Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
In this battle, only four of us participated: myself, Jin So-cheong, Lee Kwang, and Geuk Ho. Sagong Rin was still not fully mature in his martial arts, and the safety of the Sagong Clan was at stake. The situation had come down to only four of us being able to penetrate the Zheng Tian Alliance’s encirclement.
However, none of the four felt fear or anxiety. Even I, who had always been uneasy in the face of death, moved forward with complete ease.
Since there were exactly four of us, we decided to break through from the north, south, east, and west directions individually from the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School. Lee Kwang was confident that the abilities of the four masters of the Thunder God Lineage were far beyond those who would be ensnared by such an encirclement. Moving together would only complicate the breakthrough.
“South it is.”
I wondered what my luck would be today.
As I stepped out of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School and walked for about ten paces, killing intent began to fill the air around me. I expanded my senses to quickly assess their skills and numbers, identifying their positions.
‘About twenty. Most are second-class and first-class experts, huh…’
Whizzz!!
Suddenly, the Mother and Son Pursuing Soul Needle flew toward me. The one who threw three needles must have been a first-class expert, given the unnatural speed and power of the attack, targeting exactly the angle where I would struggle to move.
Clang!
I deflected the first needle with a single strike, only to find ten more projectiles coming in from a completely different direction. I moved again to swipe them away with my sword, but this time a surge of thrice that amount came flooding in from all directions.
Crack crack crack!
‘A sword curtain.’
After dodging all those indiscriminate attacks, I leaped onto a nearby roof. Just as I landed, five martial artists emerged, hurling dangerous weapons such as crescent blades, swords, and spears at me.
“Die!”
As expected, none of them were worthy masters. I muttered to myself while easily holding my ground. At that moment, it felt as if I was deepening my connection with the air around me.
Thump!
As I pushed off from the air, I suddenly appeared three paces ahead of them. The martial artists who had aimed to strike me were left floundering, having lost sight of me. Of course, it was only for a moment, as my Ten Thousand Success Sword Technique cut through their necks, scattering blood into the air. Utilizing the Soul Destruction Technique along with my sword skills made it easy to behead five opponents.
One of them threw another projectile at me, but I no longer had any reason to concern myself with long-range attacks. Firmly stomping on the roof, tiles erupted into the air. They effectively blocked the trajectory of the projectiles, and I quickly snatched a tile and threw it like a projectile infused with my internal power.
Thwack!
“Ugh…”
Serves you right. You shouldn’t just be throwing projectiles at others carelessly.
I chuckled as I watched one of my enemies outside limping with a tile stuck in his chest. At the same time, I was beginning to understand why Jin So-cheong warned me to be cautious of projectiles in the past. While each of those individuals’ martial skills were nothing special, the annoyance of them throwing projectiles from a distance, searching for my weaknesses, was quite bothersome.
Dancing forward, I stepped toward the remaining ambushers while employing the Soul Destruction Technique.
“Gasp!”
“What, what’s happening?!”
Perhaps my speed was so great that they couldn’t track my movements with their abilities. In the blink of an eye, I had closed in on about twenty ambushers, striking their vital points with the back of my sword. That sheer force alone caused them to tumble over, no longer able to continue fighting.
Thud!
In merely a few breaths, I had dealt with the twenty ambushers, and it felt as if the encirclement had temporarily dissolved. Although they claimed to have a celestial net, the encirclement was stronger when more ambushers were holding down a small number, so wiping them out quickly like this left them in disarray. I leaped from the roof into the crowd of onlookers and mumbled,
“Not much of a challenge.”
Thoughts of what Lee Kwang had said yesterday about gathering the Thunder God Lineage masters over at Mount Hobi came to mind.
[Tomorrow’s plan is to smash everything in sight and then regroup at Mount Hobi.]
Mount Hobi was a mountain located about forty li away from Guanzhong. Geuk Ho, who was listening, remarked,
[Can we just kill them all?]
[That would be fine. But try to show mercy to the weak who stand no chance.]
[What do you mean by that…?]
[I mean, create an opportunity that looks like justifiable defense.]
[I understand.]
Yes, I understood what Lee Kwang meant back then.
The idea of creating an opportunity that looked like justifiable defense meant, in other words, showcasing our strength! He wanted us to demonstrate such power that a mere four of us could break through the Zheng Tian Alliance’s celestial net, maintaining enough energy to show the degree of our strength. It was to imply that we could afford to go easy on someone like the Zheng Tian Alliance while leaving ourselves some excuses for later when it came time to clean up! As long as we weren’t overly defensive, it would be fine.
