Chapter 452 – Only Resentment Accumulates Layer Upon Layer (2)

"This is…"

Gi San-wol lost words watching the carnage unfolding before his eyes.

He knew the lord he served was formidable, but he truly hadn't known he possessed such merciless technique.

Not just his martial arts, but the technique and ruthlessness he displayed exceeded his imagination. Even if an ordinary person learned martial arts to a supremely high level, displaying it this cruelly wouldn't be easy.

"Just how…"

Even to Gi San-wol, who thought his humanity had worn away after being trapped in Avici Hell for so long, the scene unfolding before his eyes was astonishingly chilling.

The fighting briefly stopped.

Both Divine Flower Merchant Guild's martial artists who'd instantly lost their master and the ambushing martial artists stopped fighting and looked at Dam Ho.

"Fist, Fist Demon."

"How?"

Friend and foe alike had identical reactions.

Disbelief, shock, and fear.

Dam Ho had terrified not only Divine Flower Merchant Guild's martial artists but even the ambushers.

Dam Ho hadn't spoken a single word until then. That appearance made the crowd even more frightened.

A silent killer and an unbearable calamity-like being.

That was Dam Ho in their eyes.

He suddenly appeared and killed Won Hoe-sang, Divine Flower Merchant Guild's leader and the Demon Cult's Outer Circle Leader. For Divine Flower Merchant Guild, it was like getting struck by lightning while walking peacefully.

Thud!

Dam Ho stepped toward them. That footstep sound stimulated their chests with unusual intensity. Especially the psychological shock and fear Divine Flower Merchant Guild's martial artists felt was tremendous.

'We'll die.'

They saw visions of their own deaths in Dam Ho's appearance. Bodies being torn apart and butchered like the Blood Moon Ten Swords, they trembled then rushed at Dam Ho as if having seizures.

Their appearance of rushing toward Dam Ho, abandoning the martial artists they'd been facing, was like moths to flame.

"Huu!"

That moment Gi San-wol sighed and stepped forward.

Whatever the reason, since his lord Dam Ho got swept into fighting, he couldn't remain still either.

Gi San-wol muttered something and formed hand seals. Suddenly mist arose around him.

Bang Jin-bo and the Namgung brothers behind him widened their eyes at this. The mist instantly covered the area and trapped Divine Flower Merchant Guild's martial artists rushing at Dam Ho.

That moment Gi San-wol spat out a word with sincere will.

"Ice Freeze!"

Zzzeeerrr!

Instantly cold air settled in the white mist and began freezing. Along with Divine Flower Merchant Guild's martial artists who'd entered the mist.

First their clothes instantly froze, and white frost settled on their skin and atop their heads.

"Kuk! What is this?"

"E-evil sorcery."

Divine Flower Merchant Guild's martial artists were shocked and raised their internal energy to counter the cold. But the cold instantly penetrated their bodies freezing their blood. Ice crystals like millet seeds created from frozen blood drifted through blood vessels then began clumping together in large vessels entering the heart.

"Kuuuuk!"

"Uuuk!"

The martial artists exposed to cold clutched their chests and knelt. Their complexions were deathly pale like frost.

With blood vessels to the heart frozen, blood couldn't be supplied. The heart was precisely the organ leading to death if it stopped even briefly. Dozens of martial artists exposed to the mist writhed on the ground in agony then died as their hearts stopped.

Their corpses with a layer of frost settled over their entire bodies looked frighteningly chilling.

"Uuu!"

"How can this be!"

By great fortune, Divine Flower Merchant Guild's martial artists who'd avoided the mist shuddered at that scene. Seeing colleagues who'd been alive and breathing moments ago freeze to death instantly, their minds weren't normal.

Actually they'd died from blocked blood vessels, but to their eyes it looked like they'd frozen to death.

With Dam Ho possessing monster-like martial power and Gi San-wol wielding bizarre sorcery added, they lost fighting spirit.

"S-save me!"

