Chapter 34 - The Second-Rate Warrior Seeking Legends (6)

It was three days later when we met again after finishing our respective preparations.

The entrance to the cave containing the Amitabha Holy Water was located inside a river flowing between the valleys of the Demonic Spirit Plateau.

The river's current was so strong that even those who had mastered water techniques found it difficult to approach. Moreover, if one tried to force their way in, they could be swept away by the current and washed all the way down to Dongting Lake before even entering the cave. Because of this, Haomun, who had been busy selling off the maps, agreed to divert the upstream waterway on a set date.

When the promised date arrived, Yueyang was on the verge of exploding from the sheer number of people.

"When does it start?"

"They said they would block the upstream current starting from the Hour of the Tiger."

A warrior who had gone to verify the information answered Namgung Seonhwa's question.

She then relayed the message back to us.

"Let's make our move starting from the Hour of the Rabbit."

"How about we move a little slower?"

As I spoke, everyone's gazes immediately converged on me.

Part of it was likely their distaste for me stepping forward when I was the only one representing my side, but it was also natural that the warriors of the Iron Sword Sect, who still harbored a lot of resentment toward me, did not look at me kindly.

"Why is that?"

"The valley may be wide, but if this massive number of people tries to enter all at once, a massive fight is bound to break out right from the start."

The report that had been submitted to the Murim Alliance's Mantong Bureau stated that roughly ten thousand people had simultaneously marched up the narrow river path, resulting in a chaotic melee right from the beginning.

Because they couldn't even properly deploy their sword formations, many groups suffered massive casualties, and even renowned experts of Jianghu met absurd deaths.

"Besides, the paths inside the cave are so wide and complex that who goes first doesn't matter. Getting in early or not won't be very important."

Namgung Seonhwa seemed to understand my reasoning, but in reality, thoughts and actions were often two very different things.

"If that's the case, I think it would be better to just go in first altogether."

"... Understood."

I didn't push the matter any further. In this situation, Namgung Seonhwa was practically the representative of our group anyway. Rather than trying to forcefully persuade her, it would be better for me to just do what I had to do.

"Here, take one of these each."

I handed over the scrolls I had made to Namgung Seonhwa, Seong Moran, and Yu Jiryang, one for each of them.

"I had my suspicions, but... this is surprising."

Yu Jiryang was astonished after unrolling the scroll.

"Did you prepare one for each of us?"

"We don't know what will happen once we go inside. As long as you don't get separated from your own party, you at least won't get lost."

Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran silently nodded as if conveying the message to their warriors, and the warriors also gave slight nods in response without a word.

"There really are a lot of people."

The dawn sun had yet to rise, but the streets were already packed with crowds heading toward the Demonic Spirit Plateau.

"Furthermore, I even see Underworld groups whose names alone are famous. Those are the Five Hounds of the Crazy Demon, right?"

Seong Moran looked around with a slightly appalled expression.

"It's probably because of the Amitabha Holy Water's effects."

"What? Are the Amitabha Holy Water's effects good for the Underworld?"

"Even with the same effect, it's different for those in the Underworld. While disciples of the Orthodox sects have pure Dantians and no impurities in their bodies thanks to practicing a single lineage of mental cultivation methods, most of the mental cultivation methods practiced by the Underworld have no roots and focus entirely on the quantity of internal energy, so as they become experts, their true qi is often depleted and their bodies become polluted. If such people could experience shedding the mortal body just once through the Amitabha Holy Water, it would be no different from being reborn."

"Oh..."

"...!"

Not only Seong Moran, who had answered, but Namgung Seonhwa also wore quite a surprised expression.

"But Young Master Jin, why do you dislike Great Warrior Hyeoncheong so much?"

Hyeoncheong was Yong So-ah's Daoist name.

"I don't dislike him, but..."

"Don't lie. The gaze you direct at Great Warrior Hyeoncheong holds a murderous intent that doesn't even compare to when you look at my brother."

When I briefly shifted my gaze, the warriors of the Iron Sword Sect were glaring at me as if they wanted to kill me.

I debated whether I should stop Seong Moran or not, but eventually just gave up and continued speaking.

"I disliked him because he carelessly claimed that we would live as long as we followed him, without having any countermeasure in place."

"But Great Warrior Hyeoncheong has the right to say that."

"Of course, if we're only judging by martial arts skills, he might, but we have no way of knowing what might happen or how things will unfold in there."

"... Still, it definitely gives him an advantage."

"Yes. However, it was simply his attitude of acting like he could decide life and death that I disliked the most."

"You really... despise bowing down to others, don't you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Never mind. It's getting noisy up ahead."

After passing the muddy path, we entered a road where the water reached our ankles.

We had begun entering the valley of the Demonic Spirit Plateau.

With the people in front completely blocked up, our movement began to slow down.

