Chapter 256
Chapter 256
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 256
Chapter Title: Come Back In, Bastard
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Watching Nangong Hyeok vanish over the cliff with the Millennium Red Crane, Ma Yeong's face twisted in rage.
He dispelled the surging poisonous smoke and rushed to the cliff's edge.
Shiiiiiing!
A knife-sharp wind howled up from the bottomless chasm below.
Staring at the pitch-black cliff—like the entrance to the underworld—Ma Yeong breathed heavily.
Falling from here meant no one could guarantee survival, no matter who they were.
And that bastard had been struck by his demonic sword before plummeting.
He couldn't possibly have survived.
But that wasn't the issue right now.
The problem was that he'd fallen with the Millennium Red Crane.
The Crane-Top Red, which took a thousand years of waiting to produce.
It was an item as precious as the wish-granting pearl said to be cradled by dragons.
A profound sense of emptiness washed over him at the thought of that Crane-Top Red lost to the depths below.
Where the hell was he supposed to find another one now?
He'd scoured the world to obtain it....
No matter how long he waited, the Millennium Red Crane showed no sign of emerging.
It must have been pierced by the demonic sword alongside him, or crashed without even spreading its wings.
Ma Yeong's mind went blank.
Meanwhile, Nangong Ryong screamed as he watched Nangong Hyeok plummet from the Thousand-Zhang Cliff with the Millennium Red Crane.
"Aaah! No!"
He hurled himself toward the poison-choked cliff.
The area had been turned into a toxic wasteland by the onslaught of poisonous fumes like a tidal wave.
Even after the storm had passed, the lingering poison was too ferocious for ordinary folk to approach.
Chiiiik!
Just getting close made his sleeve edges smoke and melt, a testament to the fumes' potency.
Geon Cheon-hwi clambered up to the cliff and grabbed Nangong Ryong in a panic.
"Young master! No!"
"It's too dangerous!"
"You'll die!"
The Thunder Dragon Squad clung to him, holding him back.
Paeng Jung-hyeok gripped Nangong Ryong's shoulder with a groan.
"Brother Nangong!"
"Let go!"
"You'll be poisoned! Fall back!"
Nangong Ryong ground his teeth, glaring daggers at Ma Yeong standing off in the distance.
A blue flash sparked in his eyes, thick killing intent rising alongside crackling lightning.
Pajijik.
The Thunder Dragon Squad, Paeng Yeon-hwa, and So Hye-yeon all wore murderous expressions as they fixed their gazes on Ma Yeong.
"I'll kill him!"
"That fucker, I'll kill him."
"Damn it, that bastard... to the young master...!"
The Thunder Dragon Squad formed the Ghostly Wail Chain Formation.
Tang Ui-cheon and the Sichuan Tang Clan warriors deployed antidotal barriers to shield against the encroaching toxic winds.
Five Poisons Sect Leader Cheop Cheong-won and his disciples had slithered up to the cliff, taking positions beside Ma Yeong.
They too had been battered by the poisonous storm, looking ragged.
"Go down to the bottom of the cliff now! Find the Millennium Red Crane's corpse if nothing else!"
Cheop Cheong-won glanced nervously at Ma Yeong and screamed desperately.
He couldn't care less about the crane's value or anything like that.
If they couldn't recover even the corpse, he doubted his own head would stay attached to his neck.
Some of the Five Poisons Sect's Blood Guard scrambled frantically down the Thousand-Zhang Cliff.
Chaos erupted atop the cliff.
Nangong Ryong's killing intent stabbed into Ma Yeong's back.
The Thunder Dragon Squad eyed Ma Yeong tensely, while the Sichuan Tang Clan's elites readied for battle.
Ma Yeong, who had been staring vacantly into the abyss, slowly turned.
A red glow began seeping into his once-desolate eyes.
His gaze locked onto Nangong Ryong, whose eyes blazed with fierce light.
"So it was all because of you bastards."
The emptiness over losing the Millennium Red Crane twisted into fury.
