The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 83

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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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The Red Dragon Martial Emperor Episode 83

Chapter 83 — Nam Gung Jang Cheon’s Yin Energy Art

The Yen warriors placed absolute faith in the Habuk Peng Clan, while the Zhao warriors trusted implicitly in the Demon Warriors of Ghost Valley.
Collision was inevitable.
“You dogs! Where do you think you are, crawling up here?”
“This was neutral ground! What the hell is this?”
“Kill them all!”
Strike!”
Crash!
Crack!
As the two forces clashed, Nam Gung Jang Cheon’s eyes never left the Demon Warriors of Ghost Valley. He watched their every movement with the intensity of a hunter tracking prey.
“Argh!”
“Ugh!”
Two of the Zhao warriors fell first, blood spraying as they dropped. What drew Nam Gung Jang Cheon’s attention were the giants—massive figures wielding enormous broad swords.
Those swords, which ordinary men could scarcely lift, they wielded as casually as twigs, dominating the battlefield with overwhelming force.
‘Just as I thought. The Habuk Peng Clan.’
For centuries they had reigned as the First Sword Family Under Heaven, the lords of Habuk, and they proved worthy of that renown. Even the Jin Kingdom regarded the Habuk Peng Clan as the most formidable force in Yen’s Martial World.
Boom!
At last, a Peng Clan warrior and a Demon Warrior of Ghost Valley clashed directly.
Broad sword met blade, and the earth erupted in a torrent of dust. The force was so tremendous that nearby warriors had to retreat to escape the cloud.
‘Yen will dominate this fight.’
Nam Gung Jang Cheon’s prediction proved accurate. Scarcely more than an hour after the clash began, the Zhao forces started to give way.
Though Ghost Valley had two Demon Warriors, the Peng Clan had positioned five warriors against them. Despite the individual superiority of the Demon Warriors, they could not overcome the numerical disadvantage.
“Argh!”
Zhao warriors fell one after another, blood spilling as they died. With three of the Peng warriors turning to assault Zhao’s remaining soldiers, the momentum shifted decisively against them.
Crack!
“Choke!”
Though the blade blocked the broad sword, the overwhelming difference in power severed both blade and wielder in a single, terrible stroke.
Then it happened.
“Ugh!”
One of the Peng Clan warriors gasped and staggered. A Demon Warrior had carved a wound across his chest.
As the Demon Warrior lunged for the kill, another Peng Clan warrior struck from behind.
The Demon Warrior had no choice but to abandon his prey and fall back.
“You dogs!”
“Finish those shells first!”
The Peng Clan warriors turned their full attention toward the Demon Warriors of Ghost Valley.
Then it came.
A shrill whistle.
At the sharp blast, the Zhao forces began retreating. By chance, several of them rushed toward the spot where Nam Gung Jang Cheon had concealed himself.
Nam Gung Jang Cheon placed his hand on his Sword Qi.
‘Come to me.’
He waited for the Demon Warriors of Ghost Valley. He had no intention of intervening, but he had no intention of letting them escape alive either. If circumstances allowed, that is.
Thump-thump-thump!
Several Zhao soldiers rushed past Nam Gung Jang Cheon’s hiding place. He ignored them and kept his eyes fixed on the Demon Warriors. And then it came.
The Demon Warriors sprinted toward Nam Gung Jang Cheon’s position. He drew his blade in silence. A flash of white Sword Qi traced up the steel.
Flash!
“……!”
The Demon Warrior flinched at the sudden light and twisted his body by instinct. But the light was faster than the eye could follow, and he could not escape it.
Slash!
A severed head soared into the air.
The other Demon Warrior reeled at his comrade’s sudden death and wheeled about in panic.
‘Futile.’
Nam Gung Jang Cheon launched himself after the fleeing Demon Warrior.

* * *

“Look there!”
The warriors of the Habuk Peng Clan and those of Yen Kingdom gazed up as Nam Gung Jang Cheon burst through the forest canopy.
“Is he one of ours?”
“Hard to say.”
“That man killed one of Ghost Valley’s Demon Warriors far too easily. But if he’s not one of ours, where could he have come from?”
Everyone’s eyes widened at Nam Gung Jang Cheon’s Lightness Technique, yet none had the leisure to give chase. Zhao forces could descend upon them again at any moment.
“Is everyone all right?”
A warrior from the Habuk Peng Clan surveyed the group. There were no dead, though several warriors bled from their wounds.
It had been a small engagement, but a decisive victory.
“Back to the encampment.”
“Yes!”

