Goooooo!
The ground shook as if there was an earthquake. A majestic golden light illuminated the world, which was previously washed with the white of the snow.
YetâŠ
Woooong!
Simultaneously, the sound of buzzing bees filled the air, and the light burst forth like water rushing from a broken pipe.
âAckkkkk!â
âKUAKKKK!â
Thrown back by the immense power, those affected screamed in desperation. It appeared as though they had been forcefully kicked by some powerful force.
â⊠this is fraud.â
Jo Gul, observing the scene, muttered to himself.
âNo!â
Then, wearing a sorrowful expression, he let out a scream.
âSomeone has to cut the air seventy-seven times to execute a technique! Itâs like theyâve done it five or six times with just one blow! Kuak! Damn it! If I had known this, I would have joined Shaolin, too! Why did I come to Mount HuaâŠâ
âNo, you insane bastard?!â
Yoon Jong unsheathed his sword and delivered a powerful kick to Jo Gul.
âKuaaa!â
Jo Gul was struck on the side and tumbled to the ground. Yet, as he spoke, Yoon Jongâs anger showed no signs of subsiding.
âI will talk to you later. Is this bastard really doing this right now?â
âI-I didnât do anything wrong, sahyungâŠ!â
âShut up!â
âYes.â
Jo Gul immediately fell silent since he was too junior to deal with Yoon Jongâs anger. Wasnât Yoon Jong the type of person who couldnât be stopped when he had a clear vision in mind?
âBut this is a little unfair.â
The circumstances were different.
He understood why Shaolinâs martial arts were considered the best in the world. Of course, it might have appeared superior to others because the person using it was also skilledâŠ
âAnyway, the monk isnât playing around either.â
Thatâs because the image of Chung Myung bullying him and making him cry was clear in their minds. If you thought about it, wasnât he the most valued person in the Shaolin sect?
A man who would have been respected for his skills in Shaolin if he hadnât come across Chung Myung.
That man wasâŠ
âHuh, Amitabha! Die! Die now!â
âŠbehaving like that.
Every time Hae Yeon threw a punch, the Ice Sword troops would be sent flying like kicked straws.
Regardless of the differences in martial arts and their usage, Hae Yeonâs dominance felt like it was slightly unfair.
âYou!â
âEik!â
When a sword suddenly flew in front of his face, Jo Gul instinctively dodged.
âNo. Are you actually crazy?â
Witnessing the scene, Yoon Jongâs eyes turned bloodshot. How could anyone be so foolish as to lose focus in the middle of a fight?
Feeling Yoon Jongâs gaze on his back, Jo Gul broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly made his way towards the Ice Sword troops. His sword moved twice as fast as before, along with an increase in his internal energy.
And he started sweating twice as much.
Fortunately for Jo Gul, Yoon Jong couldnât keep his attention on him. This was due to Hae Yeonâs wild rampage.
âAHHHHHH!â
Kwang!
âAmitabha!â
Thud!
Every time Hae Yeon extended his hand, a golden light flashed. The Ice Sword troops flew away helplessly like autumn leaves.
â⊠thatâs really serious.â
Who would call this man a disciple of Shaolin?
For Shaolin, benevolence was the main focus of its teachings. However, Hae Yeonâs technique had no trace of it, and his fists moved like claws.
Looking at Hae Yeon, who had a small body but radiated terrifying power as he crossed the battlefield, he appeared more like a member of the Forces of Evil than a Shaolin monk.
ââŠthis is all the karma of Mount Hua.â
To be precise, it was anger caused by Chung Myungâs involvement.
ââŠAmitabha.â
Yoon Jong, who disregarded this disturbing scene, shook his head and moved toward the Ice Sword troops, who had lost their motivation to fight.
Bang Pyoâs eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, his face pale. Anyone with eyes could see that the tide had turned.
âHow did it all come to this?â
It was natural for the prisoners who managed to get their dantian working to attack the guards. They were the close aides to the previous palace Lord. If only they could utilize their internal qi, they wouldnât be down there at all.
