Chapter 300 – The Path to Finding Truth Is Always Treacherous (4)

"Kuk!"

Ma Gok-cheon's mouth opened slightly. It was due to the intense shock that resonated through his internal organs.

Dam Ho's fist was already embedded in his abdomen. However, it had not yet penetrated the Diamond Indestructible Body.

"I told you it's useless."

Ma Gok-cheon muttered while raising both arms. He intended to strike down on Dam Ho's back just like that.

Bang!

At that moment, Dam Ho's other fist drove into Ma Gok-cheon's belly. Ma Gok-cheon's body shook greatly from the intense shock.

A light of anger appeared on Ma Gok-cheon's face.

"Use… less…"

Bang!

His words were cut off. It was because Dam Ho's fist drove in once more.

"Damn! This bastard…"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ma Gok-cheon couldn't continue his words. It was because Dam Ho's fists drove in consecutively without giving him a chance to speak.

His body shook repeatedly like a leather bag hanging in the air. Dam Ho's fists poured down like a sudden downpour. Ma Gok-cheon's upright body curved like a shrimp.

"Kreuk!"

For the first time, a groan mixed with pain flowed from his lips. A light of disbelief appeared in his eyes.

'But I have the Diamond Indestructible Body. I shouldn't be able to feel pain?'

It was pain he was feeling for the first time in nearly twenty years. That's why it was all the more bewildering.

'Diamond Indestructible? Absolutely unbreakable?'

Dam Ho didn't believe those words.

Could a human truly achieve Diamond Indestructible Body? Since a human body isn't made of diamond, no matter how harshly one trains, it can't become as hard as diamond.

Kwakwakwa!

Following the Explosive Star Strike came the Five Finger Rock Breaking Energy, and then the Single Strike Wall, rolling like a wheel one after another.

The Explosive Star Strike created cracks in Ma Gok-cheon's solid body, the Five Finger Rock Breaking Energy widened the cracks. And the Single Strike Wall transmitted the shock internally.

"Kreuu!"

Ma Gok-cheon staggered backward. His eyes were opened so wide they couldn't get any bigger.

The extreme pain that started in his abdomen was spreading throughout his entire body. The alien feeling that his whole body was creaking prevented him from reacting normally.

"It's dangerous!"

The first to sense danger from Ma Gok-cheon's staggering appearance was none other than Yeom Su-gang.

He deployed the Dazzling Dark Demon Jade Hand to attack Dam Ho. However, Dam Ho didn't give him even a glance and attacked Ma Gok-cheon.

Kwaaa!

The black energy stream of the Dazzling Dark Demon Jade Hand scattered uselessly around Dam Ho's body.

"Kreuk!"

Yeom Su-gang let out a bewildered groan. All five fingers of his right hand that had deployed the Dazzling Dark Demon Jade Hand were bent in the opposite direction of the joints. The moment he struck Dam Ho's body, his hand was injured by the unprecedented tremendous force instead.

"How?"

Yeom Su-gang raised his head to look at Dam Ho. Only then did he see the violent energy swirling around Dam Ho's body. Dam Ho had deployed the Violent Demon Energy at some point.

Bang! Bang!

Dam Ho attacked Ma Gok-cheon while deploying the Violent Demon Energy.

Ma Gok-cheon's eye level, which had been looking down at Dam Ho for quite some time, was now even with his. His waist had bent that much from the continuous shocks.

Dam Ho and Ma Gok-cheon's gazes met directly. The moment he saw Dam Ho's eyes that had sunk so deep their bottom couldn't be seen, Ma Gok-cheon came to know the true nature of the emotion he had been feeling all along.

It was fear.

Fear.

The heart that fears others.

Ma Gok-cheon had been fearing Dam Ho from deep within his heart. That's why he had been putting on more bravado.

At that moment, Dam Ho grabbed Ma Gok-cheon by the throat.

"No!"

"Stop!"

Sensing the crisis, Yeom Su-gang and Ga Ui-cheon simultaneously shouted and rushed forward. However, Dam Ho's movement was much faster than theirs.

Kwaaa!

A whirlwind current occurred and Ma Gok-cheon's massive body was pulled up into the air. And his body, having reached the highest point, flipped like lightning and fell upside down. The Earth-Heaven Strike was deployed.

