Chapter 350 |
Chapter 350
Semi-God
Was it because they had witnessed an absurd martial art?
Or was it because the Zhongnan Five Swords had lost their lives in vain?
A momentary silence enveloped the area. Everyone surrounding Cheon-ju hesitated, unsure of what to do.
In the atmosphere where time seemed to have stopped, the only one who remained free was Cheon-ju.
Swiik.
While everyone else was frozen, Cheon-ju, who had demonstrated a martial art that defied common sense, moved his arm again.
And Cheon-ju's hand pointed towards Hyun-cheon.
Swaaaaash!!
A massive storm of qi formed once again at his gesture.
"Protect the Lord!!"
"Defeat that demon!!"
The martial artists of Jeongmumaeng, who were frozen and unsure of what to do, were moved into action.
Some launched themselves to protect Hyun-cheon, while others charged at Cheon-ju, who had demonstrated martial arts.
Hyun-cheon, who became Cheon-ju's target, thought to himself:
'This can't be...'
He couldn't help but feel the urge to close his eyes.
Right before his eyes, young martial artists who had thrown themselves to protect him were being torn apart by the storm of purple qi.
He had to watch their bodies get shredded to pieces by the purple qi storm up close.
But their deaths couldn't be in vain.
"Haaah!!"
He drew upon his internal energy and unleashed the Supreme Great Ability, one of the Seventy-Two Consummate Arts of Shaolin.
The golden energy unique to Shaolin clashed with the purple qi that Cheon-ju had sent.
Boom!!
With a loud explosion, Hyun-cheon was pushed back five steps. He suffered internal injuries and blood rose up inside him, but he managed to avoid instant death.
It was thanks to the sacrifice of those who had weakened the purple qi with their bodies.
However, it was not a time to feel relieved just because he had survived.
"Die!!!"
"Aaaargh..."nn
The martial artists of Jeongmumaeng, who charged to distract Cheon-ju.
And Cheon-ju, who was being attacked from all sides by them.
From a numerical standpoint, Cheon-ju should have seemed pitiful, but the reality was far from it.
Each time Cheon-ju lightly swung his hand, the martial artists who charged at him were swept away.
It was a scene that epitomized the phrase "falling leaves in the autumn wind." The problem was that those fallen leaves were the shredded flesh of human bodies.
At that moment, an elder swordsman broke through the ranks of young martial artists and charged at Cheon-ju with his sword.
"You scoundrel!!"
The elder swordsman, eyes red with anger, did not appear to be acting like a typical Daoist.
He was Baekam Zhenren, the mentor of the recently massacred Zhongnan Five Swords and an elder of the Zhongnan Sect.
"Join me!"
Beside him, Baekun Zhenren, wielding a sword in the distinct Tai Chi style of Wudang, was fending off the purple qi, supported by an elder of the Tang Clan who was throwing concealed weapons.
Swaaaaash!
In addition, those known as 'renowned experts' in the martial world joined forces with the martial artists of Jeongmumaeng and began a coordinated attack.
However, in Hyun-cheon's eyes, their actions did not appear brave or valiant. They seemed more like moths flying into a flame.
A conflagration that consumed everything in its path, with moths foolishly diving into it.
"Stop!!"
Hyun-cheon urgently shouted to stop the moths, but he was a moment too late.
Swaaaaash!!
With another gesture from Cheon-ju, a storm of qi arose, and the moths were torn apart in the storm.
Whether they were young martial artists or renowned experts of the martial world, the result was the same.
The only difference was that young martial artists were torn apart instantly, while renowned experts held out a bit longer before being shredded.
As Hyun-cheon was feeling a profound sense of despair at the horrific scene, another voice called out:
"Stop right there!!"
Someone stepped forward and shouted with their internal energy.
Of course, everyone engulfed in the heat of battle ignored the voice, but the following words made everyone halt for a moment.
"If you move any further, I cannot guarantee this person's life!!"
A statement fit for a common thug who had taken a hostage.
Everyone was astonished by such words, which were entirely unfitting for an organization like Jeongmumaeng.
Naturally, all eyes turned towards the source of the voice.
An old beggar was standing there, holding the So-cheon-ju captive.
nn
The So-cheon-ju seemed to have his meridians suppressed, completely leaning against the old beggar without any strength in his body.
And the man who had brought the So-cheon-ju there was none other than Deung-son, the leader of the Flying Dragon Pavilion and the Seventh Elder of the Beggars' Sect, known as the Thousand Li Pursuer. He had his hand on the So-cheon-ju's acupoint and was staring at Cheon-ju Jo Shin-myeong.
Deung-son's hand was trembling slightly.
He had just witnessed the terrifying massacre perpetrated by Jo Shin-myeong. Now, Jo Shin-myeong's gaze was entirely focused on him.
However, it was not just the risk of losing his life that made his hand tremble.
He was an elder of the Beggars' Sect.
To others, he might just appear to be a beggar, but he took pride in living for righteousness and chivalry, using the ground as his bed and the sky as his blanket for many years.
But now, he was in a situation where he had to take a man who had lost his internal energy as a hostage to threaten his father.
Yet,
'Commander. I will surely succeed.'
He told himself that it didn't matter if his name and hands were sullied, as long as he could save the countless martial artists of Jeongmumaeng.
Believing that he could do this, Commander Jegal Muhwan had entrusted him with this task.
He recalled Jegal Muhwan's instructions:
'It would be too ambitious to kill or subdue Cheon-ju using this hostage. You must simply make him retreat.'
Deung-son planned to leave Jeongmumaeng with the So-cheon-ju.
Death likely awaited him afterward.
However, with his resolve firm, Deung-son was not afraid of his death.
* * *
"Jo Shin-myeong! If you retreat now, I will follow you along with this person! If you back down, you can save your son!"
