Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Firm Ground After Rain (6)
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The Black Death Squad lived up to its name, spreading black death wherever it went, and it was no exaggeration to call it the Black Epidemic Sect's true elite unit. Even though the sect had completely fallen into ruin by now.
Back in the days when they were at the height of their power, the Black Death Squad had once captured a peak-level expert from the Tang Clan of Sichuan—one of the Five Great Clans of the Orthodox faction—using nothing but their first-rate warriors.
Of course, compared to those days, the current Black Death Squad was a pale shadow of its former self. Even so, they could still bury a single first-rate expert who wasn't at the peak level.
That was the judgment of Won Gi, the squad leader and head of the Black Death Squad. In the head-on clashes that the Orthodox hypocrites loved so much, overturning a gap in realms was nearly impossible.
But if asked whether there were no ways at all to close that gap, the answer was no. Especially for an unorthodox faction like theirs, which pursued practical martial arts rather than hypocritical righteousness.
"We'll use the Black Epidemic Corpse Phosphor."
"Isn't that an extreme poison that's too much for the Black Epidemic Sect to produce right now?"
"Against someone who's not even a peak expert, isn't that a waste...?"
"This battlefield is one we cannot afford to lose. Treat the enemy as if he were a peak expert and fight accordingly."
The so-called absolute solitude that the shamans of the Wudang Sect, who preached empty words and performed bizarre rituals, clung to like a superstition was on a whole different level. The Black Epidemic Corpse Phosphor was truly the most vicious extreme poison the Black Epidemic Sect had poured all its efforts into creating.
Even that had required support from the Evil Path Union due to a lack of funds and manpower before it could finally be completed. In other words, if they failed to recover it here, they would never be able to produce it again.
Of course, the Black Epidemic Corpse Phosphor was still an extreme poison that the sect couldn't easily manufacture in its current state. But compared to the Human Gu, the scales tipped inevitably toward the poison.
"Sua, can you protect Seolhwa?"
"Of course."
"Good. But you must not allow even a single one of their swords or hidden weapons to touch you."
"Not even a graze?"
"They use poison techniques. Once the poison enters your body, it's over. You can resist to some extent with internal energy... but not against an extreme poison like that."
Nameless immediately sensed that the Black Death Squad was up to something ominous and warned Sua ahead of time. Of course, murim tales where poison techniques were overwhelmingly powerful were rare.
Unless one had reached the realm of Immunity to All Poisons, it never hurt to be cautious. But Sua interpreted Nameless's intentions in a completely different way.
'To recognize at a glance these villains who casually wield such extreme poisons... What battles has Master fought in all his life?'
Though the Moyong Clan had cut ties with the murim world, that didn't mean they knew nothing about it. They at least knew about the unorthodox factions that were mortal enemies of the Orthodox side.
Even those who practiced sinister martial arts rarely used extreme poisons. Yet Master had seen through them at first sight—not only identifying them as Demonic Cultists, but also certain they would deploy a poison deadly in a single strike.
This meant every enemy he'd faced so far had been the same. No, even worse.
Villains who used deadly poisons as casually as breathing.
Could one really claim they never resorted to even filthier methods? They must have employed every unimaginable dirty trick. Sua herself had experienced it firsthand.
What kind of battles have you fought?
What kind of hell have you witnessed with those eyes?
Sua stared blankly at Nameless's back, standing tall before her. He wore ragged clothes little better than rags, and his hair was white like an old man's, fluttering in the wind.
Even so.
That back felt even more immense than a mountain.
"M-Master... I'm... so scared."
"...!!"
Seolhwa's pale hand wrapped around Sua's waist. Her arms trembled ceaselessly like aspen leaves, conveying her terror without need for words.
Seolhwa had never shown fear in any situation. Or more precisely, she had accepted everything. The junior sister who kept smiling even when beaten one-sidedly in sparring.
Now she shook like a mouse before a cat. And in that moment, Sua recalled Master's words—the one phrase that had erased all her jealousy.
[They often say master and disciple are like parent and child. Then wouldn't disciples be like siblings to each other?]
So protect Seolhwa as her big sister.
Instead of replying, Sua took Seolhwa's hand. With that simple act, Seolhwa's trembling stopped as if by magic. And at that instant, swords laced with killing intent swung toward each other.
"Form the formation!!!"
The assault unit, specialized in frontal combat, would buy time by forming ranks, allowing the poison unit to exploit the gaps and unleash their toxins. It was simple, but all the more effective for it.
As the leader roared with veins bulging in his neck, the warriors swiftly began forming their formation. Naturally, Nameless had no intention of just watching.
Under normal circumstances, he would have charged in and severed their necks in an instant. But now his ankles were held back—by hidden weapons.
While the assault unit formed ranks, the poison unit hurled poison-coated hidden weapons from behind. Had they targeted him directly, he would have scoffed and ignored them to press the attack.
"Cunning bastards."
"When a human hunts a dragon, how can we afford to choose methods?"
"You cowardly scum... How far have you abandoned your humanity?!"
Sua finally exploded in fury at the leader's calm response to Nameless's mutter. Indeed, their target had been none other than Sua and Seolhwa.
The Black Death Squad knew poison wouldn't affect Seolhwa, so they had no qualms as long as they avoided vital spots. But Nameless and Sua had no way of knowing that.
Even if they did, they wouldn't just stand by and let hidden weapons pierce flesh. In the end, Nameless stayed put, deflecting every projectile.
In that brief interval, the assault unit completed their formation and encircled them. Their disciplined movements made Nameless click his tongue in admiration. As expected, they weren't mere third-rate rabble.
"In terms of coordination alone, you're far superior to the Moyong Clan's Dragon Vanguard."
"Rumor has it some mysterious expert ruined the Moyong Clan's feast... That was you, wasn't it?"
"Not ruined—a demon's limb severed."
"I see... So all this was your scheme."
Of course, it was no coincidence he'd found the Human Gu by the river.
As they exchanged words, the leader's suspicions hardened into certainty. He'd heard that his secretive allies had suffered a major setback at the Moyong Clan recently and been forced to withdraw.
...Which means that old man is...?
"Squad Leader, is something wrong?"
"Nothing. Hurry and unleash the poison techniques—kill those two brats."
The leader forced down the thought and issued orders to his men. At his command, the assault unit braced for defense, while the poison unit prepared their toxins.
Some poison unit members even eyed gaps to hurl hidden weapons at the children. Attack, and the kids died; defend, and poison finished them.
Of course, if the opponent were an Immunity to All Poisons expert, it would be different. But in the vast Central Plains murim, such absolute masters could be counted on one hand.
According to reliable intel from the Evil Path Union, there were barely five such experts in all the murim—and all renowned Orthodox figures.
It was a perfect checkmate—or so the Black Death Squad warriors thought, excluding their leader. But in that instant, Nameless swung his sword. The blade, laid horizontal like the horizon, carved a line through the air.
Was it imagination, or did a vast sea of light flow from that line in the void? The moment their gaze was stolen by its beauty, it became their final memory.
The leader, who had prepared in advance, barely survived. But his eyes widened like saucers. The Black Death Squad was the Black Epidemic Sect's pride and elite.
No matter how peak-level the foe, they shouldn't perish in one strike. That was why he'd pushed forward, accepting some sacrifices.
What the hell...?! What impossible technique is this?!
The leader had seen plenty of absolute experts from both Orthodox and unorthodox sides. He knew beyond doubt that the enigmatic old man's strike was utterly impossible.
He'd never even heard of such a technique before. Even a veteran like him couldn't have anticipated it—a single slash shattering the Black Death Squad's formation.
Its name was.
Horizontal Slash