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2. Reasons for the struggle (2)
Even if you combine all the martial artists in the entire Jianghu, they cannot match the number of Beggar’s Sect members.
I never thought I would feel the rumors circulating among the warriors so real.
“Strike!”
“Kill him!”
Beggars wearing knots around their waists rush forward holding clubs.
Do these bastards think I’m a dog?
Pow pow pow!
Puff puff puff!
Dozens of fists extending from both hands massage every nook and cranny of the eight beggars’ bodies.
“Cough!”
“Ugh!”
The beggar bastards, struck by martial arts before they could even defend themselves, cough up blood and pass out.
He took down eight with one move, but then eight more beggars rushed at him.
The four in front charged with clubs just like the previous ones, while the four standing behind seemed to be preparing their martial arts.
The moment you, standing behind, unleash your energy, the Cloud Divine Art Lotus
I spread it out and pulled the four guys in front toward me.
“Oh!”
“Ah, no!”
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The dragged-in guys take the attack on behalf of the friendly forces like shields and then pass out.
“Just like a bunch of beggar bastards. Can’t you even tell the difference between friend and foe?”
“D-Damn, did we do that on purpose!”
“Th-that’s right! It’s obvious you used sorcery!”
The way he gets defensive and lunges at you when you slyly mock him is exactly the level of a beggar.
Ha, even I think I have a really good personality.
Puff puff puff puff!
Please reform yourself and do not become a beggar in your next life.
“How dare this traitor of the Murim Alliance insult the Beggar’s Sect…!”
puck!
“What did you say? I can’t hear you well.”
See? He can’t even eat properly because he’s begging, so he can’t even speak properly.
After kicking the remaining guy in the head, I raised my head and looked around.
I took down sixteen in an instant, but I can still feel the ones swarming towards me.
A localized battle that has continued for half a day since a beggar disguised as a slash-and-burn farmer fired a signal flare.
The problem is that as time goes on, the number of beggars approaching is increasing exponentially.
Most of them are untied or have no knots, so there is no major problem with responding, but as attacks accumulate, it inevitably becomes difficult.
Moreover, while most of them still use clubs without internal energy or the Beggar’s Sect’s basic palm technique, the Lotus Palm, beggars with two knots were slowly starting to appear.
It is crystal clear what their intentions are.
They probably intend to keep us here until the pursuing party, or the main force of the shaman and fortune teller, arrives.
I have no idea how this country is run; the number of these beggar bastards feels endless.
It’s like the feeling that no matter how many times you knock them down, they keep shouting, “It hasn’t even started yet!”
Looking at the condition of Damak, it is a mess.
In a situation where they haven’t been able to get proper rest, the guards have turned as pale as lost children, as they have been moving frantically to evade attacks and occasionally leaving their posts to counterattack.
But taking a break right now is pure madness.
I will speed things up.
“……
Would that be okay?
Even the Black Daoists shook their heads in disgust, as if overwhelmed by the endless stream of beggars rushing at them.
Let’s just respond minimally for now and keep going.
Eventually, as time passes, you will come face to face with either the pursuing force or the main force.
In that case, the best way is to take even one more step forward.
Sgeogok
-Sgeogeogeo
I mercilessly cut down the guys who stood in my way.
Those who were initially afraid upon seeing their blood-covered, dead comrade soon changed their expressions and began to charge at him like half-madmen.
Chaechaechaechang!
Those who throw stones and thrust spears they picked up from unknown places.
Guys shooting their fellow beggars with clumsy arrows, and guys charging at them wielding pitchforks that were clearly stolen from a farmhouse.
Those bastards intentionally [attempted] close-quarters combat, where warriors are most vulnerable
He was trying to lead the battle in that way.
“Kill! Kill them!”
The personnel who had not been properly dealt with in their haste to speed naturally formed a thick encirclement and swarmed in from all sides.
The beggar, struck by the sword and fallen, eventually crawls on the ground and grabs the guard’s ankle. The guard immediately kicks the beggar to deal with him, but in that split second, three other beggars seize the opportunity and thrust their weapons at him.
Beggar’s favorite tactic and a military strategy that only Beggar can use.
Human sea warfare tactics
The tactics that had never been defeated even once until the appearance of the Demonic Cult’s Jiangshi were put into full swing.
The guards’ hands and feet begin to get tangled.
“J-Young Master Jin!”
Just like Damak, the Black Daoists, pale with fear at the swarming beggars, call out to me desperately.
I gathered internal energy in my hands as I listened to their voices.
