Chapter 109
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Now That's Enough
In the midst of the raging storm of flames, Gong Mu-hyuk had no choice but to flatten himself against the ground.
Even then, his gaze turned toward the hidden weapon in the enemy's hand.
Manchun Blood Thunder.
The strongest hidden weapon of the Manmuryeon.
And now it was in the hands of the enemy.
When they first appeared, he had thought they might be relics from the previous war or something that had leaked out from the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
But when the second one showed up, that notion began to waver.
And now, seven of them were flying toward him at once.
The words of the Escort Corps Leader echoed in his mind.
'Un-yeol was recommended to the Escort Corps by the Vice Leader...'
The Manmuryeon's Vice Leader.
His own younger brother, Gong Do-hyuk.
While he himself had been immersed in hidden weapon research, neglecting the alliance's affairs, his brother had handled all the major and minor matters of the alliance.
Without him, the Manmuryeon wouldn't have functioned.
He certainly could have obtained all ten Manchun Blood Thunders.
First Un-yeol, and now the Manchun Blood Thunders.
'Are you the one targeting me... You fool...'
It was heartbreaking.
His own brother aiming for him.
It seemed to be because of the Leader's position.
He would have handed it over with just a word.
No, given his own health, he couldn't have held onto the Leader's seat for long anyway.
'Ah!'
A realization struck him like a blow to the head.
Lately, after meeting Ha Mu-baek and Wi Ji-gun, his health had improved dramatically.
That must have been what drove his brother to such desperate thoughts.
He had assumed he would soon become Leader due to his brother's illness, but now his condition was improving.
"Do-hyuk... How could you..."
His murmur escaped softly, born of utter despair.
In the midst of it all, Ha Mu-baek's divine skill in protecting them was astonishing.
How could a human possibly block the Manchun Blood Thunders?
Even he, who had improved upon them, could hardly believe his eyes.
Right now, seven Manchun Blood Thunders were converging on Ha Mu-baek.
Pure white aura gathered on his arms.
A form that could be called hand aura, fist aura, or palm aura.
It simply moved in tandem with Ha Mu-baek's hand motions.
Ha Mu-baek seized every single Manchun Blood Thunder drawn in by his void-grasping technique and enveloped them within a barrier of aura.
The moment he wrapped all seven without missing a single one...
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-boom!!!!
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-boom!!!!!
A massive explosion erupted as all seven detonated simultaneously.
"Urk."
A groan escaped Ha Mu-baek's lips.
Even for him, suppressing seven simultaneous explosions had its limits.
Explosion upon explosion, the power grew exponentially.
The spherical aura barrier began to crack under the explosive pressure.
Ha Mu-baek poured more internal energy to reinforce the aura sphere, focusing entirely on holding it together.
The explosion dragged on even longer.
What would have ended quickly with one now raged on like a flame dragon.
His dantian throbbed with pain.
But he couldn't stop here.
If he did, the entire area—and the people behind him—might be swept up in the blast.
The Third Spirit Lord watched the scene impassively.
It was unfolding exactly as he had predicted.
Ha Mu-baek, that monster, was devoting all his power to containing the explosion.
If he had targeted just that one man, even pouring all ten Manchun Blood Thunders and one Manchun Golden Chain Thunderbolt might not have sufficed.
Wrapping that aura around himself would allow him to withstand far greater blasts.
"But right now, he's overextending himself to protect those people."
The Third Spirit Lord murmured softly.
He waited for the explosion within Ha Mu-baek's aura to reach its peak.
The writhing flames battered the sphere from every angle.
It shook as if it might shatter at any moment, but as Ha Mu-baek surged his internal energy, it stabilized.
In that instant.
"Now."
The Third Spirit Lord's form vanished, reappearing beside Ha Mu-baek with a single palm's distance between them.
Ha Mu-baek's eyebrow twitched.
It was a presence he had sensed from the moment they appeared—one he recognized.
Definitely someone he had faced in the last war.
"Long time no see, Ha Mu-baek. Still monstrously strong, I see. Let's see you block this too. Just like back then."
His voice brimmed with the joy of victory.
The Third Spirit Lord drew it from his bosom.
As Gong Mu-hyuk watched Ha Mu-baek's unbelievable prowess in disbelief, a sudden thought struck him elsewhere.