"Ahhh!"

They screamed and fled in all directions.

The martial artists who'd ambushed Divine Flower Merchant Guild stood blankly watching them flee.

They didn't even think they'd gained the upper hand. They too felt the same fear as Divine Flower Merchant Guild's martial artists. They just stood awkwardly because Dam Ho and Gi San-wol didn't seem likely to attack them too.

"Kheuk!"

Then suddenly Gi San-wol staggered and coughed blood.

"Are you alright?"

Bang Jin-bo quickly supported Gi San-wol. Gi San-wol leaned on Bang Jin-bo's shoulder and forced a smile.

"Using imperfect sorcery has considerable backlash."

"What kind of sorcery is it…"

"It's called Eight Cold Hell Technique. If properly perfected it can cause mass casualties, but as you see, the side effects are severe so I don't recommend using it except in serious situations."

At Gi San-wol's explanation, Bang Jin-bo was inwardly shocked.

Over thirty martial artists swallowed by the mist lost their lives instantly. Yet even this wasn't complete, so he was frightened thinking what power it would display when perfected.

While supreme-level martial artists could use internal energy to expel cold penetrating their bodies, ordinary martial artists couldn't possibly handle it. Rather, against ordinary martial artists, the sorcery Gi San-wol deployed was more powerful.

Even when first meeting him in the space called Avici Hell, he'd felt strangely chilling, but seeing him deploy sorcery like this, he felt his blood cooling.

"Huu!"

After a while, Gi San-wol recovered his complexion and stood up from leaning on Bang Jin-bo.

The street was already cleared.

Divine Flower Merchant Guild's masters had retreated leaving only casualties, and only the martial artists who'd ambushed them remained on the street. This was enough to celebrate victory, but not one person rejoiced. Rather they looked at Dam Ho's group with fearful gazes.

Not one person dared approach Dam Ho's group, standing hesitantly in a pitiful state.

Among those watching each other, one person finally mustered courage to approach Dam Ho.

"I-I'm Ha Choong-ho, a lay disciple of Shaolin Temple. Th-thank you for Hero Dam's help. Thanks to Hero Dam we could cut off the enemy's supplies. I won't forget this grace."

"Thank you for Hero Dam's help."

The martial artists who'd ambushed Divine Flower Merchant Guild shouted in unison with resounding voices. Their voices echoed loudly through the street.

Dam Ho wordlessly looked at them.

Among the martial artists here, none were famous in the martial world or had exceptionally strong martial arts. Yet they willingly participated in an ambush operation with higher death probability than survival. In fact, even in that brief time, far more had died than survived.

Some might criticize them as recklessly executing operations with foolish courage. But he thought perhaps such foolhardy people's courage gathering one by one might support the vast martial world.

"You worked hard."

With those words, Dam Ho turned around. Then bright smiles appeared on the surviving martial artists' faces.

It was praise from Dam Ho, ranked among the world's most cold-hearted. Just his one sentence made them feel the tension and fatigue they'd carried wash away.

Then Bang Jin-bo stepped forward.

"Everyone worked hard. In case they return, you should secure this place. Quickly remove the corpses and move the grain elsewhere."

"Right! Of course we should."

After that it was swift.

The martial artists removed all corpses sprawled across the street and moved the grain elsewhere. The food that was to be supplied to the Demon Cult would be great help to the Martial Alliance and Henan Province's martial artists.

"To see the Fist Demon Hero Dam directly. I really thought I'd wet myself."

"Huu! Who wouldn't? Such overwhelming pressure, truly murderous. I understand why so many masters across the world fell before him like autumn leaves. Supreme masters being completely torn apart by one punch. It's terrifying even to dream of."

Even while moving corpses and grain, the martial artists talked about Dam Ho. Most people here saw Dam Ho for the first time, so their shock was even greater.

"Still, it's fortunate. That Hero Dam is our ally, not our enemy."

"I agree. If he were the enemy, what would have happened, just imagining is terrifying."

