Chapter 151: The Demon Dyes Mount Hwang in Blood (1)

Dam Ho was approaching.

His characteristic uneven footsteps squeezed the hearts of the men like a vise. His entire body itched as though hundreds of ants crawled aimlessly across his skin.

His eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and his vision blurred. He hurriedly drew upon his internal energy to calm his roiling meridians, but in that very moment, a tremendous pressure engulfed his entire body.

Boom!

His body, shattered like a boulder rolled from a mountain summit, was sent flying through the air.

Unable to withstand the colossal pressure, every blood vessel in his eyes burst, and he spat blood from all seven orifices. Jong-o's appearance was ghastly beyond measure. Yet the warriors of the Dragon Ascension Corps had no leisure to mourn his death.

Dam Ho was already stepping forward in search of his next victim.

"Damn it!"

"Kill him! He's nothing but a cripple!"

Their weapons sliced through the air and hurtled toward Dam Ho.

Dam Ho did not evade their attacks. Instead, he threw himself forward in an utterly defenseless state.

Ting-ting-ting!

The instant the razor-sharp blade touched his body, it was deflected in all directions. He had deployed the Golden Ring Shield.

"Gah!"

The moment the sword touched Dam Ho's body and bounced away, a warrior of the Dragon Ascension Corps standing in the sword's trajectory was struck with terror. That was the last reaction he would show in his lifetime.

Boom!

With a thunderous crack, his head burst like a pumpkin.

Grayish-white brain matter and fresh blood splattered across the faces of the Dragon Ascension Corps warriors.

"Kuh!"

Several warriors instinctively shut their eyes. Among them, one man suddenly felt a crushing pressure around his neck. Dam Ho's hand had seized his throat.

The instant he widened his eyes in shock, his head snapped to the side with a sickening crack.

Crack!

The grotesque sound of bone shattering rang out with chilling clarity. The sight of the warrior dead with his tongue lolling out sent ripples of horror through the hearts of the onlookers.

Dam Ho did not rush.

He simply approached the men with his characteristic uneven gait. Yet with every step he took, their comrades fell.

Some were crushed into a mangle of flesh. Others had their necks snapped.

Though the cause of death varied, each had met a death that was horrific to behold. The sight of them ignited mortal terror in the hearts of the remaining survivors.

"Aagh!"

"R-Run! We have to run!"

In that moment, a single word filled their minds to the exclusion of all else.

Untouchable.

An existence they could never hope to oppose.

At least to those present, Dam Ho had been branded into their minds as such a being of terror.

The surviving warriors of the Dragon Ascension Corps threw down their weapons and scattered in every direction. The only one still standing was the Corps Leader, Yu Gwang-cheon.

"Ngh!"

He shuddered as he looked upon Dam Ho.

In his heart, he too wished to flee. But he could not.

The others were mere pawns, but he was the leader of the Dragon Ascension Corps. There was nowhere for him to retreat, nowhere to fall back to.

Whether he lived or died, it had to be decided here.

"You are, in the end, nothing more than flesh and blood."

Shing!

Yu Gwang-cheon swung his sword with desperate fury.

A crimson aura gathered upon his blade before it erupted into searing heat.

A technique of Flame Annihilation.

It was the most powerful technique Yu Gwang-cheon could currently wield.

"Die, you monster!"

Yu Gwang-cheon brought his sword down upon Dam Ho with all his strength.

Whoosh!

A fierce sword energy accompanied by blazing heat hurtled toward Dam Ho. The air itself distorted, a testament to its formidable power.

Dam Ho did not dodge Yu Gwang-cheon's attack. Instead, he bent low at the waist and charged straight into the man's embrace.

Tsss!

Yu Gwang-cheon's sword grazed along Dam Ho's spine. His robes split open, and a long gash appeared across his back.

But Dam Ho did not so much as blink.

It was merely a flesh wound. The vital muscles were entirely unharmed. That meant there was no impediment whatsoever to his use of martial arts.

His fist slammed into Yu Gwang-cheon's abdomen.

Wham!

"Gahuk!"

Yu Gwang-cheon's body lurched violently.

Though his fist had struck the abdomen, his back bulged outward. The tremendous force had pierced through his belly and erupted from his back.

Yu Gwang-cheon's pupils shook as though an earthquake had struck. Blood poured from his mouth in a steady stream.

"Gghhhk!"

A ghastly groan escaped through his lips.

Dam Ho seized the collapsing Yu Gwang-cheon by the neck and lifted him upright.

Dam Ho's pitch-black pupils reflected Yu Gwang-cheon's terrified face.

"Y-You?"

