Chapter 84

A net that covers both heaven and earth, an inescapable boundary or unavoidable calamity no matter how much one struggles, is called a Celestial Net.

Seven years ago, Pyo Wol and the assassins were trapped in the Celestial Net cast by the martial artists of Sichuan Province and were mercilessly hunted.

They ran this way and that to escape the ever-tightening encirclement of the martial artists, but in the end, they met a gruesome death.

At that time, the martial artists who participated in the Celestial Net slaughtered the children as if enjoying a light amusement.

Thus, the children who had struggled to survive in the darkness for a full seven years ended their lives without seeing much of the world’s light.

A significant number of the martial artists who followed Pyo Wol into the Tang Clan’s estate had participated in the Celestial Net back then.

It was by no means a coincidence.

A person’s disposition does not change easily, and those who had participated in the Celestial Net back then came to Chengdu to taste a similar pleasure.

Although seven years had already passed, Pyo Wol remembered the faces of all the people he had encountered, all those he had brushed past.

Among the people who entered the Tang Clan’s estate, he saw the faces of those who had participated in the Celestial Net.

Pyo Wol remembered them clearly, but they, in turn, did not recognize Pyo Wol at all.

Pyo Wol thought it didn’t matter.

Because from now on, he would make it so they could never forget.

Because he would make them recall the memories of seven years ago.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

A hot-tempered martial artist stepped forward with great vigor.

The martial artist, named O Ju-gyeong, was a renowned martial artist in the Xichang region of southern Sichuan Province. But even so, his fame was limited to the Xichang area; in the context of the entire Sichuan Province, he was nothing more than an insignificant minnow. Thus, he always harbored the ambition to make his name known throughout all of Sichuan Province.

O Ju-gyeong thought this was a good opportunity. That was why he had stepped forward so boldly while others hesitated with unease.

The gazes of numerous people focused on him.

O Ju-gyeong, full of spirit, shouted loudly.

“This O Ju-gyeong will take your head.”

He drew his beloved saber and rushed toward Pyo Wol.

If he took Pyo Wol’s life, it was only a matter of time before his fame would spread throughout Sichuan Province. He had to be the first to take his head before the other martial artists could.

O Ju-gyeong used his Lightness Art with all his might. But he had to stop before he had even taken ten steps.

Swish!

Because a chilling sound of something cutting through the air rang out.

“A Hidden Weapon?”

O Ju-gyeong hurriedly swung his saber to block his front.

Clang!

With a metallic sound, the Hidden Weapon was blocked by the saber and fell to the ground. His fighting spirit rising, O Ju-gyeong shouted at Pyo Wol.

“How dar—”

But his words were not finished.

Because three more Hidden Weapons came flying.

He barely managed to block the first one, but the second one pierced his shoulder, and the last, third one, embedded itself deep in his abdomen.

“Keuk!”

In the end, O Ju-gyeong collapsed without even getting close to Pyo Wol.

Sprawled on the ground, he could not move again.

He was dead.

Seeing this, a look of fear appeared on the faces of the heroes.

It wasn’t simply because O Ju-gyeong had lost his life to a Hidden Weapon.

It was because the place where he died was the Tang Clan’s estate.

In Sichuan Province, the Tang Clan’s estate held a special meaning.

The home of the Tang Clan, which had instilled fear throughout the entire Jianghu with its poisons and Hidden Weapons, was none other than the Tang Clan’s estate.

A fundamental fear of what kind of Hidden Weapons and deadly poisons might be hidden within the Tang Clan’s estate was ingrained in people’s psyche.

For that reason, even after the Tang Clan was annihilated, people avoided visiting the Tang Clan’s estate if possible.

In such a situation, when O Ju-gyeong died from a Hidden Weapon, people’s fear grew even greater.

They thought Pyo Wol might have revived the Tang Clan’s Mechanisms that had been dormant in the estate.

Their guess was half right and half wrong.

There were no Mechanisms or Hidden Weapons in the Tang Clan’s estate. When the Tang Clan was annihilated, all such facilities and Secret Transmissions had been leaked.

Instead, Pyo Wol had Tang Sochu.

The man who had inherited the Secret Transmissions of the Tang Clan.

While Pyo Wol was active in Chengdu, Tang Sochu had mobilized all the knowledge he possessed to install Hidden Weapons and Mechanisms in the Tang Clan’s estate.

Compared to the Tang Clan’s golden age, their power was less than a tenth, but for Pyo Wol, that was more than enough.

The power of the Mechanisms and Hidden Weapons, combined with a darkness so thick one could not see an inch ahead, was beyond imagination.

Pyupyupyuk!

Sharp sounds of objects cutting through the air tore through the darkness.

“Keok!”

“Everyone, be careful!”

The martial artists scattered in all directions in a panic.

There was no unity or consistent system in their actions. It was because they were all martial artists from different sects.

As the chaos reached its peak, the damage grew even greater.

Only the martial artists of the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect formed defensive formations and responded effectively; the rest of the martial artists moved recklessly to avoid the rain of Hidden Weapons. As a result, the damage grew even greater.

