Chapter 289: Chapter 289

Tang Mun-hye bit her lip and looked at the opponent in front of her.

Even when she tried to pressure him using murderous intent or internal energy, he did not budge.

Normally, one would break into a cold sweat under this level of pressure, but Tang Mun-hye’s momentum did not seem to have any influence on the opponent at all.

Perhaps she was deeply offended by this, as she frowned.

‘If so…!’

She sprinkled the poison that was inside her sleeve.

She judged that making the opponent move to secure a favorable position for herself was the highest priority.

Swish!

The faint powder carried by the wind poured toward Gwimyeonja.

Shhh!

However, that wind did not reach Gwimyeonja.

The poison was gathered together by a violent wind and settled on the floor.

Tang Mun-hye was astounded as she looked at that ridiculous situation.

What on earth had happened just now?

“To sprinkle poison in front of so many people… how thoughtless.”

“Kugh…!”

The voice that drifted over sounded like it was lecturing her.

Tang Mun-hye gnashed her teeth and clenched her fists.

Even without sprinkling poison, she possessed many other things. As she quickly reached out, small needles poured toward Gwimyeonja.

Clank, clang!

“Ugh?!”

But that too was useless.

He seemed to swing the sword he was holding a few times, and the needles Tang Mun-hye had thrown with all her might all fell to the floor.

Every single one of them had its poison-coated tip broken off.

“Your way of using hidden weapons is cliché. Throwing them in such an obvious manner is no different from asking me to deflect them all.”

“Are you saying that knowing… that I am a member of the Sichuan Tang Family?”

“I do not know what that is.”

Tang Mun-hye gnashed her teeth hard at the words she heard.

He does not know the Sichuan Tang Family?

Could there be a martial artist in the Central Plains who did not know the Sichuan Tang Family? No matter how much they lived shut away in the mountains, there was no one who did not know the names of the Eight Great Families.

If so, it could only be considered that he was mocking Tang Mun-hye.

Angered, Tang Mun-hye rushed forward.

She extended her leg in an instant, aiming for Gwimyeonja’s head.

Even if he blocked it, he would bound to receive a shock from the internal energy infused in it.

Yet Gwimyeonja blocked even that with his lightly raised scabbard.

Tang Mun-hye’s methods grew increasingly violent out of anger.

Her punches and kicks were so fierce that even the onlookers clicked their tongues.

It made one think that the moment he failed to block, something would break or his head would be smashed.

However, Gwimyeonja was perfectly fine.

Still not moving a single step from his spot, he leisurely blocked all of Tang Mun-hye’s punches and kicks.

The entire sight was truly astounding.

“That is enough now.”

Crash!

Gwimyeonja lightly thrust his hand.

Slightly dodging Tang Mun-hye’s attack, he struck her abdomen. With a sound that vibrated violently in the ears, Tang Mun-hye was sent flying.

Judging by her groans, she seemed to have taken quite a heavy blow.

However,

Swish!

The hidden weapons showered from the sky targeted Gwimyeonja.

No one could hide their surprise at a move that no one had expected. Perhaps Gwimyeonja also had not anticipated this, as he wore a look full of interest.

Boom, boom!

Rain of Flowers Filling the Sky.

It was a technique that could be called the secret transmission of the Tang Family.

The hidden weapons pouring densely from the sky like rain were a desperate, fatal move that even the greatest master could neither dodge nor block.

That she had unleashed this meant Tang Mun-hye was pushed to a significant corner.

Furthermore, launching the Rain of Flowers Filling the Sky while being struck and sent flying was something that could not be fully described by the word “amazing” alone.

The entire sparring stage was densely packed with hidden weapons.

If there were a person inside, they would surely no longer be human.

However, everyone watching let out cries of shock. Gwimyeonja, standing blankly, was perfectly fine without a single wound.

What was even more bizarre was that not a single hidden weapon was lodged around him.

It was to the extent that a ridiculous thought arose, as if the thrown hidden weapons had specifically avoided the spot where Gwimyeonja stood.

“This… makes no sense…”

Tang Mun-hye looked at that, the corners of her mouth trembling. It was a desperate move, a technique unleashed to completely kill the opponent.

Yet since the opponent was perfectly fine, the shock did not fade easily.

Just then, Gwimyeonja slightly extended his foot and kicked one of the hidden weapons embedded in the floor.

Swish!

The hidden weapon, flying as it tore through the wind, grazed Tang Mun-hye’s cheek.

Feeling blood trickle down her cheek, she grasped the entire situation with a bewildered gaze, the corners of her mouth trembling.

She realized that he was an opponent she could no longer do anything against.

“I… I admit defeat…”

Her single statement, filled with resentment, echoed quietly.

* * *

Tremble!

The Prince of Geum’s mouth trembled.

Most of the late-generation disciples of the Heavenly Dao Society whom he had trusted were being eliminated. Since even Tang Mun-hye, who was known to be the strongest, had lost so absurdly, from his perspective, it was equivalent to losing his strongest card.

“Hahaha… it was a truly wonderful fight. Do you not agree?”

“Y… Yes…”

The Prince of Jin laughed heartily and clapped his hands.

Although the winner was not a figure of the Hunan Dan Family, the strongest card of the Heavenly Dao Society had been broken, so what could be more pleasant than that?

Now, all that was left was for the figures of the Hunan Dan Family to defeat everyone from the Prince of Geum’s estate and claim victory.

If that happened, he intended to treat them to a grand feast.

“I am glad you look happy.”

“Hahaha! Is this not all thanks to you?”

