Chapter 24 The Battle at Jianchang (2)

Chapter 24: The Battle at Jianchang (2)

Waaah!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The entrance to Jianchang Mountain.

A battle was unfolding on the staircase, about a zhang wide.

“Deploy the Heavenly Eight-Direction Formation!”

At the defenders’ command, the disciples of the Silent Dragon Sect moved into position with perfect coordination.

They then formed a more solid defensive line, demonstrating even more efficient movement.

The warriors of Nine Dragon Fort numbered three hundred.

Meanwhile, the enemies surrounding the mountain were ten thousand Namman tribesmen and a thousand elite soldiers from Namcheon Palace.

An absurd numerical disadvantage.

Squeak.

“Gah!”

The only slight consolation was that the narrow entrance bought them time, and the enemy’s strength wasn’t overwhelming.

Thanks to this, Wei Zhifeng, who had led the young disciples of the Black Dragon Sect to Jianchang Mountain, could repel the attack by ambushing their leader.

Just like right now.

He dropped right into the middle of the enemy ranks.

The Splitting Light Eighteen Swords unfolded in an instant.

Swoosh!

True to its name, splitting light, it sliced through the enemies at tremendous speed.

In a fleeting moment, the heads of over ten fell.

Thud!

The body of the apparent leader of the enemy group was cleaved diagonally.

“F-Flee!”

As the enemies fled one by one, the disciples of the Silent Dragon Sect and Wei Zhifeng watched silently.

Normally, they should have pursued to inflict further damage, but these were fundamentally followers of the Taoist path.

They weren’t forbidden from killing like Buddhists, but the killing already done was enough to make their hearts reel.

“Huuu…”

Wei Zhifeng’s eyes clouded with fatigue as he watched the enemies’ retreating backs.

Ten days had passed since the battle began this way.

They hadn’t had a proper rest during that time.

The enemy’s strategy was obvious.

They aimed to weaken the strength of Guolong Fortress by continuously attacking the path up Jianchang Mountain.

Though seemingly the height of inefficiency, this method proved quite effective.

Instead of deploying the forcibly conscripted tribesmen, it allowed them to minimize casualties among their own elite masters.

Wei Zifeng understood this situation, but he couldn’t simply let the swarming enemies pass. He did his utmost to hold them back.

It had been one hour since all of the Silent Dragon Sect had sat down to rest.

Waaah!

The enemies surged forward again.

“Draw swords!”

Swish. Swish.

At Wei Zifeng’s shout, the disciples of the Silent Dragon Sect drew their blades.

“Everyone, prepare for attack!”

Over ten days, they had thoroughly studied the enemy’s tactics.

The predictable barrage of arrows posed no threat.

Sssh! Thud. Thud.

Swords swung from all directions, deflecting or cleaving the arrows.

There were no casualties.

That was how exceptional the disciples he had brought here were.

And so began the close combat.

Clang! Clang-clang-clang.

The sound of weapons clashing echoed from all directions.

The swords of the Dotsword Sect were sharp, while those of the Blue Star Sect were heavy.

These were the characteristics of the two sects, as described by connoisseurs.

It was impossible to say which was superior, but one thing was certain.

When facing multiple opponents, the Dotsword Sect’s blades held an advantage over the Blue Star Sect’s.

The disciples of the Silent Dragon Sect were charging forward, swiftly cutting down enemies.

Seeing this, Wei Zhifeng roared.

“Everyone, spread out and hold your positions!”

Having calmly repelled the enemy’s charge, it was now Wei Zhifeng’s turn to intervene.

But.

“!!”

The enemy’s reaction was different from before.

Thwack! Thud.

“Gah!”

“Guh!”

They were firing arrows even as their own allies engaged in close combat.

Thus, screams rang out indiscriminately, friend and foe alike.

“Guh!”

As Wei Zifeng let out a low growl at the disciples’ injuries, he simultaneously shot his divine form forward.

Spectral Shadow Seizing.

The peerless divine technique that Zhenchang prided himself on transported his divine form right into the midst of the enemies.

And then. The slaughter began.

In an instant, enemy heads flew up, limbs fell mercilessly, and torsos were severed from legs.

