Chapter 185: The Great Inferno Battle (1)

Instructor Yang’s eyes widened.

*Tat tat tat tat!*

At the bottom of a small downhill path, someone was blocking the way.

‘Is he part of another group?’

He wondered, but seeing the red robe fluttering in the wind, his heart sank.

“Stop!”

He immediately raised his hand to stop.

*Whoosh!*

As the man waved his hand, a red-hot fireball flew towards them with a gust of hot wind.

‘If I dodge, the disciples will be in danger.’

Instinctively, Instructor Yang charged forward, gathering all his internal energy into his fists, and unleashed the Nine Hundred Iron Fist technique.

“Haaap!”

*Bang! Bang bang!*

“Ugh!”

Despite putting all his momentum into his punch, Instructor Yang was pushed back five steps and swallowed his groan.

‘What immense internal energy.’

It wasn’t just about internal energy.

*Sizzle.*

“Ugh!”

Shaking off the heat from his now red-hot gauntlets, Instructor Yang gritted his teeth.

‘Elemental qi.’

Was his opponent this troublesome?

Swallowing hard, the man blocking the path chuckled.

“You managed to block my Solar Yang Palm. Impressive.”

“Who are you?”

“You don’t need to know. There’s no point in telling a dead man my name.”

*Snap.*

As the man snapped his fingers, two masked figures in red robes appeared beside him.

‘Incredible. Just their presence makes the air hotter.’

Such formidable Solar Yang Palm.

*Inhale.*

Breathing in, he felt his lungs dry up and raised his fists.

Despite the enemy in front of him, the man seemed disinterested.

“Let’s see.”

Instead, he craned his neck to look at the disciples, laughing maniacally.

“Thirty young ones? Quite a haul.”

As the man grinned, baring his teeth.

“Well, I’m not sure if that’s lucky.”

*Step.*

Namgung Il-jun and the Azure Sky Hundred Sword Squad stepped forward, and the man’s eyes gleamed.

“The Sword of the Middle Heavens?”

“If you’ve heard my name, you wouldn’t dare act so arrogantly.”

Despite the clear hostility, the man didn’t stop laughing.

“Kekeke. The Sword of the Middle Heavens. I didn’t know an elder of the Namgung Clan was here.”

“If you knew, you’d leave immediately.”

Though he tried to avoid a fight, the man didn’t back down.

Instead.

“Well, you’ll make a fine first sacrifice for my journey into Jianghu.”

“A sacrifice, huh.”

*Boom.*

In an instant, Namgung Il-jun leaped forward, his sword poised.

“I didn’t expect a fanatic’s lackey to call me a sacrifice.”

*Clang!*

With a sharp metallic sound, Namgung Il-jun’s sword was already at the man’s forehead.

“Hah!”

Startled by the lightning-fast strike, the man quickly twisted his body.

*Swish! Swish!*

Under the fluttering red robe, a red blade flashed.

“A cheap trick.”

*Clang! Clang clang!*

Deflecting the thin blade hidden under the robe, Namgung Il-jun unleashed a flurry of strikes.

“Your tricks with the robe won’t fool me.”

*Clang! Clang clang!*

Each clash of their swords sent sparks flying, and the man’s thin blade bent under the pressure.

As expected of someone who inherited the Namgung Clan’s supreme martial arts.

In less than thirty moves, he had the man on the defensive.

‘Hmph. How do you like that? This is the Namgung Clan’s martial arts.’

*Clang!*

“Ugh!”

Sending the thin blade flying, he anticipated Namgung Yun-ho’s admiring gaze.

“Huh.”

The man smirked.

“You’re finally here.”

*Whoosh!*

As the heat surged forward, Namgung Il-jun was taken aback.

“Haha! You look surprised!”

*Whoosh!*

As flames ignited in his hands, the man struck Namgung Il-jun’s chest.

“Argh!”

*Bang! Bang!*

*Fwoosh!*

Suppressing the pain from the blisters forming on his chest, Namgung Il-jun swung his sword again.

Unleashing the Namgung Clan’s ‘Sky Splitting Sword Technique,’ the grand and imposing moves made the man click his tongue.

“Tsk. Impressive swordsmanship.”

But unfortunately for Namgung Il-jun.

“But it’s useless if the sword doesn’t reach me.”

*Fwoosh!*

The man, now radiating even more intense heat, swung his arms.

“Haha! Burn like a bug in my flames!”

*Fwoosh!*

As the heat singed his hair, Namgung Il-jun tried to retreat, but the man moved swiftly.

*Slash!*

When he tried to step back, the man’s claw-like hand raked his torso. When he lunged with his sword, the man twisted and struck his blade with his palm.

*Clang! Sizzle!*

“Ugh!”

As the Solar Yang Palm struck his blade, it ignited, making Namgung Il-jun stagger.

“Elder!”

The Azure Sky Hundred Sword Squad tried to intervene.

*Swish!*

But the two masked figures who had been still until now unleashed their Solar Yang Palm towards the path.

*Bang! Bang!*

*Boom! Boom!*

“Ugh!”

With a deafening roar, the trees on both sides of the path turned into massive bonfires, creating a wall of fire between them and the rest of the group.

‘They’re trying to separate us!’

*Fwoosh!*

Namgung Il-jun finally realized their plan.

“Damn it!”

They weren’t here for a fight they intended to turn this place into a sea of fire.

“Cowards! Don’t you have any honor as martial artists?”

“Haha. What a boring joke.”

After all.

“Once everything is purified, it won’t matter.”

“Cowards!”

Namgung Il-jun was frustrated.

He hadn’t expected them to burn the terrain instead of fighting with martial arts.

