readbooksol Chapter 272 : Escape
Chapter 272 : Escape
Chapter 272: Escape
Although they had escaped Yong Cheon-myeong’s Microcosm, the condition of the four was terrible.
First of all, Jang Woo-hyun’s condition rapidly worsened.
White energy burst from his mouth as though he were vomiting blood, and green smoke rose from his severed arm and other wounds.
Then he lost consciousness completely and fainted.
“Jang Woo-hyun, wake up!”
The poison of the green serpent possessed the characteristic of becoming even more toxic the farther it moved from Yong Cheon-myeong.
As a result, Jang Woo-hyun’s condition steadily deteriorated.
Even with Baekmu lending its power from within, it had reached its limit.
“Big Brother, please take at least this.”
Yong Seo-hee, who was in the best condition among the group, fed him a Dragon Blood Pill she had prepared.
The Dragon Blood Pill made from her blood was a medicinal pill with exceptional restorative effects, but this time it did not help much.
“We need to leave this place first. We have to get as far away as possible.”
Seon Tae-gyeong wanted to help Jang Woo-hyun, but there was nothing he could do right now.
He was already constantly summoning the Wind-Passing Great Sage, and after additionally calling forth the Gyoma King, he had already pushed his power beyond its limits.
“Let’s go.”
Agreeing with Seon Tae-gyeong’s opinion, the Wind-Passing Great Sage picked Jang Woo-hyun up again and tried to kick off through the air.
But he suddenly staggered and failed to move immediately.
He had expended considerable power entering Yong Cheon-myeong’s Microcosm and locating Jang Woo-hyun.
On top of that, he had sacrificed a portion of his own body to summon the Gyoma King.
The Wind-Passing Great Sage had also overexerted himself.
As though his strength was running out, his body was gradually becoming transparent.
Seon Tae-gyeong had drawn out all of his strength, and the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s remaining time was running out.
Jang Woo-hyun had completely lost consciousness.
The only one still capable of fighting was Yong Seo-hee.
Using the Dragon Blood Return Origin Art, Yong Seo-hee transformed into a dragon covered in sky-blue scales.
【Hurry!】
Yong Seo-hee carried the Wind-Passing Great Sage, Jang Woo-hyun, and Seon Tae-gyeong while flying through the sky.
Other dragons rushed toward them from nearby, but they drove them back with the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s assistance.
They moved without deciding on a destination.
Their only goal was to get as far away from this place as possible.
Riding upon Yong Seo-hee’s neck, the Wind-Passing Great Sage inhaled deeply before shouting loudly.
“We rescued Jang Woo-hyun! Rat, Chain! We’re retreating!”
For the first time, the vanguard of the Demon-Slaying Corps spoke of retreat.
Today, the Demon-Slaying Corps withdrew despite the enemy standing before them.
It was their first defeat.
---
“We rescued Jang Woo-hyun! Rat, Chain! We’re retreating!”
The voice of the Wind-Passing Great Sage echoed from afar.
When Yong Cheon-myeong of the Black Wilds Moon had appeared, they already knew Jang Woo-hyun had charged toward him.
‘He must have felt he had to face him himself.’
The strongest enemy had appeared, so Jang Woo-hyun stepped forward.
To save his comrades.
But it had not worked.
No matter how extraordinary Jang Woo-hyun was, his opponent was one of the Six Heavenly Lords.
Opposing him directly had been impossible.
The Six Heavenly Lords were said to have stepped into the domain of gods, and the power they displayed firsthand was absurd beyond belief.
‘Can this even be called martial arts?’
He created an entire world called a Microcosm, and merely fragments of the power leaking from it caused chaos everywhere.
Forget opposing Yong Cheon-myeong—even blocking the scattered remnants of his power was difficult.
They had barely managed to endure, and then the Wind-Passing Great Sage ordered retreat.
Since their leader had been rescued, the Black Wilds Moon no longer had any attachment to remaining.
“Ryeom! We’re withdrawing too!”
He called out to Seo Ryeom in order to escape this place, but Seo Ryeom did not respond.
Swinging his sword like a madman, he fought against the dragons surrounding him on all sides.
There was no sign of retreat.
“Ryeom! We’re retreating!”
“Would you shut up already!”
Seo Ryeom shouted back, only to be struck by an attack and shoved backward.
To help him, the Black Wilds Moon swung his chain scythe.
The gigantic Imugi charging toward them was torn into pieces.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?!”
The always playful Seo Ryeom was gone.
Killing intent exploded from him in every direction, and his eyes burned with fighting spirit.
“They rescued the leader. We’re withdrawing as well.”
“What withdrawal?! The leader is the leader, and I’ll do what I need to do!”