In his haste, he poured all his remaining internal energy into unleashing the Spectral Eighteen Swords.

Resembling not a Taoist but a demon, the enemies began retreating one by one.

But the enemy’s trap wasn’t just arrows.

Chae-ae-aeng!

“Kkhehehe, I’ve been waiting for this.”

“!!!”

A man who had approached unnoticed blocked Wei Jifeng’s sword.

Recovering his sword, Wei Jifeng unleashed a surge of sword energy and swung again.

But.

The battles of the past ten days had drained his stamina, and his internal energy was already depleted from his previous movement, so the strike lacked its usual power.

Kaboom!

“Can’t even land a hit? There’s no power behind that sword at all?”

A strike blocked far too easily.

“!!!”

Stunned, Wei Zhifeng backed away.

Shush! Sssh. Father!

Then, daggers, swords, and meteor chasers closed in on his form.

He couldn’t block them all.

He blocked only the fatal blows and braced his body.

“Hmph!”

And his choice was the dagger and the sword.

Clang. Clang.

He succeeded in parrying both blades.

Thwack!

The flying meteor dart struck his chest.

“Guh!”

He hastily deployed his defensive technique, but with his internal energy depleted, the protective power was woefully inadequate.

He suffered internal injuries that shattered his organs.

“Heh heh, so the legendary Black Dragon Sword isn’t all that, huh?”

The one who had parried Wei Zhifeng’s sword sneered, baring yellowed teeth.

Wei Zhifeng assessed the situation coldly.

The elite of the Southern Heavenly Palace stepped forward, forcing the Southern Barbarian tribes to retreat.

The disciples of the Black Dragon Sect also reorganized their ranks and completed their battle preparations.

Wei Zhifeng, his resolve set, shouted.

“Disciples of the Black Dragon Sect, defend the path with your lives!”

Hold firm.

Hold out until the reinforcements surveying the situation from the summit of Jianchang Mountain descend.

The Black Dragon Sect already sorely missed one disciple.

Wei Zhifeng knew this was a poor choice.

But opening the path to the mountain gate was unthinkable.

The elite forces of Nantian Palace watched this scene with sneers.

“If they want to die, so be it. Attack them all!”

Just as the clash was about to begin.

Boom. Crack.

A huge explosion erupted from the enemy’s rear, something detonating.

Splatter.

Fragments of corpses flew through the air, mixed with blood.

The enemies turned in shock, but the attacker’s speed only increased.

Before they could react, a flying fist turned two of them into bloody pulp.

The battle situation changed in an instant.

Wee Ji-pung was not one to miss such an opportunity.

“Execute the enemies!”

Simultaneously with his shout, the Black Dragon Sect swept through the enemies.

Swords lacking stamina and inner strength, thus lacking power and speed,

But the true essence of a renowned orthodox sect manifests in such situations.

Swords swung in the correct direction compensated for the slowed speed and diminished power.

The sword formations deployed by those who had mastered a single bloodless martial art imparted another sharpness to them.

“Press the attack!”

With that precision and sharpness, the disciples of the Black Dragon Sect began to overwhelm their foes.

Meanwhile, the elite forces of the Southern Heavenly Palace were overwhelmed.

They were already stretched thin trying to catch the enemy who was tearing through their rear, turning allies into mincemeat. Now, the Black Dragon Sect, having formed their ranks, was charging from the front, leaving them with hands and feet not enough.

Ultimately, they had to choose one thing.

Break through the Moksryongdang at the front? Or capture the rat bastard in the rear?

And their choice was the rat bastard.

“The front just stall for time! The rest will join after killing him!”

The moment those words fell, a hail of weapons flew: meteor chisels, swords, daggers, short swords, and more.

But they didn’t know.

That this kind of close-quarters melee in such a narrow space was precisely the battlefield Wu Tian loved most.

Dodging the incoming dagger, Wu Tian unfolded his Wangbao.

Moving in an instant, he shattered every one of the enemy’s ribs according to the techniques of the Parkryong 18 Strikes.

“You bastard!”

A huge sword fell toward Wu Tian’s head.

Sssshh.

A meteor dart flew stealthily, aiming for his groin.

