Chapter 277: Yong Hwarin’s Wrath

“What in the world is going on here?”

Bukri Chang asked Bukri So, the Chief Administrator of the Bukri Clan.

The Three Grand Elder, Lee Kangmin, had turned into a madman and was slaughtering the elite warriors of the Bukri Clan.

“It appears the Grand Elder has fallen into Qi Deviation. Judging from his lack of reason, it’s clear he’s completely succumbed.”

“At this rate, all of the clan’s elites will be wiped out. Order them to retreat immediately. Tell them not to engage the Grand Elder!”

At Bukri Chang’s command, Bukri So withdrew all the Bukri Clan’s warriors who had been besieging the Grand Elder.

But Lee Kangmin did not stop attacking.

Having already been consumed by madness, everything that moved was now a target for destruction.

After falling into Qi Deviation, he had lost his reason, leaving only the instinct of a ferocious beast.

There was no one capable of stopping a master who had reached the Unintentional State and then gone mad.

Lee Kangmin, who was slaying the retreating warriors, looked no different from a demon that had descended from hell.

Then, when he stormed into the pavilion and began slaughtering indiscriminately—men, women, young, and old—Bukri Chang bit his lip.

“I will deal with him. Chief Administrator, prepare the Celestial Silkworm Net at once.”

The Celestial Silkworm Net was a weapon crafted from celestial silkworm thread, created specifically to subdue absolute powerhouses.

It was said to be a net capable of capturing even a dragon in mid-ascent.

“Uwaaaaah!”

Bursting into the pavilion, the Grand Elder was killing everyone he saw.

When Bukri Chang saw him chase down an elderly servant, grab him by the neck, and twist it like a chicken’s, he threw his sword.

Swishhh!

The sword, imbued with the energy of a Three Gaps master, flew like a streak of light.

Clang!

But the Grand Elder blocked the blade with the Blood Heaven Palm.

The moment the sword touched Lee Kangmin’s palm, it shattered into fragments and fell away.

“Grrr…”

Lee Kangmin turned his gaze to Bukri Chang, who was emanating a threatening energy.

It was the look of a beast, trying to determine whether the one before him was prey or predator.

And then, like a wild beast, he slowly began to move toward Bukri Chang.

“I’ll kill you with the Azure Desolation Fist you gifted me!”

Having trained in the Azure Desolation Fist, Bukri Chang was confident in the greatly enhanced power of his martial arts.

Now, with a suitable opponent appearing, he saw this as a perfect opportunity to test the might of the Azure Desolation Fist.

It was against such a powerful foe that one could truly gauge its strength.

Through Bukri Sogun’s help, his internal energy had already surpassed the Four Gaps.

In terms of internal energy level, he had reached the final realm—the Divine Stage—but because the energy had not fully settled into his Dantian, it couldn’t yet be called a true Divine Stage.

If one judged solely by how deeply it had permeated the Dantian, it was still at the level of the Unintentional State, so he deemed the fight against the berserk Grand Elder worth attempting.

A vivid blue energy formed in both of Bukri Chang’s hands, creating a beautiful hue.

“Finally, I’ve reached the Eight-Star level of the Azure Desolation Fist!”

Though he had the internal energy, his incantation had been lacking, which had kept him at Seven-Star. At last, the Azure Desolation Fist reached Eight-Star.

Since Azure Desolation Fist allowed for enhanced qi use starting at Eight-Star, Bukri Chang brimmed with confidence.

“Grrrr!”

Almost by instinct, the Grand Elder sensed danger and attacked Bukri Chang.

Despite falling into Qi Deviation and losing his mind, Lee Kangmin still displayed perfect execution of martial techniques.

That was the terrifying aspect of Qi Deviation in martial artists.

Becoming a madman should have caused him to lose his martial prowess as well, but instead, his arts became even stronger. More than a few martial families had been annihilated while trying to eliminate someone who had fallen into Qi Deviation.

Their battle was like a vicious beast versus a man.

From the Grand Elder’s sword, strands of sword qi poured forth, and Bukri Chang countered with Azure Desolation Fist.

After a dozen seconds of fierce exchange, Bukri Chang shouted out.

“Now die!”

Gathering immense qi into both fists, Bukri Chang hurled a punch at the Grand Elder’s chest.

