Chapter 1310
If the other person is you, then I must give in. (4)
The resounding impact echoed ahead, causing Lee Jayang’s body to tremble.
‘Is this the young monk, Hye Yeon?’
His eyes shook intensely.
Strong.
No, the word “strong” alone doesn’t suffice to describe it.
It’s not just Hye Yeon. Even Namgung Dowi’s skill far exceeded his expectations. Faced with their displayed power, all he could do was tremble.
The disparity was so severe that he couldn’t even muster jealousy.
Certainly, they were already among the top masters, receiving high praise and great expectations from numerous martial arts sects.
Thus, comparing them with himself would be difficult.
However, what shocked Lee Jayang was how much stronger they had become in just a few years.
The fact that the gap had widened so drastically in such a short time was the most astonishing aspect.
‘In the martial arts competition, it was never to this extent.’
Back then, they were undoubtedly formidable opponents, to the point where winning seemed out of the question.
But the difference was never this extreme. There was still a glimmer of hope that with time and effort, he could eventually stand toe-to-toe with them.
However, the martial prowess displayed by Hye Yeon and Namgung Dowi completely shattered such thoughts for Lee Jayang.
While he diligently ran, they had already soared to unreachable heights.
‘What happened over these few years?’
It couldn’t be explained simply by natural talent.
“Faster, keep running!”
“Get inside!”
Amidst the continuous shouts from behind, Lee Jayang pressed his lips and ran.
There was no time to dwell on such matters now.
The entrance to the gorge was absurdly narrow.
Hye Yeon diligently cleared the path, but it would still take time for the crowd to fully enter.
Seizing this opportunity, disciples from Hwasan and elders from Haenam blocked the attackers.
“Move faster! Why the hell are you pulling out useless swords! Insert the swords and tighten the formation, damn it!”
Lee Jayang cursed, his voice filled with frustration, annoyance, disappointment in himself, and a sense of powerlessness.
“Yes!”
The disciples of Haenam squeezed their bodies and pushed into the gorge.
“That’s it!”
“Move! You people!”
At that moment, Im Sobyeong shouted loudly.
With orders swiftly given, the disciples of Hwasan dashed over the heads of Haenam’s disciples like flying squirrels and ran forward.
“Elders, move to the middle! Be prepared as attacks could come from above!”
“Got it!”
The elders led by Geum Yangbaek answered loudly and moved swiftly like a barrier into the gorge.
Those outside the gorge, attempting to hinder their progress, found it impossible to do so with more than half of their strength lost to Namgung Dowi and Hye Yeon.
‘Is this it?’
If they could successfully enter, then it could be considered half the battle won.
Lee Jayang looked back, clenching his fist tightly.
Deeply buried hope resurfaced within him. But then.
“Huh?”
He widened his eyes.
Due to the narrow field of view caused by cliffs on both sides, it was clearly visible. The dense, dark forest they had passed through seemed to sway and tremble.
“Th-there…”
At the end of the vigorously shaking bushes, bandits with crimson masks covering their faces emerged in countless numbers.
The bloodthirsty hounds who emerged from the dense forest immediately surged towards the gorge.
In an instant, a chill ran down Lee Jayang’s spine.
“They’re coming! From behind! Behind us!”
His shout was more like a scream.
“Damn it, from behind!”
His voice was not just urgent but desperate.
Lee Jayang was among Haenam’s disciples, boasting considerable expertise in martial arts.
Being such, he knew all too well how dreadful it was to be surrounded on both sides in this narrow gorge.
Moreover, the attackers charging from behind were visibly formidable. They seemed to belong to the same squad as those who had previously ambushed them.
“Elders, it’s behind us! We must block the rear! Damn it, elders!”
Despite Lee Jayang’s frantic efforts to report the situation, his voice was drowned out by the noise of the battlefield.
‘No, this can’t be!’
Lee Jayang’s eyes widened. The disciples of Hwasan and the elders had already moved forward.
This meant that the bloody warriors would soon catch up with the ordinary disciples of Haenam.
Hadn’t the consequences of this scenario been already understood?
“Damn it!”
Lee Jayang exclaimed, hastily spurring himself forward. If the elders couldn’t move immediately, he had to go alone.
He didn’t have the confidence to stop them, but he believed he could do at least better than his Sajes.
As Lee Jayang propelled himself upward, the entrance of the gorge was suddenly overwhelmed by the onslaught of the bloody warriors.
Their movements were frantic, as if their hearts were about to burst and their bodies contorted with urgency.
Despite Lee Jayang’s determination, the assailants surged into the gorge at a faster pace, rendering his resolve seemingly futile.
‘I-I must stop them…’
Just then, it happened.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Thunderous explosions echoed from the entrance of the gorge, followed by a dense cloud of smoke that swiftly engulfed the opening.
“What’s happening?”
Lee Jayang exclaimed, bewildered.
Crash!
Almost simultaneously, someone reached out and grabbed Lee Jayang’s foot from mid-air, pulling him down below.
“What?”
Lee Jayang exclaimed as he was dragged to the ground.
“Don’t move forward.”
The person said calmly.
“You might get poisoned.”
As Lee Jayang was pulled down, the man put his hands in the sleeves of his garment.
“A joint attack… predictable but effective. However, they overlooked one thing.”
Tang Pae continued.
“As the old saying goes, don’t chase after the Tang clan. Seems like their master didn’t teach them that.”
