Chapter 265 Dongjeong Lake (2)

Chapter 265: Dongjeong Lake (2)

Upon arriving at the scene, there was no sign of the warriors who had supposedly gotten into a fight, let alone any trace of them.

Given the semi-military structure of the Jeonwangmun, they wouldn’t have moved without reporting.

It was almost certain something had happened to them.

“I really don’t want to see blood on my honeymoon…”

The five members of the land route who had come with him immediately began questioning the local merchants, but for some reason, they all kept their mouths shut.

Woo Je-jun nodded.

“Use force if you must.”

He wasn’t keen on it, but there was no other choice now.

Dragging this out any longer could put the kids in danger.

Just then.

Crash! Bang!

A loud noise echoed, and one of the officers dragged someone in from the inn right next door.

Thud.

“We found a suspicious guy and brought him in.”

“Guh.”

He looked like a backyard laborer, but his attire was that of a scholar from a wealthy household.

“Hmph! No matter how much you threaten me, I won’t tell the Lion Clan’s lackeys a single thing!”

There seemed to be some kind of misunderstanding.

“Look, we’re not minions of the Lion Clan…”

“Hmph! Wipe that ‘evil’ written all over your face before you speak!”

“No, I tell you, we have nothing to do with the Lion Clan!”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Unless you’re a lion’s den, how could you possibly muster a hundred horsemen!”

“Well, that’s…”

“The vengeful spirits of the people you killed have long since reached the heavens! The Heavenly Lord will never forgive you!”

“No.”

Aren’t you overreacting?

There was simply no reasoning with him.

But I couldn’t keep stalling either.

“……”

No choice. What should I feed him to persuade him?

The only way was to make him talk through threats.

“If you don’t want to talk, so be it. Hey! You there! Beat this bastard from his toes to the top of his head. I’ll be watching to see where he opens his mouth.”

But there was one unforeseen problem.

It was the psychological state of the team members, whose eyes rolled back in shock after their comrade was abducted.

Crunch! Crack.

“Gah!”

The man who brought Seo-saeng stabbed his toe with the tip of his spear the moment I finished speaking.

Blood gushed from inside the scholar’s shoe, his instep likely shattered.

“Gah!”

“……”

He sent a telepathic message while looking down at the scholar, who was clutching his foot and rolling on the ground.

[Hey! What if I really did it?! I was just trying to scare you!]

[Oh, is that so? I thought you meant to actually film it…]

No, this isn’t some secret society. Even if it’s urgent, isn’t this a bit too extreme?

It’s almost certainly because of Woo Je-jun’s influence.

‘We need to add the Tao Te Ching to the curriculum….’

There’s no helping it. The damage is done, and without a medic, there’s no way to fix it.

Better to be the bad guy, I thought, grabbing the scholar’s hair.

“Do you need something precious blown to bits before you come to your senses?!”

The ultimate gambit that would make any man tremble just hearing it.

The scholar’s eyes began to tremble uncontrollably.

“Oh my! My lord!”

Thud.

A young man in shabby clothes rushed out from somewhere and knelt beside the scholar.

“You fool, Chilbok! How dare a servant meddle in his master’s affairs! Now, now, go back. Leave before you come to harm too!”

“I cannot. If my master’s place were to collapse, the Lee family line would be severed. What kind of disloyalty would this be to our late, revered patriarch?”

“……Guh.”

The servant looked at me, tears streaming down his face.

“The warriors in black robes are likely at Tongcheon Sword Gate. I’ve told you, so please release our master now. Ugh-ugh.”

“You… you bastard! What do you think you’re doing telling us that?!”

Amidst this melodramatic scene, the surrounding citizens began whispering in terror.

‘Those wretched scoundrels…’

‘King Yama must be blind. He doesn’t take such scum away.’

‘They deserve divine punishment.’

‘That’s just how those Lion Clan bastards are….’

“……”

Damn it, this can’t be real…

* * *

[Move. Then the path will open. ― Jinmujeon]

True to the motto I always keep in mind, I summoned the hundred troops stationed outside Agyang.

“There are those who dare to harm our comrades. What should we do?”

“We must kill them!”

“No, we must rescue them first… Is your goal to kill every single enemy you see?”

“……”

“Enough. We’re leaving immediately. For those who resist, cripple them—cut off an arm or a leg—but don’t kill them.”

We won’t kill them. I’m generous like that.

And so, a hundred horsemen set out.

Clop clop clop clop.

One hour later.

“It’s those Lion Clan bastards!”

A large manor with a sign reading “Gate of Heavenly Passage” came into view.

“Hee-yot.”

