Chapter 84: Judgement (3)

Even before the regression, Baek Yacha Heo So-chang, lacking both years and experience, had been the weakest among the Ten Great Elders.

The Fist Qi he unleashed was clearly more incomplete and unstable than that of other martial artists who had fully mastered the Transformation Realm.

But even so, Fist Qi was still Fist Qi.

Ordinarily, Sewoon would never have been able to defeat Heo So-chang.

With his Reverse Heaven Qi still halted at the Third Stage, even with the power of Cheonra, Sewoon had no means to counter his opponent’s Fist Qi.

‘Reverse Heaven Qi needs to reach the Fourth Stage before it can use Fist Qi.’

Yet Sewoon had never been worried about that from the start.

Firstly, he had no intention of confronting him head-on.

Secondly, he had predicted that the moment his opponent drew out Fist Qi, a new weakness would be exposed, just like now.

The Black Heaven Yacha Art of the Yacha Sect Lord was a martial art that reinforced the body beyond its limits.

And as mentioned before, that strength strongly resisted ‘all elements that would hinder battle.’

Before the regression, in every war waged by the Blood Cult, Baek Yacha had stood at the very frontlines as the vanguard commander.

Even when arrows and hidden weapons rained down from the sky like a torrential storm—

Even when mysterious formations and sorceries unfolded—

He had been able to deflect and break through them all, clearing a path for his allies to follow.

And—

‘That includes poison as well.’

Indeed. When the Black Heaven Yacha Art was fully manifested, its ability of Thousand Poisons Immunity took effect.

That was why his sister’s Qi Dispersing Poison had lost its effect.

The Angshin Tears seeping into his Lower Dantian’s Poison Qi was a venom that grew and strengthened depending on its master’s realm and mastery.

But right now, it was still not enough to pierce through his Thousand Poisons Immunity.

Even though Sewoon’s Reverse Heaven Qi and Cheonra had supreme compatibility against him, the man still had his own trump card.

But since he was ignorant of that, and had stepped willingly into the trap, it was nothing but convenient.

Whenever Heo So-chang forcibly unleashed an incomplete Fist Qi without true realization and enlightenment—

‘A gap inevitably formed in the Black Heaven Yacha Art.’

Because all of his power was poured into forcefully shaping the unstable Fist Qi, the body reinforcement effect plummeted endlessly.

-If you ever fight that bug, provoke him into using Fist Qi.

-Kihihi, your tongue is as sharp as mine, so it won’t be too hard for you.

From a conversation with the Poison Demon before regression, Sewoon had already known about this weakness.

So the moment he saw the crack in Heo So-chang’s Black Heaven Yacha Art as he charged, Sewoon had secretly mixed Angshin Tears into his qi and scattered it in the surroundings.

“Kuugh, grh!!”

Collapsed on the ground, trembling in pain, Heo So-chang’s eyes had rolled back, leaving only the whites.

Pabat!

At that moment, Sewoon charged at him.

Normally, a martial artist who walked the Orthodox Path would not attack an unconscious opponent.

Swaek!

But Sewoon, without the slightest hesitation, swung a kick imbued with his full strength at Heo So-chang.

Puh-uhng!

Kwaaang!

With an explosive sound like a drum bursting, his abdomen was shattered once again.

Heo So-chang’s body flew, smashing through a pavilion and rolling back onto the central deck.

Startled, Peng Daeho and the other Young Successors readied their blades, standing protectively in front of the still-unconscious Serin.

“Kuuh, grhkk!”

“!?”

But in an instant, they realized such precautions were unnecessary.

Because the figure revealed before them was in an even more miserable and horrific state than before.

‘H-he’s practically unconscious!’

‘How in the world? To push a Transformation Realm expert this far?’

‘……Just how did he do it?’

Whiiik!

Chuchuk!

In that instant, the string tied to the mast recoiled, and with light movements, Sewoon landed gracefully on the deck.

Unlike his opponent, Sewoon’s figure bore not a single trace of battle.

Sssaaaa!

The Young Successors, staring blankly at him, belatedly noticed the ferocious poisonous qi seeping from his body.

And only then did they realize how Sewoon had felled his enemy.

‘So Young Master Sewoon also had the Immortal’s Cripple in hand!!’

‘Did he use poison arts to drive the enemy this far into a corner?!’

That was the simple conclusion Peng So-hye and Nam Mujin reached.

‘……But the Immortal’s Cripple is Qi Dispersing Poison. The poison I sense from that man is entirely different. To turn a Transformation Realm master into such a miserable wreck… this means there exists another poison equal to the Immortal’s Cripple.’

Meanwhile, Peng Daeho realized that an unknown poison was at play and felt a shudder of shock and awe.

He was certain.

Once this battle was over, the name of the Sichuan Tang Clan—

No, the name of Tang Sewoon—would resound loudly throughout the whole Jianghu.

Step, step.

At that moment, Sewoon once again slowly approached his foe.

“Kuuh……urghh.”

The man was still writhing in the excruciating agony of Angshin Tears.

His outward appearance too was being eroded by it.

Because of Angshin Tears, his hair had fallen out in clumps, leaving patches of baldness, while his face was marred with hideous blisters.

Then Sewoon swung one hand downward.

Chwarak!

At once, the strands of Cheonra connected to his hand swayed like waves, dancing violently.

Seoguk!

Pishuut!

With a chilling slicing sound, his opponent’s left arm was severed cleanly below the shoulder.

Blood spurted from the stump of Heo So-chang’s arm.

Chiiik!

The severed arm quickly melted into a pool of blood, releasing acrid smoke, leaving behind only a single glove of the Ghost King’s Hand.

