Chapter 347 – I'm Not Weak Enough to Be Manipulated (1)

Wiiiing!

Suddenly tinnitus struck.

The source of the ringing in his ears was precisely Taoist Cheong-wol. He still looked at Dam Ho with a smiling face. But his eyes weren't laughing at all.

Dam Ho looked straight into his eyes and spoke:

"Become Wudang's sword?"

"You could misunderstand it that way. Let me correct that. Become the martial world's sword."

"What's the difference?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. I'm asking you to lead for the greater cause. Then the Wudang Sect will become your strength. If you wish, you could even become the Martial Alliance Leader."

"……"

Dam Ho silently looked at Taoist Cheong-wol. Perhaps thinking Dam Ho's attitude was a positive sign, Taoist Cheong-wol's smile deepened.

"There's no need to think so complexly. No need to think difficultly. If you cooperate with us, we'll cooperate too. It wouldn't be bad for anyone, rather it would become a mutually beneficial relationship. Furthermore, relations with Mount Hua Sect would become closer. Our Wudang Sect has the heart to provide great support to Mount Hua Sect."

Three years ago, Mount Hua Sect closed its gates and cut off exchanges with the world. Because of this, many people thought Mount Hua Sect had suffered irreparable damage. The Wudang Sect thought the same.

The distance between the Wudang Sect and Mount Hua Sect was thousands of li. Once Mount Hua Sect closed its gates, there was no way to know the internal situation. So they thought Mount Hua Sect had lost all strength and was continuing its disgraceful seclusion.

Taoist Cheong-wol waited confidently with a smile for Dam Ho to open his mouth.

And finally Dam Ho's mouth opened.

"Did you do it then too?"

"What do you mean?"

"During the First Orthodox-Demon War."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"At that time, all the sects that stepped forward suffered near-annihilation. Mount Hua Sect and many other sects…"

Suddenly the smile lingering at Taoist Cheong-wol's lips gradually disappeared. Dam Ho stared intently at Taoist Cheong-wol's face as he continued speaking.

"I was curious."

"……"

"At that time, Mount Hua Sect lost all important personnel and went through the worst dark period, but why was the Wudang Sect so intact?"

As Dam Ho continued speaking, red energy gradually spread from Taoist Cheong-wol's eyes.

"But now I understand."

"……"

"It was probably the same then. You put someone forward to replace Wudang. Someone to shed blood in place of Wudang…"

"Stop insulting Wudang there. You are now insulting the thousand-year-old Wudang."

"So you achieved today's prosperity with the strength preserved that way? You must be proud."

"I clearly warned you. You are far crossing a line that shouldn't be crossed."

The red energy that started in Taoist Cheong-wol's eyes spread throughout his entire face. Cracks appeared in his previously benevolent expression.

No one had ever dared speak so arbitrarily until now. They had conducted themselves properly and been careful.

He had always been respected and only received reverent gazes.

This was the first time anyone had sharpened their blade toward him in such a public place, and in the Wudang Sect's territory at that. So anger unconsciously filled his expression.

"Wudang is not a place with such a good heart that it should accept insults from you. If you still continue, I will hold your sect, Mount Hua, accountable for that sin."

"You won't even be able to cross Mount Hua's threshold."

"What?"

"Do you know why?"

"……"

"Because you won't even be able to leave Wudang Mountain today."

"Shout!"

Suddenly Taoist Cheong-wol's roar echoed thunderously throughout Wudang Mountain. The martial artists gathered in the training ground were shocked and their complexions changed at his roar.

It was the moment when the mask that had been protecting Taoist Cheong-wol until now shattered. The benevolent and gentle smile no longer existed. His face was twisted so menacingly it was unbelievable he was the Wudang Sect's leader.

Seeing that appearance, Dam Ho spoke:

"Yes! That's your real face. A petty old man content within Wudang's walls."

"How dare you insult Wudang."

Kuuuu!

Tremendous momentum burst from Taoist Cheong-wol's entire body.

The tremendous internal energy accumulated through the Pure Yang Infinite Technique was released externally.

"Sect Leader."

