The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 199

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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 Undefeated — Episode 199

Chapter 199 — Beneath the Moonlight (2)

‘Manhwa Palace and Hongwol moving together. They were hunting for us from the start. But why are those bastards fighting each other?’
‘I don’t know why, but the situation’s in our favor. Now’s the moment. Move quickly.’
‘Understood.’
Before turning away, Hwa Ryeong gripped Go-mi’s hands tightly.
‘I’ll return as fast as I can. Hold on, no matter what. You understand?’
‘I will.’
Left alone, Go-mi watched the assassins of Manhwa Palace and Hongwol. Since they couldn’t see inside from outside, there was no need to hide separately.
‘I should have been more careful.’
The belated self-reproach made Go-mi bite her lip. They must have been watching her and her companions from the Imperial Palace itself.
She’d never imagined things would escalate this far from the very first day of entering the palace. That oversight had brought them to this pass.
‘How long can the Formation Array hold.’
A Formation Array had fixed rules and structure. And if one grasped the rules and structure, breaking through it was not difficult.
But even without that understanding, there were several ways to breach a Formation Array.
For instance, one could destroy it through overwhelming physical force. If all those enemies rushed at once and began pounding the barrier, Go-mi couldn’t guarantee how long it would last.
‘As long as the rain doesn’t come.’
Go-mi glanced at the sky. Fortunately, the moon and stars that had risen again shone brightly in their light.
Whoosh.
Go-mi took a deep breath and finally entered her Qi Circulation. Thanks to having learned Yi Hwan’s Inner Method, she could maintain Qi Circulation even while her mind remained sharp. This allowed her to pour continuous force into the Formation Array at its center.

* * *

“Commander, a missive has arrived.”
Mun I-jong immediately unfolded the letter his aide had handed him. His brow furrowed.
“The woman has mastered Formation Arrays.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“She’s deployed a Formation Array and hidden inside it—there’s apparently no way to breach it. I need to go to the site myself. You, meanwhile, go at once to the Second Prince and find out if anyone there is skilled in Formation Arrays.”
“Understood.”
Mun I-jong stepped outside immediately. As he did, he gazed toward the Gold Guard Command Center.
Most of the rooms, including Yi Hwan’s office, were dark, and the surroundings were very quiet.
‘They never expected us to move on the first day. That woman is as good as dead. Hehehehe.’
Feeling that things were finally falling into place, Mun I-jong smiled coldly.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”

