Chapter 1155
In Dae Gu-hwi's pupils,
A blazing fury—one that had never been seen before—was burning, as if ready to incinerate everything in its path.
"......Why did you do this?"
Dae Un-pung, who had been watching him, clicked his tongue.
"I was against the plan to use the Extreme Annihilation Flame Crystals from the start."
"......."
"Even if we had hundreds of them, they wouldn't have been enough to kill the Thunder God's disciple."
"Was this really necessary?"
Dae Gu-hwi wore an expression of utter incomprehension.
"You could have become the successor of the Beast Palace without needing to kill me."
"The successor of the Beast Palace?"
Dae Un-pung scoffed.
"Did you really think I was doing all this just to become the successor of this palace?"
Turning his head toward the direction of the Myriad Beasts Hall, he coldly repeated,
"Well, the same goes for the position of palace lord. Since he chose a successor he doesn't truly favor, the lord will cling to that seat until the day he dies of old age."
Dae Un-pung spat out his words as if chewing on them.
"And until then, I'd be stuck living under the hollow title of 'successor.'"
"If this was your plan all along, why did you even summon me here?"
Dae Gu-hwi suppressed his rage as he spoke.
"Everything you've schemed will fall apart now."
"On the contrary, it's the opposite."
Dae Un-pung took a deep breath.
"If more time passes like this, it won't be long before you become a grandmaster of the Central Plains, amassing formidable power."
"......."
"By then, you'll be someone no one can touch."
Dae Un-pung had already colluded with external forces to seize control of the Beast Palace.
What if Dae Gu-hwi found out too late?
Dae Gu-hwi would brand him a traitor who brought down the Beast Palace and make sure he paid the price.
Before his reputation and influence grew any further, Dae Un-pung intended to eliminate him now—while he still had the chance.
If he missed this opportunity, Dae Gu-hwi would undoubtedly become a calamity.
"So you planned to use the chaos of this internal conflict to remove me."
Dae Gu-hwi let out a hollow laugh.
"And I suppose you were the one manipulating my eldest brother and the rest of my siblings too."
Dae Muk-gang and his followers had not only been reduced to ignorant children, fools who knew nothing of the world—
They had also obsessively tried to kill him, even after he had declared he would abandon his claim to succession.
"Manipulation? Hardly. You saw it for yourself."
Dae Un-pung snorted.
"Those bastards were just lucky enough to be born with the palace lord's blood, inheriting nothing but sturdy bodies... Their brains are no different from those of beasts."
"Even if that's true for my other brothers, how do you plan to withstand the palace lord's wrath?"
"Heh heh heh. I've been slowly poisoning him for a long time with toxins from the Western Heaven Poison King Palace."
Dae Un-pung spoke with confidence.
"Even the palace lord can't detect the poison of a Saint Among Poisons."
In an instant, Dae Gu-hwi's expression hardened.
The reason the palace lord's face had looked so dark and powerless—
It wasn't just because of his anguish. He had been poisoned by the toxins of a Saint Among Poisons.
BOOM!
Just then, a deafening explosion echoed from the distant sky, and flames erupted in multiple locations.
At the same time, countless troops were pouring into the Beast Palace.
The Western Heaven Poison King Palace, the Divine Dragon Society, the Black Blood Gang, the Moon Worship Sword Group...
All the notorious factions from the Southern Barbarian Region had descended at once.
"And the traitor who colluded with these external forces won't be me—it'll be you."
The decisive reason Dae Un-pung had lured Dae Gu-hwi here—
He needed a scapegoat to cover up the destruction of the Beast Palace and the assassination of the palace lord.
"You've been conspiring with these factions for a long time."
"Of course. Did you think I'd carry out such a grand scheme alone?"
Dae Un-pung spoke boldly.
"Either way, this palace is doomed. There was never any other choice."
Dae Gu-hwi's face twisted in devastation.
For generations, the Beast Palace had determined hierarchy through strength, and its members obeyed that order.
But in this era, his brothers had all been born with the temperament of rats.
