Chapter 151

Chapter 151: The Demon Dyes Mount Hwang in Blood (1)

Dam Ho was approaching.

His characteristic uneven footsteps squeezed the hearts of the men like a vise. His entire body itched as though hundreds of ants crawled aimlessly across his skin.

His eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and his vision blurred. He hurriedly drew upon his internal energy to calm his roiling meridians, but in that very moment, a tremendous pressure engulfed his entire body.

Boom!

His body, shattered like a boulder rolled from a mountain summit, was sent flying through the air.

Unable to withstand the colossal pressure, every blood vessel in his eyes burst, and he spat blood from all seven orifices. Jong-o's appearance was ghastly beyond measure. Yet the warriors of the Dragon Ascension Corps had no leisure to mourn his death.

Dam Ho was already stepping forward in search of his next victim.

"Damn it!"

"Kill him! He's nothing but a cripple!"

Their weapons sliced through the air and hurtled toward Dam Ho.

Dam Ho did not evade their attacks. Instead, he threw himself forward in an utterly defenseless state.

Ting-ting-ting!

The instant the razor-sharp blade touched his body, it was deflected in all directions. He had deployed the Golden Ring Shield.

"Gah!"

The moment the sword touched Dam Ho's body and bounced away, a warrior of the Dragon Ascension Corps standing in the sword's trajectory was struck with terror. That was the last reaction he would show in his lifetime.

Boom!

With a thunderous crack, his head burst like a pumpkin.

Grayish-white brain matter and fresh blood splattered across the faces of the Dragon Ascension Corps warriors.

"Kuh!"

Several warriors instinctively shut their eyes. Among them, one man suddenly felt a crushing pressure around his neck. Dam Ho's hand had seized his throat.

The instant he widened his eyes in shock, his head snapped to the side with a sickening crack.

Crack!

The grotesque sound of bone shattering rang out with chilling clarity. The sight of the warrior dead with his tongue lolling out sent ripples of horror through the hearts of the onlookers.

Dam Ho did not rush.

He simply approached the men with his characteristic uneven gait. Yet with every step he took, their comrades fell.

Some were crushed into a mangle of flesh. Others had their necks snapped.

Though the cause of death varied, each had met a death that was horrific to behold. The sight of them ignited mortal terror in the hearts of the remaining survivors.

"Aagh!"

"R-Run! We have to run!"

In that moment, a single word filled their minds to the exclusion of all else.

Untouchable.

An existence they could never hope to oppose.

At least to those present, Dam Ho had been branded into their minds as such a being of terror.

The surviving warriors of the Dragon Ascension Corps threw down their weapons and scattered in every direction. The only one still standing was the Corps Leader, Yu Gwang-cheon.

"Ngh!"

He shuddered as he looked upon Dam Ho.

In his heart, he too wished to flee. But he could not.

The others were mere pawns, but he was the leader of the Dragon Ascension Corps. There was nowhere for him to retreat, nowhere to fall back to.

Whether he lived or died, it had to be decided here.

"You are, in the end, nothing more than flesh and blood."

Shing!

Yu Gwang-cheon swung his sword with desperate fury.

A crimson aura gathered upon his blade before it erupted into searing heat.

A technique of Flame Annihilation.

It was the most powerful technique Yu Gwang-cheon could currently wield.

"Die, you monster!"

Yu Gwang-cheon brought his sword down upon Dam Ho with all his strength.

Whoosh!

A fierce sword energy accompanied by blazing heat hurtled toward Dam Ho. The air itself distorted, a testament to its formidable power.

Dam Ho did not dodge Yu Gwang-cheon's attack. Instead, he bent low at the waist and charged straight into the man's embrace.

Tsss!

Yu Gwang-cheon's sword grazed along Dam Ho's spine. His robes split open, and a long gash appeared across his back.

But Dam Ho did not so much as blink.

