Chapter 241: Life is Not Always Smooth-Sailing (1)

“Heh! How amusing.”

Cheok Cheong-Yeong wrinkled his nose as he smiled. His lips curled upward, but his eyes radiated icy streams of killing intent.

Po Yeong-Hwi and Hong Ak-San stood flanking him, also exuding a subtle killing intent. Glancing back, they saw the Supreme Demon Squad warriors wearing troubled expressions. Behind them, the road they had traveled lay scorched and devastated.

They had arrived half a day ago, but bizarre formations prevented them from moving forward. Breaking through a formation riddled with illusions was no easy task, and Jongri Mu-Hwan’s Blue Jade Illusion Formation was ingenious, which made it all the harder to overcome. In the end, they lost half a day, and several Supreme Demon Squad warriors were injured.

To Cheok Cheong-Yeong, the whole affair was a disgrace.

“So this is how they plan to hold us back.”

“The distance between us has already widened considerably. It’ll be difficult to catch up by normal means.”

“I suppose so.”

Cheok Cheong-Yeong nodded in agreement with Po Yeong-Hwi’s words. Nevertheless, neither of them looked the least bit disappointed.

“Discard everything except the essential supplies we plundered.”

“Yes, sir!”

“You go on ahead. We have to catch up to them by tonight. I’ll lead the First Company and follow.”

“Understood.”

Po Yeong-Hwi’s killing intent surged. He hadn’t expected to be held up by formations, of all things, and the irritation he felt snowballed into murderous intent toward whoever had created them.

He ordered his men to discard all unnecessary baggage. They carried only their weapons and simple dry rations.

“Let’s go!”

At Po Yeong-Hwi’s shout, the Supreme Demon Squad charged anew, galloping at twice their former speed. They were not given time to rest, so they ate and drank their rations on horseback.

After riding relentlessly for half a day, they finally spotted the Demon Slaying Army and the mercenaries in the distance.

A smile tinged with killing intent spread across Po Yeong-Hwi’s face. “Is this as far as they could get?”

His side had ridden hard to make up for lost time, while the enemy had clearly rested well. Otherwise, they would be much farther away by now.

“Did they sleep as much as they wanted while fleeing? Or did they not expect us to pursue them?” He gestured with his hand. “Hong Ak-San’s Third Company will take the left. We’ll strike the right flank in a pincer formation.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for the General to arrive?”

“Are you scared? If so, I’ll attack alone.”

Hong Ak-San’s face soured at the command. His pride was wounded, but he wasn’t about to let Po Yeong-Hwi look down on him. “Fine,” he said, leading the Third Company in a wide arc to the left.

Po Yeong-Hwi watched him go for a moment, then took the Second Company to the right.

This was a strategy they often employed. When struck from both flanks at once, most groups were annihilated before they could devise a countermeasure. Dealing with martial artists who moved as one with their warhorses was difficult enough, but it was even worse for a disorderly mob like the Demon Slaying Army and the mercenaries, who knew nothing of proper military tactics.

Po Yeong-Hwi’s eyes glinted sharply as he swiftly surveyed the enemy.

“The Supreme Demon Squad has caught up!”

“Aargh! Save me!”

He could see the Demon Slaying Army and the mercenaries’ panic-stricken faces. For a moment, he furrowed his brow. The enemy was in disarray, but their expressions were calmer than he had expected. Fear was plainly visible in their eyes, but not surprise.

Were they prepared for this?

He had heard that the enemy camp had a brilliant strategist. If so, their response made sense. That strategist must have prepared them for it.

Po Yeong-Hwi scoffed. “Hmph! No matter how smart you are, it’s useless in the face of overwhelming power.”

He strongly believed that true strength conquered all, and the Supreme Demon Squad shared his conviction. He had trained them harshly and was confident in their abilities.

CRASH!

Hong Ak-San’s Third Company slammed into the left flank of the Demon Slaying Army and the mercenaries. Their formation collapsed on impact, turning the scene into a living hell. The Demon Slaying Army fled in terror, while the mercenaries tried, unsuccessfully, to salvage the situation.

“Kuhaha! Die, all of you!”

Hong Ak-San went on a rampage. His pride wounded, he unleashed his pent-up frustration on the Demon Slaying Army and the mercenaries.

The moment Po Yeong-Hwi’s Second Company joined the fray, the defenders buckled. Like locusts, they scattered in all directions.

Hong Ak-San and the Third Company were just about to give chase, when a sharp voice rang out.

“Now!”

TWANG!

Vines as thick as a man’s forearm shot up out of the ground, spreading in all directions like a spiderweb.

“What is this?”

The Supreme Demon Squad’s horses panicked at the sudden development and reared up. One by one, they tripped on the vines and threw the martial artists onto the ground.

“It’s a trap!”

Po Yeong-Hwi’s gaze turned chilling. The enemy had buried tree vines and lured them to that spot. The horses’ legs were tangled beyond hope of moving.

“Don’t panic! Cut the vines!” he commanded.

The Supreme Demon Squad warriors set about cutting themselves free. At that moment, however, the fleeing Demon Slaying Army and mercenaries turned around and counterattacked, with Jongri Mu-Hwan and the Iron Sect martial artists in the lead. Hitting the Supreme Demon Squad from behind, they gave them no time to work at the vines.