Yu Gwang-cheon reached out a hand, flailing weakly. But before his fingers could touch Dam Ho's face, his body was violently hurled to the ground.

His body rolled to a stop at the feet of Muk Il-gwang.

"S-Save me. Il-gwang."

He pleaded with Muk Il-gwang.

At his wretched, pathetic appearance, Muk Il-gwang let out a quiet sigh. The imposing figure Yu Gwang-cheon had cut just moments ago was nowhere to be seen. Only a man begging pathetically for his life remained.

Muk Il-gwang raised his axe.

"Try to die like a man."

"W-We were friends."

"We were, until just now."

"You bastard! Have you forgotten all our old bonds?"

"Yes! I've forgotten them all."

Shing!

In a flash, Muk Il-gwang's axe cleaved the air. Yu Gwang-cheon's head split in two, and a spray of blood burst in all directions.

That was the end of Yu Gwang-cheon, Leader of the Dragon Ascension Corps.

"Kuh!"

Muk Il-gwang staggered.

He had gathered his last strength to kill Yu Gwang-cheon, but the wounds he had sustained were by no means light.

"Are you all right?"

"I am fine, My Lady."

As he answered, Muk Il-gwang looked around. But Dam Ho was nowhere to be seen.

'Brother.'

"Hah! Hah!"

Hwang Gyeong-mun drew ragged breaths. His shoulders heaved with each exhale.

The hall reeked of death as though it were the Asura Hell itself.

Scores of warriors lay dead at his feet, their bodies strewn across the floor. The blood they had spilled formed crimson pools upon the ground.

Hwang Gyeong-mun straightened his back and spoke.

"Is that all you have? This barely qualifies as a warm-up."

An aura befitting his title, the Overlord, radiated from him. The elite warriors of the Overlord Outfit surrounding him wavered.

At that moment, Jo Yun-san cried out.

"Do not be afraid! It is merely a bluff. An old man poisoned with Blood-Lung Poison and Scatter Energy Poison, making his last desperate struggle."

"A bluff, you say… Perhaps so. But this old Hwang Gyeong-mun is not dead yet."

Hwang Gyeong-mun launched himself toward Jo Yun-san.

The warriors of the Overlord Outfit blocked his path.

"Out of my way!"

"That we cannot do. Accept your death with dignity, Grandmaster."

"Then I shall cut you down."

Hwang Gyeong-mun infused his blade with power and swung.

Whoosh!

Two warriors fell to the powerful blade energy.

Hwang Gyeong-mun's eyes wavered.

He could scarcely believe that he was cutting down the very elites he had raised with his own hands.

'Where did it all go wrong?'

He had believed that after decades together, they shared a bond deeper than blood. That such a bond could be shaken by a single moment of greed was difficult to accept.

Hwang Gyeong-mun's gaze fell upon Yun Chung.

Yun Chung, the second-in-command of the Overlord Outfit and Hwang Gyeong-mun's sworn brother, stared back at him.

'What in the world have you done to the Overlord Outfit, Chung-a?'

Even now, he could not bring himself to believe that Yun Chung had betrayed him.

Thud!

In the moment his mind wandered, a sword pierced his back.

"Gahuk!"

He turned his head. Oh Jong-sam, Leader of the Golden Tiger Outfit, was grinning.

"How does it taste, Grandmaster?"

"You?"

"Even a tiger can die to wolves. That is the Murim, is it not? Heh heh!"

"Yes! That is the Murim. But there is one thing you do not know."

"What might that be?"

"I may be a tiger, but you are no wolf."

"Huh?"

Whoosh!

In that instant, Hwang Gyeong-mun's Overlord Blade split Oh Jong-sam in two.

The smile vanished from Oh Jong-sam's face. Hwang Gyeong-mun kicked the man's remains and muttered.

"You are a dog. A mangy dog that eats nothing but filth."

Thud!

Oh Jong-sam's bisected body toppled lifelessly to the ground.

Hwang Gyeong-mun was still alive.

The title of Overlord had not been earned in vain.

Though he had been poisoned with Blood-Lung Poison and his internal energy was being drained by the Scatter Energy Poison, the man called Hwang Gyeong-mun was strong.

Thump!

Hwang Gyeong-mun pushed off the ground and charged at Jo Yun-san.

'The mastermind behind all of this is Jo Yun-san. I must kill him if nothing else.'

Hwang Gyeong-mun's overwhelming fighting spirit bore down upon him, and Jo Yun-san recoiled in terror, stumbling backward.

