Chapter 200: Chaos Is a Swamp That Draws Everything In (4)

Eum Yu-gyeong's gaze wavered. It was because of the man before her.

He was a villager in plain clothes—the kind of unremarkable figure one might see anywhere. The middle-aged man standing before her was precisely such a person.

The only thing that distinguished him from the ordinary was the biwa held in his hand. The instrument was old and covered in the marks of long use, a sacred relic symbolizing a legendary figure.

A legendary martial artist who, with a single pluck of his biwa, could annihilate every living thing within ten li.

The villager before her was none other than So Cheonsan, the Ten-Li Reaper.

Within the Demonic Cult, there existed numerous branches that carried on different martial lineages. The branch that So Cheonsan represented was specialized in mass killing.

In a duel between supreme masters, he might be at a slight disadvantage. But when it came to the wholesale slaughter of ordinary martial artists, no one could surpass him.

For this reason, So Cheonsan held a uniquely special status within the Demonic Cult.

He could wield greater influence on the battlefield than any supreme master. Even those whose martial arts surpassed his own did not dare treat him carelessly.

So Cheonsan smiled faintly at Eum Yu-gyeong.

"Saintess."

"So Great Hero So comes here as well. Is this by the Cult Leader's command?"

"It is."

"Hah. When Great Hero So takes the field, too many people die."

"I am aware."

The sound technique So Cheonsan unleashed did not distinguish friend from foe. A misstep could result in the mass death of not only Alliance martial artists but Demonic Cult members as well.

Despite Eum Yu-gyeong's concern, So Cheonsan's expression remained composed.

"I understand the Saintess's worry. But fear not. I have recently attained an epiphany that allows me to control my sound technique. Our own people will not be harmed by my sound."

So Cheonsan inclined his head slightly and passed her by.

Though he showed her the respect due to the Saintess, his attitude made clear he would tolerate no further interference.

Eum Yu-gyeong let out a soft sigh at his manner.

Though she bore the title of Saintess, she was granted no real authority or power.

She had been reduced to a mere symbolic figure, fading into irrelevance.

Eum Yu-gyeong looked out upon the battlefield.

The assault had been carried out with stunning speed. Even she, the Saintess, had received no prior notification.

It was evidence that the Cult Leader not only did not trust her but was actively excluding her.

'How far does the Cult Leader intend to go? At this rate, both the Holy Sect and the Central Plains Murim will face total ruin.'

Eum Yu-gyeong bit her lip.

Finding the Holy Artifact was important, but she could not simply stand by and watch as countless lives perished.

She leaped toward the battlefield.

Fierce combat raged throughout. Countless had already lost their lives or been wounded.

The problem was that the battle showed no sign of ending. Rather, it was growing more intense with each passing moment.

Eum Yu-gyeong made her way into the depths of the Shouzhou branch. Several martial artists spotted her and shouted.

"That one is a cultist too!"

"Kill her!"

SHING!

Their swords flew toward her vital points. Eum Yu-gyeong dodged them lightly and struck their acupoints with her sword fingers.

The Alliance martial artists, their acupoints sealed, collapsed like scarecrows.

Eum Yu-gyeong left the fallen Alliance fighters behind and pressed deeper into the Shouzhou branch.

'I must find the Branch Master and warn him.'

Before So Cheonsan could unleash the Ten-Li Extinction Sound, she had to find the Branch Master.

At that moment—

"Stop."

A woman blocked her path.

She wore purple linen robes, her appearance plain. Yet the faint blue glow in her eyebrows and hair, set against her snow-white skin, was strikingly memorable.

It was Hae So-wol.

Splatters of blood dotted Hae So-wol's clothes. She, too, had been fighting the invading Demonic Cult forces.

Hae So-wol recognized at a glance that Eum Yu-gyeong was no ordinary figure. Eum Yu-gyeong sensed the same about her.

They were the women who represented the Martial Alliance and the Demonic Cult respectively. That they could sense each other's exceptional presence was perhaps natural.

Eum Yu-gyeong spoke first.

"The Flower of the Sea, Hae So-wol. That is your name, is it not?"

"And who might you be?"

SHING!

