Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: The Bi-dong Collapses
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The assembly warriors who had been watching the fight between Blood Shadow and Namgung Hyuk gaped in shock.
From the moment Namgung Hyuk stopped his swordplay and started using his hands, Blood Shadow was pushed back helplessly and began getting pummeled.
It wasn't even just being overwhelmed.
It was a one-sided beating.
No one could tell how he was striking or what technique he was using.
He was thrashing Blood Shadow with a martial art no one had ever heard of or seen before, a sight too unbelievable even as it unfolded.
With every movement of Namgung Hyuk's hand, dozens of hand shadows bloomed in the air like flower petals, filling the hall with the sound of drums being beaten on leather.
Originally, it was a technique capable of a thousand strikes in a single breath, but now seventy-two was the limit.
It was frustrating as hell for Namgung Hyuk, but the assembly warriors had no way of knowing that.
To them, his martial art just seemed astonishingly impressive.
The assembly warriors gasped and shouted urgently.
“Bl-Blood Shadow!”
“Save him!”
The assembly warriors rushed toward the fight in a panic.
At that moment, Namgung Hyuk slammed his palm into Blood Shadow's jaw.
Crunch!
“Gaaack!”
Blood Shadow spewed blood and flew backward.
The assembly warriors hurriedly caught him.
Thud!
Namgung Hyuk shook out his left hand and grinned.
“Tough hide. Back in the day, a flick to the forehead would've put a hole in your skull, punk.”
Namgung Hyuk taunted him with a look of pure satisfaction.
Blood Shadow glared at Namgung Hyuk while coughing repeatedly.
Cough!
He spat up a handful of blood, his limbs trembling.
His five viscera and six bowels had been turned to mush by the Overlord Soul Thousand Hands.
“You think…… you'll make it out alive…… cough! Cough!”
Namgung Hyuk smirked at those words.
“Trash like you couldn't take me even if you all rushed me together……”
That was the moment.
Rumble!
Black-clad figures suddenly surged in from the entrance like a herd of cattle.
“……Huh?”
Why the hell were they popping up now? Weren't they fighting the Thunder Dragon Squad?
“Still manageable……”
Rumble rumble!
This time, a swarm of black-clad assembly warriors filled the entire hall.
Namgung Hyuk blinked.
‘Damn. This is too much even for me.’
Had all the guys outside come rushing in?
“……Fuck, what the hell's the Thunder Dragon Squad doing?”
Where's Namgung Ryong?
No way he'd let them through the entrance—did he at least punch a shortcut?
“Sigh.”
Namgung Hyuk let out a deep sigh.
Blood Shadow coughed up more blood but grinned viciously.
“Why don't you finish what you were saying?”
Oh, really?
Namgung Hyuk stared at Blood Shadow and the murderously glaring assembly warriors, then twisted his lips.
“No need to fight if we don't have to.”
“What?”
“Use this place as your grave.”
Namgung Hyuk sneered and abruptly thrust his sword toward the ceiling.
Crackle crackle crackle!
A seven-foot sword qi shot fiercely from his blade, piercing straight through the ceiling.
Blood Shadow and the assembly warriors paled in horror.
What the hell was this madman trying to do?
No way, was he?
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“You……!”
As Blood Shadow and the assembly warriors' pupils shook.
Namgung Hyuk circulated the Soaring Heavens Bright King Art to its peak.
The demonic path's Quaking Heaven Demon Sword, powered by the Soaring Heavens Bright King Art!
The blade hummed with resonance, and lightning burrowed into the ceiling gap before exploding.
KABOOOOM-!
An ear-shattering explosion cracked the ceiling with a massive split.
Ruuuumble!
Crackle crackle crackle!
Stalactites rained down, and then the ceiling came crashing down with a boom.
The assembly warriors panicked at the collapsing ceiling.
“That crazy bastard!”
“What's he trying to do, collapsing the hall!”
“Gasp!”
“Escort Blood Shadow!”
“I-It’s collapsing!”
The assembly warriors leaped around to dodge the falling debris from the ceiling.
Namgung Hyuk didn't look back as he unleashed the Blood Wind Divine Step toward the entrance.
His shadow trailed long behind him as he vanished into the cave's darkness in an instant.
And at that very moment.
Ruuuuumble!
Rumble rumble rumble!
The bi-dong's ceiling fully collapsed with a deafening roar.
* * *
Namgung Ryong's sword sliced through the enemy's torso.
Shiiiing!
Blood sprayed as the enemy twitched.
Namgung Ryong didn't stop there, hacking at the foe's neck and chest even more savagely than usual.
Splurt!
Drenched in blood, Namgung Ryong glared fiercely into the depths of the cave.
Then, without hesitation, he unleashed the Heavenly Wind Divine Technique and shot forward like an arrow.
