Chapter 69 – Desert (8)

“Hey, where are you going first?”

When Sun-woo ran across the rooftop, Hwangbo Ja-gyeom followed behind him in surprise, and Nan-seol also began moving together.

And when the party gave up summoning and ran to meet the enemy, Yeon-hwa had no choice but to bow her head toward them once again.

Though there were quite a few martial artists among the people here, few had equipped weapons yet, and many were injured and had lost their energy.

If they hid in the ruined city and fought a chaotic battle like this, they would either lose the fight and all lose their lives, or even if they won, many people would likely die.

To step forward first to protect people, Yeon-hwa couldn’t help but be grateful to the party, especially Sun-woo.

“Everyone take up weapons and guard the paths. Masters are with us.”

At Yeon-hwa’s shout, people scattered in all directions. Sun-woo’s party were all peak-level martial artists, but they couldn’t block all personnel.

The rest had to be blocked by Yeon-hwa and the desert tribe.

In Sun-woo’s head as he jumped over building rooftops running toward the outside of the ruined city, the annoyance of overtime was greater than the noble thought of saving people.

He took out a potion and drank it while running. At the same time, his disappeared stamina and internal energy began filling up again, and Sun-woo’s tired expression became a bit more comfortable.

Shortly after, Sun-woo who had left the ruined city glared at the bandits running across the sand desert slightly away from the ruins.

He didn’t know how they knew, but the bandits seemed to know the ruined city was dangerous. They were drawing their swords and vigorously riding horses toward the ruined city.

When nearly three hundred bandits rode horses, one side of the night sky became unable to see even starlight due to flying sand.

The distance had gotten quite close now. Though it was night, it was now a distance where they could even confirm each other’s faces. The running bandits saw the three people standing ahead and sneered greatly.

“Well, shall we have a bout?”

“Could you wait just a moment?”

Hwangbo Ja-gyeom who had landed beside Sun-woo with an excited expression made a puzzled face at Sun-woo’s restraint.

“There’s something I want to check briefly. Please give me just a moment.”

Hwangbo Ja-gyeom frowned at Sun-woo’s words.

“Ugh, just briefly.”

“Thank you.”

Sun-woo also received permission from Nan-seol and continued walking forward.

The other two people stood in place and watched with curious expressions about what on earth Sun-woo was trying to do.

Sun-woo began slowly moving his steps toward the running bandits. In one hand he held a sword, and in the other hand, sandstorms were gradually gathering.

Sun-woo looked with a curious expression at the sand grains flowing over his arm. Certainly sand was also a type of earth, but he hadn’t expected to be able to control even sand flying scattered in the air like this.

Well, since he had never seen earth or sand moving on wind like this until now, there was no way to know.

Thanks to this sand desert, Sun-woo had been able to create a new technique.

He had become able to write characters with sand, and also… Sun-woo spread his hand to the side. Earth Spirits began flowing out from his arm, and accordingly the sandstorm wrapped around his arm scattered in all directions.

Wriggle. Following Sun-woo’s steps, the sand on the ground began wriggling.

The wriggling sand gradually began rising high. That appearance was like a single wave gradually coming in from a calm sea.

The wave made of sand gradually began gaining momentum.

The sand wave that had barely reached knee height and was only about ten meters wide sideways had soon transformed into a sand tsunami over ten meters high and hundreds of meters long.

The bandits who had been running excitedly gradually slowed down at the sand tsunami gaining more and more momentum, then eventually great chaos occurred.

Neeeigh!

Surprised horses rampaged in all directions, and bandits fell from horses or tried to run sideways or backward, completely collapsing the formation they had prepared.

Several bandits rushed toward Sun-woo in the center of the sand tsunami with desperate resolve, but they were merely swept up in the sand wave before others.

Whoooosh!

Shortly after, the sand tsunami began sweeping over the bandits. Unlike sandstorms created by wind, since the sand itself became a tsunami and struck, the impact was completely different.

As the sand tsunami passed, sounds of blood bursting came from everywhere, and screams filled with pain were heard through the sand.

After the sand wave swept through once, all the bandits’ figures became invisible buried in sand, and only Sun-woo was sitting on the ground with a tired face.

Even if it was sand, it really was a tremendous scale. For Sun-woo, it was a technique really squeezed out to his limit, and now he couldn’t even move a finger, but he was sufficiently satisfied with the scene before his eyes.

Puhak! Puhak!

But unfortunately, the sand tsunami didn’t seem to have dealt with all the bandits. Several bandits covered in blood all over shot up through the sand onto the ground. Judging by their momentum, they all seemed to exceed first-rate level.

“I’ll kill you at least!”

“Die!”

Whether fear had converted to anger, they all rushed at Sun-woo recklessly.

But Sun-woo was blankly watching the running bandits while gauging the technique’s power.

‘First-rate level and above is still too much.’

For first-rate level and above martial artists who could protect their bodies with internal energy, it seemed difficult for it to become a one-hit-kill technique.

Though Sun-woo looked like he had no thought of defending himself at all, he actually didn’t need to worry.

Nan-seol and Hwangbo Ja-gyeom passed by both his sides and covered the bandits.

The situation ended in an instant. What would happen if a few injured first-rate martial artists fought two peak-level martial artists was as obvious as looking at fire.

After taking down the last bandit, Hwangbo Ja-gyeom looked at Sun-woo with a dumbfounded expression.

“This is completely like a monster.”

Until then, it had been within the realm of understanding, but the scene just before felt almost like a natural disaster.

Nan-seol also seemed quite surprised. Nan-seol with widened eyes was looking back and forth between the desert and Sun-woo.

“It’s desert-limited. Moreover, my internal energy hit rock bottom.”

