Chapter 316
Chapter 316
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 86
>Chapter Title: Half-Human Half-Monster (2)
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-Roooaaar!
It wasn’t just visible to Mok Kyung-un’s eyes.
Even Cheong-ryeong, trapped inside the wooden doll, could see it clearly—the energy had taken such a distinct form.
White eyes.
Black horns rising like a deer’s antlers, and red dorsal fins rippling as if aflame.
A massive body covered in serpentine scales.
“...A flood dragon?”
Cheong-ryeong muttered in disbelief.
Mok Kyung-un asked, puzzled.
“Can you see it too?”
“I can. Even from in here, I’ve never felt energy manifesting this vividly before.”
Cheong-ryeong couldn’t hide her astonishment.
“So flood dragons actually exist.”
“Even I’ve only heard tales of them. Among spirit beasts, dragons are the rarest by far.”
“I see. But that doesn’t look like a flood dragon itself...”
“More like lingering resentment trapped in the yokai power.”
“Yes.”
Mok Kyung-un nodded in agreement.
Though the energy was so potent it had taken form, it was merely residual will clinging to the yokai power.
How strong must its resolve have been in life to manifest its thoughts so concretely?
In any case, both the lingering resentment and the surging yokai power suggested Yi Gwang’s transformation was far from ordinary.
“We can’t just leave it be.”
At Cheong-ryeong’s words, Mok Kyung-un smacked his lips.
‘Right now would be the perfect time to kill him.’
The ferocious aura radiating from him instilled fear and vigilance, but this moment of change was ideal for finishing him off.
If there hadn’t been anything left to ask, he would have severed his head on the spot.
It was then.
‘The trembling stopped.’
Yi Gwang’s body, now fully covered in scales, had completed its transformation—the shaking ceased.
The sharply risen yokai power was stabilizing as well.
One peculiar detail: the black sword embedded in his abdomen seemed fused with his flesh as one.
Then, a voice rang out.
“What in the world is...”
It was Gu Yang-so, patriarch of the Gu Yang Family and leader of the Eight Poisons.
He looked bewildered at Yi Gwang, who had stabbed a sword into his own gut as if to commit seppuku, only to transform into something not quite human, not quite monster.
It was then.
-Swish!
Yi Gwang, now in his half-human, half-monster form, lifted his head and fixed his eerie white eyes on Gu Yang-so.
Gu Yang-so flinched.
Meeting those pupil-less whites sent a chill of intense threat through him.
No matter how he looked at it, this was no longer the Yi Gwang he knew.
In that instant.
-Slither!
‘Huh?’
The half-human, half-monster Yi Gwang vanished from Gu Yang-so’s sight.
Instinctively sensing superhuman speed, Gu Yang-so unleashed his Eight Poisons’ toxic qi in all directions.
To him, poison was like an extension of his limbs.
Anyone closing in would brush against the spreading toxins, revealing their position instantly.
-Swish!
Three paces to his right—someone approached.
‘As expected.’
With his right arm broken, he’d figured they’d target his right side or rear.
Gu Yang-so unleashed one of the Eight Poisons Demonic Arts’ ultimate techniques, Nine Paths Reversal, with his left hand alone.
Though its power was diminished by using one hand, as one who had reached the Flower Realm and Poison Master stage, he compensated with sheer speed.
-Shwaa shwaa shwaa!
The trajectory of his Nine Paths Reversal palm strike surged toward the vital points on the intruder’s upper body.
But that someone—
The half-human, half-monster Yi Gwang casually leaned back, evading the palm’s path.
‘!?’
Gu Yang-so inwardly reeled in shock at how effortlessly Yi Gwang dodged with just an upper-body twist.
He had always considered Yi Gwang’s martial prowess on par with his own, or slightly inferior.
What was happening?
‘Aaaah.’
Unlike the rattled Gu Yang-so, Yi Gwang’s white eyes gleamed with ecstasy.
Gu Yang-so’s transcendent ultimate technique felt slow.
No need for lightness skill—he could dodge with minimal movement, every trajectory crystal clear.
-Slash! Swish!
Seeing the technique’s flaws made its weak points obvious.
Yi Gwang, head still arched back, unleashed a lightning-fast strike, driving his fist into Gu Yang-so’s left shoulder.
-Thud!
“Urk!”
Gu Yang-so’s form twisted from the impact.
Without missing a beat, Yi Gwang thrust his sharpened nails toward Gu Yang-so’s chest.
Even in his twisted stance, Gu Yang-so spewed green poison from his mouth.
“Puuuuh!”
-Pop!
Yi Gwang hurriedly swung his arm to create distance from the green toxic qi.
But they were too close—his arm and parts of his body were grazed.
-Sizzle sizzle!
The poison oxidized his clothing on contact.
It wasn’t just the touched areas; the venom spread, melting most of his upper garments in seconds—vicious stuff.
He assumed such deadly poison would infiltrate his body.
-Sss sizzle!
It scorched his scaled skin, but it regenerated swiftly. Instead, the ferocious energy surging within repelled it.
The rising green haze was proof.
“Hahaha!”
Yi Gwang burst into mad laughter, unable to contain his joy.
