Chapter 201: Awl in a Pouch (1)
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Ga Deuk-sang glanced at Yeon Ho-jeong.
Yeon Ho-jeong was drinking tea with a calm face.
“Third.”
“Please speak.”
“I feel like my mouth will wear out from saying it too often… but you are truly amazing.”
“It’s nothing new.”
“Heo-eo.”
Ga Deuk-sang smacked his lips and looked down at the center of the first floor of the tavern.
There, over ten warriors of the Blood Sparrow Sect, wearing blood-colored martial arts uniforms, were collapsed. All of them had their paralysis acupoints pierced by daggers, and it seemed they would become crippled if they were not shown to a physician immediately.
And Tang Sang-ah was standing in front of them.
Zhuge Ah-yeon gulped.
“She’s really amazing.”
“Hmm?”
“I didn’t realize it well because I was distracted when we came, but it’s a truly incredible hidden weapon technique.”
Yeon Ho-jeong nodded his head.
“Although she lacks some experience, Senior Martial Sister is mastered in hidden weapon techniques enough to accurately hit her target at any time and any place. Since hidden weapons are threatening weapons even to a master of the same level, those guys are no match for Senior Martial Sister.”
“That’s true, but isn’t she incredibly fast?”
Zhuge Ah-yeon said while looking at Yeon Ho-jeong.
“It’s a speed that can almost be compared to an arrow.”
The arrow she was talking about did not mean any ordinary arrow, but meant the arrow shot by Muk Bi.
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
“It’s not as much as an arrow.”
“Really? To my eyes, they look almost similar?”
“That’s because you haven’t seen her shooting with determination. Of course, it’s not a huge gap.”
“Heh.”
Zhuge Ah-yeon-yeon looked at Tang Sang-ah with her mouth wide open. In fact, both Muk Bi and Tang Sang-ah’s abilities to use projectile weapons were so outstanding that distinguishing superiority seemed meaningless.
It was just amazing. People who conspicuously revealed martial arts talent that Zhuge Ah-yeon didn’t have, there were truly many geniuses in the world.
Ga Deuk-sang asked Yeon Ho-jeong.
“What should we do, should we wait here more?”
Yeon Ho-jeong looked down at the warriors of the Blood Sparrow Sect without answering.
Ga Deuk-sang’s head slowly turned towards Pae-yul.
“…right? Martial Uncle?”
Pae-yul looked at Ga Deuk-sang with absurd eyes.
“Are you asking me right now?”
“Of course. You are the oldest adult.”
He was the oldest adult, but he was not the leader.
Pae-yul sent a telepathy to Yeon Ho-jeong.
[What are you going to do?]
[We have to wait one more time. Since we sent one guy back intact, the real ones will come in less than half a day.]
Pae-yul opened his mouth.
“We will wait just half a day more.”
“Ah, yes.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s prediction was spot on like a ghost this time as well.
Boom!
The beginning was the same as the Blood Sparrow Sect members.
Those who barged in while roughly throwing the door open were the masters of the Yama Room.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes sparkled.
‘They are quite good.’
It was a considerable level. Although they were holding different weapons respectively, more than half possessed first-rate martial arts.
The number was also quite large at twenty, and their restrained movements while emitting eyes full of killing intent were impressive.
‘With that level, they should be enough to at least hang onto the edge of the Thirty-Six Factions.’
Yeon Ho-jeong’s discernment was accurate.
“It’s the Yama Room.”
Ga Deuk-sang’s eyes flashed.
“It’s a faction that hasn’t been in the Thirty-Six Factions for long. They took the empty spot after the Yin Death Room lost its power.”
Yeon Ho-jeong smirked.
‘Yin Death Room, huh.’
The target that the soldiers of the Evil-Annihilating Army experienced actual combat with for the first time was the Yin Death Room.
He newly realized that the power of the Unorthodox was weak. Factions with deep history could be counted on one’s fingers, and hundreds of factions repeatedly perished and appeared in a single day.
‘As expected, Yang Cheon knows properly.’
What on earth was the part that one had to pay the most attention to when uniting such crude Unorthodox?
It was precisely laws and history. To establish strict discipline and laws, and punish those who break them regardless of the reason.
Although cruel and extreme, it could produce a definite effect in the short term. And from the time they got used to such a life, they would start building a long history.
It was the method capable of establishing the Dark Emperor Castle, and it was also the method Yang Cheon used before the Dark Emperor Castle even set its framework.
‘Although I don’t know if that guy thought of it himself, or if he received someone’s help.’
Yeon Ho-jeong stood up from his seat.