Killing intent erupted from his body, sweeping over everyone on the cliff like a gale.
Hwaaaaa!
"Ugh!"
"Urk!"
"Keuk!"
Those with weaker inner energy groaned under the pressure of Ma Yeong's killing intent.
Twitches rippled across people's faces.
'W-what the hell is this monster?'
'Young Master Nangong fought a guy like that?'
'...Where did this freak come from?'
The unidentified assailant's overwhelming killing intent dominated everyone on the cliff.
It choked their breath, squeezing their hearts with an invisible force.
A sticky, mind-befogging aura, bizarre and unnatural.
As it invaded them like sorcery, their minds felt trapped in pitch darkness.
"Uuek!"
"D-don't come closer! Stay back!"
Tang Myeong-jin retched, while others stumbled backward.
"Get back!"
Tang Ui-cheon's shout repelled Ma Yeong's demonic aura.
The crowd finally caught their breath, staring at Ma Yeong with trembling eyes.
Step. Step.
His presence loomed like a mountain on the move.
Tang Ui-cheon eyed Ma Yeong gravely.
'So there's someone even above the Five Poisons Sect Leader.'
Who could've guessed the ruler of the southern wilds was being manipulated from the shadows?
Tang Ui-cheon clenched his teeth.
A deadly foe stood before them.
One lapse in focus, and they'd all die.
Retreat?
Out of the question.
The Five Poisons Sect elites, Cheop Cheong-won, and the ghost beasts had already cut off their escape.
Tang Ui-cheon issued a low command.
"Poison King Guard."
At his word, the Poison King Guard formed ranks and raised their battle spirit.
Seeing this, Ma Yeong spoke softly. A soul-shaking voice echoed from his twitching lips.
"I'll rip you all to shreds."
He unleashed his Black Flame Demonic Claw.
Huaaaang!
Black Flame Palm energy burst from Ma Yeong's palms, engulfing the Poison King Guard.
Kwaaaang!
The two forces charged at each other the instant the explosion rang out.
"Kill them!"
"Charge!"
"Wipe out the Five Poisons Sect!"
"Exterminate the Tang bastards!"
Sichuan Tang Clan hidden weapons and Five Poisons Sect poisons blanketed the toxic cliff.
Kwakwakwakwa!
Titingtingting!
Hidden weapons and poison mists flew wildly in all directions, filling the cliff with pandemonium.
Nangong Ryong led the charge, leaping toward the Five Poisons Sect.
Geon Cheon-hwi, Tak Hyeok-dong, Jang Ung, and the others followed.
Kwaang!
Lightning erupted from Nangong Ryong's sword, the Sovereign Sword Form summoning thunderbolts that swept away the Blood Guard.
His blade gleamed with ferocious killing intent.
Chwaaaak! Seoeok!
Drenched in enemy blood, Nangong Ryong pushed toward Ma Yeong.
Revenge.
Kill him.
No matter what.
Nangong Ryong advanced on Ma Yeong, his hostility plain.
His heart pounded fiercely.
His head burned hot, thoughts fraying.
His vision narrowed sharply until only Ma Yeong filled his sight.
Geon Cheon-hwi followed close behind.
His mind grew muddled. Something snapped inside him for a moment.
Even as he ran after Nangong Ryong, he couldn't fathom why he was charging to his death.
'I don't even know why I'm rushing to fight a monster Nangong Hyeok couldn't handle!'
A peaceful life on Anbin Island was his dream—getting stronger, sure, but living easy for years!
Damn it all.
Spitting curses, Geon Cheon-hwi raised his sword high.
Tak Hyeok-dong and Jang Ung flanked him, slashing left and right, as the Thunder Dragon Squad joined the fray.
So Hye-yeon trailed tightly, unleashing her Meteor Twelve Swords.
So Geol-gae bounded forward.
"You're all insane! That's not the way! You trying to get yourselves killed?"
But reason be damned—even Paeng Jung-hyeok and Paeng Yeon-hwa, their faces grim, were moving toward Ma Yeong.
