Chapter 140

All the monks of the Small Thunder Sound Temple knew that Dogong’s residence was beneath the Ten Thousand Dharma Hall. However, those who had personally entered Dogong’s residence were few enough to be counted on one hand.

This was because Dogong handled poisons, and if one were poisoned by him, their life would be in danger, no matter how much of an Internal Energy Expert they were.

Because of this, Dogong’s residence had at some point come to be treated as something of a Forbidden Ground in the Small Thunder Sound Temple, and almost no one knew its internal structure.

The same was true for the Blood Buddha.

Although he was the Jijon of the Small Thunder Sound Temple, he had no reason to come all the way to Dogong’s residence. If he needed something, he could just summon Dogong. So, today was the first time the Blood Buddha had ever entered Dogong’s residence.

The first thought that came to his mind the moment he entered Dogong’s residence in pursuit of Pyo Wol was that it was ridiculously vast.

He had only just now realized that such a huge cavern existed beneath the Small Thunder Sound Temple. But he had no time to admire it leisurely.

Now was the time to catch Pyo Wol.

Dozens of monks had already lost their lives to Pyo Wol and the wolves. If he was allowed to run rampant any longer, it was hard to even fathom how great the damage would become.

“Kill him!”

“We must catch him.”

The Mara Blood Monks chased Pyo Wol with bloodshot eyes.

The fury of the Mara Blood Monks, who had already lost dozens of their comrades, pierced the heavens. Their minds were filled with nothing but the thought of catching and killing that cowardly Assassin.

Anger makes people blind, and blindness narrows one’s vision.

That was the state of the Mara Blood Monks right now.

Their vision held only Pyo Wol.

Sshht!

Ghostly Rain was launched from Pyo Wol’s waist.

The Mara Blood Monks chasing him flinched for a moment. They thought they were the targets. But contrary to their expectations, the place where the Ghostly Rain flew was the ceiling of the underground cavern.

A dozen or so small pouches were hanging from the ceiling.

Pow!

The Ghostly Rain pierced through the dozen pouches in a single breath.

The pouches of unknown purpose burst, and a fine powder covered the inside of the underground cavern.

Pyo Wol sent a Telepathy message to Soma and the children.

—Hold your breath and cover yourselves with the blankets.

There were blankets in the underground cavern that Dogong and his disciples used.

Soma and the children did not ask why and acted as Pyo Wol instructed.

Pshhh!

At that moment, the powder sprinkled from the leather pouches settled on the floor.

The Mara Blood Monks and other monks who were rushing toward Pyo Wol were covered in the powder.

“Kuaargh!”

“Hup!”

At that moment, screams erupted from among the monks.

Dark red blood flowed from the Seven Orifices of the monks who were covered in or had inhaled the powder.

“It’s poison.”

“Everyone, hold your breath!”

The Blood Thunder Ten Monks shouted belatedly, but by then it was already too late.

Many monks were writhing in agony, having been poisoned.

A considerable number of them died before they could even take three or four steps.

The powder they had inhaled was the Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Acid created by Dogong.

The terrifyingly potent poison, said to kill before one could take seven steps, was taking the lives of the Small Thunder Sound Temple monks.

“Save me!”

“Uwaack!”

“Please…”

The screams of the monks echoed in the underground cavern.

It was all the more fatal because they had inhaled the Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Acid while defenseless. The vicious Poison Qi instantly melted their internal organs and took their lives.

“How could this be!”

The Blood Buddha’s eyes widened at the gruesome sight he could not bear to watch.

Everything he had was collapsing before his eyes.

The monks who had led the Small Thunder Sound Temple until now, and even the pillars who would lead it in the future, were all poisoned by the Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Acid and writhing in agony.

The tragedy was not yet over.

Swwaeeek!

Sounds of something cutting through the darkness erupted from all over.

“Uwaack!”

“Keuk!”

The monks who had barely avoided the Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Acid and were catching their breath collapsed with screams.

“Hidden Weapons.”

“He’s throwing Hidden Weapons.”

Sharp Hidden Weapons were embedded in the bodies of the dead monks.

Pyo Wol had not thrown them himself.

He had launched them using Mechanisms made from the objects in Dogong’s residence.

There was no need to make them complex or elaborate.

The darkness and extreme chaos were obscuring the Mechanisms’ locations from the monks.

The Blood Buddha, enraged, jumped into the center of the battlefield.

The Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Acid was still swirling about. But before the Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Acid could even touch the Blood Buddha’s entire body, it all burned away and vanished.