Geon Cheon-hwi, who had just cut down another enemy and was pursuing, grunted.
‘He's in a real hurry.’
Namgung Ryong's strikes were rougher and cruder than usual.
Far from his normal sharp, precise swordsmanship.
But Geon Cheon-hwi understood Namgung Ryong's position fully.
In the middle of the fight, a massive rumble had echoed, and all the black-clad foes ignored them to rush into the tunnel.
With dozens of black-clad warriors heading inside, it was natural to worry about Namgung Hyuk alone in there.
But Namgung Ryong was overlooking one thing.
‘……That monster's not gonna lose.’
Second Young Master Namgung Hyuk was a monster.
Not just his freakishly strong martial arts beyond his age, but he transcended normal humans in every way.
Not only his thought process, but every method of realizing those thoughts surpassed the norm.
A monster on another level.
Sure, to Namgung Ryong, Namgung Hyuk might still be that frail, delicate little brother.
But that was like a hedgehog thinking its own young were soft and fluffy.
‘……Still, gotta do what we can.’
If they couldn't seal the entrance, they had to push forward as aggressively as possible.
Yeah, aggressively……
Rumble.
Geon Cheon-hwi halted as the cave shook and took a step back.
“……”
Geon Cheon-hwi froze and looked around, locking eyes with Namgung Ryong.
“……”
“……The ground's shaking.”
“Save him.”
“Yeah…… we have to. We need to go rescue Second Young Master……”
Ruuuuumble!
An even bigger roar shook the earth again.
Crackle!
“Huh?”
What?
Something fell on his head?
Geon Cheon-hwi blinked up at the debris falling from above.
“Uh…… Eldest Young Master?”
A stalactite had shaken loose just now……
Namgung Ryong was already far ahead, sprinting onward.
Conflict flickered across Geon Cheon-hwi's face.
Geon Cheon-hwi unwittingly backpedaled and shouted to the Thunder Dragon Squad.
“Everyone, follow Eldest Young Master…… Hey, where the hell you going!”
Geon Cheon-hwi whipped around, eyes bulging.
Tak Hyuk-dong, who had been slinking toward the passage since the shaking started, shuddered like he'd been slapped.
“……No, fuck. Gotta get out before it collapses!”
“And leave the young master behind?”
“Then why're you heading this way!”
“To catch you, you punk!”
While Tak Hyuk-dong and Geon Cheon-hwi bickered, Namgung Ryong's eyes narrowed bit by bit as he ran ahead.
His piercing gaze, shining like a beam, bored through the center.
Rumble! Boom! Roooar!
Dust billowed with the roar.
What they thought was a wall crumbled like rotten tofu, sending up a pillar of dust.
As the dust pillar rose, the ceiling shook as if about to collapse, and roars continued from the other side.
A round shadow burst through the pale dust.
Shiiiing!
Two eyes gleaming with blue lightning streaked through the air in a long arc.
Far behind, black-clad fiends came bursting out.
What the hell was all that?
Namgung Ryong's mouth fell open.
“Hyuk-ah?”
Namgung Hyuk, sprinting at full speed, locked eyes with Namgung Ryong charging from the opposite direction.
In that split second, time seemed to slow as their gazes crossed in the air.
Then Namgung Hyuk became a streak of lightning, brushing past Namgung Ryong.
“It's collapsing! Run like hell!”
“Hyuk……”
Namgung Ryong stared blankly at Namgung Hyuk before the scene ahead made his eyes widen.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM-!
Huge stalactites fell from the ceiling alongside a tidal wave of storm, the ground bucking like an earthquake.
As the cavern began crumbling like a dying beast, Namgung Ryong sucked in a breath and leaped back.
“Hup!”
KABOOOM-!
Rumble!
The cavern's shaking reached its peak.
The Thunder Dragon Squad, still arguing near the passage, spotted Namgung Hyuk charging from across the way and went wide-eyed.
“It's Second Young Master! Second Young……!”
“Huh? Huh?”
Shiiiing-!
Namgung Hyuk rocketed past them into the passage, followed closely by Namgung Ryong sprinting desperately after.
Far behind, the assembly warriors came rushing out.
“Enemies!”
“Enemies, but……”
“What's that behind?”
Geon Cheon-hwi bellowed at the hesitating Thunder Dragon Squad.
“What're you doing! Run!!”
The Thunder Dragon Squad, glaring at the approaching black-clad foes while backpedaling, bolted into the passage at the command.
“It's collapsing!”
“Hnnngh!”
“Gasp!”
The Thunder Dragon Squad ran for their lives.
Squeezing out every last ounce of strength, they poured into the passage until the final man escaped.
That instant.
KABOOOOOM-!
A deafening blast collapsed the tunnel entrance in a cloud of yellow dust.
