Chapter 1668
There, too… a future exists. (3)
“D-don’t retreat! You fools…!”
“Aaaaagh!”
It was like leaves falling in the autumn wind.
Normally, such words would seem out of place in this pine-filled mountain, but at this moment, they fit perfectly.
Those who had circled around the cliff on the steep slope were literally tumbling and falling like leaves before the wind.
The most gentle and elegant swordsmanship of Wudang. With the addition of an uncharacteristic ruthlessness, ordinary Evil Sects’ warriors stood no chance against it.
Smooth.
It was swift without haste, sharp without edge.
Wudang’s sword, embodying two seemingly incompatible concepts at its tip, mercilessly ravaged and cut down the enemies climbing the cliff.
“Aaaaagh!”
Another scream erupted as Sapaeryeon’s warrior, his neck pierced, plummeted. Those climbing behind him were swept along and tumbled down with his body.
“Th-this…”
At that moment.
Whoosh!
Wudang swordsmen, who had been subduing their foes with the softness of flowing water, transformed into a cascading waterfall, overwhelming Sapaeryeon’s members on the cliff.
“You bastards!”
Jumping down without even spinning to face the enemy below? That’s a foolish move, exposing one’s lower body to the opponent.
No matter how strong Wudang is, there is no scarecrow here that would fall for such a reckless charge. Sapaeryeon’s warrior, with bloodshot eyes, frantically thrust his spear at the descending lower body of Wudang swordsman. He was determined to create a huge wind hole in his lower half.
But it was at that moment.
Voom.
Just as the extended spear was about to touch his leg, the body of the descending Wudang swordsman suddenly stopped in mid-air. No, instead, he floated gently upwards.
“What..”
Thump!
The sword twisted in mid-air, softly pushing the spear away. As space opened up, an unexpected sword strike flew in like a swallow darting down.
Slash! Slash!
A chilling sensation spread as his chest was being split open. The one who had thrust the spear stared wide-eyed, mouth agape, at the Wudang swordsman who landed softly.
At the sight of that indifferent face, the name of a martial artist flashed through his mind.
“C-Cloud…”
Before he could finish speaking, blood redder than the sunset gushed forth. His eyes rolled back. In his final moment, he saw Wudang’s disciples who had been descending the cliff all at once soar upwards like clouds.
“…ladder.”
Vertical Cloud Ladder [제운종(梯雲縱) – or Cloud Stepping Technique].
The supreme martial art of Wudang, allowing one to ascend and descend through the air as if riding clouds. While it might not compare to the advanced techniques of Kunlun’s “Great Eight Forms of the Cloud Dragon*” in terms of advancing and retreating, in terms of ascending and descending, there is no other martial art that rivals it.
This technique demonstrated its full power on the steep mountains of Wudang.
“Uh, uh…”
Even Sapaeryeon’s warriors, who had ascended the mountain without fear despite witnessing countless deaths, began to feel despair creeping into their eyes.
That swordsmanship was beyond their ability to contend with.
How could they possibly face those who wield such swords and freely ascend and descend the mountain?
Powerful. Just witnessing this scene made it clear why Wudang was a sect that competed with Shaolin to be the Northern Star of Gangho.
And how foolish it was to think of opposing such people.
“This, this is…”
As the blood that had heated their heads cooled, the scene around them became clear. Those who tried to flank and ascend the slope were blocked by Wudang swordsmen, unable to advance. Those climbing the cliffs were stopped by falling rocks and could only scream.
Is it really possible to break through? Perhaps it would be better to retreat now and bypass through the opposite ridge…
“Aaaaah!”
At that moment, a piercing scream resounded.
Though it was natural to hear screams in a battlefield, the reason this particular scream grabbed attention was that it came not from the front but from behind.
Instinctively turning around, they saw a warrior from their group collapsing, blood spraying from his back. He had hesitated and was killed as an example.
“Keep going up.”
“…”
“Now!”
Grit!
They all gritted their teeth. They suddenly remembered.
There is no retreat. Those who choose to run away and descend this mountain are met with a fate far more miserable than death on the mountain.
“Uaaaahhhh!”
“Aaaaahhhh!”
They charged forward, shouting at the top of their lungs.
They already knew how to face strong opponents. They knew how to confront those they couldn’t defeat with skill.
Swish!
The fiercely swungs heavy blades slashed through the air, surging toward Wudang swordsman. Not one, but three swords.
No, even at that moment, another blade followed, aiming for the same spot.
“Haap!”
Wudang swordsman did not panic easily.
A sword, refined to its extreme with gentleness, does not fear the opponent’s strength. On the contrary, the stronger the opponent’s power, the more options this side has.
Saaak.
The sword moved smoothly, gently pushing the tip of the blade aside. The blades that were flying in from a distance twisted, their trajectories becoming entangled with one another.
Clang!
The blades, which had been charging all at once, became a tangled mess in the air. In that moment, Wudang swordsman swiftly launched his sword.
But at that instant, Sapaeryeon’s warriors released their blades and lunged at him with their entire bodies.
Pah!
The outstretched sword pierced the heart of one of Sapaeryeon’s warriors.
It was a truly ruthless strike, leaving no room for mercy. There was no chance to grab onto the sword or even clutch at his pant leg.
However, it was at that moment that something unexpected happened to Wudang swordsman.
Blood trickled down the Pine Crest Sword that had pierced the heart.
Normally, when a sword penetrates a body, the muscles contract around it, so there is not much bleeding until the sword is withdrawn. But things in the world do not always go as expected, so perhaps the blood was not something to take much notice of.
