Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: The Trap Within a Trap
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“This isn’t the one.”
Kang Jung-ryang, a Taoist of the Kongdong Sect who had been carefully examining the fallen middle-aged man, shook his head.
“The Sip-ma-jeon-in who killed our Brother Pyeong couldn't possibly be stopped by a mere Mountain-Severing Strike.”
*Clang!*
Suddenly, the sound of metal rang out from the opposite entrance.
A young man was there, trying to slip out of the villa unnoticed. But blocking his path was a group of Taoists in blue robes.
They were the Taoists of the Jongnam Sect.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Cornered, the man drew his sword and attacked the Jongnam Taoists.
With every chaotic clash of weapons, hot steam rose from his body.
But his face, as if covered by a human-skin mask, showed not a single drop of sweat.
“The killing sword style of the Geuksal Milgak. *That* man was the Sip-ma-jeon-in.”
Kang Jung-ryang shouted to the disciples of the Kongdong Sect.
“Help them and attack the Sip-ma-jeon-in!”
*Swoosh.*
The Kongdong Taoists swarmed forward and joined the attack on the young man.
*Pssh!*
As the Taoists from Kongdong and Jongnam surrounded him from front and back, the man thrust out both his hands with great force.
*Pssh!*
A poison mist erupted, along with Ox-hair Needles, said to be thinner than a strand of hair.
But the Taoists seemed prepared for both poison and hidden weapons, covering their noses and mouths with cloths soaked in antidote.
*Ting! Ting! Ting!*
Having deflected all the Ox-hair Needles, the Taoists from Kongdong and Jongnam began to press the man.
Not only were their sword techniques uniformly outstanding, but they also maintained an intricate formation.
*Shk!*
In the end, a sword grazed the man’s shoulder, forcing him to retreat hastily.
“Jongnam and Kongdong.”
As the man muttered with a look of dismay, Han Seong, who had been watching from behind, stepped forward.
“Are you the Sip-ma-jeon-in?”
“I am.”
The young man lightly swept his sleeve across his face, and his ordinary features transformed into ones that were cold and detached.
He was Seok Wu-haeng, the Sip-ma-jeon-in of the Geuksal Milgak.
“So you laid a trap, determined to catch me.”
At Seok Wu-haeng’s words, Han Seong smiled coldly.
“Of course. An assassin from the Geuksal Milgak would never miss such a perfect opportunity.”
A confined space like the Janggeom Villa, with a Dae-ui-go-su as the target.
And with the Geum-bun-se-su ceremony taking place, the villa was bustling with figures from various sects...
A skilled assassin would never let this chance slip by.
“Did you kill Junior Sister Yeo?”
Just then, a middle-aged man with the air of an immortal strode forward from the ranks of the Jongnam Sect, his robes fluttering.
It was Du Ak, the third of the Seven Swords of Jongnam.
“Answer me.”
Seok Wu-haeng looked at Du Ak’s stern expression and let out a smirk.
“What does it matter who killed her?”
“What did you say?”
“In the end, you and I are nothing more than pieces on a game board.”
He then thrust his assassin’s sword forward and spoke calmly.
“Let’s see this to the end.”
“You’re overconfident.”
Han Seong said coolly, looking at Seok Wu-haeng’s torn shoulder.
“Do you really think you can face all the masters here alone?”
“...”
“You were arrogant.”
Han Seong stared at Seok Wu-haeng with an unblinking gaze.
“Of course, you must have anticipated a trap here. And you were confident you could easily break through it.”
He then scoffed lightly.
“But you never expected to be surrounded not only by the masters of this villa but by those from the Jongnam and Kongdong sects as well, did you?”
“Hahaha.”
But Seok Wu-haeng, who had been listening in silence, suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha! Me, arrogant?”
Seok Wu-haeng looked at Han Seong, Kang Jung-ryang, and Du Ak one by one before speaking slowly.
“My pavilion taught me nothing of arrogance. And I fully expected lackeys from Jongnam and Kongdong to be lying in wait here.”
“What?”
“How long are you going to keep flapping your jaw?”
Raising his assassin’s sword, Seok Wu-haeng’s lips curled into a cold smile.
“This is getting rather tedious.”
At his words, veins bulged on the foreheads of Han Seong, Kang Jung-ryang, and Du Ak.
“Deploy!”
With the shout, the warriors of Jongnam, Kongdong, and the Janggeom Villa all launched their attacks on Seok Wu-haeng.
From the left and right flanks came the warriors of the Jongnam and Kongdong sects. From the front, the warriors of the Janggeom Villa, brandishing their cold, sharp swords.
