Chapter 181
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: King of Beasts (1)
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“Damn it, this place is no place for humans.”
The person spitting out coarse curses while fanning herself incessantly was none other than Wi Hongryeon.
Surprisingly, she was deploying her movement technique faster than anyone else. Considering the Berserk Demon Unit members following her were struggling so much their breathing was ragged, it was an almost alien sight.
Wi Hongryeon glanced back.
“Can you hold on?”
“Yes!”
Yet their answer was clear. It was just like the Berserk Demon Unit, who considered their commander's orders absolute.
“Just hold on a little longer. We're almost at that Forest of Ten Thousand Demons, or whatever the hell it's called.”
Wi Hongryeon licked her lips.
‘It's no wonder they're exhausted.’
The Berserk Demon Unit was known for enduring the pain of severed limbs with sheer grit and tenacity.
But they had been on the move without rest right after successfully completing two missions. Moreover, due to Yunnan's regional characteristics, Aenoe Mountain was far more humid and hot than the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
No matter how skilled a martial artist, they were bound to get tired; it was a near miracle they had even kept up this far.
‘Anyway, to summon us to a place like this…’
Though she grumbled internally, she was also worried.
Excluding the absolute masters who had reached the pinnacle of demonic arts, there were few in the martial world of this era who could compare to Seo Ryang. Weren't even the lords of the Seven Demonic Houses, second to none in experience, shattered at Seo Ryang's hands?
But being strong in martial arts and getting into trouble were two different things.
She didn't know if he realized it himself, but Seo Ryang had a naturally aggressive disposition. Thanks to his uniquely flexible personality, he knew how to accommodate others' feelings, but if his opponent came on strong, he was the type who would rather die than compromise.
And now, that same Seo Ryang was about to meet the masters of the Beast Palace, who were known for being second to none in roughness.
Worse, this was the Beast Palace's front yard. Wasn't this the perfect situation for trouble to break out?
“Damn it, why are there so many trees?”
Wi Hongryeon swung her Tiger Roar Sword. As the brilliant white treasured sword drew an arc of light, three or four trees were cleanly cut down.
*Thud! Thud!*
“Be careful not to get hurt. The trees and plants here are much more poisonous than in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. A single scratch might force you to cauterize the wound with your internal energy.”
“Yes!”
Just as the Berserk Demon Unit, which had been climbing Aenoe Mountain for a good while, reached the summit of a small peak.
Wi Hongryeon stopped in her tracks.
“Halt.”
*Shhhk!*
The Berserk Demon Unit came to a stop.
Wi Hongryeon's eyes stared at a distant place, an area presumed to be the Forest of Ten Thousand Demons. It was a place that could only be reached after crossing two more large peaks and three gorges from here.
*Kwaaaa…*
Wi Hongryeon's eyes wavered at the sound of the distant explosion.
‘A shockwave.’
The shockwave from a clash of internal energies was echoing back to them.
And then.
*Whoosh!*
A terrifying demonic energy, palpable even from this great distance, and a colossal pillar of fire soaring high into the sky.
“The Young Master is in battle! All units, run at full speed!”
The eyes of the Berserk Demon Unit members changed instantly.
*Fwoosh!*
Not a trace of their earlier exhaustion could be seen. With Wi Hongryeon in the lead, their speed as they descended the peak was like a storm.
When they crossed a peak in an instant and reached a gorge.
*Rumble!*
The mountain shook as if an earthquake had struck. It was accompanied by a tremendous roar, several times louder than the shockwave of internal energy.
An entire cliff in the Forest of Ten Thousand Demons was collapsing.
‘Shit!’
Wi Hongryeon ran again.
“Team Leader Lee! Any word from the True Demon Unit?”
“No, ma'am! The last contact was half a day ago, from the western edge of Aenoe Mountain!”
Wi Hongryeon gritted her teeth.
The current True Demon Unit, having been completely replaced with a new commander and dozens of new members, could be said to have been reborn. But perhaps due to a lack of cohesion, their movements were somewhat sluggish.
“If something really happens at this rate…!”
Just then, a powerful demonic energy surged from the eastern gorge.
‘Huh?’
*Kwang!*
There was a demonic practitioner moving as if flying from the end of the gorge. He was a gaunt man who looked to be in his late forties, with a greatsword strapped to his back.
Wi Hongryeon's eyes widened.
“A Demonic General…?”
“Your foul mouth hasn't changed a bit, Commander Wi.”
The man's name was Jang Chu, a supreme master belonging to the Divine Cult's Divine Generals Division, ranked fourth among the 108 Demonic Generals.
