Chapter 288: You Gifted Me Hell
Chapter 288: You Gifted Me Hell
Baek Cheon-gyeong stared at the wooden doll.
Geom Mu-geuk watched the man’s expression intently, searching for any sign of a breakthrough. Had the doll triggered a memory? Suddenly, Baek Cheon-gyeong’s vacant eyes cleared, regaining a sharp focus. It was the final burst of clarity—that brief, fleeting moment of lucidity that often precedes death.
Baek Cheon-gyeong’s reaction, however, was entirely unexpected. He looked at the doll and laughed.
“Why are you laughing?”
Baek Cheon-gyeong shifted his gaze from the wooden figure to Geom Mu-geuk.
“I should have taught you how to carve when you asked.”
He was mocking the craftsmanship; the doll was a total mess. Geom Mu-geuk replied with a faint, bittersweet smile.
“For a first attempt, isn't it quite excellent?”
“Just don’t go around telling people I was your teacher.”
Though his speech was clear, blood continued to stream from his mouth. He didn't even seem to realize he was coughing it up. Geom Mu-geuk felt a sharp pang of regret. In truth, he hadn't wanted to kill him.
“I feel... lightheaded.”
As Baek Cheon-gyeong’s body began to slump, the trees that had filled the area started to sink back into the earth. The sealed space created by his final secret technique dissolved, and the pale sunlight fell upon Baek Cheon-gyeong’s fading face.
“Just tell me! Was it that person?”
Baek Cheon-gyeong fell to his knees, staring at the grass. As his life force ebbed away, the surrounding flora withered and turned gray along with him.
“You gifted me hell... why should I tell you anything?”
It wasn't just resentment for his impending death. To die with the suspicion that he had lived the last ten years as a mere puppet—that was the true hell.
He looked up at the wooden dolls standing in every direction. They, too, were losing their vitality. Were these dolls he had spent a decade carving truly not for himself?
“...Don’t talk nonsense.”
He denied Geom Mu-geuk’s words with his final breath.
The surrounding grass and trees shook violently, as if a gale had swept through. It was the manifestation of his dying rage, yet it looked as though nature itself was mourning his passing.
Geom Mu-geuk walked over and knelt in front of him. Their eyes met.
“I will get revenge. I’ll even avenge you. So please, tell me!”
Geom Mu-geuk knew that the more desperate he became, the more Baek Cheon-gyeong would revel in his frustration. But he had no choice. The answer was too important to lose.
Baek Cheon-gyeong’s eyes began to flutter shut.
“No! Don’t die yet!”
Geom Mu-geuk placed his palm on the man's chest and began injecting internal energy. Baek Cheon-gyeong coughed, splattering blood across Geom Mu-geuk’s face and clothes, but the younger man didn't stop the flow of energy.
Baek Cheon-gyeong opened his eyes one last time.
“Right... you said you wanted revenge too, didn't you?”
Geom Mu-geuk held the doll out to him again. He didn't say a word, but Baek Cheon-gyeong understood. The face carved into the wood was that of Geom Mu-geuk’s sworn enemy.
Finally, the truth spilled from Baek Cheon-gyeong’s lips.
“Your revenge has nothing to do with me. The person who approached me... was not that man.”
Geom Mu-geuk froze. “It wasn't him?”
“He... did not look like this.”
In his final moments, the man didn't look like he was lying.
“Then who was it? How can I find them?”
But Baek Cheon-gyeong said no more about that person. The last person he thought of before the darkness took him was Jin Ha-ryeong.
“...I’m sorry, Ha-ryeong.”
Deep regret etched itself onto his features.
“I told them to kill her if I didn't return on time.”
Startled, Geom Mu-geuk shouted urgently, “Where is she?!”
He hadn't expected the man to have already ordered her execution.
“...It’s already too late.”
“I asked you where she is!”
With the last of his strength, Baek Cheon-gyeong glanced in a certain direction. In a flash, Geom Mu-geuk used his Rapid Speed Step to fly toward that spot.
“...I will apologize to that child in the afterlife.”
With those final words, Baek Cheon-gyeong’s head dropped.
As he died, every tree in the vicinity withered and turned to ash. Now, only the wooden dolls, completely devoid of vitality, silently watched over his corpse.
*
The moment Jin Ha-ryeong saw Cho-rim enter the room, her heart sank. The way he looked at her was different. It would have been better if his eyes were filled with killing intent; instead, they were filled with a chilling pity.
“You’ve come to kill me.”
Cho-rim admitted it readily. Since his master’s strict order had been given, he had to carry it out.
“I have no personal grudge against you.”
For the first time, Jin Ha-ryeong felt the true weight of death. I’m going to die? It didn't feel real.
“I don’t want to die in a stuffy place like this. Let me see the sky one last time before I go.”
When Cho-rim hesitated, she pleaded again. “Please.”
“Fine.”
The moment Cho-rim turned to open the door, Jin Ha-ryeong lunged.