“…….”
“More than ten of them died. And now we’re just running away? I can’t do that. Leave by yourself.”
Due to Yong Cheon-myeong’s power, casualties had occurred within the Demon-Slaying Corps.
Not a single person had died in battle until now.
But today, more than ten had fallen.
Seo Ryeom could not retreat like this while seeking revenge for his subordinates.
It did not matter whether the opponent was one of the Six Heavenly Lords or not.
“The leader has escaped. Let’s retreat.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I said I’m not leaving.”
“I said the leader escaped!”
“Brother!”
At Seo Ryeom’s shout, the Black Wilds Moon stopped speaking.
How many decades had it been since he heard himself called Brother?
Back in the Battle Fiend Division, he had been called Division Leader, and after entering the Demon-Slaying Corps, Seo Ryeom had always referred to him as Former Division Leader.
He could feel Seo Ryeom’s excitement and rage.
The relaxed demeanor he always carried had vanished completely.
“I can’t just let the boys die like that! We spent too much time together! Even if I die, I need to land at least one hit on the Dragon Emperor Heavenly Lord! That’s what I need to do!”
“……The leader retreated.”
“What does that matter right now?! I said I’m attacking!”
Unlike the enraged Seo Ryeom, the Black Wilds Moon’s voice remained calm.
“We can’t do it.”
Did the Black Wilds Moon not also wish to avenge the subordinates he had spent so long with?
But realistically, it was impossible.
“We cannot reach the Dragon Emperor Heavenly Lord.”
He had no intention of stopping his growth.
He wanted to become stronger, and he had worked tirelessly toward that goal.
But reaching the monster known as the Dragon Emperor Heavenly Lord was difficult.
At the rate Yong Cheon-myeong was growing, he might ascend to the Upper Realm before anyone could catch up.
The Dragon Emperor Heavenly Lord they witnessed today was absolutely capable of such a thing.
“But the leader is different.”
He had watched Jang Woo-hyun’s growth and strength from close by.
Even the Chairman of the White Martial Society could not compare.
The strongest under heaven.
The greatest of all time.
The strongest in the universe.
Every possible title had to be attached to his talent.
If talent could be described as shining, then Jang Woo-hyun would shine brighter than the sun hanging in the sky.
“The leader won’t let this pass either. We just need to do what we can and leave the rest to him.”
Things they could do and things they could not.
Seo Ryeom also understood the Black Wilds Moon’s words.
Coldly speaking, he was right.
It was such undeniable logic that there was no room for rebuttal.
“It won’t even take a hundred years.”
Seo Ryeom, clenching his fist tightly in frustration, suddenly chuckled.
Wrong statements needed correcting.
“A hundred years? Don’t be ridiculous.”
He loosened his clenched hand.
The energy he had raised to its limit had already vanished.
“Do you know the leader so little? Fifty years. No, it won’t even take twenty.”
Jang Woo-hyun had continued growing even within the Corpse-Blood Realm, where the world itself sought to kill him.
Seo Ryeom had watched it all from beside him, so he understood that absurd talent better than anyone.
“Fine. Let’s retreat for today. Though I doubt these serpents will let us go easily.”
“Isn’t that exactly what we’re here for? We save as many as we can.”
Seo Ryeom nodded at the Black Wilds Moon’s words.
“Woo Hobeop! Let’s retreat!”
“Brother Cho! Fall back! Jin Ha-un! Stop rampaging and retreat! Ye-ju, same for you! Demon-Slaying Corps, gather up! Everyone regroup at Thunder Roar Fortress!”
“Five Elements Cult members, gather together as much as possible!”
The two moved rapidly while helping the others.
Even escaping was difficult.
They used every ounce of strength they had in order to save even one more person.
Then, while they fought—
A gigantic fluctuation suddenly erupted.
For a brief instant, the rampaging dragons and gigantic Imugi lowered their heads, and during that gap, the Demon-Slaying Corps and Five Elements Cult managed to retreat.
They were curious about what had happened, but resolving that mystery was not important right now.
---
【Ugh!】
The tail of Yong Seo-hee, who had transformed into a dragon, was torn away.
Thirty dragons were chasing behind her.
They still had not completely escaped Yong Cheon-myeong’s grasp.
Riding upon her neck, the Wind-Passing Great Sage and Seon Tae-gyeong attacked the enemies, but both were already exhausted and could not contribute much.
Jang Woo-hyun, who had lost consciousness, naturally could not help either.
Yong Seo-hee was confident in her speed, but the pursuing dragons were no ordinary opponents.
Especially the dragon wrapped in lightning—it rapidly closed the distance and interfered with her flight.
The gap between them and the pursuing dragons steadily narrowed.
