The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

There is a siege weapon used for breaking down city gates.

It’s called a battering ram.

A large log with an iron plate attached to the front is mounted on a hefty cart. Several soldiers cling to it, pulling and releasing the rope of the log. When released, it crashes into the gate, producing a tremendous noise.

Quang—!

That kind of sound.

Such a sound echoed from Yi-gang’s fist and Dam Hyun’s face.

Dam Hyun received the full impact, matching the sound. As a result, his neck snapped back, and he was flung away.

He tumbled miserably like a leaf in the wind. Spinning several somersaults in the air and striking the surface created a golden splash. Dam Hyun, rolling on the water’s surface like a stone skipping across, traveled a distance of about three zhang.

Yi-gang remained frozen in the posture of throwing his punch.

“What’s this?”

He knew that Dam Hyun’s attempt at acupoint sealing would fail due to the use of the secret art of strengthened body. However, not only did it fail, but Dam Hyun’s thumb was broken.

Not just that, his strength had inexplicably increased to an immense degree.

In the Great Yin Flow, there were the secret arts of light footwork, strengthened body, and following that, the art of enhancing physical strength.

Yi-gang had yet to master the secret art of strengthened body completely. Yet, with just one punch, Dam Hyun was sent flying like that.

Yi-gang’s fist was soaked in blood. There seemed to be something that looked like Dam Hyun’s front teeth embedded in it.

He swallowed hard and looked at Dam Hyun, who was lying face down.

“Is he dead…?”

He had intended to honor the last wish of the Immortal Divine Sword and show filial piety. He only wanted to correct his senior brother’s mindset…

“Groan.”

Fortunately, a tragic incident of Yi-gang killing his senior brother did not occur.

Because Dam Hyun was trembling as he stood up. His face, of course, was covered in blood.

Something astonishing happened. The shattered face was healing at a visible rate.

As the blood on his face disappeared, Dam Hyun’s pale and shocked expression became visible.

“You, how exactly…”

That was what Yi-gang wanted to ask. Was such rapid healing a kind of sorcery?

He looked at his own hand, smeared with blood. The teeth that had been embedded were gone.

Swish—

Surprisingly, the wound healed even faster than Dam Hyun’s. Was it because this wasn’t reality? His body healed on its own.

Dam Hyun screamed in agony.

“How can you use spiritual energy so directly! Humans can’t do that!”

“Stop making such a shrieking noise.”

“Wh-what? How dare you speak to your senior brother like that…”

Thanks to Dam Hyun’s explanation, Yi-gang began to understand the situation a bit. It seemed that the increased strength was due to the spiritual energy left by the Immortal Divine Sword. When he threw his punch, golden spiritual energy surged through his body.

The problem was that it was originally impossible to use spiritual energy so easily.

“Unless one is a yokai or a spiritual being, it’s impossible for a human body to manipulate spiritual energy like this! The physical body cannot directly resonate with spiritual energy. That’s why I used the Heavenly God Candlestick and even drew formations to guide the spiritual energy…”

Dam Hyun’s detailed explanation allowed Yi-gang to grasp the situation.

‘Sure enough, my body has changed.’

These occurrences began after he ate the root of the Three-Element Sacred Flower. Although he hadn’t felt any changes in his body at that time, now it was different.

Even though Yi-gang was not an absolute master, it was not easy for him to have been handling spiritual energy, as Dam Hyun said. Originally, the human body was not familiar to spiritual energy.

However, for some reason, he now felt as though he could freely manipulate spiritual energy.

Yi-gang quietly began to fidget with his fingers.

“Even so, there must be limits to the use of spiritual energy. Then…”

“Senior Brother.”

Yi-gang interrupted Dam Hyun.

“Are you saying you’ll give this spiritual energy to that fox yokai?”

“…Yes.”

“Why?”

“Why, you ask.”

Dam Hyun responded as if Yi-gang was asking the obvious.

“It’s much more efficient to let a yokai use it than waste it on humans for no reason!”

However, what Yi-gang was curious about was what would happen next.

“What happens if that thing gains spiritual energy?”

“Hehe.”

Dam Hyun grinned. It was surprising that he could still smile like that after being beaten so badly.

“It would regain its original status. As a member of a great yokai family, incomparable to ordinary spiritual beings.”

“Great yokai?”

“Yes, the Forest Lord hid it from me, but I discovered the true identity of Cheongho.”

The idea of a great yokai was unbelievable. The blue fox Yi-gang had met appeared to be just a young fox. It seemed difficult to associate it with the title of a great yokai.

“Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Fox. A yokai recorded in the Tianshan Book of the Classic of Mountains and Seas.”

But Dam Hyun spoke with conviction.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas was an ancient scripture that recorded all sorts of auspicious things in the world. Among them, the Tianshan Book primarily recorded yokai and spiritual beings.

“Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Fox?”

“Yes, it appears with the sound of thunder and burns away the evil on earth with lightning.”

Dam Hyun’s voice carried a strange fervor as he said this. He elaborated on how the blue fox inside the puppet was actually a certain yokai and how he came to know about it.

“So, it’s a white-furred yokai. But this one has blue fur.”

“It’s said that when they reach maturity, their fur turns white. They usually live around Mount Kunlun.”

“Do you know why such a yokai would inhabit such an old puppet?”

As Yi-gang exchanged these questions and answers, he continued to move his fingers.

Finally, spiritual energy began to rise along his legs, following Yi-gang’s will.

But Yi-gang wasn’t the only one buying time.

“Before I tell you that reason…”

Dam Hyun pretended to brush his hair back with his hand, then bit down hard on his thumb. Naturally, it bled.

