Poison Dragon: The Legend of an Asura — Chapter 152

Chapter 152

Baek Li-gwon stood with his hand raised for a very long time.

If he struck down, this person would die.

Snake Scorpion Poison King Jin Ja-gang.

His eyes were bloodstained, flashing madness like a blood demon, but his body was already battered beyond recognition. Even if left as is, he would die within half an hour due to the severe bleeding from his chest.

However, Baek Li-gwon could not bring himself to strike the final blow to end his life.

His hand trembled and his teeth ground together.

“What did you… say…?”

Baek Li-gwon had just heard something utterly unbelievable.

Jin Ja-gang steadied his labored breathing and spoke again.

“I asked if this was really revenge… if it seemed strange.”

Baek Li-gwon thought he should not ask again. He thought this cunning member of the evil faction might be toying with him. Yet he could not help but ask.

“How is killing you for Sister Yan not revenge?”

“Miss Zhuge said…”

“I told you I’d pull out your tongue if you carelessly mention Sister Yan!”

Baek Li-gwon shouted in fury, but Jin Ja-gang calmly continued.

“Miss Zhuge said she didn’t understand why Brother Gwon was trying to kill her.”

“Eeek!”

Baek Li-gwon struck down with his fist.

BANG!

Next to Jin Ja-gang’s head.

His fist shattered the ground and sent clods of earth flying.

“How dare you… speak such nonsense!”

But Baek Li-gwon was confused and at a loss. He could not help but wonder why Zhuge Yan had said such things. Why had the person he loved died while suspecting him!

Baek Li-gwon grabbed Jin Ja-gang by the collar and lifted him up.

“Why? Why did Sister Yan say such things!”

Jin Ja-gang showed no intimidation even while dying.

“How would I know that?”

“That was… Sister Yan’s last… last words?”

“No. Her last words were that she wanted to be recognized.”

Baek Li-gwon’s eyes widened. It was definitely Zhuge Yan. Those were definitely words Zhuge Yan had spoken. Zhuge Yan had wanted recognition from her master Baek Li-jung more than anyone else. That’s why Baek Li-gwon had recommended her for this mission.

“Why…”

Baek Li-gwon felt conflict in his heart. It would have been clean to kill him while shouting that it was all lies, but because he had kept him alive and heard a few words, his mind had become tangled.

“You… you did kill her!”

Baek Li-gwon gripped the collar tightly again. Blood flowing from Jin Ja-gang’s mouth and chest stained Baek Li-gwon’s body.

“As I said, I don’t know what poison Miss Zhuge was affected by. But the poison that dealt fatal wounds to Miss Zhuge…”

Jin Ja-gang looked directly into Baek Li-gwon’s eyes and said.

“Is the same poison that has poisoned you.”

“What?”

“Does it seem like a lie?”

Baek Li-gwon judged this was good. If this was a lie, Baek Li-gwon would no longer need to listen to Jin Ja-gang’s words and could simply break his neck.

Baek Li-gwon gripped Jin Ja-gang’s neck and spread his internal energy throughout his limbs to examine his own physical condition.

Suddenly, he felt uncomfortable lumps like blood stasis throughout his meridians.

‘Poison?’

He had definitely held a poison-prevention pill in his mouth.

This was not the poison Jin Ja-gang had used.

It was something else entirely!

Gradually, uncomfortable energy began rising from within his body. The focus of the eye that had been struck by the poison finger began to waver again. The poison that had been suppressed while taking the antidote had relapsed.

Baek Li-gwon tried to suppress the poison energy with internal energy, but it was different from before.

The poison energy stuck viscously to his meridians and would not be pushed away. Rather, it clung to his internal energy and spread to other areas.

“Gah!”

Blood pooled in Baek Li-gwon’s mouth. His lungs ached and blood surged up from deep within his chest. Since this wasn’t blood from wounds in his throat or mouth, breathing instantly became difficult.

“When did you… do what… to me?”

