Chapter 194: Will Stronger Than Poison Exists (1)

Geum San-gyeong's eyes were trembling wildly.

Inside his mouth, screams were churning, but his voice could not materialize enough to escape.

A powerful hand clamped over his mouth. A hand as large as a pot lid sealed his mouth and nose, denying him any sound.

The person holding his mouth seized his shoulder with their other hand.

CRACK!

'Ughhh!'

As though crushed in a hydraulic press, his shoulder crumbled within the man's grip.

The screams were muffled by the palm, trapped inside his mouth.

Overwhelmed by excruciating pain, Geum San-gyeong shed tears.

His body trembled like an aspen, and every vein across his entire body bulged grotesquely.

'Who are you?'

Geum San-gyeong questioned the man with his eyes. But in response, the man delivered a brutal strike to his side.

CRACK!

In that instant, a thunderous crash echoed inside Geum San-gyeong's skull.

His mind went white.

He did not need to touch the injury to know. At least three or four ribs had been broken.

Geum San-gyeong vomited a mouthful of blood. The hand that was muffling his mouth was stained crimson.

Once more, the man's fist hammered into his side. The few ribs that had managed to survive shattered completely.

'P-Please… stop…'

Geum San-gyeong begged with his eyes. But the man ignored his desperate plea.

The man was truly terrifying.

His merciless brutality had broken Geum San-gyeong to his core.

Geum San-gyeong was not the sort of man to submit so easily to violence. But the silent brutality the man inflicted was dismantling his spirit from the foundation.

He had been so thoroughly destroyed that he could not even stand on his own. Only then did the man release the hand that had been covering his mouth. And then he asked:

"Who is your master?"

"W-What?"

"Your master."

The man was Dam Ho. Geum San-gyeong was one of the poison users who had been scattering toxins in the village before fleeing.

Geum San-gyeong wiggled the fingers hidden within his wide sleeve. He intended to use the poison concealed there to contaminate Dam Ho.

Instantly, Dam Ho's gaze turned glacial.

"You still have not learned your lesson."

Dam Ho seized Geum San-gyeong's fingers and applied force.

CRUNCH!

"AAAAH!"

Geum San-gyeong's five fingers were ground to a pulp, as though run through a millstone.

Dam Ho kicked his shin. The bone, hard as any, shattered like glass.

Geum San-gyeong's body crumpled helplessly.

Only then did he realize.

The man before him was not someone who could be measured by ordinary standards.

"I… I am…"

When Geum San-gyeong still hesitated, Dam Ho's gaze grew even colder. In that moment, Geum San-gyeong felt his heart drop, and his face drained of all color.

"We are subordinates of Lord Sa Woo-yeon."

"Sa Woo-yeon?"

"Yes! Within the Holy Sect, he is known as the Heaven Poison Emperor."

It had been difficult to open his mouth at first, but once he began, everything poured out with startling ease.

Geum San-gyeong confessed everything about his lord, Sa Woo-yeon.

In summary, Sa Woo-yeon was a poison human of ancient and rare standing who could wield countless toxins at will and whose very body was composed entirely of poison.

"I have told you everything. Now spare my life."

"Why should I?"

"I told you everything…"

"Did I promise to spare you?"

"You… you cannot be serious!"

"I never break a promise. But I never made any promise to you."

"You demonic… monster!"

"If you can kill others, then you too can die."

"Ugh!"

Geum San-gyeong launched himself forward in a frenzy, his mouth gaping wide. With his limbs broken, he intended to sink his teeth into Dam Ho's throat.

Just before his mouth reached Dam Ho's neck, something flashed at the edge of his vision.

Thud!

Then his head burst apart. Dam Ho's Single Yang Strike had obliterated it.

Dam Ho did not even glance at Geum San-gyeong's falling corpse. He turned on his heel and walked away.

The hunting dog was not merely Geum San-gyeong. Several more remained, and they were returning to their master, Sa Woo-yeon.

