Chapter 232: Brother Chun-bu-i (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 232: Brother Chun-bu-i (1)
Monster Wave.
It was a term used to describe the terrifying phenomenon where monsters swarmed in massive, unending droves.
While these waves sometimes occurred naturally as monster populations swelled, there were also instances where creatures of unknown origin materialized out of thin air.
In such cases, people usually pointed fingers at the Demonic Cult. It was a common tactic for those of the demonic path to manipulate demonic beasts and monsters.
The Demonic Cult, huh…
Seo-jun pondered the thought as he traveled toward the vicinity of Mount Hwang.
In his heart, he wanted nothing more than to wipe the Black Lotus Union off the map entirely, but that was easier said than done.
The problem was the Leader of the Black Lotus Union—a master of the Profound Realm who hailed from the Heaven-Breaking Je Clan. As long as that man held his position, completely dismantling the Union would be an impossible task.
Could I borrow the power of the Demonic Cult?
He was, in a sense, the "seed" of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons.
Though things had nearly taken a disastrous turn last time, if he played his cards right, he might just be able to secure a high-ranking position within the cult.
Even so, unless the Heavenly Demon himself stepped in, there was little they could do against the Leader of the Black Lotus Union… but at the very least, it would be a help.
Or perhaps the Murim Alliance Leader could step forward.
It wasn't exactly a secret, but the Murim Alliance also possessed a martial artist of the Profound Realm.
It was said that he hadn't shown himself in so long that very few even knew what he looked like… but his existence was a certainty.
There was a reason the current power dynamics of the Murim were split into three factions.
However, Seo-jun knew next to nothing about this mythical stage called the Profound Realm.
Why didn't those masters make a move? If they did, how much could they actually interfere? What were they thinking? He lacked far too much information.
I’ll think about that later.
For now, just thinking about his father-in-law’s funeral and the upcoming wedding was overwhelming enough.
First, he had to deal with the Monster Wave.
Riiip!
Tearing through space, Seo-jun’s figure vanished beyond the rift.
*
“Captain, are reinforcements actually coming?”
A martial artist from the Bi-yeon Unit of the Namgung Clan asked blankly. He squinted slightly against the rising dawn.
Namgung Chang-hwi, the Captain of the Bi-yeon Unit, replied from beside him.
“I don’t know. Even if they are, it will take some time.”
“I don’t think we can hold this off on our own.”
“…We might have to abandon a few cities.”
It was rare for high-level monsters to appear during a Monster Wave. At most, a few beasts with power comparable to the Super Peak Realm would emerge.
Even then, they rarely knew how to properly control their strength. As such, a martial artist of the Super Peak Realm could generally guarantee a victory.
Since Namgung Chang-hwi, a Super Peak master himself, was present, individual monsters weren't the issue… the problem was their sheer, overwhelming numbers.
Namgung Chang-hwi couldn't protect every corner of the city. Gaps would inevitably form, and the moment the horde breached the city limits, the casualties would spiral out of control.
“It’s a relief the Bi-yeon Unit was nearby, but I don’t know what’s happening to the Central Plains lately.”
“Everything passes eventually.”
Namgung Chang-hwi stood up. In the distance, a thick cloud of dust rose into the sky.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The sound of countless stampeding footsteps shook the earth. Namgung Chang-hwi clicked his tongue and drew his sword.
“Endure. One day, this war will end. The Young Lord is working hard as well.”
“Ah…”
The unit members stood beside Namgung Chang-hwi. Since they had divided into teams to defend various points of the city, their immediate numbers were sparse.
“If you’re talking about the Grand Master, didn’t you say you stood on the same battlefield as him once, Captain?”
“He is an extraordinary man.”
Namgung Chang-hwi gave a short laugh and wrapped his sword in Astral Qi.
Whirrr!
The Astral Qi of the Firmament Flying Swallow Sword let out a sharp, resonant thrum, scattering brilliant light.
“First… let’s thin out their numbers.”
Crackle!
Lightning flickered across Namgung Chang-hwi’s blade. This was a martial art created by the Grand Master of Namgung—or more familiarly, the Young Lord of Namgung.
The Heavenly Thunder Demon-Extinguishing Art. Specifically, he used a single form designed to conserve internal energy.
Heavenly Thunder Extinction.
Boom!
Namgung Chang-hwi slammed his sword into the ground. Waves of blue electrical currents rippled outward from the blade.
Vroooom!
Heavenly Thunder Extinction was a technique that drastically reduced internal energy consumption by utilizing the principles of formations. He couldn't quite grasp the exact logic behind it, but he had no trouble executing the move.
