Chapter 228: What Happens When You Touch My Woman
Chapter 228: What Happens When You Touch My Woman
The moment the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon finished speaking, the three crows took flight. The Black Night Three Crows launched their assault.
The murderous intent in his voice had been unmistakable, and they did not hesitate. They knew that if their opponent was determined to kill Yeo Bul-gae, there was no way for them to survive without killing him first.
The Black Night Three Crows lunged from three directions.
They targeted his shoulder from the left, his flank from the right, and his throat from the front.
Until now, no one had ever survived this combined strike. These "Night Crows" were indeed masters formidable enough to have elevated Yeo Bul-gae to the status of a king of the night. Their coordination was perfect—except for the fact that their opponent was the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon.
With a single fluid step, the Smiling Demon slipped through the coordinated assault. Three blades grazed his body by a hair’s breadth, but the gaze behind his mask remained serene. Calmly and precisely—ping!
Il-o stood no chance against the Blood Calamity Finger fired at point-blank range.
As Il-o’s throat was pierced and he collapsed, I-o let out a grotesque shriek and swung his sword. The opening created by his rage was more than enough for a single strand of finger wind to penetrate.
Thwack!
Sam-o, the last remaining crow, unleashed the most magnificent strike of his life, but it only managed to clip the edge of the Smiling Demon’s bamboo hat.
Had he known who his opponent truly was, that feat alone would have been something to boast about for the rest of his days. However, having spent his life committing atrocities under Yeo Bul-gae, he never got the chance to utter a single word of pride. He, too, fell dead with a hole through his forehead.
It was at that moment!
Swoooooosh!
Something flew toward the Smiling Demon’s back with terrifying power. It was the spear of the Blood Howl Spear.
Schreeeeech.
The spear, traveling at a frightening speed, came to a dead stop inches from the Smiling Demon’s back.
Geom Mu-geuk had caught the spear with his bare hand.
The Blood Howl Spear was aghast. His spear was not something that could be caught with bare hands. If it were that simple, how could he have become a renowned spear master of the Unorthodox Faction?
Geom Mu-geuk slammed the spear into the ground.
The Smiling Demon turned around and lightly flicked the shaft of the planted spear with his finger.
Clang!
The clear, ringing sound was a gesture of gratitude.
Taking that sound as a starting signal, Geom Mu-geuk charged toward the Blood Howl Spear.
The spearman quickly joined the two short spears he carried at his waist. Given the distance, there should have been enough time to assemble the weapon—had Geom Mu-geuk not been charging with the Underworld King Step.
Slash!
The spear, which had only just been connected, was cleaved in two along with its master’s body. Geom Mu-geuk held a saber previously used by the Black and White Twin Blades rather than his Black Demonic Sword, but a master calligrapher does not blame his brush.
At that very instant...
Sssssss!
Vines erupting from the ground coiled around Geom Mu-geuk’s body. It was sorcery designed to bind an opponent for a brief, fatal moment.
The Yin-Yang Ghosts, who had been sitting in front of the Flower Garden, were suddenly at Geom Mu-geuk’s sides, grabbing his wrists.
Rumble!
The internal energy of the Yin-Yang Ghosts poured into Geom Mu-geuk’s wrists like a waterfall. Their martial art was the Heart-Breaking Energy Absorbing Art.
It was a cruel and inhuman evil art that involved injecting their own massive internal energy to rupture the opponent’s heart, then reclaiming all of the victim's internal energy and essence. Since either of them alone could easily kill most masters, they believed their opponent stood no chance now that both were latched onto him.
However, they were mistaken, unaware of who Geom Mu-geuk was when it came to internal energy.
The energy continued to pour in.
By now, he should have been coughing up blood from internal injuries, yet Geom Mu-geuk remained perfectly fine.
The Yang Ghost shot a grave look at the Yin Ghost. It was a signal to stop while they still could, but the Yin Ghost shook her head firmly in refusal. She knew from experience that the stronger the opponent, the more delicious their internal energy and yang energy would be.
Just a little more, just a little more!
It felt as though Geom Mu-geuk would collapse, vomiting blood, at any second.
More than half of their injected energy was gone, then two-thirds. As time passed, they found themselves unable to give up. They couldn't bear to lose the energy they had already committed.
The Yang Ghost attempted the Strange Shadow Technique. One was never supposed to use other martial arts while absorbing internal energy, but the situation left him no choice.
Geom Mu-geuk’s shadow rose from the ground. Normally, the shadow would have invaded Geom Mu-geuk’s mind and inflicted internal damage.
Ssssss!
The shadow merged with Geom Mu-geuk and then quietly returned to its original place.
‘The sorcery isn’t working!’
The Yang Ghost coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Only when the two had reached the point of no return did Geom Mu-geuk reveal his true strength. Far from dying, he spoke to them with ease.
“What should we do? Sorcery and internal energy happen to be the fields I’m most confident in.”
