Congratulations, Sichuan Dang Family Main Hall — CRASH!!!
The massive main gate of the Sichuan Dang Family estate shattered to smithereens with a kwaaaaaaang! Moyong Jin and Gwok Byeok exchanged telepathic messages, their faces drained of color.
"Branch Leader, your excellent judgment saved our lives, but... can we really let this slide?"
"Heh heh... There's no way it'd be fine."
Moyong Jin bent his tail right there in the inn, snaking it toward Do Gwang.
"Heh heh... isn't this your business with the Dang family people? In the martial world, disputes between the parties themselves are settled by the parties. Naturally, our Alliance won't get involved."
He put on a boisterous, casual front — quick enough to dodge Gwon Taeo's cowardly exit — but he looked even more pathetic and shameless than Gwon Taeo. Still, Moyong Jin wasn't the type to care about face. Well, he might not care about his own neck, but he couldn't let the Murim Alliance soldiers trailing behind him get slaughtered for nothing.
Gwok Byeok could only nod. He'd seen it with his own two eyes and still couldn't believe it. The Sichuan Dang Family's main hall — laid waste exactly as it was. No, worse. And the color of the blade energy wrapped around the iron rod — anyone could see it was pure, clear, and orthodox Dao qi. Yet the atrocities committed with that bright, clean rod weren't just unorthodox sect behavior — they were cruel enough to make the Blood Religion and the Demon Cult beg for mercy.
But here's the truly funny part.
"It's over. No civilians were harmed. I asked the innkeeper — he said he was paid a hundred nyang for repairs."
As Moyong Jin said, Do Gwang was, at least in this regard, a sensible brat.
"Hah... a hundred nyang... What a crazy bastard."
He was truly, in every way, an out-of-spec crazy bastard. He'd turned the Dang family elders and soldiers into ground meat, then sat calmly in the inn eating rice like it was nothing. And the moment he finished his meal, he'd gone and pounded on the Dang family's main hall gate this loudly. No subtlety whatsoever.
Moyong Jin stared at Do Gwang's back with trembling eyes.
While Moyong Jin and Gwok Byeok held their breath and watched from afar—
"What in the hell is going on here?!"
"Which insane bastard dared to intrude upon the Sichuan Dang Family's main estate?!"
The Dang family warriors burst out through the dust. Do Gwang leaned his iron rod against his shoulder and spoke with an affronted expression.
"Ugh, intrude? I just wanted to call someone, so I knocked on the gate a little. That's all."
He smiled brightly and kicked the rubble of the shattered main gate with his foot.
Then— the Dang Jung-hyeok, Dang Aran, and Dang So-ryeong who had been in the meeting hall all appeared.
"You damn punk! Who are you?! How dare you—"
Dang Jung-hyeok tried to unleash a furious scolding at the intruder. But—
Dang Jung-hyeok's gaze swept the area and found Moyong Jin in an instant. Moyong Jin didn't elaborate or add details. But his rigid expression from a distance, and the Murim Alliance soldiers trembling behind him, said everything about the intruder's identity.
'Could it be...?' That crazy bastard who'd cut off the Third Elder's limbs? 'The fact that he's here at the main estate means...' The First Elder, Second Elder, and all their subordinates — every last one of them dealt with by that man's hand. 'And that old fox Moyong Jin is just watching from behind.' Which means — that guy who looks like he hasn't even hit peak level is a martial artist beyond imagination. Which means — with the Dang family's current forces, there's no way to beat him. 'Unless Father, who's in closed-door training, comes himself, it's impossible!'
Dang Jung-hyeok was, unlike the elders who'd already stormed off in a huff and bled to death, a very calm and composed type of man. And he wasn't the kind to be bound by the family's old rule about "revenge tenfold." So first—
"Everyone, don't act recklessly without my orders!!!"
Dang Jung-hyeok quickly issued commands so his family members wouldn't rush out and provoke the madman into wiping them all out. But how was he supposed to deal with the bastard who'd smashed the main gate to pieces and walked right in? No matter how much he was the head of the Sichuan Dang Family, a sharp solution didn't come to mind, so he could only chew his lip.
Then—
"Ah, you don't need to go to all that trouble welcoming me, Family Head."
Do Gwang waved one hand dismissively as he strolled in with an easygoing air.
"W-What...?"
Dang Jung-hyeok's ears rang. Am I hearing things? Welcoming? When has any insane bastard ever welcomed the guy who smashed his own family's gate? There was zero welcoming in the first place!
Before Dang Jung-hyeok could even open his mouth—
"There's no need to be so grateful, Family Head."
Do Gwang smiled with exaggerated pity. Dang Jung-hyeok could only stand there, slack-jawed.
"Grateful? What the hell does that even—"
Before he could even argue, Do Gwang cut him off.
"I took care of all those old farts getting in your way, didn't I? You should be thanking me."
"W-What did you just—?!"
Dang Jung-hyeok's pupils trembled like an earthquake. Did he really just say he took care of all those elders?! He unconsciously felt his lips twitch upward in a smile before catching himself.
At that moment, murmuring rippled through the Dang family soldiers.
