Chapter 36
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Traces of the Demonic Cult
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The executives of the Black Wind Gang were dumbfounded.
“Madman! Do you even know where you are...?”
Seol Hwa-un crooked his finger.
“Cut the crap and come at me. I’ll clear you all out.”
“You bastard!”
The shouting executive glanced at the Black Wind Gang Leader. His face was asking what to do.
“...”
The Gang Leader nodded silently. At that, the executives each grabbed their weapons and advanced toward Seol Hwa-un.
“You fools, all of you stand back!”
The Black Wind Gang disciples parted like an ebbing tide, clearing a path.
In the meantime, the Gang Leader scanned the surroundings. The Black Wind Gang’s main gate was utterly demolished, and over a hundred fallen disciples were being supported and carried back by the others.
‘To drop that many gang members in such a short time. He looks young, but he’s got some skill. A later-generation talent from a prestigious sect?’
Even all the executives charging together might not be enough to win. Yet he showed no sign of worry.
The Gang Leader summoned one gang disciple and ordered him.
“Report the situation to the esteemed guest in the rear courtyard.”
“Yes!”
Meanwhile, even as the Black Wind Gang disciples surrounded him, Seol Hwa-un simply stood there unmoving.
“...”
But the encircling executives couldn’t move easily either. The overwhelming presence radiating from Seol Hwa-un was crushing them.
‘C-crazy!’
‘How the hell did the gang disciples even charge at a guy like this?’
Hardened veterans of the unorthodox paths, they instinctively sensed their opponent was extremely dangerous.
They wanted nothing more than to retreat right then, but that was impossible. Countless Black Wind Gang disciples were watching them.
Backing down here meant they could never show their faces in the unorthodox world again. They were truly caught between a rock and a hard place.
“...”
They exchanged glances. They all shared the understanding that killing Seol Hwa-un was their only path to survival.
“Hyah!”
Five from behind him charged first. It was a signature unorthodox tactic, targeting the rear.
“...”
Seol Hwa-un whirled toward them at once. As if they’d been waiting, the executives in front charged as well.
“Now!”
The left and right flanks followed with perfect timing delays.
‘Even if you’re some expert, you’ll be too flustered to handle it, punk!’
‘Die!’
Sizzle.
In that instant, a burning sound rang out, accompanied by an acrid stench assaulting their nostrils.
‘What?’
‘Smell of something burning?’
Seol Hwa-un thrust his fist toward the first group charging at him. It was somehow different from any fist techniques he’d displayed so far.
Fwoosh!
‘Huh?’
The five oncoming attackers had the illusion of a massive blaze engulfing them.
Boom!
“Argh!”
They flew off as bloody messes.
It was the first stance of the Thunderbolt Three Fists, which had not appeared in the Central Plains for fully two hundred years: Full Fist Blazing Wind.
“...!”
Seol Hwa-un spun his body immediately, driving his fists toward the remaining three directions as well.
It created the illusion of three Seol Hwa-uns punching simultaneously.
Fwoosh!
Boom boom boom!
“Kek!”
The executives scattered in all directions from the tremendous fist strikes. Those flung away were pulverized by the fist pressure, their forms unrecognizable.
“W-what the hell is that...?!”
The retreating disciples who’d been watching could only gape in horror.
Thunderbolt Three Fists.
The Heavenly Collapse Fist Emperor’s signature ultimate technique alongside the Blazing Flower Fist—a supreme art Seol Hwa-un hadn’t been able to use at all since awakening in the North Sea Ice Palace.
Yet astonishingly, Seol Hwa-un had just executed it.
‘As expected. Knew it’d work.’
The Ice White Divine Art, evolved after absorbing the Self-Combustion Pill, had made it possible.
‘The power’s a bit lacking... but this is more than satisfactory.’
The Black Wind Gang Leader watching this was dealt a shock.
“N-no way!”
He’d thought the executives might not measure up, but he’d never imagined they’d fall so pathetically.
‘That completely surpasses later-generation level? Just who the hell is that guy?’
As far as he knew, no later-generation expert wielded fist techniques that powerful.
“Impressive power. What fist technique could that be?”
He whipped his head around in alarm at the sudden voice, where a man clad in gray fluttering robes stood.
The Gang Leader hastily bowed his head.
“S-sir!”
