The Chief Eunuch watched Ye Yahyeon leisurely with his arms folded.

His expression was that of a man enjoying something amusing.

Ye Yahyeon’s condition, on the other hand, was growing worse and worse.

Even though he was concentrating all his energy on driving out the poison, it would not be expelled easily.

Rather, the more he tried to expel it, the deeper it burrowed into his body.

Cough—

In the end, Ye Yahyeon even vomited dark-red blood.

He was slowly dying.

“Damn it...”

To think he would die this pointlessly.

No.

If he was going to die pointlessly like this, then he might as well land at least one blow on that bastard.

He was going to die anyway, so there was nothing left to lose.

Sensing the change in Ye Yahyeon’s momentum, the Chief Eunuch gave a faint laugh.

“Oh? Would it not be better to conserve that strength and stop the poison from spreading?”

“I’m going to die either way... so I’ll just die fighting.”

“Oh! I like that attitude very much. But what will you do? Your poison does not work on me.”

“Who said I was attacking with poison?”

Ye Yahyeon drew his guard saber and charged toward the Chief Eunuch.

“How absurd. To think you intend to do something to me with that scrap of metal.”

“Says the bastard dodging because he’s scared of that scrap of metal!”

“Dodging? Kekeke. There is no need to dodge such a thing.”

The Chief Eunuch laughed at Ye Yahyeon’s words and blocked the guard saber flying toward him with his bare hand.

SKAAANG—

In that instant, the Chief Eunuch saw his own hand flying through the air.

“Huh?”

And then he realized the hand that should have been attached was gone.

“Ha...”

How astonishing.

A weapon that could cut his body.

“That weapon is rather good.”

“Kekeke. Worry about your own body being torn to pieces, you damned bastard! Heavenly Flash Chaotic Blossoms!”

Even as he continued vomiting blood, Ye Yahyeon gathered every bit of his energy and unleashed his martial art.

SHAAK-SHAAK-SHAAK—

Every place the guard saber passed, wounds opened on the Chief Eunuch’s body and blood flowed down.

Before long, one of his arms fell away.

“Kekeke. How is it, you damned bastard?”

“Impressive. To think you could drive me this far while poisoned by my poison. I acknowledge you.”

“To the very... Cough! Cough!”

Ye Yahyeon tried to say something, only to vomit blood and collapse onto the ground.

“To the very what?”

“...To the very end, you’re pretending to be calm... I took your right wrist and your left arm, so you will have a hard time living from now on too.”

“Ah, this?”

The Chief Eunuch looked between his severed wrist and arm, then laughed.

“You are dying, yet you are even worrying about me... You really were quite a decent fellow. Since you are on your way out, I should lessen your worries.”

Bubbling, bubbling—

Red foam rose from the severed wounds.

PA-PAT—

New hand and arm sprouted from the wrist and arm that had been cut away.

“Ta-da! I had no wrist or arm, and now I do!”

“You... insane... monster.”

Everything Ye Yahyeon had risked his life to do had become meaningless.

From that shock, the poison spread even faster, and he now reached his limit.

“H-Hurry and kill me...”

“Me? Why? You are quite pleasing to look at right now.”

The Chief Eunuch looked around, walked toward a rock, and sat on it.

The sight of him watching Ye Yahyeon die was irritating, but there was nothing Ye Yahyeon could do.

Just as his consciousness slowly blurred and his body tilted toward the ground—

Thud.

He felt something catch him.

Was it that monster?

Damn it. Do whatever you want.

He was about to let the strength leave his body in utter resignation when—

“What the hell? Why are you so limp?”

That voice.

Ye Yahyeon slowly raised his head.

“Big Brother...”

He had been sinking into the darkness, but he saw light.

Through his fading consciousness, he heard the Chief Eunuch’s voice.

“What? Where did you suddenly come from?”

A voice that sounded flustered.

A laugh rose from him on its own.

He had to come to his senses.

He absolutely had to see that damned bastard suffer miserably at Big Brother’s hands.

Jeok Wigang lightly ignored the Chief Eunuch’s question and examined Ye Yahyeon’s condition.

“Poisoning? Wasn’t poison your specialty?”

