Crunch!!
His face, pinned beneath a foot, dug into the ground.
Though it didn’t go deep, cracks spread in all directions like spiderwebs, as if to prove the pressure.
“Kurgh!!”
At the sudden pain, Ssanguihwangeom swallowed a groan.
He immediately focused power into his dantian.
Fwoosh-!
Energy surged and spread through his acupoints.
He had to get this foot off him, no matter what.
But.
Smack-!
“Kuaaack!”
Tremendous pain erupted from his dantian, and his energy was completely blocked.
It felt as though his acupoints were twisting.
They probably weren’t actually twisted, nor was his energy flowing backward.
If they had been, he would have succumbed to qi deviation long ago.
Even his protective Gang Qi was meaningless.
He couldn’t even struggle against the pain.
Just as helplessness was about to overwhelm Ssanguihwangeom completely.
“Hey.”
A voice rang out.
“Why stop? Keep trying.”
The voice came from the owner of the foot.
For some reason, it was filled with amusement.
“Speak.”
Cruuunch-!
“Kuh… urgh!”
“I told you to bark louder. You dog bastard.”
Along with the abusive language, the pressure on his face grew heavier.
Now it was becoming difficult to even exhale.
At this rate, his face would be crushed.
Was there no way out? Just as Ssanguihwangeom was racking his brains.
“I kept trying to let it slide. Treating people like pushovers…!”
Uung-!
“…!!”
Suddenly, the force of the pressure on his face dropped significantly.
Ssanguihwangeom didn’t miss that opening.
He immediately maximized his strength and swung his arm.
Tung-! From the impact, the foot parted slightly, and Ssanguihwangeom twisted his body to create distance in that gap.
Thanks to that, he barely managed to escape.
“Huuuk… huck-!!”
He urgently circulated energy throughout his body to suppress the pain and raised his protective Gang Qi, then Ssanguihwangeom confirmed his opponent.
There was no need to verify reality.
He had already finished confirming with the voice alone.
“Seong…!”
“Kulkuk-!”
Just as he tried to call out to his opponent with an enraged voice, Ssanguihwangeom furrowed his brow at the coughing sound piercing his ears.
Because the one who had been stepping on his face until just now was suddenly coughing up blood.
Plip-!
Blood flowing from his mouth soaked the floor. Moreover, the amount was considerable.
“Ah, how annoying. My clothes are all wet.”
The culprit of the blood cough, Saint King Guyang Cheon, wiped the blood with a deeply furrowed expression.
Kulkuk.
After coughing up blood a few more times, he spat saliva mixed with blood onto the floor.
Watching that, Ssanguihwangeom’s gaze shifted strangely.
“What are you looking at? First time seeing someone spit blood?”
At the shameless attitude, Ssanguihwangeom twisted his face and opened his mouth.
“…What do you think you’re doing?”
“What do I think I’m doing?”
At that answer, Guyang Cheon burst into loud laughter.
“Are you insane? Can’t you see? I’m beating up a dog bastard.”
Ssanguihwangeom raised his hand to his forehead. His face, which had been stepped on until just now, hurt like mad.
‘Just when…?’
When had the Saint King approached him?
Why was the Vice Commander lying over there?
‘Why was I lying on the ground?’
He had failed to perceive any of those shifting moments.
By the time he noticed, he was already sprawled on the floor.
Ssanguihwangeom couldn’t believe it.
‘No matter how careless I was.’
To think he would allow such a surprise attack. It was absurd.
No matter how he looked at it, this was beyond the level of simple carelessness.
Purely a difference in level.
An undeniable reality crashed down on Ssanguihwangeom.
Even though he didn’t want to admit it, he had no choice.
‘…A monstrous bastard.’
A genius who had reached the Hua Realm at a young age, to the point of being called King-level.
He had thought the Alliance called him King out of sentiment, that he hadn’t truly reached that level yet.
‘This is…’
Forget King-level; he seemed even higher than that.
‘They said he crushed a Dao King with his fists.’
It seemed that wasn’t a lie.
Honestly, he had half-doubted it. Now that he had confirmed this much, he had nothing more to say.
That bastard in front of him was overwhelmingly stronger than him.
Ssanguihwangeom realized this.
At that moment.
“I more or less understand, you see.”
Having wiped away all the blood, Guyang Cheon continued speaking to Ssanguihwangeom.
“No matter what dog-like shit you pulled, I was going to let it slide, you know?”
Though his expression was smiling as he spoke, Ssanguihwangeom felt a chill for some reason.
He furtively checked his arm. Goosebumps had risen.
‘What?’
He hadn’t done anything; what was this sensation?
The overwhelming difference in power? Had his body stiffened from sensing it?
No. This wasn’t simply that kind of feeling.
‘Don’t tell me.’
