Chapter 150. Embers (5)

A group of several hundred armed men was advancing towards Nine Dragons Mountain.

Among them, many were carrying only a single weapon.

It was a problem that arose because the number of people who joined was greater than the number of weapons seized from the Nine Dragons Fortress bastards.

Perhaps because quite a few people had gathered.

At first, there were many who were anxious, but now, everyone’s face was filled with courage.

Some of them were waving a flag that said [Fighting Tiger Association].

It was a name that Hwangbo Ak had come up with.

As they say, a leopard can’t change its spots. In his past life, it was the Fighting Tiger Fortress, and this time it was the Fighting Tiger Association.

Perhaps they had already grasped Hwangbo Ak’s movements, as there was not a single bandit in sight near Nine Dragons Mountain.

“Let’s go!”

As Hwangbo Ak took the lead and began to climb Nine Dragons Mountain, hundreds of people followed him.

After climbing Nine Dragons Mountain for some time.

By the time we had reached about halfway up the mountain, Hwangbo Ak, who was leading the way, stopped.

And Hwangbo Ak suddenly shouted towards the front.

“I know you’re hiding there! Come out right now!”

As expected, the one who knew Nine Dragons Mountain and the Nine Dragons Fortress inside out was different.

A short while after he shouted.

From the bushes and rocks far ahead, a group of bandits appeared.

Among them, many were holding long-range weapons like bows.

If we had moved further from here without thinking, we might have been unilaterally caught in their assault.

A man stepped forward, pushing through the bandits whose surprise attack had been foiled.

“You bastard Hwangbo Ak! How dare you point your sword at me who raised you!!”

It was the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader.

At this, Hwangbo Ak’s expression became complicated for a moment. Then, with a resolute expression, he shouted back.

“Fortress Leader! In consideration of the grace you have shown me by raising me, I will spare your life! If you don’t want to die, surrender now!”

“Hmph! It seems this bastard has lost his mind. Have you already forgotten this Fortress Leader’s skills?”

The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader raised one of his giant axes and pointed it at Hwangbo Ak.

“Watch carefully! What becomes of a traitor! I will make an example of that Hwangbo Ak today and execute him myself!!”

Although his axe was pointing at Hwangbo Ak, his gaze was on the surrounding Nine Dragons Fortress bandits.

As if he wouldn’t let a single one of them betray him.

Anxiety and fear filled the bandits’ eyes.

If things continued like this, it seemed unlikely that the bandits would betray him, at least out of fear of the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader.

But it wasn’t a big problem.

I had already anticipated that this alone would not be enough.

***

On the side of a mountain slope on Nine Dragons Mountain.

“Hoo. Hoo.”

“Just a little more, Brother Nam Geon.”

“Mo, moving quietly is too hard.”

Baek Hyang and Nam Geon were climbing the mountain, whispering to each other.

“If we’re too late, the main force will be in danger. We need to speed up even a little.”

“I, I’m fine. I, I can go.”

At that moment, the bushes in front of the two were shaken.

It wasn’t an attack from the bandits.

The one who suddenly appeared was Choyeon.

“There were no bandits up ahead.”

At Choyeon’s words, Baek Hyang and Nam Geon let out sighs of relief.

“Phew. It’s just as that person said.”

“Hw, Hwangbo Ak ca, can’t lie. I, it’s probably obvious.”

“Yes. I didn’t think he would lie. I was just worried that the Nine Dragons Fortress might be prepared.”

They were moving along the most unguarded route of the Nine Dragons Fortress, based on the information given by Hwangbo Ak.

After moving as stealthily as possible for a while.

They finally reached the vicinity of the huge wooden fence of the Nine Dragons Fortress.

Choyeon once again hid her body in the darkness, and soon returned.

“There are almost no bandits. It seems we can start right away.”

The main force that should be coming up from below. It seemed the bandits had already moved to block them.

As soon as Choyeon’s words ended, Nam Geon and Baek Hyang untied the small bundles they were carrying on their backs.

Tinder, dry grass, a bottle of oil, and finally, a flint.

After sprinkling the grass around the wooden fence, they struck the flint.

Click! Click!

A small fire started near the wooden fence. It slowly grew in size.

But they couldn’t end it at this.

The three of them looked at each other and nodded, and Nam Geon suddenly swung the Mother’s Affection Sword at the wooden fence.

Kwang!!

The trio entered the wooden fence.

As Choyeon had said, there were few bandits inside the wooden fence.

“A, an attack!!”

The few who were there shouted in surprise, but the trio paid them no mind.

“K, keep lighting fires! I, I’ll take care of them!”

Nam Geon rushed at the bandits, and Choyeon and Baek Hyang continued to set fires in the vicinity.

As befitting a bandit’s den, most of the buildings were made of wood. Naturally, the fire spread coolly as soon as it was lit.

***

The two forces, facing each other at a distance of several dozen zhang.

In the touch-and-go atmosphere, a change occurred.

Clang~! Clang~!