They struggled to conceal their tracks, but to Dam Ho's eyes, their trail was as clear as daylight.

Dam Ho hunted them by following their trail.

Sa Woo-yeon's subordinates were highly proficient in the use of poison, but in raw martial might, they were no match for Dam Ho whatsoever.

Before they could even deploy their toxins, they were subdued by Dam Ho. And then they met a wretched end.

Dam Ho's hands showed not the slightest shred of mercy. He hunted down Sa Woo-yeon's subordinates with ruthless efficiency.

"Ughhh!"

Yet another poison user perished at Dam Ho's hands.

Dam Ho hurled the corpse aside like a worn-out shoe and continued on.

Fsss!

At that moment, a sound so chilling it could make every hair on one's body stand on end echoed through the forest. A foul stench assaulted his nostrils.

Dam Ho's eyes deepened.

Simply inhaling the scent was enough to bring a throbbing ache to his head.

It was poison mist.

Dam Ho drew upon the Dark Soul Heart Method and blocked the external energy, then pressed forward. The closer he moved toward the source, the more potent the poison became.

For an ordinary person, inhaling this mist would be enough to induce vomiting of blood and death. The toxin it carried was that concentrated.

Dam Ho's pace gradually slowed. He was approaching the source.

Before him, the forest appeared to be writhing.

Hiss! Hiss!

It produced menacing sounds, as though it were a living creature.

'Snakes?'

Dam Ho recognized at a single glance the identity of the writhing forest.

Thousands upon thousands of snakes were coiled together. At their center sat the hawk-nosed old man, legs crossed.

Surrounded by more snakes than could be counted, the grotesque figure wore an expression of utter contentment. That composure made him all the more macabre.

Then, a man who had been standing at a distance from the old man cried out.

"That is him! He killed every last one of my comrades!"

He was the final survivor among Sa Woo-yeon's subordinates, having escaped Dam Ho's grasp.

At the man's voice, the old man's eyes snapped open. A terrifying killing intent erupted from his body.

The snakes surrounding him writhed in agony. The killing intent that radiated from the old man engulfed them. Overwhelmed, the snakes thrashed and tried to pull away.

CHRRR!

The serpents seized by the killing intent withered in an instant. Their flesh dried up, leaving only skin and bones. The venom they carried dispersed into the air before being drawn into the old man through his pores.

In a flash, the corpses of snakes lay piled around the old man like a mountain.

"Hah!"

The old man drew a deep breath, and the lingering toxins in the air were sucked entirely into his body.

The subordinate cried out again.

"My lord! He is undeniably a menace to the Holy Sect! You must execute him at once to protect the Holy—"

"Silence."

The old man waved his hand in annoyance.

Instantly, the subordinate's face drained of all color.

"Guh!"

His skin turned black. His eyes bulged, bloodshot, and foam spilled from his mouth. In the blink of an eye, he had been poisoned.

"My… my lord…"

"To think you would come fleeing back only to be this noisy. Tsk."

The old man did not so much as glance at his subordinate.

The man convulsed for a moment before his breath ceased entirely. The old man extinguishing a life with such casual indifference was terrifying to the point of being grotesque.

The old man's gaze turned to Dam Ho.

"And who might you be?"

"Dam Ho."

"Ho! The Fist Demon?"

"That's right."

"Judging by that reaction, you fancy yourself some kind of important figure. Tsk."

The old man—Heaven Poison Emperor Sa Woo-yeon—clicked his tongue.

A gleam of killing intent flickered in his eyes.

He had personally ended his subordinate's life, and yet his gaze held not a trace of guilt.

He had merely taught them a fraction of his poison techniques out of necessity. They were not his disciples.

His poison cultivation was so vast and profound that virtually no one was capable of mastering it. In truth, Sa Woo-yeon had wished to take on a disciple, but had yet to find anyone with sufficient talent. He had still not passed on his full legacy.

Given these circumstances, Sa Woo-yeon's pride in his poison techniques was beyond words.

