Sichuan's Mad Dragon (Novel) - Chapter 170 - Entire Body a Weapon
Chapter 170 – Entire Body a Weapon
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Edited by Celestial Knight
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Chapter 170 – Entire Body a Weapon
So on that day too, the Green Forest Battle King, Jang Sa-hyeok, was absorbed in breathing exercises to expel the poison from his body on the central island within the lake.
His handful of close aides had little martial skill to speak of, and demonic practitioners would be camped outside the lake.
In the end, to break out, he had to finish recovering.
“My throat feels fit to choke with frustration…!”
The Green Forest King had to stop his breathing exercises multiple times from surging rage. For such a master to lose his composure showed just how deep his fury ran.
‘All the Green Forest bandits are scattered across the Central Plains, so when they concentrated power in one blow, we crumbled absurdly.’
As he thought, the Green Forest headquarters in Guangxi was only about twenty percent of the Green Forest’s total strength.
The true power of the Green Forest lay in the mountain bandit strongholds throughout the Central Plains that bore the Green Forest King’s official sanction.
Those strongholds operated safely with the Green Forest King’s name backing them.
And from them flowed truly massive resources to the Green Forest King.
These tributes mostly came in the form of precious metals and elixirs… as compact as possible. Moving tribute from all over the Central Plains to far-southern Guangxi demanded it.
And a significant portion of that distribution network relied on the Black Merchants.
“It was a fight already half-lost from the start.”
-Crunch.
The Green Forest King, Jang Sa-hyeok, clenched his fist.
The Black Merchants exploited their normal connections to feed poisoned Vital Blood Pills to his officers, collapsing the Green Forest headquarters in short order.
“At minimum, I must secure enough strength to escape.”
He had to protect himself from the terrible snake lurking beneath the lake while crossing, then face the demonic practitioners who’d surely packed the Nine Dragons Stronghold.
A bleak situation, but no other plan came to mind.
‘At least I can get this body out.’
Jang Sa-hyeok gritted his teeth. He might be criticized as cowardly for a leader of the unorthodox sects, but this was thinking drilled into him since he took his first steps.
The Green Forest King’s bloodline was more precious than anything; preserving it was the highest priority.
Just as Jang Sa-hyeok was calming his boiling thoughts to resume his breathing exercise, the ground shook.
As a Three Flowers Gathering master, he instantly sensed this tremor was no ordinary thing.
It was a massive vibration like heaven and earth being overturned.
-Click!
He hurriedly threw open the door of his hut and looked outside.
-RUMBLE-CRASH…!
There, reflected in his pupils, was a massive whirlpool that had formed in the center of the lake.
In the distance, the lofty, sturdy walls of Nine Dragons Stronghold were crumbling, letting the bright eastern sunlight pour through.
And the reefs and rocky islets were gradually emerging as the water level dropped.
He didn’t know what had happened, but the entire foundation of this area was collapsing.
At the same time, as if the bottom of a jar had fallen out, the lake water was being sucked somewhere below.
Then that damned snake must be struggling not to be swept away. Moreover, the demonic practitioners would be in chaos too. Now was his chance.
Jang Sa-hyeok shouted to his few remaining subordinates.
“Move immediately! No need for a boat! We leap across the rocks and reefs to escape!”
His body still wasn’t at full strength. Rather, every time he moved his internal energy, the terrible burn poison made him feel like he was wasting two-thirds of the energy drawn from his dantian.
Even so, wasn’t Jang Sa-hyeok a powerful figure who could aspire to the Ten Greats Under Heaven?
-Tap.
With a light step, only a large footprint remained where he’d stood.
It was a form crossing the air like a swift falcon flying low.
He had long, sleek limbs; a solid, dusky body; and wavy hair cascading down.
He looked like a swift predator.
A martial artist guarding the dock saw the approaching form and widened his eyes.
He tried to draw two square-shaped cleavers to respond, but no Battle Maniac could block the Green Forest King’s single blow.
-Whooosh…!
Jang Sa-hyeok’s form shot forward without a moment’s hesitation and slammed into the Night Guest.