Jin Ja-gang’s expression became fierce. Jin Ja-gang bit his teeth and answered.

“Where did you people get hurt and keep blaming me for it?”

This was something that even Jin Ja-gang had to be angry about.

Baek Li-gwon realized his physical condition was being eroded and destroyed by poison. It was a sinister deadly poison he could not suppress on his own.

“You b*st*rd…”

Baek Li-gwon gave up on killing Jin Ja-gang.

“I’ll keep you alive for now. But you will definitely die by my hand. Gah!”

Baek Li-gwon coughed up blood.

Whether Jin Ja-gang’s words were true or false, there were far too many suspicious aspects to this matter.

Baek Li-gwon dangerously drew up his internal energy and pressed Jin Ja-gang’s pressure points. He pressed the chest pressure points to stop the bleeding and pressed the paralysis points to make Jin Ja-gang collapse.

Grinding his teeth, Baek Li-gwon began dragging Jin Ja-gang by the legs.

* * *

“The wind has changed.”

Zhuge Ming opened his eyes wide as he watched the flags fluttering.

Zhuge Ming had come down from the mountain and was waiting in front of the southern forest.

Zhuge Ming immediately leaped into the air and landed on top of the flags. He could see that the fire in Lan Family Village was spreading toward the village entrance rather than toward the mountain.

As the wind changed, the village entrance became somewhat visible through the smoke.

The dying Zhuge family warriors and a bald warrior running wild!

That alone was enough to enrage Zhuge Ming, but from behind that, he felt another tremendous presence. The presence of someone who appeared as small as a sesame seed could be felt even from this distance!

What was even more surprising was that this person was also staring directly at Zhuge Ming. Even though he couldn’t see the expression, he realized the opponent was also aware of him.

“I’ll go first!”

Zhuge Ming launched his body from atop the flag.

Flutter!

Zhuge Son-gi, who had been waiting with the warriors, raised his hand as he saw Zhuge Ming flying overhead.

“We’re going too!”

* * *

Dan Ryeong-gyeong realized that a master with powerful presence was approaching.

“Are they coming to save Baek Li-gwon? That cannot be allowed.”

Thud!

Dan Ryeong-gyeong also launched her body.

She leaped much higher than human height, kicked off the air to leap again, and shot forward. She stepped on burning trees that seemed ready to collapse and kicked off crumbling roofs. Each time she kicked off terrain, Dan Ryeong-gyeong advanced three or four zhang forward.

Whoosh!

Sparks scattered in all directions wherever Dan Ryeong-gyeong passed.

The surging flames could not harm Dan Ryeong-gyeong in the slightest. Even the thin silk covering that seemed ready to catch fire and burn did not burn at all.

Such movement techniques were high-speed lightness skills rarely seen even by Mang Ryo. Though it should have been impossible since he had no legs to begin with.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong crossed half the village in an instant.

Thud, thud.

Below, in the smoke-filled village streets, a dark figure was crossing the road.

In the shadow’s hand, another person’s foot was being held.

He walked with a not-very-fast pace and drooping shoulders.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong instantly recognized the young man’s face.

It was a face that clearly showed the features of the Baek Li family.

‘Bloodline of the Baek Li family!’

Killing intent boiled up in Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s eyes. She had to eliminate everything he held dear. Only that could calm her anger!

But the shadow suddenly collapsed weakly while walking.

It was unclear whether he was dead or alive.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong was about to jump down to check, but suddenly stopped and soared into the sky.

Pop pop pop!

Empty sounds of cutting through air rang out in the void.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong stepped on her own instep and kicked the air while continuing to lift her body upward.

Pop! Pop pop!

Something kept grazing past Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s body. It was like invisible spears. Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s collar was cut several times by sharp objects.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong continued lifting her body until she reached the top of the old ritual poles erected throughout the village. They were bamboo ritual poles about five people high.

When Dan Ryeong-gyeong stepped up there, the bamboo tip swayed.

But Dan Ryeong-gyeong did not fall or collapse, standing firmly on one foot.

