Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Battle of Mount Hua (2)
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#024: The Battle of Mount Hua (2)
Waaaaah!
Clang, clang! Clang!
The entrance to Mount Hua.
A battle was unfolding on a staircase about ten feet wide.
“Deploy the Heavenly Bewitching Eight Trigrams Formation!”
At the defender’s command, the disciples of the Black Dragon Hall moved in perfect unison.
Their movements became more efficient, forming an even more solid defensive line.
There were three hundred warriors from the Nine Dragons Fortress.
In contrast, the enemies surrounding the mountain numbered over ten thousand from the Southern Nanman tribes and one thousand elites from the Southern Heaven Palace.
An absurd difference in numbers.
*Slice.*
“Gah!”
What little comfort they had came from the narrow entrance buying them time, and the fact that the enemy’s martial prowess was not particularly great.
Thanks to this, Wi Ji-pung, who had led the young disciples of the Black Dragon Hall to Mount Hua, had been able to repel the attacks by launching surprise assaults on the enemy commanders.
Just like now.
He dropped right into the middle of the enemy ranks.
In an instant, he unleashed the Light-Splitting Eighteen Swords.
*Slice!*
True to its name, the technique sliced through the enemies with incredible speed.
In a fleeting moment, a dozen heads were severed.
*Splurt!*
The body of the man who appeared to be the enemy commander was split diagonally in two.
“R-run away!”
As the enemies began to flee one by one, the disciples of the Black Dragon Hall and Wi Ji-pung simply watched.
Normally, they would have given chase to inflict more damage, but these were men who had fundamentally devoted themselves to the Taoist path.
While they weren’t forbidden from killing like Buddhists, the slaughter they had already committed was enough to trouble their hearts.
“Hooo…”
A sense of fatigue settled in Wi Ji-pung’s eyes as he watched the retreating figures.
The battle had been raging like this for ten days.
He hadn’t had a proper rest in all that time.
The enemy’s strategy was obvious.
They intended to wear down the forces of the Nine Dragons Fortress by continuously attacking the path up Mount Hua.
It seemed like the height of inefficiency, but the method was quite effective.
By deploying the tribesmen they had brought by force, they could minimize the losses of their own elite warriors.
Wi Ji-pung was aware of this, but he couldn’t simply let the swarming enemies pass, so he defended with all his might.
The members of the Black Dragon Hall sat down to rest for about two hours.
Waaah!
The enemies swarmed in again.
“Draw swords!”
*Shing. Shing.*
At Wi Ji-pung’s cry, the disciples of the Black Dragon Hall drew their blades.
“All men, prepare for the attack!”
After more than ten days, they had thoroughly learned the enemy’s methods.
The predictable volley of arrows posed no threat.
*Whoosh! Thwack. Thunk.*
Swords swung from all directions, deflecting or cutting the arrows down.
There were no casualties.
The disciples brought here were that skilled.
Then, the close-quarters combat began.
*Slice! Clang, clang, clang.*
The sound of clashing weapons echoed from all sides.
The swords of Mount Hua are sharp, and the swords of Qingcheng are heavy.
So say the connoisseurs about the characteristics of the two sects.
One could not say which was superior, but one thing was certain.
When facing multiple opponents, the swords of Mount Hua were more advantageous than those of Qingcheng.
The disciples of the Black Dragon Hall were charging forward, cutting down enemies in an instant.
Watching them, Wi Ji-pung shouted.
“All men, maintain the formation and hold your positions!”
Now that they had calmly repelled the enemy’s charge, it was Wi Ji-pung’s turn to intervene.
However.
“!!!”
The enemy’s reaction was different from before.
*Whoosh! Thud, thud.*
“Argh!”
“Guk!”
They fired arrows even while their own men were engaged in close combat.
Because of this, screams echoed from friend and foe alike.
“Keuk!”
As his disciples were injured, Wi Ji-pung let out a low groan and shot forward.
Light-Splitting Shadow Step.
The peerless movement technique that was the pride of Mount Hua transported him into the heart of the enemy ranks.
And then, the slaughter began.
In an instant, enemy heads flew into the air, limbs were mercilessly torn off, and torsos were separated from legs.
In his urgency, he had poured all his remaining internal energy into unleashing the Light-Splitting Eighteen Swords.
