Someone’s Death Becomes Fertilizer for Another (2)

Clang!

 

With a metallic sound, Gyu-oh’s sword bent like a bow.

 

It was stopped at the tip by Lee Gwak’s blade. Unable to advance, Gyu-oh’s sword trembled in its bent state.

 

Gyu-oh’s eyes widened.

 

If his sword had merely been blocked, he wouldn’t have been so shocked. What startled him was that his sword’s point was colliding with the exact tip of Lee Gwak’s blade— like the end of a needle, perfectly deflecting his attack.

 

Although Gyu-oh was a master swordsman himself, such a feat was beyond his skill,

especially in a real fight to the death.

 

Had Gyu-oh not gripped his handle tightly, his sword might have flown off or broken.

 

Instead, the guard on his sword tore apart and blood gushed out. But he had no time to feel the pain.

 

Swoosh!

 

Lee Gwak’s next move aimed directly at his breath.

 

Gyu-oh quickly executed his Fire Annihilation skill, to protect his body.

 

With another clang of metal, Gyu-oh slid backwards.

 

The place where he dug in his heels was carved into a deep furrow.

 

“Krrgh!”

 

Gyu-oh grunted and attempted to counterattack, yanking his foot free from the ground.

 

Swiish!

 

At that moment, the sound of tearing air rang out again.

 

He had no choice but to activate his defensive technique again.

 

Clang!

 

Once more, his body was pushed back.

 

Blood had already begun to trickle from his mouth. In just three exchanges, he had suffered significant internal injuries.

Gyu-oh’s face twisted with rage.

Although he was clearly outmatched by Lee Gwak, he was still a formidable master in his own right.

 

He was confident that if he put his mind and concentrated all of his strength, he could deal Lee Gwak a devastating blow. But he was never given the chance.

 

He was confident that if he put his mind to it and concentrated all his strength, he could deal a devastating blow to Lee Gwak. However, he never got the chance.

 

Swiish! Swish! Swiish!

 

Lee Gwak’s blade was relentlessly targeting him.

 

By the fifth clash, cracks began to form on Gyu-oh’s sword.

 

By the sixth, the cracks spread like spider webs across his blade.

 

Fear crept onto Gyu-oh’s face.

 

He knew that the next blow would shatter his sword – and without a sword in his hand, he would be fatally wounded or killed outright.

 

The ability to foresee his own demise.

 

The knowledge that he could not escape this unfortunate fate drove him mad.

 

He would not have felt this fear if he had been killed by a single blow.

 

Only then did Gyu-oh realize that Lee Gwak had been toying with him, even though he could have killed him with a single blow.

 

“How dare you!”

 

Swiish!

 

Just as his anger erupted, Lee Gwak’s blade flew towards him.

 

Again, Gyu-oh had no choice but to block Lee Gwak’s attack with his damaged sword.

As expected, his blade shattered.

In a desperate move, Gyu-oh unleashed his defensive Qi. He knew it wouldn’t do much against an opponent like Lee Gwak, but it was the only move he could pull off in time

 

The moment a faint blue aura formed around his entire body—

 

Slice!

 

Lee Gwak’s blade slid through it as though it were soft tofu, stabbing into Gyu-oh’s shoulder with any resistance.

 

“Guh!”

 

A groan escaped Gyu-oh’s lips.

.

He was used to inflicting pain on others, but he wasn’t used to enduring pain himself.

 

Spurt!

 

Next, it was his waist.

 

A deep wound ran down his side, exposing his intestines, and blood gushed out.

 

Gyu-oh quickly covered the wound with his hand and retreated. But as he retreated, Lee Gwak advanced.

 

Finally, Gyu-oh could see Lee Gwak’s face.

 

His calm, unwavering eyes sent a chill down Gyu-oh’s spine.

 

Somehow, Gyu-oh understood what Lee Gwak was thinking.

 

“He’s doing exactly the same thing I did to Cheonwol…

 

Thud!

 

A hole opened up in his thigh.

 

Just as Gyu-oh had pierced Cheonwol’s thigh, now I-gwak did the same to him.

 

Kyuo staggered.

 

His other thigh was pierced as well. I-gwak’s blade went straight through and came out the other side.

 

“Gah!”

 

Gyu-oh could no longer endure the pain and let out a blood-curdling scream.

 

Crash!

 

At that moment, Lee Gwak shattered his jaw.

 

His jawbone broke, and his tongue was crushed, silencing his scream.

 

Just as Gyu-oh had destroyed Cheon-wol, Lee Gwak was now destroying Gyu-oh.

 

Lee Gwak was not one to easily lose his composure.

 

But seeing Cheon-wol’s pitiful state had pushed him over the edge.

