Chapter 242

Ye Jin-gyeong looked the Taoist in front of him up and down.

The Taoist before him had features as delicate as a woman’s and was well-mannered, but he didn’t seem to have the dignity to represent the Qingcheng sect in welcoming important guests.

The pride of great sects is more obsessive than most people think, making it difficult for small sects or ordinary people to understand.

Sending out such a Taoist was probably either Venerable Woo-am’s mistake, or they were looking down on Ye Jin-gyeong, or perhaps…

After thinking for a moment, Ye Jin-gyeong made his decision.

“You all wait here.”

Ye Jin-gyeong decided to ascend the mountain gate with only twenty White Tiger Earth Emperor Pavilion warriors. He left the rest of the personnel under the command of his deputy pavilion master.

An interesting smile appeared on Ye Jin-gyeong’s face as he followed the Taoist up the mountain gate. It was clearly a mocking expression that said, “Let’s see what kind of scheme you’re plotting.”

“Are your legs uncomfortable?”

The Taoist walking ahead was limping.

Of course, limping didn’t mean his walking speed was slow. Naturally, he was much faster than ordinary people.

“Yes.”

“It must be hard going up and down.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

The mountain gate was very quiet, and no particular signs were visible throughout the ascent.

However, the moment they entered the temple grounds where the Qingcheng sect’s halls were located, Ye Jin-gyeong definitely realized something was wrong.

Countless people who should have been visible were nowhere to be seen. Not only pilgrims but also Qingcheng sect Taoists were completely absent. Not seeing a single person while passing over fifty halls was definitely strange.

“This way.”

The young Taoist continued guiding Ye Jin-gyeong nonchalantly.

The entrance to Shangqing Palace appeared, with two sacred beast statues standing on either side of the wide staircase.

On both sides of the Shangqing Palace entrance were corridor-like round entrances – on the left was Yaotai Tower, and on the right was Xuanpu Gate, meaning the dwelling of immortals in the legendary Kunlun Mountain.

The young Taoist pointed inside Shangqing Palace from the bottom of the stairs.

When Ye Jin-gyeong climbed the stairs and entered the Shangqing Palace entrance, the twenty White Tiger Earth Emperor Pavilion warriors tried to follow, but the Taoist stopped them.

“The others cannot enter.”

The White Tiger Earth Emperor Pavilion warriors glared at the Taoist with fierce eyes. Each one had considerable skill, enough to emit fighting spirit. Though ordinary people would have their legs shaking at the sight, the Taoist calmly accepted all the fighting spirit with a composed expression.

Ye Jin-gyeong stopped and turned his head to stare directly at the young Taoist.

“What kind of trick is this?”

The young Taoist looked at him as if asking what he meant.

“I asked what trick you’re playing. My patience is not very long.”

The young Taoist said.

“Just show a little more patience. What you want is right in front of you.”

“You’re not a disciple of the Qingcheng sect.”

“That’s correct.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Jin Ja-gang.”

Ye Jin-gyeong exclaimed.

“Ah, Poison Dragon. So you’re that Poison Dragon.”

Ye Jin-gyeong nodded his head and went inside, leaving one command for the White Tiger Earth Emperor Pavilion warriors.

“Kill him.”

The White Tiger Earth Emperor Pavilion warriors immediately drew their swords.

Poison Dragon!

The weight that the nickname Poison Dragon carried in the martial world was no longer light.

That’s why they became even more alert.

Jin Ja-gang spoke as if sighing.

“You don’t question. When orders are given, no questions asked. You don’t hesitate even at slaughter… What meaning does the Orthodox Sect have to people like you? How are you different from the Evil Sect?”

The White Tiger Earth Emperor Pavilion warriors neither laughed nor mocked. They immediately raised their internal energy to carry out the order, making their sword tips emit a bluish light.

“Shut up, Poison Dragon. Looking at what you’ve done, you deserve to die.”

Jin Ja-gang also triggered the flow of true energy with one breath and raised his internal energy. His qi and blood began to swell red and blue as if about to burst.

“Originally, I only intended to block you from entering that place. However, if you plan to kill me…”

One of the White Tiger Earth Emperor Pavilion warriors said.

