Chapter 129: The Thread of Enmity Grows Ever More Bitter (1)

Muk Il-gwang swayed as though he might collapse at any moment. But he braced himself with one axe serving as a crutch and barely held his ground.

"He is badly wounded. Do not miss this chance—press the attack!"

At Namgung Su's cry, the warriors charged once more.

"Il-gwang!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong tried to rush to Muk Il-gwang, but too many enemies blocked her path. She swung her sword again and again, but her opponents were no ordinary martial artists—they were elites selected from the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families. Their martial prowess was in no way inferior to hers. Their skills were evenly matched, but their numbers were overwhelmingly greater. In the end, Hwang Hye-ryeong was driven to the wall.

"My lady!"

Muk Il-gwang roared at the sight of Hwang Hye-ryeong in danger. Forcing his back straight, he whirled both axes like windmills. The axe qi swirled and surged across the battlefield. It was the Whirling Wind Wild Rending Slash—the highest technique of the Blood Heaven Axe Art he had mastered.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

"Grrk!"

"Gah!"

The weapons that clashed with the axes emitted a grinding sound, and the warriors cried out in pain. Fortunately, no one was killed or seriously injured. Though the technique possessed enough power to shatter a massive boulder, his energy was depleted, and the wound from Namgung Su's ambush prevented him from channeling his full strength.

"Push him back!"

Namgung Su urged the warriors on. Having lost many comrades to Muk Il-gwang, the Alliance warriors were consumed by venomous rage. They attacked without regard for their own safety.

Clang!

"Uwaaah!"

The clang of weapons and desperate war cries echoed across the battlefield. Muk Il-gwang fought with every fiber of his being, deploying the Blood Heaven Axe Art. But the enemy kept coming, and his body was now covered in wounds.

"Haaah!"

His heart felt as though it might burst. His eyes were so bloodshot that the broken capillaries were visible, as though they might drip blood at any moment.

"Hoo! My lady."

Muk Il-gwang raised his head and looked at Hwang Hye-ryeong. Between him and her, too many enemies still stood.

Schlick!

In that moment, a long gash appeared on Hwang Hye-ryeong's shoulder. At the sight of her staggering, Muk Il-gwang shut his eyes tight.

'My lady!' Hwang Hye-ryeong was everything to him. He had become a member of the Dragon Riding Guard to protect her, and he was happy to be able to guard her side. If only he could reach out and wipe the tears glistening in her beautiful eyes…

Muk Il-gwang bit his lip until it bled. His grip on the axes tightened. Every muscle in his body swelled, and thick veins bulged like worms. His aura was unmistakably extraordinary, and Namgung Su cried out, "Everyone, be careful!"

"Kuaaah!"

In that instant, Muk Il-gwang let out a terrible roar and charged at the warriors attacking Hwang Hye-ryeong.

Shwaaaaah!

From his axes, a violent wave of qi erupted and swept the surroundings.

"Gah!"

"Uwaaaah!"

Caught in the wave, the warriors were cleaved in two, their screams echoing.

"Il… gwang…"

Hwang Hye-ryeong's eyelashes trembled. She knew. The incredible martial power Muk Il-gwang was displaying was not something he could produce in a normal state. He was now reversing and exploding his internal energy. He could unleash power several times greater than his normal capacity, but when the brief period ended, he would be racked by enormous aftereffects—or, in the worst case, lose his life.

Muk Il-gwang had staked everything on the Reversal Blood Great Technique.

Crack! Crack!

With a sickening sound, countless warriors lost their lives. With the aid of the Reversal Blood Great Technique, Muk Il-gwang finally reached Hwang Hye-ryeong.

"My lady! Are you all right?"

"Why did you do that? The Reversal Blood Great Technique…"

"Protecting you is this one's only wish. My life is of no consequence."

"Il-gwang!"

"Climb onto my back."

Muk Il-gwang turned around. His broad back was visible, but Hwang Hye-ryeong could not bring herself to climb on. Doing so would only add to his burden. Muk Il-gwang urged her.

"There is no time, my lady."

In the end, Hwang Hye-ryeong had no choice but to climb onto his back. Muk Il-gwang tore his sleeve and bound her tightly to himself. In this way, they became one in fate.

"Hold on tight, my lady."

"Yes!"

Seeing her nod, a look of steely determination appeared on Muk Il-gwang's face. 'I will save my lady no matter what—even if it costs me this life.' His resolve was set. All that remained was to act.

Muk Il-gwang launched himself toward the outskirts of 岳yang. Naturally, the Alliance warriors stood in his way. Their eyes burned with venom. No one here was capable of rational thought. They had forgotten all about capturing Hwang Hye-ryeong and attacked with full force.