On the other hand, the distance between us and the people following behind began to gradually shrink.

"Why is it so cramped?"

While Seong Moran complained, Namgung Seonhwa sensed something was wrong and ordered her warriors to be on guard.

"Prepare for battle."

As the warriors of the Namgung Clan drew their swords one by one, the pace of the people approaching from behind slowed slightly, but due to the endless tide of people pushing along the river path, they began to press closer to us against their own will.

"Lady Seong, I think it would be best for you to stay with the warriors."

"Pardon? What does that..."

"I hear screams coming from up ahead."

"??"

As Seong Moran tilted her head in confusion, red dye began to mix into the water flowing around our ankles.

"!!"

Before Seong Moran could say anything, Namgung Seonhwa also stepped into the midst of the Namgung Clan's warriors.

Yu Jiryang and the spellcasters of the Mount Mao Sect were already inside the protective circle of the Namgung Clan's warriors.

AAAGH!

URGH!

The screams that had been heard from a distance were now beginning to sound quite close.

In addition, the faint bloodstains that looked like dye dissolved in the river water were steadily increasing until a river of blood was flowing.

The battle only continued to escalate.

A third-party group watching the battle would get pushed by the crowd surging from behind and take a sword strike instead, and the group of the person who was struck would then join the fray as well.

A chaotic melee with no distinction between friend and foe had begun.

Because the proportion of those from the Underworld was overwhelmingly high, the battle spread like wildfire with no thought of stopping, and before long, it reached the spot where the Namgung Clan's party was standing.

"Deploy the Daeyeon Sword Formation!"

As a warrior shouted, the warriors of the Namgung Clan simultaneously tried to open up a minimum distance, but due to the people tightly blocking their rear, the sword formation could not be properly deployed.

"It's too cramped!"

"Protect Lady Seonhwa at all costs!"

"Understood!"

Before they knew it, the Namgung Clan's warriors were forced to participate in the battle, and subsequently, the Iron Sword Sect's warriors were also preparing for combat.

The cliffs on both sides were a structure that grew narrower as they reached thirty *jang* in height, so there was no proper space to dodge either.

'This won't do.'

I quickly pulled out the Flying Dragon Claw and lodged it into the cliff face.

Like a spider flying up a cliff on the thread it had spun, I vaulted up the cliff wall.

"It's complete madness."

Dozens of people had already died upstream along the river path, and new people were stepping over their corpses to join the battle.

If things continued like this, the casualties of the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect would not be insignificant either.

First of all, there was a need to avoid this meaningless battle.

"It's solid, but with sixty years of internal energy..."

After confirming that the Flying Dragon Claw was firmly embedded, I drew upon my internal energy to heavily fortify my right hand.

Then, I began to strike the wall with the Great Sun Fist, a fist technique of the Taiyi Sect.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

The cliff, which had been solidly immovable, began to crack little by little, and the faces of the martial artists who looked up upon hearing a strange noise above their heads instantly turned pale.

"W-What the hell is that guy doing!"

CRASH! THUD-CRASH!

As a hole was smashed open, the dirt and boulders dislodged from it tumbled downward.

"D-Dodge it!"

"Hey, you crazy bastard! Stop that!"

Whether they yelled from below or not, I continued to pound the cliff face, and once a sufficient size had been secured, I shot the Flying Dragon Claw toward Yu Jiryang and the others from the Mount Mao Sect.

"Grab the wire."

The spellcasters of the Mount Mao Sect, who had been bewildered among the Namgung Clan's warriors, grabbed the wire, and I reeled it in while simultaneously retracting my internal energy.

Simultaneously, the three people kicked off the ground and were lightly hoisted up, landing safely midway up the cliff.

"Stay here for a moment."

"..."

Having just experienced a battle, Yu Jiryang seemed to be momentarily out of his wits.

I quickly clung to the wall right next to them and began to smash through the rock again, and as soon as a sufficient size was secured, I pulled up two injured warriors of the Iron Sword Sect along with one person who was guarding them.

"Dig into the wall so others can come up."

"... We have nothing on us right now."

"Are you just saving your internal energy to boil soup with?"

I smashed another hole in the wall, and this time I pulled up a warrior of the Namgung Clan who had been injured protecting the spellcasters of the Mount Mao Sect, along with an uninjured one.

"..."

By that point, perhaps having grasped my intent, the Namgung Clan's warriors silently began to dig into the wall, and among those preparing for battle, the ones who were highly skilled in claw techniques scaled the cliff and started excavating caves just like me.

Thanks to this, the battle was momentarily lulled as people dodged the falling rocks, but the relentless flames of combat continued to spread in all directions.

After I pulled up the last of the Iron Sword Sect's warriors, the warriors were left completely stunned by the chaotic melee happening below.

Everywhere they looked, people were wildly swinging their blades without distinguishing friend from foe.

