Chapter 152

Chapter 152: The Demon Dyes Mount Hwang in Blood (2)

From the ruins of the Green King Hall, a thick cloud of gray dust billowed upward.

Through the haze of dust, the scene that emerged was nothing short of catastrophic.

The warriors who had deployed the Snake Formation Soul-Sealing Array lay dead, their bodies pierced by fragments of shattered chains. Dozens of warriors had perished en masse from the attack utilizing the Repelling Force.

"Cough!"

Hwang Gyeong-mun coughed up blood.

His complexion had turned deathly pale.

The Repelling Force boasted terrifying power, but it demanded a correspondingly vast expenditure of internal energy. It was not a technique that could be employed so casually, especially when one had been poisoned with Blood-Lung Poison and Scatter Energy Poison.

Yet Hwang Gyeong-mun had no choice.

Using the Repelling Force had drained his internal energy to the dregs. He no longer had the strength to resist the Scatter Energy Poison.

"Hah!"

His hands and feet trembled violently.

"Gahuk!"

"Damn it! I barely survived."

In that moment, figures throughout the ruins began to stir.

They were the leaders, men like Jo Yun-san and Yun Chung. In the moment of crisis, they had desperately flung themselves backward and barely saved their own lives.

They were shaken by Hwang Gyeong-mun's strength.

They had never imagined that he could deploy the Repelling Force even while poisoned with Blood-Lung Poison and Scatter Energy Poison. It was a feat beyond all reckoning.

But Hwang Gyeong-mun's condition was far from favorable.

"The old tiger has finally lost his teeth."

Hwang Gyeong-mun leaned upon his blade like a crutch, barely managing to stay on his feet. Now, ending his life would be easier than flipping a hand.

Jo Yun-san approached with a triumphant smile.

"Grandmaster."

"You!"

"You have endured much hardship. I shall see you off on your final journey without pain."

Jo Yun-san's taunt drew a bitter clench of Hwang Gyeong-mun's teeth.

He tried to gather his internal energy. But the dantian had been empty for a long time.

Drip!

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Jo Yun-san raised his sword and leveled it at Hwang Gyeong-mun's throat.

"The daughter you cherished so dearly will soon follow in your footsteps, so you need not grieve too bitterly. Heh heh! Though, of course, I intend to enjoy myself thoroughly before that."

"You?"

"She was mine from the beginning. You stole her from me."

A vein of madness threaded through Jo Yun-san's expression.

"I will not let you go. I will tear you to a thousand pieces and kill you."

Hwang Gyeong-mun gritted his teeth and forced himself upright. But Jo Yun-san merely gazed at him with a face full of derision.

Hwang Gyeong-mun was a tiger without teeth. Even if he had a little strength remaining, it did not matter. There were still many here who would sacrifice their lives for him.

"Your era is over. The green forest needs a new hero. And that hero is…"

"Not you."

In that instant, a stranger's voice cut through the air.

A voice devoid of all emotion, cold as ice. Jo Yun-san felt the blood in his veins turn frigid in a single heartbeat.

Jo Yun-san spun around. There, walking toward him, was a familiar man.

"You are… the Fist Demon?"

It was Dam Ho.

From the moment Dam Ho appeared, the air around them grew deathly cold. The smiles vanished entirely from the faces of Jo Yun-san and Yun Chung.

Jo Yun-san spoke.

"What happened to the Left God Guardian?"

"What do you think happened?"

"You don't mean…?"

Dam Ho did not answer. At that, the last vestige of color drained from Jo Yun-san's face.

Dam Ho looked at him and smiled.

"Still haven't remembered, have you?"

"What grudge could you possibly hold against me…?"

"You seem to have lived quite comfortably all this time. Or perhaps your memory simply isn't very good."

Dam Ho took a step toward Hwang Gyeong-mun.

Jo Yun-san and the others, overwhelmed by his aura, stumbled backward.

In particular, the terror that Li Hui-eun felt was beyond words. She shuddered involuntarily.

