Chapter 370 – Debts Must Always Be Repaid (2)

At the moment of Namgung Chang's crisis, his bodyguards moved. ​

"Stop!"

"Rescue the strategist!"

Those who bore the name White Sword Unit were martial artists dispatched from the Namgung family. ​

Namgung Chang was the most reliable lifeline of the Namgung family that had fallen due to Dam Ho. Thanks to his secret support, the Namgung family had been able to recover much of their vitality. Therefore, they had done everything possible to protect Namgung Chang. ​

The result was precisely the White Sword Unit. ​

'Must protect the strategist.'

'Without fail!'

Swaaaaash! ​

Sword energy bloomed from their swords. ​

The sight of dozens of sword energies cutting through the air was truly spectacular. The dozens of sword energies flew with terrifying momentum as if they would butcher Dam Ho at any moment. It was such a murderous sight that even any master would have to be intimidated. However, none of those present thought Dam Ho would suffer serious wounds from such an attack. This was the same for the White Sword Unit launching the attack. ​

Their purpose was just one thing. ​

To make him retreat just one step. ​

Thereby gaining a chance to rescue Namgung Chang. ​

For the goal of the White Sword Unit, which could be called the elite of the Namgung family, it was quite modest. But the opponent was Dam Ho. ​

A monster-like existence whose individual martial power and presence alone could match the great sects of the Central Plains. They never dreamed of gaining superiority against such a being. ​

It was when they were desperately swinging their swords. ​

Whoooosh! ​

Suddenly wind blew from behind. ​

At first they thought it was an illusion. But the moment the gentle breeze intensified like a storm, they realized it wasn't an illusion. ​

The surrounding air was rapidly being sucked toward Dam Ho. The attractive force emanating from Dam Ho's body was drawing in even the air. And it sucked in the White Sword Unit as well. ​

"Grrrr!"

"What is this?"

The White Sword Unit's balance collapsed under the terrifying attractive force. ​

They tried with all their might to escape the attractive force. But the gravitational pull Dam Ho generated wasn't something they could escape at their level. ​

Whooom! ​

"Gack!"

"Damn it!"

The White Sword Unit's screams burst forth. ​

Creating deep furrows in the ground, they were rapidly sucked toward Dam Ho. ​

Black hair and black robes billowing in the fierce wind, and Dam Ho's black pupils rapidly enlarging. ​

For a moment, the White Sword Unit saw the darkness of hell. Death from which nothing could escape was spread before their eyes. ​

They saw Dam Ho raising his fist. ​

BOOM! ​

And darkness came with the thunderous sound. ​

That was the last sight they saw alive. ​

Splat splat! ​

Flesh and bone fragments scattered in all directions. ​

Drops of blood spattered dot by dot onto the faces and bodies of the heroes. Though they had suddenly been covered in blood and flesh, no one dared to open their mouth. It was such a shocking sight. ​

It was a single strike. ​

It was the Mountain-Breaking Fist. Dam Ho's signature technique that anyone in the martial world knew. ​

There was no one who didn't know how extremely vicious the power of the Mountain-Breaking Fist was. That's why it was an object of wariness, and recently advice to stay far away when encountering Dam Ho had become popular. They judged that keeping distance would allow them to avoid the Mountain-Breaking Fist. ​

But the current Mountain-Breaking Fist was different. It drew enemies in and then destroyed the entire space. From the shock, many martial artists who had been near Dam Ho had their eardrums burst and were bleeding, staggering with unfocused eyes. ​

"……" ​

Even with so many people gathered, not a single heavy breath could be heard. It was such a shocking sight that the heroes were left speechless. ​

The air covering the entire area around Shaolin Temple's mountain gate settled heavily. That damp feeling that coldly penetrated the lungs was terrible. Enough to make one shudder involuntarily. ​

"Ah!" ​

The one who broke the silence was precisely Namgung Chang. ​

His pupils were hazily unfocused. The Namgung family martial artists who had stuck with him for twelve hours a day had been pulverized beyond recognition of their original forms. ​

Namgung Chang thought he was having a nightmare. Everything that had happened before his eyes felt so unreal. But Dam Ho's damp breath could be felt, and Namgung Chang's mind was forcibly returned to reality. ​

