Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1312

(Tang Pae thought) ‘You can’t catch a master with poison.’ That was true enough. He knew some people said the Tang Clan could never be the best because they relied on poison. ‘Maybe they are right,’ he thought, ‘but so what?’

But Tang Pae had one answer for all of them. ‘So what?’ he thought fiercely. ‘Who would dare to be our enemy? No one.’ The Tang Clan might not be perfect, but they were still the Tang Clan. Everyone respected them. Everyone feared them.

Black smoke rushed from Tang Pae’s sleeve like a dark cloud. It was thick and heavy, hiding everything from sight, even for trained fighters. Tang Pae pushed it forward, and it rolled over the Bloodied Men.

‘This!’ one of the Bloodied Men gasped. Their faces went white. They had seen what the black smoke did to people. They had to escape it! But they were trapped. The gorge was narrow, with tall cliffs on both sides. Their own men were behind them, blocking the way back. They could only go forward or try to climb up. But the smoke was already above them, turning the sky black.

‘Retreat!’ someone yelled. The Bloodied Men turned and ran back together. Soldiers chasing someone should never run away, but going into that smoke was like walking into death. They had no choice. They ran as fast as they could. But Tang Pae wouldn’t let them escape. *Swaeeeeeeek!* Something flew out of the smoke, fast as lightning.

‘Gasp!’ The Bloodied Men were confused. *Scratch! Scratch! Scratch!* ‘Kugh!’ ‘Ugh!’ Men cried out, hurt but not knowing why. They were tough fighters, used to pain, but this sudden attack shocked them. ‘Don’t panic! Keep running back! It’s just—’ The leader’s words stopped. The hurt men stumbled. Everything started to spin. *(One thought)* ‘Poison?’ It felt like poison. But how? They hadn’t touched the smoke.

One man, dizzy and falling, looked at his arm. A tiny cut. It looked like a scratch from a fingernail. But around it, his skin was turning purple. *(He thought)* ‘Just a scratch…?’ These men were from the Hao Clan. They were used to dealing with poison. They were even trained to resist it. But this poison was incredibly strong. It must have been just a drop of poison on whatever cut him!

“Kk, kkeue⋯⋯.”

Thick purple veins began to bulge out all over the Bloodied Man’s body. They looked as if they would burst through his skin at any moment.

Severe dizziness and excruciating pain washed over him, making it difficult to even stand properly. But what was even more terrifying was that his body wouldn’t move as he wanted, as if it were paralyzed.

In the eyes of that Bloodied Man, he saw black poisonous smoke slowly approaching.

The sight of the black poisonous smoke slowly spreading was no different from the sight of death approaching.

He widened his bloodshot eyes.

‘N, no⋯⋯!’

Hwaaaaaaaak!

Before he could even finish his thought, the poisonous smoke swallowed them up.

Gwak Cheol snapped his teeth together as more of his men fell into the smoke. Ten men gone, just like that! ‘Just one man!’ Gwak Cheol thought, eyes burning with rage. He had seen Tang Pae fight briefly when they entered the gorge. He didn’t seem that strong. Gwak Cheol thought a few good men could easily defeat him. But he was wrong. Very wrong. Instead of defeating Tang Pae, his men were dying, their bodies dissolving. ‘What poison is this?’ he wondered, furious and scared. Everyone knew the Tang Clan’s poison was the most dangerous in the world. They were famous for it. All clans feared the Tang Clan’s poison. But Gwak Cheol had never seen poison this fast, this deadly.

‘Great Chieftain!’ someone called out. Gwak Cheol bit his lip, thinking fast. The smoke was still spreading. Maybe they should just wait for it to disappear. But how long would that take? If Tang Pae only had this smoke, waiting would be smart. But what if he had more poison hidden in his sleeve? They could wait forever and Tang Pae could still escape. Gwak Cheol couldn’t let that happen. His own life was in danger if Tang Pae got away. ‘…Break through,’ Gwak Cheol ordered.

‘Great Chieftain?’ one of his men asked, surprised. ‘Push the smoke back with your power! As long as it doesn’t touch you, it’s harmless. Get close to him, and he’s nothing. Kill him!’