Seeing Dam Ho again, the humiliation and fear she had felt that day surged back to life with vivid clarity. Her entire body trembled like a leaf in a storm.

Yun Chung furrowed his brow.

'This is not good.'

The multitude of warriors present had been overwhelmed by the aura of a single man, Dam Ho. In this state, they could not fight at full strength.

Yun Chung's lips moved slightly. He was transmitting a secret message to someone.

Jo Yun-san placed his sword against Hwang Gyeong-mun's throat and shouted.

"If you take one more step, I cannot guarantee the Grandmaster's life."

"You were going to kill him anyway."

Dam Ho's reply left Jo Yun-san speechless.

Boom!

In that instant, Dam Ho launched himself off the ground.

His body shot toward Jo Yun-san like a battering ram.

"Gahuk!"

Jo Yun-san could not even lift the sword he held at Hwang Gyeong-mun's throat. He was forced to retreat hastily.

"Stop!"

Jo Yun-san's subordinates moved to protect him.

Shing-shing!

Sharp sword energy and blade energy hurtled toward Dam Ho.

In that instant, Dam Ho's body shuddered. He had deployed his shield.

Ting-ting-ting!

The blades and swords that struck the shield were deflected in unison.

In the same instant, Dam Ho's palm struck the empty air. It was a Single Strike Wall, which sent a shockwave through the air currents.

Rumble!

"Gahuk!"

"Aargh!"

Jo Yun-san's subordinates collapsed, blood spurting from their seven orifices.

Through the falling bodies, Jo Yun-san's face could be seen, frozen in horror.

Dam Ho launched himself into the air.

"Damn it!"

Gwak Sam, Leader of the White Deer Outfit, threw himself forward to intercept Dam Ho.

Regardless of the circumstances, Jo Yun-san was their center of gravity. If Jo Yun-san fell, today's rebellion would fail, and they would have nowhere left to stand in the world.

"Die, you demon!"

Gwak Sam swung his blade with every ounce of strength. Blade energy coalesced upon his weapon.

He did not think this single strike could kill Dam Ho, but he believed it might force him to retreat.

'If I can make him back off just once, an opening will appear.'

So he poured his internal energy into the blade without holding back.

Whirrr!

His blade let out a sharp whistle.

Clang!

But the whistle did not ring to its conclusion. Dam Ho's hand had seized it mid-swing.

Deploying the Silver Net Hand, Dam Ho gripped the blade. He applied pressure, and the weapon snapped in two.

Dam Ho drove the broken shard directly into Gwak Sam's forehead.

Thud!

"Ggggh!"

Gwak Sam's eyes went wide, and he toppled backward.

"You demon!"

Jo Yun-san seethed with rage, drawing upon every last drop of his internal energy.

There was no more room for retreat.

If he could not defeat Dam Ho, there would be no future left for him. Now, only evil remained.

He infused his internal energy into his sword.

Shing!

In an instant, a violent surge of blade energy erupted from his sword.

The turbulent energy soon took on a distinct form. It extended nearly half a zhang in length.

"Blade Aura!"

"Wow! The Outfit Leader has deployed a Blade Aura!"

The warriors of the Black Water Outfit who recognized the technique cheered.

Blade Aura, the symbol of an absolute master. Jo Yun-san had been hiding his true achievement all along.

Jo Yun-san poured all of his internal energy into this single strike.

Instinct whispered to him.

He must bring Dam Ho down in a single blow. If he failed, there would never be another chance.

Shing!

The Blade Aura descended upon Dam Ho as though it would cleave heaven and earth in two.

In that instant, Dam Ho's form blurred. He had deployed his shield once more. And the Blade Aura struck his body head-on.

Kraa-Boom!

A deafening explosion erupted, and Dam Ho's body lurched.

A geyser of blood erupted from his shoulder. His muscles split open, revealing the raw red flesh beneath.

The pain was so excruciating that his jaw dropped. Yet Dam Ho did not utter a single groan.

He fed upon pain to fuel his fury.

This level of pain was nothing.

