Episode 356

The interior of the central pavilion was so quiet that it felt devoid of any presence.

It seemed certain that all the guards had left.

However, there wasn’t much time left. Before the chaos was resolved, the traces of the children…

“…!”

The eyes of Dae Gung, who had stopped moving for a moment, were fixed on one spot.

A man, Han Seung, leaned leisurely against the grand throne, with a maid standing before him holding a tray.

There was definitely only one presence, though…?

Moreover, it doesn’t feel alive at all.

The qi emanating from the person feels almost like… the qi of a corpse.

“Even a night visitor comes to such a place.”

“……”

Han Seung, with a sly smile, shifted his gaze toward Dae Gung.

“A mouse that knows how to silence its footsteps, I see.”

“……”

What on earth is that man?

He accurately pinpointed his concealed location, at least ten meters away.

And above all, the most astonishing thing was his eyes.

The moment they met, it felt like his breath stopped, so to speak… Demonic qi?

No. It was merely filled with extreme cruelty, clearly the gaze of the dead.

“I see. The commotion outside… It seems to be your doing.”

“……”

Even after noticing the concealment, he showed no change of emotion as he reached out and grabbed maidi’s head.

No, the maid was sucked into the outstretched hand.

Clatter.

The tray fell and the teapot shattered into pieces.

“Ugh, ughhh.”

“…!”

The maid’s eyes bulged as if they would pop out, blood vessels swelling, and at the same time, the youthful skin turned haggard and her body began to shrivel.

It was him.

The beast who kidnapped the children.

Dae Gung gritted his molars roughly.

A vicious beast that abandoned its humanity.

Even knowing its strength, it was hard to suppress the instinctual urge to kill.

But he had to escape.

If he were caught, many secrets would inevitably be revealed. The warriors of the covert Hidden Troops hidden inside Second Grotto-heaven, and the warriors of the pursuit team waiting outside, would all be in danger.

He had to buy some time, even if just for a moment.

Even if he died, he had to go outside and alert them that he had been discovered.

Bang! Crash!

The flow of thought quickly turned into action.

Without hesitation, Dae Gung threw himself, breaking through the window and leaping outside.

“Escape? If you do that suddenly, I’ll get hungry again. Hungry… .”

Thud.

Han Seung, having thrown away the deformed servant, slowly rose to his feet, and before taking even a single step, he swiftly passed through the window broken by Dae Gung.

Dae Gung, who rolled several times on the ground, immediately pulled a whistle from his chest without looking back.

Beeeep!

As soon as the sharp, ear-piercing sound echoed harshly, Dae Gung reached for the quiver securely fastened to his back.

The iron arrow he frequently used.

His choice is suicide.

Pierce the throat and die instantly.

The whistles they use contain a special sound.

Those who hear it will fully understand the situation, and the subordinates will retreat immediately, while the outer pursuit team will withdraw without delay as initially planned.

The sudden whistle sound had drawn the warriors of the central pavilion.

This is enough. Having served as bait, his role ends here.

“…!”

However, no matter how hard he tries, the iron touching his neck won’t move.

“Damn, the dead are useless. There needs to be some life left. And I, I love the sound of bones twisting when I drain.”

“……”

From afar, at the broken window he escaped from, Han Seung was smiling with his hand outstretched.

A distance of over ten meters.

To have the skill to suppress his movements from that distance?

Damn it, to think he would have to exert himself like this not to live, but to die.

Dae Gung gritted his teeth until they creaked and poured all his internal qi into his muscles.

Crack, crackle!

Yet, unable to withstand Han Seung’s force, his muscles snapped here and there.

Crunch.

Struggling against an unyielding force, his joints twisted and felt as if they would pop out, then a pain like grinding raw bones overwhelmed him.

In excruciating pain that made him want to scream, Dae Gung bit his lip with all his might.

Some of the blood that soaked his lips flowed down his throat, barely awakening his fading consciousness.

His efforts seemed to pay off as he felt the tip of the iron arrow slowly piercing through his neck.

Just a little more, pull a little more, and he could die.

Torn muscles? Twisted joints? It would all end once he was dead anyway.

