Chapter 53
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Pursuit to Heavenly Center Mountain
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"Asked where they went."
A sinister aura poured from Dan Hyeong-u's body, wrapping around and binding everyone in the hall. They suddenly felt every ounce of strength drain from their limbs. They thrashed to break free, but it was no use.
"Eek!"
Han Ho-hyeok strained with all his might to summon his internal energy. His face twisted in bewilderment.
"My... my qi..."
His qi wouldn't gather. No, it felt like his dantian had been drained completely empty. The vital energy that normally swelled with pride was utterly absent.
It wasn't just Han Ho-hyeok. The others were in the same state.
"H-how can this be..."
Despair washed over them all. In the midst of it, Dan Hyeong-u's voice drifted out like a ghost's murmur.
"Where did they go."
His words snapped everyone back to their senses. They turned to stare at him, instinctively realizing the truth: Dan Hyeong-u had deliberately sealed their internal energy.
They couldn't believe he'd suppressed their qi without laying a hand on them, but they had no choice now. It was their only hope—if he'd sealed it, then he could release it too.
"T-to... Heavenly Center Mountain, sir."
"Heavenly Center Mountain?"
Of course, Dan Hyeong-u had no idea where that was. Sensing it, Han Ho-hyeok quickly stepped forward.
"I can guide you there."
Dan Hyeong-u spoke at once.
"We're going. Now."
Han Ho-hyeok hesitated at his words.
"My... my qi..."
At that, the oppressive aura enveloping them was sucked back into Dan Hyeong-u in an instant. Strength returned to their bodies, and their qi flowed once more. Relief and fear flickered across their faces in equal measure.
"Get lost."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than everyone scattered in all directions. The people of the Henan Escort Bureau vanished like the receding tide. Now, only Dan Hyeong-u and Han Ho-hyeok remained.
Dan Hyeong-u stared silently at him. Han Ho-hyeok let out a sigh. Escape was impossible. The presence radiating from Dan Hyeong-u was absolute.
"Follow me."
With polite words, Han Ho-hyeok leaped into motion. He pushed his lightness skill to the limit. Dan Hyeong-u would have no trouble keeping up.
And so, Dan Hyeong-u followed him toward Heavenly Center Mountain.
The Henan Escort Bureau group whipped their horses mercilessly. Truth be told, it wasn't far to Heavenly Center Mountain if they pushed hard. A full day and night would get them there.
But their biggest problem was the pursuers hot on their trail.
They'd caught their enemies off guard and fled Hechang at first, but now that their destination was known, they couldn't shake the martial artists from the city.
They could have changed course, but they didn't. Heading to Heavenly Center Mountain offered their best shot at survival. The Martial Alliance would be there, after all.
Regardless, the pursuers chased them with eyes blazing, as if the Escort Bureau had slain their families.
"Hang in there, miss! Heavenly Center Mountain's just ahead!"
At Hyeong Pyo's shout, Jo Seol-yeon glanced back with anxious eyes. Dozens of riders were closing in. Covered head to toe in dust from their relentless pursuit, their gazes still burned fierce. These were no ordinary foes—they were martial experts.
"Is everyone else all right?"
Rough, panting voices erupted from all around in response.
"We're fine!"
"Don't worry about us!"
They forced cheer into their tones, but they couldn't hide the strain on their bodies. Jo Seol-yeon wasn't so naive as to miss it.
Tears welled in her eyes. She wiped them hastily with her sleeve and set her jaw with resolve.
"Once we reach Heavenly Center Mountain, we can rest. They won't find us easily in there."
Her words ignited hope in the staff escorts, now promoted to full-fledged guards. Like Dan Hyeong-u, they still wore their gray robes. They didn't want the honors of an escort until they'd truly mastered their arts.
In that frantic rush, they soon reached the foothills of Heavenly Center Mountain.
"Hurry!"
Hyeong Pyo's cry echoed as they plunged into the vast sea of trees before them.
"The Shadowless Unit stands ready."
At his subordinate's report, Shadowless rose from his seat. He gave the massive boulder he'd been perched on one last glance, reviewing the plan in his mind.
"But... are you sure about this? We don't have orders from the Leader..."
The concern was valid, but Shadowless felt no worry.
"It's fine. We follow the Leader's commands, of course—but everything else is my call."
"Still..."
"Just obey my orders."
The entire Shadowless Unit bowed in unison without a word, then melted into the surrounding foliage.
Shadowless flashed a faint smile. Like his men, he too began to fade into the shadows.
"I can't just sit this out. The Heavenly Qi Master's secret chamber... I don't need anything else. Just that one thing."
His murmur lingered in the empty woods.
"Huff! Huff! H-here it is."
Han Ho-hyeok gasped, on the verge of collapse. Behind him stood Dan Hyeong-u, not a drop of sweat on him, his breathing steady as if he'd been waiting there all along. Han Ho-hyeok's face paled once more at the sight.
They'd run nonstop, pushing peak lightness skills the whole way. Han Ho-hyeok's dantian was now bone-dry.
He'd even taken some internal injuries. To suffer that from mere lightness skill showed how brutally he'd overexerted himself.
Thanks to that, though, they'd arrived sooner than expected.
'I pushed past my limits.'
Han Ho-hyeok thought as he caught his breath. He'd hit his wall countless times on the way, but he'd ignored it and kept going.
Every time he slowed even a fraction, that overwhelming presence from behind drove him onward.
Each limit broken led to another, and he'd shattered that too.
In truth, his limits had expanded—his qi capacity broadened in a way solo training could never achieve. A small boon born of desperation.
"This the place?"
Dan Hyeong-u's indifferent mutter made Han Ho-hyeok nod frantically.
"Yes! This is Heavenly Center Mountain. If they're still alive, they'll be here...!"
Before he could finish, Dan Hyeong-u took a single step forward—and vanished.
Han Ho-hyeok trailed off, stunned by the sudden disappearance.
"He couldn't have really just... vanished, right?"
He muttered softly, convincing himself Dan Hyeong-u was simply too fast to track.
After staring into the mountain's depths for a while, Han Ho-hyeok finally turned away. This wasn't his place. Temptation lingered, but he knew better than to deny reality.
"Miss, this won't work. I'll draw them off—you take the others and head deeper in."
Jo Seol-yeon shook her head vigorously at Hyeong Pyo's words.
"No! You'd never make it!"
"That's not true. I've improved a lot lately. I won't go down easy—don't worry. Right now, your safety comes first."
Hyeong Pyo didn't wait for her reply. He whirled and leaped back the way they'd come. Jo Seol-yeon stared after him with helpless eyes, too slow to call out. But she bit her lip and turned to the staff escorts.
"Hurry."
As she picked up speed, they followed with grim determination. Exhaustion clawed at them, near deathly, but they refused to lag.
They all knew what resolve drove Hyeong Pyo. They yearned to stand with him, but that would betray his sacrifice. Survival was their duty now.
Jo Seol-yeon fought back tears and ran harder.
Her heart grew heavier, but her steps grew lighter.
"You bastards, over here! Hah!"
Hyeong Pyo roared, lunging at the pursuers. Caught up in the chase, they faltered at his sudden attack.
But they weren't easy prey.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Hyeong Pyo's strikes were sharp, but they barely surpassed a veteran escort's level. Still, the fierce momentum stalled them briefly.
"Not bad. But you chose wrong."
The man who'd parried his sword sneered and flicked his blade.
Shing!
Clang!
Hyeong Pyo barely blocked it, retreating step by step before turning to flee.
The man's smirk deepened.
Swoosh!
His sword slashed the air again, a strand of sword qi streaking toward Hyeong Pyo's back.
Slash!
"Guh!"
The qi tore into his back, shredding flesh. But Hyeong Pyo didn't stop.
The man frowned.
"What are you idiots doing? What if he has the antidote?"
At his words, the halted pursuers sprang back into motion.
They hurtled after the staggering Hyeong Pyo, weapons drawn and killing intent rising.
Hyeong Pyo ran for his life, pushing beyond limits. He had to buy time—any time—for a chance. If luck held, Jo Seol-yeon and the others could reach the Martial Alliance's shadow. Then, perhaps, the Escort Bureau's false charges could be cleared.
It would take extraordinary luck. And to improve those odds, he ran even harder.
He dodged and weaved for what felt like an eternity, in a direction far from his comrades' path.
But the cost was grievous wounds.
At last, the pursuers encircled him.
"Like a rat, scurrying so well. But it's over now."
The man who'd launched the sword qi muttered with veiled anger. He was a disciple of the Heavenly Will Sect, Luoyang's greatest power in Henan.
The sect had suffered the most in this poison incident. He wasn't top-ranked, but among those unpoisoned, he was the strongest.
His sect's prestige let him lead the chase unofficially. His skill wasn't the absolute best, but no one dared ignore Heavenly Will Sect's might.
The man raised his sword slightly. Killing intent flared, but he held back from killing. A live captive might yield secrets.
"Why not give up? Tell us the antidote, and I'll spare you."
Hyeong Pyo let out a scoff.
"I never knew it in the first place. Framing the innocent—is that Heavenly Will Sect's way?"
The man's face twisted.
"How dare you!"
His sword whipped forward viciously.
Splat! Splat! Splat!
Blood sprayed from Hyeong Pyo's chest. He clenched his teeth, stifling even a groan. Not fatal, but left untreated, blood loss would claim him.
"Don't say you don't know. The Henan Escort Bureau's chief escort, clueless? Or just a figurehead?"
Hyeong Pyo gave a bitter laugh.
"Heh. I know my limits. But don't think the Escort Bureau ends here. Someone's still out there."
"Someone? Who? Jo Seol-yeon? That little girl pull us back to half our former glory? We'd be lucky to get a tenth."
"Think what you like."
Hyeong Pyo fell silent. He'd wanted more time, but it seemed hopeless now.
The man had already decided. His eyes said it, and the thickening killing intent confirmed it.
'Funny—I've grown more sensitive to qi lately.'
All thanks to Dan Hyeong-u.
Recalling him, Hyeong Pyo smiled faintly. Dan Hyeong-u would return someday. And the Escort Bureau would rise again.
If they could just survive this crisis.
'Miss. You have to live.'
Hyeong Pyo whispered in his heart, closing his eyes in resolve.