With a rumble, it shoots out the prepared tension exactly as it was.
“Bend down!”
It was a baseless command, but the Black Daoists, sensing the energy already residing in my hands, hurriedly bowed their heads.
Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa bang!
The immense tension of a giant coils around half a turn, devastating the surrounding area.
“What is this…….”
When the beggars who had been out of the sight of Gwangcheonsinjang were wearing dazed expressions, he gave them some advice.
“Didn’t you know my specialty is being able to take on a hundred people?”
Rumble rumble.
And then he immediately unleashed the second Gwangcheonshinjang.
Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!
Once again, Gwangcheonsinjang swirled half a turn and swept through the arena.
While the power to inflict fatal damage may be reduced, there is no better method than this for an area-of-effect attack.
Moreover, among the beggars gathered here, there are many who lack inner strength.
“Aaaargh!”
“Squeak!”
The area swept by the two blows of Gwangcheonsinjang became a wasteland, with countless injured people rolling around like fallen leaves.
Let’s go!
Leaving the fallen, trembling beggars behind, he ran ahead, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.
After dealing with them in one go, the density of the beggars decreased significantly.
“Push forward! That bastard must be completely depleted!”
“He’s from a third-rate gang! He can’t keep fighting!”
Nevertheless, these beggars instigate a melee once again, as if to maintain their numerical superiority.
But you know… which asshole just said ‘third-rate bang’?
Is it because they’re beggars? They don’t know anything.
I am the one who has experienced enough melee battles to be sick and tired of them.
“I was a master of chaotic battles in my past life!” Of course, since it was a remark he couldn’t voice, he swallowed it and drew his Red Light Sword.
Squeak
-Squeak
– Utilizes only the most efficient movements with the shortest distance and minimum force.
I am no longer the pathetic Jin So-woon from my past life who was weak and helpless due to a lack of internal energy.
With overflowing internal energy surging through the entire body, there are no restrictions on movement.
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
“Aaaah!”
It was a brief and concise movement, but the opponent suffered a fatal injury and collapsed.
The movements, distinctly different from the previous life, are incredibly light.
Just then, a beggar from the Beggar Sect squeezed his head through a gap in the Red Light Sword.
I even took out the scabbard I was wearing at my waist and struck the guy’s head.
Using the body of the guy who rolled his eyes and fell backward as a stepping stone, I took another step forward and swung the Red Light Sword in all directions.
A fierce gale overwhelms the surroundings.
In my previous life, I could only use the Small Heaven Sword Technique due to limitations in my internal energy and shallow attainment, but now I can efficiently draw out the Great Heaven Sword Technique as well.
Shhhhhh!
The Red Light Sword is swung like a swift sword, but numerous sword-changing and illusionary swords unfold along its sword pattern.
It would be an attack that could be sufficiently blocked even by a second-tier level, but there is no way a flawless or one-tiered one could block it.
“Ugh!”
“evil!”
“Don’t run away!”
There was no beggar brave enough to charge forward, even though dozens of sword blades were flickering before their eyes and moving back and forth around their necks.
Mostly, the frightened Mugeolgae stepped backward and pushed the Ilgyeolgae, causing the Ilgyeolgae and Igyeolgae to trip and fall forward in droves, becoming victims of the Red Light Sword.
I don’t know how many arms and hands were severed.
However, in the mountain forest area where the greenery of spring was blooming, a red stream had already begun to flow.
Rumble! Shoot the Gwangcheonsinjang to finish it off, as if to decorate the finale.
Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!
The beggars, with terrified expressions as if they had come to hell, slump to their knees blankly.
The massive crowd was in a state of disorder and eventually collapsed.
Let’s run!
We quickly passed through that gap.
“Chase…! I said chase!”
“Get up, you beggar bastards!”
The chase was not completely over, but there were no guys charging in relying on numbers like before.
Only those who follow along while keeping as much distance as possible despite their superior’s urging remain.
We did not waste our time knowing that even if we shook them off, the beggars hidden throughout the route would figure out our identity anyway.
“Gasp, gasp!”
“Whoo!Whoo!”
Moreover, the situation is not very optimistic.
Although the opponents were not formidable, the guards, having endured a chaotic melee of massive offensives, began to breathe heavily, perhaps having reached their mental and physical limits.
I wonder if it bothered you that I kept looking at it.
One of the guards bowed to me.
“Don’t worry. I can follow along.”
I pointed at his forearm and said.
How about we get some treatment first?
“Huh? What are you…?”
