C 492
"Sigh!"
The man who sighed as he looked at the huge lake was Namgung Wol.
There were countless corpses floating in Poyang Lake.
They were all martial artists who had died in today's battle.
The clash between the Golden Heavenly Hall and the Silver Lotus Hall produced many casualties.
More people were dying than Namgung Wol had anticipated.
There had been so many casualties that it was now impossible to stop even if he wanted to.
Golden Heavenly Hall and the Silver Lotus Hall, as well as numerous other factions related to them, participated.
Many new sects have sprung up, while others have disappeared without a trace.
Even now, many martial artists and factions were joining Golden Heavenly Hall and the Silver Lotus Hall depending on their interests.
"Phew!"
Namgung Wol sighed once again.
He created the Silver Lotus Hall with the intention of stopping Golden Heavenly Hall's rampage, but even he didn't expect it to become the starting point of a great upheaval.
He could no longer stop the rebellion with his power alone.
"If I knew this would happen, I would have become the leader myself."
Yong Ha-sang, the leader of the Silver Lotus Hall, was an ambitious figure, like his nickname
"Small Conqueror Dragon."
As soon as he became the leader, he revealed his aggressive nature.
Despite the opposition of his subordinates, he carried out operations that caused many casualties.
The result is the carnage before their eyes.
Hundreds of Silver Lotus Hall martial artists died just today.
Including Golden Heavenly Hall's martial artists, nearly a thousand people had died.
Their blood was dyeing the mighty Poyang Lake red.
The Silver Lotus Hall and Golden Heavenly Hall were positioned north and south of the Poyang Lake.
The Silver Lotus Hall set up its base in the southwest, while Golden Heavenly Hall established its headquarters in the northeast.
They constantly provoked each other by crossing into each other's territories. Each time, great battles were fought, resulting in countless casualties.
Namgung Wol told Yong Ha-sang to respond more calmly to Golden Heavenly Hall's provocations.
Yong Ha-sang listened to Namgung Wol's opinion. However, he only listened. In reality, when responding, he reacted fiercely, contrary to Namgung Wol's advice.
There are two ways to extinguish a fire.
One is to put it out with water, and the other is to set a backfire.
Yong Ha-sang chose the latter.
"If we lose the momentum from the start, we can't get it back. We must make them realize that this side is no pushover."
Yong Ha-sang's words had merit. However, the sacrifice that had to be made because of this was too great.
"Sigh!"
Namgung Wol sighed deeply once again.
It felt like navigating through a dark sea with no visibility.
At times like this, he wished someone could be a torch to light his way.
"Would the situation have been different if Grandmaster Pyo were here?"
Namgung Wol shook his head.
It was a pointless thought.
The Pyo Wol he knew had a strong personal disposition and did not like leading others or engaging in external activities. Such a person would never lead the Silver Lotus Hall.
At that moment.
Suddenly, a group of ships appeared on the opposite side of the lake.
"It's the Golden Heavenly Hall."
"Everyone, be on guard."
Unlike his subordinates who were making a fuss, Namgung Wol calmly observed the situation with his cold eyes.
Then, a white flag was raised on the ship.
Understanding that it meant they had no intention to fight, Namgung Wol gave an order.
"Launch the ship. I'll go myself."
"It's dangerous."
"Don't you trust me? I'm more than capable of protecting myself."
"If you sense danger, you must retreat immediately."
"I'll do that."
In the end, his subordinate launched a ship on the Poyang Lake.
The ship Namgung Wol boarded quickly approached the ships coming from the opposite side.
As Golden Heavenly Hall's ships got closer, Namgung Wol's face hardened.
This was due to a martial artist with an extraordinary presence, standing tall like a crane, on the deck of the opposing ship.
Namgung Wol recognized him at a glance.
"Dokgo Hwang?"
It was Dokgo Hwang of Martial Sword Alliance.