Ju Ji-yak smiled brightly by his side. Originally, the Prince of Jin had intended to recruit the Martial Alliance, but it was Ju Ji-yak who opposed that and recommended the Hunan Dan Family.

The father and daughter’s smiles showed no signs of fading as their thoughts aligned.

Watching the people of the Prince of Geum’s estate gritting their teeth only brought a sense of gratification.

‘By the way… what does he plan to do?’

Ju Ji-yak quietly watched the back of Gwimyeonja as he walked into the waiting room.

Although Dan So-mi, who was over at the end, did not seem to have noticed yet, Ju Ji-yak recognized at a single glance that it was Dan Woo-hyun.

Ju Ji-yak smiled with a somewhat perplexed expression, wondering if he really intended to go all the way to victory like this.

‘He really is a troublesome person.’

* * *

The waiting room was indeed filled with astonishment.

Not only because of the fact that Tang Mun-hye had lost, but because he had displayed such overwhelmingly dominant martial power. Even those who had thought it was simple luck until now were watching him, showing wariness toward Gwimyeonja.

And one more person.

There was someone whose complexion was exceptionally pale.

It was Jang Sam-tae, sitting beside Gwimyeonja and biting his nails.

He looked at Gwimyeonja with a pale expression, looking as if he would suffocate at any moment.

“Excuse me… Family Head…?”

“I do not know what you are talking about.”

Jang Sam-tae, who was certain it was Dan Woo-hyun, wore a tearful face. Because he felt Dan Woo-hyun’s determination to play innocent to the end.

“T… Then why did you, Hero, enter this kind of tournament…?”

He felt that if he did not mention the fact that he was Dan Woo-hyun, he would answer him.

Sure enough, Gwimyeonja glanced at Jang Sam-tae.

The pupils visible through the mask sparkled.

Jang Sam-tae could not bring himself to look at them and turned his head.

“Come to think of it…”

“Come to think of it?”

“The Martial God is also human…”

“…”

Jang Sam-tae trembled all over.

He felt as if Dan Woo-hyun were grinning behind that mask. Had he still kept in his heart what he had blurted out as nonsense last time?

Only then did Jang Sam-tae seem to understand why Dan Woo-hyun had gone through such troublesome measures to participate.

The opponent Dan Woo-hyun was targeting was none other than.

‘Me?!’

There was a limit to beating him up in the family.

There were the gazes of many people, but Dan So-mi was also there. However, given the nature of a Martial World tournament where hitting each other was natural, it had the advantage of allowing him to beat him up as much as he wanted.

Jang Sam-tae sprang up from his seat.

‘If I stay still, I will die!’

With that thought, he broke into a cold sweat without realizing.

“Where are you going?”

“Ahahaha, well… to the outhouse.”

Jang Sam-tae, who spoke like that, dashed out. Running away would not end well.

If so, he had to find another way somehow to overcome this situation.

Trying his best to ignore Dan Woo-hyun’s gaze felt from behind, he ran fiercely toward somewhere.

* * *

For the first time in a while, tension was flowing on the sparring stage.

It was because of Ma Jang-gang, who held a massive greatsword in his hand.

One could guess his strength just by seeing that he possessed the alias Wolf King.

Although he was at the tail end of the Hundred Great Masters, he was by no means an opponent that late-generation disciples could defeat.

However, the woman standing in front of him.

Even while holding a sword, she somehow exuded elegance. Her face looked somewhat tired, but nevertheless, her determination to never back down was visible.

“How about stopping here?”

“I refuse.”

It was Zhuge Yeon.

Her determination to win at all costs was felt. The reason was that she could not give up already when she had not even crossed swords with Namgung So-hye.

Thus, she did not want to kneel even more.

A sigh escaped Ma Jang-gang’s mouth.

“Know that I, too, cannot back down.”

“If you look down on me as being a level below, you will pay dearly. You know that, right?”

“I know well. Since there is probably no woman in our family as terrifying as you.”

“I will take that as a compliment.”

Ma Jang-gang narrowed his eyes and took his starting stance.

She was a woman he must never let his guard down against.

Although the gap with an opponent in the Martial World was said to be divided by the level of martial arts, cases where the weak killed the strong also occurred frequently.

That was precisely the Martial World, and the reason why one must not let their guard down.

Furthermore.

‘There is something!’

Ma Jang-gang thought.

Zhuge Yeon’s movements had been somewhat strange from a moment ago. As if she were laying a trap.

Since she belonged to the Zhuge Family, which was proficient in all kinds of formations and mechanisms, there was no harm in being careful.

Therefore, taking his starting stance, he leapt forward to end it in one blow.

He intended to make her kneel with this single strike.

With that thought, the moment he swung his saber powerfully, Zhuge Yeon urgently rolled to the right and reached out her hand.

Clang!

However, as if Ma Jang-gang had anticipated at least hidden weapons and swung his massive saber to block them, Zhuge Yeon, who had twisted her body, rushed forward urgently.

“Ugh?!”

“It is not easy to make precise movements with a large saber, is it?”

Watching Zhuge Yeon rush into his bosom in an instant, Ma Jang-gang smirked, stepped with footwork, and retreated backward.

Something like this was easily expected, and it was a situation he had experienced similarly.

In an instant, he created a distance where he could strike her chest with a single palm.

In a brief moment, simultaneously with the gathering of internal energy in his hand.

“Are you really planning to touch my chest? Will you take responsibility?”

Ma Jang-gang’s body flinched at the whisper that drifted over.

It was the mistake of a lifetime.

Before he knew it, Zhuge Yeon’s sword was touching Ma Jang-gang’s neck.

“What a wicked girl…”

“Hohoho.”

Ma Jang-gang scowled.

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