"Kreut!"

Witnessing Ma Gok-cheon about to fall head-first to the ground, Ga Ui-cheon flew his body like lightning.

Even Ma Gok-cheon, who boasted of his Diamond Indestructible Body, couldn't help but receive great shock if he fell head-first to the ground like that. No, he would certainly receive great shock.

Ga Ui-cheon, who had approached in an instant, spread his palm wide trying to catch Ma Gok-cheon's body. With his internal energy, catching Ma Gok-cheon would be nothing. Under normal circumstances, that is.

However, the man called Dam Ho he was facing was an existence far beyond his common sense. Especially his sense for seizing the moment of victory was unparalleled.

Paeng!

Dam Ho's waist spun terrifyingly like a top. Accordingly, the direction Ma Gok-cheon was falling also changed. It was precisely the direction Ga Ui-cheon had been running to catch him.

"Kut!"

A bewildered light appeared on Ga Ui-cheon's face. It was because Ma Gok-cheon's body was falling at a faster speed than he had expected.

"Damn it!"

Crash!

With a scream-like voice, Ga Ui-cheon became entangled with Ma Gok-cheon and tumbled together.

His entire body screamed from the unexpected shock. However, he didn't have time to leisurely complain about the pain.

Ga Ui-cheon instinctively pushed Ma Gok-cheon away and sprang up.

Speed was life for Ga Ui-cheon. While Ma Gok-cheon, who had achieved the Diamond Indestructible Body, had the stamina to endure, Ga Ui-cheon did not. The moment his two legs stopped moving would be his greatest crisis.

'I need to get away!'

That was the moment.

Crack!

A sound like bamboo splitting was heard from his leg area.

Instantly, Ga Ui-cheon's eyes opened wide and his mouth gaped open.

Tremendous pain was felt in his leg. When he looked carefully, he could see Dam Ho's leg had split his left shin in two.

Bone protruded through the flesh, and the broken leg was dangling.

"Kreuu!"

When the pain is too severe, even groaning sounds don't come out. That was Ga Ui-cheon's current state.

Blood mixed with saliva flowed from his mouth.

'Gok-cheon was bait. What he really targeted was me.'

Only then did he realize he had fallen for Dam Ho's trick. However, his realization was too late.

Dam Ho's palm had already adhered to his chest and instantly twisted in a spiral shape.

The Five Finger Rock Breaking Energy was deployed.

"Kreaa!"

Ga Ui-cheon screamed at the top of his lungs from the pain of his entire body being dismantled.

"You madman!"

Seeing this scene, Yeom Su-gang deployed the Nine Lives Severing Technique of the Dazzling Dark Demon Jade Hand with his left hand.

Kwaruru! A tsunami-like hand energy rushed toward Dam Ho.

No matter how strong Dam Ho was, he wouldn't be able to ignore energy attacks. Yeom Su-gang was confident that even if he couldn't wound Dam Ho with this move, he could at least separate him from the two people.

However, Dam Ho's reaction exceeded his imagination. Dam Ho grabbed Ma Gok-cheon, who was rolling on the ground, and used him to shield his front.

Kwabang!

"Kreheuk!"

The hand energy Yeom Su-gang had launched struck the innocent Ma Gok-cheon's back.

Normally, Ma Gok-cheon's body would have been unaffected even by hand energy. However, his body was now at its limit from Dam Ho's consecutive attacks.

Just as a cup full of water overflows with the addition of just one more drop, it only took Yeom Su-gang's single strike to break Ma Gok-cheon's body that had reached its limit due to Dam Ho.

Chuhwahak!

A tremendous fountain of blood shot up from Ma Gok-cheon's back. The hand energy had punched a hole right through Ma Gok-cheon's body.

Yeom Su-gang, who had inadvertently injured his comrade with his own hands, stopped in surprise.

Ma Gok-cheon wasn't in his right mind due to the consecutive injuries. The pain he was feeling for the first time in nearly twenty years made his mind confused.

In an instant, Ma Gok-cheon was neutralized, and Ga Ui-cheon had lost his mobility and was rolling on the ground. Yeom Su-gang bit down hard at the unbelievable scene that had occurred in an instant.

"You demon-like bastard!"

