Dark and Light Martial Emperor

Chapter 144

Army of Extermination

‘Who is that?’

Zzzeooong!

“Ugh!”

Cheok Gang finally coughed up blood and was forced to retreat.

A-gwang’s eyes remained fixed on Yeon Hojeong even as he blew Cheok Gang away with a powerful single strike.

‘The rest of them are all inexperienced. Plenty of them have never even killed a person. But that guy…’

With a leisurely palm strike, Yeon Hojeong crushed the heads of his subordinates in one blow.

There was no hesitation in the series of moves, from starting the attack to finishing the strike. Three subordinates died in an instant from his effortless killings.

‘He’s skilled in real combat. He’s killed many people.’

The warriors of the Eumsabong all survived through hellish battles.

So they knew it wasn’t the time to attack Yeon Hojeong.

Instinctively, they understood it was better to kill the weaklings first and then overwhelm him later.

A-gwang also recognized the danger Yeon Hojeong posed.

‘He’s the real deal, someone who can use his full power in actual combat.’

At that moment, A-gwang’s gaze landed on the massive axe beside Yeon Hojeong.

‘…?!’

Was the strange sense of dissonance coming from Yeon Hojeong too great?

The axe seemed majestic yet ornate. It was large enough to be burdensome for most martial artists to wield.

‘A giant battle axe…? No way!’

He suddenly recalled a person who had recently gained a great reputation.

A courageous master who fought against the former number one family in the world, evaluated as having martial arts skills comparable to or surpassing those of Ilryong Sambong, or even higher—a young master.

A-gwang shouted.

“Stop!”

Zzzzeeeoong!

At the intense clash of swords, the Eumsabong warriors all retreated backward.

Even though they had been pressing forward with killing intent, they retreated as quickly as the wind. They were trained to respond immediately to their superior’s command.

It looked like a well-trained army. Watching this, Yeoguk felt a chill in his chest.

‘They’re different. Completely different from us…’

A-gwang opened his mouth.

“Are you Beksan Ho-jang?”

Yeon Hojeong frowned.

“You should’ve kept your distance.”

The axe was impressive, but its distinctiveness was too noticeable.

A-gwang’s eyes showed subtle wariness.

“How is the eldest son of the Yeon family here?”

“With so many successors of the nine schools bustling around, why wouldn’t the eldest son of the Yeon family be here?”

A-gwang closed his mouth.

‘Damn.’

Rumors about Beksan Ho-jang were widespread throughout Jungwon. But A-gwang didn’t believe all of them.

The highest value in the black path is survival.

No matter how high one aims, it’s only natural to plan for the future if their life is in real danger.

Born in the black path, A-gwang couldn’t believe in the existence of those who risked their lives against a huge organization, nor could he easily accept it.

In the end, there were two possibilities about the truth of the rumors regarding Beksan Ho-jang.

‘Either he’s amassed enough martial arts skill to not be threatened by prominent families, or the rumors are grossly exaggerated.’

He naturally leaned toward believing the latter. After all, Yeon Hojeong was only in his early twenties.

And that belief hadn’t changed even now.

‘However… he’s definitely not ordinary.’

He could sense the scent of blood only those who have waded through seas of blood could possess.

A-gwang aimed his sword at Yeon Hojeong.

“I don’t know how you found out about this place, but…”

“What a letdown. Let’s seal it off.”

A-gwang frowned at Yeon Hojeong’s cold remark.

What did he mean?

At that moment.

‘…?!’

Hwooooong.

A fearsome flow of inner energy was sensed from a distant cliff.

The power was so intense that everyone, not just A-gwang, turned to look.

Wheeee!

A strong wind blew.

The overwhelming flow of internal energy seemed to change the air currents.

Feeling the chill down his spine, A-gwang shivered.

Ting!

A clear sound like that of a zither string being plucked rang out.

Buaaang!

With a roar, the cliff collapsed, and many rocks fell down, blocking the path in the valley.

Boom! Thud!

Amidst the dust, the entrance to the valley was blocked.

