Chapter 178
178
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8. <The Black Flame Dragon That Swallows the Sea of Blood (8)>
“Shit…… that thing is an iron jiangshi?” (Nam Hwaseong)
Nam Hwaseong asked with a blank look on his face.
I speak in disbelief.
“Can’t you tell just by looking?” (Jin Sowoon)
Its joints move awkwardly, and its skin is as hard as stone.
Among the jiangshi of the Demonic Path that once threw the world into chaos, it is the lowest grade, but even this, if it appears in the world, gives martial artists nightmares.
It is impossible not to know.
Because in the past Orthodox-Demonic War, the thing that killed the most martial artists was precisely that iron jiangshi.
Nam Hwaseong shouted, his hands trembling.
“You’re the strange one for realizing what that is right away! I, I’ve never seen one in my life!” (Nam Hwaseong)
“Anyway, you tried.” (Jin Sowoon)
His actions deserved praise.
He had handled things beyond what I had asked of him.
He must have wanted those Demon Subduing Talismans quite badly.
“Well done. As promised, I’ll give you five Demon Subduing Talismans.” (Jin Sowoon)
“Damn it……! I don’t need them!” (Nam Hwaseong)
What an unhonest bastard.
Since he goes around with a guy like Cheol Sunjik, he is always that sly.
I pulled the taut Flying Dragon Claw even tighter.
The iron jiangshi struggled to break free, then looked at me and lunged madly.
I leaped straight over it, wrapping the Flying Dragon Claw at the same time, and lifted the iron jiangshi’s body into the air.
Peogeok. Kwaang!
The iron jiangshi, slammed headfirst into the ground, writhed madly.
Puseuseuk, puseuseuk.
It clawed through the surrounding dirt and gravel as easily as mud and began rushing at me with that utterly ridiculous gait.
Kong. Kong. Kong. Kong.
Just as iron jiangshi were nightmares to low-ranking warriors in my past life, the existence of an iron jiangshi itself was a nightmare to me as well.
Having lost anything called reason and unable to feel pain, an iron jiangshi moves to kill its enemy without fear, whether an arrow is lodged in its eye or sword qi splits its head.
And that indifference becomes a nightmare to the one facing it.
“But that, too, is all just a story from my past life now!” (Jin Sowoon)
I shook off my thoughts and stepped out with the Taeul Eighty-Thousand Divine Steps, running toward the iron jiangshi.
Papapapak.
Facing the footwork that moved while leaving phantoms in every direction in an instant, the iron jiangshi could only helplessly swing its sharp fingernails into empty air.
Having taken its back, I drew up my inner arts to the fullest and kicked the back of its head hard.
Peok!
Kung.
With the sound of hard stones striking each other, the iron jiangshi’s two arms sank deep into the ground.
“There’s an idiot trying to beat an iron jiangshi to death.” (Nam Hwaseong)
Nam Hwaseong, who had vomited a whole handful of blood, sneered as if to get revenge, but I paid him no mind.
After all, a sparrow can never know the deep intent of a great roc.
Wriggle, wriggle.
When the iron jiangshi tried to move its body to pull its two arms out from deep in the ground.
I stepped on its back, set the Black Dragon Sword against it, and took the posture of chopping wood.
Then I heard the voice of the sparrow whose mouth alone was alive.
“You idiot! It’s known that even sword qi can’t cut an iron jiangshi’s skin!” (Nam Hwaseong)
A guy who had been trembling as if he was going to die just a moment ago sure knows how to shout.
I glared at Nam Hwaseong and said.
“You’re fine now, aren’t you? Come help.” (Jin Sowoon)
“……
Cough, my, my internal injury…….” (Nam Hwaseong)
Why is your internal injury acting up when you did nothing?
As Nam Hwaseong said, an iron jiangshi’s skin is harder than most iron.
To cut that skin, one needs a weapon with at least the hardness of ten-thousand-year cold iron.
