Chapter 395: The Sky of Green Forest Falls (2)

Snorting! ​

The horse repeatedly let out rough breathing sounds along with snorts. Its heart was beating wildly as if about to burst, and sweat was pouring like rain from its entire body. Still, Hwang Hye-ryeong couldn't stop the horse. ​

'Father!' ​

Having crossed the Yangtze River and run toward Mount Huang without resting for even a moment, the horses' stamina had now reached its limit. The only one still intact was Black Ghost that Dam Ho was riding. The rest of the horses were in such a state that it wouldn't be strange if they collapsed at any moment. ​

Still, what was comforting was that they had almost reached Mount Huang. The entrance to Mount Huang could be seen in the distance. ​

CLANG CLANG! ​

The sound of weapons clashing carried on the wind. ​

"Damn!" ​

Muk Il-gwang jumped down from his exhausted horse and deployed his lightness technique to rush forward. Behind him, the horse that had grown tired from carrying him was collapsing, but he didn't even glance at it. ​

In the distance, he could see those fighting. Though they were too far away to see clearly, only appearing as vague forms, Muk Il-gwang instantly recognized their faces. ​

They were Green Forest brothers he had spent his entire life with. Their screams were piercing his eardrums. ​

"You wicked Demon Cult bastards. You'll never climb up to Overlord's Stronghold." ​

"Come at us!" ​

Shouts and screams filled the air. And countless people were dying. ​

Most of those dying while spilling blood were Green Forest brothers. ​

"You bastards!" ​

A bloody gleam flowed from Muk Il-gwang's eyes. ​

Before his brothers' deaths, he lost his reason. Before he knew it, two large axes were in his hands. ​

"HYAAAAAH!" ​

CRASH! ​

With a tremendous battle cry, he threw his entire body forward. The human barrier formed by the Demon Cult martial artists greatly shook. ​

"Brother!" ​

"Il-gwang!" ​

Bang Jin-bo and Hwang Hye-ryeong joined the fight belatedly. ​

Faced with Overlord's Stronghold's crisis, they had no time to think of anything else. Overlord's Stronghold was a precious place that held good memories for Bang Jin-bo as well. ​

Hwang Hye-ryeong deployed her martial arts with all her might. ​

"Argh!" ​

"You bastards!" ​

Screams filled the air. ​

The ground was soaked with blood and muddy, and corpses were piled layer upon layer. And most of them were people Hwang Hye-ryeong and Bang Jin-bo knew. ​

Bang Jin-bo bit his lips until they bled. He prided himself on having experienced all hardships while following Dam Ho, but this was his first time directly participating in a bloody battle. ​

Both Muk Il-gwang and Hwang Hye-ryeong were fighting with all their might. Each time they swung their weapons, someone spilled blood and fell. ​

They were people who had already experienced killing others. They had already stepped deeply into the world called the martial world. But Bang Jin-bo was different. ​

Though he had seen Dam Ho kill people many times, Bang Jin-bo had never directly killed anyone. Therefore, this current situation was inevitably more frightening for him than anyone else. ​

Bang Jin-bo realized he stood at a crossroads of choice. And Bang Jin-bo made his choice. ​

SWISH! ​

His main blade created plum blossoms. ​

It was the Plum Blossom Blade technique. ​

"Gurgle!" ​

A Demon Cult martial artist spilled blood and fell. Bang Jin-bo was already moving to find his next opponent without having time to confirm his life or death. ​

He was a cook and a martial artist. ​

He would no longer deny his identity. ​

Dam Ho dismounted from Black Ghost and passed behind Bang Jin-bo. He didn't spare Bang Jin-bo a glance. Because he trusted him that much. ​

Bang Jin-bo wasn't weak enough to need his worry. His heart was also resolute. Worrying about Bang Jin-bo would rather be an insult to him. ​

Dam Ho moved his steps toward Overlord's Stronghold. ​

Countless Demon Cult martial artists were tangled in battle on the path he was heading. But none of them attacked Dam Ho. ​

It wasn't that they saw and avoided him. ​

Martial artists possessed martial instincts. The power to instinctively recognize opponents who matched their level. ​

