Turmoil in Beijing
"Captain, let's go together!"
Yang Kvae, who had managed to tag along while rescuing the Yo-pyeong Express agency and speaking with Pyeong Cho-yul, called out to stop Namgung Woo from charging off alone once more.
"I know you're strong, Captain, but if the enemy is determined to stall you, it'll take time. We'll clear the way instead."
Yang Jeong chimed in as well. Namgung Woo weighed the pros and cons of bringing them along versus going alone. If he took them, he could hand off any encounters to the Yang brothers and save time. If not, he could move at full speed and save time that way. Either choice would likely yield similar results. There was no reason to leave them behind. He wanted to conserve his strength for any unforeseen circumstances.
"Fine. You two take the lead and set the pace."
"Eungong, I want to come too…"
"Paeng Sojeo, protect the people from the Yo-pyeong Express agency."
Paeng Ha-ryeong shot a sulky glare at the Yang brothers standing beside him, her expression full of envy.
"I'll assign three warriors from the Bukcheon Unit to help you. I can be useful to you as well, Eungong."
Peak Realm masters in the late stage were rare. Even Transcendent Realm experts numbered among the top one hundred in the world. Most major sects and clans had fewer than five Transcendent masters, with the bulk of their fighting strength coming from Peak Realm experts. Even within the Peak Realm, levels varied. Someone of Paeng Ha-ryeong's caliber would be treated as a core combatant wherever she went.
"…It will be dangerous."
"It's fine. I already owe you my life. How could I speak of repaying that debt if I avoided danger simply because you are heading into it?"
Namgung Woo allowed her to join.
"Ah, by the way, Captain—where are we going?"
Namgung Woo pointed north.
"The Forbidden City. Mount Wanse."
§
"Southeast! The Paeng Family will handle it!"
"U-chaek, take care of it!"
"Yes, my lady!"
One figure broke away from the group, and a fierce blade of light cleaved through the darkness of night.
"Northwest! They're not strong. Yang Jeong, go."
"As you command!"
Yang Jeong stomped forward at Namgung Woo's order and unleashed the first form of the Thirteen Lightning Sword Forms—One Finger Wall—the technique he was most confident in. His sword, brimming with qi, split an approaching demonic beast clean in half at the waist.
"This place has become a complete hell on earth."
Yang Kvae's words, spoken after returning from slaying a beast just ahead of Yang Jeong, voiced what everyone was thinking.
Four Ghost Gates had appeared around the Forbidden City. The northern gate had failed to open and dispersed due to some unknown issue, but the remaining three continuously spewed forth monsters and demons.
"The Jinyiwei have mobilized, so it should be cleaned up quickly."
There were no martial world factions in Beijing. At most, there were tourists or wandering martial artists seeking work. They were woefully inadequate to deal with the sudden appearance of Ghost Gates. To make matters worse, fires were erupting throughout the city, making it impossible for ordinary people to keep their wits about them.
Yet Beijing did not need martial world factions. The Emperor's swords protected the imperial family. The Jinyiwei stood ready.
"My uncle is here as well. These Ghost Gates will be dealt with soon enough."
The Ghost Gates were not the real problem. What truly mattered was…
Thud. Thud-thud.
The Yang brothers' lightness skill came to an abrupt halt. Martial artists blocked the path leading to the Forbidden City. Allies? No.
"Damn bastards…"
Enemies. On the way here, Namgung Woo's group had already clashed with martial artists three times. These were the forces behind the current incident—men who set fires in Beijing and obstructed the Jinyiwei and martial artists trying to seal the Ghost Gates. They were the reason Beijing could not quickly suppress the chaos.
"Hey, you. If you don't want to die, get lost."
Yang Kvae spat curses and leveled his blade at the assassin who had been obstructing them.
"He is not someone Brother can handle alone. He is a Peak Realm expert."
"Tch. Captain, go on ahead. We can handle this much ourselves."
The enemies, who had been wary only of the Paeng Family warriors, snorted in disdain at the brothers' words.
"You brats?"
"Die!"
Strike first to win. The third form of the Thirteen Lightning Sword Forms—Thunderfall—with almost no preparatory movement, pierced the enemy's opening.
"Paeng U-chaek, Paeng Wi—help them!"
The two warriors under Namgung Woo and the two under Paeng Ha-ryeong all joined the fray, turning it into a group battle. Using Changnyeongmanan, Namgung Woo quickly assessed their martial prowess and techniques, then set aside his worries and gathered qi at Yongcheon Point.
"Do not fall."
"Go ahead first! We will catch up soon!"
Leaving Yang Jeong's shout behind, Namgung Woo and Paeng Ha-ryeong began running again. Paeng Ha-ryeong looked somewhat concerned, but Namgung Woo paid it no further mind. They would be fine. Their opponents were Peak Realm experts, but the two Paeng Family warriors were also Peak Realm, and the Yang brothers' combined techniques exceeded that level. Armed with the hidden blade of the Thirteen Lightning Sword Forms, they would not lose to Peak Realm opponents.
What truly concerned Namgung Woo was the massive qi wave exploding from Mount Wanse beneath the Forbidden City.
