Chapter 69
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: The Witch's Demise
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To ordinary folk, reaching the pinnacle—let alone the expert realm—is enough to earn you the title of master.
First Peak, All-Transmitted.
It's the stage where one wields internal energy freely, unbound by rigid forms.
Though it was the lowest of the low, stepping into superhuman territory and pioneering a new realm held its own significance. The true masters people spoke of were those who had ascended to the mid-realms.
Fourth Peak, Near-Sight.
They could sense and even visualize qi, earning the label of absolute pinnacle, where manifesting energy became effortless.
Masters among masters.
Those who had reached the fifth peak were the fiends currently ravaging Shandong.
Even before their demonic nature, their martial feats sometimes inspired awe. But what truly blackened their name was something more fundamental.
Their cultivation method.
Martial artists are shaped not just by their techniques but by their environment.
Crackle.
Just as Baek Ri-seol wandered specific regions to cultivate her energy.
"...This level of chill amid such heat."
The warrior felled by her sword rasped what might have been his final words.
Thud.
Baek Ri-seol glanced back at the surroundings now falling into order and fixed her gaze on the towering pavilion.
Whoosh.
Flames had engulfed an entire building, roaring fiercely.
'Ha unnie...'
The White Sound Enchantress cultivated not from nature, but from people.
By siphoning their vital essence.
Her methods varied, but the unspeakable arts had claimed hundreds, thousands of lives.
And that was just the beginning.
Those seeking revenge on the White Sound Enchantress Nakwolhyang numbered over a thousand dead by her hand.
Many met ends worse than those essence-drained victims, like Ha Eun-ye's mother. In sheer body count, even Blood-Faced Hand Demon and Crimson Shadow Blade Master had to yield.
The Nangong Clan daughter found drenched in gore after falling to her had once turned the righteous martial world upside down.
The child she bore.
That girl's venom was enough to make grown adults recoil, which was why neither the Nangong Clan nor the Ha family could stand idly by.
Moreover, after the Demonic Cult War, everyone believed the White Sound Enchantress dead.
In the end, Ha Eun-ye had been right.
She had struggled alone all this time, stubbornly trying to settle the past on her own.
From within the fiercely burning pavilion.
Rumble!
Separate from her worries, there was no need for concern.
No matter how formidable the demon, the Seven Flame Little Foxes wouldn't charge in recklessly without preparation.
Boom!
Soon, the flames died down.
The pavilion collapsed, its charred remnants belching a final spasm of smoke.
Whoosh!
A shadow leaped from the debris.
"Haa... Not bad."
It was Nakwolhyang.
The sheer shawl she wore as ornament had shriveled in the heat. She shook it off like flicking away embers, letting the fluttering fabric slip from her arms.
"That was close. Really."
No one here could identify her by sight alone.
Except for one person.
"To even plan for burial... It's been ages since anyone cornered me like this."
Nakwolhyang glared at that sole individual.
She had let her guard down, sensing no killing intent, but her fury burned hotter than the flames. Ha Eun-ye stamped the ground, pursuing her from the inferno.
The terror of fire lay not just in its heat, but in how it devoured the air around it.
Ordinary people struggled to breathe; the two women, having expended vast amounts of energy, showed clear fatigue regardless of their skill.
'Tch.'
Regulating her breath, Ha Eun-ye tore the singed hem of her robe away, just as Nakwolhyang had.
"No hesitation."
Nakwolhyang chuckled softly, scanning the surroundings.
"I don't hate women like that."
Even judging purely by remaining energy, she held the advantage. Still, the moment of being buried in debris had truly rattled her.
Ha Eun-ye, with her serene face and ruthless tenacity.
Nakwolhyang, her view of the woman shifting to include unyielding resolve, now sought out a man.
"Hic... sob."
A middle-aged man pounding the ground in grief amid the ruins.
'Someone who hasn't evacuated?!'
Ha Eun-ye and Nakwolhyang's thoughts crossed as they spotted him.
Thud.
Nakwolhyang acted first. She leaped forward, gently pressing her jade hand to the man's face.
"A... aaah!"
His wrinkles deepened in an instant.
Another essence-drained victim. His screams drew people, and soon multiple warriors approached the two women.
"Still lacking. Far from enough."
Having replenished a bit of energy, she licked her alluring lips.
It was a simple process.
As long as people were present, her energy seemed infinite, but it wasn't without risk.
Nor was it efficient.
'Beggars can't be choosers—a young, vibrant man would be ideal.'
As she eyed new prey, Ha Eun-ye hadn't even stepped forward yet.
Shing!
A blade sliced between the two women.
Tiny metal bits multiplied like splitting cells, flying toward Nakwolhyang.
Clang!
She deflected them easily but shook her faintly stinging wrist.
"...I'll grant your weapon skills."
The numerical disadvantage was absolute, yet Nakwolhyang showed no dismay.
"You're living up to the fiend name yourself. For an old hag."
