Chapter 192
"Sect Leader Baek! What on earth should we do?"
"Unless we find the caster, we can't break it."
"This is beyond embarrassing!"
Sighs erupted from here and there.
They were already astonished by the fact that they were trapped in a formation, but when Baek In-hwa said that even he did not know a proper way to break it, a certain fear came over the crowd.
"Alliance Leader... for now, stop the march. At this point, it is meaningless."
Baek In-hwa said with a miserable expression.
At that, Abbess Hongryeon nodded and raised her right hand.
"Everyone, stop! We are currently trapped in the enemy's formation! But we will handle the situation, so for now, wait and prepare for battle!"
At her cry, the advancing martial artists all stopped in their tracks and gathered their fighting spirit.
"Alliance Leader... from now on, this old man and the monks of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Hall will take command."
"Please do so, Sect Leader Baek."
As soon as Abbess Hongryeon's words fell, Baek In-hwa began to discuss with the twelve monks of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Hall.
***
"...For now, it would be best to do that."
"Since there is nothing we can do other than the initial measures, that is the only way for now."
"Good!"
The discussion between Baek In-hwa and the twelve monks ended surprisingly quickly.
There was no time, and since it was impossible to accurately grasp the formation at the moment, there was really nothing to discuss.
They could only maintain the current situation and search for the caster who must be continuously using his spell somewhere to maintain this formation...
But,
Their plan was instantly foiled.
—U-reu-reu... kwang-kwang-kwang!!!
As if a hole had been pierced in the sky, a huge thunderous sound and lightning struck down.
But...
The lightning was not due to the providence of nature.
As if it was aimed at the martial artists of the allied forces, in front of the lightning that was fiercely striking down towards the procession, everyone was terrified and hurriedly threw their bodies.
"C-Crazy!"
"Does the lightning have eyes?"
"I almost died without being able to do anything!"
People were astonished.
In an instant, their faces turned pale blue.
But,
The lightning struck down once again...
"Kwa-a-a-a-a-ak!"
"Ugh...!"
"Ka-a-ak!"
In the end, the lightning had devastated the ranks of the Yangtze River Waterway Fortress.
"S-Scatter!"
"If we stick together, we'll die!"
"R-Run away!"
In an instant, chaos erupted in the room.
With one bolt of lightning, about twenty people had become a handful of lonely souls with a single scream...
Just then.
—Do not scatter! Everyone must stick together. Trust this old man and gather together!!
Baek In-hwa's lion's roar echoed throughout the ranks.
At the same time,
Once again, a blue lightning bolt pierced the sky and rushed into the ranks of the crowd.
In that moment,
"..."
A white light flashed from Baek In-hwa's right hand and collided with the lightning in the air.
'My goodness!'
'W-What?!'
'Heok...!'
With a powerful impact that shook the souls of the people, a dazzling flash of light covered the scene.
The aftermath of the lightning scattered in the air.
'W-We have to gather!'
'We have to listen to Sect Leader Baek!'
'That's the way to live!'
The crowd, which had been in chaos, realized that their lifeline was now in Baek In-hwa's hands and gathered together.
Baek In-hwa, without any hesitation, pushed through the crowd and began to chant a spell to the sky.
"Ninety-eight times, the Ten Thousand Phenomena Spell! Heavenly Prison!"
In that moment,
A brilliant sound that did not suit the urgent situation.
With that sound, a transparent curtain gnawed at the air in all eight directions of their allies and created a square shape, and in an instant, the entire crowd was trapped in a transparent curtain.
—Kwa-a-a-a-a-ang!
—Kwa-a-a-a-a-ang!
—U-reu-reu, kwa-a-a-a-a-ang!
Merciless lightning still fell from the sky.
As if it was the punishment of heaven for the humans who had stepped into the forbidden area...
The legs of the young late-stage masters, who had been showing their fighting spirit with a carefree appearance, trembled like an aspen tree.
Fortunately, the spell of the Ten Thousand Phenomena Spell that Baek In-hwa had unfolded was blocking the punishment of heaven.
