Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 75

Amidst the foothills of Jade Flower Mountain in Jungyeong [a region or city], the sounds of clashing weapons and rough shouts echoed from all directions.

“Don’t let a single one escape! Kill them all! If even one gets away, those bastards at the Eulji Clan will come swarming!”

A fierce battle raged on the slopes of Jade Flower Mountain. The Nine Provinces Death Blood Squad and the Death Spirit Blood Demon Squad, the Blood Oath Alliance’s main forces, along with the newly joined Scarlet Blood Squad, ambushed the Jeongcheon Alliance’s Black Tortoise Unit, which had been lying in wait.

The Black Tortoise Unit, caught off guard, was momentarily stunned. However, they were composed of seasoned martial artists with exceptional individual combat skills, and they didn’t fall easily.

“Break through on one side! As soon as you break through, head to the Eulji Clan and inform them of the situation here!”

Hyuk Ji-seok, the leader of the Black Tortoise Unit, barked orders to his men before taking the lead himself.

As a blue light flickered from Hyuk Ji-seok’s sword and his sword energy surged forth, Dan Cheon-ah, the leader of the Death Spirit Blood Demon Squad, also unleashed his sword energy to counter Hyuk Ji-seok’s attack.

When the two sword energies, so different in nature, collided in the air, a powerful wave of energy erupted and spread in all directions.

The energy ripped through the trees of Jade Flower Mountain before finally dissipating.

Their clash began to affect the surroundings, forcing others to scramble away to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

They feared being too close and being caught in the blast radius of their battle.

The fight between the two was intense. Both knew that if they faltered in this battle of wills, they would be defeated, so they clashed with even greater ferocity.

They attempted to decide the outcome with the strongest martial arts they possessed, but victory remained elusive.

As time passed, the clash reached its peak, and the scales began to tip in favor of Hyuk Ji-seok, the leader of the Black Tortoise Unit.

Kwaaaang!

As the swords collided, a massive explosion erupted, sounding like a thunderclap.

“Ugh!”

A faint groan escaped Dan Cheon-ah’s lips. Hyuk Ji-seok, confident of victory, didn’t rush, acting as befitting an experienced martial artist.

Hyuk Ji-seok hailed from Gold Island, one of the many islands in the South Sea, and was the son of Hyuk Gu-seok, the lord of Gold Island.

The Gold Island Wave Severing Art, a unique martial art of Gold Island, was created by Hyuk Baek-eung, the first lord of Gold Island, who gained enlightenment from the sight of golden waves crashing in layers. It was one of the martial arts passed down through generations.

The defining characteristic of the Gold Island Wave Severing Art was that the sword force doubled with each collision of swords.

Dan Cheon-ah, unaware of this characteristic, had tried to meet force with force, only to find himself at a disadvantage in an instant.

Hyuk Ji-seok thrust his sword forward, and countless variations occurred in the sword’s trajectory as sword energy stretched out, aiming for Dan Cheon-ah’s vital points.

Chuchuchuchu.

“Heo-eot!”

Dan Cheon-ah inhaled sharply and bit his lip tightly.

Dan Cheon-ah raised his sword high into the sky and then brought it down vertically with all his might.

Kwaaaang!

The two energies collided fiercely in the air. The explosion vibrated, and fragments of energy and surrounding dirt scattered, creating a bizarre scene where even the trees were blown apart.

“Squad Leader Dan Cheon-ah!”

Hak Do-byeong, the leader of the Scarlet Blood Squad, called out to Dan Cheon-ah and threw himself towards the source of the explosion.

Dan Cheon-ah was still alive, but he had suffered serious injuries from Hyuk Ji-seok’s sword energy.

“I’m fine.”

Hearing Dan Cheon-ah’s reply, Hak Do-byeong glared at Hyuk Ji-seok. He was not unscathed either.

From the sword energy that Dan Cheon-ah had struck down with all his might, he had suffered wounds to his chest, shoulder, and both thighs, and blood was flowing from them.

“You bastard!”

Hak Do-byeong rushed towards Hyuk Ji-seok, emitting a fierce aura. Hyuk Ji-seok, seeing this, resigned himself to the fact that this place would be his grave.

Feeling the force of Hak Do-byeong’s descending blade, Hyuk Ji-seok closed his eyes.

Cheeeeng!

As he waited for his death, he heard a metallic sound. Hyuk Ji-seok instinctively rolled away and opened his eyes.