“Poison Dragon. It’s useless to try to bewitch us with nonsense.”

“I’m not trying to bewitch you. I’m just informing you.”

Jin Ja-gang glanced at the ground beneath the White Tiger Earth Emperor Pavilion warriors’ feet.

“I didn’t come out carelessly against you, who are called the second-best combat unit in the Martial Alliance. I buried some bracken fern under your feet.”

At those words, the White Tiger Earth Emperor Pavilion warriors’ expressions changed drastically.

“Bracken fern? Fiddlehead fern?”

However, what actually angered them was something else.

“How dare you call us second-best?”

“Insolent…!”

Killing intent appeared on Jin Ja-gang’s face.

“Doesn’t it not matter? Whether second or first, after you’re dead.”

Killing intent also rose heavily in the White Tiger Earth Emperor Pavilion warriors’ eyes.

“Die, Poison Dragon!”

The White Tiger Earth Emperor Pavilion warriors began moving agilely and forming a battle formation.

* * *

Ye Jin-gyeong passed through the entrance of Shangqing Palace and the narrow path to enter the inner courtyard.

As expected, there were no Taoists anywhere, and only Evil Sect members were waiting there.

Particularly, the one at the front carrying a shield on his back was someone Ye Jin-gyeong couldn’t fail to recognize.

Gu Ryun of the Eight Flying Demon Heroes.

And on both sides of him stood Human Demon Gam Chung.

“Heh heh, see? I told you so. If you scratch his pride a little, he’d jump into hellfire by himself.”

Ye Jin-gyeong chuckled.

“Would I need to show pride against the likes of you?”

Gam Chung put his hand on his belly and laughed heartily.

“Then since you walked into our trap without even showing pride, shouldn’t we greet you from our side? Thank you for walking into our trap.”

Ye Jin-gyeong frowned and asked.

“Where are the Qingcheng sect Taoists?”

Gu Ryun of the Eight Flying Demon Heroes answered with a sneer.

“Haven’t you heard the news? They fled long ago. The rumors are all over Sichuan, but apparently only you folks don’t know?”

Ye Jin-gyeong’s eyebrows twitched.

“These bastards…”

That wasn’t directed at Gu Ryun of the Eight Flying Demon Heroes.

It was about the Tang family and Mount Emei he had met at the entrance to Sichuan.

They couldn’t have been unaware of what happened in Sichuan. However, they had blocked all information that should have come to him and hadn’t even given him a hint.

“It seems you’re not the only ones who need to pay the price for making me take this useless trip here.”

Gam Chung laughed again.

“I have a wonderfully good idea to tell you specially. If you don’t want trouble, just kill everyone. Kill indiscriminately. Then both you and we will be in the same situation. The world originally goes round and round…”

The one who interrupted wasn’t Ye Jin-gyeong but Gu Ryun.

“You’re being noisy, so shut up and get lost.”

“Oh my. Was I talking too much?”

“I’m sufficient here by myself. You go to the front yard and help the kid. No matter how good he is, it’ll be hard to hold out long against twenty White Tiger Earth Emperor Pavilion warriors.”

“Geez, that guy said he’d do fine by himself, so what’s there to worry about? He’ll manage. I’ll just watch.”

“I told you to get lost. Unless you want holes in you from Thunder Brand Sword.”

Gu Ryun mentioned not his own sword but Thunder Brand Sword. Gam Chung understood the meaning of those words too.

“Anyway, a friend who’s only been on battlefields talks too roughly. Well then, I’ll be going.”

Ye Jin-gyeong drew his sword like lightning and sent it flying toward Gam Chung.

Drawing his sword and simultaneously kicking off the ground to throw his body and scatter sword energy, it didn’t even take the time to blink once. The series of movements was natural and swift, appearing like wind suddenly blowing toward Gam Chung.

However, at the same time, Gu Ryun’s body moved to the side. Gu Ryun held out his shield to block Ye Jin-gyeong’s sword.

CRASH!

An explosive sound rang out right in front of Gam Chung and stones scattered. Gam Chung stepped back, genuinely surprised, not exaggerating.

“Oh my, hot!”

Strangely, the mark carved into the ground had blackened, burnt traces remaining. It looked as if it had been burned with a torch.

