Chapter 131 – The Decisive Battle (3)

Where they looked, Yu-jin stood with the warriors of the Heavenly Dragon Brigade. The Brigade had always been composed of individuals with formidable martial prowess, but having experienced numerous battles, they had rapidly emerged as the Martial Alliance’s—no, the Central Plains’—finest combat unit.

Through their many battles, they had learned to understand each other’s intentions with just a glance or a subtle signal. But the more terrifying fact was that at their center stood Yu-jin.

“You’ve been running wild until now.”

As Yu-jin spoke with a chilling smile, the Western Region warriors, overwhelmed by his presence, trembled involuntarily.

Adding to the effect, the members of the Heavenly Dragon Brigade were unusually clad in pure white garments embroidered with dragons, creating an illusion for the Western Region warriors that they were facing real dragons.

“Heavenly Dragons, bring death to our enemies.”

As Yu-jin said this and charged forward, the warriors of the Heavenly Dragon Brigade followed, beginning their assault on the Western Region warriors.

The sight was truly no different from dragons punishing their foes.

Yu-jin, leading the charge at the very front, swung his sword at a Western Region warrior before him, and the man’s head promptly tumbled to the ground.

No matter how sturdy a protective aura was, it was powerless before Yu-jin’s sword.

*CRASH! KABOOM!*

Sword auras, saber auras, and palm energies flew wildly through the air, and the sound of energies clashing erupted continuously.

In the midst of it all, several more people fell to the ground, but the Western Region martial artists had no time to spare for them, forced to keep swinging their weapons.

Soon, a look of despair dawned on their faces. All those who had fallen were their own comrades. The Heavenly Dragon Brigade was attacking them with ruthless efficiency, reaping their lives.

“Gaaah!”

“Aaargh!”

Every time Yu-jin swung his sword, the life of a Western Region warrior was invariably cut short.

“Die!”

One warrior, resigned to death, charged at Yu-jin from behind, but Yu-jin simply thrust his elbow back, shattering the man’s head.

Brain matter, blood, and flesh shot into the air, further messing up Yu-jin, who was already stained with the blood of the Western Region warriors.

The sight of Yu-jin in such a state terrified the Western Region warriors, preventing anyone from daring to approach him.

“I’ll be the one to kill him!”

Just then, a warrior with a rather formidable aura rushed toward Yu-jin. He had instinctively realized that they could only defeat the Heavenly Dragon Brigade by taking down Yu-jin.

“I’ll show you that a battlefield doesn’t bend to the will of brats!”

“Anyone can run their mouth.”

“You bastard!”

At Yu-jin’s cry, the Western Region warrior unleashed a powerful palm technique at him. But Yu-jin swiftly twisted his body, slicing through the palm energy and swinging his sword.

When his attack was neutralized, the warrior hurriedly extended his hand to block Yu-jin’s sword. A powerful aura coated the warrior’s hand, and it seemed as though it could stop the blade.

However, it didn’t take long for that to be proven a delusion.

*SLASH!*

“Keuk!”

The aura protecting his hand was cut, and blood flowed. The astonished warrior tried to use his other hand, but Yu-jin had already closed the distance and was swinging his sword downward.

“Guaaaargh!”

In an instant, the warrior was slashed from his right shoulder to his left waist and collapsed.

Having dealt with the strong opponent with ease, Yu-jin surveyed his surroundings. The battle was gradually descending into a chaotic melee, but the Heavenly Dragon Brigade was slaughtering the Western Region warriors at will, as if to demonstrate what an overwhelming difference in power looked like.

In this moment, the Heavenly Dragon Brigade were the slaughterers of the battlefield, and Yu-jin was its master.

Yu-jin’s rampage continued. His mere presence pressured and intimidated the souls of the Western Region warriors.

Moreover, Yu-jin was not alone. The Heavenly Dragon Brigade warriors beside him also radiated their energy, synchronizing with his, amplifying it further to pressure every Western Region warrior within a twenty-zhang radius.

“Hah!”

Yu-jin poured a massive amount of internal energy into his sword and swung it wide. A cluster of sword aura struck the earth, causing a huge explosion. The ground couldn’t withstand the immense force and shattered, sending chunks of rock and clumps of dirt flying in all directions.