-CRASH!
There was no real exchange… Jang Sa-hyeok had simply collided with extreme speed and hardness, and the martial artist couldn’t withstand it.
-Thud-thud-thud-thud.
Fragments of flesh and limbs fell belatedly. Jang Sa-hyeok strode forward barefoot, blood raining down on him, walking out.
Was it not a divinely-appointed miraculous day of revenge?
The beast of Guangxi hungered for more blood.
* * *
Ju-seong gazed at the figure that had suddenly risen behind Little Hundun. He felt himself overwhelmed by that formidable presence.
A massive shadow with the sun at his back. Wavy hair flowing down; shoulders bulging like a beast’s.
“Hey, kid.”
The shadow spoke in an accent thickly colored by Zhuang dialect.
At that sinister, low voice, Little Hundun’s intact face went deathly pale.
“…!”
He whirled desperately, swinging his sword simultaneously.
-Clang-chang!
Hand and sword collided with a sharp metallic ring.
“Milk hasn’t dried on your face yet.”
The man who’d casually knocked the blade aside with his backhand now swung his other hand in a fierce claw strike.
His nails had grown sharp like a beast’s claws. Five streaks of dark-green Sword Edge clung to his nails.
Only then did Ju-seong realize the man’s identity.
‘The Green Forest King…!’
How had this man appeared here? If he’d been this close all along, what had he been doing until now?
But Little Hundun was no mere novice either. A genius who’d reached Three Flowers Gathering barely past the age of establishment couldn’t go down easily.
-Shwaa-aah…!
In an instant, pitch-black yin energy flickered through his sword energy, and snowflakes blossomed brilliantly in the air.
It was a spectacle of pure white cold. Each ice fragment carried terrifying killing intent… they were not to be underestimated.
Little Hundun quickly retreated, mind racing.
‘What’s going on? The snake? How did he get past the lake snake? There’s no sign of battle. Did he fully recover from the poison?’
The Green Forest King’s face twisted as he clad his entire body in dark-green Sword Edge.
-Ka-ka-ka-ka-kak!
The charging snowflakes ground against the Green Forest King’s famed Body-Protecting Sword Edge.
But the Green Forest King forced through that blade-rain and closed into Little Hundun’s range.
Little Hundun gritted his teeth and retreated, scattering feints, but…
‘…Damn!’
“Where are you going?”
The pursuing Green Forest King was simply faster. Beast-like pupils fixed on prey as they swept over Little Hundun.
In that brief moment, the Green Forest King noticed Little Hundun’s one eye was blind and relentlessly targeted that side.
Little Hundun swung his sword like a ghost. A wall of Sword Edge seemed to rise.
But the Green Forest King moving to counter was an even greater master. Dark-green Sword Edge erupted from his nails; they flashed several times…
-Screeee-eek!
That sword creating countless afterimages was clamped motionless between his nails.
The Green Forest King glared murderously and swung his hand.
“You.”
-Schwack!
A long gash was carved into Little Hundun’s forearm. Blood spurted; an annoyed scream burst out.
“Gaaah…! You damn savage!”
The Green Forest King ignored him and stepped forward, swinging his nails again.
“Killed my family.”
-Schlick!
He barely pulled his foot back, but the tendon near his ankle was slashed. Little Hundun hopped backward on one leg, shouting desperately.
“Wait! If you kill me, my master will wipe out all your pathetic bandits!”
The Green Forest King spread both arms arrogantly and answered.
“Go ahead. The Jang bloodline of Guangxi is the Green Forest… nothing else is. Without me, the Green Forest is just a rabble of thugs, but as long as I live, the Green Forest is green forever.”
Arrogance beyond measure. Could an emperor ruling a nation be like this?
Little Hundun smiled crookedly and shot back.
“Heh… You too will soon join your wretched bandits as a departed guest.”
The Green Forest King extended both arms lightning-fast in a grappling technique. Little Hundun swung his sword with one hand while deploying counter-grappling with the other, but…
-Crack-crack-crack!