Doubt lingered in Ga Deuk-sang’s eyes.
“Is the third going to do it?”
“It’s a bit much to leave it to the youngest, and I can’t just let Senior Martial Sister suffer either.”
Ga Deuk-sang looked at the Yama Room members with pitiful eyes. Even though they were clearly enemies, he felt sorry for them for some reason.
Pae-yul casually threw a word.
“If possible, don’t spill blood.”
“I understand.”
Pa-ak!
Yeon Ho-jeong, who came down from the second floor to the first floor in one breath, stood in front of Tang Sang-ah.
Doubt lingered on Tang Sang-ah’s face, who had already drawn out a dagger.
“Junior Martial Brother?”
“I will handle those guys. You’ve worked hard. Please go up and rest now.”
“Ah, should I?”
Tang Sang-ah pointlessly read Yeon Ho-jeong’s mood and went up to the second floor.
Ho Geuk, the leader of the Yama Room group, shone his eyes.
“Is it you guys?”
Yeon Ho-jeong nodded his head.
“It’s us.”
“…Your arrogance pierces the sky. Do you bastards know who we are?”
“Do I need to know?”
“What?”
“Quit the useless battle of spirits and talk. Why did you tail us?”
Ho Geuk flinched.
“Tailed? Who tailed whom?”
“Are you not going to clean your ears? As soon as we entered Hunan, you Unorthodox bastards tailed us, right. We killed all of them because it was annoying, so these blood clots came looking for us, didn’t they.”
For a moment, surprise lingered on Ho Geuk’s face.
“You killed them?”
“Then should I send them alive?”
It was a voice oozing with arrogance.
It was quite a provocative speech, but Ho Geuk could not find fault with Yeon Ho-jeong’s words.
‘Tailed? Who? There’s no way the Blood Sparrow did it…’
Ho Geuk suddenly realized.
‘It’s from his side!’
That’s right.
The residence of the Martial God, who integrated nearly half of the Unorthodox’s forces in a short time and formed a huge force before anyone knew it.
They must be informants sent from the side of the strongest fighter in Murim, who proudly proclaimed themselves as Unorthodox, yet distinguished themselves in class from any masters of the Unorthodox.
Ho Geuk’s face turned pale.
On the other hand, Yeon Ho-jeong frowned.
“What? Did you suddenly get scared or something?”
“D-did you say you killed them all?!”
“Yeah.”
Ho Geuk looked back and shouted.
“You! The guy from the Blood Sparrow Sect! Come out here!”
As soon as he finished speaking, a man wearing a blood-colored martial arts uniform came forward.
Ho Geuk’s two eyes became fierce like a tiger’s.
“You bastards, were you connecting a line with the Manor secretly behind our backs?!”
“Yes?!”
“Answer properly!”
“I, I’m sorry! I don’t really…”
Of course, he wasn’t even the upper echelon of the faction, so there was no way he would know such a thing.
But that was that and this was this. Ho Geuk was already certain that the Blood Sparrow Sect under the Yama Room had been separately connecting a line with the Manor.
“These sons of bitches!”
Peo-eok!
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes deepened.
The head of the Blood Sparrow Sect member was smashed to pieces by the mace struck down by Ho Geuk. It was a killing move that was matchlessly extreme.
Ho Geuk panted.
“Because we spoiled these things, they dare to ignore our room and move as they please?”
“Hey.”
Ho Geuk looked back at Yeon Ho-jeong.
“What is the Manor?”
“…?!”
“Is it perhaps the place where the Combat King is the master?”
“…You bastard.”
Flash!
A tremendous killing intent poured out from the two eyes of the Yama Room members.
Yeon Ho-jeong was quite surprised. The swirling killing intent was sharp like a precious sword.
“To dare casually mention his title, you must really want to die.”
A lava-like anger was felt from the voice that seemed to be growling.
Ga Deuk-sang’s eyes, looking down at them from the second floor, deepened.
‘Amazing.’
He was not pointing to the terrible killing intent. What was truly amazing was Yang Cheon’s presence, which made them emit such toxic killing intent just by calling his title once.
‘That killing intent is not coming from fear. Those guys’ loyalty towards Yang Cheon is real.’
That was not the end.
Although he didn’t say it separately to the group, the fact that an informant attached themselves not long after entering Hunan was incredible in itself.
‘Hunan Province itself is already equivalent to Yang Cheon’s empire. He spread the tremendous information power of the Unorthodox in all directions and is investigating every single person deemed suspicious.’
Ga Deuk-sang’s cheek trembled.
‘This will be much more dangerous than I thought.’
