Chapter 33
Chapter 33
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Absolute Poison Formation (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
'Effective.'
-Who do you think made it?
Whether it was the effect of the Gentleman Mountain poison taking hold, screams echoed from deep within the village.
In that case, it was time to move.
"Is everyone ready?"
Confidence filled every face.
A warrior unable to use internal energy?
Not even dozens of them were a threat.
"Stay sharp."
Namgung Seon-jae growled at those acting relaxed.
"The Blood Cult bastards are highly resistant to poison."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
As the Soaring Dragon Squad members looked puzzled, Gu Hwan-gae nodded from beside them.
"Blood Cult followers use bizarre secret arts, drugs, and poisons. Some of them enhance the body itself."
"But without internal energy..."
"There've been cases where a Blood Cult follower with a shattered dantian took down a peak expert."
"......"
Chilling words.
Only then did the Soaring Dragon Squad members tense up.
"Young Clan Head. They've all gathered in the village center."
"Good. And..."
Dang Yu-wol glanced at the Soaring Dragon Squad members.
They were deep in serious conversation with Gu Hwan-gae.
"Don't kill those who've been neutralized. Bind them as quickly as possible."
"Understood."
An answer that would puzzle anyone else who heard it.
'Why would the Young Clan Head issue such orders...?'
'Everyone knows how ruthless the Young Clan Head can be...'
"It's to prepare for the worst."
"The worst being...?"
"The Blood Cult bastards wouldn't have left the unorthodox warriors alone without tampering with them."
"Got it."
Dang Yu-wol took the lead, followed by the green-robed disciples of the Sacheon Tang Clan.
The Soaring Dragon Squad members and Gu Hwan-gae followed suit.
"Kuaaaak!"
"Why?! Why?!"
"Everyone, calm do...!! Who the hell are you?!"
One of the panicked unorthodox fighters in the village center spotted Dang Yu-wol and shouted.
There was only one response for him.
"Attack."
Hidden weapons flew, and screams erupted.
Blood and flesh sprayed as neutralized unorthodox warriors collapsed.
At their center stood five men.
"Was it you who used the poison?"
"And if it was?"
"Then die."
The man who appeared to be Yang Ju-gwang raised his hand.
His four subordinates beside him sprang into motion.
Fast and sharp movements.
At least peak realm.
The Soaring Dragon Squad members stepped forward upon seeing this.
"Haaap!!"
"Iyaaap!!"
The Soaring Dragon Squad clashed with Yang Ju-gwang's four underlings.
The squad unleashed only ultimate techniques.
Yet the four silently blocked them all.
"Hey. Should I join in?"
"No. Elder, please handle that one."
"Then what will you do?"
"Support them."
Gu Hwan-gae grinned at Dang Yu-wol, who gripped his flying dagger.
With poison and hidden weapons in support, there was nothing to fear.
"Looks like I'll bag one blood-soaked mutt today!!"
Gu Hwan-gae sauntered forward, twirling his wooden staff.
Yang Ju-gwang sighed upon seeing him.
"Damn beggar scum ruining the grand plan."
"When you come to someone else's turf, you greet them first! You little shit!!"
A staggering gait like a drunkard.
But swift and precise.
"Drunken Eight Immortal Steps? A top-class beggar!!"
"Euhuhu!! Ever been beaten by a beggar? Huh?"
Unfurling the Beggars' Sect's Drunken Eight Immortal Steps, he closed in on Yang Ju-gwang.
As he swung his staff fiercely, Yang Ju-gwang blocked it effortlessly and shouted.
"Awaken!"
"Watch out!!"
Dang Yu-wol shouted at the same time.
Their cries were directed at the Soaring Dragon Squad battling Yang Ju-gwang's four subordinates.
"Heuk?!"
So-gyeok's sword aimed for the enemy's heart.
Normally, one would dodge.
But Yang Ju-gwang's subordinate took it straight to the body.
"This mad...?!"
"Cut off his arm!!"
Namgung Seon-jae yelled, and So-gyeok withdrew his sword to slice the arm as ordered.
But iron-hard muscles clamped down on the blade.
"Ugh?!"
Seizing the opening, one broke free.
And targeted the hearts of the bound ones.
"Keuk!!"
"Guk!!"
"Wh-why...?"
Three died.
In that instant, the battle shifted.
"Kuaaaaa!!"
"Kaaaak!!"
"Piii!!"
The dead.
Hearts pierced, they were dead.
So why?
"Wh-what... is that..."
Jin Yu-seong muttered blankly, forgetting to unleash his technique.
The dead writhed and rose.
One unbound among them thrashed, then killed a bound comrade nearby and greedily drank his blood.
The one whose throat was torn rose again.
"What in the world..."
Not even hell could match this.
Jin Yu-seong ground his teeth.
"You inhuman bastards!!"
Defiling the dead.
Unforgivable.
Blade energy surged fiercely into his sword.
-Blood Fiends, huh.
'They fed them Blood Fiend Reincarnation Pills.'
It enhanced the body and internal energy of the consumer, but instilled a craving for blood.
Upon death, they revived as Blood Fiends.
That was the Blood Cult's Blood Fiend Reincarnation Pill.
'He never even saw the gathered unorthodox fighters as his subordinates from the start.'
Typical Blood Cult method.
"Hey! Hey! What do we do about this?!"
Several Blood Fiends charged at Gu Hwan-gae.
