Chapter 107

Chapter 107: Uninvited Guests Always Crash the Banquet (1)

People often called the Peng Family the Clan of Tigers.

An unusually high number of males were born into the family, and the boys raised within the Peng Family's walls were exceptionally belligerent. These young tigers, who knew no fear of battle, grew into the sturdy pillars of the clan, and so the Peng Family had flourished for centuries.

Their signature technique, the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber, best embodied the Peng Family's aggressive nature.

Peng Mu-hyeong was the Grand Elder of the Peng Family. He was a master of the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber and renowned within the Peng Family for his fiery temperament.

Once he became excited, he would charge forward without a thought for the consequences. There was almost no one within the Peng Family who could rein him in—not even the clan's patriarch, Peng Cheon-wol.

Peng Mu-hyeong was heading to Dongting Lake as the representative of the Peng Family. Surrounding him were over thirty young warriors of the Peng Family. They belonged to the Tiger Corps, one of the Peng Family's core fighting units.

Only those who were prepared to throw away their lives like straw for the sake of the Peng Family were permitted to enter the Tiger Corps. Their loyalty to the Peng Family was nothing short of blind.

Riding at Peng Mu-hyeong's side was the deputy commander of the Tiger Corps, Peng Gwan-yeong. Peng Gwan-yeong was a man in his early thirties. As though to prove he carried the Peng Family's blood, his fierce countenance and sturdy build stood out.

After riding for some time, Peng Gwan-yeong spoke.

"We are not far from Dongting Lake now. Should we not slow the horses, Grand Elder?"

"You look tired."

"Not at all."

"Don't be modest. I'm tired, too. Very well—the horses seem weary as well. Let us reduce our speed."

Peng Mu-hyeong was the first to pull on the reins. The galloping horse immediately slowed.

"Hah!"

Only then did the Tiger Corps warriors riding behind Peng Mu-hyeong release a collective sigh.

Because Peng Mu-hyeong had been riding without pause, they too had been forced to ride all day. They were accustomed to horseback riding, but the numbness in their backsides was unavoidable.

While driving his horse at an easy pace, Peng Mu-hyeong suddenly spoke.

"I wonder if Man-yeong arrived safely."

"He did not go alone, did he? He should have arrived safely and be resting by now."

"I imagine so."

At Peng Gwan-yeong's answer, Peng Mu-hyeong nodded.

White whiskers covered Peng Mu-hyeong's face, a testament to the passing of years. But the fierce light in his eyes was more intense than it had been in his youth.

He looked at Peng Gwan-yeong and spoke.

"This gathering at Dongting Lake is extremely important. One must establish a strong position in the early stages, or else one will be pushed aside."

"I understand."

"When we arrive at Dongting Lake, the battle of wills will be intense. We must not allow ourselves to be pushed out."

"We are the Tiger Corps of the Peng Family. There is no need to worry."

"Hmph! The older I get, the more worried I become. I am sure you will handle it well."

Peng Mu-hyeong wrinkled his nose. Peng Gwan-yeong smiled subtly.

To others, Peng Mu-hyeong was as fearsome as a tiger. But to those who knew him well, like Peng Gwan-yeong, he could appear somewhat endearing.

"Hmm!"

At that moment, Peng Mu-hyeong's expression hardened.

A man stood on the opposite side of the road they were traveling.

Peng Mu-hyeong's pupils contracted in an instant.

From the man, who was draped in a rare golden robe, a formidable aura emanated.

The man in the golden robe had his face concealed behind a golden mask. To a stranger, he might have seemed excessively fond of gold.

But none of the Peng Family warriors thought so. No—they could not. They too sensed that the man behind the golden mask was no ordinary figure.

Peng Mu-hyeong slowly rode his horse toward the man in the golden mask.

"This is a public road used by everyone. If you block it like this, others cannot pass."

"There is no one else coming through anyway. What does it matter?"

Perhaps it was because the golden mask covered his entire face, but the man's voice resonated heavily, like the tolling of a bell. That was why it felt so sinister.

Peng Mu-hyeong furrowed his brow.

"No one coming through? I suppose we are invisible, then."

"Did I not say? You will not be passing through regardless."

"You know that we are warriors of the Peng Family, and yet you make such an absurd statement?"

"It is precisely because you are the Peng Family."

