The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 422

The black-clad figures, each radiating a formidable aura, projected a palpable sense of menace.

In particular, the tall figure leading the charge possessed an overwhelming presence, dominating the surroundings with a single glance.

Crack!

Simultaneously, the main gate of the Mountaintop Sword Sect was torn from its hinges with a deafening crash.

Elephants, colossal in size, smashed through the main gate and walls, storming into the mountain stronghold.

Roar!

Grrr.

Behind them, an seemingly endless horde of beasts with eerie, gleaming eyes surged forward.

The disciples of the Mountaintop Sword Sect, overwhelmed by the sheer scale and ferocity of the assault, lost their composure and paled with fear.

“Humph!”

Neng Somil let out a cold snort.

“I, Neng Somil, the Emperor’s representative, command you! Elites of the Great Ming, annihilate the enemies before you!”

The moment Neng Somil’s resounding voice echoed.

Flap.

Down from the training grounds.

A black, oiled tarpaulin was pulled back, revealing eight cannons hidden beneath.

Immediately after, the cannons, lined up and ready, unleashed their fire towards the main gate.

Boom!

The simultaneous roar of the cannons shook the heavens and the earth like a cataclysmic thunderclap.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A thick mist of blood mingled with the debris of shattered buildings, scattering in all directions.

“……!”

Beast King.

Sa Maeng-gang, the Lord of Mansu Manor and commander of the Myriad Beast Formation, froze in place, stunned.

Amidst the thick smoke and the rain of cannonballs tearing through the sky.

He had believed nothing could frighten him as long as he commanded the Myriad Beast Formation, but against the sudden, terrifying barrage, his confidence proved meaningless.

‘Red Barbarian Cannons!’

The cannons were the pride of the red-haired barbarians who came across the sea, the Hongmoi [a historical term for Europeans, particularly the Dutch, who traded with China].

They were also the court’s secret weapons, recently improved to maximize their destructive power.

‘Damn it!’

Belatedly realizing that the formation had collapsed, Sa Maeng-gang let out a sharp, urgent whistle.

At that moment, the cannons in front of him fired once more.

Boom!

A flash of light tore through the darkness.

The second wave of cannonballs surged in like lightning, instantly collapsing a significant portion of the Myriad Beast Formation.

Everything in their path was torn apart and reduced to a bloody mist.

“Charge! Don’t give them time to reorganize!”

At Sa Maeng-gang’s desperate cry, the movements of his subordinates commanding the Myriad Beast Formation grew frantic.

However, it was difficult to recover from the initial shock.

Gritting his teeth, Sa Maeng-gang fought to regain control.

Until now, he had believed that the only weakness of the Myriad Beast Formation was poison.

The reason they had destroyed Poison Valley, which had dominated the South, with the help of the Demonic Sect, was precisely to eliminate that threat.

But he was wrong.

Cannons, with their overwhelming firepower, were the true nemesis of the Myriad Beast Formation.

The Myriad Beast Formation basically used sounds and smells to command the beasts.

However, the sounds were drowned out by the deafening roar of the explosions, rendering them useless, and the Beast Lure Incense was overwhelmed by the acrid smell of gunpowder smoke, failing to exert its usual power.

Above all, the most critical problem was the beasts’ morale, which had been shattered by fear.

Feeling terror in the face of an unprecedented disaster, the beasts disobeyed commands and wandered aimlessly.

Bang!

Once again, the cannons fired.

“……!”

Sa Maeng-gang was greatly shocked by the sight of his subordinates and beasts being instantly obliterated before his eyes.

Because he realized that the direction the cannonballs were aiming had changed.

The bombardment was strategically targeting and destroying the command system of the Myriad Beast Formation.

It was then that he caught sight of the officer commanding the government troops in front of him.

The cannon barrels were turning in the direction the officer was pointing.

‘Could it be?’

Sure enough.

The cannons were subtly targeting the subordinates who were commanding the beasts.

‘How?’

At that moment, he was filled with deep suspicion.