The blood drained from the faces of the warriors as they realized the events down below were not unrelated to them.

"It seems we really should have come later, just as Young Master Jin suggested."

Namgung Seonhwa expressed her guilt, saying she hadn't expected things to turn out like this.

"Should we stay here and go in once the crowd thins out?"

Having nearly endangered not only the warriors of the Namgung Clan but also those of the Iron Sword Sect, Namgung Seonhwa seemed to no longer trust her own decisions.

"Now that the fighting has started, it will go on for quite a while. And more and more people will start climbing up the cliffs one by one."

"Then what should we do?"

"We head straight for the entrance from up here."

"... How? We don't have an artifact like yours."

"Is there anyone here who has mastered a claw technique?"

When I asked the warriors of the Iron Sword Sect and the Namgung Clan, one of the warriors who had been glancing around raised his hand.

It was a warrior from the Iron Sword Sect, the same one who had glared at me murderously whenever I stood near Seong Moran.

"I once had the fortune of learning the Soul-Shattering Claw Technique."

His murderous intent toward me having vanished at some point, he spoke as if reporting to a superior.

"Then, if I create a small crevice, could you widen the area around it to make footholds and handholds for people to use?"

"... I believe that's possible."

"Then let's do this. I will forge the path. The warriors with strength to spare will carry the spellcasters of the Mount Mao Sect on their backs one by one, and we will follow the grooves he creates all the way to the entrance."

"Understood."

"Understood."

Once I received confirmation even from Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa, the preparations proceeded without a hitch.

The Namgung Clan's warriors began to put the spellcasters of the Mount Mao Sect on their backs one by one, while the rest of the warriors agreed to guard against any surprise attacks coming from below just in case.

"I'm starting."

THWIP.

After shooting the Flying Dragon Claw and flying toward the opposite cliff face, I smashed a portion of the rock with the Great Sun Fist to create a crevice.

Then, I fired the Flying Dragon Claw toward the other cliff face and flew over again.

The Iron Sword Sect's warrior who had mastered the Soul-Shattering Claw Technique used the crevices I created to cling to the wall while excavating grooves for the next person to step on. Contrary to how lightly he had spoken about it, whenever his hands dug into the wall, the solid rock gave way effortlessly as if it had turned to mud, entirely different from when I smashed it.

As we flew between the cliffs and made our way toward the entrance in that manner, people who followed our path also began to appear one by one.

"Young Master Jin! People are tailing us from behind."

"Leave them be. If they attack us, they won't be able to go any further anyway."

Right around the time we were getting much closer to the entrance.

Seong Moran pointed to one side and shouted.

"Over there!"

There, Ha Minjung's group, along with Yong So-ah, were engaging in a desperate, bloody struggle amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

While Yong So-ah and the Daoists of the Wudang Sect seemed quite relaxed, it appeared that Ha Minjung and his party had suffered some casualties.

"We will reach the entrance soon. Focus."

The area near the entrance in the upper part of the valley actually had a quiet atmosphere.

Most of the people destined to die had already died, and those who survived had all gone inside the cave.

Upon landing on the ground, I dodged the swords thrusting at me from all sides and wielded the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique.

AAAGH!

URGH!

Fountains of blood sprayed into the air, and bloody water began to flow down the valley in place of the river.

The Iron Sword Sect's warriors who landed on the ground after me immediately rushed forward, cutting down every last person standing in the way of the entrance, and we hastily entered the cave before anyone else could interfere.

Even after entering the cave, we dodged those who suddenly swung their swords at us upon our arrival, passing through several crossroads until we reached an uninhabited area and finally stopped walking.

PANT, PANT, PANT!

PANT! PANT!

The people, who had been frantically catching their breath, only then realized that they had made it inside the cave without taking any casualties.

"It is a relief that there are no casualties."

"... Haa."

"... Phew."

Not only the Namgung Clan's warriors but also the Iron Sword Sect's warriors were looking at me with peculiar gazes.

"This is all thanks to you, Young Master Jin. If it weren't for you, several people would have died already."

"Let's leave the distribution of rewards and merits for later. For now, we don't know when excited martial artists might barge in and start a bloody fight."

"But because we rushed in so hurriedly, we didn't have time to check the maps."

"It's fine. I memorized it."

Even though I said that, Namgung Seonhwa did not take a step forward and just stared at me blankly.

"Young Master Jin, could we entrust you to lead the way?"

The moment I assumed the warriors of the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect would speak up to oppose Namgung Seonhwa's words.

I looked around and saw that Seong Moran, along with all the warriors of the Iron Sword Sect and the Namgung Clan, were looking at me with tense expressions.

"Will that be alright with you all?"

"We leave it in your hands."

Only then did a faint sense of relief wash over the faces of the Iron Sword Sect and the Namgung Clan's warriors.