* * *

Nam Gung Jang Cheon pursued the Demon Warrior.
The creature, aware of his presence, fled without a backward glance—but Nam Gung Jang Cheon’s Lightness Technique had long surpassed even the pinnacle of perfection.
Judging escape impossible, the Demon Warrior cried out toward the Zhao forces.
“Tell the Master that Nam Gung Jang Cheon is here!”
It pivoted in midair and hurled a blade toward Nam Gung Jang Cheon.
Whistle!
The sword streaked through the air like lightning aimed at his chest, but it was nothing more than a futile gesture.
Nam Gung Jang Cheon dodged and closed in immediately. The Demon Warrior made one final move, swinging both hands, but Nam Gung Jang Cheon’s blade was faster.
Thud!
“Gasp!”
His sword pierced the creature’s heart and emerged from its back.
The Demon Warrior convulsed like a fish on a spear, then collapsed.
Thump!
Nam Gung Jang Cheon watched the fleeing Zhao warriors with narrowed eyes.
“Alerting the Master to my presence—a reasonably sound decision,” he murmured.
Disappointment washed over him.
His arrival had been discovered far too quickly. True, he might kill a few more if he pursued them, but those scattered troops were beyond complete containment.
Nam Gung Jang Cheon looked down at the corpse.
‘These creatures hollow out their inner strength, then flood it all in at once during an attack. If I gauge them by power alone, I could face even stronger masters.’
Since he had overlooked this tactic in his engagements with them before, Nam Gung Jang Cheon found some consolation in being exposed.
He lifted his gaze toward the east.
West lay the Zhao Military Encampment; east, the Yen Military Encampment.
‘If word of my arrival spreads, they’ll launch a massive search. My best option is to remain near the Yen encampment and wait for them to come.’
Nam Gung Jang Cheon turned eastward toward the Yen Kingdom’s Southern Army.
The moment he departed, the Demon Warrior’s chest—pierced by his blade—froze white.
Crackle!
This terrifying Yin Energy Art, Nam Gung Jang Cheon had never once deployed in actual combat.
“Still incomplete. I’ll need to train properly while I’m here.”