Not content with merely coveting power, they were now using outside forces to tear their own family apart.
RUMBLE.
At that moment, the doors of the hall burst open, and a flood of martial artists clad in pitch-black assassin's outfits poured in.
They were none other than the warriors of the Moon Worship Sword Group—the Terror of Miaojiang.
"You've arrived, Leader Heuk."
As Dae Un-pung bowed slightly, the man at their forefront—Heuk Sa-poong—grinned at Dae Gu-hwi with a chilling laugh.
"Lord Dae."
Heuk Sa-poong, leader of the Moon Worship Sword Group, approached Dae Un-pung with a sinister smile.
"Congratulations on achieving your grand ambition."
Since Dae Un-pung commanded the Beast Palace's Thunderflow Hall, he was addressed as "Lord."
"This is only the beginning. It's too soon to say the grand ambition has been achieved."
Heuk Sa-poong studied Dae Gu-hwi with an intrigued gaze before nodding.
"So this is the leader of the Beast Division from the Martial Soul Society."
"Indeed."
As Dae Un-pung nodded, Heuk Sa-poong extended his hand.
"As agreed, I'll handle him. Lord Dae, you and the Divine Dragon Society Leader should clear the path to the Myriad Beasts Hall."
A cruel smile curled on his lips.
"It seems their resistance is... stubborn."
The Myriad Beasts Combat Unit—the palace lord's personal guard and the Beast Palace's elite warriors—
Despite the sudden ambush, they were holding their ground, fiercely protecting Dae Gon, who remained within the Myriad Beasts Hall.
"Very well."
Dae Un-pung glanced at Dae Gu-hwi one last time before turning away.
"Be careful. He is the renowned disciple of the Thunder God, after all."
"Heh heh heh. Even if that madman Noe Bi-hon himself came, I wouldn't be afraid."
This was no mere confidence.
The Moon Worship Sword Group was an assassin organization descended from the Veneration Cult.
By combining cruel forbidden techniques with their sword arts, they could annihilate even the most formidable martial arts of the murim in an instant.
"Very well."
Dae Un-pung left a brief smirk for Heuk Sa-poong before turning away without hesitation.
"Rumor has it you've made a name for yourself as the leader of the Beast Division under the Martial Soul Society."
Heuk Sa-poong, who had been staring at Dae Gu-hwi, slowly drew the Black Evil Blade from his waist.
"Have you given up?"
Dae Gu-hwi hung his head with a tormented expression, as if he had no intention of fighting back.
But it wasn't because of Dae Un-pung's betrayal—the one he had trusted.
'In the end, it's all because of me.'
His brothers had changed. Dae Un-pung had let outsiders into the palace.
Even the Beast Palace Lord, renowned for possessing the sharpest and most beast-like instincts in the world, had failed to detect the poison.
All of it was his fault.
Because the sole prodigy who could have led the Beast Palace to prosperity since the Founder's time had abruptly left, declaring he would bury his bones in the Central Plains.
Dae Gon, who had always believed in him—
The one son he had truly relied upon—must have been thrown into turmoil by his sudden departure.
"Still just a brat, after all."
As Dae Gu-hwi bowed his head, consumed by guilt, Heuk Sa-poong assumed he was cowering in fear.
And he couldn't be blamed for the misconception.
The Moon Worship Sword Group was composed of elite swordsmen capable of eradicating even the most prominent martial sects in a single strike.
Alone, there was no way to withstand them.
"I'll make it painless."
As if his interest had waned, Heuk Sa-poong gave a slight nod to the subordinate beside him.
Flash!
The subordinate immediately unleashed a swift sword thrust aimed straight at Dae Gu-hwi's heart.
No—it should have pierced through.
Zzzt—!
The sharp blade stopped precisely an inch away from Dae Gu-hwi's chest.
Because of the fury that erupted within him.
The Thunderbolt Divine Qi had instinctively manifested—the Heavenly Thunder Protection, a defensive barrier of lightning.
"Ugh—! Aaahhh—!"
