The Tables Turn
Jin Somyeong, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and the dew tree, furrowed his brow.
He did not know whether it was because of his violent movements or the ferocious pressure pouring off the swarm of insects, but maintaining the Breath Concealment Art was rapidly becoming difficult. Even his stealth wavered uneasily, as if it might collapse at any moment.
No!
It was obvious what would happen if his concealment broke now. He would be sent straight to the afterlife. The stalkers would not let him live, and neither would the swarm.
Since that was absolutely unacceptable, he made a decisive wish.
Crack!
Of the twelve remaining beads of the Boundless Great Ability, three were consumed at once. A mysterious ripple swept through his entire body.
"He's gone! I can't track him!"
"That's impossible!"
The Breath Concealment Art regained its stability. Even his presence blurred, as if he had become an invisible man.
"Don't talk nonsense. Find him again! We can't let him get away!"
Jin Somyeong slipped past the stalkers, who were still shouting without grasping the situation. It was the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack, but he did not strike. He used them as shields and focused only on widening the distance between himself and the dew tree.
He had no time to waste on them. Every nerve in his body was poured into running.
How many seconds had passed?
"W-wait! That brat isn't the problem right now! Something's wrong with those insects. This is bad!"
"Good grief, they're only bugs. What could they possibly do... Huh?"
"B-Brother! Save m— Aaaagh!"
A terrible scream rang out, packed with so much agony it raised gooseflesh just to hear it, but it did not last long. It was swallowed by the swarm's savage momentum and vanished. The man collapsed without leaving so much as a proper trace behind.
At that moment, Jin Somyeong, still fleeing, turned his head without meaning to. Instinctive curiosity was impossible to suppress.
...Hah.
His eyes went wide. The sight was so gruesome he nearly stopped in his tracks.
How much time did it take to turn one's head? Naturally, less than a second. A fleeting instant.
In that sliver of time, two of the three had vanished, leaving only bones behind. No, even those bones failed to last, crumbling into powder almost immediately.
Insane.
He had known poisonous insects were dangerous, but he had not known they were this dangerous. Their reaction was especially violent today. It was as if the anger they had accumulated over half a year of having their dew stolen by him had finally exploded.
Jin Somyeong rubbed the goosebumps rising along his forearm and slowly came to a stop. He had already put more than fifty meters between himself and the tree, so he had secured a safe distance. Now he needed to concentrate on his stealth and control the consumption of the Boundless Great Ability.
His gaze fixed on the sole surviving mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
"Bugs dare to challenge me?"
He was a muscular man with a brutal face. Glaring at the poisonous insects with hatred in his eyes, he pulled out a palm-sized golden disk.
Woooong!
The instant spiritual energy was poured into the golden plate, it swelled. In the span of a single blink, it grew into a large shield a meter across.
The transformation did not end there. Golden energy flared from the shield and turned into a thick curtain. A protective barrier made of qi wrapped around the muscular man from every direction.
The qi barrier was thick and solid, like a fortress wall. It looked so sturdy that nothing could possibly pierce it.
A defensive magic artifact?
Magic artifacts were special equipment used by cultivators. They could be called expensive treasures endowed with all sorts of mysterious abilities.
Jin Somyeong flinched in surprise.
Boom!
The barrier and the swarm of poisonous insects collided, and a shockwave powerful enough to whip Jin Somyeong's hair from fifty meters away burst outward.
A portion of the swarm turned to powder and rained down. The tyrannical force that had crushed everything in its path had been stopped.
Indeed, the power of a magic artifact lived up to the rumors. The insects refused to give up and charged again and again, but it was useless. Each time a shockwave erupted, countless insects alone died in droves.
This is troublesome. He's stronger than I expected.
Jin Somyeong's expression darkened. The muscular man's strength exceeded his expectations. As expected of a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator armed with a magic artifact. If Jin Somyeong had fought him head-on, he would not have lasted even one exchange.
What now?
The dew tree was the strongest card he possessed. If the situation ended like this, the pursuer would return alive, and he would obviously come for revenge.
While Jin Somyeong was frowning in thought...
Wiiing!
The swarm, after being blocked by the shield several times, wavered in confusion and retreated. It looked almost as if they had given up.
The man watching them curled his lips and sneered.
