Episode 207: Every Action Has Consequences (1)

Sage Hyeon-so was walking alone in the yard of the annex.

His mind was very complicated.

The disciple he met after thirteen years had now become a giant tree. The disciple, who had shed the constraints of the Mount Hua sect, exuded an overwhelming presence that no one could dare to approach.

While he was proud of such a disciple, he was also worried.

Dam Ho was walking a lonely path.

He was worried that he might be a hindrance to the path Dam Ho was walking.

"Sigh!"

Sage Hyeon-so let out a low sigh.

At that moment, someone called him.

"Master!"

"Woon Kyung."

The one who quietly entered the annex was Woon Kyung. He approached Sage Hyeon-so.

"What brings you here?"

"I couldn't sleep…"

"Is that so for you too?"

"Then, Master too?"

"Sleep doesn't come easily."

"I also, somehow…"

Woon Kyung trailed off.

Sage Hyeon-so looked at Woon Kyung with pity.

Leaving Dam Ho in Heavenly Forbidden Demon Prison* was not his decision. Yet, he had been suffering for over ten years, which was pitiful.

(Note- Heavenly Forbidden Demon Prison was mistakenly translated as Heavenly Golden Hell in manhwa.)

"Woon Kyung."

"Yes, Master."

"You did nothing wrong."

"Yes?"

"I know that you treated Dam Ho coldly for the sake of Mount Hua. I also know that there was no selfishness in your treatment of Ho. Now that Dam Ho has returned alive, lay down the heavy burden in your heart."

"Master?"

"You can't live like that forever, can you? Dam Ho and I are fine, so forgive yourself now."

At Sage Hyeon-so's warm words, Woon Kyung's eyes filled with moisture. Woon Kyung's shoulders shook without him realizing it.

Sage Hyeon-so quietly embraced Woon Kyung. He patted the back of the much larger Woon Kyung.

"I know how much you love Mount Hua. I know you would gladly give your life for Mount Hua. I feel the same. I would gladly give my old life for Mount Hua. But that doesn't mean our lives are worthless. Our lives are as precious and valuable as Mount Hua. You are the pillar of the Mount Hua sect. Let go of your guilt and value yourself."

"Thank you… Master!"

Woon Kyung's voice trembled.

Sage Hyeon-so's warm words made something that had been knotted in his heart unravel. The warmth that started in his chest spread throughout his body.

"Thank you, Woon Kyung. Thanks to you, Mount Hua's future is bright."

"Master!"

Tears finally flowed.

Sage Hyeon-so was saying the words Woon Kyung had longed to hear.

"Thank you, truly thank you."

Sage Hyeon-so smiled as he looked at Woon Kyung.

Thinking of Dam Ho, it was right to leave Mount Hua. But seeing Woon Kyung, he couldn't leave Mount Hua.

Ping!

At that moment, a sharp sound pierced the darkness.

"Master! Be careful."

Woon Kyung reacted quickly, as if he had never shed tears.

A sword was already in his hand, and he stood in front of Sage Hyeon-so.

Clang!

When Woon Kyung's sword cut through the air, something clanged and fell to the ground. It was a silver throwing knife.

"Who is it?"

Woon Kyung shouted while standing in front of Sage Hyeon-so. His voice seemed to signal, and throwing knives flew from all directions.

Shushushuk!

Woon Kyung used the Mount Hua sect's Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword to protect himself and Sage Hyeon-so.

Many throwing knives clashed with the sword barrier and fell to the ground. But Woon Kyung couldn't breathe a sigh of relief. Assailants appeared on the walls of the annex.

The assailants all wore masks, making it impossible to identify them.

"What the…?"

Sage Hyeon-so's eyes shook.

This was the annex of the Shouzhou branch. Not only the Murim Alliance but many martial artists were stationed everywhere. It was impossible to penetrate the barrier of thousands of people from outside.

The fact that the enemies appeared meant one of two things. Either the Shouzhou branch's defense was breached, or someone inside helped them.

The leader of the assailants shouted.

"Attack!"

Some of the assailants charged at Woon Kyung and Sage Hyeon-so, while the rest ran towards the annex where Dam Ho and the children were sleeping.

"No, don't!"

Sage Hyeon-so shouted urgently.

Boom!

At that moment, with a loud noise, the annex shattered. A storm-like energy swept the area, and the ten assailants who were attacking the annex were blown away, turning into bloody pieces.

"It's the Fist Demon."

"Be careful, everyone!"

