Chapter 183: Subjugation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 183: Subjugation
Squish.
When Sun-woo’s hand first touched her breast, Joo So-yang’s face flushed with shame.
It was a precious part of her body that she had never allowed anyone to touch, save for her husband, Lee Jae-won, and her daughter, Lee Ye-seol. Yet this lawless man had dared to lay a hand on her.
Her fury reached its peak. No matter how soundly she had been defeated, this was crossing a line. She opened her mouth to unleash a scathing rebuke.
However, the sudden surge of poisonous qi forced the words back down her throat.
The source of the poison was the hand resting on her breast. Only then did she realize Sun-woo’s intent. He planned to spread the poison from the point closest to her heart.
She immediately circulated her Heavenly Moon Bright Wheel Divine Art to block the toxin. She knew that if she were poisoned in her current state, the situation would spiral out of control.
Thwack!
But her efforts were shattered by a single punch from Sun-woo. The blow instantly dispersed her Heavenly Moon Bright Wheel Qi.
Seizing the opening, the poisonous qi he injected began to burrow into every corner of her body. Her expression darkened with despair.
*
It was warm.
That was the first sensation she felt as the poison seeped in. A sense of warmth and coziness began to permeate her entire being. It wasn't a bad feeling—in fact, it was so pleasant she found herself wishing it would last forever.
But as the temperature continued to rise, that feeling changed completely.
She began to feel hot. It was the muggy, unpleasant heat of midsummer. Soon, that heat intensified into a searing burn. It felt as though she were standing under the blistering sun in the middle of July without a sliver of shade.
It was scorching. Her breath hitched, and agony flooded her senses.
The intensity rose even further. Now, it felt as if she were exposed to the merciless glare of a desert sun. The pain of her raw flesh roasting began to overwhelm her.
Panicked, Joo So-yang looked down at her body. Though she was covered in bruises, there were no visible burn marks.
She realized then that the poison Sun-woo had injected was forcing her to experience these sensations as an illusion.
The desert-like heat continued to grow. Now, it felt as if she were being bound and cast into a pit of fire.
It was painful. Excruciatingly so.
Was this what it felt like for flesh to burn? Was this what it felt like to be submerged in lava? She didn't know. But she was certain of one thing: if this continued, she would lose her mind.
"Aaaaaaaagh!!"
Joo So-yang let out a piercing scream. She realized that screaming was the only way to express the sheer agony she was in. She thrashed her body, desperate to escape. She wanted to be free from these shackles, from this cycle of torment.
"Aaaaagh! Haaah!"
Her screams echoed repeatedly through the air.
"I suppose that’s enough for now."
Sun-woo placed his hand on her breast again and slowly began to draw the poison back out. The Scorching Poison that had been ravaging her body followed her internal energy, slowly settling back into Sun-woo’s palm.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Joo So-yang gasped for air. The burning pain had been so intense she hadn't even been able to breathe properly.
"Do you feel like being respectful now?" Sun-woo asked in a calm, detached tone.
Joo So-yang looked up at him.
Ptui!
She spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm directly at him. The blood stained his Black Dragon Robe.
Rub, rub.
Sun-woo slowly wiped the blood off his robe.
I suppose she is a master of the Transcendent Realm after all.
Internally, he was impressed by her mental fortitude. She had endured the Scorching Poison for several minutes—a toxin that even her daughter, Lee Ye-seol, couldn't withstand for long. She truly was a master who had reached a high stage of cultivation.
"Do you think I will submit because of this? Just kill me!" Joo So-yang screamed, her voice laced with spite.
She refused to yield. She wanted to maintain her pride as a martial artist.
Watching her shout, Sun-woo began to circulate his Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art once more. A green light flickered as the Yin-Yang Harmony Qi surged violently through his acupoints.
Sun-woo changed his mind. It seemed that standard Scorching Poison wouldn't be enough to break her. He began to mix a much more concentrated version of the toxin within his body. Before long, he had created a Scorching Poison far more potent than the last.
Vroooooom.
Sun-woo sent the poison back toward his palm. The toxic qi seeped through his acupoints and into his hand, turning his palm a deep, ominous red.
Squish.
Sun-woo placed his hand on her breast again and began to inject the enhanced Scorching Poison.
"Nngh...!"
Joo So-yang grit her teeth, trying to endure the agony flooding her body.
"Aaaaaaaagh!"
But it was futile. The pain this time was far worse than before. It hurt. It was on an entirely different level from the previous poison that had started with warmth. This was pure, unadulterated agony from the very first second.
And the pain only grew. It felt as if the intensity doubled, tripled, then increased tenfold with every passing moment.
She felt like she was losing her mind. The extreme pain triggered her tear ducts, and tears streamed down her face while white froth began to leak from her mouth. She no longer had the luxury of worrying about how she looked. She could only writhe in absolute torment.
It felt as if her skin were being incinerated. She hallucinated her beautiful, jade-like skin turning beet-red and oozing fluid. Then, the heat delved deeper. It bypassed her skin and began to sear her flesh, her tendons, her bones, and finally, her internal organs.
Regret began to take hold.
I should have just bowed my head once.
I should have just prostrated myself.
In her attempt to save her pride, she had thrown herself into an eternity of suffering. Her tears fell more piteously than before. A flood of regrets rushed through her mind.
I shouldn't have sent my daughter to the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering in Gyunhyeon.
I shouldn't have kidnapped Tang Seo-yoon.
I should have just settled for the Poison King's apology.
I shouldn't have made this man angry.
She prayed and prayed in her heart. She begged for just one more chance. If she were given another opportunity, she wouldn't hesitate to prostrate herself and lick his boots.
