Chapter 77 - The Black Flame Dragon Who Surpasses the Gate (5)

Autumn forest fires are not unfamiliar.

Especially after suffering a summer drought, when autumn leaves pile up thickly on the mountains, even a slight breeze can spark a wildfire.

To prevent this, the people of nearby villages prepare winter firewood in advance and create clearings so the flames do not spread widely.

"But the Ssangmak Stronghold did not allow the villagers to go up the mountain."

For bandits to hide themselves, there is nothing better than a dense forest.

To ensure this, the Ssangmak Stronghold prohibited not only logging but even the gathering of medicinal herbs, and now, instead of hiding them, the dense, dry forest was choking their very breath.

The moment the bandits, who had been fiercely charging down the mountain, faltered at the pit of fire that exploded instantly due to the oil, the flames spread even further in all directions.

The group of over a thousand tried to retreat up the slope, but that was even more difficult.

"Aargh!"

"Move!"

"A-Ah, it's hot!"

Getting tangled and tripping over each other, their formation quickly collapsed.

The bandits who tried to stray from the path and flee through the mountain were swallowed by the fiercely burning flames that had flared up in the meantime, and as they rolled around in all directions unable to withstand the heat, the forest fire spread even more easily.

"This makes no sense."

Eunho stared blankly at the sky completely blackened with smoke.

The strong wind quickly pushed the black smoke away, but thanks to that, the flames blazed even more fiercely, as if they had consumed a spiritual elixir.

All thousand of them had learned martial arts, but even among them, there was certainly a difference in attainment.

Those with low internal energy could not hold their breath and inhaled the smoke, soon beginning to faint.

"Sowoon, did you perhaps anticipate that the wind would come?"

Yang Gunbaek asked, brushing his hair back due to the swirling wind, and I drew the Black Dragon Sword without a specific answer.

"Prepare yourselves."

At my words, the three brothers each drew their swords.

"They can't escape toward the mountain because of the flames. But they will come down along the path where the oil was poured."

"We will go as well."

Yang Gunbaek stepped forward along with the disciples of Haomun.

"We have to strike them while they are disoriented right after coming through the flames."

The moment my words ended, a massive sound of tearing air rang out.

CRASH!

Golden-Faced Buddha Blade and One-Eyed Blood Axe had launched a joint attack, gouging the ground and scattering heaps of dirt in all directions.

"The flames have weakened! Pass through as quickly as possible!"

Along with the booming voice, the bandits who had been searching for an escape route began pouring out onto the path.

Here and there, those whose clothes had caught fire frantically tried to extinguish the flames, only to be trampled to death by the feet of the bandits rushing in from behind.

CRACK!

The huge trees on both sides of the path, which had been left uncut for the sake of ambushing, caught fire and collapsed onto the path.

"Aaaagh!"

"D-Dodge it!"

"Save me!"

Ultimately, the bandits who gave up on following the two Stronghold Masters started running toward another path over the mountain.

Even as the bandits scattered in all directions, Golden-Faced Buddha Blade and One-Eyed Blood Axe had no leeway to command them.

Because in order to clear a path, the two had to launch another joint attack and scatter dirt everywhere again.

CRAAAASH!

As their fierce internal energy scattered in all directions, dirt and boulders flew everywhere, suppressing the flames to some extent.

After the two passed through like that, the bandits following behind them were burned to death.

"This is fucking bullshit!!!"

Filled with malice at the repeated deaths, Golden-Faced Buddha Blade ignored even One-Eyed Blood Axe and began charging down, unleashing his movement technique to the absolute limit.

"Listen carefully."

"Suddenly?"

"If they survive, the village's tragedy will be repeated."

"... Yes."

"Just remember the scene we saw at the hills."

It meant not to show any mercy.

The three brothers firmly clenched their jaws, seemingly understanding my words.

"Let's go!"

Along with my shout, the three brothers and Yang Gunbaek's group began to run.

Unlike their initial state of being terrified by the bandits' sheer numbers, they were now filled with courage.

"Jin Sowoon!"

