Chapter 1803 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1803. If It Must Be Carried (3) ❀ ❀ ❀

The world flickered, then vanished completely. 

Namgung Dowi collapsed in place without even letting out a scream. 

“Sogaju!”

Hye Yeon, arriving belatedly, blocked Namgung Dowi’s front. He shouted as he pushed back the surging of Blazing Yang Qi Art with all his might. [tl note: yeol-yang-gi-gong, 열양기공 or Blazing Sun Energy Technique.]

“Are you okay?”

“...”

“Sogaju!”

No sound came from Namgung Dowi’s mouth.

He wanted to answer, to nod and reassure them he was fine, but his entire body, including his mouth, wouldn’t obey his will.

A suffocating heat, so intense it felt cold, was all he could sense. A faint, almost inaudible groan escaped him.

“Ugh...”

White smoke rose from his entire body. His reddened flesh clearly showed he was in terrible shape. For an ordinary person, death would have come long ago.

“Soga-.....”

“Did you think you could get away with this?”

A mocking voice drew Hye Yeon and Lee Songbaek’s attention to the Sun Palace Lord.

“Did you think recklessly throwing yourself at me would change anything?”

Hye Yeon’s face hardened.

“Siju just-...”

“Foolish people.”

“...”

“Those who can’t control their tempers always think their way is the only way. They never stop to wonder why others don’t follow their path. They only realize when they lose their heads, but by then, it’s already too late.”

The strong Yang energy swirling around the Sun Palace Lord rose like a heat haze. The oppressive aura was overwhelming. Lee Songbaek bit his lips hard enough to draw blood.

Both Hye Yeon and Lee Songbaek realized it, they shouldn’t have been complacent. They couldn’t afford even a moment to catch their breath. Instead, they should have pressed the Sun Palace Lord relentlessly.

Excuses about impossibility wouldn’t change the fact that they had to try. From the start, this battle was against the odds. Even if their hearts burst from the effort, they should have pushed until the end.

They had been swayed by a momentary weakness in their opponent, perhaps because they had no room for error.

“There are things in this world that are determined from birth. No amount of effort can change them!”

The Sun Palace Lord’s booming voice resounded.

‘Amitabha.’

Hye Yeon bit his lips hard, cursing himself inwardly. How could he make such an obvious mistake? He had been taught repeatedly that no battle allowed even a moment’s carelessness.

It seemed as if he could hear Cheong Myeong getting angry.

“Challenging me was foolish to begin with. Let me engrave that lesson into your bones!”

The Sun Palace Lord stomped the ground fiercely as he approached. The heat he exuded forced even those standing at a distance to recoil in fear.

But two people, Hye Yeon and Lee Songbaek, couldn’t back down.

Then it happened.

“Ugh....”

“Sogaju!”

Namgung Dowi, trembling, somehow forced himself to rise.

Ssssssss!

As he grasped his sword, white smoke billowed from it.

“Namgung siju! Please, wait!”

Namgung Dowi tried to spit something out, but only managed a dry chuckle. His mouth was parched from the heat, leaving him unable even to cough up blood.

“This is nothing....”

Hye Yeon looked at him with a pained expression. Even for a seasoned martial artist, Namgung Dowi’s injuries were far too severe. He needed to rest, even for a moment.

“Siju!”

“Compared to the Plum Blossom Island....”

Namgung Dowi’s lips, cracked and stuck together, finally parted, oozing thick blood.

“...This is nothing.”

He pointed his trembling sword at the Sun Palace Lord. It was an unsteady gesture, yet no one in the world would dare mock him now.

“Let’s keep going....”

It was an utterly reckless act. No, to be honest, he was only a hindrance now. Fighting alongside Namgung Dowi in his current state only increased their chances of dying.

But instead of stopping him, Hye Yeon nodded.

“Yes, Sogaju. You’re right. This is nothing.”

That’s what it means to cross the line together. You don’t cross it together because it’s helpful. It’s helpful because you’re crossing it together.

Hye Yeon stood beside Namgung Dowi.

“Sogaju, you’ll be buying the drinks afterward.”

“...I’ll have some too.”

Looking at Lee Songbaek firmly holding his position, Hye Yeon nodded.

At that moment, the Sun Palace Lord unleashed an incredible surge of his Blazing Yang Qi Art.

The Supreme Sun Divine Palm. The ultimate pinnacle of Blazing Yang Qi Art. [taeyangsinjang, 태양신장(太陽神掌)].

Thud!

It was as if a white sun was shooting toward them. Hye Yeon spread his legs wide in preparation.

‘If I may ask.’

Hye Yeon knew. Buddha only watches. He illuminates the path with his first step but does not extend a hand.

Still, Hye Yeon hoped.

‘May that mercy be with us here.’

“Amitabha.”

Golden light shot from Hye Yeon’s fist, colliding head-on with the Sun Palace Lord’s blinding white energy.

