Chapter 176 :

The Black Flame Dragon Who Swallows the Sea of Blood (6)

Twelve casualties among the Qingcheng Sect and its affiliated sects.

Six casualties among the Emei Sect and its affiliated sects.

The elder leading the group is missing.

At the short report delivered by carrier pigeon, Gu Jeongryong, master of Shenghu Hall, stiffened.

"...Good heavens."

He had thought this operation would simply give Jin Sowoon a little support.

Throughout their journey, Jin Sowoon had tried to instill an indistinct fear of their opponent in them, but it had never felt real.

Ever since the Martial Alliance designated the Ten Great Forbidden Arts as a cause of chaos in the murim world, the arts of heretical sects had all but disappeared.

So even if people knew about them in theory, they had no idea how terrifying they really were.

"If it's the Qingcheng Sect... it's still an orthodox Daoist sect."

And yet even its disciples and an elder had been attacked.

He could tell this wasn't the sort of sorcery that couldn't penetrate the sound minds they were taught to maintain at the Martial Academy.

And the problem was—

"Gam Cheonak... Do you remember anything about warding off evil and exorcising spirits?"

Gam Cheonak, deputy master of Shenghu Hall and a junior he'd worked with for a long time, scratched the back of his head.

"Warding off evil and exorcising spirits? What's that? Some Sichuan specialty Jin Sowoon said he'd shoot?"

"..."

This was reality.

"Did you bring the spirit-exorcism orb?"

"What's that?"

At Gam Cheonak's utterly casual question, a vein bulged on Gu Jeongryong's forehead.

"...You bastard. You don't even know what supplies the Martial Alliance issued us?"

"...The spirit-exorcism orb?"

Gam Cheonak thought for a while, then slapped his fist into his palm.

"Oh! The wooden and jade bead, right?"

"That's it! It's essential gear we're supposed to bring every time we deploy!"

"I don't have it."

"You bastard!"

Gam Cheonak casually dodged Gu Jeongryong's fist, then asked,

"Did you bring yours, Hall Master?"

Gu Jeongryong, who had been fuming, froze.

Gam Cheonak frowned slightly as he asked,

"Actually, do you even own one?"

"..."

"Ask everyone in the Martial Alliance. See if anyone still has one."

Gam Cheonak shook his head and continued,

"Nine out of ten people won't have theirs."

"Then what? We've never fought heretical practitioners, so what did they use them for?"

"How do you think the kids could afford to go to pleasure houses all the time before they started getting a monthly stipend? Those things look pretty, and the courtesans pay quite a lot for them."

He was furious, but he knew all too well that this was the current state of the Martial Alliance.

The absence of heretical, unorthodox, and demonic forces had gone on for so long that sorcery, magic, and demonic arts had become as fantastical to the Martial Alliance as jade qilin and phoenixes.

"How did I get dragged into something like this...?"

He had come along partly to repay Maeng Juwon.

He was also curious about Jin Sowoon, who was already at odds with the Righteous Path Association, the White Path Association, and the Twelve Peaks Fortress within the Martial Academy.

From Gu Jeongryong's perspective, who already resented the entrenched powers, it seemed like a good chance to use Maeng Juwon and Jin Sowoon as an excuse to harass the Elders' Council.

He had set out with the trip being half an excursion. Then suddenly this had happened.

The more he dwelled on it, the more he wanted to escape reality.

"Do you think this report is reliable?"

Gam Cheonak read the letter and shook his head.

"Why are you asking me?"

"You're the one who suggested coming here, Hall Master. And you're the one who had us spend a day in Sichuan in the middle of this 'urgent' situation."

This bastard. Was he trying to shirk responsibility now?

"Then you should make the decision too, Hall Master."

"You bastard! If this goes wrong, I won't be the only one who dies! The master and deputy master are practically one and the same. You'll die with me!"

"What did I do?"

"You were the one encouraging everyone to leave earlier and stay at a better inn! If the Inspection Pavilion drags me in, I'll make sure they take you with me!"

As Gu Jeongryong ranted, foaming at the mouth, Gam Cheonak let out a quiet sigh.