As if he were not a Taoist master but a Yaksha, the enemies began to back away one by one.
However, the enemy’s scheme was not limited to just arrows.
*Claaang!*
“Hehehe, I’ve been waiting.”
“!!!”
A man who had approached unnoticed blocked Wi Ji-pung’s sword.
Wi Ji-pung retrieved his sword, conjured his sword ki, and swung again.
However.
The battles of the past ten days had drained his stamina, and his last move had depleted his internal energy, so his strike lacked its usual power.
*Boom!*
“Can’t even stomach porridge? There’s no strength in your sword at all.”
The blow was blocked far too easily.
“!!!”
Greatly alarmed, Wi Ji-pung created distance.
*Shushuk! Whoosh. Fwoom!*
A dagger, a sword, and a meteor hammer immediately pursued him.
*I can’t block them all.*
*I’ll block the deadliest ones and endure the rest with my body.*
“Hup!”
He chose to block the dagger and the sword.
*Clang. Clang.*
He succeeded in parrying the two blades, but…
*Craaack!*
The flying meteor hammer slammed into his chest.
“Cough!”
He had hastily deployed his protective ki, but with his internal energy depleted, its defensive power was pathetic.
He suffered an internal injury, his organs shaken.
“Hehehe, so the great Black Dragon Sword is nothing special after all.”
The man who had blocked Wi Ji-pung’s sword sneered, revealing stained yellow teeth.
Wi Ji-pung coolly assessed the situation.
The elites of the Southern Heaven Palace stepped forward as the Nanman tribesmen fell back.
The disciples of the Black Dragon Hall had also regrouped and prepared for battle.
Having made his decision, Wi Ji-pung shouted.
“Disciples of the Black Dragon Hall, defend this path with your lives!”
A fight to the death.
They had to hold out until reinforcements, who were observing the situation from the summit of Mount Hua, came down.
The Black Dragon Hall was already short on disciples as it was.
Wi Ji-pung knew this was the wrong choice.
But he couldn’t just open the path to the sect’s gates, could he?
The elites of the Southern Heaven Palace watched with smirks on their faces.
“If you want to die, so be it. Everyone, charge!”
Just as the clash was about to begin…
*Kwarreung. Kaboom.*
A massive explosion erupted from the enemy’s rear, and something detonated.
*Splat.*
Flesh and blood rained down with chunks of corpses.
The enemies turned in alarm, but their opponent’s speed was even greater.
Before they could prepare, he had thrown punches and kicks, turning two men into bloody pulps.
The tide of battle had turned in an instant.
Wi Ji-pung was not one to miss such an opportunity.
“Slaughter the enemy!”
At his cry, the Black Dragon Hall swept toward the enemy.
Their stamina and internal energy were low, their swords lacking in power and speed.
However, the true essence of an orthodox sect of the Righteous Path shines in situations like these.
Swords swung with proper form compensated for their diminished speed and strength.
And the sword formation executed by men who had trained in the same martial lineage granted them another layer of sharpness.
“Press the attack!”
With that righteousness and sharpness, the disciples of the Black Dragon Hall began to overwhelm the enemy.
Meanwhile, the elites of the Southern Heaven Palace were in chaos.
It was hard enough dealing with the man wreaking havoc in their rear and turning their allies into pulp, and now the Black Dragon Hall was charging from the front in formation. They were completely overwhelmed.
Ultimately, they had to make a choice.
Break through the Black Dragon Hall in the front, or catch the rat in the rear.
Their choice was the rat.
“Just hold the line at the front! The rest of you, join in after we kill that bastard!”
The moment the words were spoken, a meteor hammer, a sword, a saber, a dagger, and various other weapons flew through the air.
However, they did not know.
A chaotic battle in a narrow space like this was the very battlefield that Mujeon favored most.
Dodging an incoming dagger, Mujeon executed the War King Step.
He moved in an instant and, following the forms of the Dragon-Slaying Eighteen Strikes, shattered an enemy’s ribs completely.
“You bastard!”
A large saber fell toward Mujeon’s head.
*Whoosh.*
A meteor hammer flew stealthily, aiming for the back of his knees.
From behind, a sword thrust forward with stealth.
*Smirk.*
Mujeon wasn't fazed.
It wasn't because he had a wealth of experience.
