Chapter 340 |
Chapter 340
Water Drops Wearing Away the Stone
When the Namgung Family was preparing to clash with Sa-doryeon.
The warriors of the Southern Sky Association were also cautiously moving, preparing for battle.
Fuzhou, Longyan County.
It was one of the counties where the branch of Sa-doryeon was located and the most likely place where the Nasha Witch could be hiding.
The biggest reason they could only discuss 'possibility' was due to the Nasha Witch's transformation technique. Unless she had to fully utilize her skills, she was always disguised as someone else.
After successfully surrounding the vicinity of Longyan County cautiously.
The Southern Sky Association's leader, Pae Jin-seong, known as the Spear King, gave a signal to Dao Yuetian and then entered Longyan County.
This was because if they all charged in, the Nasha Witch, disguised as someone else, might slip away unnoticed.
At that moment, a carriage with a few escorts came out of Longyan County and encountered the Southern Sky Association warriors blocking the road. An old man who looked like a merchant stepped forward.
"What is the matter?"
Approaching the trembling merchant, Dao Yuetian sighed inwardly. Although it wasn't a matter that warranted the involvement of the Vice Leader of the Southern Sky Association himself, he had no choice.
Given that the Southern Sky Association was a union of the unorthodox sects, each warrior had a rough appearance and a fierce demeanor due to their life experiences and scars.
"Sorry, we have an enemy we need to find here. We must ensure they don't escape."
"Then, can I pass through?"
As the merchant spoke urgently, a hissing sound was heard around them. Seeing the warriors' stern looks, the merchant began to tremble even more. Dao Yuetian sighed deeply once more.
"I'd like to let you pass, but our target is a master of disguise. Until we catch them, we can't let anyone go. You seem to be a merchant, so any financial loss will be compensated later."
The merchant, who had more to say, gave up and returned to his carriage after seeing the fierce demeanor of the Southern Sky Association warriors.
Watching the retreating figure of the subdued merchant, Dao Yuetian sighed deeply inwardly. Although he had chosen the unorthodox path, it didn't feel pleasant.
However, having suffered similarly before, they had no choice.
"This time, we must catch her."
Thinking of the Nasha Witch, Dao Yuetian gritted his teeth.
Despite the presence of the formidable Spear King Pae Jin-seong, and himself, who could hold his own against the Nasha Witch in dozens of bouts, they couldn't fully subdue her because she always led them into guerrilla warfare.nn
Unlike battles between countries, martial arts battles rarely involved more than a few dozen to a few hundred people. Only large groups like Jeongmumaeng, Sa-doryeon, or the demon cult engaged in battles with thousands.
Given the vast land of Central Plains, even hundreds of people were relatively few. If they decided to flee, it would be nearly impossible to track them down.
Thus, in martial arts battles, attacking the enemy's base was crucial, but the bases were too far apart. The Southern Sky Association's base was in Guangxi Province, while Sa-doryeon's base was in Zhejiang Province.
As the Southern Sky Association advanced from Guangxi through Guangdong to Fujian, the Nasha Witch would attack their supply lines, halting their progress between Guangdong and Fujian.
Therefore, to avoid being manipulated by the Nasha Witch again, they had to capture her in this encirclement.
"It's starting."
Sounds of explosions and screams were heard from inside Longyan County, along with the surging flow of Qi.
"Stay alert! We don't know who the Nasha Witch might be disguised as!"
"Yes, sir!"
At Dao Yuetian's command, the previously relaxed Southern Sky Association warriors straightened up and prepared for battle.
As the explosions and screams from inside the county intensified, people began fleeing from the village.
However, their numbers were not significant. Even when chaos erupted in a village, few villagers actually fled.
Martial arts conflicts, while not common, did occur occasionally, and during such times, ordinary villagers typically sought refuge in government offices or hid in their homes. Rarely did they abandon the villages they had lived in for generations.
"Please, spare me!"
A young woman, terrified, knelt before the Southern Sky Association warriors, begging. Dao Yuetian approached her to calm her down.
"Don't worry. We won't harm you. Just rest here for now."
As she turned her head toward Dao Yuetian, who spoke to her, her eyes trembled incessantly, and she looked like she would burst into tears at any moment.
Watching her pitiful appearance, Dao Yuetian spoke.
"By the way, you seem to have learned martial arts?"
"!!"
As soon as Dao Yuetian finished speaking, she sprang up from her kneeling position and charged at Dao Yuetian, utilizing the momentum to draw a hidden dagger.
"Ugh…"
Before the dagger could even touch Dao Yuetian, her body collapsed. Her upper and lower body had been swiftly separated before anyone could even see Dao Yuetian's swift sword strike.
Even the Southern Sky Association warriors watching couldn't see the fast strike clearly, but Dao Yuetian, having succeeded in eliminating the enemy, had to quickly throw himself to the side.
Clang!nn
"Ugh…"
Her ambush triggered attacks from enemies hiding everywhere, targeting the Southern Sky Association warriors.
Simultaneously, with a huge explosion, over a dozen Southern Sky Association warriors were swept away at once. The explosion occurred where the frightened old merchant had waited by the carriage.
However, the old merchant was no longer there. Instead, a woman who seemed to be in her fifties, dressed in the same clothes as the old man, was attacking the Southern Sky Association warriors.
"Capture that woman!!"
As soon as Dao Yuetian shouted, having identified the Nasha Witch, the nearby Southern Sky Association warriors sprang into action.
"Vermin like you!!"