Because of this, martial artists would move to find opponents matching their level even in chaotic battles and fight, while avoiding opponents they couldn't handle. ​

No one spared Dam Ho a glance. Their bodies were instinctively sensing and avoiding him as an opponent they couldn't handle. ​

A path opened before Dam Ho. Dam Ho walked that path. ​

He didn't spare a glance for those fighting around him. His destination was precisely Overlord's Stronghold. ​

Since it was Overlord's Stronghold he had visited once before, Dam Ho's steps were unhindered. Throughout his journey toward Overlord's Stronghold, countless corpses caught his eye. ​

Most were martial artists from Overlord's Stronghold, but some Demon Cult martial artists were mixed among them. The blood they shed was dyeing Mount Huang red. ​

"G-Great Hero Dam!" ​

Then someone's weak voice was heard. ​

Dam Ho's gaze moved to find the owner of the voice. The owner of the voice was a middle-aged man wearing tiger skin. He was buried under a broken tree stump, weakly looking at Dam Ho. ​

His limbs were bent in grotesque directions, and through a large hole in his abdomen, his intestines were flowing out. Despite wounds that would have killed an ordinary person already, he was tenaciously clinging to life. ​

Dam Ho asked. ​

"Your name?" ​

"I-Iron Bear Stronghold Leader Y-Yong… Cheol-gyeong." ​

He was precisely Yong Cheol-gyeong, the leader of Iron Bear Stronghold who had come running to help Hwang Gyeong-mun. A master who could be considered second only to Hwang Gyeong-mun was lying fallen in such a wretched collapsed state. ​

Dam Ho silently looked at Yong Cheol-gyeong. Then Yong Cheol-gyeong barely opened his mouth. ​

"The Grand… Leader, please… I beg you…" ​

With eyes completely reddened from burst blood vessels, Yong Cheol-gyeong earnestly looked at Dam Ho. Dam Ho knew the meaning contained in his gaze. And he also felt its weight. ​

SNAP! ​

Yong Cheol-gyeong's head tilted. His breath had stopped. ​

Even after his breath stopped, Yong Cheol-gyeong's wide-open eyes wouldn't close. Dam Ho reached out and closed Yong Cheol-gyeong's eyes. ​

That's when it happened. ​

"He was quite a decent martial artist." ​

A youthful voice was heard from behind. ​

Dam Ho got up and turned around. Then he saw a boy around Bang Jin-bo's age. A boy with remarkably white skin was looking at Dam Ho with a bright expression and smiling. ​

He was wearing white clothes as white as his skin, but nearly half was stained red with blood. Fresh blood dripped down his sleeves. ​

The boy looked at Yong Cheol-gyeong and smiled. ​

"He was quite strong. I was almost in danger thanks to him. But since he died by my hand, he probably has no regrets." ​

"……" ​

"Still, he was worthy of being one of the leaders of the Green Forest Eighteen Strongholds. Should I say he had value worth dying by my hand?" ​

The boy was bright. His eyes were clear and pure, and his voice was full of curiosity. ​

He tilted his head looking at Dam Ho. ​

"But are you always so speechless? If someone speaks to you, you should speak back as a matter of courtesy. Central Plains martial artists really have no manners. Really!" ​

WHOOSH! ​

Suddenly, tremendous wind pressure struck him without warning. ​

"Wh-what?" ​

The boy was startled and tried to retreat. But tremendous gravitational force arose and pulled him in. ​

BOOM! ​

With a thunderous sound, the boy's body was sent flying. Dam Ho's Star-Shattering Fist had erupted. ​

The boy's neat hair became disheveled and blood flowed from his nose. All the blood vessels in his eyes had also burst, looking as if bloody tears might drip down at any moment. ​

He had barely managed to raise his protective Gang Qi after sensing danger – otherwise he would have departed this world with a single strike. ​

The bright-faced boy became distorted like a fierce demon. ​

"How dare you…" ​

Though he appeared to be an ordinary boy on the outside, he was a martial artist that Black Wing Death King Jin Do-hwi had painstakingly raised. From childhood, he had consumed various great techniques and spiritual medicines to possess abnormally powerful internal energy, and his humanity had been destroyed so he couldn't feel common emotions. ​

