Chapter 424
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 424
Chapter Title: It Was Beyond My Expectations
"I'm going to the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest myself..."
The sound of Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader So Hwi-woong's fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest of his chair.
"That means the entire Hocheon Corps will move with me."
"That's correct."
Heavenly Eye Pavilion Lord Gong Son Dan-gyeong nodded calmly.
"Then the alliance headquarters will be completely empty. Who knows how Elder Yeon and the Elder Council will react to that."
Leaving enemy forces behind at the main base while vacating the inner chambers? It was unthinkable in So Hwi-woong's mind.
"We already dispatched the Elder Council's strongest force, the Dragon Child Corps, to Jiangxi Province first."
"And we're sending out the Alliance Lord's Hall's strongest force, the Dragon Pavilion Corps, as well."
"We have the Protection Dragon Corps."
Even if both the Elder Council and the Alliance Lord's Hall turned their forces outward, the Protection Dragon Corps—dedicated to defending the alliance—remained steadfast.
Gong Son Dan-gyeong pointed out that fact.
Moreover, the Protection Dragon Corps belonged to the Heavenly Eye Pavilion, where he served as lord.
Even so, So Hwi-woong's face was etched with deep concern.
"Even with the elders of the Elder Council holding the fort, wouldn't the Protection Dragon Corps still fall short?"
"Jiangxi Province or the alliance headquarters. Which is more important to you, Alliance Leader? Abandoning Jiangxi Province would only give the Elder Council more ammunition against us."
An alliance leader who had handed over Righteous Heaven Alliance territory to the Four Seas Alliance without a fight.
It would provide ample grounds for impeachment.
So Hwi-woong's expression hardened.
"If the Elder Council makes a move while you're away purging the new breed of steel corpses in the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest, we hold the moral high ground. But if we simply surrender Jiangxi Province to the Four Seas Alliance without a fight, the Elder Council will seize it."
Gong Son Dan-gyeong's eyes gleamed fiercely as he spoke.
So Hwi-woong gazed steadily at Gong Son Dan-gyeong.
Gong Son Dan-gyeong did not avert his eyes.
"Looks like I need a bit more training. I've never faced off against something called a Myeolcheon steel corpse before."
At So Hwi-woong's calm words, the corner of Gong Son Dan-gyeong's mouth curved upward ever so slightly.
"Very well, then. Proceed as planned. Here's the Alliance Lord's Token."
So Hwi-woong drew a plaque made of white jade and platinum from his bosom and handed it over.
The Righteous Heaven Alliance Lord's Token.
It was the alliance leader's divine artifact, possessing absolute authority over everything in the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
Not even the Elder Council could defy its command.
Because it wielded such immense power, the token could not be used arbitrarily at any time.
But now, it could be used.
The Four Seas Alliance had declared war by sending troops into Jiangxi Province, Righteous Heaven Alliance territory.
In other words, it was wartime.
Lunchtime had passed.
All the Fierce Dragon Corps cadets gathered at the grand training grounds.
Today's session, as always after circulation training, would be sparring matches against instructors led by Ha Mu-baek.
The toughest opponent was undoubtedly Ha Mu-baek, but sparring with Han Seol-bing or Instructor Ji Gun-wi was no easy feat either.
Thus, tension was plain on their faces as they opened their eyes.
A desperate hope that they wouldn't draw any of those three instructors.
Ha Mu-baek moved first.
His opponent was Woongcheol.
Woongcheol's eyes blazed with fighting spirit.
Ji Gun-wi faced Bi Jin-hyeop.
Bi Jin-hyeop's face twisted immediately.
A look filled with worry about just how much it would hurt today.
Han Seol-bing headed toward Jeok Ga-ye.
Jeok Ga-ye, facing her, offered a slight smile.
Her recent rapid growth had instilled confidence in her.
Instructor Pyeong Deok-jo and the others also took positions in front of the cadets.
Cadets without an instructor opponent faced off against the cadet next to them.
"Begin!"
With Ha Mu-baek's declaration, the sparring commenced.
Woongcheol kicked off the ground immediately, hurling his body forward with full force and thrusting his sword.
