Chapter 282: The Tang Clan
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 282: The Tang Clan
“It’s dangerous.”
Chrrrrk.
Chodo’s plants wrapped around Tang Soyeong.
It was an unavoidable reaction.
In a situation where even powerhouses like Taotie couldn't move easily, the weakest member of the Gaegaek Cult had just made a move.
It was an act meant to protect her.
But Tang Soyeong refused Chodo's protection.
Chrrk.
Pushing aside the plants enveloping her, Tang Soyeong stepped forward.
“Kyoong….”
The spider sisters, always by her side, shut their eyes tightly.
They clasped their hands together as if they knew what Tang Soyeong was about to do.
“…A child of the Tang Clan.”
Something unexpected happened.
Gomodo's killing intent, which had been radiating an aura intense enough to tear everyone apart at any moment, subsided.
The one currently occupying Go-Hui's body was Gomodo himself.
Though they hadn't heard his inner dialogue, it was the only possible conclusion.
This overwhelming power was something only Gomodo could unleash.
That was why Tang Soyeong had to step forward.
Because unlike the others, it was the Tang Clan that had stood by Gomodo's side, carrying on his will to this day.
“Yes, if you are a child of the Tang, then the story changes.”
The red glow in Gomodo's eyes also faded slightly.
“Speak. I will at least listen.”
Everyone swallowed nervously.
Their fates now rested on the shoulders of the lone girl standing before them.
“…You’re not Hero Go, are you?”
“I expected a slightly better question. To answer you, no, I am not the master of the body you know. That one is asleep within me. Just as I once was.”
Gasps of despair broke out.
The black lizard they knew was gone.
Devoured by his Heart Demon.
“Then you are….”
“Yes. I am the being you call Gomodo.”
Gomodo.
The Divine Beast revered by the Tang Clan.
“Child of the Tang. Why do you make such a face?”
Tang Soyeong's expression was grim.
It couldn't be anything but.
For she now knew the cruel truth that the being before her was no longer Hero Go.
All members of the Tang Clan must serve Gomodo.
It was a pact made with their ancestors, and it was their duty.
Therefore, Tang Soyeong, too, had to devote everything not to the lizard who was already gone, but to the Gomodo before her eyes.
Her mind understood this, but her young heart refused.
Of course, Gomodo could not fail to notice this.
“This is something I do not understand. Think carefully, child. Did the master of this body ever think of you as special?”
Go-Hui and Tang Soyeong had a rather strange relationship.
She was a girl brought back by a lizard who had worried that meeting humans would be a hassle.
A girl who, upon seeing that lizard, suddenly claimed he was the Divine Beast her family worshipped.
She had come to live with him in his nest quite naturally.
Even after her leg healed, she chose not to leave and stayed with him.
She had a comfortable stay with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult for a while, and even boasted she would live there forever, but in the end, Tang Soyeong followed Hui back up a strange mountain.
The lizard, for his part, hadn't been particularly fond of her either.
At first, he saved her simply because he still retained his human mind and values and didn't want to see bloodshed.
He brought her to his nest after hearing she was a member of the Tang Clan, thinking she might be a good match for him in her own way.
Tang Soyeong thought she could secure her position in the Tang Clan by returning with the Divine Beast's venom or scales, while Hui thought that having her around would give him an advantage with his poison arts.
It might have seemed like a thoroughly calculated relationship, but unfortunately, this lizard and this girl were not so cold-hearted.
Hui pretended not to treat Tang Soyeong well, but he secretly looked out for her.
And Tang Soyeong, who seemed to be plotting ways to prank Hui, had once even thrown herself in harm's way to protect him when he was nearly in big trouble with his females.
Now, they had become precious to each other, unable to imagine being apart.
“The Tang Clan, which has kept its ancient promise, shall receive a fitting reward. And especially to you, who has served this body for so long, I wish to grant something even greater.”
And so, the first Gomodo appeared before Tang Soyeong.
The one the Tang Clan served was Gomodo, not Go-Hui.
“I have a vague idea of the feelings you hold for this body. If you wish it, I would even consider taking you as my mate.”
He was suddenly saying he could take her as his mate.
For one who served Gomodo, this was an immense honor, greater than anything else.
A descendant would be achieving a feat that even the founder of the Tang Clan could not.
His willingness to go that far meant he would literally grant her anything.
“So, child of the Tang. Tell me. What is it that you desire?”
A being who could challenge the heavens alone. Such a being was asking for her wish.
It was an offer that would tempt even the most desireless person.
And Tang Soyeong was a human greedy enough to constantly covet Hui's scales.
Her answer was neither fast nor slow.
It was not deeply contemplated, nor was it spoken on impulse.
“Give Hero Go back.”
She simply gave the answer she had to, the only one she could.
Gomodo's eyes widened.
“So you insist on drinking the poisoned cup.”
He said that, but for some reason, the corners of Gomodo's mouth curled up.
His expression was not one of displeasure, as if he had just seen what he wanted to see.
Tang Soyeong, the weakest among them, had shown such courage.
KRA-KRA-KRAK!
And so, it became the signal.
“Really, why did I have to fall for a guy who does nothing but cause trouble every day!”
Baek Rang's chill instantly consumed the ground.
“Kyoong!”
“Kieeng!”
The powers of Tus and Pus also manifested at the same time.