"Kuaaah!"

Muk Il-gwang roared and swung both axes. Hwang Hye-ryeong clung to his back like a cicada, her eyes shut. Through his back, she could feel the violent pounding of his heart.

Thump! Thump!

In this hellish landscape, only the sound of Muk Il-gwang's heartbeat offered her any comfort.

"……"

In that instant, Hwang Hye-ryeong flinched. It was not because of her wounds. It was a strange sense of déjà vu—a feeling of security and an atmosphere she had experienced once before. She was bewildered. She had been born and raised in the Overlord's Stronghold. She had gone down the mountain a few times to see the world, but she had never experienced a true crisis. There was no way she could have had such an intense experience.

'It must be a mistake.'

Hwang Hye-ryeong shook her head.

Tap!

In that instant, Muk Il-gwang's body lurched. He had launched himself into the air with qinggong. Breaking through the encirclement in an instant, he hurtled forward. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth—dark, clotted blood, a sign that the Reversal Blood Great Technique had reached its limit.

'Just a little further…'

Muk Il-gwang poured everything into his qinggong. His body shot out of the battlefield in a flash. His plan was succeeding.

Boom!

"Guh!"

Suddenly, a thunderous impact struck him as though he had hit an invisible wall. Muk Il-gwang's body was sent flying backward. He tumbled to the ground, and Hwang Hye-ryeong, bound to his back, fell as well.

"Grrk!"

"Ugh!"

Both of them groaned in pain.

"Tch! I almost let you slip away."

Standing where they had bounced back was an old man with distinctive white hair. His appearance drew a great cheer from the Alliance warriors.

"Sage Cheong-gu!"

The white-haired old man was none other than Sage Cheong-gu, an elder of the Cheongseong Sect. The Cheongseong Sect had entered 岳yang only recently, and so its warriors were more eager than anyone. Sage Cheong-gu held an important position within the sect. His martial arts were formidable, and he detested evil to the point of nausea. When it came to dealing with the demonic, he showed not a shred of mercy and would not rest until the wrongdoer was punished. Such was Sage Cheong-gu that his epithet, among the Daoists, was Demon-Slaying Death God.

Upon hearing that Hwang Hye-ryeong was in 岳yang, he had not hesitated to join the pursuit. As it happened, he had been able to cut off Muk Il-gwang's escape route. Sage Cheong-gu radiated a frost-like aura as he surveyed the area.

"Tsk tsk! What a wretched state to be in—all over mere bandits."

"My apologies, Sage. But their resistance was too fierce…"

Namgung Su stepped forward. His apology eased Sage Cheong-gu's expression slightly.

"Is that girl truly Hwang Gyeong-mun's daughter?"

"That is correct."

"Good."

A grim smile appeared on Sage Cheong-gu's face. He was a renowned master in the Sichuan region. But in his entire life, he had suffered one humiliation—defeat at the hands of Hwang Gyeong-mun. That battle had taken place before Hwang Gyeong-mun had achieved his current fame, and the result had been a crushing defeat. Since that day, Sage Cheong-gu had never forgotten the humiliation. He had wished for nothing more than to face Hwang Gyeong-mun again, but Hwang Gyeong-mun had refused to fight him a second time. What mattered to him was the safety of the Green Forest, not personal glory.

'If I capture that girl and use her as leverage, Hwang Gyeong-mun will no longer be able to avoid fighting me.'

Sage Cheong-gu walked toward Hwang Hye-ryeong. Muk Il-gwang gritted his teeth and blocked his path. He was already little more than a blood-soaked man. That he was still alive despite such wounds was nothing short of miraculous.

"Grrk! You… shall not reach my lady."

Muk Il-gwang's legs trembled. His internal energy was spent. The aftereffects of the Reversal Blood Great Technique had severed the meridians throughout his body, and his qi and blood were so tangled that he could barely stand. Nevertheless, he used both axes as crutches and forced himself upright. Sage Cheong-gu sneered at the sight.

"Tch! Your tenacity is admirable. But without the strength to back it up, it is worthless."

Sage Cheong-gu flicked his fist lightly toward Muk Il-gwang.

Boom!

"Guh!"

In an instant, accompanied by a thunderous sound, Muk Il-gwang's massive body was sent flying backward. It was the Blood Circulating Fist—a technique ranked among the highest of the Cheongseong Sect's many skills. Once mastered, it wielded formidable power, but mastering it required an extraordinary amount of time and effort. So few within the Cheongseong Sect had learned it. Sage Cheong-gu had executed it with effortless ease—a testament to his full mastery.

