The Poison King's Pride
Yeon Hojeong and Muk Bi shot through the Dabie Mountains in an instant and veered north.
Muk Bi asked, “Will he be all right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Lord Dang…… I mean, the family head.”
She still found it awkward to speak of Dang Gwan with respect. Her expression remained slightly dazed.
Yeon Hojeong answered brightly. “He said he’s fine himself. If he’s showing that much confidence, he’ll manage.”
“You know as well as I do, Young Master Yeon. A fight isn’t decided by pride alone.”
“It is decided by pride.”
“Pardon?”
“When it comes to someone like Lord Dang, that pride will exert tremendous influence in actual combat.”
“What do you mean?”
“The arrogance of the Sichuan Tang Family is rooted in the fear they have cultivated over generations. That fear is power. They didn’t earn the title of ancestors of poison and hidden weapons for nothing.”
“That may be true, but……”
“Moreover, this is Dang Gwan. Before he is the Dark King’s son, he is the head of the Tangs who ruled the world beyond Sichuan with fear. His pride will not break even before the Sacred Heavens.”
Muk Bi let out a sigh. “Does that mean he possesses absolute confidence in his own abilities?”
“Of course.”
“Still, I can’t help feeling uneasy.”
“We have no choice but to trust him. And honestly, there’s no reason not to, is there?”
“What?”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes grew deep. He was thinking not of the present Dang Gwan, but of another Dang Gwan from past and future alike. He remembered fighting alongside him against the monsters of the Sayeum Cult, drenched in blood.
The martial prowess Dang Gwan displayed then had been nothing short of absolute. Regardless of overall strength, his killing power alone could contest the peak of the martial world.
That man possessed “that.”
“The true masters of the Tang Family never display arrogance when they enter battle. They kill their opponents by any means necessary.”
“……”
“Killing the enemy in the shortest possible time. That is why the Tang Family was able to spread absolute terror across the world. It also aligns with the very aesthetics of real combat.”
“The shortest time……?”
“Furthermore, even if he is weaker than he was ‘back then,’ as family head he still commands the Tang Family’s strongest secret art. That art was perfected in the hands of the Dark King, Dang Hyeong, and transformed into an invincible divine technique that would carve a new page in martial history.”
Yeon Hojeong still remembered that moment clearly—the past that was also the future.
Thirty-three elite operatives of the Sayeum Cult, dispatched to assassinate the leaders of the Black and White Alliance, had been annihilated in a single technique. Even he, the Black Dark Emperor at the time, had known that one wrong move could have meant his death.
“In any case, there’s no need to worry. Lord Dang is a master on par with my father. In terms of compatibility, my father might even be at a disadvantage. With a warrior of that caliber stepping forward, victory is certain.”
“Hmm. If you say so……”
To Muk Bi, Dang Gwan remained an untrustworthy figure. Conversely, Yeon Wi was an elder she trusted above all others. She didn’t believe Dang Gwan could defeat Yeon Wi, yet she judged that if the gap wasn’t too great, he would not lose.
At that moment—
Kwang!
A thunderous roar from far away reverberated and reached them.
“It’s begun.”
The battle between Dang Gwan and the Shinhwa Sect’s warrior.
“Let’s pick up the pace.”
“Yes.”
Paaang!
The two shot forward like the wind.
* * *
‘A dangerous fellow.’
Anyone who reached the rank of the Shinhwa Sect’s Eighteenth Martial General possessed considerable knowledge of the famous masters of the gangho. Of course, they couldn’t meet every one of them in person. Still, with detailed descriptions in hand, it wasn’t difficult to infer an opponent’s identity from their aura alone.
Yet Yo Roe could not identify his opponent’s true identity, save for one fact.
‘This man is dangerous.’
Words like sinister, gloomy, or treacherous fell short. His energy leaned toward yin rather than yang, yet within it burned a domineering spirit capable of shaking the heavens.
Light and darkness coexisted. Though the overall aura was dark, it contained the potential for an explosive strike.
Fssst.
With each step the man took, the frozen ground smoked and receded. Even a minuscule amount of external qi, released through fighting spirit alone, could damage the surroundings. In terms of realm, it was the peak of the Transcendent stage, fully matured.
Flash!
Yo Roe’s eyes grew increasingly intense. ‘I don’t know who he is, but at the very least he’s a family head of the Nine Great Sects or Six Great Clans—or higher.’
The corner of his mouth lifted. ‘This should be entertaining.’
Before the man revealed himself, the pressure he exuded had suggested he was several levels below Yo Roe. Yet face to face, the reality was different. Judging by the killing intent that spread like mist, his martial prowess was comparable to Yo Roe’s own.
Power gathered in Yo Roe’s fist.
Crack.
The ominous sound from his massive hand shook the area.
Dang Gwan smiled faintly. “So you’ve given up on running?”
“Running?” Yo Roe burst into hearty laughter. “Why would I flee when such an amusing toy stands before me? I should be grateful instead. I was terribly bored.”
“Hmm.”
“What? Are you growing impatient because your opponent shows no fear?”
“I’ve seen far too many brats who don’t know their place and run wild.”
