Chapter 319: War Breaks Out-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 319: War Breaks Out-1
"Charge."
Lee Yeon spoke the words shortly, but with great power.
"Charge!!!"
Immediately, the commander at the very front took up the cry and roared.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
He spurred his Blood-Sweating Horse and began to gallop forward.
""Charge!""
Following him, the riders of the cavalry unit also began to shout one after another.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
They followed the commander at the vanguard and began their headlong rush.
The cavalry, spread out in a magnificent spectacle, began to race toward the main gate of the North Sea Ice Palace all at once.
Un-jeok-ja and the other disciples of the Qingcheng Sect watched them and began to run forward to meet them.
Rumble!
Soon, the two groups collided violently.
Slash!
The first to have his head severed was the commander leading the charge.
He had lunged forward gallantly, aiming for Un-jeok-ja, only to have his head fly off from a light swing of Un-jeok-ja’s sword.
He wasn't the only one to lose his head.
Most of those riding in the front met their end at the blades of the Qingcheng disciples.
However, the problem came afterward.
Though they had successfully completed their first strikes, the disciples found themselves surrounded by the cavalry in the time it took to swing their swords.
"The commander is dead!"
"Damn it! These bastards!"
"Pierce them all with your spears!"
"Turn them into skewers!"
The riders surrounding the search party raised their spears and began to press them relentlessly.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Urgh!"
The Qingcheng disciples quickly raised their swords to defend against the onslaught, but they began to lose their footing under the attacks coming from all directions.
Clang!
"Damn it."
Cheongsong, having barely deflected a spear, spat out a curse.
A tingling pain shot through his wrist.
It seemed that blocking the massive spears wielded by the riders with a sword had put a strain on his joints.
Whoosh!
Clang!
Another massive spear flew toward him, aiming for his life.
Cheongsong quickly turned his sword to block the spear and then lunged into the opening.
He intended to pierce the rider's heart then and there.
Whoosh!
However, his plan could not be executed due to another massive spear flying in from the side.
"To hell with this!"
Cursing, Cheongsong exploded his internal energy through his Yongcheon Point and retreated in an instant.
Boom!
The spear slammed into the spot where he had just been standing, letting out a massive roar.
Shiver.
Seeing this, Cheongsong felt a chill run down his spine.
If he had moved even a moment later, his body would have been skewered by that massive spear.
Whoosh!
Just as he felt a moment of relief, he sensed the presence of another spear flying toward him from behind.
Cheongsong quickly spun around and raised his sword.
Boom!
The massive spear and the sword collided, resulting in a thunderous sound.
"Uuuugh!"
Cheongsong let out a groan.
He had managed to raise his sword in time to stop the blade from entering his body, but he couldn't offset the sheer impact.
Whoosh!
Due to the shock of the collision, Cheongsong’s body was sent flying through the air.
Swish!
And while Cheongsong was suspended in mid-air, other spears began to fly toward him.
'Damn it.'
Cheongsong quickly cast the Thousand-Catty Press.
Thump!
His body suddenly became heavy, and he dropped straight to the ground.
Swoosh!
A moment later, a massive spear swept through the space where he had just been floating.
Seeing this, Cheongsong’s face began to turn pale.
Fear began to rise within him at the relentless, suffocating attacks of the cavalry.
'Damn it all.'
He knew the Northern Army was strong, but he never imagined they would be capable of overwhelming a master like himself.
'But I cannot lose!'
Cheongsong adjusted his grip on his sword and concentrated his internal energy.
Soon, a blue energy flickered on his blade and began to envelop the sword.
It was the manifestation of Sword Qi, something only a master of the Peak Realm could achieve.
After manifesting his Sword Qi, Cheongsong lunged toward the cavalry that had been pressing him.
The cavalry welcomed him by thrusting their massive spears his way.
Splurt!
"Aaaaaagh!"
Slash!
"Gwaaaaah!"
Thuck!
"Gurgle..."
Surrounded by the cavalry, Un-jeok-ja silently swung his sword.
He was a supreme master who had reached the sublime stage known as the Transcendent Realm.
To someone like him, the concentrated attacks of the cavalry were of no concern.
One Sword, One Kill.
Every time he swung his sword, one person inevitably died.
It wasn't that the soldiers were weak.