"Lie there. Your fate will be decided separately."

Crack!

Sage Cheong-gu's foot stomped down on Muk Il-gwang's arm. With a sickening crunch, Muk Il-gwang's wrist shattered.

"You shall not reach my lady."

Muk Il-gwang grabbed Sage Cheong-gu's left ankle with his remaining arm. A flash of killing intent crossed Sage Cheong-gu's eyes.

"You vermin are irritatingly persistent."

Thud!

His right leg hammered into Muk Il-gwang's chest.

"Kuhuk!"

Muk Il-gwang collapsed, spewing blood. The kick appeared light on the surface, but it contained the subtle force of penetrating energy. Muk Il-gwang's already critical qi and blood points were crushed beyond recovery.

"Il-gwang!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong screamed in despair. She crawled toward him, but before she could reach him, Sage Cheong-gu blocked her path.

"So you are Hwang Gyeong-mun's daughter."

Sage Cheong-gu seized her by the neck and lifted her. Her face turned red as she struggled.

"Guh! Guh!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong thrashed, but Sage Cheong-gu did not budge.

"I am not keeping you alive because you are precious. It is to draw out your father, Hwang Gyeong-mun. I will tear him to pieces before your very eyes."

"Grrk!"

"If you are a Green Forest bandit, you should have stayed in the Green Forest. What business does a bandit have causing trouble in the territory of the Murim Alliance?"

"You—! Ptooey!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong spat in Sage Cheong-gu's face. Blood-tinged saliva ran down his cheek. In that instant, rage contorted his face. His palm lashed out and struck her cheek.

Smack!

"Ah!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong's cheek swelled instantly. But his anger was not yet assuaged. Sage Cheong-gu raised his hand to strike again. This time, his energy was condensed. If the blow landed, it would not end with a few broken teeth or torn flesh.

'As long as she is alive, that is all that matters.'

That was Sage Cheong-gu's thought. Just as he was about to strike—

Boom!

A sudden tremor shook the battlefield.

The masked person appeared somewhat flustered but responded calmly. Standing in place, he took a horse stance and extended both hands simultaneously.

Two streams of long needles were launched.

One bounced off the soft sword, but the other embedded itself in Zhuge Yan’s neck.

Thud!

Zhuge Yan grabbed her neck and staggered before falling to her knees.

Shin Yung caught Zhuge Yan. Zhuge Yan retched and vomited blood.

“I heard everything. No… that can’t be. Brother Gwon couldn’t have tried to kill me!”

“Young Lady, please don’t speak!”

Retch, retch.

Bright red blood gushed from Zhuge Yan’s mouth like a spring.

“I thought it was an opportunity… I could have been recognized… Brother and I could have…”

Zhuge Yan’s eyes had already lost focus, with no concentration in her pupils.

“Young Lady—!”

The masked person tried to move to finish the job.

But suddenly a long shadow fell into the cave. The masked person was startled and turned around.

Jin Ja-gang, who they thought had gone down to the village, had returned.

Jin Ja-gang was carrying a sack full of grass, which he scattered toward the entrance.

Then he trampled it with his feet.

Crunch, crunch.

Starting from the entrance and moving inward, he continued scattering the grass-like stems from the sack and trampling them.

The masked person was startled and had no choice but to retreat backward.

Jin Ja-gang wouldn’t be doing this for no reason!

When a person sees someone doing something incomprehensible, questions naturally arise. When questions arise, suspicion follows, and when suspicion arises, one hesitates to act.

The masked person felt alarmed and heightened his vigilance.

However, Jin Ja-gang was even leisurely.

Crunch crunch.

Jin Ja-gang scattered the grass-like stems on the ground and trampled them while asking.

“Who ordered you to do this?”

The masked person naturally wouldn’t answer. No, he was holding his breath because he thought poison had been scattered throughout the cave. Even if he wanted to answer, he couldn’t.

Jin Ja-gang spoke as if he knew.

“You must be short of breath. How long do you think you can hold your breath?”

A flash of tension crossed the masked person’s eyes.

As Jin Ja-gang said, the masked person was gradually running out of breath.

He knows I’m holding my breath! Was he waiting with a trap set from the beginning?

Even now, killing Zhuge Yan and Shin Yung, who still couldn’t move properly, was something he could sufficiently accomplish. However, clearing away Jin Ja-gang who was blocking the cave was another matter entirely.

The masked person turned his body toward the inner part of the cave. Whatever happened, he had to complete his mission first.

Shin Yung didn’t remain still.

“Uaaaah!”