His half-frozen right hand locked Little Hundun’s left arm; the Green Forest King’s left arm, forearm slashed deep, knocked the youth’s sword away.
A calmer approach could have reduced the damage, but the Green Forest King chose otherwise.
Blood dripped; skin had blackened and died, yet both of the Green Forest King’s arms still moved toward his enemy.
The Green Forest King, Jang Sa-hyeok, had fingers long as spider legs. With those huge hands, he seized Little Hundun’s shoulders and ground his teeth.
“I’ll wring you to death.”
‘Wring?’
Ju-seong momentarily tilted his head at the unexpected expression. Maybe he’d misheard due to the difference between Guangxi and Central Plains dialects.
But no. Ju-seong, since Old Master Hwang had bitten through his umbilical cord, was witnessing for the first time a human ‘wringing’ another human to death.
“GYAAAAAHHH…!”
A bizarre, bone-chilling scream soared high.
Ju-seong felt his heart pound at that overwhelming display of strength. Though the techniques seemed rough, the relentless grappling was anything but crude.
Moreover, Body-Protecting Sword Edge.
Did all Three Flowers masters cloak themselves in Body-Protecting Sword Edge? No. Even masters renowned as stronger than the Green Forest King often couldn’t achieve it.
Most masters could only infuse energy into weapons imbued with their will.
So swordsmen produced sword energy and Sword Edge; blade-wielders the same.
Then what did it mean to cloak the entire body in protective Sword Edge?
It meant a martial artist who could use every bone in his body as a weapon, from head to toe.
‘Entire body a weapon…’
Ju-seong stared at the Green Forest King with longing, then shifted his gaze to the hideous corpse in the man’s grip.
He’d seen all manner of things in his years of jianghu, he prided himself. But morality aside, purely visually, this was the most revolting sight ever.
The beast that had crushed its prey turned its head. The Green Forest King, blood-streaked hair dangling, blazed light from his eyes and asked.
“Hey, runt. Who are you?”
Ju-seong shrugged awkwardly and replied.
“The blood-lump here is that thing in your hand, sir… Could you set that aside before we talk? Please?”
-Whoosh…! Splat!
The Green Forest King casually flung his arm, and the shapeless corpse flew into a boulder and burst apart.
“Ugh.”
Ju-seong shuddered, then opened his mouth.
“Well, to introduce myself… ”
Just as he was about to launch into a long introduction, the Green Forest King staggered and collapsed as if fainting.
Ju-seong was dumbfounded and rushed over to ask.
“What? A mountain of a man, fainting like a young lady in heat?”
“…Poison.”
“Poison?”
“You… weren’t you about to die to this guy? Seems like I saved your life. Help me out. Share your true qi with me.”
He was seeing the Green Forest King, who’d been spouting “runt” and such, now politely invoking debts with his life on the line.
“…You gave us the favor first, actually.”
Ju-seong muttered sourly.
After all, it was Ju-seong’s group that had collapsed the walls. Surely the Green Forest King had benefited from that to be here?
The truth was that the draining lake water had created his opportunity, but Ju-seong had no way of knowing that.
Ju-seong hemmed and hawed.
“And true qi… is that some commoner’s kid’s name? Sharing the true qi I’ve carefully stored in my middle dantian… save some murky elder and use it for what? You gonna be my servant, sir? Zhuang warriors supposedly never bow their heads under Han Chinese?”
At Ju-seong’s vicious tongue-lashing, the Green Forest King… whether choking from poison or about to pop a vein from rage… began foaming at the mouth.
“Keurrrgh…”
Judging by the sight, immediate treatment was needed. That last fight must have strained him enormously.
“…Ah, damn. A healer’s lot. Every time this happens, I remember my master. I’m supposed to be a storm-conquering hero of jianghu! Getting held back like this… how can I run free?”
Ju-seong lamented, then plopped down.
“…Wild Horse wants to run.”
After spouting nonsense, Ju-seong heaved a deep sigh.
“I can’t share true qi. Let me look at this poison. I think I know this one.”
Ju-seong tapped the back of one of the Ten Greats Under Heaven, then closed his eyes and slowly began infusing his energy.