Chapter 5
While the first major clash took place in Guizhou, other areas were also not peaceful..
“Cut off the hypocrite's head with the sword of Dark Heaven.!”
The Amcheonhoe operated under the influence of the existing political forces, mainly from small and medium-sized sects, and the traitors of this faction..
From the central part of the central plain to the northern part, each branch of the Murim League was devastated within the sphere of influence of the main political faction..
“Disciple! What on earth is this?!”
“execution! come to your senses!”
“Samae! Why?!”
“no!”
The political faction was shocked by the betrayal of executioners, priests, family members, and friends..
Those who had been holding their breath for so long plunged daggers into their comrades' backs as soon as war broke out..
“Wake!”
“You idiot, still don’t understand the situation? He was betrayed!”
“Damn it, take those sandals and retreat.!”
And the people who saved this chaos were, ironically, Safain, Gupailbang, and the Five Generations, who had been enemies for their entire lives..
Sapa was not without betrayal either..
However, their impact was less than that of political factions..
This was because betrayal was common in the history of Sapa..
In the first place, an apostle is not about doctrine or humanity, but understanding and righteousness..
There are frequent cases of betrayal when necessary, and Safain was always prepared for any unexpected situation..
Also, because it was a society as harsh as the Black Island, people were not easy to trust, and because they were very wary, they responded well to betrayal..
Of course, they are also human, so there were cases where they were somewhat shocked when they were betrayed by someone who had established stability for a long time or was related by blood, but it was less common than the political people..
“Ha, it's surprising that even after receiving such a mental shock, I didn't suffer from a curse..”
“It's good to brag about being the political faction of stability, but there are so many stupidly pure people out there.?”
Among the martial arts characteristics of Jeongpa, the advantage is stability..
The Safa people clicked their tongues when they saw the Jeongpa members who seemed shocked but had a strong mentality..
Also, in the case of Gupailbang and Odaesega, the damage was slightly less..
There was a reason why his mental strength was high thanks to his martial arts skills, but it was also because most of the traitors were from small and medium-sized clans..
This confusion was a problem in the beginning, but it gradually began to clear up over time..
In the meantime, for the sake of efficiency, Amcheonhoe used the information brought by the spy and took advantage of the chaos to subdue the government..
“Listen, Murim!!”
Someone at the Amcheonhoe said.
“Hyun Moorim is crazy!”
His cry was heard throughout the province..
“There is no chivalry in Gangho.!”
Amcheonhoe penetrated into the hearts of the martial arts people..
“There is no longer any need to help the weak and suppress the strong.!
In government affairs, individuals are disparaged and ignored simply because their martial arts level is low.!
Aren’t they discriminating just because they don’t have a single attack, a negative attack, or martial arts?!”
That was someone's scream.
“Although he came from humble backgrounds, he dreamed of appearing in a powerful league.!
However, no matter how hard they worked, those who had it ignored those who did not have it and took away that opportunity.!
He said there was nothing he could do and said all kinds of bullshit and took everything away.!”
That was the cry of some people.
“No matter what, it cannot be resolved through war.?”
someone cried and shouted.
“Aren't you listening? Didn't you ignore it?!”
“Aren’t the voices of the weak just ignored?!”
“Confucius, Laozi and all that, and you treated me like a fool and ignored me! You bastards!”
The screams became anger.
“Since they wouldn't listen, I picked up the sword.!”
Anger became a scream.
“to talk?”
someone laughed and shouted.
“This is ‘conversation’.”
While the Murim Alliance and Sadocheon were stranded by the betrayal that took place in various places, the fierce battle in Gwiju reached its peak..
“Kaaaaaak!”
I got used to the screams that erupted around me, so I started not hearing them anymore..
“Wow!!”
Yogwang stretches out his spear..
The Hwacheom Spear, which had grown a whopping five feet tall, was aimed at the heart of the Sword God with flames in it..
Ju Seo-cheon raised the sword's stem vertically, paying no heed to the heat on his skin..
Jjaeng!
As the sword and spear clashed, a long metallic sound was emitted..
At the same time, a shock wave was formed and swept through the surroundings..
“Wow!”
The martial arts people nearby were trying to take each other's lives, but the fierce battle was forcibly cut off and they were blown away by the shock wave..
Cheaeng! visor!
center of shock wave.
