Chapter 312 – The Blood Wind Blows from Sichuan Province (3)

"Huff huff!"

Rough breathing mixed with blood odor flowed from Dan Woon-hyang's mouth. Her face was flushed red, and thick beads of sweat were constantly flowing down her entire body.

Her legs were trembling and her heart was beating madly, but she never stopped. No, she couldn't stop.

Dam Ho was tracking her. Though she couldn't see his form, she could tell.

The stench of a beast was carried on the wind. The disgusting breath that only ferocious beasts that hunt and eat living things possess made her feel like she would vomit at any moment.

If she stopped, she would die.

The moment she rested because it was difficult, he would instantly close the distance and bite her spine.

Just thinking of his face sent chills up her spine.

'Beast! He's a beast born only to kill and devour. Where did such a person come from…'

The more she thought about it, the more she shuddered.

No one had ever given her such fear before. Cult Leader Cheok Gwan-hyeol was an object of respect to her, not of fear.

'Different! He's different. He's definitely not a normal human.'

She never thought that she, who had grown up in the Demon Cult, a land of struggle, would think this way. The fear Dan Woon-hyang felt from Dam Ho was that tremendous.

Dan Woon-hyang ran and ran again. She drew up all her body's power and invested it in deploying lightness techniques.

Her body raced forward at wind-like speed, but Dan Woon-hyang still thought it wasn't enough.

She didn't know how much time had passed. It seemed like only a moment had passed, or several hours had gone by. She had no time to think of anything else.

How long had she run like this? Dan Woon-hyang's face suddenly began to brighten. It was because the destination she had so desperately wanted to reach was right in front of her.

It was a small village with impressive picturesque scenery where numerous rice fields were arranged in terraces along the sloping mountainside.

There was the person she had been searching for so desperately.

It was an old man tending to the rice fields with his pants rolled up to his knees. He seemed busy pulling weeds from the fields.

"Elder!"

Dan Woon-hyang called to him with all her strength. Then the old man raised his head and looked at her. The old man who radiated a transcendent aura like an immortal was Cheon Oh-gyeong.

Dan Woon-hyang had come to find the master of Sword Stream, one of the Thirteen Branches, and an old martial artist who had retired from the world's troublesome affairs.

"Woon-hyang."

Cheon Oh-gyeong was slightly surprised to see Dan Woon-hyang looking disheveled like a madwoman, then immediately hardened his expression. He sensed an ominous atmosphere from her appearance.

He walked out of the rice field with a stern expression.

"Elder!"

"What's the matter again? What happened?"

"Huff! Huff! Everyone, everyone's dead."

Dan Woon-hyang collapsed into Cheon Oh-gyeong's arms while gasping for breath.

"Dead? Who?"

"Seok Mu-gang too… the Tang Clan too… all my subordinates are dead."

Cheon Oh-gyeong's eyes trembled.

"Seok Mu-gang? The Iron King of the North is dead?"

"Yes!"

"Who killed him?"

Seok Mu-gang, the young master of Rock Cliff Stream. Though he couldn't compare to himself, he was still an absolute master who could dominate the world. He wasn't someone who would die easily to others.

"The Fist… Demon."

"The Fist Demon? You mean that Fist Demon of Mount Hua Sect?"

"Huff! Yes!"

Dan Woon-hyang answered with difficulty while breathing roughly.

Cheon Oh-gyeong's face was hardened like a stone statue.

"Mount Hua… Fist Demon."

How could he not know that nickname?

No matter how removed from the martial world he was, rumors flowed in on the wind. And among them, the legend of the young Fist Demon was stimulating enough to make his old heart beat again. What surprised him most was that the Fist Demon was Master Hyeon-so's disciple.

Master Hyeon-so, who had become sworn brothers over a cup of wine. Even now, when he closed his eyes, his immortal-like appearance was vivid.

Cheon Oh-gyeong let out a quiet sigh.

"Sigh! It's karma."

No matter how intricately the world's connections were woven like a net, he didn't know they could be this tenacious and coarse.

Whoooosh!

At that moment, wind blew.

Cheon Oh-gyeong felt the fierce killing intent contained in the wind.

