Chapter v11c24: Thunderbolt Valley

**Thunderbolt Valley**

– A Blood Wind Blowing in the Mist

“Fire at will!”

Xue Gong, who prided himself on his one-arrow-one-kill reputation, was so shocked by the fact that his arrow had missed and that he lost the perfect opportunity to order a volley. His confidence had been based on the expectation of seeing Yeomdo’s heart burst into a fountain of blood. He had never dreamed it would miss.

The Cheonmu Academy delegation clearly demonstrated why they were chosen as representatives of the righteous path, not just for their good looks or connections. They all drew their weapons and deflected the incoming arrows. The arrows felt heavy, perhaps due to the internal energy imbued in them.

‘These are no ordinary people!’

Even as he marveled, Yeomdo was swinging his saber, shattering dozens of arrows simultaneously. The arrows aimed at Yeomdo shattered into small wooden pieces, scattering around.

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

As the arrows rained down relentlessly, some eventually suffered injuries. One of the arrows pierced the thigh of a disciple who couldn’t dodge in time. Yeomdo remembered he was a graduate from the Songshan Sect, though he couldn’t recall the name…

An angry Yeomdo shouted:

“Hey, you idiot! Getting your thigh injured by such an ambush? Do you want to die by my hand? Are you really a member of the Cheonmu Academy delegation? You’re on the reserve list for life!”

How dare they attack the delegation he was leading! Yeomdo’s anger blazed like the fires of hell. As if to quench those flames, another heavy rain of arrows poured down above his head.

True Crimson Seventeen Flames Sword Flame Energy

Secret Technique: Violent Flame Umbrella

Yeomdo’s beloved Hong Yeom once again emitted light, spreading a huge red umbrella in the air.

“Elder, it seems we made the right decision to leave him there,” Namgung Sang said while frantically deflecting arrows coming from all directions. Leaving Lee Song-hak there had indeed been an excellent choice.

“You’re right. If he were here, it would have been difficult to protect him! Especially since he’s still unconscious…”

Binggeom couldn’t help but agree with Namgung Sang. What truly made Binggeom seem like a master was the fact that while others were struggling to deflect arrows, he was casually swatting them away as if they were flies.

“It’s fortunate that place was on our route. He’ll be safely protected there.”

“Let’s hope the Zhongyang Escort Agency people treat him well.”

“I’m sure they will.”

Namgung Sang replied while deflecting an arrow aimed at the back of his head without even looking. It was also fortunate that the Zhongyang Escort Agency group wasn’t here. If they had been present, their cargo would likely never have reached its destination.

“Don’t panic!”

“Stay calm!”

Binggeom called out to his companions who were fighting hard everywhere, while quickly catching several incoming arrows with his hand. For him, this wasn’t a particularly difficult feat. Perhaps that’s why he wanted to increase the difficulty of his trick. As Binggeom’s hand shot out like lightning, about ten arrows he had caught flew back in ten directions towards their original owners.

“Argh!”

Nine blood sprays erupted on top of the gorge.

“Did I miss one?”

Could he tell even from such a distance? This was a world of superhuman senses, unimaginable to ordinary humans.

“Lucky bastard.”

Binggeom muttered to himself as he caught another volley of incoming arrows. Seeing Binggeom’s near-miraculous skill, the other delegation members began to imitate him.

Whoosh!

In an instant, over a hundred arrows flew back towards their original owners. However, as they didn’t possess Binggeom’s accuracy, the enemy’s casualties were less than expected. But it was commendable in that it had blunted the enemy’s attack. As proof, the arrow rain that had been pouring down like a downpour had now turned into a drizzle.

“Watch out for the returning arrows! Don’t stop firing! Maintain formation!”

Xue Gong’s mouth went dry. The counterattack was unexpectedly fierce. He never imagined they would catch the arrows with their hands and throw them back… It was embarrassing for an archery unit to be bested by people who only had arrows. If left unchecked, the casualties could increase.

“You bastards! Die!”

Xue Gong grasped nine red arrows in his right hand and nocked one on the bowstring. It was the preparation for his ultimate technique.

Blood Calamity Demon Bow Secret Technique

Nine Palaces Continuous Shot

Nine Blood Night Stars

‘Go!’

One Blood Demon Arrow left the bowstring.

The grand declaration and the flying arrow were unexpectedly slow. But the extreme slowness was the problem. Normally, an arrow at that speed should have followed a parabolic trajectory. However, this arrow was flying straight.