When one martial artist trembled, other martial artists nodded in agreement. The martial prowess of Dam Ho they'd directly witnessed was that shocking. And Gi San-wol's presence deploying sorcery at his side was equally shocking. But strangely, hardly any mention was made of him. People were intentionally skipping over parts about him. But most people didn't even realize that fact.

While conversing, most corpses were removed and only Won Hoe-sang's corpse remained. Won Hoe-sang's headless corpse looked pitiful rather than horrifying.

Won Hoe-sang was the man who possessed the world's greatest wealth. Many envied the tremendous wealth he had and wanted even a portion of it.

Thinking the end of a man with tremendous financial power, the Demon Cult as reliable backing, and power to achieve whatever he wanted was this pitiful made everything feel futile.

"What do we do with this person's corpse?"

"Abandon it in the wilderness to become beast feed."

"Still, he's the same human."

"We must show followers of the Demon Cult as an example. That the end of those following the Demon Cult is this pitiful and cruel."

"Mm!"

Many groaned at someone's suggestion. But soon one or two began agreeing with him, and ultimately they decided to follow his opinion.

That much was how severe their resentment toward the Demon Cult was. Enough not to even give minimum consideration.

Hearing their conversation from outside, Gi San-wol sighed.

"Somehow I feel Avici Hell was more humane than here. Nothing seems as terrible as fighting between humans. That the same species can have such severe resentment and fight to annihilate each other, it's truly not easy to understand."

"No need to understand."

"What?"

"Because humans are originally such beings."

The humans Dam Ho had seen were never good beings.

No beast existing in the world massacres their own kind like humans. How can beings who don't hesitate to massacre their own kind to achieve their desires be called good?

Dark shadows fell across Dam Ho's eyes. Countless thoughts crossed in his pupils flickering in darkness.

***

Won Hoe-sang and Divine Flower Merchant Guild martial artists' corpses were abandoned in the wilderness.

When wild dogs and crows tore at their corpses making them unrecognizable, a group appeared.

They very carefully recovered Won Hoe-sang's corpse. They collected every scattered flesh piece and bone fragment without exception. The recovered corpse was delivered to Won Seol-hwa.

"Ahhhhhh!"

Seeing her father's wretched corpse, Won Seol-hwa let out a desperate scream and fainted. Even after, she repeatedly woke and fainted several times.

"How? How?"

She muttered blankly like a mad person.

Her father who'd seemed high and solid as the sky. Won Seol-hwa most respected and followed her father Won Hoe-sang in the world.

To her, Won Hoe-sang had been a higher and more reliable existence than even the Cult Leader. With such a father returning as a wretched corpse, maintaining sanity was rather impossible.

She came to her senses several days later.

"Who? Who made my father like this?"

"That's…"

"Speak!"

"They say the Fist Demon."

"Fist Demon? I'll never forgive him. I'll chew up every finger, every piece of flesh."

"Young miss!"

"Hoho! You think I'll just leave the one who killed my father? I'll use all my power to definitely kill him. And everything connected to him."

Original venom filled Won Seol-hwa's eyes.

Nothing was visible in the eyes of the woman who'd lost her father. Only thoughts of revenge arose.

The grain meant to be sent to the Demon Cult forces at Mount Song had disappeared, but she didn't care at all. Because avenging her father was more important than such grain.

"Immediately summon all available personnel from the merchant guild."

"Young miss?"

"Now!"

"Understood."

The subordinate answered with an expression of helplessness.

He feared what Won Seol-hwa might do. Because women blinded by resentment sometimes did things beyond imagination.

He could only hope what Won Seol-hwa did wouldn't harm the Demon Cult.

To draw powerful internal energy to the extreme, energy capable of turning a person into a puddle of blood or crushing rock like tofu, requires a high degree of mental fortitude.

Yelu Huan had also gained complete solidity upon mastering the Jade Void Nine Light Five Thunder Toad Art.

