The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 148

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Red Dragon Martial Emperor Chapter 148

Chapter 148 — The Identity of the Southwestern King

Zhao Guang examined the two figures entering the Gorge carefully. Yet both were strangers to him.
He reached out to Papa through Telepathic Communication.
[Are these the ones called the Southwestern King’s shadows?]
[That would seem likely, sir.]
[Have they been tracking me?]
[The Southwestern King has not confirmed that you are with the Northern Military Unit. If he suspects this, he may have sent them after the Great General.]
“…….”
Papa continued.
[In truth, the Great General asked me in detail about the martial artists surrounding the Southwestern King. I disclosed everything I knew of them. I beg your forgiveness. The atmosphere left no room for refusal…….]
[No. If the Southwestern King means to strike at the Great General, we should have informed him before being asked. Think nothing of it.]
Zhao Guang’s gaze grew heavy and distant.
Those who had cut down the martial artists loyal to him without mercy. Those who had swept aside even masters hired at great expense like autumn leaves. Their terrible power remained with him still — a nightmare that would not fade.
And now they stood before his eyes.
For now there were only two, but he could not know how many others lurked elsewhere.
[Papa.]
[Yes, Your Highness.]
[If we are forced to fight them, aid the Great General.]
[Understood.]
It was then that Papa’s eyes widened.
Yi Hwan had launched himself toward Hwang Po-in and Cheong Po-in.
Whoosh!
Papa launched upward with a powerful bound from the ground.
Zhao Guang fervently prayed that this situation would pass without bloodshed.

* * *

Seven points of light erupted from Yi Hwan’s body, moving toward Hwang Po-in at a speed that far transcended anything shown before.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
The light shattered against Hwang Po-in’s sword barrier and dissipated.
“……!”
Boom!
The tremendous impact drove Hwang Po-in back five steps. Then a single beam of white light streaked toward him.
Crack!
Cheong Po-in blocked it.
Zzzzt!
Unable to withstand the impact, Cheong Po-in’s sleeve tore to shreds and fluttered away.
“Damn it! He was waiting for us!”
Cheong Po-in and Hwang Po-in quickly positioned themselves back-to-back. Before them, Yi Hwan, Cheol Mu-ok, Ju-tae, and a line of warriors from the Wang clan descended in succession.
Last came Papa, revealing himself.
[What? This man shouldn’t have been this strong…….]
Hwang Po-in’s Telepathic Communication carried shock mixed with bewilderment. A single clash had shown him that Yi Hwan’s martial prowess exceeded what he had witnessed on the battlefield.
[Then perhaps the others didn’t fight at full strength either.]
[Damn it…….]
They faced the approaching Yi Hwan and channeled Inner Strength into their blades. Yi Hwan asked them calmly.
“Did the Southwestern King send you?”
They said nothing.
A cruel order fell from Yi Hwan’s lips.
“You may kill one of them.”
“Yes.”
Cheol Mu-ok and Ju-tae moved into position. The Wang clan warriors did not advance but instead cut off their retreat.
Yi Hwan sent a Telepathic Communication to Papa.
[Hide the Amipa Sect’s martial techniques, Papa.]
[Understood.]
[And calm yourself.]
“…….”
In truth, Zhao Guang was deeply excited. The figures before her were allies of those who had slaughtered her subordinates.