Would his brother, who harbored murderous intent toward him, have given the enemy only the ten Manchun Blood Thunders?
The Manmuryeon's current strongest hidden weapon was something else.
Unlike the Manchun Blood Thunders, it required the Leader's personal approval to withdraw—but there was one that didn't require it for the Vice Leader, one he had given for his protection.
The Manchun Golden Chain Thunderbolt.
What if he had sent even that into their hands?
The moment that thought crossed his mind, one of them approached Ha Mu-baek.
And drew out a cylindrical hidden weapon from his bosom.
It was unmistakable.
That was it.
The instant he confirmed it, he shouted.
"Dodge!!!!!!"
A desperate cry.
Ha Mu-baek glanced at Gong Mu-hyuk.
At the man's frantic, pleading gaze, Ha Mu-baek leaped high into the air.
In that moment, the Third Spirit Lord aimed the Manchun Golden Chain Thunderbolt at him and pressed the trigger with an energy-infused finger.
He had only received a brief explanation of its use from Gong Do-hyuk and hadn't been told how it actually worked—so what followed was unknown even to him.
Shuuuuk!
It wasn't an explosion.
The cylinder's tip opened, launching something outward.
Something hurtled straight toward Ha Mu-baek soaring through the air.
Ha Mu-baek furrowed his brow.
He sensed an ominous energy from the iron orb flying toward him at high speed.
Ha Mu-baek positioned the rising aura sphere in front of himself to block it.
The instant the iron orb collided with the aura sphere...
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-boom!!! Kwaaaaaah!!!
A heaven-shaking explosion roared, unleashing a colossal storm of flames.
The aura sphere shattered into pieces, and the remaining flames from the Manchun Blood Thunders inside mixed with the Manchun Golden Chain Thunderbolt's blaze, soaring skyward like ascending fire.
Ha Mu-baek, right behind it, was helplessly engulfed by the immense flame storm.
The Third Spirit Lord watched the sight clearly from below.
"Ha, haha. Hahahaha."
Ha Mu-baek, his form unrecognizable, charred black in the flame storm.
At the sight, the Third Spirit Lord was convinced.
Even an immortal wouldn't survive that.
Ha Mu-baek was dead.
Finally, that monster was gone.
As expected of the Manchun Golden Chain Thunderbolt!
Though used only once, who knew it was such a terrifying weapon.
"Finally! Finally! We took down that monster! Puahahahaha!"
Maniacal laughter of ecstasy burst from the Third Spirit Lord's mouth.
How long did he laugh?
The Third Spirit Lord stopped.
And turned to Gong Mu-hyuk.
A man who could create such an astonishing hidden weapon.
He had to be eliminated.
If left alive, he might even devise a counter to the Manchun Golden Chain Thunderbolt.
Gong Mu-hyuk flinched as their eyes met.
He couldn't withstand the killing intent in that gaze.
"Do-hyuk. Did that bastard join hands with the Demonic Cult?"
Gong Mu-hyuk demanded in a voice sharp with anger.
"Sharp as ever. I didn't say a word, yet you figured it out from the situation alone."
The Third Spirit Lord admitted readily.
At his words, Gong Son Mu-oe, Gong Son Hwa-kyeong, and Gong So-yu widened their eyes.
Gong Mu-hyuk's brother had allied with the Demonic Cult?
"Thank you. Thanks to you, we took down that monster Ha Mu-baek. I thought it impossible in my lifetime. Kehehehe."
Was it the joy? The Third Spirit Lord was unusually talkative.
"So it was Do-hyuk's Manchun Golden Chain Thunderbolt after all."
Gong Mu-hyuk's words drew a nod from the Third Spirit Lord.
"Yeah, just the one, so I couldn't even test it. Had to use it as instructed. So it's a projectile type, not thrown. No wonder there was no mention of tossing it. Keh. What an incredible creation."
His eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
Gong Son Mu-oe sensed it and drew his sword to block Gong Mu-hyuk.
Gong Son Hwa-kyeong stood beside him.
"Hah. So you're the Valley Lord of Immortal Leisure Valley."
The Third Spirit Lord sneered at the pair and surged his demonic energy.
Demonic qi whipped around him like a storm in all directions.
"Urk."
Pain seared through their bodies as if they were burning.