Shin Yung flew forward and thrust his sword.

However, the masked person’s mission wasn’t someone like Shin Yung.

The target was Zhuge Yan.

The masked person kicked away Shin Yung who was charging with his body and flew to stab Zhuge Yan’s solar plexus with a long needle.

The long needle penetrated her heart.

However, Zhuge Yan’s heart had already stopped beating and wasn’t moving. She had died before that. The masked person confirmed Zhuge Yan’s death and quickly got up.

He moved toward the entrance and faced off with Jin Ja-gang. Jin Ja-gang was waiting with a sword in hand.

The masked person was short of breath.

Having squeezed out almost all the air remaining in his lungs, his head was dizzy. His limbs had become heavy. He needed to breathe, but if he did, he would be poisoned by the toxic energy spread throughout the cave.

But suddenly he realized that Jin Ja-gang and Shin Yung were speaking and breathing without any problems.

The masked person wondered whether he should breathe, half-believing and half-doubting.

At that moment, Jin Ja-gang attacked with his sword. It was a simple technique cutting from top to bottom in one stroke, so the masked person bent his waist backward to avoid it.

However, his movements were definitely sluggish due to being short of breath.

Slash!

The mask along with his clothes was slightly cut vertically. Part of his face was revealed as the mask was cut.

The masked person covered his face while hastily inhaling.

“Hup!”

At that moment, his nose stung and became so sour that tears came to his eyes.

His breath was completely blocked.

Drip.

A nosebleed burst out. His throat stung and he broke out in cold sweat.

He was poisoned. Despite being so careful, just from trying to breathe once!

“Don’t kill Jin Ja-gang… that’s an order from above.”

Therefore, he had to escape without killing, just shaking him off.

The masked person pulled out several short needles the length of two finger joints and threw them consecutively.

Ping ping!

They were paralysis needles, not lethal poison.

Paralysis needles embedded themselves throughout Jin Ja-gang’s body. Even one would be enough to paralyze him completely, but five shots hit. They all hit as thrown, which was confusing even for the masked person.

Seeing Jin Ja-gang stiffen and stagger, the masked person leaped. He wanted to get outside quickly. His lungs felt like they were burning from lack of air.

The moment the masked person passed by the staggering Jin Ja-gang, Jin Ja-gang swung his sword. The masked person’s side spurted blood.

“Kheuk!”

Startled, he screamed and inhaled, making his head dizzy. His nose area became hot as a nosebleed flowed down, and his throat became scratchy.

Why was Jin Ja-gang, who should be paralyzed and unable to move, swinging a sword!

He gave up holding his breath, but his breathing was blocked and he couldn’t breathe properly anyway. With insufficient breathing, his body stiffened and his movements slowed. As the masked person rolled on the ground, Jin Ja-gang chased and consecutively cut his knees and heels.

The masked person realized that Jin Ja-gang was deliberately cutting his legs.

To prevent him from escaping – that surely meant if he was caught, they would torture him to find out who was behind this.

The masked person rolled on the ground even with his feet cut.

Clang! Clang!

Jin Ja-gang’s sword continued to strike the ground following him. The masked person’s eyes stung and teared up from the crushed grass on the ground. It became even harder to breathe than before.

“You can’t escape.”

Grind.

The masked person knelt and half-rose while grinding his teeth.

“It won’t go… cough cough, as you want.”

Without any room for consideration, the masked person took out a poison pill from his chest and bit it. Jin Ja-gang struck the masked person’s wrist with his sword, but it was already too late.

Bubble bubble, the masked person’s face melted away. It was a horrific suicide poison that even Jin Ja-gang was seeing for the first time.

The masked person died kneeling with his face melted.

Jin Ja-gang sighed and pulled out the needles embedded in his body.

The deception of creating smoke with pinellia stems to disguise it as if poison had been scattered was effective. The masked person must have had to hold his breath thinking it was poison.

The grass he had just scattered and trampled were roots of sedum and narcissus. When the smell touches the nose in the air, it causes bleeding. There are no other effects that actually work on the body, but the masked person wouldn’t have thought so.

He would have had to continuously hold his breath to prevent poisoning. Thanks to this, he succeeded in psychologically cornering the masked person.

However, he ultimately failed to capture him.

He hadn’t expected him to commit suicide in such a severe manner.

Jin Ja-gang searched through the masked person’s clothes. His face had melted beyond recognition anyway, and there was nothing on his body that could prove his identity.

Instead, there were poisons the masked person had been using. Jin Ja-gang collected and kept the poison needles and poison powders wrapped in oil paper.

