Chapter 245: The Trap
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 245: The Trap
“Haaah, haah!”
The Iron Head Dragon devoured the Yuxiang shredded pork with loud slurps, as if he were eating fish cakes.
At first, he’d claimed there was no time for this, but in the end, he’d even brought out alcohol and was now eating and drinking to his heart’s content.
“To think, even an Arhat of Shaolin…! As expected of Hero Gomodo!”
Tang Muyeong watched Bakgigae with admiration.
I’d heard that the Iron Head Dragon’s existence was a secret kept by the Shaolin Temple. But perhaps because he was from the Tang Clan, he recognized the Iron Head Dragon as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I never imagined the young lord of the Tang Clan was hiding such culinary skills. And to have a connection with my lord, as well. Mmm, my lord is truly remarkable!”
The Iron Head Dragon paid him no mind, completely absorbed in his food.
My nest had become a place of harmony, and it felt strange.
Come to think of it, the Gaegaek Cult is no ordinary group.
Its very location is the 100,000 Great Mountains, and my master is its backer. It has a Shaolin Arhat as a subordinate, and the Tang Clan is an ally. What’s more, it has the Mount Hua Sect practically under its thumb and even maintains friendly relations with numerous spirit beasts.
…Honestly, if an outsider saw this, it wouldn’t be strange for them to call the Gaegaek Cult a Demonic Cult.
Whatever our intentions, we’ve gathered this much power.
If a single sect were to attack us with its full strength, we would have a high chance of victory. In fact, we’ve already defeated the Mount Hua Sect.
A newly risen power.
Furthermore, for a group with such strong religious overtones to possess this much strength… if the people of Murim knew, they would have come running with fire in their eyes.
It’s a good thing we’re in a remote place like the 100,000 Great Mountains. If we were on some back mountain in the Central Plains, we would have been subjugated without a chance to fight back.
The best strategy is to use this terrain to continue building our strength in the shadows, growing so powerful that no one can dare to invade.
But we didn’t have much time left for that.
“Hmm… Taotie, Taotie…”
Because a spirit beast from Jin-ryong’s side had come looking for us.
The fox marble, which had been silent until now—or more accurately, Gongbok, who was trapped inside it—muttered those words.
My followers are fond of the marble itself, but they don’t much care for Gongbok. After all, regardless of the circumstances, he did attack my territory.
Though Gongbok yielded at the last moment, my followers don’t know that. I didn’t bother to tell them, either.
In other words, from my followers’ perspective, he’s just some ghost who foolishly invaded, got utterly crushed by me, and was then absorbed into the fox marble, unable to even die properly.
So, of course, they dislike him.
I quietly got up and went outside.
Considering my followers’ personalities, they would have normally held me back, but it seemed they all sensed I had something to do alone.
“Kkyong!”
“Kkyeng!”
Or was the food just that delicious?
Well, whatever.
Once outside, I tapped the fox marble.
“Speak.”
The fox marble trembled slightly, and something that looked like Gongbok’s face pressed up against its surface.
“Hah… Why are you trying to hide the fact that you can speak? I can’t imagine a more twisted sense of humor.”
Thanks to what Chodo taught me, I could now speak to some extent. I hadn’t told my followers, but I wasn’t exactly hiding it either. It’s just that even saying a single sentence is exhausting, so I usually stick to my ‘gek-gek’ sounds.
What Chodo taught me wasn’t the human language. To be precise, I learned how to apply the Dragon’s Word. Just speaking drains my resources like crazy, so I have to be sparing with my words. Once I get more proficient, I’ll be able to speak comfortably, but for now, I have to keep it to a minimum.
If my followers found out, they’d likely give up on trying to interpret my ‘gek-gek’ sounds. I can just picture them staring at me intently, waiting for me to speak like a human.
We can communicate just fine with ‘gek-gek,’ so there’s no need to abandon such a convenient method.
“Gek gek.”
“Well, what I should be concerned about isn’t that, but the fact that Brother Taotie is coming here.”
Brother?
Squeeeeze.
“Kraaah! Why are you suddenly doing that?!”
Since when was he your brother?
“Hey, he was born before me, so he’s my brother!”
“Gek…”
I don’t like it, but I’ll let it slide.
“Ahem, hem. Anyway, you must have heard about Taotie from Chodo.”
Chodo had said he was an evil and vile being who tried to kill all humans and spirit beasts. If she was right, he was someone we had to eliminate one way or another.
“My little sister’s story is true, but it’s a bit exaggerated. The brother I know isn’t quite like that.”
Calling him brother… I guess they were close.
