Chapter 281

Jang Muryang stared at the battlefield with cold eyes.

Countless arrows were stuck in the ground where Pyo Wol and Black Tiger had been standing. It looked just like a hedgehog with its quills raised.

These were not ordinary arrows with just an arrowhead attached to a wooden shaft.

They were special arrows made entirely of solid iron, from the tip to the shaft. Naturally, their power was far greater than that of a normal bow.

They boasted a terrifying piercing power that no ordinary Expert would even dare to try and deflect.

On top of that was the incredible archery skill of the Black Cloud Corps.

No matter how great an Expert in All Under Heaven, they would be helpless against such a volley of arrows.

Jang Muryang raised his hand. The Black Cloud Corps cautiously advanced, spears in hand.

The Black Cloud Corps had already fought Pyo Wol once before.

They had experienced just how formidable his Martial Arts were. And how much power he could unleash when he moved freely.

The memory of that time was still fresh, so they did not let their guard down for a single moment.

Rustle!

Just then, something rose from the ground, which was densely packed with arrows.

The figure with arrows stuck in his back as densely as a hedgehog’s quills was none other than Black Tiger. Black Tiger was already dead.

Beneath Black Tiger’s body was Pyo Wol.

When the volley of arrows had been fired, Pyo Wol had used Black Tiger as a shield and taken cover. Black Tiger’s corpse was mangled, but thanks to him, Pyo Wol had been able to survive the rain of arrows unscathed.

Thud!

Pyo Wol pushed Black Tiger’s body away and looked at Jang Muryang.

Just then, Jang Muryang opened his mouth.

“Black Cloud Corps. Hunt the Reaper.”

The Black Cloud Corps charged toward Pyo Wol in unison.

They did not let out any common battle cries or shouts.

Such acts were usually meant to intimidate the opponent or break their spirit, but they had already realized that it wouldn’t work on Pyo Wol.

To hunt someone like Pyo Wol, they had to attack with all their might rather than engage in such formalities.

The Black Cloud Corps was filled with malice, having lost so many of their comrades.

They attacked Pyo Wol with all their strength.

Pyo Wol ran, evading their attacks, and the Black Cloud Corps gave chase.

A Martial Artist from the Black Cloud Corps threw his spear.

The spear was aimed precisely at Pyo Wol’s back. But Pyo Wol, as if he had eyes on his back, slightly changed his direction and dodged the incoming spear.

The spear struck a crumbling Thatched Hut instead.

Kwaang!

“Aack!”

“Keuk!”

With a loud explosion, the Thatched Hut collapsed completely, and screams erupted from within.

For the people of the slums, it was a disaster out of the blue.

The silence of the night was broken, and the screams of the poor echoed in the night sky.

The Black Cloud Corps completely ignored their mournful cries and pursued Pyo Wol. In the process, the slums were thoroughly destroyed.

Jang Muryang shouted.

“Don’t give him any room to escape. If we lose him, the repercussions will be endless, so we must end this here today.”

His eyes were bloodshot.

His grand dream of establishing the Black Cloud Corps as a proper Sect had been shattered by Pyo Wol.

Not only had he already lost a great deal of his forces, but his reliable supporters, Daoshi Go and Heo Ranju, had also lost their lives.

The deaths of Daoshi Go and Heo Ranju had snapped the thread of Jang Muryang’s reason.

Blinded by rage, Jang Muryang could see nothing else.

All he could see was Pyo Wol’s back, and the single thought that he must be killed.

After getting entangled with Pyo Wol, the Black Cloud Corps had suffered one downfall after another.

Now he seemed to understand for sure.

Pyo Wol was their natural enemy, sent by the heavens.

As long as they lived under the same sky as him, there was no tomorrow for the Black Cloud Corps.

No matter the sacrifice, Pyo Wol had to be killed.

Rebuilding the Black Cloud Corps was a matter for later.

The other Martial Artists of the Black Cloud Corps shared Jang Muryang’s thoughts.

As if possessed, they chased after Pyo Wol.

Kwa-kwa-kwa!

Wherever they sprinted, Thatched Huts collapsed and new paths were forged.

The screams of the slum dwellers, struck by disaster in the middle of the night, echoed to the heavens, but Jang Muryang and the Black Cloud Corps paid them no mind and chased Pyo Wol. The place they arrived at was the swamp that Pyo Wol had made his hiding place.

