119 - Sichuan, China (10) - The Heaven-Slaying Sword

Dang Un Kyung was a small man. Not in terms of his stature or martial prowess, but with regard to the smallness of his heart. Born a concubine's child but still of the direct line. Since Dang Hwa-seo, who was directly above him, was a woman, he was the eldest son. Born with much more than his petty nature deserved, from an early age, he was greedy, and in reality, he managed to achieve most of his greedy desires. If he wanted to eat something, he could eat to his heart's content. If he desired something, he could obtain almost anything. Moreover, according to his mother, that was the case. "The position of the Minor Clan Head will eventually be yours. After all, should the Clan Head not be someone capable of continuing the bloodline for future generations?" Ultimately, he would become the Minor Clan Head. Despite being a prodigy rare even in the history of the Dang Clan, Dang Hwa-seo's body was subjected to a grand spell that robbed her of her fertility, making her unable to produce an heir. His sacrilegious remark on the day of the Yungbong Gathering was related to this. The baseless and petty confidence that the position of Clan Head would eventually fall to him, who possessed reproductive capabilities, was surely nestled within him. However, Dang Un Kyung, petty and arrogant as he was, feared exactly two things. One was Mok Riwon, who had for the first time exposed him to blatant killing intent, and the other was precisely this prohibition of the Dang Clan. 'I, I must leave….' Even in Dang Hwa-seo’s presence, Dang Un Kyung couldn't focus on her. The mere fact that he was inside the prohibited area was painfully etched into his mind. Why was Dang Un Kyung so terrified of the prohibition? The reason was no other. He had already snuck into this prohibited area once and suffered the consequences. 'Snakes, there must be snakes….' With his hands clasped behind his back to hide his trembling, Dang Un Kyung recalled. As a child, he had secretly followed Dang Hwa-seo and Dang Sa Geuk to the prohibition. More accurately, Dang Sa Geuk had not stopped him from doing so, but nonetheless, having entered the prohibition, Dang Un Kyung was enchanted by the serene scenery he had never before seen and wandered about. It was then that he encountered it. "You unworthy creature. Do not tread on this land again." A black snake, larger even than the Clan Leader's hall. A wonder that invoked death by its mere presence. The source of the terror he recalled the moment he was enveloped by Mok Riwon's killing intent. How could he be in his right mind knowing that snake was here? "I told you to move aside." Dang Hwa-seo said in a chilly tone. Swallowing his saliva, Dang Un Kyung continued his thoughts. If he stayed here long, he would be devoured by that snake. But if he disobeyed the Clan Head's order, he would be stripped of everything he had enjoyed so far. A choice between two fears. The petty Dang Un Kyung made his choice in front of them. "Clan Head's orders! As the Minor Clan Head, I shall immediately escort you to the Clan Leader's hall!" It was a choice parasitic on another's authority. Yet, it was not a good choice. "The Clan Head's orders…." Dang Un Kyung’s body flinched. Such was the icy force emanating from Dang Hwa-seo. "And if I don't comply?" "Then, then…." What would happen. No, no. There was no need to be scared. "Seize her!" Dang Un Kyung pointed at Dang Hwa-seo and shouted. There were twenty warriors on this side. Six on that side, and except for Dang Hwa-seo, the rest could not use force. The reason was simple. Removing the shield of being the alliance's warriors, what stood behind was the Nine Sects and other clans. If they violated the Dang Clan's rules on its turf, it wouldn't just create tensions with the alliance but also escalate into conflicts between their home clans and the Dang Clan. Moreover, in such cases, the moral high ground usually went to the Dang Clan. "Mu Ryung is…." Although his body violently shivered the moment his eyes met the warrior's, that man, without backing, could not defy them more than they could defy the Dang Clan. The warriors moved. Dang Hwa-seo, understanding this setup, stepped forward alone. Just when it seemed things would resolve smoothly. "It seems those ears are just for show." Ssss― A dark green Qi flowed from her body, taking the form of a triangular-headed viper. "If you want to live, move aside when I said I want to tear you apart right away." Dang Un Kyung’s eyes widened. His heart dropped. 'That is….' It was Qi that could only be emitted by someone who had reached the 6th stage of the Heukcheon Dokra Gong (Black Heaven Poison Mastery). She was only transitioning between the 4th and 5th stages during the Yungbong Gathering; how had she advanced so quickly? Unknown to Ung Kyung what Dang Hwa Seo had experienced in Bi Dong, he trembled from a sense of crisis. '…This can't be.' The 6th stage was not allowed. It was the realm where Heukcheon Dokra Gong truly revealed its nature, and forcibly overcoming it with numbers became impossible. As he contemplated escape, the moment he took a step back, Dang Hwa-seo swung her hand. Whoosh! The snake opened its mouth wide, spewing venom. It was venom that infiltrated even if one were to hold an antidote in their mouth. "Cough…!" Blood vomited out with the cough. 