“What a pitiful sight.”

“…!”

The monster, Han Seung, approached step by step.

With each step closer, the iron arrow moved in an unwanted direction.

His bent arm kept stretching, and even his body was pulled as if sliding toward Han Seung’s grip.

The fortunate thing is that the warriors who ran over at the sound of the whistle only formed a siege and did not approach.

They only watched the demise of the Dae Gung from a distance.

No more will come.

‘Please, please, if I could just gather a little strength to die…’

But the Dae Gung’s wish was ignored.

When Han Seung moved a single finger, the two hands that were holding the iron arrow began to spread.

Crack.

“Argh!”

His arms, which bent backward instead of just spreading, were as good as useless.

Having failed in his attempt at suicide, the Dae Gung had to choose an alternative.

Since he could move his mouth, he tried to bite his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk, stop. Even your death is already dependent on my choice.”

Snap.

With a short scoff and a moving finger, a peculiar sound came from Dae Gung’s jawline, and his lower jaw fell off.

’Damn…is this the end?

’I have become a body that cannot die, even if I want to.

‘I didn’t want to be ravaged by the enemy… Still, it’s a relief that everyone else is saved.

’By now, the pursuit team should have escaped successfully.

’They would survive.

‘Now I have to prepare to endure the pain.’

Resigned to everything, Dae Gung let all the strength drain from his body and hung limp.

As the will to resist faded, his body flew swiftly toward Han Seung.

Time slowed down.

The life he had lived so far flashed through his mind like a lantern and disappeared.

The family that collapsed after being branded as traitors, the time he was saved from death, and Hyeok Ryun Mugang’s face smiling brightly at him.

And…Sect Leader.

I’m sorry. For leaving first.

A smile appeared on his face instead of pain, as he let go of his grip on life.

And in his eyes, which had let go of all past memories, the surroundings gradually came into view.

The damned monster reaching out to him, the minions in black hats surrounding him, looking at his end…

And then, leaping over the wall with a sword… Chung…Sang?

Dae Gung snapped to attention.

‘It’s not an illusion. It’s Chung Sang, it’s Chung Sang.’

Following behind, Chung Woo, who had now transformed into a ball-like figure, was jumping over the wall.

‘This is insane!’

Though he failed to die, he had gone to the trouble of becoming bait to buy time for them to escape, so why are they there!

’Why are you crawling into a place to die, you foolish Taoists!

‘No, it can’t be.

’This guy is too strong for you to handle.

‘He’s not a human, he’s a monster.’

He wanted to shout at them to run away immediately, but making a sound was not allowed for Dae Gung, whose jaw was dislocated.

Sensing their presence, Han Seung frowned and extended the hand he had been playing with.

Paaaah!

The malevolent qi suddenly revealed its presence, extending towards Chung Sang.

An unknown qi binding Dae Gung.

It’s the end.

But he couldn’t close his eyes.

The sword of Chung Sang, approaching as if flying through the air, traced a peculiar path.

Like the flow of clouds, that leisurely trajectory gradually sped up, and eventually, the blue light emanating from the sword filled the surroundings and enveloped Chung Sang’s body.

A defensive barrier woven like silk from the blue qi.

Kwaaang!

With a rough explosion, the force burst out, and Chung Sang’s body was flung backward.

It’s not enough.

No matter how much Chung Sang is praised as a genius, facing a monster that has grown by sucking the vitality and life of humans is…huh?

In that moment, Dae Gung’s eyes widened.

Chung Sang, who had retreated leaving a long trail on the ground, was reaching out his hand.

Despite the internal injuries severe enough to draw a faint line of blood at the corner of his mouth from the rebound created by a single clash.

Whoosh!

Something pierced through the traces of the explosion, flying towards Han Seung.

“Chung Woo!”

Boom!

A heavy, rough sound of footsteps as massive as the body.

Without a second thought, Chung Woo leapt in at Chung Sang’s cry and grabbed Dae Gung’s body with his thick arms.

Huff!

At the same time, Dae Gung’s body was pulled powerlessly by Chung Woo’s strength.

What happened?

