Kwaaaahhh!
An unexpected situation that nobody could have foreseen.
Master Un-jong sorted out his chaotic feelings as he heard the roaring water and saw the wet ground inside the fortress.
Could this fortress have been a trap that the Blood Sect had prepared for a long time?
‘That’s not important right now.’
What mattered was not when the Blood Sect dug this trap or with what intent, but how to find a solution for the current situation.
Whoosh!!
The blade tip that Master Un-jong was holding shimmered with a radiant light. The Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists sensed his intent and pulled away from the document, and Master Un-jong thrust his sword with all his might.
Kuuuuuun!!
The gigantic document, hit by the radiant light, trembled, but Master Un-jong’s expression remained grim.
The sword had only penetrated halfway through the document.
It was not just a simple iron wall.
When had they prepared this trap, and how?
Questions flared up in his mind, but Master Un-jong quickly dismissed them. Right now, it wasn’t important how this trap had been prepared, but how to overcome the current crisis.
Could they open a hole in that document to escape?
Even considering the strength of the surrounding Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists, he couldn’t assure it would be possible.
Master Un-jong made a judgment in his mind.
With scarce energy left to fight against the Blood Ancestor, he couldn’t expend all his strength on something uncertain.
It would be wise to quickly head to the ground to protect the Eighteen Arhats and the remaining forces up top.
However.
Having made such a judgment, Master Un-jong was gazing at the document instead of deploying his movement technique to the ground.
Inside were two of his disciples he had cared for since they were young.
Hyeok Gi-rin and Miss Yeo Il-ye.
What would happen if he went up to the surface?
If he went up, he would have to engage in battle with the Blood Ancestor, and the chance of returning here before the water filled the valley would be extremely low.
If that were to happen…
He might never see his two disciples again.
Master Un-jong’s hand trembled lightly at the thought of such an unappealing future.
In such a situation, how could he easily take a step forward?
Bang! Kroom! Bang!
There were sounds of collisions coming from inside as if they were trying to break the document. The thought that Miss Yeo Il-ye and Hyeok Gi-rin were desperately knocking on the door for rescue made it hard for him to move.
Before long, the sounds of the clashes ceased.
Could it be that it was also concluded within that breaking the document was not easy?
Kwaaaahhh!!
With silence engulfing both outside and inside the document, only the sound of rushing water remained.
Time drifted away helplessly, yet the Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists outside remained silent.
They fully understood the feelings of Master Un-jong.
For the Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists outside, it was the same; their fellow clan members remained in the same water-filled valley.
[Master, are you there?]
Cutting through the roaring water, Miss Yeo Il-ye’s resonant voice reached Master Un-jong as he enhanced his inner power to answer.
“… Yes.”
[The words of the Blood Ancestor are not lies. We must ambush the martial artists on the surface to prevent the rescue here, and we can strike surely at one of the two fronts, either above or below.]
[The worst-case scenario is wasting time trying to rescue those trapped here and failing, leading to severe damage for those above.]
[We will handle this door with those left behind here. Master, please hurry to the surface.]
Master Un-jong’s eyes flickered.
“Il-ye…”
Miss Yeo Il-ye must have known well too.
How could they, even with Master Un-jong present, resolve the current situation among those left?
[It’s alright. We’ve faced similar crises a number of times since we left the Jeomchang Faction.]
But Miss Yeo Il-ye merely urged Master Un-jong calmly.
[So please trust me, Master.]
What exactly was he supposed to trust in?
The words were welling up in his throat, but Master Un-jong swallowed them down and said something else.
“…. I will trust you.”
With that, Master Un-jong turned away.
“Then let’s see each other again.”
Paah!!
Master Un-jong unleashed his movement technique towards the ground.
*
The Martial Artists of the Martial Forest Alliance kept tense while surrounding the Blood Sect’s stronghold.
Among them was Tang Do-yeon, who had climbed atop the roof of Bicheongmacha.
It was just like any other day as she pressed down her tobacco to light it.
Kwaaaahhh!!!