Even for someone like Seok Wu-haeng, withstanding such an assault should have been impossible. And yet, a relaxed smile played on his lips.
“If I die, you won’t be able to kill Han Seong either!”
Seok Wu-haeng, in the midst of brandishing his sword, let out an incomprehensible shout into the air.
“When are you going to make your move!”
*Fwoooosh.*
Suddenly, from behind the warriors, a silent, formless palm energy poured out.
The energy was so soft and insidious that it was like a spreading fog.
“Aaargh!”
When the warriors turned their heads, they saw a man clad in gray robes moving like a ghost behind them, shattering their formation.
“That palm technique...?”
Han Seong’s eyes flashed as he watched.
Unlike typical palm techniques that strike with projected energy, the gray-robed man’s energy spread out like a mist.
And those struck by the energy collapsed, spitting blood from their mouths.
“Myeorinjang?”
Han Seong shouted as he watched the silent, traceless palm energy.
“It’s the Sip-ma-jeon-in from Myeorin Gung!”
The gray-robed figure was none other than Myo Cheon-u, the Sip-ma-jeon-in of Myeorin Gung.
“Seok Wu-haeng!”
Myo Cheon-u, who was unleashing his subtle yet rapidly spreading palm energy, called out calmly.
“As promised, Han Seong’s head is mine!”
Seok Wu-haeng had anticipated a trap at the Janggeom Villa. Before infiltrating the place, he had contacted Myo Cheon-u, one of the surviving Sip-ma-jeon-in.
In exchange for joining forces to fight the hidden masters from the various sects, he had promised to let him have Han Seong.
—Why are you making me an offer that puts you at a disadvantage?
At the time, Myo Cheon-u had asked, and Seok Wu-haeng had answered immediately.
—Jongnam and Kongdong are relentlessly pursuing me. If I fail to deal with them this time, it will severely restrict my movements in the future.
—Why me? If you wanted to join forces, Bu Eun-seol... he would be the more suitable candidate.
—Bu Eun-seol...
Seok Wu-haeng had spoken coldly, his eyes burning.
—That bastard is just a rival I must one day defeat!
After some deliberation, Myo Cheon-u had accepted the offer.
He had no ambition to dare become the successor of the Demonic Halls. He simply wished to win this battle he had been forced into.
And so, when the masters from Jongnam and Kongdong appeared, he began to deal with them as promised, aiding Seok Wu-haeng.
*Paat!*
Myo Cheon-u cut down the warriors of the Janggeom Villa like sheaves of straw.
Unleashing a movement technique like a raging gale, he sent his palm energy flying toward the Taoists of Kongdong and Jongnam as well.
His Myeorinjang had already surpassed the stage of Beoncheon and reached the stage of Hyeolcheon.
The moment his palm energy struck, a sharp internal energy would penetrate the body, tearing through qi and blood and destroying internal organs.
“Keuk!”
“Aack!”
The formations of both the Jongnam and Kongdong Taoists were focused entirely on Seok Wu-haeng.
But with Myo Cheon-u’s sudden appearance, unleashing his Myeorinjang from the outside, their ranks were collapsing helplessly.
“I’ll stop him!”
As the formation was on the verge of collapsing, Han Seong, who had been watching, stepped forward to face Myo Cheon-u.
*Screech!*
Instantly drawing his sword, Han Seong unleashed the Janggeom Villa’s ultimate art, the Yuryong Sword Art.
After about ten exchanges, the sword energy of the Yuryong Sword grew faint, and the mist-like energy of the Myeorinjang began to envelop Han Seong's body.
The Yuryong Sword Art was no match for the Myeorinjang.
“Help Seong!”
At the shout of Han Yeong-baek, who was watching the scene, Han Seong quickly called back.
“Don’t worry, Father! I can handle this bastard myself!”
“Hmm.”
Han Yeong-baek, seeing through his son’s bravado, let out a low groan.
Although the Janggeom Villa could be called a prestigious sword sect, it had not produced an outstanding swordsman for a long time.
Thus, contrary to its widespread reputation in the Murim, its prestige was not particularly high.
Han Seong intended to use this opportunity to defeat a Sip-ma-jeon-in single-handedly and greatly elevate the name of the Janggeom Villa.
“Take this!”
Pressed into a corner, Han Seong changed his sword style with a sharp cry.
A look of surprise appeared on the face of Myo Cheon-u, who had been unleashing a storm of palm energy.
It was not the Yuryong Sword Art he was using, but the Pyohyangjeolun Sword of the Emei Sect.