‘Well, I guess I could still kill as many as I want.’
Still, Lee Kwang’s words were merely a guideline. Since the Thunder God Lineage typically didn’t spare those who attacked intending to kill, the three others, excluding me, were probably busy cleaning up anyone who annoyed them. I decided to spare those who showed potential and kept moving forward.
Whish whish!
After leaping for about a yard, a fresh barrage of projectiles came flying at me again. I swung to deflect them while grumbling in irritation,
“Ah, damn.”
Feeling like I had the power of life and death in my hands made every little action irritating. I just wanted to slaughter them all without concern for justifiable defense. However, knowing that giving in to the thrill of shedding blood would lead to endless violence, I thought to myself,
‘Then I’ll just injure them.’
Thud!
I hurled another tile at the ones throwing projectiles, taking them down. When I infused my internal power into throwing it, it was ten times more powerful than their clumsy projectiles, and the sight of their limbs being blown away was truly a delight.
“Uagggh!”
“Aaaah!”
The sounds of their screams tickled my ears. Hats with blades and spears kept coming at me continuously, but I easily took them all down in a heartbeat. With a flash, I delivered a single strike, causing them to crumple like bundles of straw.
I didn’t kill them. I just incapacitated them. The difference in skill was so vast that I didn’t even want to kill them on purpose. One of the swordsmen who remained conscious trembled and shouted,
“Monster!! How could you do this to us so easily…”
I crouched in front of him and smiled slyly.
“You? Who do you think you are?”
“……”
“Such ridiculous pride when you’ve never seen a real monster.”
Snap!
I snapped my finger, knocking him out cold with a concussion. It appeared these were members of a lower-tier martial group under the Zheng Tian Alliance. Of course, the main point of encirclement is to drain the strength of weaker opponents, allowing the strong to finish the job, so these guys shouldn’t be mistaken for the Zheng Tian Alliance’s real experts.
I figured I had taken down about forty of them by now. With the area around me growing less crowded and the killing intent lessening, I finally realized just how many I had taken out. I could now reach the gates of Guanzhong, so I began to move leisurely.
“Hey!”
At that moment, a booming voice called out, and a group of martial artists stood in my way at the city gates. Unlike the previous featherweights, they seemed to have properly grasped their martial arts. There were about ten of them, similar to the numbers I had faced earlier, but the capabilities of each were worlds apart.
As I furrowed my brow, I began to gauge who these people were.
‘Are they from the Nine Great Sects?’
Each of them wore either a traditional uniform or the colors of a prestigious sect. They were probably skilled members of the Nine Great Sects serving under the Zheng Tian Alliance. Not just any run-of-the-mill fighters, but real experts sent out into the field.
All of them were at least first-class level. Scanning them, I noticed two or so were peak experts. I descended before the group blocking the gate and crossed my arms.
“You’re from the Zheng Tian Alliance?”
“Indeed. Lower your weapons voluntarily.”
“Or you’ll save your own lives?”
“That’s a matter for us to decide.”
I chuckled softly.
“You’re a bunch of crazy fools. Is that how you’re advising surrender?”
“You possess considerable martial arts skill. But you won’t be able to win against us easily.”
Swish!
They swiftly moved, forming a formation. Instead of surrounding me, they set up a defensive arrangement at the gate, but I quickly realized they were utilizing a formation based on the Four Symbols.
‘Is it the formation of the Wudang Sect?’
If that’s the case, then this formation would be designed to enhance their combat response and subdue an expert who stepped into it. Of course, it wouldn’t be difficult to crush such a formation using my tremendous internal power.
But I casually walked forward as if on a leisurely stroll. I was confident I could break through it without prioritizing power. At that moment, the peak expert from the Wudang Sect at the front shouted angrily,
“Are you truly asking for punishment?!”
Woosh!
Along with him, three peak experts unleashed their sword strikes simultaneously. Unlike before, these weren’t attacks I could neutralize in a second. I swiftly sidestepped the incoming strikes using my technique, flowing like water, before charging past them with the Soul Destruction Technique.
“Gah!”
In an instant, one expert, who had left an opening, hastily turned to block my attack with his left foot, but I had already struck his side with a thunderous blow.
Bang!
“Uaaah!”
My strike, imbued with internal power, was no mere martial arts move. He screamed and flew away, crashing to the ground, as the remaining experts rushed to fill in his place and engage in a combined attack. However, I didn’t give them the time to form their encirclement and instead slipped deeper into the formation. I struck at the peak expert from the Clear Stream Sect with my Ten Thousand Success Sword Technique.
