Chapter 11
“!!!”
“???”
“……!”
Everyone’s gaze simultaneously turned to So-ah.
In particular, the eyes of Tang Il-gi, Tang Hwa-rin, and Gu-yang Seon were filled with disbelief and astonishment.
“Young Taoist. Are you saying you can really see those figures clearly?”
The first to speak was Tang Il-gi.
Tang Il-gi was currently raising his internal energy to the maximum to examine the unidentified figures approaching from a great distance. But not only was the distance far, it was also a dark night, so even he could not properly identify the objects.
But, jiangshi!
The word jiangshi was surprising, but even more unbelievable to Tang Il-gi was the fact that So-ah was seeing a figure that even he could not make out.
“I’m not sure, but they have the shape of a person, their bodies are deathly pale like corpses, and a bloody light is glinting in their eyes.”
At that, different reactions erupted from within the group.
The people from the escort agency were so startled that their bodies froze like stone. Tang Il-gi looked at So-ah with even more disbelief, then focused his vision again to identify the hazy objects in front.
And,
‘So-ah… he might be a much more amazing kid than I thought!’
Gu-yang Seon thought.
Although he was a person with a uselessly wide nosiness and a bit of a klutz, he was a kind and quite skilled Taoist priest.
From the moment he first saw So-ah’s physiognomy, he had thought that although he was young now and hadn’t shown prominence in any particular field, he would achieve great success in some area when he grew up.
In the midst of that, So-ah was spouting astonishing words, so his mind was filled with a mix of emotions.
But the client, Tang Hwa-rin, seemed to have the complete opposite thought as Gu-yang Seon.
“Little Taoist, what on earth are you talking about?”
Tang Hwa-rin asked So-ah in a slightly annoyed tone.
“Huh?”
“How can you see something that even brother Il-gi can’t see properly? Surely a Taoist priest can’t do martial arts.”
“I can do martial arts.”
“What?!”
“And I’m quite a master at it. My grandpa said that at my level, no one in the world can torment me.”
At So-ah’s words, Tang Hwa-rin almost burst out laughing.
But she soon realized that her judgment was wrong.
“It’s true…!”
It was because of Tang Il-gi’s cry.
“Brother Il-gi…?”
“That… that is a jiangshi!”
In that moment.
“H-Heeik!”
“What… what do we do!”
“The rumor about monsters coming out was true!”
The people from the escort agency, the externally hired porters, and even the guest warriors were all in a frenzy.
“All those who have not learned martial arts, step back. The escorts and guest warriors will protect the porters and baggage carriers!”
Tang Il-gi shouted, gathering the people.
Then he urgently spoke again to Gu-yang Seon and So-ah.
“There’s a lot to say, but let’s put out the urgent fire first. We’ll need you to be active.”
Gu-yang Seon nodded his head at his words.
“There are largely two types of jiangshi. Those that occur naturally and those created by humans. If it’s the latter, I should be able to handle them with my abilities.”
“And if it’s the former?”
“Since Young Master Tang is proficient in martial arts, if you help, we should be able to catch even naturally occurring jiangshi without much difficulty.”
Hearing Gu-yang Seon’s words, Tang Il-gi gave Tang Hwa-rin a look.
It was a signal to prepare for a bloody battle.
Because besides himself, Tang Hwa-rin was the greatest master in the group.
“Alright, let’s catch whatever it is, whether it’s a jiangshi or a ghost.”
Tang Hwa-rin spat out sarcastically.
Her eyes, looking at So-ah, were still full of disbelief.
***
“Kiaaa…!”
“Kieeeek!”
“Kalkalkaaaaal!”
Tremble, tremble.
People’s legs were shaking.
So-ah and Tang Il-gi’s warnings were not wrong.
The identity of the strange figures visible through the moonlight was really jiangshi.
“We’re going to die…”
“Damn it!”
Sighs flowed from the porters lined up behind the warriors.
Even the warriors who had drawn their swords were sweating coldly.
The sight of the jiangshi, with their flashing bloody light, nails reminiscent of sharp blades, and fangs bared in their wide-open maws, was ferocious beyond measure.
But Gu-yang Seon spoke softly with a surprisingly calm expression.
“Fortunately, seeing as they have lost their reason, they are jiangshi artificially created by humans.”
At that, Tang Il-gi asked.
