Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: The Iron-Blooded Poison Man
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Dang Baek-ho staunched the blood pouring from his severed wrist. With his other hand, he called his fallen hidden weapons back to him, coating them in a blend of various poisons.
And then.
*Fwoosh!*
He began to fire them.
However, they were useless against Mu-heun's divine sword.
“Dammit!”
The Poison King decided to use his Poison Blood Demons to buy time.
“Get him!”
“Kieeeek!”
The Poison Blood Demons, already like insects, let out bizarre screeches and charged at Mu-heun. Though he mourned them in his heart, he couldn't afford to waste any more time, so he killed them all with a single strike.
“Asura's Slash!”
*Shhhlick!*
The Poison Blood Demons were split apart.
In that time, Dang Baek-ho used a mechanism to bring out the Soul-Chasing Arrow and the Black Dragon Arrow.
A massive arrow, ten feet long. The Soul-Chasing Arrow was said to pursue and pierce even the soul of its target once fired.
Similarly, a massive arrow ten feet long. The Black Dragon Arrow, fired while emanating a profound darkness, was a legendary weapon known to part rivers and pierce mountains.
The Poison King aimed precisely at Mu-heun and fired the Soul-Chasing Arrow and the Black Dragon Arrow.
*Fwoooosh!*
A massive roar tore through the air, and the very earth trembled. The tremor was so immense that even Gu Pae-seon's group on the surface could feel it. The vibration spread throughout the entire Tang Clan territory.
Mu-heun met it all with a single sword.
“Divine Sword of the Heavenly Demon. Second Form. Heavenly Descent Sword: Descending Dragon, Shattering the Heavens.”
The refined demonic energy of the Heavenly Demon gathered above Mu-heun's head, soon forming a purple-black dragon that seemed to breathe with life.
As if a dragon descended from the heavens, a divine dragon was imbued into Mu-heun's sword. That divine dragon annihilated the Soul-Chasing Arrow and the Black Dragon Arrow head-on.
*CRACK!*
Like a Dragon of Annihilation, neutralizing all attacks and bringing destruction.
* * *
The Heavenly Mountains, where the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was located, were in the Xinjiang region. To get to the Central Plains from there, one had to pass through Qinghai, Gansu, or Tibet.
The Tang Clan had dispatched warriors to all these routes to disrupt the cult's trade.
However, forces from the Divine Cult, acting on Mu-heun's request, were confronting them.
The Blade Leaf Demon of Blade Leaf Valley.
Pavilion Lord Bul-wi of the Meng'ao Pavilion.
The Azure Dragon Unit of the Heavenly Dance Family.
The Violet Poison Demon Family and its head, Yu So-jeong.
The Sacred Moon Demon Family and its head, Mu-hwa.
With them at the forefront, large and small-scale battles had broken out against the Tang Clan's forces, and this war had been raging for weeks.
At the border of Tibet and Xinjiang, a region considered outside the Central Plains, Family Head Yu So-jeong of the Violet Poison Demon Family and Family Head Mu-hwa of the Sacred Moon Demon Family, among others, fought against the Tang Clan's masters.
After receiving Mu-heun's request and the Cult Leader's permission, the two elders who went to the battlefield already seemed to support Mu-heun as the next Cult Leader.
After several small battles, the two elders were discussing strategy.
“How do you think the situation will change from here...?”
“Frankly, neither they nor we want a full-scale war. We're just stalling for time, waiting for a decision from our main forces. So, let's just stick to battles that minimize our losses.”
“Agreed.”
All the masters there knew. Since the Tang Clan and the Demonic Cult were not truly fighting a war with all their might, it was ultimately a battle of time...
While they were engaged in this long and tedious war, far away in Sichuan, messenger hawks sent by Mu-heun and by Gam Pa-pa, the head of the Sichuan branch of the Martial Alliance, were flying toward both camps.
* * *
At Mu-heun's request, Gam Pa-pa went to find the place where the Sichuan Tang Clan was conducting its secret research.
She couldn't just grab any Tang Clan member and say, 'I know your clan is secretly conducting some vile research, so tell me where,' as they would never tell her. So, she simply said she was there to see the Divine Doctor's disciples.