* * *

Thump.
Yi Hwan’s heart raced.
The descendant of the Blood Demon—his ancient foe—had appeared before him, crossing two centuries of time.
To be certain, he had tested with ten layers of inner strength, just to confirm. The technique was unmistakably the Blood Demon Technique.
‘The King of the Southwest knows of Dae-ya Fortress, and his subordinate has learned the Blood Demon’s martial arts. So is the King of the Southwest himself a descendant of the Blood Demon? Or is there someone else standing behind him?’
As Yi Hwan’s mind churned, Cheol Mu-ok and Ju-tae unleashed a relentless assault.
Flare!
Cheol Mu-ok’s broadsword blazed with light.
Crash!
Ju-tae’s blade flashed brilliantly.
Clang!
Cheong Po-in parried Cheol Mu-ok’s broadsword and evaded Ju-tae’s strike, retreating steadily. The fact that he could withstand their combined assault at all was remarkable enough—a counterattack was not even a possibility.
Yi Hwan advanced toward Hwang Po-in and asked coldly.
“Is the King of the Southwest a descendant of the Blood Demon?”
Hwang Po-in did not answer this time either.
His mind held only one thought: how to escape this trap.
‘One mistake, and I’ll be buried here.’
Shimmer.
White radiance flowed down the length of Yi Hwan’s blade.
Against such an opponent, he could not afford crude tactics.
“The King of the Southwest knows who I am, it seems—and sent you for this.”
Shimmer!
Crimson brilliance ignited once more along Hwang Po-in’s blade. It was undoubtedly the Blood Demon Technique.
“I’ll ask again. Is the King of the Southwest a descendant of the Blood Demon?”
“If you’re so curious, find out yourself.”
“Fine. I shall.”
Shimmer.
The white radiance surrounding Yi Hwan’s sword swelled, writhing with growing ferocity.
“I’ll spare one of you. If you hope it’s you, surrender while you still can.”
Hiss.
“That makes no sense.”
Boom-crash!
Explosions erupted beside them, one after another.
Cheong Po-in, caught between Cheol Mu-ok and Ju-tae, was already bleeding from wounds across his body. Yet somehow he remained on his feet, holding firm.
‘I must survive!’
Whoosh!
Hwang Po-in vanished.
At the same instant, Yi Hwan’s blade fell in a vertical arc.
Crash!
He struck empty air, and sparks erupted with a deafening boom. In the next moment, the vanished Hwang Po-in materialized with a twisted expression, rocketing upward into the sky. Yi Hwan drove off the ground to pursue.
Bang!
That was when it happened.
Cheong Po-in, still under assault from Cheol Mu-ok and Ju-tae, suddenly charged at Yi Hwan.
“What!”
Caught off guard by the unexpected move, Cheol Mu-ok and Ju-tae hurried after Cheong Po-in, throwing themselves in pursuit.
‘Dammit…….’
Yi Hwan could not follow Hwang Po-in.
Cheong Po-in had charged at him with the Mutual Destruction Technique. In midair, Yi Hwan twisted his body and thrust his blade straight out before him.
Pierce!
The blade pierced clean through Cheong Po-in’s throat. In that same instant, Cheong Po-in’s weapon grazed Yi Hwan’s shoulder and passed. A severed garment fluttered down.
Thud!
Cheong Po-in hit the ground, his breath extinguished.
“My lord!”
Cheol Mu-ok and Ju-tae rushed to Yi Hwan’s side.
“You should have stayed focused.”
“…… I apologize.”
Yi Hwan swept his cold gaze across the two of them, then turned his attention toward where Hwang Po-in had vanished.
Regret and fury surged through him.
‘I should have captured one of them.’
Had Hwang Po-in exploited Cheong Po-in’s death, or had Cheong Po-in thrown away his life to save Hwang Po-in? Either way, compared to the Blood Demon’s forces of ages past, there was little difference in their ruthlessness.
That was when Cheol Mu-ok spoke, his tone heavy.
“He saw through all our techniques.”
Ju-tae continued.
“It seemed he knew our trajectories, so we deployed techniques that our ancestor rarely used. But he saw through those as well. That’s why it took longer than it should have. I apologize.”
“Is that the truth?”
“Yes.”
Yi Hwan was genuinely startled.
So the Sword King and Blade King’s techniques had been thoroughly analyzed. If true, it meant the enemy had spent two centuries dissecting and preparing for them in meticulous detail.
And he had done so in preparation for people who might never even appear?
‘The enemy was preparing thoroughly all along, while we wandered the realm knowing nothing of each other’s existence……’
What was this? This sense of defeat.
‘If the Blood Demon’s heirs survived, then the Radiant Demon’s heirs must also be alive somewhere in this world.’
His heart grew heavy.
Perhaps now, more important than hunting down the lost history of Dae-ya Fortress, was remaining vigilant against the Blood Demon’s descendants who now knew his identity—and the Radiant Demon’s heirs, who could emerge anywhere, at any time.
‘Heirs of the Blood Demon who swallowed an entire kingdom…… The board has grown far larger than it was two hundred years ago.’
Everyone gathered around Yi Hwan.
Even the Jin Kingdom’s delegation.
Perhaps because of the heavy atmosphere that settled over them, no one dared speak to him.
Clang!
Yi Hwan sheathed his sword and turned away.
“We move.”

