novelraw Chapter 161 : Chapter 161
Chapter 161 : Chapter 161
Chapter 161 The Red Sky (4)
The thick Blood-wind Robes might have been able to block the poison from the mechanisms, but they were insufficient to withstand the Poison King's poison arts.
“KAAAAAK!”
“AAAAARGH!”
The Demonic Beings rushing toward the Poison King's energy were turning into handfuls of poison water. The vast grassland was filled with the stench of death.
The Poison King, with sweat dripping from his forehead, once again extended his hand forward. A hazy, greenish smoke gathered before his blackened hand.
Through the Poison King's swift yet delicate hand gestures, the poison energy, gathered into a small sphere, soon shot forward like a firebomb.
─ RUUUUMBLE
As the surging poison energy reached the fading wall of energy, the wall began to fill with a deep green light once more.
─ SIZZLE
“GURGLE!”
Among the Demonic Beings who leaped into the Poison King's poison mist, none could endure for more than five breaths.
Even while watching their comrades who first touched the poison energy instantly turn into handfuls of poison water, nearly a hundred Demonic Beings with half-glazed eyes continuously rushed into the poison energy.
─ CRAAASH
─ CRASH!
The Poison King clenched his teeth and successively created and shot out poison energy.
Dozens of Demonic Beings tried to break through the wall of poison energy, but not a single one could penetrate the constantly replenishing, dense poison energy.
─ TINKLE-TINKLE
Once again, the eerie sound of bells was heard. As the bells rang, the red light in the Demonic Beings' eyes momentarily vanished.
After looking around and assessing the situation, the Demonic Beings completely halted their advance, stepped back, and began to form ranks right in front of the poison mist.
“The advance…… has stopped.”
At Yeon Seung-il's words, Tang Il-bi bit his lip with an overwhelmed expression.
“The Tang Clan has stopped the Demonic Beings' advance. This…… is an achievement the elder Poison King accomplished all by himself.”
Tang Il-bi's body trembled slightly with emotion.
“He has accomplished something incredible. Since the elder Poison King is buying us time like this, the Tang Clan and the Anti-Demon Squad members will be able to retreat safely.”
“If he can just hold on for one more ilgak, even the martial artists at the very rear will be able to move to a safe area.”
At Hyeon-dam's continued words, Yeon Seung-il nodded with a bright expression.
“Yes, if he can just hold on a little longer…….”
As Yeon Seung-il was speaking, a strong wind blew from the front with a WHOOSH. It was not a simple wind.
A wind containing immense energy tried to push back the Poison King's poison energy, and with a gesture from the Poison King, who clenched his teeth and shot out more poison energy, the strong wind soon vanished without a trace.
The Poison King's back was soaked with sweat, having barely protected his poison energy from the sudden gust of wind.
After a short while, the ranked Demonic Beings parted to both sides like a receding tide, and from between them, two martial artists in black robes slowly walked forward.
“……The Sichuan Tang Clan. So the outcasts of the Murim are holding us back until the end.”
“First the Ten Thousand Flowers Filling the Sky, and now the Ten Thousand Poison Hand. Why do martial arts I heard were lost keep popping up?”
“It must be one of two things: either our information network was lacking, or those Tang Clan bastards were meticulous.”
“Tsk. Whatever the case, this has become quite an embarrassing picture.”
The one with sharp eyes and the other with a large build that could only be described as stout stopped in front of the Poison King's poison mist, conversing.
“How about it? Can you do it?”
“Hmm.”
The large-bodied man looked at the poison mist before him and sniffed the air.
“The fishy smell is strong, but it's not impossible.”
“Then hurry up and devour it. What a disgrace this is, right from the start.”
At the words of the one with sharp eyes, the large-bodied man nodded. He grinned at the Poison King across the poison mist, then took a deep breath in and exhaled long.
“SSSSP. WHOOOOOOO.”