"You, what exactly are you…" ​

Namgung Chang's shoulders trembled violently. The wounded beast's howl burst from between his clenched teeth. ​

"What exactly do you have against the Namgung family that you're doing this to me? What crime did I commit?" ​

He forgot all dignity and screamed at the top of his lungs. ​

Crack! ​

At that moment, Namgung Chang's body swayed greatly. Dam Ho had shattered his knee. ​

Namgung Chang fell to one knee. But his eyes weren't broken yet. Anger still burned in his eyes looking at Dam Ho. ​

Dam Ho stared at such a Namgung Chang. ​

In his jet-black pupils that contained no emotion, the miserable image of Namgung Chang kneeling was reflected. ​

Namgung Chang convulsively raised his head to glare at Dam Ho. ​

"Fine. Kill me. But don't forget that the moment you kill me, you'll be at a disadvantage in the fight against the Demon Cult. Don't forget who has been leading the fight against the Demon Cult until now. This Namgung Chang led the establishment of the Martial Alliance and raised it to this extent. Can you imagine the Martial Alliance without me? Is that really the best choice?" ​

Now he had nothing left but desperation. Namgung Chang forgot his dignity and screamed at the top of his lungs. ​

Several people unconsciously nodded. ​

Namgung Chang's role had been great in growing the Martial Alliance to this scale. Therefore, it was true that many people felt crisis about his absence. ​

That's when it happened. ​

Crack! ​

"Gack!" ​

Namgung Chang's shoulder was completely shattered. His bones were smashed to pieces by Dam Ho's strike. As his previously intact shoulder was ruined in an instant, Namgung Chang screamed at the top of his lungs. ​

"Aaaaah!" ​

Dam Ho asked. ​

"Does it hurt?" ​

"Hurt? Of course. You bastard worse than a dog." ​

Namgung Chang shouted while lying face down on the ground, drooling. ​

It was too painful and agonizing. And humiliating. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't accept this situation. ​

He was practically a founding contributor who had created today's Martial Alliance. Though there might be minor flaws, he hadn't done anything bad enough to deserve this treatment. ​

"Yes! You also feel pain." ​

"I'm also human. Of course I feel pain and agony." ​

"So you were human after all. Then why did you do it?" ​

"You bastard!" ​

Namgung Chang thought Dam Ho was mocking him. The thought that Dam Ho of all people was mocking him made his reason fly away. ​

His neck bulged with veins. ​

"I am not a cheap enough life to deserve mockery from you. Show reverence to me, who has devoted everything for the great cause of the martial world." ​

"So you collaborated with the Demon Cult for that?" ​

"What nonsense are you talking?" ​

"I already know. That you collaborated with the Demon Cult to kill me." ​

"Don't, don't lie. Do you have evidence?" ​

"I don't need evidence." ​

"Don't make false accusations carelessly. I'm an important figure of the Namgung family and the Martial Alliance. I haven't lived such a trivial life as to be slandered without evidence. To persecute someone without any proof…" ​

"I told you! I don't need evidence." ​

Craaaack! ​

At that moment, Dam Ho's foot struck down on Namgung Chang's left leg. As if pounded by a giant pestle, Namgung Chang's left leg was completely crushed from the shin. ​

"Grrrr!" ​

The extreme pain that made his head go white prevented Namgung Chang from even screaming. He just curled up and trembled. ​

Dam Ho looked down at such a Namgung Chang indifferently. That bottomless gaze made Namgung Chang sick. ​

He instinctively realized. ​

That Dam Ho had no intention of ending with just this much. ​

He would continue to torment and cause him pain until he heard the answer he wanted. ​

Though Namgung Chang thought nothing of causing pain to others, he was infinitely weak before the pain he would suffer. ​

"You demon-like bastard!" ​

His breath was choking. He felt like suffocating. ​

Dam Ho's gaze made it so. It was as if his mind and body were being sucked into an endless abyss. ​

Suddenly something welled up inside Namgung Chang. He couldn't suppress what rose from deep in his chest and vomited it out. ​

"Yes! I did it. To eliminate you. To erase you, who isn't even human. I leaked information to them. Why? Because you would only be a harm to the martial world. So… so I leaked information to the Demon Cult bastards. Is that wrong? I don't think so." ​