Was he afraid? Him, afraid of that brat?
Grit.
Ssanguihwangeom clenched his teeth and forced power into his acupoints.
He forcibly awakened his stiffened body.
There was a difference in level. If they fought, he would lose.
Even if that was certain and his pride was trampled.
“What dog-like thing did I do?”
He wasn’t going to back down like this.
Because this was the Martial Alliance.
“Oh, look at this shameless old man.”
“Where do you think this is, ambushing another Leader so recklessly-! Aren’t you afraid of the Alliance’s rules?”
“Rules?”
As Guyang Cheon tilted his head and spoke, Ssanguihwangeom smiled, the corners of his mouth trembling.
“You just attacked another Leader inside the Alliance. This is no different from treason. No matter how much favor you currently enjoy from the Alliance, did you think you could get away with this lightly?”
“Heh.”
At Ssanguihwangeom’s words, Guyang Cheon let out a hollow laugh.
“Are you actually insane?”
His expression was literally filled with the dilemma of what to do with this man.
“Don’t you remember I said I heard everything you said? You think my ears are blocked?”
“…”
At Guyang Cheon’s words, Ssanguihwangeom’s brow furrowed slightly.
Right. The bastard had heard everything he said. But.
“So what’s the problem?”
“Huh?”
At the response he revealed, this time Guyang Cheon’s eyes furrowed deeply.
“What’s the problem? Mister, are you asking because you really don’t know?”
Sruk.
As he spoke, Guyang Cheon raised his hand and swept back his bangs.
Seeing that, Ssanguihwangeom flinched unconsciously.
The eyes revealed as his hair went up.
Because contempt had begun to seep into those fierce blue eyes.
His body tightened.
Thump-!
His heart began beating urgently.
“…Who would have known that woman used sorcery? Who could know whether you made a backroom deal with Eullanggeom?”
But his mouth didn’t stop.
Not even his instincts could stop his mouth.
However.
“This is simply a suspicion. For verification procedu—.”
“Mister.”
“…”
Even those spitting words were finally stopped.
“I’ve been wondering since before.”
His racing heart couldn’t control its speed, and his barely maintained breathing tangled.
It was a sensation he was feeling for the first time.
What should he call this?
“Old man, do you have two lives?”
Grrrrick.
“No matter how much I think about it, I just don’t get it.”
“…!”
Ssanguihwangeom’s eyes widened.
Because his stiffened body was moving on its own.
Especially around the knees. He could feel his lower body trying to bend on its own.
“Why do you keep acting up? You’ll end up dead without anyone knowing, you fucking bastard.”
Kwak-!
“Kup!”
Guyang Cheon reached out and grabbed Ssanguihwangeom’s cheek.
Then a gaze filled with contempt pierced into his eyes.
“Keep going, if you dare.”
Cruuunch.
“One more word.”
Craack-!! He could feel his teeth breaking from the pressure in his hand.
“Because I think I might really kill you.”
“Kruegh!”
“Am I wrong? Or should I just crush you like this without even needing to?”
“…Kuk!”
Ssanguihwangeom’s spine chilled in pain.
The killing intent in the voice was genuine.
This bastard truly intended to kill him right here.
Kill a Leader in the middle of the Martial Alliance? The guard squad should be nearby, and there would be other troops too.
…Was he not afraid of the consequences?
“That must be right. That would be good. Right?”
As if he had already made up his mind, Guyang Cheon’s eyes began to flash.
“…W-wait….”
Perhaps due to survival instinct, his blocked mouth suddenly opened.
Seeing that, Guyang Cheon slightly loosened his grip.
“What. Got more to say?”
“Th-that’s enough…”
Stop.
At those words that could be interpreted even without hearing everything, Guyang Cheon’s eyes twitched.
It was then.
Kwaang!!
“Kuheok!”
Ssanguihwangeom’s head shook from the impact bursting on his face.
It was the aftermath of Guyang Cheon swinging his fist at his face.
“That’s not it.”
Drip.
Blood flowed down Ssanguihwangeom’s philtrum, perhaps because the inside of his nose had burst.
“That’s not what you should be saying right now.”
“Geuh….”
His mind was becoming hazy.
It wasn’t pain that could be felt from a single blow.
It was to the point where holding onto his consciousness was difficult.
A fist of that caliber.
“When you’ve done wrong.”
Kwaang-!!
“Say you were wrong.”
Kwaang-!
“Beg desperately.”
Kwaang-! Kwaang-!!
“You dog bastard.”
Guyang Cheon began striking Ssanguihwangeom in succession.
Splatter-!
Blood splattered.
His teeth were already broken and falling to the floor.
The blood flowing from his mouth and nose was enough to thoroughly soak Ssanguihwangeom’s martial robe.
