Chapter 65
Outbreak (1)
The Great War of Righteous and Demonic finally erupted!
The opening battle — between the Namgung Clan and the Demonic Alliance — was about to begin.
Boom!
“You’re telling me we can’t get a single boat?! What nonsense is this!”
“Th-the thing is… it seems the Namgung Clan already rented out every boat, even the smallest fishing vessels, with money.”
The subordinate who had gone ahead to secure boats for crossing the river quickly explained the situation.
Whack!
His reward was a merciless blow that instantly took his life.
“So what now? They’ve already set up camp across the river, and we don’t even have a boat. How do you plan to cross?”
Gu Jinmo barked at Sa Mokcheon, but the latter didn’t seem the least bit worried.
“It was well within expectations that they would try to block our crossing by taking all the boats.”
“What?”
“Strategist Sima had already arranged in advance for us to use the boats of the Changjiang Water Village.”
The Changjiang Water Village was one of the notorious pirate factions — though not one of the Eight Great Sects, they held substantial influence within the Demonic Alliance.
Their vessels had all been modified for combat, making them a serious threat even to the Namgung Clan, who had fortified the riverbank.
“Hrmph!”
Gu Jinmo turned away awkwardly, embarrassed by his own outburst.
But neither man knew — that even this had been foreseen and accounted for by none other than strategist Jegal Lin.
Swoooosh!
Eight ships cut through the currents of the river, their sails dyed black — the mark of the Changjiang Water Village.
“Chief, we’ll arrive in about half an hour.”
“Good.”
The man called Chief — a pig-like figure with a massive belly — nodded in satisfaction. Everything was on schedule.
Then—
“Something ahead, sir! Sails visible up front!”
“What?”
The Chief’s sagging jowls trembled. No other vessels were supposed to be nearby.
If it were government patrol ships, it could become a major problem.
“There are three ships in formation, sir. Their sails bear the word ‘Changgung’.”
“Changgung? Then those are Namgung Clan ships?!”
That was… unexpected.
He never thought the Namgung Clan would prepare for naval combat.
Realizing this, the pirate chief Mak Sam of the Sea Dragon Village felt a rush of excitement.
“Well now, this is a windfall.”
If he could sink the Namgung Clan’s ships here, it would be a great victory.
And fighting on water was their specialty.
“Ready all ships for battle!”
“But sir, our mission is—”
“Silence! Those weak little boats won’t take long to sink!”
His officers, cowed by his shout, hurried to relay his order to the other ships.
Each vessel carried only about half its usual crew — they were transporting as many Demonic Alliance troops as possible across the river, so the numbers had been reduced.
Even so, the total exceeded four hundred men.
Mak Sam’s flagship even carried cannons, prepared for possible combat with military ships.
Swooosh!
At his order, the ships began to accelerate.
“Waaahhh!”
The pirates roared as they charged forward, expertly maneuvering to flank the three Namgung ships.
But… the decks were empty.
“Where is everyone?”
“Did they abandon ship?”
Confused, a few pirates boarded one of the vessels to investigate.
“Sniff… what’s that smell?”
“Wait… it’s oil!”
The decks were drenched in it.
Thwish!
From fifty jang (about 150 meters) away, a small rowboat floated precariously. On it, Kim Ji-seok of the Vermilion Bird Unit drew his bow and fired a flaming arrow.
The wind carried it far across the water—
Fwoooosh!
And flames erupted in an instant.
“Fire! The deck’s on fire!”
The pirates screamed and leapt into the river as the flames spread like a hungry beast.
Even the ships that had drawn alongside them caught fire.
“Damn it! Cut us loose, quick!”
Mak Sam bellowed as chaos erupted, but more flaming arrows soared through the air, igniting the remaining ships.
Within moments, the river was an inferno.
Forced to stop, Mak Sam’s flagship and another vessel remained.
“Just as Strategist Jegal planned,” someone remarked.
“Now it’s our turn.”
Led by Lee Jaryong, members of the Vermilion Bird Unit advanced from behind, aboard small fishing boats piloted by skilled locals.
“Enemies approaching from the rear!”
A lookout shouted, and Mak Sam turned in shock. Seeing the small boats, he realized too late he had been lured into a trap.
“Sink them! Use the cannons!”
The flagship turned to aim its cannons. The fishing boats were barely twenty jang away — one hit would obliterate them.
But then—
Splash!
Someone jumped into the river.
Astonishingly, the man did not sink but skimmed across the surface — it was Namgung Hyuk himself.
He was walking on water.
It was the legendary technique Su Sang Bi — “Flowing Water Flight” — a form of lightness skill so advanced that only those with supreme inner power could hope to perform it.
Mak Sam and his pirates could only gape.
“What are you fools doing?! Fire!”
“Yes, sir!”
Boom!
