Chapter 332 |
Chapter 332
Samdaejoo
The odd thing wasn't just the sound.
Even though nothing had touched the Golden Turtle Technique, its barrier kept trembling, quickly depleting his internal energy.
"Could it be?"
At the moment Mu-jin realized the identity of the sound and tried to shout, reactions erupted across the battlefield.
"Ugh…"
Some of the Special Forces members who had set up the Three Talents Formation to fend off the attacks of the men in black began to bleed from their mouths or groan as if suffering internal injuries.
"It's a sonic technique! Control your energy!"
"Kill them!"
But the Special Forces members were in the midst of battle.
No matter how much they realized the sound was a sonic technique and tried to counter it, the small gap created during the battle had a significant impact.
Shrrk.
A disturbing noise echoed as something was cut across the battlefield.
Although no one had immediately lost their life from a fatal blow to the neck or heart, injuries were rapidly increasing.
The reason there were no fatalities was because most of the Special Forces members were experienced martial artists.
In addition, Mu-jin had successfully countered the sonic technique.
Furthermore, thanks to the Golden Turtle Technique, Mu-jin hadn't suffered much from the sonic attack and was protecting the Special Forces members.
At the moment a man in black thrust a spear at an elder of Zhongnan Sect, who was bleeding due to the sonic attack.
"Ugh…"
A short sword emerging from the darkness pierced the heart of the man in black.
And on the opposite side, Mu-jin, executing the Fast Ascent Step Technique at full force, crushed the body of another man in black.
However, there were still more than twenty enemies left, and it was difficult for just Mu-gyeong and Mu-jin to handle them all.
"Ugh…"
A suffocating breath could be heard from various parts of the battlefield.
Fighting the men in black while also controlling their internal energy to counter the sonic technique was not an easy task.
Eventually, the Special Forces members, even with the Three Talents Formation, were barely managing to hold their ground, struggling defensively.
'This is dangerous.'
It was a perilous situation where it wouldn't be surprising if someone died at any moment.
Mu-jin closed his eyes to focus on sensing the origin of the sound using his sense and hearing.
He calculated that the attacks of the men in black couldn't penetrate his skin or the Golden Turtle Technique.
Standing in the middle of the battlefield with his eyes closed for a moment, Mu-jin suddenly opened his eyes and punched towards a certain direction.
The golden wave from his fist illuminated the darkness, hitting the wall of an unlit pavilion.
Boom!!!
The strong energy of the Invincible Divine Fist not only blew up the wall but also broke through and shattered the opposite wall.nn
As the pavilion was half-destroyed in an instant, the collapsing pillars, unable to bear the weight, started to fall.
Bang!
With another loud crash, a person burst through the collapsing roof.
Reflecting the moonlight, the head of the person, half-grey-haired, glistened as he held a pipa in one hand.
The moment Mu-jin confirmed the figure, he executed the Fast Ascent Step Technique and charged at him.
'That must be the Branch Chief!'
Although this man looked different from the owner of the Wind Cliff Pavilion that Baek Ga-ryeong had mentioned, Mu-jin immediately recognized him as the highest-skilled among those present.
Especially because he had attacked the Special Forces members precisely with the sonic technique while hiding in the pavilion.
Not only did he infuse his internal energy into the sound, but he also precisely controlled it to target specific individuals.
Boom!
As Mu-jin stomped the ground and soared into the air, the man who had burst through the pavilion's roof used his lightness skill as if he had a foothold in the air, distancing himself from Mu-jin.
Ting~
Even while doing so, the man played the pipa, deploying the sonic technique towards the Special Forces members.
Feeling his pride hurt, Mu-jin's eyebrows twitched as he sent out a punch, launching a fist technique in mid-air. The man playing the pipa clicked his tongue and plucked the strings forcefully.
As the melody changed, a barrier formed in front of the man, nullifying the fist technique sent by Mu-jin.
'He can't perform the Air Walk Technique repeatedly.'
Analyzing the opponent's lightness skill, Mu-jin, the moment his feet touched the ground, once again executed the Fast Ascent Step Technique and charged at him.
The man frowned as he watched Mu-jin charge like a wildfire.
'…I had planned to leave soon, but to think Kwun Jae would come so soon.'
The man, who held the position of Samdaejoo in Shinchun, was aware that their identity had been exposed recently.
That's why he had sent subordinates to kill those who had leaked the information.
