Chapter 266
Chapter 266
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 266
Chapter Title: Dongting Lake (3)
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Thud.
I lightened my body with the Flying Heavenly Wind and took a War King Step.
Just then, a massive iron ball came flying at my head.
CRASH!
I barely dodged it, feeling the ground shake and the air tremble behind me.
It was a monstrous strength, hard to believe even seeing it with my own eyes.
I used the Body Flicker technique and appeared behind him.
Whoosh!
“Hup!”
Dodging the fist that instantly flew at me, I unleashed a rapid series of short, sharp bursts of Explosive Death Force.
Thud-thud-thud-CRACK!
Just as I was about to break through his protective aura.
Smirk.
He grinned sinisterly and pulled on the iron chain.
Swoosh!
“You crazy bastard!”
We were barely a step apart.
If that iron ball fell now, we’d both be dead.
“Khahaha.”
“Tch!”
Having failed the test of manliness, I stopped the fist that was aimed for a single-point breakthrough and unleashed my War Dragon Energy.
Kuaaaaah!
The War Dragon Energy shot out, its maw open towards the iron ball.
Craaash!
After a single clash, both the War Dragon Energy and the iron ball fell to the ground.
I fired off the Ultimate Death Force at the man, who had already created distance between us.
Crack.
He pulled on the iron chain, blocking the Ultimate Death Force.
Swoosh!
He swung the iron ball again, aiming for my head.
I couldn't let myself be pushed around like this.
I decided to use the ace I'd been saving.
“Hup!”
I unleashed the Chain Ring Force, a buffing skill, and spread the gained energy in all directions.
And then.
Grrrrr!
The air around us instantly grew heavy.
Crushing Moon.
It was a technique that used the energy gained from the Chain Ring Force to press down on the surroundings.
Like gravity.
Of course, I couldn't use it indefinitely.
The internal energy consumption was massive, so I could only maintain it for three seconds at a time. And I couldn’t even use it consecutively.
But three seconds was more than enough.
In a fight between masters, even a 0.1-second hesitation can be a fatal mistake.
And it was even better when the opponent's weapon was a two-hundred-pound meteor hammer.
Just like now.
CRASH!
The iron ball, which had been flying at a terrifying speed, slammed into the ground.
“What!”
The man’s eyes widened in shock.
An opening.
I used the War King Step and flew into close range.
He belatedly grasped the situation and threw a flurry of punches and kicks.
Pow!
But my fist was faster.
The Thirteen Strikes of the War King, unleashed in an instant, parried all of his attacks.
BAM!
A short burst of Explosive Death Force slammed into his side.
“Keuk.”
Smirk.
I smiled at the man as he stumbled back in a daze.
“Life is pain, you bastard.”
Guoooo!
The Moon Breaker I formed in my palm began to suck in everything around it.
The wind, the sand, the natural energy, and even the protective aura he was hastily trying to form.
Once all the preparations were complete.
“Just die already.”
I launched the Moon Breaker at him.
Having absorbed the natural energy, the enlarged Moon Breaker flashed as it shot forward.
Grit.
The man clenched his teeth and pulled on the iron chain.
A black aura erupted from his body and flowed through the chain, causing the iron ball to fly forward with lightning speed.
And then.
KABOOOOOM!
A sound like a missile exploding rang out, and the ground around us was gouged out.
The immense force of the impact violently shook my energy, causing the Moon Breaker to dissipate in an instant, while the rebounding force sent the iron ball flying far away.
“Kuaat.”
“Keuk.”
My ultimate move, perfectly executed, had been blocked by an unforeseen strike.
But the fight wasn't over.
He used the Body Flicker technique and appeared right in front of me.
“……!”
It was completely unexpected. Before I could even raise my protective aura, his kick landed.
CRACK! Thwack.
The force was so great that if I hadn't hastily raised my arm to block, my skull would have been crushed.
BAM!
He didn't miss the opening.
A fist flew up from below, striking my chin. An elbow struck my neck, and a kick slammed into my thigh.
‘What kind of stamina…!’
To be able to launch such an attack after the fierce battle we just had—his stamina and internal energy were monstrous.
But.
Was I not also a specialist in close-quarters combat?
