Almighty God of War - Chapter 107

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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107

The back of Gyotae Hall was shrouded in deep silence, unlike other parts of the Imperial Palace.

It was a quiet space where the shouts of the Imperial Guard moving on the Emperor’s orders and the commotion of torches seemed unable to reach, as if by magic.

Moonlight gently settled over the well-maintained garden, and whenever the wind blew, the rich fragrance of splendid peonies spread sweetly through the air.

It was as if all the world’s turmoil passed by this place alone.

In the deepest part of that garden, beside a small pond, stood a modest Buddhist temple.

The elegant hip-and-gable roof and intricate dancheong were like a painting in themselves, and the scent of the finest agarwood seeping from within the hall evoked a sense of reverence.

This was where the Empress, known for her deep Buddhist faith, offered her personal prayers.

Guyang Cheongang, who had urgently completed one circulation of the Transcendent Impermanence Divine Art, opened his eyes.

Since the effects of the Yang Dragon Pill had not completely dissipated, his internal energy was rapidly replenishing.

There were no traces left of the evil energy borrowed from the foreign substance either.

‘My current internal energy is about fifty percent of normal. At this level… as long as I don’t encounter a supreme master, I can manage.’

[Although your internal energy has recovered somewhat due to the Yang Dragon Pill’s effects, this is only a temporary measure. The powerful yang energy is merely suppressing the activity of your Nine Yin Severed Meridians for now. The moment the medicine’s effects wear off, the suppressed cold energy will rebound several times more fiercely than before. You must finish everything quickly.]

‘I understand.’

[Doctor, there is a passage leading underground inside the Buddhist temple. The presence of the ritual is rising from there.]

As soon as Akasha finished speaking, Guyang Cheongang’s body became a streak of black lightning that shot toward the Buddhist temple.

He no longer maintained his concealment.

Crash!

The heavy temple door shattered into pieces under his straight punch and flew inward.

[Doctor, it’s beneath the lotus pedestal of the Buddha statue. Ground-penetrating scan results show an underground space blocked by solid iron exists five zhang deep below the pedestal.]

A cold smile appeared on Guyang Cheongang’s lips.

‘They’ve hidden a hell where lives are sacrificed beneath the feet of Buddha, who symbolizes compassion.’

Without hesitation, he unleashed the Explosive Thunder Flame King Hammer toward the Buddha statue that wore a compassionate smile.

Bang!

As the Buddha statue exploded into pieces, stairs leading underground that had been hidden beneath the lotus pedestal were revealed.

Guyang Cheongang descended the stairs like the wind for five zhang until a three-inch thick iron door appeared before him.

Without hesitation, he struck the iron door once more with the Explosive Thunder Flame King Hammer.

The moment his fist touched the five-inch thick iron door,

Crash!

A thunderous roar accompanied by the sound of metal tearing like paper shook the underground space.

Rumble—

The heavy iron door, torn from its hinges, flew inward and crashed into the opposite wall.

The scene that revealed itself before Guyang Cheongang was horrific.

The underground stone chamber, two zhang high and over ten zhang in all directions, was filled with the nauseating smell of blood and entrails mixed together, the faint moans of the living, and the eerie sound of incomprehensible low-pitched incantations.

The number of palace maids who had already lost their lives reached over thirty, and the surroundings were sticky with pools of blood.

About ten palace maids remained alive.

But they had their pressure points sealed and couldn’t move their bodies, forced to watch the hell before their eyes with clear minds.

It was an unspeakably cruel intention to extract their terror to the extreme and use it as sacrifice.

The severed heads of the palace maids were placed on the altar.

And two men wearing red robes that looked as if they had been dipped in blood and bizarre masks on their faces were slicing open the bellies of living palace maids and extracting their organs.

The blood flowing from the palace maids, instead of pooling on the floor, gathered along the strange patterns carved into the altar.

And at the center, it was being sucked into a black incense burner carved with the pattern of a snake biting its own tail.

Blood mist rose thickly from the incense burner infused with blood.

The blood mist, which had been faint at first, grew thicker and larger as more sacrifices were added.

