Chapter 347
Chapter 347
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 347
>Chapter Title: Chaos (1)
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
No sooner had Il-mok given his arrogant reply than the Golden Bell Nun scowled and issued her command.
“Exterminate!”
The forty-eight nuns surrounding Il-mok moved in perfect unison.
As the nuns shifted, their energies intertwined in all directions, condensing into a crushing force that bore down on Il-mok.
“Haah!”
“Surrender your neck, you demonic scum!”
Several nuns positioned at key points in the formation advanced on Il-mok, swinging their swords, while those in the rear thrust out spears to cover any gaps in the sword line.
Il-mok deflected the pressure from the Demon-Slaying Fierce Tiger Formation with flowing movements, calmly parrying the nuns' assaults.
‘As expected, it’s nothing compared to the Diamond Lama Formation.’
The internal energy of the women forming this formation fell short of that accumulated by the lamas through Yin-Yang Walking Technique, and the number of participants was fewer than the seventy-two in the Diamond Lama Formation.
But that didn’t make it something he could shatter in one go.
When he’d been trapped in the Diamond Lama Formation, he’d had allies with him—including Hyeok-ryeon Cheon-gang, who had reached the Profound Realm.
Unlike then, he now had to face the formation’s power alone, making this situation even more dire.
Yet Il-mok was certain. He could break the Demon-Slaying Fierce Tiger Formation.
It wasn’t just because his own skills had improved since then. It was the confidence born from having experienced the Diamond Lama Formation firsthand.
‘In the end, it’s just a human endeavor.’
With forty-eight people coordinating a formation, a moment of minor error was inevitable.
Moreover, with their levels all uneven, there had to be some whose skills lagged behind.
Clang!
Il-mok endured the pressure of the Demon-Slaying Fierce Tiger Formation, darting about and swinging his sword.
It was partly to evade the nuns’ linked strikes, but more to induce changes in the formation.
As he moved unpredictably, the women comprising the formation had no choice but to keep shifting to pursue him.
‘Find the one with the slowest reaction.’
That one would be the hole in the Demon-Slaying Fierce Tiger Formation.
As he scanned his surroundings with calm eyes in search of that weakness, his gaze suddenly met that of the Golden Bell Nun, standing firm at the rear of the formation.
Her eyes were chillingly composed, showing no panic despite being trapped—leaving the Golden Bell Nun with an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
‘Could she really have faced the Diamond Lama Formation of Podalrap Palace?’
The Golden Bell Nun had dismissed Il-mok’s words as mere bluffing. Or empty bluster meant to provoke them.
No one could survive experiencing Podalrap Palace’s Diamond Lama Formation.
‘Right. It’s just bravado anyway. How dare a fake demonic bastard like you escape our Emei Sect’s Demon-Slaying Fierce Tiger Formation?’
She tried to shake off the unease, but the regret lingered.
‘…It might have been better to move with the secular sects after all.’
Her original plan had been to strike Maitreya Divine Cult first with Emei Sect’s forces alone, then use the secular sects and mid-to-small factions under Emei to mop up the remnants.
She’d assumed from the start that Maitreya Divine Cult could never confront Emei head-on.
Anticipating they might flee, she’d led only Emei’s direct disciples on this surprise—not-quite-surprise attack.
‘Out! Stop with the useless thoughts.’
Snapping at herself, the Golden Bell Nun shook her head sharply to banish the ominous notions.
‘The Demon-Slaying Fierce Tiger Formation will surely triumph!’
She forced out the stray thoughts, but by then, her back was soaked with cold sweat.
* * *
While Il-mok tangled alone with the Demon-Slaying Fierce Tiger Formation, the comrades left in the rear clashed with Emei’s nuns as well.
“Kwon Bong! If you withdraw now, I’ll let you live!”
An Emei elder shouted this as she swung her fist, and Hwanbo Yeon met the qi-wrapped punch head-on.
“How could one who calls themselves righteous turn a blind eye to evil deeds!”
“Your words go too far. To label our Emei Sect as evil!”
The elderly nun unleashed Fierce Tiger Vajra Fist with a wrathful ghost-rakshasa expression.
She had been assigned to face Hwanbo Yeon from the start.
Having participated in the final battle against the Blood Cult, Emei knew Kwon Bong—Hwanbo Yeon’s—level to some extent.
Thus, the Golden Bell Nun had ordered this transcendent realm elder to handle her.
With instructions not to kill.
As Hwanbo Yeon and one of Emei’s masters dueled in some corner—life-or-death or mere spar?—a true desperate battle for survival raged nearby.
Il-mok had swiftly slain a dozen nuns and was now facing the forty-eight in the Demon-Slaying Fierce Tiger Formation, but still about half the nuns remained.
As befitting a famed orthodox sect, every Emei nun was at least first-rate, with more than half at the peak realm.
Moreover, Maitreya Divine Cult’s warriors had to conceal their demonic arts, leaving them barely holding on.
Except for three.
Slash!
The swift saber of Goo Yang-moon produced a clean cutting sound.
“You vile cur!!”
An Emei first-generation disciple, eyes bulging at the sight of her fellow’s severed head, charged him with a fiendish glare.
Sword qi wrapped her swinging blade, but Goo Yang-moon easily dodged and sliced her side.
Goo Yang-moon had spent relatively peaceful days in Nanzhou but never ceased training.
A man whose talent had once made同期 Jin Ha-yeon jealous back in Demonic Path Academy days, he had now transcended Extreme Demon.
