Chapter 292
Chapter 292
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 295
Chapter Title: The Wild Chase
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Clang crash!
“Arghhh! Why the hell does he keep slipping away!”
“Let’s catch him!”
“You’re insane! He’s slipping away—that’s what he’s doing! How the hell are we supposed to grab him!”
The Thunder Dragon Squad trio frothed at the mouth as they charged after him.
The best tactic in the art of war was the Thirty-Six Stratagems, and when all else failed, fleeing was the way to go!
Namgung Hyeok was executing that strategy better than anyone.
Leaving a trail of blue afterimages, he bolted straight for the Heavenly Pavilion without so much as a backward glance—a sight worthy of the moniker Blue Wind.
They’d known Namgung Hyeok was fast, but right now, calling him a streak of light wasn’t an exaggeration.
Swoooosh!
Dust clouds billowed behind him as he ran, the wind whipping up in his wake.
His speed was something else, like a Red Hare steed reborn.
Wow, even when this guy bolts, he’s ridiculously fast.
“If he’s gonna run, at least give us a proper heads-up...!”
Swoooosh!
Geon Cheon-hwi instinctively twisted his body at the sharp whistle slicing through the air from behind.
Slash!
The object grazed his shoulder and rocketed toward Namgung Hyeok’s back, aiming to pierce right through.
Clang!
Namgung Hyeok whipped around like lightning and snatched the flying pebble out of the air.
‘This guy’s annoyingly persistent?’
If he’s running, just let him run—why keep chasing like maniacs!
Geon Cheon-hwi, panting as he caught up, asked,
“But why do you keep circling around, Young Master! The Heavenly Pavilion’s that way!”
He’d assumed Namgung Hyeok was fleeing straight to the Thunder Dragon Squad’s rally point, but instead, he’d been heading away from it.
Thanks to that, the White Cloud Sword Faction tails were furious, unleashing a barrage of attacks.
“Just fight them already! You’ve put enough distance between us and the rally point!”
He wondered if Namgung Hyeok was deliberately luring them away to start a fight, but the guy showed no sign of stopping.
Geon Cheon-hwi couldn’t fathom what was going through Namgung Hyeok’s head.
He’d thought he knew the man well, but Namgung Hyeok in a crisis revealed yet another side.
Namgung Hyeok clenched and unclenched the pebble in his hand as he spoke.
“We need time for the Thunder Dragon Squad to assemble!”
“Huh?”
“Check your surroundings. Ignore the unorthodox scum—rescue our allies first.”
Oh!
Geon Cheon-hwi’s eyes widened as he stared at Namgung Hyeok.
He’d been thinking that far ahead even while scouting for an escape route!
Geon Cheon-hwi marveled once more at Namgung Hyeok’s cunning.
Namgung Hyeok scowled.
“Damn these persistent bastards!”
He hurled the pebble in his hand with all his might.
The motion flowed as naturally as water.
The pebble screamed through the air toward Ho Tae-gun.
Twice as fast as when it had come flying at him!
Swoooosh!
“Hmph!”
Ho Tae-gun snorted and moved to swat it away.
But the fiercely spinning pebble suddenly exploded in midair.
Boom!
Pop pop pop!
The shattered fragments shot like daggers toward the swordsmen flanking Ho Tae-gun left and right.
The swordsmen twisted away, halting in their tracks.
Ho Tae-gun’s jaw dropped.
It was a technique impossible without inner energy mastery at its peak.
“Kuhahaha! This punk keeps surprising me? This is getting fun!”
He’d swung by to clean up before heading to claim Namgung Jang-cheon’s head, only to stumble upon an unexpectedly entertaining foe.
Nothing like the small fry he’d crushed on the way to Hefei.
This one’s movements, decisions—everything set him apart from the rabble.
“What the hell is this guy?”
Something felt off.
Before the questions could pile up, Namgung Hyeok abruptly changed direction.
The man sprinting down the main road suddenly leaped into an empty house.
His lightness skill was tongue-prodding impressive.
“Hiding behind cover to face me...?”
Ho Tae-gun’s words hadn’t even finished.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, the firmly shut gates of the manor exploded outward like they’d been hit by a cannonball.
“Arghhhh!”
“Gahhh!”
“Urk!”
Rumble crash crash.
Lightning cracked like thunder, and unorthodox warriors inside flew through the air, smashing into the ground.
Boom boom boom!
“...?”
What the hell?
As bewilderment and doubt rose to his throat, Namgung Hyeok and the others burst out of the empty house and resumed sprinting down the main road.
