Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 165

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

Chapter 164. Evil Karma Binds Tenaciously—Part 2
Soo Cheon—Guardian of Heaven.
In the Namgoong Clan, Heaven meant the clan lord. The name Soo Cheon signified one who guards the clan lord.
The commanders of the Geomwang Corps had carried this name through every generation.
Their original names meant nothing to them. The moment a man became commander of the Geomwang Corps, he cast aside his birth name and became Soo Cheon.
The current Soo Cheon was no exception.
He was seventy-two years old, a seasoned veteran of the Jianghu who had served the Geomwang Corps through countless trials. Thirty years ago, when the Demonic Sect invaded the Namgoong Clan, it was he who had led the Corps to annihilate them.
That he had maintained his position as commander longer than any Soo Cheon before him was itself proof of his extraordinary ability.
Soo Cheon gazed upon the corpses brought from the inn.
Not a single body maintained its proper form. Through the wounds on the corpses, Soo Cheon gauged the killer’s martial prowess.
“Most of the men, save Namgoong Jang, died from a single blow.”
Soo Cheon felt a chill settle over his heart.
The martial artists led by Namgoong Jang were accomplished masters, even by the standards of the Namgoong Clan. That such masters had fallen with scarcely a struggle meant one thing only.
“A true master. One difficult to measure.”
Soo Cheon sensed the battle ahead would be formidable. Yet he was not greatly troubled.
He had stood against the Demonic Sect’s elite thirty years past. He did not believe this enemy would prove stronger than they.
Soo Cheon turned to a Geomwang warrior beside him.
“Which direction did the killer flee?”
“Toward Ham San. With haste, we can catch him by morning.”
“Mobilize the entire Geomwang Corps.”
“The… entire force?”
“That is correct.”
“You judge the killer so formidable, then?”
The Geomwang Corps numbered roughly two hundred men. For two centuries, that number had never varied.
The Corps had seldom mustered in full strength. The last time had been thirty years ago, when the Demonic Sect marched against the Namgoong Clan.
Soo Cheon answered with quiet composure.
“I prepare for the worst.”
“Understood. I shall assemble the entire Corps.”
“Make haste.”
“As you command!”
The warrior vanished with his acknowledgment.
Soo Cheon rose to his feet.
“Whoever you are, you will bitterly regret laying a hand upon the Namgoong Clan.”
His murmur carried a bleak, cutting edge.
* * *
Ham San was not widely known, but its deep and dense slopes drew the attention of herbalists and hunters alike.
Gwak San, who had made his home on Ham San, was a herbalist. Though this had not always been his calling—his only daughter, Gwak Yeon, had begun to waste away from some mysterious affliction.
He sought out renowned physicians and brought them to examine her, but none could restore her health.
Debts accumulated, and at last, unable to bear it any longer, Gwak San came to Ham San himself, determined to cure her with his own hands.
He combed every corner of the mountain. He gathered every herb said to fortify the body and made her consume them. Yet Gwak Yeon showed no improvement—only decline.
Until recently she could walk a few paces on her own; now she could not move so much as a single finger.
Gwak Yeon sat in a small chair before their humble cottage, wrapped to the throat in thick furs despite the early autumn air. Yet her complexion remained ashen, her lips drained of color.
Such resignation shadowed her brow that it seemed Death himself had already settled upon her shoulders.
Gwak Yeon sat in the chair, her breath coming shallow and labored.
She parted her small lips.
“Father…”
“What troubles you?”
Gwak San, at her side, asked hastily.
“Will my sister come today?”
“She will. She said she would come, so surely she will.”
“I hope so.”
Gwak Yeon offered a wan smile, and Gwak San’s heart nearly split in two.
He knew the truth—his daughter’s life had little time remaining.
Her condition was so grave that her breath might cease at any moment. Yet she showed the resolve of a dutiful child, striving to appear composed for the sake of her lonely father.
‘Please, hold on, Yeon. If you die, I too cannot remain in this world.’
It was then.
“Ah! It’s my sister!”
Gwak Yeon suddenly tried to rise. Yet before her knees had straightened, she swayed.
“Child, careful!”
Gwak San caught her slight frame as she stumbled. But his face too had brightened. Coming toward them were a man and a woman.
A woman rushed forward waving her hands, an elderly man trailing behind her.
It was Jong Ri Yeon and Hwa No.
“Thank heavens.”
Thick tears rolled down Gwak San’s cheeks.
＊＊＊
Dam Ho glanced back over his shoulder.
He could see Jong Ri Yeon’s retreating figure as she ran with her hand raised.
True to her word, the patient had been in Ham San. So he’d ended up accompanying her here without intending to.
During the journey to this place, Jong Ri Yeon had shown constant curiosity toward Dam Ho. But he had never once let his guard down around her.
After all, they were destined to part ways, and he saw no reason to believe they would ever meet again.
Dam Ho mounted Black Ghost.
It was time to run.
Black Ghost surged forward at a terrifying speed. Dam Ho surrendered himself to the beast’s motion.
After riding for a long stretch, a pristine Birch Forest came into view. Where sunlight pierced through, the forest exuded an almost dreamlike atmosphere.
Crackle, crackle!
Black Ghost’s hooves struck the fallen leaves and gravel beneath, producing an eerie sound that echoed through the trees.
That was when it happened.
Whistle!
A sharp, cutting sound suddenly pierced the Birch Forest. In the same instant, Dam Ho swung his hand.
Clang!
A dented arrow clattered to the ground with the sound of metal. It was less than half the length of a normal arrow.
Whistle-whistle-whistle!
The cutting sound burst forth again.
Dam Ho kicked off from Black Ghost and pulled his body up into the air. The arrows that came flying sliced through the empty space where he had been standing.