Clang!
“Hmm!”
The Clear Stream Sect’s Saimyo Sword Technique managed to block my offensive for about ten seconds. He was indeed a worthy swordsman recognized in the martial world. But I managed to find his weakness without needing to resort to my internal energy. In the next moment, I subdued the key point on his neck, forcing him to kneel.
Thud!
“……!!”
Both the peak expert of the Clear Stream Sect and those engaging me simultaneously wore expressions of astonishment. In a flash, their formation had been rendered useless as their peak expert was subdued. I placed my sword against the neck of the peak expert from the Clear Stream Sect and smiled slyly.
“Care to continue?”
“Ugh…”
I had unintentionally taken a hostage, but that wasn’t the issue at hand. They instinctively realized that even if they sacrificed the hostage, they had little chance of winning over me. I could easily ignore their encirclement and disable them individually; combining tactics was pointless.
At that moment, the peak expert from the Wudang Sect spoke solemnly.
“How can someone your age possess such incredible martial skills? Who on earth are you?”
“I’m Baek Woong of the Thunder God Lineage.”
“Don’t regret your actions. Even with great martial abilities, you will not win if the Zheng Tian Alliance’s main forces decide to move.”
His words were probably truthful. They were just a small task force of the Zheng Tian Alliance’s martial power, but the supreme experts hadn’t yet stepped into the fray. If those masters joined this encirclement, it might be difficult for me to handle it alone. However, I smirked coldly and retorted,
“That’s adorable; you worry about your life now.”
“…….”
“I’ll give you three seconds. Decide whether you intend to fight or not.”
As I counted “one,” then “two,” he quickly exclaimed,
“Understood, we’ve lost. Let him go.”
“You lot, stay right where you are for a day. Got it?”
“…Understood.”
I left those standing, frozen in place, behind as I exited the gates of Guanzhong. Although I could have killed them all if I had continued fighting, it was obvious I would have exhausted a significant amount of stamina and internal energy. I was just satisfied to have slipped away. Although there was no guarantee those fools would keep their word, the crucial point was that I had established dominance over them.
This confirmed it: as long as a supreme expert didn’t step out to face me, none could stop me.
“Hahaha!”
I burst into joyous laughter. Then, Miho, transformed into an orb shape, sent me a message with a grumpy tone.
[What’s so funny? It’s not even enjoyable.]
“Miho, are you bored?”
[Hmph! I wanted to fight alongside you…]
“This is a Thunder God Lineage matter, so it’s difficult. Please understand.”
Miho replied,
[Just hurry to Mount Hobi. Buy me something delicious later.]
“……”
Eventually, realizing I owed Miho a delicious treat, I scratched my head while snickering.
‘I’m probably the fastest one, right?’
Honestly, I had managed to slip through the encirclement without causing any fuss. At this rate, I was sure I would arrive at Mount Hobi first and boast about being number one. But as soon as I approached the entrance of Mount Hobi, my expression twisted.
“You’re late, Baek Woong.”
At the entrance of Mount Hobi, Lee Kwang and Jin So-cheong were waiting. These monsters had evidently taken out the enemies faster than me and had gone to disrupt their encirclement. Jin So-cheong said,
“Did you not see Geuk Ho on your way?”
“I didn’t see him.”
At that moment, Geuk Ho swiftly burst through the underbrush and landed nearby, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“Whew! Am I last…?”
“Geuk Ho, you’re late!”
I teased him as Geuk Ho scowled.
“Oh come on. Do you know how hard it is not to kill them? I thought they’d die just from me going easy on them.”
Lee Kwang then spoke to Geuk Ho.
“Geuk Ho, you lack training.”
“Oh, yes…”
“Well, at least we have broken through the initial encirclement.”
Lee Kwang muttered while gazing at the summit of Mount Hobi.
“There’s a base at this mountain called Tiger King’s Stronghold, which is run by the leader of the Eighteen Houses of the Green Forest. Let’s go take them down.”
“Tiger King’s Stronghold…”
The Eighteen Houses of the Green Forest!
This referred to the strongest eighteen mountain strongholds, known to be bandits. I had heard about the Tiger King, who was the leader of the Eighteen Houses of the Green Forest. However, something felt off, so I tilted my head and said to Lee Kwang,
“Master, it seems somewhat strange to be taking down bandits at this moment.”
Apparently, it wasn’t just me; curious expressions were also visible on Jin So-cheong’s and Geuk Ho’s faces. It made sense. Breaking through the encirclement set by the Zheng Tian Alliance was fine, but even if the Eighteen Houses of the Green Forest were the leaders, capturing bandits didn’t seem to fit the current situation.
