Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: The Thread of Grudge Twists Even More Viciously (1)
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Mok Il-gwang staggered wildly, as if he might collapse at any moment.
But he managed to hold on, using his axe as a crutch.
"The bastard's taken a heavy blow. Don't let up now—press the attack!"
At Namgung Su's shout, the warriors charged in once more.
"Il-gwang!"
Hwang Hye-ryeong tried to rush toward Mok Il-gwang.
But there were too many enemies blocking her path.
Hwang Hye-ryeong swung her sword repeatedly.
But her opponents were no ordinary warriors. They were elites selected from the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families. Their skills were in no way inferior to hers.
Their strengths were evenly matched, but their numbers overwhelmingly favored the enemy. In the end, Hwang Hye-ryeong was forced into a disadvantage.
"Miss!"
Mok Il-gwang let out a roar upon seeing her peril.
He forced his back straight and whirled his twin axes like a windmill.
Whoooosh!
The wind swirled into a vortex, sweeping across the area.
Whirlwind Frenzy Cleaving Slash.
It was an advanced technique from the Blood Heaven Axe Method he had mastered.
Kukwang! Kagak!
"Urk!"
"Huh!"
Weapons clashed against his axes with the screech of metal on metal, and the warriors let out sharp groans.
Fortunately, no one was killed or seriously injured.
The technique held the power to shatter massive boulders, but his depleted inner energy and wounds from Namgung Su's ambush prevented him from unleashing its full might.
"Press him!"
Namgung Su urged his men onward.
The Murim Alliance warriors, having lost many comrades to Mok Il-gwang, were seething with rage. They threw themselves at him without regard for their own safety.
Chaeng!
"Waaah!"
The clash of weapons and savage shouts echoed across the battlefield.
Mok Il-gwang unleashed the Blood Heaven Axe Method with every ounce of his strength.
But the enemies kept coming endlessly, and wounds now covered his body.
"Hah! Hah!"
His heart felt like it would burst.
His eyes were bloodshot, veins ruptured, as if blood would soon drip from them.
"Huu! Miss."
Mok Il-gwang looked up at Hwang Hye-ryeong.
There were still far too many foes between them.
Sskuk!
In that moment, a long gash appeared on Hwang Hye-ryeong's shoulder.
Seeing her stagger, Mok Il-gwang squeezed his eyes shut.
*Miss!*
Hwang Hye-ryeong was everything to him. He had become her bodyguard for her sake, and protecting her at her side brought him joy.
He could see tears welling in her beautiful eyes. If only he could reach out and wipe them away...
Mok Il-gwang bit his lip until it bled.
Strength surged into his hands gripping the axes. His muscles bulged massively, thick veins writhing like earthworms.
Namgung Su shouted at the extraordinary aura.
"Everyone, be careful!"
"Graaaah!"
In that instant, Mok Il-gwang roared ferociously and charged at the warriors attacking Hwang Hye-ryeong.
Shuuuuaak!
Fierce energy poured from his axes, engulfing the surroundings.
"Keurk!"
"Uwaaak!"
Warriors caught in the energy burst screamed in agony as they were cleaved in two.
"Il... gwang."
Hwang Hye-ryeong's eyebrows trembled.
She knew it. The unbelievable prowess Mok Il-gwang displayed now could not be achieved in a normal state.
Right now, he was reversing and exploding his inner energy. It granted several times the normal power, but once the brief surge ended, the backlash would be immense—or fatal.
Mok Il-gwang had staked his life on unleashing the Reverse Blood Great Method.
Gagagak!
With chilling sounds, countless warriors lost their lives.
With the Reverse Blood Great Method's aid, Mok Il-gwang finally reached Hwang Hye-ryeong.
"Miss! Are you alright?"
"Why would you do this? The Reverse Blood Great Method..."
"Protecting you is this fool's one and only wish. My life means nothing."
"Il-gwang!"
"Climb on my back."
Mok Il-gwang turned around.
His broad back was there, but Hwang Hye-ryeong hesitated to climb on. She knew it would burden him.
Mok Il-gwang urged her.
"There's no time, Miss."
In the end, Hwang Hye-ryeong reluctantly climbed onto his back.
Mok Il-gwang tore long strips from his sleeves and bound them tightly together. Now they were one in fate.
"Hold on tight, Miss."
"Yes!"
A resolute expression crossed Mok Il-gwang's face at her reply.
*I will save the Miss, no matter what. Even if it costs this one life.*
His resolve was firm. All that remained was action.
Mok Il-gwang launched himself toward the outskirts of Onyang.
Naturally, Murim Alliance warriors blocked his path. Rage poured from their eyes.
No one here could think rationally. They attacked with full force, forgetting even the need to capture Hwang Hye-ryeong alive.
"Graaaak!"
Mok Il-gwang roared and swung his twin axes. Hwang Hye-ryeong clung to his back like a cicada and closed her eyes.
She felt his heart pounding fiercely through his back.
Thump! Thump!
In this hellish scene, only the sound of his heartbeat offered solace.
"......"
Hwang Hye-ryeong suddenly flinched.
Not from pain. It was an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
A familiar comfort, a familiar atmosphere she had felt once before.
It left her bewildered.
She had been born and raised in the Overlord Stronghold. She had descended the mountain a few times to see the world, but she had never faced a crisis like this. There was no way she had experienced such intensity before.
*Must be my imagination.*
Hwang Hye-ryeong shook her head.