—Everyone, keep my words in mind. From now on, everything that unfolds before our eyes is not real, but an illusion. But the illusion is due to a powerful illusionary art, so it will be accompanied by an effect that is like the real thing. Maintain a righteous mind. It is fine to close your eyes and shut your ears. The moment your heart is shaken, everything is over.
Baek In-hwa's Six Harmonies Telepathy echoed in the sky of Go-hap-san.
***
"So you really defeated No Yeong-myeong, So-ah?"
"That's right."
"Really?"
"Ah! How many times are you going to ask?"
"C-Crazy!"
Wang So-yeong, who had been engrossed in a conversation with So-ah while moving to Go-hap-san, could not hide her astonishment.
It was not only Wang So-yeong who was surprised.
No!
On the contrary, the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, Wang Bang-tae, stared at So-ah with his mouth wide open, his face even more surprised than Wang So-yeong's.
"Young Hero Jin. Is that true?"
"Oh my! Even the Palace Lord doesn't believe me? I thought I was a person who was extremely trustworthy... tsk."
That's not it, you brat.
It's not that I don't believe you, it's that I can't believe the situation!
Wang Bang-tae thought that perhaps he had been underestimating So-ah all this time.
'I did think that Young Hero Jin's martial arts would surpass mine, but...'
While he was surprised, on the one hand, he even felt a little scared of So-ah.
Although Wang Bang-tae was a person from the foreign martial world, he knew more about No Yeong-myeong than most people in the Central Plains.
The No Yeong-myeong he knew was once called by the name of the Three Venerables of the Black Path, and was the top black path swordsman of his time, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Heavenly Demon, Wi-ji Un, and the Blood Demon, Tae-ho-gong.
Although he later knelt before the God of War, Moyong Cheon, and his status had fallen significantly, the three letters of the name No Yeong-myeong were still famous even after a long time.
And So-ah, who was twenty-two years old, had defeated such a No Yeong-myeong?
It was something that was not easy to accept.
"Young Hero Jin. I know that you are not lying... but the Rain and Heaven Demonic Sword, No Yeong-myeong! As far as I know, he is a peerless master who has achieved the Profound Realm. Even if you look at the entire Orthodox Path, the only people who can face No Yeong-myeong are Master Gong-seung of Shaolin or Master Yong-gak of Jongnam. To say that you have defeated such a person, I can't accept it even though I know it's true."
Wang Bang-tae expressed his sincere feelings.
In fact, as a great senior of the martial world, it might be embarrassing to ramble on like this.
But at the moment, Wang Bang-tae was more interested in hearing the details of his true face from So-ah's mouth than in such formalities.
"Hmm... Palace Lord."
"Speak."
"To put it briefly, first of all, I have also knocked on the door of the Profound Realm..."
"As expected."
"The reason I defeated No Yeong-myeong was because I had an advantage in the compatibility of our martial arts. He had learned demonic arts in addition to the Heavenly Demon Emperor Sword. Therefore, on the contrary, his power was dispersed. Since the pure sword art of the Heavenly Demon Emperor Sword and the nature of the demonic arts were different, during the duel, his breathing was sharply twisted, and at that moment, he had a habit of revealing a gap."
"Aha...!"
Only after hearing So-ah's words did Wang Bang-tae let out a small exclamation and nod his head.
The compatibility of martial arts against martial arts is sometimes an important factor that determines victory or defeat, even transcending the realm.
Also, since he knew that learning various martial arts was an advantage, but could sometimes be a disadvantage, Wang Bang-tae understood to some extent.
"But to find that gap, I also got hit a lot. If I hadn't been wearing the soft-armored mail, I might have fallen before that vicious old man, No Yeong-myeong. That old man... he was really strong. I almost died too, Palace Lord. Haha!"
But seeing So-ah's carefree face, Wang Bang-tae was dumbfounded.
No one in the world would be able to describe the Rain and Heaven Demonic Sword, No Yeong-myeong, with the trivial words 'he was really strong'.
'Young Hero Jin. You are truly an unstoppable person. Hah!'
The corners of Wang Bang-tae's lips rose slightly.
It was a subtle smile mixed with complex emotions such as awe, surprise, astonishment, and pride.
