Chapter 126: Disaster Arrives Without Warning (1)

A man in his late forties named Jang Han sat atop a nine-story pagoda overlooking 岳yang, accompanied by over a dozen men.

"Heh heh! What a spectacle."

In the distance, a fierce battle was raging at Dongting Lake. A towering giant and a slender young woman were locked in a desperate fight against the warriors of the Namgung Family. From here, the battle looked vivid enough to touch.

The leader's name was Gwak Geo-chul. He was the Deputy Chieftain of the Black Water Fortress, one of the Eighteen Fortresses of the Green Forest—the highest rank in the fortress after the Chieftain himself, Jo Yun-san. Though he looked brutish and uncultured, he was in fact sharp-witted and skilled in stratagem. Jo Yun-san trusted him deeply.

But Jo Yun-san's trust was not entirely a blessing, for it meant that Gwak Geo-chul had to take on all manner of unpleasant tasks. He had entered 岳yang only a few days ago, and the very first thing he had done was visit Cheonsang Tower to bed the courtesans. The strongholds had their share of women, but none with the delicate, porcelain skin of Cheonsang Tower's courtesans. Gwak Geo-chul indulged himself with his subordinates, reveling in pleasure. He lost track of how much he drank. When he came to his senses, wine bottles littered the floor and naked courtesans lay sprawled about. That dreamlike time had ended only the day before.

"I should have eliminated that brute from the start," Gwak Geo-chul muttered, watching the giant display his terrifying martial might against the Namgung Family warriors. The giant was Muk Il-gwang, fighting desperately to protect Hwang Hye-ryeong.

It was Gwak Geo-chul who had informed the Namgung Family that Hwang Hye-ryeong was among them. His plan was to use the Namgung Family to eliminate her. So far, his scheme had been proceeding smoothly.

"The Deputy Chieftain is truly brilliant. How did you conceive such an ingenious plan?"

One of the men beside him rubbed his hands in flattery. His name was Gong So-chu. Though he looked scrawny, his hands were quick and his heart was vicious—he served as one of Gwak Geo-chul's useful pawns. Come to think of it, his association with Gong So-chu had already spanned over twenty years—as long as his relationship with Jo Yun-san.

Gwak Geo-chul smirked.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, So-chu."

"Heh heh! You think I'm doing this because I want something? These words come straight from my heart."

"Tch! You and your mouth."

"I have served the Chieftain and Deputy Chieftain for twenty years now. I know you like the back of my hand. Heh heh!"

Gong So-chu laughed easily. Gwak Geo-chul smiled faintly at his companion's genial manner and turned his gaze back to Dongting Lake.

Boom!

A pillar of water shot into the sky, and a thunderous roar reached them even from here—the aftermath of Muk Il-gwang unleashing his full-power technique. The Namgung Family warriors were seen retreating in disarray. Muk Il-gwang's martial might had left them visibly shaken. The encirclement had momentarily collapsed. Muk Il-gwang seized the opening, scooped up Hwang Hye-ryeong, and fled the Cloud Horse Ferry. Using his massive body to execute lightness martial arts over water, he reached shore and immediately employed qinggong to vanish from sight. By the time the Namgung Family warriors gave chase, the two had already disappeared.

"Blast it!"

Gwak Geo-chul shot to his feet.

"To think I couldn't even serve up a meal that was already on the table!"

He cursed in frustration.

"Deputy Chieftain?"

"Quickly track down that woman and that brute. If they escape 岳yang and rejoin the Overlord's Stronghold, things will become complicated."

"Understood."

"Useless fools! And they call themselves warriors of the Five Great Families? So-chu!"

"Yes!"

"Take the men and figure out their escape route."

"We handle it ourselves?"

"Why should we? Report it to the Namgung Family brats. If we are found to be involved, the Supreme Chieftain will make his move. He must not learn of this before the grand operation."

"Understood. I will relay the intelligence only."

"Go quickly."

"Yes!"

Gong So-chu took several men and descended the pagoda. The men he brought were all skilled trackers within the Black Water Fortress—capable of finding a needle hidden among fallen leaves. With their abilities, locating Hwang Hye-ryeong and Muk Il-gwang would not be difficult.

"Tch! I should have killed that woman back then. Then none of this troublesome business would have arisen."

Gwak Geo-chul bit his lip.

***

Wuhan was the capital of Hubei Province. To the south, the Yangtze River and other waterways were well developed, and to the north, roads were well maintained, making it a famous transportation hub since ancient times. Hubei Province was home to many large lakes, and so despite being an inland region, the area boasted an impressive variety of fish cuisine.

"Waah!"