* * *

[Did you see that?]
[I saw.]
[Who exactly is that man? Why is he so strong?]
The expression on Dan Ri-mok’s face as he stared at Yi Hwan’s retreating form was remarkable. Namgung Jang-cheon’s was little different.
Yi Hwan’s martial power, witnessed at such close range, was truly staggering.
Even Namgung Jang-cheon, who had already known Yi Hwan was formidable, found himself doubting his own eyes.
[The Great General of Yen Kingdom is a master of the highest caliber. This is intelligence of the highest order.]
[Calm yourself and keep your eyes on the road ahead.]
“…… Ow!”
A drooping branch struck Dan Ri-mok across the face. He rubbed the spot with an embarrassed expression.
Namgung Jang-cheon kept his eyes fixed on Yi Hwan’s departing figure, his body relaxed against the horse’s movements as they rode ahead.
‘That last move was unmistakably the Extreme Reverse Sword Technique. Such power—at least forty years of inner cultivation—is required to execute it. To witness it in person……’
A chill ran down his spine.
His skin prickled with gooseflesh once more.
What unsettled him most was that each time he saw Yi Hwan, the man had grown stronger still.
Then came Yi Hwan’s final command, cutting through the air.
“Full speed ahead.”
“Full speed ahead!”
Thud-thud-thud!

* * *

“Hack!”
Having spewed out a bucket’s worth of blood, Hwang Po-in watched Yi Hwan’s receding figure with trembling eyes.
‘He was hiding his true strength on the battlefield…… If that’s the case, then he might not be a mere descendant of Dae-ya Fortress—he could be the heir of the Fortress Lord himself.’
A single clash had dealt him internal injuries.
Even though he had concealed it to the end, if Cheong Po-in had delayed even slightly before rushing to his aid, he would have collapsed from his own wounds before being saved.
“Hack!”
Hwang Po-in coughed up blood again.
He wiped the blood from his mouth and gazed upon Cheong Po-in, whose body was already growing cold.

I was wrong. You must escape and inform the South King that what we saw on the battlefield was not the full extent of that man’s abilities.

Cheong Po-in’s choice in that final moment. It was because of him that I lived.
Looking down at Cheong Po-in, Hwang Po-in’s eyes were clouded with conflicted emotion. He had been wary of him, afraid his own mistake would be exposed—yet the man had thrown away his life to save him.
“I will repay this debt by laying you to rest in sunlit ground. May you find peace in the next realm.”
Hwang Po-in, bearing the corpse on his back, reached a place where the sun fell warmly and began to dig. But his internal injuries were severe enough that the work could not be rushed.
“Damn it.”
Hwang Po-in paused to rest. His stomach still churned, and blood rose and fell in his throat like a tide. The pain near his dantian was unbearable.
“I’m losing it.”
He lay flat on his back. By now the sky had cleared, and white clouds drifted lazily like cotton through the blue.
Time passed—perhaps a quarter hour.
A shadow fell suddenly across Hwang Po-in’s face.
Only then did Hwang Po-in realize someone had approached. He jolted upright as if struck by lightning.
“Amitabha.”
A stream of Buddhist Palm energy flowed toward him.
Hwang Po-in yanked the sword he had planted in the ground and retreated quickly.
‘Shaolin Temple!’
Two monks stood before him.
One of them scanned Hwang Po-in’s entire body quietly, then murmured.
“What is this corpse, and what is this demonic energy that flows through your body, benefactor?”
“Listen, monk. Why don’t you just go on your way?”
“Once a Buddhist takes vows, we cannot simply pass by such a ghastly sight. Benefactor, confess the truth at once.”
Though Hwang Po-in feigned composure, inwardly he tensed completely.
‘Why are these Shaolin monks here…’
Shaolin Temple and demonic cultivators were natural enemies. Running into one of their masters here meant even this hard-won life could end in this very place.
“Why do you delay your answer?”
The monk’s voice seemed to fade from Hwang Po-in’s hearing.
There was something far more absolute he still had to do.
He had to tell the South King that Yi Hwan was far more than a mere branch of Dae-ya Fortress—that he had been concealing his true strength.
That was when it happened.
The other monk spoke up urgently.
“Master, His Highness awaits. This is a demonic cultivator who has taken lives. Let us dispose of him quickly and return.”
“Very well. So be it.”
Golden radiance erupted from the monk’s body. Before Hwang Po-in could so much as move, it tore his head clean from his shoulders.
Thud!
The headless corpse crumpled lifelessly to the ground.
Yi Hwan’s secret was buried in that moment.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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