Chapter 178
Chapter 178
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: The Fire Demon Blowing Through So-ho (1)
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“What in the world happened?!”
Nangong Chan, who had rushed back, was met with the sight of Nangong Mu-san trembling in shock.
Yet, maintaining his dignity as family head, he suppressed his killing intent and answered step by step.
“The Cheoncheon White Sword Unit, dispatched nearby, was attacked.”
“The Cheoncheon White Sword Unit?”
“Yes. It was the scouting party sent out to probe for demonic cults.”
It was rare for the Nangong Family's carefully nurtured Cheoncheon White Sword Unit to be attacked.
Especially since they always flew the Nangong Family's recognizable Cheoncheon banner high during missions.
Unless it was a deliberate attack on the Nangong Family, such an ambush was impossible.
“Who were the culprits?”
“That's... we don't know.”
“There must have been survivors.”
“You'll have to see for yourself.”
Nangong Mu-san turned, pointing to the white cloth draped over something inside the room.
Flutter.
When the cloth was pulled back, astonishingly, charred black corpses lay beneath.
“No one left to answer about the enemy.”
Wretch.
Unable to hold back his rage, Nangong Mu-san spat it out.
“But we'll find them soon enough. Those who dared attack our family.”
A thick killing intent seeped from Nangong Mu-san's voice.
“We must avenge the Cheoncheon Unit.”
Ding ding ding ding!
The chaotic atmosphere flipped once more.
“What the hell is going on?”
“No way... the demonic cults are back?”
“Even demons wouldn't dare attack the Cheoncheon White Sword Unit.”
“True. They timed it perfectly when the Nangong Family Head and Sword Saint left the academy.”
Just like the gossips of the martial world, unrest spread among the students.
With the Nangong Family's great elder and head present, the Cheoncheon White Sword Unit had been attacked.
This was tantamount to declaring war.
“Maybe this Divine Martial Academy outing has demonic involvement?”
“The previous outings weren't like this, right?”
“Not at all. They were easy. Just handling simple requests.”
“If we hadn't been held back, we wouldn't be caught in this disaster.”
Amid endless ominous rumors, the instructors struggled to calm the tense students.
The time of great chaos had arrived.
Thud.
Jang Cheol-sim set a heavy document on the table and spoke.
“The situation isn't good at all.”
After that opener, he nodded toward the Silver Hall instructors, who quickly distributed the official notice.
“Senior Instructor. What's this?”
To Moyong Seon-ya's question, Jang Cheol-sim replied curtly.
“Exactly what it looks like.”
“My god.”
Whoosh. Gasps erupted from the instructors reading the notice.
“Hah. Is a real war breaking out?”
“This isn't just some sect skirmish.”
“What mad bastards... Don't tell me the Iron Chain Alliance moved.”
In the midst of the clamor, Jang Cheol-sim clapped to draw attention and spoke.
“As you've read, the Nangong Family has been attacked multiple times. Not coincidence.”
At his words, a Silver Hall instructor raised her hand.
“Senior Instructor. The enemy hasn't been identified yet?”
Not just anyone—the Sword Saint himself had mobilized for the investigation.
Yet the mighty Nangong Family couldn't identify the foe? It was hard to believe.
“As it says there.”
“Mysterious experts wielding alien internal energy.”
“That's our guess too. The ones who arrived at the dispatched village found burned corpses.”
The notice stated briefly:
- Seven dead. Total annihilation.
The annihilation of one Cheoncheon White Sword Unit squad was shocking enough, but their condition was another issue.
“They hung the burned bodies at the village entrance like a display. And that's not all.”
Jang Cheol-sim, scanning the notice, focused on one part.
“They didn't bother hiding their tracks.”
'Which means...'
The conclusion no one wanted to hear slipped out.
“They're not avoiding war with the Nangong Family.”
A real war.
One that might engulf the entire martial world.
At the ominous intuition, everyone's gazes wavered.
“Instructor. What happens to us?”
Moyong So-hye muttered anxiously.
It had been nearly twenty days since their reunion, but the sudden news left no time to catch up.
Even Baek Ri-seol, who had been beaming, now took the matter gravely, her expression dark.
“Attacking the Nangong Family... they must be bold indeed.”
Baek Ri-seol, gradually growing into the Baek Family's Forbidden Jade Leaf, knew well.
How vast the influence of the Ten Great Sects was in the martial world.
And how absurd it was to attack the Nangong Family.
“On the way here, I heard some of us might get drafted. Is it true? I have a bad feeling.”
Baek Ri-seol bit her nail.
Despite her tough personality, she was sensitive to bloody winds and sensed the poor atmosphere.
“No way. Even to young students like us?”
“Maybe?”
Her strange intuition left Baek Ri-seol unable to hide her restlessness.
“Our bloodied fist was right.”
Then Chu Un-hwi interjected.
“Who's the bloodied fist?”
“You.”
Stroking Moyong So-hye's head as she bounced in frustration, Chu Un-hwi clicked his tongue.
“Not a fight for kids. This is going to get ugly.”
Another reacted to the talk.
“...My grandfather.”
“You okay?”
“Not feeling great.”
Good-natured Nangong Yun-ho seemed troubled that his grandfather and father were fighting the Nangong Family's battle while he had refused.
“It's fine. These things happen in life.”
Getting sentimental only tires you out.
“True, but...”
“He'll be fine. Not just anyone—the Sword Saint. And your father too.”
“......”
