Chapter 555
Whoosh!
Dokgo Hwang's body spun like a top.
At the same time, he swung his palm twelve times in succession.
Ping!
A silver thread was swept up by the current and flung far away.
"Pyo Wol!"
Dokgo Hwang's eyes flickered with recognition.
The silver thread dissipated in mid-air.
The intangible thread was made from Qi itself.
There is only one martial artist in the world who uses Qi thread as a weapon.
"Coward! Resorting to ambush."
Dokgo Hwang roared angrily and hurled his fist in the direction of the qi thread.
Boom!
The powerful punch hit nothing but air; Pyo Wol was not there. But Dokgo Hwang was not disappointed.
His eyes quickly scanned the terrain.
Because of the ash powder, the whole world seemed hazy.
Amidst the scattered ash, which made it difficult to distinguish objects, he caught sight of a particularly stealthy figure.
The figure moved so covertly that it would be impossible for anyone less skilled than Dokgo
Hwang to detect it.
As far as Dokgo Hwang knew, there was only one person capable of such stealth.
"Pyo Wol! You rat-like scoundrel!"
Boom boom boom!
Dokgo Hwang unleashed a burst of Qi.
The ground hit by the qi exploded one by one, as if hit by explosive shells. It was indeed a terrifying force.
But Dokgo Hwang's expression wasn't bright.
None of his attacks had managed to hit Pyo Wol.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Faint sounds of cutting air echoed.
Dokgo Hwang detected these sounds with his superhuman senses.
"Haa!"
With a loud cry, Dokgo Hwang extended his palm into the air.
Whoosh!
Instantly, a mist-like subtle energy emanated from his hand.
It was the Sea Mist Phantom Palm
A martial art technique that disperses the force not as a straight line but as a fog, breaking it into fine particles.
Rather than a martial technique that kills with powerful blows, the Sea Mist Phantom Palm suffocates its victims.
The soul reaping thread was definitely a unique technique even among the great martial artists.
The threads of qi that barely made a sound and left no trace were a technique that frightened everyone.
Blocking an invisible, fine silver thread was never easy.
That's why, even though they knew Pyo Wol's signature technique was the Soul Reaping Thread, no one could stop him. But Dokgo Hwang was different.
A thread of qi could pierce three inches of steel, but against qi-made mist it would lose its penetrating power and only weaken.
It was like a needle thrown with full force losing its power on hitting a sand dune of tiny grains.
As Dokgo Hwang had predicted, the soul-reaping thread could not penetrate the Sea Mist Phantom Palm he had unleashed and lost its power.
"Your martial arts does not work on me. Pyo Wol!"
Dokgo Hwang roared and lunged in the direction the Soul Reaping Thread had come from.
Whoosh!
His body was enveloped in a spiraling flow of blue qi.
The blue qi flow, reminiscent of a blue dragon, was a manifestation of his powerful qi.
Ping!
The Soul Reaping Thread repeatedly collided with the blue dragon made of powerful Qi and bounced back.
After deflecting countless Soul Reaping Threads, the enemy he sought finally revealed itself.
An alien face that gleamed unusually bright even amidst the hazy ash.
An eerie, otherworldly appearance contrasted with a dark and menacing aura.
It was Pyo Wol.
He had finally revealed himself.
“How dare you kill Soso. Don't even think about dying comfortably.”
Dokgo Hwang stretched out his hand, and the blue Dragon-shaped powerful qi that had swirled around him flew towards Pyo Wol.
It was not without reason that this Qi martial art was called the pinnacle of martial arts.
The Blue Dragon's powerful Qi flew, destroying everything in its path. In the face of its terrifying power, human flesh was worth less than nothing.
"What are you going to do, Pyo Wol? Surely you won't avoid it like you did last time?"
Instead of answering Dokgo Hwang’s shout, Pyo Wol swung his hand.
In his hand, a silver line of Qi formed.
It was the Threaded Serpent qi.
Knowing that the Soul Reaping Thread would never be able to block the powerful Blue Dragon Qi, he pulled out the Threaded Serpent Qi.
Fwee!
The threaded serpent qi extended at a terrifying speed and clashed with the Blue Dragon Qi.
But blocking the terrifying Blue Dragon with a single Threaded Serpent Qi was impossible. So
Pyo Wol poured more of his internal energy into the Threaded Serpent Qi.
