Fist Demon of Mount Hua ( Novel ) - Chapter 276
Chapter 276 – Thinking the Well Is the Entire World (1)
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Discord
Eum Yu-kyung briefly closed her eyes.
The worst situation she had desperately hoped to avoid had unfolded before her. Yet, she couldn’t blame Dam-ho for it.
‘Of all people…’
It had to be Dam-ho.
It was as if she had willingly grasped the hand of a passing grim reaper.
A bleak wind blew, tickling Eum Yu-kyung’s skin. Only then did she open her eyes and look around.
The air in the area felt as heavy as a boulder.
It was as if the wind she had just felt was an illusion; everything was rigid.
The air, the expressions on people’s faces.
The martial artists of the Tang Sect blinked their eyes.
Their faces still showed a lack of comprehension. What had just happened before their eyes was so surreal that it was hard for them to accept it easily.
However, the sight of Tang Yi-hong, who had lost his head and collapsed on the ground, and the metallic scent of blood in the air, told them that all of this was reality.
“Wha-what…?”
“You b*st*rd!”
They gritted their teeth and glared at Dam-ho. Their desperate attempt to maintain their killing intent was almost pitiful.
Looking at them indifferently, Dam-ho opened his mouth.
“Speak!”
“Urgh!”
“Who am I?”
No one could answer.
They had provoked Dam-ho so easily, yet they had no idea who he truly was.
They exchanged glances with each other. But not a single one could easily open their mouth.
At that moment, Dam-ho dismounted from Black Ghost and walked toward them.
One step, then another.
With each step, Dam-ho’s left shoulder dipped slightly. Seeing his uneven gait, the Tang Sect martial artists simultaneously recalled a certain figure.
“Fist Demon?”
“Dam-ho!”
A scream-like voice echoed into the dry sky.
Their pupils shook violently.
Although Sichuan Province’s isolated terrain cut it off from the outside world, it wasn’t as if rumors couldn’t reach them. The rumors about Dam-ho had spread widely even here in Sichuan. However, believing those rumors was an entirely different matter.
The martial artists of Sichuan had strong pride. Among them, the Tang Sect’s martial artists possessed an unparalleled sense of pure-blood elitism and pride that was beyond description.
Because of this, even though they had heard the rumors about Dam-ho, most of them dismissed them as insignificant. No matter how great Dam-ho was, they believed he couldn’t compare to the power the Tang Sect had accumulated over hundreds of years.
Dam-ho walked toward them.
It was the limping gait they had so mocked. Yet this time, no one dared to laugh. As Dam-ho drew closer, they felt a pain as if a massive hammer was striking their hearts.
“Why are you here?”
The Tang Sect martial artists instinctively stepped back. Their faces had already turned pale. Seeing this, Ga Cheol-ak and Ga Hye-so wore expressions of disbelief.
What kind of family was the Tang Sect?
At the very least, in Sichuan Province, they held a reputation more terrifying than the King of Hell himself.
Even though Sichuan was home to major sects like the Qincheng Sect and the Emei Sect, people feared the Tang Sect’s poisons and hidden weapons even more.
That’s when it happened.
“What are you dawdling for?”
Suddenly, a cold voice rang out.
“Ah! Group Leader!”
The faces of the Tang Sect martial artists instantly brightened.
The owner of the voice was none other than Tang Yu-hon, the leader of the Poison Dragon Group. He walked toward where the Tang Sect martial artists stood.
A thick scent of blood emanated from Tang Yu-hon’s entire body. His body was stained red with the blood of others, a testament to how many he had killed.
Tang Yu-hon’s gaze turned toward the headless corpse of Tang Yi-hong.
“What happened here?”
“That man killed Yi-hong.”
“It’s the Fist Demon.”
In an instant, a murderous glint appeared in Tang Yu-hon’s eyes. His gaze shifted to Dam-ho.
His pupils had turned as transparent as glass beads, making them look incredibly eerie.
“The Fist Demon, you say?”
“That’s right!”
“Why did you kill Yi-hong?”
“Because he used poison.”
“Poison?”
Tang Yu-hon’s eyes grew even colder. Even his fellow Tang Sect martial artists trembled at his demeanor.
‘The Group Leader’s anger has reached its peak.’
As the leader of the Poison Dragon Group, Tang Yu-hon was merciless toward enemies. However, he cherished his subordinates more than anyone. Given the Tang Sect’s nature of being composed of blood relatives, this might have been only natural.
Tang Yu-hon took a step toward Dam-ho.
“You knew he was a Tang Sect martial artist and still killed him? How dare you!”
The Tang Sect had invested significant effort over the past few months to absorb Yellow Dragon Fortress. Although Yellow Dragon Fortress couldn’t compare to the Tang Sect, absorbing a faction with considerable influence in northern Sichuan Province was no small matter. Thus, they had accepted that some of their martial artists might have to be sacrificed.
However, nowhere in his calculations was there a scenario where a Tang Sect martial artist would be killed by Dam-ho.
“Your reputation might hold weight outside, but this is Sichuan Province. No one here will cower at your hollow fame.”
“Is that so?”
“Follow me willingly. You will pay for your crimes at the Tang Sect.”
A stream of energy swirled around Tang Yu-hon’s body. It was evidence that he was channeling his internal energy.
