Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1299. Is there a place to rest on this earth? (4)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
"Uh..."
Hainan Sect disciples stared blankly at the back of the man who had stepped forward.
Mountain-Cleaving Sword ((단악검(斷岳劍) Previousy Demolishing Mountain Sword) Namgung Dowi.
One who was once of greater fame than anyone else here. He was destined to lead Righteous Sects one day. He has now stepped forward to protect them.
“Namgung....”
A soft sigh escaped Namgung Dowi’s mouth.
'Not good.'
His stamina was lacking, despite how much he had trained.
The time he spent with Mount Hua had been brief. The path of martial arts couldn't be so easy as to show dramatic growth in such a brief period.
But even so, Namgung Dowi did not hesitate to step forward.
'Because I've already experienced it.'
Fighting an enemy that was beyond one’s ability.
Resisting and enduring in a situation that was almost hopeless.
That was why he could step forward. Could face them. And could protect them. Just like in the past, when he saved the disciples of Namgung Family from chaos.
If he couldn’t protect them now, it would mean that he hadn’t taken a single step forward from Plum Blossom Island of the past. That was something Namgung Dowi could never accept.
Squeeze.
Namgung Dowi clenched the hilt of his sword so tightly that his fingers turned white.
"Strike!"
But the opponent, seemingly unwilling to give Namgung Dowi time to catch his breath, quickly erased the panic that crossed their face and rushed toward him.
The number of enemies was three. No different from those who faced Jo-Gol and the other Mount Hua disciples. Namgung Dowi's gaze darkened.
'I appreciate the high evaluation, but...'
Wooooong!
His sword erupted with a majestic hum.
The swords of Namgung Family were renowned throughout generations. Especially those used by the direct descendants of Namgung Family were worthy of their prestigious reputation as treasured swords. But this wasn’t because Namgung Family indulged in extravagance.
They needed a sword that could withstand. A regular sword would shatter instantly under the energy imbued by Namgung Family's swordsmanship. Only a well-forged sword could withstand it.
Paaaat!
The blood-red martial artists holding their thin swords in hand and flew at Namgung Dowi like hawks diving for prey. Three red streaks of blood seemed ready to pierce through him at any moment.
At that moment, Namgung Dowi's eyes gleamed with a bright light.
'You've chosen!'
Kuuuung!
He stomped down powerfully with a shock step. (震脚/Create physical shockwaves through the ground)
'The wrong opponent!'
Kwaaaaaaaa!
Namgung Dowi swung his sword diagonally in one breath. An enormous amount of sword energy poured out like a waterfall from the brilliantly glowing white sword. It was as if a pure white cotton cloth had been unfurled in mid-air.
The absurdly wide area covered by his sword energy engulfed the entire front line of the charging blood-red martial artists.
"What...?"
The blood-red martial artists’ eyes bulged for an instant. Before they could even react, the sword energy engulfed and swept over them instantly.
Kwaaaaaaaa!
There wasn't even a scream. The blood-red martial artists were reduced to lumps of flesh before flung back like arrows and tumbling across the ground. It was an overwhelming sight, enough to draw everyone's eyes in the battle fixed on Namgung Dowi.
Namgung Dowi drew in a deep breath. His sword hand trembled uncontrollably from the sudden massive depletion of internal strength.
But those staring at him wouldn't see that trembling hand. They would only see his composed expression.
"I'll hold the front!"
He consciously squared his shoulders. The blood-red martial artists hesitated involuntarily at the great momentum.
At that moment, the blood-red martial artist standing in the center narrowed his eyes.
'Is it Namgung Family?'
The compatibility was poor.
The weapon they used was a thin sword. They were trained to exploit openings with pinpoint precision. To them, inexperienced youngsters were nothing more than easy prey.
No matter how exceptional one’s swordsmanship might be, openings inevitably appear in the chaos of battle. And simply thrusting their sharp thin swords into those openings was enough to easily bring down their enemies.
But not that swordsmanship.
That was less swordsmanship and more like artillery. There might be openings in the body holding the sword, but how could there be any openings in the soaring waves of sword energy? Once the distance opens and the exchange of sword energy begins, all that remains are thin swords too slender to exert proper force.
Perfect incompatibility. Perhaps that phrase was meant for situations like this. Unlike others, the blood-red martial artists now had no proper way to counter this Namgung Dowi.
The best they could do was endure the sacrifices and engage in a war of attrition until his internal strength was depleted. But now wasn’t the situation for that either.
Then the method......
The blood-red martial artist at the center twitched his finger.
“Ignore him…”
His finger pointed at Hainan Sect disciples behind Namgung Dowi.
“Close in on Hainan Sect punks. He won't be able to unleash such sword energy recklessly if his allies are behind them. He's just an ordinary swordsman by then."
There wasn't even a common response. The moment the order was given, the blood-red martial artists began moving in unison. Just that sight alone showed how thoroughly trained they were.
Shwaeaeaeaek!
The blood-red martial artists charged forward all at once. But their trajectory was subtly different this time. Instead of facing Namgung Dowi head-on, they aimed for his flanks.
If they completely ignored Namgung Dowi, there would inevitably be casualties from the sword energy sweeping in from the side, but they didn't consider that sacrifice at all. No, they ignored that fact itself.
When an order was given, they simply followed.
They were thoroughly maintaining that absolute principle which was most important on the battlefield, yet harder to keep than anything else.
