Moorim Pochang - Chapter 108

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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 108. The Gatekeeper of the Murim Alliance.

What blocked the Murim Alliance Main Gate was a barricade of corpses stacked waist-high.
The blood flowing from the stacked bodies formed a rivulet.
‘Ah… I want to run. Just one more time, then I’m getting out of here.’
Yang Jung, lying buried among the corpses, wanted nothing more than to escape this place.
The stench of blood that had once made him retch now felt like nothing at all.
From crown to sole, his body was slicked with gore—both the enemy’s and his own.
By the time he’d stacked corpses to waist height, his flesh had split open in so many places he couldn’t tell where one wound ended and another began.
Crash…!
A torrent of sword strikes and sword qi rained down upon the stacked bodies.
The force shredded and cleaved them apart.
The enemy had the sense to realize that an ambusher must be hiding among the dead.
But Yang Jung was not among the severed remains.
‘I’m not a fool. Why would I hide in plain sight?’
Most of the enemies attempting to breach the Murim Alliance were what people called the White-Eyed Demons—men with pale, ghostly eyes.
Their instincts were sharp, and ambushing them proved far easier than he’d expected.
But they did not die easily.
Unless their necks were severed or their hearts pierced, they would somehow keep moving, keep fighting.
Tattooed warriors had also forced their way inside the Murim Alliance.
And most of them possessed formidable martial skill.
An enemy shadow passed over his face.
Yang Jung tried to drive his blade into the attacker’s groin.
But desperate instinct froze his body in place.
As one enemy passed, a stream of others followed in his wake.
Only then did he move his sword.
Thrust—
Aaaiieeee…!
Ahhhhh…!
The enemies, their groins pierced, collapsed shrieking in anguish.
At that same instant, sword qi and strikes poured down upon his position.
Crash-crash-bang…!
But Yang Jung was already moving, his body technique carrying him as he severed an enemy’s neck.
Slice.
The moment the blade bit through, he shifted his body technique using the Four Forms Shadow Technique.
In that same breath, the enemy’s sword cleaved through his afterimage.
Slice…
The enemy who’d cut through the phantom immediately launched into pursuit with his body technique.
Yang Jung’s fleeing figure dimmed and vanished.
Whoosh…
The startled enemy spun, cutting the air horizontally in a wide arc.
In that moment, Yang Jung’s leg was severed.
Whoosh—Thud.
The blade that had taken his leg changed direction in an instant, driving deep into his chest.
Hack—
The enemy crumpled with a final, strangled cry.
Exhale…
‘The Reverse Path Combination Step worked perfectly. One more time, then I run.’
Yang Jung, releasing a breath of relief, buried his body back among the corpses.
This time among the severed remains.
His gore-soaked body merged seamlessly with the dismembered dead.
‘Damn it. There’s no way in hell this is something I should be doing.’