The Tang Clan's servants didn't doubt the words of Gam Pa-pa, the head of the Martial Alliance's Sichuan branch. In fact, since Gam Pa-pa was a prominent figure in the martial world, the servants were rather afraid of her.
Fear led to compliance, and they quickly said they would let her meet the Divine Doctor's disciples they were holding.
Just then.
A warrior who overheard the conversation between the servants and Gam Pa-pa approached her and offered to guide her. Gam Pa-pa nodded.
The warrior gave Gam Pa-pa detailed directions, and following his guidance, she soon entered deep into the mountains.
There stood a massive pavilion.
Sensing that the Divine Doctor's disciples were inside the pavilion, Gam Pa-pa spoke to the one who had guided her.
“What's your name?”
“Ah, my name is Cheon Hwi-san.”
“Heh heh, alright. I'll remember that.”
* * *
Following Gam Pa-pa's orders, Paeng Ri-hyeok arrived at Jiuzhaigou on the outskirts of Sichuan Province. He now had to go to a place called Mount Jieop, but it was still a long way off.
The reason Paeng Ri-hyeok was going there was to meet a supreme master of the Sichuan Tang Clan who was currently living in seclusion on Mount Jieop.
The reclusive master's name was Dang Yeon-hwa. Twenty years ago, she had been the legitimate heir of the Tang Clan, competing with Dang Baek-ho for the position of Family Head.
Paeng Ri-hyeok had traveled this great distance because he had a message from Gam Pa-pa to deliver to Dang Yeon-hwa.
However, he couldn't help but wonder.
“Will that Dang Yeon-hwa really return?”
* * *
After dealing with all the remaining warriors in the Tang Clan, Mu-heun's party waited at a distance from Dang Baek-ho's office.
Just before they stormed the Tang Clan estate.
Mu-heun had told them that once he entered Dang Baek-ho's office, they should watch from a distance, not too close. That was why they kept their distance.
Just then, Un-pyo asked Gu Pae-seon.
“Elder, nothing will happen to the master, right...? Since the master is so strong, he should be able to defeat the Tang Clan's head, don't you think?”
Gu Pae-seon knew what Un-pyo was feeling when he asked this question, but he answered bluntly.
“You fool, how would I know?”
At that moment, Pa-sun spoke up in Gu Pae-seon's stead.
“Don't worry, Lord Un-pyo. The master will never lose.”
Then Seol Ha-ryeong and Gu Yang-baek also chimed in.
“Hoho, that's right. The Dragon Demon is no ordinary person. Do you really think he'd die in a place like this?”
“I agree. He may be young, but he's stronger and more brilliant than any junior I've ever seen.”
Gu Pae-seon found their conversation not unpleasant, but he wasn't entirely happy either. No matter what, weren't they fundamentally members of the Demonic Cult? Since they followed his old friend, they probably didn't harbor any malicious intent... but still, they belonged to the Demonic Cult.
He didn't like that affiliation.
For that reason, Gu Pae-seon wanted to pour cold water on their conversation.
“Well, it's not that simple. To be honest, I think it's more likely that Mu-heun will die.”
“““...!”””
“As you all know, Baek Mu-heun's martial prowess has already reached the Transcendent Realm. He's at the middle stage, similar to my level. Given that he thoroughly analyzed the Tang Clan's poisons and the Poison King, Dang Baek-ho, before attacking, I can't say his chances are low, but...”
As Gu Pae-seon trailed off, Pa-sun hurriedly asked.
“Even if a master of the Transcendent Realm enters with full preparation, there could still be a problem?”
“Of course, you fools. His opponent is also a master of the Transcendent Realm. What's more, it's known that the Poison King, Dang Baek-ho, has reached the peak of the Transcendent Realm. However, the martial arts Mu-heun has learned are the most profound in the martial world, so he should be able to handle a master one level higher.”
“Then isn't there no problem?”
“The problem is that Mu-heun isn't the only one like that. A supreme master of the Tang Clan is not an opponent you can judge by their realm alone.”
Seol Ha-ryeong, who was listening to the conversation, said.
“It's because of the poisonous energy arts.”