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack. BAM!
I mixed short bursts of Explosive Death Force into the lightning-fast Thirteen Strikes of the War King.
Drip.
He retreated, launching a palm strike.
BOOM!
Urk.
Just as the immense force was about to send me flying backward.
Fwoosh.
I launched a Battle Lord Arrow with all my might.
He managed to raise his protective aura at the last second, but it was too late.
Pshuk! Splat!
“Gah!”
The Battle Lord Arrow embedded itself in his shoulder.
An unexpected attack, fired with perfect timing.
This was why I had saved the Battle Lord Arrow.
“You're not the only one with a divine weapon.”
The explosive power contained within the Battle Lord Arrow must have completely shattered his left shoulder.
Now, there was only one thing left for me to do.
It was time for payback for the iron ball, the fists, and the kicks.
“Hehehe, you're dead.”
Just as my bloody revenge was about to begin.
“Save the Chief!”
Kill them all-!
Warriors of Yueyang, rise!
Waaaaah!
A great roar erupted as the warriors who had been surrounding us charged forward.
It seemed they were trying to save this guy who had just gotten his ass kicked in a one-on-one fight.
At that moment, Wu Je-jun’s shout rang out.
“Six Paths!”
War Dragon!
“Protect the Hall Master!”
War Dragon!
Five hundred disorganized rabble versus one hundred elite warriors of the War King's Gate, who specialized in group combat.
If we had met on an open plain, nine times out of ten, the latter would have been victorious.
However, this was a cramped estate.
And since we were surrounded, the terrain favored them.
They must have lured us here with that in mind.
Their chief, a transcendent master, likely stepped forward himself to minimize their losses.
But even in a chaotic battle where we were at a relative disadvantage, the Six Paths would not lose.
They were trained in superior martial arts like the Black Martial Spear and Black Martial Arts, with Yuk Hak as a star instructor. Even the War King and the Combat King, two of the Ten Great Masters, had acted as guest instructors.
Because of this, warriors who were merely second-rate had now reached the ranks of the first-rate, and a few were even beginning to step toward the level of peak masters.
Most importantly, they had experienced the bloody war against the Ten Demon Alliance.
There would be casualties, but my calculations told me they could easily win a fight like this.
Just as the two forces were about to clash.
“Everyone, stop!”
A lion’s roar, erupting from the man in my grasp, shook the estate. Everyone, who had been charging with weapons drawn, froze in their tracks.
The man, called the Chief, spoke to me in a weak voice.
“I… have lost. I don't care what happens to me, but please… spare them.”
A declaration of surrender.
At that, the man who had posed as a servant to lure us into a trap cried out.
“N-no! The Wind and Cloud Society cannot exist without the Chief. If you just wait a little longer…!”
“You call yourself a strategist, yet you can't even read the situation?! If you all die now, who will stop the Lion Alliance?!”
“But…!”
“If you understand, then withdraw your forces at once!”
“I can’t. How can I abandon you and flee, Chief!”
One was telling the other to leave him and run, while the other was trying desperately to save him. It was like a scene from a cheap melodrama.
And watching it, only one thought came to my mind.
“What a load of bullshit.”
Smack!
“Ugh!”
They’re putting on a damn soap opera.
I turned around and spoke slowly.
“I won't kill him, so don't interfere. No, go ahead and interfere. I don't mind just killing him either.”
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
The sound of bones creaking, painful just to hear, filled the estate.
A moment later.
“Hoo.”
After beating him to my heart's content until my wrists ached, I felt a little better.
“Jus' kill meh.”
“What did you say?”
Thump.
“Ugh!”
I delivered a soccer kick of justice to the mumbling bastard and looked around.
“……”
Even with six hundred people gathered, not even the rustle of clothing could be heard.
“Hey.”
“Yes? Yes!”
The one called the strategist answered, startled.
“Where are my men?”
“……They’re locked in the food storage over there.”
Two members of the Six Paths immediately ran over, broke down the storage door, and brought out our captured men.
Both were unconscious, and by the instability of their ki, it seemed their acupoints had been sealed.
“Are they injured?”
“No, sir.”
