Chapter 176

At the moment Namgung Woo was escaping the Forbidden City, Changcheon Pavilion was struck by an unexpected thunderbolt.

*Kwa-jang-chang! Koo-woong!*

In an instant, the inn where they were staying turned into chaos.

A forceful act of violence with no intention of compromise through dialogue.

The members of Changcheon Pavilion, who were on night watch, quickly spread the Whispering Transmission to wake their comrades and, without hesitation, drew their weapons to engage in battle.

*Kaaang! Jjeo-eong! Chii-ing!*

The sound of clashing metal followed by explosive noises. The unpleasant sound of Sword Energy friction drove away the sleepiness of those resting in the inn.

“What’s going on! Who’s there!”

Yang Kwae, who had the habit of sleeping without clothes, rushed out with only his sleeves on, shouting. Yang Jeong, who had already joined the fight, responded.

“Stop talking and just help!”

“Alright! I’m coming! Yang Kwae, the Lightning Flash, is here!!”

Proudly reciting his newly earned title after the Wind Chasing Unit rescue mission, Yang Kwae charged out with his sword.

Now, the Yang Brothers were fully-fledged Peak Masters. The thunderous energy swirling around their feet propelled them forward in an instant. The Thunder Qi emitted by the Lightning Step, a technique Namgung Woo had modified by combining the Swift Step and Thunderous Step for the brothers, flashed through the inn.

But it wasn’t just the two brothers.

Changcheon Pavilion had already survived the hellish battle at the Black Ghost Gate. These warriors, who were already Peak Masters, had grown even stronger through intense real combat—both individually and as a group.

Though the enemy had formed a meticulous encirclement, Changcheon Pavilion, even after being ambushed, held their ground and established a tense frontline.

It was only at this point that Changcheon Pavilion realized the identity of their attackers.

“These guys… are they the Imperial Guards?”

The uniforms of the Imperial Guards. Though the darkness of the night obscured their vision, Peak Masters could gather faint starlight to see the world clearly. Moreover, the light emitted from Sword Energy and Fist Energy allowed them to distinguish colors.

Namgung Baek, realizing they were Imperial Guards, urgently shouted, “We can’t kill them!”

In Namgung Woo’s absence, Namgung Baek’s authority was second only to Paeng Ha-ryeong within Changcheon Pavilion.

Even Paeng Ha-ryeong agreed with Namgung Baek’s judgment, so there was no one to oppose his decision… except for one.

“No! These guys are trying to kill us!”

Seok Ha-hee deflected a sword strike with her chain sickle and quickly retreated.

But Namgung Baek didn’t retract his order.

“The Imperial Guards have the authority to execute on the spot without going through the Three Judicial Offices! Their actions aren’t illegal! If we resist and kill them, the problem will spiral out of control!”

The Three Judicial Offices were the highest legal authority, but the Imperial Guards held extraordinary powers that bypassed them.

“Our priority is to escape! We also need to find Senior No and Myorin, who haven’t joined us yet!”

Though Nam Pungjo had returned to the inn, the two who had been given separate tasks by Namgung Woo were still outside.

“Ugh! They should’ve come back by now! What are they even doing out there?!”

While Yang Kwae grumbled about Myorin, the situation grew increasingly dire.

The Imperial Guards, with no intention of capturing them alive, pressed Changcheon Pavilion with deadly force.

“I’ll open the path! Elders, please take command!”

Song Woojeol unleashed a wave of Sword Energy, pushing back the Imperial Guards and charging forward.

The Aura Energy-infused sword mercilessly cut through the weapons blocking their path, yet it skillfully avoided harming the opponents’ bodies.

To face the strong, the weak learned to cooperate. The Imperial Guards, having spent a long time as a cohesive unit, formed a coordinated encirclement around Song Woojeol, who had taken the lead.

Swords thrust from five directions simultaneously, aiming for Song Woojeol’s vital points. Front, back, left, right, and from above. Dodging a hidden weapon falling from above by a hair’s breadth, Song Woojeol utilized his entire body.

With his sword, he slashed the swords thrusting from the front and right, while his left hand used the Golden Snake technique to grab the opponent’s wrist and disarm them. The attack from behind was blocked by his Protective Aura Energy, and he countered by twisting his body and slamming his shoulder, infused with explosive energy, into the attacker.

It was unstoppable.

Though a prolonged battle would eventually wear Song Woojeol down, behind him stood numerous Peak Masters who held their ground against the Imperial Guards.

However, the Imperial Guards didn’t just stand by and let them break through.

“Move aside!”

An Imperial Guard with a different uniform charged forward. A Qianhu—a commander among the Imperial Guards, a rare elite even among Supreme Peak Masters.

[Go ahead!]

While holding off three Qianhu, Song Woojeol sent a Whispering Transmission to Namgung Baek.