As he approached, the wind swept over his entire body, and an aura like a tidal wave emanated from him.
Behind Dokgo Hwang, his loyal servant Eom Soso stood with a stern expression.
Their ship stopped right in front of them.
The first one to speak was Namgung Wol.
"It's you!"
"It's been a long time."
"When did you come here?"
"It's been a while."
"Can you roam around like this, leaving the Martial Sword Alliance unattended?"
"Unlike the thousand kingdom school, Martial Sword Alliance is quite stable."
"So, you left the Martial Sword Alliance and came all the way here? You must have nothing better to do."
"The power struggle for supremacy is going on. Don't you think I should be here?"
Dokgo Hwang didn't hide his ambition.
The war that started with the clash between Golden Heavenly Hall and the Silver Lotus Hall was now shaking the whole world.
For ambitious people aiming for world domination, there was no better opportunity.
Namgung Wol asked.
"So, what do you want to say? You didn't call me just for a casual chat."
"The first request is to retrieve the bodies of the deceased."
"Hmm!"
"How about we cease fire for today and each retrieve our dead?"
"Hmm!"
"You must also feel uncomfortable with the bodies of the Silver Lotus Hall martial artists floating around Poyang Lake like this? So do I."
"So you want us to stop attacking each other and collect the bodies."
"That's right."
"I don't trust you, but I agree to retrieve the bodies."
"I knew you would."
"What's the second request?"
"I have a question."
"Is it for me?"
"Yes."
Namgung Wol frowned.
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure out what Dokgo Hwang would want to ask him.
"I'm looking for the whereabouts of a person. If you answer me honestly, I promise to stop the war for the next three days."
"A truce for three days..."
"I promise on my name."
"Good! What are you curious about?"
If there was a truce for three days, at least hundreds of lives could be saved. If he could save so many people, he could answer whatever Dokgo Hwang asked.
Dokgo Hwang said.
"I am looking for a fugitive."
"A fugitive? Weren't there multiple?
"Among them, I'm looking for one. You must have heard the name, fugitive Yoo Soo-hwan."
"Yoo Soo-hwan, the great swordsman?"
Namgung Wol's eyebrows furrowed deeply.
"Is Yoo Soo-hwan staying with the Silver Lotus Hall? Tell me honestly."
"Is he in Poyang Lake?"
"Are you saying you don't know?"
"I don't know. If I hadn't heard from you, I wouldn't have known he was in Poyang Lake."
Namgung Wol calmly lied without any hesitation.
"Hmm!"
Dokgo Hwang closely observed the changes in Namgung Wol's expression.
'It doesn't seem like a lie. So where did he escape to?'
In the end, Eom Soso didn't kill Yoo Soo-hwan, nor did she subdue him.
Despite his martial arts not having fully recovered, Yoo Soo-hwan displayed astonishing skills and escaped the crisis.
He sustained considerable injuries, but he ultimately escaped the encirclement and went into hiding.
Eom Soso led her subordinates in pursuit but could not find Yoo Soo-hwan anywhere.
To Dokgo Hwang, Yoo Soo-hwan was a thorn in his side.
If left alive, he would pose a threat to Dokgo Hwang's legitimacy.
Now, Dokgo Hwang had almost taken control of the Martial Sword Alliance, but there were still many people in the Martial Sword Alliance who followed Yoo Soo-hwan.
If they found out Yoo Soo-hwan was still alive, the Martial Sword Alliance could be torn in half.
That's why he had to catch Yoo Soo-hwan.
Dokgo Hwang asked once again.
"Are you serious? You're not lying?"
"Hmph! If Yoo Soo-hwan had been with us, I would have made it widely known. Many people would question you if I told them he sided with us because of your problem."
"Hmm!"
Namgung Wol's words were reasonable, so Dokgo Hwang fell silent for a moment.
The Namgung Wol he knew was not someone who would engage in intrigue or lie. That's why he had no choice but to believe him.