Golden-Faced Buddha Blade, charging in like a wild boar with a fire on its tail, spotted me and ran over with even greater speed.

I also executed the World-Traversing Lone Footwork, increasing my speed to face Golden-Faced Buddha Blade.

BANG!

"I'll kill you!"

The moment his long saber imbued with blade qi was about to strike down to split my head, I executed the Lotus hand technique and threw Golden-Faced Buddha Blade into the pit of fire.

CRASH!

Golden-Faced Buddha Blade crashed into the fire, breaking several trees and producing a deafening roar that was hard to believe came from a human body.

"Kuaaagh!"

In the meantime, I executed the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique's counter-form and began slashing down the bandits who came running out to breathe.

"S-Save me...!"

"Gah!"

The sword form aiming for their fatal acupoints scattered blood in all directions, causing even more chaos.

Taking a person's life with a single Martial Move, the bandits began to die every time my sword was swung without hesitation.

Even as their comrades were dying like that, the bandits could not stop their feet.

The breath that was already up to their chins paralyzed their reasoning, making them run endlessly, and even if they fell, it only made them crawl forward.

CLANG!

Amidst frantically swinging my sword, a sudden massive impact pushed me back two steps.

Lifting my head, I saw One-Eyed Blood Axe exuding thick killing intent.

"You're a very impudent bastard."

"How is your junior's move?"

"You've made the wrong choice!"

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Every time the blood axe and the Black Dragon Sword clashed, the sound of the impacts spread in all directions.

Even the bandits running in like madmen sensed the danger and detoured to the side.

Withdrawing the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique's counter-form, I immediately began to execute the Twin Heaven Sword Art.

The Black Dragon Sword started creating illusions like an unfolding fan, shooting out as it aimed for fatal acupoints.

"You bastard! You were hiding your skills!"

One-Eyed Blood Axe's sole remaining eye spat fire.

His blood axe sometimes struck at the phantom swords only to swing through empty air, and other times accidentally hit the real sword to block my attacks.

However, thanks to the subordinates endlessly surging from behind and the internal energy he was using to block the flames, his hands were becoming boundlessly entangled.

"You bastard!"

A Lion's Roar erupted from within the pit of fire, and a blackened, charred Golden-Faced Buddha Blade leaped out.

"I'll strip your flesh and bones and chew them all up!"

I stepped back two paces and began to unleash the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art.

* * *

The three Geum-eun-dong brothers had been unable to come to their senses since the fight began.

They formed a sword array and faced the enemies, but the enemies had no thought of dodging or blocking the swords thrust by the three brothers; they merely wanted to flee from the flames like madmen.

"Eunho! Dongryong! Keep maintaining the sword array! Nothing else matters!"

"Hyung! There are too many!"

"Just maintain the sword array! Then... Then..."

Geumpyo felt like he should say something, but he did not know what words to speak.

'Is there an end to this battle? How long do we have to fight?'

'Even if the opponents are fleeing in sheer terror from the flames, can we truly face them on our own?'

'The martial arts of the Ssangmak Stronghold's two Stronghold Masters are clearly at a level we cannot even approach.'

"Then what!"

As Eunho shouted at the top of his lungs, Geumpyo, snapping back to his senses, simply blurted out whatever came to mind.

"Eldest Senior Brother will come! If it looked like we were going to die, would Eldest Senior Brother have even started the battle?"

"Isn't that just Eldest Senior Brother judging us purely by his own standards?"

There was no way to answer that.

To begin with, upon receiving the mission to subjugate a bandit stronghold, the very thought of conquering the most powerful faction among the Seventy-Two Strongholds of the Green Woods had already strayed far from the norm.

"Keugh!"

"Uwaaagh!"

"D-Damn it..."

While they lost focus for a moment, the sound of bandits dying next to them could be heard. Turning their heads, they saw Dongryong dispatching the bandits with sword forms they had never seen before.

The Martial Moves were all things learned in the Taiyi Sect, but the trajectory itself was completely different. It was incredibly fierce, as if following the most efficient sword path for murder.