He looked down at his arm at my gesture and only then discovered the broken sword fragment embedded in it.
“When was this…….”
I’m sorry. I couldn’t even give you time to treat it. Please apply this medicine for now.
When the wound medicine was handed to him, the guard pulled out the sword fragment while running, pressed the pressure point to stop the bleeding, and then slathered the wound medicine on.
A comrade running beside him roughly tore his martial arts uniform and compressed his arm.
Please hold out just a little longer, at the very least, until you meet the main force.
I knew I had reached my limit from the fatigue accumulated from the repeated pursuit and the agony of the chaotic battle, but that was all I had to say.
Because if I can’t endure this moment, everything will be in vain.
“Ah, why… why, what did I say…?”
Damak, with a pale complexion, let out a pained groan at the sight.
I had neither the leeway to comfort him nor the will to let him have his way, so I pretended not to hear and kept running. Fortunately, the number of beggars did not increase.
They must have thought that playing with numbers any further was meaningless. After all, their human wave tactics only work against the orthodox martial artists of the Jianghu.
Instead, the pursuers who had been chasing us started to close in again.
They closed the gap they had opened for four days in just three. ‘What is this?’ But something felt off.
The pursuers did not show an active attempt to stop them like the beggars of the open.
Seeing their attitude, I signaled to the guards.
I’ll slow down.
“…….”
Perhaps because the meaning of that had been explained in advance, none of the guards felt relieved.
He gradually slowed down and maintained a safe distance from his pursuers.
Seeing that the pursuers weren’t closing in despite the slowdown, I was certain. ‘The main force has arrived.’ Otherwise, there was no way they would have been crazy enough to let us go so easily.
The main force is probably waiting at Cheonsanggyo, located at the foot of the mountain.
I also chose that place as the venue for the match from the start.
I said to the guards.
This end is the Heavenly Church.
okay.”
They nodded calmly as if nothing were wrong.
That bothered me so much that I added a footnote.
I’m sorry. But I will do my best.
Those who had looked slightly surprised soon returned to calm eyes and spoke.
“Do not worry even if things go wrong. We are merely doing what we are supposed to do, and Young Master Jin is a man of Baidao.”
Nevertheless, death zone
We will never forget that you jumped in with us.
Faced with that determined look in his eyes, I could not bring myself to answer.
At that moment, “What are you talking about?”
Damak, sensing something was off, asked, but there was no time to answer.
Because I had already started to sense ‘their’ presence.
A deep valley with no end in sight, threatening to swallow everything, the Valley of Despair.
And a path lies faintly connecting the valleys.
With awe, people named this magnificent scenery created by the vastness of nature Cheonsanggyo.
Now, about twenty people in identical attire were standing tall atop the Heavenly Bridge.
These men, exuding an upright aura even at a glance… … ‘The Wudang Sect!’ Men standing with their hands clasped behind their backs and swords held at an angle, as if they had coordinated their stances.
A small fierce tiger embroidered on the sleeve
It had the words engraved on it, and unusually, a relatively young-looking man stood at the very front, rather than the person who appeared to be the oldest.
A disciple of the Wudang Sect who, no matter how I look at him, seems to be around my age.
“under……!”
And when I saw his face, I couldn’t help but let out a groan. ‘Why is that bastard Mudang Susin here…’ The Fierce Tiger Unit, belonging to the White Cloud Corps, were shitty guys, but an even shittier one had appeared.
The giant who was Yong So-ah’s shadow and the guardian spirit of the Wudang Sect, supporting the sect from the shadows.
Shamanic Spirit Hyunyoung
In a past life, there may have been people who did not know Hyunyoung’s name, but there was no one who did not know the existence of the Shamanic Spirit.
“Are you Young Hero Jin So-un?”
The face seen and the voice heard from close range were utterly ordinary.
As you can see, we are shamans.
However, I did not let my guard down.
Because he is the one who hides vast extraordinary within that ordinariness.
He stepped aside without making even a sound, creating space next to me.
“Please come this way. Jeong Do-hoe will treat all past mistakes as if they never happened.”
“mistake?”
“That is correct. I know that Young Hero Jin is full of righteous spirit and possesses a strong sense of chivalry, and that he is someone who will one day make a significant contribution to the Martial Arts Alliance.”
“Isn’t a mistake causing harm to others unintentionally?”
He moves his lips without the slightest wavering.
Jeong Do-hoe is not so narrow-minded as to hold someone accountable for a mistake made while being seduced by a momentary wicked spell.
