Chapter 186
Chapter 186
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: Chapter 4. Fate Sometimes Flows in Unpredictable Directions (2)
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Venerable Hyeon-gwang and Gwanghae could do nothing but shut their gaping mouths at the sight unfolding before their eyes. It simply didn’t feel real.
On Sang-cheon had overwhelmed both Venerable Hyeon-gwang and Gwanghae with his power alone. The sight of that same On Sang-cheon—who had been their nightmare—flying back from a single blow by Dam Ho seemed utterly unreal.
The one whose blood ran coldest of all was On Sang-cheon himself, who had taken that sudden strike from Dam Ho.
He had hastily unleashed the ultimate technique of the Black Heart Demonic Claw to protect his body, but his arms were now grotesquely swollen, and his organs throbbed with piercing pain.
On Sang-cheon twisted his body midair and landed on the ground. Though caught off guard, it was still the nimble reaction of a master who had reached profound heights. But the moment his feet touched down, On Sang-cheon’s eyes flew wide open.
Squeeeeal!
Dam Ho was already charging straight at his landing spot.
A ferocious rush like a battering ram, followed seamlessly by Breaking Star Chase.
“You think I’ll fall for it again?”
On Sang-cheon unleashed the Black Heart Demonic Claw’s supreme technique, Black Mist Piercing Heaven.
The black energy gathered in his palm morphed into the shape of a spear, aiming straight for Dam Ho’s brow.
Whoosh!
In that instant, Dam Ho’s form blurred.
He had deployed his shield.
Clang!
Black Mist Piercing Heaven struck the shield and bounced off.
“Damn it!”
On Sang-cheon recoiled in horror at the unbelievable result he’d seen with his own eyes, trying to retreat. But Dam Ho gave him no such chance.
Boom!
Breaking Star Chase smashed into On Sang-cheon’s arm.
“Gah!”
The agony of his arm shattering and dangling made On Sang-cheon scream despite himself.
It was only natural that charging forward would be faster than retreating. On Sang-cheon’s mistake had been forgetting that fact for a split second.
The consequence of that fleeting error was truly terrifying.
Clap!
Dam Ho’s pot-lid-sized hand seized him by the collar.
On Sang-cheon paled in terror and tried to shake off Dam Ho’s grip. But Dam Ho’s iron-pincer forearm didn’t budge an inch.
In that state, Dam Ho’s body rocketed into the air. On Sang-cheon’s body was yanked upward as if uprooted like a radish.
His legs lifted off the ground, and a dizzying sense of weightlessness assaulted him. Then his body flipped over.
Blood rushed to his head, turning his vision bloodshot. The ground rushed up to meet him at terrifying speed.
Earth Heaven Strike.
Dam Ho’s unique downward smash, using the earth itself as a weapon, was unleashed.
“Urk!”
On Sang-cheon summoned every ounce of his inner energy to shield his body and desperately twisted his head aside.
KABOOM!
His body slammed headlong into the ground.
Dust billowed up, and On Sang-cheon’s inverted form convulsed violently.
His left shoulder had collapsed inward. It wasn’t merely dislocated or broken—it had been utterly pulverized.
On Sang-cheon barely managed to haul himself upright.
“Huff! Huff!”
Ragged breaths tore from his throat.
He didn’t even dare cry out in pain. Dam Ho stood right before him.
On Sang-cheon had fought countless battles over his lifetime. But none compared to the vertigo of that last moment.
His heart felt like it would burst. His mind went blank, unable to form a single thought. All of it because of Dam Ho.
In just three exchanges, his foe had rendered him utterly helpless.
It was overwhelming might.
“W-Who... are you?”
On Sang-cheon spat blood as he asked.
It wasn’t Dam Ho who answered, but Venerable Hyeon-gwang.
“Lame One... You’re Cheon-gyeong.”
Venerable Hyeon-gwang, having recognized Dam Ho, trembled from his shoulders. Dam Ho merely glanced at him, offering no reply.
On Sang-cheon ground his teeth.
‘The Fist Demon?’
He was well aware of Dam Ho’s infamous reputation. But like most rumors in the martial world, he’d assumed the tales of the Fist Demon were exaggerated. Yet the power he’d clashed with firsthand surpassed his wildest imagination.
A lame leg posed no hindrance to Dam Ho whatsoever.
“The Golden Horse Lion warned me to beware you. Now I see why.”
Dam Ho’s eyes flashed.
The Golden Horse Lion was one of the few who had survived his grasp. That was why he remembered him clearly.
“You’re connected to the Golden Horse Lion?”
“Urk!”
Realizing his slip, On Sang-cheon’s face twisted like a wrathful ghost. Any link between him and the Golden Horse Lion was a secret that must never be revealed.
He had only one choice left.
Kill everyone here and silence them. But that was impossible in reality.
He’d prided himself on his strength, but Dam Ho’s was on another level entirely.
On Sang-cheon laughed. A sneer laced with venomous killing intent. His eyes, however, held no mirth.
The laugh of one who had abandoned survival was desolate. He’d given up on living. Instead, he resolved to take Dam Ho with him to the afterlife.
“Chaa!”
He charged at Dam Ho.
Crack!
Veins bulged grotesquely on his face. A sign of reversing his blood flow.
Seeing this, Venerable Hyeon-gwang shouted.
“It’s a mutual destruction technique! Get away, Cheon-gyeong!”
Indeed, On Sang-cheon intended to perish with Dam Ho.
Reverse Blood Exploding Demon Art.
A vile method that detonated one’s own body to take the enemy down with them.
On Sang-cheon wrapped his one good arm around Dam Ho’s waist and yelled.
“We’re going together, Fist Demon!”
It was then, as On Sang-cheon moved to detonate his body.
