Chapter 186

Chapter 186: Fate Flows in Unpredictable Directions (2)

Hyeon-gwang and Kwang-hae could only stare with mouths agape at the scene before them. It did not feel real.

On Sang-cheon, who had been overwhelming even the two of them with his power alone, the On Sang-cheon who had given them a nightmare—seeing him sent flying by a single blow from Dam Ho was utterly surreal.

Of all those present, the most shaken was On Sang-cheon himself, who had allowed Dam Ho that sudden strike.

He had hastily unleashed the ultimate technique of the Black Heart Demonic Hand to shield himself, but both his arms were swollen and his internal organs trembled.

On Sang-cheon twisted his body in midair and landed on the ground. Though he had been caught off guard, his response was that of a master who had reached the pinnacle. But the moment he touched down, his eyes went wide.

Whoosh!

Dam Ho had already closed in on the spot where he landed.

A charge as fierce as a battering ram, followed by the seamless Fortress Breaking Fist.

"Did you think you could be hit again?"

On Sang-cheon unleashed the Black Heart Demonic Hand's ultimate technique—Black Fog Piercing Heaven.

The black energy condensing in his palm took the shape of a spear and shot toward Dam Ho's brow.

Whoosh!

In that instant, Dam Ho's body blurred.

He had deployed his shield.

Ting!

Black Fog Piercing Heaven struck the shield and bounced off.

"Damn it!"

The outcome was beyond belief even as he watched it happen. On Sang-cheon staggered back in horror, but Dam Ho would not allow it.

Bang!

The Fortress Breaking Fist crashed upon On Sang-cheon's arm.

"Ugh!"

The pain of his arm snapping and dangling uselessly drew an involuntary scream from On Sang-cheon.

Naturally, charging forward was faster than retreating. On Sang-cheon's mistake had been momentarily forgetting that fact.

The consequence of that fleeting error was truly terrible.

Thud!

Dam Ho's pot-lid-sized hand seized his throat.

On Sang-cheon, his face a mask of shock, tried to shake off Dam Ho's grip. But Dam Ho's arm, strong as a steel vice, did not budge.

In that state, Dam Ho's body shot into the air. As though uprooting a tree, On Sang-cheon's body was ripped from the ground as well.

Both feet left the earth, and a dizzying sensation of weightlessness seized On Sang-cheon. Immediately after, his body was inverted.

Blood rushed to his head, turning his eyes red. The ground rapidly expanded before him.

Earth and Heaven Strike.

Dam Ho's unique downward slam, using the earth itself as a weapon, was unleashed.

"Kuh!"

On Sang-cheon drew upon every ounce of his internal energy to protect his entire body, twisting his head desperately.

CRASH!

The next instant, his body was driven headfirst into the ground.

Dust rose, and On Sang-cheon's inverted body convulsed.

His left shoulder had caved in. It was not merely dislocated or broken. It had been utterly pulverized.

On Sang-cheon barely managed to right himself.

"Hah… hah…"

Ragged breaths escaped him.

He did not dare voice his pain. Dam Ho stood before him.

On Sang-cheon had fought countless battles in his lifetime. But none could compare to the terrifying moment he had just experienced.

His heart felt as though it would burst. His mind had gone blank, incapable of thought. All of that was because of Dam Ho.

In only three moves, his opponent had driven him to a state of utter helplessness.

It was truly an overwhelming display of power.

"Wh-who are you?"

On Sang-cheon spat blood and asked.

It was not Dam Ho but Hyeon-gwang who answered.

"A cripple… You are Cheong-gyeong."

Hyeon-gwang, who had recognized Dam Ho, was trembling. But Dam Ho merely glanced at him once and did not bother to respond.

On Sang-cheon gritted his teeth.

'The Fist Demon?'

He was well aware of Dam Ho's reputation. But as with most rumors in the martial world, he had assumed the tales of the Fist Demon were exaggerated. However, the power he had directly experienced surpassed his wildest imagination.

Dam Ho's limp was no handicap whatsoever.

"The Golden Horse Master warned me to beware of you. It seems there was good reason."

In that instant, Dam Ho's eyes gleamed.

The Golden Horse Master was one of the few who had survived an encounter with him. Dam Ho remembered him clearly.

"Were you connected to the Golden Horse Master?"

"Kuh!"

Realizing his slip, On Sang-cheon's face twisted like a demon. His connection to the Golden Horse Master was a secret that must never be revealed.

He had only one option remaining.

Kill everyone here and silence them. But that was realistically impossible.

He had been confident in his own strength, but Dam Ho's power was on an entirely different level.

On Sang-cheon laughed. A laugh laced with sinister killing intent. But his eyes held no mirth whatsoever.

The laugh of one who had abandoned survival was desolate. He had given up on living. In exchange, he was determined to take Dam Ho with him to the grave.

"Hyah!"

He charged at Dam Ho.

Pop!

The veins on his face bulged grotesquely. It was the phenomenon that occurred when one reversed the flow of qi and blood.

Hyeon-gwang, seeing this, shouted.

"It is the method of mutual destruction! Dodge it, Cheong-gyeong!"

In truth, On Sang-cheon intended to perish together with Dam Ho.

Reversal Blood Explosive Demon Technique.

A barbaric method that detonated one's own body to destroy both oneself and one's opponent.

On Sang-cheon wrapped his remaining good arm around Dam Ho's waist and shouted.

"We go together, Fist Demon!"

At the very instant On Sang-crack!

Crack!

His head snapped to the side. Dam Ho's knee had struck his face. His nose and facial bones collapsed, and blood sprayed in all directions.

As On Sang-cheon's consciousness began to fade, Dam Ho drove him into the earth once more with the Earth and Heaven Strike.