The man, who had bent forward and exhaled all his breath, raised his head again. As a dark red energy began to burn in his eyes, his mouth opened wide.
“HAAAAAAP!”
The man leaned his body back and inhaled. In that moment, the Poison King's energy, which had been standing firm like a solid fortress wall, wavered and then began to be sucked into the man's mouth.
“……!”
The Poison King bit his lip hard and extended his hand once more to add energy, but it only increased the amount of poison mist entering the man's mouth.
“……What, what in the world is that martial art?”
Baek-myo asked with a surprised expression at the bizarre situation of the Poison King's poison mist being sucked into a mouth, but Yeon Seung-il also just furrowed his brow and shook his head as if he didn't know.
“KAAAAAAHAP!”
The poison energy was continuously sucked into the man's mouth.
Watching the scene, the Poison King bit his lip hard and once again extended his hand forward.
─ RUUUUMBLE
The immense poison energy extending from the Poison King's body once again thickened the wall of poison mist.
Although the wall of poison energy grew thicker, the large-bodied man simply continued to inhale the poison energy as if he didn't care.
─ SIZZLE
Pitch-black smoke billowed from the nostrils of the man who had inhaled the vile poison energy. The Poison King's expression hardened as he watched the man continuously sucking in the poison energy.
Soon, the Poison King's hands began to move slightly faster.
─ CRAAASH.
─ RUUUUMBLE!
As the Poison King's hand gestures quickened, the speed at which the poison energy was replenished also increased, but as if not to be outdone, the speed at which the Demonic Being swallowed the poison energy also grew faster.
Yeon Seung-il, who was watching the situation, moved his hand toward the sword at his waist.
“The poison mist…… is thinning.”
As the poison mist gradually thinned, the figures of the Demonic Cult members emitting dark red glints from their eyes on the other side began to become clearer.
“……Who is that person to be able to absorb the elder Poison King's poison mist so easily!”
Tang Il-bi stared intently ahead with an incomprehensible expression.
Yeon Seung-il, who was assessing the situation, spoke with a stern expression.
“Everyone, get ready! The concentration of the poison mist is getting thinner and thinner!”
The man was inhaling the poison energy ceaselessly while his body trembled, and the Poison King was clenching his teeth and rapidly extending both hands.
While the strange confrontation between the two continued, the Poison King's figure momentarily swayed.
“Hnnngh.”
The staggering Poison King's face had already turned pale. The Poison King's arms, having poured out an excessive amount of internal energy in a short time, trembled in the air.
“The poison mist……”
The dense poison mist that had filled the grassland just a moment ago was now noticeably thinner.
The group simultaneously moved their hands toward their weapons.
The Demonic Cult martial artist, confirming the thinned poison mist, began to raise his energy. When the one with sharp eyes gestured with his chin, a Demonic Being standing beside him leaped into the poison mist without a moment's hesitation.
─ SIZZZZZZZLE
“Ugh……!”
The Poison King's poison energy instantly began to burn the martial artist's body, and soon, a hazy smoke rose from his entire body. The deeper he walked, the more his body, starting from his fingertips, began to turn black.
His entire body turned black in an instant, but the Demonic Being was still staggering through the poison mist. This was a clear difference from just moments ago when those who touched the poison energy instantly turned into a handful of poison water.
As the Demonic Being staggered and struggled out of the poison energy, he collapsed to the ground with a thud. His breath was already gone, black blood flowing from his seven orifices, but what was important was the fact that he was the first to pass through the poison mist with his body intact.
The Poison King's eyes twitched as he watched the scene.
“You bastards!”
The Poison King's body momentarily swayed as he shouted loudly. Yeon Seung-il, who was watching the situation, bit his lip hard.
“Everyone, get ready. If the poison mist thins further, the Demonic Beings will break through the poison energy. As soon as a martial artist breaks through the poison mist alive, we will escort the Poison King and escape to the rear.”
Baek-myo began to loosen his body with a tense expression.
