Chapter 286
Chapter 286
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 286
Chapter Title: Assault on Mount Emei
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The moment Nongjil's command fell.
A black and red wave surged dramatically across Mount Emei, one of the sacred lands of Buddhism.
It was the illusion created by the two thousand troops of the Evil-Black Alliance moving in unison.
"Amitabha..."
One of the Emei Sect disciples clasped her trembling hands together and chanted a Buddhist invocation.
She was not alone.
The eyes of everyone preparing to confront them at the Fukho Temple gate shook.
It was truly an overwhelming sight.
For a moment, it felt like the breath was caught in their throats.
Especially the aura of the Ghost Shadow Troops and Blood Shadow Troops, arrayed in full battle formation, stood out.
Their intense killing intent and morale spread rapidly, instantly permeating the Fukho Temple and Mount Emei.
Tadadot!
The troops simultaneously unleashed their lightness skills, surging past Nongjil at the forefront and charging toward the Fukho Temple.
Unleashing their individual lightness techniques like Ghost Slayer Step and Blood Flow Step, they displayed bizarre movements as they swiftly enveloped the sect's mountain gate.
In an instant, the sky darkened.
With two thousand troops leaping into the air, it was as if they had swallowed the heavens overhead.
It was then.
Hwaaaak!
A brilliant light exploded outward, sending those attempting to cross the gate flying backward.
A dozen men collapsed in a heap at once.
Standing before them was So-un Sa-tae, posed as if swinging her Six Rings of Reincarnation Staff.
"How dare you try to trespass here."
So-un Sa-tae glared at the troops surrounding the Fukho Temple gate, her eyes wide with fury.
And then.
"This is the Emei Sect...!"
She unleashed the Demon-Subduing Roar.
The profound power of the Great Serenity Divine Art infused her voice, resounding thunderously across the area and momentarily halting the Evil-Black Alliance's advance.
Buddhist power surged through her entire body.
It was a power that carried an immense weight in itself.
The heavy aura spreading translucently around her distorted the very air.
It was clear why some called her the Emei Mountain Goddess.
"This is no place for vile wretches like you to set foot!"
So-un Sa-tae shouted, her eyes fierce.
Her benevolent face, reminiscent of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, twisted into that of a wrathful asura in an instant.
It was not just her expression.
Her presence suddenly grew enormous.
Emitting an unyielding aura as if she alone could stand against the entire Evil-Black Alliance army, she raised her Six Rings of Reincarnation Staff high and cried out.
"Disciples of Emei, slay the wicked who threaten our sect!"
"Sect Leader!"
"Truly the Sect Leader of the Emei Sect."
The Emei Sect disciples and warriors, who had been cowed by the massive army, regained their confidence.
The existence of So-un Sa-tae.
Having an absolute master on their side was a tremendous force in a sect war.
"Slay the wicked!"
"The time has come to pass judgment on these unorthodox scum!"
Those gathered at the Emei Sect's mountain gate steeled themselves and moved in perfect unison.
"Disciples of Emei, form the Demon-Subduing Coiling Dragon Formation!"
The Emei Sect disciples followed the elders' guidance, forming the Combined Wall Formation.
"Disciples of Qingcheng, draw your swords!"
"Slay the unorthodox horde."
The Qingcheng Sect Taoists and Murim Alliance warriors who had come to aid Emei also took up ready stances, their morale soaring.
Meanwhile, the Evil-Black Alliance troops paused only briefly and showed no intimidation by So-un Sa-tae or the warriors. They gripped their weapons tightly.
This time, instead of advancing head-on, they scattered in all directions, charging as if to encircle them.
It resembled a heaven-net-earth-trap formation.
Moments later, they finally clashed.
The start of a massive battle.
Chaeng! Peok! Kung!
"Guk!"
"Kuhk!"
Sounds erupted from all directions.
Screams, the sounds of flesh being pierced or sliced, the clash of blades, and more.
They were proof of a desperate life-and-death struggle.
And amid it all.
There was one particularly quiet spot.
No, it was as if even the chaos dared not intrude.
So-un Sa-tae and Nongjil.
Beings whose martial prowess reached the heavens...
The two transcendents stared at each other without flinching amid the fierce battle of slaughter.
Masters were crucial in the world's conflicts.
Especially the supreme experts of each faction like So-un Sa-tae and Nongjil—their importance went without saying.
Thus, the two focused solely on each other.
Because they held the power to shift the entire battle.
"Hoo."
After staring at So-un Sa-tae for a while, Nongjil placed her long pipe in her mouth and exhaled smoke toward the sky.
The pure white smoke dispersed midway without reaching the heavens.
She tapped the pipe downward.
Whirlik—
Spinning it once in her hand, she gripped it firmly.
With a graceful hand motion blended into the grip, she held the pipe like a sword.
"Impressive Buddhist power."
Nongjil spoke, her eyes narrowing.