How could they be weak, armed as they were with solid iron armor, massive spears made of high-quality steel, and riding superior Blood-Sweating Horses?
It was simply that Un-jeok-ja stood at a realm so high they could not reach him.
They swung their spears with all their might, but they only fell like stalks of straw before Un-jeok-ja’s blade.
Sometimes he pierced a throat.
Sometimes he cut through both man and horse.
Sometimes he pierced a heart.
He simply swung his sword as he pleased.
Choosing exactly where he wanted to cut.
How much time had passed?
A massive spear flew in and blocked Un-jeok-ja’s sword path.
Boom!
A thunderous roar echoed as the sword and spear collided.
Glare.
Un-jeok-ja’s eyes widened as his sword was blocked for the first time.
He wanted to take a good look at the person who had stopped his blade.
And soon, he saw him.
A grim-looking giant, seven feet tall.
"You're running quite wild, aren't you?"
The giant who had thrust the spear muttered quietly while looking at Un-jeok-ja.
He had a thick, low bass voice that suited his massive frame perfectly.
"And who might you be?"
"Seo Gwang, Commander of the Northern Army."
At Un-jeok-ja’s question, Seo Gwang replied in a calm tone.
"Surprising."
"What's so surprising?"
"To think there was someone in the Northern Army capable of blocking my sword."
Un-jeok-ja continued, his expression one of genuine admiration.
"Heh heh heh... You are arrogant, Taoist."
Hearing his words, Seo Gwang let out a chuckle.
"It is not arrogance, but confidence."
Un-jeok-ja spoke with a dignified expression.
"Kuhuhu... Do you truly think so?"
"This humble Taoist is always sincere."
"Perhaps because you've spent all your time polishing your sword in some deep mountain valley, your head is filled with nothing but flowers."
"Hahaha! I often hear from various places that I am quite the optimist."
Un-jeok-ja burst into laughter and continued.
"So, are you the strongest in the Northern Army?"
"Unfortunately, I cannot claim to be the strongest."
Hearing Un-jeok-ja’s words, Seo Gwang shook his head.
"There are at least two people ahead of me."
"One must be General Lee Yeon, and who is the other?"
"There is such a fellow. If General Lee Yeon weren't here, that guy would likely have taken the General's position."
Seo Gwang spoke as if recalling someone in his mind.
"My, the Northern Army is truly a place teeming with fearsome individuals."
"Have you grown afraid?"
Seo Gwang asked mockingly.
"My, afraid?"
Seeing Seo Gwang’s mockery, Un-jeok-ja grinned and spoke.
"I am the First Sword of Qingcheng. How could it be possible for someone like me to feel fear?"
Having finished his sentence, Un-jeok-ja raised his sword.
"Arrogant bastard."
Hearing Un-jeok-ja’s words, Seo Gwang raised his massive spear.
The soldier and the martial artist faced each other.
"Die!"
"Prepare yourself!"
Soon, their spear and sword clashed, beginning to produce thunderous roars.
Boom! Rumble!
Shockwaves spread far and wide around the two Transcendent Realm masters.
"Hmm."
Lee Yeon was observing the state of the battle.
Soon, he frowned slightly, as if dissatisfied.
The battle was turning into an unexpectedly close engagement.
The disciples of Qingcheng were putting up a surprisingly good fight against the Northern cavalry.
Those who were exceptionally strong swept through the battlefield alone, while those with relatively less martial prowess formed defensive squares to hold their own.
"They fight quite well."
Lee Yeon spoke in a calm tone.
"I shall join the fray."
Immediately, one of the commanders beside him spoke up.
"No. Summon the archers."
"The archers, sir!?"
The commander asked back in surprise at Lee Yeon’s command.
"With their skill, they should be able to hit only the enemy even in the midst of such a chaotic melee."
Lee Yeon spoke with a face full of conviction.
"......But."
"I do not like repeating myself."
"Understood!"
The commander, receiving Lee Yeon’s order, quickly bowed and continued.
"Archers, to the front!"
Standing up, the commander turned around and roared at the top of his lungs.
Perhaps because his voice was infused with internal energy, it rang out clearly and began to reach the soldiers.
""Archers, to the front!""
And the soldiers began to shout after him.
So that all the soldiers in the rear could hear.
Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.