They had their orders. They had to obey. The confusion was gone. Now, only cold anger filled the Bloodied Men’s eyes.

‘Go!’ Gwak Cheol yelled. *Paaaaaaat!* The Bloodied Men ran forward again. They put their swords away and focused all their power into their hands. Suddenly, from the thick smoke, a green flash! *Crack! Crack! Crack!* Small daggers, the size of a child’s hand, slammed into the heads of the men in front. If they could have seen Tang Pae, they could have dodged the daggers. Daggers were dangerous, but simple. But in the thick smoke, where they couldn’t see anything, and running forward as fast as they could, even a simple dagger became deadly.

*Thud! Thud!* Men tripped over the bodies of their fallen friends. They gritted their teeth and shouted, pushing out their power. ‘Haaaaaaap!’ They were desperate. Even though they were supposed to be silent and sneaky, they screamed with anger. *Puhuhuhuhung! Puhuhuhuhung!* Waves of power pushed back the smoke. They saw it working! Blue light flashed in their eyes.

‘Advance!’ As soon as the first wave of power weakened, the men behind rushed forward, adding their power. They had never done this before, never planned it, but they worked together perfectly, like they had trained for years. They were well-trained soldiers. The smoke was strong, but if it didn’t touch them, it couldn’t hurt them. They were right. If Tang Pae only had smoke and daggers.

‘Push forward now—’ *Paaaaaaat!* Suddenly, the black smoke turned red. The men in front pulled out their swords without thinking. It was instinct that saved them. *Kagagagagak!* Something tangled in their swords. ‘A net?’ A red net, coming from the smoke, wrapped around their blades. If they had tried to stop it with their hands, they would be dead now. ‘I… I’m alive…’ one thought, shaking. The red net must be covered in Tang Clan poison. It could probably burn a person to nothing but blood and bones just by touching them. They breathed out in relief.

Then, one man felt a cold feeling above him. He looked up quickly. ‘Hmm?’ Nothing. Just the sky. But… was it cloudy? He frowned. ‘Wait.’ Cloudy sky? Had it been cloudy before? He stared harder. ‘Ah…’ It wasn’t clouds. Something was blocking the sky. Like looking up in a sandstorm in the desert. Before he could even think clearly, he shouted, ‘Look out! Above you!’

He tried to pull his sword back, to jump away, but the net held it tight. They let go of their swords and threw themselves back, but it was too late. *Chwaaaaaaaaaaaaa!* Something poured down from the sky like a wave, hitting the Bloodied Men again and again. ‘Sand?’ It didn’t hurt. No cuts. Just tiny grains of sand covering them. But the Bloodied Men knew instantly what it was. They had heard stories. *Tingle.* A feeling like tiny needles pricking their skin all over. Their eyes filled with horror. Tang Clan sand. Sand so fine it went right through your skin, poisoning you. Poison sand with no cure. They said it didn’t just kill your body, but your soul too.

‘S… Soul Severing Sand!’

Pain like hundreds of sharp razor blades slashing all over their bodies washed over them. Those who were swept away by it screamed like beasts, collapsed, and writhed.

Their bodies trembled incessantly. The pain was so extreme that they were not even allowed to faint. They could only groan horribly, convulse, and wish that someone would end their lives.

Swaeeeeeeek!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

At that moment, several daggers flew through the poisonous smoke and were embedded in the crowns of the Bloodied Men’s heads in succession.

Thud. Thud.

The Bloodied Men, who had been struggling in agony, collapsed like rotten straw bundles. Perhaps they felt gratitude towards Tang Pae at the moment their lives were cut off.

Soon, the poisonous smoke subsided.

Tang Pae, who had revealed himself, pulled his finger to retrieve the daggers.

Clack.

Tang Pae, holding ten daggers in his hand, stared at the Bloodied Men who couldn’t dare to approach and said in a low voice.

“I’ll give you a question.”

“⋯⋯.”

“Which will come first? Will my poison run out? Or will you all die?”

The shoulders of the Bloodied Men flinched. Tang Pae smiled and said.

“I think I know?”

The daggers once again cut through the air like rays of light.

Tang Pae watched them, a small smile playing on his lips. The Tang Clan always had the last word.