122 - Sichuan, China (13) - The Heaven-Slaying Sword

Dang Hwa-seo reached the top floor of the family head's residence. The door was wide open as if inviting her in. After a moment's hesitation, Dang Hwa-seo stepped forward. '…Is there any reason I can't enter?' As she entered the darkened interior, she immediately faced him. "Have you arrived?" Like before, there stood Dang Sageuk, his appearance as grotesque as ever. "Take a seat." Dang Sageuk offered, but Dang Hwa-seo remained standing as she spoke. "Head of the family, it is all over now." With a thud— Dang Hwa-seo threw a journal onto the floor. It was one of the items she had prepared. "I never knew the Dang family was so rotten. No matter how vile you were towards me, I believed you'd maintain the line as a pillar of the martial world. But what is this?" "…It's a record of the sweat shed by the Dang family." "It seems more like a record of someone's blood." Dang Hwa-seo's tone turned even colder. It was a voice full of contempt, as were her eyes. Even in this moment, she found Dang Sageuk's utter lack of remorse utterly contemptible. "Is that all you have to say? Are you determined to show me only your worst? How can you do this to the very end?" Dang Sageuk merely looked at the journal. With his face so horribly disfigured, it was hard to read any expression, leaving Dang Hwa-seo with nothing to do but wait for his answer. In truth, even now, she hoped he would acknowledge his sins. The thought of 'blood ties' crossed her mind inadvertently. But it seemed Dang Sageuk had no intention of responding to her feelings, not even by a sliver. "Does it matter? Those mere few sacrifices?" Dang Hwa-seo was at a loss for words. She then asked incredulously. "…What did you say?" "It was for the sake of the entire Dang family. To make this family the center of the central plains. It was the dream our ancestors had longed for over many years. A dream that has finally borne fruit, and you're concerned about the sacrifices of a few unknowns?" Could these words truly come from a human? No, could they come from a master of the martial world? The words Dang Sageuk spoke were almost… "…You sound like a devil. No, a demon." It was like those who sacrificed their humanity for power. Dang Sageuk was not angered. "How is it different, then? In seeking power to claim authority. All martial artists are essentially the same, their faults the only variations." "Even your excuses are vile." Hiss— Dang Hwa-seo unleashed her venomous energy. "Surrender yourself. If not, I will subdue you and take you to the alliance myself." "How can I confess to a crime I have not committed?" "By harming living beings for your goals, you have already sinned." "Then, you too would be a sinner, having pursued those fruits." "How much lower will you stoop?" Dang Sageuk closed his eyes tightly. Then he continued. "Do you intend to erase the Dang family with your own hands?" "If necessary." "That is where you were born and raised." "I never wanted it, and every moment was a nightmare." "Yet, it is your homeland." "Are you trying to gloss over things?" "It seems we cannot communicate." Dang Sageuk stood up. "Yes, I tried to understand you. It must have been hard with such a young heart. Too painful to grasp the ways of the martial world. How could I not understand? I am all too familiar with the sensation of being steeped in venom." "…" "I waited. Even on the day you left, I hoped you would understand my intention and did not stop you. When you roamed the martial world, I interfered as little as possible. When you wanted to head towards the alliance, I thought finally, you would see the true face of the martial world." Finally, Dang Sageuk opened his remaining eye. "But this is it. In the end, you did not understand." "The one who doesn't understand is you." Dang Hwa-seo no longer addressed him as the head of the family. "The only thing you're ignorant of is the call for justice from those wielding power without righteousness…" "That justice—!" Woosh— Venom burst forth. Dang Hwa-seo stepped back. Looking at Dang Sageuk with wide eyes, his face was as terrifying as a fierce deity. "Justice! It can only be claimed by those with power!" Boom! His step made the pavilion tremble. "The barbarity of this martial world acknowledges only the words of the strong!" His rage made the energy ripple as if being torn apart. "Do you know? The Dang family was never righteous! Because we lacked power! Just for that reason, we were deemed evil! Despite serving the martial world for so long! Always tagged as a vile sect using poison and hidden weapons!" Disgusting. His contorted expression. His claims. And the energy bursting forth. Yet, within that energy, there was a fullness of desperation, which made Dang Hwa-seo feel repulsed. "How much more righteous must we be! How many more sacrifices must we make!" "…" "That's why we seek power! To assert ourselves with dignity overcoming that fate! To declare our presence in this martial world! To show that the Dang family has endured humiliation for so long!" The old man's stubbornness declared. "That's why we must not spare any means!" To this, Dang Hwa-seo responded. "...So it's excuses to the very end." "What?" "Excuses, I said." It was not even laughable. Dang Sageuk might as well not have deserved the title of 'Poison King,' appearing nothing more than a petty figure. Wasn't it so? Dang Sageuk's words aligned not at all with reason. The Dang family had been despised since its first incorporation into the martial world. The notion that one must possess power to proclaim justice was a thought of the evil path. And what about the saying that one must not distinguish between means to achieve power? That was the argument of demons. 