Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Let's Hold On
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The Divine Doctor of the Ages' goal was to escape the slums.
And Na Hontak's goal was to somehow inform Byeok Taesan of the situation.
So, the plan they devised was for the Divine Doctor to handle the dangerously strong man reeking of blood, while Na Hontak focused on escaping the slums.
However, the plan did not go as smoothly as they had thought.
First of all, the man was too strong.
No matter which direction they tried to run, the man would move with incomprehensible speed to block their path.
Furthermore, the man's subordinates were positioned on all sides, following them closely and watching for an opportunity.
With most escape routes blocked, it was difficult to slip away.
In the midst of it all, the Divine Doctor of the Ages had been struck by the man's hand three more times.
And each time, an explosion occurred.
If not for those explosions, their situation would have been extremely perilous.
The reason the Divine Doctor and Na Hontak had managed to hold on so far was because the man was trying to capture them alive.
"You really are a rat. Quite the expert at running away."
The man said mockingly, gathering energy in his hand.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages retorted, even as he fled.
"Speaking of colors, aren't you the bigger rat? Who's ever seen a blue rat like us? All rats are grimy and dark, just like you."
The Divine Doctor said with a chuckle.
Indeed, the Divine Doctor and Na Hontak were currently wearing blue clothes.
A vein briefly bulged on the man's forehead before disappearing.
The Divine Doctor's words continued to ring in the man's ears.
"And why does a guy who can't do anything on his own talk so much? Everyone hates a chatterbox. Honestly, you're not popular with your subordinates, are you? Look, look over there. Did you see the look on your subordinate's face just now? He even nodded at what I said."
"Shut up!"
Even knowing it was a provocation, a hot rage surged within him.
A violent energy erupted from the man's body.
*Boom!*
With a roar, the man's body seemed to stretch, and in an instant, he was right behind the Divine Doctor.
The man's fist shot out, aimed precisely at the Divine Doctor's spine.
The Divine Doctor, terrified, twisted his body slightly.
*Boom!*
A powerful explosion erupted, sending the Divine Doctor flying and tumbling across the ground.
Since this had happened several times, the Divine Doctor skillfully regained his balance and started running again.
He still hadn't managed to separate from Na Hontak, and it was a close call, but he was able to endure.
The man gritted his teeth and chased after the Divine Doctor. He glanced down at his own hand.
It was tingling.
"What a strange fellow."
He had lost count of how many times his attacks had landed. And each time, an explosion like this had occurred.
The explosion he had caused himself was only the very first one. The rest had happened against his will.
That was what was so strange.
The last explosion had been incredibly powerful. Yet, the Divine Doctor appeared completely unscathed on the outside.
He, on the other hand, had to bear the full brunt of the impact, as it had happened mid-attack.
It was fine for now, but if this repeated a few more times, it could become a problem.
'Was trying to capture them alive a mistake?'
If he intended to kill them, he felt he could finish the job much more simply.
And it was about time to make a decision.
He couldn't drag this out over just these two. He had a mountain of other things to do.
"A pity, but it can't be helped."
The man's aura changed once again. He had drawn his sword.
In that moment, the Divine Doctor and Na Hontak felt a chilling cold constrict their entire bodies.
It was as if the tip of a well-honed blade was being pressed between their brows.
The man's sword traced a crescent arc, smoothly cleaving the air.
An ambiguous energy, indistinguishable as sword ki or sword force, drew a long arc, slicing through the space right behind the Divine Doctor and Na Hontak.
Or rather, it almost did.
*Kra-boooom!*
If not for the person who had suddenly appeared.
A massive roar echoed as a storm of ki raged wildly in all directions.
It was the result of the newcomer blocking the strike from the man reeking of blood.
The Divine Doctor and Na Hontak staggered, then regained their balance and stopped in their tracks.
Na Hontak's eyes widened.
"Brother!"
The Divine Doctor's eyes widened just as much. He looked back and forth between Na Hontak and the man Na Hontak had called 'Brother'.
"If he's your brother... the Sword Fiend?"
The man who had appeared, Sword Fiend Na Chungil, glanced at the two of them.
"You came and went."
At the Sword Fiend's words, Na Hontak, his expression now calm, nodded.
"Yes. Someone is looking for you, brother."
The Sword Fiend let out a short laugh.
"Wait a moment. Let me clean up these guys, and then we'll talk."
The Sword Fiend strode toward the man.
The man's expression twisted strangely.
Soon, the two clashed.
