Chapter 176
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: Anyone Dissatisfied? (2)
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His jaw shattered, teeth and bone shards digging inward to burst his brain. In that fleeting instant, the wondrous thread severed the Tyrant Dragon Squad member's life in one fell swoop. Even as it happened, one breath after another was snuffed out. The Tyrant Dragon Squad, ensnared in the predictive field of Whole Army View, was nothing more than prey trapped in a spider's web.
Thud!Splat!
Heads exploded, hearts burst, entrails ruptured. Every strike landed without so much as a block—pure, one-sided slaughter. Like puppets tangled in strings, they became sacrifices on Mujin's path, staining the space with rivers of blood.
Splurt!
After beating the last Tyrant Dragon Squad member to death, Mujin turned around. Astonishingly, not a single drop of blood marred his body. Around him lay chunks of mangled flesh, half-intact corpses buried in pools of blood and shadow.
"Smells good."
Mujin smacked his lips at the fishy metallic tang of blood.
Chills ran down spines regardless of allegiance.
Gasp!
Led by Kwak Cheol-yong, the warriors of the Kwak Family Manor gulped down dry spit after dry spit at the horrific scene before their eyes. They had steeled themselves for the Hebei Peng Clan's secret weapon ambush, but this overwhelming display rendered that resolve pointless.
Yet what sent even deeper shivers through them was his nonchalance. The serene calm Mujin exuded in battle felt utterly alien to them.
'This is the real him!'
'Brother! You wanted to test someone like this?'
'We've invited a living god of death!'
Kwak Cheol-yong recalled the day Mujin first visited the Kwak Family Manor, dizziness washing over him. Had they known he was like this, they never would have tested him. They would've done anything he asked, no questions. Resistance wasn't even a word that applied to someone like him.
Hic!
Kwak I-jeong, Kwak I-cheol, and Kwak I-seon desperately stifled their hiccups. It defied all common sense. Even to them, the Hebei Peng Clan's momentum had been formidable—a true display of a prestigious clan's power. But Mujin, who had taken the Kwak Family Manor under his wing, operated on an entirely different plane.
What about the Twenty-One Masters of the Divine Continent?
Honestly, unless they were in the top ranks, they couldn't measure up. Only now did they understand why their fathers had been so flustered. You didn't defy monsters like that.
"Hey, old man. Snap out of it!"
Startle!
He thought it was an illusion. The hellish vista unfolding before him couldn't possibly be real. It had to be a dream—a nightmare. Who were these guys? The Hebei Peng Clan's hidden elites, their secret weapons.
And they'd been annihilated before they could even take a breath. Worst of all was Peng Ho-san's death. How could someone like him go down so pathetically, so simply? But as the demon who wrought this infernal tableau approached him, So Uncheon was yanked back to harsh reality.
This was the Heavenly Fortune Fist?
So Uncheon realized just how laughable the rumors were. The closer the monster got, the more his teeth chattered, goosebumps prickling his skin.
"If you kill me, the Kwak Family Manor won't go unpunished either!"
"That's just your opinion."
At Mujin's mocking sneer, So Uncheon despaired. It was as if he were saying, Your schemes are right here in the palm of my hand. That meant the ones who'd gone to the Kwak Family Manor might not be safe either.
"Why would someone like you help the Kwak Family Manor? This isn't right! It can't be! What did I do to deserve this?!"
"It's not your fault. Just chalk it up to bad luck."
Life was seventy percent luck, after all. Get tangled up, and you're out of luck; stay clear, and it's smooth sailing. Either way, they'd struck first and ordered a massacre, so payback was non-negotiable.
"What are you going to do with me?!"
"You should worry about your family first. I'm heading to the So Family Manor right now to wipe them all out. Not a single ant left behind. Sound good?"
If you try to shatter someone else's home, expect the same treatment. No guilt? Blame your bloodline. How did that feel? Cliché, sure—but utter nonsense in practice.
"...You devil. They're innocent!"
"So they were guilty enough for you to slaughter the Kwak Family Manor's household? Turns out the martial world judges by guilt after all—such an ideal place."
Mujin's sarcasm left So Uncheon speechless. He was cornered, with no rebuttal possible.
"If word gets out, you won't get away with it either!"
"No one's gonna find out. I'll sneak in at night and kill them all. How would anyone know? You know my nickname."
Called the Heavenly Fortune Fist, he also bore the moniker Bluff Fist. Every word from his mouth was dismissed as a lie.
Even if the truth about Mujin spread, it'd be treated the same. No one would believe it—not even half of those who saw it with their own eyes.
Shiver!
So Uncheon knew this better than anyone. Yet the real Mujin, now revealed, could rightly be called Heaven's Fist.
"Besides, the So Family Manor isn't stronger than the Hebei Peng Clan. Wonder if they can even put up a fight. Heh heh heh heh!"
Who was the villain here?
He brushed off the threat like it was nothing. Worse, he cleverly exploited his current position. Was there anyone better at toying with people? It was a bone-chilling intimidation.
"You devil! Heaven won't forgive you!"
"Forget idealistic crap like heaven. Focus on realistic ways to save your own skin. Time's up. Unless it's constructive, you're going out empty-handed. Nothing left behind."
