Chapter 361 |
Chapter 361
Legend of the Evil Emperor
While In-ju was maneuvering his brush, Pae Jin-seong and Dao Yuetian were not simply standing by.
Whoosh!
Pae Jin-seong surged forward, and Dao Yuetian followed him like a shadow.
In the meantime, the dark energy that In-ju unleashed with his Pan-gwan-pil traced through the air, forming into letters as it flew towards Pae Jin-seong.
Seeing the dark energy rapidly closing the distance, Pae Jin-seong tightly gripped his spear with both hands.
The flow of energy from his danjeon began to envelop the spear through his hands.
Huuuup!!
Bang!!
"Ugh…."
Whether it was due to the difference in their levels or the disparity in internal energy, Pae Jin-seong couldn't withstand the force and was pushed back three steps, letting out a faint groan.
In the brief moment that Pae Jin-seong bought with his resistance...
Whoosh!
Dao Yuetian, who had been moving behind Pae Jin-seong, suddenly leaped into the air, aiming straight for In-ju.
But as if he had anticipated this, In-ju was already countering by swinging his Pan-gwan-pil.
The dark energy that he conjured this time spread out in front of him like a protective shield, forming the character "防" (defense).
And at the moment when In-ju's protective energy and Dao Yuetian's black blade collided...
Something unexpected occurred.
Ching!
The sound echoed only once, but In-ju vaguely sensed it.
Dao Yuetian's black blade had struck five times—at precisely the same point.
Like water dripping on a stone, Dao Yuetian, following his enlightenment, managed to cut through In-ju's protective barrier with his incredibly fast blade technique.
The sound seemed to occur just once because the strikes had been delivered in such rapid succession.
"Huh..."
In the brief moment when In-ju involuntarily gasped...
Dao Yuetian's black blade, having pierced through the protective barrier, drew a sixth strike, aimed precisely at In-ju's throat.
However, the sound that followed was not the clean cut of a blade.
Ching!
Dao Yuetian's black blade stopped just before reaching In-ju's throat. To be precise, it was halted by another Pan-gwan-pil that In-ju held in his left hand.
As the two weapons clashed, both combatants had similar thoughts.
They realized that the opponent's weapon was no ordinary one.
But their subsequent actions differed.
'His rapid blade technique and black blade are remarkable, but his internal energy and level aren't that high.'
In-ju began calculating his counter-strategy, noticing that his opponent couldn't use strong energy techniques.
Ching!
Ching!
Meanwhile, Dao Yuetian continued to swing his rapid blade without pause, regardless of whether his first strike was blocked or not.
It was as if he intended to cut through even the Pan-gwan-pil with the same technique he used on the protective barrier.
After parrying three rapid strikes with minimal movement, In-ju quickly executed a light-footed technique, taking a large step back.
'I should retract my earlier thought about his low level.'
The Pan-gwan-pil, struck repeatedly in the same spot, now bore visible dents.
Had he continued to hold out, his Pan-gwan-pil—and perhaps even his neck—might have been severed.
At that moment, as In-ju retreated, a powerful energy-charged spear shot towards him from the left.
During the brief exchange between Dao Yuetian and In-ju, Pae Jin-seong had rapidly gathered his internal energy and launched a surprise attack.
In-ju blocked Pae Jin-seong's spear with the Pan-gwan-pil in his right hand, enhanced with his internal energy.
Bang!!
And right after the intense collision echoed...
Ching!
This time, he deflected Dao Yuetian's black blade with the Pan-gwan-pil in his left hand.
He wielded both Pan-gwan-pils like a dual-sword master, skillfully defending against or deflecting the combined attacks of Dao Yuetian and Pae Jin-seong.
After exchanging about six or seven rapid strikes, In-ju swiftly took a large step back using a ghost-like stepping technique.
Pae Jin-seong and Dao Yuetian rushed forward to chase him, but In-ju, who had stepped back and caught his breath, infused his Pan-gwan-pil with a vast amount of internal energy and unleashed a technique.
Dark energy filled the space as it surged towards the two.