“You could say we were somewhat close.”
Can I trust him? He said the same thing about Chodo and got brutally shot down.
“Stop making that strange face and let me tell you about the brother I know.”
Fine, I’ll at least hear him out.
“It’s true that Brother Taotie is a bit violent, as the rumors say… but there’s a slight difference. He doesn’t try to kill humans and spirit beasts indiscriminately; he picks fights with them indiscriminately.”
Hmm.
What’s the difference?
“It means he’s not just trying to kill them for no reason. He’s a spirit beast whose purpose is struggle, not slaughter.”
So he’s kind of a muscle-brained character?
“It would be more accurate to say he worships strength. That’s why he serves under Father, who is stronger than anyone at present.”
An image of Taotie was slowly forming in my mind. I could also guess why the Iron Head Dragon had returned unharmed. He wasn’t satisfied with him, so he sent him to bring me instead.
…I’m very grateful, but isn’t he a bit of an airhead?
“However, that concept of ‘strength’ is a bit vague… It does mean personal martial might, but it also feels like he cares about his outward appearance.”
Huh?
A Son of the Dragon and one of the Four Fiends cares about something like that?
“It’s not that he’s lazy about training his martial arts, but he’s a spirit beast who spends more time worrying about how to look cool.”
This is a little different from the image I had of one of the Four Fiends.
“Of course, now that he’s a member of the Four Fiends, it’s highly likely he’s changed from the person I knew. Hmm… Still, he wasn’t a spirit beast you’d call a fiend… I haven’t met him since he became one of the Four, so I can’t be sure.”
I had thought that the Four Fiends, like Gomodo or the Heavenly Demon, might be a truth that was being hidden, but seeing Gongbok’s reaction, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
“The Three Fiends before the Four. Those guys could literally be called demons. Brother Taotie joined them, and they became known as the Four Fiends.”
Could it be that Taotie joined the Four Fiends just because the name sounded cool?
Nah, no way. He’s not a child, why would he join for a reason like that?
“Whatever the case, only one thing is important. Brother Taotie is on the Snow Mountain. And it won’t be long before he comes for you.”
In the current situation, there’s no reason for me to go to him. Even if we have to fight, it’s better to do it on terrain that favors me.
“Father wouldn’t have sent Brother Taotie. That’s just the kind of spirit beast he is. His coming here can be seen as an act of personal curiosity and his own decision.”
Jin-ryong must be aware of my existence to some extent. He might not know that a descendant of Gomodo is here, but he would have at least noticed that the trap he set in the 100,000 Great Mountains was dismantled.
Just as a being like Jin-ryong was pondering what to do, unable to move himself, Taotie must have made his move.
“Judging by your expression… you seem to have caught on. Yes, if you can satisfy that personal curiosity, you can bring Brother Taotie over to our side.”
Bringing Taotie to our side.
That would have an effect far greater than simply reducing Jin-ryong’s forces by one. We’d gain information about Kunlun and a powerful subordinate.
Of course, just blocking his attacks would be difficult. He’s likely stronger than Gongbok, at the very least.
But now, I know a great deal about Taotie, thanks to Gongbok rambling on and explaining everything.
If I use this, I should be able to capture him without expending too much energy.
Ruuuumble.
A deafening roar shook the mountain.
As we had discussed beforehand, my followers had evacuated to a safe area. With the Peak Realm Tang Muyeong here, a joint attack would make things easier, but my goal isn’t simply to defeat him.
I have to defeat him one-on-one.
“How dare you… How dare youuuuu!”
Taotie’s roar echoed.
“I waited for over seven days and nights, and you didn’t come!”
Seven days and nights.
So he waited there for a whole week.
Why did he wait so long? I thought it would be a day or two at most.
Still, thanks to that, I’m perfectly prepared to face him.
Fwoosh!
Taotie, radiating a menacing aura, reached the entrance of my territory.
I took a deep breath, then walked out on all fours to reveal myself.
“Grrrrrr…”
I let out a low growl, threatening him.
Taotie had the form of an old man.
“Hoh… Your appearance is quite decent.”
But I couldn’t let my guard down. I knew this wasn’t due to actual aging, but his own peculiar personal taste.
“Black scales are rare. And contrasting white fur, to boot. Your appearance is, for the most part, acceptable.”
Taotie, who had been angry, broke into a grin upon seeing my face.
He’s definitely not normal.
“Your size is a bit disappointing, but what being is perfect?”
The old man muttered, looking down at his own hand.
“O, black beast, do not think of holding back.”
Taotie gradually raised his fighting spirit.
“Show me the power that blocked Father’s spell.”
