Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Useless Even as Medicine
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It seemed not all the pavilions housed these things.
"Five of them."
Explosions had erupted from five different locations.
And judging by the one Byeok Taesan had just killed, he was the only person in the entire estate capable of dealing with them.
"You three, go that way. Save the people."
With those words, Byeok Taesan vanished.
Though he disappeared right before their eyes, the three of them had experienced far too much to be surprised by such a sight anymore.
"Let's go."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages moved first, with the One-Needle Eccentric and Cho Seoran following close behind.
"They're too strong for us to fight, aren't they?"
The One-Needle Eccentric nodded gravely at Cho Seoran's question.
"It would be difficult to hold out."
The atmosphere grew heavy.
"Let's hurry. We need to gather everyone first."
If they all grouped together, those things would likely come for them as a group.
That would make it much easier for Byeok Taesan to deal with them.
"Let's make for the Young Master's pavilion."
Cho Seoran said, changing her direction.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric saw this, nodded, and then split off to either side.
"To the central pavilion! Everyone, to the central pavilion!"
The central pavilion was where Byeok Taesan was staying. Everyone would know exactly what they meant.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric shouted first, and those who heard them echoed the cry as they ran toward the central pavilion.
* * *
Byeok Taesan rushed toward the nearest enemy.
It was a man in black clothes who bore an unsettling resemblance to the one from before.
Their faces weren't identical, but their builds and physiques were nearly the same.
What was different was the aura they projected.
The last one had blazed like a fire, but this one was as dark as a moonless night.
Spotting Byeok Taesan, the man charged first.
"This makes things easier for me."
The man's fist flew toward Byeok Taesan's nose.
Byeok Taesan dodged it with a mere tilt of his head, raising a hand to grip the man's forearm tightly.
He then spun his body, using the elbow of the arm gripping the man's forearm to strike him sharply in the neck.
That single move ended the man's life.
A black soul slipped out and was caught in Byeok Taesan's hand.
As he burned it, Byeok Taesan launched himself forward again.
He expanded his senses in all directions. It was a relief that his senses were clearer than before, as he was in the middle of dismantling the formation.
Byeok Taesan flew toward the most urgent situation.
He didn't forget to keep the other enemies in check.
It had been a while since he had been this busy.
This, too, wasn't so bad.
"As long as none of the kids die, that is."
Muttering to himself, Byeok Taesan descended upon his second target.
* * *
Danyeong, Soso, and Chaewol had grown closer after accompanying Byeok Taesan to the Hubei Martial Alliance.
In truth, all ten of Byeok Taesan's handmaidens shared a special bond.
But even among them, some relationships were closer than others, and these three were a prime example.
That was why they had been sticking together since arriving here.
The three of them were currently running hard toward the central pavilion.
Far behind them, a man in black stood, slowly turning his head in their direction.
*Fwoosh!*
A fierce wind seemed to push at their backs.
The three women knew exactly what that meant. The man in black was closing in fast.
His speed was incredible; in the blink of an eye, he was right behind them.
The man was about to wave his hand. From his perspective, these three were like mayflies whose necks he could sever with a single gesture.
So that's what he did.
*Swish!*
The sharp energy that had gathered in the man's hand swept past the three women.
Their heads should fall now.
"Hm?"
But nothing happened.
The three women were still running for their lives, while the man alone had stopped in his tracks.
The man glanced back and forth between the energy condensed in his hand and the fleeing women.
The energy in his hand stretched out, forming a sharp blade.
The man sent the energy blade flying.
*Swish!*
The blade, aimed precisely at the three women's necks, passed right through them.
The man's eyes widened.
"Ha! How absurd. Have I gotten too old?"
Though he appeared to be in his early twenties, he was, in fact, nearly a hundred years old.
"I'll have to tear them apart myself."
Had any lust remained in him, he wouldn't have killed such beautiful women. But the man no longer had any sexual desire.
All that was left was a lust for slaughter.
The man shot forward again. After a couple of steps, he was once again right behind the three women.
The man's hand shot out and clamped around the neck of the woman in the middle, Soso.
*Crack!*
Or rather, that's what he intended to do.
If another hand hadn't appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his wrist.
"Who are you?"
The man turned his head to glare at the one who had caught his wrist.
Byeok Taesan grinned at the man's reaction.
"I'm free now."
The man tilted his head slightly, as if he couldn't understand what that meant.
"You all have such varied personalities."
They really were all different.
One of them couldn't control his urges and had been trying to subdue some women to have his way with them.
Another wanted to inflict pain on his opponents, declaring he would capture several people and slowly slice them up, starting from their fingertips.
And this one was only interested in killing.
That was why he had to hurry.
He had killed the others in an instant.
"First... let's start with three slaps."
The man smirked at Byeok Taesan's words. He immediately swept his leg out to trip Byeok Taesan.
*Thud.*
Byeok Taesan blocked the man's foot with the sole of his own.
Then, pulling on the captured wrist, he swung his other palm.
*Smack!*
The man's eyes went vacant.
The combined force of the pull and the strike sent a massive shock through his brain.
Byeok Taesan grabbed the man by the collar and lifted him up. He let go of the wrist now. The bones in the wrist he had gripped seemed to be completely shattered, making it unlikely to move again.
He tapped the man's cheeks with a hand imbued with cold energy, and the man's unfocused eyes slowly regained their clarity.
The man stared at Byeok Taesan with panicked eyes.
"Two more to go."
Byeok Taesan released the man's collar.
As the man was about to collapse, fire erupted on both of his cheeks.
*Smack! Smack!*
The man's eyes rolled up into his head.
He had lost consciousness.