The assailants shouted in alarm.

In the middle of the shattered annex stood Dam Ho.

Dam Ho's eyes were as deep as the abyss of hell.

"Oppa!"

"Hyung!"

Terrified children gathered around him.

They were so shocked by the sudden attack that they didn't know what to do.

The assailants targeted the children rather than Dam Ho.

Their purpose was clear. To distract Dam Ho and create an opening.

Whirr!

Dam Ho's leg drew an arc in the air. It was the Blood Heaven Kick.

Thud thud thud!

Three assailants hit by his leg had their heads crushed and rolled on the ground.

Dam Ho used the momentum to leap into the air.

In the air, he unleashed the Fortress Breaking Fist and the Void Wall. In an instant, ten assailants vomited blood and collapsed.

Despite the deaths of their comrades, the assailants did not hesitate to charge. They targeted the children to distract Dam Ho.

Even though Dam Ho was strong alone, it was impossible to protect all the children. The enemies persistently targeted the children.

"Aaah!"

One child screamed as a sword struck his shoulder. Fortunately, it was just a flesh wound, but it was too much for a young child to bear.

Dam Ho charged at the assailant who injured the child. The startled assailant tried to flee, but it was useless.

Boom!

When Dam Ho's fist struck, the assailant's body exploded. It literally shattered into pieces.

Blood splattered everywhere, and pieces of flesh and internal organs hit people.

No matter how skilled they were, the assailants were still human. The horrific sight of their comrade shook their eyes for a moment.

Dam Ho didn't miss the opportunity.

Boom boom boom!

His entire body was enveloped in the Explosive Demon Energy.

"Argh!"

"Ahhh!"

Those caught in the Explosive Demon Energy were torn apart like rags.

But Dam Ho didn't stop. He looked for the next victim with fierce eyes.

"Stop, it's us."

When he turned his head, he saw Hae So-wol and Jong Ri-yeon.

Hae So-wol stood in front of the children and shouted.

"I'll protect the children."

Dam Ho nodded.

If it was just about protecting the children, he could leave it to Hae So-wol.

The problem was Woon Kyung. Woon Kyung was doing his best to protect Sage Hyeon-so, but he was reaching his limit.

Dam Ho quickly used the Charging Step towards Sage Hyeon-so.

A simple straight step.

When the step, designed to kill enemies, was used, Dam Ho charged like a battering ram.

Boom boom boom!

"Argh!"

"Ugh!"

Everything in Dam Ho's path was destroyed.

The chests of the assailants caved in, and their heads shattered and flew in all directions.

Dam Ho's eyes emitted a murderous aura. He looked like a demon.

"Gasp!"

The assailant who faced Dam Ho head-on showed a look of fear. The fierce murderous aura from Dam Ho's face was the last thing he saw in his life.

Thud!

His head shattered like a watermelon.

The headless body walked a few steps before collapsing like a rotten log.

"Ho!"

Woon Kyung's face lit up with relief as he struggled alone. He was already at his limit.

At that moment.

One of the assailants secretly approached Sage Hyeon-so from behind. Woon Kyung, distracted by Dam Ho and the other assailants, noticed it too late.

"No, don't!"

Woon Kyung quickly swung his sword at the assailant approaching Sage Hyeon-so from behind. But the assailant's hand moved faster.

Shiak!

The throwing knife left his hand and flew towards Sage Hyeon-so's chest. Dam Ho saw it clearly.

Dam Ho increased his speed and reached out his hand.

He felt like he could catch the knife if he reached out a little more. But the knife narrowly escaped his grasp.

"No!"

Woon Kyung's voice echoed through the battlefield.

"Ugh!"

Sage Hyeon-so sensed the danger and twisted his body desperately.

Thud!

"Ugh!"

The knife narrowly missed his chest and struck his shoulder. The knife was embedded with only the handle visible.

Sage Hyeon-so bled and collapsed to the ground.

"Master!"

For the first time, Dam Ho shouted.

The terrifying murderous aura in his voice spread through the night sky of Shouzhou. The martial artists, startled by the aura, woke up, and even the animals trembled in fear.

"You?"

Dam Ho used the Charging Step towards the assailant who threw the knife.

"Retreat!"

The leader of the assailants shouted as he leaped back. The assailants, who had been charging as if to kill, retreated all at once like the ebbing tide.

Dam Ho didn't care about the others. He focused solely on the leader who threw the knife at his master.

"Cheong Gyung!"

