Chapter 356 Rescue (4)

Chapter 356: Rescue (4)

The two leaders’ conditions were truly dire.

The Blue Dragon Sect Leader held his sword with his left hand, his right arm gone, and long lacerations carved into his chest and abdomen. The Black Dragon Sect Leader bled profusely from wounds on his back, belly, and shoulders.

Examining the cave entrance revealed why the two had ended up like this.

“Guhh! Master!”

“Master! Hold on!”

“Ugh!”

All to protect their disciples.

“Master!”

“Master!”

Danun and Weizifeng tried to encourage the two, but.

“Stop it.”

“It’s fine, ease up.”

The two party leaders tried to dissuade them.

The reason was obvious.

‘…Damn it, I should have come sooner.’

Because there was no hope of survival.

It was the kind of wound where dying at any moment wouldn’t have been surprising. In the martial arts world without modern medicine, sustaining injuries of that severity meant the chances of recovery converged to zero.

Gulp.

Facing the death of the Moolryong Dang leader, a fiery rage surged within him.

He felt like he could only quell this rage by leaping down immediately and slaughtering every last Lion Clan bastard gathered there.

I clenched my teeth to suppress the boiling emotions.

Heh.

“Mujin… Come closer.”

The head of the Black Dragon Sect must have noticed my expression, for he gave a small smile and called out to me.

Unlike before, his voice carried a sense of effort.

It was a classic symptom of a last-ditch effort.

As I approached, he clasped both my hand and Wizifeng’s together.

“Did you risk your life to save me?”

“Save… save my ass? Hell no. I just came out for a drink… that’s all.”

I tried my best to act nonchalant, but the lump in my throat was unavoidable.

After all, he and the other elders of the Black Dragon Sect were like uncles to me, my guardians, my parents.

He chuckled.

The Mungryongdang leader, sensing my bluff, gave me a kind smile.

“I have lived long enough. My disciple grew into such a splendid warrior, and you, my destined one, grew into a master who commands the world—what more could I possibly desire?”

“M-Master…!”

“Master······.”

Tears instantly welled up in Wei Zhifeng’s eyes.

Seeing this, the head of the Black Dragon Sect tightened his grip.

“The one to inherit the Great Spear is so frail… Tsk tsk. It seems you’ll have to take good care of him after all.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of him. Even if he’s only half a brother, he’s still my brother.”

“Kuhk. Cough.”

Blood mixed with coughing erupted from the Black Dragon Sect Leader’s mouth.

Deep, dark crimson blood.

It was evidence that the heart had lost its strength and blood circulation had ceased.

“…Is there anything you wish to say?”

“I’m sorry, Master. I should be tending to you, but it seems I must go first.”

“Then go ahead and take your place in the celestial realm first. You can meet Grandfather while you’re at it.”

“Yes, I suppose I can substitute by offering four hundred. Heh heh heh.”

The strength slowly drained from the hands of the Moksryongdang Master.

Now, truly, little time remained.

Summoning his last ounce of strength, he gazed at Wei Zhifeng.

“I long to see your sword.”

“······Yes.”

Wee Jipung, his face drenched in tears, rose and drew his sword.

Clang.

A clear, ringing sound.

Then, he thrust his sword skyward.

Whoosh!

A pillar of white light shot forth from the sword, soaring toward the sun.

Like Hou Yi shooting his arrow at the sun.

He grinned.

At that sight, the head of the Black Dragon Sect smiled brightly. It was a smile that seemed strangely refreshing.

Thud.

Simultaneously, all strength drained from his body.

Perhaps sensing his master’s final moments.

“Uwaaah!”

Wee Jipung, who had deployed the Houye Sa-il technique, wept bitterly, tears streaming down his face.

“M-Master!”

At that moment, Dan Yun’s cry rang out.

The Blue Dragon Sect Leader also could not hold on and died.