Ju Seo-cheon and Yo-gwang faced each other and hurled their swords and spears at blinding speed..
Chae chae chaeng!
The sword and spear spew out sparks while emitting beams of light several times..
The speed was such that even a skilled expert could not follow it with his eyes..
There was a popping sound in the air..
‘It's hard to see Hwa-kyung's physical ability..’
The difference in the level of martial arts is not only special powers such as strength or mental manifestation..
Basically, their physical abilities were different..
If Hwa-kyung reaches the extreme, Hyeon-kyung surpasses that extreme..
Strength, speed, and reflexes have all improved..
However, for some reason, it was difficult to see Yogwang's ability as a fire scene..
Of course, it wasn't as good as Sangcheon Yukjwa, who is an absolute expert, but he was still keeping up with pull-ups..
‘I didn't know about it before because I couldn't exchange a few moves, but it's close to the current level..
Above all, strength and speed are not the problem, but that guy's sturdiness is the problem..’
“Are you surprised??”
Yogwang widened the distance and stabbed me in the heart..
“If you think that black iron armor is simply armor made of 1000-year-old iron, you would be greatly mistaken..”
“okay? It looks like some kind of spell was cast on him.?”
The creator of the black iron armor was Qin Shi Huang, who was obsessed with superstitions, so it is not impossible..
“If you are making a pointless provocation just to find the weakness of Joo Seocheon's Black Iron Armor, it would be better to stop..”
Yogwang laughed as if it was nothing..
“If you have something that great, wouldn't you be able to make some concessions as Kangho's senior?.”
Joo Seo-cheon grumbled while being wary of Yo-gwang's gestures..
If you have a treasure equivalent to black iron armor, you will usually flaunt it as if you are bragging about what kind of item it is..
However, Yogwang did not show any such sign..
“It hasn't been long since you retired from government office and became a martial artist, so why not make concessions? Oh swordsman.”
“Don't talk nonsense, Pagun..
Aren't they the ones who fled to Wulin to avoid the eyes of the emperor?.”
Joo Seo-cheon refuted it as if it was out of the question..
“Why on earth did you do this??”
“From Moorim to dark springs……”
“Not Amcheonhoe, but Yogwang. It's your story.”
Joo Seo-cheon interrupted Yo Gwang’s speech midway..
Yogwang stood still while holding the spear, then opened his mouth and asked in an emotionless voice..
“Seocheon Joo. Have you ever experienced or seen the northern front?.”
“northward? Do you mean sweet??”
Daldan refers to the Ming name given to Mongolia, which was divided into a tribal confederation after the Northern Yuan Dynasty was destroyed..
“It is… … It's hell.”
Gansu Province's Jeongsampoom and provincial commander, Pagun, was a bureaucrat, but his life was not that sweet..
Gansu, located away from the imperial palace, was a frontier among frontiers, so not only did the standard of living have to be low, but above all, it was a problem due to barbarians from the north who had been attacking since the Northern Yuan period..
There wasn't a day that went by where we didn't fight..
“The fishy smell of blood turns into a corpse smell that makes your nose rot, and the soldier who finished training the day before returns to today's corpse..
A new soldier, like a newborn baby, becomes a corpse the next day, that place is hell..”
The battlefield was reflected in the eyes inside the helmet..
Cold corpses lay on the floor, piled up like a mountain above them..
The blood that formed a long river wetted my feet..
There were countless chipped swords and broken arrows, and no flowers grew on the dead land..
There's no doubt about that number..
It was literally on a national scale..
“In the early days of the founding of the nation, thanks to King Taejo's active recruitment of talent, I, who had made a contribution as a child soldier at the time, was able to enter the path to government office..
In addition, because he was a border official and a low-ranking practitioner at the time, he was able to escape the merciless purges..
But I should have died then.”
I could hear deep regret in Yogwang's voice..
“After that, I could understand why the officials were so eager to go to the center. It is… … It wasn't a place for people.”
Yesterday's friend dies today.
The friend I made today will die tomorrow..
Fortunately, despite my misfortune, I was able to survive for a long time thanks to my excellent martial arts skills, quick sense, and luck..
He succeeded in obtaining a high government position through various achievements..
but it was never good.
Ten years later, he was noticed by Emperor Hongwu, who was still reigning..