Moreover, they were busily erasing traces of their presence, preparing to leave.
While it would have been easier to burn the entire estate and flee, that would have inevitably left traces.
As a Branch Chief, he was in charge of overseeing subordinates operating throughout Shandong.
Thus, he had to instruct those disguised under different identities to either hide or leave Shandong.
In the midst of erasing traces and preparing to leave, none had gone to sleep and were moving around the estate.
While watching Mu-jin charging from the front, the man read the battlefield situation using his senses.
'They've only managed to take down one.'
Even while ignoring Kwun Jae and assisting his subordinates, only one enemy had died.
Of course, since everyone was being pushed back, a little more assistance would have enabled complete annihilation.
Screech!
Seeing Kwun Jae charging at him with a fist that tore through the air, Samdaejoo judged it impossible to help his subordinates further.
Several Branch Chiefs like him had already lost their lives to Kwun Jae.
Even Wi Ji-hak, who held the position of the leader of Murim Alliance and was the Branch Chief right after himself.
'Let's see how strong you are.'
The man scraped the strings of his pipa, sending a wave of internal energy-infused sound towards Mu-jin.
nn
Until now, the sonic techniques the man used couldn't penetrate Mu-jin's Golden Turtle Technique, but that was because they were aimed at multiple targets.
More importantly, they were stealth attacks designed to hit only the enemies, avoiding allies.
The moment the sound waves sent by the man collided with Mu-jin.
The sharp sound waves, designed to target a single person, began to pierce through Mu-jin's Golden Turtle Technique.
* * *
Right after the unpleasant sound of the pipa pierced her ears.
"Ugh…"
Jegal Jin-hee felt her internal energy surging and had to quickly control it.
"It's a sonic technique! Control your energy!"
Mu-jin's shout, confirming her judgment, echoed in her ears.
But knowing the cause of the internal turbulence didn't improve the situation.
Screech!
A sword wielded by a man in black swiftly came towards her as she struggled to control her internal energy.
'No choice.'
Quickly making a decision, she prepared to throw herself aside, protecting only her vital points.
Clang!
A sword suddenly sprang from the side, blocking the blade wielded by the man in black.
It was a familiar sword to her, the Songmun Sword of Wudang, which shared dominance over Hubei Province with the Jegal family.
One of her colleagues, the First Young Master of Wudang, who had formed the Three Talents Formation with her, had come to protect her.
'He already managed to control his internal energy...'
Looking at the Wudang First Young Master with a surprised face, she realized her judgment was wrong.
The First Young Master of Wudang was bleeding from his mouth.
He had given up controlling his turbulent internal energy, instead choosing to swing his sword to save her at the cost of internal injury.
'Why...?'
Feeling perplexed, she hurriedly controlled her internal energy and moved. This was not the time to be lost in confusion.
However, the unpleasant sound of the pipa continued to torment her hearing.
It wasn't easy to perform martial arts while constantly contending with the sonic technique.
Rather than risking internal injury by using the Wolhaseonmu, she defensively countered the black-clad man's attacks using the Black and White Fan Technique.
However, she couldn't fully utilize her skills due to the sonic technique, and her stance faltered as she blocked the spear of the man in black.
Seizing the opportunity, another man in black, who was performing a coordinated attack, thrust his sword towards her.
'I just need to avoid a vital point.'
Gritting her teeth, she prepared to sacrifice herself, ready to execute the risky move of flesh-cutting bones.
Clang!
This time, an elder from Zhongnan Sect, another member of the Three Talents Formation, blocked the black-clad man's sword by throwing his body into the attack.
Shrrk!
Despite sustaining a wound to his side.
n
Shrrk!
To not waste the time the elder of Zhongnan Sect had bought her, Jegal Jin-hee swiftly swung her fan and successfully severed the arm of the man in black.
Yet, confusion clouded her face as she cut the man's arm.
'Why on earth...'
Every time Jegal Jin-hee found herself in danger, the elder from Zhongnan Sect and the First Young Master of Wudang would risk their lives to protect her.
She couldn't understand their actions.
'After the war with Shinchun, we'll have to compete against each other again...'
The Nine Great Sects and the Five Noble Families were groups that aimed to stand alone while keeping each other in check, despite being evaluated as the pillars of the orthodox faction.