Dam Ho smiled. And that sight made Jo Yun-san even more terrified.

"Aaargh!"

In that instant, Dam Ho slammed his body into Jo Yun-san.

Crash!

Jo Yun-san's body was sent hurtling backward.

He had managed to draw upon his internal energy at the moment of impact to shield his body, so he did not suffer catastrophic injuries.

Jo Yun-san struggled to maintain his composure and attempted to counterattack.

But in that moment, Dam Ho's fist struck his pelvis. He had deployed the Fortress Breaking Fist.

Crack!

"Gaaah!"

Jo Yun-san's mouth fell open involuntarily.

A pain utterly unlike anything before surged through his entire body. He did not even need to look to know.

His pelvis had been completely pulverized.

The numbness below his waist confirmed his suspicion.

The instant Jo Yun-san's body crumpled, Dam Ho's fist drove into his side.

Crunch!

His left ribs shattered to the very root.

"Aaaargh!"

Jo Yun-san's desperate scream echoed through the Overlord Outfit.

He could not endure the excruciating pain and collapsed to the ground.

Only then did Dam Ho stop.

Blood from his shoulder had drenched his entire body, painting him in crimson. His appearance was that of a blood demon.

Dam Ho glanced briefly at his torn shoulder. The muscle was so badly ripped that the bone was visible, a severe wound. Yet he felt nothing. As though it were not his body, but someone else's.

Dam Ho tensed the muscles around the wound. The hideously gaping gash contracted, and the flow of blood gradually diminished.

It was Dam Ho's own method of stanching blood, using muscle contraction.

"H-How?"

Yun Chung stammered at the sight before him.

Dam Ho did not spare so much as a glance for Yun Chung. His eyes were fixed on a single person: Jo Yun-san.

"Ggggh!"

Jo Yun-san's face was twisted into a grotesque mask of agony. Dam Ho smiled as he looked upon it.

"It looks good."

"What grudge could you possibly have against me…"

"You still haven't remembered. I expected as much."

"You?"

"It's all right. You'll remember soon enough."

Dam Ho produced something from inside his robe.

It was a small porcelain jar, about the size of a child's fist.

Rattle!

Dam Ho shook the jar, and a strange sound emanated from within. In that instant, Jo Yun-san shuddered with an inexplicable chill.

He did not know why. The moment he heard the sound, his body reacted on its own.

"I prepared this especially for you."

"Gahuk! What is that?"

"Curious?"

Dam Ho's lips curled upward. Conversely, Jo Yun-san's expression grew even more rigid.

He wanted to flee.

Even a single instant sooner, he wished to leave this place. But his legs would not obey. His shattered pelvis saw to that.

Only then did Jo Yun-san become aware of his situation.

Dam Ho crouched before Jo Yun-san and met his gaze.

Jo Yun-san's body trembled.

Dam Ho slightly opened the jar's lid. From within, a small creature crawled out.

A creature with six legs and tiny antennae, it was an ant.

Having been trapped inside for so long, the ant trembled violently as it emerged.

Dam Ho placed the ant upon Jo Yun-san's cheek.

"Wh-What?"

"It is called the Hell Blood Ant. A vicious little creature. One bite and you will wish for death."

Crack!

In that instant, the Hell Blood Ant bit into a wound on Jo Yun-san's cheek.

"Ggggh!"

Jo Yun-san's body convulsed. The spot where the ant had bitten swelled immediately, and an unbearable itching sensation erupted.

Dam Ho opened the jar a little further. Dozens more Hell Blood Ants crawled out and swarmed over Jo Yun-san's body.

"N-No!"

Jo Yun-san's eyes flew wide.

In that instant, dozens of Hell Blood Ants bit into every part of his body.

"Aaargh!"

Jo Yun-san thrashed about. An overwhelming itching surged alongside an indescribable agony.

Dam Ho gazed down at Jo Yun-san with cold detachment.

"Ah, that wound on your cheek. I made that. Twenty years ago…"

"Th-Then?"

Only then did Jo Yun-san remember Dam Ho.