Chapter 451

Chapter 451 – Only Resentment Accumulates Layer Upon Layer (1)

A blood-red chunk of meat flew and tumbled at Won Hoe-sang's feet.

"Kuuuu!"

A sound like air escaping from a leather bag flowed from the meat chunk. Only then did Won Hoe-sang realize the meat chunk had been a human he knew.

"Ten Sword?"

Blood Moon Ten Swords, the man occupying the very last position among them was precisely Ten Sword.

Though the lowest seat, his skill wasn't inferior to First Sword. A supreme martial artist who could receive lavish treatment at any sect in the martial world was precisely Ten Sword. The fact such a martial artist had become a meat chunk rolling on the ground looked like a lie.

Won Hoe-sang's gaze turned toward where Ten Sword had come from.

An ordinary inn no different from anywhere else. One of many inns filling this street. An shabby place he ordinarily wouldn't have glanced at, but Won Hoe-sang couldn't take his eyes off the inn.

'What is it?'

Something was inside there.

The being that instantly crushed one of the Blood Moon Ten Swords.

Though Ten Sword crushed like a meat chunk had stopped breathing, Won Hoe-sang couldn't even glance at him. Because all his nerves and senses were directed at the inn.

"Guild Master."

The Blood Moon Ten Swords gathered around him.

Their gazes were also directed at the inn Won Hoe-sang was looking at. The moment they saw the inn's gaping wall, their expressions hardened.

Though not midwinter, chills suddenly were felt. Fingertips tingled, spines chilled. Bewildered light appeared in their eyes at the intense sense of crisis felt for the first time since uniting under the name Blood Moon Ten Swords.

Ordinarily they would have entered through the hole in the wall without hesitation. But right now their feet wouldn't lift from the ground at all. As if their feet and the ground were glued together.

"What?"

"Kuk!"

Their faces contorted.

Tsuuuu!

A nauseating stench seemed to flow from inside the gaping hole. Like a huge beast breathing roughly.

They couldn't even guess how many lives it had devoured to exhale such a nauseating breath. They were overwhelmed by an unknown being whose face they hadn't even seen.

"Who are you?"

At that moment Won Hoe-sang spat out a voice filled with killing intent.

He was a merchant.

Instinctively recognizing that being pushed further by the unseen being's momentum would make the situation irreversible, he raised his voice first. His voice awakened the temporarily intimidated Blood Moon Ten Swords.

The Blood Moon Ten Swords briefly looked at each other's faces. Having been together so long, they understood each other's thoughts just by eye contact.

Fourth Sword and Fifth Sword walked toward the inn's hole shoulder to shoulder. They were the most quick-witted among the Blood Moon Ten Swords. Even if threats lurked inside, they could sufficiently protect their own bodies.

They believed those two could sufficiently reveal the identity of whoever was inside.

The Blood Moon Ten Swords watched Fourth Sword and Fifth Sword's backs while prepared to leap inside if necessary. While they watched, Fourth Sword and Fifth Sword's forms completely disappeared.

Gulp!

That was the moment someone swallowed dry saliva.

Kwaduk!

Creepy bone-crushing sounds echoed from inside.

"What?"

"Fourth Sword, Fifth Sword. Answer!"

The Blood Moon Ten Swords outside called to those who entered, but no answer came.

"……"

Silence briefly arrived.

That was when both the Blood Moon Ten Swords and Won Hoe-sang hesitated momentarily, uncertain how to react.

Seuruk!

Suddenly a strange sound flowed from inside the inn.

That sound like something dragging on the floor strangely grated on Won Hoe-sang and the Blood Moon Ten Swords' nerves. It hurt as if scraping nerves with a small hook.

Kung!

That was when a strange vibration was felt.

Instantly Won Hoe-sang and the Blood Moon Ten Swords felt their hearts sink.

Suddenly a fragment of martial world legend came to mind.

If you hear the sound of feet dragging on the ground, run unconditionally in the opposite direction. For it is the sound of the Fist Demon bringing death.

"Surely not?"

"The Fist… Demon?"

Then he revealed himself from the darkness.

A man with black hair wearing black robes. The moment they saw deep pupils visible through disheveled hair, they realized the opponent was the being they'd suspected.