In lieu of an answer, Eum Yu-gyeong thrust her sword at Hae So-wol. Hae So-wol, unfazed, spun Byeok-sang to protect herself.

CLANG CLANG CLANG!

Their swords clashed, sending sparks flying into the air.

Eum Yu-gyeong wielded her blade fiercely while her lips moved.

—The Ten-Li Reaper, So Cheonsan, will soon unleash his sound technique. Those with weak internal energy will suffer rupture of their heart meridians and die. Take the people and leave here at once.

Her secret transmission pierced Hae So-wol's ears.

'What?'

—There is no time to waste. The moment So Cheonsan releases his sound technique, this place will become a living hell.

Eum Yu-gyeong suddenly swung her sword in a wide arc.

Her life-or-death technique, the Falling Moon Divine Sword, its ultimate form, poured toward Hae So-wol. Hae So-wol countered with the Azure Sea Severing Wave Sword.

CLANG CLANG CLANG!

As their swords collided, blood seeped from beneath Hae So-wol's armor. Such was the immense force behind Eum Yu-gyeong's strikes. Yet Hae So-wol ultimately deflected every attack and prepared to counter—

"……"

But she could not. Eum Yu-gyeong, who had been attacking so fiercely, had vanished like a phantom.

Empty Spirit Cloud Movement.

Eum Yu-gyeong had deployed a movement technique passed down as a secret art even within the Demonic Cult, and fled the area.

Left alone, Hae So-wol stood stunned for a moment. Then she recalled Eum Yu-gyeong's warning.

"The Ten-Li Reaper…"

If Eum Yu-gyeong's words were true, a hellscape would soon unfold.

She hurried to find Gong Son-jung, the Branch Master of Shouzhou.

Gong Son-jung was shouting at his subordinates.

"When will the reinforcements arrive?"

"The east gate has been breached. We must send support there."

"The main gate is in peril as well. We cannot spare anyone for the east gate."

"Baekjeon Pavilion is here. Request their assistance."

"They are currently guarding the annex."

"What is in the annex?"

"Sage Hyeon-so of the Mount Hua Sect and the children."

"Damn it all! What was the point of bringing that useless old man here…"

Gong Son-jung hurled curses freely.

Though he was ordinarily regarded as the most rational and composed of men, the rapidly deteriorating situation had stripped him of his cool judgment and reason.

The midnight assault had driven the Shouzhou branch to the brink of total annihilation. The fear that they might all perish was creeping steadily into Gong Son-jung's heart.

In the midst of this, Hae So-wol found him.

"Branch Master!"

"What now?"

Gong Son-jung answered with raw nerves.

Under normal circumstances, he would have greeted Hae So-wol with courtesy. But now, he had abandoned even the barest politeness.

"I have received intelligence that the Ten-Li Reaper, So Cheonsan, will take the field."

"So Cheonsan? The demon who kills every living thing within ten li with his sound technique?"

Gong Son-jung's face turned ashen in an instant.

He had heard how So Cheonsan had annihilated the Martial Alliance's tracking squad.

"Th-Then isn't that a catastrophe?"

"It is. We must pull back those with weak martial arts. When So Cheonsan unleashes his sound technique, they will die first."

"But…"

Despite Hae So-wol's words, Gong Son-jung hesitated.

The situation was dire enough that even the paws of a cat would be useful. Even martial artists of lesser strength had their role to play. Withdrawing them now would cause the battle to tilt rapidly against them.

Gong Son-jung's eyes wavered.

"I cannot withdraw forces at this moment."

"Then everyone will die."

"Where did you receive this intelligence? There is no guarantee that So Cheonsan has truly appeared here. And even if he has, there is no certainty that our side will suffer. We can simply eliminate him before he unleashes his sound technique."

"And who is going to eliminate him?"

"You are here… and if others assist, is it not entirely possible?"

At Gong Son-jung's words, Hae So-wol felt something surge upward from within her.

Even if her martial prowess was exceptional among the younger generation, she was nowhere near the level of one of the Seven Great Demons. To tell her to confront So Cheonsan was no different from asking her to march into the flames.

"I cannot withdraw forces at this moment. So I ask that you restrain So Cheonsan and prevent him from unleashing his sound technique."

Gong Son-jung spoke without a shred of shame.