But Goo Yang-moon didn’t attribute it solely to his own talent.
‘Thank you, Dam Mae.’
He credited it all to Dam Bin, now his wife.
Not just because he’d received teachings from her, already beyond Extreme Demon.
‘I’ll definitely return alive. Please wait just a little.’
After the child and marriage, a sense of responsibility and stability—contradictory yet balancing—had steadied the emotions once swayed by demonic arts.
Yes. Through the power of love for his wife and child, he had been reborn.
Or so he firmly believed.
“You who’ve lived alone your whole lives, ignorant of love’s greatness—how pitiable!”
He felt love’s greatness so profoundly that he spouted such lines while fighting Emei nuns.
“You bastard!!”
“How dare you insult us!”
“Slay that lecherous demon at once!!”
Misinterpreting his words, the Emei nuns surged at him even more fiercely.
“Ahem! I’m already married! Find some other fine man!”
“Eeeek!”
“I’ll cut out that filthy tongue for sure!!”
Amid the frenzied onslaught of the berserk nuns, Goo Yang-moon’s hands and feet grew tangled.
Even having transcended Extreme Demon, concealing his demonic art made his movements awkward.
Inevitably cornered, he debated unleashing Demon Spirit Severing Flash Saber just as—
Thud.
Jin Ha-yeon, who’d snuck up, smashed the side of the nun thrusting her spear at Goo Yang-moon.
“Shut up and fight.”
She shot a cold glare at the man she’d saved—whom she didn’t care if he died—then rapidly worked her hands.
She couldn’t let Dam Bin become a widow, after all.
Back when she was still lacking, Dam Bin had taught her much.
After briefly helping Goo Yang-moon repel the Emei nuns’ assault.
Seeing him stabilize, she boldly leaped away.
Thud!
She struck the back of a nun swinging her sword at Joo Seo-yeon’s side; the nun froze from Bare Hand Demon Art’s yin energy.
“Senior!!”
Joo Seo-yeon gazed at her gratefully, but Jin Ha-yeon shouted coldly.
“Focus!”
As if done there, Jin Ha-yeon flew to aid another warrior.
“As expected….”
Dazed by her haughty grace, Joo Seo-yeon didn’t notice an Emei disciple’s spear tip flying at her face.
The side effect of her Mad Spirit Wind Demon Spear was impaired focus, and with her realm nearing Extreme Demon, Jin Ha-yeon’s poise was too stimulating.
But fortunately, no gruesome piercing occurred.
Thud!
An arrow from somewhere pierced the forehead of the spear-thrusting nun.
“Phew.”
Even as Jeong Hyeon sighed in relief, her body kept moving. She swiftly drew an arrow from the quiver on her thigh, nocked it, aimed at comrades in peril.
Screee!
Her arrow skimmed allies to strike an Emei nun.
The nun, a skilled fighter, barely swung her sword to deflect it.
But her expression wasn’t bright.
“Urk.”
While deflecting, the Maitreya warrior she’d targeted had recovered and counterattacked.
Jeong Hyeon continued firing arrows to aid allies repeatedly.
“Kill that sneaky bitch first!!”
Spotting the annoying Maitreya archer, an Emei elder smashed aside the blocking warrior’s sword and leaped forward with lightness skill.
Screee!!
Arrows flew at the airborne elder.
Clang!
But the elder, no slouch, deflected Jeong Hyeon’s arrows easily.
As her foot neared the ground—
Screee!
Unlike prior arrows, a massive iron one—like a short spear—hurtled at her.
Boom!!
“Urk….”
The elder barely blocked, letting out a faint groan; thin blood trickled from the gritted nun’s mouth.
Eyes ablaze with killing intent, she ignored the pain and leaped again at Jeong Hyeon.
Faced with the rapidly closing elder, Jeong Hyeon retreated with lightness skill while nocking and firing arrows nonstop.
Clang!
How long had the chase lasted?
“You wench!!”
The enraged Emei elder bellowed, just as another arrow flew at her.
Now accustomed, the nun dodged with minimal movement instead of blocking, closing the distance.
“Hmph.”
She sidestepped half a pace, snorting—then her eyes quivered belatedly.
Thud.
The arrow she’d thought dodged had pierced her side.
“H-How…? Cough!”
As the nun spewed blood from her pierced guts—
Thud!
Jeong Hyeon’s next arrow pierced the elder’s forehead.
Having soloed the Emei elder targeting her, Jeong Hyeon finally let out her held groan.
“Groan.”
Still far from Transcending Demon, forcibly curving arrow paths drained immense mental energy each time.
Pressing her throbbing temple with her right hand, she scanned the battlefield urgently.
Resting from a headache while someone died would hurt more.
“Phew.”
Fortunately, while she’d been chased, the lines hadn’t collapsed.
“The power of love is mighty!”
Goo Yang-moon still spouted nonsense, provoking Emei nuns, while Jin Ha-yeon dueled the strongest one.
From the occasional sword gang-wrapped swings, she seemed a mature transcendent realm master.
Jin Ha-yeon’s skill, matching her while concealing power, was impressive—but with her tied up, others were slowly being pushed back.
“Sip. Hoo.”
To dispel the headache, Jeong Hyeon deep-breathed, nocked an arrow, and aimed.
As she released the string—
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted from the Demon-Slaying Fierce Tiger Formation holding Il-mok.