He was precisely Dam Ho.

Behind him Bang Jin-bo and Gi San-wol and others were visible, but Won Hoe-sang and others couldn't spare attention for them. Because Dam Ho held all their attention and senses.

From the moment Dam Ho revealed himself, they couldn't move. They were overwhelmed by the lingering aura flowing from the human called Dam Ho.

They weren't even curious what happened to Fourth Sword and Fifth Sword who entered the inn. Because it was obvious.

Won Hoe-sang glared at Dam Ho with wide eyes.

"How are you here? Surely you planned this ambush too?"

The situation was exquisite enough for Dam Ho to be suspected. But Dam Ho didn't bother making excuses.

Won Hoe-sang bit his lip hard and looked at the Blood Moon Ten Swords guarding him.

The Blood Moon Ten Swords who'd prided themselves on reaching the martial world's highest level. Massive elixirs and numerous secret manuals went to them. The gold consumed that way reached millions of taels.

The Blood Moon Ten Swords were masters he'd raised with gold. Seeing such masters showing intimidated appearances facing Dam Ho alone enraged him. But he pressed down his anger and continued with a calm expression.

"Fist Demon. I propose a deal."

"……"

"I'll give you all the gold Divine Flower Merchant Guild possesses. So discard your hostility and come under me."

"……"

"Women, wealth, elixirs, secret manuals, just say it. I'll obtain it even spending hundreds of millions of taels. If you join hands with me, you'll become several times stronger than now."

It was a sweet whisper like a devil's temptation.

Divine Flower Merchant Guild possessed the world's greatest wealth. Won Hoe-sang was Divine Flower Merchant Guild's owner, and he had the power to make his boasting reality.

Until now not a single person had rejected his proposals.

Though some might have rejected at first, no one existed who rejected the second time. Because he proposed several times the initial amount.

That no business could withstand overwhelming supply was Won Hoe-sang's belief. That's how he'd grown Divine Flower Merchant Guild and was showing results.

Won Hoe-sang looked at Dam Ho with anxious eyes. Usually most people wavered at the first proposal. But Dam Ho's eyes looking at him contained not a fragment of emotion.

Cold as ice and deep as darkness, seeing his gaze Won Hoe-sang realized his proposal hadn't worked at all. And that whatever proposal he made, he could never shake Dam Ho's heart.

"Kill… him!"

Instantly a voice filled with killing intent poured from his mouth and the Blood Moon Ten Swords moved. Though intimidated by Dam Ho, the Blood Moon Ten Swords were martial artists approaching the martial world's highest level. The martial arts they learned also held positions at the current martial world's peak.

Shwishwishwik!

The swords they wielded sharply cut through air aiming for Dam Ho's throat.

The formation attack seven people deployed was surprisingly intricate yet sharp. Like watching a formation attack textbook, their movements had not a single unnecessary part. But that was all.

Dam Ho felt no sense of crisis from their attacks.

Training according to secret manuals certainly could make one strong. Adding elixirs would also speed up strengthening. These were those who'd grown strong that way.

Martial artists like flowers grown delicately in stable environments. Though they could be great threats to ordinary martial artists or mediocre ones, they couldn't give any sense of crisis to martial artists who tempered themselves on battlefields like Dam Ho.

Kuuuuu!

Tremendous gravitational force occurred around Dam Ho's body pulling everything in.

"Kuk! What is this?"

"What's happening?"

Due to the tremendous gravitational interference, the sword paths they deployed changed randomly. If they'd had a bit more experience, they would have responded with quick wit, but unfortunately they didn't have much practical experience relative to their terrifying aliases or martial prowess. So they panicked when their familiar sword paths changed. And that divided their life and death.

Kwaang!

A tremendous explosion occurred.

Dam Ho had deployed Shattering Star Punch. The aftermath was truly tremendous.

Thud thud thud!

Flesh pieces flew in all directions, blood spray scattered. Bone fragments stained with blood shot out like projectiles.

"Kwaaa!"

"Kuk!"

Martial artists fighting nearby were struck by disaster. Because the shattered flesh pieces and bone fragments became terrifying weapons embedding in their bodies.

