Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Burning Manor (4)
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No matter how profound one's martial arts, it was impossible to sweep away an endless procession of torchlights with a single sword stroke.
What Se Yeong was worried about wasn't the countless enemies swarming in, but the manor and the siblings with weak martial prowess.
"Where... should we take shelter?"
Sa Sa Un asked in an anxious voice.
He was already terrified and wanted to flee this place as quickly as possible.
Se Yeong hurriedly thought of a place where they could take shelter.
However, there was no suitable hiding spot nearby.
"To the gold mine... head to the cabin at the gold mine."
Se Yeong had finally recalled a viable shelter and issued the order urgently.
Last year, to deceive Lord Yi, they had faked a gold mine and even built a cabin there.
Since the cabin had been constructed quite sturdily back then, it should still be usable.
"Understood, Brother Han. You two, follow me."
Sa Sa Un hurriedly moved with the siblings.
Se Yeong then gave instructions to the rest of his squad members as well.
"If the battle turns against us, fall back to the cabin and link up with Sa Sa Un."
However, the squad members showed no intention of following the order.
"Brother, I'll stay here and fight to the end."
"He's right, Brother Han. No matter how many enemies there are, we can repel them."
For a moment, Se Yeong's chest tightened with emotion.
They were ready to stake their lives to defend this manor.
"This manor can be rebuilt ten or a hundred times over if we set our minds to it. But if you lose your life, that's the end. So if it gets dangerous, run immediately."
The squad members were well aware that the current situation was extremely dire.
It would be one thing if they were just ordinary martial artists, but among the approaching crowd, there would surely be some extraordinary masters mixed in.
Moreover, the fact that they were advancing so boldly meant they had confidence in their numbers.
Heh heh heh...
"Then you'll run too if it gets dangerous, right, Brother?"
Paeng Se Gi maintained his composure even in this dire situation.
Se Yeong looked around at him and the squad members, who were smiling.
Their faces were tense, but not overwhelmingly grim.
Ha ha ha...!
Se Yeong laughed heartily in response.
"Yeah. If it gets dangerous, I'll run too."
Se Yeong and his squad members opened the manor's gates and stepped outside.
"Instructor Kang, if the battle turns sour, don't hesitate—head straight to the cabin."
Heh heh heh...
Instructor Kang merely chuckled heartily without replying.
"I never imagined so many martial artists would come charging at once, Brother Han."
"They don't look like ordinary martial artists to me."
Paeng Se Gi followed up on Yi Cheon Yeong's words.
Se Yeong asked them,
"If not martial artists, then whose warriors do they seem like?"
"Hmm. In the martial world, the only groups that could mobilize that many warriors are the Murim Alliance, the Righteous Clans, and the Demonic Cult."
Se Yeong shook his head at Dang Ok Yi's answer.
Even the Murim Alliance and Righteous Clans would struggle to gather so many warriors in such a short time.
Besides, warriors from the Murim Alliance, Righteous Clans, or Demonic Cult wouldn't exude such a motley aura.
"It's the Green Forest bandits."
Instructor Kang had discerned the identity of the approaching martial artists.
"No way, why would the Green Forest...?"
"Are you saying those are really Green Forest bandits?"
The squad members looked at Instructor Kang with puzzled eyes.
The Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds was a massive force that could muster over ten thousand bandits if it so desired.
But they rarely meddled in the affairs of the martial world.
Getting involved recklessly could lead to extermination campaigns against them.
"I don't know the full details either. They might be after the bounty, or perhaps trying to curry favor with the Murim Alliance."
As Se Yeong observed the approaching foes while listening to Instructor Kang's speculation, he noted that most bandits had a crude, third-rate aura leaking from their bodies, but among them were some with rather fierce and refined energies.
"There are masters among them, so stay sharp."
"Don't worry, Brother."
Se Yeong extended his hand toward Paeng Se Gi.
As if it were the most natural thing, Paeng Se Gi handed over the iron club he was holding.
When facing so many enemies, it was best to first display overwhelming power to crush their morale.
Se Yeong released the internal energy swirling around his body.
Woooong...
The moment the air vibrated, Se Yeong shot toward the approaching torchlights like the wind.
Whoooosh...
Covering twenty-odd zhang in a single bound, Se Yeong cleaved through space with his iron club.
Shiiiiaaak...
As space tore with a ripping sound, the bodies of the bandits advancing with torches in hand were also split open.
Plop...! Thud...!
Kraaack...!
Aaack...!
The bandits whose bodies were severed screamed as they collapsed in heaps.
Sudden silence fell.
The bandits charging with torches in one hand faltered in fear and stepped back.
"Kill him...!"
"Don't be scared...!"
However, bandits interspersed among the torchbearers roared and charged forward.
At the same time, Se Yeong swung his iron club at them.
Kakakang...!
Weapons shattered and flew away the instant they clashed with the iron club.
Plop...! Thud...!
Se Yeong's iron club sliced through their waists, pierced chests and heads.
With the masters swept away, no one could or even thought to block him.
Terror-stricken bandits retreated further and further.
Then, someone emerged from among the retreating bandits.
"Ak Su Deok...?"
Ak Su Deok nodded in greeting with a complicated expression.
"Long time no see."
He had a long object wrapped in cloth slung across his back.
"Why are you here...? Is this the White Master's doing too?"
"Unfortunately."
