Chapter 81: Whooosh!
Chapter 81
Whooosh!
White Night Demon (2)
Nam Mu-jin and Peng Dae-ho simultaneously blocked Heo So-chang's path.
At that moment, the same thought flashed through both their minds:
'One Sword Certain Kill.'
'Pour everything into the first strike!'
Every ounce of their martial energy surged into their blade and sword.
They would expend everything in a single instant.
If this attack failed, there would be no second chance—but they had no choice.
The opponent had reached the realm of Hwajing, a level so overwhelming that they couldn't even dream of matching it.
Even ten martial artists at the pinnacle of mastery couldn't subdue a single warrior who had just stepped into Hwajing.
It was the first step beyond human limits.
Crack!
Swoosh!
Yet, despite that, they swung their weapons with their lives on the line.
Hiss!
Nam Mu-jin wielded his left-handed sword, known as the Reverse Blade.
A wild, blue-tinted energy reminiscent of stormy seas surged along the edge of his blade.
This was the Thirty-Six Swords of the Southern Seas, the signature technique of his sect, the Hainan Sect—renowned as the Sword Gate.
Clang!
At the same time, Peng Dae-ho's saber shot toward Heo So-chang.
If Nam Mu-jin's sword carried the fury of the sea, Peng Dae-ho's saber embodied the might of a mountain lord.
Growl!
A roar like that of a tiger erupted from the blade.
The signature technique of the Peng family—the Five Tiger Severing Gate Blade—unleashed its full power.
Clash!
Two weapons, bearing completely different energies, crossed in an X-shape as they descended upon Heo So-chang.
But—
"Tch. Pathetic tricks."
Heo So-chang merely clicked his tongue, as if amused by their efforts.
Snap!
Crash!
The two blades, aimed like lightning at the Baihui Point atop his head—
Crunch!
"!!"
"...!"
—were effortlessly caught by Heo So-chang's ten fingers, now dyed pitch-black.
Their all-out strike had been mercilessly crushed.
'Guh!'
'Hrk!'
Veins bulged in Peng Dae-ho and Nam Mu-jin's arms as they strained to pull their weapons free—but they didn't budge an inch.
The situation worsened.
Crack!
Creak!
The sound of splitting metal echoed as fissures spread across their blades.
Heo So-chang's Dragon Claw Technique, concentrated at his fingertips, was grinding into their weapons.
"Brother!"
"Young Master Nam!"
At that moment, Se-rin and Peng So-hye's shouts rang out.
In response, Peng Dae-ho and Nam Mu-jin abruptly changed tactics.
Fwoosh!
Thud!
'...Are they abandoning their weapons?!'
Both of them suddenly released their grips and retreated with all their might.
Leaving Heo So-chang holding their now ownerless weapons.
Slash!
Whoosh!
Se-rin's Wind Thread and Peng So-hye's Fist Gale shot forward, shattering the blades.
Clang!
Crash!
The fragments of the shattered weapons rained down on Heo So-chang first.
But the shards didn't leave even a scratch on his skin.
Ting!
Ping!
They couldn't pierce his protective energy in the slightest.
'Perfect!'
Yet, at that moment, a glint of triumph flashed in the eyes of Peng Dae-ho and the others.
Because the true purpose of this plan had never been to harm him—only to disrupt his vision for a brief moment.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the Wind Thread exploded, releasing the hidden poison within—engulfing Heo So-chang.
"Cough?!"
Caught off guard, Heo So-chang inhaled the toxic mist—and for the first time, let out a choked gasp of shock.
Hiss!
The blackened fingers of his Dragon Claw Technique rapidly reverted to their normal state.
'It worked!'
It was as if a typhoon had invaded his dantian, forcibly expelling everything inside.
The poison Se-rin had concealed within her Wind Thread—the Divine Immortal Collapse, the strongest poison of the Sichuan Tang Clan—had taken effect.
Dash!
Se-rin kicked off the ground, charging straight at Heo So-chang.
-I have the Divine Immortal Collapse.
-The Sichuan Tang Clan's airborne poison?!
-Yes. Even a warrior of Hwajing, if caught off guard and exposed without defense, will be vulnerable for a split second.
This was the moment they had planned for.
Thrust!
Her Iron Wire, gathered into a single lethal strand, shot toward Heo So-chang's forehead.
Even a warrior of Hwajing would be defenseless for that fleeting moment when their internal energy was scattered—
"Damnable schemers."
"...!!"
Crack!
The Blood Sea Dragon King's internal energy Heo So-chang had prepared vanished—
'...Demonic Qi?!'
—and in its place, a searing crimson-black Demonic Qi erupted from his entire body like wildfire.
Whoosh!
Now unleashing his true power, Heo So-chang moved faster than the others could even follow with their eyes.
"Now you've forced me to show my true self. Insects."
"—!!"
Before they could react, one of Heo So-chang's hands had already seized Se-rin's Iron Wire.
Crunch!
Unable to withstand the invasive Demonic Qi, the wire crumbled into dust.
Snap!
And then, Heo So-chang's other hand closed around Se-rin's throat.
"...Ghk!"
"As punishment, I'll make sure you die in the most painful way possible."
He lifted her by the neck, holding her aloft.
Se-rin gasped for air, legs kicking helplessly.
'No... No!! Sister!!'
Peng So-hye and the others screamed, but no sound escaped their throats.
The oppressive Demonic Qi filling the air had frozen them like statues—like mice before a snake.
Slice!
Then, Heo So-chang raised his hand—forming a blade.
"Now, die."
