Chapter 288: You Gave Me Hell |
Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis
Murim Term Consultant: Kopke
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Baek Cheongyeong stared at the doll.
Geom Mugeuk focused on his facial expression. Was it the doll that caused this? The dull look in his eyes had cleared. It was the phenomenon of a final moment of clarity, a sign that occurs right before death. 1
Baek Cheongyeong’s reaction was unexpected. He looked at the doll and smiled.
“Why are you smiling?”
Baek Cheongyeong’s gaze shifted from the doll to Geom Mugeuk.
“I should have taught you how to carve when you asked.”
Geom Mugeuk smiled and responded.
“For a first attempt, it’s quite good, wouldn’t you say?”
“Just don’t go around telling people that I taught you.”
Even as he spoke clearly, blood continued to spill from his mouth. He didn’t seem to be aware that he was coughing up blood. Geom Mugeuk felt pity. He hadn’t wanted to kill him.
“I feel dizzy.”
As Baek Cheongyeong’s body slowly crumbled, the trees that had once filled the surroundings began to disappear back into the ground. The two of them were freed from the enclosed space created by the final secret technique, and pale sunlight shone on Baek Cheongyeong’s face.
“Just tell me who that person is!”
Baek Cheongyeong, kneeling, stared at the grass around him. As his life faded, the grass and trees around them slowly withered as well.
“You gave me hell... Why should I tell you?”
It wasn’t merely resentment for being killed. To die with the suspicion that he might have lived as the true culprit’s puppet for the last ten years—that was hell.
He raised his head and looked at the wooden dolls erected all around. Even they were losing their luster. Were those dolls, carved over the last ten years, not made for his sake?
“…Don’t talk nonsense.”
He firmy denied Geom Mugeuk’s words.
The grass and trees around them swayed violently, as if blown by a strong wind. It was a reflection of his anger, but it also seemed as though nature mourned his impending death.
Geom Mugeuk slowly walked over and sat in front of him, their gazes meeting.
“I will avenge you. I will even take revenge for you. So, please tell me!”
Geom Mugeuk knew. The more desperate he was, the more it would fuel Baek Cheongyeong’s rage. But he had no choice. Hearing what he had to say was far too important.
Baek Cheongyeong’s eyes began to close.
“No! Don’t die!”
Geom Mugeuk pressed his palm against Baek Cheongyeong’s chest and channeled his internal energy into him. Baek Cheongyeong coughed violently, causing blood to splatter on Geom Mugeuk’s face and body, but he didn’t stop infusing energy.
Baek Cheongyeong opened his eyes again.
“Yes… You said you wanted revenge too, didn’t you?”
Geom Mugeuk handed the doll to him once more. Though he didn’t say anything, Baek Cheongyeong understood. The face carved into the doll belonged to Geom Mugeuk’s enemy.
At last, the truth flowed from Baek Cheongyeong’s lips.
“Your revenge has nothing to do with me. The person who approached me… it wasn’t him.” 2
Geom Mugeuk was taken aback.
“It wasn’t this person?”
“He… didn’t look like this.”
In his final moments, Baek Cheongyeong didn’t seem to be lying.
“Then who is it? How can I meet that person?”
But Baek Cheongyeong didn’t answer that. The last person that came to his mind before death was Jin Haryeong.
“…I feel sorry for Haryeong.”
Regret filled his face.
“I told him that if I didn’t return in time, he should kill her himself.”
A shocked Geom Mugeuk urgently shouted.
“Where is she?”
He hadn’t expected that he would have ordered her to be killed.
“…It’s already too late.”
“Where is she?!”
With the last of his strength, Baek Cheongyeong looked in one direction. At that moment, Geom Mugeuk dashed toward it using the Star Light Step, his body flashing as he flew forward.
“…I’ll apologize to her in the afterlife.” 3
With those final words, Baek Cheongyeong’s head slumped forward.
As he died, all the trees around them withered and died alongside him.
Now, only the completely lifeless wooden dolls silently bore witness to his death.
