Severing the Serpent's Fangs
"Get lost...?"
To him? How dare he?
"Ha."
Dang Maeng let out a hollow laugh.
They said that when something was too absurd, laughter came before anger.
That was exactly how he felt right now.
But the amusement was short-lived. Dang Maeng glared at Jeok-un, his eyes dripping with murderous intent.
"I've heard the rumors about you."
"Oh? Has the great work I've accomplished already reached the ears of the Orthodox trash?"
"...They said you were a madman who couldn't tell heaven from earth, and it seems they were right."
"Hmm? Are you introducing yourself?"
Grind.
Dang Maeng ground his teeth.
Jeok-un continued to wag his three-inch tongue without a care in the world.
The chasm of absurdity that had filled Dang Maeng's mind was now rapidly replaced by burning rage.
Making no effort to hide his murderous aura, Dang Maeng asked,
"Did you tell us to leave this place?"
"Indeed. I'll give you plenty of time to pack your bags, so get lost."
"...And if I refuse?"
It was not a mere question.
Before anyone realized it, throwing daggers had appeared in Dang Maeng's hands.
Sring!
Two daggers, pitch-black like the fangs of a pit viper.
These were the twin throwing daggers, the very source of his moniker in the Jianghu: the Poison Dagger Yama.
"What do you think?"
Jeok-un remained perfectly calm, even in the face of the twin daggers.
In fact, he hadn't even assumed a combat stance.
It was a display of absolute confidence—a belief that no matter what Dang Maeng did, he could not harm him.
"If you won't listen, you'll just have to get beaten until you do, and then get lost."
His provocative words sealed the deal.
Whoosh!
The moment Jeok-un finished speaking, Dang Maeng lunged forward.
His speed was like a flash of lightning.
"I'll rip that mouth of yours open!"
"Branch Leader!"
Dang Maeng closed the distance to Jeok-un in just a couple of steps.
At the same time, Moyong Geon shouted to stop him.
It was no exaggeration to say the two actions occurred almost simultaneously.
This is definitely a trap!
Moyong Geon had tried to warn Dang Maeng because he suspected a trap.
A powerhouse of Sadocheon, or the official in charge of Tongseong County, raiding the Murim Alliance branch completely alone without any guards?
It makes no sense!
Therefore, it had to be a trap.
Moyong Geon was certain of it, but Dang Maeng was far too hot-tempered to consider such a possibility.
Even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.
A mere brat who couldn't compare to him in seniority or status—and a descendant of the hated Jegal Family, no less—had barged into his territory, spat on him, and mocked him.
Walking all over his domain with muddy boots, spitting, and ridiculing him?
Enduring such an insult was simply impossible for Dang Maeng.
Thus, Dang Maeng rushed forward like a rabid dog.
"As expected, you Dang bastards are so easy to manipulate."
"...!"
He was met with Jeok-un's blatant mockery.
What?
However, as Dang Maeng drew closer, the aura radiating from Jeok-un was far more imposing than he had anticipated.
A murderous intent, sharp as glass and honed like a blade, shot toward him.
Just as Dang Maeng saw Jeok-un as his clan's enemy, Jeok-un viewed Dang Maeng in the exact same light.
Perfect. I can kill the Dang Clan's hunting dog too.
Before his regression, Jeok-un had shared an inescapable, ill-fated relationship with the Sichuan Dang Family.
Though Jeok-un was looking at Dang Maeng, his gaze was fixed on the shadow looming behind him.
Dang Maeng's older brother, the current Lord of the Sichuan Dang Family.
An ambitious man who, in the near future, would usurp the position of the Alliance Leader just as Do Ye-cheon had.
The Poison World Dark Venerable, Dang Cheon-hwi.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted upon impact. The poison qi emitted by the twin daggers clashed with an extreme Yin energy cold enough to freeze the soul, sweeping across the area like a shockwave.
...!!
Clang! Clang!
After a brief exchange of blows, Dang Maeng was inwardly shaken.
The force transmitted from his opponent was by no means something he could afford to ignore.
Shhh!
Before he knew it, a mysterious, snow-white sword had appeared in Jeok-un's hand.
The source of the bone-chilling cold that threatened to freeze his very soul was none other than Wol-ha.
Dang Maeng swallowed a groan.
...The Transformation Realm at his age?
It was hard to believe, but the objective truth before his eyes could not be denied.