No sooner had Ak Su Deok finished speaking than someone shouted from among the bandits.
"Burn the manor...!"
The shouter was a hulking, brutish middle-aged man built like a mountain.
Waaah...!
The retreating bandits roared and charged forward once more.
"Block them...!"
Paeng Se Gi was the first to rush at the bandits, while the squad members scattered to intercept the incoming foes from all sides.
Slash... Slash...
Kraaack! Keuk...!
Instructor Kang was relentlessly cutting down bandits near Se Yeong.
"We end up as enemies after all."
The moment Se Yeong's iron club plunged toward Ak Su Deok's chest, his form dissipated.
Kwabang...! Bang...!
The clash of qi energies caused an explosion that rent the bodies of nearby bandits.
Kwabang! Bang!
Ak Su Deok blocked Se Yeong's iron club while continuously retreating.
"Don't run, Ak Su Deok...!"
As Se Yeong shouted, a trident swept at his waist.
Bang...!
The iron club struck the broadsword, piercing the opponent's head.
At that instant, Ak Su Deok's broadsword was digging into Se Yeong's shoulder.
Kwabang...!
Se Yeong swung his iron club to swat away the incoming sword and trident from both sides.
The brutish giant seemed weaker than Ak Su Deok in martial arts, but not to be dismissed.
No, he was the strongest bandit Se Yeong had encountered so far.
Moving with sword steps, Se Yeong cleaved horizontally and vertically through space at the oncoming bandits.
Shiiiiaaak...
A mass of pale qi shot across space toward the bandits.
Plop...! Plop...!
The qi mass sliced through their bodies and severed necks.
Kwaaa... Aaack...!
Amid the chaotic screams, Ak Su Deok's sword chopped at his neck, and the giant's trident pierced his waist.
Kwakwakwang...!
Se Yeong swung his iron club magnificently to deflect the sword and trident, then shifted his form.
Ak Su Deok's sword cleaved Se Yeong's afterimage, while Se Yeong's iron club pierced the giant's chest.
Bang...!
The giant who swung his trident to strike the iron club bulged his eyes at the shock traveling up his arm.
Jo Sak Do was the total stronghold lord of the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds, the leader of over ten thousand bandits.
The eighteen strongholds formed the largest bandit network in the martial world, with even the smallest housing over four hundred bandits.
Originally, he had tried to refuse the White Master's orders with various excuses.
The letter only instructed to burn Han Se Yeong's manor, but even the rumors suggested Han Se Yeong was no pushover.
However, Ak Su Deok, who delivered the letter, made an offer he couldn't refuse.
"The Supreme One said that if you carry out this order, he will no longer interfere in your affairs."
The Supreme One had once ordered Jo Sak Do to become the total stronghold lord.
That was about twelve years ago, and four years later, he slew the previous lord and took command of the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds.
What the White Master wanted was simple: to mobilize the bandits when needed later.
After becoming total lord, he immediately selected masters to serve as his limbs and kept them at the main stronghold.
He also extended bribes from the righteous sects to the prestigious families.
Having catered to them for over eight years, he felt the reward was due.
'Fine. Do it. No matter how strong Han Se Yeong is, he can't compare to the Supreme One.'
Leading all the stronghold's masters, he figured Han Se Yeong would be manageable.
But confronting Han Se Yeong directly, he realized his assumption was wrong.
Han Se Yeong was far more formidable than the rumors.
Kwakwakwang...!
Ploploplop...!
Se Yeong's iron club, after swatting Ak Su Deok's sword, instantly changed direction to crush bandits' heads and pierce chests.
'Damn...'
Jo Sak Do raised his trident to deflect the iron club diving for his head.
Kwang...!
Just blocking it felt like his hands and arms would tear off.
And to make matters worse, wasn't Ak Su Deok—who promised aid—simply retreating and watching?
'That bastard I want to beat to death...'
He hated Ak Su Deok for not helping more than Han Se Yeong, who was mercilessly slaughtering his subordinates.
Crack! Crunch! Crack! Snap...
Yeong Gak struck the wrists of bandits gripping weapons, crushing their shoulders and legs.
Aaack...!
Kwaaa...!
The bandits rolled on the ground, howling in agony.
But Yeong Gak's eyes were filled with urgency.
No matter how many limbs he crushed, the number of incoming bandits didn't decrease.
Crunch...! Bang...!
Hearing something shatter behind him, he hurriedly retreated.
Turning his head, he saw bandits who had scattered and broken through swarming into the manor through the gates.
"You fucking bastards...!"
Hearing this, Paeng Se Gi cursed and flew toward the manor.
However, the number of bandits pouring inside was only increasing.
Crunch...! Snap...!
A faint killing intent began to creep into Yeong Gak's eyes as he crushed more limbs.
'Om mani padme hum. So justice doesn't exist only between people. Life is suffering.'
As flames began to rise from within the manor, he removed the prayer beads from around his neck.
Barely suppressing his killing intent, a thunderous curse erupted from Yeong Gak's mouth.
"You filthy demons are finally turning me into a demon...!"
Papapang...!
The 108 black prayer beads shot toward the oncoming bandits.
Ploploplop! Plop!
Cleaving the air, the beads mercilessly burrowed into the bandits' bodies.
Aaaack...!
Kwaaa...!
In an instant, dozens collapsed screaming in pain.