Book 6 Chapter 18

The Zhuque Squad members are skilled in underwater combat.

"Huh? What are you guys doing now?"

As Jinryeong plunged into the water,

Biryu Yeon looked up and

surveyed the remaining Zhuque Squad members.

His words and gaze clearly implied, 'Are you fooling around? Your friend has just walked alone into the battlefield, and what are you doing now?'

"Flash!"

As a spark flashed in Biryu Yeon's eyes, the Zhuque Squad members felt a chilling fear.

There was no longer time to think.

"Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash!"

With fifteen splashes, spray flew up and wet the sides of the boat.

With a single glance from Biryu Yeon, momentarily visible through his hair swaying in the wind, the entire Zhuque Squad, having unbuckled their 묵환 (muk-hwan), jumped into the river after Jinryeong. There was not an iota of hesitation.

The first to jump was the impatient Gungsang. The river was now a battlefield. He couldn't let his beloved go alone.

Yeomdo's eyes widened.

The water was, by anyone's standards, the worst possible location, disadvantageous to the ambushed party.

Originally, when river bandits encountered martial arts experts, their primary strategy was to lure them into the water to gain an advantage.

Yet, they were pushed into the most disadvantageous and worst location, a place where death constantly loomed, without hesitation or reservation.

"What is this? Are you crazy?"

It was no wonder Yeomdo shouted loudly, questioning them. Biryu Yeon's eardrums buzzed.

"Crazy? You're speaking too harshly to a perfectly sane person. I am currently extremely and utterly normal, so don't worry."

"Who is worrying about whom right now? I am worried about the children you have pushed into a death trap."

Yeomdo's face showed a rapidly changing, fluctuating color due to his excitement. Seeing him so flustered, even after such harsh training, showed that he had grown fond of them.

"The weather is really nice, isn't it? It's good weather for fishing."

Faced with Yeomdo, whose eyes were bloodshot with worry for the children's lives, what kind of random remark was this?

"Is this really the time to talk about fishing? Why do you keep bringing up fishing all of a sudden?"

"Why? What wrong has the sky done to make it good weather for fishing that you hold such dissatisfaction with the heavens?"

Yeomdo barely suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. This was not the time. While he was arguing with Biryu Yeon, his disciples, or rather, those like disciples (their relationship was strange and ambiguous, like that of a master and pupil in terms of position), were clearly struggling for their lives.

Yeomdo turned away from Biryu Yeon and shouted to those remaining.

"Those who remain, be prepared for any surprise attacks. It's not over yet. Don't let your guard down!!"

Following Yeomdo's instructions, the remaining Heavenly Sword squad members began to move busily.

"Phew! I thought Master Yeomdo was going to beat Biryu Yeon to a pulp!"

Hyoryong said, letting out a sigh of relief. Jang Hong's expression, listening to him, was wry.

'What's going on? The notoriously hot-tempered Master Yeomdo just blushes and turns away without a word in a situation like this? I can't believe what I'm seeing!'

The conversation between Yeomdo and Biryu Yeon had been conducted through telepathy, so to outsiders, it looked as if Yeomdo, his face red with rage, was about to attack Biryu Yeon.

Who would dare guess the relationship between Biryu Yeon and Yeomdo, unless they were insane? It was actually Yeomdo, not Biryu Yeon, who was burning with anxiety inside.

"You go too!"

With Biryu Yeon's words, Yoon Junho, who was pushed forward, flew into the air before falling into the river.

"Splash!"

"Gasp!"

Suddenly thrust into a completely unfamiliar and alien world by external force, Yoon Junho couldn't help but be terrified.

The unknown environment brought him considerable fear.

Yoon Junho, experiencing combat for the first time in the cold, dark, airless world at the bottom of the water, couldn't help but be afraid. His will was not strong enough to maintain a cool head in such a situation.

This was not the training grounds of Hwasan Sect or Cheonmu Academy. Lack of skill would not be overlooked, nor would he be allowed to rest when tired. Insufficient skill directly led to death. The little experience gained through adaptation training for underwater combat was woefully insufficient to survive in this treacherous world of slaughter.

As Biryu Yeon had said, there were more hidden attackers in the water, aiming for their vital points. Their numbers seemed to be over twenty.

"Thump, thump, thump, thump!"

Yoon Junho's heart pounded wildly with fear and tension, as if it would burst. It sounded like the beating of drums.

"Swish!"

One of the many hidden attackers, wielding a hook-like underwater weapon called a 호수구 (ho-su-gu), lunged towards his neck. As expected of someone specializing in underwater ambushes, his movements were as fluid as a fish. The fact that a human could move like that in the water was unbelievable.

Even if it was unbelievable, he had to survive. Yoon Junho quickly moved his sword, barely defending against the opponent's attack. His body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. His sword also moved sluggishly, as if it weighed a thousand pounds. He had almost died without even being able to defend himself properly.

"Clang!"

"Gasp! Oh no!"

His body, unable to withstand the recoil, flipped over in the water. Yoon Junho had forgotten one more thing. That is, in the water, there was nothing to support his body. Therefore, there was always a lurking danger of being caught in someone else's attack.

Those skilled in underwater combat always kept this in mind and paid close attention to their movements. Maintaining balance was the biggest issue in underwater combat.

Cutting through the water, the assailant's 호수구 (ho-su-gu) flew at him once more. In his current state, unbalanced and flailing his arms, he had no way to defend himself. Yoon Junho squeezed his eyes shut.

'Am I going to die…?'

He suddenly missed his master and his senior disciples at Hwasan. He even missed the plum blossoms blooming at Hwasan.

"Clang!"

"Huh?"

The impact of the sword strike could still be clearly felt underwater.

His head was still attached. There was no wound. Yoon Junho, peeking his eyes open, let out a sigh of relief inwardly. The assailant's 호수구 (ho-su-gu) had been blocked by Namgung Sang's sword and was not allowed to advance further.

"Shwing!"

Namgung Sang's sword, easily brushing aside the opponent's attack, pierced the assailant's neck. Red blood stained Yoon Junho's retinas red.

At a glance, Yoon Junho felt an inexplicable sense of ease in the movements of the Zhuque Squad members. Their underwater movements were as natural and smooth as if they had always been that way. Perhaps "skillful" would be a more appropriate word.

Namgung Sang was currently beheading his third assailant. The Amryongdae, who had ambushed the group, seemed greatly surprised by the swift underwater movements and adept responses of the Zhuque Squad members. That surprise created a significant opening, which became one of their fatal mistakes.

'Who knew what I learned back then would be so helpful…'

Ten Electric Thunder Strike!

Namgung Sang's sword, displaying ten variations, simultaneously cut down two ambushing assailants who had attacked him together.

Even in this incredibly inconvenient underwater environment, Namgung Sang's sword showed subtle changes as if it were unaffected. This was by no means something anyone could do.

Namgung Sang recalled the bone-grinding training he underwent at Amioshan two years ago.

The constant sword swings deep beneath the water!

They had been relentlessly trained to exhibit the same power and movement in the water as on land. Compared to that training, the current movements were nothing to the Zhuque Squad members. They were skilled enough to do their jobs while still having the余裕 (yeoyu -余裕) to protect Yoon Junho.

As Yoon Junho gained a little breathing room, Namgung Sang entrusted his well-being to others and searched for Jinryeong's whereabouts.

"So-ryeong!"

Jinryeong was being somewhat cornered by three hidden assailants. A spark ignited in Namgung Sang's eyes. Identifying Jinryeong's direction at once, he moved with a speed faster than a fish towards her. For him, Jinryeong was a being he had to protect, even at the cost of his own life.