Chapter 141
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: An Evil Lotus Blooms in a Swamp of Blood (1)
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Thud-thud-thud-thud.
Two hundred horses galloped swiftly along the mountain path.
Each one boasted a form worthy of being called a fine steed. Their lush manes and muscular bodies looked incredibly dynamic.
Fwip-fwip-fwip!
On the flags held by the standard-bearers at the front, the two characters for "Heavenly Demon" were embroidered in a magnificent script. The immense flags billowed like waves with the fierce charge of the fine steeds.
These were imposing demonic practitioners wearing stark white masks with only the eyes cut out. They were none other than the Black Sun Guard of the Hall of Punishments.
At the very head of the group rode Go Gu, the Head of the Hall of Punishments who led them.
His characteristically stoic face was the same as ever, but he now proudly displayed the supple sword he usually kept hidden in his belt. Dressed not in the uniform of the Head of the Hall of Punishments but in martial attire suited for movement, his presence revealed a different side to him than before.
How long had they been riding like this?
Go Gu raised his hand.
Hiiiing!
As if by design, all two hundred horses slowed down at the same time.
It was a breathtaking display of horsemanship. While trained soldiers could move as one, here, even the horses they commanded moved as a single entity.
A moment later, all the horses came to a stop.
Go Gu's eyes flashed.
In the distance across the plain, a single demonic practitioner was approaching rapidly.
‘The Yeonju Branch Head.’
The head of the Divine Cult's Yeonju Branch in northern Guangdong was coming in person?
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Go Gu quickly dismounted.
Soon, the Yeonju Branch Head, Gong Yun, stopped before him.
"Hah, hah! The Yeonju Branch Head greets the Head of the Hall of Punishments!"
"What brings the Branch Head all the way out here?"
"The situation is urgent, so I came without notice. My apologies."
"What do you mean, the situation is urgent?"
Gong Yun took a letter from his robes.
Go Gu extended his hand.
Whoosh.
The letter in Gong Yun's hand flew to Go Gu.
It was an incredible display of telekinesis. Gong Yun's eyes widened at the master's art, performed as naturally as breathing.
Go Gu unfolded the letter.
Fwoosh!
An immense demonic energy erupted from his body.
Hiiiing!
The demonic energy was so potent that all two hundred horses recoiled. Even Gong Yun, who stood facing him, couldn't stop the cold sweat from trickling down his back.
"…Is this true?"
"Yes, it is. Currently, a certain group has… at the Red Snake House."
"When did you receive this information?"
"I received it half a shichen ago. The other branches should have been contacted by now."
Crumple!
Go Gu, crushing the letter, shouted.
"All men, dismount!"
Clack-clack-clack!
All two hundred members of the Black Sun Guard dismounted.
Go Gu, his expression still unchanged, spoke in a cold voice.
"A certain power has seized control of the Red Snake House. It is predicted that the Special Inspector, the Third Young Master, is currently heading there."
Ssshaaa.
A fierce killing intent emanated from all the members of the Black Sun Guard.
"The extent of the damage to the Red Snake House is unclear. However, if the enemy forces were strong enough to take it over, the Third Young Master will be in danger."
"…!"
"We must arrive at the Red Snake House by the beginning of the Hour of the Rooster today."
They had traveled on horseback to conserve everyone's energy. If they used short-distance movement techniques, they were faster than horses.
But that was, quite literally, only for an instant. To maintain that speed over a long period required an endurance that surpassed imagination.
The Hour of the Rooster was less than half a day away. To arrive in that time… they would literally have to risk their lives.
Go Gu shouted.
"Any man who falls behind will be beheaded!"
Flash!
The eyes of the Black Sun Guard blazed.
"As you command!"
"Let's go!"
Fwoooosh!
The two hundred demonic practitioners charged forward in unison.
The charge of the Hall of Punishments' Black Sun Guard, a source of fear even for the practitioners within the Divine Cult. In their desperate movement technique, more urgent than ever before, was a mixture of fury and anxiety.
* * *
Though he didn't show it, Mok Gang-in was startled.
‘Demonic energy?!’
Beyond the massive outer walls of the Red Snake House, a heavy demonic energy surged from various locations.
‘When did so many of them…?’
