Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: I Wasn't Planning to Use Even This...
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Sword qi is the term for emitting internal energy through the blade outward, while sword gang refers to coalescing that qi into a tangible form.
Even manifesting sword qi is no easy feat—what about reaching the realm of gang?
Countless martial artists challenge themselves to attain the gang realm, but even among the world's renowned geniuses, only a tiny fraction succeed after decades of grueling training.
Yet...
‘How can a brat so young wield gang so freely?’
It would be shocking enough if gang manifested on his saber. But this guy before him had gone even further...
Chwaa-chwaa-chwaa-!!
He was charging straight at him, cloaked in gang qi like a shield over his entire body—a realm that deterred anyone from approaching.
Of course, gang wasn't invincible.
The more his poison qi made contact, the more the gang enveloping the guy's body visibly melted and chipped away.
Whoosh-!
After blocking the guy's attack once with a palm strike brimming with poison qi, Dang Yeon-myeong pulled back to create distance.
Then he asked,
“Why?”
“Hm?”
“...Why is a punk like you helping that kid? For money?”
Though Dang Yeon-myeong's voice was stern as he spoke, there was something different from before.
It was...
“If it's money, the Tang Clan can pay you whatever you desire.”
...a hint of anxiety.
“You're an expert—you should know fighting me brings more losses than gains.”
No matter the opponent's realm or the gap in skill, battling a poison expert always meant greater risk than reward.
And there was no real benefit to actually fighting a poison expert either.
A poison expert's innate true qi was made of poison. Unleashing all their poisons against an opponent at full power damaged their innate true qi.
In other words, going all-out against a poison expert meant massive damage for both sides.
Dang Yeon-myeong was here to gather information for the Tang Clan.
It gained him nothing to waste his strength—the clan's greatest asset—needlessly here.
That's why he'd tried to persuade the guy with words, but...
“Scared?”
“......”
“I get it. A guy who only knows how to fart poison would tremble at the sight of someone like me.”
...the punk provoked Dang Yeon-myeong instead, goading him into a real fight.
“If you're scared, turn off your poison arts, close your eyes tight, and I'll slice your neck clean off.”
“Arrogant fool.”
What was the identity of this young master who had appeared out of nowhere?
From his speech, from how he disrespected Dang Yeon-myeong—a Tang Clan elder—from his flashy and vicious saber style... he wasn't a righteous sect martial artist.
‘The Demonic Cult?’
No, not even the Demonic Cult—there was no ominous demonic aura emanating from his body.
That left the unorthodox side...
The world brimmed with countless hidden masters beyond counting. Even among the minor unorthodox factions, there was no guarantee one wouldn't find a recluse of exceptional skill.
But... in this moment, it didn't matter if he was righteous, unorthodox, or demonic. What mattered was that this punk had dared to humiliate him, a Tang Clan Grand Elder.
Backing down here would tarnish not just his pride, but the Tang Clan's honor.
So he decided not to hold back.
Ssss...
From the deepest depths of his body... the poisons that had long lain dormant began to stir and emerge.
For Dang Yeon-myeong, fully unleashing his poisons like this was something he hadn't done in ages.
“Haa... I never intended to go this far.”
“You sound just like the brooding protagonist in some trashy novel.”
“...Do all you young punks these days not understand a word I say and have no manners?”
Dang Yeon-myeong raised his hand, now thoroughly blackened by poison, as he spoke.
“I'll have to sacrifice this old body of mine to teach you some respect.”
With those words, he channeled his ultimate technique, the Melting Venom Scripture, to its maximum.
**
The way to catch a poison toad without issue is to kill it in one blow before it bites you.
To that end, I focused my gang onto my saber, aiming to cleave it in a single strike.
But...
Bubble...
The damn poison toad chose to fill its surroundings with poison before it could bite me.
Even now, the poison qi saturating the air made breathing uncomfortable. It was spewing poison nonstop in rage, and even with gang qi cloaking my body, searing pain crept in.
‘I need to end this quick.’
At this point, I had to get serious—or I wouldn't escape unscathed.
I had zero intention of losing an eye like the original protagonist.
Wuuung-.
I summoned the internal energy I'd left gathering dust somewhere. It thrashed wildly like a rabid dog reuniting with its master.
It was both nostalgic and fucking awful.
Fucking awful, so...
Paat-!
...I had to end it fast.
“...No.”
I moved faster than before, startling him for a moment, but he quickly relaxed.
He figured the poison qi drenching the space behind him would limit my movements.
And he was right.
So I swung my saber at the poison qi blocking my path.
Wind Breaking Saber Art: Wind Fury Advance Shatter.
Pafafafap-!!
A gale rose from my technique, scattering the obstructing poison qi like smoke.
Dang Yeon-myeong's face twisted in shock.
“H-How...!”
No wonder he was stunned. This saber art was something he'd never seen in his decades of life. ...Because in the entire world right now, I was the only one who knew it.
With the poison membrane that had shielded him gone, all that remained before me was Dang Yeon-myeong, face frozen in bewilderment.