The swordsman who had thrust his blade let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Zzzzzzt—!
A massive surge of Thunder Essence Divine Qi had been channeled through the blade touching Dae Gu-hwi's skin.
Bang!
Unable to withstand the force, the swordsman's arm exploded.
Zzzzzzt—!
Meanwhile, Dae Gu-hwi's pupils turned pure white, and arcs of white lightning raged around his body.
Descent of the Thunder God.
A second Thunder God had appeared—one no less formidable than Noe Bi-hon, one of the Death Gods of the Central Plains.
"Not the Thunder God's disciple... but the Thunder God himself?"
Heuk Sa-poong's expression darkened.
When he had heard that Dae Gu-hwi, barely past adolescence, had become the leader of the Martial Soul Society's Beast Division, he had scoffed.
—Are the Central Plains so lacking in talent?
Dae Un-pung had warned that he was a formidable foe, being the Thunder God's disciple.
But in Heuk Sa-poong's eyes, what was so impressive about being the disciple of some Thunder God?
Thunder Essence Divine Qi was a power only the Thunder God possessed, and without it, the martial arts of the Thunderclap Gate were hardly a threat.
While others were busy scheming how to strike Dae Gon in the Myriad Beasts Hall—
He had promised to take care of Dae Gu-hwi, the thorn in Dae Un-pung's side.
But now...
He would have to stake not only his own life, but the lives of every subordinate waiting outside.
Step back. Step back.
The once-confident swordsmen of the Moon Worship Sword Group gradually retreated.
Just meeting the gaze of those pure white eyes felt like their very souls were melting away.
"I've long wanted to test myself against the Death Gods of the Central Plains."
Seeing his men frozen in fear, Heuk Sa-poong let out a hoarse, mocking laugh and roared with bravado.
If he let this momentum crush him, he'd be forced to stretch his neck out for the blade without even a proper fight.
"This place is too cramped. Let's take it outside."
One against three hundred.
The result of that battle was shockingly, horrifically one-sided.
The three hundred swordsmen, wielding the Moon Worship Sword Arts infused with the Veneration Cult's forbidden techniques, were reduced to a viscous, molten sludge.
Those who still had fragments of bone left were the lucky ones—most had lost all form, becoming nothing more than sticky byproducts.
And Heuk Sa-poong, the Black Terror of Miaojiang—
Now a grotesque mockery of his own title, his entire body was dyed crimson.
From his robes to his skin, everything had melted away, exposing raw, red muscle.
Clang.
Tossing aside his shattered Moon Worship Sword, he spat a final curse at Dae Gu-hwi.
"You... will die too."
Thud.
With those words, he collapsed into a pool of red liquid.
"Huff... Huff..."
Gasping for breath, Dae Gu-hwi looked down at his abdomen.
Embedded deep within was a broken shard of the Black Evil Blade.
He yanked it out with force—
Splat.
Blood sprayed up to a foot high, but he tossed the fragment aside indifferently.
With Thunder Essence Divine Qi, most wounds could be healed in an instant.
But injuries inflicted by the Moon Worship Sword, laced with the Veneration Cult's forbidden techniques, were not so easily mended.
His drained stamina and Internal Power were recovering at an agonizingly slow pace.
"The Palace Lord."
But there was no time to hesitate.
The factions that had stormed the Beast Palace had joined forces and were now advancing toward the Myriad Beasts Hall where the Lord resided.
The Beast Palace was in complete disarray.
They didn't even need a massive force—just the Divine Dragon Society alone would be enough to overwhelm them now.
Even if the Myriad Beasts Combat Unit fought to the death, their fall was only a matter of time.
And with the Palace Lord poisoned and unable to exert his full strength, they had to be stopped—fast.
CRACK!
Dae Gu-hwi, now transformed into a bolt of white lightning, surged toward the Myriad Beasts Hall.
'I shouldn't have come alone.'
Regret crashed over him like a tidal wave, but he quickly shook his head.
'No. Even if I had brought the Martial Soul Society's forces, it wouldn't have made a difference.'
