Chapter 81: Supporting the Le'an Branch (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 81: Supporting the Le'an Branch (1)
Mount Okhwa.
It was a mountain that could only be reached by traveling far south, past Poyang Lake and Nanchang in northern Jiangxi Province.
Using their Lightness Skills, the Heavenly Sword Hall traveled from Anhui to Jiangxi with incredible speed. Though their ranks were a mix of First Cloud to Fourth Cloud members, not a single one fell behind. Their stamina was meticulously managed, leaving them ready to respond to any sudden situation at a moment's notice.
While this was partly due to Lee Se-ha's experienced leadership, it was also proof that every member of the Heavenly Sword Hall met the high standards expected of the Ten Halls. The title of "Azure Heaven Association's elite" suited them perfectly.
Whoosh!
Racing across the wilderness with the muggy wind as their companion, the Heavenly Sword Hall finally arrived near Mount Okhwa.
"Halt."
Lee Se-ha's voice was barely a whisper, yet the Heavenly Sword Hall reacted instantly, planting their feet firmly into the ground.
Thud!
The dry earth trembled. Dust kicked up by the Qi Waves of their Lightness Skills billowed low like a ground-hugging fog, doing little more than tickling the hems of their trousers.
Namgung Jun raised his head and stared at the distant mountain slopes. That had to be Mount Okhwa, the destination of their mission.
We should arrive in about two ke, Namgung Jun estimated, calculating the group’s travel speed and the remaining distance. Thirty minutes. He lightly tapped the ground with his toe.
My current Lightness Skill is serviceable, but…
He was currently blending the Lightness Skills stored in the Self-Reflection Martial Repository with techniques from the Namcheon Palace, but the result was not entirely satisfying. Unlike when he had first joined the Azure Heaven Association, he had now achieved the harmony of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and his mastery of the Lightness Movement Art had progressed by leaps and bounds.
There was no longer any risk of him falling behind the other members as he once had. Still, Namgung Jun found the situation frustrating. The Lightness Skill he was using was a fine martial art, but it wasn't one he could dedicate his life to mastering.
He needed a technique like Infinite Steps or the Heaven-Pillar Resolute Advance Movement Art—one that could take deep root in his being and meld completely with his body. Only then would his Lightness Movement Art flow naturally, becoming a single, fluid motion. Only after creating a Lightness Skill that truly suited him would he be able to move with unconscious grace and precision.
A Lightness Skill. If this were a sword technique, I’d be at ease, but this is proving difficult.
As Namgung Jun mulled over footwork and movement arts, his gaze slowly shifted.
An unfamiliar presence was drawing near.
Lee Se-ha, perhaps already aware, had turned her eyes from Mount Okhwa toward a patch of bushes on the opposite side. The other Clouds sensed the presence one by one, but none reacted hastily, waiting instead for Lee Se-ha's command.
Rustle!
The sound of dry leaves crunching underfoot grew closer. Soon, a middle-aged man parted the bushes and cautiously revealed himself. Judging by his aura and footwork, he was an ordinary civilian who had never learned martial arts.
"Greetings."
It would be natural to be startled upon stumbling across dozens of swordsmen in a deserted mountain. However, the man walked forward calmly, as if he had already known the Heavenly Sword Hall was there. Though he possessed no martial arts, he was clearly a civilian with ties to the Jianghu.
"Here it is, sirs."
"The message arrived safely. Thank you."
Lee Se-ha approached him directly, and the man handed her a rolled-up piece of paper. Once she had taken it, he immediately turned back, as if his duty was complete.
Namgung Jun watched the man’s receding back.
He doesn't belong to our association.
Yet, he was providing assistance. There had to be a connection.
I heard there’s a secret faction cooperating with our association. Is he one of them?
After a brief moment of observation, Namgung Jun turned his attention back to the group.
Lee Se-ha quickly scanned the unrolled paper and muttered, "Fortunately, the Le'an Branch members trapped on Mount Okhwa seem to be safe for now."
Burning the paper to ash with Samadhi True Fire, she looked at her hall members.
"Let me summarize the mission details once more."
The secret branch in Le'an, Jiangxi Province, had been discovered and attacked by the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult. The Le'an Branch immediately abandoned their base and fled. This was partly because a secret branch lost its purpose the moment it was exposed, but also because they possessed crucial information that had to be delivered to the Azure Heaven Association's headquarters.