Mujin's intent was blatantly obvious.
He rubbed his thumb and index finger together in a circle and shook it. Anyone who didn't get it had to be an idiot.
'He's straight-up demanding money!'
'Not even third-rate thugs from back alleys play it this blatant!'
'Why does this feel so familiar?!'
It was agonizing to watch. More terrifying than the brutal slaughter moments ago. Righteous factions and justifications? Meaningless. He'd gained the most from this tournament but still wasn't satisfied.
I was still short on cash.
"What nonsense is this?!"
"Ignorance ends lives."
"...Hng! Name your price!"
"Hand over all your hidden funds and ledgers. Then the rest of the So Family Manor might live. Better this world than rolling in shit, right?"
A cautious type like So Uncheon surely had slush funds stashed for a rainy day.
"No one but me can find the hidden funds!"
"Tough luck. See ya."
The Soul-Piercing Demonic Eye discerned lies without needing the hassle of a search. If he wasn't cooperative about some pocket money on the way, better to skip it and just kill everyone. Efficiency mattered.
Faced with Mujin's naked killing intent, So Uncheon spilled everything in desperation. He might be done for, but he couldn't let the entire So Family Manor vanish.
Regret flooded him.
How had he crossed paths with a devil like this? Should've never touched them.
"There's a rocky mountain five li north of the So Family Manor. Midway up, three pine trees stand by a small rocky outcrop. That's where the funds are hidden."
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"Liar. Keep this up, and the So Family bloodline keeps shrinking. You okay with that?"
"...There's a passage from my room. Open the inner wall, and you'll find the ledgers and funds."
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"Lying again. Wanna keep pissing me off?"
So Uncheon was going mad with frustration. Somehow, Mujin saw through every truth and lie he uttered.
-Am I a lie detector now?
'Might as well be. Got nothing better to do.'
Using the Demon King's Soul-Piercing Demonic Eye, Mujin stripped So Uncheon down to his underwear—figuratively speaking. Quite the haul. As expected, plenty of dirty deeds meant plenty of slush funds.
With everything secured, no need for loose ends. Clean finishes were key. Mercy just meant a knife in the back later.
"I'll put it to good use."
"...Wait! I was wrong! Please spare me!"
"Bye."
"...Damn it! Even in death, I'll curse you!"
No mercy in Mujin's fist strike. Types like So Uncheon never forgot grudges. Spare them, and they'd haunt you forever. Had nothing to do with martial arts—pure venom could surpass raw power sometimes.
Thwump!
The terrifying fist aura pierced So Uncheon, reducing him to scattering dust—an utterly unreal sight.
So Uncheon's pathetic end shocked even Kwak Cheol-yong and the household. He wasn't some sloppy fool to die so easily. Yet it ended in seconds. Mujin's ruthless precision, allowing no gaps, chilled them to the bone.
'What the hell did we just witness?'
'Did we summon the Grim Reaper?'
'Temperament, martial arts, everything—this guy actually exists!'
Avoiding a cat, they'd invited a ferocious beast. The Kwak Family Manor's future was anyone's guess. The duel with the So Family Manor was ancient history.
"What are you waiting for? Clean this up."
"Yes, sir! Right away!"
No one even registered Kwak Cheol-yong's courtesy. Even if they did, they'd have forced him to bow.
"I'll swing by the So Family Manor for a bit. Anyone got a problem with that?"
"...!"
As if.
Not that they could speak up anyway.
At the same time.
The Kwak Family Manor came under attack from the So Family Manor. But there were no casualties. Prepared for the worst, they'd evacuated the household and met the invaders with a select group of warriors.
The So Family Manor's raid ended anticlimactically. Assuming the manor was defenseless, they charged in boldly—straight into traps. A third of their forces became casualties. Their failure to assess the situation after losing the duel only amplified the damage.
But with two-thirds left, they figured victory was assured without the Kwak Family Manor's main force.
Wrong.
A woman in male disguise, a beggar, and a young punk blocked their path. They'd assumed the absence of mains meant poor judgment. But the outcome was a nightmare for them.
One clash revealed the disguised woman, beggar, and kid were anything but ordinary. Her disguise was amateurish, sure. But her martial arts? Explosive, far from clumsy.
Lightning flashed with every thunderclap strike, sending So Family warriors flying. The young punk and beggar controlled the perimeter, supporting her—no pushovers. Once the Kwak Family Manor warriors joined in, the So forces were dead or subdued before they could react.
Thud!
Kwak Jeong-mu, So Family head, knelt on the cold ground feeling like he was dreaming. His sword was snapped in half, limbs wounded, dantian sealed—he couldn't move.
"Damn, couldn't control the thunder to my liking."
"I lost breath midway, so my sword path wavered. My apologies."
"I was aiming for a flashy Eighteen Chain Kicks this time, too."
What the hell were these lunatics saying?
Reflecting on their own shortcomings? By inversion, it meant the So Family Manor was pathetic.
"You bastards! Release me, or the Kwak Family head and warriors all die!"
Hostages were So Jeong-mu's last card. The Hebei Peng Clan's killers wouldn't spare them, but he needed to escape now. Word would take time to spread—it might work.
"Crush his dantian."
"Guess we have to."
"We must do as instructed."