Novel Martial Artist Lee Gwak - chapter 372
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Episode 372
Someone’s Death Becomes Fertilizer for Another (1)
Yeo Joong Wol’s pupils trembled.
From outside the formation, one couldn’t see inside, but from the inside, the outside was clearly visible.
When the Soul Reaper Squad brought in a scholar to break the formation, he hadn’t been nervous. He was confident that no matter how many times the scholar died and came back to life, he would never be able to break the formation.
‘At this level, I can hold out until Cheon-wol returns.’
But his expectations were completely shattered.
“Come out! Yeo Joong Wol.”
Gyoo-oh’s voice flowed into the Four Illusions and Nine Phantoms Formation. He then drove his sword into Cheon-wol’s thigh.
Yeo Joong Wol clenched his fists without realizing it.
As Gyoo-oh pulled out the dagger, blood gushed out from the wound on Cheon-wol’s thigh.
Holding the sword again against Cheon-wol’s other thigh,Gyu-oh shouted once more.
“Come out!”
Yeo Joong Wol closed his eyes tightly.
He knewGyu-oh well.
He was a man who always kept his word, even if it was a threat.
Thwack!
The chilling sound ofGyu-oh plunging his sword into Cheon-wol’s thigh rang out clearly.
“Argh!”
The pain was so excruciating that the unconscious Cheon-wol woke up screaming.
His eyes were bloodshot.
The pain gnawed at his bones, making him wish he could pass out again. ButGyu-oh did not allow it.
Clamp!
Gyu-ohh forced open Cheon-wol’s mouth and shoved a black pill inside. Before Cheon-wol could spit it out, the pill melted instantly and slid down his throat.
Yeo Joong Wol immediately recognized the pillGyu-oh had given Cheon-wol.
“Is it the Heavenly Life-Seeking Pill”
It was common for powerful groups to have special life-saving pills prepared for when their elite were injured. The Jade Heaven Alliance was no different.
The Heavenly Life-Seeking Pill was especially known for its awakening effect, keeping the mind clear even under severe pain.
“Ugh!”
Cheon-wol was forced to endure the pain in its entirety.
Slash!
Gyu-ohh’s thin sword burrowed into Cheon-wol’s shoulder.
Gyu-ohh knew the human body well.
Like a skilled butcher who could kill an animal without causing unnecessary pain,Gyu-oh knew how to end a person’s life painlessly.
Conversely, he also knew how to inflict excruciating pain while keeping someone alive.
Gyu-ohh was dissecting Cheon-wol alive.
Although he hadn’t severed any limbs, what he was doing was utterly dismantling a human being.
Cheon-wol had to endure all of it.
Because of the Heavenly Life Seeking Pill, he was unable to pass out.
“Grghh!”
Cheon-wol gritted his teeth to withstand the pain.
He clenched them so hard that his gums burst, blood dripping from his mouth. His veins bulged like writhing worms beneath his skin.
Thud!
Gyu-ohh’s thin sword pierced into Cheon-wol ’s side.
It avoided his internal organs and sliced through his muscles instead.
“Ugh!”
Cheon-wol gasped involuntarily.
The gruesome sight made Yeo Joong Wol turn his head away.
‘Cheon-wol !’
Yeo Joong Wol clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood.
His eyes, too, were bloodshot.
He wanted to look away.
For the sake of the world, he could not leave the Four Symbols and Nine Illusions Formation.
If he had never left the Azure Heaven Alliance, it would have been different.
But now that he had left, returning would only bring disaster to the world.
If his resolve broke because of Cheon-wol , and he cooperated with the Azure Heaven Alliance, the delicate balance of power that had been barely maintained would collapse instantly.
‘What should I do?’
Conflict flickered across Yeo Joong Wol’s face.
Even at that moment,Gyu-oh continued driving his sword into Cheon-wol ’s body.
At this point, Cheon-wol no longer looked human.
His blood-soaked form was a nightmarish sight. The fact that he was still breathing felt like a miracle.
“Haah…”
Yeo Joong Wol sighed and moved aside a small rock in front of him.