"Khehehe! Did lowly insects like you think you could break through my Golden Radiance Shield? Get lost!"
For a moment, it seemed the situation might end there. It did not.
The insects changed the way they flew. As if they had gained some kind of collective intelligence, they began drawing patterns in the air. Their strange trajectories merged into one, and an ominous energy rippled from them.
"...Hm?"
The man, who had been standing proudly with his shield raised, flinched. He swallowed dryly at the sudden change in the insects' aura, then snorted. Trusting in the power of his magic artifact, he did not retreat.
How many seconds passed?
The shape formed by the gathered swarm transformed into something like a sharp spear. The purple energy coiling around its tip radiated a horrifying sensation. Even Jin Somyeong, watching from a good distance away, felt chills crawl across his skin.
The moment he sensed that ominous thing being aimed at the shield...
Piiii—
Everything ended along with a ringing in his ears. No one could react to its lightlike speed. Jin Somyeong, observing from afar, was no exception.
His vision blurred for an instant, then snapped back into focus, and he could only stare in shock at the disaster unfolding before him.
"Kuh-heok!"
The man staggered, miserably coughing blood. The shield he had been so proud of had already been shattered to pieces. Its completely broken fragments fell helplessly to the ground.
The right arm that had held the artifact was gone as well, vanished to who knew where. It was a truly wretched sight.
...Crazy.
At that absurd, deranged power, Jin Somyeong trembled in astonishment. The magic artifact that had boasted such tremendous durability had been pierced. Even the man's arm had been pulverized, yet Jin Somyeong had sensed no intermediate process at all.
The spearhead had simply been too fast. It was as if it had teleported; he had perceived nothing.
"Damn it!"
The mid-stage Qi Refining pursuer was just as shaken by the swarm's strike. The hatred that had filled his eyes had been washed clean away.
"Why the hell is something like that at the entrance of Jeokyang Mountain?!"
Only terror remained. Screaming like a child, he fled. He mounted a flying sword and shot into the sky, desperately trying to escape, while the enraged swarm chased after him.
Boom! Boom!
Fireballs scattered from the man's fingertips and exploded. He struggled wildly to shake off the poisonous insects clinging relentlessly to his trail.
...I'll follow him.
Jin Somyeong, watching from concealment, made his decision. The flying sword the man rode was fairly fast, but thanks to the swarm's interference, it was possible to keep up.
At that moment, the positions of hunter and prey had reversed. His risky plan had succeeded, and now it was time for his opponent to pay the price.
He followed carefully, making sure not to draw the swarm's attention.
How long had he pursued the man as he fled in a great commotion?
Jeokyang Mountain recovered its silence. The poisonous insects, having vented their anger, had returned to the dew tree before he knew it.
Thud!
The muscular man, who had been swaying atop his flying sword, fell to the ground and rolled.
"Hah! Hah!"
His face had gone pale, as if his spiritual energy had run dry. Though he had crashed into the ground and become covered in dirt, he could not even get up. He looked utterly drained of strength.
Having barely escaped the poisonous insects, he had collapsed in exhaustion, his body a complete wreck.
"Uuugh."
On top of that, patches of his skin had turned purple. It seemed he had been poisoned as well. Wearing an expression like he might faint at any moment, he could only breathe in ragged gasps.
"Cough...! Goddamn it! Why the hell am I in this state...? That damned brat. Just wait. I'll find him somehow and kill him."
His face, smeared with blood and mud, twisted violently. Gritting his teeth, he groped at his waist with his sole remaining left arm. When he found a reddish pill, his expression brightened at once.
Just before he brought the pill to his trembling mouth...
Slice!
A broad knife infused with golden energy swept past his wrist.
"Ah?"
The muscular man's face went blank. He only stared at his own wrist as it spun through the air and dropped with a dull thud.
With a stupid expression, his mouth hanging open, he could not move for a long while.
"Kkugh."
Perhaps because the pain arrived late, his face turned deathly pale and he clenched his teeth. His eyes bulged as if he wanted to scream, but in the end, he merely groaned and endured it.
Someone was already standing beside him.
"Y-you... How?"
The man spotted Jin Somyeong looking down at him with cold eyes, and in that instant he understood everything.
That terrifying swarm had been this young bastard's trap. Jin Somyeong must have noticed their tailing him long ago.