Suddenly a huge serpent sprang up from the river, and the moment Tang Do-yeon saw the enormous Black Serpent, she sensed something was going wrong.
Sshhh!!
As the Black Serpent withdrew its entire body from the river, it lunged straight towards the Eighteen Arhats.
“Unleash the Arhats!!”
With the urgent voice of the lead Arhat, King Kong Arhat, the fierce energy from the sect enveloped them. Being the elite among the one hundred and eight Arhats, they activated their formations just before the Black Serpent’s surprise attack, but—
Bang bang bang!!
The Blood Ancestor lurked within the Black Serpent’s mouth, and when the serpent opened its jaw, the Blood Bullets would spew forth, a scenario even the elite monks of the Shaolin Temple could not predict or prepare for.
“Ugh!”
The pouring Blood Bullets shook the Arhats’ formation.
Bang!!
As a result, two Arhats went flying. One had a broken arm, and the other collapsed to the ground spitting blood arrows.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the Black Serpent turned around to strike again, but this time the Eighteen Arhats reacted a bit faster.
“Wonmyeong King Kong Unmoving!”
Kwaaaang!!
The golden sigil of the sect stoutly blocked the Black Serpent’s tail. But the issue remained the Blood Ancestor.
Sssssh!!
Seizing the opportunity, the Blood Ancestor rushed toward the Arhats. An Arhat who had reached the level of Hwa-gyeong thrust his two fists powerfully to deflect the Blood Ancestor’s attack.
“Cough!”
The Arhat, struck by the Blood Ancestor, staggered and fell, spitting blood. The Blood Ancestor did not push too hard and retreated immediately after exchanging blows.
Sssssh!
Tang Do-yeon’s hidden weapons fell where the Blood Ancestor had been.
For the Martial Artists of the Martial Forest Alliance closing in on the Blood Ancestor, battling with him was burdensome.
“Attack the Blood Person!”
“Protect the Eighteen Arhats! Don’t let the Blood Person rampage!”
The Black Serpent, the Blood Ancestor, the Eighteen Arhats, and the martial artists of the Martial Forest Alliance became enmeshed, and the battlefield instantly turned into chaos.
The Blood Ancestor defended against the concentrated attacks of many martial artists, and at the same time, the Black Serpent disrupted their formation while pounding the Eighteen Arhats.
The Eighteen Arhats, already burdened with many injuries, found it difficult to even defend itself against the Black Serpent’s attacks, let alone counterattack.
Boom!!
The faces of the Arhats contorted as they bore the Black Serpent’s assault, seen even with traces of blood.
The martial artists of the Martial Forest Alliance, now visibly anxious, turned up their intensity against the Blood Ancestor, who was shrewdly avoiding their attacks, all while grinning confidently.
“Blood Ancestor!”
With a thunderous roar, the mighty movement charged forth.
Kwaaaahhhh!!!
Fueled by rage, Master Un-jong launched a furious assault towards the ground. The Blood Ancestor, having deflected Master Un-jong’s strike, chuckled.
“Have they had their funeral yet?”
Master Un-jong didn’t respond to the Blood Ancestor’s obvious provocation but instead conveyed his answer through action.
Sshhhhhh!!!
A deadly energy enveloped Master Un-jong, contrasting sharply with his serene appearance and elegant garb.
Usually, a martial artist’s technique would diminish when their emotions intensified, but the principle of the Jeomchang Faction was to extinguish the sun to save the world.
Master Un-jong’s intent, infused with killing will, was more threatening than ever.
“I will save you and the children.”
“Hahaha!! What a futile hope!”
Though he laughed, the Blood Ancestor retreated behind the Black Serpent to buy time.
Un-jong was determined and wasn’t about to back down.
Tang Do-yeon grimaced at the sight. What on earth had happened underground that had pushed Master Un-jong to such fury?
Her questions were soon answered.
Two Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists, who had entered with the investigation team, appeared at the fortress entrance.
“What on earth is happening at the Blood Sect’s stronghold!”
“It was a meticulously planned trap!”
“A trap, you say?”
“They’ve set up a document that locked the investigators inside and filled it with water!”
