Rebirth of the Thunder God

-Boom!

Although something exploded right in front of Tang Soso's nose, fortunately, she was not injured.

It was because Namgung Hui had saved her with a different form, wrapped in a protective ki.

Tang Soso's face was slightly red, perhaps because she was surprised by the explosion just now.

She said, while being held in Namgung Hui's arms.

"Sorry. I should have been more careful, but I was careless. But can you let me down? I think I need to take another look."

'Fortunately, she's not asking about the protective ki.'

Perhaps because she was distracted by the explosion, there was no inquiry about the protective ki unfolded by a mere member of the younger generation.

Namgung Hui, thinking it was a good thing, nodded and said.

"No. I'll look. You stay behind Seolhwa."

Although they couldn't settle the score in the spar, there was a clear difference in level between Baek Seolhwa and Tang Soso.

Naturally, Baek Seolhwa was a much more outstanding master than Tang Soso.

And since she was a master of returning to youth, she would also be skilled in improvisation.

Even now, in the unidentified explosion, Baek Seolhwa had leisurely protected the remaining corpses.

"Seolhwa. I'll look here, so you go and examine the corpses over there. If it looks like something is going to explode, just get out of there."

"I'll take care of my own body. You just look over there."

Namgung Hui tilted his head at Baek Seolhwa's somewhat cold attitude.

But now was not the time to be thinking about such things.

'Yes. Let's examine the corpses first. I might be able to find another clue.'

The types of martial arts Namgung Hui knew were quite numerous.

Because he had fought countless battles in his past life, he couldn't not know even if he wanted to.

Orthodox arts, unorthodox arts, demonic arts. He even knew a few of the celestial arts that the immortals were said to use.

It was a matter of course that such traces would remain on the corpses.

No matter how much one tried to hide it, there were things that could not be hidden.

'The form of the technique can be hidden, but the ki it contains cannot be erased.'

Namgung Hui placed his hand on the wound on the corpse and gently closed his eyes.

He observed the inside of the corpse as if he were examining his own body.

A detailed operation of ki was performed inside the empty body of the deceased.

-Swish...

Namgung Hui's ki spread like a net.

An application of the advanced electric charge net.

The Thunder Ki, which had spread out like a nervous system, stirred the deceased's body mercilessly like a detector.

Nevertheless, the corpse was not damaged.

Because Namgung Hui had controlled it so delicately.

'Found it.'

Namgung Hui was able to find a trace of something that had penetrated near the deceased's chest.

From the outside, not even a single piece of clothing was damaged.

So why was there a trace of ki inside the chest?

'And it's a martial art that shatters the inside. And such a pure ki is not found in the Blood Cult, let alone the unorthodox faction. Then is it the work of the Hoicheon Association?'

And the trace remaining near the chest was somewhat familiar.

Although it looked fine on the outside, the technique of turning the inside into a pulp was the internal heavy hand technique.

There were not many sects that used the internal heavy hand technique.

There were only two places that came to mind right away.

First, the Shaolin Temple, famous for its 72 ultimate arts.

The monks of the Shaolin Temple were all masters of the fist and palm.

The Hundred-Step Divine Fist, which was said to make one retreat a hundred steps with a single punch.

The Shaolin Five Animal Fists, which were modeled after the forms of five animals.

Besides that, the Prajna Vajra Palm, the Vajra Unmoving Divine Art, the Finger Flicking Divine Skill, and so on.

There were more than enough martial arts that could shake the inside like this.

'But it's hard to think that the Shaolin Temple, the great mountain and north star, has joined the Hoicheon Association.'

Then the other place, the second sect, the Wudang Sect.

The Wudang Sect, famous for its Ten-Section Brocade, was actually more notorious for its internal heavy hand technique than the Shaolin Temple.

That was because of the peerless divine art called the Ten-Section Brocade, which was mentioned earlier.

The Ten-Section Brocade was a palm technique, but it could also be a fist technique, and it could also be applied as a golden capture hand technique.