"Mmm!"

Even the Wudang Sect's elders staggered, swept up by the energy wave. But Dam Ho, who faced the energy wave head-on, didn't even blink an eye.

Even such tremendous energy waves couldn't affect Dam Ho at all and dissipated. At that, Taoist Cheong-wol's eyes trembled finely. Because Dam Ho's internal energy was deeper than he had thought.

But it was like riding a tiger.

Once mounted on a tiger's back, he had to go to the end.

Having shown his angry face to the assembled heroes, he couldn't show a cowardly retreat now.

He shouted loudly:

"Seven True Martial receive my command."

His voice echoed thunderously throughout the training ground.

"Seven True Martial, we receive the Sect Leader's command."

Suddenly seven Taoists sprang out from among the Wudang Sect Taoists. Each one displayed sharp momentum like well-forged famous swords. They boasted outstanding presence even among the Wudang Sect's numerous Taoists.

Seven True Martial.

They were representatives of the Wudang Sect's military power, to the extent that people said if Mount Hua had the Plum Blossom Sword Masters, the Wudang Sect had the Seven True Martial.

They were martial artists strategically cultivated by the Wudang Sect. Especially the Seven True Martial Absolute Formation deployed by the seven was said to boast the greatest power in the martial world as a formation against individuals.

"Seven True Martial, subdue the Fist Demon and widely spread the Wudang Sect's dignity throughout the martial world."

"We will carry out the Sect Leader's command."

Mu-gung, the leader of the Seven True Martial, answered vigorously.

Mu-gung was a disciple personally taught by Taoist Cheong-wol. Though he wasn't well known in the martial world, overshadowed by Jin Mu-yeong, one of the Nine Martial Dragons, his talent was also outstanding enough to pierce the heavens.

Under Mu-gung's command, the Seven True Martial surrounded Dam Ho. They surrounded Dam Ho in the form of the Seven Star Formation, but Dam Ho didn't even glance at them.

His gaze was still directed at Taoist Cheong-wol, trembling with rage.

"Is it alright? Even if they all die."

"You keep wagging only your tongue to the end. What are you doing? Seven True Martial, quickly make that insolent fellow kneel."

"We obey!"

Suddenly the Seven True Martial moved.

Whoosh!

They whirled around Dam Ho as the center.

The Seven True Martial Absolute Formation was a formation created by imitating the movement of seven stars revolving around the North Star. Therefore, the Seven True Martial's movements also closely resembled the Big Dipper.

Kuuuu!

Tremendous pressure was added to Dam Ho, making his black long robe flutter. But Dam Ho didn't move a muscle like a stone statue.

His gaze was still fixed on Taoist Cheong-wol, the Wudang Sect's leader. That appearance made Taoist Cheong-wol uneasy. But the dice had already been thrown. There was no turning back.

From the beginning, the reason he had forcibly brought Dam Ho to the Wudang Sect was also to punish Dam Ho and elevate the Wudang Sect's status.

If he could make the world's Fist Demon submit, the Wudang Sect's status would rise accordingly, and his position as Hubei Province's alliance leader would become more solid.

Then Mu-gung shouted vigorously:

"Open formation. Seven Star Invincible."

Swish!

At his shout, the Seven True Martial drew their swords and attacked Dam Ho. Suddenly, dazzling light like a constellation burst from their swords.

"Wow!"

"As expected of the Seven True Martial. Such sword energy."

The martial artists who saw this burst into admiration.

The already tremendous sword energy was doubled by the Seven True Martial Absolute Formation.

Sword energy extending nearly four zhang attacked Dam Ho's vital points.

Crack crack crack!

Their offensive came interlocked without a single gap like turning gears. Ordinary martial artists would have been overwhelmed by their offensive and their minds would have gone blank.

But the opponent was Dam Ho.

In the current martial world, no one had shed more blood or fought more than him.

The Seven True Martial might think it perfect, but Dam Ho saw three or four weaknesses. Because they hadn't experienced real combat, their movements were unnecessarily too large.

The Seven True Martial were trying to subdue Dam Ho with the most spectacular techniques and formation operations for others to see.

