Tangmunjeon - Chapter 290



Only Noblemtl

Episode 290: Sparks

Shin Seung stretched out both hands behind him and pushed away the man who had approached him from behind.

The opponent dodged Shinseung’s hand and flew backwards, but he did not retreat simply. He twisted the blade and pulled out his sword.

The sword was pulled out, the wound was opened once more, and Shin Seung vomited blood with a painful expression. Gulp, gulp.

Because it happened so secretly, everyone except Namgung Myung noticed the situation a little late.

Dang Mu-jin looked straight at Shin Seung’s wounds. There were holes from his back to his stomach, and blood was flowing out.

A serious injury that is difficult to treat immediately and cannot be treated immediately. To make matters worse, it is not a situation that can be treated immediately.

Dang Mu-jin checked the face of the person who had stepped back. He saw a face he had seen briefly in the Demonic Cult.

A man with a soft and calm impression, like a man of letters or an official. He is not particularly large in stature, so he is more suited to holding a brush than a sword.

However, the sword is huge and has many small holes on its back. Whenever the wind blows, a strange sound resembling the sound of insects or mountain birds can be heard.

A man who resembled a scribe spoke while wiping the blood off his sword.

“Is this enough for Shin Seung? I think you’re Manryuk Seung. I don’t know who the rest are. Oh, you’re an old acquaintance, right? We haven’t even exchanged names, though.”

The man’s gaze turned to Dang Mu-jin. Hyun-gong quickly whispered to Dang Mu-jin.

“Do you know him?”

“The supreme master of the Demonic Cult, Kwangyeomra.”

A faint sigh was heard from somewhere.

People were secretly hopeful.

Surely that guy wasn’t a master either. He must have just gotten lucky, or maybe he got a stab at Shinseung thanks to that sword that made that strange sound. That’s what I was expecting.

However, it became certain through Dang Mujin’s story. The newly appeared person was also a warrior of the highest level. After the Ghost King, he was the second highest-level master of the Demonic Cult. Anyone who looked at it could see that it was an extremely suspicious situation.

At that moment, a faint rustling sound was heard approaching. The satisfied voice of Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang was heard.

“Didn’t I say I wouldn’t stay still?”

The bloodthirsty man was smiling like a snake.

A thought suddenly occurred to me. The furious reaction that Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang had shown when Gwangrangmun was burned down. Wasn’t that even Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang’s scheme?

To make matters worse, there were only two enemies.

A familiar aura was felt from the side. A huge wind pressure was coming down on the group.

Wan Licheng quickly straightened his posture, crossed his arms, and used his entire body to block the wind pressure that was hitting the group.

Soon the wind pressure subsided. I peeked my head out and saw, as expected, the face of a monk from the Western Region. Namgung Myung muttered.

“Even the Demon King… It seems that the Demonic Cult is involved in the Jeongsa War.”

The moment he saw the face of the Ghost King, Hyungong’s head turned desperately.

‘The opposing team has three top-tier masters: Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang, Gwangyeomra, and Gwiwang. Our team also has three top-tier masters: Shinseung, Wanryukseung, and Honggeolgae.’

‘However, we should consider Shin Seung as virtually out of power. The number of super-powered men is one less.’

‘Hong Geol-gae and Hyeol-myeon Gwang-rang are top-notch martial artists, but their martial arts skills are a bit lacking. However, their skills seem similar.’

‘Still, if I, Dang Mu-jin, Nam-gung-myeong, and Hwa-hwa-no-gae join forces, we can defeat the Ghost King. However, Gwang-yeom-ra seems to be in a close fight. We’ll have to fight him to find out for sure.’

‘···However, if I join their side, I think we can win very reliably. I can deal with Namgung Myung, and I think I can hold my own against Hong Geol Gae.’

‘If I try to join their side, will they accept me? They’ll accept me now, but will I get stabbed in the back of the head after the work is done? What will I gain and what will I lose? First of all, I’ll lose my position as the leader of the non-partisan faction. But if I’m lucky, like a chicken instead of a pheasant, I might be recognized for my worth and get a place in the Demonic Cult…’

‘No. It’s too small to even be considered a chicken. Even if it’s dangerous, the position of the leader of the non-partisan faction is much more attractive···.’

When Hyun-gong’s thoughts reached that point, Gwang-yeom-ra spoke with a smiling face.

