A terrifying heat burst from the hand swung like a convulsion.
The essence of the Southern Sea Sun Palace, known for having no equal sects to compare to with its Fire Qi. This was the ultimate execution of the Sun Palace Lord's Sun Divine Palm (太陽神掌).
At that moment, the plum blossoms that had bloomed as if on cue clung to the Sun Palace Lord's hands. It was as if they were throwing themselves in to extinguish the flame before it could spread.
"This...!"
Of course, the Plum Blossom Sword technique was not actual petals, and the Sun Divine Palm was not actual fire. So such a situation would not occur.
However, it succeeded in momentarily delaying the release of the Sun Divine Palm.
Baek Cheon's sword seized that gap.
Baek Cheon's sword raced towards the Sun Palace Lord's face.
Though the sword was at full strength, it was a meagre weapon. It lacked the swiftness to pierce the enemy in one blow or the variability to confuse the opponent.
But the moment that lacking sword harmonized with the scattering Plum Blossom Sword technique, it transformed into a lethal move that even the Sun Palace Lord would be astonished by.
"Kuh!"
The Sun Palace Lord, who gave up on releasing the Sun Divine Palm, quickly raised his hand to block Baek Cheon's sword strike.
Kaang!
The moment hand and sword collided; a metallic sound that could tear the eardrums burst out. A sneer crossed the Sun Palace Lord's lips.
'Foolish man!'
Though the Sun Divine Palm was not released, the internal energy contained within it did not dissipate.
Sure enough, Baek Cheon, who struck the Sun Palace Lord's hand brimming with internal energy, vomited blood.
"Get lost..."
Paaaah!
But at that moment, Baek Cheon's sword suddenly split into dozens and poured over the Sun Palace Lord's entire body. Despite the internal injury penetrating even his dantian, he pressed the attack.
The Sun Palace Lord's eyes widened at this reckless act.
Kaang! Kaang!
The Sun Palace Lord's hands and feet became momentarily disordered.
Ordinarily, it would have been easy to block such a sloppy series of attacks, but the Sun Palace Lord's face gradually twisted in confusion.
'This lunatic!'
In an instant. If he were given just a moment's gap, this lunatic's body would melt away, leaving only a few chunks of flesh. At such a close distance, there was no way to avoid the internal energy, nor was there a way to dissipate the heat of the Sun Divine Palm.
And this man clearly knew that fact as well.
Even so, he was clinging tightly and swinging his sword without a moment's hesitation, as if he had already resigned himself to death.
Kaang!
Hand and sword collided repeatedly.
Every time the sound of impact repeated, the Sun Palace Lord's face twisted, and his pride that pierced the sky was being relentlessly trampled.
Bang!
The Sun Palace Lord, who deflected the incoming sword with a single blow, roared and struck a palm at Baek Cheon's open chest.
Woooooong!
With a sound like thousands of bees buzzing in unison, a blinding golden force dug into Baek Cheon's chest.
Paaaah!
Three fast swords flew towards his chest, but they were insufficient to fully block the Sun Divine Palm.
At that moment.
Goooooo!
A harmonious sound that matched the word auspicious rose from near Baek Cheon's side, different from the brilliant golden light of the Sun Divine Palm, a subtle Buddha's light (佛光).
Kuuuung!
The Sun Divine Palm collided head-on with the subtle Buddha's Light of the Ban Ya Divine Palm (般若神掌) that emerged from Baek Cheon's side. The ultimate spear that melts everything it touches met the shield that embraces all things with the wisdom of Buddha. After a while, a resonance like dozens of giant bells ringing simultaneously reverberated.
The Sun Palace Lord clearly saw it.
Tatadak!
The moment the hand that reached out from Baek Cheon's side collided with his Sun Divine Palm, the sight of it cooking as if it were boiling.
But that hand did not retreat for a moment, nor did it hesitate.
It just steadfastly blocked the attack pouring down on Baek Cheon.
Paaaah!
Baek Cheon's situation was no different from the owner of that cooking hand. No, it was probably worse.
However, Baek Cheon's sword once again charged at the Sun Palace Lord at an incredible speed.
It cleverly aimed for the small gap created by the collision of the Sun Divine Palm and the Ban Ya Divine Palm. The tip of the sword targeted the center of the Sun Palace Lord's face. It moved like a venomous snake.
The Sun Palace Lord quickly turned his head in panic. But in that brief moment, his face was slashed long, and blood splattered in the air.
The red-hot sword slashed his face, searing with pain. The pain was felt not only outside his face but also inside his mouth.
The Sun Palace Lord's eyes began to fill with the blood of fury.
"Ahhhh! How fucking dare you!"
Kwahahahah!
He swung his hand with formidable power.
It was as if a small sun was sweeping over his body, but Baek Cheon relentlessly aimed only at the Sun Palace Lord's face without blinking. It was as if he had no intention of defending himself.
The one who blocked that force was a young swordsman with curly hair. A sword brimming with sword energy intercepted the force horizontally.
Kwarurung!
It looked as if a sword was blocking the fangs of a raging beast. As Jo Gul could not withstand it and was pushed back, a green-tinted hand flew towards the back of the sword.
Bang!
It was Yoon Jong's Bamboo Leaf Hand. He struck the back of Jo Gul's sword with all his might.
Chiiiik!
The hand that touched the sword burned with a terrible smell. Yoon Jong gritted his teeth and poured more internal energy into his hand.
