Chapter 156
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: The Bait
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It was then that Cho Ak-ryang casually turned away.
Noticing this, Beom Gye-wi gave him a puzzled look.
“Hm? Where are you off to?”
“I'm going to follow those Kongtong Sect fellows we just saved.”
Beom Gye-wi frowned at Cho Ak-ryang's answer.
The disciple, Hyeon Geom, was tolerable, but he couldn't stand the consistently rigid Gong Hyeon-ja.
“Is there really a need to go that far?”
“Do you think I'm doing this because I find them so endearing?”
Cho Ak-ryang glanced in the direction the two had disappeared.
“We need to find the other culprits.”
“…?”
“If Sa Yeong-ui and the other one are nearby, they will surely target those two again.”
“Ah!”
Beom Gye-wi grinned, finally understanding.
“So, they were the bait?”
As Cho Ak-ryang nodded, Beom Gye-wi turned his gaze toward Hong Dan-yeop.
“Then I'll leave that to you, Brother Cho. I have a few things to say to this one.”
Leaving behind Beom Gye-wi with his murderous gaze and the trembling Hong Dan-yeop, Cho Ak-ryang shot off.
* * *
“Ugh!”
As his master swayed and groaned, Hyeon Geom quickly supported his shoulder.
“Are you all right?”
Gong Hyeon-ja gave a bitter smile and nodded.
Although the Energy-Scattering Poison had been completely removed, the aftereffects of suffering for ten days were unavoidable.
Gazing back and forth between his own emaciated arm and his disciple's noticeably gaunt face, Gong Hyeon-ja let out a heavy sigh.
“This is the most humiliating moment of my life.”
Not only had he been captured as a hostage by those of the Unorthodox Faction, but he had also endured all sorts of insults and disgrace.
But what truly tormented him was something else.
“To think I'd owe my life to them of all people…”
Recalling Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi, Gong Hyeon-ja felt like he wanted to find a hole to crawl into and hide.
He was so ashamed that he couldn't bear the thought of returning to the sect and reporting the truth.
Hyeon Geom, on the other hand, couldn't understand his master.
Though they were villains, they were the benefactors who had saved their lives in a moment of mortal danger.
Yet, his master's continued hostility toward them didn't sit well with him.
He was aware of his master's rigid character, but he believed one should still clearly distinguish between kindness and enmity.
“But, Master, it weighs on my mind that I couldn't properly express my gratitude to them.”
Gong Hyeon-ja shot Hyeon Geom a look of disbelief.
“Do you have any idea how many Kongtong disciples have met their end at their hands?”
“However…”
Gong Hyeon-ja cut Hyeon Geom off with a resolute expression.
“They aren't called the Ten Great Villains for nothing. Those ominous titles don't follow them without reason.”
“…”
“How are they any different from Chilji Goeta? The vile nature of the Unorthodox Faction is to deceive and take lives without hesitation to achieve their goals. Do not ever judge them by the same standards as us.”
Hyeon Geom let out a quiet sigh.
But in that moment.
He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Gong Hyeon-ja seemed to feel it too, stopping in his tracks and scanning his surroundings.
It was then that two figures emerged from a thicket of shrubs about a hundred feet away.
Recognizing one of them, Gong Hyeon-ja let out a low groan.
A fiery red robe, embroidered with extravagant patterns.
She was a woman with captivating, sensual eyes.
Her voluptuous figure was incredibly seductive. But her allure was so intense it felt dangerous.
“The One-Eyed Rakshasa…”
Gong Hyeon-ja exclaimed in shock.
He never expected that she, who hadn't been seen for some time, would be waiting for them here.
Meeting his gaze, Sa Yeong-ui gave him a strange look.
“Shouldn't we at least say our goodbyes before you leave? After all, we've grown so close.”
At her coquettish, nasal tone, Gong Hyeon-ja's face contorted in disgust.
Although she appeared to be in her thirties, she was, in fact, an old demoness past her seventieth birthday.
“Shut that bewitching mouth!”
At Gong Hyeon-ja's shout, Sa Yeong-ui let out a dry laugh and slowly approached the two.
Her snow-white hair fluttered in the air.
From the single eye visible between the strands, a dense killing intent poured out.
“What a shame. I'd love to have a proper farewell, but I don't have the time.”
The black-clad person with their face covered by a mask, however, remained silent, standing like a rock.
Gong Hyeon-ja and Hyeon Geom drew their swords simultaneously.
Sa Yeong-ui lunged toward them.
A dizzying blur of sword shadows and red afterimages clashed violently.
And from within the chaos, a series of cold metallic clangs and impact sounds erupted.
“Kuh!”
A suppressed groan escaped Gong Hyeon-ja's lips.
The situation was not good.
The longer their confrontation dragged on, the more the cold energy traveling up his sword penetrated his heart meridian.
Sa Yeong-ui's signature technique, the Ice Heart Bone-Piercing Palm.
He struggled to escape its influence, but he couldn't seem to shake her off.
‘How on earth!’
In the past, she was no match for him, not even for a hundred moves.
But now, by some means, she was his equal.
The problem, however, was that neither he nor Hyeon Geom was in peak condition.
Gradually, the tide of battle turned in the opponent's favor, and Gong Hyeon-ja and Hyeon Geom could barely fend off the incoming palm strikes.
Sa Yeong-ui, on the other hand, was at ease.
“Don't worry. I'll send you back to the Kongtong Sect.”
Sa Yeong-ui flashed a sinister smile.
“Just your heads, that is. Without those cumbersome, heavy bodies.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Sa Yeong-ui's attacks grew even fiercer.
Realizing the situation was dire, Gong Hyeon-ja gritted his teeth.