At that moment, Lee Kangmin struck back with the Blood Heaven Palm.

Boom!

An explosive roar erupted, and both were blown back nearly five jang.

“Grrr!”

Seeing his left hand mangled and blood gushing from it, Lee Kangmin’s madness intensified.

Bukri Chang had also suffered some damage.

A blood line ran across his entire right hand, and his right shoulder was torn open, revealing bare skin.

Yet a victorious smile curled across his lips.

That single exchange had allowed him to gauge the level of his opponent.

“How does it taste? The Azure Desolation Fist. When I think of the humiliation you put me through, even tearing you apart wouldn’t be enough.”

Bukri Chang had not forgotten the disgrace he had suffered at Lee Kangmin’s hands while seeking the Azure Desolation Fist.

From atop the roof, Yong Hwarin turned his head to the right as he observed the bloody duel.

It seemed Lee Yung had given up on the Grand Elder and was preparing to withdraw.

Fortunately, the Bukri Clan’s warriors stationed in the rear had blocked their retreat and weren’t letting them escape.

The two Gwi Ryeongma-in, now reduced from four to two, were significantly weaker and couldn’t break through the encirclement.

“Protector Jo, we must escape this place!”

Lee Yung shouted to Jo Heon, who stood on the rooftop watching the battle between the Grand Elder and Bukri Chang.

If Jo Heon helped, breaking through the encirclement wouldn’t be difficult.

“We must take the Grand Elder with us.”

“Grandmaster Sam has already fallen into Qi Deviation and is beyond our ability to handle. At this rate, we’ll all die!”

“Click, click. A disciple who abandons his master, how pathetic.”

When Jo Heon replied curtly, Lee Yung’s face twitched.

“Do you think I want to leave Grandmaster Sam like that? But what difference will it make if we stay?”

“If you want to leave, then go ahead, Young Master. I can’t walk away from Grandmaster Sam, not with Grandmaster Il’s face in mind.”

Lee Yung had not tried to retreat out of concern for Jo Heon, but because they couldn’t break through the encirclement and needed help. When Jo Heon remained indifferent, his thinking changed.

“Myeolhwa! Break through the encirclement no matter what! Even if it costs the lives of the Gwi Ryeongma-in!”

At Lee Yung’s command, Myeolhwa nodded.

“Understood, Lord.”

With a nod, Myeolhwa moved forward, and the two Gwi Ryeongma-in took the lead, abandoning defense and attacking head-on.

From behind, Lee Yung poured out sword qi with all his internal energy.

When the Gwi Ryeongma-in launched an attack using the Mutual Destruction Technique, the Bukri Clan’s warriors began to fall back little by little.

It was then that Lee Yung met eyes with Yong Hwarin, who had been staring at him.

In that instant, goosebumps crawled across Lee Yung’s entire body.

Yong Hwarin’s gaze wasn’t merely watching—he was eyeing his prey like a beast.

“Myeolhwa! Hurry!”

One Gwi Ryeongma-in couldn’t withstand the Bukri Clan’s onslaught and was torn apart—upper and lower body severed.

Meanwhile, dozens of Bukri Clan warriors fell in battle.

Seeing this, Lee Yung poured everything into breaking through the encirclement.

Yong Hwarin’s killing intent surged as he watched Lee Yung flee.

There was one truth he had learned from his past life:

Leaving a man skilled in scheming and deceit alive would only guarantee future disaster.

Grandmaster Sam was too occupied fighting Bukri Chang, and Jo Heon, likely intending to retrieve Grandmaster Sam, was merely waiting for him to collapse from exhaustion.

Yong Hwarin had no intention of fighting Grandmaster Sam or Jo Heon while leaving Bukri Sehee alone.

If something happened to Bukri Sehee, he knew he would regret it for the rest of his life.

In truth, the one who posed the greatest threat to him was not Jo Heon or Grandmaster Sam, but Lee Yung—someone who used his mind.

He’d had several chances to kill Lee Yung, but missed each one. It pained him deeply.

‘Today, there won’t be any escape for you.’

Turning to Bukri Sehee, who was watching Bukri Chang with worried eyes, Yong Hwarin said,

“Sehee, you know Lee Yung, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“We need to kill that bastard for the Bukri Clan to finally know peace. He’s the one mainly responsible for what’s happened to them.”