 

When he saw Cheon-wol from afar, he felt as if his vision had flipped. His rage erupted like a volcano.

 

He wanted to make Gyu-oh suffer the same pain Cheon-wol had endured.

 

In an instant, Gyu-oh was drenched in blood, staggering on his feet.

 

He raised his hand and shouted, “W-wait!”

 

Swiish!

 

But Lee Gwak didn’t listen and swung his blade again.

 

A deep wound opened on Gyu-oh’s back, deep enough to reveal bone.

 

Gyu-oh was not a weak martial artist who would fall so easily. His skills were among the best in the Jade Heaven Alliance. The reason he was being overwhelmed so easily was that he had lost the battle of momentum.

 

This decided his life and death.

 

“I am…”

 

Thud!

 

At that moment, Lee Gwak’s blade pierced through Gyu-oh’s heart.

Gyu-oh stared in disbelief at the blade protruding from his chest, then slowly lifted his eyes to meet Lee Gwak’s.

“Who… are you? Really…”

 

More than the suddenness of death, what pained him more was not knowing anything about the man who had brought him to this state.

 

His identity, his purpose. Not even the reason why he had suddenly launched a killing spree.

 

Even in death, he wanted to know.

 

With his last ounce of strength, Gyu-oh shouted, “You! Who are you?”

 

Sssk!

 

At that moment, Gyu-oh’s head spun through the air. Lee Gwak’s blade had severed his neck.

 

Lee Gwak never revealed his identity to Gyu-oh.

 

Gyu-oh’s face, even in death, was filled with despair.

 

“Leader!”

 

“Uh!”

 

The warriors of the Jade Heaven Alliance had to watch Kyuo’s death with their own eyes.

 

Among them, the shock of Naeng Samun from the Soul Reaper Squad was indescribable.

 

Gyu-oh had been a far greater master than him.

 

Yet, such a master had lost his life to Lee Gwak without even putting up a proper fight. It was an unbelievable display of martial prowess, even though they had seen it with their own eyes.

 

He had never met a master like Lee Gwak before. He had never even imagined that such a person could exist.

 

Lee Gwak’s gaze turned toward Naeng Sa-mun. Among the remaining martial artists, he sensed that Naeng Sa-mun was the strongest.

 

In that instant, Naeng Sa-mun’s eyes filled with terror.

 

The image of Gyu-oh’s gruesome death flashed before his eyes.

 

That incredible master had been unable to put up any resistance, dying as pitifully as a bug caught in a child’s hand.

 

He knew he stood no chance against Lee Gwak.

 

“Everyone, retreat!”

 

Naeng Sa-mun shouted as he jumped back.

 

At his command, the survivors scattered like grasshoppers in all directions.

 

Lee Gwak watched them for a moment before turning his gaze away.

 

Though he wanted to chase them down and kill them all, his priority now was to tend to Cheon-wol’s wounds.

 

Lee Gwak sheathed his sword and quickly embraced Cheon-wol.

 

“Cheon-wol!”

 

“B-brother…?”

 

“Yes! It’s me. Stay with me.”

 

“W-what about… the strategist?”

 

At Cheon-wol’s words, Lee Gwak glanced at Yeo Jung-wol.

 

His body was already black and emitting a foul odor. The poison had already begun to decompose his body.

 

Lee Gwak shook his head.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Ugh!”

 

Tears welled up in Cheon-wol’s eyes before he lost consciousness.

 

“Cheon-wol?”

 

Lee Gwak shouted, quickly injecting his internal energy into Cheon-wol’s vital points. But Cheon-wol’s condition continued to deteriorate rapidly.

 

His body, broken by near-torturous abuse, and the guilt of failing to protect Yeo Jung-wol, coupled with his self-loathing for his own weakness, had pushed him to the brink of death

 

Like a lamp running out of oil, Cheon-wol’s life was flickering out. The only reason he hadn’t died yet was ironically due to the Heavenly Life Seeking Pill Gyu-oh had forced him to take earlier.

 

Lee Gwak kept his hand on Cheon-wol’s vital points while using his other hand to rummage through his pouch.

 

He pulled out a small box and opened it, revealing a small red pill. It was a life-saving pill given to him by the Divine Physician.

 

Lee Gwak quickly fed the pill to Cheon-wol.

 

Gulp!

 

The pill melted instantly and slid down Cheon-wol’s throat.

 

The life-saving pill created by the Divine Physician was far superior to the Heavenly Life Seeking Pill Gyu-oh had used.

 

The pill forcibly reignited Cheon-wol’s fading breath, forcing his heart to beat. But Lee Gwak couldn’t relax yet.

 

He used his Eight Snakes Art to try and revive Cheon-wol’s dwindling life force.

 

The Eight Snakes Art was the pinnacle of healing techniques, the most advanced medical art in the world. No other internal energy technique could match its ability to heal wounds.