Doubling the speed of his movement technique, Dae Gu-hwi bit his lip.
'Because the main palace belongs to the forces from Beyond the Frontier.'
Even if he had mobilized the entire Beast Division—no, the entire Martial Soul Society—it wouldn't have stopped this rebellion.
They had no justification to intervene.
The reason the Martial Soul Society, which included many elite warriors from Beyond the Frontier like Dae Gu-hwi, had been able to establish itself in the Central Plains was simple: they had publicly declared that they severed all ties with existing factions before entering.
So if the Martial Soul Society suddenly intervened in a conflict involving forces from Beyond the Frontier—especially one concerning the Beast Palace, where Dae Gu-hwi served as the Beast Division's leader?
Not only would the Society's legitimacy crumble in an instant, but they would also face accusations of being a vanguard for the Beyond-the-Frontier forces, shaking their very foundation.
WHOOSH—
By now, the area around the Myriad Beasts Hall was engulfed in flames.
Under the eerie crimson glow, the clashing of weapons and the dying screams of warriors echoed through the air.
The martial artists of the Myriad Beasts Combat Unit fought valiantly, their eyes bloodshot with fury, but most were already wounded, their bodies drenched in blood.
Yet, true to their reputation as the Beast Palace's finest warriors—each capable of taking on a hundred men—they held their formation like an unbreakable fortress wall.
But the enemy forces surged forward endlessly, like relentless waves, and it was only a matter of time before their defenses shattered.
"The beasts of the Beast Palace are putting up a desperate fight!"
A sinister cackle rang out as the Western Heaven Poison King's voice echoed, followed by eerie green poison mist creeping up from the ground.
The warriors of the Myriad Beasts Combat Unit who were touched by the mist collapsed without even a scream, vomiting black blood.
Seizing the opportunity—
The Divine Dragon Society's spear-wielders advanced like coiling dragons, their battle formation pressing forward.
Behind them, the Black Blood Gang's assassins slithered in like shadows, exploiting every gap in the defense.
—We can't let them through!
The Myriad Beasts Combat Unit resisted desperately. When one warrior fell, another used their corpse as a shield to hold the line.
If an arm was severed, they bit with their teeth. If a leg was broken, they crawled and clung to the enemy's ankles.
For a moment, the sheer brutality of their last stand seemed to stagger the enemy's advance—but only briefly.
BOOM.
With a deafening roar, the Myriad Beasts Combat Unit's formation wavered.
As the battle dragged on, the enemy had begun forcibly breaking their ranks using the Extreme Annihilation Flame Crystal.
—Now!
The moment the defensive line crumbled, the Poison People of the Western Heaven Poison King Palace and the warriors of the Divine Dragon Society stormed into the stronghold.
SHWIIING—CRACK!
Then, with a sharp sound of splitting air, a bolt of pure white lightning struck down before the invading warriors.
It was Dae Gu-hwi.
"HALT!"
Wreathed in thunderous energy, he became like a beast, tearing through the enemy ranks.
"So he defeated the Moon Worship Sword Group."
From a hidden vantage point, Dae Un-pung, who had secretly infiltrated the stronghold, watched the scene unfold and gaped.
"Alone?"
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
He had never understood why the palace lord had been so desperate to name Dae Gu-hwi his successor.
Only now did he realize.
Dae Gu-hwi—
He was the greatest prodigy in the history of the Beast Palace.
RUMBLE—ZZZTTT!
Dae Gu-hwi shattered enemy lines, unleashing his Thunder Essence Divine Qi without pause.
But the sheer number of foes was overwhelming—no matter how many he felled, more took their place.
Worse, once they saw him wielding his Thunder Essence Divine Qi with unstoppable might, they shifted their battle formation into a massive shield formation, blocking his attacks entirely.
Slowly, they began to encircle him like hunters corralling a beast.
CRACK—ZZZTTT!
Dae Gu-hwi fought with everything he had, using the Thunderclap Gate's martial arts to break their formation—
But as time passed, he only became more trapped within the space they had created.