His voice naturally trembled out. However, Yeom Su-gang himself didn't know this fact.

His mind was filled only with the thought that he had to save Ma Gok-cheon and Ga Ui-cheon.

They were friends who had come through a hell-like world. Though they had many conflicts, they were the only beings he could trust in this harsh world.

To him, his friends were everything in the world. He couldn't imagine losing them all.

Yeom Su-gang said.

"Put Gok-cheon down, Fist Demon!"

Instantly, Dam Ho's forearm coiled around Ma Gok-cheon's neck like a snake.

"You?"

"What if I refuse?"

"I'll kill you. By any means necessary!"

Instantly, Dam Ho's pupils became even blacker. His pupils, rippling with ink-like color, exuded an eerie sense of unease.

Strength entered Dam Ho's forearm.

Crack! Crack crack!

The sound of bones colliding echoed from Ma Gok-cheon's neck.

"Kek!"

Ma Gok-cheon, who had momentarily lost consciousness, opened his eyes wide. He struggled, trying to escape from Dam Ho's grip. However, Dam Ho's arm was like a steel clamp and wouldn't budge.

Ma Gok-cheon operated the Diamond Demon Shadow Art that had enabled him to achieve the Diamond Indestructible Body. Powerful internal energy swirled throughout his body as strength entered his muscles. However, he couldn't escape from Dam Ho's arm. Dam Ho was also operating the Dark Soul Cultivation Method.

Strength against strength, a contest of power between the Diamond Demon Shadow Art and the Dark Soul Heart Method began.

Crack! Crack crack!

"Kreuu!"

The sound of bones shifting echoed from Ma Gok-cheon's neck, and stifled groans flowed from his mouth. His face gradually turned red, and all the blood vessels throughout his body bulged out.

Ma Gok-cheon could feel it. The fact that his neck bone, harder than steel, was breaking. Absurdly, Dam Ho was trying to break his neck by twisting it.

"Stop!"

Stab!

At that moment, Ga Ui-cheon, who had barely managed to raise his body, stabbed Dam Ho's back with his Tiger Fang Blade. The sharp Tiger Fang Blade was deeply embedded in Dam Ho's back without any resistance.

Dam Ho flinched from the intense pain. However, he didn't stop strangling Ma Gok-cheon's neck.

"Wha… what?"

The sight of Dam Ho twisting Ma Gok-cheon's neck while the Tiger Fang Blade was embedded in his back was beyond eerie to pure terror itself.

Crack!

Instantly, Ma Gok-cheon's head turned with a snap. The neck bone he had boasted was harder than steel broke, and his tongue hung long outside his mouth.

"Gok-cheon!"

"No!"

The desperate cries of Yeom Su-gang and Ga Ui-cheon echoed simultaneously.

Dam Ho released the arm that had been holding Ma Gok-cheon's neck. Then Ma Gok-cheon's massive body collapsed powerlessly.

Behind the collapsing Ma Gok-cheon, Dam Ho's figure stood tall like a demon.

The fierce battle had also inflicted great wounds on Dam Ho.

His entire body was dyed red with blood, and he was staggering as if he might collapse at any moment. A tremendous amount of blood was flowing from his back where the Tiger Fang Blade was embedded. However, his two eyes were still shining brightly. That appearance didn't look human at all.

"You demon-like bastard!"

"How can a human be like that?"

The two people trembled at the sight.

Their bodies were having residual convulsions. Though they didn't want to admit it, they were feeling fear right now.

Especially the fear Ga Ui-cheon felt was indescribable.

This was the Dam Ho he had mocked so much.

He had mocked that even if Dam Ho died, he wouldn't be able to catch him. He had been confident that with limping feet, Dam Ho could never follow his two legs. However, Dam Ho had broken one of his legs in a completely unimaginable way.

The nickname Lightning Flash could no longer be used. Even when the wound healed completely, he would never again achieve the same speed as before.

That was when it happened.

Dam Ho's movement, which had been swaying like a reed, stopped completely. At some point, the blood that had been flowing from where the Tiger Fang Blade was embedded also stopped completely.

Dam Ho reached behind his back and grabbed the handle of the Tiger Fang Blade.

Slide!

The sound of the sharp blade cutting through flesh as it was pulled out made the cloud mist surge greatly, as if frightened.

