminate the Yeon Clan, who were once their comrades, was cast aside with the order to charge.
The warriors of the Hebei Peng Clan wore neat black armor and wielded sharply honed sabers. In contrast, the martial artists of the Beggars' Sect yawned in their shabby clothes, each carrying a different weapon.
And at their head were Bi Chwi-hak, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, and Peng Mu-seon, the head of the Peng Clan.
Thump!
As the Soul-Stealing Immortal had instructed, the sorcerers who had established the encirclement cast their formation and beat their drums. Soon, hundreds of talismans rose into the air, and the sound of gongs rang out. The sounds of various instruments began to shake the talismans floating in the air chaotically.
The Painted-Skin Ghosts stationed in the Yeon Clan's territory felt the resonating waves from the drums and gongs, and felt the shackles engraved on their souls tremble.
“Kuaaaak!”
The possessed members of the Yeon Clan seemed to be in agony.
However, Bi Chwi-hak, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, and Peng Mu-seon did not let this momentum slip away. They led the charge, leaping into the Yeon Clan's domain.
As the battle began, the Yeon Clan warriors possessed by the Painted-Skin Ghosts resisted desperately. The clang of various weapons filled the battlefield, and the rising dust enveloped the Yeon Clan's territory like a fog.
A truly grand war unfolded.
The scent of blood, the clang of metal, screams.
The warriors of the Hebei Peng Clan attacked the enemy in unison with their unified strength, and the eerie screams of the malevolent ghosts and the scraping of steel could be heard.
The martial artists of the Beggars' Sect moved nimbly, seizing opportunities to strike at their enemies' vulnerabilities.
The Painted-Skin Ghosts disguised as the Jinju Yeon Clan realized the gravity of the situation.
“Kieeeek!”
They drew upon their innate true energy to the point of destroying their host bodies. They unleashed powerful martial arts to block the attacks.
Kwaaang!
But the allied forces of the Hebei Peng Clan and the Beggars' Sect did not back down.
“Annihilate the enemy with all your might!”
“““Annihilate!”””
They complemented each other with their respective skills, found the weaknesses of the Jinju Yeon Clan, and began to push them back.
The Yeon Clan's fist techniques came flying, emitting a blue fist energy.
However, the Peng Clan retaliated, unleashing a chillingly sharp saber energy.
Kwaaaang!
The Painted-Skin Ghosts fell one by one…
Just then.
Fwoosh
The talismans floating in the air burst into flames simultaneously.
“…!”
The sorcerers, who were casting their spells while playing their instruments, were all bewildered. Soon, cracks began to appear in the wide-ranging spell they had cast to surround the Jinju Yeon Clan's fortress.
Crack!
Craaaack!
Shatter!
The vast formation cracked, and a huge hole appeared.
A heavy presence seemed to emanate from the hole.
At that moment, a resonance was transmitted to the Painted-Skin Ghosts.
Saaaaaa
“Kieeeeeek!”
The Painted-Skin Ghosts screamed, then felt a voice echoing in their minds.
[ Abandon the bodies and return! ]
“Ku, Kuaaaak!”
As the battle intensified, the members of the Beggars' Sect and the warriors of the Peng Clan thought they had seized victory.
However.
The Painted-Skin Ghosts began to deploy a red demonic art. Were they preparing to self-destruct?
‘They're too close.’
It was a close-quarters battle with no ground given. If the self-destruction of all these Painted-Skin Ghosts was on the same level as Yeon Jwa-ryang's that they had seen before…
Annihilation.
Even if it wasn't that powerful, it seemed both sides would suffer immense damage.
“Evacuate!”
The warriors who realized they were about to self-destruct shouted from all over.
But the Painted-Skin Ghosts before them suddenly began to swell up the moment signs of an explosion appeared. They had no intention of giving them time to escape.
Peng Mu-seon and Bi Chwi-hak hastily dodged, realizing the situation was dire.
They shouted to all their forces, imbuing their voices with profound internal energy.
“It's mutual destruction! Everyone, fall back!”
However.
Kwaaaang!
Before the words could even finish, explosions erupted from all directions.
Kwaaaang!
Keuk!
Warriors everywhere were caught in the blasts, and heart-wrenching screams were heard. It was clear at a glance that there were numerous casualties.
“Damn it! What in the world happened!”
The Painted-Skin Ghosts who used demonic arts. They were certainly powerful enemies, but they had already been weakened by the sorcerers' formation. Therefore, they had expected some damage, but minimal casualties.
But self-destruction? The fiends had initiated it while facing the warriors at point-blank range. And simultaneously, at that. The explosions were massive, and a significant number of warriors were caught in them.
I thought our preparations were perfect…
The Painted-Skin Ghosts that Bi Chwi-hak and Peng Mu-seon were fighting also exploded, but the two masters of the Master Realm easily dodged. Peng Mu-seon, who had hastily ordered a retreat, found Bi Chwi-hak and spoke.
“It seems something has intervened.”
Peng Mu-seon saw Bi Chwi-hak's face was hardened like stone. Considering his usual perpetually grinning demeanor, one could tell just how furious he was now.
The dead members of the Beggars' Sect.
Bi Chwi-hak opened his mouth, his voice heavy.
“They may have looked like beggars, but they were heroes of the martial world.”
Peng Mu-seon let out a low groan. In terms of casualty ratio, there were more members of the Beggars' Sect than Peng Clan warriors. But could one really weigh the deaths of family members?
He placed a hand on his chest, bowed his head slightly, and said.
“The heroes who died for the peace of the martial world will be remembered for generations to come. Especially the heroes of the Beggars' Sect who met their fate here today—the world, and our Peng Clan, will praise them.”