Woon Kyung's voice came from behind. But Dam Ho's attention was solely on the leader who threw the knife.

Thud!

As he kicked off the ground, his body charged forward at a terrifying speed.

Although one of his legs was not fully functional, making it difficult to maintain speed for a long time, the explosive power he could maintain for a short time surpassed any other lightness skill.

Swoosh!

"Gasp!"

The leader's face twisted as he felt the intense energy behind him. He instinctively looked back. Dam Ho's face appeared enlarged.

The fierce eyes filled with anger and the smell of a beast overwhelmed him.

'Damn!'

Boom!

At that moment, the leader felt the impact of a boulder the size of a house crushing him.

The tremendous impact shattered his chest bones and crushed his internal organs. One of his eyes burst under the pressure, and the other was filled with burst blood vessels, making the whole world look red.

"Cough!"

The leader, sprawled on the ground, coughed up blood.

Crunch!

Dam Ho stepped on his right arm. The arm broke like a reed.

"Who are you?"

Dam Ho's chilling voice echoed through the annex, making everyone tremble.

Jin Ja-gang seriously considered even the third proposal.

However, both the first and second options were difficult to refuse.

Above all, he doubted whether Tang Qing would keep his promise.

Tang Qing knew of Jin Ja-gang’s suspicions.

“Look at this fellow? Boy, I’m the King of Hell, the King of Hell. Do I look like someone who would joke around with people’s lives?”

When Jin Ja-gang unhesitatingly reached for the dagger, Tang Ha-ran cried out in alarm.

“Tang family martial arts are not transmitted to those of different surnames!”

This meant that Tang family martial arts are not passed down to those who are not of the Tang lineage.

When Jin Ja-gang looked at Tang Ha-ran, she said with a hardened face.

“It’s the Tang family rule. Our family has the Five Rules of the Sect and the Tang Family Rules. According to the Tang Family Rules, even the family head cannot violate the family laws.”

Tang Ha-ran continued with a gradually paling face.

“Those who violate the rules are expelled from the family. If they cannot resolve it themselves within one hundred days, they will be driven out of the family.”

“That means…”

“You would obtain everything grandfather mentioned, but within one hundred days you would die by grandfather’s hand. The reason our Tang family always takes revenge on those who have wronged us is precisely because of that family rule.”

Jin Ja-gang looked at Tang Qing. Tang Qing had a calm face even though his inner thoughts had been exposed.

“Is that so?”

“Why? Do you think the same?”

A smile appeared on Tang Qing’s demon-like face.

“Why would you think I’d hand over the martial arts with my own hands?”

Master Eun sighed from the side.

“Amitabha, regrettably.”

Tang Qing’s tearing smile and gaze were strangely directed toward Tang Ha-ran.

Tang Ha-ran looked at Tang Qing with a horrified expression.

“Grandfather, surely not…”

“A fellow who proposed marriage to the Tang family and was rejected is unnecessary. It’s a disgrace to the family.”

Tang Qing intended not for himself but for Tang Ha-ran to pass the martial arts to Jin Ja-gang.

Whether his words were sincere or not, Jin Ja-gang had no choice but to feel pressured.

He could neither swear loyalty to the Tang family, nor did he want to let Tang Ha-ran die.

No, in fact, regardless of which choice, he didn’t like having to entrust his fate to someone else’s hands rather than his own.

“My answer is…”

Jin Ja-gang picked up the dagger.

Then he unleashed Mad Blood Heaven technique at the maximum speed he could muster, burst two dikes with Jade Void Nine Light Five Thunder Toad Technique, and threw the dagger with Flying Thread Twelve Branches.

Flash!

Just a single throw.

Jin Ja-gang thought of the mystery of Flash Severance that Tang Ha-ran had shown before and tried to minimize variations as much as possible. He put the internal energy that would have been used for variations into speed instead.

Though there was somewhat insufficient time to gather internal energy for the instantaneous burst, the current Flying Thread Twelve Branches was the fastest single move Jin Ja-gang had ever used.

Tang Qing widened his small eyes.

“Heh heh heh, is that your answer?”

A white monk’s robe sleeve extended from the side. The dagger Jin Ja-gang had thrown with all his might was sucked into the monk’s robe sleeve, between the white fingers of the sleeve.

The dagger spun between the white fingers. Then surprisingly, its tip was pointing not at Tang Qing but toward Tang Qing!

And right in front of Tang Qing’s nape!