And the Western Region warriors caught within it were annihilated without even a chance to scream. With a single strike from Yu-jin, nearly thirty warriors had met their end without being able to put up any real resistance.

Yu-jin’s sword had moved right before their eyes, and they had deployed their protective auras to block it, but their defenses were utterly useless against his blade.

“Target those who break away!”

The Western Region warriors who barely escaped Yu-jin’s attack were then killed by the members of the Heavenly Dragon Brigade moving under Namgung Hwi’s command.

Yu-jin wasn’t the only one making his mark on the battlefield.

“Tah!”

With a sharp cry, Kang Yong-hoon’s fist glowed red. He struck the air, sending the light flying toward a Western Region warrior.

The red light continuously exploded in mid-air, engulfing the Western Region warriors, who could only let out agonizing screams.

“How dare you kill our comrades and expect to get away unscathed!”

A Western Region warrior shouted, the veins on his neck bulging.

Judging by his use of a protective aura, he was clearly at the Peak Realm, but his right sleeve was already empty, and his entire body was drenched in blood.

It was a mix of his comrades’ blood and his own.

Kang Yong-hoon launched himself at the warrior.

“You bastard!”

The Western Region warrior thrust his remaining left arm toward the charging Kang Yong-hoon. Dodging it, Kang Yong-hoon reached out and grabbed the warrior’s left hand. In an instant, Kang Yong-hoon’s ferocious energy invaded the warrior’s body.

“Guaaaaaargh!”

The warrior screamed in agony, writhing in pain. Before the scream could even end, Kang Yong-hoon brought up his knee and smashed the man’s head.

The Western Region warriors, who had been focused solely on Yu-jin, finally noticed Kang Yong-hoon and unleashed their palm energy at him. But Kang Yong-hoon simply smiled as he watched the incredibly powerful palm energy approach.

‘Yes, this is the power I wanted. The power to overwhelm the battlefield!’

Although Kang Yu-jin was still superior, Kang Yong-hoon felt as if he could surpass him. Emboldened, he raised his protective aura and blocked the palm energy.

*KABOOOOM!*

A massive explosion erupted, raising a cloud of dust. The Western Region warriors stared nervously into the dust cloud. When they saw Kang Yong-hoon standing there, perfectly fine, they felt a wave of despair.

Among the martial arts of the Western Regions, their unique palm techniques were famous for being the most powerful. For Kang Yong-hoon to be unharmed after taking a combined blast from dozens of masters was reason enough for their despair.

“Then, it’s my turn.”

As he finished speaking, Kang Yong-hoon’s aura grew even more intense. The image of a red dragon materialized around his entire body. It was the power manifested from mastering the martial art he had acquired to its peak.

He had never shown it before, but for some reason, he felt like testing his limits today.

“I don’t know if you can take this…”

Kang Yong-hoon’s hands turned crimson, and a red light began to gather in the dragon’s mouth.

The Western Region warriors, sensing the ominous phenomenon, once again fired their palm energy at Kang Yong-hoon. Their intention was to eliminate him before he could attack.

However, the frenzied dragon also served as a protective aura, deflecting all the palm energies. Finally, Kang Yong-hoon threw his punch.

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*

Nothing remained where the red light had consumed everything. Not the ground, not the rocks, not the Western Region warriors who couldn’t dodge in time.

In an instant, well over thirty Western Region warriors had been vaporized. A strange smile bloomed on Yu-jin’s lips as he watched the scene.

“Is he trying to say he won’t fall behind me? If so, you’ll have to prove it. It looks like those Western Region bastards are finally getting serious.”

No sooner had Yu-jin spoken than a colossal presence began to push back against the Heavenly Dragon Brigade’s aura. At its center stood Nima, a disciple of the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven, his face cold as ice.

Behind him stood dozens of warriors, each one boasting profound martial skill.

“Go.”

At Yu-jin’s command, the Heavenly Dragon Brigade warriors immediately charged toward the men standing behind Nima. However, as if oblivious, Nima and Kang Yong-hoon only stared at each other.

“It should be fun to watch how much my younger brother has grown. Let’s see how much you can entertain your older brother. Do your best, little brother.”

***

Seeing the tide of battle completely turned by the Heavenly Dragon Brigade, the faces of the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven’s disciples twisted in anger.

