Chapter 198
Chapter 198
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 198
Chapter Title: Crisis (1)
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Under the moonlight, figures were rapidly closing in.
Five of them immediately caught the eye. But soon, more emerged from the forest behind.
They were heading straight for where Go Mi and Hwa Ryeong were.
Squeeze.
Hwa Ryeong grabbed Go Mi's arm.
"Should we... run for it first?"
"……!"
Whoosh!
Hwa Ryeong grabbed Go Mi's arm and leaped into the air. Go Mi lightened her body as much as possible and pushed off from Hwa Ryeong's arm.
Go Mi glanced at their pursuers. Then she decided on a direction.
"We should head back the way we came!"
"Got it."
The two women plunged into the forest first, then veered toward the Imperial Palace. If they got any farther from it, there'd be no hope of returning later.
Rustle rustle rustle!
Screeech!
A sharp blast from a signal horn rang out.
Two fireworks exploded in the sky.
Boom! Boom!
The area lit up like midday for an instant, but the dense forest blocked the light.
Go Mi looked back again.
'……They're fast!'
She had thought they'd opened some distance since they started running first. But the assailants had already closed to within thirty paces.
Rustle rustle rustle!
Go Mi and Hwa Ryeong ran with all their might. The thick forest impeded their path, forcing them to leap up toward the treetops.
"Those bastards are filthy fast!"
Hwa Ryeong was tense too. She suspected their pursuers were assassins from the Palace of Illusory Flowers.
'If they're the shadows of the Empress, we're in danger.'
Hwa Ryeong hoped against hope they weren't, matching her speed to Go Mi's.
Hwa Ryeong still held the advantage in inner energy, so over time the gap would widen inevitably. They needed to conserve strength from now on by matching paces.
And what worried her most was that in a crisis, she'd have no choice but to use her own martial arts.
That would alert the Empress to her survival—and place a heavy burden on Yi Hwan.
'I can't let harm come to the Great Prince.'
Rustle rustle rustle!
Branches shot up over the moonlight.
'The distance is closing! At this rate, they'll catch us before we reach the palace.'
Go Mi bit her lip in alarm, scanning ahead. She spotted a gorge yawning open like a demon's maw and turned to Hwa Ryeong.
"Head there!"
"Got it!"
The two women dropped back down into the forest.
Branches scraped their faces, drawing blood, but they had no time to notice.
Whish!
A chilling energy flew from behind with a whoosh. Go Mi and Hwa Ryeong unleashed protective auras and plunged into even denser woods.
Thud thud thud thud!
Dozens of hidden weapons embedded in trees. Several exploded.
Boom!
Small blasts, but enough to inflict fatal wounds if they hit flesh.
How long had they run like that?
At last, the gorge entrance came into view. Go Mi and Hwa Ryeong leaped in without looking back.
It was then.
Swish!
Ghostly figures appeared on both sides of the entrance.
"……!"
Go Mi's eyes widened.
Hwa Ryeong shouted.
"Just charge through!"
Fwoosh!
Flames erupted from Hwa Ryeong's sword.
Unable to use her own arts, her best option was to maximize power with extreme yang techniques.
Swoosh!
Boom!
An explosion and flames burst forth.
A chilling energy shot from beyond the fire toward Hwa Ryeong's chest.
Bang!
Hwa Ryeong smacked away the enemy's sword, then thrust straight ahead, surging forward in an instant.
"Urk!"
A strangled cry escaped the foe.
A severed head flew into the air. Go Mi had seized the opening and slashed the throat.
Her sword was swift.
Swoosh!
Hwa Ryeong's blade engulfed another.
Go Mi leaped into her trajectory at the same time. The result was the same.
"Gah!"
Another head fell limply.
They had never coordinated before, yet their two joint strikes were perfect.
"Hurry inside!"
"Got it!"
The women plunged into the gorge and ran with all their strength, not daring to look back.
That's when Hwa Ryeong, running behind Go Mi, felt something on her face. She touched it, saw blood, and her eyes flew wide.
"You're hurt?"
"It's not deep—don't worry!"
Go Mi's shoulder robe was torn long. She'd been grazed by an enemy's sword in the clash at the entrance.
The gorge was far deeper and more treacherous than it looked from outside. A stream ran down the center, with steep slopes and thick shrubs on both sides.
Go Mi had passed this area countless times but never entered. She was quite flustered. One wrong move, and they'd be isolated.
Hwa Ryeong shouted.
"Keep running for now!"
Rustle rustle rustle!
Go Mi checked behind again.
The assailants had closed to about twenty paces. A bit more time, and capture was inevitable.
'Evasion's impossible. I need a place to buy time...'
A suitable spot appeared. Go Mi turned toward it without hesitation.
Hwa Ryeong yelled.
"Why there?!"
"We'll buy time there and find a way!"
"If we get surrounded and trapped, no plan will help!"
"Just trust me!"
Hwa Ryeong was anxious. Go Mi's destination was a thick forest leading to a cliff.
They could hide momentarily, but if the assailants encircled them, escape would be impossible.
Still, she trusted Go Mi.