*

Baek Moon-do’s entire body and Cheol-goe’s entire body were drenched in blood.
Crash…!
Cheol-goe slashed at the blade and stepped back, his voice breaking the sudden quiet.
“That’s enough for today.”
As he lowered his spear, Baek Moon-do sheathed his sword.
“What are you waiting for, Cheol-goe?”
“Dae-hyung.”
To his question, Cheol-goe answered without hesitation.
Baek Moon-do let out a hollow laugh.
Heh, heh…
If Dae-hyung revealed himself, Cheon Sa-gyo would be finished entirely.
And yet he speaks like that?
“You seem confident.”
“I wouldn’t have started if I weren’t.”
Cheol-goe continued, stepping backward.
“Next time, I’ll return with even more masters.”
“How long will this continue?”
“Until every soul in Gangho is gone. Retreat…!”
Having finished speaking, Cheol-goe raised his voice in a shout.
At his cry, those bearing tattoos and the white-eyed ones withdrew in unison.
“Do not pursue…!”
Baek Moon-do also raised his voice in command.
The Murim Alliance masters fell back as well.
“Already calling it quits?”
Yeo Hwa regarded Cheol-goe with a face full of displeasure.
“The sun’s already high in the sky.”
Cheol-goe pointed his spear at the heavens.
At this, she turned her gaze toward Baek Moon-do, Baek Won-yeong, and Baek Ha-yeong.
She had brought far more masters than before, yet still failed to achieve her aim.
She looked toward the distant Murim Alliance Main Gate.
What blocked the entrance was the corpses of her subordinates.
“So the Murim Alliance harbors some renowned assassin?”
Most of those who had rushed into the Murim Alliance grounds bore no tattoos.
She had intended them as disposable tools.
Yet a fair number of genuine masters had been mixed among them.
She had given them orders to set fire and withdraw immediately.
Those who failed to escape mattered not if they died within the Alliance grounds.
When she dismissed Yang Jung as nothing but an assassin, rage flared through Baek Ha-yeong like fire through dry wood.
“Shut your filthy mouth, you wretched woman! Yang Jung is no killer for hire—he’s a hero of Gangho…!”
It was uncharacteristic language from her.
The moment Yeo Hwa’s lips curled upward, the Crescent Blade in her hand flew through the air.
Screech…!
The Crescent Blade arced through the void and slashed toward Baek Ha-yeong’s throat in an instant.
Clang…!
Cho Yak deflected the blade, and redirected, it spiraled back to Yeo Hwa’s hand.
“You have such a knack for sliding past attacks, just like your father. Ask him sometime how well he could dodge when he was young.”
“Leave now, Yeo Hwa.”
Baek Moon-do stepped between her and the others, blocking her advance.
Hmph.
“Embarrassed to show yourself in front of your daughter?”
Yeo Hwa withdrew with a contemptuous sneer lingering on her lips.
Yet the confrontation had not truly ended.
For a distant Ki Wave could be faintly sensed approaching.
“That fool!”
Yeo Hwa cursed loudly and immediately shifted her body technique.
Whistle…

*

Grind, grind…
‘Still unable to overtake Baek Won-yeong.’
Moyong Se ground his teeth in fury.
A bit more effort and it seemed certain he would close the gap, yet that bit more remained stubbornly out of reach.
Or perhaps he had closed it somewhat after all.
But the distance was still there, palpable and real.
‘If I covered ten paces, he covered eight or nine.’
Baek Won-yeong alone was not the strongest here.
Dok-go Il seemed his equal, and both Dok-go Eun and Yeon Ja-seol were formidable opponents.
“Damn it. When will I be able to kill all of them?”
If he could cut down Baek Won-yeong, the others would fall as well.
No—even crossed blades with Baek Moon-do wouldn’t overwhelm him entirely.
The Strongest Under Heaven was not far away.
Kang Jo stepped outside the wall and watched the Hyeol-gyo masters retreat into the distance.
Their faces bore no expression, whether from the tattoos or something else, he could not say.
‘Like demons wearing human skin, not humans at all.’
As he harbored this thought, a familiar silhouette passed before him.
‘Moyong Se.’
Kang Jo regarded him quietly.
But to Moyong Se, Kang Jo was an eternal blood enemy.
The moment their eyes met, Moyong Se bared his fangs in a snarl.
“Don’t even dream of dying easily.”
Kang Jo found him almost pitiful.
If Moyong Se wanted vengeance now, he would draw his blade; if his strength fell short and he hoped for a future reckoning, he would hide and gather power in the shadows.
But instead, this wretch could do neither—only yap like a dog before his enemy, begging for death.
“A tiger sired a dog.”
The moment Moyong Se heard those words, the violent hatred he had harbored in his chest erupted.
Was killing his father and kinsmen not enough—did he have to mock him as well?
“Die…!”
The instant he raised his voice, those with mist-clouded eyes shrieked and rushed forward as one.
Shriek!
Howl!
At the same moment, Kang Jo drew his blade.
Whissh…
The moment the sword left its sheath, the heads of those charging forward flew into the air.
Kang Jo’s body technique carved through the space between the headless bodies.