The others averted their eyes from Hae So-wol. Their faces burned with embarrassment. They knew Gong Son-jung's demand was unreasonable, but the urgency of the situation left them no choice but to console themselves.

At that moment—

TWANG!

A clear, resonant sound of a biwa suddenly rang across the battlefield.

The instant the sound was heard, every face went rigid. The faint tone that pierced their eardrums had shaken their very spirits to the core.

"Guh!"

"Hah!"

Gong Son-jung and the Shouzhou branch's leadership hastily raised their energy to resist the sound. Their wavering spirits stabilized.

But not everyone had protected their heart meridians with internal energy. Those with weak internal power felt as though their heart meridians were being torn apart by the sudden sound technique.

"AAARGH!"

"Save me! UAAAH!"

Their eardrums ruptured, and blood poured forth.

Hundreds of martial artists, mid-combat, collapsed to the ground. The sound technique ravaged their brains.

"Kuh!"

"Hmm!"

Even the Demonic Cult martial artists who had been fighting the Alliance forces turned pale and retreated.

Though So Cheonsan had intended to direct his sound technique only at the Alliance fighters, the Demonic Cult's own forces were affected as well.

Though they did not receive the direct assault that the Alliance fighters endured, their heart meridians were still shaken, and nausea gripped them.

If martial artists trained in the arts were affected, then Sage Hyeon-so and the children—mere mortals—could not possibly withstand So Cheonsan's sound technique.

"Guh!"

"Grandfather! Grandfather!"

"It hurts!"

The color drained from Sage Hyeon-so's face, and the children writhed in agony.

"Madman! Stop this!"

Cho Yeon-woon and the Baekjeon Pavilion disciples, who had been fighting the Demonic Cult forces nearby, rushed over.

Cho Yeon-woon and several disciples channeled internal energy into Sage Hyeon-so and the children. The other disciples shielded them while confronting the Demonic Cult's forces. Naturally, they were forced into a desperate position.

"Damn it!"

Cho Yeon-woon's face contorted ugly.

A single individual's intervention had produced consequences beyond imagination.

So Cheonsan stood at the center of the battlefield, eyes gently closed. A faint smile hung at his lips.

His fingers moved faster and faster across the biwa. With each acceleration, the music grew more intense.

Ten-Li Extinction Sound.

The sound technique that annihilated every living thing within ten li was being unleashed through his hands.

To fully manifest the Ten-Li Extinction Sound, the performance had to reach its crescendo. And So Cheonsan's playing was hurtling toward that peak.

'All for the Holy Sect. If killing a thousand can create a better world for the Holy Sect, I will bear all the shame myself.'

Countless suffered under his performance.

Their eyes turned bloodshot, their heads swelling as though they might burst. If this continued for even a little longer, the pressure would split their skulls or tear their heart meridians apart.

"Will you not stop?!"

Sage Hyeon-geom, who had been engaged with Deung Cheon-so, unleashed a mighty roar. But his shout had no effect on So Cheonsan.

"Scum!"

Sage Hyeon-geom tried to hurl his sword at So Cheonsan. But Deung Cheon-so blocked his path.

"Hmph! Not so fast."

A vicious smile played on Deung Cheon-so's lips.

Thus far, their martial prowess had been evenly matched. Of course, each likely held a hidden card, but outwardly, they appeared evenly balanced.

Deung Cheon-so could not immediately overcome Sage Hyeon-geom, and likewise, Sage Hyeon-geom could not defeat Deung Cheon-so without revealing his concealed technique.

Deung Cheon-so stood before Sage Hyeon-geom and looked at So Cheonsan.

"They are the ones who persecuted us. Do not hesitate—bring down the hammer of judgment, Cheonsan."

Deung Cheon-so's voice served as the signal.

So Cheonsan's finger descended like lightning to strike the final note.

TWANG!

The biwa's tone shook heaven and earth.

A devastating sound wave swept across the battlefield like a storm. Those caught in its path clutched their hearts and rolled on the ground.

Those nearest to So Cheonsan vomited blood first.

In an instant, more than a hundred had perished. And So Cheonsan raised his hand once more to deliver death.