Moreover, even though they were executing a sword array, the killing intent radiating from Dongryong was chilling them to the bone.

"Damn it!"

Swearing, Geumpyo locked eyes with Eunho and nodded.

Knowing what state Dongryong was in, Eunho's expression was also grim.

The Star of Heavenly Slaughter was an innate nature that craved blood.

Just as Eldest Senior Brother had said, if the Star of Heavenly Slaughter bloomed before Dongryong's mental discipline deepened, a disaster would occur.

"Hyung!"

"Yeah!"

Though left unspoken, Geumpyo and Eunho's thoughts were already aligned.

"Aargh!"

"Keugh!"

The number of bandits falling to the two brothers' swords gradually began to increase, and Dongryong's killing intent was slowly decreasing.

"Hyung! There are too many enemies!"

Thanks to moving cultivation, their internal energy was barely maintained, but the number of bandits still surviving was large.

Furthermore, those who slowly regained their senses either detoured around the three brothers or took defensive stances to buy time.

The fifty Haomun disciples were guarding the well area to stop the bandits from approaching, but there were so many enemies that they were gradually being surrounded.

On top of that, they couldn't even hope for Jin Sowoon's help; Jin Sowoon was at the entrance of the mountain, fighting against Golden-Faced Buddha Blade and One-Eyed Blood Axe while cutting down fleeing bandits at the same time.

At this rate, they might die before Jin Sowoon even arrived.

"Stay sharp! For now, just think about the enemies right in front of you!"

Geumpyo shouted desperately as he swung his sword.

Just then, thick clouds of dust rose outside the village, and the sound of war cries began to be heard.

"Let's go!"

"Waaaaah!"

Village Chief Heo and the other villagers who had evacuated were now charging in, wielding farming tools.

"Save the kids first!"

"Don't leave the exhausted bastards alive!"

Not only sickles and hoes, but also axes and sharply whittled bamboo spears.

Those who had never learned any martial arts approached the exhausted bandits and began attacking them ruthlessly.

"S-Spare me!"

"My son starved to death because of you!"

"Did you forget how you defiled my sister!"

"Kill them!"

The strikes of these people, filled with deep-seated resentment, were as fierce as those who had trained in martial arts their whole lives.

* * *

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH!

The sword phantoms radiating from the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art swept through all directions, severing the bandits' necks while engaging Golden-Faced Buddha Blade and One-Eyed Blood Axe.

Though both men were already covered in wounds, taking on two experts who had reached the Peak Realm at once was still too much for me.

If it weren't for the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art and the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist, which used the profound principles of 'Ten Thousand' to create the effect of facing more than one enemy, I wouldn't have even dared to hold out.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I will absolutely kill you!"

"Die!"

Furthermore, Golden-Faced Buddha Blade and One-Eyed Blood Axe were disregarding defense, only narrowly avoiding vital points as they charged relentlessly, making them even harder to deal with.

"Even if I die, I'll definitely take you down with me!"

"I have absolutely no desire to go with you."

"Hmph!"

CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH!

Blade qi shot out in all directions, causing explosions without distinguishing between friend and foe.

A bandit dying from Golden-Faced Buddha Blade's blade qi stared at him with eyes full of betrayal, but Golden-Faced Buddha Blade did not even care and merely continued unleashing his blade qi toward me.

"Your movement technique is quite excellent!"

One-Eyed Blood Axe ground his teeth as he spoke to me, unable to catch me.

"That's because it was created by the two greatest figures of all time."

"Right, and possessing such fine martial arts, how bitter must you feel to die by our hands."

"I'll say it again, I have no intention of dying by your hands."

"That's not for you to decide. We will be the ones to decide that."

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

As the blood axe swung, chunks of burning wood were shot out like hidden weapons.

The moment I executed the Taiyi Eighty Thousand Divine Steps and narrowly dodged the wood, Golden-Faced Buddha Blade swung his long saber.

At this rate, I would inevitably be the first to exhaust my strength.

"This is the end for you!"