Her face contorted with a venomous snarl, her sharp scream pierced the eardrums, making her appear every bit the Nasha Witch she was known to be.
She reached into her sleeve as if retrieving a hidden weapon and pulled out a silken fabric that a woman might wear. The sight of an elderly merchant's clothing paired with a woman's silk was bizarre, but the result was far more astonishing.
Boom!!
Swish!!
The ground exploded with a thunderous roar when struck by the broad side of the silk, and human flesh sliced cleanly with a chilling sound when touched by the thin edge of the fabric.
She leaped into the air, twirling and brandishing the silk like a dancer. With each motion, explosions and slicing sounds echoed, and the warriors of the Southern Sky Association fell in droves.
"You filthy witch!!"
Someone, consumed by rage and ready to die, infused his sword with internal energy and hurled it at her. However, it was deflected with a 'ting' as it collided with her silk.
Swish!
The man, now weaponless, had his throat slashed by the silk.
In just a few breaths, she had slaughtered dozens of warriors around her.
But thanks to the time they bought, Dao Yuetian managed to get within striking distance of her.
Swish!!
Dao Yuetian's swift black blade made a slicing sound, but it was different from the sound of cutting human flesh. He grimaced slightly, disappointed that his first strike had only cut through the fabric instead of her body.
Likewise, she seemed displeased that her silk had been cut, and she spoke with annoyance.
"Aren't you tired of this?"
"Today will be our last meeting, so no, I'm not tired."
At Dao Yuetian's response, a sneer formed on her lips.n
"Do you think you'll succeed on the third attempt after failing twice?"
This was already the third time Dao Yuetian had faced her. The first time, she escaped from the Namgung Family, and the second time, she escaped a siege similar to this one.
He felt somewhat resentful about the last time. Unlike now, they had launched a simultaneous assault rather than forming a siege, allowing her to escape through a weak point in their formation.
He had chased after her alone but had been outmatched, allowing her to flee easily. This failure left a deep impression on him, making him feel as if he had hit a wall.
'Hoo.'
To avoid repeating past mistakes, Dao Yuetian steadied his breath and shouted.
"Signal the leader!"
As soon as he finished speaking, whistles echoed from somewhere.
The reason for creating the encirclement was this: Dao Yuetian and the encirclement were meant to buy time.
'Hold out until the leader returns and launches a joint attack.'
Simultaneously, Dao Yuetian recalled the letter given to him by Baek Ga-hwan, akin to a sworn brother, before coming here today, which contained advice from Mu-jin.
The letter contained only one phrase.
"Water drops penetrate stone."
It was one of the sayings used to emphasize the importance of effort, often mentioned alongside phrases like "foolish old man moves a mountain" or "accumulating soil forms a mountain."
'It must mean to trust my efforts.'
Dao Yuetian steeled his resolve and charged at the Nasha Witch, executing the Swift Shadow Strike. The Nasha Witch attempted to block his blade with her silk, but the sharpness of his black blade cut through the fabric.
Swish!
However, as she stepped back and slashed the air with her claws, sharp energy flew towards Dao Yuetian. Instead of directly clashing with the energy, Dao Yuetian dodged sideways, causing the silk to fly towards him.
Swish! Swish!
He quickly sliced through the silk and closed in on her. As they engaged in close combat, she unfailingly swung her energy-infused claws.
Boom!!!
Dao Yuetian's black blade clashed with her claws, causing an explosion.
'Ugh…'
He gritted his teeth to suppress the pain as the force from her claws traveled through his blade into his body.
While he momentarily hesitated, she began to spin and swing her silk again.n
Using movements ingrained in his body, Dao Yuetian continuously executed Swift Shadow Strike, cutting through the fabric. After clashing with or evading her sharp energy several times and cutting through the silk repeatedly, he began to feel overwhelmed.
'Is the advice really just to keep trying? Was my understanding lacking?'
As these doubts crossed his mind, the Nasha Witch's attacks continued.
"Ugh…"
When Dao Yuetian momentarily lost his balance, the silk enveloped him from all sides.
But this time, the attack was different.
'That technique from before.'
Dao Yuetian recognized it from their previous encounter. The entire fabric was imbued with energy, unlike her claws, which only extended a few inches with sharp energy. Enveloping the entire fabric with energy required tremendous internal power.
'Should I retreat?'
Even with his divine weapon, the Celestial Flash Sword, it was impossible to cut through fabric infused with energy. Striking one spot would only lead to being ensnared by the rest of the fabric.
But if he retreated, she would escape again, just like before.
As countless thoughts raced through his mind in that fleeting moment, Dao Yuetian suddenly saw a tiny gap.
In an instant, he executed Swift Shadow Strike, aiming his blade at that spot.
Clang!
As his black blade struck the fabric, it produced a sharp metallic sound and bounced off. No, it didn't bounce off; he had swiftly retracted his blade at the moment of impact when the blade met the energy.
And as he retracted his blade, he immediately slashed again, aiming at the same spot.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As he struck the same spot repeatedly with rapid speed, the energy surrounding that area began to dissipate.
Mu-jin's advice of "Water drops penetrate stone" was not merely about effort. Water could penetrate a rock because it kept falling on the exact same spot continuously.
'Now!'
In that brief moment, Dao Yuetian slashed the same spot five or six times and swung his black blade again.
Clang!
As the blade clashed with the energy again, the now significantly weakened energy dispersed naturally.
Swish!!
Dao Yuetian's black blade sliced through the fabric.