❀ ❀ ❀

Slash!

Tang Gunak staggered two steps back, his balance faltering. Through the long tear in his sleeve, a deep wound on his forearm was exposed.

Drip. Drip.

Blood dripped steadily. Tang Family’s martial arts demanded the utmost precision, a degree of meticulousness unparalleled in the martial world.

For a practitioner of such skill, a wound like this was not just painful but devastating.

“Was it my blade that caused that wound?”

Jeok Ho’s curt words grated on Tang Gunak’s nerves.

The meaning behind those words was clear, the injury wasn’t due to Jeok Ho’s skill alone, but rather a lapse in Tang Gunak’s focus, a grave mistake.

In other words, he was scolding Tang Gunak for daring to look away from him.

The truth was undeniable, this wound was the result of Tang Gunak’s mistake. Yet, he had his reasons.

‘Namgung Dowi…’

Namgung Dowi had fallen, signaling the Sun Palace Lord’s triumph and a pivotal shift in the battlefield. What had been a closely balanced fight could now spiral into utter defeat.

Unlike Jeok Ho, who needed only to focus on a single opponent, Tang Gunak had no such luxury. Even if he won this battle, if the Heavenly Alliance fell, it would all be over.

“There are so many lowlifes. ‘Poison King,’ is that title truly deserved?”

A chill flashed through Tang Gunak’s eyes. He deftly reversed the grip on three daggers.

“Indeed, clearing the obstacles before me is the proper course of action.”

Jeok Ho’s face, partially obscured by his blade, bore a faint smile.

“Come then. Let’s try.”

Whoosh!

Before Jeok Ho had even finished speaking, Tang Gunak’s daggers sliced through the air.

Three daggers. Three streaks of light.

Clang! Clang! Claang!

But they were effortlessly deflected by Jeok Ho’s blade. His movements were astonishingly agile for someone wielding such a hefty weapon.

Whirrrr!

Then, from Tang Gunak’s hand, another dagger flew forth, spinning violently as it surged toward Jeok Ho. It seemed to warp the air around it, drawing it in. The terrifying force behind this small weapon was palpable.

Kagagagak!

Jeok Ho flipped his blade upright to block it. The dagger didn’t bounce off; instead, it continued spinning, pressing forward relentlessly.

Screech.

Jeok Ho’s feet skidded backward as he struggled against the force. To an onlooker, it might seem absurd—someone of his strength being pushed back by a mere dagger. Yet his expression remained as sharp and focused as ever.

Kwaaang!

Suddenly, the spinning dagger shot upward. However, before Jeok Ho could catch his breath, five more daggers flew at him, forming the positions of the five elements.

Each dagger wriggled as if alive, sending a chill down Jeok Ho’s spine.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The daggers came not all at once but in staggered intervals, forcing him to contend with each in rapid succession. A moment’s hesitation, and they would pierce his vital points.

Clang!

As he deflected the last dagger, a strange liquid splattered from its blade. Jeok Ho immediately suspected it to be one of the Tang Family’s deadly poisons. He couldn’t afford even a moment of complacency.

‘Five.’

Jeok Ho’s blade parried the fifth dagger.

Clang!

But in that moment, his eyes widened in shock.

Though he had clearly deflected it, another dagger materialized in its place, as if the one he struck had been a mere illusion.

Jeok Ho twisted his body desperately, but the dagger followed him like a shadow, curving on its trajectory.

“Haaaah!”

Claang!

Jeok Ho struck it down with the tip of his blade, a swift and improvised reaction. It narrowly prevented the dagger from piercing him.

There was only one problem.

Jeok Ho glanced at his shoulder. Through the tear in his garment, a shallow wound oozed blood.

A mere graze. Yet with Tang Gunak, the Poison King, such an injury carried a different weight.

Jeok Ho channeled his energy into his shoulder.

Expelling the poison would require circulating his energy, but to do so during a fight would only be possible if he were vastly superior to his opponent. Engaging in such internal energy work in front of such a formidable foe was tantamount to suicide.

‘He’s strong.’

Indeed, it was Tang Gunak, the Poison King.

Particularly troublesome was his peculiar dagger technique. Not only was it extraordinarily refined, but it also had an unsettling unfamiliarity to Jeok Ho.

‘This is tricky.’

But Tang Gunak was harboring similar thoughts.

“Huft!”

Tang Gunak exhaled deeply, sweat trickling down his brow.

‘Just a scratch.’

Four consecutive attacks. No, more, if the hidden strikes were included—had been unleashed with all his might. And yet, all he had managed was a mere scratch. Even if the poison took effect, the cost was too high.

Each time the daggers are released, they consume a tremendous amount of internal energy. Unlike a blade or sword, such attacks couldn’t be delivered lightly. Furthermore, these Twelve Flying Daggers (sib-ibido, 십이비도), closer to Spiritual Sword [eo-geom, 어검 (御劍)] than ordinary Flying Sword [bi-geom, 비검 (飛劍)], so it requires even more internal energy.

