Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 113

Nine Dragons Chronicle (113)

“What is going on!”

Sa Do-hyung, who had been leisurely waiting for news in the inner courtyard, jumped up from his seat in surprise.

“Kuaaaaak.”

Along with a scream, the faint sound of weapons clashing made it clear that someone had invaded the sect.

Sa Do-hyung hurriedly grabbed his weapon and rushed outside.

After Sa Do-hyung left, a man entered the room he had been in; it was Seo Dae-young.

Seo Dae-young looked around the room as if searching for a place to hide something, rummaging through desks and drawers, trying to find what he wanted.

“No, no, no…….”

What Seo Dae-young was looking for were the land deeds and house deeds of the Eum Sa sect, as well as documents related to the shops that could be considered their lifeline.

After searching the room for a while, Seo Dae-young, unable to find what he wanted, thought that this might not be the place and headed to the bedroom in the inner quarters.

“Just in case.”

Seo Dae-young unleashed his inner energy, spreading it throughout the room. As the energy filled the room, he discovered an empty space.

When he removed the scroll hanging behind the desk, a space with a secret vault appeared. He took out the secret vault and unleashed his inner energy, tearing open the vault door.

Kwajijik!

As the vault door tore like paper, ledgers and precious metals inside were revealed.

Seo Dae-young picked up the ledger, checked it, and smiled broadly.

“Those heretics are incorrigible. Not only usury but also smuggling and human trafficking…….”

The ledger contained concise records of transactions made using smuggling and human trafficking organizations.

After roughly skimming through the ledger, Seo Dae-young gathered all the various documents he wanted from the Eum Sa sect from inside the vault and put them in his possession, then pocketed the precious metals.

Now that he had no more business here, he was thinking of moving to another location.

“There must be quite a bit of jewelry that this guy’s wife has in the bedroom.”

Seo Dae-young left Sa Do-hyung’s office and headed to the main room of the inner quarters.

Meanwhile, the warriors of the Nine Dragons Squad fighting in the outer courtyard of the Eum Sa sect could feel that they had become stronger since coming to the Nine Dragons Stronghold.

Of course, they trained every day, and recently they had taken the spiritual medicine that the Lord had obtained, which had slightly increased their inner strength, but apart from that, they could feel that they had become stronger on their own.

“Cheeeeeng!”

As swords clashed against each other, sparks flew. Yong-soo, a member of the Nine Dragons Squad, lifted his foot and strongly kicked the opponent’s abdomen.

“Ugh!”

He leaped towards the enemy who was staggering backward after being hit in the abdomen, rotating his body and swinging his sword horizontally. He could feel that he had cut the opponent with the sensation transmitted to his wrist.

Seeing the opponent collapsing in front of him, spraying blood, Yong-soo turned his head and looked for another opponent.

Although the Eum Sal Troop, the Eum Sa sect’s armed force, had been annihilated at the Nine Dragons Stronghold, there were still quite a few warriors remaining in the Eum Sa sect.

Knowing that his comrades could survive only if he moved quickly, Yong-soo approached another enemy.

Heaven and Earth Art Swordplay!

Heaven and Earth Art Swordplay, one of the two martial arts he had learned at the Nine Dragons Stronghold, was superior to any martial art he had learned at the Orthodox Heavenly Alliance. Moreover, it blended well with the sword technique and himself, or rather, the members of the Nine Dragons Squad, as if they were wearing perfectly fitting clothes.

Heaven and Earth Art Swordplay was a sword technique composed of four basic stances and twelve variations, but the order of the stances or variations did not matter at all.

It was a sword technique that could be unfolded naturally according to the situation, and it was so compatible with the sword techniques and martial arts he had learned so far that he could use his body without any awkwardness, as if he had been learning sword techniques from the beginning.

“You bastards!”

While the members of the Nine Dragons Squad were fighting with the warriors of the Eum Sa sect, Sa Do-hyung and two elders of the Eum Sa sect arrived in the outer courtyard.

“Hyun-guk, Chae-deok! Take charge of the elders on the left and right. I’ll take on Sa Do-hyung.”

As Hyuk Ji-seok, who had once led the Black Tortoise Unit of the Orthodox Heavenly Alliance, he recognized Sa Do-hyung and the two elders at a glance.

Hyun-guk and Chae-deok, who had been called out, quickly slashed down the warriors they were fighting and moved towards the two elders.

Hyuk Ji-seok stood in front of Sa Do-hyung and swung his sword.

“You!”

Sa Do-hyung also recognized Hyuk Ji-seok’s face.

“Why is the Orthodox Heavenly Alliance attacking our sect?”

“I left the Orthodox Heavenly Alliance a long time ago. And now I am the leader of the Nine Dragons Squad, responsible for the safety of the Nine Dragons Stronghold.”

Hyuk Ji-seok’s sword grazed Sa Do-hyung’s neck, and Sa Do-hyung felt a chill run down his spine.