A man had blocked Hak Do-byeong’s blade with his sword and then counterattacked, forcing him to retreat.

“What are you doing, closing your eyes like an idiot?”

At the mysterious man’s shout, Hyuk Ji-seok snapped to his senses. As he frowned and tried to get up, one of his subordinates approached and supported him.

“Squad Leader!”

“I’m fine. What about the other members?”

“It looks difficult.”

“I’ll clear the path ahead, so go straight to the Eulji Clan!”

After speaking, the man rushed in a straight line towards Hak Do-byeong, who was blocking the way, and swung his sword after reaching him.

From left to right, from right to left, then diagonally downwards, and again the sword moved left and right.

Cheeeeng!

As he performed these movements in rapid succession, Hak Do-byeong was immediately pushed into a defensive position, barely managing to block the sword.

At that moment, the man’s right hand went to his left waist and retrieved two throwing knives that were stuck there, throwing them towards Dan Cheon-ah, who was bleeding.

Shuaaaang!

“Squad Leader Dan!”

As the throwing knives flew towards Dan Cheon-ah, Hak Do-byeong called out to him. The moment Dan Cheon-ah raised his head, the throwing knives, flying with a sound that seemed to tear through the air, accurately pierced Dan Cheon-ah’s crown and heart.

Dan Cheon-ah’s body tilted to one side and collapsed, and Hak Do-byeong was enraged by the sight.

“Break through on one side!”

As the man shouted towards Hyuk Ji-seok and the Black Tortoise Unit, the Black Tortoise Unit also mustered their remaining strength.

With the help of this man, the Black Tortoise Unit was able to survive the crisis of annihilation.

Even so, only twelve out of the hundred members of the Black Tortoise Unit were still alive.

“Stop them!”

Hak Do-byeong shouted as he saw the Black Tortoise Unit breaking through on one side and descending Jade Flower Mountain. The members of the Nine Provinces Death Blood Squad, the Death Spirit Blood Demon Squad, and the Scarlet Blood Squad surrounded them, giving chase.

Seeing this, the mysterious man infused his energy into his sword, and a light, so blue it was almost white, enveloped the entire blade.

“Sword Qi [energy-based sword technique]?”

The moment Hak Do-byeong, taking this seriously, was about to speak, the man’s sword fell vertically towards those who were surrounding the Black Tortoise Unit.

The sword, imbued with white light, created a long line in the air, and the line flying through the air resembled a crescent moon.

“Evade!”

Hak Do-byeong shouted, but it was already too late.

The sword qi washed over his subordinates who were surrounding them, and a loud explosion and thick dust arose from the spot.

“Now is the time! Run straight down the mountain!”

At the man’s shout, the sound of the Black Tortoise Unit’s members scrambling away could be heard.

“You bastard!”

Hak Do-byeong, enraged at having missed the fish he had almost caught, rushed towards the man.

He tried to overwhelm the man by unleashing his unique swordplay, the Ghostly Demon Swordplay, but the man’s martial arts were more advanced than Hak Do-byeong had anticipated.

The man unleashed the Heavenly Flower Dance, which could be said to be the antithesis of the Ghostly Demon Swordplay that Hak Do-byeong was unleashing.

The red sword energy, dancing in all directions, was mercilessly shattered into pieces by the flower petals scattered in the wind.

Then, the momentum of the flower petals scattered in the wind changed as if they were swirling upwards in a vortex, surrounding Hak Do-byeong and quickly rotating, soaring into the air.

“Keo-eo-eo-eok!”

Hak Do-byeong’s scream erupted from within, and the appearance of Hak Do-byeong that was revealed afterwards was miserable beyond description.

His clothes were torn to shreds as if his entire body had been slashed to pieces, and red blood was flowing from the gaps, making it unlikely that he would survive.

In contrast, the mysterious man looked the same as when he had first appeared.

The leaders of the Death Spirit Blood Demon Squad, the Scarlet Blood Squad, and the Nine Provinces Death Blood Squad were all dead, and the surviving deputy leaders and squad leaders could only watch the man cautiously.

—It would be better to deal with that guy first, leaving those who are running away. If we let that guy live, he will be a great threat to us in the future.

—I agree. Let’s sacrifice the Nine Provinces Death Blood Squad and deal with him.

—Let’s do that.