CHRRR!

With a wave of his palm, Sa Woo-yeon conjured a powerful wind that swept away the snake carcasses around him. They scattered into dust.

The ground was revealed, and with it, the scene that had been hidden beneath.

There, where the snakes had covered everything, lay several corpses. They were emaciated like Sa Woo-yeon's subordinates, all vitality drained from their bodies.

The corpses were so damaged that their original forms were unrecognizable, but Dam Ho identified them instantly.

They were the Golden Guard Captain, Yu Jin-mun, and his subordinates.

These men, who had secretly fled the village to save their own lives, now lay here as worthless corpses.

Sa Woo-yeon bared his yellowed teeth and grinned.

"What? Are their deaths regrettable?"

"No."

"I thought as much. Fleeing to save one's own skin while abandoning one's comrades is not something a martial artist should do."

"They are not my comrades."

"Well, it matters not. You will die here regardless."

Sa Woo-yeon's eyes turned entirely black.

A chilling killing intent emanated from his body, combining with his toxic energy to seep into the surroundings.

And then—

WHAM!

Without warning, Sa Woo-yeon's head snapped backward. Dam Ho had launched an air strike that struck him squarely in the skull.

"Grrrr!"

Sa Woo-yeon, hair disheveled, turned his head back to glare at Dam Ho. His face was a mixture of disbelief, confusion, and fury.

Had it not been for the protective poison aura he wore around his body, that blow would have split his head open.

"You!"

"You talk too much."

The sea of toxic energy that had been engulfing the surroundings parted to both sides, centered on the path of Dam Ho's air strike.

Dam Ho stepped toward Sa Woo-yeon.

Thud! Thud!

His irregular gait sent an unsettling jolt through Sa Woo-yeon's heart.

No matter how fearsome the title of Fist Demon might be, by Sa Woo-yeon's standards, he was merely a cripple.

A cripple.

As a human, it was no disqualification. But when considered in the context of being a martial artist, it constituted a severe deficiency.

A martial artist was one who pursued ultimate perfection.

Neither body nor mind could afford even the slightest imperfection.

It was commonly said that to enter the realm of supreme advancement, body and mind must exist in harmony. If either fell out of balance, one could never reach that pinnacle.

From that perspective, Dam Ho was an extraordinarily peculiar existence.

A cripple whose physical balance was compromised had nonetheless forged his own school through the fist. More than merely establishing a school, he had achieved such mastery that he could inspire fear among the highest-ranking masters of the Murim.

He was fascinating enough that Sa Woo-yeon would have liked to study him, given the time.

The corners of Sa Woo-yeon's mouth curled upward.

A man who smiles and is terrifying.

When he smiled like this, the surrounding area became a field of death.

RUMBLE!

A dense cloud of toxic energy poured from his body.

"You will not die a clean death, I assure you."

The Heaven Poison Emperor, a poison human of legendary stature, released his toxin in a massive wave. The toxic energy surged toward Dam Ho like a tsunami.

In that instant, Dam Ho stamped his right foot.

BOOM!

A powerful tremor shook the earth.

Dam Ho's body advanced toward the massive fortress that was Sa Woo-yeon.

Charging Step, followed by the Fortress Breaking Strike—

BOOM!

Crack! Snap!

Tang Ha-ran threateningly swung her six-zhang-long whip and struck the ground. At the end of the whip was a triangular weight attached, though it wasn’t particularly long. When she extended her arm, it was about seven to eight zhang in length.

For an adult man, it was a distance that could be covered in a single rush.

Of course, that required the condition of not getting hit by the whip. While Tang Ha-ran was striking the ground with her whip, Jin Ja-gang could see the stones on the ground being gouged out in dents.

No matter how generously one looked at it, Jin Ja-gang’s skin wouldn’t be stronger than stone. Even one hit would cause serious injury.