"Reliable or not, this isn't something we can handle on our own, is it?"

Apart from the casualties among the academy students connected to the Qingcheng Sect, an elder of the Elders' Council was missing.

This was not something they could simply overlook.

"Let's send a letter to the Martial Alliance."

"It'll be too late if we wait for a reply before acting."

But they couldn't simply wait for the Martial Alliance's response.

According to Jin Sowoon, their enemies were clearly targeting the remaining academy students and elders as well.

"Who in the murim world would dare challenge the Martial Alliance?"

It was so absurd that even as he recognized the reality of the situation, he couldn't quite believe it.

If it were merely a clash of interests, that could happen any time. But acting so openly meant they intended to see this through to the end.

"Whatever the case, Jin Sowoon gave us instructions. It seems right to follow them for now."

"Fine. We'll move out right away."

Gu Jeongryong turned toward Shenghu Hall.

The members, who had clearly been listening to their conversation, all met his gaze.

"We're picking up the pace!"

"Yes, sir!"

The members of Shenghu Hall understood the gravity of the situation, and their attitude changed in an instant.

Those who had been lounging around and joking began checking their weapons again.

They didn't slow their horses even once.

After riding without a break for an hour, they caught up with Namgung Seonhwa and her group from the Twelve Peaks Fortress, who had set out half a day earlier.

Namgung Seonhwa kept trying to enter the Zhongnan Sect's group, but its disciples stood in her way.

"Young Lady Namgung."

"Ah! Hall Master!"

"What happened?"

"I'm sorry. They won't listen, no matter what I say."

Gu Jeongryong immediately dismounted and approached the group.

The academy students recognized him and awkwardly hesitated, unsure what to do as he tried to pass.

Gu Jeongryong led Namgung Seonhwa toward the Zhongnan Sect elder, Great Master Suheo.

"What?"

After hearing the story, Suheo snorted.

"Absurd. Who in the world could interfere with an operation by the Martial Alliance?"

"...May I ask when you last heard from Elder Hyeseong or Elder Myeonghyeon?"

"..."

Gu Jeongryong let out a long sigh before he realized it.

"Have you been in contact with the other groups at the front?"

"We split up and planned to meet again in Badong. I came here to tell the story of how the Martial Alliance established the righteous faction's prestige in Sichuan."

Gu Jeongryong cursed inwardly as he listened.

They had never intended to investigate the heretical forces in the first place.

They had really come all this way to enjoy the scenery under the pretense of investigating.

"Please come with us for now."

Perhaps he still hadn't grasped the situation, because Suheo reacted sharply to Gu Jeongryong's request.

"You're telling me to follow Jin Sowoon's orders?"

"..."

Where had everything gone wrong?

Was an elder of the Elders' Council really escaping reality this desperately?

"Hall Master."

Gam Cheonak suddenly interrupted the conversation.

Suhyo's face twisted.

After all, no one else would have been bold enough to interrupt while an elder of the Martial Alliance was speaking.

But that bastard Gam Cheonak knew how quick-tempered the elders were. Why had he butted in?

"You need to see this."

Gu Jeongryong read the new letter Gam Cheonak handed him, and his mind went cold.

This was no longer a matter of pride or appearances.

"Elder, you must come with us."

"What did you think I've been saying all this time?!"

"This is an order from the Intelligence Department."

At the mention of the Intelligence Department, Elder Suheo looked ready to explode.

Gu Jeongryong handed him the letter he had just read.

"If this is a lie, you can cut off Jin Sowoon's head, just as you want."

Suhyo, still fuming, tore the letter open.

Then—

"..."

Fifteen casualties among the Mount Hua Sect and its affiliated sects.

Twenty-two casualties among the Kongtong Sect and its affiliated sects.

Death of Mount Hua Elder So Chunghyeon confirmed.

Death of Kongtong Sect Elder Jeong Saik confirmed.

Elder Suheo's eyes trembled as he looked at the letter.

It went far beyond what anyone would do as a prank, yet the news was too unbelievable to accept as true.