“No, if it’s a door, can’t we just break it down?”
“If it were that simple, why wouldn’t we have broken it down?!”
Hwang Bo-jung yelled in frustration and immediately charged at the Blood Ancestor, while Jeong Myung-jin of the Mu-dang Sect silently hurled a strike toward him.
“So many of them are trapped?”
“Being submerged underground… What does that mean…”
Tang Do-yeon surveyed the panicked group before finally taking a deep breath, filling her lungs with the sweet smoke of her tobacco.
As her throbbing head began to calm, she instinctively knocked the ashes off her pipe and dashed toward the entrance connected to the Blood Sect’s stronghold.
What could one peak expert accomplish in a scene where the Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists and Hyeong-gyeong Martial Artists gave up?
But there was no reason for her not to join that worthless peak expert.
As Tang Do-yeon raced down the long underground corridor, she recalled her conversation with Black Cat in the cart.
This stronghold had enough metal invested in it to establish a fortress.
Maybe she could still be of assistance.
Running through the underground tunnel, panting, Tang Do-yeon arrived at the problematic document.
A thick iron door. The sound of roaring water. And the streams leaking through the gap between the door and the walls.
These were intuitive signs that anyone could easily comprehend the situation, and so Tang Do-yeon quickly grasped the gravity of it.
Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!
In front of the document, four Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists repeatedly slammed into it.
Their efforts weren’t in vain; deep scars marked the areas before each of them, but those marks were only insufficient scratches to break through.
Were there people inside they were connected to?
The Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists only glanced at Tang Do-yeon momentarily before once again hammering at the door.
Tang Do-yeon placed her hand on the document, absorbing the situation.
‘This is a calculated trap. We could really end up submerged.’
The iron door was designed to descend three feet from the ground, and even the frame was reinforced with a thick layer of rock.
Tang Do-yeon’s gaze then shifted upwards towards a small hole drilled into the upper part of the document.
If the water were to fill up to there, wouldn’t it automatically drain?
Tang Do-yeon shook her head.
This was a thoroughly designed trap. The water pouring in would far exceed what could escape through that hole, meaning the valley would soon be filled to the brim.
Contemplating various possibilities while carefully surveilling the surroundings, Tang Do-yeon ultimately concluded that there was no option but to break down this door.
‘This will be tough.’
But—
It was something that absolutely had to be done.
“Everyone, stop.”
When Tang Do-yeon tried to halt the Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists, they glared at her unkindly.
“What is it? This is no time for interruptions!”
“If you won’t help, then step aside!”
Tang Do-yeon clicked her tongue at the hostile Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists’ response.
After all, if they had made rational and reasonable judgments, they wouldn’t be mindlessly pounding on the document like this.
“Do you think pounding on this blindly will break it?”
“What do you mean?!”
The Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists were momentarily stunned, about to flare up.
Witnessing the vivid energy of insight radiating from Tang Do-yeon, instincts kicked in—she was reading their moves, and the martial artists became wary, restoring their rationale.
“There is always a weakness and a strategy for everything. We need to use our strength wisely.”
“Where could there be a weakness in this thick iron door?!”
To that query, Tang Do-yeon drew the Artisan’s hammer she always carried at her waist and struck the document.
Ziiing!!!
With a clear sound different from the iron door, the expressions of the Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists turned to shock.
“Have you ever thought about what kind of process this massive iron mass has gone through to be created?”
Tang Do-yeon shifted her feet and struck another spot.
Wuuuuuuu!!
No one could answer. Tang Do-yeon didn’t necessarily want a reply.
“How could the Blood Sect, hidden so deeply underground, install such a heavy and thick iron door without pondering how many masters it would take to lift it?”
Bang!!
As Tang Do-yeon smashed her hammer down, the prolonged resonance abruptly cut off.
The Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists realized it then.
Tang Do-yeon understood the structure of the iron door and might hold the key to breaking it down.
Having shed the urgency and anger, Tang Do-yeon declared to the calm yet expectant expressions of the martial artists.
“If you don’t understand, just do as I say.”