Byeok Taesan turned away with a satisfied expression.
A short distance away, Danyeong, Chaewol, and Soso were huddled together, watching with fearful eyes.
"You must have been scared. I've punished him for you, so it's all right now."
Byeok Taesan grabbed the fallen man by the waist and lifted him effortlessly.
He then headed for his own pavilion.
"Go tell the others to gather all the ones I took down."
The three women quickly bowed their heads and scurried away.
Byeok Taesan walked on with a pleasant smile.
* * *
On the first floor of Byeok Taesan's pavilion.
Five corpses were laid out in a row.
The man who was not yet a corpse sat a short distance away, bound tightly.
The pavilion was spacious enough for everyone to come inside and watch.
At a flick of Byeok Taesan's finger, Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon stepped forward, lifted the bound man, and presented him to Byeok Taesan.
The man averted his gaze, his eyes filled with fear.
"Look at me properly. Where are your manners, looking away when an elder is speaking to you?"
At Byeok Taesan's words, the man quickly raised his head and looked at him.
A deep fear was embedded in his pupils.
To an outsider, his reaction to a mere three slaps might seem comical, but Byeok Taesan hadn't just slapped him.
He had mixed in a hint of the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts.
The moment it touched the man's soul, he was plunged into a fear that negated his very existence.
"Name."
The man quickly answered Byeok Taesan's question.
"Jam Geukcheon!"
"Jam Geukcheon?"
Byeok Taesan turned his head to look at Hwaok. The Divine Doctor of the Ages happened to be near her as well.
He was checking with the two of them, as they were the most knowledgeable about this kind of information, to see if they recognized the name.
"No one of that name comes to mind among those active recently. However... I believe the name of a man who earned the title 'Blood-Hand Mad Demon' about fifty years ago was Jam Geukcheon."
Byeok Taesan turned his head back to Jam Geukcheon.
Jam Geukcheon nodded his head frantically.
"That's right. I am that Blood-Hand Mad Demon."
In fact, the Blood-Hand Mad Demon had been an infamous villain fifty years ago.
He always tore people to shreds, scattering the remains everywhere to maximize the terror of those who found them.
"It's said that at the time, his skills were slightly below those of the Ten Great Masters."
At the mention of the Ten Great Masters, Jam Geukcheon's expression soured slightly. It was a fact he couldn't deny.
"Is this one also supposed to be dead?"
Hwaok answered Byeok Taesan's question.
"That is what is known. I heard he was beheaded by the Sword King of that era."
"Don't be ridiculous! Why would I be dead! I'm alive and well right here!"
Jam Geukcheon shouted angrily. But when Byeok Taesan stared at him intently, he quickly shrank back.
"Do you remember anything?"
At Byeok Taesan's question, Jam Geukcheon was about to answer as if it were obvious, but then he closed his mouth. A look of confusion crossed his face. His eyes darted around erratically.
"This... this can't be right."
"Anything will do. Try to remember something."
His mind was a blank. He remembered that he was Jam Geukcheon, the Blood-Hand Mad Demon. But a thick fog seemed to cloud all his other memories.
"Ah! The treasure map! I remember the treasure map!"
"Treasure map?"
"Yes. I found the treasure map and used it to find... that..."
Jam Geukcheon clutched his head, a confused look on his face once more.
"It'll take an eternity to hear the whole story. Hand him over to the Underworld Sect. Tell them to get everything out of him."
Hwaok bowed her head, and Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon once again lifted Jam Geukcheon and retreated.
This time, Byeok Taesan looked at the Divine Doctor of the Ages. Naturally, the One-Needle Eccentric and Cho Seoran were also nearby.
"You three, examine those bodies."
"Pardon?"
"Check their builds, physiques, energy channels, everything. All the ones we've encountered so far have been similar, so you might find something, right?"
"Uh... yes, sir."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages answered first. But they had learned almost nothing from the other bodies they had acquired so far, so he doubted these would be any different.
Still, what could he do? When given an order, he had to obey.
Byeok Taesan turned his head to look at Seung Doheung.
"The formation?"
Seung Doheung answered, his body tense.
"It is being dismantled! It will likely take about three days!"
"Three days?"
Byeok Taesan frowned. Seung Doheung's heart sank, and he quickly made an excuse.
"The scale of the formation is too large. It's not just within the estate; it extends far outside as well."
Hearing this, Byeok Taesan stroked his chin.
"Have you finished analyzing it?"
Seung Doheung's expression darkened.
"There is no time to analyze it completely. This formation would require at least a fortnight for analysis alone."
Byeok Taesan nodded.
"Then start with the analysis."
"Sir?"
Seung Doheung looked up in surprise, his head snapping up to face Byeok Taesan.
"Won't analyzing this improve your skills? If not, I'll just destroy it all."
At the word "destroy," Seung Doheung was horrified and shook his head vehemently.
"No! You mustn't destroy it! Analyzing it will definitely improve my skills! I've rarely encountered a formation of such a high level!"
"Good. I'll be looking forward to it."
Having said that, Byeok Taesan rose from his seat.
He swept his cold, chilling gaze across the room and spoke.
"Get stronger. You need to be strong enough to survive on your own when something like today happens."
With those final words, Byeok Taesan shot upwards and disappeared.
The people left behind stared blankly at where he had been.
Just how much stronger did they have to become to survive something like today on their own?
Everyone's gaze turned toward Jam Geukcheon.
His skills were just slightly below those of the Ten Great Masters.
Today, six such men had appeared and run rampant.
To survive such a situation on their own, just how much stronger did they need to be?
A shiver ran through them all.
Somehow, it felt like the days ahead would be anything but peaceful.
< Useless Even as Medicine > End