Chapter 187
Chapter 187
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Inferno Battlefield (4)
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Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
Baek Ri-seol's figure darted between the four swords tossed into the air, resembling a dancer in mid-performance.
"You ignorant wench!"
As the young girl fearlessly charged in, the enemy from the Crimson Flame Squad whipped his sleeve to stir up a wave of heat and unleashed his fury.
"Fearless brat! I'll melt that pretty face of yours first!"
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwak!
Three enemies thrust out successive palm strikes, flames swirling in a vortex aimed straight at Baek Ri-seol's vital points.
"Baek Ri-seol, student! Watch out!"
Squad Leader Yang of the Nine Hundred Iron Fists swiftly struck down the palm strikes to join the fray, but the power infused in their Yang Gang Qi was no ordinary force.
Boom! Boom-boom-boom!
Not content with merely deflecting the fist energy, upon colliding with the ground, it sent countless stones and embers shooting up to the height of a zhang.
Plip-plop!
"Heh heh. Not quite worth all the bluster, are you?"
Yet astonishingly, Baek Ri-seol's dance showed no signs of breaking.
On the contrary, she spun on her tiptoes like a dancer, gliding across the ground to pierce through the dust cloud and unfold her sword dance.
Intimidated by her momentum, even the flames trembled in fear, scattering helplessly from the path of her sword's graceful arc.
Who was it that said it?
- The legend of the Southern Sea.
The shadow of the Sword Empress.
The prodigious talent coveted by the Crimson Flame Witch had already blossomed fully upon encountering Chu Un-hwi.
- Flame Flower Divine Maiden Jang Ok-bin.
To such a genius, the dance of the phoenix—once hailed as legend—had finally been passed down, manifesting anew in the present world.
"Ho ho ho hot!"
From beneath the freely fluttering wide sleeves exploded pure sword energy in an instant, utterly bizarre and unfathomable, leaving ordinary Crimson Flame Squad members utterly helpless.
"Y-You little brat!"
After standing beneath the heavens of the netherworld, they had found no equals with their profound inner arts and heterodox true qi as weapons.
Yet even they could not handle this bizarre swordsmanship of the young swordswoman.
"We'll settle this with raw power."
Abandoning the clash of techniques, they fully unleashed their inner energy.
They figured that no matter how genius she was, the accumulated power of years would have its limits.
"Such lovely flames. But flames merely serve as accompaniment to the phoenix's dance."
Swaeek! Wheeeeek!
As the heat dissipated along the fluttering sleeve hems and even the flames scattered, the faces of the Crimson Flame Squad members turned ashen.
"She's no mere child student."
"Treat her like a master of the jianghu and fight accordingly."
"Form the sword formation and kill her with full force!"
The mighty Crimson Flame Squad of the world drew forth even the sword formation crafted to slay peerless masters, all to deal with a single young girl.
It was truly humiliating, but they had their justifications as Crimson Flame Squad members.
'We must seal off that elusive movement!'
But they didn't know.
The moment they clustered to form the formation, this young girl had been waiting for just that, leaping straight into their midst.
"Ho hot! I've been waiting for this!"
Baek Ri-seol plunged into the center of the formation in an instant, whipping her arms and twisting her body.
"Die, all of you!"
Phoenix Inferno Heavenly Dance
First Form: Phoenix Soaring to Heaven
Dozens of sword winds unleashed by the sword dancer alongside her four swords swirled in a spiral, sweeping away the Crimson Flame Squad members.
"Here we go again."
Hearing the jangling of the instructor's token, Jegal Tan shook his head.
"What, are we just gonna sit here?"
Un Ho-seung snorted like he was ready to charge out any second, grumbling.
"It's fine. Our goal is to find survivors."
As he glanced back at the followers, it was time to press forward swiftly.
Ahead, murderous intent swirled, and thud-thud, enemies landed on the ground.
Roar!
The closer they advanced, the more the leftover footprints smoldered with flames.