His gaze turned toward the direction Dan Woon-hyang had run from. The wind was blowing from there.

Clatter clatter!

Faint hoofbeats were mixed in the wind.

When he concentrated power in his eyes, he saw a man in black clothes riding a black horse from far away.

Despite being quite far away, a thick scent of blood rushed into his nose. Cheon Oh-gyeong frowned at the intense blood scent that made his head dizzy.

'That person is Hyeon-so's disciple?'

Cheon Oh-gyeong unconsciously shook his head.

Mount Hua Sect was a Taoist sect of the Orthodox School. Naturally, martial artists who had learned Mount Hua Sect's martial arts should emanate the mysterious energy unique to Taoists. A representative example was Master Hyeon-so.

From Master Hyeon-so, one could feel an energy that made one's mood refreshing just by meeting him. But from the man approaching from far away, only the energy of destruction and slaughter could be felt.

"I don't understand how such a disciple came from Hyeon-so."

Cheon Oh-gyeong let out a sighing voice.

Clatter clatter! Clatter clatter!

The hoofbeats grew louder and finally Dam Ho reached right near him.

Snort!

Black Ghost neighed forcefully. Black Ghost was also sensing an ominous atmosphere from Cheon Oh-gyeong.

Dam Ho's gaze turned toward Dan Woon-hyang, who was still in Cheon Oh-gyeong's arms.

"Ugh!"

Dan Woon-hyang shuddered just from receiving his gaze. Seeing such Dan Woon-hyang, Cheon Oh-gyeong briefly closed his eyes.

The Dan Woon-hyang he knew wasn't someone who would easily be frightened by others. If she had been such a weak-hearted woman, she wouldn't have abandoned the position of Holy Maiden and called herself the Demon Mother.

Dam Ho's killing intent was eating away at her mind. And it was also shaking Cheon Oh-gyeong's composure.

Dam Ho's gaze turned toward Cheon Oh-gyeong.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Cheon Oh-gyeong."

"Cheon Oh-gyeong?"

The moment he heard that name, Dam Ho's gaze turned ominous. At his reaction, Cheon Oh-gyeong's eyes lit up.

"You seem to know me."

"I do."

"As I thought."

"Because you killed my friend's master."

"Your friend?"

"Cho Yeon-woon."

"Cho Yeon-woon of the Hundred Battles Sect?"

"That's right!"

"Ah!"

Cheon Oh-gyeong unconsciously let out a sigh.

He thought fate was too cruel.

Not only was he a disciple of his sworn brother Master Hyeon-so, but he was also connected to Cho Yeon-woon. There was no worse evil connection than this.

Dam Ho dismounted from Black Ghost.

When he patted Black Ghost's rear, it ran far away on its own. Black Ghost, who had jumped into the river water on its own to avoid danger during the river battle, was again avoiding to a distant place where the aftermath wouldn't reach.

When Dam Ho dismounted, an even stronger blood scent was felt. It was like having a blood-hungry beast right in front of him.

Cheon Oh-gyeong tried to steady his shaking heart and said:

"I'm sorry about that child's matter. But I don't regret it. Do you know why?"

"Do I need to know the reason?"

"Because grudges in the martial world must be resolved. I merely settled my grudge. There were no personal feelings about Cho Yeon-woon in it."

"Lies!"

"What?"

"All grudges involve personal feelings. You just pretend otherwise and package it nicely. Just like you."

"Hmm!"

At Dam Ho's harsh words, Cheon Oh-gyeong was at a loss for words.

His expression changed dozens of times in an instant.

Bewilderment, anger, regret, attachment, and countless other emotions appeared and disappeared.

Dam Ho silently watched such Cheon Oh-gyeong.

After a moment, Cheon Oh-gyeong sighed.

"Sigh! You're right. I'm a hypocrite. I acted as if I had transcended the world on the outside, but in the end I couldn't escape from the bonds of personal resentment. I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry to me."

Dam Ho's gaze turned toward Dan Woon-hyang, who was still in Cheon Oh-gyeong's arms. Then Cheon Oh-gyeong hid Dan Woon-hyang behind his back.

"You seem to have a grudge against this child."