Pae Jin-seong countered by wrapping his spear with strong energy to withstand In-ju's technique.
Dao Yuetian, once again, used the same technique of repeatedly cutting at a single point to slice through the energy.
Because he was striking with his black blade against the immense force of the energy repeatedly, the veins in Dao Yuetian's right arm bulged and reddened.
However, despite the pain in his muscles and joints, Dao Yuetian remained unfazed.
Thanks to relentless training, no matter how much pain his body endured, he could still execute the moves perfectly.
After cutting through In-ju's dark energy...
What Dao Yuetian saw next was a small object flying towards him at an alarming speed.
"!?"
Seeing the mysterious hidden weapon veiled by the dark energy, Dao Yuetian twisted his body just in time to narrowly avoid it.
Only as the hidden weapon grazed past his neck did Dao Yuetian realize what it was.
'He threw his weapon!?'
Incredibly, the hidden weapon that In-ju threw at him was a Pan-gwan-pil.
It was the very same Pan-gwan-pil that had clashed with his black blade multiple times and had been dented.
But upon recognizing the hidden weapon, Dao Yuetian couldn't help but smile with relief.
Though it was a dangerously subtle technique, he hadn't sustained any significant injuries.
After a crisis comes an opportunity.
Dao Yuetian thought that In-ju had lost one of his weapons.
"!?"
However, to his shock, In-ju was now holding a new Pan-gwan-pil in his left hand.
In the instant when Dao Yuetian raised his eyebrows in surprise...
"Brother Dao!!"
Pae Jin-seong's urgent voice pierced Dao Yuetian's ears.
And Dao Yuetian instinctively trusted the sudden feeling of unease.
Whoosh!
He quickly flung his body aside.
Slash!
A Pan-gwan-pil narrowly grazed his side as it passed by.
"!?"
That Pan-gwan-pil was the very same one that Dao Yuetian had just avoided.
The Pan-gwan-pil, which had left a small cut on Dao Yuetian's side, was now being drawn back into In-ju's left hand as if attracted by a magnet.
Whoosh!
In-ju now held a Pan-gwan-pil in his right hand as if it were a sword, and in his left hand, he wielded two Pan-gwan-pils like throwing knives.
Meanwhile, Dao Yuetian quickly pressed acupuncture points around the wound on his side to stop the bleeding.
In-ju's hands began to swiftly dance again.
The dark energy emanated from the Pan-gwan-pil in his right hand, which he wielded like a sword, surging toward Dao Yuetian and Pae Jin-seong.
Ching!!
Simultaneously, the Pan-gwan-pil that In-ju threw with his left hand moved stealthily, targeting the vital points of both men.
In-ju's mission was essentially twofold.
One was to issue commands to the subordinates of Shinchun, shaping the grand plan.
The other was to infiltrate Beijing and monitor the activities of the imperial family.
Because his mission required close proximity to the imperial family, In-ju's martial arts were specialized in 'concealing energy.'
While not as specialized in stealth techniques as the Salmakju, who needed to remain hidden, In-ju was just as adept at concealing his energy.
After all, the fact that Salmakju was directly under In-ju's command in Shinchun indicates some level of connection between them.
Moreover, just as even the smallest sound can be heard in the dead of night, in a bustling marketplace, even loud shouting might go unnoticed.
Kwaaaa!
Every time In-ju's Pan-gwan-pil danced in his right hand, the enormous and fierce dark energy overwhelmed the senses and perception of Dao Yuetian and Pae Jin-seong.
Slash!
Meanwhile, the Pan-gwan-pil that In-ju threw with his left hand stealthily aimed for their lives.
* * *
Elsewhere, before the Southern Sky Association joined the battle, the one holding off In-ju was Jegal Muhwan and the masters of the Jeongmumaeng.
To be precise, it was under Jegal Muhwan's command that the masters of the Jeongmumaeng were being sacrificed.
No one within the Jeongmumaeng could hold back In-ju alone or even with a minimal group.
They were already struggling just to hold off Cheon-ju, Ji-ju, and Hyeok Jin-gang.
