Chapter 77: The Way (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 77: The Way (3)
Seo-jun pursued the man fleeing into the distance.
Swish—!
The wind sheared apart as Seo-jun appeared at the man’s back in an instant.
“Eek…!”
Terrified, the man twisted his body, lashing out with the chain-whip hanging from his waist.
Crack—!
With a sound like tearing silk, the bladed tip of the whip lashed toward Seo-jun's face.
Seo-jun calmly wrapped Astral Qi around his hand and snatched the whip right out of the air.
“Wh-what?!”
Startled, the man tried to pull his weapon back, but Seo-jun yanked it toward himself with overwhelming force.
“Ugh…!”
The man stumbled forward, dragged helplessly by the sheer strength of the pull. Meanwhile, a burning Astral Qi gathered around Seo-jun’s right fist.
“W-wait…! Great Hero…!”
Gulp. The man swallowed hard, staring cross-eyed at the fist hovering mere inches from his face. A split second later and his head would have been crushed like a melon. Having already witnessed Seo-jun’s brutal efficiency, he knew for a fact this young man wouldn't hesitate to kill him. If he wanted to live, he had to talk his way out.
The man immediately bowed his head.
“P-please spare me! Honestly, it’s not like we did anything that wrong! You’re a martial artist, you should know! The world runs on the law of the jungle!”
“The law of the jungle?”
“Yes! Just look at the Namgung Clan! They rule Anhui because they're strong! We’re just doing the same—”
“So, right now, I’m the 'strong' one here?”
“Well, that’s true…”
“And since you pissed me off, you get sentenced to death?”
“Urgh…!”
The man suddenly lunged upward, sweeping his leg in a desperate surprise attack.
Seo-jun’s eyes shifted slightly. The trajectory was painfully obvious. He caught the leg and squeezed.
Crunch—!
“Aaaaaagh…!!”
The man clutched his shattered leg, screaming in agony.
Exhaling a weary sigh, Seo-jun brought his foot down.
Splat!
The man, now missing a head, fell dead silent.
“Next…”
His next target was still lingering at the very edge of his Qi Sensing.
Yellow Dragon Energy surged from Seo-jun’s toes. Thump—! As he shot forward like a coiled spring, the faint, majestic image of a yellow dragon manifested beneath his feet.
Moving so fast it seemed as if he were flying through the air, Seo-jun spotted another runner.
The man noticed Seo-jun as well. Gritting his teeth, he unslung the bow from his back and drew the string.
Swish, swish, swish—!
A dozen arrows flew toward him in rapid succession, tracing eerie, curved paths through the air.
Seo-jun’s eyes brightened with interest. This was the first time he had seen someone actually use a bow in the Murim.
He applied the mental imagery of White River Returning to the Ocean to the Astral Qi gathered in his hand, drawing a large circle in the air.
Whoosh…
The momentum of the incoming arrows died instantly, dropping to the ground in a harmless heap.
The fleeing man glanced over his shoulder and immediately nocked another arrow.
“Hah…!”
Arrow Energy swelled immensely at the tip. The bowstring snapped, releasing the arrow at a speed entirely incomparable to the previous volley.
Boom—!
The air exploded. Easily breaking the sound barrier, the arrow streaked straight for Seo-jun’s chest.
Seo-jun stared intently at the incoming projectile. He watched it spin rapidly, carving a precise curve through the wind. He saw the underlying principles behind the technique. Enlightenment struck him in a flash.
Snap—!
Seo-jun casually snatched the arrow out of the air and snapped it in two. Then, he pressed his thumb against his middle finger.
Fragments of modern knowledge surfaced in his mind. The aerodynamic shape of a bullet. The streamlined body. The stabilizing rotation imparted by the rifling of a gun barrel.
He seamlessly fused his own knowledge with the martial insight gained from watching the archer's arrow.
Rumble—!
A brilliantly glowing golden Finger Pellet condensed at his fingertips, taking the exact shape of a bullet as it began to spin at a terrifying speed.
The exact physics behind it? He didn't really know. He just had to fire it to find out.
Bang—!
With a deafening explosion, the Finger Pellet launched forward.
Traveling at a speed completely invisible to the naked eye, the golden pellet tore straight through the man’s torso.
Thwack—!
Seo-jun nodded in satisfaction as he watched the corpse collapse, the majority of its midsection completely obliterated.