Instead of being fast, the arrow was rotating at a terrifying speed. The mist seemed to be sucked in by the Blood Demon Arrow’s rotation. In the arrow’s path stood Binggeom, and in front of him was Na Yerin, swinging her sword emitting a cold, frost-like sword light. For the arrow to reach Binggeom, it would have to pass through Na Yerin.

Sensing the threatening killing intent, Binggeom’s gaze turned towards its source. Na Yerin’s gaze also focused on the chilling arrow buried in the swirling mist. At that moment, a shadow blocked Na Yerin’s view. It was a man’s back.

“Ryu-yeon!”

For a moment, Na Yerin felt as if she had seen Bi Ryu-yeon’s fleeting smile. But his gaze was already fixed on the Blood Demon Arrow without a trace of fear. The mist swirled in a strange spiral combination.

“Dodge!”

Yeomdo shouted urgently. Arrows suddenly emerged from various points of the slowly approaching mist vortex. The center of the mist vortex was a kind of smokescreen. Nine arrows flew in succession with time intervals. It was a life-or-death attack filled with killing intent.

Whoosh!

Thud, thud, thud!

Eight linked arrows struck Bi Ryu-yeon’s body. Bi Ryu-yeon didn’t move an inch. Then the slowest arrow, which had been causing the mist vortex, struck Bi Ryu-yeon’s body.

Boom!

A terrifying sound like a volcanic eruption echoed. The surrounding air shook violently, creating a gale. An enormous gust swept in all directions. For a moment, everything went quiet. Even the unique weather phenomenon of arrow rain pouring from the sky ceased. Everyone’s gaze focused on the center of the thick dust cloud that had risen.

“Gasp!”

Yeomdo’s eyes widened to the size of lanterns. He had to rub his eyes vigorously at the voice he heard a moment later. An unbelievable scene had entered his vision.

“Wow! This seems like quite an expensive item!”

An incredibly nonchalant voice! It didn’t sound like it was coming from the middle of a battlefield where life hung by a thread. The owner of this lively voice, even in this life-or-death moment, was none other than Bi Ryu-yeon, who had just been suspected of becoming a human pincushion.

Na Yerin’s tense face melted like spring ice. She sighed in relief and clutched her chest. Then she suddenly paused, realizing how tense she had been and how relieved she was now. This was clear evidence that her actions were being influenced by Bi Ryu-yeon.

Na Yerin gazed at the man who had surprised her so much with her clear, deep eyes. Somehow, she felt like she was at a disadvantage.

‘What’s that now?’

“One, two, three, four… nine!”

There were definitely nine. Yeomdo recounted, double-checking his calculation. There were definitely nine. He knew he wasn’t particularly smart, but he could still count numbers under ten without problems. In the dust cloud, Bi Ryu-yeon was holding one of the nine arrows, turning it over and examining it. Given that there wasn’t a speck of dust on the arrow, it clearly hadn’t been pulled out of the ground. It was impossible for such a distinctive red arrow filled with killing intent to have appeared out of nowhere like a rolling pin in the night.

There was only one conclusion.

‘H-How is this possible! Catching it barehanded is nearly impossible!’

He wasn’t the only one shocked. Binggeom and Goyakhan also paused what they were doing to look at Bi Ryu-yeon.

‘What kind of trick did he use?’

Most people could only conclude that it must be some kind of deception. Otherwise, there was no other way to explain it. No matter how many times they looked, the nine arrows flying in succession at different time intervals were clearly the legendary archery technique, Nine Palaces Continuous Shot.

However, as if to dismiss such legendary fame and bloody rumors, Bi Ryu-yeon was openly examining the Blood Demon Arrow, turning it over in his hands with delight.

‘Is he truly an unstoppable monster?’

Not just Yeomdo, but everyone was looking at Bi Ryu-yeon with incredulous gazes.

“I suppose I should return what I’ve received?”

Unable to part with the Blood Demon Arrow in his hand, Bi Ryu-yeon picked up one of the arrows stuck in the ground. His gaze turned towards the direction of the nine arrows’ owner. What was he seeing now?

Whoosh!

In an instant, there was nothing in his hand. A streak of lightning tore through the air.

“Argh!”

A death cry echoed from beyond the mist.

Thud!

A blood-stained Blood Demon Bow fell to the ground.

That day, the 9th squad of the Twelve Blood Demon Squad lost its leader.