'Subdue the Fist Demon and elevate the Wudang Sect's status.'

'Now the world will know how great the Wudang Sect's power is.'

The light of ecstasy rose in the eyes of the Seven True Martial attacking Dam Ho.

In their eyes, they seemed to clearly see Dam Ho spilling blood and kneeling.

While they were intoxicated with such sweet fantasies, Dam Ho moved.

Bang!

Thunder echoed throughout Wudang Mountain.

"Krek!"

Following that, the scream of Seol-gung, one of the Seven True Martial, burst out. The sword that had been radiating brilliant sword energy from his hand was shattered like glass, and his chest was deeply dented.

Charging technique followed by Shattering Palm Strike.

With a single blow, Seol-gung, the youngest of the Seven True Martial, was severely injured.

"Youngest!"

"Seol-gung!"

The voices of the other Seven True Martial burst out belatedly. Several of them reached out to Seol-gung. They intended to support him first. But this caused the formation to become slightly disrupted.

They thought it was nothing, but for an absolute master like Dam Ho, it was like an eternity.

Dam Ho leaped among them while wrapping his entire body in violent energy.

Kwaaa!

A storm raged.

The storm created by the Seven True Martial Absolute Formation was instantly devoured by the storm Dam Ho created. From that shock, the Seven True Martial all staggered in unison.

Mu-gung, the leader of the Seven True Martial, urgently shouted:

"Get it together! Deploy the Seven Star Return!"

Thud!

At that moment, Dam Ho's two hands grabbed his collar.

"Kek!"

Dam Ho's grip was so intense that Mu-gung's breath was instantly blocked. But Mu-gung was one of the Seven True Martial. Though surprised, he wasn't flustered. He deployed a palm strike to shake off Dam Ho's hands.

Crack!

However, the palm strike he deployed vanished without a trace in the violent energy, and instead Mu-gung's wrist was dislocated. And his two legs were uprooted from the earth like radishes.

Dam Ho had deployed the Earth Shattering Strike.

"No!"

"Senior Brother!"

The Seven True Martial urgently grabbed Mu-gung's hands and feet. They knew that once the Earth Shattering Strike was deployed, life couldn't be guaranteed.

Kuuuu!

"Krek!"

"N-no!"

But even though they all grabbed and held on, they couldn't prevent Mu-gung from being dragged by Dam Ho. Rather, they were all dragged along together.

Swoosh!

Dam Ho's waist spun like a top. Starting with Mu-gung, the rest of the Seven True Martial were dragged along. Only then did the Seven True Martial realize something had gone wrong and try to let go, but it was useless. The strange pulling force formed from Dam Ho's body wouldn't let them go.

The Seven True Martial, all seven, were slammed head-first into the ground. The Earth Shattering Strike exploded.

Kwaaaaang!

With a roar, the seven were slammed into the ground and scattered.

Their heads were smashed, their arms and legs twisted unnaturally as their bodies tangled together. Some drooled with their mouths open, some rolled their eyes back and lost consciousness.

At the disgraceful sight of the Seven True Martial, called the Wudang Sect's future, the assembled heroes held their breath.

The time it took from the deployment of the Seven True Martial Absolute Formation to its destruction was truly just an instant. To the assembled heroes, it seemed they had just blinked once and the Seven True Martial were completely annihilated.

"Ugh!"

"Impossible. For the Seven True Martial to be so easily…"

Disbelief was clearly visible on their faces. But no matter how great their surprise, it couldn't compare to the Wudang Sect's Taoists.

Especially Taoist Cheong-wol's face was filled with a rotten stench, and his pupils were shaking as if they had met a storm.

"The Seven True… Martial…"

The sight of the Seven True Martial, whom he had been confident were the Wudang Sect's future, scattered on the ground in miserable condition gave him tremendous shock and fear.

That's when it happened.

Thud!

Dam Ho took a step forward with his right foot toward Taoist Cheong-wol.

Scraaape!

Following that, the sound of his left leg dragging across the ground echoed through the training ground.

Gulp!

