Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: I Thought It Was a Perfect Ambush
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Eon Hwa-taek continued to attack Jo Gok with an impassive expression. His movements were devoid of flair or suspense, aimed simply at defeating his opponent.
Eon Hwa-taek calmly observed Jo Gok's movements. Jo Gok moved with a series of beast-like reflexes. Untrained in proper martial arts, his movements lacked structure, but he was still human. And all humans have patterns.
Eventually, Eon Hwa-taek began to catch up to his unpredictable movements.
‘Jo Gok is a battle maniac who enjoys dodging fists at the very last second. That means if I predict his dodge and change direction right before his eyes…’
Just then, a smirk twisted the lips of the previously expressionless Eon Hwa-taek. Eon Jwa-ryang, the head of the Eon Family, also nodded.
‘Heh heh, there's nothing to gain from winning this little martial arts game. I should probably back out now, disguised as an accident.’
Jo Gok took in the sight and burst into another fit of manic laughter.
“Khahahahat! You're smiling!? Yes! You were enjoying this fight just like me! Kehehehet! Good! Let's make this more fun!”
Jo Gok focused his energy into his legs and, with the fluid speed of a leopard lunging for its prey's neck, instantly appeared behind Eon Hwa-taek.
He then drew out his forceful energy to its maximum, aiming for the nape of Eon Hwa-taek's neck. The intensely radiating aura—it was unmistakably a killing blow.
“Khahahahat!”
At that moment.
Eon Hwa-taek twisted his shoulder blades clockwise in a bizarre motion. Then, he too spun his body with the flexibility of a wild beast.
*BOOM!*
Jo Gok's decisive strike missed its mark, and Eon Hwa-taek's blue fist-force shot toward Jo Gok's face. However, Jo Gok once again grinned from ear to ear.
“Kehehet! This is how it should be!”
‘This tension, hovering between life and death!’
Jo Gok intended to narrowly dodge it again.
He turned his head, planning to use his flexibility to evade Eon Hwa-taek's fist right before it connected…….
Eon Hwa-taek's fist changed direction. Right before it reached Jo Gok's face.
He hadn't seen it and reacted. It was a move that had already predicted the possibilities.
Jo Gok had momentarily twisted his head to the left, but Eon Hwa-taek's fist followed him perfectly.
‘A fist that follows my movements…’
*CRACK!*
Eon Hwa-taek's fist smashed into Jo Gok's face. Although Jo Gok hastily shielded his face with protective energy, his nose was crushed, his teeth were knocked out, and he lost consciousness.
“……!?”
Everyone watching the scene was stunned. They were surprised by the unexpected power of the Eon Family's fist techniques, but that wasn't the only reason for their shock.
The reason everyone watching the tournament was astonished was that the face of Jo Gok, the rising star representing the Fierce Sword Sect, had been shattered.
Medics immediately rushed in to treat him, but his condition appeared to be severe.
Even if it was to win, wasn't that too excessive for a martial tournament between Orthodox Sects?
And they both used killing techniques?
A few, impressed by the spectacle, clapped and cheered, but they were in the minority.
Mu-heun also witnessed the scene.
A peculiar light glinted in his eyes.
“Just as I thought, something is strange.”
Eon Hwa-taek hurriedly admitted his fault and bowed his head in apology.
Outwardly, he appeared to be worried about Jo Gok.
He claimed he had gotten too focused on the duel and used excessive force, and he seemed repentant.
However, the cruel smirk he had shown during the fight—it was clearly an intentional killing blow that anyone could see.
The general audience might not have noticed, but anyone at the level of a family Elder couldn't have missed it. Still, it was impossible to know for sure if he had acted in self-defense, reacting to Jo Gok's own killing blow.
Paeng Mu-seon, who was also watching the duel, couldn't hide his shock and spoke to Eon Jwa-ryang.
“Lord Eon…”
“Yes, Lord Paeng.”
“About that young man, Eon Hwa-taek.”
“Yes.”
“His ideology seems a bit dangerous… Of course, it's not my place to interfere, but you saw it too, didn't you, Lord Eon? He used a killing technique on a disciple of the Fierce Sword Sect.”
