Chapter 396

The appearance of Divine Nun was unexpected even for Tang Qing.

Tang Qing’s face, which had been forcing a smile, froze in place.

Divine Nun looked down at Tang Qing with an alluring bearing and said.

“The Tang clan has been a prestigious family for 2,500 years since Tang Shu-wu, the second son of King Wu, who was descended from Emperor Yao of the Taotang clan. Particularly, the family rules of the Sichuan Tang clan are renowned for being very strict. All the clans in the martial world do not hesitate to model themselves after the Tang family’s rules.”

Tang Qing released Jin Ja-gang’s hair that he had been gripping.

Thud, Jin Ja-gang’s upper body fell to the floor.

“But for the former family head of the Sichuan Tang clan, the leader of the Poison Sect who rules over ten thousand poison schools and sixty thousand poison masters, to make such irresponsible statements.”

When Tang Qing kept his mouth tightly shut and said nothing, Divine Nun narrowed her eyes and smiled.

These weren’t just anyone’s words, but those of Divine Nun, the sect leader of Emei Sect. Each word from Divine Nun In Eun, called one of the Two Buddhas along with Shaolin Temple’s Great Buddha, was never light.

Tang Qing clenched and unclenched his fists as he looked at Tang Gwi-ok.

“Do you know what you’ve done?”

Tang Gwi-ok didn’t answer. Tang Qing continued without waiting for a response.

“You’ve crossed the line. Matters occurring within our family and the Poison Sect should be handled internally. But you’ve brought outsiders into the inner courtyard and escalated things.”

With Divine Nun’s intervention, the matter of Jin Ja-gang and the three Poison Sect Cliques was no longer an internal affair. It had expanded to the outside.

Tang Gwi-ok opened her mouth.

“The Divine Nun visited for mediation. But I wasn’t the one who brought her in.”

One corner of Tang Qing’s mouth rose.

“Are you playing word games with me now? You’re saying she came this far without spilling any blood and without your permission?”

“Poison Dragon requested mediation from the Divine Nun as representative of the three cliques.”

“Don’t use Poison Dragon as an excuse. In the end, weren’t you the one who allowed that damned nun to enter?”

“We held a family meeting on whether to receive the Divine Nun who had received a mediation request. However, it was a mediation request from Poison Dragon, who had received authorization from three of the Poison Sect’s six divisions. We had no justification to refuse the visit.”

Tang Qing ground his teeth hard as he looked around at even the elders.

“Such justification…”

Tremendous internal energy rose from Tang Qing’s small body. Chilling killing intent burst forth and instantly covered the great hall.

Not only the Tang family elders but also Yuk Ha-seon, Ro-gwan, and Tap Tak-yeon raised their internal energy to counter Tang Qing’s killing intent. Only Tang Gwi-ok and Divine Nun remained unchanged in expression, but as Tang Qing’s killing intent grew thicker, their eyes also furrowed slightly.

It was extremely intense killing intent. Not just a feeling, but materialized killing intent poured out in all directions like needles.

Whiiiii.

Those in the great hall began hearing ringing in their ears and felt their pores stinging all over.

Tick, tick tick. Countless hairline cracks appeared in the great hall’s beams and walls. Tiny holes were pierced as if actually stabbed by needles.

Suddenly a throwing spear shot out from the wall and embedded in the floor.

Thunk!

The tip of the embedded spear trembled.

A mechanism hidden and installed in the wall had been damaged by Tang Qing’s materialized killing intent and misfired.

The faces of those in the great hall became serious.

Since it was originally a hidden weapon meant to threaten masters capable of entering the inner courtyard, its power was not low at all. It had embedded strongly enough in the floor to penetrate ordinary protective energy shields.

If unlucky, they too could meet their end from blind hidden weapons.

The dozen or so subordinates brought by the three Poison Sect Clique leaders were elite, carefully selected. However, they couldn’t endure Tang Qing’s killing intent and their faces turned pale. They bled from their noses and their eyes became bloodshot.

“Huff, huff.”

The subordinates gasped in pain.

Yeong-gwi, disguised as a male warrior, also had to hold her face with trembling hands. Her human skin mask was quickly drying and cracking. She bit her teeth so hard enduring the killing intent that blood formed on her gums.

Tap Tak-yeon commanded his subordinates.

“You all leave this place!”

But the subordinates couldn’t move at all.

This was because Tang Qing was blocking the entrance.

Tang Qing’s mouth split wide.

“Where are you going? No one can leave here.”

Tang Qing no longer hid his murderous intent. His hair stood up backward like a lion’s mane.

Kill and destroy!

He planned to kill everyone to silence them!

Hehehe! Hehehehe!

“If I kill them all, who will know about justification or anything else!”

Ping! Another hidden weapon misfired and crossed the great hall.

Several Tang family elders hurriedly dodged.

Divine Nun opened her thin eyes and asked.

“Do you plan to kill even this nun to silence her?”

Tang Qing raised his eyes and smiled with a demonic face.

“Why not? It wouldn’t just be you. Emei Sect will pay the price too. You didn’t come without that resolve, did you? Hehehe!”

“You are truly wicked.”

Divine Nun also began releasing her internal energy outward. Her nun’s robes fluttered gracefully even amid the pouring killing intent.

The air in the great hall churned greatly as the energies of Tang Qing and Divine Nun clashed.

Whiiii!

Another hidden weapon fired.

“Argh!”

Unluckily, one of Leper Mound’s assassins was hit by the hidden weapon. The top-shaped hidden weapon shattered the assassin’s knee and bounced away. The assassin screamed and fell to the floor. His concentration broken, he couldn’t resist the killing intent and took the full brunt of Tang Qing and Divine Nun’s internal energies. Moreover, the hidden weapon was naturally coated with poison. The assassin instantly bled from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth, trembling all over before dying.

But no one around had the capacity to pay attention to the assassin. Countering the internal energy battle between the two was already overwhelming.

A smile appeared at Divine Nun’s lips.

“This nun has always looked forward to facing King of Hell. Two dragons are too many for Sichuan.”

“Indeed. Two dragons aren’t necessary. Especially in the future world!”

“Ah, the future world? I heard you’re plotting evil deeds. Was that true?”

“Evil deeds?”

Tang Qing’s internal energy became even fiercer.

Whoooo! Wind even blew inside the great hall with closed doors and blocked windows.

“It’s not evil. The Shaolin monks package killing people as good deeds and righteous law, so why is my hundred-year great undertaking called evil?”

The radiance bursting from Tang Qing’s small eyes filled the great hall.

Now the world will not dare underestimate the Tang Gate.

The Tang Gate will rule over the martial world!

You, and Emei Sect, will be the first sacrifices!

Tang Qing’s voice echoed through the great hall. The great hall shook.

Ding! Diiiing! Sounds of strings snapping came from here and there.

Ping! Whiii!

Hidden weapons fired from broken mechanisms began shooting out one by one. Except for Divine Nun, Tang Qing, and Tang Gwi-ok, the rest were startled and flew to avoid the hidden weapons.

Those who couldn’t dodge in time were hit by hidden weapons in parts of their bodies.

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

Even Tang family elders, though they could handle poison, couldn’t ignore the destructive power of the hidden weapons themselves.

Divine Nun smiled with her eyes and said.

“Would you like to face this nun?”

Tang Qing’s murderous intent reached the heavens and his eyes became bloodshot.

“Not only you, but I’ll tear apart every nun in Emei Sect and throw them into pig pens. The taste of being eaten alive by pigs while conscious will be quite good, won’t it? Hehehe!”

Whiii! Whiii!

Broken hidden weapons continued flying around the great hall.

Yuk Ha-seon, Ro-gwan, and Tap Tak-yeon ground their teeth and shouted.

“Prepare!”

They had to fight Tang Qing.

They couldn’t escape this place without fighting.

But then!

A small, faint voice was heard.

“That’s… not necessary.”

It was such a quiet sound it could barely be heard, yet everyone in the great hall focused on the voice.

They couldn’t help but do so.

The speaker was none other than Jin Ja-gang!

Jin Ja-gang was standing behind Tang Qing, blood-soaked with both broken arms hanging down.

Tang Qing knew Jin Ja-gang was getting up behind him but didn’t even turn around.

“This rat bastard. You were awake.”

“King of Hell.”

Jin Ja-gang raised his head covered in dried blood and spoke to the back of Tang Qing’s head.

“Do you know where you are?”

Tang Qing frowned.

It wouldn’t be Jin Ja-gang asking because his head was spinning and he didn’t know where he was.

He was asking about the meaning of being in the inner courtyard.

What would happen next was clear as day. Fighting would eventually make Tang Gwi-ok and the Tang family elders side with Tang Qing. So Divine Nun or the three clique leaders would inevitably die here.

However, this was the Tang family’s heart, the inner courtyard. If masters like Divine Nun or the three clique leaders ran wild, the inner courtyard would be damaged. Many Tang clan blood relatives also lived in the inner courtyard. If the already few blood relatives died or were injured, it would be a great loss.

This was a completely different problem from Shaolin Temple destroying part of the outer courtyard.

The Tang family’s pride would be greatly hurt. Hadn’t they already suffered great pain once when Jin Ja-gang burned the library?

But if the inner courtyard was destroyed and Tang family blood relatives died, their external prestige would obviously plummet beyond words.

Tang Qing snorted.

“First time seeing someone threaten by taking another’s family prestige hostage? You think you can do something to me with that?”

Tang Qing turned his head slightly back and glared terrifyingly at Jin Ja-gang from the corner of his eye.

“You won’t care what happens to our family’s prestige. You’ll be in a pig’s belly before today is over!”

Cold killing intent permeated his voice.

But Jin Ja-gang looked down at Tang Qing and said.

“When even the monks couldn’t see the inner courtyard, do you think those guys could set even one foot in the inner courtyard… That’s what you said. Who said those words?”

Tang Qing twisted his lips. Those were his own words to Jin Ja-gang.

The three Poison Sect Cliques had entered the inner courtyard without spilling a drop of blood.

Tang Qing was wrong and Jin Ja-gang was right.

But Tang Qing didn’t acknowledge it.

“You were wrong to bring in Emei Sect. The innocent nuns of Emei Sect will become pig feed because of you. The rain must have stopped too. I’ll burn down all of Mount Emei as an example.”

Jin Ja-gang answered.

“Then I’ve also wronged Qingcheng Sect. I boasted to Qingcheng Sect too that I became representative of the three Poison Sect Cliques.”

Tang Qing’s expression changed.

Of all things, Qingcheng Sect?

Qingcheng Sect had left Mount Qingcheng and scattered throughout the martial world, living as wanderers. Unlike Emei Sect, there was no way to silence them!

Tang Qing turned his body completely. He glared at Jin Ja-gang as if to devour him, baring his teeth.

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes turned cold.

“Whatever happens in the inner courtyard, today’s events will be known to the martial world. King of Hell, you cannot prevent that.”

Tang Qing bared his teeth. His clenched fists trembled with anger.

“This bastard…”

Jin Ja-gang spoke as if grinding his teeth.

“Didn’t I ask from the beginning? King of Hell, if you don’t keep the rules, when you achieve your great undertaking and the Tang family rules over the martial world, do you think people will follow you?”

Tang Qing’s bright red face contorted heavily. Wrinkles carved deep grooves creating countless undulations on his face.

Whiii, ping! Amid the flying hidden weapons, Jin Ja-gang slowly bowed toward Tang Qing.

“King of Hell, you prepared your great undertaking to make the Tang family the supreme sect of the martial world.”

Jin Ja-gang bent his waist until his face was visible right in front, bringing his head to Tang Qing’s shoulder. Their faces crossed as if almost touching.

Then Jin Ja-gang said.

“Then now it’s time for you to choose. Will you abandon your great undertaking to save yourself, or will you abandon yourself for the Tang family’s future?”

Tang Qing’s eyes widened as if they might tear. The pupils of his bloodshot eyes shook.

Tang Qing finally completely understood Jin Ja-gang’s intention.

What Jin Ja-gang had taken hostage to threaten him wasn’t something like the Tang family’s prestige.

What Jin Ja-gang had taken hostage was the Tang family’s future.