The Yin-Yang Ghosts realized they had been played. He had intentionally offered his wrists from the start. Now, even if they wanted to stop, they couldn't. Their internal energy was being sucked away endlessly, as if falling into an abyss.
With their internal energy completely depleted and their blood vessels withered dry, the Yin-Yang Ghosts collapsed. They had lost their lives trying to fill a bottomless jar.
The internal energy of the two merged into Geom Mu-geuk’s dantian. Born with the Heavenly Martial Physique and having reached a new realm, Geom Mu-geuk’s internal energy made theirs his own far faster and more purely than before. It was like a vast ocean remaining an ocean no matter how many rivers flowed into it.
Yeo Bul-gae, who had been blankly watching his last hope, the Yin-Yang Ghosts, perish, looked around the area dazed. Every master except for himself and Hwang-yeom was dead.
‘I wish this were a dream.’
Surprisingly, he found himself wishing all of this was just a nightmare. He had lived a life fulfilling every base desire with Ya Yul-han at his back.
‘I can’t give up!’
Yeo Bul-gae gritted his teeth.
— Grab that bitch as a hostage!
Hwang-yeom did not move at Yeo Bul-gae’s voice transmission.
— What are you doing? Hurry up and take her hostage!
But Hwang-yeom’s mute and demonic acupoints had already been suppressed. When on earth had he been neutralized in the middle of this chaotic battle?
Originally, Yeo Bul-gae had intended for Hwang-yeom to take the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master hostage while he seized the other women. But since things had turned out like this...
Yeo Bul-gae lunged toward the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master.
‘If I can just take her hostage, I can live.’
The moment he tried to subdue her, the Smiling Demon blocked his path a step ahead.
Yeo Bul-gae unleashed a palm strike with all his might. But how could an old man who spent his life chasing skirts hope to contend with the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon, whom even a lifetime of dedicated training would not make easy to face?
The Smiling Demon effortlessly neutralized the incoming palm strike with one of his own.
It was only then that Yeo Bul-gae finally saw the face beneath the bamboo hat. He stared blankly at the white mask, then recoiled in absolute horror.
“You... you're—!”
Before the next word could leave his mouth, a Blood Calamity Finger was unleashed.
Ping! Thwack!
A strand of finger wind, sharp as a beam of light and held back until now, tore through his mouth. Yeo Bul-gae let out a muffled scream and clutched his face. Blood poured through his fingers.
Then, the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master spoke to the women.
“Now, everyone, open your eyes and look.”
The women opened their eyes. They were stunned by the scene before them. While listening to the sounds of battle, they had prayed for this outcome, but they never imagined that Yeo Bul-gae’s powerful subordinates would actually be strewn about as corpses.
Amidst the bodies scattered everywhere, holes were multiplying in Yeo Bul-gae’s flesh.
Ping! Thwack!
His shoulder was pierced. The back of the hand he used to clutch his shoulder was pierced.
Realizing his opponent was the Demonic Cult’s Extreme Evil Smiling Demon, Yeo Bul-gae lost all will to fight and flailed about. He tried to beg for his life, but because his mouth had been pierced by the first finger wind, he couldn't speak properly.
He crawled across the ground, pleading for mercy.
Geom Mu-geuk knew. He knew what that desperation would turn into later. He knew how many people a single moment of mercy and forgiveness could end up killing. Fortunately, his opponent today was the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon.
Crack!
The Smiling Demon delivered a merciless kick to Yeo Bul-gae’s groin. The lust that had driven his lifetime of evil was shattered, and he let out a harrowing scream.
“Aaaaaaaagh!”
Blood sprayed from his mouth as he shrieked.
‘I’ll survive somehow and get my revenge!’
Yeo Bul-gae crawled toward the Smiling Demon again.
‘You dog! You bastard! I’ll pay you back a hundred, a thousand times for this pain!’
Covered in blood, Yeo Bul-gae forced a mangled smile.
“...I will... live... a good life.”
The pronunciation was ruined, but it was clear he was claiming he would turn over a new leaf.
Of course, it didn't work.
This time, the joints of his limbs were pierced. The Smiling Demon chose only the spots where the pain would be most intense to fire his finger wind. He didn't even offer a single word of advice to live a better life in the next one. The Smiling Demon ignored him utterly.
Finally, the Smiling Demon pulled the spear planted in the ground and drove it through the struggling man’s stomach.
The future the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master had spoken of was unfolding right here, not in some distant hell.
The Smiling Demon stared coldly at the dying man and extended his palm toward him. The pit of fire the Pavilion Master had mentioned was none other than the Smiling Demon’s Demon Extreme Wild Rage Palm.
BOOM!
His entire body was blown away.
Thud.
He vanished into a mass of bloody flesh, leaving only the broken spear rolling on the ground. This was the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon’s definitive answer to what happened when someone dared to touch his woman.