Like a dam bursting, Namgung Chang poured out words. With his reason paralyzed, Namgung Chang didn't even know what he was saying. He just wanted to pour out cursed words at Dam Ho in this moment. ​

"If not for you, there would have been no reason for the Namgung family to fall like that, and many prestigious families wouldn't have suffered damage. It's all because of you. Because of you, the existing order was shaken, and because of that, many suffered damage. You're like a plague that's no help to this world. So I tried to eliminate you using the Demon Cult bastards. Is that such a great wrong?" ​

"……" ​

Dam Ho was silent. ​

If he were human, he would have shown some reaction by now. That appearance completely blew away Namgung Chang's reason. ​

"If not for you from the beginning, my plans wouldn't have gone awry, and there would have been no reason to freeload at Shaolin Temple like this. Your arrogance, your stubbornness created today's tragedy. So rather than resent me, resent yourself. Kehehe!" ​

Saliva and foam flowed from Namgung Chang's mouth. The extreme pain and tremendous fear he was experiencing for the first time in his life had paralyzed even his reason. ​

"The strategist collaborated with the Demon Cult? How could that be?" ​

"That's impossible!" ​

"For Strategist Namgung to commit such acts." ​

The heroes murmured. ​

Expressions of disbelief commonly appeared on their faces. But they had to believe. Because they were words directly spat out by none other than Namgung Chang himself. ​

It didn't take long for expressions that began with disbelief to change to shock, then anger. ​

Whatever the reason, the strategist who should lead the Martial Alliance providing information to the enemy Demon Cult was absolutely unforgivable. ​

When the situation became like this, not only Shaolin Temple's Abbot Gwang-cheon but even Alliance Leader Nam Cheon-san showed clearly flustered expressions. ​

"Amitabha!" ​

"This cannot be!" ​

They couldn't manage their expressions at such a shocking fact. Namgung Chang's words were that tremendous. ​

That's when it happened. ​

A bit of life briefly returned to Namgung Chang's unfocused eyes. His reason had somewhat returned. ​

The heroes gathered at the mountain gate were murmuring. When that rumbling stimulated his eardrums, the words and moments he had just spat out came to mind. The secret that should never be known to the world, which he had spat out like excrement. ​

Instantly Namgung Chang's complexion went deathly pale. ​

"No, it can't be!" ​

He felt gazes of disbelief and anger. ​

Thousands of people gathered in this place were looking at him with hostile gazes. ​

Namgung Chang's pupils shook as if an earthquake had occurred. He couldn't even feel the physical pain. ​

Due to his statement today, the Namgung family's honor had been driven into the ground, and they had lost their place in the martial world. With his own hands, he had practically cut off the lifeline of the Namgung family that had just begun to recover. ​

Namgung Chang looked up at Dam Ho. In that brief time, his face had aged at least ten more years with deep wrinkles, and his hair had turned completely white. ​

"Cruel… Are you satisfied now?" ​

"……" ​

"Because of you, everything of mine and the Namgung family has collapsed. I'm asking if you're satisfied now." ​

Namgung Chang's voice was closer to a wail. But among those in the hall, there wasn't a single person who sympathized with him. Rather, they looked at Namgung Chang with contemptuous gazes. ​

Though they wanted to directly punish Namgung Chang, that was Dam Ho's role. ​

"This demon-like bastard. Though you're triumphant now, your end won't be good either. Because of you, Mount Hua Sect will also fall. You're a seed of disaster; everything connected to you won't escape calamity." ​

Namgung Chang cursed Dam Ho. ​

His appearance spitting curses with bloodshot eyes made viewers' hair stand on end. But Dam Ho, the person in question, showed not a change in expression. That appearance made Namgung Chang even more enraged. ​

Just as he was about to pour out more curses, Dam Ho grabbed his collar and lifted him up. Namgung Chang's body dangled in Dam Ho's grip. ​

With his shoulder broken and one leg ruined, Namgung Chang couldn't even dare to resist. Still, he didn't avoid Dam Ho's gaze. ​

Not avoiding Dam Ho's gaze was his last pride. Dam Ho's face filled his retina. ​

Dam Ho's mouth opened. ​

"There's only one reason you're dying." ​

"What… is that?" ​

Dam Ho's gaze sank eerily. ​

He kills people with his fists, but someone like Namgung Chang kills people with his three-inch tongue, with his three-pound brain. The number of those who die from his wrong decisions, his wrong orders, cannot compare to the number Dam Ho kills with his fists. They think of their subordinate forces only as numbers, not as fellow humans. ​

"Being in the highest position yet not looking toward the lowest place." ​

BOOM! ​

With a thunderclap, darkness settled in Namgung Chang's vision. ​

Never to be lifted. ​

“…?”