* * *

Hwa Ryeong hauled herself over the cliff’s edge and launched into a desperate sprint.
‘Hold on, please!’
With Go-mi’s life at stake, Hwa Ryeong drew upon every ounce of her Inner Strength.
Tap-tap-tap!
Fortunately, no one was pursuing her. Even as she ran, she scanned her surroundings—no more pursuers in sight.
Had dark clouds gathered again?
The world without moon and stars was swallowed once more by pitch-black darkness.
Tap-tap-tap!
After cresting one mountain, the Imperial Capital began to glow with firelight in the distance.
Desperate to save even moments, Hwa Ryeong bolted in a straight line. It was then, just as she reached the flatland below the slopes, that it happened.
“!”
Figures came tearing through the darkness from ahead. At first they were fifty paces away at least, but within a few blinks they were almost upon her. They were moving as fast as she was.
Hwa Ryeong didn’t hesitate—she veered sharply to one side. In that instant, she caught sight of the face of the one leading the charge.
‘Mun I-jong!’
It was unmistakably Mun I-jong.
Hwa Ryeong felt her heart plummet. If Mun I-jong had joined them, Go-mi’s danger only deepened.
‘Please, let there be no one in the palace skilled in Formation Arrays.’
Crunch!
Hwa Ryeong clenched her teeth and drove her heel into the ground.
At that very moment, Mun I-jong and the assassins of Hongwol suddenly shifted direction, cutting off her path.
“Stop!”
‘Did they recognize me? No—I’m wearing the Face Mask right now.’
For an instant she tensed, but Hwa Ryeong had no time for hesitation; she veered further to the side. Yet Mun I-jong and the assassins came charging in a diagonal arc, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat.
“I said stop!”
Hwa Ryeong unleashed a Palm Strike without preamble.
Shrieeek!
Bang!
The assassin who took her strike staggered for a moment, his momentum crumbling.
Using that opening, Hwa Ryeong meant to surge forward—but it was merely her hope, nothing more.
Wheeeee!
“……!”
A sinister force burrowed toward her back; Hwa Ryeong twisted her body in mid-air and raised a Sword Defense.
Crash!
The brutal impact tore her robes in several places.
Yet Hwa Ryeong seized the backlash to instantly open a gap of more than ten paces—a dazzling feat of improvisation wrested from the razor’s edge between safety and ruin.
‘An expert of this caliber in such a remote place, at such an hour?’
Mun I-jong’s mind flashed to the contents of the missive. It had clearly stated that Go-mi was accompanied by another woman.
‘So they’ve broken through the array? No—impossible. Not with the Manhwa Palace assassins here as well.’
Mun I-jong called out at once.
“You men—pursue that woman! Capture her by any means necessary!”
“Yes!”
Go-mi was the greater prize; Mun I-jong alone changed course toward his destination.
Meanwhile, Hwa Ryeong pressed her left hand to her chest. Using the backblast to absorb her opponent’s assault through Sword Defense alone had cost her dearly in impact.
“Retch!”
Blood rose to her throat and spilled out. Yet as it did, the fog that had clouded her mind seemed to clear a little.
Crack!
She clenched her teeth. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw one fewer pursuer.
Mun I-jong was gone.
Bang!
Hwa Ryeong drove off the ground and ran across open terrain, not veering into the forests on either side. The Hongwol assassins gave fierce chase.
Yet Hwa Ryeong possessed such profound Inner Strength that the distance between them would not shrink.
Bewilderment flickered in the assassins’ eyes.
One of them cried out:
“If this woman is traveling with Go-mi, she’s certainly headed to beg the Fourth Prince for aid! We must capture her before she reaches the Imperial Palace!”
“Yes!”
Pap-pap-pap!
Pouring all their strength into the chase, the gap began to narrow inch by inch. Then one assassin touched his face with his hand and suddenly shouted:
“The woman is wounded!”
Blood stained the assassin’s palm. Hwa Ryeong’s blood had been caught on the wind, scattering, until it struck the assassin’s face.
“She blocked the Grand Administrator’s direct blow with only Sword Defense—if she hadn’t sustained an Internal Injury, that would be the real miracle! Push harder!”
“Yes!”
Pap-pap-pap!

* * *

Yi Hwan traveled alone toward some unknown destination.
None knew he had left his quarters—he had told neither Cheol Mu-ok nor Ju-tae.
Then where exactly was Yi Hwan headed?
‘It must contain what I’m looking for. It must.’
At present, he was making his way toward the Imperial Treasury.

Those who guard the Treasury obey only the Emperor’s word. Speak them this secret code, and they will not doubt you—they will open the Treasury doors.