“What is your purpose?”
“You're curious about that now?”
Sa Yeong-ui continued casually.
“Well, fine. You'll need a story to tell King Yama.”
“…”
“Others need to know what happens when they ignore our advice. In short, you and your disciple are an example. So now, it's time to—”
*Clang!*
With a sharp sound, the sword shadow hanging in the air was torn apart like a strip of silk.
Through the gap, Sa Yeong-ui thrust her frost-white hand.
“Die!”
Gong Hyeon-ja's face turned pale.
Sa Yeong-ui's hand was pushing toward his chest.
He had no way to block it.
Then, a miracle occurred.
*Kwang!*
“Aargh!”
Suddenly, an explosion erupted before his eyes, and Sa Yeong-ui was sent flying back with a shrill scream.
Sailing through the air, Sa Yeong-ui twisted her body and landed on the ground.
Her leisurely smile was gone, replaced by a face full of bewilderment.
“Blood Hand Honored One…”
Gong Hyeon-ja and Hyeon Geom turned their heads to where she was looking.
A rock about a hundred feet away.
Standing beside it was a man, and it was impossible to tell how long he had been there.
It was Cho Ak-ryang.
“It was a good idea to follow.”
Cho Ak-ryang walked over and stood in front of Gong Hyeon-ja and Hyeon Geom.
“Step back.”
At his words, Gong Hyeon-ja's expression darkened.
He had now owed his life to this man not once, but twice.
But while he was stubborn, he was not a fool.
He soon nodded silently and retreated a good distance with Hyeon Geom.
“You're looking well.”
Cho Ak-ryang stared intently at Sa Yeong-ui's face.
“Seeing that you've recovered your youthful appearance, has your martial skill improved?”
At Cho Ak-ryang's follow-up remark, Sa Yeong-ui shot him a venomous glare.
“Still, it seems your missing eye hasn't grown back.”
Grinding her teeth, Sa Yeong-ui glanced back over her shoulder.
Seeing this, Cho Ak-ryang frowned.
“Is that your master?”
Cho Ak-ryang's gaze shifted to the black-clad person.
Only a pair of eyes was visible above the mask, but the presence contained within them was incomparable to Sa Yeong-ui or Hong Dan-yeop.
Furthermore, he was unique in that he completely concealed his energy, revealing none of it.
‘So it's him.’
If someone had been watching them, he couldn't think of anyone else it could be.
“Master!”
Sa Yeong-ui's eyebrow twitched.
“We are not master and servant. He made a request of me, and I simply accepted it.”
Cho Ak-ryang curled his lips into a cold smile.
“Then why are you watching him for his reaction?”
“...!”
“What else would you call such a relationship?”
Sa Yeong-ui's face crumpled pitifully.
Cho Ak-ryang watched her and chuckled softly.
“Since you don't deny it, it seems you've already realized it yourself.”
At Cho Ak-ryang's blatant mockery, Sa Yeong-ui's killing intent surged menacingly.
“Shut up! You…”
Sa Yeong-ui, who had been shouting, couldn't finish her sentence.
A sudden impact, as if her shoulder was being crushed, struck her.
“Gah!”
Sa Yeong-ui suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed on the spot.
Her right arm hung limply.
The front of her robe completely stained with blood, Sa Yeong-ui struggled to lift her head.
“How on earth…?”
Cho Ak-ryang answered by raising his hand and pointing at Sa Yeong-ui.
Sa Yeong-ui's face turned pale.
Suddenly, something seemed to shimmer before her eyes and then charged straight for her chest.
She hastily crossed her arms to defend herself, but it was useless.
*Bang!*
Sa Yeong-ui was sent flying, spraying blood. But she did not fall.
Staggering, Sa Yeong-ui righted herself and stared at Cho Ak-ryang with a look of disbelief.
“Distant Palm…!”
The act of gathering one's internal energy to amplify the power of a strike is called issuing force.
However, a more advanced technique existed.
It was a method known as palm wind or fist wind.
A method of attack where condensed energy is maintained and projected forward to strike an opponent.
But the Distant Palm that Cho Ak-ryang had just used was a supreme art on a different level from such techniques.
It caused energy to explode at an arbitrary, unspecified point.
It was a divine feat that could only be demonstrated by one who had reached the state of circulating energy through sheer will, where true energy naturally arises and follows one's intent.
Indeed, she herself had felt nothing until the moment she was struck.
No aura.
Not even a hint of killing intent.
Only after being hit did she painfully realize its power.
The gap in their martial prowess was too overwhelming.
In the face of it, she was utterly helpless.
Cho Ak-ryang picked up a small stone from the ground.
Even seeing this, Sa Yeong-ui was like a stone statue, unable to lift a single finger.
The formidable aura piercing her heart wouldn't allow it.
A difference that could not be bridged by any means.
That was class.
And Cho Ak-ryang was someone who possessed that class in its entirety.
*Thump.*
Cho Ak-ryang stomped his foot on the ground.
The moment that force traveled up from his ankle, Cho Ak-ryang's body moved in a spiral.
The rotational force, amplified as it passed through his leg and waist, was transferred entirely to his hand, and the stone he held left his grasp at the same instant.
“...!”
Sa Yeong-ui's face went white with terror.
Though she couldn't see it, she could feel the shadow of death approaching to claim her life.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
*Thwack.*
“...?”
Realizing she was still breathing after some time had passed, Sa Yeong-ui cautiously opened her eyes.
The back of the black-clad person, who had stepped in front of her with a raised hand, came into view.
“Not bad.”
Cho Ak-ryang cast an interested glance at the black-clad person.
He was suddenly curious about the identity of this person who had caught the stone, thrown with spiraling force, in a single hand.