Chapter 93: Blood Bow Unit-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 93: Blood Bow Unit-2
Whoosh!
Tang Seo-yoon flicked her sleeve, and a hidden weapon went flying from within.
The projectile was packed with considerable force, streaking through the air in a perfectly straight line.
‘The target is the Blood Bow Unit Leader.’
Her hidden weapon sped toward Ma Jin-ho.
Bang!
Clang!
However, Ma Jin-ho instantly knocked her weapon aside with an arrow of his own.
‘He hit a hidden weapon with an arrow?’
Tang Seo-yoon’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit at his near-miraculous archery. What kind of marksmanship did he possess to be able to strike a flying projectile mid-air?
Furthermore, she had clearly thrown her weapon first. To load and fire an arrow in that split second... his skill was nothing short of a Divine Archer.
"Kuhuhu, this is what you call 'Rapid-fire.' How about it? Does it send a chill down your spine?"
Ma Jin-ho let out a chuckle as he watched her look of shock. He knew she would be surprised. Even in the Blood Bow Unit, which prided itself on being composed of nothing but 'Bow Ghosts,' striking a flying projectile was a divine feat that only he, the Unit Leader, could perform.
"There’s no way a mere hand-thrown hidden weapon could ever defeat a bow. Give up and offer your Jade Gate to me already."
Ma Jin-ho began to taunt Tang Seo-yoon with lewd remarks. Of course, what he said was factually true. There was a massive disparity between hidden weapon techniques, which relied solely on the strength of the hand and shoulder, and an arrow launched using a tool like a bow.
From speed to power, the hidden weapon held no advantage. Moreover, despite his crude language making him seem low-class, Ma Jin-ho was undeniably a master of the Super-Peak Realm. An arrow infused with the internal energy of a Super-Peak master could never be ordinary.
Tang Seo-yoon’s elegant brows furrowed at his words. No matter how she looked at it, this was going to be a grueling fight.
‘I have to close the distance.’
She needed to get closer. Although she had mastered hidden weapon arts, she was a martial artist of the Tang Clan whose primary strength lay in Poison Arts. If she didn't get close, she couldn't infect them with her poisonous qi.
She needed to get within at least three jang. The current distance between them was roughly nine jang. She had to bridge that gap somehow.
She began to manifest her Protective Qi. It would drain her internal energy, but she figured it would make closing the distance much easier.
Tap, tap, tap, tap!
Shrouded in her Protective Qi, she began to sprint forward. Internal energy was not infinite—especially when using a technique like Protective Qi that consumed it so rapidly. She had to close the distance as quickly as possible.
Twang! Twang! Twang! Twang!
It was then. The sound of bowstrings being released reached her ears from ahead.
Clang!
Clang!
The incoming arrows struck her Protective Qi and fell to the ground.
"Ugh..."
She let out an involuntary groan. Though the arrows failed to pierce her body thanks to the Protective Qi, the shockwaves were transmitted directly to her, as they were infused with significant internal energy.
Clang!
"Kh!"
Despite the pain, she continued to press forward. She was still okay. Hadn't she already narrowed the distance to six jang? If she could just move a little more, just a bit further, she would be able to reach them.
She forced her legs to move, enduring the shockwaves rattling her entire body.
It was then.
Boom!
With a sound like the air itself exploding, a single arrow came screaming toward her.
‘This is dangerous.’
Her face turned pale. One look told her this arrow was packed with internal energy incomparable to the previous ones. She tried to twist her body away, but it was too late. It was already right in front of her.
Crash!
A massive impact erupted as her Protective Qi collided with the internal energy in the arrow. Unable to withstand the force, Tang Seo-yoon was sent flying backward.
Swoooosh!
Though momentarily flustered by the sudden shockwave, she quickly regained her senses and utilized the Thousand-Catty Press to land.
Thud.
"Blegh!"
Perhaps because she had forced the Thousand-Catty Press while mid-air, she coughed up a mouthful of blood. The internal injury she had received from Go Wol had flared up again.
After being struck by a mass of Sword Astral, she had suffered a severe internal injury. She had managed to patch it up somewhat using the power of the Hundred-Year Fleeceflower, but that was merely a temporary measure, not a complete cure. Now, the injury had resurfaced.
"Cough... blegh!"
She only managed to stop after vomiting blood for a good while.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Her breathing grew ragged again. Several fragments of her broken ribs had pierced her lungs, making every breath an ordeal. She had wanted to end this before her internal injuries flared up, but the opponent before her was simply too strong.
Perhaps because she had lost too much blood, her vision began to blur.
Grit.