From behind, a hidden blade stabbed in.

Splash.

Mu-jeon did not panic.

It wasn’t due to experience.

It was simply that the martial arts he had mastered fit this situation perfectly.

As he dodged the blade flying in from behind, he simultaneously grabbed the arm and pulled it out.

“!!!”

The captured man tried to pull his arm free, but he couldn’t resist Mujeon’s immense strength.

The positions of the dragged enemy and Mujeon switched in an instant.

Swoosh! Thud!

The sword and the meteorite struck him hard.

“Guh… Ugh…”

The eyes of the men who had killed their own comrade with their own hands widened in shock.

Mu-jeon seized the opening, sweeping his hand horizontally forward.

Swoosh!

This technique of the Zhenwang style. It was the Extreme Death Edge.

A sharp surge of energy swept across Mu-jeon’s front.

The five elite members of the Namcheon Palace were instantly cut in half. There was simply no space to evade.

And then.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

“Gah!”

Mokryongdang began breaking through the disciples’ front lines.

With Mujeon behind and Mokryongdang ahead, they were surrounded on all sides.

Gulp.

The enemy leader spoke.

“I am Jin Woo-ryang, leader of the Bissaliljo. What is your name?”

“I am Yongmasan, head of the Isunbang.”

“Never heard of it?”

“Think of it as a secret weapon.”

“I see. I’ll settle this debt later. Everyone, retreat!”

At Jin Wuliang’s shout, the men began to retreat like an ebbing tide.

Mujeon didn’t pursue; he just watched.

As if daring them to attack at any moment.

‘That was close. I almost gave away my weakened internal energy.’

***

Once the situation was roughly settled, Wei Jifeng and the Mu Long Gang members rushed over.

“You bastard! Who do you think you are, showing up alone here!”

Wei Jifeng said with a mix of joy and anger.

“Oh dear, you’re scolding me after I nearly got beaten to death just now. I didn’t come here because I wanted to, so don’t be too hard on me.”

He answered while looking around.

Countless corpses and weapons bereft of their masters lay scattered about.

‘Looks like it was pretty intense.’

As he muttered to himself, a group came running down from above. It was the martial artists of Guryongseong who had been waiting.

“Where are the enemies?!”

Wei Jifeng answered with a sneer on his lips.

“We’ve taken care of them all. No need to worry.”

“Huh?!”

“Since you’re down here, could you relieve me? I fought too fiercely and need some rest.”

“Ah, understood.”

Wei Zifeng grabbed my shoulder and said.

“Long time no see, Zhenchang?”

“Ten years.”

“Let’s go up. I’ll show you Zhenchang’s cooking after all this time.”

Wei Jifeng grinned as he spoke.

“Who eats army rations without a single piece of meat? I’ll just chew on the jerky I brought.”

I stated the second reason I’d given up on becoming a Taoist master.

***

The scenery of Jianchangpa, visited after so long, was vastly different from usual.

The once-serene walls were now covered in daggers and iron spears.

The once-majestic entrance was blocked by wooden palisades and fences.

Immediately after finishing our meal, I explained the current situation at the convened meeting.

Hearing that the vanguard had been dispatched from the main fortress and that the main force would follow after proper preparations, their expressions visibly relaxed.

Morale had risen at the news of reinforcements arriving.

“But why didn’t the messenger enter? I heard they sent ten…“

As soon as I finished explaining, I asked about the reason I had come here in the first place: the sudden disruption of the high-speed communication network.

”Probably the work of those bastards from Namcheongung. They know how to tame birds of prey.“

”Is that even possible?“

”Look at the north—they hunt with falcons, don’t they? It’s the same method.”

“I see.”

“But what do you plan to do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“You have no way back, do you?”

Wee Jipung’s question hit me like a bolt of lightning.

That was it. I’d only thought about breaking through; I hadn’t considered retreating at all.

Even though leaving would be far harder than coming.

Unlike successfully infiltrating the rear by disguising ourselves as enemies charging toward Jianchang Mountain, there was no way to break out from the front.

Ultimately, only one choice remained.

To defend Jianchang Mountain, come what may.

I shouted, gazing toward the direction North Palace White was approaching.

“You bastard!!!”