Crack!
His head snapped sideways. Dam Ho’s knee had smashed into his face. His nose and facial bones caved in, blood spraying everywhere.
As On Sang-cheon’s consciousness faded, Dam Ho slammed him into the earth once more with Earth Heaven Strike.
Boom!
This time, headfirst into the ground.
His skull shattered on impact, brains and blood splattering in all directions. The Reverse Blood Exploding Demon Art never activated.
That was On Sang-cheon’s end.
“......”
A suffocating silence descended on the hall.
Shaolin disciples, Venerable Hyeon-gwang, and even Gwanghae stared at Dam Ho, speechless.
After a long moment, one Shaolin monk muttered unconsciously.
“No way.”
Disbelief filled his eyes. The others were the same. Everything that had just happened felt like a dream.
That was when it came.
“Cheon-gyeong.”
Venerable Hyeon-gwang, who had remained silent until now, cautiously spoke up. Only then did Dam Ho turn to look at him.
The instant their eyes met—cold and devoid of emotion—Venerable Hyeon-gwang felt a chill like being thrown naked onto a midwinter tundra.
Dam Ho’s lips remained stubbornly shut. No respect showed for the elder Venerable Hyeon-gwang.
“Cheon-gyeong... No, I should call you Dam Ho now. You declared yourself no longer a disciple of Mount Hua.”
“What brings you here?”
Dam Ho finally spoke.
His tone held no deference or consideration for an elder. Yet Venerable Hyeon-gwang could say nothing.
The martial world was ruled by the strong.
Moreover, Mount Hua had cast Dam Ho out long ago, so it could no longer claim him as its own.
“Whew!”
Venerable Hyeon-gwang sighed.
For one who had lived his entire life on Mount Hua, facing Dam Ho like this was almost unbearable. But he couldn’t remain silent.
“As you see, I came to discuss matters with Shaolin. Though we were ambushed after the Demonic Cult discovered us.”
“Master!”
Then Ho-gyeong, who had been holed up in the inn where Dam Ho had stayed, came running toward Venerable Hyeon-gwang. He had regained his senses thanks to Jong Ri-yeon’s aid.
“Are you alright, Master?”
“I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
Tears streamed down Ho-gyeong’s face.
Venerable Hyeon-gwang patted his back and said to Dam Ho.
“Thank you.”
“No need. It was for my master.”
“Your master? Ah, you mean Senior Brother Hyeon-so.”
“Yeah!”
Mount Hua no longer existed in Dam Ho’s heart. But Venerable Hyeon-so was different.
Mount Hua was everything to Venerable Hyeon-so. Knowing that, Dam Ho couldn’t ignore Venerable Hyeon-gwang’s peril.
If he could save him and didn’t, Venerable Hyeon-so would grieve.
Dam Ho asked.
“My master’s doing well, right?”
“Senior Brother Hyeon-so is...”
Venerable Hyeon-gwang hesitated.
Killing intent flickered in Dam Ho’s eyes.
“Something happened to my master?”
Venerable Hyeon-gwang’s face drained of color under the suffocating murderous pressure. Dam Ho radiating killing intent was terror incarnate.
Exposed any longer, his heart meridians might burst, so Venerable Hyeon-gwang hurriedly replied.
“Senior Brother Hyeon-so isn’t on Mount Hua right now.”
“What? Not there?”
“After you went missing in the outer lands, he left Mount Hua too.”
“My master did?”
“He couldn’t forgive Mount Hua for abandoning you, it seems. He vanished without a word. That’s why the sect leader sent people to search for him.”
“......”
“I’m sorry. Mount Hua has done you so many wrongs.”
Venerable Hyeon-gwang bowed his head in apology.
His voice carried sincere remorse.
Then Ho-gyeong interjected into their conversation.
“Cheon-gyeong, Senior Uncle Hyeon-so is likely in Sakju.”
“What do you mean?”
“The sect leader ordered Senior Brother Un-gyeong to find him. And Senior Brother Un-gyeong has been staying in Sakju for days now. Circumstantially, Senior Uncle Hyeon-so is probably there too.”
“In Sakju...”
Dam Ho’s heart pounded fiercely.
He had assumed his master was still on Mount Hua, as if the man could not live without it.
Yet his master had left Mount Hua. Anyone could guess it was because of him.
‘Master.’
Dam Ho could only imagine the hardships Venerable Hyeon-so must have endured after leaving.
Ho-gyeong slammed his forehead to the ground.
Thud!
His brow split open, blood spurting. Still, he paid it no mind.
“I’m sorry, Cheon-gyeong. Forgive me for turning a blind eye when you were shunned on Mount Hua. I didn’t realize back then how much you suffered.”
“......”
“Curse my cowardice all you want for apologizing only now. But if I don’t do this much, I can’t bear to face myself.”
Tears flowed from Ho-gyeong’s eyes.
Dam Ho gazed down at him for a moment, then turned away.
Ho-gyeong lifted his head and watched Dam Ho’s retreating back. A curse would have eased the boulder-like weight on his chest even a little, but Dam Ho walked off indifferently.
“Cheon...gyeong.”
Ho-gyeong reached out to grab him. At that moment, Venerable Hyeon-gwang caught his hand.
“Master?”
“Enough. He’s already a grandmaster walking his own path. Mount Hua’s shallow fences can’t contain him.”
Venerable Hyeon-gwang closed his eyes. Ho-gyeong had no choice but to fall silent as well.
Meanwhile, Gwanghae’s eyes shook as he watched Dam Ho.
‘That’s the martial world’s public enemy, the Fist Demon?’
The prowess he’d witnessed firsthand far surpassed the rumors.
Stronger. Incredibly cruel.
A shiver raced up Gwanghae’s spine.