Chapter 201
Chapter 201
“……I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
At the obvious answer, Youngho let out a quiet chuckle.
“I think I do. I became certain thanks to the fellows who’ve been following us for a while now.”
Paaang!
At the same time a powerful air-splitting sound rang out, the hair by Youngho’s temple was blown away by the wind.
Youngho looked at the hair that had been cut off by the wind pressure and whistled.
“Quite fitting for that size.”
Youngho’s admiration did not reach Yulho’s ears. He had to focus all his senses on grasping the current situation.
‘That was a strike delivered with my full strength.’
It had been a fist thrown with the intent to kill in a single blow, no matter who the opponent was.
Yet the young brat—who looked as though he had only just passed the Coming-of-Age age—had evaded the fist that contained the ferocious profundity of the Heavenly Thousand Beasts Charging Fist, the ultimate art of the Beast Palace.
And he had done it merely by turning his head to the side.
It was unbelievable, but he had to accept it.
“What exactly are you?”
The words carried both caution and the will to kill if things went wrong, yet Youngho laughed once again.
“Yulho.”
“Answer the question. Otherwise…….”
“You’ll kill me?”
Flinch!
Yulho’s expression stiffened.
“Killing is nice. It makes things easier for me, and easier for you.”
Whoosh!
At that moment, a chilling wind brushed past Yulho’s body. A thick, unpleasant aura flowed within it—tyrannical and suffocating, as though it bound everything in existence.
The cold wind flowing from Youngho made Yulho tremble uncontrollably.
‘An expert!’
Not merely that—an expert who surpassed him.
Yulho had been called the strongest within the Beast Palace. Yet even he was now afraid of the man before him.
‘Should I consider him a reclusive master?’
An overwhelming terror filled him, along with the certainty that no matter what method he used, he could never win.
Even speaking was difficult. He could not move from the posture in which he had thrown his punch.
Crunch!
Yet Yulho overcame all those emotions and moved. Blood began to seep from the lips he had bitten down hard upon.
As the metallic taste of blood entered his mouth, his mind finally felt clear.
Yulho slowly withdrew the fist he had thrown and spoke.
“Honored one… who might you be?”
Even though he had overcome the fear, he could not hide the trembling in his voice.
“Impressive.”
Despite the trembling voice, Youngho paid it no mind and clapped his hands in admiration.
“Even if I held back, I didn’t expect you to endure my martial presence.”
Although the words were spoken casually, Yulho was shocked.
‘That wasn’t even his full power?’
Just how high a martial realm must one reach to possess such an aura? How profound must one’s enlightenment be to achieve such perfect Returning to Simplicity?
No.
‘Is he even human to begin with?’
Even as Yulho stared blankly at him, Youngho did not spare him a glance.
Youngho’s gaze was directed solely toward the villagers.
Doubt, confusion, killing intent—many emotions were visible on the faces of the people.
Youngho could not suppress his laughter at the villagers who failed to hide their feelings.
“Khk, khk, khk! What a spectacle! Your master tucked his tail before me, and yet you look at me like that?”
Youngho addressed a young man who had been directing killing intent toward him since earlier.
“So what should I do? Should I gouge out those eyes? Or would losing an arm make you come to your senses?”
At Youngho’s chilling gaze, Yulho was startled and quickly spoke.
“I apologize to you, honored one. I am Maeng Yulho, the Beast Palace Lord.”
The palace members could not hide their bewilderment at the sudden submissive attitude of their lord.
However, after quickly grasping the situation, they showed the highest respect they could offer.
In an instant, the palace members prostrated themselves before Youngho.
Seeing this, Maeng Yulho silently praised them.
‘Well done!’
The monster before them was a man powerful enough to destroy the Beast Palace alone.
Such a being deserved at least the same respect given to the king of the Beast Palace.
Perhaps because of the palace members’ excessive courtesy, the man before them smiled.
The corners of his lips carried a chilling killing intent, as though he might kill someone at any moment.
