Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Manifestation of Madness (3)
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‘Whew.’
The soot-smeared face of Dark Shadow looked even more unremarkable.
‘Burns nicely.’
Roarrr.
Watching the pavilion blaze away, it almost felt like gazing upon some ancient tribe offering sacrifices to the heavens.
“Can we get inside?!”
“Three Azure Sword Squad members went in and came back critically wounded!”
“We can’t break through! One wrong move and the whole building might collapse!”
“I-Is the young master still on the third floor?”
Countless people were hauling water to douse the flames, but the fire refused to yield.
‘Won’t go out easily.’
In truth, from their perspective, the biggest reason to put out the fire had vanished.
Hong In’s death.
Of course, they had no idea.
‘Better than burning alive.’
For some reason, it felt strangely satisfying.
It was due to his contract with the Ten Sword Sect Leader, but he’d always lived with the thought that he might one day have to clash with the Hong Sword Clan.
Yet he’d never crossed paths with them while part of the Ten Sword Sect. The moment he became Murong Bi’s servant, however, he’d assassinated the clan’s young master.
‘Well...’
You really never knew what life had in store.
That was when it happened.
Whoosh!
A faint, insidious energy—too subtle for the frantic Hong Sword Clan members to notice—pinged Dark Shadow’s senses.
Dark Shadow turned his head.
‘The patriarch’s quarters.’
The aura emanating from the top of the three-story building. The young master had infiltrated successfully.
He recalled his conversation with the young master.
‘Approaching from the rear outpost is impossible. Fortunately, there are no guards except at the front and back.’
‘The path looping through the forests on either side is too tough. They’re probably overconfident anyway.’
‘Still, you’ll need stealth techniques to avoid detection.’
‘Just punch a hole and slip in. Don’t worry about that—head straight for that bastard’s neck and set the fire properly. I’ll charge in the moment I get your signal.’
‘Will you be alright?’
‘Infiltration itself isn’t hard. Quick and decisive is the issue. Which is why I have a job for you, just in case.’
He’d killed Hong In and torched the entire pavilion. The young master had infiltrated the patriarch’s quarters, taken down the guards, and was now facing off against Hong Junak.
One task remained.
Swish.
Dark Shadow, who had swiped a single sword, concealed himself atop a tree near the entrance to the patriarch’s quarters.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The Hong Sword Clan patriarch’s quarters were spacious enough.
But for a clash between masters, it was far from ideal. This was a place for handling affairs, not a battlefield designed for combat.
That was why their movements were accelerating.
Whoosh! Boom!
Hong Junak’s martial arts were impressive.
Each palm strike aimed at Murong Bi replenished his power instantly for the next move, its qi refinement as precise as any palm technique.
His snake-like footwork left no blind spots, and his palms shifted their nature to suit the moment with first-rate subtlety.
But.
Bam!
It was blocked.
He’d planned to pressure with Red Serpent Steps and finish with Incinerating Rock Palm at the right moment, but every attack was thwarted.
And the blocks came from an iron club and a plain iron sword.
‘Impossible.’
He’d lost count of the exchanges.
He’d attacked dozens of times while darting around the entire room. Yet not a single solid hit.
‘Why?!’
Whoosh!
The moment he sensed his opponent’s stance crumble, he closed in with Red Serpent Steps and unleashed Incinerating Rock Palm.
Aimed at Murong Bi’s chest, but...
Clang! Boom!
A single upward sword stroke from his unbalanced stance diagonally bisected the palm strike. The split force slammed into the floor and walls, delivering a powerful shock.
‘No way.’
Unbelief clouded Hong Junak’s face.
‘Incinerating Rock Palm split by a simple sword swing? What...?!’
Incinerating Rock Palm, infused with Red Serpent Internal Energy, could shatter boulders.
Its density was naturally immense. What Murong Bi had done was no different from slicing a flying metal chunk with a thin iron sword.
‘How!’
He unleashed Incinerating Rock Palm once more.
Clang!
This time, the club thrust forward like a spear, crushing the palm force outright.
Murong Bi’s torso shook violently from the impact.
But there were no signs of internal injury. If anything, it seemed like he was shaking on purpose, mocking him.
‘You!’
What was Red Serpent Internal Energy?
A supreme art he was confident could rival the Nine Great Sects’ techniques. It was the reason he dared dream of surpassing Wudang Sect and the Zhuge Clan, despite knowing it was impossible.
And this punk was blocking it so easily?
“Getting toasty in here.”
Murong Bi dangled his arms like seaweed swaying in the ocean.
“At this rate, your neck’s probably nice and tender. Bet it’d taste alright grilled.”
“You bastard!”
Already fuming, the mockery pushed his rage to the brink.
Hong Junak gritted his teeth as he prepared another assault.
‘Just wasting energy.’
The punk hadn’t used Force Emission once, yet deflected and sliced every attack.
He didn’t understand how, but hammering away endlessly was pointless.
“Myeong!”
“Yes!”
Hong Myeong had watched from the corner.
He wanted to help but couldn’t. Charging in recklessly would only hinder his father.
“Go fetch the entire Azure Sword Squad! We have to capture him here!”
“Understood!”
He hadn’t called for reinforcements earlier out of pride and overconfidence.
But with the order given, he had to move.
The instant Hong Myeong took a step, Murong Bi lowered his stance.