The first thing Bang Jin-bo did upon entering Wuhan was head straight for the market. Stalls lined the street in dense rows, displaying a variety of fish caught from the nearby Yangtze River and East Lake. Bang Jin-bo wandered the market with excitement. Dam Ho, on the other hand, surveyed his surroundings with an expression devoid of interest. Though his face maintained its usual impassive air, his mind was turning.

'Eum Yu-gyeong.'

That she was from the Demonic Cult was an established fact—they had met at the Heavenly Silver Demon Fortress, and she had admitted it herself. Eum Yu-gyeong's martial brother, Sin Mu-wol, was also unmistakably a member of the Demonic Cult.

'Then what about the Golden Demon Lion?'

Sin Mu-wol had told Eum Yu-gyeong via transmission that they had lost the Golden Demon Lion. The Golden Demon Lion had declared himself a member of the Demonic Cult. The three of them should have been allies on the same side. Yet there was hostility toward the Golden Demon Lion in Sin Mu-wol's tone.

'Eum Yu-gyeong was searching for the sacred artifact.' He had never heard any story about a sacred artifact belonging to the Demonic Cult. He could not even guess what it might be. Dam Ho suspected that affairs within the Demonic Cult were quite complex, but he did not dwell on it. With limited information, there was only so much he could deduce. There was no need to overthink it from the start.

'When the time comes, we will meet again.' No matter how vast the Murim, their paths would cross eventually. The threads of karma that sustained the martial world were tenacious and sticky—once woven, they could not easily be unwound. Dam Ho and they had already formed bonds of karma. As long as they drew breath, they would meet again.

As he walked, Dam Ho's eyes fell upon a shabby old bookshop. The musty smell unique to old bookshops wafted from its depths. He told Bang Jin-bo he would be in the bookshop and went inside. The interior was packed with books stacked so high that there was barely room to step. The owner was an old man who appeared to be over seventy, dozing in his seat.

Dam Ho picked up a book from the shelf where martial arts manuals were kept. It was called the Wind and Cloud Divine Fist. The grandiose title made his eyebrow twitch, but upon opening it, the contents were nothing impressive. Other books were the same—titles like the Dragon Tiger Fist and the Thunderbolt Divine Fist sounded impressive, but there were no proper martial arts manuals among them.

Dam Ho was not disappointed. He had not expected to find anything of value here. He flipped through the martial arts manuals at remarkable speed. In an instant, twenty volumes had passed through his hands. As he idly turned the pages, his hand suddenly stopped. A particular phrase had caught his eye.

[A lone wanderer alone stands tall beneath heaven.]

The unexpected phrase seized Dam Ho's attention. It was not a martial arts formula, nor did it carry any special meaning. But that single line shook his entire being.

Dam Ho closed his eyes. Lone wanderer… the Solitary Path… and himself… His thoughts spread their wings without limit. Thought begot thought, and his imagination extended without end. Dam Ho's shoulders trembled slightly.

Hooong!

In that instant, the Dark Soul Heart Method stirred. A stream of internal energy arose and began to circulate rapidly throughout his body. Dam Ho was not consciously aware of the Dark Soul Heart Method—he was not even able to be. In the darkness, he felt infinite freedom. Lone wanderer—in those three characters lay everything Dam Ho had ever desired.

Dam Ho finally realized his own essence. 'I was alone from the very beginning.' His thoughts extended further. In the distance, he saw a light—a light as black as the abyss. A light shining in endless darkness. As Dam Ho reached toward it—

—No, Ho-ya.

Suddenly, a voice shook his thoughts to their foundations.

'Master.'

Dam Ho turned around. There stood a vision of his master—the Sage Hyeon-so he had yearned for even in dreams, gazing back at him.

'Master!'

The vision of Sage Hyeon-so wore the same appearance he had twelve years ago. Sage Hyeon-so shook his head and spoke.

—No.

'Master!'

—Not yet, Ho-ya.

Dam Ho looked behind him. The dark light was gradually fading. If he reached out, he could still grasp it.

—Ho-ya!

At that moment, Sage Hyeon-so's voice rang out once more. Dam Ho turned to find Sage Hyeon-so smiling gently as he continued.

—Ho-ya, protect yourself.

'Master, I…'

Dam Ho abandoned the dark light and walked toward Sage Hyeon-so. His master's form was growing fainter by the moment. Dam Ho reached out to him, but his hand passed through empty air. Sage Hyeon-so's vision vanished like a dream, and Dam Ho was left alone.