Thus, dagger techniques had to aim for a one-hit kill.

Despite launching deadly attacks designed to strike with precision, the opponent showed no signs of faltering. At this rate, Tang Gunak would be the first to fall due to exhaustion of stamina.

Of course, if he opted to fight by gradually deepening the poisoning with small, repeated injuries, the victory might undoubtedly fall into Tang Gunak’s grasp. However...

‘It’s too slow.’

For the current Tang Gunak, that approach was impossible. This was neither a duel, sparring match, nor a one-on-one life-or-death fight.

‘Faster...’

As Tang Gunak tightened his grip on the daggers, it happened.

Kwaang!

Contrary to Tang Gunak’s expectation that his opponent would slow down to prevent further poisoning, Jeok Ho slammed into the ground and closed the distance instead.

His aim was clear: to end the battle before the poison spread further.

Tang Gunak reflexively scattered his daggers.

Clang! Clang!

The two daggers cutting through the air were effortlessly neutralized by two slashes of Jeok Ho’s blade. The limitations of short weapons for defense became evident in this moment—they excel in offense but falter in blocking.

Paat.

Tang Gunak’s feet crossed, and his figure appeared three paces away, a display of his supreme lightness technique. But Jeok Ho’s blade was faster.

Screeeech!

The air ripped apart as Jeok Ho’s slash tore through space, appearing directly above Tang Gunak’s head. His strikes, honed through countless repetitions, transcended the realm of common understanding.

Clang!

Tang Gunak crossed two daggers in his hands and blocked the descending strike. Even though it was just one attack, the force sent a crushing shock through his entire body.

Thud!

But would Tang Gunak, the Poison King, be toppled so easily? He deflected Jeok Ho’s blade with his crossed daggers and spun, releasing four more daggers from close range. The daggers were aimed precisely at Jeok Ho’s body at a distance so close their shoulders might touch.

Clang! Clang!

Two daggers were intercepted by Jeok Ho’s blade, and one grazed the side of his head. And the fourth?

Thwack!

It embedded itself in Jeok Ho’s flesh. Yet Tang Gunak’s astonishment was palpable. The dagger hadn’t struck his torso but rather the back of Jeok Ho’s hand.

Rather than evading, Jeok Ho had slammed his own fist into the dagger, neutralizing its lethality. With a twisted smirk, Jeok Ho thrust his blade toward Tang Gunak with full force.

Screeeeech!

A strike from point-blank range.

Just as Tang Gunak gritted his teeth to counter, a voice rang out.

“Father!”

Suddenly, Tang Pae rushed in from behind, scattering a volley of shimmering iron caltrops [철질려(鐵蒺藜)]. The unexpected attack forced Jeok Ho to leap back with a curse.

Thud thud thud!

Countless iron caltrops rained down where Jeok Ho had been standing.

“Pae...?”

“I’m here to assist!”

Tang Pae landed beside Tang Gunak.

Tang Gunak bit his lip. He should reprimand his son, but thanks to his intervention, he had narrowly escaped grave injury. Not that Tang Gunak would have gone down without a fight, but still…

Perhaps this was for the best. Now wasn’t the time for reproach. With Tang Pae’s help, they could quickly—

In that instant, Tang Gunak’s eyes widened.

The caltrops.

The weapons embedded in the ground were unmistakably Tang family tools. There was no doubt. Their distinct design and material could only originate from the Tang Family. However...

‘The poison?’

The liquid coating the caltrops seemed.... off. It resembled the Tang Family’s poison, yet it felt subtly different. It was a small discrepancy that only Tang Gunak could notice, but...

‘Fake?’

Tang Gunak instinctively twisted his body.

“Too late.”

But by then, Tang Pae’s hand had already pierced his side.

Kwaaang!

Udududug!

A deafening explosion accompanied the sound of bones shattering. Tang Gunak, blood spurting from his mouth, flew into the air like a kicked ball before crashing into the ground.

“Ugh... Ugh...”

Tang Gunak groaned in agony, clutching the blood-soaked dirt. Blood gushed from his mouth like a waterfall.

“You...”

As he struggled to raise his head, his son Tang Pae stood above him with a cruel smirk.

Jeok Ho, walking over with a dissatisfied expression, glanced down and said-

“I could have handled this myself.”

“It’s better to be certain.”

Tang Gunak gritted his teeth.

This wasn’t Tang Pae. It bore his face, but this person wasn’t his son.

“Thousand Faced-...”

“With this, I repay my debt. Poison King, Tang Gunak.”

Tang Pae. No, Thousand-Faced Manipulator, Dam Yeohae, flashed a malicious grin down at Tang Gunak.

Next Chapter

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