Chapter 126
Chapter 126
The Heavenly Battle Festival (1)
The long-awaited day had finally arrived—the day of the Heavenly Battle Festival.
For three years, the brave warriors of the five tribes had prepared for this moment, a day to prove the fruits of their labor.
Atop the widest peak of Thunderous Love Mountain, where the festival was held, stood a massive circular arena. Its structure eerily resembled the beast-fighting gambling pits of the Central Plains' black markets. Most of the Beast Palace disciples had already taken their seats as spectators.
"Who do you think will win this year?"
"Obviously, it'll be Ahweibuk, the Great Warrior of our Boar Tribe!"
"Ahweibuk lost to me before! This time, the Wolf Chieftain is guaranteed victory!"
"Hmm, true. The Wolf Chieftain's muscles have grown ridiculously huge lately. He's definitely gotten stronger."
"Those muscles are no joke..."
"Ooooh! The warriors are entering!"
Whoosh!
At that moment, the warriors participating in the festival strode into the arena, their eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
This year, a record-breaking one hundred and ten warriors had gathered—the largest number in the festival's history.
Among them, the most attention was naturally drawn to the top contender, Wolf Chieftain Maeng Yong.
And on the opposite end of the spectrum, the least noticed was Pataho's son, Pataewoon, who had only become a Beast Palace disciple two days prior.
Aside from Tasadon and a few others who had witnessed Pataewoon's battle against the Diancang Sect, no one paid him any mind.
Whoosh!
Then, with an overwhelming presence, the Beast Heavenly King Umun Gol made his entrance.
"All disciples, pay respects to the Palace Lord!!"
At the booming command of Tasaguk, the Bear Chieftain and Umun Gol's personal guard, every Beast Palace disciple rose and bowed in unison.
Umun Gol strode forward slowly.
As all eyes locked onto him, he roared in a voice brimming with authority:
"Warriors of the Beast Palace! Our mighty ancestors watch over us!!"
Silence.
Not a single disciple dared to speak.
Their burning gazes were fixed solely on their lord.
"Fight with all your might—for the honor of a warrior!! Crush every brother standing before you!!"
Umun Gol raised his voice one final time.
"And finally—challenge me!!"
Ooooh!!
Thud! Thud!
The response to his roar was deafening.
Every disciple pounded their right fist against their chest in unison, stomping their feet.
The resulting tremor and resonance shook the mountain like an earthquake.
Only when Umun Gol took his seat at the highest throne in the arena did the disciples finally settle down.
Then, an elder warrior stepped forward.
"This year's Heavenly Battle Festival shall be presided over by me—Pataho, deputy chieftain of the Ape Tribe!"
"Pataho! Pataho!"
Unlike the other chieftains and warriors, none showed displeasure at Pataho's announcement—only excitement.
Pataho was nicknamed "Wise Pataho" for good reason. Known as the most fair-minded and intelligent figure in the Beast Palace, he commanded immense respect.
Tch. That damn old man's the referee.
Only Wolf Chieftain Maeng Yong openly scowled in displeasure.
To Maeng Yong, Pataho and the Ape Tribe were cancerous obstacles that needed to be eliminated as soon as possible for his grand ambitions.
Pataho, trusted by the disciples, constantly hindered his plans at every turn. Worse, he had even sent Ape Tribe warriors to secretly investigate Maeng Yong's ties with the Blood Cult.
More than once, this meddling had nearly exposed his alliance with the cult.
If it were up to him, Maeng Yong would have already used the Blood Cult's forces to slaughter Pataho and his entire tribe. But his allies forbade it—reckless moves risked exposing them to the martial world.
So Maeng Yong adjusted his plans.
His eyes gleamed as he spotted someone among the warriors.
Heheh. Killing that brat right in front of Pataho will do just fine.
His gaze landed on Pataewoon, who was stretching.
Traditionally, the Heavenly Battle Festival held no punishment for warriors who killed their opponents in battle.
Death in combat was considered glorious—an honorable end.
Let's raise a toast while tearing apart the grandson who just returned after decades.
Just then, Pataho spoke again.
"The first round is a melee! Each warrior must defeat ten others! There are no other rules! We begin with Group One. The fifty-five warriors called shall step onto the arena now!!"
The festival was divided into two rounds.
The first was a chaotic free-for-all, with participants split into two groups.
As Pataho called their names, the warriors of Group One began ascending the arena.
Tch. So I'm in Group Two.
Unfortunately, Maeng Yong wasn't called.
But luckily, twenty of the twenty-five Wolf Tribe warriors were in Group One.
Maeng Yong immediately ordered his men:
The moment the battle starts, tear Pataewoon apart.
"The chieftain asked us to protect you. If your life's in danger, hide behind us. Pataewoon, son of Pataho."
One of the Ape Tribe's Great Warriors spoke to Pataewoon, his face twisted with displeasure.
The request was absurd—protecting someone in the Heavenly Battle Festival?
But he couldn't refuse the chieftain's earnest plea.
So he swallowed his frustration and addressed the brat before him.
"...Are you listening?"
But Pataewoon wasn't even looking at him.
His eyes scanned Group One's warriors as if searching for someone.