To him, killing was an exciting game like killing grasshoppers or frogs, not something to feel guilty about. ​

The boy who suffered an unexpected attack exploded with killing intent and tried to counterattack. But Dam Ho didn't let him. ​

CRACK! ​

Dam Ho's elbow, having approached within striking distance, crashed into the boy's temple. ​

From the intense shock, the boy's consciousness was instantly cut off. His eyes were open and he could see everything clearly, but he couldn't recognize the situation. ​

He regained consciousness due to the intense grip choking his neck. Dam Ho's hands were somehow gripping the collar around his neck. ​

"Wh-what?" ​

Just as the boy cried out in alarm, his legs were instantly pulled up from the ground. Immediately after, dizzying weightlessness struck and his head and legs' positions were reversed. ​

The boy struggled to escape from Dam Ho's grasp but it was useless. His upside-down body was driven toward the ground like lightning. ​

"N-no!" ​

CRASH! ​

At that moment, the boy's head was buried directly into the ground and shattered completely. The headless torso seemed to shake powerlessly a few times before collapsing. ​

Only then did Dam Ho straighten up. ​

Dam Ho moved his steps without sparing a glance for the boy's corpse. His eyes were sunken deeper than ever. ​

As he approached Overlord's Stronghold, acrid smoke and the fishy smell of blood pierced his nostrils. It was the smell of death all too familiar to Dam Ho. ​

CRACKLE! ​

Overlord's Stronghold was burning. ​

Screams and wails erupted from various places, and some people busied themselves trying to put out the fire. But the flames that had caught Overlord's Stronghold were too large to be extinguished by just a few people's efforts. ​

Dam Ho's gaze turned toward the clearing in the center of Overlord's Stronghold. Because Hwang Gyeong-mun was there. ​

He stood firmly like a stone statue holding the Tyrant Blade. And across from him, Black Wing Death King Jin Do-hwi stood with his arms crossed, watching. ​

Hwang Gyeong-mun's eyes, which had been fixed on Jin Do-hwi, suddenly turned toward Dam Ho. A smile bloomed on his lips. ​

"You came." ​

"……" ​

"Thank goodness… Ugh!" ​

CRACK! ​

At that moment, the Tyrant Blade in his grip shattered and Hwang Gyeong-mun's body collapsed powerlessly. ​

Fresh blood instantly spread across the floor where he sat down. As if all the blood in his entire body had been squeezed out by a press. ​

Dam Ho walked toward Hwang Gyeong-mun. Only then did Jin Do-hwi turn around. ​

"I clearly told Yeong-yu not to let anyone come up." ​

"……" ​

"He must be dead." ​

Jin Do-hwi's eyes gleamed coldly. ​

He was one of the Demon Cult's greatest masters. Excluding the Cult Leader Check Gwan-hyeol, there were almost none who could match him. ​

Naturally, he sensed the violent aura flowing from Dam Ho's body. The beast-like atmosphere and energy that ordinary people couldn't detect. ​

The boy he had raised certainly possessed tremendous martial prowess worthy of being called a killing machine. But he was inadequate to handle someone with such violent aura. ​

His gaze turned toward Dam Ho's feet. ​

Dam Ho was still slightly limping on one foot. In all the world, there was only one martial artist with such a distinct characteristic. ​

"So you're the Fist Demon." ​

"……" ​

"Who would have thought I'd meet you here. Heaven's will is truly mysterious." ​

Jin Do-hwi smiled. Then his black cloak writhed like a living creature. It was a remarkably bizarre sight. ​

He moved his steps toward Dam Ho. ​

"I wanted to see you. Fist Demon." ​

"……" ​

"Just what kind of bastard you are to repeatedly interfere with our cult's great enterprise." ​

The closer he came, the more violently his cloak fluttered like black wings. ​

At that moment, Dam Ho opened his mouth. ​

"You're the same." ​

"What do you mean?" ​

"Being talkative." ​

"What?" ​

"He was also talkative." ​

At Dam Ho's words, Jin Do-hwi wrinkled his nose. Because he momentarily couldn't understand Dam Ho's words. But soon his face became viciously distorted. ​

