Chapter 39

Chapter 39, A Man Strong in Real Battle

The determination to kill Jaha burned fiercely in Western Monster Saeng Goryang's eyes.

If killing intent alone could take physical form, Jaha would already have been dead.

Jaha did not believe his current strength was enough to directly face a master like Western Monster Saeng Goryang.

When he had been the Demon Cult Leader, the spiritual medicines and demonic arts he had accumulated gave him enough power to face such people.

But in Byeok Ho's current body, it was impossible.

Honestly, his strength was far below even Dang Jong, Namgung Cheol, and Paeng Umyeong.

He had learned the extraordinary Flowing Joint Art and Revolving Joint Formula, but he had never used them in real combat.

He believed he could somehow deal with a first-rate master.

However, Western Monster Saeng Goryang was a top-tier master.

Jaha still was not confident he could defeat someone at that level.

So instead of confronting him directly, Jaha decided to use another method.

As Western Monster approached, Jaha pretended to retreat while moving toward Namgung Cheol.

His movement looked so natural that no one would suspect he was intentionally approaching Namgung Cheol.

Then Jaha acted as though he could not simply ignore the badly injured Namgung Cheol and began examining his condition.

Namgung Cheol's injuries were so severe that no one would have been surprised if he died immediately.

Only his instinctive reaction had allowed him to avoid Hwancheonma's force enough to prevent his chest from being completely cut apart.

Otherwise, Namgung Cheol's upper and lower body would already be lying separately on the ground.

Jaha quickly struck several acupoints around Namgung Cheol's chest.

"From now on, guide your true qi through the acupoints I tell you."

Namgung Cheol nodded.

Even though Western Monster Saeng Goryang was approaching from behind with terrifying killing intent, Jaha was helping him circulate his qi.

Namgung Cheol felt grateful.

His pain was so severe that tears flowed continuously, and Jaha even carefully wiped them away.

Namgung Cheol began regretting how he had previously tried to humiliate him.

Dang Jong and Paeng Umyeong, whom he had trusted as friends, were not even paying attention to him despite the possibility that he might die.

Meanwhile, Jaha was desperately trying to save him.

The thought made his emotions surge.

"Calm yourself and quickly guide your qi exactly as I tell you."

Namgung Cheol's consciousness was fading, but he followed Jaha's instructions and circulated his qi through the indicated acupoints.

Suddenly, he felt the violently disturbed qi inside him drain toward one location.

"Right now, removing the rampaging qi is the only way to save your life."

Even as Namgung Cheol's consciousness disappeared, he sent all his true qi toward the acupoint Jaha indicated.

Jaha inserted his fingers between the open flesh of Namgung Cheol's chest, where white bone could almost be seen.

From a distance, everything was covered in blood, so no one could tell whether he was binding the wound or actually inserting his fingers into it.

Jaha guided Namgung Cheol's qi toward the Shenfeng acupoint near the heart, then absorbed that power using one of the Demon Cult's strange techniques, the Acupoint-Draining Claw Method.

As he absorbed Namgung Cheol's violently disturbed qi, Jaha's body became hot as if it were burning.

How many damn spiritual medicines did this bastard eat to have more than sixty years of internal energy at his age?

Ignoring the amount of spiritual medicine he himself had consumed when he was Demon Cult Leader, Jaha was shocked by the pure power entering him.

Byeok Ho's dantian could not handle all of Namgung Cheol's enormous internal energy.

Goeui shouted at Jaha, who seemed to be doing something strange while completely ignoring Saeng Goryang approaching to kill him.

"You idiot! What are you doing?! Look behind you!"

Songrim spoke in admiration.

"Ah, Young Hero Byeok doesn't even care about the enemy approaching because he's trying to save Young Master Namgung. That is truly the attitude of a righteous hero."

Goeui immediately replied,

"Righteous hero, my ass!"

Jaha was actually absorbing Namgung Cheol's power because he intended to use it.

However, the act did indeed end up saving Namgung Cheol.

If they had simply left him alone, the violently disturbed sixty years of internal energy would have torn his entire body apart from the inside.

His meridians and organs would have been destroyed, and even an immortal doctor descending from heaven would have been unable to save him.

By completely drawing out the raging qi, Jaha had effectively treated Namgung Cheol's internal injuries in an instant.

"What are you doing?!"

Dang Jong shouted because Jaha's actions looked suspicious.

Dang Jong himself looked almost insane.

His entire body was covered in wounds and stained red with blood. His eyes had even turned green, making him look hardly human.

"If we leave him like this, Young Master Namgung will die. I'm treating his internal injuries."

Dang Jong could not believe Jaha, so he quickly grabbed Namgung Cheol's wrist and checked his pulse.

He sent in a thread of true qi and examined him.

There really was no longer any rampaging internal energy inside Namgung Cheol.

"Mm."

Namgung Cheol clung to the last thread of consciousness and spoke.