Therefore, Jin Ja-gang had no choice but to activate Mad Blood Heaven technique from the start. He inflated his internal energy with Mad Blood Heaven and slowly guided it with the Jade Void Nine Light Five Thunder Toad Technique.

Thanks to his training not being in vain, Jin Ja-gang was able to build one more dam. Precisely at the Yongquan point in the center of his right sole.

“Huff. Huff.”

Jin Ja-gang controlled the movement of his internal energy by adjusting his breathing quickly or leisurely according to Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s advice. He learned that it wasn’t about unconditionally making it slow or fast, but controlling the strength and weakness was more important.

Then he split his internal energy into two streams and guided them to the middle dantian of his heart and the Yongquan point of his right sole. He had to simultaneously control two streams of violently rampaging internal energy while also creating whirlpool dam breaking, so his mind was completely occupied. It was similar to caring for two mischievous children who might run off anywhere at any time.

Yet Jade Void Nine Light was a realm where such internal energy was divided into nine streams and controlled. While creating five whirlpool dam breakings from each.

That could truly be called a realm impossible without advanced mental cultivation or enlightenment.

However, Jin Ja-gang was satisfied with his current state.

Even though only one more dam had been created, he could operate his internal energy much more stably.

As his internal energy circulated through Jin Ja-gang’s body and accelerated, the energies that had accumulated in his meridians were drawn out and contributed to inflating his internal energy. Like small streams gathering to form the great Yellow River, his internal energy rapidly swelled.

If it had been the previous Jin Ja-gang, he wouldn’t have been able to endure long and would have had to immediately release his internal energy. However, now thanks to dividing his internal energy into two streams, he could generate much greater internal energy while putting less burden on his body. Room had been created to continuously operate internal energy.

That didn’t mean his qi and blood were fine. Even at this moment, there were signs of bursting and rupturing with popping sounds. Until all nine dams of Jade Void Nine Light were built, it would be unavoidable.

However, Tang Ha-ran’s gaze looking at such Jin Ja-gang was cold.

“To rely on mere demonic path methods.”

Taoist Bok-cheon interjected from the side.

“Ah, sorry to interrupt during the martial contest, but isn’t that a type of toad technique transmitted from Taoist sects? It would be troublesome to dismiss it as demonic path methods just because Poison Dragon used it.”

Tang Ha-ran looked at Taoist Bok-cheon sideways with bewilderment.

“Isn’t it also troublesome for the witness to interfere during a martial contest?”

“Wrong thoughts need to be corrected at any time.”

“How very thoughtful.”

Even at Tang Ha-ran’s sharp tone, Taoist Bok-cheon remained calm.

“Not at all.”

From Jin Ja-gang’s perspective, it was a strange thing.

He couldn’t understand why Taoist Bok-cheon had intervened. Was it because the Jade Void Nine Light Five Thunder Toad Technique had connections to Qingcheng Sect that he deliberately pointed it out?

In any case, it was more helpful to Jin Ja-gang.

Because Tang Ha-ran became angrier. Jin Ja-gang often used methods of making opponents lose their reason to target their weak points. But this time Taoist Bok-cheon had done that for him, so it could only be appreciated.

Tang Ha-ran took the first step forward.

Whoosh, following Tang Ha-ran’s lightly swung arm, the end of the whip that started slowly came following behind, then at the end the speed suddenly changed. Jin Ja-gang opened his eyes wide and looked for a chance to dodge. Since it was his first time facing a whip, it was to grasp the movement.

However, at the last moment the whip tip changed like light and completely disappeared before his eyes.

Jin Ja-gang hastily stepped back half a step.

Crack!

Even though his internal energy was enhancing his vision, it was completely invisible. Only when the whip had already struck the air and returned could he see the weight.

Tremendous speed. When it reached its peak, it was faster than any sword or hidden weapon.

“I went easy on you just now!”

Drip, blood flowed from Jin Ja-gang’s nose bridge. He definitely hadn’t been hit, yet just the shock of cutting through air had split his nose bridge horizontally.

