Chapter 199
Chapter 199
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: Your Level is Low
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Hwangbo Yeop slowly looked over the warriors he led.
Traces of fierce battles remained all over their bodies.
"This break seems to have gotten a bit long, don't you think?"
A warrior standing beside Hwangbo Yeop quickly responded to his murmur.
"That's right. The breaks are getting longer and longer."
Hwangbo Yeop's expression turned serious.
Longer breaks meant they weren't easily tracking down the enemy.
"This doesn't mean there's a hole in our net, does it?"
"Probably not. I heard the enemies are gathering together. Perhaps that's why?"
"Is that so?"
As Hwangbo Yeop tilted his head in thought, the sound of urgent footsteps came from somewhere.
He turned to look and saw a Hwangbo family warrior running with all his might, his face flushed bright red.
"What is it?"
The warrior shouted, unable to even catch his breath.
"The enemy has broken through the net!"
Hwangbo Yeop shot up from his seat.
"What!"
"You're to come that way at once!"
"Let's go!"
Hwangbo Yeop was the first to leap into action.
The others hurriedly followed him.
The warrior who had first arrived led the way.
After running for some time, faint sounds of explosions could be heard. In the distance, he could see figures fighting.
Buildings were exploding, people were sent flying, and blood was splattering in a chaotic scene.
Hwangbo Yeop quickly assessed the situation.
'Three of them!'
There were only three enemies. But they were formidable masters.
Even with three elders present, the enemies avoided them, attacking and killing the ordinary warriors.
The number of ordinary warriors was so great that it was actually hindering the fight.
As soon as he grasped the situation, Hwangbo Yeop moved even faster.
*Swoosh!*
His body shot forward like an arrow.
His target was an enemy master in his direct path.
A pure white aura billowed from Hwangbo Yeop's fist.
Reaching the enemy in an instant, Hwangbo Yeop threw his punch.
*CRACK!*
He saw the startled enemy's eyes widen as he hurriedly crossed his arms to block the punch.
Seeing this, Hwangbo Yeop smiled with satisfaction.
*CRASH!*
Hwangbo Yeop's fist exploded against the crossed arms.
With a sickening crunch, the man's arms broke, and he was sent flying backward, tumbling to the ground.
*Thud-thud-thud!*
Without even glancing at the fallen man, Hwangbo Yeop launched himself toward his next target.
Two enemies remained. One of them was being engaged by two elders who were restricting his movements.
He was no longer a threat.
The other one was leading an elder on a chase, making quick hit-and-run attacks on the ordinary warriors. Hwangbo Yeop immediately rushed toward him.
Spreading his arms wide, he descended upon him like an eagle.
Sharp sword energy washed over him, but Hwangbo Yeop, with a fluid and flexible movement that belied his appearance, gracefully evaded it.
Then, he seized the enemy's wrists with both hands.
With that, the fight was over.
The pursuing elder had landed a punch on his back.
*CRACK!*
Seeing the enemy spit blood, Hwangbo Yeop flung him aside.
Watching the enemy, his wrists shattered, collapse to the ground, Hwangbo Yeop surveyed his surroundings.
Too many fallen warriors were visible. The Hwangbo family's losses were substantial.
Hwangbo Yeop gritted his teeth and looked for someone to explain the situation.
A warrior quickly approached and gave Hwangbo Yeop the report he was waiting for.
"You need to go straight that way. They say the enemy has already left Nanchang. Their numbers are considerable, so please take all the capable warriors you can."
Hwangbo Yeop nodded and ran in that direction.
Warriors fell in behind him on their own accord. The three elders also followed Hwangbo Yeop.
After they had traveled some distance, a Hwangbo family warrior specializing in tracking was waiting for them.
Only then did Hwangbo Yeop stop running and approach the warrior.
The warrior greeted him politely and explained the situation.
"Clear tracks from a large group have been left behind. From here on, it seems they moved without any intention of hiding their movements."
At those words, Hwangbo Yeop glanced at the ground.
There were indeed some tracks on the ground, but nothing Hwangbo Yeop could make sense of.
"Lead the way."