"Haaht!"

I also pushed the Taiyi True Scripture to its absolute limit, executing the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist as I launched myself into the air.

And the moment One-Eyed Blood Axe and Golden-Faced Buddha Blade were about to swing their weapons at me!

SWOOSH. CRASH!

"Heeck!"

"Damn it!"

A boulder the size of a house flew at the two men, and they dodged in sheer terror.

Landing on the ground, I looked back and spoke.

"Why are you so late?"

"Weren't you the one who sent me in the opposite direction in the first place?"

"I figured you would have caught on by now."

It was Bang Duchil and his group, who had rushed along the path after dispatching the bandits that had fled to the other side in that short amount of time.

"Rest if you are tired. I'll handle the rest."

He looked quite different from when he consistently doubted my plan and displayed hostility.

"I'm fine. I need to go help my junior brothers anyway."

"Then let's finish this quickly and go."

Hearing our exchange, Golden-Faced Buddha Blade and One-Eyed Blood Axe's faces flushed bright red.

"You fucking bastards!"

"How dare you brats!"

As if knowing he shouldn't drag this out, Bang Duchil immediately gathered his palms and drew up his internal energy.

His martial arts uniform bulged as if it would burst, and a mighty wave of qi erupted.

'As expected of the Heavenly Astral Limitless Body!'

One-Eyed Blood Axe turned pale with shock at the wave of qi he was feeling for the very first time in his life.

"What kind of internal energy...!"

The moment the charging One-Eyed Blood Axe kicked off the ground to change direction and flee. Along with the movement of an air current that rumbled the atmosphere, his signature martial art, the Gale Divine Palm, poured out from Bang Duchil's palms.

BOOOOOOM!

Bursting the air in succession and instantly extinguishing even the blazing flames, the Gale Divine Palm turned all of One-Eyed Blood Axe's bones to dust.

"Crazy..."

Golden-Faced Buddha Blade, who had been charging at me, stood with his mouth wide open.

"This isn't the time to be looking over there."

I also unleashed the Radiant Heaven Divine Palm at Golden-Faced Buddha Blade.

BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!

Golden-Faced Buddha Blade hastily changed direction, but he could not escape the Radiant Heaven Divine Palm, whose area of effect had been maximized.

At the same time the air and flames burst apart, Golden-Faced Buddha Blade's body exploded.

WHOOSH.

In the space where all the air had momentarily vanished due to the effects of the Gale Divine Palm and the Radiant Heaven Divine Palm, even the flames died down.

"..."

And from within it, Bang Duchil was staring at me with trembling eyebrows.

"What's wrong?"

"..."

Instead of the silent Bang Duchil, Baek Soryeong, who had been swinging a flexible sword from behind, approached.

"It's my first time seeing someone with stronger internal energy than darling."

That seemed to be the exact reason why Bang Duchil was so surprised.

He had probably never seen anyone his age with stronger internal energy than him in his entire life.

"You really... took care of the Ssangmak Stronghold. And relatively easily at that."

Forest fires rising from various places on Mount Cheonmok, and the corpses of bandits piled up like peaks beneath them. The number of remnants down the mountain was still large, but now that the two Stronghold Masters had become wandering ghosts, the Ssangmak Stronghold was as good as finished.

"It's thanks to you."

As I lightly clasped my fists in a martial salute to express my gratitude, Baek Soryeong and Bang Duchil's subordinates returned the salute.

"..."

Bang Duchil, who was standing blankly and looking at me as if I were some strange animal, got elbowed by Baek Soryeong and belatedly staggered into a martial salute.

"I'm sorry for doubting you."

"It happens. Anyway, it's not over yet, is it? Let's see this through to a successful end."

"Sounds good."

Just as we were about to head down the mountain to take care of the remnants. Eunho, who should have been maintaining the sword array down below, came panting all the way up to where we were.

"Eldest Senior Brother! We have a big problem! Please save Dongryong!"

Before those words even ended, I drew up all my scarce remaining internal energy and executed the World-Traversing Lone Footwork.