Suddenly, a dull bell sound rang out from the top of the mountain.

“F, Fortress Leader! It seems the main fortress is under attack!!”

Seeing the bandits’ reaction, it seemed the Senior Sisters and Nam Geon had done their job properly.

Although it was daytime and not clearly visible, it seemed like gray smoke could be seen beyond the bushes over there.

At this, Hwangbo Ak laughed heartily and threatened them.

“Hahahaha! Did you think we came here with just this number!! You have no chance of winning!!”

Hwangbo Ak said so and pointed his finger at the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader.

“You too will be abandoned by the Fortress Leader someday! So surrender now and fight with me!!”

The conflict in the bandits’ faces deepened.

The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s face also crumpled mercilessly.

At that moment, someone among the bandits shouted.

“F, fire!!”

In response, the Vice-Fortress Leader, Yeom Hwaek, shouted at the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader.

“At this rate, everything on the mountain will burn down, Fortress Leader!!”

All the wealth gathered in the fortress would burn and disappear.

For a bandit, could there be a bigger problem than this?

Just as the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader, his face mercilessly crumpled, was about to give some order.

“To the main fortress immediately!!”

I unfolded my movement arts at full power and rushed towards the enemy camp alone.

Kwang!!

While the bandits were hesitating, with their bows and weapons aimed, the distance was closed in an instant.

Some of them belatedly shot arrows or threw spears, but their numbers were small and not a major threat.

Clang!

I parried them and advanced straight towards the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader.

The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader, who was at the forefront due to his Qi battle with Hwangbo Ak.

His face contorted like a fierce demon.

“You bastard!! You’ve come here on your own two feet to die!!”

At least he wasn’t a complete moron, as he seemed to remember my face.

My lips also curved upwards.

“Let’s return to the underworld now, you piece of trash!!”

I’ve endured enough. It was time to clean up the big trash.

The distance was closed in an instant.

“I’ll kill you!!”

The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader swung down the giant axe in his right hand with a shout.

I twisted my body minimally to just graze past it, and right after, the axe in his left hand flew horizontally.

I swung the Master’s Blade wide, and my sword Qi spread out.

The curtain of Qi formed by my sword Qi wrapped around the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s axe.

At that, his axe let out a fierce cry.

“Kuhk…….”

The curtain wrapped around the axe shook as if it would be torn apart.

An enormous amount of energy was gathered on the giant axe blade.

Dozens of bundles of axe Qi intertwined with each other, dancing like a skein of killing intent.

Dozens of sharp and powerful threads clawed at the curtain wrapped around the axe.

Just as I managed to deflect that immense force.

Once again, the axe in his right hand flew at me.

I retrieved the Master’s Blade, which was performing the Moonlight Coiling Sword, and took a step back.

From the axe that grazed past me, a tangled skein of Qi gushed out.

Clang!!

Right after I blocked the axe silk he had shot with One Sun, Ten Thousand Lights, the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader rushed at me and shouted.

“What are you all doing!! The rear guard, return to the main fortress immediately!! Suppress the forest fire!!”

The two axes flew at me with a tremendous roar.

I dodged one by a hair’s breadth and deflected the other with the technique of the Moonlight Coiling Sword, and shouted.

“Hahaha! As expected of a bandit who values wealth the most!! What are you going to do if they run away with the wealth?”

The suspicious Fortress Leader flinched.

The eyes of the surrounding bandits gleamed.

At that moment, Hwangbo Ak’s shout was heard from behind me.

“The Nine Dragons Fortress is already finished!! If you want to live, throw down your weapons and surrender!!”

Soon, with a loud roar, Hwangbo Ak’s presence approached at a tremendous speed.

It wasn’t just Hwangbo Ak.

Shouts and various noises were heard from behind.

It seemed that the Tang Clan guy, the Beggar’s Gang members, and those who had joined this cause with a sense of justice were all charging towards the Nine Dragons Fortress bastards.

The ordinary beggars who had joined for the display of false power were left in the rear, but the front line was composed of those who had learned martial arts.

But I had no time to turn my head and look back.

“What are you all doing!!!”

Because the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader was shouting and swinging his twin axes in front of my eyes.

At his shout, a few bandits who had belatedly come to their senses quickly nocked their arrows.

Should I call this a relief? The number didn’t seem to be that large.

Perhaps because of the forest fire in the fortress, the bandits seemed to be in chaos.

Some of them were busy retreating, as if to return to the fortress, some were hesitating, and only a few were shooting arrows.

Since it wasn’t a volley, it probably wouldn’t be a major threat.

Moreover, since we had brought the armor and shields we had taken from the Nine Dragons Fortress bastards, it would be even safer.

For now, I decided to believe so.

Because I had no time to worry about anything else.

“You morons!! The front line, block them! Vice-Fortress Leader! Lead the rear line and return to the main fortress to handle the situation!!”

The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader, who had been shouting here and there to calm the situation.

“Where are you looking!!”

