Chapter 114: One Cherry Blossom Day (3)
“Urgh… Who on earth… are you…?”
Mae Cheon-pung, known as the Demonic Lightning Sword, felt as if he were trapped in a nightmare. Every single one of his men was now writhing on the first floor of the pavilion, battered and bloodied.
Even if his opponent was a master of the Flower Realm, this was simply unacceptable. Even if the narrow space had prevented his men from deploying their formations, this outcome was absurd.
His men had managed to land a few desperate attacks in attempts at mutual destruction, but the giant man hadn’t even flinched.
“I’m the kids’ physical education teacher.”
“Crazy bastard…”
Clenching his fists as he drew near, the giant looked like an executioner approaching the chopping block.
Mae Cheon-pung channeled every ounce of his remaining internal energy, unleashing a fierce blast of sword qi. He had no intention of dying quietly.
As the crimson-shrouded fist closed in, Mae Cheon-pung kicked off the ground and unleashed his ultimate technique. Like a pillar of water erupting from the earth, a milky-white halo of light rose, attempting to swallow Il-gwang whole.
Boom—!
A blinding flash accompanied a thunderous explosion. Yet, bursting straight through the rippling waves of light came Il-gwang’s fist. It slammed directly into Mae Cheon-pung’s abdomen.
Crack—!
“Pfft!”
The air was violently knocked out of his lungs. Lifted off his feet, Mae Cheon-pung was sent flying across the room, crashing pathetically into the wall.
Crash—!
“Agh…”
The destructive force was so immense he nearly blacked out. His entire body convulsed from the most agonizing pain he had ever experienced in his life.
“Don’t play dead. You still have a beating coming.”
It was a terrifyingly casual remark. The man had clearly spared him on purpose. If he didn’t want to be beaten to death like a dog, he had to do something.
Wracking his brain, Mae Cheon-pung managed to squeeze out a few words.
“If I die… that woman will die too…”
Il-gwang’s fist, which had been raised to strike his face, froze. Although the murmuring of the children continued to drift from the second floor, the teacher’s voice was nowhere to be heard.
“Where is she?”
“Let me go, and I’ll tell you.”
There was no way Il-gwang could trust him. Besides, he still had to rescue the children on the second floor.
“You’re coming with me. But first, wait here for a moment.”
With that, Il-gwang aimed his fist at Mae Cheon-pung’s head.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Argh! Why… why are you hitting me, you lunatic?!”
“I don’t know how to seal pressure points. So just take a beating until you pass out.”
“Damn it…”
A master of the Flower Realm who didn’t know how to seal pressure points? It was enough to drive one mad.
For a martial artist of his caliber, being knocked unconscious by pure physical force was no easy feat. Grimacing, Mae Cheon-pung reached up and struck his own pressure points.
Thud!
His eyes rolled back, and his head slumped forward. He had knocked himself out.
Leaving him behind, Il-gwang trudged up to the second floor.
Dozens of children were huddled together, trembling in fear.
“Let’s go home.”
At the sound of the familiar voice, all the children turned their heads at once. Standing there was the man with the most dependable shoulders they knew. Relief and raw emotion washed over them.
The children rushed forward, crying tears of relief.
“Waah… Uncle, we were so scared.”
“I knew you’d come.”
“Sob…”
Il-gwang patted the heads of the children clinging to his waist.
“I promised you, didn’t I? If you ever get taken, Uncle will always find you.”
“Where is Teacher Cho-hee?”
“I have to go rescue her now…”
Suddenly, his expression darkened as he looked out the window.
A mysterious old woman was trudging toward the pavilion. Her left arm was missing from the shoulder, and one of her eyes was covered by an eyepatch.
Il-gwang knew instantly. This was a being on an entirely different level from anyone he had fought so far.
The distinct, alien aura he had once sensed from So-mu was radiating from this old woman.
“You’ll have to wait a little longer.”
A few children peeked out the window and gasped in terror. The old woman’s cold, menacing face was enough to strike instinctual dread into their hearts.
“I-I’m scared…”
“The old witch is here…”
Il-gwang opened his arms and gently pushed the children back inside.
“Don’t worry. As long as I’m standing here, no one is getting up these stairs.”
As he walked down the stairs, he checked his left flank. The wound he had received in the previous battle throbbed with pain.
“Phew…”
In truth, his body was exhausted. Using consecutive martial forms had depleted a vast amount of his internal energy. But as long as his limbs were intact, he would not stop.
Stepping out of the pavilion entrance, Il-gwang glared at the old woman. She was undoubtedly the “Crone” the masked men had mentioned.
“You really… look hideous.”
Rage flared on the Silver Flower Crone’s face. To have her appearance insulted so bluntly upon their first meeting was a first in her hundred and forty years of life.
“How dare a beast-like brute like you wag his tongue?! You must not want to die in peace!”
“Cut the chatter and come at me. I don’t have all day.”
The Silver Flower Crone subtly sensed the presences inside the pavilion.
Realizing what had happened, she bared her teeth in a sickening smile. She didn’t care what happened to the Black Fog Squad. What mattered was that the sacrifices were still inside.
“I will crush that mouth of yours.”
The old woman’s right hand erupted in a dazzling light.
Il-gwang raised his fists to eye level and bounced lightly on his feet, preparing his own footwork.
He was a natural-born brawler. Since his youth, he had fought men much stronger than himself in the back alleys, rising to the top by defeating them all through sheer combat instinct.
And right now, those instincts were screaming at him to avoid a head-on clash.
Whoosh—!