'Even if I had reached the Supreme Origin Realm, I couldn't hold off this many alone.'
And that was without considering the fact that he was already severely wounded from defeating the Moon Worship Sword Group and had exhausted his strength.
ZZZTTT—CRASH!
Like a wounded beast, he lashed out wildly, pouring everything into his attacks—
But he couldn't break through the wall of soldiers.
RUMBLE—
Meanwhile, the elite forces of the Western Heaven Poison King Palace had also breached the stronghold.
'No!'
Just as Dae Gu-hwi gathered his strength for one last desperate surge—
RUMBLE—WHOOSH.
Suddenly, the enemy ranks parted, revealing a middle-aged man with an imposing stature.
The Divine Dragon Society Leader.
"A tiger's cub is no ordinary beast."
Dae Gon, the Beast Palace Lord, had conquered the Southern Barbarian Region with his bare fists.
If Dae Gon hadn't been poisoned by the Western Heaven Poison King Palace's Extreme Poison—
The Divine Dragon Society Leader would never have dared to participate in this ambush.
"Why? What grudge could you possibly hold—"
Dae Gu-hwi's voice thundered like lightning.
"For factions with no ties to this palace to gather and commit such treachery?!"
"Hoh. You truly know nothing."
The Divine Dragon Society Leader shook his head as he looked at Dae Gu-hwi.
"Well, what could a brat who licks the boots of Central Plains trash possibly understand?"
"......"
"Your father clutches a treasure of the heavens, yet wastes it on foolish pursuits."
Dae Gu-hwi's eyes flashed.
"Treasure?"
"If you don't know, then so be it. The scales have already tipped."
The Divine Dragon Society Leader chuckled as he surveyed the mountain of corpses around the stronghold.
"Dae Gu-hwi. Surrender now, and I'll spare your life—and the lives of the Beast Palace's disciples."
The Divine Dragon Society Leader wiped the smile from his face, his expression turning solemn once more.
"If you refuse, the Beast Palace will cease to exist in this world from today onward."
"You intend to break the Palace Lord's spirit by forcing my surrender."
Dae Gu-hwi scoffed.
"Yet you don't have the confidence to defeat him alone."
Had the Divine Dragon Society Leader truly believed he could take down the Palace Lord single-handedly, he wouldn't have gathered such an overwhelming force to invade.
This wasn't about mercy—it was a ploy. By coercing Dae Gu-hwi into surrender, he could crush the morale of both Palace Lord Dae Gon and the Beast Palace disciples.
Minimize losses. Seize the Beast Palace with ease.
"If you understand that, shouldn't you surrender all the more?"
The Divine Dragon Society Leader spoke leisurely.
"Or do you wish for the Beast Palace's lineage to be severed here?"
The implication was clear—Dae Un-pung was the only surviving heir. The rest of his brothers had already met their end.
"Enough talk."
Dae Gu-hwi, seething with rage, gathered every last drop of his remaining Internal Power.
"Come at me."
Killing Intent, enough to overturn the heavens, surged from his eyes.
"Even if I die, I'll take your head with me."
"Such fighting spirit."
The Divine Dragon Society Leader tilted his head slightly before slowly raising his hand.
Whoosh.
At his signal, the waiting army shifted into formation once more.
Zzziiing.
A massive, dome-shaped light expanded, encircling Dae Gu-hwi from all sides.
The Divine Dragon Society Leader was all bluster.
Not a shred of willingness to face Dae Gu-hwi alone.
"Open Formation!"
At his command, the shield-like battle formation morphed into a spear's edge—sharp, lethal.
They had seen through it. Dae Gu-hwi's stamina and Internal Power were depleted. This was a strike aimed straight for his throat.
'So this is the end.'
Facing death, his mind grew eerily calm. His senses sharpened to an unprecedented degree.
His Spirit and Mind reached boundless serenity, filling with an exhilaration he had never known before.
Oooong—!
The Thunder Essence Divine Qi and Beast Force within him, once incompatible, began slowly merging into one.