“A fight with no chance of victory! This is truly a suicide mission.”
FWOOSH!
Taotie's crimson flames instantly engulfed the area around Gomodo.
KRAAAANG!
Honhwi, now slightly smaller, and the other spirit beasts relentlessly pushed against him.
“Good. Show me what you're made of.”
Gomodo did not counter their attacks.
He hadn't suffered a single scratch even from the attacks of two Profound Realm masters, so he felt no need to block.
Besides, he needed to gauge their level.
THWIP!
At that moment, a spiderweb, shot through an opening, entered his vision.
Gomodo had taken all the other attacks head-on, but he felt he couldn't let this web be.
The blonde woman with red eyes. It was Nephila's web.
She was clearly much weaker than those at the forefront, but it was a strike that could not be ignored.
Gomodo hurriedly tried to sever the web with his claws.
But he couldn't.
“Kuh…! You haven't fallen asleep yet!”
His body wouldn't move according to his will.
His arm had gone rigid, as if paralyzed.
It showed that Go-Hui had not been completely consumed and was still fighting from within.
SHRRRRK!
Unable to cut the web, his body was completely bound.
He could easily break free from such restraints, but having momentarily lost control of his body, escape was impossible.
It meant he would have to allow at least one attack to land.
Before this web broke.
And the one who stepped forward again was, once more, Tang Soyeong.
“Kyoong!”
“Kieeng!”
Along with the spider sisters.
The Gaegaek Cult had many renowned powerhouses.
Compared to them, the spider sisters and Tang Soyeong were still on the weaker side. And while the spiders had their strengths, Tang Soyeong, a Second-Rate martial artist, could be considered the very weakest.
Yet they stepped forward as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Tok.
Tang Soyeong muttered ceaselessly.
And following her words, Tus and Pus moved busily.
They constantly fiddled with Gomodo's defenseless body.
“…Don't tell me!”
Gomodo, who had been watching what they were doing, shouted.
Geogol, Cheonju, Biyu, Gokji.
Hogu, Baekhae, Wijung, Chukbin.
“…He told you all his vital points? What is this!”
Telling someone your vital points is akin to handing them the power of life and death over you.
You can't reveal your acupoints unless you truly trust the other person.
Because if they were to press the wrong spot while learning, you could die instantly.
The day before the decisive battle, Tang Soyeong had touched every one of Go-Hui's scales.
Hui, assuming his body would be taken, had taught her everything about himself.
Gomodo seemed to have no weaknesses, but he did have one.
The fact that this body was not his own, but Go-Hui's.
Tang Soyeong, who knew his body best, was therefore the one who knew exactly where to strike Gomodo to subdue him.
And his weaknesses didn't end there.
“Kieeng…!”
The body's immunity to poison was also lacking compared to Gomodo's true form.
Not Myriad Poisons Immunity, but Thousand Poisons Immunity.
Even with Thousand Poisons Immunity, it couldn't be pierced by most poisons, but it wasn't immune to all of them.
This meant there were definitely poisons that could affect his body.
Tang Soyeong, who had analyzed and combined the venoms of the countless poisonous insects that joined them after destroying the Black Cloud Faction, had been able to gather such a poison without difficulty.
The precise acupoints, known from touching them hundreds, thousands of times.
The numerous extreme poisons capable of piercing Thousand Poisons Immunity.
When these two were combined, the most dangerous flower, one that could threaten even Gomodo, began to bloom.
“Child of the Tang. Think carefully. If it becomes known that you have done this… what do you think the Tang Clan will think of you?”
Unable to counter this attack, there was only one thing Gomodo could do.
Persuade the child of the Tang with words.
It wasn't a last, desperate struggle.
In his mind, and by the standards of the Tang Clan, she should be serving him, their Divine Beast, not the lizard who was already gone.
“The one who saved me wasn't you. It was Hero Go.”
“…A foolish choice. This is your last chance. Think carefully.”
It wasn't that Tang Soyeong hadn't considered it.
Anyone could see that the Divine Beast revered by the Tang Clan was this evil being, not Go-Hui.
As a member of the Tang, she should be acting for the sake of Gomodo, who had regained his true form.
Her hand trembled. Tears welled in her eyes.
The same tears that had formed back then, when she had tripped and fallen, when she had been on the verge of certain death, welled up once more.
But they did not fall.
She wiped away the tears and took another step.
“…You must serve me. Do not take the pact left by your ancestors lightly, child of the Tang.”
Countless thoughts continued to surface.
The Tang Clan's pact. The Tang Clan's rules. The Tang Clan's duty.
Her family and the members of the Tang household.
Memories of a happy childhood, of living as the Flower of the Tang Clan.
The corners of Gomodo's mouth lifted.
He thought she was weighing her options in her heart.
The sight of her father collapsing and the radical faction taking over.
Herself, tricked by the elders into going to the 100,000 Great Mountains.
How she'd fallen into a Third-Rate martial artist's trap and had nearly been the first to die in the swamp.
No, her scales did not move.
She hadn't been considering anything else in the first place.
“The one I serve isn't some dragon from a myth. It's the lizard I met in the swamp.”
The one she truly served was the lizard who had helped her when her legs had given out.
She reached out one last time.
With the same trembling touch she had used to reach for the lizard.
Gongson-hyeol.
She struck all nine of his demonic acupoints.