Dam Ho opened his eyes. In that instant, an enormous burst of divine light erupted from him before fading. Having returned to his normal gaze, Dam Ho looked around and was slightly startled. The bookshelves around him had collapsed in disarray, and books lay scattered in every direction. In one corner, the elderly bookshop owner trembled in terror.

Only then did Dam Ho realize what had happened to him. 'Did I fall into the Heart Devil realm?'

The Dark Soul Heart Method was the product of the Mount Hua Sect's Heavy Heaven Heart Method, the miscellaneous heart methods of the Demonic Cult, and Dam Ho's own enlightenment, all fused together. The Heavy Heaven Heart Method had served as a sturdy pillar, keeping him from falling into the Heart Devil realm until now. But without warning, the phrase "lone wanderer" had drawn him in, causing the entire Dark Soul Heart Method to quake. The Dark Soul Heart Method had moved on its own to perfect itself, but it had gone too far. What should have been walked and run, it had tried to fly—and in doing so, fractures had appeared throughout.

What if he had grasped the black light? Dam Ho shook his head. He had narrowly avoided going berserk. Had he truly fallen into the Heart Devil realm, it would not have ended with the destruction of a single bookshop. Still, it had not been a complete loss. Though he had nearly gone berserk, his Dark Soul Heart Method had grown more solid. Stopping in time had made the difference.

"Master."

A faint look of longing appeared in Dam Ho's eyes when—

"D-Dam… Dam Daehyeop?"

Someone called to him from the bookshop entrance. Dam Ho looked up to see a man in shabby clothes staring at him with eyes full of fear.

"Who are you?"

"I… I am Jang So-chul of the Haowu Gate's Wuhan branch."

"Haowu Gate?"

"Yes! A dispatch arrived from the 岳yang branch, so…"

Jang So-chul's voice trembled involuntarily. The moment Dam Ho had entered Wuhan, the Haowu Gate had tracked his whereabouts. He was a person of interest. As soon as the letter arrived from the 岳yang branch, they had been able to locate him immediately. When Jang So-chul entered the bookshop to deliver the letter, what he had witnessed was truly nightmarish. A dark vortex swirled around Dam Ho, as though a great beast were spreading its black wings. The killing intent and madness mingled within that dark aura had given Jang So-chul the sensation that his heart would stop. He had seen countless martial artists in his time, but never had he witnessed anything so overwhelming.

Jang So-chul held out the letter with both hands in respect. Dam Ho tore open the envelope and read.

"Jo Yun-san… Black Water Fortress…"

“You already used poison?”

Zhuge Yan mocked Jin Ja-gang.

“What boasting. You who couldn’t even see one second of my soft sword claim you poisoned me? You expect me to believe that?”

Jin Ja-gang did not answer.

Though she said she couldn’t believe it, Zhuge Yan suddenly became anxious.

Hadn’t it been just moments ago that she was already poisoned by pinellia and taffy and felt uncomfortable in her stomach!

To find hidden poison energy that wasn’t revealed, she would need to relax her body and spread internal energy throughout her limbs and body to sense it. However, she couldn’t do so in a completely defenseless state while fighting.

Jin Ja-gang silently staring at her seemed like he was waiting for exactly that moment, so Zhuge Yan couldn’t carelessly release her energy.

But suddenly.

Drip.

A nosebleed flowed down from Zhuge Yan’s nose.

“Huh?”

Zhuge Yan was visibly flustered.

She hastily circulated part of her internal energy within her body to try to resist the poison, but the situation worsened. The poison rose further, making her face lose color and her eye area turn bluish.

“When, when!”

She had been drawing up tremendous internal energy from long before, yet she was poisoned without any sign!

Zhuge Yan looked at Jin Ja-gang in surprise.

Jin Ja-gang said nothing either way, but inwardly felt somewhat complicated.

‘As expected.’

It was as he had anticipated.

Though he had told Zhuge Yan that he had poisoned her, in fact this was not Jin Ja-gang’s doing.

Just moments ago, even though Jin Ja-gang had done nothing at all, the warriors spat blood and retreated while trying to attack Jin Ja-gang. Now most of them had already collapsed.

The effects from pinellia and taffy would have long since disappeared.

No, from the beginning, pinellia and taffy couldn’t produce such severe symptoms. Pinellia and taffy literally only had effects that would make one uncomfortable.

Then what would be the reason the Zhuge family warriors spat blood and collapsed?

That was… someone other than Jin Ja-gang had acted against the Zhuge family warriors.

* * *

Somewhere in Yunnan.

Mang Ryo sat in a pavilion in the back garden, rolling a silver-plated pill back and forth on his palm.

It was a Poison Avoidance Pill that Zhuge Yan and Shin Yung’s group had held in their mouths.

Mang Ryo asked.

