Chapter 315
Chapter 315
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 315
Chapter Title: The Reason Ban Go Fled
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Two hours had passed.
No matter how skilled a martial artist, even an absolute expert, running at full speed for two hours would inevitably tire them out.
Yi Hwan's breathing began to grow ragged as well.
But he still couldn't close the distance to Ban Go.
‘Why is he fleeing?’
This was another mystery.
The Blood Heaven Emissary that Yi Hwan remembered, transformed from the Blood Demon, had boasted a terrifying divine might worthy of being called a mortal enemy, and warriors across the world—except for Yi Hwan—feared him to the extreme.
For such a Blood Heaven Emissary to abandon a captured comrade and run away?
Someone aligned with Jo Yun might regard Yi Hwan with caution, seeing him as the descendant of the Lord of Daye Fortress.
But unless they knew he was the Martial Emperor Yi Hwan rather than Yeon Kingdom's Fourth Imperial Prince Yi Hwan, it was hard to accept abandoning a comrade just because he was a descendant of the Lord of Daye Fortress, rather than the lord himself.
‘Perhaps it's an incomplete Blood Heaven Emissary?’
Yi Hwan glanced back.
Ju Tae and Park Ji-mun were no longer in sight. They had likely fallen too far behind to continue the pursuit.
Yi Hwan turned his gaze back to Ban Go.
Just then, his eyes locked with Ban Go's as the man looked back.
In that instant, Yi Hwan saw it.
Ban Go's pupils, completely turned blood-red. And beyond the crimson glow, the terrifying demonic energy and murderous intent flickering.
‘Is he luring me in?’
It was possible.
Even so, he had no intention of halting the chase.
If the enemy's Blood Heaven Emissary was imperfect, he had to kill him now. If he let this chance slip and the man became a perfect Blood Heaven Emissary, an unbearable catastrophe would descend.
Drip.
Sweat trickling down Yi Hwan's cheek scattered into the air.
The pursuit continued like that, and when another two hours had passed, Yi Hwan began to feel the limits of his stamina creeping in.
In truth, running at full speed for this long was already bordering on the miraculous.
"Kekeke."
Ban Go's low, eerie chuckle rode the wind into Yi Hwan's ears. But Ban Go did not stop.
Neither did Yi Hwan.
* * *
The Eightfold Ridge, a rugged mountain range whipped by fierce gales.
Jang Cheon-jo, who had been forced to head north into Yeon Kingdom due to a clash with the Danri Clan, paused to catch his breath while overlooking the vast expanse of mountains.
‘I need to get a human skin mask first…’
A few days earlier, unaware that Yeon Kingdom's Golden Army was cooperating with Qin Kingdom's warriors to hunt him, he had moved carelessly and ended up pursued by the Golden Army.
Judging cities too dangerous afterward, he was now heading north through uninhabited mountains. The problem was he couldn't keep moving like this forever.
‘Damn it…’
It was a dilemma.
At this rate, coming to Yeon Kingdom lost all meaning. Failing Jo Yun's orders would make it worse than just returning to Zhao Kingdom.
Whoosh!
‘Find a way. Some way…’
Jang Cheon-jo cooled his overheated body in the fierce wind and took a brief rest.
After about fifteen minutes,
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Faint barking echoed from below the mountain.
Twitch.
"To chase me this relentlessly just for killing a few warriors."
Jang Cheon-jo looked north.
He had to decide here. Keep going north, or pretend to while turning south.
‘Ditch the pursuit first.’
Jang Cheon-jo chose to head north.
If he shook off the Golden Army and somehow obtained a human skin mask, continuing his mission in Yeon Kingdom wouldn't be impossible.
"How is Yeon Kingdom's Golden Army operated to move this fast? It's like they're watching from the sky."
This was the most surprising thing since crossing into Yeon Kingdom.
Even when he thought he'd shaken them, less than half a day later, they were back on his trail. Their intelligence and pursuit skills made it seem like they knew his every move.
That was when it happened.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
The barking grew rapidly closer.
"Already caught up here."
Jang Cheon-jo clicked his tongue and turned north.
Right then, the forest ahead rustled.
Twitch.
‘Men who climbed up ahead of the tracking dogs?’
Whoosh!
The rustling in the forest moved at considerable speed. In the blink of an eye, it was already twenty paces away.
Jang Cheon-jo gathered his qi to unleash lightness skill. Almost simultaneously, a figure burst from the forest.
"Uh!"
A sharp gasp escaped Jang Cheon-jo's lips. He recognized the face of the one charging out.
"Why are you here…?"
"Kyaaak! Get out of my way!"
Jang Cheon-jo couldn't finish. Crimson light erupted from the man's body, streaking toward him like lightning.
Jang Cheon-jo hurriedly twisted his body and summoned protective qi. But the crimson light was far faster than expected.
Boom!
"Ugh!"
Struck dead-on by the crimson light, Jang Cheon-jo flew backward like a fallen leaf. And that spot happened to be a cliff a thousand feet deep.
* * *
Boom!
"Ugh!"
An explosion and scream erupted ahead.
Yi Hwan kicked off the ground and leaped toward the forest above. The first thing he saw was Ban Go dashing beyond the crimson light staining the sky.
And then, one man plummeting off the cliff.
Swish!
Yi Hwan veered toward the cliff edge. The falling man had grabbed the cliff face and was hanging on.