* * *
The moment Jin Haryeong saw Chorim enter the room, her heart sank. His gaze, directed at her, was different than usual. It would have been better if there had been killing intent in his eyes, but instead, they were filled with regret.
“You’ve come to kill me.”
Chorim admitted it without hesitation. With his master’s command, he had no choice but to kill her.
“I hold no personal grudge against you.”
For the first time, Jin Haryeong felt the weight of death. Am I going to die? It didn’t feel real. 4
“I don’t want to die in such a stifling place. Let me see the sky one last time before I die.”
When Chorim hesitated to respond, she pleaded once more.
“Please.”
“…Very well.”
As Chorim turned to open the door, Jin Haryeong lunged.
Shiiiik! Pah!
She swung something in her hand and aimed for Chorim’s neck. What she was holding was a wooden spike lodged into the bed. 5
She realized she had missed as Chorim dodged, and at that moment, she kicked the door open and threw herself outside.
After rolling across the ground, she jumped to her feet and was about to run when she suddenly stopped.
From the hut behind her, Chorim walked out, rubbing his neck.
“I understand.”
Blood trickled down his neck, but the wound wasn’t deep. Chorim was a master, and no matter how much of a surprise attack it had been, killing him with a body devoid of internal energy was no easy task.
Even though he was approaching from behind, Jin Haryeong didn’t run. No, she couldn’t run.
There were dozens of martial artists waiting outside the door.
Jin Haryeong slowly turned back to Chorim.
“What could you possibly understand? I’m the one who’s going to die, not you. Are you playing the gentleman so you can feel less guilty? You’re worse than a petty scoundrel.”
“I understand it all.”
“Fine, if you really understand me as you claim…”
Jin Haryeong raised the wooden spike. Her internal energy was suppressed, so she didn’t stand a chance, but she had no intention of just staring at the sky and waiting to die.
“You’re not planning on killing me while my energy is still sealed, are you? Release me and let’s fight properly.”
Even if he released her internal energy, the odds of survival were slim with so many opponents. But she had to try something, to think of any possible way out.
“If you release my energy, I’ll fight with this. Your subordinates are watching, so act like a proper leader.”
She tried to provoke his pride, hoping he would release her energy, but Chorim wasn’t so easily swayed.
“I’m dealing with the greatest young prodigy in Hubei. Do you think I’d risk releasing your internal energy just like that?” 6
“So? Are you really going to kill a woman holding a wooden spike while her energy is suppressed, like some dirty coward?”
Even if she were to die, she wouldn’t go down without a fight. She’d dig into his pride, wound his ego, and leave him scarred for life. 7
Chorim’s tone grew slightly annoyed.
“This way, my heart feels a bit better.”
Jin Haryeong lunged at him. Even though her internal energy was suppressed, she was still skilled enough to have made it to the finals of the Soaring Dragon Tournament. The wooden spike in her hand sliced through the air with sharp precision. Her target was the vital points—eyes, neck, and any other place where she could incapacitate him in one strike.
After exchanging a dozen blows, Chorim’s fist connected directly with Jin Haryeong’s face.
Thud!
Jin Haryeong flew backward.
“Apologies. I’ve struck the most beautiful face in Hubei.”
The subordinates watching couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Chorim and his men were all enjoying this situation.
Jin Haryeong, rubbing her face, got back up from the ground.
“From now on, be honest with yourself. This is who you really are—kidnapping, beating, killing, and laughing all the while, mocking me.”
Chorim didn’t deny it. Just as she said, he wasn’t a good person. Neither were the people here. They were all criminals, outlaws who had been hunted down. Each of them bore a deep grudge against the Murim Alliance, unable to live in the light of day. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to hide here for the past ten years.
Baek Cheongyeong had promised them that once the Murim Alliance Leader was dead, their crimes would be pardoned.
Shiiik! Swish!
Jin Haryeong’s strike cut through nothing but air.
As the onlookers laughed, Jin Haryeong focused on landing just one blow.
A single lucky strike.
But Chorim wasn’t someone that luck could beat.
Thud!
This time, she was struck in the stomach and knocked down. The pain was so intense that even standing seemed impossible, yet she forced herself to get back up and charged again with a furious roar.