It was merely a flesh wound. The vital muscles were entirely unharmed. That meant there was no impediment whatsoever to his use of martial arts.

His fist slammed into Yu Gwang-cheon's abdomen.

Wham!

"Gahuk!"

Yu Gwang-cheon's body lurched violently.

Though his fist had struck the abdomen, his back bulged outward. The tremendous force had pierced through his belly and erupted from his back.

Yu Gwang-cheon's pupils shook as though an earthquake had struck. Blood poured from his mouth in a steady stream.

"Gghhhk!"

A ghastly groan escaped through his lips.

Dam Ho seized the collapsing Yu Gwang-cheon by the neck and lifted him upright.

Dam Ho's pitch-black pupils reflected Yu Gwang-cheon's terrified face.

"Y-You?"

Yu Gwang-cheon reached out a hand, flailing weakly. But before his fingers could touch Dam Ho's face, his body was violently hurled to the ground.

His body rolled to a stop at the feet of Muk Il-gwang.

"S-Save me. Il-gwang."

He pleaded with Muk Il-gwang.

At his wretched, pathetic appearance, Muk Il-gwang let out a quiet sigh. The imposing figure Yu Gwang-cheon had cut just moments ago was nowhere to be seen. Only a man begging pathetically for his life remained.

Muk Il-gwang raised his axe.

"Try to die like a man."

"W-We were friends."

"We were, until just now."

"You bastard! Have you forgotten all our old bonds?"

"Yes! I've forgotten them all."

Shing!

In a flash, Muk Il-gwang's axe cleaved the air. Yu Gwang-cheon's head split in two, and a spray of blood burst in all directions.

That was the end of Yu Gwang-cheon, Leader of the Dragon Ascension Corps.

"Kuh!"

Muk Il-gwang staggered.

He had gathered his last strength to kill Yu Gwang-cheon, but the wounds he had sustained were by no means light.

"Are you all right?"

"I am fine, My Lady."

As he answered, Muk Il-gwang looked around. But Dam Ho was nowhere to be seen.

'Brother.'

"Hah! Hah!"

Hwang Gyeong-mun drew ragged breaths. His shoulders heaved with each exhale.

The hall reeked of death as though it were the Asura Hell itself.

Scores of warriors lay dead at his feet, their bodies strewn across the floor. The blood they had spilled formed crimson pools upon the ground.

Hwang Gyeong-mun straightened his back and spoke.

"Is that all you have? This barely qualifies as a warm-up."

An aura befitting his title, the Overlord, radiated from him. The elite warriors of the Overlord Outfit surrounding him wavered.

At that moment, Jo Yun-san cried out.

"Do not be afraid! It is merely a bluff. An old man poisoned with Blood-Lung Poison and Scatter Energy Poison, making his last desperate struggle."

"A bluff, you say… Perhaps so. But this old Hwang Gyeong-mun is not dead yet."

Hwang Gyeong-mun launched himself toward Jo Yun-san.

The warriors of the Overlord Outfit blocked his path.

"Out of my way!"

"That we cannot do. Accept your death with dignity, Grandmaster."

"Then I shall cut you down."

Hwang Gyeong-mun infused his blade with power and swung.

Whoosh!

Two warriors fell to the powerful blade energy.

Hwang Gyeong-mun's eyes wavered.

He could scarcely believe that he was cutting down the very elites he had raised with his own hands.

'Where did it all go wrong?'

He had believed that after decades together, they shared a bond deeper than blood. That such a bond could be shaken by a single moment of greed was difficult to accept.

Hwang Gyeong-mun's gaze fell upon Yun Chung.

Yun Chung, the second-in-command of the Overlord Outfit and Hwang Gyeong-mun's sworn brother, stared back at him.

'What in the world have you done to the Overlord Outfit, Chung-a?'

Even now, he could not bring himself to believe that Yun Chung had betrayed him.

Thud!

In the moment his mind wandered, a sword pierced his back.

"Gahuk!"

