Chapter 160 : Chapter 160

Chapter 160 The Red Sky (3)

─ KABOOOOM

─ KABOOOOM!

Despite the successive explosions, the speed of the dust cloud did not decrease.

The sight of the splattering blood turning into a thick fog and being sucked back into the dust cloud was gradually chipping away at the fighting spirit of those watching.

“The speed… isn't slowing down at all.”

“The Anti-Demon Squad's traps have all been broken through.”

“More than half of the Tang Family’s mechanisms have also been breached.”

The reports that came in one after another were all hard to believe. Any attack other than one that could instantly end their lives was useless against the Blood Demons.

“……What is the scale of the enemy’s damage?”

“They are wearing thick blood-wind robes, so even poison arts are not causing much damage. It is difficult to confirm accurately, but the size of the dust cloud generated by their movement… is almost unchanged.”

Yeon Seung-il looked at the dust cloud that was getting closer and let out a deep sigh.

“At this rate… will we only create meaningless sacrifices?”

The Poison King and Tang Il-bi, who had heard the conversation between the Reconnaissance Squad martial artist and Yeon Seung-il, slowly nodded their heads.

“Indeed, it is different from before. The Demonic Cult bastards are serious.”

“At this rate, the damage will be too great, Lord Poison King.”

At Tang Il-bi’s words, the Poison King clenched his fist.

“Today… we may have to give up the Tang Family’s manor.”

“If we are to give it up anyway, a quick decision is needed, my lord. If we suffer any more damage, the very existence of the Sichuan Tang Clan will be in jeopardy.”

The Poison King, who had turned his head for a moment to look at the clan’s manor, bit his lip hard.

“Yes. Now is the time to make a decision.”

The Poison King seemed to hesitate for a moment, then took a deep breath and shouted loudly, imbuing his voice with internal energy.

“We are abandoning the manor. All Tang Family martial artists, activate all mechanisms and retreat!”

At the Poison King’s shout, the people in green robes who filled the surroundings looked at the Poison King with surprised eyes.

“People come before the manor! I am well aware of the meaning this place holds for us, but there is no choice now. Let’s give it up for now, and let’s gather our strength in the future and retake this place!”

Yeon Seung-il, who had been lost in thought at the Poison King’s shout, nodded his head and shouted.

“The members of the Anti-Demon Squad will also retreat as they are! All martial artists except for the Reconnaissance Squad will escort the civilians together with the Tang Family martial artists and retreat to the rendezvous point with the Murim Alliance support troops. There, we will join forces and……!”

Just as Yeon Seung-il’s shout was echoing, the sound of a bell, which gave an inexplicable sense of unease, began to spread through the area.

─ TING-A-LING

Although the sound was clearly coming from a very distant place, the thin sound strangely pierced through their ears and into their minds.

“What… is this sound?”

Baek-myo held his head and frowned. Yeon Seung-il also frowned and quickly looked around, then continued to speak.

“Retreat to the rendezvous point immediately! I repeat the order. All members of the Anti-Demon Squad, retreat to the rendezvous point immediately!”

The martial artists who had been holding their positions began to run quickly towards the back gate of the Tang Family. The Poison King’s expression, who was looking at the manor for the last time with pitiful eyes, hardened in an instant.

The Poison King’s expression, who had turned his head with a jerk in the direction the Blood Cult was approaching, began to contort.

“The Demonic Cult bastards’… advance has quickened.”

At the Poison King’s words, the remaining martial artists all turned their heads.

“The Demonic Cultists are running at a speed at least twice, no, three or four times faster than before!”

“At this rate, they will reach the manor before everyone can retreat!”

As urgent shouts were heard from here and there, the Poison King gritted his teeth.

“Il-bi.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Lead the Tang Family members and escape this place with all your might.”

“……I apologize, my lord.”

At Tang Il-bi’s reply, the Poison King turned his head with wide-open eyes.

The Poison King’s hand trembled finely, shocked by the words of Il-bi, who had never once disobeyed his orders.

“What… did you just say?”

“My lord, all authority to command the members of the Tang Family has already been entrusted to Hun. I will protect even one more Tang Family member from the rearguard. This is the last promise I made to myself after experiencing the last Demonic Cult invasion.”

“You bastard!”