And like the foreign substance extracted from the Crown Prince’s heart, it vibrated ominously and writhed.

[Powerful life energy absorption and long-distance amplification waves are detected from the incense burner at the center of the altar. That blood mist is a kind of ‘mystical transmission medium’ that sends the fear and malice collected through this blood ritual to specific coordinates. The target coordinates are Jaseon Hall.]

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes blazed with fury and extreme disgust.

Since coming to this world, he had seen countless deaths and had personally ended enemies’ lives with his own hands.

But the ritual unfolding before his eyes was completely different from those things.

Death in the struggle for survival, though cruel, was within the laws of life.

However, the ritual happening before his eyes was consuming helpless lives merely as ‘fuel’ and ‘materials’ for one’s own purposes.

This was a desecration of life.

Guyang Cheongang’s face became expressionless as he passed through the collapsed iron door like lightning.

Crash!

At the very moment when the two Red-Robed Monsters conducting the ritual before the altar were just turning their heads at the sound of the heavy iron door collapsing,

Guyang Cheongang shot past the collapsed iron door like lightning, launching his body toward the Red-Robed Monsters and unleashing the Gale Chain Palm.

What entered the vision of the Red-Robed Monsters who had turned their heads was already a storm-like wave of palm force rushing to claim their lives.

Screech!

Entering the Buddhist temple, destroying the Buddha statue, breaking through the iron door, and attacking the enemies.

All of these processes took place in less than one second, not even enough time to blink an eye.

Naturally, the Red-Robed Monsters had no time to comprehend the situation.

It was in that state that Guyang Cheongang charged in.

Splat!

The first monster couldn’t even make the slightest reaction before his head was crushed.

His red blood splattered eerily over the face of an already dead palace maid on the altar.

The second monster gasped in shock and countered with both palms from which blood mist rose.

Bang!

The moment their palm forces collided, a shockwave shook the entire stone chamber and dust poured down from the ceiling like rain.

“Urgh!”

Blood burst from the Red-Robed Monster’s seven orifices due to the massive shock that twisted his meridians, and he screamed as he was pushed back five steps.

The Red-Robed Monster was shocked.

Though he was a supreme master, he had been unprepared for Guyang Cheongang’s assault and couldn’t exert his full power.

That’s why he had suffered a loss.

Greatly alarmed, he desperately tried to raise his power, but it was too late.

Guyang Cheongang followed the retreating monster with Lightning Flash Steps, and his hand caught the monster’s nape like a ghost.

The Red-Robed Monster couldn’t follow the Dragon Capturing Golden Claw Hand that had reached the extreme of speed with his eyes.

Crack—

Without even time to scream, his neck snapped at an unnatural angle with the horrible sound of cervical vertebrae being crushed.

Having swiftly cleared the underground stone chamber, Guyang Cheongang ascended to the surface like lightning without a moment’s hesitation.

What met his eyes as he emerged was the sharp clash of gazes between two forces under dozens of torches.

In front of the Buddhist temple, the eunuchs and palace maids of Gyotae Hall had formed a flawless defensive formation as if they were one body.

In their hands were one-foot-long daggers that were clearly poisoned, emitting an eerie dark green glow.

The spear points of the Imperial Guard surrounding them gleamed coldly in the moonlight, and only the sound of armor scraping broke the silence.

The eunuchs and palace maids had rushed over urgently upon learning of the incident at the Buddhist temple.

But because Guyang Cheongang and the Imperial Guard had moved too quickly, they hadn’t been able to enter inside.

Then the Empress emerged from the darkness.

Her lips trembled with rage as she clenched her fists within her long sleeves.

‘How dare he rampage in Gyotae Hall… I should tear that bastard to pieces right now!’

But she couldn’t unleash her fury.

Because the Imperial Guard led by Chief Eunuch Jang In Sang-on was blocking her way.

Sang-on faced the Empress with unwavering eyes.

He was following the Emperor’s command.

Even if his opponent was the Empress, there was no reason to retreat.

The Empress spoke in a voice as cold as ice.

“Eunuch Jangin, how dare you deploy troops in front of whose quarters!”