He spread his palm wide and pointed it at me.
Indeed, his menacing aura was…
…Wait a minute.
Why is his palm so black?
“Kh, kheup!”
Taotie hastily hid his palm.
No way, did you write your lines on your palm?
I’ve met my share of strange characters, but I think he takes the cake.
Embarrassed, Taotie quickly moved his feet and leaped toward me.
“Do your utmost to stop this old body!”
As he said that, he glanced at his palm again.
Just as I was about to counter his attack…
Fwump!
The ground he stepped on collapsed.
“Kraaaaaaahk!”
Seriously, he fell for that trap?
I made that one so simple even Soyeong could have avoided it. It was just meant to put him on edge.
Well, he fell for it anyway, so things just got easier.
CR-CR-CRUNCH!
I heard the sound of all the blades buried in the trap shattering.
“How amusing… Amusing indeed!”
Thwack!
Taotie leaped out, completely unharmed.
“A fine situation. To fall into a vile trap, only to overcome the crisis by myself. I don’t know how to thank you.”
This time, he was looking at his other palm. It seemed these lines were written on his left hand.
He must have thought it was a pretty good line, because he looked pleased despite having fallen into a trap.
“Yes. Now, for your skills…”
But that was short-lived.
He couldn’t finish his sentence.
“Keuk… kugh!”
He hadn’t taken five steps before he coughed up blood.
Even in human form, he couldn’t be harmed by ordinary weapons. But those weren’t ordinary weapons. They were sharp spikes carved from wood fortified with the power of the Dragon Gate.
Of course, even so, the damage shouldn’t have been significant. At most, it should have drawn a single drop of blood, and that was only possible because he was in an old man’s body.
So why was he reacting like this to such a minor wound?
The answer was simple.
Poison.
The higher a spirit beast’s level, the more immunities and resistances they develop. Even in human form, he would have some resistance, but it would naturally be weaker than in his true form. With poison entering his system in that state, he had no choice but to vomit blood.
Of course, with ordinary poison, even this would be impossible. But look at the beings in my territory.
Gomodo, the young lord of the Tang Clan, and Tus, who is on the level of a spirit beast. And that other Tang person.
No matter how great Taotie was, as long as he took human form, he was bound to be injured.
I had considered mixing in some of Soyeong’s poison, but the Tang siblings vehemently opposed it. They said something truly terrible happens when you use it on a male, so what could I do?
“For this old body… to be poisoned… Kuuugh…”
The old man staggered.
But even then, his gaze was fixed on his palm. And a smile spread across his lips.
He was thoroughly enjoying the current situation.
“Kehehe… Kuhahahaha!”
BOOOOM!
A menacing aura erupted from Taotie’s body. It was powerful enough to send someone like Tang Soyeong flying with its pressure alone.
K-k-k-k-k-k!
“Yes, you are indeed different. To think you’ve already forced this old body to reveal its true form.”
Taotie’s body swelled dramatically. The human form vanished, and his true form appeared.
He was a black beast.
His appearance, a mix between a wolf and a tiger, and his red eyes were more than enough to intimidate any foe. The most striking feature was probably his front paws. They were similar in shape to mine. His main attack would be swiping with his claws rather than biting. Moreover, since he was larger than me, his simple attacks were likely more powerful than mine.
His defense was formidable as well. As a child of a dragon, he also possessed dragon scales. But unlike normal dragon scales, his had a distinctive fur-like appearance, especially concentrated around his neck. With a structure like that, most of the damage from a blow to the neck would be absorbed by the scales.
Still, so far, everything was going according to plan.
Even if I used traps and poison, once he returned to his true form, the damage would be close to zero. But just forcing him to reveal his true form was a gain. Not only is the human form hard to hit, but I knew he would revert to his true form anyway if he started losing the fight.
If that happened, he would have gauged my full strength, while I would be in a state of not knowing his newly transformed power.
An information gap.
That’s what I’m most wary of, so I cut it off beforehand.
So, you could call this… skipping phase one?
Whether he was unaware of this fact or simply engrossed in acting cool, he spoke in a deep, imposing voice.
“Now, come.”
Taotie stared at me, radiating a menacing killing intent.
“My teeth shall gleam, and my claws shall deliver judgment.”
“Grrrrrr…”
My heart pounded.
“He who spills the blood of others shall have his own blood spilled.”
I felt my dragon scales stand on end.
“Such is the will of the dragon.”
Seriously, how long is he going to keep saying such cringey things?
“Come, let us dance under this moonlit night!”
KRAAAAAAAH!
Just stop, you crazy old man