“You idiot. Just who did you go and provoke?”
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t...”
“Enough. We’ll sort out the details later. Four Evils!”
At the gray-robed man’s words, four shadowy figures appeared abruptly.
“You called?”
“Deal with him.”
“As you command.”
Swish.
The four figures vanished, only to reappear instantly before Seol Hwa-un.
“...!”
Seol Hwa-un immediately recognized them as extraordinary experts.
‘The unorthodox paths harboring masters like these?’
The Black Wind Gang executives had been skilled enough for unorthodox standards—understandable.
But these four were on an entirely different level.
‘Definitely reeks.’
The gray-robed man shouted.
“Don’t know who you are, but they won’t be pushovers!”
“We’ll see about that.”
“With skills like yours, confidence is justified. But your luck’s rotten. They’re the Zhejiang Four Evils.”
Zhejiang Four Evils.
Notorious unorthodox experts hailing from Zhejiang Province, always operating as a quartet. It was said no one in sect-poor Zhejiang could stand against them.
Their sudden reemergence at the Hangzhou Black Wind Gang after vanishing months ago was unexpected.
But Seol Hwa-un had zero interest in who they were.
‘That one?’
The reason the Black Wind Gang had unified Hangzhou’s unorthodox scene.
Seol Hwa-un’s intuition told him it was this gray-robed man.
‘Definitely not some run-of-the-mill unorthodox master.’
The so-called Zhejiang Four Evils before him were decent enough, but the gray-robe was a whole other class.
‘Interesting.’
In that moment, the Four Evils surged toward Seol Hwa-un in unison.
As their four hands shot out, iron balls chained to them whipped forth.
Clang!
The balls were densely studded with thick needles, making them far more menacing.
Swish swish swish!
Flying from different angles, not in straight lines but bizarre arcs that sealed off every possible direction Seol Hwa-un might move.
A stunning assault befitting the Zhejiang Four Evils.
“...”
Seol Hwa-un stood stock-still, seemingly at a loss, right up until the balls closed in.
The watching gray-robed man cocked his head.
‘What? Easier than I thought...’
In that instant, Seol Hwa-un unleashed a fist like a bolt of lightning.
Boom boom boom!
Crash!
The fist strike perfectly intercepted all four iron balls. The force was so ferocious that they shattered in midair, fragments spraying everywhere.
The Zhejiang Four Evils couldn’t hide their shock.
‘Iron balls forged with black iron...!’
But they swiftly regained their composure and drew fresh iron balls from within their robes, hurling them.
Clang!
Swish swish swish!
This time, the balls flew at far greater speed.
Seol Hwa-un extended his fist once more, intent on smashing them.
Swish!
Yet just as his fist was about to connect, the Four Evils yanked on the chains.
Clang!
The balls twisted at impossible angles. Seol Hwa-un’s fist struck only empty air.
“...”
In the end, he was forced to use footwork to evade the iron balls.
Clang!
The errant balls whipped around, chasing after Seol Hwa-un once more.
“Annoying.”
Instead, Seol Hwa-un advanced straight toward them, extending both hands.
Clink! Clink!
“...!”
Before the Four Evils could react, he seized the chains trailing behind the iron balls—two per hand.
In an instant, it turned into a tug-of-war between him and the quartet.
Clank! Clank!
Flustered, the Four Evils strained with all their might to reel them back in. Four against one, yet Seol Hwa-un wasn’t budged an inch.
‘W-what kind of monstrous strength...!’
‘Everyone, full power!’
Creak!
Seol Hwa-un’s form shifted ever so slightly.
‘Got him...’
Snap!
Crack crack!
The chains in Seol Hwa-un’s grip snapped clean. Horrifying grip strength.
“Uh!”
The Four Evils toppled backward like dominoes, and Seol Hwa-un’s form shot forward without missing the opening.
Boom!
“...!”
The one struck squarely in the face had his features cave in completely, not even able to groan.
Boom!
Two more took direct chest hits from Seol Hwa-un’s fists, their ribs shattering in an instant and piercing their lungs.
“Guhhh...”
The last remaining Evil had no choice but to face Seol Hwa-un raising his fist right before his nose.
“...!”
Splat!
His skull smashed straight into the ground.
There had been slight delays, but the Zhejiang Four Evils met their ends one after another. A pathetic demise unworthy of the masters who’d dominated Zhejiang Province.