* * *

In the skirmish between scouts, the Yen forces claimed a decisive victory. Treating it like a prelude to larger battles, the entire encampment erupted in cheers. Talk also turned to the formidable strength the Habuk Peng Clan had displayed.
The news reached Yi Hwan’s ears.
Clink.
The fragrance of Dragon Well Tea filled the room.
Enjoying the finest Dragon Well Tea from Yi Yeong had become Yi Hwan’s daily ritual.
“There was a Demon Warrior from Ghost Valley among the enemy scouts?”
“Yes. Two of them were there, and the Habuk Peng warriors overwhelmed them. But there was something peculiar about someone else at the scene.”
“Peculiar?”
Yi Hwan set down his cup and fixed his gaze on Song Hoe.
Song Hoe continued.
“Someone was present at the battle. He killed one of the Demon Warriors with ease, then chased off the Zhao forces and vanished.”
This was arresting news.
A master skilled enough to dispatch Ghost Valley’s Demon Warriors so effortlessly had been on that battlefield.
Yi Hwan nodded silently.
“Truly strange. If he concealed his appearance, he’s no ally of ours. Did the scouts notice anything distinctive about his bearing or weapons?”
“Yes, though he appeared quite young—perhaps in his very early twenties, based on what we could piece together from the varying accounts.”
If true, it was remarkable.
There were scarcely a handful of masters under heaven capable of dispatching Ghost Valley’s Demon Warriors with such ease at that age.
“In any case, thanks to the Habuk Peng Clan, morale in the encampment has risen considerably. Most of those who went into action were in their twenties, yet they say they overwhelmed the Demon Warriors of Ghost Valley.”
“At comparable skill levels, numerical superiority becomes an insurmountable barrier. It’s welcome news, but we shouldn’t grow too complacent.”
Clink.
“Bring more hot water.”
“Yes.”
As Song Hoe rose to leave, Go Mi entered.
“Prepare some for Go Mi as well.”
“Yes.”
Go Mi settled into the seat across from Yi Hwan.
“Any new intelligence?”
“There’s a rumor circulating through the enemy encampment that the Crown Prince of Zhao may come to the battlefield.”
“The Crown Prince of Zhao?”
“Yes. Though I haven’t been able to learn his reasons or intentions, the probability of his arrival seems quite high.”
“Strange. The Crown Prince, cast out by the lord of this stage that the King of the Southwest constructed to display his power, comes to the battlefield? Curious fellows indeed.”
“The real concern is that even a deposed crown prince would move with considerable forces—and from what I’ve heard, the Crown Prince of Zhao’s guards are among the finest masters the Zhao martial world has to offer.”
“One would expect nothing less of a crown prince.”
“You seem remarkably unconcerned.”
“Should I panic instead?”
…….
Yi Hwan leaned back in his chair and pondered for a moment.
‘If the board expands, will we need to bring in more martial artists ourselves?’
Since he couldn’t know the full scale of the martial forces the Zhao Crown Prince would bring, a measure of concern was warranted.
If he misjudged the situation and was pushed back, the vision he’d been working toward could crumble.
“Ju Tae—are you outside?”
“Yes.”
Ju Tae entered through the door.
He was wearing an apron.
“What’s with that getup?”
“I do a bit of cooking, sir. Some fine meat came in just now, so I thought I’d give it my best effort.”
“Never mind that. Send a letter to your clan and tell them to send down about five people.”
“Have the Zhao martial forces grown larger?”
“The Zhao Crown Prince may be coming. If so, his martial artists will surely come with him.”
“But why would a cast-out prince come to a stage built by the King of the Southwest?”
“You can ask him yourself later.”
…….
“Send that letter quickly.”
“Yes.”
After Ju Tae withdrew, Go Mi asked with a puzzled expression.
“May I ask why you don’t request reinforcements from the Crown Prince Palace?”
“We’ve got our hands full enough fighting the Empress without asking for support. Besides, I want you to practice this in your spare time.”
Tap.
Yi Hwan withdrew a letter tube from his robe and placed it on the table. Go Mi’s eyes widened.
“What is this?”
“An Inner Method I’ve developed. Once you master it, it should help considerably with increasing your internal power.”
……!
Go Mi’s eyes grew even larger.
“You can increase internal power through an Inner Method alone?”
“Why would I give you something useless? Take it before I change my mind.”
“……Thank you.”
Go Mi tucked the letter tube into her robe with a half-doubting expression.
“From now on, don’t venture too deep into enemy territory. If anything happens to you, I become as blind as if I’d lost my sight.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“If battle breaks out, stay as close to me as possible.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Go Mi’s heart quickened slightly.
It was a feeling entirely unfamiliar to her.
“Then I’ll take my leave now.”
“Have some tea before you go.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“The steward is preparing it himself. At least drink it out of courtesy.”
“…Very well.”
Go Mi sat back down.
After a moment of silence, Yi Hwan spoke abruptly.
“What if we killed Zhao Kingdom’s Crown Prince?”
“It wouldn’t be easy. And I’m not sure there’d be a reason to do it.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Though he’s fallen from favor, he’s still the Crown Prince. With him intact, the Western King will remain preoccupied, and Zhao Kingdom won’t easily escape its turmoil.”
“So there’s no need for me to clear up the enemy’s chaos with my own hand.”
“Perhaps the Crown Prince’s arrival here is even part of the Western King’s design. If the Crown Prince dies in battle, it would be most advantageous for him.”
At Go Mi’s words, the corners of Yi Hwan’s mouth lifted slightly.
“You’ve learned a trick or two.”
“Sir?”
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I nearly gave the enemy an advantage.”
“My reasoning could be mistaken.”
“No. There’s real merit to it. If I were Zhao Kingdom’s Western King, I’d do the same.”
Go Mi watched the smile spread across Yi Hwan’s face and found herself pleasantly surprised.
‘He’s certainly a remarkable man. For someone in his position to acknowledge his own shortcomings is no trivial matter—and in front of a subordinate, no less.’

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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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