Chapter 71
Battle of Huai River (4)
The Blue Yin Demon Palm (靑陰魔掌) — Moon Elder’s signature technique — possessed the essence of Extreme Yin (極陰) energy.
Coincidentally, this wasn’t the first time Namgung Hyuk had faced such an art.
He had once fought the famous Blood Elder, Gongsun Cheok, who also wielded a similarly sinister Yin energy.
“But unlike back then, I now have the Thousand Yang Divine Art (千陽神功).”
Namgung Hyuk began circulating his internal energy, not through his usual Sky-Cleaving Great Art, but through the Thousand Yang Divine Art.
Moon Elder thrust forth a palm imbued with a suffocating chill, sending a wave of Yin energy toward him.
Splat!
As Namgung Hyuk’s sword cleaved the air, the cold energy exploded, enveloping him in frost.
“Keheheh! How does this old man’s palm force taste?”
Moon Elder laughed triumphantly.
But then — a blade of sword-qi shot straight toward him.
“Whoa!”
Startled, Moon Elder twisted his body and narrowly evaded the strike with an agility befitting his rank.
Staring at Namgung Hyuk, his eyes widened.
“How can you possibly wield such Yang-heavy energy?”
The Thousand Yang Divine Art was an exceptionally rare and exalted martial art — one even Namgung Hyuk had coveted for years.
It was natural that Moon Elder, whose art was the polar opposite, would be wary.
“There’s no need to answer that.”
Ignoring him, Namgung Hyuk swung his sword again.
Angered by the silent defiance, Moon Elder unleashed a surge of palm force, far stronger than before.
Cha-cha-chaak!
Namgung Hyuk met it head-on, slicing through every bit of the Yin energy as he closed the distance — his sword now aimed directly at Moon Elder’s throat.
“Hmph!”
With a snort, Moon Elder snatched the descending blade with his bare hand.
He could do so only because his hand was sheathed in condensed Qi armor.
“Keheheh!”
He sneered mockingly — but then noticed Namgung Hyuk’s faint, knowing smile.
Ssshhhk!
A sharp sizzling sound filled the air. Moon Elder’s grin twisted into a grimace of pain.
Clang!
He quickly let go and stumbled backward.
His palm was now a grotesque mess of burns and blisters.
“Even if Qi can block sword force, it can’t stop the heat conducted through the blade.”
During the fight, Namgung Hyuk’s Thousand Yang Divine Art had heated his sword red-hot — and Moon Elder, grabbing it barehanded, had paid the price.
“Hundred Dragon Formation (百龍勢)!”
Namgung Hyuk didn’t miss the chance. Channeling his vast internal energy, he unleashed a storm of over twenty dragons rushing forward at once.
Grrrrrroooaaah!
But these dragons weren’t the usual spectral blue. They glowed red — Crimson Dragons (赤龍), formed from the burning energy of his art.
“……!”
Moon Elder quickly split one dragon’s head with a Qi-infused hand and shattered it with palm force — but the rest swarmed him relentlessly.
His defense broke.
“Gyaaaah!”
He screamed as one arm was torn off by the crimson torrent.
Before he could recover, Namgung Hyuk was already upon him, unleashing another merciless strike.
“You insolent brat!”
Even one-armed, Moon Elder proved why he was feared as an elder monster.
He dodged and countered with the precision of a true grandmaster — and for a moment, the tide threatened to turn.
“I’ll have to push the Thousand Yang Divine Art even further!”
Namgung Hyuk drew on every drop of his inner flame. His body flushed red like molten steel.
[The achievement of “Thousand Yang Divine Art (千陽神功)” has risen to ★★★★★.]
The art itself advanced a stage, and steam began pouring from Namgung Hyuk’s body — a phenomenon said to occur only when one mastered the art to five stars.
“So hot… yet overflowing with power.”
Despite the burning sensation, his strength was surging uncontrollably.
Boom! Crash!
He met Moon Elder’s Yin-charged palms head-on, easily shattering the incoming force.
“He’s blocking my palm force that easily?!”
Moon Elder’s eyes went wide with disbelief.
Shhhk!
Namgung Hyuk’s sword — the Flying Dragon Slash (飛龍勢) — swept horizontally.
Moon Elder barely dodged, escaping being bisected — but his sleeve caught fire.
“Tch! This damned flame—!”
He tried to smother it, but Namgung Hyuk pressed in, not giving him a chance.
Soon, the fire spread from his clothes to his body.
“Eeek!”
Abandoning dignity, Moon Elder ripped off his burning robes with his remaining hand, baring his thin, scarred torso.
He looked around frantically for Sun Elder.
But Sun Elder was in no state to help.
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA!
Namgung Hwang’s Imperial Sword Form (帝王劍形) crushed Sun Elder’s Infernal Flame Palm, engulfing him in light.
“Guhh!”
Barely alive, Sun Elder spat blood, glaring at his foe.
“So the tiger’s cub truly is a tiger.”
Unlike earlier, Namgung Hwang now held the advantage — proof that his martial depth surpassed the old monster’s.
To be bested by someone younger was a bitter humiliation for Sun Elder.
And then—
“Moon Elder’s losing?! To that kid?!”
He finally noticed the state of his comrade — maimed and defeated by Namgung Hyuk.
“No choice left.”
Sun Elder hurled a palm blast to keep Namgung Hwang at bay and then darted toward Moon Elder.
The plan was clear — to join forces and unleash their combined secret technique to kill the Namgung pair.
Moon Elder, reading his intent, also leapt toward him.
“I can’t let those two old bastards join up!”