As widely known, the Tang Sect’s primary weapons were poison and hidden weapons. However, that didn’t mean their martial arts were weak.
Handling various poisons and hidden weapons required precise hand techniques. And to master such hand techniques, powerful internal energy was essential.
The Ten Thousand Joint Poison Art was one of the Tang Sect’s representative martial arts, embodying these characteristics.
While any Tang Sect martial artist at the elder level or above could learn it, very few achieved mastery in this profound technique.
Tang Yu-hon had mastered the Ten Thousand Joint Poison Art.
He knew that Dam-ho’s martial prowess was among the best in the world. But Dam-ho was still a human made of flesh and blood. As a human, he couldn’t resist poison.
A subtle poisonous aura began to spread around Tang Yu-hon.
BOOM!
“Urgh!”
At that moment, Tang Yu-hon’s body was flung backward. His hair was disheveled, and a streak of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
There had been a distance of about five jang (approximately 15 meters) between Tang Yu-hon and Dam-ho. Yet, Tang Yu-hon had been struck and thrown back.
It was only because the Ten Thousand Joint Poison Art had exerted its power at the critical moment that he narrowly avoided death without even knowing how he was hit.
For the first time, Tang Yu-hon’s pupils wavered.
“Air Strike Palm?”
“It’s the same.”
“What do you mean?”
“Underhanded.”
Dam-ho’s gaze turned toward Tang Yi-hong’s corpse.
Tang Yi-hong had also secretly attempted to poison Dam-ho, and Tang Yu-hon had done the same.
“Releasing poison covertly while engaging in conversation seems to be the Tang Sect’s way.”
“How dare you!”
“I don’t think such methods are inherently wrong. But you should choose your opponent wisely.”
BOOM!
Dam-ho stomped the ground. He unleashed his charging technique.
Tang Yu-hon’s eyes widened.
A powerful tidal wave surged toward him. It felt as if countless awls were stabbing his entire face, causing his skin to ache.
Tang Yu-hon hurriedly spread both palms wide. He unleashed the ultimate technique of the Ten Thousand Joint Poison Art, the Killing Heaven Blood Fall Strike.
It was a technique that simultaneously released fifteen different poisons absorbed into the body. One might block the physical strike, but the poison contained within was unavoidable. Even if one covered their mouth and nose, the poison would be absorbed through the skin.
BANG!
At that moment, a deafening explosion rang out.
Tang Yu-hon’s body shuddered violently as if it had collided with a massive boulder. His pupils shook.
The left palm that had unleashed the Killing Heaven Blood Fall Strike was completely crushed. The hand consists of twenty-seven bones, with eight in the wrist and five in the palm.
At a glance, it might seem insignificant, but depending on the training method, this area could become harder than steel. Tang Yu-hon had trained his hand to be harder than steel. Yet, all those meticulously trained bones were shattered and dangling. A single punch from Dam-ho had destroyed years of rigorous training.
“Urgh!”
A groan escaped belatedly.
His face was filled with disbelief.
The poison he had released was truly vicious. And Dam-ho had been directly exposed to it. Yet, there was no sign of poisoning on his face.
RUMBLE!
Once again, a terrifying pressure bore down on Tang Yu-hon. It was Dam-ho’s second strike flying toward him.
‘Insane!’
Tang Yu-hon hurriedly retreated while swinging his intact right arm. Hundreds of fine silver needles, invisible to the eye, rode the air toward Dam-ho.
It was a hidden weapon called the Wind-Suction Fine Needles.
These fine needles, undetectable by sight, rode the wind into the respiratory system, traveled through the bloodstream, and attacked the heart. The victim would die without even knowing what had happened as their heart stopped. However, deploying this technique was extremely difficult, and only a very few within the Tang Sect could wield the Wind-Suction Fine Needles freely.
SWOOSH!
The plan was to buy time with the Wind-Suction Fine Needles and counterattack with the Ten Thousand Joint Poison Art. That was Tang Yu-hon’s calculation.
This combination had saved him countless times before. Tang Yu-hon believed it would work this time as well. However, the world often defied common sense, and unfortunately for Tang Yu-hon, such an anomaly occurred at this very moment.
POP! POP! POP!
Suddenly, countless tiny sparks erupted around Dam-ho’s body. The Wind-Suction Fine Needles were burning up.
“How?”
Tang Yu-hon’s eyes widened in shock.
A violent aura swirled around Dam-ho’s entire body. He had unleashed the Violent Demon Energy.
The Wind-Suction Fine Needles caught in the violent aura instantly burned to ash, leaving no trace. Immediately after, an immense pressure bore down on Tang Yu-hon.
BOOM!
The Explosive Star Strike detonated.
“Argh!”
With a desperate scream, Tang Yu-hon was flung backward. Even amidst the mind-numbing shock, Tang Yu-hon instinctively deployed the Tang Sect’s footwork to regain his balance.
GRAB!
At that moment, someone seized the back of his neck. Tang Yu-hon couldn’t turn his head. Yet, he knew who it was.
‘The Fist Demon?’
It was Dam-ho. Somehow, he had moved behind Tang Yu-hon.
Tang Yu-hon’s body was flipped over like lightning.
His eyes saw the ground rapidly enlarging before him.
“N-no!”
BOOM!
His body was slammed upside down into the earth.