'Disgusting.' Dang Hwa-seo thought she understood the grossly fallen process. It was probably an attempt to justify greed. Trying to cover irrational emotions with reason must have completed that ugliness. Dang Hwa-seo said to the stunned Dang Sageuk. "Did you personally endure those insults? No, the Dang family has always been prosperous for hundreds of years. Moreover, being notorious for using poison and secret weapons is surely a thing of the past." He was merely someone who needed excuses for his own greed for power. "You just want to use that history as your reason. Having a grand reason like the family's longstanding wish makes it all seem less disgusting." "…Enough." "Why, do you think you'll feel better if you make me invulnerable and lead me to transcendence? Do you think you'll feel like you've mastered the art of poison?" Dang Hwa-seo sneered, filling her contempt for his ugliness. "It's absurd. After all, it will be me who ascends to transcendence, me who will conquer the art of poison." "I said stop!" "Come at me." Dang Hwa-seo exhaled deeply. The poison of transcendence. As expected, it was formidable, but she was unharmed. It merely slowed her movements briefly before directly augmenting her energy. Though her skills might be inferior, the difference was marginal. The transcendent martial artist, Poison King Dang Sageuk. He was no longer great. Due to the poison consuming his entire body. "I will end this laughable ugliness myself." Dang Sageuk's movements halted abruptly. Then he spoke. "...Such arrogance." His remaining eye gleamed. His venom turned pitch black. "Yes, perhaps I should capture you and re-educate you from the beginning." Just like before. With those words, Dang Sageuk swung his hand. "How arrogant you are, thinking you're superior just because you've reached the peak." At that moment, the pitch-black cloud of poison condensed slightly. "Regret your ignorance of what transcendence truly means." With a deafening roar, it exploded. Gwaaaaaaaahhhhh!!! The family head's pavilion crumbled to the ground. * Transcendence (超越之境). In the current martial world, a realm only ten people have reached while also being an unseen state for nearly a decade as all who reached it were past their prime. Therefore, opinions about this realm always varied. Someone said, "It would be a power to push mountains with a single finger! As the culmination of cultivating martial arts to the extreme, wouldn’t it be at least that much?" Another argued, "Ah, come on. How could that be realistic? In the end, it’s something done by humans and achieved through cultivation. I don't think it's that extraordinary." "But if you consider what happened during the blood calamity…" "Exaggeration, pure exaggeration! Anyone who knows a thing or two wouldn't bother!" This was an argument that continued among those who had not experienced the blood calamity firsthand, only hearing stories of their feats for nearly a decade, and it remained an argument without a clear answer. And there was someone who knew the answer. -Hm? What can be done in the realm of transcendence? -Yes! Master, you’re a transcendent martial artist! Please tell me what can be achieved once I reach that realm! It was Mok RIwon. The answer young Mok RIwon got was this. -It varies by martial artist. -Huh? -Depending on the martial arts they've mastered and the nature of their energy, what a transcendent martial artist can do varies immensely. -So… -What this master can do and what you, RIwon, can do will undoubtedly be different. Mok RIwon finally understood the meaning of those words today. Gwaaaaaaaahhhhh!!! The family head’s pavilion that was about to rise crumbled entirely. The debris from the explosion fell all around like meteorites. The density and weight of the energy wave were so intense that every sense in his body screamed, and he felt like he was about to vomit from nausea. It was undoubtedly venom. Mok RIwon held his breath. ‘This is…’ A transcendent martial artist. According to Dang Hwa-seo, his body was beyond describe how ruined it was, meaning what happened was due to his energy alone, not his physical body. To demolish a building with just energy waves. Mok RIwon, astounded by the immensity, suddenly spotted a figure flying away from the collapsing building. Mok RIwon's eyes widened. "Lady!" It was Dang Hwa-seo. She was being propelled through the air by the force of the energy wave. Seemingly having lost consciousness and unable to stabilize herself, she would surely incur grave injuries if she were to crash as she was. His thoughts did not linger long. Before anything else, his body shot forward towards Dang Hwa-seo. In that moment, he felt a chilling murderous intent piercing his back. It came from the direction of the family head’s pavilion, and turning his head slightly, Mok RIwon was able to confront the haggard old man levitating in mid-air, glaring at him. ‘That person…’ Poison King Dang Sageuk. One of the transcendent figures of this era. He stood still with his arms crossed, not making a move. It seemed, perhaps, he wouldn't obstruct him. Mok RIwon forcefully redirected his full attention and rushed towards Dang Hwa-seo once again. And just before she could hit the ground, having been propelled towards the entrance of the forbidden area, he managed to catch her. Thump! Mok RIwon, holding Dang Hwa-seo in his embrace, rolled on the ground.