‘Hm?’
Sensing something strange, Maeng Yulho looked into Youngho’s eyes.
Within those crescent-shaped eyes was a playful expression, as though he had discovered an amusing toy.
‘Could it be?’
Without even checking where Youngho was looking, Maeng Yulho immediately dashed backward.
‘As expected!’
He screamed inwardly when his suspicion proved correct.
Bang!
Maeng Yulho slammed a young man’s head into the ground and bowed deeply.
“A great offense has been committed against the honored one. Please forgive us.”
Youngho and his companions stared at Maeng Yulho’s bizarre action with their mouths agape.
‘Isn’t he dead?’
‘His bones must have shattered.’
Watching the Beast Palace Lord’s excessive courtesy, Youngho was impressed once more.
‘I heard the Beast Palace are prideful and never bow to anyone….’
Apparently that wasn’t always the case.
Seeing the lord lower his posture not for himself but for the sake of his people, Youngho decided to show appropriate courtesy as well.
“There’s no need to go that far. I merely looked because he seemed strong for someone his age.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
Even so, Maeng Yulho did not relax his tension. Seeing his stiff demeanor, Youngho frowned slightly.
‘Even being too strong is a problem.’
Still, what needed to be done had to be done.
Boom—!
An aura belonging to an Absolute Being flowed from Youngho’s entire body.
With an arrogant expression as though seated upon an emperor’s throne, Youngho smiled haughtily and said,
“My name is Youngho. I govern the Unorthodox Alliance and in the Central Plains I bear the title Martial God.”
‘Martial God!’
Only then did Maeng Yulho understand the oppressive pressure he had felt.
‘So the title Greatest Under Heaven is no exaggeration.’
Among the Five Palaces Beyond the Frontier, the Beast Palace was considered the strongest.
It was fortunate beyond measure that the one who overwhelmed him, the Beast Palace Lord, was the Martial God.
If some unknown figure had forced the Beast Palace Lord to kneel, that would have been far more troublesome.
“Palace Lord, may I ask you something?”
“Please ask.”
“I don’t understand why the king of the Beast Palace is here.”
“…….”
Youngho quietly observed Maeng Yulho’s silent expression.
“May I ask the reason?”
“It’s fine…….”
Thud!
At that moment, a thick long needle stabbed into Maeng Yulho’s wrist. Grimacing from the intense pain, he shouted.
“Who is it!!”
Maeng Yulho’s Lion’s Roar thundered through the surroundings. The wave of Qi startled birds from the trees and made the beasts shrink back.
Wild instinct.
Maeng Yulho possessed the same wild instinct that Jeong Guyu had been born with.
‘But this is a different kind.’
Maeng Yulho’s instinct was refined. It could be hidden quietly, or revealed fiercely.
‘If Jeong Guyu saw this, it would help her… what a pity.’
While Youngho felt regret, Maeng Yulho sharpened his senses.
His martial arts were different in nature from those of the Central Plains—martial arts of the lands beyond. By training external techniques to the extreme, Maeng Yulho amplified his bodily senses, revealing the Beast Palace’s long-held aspiration.
In an instant he read the presence.
Maeng Yulho pulled the large needle from his wrist and threw it into the forest like a thrown spear.
“Kuhk!”
The needle tore through the air and pierced something.
As soon as the sound of life fading was heard, hundreds of large needles shot out from the forest.
Maeng Yulho’s expression hardened.
‘They contain Internal Energy!’
His own body had been tempered to the extreme, so they would merely embed in him—but for others, they would pierce straight through.
“Seonghu!”
“Uooo!”
Understanding Maeng Yulho’s intent, the Great Ape pounded its chest loudly.
As if it were a signal, the palace members who had been prostrating before Youngho hurriedly hid behind the Great Ape, lions, and other beasts.
Some even stumbled over stones in their panic.
Yet the beasts did not abandon even those who fell.
