Thunder Shatters the Poison Array
“Grab him! Grab… urgh!”
BOOM!
A devastating kick sent the Cheon Yangdan squad leader flying. He wasn’t dead, but the internal injuries were severe. The blood he coughed up was pitch black.
The blow hadn’t been fatal, yet the blood was dark. The poison arts user’s internal energy had been disrupted, scattering his blood flow. He wouldn’t be moving anytime soon. ‘Good. That’s about right.’
Shhhk! Clang-clang-clang!
Pae Yul’s spear-sword technique deflected dozens of hidden weapons in a dazzling display. ‘Incapacitate, don’t kill. Exactly that level.’
The sudden appearance of a master beyond their means could only mean the Tang family’s upper echelons had joined the rebellion. Such figures couldn’t be slain lightly. No one had spoken the rule aloud, yet everyone in the group had silently accepted it.
That made the fight far harder.
Amid the storm of poison and hidden weapons, they had to disable enemies without killing them. Pae Yul now understood Yeon Hojeong’s warning about how dangerous this operation truly was. ‘Time to move soon.’
Clang!
Hidden weapons were sucked into the spiraling sword. The fierce suction created by the sword wind drew them in, where they collided and lost their power.
A brilliant move—Jeomchang’s Returning Wind Dancing Willow—unfurled at the perfect moment, becoming an impenetrable wall protecting its master. ‘Still not here? I could push deeper, but…’
At that moment—
Whoosh!
Pae Yul’s eyes flashed. A razor-sharp killing intent pierced toward his throat. He swung his spear upward in haste.
CRASH!
The impact was tremendous. His waist nearly bent backward. Had his legs not been forged like steel through relentless training, he would have been thrown off his feet.
“Impressive.”
Swish.
The man who had delivered the lethal strike from the wind straightened his posture.
“Remarkable reaction speed. They said you were a peak expert—seems that wasn’t empty talk.”
Pae Yul’s eyes gleamed. He stared at his opponent in silence. That was all. There was no need for conversation.
The ambusher, Eumhondan leader Dang Mok-jin, raised his short staff.
“I am Dang Mok-jin, commander of the great Tang family’s Eumhondan. State your identity.”
A powerful authority radiated from him. This was a master on an entirely different level from the warriors they had faced so far. Though he had not yet broken through the wall of the Limitless realm, his pure martial prowess was formidable enough to stand against Kang Liang. ‘His weight is extraordinary.’
The gap between those who had crossed the Limitless wall and those who had not was vast. Yet even so, anyone struck by such a surprise attack would have staggered. The combination of assassin-level stealth, extreme speed, and raw power backed by his massive frame created devastating force.
Pae Yul spat on the ground—an act more befitting a third-rate thug in the marketplace. But Dang Mok-jin did not underestimate him. ‘Magnificent.’
Whoosh!
A crimson-black flame seemed to surge wildly around the ambusher’s body. His aura was violently untamed, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
And his martial arts—
Even while wielding a short spear and an oddly shaped sword, two weapons that should not harmonize, the techniques he displayed were both balanced and majestic. Beyond raw power and killing intent, he perfectly controlled two distinct martial styles. Such mastery was not something just anyone could achieve. Even a peak expert could not wield such harmonious techniques without grasping their own martial principles. ‘That’s why…’
Hummm.
A reddish smoke rippled from Dang Mok-jin’s short staff. It was the true energy of the Poison Dragon Divine Art. One of the Tang family’s finest poison techniques was being unleashed at full strength. ‘He absolutely cannot be allowed to live.’
The family head had ordered the attackers captured alive. But Dang Mok-jin was certain—this man was not someone who could be taken alive. It wasn’t about martial realm; it was his nature. The moment he was captured, he would bite off his own tongue. His eyes alone made that clear.
Nor did he seem like someone who could be subdued with pressure-point strikes. ‘If an opening appears, I’ll try, but… not until then.’
Dang Mok-jin spoke.
“Everyone, activate the Eumhonsaljin…”
In that instant, Pae Yul’s gaze changed.
“…Unleash it!”
BOOM!
It was a terrifying strike. The ground trembled with his footwork as an explosion erupted. The time between gathering power and releasing the explosive strike was nearly nonexistent. ‘Damn!’
Dang Mok-jin, hurled more than five jang away, gritted his teeth. ‘Insane!’
It was monstrous strength. He had only blocked a single attack, yet his entire body tingled. If he hadn’t thrown himself aside to disperse the impact, he would have been pierced through.
But there was no second chance.
Whoosh!
In an instant, black-robed warriors surrounded Pae Yul, raising their short staffs and releasing crimson energy. It was the Eumhondan’s Eumhonsaljin. The Poison Dragon Qi itself was not instantly lethal, but its ability to gradually drain stamina was unmatched within the Tang family.
That was why formations wielded by Poison Dragon Qi practitioners were terrifying. They lacked the power to kill in one blow, but once caught, the victim would slowly yet surely collapse.
Pae Yul’s face hardened. ‘This isn’t good.’
His resistance to Tang family poison was still rising—he could feel it. But the rate of improvement was slowing. It meant he was nearing his limit. ‘Damn it.’
If he couldn’t break this formation, he would be helpless.
Pae Yul’s short spear blazed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Seven warriors were flung backward by the triple-strike Heaven-Piercing Spear that shot forth like lightning. ‘An opening!’
Whoosh!
As Pae Yul tried to slip through the formation’s gap, he realized Cheon Yangdan warriors had already blocked his path.
Clang-clang! Thud! Thud!
He knocked them away with his spear-sword. Even the formidable formation couldn’t withstand Pae Yul’s monstrous strength.
