YM778.TV Chapter 73. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (20)
Chapter 73. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (20)
Bang!
As the boulder flew away, Woo-Moon caught the sword. Looking at where the boulder he hit was going, he confirmed that things were all going to plan.
The boulder struck by Woo-Moon’s double palm fell faster than before, hitting another boulder that had plummeted further down.
Crash!
With a loud noise, the two boulders collided and ricocheted off in different directions, shifting the second boulder just enough that it wouldn’t fall on the trapped warriors.
BANG!
Moreover, the first boulder fell into the path of another boulder, conveniently shifting that one off to the side as well.
Still, one major problem remained: the first boulder that had knocked the other two boulders off to the side was still falling toward the remaining people!
The huge shadow enveloping Ye-Ye made her feel as though all hope was lost.
‘I’m sorry, and thank you... Uncle.’
She and the others had ignored his existence and looked down on him the entire journey. But Woo-Moon was still trying hard to save them.
She would never forget that sight.
However, at that moment, she saw a bright point.
As the sky before her was obscured in darkness by the massive boulder, golden light leaked from a single hole in the rotating boulder. Suddenly, the light grew in intensity, and instantly, spiderweb-like cracks appeared all over the boulder.
From within those cracks emerged a dazzlingly bright golden light.
BOOM!
Woo-Moon had imbued the boulder with an incredible amount of qi when he stabbed the rock before hitting it with a double palm strike. That very qi exploded outward at his command, emitting a powerful force in all directions and crushing the rock.
The boulder turned into small stones and dust that were no longer threatening as they rained down over the survivors, coating Ye-Ye, Namgoong Sung, and the others in a layer of powder.
Meanwhile, Woo-Moon landed softly among the stone dust falling like rain from the sky.
“As you said, the enemy is trying to buy time, so I’ll go ahead and stop them,” Woo-Moon said without turning around.
Although one side of the canyon had collapsed, leaving debris blocking the way, it wasn’t an obstacle for an expert like Woo-Moon. He bolted across the rough terrain with the Northern Wind Steps.
“Uncle!”
Before anyone could apologize or thank him, Woo-Moon had already disappeared so quickly that they couldn’t follow him.
As Ye-Ye regretted how things had turned out, Namgoong Sung comforted her.
“I’m embarrassed that I didn’t realize such an incredible person was traveling with us. In any case, we should follow him, too. At the very least, we must thank him properly, don’t you think?!”
To be honest, Namgoong Sung had been feeling slightly envious up until the point when Woo-Moon had stopped them in front of the canyon and mentioned feeling something strange.
Originally, Namgoong Sung had believed that even if he wasn’t the strongest among his peers, he wouldn’t be that far behind. However, he couldn’t help but be shocked when he saw how Woo-Moon blocked the Silver Moon Disc and demonstrated strength far beyond his own. That was why he had deliberately ignored Woo-Moon’s opinion, even though it was worth listening to.
However, he felt entirely differently now.
He now understood what it meant to see a heaven beyond the heavens and had nothing but admiration for Woo-Moon’s selflessness. Moreover, that feeling was shared by Ye-Ye and their other companions—all except for one person.
Do-Gun.
***
Ma-Ra dodged or blocked the four moon discs that the Savage Twin Moon Monster threw. After killing all of the enemies before her, Ma-Ra glanced at Woo-Moon. It seemed as though the Savage Twin Moon Monster had descended the canyonside and fled after throwing his moon discs instead of fighting Ma-Ra head-on.
As Woo-Moon moved quickly across the canyon, Ma-Ra also ran forward, moving accordingly from the top. The two promptly crossed the terrain, easily overcoming the obstacles in their path.
Eun-Ah had popped out from Woo-Moon’s robes somewhere along the line and was perched on his shoulder. She had been forced to stay hidden while Woo-Moon had been taking care of the rockslide earlier.
‘They’re planning to block the road again!’
The Savage Twin Moon Monster and the Life-Death Go Monster were blocking the only road on Woo-Moon’s path alongside fifty warriors of the Red Fog Valley.
As Woo-Moon got within one hundred zhang of the blockade, a single Silver Moon Disc stealthily flew through the air. However, there was no way that it would escape Woo-Moon’s notice. The Silver Moon Disc was blasted away in a split second. As Woo-Moon’s sword drew a brilliant arc in the air, the divided halves of the Silver Moon Disc embedded themselves in the cliff behind him.
