Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 212
Chapter Title: Mountain of Poison
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Mountain of Poison. Dok Mu-jeong.
Among the countless poison arts created by the Hell Blood Fortress, he was the one who mastered a truly unique art called the Thousand-Fold Myriad Poison Ki.
The Thousand-Fold Myriad Poison Ki.
It was a signature technique of the Hell Blood Fortress that converted all the poison ki in one's body into internal energy, unleashing a powerful pressure that could rupture an enemy's blood vessels.
Whenever he used it, the force was said to be like a mountain made of poison being thrown, earning him the moniker Mountain of Poison.
"Then those must be the Ten Poison Hands..."
Heuk-pyo couldn't hide the dismay on his face.
For over a decade, Dok Mu-jeong had roamed the martial world with the Ten Poison Hands, whom he had trained himself.
For such a formidable master from the Hell Blood Fortress to appear in a mere skirmish between the Pung Ho-bang and some mercenaries?
"Try and block this one, too."
*Kwoong. Kwoong.*
An immense pressure, as if throwing another mountain, poured from Dok Mu-jeong's hands.
Clutching his dagger, Heuk-pyo once again unleashed his sword art to offset the pressure, but,
"Puut!"
he ultimately spat out a clot of blood the size of a pebble and dropped to one knee.
With his current level of internal energy, Heuk-pyo simply couldn't withstand the continuous pressure of the Thousand-Fold Myriad Poison Ki.
"He withstood it again..."
Dok Mu-jeong's eyes narrowed.
He had intended to finish him in one blow, but to his surprise, Heuk-pyo had endured yet again.
"A man I absolutely cannot let live."
A chilling killing intent flared in his eyes.
Realizing Heuk-pyo would become a great threat in the future, he decided to rupture his blood vessels at once.
"Why would a master like you get involved in a fight like this?"
Im Hwan shouted, unable to comprehend the situation.
"What does the Hell Blood Fortress gain from this?"
Dok Mu-jeong chuckled and said,
"That's none of your concern."
His gaze was like that of someone looking down on a worthless insect.
And in reality, he could. He could crush a man like an insect in an instant.
"Die."
As he raised both hands, a low vibration accompanied an immense pressure that instantly began to descend.
Im Hwan stared into the air, his eyes wide. It was a force like a great mountain, utterly impossible to block.
*Swish!*
But suddenly, with a sharp sound of something cutting through the air, a dagger flew from nowhere, aiming for the space between Dok Mu-jeong's eyes.
"Hmph!"
Dok Mu-jeong tried to divert some of the Thousand-Fold Myriad Poison Ki's energy to deflect the incoming dagger.
But the dagger didn't yield to the pressure, continuing straight for his brow.
"What?"
Startled, Dok Mu-jeong quickly spun his body to dodge the dagger.
*Thwack.*
The dagger flew past and embedded itself in a large boulder beside him.
A cheap dagger, the kind sold at a blacksmith's, had pierced the rock as if it were tofu, like a peerless treasured blade.
"This technique."
Heuk-pyo, who had been staring at the boulder with fading eyes, found his own eyes widening.
The martial world was vast, but there were few masters who could throw such a light dagger with so much weight.
Moreover, it was a dagger technique meant not to kill the enemy, but to stop their attack.
Besides himself, was there not only one person in the martial world who used it?
*Fwoosh!*
A tall figure descended from the air, landing beside Heuk-pyo.
Tall and handsome. On his back, he wore a strange, divine sword, its scabbard dyed completely black.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
"Young Master!"
Heuk-pyo shot to his feet and cried out.
"Young Master. How did you get here...?"
"We'll talk later."
Bu Eun-seol looked at Dok Mu-jeong and bared his white teeth.
"We need to clean up these insects."
"Hoh."
Recognizing Bu Eun-seol's identity at a glance, Dok Mu-jeong gave a cold smile.
"So, a great enemy of my fortress has come to me on his own two feet."
"A dead man talks too much."
At Bu Eun-seol's sneer, Dok Mu-jeong scoffed in disbelief.
"You've got some nerve. Has becoming a Lord of the Demonic Hall made you blind?"
Then, as if remembering something, he clapped his hands and nodded.
"Then again, it doesn't matter. If I melt down even the corpses, who will ever know?"
Dok Mu-jeong chuckled and gestured with his head toward the Ten Poison Hands.
"Get rid of him and use the Bone Melting Powder."
At that, the warriors of the Ten Poison Hands' eyes flashed as they moved to surround Bu Eun-seol and Heuk-pyo.
*Fwoosh. Thud.*
Just then, with the sound of tearing air, three figures landed around Bu Eun-seol.
They were Hyeok So-jin, Myo Cheon-u, and Yu Un-ryong.
"So they really are from the Hell Blood Fortress."
Yu Un-ryong, having immediately identified Dok Mu-jeong, bared his white teeth.
"Bu Eun-seol. I'll take care of these underlings."
"As you wish."
As Bu Eun-seol gave a light nod, Heuk-pyo quickly stepped forward.