The Poison King’s short beard trembled. As a sticky green energy began to spread around him, Yeon Seung-il took a step closer and grabbed the Poison King’s arm.

“My lord……”

The Poison King, after once again confirming the speed of the approaching Demonic Cultists, let out a sigh.

“Is it… already too late?”

A green energy began to shimmer around the Poison King’s body.

“Those words of yours… are you saying you don’t trust me?”

“My lord, that’s not it……”

“What do you mean it’s not! How is it any different from saying you don’t have enough faith to entrust the rear to me!”

“I just want to be of help to you, my lord.”

The Poison King, who was looking at Tang Il-bi with cold eyes, soon let out a loud laugh.

“Kekekekek. Kehahaha!”

The Poison King, who had been laughing madly, suddenly stopped. His expression was hardened.

“Do you think I’ve just been resting in the back room all this time? Not a chance! The Poison King of the Tang Family, the One Hand Thousand Kills Tang Mun-yu, is not dead yet.”

“My lord……”

The Poison King, as if he couldn’t hear Tang Il-bi’s words, turned his body with a jerk in the direction the Demonic Cultists were approaching.

“If you want to protect the rear so much, just stand there and watch. Not a single demon will get past me.”

The Poison King walked forward with heavy steps. Tang Il-bi, who was watching the scene, turned his head to Yeon Seung-il with a troubled expression.

“……Didn’t I tell you it would be like this.”

At Yeon Seung-il’s words, Tang Il-bi let out a small sigh.

“What will you do?”

“What do you mean, what will I do. Nothing has changed from last time.”

“Why hasn’t anything changed? You’ve become the Vice Squad Leader of the Anti-Demon Squad, haven’t you? Hurry back and protect your position. I trust a Vice Squad Leader wouldn't do something reckless, right?”

Yeon Seung-il let out a chuckle and tapped the sword tied to his waist.

“Why is the Anti-Demon Squad called the Anti-Demon Squad? If I show them my back in front of the Demonic Cultists, where can I go and say that I am the Vice Squad Leader of the Anti-Demon Squad?”

At Yeon Seung-il’s words, Tang Il-bi grabbed his head.

“……These stubborn fools.”

“It’s not the first or second time, so what are you worrying about? If Lord Poison King doesn’t retreat, this person will never retreat. Besides, we’ve received Lord Poison King’s energy, so we can move freely even within his poison arts. We’ll help as much as we can, so let’s get this sorted out quickly.”

At Baek-myo’s words, Tang Il-bi nodded his head with a bitter expression.

“Yes. We can’t waste any more time. Then we will hold the rear. Please lend your strength to my lord so that the others can retreat without harm.”

Yeon Seung-il nodded his head and shouted to the remaining Reconnaissance Squad members around him.

“We will be with Lord Poison King. You are to position yourselves somewhere between the retreating Tang Family martial artists and us who are blocking the enemy, and decide your actions based on the signal. If we fall… do not look back and join the main unit.”

At Yeon Seung-il’s words, the remaining squad members nodded their heads with a determined expression. Leaving the Reconnaissance Squads in their places, Tang Il-bi and Yeon Seung-il’s party began to run towards where the Poison King had gone.

The Poison King stood alone with his hands clasped behind his back at the point where the Tang Family Village began. A continuous stream of green energy was spreading out from behind his back as he stood watching the huge dust cloud.

─ HISSSSSSS

All living things that came into contact with the Poison King’s energy withered and died.

The green meadow that spread out in front of the Tang Family Village began to turn black due to his energy.

The Poison King’s energy did not stop there and spread out as if it knew no end. Before long, all the grass in the meadow had withered, and the Poison King’s green energy shimmered, filling the space above it.

The Poison King, who had felt the energy of the slowly approaching party, opened his mouth.

“Just stand there and watch, you brats.”

Tang Il-bi took a step forward with a complicated expression.

“My lord. We will lend our strength.”

“Kekek. A hundred years ago. Is there anyone who knows the story of the Great Righteous-Demon War, which is now forgotten by all?”

At the old man’s sudden question, Tang Il-bi looked at Yeon Seung-il with a puzzled expression.

“Back then, when you brats weren’t even born yet. Back then, when the righteous bastards hadn’t even laid the foundation of the Murim Alliance! It was our Tang Clan that single-handedly received the Demonic Cult’s attack at the forefront.”