Namgung Baek hesitated between his options. Though the Qianhu were strong, he was confident he could break through with a few moves if he joined.

But the Imperial Guards had more than just these three Qianhu. With over 10,000 Imperial Guards, half of whom were stationed outside Beijing, the number guarding the capital and the Forbidden City still numbered in the thousands.

If Namgung Baek got tied down here, Changcheon Pavilion would lose all their trump cards.

Namgung Baek made his decision.

[Good luck!]

Leaving behind the only words he could, Namgung Baek passed by Song Woojeol.

“Move aside!”

Using the speed of the Swift Step, he broke through the encirclement with the Infinite Steps technique.

Following him, Changcheon Pavilion broke through the surrounding siege.

“Pursue them!”

The chase began, heating up the cold night air as it unfolded across the outer walls of Beijing.

About 30 members of Changcheon Pavilion, excluding the five remaining Nam Pungjo experts who stayed to protect Song Woojeol, were pursued by hundreds of Imperial Guards.

One of the Qianhu gestured, and the Imperial Guards scattered.

“Elder! They’re trying to flank us!”

“I know! Chok Jo-jang, create distance from the ones closing in on the right! Ju-ya, take the vanguard and break through the left in place of Geumshin!”

Namgung Baek’s role was to sense the positions of the Qianhu and support the areas where they were active, preventing their strongest fighters from running wild.

Thus, Namgung Baek conserved his energy while periodically releasing energy waves to confirm their positions.

“What if we head to the canal? If we reach Tianjin, we’ll be safe!”

Paeng Ha-ryeong suggested heading to their hometown as the most obvious destination.

However, the idea of escaping Beijing via the canal was quickly dismissed.

“That won’t work, Ha-ryeong. While the canal might be safer outside Beijing, traveling by boat is too slow! The Imperial Guards will catch up immediately.”

“Then….”

“Lady Paeng, we don’t necessarily have to escape Beijing.”

Jeong Mok, the Righteous Wood Sword Hero, calmly pointed out what she was missing.

“Changcheon Pavilion’s victory condition is simple: hold out until the Great Master returns. Once he’s back, escaping Beijing or subduing the Imperial Guards will be possible.”

“Ah… but the Great Master is in the Forbidden City, right? The magical barriers surrounding it….”

Paeng Ha-ryeong had entered the Forbidden City with Namgung Woo during the Beijing turmoil. In other words, she had been inside.

“The Great Master will come out. With this much commotion, even if the Imperial Court tries to hide it, the Imperial Family won’t remain unaware.”

Hold out.

Knowing this, why didn’t Jeon Gil stop them from escaping the inn?

“We need to find Myorin and the Wudang Sect’s Senior No. Since we don’t know where they are, we need to spread the news as widely as possible. The Elder is deliberately expending his Internal Energy to release energy waves, likely to call them.”

“Ah….”

While Myorin might not respond, Heo Ryeo-mun was said to be a sorcerer of unimaginable skill. Namgung Woo had even compared him to Yi Ja-ryong. He would surely sense Namgung Baek’s energy waves and come to find them.

However, before they could reunite with the two, the Imperial Guards quickly rebuilt their encirclement.

While pretending to form a smaller inner encirclement to disperse Changcheon Pavilion’s forces, they created a larger outer encirclement.

“Don’t worry. The encirclement is thin because it’s too wide. I’ll break through.”

Namgung Baek accepted his turn and stepped forward to break the encirclement.

At that moment, part of the encirclement suddenly collapsed, and a man emerged.

“This way! Follow me!”

His skin, though seemingly charred, retained a unique luster. His facial features, set against his dark skin, were bold and unforgettable.

“A Hui?”

But what truly shocked Changcheon Pavilion was his attire.

“Why is an Imperial Guard….”

“Don’t joke! This is some kind of trap…!”

As the members of Changcheon Pavilion angrily gripped their weapons, Jegal Seon-a stepped forward.

“Wait! This person feels different!”

Her gradually controlled Resonance Power, even amidst the chaos, successfully shared the emotions of one person.

Jegal Seon-a sensed goodwill and regret, not hostility, from the Imperial Guard who had called for them to follow.

Knowing of her Resonance Power, Namgung Baek quickly reconsidered his judgment of the Hui man.

“Trust me! I’m different! How could I harm someone carrying Kang Yonghu’s will!”

“You! What’s your name?”

“Ma Seung! A Zongqi of the Imperial Guards!”

A Zongqi, commanding 50 men. It seemed the Imperial Guards who had just collapsed the encirclement were under Ma Seung’s command.

With the assurance of Resonance Power and the resolve in Ma Seung’s eyes, Namgung Baek spoke.

“Good. I’ll trust you. Lead the way.”