Zzzzt!
The spreading waves tangled together like threads at specific nodal points. Every single one of those tangled threads acted as a localized lightning strike.
CRA-CRACKLE!
Soon, the entire battlefield was dyed in flashing blue lightning.
— Skreeee!
— Grrrr!
The vanguard of monsters was violently electrocuted, collapsing instantly. However, the technique did not stop there.
Zzzzt!
The lightning lingering within the formation's range continuously incinerated the fallen beasts.
— Gurgle…
The corpses charred pitch-black, and thick, acrid smoke filled the air.
“Oh…!” one of the unit members marveled. “That technique is perfect for catching these stupid beasts!”
The lightning of the Heavenly Thunder Extinction did not fade. It remained anchored in place, circulating continuously across the ground.
The monsters tried their best to avoid the lightning-soaked earth, but this time, their sheer numbers worked against them.
The endless tide pushing from behind forced the vanguard straight into the deadly currents.
— Squeal!
Zap!
Trapped in the relentless lightning storm, the monsters burned to death, emitting plumes of black smoke.
Before long, only a mountain of charred corpses remained.
“Stop gawking and focus. This is just the beginning.”
Namgung Chang-hwi wiped the sweat from his brow and pulled his sword from the ground.
The monsters that had managed to bypass the Heavenly Thunder Extinction were already swarming in.
“Let’s go!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Bi-yeon Unit of Namgung firmly stood their ground against the incoming horde.
*
The battle that began at dawn dragged on until midday.
The Bi-yeon Unit fought fiercely. Though there were no fatalities yet, every single warrior bore injuries, large or small.
The local sects stationed in the city also fought desperately alongside the Bi-yeon Unit.
However, they weren't of much help. At the very least, they couldn't do anything to bridge the overwhelming numerical disadvantage.
Eventually, the martial artists—who were only human—began to tire.
Namgung Chang-hwi gritted his teeth.
“What about the civilian evacuation?!”
“It’s almost finished, but…!” the leader of a small local sect shouted in a hoarse voice. “There are still a few people refusing to leave, saying they can’t abandon their homes…!”
“Damn it…”
Namgung Chang-hwi bit his lip.
What should he do? Should he abandon those who remained?
A single member of the Bi-yeon Unit could save dozens of people in the future. Was it right to sacrifice a soldier just to protect fools who stubbornly insisted on dying in their hometown?
But…
He couldn't just abandon them. Namgung Chang-hwi remembered exactly why he had picked up the sword.
Without the protection of martial artists, commoners could not survive in the harsh Central Plains.
Watching Namgung Jin-cheon care for his clan, Namgung Chang-hwi had resolved to care for the powerless as if they were his own family.
The sword he once swung without purpose had gained true meaning, and not long after, a star of enlightenment had dwelled within his blade.
It was as if Namgung Chang-hwi had picked up the sword anew on that very day.
A martial artist whose will is broken cannot move forward.
Muttering to himself, Namgung Chang-hwi shouted a new order.
“…The rest of you, fall back and evacuate the stragglers! Drag them out by force if you have to!”
The unit members fighting alongside him widened their eyes.
“Captain, will you be alright?”
“I'll be fine. It’s not hard to hold them off for a bit and then escape on my own.”
The monsters were significantly weaker than Namgung Chang-hwi; there were just too many of them.
His stamina was heavily depleted from rushing across the city every time the defensive line was about to break, but he was confident he could at least save himself.
“But—”
“Go, now!”
When he roared at the hesitating soldiers, they finally bowed their heads.
“Yes, sir!”
The unit members reluctantly turned away. They were worried, but their Captain was strong. He was not a man who would fall to mere beasts.
“Let’s move.”
The soldiers hurried toward the city interior. But then, a sudden, jarring sense of dissonance washed over them. Something was wrong.
The man who realized it first stopped in his tracks, his mouth agape.
“The sound…”
The chaotic battlefield had fallen into a deathly silence.
The other soldiers instinctively turned their heads. Their eyes bulged. It was a sight hard to believe, even as they stared right at it.
“What in the world…”
The monsters that had been charging with bloodshot eyes were now frozen, as if turned to stone. They didn't attack. They simply stood in place, panting heavily, thick saliva dripping from their maws.
“Wow, it’s been a while.”
A man was walking through the air. Dressed in the azure robes of the Namgung Clan, he strolled down nonchalantly, landing right in front of Namgung Chang-hwi.
“Young Lord?”
Hearing Namgung Chang-hwi’s words, the soldiers realized it immediately. They hadn't recognized him for a moment in the chaos, but that man was indeed the Young Lord and acting Grand Master of Namgung—the Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord, Lee Seo-jun.