Dang So-so, who had ambushed her, inwardly clicked her tongue. Even top-grade Tang hidden weapons barely drew a drop of blood.
"Are you alright?"
Baek Ri-seol, who arrived with her, checked on Ha Eun-ye.
Her tattered robes exposed skin in places, her smooth legs fully bared.
No major wounds was surprising, but the situation wasn't optimistic.
The heart of Mugum County.
Only about ten had reached this far; others were still locked in combat.
Before the branch point, Nakwolhyang spoke.
"What a pity. It was a decent village."
The White Sound Enchantress, famed for her sound arts.
Unarmed, she exuded leisure.
"Left Guard, Right Attendant."
At her low call, two masked figures appeared.
As if they'd been there all along, they landed lightly.
"Leave just those girls."
"As you command."
Kill the women, keep the men.
The other warriors became burdens to protect for the three women, but there was no time to tend them.
True energy surged from Nakwolhyang's hands.
"...Pale Hand Blood Demon Art."
Ha Eun-ye had indirectly experienced that crimson aura before.
"Let me clarify—this is the original."
Flashing a smile, Nakwolhyang unveiled her signature technique.
"Just three at the third peak. For underestimating me, I'll give you a special show. Come at me all together if you like."
In stark contrast to the confident enchantress, the three women exchanged glances.
"No more cards up your sleeve, then."
Ha Eun-ye suddenly sneered.
"...Huh?"
"I never planned to take you down alone from the start."
It galled her to admit it, but she wasn't arrogant.
"All I had to do was keep you pinned down."
"What do you—"
She knew the line between courage and recklessness.
Having deceived even herself, she hinted at a greater victory.
"Past grudges matter, but so do present ties."
Bitterness from personal defeat was inevitable.
Yet their talents were no less than the enchantress's; this setback would only fuel future growth.
She froze.
A deep furrow formed between Nakwolhyang's brows, proving it.
Her face hardened in confusion.
Her vast energy wouldn't obey, scattering instead.
"...Poison?"
In disbelief, she stared at her hands. The halted masked man sensed the anomaly, and Dang So-so smiled with her eyes.
"Nothing special. Just makes channeling energy harder than before."
"From earlier?"
"A former fiend wouldn't gripe over fairness like this, right?"
Even pouring all her true power, she couldn't fatally wound an absolute pinnacle master. But a single scratch sufficed.
'Still far from Formless Finger Poison.'
Dang So-so's, devised from the Crimson Shadow Blade Master incident.
It crept on slowly, hard to detect, and her efforts paid off splendidly.
No one would stand by watching in battle while she purged it.
Ha Eun-ye gripped her sword tighter and stepped past the two guarding the others.
Her remaining energy and condition weren't ideal, but now they were equals.
"If you're unhappy, shall we three come at you together?"
The enchantress's martial logic relied on inexhaustible energy.
"You bitches dare!"
Ha Eun-ye seized the first move.
"Either way."
She charged swiftly, slashing down.
"You're dying here today."
Hiding one's strength was martial world basics, for techniques or people alike.
Life on a knife's edge meant even trash could kill you, so one amassed all advantages and concealed their true face. Ha Eun-ye, having gauged Nakwolhyang's limits fully, held nothing back.
'Ugh...!'
Nakwolhyang jerked her neck back from the probing sword-tip.
Beyond the fierce form, her own energy defied her.
Swish.
Being pushed by a young junior, toyed with in her palm—pure humiliation.
"Don't get cocky!"
Her eyes flashed as she rejected defense.
Pride wounded.
The two clashed head-on, venting inner turmoil, blood trickling over faded features in a brutal frenzy.
Drip.
Nakwolhyang's hand-blade, infused with imperfect energy, sliced Ha Eun-ye's wrist.
"Your energy's running out too!"
But the fox ignoring her wound turned feral.
Tap.
She switched hands on the longsword.
"So?"
Dual-wielding, Ha Eun-ye unleashed killing intent.
Affection Transcendent Supreme Sword Arts, One Wave Ten Thousand Towns.
The killing strike, honed for one target, embodied her long-suppressed heart.
A single wave engulfed Nakwolhyang, sweeping the surroundings.
Assurance of grand victory meant personal outcomes mattered little.
With reliable backup.
Yet the sword's wail poured out old grudges in her stead, dwarfing Nakwolhyang's pride.
'Dodge, must dodge...'
Abandoning the front, Nakwolhyang paled, crossing her arms.
No escape from the absolute technique's onslaught.
Boom!
An explosion rang out.
Her jade hands resisted the dual blades' pressure.
As dust settled, the spent Ha Eun-ye gazed at her bloodied, shredded hands.
"Cough!"
Unexpectedly, the crimson-stained hands belonged not to a woman, but a man.
Left Guard lay behind her, his pale hands gone.
Snap!
Along with their owner.
'Hah, hah...!'