Moreover, it wasn’t just one strike.

Thud!

A woman with elegant movements flew up, holding a red bow aimed at the right cliff. The red string she pulled created a blue whirlwind, along with a solid iron arrow.

A strike with all her might.

Tiiiing! Boom!

This blow was decisive.

She poured out dragon tooth cannons on the weakened ground, causing the rocks piled up on the cliff to tumble down into the valley entrance.

For Mok Bi, who had trained her entire life in the mountains, this level of destruction was not difficult if she had enough strength.

Thud! Thud!

Blocking the entrance with her fearsome archery, Mok Bi executed god-like footwork.

Pabababak!

Her movements were otherworldly.

After descending the cliff, she flew left and right, covering an incredible distance to land behind Yeon Hojeong.

Taak!

Standing behind Yeon Hojeong, Mok Bi drew her bow, aiming at the Eumsabong warriors.

Once she targeted her prey, she focused with terrifying intensity. Her eyes were like those of a predator, a stark contrast to her usual gaze.

‘…!!’

A-gwang felt his throat go dry.

‘This is ridiculous…’

No matter how weak the ground was, bringing down so many rocks with just two arrows was unbelievable.

It was martial arts that far surpassed common sense. Even A-gwang, with his extensive experience, had never heard of such a crude form of archery.

Thunk!

A-gwang’s gaze shifted to Yeon Hojeong.

Yeon Hojeong had already lifted the axe and placed it on his shoulder. He handled the heavy axe so naturally.

“I thought you’d make good practice targets, but I guess not.”

Yeon Hojeong addressed Cheok Gang.

“Cheok Gang.”

“Yes?”

Cheok Gang, who had been mesmerized by Mok Bi’s overwhelming archery, snapped out of it and looked at Yeon Hojeong.

Yeon Hojeong smiled and nodded.

“You did well. Although your skills were lacking, your idea of demoralizing the enemy by killing their leader and your courage to charge without hesitation were good. If you’re a bit more cautious, you’ll do just fine.”

“Yes, yes!”

Cheok Gang felt awkwardly embarrassed and scratched the back of his head. In truth, he didn’t have such grand reasons as Yeon Hojeong mentioned.

*
However, it was true that Cheok Gang had drawn his sword, risking his life. He showed his resolve through his actions.

Yeon Hojeong glanced at the successors of the nine schools.

Most of them had small wounds all over their bodies. But there were no fatalities.

Of course, this was partly due to Yeon Hojeong. When five of the successors were on the verge of death, he secretly sent out a finger wind to avert the crisis.

‘There’s no point in continuing.’

This time, he looked at Mok Bi.

Huff, huff.

Her concentration had risen to a frightening level. However, her breathing was slightly unstable from shooting two Dragon Fang Cannons in succession.

Yeon Hojeong placed a hand on Mok Bi’s shoulder.

“Can you manage?”

“Anytime.”

“Good, then let’s wrap this up.”

She imbued her arrows with energy as she aimed at the Eumsabong warriors.

Mok Bi, who had been watching them with fierce eyes, suddenly turned her upper body.

Tiiiing! Pheeew!

The arrow, shot at incredible speed, targeted A-gwang’s head.

Thwack!

Luckily, A-gwang had been prepared. Instinctively twisting his body, the arrow grazed his shoulder and embedded itself in Sangyo’s shoulder.

Thwack!

“Aaaargh!”

With a scream, Sangyo collapsed.

At that moment, Yeon Hojeong charged.

Flash!

Yeon Hojeong, rushing forward at terrifying speed, swung his Gwangryong Axe upward at A-gwang.

A-gwang’s eyes widened.

‘This!’

It was a surprise attack. Distracted by Mok Bi’s arrow, A-gwang was caught off guard by Yeon Hojeong’s tremendous charge and swung his blade in panic.

Zzzzeooong!

“Ugh!”

It was a monstrous martial art.

Countering the over eighty-jin heavy blade, his hand and entire arm holding the sword felt like they were going to break. The weight was terrifying.

But the attack didn’t end there.