Five more discs swiftly followed the first Silver Moon Disc. However, Woo-Moon dodged or deflected them without a single hitch.
The Savage Twin Moon Monster and the Life-Death Go Monster couldn’t help but get increasingly enraged at Woo-Moon. As the Red Fog Valley knew they were weaker in terms of overall strength, the two had tried to lay a trap within the canyon to deal a significant blow to the warriors of the Namgoong and Baek Families. However, their plans had been stopped by just a single person.
“You snotty brat!”
While the two Monsters were astonished at their opponent’s strength, they had no intention of saying that out loud and demoralizing their subordinates.
Woo-Moon continued to approach with a frightening momentum, and the moment he finally walked into the range of the Life-Death Go Monster’s go pieces, he was instantly bombarded with a barrage of go pieces and moon discs.
Woosh!
Dozens of go pieces flew directly at Woo-Moon while two Silver Moon Discs and four regular ones flew toward him at an angle, closing off all escape routes like a tight net.
“Die, you bastard!”
However, to spite the Life-Death Go Monster’s cry, Woo-Moon kicked the ground and twisted in the air. His sword created a curtain of qi that covered his entire body, barely even letting air in, let alone attacks.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
The moon discs and go pieces failed to penetrate his sword curtain and instead flew out in all directions. In fact, several of them flew out toward the Red Fog Valley warriors and lodged themselves in their necks, chests, arms, and legs.
“Agk!!”
Then, exploding from within the sword curtain, Woo-Moon landed directly in front of the warriors and swung his sword without losing any momentum. Blood immediately spewed out like fountains as severed heads and limbs flew into the air.
“You shall not pass!” the Life-Death Go Monster shouted as he swung his steel go board. However, Woo-Moon dodged the blow almost effortlessly, swinging his leg in one fluid motion and kicking the opponent’s arm.
Crack!
The Life-Death Go Monster’s arm bent in a strange direction.
Leaving the remaining enemies to those who followed behind him, Woo-Moon slipped through the barricade and continued toward the Red Fog Valley. Although the Savage Twin Moon Monster continued to throw moon discs behind him, he was no longer any threat to Woo-Moon as he had no Silver Moon Discs left.
***
Meanwhile, Ma-Ra, who had been following Woo-Moon along the top of the canyon, jumped toward the two Silver Moon Discs in the air that had bounced off the sword curtain and snatched them from the sky. She caught onto the side of the cliff to slow down and immediately slid down the cliffside to follow Woo-Moon.
The Savage Twin Moon Monster shouted as they eventually failed to stop Woo-Moon from getting further.
“Let’s chase him too!”
***
A pale white hand released a taut bowstring.
Woosh! Squelch!!!
Three arrows flew simultaneously and pierced the Red Fog Valley Warriors attacking the array.
A beautiful girl wearing a northern-style tunic[1] made of pure white sable fur pulled an arrow out of her quiver with quick movements, shooting it out immediately. However, even with her rapid shooting, it was difficult to slow down the rate at which their simple array made of stones and trees was being destroyed.
“I don’t think the array can hold out much longer,” a girl said. Although she was dressed as a Buddhist nun, her hair was long and flowing down her shoulders like a cascade.
A beautiful woman wearing a scholar’s kerchief and holding a feather fan chewed her lip.
The situation was hopeless.
She should have noticed it immediately when their enemies had run into this valley. However, she had been too hasty, thinking only that the long game of hide and seek was coming to an end. She wondered if this was what the saying “a single person acting for an entire troop” really meant.[2]
It was only now that her late master’s words finally resonated within her.
“The biggest problem is your fiery temper. Try to keep your cool at all times.”
Her heart sank into despair. ‘Is this where we make our last stand?’
Although the mysterious girl with the scholar’s kerchief, Su Ran, was falling deeper and deeper into despair, she remained stoic. When she spoke, her voice was cold and unwavering.
“Do not give up. We can still win. The barricade I created will be destroyed before a quarter of an hour passes, so gather in a defensive formation and prepare for the enemy’s advance.”
The twenty or so remaining subordinates lined up in a circle, shoulder to shoulder.