In terms of pure martial skill, Jo Yun-san was no match for Hwang Gyeong-mun. No one present could hope to match Hwang Gyeong-mun. But battle was not always decided by a direct confrontation.

"Now!"

Jo Yun-san shouted.

Swish-swish!

In that instant, dozens of short spears burst through the windows. Silver chains were attached to their tips.

If he swung his blade now, he could grievously wound Jo Yun-san. But doing so would mean he could not guarantee his own life.

Hwang Gyeong-mun swept his blade and deflected the spears.

The dozens of spears lost their momentum and clattered to the ground. But the warriors gripping the chains shook their hands, and the chains sprang back to life like venomous serpents, attacking Hwang Gyeong-mun.

Shhh-clank!

Dozens of chains crisscrossed around Hwang Gyeong-mun.

In the blink of an eye, Hwang Gyeong-mun was trapped in a cage of chains. No matter where he looked, all he could see were silver chains.

The chains constricted around him with terrifying speed, like a serpent coiling around its prey.

"This is the Snake Formation Soul-Sealing Array, prepared for this very day."

A victorious smile curled Jo Yun-san's lips.

The Snake Formation Soul-Sealing Array was a formation designed to hunt down absolute masters such as Hwang Gyeong-mun.

The chains attached to the spears had been forged through a special process that rendered them impossible to cut, no matter how skilled the swordsman.

Jo Yun-san had selected the elite warriors of the Black Water Outfit and trained them for years in the Snake Formation Soul-Sealing Array alone. Thanks to that, their mastery of the formation had reached a state of perfection.

Through the gaps in the chains, Hwang Gyeong-mun could be seen standing motionless. His figure appeared as though he had given up on everything.

Warriors waiting outside burst in through the windows. In their hands, they held spears longer than a zhang.

"Stab him!"

At Jo Yun-san's command, his men thrust their long spears through the gaps in the chains. There was not a single space where Hwang Gyeong-mun could evade.

'I've caught him.'

Jo Yun-san exulted.

He had prepared for this day for years.

If he could subdue Hwang Gyeong-mun, seizing control of the green forest would not be difficult.

Joy surged within him in that moment.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a brilliant burst of light erupted from Hwang Gyeong-mun.

Every eye in the Green King Hall widened.

"R-Repelling Force?!"

Crash!

In that instant, everything shattered.

The Green King Hall itself, and the chains that had ensnared Hwang Gyeong-mun.

The fragments of the shattered chains flew in every direction, and silver energy slammed into everyone within the Green King Hall.

"Gahuk!"

Boom!

The massive Green King Hall was collapsing.

Clatter, clatter.

Neigh!

A carriage stopped on a low hill.

Mang Ryo stepped down from the carriage.

Ahead, a slender woman in a jade-colored skirt stood with her back turned.

Thump, thump.

Mang Ryo approached the woman without hesitation. Standing beside her, he looked down at the bottom of the hill.

Lan Family Village was engulfed in tremendous flames. Black smoke rose thickly.

“Kekeke! He’s set it ablaze quite spectacularly. Well, that’s just like him.”

At that moment, the woman’s hand moved.

Swish.

The thin silk cloth draped over the woman’s shoulders and arms stood stiffly and reached toward Mang Ryo’s throat.

Since the woman said nothing, Mang Ryo spoke first.

“Oh my… this is the first time I’m actually seeing your face, but your hand is quite fierce.”

The woman’s eyebrows furrowed and the end of the silk cloth sharpened like a blade. With just a flick of her finger, Mang Ryo’s neck would surely fly off.

“I am someone who greatly dislikes being manipulated by others’ intentions.”

Mang Ryo smiled calmly and responded.

“Ah, I know that. If there were any fool who dared to play such tricks on the Great Lady, their neck should rightfully be cut off in an instant.”

The woman, Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s eyes narrowed further and a chilling killing intent emanated from them.

“Are you trying to insult me?”

Mang Ryo chuckled audibly.

“Was the renowned Wishful Fairy Maiden just a petty fellow who resorts to threats? How disappointing. If so, it wouldn’t have been worth coming all this way.”

“Hmph.”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong glared at Mang Ryo before withdrawing her hand. The silk cloth slithered back to her shoulder like a living snake.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong looked at the burning village and asked.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Baek Li-gwon from the beginning? You only provided information about the Zhuge family but completely left out Baek Li-gwon.”

“Do you think he wouldn’t have noticed if I had?”

Unlike Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s increasingly cold gaze, Mang Ryo remained calm.

“If I had given you advance notice, some suspicious behavior would have emerged in some way… and then we couldn’t have deceived him. As we both know, he’s a very thorough and suspicious fellow.”