They exerted all their strength to protect the humans.
It was a scene worthy of admiration. Beasts that had been considered mere creatures were making such noble sacrifices for humans.
Maeng Yulho did not hide behind the beasts.
Instead, he tightened every muscle in his body, forging a physique akin to Vajra Indestructibility.
‘It’s temporary, but I should be able to block this attack!’
Still, sweat dampened his back from tension.
Youngho watched the entire sequence silently before speaking.
“Are you putting on a play?”
Whoosh—!
With an irritated voice, Youngho swung his arm toward the sky.
The exaggerated swing released a fierce shockwave of Qi that deflected every needle falling from above.
Seeing the needles rain down harmlessly away from the palace members, Maeng Yulho’s eyes widened.
‘Amazing!’
How it was done didn’t matter.
Thanks to Youngho’s casual gesture, his family had survived.
The result alone was satisfying.
Yet his tension did not ease.
Maeng Yulho recalled the gesture from moments ago.
‘To sweep away that many with a single wave of the hand…!’
The needles were slightly smaller than arrows. Moreover, the Internal Energy contained within them was powerful enough that even he could not ignore it.
‘Even if I used my full strength, I couldn’t have produced such a perfect result!’
At best, he might have deflected half.
While he was still marveling at Youngho’s divine might, another volley of needles shot out from the forest.
“Do they not realize it’s meaningless?”
Clicking his tongue, Youngho swung his arm again.
The first time could be considered luck.
But the second time?
Perhaps realizing this, the presences in the forest suddenly fell silent.
The presences that had been revealing themselves vanished in an instant.
“Next will be venomous snakes. If any part of your body becomes poisoned, do not hesitate—cut it off. Otherwise you won’t survive three days.”
At Maeng Yulho’s warning, Youngho listened to the sound of creatures slithering quickly across the ground and said,
“Do you think I will die?”
“Forgive my bluntness. Those of the Beast Palace might endure it, but people of the Central Plains could never withstand that poison……?”
Maeng Yulho suddenly collapsed, unable to steady his spinning vision.
His breathing became difficult, and his face twisted in agony as he gasped.
‘Paralysis, respiratory distress… and soon death.’
No matter how sturdy his body was, with symptoms like this it would be impressive if he lasted even a quarter-hour.
“Palace Lord!”
The palace members, who knew better than anyone how sturdy their lord was, realized the severity of the situation and their faces hardened.
“Monster.”
Just as Maeng Yulho collapsed, a man appeared—snakes dangling from both his arms like ornaments.
He let out a sinister laugh.
“Normally one would die the moment exposed to that poison. Yet how remarkable must his body be to still be holding on?”
Seeing the old man glaring at Maeng Yulho with contempt, something surfaced in Youngho’s memory.
‘I’ve been looked at like that before…?’
A gaze not filled with fear or terror, but with pure disdain—as though looking at something lowly.
‘Not something to worry about now.’
Youngho looked at the wrinkled old man and asked,
“Who are you?”
“Outsiders need not know. Turn back now before you shed blood for interfering.”
At the firm reply, Youngho snorted.
“I’ve been laughing a lot lately. Too many ridiculous things happening.”
“Do you not understand the gravity of the situation? Someone is dying right in front of you.”
“I’ve seen people die so many times that I’m sick of it. So let me give you a warning.”
Chill—!
A sinister killing intent spread across Youngho’s face.
“You’d best not think of talking back to me.”
Slash!
As if his words were the signal, one of the old man’s arms was severed like a scene from a dramatic opera.
No sword had been drawn, and there had been no sensation of Internal Energy moving.
The old man slowly raised the severed arm.
A horrifying burning pain spread through his body as though the arm were on fire, yet he could not even scream.
Only shallow breaths escaped his lips.
What had just happened?
Because he could not understand it, he understood it.
Realizing his arm had been cut off, the old man immediately prostrated himself before Youngho.
“I greet the divine spirit.”