I glared at the strategist-something and grabbed the unconscious Chief by the scruff of his neck, tossing him forward.
Thump…….
A cloud of dust rose, obscuring the view.
“Take this guy and get lost.”
“What?”
“Didn't you hear me? I’ll forgive you, so get lost.”
“B-but… this place belongs to the Heaven-Piercing Sword Sect…”
“Wrong. I won, so this place belongs to our War King's Gate now.”
“The real War King's Gate? Th-then you are?”
“That’s right. I am Jin Mujeon.”
“The Fighting Hegemon!”
Murmur, murmur.
As I revealed my identity once more, they began to whisper amongst themselves.
Seeing their reaction, I couldn't help but sigh.
If they had just listened from the start, I wouldn't have had to waste so much energy.
Ignoring their reactions, I continued.
“I’m not taking it for good. I’ll just use it for about ten days and then clear out, so you know. Oh, and we’re eating the food inside. We couldn’t even go grocery shopping because of you guys.”
I looked around at the five hundred warriors and continued.
“If you don’t like it, we can keep going.”
“N-no, sir.”
Watching them retreat, I had one thought.
I just saved on lodging fees.
* * *
“La la la.”
Sizzle.
Myo Hyang, dressed in a chef’s uniform with a special character embroidered on the left sleeve, hummed as she cooked.
“It seems Lady Myo truly enjoys cooking.”
“Indeed. She doesn't have to do it anymore, but she insists…”
“Thanks to her, the members of the Six Paths are singing her praises after their meal.”
“Well, her cooking is certainly top-notch. Isn't she the special-grade chef who won the World's Best Noodle King Competition?”
“The more I see, the more I can only say ‘as expected.’ Did you see her knife work just now? It was like watching a female master from a sword sect.”
“……”
Even with the help of the warriors, she was skilled enough to prepare rice, stir-fried meat, and soup for a hundred people in less than an hour.
And as if that weren't enough, she was now making side dishes for everyone, insisting that since we were on a trip, we had to have drinks.
Even if she hadn't met me, she would have undoubtedly become a great success in the culinary world.
‘Home-cooked meals by Chef Myo…’
“By the way, that was a formidable warrior.”
Wu Je-jun, recalling the day's events, couldn't hide his admiration.
“Of course.”
“……Is he someone you know?”
“Who's the number one fist master in Hunan Province?”
“Son Baek, the Hegemon of East Wu…?”
That was right.
The middle-aged man I fought a fierce battle with this afternoon was none other than one of the Seven Hegemons, the Hegemon of East Wu.
It would take someone of his caliber to command the warriors of Yueyang.
Hearing the answer, Wu Je-jun tilted his head.
“But I’ve never heard that he uses a meteor hammer.”
“He must have acquired it recently.”
“……A weapon of that caliber?”
“Or he’s had it all along and only recently started using it.”
In truth, he just had the misfortune of facing me.
With his meteor hammer, Son Baek was more solid than any master I had ever met.
Objectively speaking, he was a step ahead of Yuk Hak, half a step ahead of the Ten Demon Alliance’s Saber Sect Master, and two moves ahead of the late Baek Jung-cheon.
But who was I?
A rare genius who reached the True Transformation Realm in his mid-twenties, an unparalleled warrior produced by the Nine Dragons Fortress…
“It's all ready!”
Myo Hyang, having finished the side dishes, came over with a steaming plate.
A sweet and savory aroma spread pleasantly through the air.
“There were a lot of chickens in the coop, so I made a stir-fry. It's been a while since I got to show off my skills.”
Isn't there an old saying? A pretty face lasts three years, good cooking lasts thirty, and a kind heart lasts a hundred.
My wife had all three, so I would be happy for 133 years.
“Thank you for the meal, my dear.”
“Hoho, please, eat up everyone.”
Just as we were about to share a drink with the side dishes Myo Hyang had made.
Bang, bang, bang!
Son Baek, his body covered in bandages, arrived with dozens of warriors.
“I've come for a drink.”
“……”
It seemed he was trying to befriend me, banking on that timeless truth that a good fight makes the best of friends.
Of course.
Smack!
“The hell are you talking about.”
That kind of thing doesn’t work on me.