Chapter 188
Amidst the darkness, Baek Mu-Gun surveyed the campsites of the three forces, including the Sun God Palace. Their encampment formed a circle, with the tents of the martial arts masters positioned at its heart. It became clear to Mu-Gun that the martial arts masters had chosen the central area for their stay.
I will have to review my plan.
With the tents clustered in the campsite's center, executing a covert assassination posed challenges for Mu-Gun. Any attempt would likely generate noise, risking the alertness of other martial arts masters in the central tents. Faced with this predicament, Mu-Gun considered a different approach initiating a significant assault at the very heart of the campsite, where the martial arts masters congregated.
Dropping the Infinite Thunder Sword towards the centrally clustered tents held the potential to injure numerous martial arts masters within. The aftermath, with its disruptive effects, would momentarily hinder the ability of those in the tents to retaliate.
However, Mu-Gun foresaw the inevitable consequence as he unleashed the Infinite Thunder Sword, the surrounding enemies would seize the opportunity to launch an assault. Though not on par with the martial arts masters, these elite members of the three forces posed a formidable challenge in their attacks.
The potential threat to Mu-Gun seemed minimal. In fact, he saw an advantage in the scenario. If the tents were dispersed and he had to assassinate the martial arts masters individually, Mu-Gun believed he could smoothly execute the initial assassinations.
Nevertheless, a prolonged series of assassinations would heighten their vigilance, making it increasingly challenging for Mu-Gun to succeed. Dealing with multiple martial arts masters in one decisive move, as in the current situation, appeared more effective. With determination, Mu-Gun patiently waited until after midnight before making his stealthy move when most of them were asleep.
Even with the three forces, including the Sun God Palace, on high alert for unforeseen circumstances, Mu-Gun skillfully evaded detection by activating the Dark Specter Stealth Art. Advancing towards the tents, he closed in to about fifty feet without arousing suspicion. The vigilance surrounding the tents proved particularly stringent, marked by a circle of dozens of lit torches and over a hundred guards on full alert.
Approaching the tents even closer proved impractical for Mu-Gun, yet the fifty-foot distance was sufficient for an effective attack. The Infinite Thunder Sword's range now reached up to one hundred and twenty feet, enabling Mu-Gun to strike five tents directly. Followed by the ten thousand Thunderbolt Swords, he could engulf up to ten tents.
Even if just one martial arts master occupied each tent, Mu-Gun had the potential to eliminate at least fifteen of them. As Mu-Gun harnessed the Thunder God Qi, preparing to unleash the Infinite Thunder Sword, a sudden disturbance erupted in the north corner of the campsite, accompanied by a soaring path of flames.
Enemies!
The enemies have launched a surprise attack!
The enemies are burning our food supply!
Urgent cries echoed from the north corner, prompting Mu-Gun to speculate that the Central Plains Murim Alliances Northern Sky Branch had deployed a special task force to set fire to the enemies' supplies and food.
The disruption was rapidly spreading, and the martial arts masters in the tents would soon emerge. Mu-Gun faced the pressing need to execute his attack before that occurred. Channeling the Thunder God Qi with all his strength, he unsheathed his sword.
Harnessing the Thunder God Qi to its maximum, a golden surge of lightning coursed through Mu-Gun's entire body. Those on guard duty, focused on the disturbance in the north corner, were perplexed to witness Mu-Gun, who was surrounded by this radiant display.
Simultaneously, Mu-Gun raised his sword towards the sky, unleashing a cascade of golden light. The radiant formation ascended to a height of one hundred and twenty feet, coalescing into the distinctive shape of a sword.
Its the enemy!
Attack!
The guards around Mu-Gun belatedly comprehended the situation and hastened towards him. Unperturbed, Mu-Gun paid them no attention, swinging the colossal golden sword down towards the densely clustered tents. The Infinite Thunder Sword descended like lightning.
As the guards reached Mu-Gun, launching an assault, their attacks dissipated instantly, consumed by the golden wave of lightning swirling around Mu-Gun's body.
Amidst their astonishment, a towering golden sword, standing at one hundred and twenty feet, descended upon the tents, unleashing an earth-shattering explosion. The deafening roar reverberated not just once but echoed continuously. At the point of impact, the ground split and erupted fifty feet to the left and right, accompanied by a series of thunderous roars.
Seven tents were entirely obliterated by the direct force of the Infinite Thunder Sword, while over ten more were ravaged and scattered by the ensuing shockwaves. The occupants of the initial seven tents vanished without a trace, and those in the remaining tents, affected by the shockwaves, sprawled unceremoniously on the ground.