Just then.
"Wow! Our So-ah has made it big, right? Thanks to the ice stones of the North Sea, he'll be rich soon, and on top of that, he defeated No Yeong-myeong... there's probably no one who has run the path of success like you at that age. Now it's scary, so scary. Hahaha!"
Wang So-yeong, as if she had lost, shook her head and made a joke.
Although it was a sarcastic tone, she was actually happier than anyone about So-ah's success.
"What's so scary? If your friend makes it big, it's good for you, you brat! Kekekek. In that sense, shall I show our So-yeong something strange?"
Wang So-yeong asked with a questioning look.
"What is it?!"
At that,
"Brother Woo-chi. Let's show them once."
So-ah glanced at Jeon Woo-chi and opened his mouth.
"What?!"
"The carpet."
"Ah... again?"
"Quickly."
At So-ah's nagging, Jeon Woo-chi had no choice but to rummage through his bag and take out the carpet.
And then,
He threw the rolled-up carpet into the air.
"Oh... oh!! What is that!"
"Kehkeh! It's a great treasure!"
It was as expected.
In an instant, not only Wang So-yeong and her father, Wang Bang-tae, but also all the people of the North Sea side stared at the carpet floating in the air with their eyes wide like lanterns.
Just then.
"What are you doing? Brother Woo-chi. Get on quickly."
"What?!"
"You have to give So-yeong a ride."
'Ugh... that bastard, really!'
Jeon Woo-chi was inwardly seething.
How many times has it been?
The owner of the carpet was him, and the one who was performing the flying art was also him.
Why was that money ghost always taking the credit?
'I'm not a coachman, you know, aww!'
But what could he do?
Seeing Wang So-yeong, whose eyes were sparkling, Jeon Woo-chi had no choice but to jump onto the carpet like a coachman getting on his coachman's seat, and,
"Get on..."
He could only say weakly.
But whether he knew Jeon Woo-chi's feelings or not, So-ah,
"Let's get on, So-yeong-ah. This gentleman's flying art is amazing. Haha!"
Not only grabbed Wang So-yeong's hand and jumped onto the back seat of the carpet, but also,
"Giddy-up! Giddy-up, giddy-up!"
Made Jeon Woo-chi's insides boil even more.
***
As soon as the lightning stopped, it started to rain.
But it was not a simple rain.
A thick downpour, as if it would swallow the heavens and the earth, fell from the sky like a waterfall, and at that strange sight, the allied forces clicked their tongues and were engulfed in fear.
"What on earth is this?"
"What kind of dog-like formation is this?"
"Is it a spell that controls nature at will?"
The moment the lightning stopped, they thought they could relax, but...
At this rate, in less than a moment, the ground would be submerged in water and people would not be able to avoid suffocating.
In that moment.
The monks of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Hall exchanged a glance with Baek In-hwa, and then, they left the square transparent curtain and occupied the outer edge of the ranks and sat in a cross-legged position.
At the same time, Baek In-hwa sent a telepathic message to all the people in the crowd.
[Everyone. I'll say it again, all these natural disasters are just the effect of the formation, they are not real. This formation, unless you track down the caster, no matter what spell you unfold, it will only be a last resort, so from now on, I will protect you from the formation, and the elders of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Hall will detect the magical power and track down the sorcerer of this illusionary formation. Please refrain from using your internal energy. Because we have to kill all our energy and focus all our nerves to detect the sharp wave of magical power.]
At that, everyone nodded and held their breath, suppressing the flow of their dantians and blood.
In that moment, surprisingly, people gradually realized that their bodies were floating in the air.
"[email protected]##$$^%^#%^^..."
From Baek In-hwa's mouth, and from the mouths of the monks, a spell made of a strange language flowed out softly...
'Huh...?!'
'Huh-huh?!'
'What is this?!'
The bodies of the people, which had been slowly rising into the air, were now flying in the middle of the vast sky.
The sight of about 2,000 people, trapped in a transparent curtain, ascending to the sky was nothing short of a spectacle.
Just then.
"Found it!"
The shouts of the monks burst out at once.
(End of Chapter)