It was true. Although quite a few Peng Clan warriors had also died, they were well-trained and more of them had managed to avoid the explosions. However, the members of the Beggars' Sect, except for a few outstanding individuals, had all been caught in the blasts and died.
Witnessing the deaths of his members, Bi Chwi-hak's face was completely different from usual. It was a side of him never seen before.
But it didn't last long.
Bi Chwi-hak soon relaxed his expression and spoke.
“The talismans in the air burning up. The large-scale formation cracking. Just from these, it's clear someone intervened. And it must be that bastard at Gwiwon Temple.”
“Then we must assume that the malevolent ghost intercepted their souls before we could release the shackles on the Painted-Skin Ghosts here.”
“That's right. However, it seems our part here is done. From now on, we can only trust those waiting in front of Gwiwon Temple.”
“Hah… The warriors of the Peng Clan risked their lives, and yet we couldn't even properly support the battlefield…”
“…We were underprepared. Now that we know, we can prepare from now on.”
Watching their subordinates die, Bi Chwi-hak and Peng Mu-seon swallowed their grief. The deaths of their men were heavy, but something else weighed on their hearts even more.
This wasn't even the main battlefield, yet it was this devastating…
They couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of hell the elite forces entering Gwiwon Temple directly would face.
Bi Chwi-hak and Peng Mu-seon, along with the surviving elders, gathered their men. After confirming that no one was left in the Jinju Yeon Clan's territory, they began to collect the bodies.
Bi Chwi-hak wrote a letter informing them of the situation at the Jinju Yeon Clan and sent it via carrier hawk, then began preparations for the funerals.
***
Sitting on a large throne set up in Gwiwon Temple, Mahoraga sensed that the situation was taking an unusual turn.
He had confirmed the deaths of the Painted-Skin Ghosts sent to the Martial Alliance. He had seen with his own two eyes the most powerful of them return to the Ghost Soul Dark Spirit Wheel, so there was no doubt that the plan to infiltrate the Martial Alliance after taking over the Jinju Yeon Clan had failed.
However, the other Painted-Skin Ghosts had not returned. Someone must have undone the 'shackles' that the Ghost Soul Dark Spirit Wheel had placed on their souls.
That much was a pleasant miscalculation. He had been growing bored of staying put here, after all.
However, that miscalculation was only the beginning. The Ghost Spirits he had dispatched throughout the Hubei region began to disappear one by one. The Hyenang, the Ogi-gwi... even the Taek-gwi.
He had even assigned Painted-Skin Ghosts possessing the bodies of powerful warriors as guards for the Taek-gwi maintaining the barrier at Gwiwon Temple... Yet even they had all been killed.
And the souls of the dead Ghost Spirits? They hadn't returned this time either. If this was the case… it was no longer a simple matter of someone intervening.
There is a sorcerer with a deep understanding of demonic objects and demonic arts at the highest level of the enemy's ranks. Or… he didn't want to consider it, but what if there was someone with the ability not just to understand demonic arts or objects, but to research, interpret, and unravel new things?
If so, it was a very serious problem. If such a person existed, they had to be eliminated, no matter the cost.
After their defeat in the war 300 years ago, why had they waited for so long? They had waited until the martial world had completely forgotten them.
In contrast, they had constantly observed the complacent martial world. That's how they knew. Their enemies had no information about the sorcery or demonic arts they wielded.
Even if they were evenly matched in terms of raw power, it was only natural to lose if one failed to properly grasp the opponent's techniques or strategies.
That was why he had been certain of their unconditional victory over the martial world… The existence of a human who could react this quickly was a colossal threat.
Just then. He felt that all the Taek-gwi maintaining the barrier here had died. If they were this meticulous, it was only a matter of time before they broke through the barrier and came for him.
Looking at the situation, the Jinju Yeon Clan, which had been taken over by Painted-Skin Ghosts, was also in danger.
Mahoraga spun the Ghost Soul Dark Spirit Wheel in his hand and checked on the status of the Painted-Skin Ghosts he had sent to the Jinju Yeon Clan.
‘This is the worst.’
Having no choice, his five eyes flashed as he transmitted his thoughts through the shackles.
[ Abandon the bodies and return! ]
With a powerful explosion, the souls of the Painted-Skin Ghosts returned to the Ghost Soul Dark Spirit Wheel. This would have reduced the enemy's strength, at least a little.
But he had to admit it. The plan was a massive failure. From now on, the enemy would regroup and attack. Even if it took a long time for forces to arrive from Hebei, the ones who had dealt with the Taek-gwi would arrive in a day or two.
He couldn't fight the entire martial world right now. In that case, he would set a trap here before their main forces arrived, retreat, and then bring back the Rakshasas to wipe them out.
“You've used your heads quite a bit, but in the end, you're the ones who will be destroyed.”
With a cynical smile, Mahoraga was about to release the souls from the Ghost Soul Dark Spirit Wheel to prepare his trap.
Just then.
Kwang!
He felt the barrier shatter. Even if the barrier cast by the Taek-gwi was broken, he had placed a spatial distortion on this place itself. How could they break in so easily?
Moreover.
Crrrack.
“…!”
The Ghost Soul Dark Spirit Wheel began to twist and crack.
“How can this be…”
Could it be that the enemy had already arrived? Is that why even the demonic object was taking damage?
At that moment.
Boom!
A human wreathed in the ferocious energy of a black dragon and violet flames burst through the door to Mahoraga's room.
“Who's the leader of you malevolent ghosts? Let me see your face.”