Gong-eup simply lowered his sturdy-looking arms and continued looking down at Jin Ja-gang with a smile.

Jin Ja-gang took out two short clubs from behind him, holding one in each hand.

Folding Sickle Blades.

Jin Ja-gang spoke in a low voice toward the smiling Gong-eup.

“Keep smiling carelessly like that and you’ll die.”

Jin Ja-gang gripped the short clubs tightly and struck their ends together.

Clang!

Blue-black blades sprang out, becoming sickles.

Jin Ja-gang lifted the ends of the Folding Sickle Blades and pointed them at Gong-eup. The sneer at Gong-eup’s lips deepened.

But then.

Several human silhouettes suddenly revealed themselves on walls in all directions.

Six Arhat monks stood on the walls, surrounding Jin Ja-gang in the estate like an encirclement! All had massive frames with bulging temple points and sharp gazes filled with energy.

With the Arhat monks surrounding and looking down at Jin Ja-gang, the pressure was considerable.

Including the one who had died earlier, the Arhat monk by the main gate, and Diamond Monk Gong-eup in front, there were nine in total.

The number nine (九) represents perfection in Buddhism.

No wonder it seemed strange that they would attack Physician Bell Healers with so few people. Indeed, many more had already been mobilized to completely annihilate Physician Bell Healers.

Jin Ja-gang raised his Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Toad Art internal energy.

Whoosh! His clothes inflated, wrinkles disappearing as his hair shot upward.

Gong-eup shouted as if welcoming this.

“You bring disaster upon yourself! I will purify you and lead you to righteous law!”

However.

At that moment, something completely unexpected happened.

A shadow appeared behind Gong-eup on the roof, then legs wrapped around Gong-eup’s waist while slender arms coiled around his neck, which was thicker than an ordinary person’s thigh.

“Hm?”

Gong-eup was startled and tried to turn his head, but An Ryeong, who had attached herself behind him, pulled her arms tight and fixed Gong-eup’s head in place.

Gong-eup snorted and tried to remove An Ryeong clinging to his back. He gripped the ankles of the legs wrapped around his waist and tried to pry them apart. Since Gong-eup’s hands were so large compared to An Ryeong’s thin legs, her ankles caught in his grip seemed ready to break at any moment.

He should be able to easily break free from this.

Not only Gong-eup himself, but most observers thought similarly.

But An Ryeong’s legs didn’t come loose.

Surprised, Gong-eup used more force. But the legs wrapped around his waist still wouldn’t budge. They didn’t loosen at all.

“Mmm!”

Gong-eup’s eyes contorted. She was stronger than expected.

An Ryeong ground her teeth behind Gong-eup’s head. Her eyes were red with clear traces of tears.

“Master Gong-eup… I’ll collect Brother Bang’s blood debt here and now.”

Gong-eup shouted with a greatly angered face.

“How dare you!”

An Ryeong wrapped both arms firmly around Gong-eup’s neck, completely tightened her legs around his upper body in close contact, and bent her waist backward with all her strength.

Gong-eup’s neck was strongly choked.

“Grrk!”

Veins bulged all over Gong-eup’s neck. Gong-eup hastily raised his internal energy and activated Iron Cloth technique.

The robes around his waist, where legs were wrapped and squeezing, inflated. An Ryeong’s legs were inevitably pushed away.

An Ryeong gritted her teeth and squeezed her legs even harder.

“Eeeee!”

An Ryeong’s hair began rising upward eerily. Amazingly, her legs gradually dug into the golden orchid robe infused with Iron Cloth. The golden orchid robe was being crumpled.

Crunch, crunch.

The golden orchid robe crumpled like thin iron plate and rolled inward. Her legs completely penetrated the golden orchid robe and squeezed Gong-eup’s waist even harder than before.

Gong-eup’s face contorted. His ribs were being compressed and seemed ready to break any moment. He was barely holding on with Iron Cloth technique, but not only his ribs but his neck was also a problem.

Even swinging his arms backward, he couldn’t grab An Ryeong’s body.