"Yes, sir."
The warrior moved quickly.
Just as he'd said the tracks were clear, they proceeded without any delay.
Judging by the few times they changed direction, it seemed they weren't just fleeing blindly.
They left Nanchang, and after traveling a good distance further, the warrior's steps came to a halt.
"The trail ends here."
"What?"
Hwangbo Yeop frowned.
The warrior spoke calmly.
"However, there are some strange traces."
"Strange traces?"
The warrior thoroughly examined a fairly wide area. He tilted his head several times.
Hwangbo Yeop grew irritated.
"How long are you going to just stand there looking! Haven't you figured it out yet!"
"No, sir. I have. First, there was a brief fight here."
The spot the warrior pointed to was where Byeok Taesan had subdued Hyeokryeon Hwi.
After roughly deducing and explaining how the fight might have gone, the warrior tilted his head again, looking toward the spot where Hyeokryeon Hwi's subordinates had gathered.
"What is it?"
"Over there... something completely erased the tracks."
Hwangbo Yeop's brow furrowed.
"So you're saying you can't track them any further?"
The warrior lowered his head with a troubled expression.
"My apologies."
"What about the ones who fought here?"
"Their tracks lead back toward Nanchang."
"Track them."
"About that..."
"What is it now?"
"From the point where the tracks were erased, the trail leading back to Nanchang has also vanished."
Hwangbo Yeop's face contorted fiercely.
"So... we've lost the bastards who've been mocking our family all this time."
Something boiled up inside Hwangbo Yeop.
"Let's go back."
He had no intention of wasting time here. He had to do something—either vent this rage or catch those bastards.
"Bring me Yang Chibaek!"
***
The three men Byeok Taesan had captured were currently being interrogated by the Underworld Sect.
But it seemed they weren't making much progress.
The drugs used by the Underworld Sect weren't very effective, often resulting in fragmented information.
While they managed to extract something from the first two captives, such methods didn't work on Hyeokryeon Hwi at all.
In the end, after doing all they could, they had no choice but to send all three to Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan first extracted and burned the souls of the two men he had captured earlier.
He didn't get as much information as he'd hoped. However, he did manage to obtain a few more pieces of information related to Hyeokryeon Gyun and Hyeokryeon Bigwang.
After passing the unorganized information to Hwaok, Byeok Taesan sat facing Hyeokryeon Hwi on the top floor of the inn's annex.
It was finally time to extract Hyeokryeon Hwi's soul.
Hyeokryeon Hwi sat opposite Byeok Taesan, completely unrestrained.
To be honest, he was inwardly quite bewildered.
He had expected to suffer great humiliation, be tortured under the guise of interrogation, and even be forced to take drugs.
But none of that really happened.
He was interrogated and given drugs, but those things had no effect on him.
He could accept that much, but what happened afterward was completely incomprehensible.
His blocked pressure points were released, and the ropes that had bound him tightly were all untied.
Hyeokryeon Hwi secretly circulated his internal energy, trying to restore his body's condition, which had deteriorated significantly while he was subdued.
It was a very simple task.
And now, sitting opposite Byeok Taesan, Hyeokryeon Hwi was confident his body was in peak condition.
The fact that he hadn't eaten properly was a minor issue, but not a significant problem.
With the eyes of a beast, Hyeokryeon Hwi scanned Byeok Taesan and the rest of the room.
He intended to strike and escape at the slightest opening.
"Stop darting your eyes around like a rat."
At those words, Hyeokryeon Hwi flinched and stared at Byeok Taesan.
He really didn't like Byeok Taesan's calm expression.
'I don't understand. I was defeated by a guy like that?'
No matter how he looked, Byeok Taesan's level was not above his own. It was several stages lower. Of this, he was certain.
But then, why was he defeated?
'He has an accomplice.'
One of the hypotheses he had formed while investigating Byeok Taesan was that he had a powerful supporter.
'Is that supporter here now?'
He must be. That would explain why Byeok Taesan looked so calm, even with him sitting here perfectly fine.
Hyeokryeon Hwi secretly raised his internal energy. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead from the tension.