Ye Jin-gyeong leaped back.

His gaze became much more cautious.

“You use strange sorcery.”

Gu Ryun lowered the shield he had held out to block Gam Chung’s front. Steam was also rising slightly from the shield.

A bloody smile appeared again at the corner of Gu Ryun’s mouth.

“Everything that looks new to your kind is sorcery, right? This is just shield techniques commonly seen on battlefields. It would be unfamiliar to those who lived comfortably in the martial world just playing with swords thanks to border soldiers like us.”

“Hmph.”

Ye Jin-gyeong drew his sword and sent it flying again. Gu Ryun held his shield forward and looked at Ye Jin-gyeong’s sword through the gaps between the rattan stems woven into the shield.

Tap tap tap!

The sword struck the shield several times. Then when Ye Jin-gyeong struck hard with force, Gu Ryun twisted the shield slightly in his grip.

Ye Jin-gyeong’s sword seemed to hit the concave part of the shield, then slid off and its trajectory veered to the side.

BANG!

The sword energy emitted from the deflected sword hit the ground. The ground burned black and smoke rose.

Just as the word Thunder Brand implied, it was as if the ground had been struck by lightning.

Ye Jin-gyeong immediately retrieved his sword and spun his body in the air to correct his posture.

Gam Chung subtly stepped aside.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

Ye Jin-gyeong immediately reached out his hand.

“Where are you going?”

It was the Hengshan sect’s palm technique, Swift Wind Palm. Powerful palm force flew out. Gu Ryun moved to the side again and blocked the palm force with his shield. No, rather than blocking, he twisted it the moment it hit and deflected the palm force upward.

BANG!

The deflected palm force hit the roof of Shangqing Palace and shattered the roof tiles.

Clatter clatter.

The broken tile fragments fell down. Ye Jin-gyeong leaped up and caught the tile fragments to throw them.

Gu Ryun blocked and deflected all the tile fragments with his shield. His technique of deflecting with the shield was indeed as skillful as his reputation suggested. Some tile fragments bounced back to collide with other tile fragments or fly back toward Ye Jin-gyeong.

“Hurry up and get lost. You’re in the way.”

“I told you I understood.”

Ye Jin-gyeong could only watch as Gam Chung ran out of Shangqing Palace.

“The reputation of the Eight Flying Demon Heroes is certainly not in vain. But how long do you plan to just block and waste time?”

“Until there’s no one interfering?”

Gu Ryun pulled back his body then charged forward with force.

WHOOSH!

Being military martial arts, it was quite different from typical martial world techniques. Ye Jin-gyeong sent Swift Wind Palm toward the charging Gu Ryun. Gu Ryun deflected the palm force with his shield while striking Ye Jin-gyeong’s shoulder with the end of his shield. Ye Jin-gyeong blocked the round edge of the shield with his forearm.

But at that moment, Ye Jin-gyeong and Gu Ryun’s gazes crossed.

“…!”

SNAP!

A blade sprang out from the edge of the shield. At the same time, Ye Jin-gyeong pulled away his forearm. By a hair’s breadth difference, Ye Jin-gyeong’s sleeve was cut off.

“Petty tricks!”

Ye Jin-gyeong flipped backward from where he stood and kicked over his own head. Ye Jin-gyeong’s foot struck hard into the shield.

BANG!

Ye Jin-gyeong supported himself on the ground with his hands and repeatedly kicked the shield. BANG! BAM BAM BANG!

The elasticity of the rattan stems woven into the shield was absorbing the impact Ye Jin-gyeong was emitting.

Then at some point, Ye Jin-gyeong’s foot slipped on the shield, broke the stone slabs on the ground, and his ankle became embedded in the earth up to his ankle. This wasn’t what Ye Jin-gyeong had intended. Gu Ryun had made Ye Jin-gyeong’s kick miss while adding his own internal energy to make it get stuck in the ground.

While Ye Jin-gyeong was surprised and said “Huh?”, Gu Ryun rolled on the ground and slashed at Ye Jin-gyeong’s shin with a short blade hidden in his shield. Ye Jin-gyeong stuck his sword into the ground to block the short blade and pulled out his foot.

Gu Ryun sneered.

“I told you it’s not petty tricks.”