The moment his hand descended, several times that number would vanish. And when the Ten-Li Extinction Sound was completed, this entire area would become a field of death.

"Aaah!"

Sage Hyeon-so's eyes were bloodshot. His eardrums had burst, and blood streamed from his ears. It was only thanks to the internal energy channeled by Cho Yeon-woon and the Baekjeon Pavilion disciples that he clung to consciousness, but even that was reaching its limit.

Through the crumbling wall, he could see So Cheonsan preparing to complete the Ten-Li Extinction Sound.

'Is this the end?'

Sage Hyeon-so closed his eyes, holding the children in his embrace.

Tears ran down his cheeks.

He did not mourn his own life, but the thought that these young buds, yet to bloom, must wither like this filled him with unbearable grief.

At that moment, a strange sound echoed across the battlefield.

Ssss! BOOM!

A tremendous explosion and stone dust flew everywhere. Moon Pyeong threw his body at that moment and ran toward the exit. His back was split open and one leg was torn off from the thigh.

He had been hit in the back while deploying Five Elements Steps and had his leg torn off while using Blunt Foot Steps.

What he thought were all shadows had actually been real! It was a moment that revealed the profundity of Mount Hua’s divine techniques.

However, Tang Qing, who had seen through all those divine techniques and broken Moon Pyeong’s attacks, was even more remarkable.

Indeed, the King of Hell!

When Moon Pyeong realized he was no match, he ran with all his might on one foot. Since he still had internal energy, his body flew one zhang with each step.

“Hmph.”

Tang Qing watched this quietly, then plucked several white hairs from his mane-like hair. When he injected internal energy into the already stiff hair, it stood up straight like needles.

Tang Qing gripped the hair and threw it.

Swish!

The barely visible hair became hidden weapons flying through the air.

Moon Pyeong was fleeing with all his might when he felt a chill from behind and twisted his body. He leaped into the air and spun his body to try to deflect the hidden weapons.

However, the hair didn’t bounce away from the air currents Moon Pyeong created but got caught in the flow and spun together. When Moon Pyeong stopped rotating, it was sucked in and embedded in Moon Pyeong’s pressure points.

“Urgh!”

Moon Pyeong’s limbs contorted and his body stiffened.

Tang Qing slowly approached Moon Pyeong. Moon Pyeong, whose body had stiffened with his limbs broken like a scarecrow in a strange posture, glared at Tang Qing.

Tang Qing paid no mind and took out a pill from his bosom.

“It’s poison. If you don’t want to die, try raising Purple Mist Divine Technique Moon to block it.”

Tang Qing pressed Moon Pyeong’s jaw to force his mouth open, then put the pill inside. Moon Pyeong tried not to swallow it, but the moment it entered his mouth, the pill melted like water and went down his throat.

Tang Qing struck Moon Pyeong’s back hard to release the pressure point sealing. As soon as Moon Pyeong could move his body, he kicked the ground and rolled to the side.

He drew up his internal energy to the extreme to fight against the poison energy. He knew what he had consumed was definitely poison.

But blood vessels burst in Moon Pyeong’s eyes and his eyes were stained with blood. Blood formed at his nose. He was clearly raising his internal energy, yet he couldn’t fight against the poison energy?

Thud.

Kneeling on one knee, Moon Pyeong spat black blood from his mouth.

“Kugh.”

Drip drip.

Blood also flowed from his eyes and nose.

Moon Pyeong collapsed just like that.

Thump.

His body convulsed as he continuously vomited dead blood.

Gurgle, gurgle.

His eyes rolled back, he foamed at the mouth, and his body trembled continuously like an aspen tree.

Watching this with his small eyes, Tang Qing laughed.

“Hehe! I told you I didn’t have time, didn’t I? The time remaining for you!”

Tang Qing’s eyes flashed.

With his bizarre face torn to his ears, he shouted loudly.

“The day to conquer Purple Mist Divine Technique is not far off!”

* * *

Jin Ja-gang devoted himself madly to training.

He immersed himself not only in internal energy cultivation but also in weapon techniques. All day long he swung sickles and threw hidden weapons.

After a day passed, his entire body would be soaked in blood, making him look completely like a monster that had risen from hell. It had become even worse than before meeting Tang Ha-ran.