“And it just so happens the Black Dragon Sword I received as a gift is made of Vajra Indestructible Iron.” (Jin Sowoon)
I wrapped the Black Dragon Sword in sword flux.
Nam Hwaseong, who had been coughing, opened his eyes wide.
“A, a bastard like you can use sword flux?” (Nam Hwaseong)
Nam Hwaseong, you bastard, it’s clear you’re not hurting anymore, right?
I focused on the iron jiangshi again and struck down with my sword at full power.
Tteong.
A shock like striking a giant temple bell tingled through my grip.
Even though I had drawn up plenty of inner arts to protect my hand, the impact traveled along my bones.
As if this effort had not been pointless, the iron jiangshi, feeling the fear of death for the first time, began struggling violently.
Papapapak!
It swung its arms buried in the ground wildly, exploding the clods of dirt in a space of one
jang in every direction.
Peopeong!
The skin of the earth flipped over, and clods buried deep underground flew everywhere.
When I launched myself away from the aftermath of the explosion and landed beside Nam Hwaseong, he asked with a worried face.
“Isn’t that thing a little pissed off?” (Nam Hwaseong)
“I cut off a segment of its neck. Wouldn’t it be pissed off?” (Jin Sowoon)
“Y, you cut off a whole segment……?” (Nam Hwaseong)
Instead of answering Nam Hwaseong, I stepped with the Solitary Step Under Heaven, quickly passed the creature while avoiding the iron jiangshi’s fingernails, then bound its neck once more with the Flying Dragon Claw.
When I drew up my inner arts and infused them into the tightly pulled heavenly silkworm thread, the thread began contracting rapidly.
Soon, the iron jiangshi’s form, which had been struggling to protect its cut neck, shot out faster than me, passed by my side, and smashed into the cliff face.
Kukung.
I immediately infused qi into the Black Dragon Sword and fired sword qi wildly.
This was exactly why I had diligently stuffed myself with all those spiritual medicines.
Kwakwaang, kwakwakwaang. Kwakwakwakwakwaang.
With explosive sounds too tremendous to be fully described as exhilarating, rocks and clods of dirt flew in all directions.
Seeing the bastard I had found so utterly sickening in my past life rendered helpless like a moving target, even as the inner arts in my qi center drained away, a refreshing feeling instead poured out of me.
Peodeudeuk.
The iron jiangshi rose from among the collapsed heap of stones, clattering like a broken doll.
In the meantime, perhaps because the wound had widened further, its neck had separated by another chi.
Then.
“O, over there…….” (Nam Hwaseong)
Nam Hwaseong pointed in fright.
I shook my head and mocked him.
“Still don’t know? An iron jiangshi……” (Jin Sowoon)
“No! I’m saying those bastards over there are running this way, man!” (Nam Hwaseong)
“…….” (Jin Sowoon)
As if worried the iron jiangshi would be destroyed, the Blood Cult warriors were running over for dear life.
“Tsk. ……
I knew.” (Jin Sowoon)
“Don’t lie, shit! You weren’t paying attention at all!” (Nam Hwaseong)
The sparrow is quick on the uptake too.
Ignoring Nam Hwaseong’s gaze, I looked back.
“Academy Student Ilgak.” (Jin Sowoon)
Ilgak, who had been staring blankly this way, suddenly came to his senses.
I looked deeply into his eyes.
“Can I entrust them to you?” (Jin Sowoon)
Ilgak looked once in the direction I pointed, then nodded.
“……
Please entrust them to me, patron.” (Ilgak)
“I told you I’m not a patron.” (Jin Sowoon)
Is he rebelling because I called him an academy student instead of monk?
Whether I voiced my dissatisfaction or not, Ilgak quickly rose from his place and began beating down the Blood Cult warriors.
Though he had exhausted all his Vajra force, Shaolin is Shaolin.
He would buy enough time while I dealt with the iron jiangshi. “Then my opponent is…….” (Jin Sowoon) Grrrrrr.
Gone was the indifference from before; the iron jiangshi growled like a wounded beast.