The wind howled as the old woman’s palm brushed past Il-gwang’s face. Even though he was certain he had dodged it, his cheek stung. It was a terrifying speed that even a Flower Realm body struggled to keep up with.
He tried to slip to her side, but it was incredibly difficult. Her movements were too fast for the naked eye to track, leaving him completely on the defensive. Before long, with his retreat cut off, Il-gwang had no choice but to clash with her directly.
The third form of the Exploding Annihilation Fist: Soul-Piercing Annihilating Strike.
His fist thrust out like a drill, slamming into the old woman’s incoming palm.
Boom—!
A metallic clang like a massive temple bell echoed through the mountains.
Il-gwang stumbled backward, deeply shocked.
Her martial power was on another dimension, similar to the helplessness he felt whenever he faced So-mu, the leader of the Wolf Fang Squad. Had she possessed both arms, he wouldn’t have stood a chance.
“Do you understand now?”
As the old woman sneered, Il-gwang provoked her right back.
“Shut up and come at me. I’ll crush your remaining eye today.”
Il-gwang slid to the old woman’s left. It was her blind spot, the side where her arm was missing. To survive, he had to use every trick in the book.
He aimed a punch at her waist, but it didn’t connect as planned. The moment it neared, the Silver Flower Crone twisted her waist like a snake and slipped away. Her movements defied imagination.
Before he knew it, her right hand darted toward Il-gwang’s chest. Il-gwang gathered his internal energy into both arms to block.
Boom—!
“Kh!”
The overwhelming difference in internal energy was not something he could overcome. Il-gwang’s feet dragged along the ground as he was pushed back.
His forearms swelled as if they had been struck by iron bars, but he had no time to worry about the pain. The old woman’s full-scale assault had begun.
While the battle between the Silver Flower Crone and Il-gwang raged on, a battered figure inside the pavilion slowly opened his eyes.
***
A little girl with her hair tied in twin buns and clutching a small wooden sword pointed her tiny, peanut-like finger and shouted excitedly,
“Over here!”
Over a hundred soldiers followed So-so, arriving in a line. They were the members of the Wolf Fang Squad. Among them were So-mu and Yeon Seo-hwa.
Seeing the wandering children and the dead and wounded soldiers, everyone frowned at the horrific sight.
Rage flared in Yeon Seo-hwa’s eyes. The traces of demonic martial arts left behind were unmistakably from the Demonic Cult.
To dare kidnap her younger sister—her anger reached its peak.
“It’s the Black Fog Squad…”
So-mu replied with a dark expression,
“So the Silver Flower Crone is still alive. Her life is indeed persistent…”
“We don’t have time. We must find them quickly.”
If the old woman, who held a deep grudge against them, discovered her sister, she would not let her die easily. She couldn’t help but worry. The problem was that they had no idea where the kidnapped children and Cho-hee had been taken.
Just then, So-so ran over to her friends and asked,
“Have you guys seen Uncle Il-gwang?”
“He went to save our teacher and friends…”
“Got it.”
Nodding, So-so turned to her father.
“I know where they went.”
Yeon Seo-hwa’s face brightened slightly.
“Which way is it? Lead the way.”
So-so stepped forward with a solemn expression, her tiny shoulders tense with a sense of responsibility.
“Follow me, Father.”
There was no time to hesitate. So-mu and Yeon Seo-hwa vanished in an instant, following close behind So-so.
The remaining squad members stayed behind to tend to the scene. Cheong-hae, who was from the Mount Hua Sect, turned to Hyeonjeong and asked,
“Senior, shouldn’t we go help too?”
“With the Commander himself on the move, there is no need to worry. But they might need help searching the area.”
“What should we do?”
“Half of us should be enough.”
While half of the Wolf Fang Squad stayed to clean up the area, the rest set off in the direction So-so had gone.
Meanwhile, the first three had already arrived at the first location. A Black Fog Squad member lay alone on the narrow path, groaning in pain. He had been beaten to within an inch of his life by Il-gwang.
So-so squatted in front of him and asked,
“Mister, where did you take my friends?”
Seeing So-so, the groaning man began to convulse in fear.
“Wh-why are you back…?”
So-so knit her brows, trying to look angry. She looked like a tiny puppy growling.
“Tell me quickly!”
“What… what on earth are you…? Go away.”
“Do you want to get punished by my Father?”
The man let out a weak chuckle and managed to lift his head. The moment he did, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
“The… The Jade Flower Saintess…”
Yeon Seo-hwa stood there, her expression icy cold, holding a handful of silver flying needles.
“So you bastards were the ones who kidnapped my sister.”
The man was struck with pure horror. To think the woman they had kidnapped was the younger sister of the former Cult Leader! Because she had rarely active in the Cult, he had never seen her, but he had heard rumors. Rumors that the Jade Flower Saintess cherished her younger sister above all else.
It was easy to imagine what the furious woman would do to him. The silver needles gleamed sharply. She would know countless ways to inflict pain worse than death.
“I-I will tell you everything…”
“Location.”
“M-Mount Xiaohua. If you go about five hundred zhang along the path, you will find the entrance… Now, please kill me…”
With a flick of Yeon Seo-hwa’s fingers, a single needle pierced his throat.
Thump!
The man’s head slumped forward. Watching this, So-mu said softly,
“It doesn’t seem to be a lie. We’re running out of time, let’s move. So-so, you go back—”
So-mu trailed off, dumbfounded. His daughter had already darted ahead, her figure rapidly vanishing from view. She had beaten him to the punch before he could even finish speaking.
“Phew…”