Nakwolhyang fled the battlefield, scaling the ridge.
About two hours since combat began.
Unlike chaotic melees, this life-or-death duel had dragged on unusually long.
'Damn bitches!'
Not even the survivors were normal; she exploited weary warriors' gaps.
Her pitiful state was indescribable.
To show her back to mere children—unprecedented shame shattered her haughty mask.
'I'll kill them all!'
Half her wrinkled face veiled, she kicked off relentlessly.
Even her hand covering it was lined with wrinkles.
'Man, need a man, a young man!'
Her Youth Preservation Technique undone betrayed her state. Cornered, she fled Ha Eun-ye, chasing presences.
Tang poisons and Sword King's arts exceeded expectations, but the real threat was her own misjudgment.
Repeated complacency let her escape via subordinates' sacrifice.
"Heh... huff, cough!"
Regret always comes late, but this would do.
She had survived, after all.
Extending her senses, she regained her smile.
'Couldn't finish me in twenty exchanges? That's your—your collective defeat.'
No mercy. Imagining their pretty faces twisting stirred fresh vigor.
Motivation, will, spirit—all brimming. Purging the poison, she neared multiple presences.
"Civilians first! Injured, this way!"
A young man's booming voice.
Elated, Nakwolhyang cautiously surveyed.
'Mostly first-rate, some experts.'
One mistake sufficed.
Villagers mixed with few warriors; their refuge was obvious.
'That boy first.'
Harboring internal injuries, she leaked faint energy.
Swoosh.
Her appearance revived instantly.
Pale as death, yet her twenty-something beauty was enough to entrance a man.
Blending into the crowd, Nakwolhyang met the youth's eyes.
Her body was riddled with cuts and burns.
Clutching her limp arm's shoulder, she looked pitiable. Normal curiosity would question such wounds first, but context and her distracting allure eclipsed reason.
"A-are you okay?"
The flustered youth was Seo Mun Jun-sang.
"...Little brother?"
Her wretched form seemed ready to collapse in a breeze. Hiding hand wrinkles, she wilted into his arms.
Swish.
As she nestled, she lifted her sleeve.
Lips curling, Nakwolhyang's eyes gleamed.
Shick!
Her aura shifted in a flash.
Seeking to replenish, her venomous claw shot from the sleeve toward Seo Mun Jun-sang's head.
Grab.
But her hand halted mid-air unexpectedly.
Not by Seo Mun Jun-sang.
Failing to reach his brow, Nakwolhyang flinched, dispelling energy, turning rigid eyes to her wrist's captor.
"Brother?"
Ignoring stunned Seo Mun Jun-sang, she expressed disbelief at the intruder's presence she'd missed.
The black-clad man gripping her crudely.
"Sorry I'm late."
He spoke calmly. It was Seo Mun-ha.
Prey doubled.
Undesired, yet the enchantress's face filled with shock.
Like lodged in rock, she couldn't free her hand or move.
"Who's this woman?"
"Uh, I don't really know..."
Seo Mun Jun-sang recovered, adding,
"Probably a refugee from Mugum County. Looks badly hurt, so first..."
"Refugee?"
Seo Mun-ha eyed Nakwolhyang.
"Do refugees these days master demonic arts as basics?"
His impassive gaze pierced the truth; he'd encountered this specific art before.
'Could he be... the one who killed Gyeong-won?'
Nakwolhyang bit her lip.
Thoughts collided; if true, injured as she was, she wasn't his match.
"...Spare me."
She surrendered meekly.
Her pursuers arrived at the refuge.
"Ah!"
Baek Ri-seol sighed shortly; Dang So-so and Ha Eun-ye shouted in unison.
"Where've you been? Showing up now?!"
Seo Mun-ha brushed off their scolding casually, as usual.
Sideline unexpectedly, Nakwolhyang burst laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"Seemed like you're with those bitches—no, ladies. Lucky for me."
"Lucky?"
"Means you're not Hwi-ha. Please, young hero. Spare me."
Her plea lacked sincerity.
"Men don't kill pretty women, right?"
Her brazen confidence stemmed from certainty; his vaguely sensed power seemed utterly reliable.
"True enough."
Seo Mun-ha nodded.
Beauties have been national treasures since ancient times. Her assurance wasn't baseless—befitting the enchantress men struggled against.
"Then...?"
Seo Mun-ha suddenly gripped Nakwolhyang's throat.
Her eyes bulged; mouth agape.
"Guhk."
No honeyed voice escaped.
Sealed at Heaven's Pool, Wind Mansion, and Support Prominence—unable to muster energy, naturally.
"But I kill pretty women just fine."
A nation-toppler, he'd spilled plenty of such beauties' blood.
True to words, his thick hand crushed her windpipe.
Face purpling, Nakwolhyang flailed her free hand futilely.
'...Ah.'
Soon, the infamous fiend's shoulders slumped.
Crack.
Miserably.