The air around him trembled, and the Four Symbols and Nine Illusions Formation collapsed.
Gyu-ohh smirked coldly.
“You finally came out.”
“I’ll cooperate. Just let him live.”
“You’re still mistaken. You’re not in a position to demand anything from me.”
“I know. That’s why I’m asking.”
“What if I refuse?”
AtGyu-oh’s gesture, his subordinates grabbed Yeo Joong Wol’s arms.
Only then didGyu-oh pull his sword out of Cheon-wol ’s body.
Relieved from the immediate pain, Cheon-wol gasped and weakly looked at Yeo Joong Wol.
“Lord… Ye… You must not… because of me…”
Thud!
Before he could finish speaking,Gyu-oh stabbed his shoulder again.
Like a fish impaled by a harpoon, Cheon-wol twitched in agony.
Yeo Joong Wol let out a deep sigh.
“What’s the point of having strategies capable of moving the world when I can’t even save one person suffering before me? I am powerless… so powerless, indeed.”
“You finally understand. Now, Yeo Joong Wol, use that brilliant mind for the Alliance.”
“You think you’ve won, don’t you? You butcher. But you will never win.”
“What?”
Gyu-ohh’s brow furrowed.
Yeo Joong Wol was smiling.
It was a bitter, yet knowing smile.
The momentGyu-oh saw it, an ominous feeling crept up his spine.
“Stop him!”
Crack!
In that instant, Yeo Joong Wol bit down hard, breaking his own molar.
A black liquid spilled from the shattered tooth.
Yeo Joong Wol swallowed it.
“No!”
Gyu-ohh’s frantic voice echoed in the air.
Yeo Joong Wol’s turned black in an instant.
It was a typical symptom of poisoning.
The poison was so fierce that it instantly turned Yeo Joong Wol’s limbs black.
Gyu-ohh shouted urgently.
“Quickly, give him the antidote!”
The warriors holding Yeo Joong Wol hurriedly administered the antidote. The Jade Heaven Alliance’s antidote was known to counteract most poisons effectively. However, even after taking the antidote, the poison ravaging Yeo Joong Wol’s body was unaffected.
“Mad! Why make such a choice?”
Gyu-ohh’s face was filled with confusion.
Yeo Joong Wol’s decision was incomprehensible to him.
“Why?”
“Heh! You could die and be reborn, and still not understand… my conviction…”
“What do you gain? When you die, everything ends.”
“One’s death… can be the fertilizer for another’s growth.”
“You?”
“Cough!”
Yeo Joong Wol kept coughing up blood.
The dark blood emitted a foul stench as the poison dissolved his organs.
Gyu-ohh realized that not even the divine physician could save Yeo Joong Wol now.
Yeo Joong Wol turned his head with difficulty to look at Cheon-wol .
“Cheon… wol!”
Tears of blood flowed from Cheon-wol ’s eyes.
They were the tears of one who had failed to protect his lord.
“Lord… I’m sorry… Ah!”
“It’s not your fault. It was my choice. So… don’t blame yourself…”
Yeo Joong Wol’s voice faded away.
No need to check; it was clear to anyone that Yeo Joong Wol had breathed his last.
No one could have expected that the demise of the genius strategist who had led the golden era of the Jade Heaven Alliance would be so miserable.
Not evenGyu-oh, who had drawn Yeo Joong Wol out of the formation.
“Aaaaah!”
Cheon-wol screamed.
To him, Yeo Joong Wol was both a lord and a father-like figure.
The guilt of not being able to protect Yeo Joong Wol until the end made him scream.
Looking down at Cheon-wol ,Gyu-oh raised his sword.
With Yeo Joong Wol dead, there was no reason to leave any loose ends.
Like a butcher slaughtering a cow or a pig,Gyu-oh indifferently thrust his dagger into Cheon-wol’s neck.
Sssk!
His flesh split, and the cold blade began to cut through the muscles. But at that very moment…
Sssht!
A chilling sound of splitting air rang out.
“What the..?”
Gyu-ohh drew back his sword, almost instinctively.
Something invisible had just sliced through the front of his robe. Had he reacted any slower, not only his clothes but also his chest would have been ripped open.
