Chapter 284 – There Are Evil Bonds That Cannot Be Shaken Off (3)

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“R-run away!”

“Save us!”

Those who had barely survived by escaping the poison’s range fled in panic, and the street instantly transformed into a scene from hell.

The blood-like energy flowing from the Soulless Wolves’ bodies was rapidly consuming the street. In an instant, an area of about thirty jang in radius had turned into a land of death.

Eum Yu-kyung’s face turned pale.

Her eyes and skin exposed to the poison began to hurt. It was only because she had protected her entire body with internal energy that she hadn’t been poisoned already. That’s how terrifying the poison emitted by the Soulless Wolves was.

‘Are they poison people?’

Eum Yu-kyung wore an expression of disbelief.

The Tang Sect was undoubtedly renowned for poisons. They had researched countless poisons over many years and achieved remarkable results. That’s why everyone feared the Tang Sect.

It was commonly accepted that Tang Sect poisons could only be neutralized by Tang Sect antidotes.

That’s how fearsome Tang Sect poisons were. But that was the extent of it. The Tang Sect specialized in poisons, but they were merely users of poison, not becoming poison themselves.

In the martial world, there existed a line.

A very thin and faint line between what was forbidden and what was permitted.

This line was like an extremely low threshold that could be easily crossed, but crossing it could make one an enemy of the entire martial world.

The Tang Sect was well aware of how others in the martial world viewed them. The gazes filled with both fear and envy demanded an exceptionally high level of morality from the Tang Sect.

Becoming poison people would result in breaking the minimum level of morality expected by the martial world. If that happened, the Tang Sect would no longer be able to focus freely on poisons and hidden weapons as they did now.

Knowing this well, the Tang Sect had never cultivated poison people until now. There was no need to.

‘Has the Tang Sect really cultivated poison people?’

Eum Yu-kyung shook her head.

A sect’s fundamental principles don’t change easily. Especially the principles of the Tang Sect, which had stubbornly built its unique path for hundreds of years, couldn’t have changed so easily.

‘I need to confirm.’

Doubt sprouted in her mind.

Eum Yu-kyung raised her internal energy even higher. As a result, her martial prowess increased dramatically.

BOOM!

Sharp sword energy whirled like a storm in all directions, devastating the entire area.

There were people watching this scene from a distance.

“Whoa! What’s all this commotion?”

“What on earth?”

Those who couldn’t close their mouths in astonishment while watching the battle between Eum Yu-kyung and the Soulless Wolves were none other than Nun Eun-yeop and the others from the Emei Sect.

So Yul-hee was overwhelmed by the incredible sight she had never seen before, and Jung So-cheon also felt a shiver run through her entire body.

“Amitabha!”

Nun Eun-yeop unconsciously tightened her grip on the Buddhist whisk in her hand.

As the chief disciple of the Emei Sect, Nun Eun-yeop had considerable experience. But she had never witnessed a battle as fierce as the one unfolding before her eyes.

So Yul-hee cautiously asked:

“Shouldn’t we intervene?”

“Intervene? In that battle?”

Jung So-cheon’s blue eyes trembled.

Though she was also a promising talent in the Emei Sect, she didn’t have the confidence to intervene in the battle unfolding before her eyes.

That’s when Nun Eun-yeop spoke:

“It seems they are martial artists from the Tang Sect. There’s no need to intervene and risk being blamed by them.”

Strong wariness appeared in her eyes.

Although the Emei Sect wasn’t inferior to the Tang Sect in terms of strength, they were still cautious. Just as the Tang Sect rarely interfered in Emei Sect affairs, the Emei Sect interfered even less in Tang Sect matters.

It would be more accurate to say they ignored each other like cows and chickens.

Nun Eun-yeop decided to act the same way this time. She didn’t want to cause problems by intervening without knowing the circumstances.

That’s when Jung So-cheon hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand and said:

“It’s poison, Master.”

“Quickly, move back.”

Nun Eun-yeop’s expression changed as she urgently shouted.

They hastily retreated about twenty jang away.

‘Could it be… poison people?’

Nun Eun-yeop’s pupils trembled.

Befitting the chief disciple of the Emei Sect, she quickly realized that the Soulless Wolves were different from ordinary martial artists. But she couldn’t hastily conclude they were poison people.

‘If they’re really poison people?’

Her mind became a tangled mess.

If the Tang Sect had truly cultivated poison people, the balance of the Sichuan martial world could be disrupted.

That’s when it happened.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a powerful wave of energy swept through the entire street. The bodies of the Emei Sect disciples were violently shaken as if caught in a storm.

“Ugh!”

“What’s that?”

Nun Eun-yeop and Jung So-cheon searched for the source of the energy wave. Their eyes widened.

There he was.

A man dressed in a pitch-black windbreaker robe, Dam-ho.

In his hand was the neck of a Soulless Wolf. The Soulless Wolf was struggling to escape his grip, but its movements were almost meaningless due to the lack of strength.

The Soulless Wolf’s limbs were bent in the opposite direction, swaying like reed leaves. The sight was incredibly grotesque.

“How?”

Tang Il-rang felt as if his heart would leap out of his mouth.

The Soulless Wolves were not beings that could be caught so easily. Aside from their strength, their bodies were entirely composed of poison.

Just by grabbing a Soulless Wolf’s body, Dam-ho should have been poisoned. But there were no signs of poisoning anywhere on Dam-ho’s body.

Tang Il-rang shouted to the remaining Soulless Wolves:

“What are you doing? Kill him quickly!”

The Soulless Wolves, who had momentarily stopped, charged toward Dam-ho again.

At that moment, Dam-ho threw the Soulless Wolf he was holding at them.

CRASH!

The Soulless Wolves, unable to avoid their comrade’s body, became entangled and tumbled together. Dam-ho didn’t miss this opportunity.