“I... must have been too arrogant...”

“Right? That’s why I told you to always be humble.”

“You were right, Big Brother...”

“I’ll treat you. Wait.”

Jeok Wigang murmured a mantra.

“Poison, retreat without trace. Evil qi, scatter completely. Clear flow, fill the body. Body and mind, become pure.”

When he placed his hand, flickering like blue flame, against Ye Yahyeon’s body, fire seemed to flare over Ye Yahyeon’s entire body in an instant.

At the same time, black energy rippled out from Ye Yahyeon’s body as if the poison were burning away.

The Chief Eunuch realized that Jeok Wigang, who had appeared out of nowhere, was neutralizing his poison.

“A human bastard is detoxifying my poison?”

It was unbelievable.

“Do you think I will simply stand here and watch that happen?”

SHRRRRR—

The scales on the Chief Eunuch’s body began trembling violently.

PA-PA-PA-PAT—

Dozens of scales shot toward Jeok Wigang.

WHUMP-WHUMP-WHUMP—

They all struck Jeok Wigang’s body while he was unable to move properly because he was neutralizing the poison.

“You damned bastard! Try detoxifying this too!”

Thud, thud, thud—

“Huh?”

But the scales he thought had embedded into Jeok Wigang’s body fell weakly to the ground.

“What? They didn’t go in?”

At that, Jeok Wigang frowned and said,

“Ugh, damn it. What the hell? That’s filthy.”

“Filthy...”

The Chief Eunuch stared at Jeok Wigang with a dumbfounded expression, but soon his face twisted.

“I see. You were Diamond Invulnerability, were you? So you trusted in that and showed yourself so boldly.”

Jeok Wigang asked Ye Yahyeon,

“What is that talking lizard?”

“Liz... ard? Graaaaaah!”

“Ah, shut up!”

WHOOOOM—

CRAAACK—

“Keheuk!”

The Chief Eunuch flew far backward with a sudden burst of pain and slammed into a wall.

KWAANG!

He had been struck by the fist wind Jeok Wigang threw.

Watching Jeok Wigang send an opponent far stronger than himself flying as if swatting away a fly, Ye Yahyeon was amazed once again.

“As expected, Big Brother, you are incredible.”

“Why are you saying something so obvious this late? Anyway, what is that thing?”

“He is the Chief Eunuch of the Eastern Depot.”

“That lizard is?”

“Yes.”

“Is that thing from White Horse Heaven?”

“That is correct. He is of White Horse Heaven’s Dragon-Scale race.”

“Dragon-Scale?”

“Yes. They are one of the races that came from another dimension. I hear the Heaven Lord gave them that name because they resemble dragons.”

“Dragons, my ass... But if he managed to get you like this, that means his poison is no ordinary thing.”

HISSSS—

Black steam rose from Ye Yahyeon’s body.

HISSSS—

“Cough! Cough!”

Ye Yahyeon coughed repeatedly and vomited black liquid.

The black steam soon turned white, and Ye Yahyeon’s darkened complexion also began returning to normal.

Before long, when Jeok Wigang removed his hand from Ye Yahyeon’s body, Ye Yahyeon stood up with a refreshed expression.

“Thank you, Big Brother. I survived thanks to you.”

“Forget it. You’re my little brother, so of course I had to save you.”

Ye Yahyeon smiled.

Until now, he had been forcibly dragged along by Jeok Wigang.

But not anymore.

Ye Yahyeon truly wanted to serve him as Big Brother.

Why did he feel that way?

Because a moment ago, when he had been dying, Jeok Wigang’s figure had been light itself.

And he had felt a warmth he had never felt before.

He had realized that he could never escape Jeok Wigang now.

“What’s with that look?”

“I’m going to treat you well from now on, Big Brother.”

At Ye Yahyeon’s words, Jeok Wigang gave a faint laugh.

“Forget it. You’re doing well enough already, so just keep doing what you’re doing.”

“Yes.”

The moment the two of them were talking—

KWA-KWA-KWAANG—

At the place where the Chief Eunuch had been sent flying, a huge explosion erupted, and an enormous black shadow appeared.

The hideously transformed Chief Eunuch was standing there.