He turned his head. Oh Jong-sam, Leader of the Golden Tiger Outfit, was grinning.

"How does it taste, Grandmaster?"

"You?"

"Even a tiger can die to wolves. That is the Murim, is it not? Heh heh!"

"Yes! That is the Murim. But there is one thing you do not know."

"What might that be?"

"I may be a tiger, but you are no wolf."

"Huh?"

Whoosh!

In that instant, Hwang Gyeong-mun's Overlord Blade split Oh Jong-sam in two.

The smile vanished from Oh Jong-sam's face. Hwang Gyeong-mun kicked the man's remains and muttered.

"You are a dog. A mangy dog that eats nothing but filth."

Thud!

Oh Jong-sam's bisected body toppled lifelessly to the ground.

Hwang Gyeong-mun was still alive.

The title of Overlord had not been earned in vain.

Though he had been poisoned with Blood-Lung Poison and his internal energy was being drained by the Scatter Energy Poison, the man called Hwang Gyeong-mun was strong.

Thump!

Hwang Gyeong-mun pushed off the ground and charged at Jo Yun-san.

'The mastermind behind all of this is Jo Yun-san. I must kill him if nothing else.'

Hwang Gyeong-mun's overwhelming fighting spirit bore down upon him, and Jo Yun-san recoiled in terror, stumbling backward.

In terms of pure martial skill, Jo Yun-san was no match for Hwang Gyeong-mun. No one present could hope to match Hwang Gyeong-mun. But battle was not always decided by a direct confrontation.

"Now!"

Jo Yun-san shouted.

Swish-swish!

In that instant, dozens of short spears burst through the windows. Silver chains were attached to their tips.

If he swung his blade now, he could grievously wound Jo Yun-san. But doing so would mean he could not guarantee his own life.

Hwang Gyeong-mun swept his blade and deflected the spears.

The dozens of spears lost their momentum and clattered to the ground. But the warriors gripping the chains shook their hands, and the chains sprang back to life like venomous serpents, attacking Hwang Gyeong-mun.

Shhh-clank!

Dozens of chains crisscrossed around Hwang Gyeong-mun.

In the blink of an eye, Hwang Gyeong-mun was trapped in a cage of chains. No matter where he looked, all he could see were silver chains.

The chains constricted around him with terrifying speed, like a serpent coiling around its prey.

"This is the Snake Formation Soul-Sealing Array, prepared for this very day."

A victorious smile curled Jo Yun-san's lips.

The Snake Formation Soul-Sealing Array was a formation designed to hunt down absolute masters such as Hwang Gyeong-mun.

The chains attached to the spears had been forged through a special process that rendered them impossible to cut, no matter how skilled the swordsman.

Jo Yun-san had selected the elite warriors of the Black Water Outfit and trained them for years in the Snake Formation Soul-Sealing Array alone. Thanks to that, their mastery of the formation had reached a state of perfection.

Through the gaps in the chains, Hwang Gyeong-mun could be seen standing motionless. His figure appeared as though he had given up on everything.

Warriors waiting outside burst in through the windows. In their hands, they held spears longer than a zhang.

"Stab him!"

At Jo Yun-san's command, his men thrust their long spears through the gaps in the chains. There was not a single space where Hwang Gyeong-mun could evade.

'I've caught him.'

Jo Yun-san exulted.

He had prepared for this day for years.

If he could subdue Hwang Gyeong-mun, seizing control of the green forest would not be difficult.

Joy surged within him in that moment.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a brilliant burst of light erupted from Hwang Gyeong-mun.

Every eye in the Green King Hall widened.

"R-Repelling Force?!"

Crash!

In that instant, everything shattered.

The Green King Hall itself, and the chains that had ensnared Hwang Gyeong-mun.

The fragments of the shattered chains flew in every direction, and silver energy slammed into everyone within the Green King Hall.

"Gahuk!"

Boom!

The massive Green King Hall was collapsing.