Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

 

“Gaaah!”

“Aaagh!”

As the vanguard of the Black Wind Unit and the Blood Death Unit collapsed with screams, hidden weapons shot out from between the houses.

“It is an ambush!”

“Fall back!”

“Gah!”

The Demonic Cultists realized they had been caught in a trap and tried to retreat in a hurry, but hidden weapons poured down on the very paths they used to escape.

“Attack!”

As hidden weapons rained out from the houses, the Demonic Cultists shot toward those buildings.

BOOM!

A Demonic Cultist smashed through a wall and burst inside, swinging his sword in every direction.

SHHK! SHHK!

Sharp sword energy tore through the interior of the house, turning it into a ruin. But by the time they entered, no one was there.

Instead….

WHOOSH!

Poison smoke filling the house greeted them.

“Urk!”

“Poison….”

The one who managed to say the word was unlucky. His internal energy was strong enough to give him a brief moment to resist the poison.

Those who screamed died instantly, but those who could speak had to suffer the pain of being poisoned and cry out in agony.

Even so, their screams and suffering ended in an instant.

When the screams died away, an old man appeared from beneath the floor of the house.

“Heh, heh, heh! I never thought the day would come when I could use one of the Ten Great Forbidden Poisons so freely.”

Chuckling softly, the old man went to the window and fired hidden weapons drenched in the Ten Great Forbidden Poisons, poison dripping thickly from them.

FWIP-FWIP-FWIP!

After firing the hidden weapons, the old man burrowed back underground.

The same thing was happening all over the village.

The experts of the Tang Clan scattered and hid with perfect precision, firing hidden weapons from concealment. Once they fired, they immediately abandoned their positions.

And without fail, poison had been scattered where they had stood. The Demonic Cultists who rushed in to attack those places were poisoned and collapsed.

That was what made the Tang Clan so terrifying. They had no need to fight at close range.

All they had to do was throw hidden weapons, leave their positions, and scatter poison behind them.

***

Dang Jang, Dang Miryeong, and Dang Pung were facing off against the Demonic Cult’s Unit Commanders.

The Heaven-Sundering Blood Demon Oh Jin and the Black Wind Fiend Ho Jinui were staring at the village with hardened eyes.

“They have fallen perfectly into the trap.”

The two Unit Commanders could see their subordinates dying.

At Oh Jin’s murmur, Dang Pung laughed.

“People fear the main house’s poison and hidden weapons… but what they should truly fear is the cunning behind them.”

“Cunning?”

“Poison only works when the opponent does not realize it is being used. On top of that, the main house is the Sichuan Tang Clan, so all our enemies prepare against poison.”

Dang Pung smiled and shook his head.

“To poison those who have prepared against it, there are many things one must think through. What they believe is poison is not poison, and what they assume cannot possibly be poison becomes poison. Sometimes, we do the opposite….”

Dang Pung looked at Oh Jin and Ho Jinui.

“That is why the main house teaches cunning more than poison itself.”

Dang Pung smiled as he looked at the village. Most of the Demonic Cult experts who had entered it were already dead on the ground, and the few survivors were being hunted down by the Tang Clan experts.

“That must be the result.”

At Dang Pung’s words, Oh Jin clicked his tongue softly.

“That is exactly why our cult devised this plan to eliminate the Tang Clan first… How troublesome.”

“Troublesome?”

When Dang Pung narrowed his eyes, Oh Jin smiled.

“Well… you will know in a few days.”

Then Oh Jin looked at Dang Pung.

“You are… Dang Pung, are you not?”

“You know me?”

“We were taught in advance about the Tang Clan experts we needed to watch out for.”

“An expert the Demonic Cult is watching… What an honor.”

Oh Jin let out a small laugh, swept his gaze over Dang Pung, Dang Jang, and Dang Miryeong, then turned his head toward Ho Jinui.

“I will cover the rear.”

At Oh Jin’s words, Ho Jinui paused briefly, then kicked off the ground.

“He is fleeing?”

Startled by the sudden movement, Dang Pung kicked off the ground and tried to chase after him, but Oh Jin blocked his path and swung his sword.

SLASH!

Sword aura surged from the blade, forcing Dang Pung to retreat in haste. Dang Jang immediately stepped in.

“Go after him.”

