Chapter 146: Seok Myeong's Rage (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 146: Seok Myeong's Rage (1)
"That... That's the energy!"
Go Ju-gang, watching the display from a distance, spoke with wide, trembling eyes.
It was exactly as the Chief of the Beggar Sect had described: a Black Ink Energy, a dark aura coalescing at the tip of a brilliant white radiance.
"This... it doesn't quite look like Demonic Qi, does it?"
Taoist Unyang of the Wudang Sect responded, his face etched with deep concern. His gaze was fixed on the point where the energy had streaked across the sky.
"But it is certainly suspicious," Nok Gwi-bo of the Diancang Sect interjected. He was the type of man who, when faced with a fifty-fifty split between positive and negative interpretations, would instinctively choose the negative.
"Taoist Wongang, what is your assessment?"
At Go Ju-gang’s question, all eyes turned toward him. When it came to discerning the nature of energy—especially the internal strength of Taoist martial arts—no one present possessed greater insight than he.
"Hmm..."
Wongang kept his eyes closed, needing a moment to organize his thoughts. After a brief period of contemplation, he slowly opened his eyes and nodded.
"For now, I can say with certainty that it is not a Taoist martial art."
At those words, Nok Gwi-bo’s eyes flashed. "Then is it the martial arts of the Demonic Cult?"
"..."
"Speak, Taoist Wongang!" Nok Gwi-bo pressed, his impatience growing.
Taoist Wongang frowned and replied, "While it is an energy that could be presumed to be Demonic Qi..."
"But...?"
"There are aspects that make it difficult to definitively call it Demonic Qi."
"Why is that?" Nok Gwi-bo demanded a detailed explanation.
"I have only seen it once, but that energy seems to move entirely under the practitioner's control. While there is a slight heterodox feel to it, it lacks the characteristic sense of repulsion inherent to true Demonic Qi."
"Hoh..."
The masters looked at one another in surprise.
"So you are saying it is neither one thing nor the other?"
"Precisely."
Flash.
Suddenly, the eyes of Alliance Leader Go Ju-gang glinted with a sharp, predatory light.
*
The collision between Seok Jin and Goma was so intense that it even forced Seok Jun and Lee Gon to halt their fierce duel.
"Huff... huff..."
Seok Jun, in particular, was staring at Seok Jin with stunned eyes. It was because of the energy Seok Jin had just manifested. The fluctuations of his True Qi had surpassed the typical range of a First Generation Disciple and were now rivaling Seok Jun's own internal strength.
Seok Jun wasn't the only one shocked.
"You brat! I asked you how you generated that energy!" Goma roared.
The strike he had just unleashed was a Fist Qi intended to inflict significant internal injuries. Yet, his Fist Wind had been brazenly pushed back by a sword that had suddenly intervened. And that strike had contained half of his total internal cultivation.
"Oh. This energy?"
Seok Jin raised his sword, looking puzzled. Light began to erupt from the tip of the blade once more, and a dark, smoke-like energy began to shroud it.
"You bastard! So it is the Heterodox Path! To emit such a sinister aura..."
"Heterodox Path? This is a martial art of Qingcheng."
"What? You expect me to believe that?"
Seok Jin frowned at Goma's words. He had reflexively used polite speech earlier, intimidated by the man's momentum, but upon reflection, he realized there was no reason to be interrogated like this.
"...No. If you don't want to believe it, don't. But what can I do? This is strictly a Qingcheng martial art. What does it matter to someone from the Diancang Sect?"
"Heh, heh."
Goma shook his head slowly from side to side.
"Fine. That's not what's important. I'll have to show you the price for defying an elder."
"...An elder?"
The moment Seok Jin flinched, Goma locked eyes with him. A cruel smile spread across the old man's lips.
"The price for a mere Qingcheng brat daring to challenge Diancang!"
Pshhhhhh—!
The moment his vision blurred, Seok Jin instinctively leaped backward.
But Goma was faster. No, he was far faster. By the time Seok Jin had retreated, Goma was already behind him.
Thwack!
Staggering from a blow to the shoulder, Seok Jin swung his sword.
Swish!
But Goma was no longer there. He vanished and reappeared to the side, this time delivering a heavy blow to Seok Jin’s abdomen.
Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam!
"Urgh!"
Seok Jin’s vision turned yellow. Goma was trampling him with a speed that the eye couldn't even follow.
Thud! Crack! Pow!
The speed at which Goma penetrated his defenses from the front, back, and sides was impossible to block or resist, and the force behind the punches only grew more violent.
"Cough! Ack!"
"Stop it!"
Yeon-hui, unable to watch any longer, rushed in.
Wham!
"Ahhh!"
But that was only the beginning of a different kind of agony. As if he had been waiting for her, Goma began to kick Yeon-hui as well.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Goma showed no mercy just because she was a woman. If anything, he struck her harder. As if possessed by madness, he rained down punches and slammed his fist into her head.
*
"Th-This..."
The expressions of the elders watching from above twisted. Abbot Hye Seon of Shaolin looked particularly distressed; the scene below was so gruesome it was difficult to watch.
"Let us put a stop to this."
"No! We must watch a little longer," Go Ju-gang immediately waved his hand to restrain him. "This is our chance. A golden opportunity to see if it truly is a demonic art. If they have learned demonic arts, they will lose their sense of self and explode under this kind of beating. If it isn't a demonic art, they will simply endure the blows. We must confirm whether that sinister energy is demonic or not."
"Heh..."