“Who’s there?”
Gyoo-oh raised his sword and glared in the direction from which the strike had come.
A man was rushing towards him at a terrifying speed.
His blade swung towards whereGyu-oh and his group were.
Sssht!
Again, the sharp sound of ripping air echoed.
“Ugh!”
“Ah!”
Cries rang out from the front.
One martial artist from the Soul Reaping Squad and another from the Righteous Heaven Squad both had their throats sliced. They collapsed and spurted blood as they fell.
‘A master!’
Gyu-ohh’s eyes sank deep.
The fact that he had sent Sword Aura from such a distance and killed his subordinates meant that he was no ordinary master.
“Reinforcements?”
Gyu-ohh looked down at Cheon-wol , who was gasping for breath and watching the approaching martial artist.
“Chief?”
Tears welled up in his eyes.
The strongest person Cheon-wol knew was rushing to save him.
Lee Gwak!
It was him.
Sssht!
As his blade cleaved through the air, someone else was struck down, spraying blood.
“Stop him!”
“Attack all at once!”
Martial artists from the Soul Reaping Squad and the Righteous Heaven Squad moved in unison
Kwakwakwa!
Like a tidal wave, they surged towards Lee Gwak.
Instead, Lee Gwak increased his speed, swinging his blade at them.
Sssht!
A particularly long tearing sound filled the air.
“……”
“Huh?”
The martial artists attacking Lee Gwak narrowed their eyes at the strange sensation.
At that moment, faint red lines appeared on their chests and necks.
The red lines deepened and suddenly split wide open, sending fountains of blood into the air.
Thud thud!
The martial artists fell without even a scream, killed instantly.
In just a moment, about a dozen martial artists had been killed.
There was no mercy in Lee Gwak’s blade.
Sssht! Sssht!
Every time his blade cut through the air, martial artists from the Soul Reaping Squad and the Righteous Heaven Squad collapsed like headless scarecrows.
Lee Gwak’s eyes were bloodshot.
His gaze was fixed only on Cheon-wol .
Cheon-wol, too, was looking at him.
He could vividly feel the countless emotions reflected in those eyes—
Cheon-wol’s despair, Cheon-wol’s fury…
And Cheon-wol’s fury became Lee Gwak’s fury.
And his blade, the Star Soul, then took on his fury.
Ssshhh!
Sssht!
Star Soul became a meteor.
Wherever the meteor passed, only the corpses of Soul Reaping Squad and the Righteous Heaven Squad remained.
“What?”
Gyu-ohh’s eyes widened in disbelief at Lee Gwak’s prowess.
He didn’t even think to use Cheon-wol as a shield.
His eyes, ears, and all his nerves were focused on Lee Gwak.
Such was the overwhelming force of Lee Gwak.
The sight of him slicing through the members of the Soul Reaping Squad and the Righteous Heaven Squad filledGyu-oh with fear.
“Stop him! Block him!”
There was undeniable terror inGyu-oh’s desperate shout.
Hearing his voice, Lee Gwak’s gaze shifted to him.
The moment their eyes met,Gyu-oh involuntarily shuddered.
Those frighteningly calm eyes burned into his vision.
If Lee Gwak had instead exuded a murderous aura, it wouldn’t have been this frightening.
If he had displayed madness,Gyu-oh might have thought he at least had a chance—he could have looked for an opening.
But Lee Gwak’s eerily serene gaze was an impenetrable fortress.
There was no opening. No gap to exploit.
Pah!
Lee Gwak accelerated.
Bending low, he swooped forward like a swallow skimming the surface of the water.
There was nothing between them anymore.
In that brief moment, Lee Gwak had cut down all the warriors who had stood in his way.
The only ones left alive were those who had stood outside his path of destruction.
‘He’s coming.’
Although Gyu-oh was momentarily overwhelmed by Lee Gwak’s presence, he was still one of the strongest martial artists in the world.
Pah!
He swiftly drew his sword.
His target—Lee Gwak’s forehead.
A sword stroke that had never missed before shot out with terrifying precision.