Whatever this power was—different from internal energy—even poison couldn’t touch his transformed body. His confidence soared.
‘Perfect.’
-Grip!
The ferocious energy filling his body overwhelmed his former internal energy.
No—it wasn’t even comparable.
With this power, he could do anything.
Even against the so-called Six Heavens, grandmaster-level foes, he felt he could take them now.
‘But no foolish risks.’
Yi Gwang quickly regained his composure.
This surging power was immense, but untrained, it wasn’t fully his yet.
Better to kill old man Gu Yang-so and bide his time for the Sickle Murder Ghost later than pick a fight out of bravado.
-Pop!
Decision made, Yi Gwang shot toward Gu Yang-so to finish him.
Killing him would seal any leaks of information.
In a flash, Yi Gwang closed the gap just as Gu Yang-so deployed lightness skill to retreat.
Yi Gwang swung a ferocious energy-charged sword strike at him.
‘Die, you old...’
It was then.
-Slither!
A hazy shadow blocked his path,
-Thud!
kicking his sword arm upward.
Spinning with the momentum, it unleashed a flurry of kicks,
-Bam bam!
straight to the face.
In that split second, Yi Gwang raised his left wrist to block.
-Shatter rattle!
Even blocked perfectly, his body was hurled back a dozen paces.
His blocking wrist throbbed painfully.
But it wasn’t unbearable.
-Swish!
Lowering his hand, Yi Gwang smirked at Mok Kyung-un.
“Not as threatening as before.”
“What? That kick just now?”
“Exactly. Strangely, you no longer scare me. Means the power gap isn’t what it was.”
“Is that so? You’re adapting to the yokai power faster than I thought.”
“Yokai power?”
“That force you’ve got.”
“......”
Yi Gwang couldn’t hide his bewilderment at Mok Kyung-un’s words.
Despite his explosive power growth, Mok Kyung-un remained utterly relaxed.
He even knew the nature of this gift.
What was this guy’s true identity?
“Whew.”
Yi Gwang let out a small sigh.
No time for useless thoughts.
Even if their power was closer now, he was still adapting, unlike his foe.
Charging in recklessly just because he felt worthy was idiotic.
His goal was singular.
‘Gu Yang-so.’
Kill the old man, and that was enough.
The Holy Fire Spirit Lord could wait; if the geezer spilled everything he knew about the organization, it’d be a huge headache.
Yi Gwang racked his brain.
‘Feint at his allies and the Holy Fire Spirit Lord, then kill the old man.’
They seemed tight-knit now, unlike before.
Even a cool-headed bastard like him would divert attention to save comrades in peril, ignoring the old man briefly.
‘First...’
-Pop!
Yi Gwang thrust his sword art toward Mok Kyung-un.
Gray sword qi formed of yokai power erupted from his hand, surging ferociously toward Gu Yang-so.
-Shwaaaa!
“You’re such a nuisance.”
-Boom!
Mok Kyung-un swiftly intercepted and deflected it with the Profound Principle of Equalizing Extremes.
Before it even hit, however, Yi Gwang twisted away, dashing toward Mok Kyung-un’s group battling the remaining masked men.
They were decent, but at his current level, he could take out one or two and grab a hostage before Mok Kyung-un caught up.
-Swish swish!
To his super-speed eyes, the clash between masked men and Mok Kyung-un’s subordinates slowed to a crawl.
As if their time flowed differently.
It was then.
-Slash!
A black line sliced the air before him, something faintly landing ten paces ahead.
It was none other than—
‘The Sickle Murder Ghost?’
Him.
Yi Gwang’s eyes trembled.
This ferocious power had doubled his speed.
So how had the bastard overtaken him?
His right hand gripped the Demon Edge Sword, fine—but what was in his left...?
‘!?’
Yi Gwang’s eyes widened.
Unless his eyes deceived him, that was a severed arm.
Mid-super-speed dash, the arm in Mok Kyung-un’s left hand vibrated too much to identify.
It was then.
-Pffft!
Something tore from his body, followed by burning agony at his right wrist.
Losing balance mid-lightness skill,
-Shwaaaaa!
sharp sword intent flung his body skyward.
“Hngh!”
-Shwick shwick shwick!
Airborne, razor-sharp sword qi shredded his entire body.
He’d been certain his scaled, poison-immune body was nigh-indestructible.
Yet he distinctly felt the scales slicing open.
And in moments, his whole body was soaked in blood.
-Thud! Splash!
Yi Gwang crashed to the ground.
Stunned, his expression blank.
‘This... what...’
No sensation in his right arm—it must have been his.
Sword cuts burned across his body, mind reeling in pain.
-Splash splash!
Footsteps approached through the rainwater puddles.
Struggling, Yi Gwang lifted his head.
Mok Kyung-un, black haze billowing violently like one with the darkness, looked every bit the demon.
Yi Gwang couldn’t comprehend.
They’d exchanged a few moves earlier, and he was sure their internal energies were now close.
So what was this?
“Wh... why?”
Mok Kyung-un spoke to the bewildered man.
“Why so surprised? I clearly said earlier it was just Three Stars Internal Energy.”
‘!?’
Three Stars?
Yi Gwang was dumbfounded.
That brief clash before—only thirty percent of his power?