“Yes. Poison arts that have reached the Transcendent Realm are on a different level from other martial arts. It's not just about pushing through with the quantity or quality of internal energy. Their applications are immense, and no matter how powerful the master, unless they are immune to all poisons, even the slightest opening can lead to death in an instant.”
Gu Yang-baek then raised a counterargument.
“But, I understand that Lord Mu-heun is resistant to most poisons.”
“Yes... I also think he might be fine because of that... but the problem lies with the man, Dang Baek-ho.”
“...”
“Despite his innate talent, he trusts no one and prepares for everything, not just martial arts. Unless Mu-heun strikes first or overwhelmingly surpasses him in skill, victory is not guaranteed.”
“I see...”
“So, don't let your guard down. Wait. Meditate and conserve your strength so you can be of help if the moment comes!”
“““Yes!”””
* * *
-At that moment, in the underground cavern beneath Dang Baek-ho's office
The Dragon of Annihilation, unleashed from Mu-heun's sword, seemed to devour everything in its path.
It not only pulverized the Soul-Chasing Arrow and the Black Dragon Arrow but also shattered the launcher behind them.
But Dang Baek-ho was not there. He had thrown himself aside to dodge long before.
There was one reason Dang Baek-ho was able to evade Mu-heun's divine sword.
He had seen the power of the Divine Sword of the Heavenly Demon with his own two eyes and felt it as it took his left wrist.
Dang Baek-ho no longer confronted Mu-heun head-on. Instead, he desperately dodged and began to flee.
Having experienced just how powerful the Divine Sword of the Heavenly Demon was by losing a wrist and shedding blood, he constantly watched where Mu-heun's sword was pointed.
To dodge the moment Mu-heun attacked.
If he were hit by that attack head-on, even once, it would surely mean death... but Dang Baek-ho did not give up.
Instead, he decided to watch Mu-heun's movements, predict his next attack, and counter while evading.
‘He's human too. He couldn't have reached such a level at his age so suddenly! That power can't be infinite! I have to endure. I have to endure to survive!’
Dang Baek-ho used a movement technique to dart around the underground cavern, continuously firing the Five-Poison Heaven-Shattering Bombs with his retrieved hidden weapons.
From a mechanism, he released the Divine Sand of a Thousand Poisons, which only the Poison King could evade.
But neither the iron beads coated with five ultimate poisons nor the wave of sand containing a thousand poisons were of any use against Mu-heun's divine sword.
“Asura's Slash!”
*CLANG!*
The astonished Poison King hastily fired his secret technique, the Soul-Severing Sand, but...
“Descending Dragon, Shattering the Heavens!”
*Pshhhhhh-*
That too was useless, and in the end, Dang Baek-ho was forced to play his last card.
It was a secret technique that would destroy his own body, one he would never use unless he was truly on the verge of death. And Dang Baek-ho knew that this was that very moment.
An ultimate secret art that used all the poison he had accumulated and his innate true energy. If used, he too would have to be prepared for death, and if he failed to detoxify all the poisonous energy remaining in his body afterward, he would surely die.
The final poison art of the Tang Clan.
It was the Art of Poison Humanization.
Dang Baek-ho began to absorb all the poisons he had fired at Mu-heun. From the ultimate poisons within the bisected Poison Blood Demons to every deadly toxin on the ground, everything surged toward Dang Baek-ho.
Poisons of different colors clung to Dang Baek-ho's body, merging into a bizarre form. The toxins, once green, purple, red, and various other colors, combined into one and turned black.
Dang Baek-ho felt his skin burning away and his bones melting. But in return, he gained the ability to wield an immensely powerful poison.
Smoke rose from his entire body, and he felt as if he were boiling, but it was fine. It was better than dying.
And so, Dang Baek-ho became the Iron-Blooded Poison Man.
“Grrrruuuh.”
The poison man raised his arm and said to Mu-heun.
“There's no turning back now.”
Mu-heun looked at Dang Baek-ho's distorted form and chuckled.
“You're laughing?”
“Isn't it funny? After all that time trying to save your own skin, you end up turning into this hideous creature because you don't want to die. It seems like a fitting end for you.”
Mu-heun stood before the Iron-Blooded Poison Man. He showed no fear, nor did he retreat.