The performance of the Heavenly Dragon Brigade was astounding enough to infuriate them. Deciding they couldn’t let them run rampant any longer, Nima spoke up.

“Master! I will lead our warriors and take care of those mongrels!”

“Go.”

The moment the Great Dharma Master’s permission was granted, Nima and the fifty or so warriors under him shot forward. They were Nima’s direct subordinates, all of whom had long since reached the Peak Realm.

As Nima advanced with his men, he happened to see Kang Yong-hoon annihilating dozens of warriors with a single blow.

Nima recognized at a glance that Kang Yong-hoon had reached the Transformation Realm, albeit an incomplete one.

‘To think there are two of them who have reached the Transformation Realm at such a young age! They must be eliminated!’

It was a shock to Nima, who had only been wary of Kang Yu-jin.

At the same time, he felt a sense of unease at the immense potential of the Central Plains’ martial world. And he made a vow. For the future of the Western Regions’ martial world, he would annihilate the Heavenly Dragon Brigade.

If they reached the Transformation Realm in their twenties, there was no telling what heights they might reach in the future. What was clear was that the more they grew, the bleaker the future of the Western Regions became.

“Die!”

Nima’s hands glowed with a golden light. As he thrust them forward, a torrent of golden palm energy surged toward Kang Yong-hoon.

It was a palm technique called the Diamond Seal, a step below the Heavenly Steel Seal that the Great Dharma Master practiced, but its power was by no means significantly inferior.

‘Dangerous!’

Kang Yong-hoon threw a punch toward the golden palm energy that seemed capable of tearing apart everything in its path. The frenzied dragon opened its mouth wide and shot out a beam of red light.

*KABOOM!*

A massive explosion occurred as the two colossal forces collided at a single point. But Nima and Kang Yong-hoon paid it no mind and charged at each other.

Nima struck first. As he extended both hands, another wave of palm energy, like a raging tide, crashed down. But Kang Yong-hoon didn’t panic and threw another punch. A red light shot from his fist.

*KABOOOOM!*

Another deafening roar. Yet again, the two paid it no heed and advanced, finally closing the distance.

This time, Kang Yong-hoon attacked first. He threw a powerful punch, and it landed squarely on Nima’s face.

“Urk!”

Nima, who had been relying on the Heavenly Light Protective Aura, the ultimate defensive art created by the Great Dharma Master, felt a momentary dizziness.

He had thought it was commendable that Kang Yong-hoon could withstand his palm technique, but he hadn’t believed his protective aura could be breached. Yet, Kang Yong-hoon had managed to pierce it, however slightly.

Thinking he had seized the advantage, Kang Yong-hoon threw a flurry of punches.

*ROOOOAR!*

The frenzied dragon roared.

The dragon coiling around Kang Yong-hoon’s body writhed as if to swallow Nima whole, opening its mouth in a threatening display.

Though on the defensive, Nima remained calm and composed, steadily blocking Kang Yong-hoon’s attacks. Then, he noticed something strange.

‘Hm?’

At some point, the power of Kang Yong-hoon’s techniques had weakened. Although the drop in power was slight, Nima, a master of the Transformation Realm with senses far surpassing an ordinary person’s, clearly felt it.

‘Oh no.’

Kang Yong-hoon realized it too and was slightly flustered. The truth was, the new martial art he had acquired was so powerful that it was overpowering his existing techniques, but it had not yet fused with them.

The energy of the new martial art was ferocious. While it wasn’t a problem normally, when he used his full power, it could overwhelm him, a flaw he needed to correct as soon as possible.

But because of the war, he hadn’t been able to properly address this weakness. As a result, after just a few exchanges, Kang Yong-hoon’s internal energy had become impure. If this continued, he would surely suffer from Qi Deviation.

“Hahahaha! To challenge me with an incomplete martial art, how utterly pathetic!”

Nima’s internal energy, honed under the Great Dharma Master, was pure. As if to prove it, the power of his attacks remained constant.

Kang Yong-hoon’s complexion grew paler as he blocked them, and the image of the frenzied dragon surrounding him became extremely faint.

Seeing this as a golden opportunity, Nima shouted, ready to end it.

“I’ll finish you.”