Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Chapter 8. The Butterfly's Wingbeat Summons the Storm (2)
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The eyes of Yin Yukyung, hidden beneath the cotton gauze, wavered.
The look in her opponent's eyes was telling her that he knew who she was.
It was impossible. At the very least, no one in the current martial world knew her.
She had only recently emerged into the jianghu. There were only a handful who knew her true identity, and none of them were here.
"Nonsense."
She shouted firmly.
Dam Ho replied indifferently.
"The Demonic Cult—no, should I say the Divine Cult?"
"......"
For a moment, a faint tremor ran through her shoulders.
A chill gathered in Yin Yukyung's gaze as she stared at Dam Ho. Undeterred, he continued calmly.
"Your name is Yin Yukyung, isn't it?"
"Who... are you?"
"It seems you don't remember."
Dam Ho dismounted from Black Ghost.
Even then, Yin Yukyung failed to recognize him.
As he walked toward her, Dam Ho spoke.
"You must have killed a lot of people since then."
"What?"
"You said it back then. That I'd be the first person you ever killed. So you were going to remember my name."
"That was... no way?"
Yin Yukyung's pupils shook violently.
A faint memory from long ago resurfaced.
Thousand Gold Demon Jade.
The Demonic Cult's final refuge, pursued there by righteous faction warriors. And among them, a boy.
He had limped slightly on his left leg, just like the man before her now. But the martial arts he displayed had left an indelible impression burned into her mind.
"You're... Dam Ho of the Mount Hua Sect."
"So you remember now."
"How are you...?"
"Alive, you mean?"
"Yes."
Yin Yukyung nodded without realizing it.
She was that shocked.
Dozens of Thunderbolt Bombs had been used to collapse Thousand Gold Demon Jade. The explosion was so massive it could be seen from a hundred li away, completely burying the area.
'And he survived that?'
Yin Yukyung's eyelids quivered.
It was hard to believe by common sense. But she had no choice—she could see the overlap between the Dam Ho in her memory and the one standing before her now.
Yet it was impossible to fully recall his past self from his current appearance.
His looks aside, his temperament was the issue.
He was like a volcano on the verge of eruption standing right in front of her.
Calm on the surface, but with lava churning in his chest, ready to explode at any moment.
"I clung on desperately."
"That's..."
"I survived because I held out until the end."
Dam Ho smiled. Or at least, it looked like a smile, with the corner of his mouth curling up slightly.
Yin Yukyung suddenly glanced down at her palm. It was already slick with sweat.
'Am I tense? Me?'
Since emerging into the world, Yin Yukyung had never once felt tension. She possessed exceptional personal skill, and the tenacity forged from crawling up from the depths of hell.
The Central Plains warriors had been tamed by prolonged peace.
Their martial arts might be strong, but they lacked fighting spirit. Such warriors could never make her tense.
Dam Ho was different.
He was razor-sharp. One wrong move in front of him, and you'd be sliced in an instant.
Even an absolute powerhouse like Yin Yukyung felt suffocated by his presence.
A man clad entirely in black, with a slight limp in his left step.
Yin Yukyung recalled hearing rumors recently of such a warrior.
"So you're the Fist Demon. How..."
The final words—'did you get so strong?'—lingered only in her mouth.
She had many questions, but she knew Dam Ho wouldn't answer no matter how much she asked.
"I have one question."
"What is it?"
"What's your position in the Demonic Cult?"
"I can't tell you that. It's confidential."
"I see. That just makes me more curious."
Yin Yukyung's expression hardened. She had read the hostility hidden in Dam Ho's words.
"You shouldn't do that."
"Do what?"
"I don't want to make an enemy of you."
"That's not for you to decide."
"Then who?"
"Your answer decides it."
At Dam Ho's response, Yin Yukyung felt the blood in her entire body turn ice-cold. She had read the killing intent in the eyes fixed on her.
His savage gaze, on the verge of explosion, brimmed with terrifying murderous aura.
Even in the Divine Cult where she resided, few possessed such killing intent.
Dam Ho's appearance reminded her of one man.
'Maybe on par with Yeol Cheon...'
But she quickly shook her head.
The two might seem similar, but they were completely different.
If Dam Ho was a ferocious beast, he was a restrained hunter.
It was impossible to judge who was stronger or weaker rashly, but they were clearly different types of people.
Yin Yukyung's hand gripped her sword hilt. Dam Ho's eyes narrowed.
"Is that your decision?"
"Personally, I'm sorry for what happened to you, but that doesn't mean I'll tell you everything."
Yin Yukyung was resolute.
Seeing this, Dam Ho nodded.
He had expected as much.
Frost-like aura emanated from her entire body. It was sharper than any warrior he had ever seen.
Shing!
She drew her sword.
It was her declaration that the conversation was over.
Yin Yukyung disliked baseless fights, but she wasn't one to avoid combat either.
It was the sword that had claimed the lives of Iron Casket Immortal and countless other Taoists. Her blade naturally carried killing intent.
Twelve years ago, before meeting Dam Ho, she had never killed a single person. But now she was different.