Abbot Hye Seon, who had been about to move, hesitated. "Alliance Leader. Do you truly believe such a merciless method is right?"
"Abbot! This is for the sake of the Jianghu. And it is for the sake of Qingcheng as well. If demonic arts have infiltrated the Qingcheng Sect, they too must weed them out. Are we not simply providing them with the opportunity to do so?"
"..."
It was absurd sophistry. But Go Ju-gang didn't stop there.
"If we stop it now, we will have to explain to everyone why we allowed this to happen in the first place. Who among you wants to take responsibility for that?"
"Mmm..."
"Hmph."
Above all else, that was the deciding factor. The Alliance Leader had started this, and Diancang had intentionally escalated it. No one wanted their name, or the name of their sect, dragged through the mud of such a filthy dispute.
"Sigh. How is a young woman supposed to bear such injuries..."
Thud-thud-thud-thud—!
Even as Hye Seon watched in pity, Goma’s hands did not stop. It was a moment that vividly demonstrated why he was feared as one of the Four Demons of the Martial World.
*
"Stop!"
Seok Jun, who had been fighting fiercely on the other side, abruptly turned. He moved recklessly, even allowing Lee Gon to slash his shoulder. Seeing Yeon-hui’s waist buckle under a blow, he lost all reason.
"Graaaah!"
Approaching Goma, Seok Jun began to execute the Heaven and Earth Sword. When facing an opponent who used rapid footwork and a fast sword style, the Heaven and Earth Sword was the pride of the Qingcheng Sect.
"Pathetic."
Goma snorted as he saw Seok Jun charging with a scream. He thrust his fist forward at the exact moment Seok Jun lunged with his blade.
Clang—!
The boom of colliding internal energy echoed like a drum. Someone was sent flying backward—it was none other than Seok Jun.
Crash!
He slammed into a nearby trunk, causing the massive tree to shudder violently.
"Hmm. Quite the internal strength for one so young."
Goma massaged his fist, looking amused, as if Seok Jun’s attack had been surprisingly sharp. A heavy energy was vibrating through his fingertips. He felt a strength so formidable that had he lowered his internal output even slightly, he might have been the one pushed back.
"You're holding up better than expected."
Yeon-hui was clinging to a tree, struggling not to collapse, while Seok Jin, despite his broken hands, forced himself up and glared at Goma through gritted teeth.
"I like that look in your eyes. I think I'll beat you Qingcheng brats to my heart's content today."
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
"Gah!"
Seok Jun was struck by Goma's fist again. As he was sent flying by the impact, Yeon-hui immediately lunged forward.
"Yah! Ack!"
Thwack! Thud!
But all their movements were futile. They were beaten so relentlessly they couldn't even tell where they were being hit. Lee Gon, who had been fighting Seok Jun, watched with a dazed expression as Goma moved with terrifying speed. The Qingcheng disciples were taking turns being subjected to a dizzying barrage of punches.
"Lower your eyes."
Thud-thud-thud—!
"Lower your eyes!"
Thud-thud-thud—!
It was at that moment, as Goma abandoned all dignity and rained blows upon the Qingcheng disciples in a fit of madness.
Zip!
A strange sound echoed from somewhere. Then, a massive concentration of internal energy coalesced right before Goma's eyes.
C-C-Crack!
Sword Aura surged violently upward, like a waterfall flowing in reverse.
"Huh?"
Goma hastily threw himself backward to evade the Sword Aura. In the spot where he had just been standing, a man now stood, cradling the battered Yeon-hui in his arms.
"Who are you?"
The one standing there, radiating a dark, chilling fury, was Seok Myeong.
He had finally arrived.
*
"Ugh..."
"Yeon-hui."
Seok Myeong couldn't find the words. The state of his junior disciples was too horrific.
Seok Jin was kneeling with both hands broken, and Seok Jun was bleeding from his nose and mouth, only one eye able to open. Yeon-hui lay on the ground, bruises visible through her torn clothes. Fortunately, the injuries to her face didn't look too severe. It seemed Seok Jun and Seok Jin had protected her with their lives.
"I'm sorry..."
These were the only words Seok Myeong could squeeze out of his heavy heart as he surveyed the carnage. There was nothing else. Seeing his brothers and sister mangled not on a battlefield, but within the Martial Alliance itself, his thoughts had turned to stone.
"Uh... uh..."
Seok Jun tried to say something, but he couldn't form the words. Seok Myeong’s gaze shifted to him, and he realized why.
"Ugh... ack!"
Seok Jun wasn't unable to speak because of sorrow. His entire body, including his mouth and throat, was so swollen that he simply couldn't produce a sound.
"I know. I know what you're trying to say..."
Seok Myeong took a deep breath. He was so angry he felt as if he couldn't breathe. Yet, he had to maintain his composure.
This surging rage.
To drag every last drop of it out, he had to suppress his emotions somehow.
"Da... Sahyeong..."
As Seok Myeong laid Yeon-hui down and looked at Seok Jin, the younger boy struggled to open his eyes and speak.
"Thank... goodness... I was... so scared... alone..."
"..."
"They... they..."
"..."
"Yeon-hui and me... Seok Jun Saje..."
"I know. You don't have to say any more."
Seok Myeong stroked the head of the trembling Seok Jin. He was unnervingly calm. The expression of trying to restrain his anger was gone. A profound, piercing coldness—one that felt as if it could freeze the entire world—had swallowed all other emotions.
"I know exactly how I must pay them back."