Bwooong! Bwooong!

With a spine-chilling sound, the black axe left afterimages, disorienting A-gwang’s vision.

Zzzeojeojeong! Thwack!

“Aaaargh!”

A-gwang’s blade broke, and his right arm was severed from the shoulder. Unable to even counterattack properly, he suffered internal injuries and lost an arm.

Coughing up blood, A-gwang shouted.

“What are you doing! Kill them all!”

Thud!

The Eumsabong warriors charged with terrifying speed.

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes flashed.

‘Not so fast.’

Mok Bi’s Hongryun Bow unleashed its fury.

Pipipipiping! Thwackthwackthwackthwack!

Seven Eumsabong warriors attacking the successors had holes pierced in their heads.

It was an incredible speed of consecutive shots. The sense and stamina she gained from close combat with Yeon Hojeong were now shining through.

Mok Bi’s eyes, blazing with concentration, briefly trembled.

‘Killing.’

When she kidnapped Mongui, she had annihilated the assassins. But they were more like puppets than people. It felt more like breaking dolls than killing.

Now, it was different. The fear reflected in the eyes of the enemies was shaking her heart.

But Mok Bi quickly steadied herself.

‘I am an archer. I must not waver.’

She recalled Baekgungcheon.

The face of her brother who chose death himself, wanting to see his sister’s accomplishments as his final wish.

Thwackthwackthwack!

Over ten Eumsabong warriors fell where they stood.

Bwooong!

Behind Mok Bi’s godlike archery, Yeon Hojeong’s infinite charge began.

Thwack!

Yeon Hojeong’s attacks were far more destructive and ruthless than Mok Bi’s.

He swiftly pinpointed the key points of the enemy formation, then unleashed a storm-like barrage of attacks.

Zzzeojeojeong! Thwack!

The bodies of the Eumsabong warriors exploded indiscriminately, spraying blood everywhere.

Although A-gwang was at the lowest rank, he was still the leader of a faction within the thirty-six gates of the dark path. Despite being overpowered from the start, he had the skill to withstand several of Yeon Hojeong’s destructive blows.

But the Eumsabong warriors were different.

Yeon Hojeong’s axe was resolute, and as merciless as its power. None of the Eumsabong warriors could withstand a single blow from him.

A-gwang shouted again.

“Target the successors of the nine schools!”

The eyes of the Eumsabong warriors turned bloodshot.

Disoriented by the relentless attacks of the two, they immediately focused on the successors.

Whiiing!

A white wind enveloped Yeon Hojeong’s Gwangryong Axe.

Kwoom!

Yeon Hojeong, advancing with a powerful step, swung his axe at the Eumsabong warriors.

That wasn’t all. After Yeon Hojeong’s storm-like martial arts swept through, Mok Bi’s gust-like archery continued to tear through the enemies.

Thwackthwackthwack! Thwack!

The number of Eumsabong warriors rapidly dwindled.

The successors watched the two in a daze.

Especially for Yeoguk, the shock was indescribable.

He had considered himself confident in real combat, but he couldn’t even handle one enemy properly. Yet, those two were exhibiting their terrifying prowess without mercy.

“This, this can’t be!”

Yeon Hojeong, smashing enemies with his merciless axe, and Mok Bi, dealing with the remnants with her ghostly archery.

They were a perfect combination. At that moment, their continuous offensive was fully realized.

“L-leader!”

A-gwang, clutching his shoulder, snapped out of his daze at Sangyo’s cry.

“Everyone, retreat…!”

His eyes widened to the point of tearing.

He suddenly remembered that the demonic woman had blocked the valley entrance with her fierce archery. Trying to escape that way was like throwing themselves into a dead end.

‘Damn it!’

A-gwang’s eyes filled with intense killing intent.

One mistake led to the destruction of the Eumsabong. He couldn’t endure it any longer.

“Pyeongsan!”

A massive man on horseback at the rear of the Eumsabong warriors glared with red, murderous light in his eyes.

Kaaaang!

The chains shattered into pieces.