The onslaught of the Infinite Thunder Sword didn't conclude with its initial impact. After fiercely striking the ground, the sword fragmented into ten thousand Thunderbolt Swords, creating a tempest that rampaged across an area of a hundred feet in all directions.
The ten thousand Thunderbolt Swords wreaked havoc on the remaining tents that had evaded the initial assault, assailing the martial arts masters within. Startled by the unexpected turn of events, the occupants of the remaining tents swiftly prepared for battle, realizing that something had gone awry after the direct hit from the Infinite Thunder Sword.
Before they could complete their preparations for battle, the ten thousand Thunderbolt Swords swiftly overwhelmed them. Consequently, they crumpled to the ground, their bodies pierced by the Thunderbolt Swords without a chance to mount a proper defense.
Eager to continue the assault, Mu-Gun halted upon noticing a few individuals with an unusual aura emerging from tents beyond the reach of his initial attack. Hastily retracting the ten thousand Thunderbolt Swords, he activated the Thunder God's Shadow, soaring to the opposite side.
Mu-Gun, encased in a golden wave of lightning, moved like a streak of light, and the trailing golden wave extended like a radiant meteor shower.
Stop that bastard!
The martial arts masters from the deep-seated tents urgently shouted and pursued Mu-Gun. Martial artists outside the tents attempted to intervene upon their cries, but their efforts proved futile against Mu-Gun's swift movements enveloped in a golden wave of lightning.
Despite the determined pursuit of the martial arts masters from the tents, they struggled to match Mu-Gun's formidable speed. Eventually conceding, they abandoned the chase and returned to the campsite. Having eluded the enemy's pursuit, Mu-Gun recalled the fire that erupted in the north corner, likely orchestrated by the Northern Sky Branch.
While escape would be fortunate, their safety remained uncertain. Contemplating briefly, Mu-Gun altered his course, heading towards the northern part of the campsite.
On the north side of the campsite, the Northern Sky Branch's special task force achieved success in setting fire to the supplies and food despite heightened enemy vigilance. However, their triumph came at the cost of being surrounded by the enemy. Fortunately, the martial artists guarding the provisions lacked exceptional skills.
Despite being an elite group within the two Great Families and three Prominent Sects, the Northern Sky Branch's special task force struggled to break through the enemy's encirclement, despite their formidable martial arts prowess.
Despite the enemy's inferior skills, the sheer number of individuals comprising the encirclement posed a formidable challenge. The special task force systematically overcame the enemy's martial artists with their exceptional skills, yet the encirclement showed no signs of weakening.
On the contrary, it grew more robust as additional martial artists joined in response to the emergency alert, reinforcing the perimeter. To worsen the situation, even the martial arts masters positioned at the campsite's center made their presence known.
"I fear escaping might be beyond our reach."
"The instant we committed to this mission, we were prepared to lay down our lives. Our deaths, at the very least, won't be in vain, having fulfilled our mission.
"True. And since our fate is sealed, let's ensure we take as many with us as possible to the afterworld.
That is a good idea.
Committed to their fate, the special task force fiercely battled, intent on maximizing casualties. Despite their valiant efforts, the situation took an unexpected turn with the arrival of martial arts masters from the Sun God Palace.
The dynamics of the battle shifted dramatically as the one hundred members of the special task force began to fall one by one. Before long, half of the special task force had perished, leaving the remaining members in imminent danger.
However, a savior emerged it was none other than Mu-Gun. Upon reaching the north corner of the campsite, Mu-Gun witnessed the special task force besieged by the martial arts masters from the Sun God Palace. Without hesitation, he swiftly intervened to rescue them. As he hurried toward the beleaguered special task force, Mu-Gun hurled the Flying Golden Shield.
Infused with the golden Thunder God Qi, the Flying Golden Shield surged through the elite masters of the Sun God Palace attacking the special task force. Swift as lightning, the shield proved unstoppable, slicing through necks and smashing chests. It rotated gracefully back into Mu-Gun's hands after incapacitating more than twenty individuals.
Descending beside the special task force members, Mu-Gun's sudden appearance left both the Sun God Palace's elite masters and the special task force members in a state of flustered astonishment.
"It's the Golden Shield Thunder God!" A member of the special task force exclaimed in disbelief upon seeing Mu-Gun's arrival.
"Save the greetings for later. For now, follow closely behind me. I'll break through the encirclement."
Without waiting for responses from the special task force's martial artists, Mu-Gun charged forward. Flying toward the Sun God Palace's elite masters, he extended the Flying Golden Shield. A surge of golden Thunder God Qi emanated from the shield, shaping into a colossal shield.