"……"

Dam Ho didn't answer. But even his silence became an excellent answer for Cheon Oh-gyeong.

"Right! That's why you chased her all the way here. Hehe!"

"……"

"Let me make a request of you. I hope you'll listen."

"……"

"Turn back here."

For a moment, Dam Ho's eyebrows twitched. Then Cheon Oh-gyeong smiled with self-mockery.

"It's hard to accept easily. But I'm saying this for your sake. If you turn back here, I'll forget all grudges."

"Forget?"

"Yes! Killing Seok Mu-gang, cornering this child, and many other resentments, I'll forget them all."

"……"

"I'm saying this thinking of your master. Hyeon-so and I are sworn brothers."

"So?"

"I'm saying this considering my relationship with Hyeon-so."

"Would my master be sad if you died?"

"……"

At Dam Ho's cold words, Cheon Oh-gyeong lost his words. Those few short words contained countless meanings.

Only then did Cheon Oh-gyeong realize he had been thinking wrongly about Dam Ho.

Make Dam Ho retreat with a few words? It was impossible.

Probably no one could make him retreat until his master came personally.

"So we must see blood after all?"

"Your side started the war first."

"You don't know how high the sky is. I acknowledge that you're strong, but that doesn't make you the strongest in the martial world. When one is too strong, one tends to break, and sometimes choosing to retreat is much wiser."

Cheon Oh-gyeong knew. No matter what he said, Dam Ho wouldn't listen.

People with the eyes of beasts like Dam Ho never change their minds or go back on their decisions once they've made them.

The type that only looks ahead and charges forward.

Even if only a cliff existed at the end of that path, he was the type of human who would charge at full speed and choose to fall.

'Truly the worst opponent.'

For martial artists who had learned martial arts, someone like Dam Ho was a nightmarish opponent too terrible to see even in dreams.

Cheon Oh-gyeong picked up a sickle that was lying on the ground nearby.

It was an old sickle whose blade wasn't even properly sharpened. But the moment it was held in Cheon Oh-gyeong's hand, the sickle began to emit an aura no less than any famous sword in the world.

Cheon Oh-gyeong, holding the sickle, said to Dan Woon-hyang:

"Stay far away."

"Elder!"

"This won't be an easy fight."

Dan Woon-hyang's pupils shook.

She never expected such words to come from Cheon Oh-gyeong's mouth.

Dan Woon-hyang quickly moved away from Cheon Oh-gyeong. Dam Ho watched this but didn't move.

It was because a tremendous presence that overwhelmed mountains and rivers had begun flowing from Cheon Oh-gyeong's entire body.

Dam Ho had fought countless opponents until now. Among them were many absolute masters who had dominated the world. But none of them had radiated such overwhelming presence as Cheon Oh-gyeong.

The presence of a giant who had chosen retirement after feeling disgusted with the world was enough to make goosebumps rise on Dam Ho's skin.

This was the first time.

Dam Ho was someone who gave fear to others, not someone who felt fear.

It was as if a giant wall stood before his eyes.

A giant wall that he couldn't even dare to climb over.

But Dam Ho smiled.

Chillingly brightly.

“Hmph.”

Beom-mong frowned and wrapped iron silk around his foot as well. The yellow leg guards wrapped around his calf puffed up and hardened.

At the same time, he stepped on the Mount Heng martial artist.

The thread wrapped around Beom-mong’s foot caused friction with the leg guards, creating tremendous sparks.

Crack crack crack crack!

Thanks to buying that brief moment, the Mount Heng martial artist twisted his body and avoided Beom-mong’s foot.

Thud!

“Hmm?”

Beom-mong looked at his foot, then suddenly raised his eyes and pulled back his left arm.

Crack crack!

The Soul Seizing Thread that was wrapping around his left arm caught on the sleeve with iron silk, causing sparks to fly.

The Soul Seizing Thread curved greatly and moved to Beom-mong’s right arm. Beom-mong pulled his kasaya to wrap his right shoulder. The Soul Seizing Thread that was wrapping around his shoulder got caught between the kasaya and shoulder.

Crack crack crack!

Violent sparks flew as the Soul Seizing Thread rippled greatly.

