Beast Fight (2)

On the top of a giant tree not far from the Divine Iron Merchant House, a man stood.

It was astonishing that the branch, bearing the weight of an adult man, neither snapped nor even bent. It meant the man’s internal energy, and his movement arts, had reached super-first-rate.

Even with snow falling thick and piling over his body, he blended into the tree well. He had mastered concealment arts to a high level too, not only movement arts.

“…At last.”

Around the Divine Iron Merchant House’s main gate, countless assassins had formed ranks.

They were assassins of the Crimson Blood Pavilion. They had acted as Gyeong Do-cheon’s hands and feet, but now they weren’t helping him.

And that fact stirred nothing in the man. The only thing that mattered to him was Gyeong Do-cheon.

“The Demon Child succeeded.”

In truth, there was no need to deploy even the Demon Child. But his master had inserted even the Demon Child, to prepare for every contingency.

His master’s judgment was right. Gyeong Do-cheon lost consciousness before he could awaken on his own. If his heart had been pierced instead, the demonic art would have awakened on its own.

The man thought again. Flashing wisdom and vast knowledge were impressive, but true greatness was thoroughness.

That was why he respected his master. More than once he had thought, ‘Come on, is there a need to go this far?’ But his master’s caution, preparing even for the one-in-a-million case, was clearly different. And because his master’s martial arts were so exceptional, that caution felt even more incredible.

‘Either way, this does it.’

The Forbidden Soul Demonic Art wasn’t some trashy demonic art traded in street rumors. It didn’t induce madness in the cultivator, nor did it make him excessively cruel.

A high-level demonic art that lets you retain reason.

Meaning, Gyeong Do-cheon’s nature hadn’t changed because he learned a demonic art. He had only gotten drunk on immense power, and decided to let loose the desires he’d been carrying.

Of course, even that wasn’t something the man cared about.

‘The experiment succeeded. The Forbidden Soul Demonic Art has been fully restored.’

The man hesitated for a moment.

‘Do I need to watch longer?’

There was no need. The seed of the Forbidden Soul Demonic Art had sprouted, so all he had to do was go back and report success.

But he thought about thoroughness, about perfection. He might never become like his master in his entire life, but shouldn’t he at least try?

‘It’d be good to know how things are going inside the Divine Iron Merchant House too. Let’s watch a bit longer.’

The man’s resolve not to handle things carelessly was admirable.

But he didn’t foresee that his admirable resolve would bring ruin. He didn’t realize that even caution had to be used with an eye on the situation.

‘This can’t be.’

Gyeong Do-cheon felt like he was dreaming.

‘No way.’

That bastard was definitely dead.

That day when the downpour fell was still vivid.

His dagger had been coated with the Crimson Blood Pavilion’s secret poison, the Soul Beckoning Poison. That poison, which couldn’t be washed away even by rain, was an improved version of the deadly Ghost Buying Powder, a vile drug that ended one’s life along with the pain of their organs melting while they were still alive.

That was why he left without cutting his throat. He wanted to peel his flesh off until he died, but he knew better than anyone that it wouldn’t compare to Soul Beckoning Poison’s pain.

He would have died writhing in agony under the cold rain.

He was certain. He had personally refined the Soul Beckoning Poison, and he had tested it on more than twenty people, from martial artists to ordinary men.

He returned quickly in case the underlings at the merchant house found it strange, but he was certain the bastard had died. He even left an assassin behind, and his men had reported to have confirmed that the bastard’s breath had stopped and he was buried under soil and sand before returning.

How exhilarating it had been. It was a shame he hadn’t seen him writhing in pain, but the more time passed, the more he sank into the pleasure of imagining the scene.

The bastard was dead. No more needed to be said.

So, that white-haired mad master before his eyes now was all an illusion…

“Are you still obsessed with taking care of your nails these days?”

Fwhoosh.

A translucent blue aura flared up like flame across Jin-hyeon’s entire body.

“Thinking back, you were really vicious. You even pulled out a few of your own nails, just to get rid of the iron dust baked into them.”

Gyeong Do-cheon’s cheek trembled.

