Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Those Blinded by Revenge Know No Surrender
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Martial God (38)
Those blinded by revenge know no surrender.
“We need to hurry.”
Ak Muyoo shouted ahead.
“Who’s chasing us?”
Gun Cheokjeon asked.
“Yeah.”
“Who?”
“Red Flame Heaven.”
“Isn’t Red Flame Heaven the head of Fengguo’s top clan?”
“That’s right.”
“He’s a powerhouse ranked fourth among the Desert Ten Heroes... It’s because of his son.”
“That’s why we have to run like dogs sweating from their paws.”
“I’ll hold him off.”
Gun Cheokjeon said.
“The only way he can catch up to us is with Treading the Void Step. From what I know, Treading the Void Step consumes a massive amount of qi. The later he catches up, the better for us.”
“Got it. Yah!”
“Hyah!”
“Chaha!”
The group urged their camels to full speed.
Ak Muyoo led the way at the front.
Red Flame Heaven arrived at the spot where Ak Muyoo’s group had stayed two hours later. He quickly scanned the surroundings. Though covered in sand, faint traces of their stay remained. He looked around and immediately sat cross-legged. But he couldn’t focus.
It was because of the scorpion he’d seen that morning.
When circulating qi and meditating, one couldn’t move. In that state, if stung by a scorpion, there’d be no way to detoxify it.
“You aimed for this too?”
Red Flame Heaven ground his teeth.
He couldn’t circulate qi and meditate, only resting. Then he set off immediately. Once more, he unleashed Treading the Void Step. Not knowing the Sand Quicksand paths properly, he had no choice but to fly like this. Soon, thick beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. Something impossible for an absolute master. It meant his qi wasn’t functioning properly. No matter how skilled, continuous qi consumption would deplete one like physical stamina. Stamina was the same.
In such cases, one had to rest and circulate qi.
Rest to recover stamina, circulate qi to replenish inner energy. But Red Flame Heaven couldn’t do either.
In that state, he flew another hour.
‘I need to rest.’
Feeling a stinging pain in his dantian, Red Flame Heaven concluded he could delay circulating qi no longer. He surveyed the area.
“That looks good.”
He flew toward the tallest dune.
Upon reaching the summit, he first checked the surroundings. Confirming no scorpions on the peak or nearby, he sat cross-legged.
He immediately began circulating qi.
Once resolved to take the risk, he quickly entered samadhi. Half an hour later, he awoke from circulating qi.
“Whew!”
His first action was a sigh of relief. No scorpions around, no sting marks. Then he checked inside his body.
“Eighty percent.”
His qi, which had bottomed out, had recovered to eighty percent. The missing twenty was due to stamina.
“This is enough.”
He immediately took to the air. He’d eat on the move.
* * *
Almost no one knows the exact size of the Sand Quicksand, let alone its proper entrances.
If the sand is dark, you’re still inside the Sand Quicksand; if it’s its natural color, you’re out. Most think that way. But some, like Ak Muyoo, know the Sand Quicksand well.
One such group is the assassin organization Hell Thousand Evils.
A middle-aged man sat alone, tilting his cup. The man, appearing mid-fifties, had a distinctive look. His neatly combed-back hair was white. Plenty have white hair, but few have white eyebrows too—this one had white hair, eyebrows, and even pupils. His skin was white like his hair.
That alone gave a chilling vibe, but a long diagonal scar ran from above his right eyebrow to his left jaw.
Moreover, he emitted no presence, as if one with the void.
Just sitting there evoked terror—this was Hell Thousand Evils’ leader, White Death Tan-ya.
“Master, it’s me.”
A low voice came from outside.
“Come in.”
Tan-ya said softly.
The door opened, and a man with a thick beard entered. Hell Thousand Evils’ chief steward, Cheuk Yeol. His nickname was Four Directions Eight Paths, for his wide connections. Tan-ya looked at Cheuk Yeol.
“A commission came in.”
“Who’s the target?”
“Luha of Chacha Kingdom.”
“Luha? The Great Bow Dragon?”
“Yes.”
“The client is...”
“Taru, wife of Red Flame Heaven.”
“Luha’s already gone to Chacha Kingdom and is living well, so why...”
Tan-ya knew what happened between Jeok Ri-ha and Luha.
“Jeok Ri-ha is dead.”
“Dead?”
Tan-ya’s eyes widened.
“Yes.”
“By Luha...?”
“Jeok Ri-ha first killed Luha’s husband, Cha Sawoong.”
“That bastard couldn’t let go of his lingering attachment even after she left him.”
“No, Luha was the one who wanted to break up.”
“Tch! How’d you get married?”
“Arranged.”
“No girlfriends before marriage?”
“How’d you know?”
“Jeok Ri-ha’s the type who made Luha say the breakup words.”
“So after they split and she’s happily living, jealousy kicked in?”
“Exactly. Men are all... Anyway, does Taru know her own son killed Cha Sawoong?”
“She probably does now.”
“Blames someone else’s daughter instead of her worthless son.”
“That’s how parents with money and power are.”
“What about Red Flame Heaven?”
