Chapter 513: Side Story 13

Chapter 13

Watching the whole situation unfold from outside the window, Geum Dae-ryang doubted his own eyes. It was Jang Sam-tae, who knew nothing but lightness art.

His disciple, who he thought would live his whole life just deceiving people and stealing, was exerting overwhelming power against the numerous disciples of the Gongcheon Sect.

He kicked, moved, and displayed brilliant martial arts, infallibly striking down even those who tried to block him, subduing them one by one.

His movements were truly extraordinary, to the point that there were many things even Geum Dae-ryang’s eyes couldn’t follow.

Geum Dae-ryang had roamed the Central Plains for a long time and witnessed the fights of many individuals called Murim masters. The Jang Sam-tae he was seeing now resembled them.

Crash!

“Keugh!”

Furthermore…

He even overpowered the Gongcheon Sect Leader, who was the most fearsome opponent.

This was hard to believe even seeing it with his own two eyes, and the reason was none other than the demonic qi flowing from Jang Sam-tae’s body.

‘Heo… That guy even learned demonic arts?’

Geum Dae-ryang gulped.

It wasn’t ordinary demonic qi.

‘Where did these martial artists appear from?’ He thought as he felt cold sweat dripping down his back.

He unconsciously swallowed his saliva.

‘Just where did he go and what did he do?’

The changed appearance of his disciple, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time, was something he couldn’t get used to no matter how much he looked. It felt as if he were looking at a different person, but it was even more bizarre because that familiar face and voice definitely belonged to Jang Sam-tae.

Geum Dae-ryang could only watch the entire situation unfold.

Moreover, he was feeling a sense of satisfaction and pride watching those people collapse.

At that moment, someone who appeared to be an elder of the Gongcheon Sect disciples shouted.

“D-demonic qi?”

“You bastard! Were you a lackey of the Demonic Cult!”

“Lackey of the Demonic Cult my ass! I told you I’m from the Hunan Dan Family, you crazy fools!”

Jang Sam-tae shouted.

Hearing the words for a moment, Geum Dae-ryang had to doubt his ears.

What kind of place was the Hunan Dan Family?

It was the most renowned place in the current Central Plains.

The World’s Best.

The Greatest Clan in the World.

It was said to be the place where the top masters in the Central Plains resided, and it was virtually the greatest prestigious family that no one dared to touch.

‘Sam-tae is in such a place?’

With a ‘heo’, a dry cough slipped from Geum Dae-ryang’s mouth.

He didn’t know what kind of fortuitous encounter the kid, who seemed likely to die after spending his whole life just stealing, had met, but it seemed he was living much better than Geum Dae-ryang had thought.

Strength naturally welled up in his body.

He, an old man, had been rushing about everywhere, gathering and studying numerous martial arts manuals just to save his disciple, but now all those things had become meaningless.

No matter how he looked at it, he wasn’t using innate qi.

He didn’t have the expression of someone with death right around the corner either.

He just stared fixedly at that face and smiled.

“You dog-like bastards! Where is our master-!”

Jang Sam-tae’s booming remark pulled at his heartstrings.

The kid who was living and receiving teachings in such an incredible place had thrown himself into a deadly situation, calling a mere thief his master.

Just that alone filled Geum Dae-ryang with boundless joy.

What should he call this?

What kind of emotion should he say this was?

All that came out was just a streak of a smile, and all that was beating was his heart.

“Haha.”

Geum Dae-ryang smiled and squeezed his eyes shut.

Wiping away the tears streaming down, he caught his breath.

He once again engraved the grown image of his disciple into his eyes and turned his back.

* * *

Kwakwang-!

Bizarre energies surged and swept all directions.

Although quite strong individuals were rushing in and pressuring Jang Sam-tae, effortlessly breaking through them was also part of the skill Jang Sam-tae possessed.

‘A fight like this is a piece of cake… compared to those guys!’

Jang Sam-tae laughed.

The fierce fights he had on that island when Dan Woo-hyun turned into a block of ice. The days he fought for survival against masters who were a level higher than him.

Thinking back to that time, this was nothing.

He definitely felt killing intent from these people too, but it wasn’t as much as back then, and no matter how fast their swords and movements were, they couldn’t compare to the people who had been in that place.

He could subdue them as much as he wanted.

Furthermore.

“You bastard!”

There is something most important in any fight.

That is subduing the central figure first.

Jang Sam-tae lightly dodged the sect leader’s palm force thrusting forward and launched his body. As he dug through the numerous disciples and closed the distance in an instant, the sect leader was shocked by his lightness art and gasped for air.

Jang Sam-tae didn’t hesitate.

Once you make up your mind to kill your opponent, you shouldn’t have mercy.

Especially bastards like these shouldn’t be left alive.

Because they would definitely cause trouble later.

He gathered energy into one hand and thrust a palm strike just like that.

Heavenly Demon Palm.

It was the highest level among the martial arts Sado Hak had taught him recently, and it was a definitive skill that could certainly cut off the opponent’s breath.

At the exact same time he thrust his hand out.

Hwaaak-!

The Gongcheon Sect Leader saw Jang Sam-tae closing the distance in an instant. He realized that the spirit he felt was not ordinary, whether he was truly a person of the Hunan Dan Family or not.

Also, he was strong.

How long had it been since he had met someone this strong?

