Chapter 162

Chapter 162: There Are Things You Must Never Touch (3)

Dam Ho's gaze turned toward the people huddled in a corner of the inn, trembling. They looked back at him with uneasy eyes.

Dam Ho spoke to them.

"All of you, leave."

The moment his words fell, the people moved as though possessed by something, carefully making their way toward the inn's entrance.

The Namgung Family's martial artists who intended to kill everyone in the inn were frightening, but they were nothing compared to the presence of Dam Ho.

The instant they met Dam Ho's gaze, several of the weaker-willed ones wet themselves on the spot.

No matter how fearsome a wolf might be, it could not compare to a tiger.

That was precisely the emotion the people in the inn felt.

They hurried outside to escape. The Namgung Family's martial artists watched them go but did not dare to intervene.

Dam Ho's gaze held their feet fast. With the crushing pressure that made them feel as though a single step would cause their bodies to be torn asunder, they could barely even breathe.

The same was true for Namgung Jang-gyeong. He clenched his teeth and glared at Dam Ho. His bloodshot eyes harbored killing intent.

'To encounter the Fist Demon, a mortal enemy of the main family, in a place like this.'

Dam Ho had become a public enemy of the Murim Alliance during the process of helping Hwang Hye-ryeong escape. Orders had already been dispatched to every sect and family: upon encountering Dam Ho, either kill him on the spot or report to the Murim Alliance.

The conditions for battle were already set. The problem was whether they could truly handle Dam Ho with their current strength.

As the people filed out of the inn, Namgung Jang-gyeong sent a telepathic message to the swiftest martial artist among his men.

—Go out through the back immediately and report to the main family that the Fist Demon has appeared.

—Understood.

The subordinate who received the message replied with a grim expression.

Namgung Jang-gyeong stepped forward.

"How dare you interfere in the affairs of the main family. Your audacity has grown beyond measure, Fist Demon."

He deliberately raised his killing intent.

Jong Ri-yeon and Hwa-no were nearby, but they had long since been pushed beyond the margins of his concern.

At Namgung Jang-gyeong's killing intent, the Namgung Family's martial artists regained their composure and drew upon their internal energy.

At that moment—

Crash!

Without warning, Dam Ho suddenly threw a punch backward like a bolt of lightning.

"Ugh!"

In that instant, a Namgung Family martial artist who had been trying to slip out through the back was hurled into the wall with a scream. Dam Ho had unleashed a Palm Strike Across Empty Air.

Without so much as glancing at the mangled corpse, Dam Ho spoke.

"Who said anyone could leave?"

"Urgh!"

Namgung Jang-gyeong's face twisted in agony.

He had never dreamed that Dam Ho would see through his intention and act so swiftly.

No matter how formidable a martial artist might be, they would inevitably be cowed before the name of the Namgung Family. Even those belonging to the Nine Great Sects were no exception.

Such was the overwhelming prestige that the four characters of "Namgung Family" carried. It was the reputation built over centuries of being a distinguished family. But in facing the Namgung Family, Dam Ho showed not the slightest hesitation. No—he was actually overwhelming the Namgung Family's martial artists.

Jong Ri-yeon could not believe the scene unfolding before her eyes.

Being pushed back by the killing intent of a single man like Dam Ho—it was as though dogs barking fiercely had encountered a tiger and curled their tails.

"People say the Fist Demon is terrifying, and now I see there was a reason."

"Indeed it seems so. Mmm!"

Hwa-no let out a low groan.

The overwhelming presence Dam Ho displayed now was something that even the Hwa-no of his prime could not have imagined.

Namgung Jang-gyeong shouted, as though he could not allow his spirit to be broken.

"How dare you provoke the Namgung Family!"

"Get your words right. I did not start this. You did."

"Urgh!"

"I was here first, eating my meal. And then you tried to kill me."

Dam Ho took a step toward Namgung Jang-gyeong.

His limping, uneven gait pressed upon Namgung Jang-gyeong's very soul.

"I am curious."

"What… what do you mean?"

"Your arrogance. Your presumptuous way of thinking. Why is it that you believe you can bully others as you please, yet when the same is done to you, you cannot endure it?"

"Urgh!"

"I understand, of course. When you have power, you must feel like doing as you please. You can wield violence however you want because no one can properly resist."

Dam Ho's voice pierced the ears of the Namgung Family's martial artists with unnatural clarity.

"So I ask—is it enjoyable? Doing that?"

"……"

Namgung Jang-gyeong could say nothing.

His mind was full of words he wanted to speak, but not a single one could escape his lips.

Dam Ho's question touched upon some deep-seated emotion settled at the very bottom of Namgung Jang-gyeong's heart.

But he could not clearly identify what it was. And so he could not answer Dam Ho's question.

The fact that he could not answer Dam Ho's question made him furious. Dam Ho's inquiry was tearing apart his pride as a member of the Namgung Family.

In the end, Namgung Jang-gyeong shouted loudly, trying to conceal his true feelings.

"I can no longer listen to this drivel. Attack him!"

"Raaah!"

As though they had been waiting, the Namgung Family's martial artists let out a great cry and charged toward Dam Ho.

Watching the Namgung Family's martial artists rush at him like a pack of hounds, Dam Ho murmured.

"I find none of this enjoyable."

He clenched his fist tight.

"This sort of thing…"

A raging fire surged from deep within his chest.

"Killing people. It is not enjoyable at all. But if I must… I will not hesitate."