Even though he was still a young man at the time, it was by no means wise to make his name known by making numerous achievements on the battlefield..
What was a struggle to survive turned into a crisis..
“To escape the purge, you had to show that you were not interested in power..
Because of that, I couldn't escape the frontier, and I couldn't even go outside Gansu, or even the front line, to avoid people thinking that I was going to gather troops from the provinces..
Can you imagine living like a caged bird or a prisoner in a prison??”
It wasn't politeness or indifference..
I felt pain and anger.
At the same time, someone's words appeared in my head..
“Since you defeated me, the prize is… … I'll let you know.
What I know is... … Not much. I just don't want to see those damn northern barbarians anymore... … In a place like hell… … I just got help because I wanted to get rid of it.……”
Jeokrim vegetable stock, Maenggang.
A master of both singing methods also joined hands with Amcheonhoe for the same reason..
“Living wasn't living, just waiting for the day to die... … He is saved by Him.”
The remaining member of Amcheonhoe was the current head of the group..
At that time, Hoeju, who had just hid the members and became the one left behind, needed subordinates to achieve a new goal..
While looking for talent, what caught my eye was Pagun, now Yogwang..
“If you serve this body, I will give you freedom..”
It was freedom called Moorim..
“Lord Hoe not only freed me from the purge, but also helped me escape that hell and become a new person, as promised..”
In return, as a provincial commander, I had to train the Seven Star Soldiers or mobilize troops for a long time, but it was a minor problem..
Yao Guang could do anything if he could escape from the battlefield where he had been bound for decades..
“……This is absurd..”
Ju Seo-cheon laughed when he heard Yo-gwang's story..
“In your eyes, does this seem like Mureungdowon??”
Joo Seocheon spread his arms proudly..
“Wow!”
“Wow!”
“Help me!”
“die!”
A terrible scream burst from the mouths of the martial arts people..
Something horrifying, like shouts, screams, or other mixed emotions, rang out endlessly..
“Are you talking about those who fight in the name of faith and all?.
Things like this are nothing more than children's pranks..”
Yogwang said as he straightened the window..
“It was a country founded by peasants who were ruled by other countries and starving due to corruption.!”
Taat!
Yogwang kicked the blood-stained ground and threw himself away..
Even though his whole body is armored, he flies like a butterfly..
Rather than being heavy, it seemed as light as a feather..
There is no time to admire.
Yogwang stung like a bee and narrowed the distance..
“Not long after, the emperor killed 30,000 people to avoid being looked down on, and after his death, his children split into two groups due to their power and started a civil war that killed many people.!”
nettle!
Changshin's Six Harmony Shinchang, unity unfolded.
A hole has appeared in the layered atmosphere..
It wasn't just a hole.
Even the air was swallowed up by the flames.
The spear, which spewed out flames spinning like a whirlwind, stretched out in a straight line and aimed at the heart..
“Whoop!”
I held my breath to prevent the breathed air from escaping..
At the same time, he swung the sword with a formless force loaded on it..
Kwaang!
It wasn't the sound of metal clashing..
There was a loud explosion as if gunpowder was exploded one after another..
The hearing of the soldiers on both sides who instinctively realized that approaching was dangerous and kept their distance was paralyzed for a moment..
“Less than fifty years have passed since the founding of the country.!
Compared to those crazy guys, Moorim is just a joke.!”
It's not wrong..
Nothing worthy of being called a ‘war’, such as a war between a political party or a war between political enemies, occurs in succession..
The reason why this era was recently called the era of war was because large-scale wars occurred several times, albeit briefly..
However, the government forces continue this war..
As evidence, after the civil war ended, the current emperor sent troops to Daldan or Nanman to conquer..
“It's a joke for kids?”
Joo Seocheon’s eyebrows rose fiercely..
“Do not be ridiculous!”
I pushed the sword that was placed sideways to the right with all my strength..
Jjaeaeng!
The blade of the spear that caught the sword flashed and flew off to the side..
The fireworks of Hwacheonchang were scattered to pieces..
Yogwang quickly tried to return the window to its original position, but it was too late..
Joo Seocheon, who disappeared leaving behind an afterimage, has approached..
Slurp!
The three-foot long spear rapidly shrunk, but it was not enough to follow the enemy who was right in front of us..
