Chapter 210
Chapter 210
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 210
Chapter Title: Demon Subjugation War (3)
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“Yaaawn…”
It was an utterly exhausting afternoon.
Waking from my sleep, I lifted my head and looked around.
“…”
Except for a few standing guard, everyone was fast asleep.
That included Yuk Hak and the other officers.
‘Well, it’s no wonder they’re tired after running around like that.’
Twenty days since the war began, we had swept from Wudu County in the southernmost part of Gansu to Lanzhou, the provincial capital in the central region.
A march of over a thousand li.
Dozens of battles.
Naturally, fatigue had reached its peak, and everyone in the War King Sect, myself included, had retreated to an unnamed mountain to rest.
The effect was excellent.
Even though it was only for a single day, getting enough sleep and eating a warm meal had significantly improved the sect members’ complexions.
“By the way, I wonder if they’re doing okay…”
I suddenly found myself worrying about the Nine Dragons Fortress’s main army.
In this era, where proper dirt roads were a luxury, let alone rest stops, the roads were vastly different from those of the modern world.
Marching five thousand li was a mad endeavor, even for martial artists.
For a moment, I worried about the main force, with whom I had once shared a common destiny, then shook my head.
“Well, they’ll manage on their own.”
Worrying about it here wouldn’t change a thing.
It was better to take care of my own boys right in front of me.
“Is it porridge again today?”
“Sect…!”
The sect members, who had been eating, were startled and tried to stand up.
“What’s with the salute while you’re eating? I just came to see what you were having, so don’t mind me.”
“Yes, sir!”
‘Hmm, their meals are pretty meager.’
Porridge made with grain from our rations and rice.
Considering the special circumstances of being at war, this was a luxurious meal, but I couldn’t help craving some sizzling grilled meat.
‘Should I step out for a bit…’
As I headed out, thinking of hunting for the first time in a while, Woo Je-jun followed me.
“Where are you going?”
“Just to look around and maybe do some hunting.”
“…I shall accompany you.”
“There are no enemies nearby.”
“I’m hungry too, you see.”
Though it was obvious he intended to act as my guard, Woo Je-jun smoothly changed the subject.
*Heh.*
I couldn’t help but laugh, wondering if this was the same rigid Woo Je-jun I knew.
“Then come along if you want.”
“Thank you.”
“Since we’re hunting anyway, how about a bet?”
“What kind of bet, sir?”
“Hmm, the loser buys the winner a drink?”
“Sounds good.”
Woo Je-jun’s eyes flashed as he raised his spear.
After two hours focused on the hunt, he panted and admitted defeat.
“*Gasp, gasp*, I… I lost.”
It was only natural.
I had the Seventh Sense Map, a high-precision radar system, and the Battle Lord Arrow, a high-speed guided strike system.
*Thud.*
“…It’s incredible no matter how many times I see it. It truly is a divine weapon.”
Woo Je-jun couldn’t hide his admiration as he watched the Battle Lord Arrow flying through the air.
With a range of just over forty meters, a speed like lightning, and perfect accuracy, no prey could hope to survive.
“This should be enough for three or four pieces per person, right?”
I said, looking down at the pile of animal carcasses.
Once the bones and organs were removed, it wouldn’t be enough for six hundred servings, but everyone would at least get a taste.
“It may not be a feast, but it should be enough for a taste.”
“Then let’s call the others.”
“Understood.”
A short while later.
The smell of grilling meat filled the camp.
Those who found wide, flat stones cut the meat and grilled it, while those who couldn’t simply built fires and roasted it directly over the flames.
I also brought out the liquor we had acquired in Lanzhou, so it was no wonder the sect members were drooling.
To endure a prolonged war, it was necessary to relieve tension like this.
*Gulp.*
Yuk Hak and the other elders of the Iron-Blooded Nine also salivated as they stared at the stone slab.
*Sizzle.*
The meat cooked, releasing a savory aroma.
“Let’s see.”
*Chew.*
It was a bit gamey, but it was edible.
As I nodded, the elders reached for the meat like lightning.
*Chomp, chomp.*
It had been a long time since they’d had meat, so everyone began to devour it frantically.
“…”
But that was short-lived.
Having instantly polished off the meat, they poured liquor into their respective cups.
“Have a drink.”
Yuk Hak offered me the bottle.