Robbed of their mobility, the Supreme Demon Squad was still powerful, but no longer flawless. Jongri Mu-Hwan did not miss this opportunity and exploited it as best he could.

Still, his opponent was the Supreme Demon Squad. He never imagined that he could wipe them out with this trick alone.

I just have to inflict as much damage as possible.

His forces focused every attack on the horses’ legs. The objective of the operation was to rob the enemy of their mobility.

The Demon Slaying Army and the mercenaries aimed for nothing else. They slipped beneath the horses’ bellies and struck the animals’ knees with their swords. Within seconds, dozens of horses were down, their legs cut out from under them.

Unable to watch any longer, Hong Ak-San ordered, “Everyone, dismount!”

“Retreat!” Jongri Mu-Hwan shouted.

The mercenaries fled without a backward glance.

Po Yeong-Hwi scowled. “Do you think you can escape?”

He kicked off his saddle and launched himself into the air, a large dao in hand.

SWOOOOSH!

He swung, and a rain of blade qi spread out like the ribs of a fan.

“Kuaargh!”

A dozen mercenaries caught in the attack fell amid desperate screams, gashes like fish gills rippling across their chests and backs.

“Hmph! Mere child’s play.”

Po Yeong-Hwi landed briefly before launching himself back into the air. Just as he was about to release another barrage of blade qi, though, a sharp sound cut through the air.

SWISH!

Sensing danger, Po Yeong-Hwi raised his dao in front of him.

CLAANG!

A deafening roar erupted, accompanied by a powerful impact against the blade.

“Keuk!”

Unable to withstand the shock, Po Yeong-Hwi was knocked fifteen meters backward.

“What?”

His palms throbbed painfully. The vibration was still reverberating through his whole body.

He looked down. The fragments of a shattered stone lay scattered at his feet.

An expert?

A sense of crisis washed over him. Someone had thrown a rock at him with enough force to send him flying.

SWIIIISH!

The sound of something cutting through the air rang out again.

“Chaaat!”

Po Yeong-Hwi hurriedly activated his enhanced defensive qi. The instant the translucent barrier formed around him, five or six stones hit him head-on.

KABOOM!

Blocked by the shield, the stones exploded like bombs. Po Yeong-Hwi’s body shook violently from the impact, and his pupils wavered from the unimaginable power.

“Who is it?”

He pointed his dao in the direction the stones had been thrown from. The blade shimmered as if in a heat haze, emitting enhanced blade qi. He had instinctively realized that this unknown opponent was not to be taken lightly.

Meanwhile, Hong Ak-San and the other Supreme Demon Squad martial artists were too busy fighting the Demon Slaying Army and the mercenaries. None of them noticed the danger Po Yeong-Hwi was in.

SWISH!

A flash of lightning sparked before Po Yeong-Hwi’s eyes.

“You think I’ll fall for that twice?”

Trusting his enhanced defensive qi, Po Yeong-Hwi charged toward the source of the flash. To him, it was common sense that only enhanced qi of the same caliber could break his shield.

He swung his dao at the flash, his enhanced blade qi extending and curling like a whip.

He had no doubt that this single stroke would destroy the flash and cut the ambusher in two. The moment the blade qi struck, though, his common sense and certainty shattered.

CRAAACK!

His enhanced blade qi dispersed, revealing what the flash had been all along.

“A tree branch?”

Po Yeong-Hwi’s eyes widened at this impossible sight. A mere tree branch had shredded his blade qi and pierced his enhanced defensive qi.

A searing pain shot through his shoulder. The branch had run him through.

“What the hell...?”

THWACK!

A powerful impact struck his head. Po Yeong-Hwi’s neck snapped to the side, and he lost consciousness.

As he fell, the owner of the branch revealed himself.

Jin Mu-Won stared down blankly at the collapsed body. Moments ago, Po Yeong-Hwi had boasted such ferocious power, but now he was just another unconscious worm twitching on the ground.

He scanned the battlefield. Chae Yak-Ran and Go Cheon-Hu were attacking Hong Ak-San together. Soon, Gongson Chang joined them, and Hong Ak-San lost his advantage.

Chae Yak-Ran and Go Cheon-Hu already had experience fighting the man. Now, the addition of Gongson Chang tipped the scales of victory.

Meanwhile, Jongri Mu-Hwan commanded the Demon Slaying Army and the mercenaries against the rest of the Supreme Demon Squad.

Everything was part of Jongri Mu-Hwan’s plan. Realizing they could flee no further, he devised a way to rob the enemy of their mobility with vines and asked Jin Mu-Won to deal with Po Yeong-Hwi. He judged that, as long as Po Yeong-Hwi was eliminated, they would have a fighting chance.

The Demon Slaying Army and the mercenaries attacked with everything they had, as if their lives depended on it—because they did. Stripped of their horses and mobility, the martial artists of the Supreme Demon Squad fell one by one under the relentless, combined assault.

Jin Mu-Won’s gaze turned east. The danger hadn’t passed yet. The greatest threat remained.

He dashed through the forest with his movement arts. No one saw him go.