In that moment, Mok Gang-in realized something.
‘This presence?!’
A cry, much higher and sharper than a tiger's roar.
But its majesty far surpassed that of the tiger, the king of the mountains. The presence of the beast that had let out that unknowable roar was blanketing the area around the Red Snake House, erasing the traces of demonic energy.
‘A beast? A person?’
He couldn't be sure. What was important was that there was another opponent who would not be easy to face.
There was something else that was surprising.
Fwip-fwip-fwip-fwip!
Two demonic practitioners were rushing toward the inside of the main gate at high speed.
‘They know a poison mist has been spread, yet they’re still coming in?’
Large amounts of the Tang Clan's Immortal's Ruin and Seven Steps Soul-Severing Powder had been scattered in the outer courtyard of the Red Snake House.
Immortal's Ruin was a poison that boasted the highest efficacy among internal energy-scattering poisons; without the antidote, one would have to live with their internal energy disrupted for the rest of their life. But until now, no group had ever been able to create an antidote for Immortal's Ruin.
The reason the Tang Clan, who had created it, rarely used it was because it was dangerous to themselves as well, lacking an antidote.
However, a short while ago, the Tang Clan had developed that very antidote. That was precisely why the swordsmen of the Sword Palace could charge recklessly even while setting off the Immortal's Ruin.
And what about the Seven Steps Soul-Severing Powder? One of the Tang Clan's five great poisons, it was said that one's soul would be severed within seven steps.
Immortal's Ruin, and then Seven Steps Soul-Severing Powder.
To charge headfirst into a domain that could only be described as hell?
‘Impossible.’
Even if So-ha had told them everything about it, rushing in so recklessly made no sense. The Seven Steps Soul-Severing Powder could be suppressed somehow with internal energy, but Immortal's Ruin could not.
Mok Gang-in trusted in the efficacy of Immortal's Ruin. The moment those two crossed the gate, they would lose their internal energy and collapse.
But his instincts told him otherwise.
‘I have to stop them.’
Surprise, bewilderment, and then the judgment that he had to stop them.
The description was long, but the flow of his thoughts was instantaneous.
Fwoooosh!
Mok Gang-in, leaping from the fortress wall, opened his mouth.
"All swordsmen, prepare for battle."
His voice wasn't loud, but the depth of the internal energy it contained was immense. The weighty voice penetrated every corner of the Red Snake House's inner courtyard.
Whoooosh!
Mok Gang-in descended at a terrifying speed.
His target was Seo Ryang.
Seo Ryang's eyes flashed.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!!
The Nine Hells Demonic Art, heated to its extreme, was imbued into the Dragon Scale Saber and the Seven Nights Saber.
"Hup!"
Whoooooosh!
Mok Gang-in's eyes wavered.
‘He’s strong.’
The saber wind, raging from all eight directions, was fiercer than the frozen winds of the North Sea and hotter than a fire dragon's breath.
He swung his sword at a terrifying speed.
Cl-cl-cl-cl-clang!!
Countless sparks flew in the air. He had obliterated the formless wind with a formless projection of power.
To emit a blunt force like a palm strike by swinging a sword required a high level of enlightenment. It meant that Mok Gang-in's understanding of the sword was approaching the ultimate realm.
‘What a magnificent saber art.’
This was comparable to the three great martial arts of the Sword Palace.
‘To have come this far at such a young age.’
One could only encounter supreme martial arts if fate allowed it. But even if fate allowed it, not everyone could master them.
That inspector fellow had clearly mastered this saber art to a level near perfection at his young age.
Twitch.
The corner of Mok Gang-in's mouth lifted slightly.
"Excellent."
A blinding blue light blazed from his sword.
Booooom!
It was like a massive, square pillar from a temple was being swung. The sword strike was that colossal and heavy.
Seo Ryang grinned.
"This guy's a complete monster!"
The man understood the weapon known as the sword better than anyone. The energy imbued in his strike, his enlightenment, his application—all of it spoke to that fact.
Fwoooosh!
A flame-like saber energy erupted from the two blades, Dragon Scale and Seven Nights.
Kwwaaarrrrruuumble!
An indescribable shockwave blew away part of the outer wall and crumbled the walls of two buildings.