It would be easier to understand if one saw it as a hand technique that used the hands like the Sosu Demonic Art.

But Namgung Hui thought it was not the work of the Wudang Sect either.

The Wudang Sect was currently the number one sword sect in the world, and even when the Plum Blossom Sword God, his sworn brother, was around, its power was by no means inferior to the Mount Hua Sect.

There was no way such a Wudang Sect would join the Hoicheon Association.

And even if that were the case, there was no way a master who had learned the Ten-Section Brocade would be persuaded.

'The Ten-Section Brocade is much more difficult than most Shaolin martial arts. In terms of the Wudang Sect's martial arts, it's a divine art comparable to the Taiji Wisdom Sword.'

Other people might think that the Ten-Section Brocade was just a simple martial art because of its domineering momentum, but the Ten-Section Brocade was truly a supreme martial art, and its incantations were also quite difficult.

One might ask how Namgung Hui knew that, but it was because of the words of Sosu Mahu, whom Namgung Hui had acknowledged more than anyone else.

'She said it was a martial art that could not be compared to the Sosu Demonic Art in terms of superiority or inferiority.'

The Sosu Demonic Art was a divine ultimate art of the Heavenly Demonic Cult, second only to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

And that Sosu Demonic Art was not inferior even when compared to the Thunder God Divine Art.

In fact, the word 'demonic art' was not even suitable.

There was no way he would expose a martial art of that level, the Ten-Section Brocade, just to deal with first-knot disciples.

Since there were other sects that used the internal heavy hand technique besides the Shaolin Temple and the Wudang Sect.

It was time to find out the other candidates one by one.

Namgung Hui, wondering if there were any other clues, this time turned the corpse over and examined it from all sides.

Then he found something stuck deep in the ground.

When he gently dug it out and picked it up, it looked like a liquor bottle.

The smell was also quite sour, so it seemed to be cheap liquor.

He was about to just pass by the fragment of the liquor bottle, but then he recalled the ki-scattering poison that Tang Soso had mentioned earlier.

It seemed the means by which the Beggars' Sect members had been made to drink the ki-scattering poison was this liquor bottle.

Would a Beggars' Sect member drink alcohol given by just anyone?

Definitely not.

And no matter how much the Beggars' Sect members didn't refuse free alcohol, they wouldn't carelessly drink during a mission.

That meant it was the work of someone they knew.

And it meant that the person's seniority was not low, to the point where they could force them to drink.

'Then it's even stranger. One of the Beggars' Sect members was conscious until the end. What if he had said a little more and then died?'

Namgung Hui's mind became complicated.

The possibilities that he had thought were not possible at first were now raising their heads again.

At times like this, it was the law to put their heads together with others.

Namgung Hui took the facts he had found and approached Baek Seolhwa.

"Seolhwa. Did you find anything?"

"No. Not really."

But contrary to her words, Baek Seolhwa's face looked slightly confused.

As if she had found something but was hiding it.

'No way. What reason would Seolhwa have to hide something? There wouldn't even be any Moon Maiden Palace disciples who have come out.'

Namgung Hui shook off his idle thoughts and this time approached Tang Soso and asked.

"Soso. I think I smell ki-scattering poison from this liquor bottle fragment. Can you check if that's right?"

"Alright. Just a moment."

Tang Soso lightly tasted the liquid on the liquor bottle fragment.

"Yes. It's ki-scattering poison. They must have put the poison in this liquor bottle and made them drink it. But why did they drink the alcohol without any suspicion?"

"It seems it was the work of someone they knew. And it must have been the work of someone with a high seniority or a close relationship, without any room for suspicion."

"Ah! Then that makes sense. Someone the Beggars' Sect members wouldn't suspect..."

"Do you have any idea?"

"Hmm... I don't know. Even we, the Beggars' Sect members we met earlier would have drunk the alcohol I gave them, so the range is too wide."

Was it because they had become accustomed to the peace of the past?

The attitude of responding was definitely different from when Namgung Hui had experienced the great war between the orthodox and demonic factions.