“Then…?”
“We must kill them all!”
As soon as the words were out, Gu-yang Seon flew towards the slowly approaching jiangshi.
“Taishang Laojun, act as urgently as the statutes and ordinances command! Die, you monsters!”
—Ch-r-r-r-r-rang!
Gu-yang Seon’s figure was ethereal.
At a glance, it was impossible to say he was an ordinary person who had not learned martial arts.
Moreover, didn’t the ‘Demon-Sensing Bell’ bracelet on his wrist emit a cool blue flash along with a brilliant sound?
‘More than I thought…’
‘He’s useful. I guess he wasn’t a fraud.’
Tang Il-gi and Tang Hwa-rin thought.
—Pakang!
—Papak!
As the flash from Gu-yang Seon’s Demon-Sensing Bell struck the jiangshi, a dull metallic sound erupted.
At first glance, it even looked like the sword ki that could only be performed upon reaching the realm of a supreme master, so Tang Hwa-rin’s eyes were filled with a strange light.
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
The figure of the fat Gu-yang Seon, whose flesh seemed about to drip off, rushed forward and stuck talismans on the foreheads of the jiangshi.
“Kuaaaah!”
The jiangshi with the talismans attached let out a scream.
Sssss!
The bodies of the jiangshi with the talismans attached began to emit smoke with a desolate sound and gradually disintegrated.
“Huhu, you monsters! This talisman was drawn by me personally with mid-to-high grade cinnabar, so its effect is direct!”
Confidence was added to Gu-yang Seon’s voice.
“That Taoist priest… he’s amazing.”
“I know, right.”
People exclaimed in admiration as they watched Gu-yang Seon.
In fact, from the perspective of Tang Il-gi and Tang Hwa-rin, who had thought that a Taoist priest wouldn’t have much ability, they couldn’t help but be surprised.
“What are you all doing? Are you going to leave all these guys to me!”
Gu-yang Seon shouted at the warriors.
And for good reason. The number of jiangshi was about twenty, so it was impossible for him to exterminate them alone.
“F-Fight!”
“Yeah, that Taoist priest said that artificially created jiangshi are no big deal, so what could happen?!”
The warriors mustered up their courage.
Even Gu-yang Seon, who was not a martial artist, was fighting so well, so they thought there was no way they, who had learned the sword, would be defeated by jiangshi.
“Die!”
“You disgusting things!”
—Kagang!
—Kagagang!
A loud noise, as if iron was clashing with iron, began to shake the mountain scenery.
The bodies of the jiangshi were harder than expected, and unlike Gu-yang Seon’s Taoist arts, the warriors’ swords did not easily penetrate.
Just then.
—Shu-shu-shu-shu-shu-shu!
The sound was light.
Was this the sound of the air being finely torn?
Along with that sound of something cutting through the air, tens, hundreds of rays of light scattered in the area.
It was the hidden weapons that rushed from the hands of Tang Il-gi and Tang Hwa-rin.
—Pakang!
“Kuaaaah!”
—Pakakakakakang!
“Kuuuuk!”
—Chae-chae-chae-chae-chaeng!
“Kiyaaaaak!”
The killing power of the hidden weapons was truly admirable.
The hidden weapons used by Tang Il-gi and Tang Hwa-rin were rare items that could not be obtained in ordinary weapon shops. They were called ‘White Gold Night,’ and their surfaces were coated with white gold, so they did not easily corrode or lose durability.
Moreover, the cutting edge of the hidden weapons, which were used to kill targets, was sharp enough to cut through a boulder, a masterpiece that could only be created by the Sichuan Tang Clan.
‘See. Whether it’s a ghost or a jiangshi, if they get caught by our family’s hidden weapons, they’ll be sliced like tofu! Hoho.’
‘As expected, they’re just sinister monsters created by humans! No big deal.’
Tang Hwa-rin and Tang Il-gi were relieved as they watched the jiangshi being swept away like autumn leaves.
But that was just a huge misunderstanding on their part.
***
“I… will… kill… you…”
‘What… on earth is that…’
Darkness fell over Gu-yang Seon’s face.
Clearly, these jiangshi were monsters created by humans.
There was no way they could speak human language.
But what was this?
As soon as the Tang Clan’s hidden weapon technique was performed, the scene seemed to enter a lull.
