Chapter 1329: Nothing Escaped (Part 4)

Pwooook!

"Aaaahhh!"

An arrow pierced through the disciple of Southern Island's chest. Unable to withstand the pain, the disciple screamed.

One could easily deflect falling arrows. After all, they hadn't trained in vain until now.

However, there was no way to avoid the arrowheads that clashed with the elder's unfolded sword formation and scattered in all directions.

"Ugh, ugh..."

Pain surged through his entire body as if supporting his chest with fire. He sank to the ground, clutching his chest.

"Let go!"

At that moment, Tang Soso rushed over frantically, grabbing his hand and quickly treating the wounds without hesitation.

"So, Sojo... your back..." [not sure]

A shattered arrow fragment flew, embedding itself into Tang Soso's back as she sat in front of the fallen. However, she didn't blink an eye and continued tending to the wounds.

"Hold on!"

Tang Soso held down the struggling person tightly, applying detoxifying medicine and hemostatic agents to the open wounds. Her hands quickly stained red with blood.

At first glance, it seemed like an unconventional and intense method. But there was no other way now. If left untreated, the arrowheads might penetrate deeper, reaching the heart.

Realizing the urgency, Tang Soso, with lightning-like hands, treated the wounds, leaving the injured person bewildered. Without giving the person a chance to regain composure, she leaped to the side again, intending to treat another wounded soul.

Before she could reach, however, the person pulled the arrow lodged in their neck. Blood gushed out.

"No, no!"

Tang Soso screamed, desperately trying to block the wounds with both hands.

"Ugh, ugh..."

Foamy blood flowed backward from the mouth, and vitality quickly drained from the man's face.

"Hold on! Just a little longer! I'll save you, so hold on!"

But her cries were in vain. The light of life rapidly disappeared from the man's eyes.

Tang Soso's fingertips trembled faintly. The blood on her hands was still warm, but the person was no longer alive.

She closed her eyes tightly, stood up abruptly, and ran towards another fallen person. Though she didn't want to shed tears, they flowed involuntarily. The surroundings were hardly visible.

Yet, there was no time to wipe away the tears or grieve.

Helpless. Miserable.

Even after doing everything possible, there was no way to save those dying. The desperate gazes of those pleading for salvation contained no method to prevent the fading light.

If the doctor had known how agonizing this would be, perhaps she wouldn't have touched medicine at all.

Yet, despite the despair, Tang Soso turned away and moved resolutely. She was the only doctor for everyone here.

Rumble!

At that moment, a powerful shockwave approached her at an astonishing speed. Tang Soso, sensing it, opened her eyes wide. Before she could react, someone with immense internal strength swiftly struck the oncoming shockwave, deflecting it away.

"Sasuk!"

It was Baek Cheon. He bit his lip and glared at the direction the shockwave had come from. He wanted to run over there right away and tear apart those damn limbs. However, he had no way to leave this place now.

'Yoon Jong, Jo Gol! Quickly...!'

He had to trust those who rushed over and endure.

"Here they come again!"

Baek Cheon's gaze sharply ascended to the sky. The Southern Island elders who had just blocked the artillery hadn't even fully recovered their stances, yet arrows were raining down again.

'No way!'

Baek Cheon soared into the air. His eyes were bloodshot. Even if there was no one to help, he had to do something. Otherwise, he would witness people dying again with their eyes wide open.

He squeezed out every bit of remaining internal strength. However, before he could push the sword in, someone next to him soared even higher.

"Samae!"

Baek Cheon shouted involuntarily at the familiar back. Yoo Iseol, who soared like a swallow, swung her sword towards the pouring arrows.

Saaah!

With a sound like scraping silk with a sharpened blade, Yoo Iseol's sword drew a large circle in the air, resembling the full moon in the sky.

Peak Moonlight Sword (月女劍).

The trajectory created by the sword energy blocked the arrows pouring like a torrential rain.

"Samae, be careful! The artillery is coming!"

Baek Cheon urgently shouted. At that moment, something passed by at a an incredible speed.

Baek Cheon shouted urgently. At that moment, something swiftly passed by his side at a processing speed.

'Flying dagger?'

Creating a whirlwind as if overturning the air, what flew through the sky was indeed a flying dagger. Fiercely rotating, the dagger soared into the forest ahead in an instant.

"Aaaah!"

Though faint from a distance, a scream were clearly heard.

That dagger had undoubtedly produced some result. Jo Gol, who arrived a bit later than the swordsman I shot, rolled his body to avoid the pouring arrows and shouted.

"I can handle the artillery! Please just block the arrows, Deputy Sect Leader!"

"Yes!"

Baek Cheon, landing silently on the ground, felt a surge of strength in his body.

Only two more people were added. Nevertheless, his breath was caught in an instant. It was a moment that clearly demonstrated how powerful a single master in Kangho could be.

Others were not idle either.

"For goodness' sake! Don't keep advancing forward, stick to the cliffside!"

Im Sobyeong shouted orders with a grim expression.

"Members of the Mount Hua Sect and Sogajus, don't waste your strength on arrows. Handle only the artillery! Elders, block the arrows and stick closely to the people behind you so that their chests touch your back! It's enough to block above your head, you wretches!"