At that time, drinking was strictly forbidden, and no matter how high a person's seniority was, they would not touch alcohol at all.

The reason Namgung Hui did not enjoy drinking was also for this reason.

'I didn't know when the sword of the Black Killing Squad would fly. Alcohol not only makes a person careless, but it also dulls the senses.'

In particular, the sense of smell and the five senses to detect the enemy became dull.

It was no different from losing the only means to detect the stealthy stealth technique of the Black Killing Squad.

"For now, let's follow the traces of the ki-scattering poison. I have a way."

Tang Soso took out a small bamboo tube from her bosom, put the liquor bottle fragment in it, and shook it mercilessly.

"Now, the smoke coming out of this bamboo tube will guide us."

"Strange. Does the Tang family have such a tool?"

"We developed it while fighting a war with the Five Poisons Sect. Baek Seolhwa. Aren't you coming?"

"I'm going."

Tang Soso looked at Baek Seolhwa, shook her head, and then followed the smoke.

And so, the place Namgung Hui's group headed for, following the traces of the ki-scattering poison, was a deep mountain with no people.

The culprit must have fled to a place with no people.

He could have taken refuge in an ownerless cave or crossed the mountain like this.

That was why Namgung Hui's group moved their feet quickly.

Because they were worried they might lose the culprits.

But Namgung Hui, while following Tang Soso, tilted his head.

A downpour had just poured down a while ago.

Then it was normal for footprints to be left on the muddy mountain path.

Even if one had reached the state of walking on grass, if a person passed, a trace would be left.

For example, a tree branch being broken.

Or the leaves being swept away as if by the wind.

An unnatural trace was left on the mountain path.

He could even deduce it from the traces of the fleeing insects or animals.

'No matter how I look at it, there are no traces of a person having passed.'

How long had they followed the smoke like that?

The smoke from the bamboo tube that Tang Soso was holding stopped.

Tang Soso stopped her steps and carefully sent a telepathic message to Namgung Hui.

-We're here. It's below that cliff over there.

It seemed there was a cave or a tunnel below the cliff.

Since no human figure was visible, they must be hiding.

Namgung Hui spread the electric charge net wide and checked if the enemy was hiding.

'There are no people in the ground or in the cave in the cliff. Is it a bust?'

Since they had followed the traces of the ki-scattering poison.

If the enemy had disposed of the ki-scattering poison here and left, there would be no gains.

-Soso. No matter how I look, there are no people in the ground or in the cave in the cliff.

-Really? The traces of the ki-scattering poison definitely ended here... Then did they throw it away and run? The ki-scattering poison is quite precious. They have guts.

A poison that scatters a martial artist's internal energy would not be cheap.

Come to think of it, since poison also used similar ingredients to elixirs, its value could not help but be expensive.

And unlike elixirs, since its manufacturing method was kept strictly secret and it was distributed secretly, it was even more expensive.

Tang Soso stroked her chin for a moment and then continued.

-Then it's a shame to just retreat like this, so let's just pick up the ki-scattering poison.

Namgung Hui also readily nodded at Tang Soso's proposal.

If he obtained the ki-scattering poison, he could use it effectively against his enemies later.

And so, as they got closer to the cliff area.

-Pang!

Namgung Hui suddenly kicked the ground and jumped up.

He soared so high that he looked like a hawk.

When Namgung Hui's body reached the edge of the cliff, he immediately turned his body and landed on the precipice.

Tang Soso was so surprised that Namgung Hui had jumped over 10 feet with a single leap that she could only blink her eyes.

But soon, Tang Soso had no choice but to come to her senses.

-Clang!

Because of the continuous sound of weapons clashing.

And then, Namgung Hui's voice fell from the top of the cliff.

"As expected, you were hiding here. You must have killed the Beggars' Sect members, right?"

"..."

Namgung Hui, who had drawn his sword at some point, was facing the unidentified masked people with his sword.

But although Namgung Hui seemed to be standing calmly, he was quite surprised inside.

(End of Chapter)