Swish! Thud!
She swung her hand and stabbed at Cho-rim’s neck with a wooden nail she had pried from the bedframe.
The moment she felt it miss as Cho-rim dodged, she kicked the door open and threw herself outside. She rolled across the ground and tried to scramble to her feet to run, but she froze.
Cho-rim walked out of the hut behind her, rubbing his neck.
“I understand.”
Blood was trickling from his throat, but the wound wasn't deep. Cho-rim was a master; no matter how much of a surprise attack it was, killing him with a body devoid of internal energy was an impossible feat.
Even though he was walking up behind her, Jin Ha-ryeong didn't run. She couldn't. Dozens of warriors were waiting in front of the door, surrounding her.
Jin Ha-ryeong turned back to Cho-rim.
“What exactly do you understand? I’m the one dying, not you. You think acting all polite will ease your guilty conscience? You’re worse than a vile thug.”
“I understand everything.”
“Fine. If you really understand me like you say...” Jin Ha-ryeong raised the wooden nail. Since her internal energy was suppressed, she was no match for him, but she had no intention of dying while staring at the sky. “Surely you aren't going to kill me while my internal energy is sealed? Release it. Let’s have a proper fight.”
Even if he released the seal, her chances of survival were slim against so many. But she had to try.
“If you release my energy, I’ll use this as my weapon. Your subordinates are watching; you should at least act like a leader.”
She hoped to provoke his pride, but Cho-rim was not so easily swayed.
“You are the finest rising star of Hubei. If I carelessly release your energy, do you think I could handle you?”
“So? You’re going to be a coward and kill a woman resisting with a wooden nail while her energy is suppressed?”
Even if she was going to die, she wouldn't go quietly. She would scratch at his pride and leave a scar on his soul.
Cho-rim spoke in a slightly annoyed tone. “Hearing you talk like that makes me feel a bit better.”
Jin Ha-ryeong lunged. Even with her internal energy suppressed, she was a martial artist who had reached the finals of the Young Dragon Tournament. The wooden nail in her hand pierced through the air sharply, aiming for vital spots like the eyes and neck.
After an exchange of about ten moves, Cho-rim’s fist slammed directly into Jin Ha-ryeong’s face.
Thwack!
Jin Ha-ryeong was sent flying.
“My apologies. I’ve struck the face of the Beauty of Hubei.”
The watching subordinates burst into laughter. Both Cho-rim and his men were clearly enjoying the spectacle.
Clutching her face, Jin Ha-ryeong pushed herself up from the ground.
“Live honestly from now on. This is who you really are. Kidnapping, hitting, killing, and laughing while you mock your victims.”
Cho-rim didn't deny it. As she said, he was not a good man. Neither was anyone else here. They were all criminals on the run—people with deep grudges against the Murim Alliance who could not live in the light. If they weren't, they wouldn't have been able to hide here for the past ten years.
Baek Cheon-gyeong had promised them that once the Murim Alliance Leader was dead, he would grant them all amnesty.
Swish! Whoosh!
Jin Ha-ryeong’s attacks struck only empty air. Amidst the laughter of the onlookers, she aimed for only one thing: a lucky strike.
But Cho-rim’s skill was not something luck could overcome.
Thud!
This time, she was struck in the stomach and collapsed. The pain was so intense she could barely breathe, but she forced herself up and lunged again.
After toying with her for a few more rounds, Cho-rim decided to end it. Tree roots erupted from the ground, binding her arms and legs, pinning her in place.
Cho-rim raised his hand, and a leaf drifting from the trees landed in his palm. It had been an ordinary leaf when it was falling, but as he held it, it began to radiate a chilling energy.
“Your death won't be in vain. You’ll become fertilizer for these trees.”
Jin Ha-ryeong snapped back coldly. “Why? Because you filthy bastards aren't even good enough to be fertilizer?”
At those words, Cho-rim showed his true colors. He looked at her with wicked, predatory eyes.
“If the order hadn't been to be polite and never touch you, you would have died after receiving the 'love' of every man here.”
A look of regret crossed Cho-rim’s face. Knowing exactly what he meant, Jin Ha-ryeong felt the greatest surge of killing intent she had ever experienced. She truly wanted to kill him. It was so unfair to die at the hands of such a man.
Cho-rim raised his hand high, intending to slit her throat with the leaf-blade. Even in that final moment, Jin Ha-ryeong did not close her eyes. She stared straight at him, trying her best not to show her fear, even as her heart filled with despair.
So this is how I die.
She never imagined her end would be like this. She thought she would at least die more grandly. She had hoped to die gracefully, reflecting on her life. Thinking about how sad her grandfather and brother would be made her even angrier.
After losing his son, if her grandfather lost his granddaughter too, his heartbreak would be beyond words. And her brother would lose the only person he could truly open up to.
As her thoughts reached that point, the person who came to mind was Geom Mu-geuk.
