Chapter 552

Chapter 552

Waaaah!

The cheers of over ten thousand people shook the entire Murim Alliance. Since most were martial artists, the momentum of their shouts was tremendous. A huge wave of vibration swept between the pavilions like a tsunami.

A secluded path where workers passed without catching the martial artists' eyes. The foreman and workers following behind the strategist flinched involuntarily. However, their expressions were much lighter than before.

"Impressive."

"Even if they say he kills thousands at a time, when there are many people, I guess it's still scary."

"I heard there are over ten thousand. With such numbers, the Poison Dragon won't appear today."

Zhang, listening to the workers' talk, laughed emptily.

My friends. That Poison Dragon was with you until just now.

And just now, that Poison Dragon disappeared to the side without anyone knowing.

"Come on, hurry up. We'll just feel uncomfortable staying, so let's get it quickly and go."

Zhang urged the workers' steps.

Before long, the Murim Alliance would become hell.

***

Jin Ja-gang headed toward the great training ground. The path wasn't complicated or difficult. The cheering sounds shaking all directions were accurately indicating the direction. Moreover, since personnel cleaning up still remained, it was easy to figure out.

The maids and strategists who had greeted martial artists at the front were cleaning up.

They cleared away leftover distributed items and swept the floor. Then they placed flowerpots with blooming flowers in their places.

Bright red, orange, pale pink, golden yellow... Over thousands of variously colored monthly roses instantly brightly colored the inside of the Murim Alliance. They were called monthly roses because flowers bloomed every month and every season on a single tree. Even with thorns, they bloomed flowers ceaselessly, making them one of people's most beloved flowering trees.

Those busy working carrying monthly rose pots looked at Jin Ja-gang walking calmly over.

Jin Ja-gang's behavior was too leisurely and composed, so the strategist in charge got angry.

"Lo-look at that fellow? You fool, we need to clean this place before the ceremony ends and go to the banquet hall. Stop slacking off and work quickly...?"

The strategist who thought he was a worker just from Jin Ja-gang's outfit looked puzzled.

Limp.

Limp...

...Limp...

The strategist couldn't finish his words and lowered his gaze to see Jin Ja-gang's limping walk. He couldn't understand how a cripple got in here.

Behind Jin Ja-gang, warriors standing at gates open in a row were also bewildered.

Surely he was the one who just passed, but was he limping?

In suspicious times like these, if he was limping, how could they not notice?

It was suspicious.

In the strange atmosphere, hundreds including maids, strategists, and even warriors watched Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang stood still.

Then he tore off his work clothes while wearing them.

On his revealed bare upper body was a leather strap with hidden weapons densely inserted. All those watching involuntarily opened their mouths and trembled.

Jin Ja-gang was holding a bundle, and he unwrapped it and took out new clothes from inside. He put on elegant martial robes of deep navy blue.

Jin Ja-gang, who looked like an ordinary worker until just now, had at some point become the Poison Dragon.

The Poison Dragon. It was truly the Poison Dragon.

The feeling emanating was completely different from just before.

Everyone was seized by extreme terror.

Waaaah! Heroes' righteousness never distant, demons and devils exterminated!

Jianghu peaceful and level, the great path spreads clear!

Cheering sounds from the great training ground not far away constantly came. Over ten thousand were gathered right there, but it was no help at all to those here now. It was obvious that Jin Ja-gang's hands would be faster than them running over.

"S-s-s-save..."

While someone was trying to say save me, Jin Ja-gang raised his hand and pointed behind.

Jin Ja-gang said nothing, but everyone could understand Jin Ja-gang's will.

We lived! The Poison Dragon didn't come to kill them!

But at the same time, they also knew making noise meant death. Anyway, they were so gripped by terror that no sound came from their throats.

Over hundreds of people fled with steps about to fall, or several even half-crawling as strength left their legs. Amazingly, though so many people moved, almost no sound was made. The sounds made were merely cloth edges brushing the ground, the clattering sound of stepping on pebbles while walking.

In an instant, the place where they had been became empty.

Jin Ja-gang walked forward and briefly stopped seeing something among the lined-up flowerpots. Whether there was an error moving flower trees, or they forcibly inserted them because the number was short, a pot with azaleas was wedged among the numerous monthly rose pots.

Unlike monthly roses, azaleas have poison, so they're not a very favored flowering tree in the Central Plains.

Wasn't it just like Jin Ja-gang who harbors poison being at the Murim Alliance?

Jin Ja-gang broke off an azalea branch, chewing the flower while walking through the wide open path ahead.

A high wall blocked the front.

From beyond the wall, Baek Li-jung's resonant voice containing internal energy was heard.

"This blue flag indicates that mild poison is dispersed and only martial artists of grade two or higher can enter...!"

Jin Ja-gang, listening to the explanation, looked to the side from below the wall.

Hero sashes scattered everywhere mid-cleanup, and beside them were piled small three-color flags distributed early on.

Jin Ja-gang raised his hand and wiggled his finger. The three-color flags flew to Jin Ja-gang's hand.

"The red flag's meaning is poison removal impossible! If you see this red flag, even special-grade martial artists must not approach within a hundred zhang...!"

Jin Ja-gang, handling the three-color flags in his hand, discarded the blue and green flags. Holding only the red flag, he leaped atop the wall.

Stealthy and quiet. No sound was made. Jin Ja-gang could look down on the inside great training ground at a glance from atop the wall.