“Nine Dragons Stronghold?”

“You must have investigated the Nine Dragons Stronghold to some extent in order to get your hands on the Nine Dragons Inn.”

It was a way of saying not to pretend not to know.

“Hmm…….”

“The Eum Sal Troop you sent is all dead, so you should abandon the idea that they will return to help you.”

“What? Annihilated?”

“The Blood Demon Sect, which joined hands with you, is in the same situation as you, so the road you take will not be lonely.”

Sa Do-hyung realized that something was wrong after hearing Hyuk Ji-seok’s words.

Hyuk Ji-seok’s sword moved subtly, aiming for Sa Do-hyung’s waist.

A bluish aura momentarily appeared, tearing a long gash in the clothes Sa Do-hyung was wearing.

Sa Do-hyung could not just stand by and be attacked, so he unfolded his unique martial art, the Four Death Seven Swords, and clashed with Hyuk Ji-seok’s sword.

Cheeeeeng!

As swords clashed against each other, a wave of energy arose, and the wave of energy they created forced others to stay away.

Chyuchyuchyuchyu.

The energy of the sword seemed to scatter in all directions, but then it changed direction in the air and fell straight towards Hyuk Ji-seok.

Hyuk Ji-seok moved his feet as if he already knew Sa Do-hyung’s martial art.

It was the Cloud Drifting Steps from the Secret Records of Cloud and Wind, taught by Hwa-rin. The movement, inspired by the sight of clouds drifting aimlessly in the wind, evaded all of Sa Do-hyung’s attacks.

Peoooeeoong!

Instead of retreating to avoid the sword energy falling from the sky, he advanced forward, putting more pressure on Sa Do-hyung.

Sa Do-hyung was quite flustered when Hyuk Ji-seok approached him relentlessly.

He needed the opponent to retreat so that he could catch his breath and take action to counterattack, but on the contrary, when he approached quickly, he had no choice but to retreat to block Hyuk Ji-seok’s attack.

He was pushed back in the confrontation with Hyuk Ji-seok. He didn’t think he would lose just because he was pushed back, but he still had to fight a difficult battle.

Cheeeeeng!

‘It’s very different from what I’ve heard.’

As the head of a sect, Sa Do-hyung was somewhat familiar with the key figures of the Orthodox Heavenly Alliance.

Hyuk Ji-seok, the leader of the Black Tortoise Unit of the Orthodox Heavenly Alliance, whom he knew, was excellent in martial arts but tended to move safely rather than take risks, so he was considered the most unreliable among the leaders in charge of the Orthodox Heavenly Alliance’s armed forces.

There was even talk that the annihilation of the Black Tortoise Unit by the Blood Demon Alliance in Sichuan and Chongqing was due to his tendency to move cautiously in action, but his current appearance was completely different.

There was no hesitation in his movements. The way he boldly penetrated inside and attacked his weaknesses seemed to indicate that the rumors so far were false.

“Battles are like that. If you can’t kill the opponent, you die. But in war, if you can’t kill the opponent, not only you but also your family and neighbors die.”

Hyuk Ji-seok learned a lot through sparring with Namgung Soo-yeon. In the case of Hwa-rin, she just threw a book of martial arts techniques and told him to ask if there were any parts he didn’t understand, and didn’t even pay attention, but Namgung Soo-yeon changed all of Hyuk Ji-seok’s thoughts on fighting, battle, and war through sparring.

“You don’t have to dodge all of the opponent’s swords. Of course, it’s possible if I’m stronger than the opponent, but if not, just avoid the places where you’ll die instantly if you get hit. Take one hit and pay back with two or three.”

Namgung Soo-yeon also taught him that the method of sacrificing flesh to take bones was one way to win in battle.

Seeing Namgung Soo-yeon, who was a woman, thinking nothing of injuries, Hyuk Ji-seok realized how long he had been trapped in a world called common sense.

The enlightenment gained with the help of Hwa-rin and the teachings of Namgung Soo-yeon gave Hyuk Ji-seok wings.

Hyuk Ji-seok, who was a strong warrior enough to be the leader of an armed force of a large power, had gained wings with the help of two people, so it was only natural that he would become stronger than he is now.

As Sa Do-hyung retreated, Hyuk Ji-seok followed. Sa Do-hyung swung his sword to stop Hyuk Ji-seok, but Hyuk Ji-seok deflected his attack and reached right in front of him.

At such a close distance, Sa Do-hyung’s fist moved first rather than his sword, and Hyuk Ji-seok dodged by turning his head according to the trajectory of the fist, spinning his body and swinging his arm.

Hyuk Ji-seok’s backhand struck Sa Do-hyung’s face, and with a dull impact sound, his head turned sharply and he staggered.

“Ugh!”

Hyuk Ji-seok instinctively lifted his foot with his training and stretched it out as if doing a back kick.