"Haaaap!"
"This...!"
Just as the Sun Palace Lord was about to push forward and turn them both into charcoal, dozens of plum blossoms bloomed above his head. It was Yoo Iseol.
He recoiled in surprise, his hair scattering in all directions, severed by the fierce sword energy.
Seogok!
A searing sensation spread across his face once again. Before he could even feel the pain, Baek Cheon's sword now aimed at his neck. At the same time, Hye Yeon's fist flew towards his chest at close range.
"Aaaaah!"
The energy of the hot sun erupted in all directions. It poured over everyone surrounding him in the form of qi, not just internal energy.
As Jo Gul's eyes widened, a familiar back blocked his front.
Kwahahahahang!
"Aaaah!"
"Kuh!"
The Sun Palace Lord staggered backward again and again.
"Ugh..."
Blood flowed from the wound on his forehead, dripping down his eyes. The world momentarily turned red.
"Sasuk!"
-
"Damn it, why that!"
When he forced his eyes open, he saw Jo Gul and Yoon Jong supporting Baek Cheon on either side. White steam was continuously rising from Baek Cheon's body, which had taken the full brunt of the fire qi.
Thud.
At that moment, Baek Cheon's hand, which had turned black from red, struggled to grasp Jo Gul's shoulder. He tried hard to lift his upper body, which kept losing strength.
Chill.
Baek Cheon and the Sun Palace Lord's eyes met. At that instant, the Sun Palace Lord's whole body shuddered with a chilling fear.
His eyes, which couldn't open properly due to the burns and swelling, still glared with a chilling intensity.
Moreover, even the swordsmen of Mount Hua who checked Baek Cheon's condition stared at the Sun Palace Lord with murderous eyes. The fear that had filled their eyes moments ago was now nowhere to be found.
Throb.
The wound on his forehead screamed. His cheek, deeply cut, left a wound that continued to fill his mouth with sticky blood.
Never in his life had he experienced such pain.
The Sun Palace Lord was confused.
No, to be precise, he didn't want to acknowledge it. The feeling he was experiencing now.
Because this was not a feeling that someone like the Sun Palace Lord should feel towards these insignificant bugs.
"Lord!"
But the moment he heard the voice of the protector running towards him, the Sun Palace Lord unintentionally shouted.
"Send the signal!"
The protector was greatly startled.
"L-Lord? But it's still…"
"Send it, now! Right now!"
"A-As you command!"
The protector of the Sun Palace hurriedly took something out from his bosom and aimed it at the cliff.
For a brief moment, confusion flashed in Jo Gul and Yoon Jong's eyes, and suddenly, Baek Cheon, who seemed almost dead, opened his eyes wide and shouted harshly.
"Stop him! Now!"
"What?"
Bang!
But it was already too late.
A bright red object shot out from the small cylinder aimed at the cliff by the protector, flying past the swordsmen of Mount Hua and towards the edge of the cliff.
"Yaaaaaah!"
Namgung Myung swung his sword with all his might, letting out a resounding shout.
Namgung Family, known for its prestigious reputation but not highly rated in terms of martial arts technique. However, in this precarious situation, the energy from his sword was undoubtedly powerful.
The sword energy and the heat wave from his opponents palm technique were rushing towards each other, about to collide.
Their opponents' skills could not be underestimated either. However, those gathered here were the elite chosen from the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, which consisted of the strongest sects in Kangho.
No matter where they were, they were not a force that any single sect's experts could handle.
Boom!
The sword energy exploded, sweeping through the enemies. Watching this, Namgung Myung bit his lip.
'I can do it!'
Whatever the enemies were aiming for here, it was clear from the situation that they could be stopped before they finished their preparations. And if they could continue to hinder them, they could even kill all the enemies hanging on the cliff.
If that happened, everyone who jumped in here, and further, Mount Hua above the cliff, could survive.
Of course, the fierce battle Mount Hua would face up there was a separate issue, but...
'If only it would turn out this way.'
But at that moment, something strange caught Namgung Myung's eyes as he looked up.
A bright red line began to draw itself along the boundary where the cliff and the sky met, like a small red comet streaking across the night sky.
'What is that?'
Before he could figure it out, it exploded in the air.
Boom!
Red light burst out in all directions.
It wasn't explosives. It was loud and noisy, but not powerful enough to hurt anyone. Just noisy...
"A signal flare?"
No, something more appropriately called a signal rocket.
Everyone on the cliff saw what Namgung Myung saw. They all looked on with wariness and questions about the meaning of this signal. Why send a signal towards the cliff in this situation?
The question was soon answered.
Namgung Myung witnessed another sight. The faces of the Sun Palace soldiers who saw the signal were filled with an inexplicable resolve.
'N-No way...'
There was no time to think further. The Sun Palace warrior he was facing suddenly burst into bright red flames.
Like a self-immolating torch, the flames engulfed their bodies. The moment Namgung Myung realized the meaning of this.
Without thinking, he moved his body.
Thud!
He reached back to grab the Namgung warrior behind him and used all his strength to leap off the cliff.
He heard the Namgung warrior's groaning voice.
"N-No…"
Woosh!
The Sun Palace warriors' bodies were engulfed in flames all at once.
The Namgung warrior's groan turned into a desperate scream.
"Noooooo!"
Boom!
The bodies of the burning Sun Palace warriors began to explode one after another. It was like a grand fireworks display signalling the end of the battle.