The size of Hunan Province, and the number of Unorthodox informants dispatched to each region.
It was truly something that consumed an astronomical amount of money. Yang Cheon had unhesitatingly unleashed that enormous money and human resources.
They still didn’t know what Yang Cheon was moving for as his goal. However, it was certain that he was a much more terrifying figure than he had thought.
‘Damn it, is it really okay for us to strike into the center?’
Ga Deuk-sang’s eyes headed towards Yeon Ho-jeong.
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
“In any case, looking at how the situation is turning out, it seems you guys are also connecting a line with the person called Combat King.”
“…Huh!”
“That’s great. I wanted to meet him anyway.”
Yeon Ho-jeong arrogantly lifted his chin.
“Guide me. I will clearly see with my own two eyes how amazing of a figure he is.”
Ho Geuk’s patience snapped.
“Stop your bullshit and drop dead, you little brat!”
Buuuung!
The coercive feeling of the mace striking down while tearing the air apart was truly amazing. Not to mention a person’s head, the power to split even a boulder in a single blow was felt.
Yeon Ho-jeong briefly inhaled a breath.
Kuung!
Astonishment surfaced on Ho Geuk’s face, which had been smeared with killing intent.
“Your strength is quite something?”
Yeon Ho-jeong blocked the mace with a single left hand.
Strength was strength, but even though he grabbed the sharp protrusions unique to the mace with his bare hand, there was not a single scratch.
“This bastard!”
Ho Geuk, who tried to pull out the mace with a shout similar to an astonished voice, was surprised once again.
Brrrr.
The mace gripped with both hands trembled faintly. Even though he pulled with all his might, the mace did not fall off from the opponent’s hand.
It was a truly terrifying grip strength.
“Since you seem to be the person in charge of this crippled-like group, I won’t smash you to pieces.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s foot moved like lightning.
Peo-eok!
“Keo-eok!”
The tip of his foot accurately dug into the middle of his abdomen.
Ho Geuk, who was staggering, knelt on the spot. Due to the pain that turned his insides upside down, he was on the verge of not even being able to faint.
The Yama Room members looked at Yeon Ho-jeong with astonished eyes.
Yeon Ho-jeong flicked his finger.
“You’re not going to step back obediently, right? Come on. So I can clean up quickly.”
Tsch-tsch-tsch-tsch!
The Yama Room members spat out killing intent once again.
Ho Geuk, who was shivering, opened his mouth. He wanted to shout to absolutely not attack, to just step back for now.
“…!!”
But his voice did not come out. Even catching his breath was overwhelming.
“Kill him!”
“Rip out all his limbs!”
The Yama Room members rushed at Yeon Ho-jeong in unison.
Ho Geuk’s face contorted.
‘No!’
Peo-eok! Bba-gak! U-du-du-duk! Kwang!
Along with eerie sounds, the room members collapsed like falling leaves.
Kwa-deu-deuk! Jji-i-ik!
Joints were broken and cartilages were torn off. Skin was ripped and hip joints were twisted around.
They were vicious techniques where not a speck of mercy could be found. He intentionally smashed the joints of their entire bodies with three or four additional attacks, when a single blow would have been enough.
Ho Geuk’s complexion turned pale.
‘C-crazy bastard!’
It was hard to find a guy who wasn’t cruel among those involved in the Unorthodox, but that completely deviated from the limit.
He selectively crushed only the areas that would leave a lifelong disability even after fully healing. While guys notorious for being poisonous could capably do that much, the problem was that bastard’s eyes.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s face, smiling whitely as he knocked down the room members, was truly a ghost itself.
His expression was like that, but his eyes were matchlessly cold-hearted. It was definitely not the eyes of a madman crazed for destruction.
That unknown sense of disparity and the skillful destruction ability made the onlooker feel a brutal sense of fear.
“Kul-leok! Keo-heok! S-stop it, you crazy bastard!”
Peo-eok!
Yeon Ho-jeong, who blew away the last room member out the door while crushing his sternum, inhaled deeply.
Ho Geuk’s hands trembled.
A sense of refreshment was even felt from Yeon Ho-jeong’s appearance, who looked up at the ceiling while smiling as if satisfied.
“Yeah, this is it.”
This feeling of returning to his hometown.
A world full of pure white violence, fighting while getting mud all over the body, thoroughly pressing down so they could never rebel again.
“It’s been a really long time.”
The Grandmaster of the Unorthodox who had descended into the Unorthodox Murim.
It was the splendid return of the Dark Emperor Yeon Ho-jeong, not the eldest son of the Green Mountain Yeon Clan.