Chapter 153

Chapter 153: The Demon Dyes Mount Hwang in Blood (3)

The memory of that day remained vivid in his mind.

How could he forget? On that day, an indelible mark had been seared into his left cheek. Even if he wished to forget, the wound was always there whenever he stood before a mirror. And when he saw it, the memories of that day came flooding back.

That morning had been particularly pleasant. So he had pillaged with a cheerful heart. He had no particular target in mind. He simply happened upon a village while passing through the foothills of Taebaek Mountain, and it became his prey.

He killed quite a few people and seized a fair number of valuables.

The problem arose when they raided the last house. The father resisted so tenaciously with his bow that his son grabbed a kitchen knife and charged as well.

While his attention was distracted by the father, the son slashed his face with the knife. Not content with that, the boy even bit the neck of one of his men, killing him instantly.

A stubborn brat if there was ever one. So he made sure to kill him. Thoroughly, so he could never rise again.

Yet strangely, he could not recall the brat's face. Perhaps he had instinctively wished to forget the wretched memories of that day.

Now, facing Dam Ho, the forgotten memories sprang back to life with crystalline clarity.

"Y-You are that brat…"

"I've missed you."

"Ggggh!"

Jo Yun-san's face twisted into a grotesque mask.

Even now, the Hell Blood Ants continued to bite into every part of his body.

"I hope you enjoy it. I prepared it just for you."

When escaping from that hellish underground chamber, Dam Ho had caught the Hell Blood Ants and placed them in a jar made of mud. After his escape, he transferred them to a porcelain jar, where he had kept them carefully ever since.

The moment Dam Ho had experienced the greatest pain in his life was when the Hell Blood Ants had bitten him.

He wanted Jo Yun-san to feel that same pain.

The excruciating itch that could only be relieved by tearing away all the skin on one's body with one's own fingernails and digging between the muscles drove a person mad.

Red blotches appeared on Jo Yun-san's face. It was evidence that the venom of the Hell Blood Ants was spreading.

"Aaargh!"

Jo Yun-san screamed at the top of his lungs and began clawing at his entire body with his fingernails. But no matter how much he scratched, the itching did not subside.

He scratched and scratched. His skin was stripped away, revealing the raw red flesh beneath, and blood flowed freely. Yet Jo Yun-san did not stop.

"Please, just kill me!"

Jo Yun-san begged through his tears. But Dam Ho merely watched in silence.

Rrrip!

The sound of flesh being torn and skin being peeled away echoed with chilling clarity.

Jo Yun-san's appearance was enough to inspire terror in anyone who watched.

They wished to help Jo Yun-san, but Dam Ho stood between them and him.

From Dam Ho's body, a sinister aura emanated.

Every one of them instinctively knew that to touch him now would invite a catastrophe beyond their ability to bear.

"H-How?"

Yun Chung clenched his teeth.

Before his eyes, Jo Yun-san writhed in agony. Yet there was nothing he could do.

'Where did such a monster come from?'

The Murim sometimes produced beings beyond all common sense.

They thoroughly overturned all prior understanding, and presented entirely new directions. And through such individuals, the Murim underwent great transformations.

But such beings were exceedingly rare. Even throughout the entirety of the Murim's history, there had been only a handful.

'Could it be that he is one of those? An existence that, simply by existing, can bring change to the Murim.'

Yun Chung clenched his fist without realizing it.

Even now, Jo Yun-san continued to scream and claw at his body.

No matter how much skin he stripped away or flesh he dug into, the maddening itch showed no sign of subsiding. In fact, as the ant's venom spread further, the itching only intensified.

He had screamed so much that his voice had gone hoarse, barely audible.

'If only I could stop this itching…'

He would sell his soul.

Jo Yun-san looked at Dam Ho with bloodshot eyes.

"Please, just kill me… You demon."

"You can't die so easily. That would be a waste."

"Ggggh!"

"Hold on with everything you have. I did the same."

"Gack!"

"At first, it hurt so much I thought I would die. But I endured it, and endured it, and before long it became bearable. You can do the same."

Dam Ho's words drew a bitter clench of Jo Yun-san's teeth.

'If he could do it, so can I.'

He clung to a sliver of hope. But reality was hell. His hands continued to scratch at his entire body. He had lost so much blood that a pool had formed on the floor.

The probability of survival was less than one in ten. He would continue to scratch his body until his last breath. And at some point, his breath would cease.

Dam Ho looked down at him for a moment, then rose to his feet.

He had finally completed his revenge, yet strangely, he felt no satisfaction.

There was no sense of relief, no feeling of catharsis. He had simply completed what needed to be done.

Dam Ho's gaze fell upon Yun Chung. But Yun Chung merely furrowed his brow and did not retreat.

"When did it begin?"

"What do you mean?"

"When did the Demonic Cult infiltrate the green forest?"

"How could you…?"

In that instant, Yun Chung's pupils shook as though an earthquake had struck. Dam Ho's unexpected words had pierced his heart like a dagger.

"When you summoned the Dark Ghosts, you said they were the Demonic Cult's elite."

"You don't mean… you overheard my transmission?"

Dam Ho did not answer. But Yun Chung was certain his guess was correct. Though he did not understand how, Dam Ho had the ability to eavesdrop on the transmissions of others.

"You are truly dangerous."

