Chapter 344
Chapter 344
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 91
>Chapter Title: Offering Up (4)
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-Rustle, rustle!
The hall of the Sacheon Tang Clan was abuzz.
It was due to the ugly secret of Clan Head Tang In-hae that had been suddenly and abruptly revealed.
This truth, confessed from his own mouth, plunged the Tang clansmen—who were bound by single bloodline ties and trusted each other more than anyone—into shock.
Though everyone in the Tang Clan had kept silent due to the suppression from the Heretic Cult and the poor gazes of the Central Plains folk, the Ye Clan was their branch family.
Thus, even if they couldn't openly protect them, they had instead guarded their secret for the sake of their branch kin.
‘But the Clan Head reported them?’
It was the Tang Clan that had provided a hiding place for the surviving Ye clansmen.
That hiding place was a secret safehouse secretly used by the Tang Clan.
Yet upon hearing that the Ye clansmen had been discovered and captured by the imperial army, they had found it strange.
Moreover,
‘...To kill Elder Jang Mun-no.’
Hae-yeong Apothecary Elder Jang Mun-no.
He was the one who had gained the greatest fame among those from the branch family.
Though not well-known to the Central Plains folk, his talent in poison arts was extraordinary, so he had received instruction from the previous previous Clan Head, Flower Thousand Poison Hands Tang Yeon-jong.
[What a pity. Such a shame. If only he had been from the main house instead of the branch.]
The previous previous Clan Head Tang Yeon-jong had often lamented that Jang Mun-no's exceptional poison talent belonged to the branch rather than the main house.
Because of this, due to the jealousy of the previous Clan Head and those qualified as main house successors, Jang Mun-no was expelled from the Tang Clan for incomprehensible reasons shortly after Tang Yeon-jong's death.
Knowing this,
‘He’s finally gone and done it.’
The Tang clansmen could only click their tongues at Jang Mun-no's death.
However, what disappointed them the most was,
“The Clan Head tried to abandon us?”
“How could the Clan Head do that?”
“How could the patriarch...”
The fact that he had tried to abandon all the Tang clansmen and flee alone.
If it had come from someone else's mouth, it might have been different, but since it was a confession from his own lips, the disappointment was indescribable.
Because of this, the gazes directed at Clan Head Tang In-hae from the Tang clansmen were growing icy cold.
But not everyone agreed.
“Everyone, calm down! Surely you’re not taking these words at face value?”
“Exactly! The Clan Head is using this bitter stratagem to save us.”
“We mustn’t fall for the enemy’s schemes!”
There were those who defended the Clan Head to the end.
They were the direct bloodline of the Tang Clan main house.
Unlike the branch or collateral lines, they were of purer and closer kinship, so they believed this sudden confession was a bitter stratagem.
Thus, they stepped forward to defend the Clan Head to prevent the Tang clansmen from fracturing.
Whether the words were true or not was unimportant.
They had to prevent division at all costs.
However,
“Then how do you explain the carriage?”
One of the Tang Clan collateral warriors stepped forward and asked.
When decisive evidence was brought up, some of his defenders were at a loss for words.
Other matters could be dismissed as mere words, but there was no excusing the Clan Head’s personal carriage waiting outside.
“Right. With the main house in crisis, why ride out in a carriage?”
“Exactly! If this is a bitter stratagem, how do you explain that?”
“How could a Clan Head think of abandoning all his clansmen and fleeing alone?”
Once the dam broke, complaints burst forth like a flood.
Unable to counter on the carriage issue, the main house direct bloodline swiftly changed the subject.
“Hah! Are you really going to fall for the enemy’s tricks?”
“The truth of the Clan Head’s words isn’t what matters right now.”
“Exactly! If we fracture, it plays right into that bastard’s hands. Everyone, calm down.”
But their words only fanned the flames.
“The truth doesn’t matter? What nonsense is that!”
“The Clan Head tried to abandon all us clansmen and flee—where’s the enemy scheme in that?”
“Oh yeah. Come to think of it, the Young Clan Head and most of the direct bloodline are at the Justice Alliance right now, aren’t they?”
“Hah! So the branch and collateral lines aren’t really part of the Tang Clan, huh.”
As resentment and complaints erupted from all sides, the direct bloodline were at a loss.
Coincidentally, the fact that many direct bloodline members were dispatched to the Justice Alliance only worsened the situation.
‘This... what the hell...’
Tang In-hae’s pupils shook at the accelerating division.
Though it was true he had tried to abandon them and flee, he had resolved for the first time to sacrifice himself—save the Tang clansmen and die—if they were doomed anyway.
But how had it come to this?
The Tang Clan, who prided themselves on being tighter-knit than any other group due to their single bloodline, was now splitting between main house direct, collateral, and branch.
-Grind!
Clan Head Tang In-hae bit his lip hard and glared at Mok Kyung-un.
Was this also intentional?
Or had long-accumulated resentments simply exploded on this trigger, intentions be damned?
Either way, his confession—meant as a sacrifice—was leading to the worst possible outcome.
At this rate, even after his death, the Tang Clan’s division might continue.
Like a crack in a teacup slowly widening until it shatters.
‘What have I done?’
His decision seemed wrong.
Unable to bear watching his clansmen die before his eyes, he had thought he must do one right thing at the end, but his choice was mistaken.
‘Should I have just fought that bastard to the death?’
Then this wouldn’t have happened.
Even if his attempted flight became known, he would have gone down as the Clan Head who sacrificed himself for his clansmen in the end.
But it was too late now.
‘Aaaah!’
He had confessed the secret with his own mouth—what could be done?