Thus, the two stars of the Nine Dragons Fortress departed this world on the same day and hour.

* * *

In the righteous martial world, the position of sect leader carries profoundly multifaceted significance.

As the leader guiding the entire sect, they were sometimes a superior, sometimes a teacher, and sometimes even fulfilled the role of a father figure.

Having lost such a figure, it was impossible for the two to remain in their right minds.

Anger, sorrow, bewilderment, despair, and more.

Even at a glance, a whirlwind of emotions raged across their faces, but in the situation we now faced, even such feelings were nothing but a luxury.

There’s no time to stand around like this. We have to move now.

For the sake of the two leaders who sacrificed their lives to save their disciples.

Grit.

Danun and Weizifeng gritted their teeth.

“Give us time to recover our master’s body. Just a little while.”

“······A moment, then.”

“That’s enough.”

Unable to refuse such a plea, they nodded.

The two found the cleanest cloth they could and began to wipe their master’s body.

The remaining disciples didn’t stand idle either, digging the ground and fetching stones.

Meanwhile, a warrior from the Blue Dragon Sect approached.

“Please accept this.”

“What is it?”

“It’s the item the master wished to keep until the very end.”

A thick bundle of letters wrapped in a small cloth.

“Why give this to me…”

He spoke while looking at Danun, who was gathering the remains with a sorrowful expression.

“Because I believe it is safer to entrust it to Lord Jin Moo-sang while Dan-saeng is still in a daze.”

“…I understand. But , I must know what this is. Only then can I keep it properly.”

“Since the Master has remained silent, I too do not know what is written. But it is certainly an important item.”

“How can you be so sure?”

He lowered his voice cautiously.

“This wasn’t with me when we set out. I received it from a high-ranking member of the Lion Clan.”

“······!”

A high-ranking member of the Lion Clan?

As I looked at him, hoping for more explanation, he shook his head and replied.

“I’ll explain the details later. Right now, I’m too flustered to think clearly.”

“······Alright.”

A short while later.

Two burial mounds were erected in the sunny spot right beside the cave.

Danun, Wee Jipung, and the other disciples lined up before them.

This was the land of the Lion Clan.

Since I may not be able to return again in the future, I bow deeply in greeting.

And the moment that greeting ended, the situation unfolded just as expected.

“With our lives hanging by a thread, you’re holding a funeral? I simply cannot fathom the pretentious formalities of those righteous faction scum.”

The elite forces of the Lion Clan had stormed in.

Truthfully, I’d known they were coming for quite some time.

They had been caught in the aura of the spread-out Seven-Colored Map.

The reason for not moving was simple.

‘I had to reduce their numbers as much as possible here to escape safely.’

Because the cave terrain allows us to fight while protecting our allies.

The problem is.

“······.”

They came in far greater numbers than expected.

I knew they’d come, but I never imagined they’d swarm in such numbers that they’d completely fill the mountain path down below.

Above all.

‘This guy’s no pushover.’

The aura of the swordsman leading them was unsettling.

Even at a glance, he seemed comparable to Namgung Yeongjin, whom I had encountered at the entrance.

A single martial artist at the absolute peak of his art, versus a group of over three hundred masters.

“Brother Dan, Brother Wei. I didn’t intend to say this, but…”

I looked back at the two of them.

“We might have to risk our lives today, you know?”

“They say a man’s revenge isn’t too long even if it takes ten years. Since we can avenge our master right away, it’s actually for the best.”

“They’re scum who only bring harm to the world even if they live. I must kill them to earn some merit for my master’s ascension to heaven .”

The two men, steadfast as ever, drew their swords.

“Senior Brother, we’ll assist you too.”

“Brother, you haven’t forgotten about the young master, have you?”

The warriors of the Azure Dragon Sect and the Black Dragon Sect backed us up.

I considered stopping him but just let him be.

He seemed to have some reserves left, and if it got really dangerous, I could always use the Heavenly Net to blast him backward.