“Young Lady… Young Lady…”

Jin Ja-gang turned his head at Shin Yung’s tearful voice.

Shin Yung was crying while holding Zhuge Yan’s corpse.

Though he could have blamed Jin Ja-gang for why he let Zhuge Yan die, why he used them as bait, Shin Yung didn’t do so.

He knew this was the best option because it would have been difficult to face the assassin with their condition, let alone Jin Ja-gang’s state.

Jin Ja-gang also didn’t offer useless comfort.

Until just moments ago, these people and himself had been enemies.

They fought, and she died.

“I’ve been with the young lady since I was four years old.”

Shin Yung, who had been quietly sobbing for a while, suddenly spoke.

“Except for my personal training time, I stayed by the young lady’s side every moment she ate and slept.”

Jin Ja-gang silently listened to Shin Yung’s words.

“I knew well that as a vassal family of the Zhuge family, this was my given fate, but… when I was young, I hated so much that my life was bound to one person. That’s how I spent my childhood.”

Shin Yung let out a quiet sigh.

“But watching one person for over twenty years, I became accustomed to everything about the young lady. The young lady’s habits and way of speaking, her actions… even the expressions she made when angry or happy. Do you understand what that means?”

Jin Ja-gang answered for the first time.

“I don’t understand.”

“It was an incredible wonder. Another person had become much more familiar to me than myself. A being more precious than my own life had appeared.”

Shin Yung looked back at Jin Ja-gang. Bloody tears were flowing from Shin Yung’s eyes.

“Now that being is dead. It means nothing to you, but to me it was like the entire world.”

Shin Yung’s eyes contained anger, sadness, and emptiness all at once.

Shin Yung said.

“How… have you been fighting against such people? Those who dare to attack the Zhuge family.”

“Strictly speaking, I haven’t been fighting until now. But I will fight soon. And I will kill them.”

Shin Yung struggled to lift Zhuge Yan’s corpse and stand up. His shoulder was broken and he was still poisoned.

Yet he gritted his teeth and stood up.

Shin Yung faced Jin Ja-gang while holding Zhuge Yan. He didn’t have the strength left to fight Jin Ja-gang. If Jin Ja-gang didn’t step aside, Shin Yung wouldn’t be able to pass in any way.

But Shin Yung squeezed out all his strength to say.

“I won’t give testimony that could help your innocence when I return to the main family. I won’t say that an assassin took the Young Lady’s life either.”

Shin Yung continued as if vomiting blood.

“That way we’ll learn what intentions those who tried to kill the Young Lady had for doing such things. Those bastards need to believe their scheme succeeded for them to reveal themselves.”

Hearing those words, Jin Ja-gang immediately stepped aside.

“That’s what I wanted.”

Shin Yung began walking. Then he briefly stopped while passing Jin Ja-gang.

“The young lady of the Zhuge family is dead. The price will be more severe than you can imagine.”

Jin Ja-gang accepted it calmly.

“I’ll bear it.”

“Do you think one individual can withstand the Zhuge family’s anger?”

“If I fail and die along the way, that will be my limit. Then my path of revenge would have ended there anyway.”

Hearing Jin Ja-gang’s words, Shin Yung’s expression became strangely distorted.

“Just how far do you plan to drive yourself?”

Jin Ja-gang seemed to think for a moment, then answered.

“You said that person is the pavilion master of Azure Dragon Great Sword Pavilion in charge of the Huguang Province Martial Arts Alliance branch. At least until I get there.”

“Huguang Province… will you be able to reach there alive?”

Shin Yung paused briefly, then swallowed blood and spoke again.

“If… you face the Zhuge family and stand at a crossroads of life and death, the only way to survive is to remember the Fish-Form Taiji. The life gate of the inner trigram is in the death gate, and the death gate is within the scene gate.”

Jin Ja-gang memorized Shin Yung’s words. Since he had said it, it must have meaning.

“Live.”

Shin Yung spat out the words as if chewing them.

“Survive. And definitely take revenge and expose those bastards to the world. If heaven permits, I too will be able to witness that moment together.”

Shin Yung struggled to take one step at a time and left the cave.

Jin Ja-gang quietly watched Shin Yung’s retreating figure.

That dignity.

Perhaps the image of the orthodox faction that Jin Ja-gang had been thinking of was what Shin Yung was showing.

However, Jin Ja-gang had never met an orthodox faction person like Shin Yung until now. And rather, he might now have to fight against such people.

Even then, would he be able to act without hesitation…

Jin Ja-gang took a long deep breath.

Despite his best efforts, Zhuge Yan’s death ultimately meant Jin Ja-gang had fallen into a trap.