And among those who were facing In-ju under Jegal Muhwan's orders, essentially as cannon fodder, was a woman.
A woman whose level of Moonlight Dance had risen, allowing her to barely survive In-ju's Pan-gwan-pil by using ice techniques.
As soon as the Southern Sky Association joined the fray, Jegal Jin-hee naturally turned her gaze to Jegal Muhwan.
- What should I do?
Dao Yuetian and Pae Jin-seong had already engaged In-ju in battle.
She was asking whether she should stay here and assist them or support another side.
After a brief glance toward the Southern Sky Association, Jegal Muhwan pointed somewhere with his fan.
It was a directive to leave In-ju to the Southern Sky Association and to support the area he indicated with his fan.
When she followed the direction Jegal Muhwan pointed with his fan, she saw...
"Quietly offer your neck."
"You leech-like bastards!"
She spotted Hyeok Jin-gang, who wore an exasperated expression, engaged in fierce combat with the Namgung father and son.
It was quite a comical sight.
If one were to judge the direction of the battle, Hyeok Jin-gang had the upper hand. Although not overwhelmingly, it was a slight advantage.
However, based on the way they talked and the atmosphere, it almost seemed like the Namgung father and son were the ones pressing Hyeok Jin-gang.
Sigh.
Jegal Jin-hee, who had previously assisted them in their battle against Sa-doryeon, let out a sigh and used her light-footed technique to head in that direction.
She assumed that the General Commander had placed her there because he was aware of this.
Since they had fought together before, she thought they would likely coordinate well.
Her assumption was half-correct.
'Since she's fought alongside them before, those crazy Namgung guys shouldn't have much to say.'
The main reason Jegal Muhwan sent her toward the Namgung side was that he wanted to avoid further entanglement with them.
In fact, Jegal Muhwan had only sent Jegal Jin-hee and the warriors of the Jegal family to support the Namgung family, while the other Jeongmumaeng martial artists were given different instructions.
Having dealt with the troublesome Namgung situation, Jegal Muhwan, with cold eyes, continued to survey the battlefield, moving his fan relentlessly.
And the guards who remained by his side acted as both his protectors and as messengers, relaying his commands to the battlefield.
"The Hwangbo family, break through the right side and support the Zhongnan Sect! Zhongnan, hold on and await the Hwangbo family's support!"
"The New Star Unit, break through the center!"
Jegal Muhwan skillfully maneuvered the troops, responding to the ebb and flow of the battle, ensuring that no one side collapsed easily.
Even as many of the Jeongmumaeng masters were tied down by Cheon-ju, Ji-ju, and Hyeok Jin-gang, it was clear that the Jeongmumaeng's ability to hold out against Shinchun was largely due to Jegal Muhwan's efforts.
However, Jegal Muhwan, despite issuing commands without rest, was not at ease.
'As expected, the damage is not insignificant.'
He had anticipated some losses. To be honest, he had even considered the possibility of complete annihilation.
From Jegal Muhwan's perspective, who prioritized his own safety above all, total annihilation wouldn't have been the worst outcome.
If both the Jeongmumaeng and Shinchun were wiped out, his later years might have been quite peaceful.
But given the current situation, even a complete wipeout seemed to be the best possible outcome.
'Before Shaolin and Wudang fall, we must destabilize one side's balance.'
Wudang, which was facing Ji-ju and his disciples, was doing its best, but...
"Ugh…"
Gradually, one by one, sacrifices were being made.
Though Shaolin hadn't yet suffered any losses...
"出 (Emerge)!"
Once again, the One Hundred Eight Arhats began to take on Cheon-ju in place of Mu-jin and his group.
Mu-jin and his companions, who had retreated, were busy trying to calm their turbulent internal energy after the exchange, their faces pale.
'I might need to take a gamble.'
Just as Jegal Muhwan, who had calmly gathered his thoughts, was about to issue a command...
Sssmirk.
For the first time since the battle began, a smile spread across his lips as he noticed something.
It was a smile born from realizing that his last resort was working.
Beyond the battlefield, a large banner bearing the character for "魔" (Ma) was fluttering as a group approached.
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