"Old farts? Are you talking about the elders?!"
"Wait — does that mean the Family Head brought this bastard in to deal with the elders?!"
Wuwuwu... From Dang Jung-hyeok's perspective, the elders who'd been an eyesore were gone, which should've made him cheer inside. But in front of his subordinates, he'd instantly been labeled a trash heap who'd committed patricide! No — not even patricide. He'd exterminated the elders wholesale!
"Shut your mouths!!!"
Dang Jung-hyeok barked, slamming his fist on the table.
"We're members of the Sichuan Dang Family! Are you idiots believing that insane nonsense?!"
He pointed his finger at the main gate, now reduced to powder.
"Can't you see that's obviously the intruder's nonsense? You brainless fools!"
"Father's right!"
Then, the junior family head Dang Cheol-u stepped forward, bristling with killing intent.
"You damn punk! How dare you badmouth our Dang Family with your three-inch tongue!"
He fidgeted with the hidden killing intent concealed in his sleeve, radiating murderous aura.
"Hey. Didn't your father tell you not to act recklessly?"
Do Gwang jangled his iron rod with a bored expression.
"If you pull that out trying to show off to your father, you'll really die."
"W-What did you just say?!"
Dang Cheol-u's face turned beet red. He'd been struck right in the pride. 'This bastard — what the hell is he?! It's like he's peering straight into my head and reading me like a book!'
Flustered Dang Cheol-u — but he couldn't just follow the guy's words. If he did, he'd look like a pathetic worm crawling to his father, begging for the heir position.
"Don't make me laugh! Do you know who I am?! I'm the junior family head of the Sichuan Dang Family—"
Dang Cheol-u started blurting out his own identity before he'd even finished speaking—
Pak—!
Do Gwang surged forward in an instant, charging like a thunderbolt. And then—
PEEEEEEEEEEENG—!!!
With an explosion loud enough to burst eardrums, Dang Cheol-u vanished without a trace. Not just him — the gorgeous buildings behind him were swept away wholesale! The blood-soaked iron rod, glistening with pure blue blade energy, launched everything in a straight line into oblivion.
The surreal, overwhelming sight left everyone frozen like statues.
Moyong Jin and Gwok Byeok wiped their cold sweat from afar and breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness they hadn't tried to confront that lunatic head-on. They'd once again been bone-deep in the realization of how lucky they were.
Truly — what kind of absurd martial art was this? Anyway, in the midst of everyone's shock—
"Aaaargh!!! MY BIG BROTHER!!!"
It was Dang Cheol-young, the second son. He screamed at the spot where his brother had been, not even a drop of blood remaining.
"You damn—!"
"No need to thank me so much, second son."
Do Gwang twirled his iron rod and smiled.
"What do you mean, 'thank you'? How dare you—!"
"You're thanking me for getting rid of him? Congratulations, second son. The junior family head position is yours."
"Huh...? Junior family head...?"
Dang Cheol-young wiped his expression of rage off his face in an instant and tilted his head, unable to help himself.
Then—
"Hup!"
He clamped both hands over his own mouth. He'd almost let the words "I'm... the junior family head..." slip out before he could stop them!
At Dang Cheol-young's transparent, garbage-like behavior—
"Ugh..."
Do Gwang sighed deeply and shook his head.
'Really — is this what it's like in a messed-up family?'
The former family head, the Poison King Dang Jin-kyeong, had felt inferior to the Hundred Great Masters and entered closed-door training early on, handing the family head position to his eldest son Dang Jung-hyeok. He'd stormed out the door without even minimal tidying up of internal politics or power dynamics. On top of that, he'd only trained his martial arts and poison techniques, neglecting his wife and children.
So the character of the man who succeeded him, Dang Jung-hyeok, was a given, and his children were a given too. Look — just now, the guy who'd been about to scream in rage over his brother's death had his expression vanish the instant the junior family head position was mentioned.
'I'm... the junior family head...?'
That's the transparent little worm who immediately clamped his mouth shut and started grinning inside!
And on top of that — wasn't there that saying about the father and that child?!
Dang Jung-hyeok was shouting at Do Gwang, not charging at him. He was already cursing the first-born child who'd bled out and died on the Huangtian Path!
That sight didn't suit the Sichuan Dang Family head who was supposed to care the most about his bloodline. But Dang Jung-hyeok had already finished his assessment of the situation. 'Don't bother with honor or family rules — I tossed those out long ago.' The martial art of that madman looked similar to his father's closed-door training. If he tangled with him, he'd die. That was the conclusion.
So instead—
"That junior... no, that senior martial artist. I humbly beg your forgiveness."
He actually performed a proper martial arts salute — Pogwon — and bowed deeply.
"Not only my foolish child who dared to draw a weapon against you, but also the rudeness of the family elders — I sincerely apologize."
It was a desperate prostration with the full force of a man burying his head in the ground! The Dang family members and even Moyong Jin and Gwok Byeok watching from outside were stunned into silence.
Then—
"Kekeke~~"
Do Hwa's bright laughter cut through the heavy silence.