“What are you… no, what is Senior Jang doing here?”
“I was summoned by the Third Young Master. Another Demonic General will be coming as well. It seems you're here for the same reason.”
Is he planning to conquer all of Aenoe Mountain?!
Wi Hongryeon, who had been momentarily stunned, quickly spoke with urgency.
“This is no time for that! We must get to the Young Master…”
“The True Demon Unit and the other Demonic General will handle that.”
“What?”
“It means we have our own task.”
“What are you talking about!”
“Look behind you.”
Wi Hongryeon turned around. For a moment, her eyes shook.
Jang Chu's demonic eyes glinted.
“The Lord of the Beast Palace… I don't know what he's thinking.”
In the distance, a force from the Beast Palace, numbering at least several hundred, was approaching at high speed.
***
“Young Master!!”
Ma Dongpil's urgent cry echoed through the Forest of Ten Thousand Demons.
Yeo Ganghui couldn't help but feel rushed. His younger sister was over there.
“Rin-ah!”
*Kugugung!*
A cliff collapsing with a deafening roar.
The eyes of Dang Jeon, who was following behind, glinted.
‘What in the world is happening?’
About two hundred paces ahead, an entire cliff was crumbling down. Dozens of trees snapped and broke, and house-sized boulders rolled down the slope, shaking the very ground.
‘I'm sure I felt an incredible presence.’
It must be a demonic practitioner. The energy wave, exploding like a volcano, was laced with a demonic aura that sent chills down his spine.
‘In any case, it means those Demonic Cult bastards are here.’
A sinister killing intent swirled in Dang Jeon's eyes.
“You fucking Demonic Cult bastards!”
*Paaaak!*
Led by the Tang Clan Lord, Dang Jeon, the Lord of the Dark Cloud Pavilion, Dang Pyo, and two hundred masters from the Green King Troupe unleashed their movement techniques.
Just as masters of archery invest heavily in movement and footwork techniques to create distance, masters of hidden weapons also prioritize lightness skills. This was also the reason why Ma Dongpil and Yeo Ganghui had been unable to escape the Tang Clan's pursuit until now.
From all directions, people were gathering in the Forest of Ten Thousand Demons, each for their own purpose.
At some point, a streak of light rose from the nearby forest.
*Flash!*
Ma Dongpil's eyes widened. It was a golden radiance like his own Vajra Yaksha Demonic Art, but he had seen that light, with its completely different nature, before.
“Geumho?!”
*Paaaak!*
Geumho, having soared high into the sky, landed before Ma Dongpil and Yeo Ganghui.
Yeo Ganghui's jaw dropped.
“Wh-what kind of beast is…?!”
Its physique was reminiscent of a great tiger, and because of its tail, which was larger than its torso, it appeared far more massive than its actual size.
Staring blankly at Geumho, Yeo Ganghui suddenly noticed the woman held in its jaws.
“Gasp! Rin-ah?!”
*Hwaaak!*
A powerful cold energy erupted from Yeo Ganghui's body.
Just then, Geumho opened its jaws and dropped Yeo Sangrin.
As if feeling the impact even while unconscious, Yeo Sangrin's face scrunched up.
“Nngh.”
Yeo Ganghui quickly approached and checked on Yeo Sangrin.
“Rin-ah! Are you alright?”
Ma Dongpil shouted.
“Geumho! Where is the Young Master, and why are you here alone?!”
Geumho, who had been staring intently at Ma Dongpil with its piercing eyes, turned its body. The dynamic movement of its massive body captivated the onlookers' attention.
*Wooooong!*
The immaculate blue light in its eyes swirled with five colors.
*Crackle!*
A golden light, similar to lightning, coursed across Geumho's entire colossal body.
Not only Ma Dongpil, but also Yeo Ganghui, whose attention was completely focused on Yeo Sangrin, and the Tang Clan masters who were rapidly approaching, were all startled.
*Thud!*
Geumho slammed its forepaw into the ground and let out a mighty roar.
「KRAAAAAH!」
“Kugh!”
“Uwaaah!”
At the deafening roar that seemed to threaten their eardrums, everyone covered their ears and ducked.
At the same time, the ground shook violently.
*KWAAANG!*
A powerful explosion erupted from within the still-collapsing cliff.
*Rumble.*
The ground, which had heaved once, began to collapse even faster.
No matter how skilled a master, no one could survive such a collapse. Ma Dongpil's face twisted like a demon's.