At Dang Jang’s shout, Dang Pung hurriedly tried to pursue him.

“Dang Jang and Dang Miryeong will both die. I guarantee it.”

Flinch!

Dang Pung halted for a brief instant at Oh Jin’s words. In that moment, Oh Jin took a pill from his robes and put it in his mouth.

GULP!

WHOOSH!

Then Oh Jin’s face swelled as though it were about to burst, and a crimson energy began to seep out of him.

“That is the Bloodburst Fiend Pill.”

“The Bloodburst Fiend Pill!”

Dang Pung murmured in shock. It was one of the Demonic Cult’s sacred medicines, a pill that unleashed one’s latent potential.

And sword aura began to ripple from Oh Jin’s blade.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The sword aura rippled sharply, transforming into something like flame.

“Sword Aura Manifestation?”

It was Sword Aura Manifestation, the realm where aura lost its fixed form and wavered like fire.

“Is it not marvelous? To think a single pill can allow me to cross a wall I longed to overcome even in my dreams.”

Oh Jin gazed at the Sword Aura Manifestation flickering from his blade as though it were beautiful, then gave a faint smile.

“Of course, the price is my life, and it will only last for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.”

Oh Jin raised his sword and took his stance.

“Then, with my final flame….”

As he spoke, confusion suddenly appeared on Oh Jin’s face.

Dang Jang, Dang Pung, and Dang Miryeong, who had been standing before him, were fleeing.

“What?”

Oh Jin stared at the three of them in bewilderment. He had never imagined that three renowned experts of the Tang Clan would run away without even throwing a single hidden weapon.

And it was not just them.

Tang Clan experts leaped out from houses in every direction and immediately began withdrawing.

“Hah!”

Oh Jin was dumbfounded. The experts of the Sichuan Tang Clan were fleeing in this situation….

And after he had even taken a pill, fully prepared to die?

His bewilderment soon turned into rage.

“Chase them!”

“As you command!”

Oh Jin and the surviving Demonic Cult experts gave chase. But their numbers did not even reach twenty.

SWOOSH-SWOOSH-SWOOSH!

Oh Jin and the Demonic Cult experts hurried after the Tang Clan experts.

And then….

SLASH!

“Gah!”

A Tang Clan expert who had been caught from behind by Oh Jin was split cleanly in two and scattered apart.

One Tang Clan expert had died, but the Tang Clan experts running ahead did not stop.

Some of them clearly looked back, but not a single one returned.

“Hmph!”

With a shout, Oh Jin drew up even more energy. Then he chased after the one at the very rear and swung his sword.

No, he tried to.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

In that instant, hidden weapons shattered against Oh Jin’s sword.

WHIP!

Oh Jin looked toward the place the hidden weapons had come from. There, Dang Miryeong was sitting on Dang Jang’s shoulder, throwing hidden weapons backward.

And it was not only Dang Miryeong.

Every member of the Flat Bat Unit was moving the same way, with one person running and another looking back while throwing hidden weapons.

“You bastards!”

Oh Jin spat out a curse and poured even more strength into his lightness skill.

SWOOSH-SWOOSH-SWOOSH! CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

Throwing knives, blood butterflies, needles, and all manner of hidden weapons poured toward Oh Jin. But every one of them was blocked by his sword.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

The hidden weapons were not a problem for Oh Jin. The problem was… because he had to block them, he could not put all his strength into his lightness skill.

SWOOSH!

Oh Jin snatched a dagger aimed at his chest and tightened his grip.

CRUNCH!

The dagger shattered in Oh Jin’s hand. Watching the pieces scatter like shards of glass, Oh Jin once again pursued the Tang Clan experts.

Just as the Tang Clan experts left the village, Dang Miryeong suddenly threw a dagger at Oh Jin.

SWOOSH!

As the dagger flew toward him at high speed, Oh Jin was about to swing his sword when he noticed something strange.

A faint flame could be seen on the dagger.

‘An explosive hidden weapon?’

At that, Oh Jin protected his entire body with internal energy and charged forward. Even if the dagger exploded, he intended to endure a few fragments and break through the blast zone.

After all, his life was nearly over now… There was no reason to dodge.

BANG!

The dagger exploded, scattering flames in every direction.

As Oh Jin drew up even more internal energy, he saw something strange.