What position did this bastard hold in the Demonic Cult to unleash such overwhelming demonic qi?
Gong Son Mu-oe gritted his teeth.
And circulated his internal energy.
He had to protect his granddaughter and great-granddaughter.
Gong Son Hwa-kyeong did the same.
Sword aura and sword qi rose from their blades.
"Pathetic."
The Third Spirit Lord swung his sword, infused with thick black demonic qi.
"Aaaak."
Gong Son Hwa-kyeong collapsed without lasting ten exchanges.
Gong Son Mu-oe blocked the Third Spirit Lord's attacks with all his might. Contrary to expectations, his skill was impressive.
"A Valley Lord lives up to his title, eh?"
The demonic qi pouring from the Third Spirit Lord's body thickened further.
"Ugh..."
Gong Son Mu-oe groaned.
Yet he held firm.
Great Luo Creation Heart Healing Art.
The signature heart method of Immortal Leisure Valley, focused on medicine but still a martial art.
Moreover, it countered demonic qi perfectly.
That was how he could stand against such immense demonic energy.
The Third Spirit Lord sensed it too.
"Indeed, Immortal Leisure Valley. A natural counter? Heh. But that's only meaningful at similar levels."
As his words ended, the storm of demonic qi around him intensified.
Demonic qi like a typhoon.
"Kuhuk."
A groan escaped Gong Son Mu-oe's gritted teeth.
"Time to end this."
The Third Spirit Lord's sword split Gong Son Mu-oe's blade. His left palm struck Gong Son Mu-oe's chest, sending him flying back with a spray of blood, collapsing.
The Third Spirit Lord turned to Gong Mu-hyuk.
Now, no one remained to protect him.
No—his daughter, whom he should protect, hid behind him, glaring fiercely at the Third Spirit Lord.
"Time to finish you. We allied on the condition of your death, after all. Your daughter too, of course."
Gong Mu-hyuk's eyes trembled finely at the words.
To target his daughter as well.
She suffered from Nine Yin Severed Meridians and couldn't even fight at full capacity.
"Root and stem, as they say. Well, your daughter's condition is improving bit by bit anyway."
The tip of the Third Spirit Lord's sword pointed at Gong Mu-hyuk.
"S-Stop!!"
Then Gong So-yu screamed in terror, stepping forward.
She thrust her trembling arms toward the Third Spirit Lord.
And in her hand...
Something very familiar to the Third Spirit Lord.
How could it not be?
He had just used one to kill Ha Mu-baek.
Manchun Golden Chain Thunderbolt.
It was clutched in the small, frail girl's hand.
"Impressive. You had one too. Thanks. After using it once, I wanted another."
Step.
The Third Spirit Lord took a step toward Gong So-yu.
"S-Stop! If you come closer, I'll sh-shoot!"
Gong So-yu cried out hysterically.
From her father and the fiend's conversation, she knew this weapon—the one that supposedly killed Ha Mu-baek—was the same as what her father had given her.
That was why she stepped forward to aim at the fiend.
Her grandfather and mother had fallen.
This was the only thing left to protect her father and herself.
"Hah. Shoot if you can. You know it requires internal energy to activate. Do you have any?"
Gong So-yu bit her lip at the Third Spirit Lord's question.
He was right.
She had rushed forward in desperation, but her body lacked internal energy.
She was nearly recovered and could soon start cultivating it, but not yet.
"Eek."
Still, Gong So-yu recalled the sensation of internal energy circulating through her meridians during Ha Mu-baek's treatment and desperately tried to recreate it while pressing the Manchun Golden Chain Thunderbolt's button.
Click.
But only an empty sound rang out.
Gong Mu-hyuk closed his eyes. He too lacked internal energy.
For safety, he had designed it to require internal energy—but now it threatened their safety.
"Now that's enough."
The Third Spirit Lord took another step and reached out to seize the Manchun Golden Chain Thunderbolt.
"You stop that."
A chilling voice from behind!
No—a voice that shouldn't be heard!
The instant he heard it, the Third Spirit Lord reflexively hurled himself away with full power.
And a sword strike crashed down where he had stood.
Kwajik.
The sword embedded into the ground.
"Hoo."
A man let out a deep sigh.
Ha Mu-baek, his entire body charred black.