Namgung Hyeok’s gaze rapidly scanned the surroundings.
The dark Hefei streets were pitch black, but his vision was clear as day.
The energy of the Heavenly King Bright King Art swirled through his body, expanding his senses.
Namgung Hyeok sharply veered again.
In his sight, warriors tangled in combat appeared—Hefei Alliance fighters clashing fiercely with an unorthodox band.
Confirming they were remnants of the Blood Ghost Sect, flames sparked in Namgung Hyeok’s eyes.
“Get lost!”
Flash!
Rumble!
Sapphire lightning cleaved the darkness, incinerating an unorthodox warrior’s body.
Namgung Ryong’s Imperial Sword Form followed, bisecting a Blood Ghost Sect warrior.
The Thunder Dragon Squad trio swung swords, axes, and twin blades, wreaking havoc.
“Arghhhh!”
“Gah!”
“Kraaah!”
The Hefei Alliance warriors cheered at the Thunder Dragon Squad’s sudden charge sweeping through the enemy.
“Reinforcements! Reinforcements!”
“Reinforce...”
“Woo...huh?”
Swoosh!
...He’s just passing through?
People blinked dumbly as Namgung Hyeok breezed by, wind in his wake.
Namgung Hyeok shouted.
“Bolt!”
Bolt?
The Hefei Alliance warriors stared in confusion until they spotted the White Cloud Sword Faction mob closing in from behind, their jaws dropping.
“F-Fucking insane!”
“B-White Cloud Sword Faction!”
“It’s the White Cloud Sword King!”
“Gasp! Run for it!”
Eyes bloodshot, the Hefei Alliance warriors freaked at the sight of the pursuing White Cloud Sword Faction and spun around.
With Namgung Hyeok in the lead, their group swelled in an instant.
Boom boom boom! Rumble!
Smashing through blocking unorthodox fighters, Namgung Hyeok unleashed his Blood Wind Divine Step.
“Out of the way—bolt!”
Is it bolt or move aside?!
People clamped their mouths shut and chased Namgung Hyeok’s heels.
Ho Tae-gun stared in disbelief at the fleeing Namgung Clan group.
“That guy?”
He’d wondered what the punk was up to—turns out he was running a guerrilla op. Stirring up fights, tearing through unorthodox lines, and rallying allies.
“Fun. So he’s not just running scared.”
To think a guy like that was in the Namgung Clan!
Slash!
Thwack!
Ho Tae-gun pounced like a lion, decapitating a straggler.
Blood sprayed, painting the sky red.
Deploying his movement technique, Ho Tae-gun issued orders.
“Gather our nearby forces. We’ll lay the Heaven-Spanning Earth Net here and trap them.”
“Here?”
“Clear out the obstacles, then follow me—we hunt them down.”
“...!”
Unthinkable: deploying the Heaven-Spanning Earth Net far from the main battlefield.
It split their forces—like using an ox-cleaver on a chicken.
But the White Cloud Sword Faction swordsmen obeyed without question.
They knew once he decided something, he saw it through.
The White Cloud Sword Faction’s Blood Squad fanned out in three directions.
Ho Tae-gun’s gaze locked on Namgung Hyeok’s back.
“Good, good. Hide-and-seek’s not bad.”
He shook the blood from his blade and kicked off the ground.
“Let’s see how far you can go.”
The Blood Squad followed, murder in their eyes, thundering forward.
* * *
In front of the Heavenly Pavilion, Paeng Jung-hyeok steadied his breath. Fresh from fierce combat, his body was soaked in blood.
‘...Ugh!’
He drew a silent breath.
The battlefield’s intensity exceeded his wildest imagination.
“...I’ve lived way too comfortably till now.”
Only today did he realize how sturdy the Paeng Clan of Hebei’s shield had been—and how trivial his past skirmishes.
Lost in such thoughts amid the war-mad frenzy was deranged, but the shock to Paeng Jung-hyeok was that profound.
Thud thud!
The Tang siblings approached from one side, exhaustion etched on their faces.
Looked like it had been brutal over there too.
‘The situation’s grim.’
Updates flowed in near-instantly via the Beggars’ Sect.
At the south gate, the Namgung Clan’s main force was locked in brutal combat with the unorthodox elites.
‘...And losing ground.’
Even a stalemate favored the defenders less.
If the main lines buckled, the battle’s tide would turn in seconds.
Reinforcement pleas kept coming.
Once the east and west gates fell, the path to the Namgung Clan wouldn’t take long.