“Hye-Rim, please wait in the middle of the array and provide aid if anyone falters.”
“Understood, unnie,” Hye-Rim answered, both fists clenched in determination.
She was an orphan who had been raised on the central mountain of the Emei Sect and had even cultivated to the point of receiving a dharma name. However, she had been unable to sever her ties with the world and could only remain as a secular disciple.
“Princess Namar! We don’t have many arrows left. Please save the arrows for after the enemy breaks through the array and attacks us. Target the leaders within their group.”
“Understood!”
Following Su Ran’s words, Princess Namar stopped shooting and entered the array. She was a princess of the Yuan Dynasty, which now only existed in name. [3]
By now, her quiver only held a dozen arrows.
The enemies that the three women had been chasing had made a deal with the Three Peak Monsters, who were in a desperate situation due to the expedition forces of the Baek and Namgoong Families.
The deal was simple.
They had decided to join forces to kill Princess Namar and her forces before the warriors of the allied families arrived, thus allowing them to deal jointly with the warriors of the Baek and Namgoog Families afterward.
Both groups knew that they would be defeated if they fought separately. However, if they were to join together and take their enemies down one at a time, they had a chance of winning. Thus, the Three Peak Monsters agreed without much contemplation.
This was the very reason why two of the three monsters had hindered the advance of the allied families.
Su Ran grit her teeth with a nervous expression. Soon, the array would be pierced, and they would have to face the mightiest of the Three Peak Monsters, the Blood-Soaked Buddha Monster, alongside their original enemy.
***
No one could block Woo-Moon’s path. He advanced quickly through the warriors, eventually arriving at the Red Fog Valley.
Suddenly, he started to sense something strange coming from two different directions. One was a peculiar smell that reminded Woo-Moon of some kind of medicine, while the other was a sound—specifically, the sound of a battle.
Although the scent of the medicine was strangely irritating, Woo-Moon ignored it and darted in the direction of the fight.
“This could be why they tried so hard to slow our advance!”
Woo-Moon had already recovered a significant amount of the qi he had expended while destroying and moving the rocks earlier.
“Is this an array?”
Possibly due to the influence of the Divine Phantasm Step, which had traces of the subtleties of arrays structured into the technique, Woo-Moon discovered the array almost immediately.
However, the moment he arrived, he saw the array shattering like glass. Over two hundred warriors of the Red Fog Valley barreled toward the broken array as if they had been waiting for just that moment.
“Hmph, you assholes, as if I’d let you do what you want. Since these people are also fighting the Red Fog bastards, it seems they might be allies. Let’s help them first.”
Woo-Moon stepped on the heads of the Red Fog Valley warriors who were blocking his path as he ran toward the array.
Crack! Crack!!
The warriors he stepped on had their neck bones broken and their ribs caved in, and they collapsed on the spot.
Woo-Moon ran until he was close enough to the array, then leaped into the air with a flourish of his sword and landed in front of the forces within the array, who were waiting for the enemy with resolute expressions.
Swish!
Princess Namar shot an arrow at Woo-Moon.
“Impressive shooting!” Woo-Moon shouted as he spun in place and caught the arrow.
“But you should be shooting the enemy. I’m not one of them!”
He tossed the arrow back to Princess Namar.
“Who are you?” she asked.
Su Ran’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Woo-Moon, who had appeared out of nowhere. However, she couldn’t think of anyone among the younger generation of the martial forces she knew who looked or acted anything like him.
Meanwhile, Woo-Moon had been planning to rush the enemy without another word. However, he suddenly paused momentarily when he saw the brown-clothed warriors interspersed within the Red Fog Valley warriors. He remembered their attire all too well—it was the attire of the people who had attacked him and his grandfather back then.
“You...you bastards!”
Woo-Moon’s voice filled with rage as he remembered all the people who had been murdered by these criminals.
1. The term used here refers to a Mongolian deel, a traditional piece of clothing that looks like a gown or kaftan usually worn with a broad sash, still commonly worn throughout Mongolia. ☜
2. An old Korean saying used to teach young officers that their orders have consequences for not just themselves but also the soldiers that serve under them. ☜
3. The Yuan Dynasty was a Mongol dynasty that ruled China for almost a hundred years in the 13th-14th centuries. ☜