The battle reached its peak.
Kwajik!
"Gack, keok!"
Ma Yeong plunged into the heart of the fray, snapping a Poison King Guard's neck.
Soul-Chasing Flying Daggers flew at him from all sides, only to be seized by his Black Flame Demonic Claw and incinerated.
Ma Yeong shattered their formation.
His hook-like hands seized and tore the Poison King Guard apart. They fell without resistance.
The Poison King Guard were top experts in their region, swift-footed like true Tang warriors, their techniques precise.
But Ma Yeong was on another level.
It was like a tiger charging into a pack of dogs.
Bitten and overwhelmed.
"Kraaaak!"
"Gack, keok!"
"Uwaaak!"
The Black Flame Demonic Claw's hellfire devoured the Poison King Guard.
Ma Yeong vented his boiling rage in all directions.
The hellfire scorched the toxic ground.
Hidden weapons and poisons burned away in the flames, the Poison King Guard wiped out in an instant.
Bloodshot veins burst in Tang Ui-cheon's eyes.
"Everyone, stand aside! I'll take him!"
Tang Ui-cheon fired Piercing Air Needles at Ma Yeong. They tore through the air and slammed into the ground where he stood.
Peueok!
Ma Yeong twisted away, eyes flashing as he swung his Black Flame Demonic Claw at Tang Ui-cheon.
Tang Ui-cheon didn't dodge.
In the moment he withdrew his hand from his sleeve, hundreds of thin needles shot out.
The clustered needles split into dozens of streams via his energy control, raining down on Ma Yeong following the wind's path.
Hwaruruk!
The Black Flame Demonic Claw incinerated the thin needles in one go, blanketing the area in hellfire.
Tang Ui-cheon summoned his Return-to-Origin Divine Art with a heavy gaze.
His sleeves billowed like sails catching wind.
A fight with a deadly foe—prolonging it gained nothing.
Tang Ui-cheon squeezed every ounce of his inner energy and shook his sleeves with full force.
Chwaaaaaang!
A rain of hidden weapons blanketing heaven and earth scattered like petals, flying at Ma Yeong from all angles.
Heaven-Filling Flower Rain!
Tang Ui-cheon's true energy empowered hundreds of weapons, whipping them toward their target.
Ma Yeong thrust both hands skyward.
Hellfire engulfed the area, blackening the Heaven-Filling Flower Rain.
A backlash severed his energy flow, and Tang Ui-cheon spat blood from his mouth.
"Kuhuk!"
He dropped to one knee, frustration plain on his face.
His qi roiled wildly, inner energy failing to circulate.
The sticky aura eroded his mind like poison.
But Tang Ui-cheon was the head of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
He circulated Return-to-Origin and Three Yang Divine Arts to expel the invading stickiness shaking his organs, exchanging blows with Ma Yeong.
If he fell here, all was lost.
The Tang leadership held off Cheop Cheong-won, but they might break through any moment.
He drew eyes with hidden weapons laced with Seven Treasures Powder, then unleashed the blood-red threads from his wrist to target Ma Yeong's throat.
But Ma Yeong's martial arts far exceeded expectations, his hellfire and demonic aura wielding unimaginable power.
Kwaaang!
After ten exchanges, defeat loomed for Tang Ui-cheon.
"Keut!"
He gritted his teeth and endured, but was pushed back relentlessly.
In this desperate moment.
Flash!
Kwarurung!
Nangong Ryong burst through the Blood Guard and ghost beasts with Sovereign Sword Form, while Paeng Jung-hyeok unleashed Mixed Origin Divine Blade from the flank, striking Ma Yeong together.
Kwaaang!
Ma Yeong raised both arms to block, scowling.
"I was going to tear you lot apart anyway."
He swung his arms wildly, hellfire from the Black Flame Demonic Claw engulfing the pair.
Kwaaang!
Nangong Ryong and Paeng Jung-hyeok flew back three zhang, tumbling across the ground.