At that moment, as Heo So-chang was bleeding to a life-threatening degree—

‘Hhkk!!’

Suddenly, the light of sanity returned to his eyes.

The poisonous qi of Angshin Tears that had saturated his body had poured out with the blood, expelling a considerable amount.

Pabat!

Regaining consciousness, Heo So-chang rolled frantically across the ground to widen the distance between himself and Sewoon.

‘Kkugh! Wh-what is this?!’

Blood was endlessly pouring out from his hollowed left arm.

After hastily sealing the acupoints to stop the bleeding, he unleashed the Black Heaven Yacha Art with full power.

Ssssss!

The resistance ability belatedly manifested, but it could only suppress the remaining poison, not completely neutralize it.

Barely escaping from the threshold of death, Heo So-chang glared at Sewoon with eyes full of wariness.

‘……Why, didn’t he strike my neck?’

That was the very thing that bewildered him.

Instead of severing his defenseless neck, the opponent had cut off his arm.

And even now, rather than pouncing while he was reorienting himself, he was only watching.

As he swallowed dryly and stared into Sewoon’s eyes.

He belatedly realized Sewoon’s intention.

‘This bastard…… he’s hunting me right now.’

Driving the prey into a corner from which there was no escape.

Making him slowly go mad in terror while bestowing endless torment.

This was not the mindset or behavior of an orthodox path martial artist walking the White Path.

It was far too thorough.

The method of a Demonic Practitioner.

In that instant, Heo So-chang felt a chill run down his spine.

‘This bastard, he really was the one who struck down the Poison Demon.’

Only then did he realize.

That the martial power Sewoon possessed before his eyes was by no means beneath his own.

And that he was a Demonic Practitioner with an even crueler hand than himself.

‘If that’s the case……!!’

Chwarak!

Just as Sewoon, preparing his follow-up strike, twitched the threads of Heavenly Net.

Swish!

Heo So-chang, with his one remaining arm, hurriedly pulled something out from his chest and clutched it.

“!!”

“The Return Pearl-!”

In that instant, the Young Successors who realized the enemy’s intent cried out in alarm.

Swoooosh!

As the sorcery tool activated, Heo So-chang’s body was engulfed in a radiant halo of light.

Moments later, when the light subsided, the enemy had vanished without a trace.

Flash!

At the same time, Sewoon flung his body toward the edge of the deck.

“Ah!”

“Y-Young Master Tang!!”

Leaving behind the Young Successors calling after him from behind.

Tatadat!

Sewoon frantically raced across the threads stretched out like the horizon.

His Pursuit Thread quivered faintly, signaling the direction the enemy had fled.

“Ugh, k-keugh!”

Groaning in pain, Heo So-chang gritted his teeth and forced himself one step further.

If he stopped here, he would die. That bastard was surely chasing him.

Heo So-chang was certain of it.

‘Those eyes! Those were never the eyes of someone who would give up on me! They were the eyes of a Demonic Practitioner!!’

Heo So-chang exerted his movement arts to the utmost, pushing his way through the mountains.

The safehouse prepared by their Cult was not far off.

If he could just reach the place where the formation was laid out, he could surely escape his pursuer.

‘Damn it! Damn!!’

As he regained a shred of composure, shame and self-loathing swelled within him for fleeing so disgracefully before his enemy.

The murderous intent toward Sewoon boiled up like wildfire.

But he soon calmed himself and coldly retraced the situation.

‘……No, this might actually bring about a better result.’

His original mission was to annihilate the former Nine Dragons Four Phoenixes and frame the culprit as the Demonic Alliance.

Though it had turned into a failure as things stood, in truth, Heo So-chang believed he had gained results far surpassing the original task.

‘There is a hidden secret within the Sichuan Tang Clan.’

The Sichuan Tang Clan, which had continued to decline over the years, reduced to the level of a middling sect in Sichuan.

The mysterious power possessed by that direct heir, he judged, was valuable enough to cover for the failure of this mission.

A secret martial art capable of easily overpowering a martial artist of the Transformation Realm despite being only at the Supreme Peak level, along with a divine artifact and absolute poison.

Moreover, the fact that while wearing the mask of the orthodox path, he was walking down the unmistakable way of the Demonic Dao.

‘The likelihood that he is connected to the legacy of the Demonic Cult is extremely high!’

The Demonic Cult.

Four hundred years ago, the clandestine force that sought to unify the Demonic Dao but vanished overnight for reasons unknown.

Yet Heo So-chang was convinced that Sewoon was connected to that Demonic Cult.

For throughout history, those who obtained the legacy of the Demonic Cult had without exception drenched the martial world in blood. And from that man, such a thick stench of blood wafted.

‘Tang Sewoon. If I report the secret and the danger that bastard is hiding to my Lord……!’

Then half the failure he had incurred would surely be overlooked.

The dreadful poison still lodged in his body would serve as proof of that man’s danger.

‘The Poison Demon, that damned bastard, if he had just divulged a little more information, things wouldn’t have—’

—turned out so tangled, was a thought he could not finish.

Fwing!

Along with the shriek of something ripping through the air.

Thwack!

“Gyaaaah!!”

A sudden burning pain erupted in his ankle as though it had been set aflame.

Crash!

Heo So-chang’s body collapsed and rolled across the ground.

A nail-sized hole had pierced through his ankle.

Flash!

Barely dragging his unresponsive leg, he hid himself behind a massive boulder.

But it was not safe at all.

Fwing! Fwip-fwip!

Thwack! Thwack-thwack!

Every time the air-rending sound rang out.

Identical holes to the one in his ankle were carved into the house-sized boulder.

‘H-how, how did he already catch up!?’

Once again, Sewoon’s hunt had begun.

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