'A pity.'
Dae Gu-hwi's expression darkened with regret.
Had he survived this place—
He could have forged a method to unify these two forces, ascending to an even higher realm.
But his life ended here.
Regrettable, but this was as far as he went.
"Annihilate!"
The Divine Dragon Society Leader roared.
The gathered power from the surrounding formations surged toward Dae Gu-hwi in a slow, inevitable tide.
But in that instant—
Gooooooo—!
A strange sound reverberated from the distant sky.
Rumble...
Amid the tense silence, the earth trembled faintly. Every martial artist instinctively looked up.
Flicker.
At the far edge of the horizon, a pinprick of light appeared.
The tiny dot suddenly expanded—explosively—before—
SCREEEEEEE—!
A deafening tear split the heavens as a black trajectory streaked across the sky.
KWA-BOOM!
So fast—
Before it even arrived, a shockwave like a storm slammed into the troops surrounding Dae Gu-hwi.
The crushing pressure shattered the air. Those with weaker Internal Energy screamed, clutching their ears as they collapsed.
CRASH—!
The formation crumbled instantly. Dust and debris erupted in all directions.
Thud. Thud.
Then, parting the curtain of dust, a lone black shadow strode forward.
A young man in black, wearing distinctive shoulder armor.
His gaze was so piercing it could be seen from ten li away.
And his entire body radiated an unmistakable, overwhelming pulse of True Qi.
It was Heuk-pyo.
"Great Division Leader."
Approaching Dae Gu-hwi, Heuk-pyo bowed respectfully.
"My apologies for the delay."
Having occasionally traveled to the Shadow Spirit Hall under Bu Eun-seol's orders, Heuk-pyo was acquainted with Dae Gu-hwi, leader of the Beast Division.
"How—?"
Dae Gu-hwi was stunned.
Though Heuk-pyo operated beyond the frontier, his usual territory was the southern and northern deserts.
How had he come here?
[Lord Shadow Spirit sent me.]
[The Society Leader?]*
At Heuk-pyo's Voice Transmission, Dae Gu-hwi's eyes widened.
Bu Eun-seol had barely acknowledged his return to the Beast Palace.
How could he have dispatched the Wandering King here?
[He sensed the Beast Palace's crisis long ago.]
Heuk-pyo explained.
[The Lord receives constant reports on the movements of forces beyond the frontier—including the North Sea Ice Palace. All for the sake of Division Leaders like you, who trusted him enough to journey thousands of miles into the Central Plains.]
[But this is the Beast Palace's own affair.]
[It's fine.]
Heuk-pyo grinned, flashing white teeth.
[My Wanderer Unit isn't a Central Plains faction, is it?]
If a Central Plains sect interfered in the power struggles of frontier factions, it could escalate into an international conflict.
Bu Eun-seol, well aware of this, had sent Heuk-pyo to snuff out that spark before it could ignite.
Rumble...
Just then, in the distance, three hundred mounted warriors galloped toward the Beast Palace.
Heuk-pyo's Wanderer Unit.
Slash! Slash-slash-slash!
Cutting down the invading forces like a tidal wave, they stormed forward.
[Naturally, we can involve ourselves in this kind of dispute.]
Heuk-pyo winked.
[Leave them to us. You handle the inside, Great Division Leader.]
"No."
Dae Gu-hwi shook his head.
"It's annihilation either way."
The invading forces numbered at least fifty thousand.
Even if Heuk-pyo's three hundred fought with everything they had, total annihilation was inevitable.
"It's fine."
Heuk-pyo smiled, gesturing toward his Wanderer Unit.
"Sharpen your vision and look closely."
Dae Gu-hwi frowned but focused on the approaching riders.
Though their faces were concealed by masks, their eyes alone were unmistakable.
The one charging at the forefront was none other than Noe Bi-hon.
No way.
Flanking him on either side were Bing Han-pung and Do Cheon-rin.
The elite of the Demon Sect.
Disguised as part of Heuk-pyo's Wanderer Unit, they were now charging straight toward them.