'If he didn't go to the Silver Lotus Hall, where did he hide?'
His gaze shifted to Eom Soso behind him, who bit her lip and lowered her head in shame.
It was a disgrace.
She, who had never once disappointed Dokgo Hwang until now, had let Yoo Soo-Hwan, who she believed she had caught, slip away. For the first time, she had disappointed Dokgo Hwang and she could not forgive her own carelessness.
Unseen by Namgung Wol, Dokgo Hwang sent a message to Eom So-So.
● Soso!
● Yes!
● Find him and kill him. Do not disappoint me this time.
● Yes!
Eom Soso's face turned red.
Dokgo Hwang looked at Namgung Wol.
"As promised, there will be no moves from Golden Heavenly Hall for the next three days."
At his declaration, Namgung Wol frowned.
Namgung Wol quietly spoke to his loyal servant standing next to him.
"Find Yoo Soo-hwan. If we can secure him, we'll surely be able to shake the martial arts world."
Martial Sword Alliance was one of the most powerful forces supporting Golden Heavenly Hall. If they could secure Yoo Soo-hwan, they might be able to plunge the Martial Sword Alliance into chaos.
***
"Yawn!"
Nam Shin-woo sat in a tree and yawned loudly.
Having been in the tree for a long time doing nothing had become quite boring.
Rubbing his eyes with his fingers, Nam Shin-woo mumbled,
"I miss my master. Sigh!"
It was the first time he had been away from the Wind Saint for this long since becoming his
disciple.
To others, Wind Saint was a figure of fear and awe, but to Nam Shin-woo, he was an infinitely good protector.
Wind Saint did everything he could to protect Nam Shin-woo and passed on all his martial arts to him.
Wind Saint's martial arts were so vast that Nam Shin-woo could not understand them all or master them in a short period. Nevertheless, Wind Saint made him memorize them all.
He said that as long as he learned the basics, he would eventually learn the rest. Thanks to that, Nam Shin-woo had all of Wind Saint's martial arts stored in his memory.
His current achievements might be minimal, but as he grew older and gained a deeper understanding of martial arts, his achievements would grow exponentially.
"I hope he's safe. But who could harm him?"
Nam Shin-woo believed that Wind Saint was invincible.
It was then.
Suddenly, Nam Shin-woo stopped talking to himself.
He sensed a strange atmosphere.
Focusing his gaze, he looked ahead.
Rustle!
Something was moving in the distance.
As he saw the red shadow approaching through the bushes, Nam Shin-woo's drowsiness disappeared completely.
A warrior dressed in red from head to toe couldn't possibly be an ordinary person.
'It's a Blood Demon.'
Nam Shin-woo quickly realized the identity of the opponent.
Rustle!
At that moment, he saw another Blood Demon approaching from another direction.
They seemed to be circling the area, not yet realizing there was a village.
They cautiously advanced, signaling to each other.
If things continued like this, they would soon reach the village entrance.
Nam Shin-woo desperately prayed.
'Please, just pass by.'
However, his wish was in vain, as the Blood Demons eventually reached the village entrance.
Looking at each other's faces blocked by a dense fog, they seemed to have realized that the sudden appearance of the fog was not normal
Squeak!
A Blood Demon let out a long whistle.
Instantly, red shadows appeared from all around.
They approached the village entrance following the whistle.
The Blood Demons lingered in front of the village shrouded in thick fog.
A warrior with a particularly strong presence among the Blood Ghosts stepped forward. It was the leader of the Blood Demon Corps.
The leader gazed at the thick fog for a moment, then gestured to a Blood Demon beside him.
Upon receiving the signal, the Blood Demon cautiously entered the fog.
Despite waiting for a long time, the Blood Demon that entered did not come back out.
A cold smile emerged on the lips of the Blood Demon Corps’s leader.
"We found it."
With a snap of his fingers, the Blood Demons entered the fog.