‘He'll avoid the fall.’
Yi Hwan ignored him and resumed chasing Ban Go.
Moments later, Jang Cheon-jo climbed back onto the cliff top. Clutching his chest, he stared in the direction Ban Go and Yi Hwan had vanished.
‘Why is that bastard Ban Go being chased? Who is the pursuer, and what was that crimson light?’
It had been a perilous moment. A split-second delay, and the crimson light might have pierced his body.
‘Cha Ryong, did we get separated?’
Woof! Woof! Woof!
"Up there!"
"Hurry!"
The pursuers' voices rang out from right below.
Jang Cheon-jo hesitated between continuing north or following Ban Go.
Throb!
Intense pain surged again.
‘Ban Go, you damn bastard.’
As Jang Cheon-jo clutched his chest to move, his eyes flashed. He saw the climbers veering toward where Ban Go had gone.
Sneer.
The corner of Jang Cheon-jo's mouth twitched upward.
‘Thanks to that guy, I can shake the pursuit for a while.’
* * *
The Danri Clan and Namgung Clan elites pursuing Jang Cheon-jo mistook Ban Go for him and sharply changed direction.
Meanwhile, the tracking dogs, following only scent, charged straight toward Jang Cheon-jo's position.
But the two clans' elites were already pursuing Ban Go.
"We catch him no matter what!"
Namgung Jang-cheon and Danri Mok led the charge, drawing their swords.
Clang!
A warrior right behind fired a signal flare.
Boom!
Red smoke bloomed like a flower in the sky, signaling Jang Cheon-jo's position to nearby Golden Army searchers.
* * *
Yi Hwan's speed began to slow.
Ban Go's did too.
Both possessed transcendent power, but the limits of flesh and blood were unavoidable.
That was when it happened.
Boom!
Red smoke burst in the sky above.
Yi Hwan glanced down while chasing Ban Go. He saw people racing through the forest below.
‘Namgung Clan?’
Unmistakably Namgung Clan uniforms. Danri Clan members followed.
‘Did they find the one they were chasing?’
Either way, it was fortunate.
With elites from two clans here, the Golden Army was likely nearby too. This was far better than pursuing alone.
Yi Hwan turned back to Ban Go—his expression changed abruptly. Ban Go had vanished from sight.
In that brief moment, only one place: the cliff.
Yi Hwan raced along the cliff edge.
But Ban Go was nowhere to be seen. He checked below the cliff too—no sign.
Whoosh!
A strong wind swept over his overheated body.
Just ahead, elites from the two clans climbed up. Namgung Jang-cheon and Danri Mok were among them.
Yi Hwan didn't call out. They were close enough to catch up after regulating his breath; no need to interfere.
"Huu!"
Yi Hwan exhaled deeply once more and gathered qi to unleash lightness skill again.
That was when it happened. Suddenly, a faint presence flickered from behind.
Yi Hwan spun reflexively, sharpening his senses to the max. But all that stirred was the forest rustling in the wind.
He stared back for a moment.
Then, a fox peeked its head out.
Yi Hwan gave a wry smile and leaped off to chase the vanished Ban Go.
* * *
Drip.
Sweat from Ban Go's face fell onto leaves. The crimson light filling his eyes had faded long ago.
His breath was ragged, heart pounding wildly.
‘Impossible. Chasing nonstop for so long.’
He'd heard rumors about Yi Hwan until his ears rang. But he'd dismissed them as exaggerated.
They weren't. Over four hours, Yi Hwan had pursued without widening the gap.
Then a signal flare burst in the sky, and he spotted pursuers from below.
He'd had no choice but to push himself.
He'd chosen temporary frenzy to maximize his qi, shaking Yi Hwan off.
But the backlash wrecked his breathing, forcing him to hide in the forest.
The problem: avoid detection by those pursuers below until his breath recovered.
Grip.
Suddenly, Ban Go clutched his head in agony.
‘Sorry, Cha Ryong. I had to save you, but that guy terrified me suddenly. I don't know why. That man just…’
Yi Hwan's face filled Ban Go's mind.
Yes. The infinite fear he'd suddenly felt from Yi Hwan was why he'd fled, abandoning Cha Ryong.
Like encountering a predator one must never meet?
It was an utterly unfamiliar emotion, fear, terror Ban Go had never felt before.
‘Gotta escape before he shows up again… Huu!’
Ban Go focused on recovering depleted qi with the Blood Demon's cultivation method while scanning around.
After about fifteen minutes, Namgung and Danri elites burst through the forest.
‘Just disappear. Please.’
Contrary to his desperate wish, the two clans' elites slowly approached his hiding spot.
Flash.
The vanished crimson light refilled Ban Go's pupils, flickering like flames mingled with murderous intent.
The killing intent even erased his fear of Yi Hwan.
‘I’ll kill them all.’
* * *
Namgung Jang-cheon and Danri Mok slowed, scanning sharply. The elites behind spread out, checking surroundings.
All instinctively sensed it. Someone was hiding nearby. They just mistook him for Jang Cheon-jo.
Danri Mok transmitted to Namgung Jang-cheon.
[Be careful. Something feels off.]
Namgung Jang-cheon nodded silently, channeling attack power into his sword grip.
Ban Go watched them, his eyes growing even redder.
That wasn't the only change. His black hair turned red, and razor-sharp fangs emerged from his lips.
"Kekeke."