Hyuk Ji-seok’s foot struck Sa Do-hyung’s abdomen.

Sa Do-hyung was pushed back by the force and rolled on the floor as if falling backward, and he tried to get up quickly, but he rolled on the floor to avoid seeing Hyuk Ji-seok’s sword coming at his neck.

It was also a life-saving technique called Thunderous Donkey Rolling, which was created by imitating the appearance of a lazy donkey rolling on the ground to avoid a fierce attack by rolling around on the ground.

Some martial artists think of Thunderous Donkey Rolling as a more shameful martial art than death, and say that they would rather die than use Thunderous Donkey Rolling, but in reality, when their lives are at stake, it is also a technique that they instinctively put into action in order to survive.

Hyuk Ji-seok saw Sa Do-hyung’s appearance and pressed him so that he could not get a chance to counterattack.

“Haha. It seems that it’s better to live in this world even if you roll in a pile of dog poop.”

In fact, Hyuk Ji-seok does not think of Thunderous Donkey Rolling as shameful. He thinks that aiming for a chance to counterattack is not shameful, but rather a way to value life and a way to win in a fight.

Rather, he was the type of person who thought it was shameful to use hidden weapons or poison to launch a surprise attack.

The reason why Hyuk Ji-seok provoked Sa Do-hyung was to make him excited and unable to make proper judgments.

“Okay, beg for your life like that and try to take my head.”

Hyuk Ji-seok’s loud voice spread around, affecting the warriors of the Eum Sa sect as well.

“You!”

Sa Do-hyung was furious and gathered his inner energy at the tip of his sword and released it to the outside.

A faint sword energy flew towards Hyuk Ji-seok, and Hyuk Ji-seok hurriedly raised his sword to block Sa Do-hyung’s energy.

Peoooeeoong!

Due to the explosive power of the energy, Hyuk Ji-seok retreated a few steps, and without missing the gap, he rushed in and swung his sword at Hyuk Ji-seok.

Cheeeeeng!

As swords collided, sparks flew and scattered in all directions.

The two men struggled, then simultaneously pushed each other’s swords away and fell. At that moment, Sa Do-hyung reached out towards Hyuk Ji-seok’s face, and something slipped out of his sleeve.

It was a hidden weapon.

Hyuk Ji-seok bent his knees, bending his waist backward with both feet on the floor. He went down so far that his back almost touched the floor, which was also a life-saving technique called Iron Plate Bridge, like Thunderous Donkey Rolling.

Some martial artists look down on Thunderous Donkey Rolling and Iron Plate Bridge as being at a similar level, but in reality, the technique of Iron Plate Bridge is more exquisite than Thunderous Donkey Rolling.

Hyuk Ji-seok, who had avoided the hidden weapon in that way, twisted his waist, supported the floor with both arms, and kicked his feet into the air, crossing them.

“Heot!”

Sa Do-hyung paused for a moment as Hyuk Ji-seok’s feet passed in front of his face, and in that gap, he got up and took a stance.

“You…….”

Just as he was about to say something to despise Hyuk Ji-seok, looking down on the technique of Iron Plate Bridge that Hyuk Ji-seok used, Hyuk Ji-seok’s sword was swung horizontally, aiming for his waist, and Sa Do-hyung also tried to strike down Hyuk Ji-seok’s sword with his sword.

Goooooong!

At that moment, a blue light swirled around Hyuk Ji-seok’s sword.

“Heot!”

The sword, wrapped in the energy of inner strength, met Sa Do-hyung’s sword, and a thread-like crack appeared in Sa Do-hyung’s sword.

Cheeeeeng!

Hyuk Ji-seok continued to push Sa Do-hyung, and as the impact continued to be applied to the sword, the thread-like crack gradually thickened, and eventually the sword could not withstand it and shattered.

A strong wind poured out from Hyuk Ji-seok’s hand and blew the fragments of the broken sword towards Sa Do-hyung.

Seeing the fragments of the sword flying, Sa Do-hyung stretched out both arms forward and crossed them, blocking vital points that could lead to death, such as the heart, neck, and eyes.

Puuuuk!

At that time. Sa Do-hyung’s eyes widened as he felt the sword pierce through his arm and heart.

“I…… to you…….”

The sword that Hyuk Ji-seok was holding pierced through Sa Do-hyung’s arm and heart, and Sa Do-hyung knelt on the spot from the impact.

Sa Do-hyung looked on with an expression that he could not believe that he had been defeated by Hyuk Ji-seok and was about to die.

Hyuk Ji-seok approached him and silently retrieved his sword embedded in his body.

“Keoeok!”

As the sword was pulled out of Sa Do-hyung’s body, blood gushed out of his mouth due to the pain, and after a while, he collapsed forward.

Hyuk Ji-seok looked down at the dead Sa Do-hyung for a moment, then turned his body and joined the members who were fighting with the Eum Sa sect warriors and continued the battle.