Yet the stones Jin Ja-gang had thrown continued to create ripples there.

Once doubt arose, the ripples grew and grew until finally a clear crack formed in Yelu Huan’s mental world.

Yelu Huan was watching clearly as Jin Ja-gang threw the poison needles. Jin Ja-gang had broken ribs and internal injuries, so the poison needles had even less force than before. They were slow, and even trembling.

Rather than waiting for the poison needles to fly over, it would be faster to run over himself and beat Jin Ja-gang to death. The probability of success would likely exceed ninety percent.

Yet he couldn’t do it.

Because of hesitation.

Countless distracting thoughts devoured Yelu Huan.

Only two years or so.

That was the time it took Jin Ja-gang to catch up to the Eighth Light Dike of martial arts that he himself had held onto for decades.

From the Zoroastrian Cult’s followers, including Demon-Destroying Monk Mu-gak to Thunder Emperor Ga Mu-ru.

All the renowned masters had become Jin Ja-gang’s prey.

So how could he be certain that something he didn’t know wasn’t hidden in those powerlessly flying poison needles!

How could he definitively say that the gasping breath and trembling arms were not an act!

In the meantime, the poison needles Jin Ja-gang threw flew to within an inch of the vital points all over Yelu Huan’s body.

Yelu Huan snapped back to his senses with a start. He couldn’t possibly fall for such slow poison needles!

Yelu Huan barely came to his senses at the last moment and moved to knock away the poison needles. His reaction was so late that several even pierced through Yelu Huan’s long robe.

Clang clang!

The poison needles bounced off after hitting something hard.

Yelu Huan looked down at his hand.

What he had unconsciously picked up and swung was a broken short sword only a span in length. Ancient script was engraved on the surface of the short sword, but it had no blade and couldn’t cut.

It was a ceremonial short sword of the Zoroastrian Cult that had been passed down from long ago.

The Persian Ancient Sword!

Made from meteoric iron that fell from the sky, its hardness was unmatched, and it possessed such strength that it took two years just to forge the sword’s shape and engrave the characters using special methods.

Not only ordinary swords but even sword energy could hardly damage this Persian Ancient Sword.

Yelu Huan stroked the inscriptions engraved on the Persian Ancient Sword. This broken Persian Ancient Sword was the history of the Zoroastrian Cult and at the same time, a trace of persecution.

A dynasty from hundreds of years ago had summoned blacksmiths to hammer the Persian Ancient Sword day and night to break the momentum of the Zoroastrian Cult, finally breaking it in half after six months.

Therefore, the Persian Ancient Sword symbolized unbreakable strength and became the sacred object of the cult leader.

Yelu Huan’s troubled thoughts vanished like a lie.

Swish! Swoosh!

Jin Ja-gang shot out Flash Severance. It was twice as fast as the previous Flash Severance. As expected, the slowly thrown poison needles just before were a technique to make this Flash Severance look faster.

Yelu Huan was conscious of the poison needles’ existence.

But then.

Loyal Maheul, seeing Yelu Huan’s strange state, came running. Yelu Huan was being attacked so defenseless that something seemed wrong!

“Cult Leader!”

Maheul wedged himself between Jin Ja-gang and Yelu Huan to block the front and drew up the Zoroastrian Cult’s protective energy technique.

Whoooosh!

Hazy energy rose from his body and wrapped around Maheul like a membrane.

The Flash Severance poison needle Jin Ja-gang threw hit Maheul’s body and clattered down.

“To be flustered by such throwing techniques! This is not like you, Cult Leader!”

Yelu Huan shouted.

“Maheul, stand back!”

“He dared to harm the Cult Leader’s sacred body. Please permit me to tear this bastard apart!”

“I said stand back, Maheul!”

However, this time even Maheul didn’t stand back. He noticed that Yelu Huan was wavering. He had a duty to assist Yelu Huan.

Jin Ja-gang exhaled shortly and spread both arms.

“I was trying to catch a carp, but a minnow took the bait.”

