Chapter 346: Alliance (6)
Paaah!
Yeon Ho-jeong and Muk Bi passed through the Dabie Mountains in a single breath and turned north.
Muk Bi asked.
“Will it be okay?”
“What?”
“The Tang Clan Head… sir.”
It seemed she was still quite awkward at using honorifics towards Tang Kwan. Her expression was also a little dazed.
Yeon Ho-jeong spoke cheerfully.
“He says he’s fine himself. Since he’s shown that much confidence, he’ll be fine.”
“Young Master Yeon knows it too. That a match is not decided by pride.”
“It is decided by pride.”
“Yes?”
“With pride on the level of the Tang Clan Head, it will exert a great influence in actual combat.”
“What do you mean?”
“The arrogance of the Sichuan Tang Clan stems from the fear they have built up. And that fear is soon power. They aren’t called the progenitors of poison and hidden weapons for nothing.”
“That is true, but…”
“Much less Tang Kwan. Before being the son of the King of Hidden Weapons, he is the head of the Tang family who reigned with fear over the world beyond Sichuan. His pride will not be bent even in front of the Saintly Heaven Thirteen Seats.”
Muk Bi sighed.
“Are you saying it’s understandable for him to have absolute confidence in his own skills?”
“Of course.”
“Still, I’m a bit anxious.”
“We have to believe him, what else can we do? And honestly, there’s no reason not to believe him, right?”
“Yes?”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes deepened.
He knew not the Tang Kwan of the current generation, but the Tang Kwan of another past and future. And he had a history of fighting bloodily against the monsters of the Evil Lust Cult together with Tang Kwan.
It was no exaggeration to say that the martial arts Tang Kwan showed back then were truly absolute. Regardless of skill, the lethality of his martial arts alone was enough to contend for the peak of the Jianghu.
To such a him, he had’that’.
“The true masters of the Tang Clan never act arrogantly when they enter a fight. They kill their opponents by any means necessary.”
“…”
“Killing the opponent in the shortest time. That is the reason the Tang Clan could spread absolute fear across the world. And that also correlates with the aesthetics of actual combat.”
“If you mean the shortest time…?”
“Furthermore, even if he is weaker than ‘back then’, as the Clan Head, he has the Tang Clan’s strongest secret technique. That secret technique was completed by the hands of the Dark King, Tang Hyeong, and transformed into an invincible divine art capable of leaving a mark on Murim history.”
Yeon Ho-jeong still clearly remembered. The moment of that time which was a past and a future.
The terrifying absolute technique that completely annihilated the thirty-three members of the special operations unit sent by the Evil Lust Cult to kill the leaders of the Black and White Alliance with just a single move of martial arts.
The martial art of a Grim Reaper that scattered an extremely splendid rain of steel flowers, the worst anti-personnel killing martial art that could have killed even him back then when he was the Dark Emperor if he made a slight mistake.
“Anyway, there is nothing to worry about. The Tang Clan Head is a master comparable to Father. Even in terms of compatibility, Father is pushed back. Since a master of that level stepped up, he will definitely be able to win.”
“Hmm, if you say so.”
To Muk Bi, Tang Kwan was an untrustworthy person. On the contrary, Yeon Wi was an adult she trusted more than anyone else.
She did not think Tang Kwan could defeat Yeon Wi, but at least if there was no great lack compared to him, he would not lose somehow. She thought so.
It was then.
Boom!
A roaring sound echoing from a far distance became an echo and was transmitted here.
“It has begun.”
The fight between Tang Kwan and the martial general of the Divine Fire Cult.
“Let’s increase our speed.”
“Yes.”
Paaaang!
The two people became the wind and shot forward.
* * *
‘He’s a dangerous guy.’
When one became about an Eighteen Martial General of the Divine Fire Cult, they could gain profound knowledge about the famous masters of the Jianghu in their own way.
Of course, they could not actually meet all those masters. However, since they knew the detailed descriptions, it was not difficult to infer the opponent’s identity just by feeling their aura.
However, Yo-roe could not figure out his identity even after reading the opponent’s aura.
Except for one single fact.
‘This guy is dangerous.’
Insidious? Gloomy? Unorthodox?
It could not be described with such ordinary words. It was an aura closer to Yin than Yang, but within it, a mighty supreme aura that seemed to shake even the heavens was being felt.
Light and darkness coexisted. Although it was an overall dark aura, it contained a potential that seemed able to unleash an explosive strike.
Sizzle.
As the opponent took a step forward, the frozen ground softened while emitting smoke.
It was a stage where one could inflict damage on external objects with just a minuscule amount of external qi expressed by battle intent. If one had to be particular, it could be said to be a fully ripened stage even within the peak realm.
Flash!
Yo-roe’s eye light became increasingly intense.
‘I don’t know who he is, but he’s at least at the level of a clan head of the Nine Sects One Gang or the Six Great Clans, or higher.’
The corners of his mouth went up.
‘Very interesting.’
Before he revealed himself, when he grasped it solely by the subtly transmitted pressure, he was definitely a few moves below him.
But when facing him up close, it was completely different. Looking only at the killing intent dominating the surroundings like fog, it was a martial prowess with no significant difference even compared to himself.
Power entered Yo-roe’s fist.
Crack.
The brutal sound echoing from his giant fist shook the area.
Tang Kwan smiled fishily.
“Have you given up on running away?”
“Running away?”
Yo-roe burst into a broad smile.
“Why would I run away with such a fun toy in front of me? Rather, I should be thankful. I was really bored.”
“Hmm.”
“Why? Are you nervous because your opponent isn’t scared?”
“Because I’ve seen so many greenhorns running wild without knowing their place.”