Clang!

The sound of the Tiger Fang Blade falling to the ground struck the hearts of Yeom Su-gang and Ga Ui-cheon.

"What will you do now?"

"……"

Dam Ho asked, and the two people couldn't answer.

Dam Ho parted the cloud mist and walked toward them. He was still limping in the same way. However, this time no one could mock such a Dam Ho.

Thump! Slide!

The sound of his footsteps was approaching like a calamity.

An old man with an ordinary face that showed nothing special no matter how much you looked at him.

This was Leper Mound’s general commander, Thousand Faces Common Blade, Roh Gwan.

In front of him sat a tall old man with his mouth covered by cloth. The old man had his wide sleeves clasped together so his hands weren’t visible, making it look as if he was bowing.

“If we fail this time too, our Leper Mound will become the laughingstock of the poison sects.”

His expression remained impassive, but anger was embedded in his voice.

The tall old man chuckled.

“The Tang family also took a beating from him, so would we become laughingstock alone?”

“Thirty percent of our sect’s full strength has been lost. The damage is enormous.”

“It seems those accompanying him are getting in the way. They said Wudang’s Benevolent Tiger is with him, along with disciples from Zhongnan and Mount Hua.”

Kekeke!

The tall old man laughed again.

“Don’t worry. It’s easier to exploit such youngsters rather than cut them down with a blade.”

“You tell me not to worry, but your butt is too heavy, Piercing Ghost.”

“I understand. I’ll get up slowly. But I have a feeling Poison Dragon is waiting for me. If he wanted to reach Chongqing, he would have gone already.”

“So finish it this time.”

“That goes without saying.”

The tall old man, Piercing Ghost, stood up without even taking his hands out of his sleeves.

“Ah, let me confirm just one thing before I go.”

“Anything.”

Piercing Ghost hardened his previously playful expression and spoke seriously.

“If I fail, let’s withdraw from the Poison Dragon matter.”

Thousand Faces Common Blade Roh Gwan looked at Piercing Ghost.

Piercing Ghost said.

“I’m nominally our Leper Mound’s second-in-command. So if I fail, the general commander would have to step forward. But if even the general commander falls, our Leper Mound family would have nowhere to go.”

“Do you see Poison Dragon as being that formidable?”

“Not necessarily. But I suddenly had this thought. Reh-ryuk’s poison fog didn’t work, the bandit’s special soul confusing powder didn’t work, and the poisons of Twin Kill and Three Tigers all failed. No matter how good someone is at handling poison, they don’t have resistance to every type of poison. But Poison Dragon is such a person.”

“Are you saying Poison Dragon has an impervious-to-ten-thousand-poisons body like you, Piercing Ghost?”

“Impervious to ten thousand poisons doesn’t mean invincible. Originally, ‘impervious’ means preventing invasion from the outside. So if one could somehow invade poison into the body without being conscious of it, even someone with an impervious body like me would get poisoned.”

“Hmm.”

“But the feeling is strange. Poison Dragon is from a medicine sect and is an enemy of poison sects, yet poison doesn’t work on him. And we are those who can only become strong by using poison. Perhaps Poison Dragon… has appeared as the greatest natural enemy to us poison sect members…”

“What are you trying to say?”

“If I uncover the reason that poison-immune general has survived until now, I live, otherwise he wins.”

“Stop with the useless sentimentality.”

“In any case, if not Leper Mound, who would accept lepers afflicted with leprosy like us? So even if I don’t return, general commander, don’t step forward.”

Thousand Faces Common Blade Roh Gwan looked at Piercing Ghost in silence for a moment.

“I can’t promise that.”

Roh Gwan’s face twitched slightly as if smiling or not.

“Kill him and come back. Then I won’t need to step forward.”

“That goes without saying.”

Piercing Ghost smiled ominously and left the room with his sleeves still clasped together.

* * *

Jin Ja-gang no longer hid himself while traveling but walked openly on the road.

He didn’t clean up his limping footsteps or traces of campfires when camping. He deliberately made noise and left enough signs of his presence.

Judging by the feeling of watchful eyes, he seemed to have succeeded in drawing Leper Mound’s attention to some degree.