The method to enter the Treasury as the Emperor had taught him—Yi Hwan repeated it to himself as he headed toward the north wing of the Imperial Palace.
When he reached a place where the sentries were relatively vigilant, he climbed onto the palace roof.
He could have walked openly, but he wished to keep his visit to the Imperial Treasury hidden from the Empress and Yi Tae-ji. He would tell Yi So afterward.
Yi Hwan moved in silence, suppressing all trace of his presence. Soon the massive structure that housed the Imperial Treasury appeared before his eyes.
Yi Hwan descended lightly to the ground. At that instant, a chill rose from all quarters at once.
‘Quite remarkable.’
Yi Hwan walked toward the main gate.
The area around the gate was empty. Everyone must have been watching from the shadows.
A moment later, Yi Hwan reached the gate and stopped. Then a sinister voice drifted from beyond the darkness.
“This is not a place for the Grand Prince to visit. Please leave.”
“Can’t we talk face to face?”
“I’m afraid not.”
The voice echoed as though resonating through a vast chamber. But Yi Hwan fixed his gaze precisely on the source of that voice and continued speaking.
“I come bearing the Emperor’s command.”
“Do you know that even a prince can be punished for falsifying an imperial decree?”
“As the Grand Prince, do you think I wouldn’t know that?”
A moment of silence passed. Then a shadow slowly took shape from the darkness.
It was a middle-aged man with an aura as sharp as a honed blade. Clad in simple martial robes with neither armor nor weapon, he stood before Yi Hwan. Their eyes met in the empty space between them, locked and entangled.
Yi Hwan spoke without emotion.
“Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”
“I greet the Grand Prince.”
“Your title.”
“That is classified and cannot be disclosed. First, please present proof that you carry the Emperor’s command.”
Yi Hwan stared directly into the middle-aged man’s eyes and recited the secret code the Emperor had given him. The code was quite long and extraordinarily cryptic.
Snap!
The moment the code ended, the middle-aged man dropped to the ground and prostrated himself. At the same time, the eerie pressure that had emanated from all directions vanished without a trace.
Yi Hwan asked casually.
“May I enter now?”
“Follow me, my lord.”
Yi Hwan followed the middle-aged man inside. It was nothing but a narrow, elongated corridor.
Yet Yi Hwan could not entirely hide his inner astonishment at the oppressive weight emanating from every corner.
‘At this level, no amount of time could ever breach this place.’
Yi Hwan watched the man’s back and asked.
“Does that code alone grant access to everything?”
“This code is known only to the Emperor and us.”
“I’ve heard there’s one key each in the Manhwa Palace and the Crown Prince Palace?”
“That is a separate matter.”
“Then do you all live only in this place?”
“I’m afraid that is also classified.”
“How many of you are there?”
“That too is classified.”
After several more questions, each answer came back the same. So Yi Hwan asked no further.
Presently the corridor ended, and a place like a cave appeared. If hell had an entrance, it would surely look like this.
The middle-aged man stopped and turned to face Yi Hwan.
“I cannot venture beyond this point. And half a double hour from now, a mechanism will activate automatically, sealing the passage. You must strictly observe the time limit.”
“Let me ask one thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Will I need to have any objects I bring out inspected?”
“No.”
“There’s no limit on quantity either?”
“That is correct.”
‘So this is the Emperor’s domain alone. Very well then—let me see what lies within.’
Yi Hwan steadied his breath and stepped boldly inside. The moment he crossed the threshold, the middle-aged man vanished like a ghost.

* * *

Flash!
Crack!
Two torrents of energy streaked past Hwa Ryeong, striking the ground to her left and right. Rising dust engulfed her face.
Hwa Ryeong did not counterattack—she focused entirely on running. But the distance between her and her pursuers had already closed to arm’s length, and at this rate she might be caught within a handful of breaths.
Boom!
Hwa Ryeong clenched her teeth and drove her feet into the earth.
Bang!
The Imperial Palace now lay barely thirty paces ahead. Beyond the city walls, another two hundred paces separated her from the Gold Guard Command Center. A distance that could be called short or impossibly long—but for Hwa Ryeong, it stretched like an eternity.
Shriek!
Another wave of sinister energy cutting through the air.
Hwa Ryeong divined the trajectory from the Sound of Qi Rupture alone and twisted her body mid-air.
Splash!
Blood sprayed from her shin.
Fortunately it was only a glancing blow, so her momentum didn’t falter, but her breath hitched and blood rose in her throat.
In moments like this, expelling it was the wisest course.
“Ugh!”
Blood scattered across the empty space she had just crossed.
The assassins of Hongwol rushed toward her without hesitation, blood splattered across their bodies.
Boom!
By the narrowest margin, their blades struck the City Walls instead. In that instant, Hwa Ryeong pivoted in midair and extended her Finger Strike.
“……!”
Thud!
“Argh!”
Half of an assassin’s head flew away.
The commotion in the dead of night sent warriors pouring out from every corner.
Yet the pursuit continued unabated.

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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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