Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 69

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 68. When the Blood Star Shines, All Hold Their Breath—3
A trickle of cold sweat ran down Yi Sin-pung’s spine.
It was the sort of thing he could have dismissed lightly. But Yi Sin-pung could not.
He had watched with his own eyes how Dam Ho made good on every word he spoke.
Yet if he backed down now, crushed beneath Dam Ho’s momentum, it would crack the authority of the man who had appointed himself lord of Northern Gansuk.
‘This has turned troublesome.’
An affair he’d been swept into against his will.
At first he had thought it merely a simple matter of old debts, but the situation had spiraled beyond his control.
Like a man sinking into a bog, his body was being dragged down relentlessly. If he did not decide soon, he would sink all the way to the bottom.
And from there, escape would be impossible.
Dam Ho’s gaze remained unwavering. In those eyes, black as pitch, not a single flicker of emotion could be glimpsed.
He had never encountered such a look before in his life.
Yet one thing seemed clear.
‘A man who carries eyes like that will certainly keep his word.’
Such men were rare in the world. But this was the first time he had ever met one.
“How dare you speak such nonsense. It seems you wish to die.”
It was No Yi-myeong, master of the Blood Fire Sect, who responded.
No Yi-myeong could not bear to see the man he most revered treated this way.
Whoosh!
The Demon-Vanquishing Staff slung across his back was swung toward Dam Ho.
Cast from solid iron, it weighed three hundred pounds and measured nearly ten feet in length.
Strike it once against a foe, and it did not merely rend flesh and rupture muscle. Bones shattered, organs burst—it was a weapon of tremendous, devastating force.
‘I won’t kill him. But I’ll beat that insolence right out of him.’
He meant to shatter the man’s knees first.
Crack!
In that instant, the world rang out. Or rather, No Yi-myeong’s head rang out.
His head snapped sideways, and the Demon-Vanquishing Staff split in two, clattering to the ground.
“Gasp!”
The cry that tore from his throat came only after.
No Yi-myeong’s eyes had gone slack and distant. Yet his ordeal was far from over.
Snatch!
Dam Ho’s powerful grip had seized him by the collar. His body rose into the air as if caught in a Dragon Fist Wind.
“Agh!”
No Yi-myeong, regaining his senses too late, clawed at Dam Ho’s arm. In that instant the world inverted—Dam Ho spun through the air and drove him straight down into the stone floor.
The Ground Heaven Strike, that lethal form, unfolded against No Yi-myeong.
The cyan stone floor rushed toward his eyes with sickening speed. His face went white.
“No—!”
Bang!
No Yi-myeong’s head collided with the floor. His skull, meeting the unyielding stone, burst open like an overripe fruit.
Arterial blood sprayed in all directions, mixed with gray matter.
The horrific sight left everyone speechless.
Among them was Yi Sin-pung, master of Hongam Mountain Manor. His face had turned ashen.
No Yi-myeong had been Yi Sin-pung’s faithful servant for many years. He knew him well enough.
No Yi-myeong was not a man who should have died so easily.
Dam Ho rose to his feet.
His eyes wavered with darkness. The very air around him began to ripple and distort.
Dam Ho opened his mouth.
“I’ve made my choice. What about you?”
Both his hands were already stained crimson with blood.
Decisive hands without hesitation or doubt.
Though many martial artists watched, Dam Ho did not care. Even if Yi Sin-pung faced him alone, it was no matter. Even if every fighter here came at him at once, he did not care.
His blood boiled throughout his body.
During the time he had been trapped in that cave, a beast had grown within his heart.
A dark and enormous creature.
This vicious black beast knew nothing of compromise.
It found satisfaction only in destroying all that bared its fangs at him—a most troublesome nature.
In that moment, everyone in the hall felt the temperature plummet and trembled.
“Ugh!”
“What is this?”
The martial artists who had thought this mere entertainment began to feel an overwhelming pressure emanating from Dam Ho’s frame that they could scarcely bear.
The same was true of Yi Sin-pung.
He was a master well-known throughout Gansuk Province. In that ancient war against the Demonic Cult, he had distinguished himself with great deeds, earning renown for his exceptional skill.
But now he was merely an aging warrior, nothing more. The vigor of his younger days had long since vanished, and the fearlessness that once drove him to brave any hardship existed only in an old man’s tales.
Dam Ho approached Yi Sin-pung and opened his mouth.
“I’ve known from the beginning.”
“Known what? What are you talking about?”
“That you’re a coward.”
“Nonsense!”
“The Hidden Forest Great Tiger… a tiger that dwells in seclusion in the forest?”
The shadows deepening in Dam Ho’s eyes grew darker still. By contrast, Yi Sin-pung’s pupils visibly trembled.
Even in that moment, Dam Ho’s voice continued.
“A tiger never dwells in seclusion.”
“What?”
“A tiger that has lost its wild nature is no tiger at all. From the moment you retreated into the forest, you ceased to be a tiger. You were merely pretending to be one.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“When was the last time you fought someone directly? When did you last bleed, stake everything to overcome an opponent?”
…….
“Never.”
Yi Sin-pung could not answer. He was crushed beneath the weight of Dam Ho’s presence.
“So you demand choices from others while you yourself refuse to choose.”
Dam Ho stepped forward until he stood mere inches away.
In his dark pupils, Yi Sin-pung’s face was reflected. The figure staring back from those eyes was no confident warrior.
He was merely an aged man, consumed by fear, worthless and small. In a matter of moments, he appeared to have aged another decade.
‘That… that’s me?’
Yi Sin-pung could not believe it.
His eyes dropped to his own hands. His fingertips were trembling violently.