He delivered the death sentence—
Schlick!
—and a horrifying cutting sound echoed.
"GAAAH!"
But the one screaming in agony wasn't Se-rin—it was Heo So-chang himself.
Beside Se-rin, who had collapsed to the ground, Heo So-chang's left hand—still gripping her throat—rolled across the deck, severed cleanly at the wrist.
'Wha... What just...?'
Se-rin's blurred vision caught sight of her companions' stunned faces.
Rustle.
Then, she felt warm hands enveloping her.
"...Sister, you're safe now."
A voice she never thought she'd hear again whispered in her ear.
'Se... Se-woon?'
Her eyelids grew heavy, but she managed to glimpse her younger brother's face.
He wore an expression she had never seen before.
It terrified her.
'No... Se-woon, please...'
Fear and concern for him surged within her—but she couldn't hold back the encroaching darkness.
"Cough... cough!"
"Huff... huff..."
Peng So-hye and Nam Mu-jin barely managed to break free from the suffocating pressure of the Demonic Qi, gasping for air.
With Heo So-chang's hand severed, the oppressive energy restraining them had vanished.
But even so, they could barely catch their breath—the lingering effects of the Demonic Qi left them unable to properly move.
'What in the world...?'
Only Peng Dae-ho, his eyes wide with shock, could properly process what had just happened.
As the only one among them who had reached the peak of mastery, he alone had witnessed the fleeting moment clearly.
'...No, can I even say I saw it?'
The instant Heo So-chang's hand descended toward Se-rin's throat—
—his arm had suddenly exploded.
It was so surreal that Peng Dae-ho could only stare in stunned silence.
There had been no projectile, no visible attack.
And even now, no hidden weapon or mechanism could be seen anywhere...
Plip.
Then, the sound of a droplet hitting the deck snapped him out of his thoughts.
"—!!"
When he traced the source of the sound, Peng Dae-ho was utterly horrified.
A drop of blood hung suspended in midair—right where Heo So-chang's hand had been severed.
Focusing his vision with all his might, he finally saw it—a single, razor-thin thread stretched across the air.
'...A wire?'
A black thread, nearly invisible in the dim light, connected to the mysterious figure now cradling Se-rin.
'Ah.'
Only then did he recall the unique weapon rumored to be wielded by the last heir of the Tang Clan.
Which meant the person before him was—
'The Green Dragon—Tang Se-woon!'
But then, a sudden question arose in Peng Dae-ho's mind.
He turned his head, looking behind him.
The river stretched over thirty zhang (about 100 meters) away from the pier.
Even if they had been slowly moving toward the dock to disembark—
'...How the hell did he cross that distance?'
It was far too great a gap to leap across, even with martial arts.
Nor did it seem like he had swum—his clothes were completely dry.
Which meant—
'...Water Treading Flight?'
No, that was impossible.
Water Treading Flight—the ability to walk on water—was a hallmark of the Mystic Realm, a level beyond even Hwajing.
And his leather shoes weren't even damp.
Meaning the water hadn't touched him at all.
Plip.
Another drop of blood fell onto the deck.
When Peng Dae-ho unconsciously followed it with his eyes—
'No way—!!'
—he felt as if a hammer had struck his skull.
The thread suspended in midair was the key to everything.
Se-woon hadn't flown across the river or swum through it.
'He fired that thread from the pier to the ship—then ran across it.'
And in the same instant, he had severed Heo So-chang's hand mid-stride.
Peng Dae-ho exhaled sharply, unable to believe his own realization.
Thirty zhang—a range that rivaled arrows.
Yet this thread could not only strike at such a distance but also serve as a means of movement—
—and even deliver a blow powerful enough to wound a Hwajing expert.
Was such a thing even possible?
And from someone at least ten years his junior?
If this was real, then the person before him wasn't human—
"...Monster."
The word slipped from Peng Dae-ho's lips before he could stop himself.
Rustle.
At that moment, the monster slowly turned his head.
Peng Dae-ho flinched, unable to suppress his shock.
Thud. Thud.
Se-woon, still holding his sister, walked toward him.
Then, after gently laying her down in front of Peng Dae-ho—
—he suddenly placed a hand on Peng Dae-ho's shoulder.
Whoosh!
"!!"
Peng Dae-ho jolted in surprise.
The moment Se-woon's hand touched him, a surge of energy flowed into his body.
A flawless execution of Energy Transmission Through Contact—a high-level technique.
Though startled, Peng Dae-ho didn't even think to resist.
The energy was so pure, so immaculate, it reminded him of unblemished snow.
But only for a moment.
'W-Wait?!'
Peng Dae-ho soon realized the true nature of the energy Se-woon was channeling into him—and froze in horror.
'I-Innate True Qi?!'
Because what Se-woon had just shared wasn't ordinary internal energy—it was his own Innate True Qi.
It was akin to sharing a fragment of his own life force—his very lifespan.
Peng Dae-ho could only stare at Se-woon in stunned silence.
But Se-woon met his gaze with emotionless eyes and uttered a single command:
"Protect her."
"...Huh?"
When Peng Dae-ho answered with a trembling voice, Se-woon glanced at his unconscious sister and added:
"With your life."
"!!"
A chill ran down Peng Dae-ho's spine as he met Se-woon's gaze.
Why?
Somehow, this terrified him more than facing the demonic warrior earlier.
Completely overwhelmed by someone ten years his junior, Peng Dae-ho could only nod mutely.
Whoosh!
The moment he did, the monster turned away—charging straight at Heo So-chang.