When Master Eun placed the tip of the dagger against Tang Qing’s neck, even Tang Qing seemed somewhat surprised as he hadn’t expected this.

“Hmm?”

Master Eun was a master. No matter how much of a King of Hell Tang Qing was, there was nothing he could do when a sharp blade was at his neck.

Everyone was surprised by this situation. The warriors in the room raised their internal energy as if about to leap in, and even Tang Ha-ran stood up from her seat.

Master Eun looked at Jin Ja-gang and said.

“Rather than hastily deciding on an answer, would the benefactor listen to what I have to say? How about this – adding one more thing to the earlier proposal, placing the King of Hell’s neck as one more option.”

Jin Ja-gang quickly calmed down and asked back.

“If you really intended to cut the King of Hell’s neck, there would be no need to ask me, would there?”

Master Eun showed no change in expression despite having made the situation strange.

“Did I not say earlier? That our precious disciple Jeong-yo was humiliated. Among those who caused the humiliation, Miss Tang Ha-ran was also included. We of Mount Emei also do not forget grudges, no less than the Tang family people.”

“Then shouldn’t you hold Miss Tang directly responsible?”

“Since ancient times, the rudeness of subordinates is the responsibility of their superiors. How about it, am I wrong?”

The last part was directed at Tang Qing.

Tang Qing snorted and answered.

“Hmph, you’re not wrong. When a child does wrong, you should punish the parents who failed to educate them properly. That’s right.”

“As you heard.”

Master Eun wore a bewitching smile and asked Jin Ja-gang.

“How about it? If you want the King of Hell’s neck, even if this body falls into the Hell of Revival, I will stake everything Mount Emei has and cut the King of Hell’s neck right here.”

Whoosh!

Jin Ja-gang’s hair stood on end. Killing intent swept through the room. Half was emanating from Master Eun and the other half was killing intent released by the warriors in the adjacent room.

The sound of people gathering could be heard from outside the hall as news had apparently spread.

This meant it was not a pre-planned action.

However, Jin Ja-gang thought carefully. There is no goodwill without reason. Especially, there was no reason for Mount Emei to help the complete stranger Jin Ja-gang even while engaging in all-out battle with the Tang family.

“Why?”

“For seeking the Way.”

Master Eun erased her smile and said.

“Instead, you must answer my question. If you can answer, the King of Hell’s neck will be yours.”

When Jin Ja-gang didn’t respond, Master Eun urged him.

“You’d better decide quickly. The King of Hell is not the type to wait long.”

At those words, looking closely at Master Eun, her sleeves were continuously trembling.

The tip of the dagger placed almost against the King of Hell’s neck was also trembling minutely. Though not even touching, sparks occasionally flew and the tip of the dagger seemed to be getting ground down by something.

Grrrk, grrk.

Sounds like stone being ground could be heard.

Tang Qing’s internal energy was trying to push the dagger away while Master Eun resisted. Accordingly, Master Eun’s hand was trembling.

Tang Qing laughed.

“Right. I’m a busy person. I hate it when hearing answers takes a long time.”

Jin Ja-gang nodded. Master Eun asked her question.

“First, if the Tang family falls, who will stop the Western Tibet Demon Cult?”

Jin Ja-gang couldn’t answer. It was a question he had never considered. However, it wasn’t wrong. Sichuan borders Western Tibet. If the Demon Cult runs rampant, Sichuan would be the first to confront them.

But whenever the Martial Alliance tried to subjugate the Western Tibet Demon Cult, it was rather the Sichuan martial world that stopped them each time.

Even if they attacked when the Demon Cult became too powerful to reduce their strength, they never eradicated them completely.

This was the way for the Sichuan martial world to raise its presence in the martial world and grow stronger through self-tension – the survival method of the Sichuan martial world in the martial world.

Jin Ja-gang realized this from Master Eun’s question just now.

“Second, who will check the Northern Heaven Evil Sect?”

The Evil Sect is broadly divided into the Shandong Evil Sect led by Dan Ryeong-gyeong and the Northern Evil Sect that was driven north long ago by the Orthodox Sect.

However, the north was too harsh and cold in climate for the Orthodox Sect to pursue them further, and the north also did not come down south.

Due to the characteristics of cold climate, poison doesn’t work well in the north, which paradoxically made the northern martial artists develop constitutions weak to poison. The mere existence of the Tang family is why the Northern Heaven cannot descend into the martial world.

“Finally, third.”

Master Eun paused briefly before asking.