Cannons roared, columns of water shot upward —
But from the top of that exploding spray, Namgung Hyuk leapt, landing directly on the flagship’s deck.
“See? You never know until you try.”
He brushed his wet hair back and glared at the stunned pirates.
“Surrender peacefully, or feed the fish — your choice.”
Mak Sam’s face twisted with rage.
“Kill him! Throw that bastard into the river!”
But none of his men dared move.
They had seen his feat; not one had the courage to rush him.
“Looks like your men aren’t eager to die,” Namgung Hyuk said, taunting. “How about you come yourself?”
Enraged, Mak Sam drew a massive blade — surprisingly agile for his bulk.
Despite his size, his swordsmanship was formidable — honed by years of fighting on turbulent river waters.
The Water Evasion Step of the Changjiang Water Village allowed him to move like a swallow over the rocking deck.
[Understanding of Water Evasion Step (Su Dun Haeng Sin Bo) has increased by 6%.]
“Not bad,” Namgung Hyuk murmured, calmly evading Mak Sam’s attacks while analyzing his technique.
Then, mimicking his footwork—
“Haah!”
He slipped past the attack, closed the distance, and struck with a single punch.
Thud!
With a pig-like squeal, Mak Sam’s massive body flew backward, slamming into the deck.
Retracting his fist, Namgung Hyuk glanced around.
“Anyone else?”
The pirates dropped their weapons one by one.
“Tch. Over already?”
Lee Jaryong landed on the deck, having boarded via lightness skill, and chuckled at the scene.
Meanwhile, the other remaining ship had already been seized by Yang Miryeong’s team.
Three small ships for all eight of the Water Village’s — a decisive victory.
Now the Demonic Alliance would have to rely on hastily made rafts to cross the river, delaying their advance — giving the Namgung Clan valuable time to await reinforcements.
And this entire strategy… had been conceived by Jegal Lin.
He had even studied the strengths and specialties of each Vermilion Bird member, such as Kim Ji-seok’s skill in archery and fire tactics, to plan the flaming ambush.
The only thing he hadn’t predicted — was Namgung Hyuk single-handedly subduing the flagship.
“When we return, everyone’s going to be shocked.”
The Vermilion Bird Unit had sunk an entire pirate fleet — a feat that would earn them immense recognition at last.
Meanwhile…
The Demonic Alliance had not sent all its forces to attack the Namgung Clan alone.
They also moved to seize Hunan Province, as a stepping stone to strike Wuhan, the headquarters of the Martial Alliance.
Many local sects had already surrendered or closed their gates in fear, making Hunan fall nearly without bloodshed.
Because of this, the reinforcements originally meant for the Namgung Clan were diverted there instead.
Dududududu!
“Charge!”
The Cloud Dragon Cavalry, one of the Martial Alliance’s six thousand-man elite units, thundered across the plains.
Their unstoppable charge crushed the Demonic Alliance ranks.
But then — from the opposite side — crimson-armored horsemen appeared.
“So those are the Bloodstorm Cavalry!”
Shouted Wi Jicheon, commander of the Cloud Dragon Cavalry, his eyes gleaming.
A unit said to travel a hundred li in a day and annihilate entire sects — the pride of Paechun Fortress.
Facing them set his blood ablaze.
“Haaah!”
Neither side flinched — the two cavalries crashed head-on.
The impact was cataclysmic. Blood and dust filled the air as steel clashed and screams echoed.
Elsewhere, on a key hill overlooking the battlefield, countless martial artists fought desperately.
“Yaaaah!”
With a roar, Yeom Muhae, deputy leader of the Black Tortoise Squad, swung his great blade, sending razor-edged gusts that felled foes in droves.
“Take the high ground first! Follow me!”
Emboldened by his valor, his troops surged uphill.
At the summit stood a lone young man, watching quietly.
“They’re working hard.”
“…”
“Oh, I know. Master scolded me harshly last time — can’t afford to slack off now.”
Speaking to his own shadow, the youth drew his sword.
“Hm?”
Yeom Muhae spotted him and froze mid-step.
“Humph.”
The youth — Ju Shin-un — smirked.
A massive crimson aura flared from his blade, forming a dragon-shaped wave.
“Blood Dragon Soars to Heaven.”
With a slash, a storm of scarlet energy cascaded down the slope like raging dragons.
Yeom Muhae desperately gathered his strength and countered with a Blade Qi barrier, but—
The entire hillside collapsed under the force, burying him and his men.
“That should do it.”
Ju Shin-un sheathed his sword and walked away as calmly as if nothing had happened.
Later, when the Martial Alliance retrieved Yeom Muhae — barely alive from the rubble — they realized the cost of that encounter.
Half of the Black Tortoise Squad and over a thousand warriors were lost that day.
From that moment on, Ju Shin-un became known by a new title—
“The Blood Dragon Prince.”