Dan So, the deputy leader of the Death Spirit Blood Demon Squad, and Jeokseong, the deputy leader of the Scarlet Blood Squad, exchanged opinions through telepathy and then issued an attack order.

The members of the Nine Provinces Death Blood Squad took the lead, followed by the members of the Scarlet Blood Squad and the Death Spirit Blood Demon Squad, taking turns to face the man.

Cheeeeeeeng!

The man sneered inwardly as he watched them engage in a rotation battle to exhaust his energy.

If he fought like this and the Black Tortoise Unit escaped to a safe distance, he could simply make his own escape.

‘First, I need to take out all of the Nine Provinces Death Blood Squad that I’m after to get the cloth shop and inn in Hwaeum [likely a city or region], so let’s think about the rest of the guys after dealing with these guys.’

* * *

“What is going on?”

Hyuk Ji-seok arrived at the Eulji Clan with his injured subordinates.

When the hundred members of the Black Tortoise Unit had set out, only twelve remained upon reaching the Eulji Clan.

If it hadn’t been for the man who appeared on Jade Flower Mountain, they might have been completely annihilated there. No, with only twelve survivors, it was practically annihilation anyway.

“We were ambushed. They knew we were hiding on Jade Flower Mountain and ambushed us. And not only were the Nine Provinces Death Blood Squad and the Death Spirit Blood Demon Squad there, but the Scarlet Blood Squad was also present.”

“What? The Scarlet Blood Squad?”

Everyone looked at Hyuk Ji-seok, their eyes demanding a detailed explanation.

“As planned, we were on Jade Flower Mountain, watching for any movements related to the Eulji Clan. But they surrounded us and ambushed us, and we were helpless.”

“Are you saying that even Squad Leader Hyuk found it difficult to handle them?”

Tang Cheon, the leader of the White Tiger Unit, asked.

“Even I found it challenging to face the leaders of the Death Spirit Blood Demon Squad and the Scarlet Blood Squad simultaneously.”

“But how did you survive?”

“Fortunately, we received help from a mysterious person. If it hadn’t been for him, we would have been buried there.”

“Who is he?”

“I don’t know either. I didn’t see his face clearly. He fought the leader of the Scarlet Blood Squad and cleared a path for us to escape.”

As they listened to Hyuk Ji-seok’s words, they became intrigued by this mysterious person.

“I caught a glimpse of his profile. He looked like a young man.”

“A young man?”

“In his early to mid-twenties.”

At the words ‘young man,’ they wondered who it could be.

After a moment, Hwajin Jin-in, one of the elders of the Hwasan Sect [a martial arts sect], spoke.

“The Hwasan Assembly [a martial arts tournament or gathering] recently concluded. Could someone who attended the Hwasan Assembly have come down to Jungyeong?”

“Ah, that’s possible.”

“Most of the Ten Dragons and Eight Phoenixes [renowned martial artists] attended the Hwasan Sect. Perhaps one of them heard the rumors and is coming to Jungyeong to help.”

“If that’s the case, it would be a great help. But how is that young man…?”

“We don’t know. We came here with all our might to inform you that the Scarlet Blood Squad has joined the Blood Oath Alliance. He helped us escape and protected our rear.”

At those words, everyone’s expression darkened. If it were one of the Ten Great Masters of the Murim [martial arts world] or even one of the Hundred Great Masters, they would have the composure and situational awareness to control themselves and know when to strike and retreat, but a young person might be reckless and prone to showing off.

“Shouldn’t we send people to Jade Flower Mountain?”

“If things go wrong, it might be too late. We should wait here and deal with those who come.”

“I agree with Elder Bang. If we send out troops and they happen to go in different directions, our strength will only be weakened, and we might be defeated individually.”

“Don’t worry. Judging from the fact that he saved Squad Leader Hyuk and the members of the Black Tortoise Unit, that young man’s martial arts must be extraordinary, and if he has that level of skill, he would have escaped from there on his own.”

They made a realistic assessment.

“Since the Scarlet Blood Squad has joined, we should narrow our defensive perimeter a bit more.”

They discussed the upcoming battle, and Hyuk Ji-seok, still injured, left them and went to the detached house of the Eulji Clan to receive treatment.

“Who could it be? Even the Heavenly Dragon Yong Hyuk, one of the Ten Dragons, wouldn’t have mastered that level of martial arts.”

Hyuk Ji-seok pondered who it could be, but he couldn’t come up with anyone.

“Could it be an old master who has undergone reverse aging?”