The Land of Poison and the Land of Blood (2)
"Insane!"
Gate Captain Dang Juksan felt like he was about to lose his mind.
"Catch that lawless bastard!"
Whoosh!
The warriors of the Cheonyang Unit, the elite force guarding the Dang Family's outer compound and main gate, surged toward the wall in perfect formation. Their movements were swift and disciplined, every step of their footwork efficient and economical, their eyes locked onto the target with absolute focus.
The elite guard units of a prestigious clan were far stronger than outsiders imagined. As the face of their family's power, they were handpicked masters, each one a carefully selected expert.
Though most were from the collateral bloodline, their martial prowess was nothing to scoff at.
Yet despite that, the Cheonyang Unit warriors could not catch the intruder.
The reason was simple. The attacker's martial arts were stronger and faster than any of them.
Rumble!
His spear thrust carried a terrifying explosive force. It was not even a long, heavy lance—just a short spear no longer than a typical sword—yet one strike was enough to bring down an entire section of the Dang Family's tall, thick western wall.
"Damn it!"
Dang Juksan's face flushed crimson.
"Stop relying only on hidden weapons and release the poison!"
Bang! Boom! Boom-boom-boom!
The moment the order left his mouth, a cloud of white poisonous mist exploded right in front of the intruder.
It was masterful poison arts. There had been no thrown poison pouch, no sprayed venom—yet toxic mist had detonated from empty air.
This was the result of a composite poison explosion. The various powders with conflicting properties had been scattered in advance, and now the Dang Family's signature technique, the Exploding Poison Array, had been triggered to create a synergistic reaction that unleashed an even deadlier toxin.
But.
Thud! Thump-thump! Crunch!
From within the white poisonous mist came the brutal sound of impacts.
Dang Family warriors were required to master fist and palm techniques alongside their poisons and hidden weapons. They could not afford to be helpless in close quarters. In truth, the Dang Family possessed numerous outstanding blade, spear, and whip techniques as well.
Yet Dang Juksan was certain. Those sounds were not the noise of his men's fists and feet striking the intruder.
His judgment was correct.
Crash!
With a merciless thud, the bodies of two warriors flew over Dang Juksan's head and slammed into the inner wall of the compound.
"...!"
Dang Juksan swallowed hard without realizing it.
Hoooooo.
The poisonous mist scattered in the wind, revealing the intruder standing alone and completely unscathed. In contrast, more than fifteen warriors lay collapsed around him. In that brief moment, he had taken down fifteen men and hurled two more aside.
It was a display of power that defied imagination. His hit-and-run movements were impressive enough, but the martial arts that allowed him to fell first-class warriors inside that toxic cloud were truly extraordinary.
Is he a peak-level master?!
Dang Juksan could not tell. He could not gauge the opponent's strength. The man released no overwhelming aura, nor did he emit any horrifying killing intent.
Even so...
It was then that a sudden flash of murderous intent made Dang Juksan instinctively hurl his body to the side.
Shiiiing! Craaaack!
A horrifying sound rang out as a massive sword mark was carved into the outer wall.
It was a vertical slash mark—a sword wind that had been launched from a great distance.
Cold sweat broke out on Dang Juksan's forehead.
This crazy bastard!
A peak-level master? What a joke.
To launch such a devastating slash in an instant and then leap behind the western wall without the slightest sign of fatigue—this was the work of a supreme peak expert.
The true realm that only a select few could reach. That was what lay beyond the Wall of Martial Limits.
While many experts in the great Murim factions had reached such heights, the problem was the intruder's age.
He looked to be no more than forty. Far younger than the high-ranking elders of the family, yet his strength rivaled or even surpassed theirs.
But what was even more shocking was this:
"Why isn't the poison working?!"
Indeed.
Hidden weapons could be dodged or deflected somehow. But the intruder had been exposed to the Exploding Poison Array for a considerable time.
Yet his movements showed no restriction whatsoever. If anything, he seemed to gain more momentum as time passed, each motion brimming with vitality.
Boom!
He appeared to have lost interest in destroying the outer wall any further. The intruder adjusted his grip on the short spear and dove straight through the breached section.
Even though warriors stood blocking his path, he penetrated the interior with ridiculous ease. It was the inevitable result of a fundamental gap in skill.
Dang Juksan's face turned deathly pale.
This is no time to hesitate.
He shouted at his men.
"Bring the Unit Leader at once! This is an emergency! The enemy is a supreme peak expert immune to the Exploding Poison Array!"
His cry spread quickly, mobilizing most of the Cheonyang Unit warriors who had been active in the outer compound.
Not bad.
Pae Yul's sharply honed senses picked up countless approaching presences.
These newcomers possessed far greater power than the ones he had faced outside. Their numbers were significantly higher as well.
Pae Yul took a slow, deep breath.
"That bastard was right."
Fighting these Dang Family pricks wasn't fun at all. It was nothing but dangerous.
Yet the thrill that ran down his spine was a savage sensation he had never felt on any other battlefield. If he hadn't taken the medicine the family head had prepared for him, he would already be poisoned, his internal energy sluggish.
And on top of that.
"The first martial artist in history to smash through the Dang Family's outer wall and infiltrate alone..."
Pae Yul grinned fiercely.
"At least I get to claim this much glory before I go."
If he didn't die, that is.
"It's him!"
"Intruder! Kill him!"
"Don't kill him! We need to capture him alive and uncover his identity!"
Pure chaos.
Their movements were well-trained, but the Dang Family had almost no experience fighting off intruders. Of course, they were dangerous enough that such experience wasn't strictly necessary, yet confusion in the chain of command was unavoidable.