Crackle!
Black lightning gathered on the threaded serpent qi.
It was the Black Lightning threaded serpent qi.
Boom!
An explosion occurred as the Black Lightning threaded serpent qi clashed with the Blue Dragon qi.
There was a huge shockwave, as if dozens of wall bombs had exploded at once.
Roar!
The shockwave spread out in a circle, blowing away all the ash dust that covered the air.
But it wasn’t just the ash dust that was blown away.
"Argh!"
"Cough!"
The martial artists near Dokgo Hwang were also thrown in all directions. But Dokgo Hwang didn't even spare them a glance as he charged at Pyo Wol.
The enemy was an assassin.
If given time, he would disappear into hiding again.
Dokgo Hwang knew what would happen if he was given time to hide.
Whoosh!
His hand cut through the air.
It was the Soul-Chasing Hand, with the five fingers curled like the blades of a sword.
This was the pinnacle martial art of the Kangho, said to be able to cut through a thumb-thick iron plate as if it were paper.
The Soul-Chasing Hand shot out like a meteor, reaching close to Pyo Wol's chest.
Caught off guard or not anticipating Dokgo Hwang's attack, Pyo Wol stood still defenseless.
Just a bit more, and the Soul-Chasing Hand would pierce through Pyo Wol's chest.
Suddenly, an alarm bell rang in Dokgo Hwang's mind.
Instinctively, he sensed that something was wrong.
Scratch!
He felt a creepy sensation at his fingertips.
Dokgo Hwang buried his feet deep in the ground and pulled back his outstretched hand.
By withdrawing the Soul-Chasing Hand with full force, he felt a backlash throughout his body.
His ankles and knees twisted, his hip and shoulder muscles were torn and bruised. The biggest problem, however, was the significant shock to his internal energy caused by the forceful withdrawal of his strength.
He could almost feel his Dantian, as hard as a steel marble, cracking.
Dokgo Hwang gritted his teeth and endured the pain.
For a moment, his body was in tatters, but at least he had stopped.
Pyo Wol looked at Dokgo Hwang with a disappointed expression.
Seeing Pyo Wol's expression, Dokgo Hwang was sure his judgment was correct.
Dokgo Hwang focused his gaze on Pyo Wol. Then, he saw a fine silver thread, like a spider web, spread around Pyo Wol.
The Spider Silver Net.
It was a death trap laid like a spider's web with a soul-reaping thread.
If Dokgo Hwang's reaction had been even slightly delayed, his body would have been cut into dozens of pieces by the Spider Silver Net.
The hand that had executed the Soul-Chasing Hand was bleeding profusely, sliced by the Silver Net.
Chills ran down his body.
"Setting up such a wicked trap. Can you still boast yourself as a renowned master in Kangho?"
"Fairness and decency have nothing to do with me."
"Bastard!"
"Did you forget? Who I am. I am an assassin."
Pyo Wol answered without changing his expression.
He had no reason to feel ashamed or guilty.
As he said, his essence was that of an assassin.
Even if he was hailed as a powerful figure in Kangho, his true nature would not change.
Dokgo Hwang stared at Pyo Wol with wide eyes.
"Why did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Why did you kill Soso? With your skills, you could have just wounded her."
"Why should I? Why should I spare someone who has come to kill me?"
"……"
"She came to attack me first, while I was minding my own business. Do I have any reason to spare her?"
Pyo Wol's words twisted Dokgo Hwang's face even further.
He knew his words were right.
He knew he was being unreasonable.
But human emotions aren't always logical.
The burning heat rising from deep within his heart was enough to paralyze his brain.
"Pyo Wol!"
As Dokgo Hwang roared like a lion, he drew the sword strapped to his waist.
"Keuk!"
"Argh!"
Screams from all around snapped him back to his senses.
A sickening feeling made Dokgo Hwang turn his head, and there he saw the corpses of the Martial Sword Alliance martial artists.
There were far more dead martial artists than when he first noticed Pyo Wol.
While he was distracted by Pyo Wol, the assassins led by Hong Ye-Seol and Thunder Eye had diligently ambushed the Martial Sword Alliance martial artists.
The Martial Sword Alliance martial artists, momentarily distracted by the fight between Pyo Wol and Dokgo Hwang, failed to properly respond to the assassins' surprise attack.