“It’s exactly the same as last time, so what’s different this time?”

The masked person standing below the pavilion answered.

“The internal ingredients have been changed. Therefore, this time’s version has the effect of making poison stick tenaciously inside the body the more one uses internal energy. Once hemoptysis begins, they cannot stop vomiting blood until their lungs fill with blood and they die.”

“The outer part is still made as a poison avoidance medicine?”

“That’s correct. When held in the mouth, it produces the effects of a powerful poison avoidance medicine, then as the outer layer dissolves in saliva, the real poison inside appears. Even if cut in half to examine, the inside looks the same as the outside.”

Mang Ryo split the pill in half to look. As the masked person said, the inside was no different from the outside.

“If the outside is poison avoidance medicine but there’s poison inside, don’t they affect each other and reduce effectiveness?”

“That secret technique is the core of this Five Fall Death Pill, as the elder said. The poison avoidance medicine repels other poisons but doesn’t conflict with the inner poison, and rather the two harmonize together to create even stronger toxicity.”

“Kekeke! I see. Five Fall Death Pill…”

“It means poison that harms all five organs – liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.”

“But this time you’ve coated the outside with silver foil.”

“With silver foil attached, it would be even harder to expect that there’s poison inside.”

“Hey, if you’re going to attach something, you should attach gold foil like other pills. Why deliberately use silver foil to stand out? Such trivial things can actually arouse suspicion.”

“I’ll convey that message.”

“No, no, there’s no need for that. Well, it’s just my small opinion. If I speak too sharply, I might fall out of the elder’s favor.”

Mang Ryo crumbled the pill and threw it into the pond beside the pavilion. The carp, thinking it was food, swarmed over and ate the pill.

Not long after, dozens of carp in the pond floated to the surface belly-up.

Mang Ryo frowned.

“The reaction is a bit slower than expected? Could the toxicity be declining?”

“It’s still in the research stage, so the effects are somewhat unstable, but they’ll gradually improve. It’s perfect for testing on those Zhuge family people.”

“Even so, the effects need to be certain. If things go wrong, cleanup becomes difficult. My position becomes awkward too.”

“Preparations for contingencies are in place. Don’t worry too much.”

“I understand.”

Mang Ryo chuckled while looking at the dead carp.

“Well. Then… I’ll trust that the effects will gradually improve. What’s important is quantity.”

No matter how good the toxicity, if only one or two could be made, there would be no utility value.

“As mentioned, we’re changing materials to enable mass production. Once we improve only the somewhat insufficient toxicity, quantity won’t be a problem.”

“I understand. I was being too meddlesome. Please give my regards to the elder.”

“Understood. Then.”

The masked person bowed lightly and retreated backward before disappearing.

“Now is it finally time to see an interesting spectacle?”

Mang Ryo, who had been muttering, suddenly stood up from his seat.

“If I had known this would happen, I should have given him at least one elixir! Blood Path Piercing alone is somewhat lacking, isn’t it? Ah, I really acted too petty. Tsk tsk.”

But contrary to his self-reproaching voice, his face was smiling with excitement.

“No, this much help was enough. People need self-reliance to become great figures!”

* * *

“I’ll kill you!”

Zhuge Yan ground her teeth and drew up all her internal energy to charge at Jin Ja-gang.

Clatter clatter clack!

The soft sword split into dozens of strands, blooming a flower of blades across Zhuge Yan’s front. Earlier it had felt like she was toying with Jin Ja-gang, but this time each blade was thickly imbued with killing intent.

Jin Ja-gang had experienced Zhuge Yan’s soft sword just moments before.

Even when viewed with his right eye infused with internal energy, it was so fast that the blades appeared as flashes. Actually, even if he could see properly, Jin Ja-gang’s body movements absolutely couldn’t keep up with the soft sword’s speed.

So he understood.

The reason Wishful Fairy Maiden Dan Ryeong-gyeong had taught him Parting Hand Arrow Shot.

Since he absolutely couldn’t attack Zhuge Yan within the soft sword’s effective range, he had no choice but to attack from outside that distance.

Jin Ja-gang drew in energy with one breath and generated internal energy. One stream of internal energy flowed rapidly through his meridians. The hardened fragments of the Flower Essence Pure Heart Pill that had been sleeping in his meridians were swept along and spun together, gradually becoming a larger mass.

Following the wide-open meridians of his right side, they began absorbing fragments like a growing snowball to increase in size.

Thud, thud.

Weakened meridians here and there made rupturing sounds, unable to withstand the fierce flow. It was like a savage beast running wild without reins.