All that carnage occurred from one Shattering Star Punch.

Though he pulverized seven swordsmen in an instant, Dam Ho's movements didn't stop. His body spun like a top with his left foot as axis. Then he saw Won Hoe-sang charging from behind.

Red energy was materialized in his hands. Hand Force.

From when he lost fighting spirit, the Blood Moon Ten Swords were merely bait, and the true attack was Won Hoe-sang's role.

Though he'd now retired from the front lines focusing only on leading Divine Flower Merchant Guild, he too was a martial artist who learned martial arts. To a supreme level at that.

Asura Shadowless Hand.

A secret hand technique sleeping in the Demon Cult's archives. In pure destructive power alone, it was supreme martial arts ranking in the top ten of the Demon Cult's hand techniques. Won Hoe-sang had mastered Asura Shadowless Hand.

Though he couldn't be confident of victory in direct confrontation with Dam Ho, he thought the advantage would tilt toward him in a surprise attack. That's why he sacrificed the Blood Moon Ten Swords and attacked by surprise.

When Dam Ho detected Won Hoe-sang's surprise attack, the force made by Asura Shadowless Hand was right before striking his chest.

"It's over."

Won Hoe-sang's eyes flickered.

No matter how much the Fist Demon, he couldn't be fine after hand force struck his chest.

He trembled at the ecstasy of catching with his own hands the Fist Demon all under heaven feared.

Uuuuung!

Then suddenly Dam Ho's body trembled and his form looked blurry. Right after, Won Hoe-sang's hand force struck Dam Ho's chest.

"……"

Instantly Won Hoe-sang's eyes widened. If he'd struck the chest with hand force, there should have been sensation in his hand, but strangely it felt empty.

That was when Won Hoe-sang unconsciously raised his head to look at Dam Ho.

Jjaeng!

Suddenly with a dizzy shock his head flew backward. His nose was crushed bleeding, and focus disappeared from his eyes.

Won Hoe-sang staggered.

He couldn't understand. His hand force clearly struck Dam Ho's chest, yet why he himself received the shock and his mind grew faint.

Right before the hand force struck, Dam Ho deployed a shield offsetting most of the shock. If Won Hoe-sang's level had been higher, or if he'd experienced much actual combat, the moment Dam Ho deployed the shield he would have prepared the next move.

He too was a martial artist who raised his level with secret manuals and elixirs like the Blood Moon Ten Swords. Actually directly fighting was his first time in decades. So he couldn't judge coolly.

Dam Ho who'd blown away Won Hoe-sang's mind and body with Piercing Yang Strike charged terrifyingly. He deployed Charging Step.

Even in dizzy consciousness Won Hoe-sang crossed both arms protecting his upper body. To block Shattering Star Punch, Dam Ho's famous ultimate technique known to the martial world.

Kwaaa!

That moment Dam Ho's right foot shot out like lightning exploding at his abdomen.

"Kuuuu!"

A bizarre groan flowed from Won Hoe-sang's mouth. Because of the terrible pain felt in his abdomen.

After briefly trembling, he lowered his head to look at his abdomen. Then he saw Dam Ho's right leg piercing through his abdomen. The leg was penetrating his abdomen like a spear.

Charging Kick, Solitary Path's unique leg technique.

Combined with Charging Step to display maximum power, Charging Kick boasted lethal power like a rhino's horn.

"This can't… be!"

Won Hoe-sang reached out trying to grab Dam Ho. But strength left his hands, unable to extend further.

His eyes blurred and everything in the world looked hazy.

Dam Ho was at the center.

"Evil… spirit like……"

Tears flowed from Won Hoe-sang's eyes.

It was too unfair to die like this.

He'd struggled so much in his youth building today's world's greatest merchant guild, diligently supporting the Demon Cult creating today's situation.

Now the Demon Cult's world had opened, yet thinking only he must die like this, he couldn't bear the unfairness. Most of all, his daughter left alone in the world weighed on him.

"I will curse you. Even in death you……"

Peoseok!

Instantly Won Hoe-sang's head shattered.

The headless body flailed and collapsed, revealing Dam Ho's indifferent form.

"Gulp!"

The sound of someone swallowing dry saliva echoed across the battlefield.