Truly formidable Yang Fire True Qi.
"...This might actually be fun."
Un Ho-seung bumped his fists together as Im So-jeong and the twins stepped up beside him.
"We'll signal with hidden weapons."
Im So-jeong took a step back, slipping her hand into her sleeve.
Seo Ok-rang and Il-pyo also drew their swords with trembling hands.
These were foes overwhelmingly stronger than the instructors.
Especially since they'd have to unleash life-or-death techniques without warning, tension was inevitable.
Amid it all, only Jegal Tan remained calmly composed.
"No need to tense up."
Swish.
Flutter!
The moment tiny fireflies sparked from the sword blade.
Swoosh.
The enemies watching them tilted their heads, visibly lowering their guards.
"...A formation?"
"You know your stuff."
To Im So-jeong's murmur, Jegal Tan flashed a cynical smile and swiftly signaled with hand signs.
"The tracks vanished."
"Where'd they go?"
Pointing at the enemies chattering just a zhang away, Jegal Tan intoned lowly.
"Remember your positions? On my signal, Un Ho-seung goes left, Im So-jeong right, and the rest cover the rear."
As they recalled their spots and tensed their toes,
Im So-jeong suddenly blinked away the sleepiness from her eyes and tilted her head.
"Then where does Young Master Jegal...?"
"Oh, didn't I mention?"
Flutter!
Shaaa!
As he shook his sleeve, the formation peeled away like a shed skin.
Swoosh!
Slash! Slash!
Jegal Tan streaked through the enemies in an instant, sheathing his sword with precision.
"Straight ahead."
Pfsh!
Hotter than flames, a bloody mist erupted beside the icy Jegal Tan.
"Unbelievable."
The Crimson Flame Squad leader who had joined the ambush squad clicked his tongue at the sight of his motionless subordinates collapsed in pools of blood.
"The valiant eight thousand apostles' shock troops felled by mere fledglings."
Lifting his fury-filled gaze forward.
There sat the reckless culprit of this massacre on a small rock, grinning cheekily.
"What? Happy to see your friends?"
"Mad bastard."
He acknowledged the considerable strength.
Killing every Crimson Flame Squad member with a single stroke was no small feat.
"But you've grown arrogant beyond your station, pup."
"Arrogance gets you killed."
"I'll give you credit for guts. However."
Shring.
Drawing his massive saber and aiming it, the enemy declared grimly.
"I'll flay you piece by piece and burn you to cinders."
"Eek—scary much?"
Shiver shiver.
Exaggerating his trembling shoulders, the squad leader growled, suppressing his rage.
'Mad bastard.'
Wuuuung.
The moment killing intent exploded, the blade glowed crimson-white.
The ultimate Yang Fire True Qi unfolded.
Simultaneously raising his left hand to press the blade tip, he crouched low.
'A technique personally taught by the Apostle. Overkill for a fledgling.'
Drip. Drip.
Pulling the melting-hot saber to its limit, he bent his body like a drawn bow.
One step forward and a single slash would end it.
"Hoo."
But his opponent's reaction to the stance was far from ordinary.
"Extreme Yang Sun Slash. Not bad at all."
"!"
The exclusive art of the Sun Demon Lord, who once terrorized the world.
'How does he know this technique?'
An art forgotten by the world for over a century.
"Looks like you learned it properly. Past the third star, I'd say."
Not only recognizing the stance but gauging the proficiency?
'Dangerous!'
As alarms blared in his mind and he instinctively poured all his energy into one strike,
"Finally, some guys who know a thing or two. Kept me waiting."
Kiiiiii!
With a chilling wail, crimson-glowing eyes flashed from beneath wild, tangled hair.
The moment they met, his mind wavered amid boiling power—the overwhelming terror.
'Gods... this monster is.'
Was it baiting me?
Hwoooo—.
In his shaken vision, a mountain-like giant rose, casting a shadow, then
Kwach!