Derision appeared on Dang Gwan’s face. “At least I know one thing for certain. You will never amount to much. Blinded by the desire to win, you stand there even after seeing me. You’re nothing but a brat who only has strength.”
Yo Roe’s eyes turned cold. The burning desire for victory vanished in an instant—an abrupt change that was hard to believe.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Too late.”
Dang Gwan took a single, smooth step forward.
Flash! Sssst!
Yo Roe instantly leaned his upper body backward. The flexibility was unbelievable given his enormous frame.
“Not bad.”
Pak!
Using terrifying elasticity, Yo Roe righted himself and quickly spun around, lowering his stance. Before he knew it, Dang Gwan was standing behind him.
Dang Gwan opened the fist he had clenched.
Flutter.
What fell from his hand was a torn piece of Yo Roe’s front garment.
“Your reaction speed is decent. Then again, for a backwater savage to hold a government post, you must have at least one thing you’re good at.”
The words were a ruthless trampling of the opponent’s pride.
Yet Yo Roe did not waver. This single exchange had revealed his opponent’s skill, but more importantly, it confirmed that the man knew exactly who he was.
“You know about me? About us?”
“How utterly foolish. Do you think I would have come all the way to this remote mountain without knowing who you are?”
“……”
“Besides, I heard one of your comrades was torn limb from limb by that rude brat. It seems all you outsiders are the same. If you’re stupid, you should at least be cautious, yet you have nothing going for you.”
Yo Roe was momentarily speechless. Dang Gwan’s words made sense. It couldn’t be coincidence that such a master had suddenly appeared in the heart of the Central Plains.
But Yo Roe wasn’t thinking that far. He had no room to think deeply.
He was starving.
Not only him—most of the Shinhwa Sect disciples who had infiltrated the Central Plains were likely suppressing their surging desires. Battle, blood, and death. For those who considered living life brilliantly and violently like a flame a virtue, merely holding back their overwhelming power until now had been an extraordinary feat.
Without deep-rooted faith, they never could have endured.
“I see.”
Whoosh!
Color flashed in Dang Gwan’s eyes. Crimson flames erupted from Yo Roe’s body—not real fire, but the tangible manifestation of scorching, lethal fire qi.
“Thank you for enlightening me. Yes, before my own desires, the greater cause must come first.”
Fwoosh! Fwoooosh!
The released fire qi grew fiercer. Soon the trees around him began to catch fire, and the blaze spread in all directions in an instant.
It resembled the scene when Yeon Hojeong and Gyu Jeok had fought. The difference was that Gyu Jeok had deliberately formed a fire formation, whereas Yo Roe had no such intention—yet a formation had formed anyway.
That difference was greater than it seemed. Though only one level apart, Yo Roe was a powerhouse capable of things Gyu Jeok could not achieve.
“You’re most likely from the Martial Alliance, aren’t you? That means you’ve already noticed our presence.”
“So you’re finally starting to use that thick skull of yours?”
“I see. So that’s how it was.”
“By the way, where did the original owner of that thatched hut go? Did you reassign him somewhere else?”
Yo Roe’s eyes darkened. He ignored Dang Gwan’s question and muttered, “So you’re the ones who killed Gyu Jeok.”
“I don’t know who Gyu Jeok is. But I did hear that one of your comrades was torn to pieces by some ill-mannered brat.”
“……You’re an amusing fellow yourself. Revealing facts you should have hidden, even for the sake of a one-in-ten-thousand chance.”
“Why should I?”
“What?”
Dang Gwan tilted his head in genuine puzzlement. “Can’t I even grumble at prey I can easily crush?”
“……”
“You didn’t actually think you’d make it back alive, did you?”
“You bastard……”
“Kahahaha!!”
Wuuuung!
Terrifying inner energy infused Dang Gwan’s wild laughter.
Crack!
His laughter alone could kill a man. The spreading sound was itself a lethal sound technique, as impressive as the Buddhist lion’s roar—yet far darker and filled with vicious killing intent.
In that killing intent alone, he surpassed Yo Roe. Yo Roe’s face twisted.
Then Dang Gwan stopped laughing.
“How dare you!”
Kwarung!
A faint sunset glow bloomed from both of his hands. Unlike Yo Roe’s fiery aura, this true qi felt strangely beautiful, rippling as though it might scatter with the wind at any moment.
Yet Yo Roe could not dismiss that power. ‘Strong!’
Within the shimmering true qi, he sensed the breath of the most venomous serpent in the world. ‘Poison?’
A bizarre true qi that possessed destructive power rivaling the Shinhwa Sect’s Scorching Sun Art, yet carried an utterly incompatible, deadly poison.
The world feared this art and called it Doban Samyang Gwiwongong.
“Don’t tell me—the Tang Clan?!”
In that instant, Dang Gwan’s hand moved like lightning.
Bang!
Yo Roe had no time to dodge. Crossing his arms to block the palm strike, he only managed to stop after breaking two trees.
Dang Gwan wore a savage smile. It reminded one of a serpent—larger than a dragon, fiercer than a tiger.
“Now that you know I’m of the Tang bloodline, offer your neck quietly. I’ll grant you a painless death as mercy.”