Tang Ha-ran again drew circles in place while swinging her whip. The whip that flew only after her arm was fully extended looked very slow.

But then Jin Ja-gang saw Tang Ha-ran thrust her shoulder forward. Though it was the same distance as before, the distance would have narrowed by the amount she thrust her shoulder. Jin Ja-gang immediately tilted his body to the side. It was when the weight at the whip’s end was on the same vertical line as Tang Ha-ran’s fingertips.

Crack!

The whip struck and returned from where Jin Ja-gang’s head had been. Though he had dodged before the weight even flew over, his hair was already cut and scattered.

Tang Ha-ran retrieved her whip and immediately sent it again. Jin Ja-gang twisted his waist to the side.

Whoosh!

The sound of leather tearing rang out as the air was split. It was as if an invisible blade had been created in the air and sliced through. But that wasn’t the end.

This time too, he couldn’t see the whip passing at the last moment. Yet somehow the whip had already passed long beside Jin Ja-gang’s face.

Tang Ha-ran twisted her wrist and pulled.

Jin Ja-gang immediately rolled on the ground.

Crack!

With the sound of air bursting, the weight returned to Tang Ha-ran.

Jin Ja-gang touched his ear. His earlobe was torn and bleeding.

He had definitely acted as soon as he saw Tang Ha-ran move her wrist, yet he was still hit.

The speed at which the weight moved was faster than sound. When he saw and dodged, the weight was already returning.

Tang Ha-ran smiled coldly.

“Is this your first time with a whip?”

Jin Ja-gang honestly agreed.

“That’s right.”

“Then shall I let you taste a little more?”

“No. That’s enough.”

Being immediately refused, Tang Ha-ran frowned and swung her whip again.

Jin Ja-gang watched the whip’s movement without even blinking.

When Tang Ha-ran rotated her arm drawing small circles above her shoulder, the long handle became the center and the whip spun in circles like a snail shell. The whip near the handle drew small circles and the higher it went, the larger circles it drew.

Then when Tang Ha-ran lowered her shoulder and moved her arm like rowing, the whip unraveled drawing diagonal ovals. The whip drew large circles as if striking from the side. This was when it drew the maximum circle… However, that circular trajectory instantly became smaller and the weight shot out like a spear thrust.

This time too, he couldn’t see the whip’s movement at the last moment. Jin Ja-gang was already dodging when Tang Ha-ran had extended her arm fully and swung. But it still wasn’t easy to avoid.

Bang!

This time a loud air-splitting sound occurred close to his ear.

Beeeee…

Suddenly objects shook and tinnitus rang.

His eardrum had burst.

Jin Ja-gang unknowingly knelt on one knee. Jin Ja-gang steadied his posture and shook his head to clear it.

Tang Ha-ran also knew that Jin Ja-gang’s eardrum had burst.

“I’ll shatter both your kneecaps like that and make you kneel forever!”

Jin Ja-gang opened his eyes wide and again took in Tang Ha-ran’s movements.

Small circles drawn above her head, multiple circles drawn by the whip, the forward rowing motion, then the whip drawing the maximum circle following that motion. Then the whip’s weight flying low.

It was clear that it was aimed at Jin Ja-gang’s knee.

Jin Ja-gang concentrated internal energy in his right Yongquan point and kicked the ground. He gained explosive propulsion while releasing internal energy.

Whatever trajectory the whip drew, when it reached the final point where it properly struck, it became a point.

Dodge that point and charge into Tang Ha-ran’s embrace!

Crack!

The whip missed where Jin Ja-gang’s knee had been. Jin Ja-gang leaped over the whip’s end and rushed at Tang Ha-ran. He had just seen that it took some time for the whip to return, coil up, and extend again.

However, Tang Ha-ran was no novice. Tang Ha-ran slightly lowered her body and twisted, then spun her body backward while jumping. As Jin Ja-gang rushed forward, the distance opened again.