It felt unbelievably unfair. He had never imagined that trying to ambush some brat at the second layer of Qi Refining would reduce him to this state.
"S-spare me...! No, please spare me!"
The bear-like man threw away his pride and immediately dropped to his knees. He did not hesitate to beg a child.
He was curious how the boy had noticed their pursuit, but that was not what mattered now.
Surviving.
That mattered most. There was still hope that his severed arms could be treated someday.
"You want me to spare you?"
Meanwhile, Jin Somyeong looked down at the pleading man and reached out.
Thud!
He struck the man's dantian and injected the Boundless Great Ability into him.
Seal!
Two beads of the Boundless Great Ability were consumed, and the man's spiritual energy began to be sealed. Only after Jin Somyeong sensed the spiritual energy flowing through the man's meridians stiffen did he feel a little reassured.
Fssht!
As the man became unable to use spiritual energy, blood spurted from his severed wrists and other wounds.
"Urk."
There came a sound like his breath was about to give out. The muscular man looked as though he might die at any moment.
Damn it!
Jin Somyeong hurriedly injected spiritual energy into him. He had gone through the trouble of capturing the man and could not let him die like this. After using spiritual energy to improve his condition...
Swish.
He searched the man's robes. He was worried that the scent of blood might attract demonic beasts. Fortunately, the man had Breath Concealment Talismans, so Jin Somyeong used two immediately.
"Uuugh. Spare me...!"
To the man, whose complexion had recovered slightly thanks to the injected spiritual energy, Jin Somyeong said, "If you answer my questions honestly, I'll consider it. Why did you follow me?"
"Hah! Hah! Why did I follow you...?"
The man, who had been breathing roughly, paused. His eyes rolled from side to side, then he spat blood and laughed.
"Heh! If you're curious, give me the antidote pill in my severed arm over there. I'll die at this rate."
"Answer the question."
"Hmph. Why should I, when I'm going to die anyway? Go to hell!"
Jin Somyeong frowned and studied the man's eyes carefully. They were trembling ever so slightly. He was clearly afraid.
"Fine."
"Wh-what?"
Who was the one in a hurry right now? The man on the verge of death. Jin Somyeong had no reason at all to let himself be dragged around like an easy mark.
"It was probably for some worthless reason anyway. I don't care. Just die."
The instant he drastically reduced the spiritual energy keeping the man alive, the startled man shrieked.
"W-wait! Think carefully! If you kill me, my eldest brother will take revenge!"
"Eldest brother?"
"That's right! My eldest brother is a late-stage Qi Refining expert! He's strong enough to cut down a wretch like you in a single stroke!"
"Your eldest brother is late-stage Qi Refining?"
"Hehe! You don't believe me? No, you don't want to believe me! My eldest brother already knows I was chasing you! If I don't return, he'll make sure you can neither live nor die!"
"...Is that all you have for last words?"
At Jin Somyeong's low question, the man's face turned white. As if truly panicked now, his words came faster and faster.
"If you just spare me, I'll pretend everything that happened today never happened! I'll swear it upon the Dao of Heaven, so you don't need to worry I'll break my word. Please, make the wise choice. As for my dead brothers, I'll come up with an excuse myself, so..."
Jin Somyeong's eyes narrowed.
He carefully examined the man's expression as he alternated between threats and pleas, but he could not tell where the truth ended and the lies began.
Shrrng!
After watching in silence, Jin Somyeong drew his broad knife. The moment a faint golden energy gathered along the crude blade...
"Huh? W-wait! What are you— Aaaagh!"
The broad knife pierced straight through the man's thick thigh. Despite its shabby appearance, it was unbelievably sharp, because Jin Somyeong had enhanced its edge with the Boundless Great Ability.
"Stop spouting nonsense and answer the question. Why did you tail me?"
"Kheup! Damn it! A weakling early-stage brat dares...! If I were in proper condition, do you think trash like you would have stood a chance against me?"
"Hah. Looks like you want to become a one-legged cripple too. I'll grant that wish."
The moment Jin Somyeong jerked the knife aside, bone and flesh were sliced away like tofu.
"Aaaaagh! W-wait! I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
Jin Somyeong silently watched as the man became polite in an instant, and the fellow's mouth began moving without pause.