Screeeech!

The poison that had faded in the firelight spread thickly again.

"The creature must be extremely enraged! Everyone must be careful!"

Gripping his sword tightly and shouting forcefully, Cheonyeong turned to look at Nangong Hyeok.

"You mustn't act recklessly. Right now, you're the only one who can wound the Manggongbaek's hard scales."

"Understood, I will wait for your signal for the killing blow."

His expression was tense.

The Manggongbaek was strong enough to make even an old master who had transcended humanity and accumulated long combat experience tense.

Above all, his granddaughter's safety depended on it.

Cheonyeong answered with a faint smile and shouted toward the cave.

"Everyone, prepare!"

"Yes!"

The martial artists surrounding the cave entrance in a circle gripped iron hooks.

Shhhhh...

The unpleasant sound gradually grew louder as the poison became denser, taking on a vivid green hue and sweeping across the ground.

Everyone swallowed dryly in tension when a pair of eyes glowing golden appeared from the cave's darkness.

A flicking tongue and the Manggongbaek's head with scales shining in bright white finally emerged from the cave.

"My! What size is this creature?"

The fully revealed Manggongbaek displayed a size that seemed like a real dragon rather than a spiritual creature.

Its length, with its tail revealed as it swept across the ground like swimming, reached fifty feet, and when it coiled and raised its head, it looked like viewing an ancient tree.

"Not yet!"

Cheonyeong shouted to prevent the martial artists from acting prematurely, drawing the Samyang Divine Skill to its limit.

He had to become the bait.

Only he could endure the creature's poison for long.

"Tang Family Head, are you really sure about this?"

"Cheonyeong."

Yu Seong-yeon and Beakta looked down from above, overwhelmed by the Manggongbaek's imposing appearance with its glittering eyes, asking worriedly.

"You two absolutely must not act recklessly either. One careless move and you die."

"Hmm."

"Understood."

Cheonyeong looked around again and spoke to Byeon Gil-tae.

"Senior brother."

"Yes! Family Head."

"I'll draw its attention first. When I give the signal, coordinate with the timing to throw the iron hooks and restrain it. I'm counting on you for the rear support."

"Understood."

Having given orders to Byeon Gil-tae, Cheonyeong approached the Manggongbaek with heat shimmering like heat waves.

Screeeech!

They had already clashed once.

Whether recognizing Cheonyeong or not, the Manggongbaek opened its mouth wide and threatened with poison.

"Ugh, you little snake... even if you're happy to see me, there's a limit."

Even with the Samyang Divine Skill drawn to its limit, Cheonyeong's head spun from the poison, and he grimaced.

But he didn't stop walking. He gripped his sword and approached step by step.

"By the way, do you know your breath smells terrible?"

Perhaps understanding the sarcasm?

The Manggongbaek's eyes flickered as it dove its wide-open mouth down to swallow Cheonyeong.

Anfa, Huang An.

With eyes that had turned golden, Cheonyeong's figure quickly moved to the left.

Crash!

The Manggongbaek's head struck the bare ground, shaking it.

Whoosh!

Cheonyeong's sleeve fluttered as he evaded to the side, and two flashes of light rushed toward the Manggongbaek.

Venom Needle, Immortal Needle!

The target was the eyes not covered by scales.

Thud!

Screeeech!

Unexpected, the Manggongbaek twisted its body with a scream as venom needles pierced its eyes.

Damn, of all times to close its eyes...

Meanwhile, the Immortal Needle, with power to pierce even a one-inch iron plate, merely lodged in the scales above the eye.

The enraged Manggongbaek began attacking wildly, twisting its body.

Bang! Crash bang!

Not only was it too fast to follow with the eyes, but it moved left and right unpredictably, making direction impossible to anticipate.

Thus, even using light martial arts to the limit, Cheonyeong could only barely evade.

Whoosh! Ping ping whoosh!

Cheonyeong deployed every poison needle technique he knew, targeting the creature's eyes.

Other places were useless.

Covered in scales, the needles simply bounced off.

Realizing this, the creature didn't thrust its head but instead swung its tail.

Crash crunch! Creak creak!

Trees shattered from the intense force, and the ground continuously shook.

Cheonyeong barely evaded while continuously throwing needles.

Not to kill it. He knew swords and needles didn't work...

The important thing was playing the bait's role.

To anger the Manggongbaek so it focused only on him.

And the Manggongbaek, chasing him, had now moved far from the cave.

"Now!"

At Cheonyeong's shout, the martial artists of the encirclement threw buckets of oil.

Splash!

The Manggongbaek's surroundings became drenched in oil, and when fire was placed on top, a giant circular fire formation was created.

Screeeech!

As flames shot up from all sides, the Manggongbaek, quite startled, tried to move its body away from the fire.

But there was nowhere to escape.

With wood piled high and oil poured on top, how could the flames easily extinguish?

"You're trapped, creature."

Cheonyeong smiled wickedly toward the Manggongbaek and swung his sword.

Perhaps enraged by being defeated by a small human?

The Manggongbaek thrashed more violently than before, releasing poison and wildly swung its tail at Cheonyeong.

Damn, why does its movement keep getting faster?

The Manggongbaek's movement exceeded the limits of the light martial arts Cheonyeong displayed.

Shiiik!

Before the swinging tail could touch him, Cheonyeong crossed his hands in defense.

Crash!

"Cough!"

Cheonyeong's face twisted in pain as he was driven into the ground.

Even drawing all his internal energy, the impact was considerable.

His arm bones ached as if broken.

His legs lost strength.

All the training pushing to the limits of physical endurance was useless.

Screeeech!

