Alliance
As the vanguard led by the Beast Palace Master crushed through the ranks of the Five Poison Sect, they continued their advance.
“What do you intend to do?”
Hwang Gon asked the deputy leader of the Five Poison Sect, who looked visibly shaken.
“If we retreat now, they’ll pursue us, leading to even greater losses.”
Under the pressure from Hwang Gon, the deputy leader responded as if he had a sudden realization.
“Instead, lure them in further! If they co deep enough, we can annihilate them completely!”
Of course, using this thod would an many of their own troops would die as well.
However, the deputy leader didn’t care. What mattered was claiming credit for himself. The lives of his subordinates were of no concern.
Hwang Gon, perceiving the deputy leader’s intent, sent a secret ssage to his subordinates from Shinchun.
Fall back and move with this man.
He couldn’t let his subordinates die in this operation.
It wasn’t for humanitarian reasons, but because once the Five Poison Sect achieved a pyrrhic victory, they would need to have forces left to deal with them.
“I will hold off the Beast Palace Master. When they co in deep enough, execute the plan.”
“Understood.”
With the deputy leader’s response, Hwang Gon stepped forward and drew his sword.
A massive flow of energy surged from his danjeon, creating a cluster of blue stars, which then shot towards the Beast Palace Master.
* * *
Confirming the cluster of stars flying towards him, the Beast Palace Master did not shout his usual ‘Ura-Ura!’ battle cry.
“Wadaa!”
Instead, he let out a simple battle cry, thrusting both arms simultaneously up and down.
It was a move reminiscent of how Mangkr attacked Mu-jin earlier.
At the mont his fists collided with the incoming energy, white energy emanated from the Beast Palace Master’s fists.
Bang!
The Beast Palace Master blocked the sudden attack and laughed heartily as if it was nothing.
“Kuhahahaha!”
However, it wasn’t the best choice. Mixed with his hearty laughter were droplets of blood.
In the rush to counter the unexpected attack, he managed to block it but sustained internal injuries.
Despite not being severely hurt, Mu-jin shifted his gaze towards the direction from which the energy had co.
There stood a middle-aged man dressed in Central Plains attire, holding a sword.
In the Five Poison Sect, it was rare for soone to reach such a level with a sword, as they primarily dealt with poison techniques.
Mu-jin easily deduced which faction this man belonged to.
“Shinchun. Perhaps even at the level of a major commander.”
The mont he sensed the imnse energy, the attack followed imdiately.
It wasn’t energy forced out, but one wielded freely, indicating a master.
And the man, dissatisfied with his initial attack, rushed towards the Beast Palace Master.
“Co at , you northern coward!”
The Beast Palace Master shouted boldly, but the battle didn’t go as smoothly.
Although he could counter the man’s attacks with his own energy, the problem was Mangkr, the beast he rode.
Swoosh!
The fragnts of energy that shattered upon impact with the man’s attacks continued to injure Mangkr.
Eventually, the man openly targeted Mangkr’s body instead of the Beast Palace Master.
“You cowardly scum!”
The infuriated Beast Palace Master yelled, but it was futile.
Instead, as the Beast Palace Master and Mangkr grew more flustered, nearby enemies also started attacking Mangkr’s body.
Of course, Mu-jin and his party weren’t idle during this ti.
Crunch!
Swoosh.
They advanced, slaughtering the enemies blocking their way with their weapons and limbs.
The problem was the Beast Palace Master, who had recklessly gone too deep alone.
“Hold on a little longer! Beast Palace Master!”
Mu-jin, almost reaching the isolated Beast Palace Master, shouted with determination.
“If we capture that man, we might learn sothing crucial!”
It was possible that this enemy, who hadn’t appeared in the novel’s first and second parts, held important information unknown to him.
As if the heavens were aiding them.
“Attack!”
“Follow the Palace Master!”
“Kill them all!”
Just then, the main forces, which had fallen behind, joined the battle.
Hundreds of Beast Palace warriors, along with their animals and the Red Tiger Group mbers, joined the fray.
Naturally, the poison sect mbers and the rcenaries they hired began to fall like autumn leaves, and the human wall blocking Mu-jin’s party quickly crumbled.
“Now!”
Seizing the mont, Mu-jin, enveloped in the Golden Turtle Technique, executed the Fast Ascent Step to its extre.
Bang!
One of the rcenaries blocking his path exploded, and the blood from his body was repelled by the energy of the Golden Turtle Technique.
With that single dash, Mu-jin reached right in front of the Shinchun man.
“!!!”
Despite his shock at the explosive speed, the middle-aged man reflexively swung his sword, as if by instinct.
Remarkably, the sword he instinctively swung contained energy.
However, Mu-jin also instinctively executed the Invincible Divine Fist.
The golden stars from Mu-jin’s fist clashed with the blue stars from the Shinchun man’s sword, causing a trendous noise.
The Shinchun man, pushed back by Mu-jin’s force, briefly scowled at Mu-jin.
“Now!”
The man suddenly shouted sothing in an unknown southern barbarian language.
A few seconds later, changes began to occur.
“Urrgh.”
“Ugh…”
Nearby rcenaries began foaming at the mouth and collapsing, with parts of their bodies lting.
“Poison!”
Realizing the poison attack had begun, Mu-jin intensified the Golden Turtle Technique, causing his energy consumption to soar.
Every mont, sothing invisible was continuously lting into the Golden Turtle Technique.
“These madn. They used poison where their own allies are?”
Had they targeted only Mu-jin and the Beast Palace Master, it might have been understandable. But many of their own rcenaries surrounded them.