After toying with her for a few more moments, Chorim decided to end it. Wooden vines sprouted from the ground, wrapping tightly around her arms and legs, immobilizing her completely.
Chorim raised his hand, and a leaf flew into his grasp from somewhere.
It was just an ordinary leaf when it flew through the air, but once it touched his hand, a chilling aura radiated from it.
“Your death won’t be in vain. You’ll die and become nourishment for these trees.”
Jin Haryeong shot back coldly.
“Why? Are you saying you scumbags aren’t even good enough to be fertilizer?”
At her words, Chorim’s true nature revealed itself. With a sinister look in his eyes, he spoke to her.
“If it weren’t for the order to treat you respectfully and not touch you, you’d have died after having ‘received the love’ of everyone here.” 8
A hint of regret crossed his face. Knowing exactly what he meant, Jin Haryeong felt an overwhelming surge of murderous intent. She wanted nothing more than to kill him. The thought of dying to someone like him was infuriating.
Chorim raised his hand high, ready to slice her throat with his leaf-blade dagger.
Even in the moment of her impending death, Jin Haryeong kept her eyes wide open, glaring at him. She tried not to show her fear, but her heart was filled with despair.
So this is how I die.
She hadn’t expected her end to be like this. She thought, at the very least, she would die with more dignity than this. 9
She had hoped for a noble death, looking back on her life as it ended. The thought of her grandfather and brother mourning for her filled her with even more rage.
If her grandfather lost not just his child, but now his granddaughter too, his grief would be beyond words. Her brother, who was the only one she could truly confide in, would lose that bond forever.
If they had done this to her, they were surely prepared to harm her family as well.
As her thoughts reached that conclusion, the person who came to mind was Geom Mugeuk.
I have no one else to trust but you.
In her final moment, she thought of him.
Just as the leaf-blade dagger was about to slice through her neck—
Swiiiish!
A deafening gust of wind and a sudden scream pierced the air.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A massive saber swept through the group of martial artists, slashing toward them with terrifying force.
Chorim narrowly dodged the saber by stepping back, watching as his subordinates were cut down. 10
Bang!
The giant saber embedded itself deeply into the wood wall behind them.
A shocked Chorim looked in the direction the saber had flown from. A path had been cleared through his men, and on either side, a dozen of his subordinates lay on the ground, bloodied, motionless, in pieces.
"Raise the Ironwood Barrier!"
Rumble!
From the direction the saber had come, wooden structures surged from the ground, forming shields to block the next attack.
The wall in front of Chorim was the largest and thickest. He raised the barrier and turned back to Jin Haryeong.
“No matter what happens next, I’ll kill you first!”
But at that very moment, Jin Haryeong saw something.
Someone had silently flown over to them from the opposite side of the saber, where it had embedded itself.
Their movements were so light and graceful that not even the sound of the wind could be heard.
Only when that person landed directly behind him did Chorim sense their presence and turn around.
What he saw was a single line.
Shiiik!
Splat.
The swiftly drawn sword sliced cleanly through his neck, severing his head in an instant.
Chorim didn’t even have time to let out a final scream before his head hit the ground.
The figure that appeared before Jin Haryeong was none other than Lee Ahn. 11
The massive saber was the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
Lee Ahn had clung underneath it and flown in with it. Because the saber was larger than a person, no one had noticed her clinging to its hilt as she rode in with the weapon.
This feat was only possible with the internal energy of Gu Cheonpa and Lee Ahn’s mastery of the Soaring Sword Art.
As Chorim’s body crumpled to the ground, one of the martial artists nearby screamed frantically.
“Kill those bitches first!”
They rushed toward Jin Haryeong and Lee Ahn. But Lee Ahn didn’t have time to release Jin Haryeong’s suppressed internal energy.
Lee Ahn cut down the approaching martial artists. As she slashed through four in quick succession, the remaining fighters switched tactics. They realized her weakness: she was tied up protecting Jin Haryeong.
“Send out the sword qi!”
Those capable of unleashing sword qi did so in unison.