Whish!
Whooshes rose from behind again. Hwa Ryeong spun, unleashing a protective aura and sword barrier.
Hummm!
Clang clang clang clang!
Boom!
Metal clangs and an explosion rang out together.
Flames from the blast caught on Hwa Ryeong's robe. She hastily shed her outer garment.
It engulfed an assailant who had closed in, ignoring even wind resistance. But his sword shredded the robe.
Meanwhile, Go Mi soared to an open space in the treetops. She drew several one-chi iron rods from her bosom, gripping them in both hands.
"Hurry!"
As soon as Hwa Ryeong landed, Go Mi stabbed the rods into the ground in several spots.
An astonishing sight unfolded.
The surroundings hummed and transformed into an entirely different landscape.
Go Mi grabbed Hwa Ryeong's arm and retreated as far back as possible.
Hummm! Hummm!
The space ahead rippled wildly.
Hwa Ryeong asked in astonishment.
"What is it?"
"A formation."
"I get that it's a formation, but they can't break through?"
"No. They'll breach it soon enough. But it'll buy us some time, so catch your breath."
The formation she deployed was a barrier type that repelled intruders and kept them out.
With more time to set it properly, even formation experts would need considerable effort to break it. But hastily erected, it was somewhat crude.
"Impressive as expected. I've never even heard of a formation like this..."
"Hold on."
Clank!
Go Mi set down her sword and tore her robe to bind her wound tightly. Hwa Ryeong exhaled deeply and sank to the ground.
Go Mi sat beside her.
Hwa Ryeong gave a wry smile.
"We dodged the immediate crisis, but now we're trapped. What do we do?"
"Once your energy recovers, head to the palace for help. I'll draw their attention with the formation—they won't notice."
"We can just go together."
"If no one maintains the central ward, the formation collapses instantly. One must stay, and you're deeper in energy than me—you can run faster."
"……!"
"If you worry about me, run like hell."
Hwa Ryeong saw the resolve in Go Mi's eyes. Such determination never broke.
"Got it. I'll be back as fast as I can."
Hummm! Hummm!
The space ahead still shuddered violently. The assailants were likely slashing at it with swords.
Hwa Ryeong sat cross-legged.
"I'll circulate my energy a bit."
The fastest way to recover was meditation. Trusting Go Mi's formation, Hwa Ryeong slipped into a trance.
Go Mi steadied her breathing and gathered branches, cutting them to uniform length.
'Can I hold out until help arrives? Will Hwa be safe reaching the palace?'
Her mind raced.
Anxiety lingered. Death didn't scare her—what did was missing Yi So and Yi Hwan fulfilling the greater cause.
Yi So's kind face surfaced.
Then Yi Hwan's impassive one pushed it aside, filling her mind.
Memories of time with him flashed like a panorama. Go Mi's chest tightened.
Don't die.
Yi Hwan's voice echoed like an illusion.
Clench.
* * *
"Stop!"
A white-robed man stepped forward behind those wildly swinging swords at the formation.
He led the Palace of Illusory Flowers assassins.
He stared at the shimmering space like a heat haze, his eyes trembling.
'One of them knows formations...'
The martial world brimmed with arts, but few handled formations. Rarer still were those who could dispel them.
A black-robed man showed dismay.
"We can't break through."
"We knew they weren't ordinary, but this ability too..."
"There was another woman—a top expert. Her martial prowess seemed greater than Moon Pavilion's Moon Lord."
"So not from Moon Pavilion... Was there a female master near the Fourth Imperial Prince?"
"Yes. Intel says there's one at peak supreme level, but her build is much smaller than the woman inside."
He meant Pa Pa.
Her skills were known since she acted with Yi Hwan at the World Martial Conference. Of course, no one knew she was Jo Gwang's guard.
The blood-robed man surveyed the surroundings, then issued orders.
"If we can't enter, they can't exit. Guard the perimeter like iron anyway!"
"Understood."
Then more approached from behind—Red Moon assassins. A yellow-robed one stepped up and demanded sharply.
"How's it going?"
"The women deployed a formation."
"You're stalled by a mere formation?"
Twitch.
The white-robe's brow curved like a blade. The yellow-robe's arrogance grated.
"Then you break it yourself."
"Break it!"
"Yes!"
Two Red Moon assassins drew swords and advanced, slashing the space with energy-infused blades.
Hummm! Hummm!
The white-robe sneered. His Palace comrades did too.
"Stop!"
The yellow-robe stepped forward, igniting flames in his hand.
The white-robe saw through it and barked coldly.
"What do you think you're doing!"
"If swords won't work, burn it down."
"Are you mad? If it spreads to the whole mountain, will you take responsibility?"
"The Grand Overseer commanded we kill those women. We just obey—stand aside."
The white-robe held firm, glaring fiercely.
"This is all Her Majesty the Empress's territory. Do as you like if you're confident in the fallout."
"……!"
The flames dancing at the yellow-robe's fingertips vanished in an instant.
No matter the direct superior's order, none dared irk the Empress.
"Ahem! Let's find another way. As fast as possible."