Chapter 90
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Relentless Horde
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Indeed, Seol Hwa-un's fists were terrifying.
KWA-KWA-KWANG!!
“Kraaak!”
“Kek!”
With a single blow, three or four men were sent flying. A gruesome scene unfolded, bodies bursting and limbs torn off.
“…….”
But Seol Hwa-un unleashed another fist strike with an expressionless face.
KWA-KWANG!
“Kraak!”
Its power was so immense and its momentum so overwhelming that even the Heavenly Chaos Cultists, their senses half-numbed by the Chaos Demon Pill, felt fear.
“Ugh!”
Even as he swung his fists, he didn't forget to scan his surroundings. Spotting a North Wind Brigade member in peril, he immediately unleashed a burst of fist energy without hesitation.
Shuuu!
KWAANG!
A Heavenly Chaos Cultist's head exploded, and he collapsed.
“Ah! Thank you, Little Palace Lord!”
“Save the thanks—focus!”
“Yes!”
The North Wind Brigade Leader's exploits were equally impressive.
Shuk!
Slash, slash!
“Gek!”
“Kuhk!”
A single swing of his blade bisected two Heavenly Chaos Cultists.
“Hahp!”
A blade of pure white crescent energy erupted from his sword.
Slaaash!
Five Heavenly Chaos Cultists were sliced apart by the blade energy.
The ones struggling were Eom Mu-hwi, Dong Ho-won, and the North Wind Brigade members.
Unlike Seol Hwa-un or the Brigade Leader, the Soul-Muddling Incense's effects lingered more heavily in their systems, making it hard to bring out their full strength.
They could barely hold on through the coordinated teamwork honed over long years together.
Even so, Seol Hwa-un and the Brigade Leader's overwhelming might felled over a hundred Heavenly Chaos Cultists in an instant.
Seol Hwa-un's expression hardened.
“……No end to them.”
Despite all they'd cut down, the number of Heavenly Chaos Cultists encircling them showed no sign of thinning.
They kept emerging from somewhere, swarming in relentlessly. Seol Hwa-un's group shared the same doubt.
‘Just how many of them are there?’
The Heavenly Chaos Cult had very few experts, ranking at the bottom of the Eight Great Evil Sects, but it boasted the largest numbers of any evil faction.
Even combining all the warriors from the other seven sects probably wouldn't match the Heavenly Chaos Cult's headcount.
And this time, over three thousand had been mobilized to attack Seol Hwa-un.
Exterminating them would deplete Seol Hwa-un's group's stamina and inner energy far quicker.
KWA-KWA-KWANG!
“Danger!”
Despite Seol Hwa-un and the Brigade Leader's efforts, it was impossible to protect every North Wind Brigade member from the start.
“Kuuk!”
“Euk!”
In the end, exhausted North Wind Brigade members began collapsing one by one.
‘Damn it! If only we hadn't been hit by that Soul-Muddling Incense!’
Seol Hwa-un made a decision.
“When I give the signal, everyone scatter! Three days—regroup at the designated spot!”
“Understood!”
Seol Hwa-un and the North Wind Brigade Leader locked eyes.
“…….”
Understanding each other perfectly, the two charged in opposite directions.
“Haaap!”
“Hup!”
Countless bursts of fist and blade energy erupted.
KWA-KWA-KWANG!
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!!
“Kraaak!”
“Kek!”
In an instant, two massive gaps tore open in the encirclement.
“Now!”
The North Wind Brigade members escaped through the openings. The Brigade Leader sent a transmission to Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi.
[Do not leave the Little Palace Lord's side no matter what. Protect him even if it kills you!]
[Yes, Brigade Leader!]
He wanted to stay by Seol Hwa-un's side to the end, but there was no choice.
For everyone to escape safely, Seol Hwa-un and the Brigade Leader splitting up to clear paths was the best option.
And so, Seol Hwa-un's group scattered to the winds.
* * *
Hohhot, the largest city in Inner Mongolia.
Where waterways and land routes converged, a city had naturally formed and prospered as it did now.
Blue Horse Ferry was one of Hohhot's many ferry ports. There sat a small inn called Windy Sky Inn.
It was in a relatively remote spot and rundown, but the food was good and the rates cheap, so it quietly drew a steady crowd.
In the Windy Sky Inn's dining hall, a portly merchant with a thick face and small eyes chatted with a skinny, horse-faced merchant.
The horse-faced one, Lee Yu, spoke in a hushed tone.
“Jo Man-seong, I hear you made a killing this time.”
The merchant called Jo Man-seong shifted uncomfortably as he replied.
“What're you talking about? Our business is all the same.”
“Don't play coy. Word's already spread through the trade circles.”
“…….”
Lee Yu narrowed his eyes and continued.
“No use stonewalling. I can tell just from that grin you can't hide.”
Jo Man-seong broke into a sly smile.
“That obvious, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Heh heh heh, embarrassing.”
Lee Yu muttered in complaint.
“Who'd have thought the relay station business could turn a profit.”
The relay station trade involved setting up stations at key points to rent horses for a fee—extremely useful for crossing the vast steppes.
But with such low population density, customers were few, and profits meager.