“Thanks.”
In public, he was formal with me, but in private, he often spoke casually.
I raised my cup and met everyone’s eyes.
“Ahem, I’m sorry for putting you through all this hardship. And I’m even sorrier that I don’t know how much more you’ll have to endure.”
“…What kind of nonsense is that? We would’ve had to run all the way to the Tian Shan Mountains even if we’d stayed in the Outer Hall.”
“That’s right. Squad Leader—no, Sect Leader. This is our duty, so please don’t worry about it.”
“It’s… al… right…”
Yang Gang, Ha Jin-hyeong, and Lee Dang-pal shook their heads, and Jong Geuk-rin replied with a small smile.
“Don’t worry about us. We live on a knife’s edge anyway. In fact, meeting you, big brother, has given me a dream, so I’m happy.”
“…A dream?”
He coughed, looking embarrassed.
“Ahem, since I was born a man of the martial world, I want to try becoming a true master. Like you or the Master of Chungju.”
“I’ll help you. No.”
Yuk Hak said with a deep smile.
“How about we form a master-disciple bond?”
“Gasp!”
Jong Geuk-rin and everyone else were utterly astonished.
Yuk Hak, the Iron-Blooded Hegemon, was a master so skilled that it was hard to find his match outside of the Ten Great Masters.
Becoming such a warrior’s disciple was an incredible opportunity.
“You don’t have to answer right away. Take your time and think it over carefully.”
At Yuk Hak’s words, Jong Geuk-rin slowly nodded.
“…Yes.”
“The same goes for the rest of you. Although I can’t take you all as disciples, if you ever need teaching, feel free to come to me. But you’d better be prepared to die.”
It was quite a radical offer, but Man Pung waved his hands and refused.
“Ah, please count me out. My goal is to live a long life, not risk it to become a master. I still need to get married…”
“Hmph, getting distracted by women…”
Seo In-cheong chided Man Pung.
“You’re one to talk, with that courtesan from Wolhwa House…”
*Shing.*
“Do you want to die?”
“Oh? Look at this guy. Daring to draw your sword on your elder brother?”
A smiling Deok San stepped in between the two.
“Namu Amitabha, your subordinates are watching. Brothers, please lower your voices.”
Seeing this, Lee Geum snorted.
“Brother Deok Jin, you should stop with that pathetic monk impersonation. A monk who used to be a bandit… Keuk!”
Deok Jin, having jabbed Lee Geum’s Adam’s apple with his middle finger, laughed awkwardly.
“Hahahaha, it seems my younger brother has misunderstood something. Ha. Ha. Ha.”
The scene was like a play, and I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
I also felt a sense of relief.
It seemed these guys were satisfied with their life in Hanzhong.
Thinking it would be nice if we all settled down together, I made a proposal.
“When we get back, I’ll buy each of you a spacious house. I’ll also give you a very generous monthly salary. Ah, and that goes for you too, Chief Yuk. I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of, so please work here for a long, long time. No, wait, you’ll have a house now. You’ll have more money, so how about getting remarried?”
A high salary, excellent benefits, and a stable home were the ingredients to retain employees.
“Ahem, telling a bachelor who’s never even been married to remarry…”
The completely unexpected remark made everyone burst into laughter.
The night in the heart of the battlefield passed cheerfully.
* * *
The Taklamakan Basin, located in the middle of Xinjiang.
In this hellish land where not a blade of grass or a drop of water could be found, it rained for the first time in a long while.
“Keuk.”
*Splatter!*
A rain of blood.
A powerful saber strike split the chest of a Nine Dragons Fortress warrior, creating a fountain of blood.
“How dare you come here!”
Behind him, the demonic warriors of the Ten Demon Alliance charged forward in a frenzy.
Beyond the Taklamakan Basin lay Aksu.
The entrance to the Ten Demon Alliance’s main headquarters.
“Eternal life to the legion of demons, the Heavenly Demon descends!”
“Eternal life to the legion of demons, the Heavenly Demon descends!”
The members of the Ten Demon Alliance swung their weapons, disregarding their own lives.
However.
“Release the poison!”
“As you command!”
The Green Dragon Hall, their opponents, remained calm.
Slowly and precisely, they released the poison they had brought.
And its power was indescribably potent.
*Boom. Boom.*
“Aaaargh!”