Dam Ho struck the ground.

Charging Step unfolded, followed by Fortress Breaking Fist.

Boom!

With a thunderous roar, a life was extinguished before his eyes.

Blood sprayed and flesh caved in.

Dam Ho's entire body was spattered with blood.

"You monster!"

Namgung Jang-gyeong's desperate scream echoed throughout the inn.

At that moment, another thunderous strike erupted.

Kra-boom!

The entire inn shook as though struck by an earthquake. And three of the Namgung Family's martial artists lost their lives simultaneously.

"Yaaaah!"

Namgung Jang-gyeong swung his sword at Dam Ho.

Shing!

The sword energy that erupted from the blade cleaved through the air.

Lightning Thirteen Sword Thunder.

A supreme technique among the Namgung Family's sword arts. Of these, the most powerful strike—Thunder Cloud Severing Strike—was unleashed upon Dam Ho.

It was a technique that Namgung Jang-gyeong, who held a high rank even within the Azure Sky Palace, had put his very soul into executing. Naturally, its power was tremendous.

The problem was that his opponent was Dam Ho.

Though he had not been in the Murim for long, he had fought more people than anyone.

His sense for discerning the flow of battle in an instant was arguably the finest under heaven.

Dam Ho instantly perceived the flaw in Thunder Cloud Severing Strike and launched himself forward.

Whirrr!

His right foot cleaved through the air.

It was the Bouncing Demon Kick.

Boom!

Thunder Cloud Severing Strike, unleashed by Namgung Jang-gyeong, collided with the Bouncing Demon Kick and was annihilated.

Dam Ho's body, having delivered the Bouncing Demon Kick, fell toward the ground. At that instant, his left foot lightly tapped the floor and his body spun. Like a whip, his right foot lashed out again.

He had unleashed Bouncing Demon Kick once more.

Boom!

A thunderous sound erupted and Namgung Jang-gyeong staggered backward in disarray. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his once neatly bound hair had long since come undone from the successive impacts.

"Urgh!"

Namgung Jang-gyeong gritted his teeth and tried to counterattack. But he was given no further opportunity to attack.

Boom!

Dam Ho's elbow drove into his side.

As his eyes widened in pain, Dam Ho's fist smashed into his face.

Crack!

With an excruciating pain he had never imagined, Namgung Jang-gyeong heard the sound of bone shattering. He did not even have time to realize that the sound was his own facial bones breaking.

Because his breath had already ceased.

Thud!

Namgung Jang-gyeong's face, crushed beyond recognition, collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

"Urgh!"

"How can this be!"

The surviving Namgung Family martial artists shuddered in horror.

Namgung Jang-gyeong was a master of the highest caliber, even within the Namgung Family and the Azure Sky Palace. The fact that he had died without putting up any meaningful resistance filled them with despair.

Thud!

The martial artists who had been retreating step by step found their backs against the wall. Realizing there was nowhere left to retreat, they charged at Dam Ho with the resolve to die together.

"Uwaah!"

"Let us die together, Fist Demon!"

Their desperate cries echoed throughout the inn.

At that moment, Jong Ri-yeon closed her eyes.

It was a battle whose outcome was foreordained. Like a fight between an adult and a child.

Boom! Boom!

Deafening sounds of impact filled the air, and lives were extinguished one by one.

When she finally opened her eyes again, every martial artist in the inn had become a cold corpse.

This place, which should have been a warm shelter for weary travelers passing through, was now filled only with the aura of death.

For Jong Ri-yeon, whose livelihood was saving lives, it was a scene almost too much to bear.

"Ugh!"

She barely held back the bile rising in her throat. Her face was streaked with tears.

"Young mistress!"

Hwa-no hurriedly supported Jong Ri-yeon.

"I'm alright. I am…"

Despite her words, Jong Ri-yeon's face was deathly pale.

"Please sit here for a moment."

Hwa-no guided Jong Ri-yeon to a nearby chair. She sat down and gasped for breath.

Hwa-no's gaze turned to Dam Ho.

Soaked in blood, his eyes burning with a fearsome light—Dam Ho's appearance was the stuff of nightmares.

Though Hwa-no considered himself a veteran of the martial world who had weathered many storms, he had never once seen a being like Dam Ho who inspired such terror in the beholder.

He took a moment to steady his breath.

To stand before Dam Ho required courage, even for him.

Finally, mustering his courage, he spoke.

"Da… Great Hero!"

Dam Ho raised his head and looked at Hwa-no.

Though he had steeled himself, when he met Dam Ho's eyes directly, Hwa-no involuntarily flinched. But he quickly composed himself and offered a respectful bow of clasped fists.

"I am grateful for your help."

"I did not help you. So there is no need for thanks."

"But…"

"If you had not provoked me, these people would not have died."

Dam Ho drew a clear line. At this, Hwa-no could say nothing more.

"Whew!"

In the end, Hwa-no let out a low sigh and stepped back.

From his long experience in the martial world, he knew that one must be extremely cautious when dealing with someone like Dam Ho.

Since Dam Ho had drawn his line, there was no need to scrape at the scab.

While Hwa-no had regained his composure, Jong Ri-yeon's mind was still dazed.

A man who stood at the opposite end of the spectrum from her, who devoted her life to saving lives.

From his body emanated a thick aura of death.

'Fist Demon… the one who delivers death.'

Jong Ri-yeon could no longer look at Dam Ho and closed her eyes. But the image of him continued to haunt her, tormenting her thoughts.