I had to stick to him and prevent him from handling the situation.

After shouting and sticking to the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader for a while.

Screams and the sound of clashing metal began to erupt everywhere.

It seemed that those who had charged, led by Hwangbo Ak, had begun to fight the bandits in earnest.

Beyond the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader.

The movements of the bandits slowed down. Complicated emotions were written on their faces.

At that moment, the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader suddenly opened his eyes wide and shot up into the air, then brandished his axe roughly in the air.

The energy that gushed out from his axe flew to the right, and a few bandits were cut down.

No. That wasn’t enough. A few trees in the vicinity were cut down, and a continuous noise erupted.

Crack.

Thud!

After dealing with the bandits who were trying to escape, the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader, who had also knocked down trees to block the path, shouted while floating in the air.

“Those who flee will be slaughtered by this Fortress Leader!!”

Right. This was the problem.

The several hundred troops brought in for a display of false power. On top of that, an arson attack was added to the fortress to shake up the bandits.

Nevertheless, the bandits could not easily betray the Fortress Leader.

Because this guy’s martial prowess was brutally strong.

The Number One Demon of Zhejiang. The edge of the peak.

I had heard stories several times, but facing him directly, he exceeded my expectations.

But I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader, who had ignored me and flown into the air.

Taking advantage of the moment he was warning the bandits, I secretly shot the Azure Heaven’s Hidden Smile.

Swiiiiiish.

Even while observing the bandits, the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader identified the Azure Heaven’s Hidden Smile and twisted his body.

Fortunately, since he was in the air, he couldn’t dodge it completely.

Slice.

A small cutting sound. A small gash appeared on his forearm, and a faint stream of blood flowed out.

It was a truly foolish thing to do, but I had to give the bandits courage.

The courage to abandon that piece of trash and flee.

“The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader will die by my hand today!!”

The gaze of the falling Nine Dragons Fortress Leader finally turned to me.

“How dare you, you damn bastard!!”

It was a welcome development, so I shouted coolly.

“Those who want to live, flee now!!”

The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader, who had landed on the ground, shouted back and rushed at me.

“Alright!!! I will kill you first! Then I will slaughter all the other small fries!!”

A terrifying onslaught continued.

The energy in his axe was the most powerful I had ever faced.

Moreover, the trajectories drawn by the two axes were so intertwined that it was difficult to follow with my eyes.

Even though I had seen the trajectory in advance with my eyes, it was not easy to dodge completely.

The axe blade I couldn’t completely dodge grazed my skin.

Slice.

When I blocked an axe that flew at me without even having time to unfold the Moonlight Coiling Sword, my arm shook as if it would explode, and my insides were churned.

Once again, several trajectories were embroidered in the air.

The first trajectory drawn. I swung the Master’s Blade towards the trajectory of the axe in his right hand.

The soft sword screen of the Moonlight Coiling Sword wrapped around his axe.

The moment I thought I had barely blocked it, I felt an inexplicable chill.

“Hehehehe.”

The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s sinister smile.

I saw an enormous amount of internal energy flowing through his meridians gather in his right hand.

Soon, dozens of strands of axe Qi swirled from his axe blade.

No. The massive skein of Qi that gushed out intertwined with each other.

As if they were merging into one.

The thick skein of Qi piled up and up, and then merged into a single form, emitting a brilliant light.

Enhanced Qi.

A skill I had only heard of in my past life, but had never seen in person.

The brilliantly shining blade of Qi began to tear apart the curtain of moonlight.

At the same time, a strong headache that I hadn’t felt in a long time rushed over me.

Swallowing the blood that surged up from the internal injury, I quickly threw myself to the right.

Slice!

The axe of the guy who had torn apart the Moonlight Coiling Sword grazed my forearm.

But that was not the end.

An axe was already flying towards where I had thrown my body. The other axe in his left hand.

Applying the Absorption Art I had been recently training, I quickly fixed my two feet to the ground.

My body, which was flying to the right, stopped as if caught by something invisible, and at the same time, I bent my waist back roughly.

Slice!

While the cut-off strands of hair were falling slowly, my face was reflected on the axe blade. A faint stream of blood was flowing from my nose.

I couldn’t tell if it was the backlash from the Moonlight Coiling Sword being broken, or the backlash from using the Absorption Art in a real battle by force.

I quickly straightened my bent-back waist and this time released Qi from my Surging Fountain Acupoints.

Not to run away, but towards the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader.

His skills exceeded my expectations, but it didn’t matter.

As long as I clung to this guy, the disloyal bandits would find a way to escape on their own.

So all I had to do was buy time.

No.

Clang!

Right after being pushed back by the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s axe, I immediately slapped my own cheek with my left hand.

Slap!!

The thought of just buying time was utterly weak.

If time was dragged out, one of my allies could get hurt or die.

“Hehehe. I will definitely send you to King Yama.”

Right. It wasn’t about buying time, but about killing this guy as quickly as possible. By any means necessary.

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