“Not bad.”
That was four down, one to go.
Instead of pursuing immediately, Seo-jun chose to wait for Hwan Bae-ho.
He stood still for a moment, staring blankly up at the sky, until he finally felt Hwan Bae-ho’s presence enter the range of his Qi Sensing.
“Young Master.”
Hwan Bae-ho approached, panting heavily, and bowed his head.
“Shall we resume the pursuit immediately?”
“No, let’s take it slow.”
Seo-jun picked up the bow from the dead man’s hand.
Twang, twang. He pulled the string back a few times; the tension felt decent.
“Young Master, though it’s unlikely… if we’re unlucky, the trail might go cold. Wouldn't it be better to follow him now?”
“Oh, it’s fine. I can track him.”
“Pardon? Did you bring Tracking Incense?”
Tracking Incense was exactly what it sounded like—a specialized scent used to follow an opponent.
The most famous of these was the Ten-Thousand-Li Tracking Incense. Ordinary people couldn't smell it, but those who had mastered specific martial arts could track the scent from ten thousand li away.
Of course, Seo-jun had never bothered to learn such a technique.
“Not that. My Internal Energy is smeared on his arm.”
Seo-jun tapped his own arm to demonstrate.
One of the men had been grazed by his very first Finger Pellet. By homing in on that lingering trace, he could find the man no matter where he tried to hide.
“Is such a thing… even possible?”
“It is. Honestly, I find it more amazing that you tracked us all the way here using such minor physical clues.”
“That is merely a tracking technique anyone can learn.”
“No, definitely not.”
Anyone could learn that? He wasn't joking; Seo-jun had honestly thought it was some kind of magic.
“Anyway, let’s follow him at a leisurely pace. Fleeing rats tend to get more desperate the longer they run.”
Seo-jun chuckled darkly.
Hwan Bae-ho watched him for a moment before quickly bowing his head.
“Understood!”
A Super Peak Realm martial artist. Today was the first time he had witnessed Seo-jun’s true power, and Hwan Bae-ho knew he would never be able to forget the sight.
*
Seo-jun fired the bow a few times as they casually followed the trail of energy.
Twang—!
The arrow flew in a high arc and thudded into a tree. It wasn't the tree he had been aiming for.
Seo-jun clicked his tongue and tossed the bow away.
“Bows really aren't for me.”
His grumbling was short-lived. His eyes suddenly widened as he picked up on something through his Qi Sensing.
“Wait, what the…?”
He immediately kicked off a tree trunk and soared into the air, blooming an ethereal plum blossom beneath his feet to propel himself even higher.
Looking out from his new vantage point, he spotted a sprawling black wave on the horizon. It was a surging tide made entirely of demonic beasts.
How many are there?
Definitely over several hundred. More likely in the thousands.
Seo-jun landed back on the ground, a deep frown creasing his face.
Where did that many monsters come from?
There shouldn't be a single place nearby capable of hiding thousands of demonic beasts. Maybe if there was a deep, ancient forest, but Seo-jun hadn't seen anything even remotely like that in the vicinity.
When he explained what he had seen to Hwan Bae-ho, the older man’s eyes went wide with sheer terror.
“A Monster Wave!”
“Oh, a monster wave?”
“Pardon?”
“No, never mind. What’s the situation?”
Hwan Bae-ho replied with a grim expression.
“It happens occasionally. Demonic beasts pour out like a sudden tide from unknown origins.”
“Then what normally happens?”
“Usually, the great sects of the region step in to suppress it… but it will take quite some time for the Namgung Clan to grasp the situation and dispatch forces. And the clan’s current situation isn't exactly ideal, either…”
“So a few cities are just going to get wiped out in the meantime?”
“Yes…”
Seo-jun sighed. This pseudo-Murim really was something else. He was honestly starting to look forward to seeing just how far this absurdity would go.
“For now, the horde's direction looks similar to where our runner went. Let’s head that way and see if there are any cities in the crossfire.”
“Yes!”
They needed to hurry. Although Hwan Bae-ho’s Lightness Skill was excellent for his realm, he was naturally far slower than Seo-jun running at full strength.
Seo-jun simply grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. Hwan Bae-ho submissively let his body go limp like a caught kitten.
“…My apologies.”
“Don't worry about it. Just be careful not to bite your tongue.”