*Hwaaaak!*
Above his blazing demonic energy, an illusion of three heads and six arms arose. His Vajra Yaksha Demonic Art had been pushed to its absolute limit.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
A demonic shout burst out of him unconsciously.
The demonic power contained in that shout was truly immense. The masters, already reeling from Geumho's roar, now had to endure the shock from Ma Dongpil's shout as well.
*Paaaak!*
Kicking off Geumho's back, Ma Dongpil soared into the air and raised the Dark King Sword.
*Wooooong!!*
The golden light enveloping the jet-black blade surged as if to pierce the heavens.
Yeo Ganghui's eyes widened.
‘He can generate that much sword energy?!’
But the sword energy wasn't all.
Ma Dongpil's airborne form shot down toward the trembling ground at a terrifying speed.
It was the Bow Body Ejection Shadow, one of the highest realms of movement techniques. It was not a level that Ma Dongpil, who had yet to surpass human limits, should have been able to use.
Ma Dongpil's pupils turned into vicious golden eyes.
“Hyaaap!”
Gripping the Dark King Sword with both hands, he swung it wide.
*Krrrrack!*
The golden sword energy carved a huge gash in the ground.
At the same time, a red radiance burst from the split earth.
*Peeeeong!*
Along with a pile of rocks that exploded with a loud crash, a vicious demonic energy leaked out.
*Thud!*
Ma Dongpil landed on a large tree branch.
Then, something huge leaped out from the broken ground.
*Keoheong!*
The one that leaped out with a terrifying roar was the Tiger King. Its blood-soaked body made it look even more gruesome.
Ma Dongpil's eyes widened.
“Young Master!”
Surprisingly, Seo Ryang was riding on the Tiger King's back. He was also covered in blood, but he had somehow managed to hold onto all four of his blades.
Seo Ryang shouted.
“Get on!”
*Paaak!*
Ma Dongpil leaped onto the Tiger King's back as if flying. His movement technique was nothing short of exquisite.
*Kuuung!*
The Tiger King landed on the ground.
But its former majesty was nowhere to be seen. Having broken through an immeasurable weight of rubble was a miracle in itself; the Tiger King staggered a few times before collapsing.
“Young Master, are you alright?”
“This isn't the time to worry about whether I'm alright or not.”
“Pardon?”
Seo Ryang's eyes glinted.
His gaze went past Yeo Ganghui and Yeo Sangrin, toward the Tang Clan members about thirty paces away.
*Thwack!*
After knocking the Tiger King out cold with a blow to the head, Seo Ryang dashed forward with frightening speed.
He had barely survived a natural disaster, but there was no time to rest. He had come here to devour both the Beast Palace and the Tang Clan.
Dang Jeon's eyes widened.
A demonic practitioner approaching at a speed that was difficult to react to. He looked like a young man, but the intense demonic energy rising from his entire body made him look like a bizarre demon.
“You bastard!”
*Piiing!*
A King-Chasing Dart was fired toward Seo Ryang's brow. No questions asked. If it was a demonic practitioner, the first course of action was to kill them.
Just then, Seo Ryang's body scattered.
No, it seemed to have scattered.
‘Form-Shifting Position-Switching?!’
*Thwack!*
The King-Chasing Dart passed through the afterimage and embedded itself in the Tiger King's foreleg. Even its iron-like hide, which couldn't be scratched by the sword energy of a peak master, couldn't block the hidden weapon of the Tang Clan Lord.
The Lord of the Dark Cloud Pavilion, Dang Pyo, stepped forward. Seo Ryang's approach was so fast that even the fleeting moment it would take to order the Green King Troupe felt like a waste.
*P-p-p-pow!*
Hundreds of fine needles shot out with explosive sounds.
It was the Tang Clan's pride, the Pear Blossom Rain Needles. A secret hidden weapon that even a transcendent master couldn't easily evade without proper defense.
Seo Ryang threw a punch.
*Kwarreureung!*
With a sound like thunder, the hundreds of fine needles scattered in all directions.
Astonishment washed over the faces of Dang Jeon and Dang Pyo.
*Thwack!*
Secretly thrown Twin Meteor Blades embedded themselves in Dang Jeon's abdomen and Dang Pyo's shoulder respectively.
*Pabababak!*
Seo Ryang, who had approached with exquisite footwork, quickly grabbed Dang Jeon's hair and sealed his dantian.
Then, he immediately wrapped the long strands of hair in his hand around Dang Jeon's neck, pulled out the red blade embedded in his abdomen, and held it to his throat.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Just as everyone was stunned, Seo Ryang, panting heavily, declared.
“Hah! Hah! That's enough.”