Crawling out of hell had changed many things, and she no longer hesitated to take lives.
Falling Moon Divine Sword.
An esoteric sword art passed down through a single successor in the Demonic Cult.
Legend held that one who mastered Falling Moon Divine Sword could even make the moon in the night sky fall.
Whooo!
Her sword let out a clear ring.
Her skin stung as if pricked by needles. It was the stimulation from the intangible energy wave.
Dam Ho's gaze deepened.
Yin Yukyung's aura was undoubtedly sharper than any warrior he had encountered.
Flash!
Yin Yukyung charged at Dam Ho.
Smooth Flow Step.
One of the Demonic Cult's secret footworks, also passed down through a single successor. Like flowing water, she rode the current and closed in on Dam Ho in an instant.
Clang!
A metallic clash erupted right before Dam Ho's face.
It was the sound of Yin Yukyung's sword meeting Dam Ho's silver chains.
Sparks flew, and both their bodies shook.
Caught off guard by the impact, Yin Yukyung's body jolted greatly. But instead of retreating, she advanced.
Combat was about momentum.
She knew well that the one who lost the initial clash of auras could never seize the advantage.
She didn't like fighting without reason, but once started, she had to be the victor.
That was the law of survival she had learned from the depths of the Demonic Cult.
Kakakang!
Yin Yukyung's sword and Dam Ho's silver chains clashed repeatedly. Her Falling Moon Divine Sword was fearsome.
The moment even a slight opening appeared, it struck at Dam Ho's vital points like a venomous snake.
Unlike other Central Plains warriors who wasted inner energy on pointless sword qi, she only concentrated her power at the moment of impact, showing exquisite control.
A sword as natural as water yet as firm as rock.
That was Yin Yukyung's Falling Moon Divine Sword.
Severing Moon Flying Sword and Falling Moon Blood Mountain Strike followed in succession.
Relentless linked attacks without a moment to breathe.
An ordinary warrior would have lost their life by now. But her opponent was Dam Ho.
Power gathered in his nail-like fist.
Yin Yukyung's face appeared before his eyes. Breaking Spike plunged toward her face.
Yin Yukyung raised her sword to block desperately.
Boom!
"Hngh!"
A stifled groan escaped Yin Yukyung's lips.
Crack!
Spiderweb cracks formed on her sword's surface.
Yin Yukyung's expression changed completely.
Dam Ho's single punch altered the air. And his demeanor shifted as well.
Chill!
It was the moment Yin Yukyung sensed danger.
Whirrr!
Dam Ho's leg traced a bizarre curve and whipped down toward her head like a flail.
Bouncing Demon Kick.
Yin Yukyung executed Reverse Flow Step to retreat.
The reverse of Smooth Flow.
Even as she withdrew, she didn't forget to swing her sword.
Kwang!
Her two sword strikes collided with Dam Ho's Bouncing Demon Kick, erupting in a blast.
Both their bodies shuddered.
A trickle of blood appeared at the corner of Yin Yukyung's mouth.
'Strong!'
That was her honest feeling.
True masters could gauge an opponent's level with a single exchange of blows.
Her sword-gripping hand throbbed with pain.
If her grip strength had been even slightly weaker, she might have dropped her sword. Dam Ho's fist carried the weight of a mountain. Each clash shook her internals violently.
'At this level, he could rival Yeol Cheon...'
He was the strongest person she knew.
He possessed an unshakeable will that wouldn't falter in any typhoon, strength like Mount Tai.
He was their spiritual pillar, a comrade and leader they could trust and rely on.
It was because of him that they had reached this point.
Yin Yukyung had thought she would never encounter another like him. He was that unique.
But the Dam Ho before her was shattering her preconceptions, displaying terrifying might.
At this rate, she couldn't guarantee victory without going all out.
The moment she made that judgment, Yin Yukyung's eyes changed. Dam Ho smiled in response.
An icy smile that sent shivers down the spine.
"You should have done that from the start."
Because of them, he had been trapped underground in pitch darkness for twelve years. Someone had to pay that debt.
It was the moment Dam Ho charged at Yin Yukyung with both fists clenched.
Screee!
A chilling sound of air tearing rang out.
Sensing the terrifying killing intent from behind, Dam Ho spun like a top, whipping out his elbow and fist like flails.
Single Yang Strike.
Clang!
A metallic ring echoed as a sword was deflected. The flying sword spun and was caught by someone's hand.
Dam Ho's expression hardened as he identified the sword's owner.
The man had an ordinary build and plain attire, but he was far from ordinary. He caught the deflected sword with a perfectly sculpted face overshadowed by deep, dark eyes. A large wooden sword case was slung on his back, with four sword hilts protruding from it.
Including the one in his hand, it was a case that could hold five swords.
But Dam Ho's expression changed not because of the man's appearance. It was because the man had draped his arm over Bang Jin-bo's shoulder.
"Brother!"
The man with his arm over Bang Jin-bo's shoulder smiled softly at Yin Yukyung.
"Little sister, I've been waiting quite a while."