Above all, how could I stop him when he was receiving payment for his master’s life?

I stepped forward to represent everyone.

“Huh.”

I took a deep breath.

“Hey! You worthless bastards, you good-for-nothing scum of the earth! Are your parents doing well?! I’m worried they might be suffering punishment in the hell of venomous snakes for the sin of giving birth to you! I’ll send you there soon enough, so when you get to hell, be sure to show filial piety while you’re being punished!”

I spat out.

Martial arts-style trash talk.

Though toned down to one-tenth the level used in the game, the reaction was fiercer than ever.

“You bastard! What the hell are you doing?! Bring that guy here immediately!”

Waaah-!

The enraged men drew their swords and charged.

“Alright then, let’s have a go at it. “

Grrrrr. Kwaaang!

Powell’s career exploded as the fight began.

* * *

The foothills of Cheonmoksan Mountain.

General U Do-dok waited impatiently for the envoy from Guryongseong.

When the sun rose, he sat on a rock where the path became visible; when the sun set, he rested in a hastily built log cabin.

This went on for half a month.

The promised day had long passed, yet he did not leave Cheonmoksan.

For without the power of the Nine Dragons Fortress, the nation would face ruin.

“The sun is setting; it will grow cold. You should go inside.”

The martial artist of the Haenam Sword Sect urged him, seated cross-legged on the rock.

“Is he not coming today either…?”

Zhao Ming Shan sighed.

Each passing day made him feel things were going wrong.

While waiting, Jo Myeong-san had made three assumptions.

The first was that bad luck was delaying their arrival. The second was that the envoy might not arrive due to interference from the Lion Clan.

The last was betrayal from Guryongseong.

‘Perhaps Guryongseong abandoned the country.’

Cho Myung-san, who had been mulling over the final hypothesis, soon shook his head.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t really betrayal.

The empire had given the Nine Dragons Fortress nothing at all.

Instead, it had only dismissed them as rogues of the martial world.

“Huh.”

With a heavy heart, Jo Myeong-san stood up.

“You seem deeply troubled.”

Just then, he encountered Wu Liang, the head of the Hainan Sword Sect, who had been patrolling the area.

“Would it be a lie to say I’m at peace?”

“That’s true enough.”

He replied in his characteristic cynical tone. Jo Myeong-san met his gaze.

Oryang shook his head at the piercing gaze.

“I’ll say it again, I don’t have the power to move Kuryongseong.”

“Can’t you at least look into the news?”

Oh-ryang was utterly at a loss.

Although he had received a request from the radio operator, this meeting had ultimately been arranged at his urging.

If Nine Dragons Castle canceled without a word, it would make O-ryang look like a fool.

“I’ve sent the letter. A reply should come within seven days at the latest.”

“······I see. I’ll wait until then.”

Just as he nodded weakly in agreement.

“······!”

Oryang turned his head toward the mountain path.

Swish.

He drew the long, thin sword that symbolized the Haenam Sword Sect.

“Step back. They may be enemies.”

Oryang sent Cho Myeong-san back and roared like a lion.

“Warriors of the Chungnyeolgongpa, prepare for battle!”

A long echo reverberated, and soon over thirty warriors poured out.

They were the elite forces of the Haenam Sword Sect, Taemosanseong, and Eun Gajang, forming the Chungnyeolgong Sect.

Just as the tension was reaching its peak.

Oh Ryang sensed something was off.

‘······Beggars?’

Wasn’t a group of beggars walking toward them?

And then.

Oh Yang was startled when he recognized the face of the man leading that band of beggars.

“Jin… the Sect Leader?”

It was none other than Mujeon, the sole disciple of the Nine Dragons Lord and the symbol of martial prowess for the Nine Dragons organization.

And the very first words Mu Jeon spoke upon arriving before Oh Ryang’s were:

“Got any… food?”

He was begging for food.