It hurt, and hurt again.
Having lived through countless real battles, it was the first time in his life that a fist could inflict this much pain.
What was more frightening was that despite being beaten like this, he didn’t lose consciousness.
“Grgh… ugh….”
Slumping, Ssanguihwangeom’s body lost its strength.
“I’ve known for a while.”
Watching this, Guyang Cheon’s eyes shone increasingly blue.
“You guys are still no different from beasts.”
Thud.
His lower body had already lost strength, and his knees buckled.
To be precise, he was hanging by the collar that Guyang Cheon had grabbed.
“Those demonic bastards at least know they’re bastards. But bastards like you don’t even know it. That’s the most infuriating part.”
His hand rose.
From his clenched fist, blood drops were dripping.
All of it was Ssanguihwangeom’s blood.
“It’s maddening. You rot yourself and then lament why you’re rotting. Or no? Do you not even know you’re rotten?”
The words reached his ears, but now he could barely process them.
“I suppose so. If you knew, at least you wouldn’t be in this state. You ended up here because you didn’t know.”
Though the words were spoken while looking at him, somehow they sounded like they were meant for someone else.
“You miserable bastards.”
A voice steeped in anger and contempt.
At the same time, the fist moved.
The moment he saw that.
“…I… was wrong….”
Pause.
Ssanguihwangeom finally spat out the words.
Guyang Cheon’s fist also stopped upon hearing them.
“I… was… wrong….”
“…”
“I… was wrong….”
“Tch.”
Clicking his tongue briefly, he lowered his fist.
That brief click was clearly steeped in all kinds of annoyance.
Tung!
“Kuk.”
A briefly swung arm hit Ssanguihwangeom’s jaw as it passed.
His head drooped as if he had lost consciousness.
Checking this, Guyang Cheon released the collar and carelessly threw him to the floor.
Tap, tap.
Each time he dusted his hands, blood flowed, making it extremely unpleasant.
Since there was nothing to wipe with, dusting them off was all he could do.
Dusting his hands repeatedly, Guyang Cheon whispered while looking at the fallen Ssanguihwangeom.
“You stupid bastard.”
It was truly laughable.
“You beg forgiveness for just this? You really are a moron.”
Apologizing immediately after taking a few hits—could this really be called a Leader of the Alliance?
He had acted so high and mighty that one would think he had amazing guts, but he was nothing special.
“If he were put through proper torture, he would’ve pissed himself first.”
Like having his skin ripped off and slowly burned from the inside.
Or like what the Sword Demon often did, flaying with extreme precision while simultaneously stopping the bleeding.
Or the tortures the Demon Sword Queen inflicted on men that one wouldn’t even want to imagine.
He was someone who couldn’t even endure such simple(?) methods of torture.
No wonder it all collapsed so easily with bastards like these sitting in Leader positions.
Tok.
Recalling this, he tapped Ssanguihwangeom’s face with his toe.
‘Demonic cult or orthodox faction. Seeing how little I remember of this guy, he must have died early in my previous life.’
It was a guess, but it seemed certain.
An unremarkable bastard.
Not even worth looking at, so he immediately turned around and approached another person.
It was the man called Vice Commander, who had been collapsed since earlier.
“I know you’re awake.”
“…!”
At Guyang Cheon’s words, the body pretending to be unconscious flinched violently.
Then, moving his creaking neck, the Vice Commander looked at Guyang Cheon.
“Don’t just keep lying there. Could you clean that up?”
“…Uh… Ah… Th-that.”
“Or, would you like to end up like that too?”
“L-Leader! Are you alright?!”
“…”
At the warning words, the Vice Commander immediately ran to Ssanguihwangeom.
How should he put it.
It was a pathetic sight that showed not an ounce of real loyalty.
Looking at that, he naturally thought that probably before long, the Gold Dragon Squad would collapse too.
“Hoo.”
He let out a deep sigh and turned his head.
Through his sensory perception, he began to feel signs of approaching people.
Though he had suppressed his energy, his qi waves had spread, so it seemed the guard squad and martial artists within the Alliance were coming this way.
Feeling that, Guyang Cheon carefully directed his gaze elsewhere.
Secretly, so that the other party wouldn’t notice.
At the top of a tree that was not easily visible.
There, someone had been watching this spectacle from beginning to end.
Though he had suppressed his aura to the maximum, making him difficult even for Guyang Cheon to detect. But Guyang Cheon was certain that he, the Blue Dragon Commander Ilcheonggeom, was there.
‘How about it.’
Recalling this, Guyang Cheon asked inwardly.
‘Are you convinced now?’
Naturally, no answer came.
However.
Uung.
Shortly after, even the barely detectable presence disappeared.
Only then could Guyang Cheon smile as if satisfied.
This much was sufficient bait.