“Empress, with utmost respect, this is His Majesty’s command. His Majesty ordered us to root out the traitors hiding within the Imperial Palace. Furthermore, he issued a strict command to secure Physician Hahou and all crime scenes at Gyotae Hall under Imperial Guard control, and to clarify the truth without a shadow of doubt.”

At Sang-on’s words, the Empress struggled to maintain her composure and said,

“Traitors! The hall simply collapsed for unknown reasons, nothing else happened. I will handle this matter personally, so withdraw immediately!”

Guyang Cheongang, who had been watching everything, spoke in an ice-cold voice.

“You said there was nothing else? Then how would Your Majesty the Empress explain the horrific evil sorcery that was taking place in the underground of that Buddhist temple?”

The Empress’s complexion instantly turned pale.

Before she could even refute, Guyang Cheongang turned toward Sang On and spoke in a quick, low voice.

“Eunuch Jangin, in that underground secret chamber, a horrific blood ritual was taking place, offering living people as sacrifices. There will surely be clear traces of sorcery intended to assassinate His Majesty the Crown Prince. We must investigate immediately.”

At his shocking report, Sang On’s face turned white.

“Is that true, Divine Physician?”

“It is true.”

Sang On commanded the Imperial Guard commander without a moment’s hesitation.

“Investigate the underground!”

“You bastard!”

The Empress flew like lightning and blocked the entrance leading underground.

She glared at Sang On with fierce eyes that looked ready to tear a person apart and shouted.

“How insolent! How dare you try to defile my Buddhist temple! Until dirt enters my eyes, I will not let a single person enter!”

But Sang On remained unwavering.

He silently took out the golden tablet containing the Emperor’s command from his chest and showed it.

“Your Majesty the Empress, this is His Majesty’s will. Please step aside. If you refuse… Your Majesty could also be considered among the rebels.”

Before the golden tablet that symbolized the Emperor’s absolute authority, the Empress’s momentum was somewhat broken.

Her face turned white with despair.

Sang On left her behind and commanded the Imperial Guard centurion once more.

“Investigate.”

The Imperial Guard centurion who went down underground and returned came crawling out staggering, his steel-like face that had experienced all battles now completely pale.

“Urgh…”

With that groan, he bent over and vomited frantically.

Though he had traversed countless battlefields and witnessed mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the scene he witnessed underground was hell itself, something he could never believe was done by humans.

Sang On, having received the centurion’s report, turned to the Empress with a bloodless, hardened expression.

“Your Majesty the Empress, the scene of horrific evil sorcery has been confirmed. By His Majesty’s command, to preserve evidence and prevent additional threats, from now on Gyotae Hall will be controlled by the Imperial Guard. I must carry out His Imperial Majesty’s orders.”

The Empress realized that causing more commotion would be disadvantageous.

She cast an ice-cold gaze toward Sang On and said.

“Fine. If it is His Majesty’s will, I too must comply. But… I will not forget today’s rudeness.”

She left those meaningful words and returned to Gyotae Hall, leading the palace maids.

With the situation thus settled, Sang On approached Guyang Cheongang and spoke respectfully.

“Divine Physician, you must stay in Thunder Prison for a while. It is His Majesty’s command.”

Guyang Cheongang nodded.

“I will do so.”

His eyes deepened.

‘Resisting now would be foolish. The board is already set, and what remains now is the Emperor’s time.’

Guyang Cheongang asked through sound transmission.

[Have you captured Chae Geum, the eunuch of Jaseon Hall?]

Sang On answered in a low voice.

“He committed suicide.”

‘How could he, when I broke his arms and even pressed his Demon Blood Points… These are truly vicious people…’

Guyang Cheongang followed behind the Imperial Guard toward the Imperial Palace’s Thunder Prison.

Opening the Crown Prince’s chest and infiltrating Gyotae Hall were acts of high treason, so until his innocence was proven, he had no choice but to remain a criminal.

While he headed toward Thunder Prison, the eastern sky began to gradually brighten.

The cold dawn air that seemed to purify everything was enveloping the Imperial Palace.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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