Namgung Hyuk charged to intercept, and Namgung Hwang came from the other side.
“Flash Dragon Slash (閃龍勢)!”
Namgung Hyuk unleashed a vertical torrent of condensed sword-qi.
Both elders were forced to veer away, unable to meet in the center.
“Patriarch, now!”
Namgung Hyuk exchanged a glance with Namgung Hwang, and both raised their swords.
“Thunder Heaven Strike (雷天一勢)!”
“Azure Sky Infinite (蒼天無極)!”
The twin sword arts fell like divine punishment.
Unable to combine forces, the two elders could only stand back-to-back and take the strikes head-on.
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA!
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
It had been a long time since Namgung Hyuk’s level rose so rapidly.
Together, he and Namgung Hwang had completely annihilated the infamous Twin Elders of Sun and Moon (日月雙老).
* * *
Clang! Clang!
While the masters dueled, countless ordinary warriors clashed across the battlefield.
“Right flank! Units 3 and 4, advance!”
“Yaaaah!”
Though outnumbered, the disciplined swordsmen of the Namgung clan moved in perfect formation, cutting through their enemies.
The Evil Alliance troops, however — a disorganized mix of different sects — lacked any unity.
Then—
“Vermilion Bird Squad, follow me!”
At Yi Jaryong’s shout, the Vermilion Bird Unit, elite warriors of the Martial Alliance, joined the fray.
They carved through enemies like a crimson tide, scattering the demonic troops in terror.
“Cut down the leaders of each sect first!”
Yi Jaryong, a veteran of many battlefields, commanded with precision.
Yangg Mi-ryeong and other captains targeted the heads of minor sects aligned with the Evil Alliance.
“Haaah!”
With one mighty slash, Yang Mi-ryeong decapitated her foe.
Nearby, Captain Mo Il-pung — famed as The Invincible Fist Emperor (無敵拳覇) — unleashed devastating blows, crushing everything in his path.
And leading the charge even faster than them all was Gi Woo-seong.
With the Vermilion Bird Squad cutting through the command chain, the enemy ranks quickly fell into chaos.
Soon even the Soul Phantom Corps — who had fought valiantly against the Sword Breaker Unit — were forced into retreat.
“Serves you right! This is your end!”
Though wounded, Namgung Paegang roared at his foe, Sa Mok-cheon, the leader of the demonic troops.
Sa Mok-cheon’s expression darkened as he glanced toward the area where the Twin Elders had fallen.
“Those two… defeated?”
He could feel their auras vanish.
Even without the Sword King Namgung Bi’s presence, this result was unthinkable.
“No point continuing this. We’ve lost.”
With cold judgment, he blew a sharp whistle.
At once, his personal guards — the masked White Faces — gathered to his side.
“Retreat.”
“Yes, my lord!”
The White Faces swiftly opened a path of escape.
Seeing this, Namgung Paegang shouted angrily,
“Running away, you coward?!”
But Sa Mok-cheon ignored him completely, turning his back without a word.
The White Faces threw themselves at Paegang to cover their master’s retreat.
“Damn you!”
He cut down several of them, but their suicidal defense kept him from catching Sa Mok-cheon.
And thus, the battle that began that morning finally ended at sunset — with Namgung Clan’s victory.
“Waaaaaah!”
“We won!”
The Namgung warriors erupted in cheers.
Though exhausted and bloodied, the joy of victory made them forget their pain for a moment.
The riverside, however, was littered with corpses — a grim testament to the ferocity of the battle.
Hundreds of Namgung’s men had perished that day.
It was a devastating loss.
Yet those who survived had gained something priceless — experience, strength, and unity.
“Before the sun sets, tend to the wounded first.”
Namgung Hwang, his face pale after the battle with the Twin Elders, gave calm orders.
The Namgung warriors hurried to collect the injured and carry them to the healers from the Medical Hall.
Meanwhile, the surviving enemy soldiers, who had thrown down their weapons, were gathered in one place.
Namgung Hwang’s eyes soon found Namgung Jin, standing silently amid the corpses.
His blue robes were soaked red — proof of how fiercely he had fought with the Vermilion Bird Unit.
This had been his first real battle — and the fatigue and shock were evident in his eyes.
“Are you all right?”
At his grandfather’s voice, Namgung Jin blinked, then quickly turned.
He rushed forward, inspecting Namgung Hwang’s condition.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine.”
Relieved, Jin nodded — but shame lingered in his heart. He hadn’t been able to aid like Namgung Hyuk had.
Perhaps sensing that, Namgung Hwang placed a firm hand on his grandson’s shoulder.
“You fought well today.”
“Grandfather…”
At those simple words, Jin’s dim eyes regained their light.
Then Namgung Paegang approached, delivering a casualty report.
“Twenty-three dead and nineteen seriously wounded from the Sword Breaker Unit.
Six dead and eleven wounded from the Tiger Blade Unit.
Among the main household troops — three hundred fifty-seven dead, two hundred eighty injured.”
Namgung Hwang listened silently.
Against ten thousand foes, such losses were… acceptable — though still painful.
“And the remaining enemy forces?”
“They retreated toward Huaining (懷寧).”
The enemy had lost over half their army and their strongest masters — the Twin Elders and the Black Blade Hall’s assassins.
If they pursued now, they could destroy them completely.
But the Namgung forces were far too exhausted to continue.
“We’ll return to the main estate.”
“…Understood.”
Namgung Paegang nodded, regret clouding his eyes.
Thus ended the Battle of Huai River — a victory that came at a heavy cost.