His skin was thickly dyed black and viscous from the poison qi. I wanted to hack him down right then, but my right hand—delayed from executing the saber art—couldn't grip properly, so I seized his head with my left and...
“...No!”
Pbeok-!!
...slammed it straight into the ground.
“...You mad bastard, touching a poison expert's skin bare-handed!!”
He was right. I'd cloaked myself in gang, but direct contact let the poison melt through it and seep into my skin.
The burning sensation felt like plunging my hand into boiling water.
I regretted the foolish move for a split second, but...
“...It hurts.”
“The moment the poison touched you, you're...!”
“You hurt too, you fucker.”
Pbeok-!
Better to double down on what I'd already done.
Pbeeook-!!
I kept smashing the head clutched in my hand into the ground.
“Kuaaaah-!!”
Dang Yeon-myeong let out an agonized roar. Yeah, it had to hurt.
My gang-qi-infused hand was pounding him so hard it cratered the floor—probably hurt more than me.
“You son of a bitch-!!”
Unable to endure the pain any longer, curses spilled from the refined Sichuan Tang Clan Grand Elder's mouth. A flicker of glee hit me as I realized I'd finally pissed him off...
Paaat-!
He launched a pitch-black palm strike of poison qi right into my side.
“Eup!”
My side had gang too, but he'd put real effort into that hit—it partially melted through, poison seeping into the gash.
Seeing it, Dang Yeon-myeong's face eased a bit.
The classic delusion of poison users. They think they've won the instant their poison enters the opponent.
Oblivious to whose hand gripped his skull...
In that moment, my right hand freed itself from the recoil, and from point-blank range, I struck the arm that had hammered my side...
Pacak-!
“Kuaaaah-!!”
...and blew it clean off.
Wooshwoosh-!
Blood and poison gushed from the stump as I slammed his gripped head back into the ground with my left.
Pbeok-!
Then I regripped my saber and thrust it into his dantian.
Pook-!
“Aaaaah-!!”
“Aigoo, that must hurt. But fuck, asshole. I'm hurting tooooo.”
My words were utterly sincere right then. It hurt like hell.
This poison-gobbling bastard—my seeping wound burned like fire, and my head spun wildly.
The arrowhead poison toad's toxin had already permeated me long ago. I had to finish it before the frog bastard went even more berserk.
‘Time to end it.’
I reinforced my saber with the gang qi guarding my body, condensing it fiercely.
A poison expert's body was toughened, but this would suffice.
So I thought as I raised my saber to strike down. But that instant...
“Aaaaaaaah-!!”
The wailing toad seemed off somehow...
Paaaaat-!!
Its body bubbled and boiled, losing all trace of flesh tone as it blackened further. Even stronger poison qi erupted, blacking out my vision.
“...!!”
I'd seen it in the novel. The technique that blinded the protagonist in one eye.
Dark Poison Fills the Heavens.
An ultimate move only a poison expert at the pinnacle could unleash—and one requiring most of their innate true qi. A mutual destruction technique.
Even gang couldn't block it easily, so I shut my eyes and retreated with footwork. Only after securing safe distance did I open them.
When I did, a poison membrane like a black sun enveloped Dang Yeon-myeong at its center.
“Eup...”
Even for a fellow poison expert, this was overwhelming—the erupting poison qi alone drew groans from the Haomen Lord. Same for me. A spicier intensity than before assaulted my body, every orifice leaking fluid.
Seeing me like that, Dang Yeon-myeong cackled like a madman. Missing one arm, he looked even crazier.
“...Ahahahaha-!! Come on then-! Where'd all that cocky attitude go!!”
“...Even so, this is a bit...”
“...Arrogant bastard. I'll kill you.... Melt your bones so no corpse is ever found...!”
Eyes bloodshot with rage, he looked more like a Demonic Cultist than ever.
His shattered skull and missing arm made him resemble a jiangshi.
Tak.
The poison membrane followed as he took a step, forcing me back.
I said to him,
“...Don't you think that's a little cowardly?”
“Cowardly...? You think fights have rules of fairness?”
“Not something the righteous sects should say.”
He just laughed pahaha and replied,
“You ignorant fool. True righteousness belongs solely to the victor. The Tang Clan joined the Five Great Clans through raw power!”
Tak.
As he advanced, he continued,
“Regrettable. I never meant to waste it so futilely.... I'll put effort into your death matching my regret. Don't think it cowardly. In a life-or-death battle, where's the cowardice?”
“Couldn't agree more.”
For the first time, I nodded at Dang Yeon-myeong's words. Total agreement.
Where's cowardice in a fight? Win, and you're golden.
Truth is, I'm an unorthodox martial artist. Cowardice is a badge of honor for us.
Just...
“Sometimes I crave a fair fight too.”
I raised my saber toward Dang Yeon-myeong, still spewing vicious poison qi.
Then I circulated my energy in a now-unfamiliar way.
“I never planned to draw out even this...”
“...What nonsense are you spouting?”
“What nonsense? It's obvious.”
My body and saber shimmered with blue qi. A sensation I'd not felt in ages.
“It's the line before landing the final blow to end this dogfight.”