After checking the movement out of the corner of my eye and determining that there was no problem, I stretched out my arm and aimed for the seam of the armpit..
Jjaeaeng!
“Pfft!”
“Wow!”
Moans flowed from the mouths of Joo Seocheon and Yogwang at the same time..
‘What on earth did they make something like this??’
I felt the urge to go to Qin Shi Huang's tomb and destroy it all..
I was that annoyed..
The power that Mu-In gained by achieving the ultimate goal, Gang-gi was unable to use his power properly in front of Mannyeon Han-cheol..
The same was true for the intangible strength, which was the higher power of that strength..
Not only does the shape disappear, but the power also increases, but the problem is that it is of no use due to the unique nature of the iron season..
Aside from the resistance of energy, it even played a role in minimizing damage by dispersing the transmission..
It was truly the treasure of laws, the culmination of Qin Shi Huang..
I was able to see how absurd things can happen when absolute power is given to the absurd illusion of immortality..
“Oooooh!”
Yogwang removed one of his hands from the window and swung his arm..
This is to remove Joo Seocheon who approached..
“Tsk!”
I clicked my tongue and lowered my upper body..
There was a heavy ‘booming’ sound of the wind overhead..
Whirling!
I rotated half a turn using my left foot as the axis..
It's not just about the body.
He cut Yogwang's back while drawing a semicircle with his sword..
Kagaga River!
However, it could not be cut and only sparks flew..
‘Okay, this is how it happened.……’
Since I couldn't recognize it anyway because I was in a melee, I decided to change my method..
Poison is meaningless if it doesn't touch the skin, but Manjunggeom is different..
I thought about crushing it to death with its weight..
“where!”
Yogwang noticed something and lifted his leg..
Anyone can use the Cheongeunchu method, which is the basis of Manjunggeom, as long as the master has enough internal energy..
Yogwang put his weight on his feet and stamped with all his might..
Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
‘I tried to win the game at once, but!’
Joo Seocheon swallowed his words and stepped back..
It felt a bit weird to be hit by an attack I usually used..
“Swordsman!”
Shin Do-gyun hurriedly shouted when he saw that Joo Seo-cheon had withdrawn..
“It's almost time!”
Joo Seocheon closed his eyes at Shin Do-gyun’s words..
‘Don't be anxious. Don't be greedy. As always, find a more reliable way and deal with it..’
I was angry because the words ‘kids’ jokes’ stuck in my head, but I found my composure and calmed down..
“retreat!”
If we retreat, our morale will inevitably drop, but there is nothing we can do..
‘Sado Cheon’s endurance cannot withstand it..’
The problem with the four-wave martial arts is that the level of internal energy is shallow and unstable compared to the regular-wave martial arts..
Although they were superior in numbers, their average inaction was low and they were pushed out by Amcheon's army..
Also, even if the battle continued like this, there was no way to win against Yogwang..
It was an operational retreat..
“Retreat with the wounded.!”
“retreat! retreat!”
The voices of Maeng Cho-hyuk and Jo Myeong rang loudly..
“ha ha ha! You losers!”
Jong-ri Do-jeon laughed, shaking off the blood on his sword..
“Hey, look at them! Like a defeated dog, he runs away without a tail! Isn’t it really funny?!”
Jong-ri Do-jeon provoked him with swear words and ridicule, but no one was caught..
Instead, I clenched my teeth..
“good! This is the momentum! Those who run away……”
“stop.”
Yogwang stopped Jongri Dojeon from saying his next words..
“Ha, but……”
Jong-ri Do-jeon was embarrassed and looked at Yo-gwang..
“I'm tired too.”
At Yogwang’s words, Jongri Dojeon only then looked around..
The Seven Star Soldiers of Amcheongun also looked tired..
In addition, the damage was significant as they were outnumbered by 1,500, so it was burdensome to pursue them to the end..
“Also, don't forget that this land, Yong'an, is the enemy's stronghold..
If you get greedy while tired and end up in a trap, it will be a disaster..”
Jong-ri Do-jeon looked regretful, but shook his head up and down as if he had no choice at Yo-gwang's words..
“There's no need for the enemy to run away, and they can't go far anyway due to lack of supplies or injured people, so there's nothing to worry about..
Also, support will arrive soon, so we will regroup and aim for the next time..”
* * *
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