Yes, after suffering this much, you must be desperate to kill me too.
Now, instead of its characteristic ridiculous little hops, the iron jiangshi moved as if shooting like an arrow, closing the distance in one breath.
Peong!
Toward the one flying in like an arrow, I used the method of Lotus
and turned its direction aside.
The iron jiangshi rushed past me and charged into the solid rocky ground.
Kwakwakwaang.
Having crushed the rocks like tofu, the creature wildly pushed through the collapsing stones and crouched down again.
It seemed that only one clear purpose remained in it: to kill me.
“Yes, I clearly remember how many people your persistence drove to death.” (Jin Sowoon)
I remembered the members of the small assault unit who had fallen because of it, and the comrades we had been forced to sacrifice.
No matter how much we struck you, no matter how much we swung our swords, you did not die, and we cursed you again and again.
We naturally chose the person who would be sacrificed before you.
We naturally fled before you.
You are the most vicious symbol of the Demonic Cult.
“That indifference of yours makes me even angrier.” (Jin Sowoon)
A demonic beast made from human material in order to kill humans.
That vicious sense of purpose prevents even a handful of pity from arising.
“Come!” (Jin Sowoon)
Peong!
The iron jiangshi kicked off the ground and shot forward like an arrow.
At the same time, I shot my body toward it.
Kyaoooo!
I thrust the Black Dragon Sword toward the creature as it bared teeth dripping with black blood.
Chaeng!
The Black Dragon Sword and its fangs collided, making a metallic sound.
A monster that endured the Black Dragon Sword I had thrust with nothing but the force of its bite.
In the midst of that, it tried to crush me with its black fingernails.
Chwaak, chwaak!
My black martial arts uniform tore and its fingernails dug in, but I did not dodge.
Because inside the black martial arts uniform, the Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Garment, the secret treasure of the Wang Manor, would protect me from the jiangshi’s fingernails.
“If you had reason, you would have tried to pull out this sword first.” (Jin Sowoon)
Qi gathered at the tip of the Black Dragon Sword and formed sword qi.
The Black Dragon Sword, imbued with golden sword qi, did not stop there and began creating sword flux.
Kkeugeugeugeuk.
Noticing that something was strange, the iron jiangshi began trembling its head.
“Too late.” (Jin Sowoon)
I continued pushing in qi and increased the size of the sword flux even further.
Pugeok!
The sword flux that pierced through the roof of its mouth and all the way through the back of its head shone with a bright light.
“Kraaaaaaak!” (Jin Sowoon)
Just as the creature had done in my past life, I pushed it back and pushed it back again.
Without retreating even an inch, I drove it onward.
The iron jiangshi kept being pushed back while flailing its hands, and finally struck a rock.
Kkeugeugeuk.
For some reason, the iron jiangshi’s eyes seemed to shake violently.
“Do you feel the fear of death too?” (Jin Sowoon)
Kyaooooo!
The iron jiangshi growled like a beast again.
“Yes. I’m glad!” (Jin Sowoon)
I drew up the Taeul True Scripture at full power and split the iron jiangshi in half.
Jjeoeok…….
A black line drawn from its head down to its groin, the creature still tried to swing its fingernails.
Kaoo…….
Then, spilling black blood like a waterfall, it split into two pieces.
Kukung.
The thing collapsed helplessly to the ground.
The iron jiangshi, cut in half, no longer moved.
As I looked at the gruesome corpse of the iron jiangshi before my eyes, for some reason, I thought of the bastards from the small assault unit.
“……
Heh. Seeing a gruesome demonic beast
must have made me think of you gruesome bastards.” (Jin Sowoon)
A useless longing bloomed in my heart.#While helping Ilgak deal with the blood-robed men approaching Jin Sowoon, Moyong Jaehwa hurriedly turned his head at Jin Sowoon’s shout.
