Chapter 93
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Annihilation of the Eighteen Battle Ghosts
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Jeon Gwi, who had been looking up at Seol Hwa-un, muttered unwittingly.
“Impossible.”
Kwaaaaaang!!
A massive roar shook the heavens and earth as the Eighteen Battle Ghosts scattered in all directions.
“Argh!”
“Gah!”
Kugugugugu!
White dust billowed thickly into the air. Yang Mu-seung, who had fallen back to watch, couldn’t close his mouth.
“S-such martial arts…!”
The bandits who witnessed the scene stood frozen in a daze.
Whiiiii~!
A gust of wind blew, scattering the dust. The revealed sight was shocking.
“……!”
A massive crater over five zhang in diameter had formed. At its center stood Seol Hwa-un, who had already descended to the ground.
His face was pale, as if he had consumed a great deal of internal energy, but he otherwise seemed fine.
In stark contrast, the Eighteen Battle Ghosts were in a wretched state. Five, including Jeon Gwi, lay dead as charred corpses. Seven more had lost limbs.
Only the leader of the Eighteen Battle Ghosts appeared outwardly unscathed.
“Urk.”
Even he, however, had blood continuously trickling from his mouth, suggesting severe internal injuries.
“S-such a fist technique…!”
His knees buckled weakly.
Thud.
The complete annihilation of the Eighteen Battle Ghosts.
The astonishing scene plunged the surroundings into silence.
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un’s cold gaze turned toward Yang Mu-seung.
“Gasp!”
Terror twisted his face as he stumbled backward.
“Aaaah.”
A single fist had all but wiped out the Eighteen Battle Ghosts. Even his father, the Green Forest Tyrant, couldn’t display such divine might.
He wasn’t the only one gripped by fear. The other bandits felt the same. As Seol Hwa-un’s eyes fell upon them, they all hesitated and retreated.
“Ugh!”
“M-monster!”
Their reason paralyzed, they didn’t even wonder why Seol Hwa-un simply stared without moving.
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un’s body was now utterly drained. To unleash Heavenly Thunder Annihilation, he had poured out every ounce of his internal energy and stamina.
Reckless energy circulation had set his qi and blood roiling, deepening his injuries. In short, he couldn’t move even if he wanted to.
That wasn’t all. The wounds he had forcibly suppressed now screamed with excruciating pain.
“…….”
Though he glared at the bandits with an impassive expression, he was far from calm.
‘Calm down. Calm yourself.’
He struggled to stabilize his raging internals, but it was no easy task.
Even the highly stable Ice White Divine Art had its limits in managing the mess wrought by repeated injuries.
The first to notice Seol Hwa-un’s condition was the North Wind Brigade Leader.
While continuously cutting down bandits, he never neglected to check on Seol Hwa-un.
‘He’s in a dangerous state.’
Seol Hwa-un’s divine feat shocked him, but nothing mattered more than Seol Hwa-un’s safety.
‘I need to reach him quickly and protect him!’
Yet he couldn’t show any haste. If the bandits caught on, they’d swarm him immediately.
Gritting his teeth, the North Wind Brigade Leader summoned every last drop of his remaining internal energy.
Paaah!
A vivid blade aura formed along his sword.
‘Cold Ice Sword Method.’
His sword spun in a wide arc.
‘Ice Moon Blue Sea!’
Shuwaaaak!
The blade carved a massive crescent, slicing through ten bandits’ waists in an instant.
Slaaaash!
“……!”
“Huh?”
At first, they didn’t understand what happened. But as their bodies tilted, their eyes bulged wide.
“……!”
The bandits watching in horror as the upper and lower halves separated and collapsed.
“S-such…!”
As the bandits faltered before the North Wind Brigade Leader’s overwhelming swordsmanship, he seized the moment.
“Out of my way!”
Some bandits attacked from behind, targeting the charging man.
“Not a chance!”
“Die!”
But Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won appeared to intercept them.
Clang!
Pahak!
“Haaap!”
Dong Ho-won’s flashy spearwork pierced his opponent’s lower abdomen.
Thud!
“Gah!”
Eom Mu-hwi’s Soul-Hooking Hand tore them apart.
Slash!
“Arrrgh!”
Overwhelmed by the trio’s formidable momentum, the bandits instinctively fell back.
Thanks to them, the North Wind Brigade members broke through the encirclement and reached Seol Hwa-un.
“Young Palace Lord, are you alright?”
At the North Wind Brigade Leader’s question, Seol Hwa-un offered a faint smile.
“You pushed yourselves too hard to get here.”
“No choice.”
The North Wind Brigade Leader was also nearly depleted of internal energy. Breaking the siege had taken the most out of him.
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un looked around at the others.
They were in the same state.
Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won were covered in blood and clearly exhausted, while only fifteen North Wind Brigade members remained.
Most of them were injured as well.
The real trouble started now. Regaining his senses, Yang Mu-seung shouted.
“They’re all worn out! Surround them!”
The bandits cautiously encircled them. Seol Hwa-un’s group could only watch.
“…….”
But though they surrounded them, no one moved to attack.
“What are you doing? Attack!”
“…….”
“Y-you idiots!”
As Yang Mu-seung bellowed again, someone stopped him.
“Black Mountain Stronghold Leader, we’ll step in.”
Turning, he saw Deung Jo of the Heavenly Net Six Paths standing there.
He had retreated after taking a hit from Seol Hwa-un’s thunderous blast but now advanced once more.
“A-are you sure you’re okay?”
“The urgent flames are doused. Much better than them.”