As Jegal Tan comforted the persistently gloomy Nangong Yun-ho, someone rushed into the training ground.
“Sis!”
It was Moyong Seon-ya.
Offering a weary smile to the bounding Moyong So-hye, she raised her hand crisply.
“Instructor Chu. You're summoned.”
“I'm still under confinement, though?”
He tried to wriggle out, but Moyong Seon-ya's follow-up froze him.
“Emergency mobilization order for all instructors.”
The front courtyard of Myo Jin Gate was filled with instructors, all wearing grave expressions.
Especially eye-catching was Nangong Mu-san.
His eyes, once brimming with family head authority, were deeply sunken.
“...Let's begin.”
At his word, Jang Cheol-sim, standing at attention to the side, stepped forward.
“This is an emergency.”
Murmur murmur.
The warning from the start left instructors flustered.
Some wanted to ask questions but glanced at the Nangong Family Head and Cheoncheon White Sword Unit survivors, waiting.
“We've identified the enemy. As suspected, experts wielding alien internal energy.”
Especially. A group cultivating the Flame Yang Art.
Murmur. Murmur. Murmur.
Murmur. Murmur. Murmur.
Mention of alien internal energy filled their eyes with more panic.
'No wonder. Not one or two, but multiple experts.'
Arts infusing attributes into internal energy weren't called divine skills for nothing.
But the next words stunned them all.
Swish.
Unfurling a missive from the Beggars' Sect, he continued.
“According to the Beggars' Sect, they're a cult worshiping human sacrifice. They clashed with a Beggars' Sect elder recently.”
Which Elder Wang Wu here can confirm.
Nod.
Everyone plunged into shock at Wang Wu's affirmation, sword hugged to his chest.
Though they taught at Divine Martial Academy, everyone had heard of the Beggars' Sect elder's ambush.
“We've named them the 'Heaven-Collapsing Society'—Mangcheon Society.”
Watching, Chu Un-hwi caught Wang Wu's gaze.
'The Mangcheon Society's existence is finally coming to light?'
Faster than his previous life.
'Butterfly effect is huge.'
Jang Cheol-sim continued.
“The problem is, this Mangcheon Society doesn't operate normally.”
A Silver Hall instructor raised her hand.
“Senior Instructor. What do you mean by not normal?”
“Exactly that.”
Jang Cheol-sim replied wearily, as if thinking about it tired him.
“They're massacring everyone they encounter.”
The Nangong Family was just the start.
Indiscriminate slaughter of martial artists and civilians alike.
The real shocker followed.
“Worst of all...”
Sighing deeply in disbelief, Jang Cheol-sim added.
“These mad zealots plan to turn So-ho into a sea of fire.”
Using Flame Yang Earth Technique to ignite massive flames everywhere.
“They're burning all of So-ho?!”
“We've confirmed massive flames heading this way.”
That's why we called you.
“Full evacuation order for So-ho.”
Beyond emergency, a nightmare unfolded.
“Uwaaak! What's this?!”
Moyong So-hye tore at her hair, screaming.
“What else? Time to run.”
Chu Un-hwi replied nonchalantly, while Baek Ri-seol tilted her head.
“Instructor. What about the garrison? Why do we have to flee?”
“Garrison's great. But mustering a large force takes time.”
“Really?”
“Mobilizing troops involves many considerations.”
Just gathering soldiers, food, and weapons would take ages.
“Plus, summer's ending. Many troops dispersed home for harvest.”
As a city of pleasure, standing troops were few to begin with.
“Still, they can gather! With these high walls, we can hold!”
Moyong So-hye resisted reality, but Jegal Tan coldly dashed hopes.
“That won't work.”
“Why?”
“Their martial arts.”
“Martial arts? Flame Yang Earth Technique... Ah!”
From the small clue, Moyong So-hye grasped it.
'Smart as always.'
Chu Un-hwi agreed with Jegal Tan.
“The terror of alien attribute arts.”
With fire, turning a city to a sea of flames is trivial.
“Not one or two, but hundreds, maybe thousands of Flame Yang Earth Technique experts?”
Impossible to stop.
But even clever Jegal Tan missed one point.
“Instructor. Burning So-ho means facing the government and martial world's wrath. Why go so extreme?”
“Simple.”
They have confidence in victory.
'And enough power to cover up something this big.'
Instead of the hard-to-believe reason, he added casually.
“They're the type to go all-in without backup, that's all.”
The once-idle front of Myo Jin Gate brimmed with burdened instructors and students.
“Respond when your name is called!”
With the White Cat Procession and Nangong Family visit, about two hundred students had gathered at Myo Jin Gate.
Instructors were few by comparison.
Especially those carted off after the recent incident crutched along with world-ending faces.
Eo Jeong-geun's dazed gaping in the corner was quite the sight.
'Heh. You're done.'
After his tyranny and the beatdown.
Now useless baggage in a major crisis?
'Life's about to twist hard.'
Satisfied, suppressing a grin, Squad Leader Yang pushed through.
“Instructor Chu.”
“What's up?”
“One, two, three, four. Matches.”
Scratching his head with his brush, he said.
“Sorry, but take some students.”
“Huh? Me?”
“You sidelined so many, we're short-handed.”
“......”
Schadenfreude canceled.
As his soaring mood plummeted, Squad Leader Yang added.
“Don't worry. Not sending mismatches.”
“Hey! Acting Instructor!”
Finally found!
Seeing the exhausted one unbowed in the chaos, Chu Un-hwi smacked his forehead. Thwack.