noveltune Chapter 239:
Chapter 239:
The Alliance
At the moment when Gouyang Pae and Geum Yang-hwi were just beginning their duel at Daimaisareung.
Hundreds of people were entering the territory of Beast Palace in the northwest, having just left the territory of the Five Poison Sect located in the northeastern part of Southern Barbaria.
With the main warriors and the Beast Palace Master away, it was a movement to preemptively deal with the remaining warriors in and around Beast Palace.
However, the plan seemed to be going awry from the beginning.
“How dare you encroach upon our territory!”
Just as they entered the outskirts of Beast Palace, a dozen or so Beast Palace warriors suddenly appeared before them.
Of course, their numbers couldn’t impact the overall situation.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
The combined forces of the Five Poison Sect and Shinchun advancing towards Beast Palace numbered over four hundred.
Despite the disparity in numbers, the Beast Palace warriors, who seemed ready to charge, suddenly whispered among themselves and then shouted:
“Just you wait!”
With that absurd proclamation, they fled.
“......”
The poison experts from the Five Poison Sect, who had been leading the charge, stood dumbfounded at the sight.
“What are you doing standing there? Chase them!”
It was only after hearing the command from the Five Poison Sect’s deputy leader that they began to pursue the fleeing Beast Palace warriors, but by then, the distance had already widened.
Hwang Gon, who had been watching the pitiful display, furrowed his brow and asked:
“What are you doing?”
“It seems they were caught off guard by the unexpected situation,”
The deputy leader wasn’t pleased to be making excuses for his subordinates’ poor performance.
“Encountering the enemy on the battlefield is something that can happen at any time, is it not?”
“It’s not the encounter that surprised them.”
“Then what was it?”
“It was unexpected that they fled. Beast Palace warriors don’t care if their enemy is skilled or numerous. If they think of them as enemies, they just charge in like fools.”
“Hmmm...”
Hwang Gon stroked his beard, finding the deputy leader’s excuse plausible.
He, too, had gathered information to operate in Southern Barbaria and Yunnan regions. Naturally, he had some understanding of Beast Palace’s characteristics.
But the fact that the Beast Palace warriors had fled didn’t fit with the information he had gathered.
While Hwang Gon was lost in thought, the deputy leader, trying to seem nonchalant, spoke:
“We’ll continue advancing. Losing just ten men won’t affect the overall situation.”
“You are in command, do as you see fit.”
With that decision, they resumed their advance toward Beast Palace.
Twice more they encountered Beast Palace warriors, and each time, the warriors’ reactions were the same.
“Just you wait!!”
Their retreat with such third-rate villain lines left Hwang Gon and the deputy leader feeling uneasy.
That unease peaked when they finally reached Beast Palace.
“Deputy Leader! Beast Palace is completely empty!”
“What do you mean?”
“Literally, there isn’t a single ant left in Beast Palace. The last thing we saw were a few warriors leaving Beast Palace.”
“So, you’re saying that the warriors abandoned Beast Palace and fled?”
“Yes, Deputy Leader.”
The poison expert and the deputy leader exchanged puzzled looks.
The Beast Palace they knew would never make such a decision.
As both men stood bewildered, Hwang Gon interrupted.
“Which way were the fleeing warriors heading?”
The blue smoke was a signal to the main forces following behind, indicating that the main forces of Beast Palace were still intact.
Although they couldn’t grasp the detailed situation, Mu-jin, being a former soldier, easily understood their intention.
“They probably noticed our approach because of the smoke! We need to either retreat or speed up!”
“Hahaha! What’s there to think about!”
Upon hearing Mu-jin’s translated words from Gouyang Pae, the Beast Palace Master laughed heartily and resumed the charge.
Mu-jin and his group moved to the front, thinking it better for the skilled warriors to lead the charge now that their ambush had been discovered.
*Thud!*
Mu-jin, who quickly approached the Beast Palace Master, knocked down the ones who had produced the blue smoke.
“Whhew.”
As he struck them down, Mu-jin noticed the clothes of one melting slightly and releasing a pungent smoke where it touched his hand. He whistled softly.
“So, this is poison technique?”
Though he was highly resistant to weapons, Mu-jin realized he needed to be cautious of poison techniques.
With Mu-jin leading, the group swiftly dealt with the scouts and continued moving north.
They increased their speed to give the enemy less time to prepare, and soon, hundreds of enemies appeared before them.
About half of them were in uniform green clothing, while the other half wore diverse outfits typical of Central Plains warriors.
‘The ones in green are from the Five Poison Sect, and the rest must be the mercenaries they’ve hired.’
It was hard to estimate the exact numbers due to the jungle’s dense foliage, but it was clear there were hundreds.
Mu-jin was not one to be intimidated by such numbers.
Suddenly, Mu-yul and Ling-ling shouted.
“Look out!”
“Mu-jin! There’s a strange smell!”
Though there was no visible smoke or smell, Mu-jin quickly employed the Golden Turtle Technique, feeling something dissolve upon contact with the golden barrier.
“It’s poison! Use your internal energy to resist it and move slowly!”
At Mu-jin’s shout, those at the front, including Mu-yul, Mu-gung, Mu-gyeong, and Gouyang Pae, began to use their internal energy to resist the poison.
The Muja Trio had trained in poison resistance at the Sichuan Tang Clan, making it easier for them to endure. Gouyang Pae, having undergone similar training at the Demonic Path Institute, was also managing well.
“Hahahaha!”
In the midst of this, the Beast Palace Master, now mounted on Mankr, charged into the enemy ranks.
“Urraurrauuraurra!!”
With another bizarre shout, he swung his arms, and the energy from his fists shredded the nearby Five Poison Sect poison experts and mercenaries into pieces.
Mankr also twisted its body, tearing apart nearby enemies into bloody pieces.
“Palace Master, beware of the poison!”
Gouyang Pae shouted while expelling the poison with his internal energy. The Beast Palace Master responded confidently.
“Mankr is immune to their crude poison! And so am I, as Mankr’s friend!”
Mankr was a spirit beast that harbored extreme poison. Having spent many years with Mankr, the Beast Palace Master had also developed some immunity to poison.
‘Does that mean he was bitten by Mankr as a child?’
Even as such trivial thoughts crossed his mind, Mu-jin was busy taking down the Five Poison Sect experts with his arms and legs.
Though trailing behind the overly aggressive Beast Palace Master, Mu-jin and his party soon engaged with the enemy forces.
If they could continue to wreak havoc and join forces with the Beast Palace warriors, they could wipe out the enemies present here.
‘No matter how strong the Five Poison Sect is, they won’t be able to defend their headquarters if such a large force is annihilated.’
Just as Mu-jin was starting to think things might get easier, a sudden change swept across the battlefield.
From beyond the Five Poison Sect warriors in green, a massive wave of energy surged forth.
*Kwoooom!*
From the source of this energy, a burst of blue light shot out.
‘Kanggi!!’
The intense energy was aimed directly at the rampaging Beast Palace Master.