Slice!

In the midst of this, Beom-mong’s right ear flew off. Even the earlobe was cleanly cut off.

However, Beom-mong acted as if such an injury was nothing, ignoring it and tightly wrapping the Soul Seizing Thread with his kasaya. While doing so, he pulled his left arm back to use the Hundred Step Divine Fist.

Jin Ja-gang pulled the Soul Seizing Thread’s ring while rushing toward Beom-mong.

Beom-mong’s lips smiled broadly.

Whooom!

The internal energy of the Hundred Step Divine Fist rang from his left fist.

He was gathering internal energy trusting in the iron silk!

Hiss!

Sparks flew from Jin Ja-gang’s right palm.

Blazing Twin Scale Palm.

Blazing Twin Scale Palm exploded at Beom-mong’s side. Jin Ja-gang pulled the Soul Seizing Thread with his left hand while repeatedly striking with his right palm.

Bang! Boom!

Flames erupted and part of the monk’s robe burned. Holes were punched throughout the robe, creating sparks and scattering ash.

But Beom-mong received almost no damage. It seemed difficult to penetrate the robe and inflict damage before he deployed the Hundred Step Divine Fist.

The power of the Hundred Step Divine Fist reached within a hundred steps. Taking the Hundred Step Divine Fist right in front would be indescribably powerful.

When Jin Ja-gang showed signs of retreating, Beom-mong forcefully pulled his right hand wrapped with the Soul Seizing Thread to prevent Jin Ja-gang from withdrawing.

At that moment, Jin Ja-gang instead stuck even closer and struck Beom-mong’s head with his palm.

Hisssss!

A burning sound came as steam rose. Beom-mong’s face turned red. Blood vessels protruded from his head and tendons bulged from his jaw.

Beom-mong opened his lips and bared his gritted teeth. He was raising internal energy to his head for defense.

Though his flesh burning was painful, the internal energy of Blazing Twin Scale Palm couldn’t penetrate inside his head to cause fatal damage.

Following the Hundred Step Divine Fist and iron silk, even protective internal energy to the head.

It was internal energy that made one stick out their tongue in amazement.

Beom-mong’s left fist, with the Hundred Step Divine Fist’s internal energy gathered to the maximum, trembled madly. Fortunately, Jin Ja-gang was too close, so Beom-mong had no space to swing his arm.

Beom-mong’s body tilted slightly, then he rammed Jin Ja-gang’s jaw with his right shoulder. Though he had only moved an inch in maximum proximity, Jin Ja-gang felt momentum that made his body flinch.

Jin Ja-gang immediately turned his head.

Smack!

He was hit on the cheekbone instead of the jaw. His head rang as if struck by an iron lump. Iron silk was like a weapon in itself.

Beom-mong slightly raised his foot to step on Jin Ja-gang’s instep. Jin Ja-gang had his hand on his head and unintentionally sensed Beom-mong’s intention through Mind Connection.

Jin Ja-gang immediately pulled his foot away. Beom-mong continuously stepped while stabbing Jin Ja-gang’s solar plexus with his elbow. Jin Ja-gang had no choice but to remove his hand from his head and block.

Thud!

The elbow pushed away Jin Ja-gang’s forearm. Jin Ja-gang’s body floated and was pushed back. If pushed back more than one step, he would be hit by the Hundred Step Divine Fist.

Jin Ja-gang pulled the Soul Seizing Thread to stick to Beom-mong again while striking his waist upward with his knee.

Thung!

Getting caught on the iron silk, Jin Ja-gang’s knee hurt more instead. He couldn’t even give enough shock to divert attention. Jin Ja-gang drew poison needles from his right hand with Heaven and Earth Eight Defeats and stabbed Beom-mong’s head where red palm marks remained.

But even the needles had their tips bent or were deflected.

Namgung Won shouted.

“Be careful of Iron Head Technique!”

Beom-mong swirled his kasaya to pull the Soul Seizing Thread tighter himself while headbutting Jin Ja-gang’s forehead.

Crack.

Jin Ja-gang’s forehead split and blood flowed. When Jin Ja-gang staggered, Beom-mong reversed the wrapped kasaya to untangle the Soul Seizing Thread, pushed Jin Ja-gang with his foot, and tried to throw his left fist.