“Indeed… Although the Fierce Sword Sect disciple used a killing technique first, he should not have responded in kind. I will discipline him.”
“Ahem. No, that's not necessarily what I meant. Ahem! In any case, it was a fine duel from the Eon Family.”
“Yes. Take care on your way.”
As Paeng Mu-seon spoke with Eon Jwa-ryang, he felt a strange sense of unease. A child of the family had used a killing technique on a member of another sect, and the Fierce Sword Sect's rising star could have died.
Yet Eon Jwa-ryang's attitude didn't seem worried at all. No, he maintained the appearance of a good-natured martial artist the entire time. It almost felt like an act.
‘Could it be…’
Paeng Mu-seon quickly shook his head.
‘No, it can't be.’
***
After making contact with Eum Wu-gok, Hyeok, the Heavenly Demonic Corpse wearing a wide-brimmed hat, had been continuously moving toward a deserted area. Most people in the Martial Alliance were watching the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, so he only needed to move a short distance from the tournament grounds.
Eum Wu-gok was tailing Hyeok from a distance, while his brothers and subordinates maintained a certain distance, tightening the net.
‘Khehehehe. So this is the Martial Alliance headquarters? It's nothing special. How could it be so lax?’
Just then, the man in the hat, his face obscured by a veil, entered a completely deserted alley.
‘Got you, Baek Mu-heun!’
They said his martial skill was at the Transcendent Realm. Since he's also from the Demonic Cult, he wouldn't want to start a major fight with us in the Martial Alliance. He probably intends to deal with me where no one can see.
However.
‘Not a chance, you bastard!’
Eum Wu-gok immediately sent a telepathic message to Nak Il-gok.
[Brother! Now!]
[Understood. It won't take long. Wait a moment. I'll give you the signal.]
[Understood.]
Brother Nak Il-gok, skilled in formations and esoteric arts, stepped up. He began to cast a circular formation centered on the place the target had entered. As if waiting for them to enter, the target didn't move an inch after going into the alley.
“Foolish bastard. He probably thinks he's lured us into a trap. But you're just a rat caught in a jar.”
A short while later, a telepathic message came from Nak Il-gok.
[It's done! The inside is now invisible and inaudible! Go now!]
[Yes! Brothers! Let's go!]
After confirming Nak Il-gok's formation, Dokgal-gok, Sa Ryeong-gok, Heuk Myeon-gok, and Eum Wu-gok entered the alley all at once. Due to Nak Il-gok's esoteric formation, the area was shrouded in a hazy fog, making it difficult to see from the outside.
But once inside, everything was perfectly clear.
Even "Baek Mu-heun," standing there blankly in his hat!
First, Eum Wu-gok unleashed a heavy mace imbued with all his internal energy.
*CLANG!*
The hatted man kicked off the ground and leaped into the air to dodge the mace, at which point Sa Ryeong-gok and Heuk Myeon-gok threw tightly forged steel chains.
*Rattle!*
The chains flew out in an instant, binding the hatted man's arms and legs, immobilizing him.
Of course, he could have broken the chains by mustering his energy, but Sa Ryeong-gok and Heuk Myeon-gok had also infused the steel chains with their internal energy, reinforcing them, so it wouldn't be easy.
And in that brief opening.
Dokgal-gok appeared behind the man.
*Shunk!*
He plunged a dagger into him.
A potent poison, refined to its absolute limit.
It was powerful enough to kill an ordinary person instantly, but for a master of the Transcendent Realm, it would likely end with just paralysis.
They were confident.
This kind of coordinated attack by the Seven Valleys of Asura had led them to victory in countless wars against the Orthodox Sects of the martial world. It was only natural.
A candidate for the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's leadership?
So what?
At that moment.
A bluish-green mist erupted from the hatted man.
‘Th-that's!?’
Dokgal-gok, recognizing the mist, shouted.
“G-get back! It's a poison mist!”
*Sshhhhhhh—*
The poison mist spread with incredible speed. However, these men were not inexperienced in battle.
“Spread out! Scatter first, then attack from a distance!”