Though he hadn't been officially inaugurated as Grand Master yet, everyone who needed to know already knew.
“We pay our respects to the Grand Master!”
The soldiers immediately cupped their fists in a deep salute. The Grand Master laughed lightly and waved his hand.
“That’s enough. You all must be exhausted.”
Shring—!
The sword at the Grand Master’s waist unsheathed itself, floating gently in the air beside him.
“So, how have you been lately? I haven't seen your face in a while,” Seo-jun asked casually.
“I was just on my way back to the clan, my Lord,” Chang-hwi replied stiffly.
“Why so formal? Just speak comfortably, like before.”
“Are you not the Grand Master now?”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
The Grand Master conversed with Namgung Chang-hwi as if they were catching up at a teahouse. The soldiers couldn't hide their bewildered expressions at the sheer absurdity of the situation.
The battlefield had been a meat grinder just moments ago. Yet now, the bloodthirsty monsters were standing completely still, quietly observing the mood like frightened dogs.
The Grand Master acted as if this situation was perfectly natural. The endless horde of monsters that the Bi-yeon Unit had been blocking with all their might was reduced to nothing more than a scenic backdrop in his presence.
As they stood there staring blankly at him, he noticed their gazes and turned toward the soldiers.
“Ah…!”
Realizing their rudeness, the soldiers quickly bowed their heads.
“Our apologies!”
“Huh? For what?”
The Grand Master chuckled and gestured toward the sky. Following his hand, his floating sword shot higher into the air.
“Instead of apologizing, watch closely.”
In an instant, the wind ceased. It was as if time itself had stopped; not a single speck of dust dared to move.
A bittersweet smile touched the Grand Master’s lips.
“I learned this by watching, too.”
FLASH─────────!!
Their entire vision turned a blinding blue. The earth was instantly dyed in the color of the heavens.
Shiver!
A primal thrill ran through the soldiers' bodies, their mouths falling open in absolute awe.
“Ah…”
When the blinding blue light finally cleared, nothing remained.
The monsters had vanished without a single trace.
It had happened in the blink of an eye. The soldiers trembled uncontrollably. What if they had been the ones standing there instead of the monsters?
We would have been erased.
They could feel, with terrifying clarity, exactly why the title of Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord was echoing across the entire Murim.
Yet, instead of fear, the soldiers looked at their Grand Master with absolute reverence. This man was the Grand Master of Namgung.
However, he didn't seem particularly proud of the miracle he had just performed.
He stared at the empty, scoured battlefield with a strange, melancholy expression for a moment before opening his hand.
Whoosh!
Dozens of small objects flew into his palm. They were the inner cores left behind by the obliterated monsters.
Rolling the small inner cores in his hand, the Grand Master held them out to Namgung Chang-hwi.
“Want them?”
Namgung Chang-hwi shook his head.
“No, I’m fine.”
“It’ll be awkward for me if you don’t take them.”
“Pardon?”
“I received some from my father-in-law once, too.”
After a moment of hesitation, Namgung Chang-hwi accepted the inner cores. He felt as though he had no choice.
The Grand Master smiled softly.
“Do you think I’ve caught up to him a little?”
“Are you talking about the Family Head… no, the former Family Head?”
“Yes.”
“Wouldn't that be the case? Your rate of growth, Young Lord, is unprecedented in the history of the Central Plains.”
“Is that so?”
After staring up at the sky in silence for a moment, the Grand Master gestured with his hand. His expression, despite the mysterious smile, seemed somewhat dark and burdened.
“Anyway, let’s go. I’ll give you all a lift.”
*
Despite the protests of the Bi-yeon Unit members, Seo-jun helped clean up the battlefield. It didn't take much effort.
Since the monsters hadn't even left corpses behind, there was hardly anything to do. He simply used Void Object Grasping to sweep the remaining debris into a single pile.
“W-we are fine on our own, Grand Master!”
“Oh, stop it.”
Soon, Seo-jun lifted the entire Bi-yeon Unit into the air using Void Object Grasping and headed toward the Namgung Clan estate.
Void Object Grasping was a domain heavily influenced by the sheer depth and control of one’s Qi.
In this one aspect alone, he felt he had finally reached a level similar to his father-in-law.
I hope that’s the case…
A bitter smile played on Seo-jun’s lips.
He wondered if he was doing a good job acting as the pillar of Namgung in the older man's stead.
It was a question he couldn't answer just yet.
*
Time passed, and the funeral of Namgung Jin-cheon drew near.