Moreover, it wasn’t just ordinary poison. Even the poison masters of the Five Poison Sect began showing symptoms.
The poison was so potent that even lower-level poison masters couldn’t withstand it.
anwhile, the Shinchun man who had been scattering sword energy suddenly began retreating.
“Hmph! Do you think poison can affect ?”
Angry from the previous attack, Mangkr and the Beast Palace Master lunged at the man.
However, the man, even while resisting the poison, managed to fend off their attacks and continued to retreat.
“Aaagh.”
“Please, kill …”
The screams of those affected by the poison grew more varied.
The poison spread, even affecting the recently joined Beast Palace warriors.
“If I can push a little further, I can capture that Shinchun commander.”
That thought crossed Mu-jin’s mind, but the sight of the battlefield’s devastation made him hesitate.
“Beast Palace warriors won’t be defeated by re poison!”
“Urgh! Follow the Palace Master!”
“Raaargh!”
Even as they coughed up blood from the spreading poison, the Beast Palace warriors didn’t retreat.
It was as if they were trying to overco the poison through sheer willpower.
But willpower alone couldn’t overco the poison.
“Urgh…”
“I must… keep going…”
The sight of poisoned warriors crawling forward, desperately trying to follow the Palace Master, was beyond words.
Even newly arrived warriors in the rear, seeing their poisoned comrades, charged forward like moths to a fla.
Unable to turn a blind eye any longer, Mu-jin made a decision and shouted.
“Retreat, Beast Palace Master! Do you intend to kill all your warriors?!”
Mu-jin chose to save lives over capturing the Shinchun commander.
* * *
Mu-jin didn’t know much about the poisons used by the poison masters of this world.
However, he knew well how to act when exposed to such attacks.
“Hold your breath and fall back! Cover your mouth and nose with cloth! If you can’t resist the poison, cover your eyes too!”
Mu-jin, resisting the poison with the Golden Turtle Technique, shouted orders to the Beast Palace warriors.
Perhaps due to Mu-jin’s angry shout, the usually calm Ou-yang Pae quickly assessed the situation and translated Mu-jin’s words into the southern barbarian language.
But there remained a significant problem.
“We don’t have cloth!”
Damned warriors of the southern Beast Palace only covered their vital parts with animal skins.
“Damn it! Tear the clothes off the fallen and cover yourselves! And no matter how itchy it gets, do not scratch! You! I said don’t scratch!”
Without clothing to cover their bodies, the southern Beast Palace warriors were exceedingly vulnerable to the poison.
Warriors who couldn’t resist the poison began developing blisters or redness on their skin.
“Those who can resist the poison, do not chase the enemies! Help the fallen and those covering their eyes and get out of here imdiately! Those who can’t resist, cover your faces and sit in a cross-legged position to expel the poison with internal energy! We will save you, just hold on!”
Mu-jin started leading by example, saving the Beast Palace warriors.
“Mu-gung! Mu-gyeong! Help too! Mu-yul, get out of here right now! Don’t scratch, find water with Ling-ling!”
Mu-jin quickly assigned roles.
Mu-gyeong, with his deep understanding, could resist the poison to so extent.
Mu-gung, with his mastery of intense Yang energy, might be even better at resisting the poison than Mu-gyeong.
On the other hand, Mu-yul was vulnerable to such attacks.
Despite his training with the Sichuan Tang Clan, he was barely resisting.
The primary reason Mu-jin sent Mu-y
ul away was to find a water source.
“Got it!”
“Woo-ki!”
Shortly after Mu-yul left the poison area.
“Sa… save .”
“Urrgh.”
In the chaos, Mu-jin’s party began their rescue efforts.
“Don’t hold them too tightly! The poison might stick to your skin!”
Despite the chaos, Mu-jin continued to issue various instructions, and at so point, even the Beast Palace Master stopped his pursuit and followed Mu-jin’s orders.
“Warriors! Hold on a little longer!”
Realizing his warriors were collapsing in the rear, the Beast Palace Master abandoned the pursuit.
“I cannot let my warriors die such a aningless death!”
He couldn’t accept such a pointless death for his warriors.
After rescuing about half of those poisoned from the area.
“Mu-jin! I found a river!”
Mu-yul, who had been sent to find water, returned.
Without hesitation, Mu-jin gave new orders.
“Those who aren’t poisoned, carry the fallen and head to the river! Wash the poison off in the water, then use internal energy to expel it!”
Those who had escaped the poison zone before being affected carried the fallen towards the river, following Mu-yul.
After so more ti, the rescue team managed to get everyone out of the poison area to the river.
“Whew.”
Mu-jin let out a deep sigh after the situation settled sowhat.
“Who knew that training for chemical warfare would co in handy.”
Most of Mu-jin’s instructions were based on what he had learned in the military.
The poison used by the Five Poison Sect might not be exactly like North Korean chemical attacks, but the thods were similar.
They would be absorbed through the respiratory system or skin, or dissolve the mucous mbranes.
That was why he had instructed Mu-yul to find a water source imdiately.
Mu-jin’s decision proved effective.
By washing off the poison, they could focus solely on expelling the poison that had entered their bodies.
It was possible only because Mu-jin had quickly assessed and issued the right commands.
“Phew. That was close.”
If they had delayed retreating any longer, most of the Beast Palace warriors would have died or been severely incapacitated.
Still, the battlefield was littered with countless corpses.
Though he hadn’t counted, there were well over a hundred, possibly two hundred bodies.
They were all Five Poison Sect mbers and rcenaries.
So had died in battle, but most had perished from their own poison.
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