Jin Ja-gang opened his dantian and released half a drop of poison energy. The poison energy that could move according to Jin Ja-gang’s will became reins that gathered the internal energy and fragments.

Now the beast began running according to Jin Ja-gang’s will.

Jin Ja-gang turned the reins to guide the beast according to Parting Hand Arrow Shot’s internal energy operation method.

He suddenly blocked the path of the spinning internal energy, then released it in an instant.

Finger wind shot out diagonally, penetrating through the fluttering soft sword.

Zhuge Yan’s eyes widened.

Flying Wing Sword was a soft sword technique that extended the right arm to its maximum and used the soft sword like a long whip. It could secure an attack distance two chi longer than ordinary sword techniques.

But the moment Jin Ja-gang lowered his body and raised his hand, his hand movements became invisible, hidden by his own shoulder. Then finger wind suddenly pierced through from a blind spot.

Thwack!

The finger wind hit the Jiquan acupoint in Zhuge Yan’s right armpit. Poison energy instantly penetrated and sensation in her arm disappeared.

“Kugh! How, how…!”

The only blind spot of Flying Wing Sword, which required extending the shoulder forward to gain two chi of attack distance. How did the opponent know about this!

As Zhuge Yan hesitated mid-attack, Jin Ja-gang picked up a sword the warriors had dropped.

He tried to circulate another breath of internal energy within his body, but the pain was too severe to properly generate it. His right side felt like it was on fire, with parts of his meridians damaged.

However, he couldn’t miss the opportunity to attack.

Bosam Gate’s blade technique, Great Skull Tiger Energy!

Jin Ja-gang gathered his remaining strength and swung the sword. Zhuge Yan also gritted her teeth and deployed Flying Wing Sword once more.

Clang clang clang!

The soft sword and Jin Ja-gang’s blade clashed, producing intense sparks. Due to the difference in internal energy depth and application, Zhuge Yan’s soft sword remained intact while Jin Ja-gang’s blade became jagged like a saw on both sides and even had its tip cut off.

Jin Ja-gang lost his grip on the sword and staggered backward. The vibration was so severe that his palm was torn.

But Zhuge Yan also dropped her soft sword due to her paralyzed arm. As a result of moving recklessly while poisoned, Zhuge Yan received considerable shock.

“Uwak!”

Zhuge Yan vomited blood. Zhuge Yan desperately called for Shin Yung.

“Shin Yung!”

Shin Yung leaped in front of Zhuge Yan to block Jin Ja-gang’s path.

However, even Shin Yung’s complexion wasn’t good.

“Shin Yung! You’re poisoned too!”

“Yes.”

Zhuge Yan ground her teeth and cried out.

“This is impossible! How could we lose to someone like this? Don’t the Poison Avoidance Pills work either? Uwook!”

While Shin Yung blocked for her, Zhuge Yan drew up her internal energy to its maximum to expel the poison. However, her true energy became sticky and tangled, not circulating properly and only making the toxicity worse.

On top of that, the poison from the finger wind Jin Ja-gang had shot added to the pinellia toxicity.

“Poison that gets worse when you use internal energy…!”

Zhuge Yan grabbed Shin Yung’s back and vomited blood even more severely.

Retch, retch.

The bright red blood spewing from her mouth was mixed with blue energy.

An extreme deadly poison she had never experienced before.

Zhuge Yan groaned and fell to her knees.

Jin Ja-gang, covered in blood and sweat, stared at Shin Yung.

Shin Yung hastily took out a wooden case from his chest and fed the pill inside to Zhuge Yan.

Then he turned around, but unexpectedly did not draw his sword.

When Jin Ja-gang raised his chipped blade, he instead extended his bare palm forward.

“Wait.”

“What do you mean?”

“Could you not let me and the young lady go as we are?”

It was a proposal that was even bewildering to Jin Ja-gang.

“You’re saying you’ll give up on me and return?”

“That’s right.”

“I don’t understand.”

“My top priority is preserving the young lady’s life, not killing you.”

“But if my condition had been worse than now, you would have killed me.”

“I won’t deny it.”

“Should I leave future troubles by letting you live?”

“We’re not the only ones targeting you. Before long, many more will come looking for you. I don’t see any reason to bear the trouble and damage of killing us. Especially if you don’t want to make an enemy of the Zhuge family.”

The last words touched Jin Ja-gang’s nerves. Jin Ja-gang smiled bitterly at Shin Yung’s words.

“You try to kill me first, then say your family will take revenge if you die?”

No, wait?

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes widened dramatically.

Goosebumps rose on his spine.

He realized something from Shin Yung’s words that he hadn’t thought of.

If these people died, the Zhuge family would seek revenge!