Lee Kwang chuckled and said,
“It’s not strange.”
“Pardon?”
“The leader of Tiger King’s Stronghold, Gu Cheol, must be a member of the Wind Spirit Sect.”
“……!!”
“You’ll understand when you see it. Let’s go.”
We followed Lee Kwang with bewildered feelings, ascending towards Tiger King’s Stronghold. The stronghold’s base was impressively large, easily visible from the mountain below. As we climbed, we effortlessly repelled attacks from the bandits of Tiger King’s Stronghold, eventually reaching the stronghold.
Boom!
Lee Kwang’s blow smashed open the gate of Tiger King’s Stronghold. As around fifty ruffians noticed Lee Kwang, they flinched in fright. I quickly understood why they were so intimidated.
‘These guys are all trained in martial arts!’
Bandits without any martial skills usually wouldn’t have the capacity to assess their opponent’s abilities, which would lead them to recklessly attack. However, these bandits had clearly undergone formal training, with many being second-class and first-class experts. Thus, they recognized the overwhelming power of the Thunder God Lineage and were terrified.
Thinking about it, it was quite astonishing. A mere group of bandits could cultivate their martial arts like a formal sect! There was a reason Tiger King’s Stronghold led the Eighteen Houses of the Green Forest.
Lee Kwang gazed coldly over them and stated,
“I don’t wish for unnecessary slaughter. The leader of Tiger King’s Stronghold, step forward.”
“I’m right here.”
With a tiger skin draped over him and wielding a scimitar, a middle-aged man stepped forward from within. With a fierce appearance, he murmured,
“Lee Kwang. Have you come to take my life?”
“It depends on your attitude.”
Suddenly, he fell to his knees, pleading to Lee Kwang.
“I, Gu Cheol, the Tiger King, earnestly beg you! Please take my life instead and spare these people!”
“……”
Lee Kwang silently gazed at him for a long time and said,
“I know you’ve been dispatched by the Wind Spirit Sect to gather bandits around here and keep an eye on the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School. Now the time has come for the Thunder God Lineage and Wind Spirit Sect to clash, so there’s no reason to keep a pawn like you alive.”
“……!!”
Only upon hearing Lee Kwang’s words did I begin to piece things together.
Indeed, the reason behind the unusual concentration of bandits and robbers in Guanzhong was that the Wind Spirit Sect had dispatched Gu Cheol to this vicinity, deeming that the Thunder God Lineage was present! Tiger King Gu Cheol had likely been secretly monitoring the actions of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School along with the martial forces around Guanzhong this entire time.
Full of tears, the Tiger King, Gu Cheol, pleaded,
“Please… I beg you. We’ve never plundered women or the weak, nor have we acted indiscriminately. We gathered here together to find a way to survive. Please spare their lives!”
“……”
I felt astonishment wash over me.
‘There are people like this in the Wind Spirit Sect?’
I had always thought the Wind Spirit Sect, including its law enforcement, was filled with scum. But to have someone willing to sacrifice themselves to save their subordinates like this?! It was utterly mind-boggling.
Lee Kwang remained silent for a long while and then spoke,
“Gu Cheol, then abandon the Wind Spirit Sect.”
“……!!”
“Become the youngest disciple of the Thunder God Lineage and follow us from now on. If you can promise that, I’ll spare your life.”
“T-That…”
“I’ve seen your capabilities before. If you join us, we can keep a place like Tiger King’s Stronghold safe.”
Then, Tiger King Gu Cheol hesitated, contemplating for a moment. But it seemed his answer was already predetermined as he prostrated himself before Lee Kwang.
“I will do as you say!”
Moments later, Tiger King Gu Cheol paid respects and underwent the formal initiation into the Thunder God Lineage, following Sagong Rin and Namgung Kwan as the youngest disciple. I could only stare in amazement at this farcical scene.
‘That guy is the youngest disciple?’
From a glance, Tiger King Gu Cheol’s skills seemed to surpass mere peak levels, bordering on transcendent. With his abilities, he was likely a master of the Wind Spirit Sect, yet Lee Kwang had hastily taken him under his wing!
After Lee Kwang took control of Tiger King’s Stronghold, he remarked,
“Evacuate the others from Tiger King’s Stronghold. They’ll be of no help to our forces.”
“What do you plan to do?”
In response to Jin So-cheong’s question, Lee Kwang wore a smile imbued with killing intent.
“The plan is obvious: we’re going to take down the Huashan Sect.”