It couldn’t be undone.
-Tight!
Clenching his fist, Clan Head Tang In-hae glared at Mok Kyung-un and said,
“...You know these people are innocent. I’ve revealed all my sins as you wished, so end it with my life alone.”
Tang In-hae had given up everything.
Even with signs of division, he had no choice but to leave the aftermath to the survivors.
Sacrificing himself for them was the only thing he could do.
It was also a way to somewhat atone for his wrongs.
-Step, step!
Mok Kyung-un walked toward him.
To show dignity in his final death, Tang In-hae braced the floor with both arms and straightened his back.
But,
“When did I ever say it would end with just you?”
‘!?’
Tang In-hae couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
He had firmly believed that if he revealed their innocence and confessed his wrongs, it would end with his sacrifice alone.
“You bastard, what do you...”
“I haven’t said a word, yet you judge and act alone. I can’t understand it.”
“How can you say such...!”
“Have I ever forced or demanded anything from you?”
“......”
At that question, Tang In-hae was speechless.
Come to think of it, Mok Kyung-un had only said tragedy arose from someone’s fault—he hadn’t intended or demanded anything after.
He had simply killed Tang clansmen one by one.
To torment him.
Realizing this, Tang In-hae was seized by futility.
‘Damn it!’
He had confessed all his wrongs hoping the bastard would spare the clansmen, making this situation feel all the more wretched.
Like beating a drum and blowing a horn alone.
Soon, Clan Head Tang In-hae raised his head and glared murderously at Mok Kyung-un.
Realizing all this was for naught, his futility turned to rage, directed at Mok Kyung-un.
-Roooar!
Tang In-hae immediately drew up his energy.
What use was racking his brains or biding time now?
Better to rally his vital energy and go for mutual destruction with that bastard.
‘I’ll kill him!’
He vowed to kill at least this one, expending every last bit of his formless poison.
-Sss...
The air around Tang In-hae shimmered like heat haze.
This was the phenomenon of the colorless, odorless formless poison gas, which unlike other poison arts, had no special traits.
-Push!
Tang In-hae shoved off the floor with both hands.
His figure shot up nearly seven zhang in an instant.
He aimed to close the distance and seek an opening, but it was futile anyway.
Thus, no choice but to use the ultimate technique with the widest area of effect, even if it caused some damage.
‘Formless Poison Art. Poison Origin Wave Apex!’
Twisting his body, Tang In-hae scattered formless poison gas in all directions, like the Tang Clan’s secret art, Full Sky Flower Rain.
-Papapapapapapak!
Like unleashing elastic gang qi in all directions, something invisible rippled and poured down like rain.
Its radius reached nearly twenty zhang.
At Clan Head Tang In-hae’s sudden action, the Tang warriors within that radius stared in disbelief.
‘The Clan Head?’
‘He’s going to fight in that state?’
None imagined he would use a secret art resolved to sacrifice them.
They just thought he was fighting to the end now that things had come to this.
But,
-Papapapapapapapak!
The formless poison gas soon scattered like rain in all directions.
Though invisible and odorless, one thing could be sensed.
The sound.
“Wh-what is that?”
“Evade!”
The Tang experts sensed something flying toward them and shouted in panic.
But it was too late once noticed.
This was the ultimate art unleashed at full power by Heavenly Poison Hand Tang In-hae, one of the Eight Stars called supreme masters of the martial world.
Its speed surpassed poison needles laced with qi—sensing it didn’t mean you could dodge.
-Shwaaah!
The invisible formless poison gas struck everyone in the radius.
“Gasp!”
“Th-this is?”
The moment it touched, the Tang warriors instinctively realized it was poison.
And sensing it was colorless and odorless,
“It’s formless poison!”
“The Clan Head has poisoned us with formless poison!”
“This madman!”
“E-everyone, retreat!”
-Rumble!
Their cries instantly turned the hall into pandemonium.
The Tang warriors, who knew the terror of formless poison better than anyone, simultaneously unleashed lightness skills and fell back.
Having no proper knowledge of the new secret art, Formless Poison Art, they couldn’t gauge the ultimate technique’s range.
But soon its reality was revealed.
“Kuaaaah!”
“M-my body!”
Red and black spots rapidly appeared on the bodies of those poisoned by the formless poison, and they screamed in agony.
But the skin rash didn’t progress slowly.
Despite their proficiency in poison arts, the skin around the rash began melting.
-Sizzle!
“Aaaah!”
“S-save me!”
The melting skin soon exposed flesh, muscle, and even bone.
This poisoning, incomparably faster than any ordinary toxin, turned the hall into hellish screams in an instant.
-Pak!
“Haa... haa...”
Finally, having unleashed even the Formless Poison Art’s final secret art, Clan Head Tang In-hae landed on the floor.
His face, braced by both arms, was one of utter despair.
He had done it solely to kill that bastard, but dozens of Tang clansmen within the ultimate art’s radius had been poisoned too.
‘...Forgive me.’
The only secret art with range and speed was Poison Origin Wave Apex—no other choice.
It was created to face even grandmaster-level transcendent experts.
But it had the fatal flaw of unavoidable friendly fire within its radius, unavoidable now.
If he could kill that bastard through this sacrifice, the Tang Clan would survive the worst crisis...
‘!?’
At that moment, Tang In-hae’s expression froze.
Amid the ground scorched black by the formless poison’s aftermath and bodies melting away, one person in the center remained utterly unharmed.
‘What... what the hell is this?’
It was Mok Kyung-un.
[End of Chapter 91: Offering Up (4)]