“You’re a dead man now.”

Maheul bared his teeth and his eye flashed. He tried to spring forward and rush at Jin Ja-gang.

In that instant, countless poison needles appeared before Maheul.

Jin Ja-gang raised Flying Thread Twelve Branch to the maximum and threw poison needles consecutively. The second throw was a bit faster than the first, and the third throw was faster than the second.

Therefore, over thirty poison needles poured onto Maheul almost simultaneously.

“Struggle all you want!”

Maheul crouched in place once more and used his protective energy technique. The poison needles lodged in Maheul’s protective energy as if covering it with an inverted hemisphere. However, they all failed to penetrate Maheul’s protective energy and fell powerlessly.

Maheul’s sneer grew louder. But the sneer gradually faded.

Before Maheul could withdraw his protective energy, Jin Ja-gang’s poison palm flew over it and struck.

Thud.

The palm force itself didn’t penetrate the protective energy. However, the poison palm created poison mist as it struck.

Hissss.

“…Huh?”

By the time Maheul sensed something was wrong, Jin Ja-gang had already shot out several palms.

Thud thud thud thwack!

The poison mist burst and scattered, completely enveloping Maheul. Maheul was instantly wrapped in a blood spray. He couldn’t release his protective energy. He couldn’t see ahead because of the poison mist. If he moved wrong…!

***

Yeong-gwi and White Ape, who had fled all the way outside the estate, were watching this.

White Ape trembled, chattering her teeth. For White Ape, who was sensitive to poison, to be this frightened. One could tell how terrible the poison mist that Jin Ja-gang was spewing with his blood was.

If White Ape reacted this much even from afar, then Maheul wrapped in the poison mist…!

Unable to endure, Maheul leaped upward.

Even while wrapped in protective energy, his skin peeled off in places and his clothes rotted. He had to escape quickly and breathe.

A shadow fell over Maheul’s face. Jin Ja-gang, who had leaped above Maheul’s head, pressed down on Maheul’s face with his palm.

Sizzle! The Scorching Twin Phosphor Palm burned Maheul’s face.

“Kyaaaaa!”

Maheul screamed and ended up inhaling. Jin Ja-gang pushed Maheul’s face downward with force.

Boom!

Maheul was buried again in the poison mist he had escaped.

“Maheul!”

Yelu Huan stamped his foot and leaped up. Jin Ja-gang also sprayed poison mist-laden palms at Yelu Huan. Yelu Huan threw off his robe and swung it. He tried to blow away the poison mist with wind and land a palm on Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang drew out Asura Scripture in midair.

Swirl.

Asura Scripture was drawn out in a tangle like silk from a cocoon. Though the internal energy he could use was at the Sixth Light Dike level due to internal injuries, Yelu Huan was also floating in the air so there would be no way to avoid it.

Jin Ja-gang poured all his internal energy into Asura Scripture.

Asura World-Destroying Soul!

Swiiiiish!

Asura Scripture scattered countless times. Asura Scripture scraped at Yelu Huan’s body at a speed difficult to follow with the eyes.

Even a slight graze would turn him into bloody pus!

Yelu Huan extended the Persian Ancient Sword forward. The Persian Ancient Sword moved at a speed just as invisible as Asura Scripture.

Clang clang clang! Clang clang clang clang!

Sparks flew.

The Persian Ancient Sword and Asura Scripture clashed ceaselessly.

Surprisingly, Asura Scripture couldn’t penetrate the Persian Ancient Sword’s wall.

Yelu Huan knocked away every single strand of Asura Scripture’s attacks.

Finally, Asura Scripture, its strength exhausted, became limp threads and unraveled in the air. Yelu Huan pushed off again and extended a palm toward Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang pressed his palm against Yelu Huan’s and struck together.

Crrrack!

Sounds of joints twisting came from Jin Ja-gang’s wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

Pop! His shoulder was dislocated and the bone even protruded behind his shoulder blade.