Taat!
In that moment, Mok Il-gwang's body shook violently. He had unleashed his lightness skill, propelling his form into the air.
He broke through the encirclement in an instant and kept running.
Blood trickled from his mouth—blackened, dead blood. Proof that the Reverse Blood Great Method had reached its limit.
*Just get past this point.*
Mok Il-gwang poured everything into his lightness skill.
His body fled the battlefield in a flash. It seemed his escape would succeed—
Boom!
"Guh!"
Suddenly, a thunderous boom rang out, and his body rebounded as if hitting an invisible wall.
Mok Il-gwang tumbled across the ground, and Hwang Hye-ryeong fell from his back.
"Urk!"
"Hnng!"
The two let out stifled groans.
"Tch! Nearly let them slip away."
A white-haired old warrior appeared where they had been flung back. His striking white hair left an impression.
The Murim Alliance warriors brightened greatly at his arrival.
"Elder Cheonggu."
The white-haired elder was True Person Cheonggu, an elder of the Qingcheng Sect.
The Qingcheng Sect had only recently entered Onyang, so their warriors burned with more zeal than any.
True Person Cheonggu held an important position within the Qingcheng Sect. Not only was his martial prowess profound, but he harbored a visceral hatred for all things evil.
He showed no mercy to demons and felt satisfaction only in their utter punishment.
No wonder his nickname, even as a Daoist warrior, was the Devil-Exorcising Death God.
Upon hearing Hwang Hye-ryeong was in Onyang, he had pursued without hesitation and blocked Mok Il-gwang's escape just in time.
True Person Cheonggu scanned the surroundings, emanating a frost-like chill.
"Tsk tsk! What a wretched sight, brought low by mere bandits?"
"We apologize, True Person. But their resistance was too fierce..."
Namgung Su stepped forward. Cheonggu's expression softened slightly at his apology.
"That girl—is she truly Huang Kyung-mun's daughter?"
"Yes."
"Excellent."
A sinister smile curled on True Person Cheonggu's lips.
He was a renowned master in the Sichuan region. But he had suffered one lifelong humiliation: at the hands of Huang Kyung-mun.
It happened before Huang Kyung-mun gained his current fame, and the result was Cheonggu's utter defeat. He had never forgotten that day's shame.
True Person Cheonggu yearned to clash with Huang Kyung-mun again, but the man refused a rematch.
To him, the safety of the Green Forest bandits mattered more than personal glory.
*Capture this wench and threaten him—Huang Kyung-mun won't dodge me anymore.*
True Person Cheonggu approached Hwang Hye-ryeong.
Mok Il-gwang gritted his teeth and blocked him. He was little more than a blood-soaked corpse. It was a miracle he still lived with such wounds.
"Urk! You... won't touch the Miss."
Mok Il-gwang's legs trembled violently.
His inner energy was depleted.
The Reverse Blood Great Method's backlash tore at his meridians, his qi and blood tangled, making it hard to even stand.
Yet Mok Il-gwang propped himself up with his twin axes. True Person Cheonggu sneered at the sight.
"Hmph! Your tenacity is somewhat admirable. But without the skill to back it, it's worthless."
True Person Cheonggu lightly thrust his fist toward Mok Il-gwang.
Kwaang!
"Guh!"
A boom erupted, hurling Mok Il-gwang's massive body backward.
Penetrating Blood Fist.
Among the Qingcheng Sect's many techniques, it ranked at the top. Once mastered, it unleashed tremendous power, but it required immense time and effort—few in the sect ever learned it.
True Person Cheonggu executed it effortlessly, proof of his mastery.
"Lie there. Your punishment will come separately."
Crack!
Cheonggu's foot crushed Mok Il-gwang's arm. A sickening crack rang out as his wrist snapped.
"You won't... reach the Miss."
Mok Il-gwang grabbed Cheonggu's left ankle with his remaining arm. A flash of cold fury crossed Cheonggu's eyes.
"You vermin—persistently clinging on."
Puck!
His right leg slammed into Mok Il-gwang's chest.
"Kuhk!"
Mok Il-gwang vomited blood and collapsed.
It looked like a casual kick, but it carried penetrating energy. His already ravaged qi and blood were now irreparably crushed.
"Il-gwang!"
Hwang Hye-ryeong screamed in despair.
She crawled toward him, but True Person Cheonggu blocked her path.
"So you're Huang Kyung-mun's daughter."
True Person Cheonggu seized her throat and lifted her. Hwang Hye-ryeong's face flushed crimson.
"Guh! Guh!"
She thrashed, but he didn't budge.
"I'm sparing you not out of pity. It's to draw out your father, Huang Kyung-mun. I'll tear him limb from limb before your eyes."
"Urk!"
"Stay in your bandit hole if you're Green Forest scum—dare cause chaos in the Murim Alliance's domain?"
"Eek! Ptui!"
Hwang Hye-ryeong spat blood-mixed saliva in his face. It trickled down Cheonggu's cheek.
Fury flashed across his face.
His palm slapped her cheek.
Smack!
"Ahk!"
Her cheek swelled instantly.
Still unsatisfied, True Person Cheonggu raised his hand again.
This time, inner energy gathered. A hit would shatter teeth and tear flesh.
*As long as she clings to life, it's fine.*
That was True Person Cheonggu's thought.
The moment he swung again—
Kung!
A sudden tremor shook the battlefield.