A red Dragon made of Heavenly Dragon Layered Supreme Gang was swirling around the Blood Buddha’s entire body. The Gang Qi in the shape of a red Dragon was burning away all the Poison Qi.

The Blood Buddha’s sleeves swelled greatly.

“Huuup!”

He swung both his hands wildly. A powerful current of air rose and gathered everything around him.

Esoteric Grand Mudra, Reverse Wheel Fire.

Hwiruru!

The Poison Qi of the Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Acid that had thickly spread throughout the underground cavern was drawn to him along with the current of air.

Thick beads of sweat formed on the Blood Buddha’s forehead.

No matter how much his Martial Arts had reached the realm of heaven and man, it was not an easy task to gather all the Poison Qi spread throughout the entire underground cavern. But he had to do it.

Even at this very moment, his disciples were collapsing, spilling blood.

If he was late in gathering the Poison Qi, the damage would grow that much greater.

No matter how much the Blood Buddha reigned over Tibet as the personification of terror, he could not just stand by and watch the disciples of the Small Thunder Sound Temple die.

The Blood Thunder Ten Monks also moved to save even one more disciple.

“Chaat!”

“Evacuate this way.”

Some pushed away the Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Acid with their palm force, while others figured out the areas the Poison Qi had not reached and evacuated the disciples.

At that moment, Soma and the children, who had avoided the Poison Qi by covering themselves with blankets, began to move.

“I’ll kill you!”

Giiing!

Soma threw the seven wheels that were hanging around his neck, and Guian and Eun-yo held their breath and launched a surprise attack.

“Uwaack!”

“Keuk!”

The seven wheels thrown by Soma instantly took the lives of the monks.

The seven wheels were artifacts called the Seven Deadly Wheels. They were Demonic Soldiers used by a high monk of the Small Thunder Sound Temple long ago. However, they were so difficult to use that no one used them, and they had been almost forgotten until Mok Won gave them to Soma.

The Demonic Soldiers that were supposed to be used for the Small Thunder Sound Temple were now tearing the monks to shreds.

“I’ll kill them all. All of them…”

The innocent smile was no longer on Soma’s face.

His usual bright smile was nothing more than a mask to hide his pain.

Ever since being abducted to this place, there had not been a single moment when Soma was not in pain. If he wasn’t physically abused, he was mentally abused.

Mok Won committed numerous sadistic acts on Soma and the children that no human should. Because of that, Soma and the children’s minds became devastated.

Mok Won’s act of making the children fight each other and killing the parents of the losing children had stripped Soma of even his last remaining humanity.

Soma still vividly remembered the moment he cut off his father’s arm. Although he had deliberately cut off the arm to save his father, the memory of that time remained a hellish pain for him.

He had resolved himself after that.

He would take revenge on the Small Thunder Sound Temple, no matter what it took.

It was the same for Eun-yo and Guian.

They didn’t care what happened to their own lives.

What moved them was a thirst for revenge against the Small Thunder Sound Temple, not any lingering attachment to life.

They could throw away their own lives if it meant they could have their revenge.

“These crazy bastards!”

“How dare you bite the master who raised you?”

The monks who had barely avoided the Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Acid rushed at the children. The children did not avoid them and fought back.

Dying, and killing…

A scene from the hell of Asura unfolded.

The Blood Buddha’s eyes blazed upon seeing the sight. But he could not move right now. This was because the Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Acid was condensing between his palms.

Hwiruru!

The Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Acid became a round sphere and spun between his two palms.

The Blood Buddha raised his Internal Power even further. Then, the Samadhi True Fire ignited and transferred to the sphere spinning between his palms.

Fire was the nemesis of poison.

No matter how vicious the Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Acid was, it could not withstand the Samadhi True Fire, which was like the conflagration of hell.

The Samadhi True Fire instantly burned away all the Poison Qi of the Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Acid. But the Blood Buddha had no time to catch his breath.

Even at this very moment, his Subordinates were dying.

“Keuk!”

The Blood Buddha, who was about to move, let out an involuntary groan.

Something was tightly squeezing his neck.

‘Silver Thread?’

Taking advantage of the extreme chaos, Pyo Wol had thrown a noose around the Blood Buddha’s neck.

Countless people had lost their lives in this way until now. But the Blood Buddha was different from any Martial Artist Pyo Wol had faced so far.

Tududuk!

The Blood Buddha grabbed the Silver Thread with both hands and snapped it.