“My, my eyes!”
“My… my body is itching!”
A hazy green mist of poison melted the bodies of the Ten Demon Alliance members.
“Kuhuhu, go ahead and beg the Heavenly Demon you worship as a god to save you.”
*Thwack.*
A Green Dragon Hall member’s poisoned hand shattered the head of a Ten Demon Alliance warrior.
Ten years had passed since the Green Dragon Hand was murdered.
The Green Dragon Hall had ceased all external activities, dreaming only of revenge.
During that time, they had developed and produced enough poison to kill thousands.
And then.
*Shhhhhhh.*
*Puk-puk-puk-puk.*
A storm of hidden weapons, filling the sky, swept through the survivors of the Ten Demon Alliance.
“…Guh… ugh.”
A death met with a body riddled with holes, unable to even scream.
It was the Myriad Flower Rain.
The ultimate martial art of the Tang family, usable only by those who had reached a heavenly state.
However, the one who used it was not the Dark Poison Star King.
It was the Poison Horn, Dang Hyeon.
The uncle of the late Green Dragon Hand, the second son of the Lord of Nine Dragons, Dang Cheong, and the current Hall Master of the Green Dragon Hall.
“The… Ultimate Demon!”
A barely surviving warrior clutched his throat.
Just how much had they sharpened their blades to hide such military strength and the existence of an absolute master?
The fury harbored by the Green Dragon Hall was beyond imagination.
*Spurt!*
A sword shot out from the shadows and instantly lopped off his startled head.
It was a strike from the Heavenly Killing Swift Sword, the secret art of the Red Dragon Hall that was said to kill even the heavens.
“This is why they say to hide thirty percent of your strength, is it not?”
With Jeok Il’s appearance, the surrounding demonic warriors began to fall without a sound.
A silent death followed in the wake of the Green Dragon Hall.
Meanwhile, the battle was not confined to one location.
Where there was a main army, there were left and right flanks.
*Whoosh!*
A deep blue heavy sword emanated a blue aura.
The Blue Cloud Red River Sword.
*Ruuuumble!*
The divine art unleashed by the Blue Dragon Hall Master erupted, turning the surroundings into a sea of blood.
The vanguard of the Ten Demon Alliance’s left flank collapsed in an instant.
The warriors of the Blue Dragon Hall poured through the breach.
“They are living demons! There is no need for mercy!”
*Spurt! Spurt!*
Befitting their reputation as the strongest sword sect in the Nine Dragons Fortress, their heavy swords easily sliced through the bodies of the demonic warriors.
“How dare these vermin! Leave none of them alive!”
*Clang! Claaang!*
The swift swords of the White Dragon Hall bolstered the Blue Dragon Hall’s strength.
“Defend this position!”
The Silver Dragon Hall guarded everyone’s rear.
The situation on the right flank was much the same.
*Whoooosh! Fwoooosh!*
Sun-Shooting Sword Art: Hou Yi Shoots the Sun.
As the divine art of the Black Dragon Hall erupted from Wi Ji-pung’s sword, the enemy’s formation split in two like the Red Sea.
The Taoist swordsmen of the Black Dragon Hall, known as the finest elite force in the Nine Dragons Fortress, poured into the gap.
“Exorcise demons and extinguish evil!”
“Exorcise demons and extinguish evil!”
Neither heavy nor swift, yet every single path of the sword was utterly deadly.
It was a sword style that added bloodthirsty, practical experience to the noble Taoist sword.
It was the new path for Mount Diancang, found within the Nine Dragons Fortress.
“Damn it, surround and kill them!”
The demonic warriors of the Ten Demon Alliance tried to use their superior numbers to encircle the Black Dragon Hall, but…
“How dare you! The Outer Hall will protect the Black Dragon Hall’s rear!”
“Nine Dragons!”
The warriors of the Outer Hall bought time by unleashing their Suppressing Darkness Sword Art.
*Splaaash!*
From the flank, the sabers of the Gray Dragon Hall tore through the bodies of the Ten Demon Alliance members.
And then.
*Fwoooosh!*
A blast of super-heated flames flew from somewhere, delivering a fiery hell upon the Ten Demon Alliance’s formation.
*Waaaaaah!*
As a demon king descended upon the land called hell, the morale of the Nine Dragons Fortress warriors soared.