The Manggongbaek, thinking it had caught him, roared triumphantly and looked down at the fallen Cheonyeong with glittering eyes.

As if looking at prey.

Indeed, its hunger must have reached its peak.

There was nowhere to escape.

The Manggongbaek, surrounding Cheonyeong with its massive body in a circle, looked down as if expecting a delicious meal, licking its tongue.

Damn snake...

But Cheonyeong suddenly smiled.

He had waited for this moment when the creature fixed its gaze on him.

"Family Head Nangong!"

At the powerful shout, the martial artists of the encirclement who had retreated far to watch Cheonyeong's fight threw the iron hooks.

As hooks thrown above the fire covered the sky, the Manggongbaek, raising its head, showed clear signs of panic.

And the hooks caught and overlapped with each other.

An artificially created iron net, a metal mesh.

"Crush it!"

As the Manggongbaek panicked, Cheonyeong rolled across the ground to escape, and the martial artists pressed down the iron hooks that had become a mesh.

With the fire formation creating walls and covering the sky, there was nowhere for it to escape.

Moreover, it would be dense for the creature but sparse for him.

Though the creature's strength was formidable, how could it withstand an iron mesh pressed down by hundreds of martial artists united?

Crash crunch.

Trapped in the iron mesh pressed down by the martial artists with all their might, the Manggongbaek fluttered on the ground.

The plan was successful, and now it was time for the finale.

"Sword Emperor!"

Rolling away from the Manggongbaek's side, Cheonyeong shouted powerfully, and Nangong Hyeok soared above the flames as if waiting.

"Imperial Sword Technique, Taishan Split."

The heavy sword held in both hands rose high, and with a low chant, the cyan sword light transformed into a crescent and fell sharply toward the Manggongbaek's head.

For that moment, the world seemed to split.

It was a sword technique worthy of the name that split Mount Taishan.

No matter how tough its scales, to receive that...

Crash crunch! 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"...?!"

But at that moment, the Manggongbaek twisted its body like a whirlwind within the mesh, forming a coil, and a strange sound came from the iron mesh.

"What?!"

"Ugh!"

As the iron mesh was pulled taut as if about to break, surprise and groans erupted from the martial artists enduring with all their might.

Screeeech!

And thick poison sprayed from the iron mesh.

S-Surely not?

The anxiety became reality.

The iron hooks melted and broke from the poison, and through the gap, the Manggongbaek moved urgently.

The sword light fell, cutting the iron mesh.

Crash crash crash!

Dozens of feet of ground exploded outward, and the fire formation swept by the intense shockwave scattered in all directions.

The martial artists holding the iron hook ropes with all their might were flung away as the rope suddenly broke.

The Manggongbaek?

Did it take a direct hit from the sword light?

He didn't see the end.

He felt no presence.

Was it dead?

Cheonyeong raised his Huang An to the extreme to search for the Manggongbaek in the dust cloud that rose so thickly he couldn't see ahead.

"Tang Family Head! Where are you!"

The voice of Nangong Hyeok rushing inside was heard.

At that moment, what reached his ears was a chilling sound of a long tongue flicking.

And glittering golden eyes appeared.

As if mocking.

N-Did it?

Deliberately suppress its presence, close its eyes and wait?

He had to warn him.

Nangong Hyeok, though superior in martial prowess to anyone here, couldn't withstand the poison.

"Sword Emperor!"

With an urgent shout, the Manggongbaek released the poison it had gathered into all directions.

Screeeech!

The poison poured out as if filling the entire world, pushing away the dust cloud and filling all directions.

"Cough!"

Nangong Hyeok's figure was visible.

Having taken the poison too close, he grimaced and sank to the ground.

"Damn it! Senior brother!"

Cheonyeong called to Byeon Gil-tae and threw the poison needles in his hand toward the Manggongbaek.

Ping! Ping ping!

But still, he couldn't pierce the creature's scales.

The creature, its neck hideously torn where the sword light had grazed, twisted its body to protect the wound and deflected the needles.

But time had been bought.

"Family Head!"

Byeon Gil-tae, who had rushed into the poisoned mist, called to him.

"The Sword Emperor... quickly!"

There was no time to hesitate.

At his level, he couldn't endure the poison that had become several times thicker than before for long.

"Damn it!"

Byeon Gil-tae was seen carrying Nangong Hyeok out of the poisoned mist.

Was the wound severe?

The Manggongbaek didn't pursue Byeon Gil-tae but instead shook its massive body and approached, looking down at Cheonyeong.

"Damn..."

He had no strength to escape.

Crash crunch!

The Manggongbaek sank its fangs into Cheonyeong's shoulder.

Despite its hunger, it didn't kill in one bite but intended to cause pain.

Poison poured into his body, his mind became hazy, and his vision blurred.

There would be no one to save him.

Even Byeon Gil-tae, who had learned the Samyang, couldn't endure more than a few breaths in such thick poison, so rushing in would result in his entire body melting and rotting.

Damn...

This seemed to be the end.

Everything had been going smoothly.

He thought it was because heaven, which had tormented him so much in his previous life, had given him one chance.

Yet so futilely.

The Tang Family had just been founded...

Strength left his hands.

In Cheonyeong's dimming eyes, the Manggongbaek's neck area was visible.

The scales...

The scales?!

Why?

Poison filled Cheonyeong's eyes, and the scattered Samyang Divine Skill surged again, filling his dantian.

Even if he died, he wouldn't go alone.

He had to take revenge.

That was the law he had established.

Whoosh!

Cheonyeong drew all the Samyang Divine Skill into his hands and shoved it into the Manggongbaek's wound.

(End of Chapter)