***
"The Martial Alliance's Heavenly Sword Brigade arrived today. Furthermore, Brigade Leader Bang Durip led them himself."
Byeok Taesan sat quietly, refining his spiritual energy as he listened to Hwaok's report.
It was almost time to draw out and burn the souls.
He had organized and absorbed all the spiritual energy gained from burning the souls of various people and elixirs.
While he could still grow by practicing the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts without burning souls, the pace would be far too slow.
In fact, even in his past life as the Heavenly Demon, he had not accumulated spiritual energy merely by practicing the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts.
Back then, he had indiscriminately burned and absorbed all souls, so there was no need or reason to do otherwise.
But things were different now.
He was accumulating a much purer and more potent spiritual energy than before, so simply training in the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts wasn't a bad option.
It just wasn't enough to satisfy Byeok Taesan.
Meanwhile, Hwaok's report continued.
"The Black Alliance and the Five Great Families should arrive by tomorrow if there are no other issues. However, unlike the Martial Alliance, they sent lower-ranking individuals."
To be on par with the Martial Alliance's Heavenly Sword Brigade, the Black Alliance would have had to send at least their Black Sword Unit.
But the Black Alliance did not consider this matter that important.
They were merely making an appearance and preparing for any potential incidents.
It was obvious there was no reason to play along on the stage set by the Golden Moon Trading Company.
Considering that, the Martial Alliance sending their Brigade Leader was rather unusual.
Minor reports followed. Aside from the Brigade Leader coming in person, there was nothing particularly noteworthy.
As he listened, Byeok Taesan suddenly asked.
"How is your training going?"
At the mention of training, Hwaok immediately replied.
"Yes. I have recently been focusing on sparring with Lady Yeon Harin, and the results have been excellent."
"Oh?"
Byeok Taesan's eyes sparkled.
"I would like to see it sometime."
Hwaok lowered her head slightly, as if embarrassed.
In truth, she was still lacking when it came to sparring with Yeon Harin.
Yeon Harin's growth rate was simply terrifying. She improved so quickly that her skill level would be different at the end of a sparring session compared to the beginning.
"You may be a bit lacking now, but it will undoubtedly benefit you both."
Hearing the conviction in Byeok Taesan's tone, Hwaok smiled gently and replied.
"I will keep that in mind and work hard."
As they were talking, an urgent voice came from outside.
"Young Master! It's an emergency! The Divine Doctor and Master Na, who went to the slums, have fallen into a trap!"
At those words, Byeok Taesan rose from his seat and threw the door open.
A member of the Secret Heaven Group lay prostrate on the ground, covered in blood.
He was the one who had gone to the slums with the Divine Doctor and Na Hontak.
"Get yourself treated first."
Byeok Taesan said, then gestured to Hwaok with his chin.
"Let's go."
Hwaok quickly took the lead, heading toward the slums.
As the two of them left Gakwol Inn, the One-Needle Eccentric came running up, out of breath, having heard the news from somewhere.
"Young Master! That idiot has fallen into a trap!"
Byeok Taesan chuckled.
"I know. You can follow if you want."
With an expression that said 'of course', the One-Needle Eccentric quickly fell in beside Byeok Taesan.
His face was a complex mix of anger, worry, exasperation, and anxiety.
"Ha, that damn fool! Why did he have to go there alone?"
***
*Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!*
The Sword Fiend swung his sword frantically, a slightly surprised look on his face.
The man he was crossing swords with was quite skilled.
Of course, even so, he was no match for the Sword Fiend.
The problem, however, was the man's subordinates.
At first, the Sword Fiend had been aggressively pushing the man back. But as soon as he did, the man's subordinates took Blood Augmenting Pills.
When twenty masters all took the pills and unleashed their energy at once, a storm of ki raged from all directions, creating chaos.
The Sword Fiend unleashed a powerful sword strike to force his opponent back, then created more distance.
The atmosphere was ominous.
He glanced at the Divine Doctor, then looked at Na Hontak and said.
"It seems I'd be better off alone here. You should return to the inn."
Na Hontak was about to say he couldn't do that. But the Divine Doctor of the Ages spoke first.
"As expected, we'd only get in the way, so it's better if we leave, right? We'll be on our way."
The Divine Doctor took Na Hontak's arm and began to slowly back away.
No one in the area paid them any mind.
They were all focused solely on the Sword Fiend.
The Sword Fiend smirked and scanned his surroundings.
"It seems you all look down on me."
A brilliant blue light flowed from the Sword Fiend's sword, tightly enveloping the blade.
