Genius Martial Arts Trainer

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.

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.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

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?”

“We don’t know their exact destination, but they were heading south.”

Upon hearing this from the poison expert who had come to report, Hwang Gon frowned.

“Deputy Leader, it seems like a trap.”

“A trap? What do you mean?”

“The main forces of Beast Palace are south, correct? I believe they are luring us there to join their main forces and fight.”

“Hah. Do you think those barbaric fools could come up with such a scheme?”

“Beast Palace is not alone. The Red Tiger Group from the Demon Cult is with them, is it not? This could be their strategy.”

“Those barbarians would never listen to the strategies of another force.”

“Then does it make sense that those barbarians would ally with the Demon Cult?”

“……”

The deputy leader was at a loss for words at Hwang Gon’s accurate point, but he couldn’t bring himself to suggest retreating.

‘If we return now, the sect leader will not let this go.’

Failing to deal a significant blow to Beast Palace might result in severe punishment.

Having traded with the Five Poison Sect for years, Hwang Gon easily deduced why the deputy leader was conflicted.

“If you are truly hesitant, how about this? We send scouts to follow the fleeing warriors.”

“If they join their main forces, we retreat, but if not, we attack and finish them off.”

“Agreed. And even if they join their main forces, if Beast Palace and Taiyang Palace have fought, their forces will be weakened. It’s worth a try.”

The reason Hwang Gon helped the Five Poison Sect’s deputy leader was simple.

For Hwang Gon, the best scenario was for the Five Poison Sect to suffer moderate casualties and narrowly win.

‘I hope the sect leader’s strategy has worked.’

If the Beast Palace warriors had abandoned their base to join the main forces, it would be better if the main forces were severely weakened from fighting Taiyang Palace.

That way, he could provoke a fight between the Five Poison Sect and the weakened forces, pretending to fight while preserving his own strength.

* * *

Having concluded their alliance with Taiyang Palace, Mu-jin and the Beast Palace forces began their northward journey.

The Red Tiger Group also accompanied Beast Palace, but Geum Yang-hwi decided to stay with Taiyang Palace.

‘Having received such kindness from the Taiyang Palace Master, I will repay it now. Young Sect Leader.’

With Taiyang Palace and Beast Palace moving separately, Geum Yang-hwi promised to join the Red Tiger Group after proving himself in this war.

They began their northward journey in the afternoon, rested for the night, and continued northward for another half-day when they encountered the southward-moving Beast Palace warriors.

“You say the Five Poison Sect has attacked?”

“Yes, Palace Master!”

“Hahaha, as expected! Did the hunting go well?”

“We confirmed they are chasing us. However, there is some distance between us, Palace Master.”

“Hahaha, that’s even better. If they find us, they might run away, so let’s strike them now!”

Though he had ordered a tactical retreat, the Beast Palace Master’s patience was at its limit. With a bold command to attack, he mounted Mankr’s head.

“Let’s go, Mankr!”

At the Beast Palace Master’s call, Mankr began to crawl at an incredible speed in the direction indicated. It felt more like flying than crawling.

Hundreds of Beast Palace warriors followed behind the Beast Palace Master, with Mu-jin’s group and the Red Tiger Group also running after them.

After running north for a while, blue smoke started to rise from somewhere beyond the bushes.

“Be careful, it could be poison!”

Both Mu-jin and Gouyang Pae shouted almost simultaneously. In that moment, the Beast Palace Master, who was leading the charge, raised his internal energy and began to wildly swing his arms in the air.

“Urraurrauuraurra!!!!”

With a powerful shout, his rapid punches left afterimages. The sheer volume of air generated by his fists created a kind of tornado that blew the blue smoke into the sky.

It was a simple yet brutish solution.

When the blue smoke cleared, figures dressed in green clothes appeared among the jungle bushes.

They were scouts sent by the Deputy Leader of the Five Poison Sect to monitor Beast Palace’s movements.

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.