Chapter 1403: Infinitely More Than Enough (Part 3)

Fierce white sword energy soared through the air, pouring down onto the members of Myriad Man Manor. 

Kwahng! Kwaaaaah! Kwaaah!

Explosions followed the thunderous sounds, as the flying sword energies detonated one after another.

"Aaaah!"

"Aaah!"

Those caught in the explosions screamed in agony, tumbling in all directions.

"Kuk, cough!"

Not everyone lost their lives in the explosion. Some were fortunate enough to survive. However, those who fell, groaning in pain, were met with a rain of poisoned needles that turned the blue sky into a dark downpour.

"Ugh, aaaaah!"

Shoooaah!

The sound of the torrential rain was accompanied by the deadly needles, thinner than hair, penetrating fragile skin with a lethal venom.

Tududuk!

The sound of needles piercing through flesh. Those who felt the sensation not just in their ears but throughout their bodies were instantly enveloped in a terror beyond words.

"No, no!"

Terrified individuals tried desperately to pull out the needles embedded in them, but the areas where the wounds occurred were already soaked in a dark, poisonous liquid.

Poison, a trademark of the Sichuan Tang Family, spread through their bodies.

Sensations that had transformed from mild discomfort to unbearable itching now rapidly escalated into an agonizing pain.

"S-stop... stop it..."

The Myriad Man Manor members twisted their bodies in agony. Blood flowed from their wounds, and blackened foam stained their lips, boiling up in an instant.

"Dodge! It's the Tang Family! Those damn bastards are using poison!"

In an instant, the eyes of the Myriad Man Manor members filled with horror as they witnessed their dying comrades.

It was incomprehensible.

How could those who used such a vicious poison be called righteous sects? Even the Evil Sect refrained from using such malicious toxins, or rather, couldn't use them.

"Don't panic! It's just poison in the needles! Block it!"

This statement wasn't entirely wrong. The power contained in each needle wasn't overwhelmingly strong. However, the problem was that those present weren't just from the Tang Family.

"Hiyaaah!"

A series of roars, more like the howls of beasts than human cries, came from a group that rushed straight into the Myriad Man Manor members.

Kwaaaah!

Those hit on the shoulders rolled on the ground, blood spattering, while those surpassing them in strength rushed in, wielding weapons shaped like the claws of beasts.

"Beast Palace!"

"These filthy foreigners!"

The Myriad Man Manor members were trampled by the ferocious attacks of the Yunnan Beast Palace, whose identity was clearly demonstrated by the animal skins wrapping around their bodies.

"Hahaha! You bastards from the Evil Sect! You've ignored us for too long!"

"Crush them! Thoroughly!"

The space where the Yunnan Beast Palace had fiercely charged was guarded by swords of the Ice Palace, who radiated a chilly, deadly force.

"Do not disrupt the formation. Thoroughly block the incoming enemies. The most important things are the safety of the Palace Lord and the survival of Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword. Anyone who retreats will die by my sword!"

"Yes!"

The blazing charge of the Yunnan Beast Palace and the frigid swordsman of the Ice Palace. Two martial arts sects with completely opposite temperaments uniting their strength for a common purpose.

"Commander!"

"We're being pushed back! The encirclement is breaking!"

Ho Gakmyung clenched his fists without a word.

'Damn it.'

It was an expected outcome.

Certainly, the Myriad Man Manor was an outstanding martial sect. Among the four sects under the Evil Tyrant Alliance dominating Gangnam, was Myriad Man Manor not the one closest to the position of a leader?

However, even so, Myriad Man Manor was just one martial arts sect affiliated with the Evil Tyrant Alliance. No matter how powerful that one force was, it was impossible to stand alone against the alliance of the most renowned martial arts sects in the world.

Moreover, the ones led by Ho Gakmyung at this moment were not even considered the 'main force' within Myriad Man Manor.

So it was inevitable to be pushed back mercilessly.

"Commander! An order!"

Ho Gakmyung bit his lips until they bled. It was a phrase he never wanted to utter. But at this moment, there was only one command he could give.

"Withdraw the troops."

"Commander!"

"Proceed!"

"...Yes."

A weak response echoed from the subordinates. Ho Gakmyung, upon hearing the answer, tightly closed his eyes. After keeping his eyes shut for a while, calming his mind, Ho Gakmyung opened his eyes with a gaze full of hatred, glaring at the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.