Gong-eup finally grabbed An Ryeong’s arms. But he couldn’t remove her thin forearms that weren’t even half… no, not even a quarter of his size. Gong-eup decided to put strength in his hands and crush An Ryeong’s forearms with his grip.

“Grrraaahhh!”

An Ryeong’s forearms caught in Gong-eup’s hands were crushed as clothes and flesh began tearing together. Skin was pushed aside and blood flowed.

But because she wouldn’t release her grip to the end, Gong-eup’s face also grew redder and redder. Arms dug into his neck, pressing blood vessels and compressing his throat. His throat was pushed back, and blood formed at the corners of Gong-eup’s mouth as if his neck was injured.

Gong-eup used all his strength to crush An Ryeong’s forearms. Flesh was pushed aside as blood continued flowing. Because of the flowing blood, the arms choking his neck became slippery.

An Ryeong shouted once more, raised her internal energy, and pulled her arms.

An Ryeong’s forearms, with tremendous force applied, were so taut that blood vessels and muscle fibers could be seen in detail. It looked like what you’d see if you peeled off human skin thinly.

“Ahhhhh!”

“Grrrk!”

An Ryeong’s arms dug nearly halfway into Gong-eup’s incredibly thick neck.

Gong-eup’s face was now not just bright red but darkly bruised. His eyes gradually bulged and separated left and right, while his whites filled with bright red blood vessels. Bloody tears formed, and bright red blood began flowing from his nose.

Crack!

A sound of displaced bone came from Gong-eup’s ribs. Iron Cloth shattered and An Ryeong’s legs squeezed his ribs even tighter.

Crunch!

With an even worse sound, An Ryeong’s legs were completely buried in Gong-eup’s robes, squeezed so tight they couldn’t even be seen.

Thud!

Gong-eup fell to his knees. His upper body tilted and he had no choice but to let go of An Ryeong’s arms and support himself on the roof floor with his hands. His completely darkened face had worm-like blood vessels prominently protruding.

“Gak, grrk…”

Gong-eup gripped the floor with his hands as if clawing from pain.

Crush!

The roof tiles caught in Gong-eup’s hands crumbled to powder.

An Ryeong used all her remaining strength to bend backward and pull her arms.

“AHHHHH!”

Crunch!

Finally Gong-eup’s tongue protruded and his neck broke as his head stretched out. Gong-eup’s head was caught on An Ryeong’s arms, with his neck extended more than a span and a half while still attached to his body.

An Ryeong twisted his neck once more to completely confirm death.

Then she staggered and barely loosened her legs to stand up.

An Ryeong bent her waist and half-raised her body while looking around the courtyard. Sweat poured down like rain from her blood-covered face.

“Huff… huff huff.”

The estate was filled with silence and quiet.

It was difficult for anyone to speak first.

Even the Arhat monks found it hard to believe what they had seen with their own eyes.

Vajra Monks were one of the military forces that Shaolin Temple as a martial sect proudly displayed externally. They were selected only at the age of forty when external martial arts reached their peak.

Yet such a Vajra Monk had been overpowered by a young lady’s brute force and died with his neck broken. Even his Iron Cloth technique had been shattered.

Woon-jeong also just stared blankly at An Ryeong on the roof with his mouth open.

He hadn’t known An Ryeong possessed such powerful strength.

Though it was a previous generation, thinking of the fight with Master Beom-mong before, being able to kill a Vajra Monk like this was nearly impossible.

“Miss An Ryeong… are you alright?”

Woon-jeong finally came to his senses and asked. Though she had overwhelmed the Vajra Monk with superior strength, An Ryeong’s condition wasn’t very good either.

Gong-eup’s handprints remained clearly on both her forearms. Through the tattered sleeve fabric, the flesh where Gong-eup had squeezed was torn and bleeding.

An Ryeong couldn’t move her arms properly and couldn’t even bend her fingers correctly.

“Ah… I’m fine. This much is…”

Whir.

A ring spun in a large circle around An Ryeong. An Ryeong belatedly raised her hands to defend. But it was already too late. Her stiffened fingers wouldn’t move and there was nothing she could do.