At the sight, some women cheered, some wept with joy, and others turned their heads away, unable to bear the gruesome spectacle. Their reactions differed, but they all felt the same emotion. Nothing but the joy of finally escaping this hell filled their hearts.
Rumble, crash!
As if it had been waiting for this moment, rain began to pour from the sky.
Shhhhhhh!
The women all looked up at the sky. It felt as though all their past suffering was being washed away by the rainwater.
The Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master walked toward them.
“It’s time to go home now.”
Of course, she intended to keep them with her until this entire affair was settled. Geom Mu-geuk could see that the Pavilion Master was the best person to help them right now. She would soothe their wounds better than anyone else.
The women bowed to the three of them.
“We will never forget the grace you have shown us by saving our lives.”
Tears wouldn't stop falling at the thought of seeing their families again. How much must their families have missed them? How long must they have searched for them?
The Pavilion Master helped them to their feet.
The middle-aged woman who had tried to save the younger woman earlier asked with a tear-streaked face, “Please, at least tell us our benefactor’s name.”
Geom Mu-geuk replied with a smile.
“As you heard earlier, this lady here is a brothel owner, this gentleman is her gigolo, and I am the gigolo’s friend.”
Realizing this meant they would not reveal their identities, the woman did not ask further. Instead, she voiced the feelings of the group.
“We will live the rest of our lives never forgetting this debt.”
It was time to leave.
Geom Mu-geuk approached Hwang-yeom, the sole survivor, who remained suppressed by mute and demonic acupoints. Releasing his mute acupoint, Mu-geuk asked, “Do you want to live?”
“Yes!” Hwang-yeom nodded frantically.
He was a subordinate perfectly suited to his master. With his master dead, what use was loyalty? Who in the world could have wiped out Yeo Bul-gae and his experts so easily?
Using Sword Force, Geom Mu-geuk quickly dug a hole in the ground, then used Telekinesis to hurl the corpses into the pit. He filled it back up in an instant. The heavy rain washed away all the blood.
Meanwhile, the women cleaned the area, and the Smiling Demon brought out the large carriage parked in the backyard.
Geom Mu-geuk said to Hwang-yeom, “On your way out, tell the guards that Yeo Bul-gae has somewhere to go for a while. If you want to try any tricks, go ahead. I’ll throw you into a torture chamber until the day you die. I’ll keep you alive like my own life just to make you suffer forever.”
“That won't happen.”
The women were loaded into the carriage. Hwang-yeom took the reins himself, and Geom Mu-geuk sat beside him.
The carriage sped away from Yeo Bul-gae’s residence. Hwang-yeom acted his part even better than instructed, forbidding entry to the inner court. At this rate, Yeo Bul-gae’s death wouldn't be known until they reached Ya Yul-han.
About ten li away, the Poison King and Seo Dae-ryong were waiting. Seo Dae-ryong took over the reins, and the Pavilion Master and the women were now under the Poison King’s protection.
“Please spare me as promised!”
“I never promised. I only asked if you wanted to live.”
Just as Hwang-yeom was about to protest...
Thud!
Geom Mu-geuk’s fist buried itself in the man’s chest. The reward for his help was a painless death. In truth, this man deserved a painful end for acting as Yeo Bul-gae’s henchman, but there was no time for that now.
Geom Mu-geuk buried the body deep in the nearby forest. Meanwhile, the Poison King and Seo Dae-ryong were ready to depart.
“I leave them in your hands.”
When Geom Mu-geuk entrusted the women to the Poison King, the old man said something unexpected.
“When you get back, let’s try making that poison we failed at before.”
It was his way of telling Mu-geuk to come visit the Thousand Poison Forest again—a roundabout way of saying he should return safely from this mission.
“Only if you’ll allow me to stay far away by the door again.”
The Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master also saw Geom Mu-geuk and the Smiling Demon off with a serious expression.
“Please, look after my husband.”
“As I always say, it’s the Smiling Demon who needs to take care of me.”
The one most worried was Seo Dae-ryong. Handing over the Black Demonic Sword he had been keeping safe, he said repeatedly, “I know your skills well, Pavilion Master, but please be careful. Be careful, and then be careful again. If things look bad, just run! Don't go acting reckless!”
“If you’re that worried, why don't you come along?”
Seo Dae-ryong flinched and took a step back.
“I’d love to, but unfortunately, there’s no one else to drive the carriage.”
The Poison King chimed in from the side. “I can drive the carriage. Should I give it a go for the first time in a while?”
Pretending not to hear, Seo Dae-ryong said to Geom Mu-geuk, “Then I’ll be waiting. As always.”
Geom Mu-geuk smiled and patted his shoulder. Keep growing, Seo Dae-ryong. The day will come when I fight by your side.
With their farewells finished, Geom Mu-geuk and the Smiling Demon began to run toward where Go Wol was waiting. They had to face Ya Yul-han now, but Geom Mu-geuk was not afraid. The person watching his back was the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon.
Shhhhhhh!
Slicing through the torrential rain, the two raced forward without pause.