But Sun-woo, unaware of her internal pleas, only injected more poison.
"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!"
Her pain-filled screams rang out even louder.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
How much time had passed?
Tremble, tremble.
Joo So-yang could no longer even scream; she could only shiver in agony. Her throat was already hoarse, and every attempt to make a sound brought more pain. She didn't even have the strength left to strain her vocal cords.
Squish.
Sun-woo placed his hand on her breast again and began to withdraw the Scorching Poison.
Vroooom.
The poison flowed back into Sun-woo’s body through his internal energy. He had injected so much that it took a considerable amount of time to recover it all.
Thud.
As soon as the last of the poison was gone, her trembling stopped instantly. It was proof that she was finally free from the agony of the Scorching Poison.
It was then.
Ssssssssss.
A familiar sound reached Sun-woo's ears. He turned his head to look.
Behind her, he saw her lower garments becoming soaked, steam rising from the fabric. Once the pain vanished and her tension snapped, she had lost control of her bladder.
"Heh."
Sun-woo let out a short, mocking laugh. He couldn't help but think that the mother was exactly like the daughter, who had also pissed herself after being subjected to the Scorching Poison.
Sun-woo examined Joo So-yang closely. Her eyes were rolled back in her head; she had lost consciousness. Even though the poison was gone, she showed no signs of waking up. It seemed he had injected a bit too much. He had assumed a master of her caliber could handle it, but apparently not.
Slap.
Slap.
Slap.
"Wake up."
Sun-woo began to slap her cheeks lightly to rouse her. But Joo So-yang remained limp, not moving an inch.
He placed his hand on the center of her palm and slowly began to flow his Yin-Yang Harmony Qi into her. The energy traveled through her fine meridians and acupoints, completing a full circulation.
Vitality began to return to her body. The meridians and acupoints damaged by the Scorching Poison started to heal bit by bit.
After a while, her eyes snapped open.
"Are you awake?" Sun-woo asked.
Shudder, shudder.
Upon hearing Sun-woo’s voice, Joo So-yang began to tremble violently. The terror carved into her soul by the pain had taken hold of her entire body.
"Joo So-yang," Sun-woo said, looking at her with a satisfied expression. "Speak politely."
"P-please... s-stop..."
Trembling from head to toe, she managed to stammer out the words.
"Stop what?" Sun-woo asked mischievously.
"The... p-poison... please... d-don't... inject it... anymore."
"What kind of attitude is that for a request? You need to be more formal."
It was then that Joo So-yang slowly reached her hands forward. She pressed her palms together in a gesture of prayer.
Rub, rub, rub.
The sound of her palms rubbing together reached his ears. She was begging with everything she had.
"I... b-beg... of you..."
She continued to speak through her tears. It was humiliating and soul-crushing, but she had no choice. The desire to never experience that pain again was far stronger than her pride.
"Fine. I'll grant that request."
Joo So-yang’s face brightened at Sun-woo’s words. Finally, she wouldn't have to suffer anymore. She felt the tension leave her body.
But as the tension faded, an endless wave of shame rushed in. Not only had a man young enough to be her son handled her breasts as he pleased, but she had also suffered the indignity of wetting herself. To top it off, she had literally begged for her life with her hands clasped. The shame turned into a deep, sorrowful misery.
Her eyes welled up with tears. When had she ever suffered such humiliation?
She was born as the daughter of Ju Cheon-gi, the Palace Master of the Heavenly Moon Palace and the Leader of the Murim Alliance. Her life had been devoid of hardship. With her stunning beauty, she had been the center of attention and affection since birth. Furthermore, she possessed the talent to perfectly master the Heavenly Moon Bright Wheel Divine Art, the secret technique of the Heavenly Moon Palace that had once produced the World's Greatest Martial Artist. Her life had been smooth sailing from the start.
For someone like her, this level of disgrace was an unbearable insult. She felt a sudden urge to take her own life. She felt that if she continued to live, she would be withered away by this shame day after day.
"Stop crying."
Sun-woo barked the command at her.
Snap.
As if by magic, the tears in her eyes vanished instantly. Her fear of Sun-woo had created a conditioned reflex.
Sun-woo looked down at Joo So-yang intently.
"...W-why... are you... doing that?" she stammered, terrified by his gaze.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Sun-woo raised his hand and struck several points on her body.
"Ugh!"
Joo So-yang cried out. As soon as his hands touched her, her body felt as heavy as a thousand catties.
"I've sealed your internal energy. You won't be able to move your power as you wish," Sun-woo explained calmly.
"W-what!?"
In a panic, Joo So-yang tried to rouse her internal energy. But her power remained deathly still within her Dantian, refusing to budge.
"H-how could you...!"
"Be grateful I didn't kill you," Sun-woo said, his eyes turning cold and murderous.
He meant it. Joo So-yang had taken Tang Seo-yoon—his nominal fiancée—hostage and tried to kill him. She truly should be grateful to be alive.
Sun-woo looked at her with heavy eyes. In truth, he wanted to kill her right now. When he thought about the Thousand-Transforming Illusionary Mist Formation he had to endure because of this woman, he could have killed her dozens of times over without regret.
But killing her now would be a problem because of Lee Jae-won. Even though he had gained enough power to overwhelm a master at the peak of the Transcendent Realm, he wasn't ready to face Lee Jae-won yet. If he killed Joo So-yang here, he would be making a permanent enemy of Lee Jae-won. He would be wiped out before he could even finish building his own power base.
Dammit.
Sun-woo cursed under his breath. It irritated him to no end that he couldn't do as he pleased even with his enemy right in front of him.
Sun-woo’s gaze as he looked at Joo So-yang grew even deeper.