Chapter 321 – Human Greed Never Has an End (3)

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“Kreuk!”

The Tang Clan martial artist who had been providing power transmission to the Soul-less Warrior screamed and was flung away.

Swoosh!

His body, separated from the formation, was swept up by poison energy and instantly dissolved. The sight of a perfectly fine person turning into a handful of poison water in an instant was so horrible it was hard to watch.

Even the Tang Clan martial artists deploying the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation showed expressions of terror. But they gritted their teeth and attacked Dam-ho.

If they killed Dam-ho, the Tang Clan would soar high. Conversely, if they failed to kill Dam-ho, the Tang Clan would fall. This life-or-death proposition made the Tang Clan martial artists desperate.

“Hiyaa!”

“Die!”

They attacked Dam-ho with all their might.

No matter how much one had reached the realm of absolute mastery, if trapped in the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation, they should have died instantly. The Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation certainly had such power. Yet Dam-ho had already been enduring inside the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation for two hours.

Even while bleeding from his nose and mouth. Rather, he was avoiding the Soul-less Warriors and attacking the Tang Clan martial artists. Because of this, the Tang Clan’s casualties were increasing exponentially.

‘Why?’

‘Why won’t he die?’

These were the thoughts that commonly arose in their minds at that moment.

Until they deployed the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation, they had been confident. No matter how much he was called the world’s Fist Demon, he would melt into a handful of poison water. Yet even after being covered with a thousand types of poison energy, Dam-ho was still moving.

Crack! Crackle!

If you looked closely, flames were constantly arising around Dam-ho’s body. The Violent Demon Energy was swirling and burning most of the poison energy. Thanks to this, Dam-ho could endure until now even in the mist of over a thousand poisons.

However, Dam-ho knew. That the time he could endure like this wasn’t very long.

Dam-ho’s gaze sank deeply.

He also knew. That the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation couldn’t be broken by ordinary methods. That the longer the fight continued, the more disadvantageous it would be for him.

He drew up the Dark Soul Cultivation Technique.

The Dark Soul Cultivation Technique was created by grafting various Demon Cult Cultivation Techniques onto the Middle Heaven Cultivation Formula, an old martial art of Mount Hua Sect. In terms of destructive power alone, it was a Cultivation Technique that could compete for the top in the world.

Rumble!

When he drew up the Dark Soul Cultivation Technique, the Violent Demon Energy displayed even more power. Violent energy swirled fiercely around Dam-ho’s body.

In that state, Dam-ho threw his body toward the air.

Dam-ho’s expression naturally contorted from the tremendous pressure crushing his entire body. He felt enormous pressure as if he had entered the deep sea.

His bones and muscles contracted, and blood vessels bulged as if they would burst at any moment. Still, Dam-ho’s form didn’t stop and shot up into the air.

The Soul-less Warriors came running belatedly, but by then Dam-ho’s form had already shot up high.

Hiss!

His hair broke apart from the poison energy. Blisters formed on his skin and pus immediately flowed out. Still, Dam-ho never stopped.

Whoosh!

Finally, his body pierced through the sea of poison energy and shot up high into the air. A green sea spread out below his feet. Though invisible to the naked eye, about four hundred Tang Clan martial artists existed within it.

“Th-that?”

Tang Sa-il, who saw that sight, opened his eyes wide.

He hadn’t known that the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation he thought was perfect had such a weakness.

Dam-ho’s body was battered from breaking through the sea of poison energy. The invisible wounds were much more serious than the visible ones. Even if he somehow survived, it was hard to predict how far the aftereffects would reach. But Dam-ho didn’t worry about such things.

Long ago, when he was trapped alone in the Heavenly Gold Demon Prison, he made an oath.

Not to think about what comes after.

To do his best only in this moment.

Rumble!

The violent energy swirling around his body became even fiercer. It was as if a small storm was swirling around his body.

Dam-ho’s body, which had been floating in the air for a moment, soon fell with fierce momentum like a meteor. The violent energy caused friction with the air and dyed Dam-ho’s body red.

Dam-ho, burning like a flame, struck the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation directly.

CRASH!

Like dozens of thunder bombs exploding at once, the ground turned over, and fierce energy waves and wind swept in all directions. And countless people were flung in all directions like broken dolls.