The warriors couldn't even decide whether to kill Pae Yul or take him alive.
And that was a significant advantage for him.
Time to cut loose properly.
Vrrrrrm!
A blue radiance gathered along the short spear. The power of his Sun-Piercing Art was concentrating.
Swish!
Pae Yul shot forward, thrusting his weapon.
It was not meant to pierce. It was a measuring strike, creating a straight path for the spear he had drawn back.
His eyes flashed.
Bang!
With a powerful stomp that lent his strike even greater force, he swung the short spear like a bolt of lightning.
"Patriarch!"
Dang Ho looked at the warrior who had burst into his office with cold eyes.
The warrior's face instantly turned pale.
"F-forgive me. I misspoke."
"..."
"It's fine."
Dang Ho smiled. Yet his eyes remained icy.
"The title still feels unfamiliar, so such slips are understandable. Besides, I have not yet officially ascended to the position of family head. I understand completely."
"Thank you for your mercy."
It was astonishing.
Despite Dang Gwan still being alive and present, Dang Ho had ordered everyone to address him as the family head.
Such a thing would have been impossible unless he had already seized complete control of the entire Dang Family. His cunning and ability to turn the family's own people into his loyal followers were truly worthy of recognition.
"So, what is the matter?"
"An intruder has appeared near the western wall of the compound."
For a brief moment, a faint red-green glow flickered in Dang Ho's eyes.
"An intruder, you say?"
"He appears to be an exceptional expert. Based on the reported level of strength, we believe he is a supreme peak expert who has broken through the Wall of Martial Limits."
The Dang Family grounds were vast.
Though called a family estate, it encompassed an area the size of a massive fortress. No matter how skilled Dang Ho was, he could not clearly sense a battle happening at the outer wall from his office in the inner compound.
Still, he had felt a vague sense of unease.
"So that strange discomfort I sensed from the west was caused by this intruder."
A look of awe appeared on the warrior's face.
The distance from here to the outer wall was considerable, yet he had sensed an odd presence from that far away. It was impossible to imagine just how advanced one's martial arts had to be to develop such intuition.
"However."
Dang Ho frowned.
"Only one person?"
"Y-yes, that is correct."
A supreme peak expert who had surpassed the Wall of Martial Limits?
Impressive, to be sure. But there were quite a few such experts within the Dang Family itself, and even Dang Ho was only slightly below Dang Gwan—hardly a master who could be dismissed anywhere in the world.
Moreover, this was an outsider. Even if he possessed some resistance to ordinary poisons, the moment he was exposed to the Dang Family's Venom, his level of cultivation would become meaningless.
"They say he remained completely unaffected by the Exploding Poison Array."
"He withstood the Exploding Poison Array?"
"Yes. It seems he came fully prepared."
Dang Ho snorted.
"Even so, it was only the Exploding Poison Array. He won't be able to endure anything stronger."
He knew this without needing to see it himself. In all the world, only a handful of experts could withstand the Dang Family's deadliest poisons.
"Relay this to the Yin Soul Unit Leader. Tell him to go immediately and capture the intruder."
"Capture him alive?"
"We must find out where he came from and who sent him."
"But... the intruder's momentum is quite..."
"Listen here."
Dang Ho smiled.
It was the smile of a snake—far more chilling than any glare.
"Did I, the family head, not just give you an order?"
The warrior immediately dropped to his knees.
"F-forgive me! This subordinate has committed a mortal offense."
"Hahaha."
Dang Ho shook his head.
"The Dang Family will now be reborn through forgiveness and harmony. However, the authority of one's superiors must not die. I hope you understand that as well."
"Please kill me!"
"It's fine. I shall forgive you, so go quickly and deliver my message to the Yin Soul Unit Leader."
"Yes!"
The warrior bowed once more and hurriedly left the office.
Once the man was gone, Dang Ho's face turned as cold as the winds of the northern seas.
"Impudent fool."
One of Dang Ho's greatest weapons in subjugating the family members had been his radical transformation of the clan's traditions.
For that purpose, he had been forced to display a patience that did not suit his nature at all. At least until the family stabilized, he needed to firmly establish his image as a benevolent master.
Even a tiger found it uncomfortable to imitate a deer. Dang Ho slowly suppressed the rage threatening to explode within him.
I just need to wait a little longer.
Dang Gwan had arrived.
He had no idea how the man had pierced through the family's intelligence network. Dang Ho had been extremely shaken and had only just returned from an emergency meeting with the leadership.
The outcome will not change.
He was shaken, but it was fine. In the end, Dang Gwan was someone who had to die anyway.
If the timing had been moved up a bit sloppily, then so be it. Was that not why he had sent the elders and elite soldiers?
With that much military force, they might not be able to capture Dang Gwan, but they could certainly inflict significant damage.
However.
Dang Ho's gaze turned westward.
An intruder appearing so suddenly at this time... is he one of Dang Gwan's men?
The possibility was high.
Those people—no, Dang Gwan—must be plotting something. That was why they had sent an intruder to disturb the atmosphere here.
I don't know what you're aiming for, but you will never obtain what you desire.
In truth, he felt uneasy. He wanted to rush over immediately and find out who the intruder was and what his purpose might be.
But Dang Ho endured.
When the head shakes, the family shakes. He had no intention of taking even a single step from this place, from this seat.
It was then.
"P-Patriarch!"
"What is it now?"
"The Fourth Elder! The Fourth Elder requests an audience with you!"
"What?!"
Dang Ho shot to his feet.