"Hmm! Because we are the Peng Family? So we were your targets from the beginning."

Peng Mu-hyeong's voice grew cold.

There was no such thing as coincidence in the Murim. If someone blocked a road, there had to be a reason that justified it.

"Does the Peng Family have a grudge with you?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"There is no more suitable target than the Peng Family."

"What?"

"I mean you are suitable as sacrifices."

Peng Mu-hyeong's face hardened. The same was true for the Tiger Corps warriors.

"I cannot allow such words to go unanswered. To dare spout such nonsense at the warriors of the Peng Family? Kneel!"

One of the Tiger Corps warriors suddenly lunged at the man in the golden mask. A wolf-fang saber was already in his hand.

Swoosh!

"Stop!"

Peng Mu-hyeong shouted too late. The Tiger Corps warrior's saber had already reached the vicinity of the golden-masked man's chest.

In that instant, the golden-masked man's shoulder twitched.

Boom!

"Guh!"

The Tiger Corps warrior's scream erupted. The saber in his hand went flying, and his head was twisted to the side, slamming into the ground.

"Y-young-yeong!"

The other Tiger Corps warriors checked on the warrior on the ground. Anger quickly surfaced on their faces.

"Young-yeong is de… dead."

The chest of the Tiger Corps warrior who had attacked was caved in. His broken ribs jutted through the skin.

In a single blow, the man had killed Peng Yu-yeong. The power was truly terrifying.

Rage blazed in Peng Mu-hyeong's eyes.

He stepped toward the golden-masked man.

"How dare you kill a warrior of the Peng Family. Are you prepared to face the wrath of the Peng Family?"

"If I were not, I would not have begun."

"What is your name?"

"I have no name worth telling the Peng Family. If you insist on calling me something, then call me the Demon Suppressor."

"The Demon Suppressor… I will cut off your limbs and rip out your heart."

Peng Mu-hyeong drew the saber at his waist.

It was a saber nearly twice the size of a conventional one.

Although he was advanced in years, Peng Mu-hyeong's physical strength far surpassed that of the other Peng Family warriors. This saber had been specially forged for him.

The saber, made of mysterious iron, was three or four times heavier than an ordinary blade. Its destructive power was correspondingly immense.

"Ha!"

Peng Mu-hyeong swung the mysterious iron saber and charged at the Demon Suppressor.

Swoosh!

Blade energy exploded from the mysterious iron saber like fireworks. Peng Mu-hyeong had unleashed his full power from the very first strike.

Beneath the golden mask, a smile appeared.

"Now that is more like it."

Whoosh!

As though pulled by an invisible string, the Demon Suppressor's body shifted sideways as silently as a ghost.

Boom!

Peng Mu-hyeong's attack left only a massive crater in the ground.

"Hah!"

Having expended his attack in vain, Peng Mu-hyeong turned his head to track the Demon Suppressor's movements.

In that instant, the Demon Suppressor was attacking the Tiger Corps warriors.

Crash!

The robe worn by the Demon Suppressor stood up like a blade. He had infused it with internal energy, making it harder than a steel plate.

Swoosh!

The blade-like sleeve swept through the Tiger Corps warriors like a storm.

Only a handful had raised their sabers to defend. Most of the Tiger Corps warriors stood rooted in place, unable even to react.

Peng Gwan-yeong shouted.

"Is everyone all right?"

"D-deputy Commander!"

"Guh!"

But the answers that came back were closer to wailing.

"What?"

Peng Gwan-yeong hastily turned around. He saw over a dozen Tiger Corps warriors clutching their throats.

Their throats, grasped with both hands, were stained crimson with blood. Blood seeped through the gaps between their fingers.

They tried desperately to stop the bleeding, but it was no use. Soon their strength gave out and their bodies crumpled to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, over a dozen Tiger Corps warriors had lost their lives. Peng Gwan-yeong's face turned deathly pale.

In that instant, the Demon Suppressor changed direction and advanced toward him, deploying that ghostly footwork once more.

Swoosh!

The blade-like sleeve flew toward his throat.

He could neither dodge nor retreat. Behind him stood the Tiger Corps warriors who were like brothers to him.

Peng Gwan-yeong hastily raised his saber to protect his front.

In that instant, the Demon Suppressor's sleeve struck his saber head-on.

