Chapter 152 : Chapter 152

Chapter 152. Destiny (2)

Jin Yuseong continued to swing the Master’s Blade at the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader.

Clang!!

Every time the Master’s Blade and the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s axe clashed, the Master’s Blade let out a fierce sword cry.

Naturally, Jin Yuseong’s palm and arm holding the sword also felt a sharp pain, and blood surged up due to internal injuries.

But Jin Yuseong didn’t care.

On the contrary, his lips kept curving upwards.

It was clearly visible.

The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s right thigh.

The scene of the dark poison and the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s internal energy fighting fiercely.

Every time they exchanged blows, the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s concentration was broken, and the poison spread further.

Perhaps realizing that it was dangerous at this rate, the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader threw a gamble.

Taking advantage of the moment Jin Yuseong broke through, he fiercely drew up his internal energy.

Internal energy swirled around the axe in his left hand, and Enhanced Qi was formed again.

But the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s axe did not reach Jin Yuseong.

Since it was obvious that he was trying to form Enhanced Qi, Jin Yuseong threw himself to the side without any lingering attachment.

Kwang!!!

Right after the ground was blown up by the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s axe, the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader let out a loud groan.

“Kuhk.”

The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s understanding of Enhanced Qi was still incomplete.

As he poured all his concentration into forming the Enhanced Qi, his guard against the poison was bound to be lowered.

Thanks to that, the poison had spread even wider.

Watching this, Jin Yuseong opened his mouth.

“I was mistaken. It seems King Yama had already written your name in his book long ago.”

I wondered if it was written in King Yama’s book.

The cause of death was poisoning.

Because that guy had also died in his past life from drinking poisoned wine given by his subordinates.

Jin Yuseong thought.

Perhaps that guy was fated to die from poisoning in the first place.

But he had no intention of waiting leisurely for the poison to spread throughout his body and for him to die.

Pat!

Jin Yuseong broke through towards the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader again.

But the direction was slightly different from before.

Jin Yuseong explicitly aimed for the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s right side and moved here and there.

By now, the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s right thigh had turned from purple to a dark color.

Also, as if his leg was not listening to him, he was constantly limping on his right leg.

It was Jin Yuseong who aimed for this point and broke through to the right.

To keep Jin Yuseong in his sight, the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader also had to turn his body to the right.

But since the leg that should have been his pivot was half-crippled, his movements were bound to be slow every time he turned his body.

Thanks to that, Jin Yuseong was able to easily secure the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s blind spot.

Slice!

The number of times the Master’s Blade touched the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s skin slowly accumulated.

Slice!

Whether it was because of pain or anger, the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader, whose eyes were bloodshot, let out a furious roar.

“I am the number one person in Zhejiang, Yuk Jigang!!”

Once again, a massive amount of internal energy soared from the center of his Dantian.

It was Jin Yuseong who noticed that the opponent was trying to form Enhanced Qi, but his response was different from before.

He could see it in his eyes. The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s right leg, which was already melting.

So Jin Yuseong gladly took a step forward. Unlike before, when he prioritized evasion.

The Master’s Blade and the axe. Their weapons advanced towards each other.

The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s eyes gleamed.

‘That brat has finally made a mistake out of haste,’ he thought with anticipation and swung his axe even more forcefully.

But the joy was short-lived.

A change occurred in the weapons that were advancing towards each other as if to clash.

At the very last moment, Jin Yuseong’s body twisted sharply.

The trajectory of the Master’s Blade was suddenly diverted.

At this rate, the two weapons would cross each other.

“A futile trick!”

The process was clearly visible to the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s eyes.

Naturally, he also tried to follow Jin Yuseong and divert the trajectory of his axe.

To cut down the Master’s Blade, which had abruptly changed its path, and Jin Yuseong’s body in one go.

But his right leg, which had already lost all sensation, did not listen.

It was slightly insufficient compared to what he had originally thought. Because the direction Jin Yuseong had twisted his body was to the right.

The axe in the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s hand advanced. Towards the Master’s Blade and Jin Yuseong.

But the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader, who had already reached a high realm, knew.

That axe could not reach that guy’s body.

Soon, the two weapons crossed each other as if grazing.

Following that, Jin Yuseong’s body also narrowly missed his axe.

The process seemed very slow to the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s eyes.

The smile Jin Yuseong made as he approached, dodging the axe.

And the sight of the Master’s Blade Jin Yuseong thrust out flying towards his chest.