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

Whitey understood my intent perfectly and began charging at full speed.

And then.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

CRASH!

He raised his front leg and smashed through the main gate of Tongcheon Kwonmun.

Pluurr. Pluurr.

Its imposing presence, utterly unbelievable for a horse’s physique, drew stunned stares from all directions.

“Where are my kids?”

Swoosh.

The warriors of the Tongcheon Sword Sect drew their swords instantly.

This is why I dislike martial artists.

They’re not even gangsters, yet they don’t even think about talking things out before drawing their swords.

‘Tsk.’

Well, what can you do?

Resist and you’ll be crippled.

“Advance!”

With Woo Je-jun’s shout, a hundred cavalry poured through the main gate.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I scattered the Seven-Colored Dust, which had recently achieved remarkable results, and began searching for the trapped members.

In an instant, I grasped the approximate terrain and the positions of those inside.

‘What the hell is this?’

I sensed something was off.

Because, aside from the dozen or so warriors visible to the eye, I sensed no other presence whatsoever.

Exactly.

‘Were they waiting?’

Like a trap had been set.

CRASH!

And in that instant, an iron ball the size of a grown man flew in.

“……!”

He instantly fired the Iron Ball and struck it with the Thirteen-Step Strike.

POW!

Splash.

The sheer destructive force from its weight sent it flying dozens of meters in an instant.

‘Master!’

“Kekekek, it’s Master Jitong after all. You’ve caught a big fish!”

A small but plump middle-aged man rushed out, seemingly ecstatic, and swung the meteor hammer once more.

Swoosh!

A storm-like air current surged as the massive iron ball bore down on the team members.

“Yeeek!”

Black sword energy from Woo Je-jun’s blade spread out in tendrils, then shot toward a single point.

Kwaaang!

“Guh!”

Hiiing!

Unable to withstand the shock, the horse he rode collapsed, spewing blood.

“…….”

In that moment of panic at the unexpected appearance of a master swordsman.

“They’ve fallen into the trap!”

“How dare they target Euyang! Do they think they’ll return alive?”

“Men of the Zhuxian Pavilion, slay the minions of the Lion Clan!”

“The warriors of the Heavenly Assembly shall die here today!”

“The Eight Empty Martial Arts Academy’s…”

“The Two Thousand Gates’……”

Countless warriors appeared, leaping over the stone walls.

And.

“Surrender! I swear on my name that your lives will be spared!”

The servant who had revealed the location of Tongcheon Sword Sect appeared dressed as a scholar.

“Ah…”

Only then did the entire situation become clear.

That’s right.

We had fallen into a trap.

A perfectly designed trap, meticulously planned from start to finish.

‘A master whose skill is hard to gauge and a scholar with an extraordinary mind…’

Probably, those two were the main architects of this trap.

I admit it.

A trap of this caliber would make it difficult for even a formidable force to escape alive.

As proof, the warriors of the land route, who even won the war against the Ten Demon Clans, are preparing for close combat with tense expressions, aren’t they?

But there was one thing they overlooked.

They never anticipated the existence of this unparalleled genius born from the Nine Dragons Fortress, Lee Jinmujeon.

“Just wait here. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”

Purr.

He stood the white dog up and looked around.

About five hundred.

He walked straight through the center of their formation and approached the owner of the meteorite.

“I don’t know what misunderstanding you have, but we are not the Lion’s Claw.”

“Hmph! Now that you’re at a disadvantage, you spout lies! Everyone in Akyang knows the Black Wind Brigade committed massacres in Pyeonggang!”

“…I have no idea why you think we’re the Black Wind Brigade. I’m telling you, we’re not! Besides, if we were the Lion’s Claw, we wouldn’t be walking around this brazenly, would we?”

“Where would you find a hundred horsemen like these? Now, reveal your true identities!”

At his question, I stepped forward.

“Hmph! If you ask my identity, it’s only fair I answer. We are the Zhenwang Sect—one of the pillars of the Celestial Nine Dragons Sect and the vanguard who fought on the front lines against the Ten Demon Clans!”

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

With the white dog’s howl added, it became a perfect introduction.

But the misunderstanding they harbored ran deeper than I’d imagined.

“……Don’t lie to me! If you’re from the Jeonwang Sect, how could you possibly crush a person’s instep? That’s a brutally cruel technique unimaginable for a righteous sect!”

“No.”

That was a mistake…

“Stop spouting nonsense and attack! Today I’ll unleash my killing intent to punish these scum of the heretical sect.”

“…….”

By now, rage was boiling up inside him.