 

Lee Gwak focused all his efforts on using the Eight Snakes Art to heal Cheon-wol’s injuries. His efforts seemed to pay off, as a faint color returned to Cheon-wol’s pale face.

 

But Cheon-wol’s life was still hanging by a thread.

 

He needed to find a skilled doctor as soon as possible. But before that, there was something else he had to do.

 

After carefully laying Cheon-wol down, Lee Gwak approached Yeo Jung-wol’s corpse.

 

The potent poison had already begun to dissolve Yeo Jung-wol’s organs and skin. If left alone, he would soon turn into a pile of toxic ash and vanish from the world.

 

Lee Gwak protected his body with his internal energy and carefully lifted Yeo Jung-wol’s corpse.

 

Pieces of decomposing flesh fell, but Lee Gwak paid no mind as he carried Yeo Jung-wol’s body to an open area.

 

“I’m sorry. If only I had arrived a little sooner…”

 

Lee Gwak looked down at Yeo Jung-wol with a pained expression.

 

He had been a man with the greatest intellect in the world.

 

Had he wished, he could have easily risen to wealth and glory by joining the conquest wars of Ja Hong Cheon. But for the sake of a greater cause, he had chosen to sacrifice his life.

 

He was not a man who should have died in such a place. However, he had willingly chosen death.

 

No matter how urgent the situation, Lee Gwak couldn’t let him turn into a pile of poisonous ash.

 

Lee Gwak gathered some dry branches from nearby and laid Yeo Jung-wol’s body on them.

 

 

Whoosh!

 

A terrifying flame burst forth, engulfing Zhongyue’s body in an instant.

 

Yi Guo injected his internal energy into Chen Yue’s body and waited for the flames to die down.

 

The fire burned intensely for nearly half a shichen before finally extinguishing.

 

The only traces left in this world by Yeo Jung-wol, a genius of his era, were a handful of charred bones.

 

Lee Gwak carefully collected the bone fragments and then gently picked up Cheon-wol.

 

He moved with extreme care, ensuring Cheon-wol’s body didn’t shake and unleashed his qigong.

 

‘Please, hold on.’

 

Lee Gwak bit his lip and increased his speed.

 

After almost two hours of running, a large river came into view. It was the same river that Lee Gwak’s boat had traveled earlier.

 

He followed the river for another hour.

 

In the distance, he spotted a large boat sailing upstream.

 

It was the boat Seok Yi-cheon was on.

 

Lee Gwak sprinted toward the boat.

 

Seok Yi-cheon noticed him and waved his hand.

 

Although the boat was still far away, Lee Gwak didn’t hesitate and jumped into the river.

 

At that moment, Seok Yi-cheon threw a rope used for securing sails toward Lee Gwak.

 

Whoosh!

 

Igwak reached out and grabbed the rope. Then Seok Yi-Cheon pulled the rope with all his might.

 

That was enough.

 

With the added momentum, Lee Gwak’s body soared through the air and landed on the deck.

 

“Gwak!”

 

Seok I-cheon dropped the rope and ran over to I-gwak.

 

“We need a physician.”

 

“A physician? My goodness!”

 

Only then did Seok Yi-cheon notice Cheon-wol, covered in blood.

 

Seok Yi-cheon stomped his feet in frustration.

 

Finding a doctor in the middle of a river on a boat was an impossible task.

 

At that moment, a man approached Lee Gwak.

 

“I have some knowledge of medicine.”

 

It was Oh Jung-gyeong, the lord of Jeon Gong Pyo-guk.

 

Oh Jung-gyeong rolled up his sleeves and said, “May I examine him?”

 

“Please do.”

 

Lee Gwak nodded and stepped aside.

 

Oh Jung-gyeong knelt on one knee in front of Cheon-wol and began to inspect his wounds.

 

After examining Cheon-wol’s injuries for a while, Oh Jung-gyeong turned to So Goo-san and said, “In my belongings, there’s a gold-lacquered box. Please bring it to me.”

 

“That…?”

 

So Goo-san hesitated.

 

He knew what was inside the box.

 

Seeing So Goo-san hesitate, Oh Jung-gyeong said firmly, “No matter how precious the item, it cannot be more important than a human life.”

 

“But that’s for expanding the escort agency… Sigh! Alright.”

 

So Goo-san let out a deep breath.

 

He knew that when Oh Jung-gyeong’s eyes were this resolute, there was no point in arguing.

 

A moment later, he returned with the box and handed it to Oh Jung-gyeong.

 

When the box was opened, it revealed a snow-white ginseng shaped like a human figure

 

“Doll-shaped Snow Ginseng.”

 

Someone on the deck recognized the ginseng’s identity.