Oh, so if I go back like this, you’re saying you’ll turn a blind eye to everything—ruining Jeong Do-hoe and trying to help Dam-ak escape—or something like that?
Instead, do we have to turn a blind eye to a war breaking out and tens of thousands of people being ground to pieces on the battlefield?
“Then let me ask you. Was Jeong Do-hoe’s action a mistake?”
For the first time, a faint look of bewilderment crosses Hyunyoung’s face.
Just like Yong So-ah’s shadow, is she even resembling her in things like that?
“You attacked and hunted down a guest invited by the Murim Alliance, even attempting to assassinate him. Does the Wudang think this can be overlooked as a mistake, too?”
I chuckled as I looked at the empty space created next to him.
“Did that bastard Cheongsujin say so?”
Flinch…
The members of the Tiger Brigade move behind Hyunyoung as if they are about to spring out at any moment.
However, even though her direct master had been insulted, Hyunyoung showed even less emotion on her face than before.
“Young Hero Jin. I have a question for you.”
He simply maintains his composure and continues speaking.
In a voice so incredibly composed.
“Do you have the confidence to face the Wudang, the Jeongdohoe… and furthermore, the Murim Alliance and Murim itself?”
“I’ve heard that question so many times that I’m sick of it now.”
Srrrr.
Ughhhhh.
The blade of the Red Light Sword turns red, and a spine-chilling scream of unknown origin rings out.
“Ask that ass-licker Cheong Su-jin. See what answer I’ll give.”
At the same time, the Demon Sword’s martial arts are unleashed.
Baekwol Jecheon Samsikje 2-sik Geukgangsu: Countless masses of strong energy shoot forward as if building a barrier.
The Wudang Tiger Corps, having drawn their swords before anyone realized it.
However, Hyun-young moves first, ahead of him.
The Nine Palace Chain Sword, embodying the secrets of the Nine Palaces, unfolds and forcibly twists the direction of the mass of energy.
The burst of energy shot out completely deviated from my intention and moved as his hand led it, and soon slammed straight down onto the floor.
Kukwakwakwakwakwang!
Just as thick smoke is about to rise, the Tiger Brigade and Hyunyoung move at the same time.
The swift sword that instantly cut down the demons rushing in in a heap, along with the space itself, of the Baekwol Jecheon Samsikje Il-sik Geuk-kwae.
Quick fluid
With a crisp sound cutting through the air, it splits the space once again.
Two members of the Tiger Corps who had been within the radius of the Great Speed collapsed to the ground, their chests stained red.
However, taking advantage of that gap, Hyunyoung and the leader of the Tiger Sect burrow into me.
Instead, I took another step forward and extended the Gwangcheon Divine Palm.
Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa bang!
The bridge connecting the valleys, composed of rock and earth, shook violently as if it would collapse at any moment.
He unleashed the Manhae Cheonji Sword Technique toward those who had retreated in tension due to the destructive power of Gwangcheonsinjang.
Eight ten thousand swords rose and the Twin Heaven Sword Technique began to unfold, and each time, countless bundles of sword energy swept in all directions.
“Cough, cough!”
I felt my vast internal energy being drastically diminished in an instant, but it didn’t feel like a waste. After all, the Wudang sect bastards were already starting to corner me all the way to my legs.
Crimson flames blazed from every dozens of flags, menacingly pushing back the Wudang Sect.
However, no one was injured after the Manhae Cheonji Geomgyeol.
This is because instead of responding to my attack, they steadily retreated and focused on defense.
But it’s not disappointing.
Because this is exactly what I wanted from the start.
Thud, thud.
From the bridge, which was shaking from the impact of the sword and steel energy, the piles of earth and stones eventually separated and fell down a thousand fathoms below.
The moment the non-partisan faction slowly retreated without lifting the siege.
I sent a telepathic message to all the guards at once.
-Now Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
As soon as I finished speaking, the guards who had come out to the end of the bridge detonated smoke bombs in unison and scattered in all directions, running off.
The moment the non-partisans, who had been focusing on defense, retreated to stop them.
I unleashed the mutual destruction power on the Holy Fire Demon Slayer and threatened them.
“W-what is this…… Ugh!”
“what……!!”
The non-partisan bastards backing away in terror, just as their executives did.
As expected, the more skilled someone is, the easier it is to fool them.
I changed direction and snatched the Damak that the guard had left on the ground.
And holding him as he gasped for breath as if he were about to faint at any moment.
“W-what on earth is this……!”
He threw himself down the cliff.