"You mean Yeong-yu?" ​

"Right! He was chatty. Just like you!" ​

"……" ​

This time Jin Do-hwi closed his mouth. ​

Dam Ho moved his steps toward him. ​

"So I killed him." ​

"You bastard!" ​

"And I'm going to kill you too." ​

"You think that's possible?" ​

"He probably thought like you until he died. But he still died." ​

"How dare you!" ​

"Do you think you'll be different?" ​

In an instant, the thread of reason snapped in Jin Do-hwi's head. ​

Tang Qing’s small body leaped like a flea and flew toward Jin Ja-gang. Blood flowed from his severed right middle toe, scattering droplets.

At some moment, Tang Qing’s body disappeared.

Tang Qing’s vanished body appeared above and behind Jin Ja-gang’s head.

“I was kind to you, but you don’t know your limits.”

Jin Ja-gang lowered his body and drew out a short staff from his waist. He turned around and struck at Tang Qing’s head.

Thud, Tang Qing blocked the middle of the short staff with his palm.

Clank!

As soon as he blocked it, a blade sprang out from the short staff and slashed at his face. Tang Qing twisted his head. Instead of his face, his hair was cut.

Tang Qing swept through the air with his hand to grasp the cut hair, then blew it out with a puff.

The hair strands stretched stiffly like needles and flew toward Jin Ja-gang’s eyes. Jin Ja-gang raised his left arm to block.

All the hair embedded in Jin Ja-gang’s forearm. Still having power left, it penetrated through the forearm, and Jin Ja-gang had to move his head to avoid the protruding hair.

Tang Qing kicked repeatedly in the air.

Bam bam bang!

The short staff flew away. Jin Ja-gang was also sent flying nearly three zhang. He rolled among blood and flesh pieces, then sprang up. His left arm was in extreme agony and he couldn’t straighten his folded arm.

But Tang Qing was already in front of Jin Ja-gang. Tang Qing leaped up again and kicked Jin Ja-gang.

Bang! Blood droplets scattered like a whirlwind. Jin Ja-gang blocked the kick with his right arm but floated in the air and flew another three zhang.

He rolled on the ground, then struck the ground with his elbow to get up. His left arm was stiff from poison and difficult to move, while his right arm tingled from impact. But again, the moment Jin Ja-gang stood up, Tang Qing was ghostlike in front of him.

“Your left arm hurts, right? You want to remove the poison, right? But will there be time for that?”

Bam bam bang!

With consecutive kicks, Jin Ja-gang was sent flying again. Rolling, this time he rolled on the ground even more than before. His right arm bone seemed damaged as the pain was extreme. Jin Ja-gang couldn’t get up immediately and knelt, rested once, then stood up.

Whoosh! With the wind, Tang Qing was again leaping in front of Jin Ja-gang.

“Will your right arm break first, or will your left arm become useless first?”

Bang! Jin Ja-gang was completely sent flying and fell backward. This time he couldn’t block properly so the impact came directly to his ribs. He was already far from where they had been fighting. It was dirt ground with no blood or flesh pieces.

Still, Jin Ja-gang got up.

“Huff huff…”

He staggered as he got up, his legs giving out.

But Tang Qing didn’t stop. With the usual wind sound, Tang Qing appeared again. Tang Qing floated in the air at the same eye level as Jin Ja-gang who was bending his waist.

“Still able to endure?”

Tang Qing spun in the air and kicked Jin Ja-gang with his back foot.

Jin Ja-gang used all his strength to block with both arms in front.

Crack!

Tang Qing’s foot dug into both forearms with the sound of breaking bones.

Boom!

Jin Ja-gang rolled on the ground like a fallen leaf caught in wind.

But soon he wriggled and pressed his forehead to the ground. He twisted his waist and crawled on his knees to raise his body. His eyes were still alive. But both arms hung down limply.

“Ah, good. It would be disappointing if you gave up already.”

Tang Qing’s voice appeared before Jin Ja-gang’s eyes. Tang Qing showed no mercy and kicked Jin Ja-gang’s chest. Jin Ja-gang spat bright red blood and flew in an arc.