He could not understand how the officer knew the command structure of the Myriad Beast Formation.

On the other hand, Neng Somil sneered at Sa Maeng-gang, who was giving him a bewildered look.

‘If you keep spacing out like that, you’ll be annihilated soon enough, you know?’

A side effect of mastering the Divine Power of Assimilation.

Who knew it would be so useful?

At first, he had only been annoyed by the beasts that were drawn to the Divine Power of Assimilation.

However, as time went on, he was able to read the animals’ minds.

He never expected that the ability he thought was useless would be so effective against the Myriad Beast Formation today.

He was able to clearly grasp the flow of control over the Myriad Beast Formation through the reactions of the beasts rampaging before his eyes.

Moreover, the Emperor had already approved the use of cannons and the resulting damage.

Having obtained the consent of the Mountaintop Sword Sect’s leader beforehand, there was no reason to hesitate.

So he fired the cannons even more relentlessly.

“Fire!”

It was then that the soldiers regained their composure.

“Not yet!”

“The barrels haven’t cooled down enough, we need time!”

Neng Somil clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Red Barbarian Cannons were powerful, but the disadvantage was that they took a long time to reload.

If they pushed it too hard, the barrels could break or the cannonballs could get stuck inside and explode.

At that moment.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

“Watch out!”

A chaotic metallic sound and shouts erupted from behind.

The evil monks of the Small Thunder Sound Temple, who had already swarmed in, were entangled with the warriors of the Mountaintop Sword Sect.

Moreover, some of them, with energy to spare, divided their forces and rushed straight towards them.

“It’s your turn!”

At Neng Somil’s cry, swordsmen among the government troops threw off their cloaks and stepped forward in unison.

Burning with fighting spirit, they were the elite warriors of the Hainan Island.

Originally, they were specialized in naval battles against pirates.

However, after undergoing hellish training by Beom Gyewi and Byeok Hwaryeong, they no longer distinguished between sea and land.

Clatter.

“Kuaaak!”

“Cough!”

Cold sword lights cutting through the darkness and shouts.

Amidst them, the mingled stench of blood and dying screams filled the air.

‘This is troublesome.’

Neng Somil swallowed a groan as he assessed the situation.

The original plan was to pour all their firepower into wiping out the forces of Mansu Manor before them, and then use their advantage to face the Small Thunder Sound Temple alone.

However, the Small Thunder Sound Temple had joined the battle sooner than expected.

Moreover, their martial arts were considerable.

The bizarre and unpredictable martial arts of the Esoteric School were very different from those of the Central Plains, and their power could not be ignored.

Sa Gong-myeong, who had experienced all sorts of battles, and the warriors of the Hainan Sword Sect were holding their own, but the problem was the young disciples of the Mountaintop Sword Sect.

They were having a hard time against the monks’ insidious martial arts.

Besides…….

“Tch!”

Neng Somil turned his head and glared at the front.

The forces of Mansu Manor, who had reorganized their ranks, were already closing in.

The Small Thunder Sound Temple’s joining had bought them time.

“Grab the spears!”

At Neng Somil’s command, the government troops hastily grabbed the spears next to the cannons and held them diagonally.

The area had already descended into a melee.

They could no longer use the cannons.

The indiscriminate firepower could sweep away their own allies.

On the other hand, Sa Maeng-gang thought he could finally avenge his allies.

After all, the current Mountaintop Sword Sect lacked its main force of elites.

If they wiped out the government troops handling the cannons first, they could lead the battle to their advantage.

“Push them back!”

Sa Maeng-gang was full of confidence.

Even when a leopard suddenly jumped at him, baring its sharp claws and swinging its front paws, he had no doubt about his victory.

Roar!

“……!”

Thud!

Reflexively swinging his hand and crushing the head of the leopard that had pounced on him, Sa Maeng-gang could not hide his bewilderment.

He was late to notice, but similar situations were occurring throughout the Myriad Beast Formation.

“Kuaak!”

“Aaaak!”

Sa Maeng-gang felt as if he was having a nightmare at the sight of his subordinates being trampled by elephants and mauled by bears.