Crack!

"Guh!"

An enormous impact rocked his body, and a stifled groan escaped him. It was as though he had been struck by a massive boulder—his entire body trembled.

He did not even think of counterattacking. His tiger-skin glove had been torn, and he had nearly lost his grip on the saber.

At that moment, the Demon Suppressor's voice came.

"Hmph! Not bad."

It was a voice filled with mockery. But Peng Gwan-yeong could not even offer a rebuttal.

Swoosh!

The Demon Suppressor passed by Peng Gwan-yeong and continued attacking the other Tiger Corps warriors.

"You! Stop this at once!"

Peng Mu-hyeong pursued the Demon Suppressor with all his might. But though he pushed his footwork to the maximum, the distance between them did not close in the slightest.

With Peng Mu-hyeong behind him, the Demon Suppressor did not cease his massacre.

"Aaaargh!"

"Guh!"

Wherever he passed, Tiger Corps warriors screamed and fell. Their throats and chests were split open as though slashed by a sharp weapon.

"You!"

Bloodshot eyes blazed in Peng Mu-hyeong's gaze.

The Demon Suppressor could have shaken off Peng Mu-hyeong's pursuit at any time, but he chose not to. Instead, he trailed behind, savoring the chase while slaughtering the Peng Family's warriors.

The Demon Suppressor was toying with him.

"I'll kill you! You!"

Peng Mu-hyeong swung his saber in a wide arc. The blade energy that had gathered upon it flew toward the Demon Suppressor.

The saber energy shot forward in a straight line, as though it would pierce the Demon Suppressor's back at any moment. In that instant, the Demon Suppressor's body soared into the air.

Boom!

"Argh!"

The saber energy Peng Mu-hyeong had unleashed struck the innocent Peng Family warriors instead. Three disciples lost their lives to their own Grand Elder's blade energy.

"Aaaargh! I'll kill you!"

Having inadvertently killed his own family members, Peng Mu-hyeong let out a roar of anguish.

The reason in his mind had already vanished, ceasing to exist.

He deployed one of the Peng Family's secret ultimate techniques, the Iron Blood Red Star Saber.

Whoosh!

Crimson blade energy spread out like a folding fan.

Peng Mu-hyeong had anticipated that the Demon Suppressor would dodge, and prepared his follow-up technique.

But the Demon Suppressor, as though mocking Peng Mu-hyeong's expectations, came to a sudden stop and then rotated at terrifying speed.

Swoosh!

From the spinning body of the Demon Suppressor, something sharp was unleashed.

It was a long, thin beam of light, like the crack of a whip.

The beam of light swept through Peng Mu-hyeong and the Tiger Corps warriors.

Peng Mu-hyeong's eyes went wide.

"G-Gang energy?"

He stared at his own chest in disbelief. A crimson line had been drawn across it, as though someone had taken a ruler and traced a line.

It was the mark left by the gang energy that had grazed his body.

Drip, drip.

Like ink falling into a basin full of water, the crimson line across Peng Mu-hyeong's chest began to spread.

It was not only Peng Mu-hyeong. A crimson line had been drawn across the chests of every Tiger Corps warrior.

"G-grand… Elder."

Peng Gwan-yeong cried out.

In that instant, the bodies of Peng Mu-hyeong and the Tiger Corps warriors were cleaved in two and crumbled to the ground.

The innards and blood that poured from their bodies drenched the earth. In the midst of it all, the Demon Suppressor stood alone.

Though he had slain so many, not a single drop of blood stained his golden robe.

"You are the first sacrifices for the resurrection of our sect. Consider it an honor."

The Demon Suppressor left only those cold words behind before launching himself into the air and vanishing.

Some time after he had disappeared, someone struggled to rise from between the bisected corpses.

The blood-soaked figure who had managed to stand was none other than Peng Gwan-yeong. A crimson line had been drawn across his chest as well. But the wound was not deep.

Perhaps because the power of the gang energy had diminished, he alone had survived by a narrow margin.

"Guh! Grand Elder. Lads…"

Having lost his family in the blink of an eye, thick tears streamed from Peng Gwan-yeong's eyes.

"I must report this at once."

He bit his lip until it bled.

Peng Gwan-yeong did not know.

That the Peng Family was not the only sect that had been attacked.