Dang Maeng accepted reality and quickly began to calculate his options.
The Jegal Family has no ice-based martial arts. He must be running wild using some cheap technique he obtained from Sadocheon.
Since a direct descendant of the Seven Great Families had defected to the Unorthodox faction, the Lord of Sadocheon had likely bestowed upon him some decent spiritual treasures and martial arts.
Dang Maeng abandoned his initial plan to toy with the boy before killing him.
Even if he has reached the Transformation Realm, it doesn't matter! He's bound to be a mere novice at the entry stage!
No matter how outstanding the brat was, if Dang Maeng fought with everything he had, the boy would be nothing more than Sun Wukong squirming in the palm of the Buddha.
I will show you why they call me the Poison Dagger Yama.
"I will kill him myself!"
Dang Maeng declared proudly.
"No one interfere!"
At Dang Maeng's command, the Murim Alliance warriors who had been surrounding Jeok-un and looking for an opening flinched and stepped back.
Swish!
Simultaneously, Dang Maeng lunged at Jeok-un once more.
Shhh!
He channeled his family's secret art, the Poison Source Blood Flowing Art, to its absolute limit.
The moniker of Poison Dagger Yama was not for show.
While it was true that he was hot-tempered and easily provoked, he did not fight blindly.
In terms of Sadocheon's hierarchy, Dang Maeng was an executive equivalent to a Group Leader.
His martial prowess was at the Peak Transcendent realm, making him a top-tier master.
A fool who doesn't know his place!
Not even his corpse will remain!
Thus, all the Murim Alliance warriors watching the battle were convinced that Jeok-un stood absolutely no chance against Dang Maeng.
Whoosh!
Just then, black poison qi erupted from Dang Maeng's Laogong acupoint, forming a swirling vortex that surged toward Jeok-un.
Flash!
Jeok-un tilted his head back to dodge.
Though he avoided it by a hair's breadth, the edge of his sleeve that brushed against the qi was instantly corroded and rotted away.
Flutter!
At that moment, Dang Maeng's outstretched sleeve fluttered violently.
This was no accident.
"Die!"
It was a unique form of the Dang Clan's secret arts, using body movements and clothing folds to conceal hidden weapons.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Countless hidden weapons poured out like a rainstorm, a blizzard, a tidal wave.
Some were swift and fierce.
Others were slow and stealthy.
But they all shared one common trait: any single hit would be fatal.
In accordance with the flow of the Poison Source Blood Flowing Art and the Dang Clan's secret techniques, the barrage of hidden weapons surged and ebbed in waves.
Each move was designed to choke the opponent's breath and shatter their focus.
There was a reason the Sichuan Dang Family was hailed as the undisputed sovereign of poisons and hidden weapons within the Orthodox faction.
Screeech!
Every time Dang Maeng's loose martial robes fluttered, handfuls of hidden weapons rained down.
Yet, Jeok-un did not just stand there and take it.
Slash!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Orange sparks filled the air.
Wielding his sword with exquisite precision and blinding speed, he deflected every single projectile raining down on him.
It was at that moment.
Now!
Seizing a microscopic opening, Dang Maeng unleashed his most vicious hidden weapon.
Pft!
A single cow-hair needle grazed past Jeok-un's ear.
Drip.
A drop of blood welled up on Jeok-un's earlobe.
Seeing this, Dang Maeng cried out, absolutely certain of his victory.
"Hahaha! You fool! You're as good as dead!"
Dang Maeng's cultivation method, the Poison Source Blood Flowing Art, allowed him to absorb lethal poisons extracted from all kinds of venomous creatures and fuse them with his inner energy.
This meant that whenever he infused his inner energy into his weapons, the deadly poison was carried along with it.
Even a scratch as minor as that was enough to cause a victim to vomit blood from their seven orifices and die.
The poison will invade his system, and he won't even be able to move!
Swoosh!
The twin daggers lunged toward Jeok-un's right arm, which held the sword.
Since his opponent was already finished, Dang Maeng intended to disarm him first.
He planned to seize that extraordinary divine weapon and toy with the boy at his leisure.
Clang!
However...
...Huh?
The strength behind Wol-ha as it blocked the twin daggers remained rock-solid.
It was as if a poison of this caliber was absolutely nothing to him.
"Are you out of your mind? What are you so happy about over a scratched earlobe?"
Jeok-un spoke with utter disbelief and swung his sword without hesitation.