“This demonic bastard!”

At the unexpected situation, Guhwa Satae’s whole body trembled.

Screams echoed from all directions, and countless people were dying.

All of this was happening because of just one person.

Many people rushed to capture Pyo Wol, but they collapsed, struck by Hidden Weapons, before they could even get halfway.

As time passed, the damage grew exponentially.

She had never dreamed that he would have set up such a trick in the Tang Clan’s estate.

“Uwaaak! Save me.”

“I don’t want to be here anymore.”

People screaming and fleeing began to appear one after another.

The fundamental fear that the name “Tang Clan’s estate” instilled, combined with the Hidden Weapon attacks, had pushed their terror to the extreme.

Pyo Wol did not bother to chase those who were escaping.

He didn’t have the leisure to do so, nor were they his true targets.

His target, to the very end, was Guhwa Satae.

“I will tear your mouth apart and kill you.”

Guhwa Satae tried to lead the Emei Sect disciples to attack Pyo Wol.

At that moment, Pyo Wol let out a long whistle.

Ssseee!

The whistle, like the hiss of a snake, spread far and wide.

Immediately after, the disciples of the Emei Sect let out screams.

“Aack!”

“Something bit me.”

Disciples suddenly began to collapse one after another.

“It’s snakes. The bushes are full of snakes.”

“Everyone, be careful.”

Only after a dozen disciples had collapsed in an instant did they realize the culprits were snakes.

It wasn’t just the Emei Sect disciples.

Many of the martial artists still remaining in the Tang Clan’s estate were bitten by snakes and collapsed.

“Everyone, be careful. The bastard is summoning snakes with his evil arts.”

Guhwa Satae shouted as she swung her Bludgeon Palm, striking away the approaching snakes.

Fear appeared on the faces of the Emei Sect martial artists.

They couldn’t even guess how many snakes were hidden in the Tang Clan’s estate. They also didn’t know what method Pyo Wol was using to summon the snakes.

Pyo Wol’s claim that he had cast a Celestial Net was by no means a lie.

The Tang Clan’s estate, which had become a habitat for snakes after the fall of the Tang Clan.

The snakes living there were the final members of the Celestial Net that Pyo Wol had cast.

Guhwa Satae wanted to attack Pyo Wol, but saving her disciples was the priority.

Pyo Wol looked at Guhwa Satae and smiled faintly.

“You will be the last to die.”

His gaze turned toward the Taoist priest approaching him.

Mujeong Jin-in was walking through the undergrowth.

The snakes’ attacks were ineffective against Mujeong Jin-in.

The snakes were reluctant to approach due to the aura emanating from his body.

Mujeong Jin-in didn’t even glance at the Qingcheng Seven Swords as they were attacked by snakes.

His sole objective was to kill Pyo Wol.

Even in the darkness, Mujeong Jin-in’s eyes shone eerily.

It was as if Ghost Fire was burning in his two eyes.

Pyo Wol narrowed his eyes and looked at Mujeong Jin-in.

Just as Mujeong Jin-in remembered him, Pyo Wol also remembered Mujeong Jin-in clearly.

The man who had thrown him into a snake pit.

Although he had gained a miraculous encounter and the ability to command snakes as if they were his own limbs because of it, the pain Pyo Wol had to endure at that time was not something a human could bear.

Pyo Wol still remembered the pain of that time vividly.

Sreureung!

Having approached Pyo Wol, Mujeong Jin-in drew his sword.

As befitting the Sword Hero representing Sichuan Province, a formidable Qi radiated in streams from Mujeong Jin-in’s entire body.

Popopok!

The heads of the nearby snakes exploded from the Qi he emitted.

Mujeong Jin-in pointed his sword at Pyo Wol and said,

“Because of you, the wings of Qingcheng have been broken. You will have to pay the price with your life.”

“What price? In a world like this, there’s no price left for me to pay.”

As the price for killing U Gun-sang, he had been trapped in darkness for a full seven more years.

When he was abandoned in a pit full of snakes, Pyo Wol was as good as dead.

There was no price left to pay.

There were only debts to be collected.

Sreung!

As Pyo Wol let his arms hang loose, the Ghostly Rain daggers attached to the ends of the Soul Restraining Thread dangled.

He had no intention of dragging this out any longer.

He had to deal with Mujeong Jin-in while the others were completely distracted by the Hidden Weapons and snakes.

Shhh!

Pyo Wol disappeared into the darkness.

It was as if the existence called ‘he’ had been erased from the world.

It was the Black Lightning that had toyed with the martial artists of the Black Cloud Corps.

Even with their eyes wide open, they couldn’t track Pyo Wol’s movements and had to lose numerous troops.

But Mujeong Jin-in was a martial artist on a different level from the Black Cloud Corps.

“To use such a petty trick. Hmph!”

He sneered and slashed his sword to the right. An intense Sword Qi bloomed from his sword and cut across the space.

Kaaang!

In that instant, with a metallic clang, Pyo Wol appeared.

Amazingly, for the first time, the Black Lightning had been blocked.