Boom—!
Seo-jun’s figure shot forward like a cannonball. A brilliant golden trail slowly dissipated in his wake, tinting the white clouds above with a faint, radiant gold. It looked just like a sunset.
*
Following the predicted path of the monster horde, they soon reached a sprawling city.
Seo-jun touched down in the middle of the city and finally let go of Hwan Bae-ho’s collar.
“First, go spread the word about this Monster Wave or whatever it is.”
“This city is a bit larger than the last one, but it still won't have much in the way of military power.”
“Still. Better they know it’s coming than get completely blindsided.”
“Understood!”
Hwan Bae-ho hurried off to raise the alarm. Seo-jun watched his retreating back for a moment before turning his attention to the lingering trace of his Internal Energy.
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—the last surviving rat had fled into this very city.
As Seo-jun walked, the streets became increasingly deserted, winding into the slums.
Is having an affinity for back alleys a universal trait for losers?
After walking for a while, Seo-jun stopped in a dead-end alley and looked down at the dirt beneath his feet.
He could distinctly feel his energy right beneath him. And the man’s trembling presence as well.
Seo-jun casually lifted his foot and slammed it down.
CRAAASH—!
The thick ground instantly caved in, and he plummeted into the hidden cellar below. Landing lightly on his feet, Seo-jun looked up through the dust. He locked eyes with the utterly horrified man.
“Found you.”
The corners of Seo-jun’s mouth curled up into a wide, predatory grin.
*
Recalling Seok Tae-hyeon’s intelligence report, Hwan Bae-ho rushed toward the largest sect in the area. The Changroe Sect was undoubtedly the most prominent martial power nearby.
“Halt!”
The gatekeepers tried to block his path, but only for a split second. Recognizing the distinct blue martial robes of the Namgung Clan, they turned deathly pale and bowed deeply.
“What brings an esteemed member of the Namgung Clan here?”
“The Sect Leader! I must see the Sect Leader immediately!”
“We must first announce your arrival—”
“There is no time for that!”
Hwan Bae-ho shoved past the gatekeepers, his sharp eyes scanning the compound.
Footprints and martial traces were everywhere. Quickly deducing the location of the Sect Leader’s main hall, he broke into a sprint.
“Sect Leader of the Changroe!”
Fortunately, the man in question was standing outside the hall.
“You are…?”
“The situation is dire!”
As Hwan Bae-ho strode forward, the Sect Leader’s brow furrowed in displeasure.
“Even if you hail from the Namgung Clan, is barging in like this not too rude?”
“It’s a Monster Wave!”
“What did you just say?”
“Dammit! I said it’s a Monster Wave! Every second counts!”
Hearing Hwan Bae-ho’s frantic shout, the Sect Leader rubbed his temples.
“Ugh, I had heard the number of demonic beasts in the region was increasing lately… Is there support coming from the Namgung Clan?”
“There is only one person here right now.”
“One person…?”
“The Young Master of the clan.”
“Do you mean Young Master Namgung Myeong?”
“No, not him…! Anyway, this is no time for idle chatter! He is a Super Peak Realm master, so we must combine our strength to stop the horde!”
The Sect Leader closed his eyes in deep thought for a moment, then bit his lip.
“I understand the situation… but I will be securing an escape route for my people. No matter how great a Super Peak Realm master is, he is still but one man. His stamina and Internal Energy have limits; he cannot hold back a massive tide of monsters all on his own.”
“I leave that to your discretion, Sect Leader. Just please spread the word to the other sects as well!”
“I shall do so.”
The Sect Leader vanished on the spot, deploying his Lightness Skill.
Left standing alone in the courtyard, Hwan Bae-ho looked up at the sky with a heavy sigh.
How are we supposed to handle this?
The Changroe Sect Leader wasn't wrong. Although the Young Master had displayed incredible, almost divine power, he was still human.
No matter how vast one's reserves of Internal Energy were, being human meant having hard limits. Against a relentless horde of thousands of demonic beasts, his energy would eventually run dry.
He absolutely could not allow Lady Namgung Su-ah’s intended husband to perish in a place like this.
If necessary, they would have to retreat immediately and wait for official reinforcements. But would the Young Master actually retreat just because he asked him to?
Hwan Bae-ho’s worries only deepened as he stared at the horizon.