“It’s nice to meet you. We have so many distinguished figures from all walks of life gathered in one place. However, it’s a shame that none of them will return alive.”

The moment he heard that story, Hyun-gong’s heart hardened.

Betrayal requires the premise that the other party will accept it. However, it seemed that Gwangyeomra had already decided to kill everyone.

That’s why Hyun-gong shouted loudly.

“You’re being so arrogant because you were lucky enough to succeed in an ambush! Know that today is your memorial day!”

Since all of Hyun-gong’s decisions were made in an instant, no one felt uncomfortable.

Then, Hyun-gong glanced at Shin-seung’s wounds and Dang-mu-jin’s expression.

‘It seems like he is a seriously injured person who will have a hard time surviving. If that is true, then the real power in Shaolin Temple is Wanli Sheng.’

Hyun-gong knelt on one knee in front of Shin-seung, but spoke clearly so that Wan-ryuk-seung could hear as well.

“Your Excellency, I will stake my life on that and cut off the head of that madman or something and offer it to your spirit!”

“Uh… Even just telling the story, kuluck kuluck. Thank you. Jeong-eon.”

In a situation where the person involved had not even died, the situation of talking about giving a spirit tablet to a monk was a bit subtle.

However, since the intention was clearly very good, the expressions on Shin Seung and Manryeok Seung’s faces were not too bad. It was also a story that could somehow boost morale.

However, in this situation, there was one more person who was busy thinking. Hwa Hwa No Gae.

Hwahwanogae’s mind was extremely complicated.

The thought of not wanting to betray.

Regret about the moment I accepted Kwangyeomra’s offer.

However, he judged that if he betrayed, he would be able to enjoy glory as the Ark of Openness.

I’ve already joined hands with Kwangyeomra, so I’m worried that it’s pointless to watch my conscience now.

However, Hwahwanogae was not able to organize his thoughts as quickly as Hyeon-gong.

It takes constant effort and a lot of experience for a non-expert to reach the realm of an expert.

The warriors of Sapa and the Demonic Cult approached one step at a time.

Manryuk Seung knew that he had the highest level of martial arts among the group that could fight, so he headed towards Guangyeomra, who seemed to be the strongest of his opponents.

Dang Mu-jin hesitated whether he should throw away the wheel, but then changed his mind.

Now is not the time to fight leisurely while keeping distance, so it is not a good time to use the wheel.

Then, what’s left is a fight using poison.

Dang Mu-jin raised his hand and looked at the wind.

‘The wind direction is… over there.’

The wind blew from behind Dang Mu-jin and headed in the direction where Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang was standing.

In order to use his solitude without harming his allies, Dang Mujin had to fight Bloody Face Light. This was quite fortunate for Dang Mujin. It would be much better to fight Bloody Face Light than to fight Ghost King or Light Flame alone.

Dang Mu-jin said to his friends.

“Back off. I’ll deal with the bloodthirsty demon.”

“Is it possible?”

“We should try. At least it won’t collapse right away.”

Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang smiled as if he found Dang Mujin’s story funny.

“Are you so arrogant because you got lucky once? You don’t know your place.”

Although it is said that the Bloody Face Light is inferior to the ultimate masters in terms of skill, it cannot be compared to the ultimate Naburangi.

At that moment, the wind blew. Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang thought that a strange scent had enveloped him.

For a moment I held my breath, thinking it might be poison, but the scent I inhaled was not toxic.

“What was that just now?”

“Have you ever heard of bloodthirsty insects?”

When Dang Mu-jin took a wide container out of his bosom and opened the lid, hundreds of insects smaller than a grain of rice crawled out and spread their wings.

The flies did not scatter far away, but hovered around the bloody face. They were responding to the fragrance that Dang Mu-jin had sprayed.

The bloodthirsty wolf snorted.

“Ha! Is believing in something as simple as poison?”

“No way.”

Dang Mu-jin drew his sword. Even if it was a sword that had been put down once, it must be used when the moment of need comes.

And then he lightly placed his finger on the blade. His fingertips were slightly cut, and blood and poison flowed out, wetting the blade.

Dang Mu-jin muttered.

“I hate authors like you who kill innocent people. I hate seeing patients I treated die. I hate seeing doctors I taught medicine die even more. But what’s even more unpleasant is that you, who committed such acts, used me as an excuse. What a coward.”

Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang thought as he let Dang Mujin’s story go in one ear and out the other.

