Chapter 104 :

Chapter 104. The Grand Journey of Pandemonium (3)

Back when we were in the Sojeong Unit, our situation had been desperate.

The Martial Alliance usually assigned the Sojeong Unit to stand at the very front of the battlefield or serve as bait to divert the Demonic Cult's attention.

However, we had made survival our highest priority.

To escape from opponents we could never defeat through conventional means, we used every method available to us.

The surge of water at Mount Geumdan was one such method.

Terraced reservoirs had been built along the ridges of Mount Geumdan.

Each reservoir might not have been particularly large, but if all of them were breached at once, the water would be enough to fill the valley for a brief moment.

In my previous life, I had once used this strategy to drive away the Blood Demon Ghost Sword Unit while they were pursuing me.

"This is impossible!"

I unleashed the World-Solitary Divine Movement and reached Hyeonsu in an instant.

"You bastard!"

Hyeonsu spotted me amid his shock, ground his teeth, and swung his sword.

However, there was no way a sword swung in such a confused state could carry its full force.

Clang!

His sword was knocked helplessly away.

I seized the acupoint of his defenseless body.

"I am Hyeonsu of the Wudang Sect—"

He seemed to be trying to say something, but I did not bother listening to the end.

I filled my fist with internal energy and struck his dantian.

"Guh!"

His body flew backward even faster than he had approached and plunged into the rushing water.

Splash!

The other Wudang Daoists were just as disoriented as Hyeonsu.

"What is that?"

"Is it a formation? Why is there a flood in a place like this?"

"Avoid it!"

"No! If it is a formation, you must not avoid it!"

The Wudang Daoists wavered between avoiding the water and standing their ground.

In the end, they decided not to evade it.

"Guh!"

"Grrrk!"

"Damn it! It is real!"

The rocks and trees piled above the valley were swept away by the surge and came crashing violently down the cliff.

The Wudang Daoists were struck by rocks and battered by trees, leaving them completely disoriented.

Once the first surge passed, they desperately gasped for the breath they had been holding.

That was when our attack began.

"Throw!"

Our unit members and warriors, who had taken shelter in the trees above the valley, lifted the surrounding rocks and hurled them mercilessly at the Daoists.

"Guh!"

"Damn it! Someone look up!"

"Run!"

I leaped down together with the falling rocks and charged at Hyeonmyeong, Hyeonhyang, and Hyeonjin in turn.

"You dare do something like this and still—"

I knocked away the sword, seized an acupoint, and drove a straight punch into the dantian.

A blow of this magnitude to the dantian would require at least a month of recovery.

By then, the Martial Academy examination would already be over.

After reducing all the examinees to battered wrecks, I immediately unleashed the World-Solitary Divine Movement and soared back above the valley.

"What kind of movement technique is so impossibly elusive?"

Seong Moran, who had been throwing a rock the size of a human head, widened her eyes like a startled rabbit.

"It is time to leave."

"You mean it is time to run away, right?"

"Would the two of you not feel wronged if you were pursued for no reason?"

Perhaps because the Namgung Family and the Iron Sword Sect had worked together with us for so long, they understood what to do without lengthy explanations.

"Will the Wudang Sect not continue pursuing us?"

Seong Moran sounded regretful that she had been unable to throw the final rock in her hand.

"The operation worked better than expected."

Half of their force had been injured by the reservoir water, rocks, and other debris.

Moreover, the people in the rear were still debating whether the water that had poured into the valley was part of a formation.

For people who had never formally studied formations, being trapped inside one was far more terrifying than most imagined.

Even the Blood Demon Ghost Sword Unit had hesitated to advance.

There was no possibility that those Daoists would recklessly enter.

"Why did you suddenly go down into the valley?"

Namgung Seonhwa asked while following beside me.

Seong Moran also nodded, looking curious.

"Should we not collect the spoils?"

"Spoils?"

I handed Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran two entrance plaques each.

The two women stared at me in disbelief after receiving the first-stage and second-stage plaques I had taken from the Wudang Daoists.

Namgung Seonhwa remained silent.

"You are completely insane."

Seong Moran clicked her tongue.

"Young Master, what are you learning?"

Baek Wongak could not conceal his disbelief.

"It is a sword formation personally revised by Elder Brother Sowoon."

Baek Wongak thought, 'As expected.'

Moyong Jaehwa simply wanted to do anything related to Jin Sowoon.

There could be no other reason why the Young Master, who normally neglected even his family's sword arts, would spend time learning a sword formation when he barely had enough time to sleep.

'Should I be pleased about this?'

Moyong Jaehwa looked as though he would blindly follow anything Jin Sowoon did.

Even as Baek Wongak watched him display enthusiasm for martial arts, he could not decide whether to be happy or worried.

Moyong Jaehwa had never been particularly fond of sword arts from childhood.

Despite being the eldest son who would one day lead the Moyong Family, he spent more time learning miscellaneous skills than practicing the sword.

One might have considered it fortunate that he had not fallen into wine, women, and gambling like the spoiled children of certain prestigious families.