It was simply that the martial arts he had learned were perfectly suited for such situations.
He dodged the sword coming from behind and simultaneously grabbed the man’s arm, pulling him forward.
“!!!”
The captured man tried to pull his arm free, but he couldn’t resist Mujeon’s immense strength.
In an instant, Mujeon and the enemy swapped places.
*Slice! Thwack!*
The saber and meteor hammer struck him.
“Guh… uh…”
The eyes of the men who had just killed their own comrade went wide.
Mujeon didn't miss the opening and swiped his hand horizontally toward the front.
*Shhhwwwiiick!*
It was a technique from the War King Arts: Ultimate Death Force.
A sharp blade of ki swept across Mujeon’s front.
Five elites from the Southern Heaven Palace were instantly sliced in half. There had been no room to dodge.
And then.
*Slice. Slice.*
“Gaaaaah!”
The Black Dragon Hall disciples began to break through the enemy’s front line.
With Mujeon behind them and the Black Dragon Hall in front, they were trapped on all sides.
*Grit.*
The enemy leader spoke.
“I am Jin U-ryang, leader of the First Assassination Squad. What is your name?”
“I am Yong Ma-san, leader of the Two Immortals Gang.”
“Never heard of you.”
“Think of me as a secret weapon.”
“I see. I will repay this debt next time. All units, retreat!”
At Jin U-ryang’s cry, the enemies began to withdraw like a receding tide.
Mujeon didn’t pursue them; he just watched.
As if to say, *Come at me whenever you’re ready.*
*‘That was close. They almost found out I’m out of internal energy.’*
***
Once the situation was more or less under control, Wi Ji-pung and the members of the Black Dragon Hall rushed over.
“You brat! What do you think you’re doing, coming here alone?!”
Wi Ji-pung said, his expression a mixture of joy and anger.
“Aigo, you were at death’s door just a moment ago, and now you’re scolding me. It’s not like I wanted to come, so don’t be too hard on me.”
He replied, looking around.
Countless corpses and ownerless weapons were scattered everywhere.
*‘Looks like it was pretty rough.’*
As I muttered to myself, a group of people rushed down from above. They were the warriors from the Nine Dragons Fortress who had been on standby.
“Where are the enemies?!”
Wi Ji-pung replied with a smirk.
“They’ve all been taken care of, so there’s no need to worry.”
“What?!”
“Since you’re down here anyway, please relieve us. We fought a little too fiercely, so I think we need some rest.”
“Ah, understood.”
Wi Ji-pung grabbed my shoulder and said.
“It’s been a while since you’ve been to Mount Hua, hasn’t it?”
“Ten years.”
“Let’s go up. I’ll let you taste Mount Hua’s cooking for the first time in a while.”
Wi Ji-pung said with a bright smile.
“Who would eat that bland temple food without a single piece of meat? I’ll just chew on the beef jerky I brought.”
I stated the second reason I had given up on becoming a Taoist.
***
The scenery of the Mount Hua Sect, which I was visiting for the first time in a long while, was completely different from usual.
The serene and elegant walls were covered in daggers and caltrops.
The magnificent entrance was blocked with wooden stakes and fences.
Immediately after our meal, at a hastily convened meeting, I explained the current situation.
Their expressions relaxed considerably upon hearing that the main fortress had sent an advance party and that a main force would be dispatched later after proper preparations.
Their morale soared at the news of reinforcements.
“But why didn’t the carrier pigeons get through? I heard you sent at least ten…”
As soon as I finished my explanation, I asked about the breakdown in high-speed communication, the very reason I had to come here.
“It must be the work of the Southern Heaven Palace. They know how to tame birds of prey.”
“Is that possible?”
“Even in the north, they hunt with falcons, don’t they? It must be a similar method.”
“I see.”
“So, what are you planning to do now?”
“About what?”
“You have no way to get back, do you?”
Wi Ji-pung’s question hit me like a lightning bolt.
That was right. I had only thought about breaking in, not at all about getting back out.
And getting out would be far more difficult than getting in.
Unlike my successful infiltration of their rear by disguising myself as an enemy charging Mount Hua, there was no way to get out from the front.
In the end, there was only one option left.
To defend Mount Hua, do or die.
I looked in the direction from which Bukgung Baek was coming and shouted.
“You son of a bitch!!!”