It wasn’t pierced through.

Just a very small hole like being pricked by a needle had formed.

But the fact that Iron Head technique couldn’t deflect the sickle meant Iron Head technique had already begun collapsing.

When Jin Ja-gang swung the folding sickle again and it hit, when he swung the sickle, Gong-do’s head received such a great shock that he almost slammed his forehead into the ground.

Gong-do tensed his neck and braced himself with his hands on the floor.

Only now did he realize the seriousness of the situation.

Each time the sickle’s sharp tip touched Iron Head technique, a little energy release was mixed in.

The technique Taoist Haewol had taught Jin Ja-gang.

Energy release technique that destroys protective energy.

That was what had been breaking down Iron Head technique.

Crack!

Though Gong-do gritted his teeth trying to defend somehow, Jin Ja-gang again swung the folding sickle without rest.

Pop!

This time too the folding sickle’s tip embedded. Gong-do’s pupils shook.

“…!”

“Didn’t you say it wouldn’t penetrate?”

Jin Ja-gang asked back while spinning the folding sickle in his hand. Then immediately swung to strike Gong-do’s head.

The moment the folding sickle made contact, this time an even greater energy release than before burst out.

Bang!

Crack, Gong-do’s head pierced through the floorboards and embedded.

Jin Ja-gang swung the folding sickle to strike again. Gong-do used all his strength to raise his head and tried to deflect the folding sickle with his crown.

But Iron Head technique was already collapsing.

Pop!

The folding sickle embedded one finger-joint deep into Gong-do’s crown.

When Jin Ja-gang pulled out the folding sickle, a small triangular hole was revealed in Gong-do’s crown, and blood spurted from there like a fountain.

Asura Blood penetrated into Gong-do’s brain through where the folding sickle had embedded.

Blood filled Gong-do’s eyes. Stains gradually formed around his eyes and petals began appearing.

Then Mu-gak shouted.

“Break your essence!”

You don’t die without eyes or nose. Same with limbs.

If you protect just the brain, you can survive plenty.

Instantly Gong-do didn’t hesitate and followed Mu-gak’s judgment. Like any Shaolin Temple disciple would know, he broke the refined energy of Child Technique and shattered his essence.

And he drew up the refined energy of Child Technique broken by shattering essence from his testicles to perineum, from perineum through the spine to his head all at once.

There are typically two types of Child Technique.

One is Return to Beginning Child Technique that returns the body to a newborn state with completely unblocked meridians, and the other is Treasure Essence Love Energy Child Technique that firmly controls refined energy, the source of life, without letting it leak externally.

However, though they pursued different directions, the methods of not approaching lust were similar.

Especially both Return to Beginning and Treasure Essence Love Energy were consistent with what Taoists called “returning essence to supplement the brain.” The method of returning essence to supplement the brain is a longevity technique where men don’t discharge refined energy during intercourse but return it to the head to supply the brain with refined energy.

Internal energy is accepting nature’s energy through breathing and accumulating it in the body, and refined energy is that internal energy concentrated and condensed to maximum again.

Mu-gak advised using Child Technique’s refined energy, more powerful than internal energy, directly drawn to the brain to counter Asura Blood.

Soon the Child Technique refined energy Gong-do had drawn up filled his head.

Asura Blood’s poison energy couldn’t penetrate the refined energy Gong-do had purely preserved for decades and circled near his brain.

His mind cleared and turbidity disappeared.

Gong-do protected his brain with refined energy while drawing all the Asura Blood spread throughout his body to gather at his tongue tip.

His tongue went numb and lost sensation.

Gong-do bit his own tongue tip. From the severed tongue tip, Asura Blood’s terrible poison liquid flowed out mixed with saliva and blood, and indescribable fragrances filled his mouth.

Now if he spat out this Asura Blood…!

Just as Gong-do was about to open his mouth, Jin Ja-gang reached out.