For a while he couldn’t even get up while lying down.

But again, Jin Ja-gang stood up. His body swayed back and forth but his eyes didn’t weaken at all.

Tang Qing’s mouth split.

“Not tamed, not submitting. Not bending, not yielding. Sometimes there are such guys. Guys who live as if they’re something special.”

Jin Ja-gang panted and looked at Tang Qing. Tang Qing continued with a murderous smile.

“That’s only possible when you have strength. What moves the world is violence. No matter how eloquent, no matter how fine a writer who creates famous works, if you beat them a few times and snap their neck, they can’t say anything. Then I win!”

But Jin Ja-gang looked at Tang Qing with blood-stained eyes and opened his mouth.

“King of Hell.”

Jin Ja-gang smiled.

“You talk too much. You’ve already lost.”

Tang Qing’s eyes narrowed. Anger surged to his head. Tang Qing grabbed and pulled out a handful of his disheveled hair.

Thud thud!

He was so angry he couldn’t control his emotions, leaving the spots where hair was pulled bare.

Tang Qing threw the hair toward Jin Ja-gang with a furious face. The fluttering hair all stood straight and poured toward Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang couldn’t even block.

Thud.

Without sound, hundreds of hair strands embedded in Jin Ja-gang’s front like a porcupine. Jin Ja-gang bounced backward and fell on his bottom.

He finally got up on his knees, swaying weakly, but soon his pupils rolled and he collapsed forward.

And he could no longer get up.

Tang Qing bit his lips.

“Acting arrogant, you little bloodbag…”

Throb!

Only then did Tang Qing tend to his foot. He threw off his shoe. His middle toe was black and dead.

Asura Blood is indeed potent. Even with Tang family’s mental techniques for controlling poison, blocking this much was the limit.

Tang Qing grabbed his middle toe with his fingers.

Pluck!

Tang Qing tore off the entire poisoned middle toe and threw it to a nearby martial artist. The martial artist caught the toe and put it in a small silk pouch.

Then Tang Qing casually put on his shoe and grabbed Jin Ja-gang’s hair.

Jin Ja-gang, completely limp, was lifted with his upper body while half-dragged on the ground.

Tang Qing shouted toward the martial artists.

“Let’s go back!”

* * *

Tang Qing returned to the Tang Family Main House.

From the outside, nothing seemed amiss.

There was no commotion and the outer courtyard under repair remained as it was.

There were no traces of fighting at all.

Tang Qing ground his teeth and spoke even though he knew Jin Ja-gang was unconscious and couldn’t hear.

“If what you babbled to me was bluster, I’ll break every bone in your body into ten thousand pieces on the spot and stretch your limbs to make you crawl on the dirt like an earthworm for life. I’ll make you clearly understand today that horses that can’t be tamed end up being dragged to the slaughterhouse.”

A sedan chair was waiting in front of the outer courtyard.

As soon as they entered the outer courtyard, the martial artists scattered in all directions and disappeared.

Servants and sedan bearers greeted Tang Qing who was left alone.

“We’ll escort you to the great hall.”

Tang Qing grabbed Jin Ja-gang’s hair and dragged him as he got on the sedan.

Strangely, there were no signs of people.

But the outer courtyard was still peaceful.

Tang Qing’s brow twitched.

“What’s this?”

The servants ahead and sedan bearers gave no answer.

“I asked what’s going on.”

A servant briefly stopped the sedan, bowed his head and answered.

“I’m not sure what you’re asking about.”

“It’s too quiet. Why can’t I see anyone walking around the outer courtyard?”

“I only know that the family head ordered everyone to stay away so they wouldn’t encounter King of Hell on his way.”

It seemed Tang Gwi-ok had deliberately controlled things in case Tang Qing captured the leaders of the three Poison Sect Cliques or something, so others wouldn’t see.

“Hmph. Pointless action.”

Tang Qing started the sedan again.

The sedan passed through the outer courtyard path and entered the inner courtyard.

The sedan stopped in front of the great hall of the inner courtyard. The door entering the great hall was tightly closed.

Despite Tang Qing’s arrival.

The servants didn’t announce anything inside and just waited with bowed heads.