While jumping backward, Tang Ha-ran was already rotating her body, so there was no need to deliberately create circles to spin the whip. Tang Ha-ran spread her legs up and down in the air, leaned her body forward and extended her hand straight. It was a very graceful movement without excess. The whip coiled around Tang Ha-ran’s body then extended forward again.

Jin Ja-gang also kicked the ground as soon as he landed, jumped and tilted his body forward to make it horizontal with the ground, then spun around.

The whip swept and grazed under Jin Ja-gang’s body.

Tang Ha-ran landed then jumped to the side while greatly rotating her body. The retrieved whip flew again without rest. Jin Ja-gang fell straight to the ground and lowered his body further to stick to the surface.

The whip passed over his back, tearing through the air with a whoosh.

Tang Ha-ran continued hopping sideways with her legs spread while repeatedly retrieving and shooting the whip. She was attacking while drawing circles around Jin Ja-gang in the center.

Jin Ja-gang rolled on the ground then put internal energy into his arms and pushed the ground to rise up. The whip swept under his belly, leaving snake-like traces on the ground.

Tang Ha-ran attacked frantically as if Jin Ja-gang were livestock.

Even though the whip didn’t touch Jin Ja-gang’s body at all, his clothes were torn and cut marks remained. Blood splattered here and there.

If he continued to be attacked like this, it was obvious that Jin Ja-gang would run out of strength first. It was also time for the wheel of internal energy that Jin Ja-gang had raised to become more violent and harder to control.

Jin Ja-gang kicked his feet and flipped backward through the air to avoid the whip. While doing so, he gathered internal energy and released Parting Hand Arrow Shot.

Parting Hand Arrow Shot was finger wind that flew in a somewhat unpredictable trajectory. Jin Ja-gang aimed at Tang Ha-ran’s foot and instep, which were the axis of her circular movement. Tang Ha-ran hastily pulled her foot back and her center became somewhat disturbed.

As the first Mad Blood Heaven technique ended, Jin Ja-gang felt intense pain in his body but immediately activated Mad Blood Heaven with his second breath. He concentrated internal energy in his Yongquan point and kicked his feet to close the distance with Tang Ha-ran.

Jin Ja-gang had instantly penetrated into Tang Ha-ran’s embrace. He had definitely changed from when he fought Zhuge Yan before. Though it was only his right half, with internal energy supporting him, it became possible to see attacks and respond. His body movements had also become several times faster.

However, Jin Ja-gang thought “oh no” for a moment.

This time Tang Ha-ran wasn’t swinging her whip at all but was waiting. As if she had predicted that Jin Ja-gang would rush over.

Tang Ha-ran let the whip slide from her hand. The whip’s handle was about two spans long, longer than ordinary swords. Then she gripped the upper part of the handle and struck down at Jin Ja-gang with the lower part.

Thud.

Jin Ja-gang was hit on the back left side of his shoulder and his body’s center momentarily shifted downward. Tang Ha-ran put her back against Jin Ja-gang’s back and rolled over while hooking the whip handle around Jin Ja-gang’s neck.

When Tang Ha-ran spun once and landed, with that force Jin Ja-gang spun once identically and flew through the air.

Thoom!

Jin Ja-gang sprawled spread-eagle on the ground. The shock transmitted through his entire body felt like his spine had shattered.

Tang Ha-ran had laid Jin Ja-gang down without using much force. Tang Ha-ran stood up and pushed Jin Ja-gang’s back with her knee to make his upper body sit up while pulling tight the handle around his neck.

“Kugh.”

Jin Ja-gang was in a seated position with his neck strangled.

“What is this.”

Tang Ha-ran spoke in a disappointed tone.

“With just this level of skill…”

The words “do you think you could dare to covet me” rose to her throat but stopped.

Jin Ja-gang didn’t know about the marriage matter anyway. There was no point in saying it.

If she just twisted and pulled the whip handle like this, Jin Ja-gang would die with his neck bones broken.

Would this be the first time she defied King of Hell Tang Qing!