As a result, their losses grew exponentially.
At least a hundred martial artists had lost their lives in vain.
The unbelievably gruesome damage made Dokgo Hwang's jaw tremble.
"How dare these lowly assassins....."
At that moment, Pyo Wol sprang backward.
Dokgo Hwang momentarily wore a bewildered expression at Pyo Wol's unexpected action.
He never anticipated that Pyo Wol would attempt to flee with his mortal enemy right before his eyes.
Facing a strong opponent head-on and achieving victory.
That was Dokgo Hwang's belief.
He believed other martial artists would hold a similar belief.
That was his vision of Kangho.
So he had failed to anticipate Pyo Wol's reaction, despite knowing full well that he was an assassin.
With Pyo Wol's retreat as a signal, Hong Ye-Seol, Thunder Eye and others began to retreat.
The Black Shadow Assassins and the other assassins following them.
They quickly escaped through the forest, which had become a heap of ashes.
Dokgo Hwang, regaining his senses belatedly, shouted.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you pursuing them?"
"Ye, Yes!"
"Go, Go after them now!"
The Martial Sword Alliance martial artists pursued the assassins.
Shame reddened Dokgo Hwang's face.
"How dare they make a fool of me? Cowardly..."
He gritted his teeth, unleashing his Qigong..
In the distance, he could see the retreating figures of Pyo Wol and the assassins.
The distance between them had widened considerably.
"Uuuuuh!"
Dokgo Hwang let out a roar, his internal energy surging, trying to catch up with Pyo Wol, but it was not enough.
All that was left for the assassins, who had completed their slaughter, was to flee.
Knowing that capture meant death, they had to put their heart and soul into their Qigong.
Thanks to this, they were able to shake off the intense pursuit of Dokgo Hwang and the Martial Sword Alliance, increasing the distance.
Moreover, this place was like their own backyard.
Although everything was burned to ashes, they remembered everything clearly, from a protruding stone to the winding mountain path.
In contrast, the pursuing Martial Sword Alliance martial artists stumbled on rocks and slipped on the slopes.
Only Dokgo Hwang was following at an incredible speed, but he too was unable to close the distance.
Meanwhile, Pyo Wol and the assassins arrived at a gorge.
It was the gorge on the opposite side of where the Sol Family Pavilion used to be.
A sheer cliff blocked their way.
A gleam of joy appeared on the faces of the pursuing Martial Sword Alliance martial artists.
"We've got them."
"There's nowhere left for them to run now."
It was then.
One of the Black Shadow Assassins took out a large longbow from his back and aimed across the gorge.
Whoosh!
The arrow he fired embedded into the gorge at an invisible speed.
At that moment, Hong Ye-Seol and the assassins leaped into the void.
Their reckless jump into the void, like those desperate to commit suicide but unable to do so, astonished the Martial Sword Alliance martial artists.
"What?"
Suddenly, Hong Ye-Seol landed in thin air and ran as if on flat ground.
And she was not alone.
Thunder Eye, Sal-no, the Black Shadow Assassins, and the surviving assassins all followed her in a line.
The last one was Pyo Wol.
After glancing briefly at Dokgo Hwang, he leaped.
Pyo Wol, who had been flying like a bird, started to fall halfway across the gorge.
Thud!
But soon, his body bounced back into the air.
Dokgo Hwang bulged his eyes.
"Heavenly Silk Thread?"
There was an invisible wire strung across the gorge.
The arrow fired by the Black Shadow Assassin had a wire attached to it. The only wire with the elasticity and strength to withstand many people stepping on it and still remain intact was the Heavenly Silk Thread.
After landing on the other side, Pyo Wol waved his arm and the Heavenly Silk Thread connecting the gorge snapped.
Caught off guard, Dokgo Hwang and the martial artists of the Martial Sword Alliance looked stunned.
For the first time, Pyo Wol opened his mouth.
"No need to trouble yourself finding me next time.[a][b] I'll come to you."
"Pyo Wol!"
"See you then."
"Aaaaah!"
Dokgo Hwang's wail echoed through the gorge.
Meanwhile, Pyo Wol and the assassins had disappeared from sight.
[a]Badass level 10
[b]i think he will kill him publicly. showing off strength will keep others off