"Young Master, you can't."
Heuk-pyo said in a low voice, looking at Yu Un-ryong who was stepping forward alone.
"The Ten Poison Hands are no ordinary fighters. No matter how incredible his martial prowess..."
Heuk-pyo's words trailed off.
*Chwaaak!*
A white light erupted from Yu Un-ryong's hand, and one of the masters of the Ten Poison Hands was split in two.
Heuk-pyo's eyes shot open.
Only now did he realize that all of Bu Eun-seol's companions were incredible masters who surpassed the transcendent realm.
"You... you are..."
Heuk-pyo wasn't the only one who was shocked.
Dok Mu-jeong's eyes, watching the bisected member of his Ten Poison Hands, wavered like ripples on water.
"The Ten Demonic Masters!"
He roared, the corners of his eyes trembling faintly.
Dok Mu-jeong, who had always acted like a grim reaper dealing death, crushing his enemies like insects.
That same man was now trembling in fear.
He realized that even if he died and came back to life, he could never defeat Bu Eun-seol and his companions.
"Why... why are the Ten Demonic Masters interfering in this fight!"
Dok Mu-jeong shrieked, overcome with rage.
"The Ten Gates of the Demonic Path do not interfere with one another! Aren't you, the Ten Demonic Masters, also members of the Ten Gates!"
"The Ten Demonic Masters no longer exist."
Bu Eun-seol smiled coldly and looked Dok Mu-jeong straight in the eye. Then he pointed to the black token hanging from his waist.
"We are all mercenaries belonging to the Dong-pyo-seo-rang."
"What nonsense is this?"
"Then again, it doesn't matter."
Bu Eun-seol said calmly, a smile on his lips.
"I just have to kill you all."
The color drained from Dok Mu-jeong's face.
Weren't those the very words he himself had just spoken to Bu Eun-seol?
*'He's really going to do it.'*
He sensed that Bu Eun-seol was genuinely planning to annihilate them all.
"So it comes to this in the end."
Dok Mu-jeong shook his head with a bitter expression.
This battle was unavoidable, and only defeat—no, death—awaited him.
For a man who had commanded respect and fear throughout the martial world, indescribable emotions surged within him.
"This has nothing to do with my fortress."
Dok Mu-jeong said quietly, as if trying to salvage one last shred of pride.
"I was merely helping out a little due to my acquaintance with the Pung Ho-bang's lord."
Bu Eun-seol did not reply.
From the beginning, the Hell Blood Fortress had looked upon the Dong-pyo-seo-rang with disfavor.
If not for that atmosphere, a big shot like Dok Mu-jeong would never have involved himself in such a fight.
"Myo Cheon-u. Yu Un-ryong."
Bu Eun-seol said calmly, drawing his sword.
"I'll take this one. You two handle the Ten Poison Hands."
"Stop ordering me around, Bu Eun-seol."
Unlike Myo Cheon-u, who moved without a word, Yu Un-ryong retorted irritably.
But his body was already following Bu Eun-seol's order, his hand gripping the White Demon Whip.
*Chwaaak!*
Yu Un-ryong struck first.
The White Demon Whip became two streaks of light, striking the left and right flanks of the Ten Poison Hands and splitting their formation.
*Paaaa!*
A fog-like palm energy spread through the gap. It was Myo Cheon-u's Man-Annihilating Palm.
"Kkht."
"Ugh."
Groans continuously erupted from the masters of the Ten Poison Hands as they dodged or blocked the palm energy and the whip.
Each time the whip or palm energy grazed their skin, a terrifying internal energy pierced through and seeped into their meridians.
"Aargh!"
"Gaaahk!"
The groans eventually turned into desperate screams.
Myo Cheon-u and Yu Un-ryong had long considered each other rivals, engaging in countless spars that were as intense as real battles.
Familiar with each other's techniques, they could anticipate the other's moves, and their coordination was natural.
They unleashed a tremendous power, as if they had practiced joint attacks for years.
Seamless.
Their attacks formed a perfect pincer, cornering the Ten Poison Hands like rats in a jar before wiping them out.
"Let us begin."
*Shing.*
Stepping before Dok Mu-jeong, Bu Eun-seol slowly drew the Muk-geom.
"Use your full strength."
But something was strange.
Unlike usual, Bu Eun-seol held the sword in a reverse grip, and his stance was very low.
*Swish!*
Closing the distance in an instant, Bu Eun-seol unleashed a flurry of sword moves, keeping the blade's movements short and condensed.
From a distance, it looked as if he were wielding a dagger.
"Young Master."
Heuk-pyo watched the display, his voice filled with emotion.
He realized that Bu Eun-seol was demonstrating a more perfect version of the very dagger techniques he himself had used.
"Kgh."
Having lost the initiative, Dok Mu-jeong quickly tried to use his Thousand-Fold Myriad Poison Ki.
But the moment he moved to unleash the pressure, the Muk-geom slid forward, wrapping around his wrist.