Clap.

Jin Ja-gang’s hand covered Gong-do’s mouth.

Though the time it took for Gong-do to shatter essence and drive out Asura Blood using the method of returning essence to supplement the brain was very short, during that time he had been almost defenseless.

Gong-do was horrified.

If he didn’t spit it out quickly, Asura Blood would be reabsorbed through his wounded mouth!

“Hmph! Mph!”

Gong-do shook his head this way and that trying to spit out Asura Blood’s poison liquid somehow. He reached out to remove Jin Ja-gang’s hand.

But while Gong-do’s nerves were completely focused on his mouth, Jin Ja-gang gripped the folding sickle in reverse and brought it to Gong-do’s back of the head. Then pulled up diagonally.

The folding sickle embedded deeply between the back of his head and neck, around the back of his skull where Iron Head technique didn’t reach.

No matter how he protected his brain with refined energy, he couldn’t protect his brain from the folding sickle’s blade that had entered from the back of his skull.

Gong-do’s eyes opened wide and his pupils contracted completely to dots.

Gulp… gul… p…

His eye focus loosened and Gong-do ended up swallowing all the Asura Blood and blood he had tried to spit out. The arm he had stretched forward dropped limply.

Jin Ja-gang removed his hand from Gong-do’s mouth and pulled out the folding sickle embedded in the back of his head.

Thud.

Gong-do’s head collapsed powerlessly to the floor.

Jin Ja-gang immediately surveyed the scene.

Im Yi-eon was helping An Ryeong press Ham-geun, while Yuk Ha-seon sat leaning against the wall with a pale complexion. She was staring blankly with vacant eyes and trembling pale lips as if almost unconscious.

It seemed she had lost consciousness before stopping the bleeding due to losing tremendous amounts of blood in a short time. If left alone, she would die from excessive blood loss within moments.

What about Mu-gak?

Jin Ja-gang turned his head to find Mu-gak.

The Cherry Blossom Corps youngsters were huddled in a corner, terrified by the hellish scene unfolding in the inn.

Roll roll…

The pill had unfortunately rolled in that direction.

During the fierce battle, the Asura Blood antidote had rolled to the youngsters’ feet.

Step, step.

Gong-hon with a face that looked like it had been scraped with a blade dozens of times was walking over to pick up the pill. Mu-gak was being carried in one of Gong-hon’s arms.

“Aaaaah!”

“Aaah!”

The Cherry Blossom Corps youngsters screamed and pressed closer to the wall.

However, one youngster with a broken leg had some thought and urgently rushed forward, almost falling over, to pick up the pill.

Gong-hon lifted his scraped and tattered eyelids to glare at the youngster.

“Hand it over.”

His lips were all cut so his pronunciation was unclear. But it was understandable words. The youngster was startled and sat down backing away, then gripped the pill tightly in his hand and shouted.

“P-p-p-please spare me!”

His intention to survive using the poison resistance pill as collateral was clear.

Mu-gak looked at the youngster quietly with his bent neck and asked.

“How many?”

“What?”

The youngster who had been confused for a moment immediately answered.

“Just me alone is enough!”

The Cherry Blossom Corps youngsters were indignant.

“What a despicable bastard!”

“Trying to save only himself!”

The youngster yelled.

“Shut up, you bastards! My leg is broken so I can’t even move alone!”

It was naturally an excuse. There were plenty with worse injuries than the youngster, and most of all, having intact legs didn’t mean they could escape from here.

Fortunately, Mu-gak answered as if responding to the other youngsters’ wishes.

“No.”

The youngster was startled. He gripped the pill tightly and shouted.

“I-i-if you don’t spare me, this poison resistance pill…!”

Mu-gak stared at him and asked.

“What will you do?”

The youngster swallowed dry saliva and answered.

“I’ll e-eat the poison resistance pill!”

The youngster brought it to his mouth as if he would eat the poison resistance pill immediately.

Mu-gak clicked his tongue.

“Do you want to end up like the guy you just saw?”

Perhaps thinking it was do-or-die, the youngster became vicious.

“This damn! Then you know there won’t be a poison resistance pill either. Crazy monk, want to see who loses more?”

Being desperate, the speech patterns of a thug who had been wandering back alleys was fully revealed.