Madmen fearless of death, driven insane by bloodlust.
Even for the experienced Gu Hwan-gae, it was a gruesome sight.
"Aim for the heads."
"Easier said than done!!"
"Tch."
Dang Yu-wol turned.
His flying dagger flew toward the Soaring Dragon Squad.
-Didn't expect them to fail to block even this.
'Their opponents aren't ordinary.'
-True. Hearts pierced and arms severed, yet they reattach and keep moving.
'Prepare some internal injury recovery pills.'
Dang Yu-wol drew a deep breath.
The Three Yang Return to Origin Art dwelling in his dantian coursed through his body.
'What is that guy... planning?'
Namgung Seon-jae, who had struck a Blood Cult follower's neck, glanced at Dang Yu-wol.
A massive energy surged from him, as if preparing something.
And that was the moment.
"...!!"
The flying dagger in Dang Yu-wol's hand launched.
Slightly different from the Soul-Chasing Phantom Dart, said to cleave even the soul with light-speed flight.
'A butterfly?'
Yes.
It had to be called a butterfly.
The dagger from his hand fluttered like a butterfly's wings.
Soul-Chasing Flying Butterfly!!
Legendary Tang Clan hidden weapon technique
One of the Tang Clan disciples blocking a Blood Fiend cried out in shock.
One of the legendary hidden weapon arts passed down in the Tang Clan.
The dagger, fluttering with bizarre, soul-chasing butterfly-like movements, pierced the Blood Cult follower's head in an instant.
'Whew.'
-Good work.
'Sensing the natural flow is still tough for me right now.'
If only he had reached transcendent realm, he could've done it with ease.
Even at peak realm internal energy, executing it once was no small feat.
-But it's over now.
The result was more than satisfactory.
Destroying one Blood Cult follower's head, the dagger didn't stop.
Still following nature's flow, it shattered another Blood Cult follower's head.
"My god..."
Taking down three Blood Cult followers with a single hidden weapon technique.
"Unbelievable... this is hidden weapon arts...?"
Enemies they fought desperately against, felled so easily.
Their spirits deflated.
"Haaaap!!"
Then Namgung Seon-jae's sword moved.
A sword infused with intent.
Emperor Sword Form.
"Keurk...!!"
No matter how much they could regenerate their bodies, it couldn't handle energy infused with intent.
As the Blood Cult follower with its throat severed collapsed, Namgung Seon-jae looked to Dang Yu-wol.
"Here."
"Thanks."
"No need."
'Gotta make good use of it.'
The dangerous Blood Cult followers were down.
All that remained were the Blood Fiends.
And Yang Ju-gwang.
"You lot hold those things off."
"Got it."
The Soaring Dragon Squad joined the Tang Clan disciples to block the Blood Fiends.
Dang Yu-wol turned his gaze to Yang Ju-gwang.
Gu Hwan-gae was sent flying by a blood-red aura.
-That old man's pathetic. Couldn't hold out even that long.
'He used the Blood Technique. At least transcendent realm, so it's no surprise Elder Gu got pushed back.'
With things progressed this far, no need to hide anymore, he must've thought.
Dang Yu-wol walked calmly toward Yang Ju-gwang.
"Elder. Fall back."
"Kuh. Damn it."
Even as Gu Hwan-gae retreated, Yang Ju-gwang paid him no mind.
The hatred in his eyes was fixed solely on Dang Yu-wol.
"What are you?"
"What's it to you? You're dead anyway."
"...Arrogant whelp. I'll tear you apart today."
-Blood-red sword aura shaped like dragon scales. Azure Annihilation Dragon Radiant Sword. Confident, are we?
'Of course.'
Dang Yu-wol drew his shortsword and aimed it at him.
Yang Ju-gwang sneered mockingly and charged swiftly.
"What?!"
His arm was sliced by Dang Yu-wol's shortsword.
"H-how?!"
Dang Yu-wol smiled at the shocked man.
For revenge, he had killed Blood Cult followers within the cult.
Methods included poison, chariot assassination schemes, but he'd slain some directly too.
Meaning.
Dang Yu-wol had analyzed even Blood Cult martial arts and devised counters.
"Impossible! No way!!"
Blood Technique, where every form consisted of terrifying sword energy.
Yang Ju-gwang had never failed to fell an opponent with Azure Annihilation Dragon Radiant Sword until now.
That's why he was confident.
"Kuaak!"
That confidence crumbled.
'How could this happen...?!'
Just a young punk in his twenties.
Yet dodging all his attacks.
As if he knew the Azure Annihilation Dragon Radiant Sword perfectly.
"You damn brat!!!"
Rage and humiliation.
His face flushed red at being toyed with by a kid.
"Look at that red face. Just like a Blood Cult dog."
A venomous smile and mockery burst forth.
Fueling his fury even more.
Yang Ju-gwang could no longer hold back.
"Filthy cur!! I'll kill you for sure!!"
With savage curses, blood-red energy surged from Yang Ju-gwang's body.
He began wielding blood energy in earnest.
"Ugh?!"
"Kuh...!"
A powerful aura stimulating human instincts.
Affected by it, the Tang Clan disciples and Soaring Dragon Squad groaned.
"Young Clan Head!!"
"Dangerous!!"
Their instincts screamed.
That blood energy was dangerous.
Dodge immediately.
But Dang Yu-wol merely smiled leisurely as he approached.