The moment he arrived at the swamp, Jang Muryang had an ominous feeling.

For some reason, he felt that this place was a battlefield prepared by Pyo Wol. But Jang Muryang tried hard to deny his own thoughts.

‘It’s impossible to prepare a hiding place in such a short time. He must have just happened to escape here by chance.’

It was then.

Pyo Wol, who had been fleeing so hard, disappeared from his sight.

Instead, screams rang out.

“Keuk!”

“Keoheok!”

He didn’t need to see it with his own eyes to know.

The ones screaming were his own Subordinates.

Pyo Wol had activated the traps he had set up around the swamp.

Many lost their lives as the ground they stepped on gave way, impaling them on bamboo spears set at the bottom, and countless others fell to Hidden Weapons.

The traps were simple, but their power was not to be taken lightly.

The traps Pyo Wol had set were truly lethal.

“Come out! You bastard.”

“You filthy Assassin!”

What drove the Black Cloud Corps even crazier was that even as they fell for the traps, they couldn’t see a single hair of Pyo Wol.

He didn’t know where he was hiding, but Pyo Wol was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, the number of victims from the traps was rapidly increasing.

“Don’t tell me he’s hiding in the swamp?”

“Damn it!”

A few quick-witted ones thought that Pyo Wol might be hiding in the foul-smelling swamp. But they didn’t dare to enter it.

The stench and Poison Qi were so severe that just getting close to the swamp made them dizzy.

Of course, by circulating their Internal Energy, they could block the invasion of the Poison Qi to some extent, but that would only last for about half a quarter-hour at most. It was difficult to endure any longer.

Just then, Jang Muryang shouted.

“Stab it with your spears.”

“Yes!”

With the reply, the Black Cloud Corps began thrusting their spears into the swamp.

Dozens of spears stabbed into the swamp all at once.

Shuu!

Just then, the Soul Restraining Thread shot out and wrapped around the neck of a Martial Artist who was stabbing with his spear.

“Keuk!”

The Soul Restraining Thread pulled the Martial Artist straight into the swamp.

“Quick, grab him!”

“Jong-u!”

The Martial Artists nearby grabbed the man entangled in the Soul Restraining Thread. But before they could even exert their strength, the Soul Restraining Thread dragged the man into the swamp with terrifying force.

“Help me!”

The Martial Artist who had fallen into the swamp thrashed and shouted.

“Hurry and save him!”

“Damn it!”

The Martial Artists took off their armor and jumped into the swamp.

“No!”

Jang Muryang shouted, but it was no use.

Many had already jumped into the swamp to save their comrade.

“Kuaack!”

“Keok!”

In that moment, the hellscape they had expected unfolded.

From within the swamp, Pyo Wol began to mercilessly attack the Martial Artists of the Black Cloud Corps.

The Soul Restraining Thread, like a snake, cut through the swamp and snuffed out the lives of the Martial Artists.

The smell of blood was added to the swamp, which was already filled with a foul stench.

Those who had jumped into the swamp to save their comrades stabbed wildly around them with their spears, but they could not stop Pyo Wol’s attacks.

Pyo Wol swam through the swamp like a crocodile.

Once he caught his prey, he would drag it into the swamp and end its life. The spears the Martial Artists thrust did not even graze his body.

To the Martial Artists of the Black Cloud Corps, the swamp was an obstacle that blocked their vision and hindered their movements, but Pyo Wol, on the contrary, could sense the movements in the swamp with his skin and predict their movements.

Furthermore, the Martial Artists of the Black Cloud Corps could not exert their full strength due to the swamp’s Poison Qi, but the fact that Pyo Wol was completely unaffected made a huge difference.

This level of Poison Qi could not have any adverse effect on Pyo Wol.

Pyu-pyu-pyuk!

The Martial Artists whose foreheads were pierced by the Soul Restraining Thread collapsed without even being able to scream.

The corpses of the Martial Artists sank to the bottom of the swamp.

Their bodies would never float to the surface.

“You! Son of a bitch.”

Jang Muryang could no longer hold back and exploded in anger.

He threw off the armor he wore as if it were his life and leaped into the air.