Mu-gak’s gaze became cold.

“Eat it.”

“…I-I’ll really eat it! This isn’t a joke!”

Tremendous killing intent burst from Mu-gak’s eyes.

“Eat · it.”

At the same time, Gong-hon strode toward the youngster.

The youngster spat out curses.

“This dog-like…”

Gong-hon’s figure disappeared with a whoosh. The moment he disappeared, he appeared right next to the youngster.

The youngster almost became tearful and urgently shoved the pill into his mouth. Mu-gak’s twisted hand emerged from Gong-hon’s embrace.

The youngster used all his nursing strength to clamp his mouth shut tight. He had already seen how Zhuge Gu died earlier. He absolutely had to get it in his mouth to survive. Then they couldn’t carelessly burst his head.

Clack!

He closed his mouth so hard that his teeth collided and the tips broke.

By then Mu-gak’s finger was already touching the youngster’s crown.

The youngster’s front appearance was surprisingly intact.

Mu-gak withdrew his hand while speaking.

“Ill-mannered bastard.”

The youngster clenched his teeth while streaming bloody tears.

“Ugh… ugh ugh.”

He cried making strange wheezing sounds.

But the pill the youngster had put in his mouth was rolling behind him.

Roll roll…

He had definitely thrown it into his mouth and closed it hard enough to break his teeth.

Then the youngster’s body went limp and fell forward, explosively pouring out blood.

The Cherry Blossom Corps youngsters couldn’t even scream. They trembled like aspen leaves.

The youngster looked fine from the front, but not from behind. Only the front part existed. The back half of his body, including the back of his head, was gone. The back part of his body had become minced meat stuck to the floor where the youngster had originally been sitting.

That’s why the pill he had put in his mouth had passed through his throat and fallen right out.

Now there was no one among the youngsters to interfere with Gong-hon picking up the poison resistance pill.

Gong-hon picked up the poison resistance pill and handed it to Mu-gak.

Jin Ja-gang retrieved his folding sickle, wiping the blood from the blade while throwing a comment to Mu-gak.

“Monk kills people like eating meals.”

Gong-hon turned to face Jin Ja-gang head-on.

Mu-gak trembled his hand as if he would drop the poison resistance pill while responding.

“Do you know a game called Path to Enlightenment?”

“I don’t.”

“It’s a game where you throw dice to move pieces.”

“I’m hearing of it for the first time.”

“The Path to Enlightenment board has various worlds. There’s paradise and hell. You throw dice well and pass through those paths to finally meet Buddha and achieve enlightenment to win.”

Mu-gak continued.

“But this game has a terrible trap. To meet Buddha, you must enter the square of great awakening. If you can’t enter the square, that is, if you don’t achieve great awakening… you must wander eternally through paths connected by six reincarnations: hungry ghost realm, animal realm, human realm, heavenly realm, asura realm, and hell realm.”

Mu-gak pointed at the inside of the inn with his trembling finger.

“How about it. This place… Where do you think this is?”

Jin Ja-gang looked at Mu-gak and answered seriously.

“Does Monk want to say this is the hell realm?”

“It is the hell realm. With all sorts of sinful bastards gathered here, where else would it be but hell realm? In hell, people dying isn’t such a great spectacle. They skin you alive and pierce your mouth with iron skewers heated in fire. They throw you in boiling oil and crush you with iron mountains. How is it different from now?”

“Buddhism has the saying ‘form is emptiness,’ yet Monk judges this place as hell based only on what you see?”

“Really? Then where do you think this is?”

Jin Ja-gang answered immediately.

“Hungry ghost realm.”

Mu-gak’s eyebrows twitched.

“Hungry ghost realm?”

Jin Ja-gang answered.

“From when I first experienced the martial world until now. The martial world has always been the same. Full of inhuman things that bite others to eat even a little more themselves.”

Mu-gak laughed making strange giggling sounds.

“You’re truly strange! Do you make others into hungry ghosts to be aloof alone!”

Jin Ja-gang replied coldly.

“What use is being aloof alone in a world of hungry ghosts? Are you telling me to become king of the hungry ghosts?”

“What?”

Jin Ja-gang wore a bleak smile. Then bared his teeth and said.

“Monk, don’t be mistaken. I came up from hell realm to devour those hungry ghosts.”