The Wudang and Mount Heng martial artists rushed in and hung onto Beom-mong’s fist.

“Ughhhh!”

The two young men turned red-faced from exertion and barely stopped Beom-mong’s arm by holding it.

“How persistent!”

Beom-mong had enough leisure to smile and speak even in this situation.

Jin Ja-gang was pushed back several steps, then wiped the blood flowing into his eyes while retrieving the Soul Seizing Thread.

But he didn’t flee and glared at Beom-mong from his position. He pointed his finger at Beom-mong.

Not only Namgung Won but also the Wudang and Mount Heng martial artists were flustered.

The Mount Heng martial artist shouted with a bright red face.

“Have you lost your mind!”

They had bought time for him to escape, yet he wasn’t escaping but persisting.

“May you achieve enlightenment!”

Beom-mong put more strength into his arm. The Wudang and Mount Heng martial artists were dragged along by Beom-mong’s arm.

“Kughhhh!”

The fist was gradually moving forward.

Yet Jin Ja-gang still didn’t flee and only glared at Beom-mong. As Jin Ja-gang concentrated internal energy, his hair began to rise backward.

Namgung Won shouted.

“Dodge! What are you trying to do!”

Beom-mong’s arm was almost fully extended. Tension reached its peak as Jin Ja-gang’s body gradually bent forward. It was an aggressive posture as if about to leap forward instead.

No matter how Namgung Won or the two martial artists looked, Jin Ja-gang didn’t seem to have a chance of winning. Though Jin Ja-gang fighting on equal terms with Beom-mong, one of the previous generation’s Twelve Vajras, even briefly was truly remarkable, the difference in internal energy depth and martial arts level was visibly apparent. Above all, if he couldn’t penetrate the iron silk and Iron Head Technique, he couldn’t damage Beom-mong.

But Beom-mong’s eyes, watching Jin Ja-gang, gradually narrowed. Then, the moment Jin Ja-gang’s lips slightly pursed, Beom-mong stepped with True Step technique and forcefully shook off the two people clinging to his left arm.

Crash!

“Wahhhh!”

“Kugh!”

The Wudang and Mount Heng martial artists were pushed away and tumbled. Beom-mong directly faced Jin Ja-gang’s eyes. His eyes flashed brilliantly. This was Dark Eyes, raising eyesight to the maximum to instantly blind the opponent’s eyes when they met.

Jin Ja-gang had already been caught by that Dark Eyes technique once before. He instantly closed one eye. The energy shot from Beom-mong’s eyes flew into his open eye, and his vision instantly went dark.

But Jin Ja-gang opened his closed eye to secure vision from one side.

Seeing this, Beom-mong frowned.

“Impressive. You instinctively know how to survive.”

No longer having the intention to fight, Beom-mong shook off the two clinging to his arms and leaped greatly backward to a hill several zhang away.

Beom-mong greatly swirled his left arm, which had concentrated the Hundred Step Divine Fist’s internal energy, to scatter the internal energy, then arranged his kasaya and clasped his hands together.

Blood flowed steadily from his severed ear, and distinct red burn marks remained on the tonsure of his bald head. But Beom-mong spoke in a voice as if it was nothing.

“Namo Amitabha Guanyin Bodhisattva. I withdraw today, but Poison Dragon benefactor, we will meet again soon.”

Jin Ja-gang took out a small tube from his mouth and said.

“That won’t happen. I don’t particularly want to promise a next time.”

“Are you telling this poor monk to beg for my life?”

Beom-mong chuckled.

“I understand. I’ll spare the three people at the gambling den. Will you let me go then?”

Jin Ja-gang looked at Beom-mong without answering. But he showed his intention by fitting the Soul Seizing Thread around his wrist and hiding it with his sleeve.

Beom-mong smiled quietly and looked at Namgung Won and the Wudang and Mount Heng martial artists.

“Tell them! I will definitely find them.”

Leaving those words, Beom-mong leaped onto a tree with movement techniques and disappeared like the wind.

The Wudang and Mount Heng martial artists sat down with dazed expressions.