However, that was difficult to accept when his younger sister was Moyong Seol.

After learning a breathing method for the sake of her health, she had formed her own dantian.

She had then watched the family warriors train and independently learned sword arts.

Compared to her, Moyong Jaehwa had always seemed far too frivolous.

When he declared that he would not take the Martial Academy examination, the Jincheon Pavilion had erupted into chaos.

Even Sword Breaker, the family head, had personally taken up a club and gone searching for him.

It was commonly said throughout the family that everything would have been better had Moyong Seol and Moyong Jaehwa been born with their sexes reversed.

Had it been after returning from being dragged into one of the family head's eccentric adventures?

From that time onward, Moyong Jaehwa had slowly begun to change.

He made time to practice the sword and voluntarily sought out the Moyong Family warriors for sparring.

He still practiced miscellaneous skills alone, but the family members could not help feeling proud when they saw him seriously contemplating and training in swordsmanship.

However, he spoke about Jin Sowoon and the Taeul Sect every day.

At times, he even said that he wished to enter the Taeul Sect as an outer disciple, terrifying everyone in the family.

'He is the hero in his heart.'

Did not everyone live with at least one hero in their heart during childhood?

For Moyong Jaehwa, that hero was Jin Sowoon.

When he first said that he wanted to abandon his examination and join Jin Sowoon's party, Baek Wongak had been deeply disappointed.

However, Moyong Jaehwa admitted that he lacked the ability to steal a third-stage plaque.

He also said that if he could not even do this much for the person who had saved his father's life, he would be ashamed to call himself the eldest son of the Moyong Family.

In the end, Baek Wongak had no choice but to approve.

"Learning martial arts has become so enjoyable lately."

Whenever Baek Wongak saw his Young Master smiling brightly, he felt that being scolded later by the family head or young family head might not be so terrible.

Life was long.

Even if Moyong Jaehwa failed to enter the Martial Academy, he would not cease being the eldest son of the Moyong Family.

If this experience allowed him to grow further, that too would be worthwhile.

Even so, no matter how much enthusiasm he possessed, was learning the White Tiger Sword Formation not going too far?

"Young Master, you have already learned our family's excellent Middle-Wave Raging Flame Sword Formation. You should sleep while you have the chance."

"The warriors of the Namgung Family and the Iron Sword Sect have all learned this one too."

"That formation? Why would those people learn it?"

"They said that if we learn it, we can eat hot meals."

"Who said that?"

"Captain Gang Seopyo of the Namgung Family's Azure Dome Corps."

Gang Seopyo of the Namgung Family was someone Baek Wongak had interacted with during his compulsory service in the Martial Alliance.

Baek Wongak had considered him a serious, prudent, and dignified person.

Apparently, he had been making a pointless joke at the expense of the innocent Young Master.

"I never expected that man to say something so useless."

Baek Wongak clicked his tongue.

However, it did not take long for him to discover that it had not been a joke.

After five days, the carriages finally stopped.

Jin Sowoon gave them half a double-hour to eat.

Everyone rejoiced at the thought of cooking even a warm bowl of porridge instead of chewing the same tiresome dry rations and jerky.

"Ambush!"

The porridge bubbled inside the pot.

Just as Baek Wongak was about to place a spoonful of porridge with softened jerky into his mouth—

The damned pursuers came charging from every direction.

The enraged Moyong Family warriors fought with all their strength and drove the attackers away.

Fortunately, they suffered no casualties.

However, when they returned to the meal site, they could not hide their despair.

"My food!"

"Damn it!"

The pots had overturned during the chaotic battle.

The white porridge had become mixed with dirt.

"See? I told you that learning it would let us eat hot meals."

When Baek Wongak turned his head, Moyong Jaehwa was eating steaming porridge with Geumpyo's group.

"Are you all right?"

Gang Seopyo and Cho Mubin approached, each carrying a pot that was still half full.

"Why were only our family's pots overturned?"

"Well… that is how it works. We used the White Tiger Sword Formation as an escort formation and prioritized protecting the food."

Baek Wongak nearly blurted out, 'You learned an escort formation just to protect food?'

However, upon seeing the steaming porridge, he swallowed those words.

From that day onward, the Moyong Family warriors gave up even their brief periods of rest to learn the White Tiger Sword Formation.

It was not only Moyong Jaehwa's group.

The porridge belonging to the Namgung Family and the Iron Sword Sect remained perfectly intact.

Only the Moyong Family's porridge had become mixed with dirt.

"We-we made it!"

"I actually arrived! Buddha! Jade Emperor! Grand Supreme Elder Lord! Thank you!"

The moment Jin Sowoon's party reached the Changgung Merchant Guild branch in Zhengzhou, they collapsed across the main training ground.

The guild members had expected to see dignified and imposing warriors after hearing that the Namgung Family, Moyong Family, and Iron Sword Sect were arriving.

Instead, they stared in bewilderment at people who looked like defeated soldiers.

"..."

"Branch Leader, it has been a long time."

"Young Lady Seonhwa… It appears you have suffered greatly."

"You can say that again. I heard Orabeoni San's journey was nothing like this."