If he hadn’t blocked Mujeong Jin-in’s sword with the Ghostly Rain, Pyo Wol’s waist would have been diagonally split in two.

But even though the Black Lightning was blocked, there was no change in Pyo Wol’s expression.

Just by looking at his face, it was impossible to read what he was thinking. The same was true for Mujeong Jin-in, who had launched the attack.

Mujeong Jin-in shouted as he unleashed the Blue Cloud Red Dawn Sword toward Pyo Wol.

“It’s useless to pretend to be calm. No matter what tricks you use, you won’t be able to deceive my eyes and ears.”

Swish-swish-swik!

His sword brought about a change in the empty air.

Mujeong Jin-in’s sword was as ethereal as clouds floating in a blue sky, as the sunset glow that dyes the western sky red.

The sword, imbued with intense Sword Qi, cut through the darkness and seemed as if it would tear Pyo Wol to shreds at any moment. But his sword missed Pyo Wol by a hair’s breadth.

The Black Lightning had been blocked, but Pyo Wol had the Serpentine Steps.

Like a writhing snake, Pyo Wol dodged all of Mujeong Jin-in’s attacks. At the same time, he swung the Soul Restraining Thread.

Ssaaaa!

The two Ghostly Rain daggers attached to the ends of the Soul Restraining Thread made a chilling sound as they attacked Mujeong Jin-in.

“Hmph! Quite impressive.”

Mujeong Jin-in snorted and unleashed the Ultimate Technique of the Blue Cloud Red Dawn Sword.

Tadadadang!

Between the two men, a sound like a downpour hitting a steel plate erupted countless times.

It was the sound of the Ghostly Rain clashing with Mujeong Jin-in’s sword.

The Ghostly Rain writhed like living vipers, aiming for Mujeong Jin-in’s life, while Mujeong Jin-in’s sword created a Sword Curtain, blocking all of the attacks.

For the first time, a look of admiration appeared on Mujeong Jin-in’s face.

He had dismissed him as a mere assassin, but the techniques Pyo Wol displayed were sharper and more terrifying than the Martial Arts of any prestigious orthodox sect.

It felt like the Ghostly Rain would penetrate the slightest opening.

Mujeong Jin-in felt an extreme sense of crisis.

This was the first time that he, who had reigned as the invincible in Sichuan Province for decades, had felt such an intense sense of crisis.

A thrill ran through his entire body.

The intense sense of crisis had awakened his competitive spirit.

“Chaaat!”With a kiai, Mujeong Jin-in unleashed the Qingcheng Sect’s Secret Transmission Sword Art, the Azure Cloud Thirteen Cuts.”

It didn’t even contain the Sword Qi that a Pinnacle Realm expert could naturally unleash. Yet, the moment Mujeong Jin-in unleashed the Azure Cloud Thirteen Cuts, people felt an eerie chill.

The power of a sword is not necessarily maximized only when its Qi is outwardly revealed, like with Sword Qi or Sword Gang.

The Azure Cloud Thirteen Cuts exerts its maximum power by tightly packing a formidable Qi within the sword.

It looks ordinary on the outside, but within it lies a formidable power, intact.

Chwaaak!

Like a meteor streaking across the night sky, Mujeong Jin-in’s sword plunged down toward Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol felt goosebumps rise all over his body.

He could feel how intense the power contained in Mujeong Jin-in’s strike was. But he did not feel fear.

Pyo Wol threw his body toward Mujeong Jin-in.

His form was erased by the darkness.

He had unleashed the Black Lightning once again.

“Didn’t I say it was useless?”

Mujeong Jin-in swung his sword toward the spot where the flow of Qi was violently fluctuating.

Shukagak!

Mujeong Jin-in believed without a doubt that he could kill Pyo Wol with this strike. He imagined Pyo Wol being split in two and dying on his sword’s blade.

It was then.

Thud!

A sound different from what Mujeong Jin-in had expected burst out.

His sword had been blocked by something.

Amazingly, what blocked his sword was Pyo Wol’s finger.

With a single finger, he had stopped the formidable power contained in Mujeong Jin-in’s sword, a sword said to be able to cut through anything.

At the unbelievable sight, Mujeong Jin-in’s eyes widened.

“You, you?”

A trace of blood appeared at the corner of Pyo Wol’s mouth.

He had suffered considerable internal injuries from the impact of clashing with the Azure Cloud Thirteen Cuts. Even so, Pyo Wol’s complexion did not change one bit.

Illuminating the Darkness (照亮黑暗) A Candle Flame (一烛火).

Ajeonheukam (My Dark Front) Jokdansim (Foot Dan Heart).

A single candle is enough to light the deep darkness,

And a resolute heart is enough to cut through the darkness before me.

No matter how famous a sword with formidable power it may be, there is nothing that cannot be destroyed if the Black Lightning is concentrated on a single point.

Hungry Ghost Path Secret Transmitted Form Jade Destruction.

Jjeo-eong!

Mujeong Jin-in’s sword, which had collided with Pyo Wol’s finger, developed spiderweb-like cracks and then exploded.