Surely, with the monster’s experience…huh? Come to think of it, he couldn’t feel the restriction that had been holding him back.

The scene vividly reflected in Dae Gung’s eyes.

The sword of Chung Sang shot out, forcing Han Seung to retreat two steps.

If it could push back that monster, could it be… Air Sword?

He learned under the Sword Sage Cheol Ji-rang and even mastered Air Sword? A young warrior barely in his prime?

“Get a grip! We need to escape. The pursuit team is waiting outside!”

Chung Sang, receiving Dae Gung from Chung Woo, dashed toward the wall and shouted sharply.

“Chung Woo! Break through the wall!”

“Yes!”

Following the command, Chung Woo clenched his thick fist as he ran.

Wooong!

The gathered qi made his fist enormous, then it extended directly towards the wall with immense force.

Seven Star Fist, Azure Dragon Surge.

Kwaaang!

As soon as the blue qi from the fist shattered the wall, Chung Sang and Chung Woo, holding Dae Gung, quickly slipped through the gap.

While fleeing, Chung Sang hastily wiped the blood from his lips and adjusted Dae Gung’s dislocated jaw to grasp the situation briefly.

“What happened?”

However, the astonishment at Chung Sang’s skill just moments ago outweighed the need for an explanation.

“Wait, are you saying you used the Air Sword?”

“No, it only looks similar to it. It’s merely an application of Wudang’s secret technique, the Closed Eye Illusion.”

Wudang’s Closed Eye Illusion.

It was the very technique Jinmu had used to drive a blade fragment into Dae Gung’s belly earlier.

Unaware of this, Dae Gung was bewildered, thinking it might be the foundation of the Air Sword.

“Hmm, let’s focus on escaping for now. We’ll talk later.”

“Ah, understood. My legs are fine, so I’ll run.”

“Yes.”

They focused solely on running without looking back.

And Han Seung’s face, watching their retreating figures, turned ferocious.

“Those bastards dare to…”

A violent and savage aura burst forth from his body like a storm.

“Young Lord!”

“……”

Sang Gwan-pyeong timeously blocked Han Seung.

“It’s not the time for you to chase after such trivial matters. Leave them to me and focus only on taking large strides. What you need to do is seize Third Grotto-heaven.”

“……”

At Sang Gwan-pyeong’s words, Han Seung’s eyes twitched.

“Sang Gwan-pyeong…. My current hunger…will you satisfy it?”

“……”

At the murderous remark, Sang Gwan-pyeong felt a chill and moved immediately.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two warriors of the Shadow Swords fell to the flying wind.

“First, appease your hunger with them. If you show excessive movement, the great ambition of seizing the Demonic Cult and becoming the master of Central Plains might be disrupted.”

“……”

Han Seung, who was gazing blankly at Sang Gwan-pyeong, shifted his gaze toward Chung Sang’s group, which had turned into a distant dot.

“Fine. I will hold back for now. But make sure to capture them alive, Sang Gwan-pyeong.”

“At your command!”

Fortunately, two warriors from the Shadow Swords managed to quell Han Seung’s hunger.

He is the weapon to capture the one who formed the Grotto-heaven Alliance, and the sword to cut off Bokri Do-cheon’s neck.

He couldn’t be allowed to move just yet.

First, eliminate Noh Guk-tae, who could interfere with his plan.

“Second Palace Lord!”

“…?”

“Immediately organize a pursuit team and capture them alive.”

“Sang Gwan-pyeong, you?”

“This is an order on behalf of the Young Palace Lord!”

“……”

Noh Guk-tae’s face twisted at Sang Gwan-pyeong’s outburst.

Sang Gwan-pyeong, just how far was he planning to go?

But Sang Gwan-pyeong issued orders within earshot of the Young Palace Lord, shifting the responsibility onto him.

He had no choice but to comply.

Opposing the Young Palace Lord now would only result in becoming like the charred corpses in the bronze furnace.

“Damn it, let’s go! Chase after them.”

With a grim face, Noh Guk-tae lunged after Chung Sang’s group, followed immediately by dozens of warriors from the Shadow Swords who had been present.