"Yes. There is truly… an enormous difference."

"Ha ha."

"We prepared a banquet because we heard you were coming..."

The branch leader glanced at the warriors sprawled flat across the main training ground as though they could not move even an inch.

"Could you prepare it here instead? None of them has slept at all, and we have been running for an entire week."

"What? No wonder you arrived so quickly. You did not sleep for even a single day?"

The astonished branch leader immediately ordered the household servants to prepare food in the main training ground.

Pots were hung over fires, and food began sizzling on their lids.

One by one, those who had collapsed rose and began devouring the food.

"Are these Beggar Gang disciples or warriors of the Five Great Families?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down."

The guild members had expected the elite warriors of the Five Great Families.

Instead, they were horrified by the primitive sight before them, which made even Beggar Gang disciples appear refined.

"What in the world happened?"

"It would take a long time to explain..."

Namgung Seonhwa's eyes seemed to droop shut even as she spoke.

"Ah! I have kept you talking for too long. Please rest for now."

"Yes… and..."

"Please, go ahead."

"Could you bring some of the food to our room as well?"

"Of course."

After entering their room, Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran repeated the same cycle as the other warriors.

They ate and collapsed unconscious.

They woke, performed breathing cultivation, ate again, and collapsed once more.

"I finally feel as though my mind has returned."

"I know. On the final day, I must have thought about abandoning the examination at least ten thousand times."

"I did too."

Being born as daughters of prestigious martial families did not mean they had never endured hardship.

If anything, because they were daughters of martial families, they had undergone harsh training from childhood that ordinary women of the same age could never have endured.

However, this journey had pushed them beyond every limit and shattered all their pride.

The only reason they could avoid feeling ashamed was that even male warriors approaching thirty had struggled just as badly.

"Can we really continue?"

Once they completed their preparations, they would have to depart again.

They would then experience everything they had endured over the last seven days for an entire month.

"What if we are only becoming a burden?"

Seong Moran unconsciously nodded at Namgung Seonhwa's hesitant words.

For some reason, Jin Sowoon looked no different from when they had departed Namak.

He had even taken sentry shifts in place of others, conducted searches, and traveled far from the group during mealtimes to guard the surrounding routes.

During the grand journey, parties generally chose one of two approaches.

They either moved secretly with a small group of elites or advanced openly as a large force.

However, Jin Sowoon's party seemed to have fallen into an awkward middle ground after Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran joined them.

They had joined to help Jin Sowoon and the Taeul Sect.

Yet now they had clearly become an obstacle to him.

"Should we suggest splitting up even now?"

Namgung Seonhwa began speaking, but Seong Moran did not answer.

If they separated from Jin Sowoon now, there was a high possibility that they would fail to complete the grand journey.

Namgung Seonhwa knew that as well, so she could not pressure Seong Moran for an answer.

While the two remained silent, a maid knocked from outside the door.

"Young Lady, a guest has arrived."

"A guest?"

Twenty Moyong Family warriors had completely collapsed.

None had suffered severe external injuries.

However, they had moved so frantically that they failed to notice their wounds and left them untreated until their conditions worsened.

"What should we do, Elder Brother?"

Moyong Jaehwa lowered his head as though he had personally committed a crime.

"They must rest, of course. If they died while helping us, how could I ever face Elder Sword Breaker?"

"I am sorry."

"This is not something for which you should apologize. More importantly, carefully examine the other warriors and make sure none of them is injured."

"Yes."

Moyong Jaehwa ran off to check on the Moyong Family warriors.

Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran approached along the same path.

After washing and changing into clean clothes, they looked completely different from the previous day.

However, Namgung Seonhwa stared directly at me.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Young Master Jin, did you sleep?"

"Yes, I did."

I had slept for around two double-hours during the night.

However, I had been unable to sleep longer because I needed to check the new information delivered by Haomun that morning.

"You did not sleep properly because you were checking information again, did you?"

A pursuit was ultimately a battle of information.

Understanding the enemy's movements was more important than simply running well.

After sleeping and eating together for the past week, she seemed to have learned my entire routine.

Seong Moran sighed deeply.

"So, how is the situation?"

"Not particularly good."

I answered honestly.

Even though we only needed to cross a single province, the difficulty could not be compared to an ordinary escort mission.

The only practical approach was to continue moving without rest, exactly as we had done on the way to Zhengzhou.

However, I was unsure whether everyone could endure it.

Perhaps my words placed an unnecessary burden on them, so I smiled.

"Do not worry. There are several possible methods."

Even after I said that, neither woman's expression brightened much.

Namgung Seonhwa hesitated for a long time, looking as though she had something to say.

Eventually, she spoke.

"There are people who wish to meet you, Young Master Jin."

"Me?"

I had no idea who might want to meet me at this point.

There was no possibility that they had found allies in Zhengzhou whom they had been unable to recruit in Namak.

"You know about the Twelve Peaks Fortress, right?"

"...?"

The Twelve Peaks Fortress was the strongest alliance among the Hundred and Eight Peaks.

"They want to meet you."