But just as they were believing that without a doubt,
Didn’t a jiangshi, whose bloody light was particularly prominent, speak human language?
‘Such immense killing intent…!’
It wasn’t just Gu-yang Seon who was surprised.
Everyone in the area felt the suddenly exploding killing intent and experienced a heart-pounding fear.
“What… is that thing?”
Tang Il-gi asked Gu-yang Seon.
“I don’t know… I don’t know either. That thing is clearly a jiangshi created by humans… but how on earth is it speaking human language.”
Gu-yang Seon’s tone was like someone talking to himself.
At that, Tang Hwa-rin frowned.
“Brother. This won’t do. If we just stand here, people will die from the killing intent the jiangshi is emitting.”
She shouted urgently.
She was making excuses for others, but in fact, she too was finding it hard to endure any longer.
Tang Il-gi nodded his head without hesitation.
“All warriors who can control their bodies, let’s focus our attacks on that thing!”
But despite his command, no one dared to step forward.
Even Tang Il-gi was afraid of the killing intent, so there was no way the escorts or guest warriors could do anything.
“You bastard!”
Tang Il-gi mustered up his courage.
A ominous premonition that if he too collapsed, an irreversible pandemonium of slaughter would unfold.
Although he too was afraid, true to his status as a rising star of a prestigious orthodox sect, he flew up into the air like a ray of light.
‘I’ll use my ultimate technique at once!’
Tang Il-gi, realizing that he could not last long against the extreme killing intent, raised his family’s internal art, the Myriad Streams Returning to the Origin Divine Art, to its peak.
—Guuuu…
As his internal energy circulated, a quiet roar flowed out…
“Take this!”
—Chwa-r-r-r-r-r-reuk!
A dazzling golden light burst from Tang Il-gi’s hand, and hundreds of special hidden weapons fell from the sky like a shower.
‘Pear Blossom Needles in a Heavy Rain?’
Tang Hwa-rin’s eyes widened.
The Pear Blossom Needles in a Heavy Rain was an ultimate art of the Tang Clan and was quite difficult to perform.
But the strike of the Pear Blossom Needles in a Heavy Rain that was unleashed from Tang Il-gi’s hand was so perfect.
She already knew that brother Il-gi’s martial arts were the most outstanding among the young masters of the Tang Clan, but she had never imagined it would be to this extent.
But that wasn’t all.
Tang Il-gi, while pouring out the Pear Blossom Needles in a Heavy Rain, simultaneously flew his body towards the jiangshi, performing the Thirteen Forms of the Whirling Soft Whip, one of the Tang Clan’s specialties, as a palm technique.
‘Amazing!’
Tang Hwa-rin thought that there was no way the jiangshi before her could survive.
Moreover, the quick-witted Gu-yang Seon, at the same time as Tang Il-gi’s strike continued, approached the rear of the jiangshi and,
“Taishang Laojun, act as urgently as the statutes and ordinances command!”
He shouted a Taoist incantation and performed an exorcism technique.
Although they hadn’t coordinated, the two’s joint attack was truly exquisite.
But.
—Tadak, tadak, tadak.
The moment Tang Il-gi’s hidden weapons touched the jiangshi’s body, they fell powerlessly to the ground, and,
—Kwagagagagang!
Even though his palm technique struck the jiangshi’s body thirteen times with great force, there was no change in the jiangshi’s body.
Even,
—Sssss…!
Gu-yang Seon’s technique only produced a puff of smoke and could not harm the jiangshi.
‘This… monster…!’
Tang Il-gi’s complexion turned deathly pale.
“I… will kill… you…!”
Along with that, the jiangshi’s poisonous hands stretched out to both sides and grabbed the necks of Tang Il-gi and Gu-yang Seon.
“Kak…”
“Keuk!”
The two were instantly caught in the jiangshi’s hands and dangled.
Just then, an unbelievable miracle happened.
—Kwa-r-r-r-reung!
A thunderclap roared.
No, it was real thunder.
Because as it was released, it scattered a blue lightning.
“……!”
The lightning pierced through the jiangshi’s head.
“L-Little Taoist… you…?”
It was a single punch from the Heaven-Shattering Consecutive Cannon, the fist strike of the God of War’s Ten-Second Invincible Arts, which had never been defeated since its debut.
(End of Chapter)