On the opposite ritual pole, Zhuge Ming was also standing on one foot.

Below, flames and black smoke rose up, and each stood on long poles facing each other. Whenever the wind blew, the bamboo poles supporting them swayed like tree branches.

Both swayed naturally with the bamboo as if their feet were stuck to the bamboo tips, as if they had become bamboo themselves.

Zhuge Ming’s eyes – both pupils and whites – were glowing with black light. When Zhuge Ming spread his fan to cover his eyes and then lowered it, only then did they return to ordinary eyes.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong snorted.

“To reach the level of harming with intent through the Annihilation Eye. You’ve improved greatly.”

This was Zhuge Ming’s unique technique of using killing intent in his gaze to scatter sword energy through the air.

Zhuge Ming fanned himself and acknowledged Dan Ryeong-gyeong.

“As expected, Wishful Fairy Maiden. It was you. I was worried you might not come.”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong smiled.

“To catch a big fish, you must use big bait from the start. How could my heart be moved when you tried to catch me like an amateur with a few earthworms?”

Zhuge Ming looked down below the ritual pole. On the ground below, he could see Baek Li-gwon and Jin Ja-gang, whom Baek Li-gwon had been dragging, lying unconscious.

Baek Li-gwon’s arrival was something even Zhuge Ming had not predicted. However, there was no need to show such things.

“Did you come to save Snake Scorpion Poison King?”

“No.”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong cut off the words decisively.

“I came to dry up the bloodline of the Baek Li family.”

“How curious. I thought Snake Scorpion Poison King was a great fellow, but he’s just being treated like a worthless wretch. Does that mean he’s not that useful?”

“Take him if you need him.”

“If I’m taking him, I’ll have to take both.”

“All you’ll be able to take is corpses.”

“That wouldn’t be bad either. Even Wishful Fairy Maiden’s corpse would be fine by itself.”

“Hmph, is that possible with your abilities?”

“You underestimate me too much.”

Flash.

Zhuge Ming swung his fan like lightning. The fan flew through the air and cut the bamboo pole Dan Ryeong-gyeong was standing on. As the bamboo stem was cut and collapsed, Dan Ryeong-gyeong launched her body. Dan Ryeong-gyeong stepped onto the fan returning to Zhuge Ming’s hand. While doing so, she simultaneously pushed the fan with her foot and leaped into the air.

The fan returned at a much faster speed than when Zhuge Ming had thrown it. Zhuge Ming caught the fan with his hand while spinning his body like a top in place to cancel out the force applied to the fan.

But in the meantime, Dan Ryeong-gyeong had jumped down to the middle of the bamboo stem Zhuge Ming was standing on and kicked the stem with all her might.

Whoosh!

The bamboo bent greatly. Zhuge Ming, who was standing at the tip, was flung into the air as the bamboo bent almost to a right angle and then snapped back like a whip.

Zhuge Ming performed several somersaults and landed on top of another ritual pole. The tip of the pole bent greatly, forming a shape like a long orchid leaf. Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s applied force had become heavy because Zhuge Ming couldn’t completely dissipate it.

Meanwhile, Dan Ryeong-gyeong lightly stepped sideways up the bamboo stem and reached out her hand. The silk covering on her shoulder stretched long like a rope and wrapped around the stem of the ritual pole Zhuge Ming had mounted.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong pulled the silk covering and launched her body toward Zhuge Ming. Simultaneously, she repeatedly released palm force with her other hand.

The palm force of Dan Ryeong-gyeong, called the matriarch of Shandong’s evil faction, was not at a level Zhuge Ming could take lightly. Rather than carelessly meeting it hand-to-hand, Zhuge Ming launched his body with the intention of dodging.

Bang bang!

The sound of palm force exploding came from where Zhuge Ming had been standing. Dan Ryeong-gyeong hooked the bamboo with her silk covering and flew through the air chasing Zhuge Ming while turning half a circle around that bamboo.

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