Tang Myeong-ok approached and asked,
“Where’s the Young Master?”
Paeng Jung-hyeok gripped his sword tighter, regulating his breath.
“He ran into the White Cloud Sword Faction.”
“The White Cloud Sword Faction?”
“If he heads this way, we’ll reinforce the south gate immediately.”
Tang Myeong-ok furrowed her brow.
“We should go help! Isn’t the White Cloud Sword Faction one of their main sects? Why are we just waiting here?”
“Well...”
How to even explain this.
The Beggars’ Sect said evade the White Cloud Sword Faction.
Paeng Jung-hyeok agreed.
Their infamous reputation reaching the Paeng Clan of Hebei from thousands of li away meant they were the real deal—dangerous.
Best to avoid them.
Of course, in this situation, rescuing allies made sense.
But...
‘If it’s Namgung Hyeok?’
Of all people, Namgung Hyeok had crossed them.
Something told him Namgung Hyeok would be different.
Hadn’t the guy wrecked the Black Dragon Sect?
Felt like he’d pulled something off by now...
That’s when it happened.
Thud thud thud thud!
A ferocious rumble echoed from the direction Paeng Jung-hyeok glanced idly.
Above the ink-black sky, an even blacker dust cloud bloomed.
A tiny speck appeared at the horizon, then ballooned in seconds.
“...Ha.”
He actually showed up.
A chuckle escaped him.
Ah, mid-war, and relief crept into his smile unbidden.
Namgung Hyeok was the world’s lone madman usually, but here, he reassured everyone like no other.
If it’s that guy, then maybe...
Maybe something else...
Something different.
“...Different.”
He’s not alone?
Thud thud thud thud thud!
Hooves like a wild herd stampeding, brimming with menace.
Dust waves surged skyward.
The ground quaked.
Paeng Jung-hyeok’s pupils quivered.
“...What the fuck has this lunatic done now?”
It’s a guerrilla squad!
Why’s it look like this?!
The dust-caked Thunder Dragon Squad and allied warriors bolted toward them in panic.
Paeng Jung-hyeok gawked, soul-shocked, at the horde hurtling straight for the Heavenly Pavilion.
Not just running—they had a tail.
Enemies burst through the dust, eyes red with rage, and Paeng Jung-hyeok’s heart sank.
“Grab that bastard!”
“Kill him!”
“Tear him apart!”
“Don’t let him escape! Circle back and cut them off!”
A massive enemy horde emerged, killing intent thick.
Tang Myeong-ok, who’d pushed to rescue Namgung Hyeok, quietly fell back.
Paeng Yeon-hwa and So Hye-yeon, who’d raided the Black Dragon Sect with him, gaped at him too.
“...Crazy, crazy. I told you he’s a madman!”
Tang Myeong-jin yelled at Tang Myeong-ok.
Then Namgung Hyeok’s voice rang out, waving his hand.
“Heyyy! Bolt! Bolt!”
Bolt what?
Namgung Hyeok crashed down before Paeng Jung-hyeok like lightning.
Rumble!
Thunder boomed as he landed stylishly and straightened up.
“Phew, looks like we’re late.”
“...”
“Damn, when’d you set this up?”
Namgung Hyeok sighed deeply, slyly drawing the demonic sword at his waist.
Namgung Ryong arrived next, followed by the Thunder Dragon Squad.
Allied warriors wheezed, eyes half-rolled in shock.
The sudden chaos left them mindless.
Namgung Hyeok scratched his head.
“Shit. We’re late.”
Paeng Jung-hyeok stared, wondering what nonsense this was, as Namgung Ryong and Geon Cheon-hwi drew weapons with resigned looks.
Soon, he understood why.
Flickering shadows and feral glares encircled the Heavenly Pavilion area, multiplying.
One, two, three, four... no end in sight.
Namgung Hyeok chuckled dryly.
“Looks like we’re surrounded.”
“...”
“Hey, I didn’t call this! Who’d guess they’d pull a Heaven-Spanning Earth Net? Didn’t know they had brains over there.”
Not me...?
Then who?
“What the hell did you do?!”
Paeng Jung-hyeok bellowed despite himself.
In that instant, the unorthodox mob fully enclosed them and closed in.
Tension etched everyone’s faces.
Amid the strain, only Namgung Hyeok casually cracked his neck side to side.
“Well, anyway, the plan worked out.”
Situation’s a bit twisted, but hey—they’re all here?
Namgung Hyeok lightly gripped his demonic sword.