Of course, he hadn’t fully healed in that short time. He had simply stepped forward once he could move somewhat.
Deung Jo glanced at the fallen Eighteen Battle Ghosts amid the chaos.
‘We could’ve ended up like that.’
Individually, they were superior, but the full Eighteen Battle Ghosts were another story.
‘To reduce even them to that… What a monster.’
But now it was truly over.
‘You can’t fool my eyes. The North Heavenly Dragon has reached his limit.’
The others, like the North Wind Brigade Leader, were the same. None had the strength left to properly withstand the Heavenly Net Six Paths’ assault.
“…….”
The Heavenly Net Six Paths advanced on Seol Hwa-un’s group, radiating intense killing intent.
At that moment.
Shushushushuuk!
Over a dozen arrows suddenly flew toward the Heavenly Net Six Paths.
“……?!”
True to their skill, they swiftly retreated and deflected the arrows.
Clangclangclangclang!
“Who is it? Who dares shoot arrows without orders….”
Yang Mu-seung scowled at the bandits, but none showed signs of having fired.
‘Come to think of it, haven’t we used up all the arrows we brought?’
“Hey, Black Mountain Stronghold Leader!”
“……?!”
“Don’t yell at your innocent subordinates. We’re the ones who shot the arrows.”
“……!!”
Only then did Yang Mu-seung spot the large junk ship appearing on the riverbank.
“When did that get here?!”
His face hardened upon recognizing the ship’s flag.
“That’s… the Lower Yangtze Water Stronghold?!”
It was understandable why he was flustered. This was the Yellow River, not the Yangtze.
True, the Yangtze River Waterway Strongholds had outposts on the Yellow River too, but their appearance right now was completely unexpected.
At the bow stood a broad-shouldered man. Seol Hwa-un spotted him and looked surprised.
“Mae Stronghold Leader?!”
It was Mae Jong-pyo, the Lower Yangtze Water Stronghold Leader he had encountered while heading to the Huangbo family via the Yangtze.
“Hahaha! We hurried, but it seems we’re not too late.”
He kicked off the bow and leaped forward, followed by over twenty water bandits who launched themselves after him.
Whirrrlic!
Their movements were extraordinarily nimble. They soon landed before Seol Hwa-un’s group.
Mae Jong-pyo laughed as he spoke.
“Hahaha! Long time no see, North Heavenly Dragon.”
Seol Hwa-un couldn’t hide his surprise.
“I never expected to see you here, Mae Stronghold Leader.”
“Hmm? Not pleased to see me?”
“That depends on why you’ve shown up here.”
“How rude. We moved fast when we heard those bandit scum were on the move.”
“…….”
Mae Jong-pyo glanced at the group and continued.
“You look to be in a bind. How about accepting our help?”
The water bandits with him also exuded extraordinary auras.
“So you came all this way to help us?”
“That’s right. It wasn’t easy, either.”
Having caught wind of the Green Forest Eighteen Bandits’ movements, Mae Jong-pyo had gone straight to the supreme leader, the Yangtze Dragon King, and proposed aiding Seol Hwa-un’s group.
The Yangtze Dragon King not only approved but even wanted to come himself.
“Hahaha, it took some convincing to stop the Supreme Stronghold Leader from coming personally.”
“…….”
“What do you say? Will you accept our help?”
Seol Hwa-un gave a wry smile.
“I can only say thank you.”
“Hahaha.”
Turning, Mae Jong-pyo eyed the Heavenly Net Six Paths and issued a command.
“Clear them out.”
“Yes, Stronghold Leader!”
Six of the accompanying water bandits stepped forward.
“You river rats dare?!”
The Heavenly Net Six Paths charged in fury. Coincidentally, they were all swordsmen.
Clangclangclang!
A fierce clash unfolded. Surprisingly, the water bandits held their own against the Heavenly Net Six Paths.
Deung Jo’s face twisted.
‘Damn it! If only I hadn’t taken that injury!’
Yang Mu-seung, watching, paled rigidly.
‘What the hell are those guys? Why are they so strong?’
Even more water bandits in similar attire—over ten—remained. If they joined, the Heavenly Net Six Paths could be in danger.
“Heavenly Net Six Paths, fall back!”
At Yang Mu-seung’s shout, the Heavenly Net Six Paths reluctantly withdrew. They had orders from the Green Forest Tyrant to obey him.
‘I can’t let Father’s prized limbs die here.’
As the Heavenly Net Six Paths retreated, the water bandits didn’t pursue.
Yang Mu-seung yelled.
“Lower Yangtze Stronghold Leader! You dare aid our enemies?”
Mae Jong-pyo turned and stared him down.
“Of course. Try stopping us if you can.”
He raised his hand, and hundreds of archers on the junk ship nocked arrows toward them.
“We’re fully prepared.”
“……!”
The water bandits on the ship numbered over three hundred at a glance.
Mae Jong-pyo and his apparent elite warriors looked formidable too.
Numerically, the bandits had the edge, but they were already exhausted.
Moreover, they were outmatched in elite fighters. No one could handle Mae Jong-pyo.
‘Frustrating, but he’s beyond me.’
As Yang Mu-seung fell silent, Mae Jong-pyo smirked.
“If you’re not up for a fight, we’ll be off.”
Under the water bandits’ protection, Seol Hwa-un’s group boarded the junk ship.
‘Damn Yangtze River Waterway Stronghold bastards!’
From Yang Mu-seung’s perspective, it was infuriating, but he was powerless.
In the end, they could only watch blankly as they departed.