But what was happening before his eyes was reality.

Even at this moment, the beasts that made up the Myriad Beast Formation were chaotically entangled, fighting each other regardless of friend or foe.

It was then that Sa Maeng-gang’s gaze was fixed on one spot.

A man with a strange aura around him.

‘Could it be that guy?’

It was the officer of the court who had been directing the cannons.

He didn’t know what he had done, but it was clear that he was controlling the beasts.

The moment their eyes met, Neng Somil grinned.

The Divine Power of Assimilation, which allowed him to communicate with beasts.

He had tried to use it to change the course of the battle, and the effect was surprisingly significant.

Of course, he wouldn’t have dared to do it at first, when the Mansu Manor side had a strong grip on the beasts, but it was different now.

The Myriad Beast Formation’s control had already been shaken by the cannons’ flashes, explosions, and smoke.

Neng Somil seized the opportunity and took control of some of the beasts.

Thanks to this, Mansu Manor was thrown into chaos.

They couldn’t come to their senses when they were attacked by the beasts they had been controlling.

“How dare you!”

With a thunderous roar, Sa Maeng-gang flew forward.

Bang!

“Kugh!”

Neng Somil, unable to withstand the impact, staggered backward.

Although he had made great progress in martial arts since mastering the Divine Power of Assimilation, the Lord of Mansu Manor, who reigned as the overlord of the South, possessed martial arts worthy of his reputation.

His vision blurred and the energy in his body surged with a single blow.

“Vice Envoy!”

With a desperate cry, a man stood in front of Neng Somil.

It was Sa Gong-myeong, the Sabre Flame Swordsman.

Covered in the blood of his enemies, he glared at Sa Maeng-gang, who was growling with fierce eyes, and pointed his sword at him.

Sa Maeng-gang, who had been glaring at Sa Gong-myeong as if he would devour him, unexpectedly retreated.

Then, he let out a cold laugh.

Neng Somil smiled bitterly as he realized the meaning of that eerie smile.

In the meantime, Mansu Manor had regained control of the beasts and restored their dominance.

Although their scale had been greatly reduced by the cannons and infighting, they still maintained a third of their forces.

‘This isn’t good…….’

Neng Somil quickly assessed the situation and suppressed a sigh.

The battle was gradually turning against them.

The warriors of the Hainan Sword Sect and the three disciples of the Mountaintop Sword Sect were fighting bravely against the Small Thunder Sound Temple, but the difference in numbers could not be ignored.

Moreover, the Mansu Manor, who had regained their momentum, weighed heavily on his heart.

But only for a moment.

‘So what?’

A fierce glint flashed in Neng Somil’s eyes.

As he thought of the worst-case scenario, his vicious personality, which had been dormant due to his long life as an official, was awakened once again.

“Gather the explosives in one place!”

At Neng Somil’s command, the government troops faithfully followed his orders.

They guessed Neng Somil’s intentions, but there was no hesitation in their movements.

They were not just ordinary soldiers.

They were the elite of the elite, willing to give their lives for the Emperor’s command.

They were the imperial guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guard [a secret police organization of the Ming dynasty] selected from the Eastern Depot [an intelligence agency of the Ming dynasty].

Neng Somil smiled grimly.

If the battle turned unfavorable and he judged that it was irreversible.

He intended to detonate the explosives all at once and take everyone in this place with him.

Just as he was gauging the right moment, unnoticed by anyone.

Suddenly, white figures rushed in from somewhere.

“Huh?”

Blinking his eyes and looking again, it was not clouds.

It was women wearing white martial uniforms.

Among them, shining white in the moonlight, Neng Somil discovered one person who stood out and froze in place.

An overwhelming presence that even Neng Somil, who had seen the Three Venerables of Divine Devil, was startled by.

Excluding Han Seol-hwa, there was only one woman of that level among all the masters of the Central Plains.

‘Palace Lord of the Ewha Palace [also known as the Pear Blossom Palace, a powerful female-led martial arts sect]?’