Amidst the chaos of battle, any command dropping from him served as a guide. The situation was not one to be concerned about whether the one giving orders was a representative of the Evil Sect or not. To find a way to survive, everyone instinctively adhered to his instructions.

Paaaaah!

Yoo Iseol descended to the ground and dashed forward with a terrifying speed.

"Samae!"

Baek Cheon urgently called, but Yoo Iseol didn't even turn her head.

Paaaaah!

As if perceiving Yoo Iseol's actions as a threat, an intentionally accelerated cannonball flew towards her. However, Yoo Iseol, maintaining her speed, swung her sword to strike the oncoming cannonball.

Thud!

The sound of metal clashing resonated sharply. The diverted cannonball grazed Yoo Iseol's shoulder and passed by.

However, Yoo Iseol seemed to be oblivious to any wounds or, rather, rushed forward as if she didn't notice any injuries. She looked desperate, appearing too frantic.

Baek Cheon, sensing that something was wrong, unintentionally took a step forward but quickly stopped himself. He clenched his teeth and bit down on his cheek once again. 

Bodies were piling up on the ground. The disciples and elders of Southern Island, with arrows stuck in them, looked like hedgehogs.

What he had to do was protect everyone here. Reduce the number of people in that a state.

His internal strength, almost depleted, caused his hand holding the sword to tremble, but there was no room for weak sounds.

Kwaaaah! Kwaaaah!

As the sound of artillery pierced his ears again, Baek Cheon, as if in a frenzy, shot towards the flying shells.

Blood seeped from his bitten lips. But Jo Gol felt no pain.

There were archers in front shooting arrows like rain. Running there and unleashing a massacre wasn't that difficult.

But Jo Gol suppressed the impulse as if stabbing a knife into his thigh.

'Where are they!'

They were definitely nearby. One of the archers shooting the fierce arrows! If he didn't deal with him, the main force wouldn't be able to move.

'Where are you?'

Jo Gol quickly scanned the surroundings. The sense of the clear weather rapidly spread in all directions.

A moment later.

"I found you!"

Jo Gol, bending at the waist, dashed forward like an arrow.

Realizing that his position had been exposed, the archer aimed a series of arrows at Jo Gol in quick succession. A terrifying barrage of arrows, dozens of shockwaves, simultaneously poured towards Jo Gol.

But Jo Gol was too fast to be easily defeated. His sword moved at a speed that seemed to slice through the light, blocking all the flying arrows.

"This bastard!"

Even with the relentless attacks, Jo Gol's speed didn't diminish in the slightest. The archer with a mask covering his face looked confused in his two eyes.

However, for a moment, realizing that the shockwaves were ineffective, he raised his inner energy as much as possible and pushed it into the arrows.

Wuuuuung!

When energy was applied to the sword, it resonated. The arrow he held also began to show signs of life, wriggling like a live fish. Infused with energy, he twisted the bowstring made of steel almost to the point of breaking.

Kiggigg!

With the bowstring pulled to its limit, he aimed the arrow at Jo Gol.

But even knowing that a fully charged arrow was aimed at him, Jo Gol didn't dodge and ran straight towards it.

The moment when their eyes met as the distance narrowed.

Paeng!

The archer released the bowstring. The arrow fiercely rotated and flew straight towards Jo Gol.

Kwaaaaaaa!

The air rushed into the arrowhead, creating a whirlwind as it approached Jo Gol. The sight was reminiscent of an enraged dragon.

Jo Gol, confronting it, extended his right hand gripping the sword beyond his left shoulder.

"Hap!"

At the same time as the forceful shout, he swung the Plum Blossom Sword with all his might, and the blade collided with the arrow. A metallic sound, close to an explosive noise, resounded sharply.

Even with all the force applied to the sword, the arrow, filled with energy, instead of being repelled, advanced towards Jo Gol as if it was digging into his sword. The sound of the arrow rotating and scraping against the sword was eerie.

If it were an ordinary iron sword, it would have been so shocked that it would have broken in an instant. However, the Plum Blossom Sword containing the essence of the Tang Family [?not sure?] tenaciously withstood the spinning and penetrating arrows.

At that moment.

"Taaaaaaah!"

Jo Gol forcefully released his inner energy, and his left hand reached for the sword. The hand, dyed with the green glow of Mount Hua's bamboo, vigorously struck the opposite side of the sword where the arrow had touched.

Kwaaaaaaaah!

As the impact on the sword intensified, the trajectory of the arrow twisted. However, the arrow, still with some energy left, finally grazed Jo Gol's side.

A crescent-shaped wound, like a slash, was engraved on Jo Gol's side. On the left arm that struck the sword, there remained a deep, bone-exposing cut.

As a result, what he gained was a distance of about three steps from the remaining enemies.

"Kuk!"

The archer quickly threw himself backward, grabbing another arrow from the quiver and feeding it into the bow.

In the moment he raised his bow to aim at his opponent, a ray of light shot into his field of vision.

Paah!

The swift sword pierced through the archer's neck.

"Cough..."

Making a stifled moan, the archer collapsed with an incredulous expression on his face.

'Couldn't even see...'

Thud.

After pulling the sword out of the archer's neck, Jo Gol firmly pressed his bleeding left hand and drove it straight into the ground.

'Where's the next one?'

The face that was always playful and lively now had the cold expression of a seasoned swordsman.