In that instant, the light in Yun Chung's eyes changed.

It was no longer the mild or flustered gaze from before. Like an entirely different person, his eyes had gone cold and his murderous intent filled the air.

The one most shaken by this transformation in Yun Chung was none other than Hwang Gyeong-mun.

"C-Chung-a! Are you truly a member of the Demonic Cult?"

"Heh! Brother. It would have been better for you to die as you were. That is correct! I am the Dark Ghost Lord of the Holy Cult."

"How can this be!"

Hwang Gyeong-mun's beard quivered.

Before today's events, Yun Chung had been the brother he trusted most. In managing the green forest, he had consulted Yun Chung on every detail, even transferring a significant portion of his own authority.

Yun Chung had formed his bond with Hwang Gyeong-mun over thirty years ago. That meant the Demonic Cult had infiltrated the green forest from the moment they had lost the war.

"What exactly have you done in the green forest, Yun Chung?"

"I used you as a shield to grow my strength. As you know, our Holy Cult had been weakened after losing the war at that time."

The victorious martial artists of the Central Plains had hunted down the Demonic Cult's warriors with ruthless efficiency. The young Yun Chung, fleeing from the purges, had hidden in the green forest with several companions.

They used the green forest as a shield to build their strength and expand their influence.

Hwang Gyeong-mun, an extraordinary martial artist, served as an excellent blindfold. While the people's attention was fixed upon the absolute martial artist that was Hwang Gyeong-mun, Yun Chung had been secretly expanding his influence within the green forest.

He had spent thirty years doing so, and in the end, he had seized control of a significant portion of the green forest.

"So it was you who instigated Jo Yun-san."

"He was a promising young man. He held a grudge against you as well. Instigating him was not difficult."

Yun Chung even wore a faint smile. The sight of him was enough to fill Hwang Gyeong-mun with profound self-loathing.

"Hah! So I was nothing more than a puppet."

"It is not your fault, Brother. I was simply that capable. You need not feel so much shame."

Yun Chung was no longer polite, no longer hiding his true nature. Having come this far, he had decided to reveal himself openly.

Yun Chung's gaze fell upon Dam Ho.

"And you, how dare you destroy my thirty years of great work. I will never forgive you."

A thick killing intent seeped from his entire body, consuming his surroundings.

This was a Yun Chung utterly different from the one the green forest had known.

Hwang Gyeong-mun's face turned ashen.

He could feel that the aura emanating from Yun Chung was by no means inferior to his own. The martial skill publicly known for Yun Chung was only slightly above the first-rate level.

A strategist with a keen mind rather than martial prowess, that had been Yun Chung's public image. But it had all been a deception.

"I will shatter every last one of your limbs and grind your bones to dust."

Crack!

The terrifying aura that erupted from his body shattered the objects around him. In the meantime, strange figures gathered at Yun Chung's side.

Over a hundred warriors dressed in black.

They were the Dark Ghosts that Yun Chung had nurtured.

The vast capital that Hwang Gyeong-mun had invested in raising the Dragon Ascension Corps. A significant portion had been diverted to train the Dark Ghosts. Thanks to that, the martial skills of the Dark Ghosts far surpassed those of the Dragon Ascension Corps.

Hwang Gyeong-mun's eyelids twitched.

Many of the Dark Ghosts were faces he recognized. They were promising warriors within the Overlord Outfit.

Though their ranks were not high, they served as the vital links connecting the leadership of the Overlord Outfit with the common green forest bandits.

Only then did Hwang Gyeong-mun understand how Yun Chung had taken control of the Overlord Outfit. With these men as his eyes and ears, Hwang Gyeong-mun had been as good as blind.

Having realized the full truth, Hwang Gyeong-mun's limbs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.

'I watched with my own eyes as my home was stolen from me, and I lived on in blissful ignorance. How ridiculous I must have looked.'

Overwhelmed by a sense of futility, Hwang Gyeong-mun closed his eyes.

He could not know how many of the green forest's strongholds had been infiltrated by the Demonic Cult. Perhaps only a few, or perhaps more than he could imagine.

He did not even know where to begin.

Even as Hwang Gyeong-mun sat there in helpless despair, Yun Chung and the Dark Ghosts continued to radiate their killing intent.

Their killing intent was so formidable that the green forest warriors nearby were seized with fear and retreated.

Yun Chung pointed a finger at Dam Ho.

"Fist Demon… that hollow reputation of yours will not save your life. Today, you die. Right here, right now…"

Shhh-shhh-shhh!

The moment his words ended, the Dark Ghosts surrounded Dam Ho.

The Dark Ghosts had hidden in the shadows for thirty years, cultivating the Demonic Cult's martial arts. They had always yearned to step into the light and fight beneath the Demonic Cult's banner.

"Here and now, we will kill you, and then we will join the main force. Soon, the world will unite under the Holy Cult. Consider it an honor to be the first offering on that great journey. You… Gahuk!"

Crash!

In that instant, a thunderous explosion erupted, and five or six Dark Ghosts were sent hurtling backward. Dam Ho had deployed the Fortress Breaking Fist.

Dam Ho launched himself toward Yun Chung.

"You talk too much."

The Dark Ghosts blocked his path.

Swoosh!

The swords in their hands glinted with cold light.

The Fist Demon and the Dark Ghosts.

A battle for the fate of the green forest had begun.