Chapter 282
Chapter 282
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 282
Chapter Title: Entering the Main Headquarters
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The height from the ground to the Dark Heaven Cult's main headquarters was roughly three hundred zhang.
To ascend there, one had no choice but to use the narrow cliffside paths carved by digging and cutting into the sheer cliffs. Thus, with just a few experts guarding the passes, it could be thoroughly defended, while the attackers would find it like the gates of hell.
Battles raged across every one of those paths.
Clang!
“Argh!”
“Uwaaak!”
Screams of agony echoed as bodies plummeted. The blood they shed scattered through the air like a rain of gore.
And higher up.
Even in the plaza before the Dark Heaven Cult's main headquarters—which had never once permitted an enemy's footfall—a fierce bloodbath was unfolding.
“Hold them back! Don’t let a single one through!”
“Out of the way, you bastards!”
Clang!
Boom boom boom!
“Kraaak!”
“Ugh!”
Tremble...
Ma Junghyo's eyes shook violently as he emerged from the defensive line on the paths. Through them, massive kites dug into the plaza like daggers amid the sprawl of corpses.
Tremble...
‘Climbing on kites!’
A chill seeped through his veins, as if all his blood had frozen. No one in the Dark Heaven Cult, himself included, had ever imagined such a tactic.
Flash!
Krrrack!
“Kraaak!”
“Keuak!”
A single massive beam of light mercilessly felled numerous Dark Heaven Cultists. Ma Junghyo's eyes reflexively turned toward the source.
There stood a man wielding a gigantic longsword. Dressed in ink-black dark robes and blood-red leather boots, he rampaged across the battlefield like a feral beast.
No one could block him, and no one could evade his blade.
He was the very same figure who had routed the Land Sword Demon just days ago when it had lunged for Won Gaese.
“Strategist!”
A man in green robes hurried over.
“Where is the Cult Leader?”
“We don’t know!”
“...!”
Tremble...
Ma Junghyo's facial muscles twitched. But soon, his eyes hardened with ruthless coldness.
In that fleeting moment, his mind raced. His decision: withdraw the forces from the plaza.
“Sound the retreat signal!”
“Pardon?”
“Now!”
“Understood!”
Screeeee! Screeeee!
Sharp horn blasts tore through the air one after another. At the sound, the Dark Heaven Cultists who had been fiercely battling the Qin Kingdom warriors began withdrawing en masse toward the northern plaza.
Shing!
Ma Junghyo moved toward the northern plaza as well. Just then, the man in dark robes spotted him and leaped into the air.
But Dark Heaven Cultists blocked his path, preventing him from reaching Ma Junghyo.
* * *
“The zealots are retreating north!”
Danri Mok shouted.
Namgung Jang-cheon wiped the blood from his face and took a deep breath.
“Hoo!”
“What could be inside that massive structure?”
Danri Mok pointed at the enormous headquarters, his gaze steadying.
Namgung Jang-cheon replied in a heavy tone.
“If they’re retreating despite having ample strength to fight, they might be luring us in there.”
“Likely.”
Namgung Jang-cheon glanced left.
There, a figure in dark long robes mercilessly slaughtered the fleeing zealots.
And behind him.
An elderly man in snow-white robes danced a sword dance like a solitary crane.
White-Clothed Sword God Baek Woo-kyeong.
He was the one leading the experts here. The figure in dark long robes displaying the most fearsome prowess before him was Baek Woo-kyeong's younger brother, Baek Yeon.
Both were masters who had reached the Absolute Realm—figures unknown to the Dark Heaven Cult's intelligence.
“Let’s head there!”
Namgung Jang-cheon and Danri Mok flew toward Baek Woo-kyeong. Everywhere they passed was dyed red with the blood of the fallen.
“Halt!”
A resonant shout burst from Baek Woo-kyeong's lips.
It spread across the battlefield, causing the Qin Kingdom warriors pursuing the fleeing cultists to fall back.
The intense battle came to a sudden halt.
Baek Woo-kyeong swept his gaze over the vast plaza, his eyes steadying.
In the battle lasting just under half a shichen, nearly a thousand warriors had lost their lives. Among them were those who had plummeted after failing to catch the wind properly while ascending on kites.
“Should this be called a success?”
An enigmatic murmur slipped from Baek Woo-kyeong's lips.
Baek Yeon approached.
“We’ve felled nearly twice our number in foes, so the momentum is firmly ours, brother.”
Baek Woo-kyeong shook his head.
“The real fight hasn’t even begun. The true enemy lies inside.”
“......”
“You take the warriors and aid our allies ascending the paths.”
“Yes.”
Baek Yeon headed to the paths with a hundred warriors. Baek Woo-kyeong channeled his inner energy into a low call to the gathering warriors around him.
“Regroup and tend to the wounded at once!”
“Yes!”
Baek Woo-kyeong cast his gaze toward the Dark Heaven Cult's inner sanctum. The cultists had already retreated inside, leaving the surroundings empty.
Whoosh!
The wind swept away the stench of blood.
Danri Mok turned to Namgung Jang-cheon and transmitted.
[Why not charge in right away?]
[He seems hesitant, unsure what’s inside. It bothers him that they retreated despite being able to fight more.]