“Ugh!”

An invisible thread wrapped around her neck.

Jin Ja-gang pulled his arm.

Whoosh!

An Ryeong fell from the roof to below with her neck bound by Black Thread.

Thoom!

Raising dusty soil, An Ryeong fell to the ground and struggled.

Jin Ja-gang walked toward An Ryeong.

An Ryeong tried to untangle Black Thread. Jin Ja-gang pulled Black Thread to make her unable to move.

Jin Ja-gang looked down at An Ryeong with cold eyes and asked.

“What are you doing?”

An Ryeong ground her teeth and said.

“What! I said I’d collect the blood debt.”

Jin Ja-gang pulled Black Thread again.

“Ugh!”

An Ryeong had to half-raise her body as she was dragged toward Jin Ja-gang with her neck choked by Black Thread.

While the Arhat monks watched without moving for a moment, Woon-jeong ran over.

“Poison Dragon, stop it. Miss An Ryeong is injured. Why are you suddenly doing this to Miss An Ryeong?”

Jin Ja-gang coldly retorted.

“Why do you think we came here?”

“Well…”

They had come to find clues from Physician Bell Healers. But Physician Bell Healers had been massacred.

Jin Ja-gang showed the torn flag cloth.

“Vajra Monk Gong-eup knew the meaning of this character. And I was about to get an answer from him.”

But Vajra Monk Gong-eup was dead with his neck pulled out and tongue protruding.

An Ryeong answered.

“Sorry. I didn’t think that far. I was only thinking about repaying Brother Bang’s blood debt…”

Jin Ja-gang pulled Black Thread harder.

“Ugh!”

Black Thread’s cord dug into An Ryeong’s neck and small drops of blood formed.

Jin Ja-gang’s gaze was cold.

“Don’t lie. If you could kill a Vajra Monk by pulling off his head with bare hands, you could have killed him from the front without ambush.”

“Hmm.”

Suddenly An Ryeong laughed while her neck was choked by Black Thread.

Jin Ja-gang bared his teeth. Killing intent gathered at the corners of his eyes, bringing up a reddish aura.

“Laugh once more and you die.”

An Ryeong raised the corners of her mouth higher.

“Kill me. Hurry up and kill me. I guarantee that if you don’t kill me now, you’ll definitely regret…”

Deep killing intent moved in Jin Ja-gang’s eyes.

“Ahhhhh!”

Woon-jeong was startled and put his hand in An Ryeong’s mouth, forcibly making her look like she was crying.

“Mmph! Mmph mmph!”

An Ryeong was flustered and looked at Woon-jeong as if asking what he was doing.

“When Poison Dragon says he’ll do something, he really does it! There are other times to be prideful. Why are you both acting like this!”

An Ryeong shook her head to remove Woon-jeong’s finger.

Woon-jeong said with a troubled expression.

“So why did you do that? If you had just waited a little or been patient…”

“Wait my ass.”

An Ryeong laughed bitterly.

“What if I know the meaning of that character?”

Jin Ja-gang’s brow furrowed.

“Do you know?”

“Of course I do.”

Woon-jeong also widened his eyes and asked.

“Miss An Ryeong knows?”

“I do.”

“How?”

Instead of answering how she knew, An Ryeong answered with the missing character.

“Shaanxi (陝). The complete characters are Shaanxi (陝西).”

“Shaanxi is Shaanxi Province, so you mean a region?”

An Ryeong didn’t answer that far.

Instead she closed her mouth briefly, stared quietly at Jin Ja-gang, then asked.

“You’re searching for the secret behind the medicine sects’ destruction that happened about ten years ago. To get revenge. Right?”

Jin Ja-gang only looked at An Ryeong without answering.

An Ryeong smiled with a deeply empty expression and said.

“I’ll tell you the real culprit behind all the events you’re searching for. So listen carefully. And the moment you hear it, don’t hesitate – act and kill.”

Jin Ja-gang’s killing intent deepened. His gaze became increasingly intense.

“Speak.”

Finally An Ryeong answered.

“I am your enemy, Poison Dragon.”