Looking at him with an expression filled with tension, he aimed for an opportunity.

Because it was a situation where he had to perfectly subdue the opponent in an instant.

However, Jang Sam-tae suddenly disappeared without a trace and then closed the distance, approaching him. The moment he saw him instantly slip through the disciples and reveal himself right in front of his nose.

He felt a crazy chill that sent shivers down his spine.

Then, the moment he thrust his palm out.

The Gongcheon Sect Leader saw it.

“Keuk!”

A massive shadow approaching in an instant.

It looked like a demon, and that demon opened its massive mouth as if to clearly swallow the Gongcheon Sect Leader. Its sharp teeth felt as though they would pierce through his entire body.

Was it an illusion?

Or just a hallucination?

No, more than that, this was reality.

Crash-!

“Keu-aaak!”

He got hit and flew away.

The Gongcheon Sect Leader’s body, which flew high up, fell to the floor, torn to a pitiful state. The violent sound of ‘thud!’ and his appearance sagging like a doll made anyone who saw it anticipate the result.

“H… Heavenly Demon Palm?!”

“I… It’s the Heavenly Demon Divine Art-!”

“Crazy…!”

Everyone around immediately realized it. Originally, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art itself was such a famous martial art, so they were terrified by how much it resembled what they had heard in the world.

“Uwaaaak, spare me!”

“S-sect Leader is… w-what do we do now?”

The surroundings began to shake violently.

In one breath, the sect leader was killed, and the elders and protectors all collapsed. Since only the grunts were left guarding the area, no fighting spirit could be seen in them anymore.

Especially the death of the sect leader, who had been moving their hearts, left them truly aghast and also shattered their pride as Gongcheon Sect disciples.

“Heuk… heuk…”

Jang Sam-tae stood blankly in place and caught his breath.

However, his sharp gaze was shining to the point where it wouldn’t lose to anyone’s, so it could give enough pressure to those who had already lost their momentum.

“Uwaaaak!”

“R… run away!”

There was nothing those who lost their momentum could do. The only thing they could do was just run and flee. Even if they fought, they didn’t think they could win. The death of the sect leader, who could be called their pillar, had given them that much of a shock.

Jang Sam-tae stood blankly and looked around.

Before he knew it, what remained were just the sprawled corpses and Jang Sam-tae standing there.

A tranquil silence wrapped around the surroundings and knocked on Jang Sam-tae’s heart.

However, he didn’t enjoy the joy of victory.

Because in the end, it didn’t change the fact that he had killed someone. Also, knowing that such a lingering unpleasant feeling wouldn’t easily go away, he smiled bitterly and trudged toward where Geum Dae-ryang was imprisoned.

No one stood in his way blocking his path.

It would be possible if corpses could move, but since that couldn’t be the case, Jang Sam-tae’s steps became even more unrestrained and carried that much power.

“Sigh… I’m going crazy, crazy…”

Walking toward that place, Jang Sam-tae shook his head back and forth. He lamented what kind of luck he was born with to have to live cleaning up after old men.

“Are you there? If you are, say something.”

Then, he opened the door to the place where Geum Dae-ryang seemed to be imprisoned and went inside. However, the inside was empty. No person could be seen, but the traces around didn’t suggest no one had been there at all.

There were definitely traces of someone being tortured.

Blood splattered everywhere and footprints.

There were also torn clothes that seemed to belong to Geum Dae-ryang.

But Geum Dae-ryang himself was nowhere to be seen.

Looking around, Jang Sam-tae unconsciously sighed and shook his head back and forth.

The view outside the window seen from inside.

He must have definitely seen everything that happened outside.

Even so, the fact that he wasn’t here meant that Geum Dae-ryang had already let go of everything and left.

“Anyway, this old man really makes things troublesome for people.”

If he could escape, he should have done it earlier, or else he should have just stayed still.

He went out of his way to save him, but he left without a single word of thanks.

Jang Sam-tae scratched his head vigorously and scowled for a long time, then kicked the chair where he presumed Geum Dae-ryang had been sitting while being tortured.

Crash-!

Looking at the splinters that shattered into pieces and scattered in all directions in an instant, he then made a satisfied expression and went outside.

“Take care, old man! Let’s never meet again! And don’t go causing trouble somewhere!”

Since he must have already gone a long distance, he wouldn’t hear him, but Jang Sam-tae muttered like someone who knew he was watching from nearby.

Was that accurate?

A stone flew toward Jang Sam-tae from one side.

Catching it lightly in his hand, Jang Sam-tae let out a ‘Ha!’ and made a dumbfounded expression.

However, he didn’t bother chasing after him.

With a swishing sound, he felt the presence of someone flying away. Geum Dae-ryang, who had definitely been watching, finally hid his figure.

“How refreshing!”

Jang Sam-tae stretched out completely and shook off something he had harbored in his heart for a long time.

How great was it?

Still, he was the person who made the current Jang Sam-tae possible, and in another sense, he was a lifesaver, so it felt like he had paid back that debt now.

Smirking, he slowly shifted his steps.

Looking around, he soon began to rummage through the corpses and the house.

“When all is said and done, money is the best. It’s a struggle if you don’t have it. Since dead bastards won’t need it, I’ll put it to good use!”

Saying such things, he began to methodically loot the house.

In the end, it seemed he was walking the exact same path as Dan Woo-hyun.

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