Snap!
Anticipating the move, Hong Junak blocked the path in a flash and slashed with his left palm like claws.
Whoosh!
His hand cleaved empty air. Murong Bi had instantly retreated.
Hong Myeong seized the opening and bolted for the door. Hong Junak pointed at him and followed.
Murong Bi didn’t budge from his spot.
Bang!
Hong Myeong smashed through the door and fled.
A cruel smile twisted Hong Junak’s face.
“Impressive enough to warrant confidence. But arrogance demands a price, doesn’t it?”
Murong Bi glanced at the window.
“Did you really need to open the door?”
“What?”
“Couldn’t you just jump out the window?”
Sure, but the three-story pavilion was quite high. Unless you were a peak master, it wasn’t a height you could casually leap from.
You could land safely, but the idea alone gave anyone pause.
“Enough nonsense—kneel quietly!”
“Poor imagination leaves you wide open.”
“What?”
Murong Bi suddenly raised his club.
Hong Junak flinched.
Finally, the punk was attacking first.
Boom!
Mighty Force Emission rippled out, shattering the floor outright.
“Wh-what?!”
Crash!
Murong Bi punched through the third floor, then the second, landing on the first in a blink.
It all happened in an instant.
Urgency flashed across Hong Junak’s stunned face.
“N-no!”
Bam! Crack!
“Arghhh!”
A brutal impact echoed with Hong Myeong’s scream.
Hong Junak leaped through the hole and spotted him.
Hong Myeong, left collarbone shattered, lay twitching against the wall.
Thud!
An iron sword stabbed into his right thigh at that moment.
Murong Bi charged at Hong Myeong.
“Stop...!”
Crunch!
A knee smashed into Hong Myeong’s face, slamming the back of his head into the wall.
No chance to circulate Red Serpent Internal Energy. Shattered left collarbone, punctured right thigh, crushed face, and now a cracked skull against the wall.
He was miraculously still alive, but recovery? Warrior status? Doubtful.
Hong Junak’s eyes bloodshot.
“You wretch!”
Reason snapped.
Seething fury bleached his vision white in an instant. An emotion even he hadn’t known surged, tinting his inner energy.
Fleeting rage. Madness.
Hong Junak roared and swung both palms.
Boom!
A explosion on another level rang out.
The palm force’s density had surged so much even its speed slowed.
Murong Bi yanked Hong Myeong by the collar.
Bang!
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Hong Junak’s snarling grimace froze.
“Myeong?”
Hong Myeong’s back was a bloody mess.
Taking Incinerating Rock Palm full-on? No inner energy could withstand that.
His spine crushed, Hong Myeong foamed blood and went limp.
“Demonic arts are demonic arts, even halved. Or maybe especially because they’re halved.”
Murong Bi’s cold gaze appeared beside Hong Myeong’s lolling head.
“You don’t even realize when you’ve gone mad.”
Hong Junak’s ears rang deaf to Murong Bi’s words.
His son was dead.
By no one else’s hand—but his own.
‘This... this...’
He’d sworn to protect his son even at the cost of his life. His death ended only his story, but his son’s meant the end of the Hong Sword Clan’s lineage.
Beloved child. The clan’s sole heir.
How much effort had he poured into secretly teaching him martial arts?
“Raaahhh!”
Whoosh!
His surging aura thickened.
Astonishingly, it doubled in power.
‘As expected.’
Murong Bi’s expression grew grave.
‘Red Strain.’
Demonic arts had classifications.
Fundamentally, they tampered with one’s innate nature. Even a kind person could grow wrathful, cruel, or lethargic after cultivation.
Among them, Red Strain demonic arts amplified power via heartfire.
The most common type—some required yin-rich elixirs or draining women’s yin essence through dual cultivation.
“Pathetic bastard.”
Others were bad too, but Red Strain especially turned the uninitiated into mindless beasts of slaughter and lust.
Thinking of him smugly practicing such trash made Murong Bi scoff.
‘Makes this easier, at least.’
Hong Junak had leveled up massively, but keeping pace was tough. That’s why he’d endured attacks, waiting for an opening.
No longer.
The bastard was now a mindless beast of attacks. Stronger, yes—but riddled with massive flaws.
He hadn’t planned to use Hong Myeong, but it had shattered his reason anyway.
The entire exchange had been prelude to this swift conclusion.
“Come on in.”
“Raaargh!”
Hong Junak bellowed savagely, charging with a wild punch.
Boom!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the ground beyond the holey wall.
Tremendous power. Red Serpent Demonic Art was unleashing its true might.
Murong Bi’s foot whipped up like a snake.
Crack!
Hong Junak’s head snapped sideways from the jaw strike, his bloodshot—nay, crimson—eyes glaring ferociously.
Bang!
Like a tiger, not a snake.
Low charge, arms flailing mercilessly.
Clangclangclang!
A single club deflected the barrage.
Mindless beast attacks were always predictable. He couldn’t match speed, but reading them was easy.
Murong Bi, stone-faced as he parried, suddenly flashed fierce eyes.
Whoosh!
Dodging a fist, he slipped inside and swung the club upward.
Aimed at Hong Junak’s throat.
Thud!
“Khek!”
Struck hard, Hong Junak flew back.
Murong Bi grinned.
“Tougher than your greed suggests.”