With that, Tang Pae pulled out vials of poison from within the sleeves, a sly grin spreading across his lips.
Before long, the dense haze of poison dissipated, revealing the figures that had been concealed within.
“G-gah, cough…”
Those who had been poisoned were clutching their throats, convulsing violently.
In agonizing torment, some even suffered seizures, dropping their weapons from their hands.
This was the terrifying aspect of the poison.
In one-on-one combat scenarios, where opponents faced off in duels, one could sufficiently exercise caution and avoid its effects.
Even if one were to be poisoned, one’s internal strength could somewhat suppress it.
However, on the battlefield, such precautions were impossible.
In the frantic chaos of the battlefield, there was no way to constantly guard against the unpredictable outbreak of poison at any moment.
And there was no room for leisure to control the poisoning.
“Kuk!”
“That dog-like bastard!”
Despite watching their comrades fall victim to poisoning ahead of them, those who followed behind could do nothing.
With the poison still clearly visible, what could they do to leap into its midst?
“Take the antidote!”
“Yes!”
Those with bloody lips simultaneously ingested something.
Watching their actions, Tang Pae let out a mocking laugh.
“Antidotes. Not a bad move at all.”
Unless the person in front of them was not of the Tang clan.
‘People don’t know the Tang clan well.’
Even Hwasan would probably not fully understand Tang clan.
The Tangga believed that the direction taken by the Tang clan’s predecessors was correct.
It wasn’t entirely wrong to think that Tang clan’s power was insufficient due to being too focused on poison.
That’s why they devoted themselves wholeheartedly to training, right?
But at the same time, they didn’t believe that only that criticism was valid.
Tang clan was a prestigious family, on par with Namgung clan.
Would members of such a prestigious clan really be so foolish and naive as to bet everything on a clearly limited poison?
The poison had an advantage that hidden weapons could not cover perfectly.
The perfect advantage that has sustained the Tang clan until now.
“He’s nothing but a weakling! I’ll take him down in one fell swoop!”
Tang Pae laughed.
Indeed, those words were true.
He was weak.
His martial prowess was no match for the likes of Hye Yeon or Namgung Dowi.
There was no need to discuss Hwasan Geomhyeop or Hwasan Jeonggeom.
But that didn’t mean he was useless compared to them.
He was, after all, a member of the Tang clan.
“Attack!”
As the poison subsided, the bloody warriors rushed past the bodies of their fallen comrades and charged at Tang Pae in one swift motion.
Whether from witnessing their comrades’ deaths or out of caution against the poison, the momentum was even more ruthless.
But Tang Pae, without any sign of haste, casually opened the lid of the poison vial in his hand.
“Is it really that hard to understand?”
The moment the lid was opened, a terrifying aura of poison flowed out from the bottle, causing even him, who had dealt with poison his whole life, to flinch.
“The Tang clan’s strength isn’t judged like that.”
With a swift motion, he tossed the vial into the air and shot it.
Crack!
As the vial shattered, the venom inside mixed with Tang Pae’s energy and spread out like an unfolding fan.
The unique aura of the Tang clan, not based on strength, but on range.
What it carried wasn’t just intense internal strength or formidable power.
It was refined poison.
“What?!”
Those charging forward involuntarily held their breath for a moment.
Attacks could be blocked.
Internal strength could be countered.
But how could one defend against the poison mixed with one’s aura?
“Ugh!”
Like the scorching dust expelled when a volcano erupts, the aura of poison descended upon them.
In the end, they raised their internal strength as much as possible and confronted the aura.
They didn’t forget to close their eyes and hold their breath.
The power contained within the aura itself was not strong.
As long as they didn’t inhale the poison, they could withstand it even with their bare bodies.
But… unfortunately, that wasn’t a good strategy.
Something like scalding steam swept over their bodies.
Those who had opened their eyes in confusion were instantly taken aback.
It was an indescribable, intense itching that engulfed their entire bodies.
“Gah…”
That was just the beginning.
In just the short span of a single breath, the itching turned into unbearable agony.
The itch quickly transformed into searing pain, escalating into intense suffering.
“Aaaargh…”
“Aaaaaaaah!”
Horrible screams began to erupt.
The excruciating pain felt as if their entire bodies were being pierced.
No, it was even worse than that.
The poison adhered to their skin was actually melting it away.
“Grrrr…”
Those who spilled black blood [칠공(七孔) – chilgong] from their seven orifices collapsed one by one.
Nearly a dozen people were reduced to charred corpses with their skin melted to a crisp.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
“You, you…”
Those who witnessed their comrades melting away before their eyes stared at Tang Pae with pale faces.
Tang Pae casually applied poison to the twelve daggers he held in his hand.
The viscous liquid took on a dark green hue as it coated the blades.
A chill ran down the spines of those watching.
“Of course, I’m weak. But…”
Tang Pae slowly lowered the poisoned daggers in his hand.
“The poison I use isn’t dependent on the user’s skill. That’s the terrifying aspect of the Tang clan.”
The hand not holding the blades emerged from within the sleeve.
Upon seeing the vial, the bloody warriors involuntarily took a step back.
“It seems you’ve found the right person from the Tang clan.”
“…”
“It seems the pleasure of using these poisons in combat outweighs any qualms about killing people. Come. Take plenty of the poison personally bestowed upon us by Lord Tang.”
A gleam of excitement flashed in Tang Pae’s eyes, the rightful member of Sichuan Tang clan.
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