Roooar!
The entire hill where the tunnel had been sank inward.
Whoooosh!
The following blast of wind made the Thunder Dragon Squad yelp and fall on their asses.
The impact was so massive it caved in the ground right up to the entrance.
Everyone gulped dryly.
The connected cave had collapsed too, like a giant earth dragon had passed through.
Geon Cheon-hwi broke out in cold sweat.
What the hell had happened inside to bring down this huge, sturdy-looking tunnel?
Geon Cheon-hwi's eyes instinctively sought Namgung Hyuk.
Namgung Hyuk, who had emerged first, wiped his forehead and stretched his back.
“Phew! Tunnel was too old. Just caved right in.”
……Was this something that could 'just cave in' because it was old?
A bit older and Heavenly Void Mountain would've collapsed too!
Geon Cheon-hwi narrowed his eyes at Namgung Hyuk.
‘He definitely did something.’
Geon Cheon-hwi was certain.
Namgung Hyuk was the one who brought down the tunnel.
The culprit who destroyed the tunnel was innocently rolling his shoulders and chuckling.
“For real. You think I'd collapse it?”
“……”
“They did it.”
“Ah, yes.”
Geon Cheon-hwi averted his gaze from Namgung Hyuk and stopped thinking.
As Namgung Ryong circled Namgung Hyuk, checking him over before sighing in relief, and the Thunder Dragon Squad patted their pounding chests.
Thwack!
A bloody hand suddenly burst from the collapsed entrance.
A rattling sound followed a few times, and then a masked warrior lifted his head from the rubble.
He sucked in deep breaths amid the flying dirt.
“Hahhh! Hooo!”
Crawling out on all fours, his hand grabbed someone's shoe.
The assembly warrior's pupils dilated, trembling.
His gaze slowly traveled upward.
Bear-like Tak Hyuk-dong stared down at him blankly.
The Thunder Dragon Squad's vicious faces gathered one by one.
Despair washed over the assembly warrior's face.
He looked just like a crawfish poking its head out of a crevice.
“……”
A brief silence.
Then a hideous grin spread across Tak Hyuk-dong's face.
“This feels awfully familiar, doesn't it?”
“Tell me about it. So nostalgic.”
“Heh heh heh heh! Perfect angle for a smackdown.”
Tak Hyuk-dong grinned and pulled out a portable shovel from his belt.
Shing! Shing!
The Thunder Dragon Squad behind him drew their own shovel handles.
The assembly warrior's eyelids twitched.
What the hell were they planning with shovels in this situation?
As he stared at them in bewilderment, Tak Hyuk-dong raised his shovel high.
“Hack, ptui!”
The shovel slammed mercilessly into the warrior's occiput.
Wham!
“Kraaack!”
The assembly warrior's scream echoed, shaking the mountains and trees.
The Thunder Dragon Squad piled on, whaling on him with shovel handles.
“Gaaack! Ack!”
Beaten nearly to death, the assembly warrior slumped like wet laundry and was tossed aside.
That started it. Soon, the rubble at the entrance stirred here and there, and the Thunder Dragon Squad positioned themselves in front like they'd planned it.
Whenever a barely surviving assembly warrior poked his head out, the Thunder Dragon Squad pounced.
Thud thud thud thud!
“Kraaaack!”
“Y-You bastards…… ack!”
“A-Ack!”
Screams rang out nonstop for a while.
Splatter. Splatter.
The black-clad survivors from the collapsed tunnel were piled up bloodied on one side.
Once the cleanup of the black-clad foes was done, Geon Cheon-hwi cautiously asked Namgung Hyuk.
“Um, Young Master?”
“Yeah?”
“Weren't you planning to dig here?”
“So?”
“Now that it's collapsed like this, no time to dig it out again……”
“It's fine. I marked the spot, so just dig. It'll be quick.”
The assembly warriors had taken three months creeping around, checking the bi-dong's location and watching for the North Sea Peng Clan, but Namgung Hyuk was confident he could redo it in no time.
Geon Cheon-hwi, unaware of the details, could only gape.
What nonsense was this?
Digging the ground? Right now?
“Let's go!”
Geon Cheon-hwi's jaw dropped as he watched Namgung Hyuk gleefully pick up a pickaxe the assembly warriors had used.
“……Unbelievable.”
* * *
Crack!
Roooar!
A heavy thud, and the rubble sank before rumbling underground.
The debris piled up below, creating a small space.
Namgung Hyuk's eyes widened, mouth splitting into a huge grin.
“Found it-!”
His excited shout made the Thunder Dragon Squad digging around snap their heads up.
“Wooooah!”
“It's done!”
The Thunder Dragon Squad's cheers rang out across Heavenly Void Mountain.
At last, the grueling tunnel excavation was over.