Her serpentine, elongated pupils gleamed sharply, like a predator spotting prey.
"That must be the power of the Great Serenity Divine Art, hailed as the Emei Sect's divine technique."
"Even a妖 woman has discerning eyes."
So-un Sa-tae replied calmly.
"Heh heh heh, as expected..."
Nongjil let out a chuckle.
But her eyes did not smile at all as they fixed on So-un Sa-tae.
That gaze was like that of a madwoman.
"My blood is boiling. Tremendously so..."
Soon, her hair trembled, and a murky black energy flowed from her entire body, spreading like threads.
The energy was vividly visible to the eye.
It was sinister and venomous.
The spreading energy suddenly gathered densely around the pipe.
It coiled around the pipe.
A manifestation of mystical harmony.
Yet neither Nongjil, who had created it, nor So-un Sa-tae, who watched, showed any change in expression.
To them, it was only natural.
Wuuuu—
Suddenly, a ghostly wail echoed.
In an instant, the pipe infused with energy dropped straight down with a 'drop' toward So-un Sa-tae, cloaked in murky blackness.
The space between them warped.
Kwajijijik!
A ferocious thrust laden with intense energy.
'Not one who gained infamy without cause.'
So-un Sa-tae's eyes sank deeply.
Her opponent was strong.
Not for nothing had she earned great notoriety as the Seven Desires Fairy or Blood Furnace Fierce King.
But.
"Amitabha."
She was no ordinary master either.
Smooth—
So-un Sa-tae raised her Six Rings of Reincarnation Staff.
The Buddhist power enveloping her, the qi of the Great Serenity Divine Art, condensed.
The gathered power began seeping into the six rings of the staff.
Flash!
It soon emitted a dazzling golden radiance.
Buddha's Light Universal Illumination - Light Annihilation.
The condensed qi of the Great Serenity Divine Art exploded outward in a ferocious strike.
With a tremendous roar.
The swiftly shooting golden radiance trailed a long afterimage.
In the blink of an eye, the surging Light Annihilation collided with Nongjil's thrust.
A head-on clash.
Kwaaaaang!
A belated explosion and shockwave erupted.
Everything blurred into haze.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Kugugugu—
Feeling the vibration under his feet, Cheonhwi shook off the blood from his sword Hwamwol after slicing down a warrior, then looked toward the source.
"Hm?"
The distance to the mountain gate was roughly two hundred jang.
A considerable distance.
Others might see nothing, but Cheonhwi beheld it as clearly as if it were right before his eyes.
So-un Sa-tae clashing with a woman in strange attire.
"Looks pretty entertaining."
He felt a spark of interest.
Not only So-un Sa-tae's prowess, but the woman's skills were no joke either.
"So that's the martial arts of the Emei Sect Leader and the Seven Desires Fairy? Stronger than expected, and their techniques seem unique."
As Cheonhwi watched the mountain gate situation with interest,
Tat!
The sound of someone kicking off the ground rang out.
It was the Absolute Strong Ghost Fiend.
Not missing the instant Cheonhwi turned his head, he immediately fled.
Without hesitation.
'I can never beat that guy.'
At seventy years old.
His survival as an unorthodox warrior stemmed not just from his skills, but primarily from his sharp instincts.
And now, his instincts screamed.
This Plum Blossom Divine Hero was a master no one here could defeat, no matter how they banded together.
"You think you can escape?"
Seeing the Absolute Strong Ghost Fiend fleeing at extreme speed, Cheonhwi kicked off at that moment.
The dirt cratered, and his sword slashed in a crescent.
The sudden sword strike cleaved the air, hot on the Absolute Strong Ghost Fiend's heels.
A speed too fast to follow with the eyes.
"...!"
The fleeing Absolute Strong Ghost Fiend belatedly sensed the strike and tried to dodge,
Sguk!
But before he could move, the strike sliced clean through his waist.
The Absolute Strong Ghost Fiend's corpse tumbled across the ground without losing momentum.
A gruesome sight.
Cheonhwi paid no heed to the corpse, instead glaring at the other trembling unorthodox warriors.
"Don't even think about running."
His voice was low.
Yet to the unorthodox warriors, it sounded like a voice from the Nine Serenities, instilling instinctive terror.
"You're all going to die anyway."
Cheonhwi's death sentence fell.
The unorthodox warriors shuddered at the pronouncement, biting their lips.
Then they all gripped their weapons.
Escape was impossible.
Only one option remained.
"I'll take the left."
Chu-geon said to the Evil Heart Lord.
With the Absolute Strong Ghost Fiend dead, the masters here were himself, the Evil Heart Lord, and that venomous-eyed elder.
"Yin Wind Old Freak."
The Yin Wind Old Freak scowled at Chu-geon's call.
"What?"
"We need to combine our strength."
"Against that monster? Have you lost your mind and want to die?"
"Got any other ideas?"
"..."
The Yin Wind Old Freak fell silent.