“Uaaaaaaaagh!” (Jin Sowoon)
Jin Sowoon, locked in close combat with the iron jiangshi, did not even avoid the iron jiangshi’s fingernails and focused doggedly only on dealing with it. “I, if he gets poisoned by corpse poison like that……” (Moyong Jaehwa) He wanted to run over and help right away, but to Jin Sowoon right now, he was nothing but a burden, not help.
Even now, that was the case.
He was imitating thunderbolt arrows with the arrows Jin Sowoon had sent him, but it was insufficient to reverse the situation.
If he had actually completed the thunderbolt arrows, would those blood-robed men have even dared approach again?
Moyong Jaehwa shook off the thoughts disturbing his head and drew the bowstring again.
Tung. Swaeaek
-Peopeong.
The arrow exploded, inflicting massive damage on the blood-robed men.
And behind it, Ilgak stirred through the blood-robed men and did not allow them to approach.
But even if he tried to shake off his thoughts, they were not easily shaken away. “If only I had completed the thunderbolt arrows…… if I had tried a little harder…….” (Moyong Jaehwa) Hyung-nim would not have had to fight so desperately like that.
No, he would not even have had to run into this death ground to save him.
Thinking that made his chest grow even heavier. “What on earth…… am I doing?” (Moyong Jaehwa) The blood-robed men no longer approached.
They flinched and backed away, and no longer moved toward Ilgak either. “Why?” (Moyong Jaehwa) Turning his head along the direction of the blood-robed men’s gazes, there stood Jin Sowoon, motionless, holding golden sword flux.
And when he followed Jin Sowoon’s gaze and looked below, there was the iron jiangshi, cut in half and no longer moving. “Heavens…….” (Moyong Jaehwa) In the end, Hyung-nim had even taken down the iron jiangshi alone.
“Mister Jaehwa! They’re retreating!” (Eun Seollan)
Even at Eun Seollan’s happy voice, Moyong Jaehwa could not gladly rejoice.
For some reason, he felt sorry toward Jin Sowoon, because in the end he had failed to meet Jin Sowoon’s expectations.
“Orabeoni Jin!” (Eun Seollan)
When the blood-robed men began withdrawing in earnest, Eun Seollan, who had been standing hidden, ran over and hugged Jin Sowoon.
After a brief reunion with Eun Seollan, Jin Sowoon also spoke with Ilgak and Nam Hwaseong.
“…….” (Moyong Jaehwa)
Moyong Jaehwa took a step, then stopped in place again.
In the end, he could not approach him.
Then.
“Moyong Jaehwa!” (Jin Sowoon)
Jin Sowoon called Moyong Jaehwa.
“Hyu, Hyung-nim……!” (Moyong Jaehwa)
“Are you out of your mind!” (Jin Sowoon)
At the sight of Jin Sowoon striding toward him as if angry, Moyong Jaehwa flinched and stepped back.
However, he could not avoid Jin Sowoon’s hand suddenly reaching toward his own.
“Surely you did not keep shooting the bow while freezing this torn-up hand? Heavens!” (Jin Sowoon)
Jin Sowoon’s gaze was focused only on Moyong Jaehwa’s right fingers.
Jin Sowoon, who had been examining the wound, clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, well, it must be your first time shooting an iron bow, so it would take a long while to get used to it.” (Jin Sowoon)
Then he soon tore his own martial arts uniform, applied golden wound medicine, and wrapped the wound.
“Still, you managed to hold out well with the arrows I sent.” (Jin Sowoon)
“……
Pardon?” (Moyong Jaehwa)
“You have no idea…… how many people you saved.” (Jin Sowoon)
To think he even praised him for the small bit he had accomplished with incomplete archery.
Moyong Jaehwa could not raise his head.
Jin Sowoon gently stroked the head of such a Moyong Jaehwa.
“You truly worked hard.” (Jin Sowoon)
“…….” (Moyong Jaehwa)
His hand stung, and his body hurt as if it would break, but for some reason, he felt as though strength had filled him.
“Let’s go back.” (Jin Sowoon)
Those words from Jin Sowoon made Moyong Jaehwa all right.