After realizing he had no talent for smithing, he put down the hammer. But the iron dust that got into his nails while handling iron didn’t come out easily.

He removed most of it with medicine, but some wouldn’t come out, so he tore out the nails himself and treated them.

Nails stained with iron dust were a past he wanted to erase. Every time he looked at his hands, he saw that adopted bastard, and himself, jealous of his talent that reached the heavens, and he couldn’t stand it.

From then on, nail care became a habit. The torn nails grew back, but he trimmed them every few days, just to look neat.

It was a habit outsiders, people who had no reason to care about his nails, would never know. Maybe even insiders.

“What are you?”

Fwooosh!

A sinister dark gray aura surged from Gyeong Do-cheon’s body as well. If anything, its vividness was even greater than Jin-hyeon’s.

“What are you, really, pretending to be that disgusting bastard!”

“Kangho, and the world, are places where you can see countless times someone you thought dead return alive without a scratch.”

A vicious sound rang from Jin-hyeon’s two fists.

“Is that all you’ve come to?”

“Shut up.”

“You’re not at an age to not understand that. Yet you’re truly foolish.”

“I said shut up!”

“There’s nothing to say to a filially impious bastard who went blind with greed and even tried to kill his own father, but I didn’t know you were this weak. I almost pity the people of the clan who got toyed with by trash like you.”

Then again, thinking that way, his past self had been just as incompetent. If not for heaven’s fortune, he would have died to that crippled bastard, unable to pass on, wandering the Nine Heavens. The thought made his vision swim.

Jin-hyeon spat it out without hesitation.

“You’re really pathetic.”

It was a line that provoked rage far more than a crude curse.

An enormous killing intent poured out of Gyeong Do-cheon. His scraped and torn pride screamed at him to tear the bastard before his eyes apart.

“I don’t care who you are! A lowly Kangho brute dared disgrace the next Patriarch of the great Divine Iron Merchant House. You deserve to die ten thousand times!”

“Didn’t you say a clan was nothing?”

“W-what?!”

“Vulgar. Stupid.”

Jin-hyeon’s eyes curved like a crescent moon.

“Don’t worry. I’ll thoroughly free you from that utterly disgusting life. I won’t handle it as clumsily as you did, leaving it unfinished while strutting around. You can look forward to it.”

Pahak!

Charging at tremendous speed, Gyeong Do-cheon threw a punch and shouted.

“Shut your mouth!”

Teong! Peok!

“Keok!”

With a stifled groan, Gyeong Do-cheon staggered back. Blood streamed from his broken nose.

It hurt so badly his eyes stung with tears. For a moment, he couldn’t even get his vision to focus.

Jin-hyeon’s foot lashed out without mercy.

Peok!

Gyeong Do-cheon’s mouth fell open.

A toe dug into the spot he’d been hit three times before the Forbidden Soul Demonic Art awakened. Pain surged up from his abdomen, and his whole body reeled.

“Y-you bastard!”

Fwoosh!

The foot that withdrew, dodging his punch, whipped again like a lash.

Peok!

“Kyaaah!”

“Die!”

Hwaaak!

Explosive force, hot like flame, loaded into his fist.

It was tremendous power. The momentum bursting out with the demonic art’s manifestation carried strength close to the Heaven-Shattering Saber Han Cheol-sang had used.

No matter how unnatural the demonic art was, this was excessive. He had trained internal methods for a long time, but Gyeong Do-cheon, who had never devoted himself to martial arts themselves, shouldn’t have been able to earn even ‘first-rate,’ no matter how generously you judged him.

Yet the power he emitted, his movements, and his body’s toughness were overwhelming enough to easily crush an ordinary Peak Realm master.

And Jin-hyeon thought that was only natural.

Because the Forbidden Soul Demonic Art was that kind of demonic art.

Kwaaang!

Fists met, raising a fierce shockwave.

Jin-hyeon slid back. More than five or six steps. Gyeong Do-cheon only staggered three or four.

On the surface, it looked like Gyeong Do-cheon had the advantage. But Jin-hyeon’s expression didn’t change, and Gyeong Do-cheon’s face twisted worse than ever.