"Brother Dang, Young Hero Byeok is right. If he had left me alone, my own true qi would have destroyed all my meridians. I don't know what will happen afterward, but for now I think it would be best to follow Young Hero Byeok's instructions."

Namgung Cheol was telling Dang Jong that Jaha had saved his life and had predicted the entire situation.

Therefore, following his instructions was currently the best choice.

He believed this was the final advice he could give Dang Jong before losing consciousness.

When Namgung Cheol finally fainted, Jaha said,

"Take Young Master Namgung somewhere safe for a while. And give me any hidden weapons or poison bombs you have left."

Dang Jong stared at Jaha briefly before pulling out poison bombs from his waist and handing them over.

"These aren't something you can handle carelessly, so be careful."

Righteous martial artists generally looked down on hidden weapons and poison, so many rarely used them.

That was why many righteous martial artists also viewed the Tang Clan unfavorably.

Dang Jong assumed that someone from a countryside martial school had probably never handled hidden weapons or poison before.

With Hwancheonma gone, the Vermilion Bird Unit fiercely attacked the Western Gorge Sect, apparently determined to capture Ma Gi at least.

Because of that, Ma Gi and the Western Gorge Sect's experts could not easily withdraw.

From Un Daeryong's perspective, if they allowed Ma Gi to escape as well, they would have suffered enormous losses without gaining anything.

That was why he absolutely had to capture Ma Gi.

Amid the fierce battle, Saeng Goryang judged that he had finally secured enough distance and charged toward Jaha.

Jaha had absorbed sixty years of Namgung Cheol's power, so his body was filled with energy.

The only problem was that Byeok Ho's dantian could barely endure it, causing pain as if it were about to shatter.

Good. With this much power, I can use the Flowing Joint Art and Revolving Joint Formula.

Because Jaha had absorbed Namgung Cheol's qi in a hurry, he could not maintain it for more than a quarter of an hour.

The weakness of the Acupoint-Draining Claw Method was that although it could easily absorb another person's power, the effect did not last long.

Later, methods were developed to block the foreign qi through sealed acupoints and gradually refine it into one's own true qi.

However, the process was so painful that most practitioners suffered qi deviation. That method was abandoned, leaving only the Acupoint-Draining Claw Method behind.

While treating Namgung Cheol, Goeui looked toward Jaha.

He was worried whether Jaha could win against a master like Western Monster.

At the same time, he was curious how Jaha would use the Flowing Joint Art and Revolving Joint Formula in actual combat.

Goeui still believed that Jaha was excellent with schemes and formations but terrible at martial arts, so he could not help worrying.

"Stop staring somewhere else and treat him!"

Dang Jong shouted.

Goeui immediately stopped stitching Namgung Cheol's chest.

"You little bastard! Who do you think you're shouting at?! Even your father, Dang Baek, wouldn't speak to this old man that way! Insolent brat. Treat him yourself!"

Dang Jong suddenly did not know what to do.

If Namgung Cheol was left like this, he looked likely to die from blood loss.

"Senior Goeui. Please treat him."

Goeui pretended not to hear.

"What did you say?"

"Senior Goeui. Please treat him quickly."

Only then did Goeui resume stitching Namgung Cheol's wound.

"Look carefully. Look at how many lives your childishness has taken. Around half of the Vermilion Bird Unit is dead. Every one of your guards is dead, and all of the Namgung Family's guards are dead too."

"..."

"Do you still think Commander Un or Byeok Ho avoided battle because they were cowards? They knew many people would die. That's why battle should be avoided whenever possible, even when fighting seems necessary. You need to understand why military texts say that winning without fighting is the greatest strategy. If you fail to understand that, the Tang Clan will eventually be destroyed."

Dang Jong had nothing to say against Goeui's harsh criticism.

Every word was correct.

Drip.

Eventually, tears fell from Dang Jong's eyes.

He was afraid.

The Tang Clan's Five Heroes, who had grown up beside him like brothers, were all dead.

His friend was hanging between life and death.

When he realized that all of this had happened because of his own arrogance, guilt rushed over him.

For the first time in his life, he cried.

Goeui was about to say more when the clash between Jaha and Western Monster Saeng Goryang drew his attention.

Saeng Goryang felt insulted that he personally had to kill some brat from a countryside martial school.

However, whenever he thought about the comrades who had died from Jaha's poison, killing intent surged through him.

"Die!"

Normally, Saeng Goryang maintained a calm mind even in bloody battles.

This time, he was agitated.

Saeng Goryang's favored weapon was a curved saber, and he sometimes used it like a circular blade.

He intended to slice Jaha's body into dozens of pieces with it.

The curved saber drew a gentle arc and flew toward Jaha's neck.

Jaha raised his sword and blocked it.

CLANG!

With a single strike, Jaha was pushed back two jang.

His entire body tingled, and for a moment he nearly went numb.

Saeng Goryang's power completely overwhelmed the energy Jaha had hurriedly absorbed from Namgung Cheol.

If I hadn't taken Namgung Cheol's power, that one strike would've cut off my head.

A chill ran down Jaha's spine.

Saeng Goryang smiled.

"Not bad. You actually blocked one of my strikes. I suppose you aren't complete trash."

What weakling could block an attack made with his full power?

However, after a single clash, Saeng Goryang understood that Jaha was not his match.

There was no longer any reason to attack carefully.

He simply needed to crush him with overwhelming force.

Normally, Saeng Goryang would not fight this recklessly.

However, the Western Gorge Sect was losing the battle, and it looked as though a retreat order might come at any moment.

The Twelve Protectors and Venerated Retainers were dying one after another.

So Saeng Goryang drew out all his power, intending to finish things quickly.

Jaha raised his sword in preparation.

In his left hand, he held the hidden weapons Dang Jong had given him.

Saeng Goryang charged.

At that moment, Jaha scattered the hidden weapons.

Saeng Goryang initially thought Jaha had simply thrown them carelessly.

However, they contained considerable force and could not be ignored.

He was forced to use footwork to change direction repeatedly.

Although it looked easy, changing direction like this consumed significant amounts of true qi.

He had to release true qi through the Yongquan acupoints in his feet each time.

To defeat Saeng Goryang, Jaha needed to make him lower his guard.

But a master like this would not lower his guard easily.

So Jaha designed an attack that would appear harmless enough to make him careless.

"Come!"

Jaha held his sword in his right hand and poured all his borrowed power into it.

A faint blue sword qi emerged from the blade.

Several people watching Jaha's fight were shocked that he could produce sword qi.

No one had ever heard of a disciple from a countryside martial school being capable of it.

Sword qi was still considered one of the ideals pursued by swordsmen.

To use it, one normally needed at least sixty years of extremely pure internal energy, along with a high-level cultivation method capable of controlling sword qi.

Therefore, it was usually something only expected from first or second-generation disciples of major sects or outstanding young talents from prestigious martial families.

Ordinary martial artists usually needed decades of cultivation and understanding before they could even attempt it, often only after reaching their forties.

That was one reason most top-tier masters in the martial world were in their forties or fifties.

Yet Jaha, barely past twenty, was producing sword qi.

Naturally, they were shocked.

Jaha threw the final poison bomb at the ground directly in front of himself.

"That crazy bastard!"

Dang Jong nearly jumped in shock.

The poison inside that bomb was deadly enough that even inhaling a small amount could kill someone.

Poison bombs were supposed to be thrown at enemies.

He had never imagined someone detonating one at their own feet.

White powder exploded in every direction and hid Jaha's body.

Jaha stopped breathing and waited for Saeng Goryang.

Saeng Goryang watched Jaha explode the poison bomb at his own feet rather than throwing it toward him and felt admiration.

What a vicious bastard. He's trying to use it to block my senses. Too bad he made the wrong choice. We've already taken the antidote Leader Ma brought. That poison bomb is useless against me.

At the Benevolence Manor, Ma Gi had treated the poison Jaha had used with an antidote he brought.

It was a precious antidote from the Thousand Poison Sect that prevented poisoning for a short period of time.

Whoosh!

Jaha hid himself behind the poison cloud and brought his sword down with all his strength.

Saeng Goryang believed he could stop an attack at this level with his eyes closed.

CLANG!

The sound was like a hammer striking an anvil.

Jaha's sword was blocked by Saeng Goryang's curved saber and knocked aside.

Crack!

Jaha failed to disperse the force, and even the sound of his shoulder dislocating could be heard.

Whoosh!

At that moment, Jaha stabbed a dagger held in his left hand toward Saeng Goryang's temple.

It looked like his final desperate struggle.

"You tried hard, but if you want to kill me with something like that, you'll need another hundred years. Die!"

Saeng Goryang blocked the dagger and began swinging his curved saber toward Jaha's neck.

Suddenly, his lower abdomen burned.

"Ugh!"

Confused by the impossible pain, Saeng Goryang lowered his head slightly.

Jaha's sword had pierced through the Mingmen acupoint, cut into his spine, and emerged from his back.

"How...?"

Jaha's arm had rotated completely around and cut through his lower abdomen.

Saeng Goryang stared in disbelief.

He could not understand how a human shoulder could rotate a full circle and remain intact.

Jaha slowly slipped out from the poison cloud.

Saeng Goryang tried to say something but instead coughed up blood.

His Mingmen acupoint had been destroyed.

On top of that, he had inhaled the poisonous smoke while breathing and had been poisoned.

Once his dantian was destroyed, the antidote became useless.

Thud!

It was the moment Western Monster Saeng Goryang died at the hands of Byeok Ho, a disciple from a countryside martial school.

Countless eyes stared at Jaha with the same disbelief Saeng Goryang had shown before dying.