Pararararak!
Red petals fluttered wildly in all directions.
To the eye, it might have seemed nothing more than a beautiful sight. The red petals soaring high into the sky and drifting on the wind looked almost as warm as a peach blossom garden in the celestial realm.
But to those who knew the truth, there was no sight more threatening than this.
Anyone with even a little understanding of martial arts would be horrified to realize that each of those countless fluttering petals was actually sword qi imbued with killing intent.
Those who understood martial arts more deeply would surely focus on a different aspect.
The gaze of Desolate Gold Elder grew cold and settled.
'Mount Hua…'
Scattering that much sword qi is no ordinary feat. Even more difficult is controlling that sword qi precisely as one desires.
Think about it.
Right now, the number of people scattering sword qi reaches as many as five.
All five are wildly scattering unpredictable, bizarre sword qi, embroidering the air chaotically, yet none collided or interfered with each other's.
Logically, the sword qi emitted should collide and cause clashes. But the sword qi of Mount Hua disciples harmonizes perfectly as if launched by a single person.
It was a perfect display of how relentlessly they had synchronized their breathing and movements.
But those facing the sword qi were no less formidable.
"Hyaaah!"
The elite warriors of the Black Ghost Fortress shouted at the top of their lungs and threw themselves without hesitation into the wave of petals rushing toward them.
Kakagakang!
Screech! Screech!
The sounds of sword qi clashing and flesh being chillingly sliced echoed simultaneously. Judging it impossible to block all sword qi, they protected their heads and torsos as much as possible while ignoring other parts.
It was a ruthless decision to sacrifice their own flesh to approach the enemy.
In a normal battlefield, this would be an utterly foolish act to prefer. But when holding overwhelming superiority and able to end everything in one battle, that foolish decision transforms into a perfect one.
"Grrrgh!"
They gritted their teeth against the pain inflicted by sword qi piercing their limbs.
"Tahhat!"
And ultimately, with that simple tactic alone, they succeeded in breaking through the pouring sword qi. Mount Hua's swordsmanship is flashy and easily deceiving to human eyes, but its concentrated power is weak to cause damage. They precisely targeted this weakness.
Baek Cheon's face hardened.
'Not even hesitation?'
It's not strange if one or two people make such a choice. There might be one or two who can instantly grasp the opponent's swordsmanship weakness by instinct or reason.
But the fact that all those rushing into the battlefield without even exchanging glances respond the same way means only one thing.
They have clearly already studied and prepared to counter Mount Hua's swordsmanship.
This must be a first experience for Baek Cheon and the disciples of Mount Hua.
Mount Hua's swordsmanship differs from the typical Justice faction sect's swordsmanship. It maximizes the use of illusionary sword principles, which are rarely used in the Justice faction for being considered tricky. Because of this, those encountering Mount Hua's sword qi for the first time always feel great bewilderment.
But at this moment, Mount Hua's disciples clearly understood.
In the martial world, Mount Hua is no longer a strange or novel sect. Rather, it is a sect that everyone watches and keeps their guards against.
Everyone in Mount Hua has worked together to dramatically raise their standing. And as with all things in the world, a higher position naturally brings greater risks. Now, sects wary of Mount Hua have begun actively analyzing their swordsmanship and seeking ways to counter it.
This means Mount Hua is recognized as a 'strong force' in the murim world, and also signals that the challenges they will face ahead will be even harsher.
"Kyaaaah!"
The elite Black Ghost Fortress who pierced through the forest of sword qi charged at Mount Hua's disciples with bloodshot eyes. Though their bodies were slashed and bleeding, their momentum did not wane.
"DIEEEEEE!"
Kwaaaaaa!
Despite their high spirits, the sword strikes they wielded were not so much powerful as swift.
'Kuk!'
Kakang!
Baek Cheon, at the forefront, quickly raised his sword to block the incoming blade.
"Fast!"
It was not to overpower by force, but a swift strike to maintain offense and defense and hold the opponent. It was clearly aimed at not giving Mount Hua's flashy sword techniques any chance to threaten them.
Each attack they displayed clearly showed they had thoroughly studied Mount Hua.
Enduring the heavy pressure of the blade, Baek Cheon bit his lip tightly.
'We were complacent.'
Mount Hua is the greatest enemy of the Four Sects Alliance.
Baek Cheon was fully aware of this and sometimes even took pride in it. But he never imagined this clear fact would manifest in such an incident at this moment.
But now that he knew, it was enough.
"Taat!"
Baek Cheon swung his sword strongly, deflecting the blade.
At the same time, a fist filled with grand fist qi brushed past right beside his ear.
Kwang!
Hae Yeon's fist pierced the open chest of the enemy. As the enemy coughed up blood and fell back, Baek Cheon, about to step forward in pursuit, stopped instantly and firmly stomped the ground.
'Hold on!'
What they must do now is not to completely finish off the enemy as usual. Even if it means letting the enemy go unharmed, they must endure.
"Hyaaap!"