“He’s become even more of a lizard than before.”

“That is a trait of the Dragon-Scale race. That is probably his true form.”

“Is his true form stronger?”

“Yes.”

“Really? How much is that?”

“He appears to be at about half of his true form.”

“He still hasn’t finished transforming?”

“So it seems.”

Jeok Wigang looked at the Chief Eunuch with curiosity.

“To think you gave me an impact of this degree. You are no ordinary bastard. Who are you?”

At the Chief Eunuch’s question, Jeok Wigang grinned and said,

“Me? You should know well enough. I’m Jeok Wigang.”

“Jeok Wigang? You are Jeok Wigang?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you were a bookworm, but you were hiding a trick after all.”

“I never hid anything. Hiding means a lizard walking around in human form.”

Jeok Wigang said to Ye Yahyeon,

“Stay back a bit. I’m going to play with that thing.”

“Yes. Have a pleasant time, Big Brother.”

Ye Yahyeon quickly moved far away with a beaming smile.

He was happy.

Now all he had to do was watch that damned Dragon-Scale bastard suffer miserably at Jeok Wigang’s hands.

Looking at Ye Yahyeon, now perfectly fine, the Chief Eunuch wore a shocked expression.

“When I heard that you had treated the Emperor, I did not believe it... but it was true. Just how did you treat him?”

“With sorcery.”

“Sorcery... Was that also the sorcery that blocked my attack just now?”

“That’s right.”

“I thought all I had to watch out for in the Central Plains was martial arts... but the way you perform sorcery is almost like magic.”

“Huh? You know magic?”

When Jeok Wigang brightened, the Chief Eunuch tilted his head.

“You know magic?”

“There are a lot more things I want to ask you now. Why don’t you just cooperate quietly? Don’t get beaten for nothing.”

“Kekeke. It seems you are getting triumphant just because you took one of my attacks, but if you think that was my full strength, you are gravely mistaken.”

“I know. I just heard. You’re at about half strength, right?”

“Forty percent!”

The Chief Eunuch snapped.

“Half, forty percent, same thing.”

“Kekekek. I will personally show you how large a difference ten percent makes.”

CRRRK—

RIIIIP—

SHRRRRR—

The Chief Eunuch’s body transformed dramatically, tearing apart the clothes he was wearing, and at the same time his body was covered in silver scales.

His face had changed into something so hideous it could no longer be called human.

“Grrrr! I will kill both of you!”

Grrrrk—

BANG—

All he did was kick off the ground and charge forward, yet the earth caved in with a powerful shockwave.

The Chief Eunuch moved in front of Jeok Wigang in an instant and swung sharp claws wildly, as if they could cut through anything.

“Dragon-Blood Mad-Scale Slash!”

WHOOOOM— WHOOOOM— WHOOOOM—

TUKAKAKAK—

CRAAACK— CRAAACK—

Grrrrrrrrk!

Every place his claws passed was gouged deeply, as if scratched by a giant beast, and the ground was being smashed apart.

But he could not hit Jeok Wigang, who dodged here and there.

“You rat-like bastard!”

His speed grew even faster.

The shockwaves grew more and more violent.

KWA-KWA-KWAAANG!

The aftermath of the shockwaves changed the surrounding terrain, and even Ye Yahyeon struggled under the pressure.

“Damned monsters...”

The Dragon-Scale bastard pouring out those brutal attacks was sickening, but Jeok Wigang, who dodged them as if nothing were happening, was just as incredible.

But why was he dodging?

Could those attacks damage him if they landed?

Normally, Jeok Wigang would either take them without dodging or crush the enemy in a single blow.

Was even Jeok Wigang finding the Dragon-Scale race difficult to handle?

If that were the case, then he would not even be able to face the Heaven Lord of White Horse Heaven.

Probably not.

The strength Ye Yahyeon knew Jeok Wigang possessed was not merely at this level.

There had to be some reason he was only dodging without fighting back.

Thinking that, he examined Jeok Wigang closely.

And soon, a smile formed at the corner of Ye Yahyeon’s mouth.

His guess had been right.

Right now, Jeok Wigang was observing the Dragon-Scale man with fascinated eyes.