“Ghk!”

Uduk! Udeudeuk!

The middle of the fist that clashed with Jin-hyeon’s Steel-Shattering Hammer had caved in.

The bones had broken. The moment they broke, demonic qi concentrated, setting the shattered bones and healing the wound, but the pain was beyond imagination.

Jin-hyeon didn’t wait for Gyeong Do-cheon’s wound to heal.

Fwoosh!

Startled by Jin-hyeon reaching right before his nose in an instant, Gyeong Do-cheon stepped back without meaning to.

But Jin-hyeon’s kicking was faster than his movement.

Peok!

“Keoheok!”

As he flew back, the blood he spat drew a short arc in midair.

Kwaang!

Gyeong Do-cheon smashed through the gate leading into the inner court and rolled across the floor.

Again, the same spot. The difference was that the rushing momentum had been added.

No matter how great the Forbidden Soul Demonic Art was, he couldn’t get up right away. It was a miracle his organs hadn’t burst.

“Gyeong Do-cheon!!”

In the inner court’s center were Gyeong In-geol and Gyeong Hang, and the blacksmiths. Beyond them, Seomun Hoe and Oh Gyeong were there as well, and more than a hundred Crimson Blood Pavilion assassins had formed ranks.

Gyeong In-geol’s face, seated in a chair, twisted like a ghost.

“You bastard! I’ll kill you!”

It was then.

Kwaduk!

Jin-hyeon’s momentum, stepping over the shattered gate debris as he walked in, enclosed the entire inner court.

Huuuk!

The ferocious wave of Heavenly Wolf Qi pressed down on every side.

It was overwhelming momentum. With even a faint killing intent mixed in, it brought to mind a massive mountain.

Even Gyeong In-geol, who had been cursing, and the blacksmiths about to shout with him, shut their mouths in shock.

Step. Step.

Jin-hyeon didn’t even look at them.

With steps almost leisurely, Jin-hyeon approached Gyeong Do-cheon and coldly swung his foot.

Peok!

“Kyaaak!”

Blood sprayed from Gyeong Do-cheon’s mouth as he screamed.

Again, the same spot. Under the pressure of muscle driving in, even a rib snapped.

The Forbidden Soul Demonic Art had hardened bone and sinew like rock, but it couldn’t dissipate all the accumulated shock. If anything, Jin-hyeon was satisfied with that hard body, and kicked without controlling his strength.

Gyeong Do-cheon’s body trembled.

His face twisted in pain, but there was no fear. Rage only grew stronger. Killing intent rose from his whole body like it would reach the heavens.

Before that, Jin-hyeon smiled.

“That’s how it should be.”

He needed this much venom. It wasn’t time yet for sobbing and thrashing.

Huuuuung!

The heavy snow that had been pouring scattered in every direction.

Jin-hyeon turned back and held out his hand.

Han Cheol-sang, who had come into the inner court at some point, silently handed him the iron sword.

Then Gyeong Do-cheon’s eyes flashed.

Pa-aak!

His hand shot up like lightning, aiming for Jin-hyeon’s chest. He meant to pierce through in one strike.

But.

Tuk! Kwang!

Without even turning around, Jin-hyeon kicked lightly and struck his knee. Gyeong Do-cheon fell. Losing balance as he fell, his fist punched uselessly into the floor.

“Kyaaaah!”

He felt like he was going to go mad. Nothing worked, no matter what he did. Tears of blood flowed from his eyes, blood vessels ruptured.

Ppagak!

Struck in the jaw, Gyeong Do-cheon’s body rolled and rolled, stopping about six meters before Gyeong In-geol.

It was a perfect distance for everyone to see Gyeong Do-cheon’s condition up close.

“All right, then.”

Jin-hyeon, who had approached before anyone knew it, drove the sword into Gyeong Do-cheon’s thigh. The sword that pierced the thigh punched into the ground.

Gyeong Do-cheon’s body trembled.

Jin-hyeon slowly lifted his foot.

“I’ll settle the debt in front of everyone.”