At that moment—
Dang Mok-jin, approaching like a ghost once more, brought his short staff down toward Pae Yul’s crown.
CRASH!
Still heavy. Though not as crushing as before, the force was enough to make him falter briefly.
Swish!
The Eumhonsaljin activated again. Pae Yul’s spear-sword swept in all directions.
Bang-bang-bang! Clang-clang!
Sharp, powerful, fast, and unpredictable. The martial art woven by the twin weapons was nothing short of art.
Yet the Eumhondan did not break. The formation’s collective power bound Pae Yul’s limbs bit by bit, like an invisible fog. ‘Damn it all.’
Pae Yul kicked off the ground. He intended to escape even at some cost.
Whoosh!
The moment he tried to tear free by force, Pae Yul found himself back where he started.
Drip.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down his forehead.
“As expected.”
Dang Mok-jin rubbed his wrist. The impact from clashing with Pae Yul’s oddly shaped sword had been tremendous.
“Your martial arts are impressive, but so is your perception.”
The instant one tried to break free of the Eumhonsaljin by force, every member’s Poison Dragon Qi would pour toward the breach like a waterfall. Even if the poison wasn’t instantly fatal, inhaling that much at once would leave anyone drained. Dang Mok-jin’s follow-up strike, timed for that moment, would have been unavoidable even for Pae Yul.
Escape meant death.
Staying meant eventual death.
A killing formation of exceptional utility in battles against masters—that was why Dang Ho had sent the Eumhondan. ‘Is there no way?’
Pae Yul hesitated. Though he had sensed the danger and returned, he had already taken the antidote prepared by Dang Gwan. Perhaps that would be enough to endure. ‘The formation is concentrated inward. It’s extremely vulnerable to external attacks. So if I break out first…’ No.
Pae Yul adjusted his grip on the spear-sword. ‘Even if I can endure, stopping the chain of follow-up strikes will be difficult.’
Though not on the level of Yeon Hojeong or Kang Liang, Pae Yul possessed an innate talent for reading the flow of battle. He could sense the boundary between life and death. There was no way to escape the Eumhonsaljin now. ‘I’ll just have to hold out. I’m the bait, after all. I just need to do my part.’
He hoped he wouldn’t die, if possible. ‘Well, if I die, there’s nothing to be done.’
Dying in a thrilling battle against a worthy foe on the battlefield—that had always been Pae Yul’s wish. But not everyone achieved their dreams. If effort alone could secure them, the world wouldn’t be so harsh. ‘Even if I die…’
Thud!
Pae Yul stomped the ground with powerful footwork, his eyes changing once more. ‘I will fulfill my role.’
Dang Mok-jin’s eyes gleamed. ‘It changed?!’
The opponent’s gaze and temperament had shifted. Eyes that had been watching all directions now burned with combat focus, and his once-wild aura had turned deathly calm in an instant. ‘He’s made up his mind.’
Rumble!
It felt as though he were drawing out every ounce of strength in his body.
Gurgle!
For a moment, the formation’s power rippled like a lake struck by a typhoon. Pae Yul’s sudden burst of energy had even affected the formation itself.
Dang Mok-jin’s face stiffened.
“The prey has staked its life. Prepare to unleash the full limits of the Poison Dragon Art.”
Whoosh!
Before Pae Yul’s overwhelming presence, the energy of the Eumhondan members forming the array began to rise steadily.
Pae Yul grinned. It was the first time he had spoken since the Eumhondan had appeared.
“I never intended to meet my end fighting something as petty as poison… but if this is my fate, then so be it.”
It was nearly a mutter to himself. Yet the moment they heard it, Dang Mok-jin and every Eumhondan member’s eyes turned murderously cold. Pae Yul’s words, which seemed to dismiss their poison, had ignited their fury.
Dang Mok-jin roared.
“Turn him into a puddle of blood!”
Bang!
Pae Yul stomped the ground once more and thrust his spear with all his might.
“Shut up, you bastard!”
The Heaven-Piercing Spear erupted from Pae Yul’s hands.
And at that very moment—
Crackle.
Time slowed. In a world where every drifting speck of dust was visible—
The power of the Thunder God, swinging golden lightning, shook heaven and earth.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! Zzzzzap!
It was as if dozens of lightning bolts had fallen from a clear sky.
Crash! Rumble! BOOM!
Deafening roars and explosions filled the air. The ground split, and a nearby building collapsed entirely. Lightning bolts streaked outward like arrows, igniting trees and shattering walls with terrifying force. ‘…?!’
Pae Yul’s eyes widened. Still in the posture of his thrust, he looked toward the eastern sky.
Flash!
Someone was streaking across the sky, scattering trails of lightning. Their speed was so great that by the time his eyes registered them, they had already vanished.
“…Hah.”
Pae Yul looked around.
“Cough!”
“Ghhk!”
With strange groans, most of the thirty-odd warriors who had formed the Eumhonsaljin lay sprawled on the ground. Half were drenched in blood; the other half, though unwounded, convulsed violently—their bodies struck by thunder qi.
“Blargh!”
Dang Mok-jin, who had miraculously survived, vomited a bowlful of blood and stared at Pae Yul with trembling eyes.
“Y-you monster?!”
Pae Yul, who had been staring blankly at him, shrugged.
“I went easy on you. I’m usually much worse.”
“Blargh!”
“You’ve had a rough time. Well then.”
Thud!
Pae Yul dashed forward and struck Dang Mok-jin’s head, knocking him unconscious, then fled the scene.
He had escaped the crisis thanks to Moyong Gun, who had infiltrated late and wielded the power of thunder.