It was a sight that made even the observers feel disturbed.

Bian Bu and Woon-jeong stayed far away and didn’t even go near Jin Ja-gang.

“Ugh, look at that mad killing intent. It seems like you’d get cut just by touching him.”

“Primordial Heavenly Venerable. It’s severe. Very severe. I dare not even go near. I’m even afraid my pure mind might be stained by that killing intent.”

“There are so many good things in the world, I don’t know why he lives like that. As if he’d die tomorrow if he doesn’t train today.”

“I’m somewhat envious on one hand.”

“Why would Taoist Woon-jeong be?”

“I played hooky so much that I got scolded by Master every day. If Poison Dragon benefactor had been Master’s disciple instead of me, Master would have cherished him.”

Bian Bu clicked his tongue “tsk tsk.”

“Really? He’d cherish someone like that? Taoist Bok-cheon would like that fellow’s personality?”

After thinking for a moment, Woon-jeong grinned.

“Actually, no matter how much he’s my master, he probably wouldn’t have cherished Poison Dragon benefactor either.”

“Right, right. That’s what I’m saying. Someone who acts so single-mindedly like that, you’d just leave him alone to do his own thing…”

Bian Bu enticed Woon-jeong.

“Let’s continue learning that dice game from before, wasn’t it fun?”

“But is it okay for a Taoist to keep doing such things?”

“Ah, it’s fine. You need to know so you won’t get fooled. There’s a saying that you should learn drinking from adults too.”

“Hehe… it was fun though.”

“Then no using internal energy.”

Bian Bu and Woon-jeong crouched in the shade of a tree in the courtyard and played dice.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong sat under the eaves watching them but said nothing.

Tang Ha-ran sat facing her and said while drinking tea.

“I’m sorry.”

“Is there something you should be sorry for?”

“Because I brought the wrong antidote.”

“That can’t be called your fault. Living in the world, there are all kinds of things that happen.”

“But…”

In the eyes of Dan Ryeong-gyeong and Tang Ha-ran, they could see Soso’s back as she left the house with quick steps.

She was taking food for Jin Ja-gang and frequently bringing it to Jin Ja-gang’s training location. When Jin Ja-gang missed meals while absorbed in training and the food got cold, she would replace it with warm food and bring back the cold food.

As a result, she often went back and forth more than five or six times a day.

Watching such Soso made Tang Ha-ran feel strange.

The look in Soso’s eyes when she had been watching her before kept lingering in her heart.

Tang Ha-ran unconsciously felt her chest tighten.

* * *

Mang Ryo visited Emei Sect.

Mount Emei was in Sichuan territory. Mang Ryo couldn’t enter all the way to the grounds of Golden Summit Peak where Emei Sect’s main mountain was located.

Instead, he met Nun In-eun, the sect leader of Emei Sect, at a small reception hall that Emei Sect had prepared outside the mountain gate.

Mang Ryo put down his crutch and respectfully put his palms together to greet Nun In-eun.

“Namo Amitabha Guanyin Bodhisattva. I greet the Divine Nun of Emei, Sect Leader In-eun.”

Nun In-eun, wearing a monk’s hat, also put her hands together in greeting.

“Amitabha. May you attain Buddhahood.”

Nun In-eun, called Divine Nun in the martial world, was surprisingly in her mid-forties.

Thanks to her profound martial arts, her appearance was like a maiden in her twenties, and her beauty was inappropriately lovely for a nun.

On the surface, she seemed shy and quiet, making it hard to think she was the sect leader of a faction that shouldered one pillar of Buddhism in the martial world.

However, despite her young age, her rise to the position of sect leader was certainly not only because of her high martial arts. Having become sect leader through the previous generation’s exceptional promotion, there must be something more.

Nun In-eun introduced the nun beside her to Mang Ryo.

“This is Nun Myowol, my senior sister. Thanks to the medicine sent by the Tang family, she was able to recover quickly.”

“You’re too kind.”

Mang Ryo even smiled lightly while exchanging greetings and looked at Myowol beside her.

Myowol had an angry face inappropriate for a nun, and was a gaunt-looking old nun. Like Mang Ryo, she wore an eyepatch over her left eye and her right index finger was missing one joint.