'Damn it.'

Now there was no other option.

Facing them with the exhausted Myriad Man Manor was impossible. The longer they dragged it out, the more casualties they would suffer. If there was still any morale left, it had been steadily decreasing since the moment they missed the Plum Blossom Sword Demon.

Even if he could sacrifice everyone here to kill the Plum Blossom Sword Demon, it was a gamble he might consider...

'Mount Hua.'

The detestable Mount Hua individuals were surrounding the Plum Blossom Sword Demon, not taking a single step.

As if they wouldn't yield the Plum Blossom Sword Demon's head even if the sky collapsed.

A helpless sigh escaped from Ho Gakmyung's mouth as he observed those gazes.

There was no way out anymore.

"Proceed with withdrawing the troops!"

"Yes! Commander!"

Blood flowed from Ho Gakmyung's lips, dripping to the ground.

Droplets of sweat traced Tang Gunak's jaw and fell to the ground one after another.

A face that seemed to have completely exhausted its energy, yet his two eyes maintained an unwavering focus as they remained fixed on Chung Myung.

Chung Myung's body was instantly covered in white frost, but then soon turned red.

Woo-ung!

Extreme yin energy and intense yang energy. A scream erupted from Tang Pae's mouth, who had been controlling the two energies raging inside the Plum Blossom Sword Demon with all his might.

"Gaju-nim! No more, no more!"

Even though he must have felt the desperation in that scream, Tang Gunak did not even turn his gaze.

"Gaju-nim! His vital energy is about to burst entirely! This cannot go on!"

Tang Pae's voice became increasingly urgent. But Tang Gunak, with a stern expression, continued to examine the Chung Myung closely.

'What is he thinking?'

They couldn't hold on any longer. No matter how extraordinary Chung Myung was, it was no longer possible.

Of course, Chung Myung was an unbelievably talented martial artist, but the incredible thing was his sword and his mind, not his body!

But then came a real surprise.

Examining Chung Myung, drenched in sweat, Tang Gunak suddenly inserted his hand into his sleeves like lightning, pulled out a white pearl bottle, and opened the lid.

'Poison?'

Even with just a whiff of the pungent scent, one could sense that it was an extremely toxic poison.

"Gaju-nim! Ahh! What are you doing!"

A scream erupted from Tang Pae's mouth. Tang Gunak directly poured the opened poison bottle into his mouth.

Tang Gunak's skin quickly turned purple. But Tang Gunak, with a steadfast face, reached out and brought his hand to Chung Myung's chest.

Woo-ung!

His robe swelled up like crazy, and a violet energy rose thickly from his fingertips. The energies started to penetrate into Chung Myung's chest.

Tang Pae's eyes widened.

'W-what? Administering poison to a patient?'

What kind of insane act was this?

"Gaju-nim! Dojang is dying! What are you thinking!"

Tang Gunak turned his gaze for a moment. What caught his eye was not Tang Pae screaming but Hyun Jong, who had been silently observing everything without uttering a word.

"It's okay."

"This can't be okay!"

"Just because energies clash doesn't mean death. Death refers to a state where the body can no longer hold onto its internal energy!"

Tang Pae trembled as he looked at Tang Gunak with anxious eyes. Tang Gunak's eyes were filled with confidence.

"In other words, no matter what method is used, as long as one can hold onto the energy within the body, one won't die."

At that moment, a change occurred in Chung Myung's body. Distinct boundaries formed on the body that had been alternating between heating up and freezing. The upper part was covered in a faint purple hue, the lower left in red heat, and the lower right in white energy.

"Ah..."

"Poisonous energy, yang energy, and yin energy can coexist and maintain balance. As long as that balance is not disrupted, one can survive."

Tang Pae's eyes shook.

"Then what happens afterward? What if the balance is disrupted?"

"..."

Tang Gunak remained silent, but Tang Pae could perfectly understand the meaning of that silence.

"W-What is this..."

Such an extreme treatment had never been heard of. No, this was more of a forced life support than a treatment. Could such an extreme method, which could turn a living person into a corpse with a slight mistake, be called treatment?

"Remove your hands!"

As Tang Gunak shouted angrily, Meng So, Seol So Baek, and Han Yi Myung, who had been forcefully infusing energy into Chung Myung, slumped down in exhaustion.