There were none, as he said.
Looking at the tight-lipped Yin Wind Old Freak, Chu-geon regripped his sword and spoke.
"Take the front."
With that, Chu-geon pushed his Crimson Sun Qi Art to the limit and kicked off the ground.
Kung!
A clear footprint remained.
He stomped so hard the faint vibration was felt, then unleashed Shrinking Advance Flight.
The scenery warped at the speed.
As he moved to Cheonhwi's left, he glimpsed the Evil Heart Lord charging from the opposite side with his saber and the Yin Wind Old Freak raising both palms for a frontal assault.
A single exchange.
They staked everything on it.
Soon, all three reached Cheonhwi's vicinity and unleashed their signature ultimate techniques.
Crimson Heaven Radiance Sword.
Dominion Thunderbolt.
Yin Wind Return to Spring Wave.
Their simultaneous attacks assailed Cheonhwi from three directions.
Sinister energy surged from all sides.
That was not all.
Kikikikik—
A grating sound assaulted the ears from the saber swinging from the right.
From the small holes drilled in the blade.
And Chu-geon?
His Crimson Sun Qi Art-infused sword spat fierce sword qi, shredding the air.
Finally, the Yin Wind Old Freak's all-out frontal strike, Yin Wind Return to Spring Wave, summoned chilling winds.
A venomous combined assault that could pulverize even peak realm masters.
But they had chosen the wrong opponent.
As the three charged together, a solitary crimson glow rose from Cheonhwi's body.
The harmony of the Plum Blossom Divine Art.
Suddenly, a mystical scene unfolded around him, as if twilight had descended.
Whiric—
Cheonhwi's sleeve fluttered simultaneously.
From beneath, Hwamwol, infused with twilight, rose, and waves of red qi rippled.
The world was dyed in the qi waves.
The pure white clouds and shining sunlight were enveloped in crimson, then sucked inward.
What the crimson drew was a single trajectory.
Soon, everything was absorbed into the trajectory, and then.
Sguk!
A single sound rang in the silence.
The small sound of something being severed.
But to those present, it rang louder than any other.
And moments later.
Pushuk—
Blood spurted from three spots.
The three charging at Cheonhwi collapsed forward with deep wounds across their chests.
No screams.
Only the sound of their limp bodies hitting the ground echoed belatedly.
Cheonhwi spared the fallen no glance, turning his head aside.
The remaining stragglers trembled.
Even amid it, some crept backward, poised to flee at any moment.
"I said don't even think about running earlier, but you don't get it."
Cheonhwi immediately unleashed Dark Shadow Step.
His figure flickered.
At such extreme speed, his movements appeared disjointed.
A movement too fast for the eyes to track.
Soon, only afterimages of Cheonhwi swinging his sword remained around them.
Late to leave trails of blood everywhere.
Moments later.
Thud, thud.
Blood pools formed in patches on the dirt ground, and silence gradually piled up.
Cheonhwi glanced at the area he had cleared, then turned to look at the Absolute Severance Squad.
Theirs was nearly finished as well.
Around the Absolute Severance Squad lay heaps of unorthodox warriors' corpses.
The blood-stained robes and sleeves of those who had used fist techniques were dark red, and blood dripped from sword and saber tips, filling the air with a metallic scent.
Every member of the Absolute Severance Squad heaved heavy breaths, chests rising and falling.
Though they faced ragtag groups from minor unorthodox factions rather than main units, they were not weak.
Some were seasoned veterans, tricky opponents, and a few seemed stronger than even the Ghost Shadow or Blood Shadow Troops.
Perhaps because of that.
The Absolute Severance Squad that dealt with them was not in pristine condition either.
Some had their robes torn to shreds, others exposed wounds.
Traces of a fierce bloodbath.
'No internal injuries, though...'
Cheonhwi was satisfied with the current situation.
No internal injuries.
That alone was a great achievement.
And what pleased him most.
'Now they can finally show their true capabilities.'
Was how the Absolute Severance Squad members' expressions differed starkly from when they first set out on their mission.
The aura emanating from their bodies was sharply honed, fully aroused.
The life-or-death struggle amid the stench of blood had sharpened their nerves, pushing their senses to the limit.
'Time for them to rampage?'
Cheonhwi smirked, shaking off Hwamwol.
The blood on the blade splashed into the pool at his feet, scattering the bloody scent everywhere.
At his action, the Absolute Severance Squad, catching their breath, turned their focused gazes to Cheonhwi.
"Looks like the fight at the mountain gate has started too, so it'll be easier now. They can't manage all those numbers."
Cheonhwi spoke in a calm tone.
"Let's move out."
At his command, the Absolute Severance Squad members nodded in unison as they regulated their breathing.
Exuding sharp auras.
The Absolute Severance Squad's mission was just beginning.
Looking at their resolute faces, Cheonhwi stared at the vast enemy army and muttered to himself.
"Time to defeat them in detail."