However, he wasn’t careless. He didn’t know when or how assassins might appear. They could ambush at any time while he was sleeping, eating, or relieving himself. Until now, Yeong-woon, Pyo Sang-guk, and So-min had completely drawn Leper Mound’s attention, allowing Jin Ja-gang to easily detect Leper Mound’s presence in advance.

The mountain sun sets early.

As the sun began to set, Jin Ja-gang immediately prepared to camp.

Crackle, crackle.

He gathered branches and lit a campfire. While chewing on plants that grew nearby for dinner, he heard noisy sounds.

Jin Ja-gang tensed briefly then relaxed.

It was Yeong-woon, Pyo Sang-guk, and So-min.

“Ah! See? I was right, wasn’t I? I knew it would be Young Master Jin.”

Jin Ja-gang shook his head slightly and asked.

“Did you follow me?”

Pyo Sang-guk snorted and said.

“You left all your tracks so conspicuously that it was very easy to follow.”

He had left tracks to lure Leper Mound, but ended up having the three follow him as well.

“Then excuse me.”

Yeong-woon shamelessly clutched his belly and made groaning sounds as he came to sit by the campfire.

Jin Ja-gang had no choice but to give up his spot.

“Has your wound improved?”

“The poison has risen, so it’s not healing well.”

“I advised that resting for a few days would be better.”

“That’s when we’re safe.”

So-min interjected.

“Thinking about it, the safest place in the world is beside Young Master Jin.”

“That’s not true.”

“Then we have no choice… Well, wouldn’t it be much less noticeable to Leper Mound’s eyes if we’re here? Young Master Jin wouldn’t need to deliberately leave traces.”

“…?”

Pyo Sang-guk grumbled.

“Don’t be too harsh on us. We can’t say we’re not afraid of death, but as disciples of the orthodox path, there are things we must not avoid.”

Yeong-woon added.

“Even if our inadequacies might be bothersome to Brother Jin, we won’t be a burden.”

“Is it because of curiosity?”

“No. To be precise, we want to know the truth. Leper Mound and Northern Heaven’s involvement, the poison sects’ intentions.”

Yeong-woon looked into Jin Ja-gang’s eyes with a kind but upright gaze and continued.

“And Brother Jin’s true nature.”

“I don’t think there’s such a thing as true nature. What I know of myself is all there is.”

“But there are more lies spread in the world than Brother Jin knows. We can help filter out the falsehoods.”

Pyo Sang-guk said.

“The reputation of prestigious orthodox sects isn’t built overnight. Brother Jin might not like that we’re disciples of prestigious sects, but people will believe what we say a hundred, a thousand times more than what Brother Jin says. Ah, of course! Unlike these two, I’ll be watching Brother Jin very closely with wide eyes, so be prepared!”

Growl.

While speaking boldly, Pyo Sang-guk’s stomach made a sound.

Pyo Sang-guk squatted down awkwardly.

Jin Ja-gang unconsciously chuckled and handed over the tree bark and tender grass roots he had gathered to eat.

Yeong-woon, who usually ate vegetarian food without fire, ate without resistance, but So-min and Pyo Sang-guk almost forced themselves to chew.

But suddenly Pyo Sang-guk sniffed.

“Huh?”

A rich, savory smell wafted from somewhere.

Jin Ja-gang immediately turned his head to look in one direction. Since he had already positioned himself considering the wind direction, he instantly recognized where the smell was coming from.

The sounds of footsteps and someone pushing through grass could be heard as someone approached.

The three except Jin Ja-gang jumped up.

What appeared on the path was a Leper Mound assassin with his nose and mouth covered. However, he showed no killing intent and even carried a large basket covered with cloth.

The leper assassin set the basket down in front of the four. So-min used the tip of her scabbard to lift the cloth covering the basket. It contained boiled pork and chicken dishes, various stir-fried vegetables, and two bottles of warmed liquor.

Pyo Sang-guk swallowed his saliva but didn’t rashly touch anything. No, he couldn’t touch it. How could one carelessly eat food given by poison sect members?

So-min asked.

“What is this?”

The leper assassin answered.

“This is a feast provided by our sect’s Piercing Ghost. Eat your fill and follow the direction I came from, and he will be waiting for you.”

Pyo Sang-guk chuckled.

“Ridiculous. What makes you think we’d eat this food? Do you know how hard it’s been for us to eat because of Leper Mound?”