"Keuk!"
Namgung Dowi’s face distorted momentarily as he realized the opponent’s strategy. No matter how much sword energy he unleashed, it was impossible to block every enemy slipping past him from both sides.
Just as Namgung Dowi urgently tried to swing his sword again, a familiar sound of something piercing the air reached his ears.
Hwiiiiik!
Puuuuung!
A fist-sized pellet exploded to his right, releasing a pinkish poisonous smoke. The charging blood-red martial artists faltered as the poisonous smoke bloomed right in front of them.
Swaeaeaeaek!
A barrage of countless needles rained down from within the poisonous smoke.
Kagang! Kagagagang!
The blood-red martial artists frantically swung their swords to strike away the flying needles. Even if these needles were clean, they would be heavily laden with poison after passing through that poisonous smoke.
No one knew better than them how fatal poison could be on the battlefield. That was why they couldn't ignore even small flying needles.
"Of course, Tang Family..."
Tang Pae slowly walked through the rising poisonous smoke. As if immune to the poison he himself had created.
"…Might be treated worse than Namgung Family, but that doesn’t mean we can be disregarded by lowly scum like you from Evil Sects."
Kkagagak!
The flying throwing knives wedged between his fingers scraped against each other, emitting sharp metallic screeches.
In that moment, crescent-shaped sword energy scattered like fluttering butterflies toward the blood-red martial artists charging from the opposite side.
"Keuk!"
Kagagagang!
There wasn’t any extraordinary power behind them. But each and every one of them moved vividly as if alive. Like a swarm of dozens of butterflies fluttering through a dense forest.
Charging forward while ignoring such irregular attacks equates suicide. Nothing more, nothing less. In the end, those charging had no choice but to halt their steps.
Step, step.
Fanning himself leisurely, Im Sobyeong emerged with a clicking tongue.
“You lot, must be from Hao Sect."
"...."
"Let's see. Thin swords, masks, and blood-red robes.... The sword technique resembles Hungry Wolf Soul-Chasing Sword (아랑추혼검 (餓狼追魂劍)). The Soul-Chasing Squad of Hao Sect, then?"
The blood-red martial artists silently glared at Im Sobyeong. Receiving those gazes, Im Sobyeong smirked.
"Honestly, I’ll never understand what goes on in the heads of you Evil Sects. You go out of your way to keep your identities hidden, refusing to open your mouths even once, yet you all wear the same clothes, wield the same weapons, and use the same martial techniques. Perhaps you would feel hurt if we didn't recognize them?"
At Im Sobyeong’s biting remark, Tang Pae on the opposite side let out a faint chuckle.
"Aren't you Evil Sects yourself?"
"Oho! How long has it been since I washed my hands of that! Please stop bringing up the past."
Im Sobyeong jested and waved his fan lazily.
However, unlike his exaggerated and comical gestures, his gaze remained fixed solely on the enemy. As if analyzing and understanding every bit of flesh.
"I never expected Nokrim King would protect Hainan Sect.”
"When the gums gone, the teeth get sensitive. Having these guys around means at least one less blade in my body."
Im Sobyeong glanced briefly to the side but then shook his head.
"Well, it's not... exactly because I'm afraid of someone, don't misunderstand."
"...No one misunderstood."
"Tsk."
Im Sobyeong slowly lowered the fan he was holding.
"The Soul-Chasing Squad of Hao Sect. Every Evil Sects has at least one pursuit squad. Hao Sect has many pursuit squads due to its nature. Just think of them as one of those."
"Oh, then how do we counter them?"
"How would I know?"
Im Sobyeong shrugged.
“I told you there isn’t just one pursuit squad but many. And I'm a scholar, not an informant. I just know such fellows exist."
"...You're a bandit, not a scholar."
"Same thing."
"...I should just stop talking."
"Still, don’t you think the unorthodox sects look better than those so-called righteous sects in times like these?"
"What?"
When Tang Pae made a puzzled expression, Im Sobyeong glanced back briefly.
"Someone barely older steps forward talking about protection, while the rest just watch from behind and trembling."
A blatant sneer spread across Im Sobyeong's face.
"When weaker enemies hurt their sahyungs, they act like they're ready to rip them apart with their bare teeth. But now that they've met someone truly dangerous, look how meek they've become. The supposedly mighty Righteous Sects aren’t much to admire after all. Evil Sects might have different motivations, but at least we have guts."
The faces of Hainan Sect disciples distorted at those words. Only now did they realize what they had been doing and senses of shame quickly washed over them.
But it only took one sentence to turn that shame into rage.
"Well, no need to worry. I'll protect you. Just sit back there and keep watching."
At Im Sobyeong's words, Hainan Sect disciples all began emanating killing intent.
"Who’s trembling!"
"We were just taken aback!"
"Exactly! What do you take Hainan Sect for!"
"Oh, is that so?"
Im Sobyeong said with a chuckle.
"Then stop flapping your mouths and prove it with your swords."
"You…!"
Glaring at Im Sobyeong with venomous eyes, Hainan Sect disciples charged forward.
With Namgung Dowi, Tang Pae, and Im Sobyeong leading the charge, Hainan Sect disciples unleashed an overwhelming aura of killing intent toward the blood-red martial artists.
As the morale that had been shattered moments ago roared back to life, the blood-red martial artists’ faces hardened instantly.
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