“At this rate, it won’t work. I’ll buy us some time.”
“No.”
“There are quite a lot of them. Before we get caught, I’ll stay behind and—”
“I said no.”
Interrupting Seon Tae-gyeong, the Wind-Passing Great Sage expanded his body.
Winds surged in every direction as his body gradually grew larger.
“Spellcaster.”
“Yes?”
“What did you say your name was again?”
The suddenness of the question left Seon Tae-gyeong unable to answer immediately.
“I asked your name.”
“……Ah? O-Oh. Right…… Seon Tae-gyeong. My name is Seon Tae-gyeong.”
“Human spellcaster Seon Tae-gyeong. Let’s meet again next time.”
The Wind-Passing Great Sage smiled as he spoke the name.
Seon Tae-gyeong understood what it meant.
He was no longer just one among countless humans to the Wind-Passing Great Sage.
A true connection had been formed between them.
Leaving behind the dumbfounded Seon Tae-gyeong, the Wind-Passing Great Sage leapt upward and blocked the approaching dragon horde.
At some point, his body had already grown close to twenty jang tall.
The Wind-Passing Great Sage smashed the head of the foremost dragon.
Kwaaang!
【Dragon Emperor Heavenly Lord!】
Then he tore apart the gigantic Imugi coiling around his body.
【I’ll remember you! Let’s meet again later with my true body!】
As he rolled through the sky together with the charging dragons, the Wind-Passing Great Sage shouted loudly.
---
【Kyaaaak!】
Despite the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s sacrifice, the dragons sent by Yong Cheon-myeong eventually caught up.
After her body was torn apart by an attack, Yong Seo-hee returned to human form.
Seon Tae-gyeong barely managed to gather his strength and incinerated the head of the dragon biting into Yong Seo-hee’s neck.
Fortunately, only one dragon had reached them so far.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes. It hurts, but not enough that I can’t fight.”
After glancing once at the dragon horde approaching from afar, Yong Seo-hee carried Jang Woo-hyun onto her back.
She clenched her fist tightly as though making a vow.
‘I have to protect him.’
Jang Woo-hyun had always been the one to save her.
This time, it was her turn to protect him.
Even while speaking, Yong Seo-hee and Seon Tae-gyeong never stopped moving.
The Wind-Passing Great Sage had taken care of several dragons, but the number pursuing them had not decreased much.
There were still over twenty dragons chasing them.
The dragons obsessively targeted Jang Woo-hyun.
Until now, the Wind and Cloud Path could only be used while in dragon form, so they could no longer move quickly.
The distance between them and the pursuing dragons steadily shortened.
“I’ll buy some time.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll hold them off somehow. Please take the Division Leader and escape.”
“If only we had gone back to where the others were earlier……”
“No. Too many dragons are targeting the Division Leader. If both forces overlapped, it might have become even more dangerous. I’ll stop them here somehow, so please escape quickly. When the Division Leader wakes up, tell him this for me. Tell him it was enjoyable fighting together. And also… thank him.”
“My goodness. What a mess this has become. At this rate, you’re announcing to the whole world that you’re going off to die.”
“Huh?”
Seon Tae-gyeong had spoken seriously, so the unexpected response shocked him enough to widen his eyes.
“I-I didn’t say that.”
Yong Seo-hee appeared equally startled, shaking her head rapidly as she stopped running.
“What’s wrong with this one now?”
“…….”
At some point, behind Yong Seo-hee stood a solidly built woman with her hair tied back into a single bundle.
While examining Jang Woo-hyun, she slightly furrowed her brows.
“This brat got hit by that serpent bastard’s poison, huh? Am I right?”
“…….”
The moment Seon Tae-gyeong met eyes with the suddenly appearing woman, his breathing stopped.
‘Monster…….’
She was a giant unlike any he had ever seen.
She stood at such a high level that he could not even measure her power.
She was truly worthy of being called the heavens themselves.
“Ah, let’s deal with those things first. Just what is that serpent bastard scheming?”
The woman turned her head and looked toward the dragons flying toward them.
At that moment—
Kugugugugung!
The heavens split apart as a gigantic blade descended, one seemingly capable of cleaving the Floating Continent in two.
It was truly heavenly punishment descending from the skies.
A being like the heavens themselves delivering divine wrath.
One possessing overwhelming presence and power worthy of it.
Within the Central Heavens Martial Realm, only six such individuals existed.
Seon Tae-gyeong swallowed once before slowly speaking.
From his mouth came the woman’s identity.
“Heavenly Blade Lord…….”
“Oh? At least you’ve got some sense.”
Another heaven of the Central Heavens Martial Realm smiled brightly at Seon Tae-gyeong.