Around where Dam-ho had fallen, an area of over ten zhang radius was greatly hollowed out. And countless martial artists were scattered around it.

Over fifty martial artists had lost their lives in a single strike.

“Kreuu!”

“Hureuk!”

And many were injured and had fallen.

“Uuu!”

“How?”

The martial artists who had barely saved their lives opened their eyes wide at the unbelievable scene spread before them.

It had happened in just one moment.

They hadn’t known that the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation, which had seemed like an iron fortress, would be broken so quickly. They hadn’t realized that the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation, which had strong resistance to internal rebellion, was so vulnerable to external impact.

Three hundred Tang Clan martial artists still remained. The five Soul-less Warriors were still intact. But their faces showed undeniable fear. They hadn’t expected Dam-ho to break the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation in such a radical way.

Hiss!

Dam-ho’s body was swaying in the center of the huge pit.

He was bearing the full recoil from breaking the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation with his body. His joints felt like they would crumble, and his muscles felt like they were being torn apart. His internal organs rang, and his head was so shaken that objects appeared to overlap in threes or fours.

Fresh blood flowed through his lips. His appearance, with his entire body broken and torn, bleeding fresh blood and even oozing pus, was so horrible it was frightening to see even in dreams.

What was even more frightening was that Dam-ho still wasn’t collapsing despite all this.

No matter how much they tried to imagine it, they couldn’t picture Dam-ho collapsing. Dam-ho’s impression was that intense and solid.

The Tang Clan martial artists who had deployed the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation looked at each other’s faces. No one moved first.

Dam-ho’s lingering impression was pressing down on them that intensely.

Then Tang Sa-il, who had been watching from far away, shouted:

“What are you doing? He’s human too. Look! Doesn’t he have no strength left to move? Quickly attack him and cut off his breath.”

Only at his command did the Tang Clan martial artists finally break free from the lingering impression and start moving. But they hadn’t yet realized.

The fact that the over a thousand types of poison they had spread while deploying the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation were no longer visible. The poison mist that had been scattered high into the sky from the impact when Dam-ho struck them was slowly settling down.

“Kreup!”

“Kek!”

The Tang Clan martial artists exposed to the poison mist clutched their throats and collapsed. The absurd situation of Tang Clan martial artists, who handled poison, being poisoned had occurred.

The Tang Clan martial artists had built resistance to ordinary poisons. But the poisons they had spread while deploying the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation were the most vicious in the world. Moreover, the new poisons created by mixing over a thousand types were completely destroying even their resistance.

The only ones free from the poison mist were the Soul-less Warriors who had lost their reason. The Soul-less Warriors rather absorbed the poison energy and overflowed with even more vitality.

The Soul-less Warriors rushed toward Dam-ho like madmen.

At that moment, Dam-ho’s swaying stopped.

Tang Sa-il, seeing this, shuddered with an unknowable eerie feeling. The ominous premonition soon became reality.

Dam-ho advanced.

His charging technique was deployed.

A movement technique like a battering ram that advanced only forward without branches.

Whirrrr!

Then his Explosive Star Strike was deployed.

These were the two ultimate techniques that could now be called Dam-ho’s symbols. Martial arts that everyone in the martial world knew well.

They were so simple that they created the illusion that they could be blocked if one prepared for them. But Tang Sa-il, who had already experienced them, knew how illusory such thoughts were.

A strange attractive force occurred from Dam-ho’s entire body as he deployed charging technique and Explosive Star Strike. The Soul-less Warriors swept up by the attractive force were drawn to Dam-ho.

Explosive Star Strike struck the Soul-less Warrior who had lost his center and was staggering.

BANG!

The fist hit the chest, but the back exploded out.

Muscles burst out, and broken bone fragments flew. And green blood poured like a waterfall.

Dam-ho advanced.

Charging technique and Explosive Star Strike were deployed again.

CRASH!

Without fail, another Soul-less Warrior’s back exploded out. Poison blood and bone fragments scattered, and Dam-ho moved to find another victim.

“Th-that?”

Tang Sa-il’s eyes narrowed as if they would tear at any moment. His pupils were shaking violently.

“He’s forming a line.”

Dam-ho was advancing while forming a single line.

Everything caught in that line was being destroyed. The Soul-less Warriors whose abilities had reached their peak by absorbing poison were being shattered. And Tang Sa-il’s dream was crumbling.