Wave after wave, the second and third waves surged in.
Their fervent charge showed not joy in driving the enemy back, but rather an urgency not to give any distance to them. It was a desperate resolve not to allow Mount Hua's swordsmen any chance to scatter their unique sword qi properly.
Blades fiercely descended toward Baek Cheon's head. At the same time, sword qi emitted from somewhere flew toward his legs.
The meaning of this simultaneous attack was clear. It was not to split Baek Cheon in one blow, but to accumulate even the small wounds on his lower body.
Even if it meant injuring themselves in the process, they intended to accumulate wounds on Baek Cheon and slowly wear him down.
This was exactly how Mount Hua's disciples charged at an absolute strong opponent.
Gritting his teeth, Baek Cheon swiftly swung his sword and struck three consecutive sword slashes at the attackers.
Paaaah!
Before the blade aimed at his head could reach, before the sword qi flying at his legs could extend, Baek Cheon's sharp sword qi pierced the charging enemy.
Kwaddeudeuk!
But then, a blade that had not yet lost all its power slashed long across Baek Cheon's cheek. Feeling the sudden burning pain on his face, Baek Cheon shouted.
"Get your wits right and be collected! These are different from anyone we've faced before!"
Other Mount Hua disciples also clearly sensed this and responded loudly with tense answers.
It was the first time.
Not standing as the challenger in weakness, but as the challenged strong one. Not being crushed by greater numbers and power, but facing desperate charges.
As the battle began to turn completely differently than expected, Mount Hua's disciples gradually started to be pushed back.
"Mount Hua…"
Desolate Gold Elder, watching the battle coldly, muttered lowly.
'As expected, those guys are too dangerous.'
They differ from any Justice faction sect fellows he knew.
Young martial artists whose baby faces have yet to shed their baby fat possess excessively high martial prowess for their age and fear no real combat.
It is the same now.
The way the elite Black Ghost Fortress attacked was based on information he analyzed from observing Mount Hua and their past deeds. Moreover, it was a method to counter Mount Hua's martial arts considering their recent performance at Plum Blossom Island.
Originally, the plan assumed surrounding the entire Mount Hua with a larger force, but it was clearly a tactic effective even against a small number like now.
To the unknowing, his strategy might seem perfectly executed to hold Mount Hua back, but in reality, Mount Hua's response was more agile than he expected.
They instantly understood the enemy's intent and adjusted their methods accordingly. Those young ones.
"Those other Justice faction sect flowers raised in warm greenhouses that wither at the slightest cold breeze could never dream of this."
This is not just Desolate Gold Elder's personal view or opinion to be dismissed. Mount Hua has proven itself countless times. Their performance at Plum Blossom Island alone needs no further explanation.
If they continue to grow without hindrance like this?
'No one in the world will be able to stop the sect called Mount Hua.'
Therefore, they must be killed. This place is not only to remove the blade called Jang Il-so that is at his throat now, but also to break the arrow called Mount Hua that will someday pierce his heart.
'But… no matter how I look at them, I just can't understand.'
How on earth did such guys appear?
Mature and refined swordsmanship and rich real combat experience are actually incompatible in a being.
To gain as much experience as possible, one must face life-risking real combat early, but such people often die before honing their skills. Conversely, if one avoids real combat until martial arts fully mature, they become fools strong only in theory but ignorant of real life combat.
The murim world has always chosen one of two paths. The Evil Sects push people into real combat to raise survivors, while the Justice faction sects avoid real combat and wait for the swordsmanship to mature.
Thus, the Justice faction sect has a thick layer of strong warriors who have long mastered martial arts, while the Evil sect's low-level warriors, mere expendables, are stronger than the Justice sect's.
But those Mount Hua guys are neither.
They possess both the refined swordsmanship of the righteous sect's elite and the sharp real combat edge of the Evil Sect's low-level warriors.
The term "between justice and evil" originally refers to those who belong to neither justice nor evil sects, but looking at those guys, the meaning of that term might need to be rewritten.
'How on earth did Mount Hua produce such guys?'
It's as if an absolute martial god, mastering both justice and evil martial arts, trained disciples in a way never seen before.
But there's no way such an absolute being exists, nor that such a being would be in the ruined Mount Hua.
'No, there's no reason to think about it.'
Because those guys will die here today anyway.
Desolate Gold Elder shot a cold glance at Jang Ilso surrounded by the Red Dogs.
'You don't raise a tiger cub, Jang Ilso.'
Ultimately, this was another mistake of Jang Ilso. He thought he could handle what he could not. Like a foolish person who picks up a tiger cub, believing he alone won't be bitten by it, even after seeing others die from the tiger's bite.
"Don't rush, tell them to tighten slowly. No matter how great the damage, it's fine. But not a single one of them must be left alive."
"Yes!"
Desolate Gold Elder slightly frowned and slowly stepped closer toward the battlefield.
He briefly raised his unfamiliar left hand to the hilt of the sword tied on his right side, but soon let it drop again.