“The young master of the Janggeom Villa became a disciple of the Emei Sect?”
Despite Myo Cheon-u’s mockery, Han Seong silently continued to execute the Pyohyangjeolun Sword.
The instructors of the Murim Alliance had intensively taught him, the young master of the Janggeom Villa, the essence of the Emei Sect’s Pyohyangjeolun Sword.
This was because the Yuryong Sword Art he had learned since childhood was the pinnacle of Ungeom, a style that drastically altered the direction of sword energy.
It was very similar to the Emei Sect’s Pyohyangjeolun Sword.
“Hah!”
As Han Seong unleashed the Pyohyangjeolun Sword, Myo Cheon-u was instantly forced onto the defensive.
*Swish! Swish! Swish!*
The sword forms were aimed at his neck and chest, but the sword energy erupted from his left flank and waist.
Unable to predict the direction of the attacks at all, Myo Cheon-u had no choice but to retreat while unleashing his palm energy.
“That is the Ungeom of the Emei Sect...”
The martial artists watching from afar let out gasps of admiration.
Ungeom was similar to the Jongnam Sect's Yugeom, yet completely different.
If Yugeom was like the wind that deflects all force, then Ungeom was like the clouds that vanish and suddenly reappear.
“In that case...”
A purple glint appeared in the eyes of Myo Cheon-u, who was constantly on the defensive.
“If I can’t predict the direction, I just need to occupy it first!”
Myo Cheon-u, who had been on the defensive all along, once again unleashed his Myeorinjang.
The Myeorinjang, which had initially spread like a mist, now seemed to hang suspended in the air, brimming with palm energy.
He was countering the Ungeom’s techniques by applying Yeongmyeol-tusim, one of the ultimate forms of Myeorinjang.
*Chaang! Paa!*
The vanishing and reappearing phantoms of palm and sword swirled about, dazzling the eyes of the onlookers.
The Myeorinjang’s palm energy and the Pyohyangjeolun Sword were like a dragon and tiger locked in combat.
The exchange of techniques was relentless, but the battle showed no signs of a decisive outcome.
“Aaargh!”
“Keuk!”
The screams, however, rang out from an entirely different place.
In the meantime, Seok Wu-haeng was finishing off the warriors of Jongnam and Kongdong one by one.
“This bastard!”
The Taoists of the Jongnam and Kongdong sects were greatly flustered.
They were all highly skilled Taoists, and the prowess of Du Ak, one of the Seven Swords of Jongnam, and the Kongdong Taoist Kang Jung-ryang bordered on the level of a supreme master.
They couldn't comprehend why they were the ones being pushed back, let alone finishing off Seok Wu-haeng.
“How could you lot, who've only ever learned martial arts in a temple, possibly handle the skills of my pavilion?”
The Geuksal Milgak not only specializes in the art of killing, but its internal energy cultivation is also not inferior to that of the other Ten Demonic Sects.
With him skillfully using various poisons and hidden weapons alongside his martial arts, he was actually overwhelming them despite being outnumbered.
“Help them!”
Han Yeong-baek shouted, but most of the Janggeom Villa’s warriors were already down.
“We can’t take down just those two with these numbers?!”
Han Yeong-baek clenched his fists.
His son, a Dae-ui-go-su, the warriors of the Janggeom Villa, and even with the help of Jongnam and Kongdong, they were still at a disadvantage!
Perhaps it was to be expected.
The Sip-ma-jeon-in were battle-hardened veterans who had survived countless chaotic battles since their time in the Inferno.
Unless one was far beyond the level of a Dae-ui-go-su, it was difficult to find anyone skilled enough to put them in peril.
“Kraaack!”
With a short scream, more Taoists from Jongnam and Kongdong collapsed, spewing blood.
All that remained were Kang Jung-ryang and Du Ak, along with five Taoists each.
“Villa Master Han, we will lend a hand!”
At that moment, dozens of martial artists from among the guests drew their swords and spoke to Han Yeong-baek.
“They alone are clearly no match for them! We will help too!”
There were roughly three hundred martial artists present as guests in the Janggeom Villa.
If all of them were to join in, not even the grandfathers of the Sip-ma-jeon-in could stop them.
“So, they aren’t coming after all.”
Just as Han Yeong-baek, muttering an enigmatic monologue to himself, was about to nod his head in resignation,
“Ugh.”
The martial artists suddenly began to retch.
“Retch!”
Once it started, even the martial artists who had been fine began to vomit.
“There’s poison in the food!”
Someone shouted at that moment.
All the food that had been served until now was poisoned.