Chapter 267
Chapter 267
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 267
Chapter Title: The War Has Already Begun
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"Has the war already started?"
At Cheonhwi's words laced with mockery, the Red Tiger Band Leader's face flushed with bewilderment.
But he soon swallowed his confusion and shouted out with a dignified air.
"The Murim Alliance has gone mad. To wage war against the Evil-Black Alliance when the Biheaven Society has its eyes wide open!"
His lion's roar echoed.
Yet none of the assailants paid any heed to his words.
"The war really...!"
Only then realizing that the Murim Alliance had truly drawn their blades, he cried out in shock.
"Is everyone ready?"
Cheonhwi spoke as he gazed at the Red Tiger Band Leader, whose eyes betrayed utter disbelief.
"Let's go."
At Cheonhwi's command, most of the lined-up special unit members hesitated, tense from their first real battle, unable to step forward readily.
At that moment, one dashed ahead.
Paat!
Tearing through the air with terrifying speed was Danri Gwancheon.
In the hands of Danri Gwancheon, who unleashed the Floating Cloud Leaping Drift—a lightness skill passed down through the Qingcheng Sect for ages—was a thin, peculiar saber.
"...!"
The Green Forest bandit peeking from behind the stockade flinched and shrank back.
He was overwhelmed by Danri Gwancheon's fierce momentum as he closed the distance like an arrow.
Thud.
Moments later, upon reaching the stockade, Danri Gwancheon swung the saber in his hand with full force.
Raging Wind Saber Art!
The supreme saber art secretly transmitted within the Qingcheng Sect was revealed to the world.
In an instant, a gale swirled around the saber blade.
Soon, a sharp saber light flashed.
Sslash!
The saber wind, infused with deadly killing intent, sliced the stockade diagonally in a long cut.
"Gasp!"
"The stockade falls so easily...!"
The Green Forest bandits hiding behind it jumped in alarm as the stockade slowly toppled.
"...There are still plenty."
Danri Gwancheon, who had climbed atop the severed stockade, murmured lowly.
Quite a few were hiding behind it, and the number of exposed bandits from his strike was more than expected.
"This'll take time."
As he glared at the bandits.
"Flee? No, it's too late for that. Then...?"
The Red Tiger Band Leader quickly scanned them, trying to gauge the enemy's strength.
And soon after, a smile crept onto his lips as he reached a conclusion.
"...The Murim Alliance must be in quite a rush to start a war out of nowhere."
His earlier composure returned.
The enemy numbered barely around forty.
And most were young.
A few exuded unusual auras, but...
"They're all greenhorns."
His eyes spotted those whose hands trembled slightly with tension, and he bellowed.
"Kill them all!"
The Red Tiger Band Leader's lion's roar echoed.
In an instant, the bandits scattered like a fan, moving in perfect unison.
Tadadak!
They swiftly formed ranks with practiced ease.
The special unit members, caught off guard by the bandits' swift, un-bandit-like movements, froze in place.
They had subconsciously underestimated them as mere bandits, but these motions were truly astonishing.
"The Green Forest isn't part of the Evil-Black Alliance for nothing."
Ho Gwanggae frowned at the sight.
"A defensive formation...? This'll be tough."
Mu Hong murmured cautiously as he drew his sword.
Defenses were usually easier than assaults.
Especially against those who had held this ground for years—they'd have the advantage in maneuvering the battlefield.
"Gulp—"
The tension stretched taut like a bowstring on both sides, and someone swallowed hard.
"We've lost the initiative."
Cheonhwi shook his head.
Unlike the special unit members, who stood frozen in tension, merely eyeing the bandits, the bandits were preparing optimal attacks from prime positions.
"That's why real combat is essential."
Not only had they lost advantageous ground, but momentum too.
"This is serious."
Cheonhwi narrowed his eyes.
Individually, excluding the Red Tiger Band Leader, the special unit outmatched them.
Yet they were utterly cowed.
"Gotta fix their mindset first."
Cheonhwi, eyes slitted, addressed those still standing idle.
"What are you doing? Not going?"
He looked at them pitifully and lightly shook his head.
"This is your chance to earn merits—gonna just spectate?"