“He took the Sand Wind Spirit Demon Squad to catch Luha.”
“Where’s Luha now?”
“She entered the Sand Quicksand.”
“North or south?”
“South.”
“Then she’ll exit north.”
“Yes.”
“For Desert Heaven Ten Dragons, what’s the price?”
“A million taels for those with strong backing, but fifty thousand for clean ones like Luha. Taru offered fifty thousand for the head, a million for capture alive.”
“She wants personal revenge.”
“Seems so.”
“Who to send?”
“For the Great Bow Dragon... the Sand Death People should suffice.”
Hell Thousand Evils has a thousand assassins, divided into Death No People, Sand Death People, Wind Sand People, and White Sand People.
The top-tier Death No People number a hundred; the rest three hundred each. The Sand Death People’s key trait: moving freely through sand.
“Send them to the north Sand Quicksand exit.”
“Better to capture alive?”
“She’s paying double, so of course capture.”
“Understood.”
Cheuk Yeol bowed and left.
Outside, Cheuk Yeol drafted the document and sent it to the Sand Death People’s lodge master, Blood-Clad Death Zan Gawool.
Zan Gawool was a gaunt old man with small, sinister eyes.
He read the chief steward’s report.
“Deployment. Assemble at the main gate in half an hour.”
“Destination?”
“North Sand Quicksand gate. Details en route.”
“Yes.”
Zan Gawool glanced below the document.
[They want her thoroughly ruined. Handle it yourself.]
“Keul! It’s been a while...”
Zan Gawool grinned widely and stood.
Half an hour later, lodge master Zan Gawool and three hundred Sand Death People assassins departed Hell Thousand Evils.
* * *
Red Flame Heaven continued pursuing Ak Muyoo’s group.
Even with Treading the Void Step’s superior speed, he hadn’t caught up because his path over the dunes differed from theirs. Searching for camel tracks while flying delayed him.
He took breaks intermittently, then unleashed Treading the Void Step again. His condition worsened, but he supplemented his energy with qi circulation in between.
“Where are you?”
Red Flame Heaven narrowed his eyes, scanning ahead. He rose to ten zhang, seeking sand dust.
“Found you.”
Sand dust rose far ahead.
Red Flame Heaven climbed higher, peering below the dust. Eight camels galloped.
“Hm?”
Red Flame Heaven’s eyes widened. The sand color was different. Like a painting with mismatched hues.
“Means the Sand Quicksand’s end.”
Red Flame Heaven gathered his qi.
“Wooooo!”
A lion’s roar burst from his mouth.
“Hm?”
Ak Muyoo grimaced and looked back. He squinted. A tiny dot hovered in the sky thousands of zhang away.
“He caught up.”
“Is it Red Flame Heaven?”
Luha asked.
“Seems he’s pursuing alone.”
Ak Muyoo nodded.
“He’s using Treading the Void Step.”
“Yeah. And it consumes a ton of qi.”
“Right. Twice as much as normal steps.”
“Hope he’s utterly exhausted.”
“Even so, he’s strong.”
“How strong?”
“Fourth among the Desert Ten Heroes.”
“Would’ve been great if the scorpion got him.”
“He’s cautious, never acts without certainty. As Fengguo Sand Clan head, he could’ve become Black Wind Black Dragon Heaven’s lord. But he yielded to Black Wind Sand Venerable Parap.”
“Why yield?”
“Thought his clan slightly weaker. In exchange, asked to take his son as disciple.”
“Planned to raise Jeok Ri-ha as next lord.”
“Yeah.”
“No wonder he’s berserk after losing such a son.”
“Where to now?”
“Two more days, we hit the Ancient Forest. Once there, we can shake pursuers.”
The Ancient Forest is where thousands of petrified trees stand. Legend says it was a forest eons ago.
A volcano erupted, burying it in ash. Trees and beasts sank underground. Ages passed, desertification turned surface to sand, blown away by wind. Over centuries, the fossilized forest emerged.
People call it the Ancient Forest. Until a century ago, water allowed habitation; now dried, it’s uninhabited.
“There...”
“Five years ago, there was a lake.”
“Water?”
“Water, mountains, cliffs. Caves below cliffs.”
“We can lose tails there?”
“Yes.”
“Why’d you go then?”
“Was being chased too.”
“...We’d better hurry.”
“Yeah.”
Swoosh!
Ak Muyoo raised his hand.
—Ambushers.
Luha sensed the hidden presences too.
“We’re surrounded.”
Ak Muyoo said lowly.
—We’re out of the Sand Quicksand?
Luha transmitted.
“Yes.”
Ak Muyoo nodded.
He pulled Ak Guneok’s spear from the camel. Then crouched atop it, scanning ahead. After observing, he turned to Gun Cheokjeon.
—Signal with gestures.
Gun Cheokjeon realized Ak Muyoo had instructions.
Ak Muyoo pointed left, then held up two fingers. A military hand signal.
—When I attack, move twenty zhang left?
Ak Muyoo nodded.
He steadied his breath, gripped the spear tight, and kicked off the camel’s back, launching skyward.