“Orabeoni, help Father first, please.”

“If I help the Clan Head now, that guy will get away. Let’s kill him first, and then go help the Clan Head.”

Yong Hwarin honestly didn’t care whether Bukri Chang lived or died.

He had no desire to acknowledge a man as his father who turned his own daughter into a human elixir and forced her to learn techniques like the Bone-Contraction Technique just to fulfill his ambitions.

He wouldn’t mind if Bukri Chang died fighting Grandmaster Sam.

He just didn’t show it because Bukri Sehee would be saddened.

Bukri Sehee didn’t press him further. She knew his reasoning wasn’t wrong.

“If that man hadn’t given my father the Azure Desolation Fist, none of this would’ve happened.”

Her resentment toward Lee Yung was just as deep, so she didn’t stop Yong Hwarin from killing him.

“I can’t leave you here. If you’re alone, something might happen. I’ll take you with me.”

If he left Bukri Sehee behind, she could end up as Jo Heon’s hostage. Yong Hwarin couldn’t allow that.

When he picked her up and stood, Bukri Sehee spoke.

“Please leave me here. I’ll be safe if I stay put.”

Yong Hwarin shook his head.

“No. I won’t let you out of my sight again. Anyone who tries to harm you—no matter who they are—I won’t forgive them. Don’t even think about leaving me.”

Bukri Sehee blushed and lowered her head.

“Yes.”

She responded quietly and wiped her tears.

Those words felt like they had just made up for all the sorrow in her life.

Yong Hwarin leapt toward the direction where Lee Yung had broken through the encirclement and vanished. Jo Heon watched him go.

To Jo Heon, it was a relief that Yong Hwarin hadn’t attacked Grandmaster Sam.

He knew that if Yong Hwarin had joined Bukri Chang to attack Grandmaster Sam, even a madman like Grandmaster Sam wouldn’t have lasted long.

Whatever the reason, Jo Heon understood that Yong Hwarin didn’t seem to hold much affection for the Bukri Clan or Bukri Chang, and so he too avoided provoking him by refraining from assisting Bukri Chang.

To begin with, Jo Heon had no confidence he could restrain Grandmaster Sam’s madness.

So he planned to save Grandmaster Sam after his qi was depleted fighting Bukri Chang.

‘Wherever Yong Hwarin went, I must rescue Grandmaster Sam before that kid returns.’

But Grandmaster Sam was still rampaging like a mad demon.

Lee Yung, with only Myeolhwa and one Gwi Ryeongma-in in tow, was fleeing as fast as he could.

The most urgent priority now was to put as much distance as possible between himself and the Bukri Clan.

No—not just the Bukri Clan. It was Yong Hwarin he needed to escape from.

Lee Yung still couldn’t forget the look in Yong Hwarin’s eyes.

That cold and sinister stare was exactly like Grandmaster Il’s, when even the slightest mistake during training would make him glare as if ready to kill.

And then he realized something.

He was now afraid of Yong Hwarin, just like Man Inhwa had been.

He had once laughed at Man Inhwa for that, but now he understood.

“If you took a dump, you should clean it up.”

Lee Yung flinched at the sudden voice blocking his path.

“Yong Hwarin!”

Only then did Lee Yung understand the meaning behind the look Yong Hwarin had given him earlier—it was murderous intent.

Just the fact that he had chased Lee Yung down while Grandmaster Sam still rampaged within the Bukri Clan made it clear.

Lee Yung had thought that Yong Hwarin wouldn’t come after him in order to stop Grandmaster Sam.

That had been a mistake.

As Myeolhwa took position ahead with one Gwi Ryeongma-in to protect Lee Yung, he shouted at Yong Hwarin.

“Just let me go.”

Myeolhwa turned her head, surprised that her lord would lower his tail without even trying to fight Yong Hwarin.

“Why would I do that?”

“Because…”

Lee Yung faltered.

There was no reason for Yong Hwarin to let him live.

He was the very person who had schemed relentlessly to harm Yong Hwarin.

It was absurd to think he would be spared.

Even he wouldn’t keep such a man alive for the future.

“If you let me live, I’ll tell you a great deal of information you don’t know.”

Yong Hwarin shook his head.

“I can find out anything you know.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep