Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Find the Ghost Bow Squad (3)
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The Great Bow Sect, one of the Ten Righteous Powers of the Evil Faction.
The Great Bow Sect was located in Shanxi Province, where it was locked in a massive battle with the Hengshan Sect, another renowned orthodox sect in the region.
"Y-You despicable evil bastards!"
Baek Jun, a first-generation disciple of the Hengshan Sect known as the Heroic Sword, cried out in a voice filled with anguish.
The Hengshan Sect was a prestigious school boasting a history and traditions that had once placed it among the Nine Great Sects in the early days of the martial world.
Even now, though its power had waned and it had become a mid-tier sect, it was no pushover that the Great Bow Sect could simply invade and strike first.
"Aim."
Despite Baek Jun's desperate cries, the archers remained utterly calm.
"All archers, ready!"
The Great Bow Sect had invaded the Hengshan Sect, and the Hengshan Sect was desperately holding them off.
The fierce and intense clash between the two groups continued unabated.
Swoosh!
An aiming order came from the Great Bow Sect side, but for some reason, the archers switched positions, and their atmosphere shifted.
'Huh? Why are the ones with massive bows falling back, and the archers with short bows made from water buffalo horns stepping forward?'
It made no sense to Baek Jun's common knowledge.
Normally, Great Bow Sect archers wielded massive bows called greatbows, but the ones now stepping forward to aim were using entirely different ones.
No, they felt fundamentally alien compared to the regular Great Bow Sect members.
"Fall back! Everyone, retreat!"
The moment Baek Jun sensed something ominous and shouted—
"Loose!"
Cheok Cheon, the Black-Clothed Bow King, who had taken refuge with the Great Bow Sect and was now treated as an honored guest and commander, issued the order.
-Ghost Soul Illusion Arrows!
Following that, the signature technique of the Demonic Cult's Ghost Bow Squad—the Ghost Soul Bow-Arrow Art unique to the Tianshan Yi Clan—unleashed its fury.
The Hengshan Sect disciples could scarcely withstand the archery of the Ghost Bow Squad, once said to be the legends of the Demonic Cult, pouring forth at Cheok Cheon's command.
Pababababat!
One arrow, one death.
To exaggerate slightly, every arrow claimed the life of one Hengshan warrior.
It was archery of such devastating power and brilliance.
Especially since they maintained the distance advantage inherent to bowmanship, securing their safety while sniping the Hengshan disciples trying to close in for melee combat—no proper battle could even take place.
This was little more than a one-sided massacre.
"Aaaahhh!"
"Kuaaak! Senior Brother! Spare me!"
"Junior Brother! Junior Brother!"
The Hengshan Sect disciples, based on Hengshan—one of the Five Mountains worthy of the title Northern Peak—suffered massive casualties.
"Impossible! They climbed our Northern Peak so swiftly and rained arrows upon us?"
Baek Jun, the senior disciple leading the young Hengshan members, could hardly believe it.
There were reasons why the Hengshan Sect was faring so poorly.
Hengshan was a rare famed mountain in the Central Plains martial world, its high elevation making it an impregnable natural fortress that no one could approach lightly.
Yet these special forces from the Great Bow Sect, carrying bizarre short bows seemingly made from water buffalo horns slung over their shoulders, were scaling the rugged terrain even faster than the Hengshan disciples.
Caught completely off guard, their front lines collapsed before they could mount a proper defense.
"Alright, halt! That's enough for today!"
Watching the Hengshan Sect crumble without landing a single counterblow, the Black-Clothed Bow King Cheok Cheon nodded in satisfaction.
'A cornered rat will bite a cat.'
Cheok Cheon never underestimated the Hengshan Sect.
Far from it—he believed that any sect with deep history and tradition harbored power commensurate with its legacy.
"Commander Cheok Cheon, we're on the verge of breaking their main frontline. Why retreat now?"
Go In-pyo, the vice sect leader of the Great Bow Sect known as the Flying Arrow Blood Bow, voiced his doubts at Cheok Cheon's retreat order.
His words seemed reasonable at a glance, but the Ghost Bow Squad under Cheok Cheon numbered few and were not subordinates of the Great Bow Sect—they were merely allies acting to achieve a shared goal.
"Push too greedily, and we'll spill far more blood. The lives of my Ghost Bow Squad and its members are more precious and valuable than anything in this world. Not even for this Hengshan or the Hengshan Sect itself."
Go In-pyo wilted before the commanding tone of Cheok Cheon, now in his fifties with white hair and beard sprouting here and there.
"I-If you put it that way."
Resembling Huang Zhong, one of the Five Tiger Generals from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cheok Cheon's aura forced Go In-pyo to back down. Worried his subordinates might mock him, he salvaged his last shreds of pride and face.
"The sun's setting anyway—I was about to pull back myself. Shall we head down to the Great Bow Sect base?"
Cheok Cheon had already checked that his Ghost Bow Squad was intact before Go In-pyo finished speaking and began descending Hengshan.
"That stubborn bastard!"
Only once Cheok Cheon was out of sight did Go In-pyo unleash his pent-up curses.
Age be damned—he wanted to give Cheok Cheon a thrashing, but alas, the man outclassed him several times over in both martial arts and archery.
He was even stronger than the Great Bow Sect leader—how could a mere vice leader like Go In-pyo contend?
"Calm down, Vice Leader."
"Soon enough, they'll be absorbed into our Great Bow Sect, and you'll outrank them. What's there to worry about?"
The Great Bow Sect's leadership approached, soothing Go In-pyo's ego. They knew exactly what to say to please him.
And such words reached the ears of the dying Hengshan disciples, spreading as rumors until they finally hit the ears of the Abyss Hall's informants.
"Heh heh heh. Exactly. Cheok Cheon and the Ghost Bow Squad probably don't realize how deep they've waded into our Great Bow Sect."
Just look at the sinister grin on Flying Arrow Blood Bow Go In-pyo's face.
What on earth had brought the Great Bow Sect and Ghost Bow Squad into the same boat?
"Squad Leader, you've worked hard."
Late at night, the Black-Clothed Bow King Cheok Cheon and his Ghost Bow Squad returned to the Great Bow Sect.
Surprisingly, the one who came out on foot to greet them was none other than the sect leader himself, Blood Heaven Bow Ghost Jo Baek-ho.
"Hardly. Soon, the Hengshan Sect will fall, and our shared goal between the Great Bow Sect and Ghost Bow Squad will be achieved."
"……."
As Cheok Cheon said, they were on the cusp of victory—yet for some reason, Jo Baek-ho's face didn't brighten.
Far from it; it darkened noticeably.
Cheok Cheon, oblivious, was elated at the impending success.
"Perhaps that's why memories from five years ago, when we first sought refuge here, keep flashing by. We're grateful you took us in when we had nowhere else to go."
Cheok Cheon offered Jo Baek-ho another grateful fist salute.
He and his Ghost Bow Squad had hidden near Shandong Province, sustaining themselves on tribute from bandit villages—stooping to ignoble acts just to survive.
'Then, chased by orthodox forces still bitter toward our Cult, we fled all the way to Shanxi.'
The place that welcomed the homeless Cheok Cheon and Ghost Bow Squad with open arms was here.
The Great Bow Sect, a prestigious evil faction power among the Ten Great Sects.
Was it because they shared archery as a common thread?
The Great Bow Sect and its leader Jo Baek-ho not only accepted them generously but even praised them highly.
"Five years already. More than enough time for two different groups to become one."
Jo Baek-ho subtly revealed his intentions.
The reason the Great Bow Sect had opened its doors to the Ghost Bow Squad was, of course, their archery prowess—and the power of Cheok Cheon and his squad, who had reached realms even he couldn't touch.
Cheok Cheon knew Jo Baek-ho's mind well, which was why he offered the salute but never bowed his head.
For he was a direct descendant of the Demonic Cult's Five Heavenly Kings, Ghost Bow Flying King Cheok Dae-yeon, and had guarded the Fourth Heavenly Demon to the end—his head would bow only to the Demonic Cult Leader, the Heavenly Demon.
This was clearly drawing a line.
"Well said. But once the Hengshan Sect falls, won't we split back into two groups?"
With those words, Cheok Cheon reminded Jo Baek-ho of their deal once more.
Cheok Cheon and the Ghost Bow Squad hadn't idled or wasted time while under the Great Bow Sect's roof.
Far from fools, they knew that over generations, the Ghost Bow Squad would naturally be absorbed. The shrewd Cheok Cheon had proposed a deal to Sect Leader Jo Baek-ho.
-The Great Bow Sect wants to crush its rival, the Hengshan Sect, in Shanxi. And we Ghost Bow Squad need Hengshan and its grounds.
We'll provide immense aid to topple and conquer the Hengshan Sect—in exchange, cede us their base!
That was it.
The Great Bow Sect wanted to crush the Hengshan Sect and truly dominate Shanxi, while the Ghost Bow Squad's goal was Hengshan itself, not the sect.
Vast and expansive like mighty Tianshan, Hengshan was the perfect stronghold for the Ghost Bow Squad in a world where the Demonic Cult had fallen.
Fortunately, the interests of the two men and groups aligned perfectly.
-Very well.
Then stay as our honored guests and commanders until we've crushed the Hengshan Sect!
From the Great Bow Sect's perspective, there was no downside, and Jo Baek-ho agreed readily.
If they could crush the Hengshan Sect as proposed, perfect; even if not, gaining the Ghost Bow Squad's forces was profit.
In short, Jo Baek-ho was obsessed with keeping them permanently and assimilating them into the Great Bow Sect.
But he had overlooked one thing.
'Who knew the Hengshan Sect would be on the brink of collapse.'
That Cheok Cheon and the Ghost Bow Squad's prowess had reached divine heights, overwhelming even the Hengshan Sect.
Thanks to their insane strength, they'd racked up victory after victory against the Hengshan Sect, pushing it to the edge.
Then greed sprouted in Jo Baek-ho.
'What if I could make this Ghost Bow Squad truly ours?'
Then the Great Bow Sect, bottom-tier among the Ten Evil Powers, would surge in strength.
And he'd have an excuse to learn their archery.
Of course, it was a pipe dream.
"The moment the Hengshan Sect falls, the Ghost Bow Squad will relocate to Hengshan."
"Must you... really do this?"
Unable to contain his regret, Jo Baek-ho pleaded earnestly.
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"Together, the Ghost Bow Squad and Great Bow Sect toppled even a sect of history and tradition like Hengshan. But if you go independent again, will that benefit you?"
Jo Baek-ho appealed to emotion and laid out cold facts.
"The Hengshan Sect will try to reclaim their base, and orthodox warriors resentful of the Ghost Bow Squad will swarm Hengshan."
He wasn't wrong.
Yet for Cheok Cheon and his squad, hounded across mountains and glared at everywhere, they needed a high peak to settle.
"An independent Ghost Bow Squad on Hengshan won't last—they'll be wanderers again. Join us in the Great Bow Sect instead."
This was essentially Jo Baek-ho's final offer.
If refused, he'd seize the Ghost Bow Squad by any means.
No—if he couldn't have them, he'd destroy them.
Yet Cheok Cheon stood firm against the temptation.
"I'm sorry, but I serve only two in all the world."
"Who might they be?"
Jo Baek-ho asked, unable to hide his disappointment.
"The one who will inherit the Fourth Heavenly Demon's legacy and become the Fifth... or the sealed First Heavenly Demon. Only those two."