A sneer settled on Tang Kwan’s face.
“At least I know this one thing. You’re not a guy who will become great. To stay still even after seeing it, blinded by competitive spirit, you’re just a kid with strong strength.”
Yo-roe’s eyes turned cold.
The competitive spirit that had been burning like fire died down in an instant. It was a rapid change that was unbelievable even when seeing it.
“You, what is your identity?”
“Too late.”
Tang Kwan gently stepped one step.
Flash! Riiiip!
In an instant, Yo-roe leaned his upper body back. Considering his giant bulk, it was an unbelievable flexibility.
“Not bad.”
Paak!
Yo-roe, who straightened his body with scary elasticity, quickly turned around and lowered his posture. Before he knew it, Tang Kwan was standing behind him.
Tang Kwan opened his tightly clenched fist.
Flap!
What fell from his hand was a part of Yo-roe’s torn front lapel.
“Your reaction speed is quite good. Well, to hold a government position despite being a bastard from the outer-territorial region, you must have had at least one thing you were good at.”
It was a remark that ruthlessly trampled on the opponent’s pride.
But Yo-roe was not startled. He learned the opponent’s skill through this one move, but more importantly, it was the fact that the opponent clearly knew his identity.
“Are you saying you know me, us?”
“You are truly incomparably stupid. Then do you think I came all the way to this mountain valley without even knowing who you are?”
“…!!”
“Indeed, I heard the guy who was smashed by that rude brat also charged in without considering the front and back. Outer-territorial guys all seem to be like that. If you are stupid, you should at least be careful, yet there is nothing you can do.”
Yo-roe was momentarily at a loss for words.
Tang Kwan’s words made sense. Indeed, it could not be a coincidence that a master of that level suddenly appeared in the middle of the Central Plains.
But Yo-roe did not think so. No, he did not have the leeway to think that deeply.
Because he was starving.
That was not all. Probably the majority of the Divine Fire Cult followers who infiltrated the Central Plains were struggling to suppress their teeming desires.
Fight, blood, and death.
To them, who considered it a virtue to live life splendidly and roughly like a flame and leave, the fact that they had been suppressing their uncontrollable power until now was a great feat in itself.
They would never have been able to endure it if they didn’t have deep-rooted faith.
“I see.”
Whoosh!
A strange light emanated from Tang Kwan’s eyes.
Red-hot flames were surging from Yo-roe’s body. It was not an actual flame, but it was the reality of fire qi hotter and more fatal than that.
“Thank you for enlightening me. Yes, before my desire, the grand cause comes first.”
Fwoosh! Whoosh!
The spewing fire qi grew increasingly fierce.
Soon, the trees around him began to catch fire. And that fire spread in all directions in an instant.
It was a similar aspect to when Yeon Ho-jeong and Gyu Jeok fought before. The only difference was that Gyu Jeok intentionally formed a fire formation, while Yo-roe had no such intention, yet a fire formation had been formed before he knew it.
That difference was bigger than expected. It was a one-move difference, but Yo-roe was a strong person capable of accomplishing things that Gyu Jeok could not do.
“You most likely came from the Murim Alliance, right? If so, that means you’ve noticed our existence.”
“Have you finally started rolling that ignorant head of yours?”
“I see. So that was it.”
“By the way, where did the original owner of that thatched cottage go? Did you send him on a dispatch somewhere else?”
Yo-roe’s eyes sank darkly.
He muttered without answering Dang Kwan’s words.
“It was also you guys who killed Gyu Jeok.”
“I don’t care about Gyu Jeok or whatever. Instead, I heard that one of your comrades was dismembered by the hands of some rude brat I know.”
“…You are a funny guy too. To openly tell a fact that should be hidden just in case.”
“Why should I do that?”
“What?”
Tang Kwan tilted his head as if he were genuinely questioning.
“Can’t I even grumble to a prey that I can easily step on and kill?”
“…”
“You, did you truly think you could go back alive?”
“You bastard…”
“Kuhahaha!!”
Woooooong!
Terrifying internal energy was loaded into Tang Kwan’s mad laughter.
Craaaaack!
One could kill a person just with the sound of laughter. The spreading laughter itself was like a fatal sound martial art. It was a laughter as impressive as the Buddhist Lion’s Roar.
Of course, his laughter was completely different from the Lion’s Roar. It was a laughter much darker and full of terrible killing intent.
Even if he did not know about other things, that killing intent at least was above Yo-roe’s. Yo-roe’s face crumpled heavily.
At that moment, Tang Kwan stopped his laughter.
“Insolent bastard!”
Rumble!
A subtle sunset-colored radiance bloomed from both of his hands.
It was completely different from Yo-roe’s fire-like momentum. That true qi, which somehow felt even beautiful, was swaying wildly along the wind as if it would scatter at any moment.
But Yo-roe could not ignore that power.
‘He’s strong!’
Within that true qi swaying like a heat haze, the breath of the most terrible poisonous snake under heaven was felt.
‘Poison?’
An eerie true qi containing a dominating power not inferior to the Divine Fire Cult’s Heat Yang Art, and a terrible poison qi completely unsuited to that dominating power.
The world feared that martial art, calling it the Reversing Three Yang Returning Origin Art.
“Could it be the Tang Clan?!”
In an instant, Tang Kwan’s hand moved like lightning.
Boom!
There was no time to avoid it. Yo-roe, who blocked Tang Kwan’s palm force by crossing his arms, barely stopped after breaking two trees.
Tang Kwan wore a brutal smile.
His smile reminded one of a poisonous snake. A poisonous snake larger than a dragon and fiercer than a tiger.
“If you knew I am a Tang, then meekly offer your neck. I will show mercy with a painless death.”