Managing horses and staff cost a fortune, leading to losses more often than not.
“Got lucky. Who expected that sudden flood of customers?”
“Tch, lucky you.”
“It's just covering old losses, nothing more.”
“But where the heck were those folks headed?”
Jo Man-seong thought of the Heavenly Chaos Cultists and tilted his head.
“No idea. All dressed alike, though…… Hey, as long as I get paid.”
“Must be nice. You'll rake it in again when they head south soon.”
“Hahaha, you bet I'm counting on it.”
Suddenly, Lee Yu glanced out the inn window.
“……Great view, alright. Ferry port right there.”
Jo Man-seong nodded in agreement.
“One of this dump's few perks.”
As Lee Yu admired the gently flowing Yellow River, his eyes widened.
“……Huh?”
He shot to his feet without thinking.
“Huh? What's up?”
“…….”
Bewildered, Jo Man-seong casually looked in the same direction.
“Heok……!”
They bolted outside. Not just them—other inn patrons did too.
And they confronted something enormous.
“W-what the hell?!”
“Why here of all places……!”
Thus, those around Blue Horse Ferry witnessed a rare sight.
* * *
The Heavenly Chaos Cultists were tenacious. They knew no surrender.
With the entire area a vast open steppe, Seol Hwa-un's group's movements were easily tracked.
As if anticipating this, they had spread out widely.
Of course, they were no match for Seol Hwa-un's group, but any delay allowed nearby cultists to swarm back in.
Finally breaking through, Seol Hwa-un arrived at the rendezvous point: Baotou, north of Dongsheng.
Baotou was a riverside village along the Yellow River, naturally featuring a ferry port.
Seol Hwa-un's plan was to cross north by boat from there.
But the sight awaiting Seol Hwa-un and his two companions was utterly unexpected.
Dong Ho-won let out a cry.
“No way!”
Roooar!
The entire village was ablaze. Countless civilian corpses littered the area.
Even the usually calm and composed Eom Mu-hwi twisted his face in rage.
“How could they commit such atrocities……!”
From the traces, the culprits hadn't left long ago.
Seol Hwa-un spoke urgently.
“Don't just stand there—put out the fires and search for survivors!”
“Yes, Little Palace Lord!”
At his command, the two sprang into action. Seol Hwa-un scouted the surroundings too, but found no survivors.
It seemed they'd attacked the ferry village indiscriminately to pin Seol Hwa-un's group in place.
The silver lining: no North Wind Brigade corpses in sight. Seol Hwa-un had likely arrived first.
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un's face hardened like stone. He held his tongue, but Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won could tell he was seething.
‘These bastards……!’
For a martial artist to harm civilians was Seol Hwa-un's ultimate taboo.
‘You’ve crossed the line. I’ll make you pay dearly.’
After circling the village, Seol Hwa-un checked the ferry port last.
“Hmm.”
As expected, the port was burning, and all docked boats engulfed in flames.
“Thorough blockade.”
Dong Ho-won muttered to himself.
“The work of the Eight Great Evil Sects too?”
Eom Mu-hwi nodded gravely.
“Likely. Probably the same at other nearby ports.”
He turned to Seol Hwa-un.
“What now, Little Palace Lord?”
Regaining his composure, Seol Hwa-un replied.
“……The rendezvous is tomorrow, so we wait for the North Wind Brigade.”
“Yes.”
They set to work again, extinguishing embers and gathering the villagers' bodies for cremation.
Afterward, they hunkered down in the least-damaged building for rest.
They had to recover fully—who knew when more Heavenly Chaos Cultists might swarm.
As dusk fell, sensing an approach, Seol Hwa-un stepped outside.
“Little Palace Lord!”
It was the North Wind Brigade Leader. He'd clearly suffered too—his appearance was a mess. No major injuries, though.
“Brigade Leader!”
Only two days had passed, but it was a heartfelt reunion. The journey had been that grueling.
“You're safe!”
“You too, Leader. Well fought.”
Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won emerged to greet him.
“Leader!”
“Glad you're safe.”
“Yeah, you two must've had it rough guarding the Little Palace Lord.”
Starting with the Brigade Leader, North Wind Brigade members trickled in one by one.
Tending their various wounds and catching a brief rest took them through the night till dawn.
The last to arrive came in the morning. They waited till noon, but no more came.
Seol Hwa-un asked heavily.
“Brigade Leader, how many in total?”
“Seventeen returned so far.”
Four had died guarding the inn, four confirmed dead in the chaos with the Heavenly Chaos Cult.
That left five North Wind Brigade members unaccounted for since scattering.
The Brigade Leader said.
“Little Palace Lord, we can't wait longer. Time to move.”
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un remained silent, face stern. Who could miss his anguish?
No—perhaps the Brigade Leader, as leader, yearned more desperately for his comrades' survival.
But priorities were clear. Nothing outweighed the Little Palace Lord's safety.
“Little Palace Lord.”
“One hour. No, just half—let's wait a bit more.”
“……Understood.”
Half an hour passed. But instead of North Wind Brigade members, Seol Hwa-un's group met others.
Over six hundred strong.
“That attire……!”
The color differed slightly, but it was familiar: the garb of the Green Forest Eighteen Bandits.