CRASH!

The moment a particularly strong roar burst forth, Tang Sa-il finally closed his eyes tightly.

Only after the atmosphere, which had been shaking as if a typhoon was sweeping through, found stability could Tang Sa-il open his eyes. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a Soul-less Warrior crushed beyond recognition lying on the ground. And Dam-ho standing tall in front of it.

Dam-ho’s shoulders were heaving. The intense heat rising like a mirage showed how much energy and stamina he had consumed.

To Tang Sa-il, Dam-ho didn’t seem like a fellow human at all.

Though he was bold enough to make deals with the Demon Cult, at this moment he was completely overwhelmed by the human called Dam-ho.

Tang Sa-il looked around.

Hell on earth was spread before his eyes.

Over a hundred Tang Clan martial artists mobilized to deploy the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation were dead or injured, and the remaining martial artists were also poisoned and wandering between life and death. They were each taking the Tang Clan’s secret antidotes and circulating energy, but the situation didn’t look very good.

He never knew that the poisons prepared to catch Dam-ho would rather drive the Tang Clan to the brink of annihilation. If he had the leisure, he would have wanted to sit on the ground and cry. But instead of grieving, Tang Sa-il burned with anger.

“You bastard! Fist Demon.”

He moved his steps toward Dam-ho.

Cracks had appeared on his face, which had always been only cold, and emotions of anger and bewilderment were showing through them. But the anger was so great that it was suppressing other emotions.

Dam-ho was injured and exhausted to the point where he could no longer move. In fact, the mere fact that he could still stand after facing the Thousand Poison Soul Annihilation Formation and Soul-less Warriors was itself a miracle.

Actually, Dam-ho was now in a state where it was hard to move even a finger. His breath was barely hanging on, and his mind was becoming dizzy from the poison energy that had invaded his entire body. Yet the reason Dam-ho wasn’t collapsing was because of the Dark Soul Cultivation Technique and the enemy standing intact before his eyes.

Swish!

Suddenly Dam-ho raised his head to look at Tang Sa-il. Then Tang Sa-il’s movement, which had been approaching without hesitation, stopped completely.

Tang Sa-il was certain that Dam-ho no longer had the strength to move. But the moment he saw Dam-ho’s gaze, an unfamiliar emotion called fear raised its head from deep in his heart and made him shrink.

‘It’s a bluff. He no longer has the strength to move.’

Tang Sa-il bit his lips firmly.

He had spent his entire life as the Tang Clan’s absolute ruler.

With one word from him, thousands of Tang Clan martial artists would risk their lives and move in perfect unison. Therefore, he had never directly moved to solve any problem in his entire life.

When he could accomplish many things with just a flick of his finger, there was no need for him to move personally. Especially after completing the Tang Clan’s hidden weapon techniques and internal energy, it was even more so. So it had been so long since he had moved directly like this that he couldn’t even remember when.

Tang Sa-il’s entire body had countless hidden weapons concealed. He was ready to deploy the Tang Clan’s greatest hidden weapon technique called Myriad Heavens Flower Rain at any time. The moment he spread both hands wide, a rain of hidden weapons would pour toward Dam-ho. Yet he was hesitating to deploy Myriad Heavens Flower Rain.

It was because of suspicion that it might be a trap.

He suspected that the exhausted appearance and injured appearance might all be traps to lure him in, so he couldn’t carelessly move his steps or deploy hidden weapon techniques.

Then Dam-ho’s tightly closed lips opened.

“You…”

It was a murky voice with unclear pronunciation as phlegm boiled and blood foam flowed out. Yet it was strangely clearly audible.

Tang Sa-il assumed and said:

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to beg for your life? Fist Demon. If so, that’s disappointing.”

“Cow… ard.”

“What nonsense are you talking?”

“You’ve never fought directly even once, have you?”

For a moment, Tang Sa-il’s face crumpled like paper. Just as he was about to make excuses, Dam-ho’s words continued.

“Life-or-death battles aren’t fought with martial arts.”

“……”

“They’re fought with the heart. What’s important is who has a stronger heart, greater boldness.”

It was a strangely resonant statement.

THUMP!

Tang Sa-il’s heart pounded greatly.

“The sound of your heart being afraid can be heard all the way here.”