But the Ice Sword troops were different.
âThatâŠâ
Hae Yeon now emitted a bright light from his eyes and overwhelmed the Ice Sword troops.
âWhat are those peopleâŠâ
Bang Pyo turned to see what was happening. How could the fight be so one-sided? The Ice Sword troops were one of the main forces in the Ice Palace. They might not be the best or represent the Ice Palace, but they were not weak either.
Yet, these kids were pushing them back!
How could he accept this reality?
âI-I need to escape.â
Bang Pyoâs mind started working quickly. The battle was lost now. At this rate, no one would be able to escape, and everyone would be captured.
Someone had to get out of here and inform the Palace Lord.
The fact that the prisoners had escaped and those who came as guests had drawn their swords.
At that moment, Bang Pyo searched for a way to escape.
âThat bastard is using his head.â
ââŠâ
Yo Sa-Hon, who had just dealt with the guard blocking the way, slowly approached the room. He raised the supreme yin qi with both hands.
Bang Pyoâs heart sank as he witnessed this.
âY-Yo Sa-Hon.â
âItâs nice that you speak my name. Compared to when you were fawning over the second elder, things have changed, havenât they? Am I wrong, Bang Pyo?â
Unknowingly, Bang Pyo stepped back.
âD-Do you think it will be alright? The Palace LordâŠâ
âIf I was afraid of him, I wouldnât have started this.â
Yo Sa-Honâs eyes shone.
Anyone who tried to talk after looking into those eyes was either stupid or just dumb. Unfortunately, Bang Pyo wasnât someone like that.
He held up his hand as if threatening him and took a step back.
âElder Yo⊠if it was you from the past, I surely couldnât compete with you.â
âYou understand perfectly.â
â⊠But are you in your usual state? No matter how much strength you regain, the stiffness of the Qi flowing in your body, which has accumulated over time, cannot be eliminated.â
Yo Sa-Hon frowned.
Bang Pyoâs words werenât entirely wrong. He had regained his strength, but his body was not the same as before, not even close. The same applied to every other prisoner down here.
âWith this kind of body!â
Bang Pyo stepped forward.
The coldness of Yin qi surged towards Yo Sa-Hon.
âKuak!â
Yo Sa-Hon was immediately hit by it as he attempted to jump towards Bang Pyo. However, the man was already in motion.
âThis!â
Yo Sa-Honâs expression changed as he pursued Bang Pyo. If they were to lose them like this, things would drastically changeâŠ
âHuh?â
But at that exact moment.
Kwaaaang!
With a thunderous impact, an arrow, which had soared like a kite, crashed into the ground.
Jjkkkk.
Yo Sa-Hon stood tall and blinked. A massive circle loomed before his eyes.
âThatâŠâ
What bewildered him more than the pit was what he saw within. Chung Myung, scratching his head, crouched atop Bang Pyoâs oddly contorted body.
âUh⊠did I step on him too hard?â
ââŠâ
Bang Pyo convulsed, foam bubbling from his mouth. Yo Sa-Honâs mouth fell open.
âChung Myung, weâve gathered them all.â
Chung Myung turned his head at Baek Cheonâs words. The Ice Sword troops and subdued guards filled his vision.
About half of them were unconscious, while the other half were awake, their faces a mix of shock and concealed anger.
âTsk.â
Observing this, Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
Behind them, the former prisoners trembled with unresolved anger. The guards flinched with each swaying body.
Eventually, Yo Sa-Hon intervened and calmed down.
âEveryone, please remain calm. It is known that these people are not guilty of the sins attributed to them. We all know that the true culprit is Seol Cheon-Sang, right?â
âOf course, elder, we know. ButâŠâ
âWhy wouldnât I understand your feelings? However, if we take matters into our own hands, we will become no different from them.â
His calm and collected words caused the prisoners to sigh in relief.
Chung Myung, who observed this, was impressed.