Though tired Sun-woo’s excuse came, the two people’s expressions didn’t change.

With this, all the bandits were annihilated. After recovering his body just enough to move, Sun-woo who returned to the ruined city together with Hwangbo Ja-gyeom and Nan-seol received people’s gazes once again.

Because many people had seen Sun-woo raise a sand tsunami and sweep away the bandits.

That story quickly spread among people, and people seemed to have come to regard Sun-woo as a divine general descended from heaven to protect the Holy Maiden… People lined up along the road bowed deeply as Sun-woo passed, and some prostrated on the ground.

“Thank you so much on behalf of everyone.”

And finally, Yeon-hwa decorated the magnificent finale. At Yeon-hwa’s thanks, hundreds of people all bowed their heads to the party, especially Sun-woo.

At that sight, Hwangbo Ja-gyeom made an awkward expression, and Nan-seol’s expression didn’t change but her face appeared to have reddened a bit.

But Sun-woo was a bit depressed because of the potions he had used up. People’s cheers weren’t too bad, but there were no practical benefits.

For Sun-woo, catching two contaminated summoned was more satisfying than countless people’s cheers.

After that, the party began crossing the desert starting the next day with the people who had become even more careful.

Fortunately, food could be obtained inside the ruined city and there was overflowing water, so there was no problem moving.

Only sleeping places were a problem, but that could be solved with Sun-woo’s sorcery. He had to make pits several times larger than when the party traveled, so Sun-woo fell exhausted every time, but thanks to that, people safely arrived at the city where the Cult’s branch was located, Loulan.

It was a place that had been the capital of a great kingdom in the past, but now its size had shrunk and it was maintaining its existence as a midpoint of the Southern Silk Road.

When the party approached, the city became quite noisy. People happy that family had returned and people bewildered at the sudden return.

But Cult martial artists who should have been guarding the city were hardly visible. Apparently the branch leader had sent them far away for training reasons. Probably the bandits had prepared to make attacking the city easier.

Yeon-hwa and the party didn’t enter the city and heard stories through people. If they unnecessarily entered inside the city and were caught by the branch’s martial artists, it would only get troublesome.

Yeon-hwa sealed people’s mouths with words to keep the divine’s work secret, and the Summoners seemed to think her lies were sufficient as they didn’t send cleanup personnel.

Now the remaining work was for the people living in the desert to resolve themselves.

When work was wrapped up, the party exchanged farewell greetings on a sand dune where the oasis city was visible.

Nan-seol seemed to have gained much to think about from this mission, and Yeon-hwa’s expression was completely unreadable about what she was thinking.

And Hwangbo Ja-gyeom’s face said everything was annoying.

“I have heaps to report when I return to the Alliance.”

This mission gave him plenty to report to summoned in the Alliance.

That was the same for Sun-woo. Nan-seol and Yeon-hwa had no summoned around to report to, but Sun-woo also had to inform the association.

“I’m sorry. Please send me back now.”

“I’ll return.”

“Let’s go back!”

Along with each person’s words, the party’s figures disappeared in turn.

“I’ll return too.”

After everyone disappeared, Sun-woo also looked at the sky and requested return.

[Returning. Since 50 hours have passed, 50 points will be deducted.]

“Expensive!”

Only surprised Sun-woo’s shout echoed on the sand dune.

***

Same time.

Dimension Delta, Sichuan.

Bang!

With an explosive sound, a large hall burst apart as if hit by artillery.

Along with that, one martial artist was flung outside the hall covered in blood. He was a middle-aged man with bushy beard, and his face clearly showed surprise.

“The information was wrong! There was no story that Blood Cult members were this strong!”

The bearded man was a peak-level martial artist who was a first-generation disciple of Sword Sect and one of the summoned of the Righteous Alliance.

He had received a mission to destroy the Blood Cult’s branch and after several days of searching, was able to discover Blood Cult remnants hiding in an abandoned manor in the forest.

And he and his comrades had monitored the manor for some time before launching a surprise attack.

But the surprise attack failed. The Blood Cult members were too strong beyond expectations.

He had heard that taking medicine made them a bit stronger, but the Blood Cult members he faced weren’t that degree. Blood Cult members strengthened at least twice, or even more, had instead killed the attacking summoned.

The man made a gloomy expression seeing the Blood Cult peak-level martial artist walking out from inside the destroyed hall.

The Blood Cult member dressed in black clothes and wearing a hood had internal energy surging enough that red-colored energy was visible materialized throughout his body.

Comrades who had already entered the branch had all died. The opponent was too strong, so they couldn’t even buy time to escape.

Even forced return took at least 30 seconds and was impossible during combat, so those above had no answer either.

Eventually, he too had his neck taken off by the approaching Blood Cult member.

“Good work.”

A woman approached behind the Blood Cult member calming his energy beside the corpse.

“How’s your body?”

Her appearance asking caringly was extremely beautiful, and her clothes were very similar to Yeon-hwa’s clothes.

“Fine. The medicine you modified seems several times stronger than existing medicine.”

The Blood Cult member nodded satisfyingly, and she who was the Divine Cult’s Holy Maiden and Yeon-hwa’s senior smiled at his greeting.

After that, the martial artist shouted toward subordinates appearing one by one behind.

“Abandon the branch and withdraw. Return all remaining brainwashed people to their original places too.”

At his command, subordinates began moving busily again.

“Do I return to the Cult too?”

When the Holy Maiden tilted her head at the Blood Cult member’s words, the man shook his head.

“No way. The Holy Maiden must continue staying with us from now on. Thanks to missing the other Holy Maiden, there’s mountains of work to do.”

Along with his words, he held the Holy Maiden and exited the collapsed hall.

After he left, the corpse of the summoned with severed neck gradually disappeared. Return had begun.