This was truly beyond the realm of mortals. It wasn't even a fully committed attack; the mere fragments of the shockwave were laying waste to the surroundings.
The clash of two monsters who had not only transcended the limits of mortals but were beginning to break through the very limits of martial arts was that spectacular. It could rightly be compared to a battle of mythical, superhuman beings.
Fwaaaaaaah!
The gray mist that had covered the area like a cloud churned.
It was the heavy poison mist of Immortal's Ruin. No matter how potent the poison mist, it couldn't help but be scattered by such a powerful shockwave.
For a moment, Mok Gang-in's eyes flashed.
‘I see.’
He finally understood why that man had provoked him. He didn't know what kind of poison mist it was, but it was clear his objective was to disperse the surrounding mist with the impact of his projected power.
‘He's quite clever.’
It was a decent method, but the man had overlooked one thing.
Flash!
An immense power rising from his dantian was channeled into his left hand, his hand-sword.
The colossal weapon, Dragon Scale; the deadly weapon, Seven Nights.
Just as Seo Ryang wielded two sabers, Mok Gang-in had also drawn another sword—his own left arm.
"You will never pass this place."
Fwoooosh!
Two massive crescents of energy shot out with the force of a storm.
It was then that Seo Ryang's true power shook the surroundings.
Kwwwwwaaaaang!
The gray poison mist churned.
K-k-k-k-k-krak!
A storm of frost, spreading out in a concentric circle from Seo Ryang, caused the surrounding temperature to plummet.
Mok Gang-in's eyes widened.
‘Does the Demonic Path have martial arts like this?’
First, he had emitted a heat as hot as lava, and now he was displaying a cold energy no less formidable than the ice arts of the Ice Palace.
It was said that the Wudang Sect, a great pillar of the Orthodox Faction, possessed the Yin-Yang Divine Arts, allowing them to handle both yin and yang energies simultaneously.
But now, it was mostly considered a mere legend. While there were many martial arts that were not biased towards either yin or yang, simultaneously wielding two extreme energies was considered nearly impossible.
Shatter! Claaaaang!
The two streams of sword energy broke apart into pieces like shards of ice.
‘Astonishing.’
A faint heat rose on Mok Gang-in's face.
‘Truly astonishing.’
He had never imagined that his regret at not being able to fight the Lord of the Red Snake House would be resolved like this. A master stronger than the Lord of the Red Snake House, perhaps not even inferior to himself, was showering him with a martial art brimming with killing intent.
Only those who had experienced it could know that thrill.
"Excellent!"
Mok Gang-in, now thoroughly thrilled, finally unleashed his secret technique.
"Try and take this!"
Swish-swish-swish-swish!
For a moment, he had the illusion that his sword had multiplied into dozens of blades.
He had finally revealed his true ultimate technique, the Three Severing Ghostly Sword.
It was then that Seo Ryang's gaze changed completely.
Flash! Fwip-fwip-fwip-fwip!
Mok Gang-in's face hardened.
‘What?’
The ghostly sword strikes split the air and ravaged the earth.
But his opponent?
"Ground-Shrinking Art, Second Severance."
Fwaaaaaaaah.
A hot haze rose from Seo Ryang's body, who now had Ma Dongpil on his back.
Seo Ryang's pupils were completely dyed in blood.
"Reaching the Speed of Sound."
Fwip.
In an instant, the two vanished.
Boooooooom!
An enormous explosion roared through the air.
The sound of the air exploding was an attack in itself. The fierce shockwave was so powerful that even Mok Gang-in staggered back a few steps.
Mok Gang-in was aghast.
‘Impossible!’
The two demonic practitioners had already reached the middle gate of the outer courtyard. They had closed a distance of nearly fifty zhang in an instant.
"Cough!"
Seo Ryang, who had coughed up blood, looked quite pale. The consumption of internal energy had been considerable.
But he had no time to rest.
"We're going in!"
"Yes!"
Whooooooooosh!!
The demonic energy that had been surging from Seo Ryang's body vanished in an instant.
And what filled its place was the Unhindered Arts, which had now broken through to the fourth stage.
"Run!"
Boooooooom!
The two of them instantly entered the inner courtyard.