Though Myowol had escaped from poisoning, she seemed unable to escape from mental shock as her face was still haggard.

When Mang Ryo stared at her intently, a flame lit in Myowol’s one eye.

“What… are you… looking at…”

Myowol spoke as if she would devour Mang Ryo.

Nun In-eun scolded Myowol as if asking what kind of behavior this was toward a guest.

“Sister Myowol, you mustn’t do that. Thanks to this person, we were able to treat your condition quickly.”

Myowol closed her mouth at Nun In-eun’s words, but her one eye still glared at Mang Ryo. Mang Ryo stepped close enough to almost face her and looked at Myowol’s injured eye from close range.

Myowol’s face turned red with anger. She looked like she thought she was being humiliated by Mang Ryo.

Myowol’s hand gripping the Non-Killing Sword trembled.

However, the words Mang Ryo threw at Myowol were completely unexpected.

“Did it hurt?”

Myowol’s eyes widened. The Non-Killing Sword seemed about to be drawn at any moment.

“Sister!”

At Nun In-eun’s cry, she seemed to barely hold onto the edge of patience.

But Mang Ryo continued speaking.

“I was in great pain. It hurt so unbearably that I couldn’t stand it.”

Mang Ryo pointed in turn to his eye, his right foot cut off below the knee, and his left foot amputated above the knee. He struck the ground with his prosthetic leg making tapping sounds.

“Even one eye hurt that much, but I lost both feet. One after another. And to the same b*st*rd.”

Pause.

Only then did Myowol’s expression soften.

“It must have… hurt a lot.”

“That’s right. But what’s more frustrating is…”

Mang Ryo gestured as if it was absurd and shook his head.

“Even though I want revenge, I can’t do it.”

“Why… is that?”

“I want to kill that b*st*rd, I even know where he is, but I can’t. I could kill him immediately if I saw him.”

Mang Ryo clenched his fist and ground his teeth.

Myowol asked puzzledly.

“Where is that b*st*rd that you can’t…”

“Qingcheng Sect is protecting him.”

“What a strange connection. I heard the b*st*rd who made my eye like this is also being protected by Qingcheng Sect…”

Mang Ryo met Myowol’s eyes and nodded.

“That’s right. We were both harmed by the same b*st*rd.”

Mang Ryo spoke each word slowly.

“Poison. Dragon.”

At that moment, Myowol’s face contorted like a demon. She shouted as if she would run to Qingcheng Sect immediately.

“Zhang! Wu! Yun!”

Nun In-eun sighed with a troubled face.

“Oh my, really. If you incite our Sister Myowol like that…”

Myowol ranted, even spitting.

“Send this foolish sister! I must go immediately, beat down the Taoists of Qingcheng Sect, and make that b*st*rd called Poison Dragon meet a violent death! Otherwise, otherwise I can never dissolve this resentment!”

Myowol’s face flushed. Perhaps from exerting too much force in venting her anger, a thick stream of blood flowed from her eyepatch.

“Uuuugh!”

Pain and resentment seemed to penetrate to her bones.

“Amitabha. This is an order as sect leader. Sister, the conversation isn’t finished yet, so please calm down.”

Myowol ground her teeth while breathing heavily.

Nun In-eun shook her head and asked Mang Ryo.

“Sigh. It seems it won’t pass quietly. What do you wish to say?”

“I’ll speak directly. I’m thinking of devouring Qingcheng Sect…”

Hearing this, Myowol became greatly excited.

However, Nun In-eun showed no change in expression. Indeed, In-eun hadn’t become Emei Sect’s leader for nothing.

Mang Ryo had no idea she was such a person.

Then there was no need to beat around the bush further.

Finally, Mang Ryo openly revealed his true colors.

“Will Emei Sect also participate?”

But even hearing this amazing proposal, Nun In-eun had the same face as before. Rather, she asked back with a calm face.

“Did you come as a representative of the Tang family?”

Mang Ryo showed the King of Hell Plaque that Tang Qing had given him.

“With the qualification of being second only to one person.”

“If the King of Hell permitted it, we can consider it the Tang family’s will.”

“That’s right.”

Still, Nun In-eun answered without any particular change in expression.

“Then shall we do that?”