The last thing he saw was the world tilting perpendicularly, accompanied by the crunch of his neck bones shattering.
Squad Leader Yang ran up to Moyong Seon-ya after the skirmish ended and reported.
"All taken care of."
"...You worked hard."
Stopping, Moyong Seon-ya surveyed the surroundings.
She stuck out her tongue at the sight of the corpses cooling around them.
"I braced for a tough fight..."
To think it'd be handled this easily.
"...Impressive indeed. I didn't expect Instructor Chu to be that strong."
It wasn't just strength.
'She handled everything like she could read the entire battlefield.'
Without that insight to know exactly where enemies hid, they might have won but at great cost.
"The students were amazing. Not just pulling their weight—they dominated."
"I thought they were just kids, but now I'm excited for what's next."
Listening to Jo Hyeon and Yeo Mae-hong's conversation, Moyong Seon-ya turned her gaze again.
There, the students silently erased traces and kept watch, like seasoned jianghu veterans rather than kids who'd fret over cleanup.
"Let's move on first. Signal flares have gone up around here."
As Moyong Seon-ya hurried her steps at Nangong Il-jun's words,
Swoooosh!
Moyong So-hye darted through the trees like a flying squirrel and hopped down from the air.
"Sis! Found her!"
"Found who?"
"Instructor Sim!"
The news invigorated her weary body and mind after the chain of battles.
"Hoo."
Instructor Sim, pale from exhaustion, gaped at the group.
"You broke through just with you lot?"
"Not entirely on our own."
Honestly, one person's contribution had been overwhelmingly decisive in reaching here safely.
"Instructor Sim, have you seen the senior instructors?"
"I did. We parted ways at Merchant Mo's herb gatherer's spot and moved separately."
"Time's critical. No time to explain—please join us for now."
Though visibly drained, Instructor Sim glanced at the students and nodded firmly.
"Got it. I'll stick with you as long as I can."
Instructor Sim's addition was just the start.
"Waaah! We're saved!"
Straggling students and instructors joined one after another.
They seemed to have endured great hardship from the sudden ambush, but luckily, severe casualties were few.
Thanks to the instructors shielding the students with their lives.
"Seon-ya! What is this place to come back to?!"
Seeing her father fighting desperately with burns and wounds, Moyong Seon-ya finally burst into tears.
Zhang Cheol-sim, who had been protecting students with desperate vigor beside him, weakened upon seeing the familiar face and collapsed.
"Hoo. That shaved ten years off my life."
"Senior Instructor, sorry, but no time to rest."
"I know. Still many unaccounted for?"
No telling when the Netherworld Society demons might return.
"First, back to the rendezvous to regroup. Then reform our forces and move out."
The exhausted students and those on the brink of death rose one by one.
Squeak! Squeeeak!
The blood-clothed man sifting smoke rising from the mountainside tilted his head.
"...Strange."
If the ambush succeeded, reports should have come several times by now.
"No way. Did they fail?"
The force poured here could reduce any minor sect to ashes in a keung.
No way Divine Martial Academy fledglings or their babysitter instructors could handle it.
"Tch. Unfathomable."
Things at the Shadowless Pavilion and Little Lake went against his wishes too.
But that was it.
A minor anomaly, but he never doubted the outcome would follow the Apostle's will.
"With the Apostle stepping in, there's only one result."
The eight thousand Apostles were masters of the new heavens.
The Apostle's schemes could handle such trifles with ease.
"Send three more squads."
Enough to clash with the Nangong Family.
Child's play to fetch the young, foolish offerings.
Snap!
As he snapped his fingers to summon a Crimson Flame Squad member,
'Hm? No one's here?'
No presence of the subordinates who should always stand ready.
'Looks like I'll have to beg the Apostle for re-education upon return.'
As he scowled and raised his voice irritably,
"Yaaah. Nice view."
Startled by the voice behind him, he whipped around.