Crack.

With a gruesome sound of flesh being torn, the Master’s Blade pierced the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s heart.

With a terrible pain as if being burned by fire, the world that was flowing slowly regained its original flow.

“Gasp…….”

A short death rattle.

The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader lowered his head and looked at the blade that had pierced his heart.

“Just……. one……. more step…….”

If he had made a deal with the government, he could have become the hegemon of Zhejiang.

If he had overcome just one wall, he could have reached the high realm of the Heavenly Ladder Realm.

But all of that had now turned to naught.

“This……. dog-like…….”

Amidst countless regrets, the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader’s body collapsed.

Thud.

Soon, shouts erupted from all over.

“Th, the Fortress Leader has been defeated!!”

“The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader is dead!!!!”

The bandits who had remained until the end either fled in surprise or threw down their weapons and began to kneel.

Dang Sopyeong, who walked through the chaos, asked.

“Are you alright?”

“It’s not serious.”

“If it were serious by your standards, you’d already be in the underworld.”

Dang Sopyeong, who said that, frowned and moved his hands.

The two needles stuck in Jin Yuseong’s body were pulled out.

Some of the needles had already fallen out due to Jin Yuseong’s rough movements, but those two had dug in deeper.

No matter how immune he was to the poison of the Human-faced Spider, the needles must have torn through his flesh and muscle.

And yet, Jin Yuseong had been rampaging as if he felt no pain.

As if fed up, Dang Sopyeong shook his head, and at that moment.

A gruesome sound was heard from the side.

Crack!

A sound like a gourd bursting.

“Tsk. Where are you looking, Vice-Fortress Leader!”

It was the sound of Hwangbo Ak bursting the head of the Vice-Fortress Leader, Yeom Hwaek.

It was the price for being distracted by the news of the Fortress Leader’s death.

But even though he had killed an enemy several levels above him, Hwangbo Ak’s expression did not look pleased.

It wasn't because he had killed the person he had called foster uncle for half his life with his own hands.

“The fun dropped off at the end.”

It was simply because the life-and-death battle had ended so anticlimactically, leaving a bad aftertaste.

Dang Sopyeong, who was looking at Hwangbo Ak for a moment, quickly turned his head.

By now, Jin Yuseong was starting to walk.

“Both the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader and the Vice-Fortress Leader are dead. Why don’t you get some rest?”

“I told you, it’s not serious. So for now, shouldn’t we help our companions at the main fortress?”

“Ah…….”

Come to think of it, Baek Hyang, Choyeon, and Nam Geon were probably fighting off the flocking bandits up there.

Although many of the bandits had fled, there were also some who were desperate to get their hands on the remaining valuables in the main fortress.

“I’ll join you.”

Dang Sopyeong, who said that, shouted at the people around him.

“Let’s go to the Nine Dragons Fortress!!”

Perhaps because they realized they had won.

Cheers erupted from all over.

Even those who had been waiting in the rear for the display of false power without participating in the battle stepped forward with great courage.

On the way to the Nine Dragons Fortress, Dang Sopyeong asked Jin Yuseong.

“Unexpected.”

“What is?”

“I thought you were pushing yourself to kill even one more bandit, but you said it was for the two young ladies and Brother Nam?”

“Isn’t helping the Senior Sisters and Nam Geon the same as killing more bandits?”

Dang Sopyeong sighed.

“Hah. I was a madman to expect any humanity from you.”

“You say that as if you weren’t mad before.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? I’m always sane.”

This time, Jin Yuseong shook his head.

***

It didn't take long to clean up the Nine Dragons Fortress.

Since both the Fortress Leader and the Vice-Fortress Leader were already dead, the bandits were busy fleeing as soon as they saw us.

All that was left was the clean-up, but before that, there was a subtle problem remaining.

The woman, Jo Ryeong, with her arms and legs bound, was forced to kneel.

Hwangbo Ak was itching to smash her head in, and Nam Geon was holding him back.

“C, calm down!”

Even in that situation, Jo Ryeong was acting somewhat bold and looking at me.

“You killed the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader?”

Even when mentioning her own husband, her expression was devoid of any emotion.

“Yes.”

“It seems you were a master who surpassed the Fortress Leader.”

“That’s not it. I didn’t kill him alone.”

The woman, who had frowned faintly at my answer, soon asked with a calm expression.

“By any chance, do you have any intention of using me?”

“Using you?”