He retreated several times, trying to create an opening to use his technique, but Bu Eun-seol gave him none.
It was as if he were showing Heuk-pyo how to use a dagger in close-quarters combat.
"Fine!"
Unable to find any weakness, Dok Mu-jeong raised his internal energy to its absolute peak.
At the same time, a jet-black light shot out from his hand.
Poison Aura. It was a sharp aura made of concentrated poison, meant to halt Bu Eun-seol's attack.
*Slice!*
But as Bu Eun-seol cut through the Poison Aura in one stroke,
"You're caught!"
Dok Mu-jeong cried out in triumph as a black poison mist began to spread from his entire body.
In truth, the Poison Aura was a feint.
The moment Bu Eun-seol cut it, he had used the strategy of 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao,' unleashing the essence of his Thousand-Fold Myriad Poison Ki in all directions.
"How predictable."
But Bu Eun-seol had already fought against countless poison art masters.
He had anticipated such a tactic from the moment Dok Mu-jeong formed the Poison Aura.
*Woooong!*
With a low hum, the Muk-geom drew a semicircle in the air, and a round sword ki enveloped Bu Eun-seol's body.
It was the sixth form of the Mu-sang-cheon-ryu, Invisible Water Surface.
*Saaaaak!*
As the sword ki, filled with intense flame energy, spread out, the poison mist unleashed by Dok Mu-jeong vanished as if it were melting.
At the same time, Dok Mu-jeong, who had been spewing the poison art, was clearly revealed.
"No!"
The moment the flustered Dok Mu-jeong flailed his arms and tried to retreat,
*Flash!*
With a fierce current of air, a streak of light shot from the Muk-geom.
The light seemed to pour out slowly at first, then rapidly accelerated toward the fleeing Dok Mu-jeong's forehead.
The internal energy contained within the Muk-geom was so profound that the move, Meteor Chasing the Moon, appeared to accelerate after a time lag.
*Tuk.*
As the point of light passed through, a single drop of red blood fell from between Dok Mu-jeong's eyebrows to the ground.
Dok Mu-jeong glared at Bu Eun-seol and said in a low voice,
"My fortress... will have its revenge."
*Thud.*
Those were the last words of Dok Mu-jeong, the master of the Hell Blood Fortress known as the Mountain of Poison.
***
The Pung Ho-bang vanished from the martial world.
After dealing with Dok Mu-jeong and the Ten Poison Hands, Bu Eun-seol immediately led his companions to strike the Pung Ho-bang.
At the hands of these four—Bu Eun-seol, Heuk-pyo, Myo Cheon-u, and Yu Un-ryong—a clan that had been rooted in Mount Beomjeong for generations was completely annihilated.
A few days later.
Bu Eun-seol and Heuk-pyo arrived at Cheon Hye-rim, walking side by side.
In Heuk-pyo's hands was a wooden box containing the heads of the Pung Ho-bang's lord, Wang Jin-gang, and his son, Wang Pung-gang.
"Thank you. Truly, thank you."
The lord of Cheon Hye-rim, Jang Gung, accepted the box from Heuk-pyo with trembling hands.
After lighting incense before his daughter's memorial tablet in the guest hall, he carefully placed the wooden box before it.
"Seol-ah. You can finally close your eyes in peace."
As Jang Gung murmured in a voice thick with emotion, his hair suddenly turned snow-white.
He staggered, and Heuk-pyo quickly moved to support him.
"Lord!"
Looking closely, Heuk-pyo saw a small dagger embedded in Jang Gung's chest.
After placing the box before the memorial tablet, he had stabbed himself in the heart.
"Thanks to you, my benefactor... I can now face my daughter in the afterlife without shame."
With blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, Jang Gung tightly gripped Heuk-pyo's hands and offered a faint smile.
"...Thank you, truly."
With those last words, Jang Gung's eyes slowly closed. At the same time, the warmth left his body, turning it cold.
He had originally intended to take his own life after his daughter's death.
But when he thought of his child's gruesome end, he found he could not close his eyes in peace.
In the end, Jang Gung sold all of Cheon Hye-rim's assets to hire mercenaries.
And now that he had finally achieved the revenge he sought, he could depart with a light heart.
"My lord."
Heuk-pyo lowered his head, his face contorted in pain.
"I should have predicted the lord would do this."
"It is not your fault."
Bu Eun-seol told Heuk-pyo, his expression grave.
"He achieved his heart's desire... and left without regret."
As if to prove those words, a smile of satisfaction lingered on Jang Gung's lips.
Watching the scene, Bu Eun-seol's gaze grew distant.
To achieve one's purpose can be to reach the end of the line, or perhaps, it can be a new beginning.
He, too, was constantly running toward a goal. And the end of his path might not be so different from Jang Gung's.
"Contact the mercenary corps and have them take care of things here."
"Yes."
"Then let's head back."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Heuk-pyo bowed his head deeply.
He had completed his long mission as a combat mercenary for the Dong-pyo-seo-rang.
And now, he would once again stay by Bu Eun-seol's side to aid him.