“You underestimate me. Do you see me as so trivial that I would go around leaking such information?”

“I was merely being cautious. As the old saying goes, to deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your allies.”

“Don’t casually call us allies. You haven’t yet earned anyone’s trust. Don’t forget that there are still many on this side who suspect your intentions.”

“If you don’t trust me and we’re not on the same side, then pressing me like this also goes against propriety, doesn’t it? Let’s just exchange what we each need.”

When Dan Ryeong-gyeong frowned and remained silent for a moment, Mang Ryo urged her on.

“Is there nothing more to say? If we delay too much, everything will burn to ashes. Then all the efforts we’ve put into this will become meaningless.”

“The Jin family boy.”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong spoke curtly.

“What meaning does the Jin family boy have?”

“To whom are you referring? Me, or Pavilion Master Baek Li…”

Ping!

The tip of Mang Ryo’s eyebrow was sharply cut off. Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s silk cloth stood stiffly again.

That name must not be spoken carelessly in front of Dan Ryeong-gyeong.

The corner of Mang Ryo’s mouth twitched briefly. However, Mang Ryo suppressed his anger while touching his severed eyebrow.

“He’s a child I’m fond of. What meaning he has to that person is none of my concern.”

“You’re lying again.”

Mang Ryo changed the subject without concern.

“Baek Li-gwon has been poisoned. He won’t last long.”

“Baek Li-gwon is the most talented child in the Baek Li family. Do you think the Jin family boy is still alive? I think it’s impossible.”

Mang Ryo showed a smile filled with killing intent.

“If you knew what kind of fellow he really is, you couldn’t say such things.”

That smile was so eerie and sinister that Dan Ryeong-gyeong felt uncomfortable. It was exactly like the feeling of a lecher coveting a young boy.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s frown deepened.

“Hmm?”

Mang Ryo suddenly tilted his head. The villagers who had been gathering and murmuring at the village entrance were running farther and farther away.

Mang Ryo looked up at the rising smoke.

“The wind direction has changed. We must hurry. If the Zhuge family’s main force comes down, I have no confidence in escaping their Nine Palace Eight Trigram Formation either.”

Thump!

Mang Ryo boldly took a step forward and leaped down the hill as if flying.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong, who had been watching Mang Ryo’s figure, sighed softly and slowly began walking.

Behind Dan Ryeong-gyeong, two bald subordinates appeared from somewhere and began following her.

Mang Ryo stamped his feet while encountering villagers fleeing from the smoke.

“Hey, hurry and evacuate before the fire spreads further, hurry up. What b*st*rd set fire to these innocent people’s lifelong homes? Oh my, don’t cry but evacuate. Those who must live must live. Only by living can you rebuild houses and restore fields. You there, young fellow, help support this elder who’s sitting here and take him with you. His legs seem to have given out, so be careful. Come now, hurry and evacuate.”

Mang Ryo’s voice was full of sympathy.

Mang Ryo almost pushed the villagers out. The flustered villagers were driven out in confusion.

Mang Ryo spoke to Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s two bald subordinates who had followed.

“You fellows there, please help evacuate those poor people so they don’t get sick from breathing smoke.”

The two bald subordinates frowned. Dan Ryeong-gyeong sighed and gestured. One subordinate blocked and pushed away the villagers to prevent them from coming close.

Among them was Bian Bu. Seeing Bian Bu, one of the bald subordinates made eye contact.

After Mang Ryo went down and drove away the villagers to some extent, when there were no people around, Bian Bu came before Dan Ryeong-gyeong and knelt.

“My Lord!”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong asked.

“Are you certain that the one called Baek Li-gwon is inside there?”

“Yes. I saw with my own two eyes as he passed by here and entered the village.”

“Well done. What about the Jin family child?”

“I’m sorry, but since he had me evacuate and went in, I don’t know what happened after that. After the one called Baek Li-gwon entered, the Zhuge family warriors came back out.”

Killing intent swirled in Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s eyes.

Anger toward Baek Li-gwon, or more precisely toward Baek Li-jung, was being expressed as anger toward all those that Baek Li-jung cherished.

Bian Bu watched this with a worried expression.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong would do anything to kill Baek Li-gwon, and then Jin Ja-gang would inevitably become more dangerous as well.

“Hmm…”

Bian Bu fell into thought while twisting his rat whiskers with his fingers.

Mang Ryo, who had left the villagers to Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s group, directly entered the village entrance. At the village entrance were Zhuge family warriors who had temporarily withdrawn.

The warriors were in terrible condition from chasing Jin Ja-gang in the tea tree field. Their clothes were all scorched and blackened from burning in places. Some had suffered severe injuries.