But nothing happened, even as he gathered his internal energy to his fingertips.
'He's not here!'
Convinced, Hyeokryeon Hwi shot a finger wind at Byeok Taesan.
*Thwack!*
His finger wind burst in front of Byeok Taesan. It was as if it had struck an invisible barrier.
'So this is what he was counting on.'
A slight smile formed on Hyeokryeon Hwi's lips.
This was even better.
'I'll take him hostage and get out of here.'
Hyeokryeon Hwi raised even more of his internal energy.
Seeing this, Byeok Taesan shook his head.
"Do you think you can break this with mere internal energy?"
Hyeokryeon Hwi flinched, looking at Byeok Taesan with eyes full of disbelief.
"If not internal energy, then what? What am I supposed to use?"
Byeok Taesan scoffed.
"If you don't know, then don't ask. I give you a chance and you can't even take it. Pathetic."
Hyeokryeon Hwi's face flushed crimson.
"You bastard...!"
The corners of Byeok Taesan's mouth lifted slightly. It was a very blatant sneer.
Hyeokryeon Hwi's internal energy spun wildly.
*Vwoooom!*
Waves of energy spread out, causing the nearby furniture to tremble. Lighter objects, including some documents, began to float slowly.
A crimson energy gathered in Hyeokryeon Hwi's hand.
Watching him, Byeok Taesan spoke calmly.
"You're the type who has to taste shit to know what it is. I knew you were an idiot."
At Byeok Taesan's scathing words, Hyeokryeon Hwi thrust his hand forward with all his might.
*BOOOOM!*
The blood-red energy exploded against the invisible barrier in front of Byeok Taesan.
The energy spread out in all directions along the barrier.
The invisible barrier in front of Byeok Taesan remained completely unharmed.
Hyeokryeon Hwi panted, glaring at it with terrifying eyes.
*Kiiiiiiing!*
His rage began to move his spiritual energy.
Seeing this, a flicker of curiosity finally appeared in Byeok Taesan's eyes.
He needed to draw out as much spiritual energy as possible. That way, the blood obscuring the soul would completely disappear.
Byeok Taesan carefully observed Hyeokryeon Hwi using his spiritual energy.
He could do it like this for now, but he couldn't always make his opponents exhaust their spiritual energy this way.
He needed to find a way to cleanly burn off just the blood with the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts without going through this process.
The spiritual energy Hyeokryeon Hwi had gathered poured into the invisible barrier in front of Byeok Taesan.
*C-c-c-crack!*
Spiderweb-like cracks began to spread across the invisible barrier.
"Hahahaha! Did you see that! I'll shatter that pathetic thing in one blow!"
*Kiiiiiiing!*
Hyeokryeon Hwi scraped together his remaining spiritual energy.
And fired it again.
*Crack-crack-crack!* *Shatter!*
More cracks appeared, and parts of the barrier broke off.
Seeing this, Hyeokryeon Hwi strained to draw out even the last dregs of his spiritual energy.
"K-ghhhhhh!"
Hyeokryeon Hwi's eyes became bloodshot. His face contorted in pain.
But the thought that this one last blow would shatter that unsightly barrier made the pain bearable.
"Hyaaaaaaaah!"
With a rough shout, he threw his remaining spiritual energy at the invisible barrier.
*CRAAAAAACK!*
*SHATTER!*
The invisible barrier finally shattered completely.
Hyeokryeon Hwi glared at Byeok Taesan, his eyes filled with ecstasy.
"Now it's your turn. Don't even think you can escape unscathed."
Byeok Taesan grinned and said.
"Your skill with spiritual energy is low."
Byeok Taesan shot to his feet and grabbed the crown of Hyeokryeon Hwi's head.
"Aaargh!"
Hyeokryeon Hwi screamed involuntarily from the head-splitting pain.
But that was only the beginning.
His soul was ripped right out of him.
Byeok Taesan looked at the soul, now devoid of the scent of blood, and nodded in satisfaction.
And then, he burned it.
"Kuaaaaaaaaargh!"
Hyeokryeon Hwi's scream shook the pavilion as if it would bring it down.