How could we possibly show weakness to the bastards who kidnapped our comrades and set a trap to kill us?

“Let’s make one thing clear.”

Snap.

“Since you started this, if your parents in the afterlife ask, you must say you killed yourself because you missed them. Got it?”

“Noooooo!”

* * *

Whoosh!

A long, long iron chain was pulled taut, and soon an iron ball flew toward them at an incredibly fast speed.

“Hmph!”

With the ground troops positioned directly behind him, he couldn’t dodge. He slammed his blast shield forward to block the iron ball.

Kwaaang!

A huge explosion roared, and like like poles of a magnet repelling each other, the iron ball and I were flung in opposite directions.

Clatter.

Even if he hadn’t exerted his full strength, the fact that Jin Mujeon’s Exploding Fire Technique, which had reached the level of a Fire King, didn’t even leave a scratch on it.

‘This is no ordinary weapon.’

Lately, I seem to be encountering divine weapons more often.

But no matter how powerful an enemy’s weapon is, it’s useless if you don’t engage it.

Kwoong.

“Die!”

I unleashed the Shifting Form and closed in on the enemy at point-blank range…

Bang!

…or so I intended, but suddenly, a flying kick struck my shoulder, sending me tumbling.

Thud, crash.

After flying quite a distance and crashing into a pillar of the pavilion, I was stunned.

To read my timing in less than 0.2 seconds and strike me with that kick…

What kind of absurd miracle is this?

“You’re quite the fighter, aren’t you!”

Coming to my senses, I saw the iron ball hurtling toward me at a terrifying speed.

“Tsk!”

Thud.

I barely dodged it, and the iron ball completely shattered the temple’s pillar.

“Whoa…”

The sheer power, far greater than imagined, drew an involuntary gasp.

Of course.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

There was no time to marvel for long, though, as I had to dodge the iron ball.

“You son of a bitch!”

Pah!

Once again, he deployed the Shifting Form Technique.

This time, I concentrated my mind and dodged the bastard’s kick.

Pang!

I unleashed the Thirteen-Strike Technique, slashing repeatedly at his side.

“Guh.”

The rebound force from the protective energy in his fist felt incredibly resilient.

But I couldn’t just throw away the timing I’d worked so hard to create.

Crackle. Crack.

He unleashed a flurry of attacks, accelerating his assault.

“Die!”

“You’re the one who should die!”

And so the brawl began.

Thwack. Thwack.

Hands clashed endlessly, each aiming for the other’s vital points.

A lightning-fast left hand slammed into the bastard’s jaw.

“A short neck has its advantages, huh!”

Thwack!

Another flying kick slammed into his chest.

Thud.

Had it not been for the dragon-scale armor, the force would have shattered his ribs.

At that moment, I realized.

This guy is a close-quarters combat specialist just like me.

There was no choice.

I had no choice but to play my trump card.

‘Give me strength, Sajo.’

I thought of the former king, Sajo, playing cards in the corner of a gambling den in Hanjung.

Because the Zhenwang style I was about to unleash was Sazhou’s style.

Kroong.

“……?”

As he reached out, a thunderous crack echoed.

Bang bang bang.

He succeeded in piercing holes through the enemy’s protective aura by unleashing a series of short, bursting explosions.

Just then, I parried the enemy’s flying punch with my dragon-scale armor.

Thud.

“Guh.”

My insides churned violently, bringing up bile.

Crack!

With a feeling of sacrificing flesh to gain bone, I succeeded in driving my fist into the bastard’s nose.

“Die, you bastard!”

A man of my caliber wouldn’t let an opportunity like this slip away.

“You… you bastard!”

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

I unleashed a flurry of short, sharp punches, lashing out at his body and tripping him.

Wobble.

He staggered backward, and I didn’t miss the opening, delivering a drop kick.

Thud!

It was nothing short of a dogfight.

I unleashed the Jeonwangbo strike, aiming straight for the front of the enemy as he was pushed back.

I intended to chase him down and finish him off.

Just as he was about to unleash the full power of the Exploding Mirror.

Swoosh! Crash!

“Gah!”

An iron ball flew in from somewhere and embedded itself in his side.

My vision spun, and everything around me instantly receded and vanished.

Thud…

After flying for a long time, my body slammed into a wall.

“Guh… Guh. Ugh.”

Splatter.

The force was so immense that blood gushed out with his cough.

Though he wore dragon-scale armor, he’d been struck before he could even activate his protective aura, leaving his insides severely shaken.

By now, he had a hunch who that bastard was.

No, on second thought, it didn’t matter who that bastard was.

“He’s… dead.”

I was going to kill him anyway.