Lee Ahn shouted to Jin Haryeong.
“Get behind me!”
There was no room for error. To save Jin Haryeong, she had to dispel every incoming sword qi attacks.
Swiiiish!
At the same time, over a dozen streaks of sword qi hurtled toward Lee Ahn. She wasn’t confident she could block them all at once, but she didn’t move. She couldn’t allow Jin Haryeong to die.
In that desperate moment—
Shiiik!
Thud!
Something descended and planted itself in front of the two women, intercepting the incoming sword qi.
Bang! Boom! Crack! Crash!
The sword qi struck repeatedly, but none of it pierced or destroyed the object. Instead, all the sword qi was neutralized and disappeared.
Lee Ahn saw it—the massive dao standing in front of them, and the person who had embedded it in the ground.
Incredibly, it was the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon had flown over in an instant, pulling the saber from the wall and planting it firmly in front of the two women.
At the same time, a thunderous sound erupted.
Rumble! Boom!
The Ironwood Barrier behind them, which the enemy had confidently believed to be unbreakable, shattered in an instant, sending nearby enemies flying.
The person who had demolished the barrier with a single punch was none other than the Fist Demon King.
Facing Gu Cheonpa at the front and Dan Woo-gang at the rear, one of the enemies shouted in panic.
“Kill that monster first!” 12
As soon as the words left his mouth, old man Blade shook his head slightly, pity in his eyes.
“Too bad.”
He pulled Lee Ahn and Jin Haryeong behind the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber to shield them.
The next moment, a deafening thunderclap roared through the air.
Boom! Crack!
It was the loudest and most terrifying thunderstorm either Lee Ahn or Jin Haryeong had ever experienced. They wanted to cover their ears from the sound.
And then—
Whooosh!
A terrifying wave of energy swept past the side of the planted Heaven-Extinguishing Saber. If the Blade Demon hadn’t held onto the saber with both hands and reinforced it with his internal energy, even the mighty saber would have been ripped from the ground and sent flying. 13
One thunderous strike.
And then, silence.
Cautiously, Lee Ahn and Jin Haryeong peeked out from behind the saber.
The sight before them left both women in shock.
There was no one left alive. In just one blow, everyone present had been swept away by the overwhelming force of the Fist Demon King’s energy, reduced to corpses.
Dan Woo-gang stood alone, his massive fists lowered at his sides.
Even Lee Ahn, who had trained alongside him, felt a chill of fear at that moment. This was a completely different side of him than what she’d seen during their training. In actual combat, the Fist Demon King was a monster of a different caliber. Today, Lee Ahn finally understood why the Heavenly Demon trusted him more than any of the other Demon Supremes.
Gu Cheonpa retrieved the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber from the ground and strapped it to his back. Meanwhile, Dan Woo-gang began walking toward them, stepping over the corpses scattered across the battlefield.
1 : That’s called terminal lucidity/rally before death, it’s strong enough to even wake people up from deep comas. Sadly, it never lasts and doesn’t happen often.
2 : Damn, there’s others ??? I told you it was a conspiracy !!! I freaking knew it !!!
3 : At least he tried to save her in the end, no matter his hate towards Jin Paecheon or his denial towards Mugeuk. That counts for something, especially since it’s his last action.
4 : It rarely feels like it until it happens, even in life-and-death moments. Most of the time, the mind tries to keep its bearings by distantiation, which isn’t something you want when you need good reflexes.
5 : Take that, damsel in distress cliche !!!
6 : Damn, an intelligent villain.
7 : Pettiness forever, going down swinging.
8 : As I said, worst thing possible for a woman. And probably for a man too I guess.
9 : I’d say you did pretty well for a first time. You didn’t freeze up, you didn’t beg, and you fought till the end while cursing the bastard. Now to save you.
10 : You know what ? I’ll imagine he did a limbo dance instead to dodge. Much more funny ^^
11 : Take that macho hero cliche !!! The girls here don’t need saving, it’s the villains who need it !!!
12 : Worst mistake, ever.
13 : Lol, he was *pissed* XDXDXD