“Damn it! I am…….”
“An old man who retreated into seclusion out of fear of fighting. That is what you are.”
Dam Ho’s words shattered Yi Sin-pung’s chest like glass.
Though their master was being humiliated, the Blood Fire Sect did not move. Or rather, could not.
Any movement would mean death.
Their instincts whispered this to them.
Yet they could not remain frozen forever. They had to act, come what may.
They waited only for Yi Sin-pung’s command. But Yi Sin-pung issued no command.
It was then.
“That’s enough, friend.”
An unfamiliar voice rang out through the hall.
It was a voice heavy and charged with formidable power.
All eyes turned toward the source of the voice.
“It’s Nam Hak of the Gongdong Faction.”
“The Thunderclap Warrior!”
Amid the murmuring crowd, the newcomer was revealed to be Nam Hak of the Gongdong Faction. Behind him, his warriors followed.
Nam Hak and the Gongdong Faction’s warriors advanced toward Dam Ho. The warriors of Hongam Mountain Manor parted on both sides, clearing a path.
Dam Ho’s gaze turned toward Nam Hak. Only then did Yi Sin-pung, freed from the pressure, let out a breath of relief without thinking.
Nam Hak approached Dam Ho directly.
True to his epithet of Thunderclap Warrior, a heavy, imposing aura radiated from Nam Hak’s entire being.
At last, Nam Hak stood before Dam Ho.
The fire of fierce determination burned in Nam Hak’s eyes as he regarded Dam Ho. He was not cowed by Dam Ho’s gaze and spoke.
“My name is Nam Hak. The man whose arm you crippled is my Second-generation Disciple.”
“And?”
“He has told me everything that happened. Jwa Sang-cheon sought to steal from you, did he? But to maim him into helplessness—that was excessive.”
Nam Hak’s eyes gleamed with cold light.
His gaze, sharp as a finely honed blade, swept across Dam Ho’s entire body like a blade cutting through flesh.
The unwavering confidence of one who had never been broken by another’s hand shone clearly in those eyes.
He glanced around.
He saw the corpses of Jang Hak-gyeong and Mo Jung-hyeon. And Jo Gyeong-ui’s body as well—a man who had died without knowing why he was drawn into this affair.
“Tsk!”
Nam Hak clicked his tongue.
Jo Gyeong-ui should not have died so uselessly. The Jianghu of Gansuk was already said to be short on talent. Jo Gyeong-ui had been a fairly promising one among them.
His loss was a considerable blow.
Nam Hak turned his gaze back to Dam Ho.
“The Sect Leader told you not to trouble yourself further. He admitted their fault was clear.”
……
“I share that view. Whatever the outcome, the fault lies with Jwa Sang-cheon of the Hyunhyeon Sect and his people. But that doesn’t give you the right to kill them as you please. The Jianghu has its own laws.”
Nam Hak stepped toward Dam Ho. The aura radiating from his body swelled like a rolling snowball.
It was Nam Hak, known as the Sky Thunder Fearless.
When it came to Internal Energy, his depth rivaled even the greatest masters. Few men could stand against his overwhelming presence and walk away unscathed.
Ugh!
Yi Sin-pung staggered backward in alarm. His face had gone pale with shock.
The Internal Energy radiating from Nam Hak far exceeded his own.
‘So he truly is the Chief Disciple of the Gongdong Faction?’
Thirty years ago, Yi Sin-pung had achieved great renown in the war against the Demonic Cult, yet he had chosen seclusion at Hongam Mountain Manor—all because of the Gongdong Faction, which had established itself in Gansuk Province alongside him.
Others spoke carelessly of him as the tyrant of Northern Gansuk, or called him and the Gongdong Faction equals, “Two Powers”—but Yi Sin-pung knew better. It was hollow talk.
There could be no comparison between the mere fifty years of accumulated strength at Hongam Mountain Manor and the centuries of established dominance the Gongdong Faction had wielded over Gansuk Province.
One careless move against them could mean ruin overnight. That was why Yi Sin-pung had chosen seclusion and patiently built his power.
Offering the Blue Moon Sword at his sixtieth birthday celebration had been part of that same strategy.
As Yi Sin-pung retreated, the Blood Fire Sect warriors rushed to steady him.
“Are you unharmed, Section Leader?”
“I am well enough.”
“Now that the Sky Thunder Fearless of the Gongdong Faction has appeared, that demon surely won’t dare act recklessly again.”
The Blood Fire Sect warriors murmured their assurances, but no amount of consolation could ease what Yi Sin-pung felt.
In that moment, the corners of Dam Ho’s mouth twisted. A thin, mirthless laugh—contempt itself.
“The laws of the Jianghu.”
“Exactly! Things that must be upheld. One must not kill indiscriminately, must not stir up chaos. Right now, you’re sowing disorder in a province that was at peace.”
“And?”
“Come with me to the Gongdong Faction. You’ll receive appropriate judgment. After that, no one will dare trouble you again.”
“Appropriate judgment?”
“Yes. Our elders and sect leader will render a fair decision. This is my final counsel.”
“What if I refuse?”
“Then we fight.”
Nam Hak’s arms dropped to his sides.
With that alone, his presence transformed. Like a massive granite monolith rising upright—an aura of absolute solidity.
A gale could not sway him.
Dam Ho asked suddenly.
“What is my name?”
“That is……”
“If you mean to offer counsel, you should at least know a man’s name.”
At Dam Ho’s words, Nam Hak’s eyebrows twitched.
“You know the laws of the Jianghu, yet you have no sense of propriety.”
“Insolent!”
Nam Hak’s eyebrows trembled with barely restrained fury.

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