“If you cut the King of Hell’s neck, who will check the Martial Alliance?”

The last question was far more unexpected than Jin Ja-gang had thought.

Why should the Tang family, which had joined the Martial Alliance, check the Martial Alliance?

Regarding that, Jin Ja-gang felt he could vaguely understand.

Bian Bu had told him before.

Alliance Leader Taoist Haewol. The martial world had changed because of him.

So perhaps what Master Eun wanted to say was not the Martial Alliance itself but rather Taoist Haewol.

However, of course, Jin Ja-gang couldn’t clearly answer any of the three questions.

Instead, he asked.

“Do I need to know such reasons in order to take revenge?”

“You do.”

Master Eun confirmed that the dagger tip was gradually being pushed back and looked back at Jin Ja-gang.

“Is the target of the benefactor’s revenge an individual, a group, or a system?”

Those who gave orders bear guilt, but what guilt do those who followed orders bear?

If there is guilt, how much punishment should they receive?

The Tang family, as the leading sect of the Poison Sect, with Tang Qing and all his household and disciples working together to participate in attacking the Medicine Sect.

Then should it end with killing only Tang Qing, or should all of them be killed?

Jin Ja-gang had lived with the goal of taking revenge on the sects of Yunnan Poison Sect and Baek Li-jung. However, if that target should now extend to the Tang family, Jin Ja-gang needed to define for himself where his revenge should end.

Jin Ja-gang understood why Master Eun had brought up the word “system.”

He realized why she had mentioned the Western Tibet Demon Cult, Northern Heaven Evil Sect, and Martial Alliance.

As Taoist Bok-cheon of the Qingcheng sect said, indiscriminately killing people under the great cause of revenge is merely the behavior of a murderer. The Orthodox Sect has its own way.

It’s the same as being called a hero if you kill many people but the place is a battlefield.

Both Taoist Bok-cheon and Master Eun were saying the same thing to Jin Ja-gang.

The standard for revenge – where to set one’s own limits to avoid becoming a murderer and to stop at some point.

“Therefore…”

After thinking briefly, Jin Ja-gang asked back instead.

“Is Mount Emei participating in the Poison Sects’ will to take control of the martial world?”

“What’s important is not taking control of the martial world but the mission of the times. When the times demand it, we have no choice but to follow. That is the fate of those who move the times.”

Those who move the times!

It was an arrogant statement. However, as the leader of one of the ten great sects, she had more than enough qualification to say such things.

At those words, Jin Ja-gang briefly closed his eyes then opened them.

It seemed his mind was gradually becoming organized.

“I gratefully heard your bitter words. However, I don’t like your methods.”

“Your methods?”

Tang Qing’s eyebrows twitched.

Jin Ja-gang paid no attention and said.

“I think justice requires methods befitting justice. Under the pretext that the times demand it, no one should carelessly kill people and engage in dirty schemes. Justice may be slow and difficult, but it must always follow the righteous path.”

“So?”

Tang Qing frowned with a displeased expression.

“Are you saying you’ll perform those righteous heroic acts? With that meager sense of chivalry and judgment?”

Jin Ja-gang smiled.

“No.”

“Then why are you smiling?”

Tang Qing’s face gradually contorted.

However, Jin Ja-gang paid no heed and revealed his killing intent as he spoke.

“Since I can’t do that, I’ll just kill them all. What do I care about the aftermath? Especially since you’ll die before then, so there’s no need to worry about those who remain.”

“This bastard…”

Tang Qing also emanated killing intent, widened his small eyes, and smiled.

“Ehihihihi! Ehihi-hiit! I like this bastard! I really like him! Ehihihihi!”

Jin Ja-gang also released chilling killing intent, bared his fangs, and smiled.

“I’m glad you found it entertaining.”

With killing intent alone not inferior to Tang Qing’s, the entire room became filled with killing intent.

The warriors flinched and cowered while Tang Ha-ran’s face turned pale.

However, Tang Qing laughed joyfully.

“Ehihihihi! E-hihihihihi!”

As Tang Qing laughed wildly, his throat was stabbed by the dagger Master Eun was holding.

A thread of blood flowed.

Even so, Tang Qing didn’t stop laughing.

“Ehihi! E-hihihi! Crazy bastard. Ehihihihi!”

Jin Ja-gang was no less.

“Would you like to taste some crazy bastard?”

“Ehihihihi! Hihihi!”

Master Eun sighed and withdrew the dagger.

“Ah, whether old or young, men are all the same.”