The Silver Thread, which could cut through human flesh and bone, could not even leave a single scratch on the hands of the Blood Buddha, who operated the Esoteric Grand Mudra. But Pyo Wol was not flustered or disappointed.

This level of reaction was within his expectations.

Ssshiit!

Ghostly Rain was launched.

It was the Ghostly Rain that had taken countless lives until now. But the Blood Buddha once again deployed the Heavenly Dragon Layered Supreme Gang and blocked his front.

Tatatung!

The Ghostly Rain was blocked by an invisible wall and fell.

“Are you done with your petty tricks?”

The Blood Buddha let out a roar and launched himself toward Pyo Wol.

He threw his right fist.

A distinct red light lingered on his fist, like a meteor streaking across the night sky.

It was Fist Gang.

The Heavenly Dragon Layered Supreme Gang was the most powerful Gang Qi Art in All Under Heaven. Once one mastered the Heavenly Dragon Layered Supreme Gang, one could use Gang Qi as freely as breathing.

Kwaang!

The space where Pyo Wol had been hiding was destroyed. But Pyo Wol was not there. He had moved with Black Lightning the moment he saw signs of the Fist Gang manifesting.

The dark underground cavern provided the optimal conditions for deploying Black Lightning.

Ghostly Rain was already in both of Pyo Wol’s hands.

Sshht!

The Ghostly Rain, with Soul Restraining Thread attached, aimed for the Blood Buddha’s vital points.

“Such petty tricks don’t work on me.”

The Blood Buddha continuously unleashed the Ultimate Techniques of the Heavenly Dragon Layered Supreme Gang.

Tadang!

The Ghostly Rain was deflected. But the Soul Restraining Thread skillfully manipulated the Ghostly Rain to attack again.

The Ghostly Rain danced.

The Blood Buddha could no longer advance and had to swing his arms to block the Ghostly Rain.

“How dare you!”

The Blood Buddha raised his Internal Power to its peak. The Gang Qi swirling around his body became even more intense.

Pasusu!

The Ghostly Rain could not withstand it and crumbled into dust. However, the Soul Restraining Thread that had been attached to the Ghostly Rain was unharmed.

Shwaaat!

The Soul Restraining Thread coiled around the Blood Buddha like a thread-thin snake.

Teong!

At that moment, the Heavenly Dragon Layered Supreme Gang deflected the Soul Restraining Thread.

In front of the immensely powerful Gang Qi Art, the Soul Restraining Thread was rendered powerless.

“I will tear you limb from limb!”

The Blood Buddha, judging that Pyo Wol was disarmed, used the Heavenly Dragon Flight Lightness Art to close the distance in an instant.

As if a heavenly Dragon were taking flight, the Blood Buddha’s movements were incomparably fluid. To counter him, Pyo Wol deployed the Serpentine Steps.

It was like a fight between a Dragon and a snake.

Anyone could see that Pyo Wol was at a disadvantage.

In reality, the Blood Buddha was overwhelming the battle.

Kwakwang!

Every time the Blood Buddha waved his hand, an explosion erupted, and the area was destroyed.

The Blood Buddha’s eyes gleamed.

He thought he had seized victory.

‘If I push just a little more, I can catch him.’

Shwaak!

The Gang Qi he launched missed Pyo Wol by a hair’s breadth.

‘Just a little more…’

The Blood Buddha corrected his trajectory and shot his Gang Qi. But this time too, it missed narrowly.

‘More…’

The Blood Buddha shot his Gang Qi once more.

Kwang!

The spot where Pyo Wol had been exploded again. But Pyo Wol had once again dodged by a hair’s breadth.

“You rat-like bastard! How long are you going to keep dodging?”

The Blood Buddha let out a roar.

Pyo Wol did not answer.

Instead, he silently looked at the Blood Buddha.

That appearance infuriated the Blood Buddha even more.

“You bastard!”

The Blood Buddha attacked Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol dodged his attack again.

A battle is not necessarily decided only by exchanging Technique Forms.

By gradually exposing openings, you make the enemy fall under the illusion that they can win if they just get a little closer.

‘If I just take one more step.’

‘If I just reach out a little further.’

‘I can win.’

‘I just need to put in more power.’

You induce the enemy to move beyond their limits, and in the end, make them fall into an inescapable antlion pit.

Hungry Ghost Path, Devil’s Hell.

The Blood Buddha was unknowingly falling into the swamp of hell that Pyo Wol had created.