Even though they had allied for now, Jegal Jin-hee believed that if one side's power weakened, they would eventually be devoured after the war.
But now, they were risking their lives to protect her, their future competitor.
Moreover, it wasn't an immediate life-or-death situation for her, just a circumstance where she had to endure injuries.
Though she wanted to ask why they were trying so hard to protect her, she couldn't.
Fighting amidst the sonic technique that disrupted her internal energy was too dangerous to open her mouth recklessly.
So she had to interpret the situation on her own instead of asking.
'We aren't even family or from the same sect.'
They weren't particularly close.
Before being selected as Special Forces members, they had only occasionally seen each other and knew each other's names and faces.
Even after being selected, they had been constantly on the move, leaving no time for special conversations.
The reason they formed the Three Talents Formation was merely due to the coincidence of being the closest trio during the battle.
There was no reason for them to sacrifice themselves for her.
'...Is it because I'm young? Or because I'm a woman, and they feel they must protect me?'
For someone who considered herself a warrior rather than a woman, it was a matter of pride.
As her thoughts reached this point, her face turned red.
Shrrk!
Once again, a black-clad man's blade flew towards her.
Crash.
The First Young Master of Wudang, who had been protecting her by blocking with his body instead of his sword, was now in a different situation.
"Ugh…"
The First Young Master of Wudang, who had blocked the black-clad man's blade with his body instead of his sword, let out a deep groan.
Seeing the First Young Master's abdomen split open and blood flowing, Jegal Jin-hee's flushed face turned pale.
Even in this state, she instinctively swung her fan and managed to decapitate the black-clad man whose sword was stuck in the Wudang First Young Master's abdomen.
After that, she took a breath to control her internal energy that was once again turbulent.
For some reason, her internal energy quickly regained stability.
Jegal Jin-hee quickly realized why.
Boom!
The loud explosion and turbulent energy waves from one side of the manor indicated that Mu-jin had begun his battle with the sonic technique master.
Was it because one member of the Three Talents Formation had fallen?n
"Kill them!"
The black-clad men around her increased the ferocity of their attacks, but she, who had escaped the effects of the sonic technique, spun gracefully while swinging the fans in both her hands.
Several times, the swords and spears aimed at her collided precisely with her fan as if they had planned their moves together.
The black-clad men, who had been fiercely attacking her, began to slow down for some reason.
It wasn't due to a lack of internal energy or physical strength.
Their faces were turning pale, and some were even bleeding from their mouths.
Each time their weapons clashed with her fan, a chilling cold spread through their weapons, causing more harm to them the more they attacked.
It was astonishing that, despite internal injuries severe enough to cause bleeding, they continued to swing their weapons without a single groan.
However, no matter how strong their will, the spreading cold would eventually stiffen their bodies and disrupt their internal energy flow.
'An opening!'
Spotting an opportunity among the slowed black-clad men, she swung her fan in a surprise attack.
Shrrk!
The fan blade, as sharp as a winter wind, decapitated one of the black-clad men, but no blood spurted out.
This was because the wound froze the moment it was inflicted.
"!!!"
The black-clad men who had been pressing her sensed the unfavorable situation and withdrew a bit.
Although it was an opportunity to kill them, as they were deeply affected by the cold.
Whoosh!
Jegal Jin-hee moved sideways without hesitation.
Where she headed, the elder of Zhongnan Sect, who had formed the Three Talents Formation with her, was struggling to fend off the attacks of the black-clad men, looking on the verge of death.
It wasn't that he was still suffering from the sonic technique.
He had become covered in wounds while helping Jegal Jin-hee and the First Young Master of Wudang amidst the sonic attacks.
Shrrk!
At the moment a black-clad man swung his sword to finish off the elder of Zhongnan Sect.
Clang!
Jegal Jin-hee's fan, thrown in haste, blocked the man's sword.
The reason she had given up the opportunity to kill her enemies and thrown herself to save the elder of Zhongnan Sect was simple.
She had realized something.
Whether it was because she was a woman, young, or where they came from didn't matter.
What mattered was this simple truth.
'Life before death.'
A principle so evident that any warrior who considered themselves orthodox should prioritize it above all else.
That's why she raised her fan.
Just as the First Young Master of Wudang had lost his life protecting her.
She, too, would save the elder of Zhongnan Sect who had sacrificed himself for her.
As she swung her fan like a dancer, a white chill descended under the moonlight.