He unleashed the Earth-Heaven Strike.

BOOM!

The impact traveled through the air’s texture to the Soulless Wolves.

With a ‘puk’ sound, blood burst from the Soulless Wolves’ ears. Their eardrums had ruptured.

If ordinary humans had received such an impact, they would surely have shown some reaction. But the Soulless Wolves showed none of the reactions a human should display.

Dam-ho’s eyes narrowed.

‘Soul-lost people.’

This confirmed it.

The Soulless Wolves before him had no consciousness.

Since entering the martial world, Dam-ho had fought countless battles. Perhaps no one in the current martial world had experienced as many different types of battles as Dam-ho.

That’s why he remembered fighting against similar beings before.

‘The Demon Cult.’

The Blood Mist Squad that had persistently pursued him in Hell Valley three years ago was like this. They felt no emotion or pain and only obeyed orders.

Until the moment the last one died, they had charged at Dam-ho like moths to a flame. And they never uttered a single groan. Just like the Soulless Wolves before him now.

In that instant, Dam-ho’s gaze changed.

His eyes turned toward Tang Il-rang.

“Urgh!”

The moment Tang Il-rang met Dam-ho’s murderous gaze, he unconsciously stepped back. Just seeing his eyes made Tang Il-rang feel as if his soul was flying away.

His legs trembled. But Tang Il-rang didn’t even notice this because his mind had momentarily gone blank.

“Hurry and stop him. Stop him!”

Tang Il-rang shouted loudly at the Soulless Wolves. The Soulless Wolves, having untangled themselves, charged toward Dam-ho again.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, a stream of energy swirled around Dam-ho’s body. It was the Violent Demon Energy.

With his entire body enveloped in the Violent Demon Energy, Dam-ho leaped toward the Soulless Wolves.

BOOM!

An explosion as massive as a volcanic eruption occurred. And mangled corpses were flung in all directions.

Though they were crushed beyond recognition, Tang Il-rang could tell they were the corpses of the Soulless Wolves.

WHOOSH!

Something emerged through the explosion. It was Dam-ho.

His black hair and pitch-black windbreaker robe fluttered wildly in the gale. He charged toward Tang Il-rang at a terrifying speed.

“Ahhh!”

Tang Il-rang let out a scream and hurriedly took out a silver cylinder from his chest. The cylinder, about the size of a child’s forearm, had about ten tiny holes at one end.

He pressed a button on the surface of the cylinder.

SWOOSH!

Instantly, silver needles as thick as a pinky finger were fired from the cylinder.

They were called Blood Tears Soul-Piercing Needles, a forbidden hidden weapon. Though made by the Tang Sect, their use was strictly prohibited.

BOOM!

The silver needles, having reached right in front of Dam-ho, suddenly exploded, releasing thousands of microscopic silver needles.

The air turned black with thousands of silver needles. There was nowhere for Dam-ho to escape.

“Die! You demon!”

BOOM!

At that moment, Dam-ho struck the ground with his fist filled with internal energy. The earth, struck by Dam-ho’s fist, screamed and spewed up a mound of soil.

A wall of soil as tall as a person rose and surrounded Dam-ho.

“How is this possible!”

Tang Il-rang’s eyes bulged as if they would pop out.

The silver needles couldn’t penetrate the soil mound and fell to the ground. Tang Il-rang was shocked to the extreme, never having expected his trump card to be rendered useless so simply.

Dam-ho emerged from the soil mound. Though his face was covered in dirt and indistinguishable, there was no doubt it was Dam-ho.

Dam-ho’s palm adhered to Tang Il-rang’s chest. And spiral-shaped energy was released.

BOOM!

“Kack!”

With a scream, Tang Il-rang’s body collapsed. With the Blood Dark Plate Armor that had protected his upper body shattered, his chest was crushed in a spiral pattern.

It was the mark of being struck by the Spiral Yin Palm Energy.

Tang Il-rang lay face down on the ground, spitting blood. His pupils were dilated and unfocused.

“Urgh!”

He vomited everything inside him once more.

It was an excruciating pain he had never felt before. It was as painful as having his entire body sawed apart.

BUZZ!

There was a ringing in his ears, and his brain was so concussed that he couldn’t see things clearly. In such a state, he could see someone’s robe hem.

Though his eyes were completely out of focus, he could still tell it was black.

It was Dam-ho.

Tang Il-rang instinctively raised his head and shouted:

“N-no!”

At that moment, his body was lifted by an irresistible force. Tang Il-rang dangled in the air, flailing his legs.

Dam-ho grabbed Tang Il-rang’s collar and looked into his eyes.

“Did the Tang Sect create soul-lost people?”

“Urgh!”

“Speak!”

Dam-ho’s voice was very low but carried enough power to shake one’s soul.

Tang Il-rang’s body trembled violently. His pants became wet, and yellow liquid dripped down. He had wet himself in extreme fear.

“Kack!”

Suddenly, Tang Il-rang vomited blood, his eyes rolled back, and he stopped breathing.

Dam-ho’s eyes narrowed.

He hadn’t put enough energy in the Spiral Yin Palm Energy to kill him. Yet, Tang Il-rang had died.

‘A forbidden technique?’

That’s when it happened.

The Soulless Wolves fighting Eum Yu-kyung suddenly collapsed like puppets with cut strings. They had stopped breathing.

Eum Yu-kyung looked at the corpses of the Soulless Wolves with a dejected expression. Her efforts to subdue them alive had been in vain.

“What is this?”

She quickly looked at Dam-ho.

Dam-ho threw away Tang Il-rang’s corpse that he had been holding.

His eyes fell on the three women from the Emei Sect standing motionless. Waves of fear were spreading across their faces, which were already painted with shock.