Tang Ui-cheon poured on attacks in the opening, but they were neutralized in seconds.
Scorching heat rose from Ma Yeong's entire body.
A ten-foot black palm shadow devoured So Hye-yeon's Meteor Twelve Swords and incinerated So Geol-gae's Striking Staff Method.
Kwaaaa!
"Keuok!"
"Uuh!"
Nangong Ryong and Paeng Jung-hyeok clenched their teeth and charged again, while Geon Cheon-hwi and the others struck from behind with the Ghostly Wail Chain Formation.
But it was futile.
A single gesture from Ma Yeong sent them flying.
Kwakwakwakwa!
Tang Ui-cheon's support only made Ma Yeong pause, not reverse the tide.
"You flies!"
Peueok!
Ududuk!
"Kwaaaak!"
"Keueok!"
Geon Cheon-hwi and Paeng Jung-hyeok collapsed, clutching broken arms.
The crowd glared at Ma Yeong in disbelief.
His prowess in the flesh dwarfed what they'd seen from afar, enough to draw gasps of horror.
Helplessness and terror seeped into them.
Their bodies were already battered before they could even clash properly.
Nangong Ryong, rolling on the ground, distorted his face and rose.
"Huaaaah!"
Jejejeong!
The Black Flame Demonic Claw snapped Nangong Ryong's sword in two and seized his throat.
Chiiiiik!
A acrid smell accompanied billowing heat.
Nangong Ryong's bloodshot eyes locked on, grabbing Ma Yeong's throat in return.
"Die...!"
Ma Yeong's eyes twitched.
"All you Nangong Clan vermin are the same. I'll give you special treatment."
Chiiiiii-!
Hellfire slowly seeped into Nangong Ryong's throat.
He struggled but clenched his jaw, stifling groans.
"Young master!"
"Brother Nangong!"
"You damn bastard!"
The Thunder Dragon Squad rushed in, only to be flung aside by Ma Yeong's gesture.
So Hye-yeon pushed her Small Hyeon Heart Art to its limit, unleashing Meteor Twelve Swords.
Jejeok!
Ma Yeong's brow furrowed at the momentary disruption of his demonic aura, then he kicked So Hye-yeon flying.
Tang Ui-cheon, seizing the chance, drew his Soul-Severing Iron Wire to target Ma Yeong's brow, but Cheop Cheong-won's poison palm—breaking through the leadership—blocked it.
"Keut!"
The Soul-Severing Iron Wire sank halfway into Cheop Cheong-won's palm before stopping.
"You damn Tang bastard!"
He drew a dagger and tangled with Tang Ui-cheon.
Tang Ui-cheon glanced regretfully at Nangong Ryong before engaging Cheop Cheong-won.
A sneer curled Ma Yeong's lips.
Chiiik!
Nangong Ryong's throat charred, his face flushing crimson.
Slowly, he would vent the humiliation and rage from Nangong Hyeok onto this one.
Break down bit by bit.
Slowly....
But then.
Sssk.
Even in agony, Nangong Ryong's lip curved upward.
Eerily similar to the smile he'd flashed leaping for the Millennium Red Crane.
Ma Yeong's fury surged.
Laughing at a time like this?
"You...!"
Nangong Ryong's gaze drifted elsewhere.
Something felt off.
The downed Thunder Dragon Squad stared blankly in the same direction.
Eyes wandering elsewhere amid a hail of hidden weapons?
"No way?"
Ma Yeong's eyes widened as he whipped his head around.
Far off.
At the cliff's edge, a snow-white form thrashed wildly.
Pududuk!
Snow-white wings flapped.
Blood-soaked Nangong Hyeok stood atop the cliff.
The man he'd thought dead stood tall.
Ma Yeong's face twisted.
How...?
Ududuk! Ududuk!
Nangong Hyeok cracked his neck side to side.
He closed his eyes, steadying his breath.
Then slowly opened them, crooking a finger.
"Come back in, bastard."
A pure white smile graced his lips.