Soon, the archer units equipped with bows emerged from among the soldiers.
They began to march forward in formation with quick steps.
"Draw your strings!"
Once they were fully at the front, the commander roared at them again.
Creak.
Creak.
Creak.
Hearing that roar, the archers notched their arrows and began to pull their bowstrings in unison.
"Aim for the enemies' necks! All units, fire!"
"Understood!"
The archers gave a thunderous reply and released their strings all at once.
Whiz!
Whiz!
Whiz!
Dozens of arrows rained down toward the Qingcheng disciples.
Snap!
Snap!
Snap!
At that moment, the arrows fired by the archers began to shatter all at once.
"Wh... What!?"
Seeing this, the commander wore a look of bewilderment.
How could the arrows they fired all be destroyed at the same time?
"Again! Again! Reload!"
""Understood!""
The commander looked at the archers and ordered them to reload.
"Fire!"
He gave the command to fire once more.
Again, dozens of arrows began to rain down toward the Qingcheng disciples.
Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!
But this time was no different; the arrows were shattered and fell to the ground.
The flustered commander quickly focused his eyesight to examine the scene of the arrows breaking more closely.
And then he saw them.
Tiny pieces of iron colliding with the arrows.
In an instant, the commander’s eyes widened.
How could anyone accurately hit and destroy arrows with such tiny pieces of iron?
It was an impossible feat unless one was a master of hidden weapon techniques.
'Wait... hidden weapons...? ...Hidden weapons!?'
Soon, as if something had occurred to him, the commander looked toward the main gate of the North Sea Ice Palace.
And there, he saw them.
A group of martial artists wearing green uniforms.
"The Sichuan Tang Clan!"
The commander roared upon seeing them.
He now knew the culprits who had shattered the arrows by throwing pieces of iron.
"Isn't using arrows a bit cowardly!?"
At that moment, a Tang Clan martial artist at the front shouted in a ringing voice.
That voice only served to irritate the commander further.
How could those who threw hidden weapons and spread poison dare speak of cowardice?
"Shoot! Shoot those bastards first!"
Seething with rage, the commander gave the order again.
This time, the target was the martial artists of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Hearing his command, the archers drew their bowstrings again and fired toward the Tang Clan.
The Tang Clan martial artists responded to the shower of arrows with a shower of hidden weapons, and the two groups began a fierce long-range exchange.
*
"It's an enemy attack! Everyone must evacuate!"
Un-hye shouted at the top of her lungs.
"An enemy attack?"
Mr. Jang, who ran the fabric store, asked back in surprise.
An enemy attack? What on earth was she talking about all of a sudden?
"Could it be that the Demon Troops have come?"
"The Demon Troops!?"
"Then, is it the Evil Demon!?"
"The Evil Demon!?"
Starting with Mr. Jang’s words, the villagers began to grow terrified one by one.
They were people who had been plundered by the Evil Demon for over twenty years.
The mention of an enemy attack seemed to bring a wave of fear regarding the Evil Demon crashing over them.
"It's not the Demon Troops! It's the Northern Army!"
Un-hye shook her head as she spoke.
"The Northern Army? Why would the Northern Army be at the Ice Palace?"
"Aren't they the ones who guard the borders?"
Hearing Un-hye’s words, the villagers asked her back with puzzled expressions.
They felt there was no reason for the Northern Army to come here, no matter how they thought about it.
They were the ones who hadn't shown their faces even once during the twenty years of plunder.
So why would they appear now?
"I'll explain the details after we've evacuated! For now, please follow the Emei disciples and move to the Ice Palace!"
Un-hye raised her voice again, urging them to flee.
She felt they couldn't afford to waste time here.
Perhaps sensing her urgency, the villagers began to move according to her words.
'Phew.'
Seeing them move, Un-hye finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Un-hye."
Just then, a voice calling her name came from somewhere.
Un-hye quickly turned her head to see who it was.
"Senior Sister Bulsok! Senior Sister Bulheo!"
Recognizing the owners of the voices, Un-hye cried out in delight.
"Just what on earth is happening!"
Bulsok spoke as if scolding her.
"Something terrible has happened!"
Un-hye ignored the scolding and quickly spoke her piece.
"The Northern Army has invaded!"
"What!?"
Shock began to wash over the faces of Bulsok and Bulheo.