“...”
Yet the gray-robed man watching this suddenly clapped his hands.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
“Not bad at all. Dropping the Zhejiang Four Evils this easily.”
Even after witnessing Seol Hwa-un’s astonishing martial prowess, he still exuded leisure.
“My turn now?”
He took a step toward Seol Hwa-un while unleashing his pent-up energy.
Whoosh!
A sinister, chilling aura erupted from his body. At the same time, his presence surged explosively.
Seol Hwa-un’s eyes sharpened.
‘Hm?’
It was an unpleasant aura he’d felt somewhere before.
‘When did I last sense something like that?’
The gray-robed man thrust his hand toward Seol Hwa-un.
Whoosh!
His form blinked out of sight, then flickered into view and vanished again from all directions.
Papapapa!
Footwork of truly astonishing caliber. But once again, Seol Hwa-un felt an eerie sense of familiarity.
‘I’ve seen this footwork before too.’
“Die!”
The gray-robed man appeared right in front of him in a flash, slashing down with his right hand.
Slash!
His hand was entirely cloaked in dark crimson energy.
“...!”
Boom!
Seol Hwa-un threw up a hasty guard, but the impact sent him staggering back.
A claw technique of astounding power.
“...”
“Kuahaha!”
The gray-robed man’s eyes gleamed red as he spewed eerie energy in all directions.
‘...Subdue him first, figure it out later.’
Seol Hwa-un’s aura shifted dramatically, as if tailoring his energy to match the foe.
He unleashed the Thunderbolt Three Fists once more.
‘Full Fist Blazing Wind.’
Fwoosh!
A fist wrapped in crimson flames lanced out.
“That fist technique again? Dream on!”
The gray-robed man countered with another claw strike.
Boom!
The clash’s shockwave pushed the gray-robe back two steps, Seol Hwa-un the same.
“Kuahaha!”
The gray-robed man unleashed his claws anew. Seol Hwa-un met it without flinching, punching back.
Boom boom boom!
Neither yielded a single inch. It was an even match, but Seol Hwa-un wasn’t pleased.
‘Tch! Should’ve practiced this sooner if I knew it’d be like this?’
He debated switching to the Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist even now.
“Impressive, but it won’t work on me!”
The gray-robed man, having shaken off the impact, charged at Seol Hwa-un again. This time, both hands were dyed dark crimson.
“This ends it!”
Rooooar!
A colossal wave of energy crashed toward Seol Hwa-un.
“...”
Crackle!
Sparks of lightning qi flickered to life in Seol Hwa-un’s hands. He murmured softly.
“Thunderbolt Chaos Wave.”
The second stance of the Thunderbolt Three Fists.
Papapapapa!
His twin fists, infused with lightning, spawned countless fist shadows in an instant, slamming into the gray-robe’s energy.
KABOOM!
The wave of demonic energy scattered under the onslaught of fist shadows. The remnants struck the gray-robed man dead-on.
Boom!
“Gah!”
The gray-robed man spewed blood as he flew backward and crashed to the ground.
“Cough! Cough!”
He vomited blood repeatedly, white chunks of organ mixed in. A fatal internal wound.
“Guh! Impossible... even with the forbidden technique...”
Seol Hwa-un now loomed over him.
The gray-robed man looked up at Seol Hwa-un with labored effort and rasped.
“You... what the hell are you...?”
“I could ask you the same. Where’d you learn that martial art?”
The gray-robed man twisted his lips into a bitter smirk.
“Kekeke... that what you’re curious about?”
“Tell me straight.”
“It’s...”
As his voice dropped low, Seol Hwa-un naturally leaned in closer.
“Ask it from King Yama.”
In that instant, the gray-robed man’s body ballooned grotesquely before exploding outright.
BOOM!
“...!”
Thud thud.
Chunks of his corpse rained down everywhere.
Yet astonishingly, Seol Hwa-un was unharmed. He’d unleashed the Ice White Divine Art’s protective qi to its maximum at the moment of detonation.
“...”
He’d taken almost no damage, but Seol Hwa-un’s expression was coldly set.
He’d realized the identity of the final technique the gray-robed man had used. And the ones before it too.
“...Demonic Cult.”
It was the telltale trace of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult—the origin of every demon in the world.