Reaching the highest point, he gathered his Internal Power into his spear and plunged straight down into the swamp.

Kwa-aaaang!

With a deafening roar, the filth of the swamp splattered in all directions, and for a moment, the bottom was revealed.

At that moment, Pyo Wol, who had been crouching on the bottom, shot out at a terrifying speed.

Sssiit! Sssit!

The Ghostly Rain was fired continuously.

Jang Muryang swung his spear and deflected all the Ghostly Rain flying in from different trajectories. But the Soul Restraining Thread was attached to the Ghostly Rain.

With just a flick of Pyo Wol’s fingertips, the Soul Restraining Thread changed the trajectory of the Ghostly Rain.

Sssiiit!

Ten Ghostly Rain daggers drew different trajectories, aiming for Jang Muryang’s vital points.

“Unit Leader!”

“Attack him.”

The Martial Artists of the Black Cloud Corps jumped into the swamp to help Jang Muryang.

They unleashed their Special Techniques towards the revealed Pyo Wol.

Kwa-kwa-kwa!

As if a storm was raging, the swamp churned violently, and a formidable Qi was blasted at Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol’s figure looked as precarious as a leaf scattered in a storm. But Pyo Wol did not lose his concentration even in the midst of numerous concentrated attacks.

He unleashed Black Lightning to heighten his reaction speed to its peak.

Not only his physical reaction speed, but his speed of thought also increased by a breakthrough.

His vastly increased intellect calculated the shortest path to Jang Muryang.

Pyo Wol threw one Ghostly Rain dagger to the side.

The target was a young Martial Artist who still had a baby face.

The way his hands gripped the spear tightly showed he had no peace of mind. It meant he had little experience.

Shwaak!

The young Martial Artist’s neck was slit.

A middle-aged Martial Artist nearby screamed at the sight of the young Martial Artist collapsing, spewing blood.

He seemed to be shouting something, but it was inaudible.

He was probably calling his name.

He hooked his ankle with the Soul Restraining Thread.

Enraged by the young Martial Artist’s death, his senses were dulled, and he failed to guard against the Soul Restraining Thread.

He flung the man he had hooked with all his might.

Kwa-kwa-kwang!

The middle-aged Martial Artist took the brunt of the attacks that had been pouring down on Pyo Wol.

There was no scream.

His body was torn to shreds by the tremendously powerful attacks.

The Black Cloud Corps screamed as they saw their comrade die by their own attacks. Their ironclad formation broke, and the shortest path to Jang Muryang opened up.

It was a path Pyo Wol had foreseen with Heart Speed.

Pyo Wol threw himself down that path that others could not see.

“You!”

Jang Muryang threw his spear at Pyo Wol.

The spear became a meteor, aiming for Pyo Wol’s heart.

Puhwak!

The meteor pierced straight through Pyo Wol.

“I got him!”

Joy spread across Jang Muryang’s face.

He had finally defeated that demon with his own hands.

But the joy on his face did not last long.

Tss-tss-tss!

The image of Pyo Wol, pierced by the spear, vanished like a Mirage.

The spear that had pierced his body fell powerlessly into the swamp.

“This… Body-Shifting Technique?”

Only then did Jang Muryang realize that what his spear had pierced was not Pyo Wol, but an afterimage he had created.

He had moved so fast that an afterimage remained, looking real.

Jang Muryang hurriedly looked around for Pyo Wol. At that moment, he felt a cold sensation on his neck.

It was the Flying Dagger, Ghostly Rain, the size of a child’s palm.

Pyo Wol had somehow gotten behind him and was about to slit his throat with the Ghostly Rain.

“You demonic bastard! You…”

Ssk!

At that moment, Pyo Wol slit his throat.

A red line of blood appeared on Jang Muryang’s neck.

“Unit Leader!”

“No!”

The Martial Artists of the Black Cloud Corps screamed and rushed over. But by then, Jang Muryang’s throat had already gaped open like a fish’s gill.

Jang Muryang gathered his last strength to utter a curse.

“You, you won’t have a good end either…”

Peok!

But Pyo Wol had no intention of hearing him out. He pulled back and kicked Jang Muryang.

Splash!

Jang Muryang fell into the swamp.

The swamp that swallowed his body never spat him out again.