"Dad! Is it okay to kill this one?"
The girl pointed her skinny finger at Dang Jung-hyeok's bowed head like a fern and asked.
Dang Jung-hyeok's face crumpled.
'Th-This...!' This to me, the head of the Sichuan Dang Family?! And "kill"? Is this tiny little idiot out of her mind?!
Fury boiled up from the deepest part of him. But the moment he let it out of his mouth, his real head would crack and he'd die. So—
"Heh... junior... no, miss. Why do you say such violent things..."
Dang Jung-hyeok forced a strained smile and bowed even lower.
"I apologize again and will properly make amends. If there's anything you desire, I'll open the family warehouse and give you whatever you want."
At that calculating, thoroughly self-preserving family head—
'Wow...' Do Gwang marveled internally, sticking his tongue out. And he realized again. This wasn't a game that moved according to scripts. This was real life where people breathed.
Dang Jung-hyeok was, as the head of the Sichuan Dang Family, an extremely calculating person. But even he—
In the game, if a player attacked or insulted even one Dang family member, the family would swarm out like a swarm of bees, screaming the family's old rules and attacking without distinction. That was the kind of family he was. And yet here he was, with the elders not only dead but his own child reduced to a corpse on the Huangtian Path — and he was flat on his stomach, trying to appease himself to survive.
'Honestly, that's the sensible thing to do.' But it wasn't the reaction Do Gwang wanted. He'd wanted:
'You damn punk! How dare you kill our Cheol-u! Die!!!' — something along those lines. Do Gwang had crashed in here with the intent to smash everyone up.
'But a person being too pitiful just makes things awkward.'
As Do Gwang scratched his cheek, deep in thought—
"Father! What exactly are you doing bowing to that crazy bastard?!"
Dang Aran burst out, her face a mess of tears.
At her appearance—
"Yeah, I came looking for you!"
Do Gwang smiled brightly, raising his iron rod.
That terrifying smile made Dang Aran recoil in terror.
"Kyaaaaaah! I have nothing to do with you, you crazy bastard!!!"
"Crazy bastard" — the taboo word she hated hearing the most. Do Gwang's eyebrows twitched.
"Now who's calling who...?"
He hadn't even opened his mouth before—
"Shut up!!!"
Dang Jung-hyeok bellowed like a thunderclap.
"F-Father...?"
Dang Aran flinched, staring at her father.
But in Dang Jung-hyeok's eyes, there was no more of the old affection he'd once shown his daughter.
"Before I tear your mouth open with my own hands, get on your knees and apologize properly to the senior martial artist!"
"Father? What are you talking about?! And why are you saying such harsh things to me...!"
"Shut up! And what's with that tone! Didn't we already do this once in the middle of Seongdo? This time I'm putting my true heart into it and apologizing properly!"
Dang Jung-hyeok was throwing his own daughter away — for the safety of the family. No, for his own survival.
Then—
"Kekeke~~"
Do Hwa laughed brightly again.
"Bug! Hurry up and apologize!"
"Eeeeeek...!"
Dang Aran trembled all over, wracked with shame and fury.
"You little insane brat...!"
She was about to snarl and defy him when—
Chak—!
Dang Jung-hyeok's palm struck his daughter's cheek.
"A-A Father...?"
Dang Aran touched her own cheek in disbelief, staring at her father. But all she saw was the face of a man twisted with rage.
"You've really gone feral."
"W-What do you mean, feral...? That little idiot said—kyaaaaaah!"
"You little— how dare you call anyone crazy?!"
Chak—! Chak—!
Dang Jung-hyeok grabbed his fallen daughter by the hair and started beating her cheeks mercilessly. For the sake of the family. No — for his own survival, he was trampling the daughter he'd once doted on.
The Sichuan Dang Family main estate instantly became a powder keg. That Asura scene—
"...hehe..."
In one corner of the chaos, Dang So-ryeong quietly raised the corners of her lips and savored the thrill. The old man Dang Tae-bo, who'd tormented her every day, was now a cripple who couldn't even move. That alone was enough to make her pent-up grudge dissolve in the sweetest way. But the First Elder and Second Elder, the old men who'd looked down on her, were all dead. And Dang Cheol-u, who'd mocked her every single day, was gone without even leaving a corpse.
And on top of that — Dang Aran, who'd always looked at her like a bug, was right now being beaten senseless by her own father.
And that father, Dang Jung-hyeok, was groveling in a pitiful attempt to survive. Too funny.
'A... ah...'
Dang So-ryeong clasped her hands together and trembled with ecstasy. The Sichuan Dang Family was being thoroughly destroyed — exactly as she'd longed for.
Her gaze drifted to one place. The savior of all this. Toward Do Gwang.
'A... ah...'
Her heart began pounding wildly. Dang So-ryeong was seized by an emotion she'd never felt before, losing herself as she stared at him.
Then—
Saaaaaaaa—
"...?"
She felt a creepy gaze. When she looked in that direction—
It was Do Hwa, glued right next to Do Gwang.
"Dad!"
The girl's clear eyes sparkled as she raised her short sword.
"Can I kill that one?"