Bang!

Jin Ja-gang and Yelu Huan were pushed back simultaneously.

Jin Ja-gang tumbled on the ground.

Yelu Huan landed perfectly. However, Yelu Huan couldn’t pull Maheul out from the poison mist. The palm that had struck Jin Ja-gang tingled. In that brief moment, skin had peeled off and pus was seeping out.

“What is this…”

Yelu Huan glared and ground his teeth.

“What do you mean what is this! How can such a terrible poison exist!”

He had knocked away all of Asura World-Destroying Soul but couldn’t resolve Jin Ja-gang’s poison.

Crack, pop.

Jin Ja-gang set his shoulder while spinning his arm around and around, then walked forward.

Though Yelu Huan was right there, he paid no attention and went toward Maheul. Maheul was in the blood spray. Trapped in the poison mist, he couldn’t come out. Since he had already inhaled the poison mist earlier, there was no telling what had happened.

Jin Ja-gang looked at Yelu Huan and suddenly stuck his hand into the poison mist.

Then he grabbed Maheul from inside and pulled him out.

Maheul, who emerged from the poison mist, already had his whole body bruised and his skin melting. Even when Jin Ja-gang grabbed his neck and lifted him up, he couldn’t resist.

“Kuh… gack… kuk.”

Bloody pus flowed from his eyes and his tendons were damaged, making his limbs tremble. With eyes that couldn’t even see, Maheul turned his head toward Yelu Huan.

“Cult… Leader… Please… your sacred body…”

Maheul’s joints went limp and he drooped. Jin Ja-gang set Maheul down. As Maheul’s body melted, bloody pus flowed out, and even the bloody pus was contaminated with poison and became poison blood.

Yelu Huan extended the Persian Ancient Sword toward the sky to honor Maheul’s death.

However, Yelu Huan no longer attacked Jin Ja-gang.

“Because of me, a loyal subordinate and longtime friend became a wandering ghost.”

Yelu Huan looked at Jin Ja-gang. His eyes were tinged red with sorrow and anger.

“I will honor his last words and will not kill you here today.”

Jin Ja-gang stared at Yelu Huan and pointed to the ruined surroundings. He said.

“You’re making it like this and then withdrawing?”

“You did your utmost to catch me even at the cost of broken ribs, but I was reluctant to stake anything and held back, ultimately losing a friend who was like my own limbs.”

Yelu Huan pointed the Persian Ancient Sword at Jin Ja-gang.

“Next time we meet will be different.”

“If you apologize before leaving, I’ll let you go.”

Even at Jin Ja-gang’s words, which seemed almost arrogant, Yelu Huan no longer wavered.

Jin Ja-gang had earned that right.

“The Cult Leader of the Zoroastrian Cult is the cult itself. I bow my head to no one and ask forgiveness from no one.”

“I am not a follower of the Zoroastrian Cult. That’s not my concern. I said it clearly. If you don’t apologize, there will be no next time.”

Yelu Huan looked quietly at Jin Ja-gang, then asked back.

“With that body?”

Yelu Huan didn’t wait any longer and turned around. He left the estate in the opposite direction, avoiding the poison mist scattered everywhere.

Jin Ja-gang staggered, unable to chase.

Yeong-gwi, who had been watching, tried to run in.

“Don’t come.”

Jin Ja-gang stopped her.

“I’m just dizzy from losing too much blood. Please collect the clue he left behind.”

“What about you?”

Jin Ja-gang gritted his teeth.

“I’m chasing the Cult Leader.”

“You can’t chase with that body!”

“If I don’t chase now, next time I’ll be the one who dies.”

Yeong-gwi couldn’t stop him further.

Even though the Zoroastrian Cult Leader had withdrawn on his own, Jin Ja-gang would be the only one who would insist on chasing to kill him to the end.

“It’s not really because he didn’t apologize, is it?”

Jin Ja-gang wore a very slight smile. Then he gathered himself and chased after Yelu Huan.