"The Forbidden City is in chaos too."
"Then?"
"No. Ignore the Forbidden City. What matters is Mount Wanse. Others will start noticing soon as well."
No matter how skilled one was at concealing their presence, there were limits. Such an enormous amount of qi could not be hidden completely. Not only Namgung Woo, but any martial artist of sufficient level would gradually become aware of it.
"The Forbidden City is a distraction."
The moment Namgung Woo finished speaking, sword qi came hurtling from ahead.
"Hup!"
Clang!
The draw was instantaneous. With a single technique, Namgung Woo executed the Namgung Family's secret drawing technique—Lone Soul Single Sword—and split the incoming sword qi in half.
"You are strong."
Realizing the gap in power from Namgung Woo's single technique, the attacker calmly acknowledged his strength.
"But I cannot let you pass."
The man wore black robes beneath an official's uniform and held a spear rather than a sword or blade—clearly a martial artist under the control of the government office. The flying sword qi from earlier had been launched not by sword or blade, but by spear.
"You hold quite a high position."
To Namgung Woo's words, the man answered surprisingly easily.
"I am called the Black Tortoise Envoy under the True Name Heavenly Emperor."
"True Name Heavenly Emperor? The rebel faction?"
"The woman from the Paeng Family over there—your words are excessive. This is not rebellion, but restoration."
The man was normally sparing with words. Yet he spoke now for a reason.
I cannot win against him.
That was his first thought upon seeing Namgung Woo. If so, he would rather stall for time through conversation. But his clumsy attempt did not work on the two of them.
"Eungong, I will handle this."
"Are you sure? He is strong."
"I will maintain a defensive stance as much as possible. Support should arrive soon once the situation behind us is resolved. I can hold out until then."
Through the eight extraordinary meridians and into the four limbs and hundred bones, the inner energy of the Geongon Miheo Divine Art surged. Her qi density was on a different level from ordinary Peak Realm experts. Beyond sword silk, she was now reaching for sword gang. Born into the Hebei Paeng Family, having received the best education and training, mastering divine arts and supreme techniques, and consuming countless elixirs, her accumulated power was about to bloom fully thanks to the opportunity that was Namgung Woo. If she could overcome this moment, Paeng Ha-ryeong would leap to an even higher realm. It was a chance that might allow her to surpass years of progress in a single bound—though the price of failure would be her life. For a martial artist, it was a risk worth taking.
"Good. Judging by the muscles and blood vessels in his legs, his movement technique is not particularly fast. Heavy and solid, with strength within. Make full use of the Miheo Divine Steps."
"I will keep that in mind."
"Do not be deceived by his posture. His Hand Yin Heart Meridian is more developed than his Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian. He is left-handed."
"…How underhanded."
Using Changnyeongmanan, Namgung Woo exposed every trick the Black Tortoise Envoy attempted.
"Do not get hurt."
"……Of course!"
After giving all his advice, Namgung Woo launched forward with the footwork of the Infinite Steps.
"Where do you think you're going!"
The Black Tortoise Envoy's spear qi once again sliced through the air, but this time it was blocked by a blade. Paeng Ha-ryeong did not particularly like it, but she could use flying blade qi to some degree. Blade qi and spear qi exploded together in midair.
"I will not forgive anyone who interferes with Eungong."
§
Leaving all enemies behind, Namgung Woo entered Mount Wanse and was greeted first by the sight of a woman in red attire—likely the Vermilion Bird Envoy, judging by her clothing—being utterly crushed by another woman. Unlike the black-clad Black Tortoise Envoy, her martial prowess was not much different, yet the Vermilion Bird Envoy could not exert any power and was being unilaterally beaten. In the end, she died from a single palm strike.
Strong.
The moment he saw the woman who had slain the Vermilion Bird Envoy in just four techniques, Namgung Woo became certain that this mysterious woman was stronger than anyone he had seen so far. The Unyielding Blade Lord Paeng Ja-ryeong, a Transcendent Realm expert? She was far beyond him. Even if placed in the same realm, the gap was clear. Just as not all students at the same university are equal, even within the Transcendent Realm there were tiers, and the difference was on an entirely different dimension from the gap between Second-class and First-class realms.
Can I win?
For a moment, even Namgung Woo wondered if he might lose. Her qi had been honed to the extreme.
I can win. But I must be prepared for injury.
Even if one was a master, the wear of time and traces of aging were inevitable. After Changnyeongmanan detected those signs, he knew he could not afford to be careless against this opponent.
Namgung Woo's judgment was correct. The mysterious woman's name was Han Gye-ran. She was a consort of the Seondeok Emperor, grandfather of the current Seonghwa Emperor, and the Grand Imperial Dowager Consort whom the current emperor respected even more than his own birth mother, the Hyosuk Empress Dowager. Within the palace, she was respected by all court ladies and called the Great Elder, but during the bloody succession struggles between two emperors in the past, she had earned a title befitting a martial artist. People, awed by her feat of slaughtering assassins barehanded, called her the East Sea Martial Consort—the martial imperial consort who had come from beyond the eastern sea.