âHe is intelligent.â
He wasnât sure if this man was naturally inclined to be this way or if it was a result of the bond formed after spending so much time in the barren valley. Either way, the prisoners here were following his lead.
âFirst.â
Yo Sa-Hon bowed his head to Chung Myung and his group.
âWe have received a great deal of kindness that we can repay in this lifetime.â
Baek Cheon immediately embraced that idea.
âAs a disciple of Mount Hua, I did what I had to do. Donât worry.â
âAh.â
Truly, it was a demeanor and action that couldnât be explained with words. Just as Yo Sa-Hon was about to give a further answerâŠ
âAh, move out of the way!â
Chung Myung grabbed Baek Cheon and pushed him back.
âOuch!â
Seeing him fly away and roll in the snow, Chung Myung frowned.
âWhy are you acting like everythingâs done? This is just the beginning. Well, even if they die soon, itâs nothing more than a waste.â
âDamn it! This bastard!â
Baek Cheon rolled his eyes and rushed back, with Yoon Jong and Jo Gul naturally grabbing his arms.
âLetâs calm down a bit, sasuk.â
âThereâs nothing wrong with it.â
âWhatâs your problem, brat?â
Jo Gul quickly avoided Baek Cheonâs gaze. And Chung Myung didnât even pay attention to what was happening.
âHowâs your body?â
âIt will take a few days to rest. Even if you do, you wonât regain the original skillsâŠâ
They couldnât train their martial arts together for years. It would take a long time for them to restore their original skills.
âWell, nothing can be done about it.â
However, Chung Myung shrugged.
âDo you know what you need to do?â
âOf course.â
Yo Sa-Hon nodded.
âBut how did you know that the supporters of the former Lord were hiding in the North Sea?â
âA man we met before named Han Yi-Myung said that. He had to go through a lot. It canât be easy to hide with a child in this land. There must have been some help.â
The old man looked at Chung Myung, impressed. It was easy to see him as stupid because of his frivolous attitude and the way he spoke, but this man was a Taoist named Chung Myung, who was sharper than he looked.
Of course, his anxiety didnât die down even after realizing that.
âCan I leave the fate of the North Sea to this man?â
But now, there was no other way. According to Chung Myungâs words, it wouldnât be long before a terrible bloody scent blew over the North Sea.
As a person of the North Sea, as a soldier of the North Sea Ice Palace, they had to stop this.
Yo Sa-Hon opened his mouth with a solemn face.
âThen for nowâŠâ
âAh, wait.â
Then Chung Myung raised his hand to stop him. Then, he turned his head and looked at the captured warriors of the Ice Palace.
âThere is nothing good about having too many ears listening to this. Let us sort it out first.â
âWhat do you plan?â
âHmm.â
Chung Myung thought and crossed his arms as he mumbled.
âIf you donât have any regrets, just cut theâŠâ
âHeeeik.â
âD-disciple!â
The prisoners who had been persecuted were amazed, and Chung Myung licked his lips.
âHmmm. That would be nice, but I am a famous Taoist, so I cannot kill life so easily.â
âPhew.â
Yo Sa-Hon breathed a sigh of relief. Well, Taoists were typically good-natured, but this one had a mischievous side to himâŠ
âThrow them.â
âHuh?â
Chung Myung shouted, pointing with his chin towards the cliff.
âSoso! Give them the poison!â
âYes, sahyung!â
Then he chuckled.
âIt should be enough to give them the poison and throw them into the valley. If theyâre lucky, theyâll be found and come out alive. If not⊠well, tough luckâŠâ
ââŠâ
âAh. Untie the rope beforehand. Itâll be annoying if they try to climb up.â
ââŠâ
âWhat? Just throw them in quickly. Iâm busy.â
Seeing Chung Myung speak so calmly, Yo Sa-Hon smiled.
âThis guy is worse than the Demonic Sect.â đđđđŁđ€đđđïŒđđđ
At least they let their victims have a rope.
And he was determined to avoid getting on the wrong side of this Taoist named Chung Myung in the future.