His body carried moderate power, but his sword brimmed with tremendous strength.
Boom!
Ha Mu-baek lightly extended his sword to block Woongcheol's strike.
A stinging rebound shot through Woongcheol's hands.
At that sensation, Woongcheol grinned.
'Yeah, this is the feeling.'
Sparring with Chu Mu-ha had helped greatly, but it felt different from this.
Ha Mu-baek, the instructor clashing against his full power with even greater strength.
Heat began to blaze through his body.
And he swung his sword solely at Ha Mu-baek.
Stronger!
Bigger!
With even more power!
Woongcheol focused solely on that.
Ha Mu-baek blocked Woongcheol's sword with impassive eyes.
But inwardly, it was different.
'This kid. He's gotten stronger.'
Ha Mu-baek was handling Woongcheol's brute force effortlessly with his internal energy.
But if he fought Woongcheol purely with physical strength, without any internal energy?
He wondered if he could overwhelm him.
Woongcheol's innate divine strength was that formidable.
And now.
Concentrating all his spirit on his sword strikes to shatter a foe stronger than himself.
His dantian's internal energy flowed into his sword, gradually doubling its power.
The harmonious blend of innate divine strength and internal energy.
It produced an immense synergistic effect.
Ha Mu-baek, blocking Woongcheol's sword, gradually increased the internal energy in his own blade.
A ticklish sensation stirred in Woongcheol's chest, as if something would happen if he pushed just a little more.
The frustration of it feeling so close yet not quite there.
When that frustration weighed heavily on his chest.
"Kraaaah!!!"
Woongcheol roared a mighty kiai, swinging his sword as if to blow away the frustration.
And in that instant.
A sensation like something shattering in his dantian, followed by a torrent of internal energy surging through his body and into his sword.
A faint blue sword aura flickered along the blade flying toward Ha Mu-baek.
Kwaaaang!
A massive roar echoed.
Ha Mu-baek still blocked Woongcheol's sword with an expressionless face.
The tremendous boom halted the sparring across the training grounds for a moment.
All eyes turned to the two of them.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Huh?"
The cadets were stunned.
And understandably so.
Woongcheol manifesting sword aura was within everyone's expectations.
What shocked them was something else.
The sword of Instructor Ha Mu-baek blocking Woongcheol's.
It too shimmered with a faint white light.
"S-Sword aura? That? Definitely?"
Dang Jin-san looked around at the cadets as he asked.
Baek Ri-pyeong and Ju Wu-myeong nodded.
Even Han Seol-bing's eyes widened in surprise.
'Corps Leader used sword aura?'
It had been rare even during her Hocheon Corps days.
And now, a second-year Fierce Dragon Corps cadet had drawn it out.
Woongcheol, oblivious to such things.
Pushed harder on his blocked sword.
With the resolve to force even that damned instructor back a single step.
However.
Ha Mu-baek didn't budge an inch.
He simply held his stance, enduring Woongcheol's full-powered assault.
All eyes in the grand training grounds fixed on the pair.
Woongcheol gritted his teeth, unaware of anything.
"Nngh."
Pouring in even more strength.
"Huff."
But ultimately, he exhausted himself and staggered back a step.
And then.
He finally noticed.
The faint blue shimmer on his sword.
Sword aura.
"Huh?"
Dazed, he then widened his eyes.
And when his gaze fell on the faint white sword aura shimmering on Ha Mu-baek's sword.
His jaw dropped open.
"Heh."
With a small chuckle, the sword aura vanished from Ha Mu-baek's blade.
"Not bad. To think you'd force even a hint of sword aura out of me with that strike. It was beyond my expectations."
Ha Mu-baek's mouth curved slightly upward.
"Huh? What? Uh?"
Woongcheol, his mind blank from the sudden turn, couldn't even speak properly.
Ha Mu-baek sheathed his sword, lightly patted Woongcheol's shoulder, and moved to find his next opponent.
The cadets watched the scene in disbelief.
How on earth had they crafted such a mechanism?
Not even on the first floor, but midway up the brothel—considering the floors above and below, it shouldn't have been possible.
Walls rose from all sides, perfectly isolating Won Pyeong-sam.