She bit down hard on her molars. If she fell here, the Tang Clan would be annihilated. She had to protect it at all costs.
She forced her sagging body upright and began to gauge the distance to the Blood Bow Unit Leader. She had to close the gap, even if it meant pushing herself to the limit. Still, she had managed to narrow the nine-jang gap down to six. She was three jang closer than when she started.
By her estimation, she could bridge the remaining distance in just two more sprints. She began to circulate her internal energy once more.
"Ho? You’ve got quite the grit, girl. I suppose you really do have the bloodline of the prestigious Tang Clan."
Ma Jin-ho let out a sound of admiration. Even though he had fired an arrow packed with considerable internal energy, she had endured it with her Protective Qi. No matter how much protection it offered, it couldn't negate the physical impact of the internal energies colliding. She had to be suffering from agonizing pain right now, as if her intestines were being twisted, yet she didn't let it show on her face.
Lick.
"Hehehehe."
Ma Jin-ho licked his lips at the sight. There wasn't a single thing about this woman he didn't like. His phallus throbbed. What would that expressionless face look like when it was distorted with pleasure on a bed? What would it be like when she became a slave to his cock and begged for it? Just imagining it was incredibly delightful.
Creeeeak.
Ma Jin-ho drew his bowstring once more. He couldn't wait any longer. He wanted to ravish her right this instant.
Twang!
The bowstring snapped forward from his hand.
Boom!
Simultaneously, the air exploded as the arrow shot out like a bolt of lightning.
Tang Seo-yoon stared at the arrow flying toward her. Its speed was incredibly fast—so fast it made one gasp. But she wasn't worried. Unlike when she was charging forward, she was currently stationary. Evading would be easier than before.
She accurately perceived the trajectory of the arrow.
Step!
Concentrating her internal energy into her Yongcheon Point, she threw her body to the side. Her plan was to dodge the arrow and then immediately charge again.
It was then.
Thwack!
"Ugh!"
A searing pain flared in her side. Looking down, she saw an arrow had grazed her flank.
‘How?’
She looked at Ma Jin-ho with eyes full of confusion. It made no sense. The arrow had clearly been flying straight toward her. How could it have grazed her side after she dodged?
"Hehehe, that is the technique known as the Curved Shot."
Ma Jin-ho cheered inwardly. Tang Seo-yoon was a high-level martial artist capable of freely manifesting Protective Qi, but it seemed she had never faced a master archer before. Dodging the arrow of an archer who had reached the pinnacle was an arduous task. One never knew where the arrow might curve, and because of its speed, it was impossible to dodge once it was right in front of you.
Ma Jin-ho smiled with satisfaction at the wound on Tang Seo-yoon’s side. Even though it was just a graze, the bleeding would be significant. Blood loss would make her body sluggish, and a fatal opening would soon appear. He felt like everything was going his way.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Tang Seo-yoon’s breathing became even more labored. Her body was already pushed to its limit. With the addition of a new wound, the pain became even more excruciating. Ma Jin-ho’s divine archery gave her no opportunity to get close.
The bleeding intensified. She tried to seal her acupoints, but it was useless. The wound was too large to be closed that way. Perhaps because of the blood loss, her body temperature began to drop rapidly, and she started to feel a chill.
It was dangerous. Having studied medicine, she knew exactly how dire her situation was.
Yet, she couldn't give up. If she were going to give up, she would have done so when she faced Go Wol.
She tightly gripped a hidden weapon hidden in her robes. Currently, there was no one among the Tang Clan martial artists who could handle that man. Even if she died, she had to take him with her.
She began to circulate the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art to its absolute limit. She felt a surge of vitality. Green currents of qi began to flow around her.
Boom!
She detonated the energy in her Yongcheon Point. Her body shot forward like a projectile.
Watching this, Ma Jin-ho drew his bowstring. He intended to pierce her shoulder once she got a bit closer.
Six jang... five jang... four jang... three jang...
‘Now!’
Twang!
Swoosh!
As soon as Tang Seo-yoon closed within three jang, Ma Jin-ho released the string. Her shoulder was about to be impaled.
But he didn't care. As long as her holes and tits were intact, he could fuck her as much as he wanted.
Ma Jin-ho’s arrow streaked toward her shoulder. Even if she protected herself with Protective Qi, the impact would surely send her flying back again. A thick smirk spread across Ma Jin-ho’s face.
Thuck!
Thud!
The force behind the arrow was so immense that it slammed into her left shoulder and immediately punched through to the other side.
"Aaaagh!"
Tang Seo-yoon couldn't hold back a scream. The pain was astronomical.