“Well, you’ve been badly beaten.”

The warriors looked at Mang Ryo wondering who he was.

Mang Ryo looked around at the warriors and made eye contact with Jeok Yul, whose face was pale blue from poisoning. Jeok Yul was sitting cross-legged with one leg tightly bound, trying to expel the poison through breathing exercises.

“Oh my, look at that. There’s a fellow who’s become quite a sight.”

Thump, thump.

Mang Ryo approached Jeok Yul without hesitation and tried to flip back Jeok Yul’s eyelids to examine them.

Jeok Yul was annoyed that his breathing exercises were being interrupted and someone was trying to touch his body carelessly.

“What are you suddenly doing…”

“Hey, just stay still for a moment.”

Mang Ryo grabbed the sitting Jeok Yul’s head with one hand and turned it.

Crack!

The touch was so natural that there was no thought at all that he would use deadly force.

Jeok Yul had been defeated by Jin Ja-gang but wasn’t without skill. The moment his neck turned and his neck bones shifted, he formed sword fingers with his index and middle fingers and stabbed at Mang Ryo’s heart.

Mang Ryo, while holding Jeok Yul’s head, floated in the air and did a handstand while twisting and contorting his body. While avoiding the sword fingers, he applied force to his hand again.

Crack.

The head turned a little more. Jeok Yul was horrified and squeezed out all his remaining strength to hold his jaw with one hand while swinging sword fingers with the other.

Mang Ryo swung his staff to block the sword fingers.

Thwack!

Jeok Yul sitting cross-legged and Mang Ryo doing a handstand in the air while gripping his head were fighting!

One tried to turn the neck while the other blocked it. One tried to strike upward with sword fingers while the other blocked with his staff.

The warriors and Yi Rim were momentarily stunned by this bizarre spectacle.

Mang Ryo tried to strike away Jeok Yul’s hand that was holding his jaw with his staff. Jeok Yul desperately interfered with the staff’s movement.

Tat tat tat!

The staff and sword fingers clashed in the air at unbelievable speed. Mang Ryo twisted his body a bit more.

Crack.

Jeok Yul’s neck turned beyond his shoulder line. His eyes bulged and his tongue began to protrude in front of his teeth. If it turned just a little more, he would be looking behind him.

Jeok Yul realized that facing such a master in an unfavorable situation was something that would be insufficient even if he risked his life, let alone with a normal body.

Jeok Yul stopped striking the staff and extended his sword fingers upward. He completely abandoned defense and aimed for Mang Ryo’s one eye.

At that moment, Mang Ryo unwound his twisted body and rotated in the opposite direction. Simultaneously, Jeok Yul’s head, which had been turned to the right, instantly turned to the left, in the completely opposite direction from before.

Crack!

Jeok Yul’s head drooped lifelessly.

Mang Ryo gracefully came down from his handstand and flipped back the eyelids of Jeok Yul, who could no longer resist. He observed the protruding tongue and even tasted the blood foam flowing from his mouth.

“No smell but it has a spicy and bitter taste. Seeing that clear nasal discharge came out, it has properties that expel wind and dampness. Then it seems like poison obtained from a plant resembling chrysanthemum…”

When Mang Ryo finished his analysis and stood up, Yi Rim stepped back in horror.

“Who are you to carelessly touch the Zhuge family’s…”

The moment the warriors stepped forward to protect Yi Rim, Mang Ryo was already breaking the neck of the warrior in front.

“What’s the Zhuge family.”

Mang Ryo twisted another warrior’s neck while speaking.

“Someone said this before – that it’s called being unable to eat for fear of choking. Do you fellows also think that way about fearing the Zhuge family?”

Yi Rim took out flags.

“How dare you!”

Though only about twenty warriors remained, it was sufficient to face one opponent.

“Formation…”

Before Yi Rim could unfurl the flags, both his wrists separated from his arms and shot into the sky.

Behind him stood one of Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s bald subordinates holding a curved blade.

“Uh, uaaaah!”

Yi Rim screamed and knelt with his severed hands.

Mang Ryo looked at the bald subordinate and scolded.

“You’re late. With such sluggish actions, tsk.”

The bald subordinate glared at Mang Ryo with a frightening expression. It meant that he served Dan Ryeong-gyeong, not Mang Ryo.

However, Mang Ryo immediately turned his head as if uninterested and looked toward the inner part of the village that was emitting heavy smoke.

Jin Ja-gang…

He was fighting Baek Li-gwon in there.

Mang Ryo smiled with satisfaction.