As he did so, he constantly checked how far the Divine Doctor and Na Hontak had gotten.
The sword art he was about to use was extremely powerful and destructive. It would be troublesome if allies were nearby. It wasn't a technique he could use while worrying about them.
But the two of them weren't getting very far.
The Sword Fiend glanced over to check on them. And his expression changed drastically.
Someone was standing in their way, blocking them.
The problem was that he hadn't sensed the person's presence at all.
Even though the raging storm of ki made it difficult to sense presences, it was shocking that he couldn't detect that person's presence when the Divine Doctor's and Na Hontak's were so clear.
Now that he saw him with his own eyes, he could faintly feel a presence.
Or perhaps the person was no longer concealing their presence and was revealing themselves.
Behind that person, ghost-like figures popped up one after another. Dozens of them appeared.
The scent of blood grew even thicker.
It wasn't the scent of blood from the newcomers, but from the man who had been fighting the Sword Fiend.
The pungent smell of blood made the Sword Fiend glare at the man with a hardened expression.
The man grinned and said.
"Did you think we were that careless? You're all going to die anyway. Think you can get through just by breaking past them? Is that really so?"
The Sword Fiend's expression hardened even more.
It meant they weren't the only ones. Indeed, the situation in Jangsa right now was a den of demons.
So, to be certain, they would have brought more, and stronger, men.
The Divine Doctor and Na Hontak slowly crept back toward the Sword Fiend.
"Brother, it seems we won't be able to get out of this easily."
To Na Hontak's words, the Sword Fiend replied calmly.
"On my way to find you, I sent out one of the men you had with you."
At that, the Divine Doctor's face lit up.
"Is that true? Are you sure he made it out alive?"
Seeing the Divine Doctor's excessive delight, the Sword Fiend let out a dry laugh and nodded.
"He definitely made it out alive."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages clenched his jaw.
"Let's hold on."
The other two looked at the Divine Doctor.
The Divine Doctor scanned his surroundings with burning eyes.
"When our Young Master gets here, you bastards are all going to die."
The Sword Fiend remained calm.
"This Young Master of yours, are you sure he's coming? And if he does, can he really resolve this situation?"
The Divine Doctor nodded as if it were obvious.
"Of course he is, so just focus on holding on."
Saying that, the Divine Doctor picked up a pebble from the ground.
He looked ahead and saw the man who had been fighting the Sword Fiend wearing a full-blown sneer.
Every time that bastard hit him earlier, chunks of his spiritual energy were torn away, and now there wasn't much left.
Honestly, he hadn't known his spiritual energy could be helpful in that way.
It felt like he had overcome some kind of barrier in a crisis.
The Divine Doctor pressed his relatively free-flowing spiritual energy into the pebbles in his hand.
And he pondered.
To stall for time, wouldn't running his mouth be more advantageous than using force?
The Divine Doctor just started spouting whatever came to mind.
"Hey, be honest. This is everyone, right? There's no one else coming, is there?"
At the Divine Doctor's words, the man snickered.
"Do I look like a fool to you?"
The moment the man finished speaking, the men surrounding them charged forward in a rush.
The ones who had taken the Blood Augmenting Pills, and the ones who had appeared like ghosts later, all charged.
Finally, the man reeking of thick blood swung his sword and rushed at the Sword Fiend.
The Divine Doctor first threw the pebbles with all his might.
*Fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh!*
Pebbles shot out in all directions. They were so fast that they couldn't simply be dodged.
Everyone swung their swords to block the pebbles.
*BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!*
The moment their swords struck the pebbles, powerful explosions erupted, sweeping through the area.
No one died, but it was enough to completely halt their charge.
"Uwaaaah!"
The Divine Doctor let out a roar-like kiai and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks at the charging enemies.
Na Hontak also swung his sword, prepared to throw his life away.
The two of them were quite strong. But there were too many enemies.
The Sword Fiend was taking on the three strongest enemies at once.
Even so, he wasn't being pushed back at all. No, he actually had the upper hand.
But it didn't seem like he could end the fight quickly.
The Sword Fiend's eyes grew anxious.
At this rate, the Divine Doctor and Na Hontak would fall before he could deal with these enemies.
And at that moment, long, thick needles rained down from the sky like a torrential downpour.
*Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!*
"Hey! Are you still alive?!"
Hearing that shout, the Divine Doctor's senses sharpened.
"Agh! Why did that old man follow me all the way here!"
Though his words were harsh, his tone was thick with relief.