Even the inside of the great hall was surrounded by a sound barrier so no sound came through.

He felt suspicious. But this was the Tang family’s inner courtyard. Nothing strange could happen. Even coming this far, hadn’t there been no trouble or traces of fighting?

Tang Qing was angry. Already agitated by Jin Ja-gang, his emotions weren’t properly settled and his hair stuck up.

“What on earth is that family head thinking… Damn it!”

Tang Qing got off the sedan entirely and walked directly to the great hall door, dragging Jin Ja-gang.

Then he stopped while about to knock on the door.

Despite the sound barrier being deployed, something felt strange. His tongue tip tickled for no reason.

Tang Qing glared at the door, then suddenly raised his foot and kicked the door hard.

Crash! The door, over a span thick, shattered and flew away.

And…

The moment he saw the faces of those in the great hall, Tang Qing’s eyes bulged.

The three Poison Sect Cliques!

Yuk Ha-seon of Pleasure Heaven, Ro-gwan of Leper Mound, and Gap-tak-yeon of Coal Mining Office were all in the great hall.

Along with several of their subordinates.

Looking completely fine!

Tang Qing’s eyes opened wide. Tang Qing, who had an expression of disbelief, soon collected himself and asked.

“How are you guys here?”

Tang Qing quickly turned his head to look at Tang Gwi-ok sitting in a wheeled chair next to the three Poison Sect Cliques.

What was more absurd was that Tang family elders were also seated behind Tang Gwi-ok.

“What have you done? What is this place that you let those guys in? Are you crazy?”

Tang Gwi-ok’s expression was very poor. Seeing Jin Ja-gang with tremendous injuries, she frowned even more.

Yuk Ha-seon said to Tang Gwi-ok.

“Now. How about it?”

Tang Gwi-ok’s eyes narrowed.

Ro-gwan said urgingly.

“Look. Aren’t we right?”

Tang Qing gritted his teeth.

“What are you doing? What is this behavior?”

The Tang family elders also had darkened expressions.

Tang Qing shouted.

I asked what you’re doing!

Since Tang Qing shouted with full internal energy, tremendous sound shook the great hall.

“Older brother.”

Tang Gwi-ok didn’t even tell Tang Qing to calm down. Instead she asked accusingly.

“Why did you make Poison Dragon like that?”

“What?”

Tang Qing looked down at Jin Ja-gang hanging limp with his hair grasped in his hand, then looked up at Tang Gwi-ok.

“Are you daring to interrogate this older brother? What good did you do bringing rebels into the house?”

Gap-tak-yeon snorted.

“Rebels? What are you talking about?”

Tang Gwi-ok answered instead.

“These people are leaders belonging to the Poison Sect’s six cliques. They came as guests.”

“Guests…?”

Strictly speaking, that was right. Externally, the Poison Sect’s six cliques all had equal status. There was no reason they couldn’t enter the inner courtyard.

“But those guys definitely…”

“Please tell us. Why did you secretly take troops and leave, and why did you make Poison Dragon look so terrible? Poison Dragon is even our grandson-in-law.”

“Those guys… plotted rebellion!”

Yuk Ha-seon retorted.

“Hmph! Rebellion? Only Poison Dragon went to the standing committee alone. How could he rebel by himself? Rather, wasn’t it you who took troops to kill us by branding us as rebels? To swallow up our three cliques!”

Tang Qing’s face contorted.

“What is this…”

Something was definitely wrong.

But Tang Qing didn’t back down easily. Tang Qing suppressed his emotions and raised the corners of his mouth in a smile.

“These guys conspired together to corner me? Fine. I did that. So what? Poison Dragon wouldn’t listen so I disciplined him a bit, so what?”

No one could oppose the work of the great King of Hell.

Usually that was the case. Even Tang family elders couldn’t dare object to what Tang Qing did.

But… today was different.

Even the elders were looking at Tang Qing with heavy expressions.

Then.

“King of Hell. Those words just now are very dangerous.”

Someone’s voice was heard from inside the great hall. Those in front stepped aside left and right.

A nun in white robes walked out from inside with calm movements.

It was Emei Sect’s sect leader, Divine Nun.