Chapter 62
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: The Mang Mountain's Thistle
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*Grind!*
Ak Yeong-ho gritted his teeth so hard they threatened to shatter.
He finally realized he had been played by that sly tongue.
To think a worthless cur, who wouldn't have dared to meet his gaze when the Jangrak Sect was at its peak, would dare to mock them!
The more he thought about it, the more his anger boiled over.
Glaring at Neung So-mil with bloodshot eyes, Ak Yeong-ho commanded a nearby subordinate.
“Bring me his arm.”
If he had his way, he would lop off the man's head right now. But there were still things he needed to find out.
“As you command!”
One of the men in black immediately strode toward Neung So-mil.
*Clang.*
With each step that closed the distance, the rings on the Gold Ring Saber let out an eerie metallic sound.
But Neung So-mil was not afraid.
“It won’t be that easy.”
On the contrary, he wore an arrogant expression, brimming with confidence.
Then, suddenly, he felt a strange sensation.
The distance to his opponent was now a mere six paces. Yet, he couldn't sense Beom Gye-wi's presence anywhere.
Neung So-mil hastily looked around.
“Senior?”
There was no response.
“...!”
Neung So-mil’s heart sank.
At that moment, the man in black closed the distance in an instant and swung his saber like a thunderbolt.
“Senior!”
Neung So-mil squeezed his eyes shut.
In that instant.
*Crunch.*
Hearing a sound right in front of his nose, Neung So-mil cautiously opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the Gold Ring Saber, stopped just an inch above his shoulder.
Next, he saw a large hand gripping the saber.
It was Beom Gye-wi.
Tucked under his arm was the apothecary owner.
Neung So-mil finally let out a sigh of relief.
“See? I told you it wouldn’t be easy.”
Even in that situation, Neung So-mil couldn't resist taunting Ak Yeong-ho. Ak Yeong-ho, on the other hand, was feeling a shock bordering on horror.
‘When did he…?’
Even with his eyes wide open, he wondered if he was dreaming.
The situation was that surreal.
A whitish afterimage had flickered before his eyes, and only then did a fierce gust of wind follow.
By the time he came to his senses, the man who had been sprawled nearby was gone. He had reappeared in front of his subordinate, the giant gripping the man's saber with his bare hand.
All of this had happened in the blink of an eye.
“Who… who might you be?”
Ak Yeong-ho found himself using honorifics without realizing it. The man’s presence was that extraordinary.
But all he received in return was a pair of chillingly cold eyes. The moment their gazes met, Ak Yeong-ho felt his breath catch in his throat.
The man in black, whose saber was caught, was in an even worse state.
He had to bear the full brunt of the terrifying killing intent radiating from Beom Gye-wi at point-blank range.
“Nngh!”
He tried to pull the saber back with all his might, but it wouldn't budge.
The man’s face, visible above his mask, turned red with embarrassment and shame. But that didn't last long.
“Hah!”
Gasping, the man in black hastily let go of the saber and retreated. It was due to the intense heat that had suddenly traveled up the blade.
Swallowing a pained groan, the man looked down at his palms, which were now red and peeling.
But the truly astonishing event happened right after that.
The middle section of the saber, held in the giant’s hand, began to glow red-hot, then melted into a stream of molten steel that dripped to the ground.
It was a scorching yang energy so intense it was hard to believe even when seeing it with his own eyes.
Ak Yeong-ho’s eyes wavered.
Even though he hadn't set foot in the martial world for many years, he still had ears to hear news and rumors. Among them were stories of monsters one should never encounter.
There was only one person in the martial world with such a massive build and formidable scorching yang energy.
“The Mang Mountain's Thistle?”
The giant spoke abruptly.
“Have we met?”
“...!”
Ak Yeong-ho was utterly dumbfounded. A chill ran down his spine, and his face was already deathly pale.
Why in the world would the Mang Mountain's Thistle appear here?
Their target was the Ice Jade Fairy, not a fiend in human form.
Ak Yeong-ho struggled to compose his trembling expression and spoke calmly.
“Why are you here…?”
“Why ask me? You’re the ones who came looking.”
That answer confirmed it.
Han Seol-hwa wasn't the only one by the physician Dan Ak-seon’s side.
Ak Yeong-ho finally realized they had stepped into an impossibly dire situation. But it was too late to turn back.
They were already riding the tiger.
The blatant hostility in Beom Gye-wi’s eyes!
Facing the gaze of a predator with its prey in sight, there was only one choice.
‘If we’re willing to suffer mutual destruction, we can at least inflict a fatal wound.’
Defeating this man alone was completely out of the question from the start.
He was the worst possible opponent.
Unless the previous sect leader came back from the dead, no one here stood a chance against the monster before them.
But fortunately, they had a secret technique passed down through generations.
Forcing down the fear coiling in the pit of his stomach, Ak Yeong-ho shouted.
“Form the Golden Sound Thunderclap Formation!”
The moment he finished speaking, the ten members of the Jangrak Sect, including Ak Yeong-ho, surrounded Beom Gye-wi.
The Gold Ring Sabers in their hands began to vibrate in unison.
In that instant, a bizarre sound, so strange it could make one's mind go blank, enveloped the entire temple.
“Ugh!”
Neung So-mil let out an involuntary groan.
The excruciating sound, like it was scraping away at his eardrums, began to rattle his insides.
The Jangrak Sect members didn't look comfortable either. They seemed to be pouring a considerable amount of true energy into their sabers.
Beom Gye-wi, on the other hand, merely frowned as if unbothered and asked.
“What’s with all this annoying noise?”
Beom Gye-wi threw the object in his hand.