Cheonhwi scanned them one by one, then mouthed toward Danri Gwancheon.
"Or you'll lose all the credit."
No sooner had he spoken than Danri Gwancheon trampled the shattered stockade and charged the bandits.
Taat!
A fierce gale raged.
Danri Gwancheon advanced relentlessly toward the formed ranks, blending Floating Cloud Leaping Drift and Raging Wind Saber Art adeptly.
"Damn it!"
"Shit!"
The bandits hurriedly blocked.
But against Danri Gwancheon, who had reached peak late-stage proficiency, they crumbled helplessly.
Kwaaang!
Witnessing Danri Gwancheon's exploits, the unit members' eyes changed.
Why had they joined the special unit?
To rack up feats and gain fame in the jianghu.
"Can't lose."
"Time to go."
Ho Gwanggae and Mu Hong, eyes gleaming, kicked off the ground, followed by the others charging after.
The special unit members rushed the encircling bandits.
Clang clang clang! Kaang!
Fierce battles erupted everywhere.
Seeing the unit clash with the surrounding bandits, Cheonhwi's eyes lit up.
"Alright, let's see what you've got, one by one."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The clash between the two forces was intense.
The special unit showcased their skills to pressure the bandits, but breaching their formation wasn't easy.
Especially as the bandits fought dirty, true to their kind—no holds barred.
They threw dirt, hurled stockade fragments to obscure vision, and occasionally flung hidden weapons to disrupt charges.
"Such cowards!"
"Gah!"
"Is this the way of a warrior?!"
The special unit members flinched at every unexpected tactic.
Having only sparred honorably before, this was all new to them.
Yet amid the chaos, some shone remarkably.
The Nine Great Sects disciples.
Not just Danri Gwancheon charging solo, but Ho Gwanggae, Mu Hong, and the others pressed the bandits with their arts.
And among them.
Yuk Se-gon, a Kunlun disciple, scowled at the bandit before him.
"Hup!"
Leading the assault, sweat beaded on Yuk Se-gon's forehead.
"Why can't I break through...?"
He had unleashed his full power, linking Divine Travel Phantom Step with Chasing Cloud Fist—a concise yet potent fist art.
In spars, even seniors struggled against it.
Yet now, it was all blocked.
By mere bandits.
"By these lowly scum...?"
He muttered inwardly, growing anxious.
His first-class skill far outstripped their third-rate at best.
So what was this?
Not piercing even one.
As he bit his lower lip in incomprehension.
"S-Senior Brother!"
A urgent voice came from the side.
The startled Yuk Se-gon turned.
Sslash!
Scorching pain flared in his arm.
"Kuk!"
Grunting briefly, Yuk Se-gon whipped his left palm upward.
Pak!
Jade Dragon Palm struck the bandit's jaw wielding a sickle perfectly, forcing him to his knees.
"A-Are you alright?"
Cheol-ho approached worriedly, but Yuk Se-gon nodded through the pain.
"I'm fine. What about the others...?"
He trailed off, frowning.
"...He withstood that?"
The bandit, kneed from the jaw strike, was rising.
"I expected something from Kunlun, but he's no good either."
Watching from afar, Cheonhwi sneered.
"That's why greenhouse flowers don't cut it."
Cheonhwi tsked, clicking his tongue at Yuk Se-gon's self-inflicted peril.
Yuk Se-gon had unleashed enough power to kill, but instinctively held back at the end.
Not only that.
Whether from first battle nerves, his muscles tensed and form faltered with every move.
The result? His techniques warped, ineffective.
And in the heat, he didn't even notice.
Lucky the foe was weak; stronger, and he'd be dead.
"But it's not just one or two."
Cheonhwi's eyes narrowed.
Not only Yuk Se-gon.
Save a few, all hesitated to kill.
Conversely, bandits attacked with murderous fervor.
The gap was vast.
"Turning a winnable fight into this."
Cheonhwi's gaze chilled.
Ridiculous sight.
"A rabble. Nothing but a mob."
What good were strong skills?
No deadlier flaw for a warrior treading life and death.
As he observed one by one.
"Hm?"
Cheonhwi's eyes locked on a struggling woman against bandits.
The first special unit pick.
"Im Ha-yul, was it?"