Yet the reason the blood caught his eye was…
‘Is the blood… a bit too thin?’
Thud.
At that moment, the man, who was thought to be dead, grabbed Wudang swordsman’s hand. It was an action full of regret, seemingly without purpose.
As Wudang swordsman tried to remove the hand, the man with the pierced heart struggled to speak.
“Heh…”
His face was somehow… grotesque. It was difficult to describe, but the fear etched on his face was vivid.
Wudang swordsman hurriedly tried to push him away and retreat.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, crimson flames erupted from the body of the dying enemy. The fire climbed up the sword embedded in his heart.
‘O-Oil?’
He needed to let go of the sword and step back. That was the natural response.
However, the teaching of the prestigious martial arts sect, which never allowed him to separate from his sword, made him hesitate for a moment.
The result of that hesitation could only be paid with his body.
“Aaaah!”
The flames traveled up the sword and instantly engulfed his arm. If it were ordinary fire, it wouldn’t have spread so quickly.
He tried desperately to extinguish the fire on his arm. But before he could, something flew towards him. He saw a small ball, the size of a child’s fist.
The ball flying through the air contained something. The moment he saw the rippling movement, he widened his eyes, forgetting the flames on his arm.
Thud! Thud!
The balls that struck his body burst open, spraying a faint blue liquid around him. As soon as the blue liquid combined with the burning flames, it erupted into a massive blaze.
“Aaaaah!”
His entire body was engulfed in flames. He swung his sword frantically, but it was pointless. He threw the sword away and covered his face with both hands. He tried using his inner strength and rolling on the ground, but the flames enveloping his body showed no sign of extinguishing.
Crunch!
A blade flew into his neck.
“Guh…”
It was just another death added to the battlefield. But this was distinctly different from the countless deaths that had occurred here.
“Controlling strength through gentleness?”
One of the leaders of Sapaeryeon, holding a long spear, sneered deeply as he looked at Wudang swordsman who continued to burn even in death.
Then, he brought a fire starter to the cloth wrapped around the tip of his spear. His spear lit up like a long torch, illuminating Wudang Mountain, which was being swallowed by darkness.
“Do you want a duel?”
As if his words were a signal, other Sapaeryeon’s warriors also wrapped their weapons with oil-soaked cloth and set them ablaze. The steep slope, which had not yet been touched by the flames, gradually became brighter.
The leader thrust his long spear into a pine tree on the mountainside. The dry bark began to burn, emitting white smoke.
“Let me make it clear. This is war. And there is no place for esteemed Taoists in a war.”
In a fight between swords and blades, the outcome is already determined.
But the current Mount Wudang is not a place for such noble battles.
“Throw it!”
“Yes!”
Whoosh!
Barely after the order was given, thin leather pouches filled with oil were thrown forward.
“Ha!”
Wudang swordsmen, who had witnessed the scene unfold before their eyes, hurriedly batted away the oil-filled balls. However, no matter how they deflected them, the oil-filled balls could only land near them.
“Fire!”
Whoosh!
An overwhelming number of flaming arrows began to rain down on their position.
The arrows were shot from below, aimed upwards.
Arrows fired haphazardly by those without formal training were unlikely to be lethal. However, out of ten or so arrows, one might fall near Wudang swordsmen’s feet, and that alone was enough to achieve their objective.
Whoosh!
As expected, the oil on the ground quickly ignited into flames.
“Fall back!”
“Over here!”
“Damn it, what are you doing? Put out the fire! No, just cut it off! Cut it off with the clothes!”
Wudang swordsmen, whose pants had caught fire, frantically retreated. They swung their hands and slashed with their swords, but for some reason, the fire that had caught wouldn’t easily extinguish.
“What kind of sorcery is this?”
It wasn’t like normal fire but more akin to a glue. They had never heard of such a fire in the world!
This is definitely not ordinary oil! Absolutely not!
Moreover, that was not the only problem.
Whoosh!
“Ahhhh!”
While they were distracted by the flames, more oil-filled pouches flew in and burst upon several Wudang swordsmen.
“Retreat… Aaaaah!”
Those whose pants had not yet caught fire turned pale and managed to escape, saving their lives. But the fate of those who were already ablaze was truly horrific.
“Aaaaah!”
The rising flames engulfed people in an instant.
Agonizing screams and the stench of burning flesh permeated the entire mountain.
Because the mountain was shrouded in darkness, the scene was even more vividly etched into the eyes of Wudang swordsmen.
“Aaaaah!”
“What are you doing? Help them! Put out the fire! Hurry! Jin Myeong! Jin Myeong-aaaah!”
They couldn’t even die easily. Their trained internal energy kept them conscious even while their bodies burned. They were forced to fully experience the agony of their flesh slowly being consumed by flames with a clear mind.
As Wudang’s disciples scrambled to help their burning brothers, someone shouted.
“They’re coming again!”
“What?”
Mu Jin hastily looked below and widened his eyes in shock.
‘What is that?’
People dressed differently from those they had faced so far were now densely packed at the foot of the slope.
They wore attire different from the people of the Central Plains, with slightly unfamiliar features and somewhat darker skin tone, and had a sun-shaped emblem engraved on their chests.
Cold sweat ran down Mu Jin’s back as he recognized who they were.
‘The Sun…’
“Fire!”
Whoosh!
A multitude of oil-filled pouches and flaming arrows shot up from below, so numerous that they seemed to fill the entire sky.
‘The Yangtze…’
A scene they had wanted to forget, a memory they hoped could be erased, resurfaced in the minds of Wudang swordsmen and overlapped with the present.
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