Chapter 485

“Uaaaah!”

“Die!”

“Kraaak!”

Screams, shouts, and roars mingled chaotically.

A scene resembling a hellscape was unfolding. Limbs flew and blood flowed to form pools.

There were so many people that the fallen corpses were becoming obstacles.

Jin Ja-gang was also buried under people’s corpses, pushed them aside, came up, and fought again. He killed and killed. Everything was plastered with bright red blood so it was impossible to tell who was who. The only distinction was between Jin Ja-gang doing the killing and the Righteous Alliance doing the dying.

Jin Ja-gang swung a chipped blade to sever an arm that appeared before his eyes and stabbed an opponent’s belly with a broken spear shaft. He struck behind with his elbow to shatter a jaw, and stomped on the head of an opponent crawling on the ground to burst it.

Someone slightly cut Jin Ja-gang’s waist. It was a small wound that didn’t even leak blood. However, the toxic fog rippled at that moment.

“Uaaak!”

The one who cut the waist got toxic fog in his eyes and screamed while stepping backward. Jin Ja-gang turned and followed that person. Other martial artists slashed at Jin Ja-gang. Jin Ja-gang dodged, blocked, deflected some, and followed to the end.

“Uaaa uaaaaa!”

The arm of the one who was screaming was caught by Jin Ja-gang. Jin Ja-gang pulled the arm and plunged a broken blade into his neck. Blood bubbled and boiled over from the neck of the screaming one, then became quiet.

Jin Ja-gang had become a blood person drenched in blood. Of course, most was others’ blood, but Jin Ja-gang had also been cut and stabbed several times.

However, there was no one happy about cutting Jin Ja-gang. They were just desperately trying to survive. If they didn’t kill Jin Ja-gang, they would die, so to not die, they had to kill Jin Ja-gang. They had to strike Jin Ja-gang while avoiding the toxic fog swirling around his body.

It was a space where death met death.

One step, no, moving even one inch wrong would instantly cross from life to death.

Already, two hundred, three hundred people had crossed from the boundary between life and death to the side of death.

Chwaak!

A net studded with weights and blades poured down over Jin Ja-gang’s head as he fought in the chaotic battle. Jin Ja-gang and other martial artists were all covered by the net at once.

“Uak!”

Because heavy weights were attached, blades embedded in bodies as the net covered them. Righteous Alliance martial artists trapped inside the net screamed.

Jin Ja-gang also had blades embedded in his shoulders and back. A blade scraped across his already cracked head, making thick blood flow.

“Pull!”

When Righteous Alliance martial artists pulled the net, it constricted and those caught cried out in pain.

“Uaaak!”

However, Jin Ja-gang stood firm and grabbed the net with both hands. The tough iron net made by twisting dozens of thin iron threads was pulled taut.

Piiing! The iron net couldn’t withstand Jin Ja-gang’s internal energy and tore away with snapping sounds, breaking off.

“Die!”

Those holding long spears attacked Jin Ja-gang. They pierced through even though their own allies were tangled together. Now wasn’t the time to consider such things.

Jin Ja-gang wrapped the torn-away net around spears coming from all sides. Then he struck down on the net with his opposite forearm.

Crack!

Over ten spear shafts got tangled in the net, gathered, then broke all at once. Jin Ja-gang pulled out and threw the broken spears. The spear tips that flew like hidden weapons embedded thump thump into martial artists’ bodies.

“Iyaaaa!”

One person bravely blocked Jin Ja-gang’s front and leaped to punch Jin Ja-gang’s cheek.

Pyok! Jin Ja-gang’s head turned very slightly. The martial artist, seemingly skilled in fist techniques, consecutively struck Jin Ja-gang’s jaw and temple. Jin Ja-gang pulled his head back briefly then rammed into the martial artist’s face as is.

Along with the sound of bones breaking, the martial artist’s face collapsed. Jin Ja-gang strangled the martial artist’s neck with the net to definitely cut off his breath. Among those tangled in the net, one on the ground slashed Jin Ja-gang’s ankle with a dagger. As soon as the dagger touched, Jin Ja-gang shot poison palm downward.

Pyong! The head burst and terrible debris spread beneath Jin Ja-gang’s feet. The dozen or so martial artists tangled together screamed and clamored.

“Uaaa!”

“Uaaaaa!”

However, tangled in the net, there was nowhere to flee.

Jin Ja-gang clenched both fists tightly and applied strength. Blood vessels all over his body protruded prominently.

Blood leaked from Jin Ja-gang’s body and created toxic fog. Bright red blood toxic fog wrapped around Jin Ja-gang. Those caught in the net together clamored trying to escape the net.

“Save me! Save me!”

“This net!”

However, they couldn’t escape the net.

The toxic fog grew thicker and thicker, concealing their forms.

And when the toxic fog disappeared shortly after, no human form remained there. Lumps of bloody pus that seemed to have been human were spread all over the ground, and Jin Ja-gang was casually lifting and pushing aside the net as he emerged.

The Righteous Alliance martial artists ground their teeth. Goosebumps rose. How could they win against such an opponent?

More than half were reduced. The number that was close to five hundred didn’t even have two hundred remaining.

Jin Ja-gang looked at the remaining martial artists.

The martial artists flinched and trembled.

Even becoming numb to the bloody smell, even becoming numb to cruelty… they couldn’t get used to that look in Jin Ja-gang’s eyes.

But then.

Someone shouted.

“The, the Alliance Leader isn’t visible!”

He wasn’t there.

“What…”

“Where did he go!”

Baek Li-jung wasn’t visible.

Those who came from Baek Li Family weren’t there either.