“Go,” he said.
Still suspended in midair, Dam Ho spoke. Black Ghost understood and bolted out of the Birch Forest alone. In that same moment, Dam Ho landed on the ground.
At once, spherical objects came flying toward him from all sides.
Dam Ho’s eyes narrowed. They weren’t moving at the speed of arrows, so he held his ground and observed their trajectory.
Hiss!
The round objects that fell to the ground suddenly spewed green smoke. The moment the smell hit him, nausea surged and a sharp pain stabbed through his head.
‘Poison Smoke?’
Dam Ho held his breath and circulated his Internal Energy to drive out the toxins.
Poison Smoke spread thickly across the area. And from all corners of the Birch Forest, dark shadows rose to their feet.
The white birch trees and their black garments created a striking contrast. A sharp, keen edge radiated from their entire beings.
‘Swordsmen.’
The fact that they wore swords at their waists made it clear they were indeed swordsmen. But they carried far more than just swords.
Some held Mechanical Crossbows, others carried Hidden Weapons, and still others wielded spears.
Each person was equipped with at least two weapons.
Though Dam Ho had roamed the Jianghu extensively and witnessed countless martial artists, this was the first time he’d encountered a group armed with two or more weapons simultaneously.
‘The Namgoong Clan?’
Dam Ho immediately identified who they were.
As he’d guessed, the newcomers were the Geomwang Corps of the Namgoong Clan. Soo Cheon stood at their head.
Soo Cheon approached Dam Ho.
“At last we’ve caught up with you.”
“…….”
Rather than answer, Dam Ho stared at Soo Cheon. Soo Cheon met his gaze without flinching.
“Who are you?”
“You came all this way without even knowing?”
Soo Cheon’s brow furrowed.
Wild black hair hanging loose, a robe torn to shreds, and a ferocious aura that made observers instinctively cower—the eyes of a beast.
“Are you… the Demon of Authority?”
Dam Ho smiled in response. If one could call the slightest movement of facial muscles a smile.
“Good.”
Murderous intent flashed in Soo Cheon’s eyes.
Dam Ho had already become an Irreconcilable Enemy to the Namgoong Clan.
Dam Ho alone had delayed the Namgoong Clan’s great plans, caused the death of Namgoong Soo, and killed countless of their warriors.
It was damage grave enough to shake the very foundation of all but the most exceptional sects. Because of it, talk of assassinating Dam Ho had circulated within the Namgoong Clan, but without knowing his whereabouts, they could do nothing.
“You’ve been running wild without a care in the world, but that ends today. I’ll put a period at the end of your crimes.”
Soo Cheon raised his hand. The Geomwang Corps unleashed their combined aura.
“These are the elite of our main house—the Geomwang Corps. The rabble you’ve been fighting so far won’t compare. You’d better steel yourself.”
“Everyone said the same things back then. But there was nothing to it.”
“To dare compare the Geomwang Corps to such rabble.”
“You think you’re different?”
Dam Ho asked.
Soo Cheon’s eyes blazed red. He was seized by fury at Dam Ho’s words.
“Subdue him. As long as breath remains in his body, you may sever his limbs without concern. Now—restrain him so we may return to the main estate with Shin-ui.”
“Understood!”
The Geomwang Corps moved.
Whoosh-whoosh!
Those bearing Mechanical Crossbows fired first.
As the triggers depressed, dozens of bolts screamed toward Dam Ho. These were not loosed by human strength alone but by mechanical apparatus, giving them several times the force of ordinary arrows.
Dam Ho swept his hands, deflecting the bolts away.
His Eye Power and senses, honed in darkness, detected the bolts descending at speeds invisible to the naked eye.
Thud-thud-thud!
Bolts piled high around Dam Ho’s feet.
Soo Cheon’s eyes flashed bright.
“Impressive. But it changes nothing. This is merely the beginning.”
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
The Mechanical Crossbows discharged again.
The Mechanical Crossbows, crafted with painstaking care by the artisans of the Namgoong Clan, could fire continuously. Moreover, helical grooves carved into both the bolt tips and shafts caused them to spin at terrifying velocity upon release, multiplying their destructive power.
Those firing the crossbows never tired—they only needed to aim and pull the trigger. Those defending against them, by contrast, stood perpetually tense, their muscles locked in fear’s merciless grip.
Clang-clang!
Dam Ho’s hands blurred through the air.
Blocking, sweeping, flicking—a seamless sequence unfolded in the blink of an eye. Bolts from the crossbows shattered or crumpled, falling spent to the ground.
The crossbow assault resumed. Now it was joined by Hidden Weapons—gossamer-thin needles invisible to the eye, riding the wind toward him.
The Geomwang Corps were less a martial collective than an army. While swords were their primary weapon, they wielded Mechanical Crossbows, Hidden Weapons, and other siege arms with practiced efficiency.
Their purpose was to eliminate any threat to the Namgoong Clan. To achieve that end, they spurned neither means nor method.
They valued efficacy over honor, and the prestige of the Namgoong Clan over individual pride.
Despite their name, the sword was but their final recourse.
Dam Ho understood the Geomwang Corps’s true nature with clarity.
They were not martial artists—they were soldiers.
Soldiers who knew how to wield every weapon at their disposal to crush their enemy.
Dam Ho knew another such being. That being was himself.
Whiiiing!
In that instant, Dam Ho’s body trembled—imperceptibly fine, blazingly fast.
A protective barrier born of ultra-vibration technique unfurled around him.
Thud-thud-thud!
The crossbow bolts and Hidden Weapons that had struck Dam Ho lost their force, clattering to the ground.
In that frozen moment when all fell still, Dam Ho unleashed the Explosive Dash.
Boom!
His body tore through space itself.
Crash!
And someone met death.
The blood duel between Kwon Ma and the Geomwang Corps had begun.

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