Numerous martial artists were gathered.

Everyone wore hero sashes as if they were heroes, but at a glance, except for some, they were a ragtag bunch.

They posed no threat at all to Jin Ja-gang.

Nevertheless, these were people who came to the Murim Alliance established to kill Jin Ja-gang. They didn't really come with righteous spirits soaring high with justification to kill Jin Ja-gang, but intended to cling to power and grab some profit. If Jin Ja-gang died at this place today unable to stop them, they would surely trample and violate jianghu's east and west, north and south like the Beggar Gang, turning it into pandemonium.

Anger rose and killing intent filled him.

He was once again certain that not a single one gathered at this place needed to be spared alive. And it absolutely must be so. Jin Ja-gang must prove that justice lives in jianghu, the great cause passed down from True Person Haewol.

Jin Ja-gang held the red flag at his fingertips.

When you see the red flag, don't approach within a hundred zhang.

Could anything express the current situation more accurately than this red flag?

Jin Ja-gang drew up his internal energy.

Baek Li-jung's internal energy momentarily resonated with the energy of internal power Jin Ja-gang emitted. Finally Baek Li-jung must have noticed. That Jin Ja-gang was here.

Jin Ja-gang used pointing energy to forcefully throw the red flag.

In front of Baek Li-jung's feet.

Like a beam of light, the red flag stuck in front of Baek Li-jung's feet.

Hiding his bewilderment, Baek Li-jung shouted.

"What scoundrel!"

***

Jin Ja-gang stood on the wall observing the martial artists of the great training ground.

The great training ground that had been heated up until just now had completely sunk in atmosphere.

Jin Ja-gang chewed the azalea flower and tender stems in his mouth.

Then he said quietly.

"Since you all gathered to kill me anyway, don't think anyone will return alive."

It was a small voice, but no one failed to hear.

Goosebumps rose.

Each gripped their weapons but their eyes were full of fear. No, some even seemed to still doubt whether the Jin Ja-gang who appeared now was the Poison Dragon.

They couldn't believe Jin Ja-gang came this far without any restraint. The one fighting anyway wasn't them but Baek Li-jung. One hairy martial artist with strong guts shouted.

"Don't be ridiculous! How do we know if you're the Poison Dragon or a fake...!"

Jin Ja-gang jumped down from the wall.

Then he moved forward.

Over ten thousand pairs of eyes all focused on Jin Ja-gang's legs.

Limp.

Limp...

A limping walk...

All who saw that were instantly shocked.

In an instant, the martial artists in front of Jin Ja-gang split left and right.

Swooooosh...

In the great training ground packed without standing room, a grand road for Jin Ja-gang alone appeared.

Jin Ja-gang headed toward the platform where Baek Li-jung and the sect leaders of Nine Great Sects, family heads of Eight Great Martial Families were.

Feng Shi ground his teeth with a distorted face and spat out words.

"Lies! It makes no sense. He's a cripple, a cripple! How could he get here with such a walk without catching anyone's eye...!"

...Limp... limp.

Jin Ja-gang's shoulder height that had been shaking unevenly left and right due to limping gradually became even.

Then at some point his shoulders stopped shaking.

His steps too.

Jin Ja-gang instantly started walking with perfectly normal steps.

Thud thud.

To anyone's eyes, he wasn't a cripple at all.

The martial artists shuddered. Their scalps tingled as if fragments of lightning danced and leaped at their hair ends. Hair stood up and every body hair bristled.

All of murim was deceived.

No, being deceived was natural. With such perfect acting, how could they not be deceived?

Terrified martial artists kept stepping backward.

Baek Li-jung's minions mixed among the martial artists shouted.

"Everyone don't be scared!"

"Let's believe in the Alliance Leader and fight!"

"No matter if he's the Poison Dragon, he can't handle these many numbers!"

Thunk!

Jin Ja-gang stopped walking. Then he looked precisely at those who just made sounds.

Splat...

Blood vessels inside the minions' eyes burst. Eyes turned bloodshot and nosebleeds flowed. Blood foam mixed with pus flowed from their mouths.

The minions looked down at their hands. On the backs of hands, on wrists, extinction flowers were blooming.

Extinction flowers were death's flowers clearly confirming poisoning by Jin Ja-gang's Asura blood. Once extinction flowers bloomed, even great immortals couldn't survive.

The minions looked at Jin Ja-gang, at Baek Li-jung with absurd faces, wondering if they were dying like this. Dying without knowing why or how they died was utterly bewildering.

"Aaaah!"

Screams rather came from around them. They were backing away to avoid the minions melting into bloody pus.

Jin Ja-gang slightly turned his head. The hairy martial artist who shouted at Jin Ja-gang earlier met eyes with Jin Ja-gang. He tried to push through people and flee.

"Move aside! Move aside!"

At that moment.

Puaaaa!

The hairy martial artist vomited blood from nose and mouth and tumbled.

"Aaaaah!"

Those hit by the blood the hairy martial artist spewed screamed too much in surprise and wiped off the blood.

People died just from being looked at?

They absolutely couldn't believe it.

The martial artists looked at Jin Ja-gang with eyes demanding answers.

Jin Ja-gang coldly spat out words with a gaze full of killing intent.

"Did you forget what the red flag means?"

The martial artists recalled the fact they had forgotten. Red flags were held in their own hands too.

Red flag. Poison removal impossible so don't approach within a hundred zhang.