At Deung-son's shout, Jo Shin-myeong gazed intently at him and the So-cheon-ju, as if trying to discern his true intentions.
Then, the So-cheon-ju, held hostage by Deung-son, spoke urgently.
"Master Cheon-ju!"
Normally, Cheon-ju treated his son merely as a tool—a means to carry on the 'Shinchun' group after his own lifespan had ended.
Perhaps it was only natural.
There could never be two suns in the sky. If he, the So-cheon-ju, were to achieve greatness, it would inevitably endanger Cheon-ju's position.
But now, having lost all his power and with his life threatened, he harbored a faint hope that, at least once, Cheon-ju might pity him as a son.
"Please save me, Master Cheon-ju! As the successor of Cheon, I promise never to fail again! I will never disobey your orders!"
The So-cheon-ju, sensing this was a life-or-death situation, cried out desperately.
Did his son's desperate plea seem odd?
Cheon-ju, who was watching Deung-son and the So-cheon-ju, suddenly frowned and brought up an unrelated topic.
n
"So-cheon-ju. It seems your danjeon is damaged."
Those surrounding Cheon-ju and Deung-son thought similarly.
They assumed that Cheon-ju was enraged because his son's danjeon was broken.
However, the So-cheon-ju, who knew Cheon-ju well, felt an ominous sense.
"F-Father!"
He called out to Cheon-ju with a title he had never used before.
But before he could finish his words, Cheon-ju swung his arm.
Swaaaaash!
Predictably, a storm of purple qi created by his gesture swept towards Deung-son and the So-cheon-ju.
In an instant, the young man and the old beggar were torn to pieces.
As everyone closed their mouths in shock at the horrifying sight, Cheon-ju's emotionless voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Cheon-ju is the agent of God, and an imperfect successor is unnecessary."
Killing his own son and heir just because his danjeon was damaged was beyond shocking.
As everyone stood still like puppets with cut strings, Jegal Muhwan, the commander of Jeongmumaeng, shouted.
"Guryongdan, form the Five Elements Formation!"
His cry snapped some out of their daze, and they began to move according to his orders. They were the martial artists of the Guryongdan.
"The front five columns take the vanguard, the rear five columns the rearguard, and eliminate that monster!"
Right after giving orders to the Guryongdan, Jegal Muhwan quickly moved towards Hyun-cheon.
He didn't leave the entire task to the Guryongdan alone.
Once the Guryongdan started moving, other unit leaders and commanders quickly issued orders, coordinating the martial artists.
Jegal Muhwan had prepared for the possibility that the hostage situation might not work.
While Deung-son bought some time by holding the So-cheon-ju hostage, Jegal Muhwan had already issued instructions via secret transmission to key personnel.
Approaching Jegal Muhwan, Hyun-cheon asked.
"Commander! Do you have a plan?"
In an unusually urgent tone, Jegal Muhwan responded.
"Lord! You must flee immediately."
"Flee? What do you mean! This is our base, where could I possibly flee to?"
"The location is not important. Your survival is paramount."
It wasn't flattery.
The Orthodox Sect consisted of many factions, from the Nine Great Sects to the Five Noble Families and numerous smaller sects.
If they couldn't unite them, it would be impossible to oppose Shinchun.n
Especially after witnessing the power of the man called Cheon-ju, Jegal Muhwan's resolve was even firmer.
Currently, the only person who could unite the Orthodox Sect was Hyun-cheon.
Although Jeongmumaeng was initially formed by Mu-jin, known as Kwon Je, it was ultimately Hyun-cheon who united everyone as the first leader of Jeongmumaeng.
The reason why everyone, knowing they would die in vain, still threw themselves to protect Hyun-cheon and kept charging at Cheon-ju like moths to a flame was due to the dignified and fatherly image Hyun-cheon had shown.
And this was also why Jegal Muhwan, the commander, could never become the leader of a faction.
Also,
'That man likely knows this too, which is why he attacked here first.'
Without Hyun-cheon as the focal point, it would be impossible to fight united as they were now.
Cheon-ju had not attacked the enemy's heart recklessly like a madman.
He attacked knowing that if Jeongmumaeng and its leader, Hyun-cheon, were to fall, the Orthodox Sect would fracture.
Even as he watched the martial artists of Jeongmumaeng being torn apart by Cheon-ju's martial arts, Hyun-cheon could not easily accept Jegal Muhwan's proposal.
"How can the leader flee while even the members are fighting to the death!"
"Are you planning to let all the members die? The target is you, Lord! You must flee so the other members can survive!"
"!!!"
Hyun-cheon was shocked. Jegal Muhwan continued.
"It's impossible to capture him with the forces left here. We need to muster the full strength of the alliance. No, we must gather those left behind to guard the bases of each sect and family to dig a trap and capture him. Like when we captured the Heavenly Demon forty years ago. For this, you must first flee."
"......"
Hyun-cheon was momentarily speechless and turned to look at the battlefield.
He briefly watched his precious members being swept away by the storm of qi created by Cheon-ju.
"Understood, Commander."
With a decisive tone, Hyun-cheon began to walk following Jegal Muhwan's guidance.
Jegal Muhwan led him towards the secret passage prepared during the construction of Jeongmumaeng.
And as if it had been pre-arranged, the martial artists of Jeongmumaeng took their positions to block Cheon-ju as soon as Hyun-cheon started to retreat.
'Hold on for a little while.'
This was the thought shared by the leaders left behind. It was one of Jegal Muhwan's last two instructions to them.
After buying enough time for Hyun-cheon to escape, they would scatter.
The second instruction was to hide at the designated location and wait for contact.
Of course, it was uncertain how many would manage to escape alive.
Swaaaaash!
Their lives and deaths were in the hands of that monster.