Jin Ja-gang had already seen that Baek Li-jung fled not toward where Namgung Rak was but in the opposite direction. Baek Li-jung didn’t even think to rush toward Namgung Rak and take him hostage. He knew that if he did, Jin Ja-gang would chase. So he fled in the opposite direction.

The Righteous Alliance martial artists now realized they had been abandoned.

The death god approaching from the front would never stop, and they would die here.

Earlier they thought they should fight… but now they knew the chance of survival was higher by fleeing.

The martial artists fled.

They discarded everything cumbersome to survive as much as possible. They abandoned injured comrades and weapons. They didn’t want to die so terribly that not even a corpse would remain.

Jin Ja-gang…

Didn’t chase them.

He just stood still and watched.

A thought suddenly occurred.

If they all survived and safely returned to their sects, what stories would they tell? Would they complain about Baek Li-jung’s cowardice and go around saying he abandoned them, or would they denounce Jin Ja-gang’s cruelty?

Probably the latter.

Jin Ja-gang would be driven even more as a public enemy of the martial world, and someone else, not Baek Li-jung, would appear to gather the remaining ones and incite them to strike Jin Ja-gang.

They were contaminated.

Accustomed to existing irrationality, unable to accept new standards, still grasped by greed. If another replacement for Baek Li-jung appeared, they would attach to that side.

So, could they survive just by fleeing? Could they escape their fate just by fleeing?

That’s why Jin Ja-gang didn’t chase those who fled.

He also left Baek Li-jung alone even though he saw him secretly flee leading his sect’s experts, for the same reason.

Jin Ja-gang watched until everyone fled.

The injured ones, though there were almost none, he still found and killed them all.

Now Jin Ja-gang stood alone, lost in thought.

For a long while.

The whole world was stained with blood. Nothing living existed except Jin Ja-gang. Not even the sounds of grass insects or birds could be heard. So paradoxically it was extremely quiet and peaceful.

It would be awkward to even make a sound and break the peace.

Jin Ja-gang, who had been lost in thought about something for a long while, soon turned and returned to Namgung Rak.

***

The Righteous Alliance martial artists fighting Namgung Rak fled as soon as they saw Jin Ja-gang.

Seeing him return drenched in blood after fighting with numbers no different from the main force, wasn’t it obvious what happened!

Namgung Rak was battered all over and nearly collapsed.

However, befitting an old hero, he didn’t show such a sight. He leaned on his sword like a cane and stood.

Namgung Rak breathed roughly and looked at Jin Ja-gang.

“Terrible. No, should I say tremendous?”

Jin Ja-gang drenched in tremendous blood didn’t seem like human form.

“You said you’d come right away?”

“I had something to think about.”

Though his tone was irritating, if Jin Ja-gang had something to think about, it definitely didn’t feel like a small matter.

“I want to hear what that thought is too!”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s voice heard after a long time.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong appeared with her usual dignified appearance, fluttering her empty sleeve.

Jin Ja-gang asked.

“What are you doing here?”

“They suddenly started fleeing and the encirclement collapsed. Then how could I not come see what’s happening?”

However, Jin Ja-gang couldn’t be unaware it was actually because of Baek Li-jung.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong turned her gaze to Namgung Rak.

The old hero and the grand matriarch of the evil sect met. A strange atmosphere flowed.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong first raised one hand to her chest and clasped.

“Dan Mu of Shandong greets the Sword King.”

Namgung Rak breathed in deeply then straightened his back firmly to stand and clasped fists. It was a resolute attitude hard to see as someone with a broken leg and deep sword wounds.

“I am Namgung Rak. This is the first time meeting like this.”

His tone was stiff but not particularly hostile. Having been by Taoist Haewol’s side for long years, he wasn’t unaware of Dan Ryeong-gyeong.

After finishing brief greetings, Dan Ryeong-gyeong looked at Jin Ja-gang and asked.

“What happened to that person?”

“I let him go. He fled using the Righteous Alliance as a shield.”

“Hmph. A filthy bastard to the end.”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong asked again.

“What do you plan to do from now on?”

All of the Central Plains would antagonize Jin Ja-gang. Perhaps they might even fabricate non-existent crimes, for instance framing it like Jin Ja-gang harmed Northern Li Sword Immortal.

“I’m interested in martial world affairs, but right now it seems I need to do something else first.”

“There’s something else?”

Namgung Rak was also curious. Jin Ja-gang asked back as if wondering why he was asking him such things.

“Won’t you return to your family home?”

Namgung Rak’s expression darkened.

“Urrm.”

Baek Li-jung said Great Buddha was attacking the Namgung Family. It probably wasn’t a bluff.

Naturally he should return and rescue them.

However… in this state, he couldn’t face Great Buddha, Shaolin Temple.

Namgung Rak ground his teeth tightly.

Jin Ja-gang asked again.

“How long can they hold out?”

“What do you mean?”

“If they resist without surrendering to Shaolin Temple.”

“What are you trying to do?”

“How long will the Namgung Family hold out? Just tell me that.”

“How dare you regard my family! The Namgung Family will disappear before kneeling.”

“Can they hold three days?”

From Yuelu Mountian to Mount Huang, eighteen hundred li.

Even rushing appropriately with qinggong, one would have to run for seven days and nights.

But three days?

Namgung Rak’s brow narrowed.

“You don’t mean…”

Jin Ja-gang had even more external injuries than Namgung Rak.

But then…

“There’s no time. Can they hold out? Can’t they hold out?”

“What on earth are you planning to do!”

Jin Ja-gang wiped blood that flowed into his eyes and said.

“What would I do? I’m going to meet Great Buddha.”