Bang!

This time, his head struck first.

His skull shattered upon impact with the ground, sending bone fragments and blood flying. He never even had the chance to unleash the Reversal Blood Explosive Demon Technique.

That was On Sang-cheon's end.

"……"

A suffocating silence descended upon the scene.

Shaolin's disciples, as well as Hyeon-gwang and Kwang-hae, could say nothing as they stared at Dam Ho.

After a long while, a Shaolin monk muttered involuntarily.

"Impossible."

Disbelief filled his eyes. The same was true for the others. Everything that had unfolded before them felt like a dream—utterly unreal.

It was then.

"Cheong-gyeong."

Hyeon-gwang, who had been silent until now, spoke cautiously. Only then did Dam Ho turn his head to look at Hyeon-gwang.

The moment he met Dam Ho's gaze, devoid of all emotion and utterly cold, Hyeon-gwang felt a chill as though he had been cast naked into a winter snowfield.

Dam Ho's lips were set stubbornly. There was not a trace of respect or consideration for his elder.

"Cheong-gyeong… No, I should call you Dam Ho, since you declared yourself no longer a disciple of Mount Hua."

"What are you doing here?"

Only then did Dam Ho open his mouth.

His tone contained no respect or courtesy toward his elder. But Hyeon-gwang had nothing to say.

The martial world was a realm ruled by the strong.

Moreover, Mount Hua had long since forfeited the right to call itself Dam Ho's sect when it had abandoned him.

"Sigh!"

Hyeon-gwang let out a sigh.

For a man who had spent his entire life on Mount Hua, facing Dam Ho in this manner was almost unbearable. But he could not remain silent.

"As you can see, we came here to confer with Shaolin. Though we were detected by the Demonic Cult and ambushed."

"Master!"

At that moment, Ho-gyeong, who had been lying in the inn where Dam Ho stayed, came running toward Hyeon-gwang. Thanks to Jong Ri-yeon's treatment, he had regained consciousness.

"Are you all right, Master?"

"I am fine."

"Thank goodness."

Ho-gyeong wept.

Hyeon-gwang patted his back and said to Dam Ho.

"Thank you."

"There is no need to thank me. It was for the master's sake."

"Master? Ah, you mean Sage Hyeon-so."

"Yes."

In Dam Ho's heart, the Mount Hua Sect no longer existed. But Sage Hyeon-so was a different matter.

The Mount Hua Sect was everything to Sage Hyeon-so. Knowing this, Dam Ho could not pretend to ignore Hyeon-gwang's predicament.

If he had stood by and allowed them to perish when he could have saved them, Sage Hyeon-so would have been saddened.

Dam Ho asked.

"The master is well, I trust?"

"Sage Hyeon-so is…"

Hyeon-gwang hesitated.

In that instant, killing intent flickered in Dam Ho's eyes.

"Has something happened to the master?"

The killing intent that constricted his heart turned Hyeon-gwang's face pale. Dam Ho radiating killing intent was terror itself.

If he were exposed to Dam Ho's killing intent any longer, he feared his heart vessels would rupture. Hyeon-gwang answered hastily.

"Sage Hyeon-so is no longer on Mount Hua."

"What do you mean? Not there?"

"After you disappeared beyond the seas, Sage Hyeon-so also left Mount Hua."

"The master left?"

"He could not forgive Mount Hua for abandoning you. He vanished without a word. Because of this, the Grandmaster has also sent people to search for him."

"……"

"I am sorry. Mount Hua has truly wronged you in too many ways."

Hyeon-gwang bowed his head in apology.

His voice held genuine sincerity.

At that moment, Ho-gyeong interjected into their conversation.

"Cheong-gyeong, there is a high probability that Sage Hyeon-so is in Shouzhou."

"What do you mean?"

"The Grandmaster ordered Senior Brother Un-gyeong to find Sage Hyeon-so. And now Senior Brother Un-gyeong has been staying in Shouzhou for days. By all indications, it is likely that Sage Hyeon-so is there."

"In Shouzhou…"

Dam Ho's heart pounded fiercely.

He had always assumed the master was on Mount Hua. He could not imagine a life for his master apart from the mountain.

But his master had left Mount Hua. Everyone could guess the reason—it was because of Dam Ho.

'Master.'

He could not begin to imagine how much Sage Hyeon-so had suffered after leaving Mount Hua.

Ho-gyeong pressed his forehead to the ground.

Crack!

His brow split open and blood spattered. But Ho-gyeong did not care.

"I am sorry, Cheong-gyeong. Forgive me for turning a blind eye when you were rejected on Mount Hua. I did not know then how great your suffering was."

"……"

"You may curse my cowardice as much as you wish for apologizing only now. But if I did not do this, I felt I could not bear it."

Ho-gyeong wept.

Dam Ho looked down at him for a moment, then turned away.

Ho-gyeong raised his head and watched Dam Ho's retreating figure. He would have felt some relief if Dam Ho had at least cursed at him, but Dam Ho walked away without a word.

"Cheong… gyeong."

Ho-gyeong reached out to grasp Dam Ho. In that instant, Hyeon-gwang seized his hand.

"Master?"

"Do not. He is already a grandmaster walking his own path. Mount Hua's shallow fences cannot contain him."

Hyeon-gwang closed his eyes tightly. Ho-gyeong, too, was forced to fall silent.

Meanwhile, Kwang-hae's eyes were fixed on Dam Ho, trembling.

'That man is the Fist Demon, the public enemy of the martial world?'

The martial prowess he had witnessed with his own eyes far surpassed the rumors.

Stronger, and unbelievably cruel.

A shiver ran down Kwang-hae's spine.