Even if you put poison on your sword, it won’t cut you, and if you move quickly, you can easily shake off poisonous insects.

However, after a while, Hyeomyeon Gwangrang realized that the air surrounding him was filled with a strong poison. Unlike the scent from before, this poison was colorless and odorless. However, it was a strong paralyzing poison that made his hands and feet go numb in an instant.

The expression on Hyeomyeon Gwangrang’s face became serious.

‘There was no sign of poisoning. How did you do it?’

Dang Mu-jin still stands still. However, the poisonous aura shows no sign of abating.

‘···No way. Is it possible to naturally contain poison in your breath?’

A martial artist is like a rock. The higher his martial arts skills, the more solid and hardened he becomes.

However, Dang Mu-jin felt a little different. Perhaps because of the poisonous aura that seeped in gently, Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang thought that Dang Mu-jin resembled fog.

A single fog cannot take a person’s breath away in an instant. However, fog has a way of enveloping its target without any way to escape.

That’s why Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang felt a clear sense of foreboding. He had a gut feeling that even if he won, he wouldn’t be able to win in good health.

Just as Yoo Jin-gwang declared death to Tae-ui-geom-mun-ju at Mt. Mu-dang, Dang Mu-jin also declared death to Hyeol-myeon-gwang-rang.

“You will die in this forest.”

*

Kwangyeomra looked at the enemy standing before him.

Wanli Seung, and the person to his left is Hwahwano Gae.

Hwahwanogae just happened to be standing there, but Gwangyeomra understood the situation differently.

‘Are you standing next to Manryukseung, the best in the group, to act when my orders are given? That Hwahwanogae guy, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to pay you back, but he’s more cooperative than I thought···.’

Indeed, this situation may have been decided the moment the secret agreement was made and evidence was left behind.

Gwangyeomra raised his sword and approached Manryukseung and Hwahwanogae, then slowly raised his sword.

The dance of the Mad Old Man’s Dokmun Martial Arts. The dance of the Mad Old Man’s Dance simultaneously cornered Manryuk Seung and Hwahwa Nogae. Even though Hwahwa Nogae had not yet betrayed, Manryuk Seung and Hwahwa Nogae were pushed into a corner.

However, it would take some time to break through Manryukseung’s defenses.

In order to end the fight early, Gwangyeomra decided to use Hwahwanogae once.

The sword of Kwangyeomra swung horizontally, going from left to right.

At first glance, it seemed like an attack aimed at Hwahwanogae, but in reality, it was a sword aimed at Manryukseung’s weak point with Hwahwanogae’s betrayal in mind.

Gwangyeomra sent a telegram to Hwahwanogae.

– Now is the time. Step back!

However, Hwahwanogae was startled and clumsily blocked Gwangyeomra’s sword.

‘···what?’

Gwangyeomra continued his sword dance without being too flustered and thought.

‘Did you habitually defend yourself by sending the signal too late?’

Gwangyeomra continued his sword dance naturally, and sent a message a little early.

– Next time, don’t block the horizontal attack and retreat.

But this time, Hwahwanogae clumsily extended his sword and twisted the path of Gwangyeomra’s sword. Gwangyeomra frowned.

Gwangyeomra looked into Hwahwanogae’s eyes. Hwahwanogae’s eyes were filled with deep confusion.

Even the light of day became confused for a moment.

‘···What is this kid?’

But the situation was simpler than expected.

Hwahwanogae knew that this fight was unfavorable, and that betraying would save his life.

There is only one problem. Hwahwanogae is not cowardly enough.

If he had lived a cowardly life up until now, then it wouldn’t be a problem, but there weren’t many parts of Hwa Hwa No Gae’s life that could be called cowardly.

He had been somewhat conscientious throughout his life, but after a brief period of hesitation, he ended up accepting the offer from Gwangyeomra. He even regretted accepting the offer from Gwangyeomra more than once.

Because of such foolishness, Hwahwanogae was unable to cleanly betray him and ended up defending against the sword of Gwangyeomra.

But still, Hwahwanogae was not sure of himself. He did not know whether to defend against the next sword attack or to dodge and let Wanli Seung die.

Rather, Gwangyeomra made a quick decision.

‘You don’t want to betray me? It doesn’t matter. If you can’t use it on time, just use it in any way possible.’

It would be enough to divide the opponent by using the fireball.