Tang Gunak, having pushed the poisonous energy in, also withdrew his hands from Chung Myung.

Woo-woo-woo.

The remaining energies inside Chung Myung were swirling and dancing. However, Tang Gunak saw it in his eyes. The energies were balancing each other, finding equilibrium while inhibiting one another.

It was a precarious balance that could explode at any moment, but if carefully examined...

"Damn it!"

A scream erupted from Tang Gunak's mouth. The poisonous energy he injected and the cold yin energy of the Ice Palace were pushing against the yang energy infused by Meng So.

Compared to his poisonous energy and the ice Palace's cold energy, Meng So's yang energy seemed lacking in purity.

Tang Gunak raised his head abruptly and shouted.

"Elixir! Does anyone have an elixir with yang energy?"

Everyone looked at each other with intense eyes at his words, but no one dared to step forward.

"We have healing pills!" 

"A healing pill won't work! Healing pills aren't of the yang energy group!"

"T-Then..."

"Oh, no."

Despair filled Tang Gunak's face. If things continued like this, the balance would collapse, and Chung Myung's body would burst.

"I can still enter some yang energy!"

Meng So declared, but Tang Gunak couldn't say anything. This wasn't a matter that could be resolved with the quantity of yang energy. It required a more pure yang energy.

Tang Gunak's face was filled with irremediable despair.

"Tang Gaju!"

Just when desperate cries erupted from Meng So and Hyun Jong's mouths.

Swoosh!

Tang Gunak received something flying towards him. As soon as he caught it, he felt the yang energy from it, and his eyes widened.

"It's the Yang Tide Pill from Southern Island. If it's yang energy, Southern Island is no less than any other place. With that, we can save Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword."

"Yang Tide Pill?"

Southern Island's Sect Leader Kim Yang Baek, who had joined unnoticed, nodded with a stern face.

"Sect Leader! Why didn't Sect Leader take it himself!"

The elders who had followed him afterward expressed their breathless voices.

In Tang Gunak's eyes, a long wound cut through Kim Yang Baek's chest, reaching all the way to his Dantian.

"Sect Leader..."

A bitter smile appeared on Kim Yang Baek's lips.

"My injury is beyond the help of any elixir."

"..."

"What are you doing! Tang Gaju! Our savior is in critical condition!"

In response to the stern reprimand, Tang Gunak nodded and immediately pushed the pill in his hand into Chung Myung's mouth.

As soon as it entered his mouth, Tang Gunak, guiding the flowing energy of the pill into Chung Myung's body, exerted all his strength to stabilize the yang energy.

Woo-woo-woo-woo!

Chung Myung's body was enveloped in intense heat.

'Good!'

This amount of yang energy would suffice! With this, they could restore the disrupted balance.

And soon after.

Woo-woo-woo-woo.

"It's done!"

The energies in Chung Myung's body finally achieved balance. The conflicting energies that were unable to rush recklessly at each other settled in their places.

"Gaju-nim! What about Chung Myung?"

Tang Gunak embraced Chung Myung and shouted.

"I managed to stabilize his breathing for now! But for proper treatment, we need to hurry to Gangbuk as soon as possible."

Hearing this, Hyun Jong, who observed Tang Gunak holding Chung Myung in his arms, shouted with urgency.

"Disciples of Mount Hua, listen!"

"Yes! Great Sect Leader!"

"Clear the way. Cut down anything blocking us without mercy! Show how ruthless the sword of Mount Hua can be!"

"We receive the command!"

With the vigorous energy of Mount Hua, the disciples brandished their swords once again.

As the disciples of Mount Hua rushed forward with full force, Hyun Jong extended his hand to support Baek Cheon.

"Lean on me."

"Great Sect Leader. I can walk on my own..."

"Baek Cheon."

"..."

In Baek Cheon's startled ears, Hyun Jong's gentle voice echoed.

"You've been through a lot. Let's go back now."

Baek Cheon turned his dazed face. He saw Hyun Jong's face, adorned with a soft smile. Overwhelmed, Baek Cheon silently nodded.

"Yes. Sect Leader."

The group, carrying the injured, ran towards the path opened by the disciples of Mount Hua.

Although covered in thick blood, the path didn't look so despairing anymore.