You’re the only one I can trust now.
To think she would die while thinking of him.
Just as the leaf-blade was about to fly and tear through her throat—
Screeeeeeeech!
A piercing sound of wind was followed by an explosion of screams.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thwack!
A massive great blade swept through the warriors, flying toward them like a falling star. Cho-rim retreated, dodging the weapon as it mowed down his subordinates.
Boom!
The great blade embedded itself deep into the stone wall behind them.
Startled, Cho-rim looked in the direction the blade had come from. A path had been cleared through his men; a dozen subordinates lay on either side, reduced to bloody pulps.
“Erect the Iron Wood Defensive Wall!”
Rumble-clatter!
Wooden barriers began to rise from the ground, forming a shield. The wall erected in front of Cho-rim was the largest and thickest. Having set up the defense, he approached Jin Ha-ryeong again.
“No matter what happens, you’re dying, you bitch!”
Right then, Jin Ha-ryeong saw it.
Someone leaped lightly toward them from the opposite side of the great blade embedded behind Cho-rim. The movement was so graceful that not even the sound of the wind could be heard.
Only when that person landed directly behind Cho-rim did he sense a presence and spin around. What he saw was a single, silver line.
Sliiiiiice!
Snick.
A swiftly drawn sword struck his neck, sending his head flying. Cho-rim’s head fell before he could even let out a death rattle.
The person who revealed herself before the fallen Cho-rim was none other than Lee An.
The weapon that had flown in was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s Heaven Extermination Great Blade. Lee An had flown in with it, clinging to the back of the blade. Because the weapon was larger than a person, they had missed her as she stayed hidden on the other side of the steel.
It was a feat made possible by the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s internal energy and Lee An’s skill, having reached the Nine-Star Stage of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique.
At Cho-rim’s death, one of the warriors screamed hysterically. “Kill those wenches first!”
They rushed toward Jin Ha-ryeong and Lee An. Lee An didn't have the luxury of time to release Jin Ha-ryeong’s internal energy. She cut down the approaching warriors, but after she had slain four in a row, the enemies changed their tactics. They realized her desire to protect Jin Ha-ryeong was a weakness.
“Fire your Sword Qi!”
The warriors unleashed their Sword Qi all at once.
Lee An shouted to Jin Ha-ryeong, “Get behind me!”
She couldn't dodge. To save Jin Ha-ryeong, she had to neutralize every single strand of incoming energy.
Whoooooosh!
A dozen streaks of Sword Qi swirled toward Lee An. She wasn't confident she could block them all, but she didn't move. She couldn't let Jin Ha-ryeong die.
In that desperate moment—
Swish! Thump!
Something dropped down in front of the two women, blocking the incoming Sword Qi.
Boom! Bang! Crash! Roar!
The Sword Qi struck repeatedly, but it couldn't pierce the obstacle; instead, it was neutralized and vanished.
Lee An saw it: the massive great blade blocking their front, and the man who had slammed it into the ground. Amazingly, it was the Heaven Extermination Great Blade.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who had arrived in the blink of an eye, had plucked the blade from the wall and now stood tall before the two women.
At the same time, an explosion like a clap of thunder erupted.
Rumble! K-boom!
The Iron Wood Defensive Wall they had erected shattered, and those nearby were sent flying by the blast. The man who had demolished the "indestructible" wall with a single punch was the Fist Demon.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was in front, and the Fist Demon was behind.
One of the enemies looked at the Fist Demon and screamed, “Kill that monster first!”
The moment those words left his mouth, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon spoke briefly with a look of pity. “Oh dear.”
He grabbed Lee An and Jin Ha-ryeong, who were slightly exposed past the edge of the blade, and pulled them behind the cover of the Heaven Extermination Great Blade.
The next moment, a deafening roar of thunder echoed.
RUMBLE-CRASH-BOOM!
Lee An and Jin Ha-ryeong had never heard a thunderclap so terrifying. It was enough to make them want to cover their ears.
Then!
WHOOOOOOOOSH!
An incredible force of Gang Qi swept past the sides of the planted great blade. If the Blood Heaven Blade Demon hadn't been bracing the blade with both hands and injecting his internal energy, even the massive weapon would have been uprooted.
A single clap of thunder. And then, silence.
Lee An and Jin Ha-ryeong cautiously peeked out from behind the blade. The two women were stunned by the sight.
No one was left alive. With a single strike, everyone who had been standing there had been swept away by the Gang Qi emitted from the fist, leaving only corpses.
The Fist Demon stood alone, his massive fists hanging at his sides.
Seeing him like that, even Lee An, his ally, felt a chill of fear. He felt completely different from when they trained together. In actual combat, the Fist Demon was a different person entirely. Today, Lee An saw clearly why the Heavenly Demon trusted him most among the Demon Lords.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon pulled the Heaven Extermination Great Blade from the ground and strapped it to his back, while the Fist Demon began walking toward them through the field of corpses.