"The Le'an Branch fled until they reached Mount Okhwa, where they are currently holding out to buy time."
In preparation for such attacks from the Demonic and Heretical Paths, the Azure Heaven Association had established secret refuges where members could hide and hold out. Mount Okhwa was one of them. This was why the Le'an Branch, despite being pursued by the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult, was still able to survive. It was clear the cult had not yet found the refuge.
"The Sun-Moon Demonic Cult forces occupying Mount Okhwa are split into two groups."
Lee Se-ha picked up a twig, wrote the characters for "Okhwa" in the dirt, and drew a large circle around them.
"Most of the cult's forces are blocking the paths around the mountain. Within this encirclement, a smaller portion of them is tracking down the Le'an Branch."
The main force had formed a perimeter, while a separate detachment searched the mountain itself.
"Since the enemy is numerous, it would be foolish to charge straight up from the bottom," Namgung Jun observed.
"Exactly. The first step is to create a suitable distraction to draw their attention." As if on cue, Lee Se-ha looked at Namgung Jun and asked, "What do you think? Care to give it a try, my disciple?"
After a moment of thought, Namgung Jun shook his head. "You would be far more suited for it than I, Master."
"Why is that?"
"Your reputation as the Heavenly Sword Hall Master and the Black Cloud Wandering Maiden carries more weight with the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult. If you reveal yourself, the main force at the foot of the mountain will react much more sharply."
Lee Se-ha nodded, as if he had given the correct answer. "What comes next is also crucial. If we don't crush the detachment scouring the mountain, we won't be able to save the Le'an Branch. I'll leave that to you, Jun."
"Yes, Master."
Namgung Jun had been given the most important role after Lee Se-ha, yet no one objected or questioned the Hall Master's assignment. In the current Heavenly Sword Hall, there was no swordsman who could match Namgung Jun, save for Lee Se-ha herself. Furthermore, having recently been promoted to the Third Cloud, his qualifications were beyond doubt.
"I'm curious to see how our youngest leads."
"Moving alone and commanding subordinates are two different things, after all."
The veterans actually seemed intrigued to see what kind of performance Namgung Jun would deliver.
"We won't need many people to climb the mountain."
Lee Se-ha swiftly divided their forces based on the new information. Having understood their respective duties, the swordsmen of the Heavenly Sword Hall pulsed with powerful Qi Waves, ready to deploy at any moment.
Lee Se-ha nodded.
"Let's go."
Having fully recovered their strength during the brief rest, the Heavenly Sword Hall charged toward Mount Okhwa.
* * *
"Still no news?"
"No, sir."
"Mount Okhwa isn't even that large. Why is it taking so long?"
"It seems those bastards dug a secret rabbit hole. Still, it won't be long now."
Listening to the cultist's report, the Bright Order Rank officer sighed. "This shouldn't have dragged on so long. We never should have given those Le'an Branch bastards a chance to escape. The Azure Heaven Association is bound to react."
"Yes, sir. We will handle this quickly so things don't get complicated."
Sa Haeng-do, the Bright Order Rank officer in charge of wiping out the Le'an Branch, clicked his tongue. The branch was presumed to be the Azure Heaven Association’s largest in Jiangxi Province. Furthermore, the item they had intercepted was of immense importance. Because of this, five Bright Order Rank officers had been mobilized for the purge, bringing all available forces from Jiangsu Province.
Tsk. Those bastards took the choice assignment of leading the detachment.
Sa Haeng-do clicked his tongue again as he stared up at the peaks of Mount Okhwa. Even among those of the same Bright Order Rank, there were differences in martial prowess and standing. Among the five, Red-Gate Sword and Ho Gong-no—two of the strongest—were currently leading the search party.
From Sa Haeng-do's perspective, he could only hope that the Le'an Branch would evade the detachment and try to descend the mountain. Only then could he snatch the greater achievement for himself.
As it stands, I'm just idling around at the foot of the mountain.
Boom!
Displeased with his situation, Sa Haeng-do had been leaning back in his chair, only to spring up in shock. A sudden, thunderous explosion had ripped through the air outside. The encirclement at the foot of the mountain was supposed to be quiet.
Something had definitely gone wrong.
Did the Le'an Branch escape the detachment and show up here?
Rushing out of his tent with a slightly flushed face, Sa Haeng-do's expression instantly contorted.