'A fatal poison…?' Was she truly intending to kill? Even as a rotten tree still has its value, Dang Un Kyung realized what kind of poison it was and looked at Dang Hwa-seo in horror. There was not an ounce of pity in her. All that could be seen in her eyes as she looked down on him were anger and contempt. The warriors were in a somewhat better situation than him, but they too could hardly keep their bodies upright. "If the head is foolish, the body suffers." Dang Hwa-seo approached and grabbed Dang Un Kyung's head tightly. "Ugh…!" "However, what torments the body even more is forcing a head that is not fit for purpose to work. It is showing greed for what is beyond one's station." The venom infiltrated Dang Un Kyung's head. His eyes widened as if they would split apart. Dang Hwa-seo said emotionlessly, "You might as well become a simpleton. Then again, who knows? Maybe your mother will care for you for the rest of your life." "Ju, just…" "Take your grievances to your mother. You should sweetly accept the punishment for fanning vain hopes behind the scenes." Then fear and thought ceased to exist. "Gaggggh…!" Dang Un Kyung's eyes rolled back, and soon he fell with a thump! The last words he faintly heard were, "Disappear. Unless you wish to end up like him." Dang Hwa-seo had said. "Screams of terror!!!" Came from the warriors. * With the intention of punishing everyone who helped in such evil deeds out of loyalty to the Clan Head, Dang Hwa-seo came down from the prohibition, dragging the fallen Dang Un Kyung by the nape. The clan members remained silent even then. It was because Dang Hwa-seo was so angry, and they also knew she was not one to be angered by trivial matters. It was a kindness for which Dang Hwa-seo was grateful. She couldn't bring herself to explain the shameful acts of the Dang Clan right away as her head was too heated to think straight. "Uhuhuh…." A dazed sound came from Dang Un Kyung's mouth. Despite being the one who did this to him, Dang Hwa-seo felt no guilt. Dang Un Kyung was a person unworthy of such feelings. 'A degenerate too stupid to learn kindness even when shown.' It had been a mercy even to keep him alive up until now. It didn't matter how much Dang Un Kyung insulted him, or acted out recklessly in the land of Sacheon using the Dang Clan's influence; he was merely ignored because there seemed to be no need to bother with him. What should have been done long ago, was only happening now. The exit of the prohibition came into view. The only place not shrouded in fog within the enveloped prohibition was a giant gate. As Dang Hwa-seo approached, she felt numerous presences waiting beyond. She didn’t stop. She walked through and opened the gate. "Kyung-ah!!!" A woman's heart-wrenching scream was heard first. Dang Hwa-seo looked at her. Dang Un Kyung's mother, the woman who became her stepmother, Dang Ye-ran. Her eyes began to glitter as she saw Dang Un Kyung being dragged in, looking dazed and giggling. "You, you wicked woman!!!" "Such manners." Dang Hwa-seo tossed Dang Un Kyung to the ground with a thud. Dang Un Kyung twitched and began sucking on his thumb. "That’s what you get for filling his head with nonsense. Dreams beyond one’s station shouldn’t be entertained." "You, you dare call yourself the Minor Clan Head of the Dang Clan! Can you even claim to be a successor of the orthodox faction! How could you do this to your own flesh and blood…." "You, who have killed, are hardly the one to talk." Dang Ye-ran trembled with a start. How could she be so foolish? Dang Hwa-seo stepped forward with a sneer. "Did you think I wouldn't know you poisoned my father and mother to death? Was the Dang Clan that desirable to you?" Dang Hwa-seo had endured a lot. Since she was very young. The terrible death of her parents at the hands of Dang Ye-ran was one of those things. "You thought I wouldn’t know because the Clan Head turned a blind eye." For Dang Sa Geuk, it was merely that he didn't need a son who opposed him on every aspect including the Man Dok Bul Chim policy, nor a daughter-in-law who bore Dang Hwa-seo after much difficulty. Their madness and stubbornness were solely focused on completing Man Dok Bul Chim; they were unnecessary beings to Dang Sa Geuk. "I endured. I was too young to burn with a desire for revenge and too weak to go against the entire Dang Clan." That was also why she fled. No matter how much she wanted to tear them apart, because they were the Dang Clan. Doing so would not bring peace in the end. Her childhood hardships, the grief over her parents' deaths were merely screams without physical evidence. In other words, there was no justification, so she wanted to ignore them. Now, there was no longer a reason to do so. Dang Hwa-seo had a cause to punish them as a Ming, as the Minor Clan Head of the Dang Clan, to bring down the Clan Head. The dark green Qi around Dang Hwa-seo took the form of a venomous snake once more. Movements twitched here and there. Dang Ye-ran looked at Dang Hwa-seo with bloodshot eyes, tears streaming down. "Yo, you…!" Clenching her fist, she said, "A mere tool…!" She staggered to her feet, "Just a doll for the sake of a grand spell…!" Drew a hidden dagger, "Dare to harm my son!!!" She lunged. It was pitiful and slow. One of the culprits who plunged Dang Hwa-seo’s childhood into the abyss seemed truly pitiful and pathetic upon closer inspection. Dang Hwa-seo grabbed the wrist of Dang Ye-ran, who was holding the dagger. "Still, I'll leave you with one hand. You’ll need it to nurse your precious son, won’t you?" She sneered as she exerted more strength in her hand. Coating it with corrosive venom. Hssssss— "Aaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!" Dang Ye-ran screamed in horror, falling to the ground and convulsing wildly. Dang Hwa-seo did not let go of her hand. She applied more strength. More venom. She cooled her burning resentment, forging it into a weapon. Thus melting the skin, the muscles, and even the bones, erasing everything below Dang Ye-ran's wrist. Thud! Unable to bear the pain, Dang Ye-ran fainted and fell over Dang Un Kyung. Only then did Dang Hwa-seo close her eyes and regulate her breathing. When she opened her eyes again, the resentful warriors of the Dang Clan were still in front of her. "Minor Clan Head." Someone emerged from among them. A middle-aged man with a frail appearance. However, his interior was far from frail. "Perhaps it's time to stop." Dang Hwa-seo snorted with amusement. The man's name was Dang Seon Jung. To Dang Hwa-seo, he was an uncle, and within the Dang Clan, he held the position of the third elder. His name appeared most frequently in the journals recorded by Dang Sa Geuk. "Why, still looking out for your woman, is that it?" Dang Ye-ran, who conspired with him to kill her parents, was the name of another of Dang Hwa-seo's sworn enemies.