‘A mistake. I was too complacent.’

Thinking it would be a typical martial arts battle was his downfall.

‘I should have known how troublesome elemental qi could be.’

It was a regretful realization, but it was too late.

“Hahaha! Do you understand the fear of the flames? This is the fire that will purify the world!”

With flames in both hands, the man laughed maniacally.

A fanatic who burned even his emotions in the fuel of madness.

“Kill them! Burn them all!”

As the death sentence loomed.

“Azure Sky Hundred Sword Squad! Fight to the death!”

“Azure Sky!”

“Sword!”

*Clang! Clang clang!*

As the Azure Sky Hundred Sword Squad raised their swords against the heat, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air.

“A hidden weapon?”

The man, with sharp eyes, sneered.

“Do you think some metal can withstand my flames?”

*Fwoosh!*

As he grasped the air, his hand glowed white-hot, intensifying the flames.

When he opened his hand.

*Drip. Drip.*

A few drops of molten metal fell.

“Click click. Nice try, but no crude hidden weapon can withstand my flames.”

*Whistle!*

But another whistling sound followed.

Bored, the man reached out again.

But this time, the result was different.

*Bang!*

As the flames touched it, the object exploded, making the man scream.

“Ugh! What is this!”

*Whistle! Whistle!*

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

With successive explosions, the man retreated five steps.

Meanwhile, kneeling on the ground, Namgung Il-jun finally realized what the hidden weapons were.

‘Stones?’

The stones, when touched by the flames, cracked.

*Bang!*

And exploded with a loud noise.

“Ugh!”

Blinded by the shrapnel, the man staggered.

At that moment.

“Hey, you little bastards!”

With a shout, a figure burst through the flames like a wild boar, shaking his hands.

*Whack! Thud!*

“Ugh!”

With a sudden strike, the man fell, twitching like a speared fish.

“Did you think you were the only ones who played with fire?”

*Swish!*

Lowering his body and kicking the ground, the figure’s kick targeted the man’s ankle.

“Ugh! Damn it!”

The man jumped to avoid the kick, his hands glowing red as he aimed for the intruder’s heart.

“Damn. That’s hot.”

*Sizzle.*

Ignoring the heat of the Solar Yang Palm, Cho Un-hwi twisted the man’s wrist and grinned.

“I have a question.”

“Ugh. What strength…”

“Can you make flames with your head too?”

*Thud!*

With an unrestrained headbutt, the man’s head burst.

“Grrrk!”

As the man fell with a crushed forehead, Cho Un-hwi wiped his brow with his sleeve.

“Guess not.”

The man’s mouth gaped open.

***

‘Who is this guy?’

Seeing his comrade defeated in an instant, the other man was shocked.

‘I can’t believe the Red Flame Squad was taken down so easily.’

What was more surprising was the technique the intruder used at the end.

He accurately avoided the center of the flames and broke the man’s wrist, delivering a fatal blow.

It was the first time since entering Jianghu.

‘How did he know our weakness!’

Unlike him, his subordinates could only project the Solar Yang Palm through their hands.

‘He knew.’

Otherwise, he couldn’t have thrown the sword to pierce the neck and break the wrist of the opponent who was about to unleash the Solar Yang Palm.

‘This isn’t good.’

Elemental qi is troublesome because it’s complex.

Now that their weakness was exposed, prolonging the fight wouldn’t be beneficial.

Moreover.

“Hah. This is embarrassing.”

The previously flustered Namgung Il-jun’s aura was becoming more menacing.

With no need to worry about the back, all his killing intent was focused on him.

*Thud! Thud thud!*

The increasingly fierce sword strikes were a problem, but now he had to worry about combined attacks without his subordinate.

‘Damn it.’

In desperation, the man made a decision.

‘I’ll retreat for now.’

*Tat tat!*

As he quickly leaped into the air.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Namgung Il-jun tried to follow, but something was faster.

*Whistle!*

Another hidden weapon flew.

“Damn!”

This time, the man covered his eyes with his robe to shield against the explosion.

But unfortunately, the target was different.

‘What are they doing?’

As he tried to jump over the flames, he noticed something floating nearby.

*Bang!*

“Argh!”

The small spheres exploded simultaneously, sending shockwaves that swept the man away.

“Ugh!”

Thrown to the ground, the man staggered as he tried to stand.

‘What just happened?’

Did they use thunder bombs?

‘No, martial artists wouldn’t have gunpowder.’

Not wanting to become enemies with the imperial palace and the army, they wouldn’t have gunpowder.

He tried to continue thinking, but with his eardrums likely ruptured, even standing was difficult.

He tried to get up, but unfortunately, he didn’t have much time left.

“It seems you’re out of luck.”

With a furious expression, Namgung Il-jun raised his sword.

*Slash!*

In a flash, the man’s head fell to the ground.

***

The group arriving at the clearing was met by a disheveled scene and a worried Mo Yong Seon-ya rushing over.

“What happened here?”

“We were ambushed on the way.”

Holding up two fingers, Instructor Yang’s words made Mo Yong Seon-ya widen her eyes.

“An ambush…”

“Where are the others?”

“They should be joining us soon. They were supposed to…”

As she pointed, her lips closed.

*Bang!*

A signal flare shot up from the direction she pointed.

*Bang!*

The red flare scattered, indicating an emergency.

“No way.”

Mo Yong Seon-ya’s trembling voice was filled with dread.

*Bang! Bang!*

From various parts of the sky, red signal flares continued to explode.

“Oh no.”

The red dust from the flares filled the sky, blotting out even the clear Azure Sky.

It seemed to signify an impending nightmare.