The flames that burst in the air spread outward. No, it was as though a festival of fire had opened in midair.

And then….

KABOOM!

With a violent explosion, a wave of flame swept through the surroundings.

“Gaaah!”

“Aaagh!”

The surviving Demonic Cultists screamed as they were blown apart, but their cries were not very loud.

The explosion was simply that overwhelming.

***

Dang Myeong and the Tang Clan experts were looking at the village that had been reduced to ruins. Dang Myeong glanced toward one place.

There, Oh Jin stood dead with his sword planted in the ground.

“An expert of Sword Aura Manifestation….”

At Dang Myeong’s murmur, Dang Jang sighed and said,

“If we had fought him properly, the damage would have been severe.”

Dang Myeong nodded at Dang Jang’s words and said,

“Thank you for retreating as I instructed.”

“The Clan Lord told us to follow your command.”

“Even so, thank you.”

Even if their opponent was an expert of Sword Aura Manifestation, Dang Jang would have been willing to fight. After all, the pride of a martial artist would not allow him to show his back, even if it meant death.

The same was true of Dang Pung and Dang Miryeong. Even so, at Dang Myeong’s order, they had chosen to retreat—no, to flee—without a word of objection.

For Dang Myeong, who had decided to do everything for the Tang Clan, it had been an obvious choice. Besides, their opponent had unleashed his latent potential and would soon die anyway. There was no reason to face him directly.

After withdrawing all the Tang Clan experts, Dang Myeong had them scatter a fine powder called Fire Powder.

Fire Powder was not poison, but it was a fine powder that burned fiercely with even the smallest spark.

They made the enemy follow while throwing hidden weapons, then detonated the Fire Powder at the right moment. The resulting explosion hurled the hidden weapons the Tang Clan had thrown into the air, causing them to burst and sweep through the surroundings, killing all the Demonic Cult experts.

“We return.”

At Dang Myeong’s words, Dang Miryeong asked,

“What about the hidden weapons?”

Dang Miryeong looked at the village. Countless hidden weapons they had used had to be scattered throughout it.

And the Tang Clan did not carelessly leave its hidden weapons behind.

“We do not have time to retrieve them.”

“Then?”

“We will set the village on fire.”

“Fire?”

“I am sorry to the villagers, but once the war ends, the main house will provide them with a way to live again.”

As though he had no intention of explaining further, Dang Myeong looked at the experts.

“Set it on fire.”

“As you command!”

At Dang Myeong’s order, the Tang Clan experts entered the village and began setting fires throughout it.

FWOOSH! FWOOSH!

As the entire village began to burn, Dang Myeong let out a soft breath.

‘For now… one thing has changed.’

Originally, the Secret Serpent Unit and the Flat Bat Unit were supposed to be annihilated. Then the Demonic Cultists would surround the Sichuan Tang Clan.

But the Secret Serpent Unit, the Flat Bat Unit, Dang Jang, and Dang Miryeong had survived.

If these forces and the two peak realm experts joined the defense, the Sichuan Tang Clan could build a defensive formation and hold out.

With a faint smile, Dang Myeong and the Tang Clan experts hurried back toward Chengdu.

But Dang Myeong had smiled too soon. The Tang Clan’s crisis was not over yet.

***

SWOOSH-SWOOSH-SWOOSH!

As Dang Myeong rushed back toward Chengdu, he suddenly looked up at the sky, took a sachet from his robes, and shook it.

Then a hawk dropped swiftly from the sky.

“It is a poison hawk.”

The hawk, which had been trained since it was young, landed on Dang Myeong’s shoulder.

Dang Myeong hurriedly removed the message tied to its leg and checked its contents.

「The Demonic Cult has surrounded us. Returning is impossible. Move to Qingcheng.」

After reading the message, Dang Myeong’s face hardened.

“Damn it….”

Seeing Dang Myeong’s hardened expression, Dang Jang and Dang Pung read the message with him, and their faces stiffened as well.

“The main house has already been surrounded?”

“We must return at once.”

At Dang Jang and Dang Pung’s words, Dang Myeong’s face twisted.

‘Nothing… has changed.’

No, it had gotten worse. Dang Pung, who should have been at the main house, was here, along with the Tang Clan experts who had come out to help him.

In other words, even more of the experts who should have formed the Tang Clan’s defensive line were absent.