Her skill was the lowest among them.
Not a proper sect disciple, trained at Jinmu Hall—a dojo—so shallow inevitably.
Her solid basics barely qualified her.
Proving it, her body was covered in wounds.
Her waist-length hair now bobbed at her neck, her uniform slashed everywhere.
Most wretched state among the unit.
Yet Cheonhwi rated her highly. Basics aside, one big reason.
The ambition in her eyes.
"Kids like her get things done."
As Cheonhwi watched her intently.
Thwack!
"Urk!"
Deliberately exposing her abdomen to the bandit's palm strike, her sword pierced the charging foe's throat precisely.
Puk!
Blood sprayed, drenching her.
"Hah, hah."
Soaked in bandit blood, she panted shallowly.
Her hands trembled faintly.
Her first kill.
The shock shook her mind, but she bit her lip hard, steadying herself.
"Get it together!"
She couldn't falter here.
A dojo grad like her—another shot at this role?
She bit so fiercely, blood trickled from her lip.
Grip!
Strengthening her shaking hands, she screamed inwardly.
"I must succeed in this mission!"
Suppressing rising turmoil and shock, she sharpened her senses.
This was the battlefield.
Swish—
She yanked her sword from the corpse's neck, looked up, and scanned around.
"This is dangerous."
The unit's advance stalled.
Progress only where Danri Gwancheon pierced and where Ho Gwanggae and Mu Hong combined forces.
Elsewhere, frozen in place.
Assessing, she shouted.
"Everyone, group up! Blind fighting like this could end in our defeat!"
Her sudden cry made the beleaguered unit members flinch and turn.
"Even now, those eyes..."
Im Ha-yul frowned.
Their gazes subtly belittled her.
Perhaps natural.
They'd gauged skills en route here.
Knowing hers ranked low.
So her command-like words irked them.
As they bristled.
"Hahaha! Squad Leader Im is right!"
Ho Gwanggae laughed heartily.
He stood beside her, eyes shining.
"How about grouping up? Scattered, we play into their hands. Breakthrough at one point might work."
At Ho Gwanggae's proposal, the reluctant nodded, merging instantly.
"Oh, nice."
Cheonhwi stroked his chin, watching Ho Gwanggae validate Im Ha-yul and rally them.
Big sect members often subtly looked down on others.
Especially dojo folk.
Usually ignored.
But Beggar's Sect's Ho Gwanggae acknowledging her swayed them smoothly.
"Those two shifted the mood."
Recalling her shout and his response, Cheonhwi rolled his neck.
"Pair one as vice captain with her. And the other vice... that guy's it."
Cheonhwi's eyes shifted.
To Danri Gwancheon slashing bandits relentlessly.
Kwaaang!
A rough explosion rang in ears.
Danri Gwancheon blasted inner energy, advancing boldly.
Sslash! Splash!
He swung freely.
One slash, one life.
No qualms killing. Ruthless offense, coldly resolute.
Splash!
Blood splashed his face.
Yet unshaken, he whirled his saber at bandits.
Then suddenly.
Claaang!
His relentless saber halted abruptly.
Not by choice.
Danri Gwancheon slowly looked up at who slapped his saber aside with a palm.
A hulking, muscled man.
The Red Tiger Band Leader.
"Insolent foal...'
Shaking his numbed hand lightly, he glared fiercely and growled.
"Your rampage ends here."
With his words, his robes fluttered, fist ballooning huge.
"...!"
Danri Gwancheon's eyes widened.
Tremendous fist aura.
Unbelievable for a bandit—refined, transcendent momentum.
"The jianghu is vast...!"
Recalling his master's oft-repeated words, he drew all his Great Net Heaven Divine Art inner energy.
Hwaaak!
Now the Band Leader's eyes widened.
"Such reserves from a late-stage kid!"
He gritted his teeth.
Jaw muscles bulged instantly, and Danri Gwancheon's saber flashed like lightning.
Kwaaaang!
Inner energy-clad fist met gale-wrapped saber mid-air.
Locked glaring, they erupted energy.
"You bastard...!"
"Hahp!"
Unable to fully resolve the clash, both recoiled backward.
"I've seen enough..."
Cheonhwi rose.
"Time to clean up."