[Hmm...]
Namgung Jang-cheon stared at Baek Woo-kyeong, standing aloof amid the wind.
Watching him stirred his heart.
‘Is that the bearing of an Absolute Realm master?’
An Absolute Realm master, inevitably mentioned in debates over the Qin Kingdom's strongest.
Baek Woo-kyeong, who had built an impregnable fortress no one dared challenge, was a dreamlike existence to Namgung Jang-cheon and the Qin Kingdom's warriors.
It was then. Warriors began leaping over the walls into the plaza one by one. They had finally broken through the zealots on the paths.
Among them were Yi Hwan and Cheol Mu-ok, but disguised with human skin masks, no one recognized them.
Finally, Baek Yeon returned from providing support.
His entire body was drenched in blood. With each step, droplets trailed behind him on the ground.
“I’m back.”
“Good work.”
Baek Woo-kyeong surveyed the steadily arriving warriors, his gaze steadying. More were missing than expected.
The ascent must have been hellish.
Baek Yeon asked.
“Are you deliberately holding back the attack?”
“We can’t predict the outcome if we rush in recklessly. We just need to hold here until the Grand Commander's forces arrive.”
“Yes.”
That was precisely Baek Woo-kyeong's goal.
Time was on their side anyway. His wish was to win this war while minimizing the warriors' sacrifices.
* * *
Yi Hwan stared at Baek Woo-kyeong, standing aloof like a crane.
‘A master who has reached the Absolute Realm.’
Even with his energy restrained, Baek Woo-kyeong couldn't evade Yi Hwan's senses.
Then, Cheol Mu-ok's transmitted voice flowed into his ear.
[Namgung Jang-cheon is over there.]
Yi Hwan looked where Cheol Mu-ok indicated. Sure enough, Namgung Jang-cheon and Danri Mok stood side by side.
[Let’s go there.]
[Will you reveal your identity?]
[We can’t expose ourselves because of Won Gaese. But staying with them long-term will invite suspicion eventually. Those two will help then.]
[Understood.]
Yi Hwan and the other two walked toward Namgung Jang-cheon.
Many eyes watched them pass, but no one questioned their identities. After such a brutal bloodbath, no one had the mental leeway.
Yi Hwan approached Namgung Jang-cheon.
“Did you join the battle while still injured?”
“......!”
Namgung Jang-cheon looked at him, his expression changing. The face was completely different, but the voice was Yi Hwan's.
Danri Mok reacted the same.
“If my identity comes into question later, can you vouch that you know me?”
“Understood.”
“Yes.”
Namgung Jang-cheon and Danri Mok exchanged glances and smiled. They had thought the departed Yi Hwan gone, yet here he was again.
“Who is that?”
“The White-Clothed Sword God.”
‘So that’s him.’
Yi Hwan's mind held considerable information on the Three Kingdoms' experts. Naturally, it included Baek Woo-kyeong, one of the Qin Kingdom's top masters.
His surprise ended there. Yi Hwan swept his gaze over them once and asked.
“Are you both alright?”
“Yes. We’re fine.”
“I’m fine too. So, will you stay with us to the end?”
“Depending on the situation.”
“Please do.”
“I’ll consider it.”
* * *
Jang Cheon-hwa and Ma Junghyo stood side by side.
Jang Cheon-hwa looked down at the Qin Kingdom warriors assembled in the plaza through a window, his eyes unexpectedly serene.
“Climbing on kites. What a brilliant stratagem.”
“I apologize. We didn’t anticipate that.”
“No need to apologize. Who could have conceived such a thing? In any case, they have a remarkable strategist, so we must be especially vigilant from now on.”
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
Jang Cheon-hwa stared at Baek Woo-kyeong.
He had already discerned Baek Woo-kyeong's identity.
“If we failed to detect such a titan’s arrival beforehand, he must have disguised himself. That means all our spies in the Qin Kingdom camps are likely compromised.”
“Indeed. So, as I mentioned, it’s time for the Qin Kingdom to face unrest as well. If our followers rise simultaneously across the capital and regions nationwide, even Won Gaese won’t be able to hold back.”
“Do it.”
“Understood.”
Ma Junghyo withdrew.
Jang Cheon-hwa stared at Baek Woo-kyeong again. Seeing him stand aloof with his white hair whipping in the wind twisted his guts.
But soon, Jang Cheon-hwa laughed.
“I wonder if your Qin Kingdom has someone capable of Yuan’s ruthless measures like Yi Hwan. If not, you’ll regret this assault with tears of blood. Heh heh heh.”
* * *
Thud! Thud!
Crack!
The great army led by Won Gaese advanced. To neutralize the Qin mechanisms, they cleared a path from the outskirts by felling trees outright.
It took time, and large numbers couldn’t advance at once, but it was the safest, most reliable method.
Yet the Dark Heaven Cult showed no reaction. Even the warriors led by Baek Woo-kyeong refrained from assaulting the inner sanctum, remaining in the plaza.
This eerie standoff, poised to erupt at any moment, persisted until the sun set and the next morning dawned.
Whoosh!
With morning, mist rose, reforming the sea of clouds. It swiftly engulfed the Qin Kingdom warriors assembled in the plaza.