W-What?!
Clash! Clash! Clash!
The twin daggers and Wol-ha clashed like a raging tempest.
Clack! Clack!
This is impossible!
At the same time, Dang Maeng's sleeves fluttered incessantly, unleashing a blanket of hidden weapons to saturate the space.
Tink! Tink! Tink!
Yet, not a single one could touch Jeok-un.
Dang Maeng was genuinely thrown into a panic.
He had no choice but to accept the truth.
His opponent was not poisoned at all.
...Was he really hiding his true strength?
The moment he saw that Jeok-un hadn't shed a single drop of sweat,
A chill ran down his spine.
For the first time in his life, Dang Maeng felt a cold dread.
He immediately shifted his tactics.
I... I have to use the Nine Illusion Killing Daggers...!
The ultimate technique of his throwing dagger style was the Nine Illusion Killing Daggers.
It was named as such because the two daggers would multiply in the opponent's vision, appearing as nine distinct blades.
Whoosh!
Swish!
With the sound of tearing air, Dang Maeng's hands seemed to multiply—three, four, five.
His blinding speed left a trail of afterimages.
As if the arms of an Asura were all real, nine daggers lunged toward Jeok-un's vital points.
Normally, illusions created by swordplay were mere feints, but the Nine Illusion Killing Daggers was different.
It was reality, not an illusion.
Anyone who tried to distinguish the real blades from the afterimages would end up with their vitals pierced.
However...
Clash!
"Tsk. Stop playing these pathetic tricks."
"!!"
Jeok-un dismantled the entire offensive of the Nine Illusion Killing Daggers with ridiculous ease.
Afterimages, feints—none of it mattered.
Because all I have to do is crush everything in front of me.
Armed with the overwhelming power of the Heavenly Overlord Qi surging through his body, he could simply tear apart any attack thrown his way.
Whoosh!
An immense pressure, far beyond anything a novice of the Transformation Realm could possess, erupted from Jeok-un.
This anomaly was due to a single reason.
After consuming the Golden Spirit Thread during his battle with the Beast Poison Demon, he had reached forty percent mastery of the Heavenly Overlord Qi.
Furthermore, on his way here, he had absorbed about half of the remaining energy that had lingered in his minor meridians.
I have reached the stage of an Established Transcendent.
Even so, by the common sense of the Jianghu, it was an absolute truth that an Established Transcendent could never defeat a Peak Transcendent.
Yet, Jeok-un was capable of defying this logic.
Because not all Transformation Realms are created equal.
Ignorant fools categorized martial prowess into entry, established, and peak stages.
But to Jeok-un, those distinctions were utterly meaningless.
What truly matters is the essence of one's comprehension and the art of combat.
That was the fundamental reason why masters of the same realm could still be worlds apart.
Even if their cultivation levels were identical, the depth of their foundation was night and day.
Slash!
Spurt!
Wounds began to accumulate on Dang Maeng's body, one after another.
His neat martial robes were reduced to tatters, and his hair became a disheveled mess, looking like a death row convict.
It was as if it foreshadowed his impending fate.
"Ugh! Argh!"
As Dang Maeng groaned in agony,
Jeok-un smiled faintly, carving a deep gash into Dang Maeng's forearm as he spoke.
"They say the Dang Clan repays kindness twofold and vengeance tenfold."
"...!"
"At this rate, you won't even be able to pay the base price."
Step it up, Poison Dagger Yama.
The moment Jeok-un mockingly uttered his moniker,
Snap!
The final thread of Dang Maeng's patience snapped.
"Aaaaah! I'll kill you!"
Dang Maeng charged like a madman.
He rushed forward, completely forgetting how disadvantageous the battle had become for him.
There was truly no other word for it but madness.
However...
"The one who can't tell heaven from earth is you."
The price of his folly was devastating.
Stab!
Slice!
A sickening sound of tearing flesh echoed, enough to make one's skin crawl.
At the same time, a searing pain erupted in his left arm and eye socket.
"Urgh, ah?!"
One side of Dang Maeng's vision plunged into darkness.
Easily parrying Dang Maeng's reckless assault,
Thud.
Jeok-un had slashed his eye and severed his left arm in a single fluid motion.
"I'll be taking that useless eye of yours."
Along with Jeok-un's mockery,
"Aaaaaaargh!"
Dang Maeng's bloodcurdling scream echoed through the air.