“I will escort the Poison King. Everyone else, please fall back immediately.”
Yeon Seung-il nodded at Baek-myo's words.
“Il-bi. Since all of the Tang Clan's mechanisms have been activated, please lead the way.”
“……Understood. However, it should be impossible for that bastard to withstand the elder Poison King's energy indefinitely. It's still, still too early to give up.”
Yeon Seung-il nodded at Tang Il-bi's lingering words.
“……I will watch the situation a little longer, but if even one of those Demonic Cult bastards makes it through the poison mist alive, we will retreat immediately. At that point, you too must abandon any lingering hope and join us.”
Tang Il-bi nodded and stared intently at the Poison King's swaying figure with desperate eyes.
─ PWANG! PWANG!
Even while staggering, the Poison King's hands continuously stretched forward.
Though he kept staggering, the Poison King's body held its ground like a giant tree with deep roots.
“……Cough.”
A trickle of blood flowed down from the corner of the Poison King's mouth. His body trembling slightly, the Poison King gritted his teeth and shot poison energy forward again.
─ RUUUMBLE
The expressions of the Demonic Beings distorted as they watched the poison mist thicken once again.
“……He's struggling desperately, right to the end.”
The man with sharp eyes glanced sideways at the large-framed man next to him.
The entire body of the man who had been continuously sucking in the Poison King's energy had now turned a deathly black. Just as the Poison King's figure was swaying, the man's body was also trembling violently.
It seemed he, too, had reached his limit. A green-tinged energy crept out from his nose along with the black energy.
The sharp-featured man, watching the Poison King who refused to fall, finally drew the sword from his waist.
─ CHAAENG
The man, who had drawn a swaying flexible sword, raised it toward the Poison King.
“Poison King. Your reputation is truly well-deserved. I never thought the Ten Thousand Poison Hand still existed, and I certainly never imagined it could wield such power.”
The man swung his flexible sword in the air once and spoke again.
“However, what use is there in dragging out time like this? Lord Blood Demon has already decided to open the ‘Blood Heaven’. Our plans, long laid out in the Murim, are not something you can withstand by simply holding on like this.”
A dark red energy began to shimmer from the man's body.
“Give up quickly and leave the Central Plains. That is your only path to survival. The Central Plains…… are now ours!”
After letting out a great shout, the man's sword shot out, squirming like a snake and swiftly cutting through the air.
─ KWAAAAAAAAANG!
The man's sword, having penetrated the poison mist, created a huge explosion within it, spewing energy in all directions. As the man's flexible sword, moving freely like a whip, continuously emitted red light within the poison mist, the mist began to lose its power at an even faster rate.
“Th-that sword art is……!?”
Yeon Seung-il's eyes widened as he recognized the flexible sword that was darting through the air like a snake.
“That is definitely the unique sword art of Yeomhon Yagwi, a master from two generations ago! But…… how can this be? Yeomhon Yagwi is someone who roamed the Murim decades before the elder Poison King!”
According to what Yeon Seung-il knew, Yeomhon Yagwi should have been at an age where he could barely support his own body. However, his appearance was that of a man in his forties at most.
No trace of such long years could be found on Yeomhon Yagwi's body.
“If that man is indeed Yeomhon Yagwi, then the one next to him must be Sahon Sikma……! He is also a master from two generations ago.”
Those who had mastered a martial art that swallowed another person's energy, stored it in their body, and ultimately made it their own were extremely rare in the Murim.
However, Sahon Sikma was also of an age where it would be difficult to still be alive.
Therefore, Yeon Seung-il could not immediately connect the middle-aged man across the poison energy with Sahon Sikma.
Yet, to call them descendants, the level of internal energy they possessed was nonsensical. To be able to withstand and push back the energy of none other than the Poison King, they had to be the actual masters from two generations ago.
“Could it be…… that the past Demonic Leaders have truly regained their youth?”
Yeon Seung-il's eyes were filled with confusion.