A cramped space three chi across in every direction.
He was trapped there.
"Impressive craftsmanship."
Won Pyeong-sam muttered in admiration.
It wasn't millennia-tempered steel, but the walls looked quite sturdy.
Hence his puzzlement.
If every room in the brothel had such mechanisms, the cost would be unimaginable.
"I never knew Haomen had this much money to spare."
"Hmph. We sent a suspicious character like you to this room precisely because we didn't know what you might do."
Chief Steward Yi's gruff voice reached Won Pyeong-sam's ears.
A trap for confining dangerous individuals.
Not every room would have one.
Even in the main brothel, it was installed in only four rooms.
"You shouldn't put too much faith in those walls."
"They're sealed on all sides, including top and bottom, with tempered steel. Not even a transcendent master could escape easily."
Chief Steward Yi spoke with smug confidence.
A tiny hole pierced in the wall.
His voice came through it.
Meanwhile.
In each room, the courtesans excused themselves to the guests and rose from their seats.
The patrons, there to enjoy the brothel, were refunded in full and ushered out.
Because Chief Steward Yi had activated the mechanism.
Activating a trap for dangerous intruders meant a major incident had occurred.
Haomen's headquarters sprang into action.
Tap tap.
Won Pyeong-sam knocked on the iron wall.
It felt substantially thick.
He stared at the wall for a moment.
In that time, Haomen warriors gathered one after another.
To eliminate the intruder.
"What happened, Chief Steward?"
Haomen Leader Bae Un-san entered the room with a grave expression.
"Greetings, Leader."
Chief Steward Yi bowed deeply.
"This is the suspicious figure who crossed Shanhai Pass into the Central Plains a few days ago. He threatened to bring you to him, and his aura was no joke, so I had no choice but to activate the mechanism."
In those few days, they had completed their investigation into Won Pyeong-sam's identity.
Won Pyeong-sam heard it too.
He nodded.
'Quite capable.'
It wasn't his intention, but he'd confirmed their skill anyway.
And now the leader himself had come.
Mission accomplished, even if the process was a bit odd.
"So the leader's here."
Won Pyeong-sam's voice carried through the small hole to the outside.
Bae Un-san's gaze turned to the tempered steel wall.
"Who are you to barge into Haomen?"
He had already received the report. He just hadn't realized it was someone worth trapping.
Bae Un-san trusted Chief Steward Yi's judgment.
If he deemed it dangerous, it was dangerous.
"I came to propose something to you, Leader, but this is the welcome I get? Open the wall now. Don't do something you'll regret."
Won Pyeong-sam spoke, channeling his energy.
His aura pierced the tempered steel, prickling Bae Un-san's skin.
Bae Un-san nodded slightly.
With a glance, he dismissed the warriors.
He judged that the men here couldn't subdue the captive.
"We can at least talk, so state your proposal from there."
"Too many ears?"
"Doesn't matter to me."
"And if I refuse?"
"Make yourself comfortable in there."
For dangerous individuals, leaving them sealed was the answer.
No matter how strong the master, without food or water, they'd die eventually.
Just keep them locked until then.
"You seem to have excessive faith in this wall."
"......"
Bae Un-san didn't respond.
Won Pyeong-sam scanned his prison once more.
He'd stayed still out of curiosity about their methods, only to get trapped.
It was a cleverly designed trap.
Just three cheok wide and long—barely ninety centimeters.
Too narrow to fully extend his arms.
And from the knock earlier, the walls' thickness was no joke either.
They had reason to boast it could hold even a transcendent master.
But Won Pyeong-sam chuckled.
The ten pillar demon clans upholding the True Demon Heaven.
The Ten Demon Houses.
He was Won Pyeong-sam, head of the eighth house, the Won Clan.
No mere wall could contain him.
Black sword gang energy rose, enveloping his hand.
Hand gang as black as pitch.
Won Pyeong-sam thrust his hand forward casually.
Pfshk.
His hand pierced the iron wall like tofu.
"Gasp!"
Bae Un-san flinched at the sudden emergence of the pitch-black hand gang from the wall.
His face paled.