*Whoosh!*
A hair-raising sound tore through the air.
*Thud.*
Ak Yeong-ho, who was opposite Beom Gye-wi, clutched his chest and collapsed limply.
A fine mist of blood erupted from his back. The projectile that left Beom Gye-wi’s hand had shattered his sternum and pierced straight through him.
Losing none of its momentum, the projectile flew on, toppling a massive stone pagoda before clattering to the ground.
“...!”
Even as his life faded, Ak Yeong-ho was in disbelief.
He could only stare, dumbfounded, at the incredible strength that was impossible to believe even after seeing it.
The identity of the projectile that had pierced his chest. It wasn't the sharp tip of a blade, but the blunt pommel.
Even Neung So-mil was utterly stunned.
Beom Gye-wi had transformed into a being on a completely different level from when he bickered with Cho Ak-ryang or Han Seol-hwa.
*Thump.*
Beom Gye-wi handed the apothecary owner he had been carrying to Neung So-mil.
“You take this man and go back.”
“Huh? Yes…”
It was clear from a single glance that the apothecary owner was in bad shape; their torture must have been brutal.
Freed of the cumbersome patient, Beom Gye-wi immediately shot forward. He began to indiscriminately seize and kill the warriors of the Jangrak Sect, who were in disarray after losing their leader.
He didn't need to move twice.
Every person caught by Beom Gye-wi’s relentless hands had their head smashed or their chest caved in.
‘Golden Sound Thunderclap Formation, my ass…’
Neung So-mil couldn't close his gaping mouth at the sight of Beom Gye-wi's martial arts, which he had only ever heard about in rumors.
From the very beginning, an insurmountable gap in martial prowess had existed between them and Beom Gye-wi.
Neung So-mil had seen Cho Ak-ryang's martial arts a few times. But Beom Gye-wi's style had a completely different feel.
In contrast to Cho Ak-ryang’s restrained and refined techniques, his were destructive and savage.
Neung So-mil suddenly felt like laughing.
What was the point in distinguishing between the two? Both were monsters who trailed blood in their wake, disasters on par with a natural calamity.
‘Oh, right!’
Realizing something belatedly, Neung So-mil hurriedly fled the scene of the gruesome slaughter.
The apothecary owner's condition was that severe.
At this rate, it wouldn't be strange if he breathed his last at any moment.
Leaving the screams and horrific killing intent behind him, Neung So-mil began to run.
Racing against time, he reached the Divine Demon Valley and loudly called for Dan Ak-seon.
“Valley Lord!”
Before the sound of his voice could fade, Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa were standing before him.
Over their shoulders, he could see Dan Ak-seon rushing toward them.
Neung So-mil laid the apothecary owner he was carrying on the ground.
“Huh?”
Dan Ak-seon couldn't hide his surprise upon recognizing the apothecary owner’s face.
“Mister!”
Even as he let out a scream-like cry, his hands were already moving.
He quickly checked the man's breathing, then grabbed his right wrist while his other hand fumbled in his robes for a wooden case of needles.
After confirming the man's pulse, which was as faint as a thread about to snap, Dan Ak-seon urgently called out to Cho Ak-ryang.
“Help me!”
Understanding Dan Ak-seon's intention, Cho Ak-ryang placed his palm on the apothecary owner's chest.
He began to directly infuse his true energy.
“Ugh…”
The apothecary owner groaned and opened his eyes.
His gaze, fixed on Dan Ak-seon, trembled violently. He then weakly mumbled something.
“What?”
Dan Ak-seon couldn't understand.
Even in his hazy state, the apothecary owner repeated that he was sorry over and over.
Was it due to the overwhelming emotions?
The apothecary owner’s body shuddered, and he let out a series of short coughs. Blood was mixed in with his coughs. Dan Ak-seon quickly used a needle to strike an acupoint, calming him.
For now, he was barely clinging to life.
Treatment had to be administered quickly.
While Cho Ak-ryang infused his energy to prevent the internal injuries from worsening, Dan Ak-seon’s hands moved swiftly, placing needles on major acupoints.
How much time passed like that?
The man’s breathing stabilized, and his paper-white complexion gradually regained some color.
Taking a breath, Dan Ak-seon continued the treatment while Cho Ak-ryang turned to Neung So-mil and asked.
“What in the world happened?”
“Well…”
Neung So-mil began to explain.
From the carrier pigeon arriving from the Hall of Righteous Intent to his encounter with the Jangrak Sect members alongside Beom Gye-wi.
When he specifically mentioned that their target was Dan Ak-seon, Dan Ak-seon’s expression darkened sharply.
‘The Jangrak Sect…’
Dan Ak-seon knew about the Shanxi Blood Incident, which had culminated in the death of the sect leader, Ak Yeong-san, as his father had mentioned it a few times. But he had never expected the old grudge from so long ago to come looking for him.
Moreover, even his father hadn't been the direct party to that grudge.
“I’m sorry. Because of me…”
Though the man was unconscious and couldn't hear him, Dan Ak-seon offered an apology to the apothecary owner. Watching him with a pained expression, Cho Ak-ryang suddenly noticed something strange.
“You said about thirty men infiltrated the 무위, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
But the number of Jangrak Sect members waiting for Neung So-mil at the temple was only ten.
“It means there are others.”
“I will locate them and report back immediately.”
Cho Ak-ryang shook his head at Neung So-mil’s response.
“No. There’s no need.”
“What? Why…”
Neung So-mil, who was about to object, trailed off.
Following Cho Ak-ryang’s gaze, Neung So-mil turned his head and saw men in black gathering at the entrance of the valley.