Mu-Gun unleashed a Shield Aura in front of him with the Flying Golden Shield, activating the Thunder God's Shadow. Propelled like a cannonball, his body surged towards the encircling elite masters of the Sun God Palace.
The elite masters of the Sun God Palace, colliding with the Shield Aura of the Flying Golden Shield extended by Mu-Gun, were ruthlessly trampled and forcefully propelled to both sides. Unable to impede Mu-Gun's lightning-fast advance with the golden Shield Aura, the encirclement, formed like a wall by dozens of individuals, crumbled under a single charge.
Having breached the encirclement, Mu-Gun swung the Flying Golden Shield alternately to both sides. A massive golden Shield Aura surged forth, pulverizing and obliterating the elite masters of the Sun God Palace on the left and right.
Go ahead first!
Heeding Mu-Gun's command, the special task force members swiftly escaped the encirclement, running with all their might. Mu-Gun followed closely, tossing the Flying Golden Shield at the relentless Sun God Palace martial artists who pursued them.
The shield, in its flight toward the pursuers, spun violently, releasing waves of golden Thunder God Qi in all directions. The pursuing martial artists, struck by the emitted golden Thunder God Qi, collapsed in large numbers.
Overwhelmed by Mu-Gun's formidable martial prowess, the Sun God Palace's martial artists hesitated to persist in the pursuit. Sensing powerful energy sources approaching from afar, Mu-Gun swiftly flew in the direction where the special task force had escaped.
* * *
In the Sun God Palace's campsite, the Tyrant Cult's Ten Demonic Monarchs, including the Tyrant Divine Demon Gu Pae-Cheon, and the Sun God Palace's Patriarch, Sun God Monarch Yah Yul-Je, alongside the Sun God Palace's Absolute Realm masters, the Twelve Sun Generals, convened.
The atmosphere in the barracks, with the gathering of twenty-four masters, was somber. It was expected; more than half of their essential supplies and food for the ongoing battle had been incinerated.
Additionally, over forty Upper Peak Realm masters had perished. It wasn't a conventional battle but rather the toll exacted by a lone assassin. The term 'only' ceased to apply when the assassin in question was the Thunder God's successor.
"How could you all fail to notice that man's presence as he made his way to the center of the campsite?" Pae-Cheon expressed his frustration.
"It was none other than the Thunder God's successor, not just anyone. Even a martial arts master above the Upper Peak Realm would have struggled to detect his infiltration," replied one of the Tyrant Cult's Ten Demonic Monarchs, the Tyrant Sword Monarch Huh Geuk-Sang.
"Does this mean that we'll face the same fate if the Thunder God's successor chooses to launch another undercover attack?" Pae-Cheon asked.
"If the circumstances remain as they are, that seems highly probable. To prevent the Thunder God's successor from infiltrating again, we'll need masters above the Upper Peak Realm to be on guard," Geuk-Sang responded.
"Considering that most of our Upper Peak Realm masters are deceased, it appears our Absolute Realm masters will have to take on the responsibility of standing guard," Pae-Cheon remarked with evident displeasure.
"This isn't the time to be concerned about rank or honor. If the Thunder God's successor launches another undercover attack, our remaining masters could vanish in an instant, even while asleep," Geuk-Sang cautioned.
This is ridiculous. I cant believe we are being swayed by only one person.
I suspect the Spindle Sect wasn't defeated at Behai for no reason.
What is the situation with our supplies and food? Pae-Cheon asked Yul-Je.
There is no immediate problem right now thanks to the fact that we spread our supplies and food just in case of an unexpected situation. Yul-Je replied.
Thats a relief.
However, if we suffer such losses again, it could setback our battle plans. Yul-Je said truthfully.
Then, we must make sure something like that does not happen. Pae-Cheon replied firmly.
Do you have a plan?
"As soon as dawn breaks, we'll move to obliterate a nearby city. Subsequently, we'll leave a message for the Central Plains Murim Alliance, declaring that we are targeting a neighboring city in retribution for the losses we've endured," Pae-Cheon suggested.
"Given the fear of civilian casualties, they won't dare to ambush us again," Yul-Je concurred.
"That approach not only deters the Central Plains Murim Alliance but also prevents the Thunder God's successor from launching reckless ambushes," Geuk-Sang added.
"Even with these measures, we mustn't lower our guard. Effective immediately, be on high alert starting tonight," Pae-Cheon ordered.
Understood. We will personally be on the lookout.
We will also dispatch the Twelve Generals. Yul-Je said.
Without any objections, Geuk-Sang and Yul-Je complied with Pae-Cheon's orders. From that night onward, the Tyrant Cult's Ten Demonic Monarchs and the Sun God Palace's Twelve Sun Generals stood guard at the campsite.
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