At the Poison King’s words, the party looked at each other with surprised eyes.

“It was only after the Tang Clan had held off the Demonic Cult alone for about a month that the ones called the Nine Great Sects and One Beggar Clan arrived in Sichuan. And then a few days later, the Great Righteous-Demon War came to an end with surprising ease as the Demonic Cult bastards retreated due to an internal strife.”

The Poison King slowly rolled up his sleeves. The Poison King’s skinny hand, revealed from within the sleeve, had a glossy black sheen.

“The very bastards who had never properly fought against the Demonic Cult created the Murim Alliance only after the Demonic Cult had retreated and told us to come under them. Ha! Not a chance!”

A rough energy burst out from the Poison King’s body.

“The Murim Alliance they created is not a vessel that can dare to contain the Tang Clan! If the Murim Alliance bastards had not kept the Tang Clan in check and pressured us with all sorts of regulations, the number one family under heaven in the Central Plains would have been our Tang Clan’s. Watch from there, the essence of the Tang Clan’s poison arts, which boasts overwhelming strength not only in one-on-one combat but also against multiple opponents.”

The energy emanating from the Poison King’s body was quite different from the energy they had seen so far.

The green energy of the poison arts, which poured out ceaselessly, accumulated layer by layer next to the Poison King, as if building a castle wall.

The Poison King, standing alone in a huge green cloud.

And the translucent wall created by that cloud.

In front of it, the dust cloud created by the Demonic Cult’s martial artists was approaching at a tremendous speed.

─ RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE

After a little time had passed, the ground began to vibrate with the running of the Demonic Cultists.

The Poison King, who was standing aloofly and watching the scene, took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“Even if you possess some of my energy, it will not be easy to endure this poison art. Watch the situation and fall back on your own.”

As the Poison King said, the energy emanating from him was irritating even the skin of Yeon Seung-il’s party, who were standing behind him.

As the party took a few steps back, hesitating, the Poison King looked at the rushing Demonic Cultists and shouted loudly.

“You bastards who will perish and become a handful of poisonous water!”

As the energy exploded from the Poison King’s body, the wall of transparent poisonous gas that had accumulated around his body began to slowly advance.

“Until the Tang Clan is annihilated, you will never be able to set foot in this Central Plains, feel it clearly and go back! This is the secret ultimate technique of the Tang Family, which held off tens of thousands of Demonic Cultists a hundred years ago!”

The Poison King’s hand slowly extended forward. The Poison King’s hand, which was extending forward so slowly that it felt tedious, began to glisten with a dark green light.

The Blood Demons, who had already approached right before their eyes, were running with a dark red energy rising from them. The eyes of those who were running madly forward were half-unfocused, and saliva was dripping from the corners of their mouths.

─ TING-A-LING

Once again, the unpleasant sound of a bell was heard, and the eyes of the demons who heard the bell sound lost even more focus.

“Gyaaaaaaaak!”

Hundreds of demons, letting out strange screams and rushing forward.

From the mouth of the Poison King, who was standing alone and guarding the front, the name of a technique was quietly recited.

[Heaven Shattering Ten Thousand Poison Hand]

As the Poison King’s hand powerfully extended forward, the wall of poisonous fog that had been slowly advancing began to shoot forward like lightning.

─ RUUUUUUMBLE!

The poisonous fog, which was shot out with a huge momentum, soon met the demons.

─ HISSSSSSS

─ SPLASH!

“Aaaargh!”

“Kehaaaaargh!”

The fiercely spreading poisonous fog swallowed the demons as they were. The demons who were running at the very front melted into a handful of poisonous water the moment they met the poisonous fog.

─ THUD

As the Poison King once again stomped the ground hard and pushed his hand forward, another layer of pushed-out poisonous gas accumulated, filling the wall.

“Kehaaaargh!”

“Uwoooargh!”

“Krrrrrrk”

The demons who had thrown their bodies into the poisonous fog melted ceaselessly. The demons’ bodies fell helplessly, like snow meeting the sunlight.

“……That is the legendary, Ten Thousand Poison Hand of the Tang Family.”

Tang Il-bi’s eyes shook greatly as he looked at the Poison King’s ultimate technique, which had melted over a hundred demons in an instant.