The Great Warrior could only scoff in disbelief.
Tch. Must be looking for someone in Group Two.
The brat muttered something incomprehensible and ignored him completely.
How dare he disregard me, the Ape Tribe's finest warrior!
Just as he was about to raise his voice—
"Hey."
"Huh?"
Pataewoon suddenly called out to him.
And then said something utterly unexpected.
"If you don't want to get hurt, take your tribesmen and stay as far away from me as possible."
"...What?"
As the Great Warrior blinked in shock—
ROAR!
Pataho's bellow signaled the start of the first round.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
In an instant, the warriors charged at each other with full force.
"I'll crush you all!"
"Ancestors! Grant me strength!"
Boom!
Crash!
True to its name, the melee was pure chaos—no order, no rules.
But this time, something was different.
Slash!
Rip!
"Huh? Wha—?!"
The spectators gasped as they noticed one side of the arena.
A swarm of Wolf Tribe warriors had suddenly rushed toward a single target—Pataewoon.
Like prey being hunted, he stood surrounded.
Whoosh!
Crack!
Each Wolf Tribe warrior radiated overwhelming battle aura.
Even the Ape Tribe's Great Warrior hadn't anticipated this. He tried to intervene, but—
This is perfect.
Pataewoon smirked.
Outnumbered beyond reason, he didn't flee.
Why would he?
Fwoosh!
Instead, he charged straight into the oncoming horde.
They're lining up to die for me.
How considerate.
Pataewoon activated Black Blood.
Gurgle—
Sizzle!
His blood boiled like molten lava, scorching heat instantly spreading through his body.
"Die!"
The first Wolf warrior swung a furious punch.
Though Pataewoon had no energy—not even Reverse Heaven Energy—circulating within him...
Swish!
"?!"
He dodged with inhuman speed.
And that wasn't all.
Crunch!
His arm moved like a living serpent, seizing the warrior's wrist mid-swing—
Rip!
Squelch!
—and tore the arm clean off.
The grip strength and raw physical power defied belief.
"GAAAAAH!!"
The warrior collapsed to one knee, agony wracking his body.
Pataewoon spun like a top—
Wham!
Crunch!
—and drove his elbow straight into the warrior's temple.
Thud.
The perfectly weighted strike killed him instantly.
What the—?
The Wolf warriors froze in shock.
"Eyes on me."
Crack!
Snap!
Pataewoon twisted another warrior's neck backward, killing him on the spot.
His goal in the melee was simple.
You're hunting me?
No—I'm hunting you.
He would slaughter or incapacitate as many of Maeng Yong's men as possible.
But that didn't mean he was indiscriminately killing innocent warriors.
These trash have absorbed way too much demonic energy.
To Pataewoon's eyes, the Wolf warriors stood out grotesquely—their bodies stained pitch-black.
This was another ability granted by Black Blood.
Surpassing even Yoo Jin-hak's Golden Truth Eyes or Dohayoung's Dragon Eye—
He called it Color-Seeing Eyes.
It discerns all hidden martial arts by their colors.
Normally, detecting concealed energy required probing the opponent's meridians directly.
But no martial artist would willingly expose their meridians—it was tantamount to surrendering their life.
Now, with Color-Seeing Eyes, Pataewoon could see through all hidden energies at a glance.
Demonic energy—black.
Unorthodox energy—red.
Orthodox energy—white.
This much was clear after a brief observation.
So the moment he saw the Wolf warriors, he knew—they were traitors aligned with the Blood Cult.
And so, the slaughter began.
Three, five, eight...
Like a storm, Pataewoon tore through them.
Ooooh!
Cheer!
Strangely, the Beast Palace disciples roared in excitement.
Not out of resentment toward the Wolf Tribe—
"See?! Didn't I tell you?! That brother's a born Great Warrior!"
"Pataewoon! Pataewoon!"
—but because they believed such deaths were glorious for warriors of the Beast Palace.
Only one person's face twisted in fury.
What the hell is this...?!
Maeng Yong's jaw hung slack.
Despite having already slaughtered over ten warriors, Pataewoon kept chasing down the remaining Wolf Tribe fighters, reducing them to corpses.
Fists piercing, kicks shattering, headbutts crushing, elbows smashing, knees launching—
The external martial arts Pataewoon displayed were too crude to even be called techniques.
Yet the sheer force and brutality behind each move made them unstoppable.
Just who the hell is this bastard?!
Maeng Yong's thoughts were cut short.
Whoosh!
"...!!"
Something came flying toward him at terrifying speed.
Panicked, he crossed his arms in an X-shape to block.
An overwhelming force slammed into his wrists—
BOOM!
A sound like a drum bursting echoed.
Thud!
The impact sent his massive body skidding backward.
At his feet lay the corpse of a Wolf Tribe warrior.
When he looked up in bewilderment—
Smirk.
"...!!"
Pataewoon was grinning right at him.
He had kicked the twentieth Wolf warrior straight at Maeng Yong.
How dare this brat—!
As murderous rage ignited in Maeng Yong's eyes—
"Melee round—Pataewoon wins! He advances to the second round!"
Pataho's voice boomed across the arena.
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