“Great Master Beom-mong withdrew first?”

Namgung Won approached Jin Ja-gang while holding his twisted arm to his chest. Namgung Won spoke in an angry voice.

“Why didn’t you run away! We three almost buried our bones in this place trying to protect you alone. It’s only because Great Master Beom-mong withdrew first!”

“It seems he realized why I cut his ear.”

“What?”

The Wudang martial artist got up and asked.

“You deliberately cut his ear, not by accident?”

“Do you think Great Master Beom-mong would accidentally give up his ear?”

“Well…”

From the side, it might have looked like Jin Ja-gang randomly extended the Soul Seizing Thread and got lucky. But for that one move, Jin Ja-gang had changed the Soul Seizing Thread’s trajectory more than twenty times to confuse Beom-mong.

And finally cut off his ear. The Soul Seizing Thread was coated with poison. Beom-mong would have known this and blocked the meridians connecting to the severed ear area to prevent poison intrusion.

However, blocking meridians meant his own internal energy couldn’t move to the ear area either. He would be defenseless against external internal energy attacks, namely sound attacks.

To block sound attacks, he would need to release the meridians and raise internal energy to the ear area, but then the poison would spread.

From the moment his ear was cut, he was caught in a trap.

Jin Ja-gang had aimed for that point. He planned to disrupt Beom-mong’s center at once with sharp frost sound and settle the match.

But Beom-mong skillfully recognized Jin Ja-gang’s decisive move and immediately avoided it. He seemed to worry about Jin Ja-gang’s poison spreading if time was prolonged. If poison spread, the Wudang and Mount Heng martial artists, who were currently just bothersome, would also become threats.

The Mount Heng martial artist reset Namgung Won’s twisted arm and broken wrist to their original positions while splinting with a sword. Then he said to Jin Ja-gang.

“The plan has gone awry. We’ll contact you later. But now that our contact with you has been exposed, we might not be able to meet again.”

Jin Ja-gang looked toward where Beom-mong had disappeared and spoke.

“As expected.”

“As expected?”

Jin Ja-gang looked at the Mount Heng martial artist and asked.

“Who is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“The person I’m supposed to meet.”

The Mount Heng martial artist flinched, then stopped speaking and looked at Namgung Won. Namgung Won seemed to be the one with authority to answer here.

Jin Ja-gang turned his gaze to Namgung Won.

“Great Master Beom-mong was circling around me, looking for someone connected to Yangtze River Sword Gate through me. Who is the person Great Master Beom-mong is looking for, the person I’m supposed to meet?”

Namgung Won thought briefly and said.

“Great Master Beom-mong is an assassin.”

“Different from what one generally thinks of as an assassin.”

“That’s why it works.”

Namgung Won looked at Jin Ja-gang with admiring eyes.

“That’s why we were quite surprised. Seeing you exchange moves almost equally with Great Master Beom-mong.”

“I was lucky. Iron silk was too strong.”

The level of martial arts itself was different. Blazing Twin Scale Palm was among the Tang family’s advanced martial arts, yet couldn’t penetrate iron silk.

“It’s not for nothing that Shaolin Temple’s martial arts are called the best under heaven. Especially Shaolin Temple’s iron silk is called Golden Silk Iron Vermillion, considered the finest among iron silk.”

Jin Ja-gang nodded.

“I could feel it after facing him. That’s why I’m telling you this, perhaps there might be no ‘next time’ for me rather than your side.”

Beom-mong had taken a hit while not properly grasping Jin Ja-gang’s martial prowess. Next time, he would come for Jin Ja-gang more prepared than now.

After thinking briefly, Namgung Won made a decision.

“Understood.”

At Namgung Won’s words, the Wudang and Mount Heng martial artists tried to dissuade him.

“Brother Namgung!”

Namgung Won shook his head.

“If Shaolin Temple has already caught the scent, next time will be the same anyway. Now might actually be optimal.”

Namgung Won urged Jin Ja-gang.

“I’ll tell you in advance, his mouth is quite rough. Don’t lose your manners.”

“I’ll try.”

Namgung Won turned with a displeased expression.

“Follow me.”