The subordinates and the members of the Seven Valleys of Asura moved in perfect unison. But Eum Wu-gok felt something was off. They had prepared Brother Dokgal-gok's poison and the steel chains specifically for this man, yet he countered them so easily?
The hatted man snapped all the chains wrapped around him and nonchalantly pulled out the dagger Dokgal-gok had stuck in his back.
‘Impossible…!’
Poison doesn't work well on those who wield it. If the target also used poison, it was understandable that Brother Dokgal-gok's surprise attack would fail.
However.
No one knew this fact until the attack? Did the Demonic Cult give them false information? No. There was no reason for them to make such a request.
In that case…….
‘Is this not the right guy?’
Just then, Hyeok, the Heavenly Demonic Corpse, emerged from the poison mist. He had thrown off the deep hat and veil he wore.
‘No…!?’
It was clearly a different person from the portrait of Baek Mu-heun that the Seven Valleys of Asura had received.
Hyeok, the Heavenly Demonic Corpse. To a demonic corpse, the dagger wound from Dokgal-gok was nothing.
Eum Wu-gok, his pupils trembling, spoke.
“Wh-who are you!?”
Just then, a voice filled with profound internal energy echoed from a distance.
“And who are you to be running rampant in the Martial Alliance?”
On the alley wall, five martial artists were looking down at them. The problem wasn't the number of martial artists; they too were five.
The truly serious problem was their identities…….
It was impossible not to recognize them.
The Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance, Du Baek.
The Plum Blossom Sword Venerable, Jin Hong.
The Family Head of the Namgung Clan, Namgung Jin.
The Chief of the Beggars' Sect, Bi Chwi-hak.
The Sect Leader of the Wudang Sect, Grandmaster Heo Seon.
Figures so famous that everyone knew them by name alone.
They were the absolute masters of the martial world.
Moreover, wasn't that the head of the Underworld Sect, Wi Guk, peeking out from the side?
And the person held in the Alliance Leader's hand was…….
“Brother Nak Il-gok!”
Du Baek was holding the bloodied and unconscious Nak Il-gok. He then spoke in a cold, level voice.
“I couldn't believe it… to think rats like these had snuck in.”
Following him, Grandmaster Heo Seon, the Sect Leader of Wudang, stroked his long beard and spoke.
“Everything is proceeding just as *he* predicted.”
“It's astonishing.”
***
While watching the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, Mu-heun was receiving a report from the Heavenly Demonic Corpse and Cheon-hyang. They were truly predictable.
‘Pathetic fools.’
Shifting his gaze, he saw the VIP seats. He could also see the Sect Leader of the Fierce Sword Sect sitting there, watching the duels.
No, it was likely one of the Seven Valleys of Asura disguised as the Fierce Sword Sect's leader. Those fools knew nothing. Their expressions had even turned grave after their disciple, Jo Gok, was defeated.
‘Idiots. That should be the least of their worries right now.’
They were truly dim-witted. If the enemies his master, the Heavenly Demon, worried about were only at this level, he wouldn't have to go through all this trouble…….
What Mu-heun was truly concerned about was something else.
The Jinju Eon Family.
He wasn't certain, but the way Eon Hwa-taek had behaved in his duel with Jo Gok was enough to raise suspicion.
While he hoped it wouldn't come to the worst-case scenario, he always had to prepare for the worst. Hadn't he experienced it in Okhwa Prefecture? They were the kind of people who could do anything, and it wouldn't be surprising.
That's why this time, he'd set the bait himself. If the Eon Family was what he suspected, ……if he was right about them, they would take the bait.
He had asked the Soul-Stealing Immortal to amplify Paeng Mu-seon's desire to help the Eon Family, without Paeng Mu-seon himself noticing.
He had said his arts didn't work well on masters above a certain level, but that it would be possible to simply amplify an existing emotion.
If his prediction was correct, information would leak to the Eon Family through Paeng Mu-seon. If that happened, things would proceed swiftly.
The problem was whether he could handle the Eon Family…….
He would prepare countermeasures, but with his current self, he was likely strong enough even without them.