"Kwahahahaha! You stupid bitch, you didn't even use Protective Qi!"
Ma Jin-ho burst into laughter as he saw the arrow pierce her shoulder. He assumed she simply didn't have the energy left to manifest it. With her shoulder pierced, she wouldn't be able to lift her arm properly. And if she couldn't use her arm, she wouldn't be able to defend herself, let alone attack. It was a delightful sight.
It was then.
Step!
"What!?"
Ma Jin-ho was momentarily stunned. Despite the piercing wound, Tang Seo-yoon didn't slow down and kept charging straight at him. In his panic, Ma Jin-ho raised his bow, thinking to strike her with it.
And then...
The distance between Tang Seo-yoon and Ma Jin-ho closed to two jang.
Tang Seo-yoon thrust her hand forward with the speed of a lightning bolt.
Swoosh!
With the sound of tearing wind, a hidden weapon flew out.
Thwack!
That was when the sound of something being embedded was heard. Something began to trickle down his forehead.
Ma Jin-ho raised his hand to touch his brow. He felt the sensation of something hard and cold. He soon realized that the object was a hidden weapon.
Ma Jin-ho stared at her in disbelief.
"Don't tell me... all for... this one... move...?"
Ma Jin-ho stammered.
It was true. To land this one strike, she had taken Ma Jin-ho’s arrow with her bare body. She had done it to ensure there would be no shockwave from a collision of internal energies that would push her back.
"That's right," Tang Seo-yoon replied calmly.
Only then did Ma Jin-ho understand. And he thought to himself: she truly was the daughter of the ruthless Tang Clan.
"You... vicious... bitch..."
With those final words, Ma Jin-ho’s head slumped forward. He had died instantly.
Ma Jin-ho, the Blood Bow Unit Leader who had once struck terror into the hearts of many alongside the Evil Ghost Squad during the Great War of Righteousness and Demons, had met his end.
"Unit Leader!"
"Leader Ma Jin-ho!"
The moment their leader died, murderous intent filled the eyes of the Blood Bow Unit members. Most of them were Ma Jin-ho’s disciples who had learned archery from him. Ma Jin-ho had ruled over the Blood Bow Unit as both their leader and their master.
The members could not contain their rage at his death. They all aimed their bows at her simultaneously.
She simply stared at them blankly.
‘Am I going to die?’
She was dizzy from blood loss, and strength was failing her. She didn't have enough internal energy left to manifest Protective Qi, and an agonizing pain, as if her intestines were being knotted, began to overwhelm her. And before her, hundreds of bows were aimed at her.
She realized it then.
‘I’m dying.’
Yes, she was going to die. How could she possibly survive this situation?
Yet, she felt a sense of relief. At least she had killed their leader. It would be easier for the remaining Tang Clan martial artists to deal with them now.
She quietly closed her eyes. Although it was a lifelong regret that she hadn't completed the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers, she was satisfied enough that she had at least managed to mimic it. She had spent her entire life lonely, obsessed only with martial arts, and even at the moment of death, it was martial arts that occupied her thoughts.
She had no regrets. She was, after all, a peerless master who had reached the Upper Stage of the Super-Peak Realm as a woman of the Tang Clan.
However, there was one thing weighing on her mind.
A man. The man who had entered the Tang Clan and killed Tang Se-gi to steal the Poison Essence. She had promised to help him steal it, and it bothered her that she couldn't keep that promise. If the Tang Clan were destroyed, the Poison Essence would vanish as well.
"Fire!" a man shouted to the Blood Bow Unit.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Hundreds of arrows began to rain down toward her. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel it—the hundreds of murderous auras flying her way.
"I'm sorry... Jang Sun-woo."
She whispered the name of the man disguised as Tang Se-gi one last time.
It was then.
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The sound of arrows hitting the ground began to stimulate her ears. Then, a familiar voice spoke.
"What are you so sorry for?"
Startled, she snapped her eyes open. Why was he suddenly here?
And then she saw him. A man clad in a pitch-black Dragon Robe embroidered with a dragon.
His identity was...
"The Clan Head!?"
She was shocked once again. The face of the man standing there in the Dragon Robe was Tang Jin-cheol, the Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
She shook her head. The voice had definitely been Jang Sun-woo’s.
Tang Jin-cheol looked at her and placed a finger to his lips.
"Shh."
It was a gesture telling her to stay quiet. Tang Seo-yoon shut her mouth tight. She didn't know what the situation was, but she trusted that he had a plan.
"Who dares to covet the Tang Clan!?"
The Tang Clan Head began to roar at the Blood Bow Unit. The thunderous sound echoed throughout the entire manor.