When they tried to drink water from a stream, poison was spread from upstream; when they caught a deer to eat, poison had already spread through its organs… Thinking of what they’d endured made him tremble with rage.

The leper assassin mocked Pyo Sang-guk.

“There’s no poison. No, if you’re such cowards that you can’t eat even if there was poison, that would be your limit.”

“What?”

As Pyo Sang-guk raised his internal energy and took a stance to attack the leper assassin, Yeong-woon stopped him. Yeong-woon gestured toward Jin Ja-gang with his eyes.

Jin Ja-gang asked.

“Who is Piercing Ghost?”

“He’s the master second only to our Leper Mound’s general commander. Since he has personally graced you with his presence, you won’t be able to die comfortably.”

Jin Ja-gang quietly touched the food and said.

“The food hasn’t cooled yet. It’s within an hour’s distance at most.”

“That’s right.”

“What happened to the villagers?”

At Jin Ja-gang’s question, Yeong-woon, Pyo Sang-guk, and So-min were puzzled.

“Villagers?”

While the leper assassin’s eyes darkened slightly, killing intent slowly rose in Jin Ja-gang’s eyes.

“Each dish has different seasoning and the knife marks from preparing ingredients are different. These were all made by different people.”

Indeed, judging by the variety alone, it wasn’t an amount one person could make. If they had timed it to bring it while still warm, several people had to make it simultaneously. Moreover, there couldn’t be a large restaurant with multiple cooks in such mountains. Looking at the simplicity and quality of ingredients, it was the handiwork of ordinary village women.

The leper assassin narrowed his eyes and smiled.

“As expected of Poison Dragon! Correct. Ahead is a small village of about thirty households.”

Click.

A ring came loose from Jin Ja-gang’s hand. The leper assassin flinched at Jin Ja-gang’s killing intent.

“Why aren’t you coming to find me but waiting there?”

“You’ll know when you go. By the way…”

Whiing!

A sharp sound cut through the air. The leper assassin quickly ducked. But the leper assassin’s legs, shoulders, and neck were already caught by the Soul Seizing Thread.

“Kugh!”

Jin Ja-gang entangled the leper assassin like a net in one move and pulled. The leper assassin was dragged over. The leper assassin screamed desperately.

“If you want to go to the afterlife well, eat your fill! Only pain awaits you!”

Jin Ja-gang pulled the Soul Seizing Thread with more force.

As the Soul Seizing Thread dug into the leper assassin’s body, blood lines began appearing all over him.

“Kughhhh!”

Jin Ja-gang asked.

“Hostages?”

“Hostages? Kekek. It would be better if they were hostages. To Piercing Ghost, hostages are meaningless. It’s hell. By now the village has become hell.”

“Hell?”

Jin Ja-gang picked up a piece of meat from the basket and chewed it. He also took a few sips of liquor. Rather than eating because he was hungry, he seemed to be savoring the taste.

Pyo Sang-guk looked back and forth between Jin Ja-gang and the basket, reaching for chicken but then picking up the same piece of pork that Jin Ja-gang had taken.

Jin Ja-gang said without looking at Pyo Sang-guk.

“It contains poison.”

“But that guy just said there was no poison…”

“Deadly poison. It seems he used this poison on the villagers. It would be extremely painful.”

The leper assassin deliberately laughed louder even as his body was being squeezed and cut by the Soul Seizing Thread.

“You’ll soon be in the same state as those village things! It’s only regrettable that I can’t see you writhing in pain and begging to be killed!”

Jin Ja-gang’s expression turned cold. He put strength into the hand gripping the Soul Seizing Thread.

At that moment, Pyo Sang-guk struck the leper assassin’s head with his fist.

“You evil bastards!”

Thud!

The leper assassin died with his head caved in.

Pyo Sang-guk shouted.

“Let’s go quickly! I can’t face the sky tomorrow without killing all these dog-like bastards!”

Yeong-woon and So-min also prepared as if about to rush out.

“We’ll handle the villagers. Brother Jin, just worry about that Piercing Ghost fellow.”

But Jin Ja-gang had no intention of moving.

So-min carefully called Jin Ja-gang.

“Young… Master Jin?”

Jin Ja-gang’s expression was ominous.