"If Jin Sowoon staged this to protect his paltry position, I'll personally drag him to the Inspection Pavilion and punish him."

"But for now, we must carry out the Intelligence Department's orders."

After hesitating for a moment, Suheo finally nodded.

"Let's go... If this is true, we'll have to save them."

Gu Jeongryong had managed to persuade the stubborn Elder Suheo, who seemed so obstinate that even fresh air couldn't get through to him.

Still, he felt deeply uneasy.

If the Zhongnan Sect, the rearguard, had come this far, it was only a matter of time before the people ahead encountered the unknown enemy.

And Shenghu Hall, already short on manpower, would have to keep recruiting academy students along the way.

He expected the casualties to mount.

"We leave immediately."

The only thing they could do now was move one step faster.

And—

"Please, just stay alive, Jin Sowoon."

He could only pray that those who had gone ahead were still alive.

As Moyong Jaehwa nocked an arrow, he noticed something strange about its tip.

"It's heavier... and loose..."

It was Jin Sowoon's way of helping him, since he still hadn't completed the Thunderbolt Arrow.

"Honestly, Brother, how do you know me so well?"

Despite the terrible situation, Moyong Jaehwa smiled.

He squeezed strength from the internal energy he had left.

The steel rod bent strangely.

The tremendous tension strained his arms, and the Celestial Silkworm Thread felt as though it might slice through his fingers.

Even so, he didn't fear that it would break, as he had with the horn bow.

Twang. Whoosh!

The arrow sliced across the sky, following the arc he had expected.

The blood-robed men realized Moyong Jaehwa had begun shooting again and raised their thick shields and rocks.

Thud!

The arrow pierced halfway through a rock, but ultimately failed to reach the blood-robed men.

Even so, Moyong Jaehwa drew the bowstring again.

Riiip—

His arm muscles felt as if they were tearing.

Every time he drew the steel bow, his entire body screamed in protest, yet he felt more stable.

He infused the arrowhead with the power of the Heaven and Earth Wave-Splitting Sword.

Just then, he heard Jin Sowoon's voice—the one he'd heard when they had shot together during the exam.

"A bow is a weapon that catches the enemy off guard. It takes an enemy's life when they least expect it. When faced with that kind of fear, even assassins who have dulled their sense of death can tremble."

Moyong Jaehwa immediately fired an arrow into the sky.

Twang. Whoosh!

Then he nocked another arrow and shot at the enemy.

Twang. Whoosh—

At the second arrow's launch, the blood-robed men raised their shields and rocks.

Crack!

Once again, the arrow was blocked by the three-layered shields.

The blood-robed men, pleased with themselves, began emerging from behind the rocks.

And right at that moment—

The arrow that had soared into the sky fell straight back down.

When it reached the same level as the blood-robed men, it exploded in midair and shattered, spraying iron fragments in every direction like hidden weapons.

Bang!

Fwoosh!

Those behind the rocks had no time to defend themselves against the flying iron fragments.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The blood-robed men fell to the ground, their bodies riddled with holes, as if they had been struck by the Myriad Heavens Flower Rain.

The blood-robed men who had stood farther back, out of range of the Thunderbolt Arrow, retreated even farther, trying to get into the blind spot of this damned archer.

"Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it isn't there."

The advice seemed tailor-made for him.

But somehow, the voice no longer sounded like Jin Sowoon's.

It belonged to a man whose face he couldn't see.

"Who is it?"

A man with his back turned.

He seemed lonely, isolated, and forlorn.

And he carried an enormous burden on his shoulders.

The man spoke.

"Picture where they are in your mind. If you can imagine their positions, your bow can target them at any time."

The words were definitely Jin Sowoon's, yet the voice sounded like that of the mysterious man.

He had never seen the man before, but somehow he felt familiar—deeply familiar.

Following his advice, Moyong Jaehwa drew the bow again.

"You don't need to see them with your eyes.

You can picture them in your mind."

"You don't need perfect aim.

You're not targeting just one person."

"You don't need to be fast.

They're already too afraid to leave their positions."

Twang. Whoosh—

The arrow traced its arc and fell behind the cover where the blood-robed men were hiding.