*

Between the heads suspended in midair, the blade whistled through.
Moyong Se watched the spectacle in stunned silence.
Among the blood falling from severed necks, a grimy sword point drew nearer.
Its speed was so terrible his neck would surely be pierced before he could even draw his blade.
Was this what they called the Lantern Before Death?
Regret flooded in like a tide.
He should have listened to Cheol-goe’s words.
“Never, under any circumstance, touch that Guest Inn.”
He should not have ignored Yeo Hwa’s warning.
“You are not yet ready to face that one.”
Yet even as despair claimed him, a dark figure materialized between him and the blade.
Thud!
The grimy sword burst through the figure’s neck, the blade emerging bloody on the far side.
The figure transfixed by that grimy steel was one of the Moyong Clan’s warriors.
Moyong Se hastily unfolded his Divine Method and swung his blade in return.
Clang-clang-boom!
Howl!
The moment he struck back against the grimy sword tearing through the air, his arm trembled and his whole body shuddered.
But there was no moment to hesitate.
Scrape…whissh…
As he retreated while swinging his blade, his subordinates’ bodies were split asunder.
Shriek!
Howl!
Anguished screams tore from the throats of his men.
Crash! Bang! Bang……………!
Radiant Sword Energy and blade light whirled through the air, shattering weapons and tearing bodies to pieces.
“Stop him……..! Block him……….!”
Moyong Se screamed in desperation.
Shriek…! Shriek………..!
His subordinates, eyes wide and vacant, rushed forward with anguished cries.
But their bodies were cut down as easily as soft grass on a spring day.
“Foolish wretch……………!”
At that moment, Yeo Hwa’s angry voice rang out from the empty air.
Any other time, he would have felt the sting of her words, but now he felt nothing.
Or rather, he felt only relief.
Crash! Bang! Bang……….!
The Crescent Blade and the dull-colored blade clashed with violent intensity.
As the surge of clashing power rippled outward in all directions, even those with vacant eyes hastily retreated.
Crash! Bang! Bang……! Crash! Bang……..!
The moment the fiercely tangled Crescent Blade separated, a spear point came flying in.
The dark blade met the spear point in collision.
Crash! Bang! Bang! Bang…………….!
“I am prepared to apologize, so why not end this now?”
When Cheol-goe’s voice rang out, Kang Jo let out a cold laugh.
“You have always been the one to start the fight.”

*

“Collect the bodies…..!”
Baek Moon-do, raising his voice, felt the endless waves of Ki Wave pressing in.
His gaze turned toward the Guest Inn, and his Body Technique vanished with a gust of wind.
Whoosh……
The moment he disappeared, the Body Techniques of Baek Won-yeong, Dok-go Il, Dok-go Eun, and Yeon Ja-seol quickly carried them away toward the Guest Inn.
Whoosh……
“What are you doing…….? Move the wounded into the Murim Alliance at once……..!”
In Baek Moon-do’s stead, Cho Yak and Shin Pung-gae raised their voices.
Shin Pung-gae himself was far from unscathed.
His robes, already little better than rags, hung in tatters, and blood seeped from between the tears.
Cough…!
Shin Pung-gae, who had been shouting commands, suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed.
‘I have grown old at last.’
He had tried to push through, but his body would not obey.
No—it was not mere fatigue; the internal injury was grave.
“Carry the Master inside, quickly..!”
At Cho Yak’s cry, the gatekeepers stationed at the Murim Alliance came running.
She, watching over Shin Pung-gae, turned her gaze toward the Guest Inn.
‘Should I go as well?’
The martial artists and skilled personnel of the Murim Alliance began gathering the bodies.
But first, they had to clear away the corpses blocking the entrance.
As they moved to do so, a red form stirred weakly and began to rise.
Gasp…….!
Cough….!
The startled skilled personnel and martial artists drew their weapons in unison.
“Yang Jung…..!”
Baek Ha-yeong recognized the form at once.
Hah……….
“Miss Baek……”
The figure laughed softly, took a few steps forward, then collapsed heavily to the ground.
“Move Yang Jung inside, quickly…..!”
At Baek Ha-yeong’s cry, the martial artists of the Murim Alliance hurried to support him.
“Ah……….I am fine……I think I am fine.”
Retch…!
Yang Jung suddenly fell face-down and vomited the contents of his stomach onto the ground.
Only now did he catch the sickly stench of human blood and the reek of offal.
“Yang Jung has sustained internal injuries as well……! We need to move him quickly……!”
Baek Ha-yeong raised her voice again, and the martial artists hurried him into the Murim Alliance, supporting his retching form.

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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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