“It’s embarrassing for me to say it myself, but before I came to the Nine Dragons Fortress, I had studied quite a bit. I can be more helpful than most scholars or strategists.”

“Why did such a learned person choose the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader of all people?”

At my question, Jo Ryeong smiled cynically.

“Isn’t that the life of a woman? I cannot hold a government post, nor can I become the head of a family or a faction. I can only be someone’s wife. Also, how could I, a commoner, become the wife of a high-ranking official?”

“So you tried to make the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader a feudal lord?”

“That’s right.”

She added boldly.

“The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader failed, but instead, I will make you a hegemon, Great Hero. What do you say?”

After looking at Jo Ryeong’s confident face for a moment, I made my decision and opened my mouth.

“Untie her.”

At this, Hwangbo Ak shrieked.

“Brother Jin! Are you trying to believe the words of that scorpion-like woman! You will be used just the same!!”

I frowned. That damn loud shout felt like it would burst my eardrums.

I turned my head to Nam Geon and said.

“What are you doing? Untie him.”

Only then did Hwangbo Ak blink his eyes, and the Tang Clan guy made an ‘as expected’ expression.

Nam Geon, who was looking back and forth between me and Hwangbo Ak, reluctantly stepped back.

After making a foolish expression for a moment, Hwangbo Ak, finally freed from his bonds, approaches Jo Ryeong with murderous steps.

Only then does Jo Ryeong make a bewildered expression for the first time.

“Gr, Great Hero?”

I said to her.

“You claim to have studied a lot, yet you can’t understand what I’m saying.”

“Wh, what do you mean by that, Great Hero?”

“Didn’t I ask why such a learned person chose the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader? Weren’t there stories about benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom in the books you learned?”

In a way, Jo Ryeong was in a similar situation to Brother Sama.

Brother Sama, who had accumulated great knowledge but could not hold a government post because he did not have the money to pay a bribe.

Similarly, Jo Ryeong, who had accumulated great knowledge but could not hold a government post because she was a woman.

But the two chose completely different paths.

Brother Sama, who, even though he could not hold a government post, tried to use the knowledge he had accumulated to help the common people.

Jo Ryeong, who used the knowledge she had accumulated to find a way to advance herself.

It was a strange thing in many ways that people in similar situations chose completely different paths.

No. Perhaps it was only possible because Brother Sama was truly a great man.

Because he did not lose his compassion and sense of justice even after experiencing such a thing.

On the other hand, what about that piece of trash?

She stuck to the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader and shared her wicked wisdom.

Thanks to that, the Nine Dragons Fortress grew even stronger, and the lives of the nearby common people were literally thrown into a quagmire.

“You couldn’t hold a government post because you were a woman? No. If you had held a government post, you would have become a corrupt official who would go down in history.”

Unfortunately, Jo Ryeong was not listening to me.

“Great Hero!? S, save me, Great Hero!!”

A dark shadow fell over her face as she shouted desperately.

The shadow of the god of death.

“Is that all you have for your last words!”

The god of death named Hwangbo Ak let out an angry roar and immediately swung his iron fist.

Crack!!

The body of Jo Ryeong, whose head had burst, collapsed.

Hwangbo Ak, who had finished his revenge, looked down at the corpse with his mouth shut for a moment.

Perhaps his anger had not subsided even after finishing his revenge, as he was still panting.

After watching him for a moment, I took a step closer to him.

“What will you do now?”

Only then did Hwangbo Ak turn his head and look at me.

“I don’t know. I’m thinking of just wandering around and fighting.”

He was still making complicated expressions.

I felt that if I just left him be, he would go to some strange place and pick fights.

“If so, why don’t you join us? I am looking for the trash of the Central Plains.”

“Trash? What kind of trash?”

“Humans who are worse than beasts. Beings that are not human. That kind of trash. And among them, there are many masters whose victory I cannot even guarantee.”

“Are you planning to fight such people as you find them?”

“Yes.”

Only then did he return to his original simple expression.

“Hahaha. To find and fight masters every day. It seems very enjoyable. I look forward to working with you, Brother Jin!”

Although it had only been a few days since we met, it felt like I was hearing his hearty laughter for the first time in a long time.

But it wasn't something to be purely happy about.

“But, there is something you must do before that. You must pay the minimum price for your banditry, shouldn’t you?”

Saying that, I looked at Senior Sister Baek Hyang.

I was planning to try the solution that Senior Sister Baek Hyang had proposed before.