Crash!

"Aaagh!"

"Aaaaaagh!"

"Gaaah!"

The hateful screams of the blood-robed men echoed from far away.

"Hah... hah..."

Moyong Jaehwa had pushed himself beyond his limits. It was hard to believe he could still be called a person.

Ever since he had taken up the steel bow, he had once again made the blood-robed men tremble with fear.

But the more he did so, the worse his condition became.

"Young Master Jaehwa, your blood..."

His fingertips weren't merely injured; the skin had split and torn.

His fingers were in terrible shape from drawing the powerful steel bow.

Moyong Jaehwa stared blankly at them and said,

"Miss Eun, could you freeze them for me?"

"Y-you have to stop, Young Master Jaehwa...!"

"They'll never let us live."

"..."

At that, Eun Seollan finally took his fingers in her hands and used her Peerless Divine Art.

The trickling blood stopped, and Moyong Jaehwa raised the bow again.

The mysterious man's voice echoed in his mind once more.

"The merciless leave harm behind even as they die. Fighting to stop them only causes us losses.

"So we have to stop them before they approach. We have to make them afraid to come near.

"We must frighten the merciless, the indifferent, those obsessed with killing, those who see only their own desires, and even those who have lost their humanity."

Moyong Jaehwa drew the bow.

Instilling fear so they wouldn't dare approach.

The arrow shot forth as if to strike down the sun, soaring over the rocks used as cover and into the center of the enemy ranks.

Bang! Crash!

"Aaagh!"

"Grrk!"

"Take cover!"

That was the Bow Breaker.

Screams came from far away.

The blood-robed men who had been advancing now retreated again and again, as if they wanted to put as much distance between themselves and the archer as possible.

Watching the scene, Ilgak trembled all over.

"Good heavens..."

Who else could have done such a thing?

Moyong Jaehwa had accomplished with a single bow what neither Shaolin nor Diancang martial arts could.

His idealized image of Shaolin martial arts—as the greatest sect in the murim world and the pinnacle of martial arts—shattered completely.

"I knew there was no such thing as absolute perfection, and yet..."

Ilgak squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them.

"So this, too, is enlightenment..."

He sensed instinctively that the steel bow and arrows Jin Sowoon had sent—and Moyong Jaehwa's hidden potential—were connected to him.

Just how much did that man know?

Whatever the case, there was hope now.

Hope that they could make it back alive.

As Moyong Jaehwa had said, if Jin Sowoon and the reinforcements arrived, perhaps he wouldn't have to witness the horrifying scene he had imagined—

"Huh...?"

Moyong Jaehwa, who had created this hopeful situation, gazed ahead with a strange look in his eyes.

Ilgak, Eun Seollan, and Nam Hwaseong followed his gaze.

A figure stepped out alone from between the rocks.

Unlike the others, who had worn nothing but blood-red robes, this one wore strange ornaments.

That wasn't the only unusual thing.

"His gait..."

The figure bounced along playfully with both feet together.

"Don't tell me..."

"Damn..."

"Amitabha."

As Eun Seollan, Nam Hwaseong, and Ilgak each reacted with alarm, Moyong Jaehwa frowned deeply and drew the bowstring all the way back.

Twang. Whoosh—

The arrow flew through the air, aiming for the strange man's head.

Just before it struck, the man, who had been moving awkwardly, suddenly snapped his head around and caught the arrow.

"A jiangshi..."

A demonic creature believed to have disappeared had appeared again.

Of course, Moyong Jaehwa wasn't finished yet.

Bang!

The arrowhead exploded, scattering iron fragments everywhere.

A thick cloud of dust spread, completely obscuring the man's body.

As the dust cleared, the man's horrifying corpse appeared, pierced all over with iron fragments...

"Good heavens..."

"This is insane."

It was the Thunderbolt Arrow that had made the blood-robed men tremble with fear, though it was still incomplete.

But even with iron fragments embedded all over his body, the strange man didn't shed a single drop of blood.

He simply stared toward them, as if nothing had happened.

Ilgak groaned and muttered a single word.