Swordsmen were indiscriminately slaughtering the cultists. The cultists were resisting, but they were being pushed back helplessly. It was only natural. Their opponents were one of the Ten Halls, the pride of the Azure Heaven Association.
"The Heavenly Sword Hall!" Sa Haeng-do cried out in shock.
Just as he recognized them, a voice echoed from above his head. "You're a Bright Order Rank officer, aren't you?"
Sa Haeng-do looked up. A beautiful face filled his vision, drawing impossibly close. Under normal circumstances, he would have been spellbound, but now was not the time. He instinctively channeled his Internal Energy and raised both hands to block.
Compared to the sword thrusting toward his neck, his hands moved far too slowly.
That was Sa Haeng-do's final memory.
Slash!
Having severed the officer's neck in a single surprise strike, Lee Se-ha landed softly on the ground.
"Gah!"
"The Heavenly Sword Hall! It's the Heavenly Sword Hall!"
"Request reinforcements from the other sides!"
Despite losing the initiative, the demonic practitioners showed no signs of backing down. Instead, they unleashed all kinds of Demonic Arts, attempting to push the Heavenly Sword Hall back.
However, Lee Se-ha welcomed this. The louder the chaos, the more the enemy's attention would be divided, making it easier for Namgung Jun to move on the mountain.
Crackle!
Thick Thunder Qi crackled along her sword.
"I wonder if there's anyone here who can withstand my blade?"
Lee Se-ha began sweeping the area, searching for the other Bright Order Rank officers in charge of the main force.
* * *
While the Heavenly Sword Hall threw the enemy's main force into chaos, Namgung Jun moved separately. He charged straight up the slopes of Mount Okhwa, with Gong Jun-am, Heo Il, and Man Ye-won following close behind. This was the team assembled to deal with the detachment on the mountain.
"This way."
Under Namgung Jun's decisive leadership, the others followed in silence. His sensory perception had become broader and more acute after achieving the harmony of Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Utilizing his enhanced senses, he swept the entirety of Mount Okhwa and finally found it.
A faint presence, pursued by a sickening cluster of Demonic Qi.
It was undoubtedly a Cloud from the Le'an Branch.
"Let's pick up the pace."
As Namgung Jun's Lightness Skill accelerated, the wind splitting against the edge of his bamboo hat grew fiercer. Leaping over a low hill in a single bound, he saw the figure of a woman.
The woman, who appeared to be a Rising Star, was covered in blood. Though her yellow martial uniform was stained dark red, the single cloud embroidered on her sleeve was distinct. There were others with her, all of them clearly Clouds of the Azure Heaven Association.
The survivors of the Le'an Branch.
Confirming the embroidery, Namgung Jun's hand naturally rested on the hilt of his sword. He could sense multiple presences pursuing them just twenty paces behind.
Tap!
Moving at maximum speed, Namgung Jun slid to a halt. His left hand gripped the end of his scabbard while his right hand held the hilt.
"Stop!" someone's voice echoed from afar.
Namgung Jun knew with certainty that the voice was not directed at the fleeing woman, but at him.
He paid it no mind.
He channeled the recoil generated from his sudden stop, turning it into a part of his Sword Force.
Duck, Namgung Jun sent a Voice Transmission to the woman and the other Clouds, drawing his sword at the exact same moment.
Heavenly Wind Sword Technique.
Single-Reed Wind.
A long wave of sword wind erupted from his blade. Curved like a reed, it stretched out horizontally, splitting the air. It was a bold, unhesitating strike.
"Ugh!"
Hearing the Voice Transmission, the woman’s eyes widened as she curled her body inward. A few strands of her hair, not lowered in time, were cleanly severed and fluttered in the air.
Swoosh!
A chilling wind, carrying the sound of flesh and trees being sliced apart, filled the forest. In a single stroke, Namgung Jun had cut down the seven demonic practitioners pursuing the woman, along with several surrounding trees.
Yet, he did not sheathe his sword. Holding his blade low, he focused his gaze between the slowly toppling trees.
"Who the hell are you?" the voice that had tried to stop him rang out once more.
However, the response came from elsewhere.
"Namgung Jun?"
The woman, who had ducked to avoid the Single-Reed Wind, muttered blankly as she stared at him.
Hearing her, Namgung Jun turned his gaze toward her. He couldn't recognize the woman before him.
"Who are you?" he asked.
At his question, the woman's lips parted slightly in disbelief.