Kwangyeomra shouted while swinging his sword.

“Hwahwanogae. Come closer to us!”

Hwahwanogae answered with great bewilderment.

“Me, why me?”

“You’ve already made a secret pact, so why are you pretending not to know? Quick!”

“When did I!”

“Are you denying it even though you have ink on your own palm?”

For a moment, everyone’s eyes turned to Gwangyeomra. Gwangyeomra quickly took out a scroll from his bosom and threw it high into the sky. The scroll unraveled and flew into the sky.

The contents of the scroll were unreadable, but the scroll that Gwangyeomra took out clearly had a palm print on it. It was not known whether that palm was Hwahwanogae’s palm.

Kwangyeomra shouted again.

“Didn’t you say that if I helped you become an elder, you would join us? I didn’t stop at being an elder, I even gave you a seat on the ark. I even killed Geulseon. Now it’s your turn to do your part!”

Regardless of whether there will be a betrayal in the future, the situation becomes more serious if Geulseon’s death is involved.

Hwahwanogae instinctively denied it.

“That’s not my palm!”

“Really? I’ll leave that scroll behind, so you can try matching it with your palm later! Haha!”

A scroll with a palm print was spread out and spread out. Anyone who saw it could see that Gwangyeomra’s claim was supported.

Hwahwanogae noticed that Manryukseung, who was standing next to him, was secretly distancing himself from her. If he continued like this, he would be abandoned by the Jeongpa Murim and even by Gwangyeomra.

‘Should I join Gwangyeomra even now?’

At that moment, Hong Geol-gae jumped out and performed a martial art.

“A flying dragon in the sky!”

It wasn’t the messy Hangryongsippaljang that Hwahwanogae had seen so far. Anyone who saw it could tell. That air-shaking technique wasn’t something that a mere martial artist at the peak of his power could show.

‘The ultimate expert!’

Contrary to his previous pledges, Hong Geol-gae couldn’t even make a proper fuss. He didn’t have the luxury of doing so.

Hong Geol-gae shouted at Hwa-hwa-no-gae.

“Hwa Hwa No Gae! Is what Gwangyeomra said true?”

“No, no!”

“Be honest with me!”

Hong Geol-gae’s cry was not a simple accusation or reprimand.

Literally, I’m asking you to tell me the truth.

The momentum of the ultimate master seems to shake my heart.

The regrets and fears that Hwahwanogae had harbored until now were gradually released.

Even the faint anticipation in Hong Geol-gae’s voice can be felt.

Hwahwanogae shouted.

“It’s true that I made a secret pact with the aim of becoming an elder! However, the elders retired on their own and I became an elder myself! My becoming an elder had nothing to do with that guy!”

Actually, I have yet to hear of any of the elders of the previous generation dying. It is a claim that seems somewhat credible.

Hong Geol-gae asked again.

“The girl is!”

“I swear that Geulseon’s death had nothing to do with me! I never even dreamed of a seat on the ark!”

This time there is no evidence to back it up. Geulseon is already dead, and the dead don’t speak.

That’s why Hwahwanogae didn’t expect Honggeolgae to believe her story. All that was left was her statement. There were no doubts that had been resolved.

However, the reaction of Dang Mu-jin and his party was different. Dang Mu-jin, Hong Geol-gae, and Namgung Myeong. The three of them glanced at Hyeon-gong.

Hyun-gong answered in a serious voice.

“···It’s definitely true.”

A verdict from the world’s greatest expert in betrayal and collusion.

Just as a master of the highest order can see through the tricks of a third-rate warrior, Hyun-gong can easily see through the tricks of others.

And in Hyun-gong’s view, Hwa-hwa-no-gae’s story was clearly true.

Dang Mu-jin and his party completely shook off their suspicions and trusted Hwa Hwa-no-gae, entrusting him with their backs. Since they had decided that he was an ally, there was no reason to hesitate.

However, Hwahwanogae did not know exactly what kind of man Hyeon-gong was, so she took Hyeon-gong’s story differently.

‘You ignored the evidence and plausible circumstances that the Light Flame brought in, and believed my one word? In a situation where your life was on the line?’

Tears welled up from Hwa Hwa No Gae’s wrinkled eyes.

Has anyone ever believed in you like that in your entire life?

Hwahwanogae shouted in a loud voice.

“I, the Ark of Openness, Hwahwanogae! I will risk my life to open a way out for my students!”