Dam Hyun inserted and withdrew his bleeding hand from his pocket.

The movement was lightning-fast.

“Let’s see if you can block this too!”

Simultaneously, three feathered throwing knives soared towards Yi-gang.

It was a sudden hidden weapon technique different from the Sichuan’s Tang Clan. The knives weren’t particularly fast, and their direction was off.

At the moment Yi-gang’s guard was lowered, Dam Hyun’s skill came into play.

Was it due to the blood he had smeared on the blades just before? The trajectory of the feathered throwing knives changed, leaving a red afterimage.

Swishhh—

Three knives, now moving even faster, surged towards Yi-gang’s arms and legs.

But then—

Splash!

A spray of water from the surface blocked the feathered throwing knives. The spiritual energy of the Immortal Divine Sword protected Yi-gang as if it were alive.

The smug smile on Dam Hyun’s face shattered.

Golden spiritual energy momentarily obscured his vision.

And when the spray subsided, Yi-gang, who had been beyond it, was gone.

Dam Hyun instinctively dodged.

But it was a moment too late. Yi-gang, who had used the water spray to circumvent the attack, drove his knee into Dam Hyun’s side.

Crack!

“Kuhk!”

Dam Hyun’s face contorted in pain. But this time, he couldn’t be flung away because Yi-gang had grabbed his left wrist.

When Yi-gang sharply pulled the hand, Dam Hyun was easily dragged along.

In that instant, Dam Hyun realized something. Just as the restrictions on his body had been lifted in this strange world, Yi-gang was also free from the heavenly punishment of meridian blockage.

Yi-gang pressed Dam Hyun’s neck down to the ground.

Bang!

He felt a shock as if his spine had broken and his insides had burst. Yi-gang stopped with his fist raised.

“Senior Brother.”

“Kuh, huhk.”

“But that fox says it doesn’t need spiritual energy?”

“Wh-what?”

Yi-gang gestured with his chin towards the side. Carefully turning to look, Dam Hyun was startled.

Cheongho, which he had put in his pocket, was standing on all fours. It seemed to have woken up and come out during the fight with Yi-gang.

Yi-gang conveyed Cheongho’s words to Dam Hyun.

“It’s true that it needs spiritual energy, and it appreciates your concern, but this method doesn’t seem right.”

“Cheongho is saying that?”

“Yes. It’s asking you to apologize to me right now.”

Dam Hyun’s face showed disbelief. Wasn’t he doing all this for Cheongho?

Hoping that as a great yokai, she would gain power and annihilate the evil humans.

“…You’re trying to deceive me again.”

Dam Hyun made that judgment. He thought Yi-gang was deceiving him, exploiting the fact that he couldn’t hear Cheongho’s words.

“If you don’t want to believe, I can’t help it.”

Having said that, Yi-gang struck Dam Hyun’s face.

Smack!

A shock like a burst of stars came with immense pain.

“Aaah!”

As Dam Hyun’s face turned to mush, Yi-gang hit his abdomen. It was sheer merciless violence.

“You, crazy brat!”

Yi-gang, without replying, threw another punch. He paid no heed to Dam Hyun’s words.

Dam Hyun turned into a bloody mess in an instant due to the increased strength, but his wounds quickly regenerated. Thanks to that, Yi-gang could beat his senior brother without worrying about the aftermath.

Thump — Thump!

“It-it hurts…!”

Even the previously arrogant Dam Hyun weakened as the beating continued.

However, every time Dam Hyun tried to speak, Yi-gang struck his mouth to silence him.

“Sorry, kugh!”

Yi-gang, sweating from the effort of beating his senior brother, suddenly stopped his hand. He then quickly turned his head to look at Dam Hyun’s lower body.

Was this long and violent ordeal finally over?

But Yi-gang uttered a meaningful phrase and turned his head back.

“You still haven’t wet yourself.”

“…!”

Dam Hyun felt a chilling terror envelop his entire body.

The phrase “You still haven’t wet yourself” meant he would be beaten until he did.

Smack!

Unfortunately, his guess was correct.

Yi-gang was simply following the last wish of the Immortal Divine Sword.

Dam Hyun felt his consciousness blurring from the extreme pain.

No matter how much his body could recover in this place, being beaten so mercilessly could not leave him unharmed.

The madness that had filled his eyes began to fade away, replaced by fear.

“What’s this?”

While busily punching, Yi-gang was surprised to see Dam Hyun slumped over.

Black energy streamed from Dam Hyun’s broken nose. This black energy mixed with the golden spiritual energy on the ground and was absorbed back into Yi-gang.

“Is this dark energy?”

The dark energy that had driven Dam Hyun mad was slowly seeping out. It was being swallowed and purified by the massive spiritual energy of the Immortal Divine Sword.

Compared to the spiritual energy, the dark energy was like pouring saltwater into the sea. It seemed unlikely to harm Yi-gang.

Unaware of the current situation, Dam Hyun foamed at the mouth and cursed, “Kuhk, stop hitting me, you crazy bastard…”

Yi-gang raised his fist again.

“Forest Lord! It’s here!”

Golden Needle Phantom brought the Forest Lord with a stern expression.

In the underground chamber of the grand library, Yu Jeong-shin was struggling to dismantle the barrier.

“This is…”

“Dam Hyun used a Treasure to create this barrier. It seems Yi-gang has been swallowed by it as well…”

It was as Golden Needle Phantom had explained.

Using three candles of the Heavenly God Candlestick, Dam Hyun had created a barrier. It isolated him and Yi-gang from the outside world.

“To think he’s mastered barrier techniques too. My disciple is remarkable.”

The Forest Lord chuckled and made a joke.

Yu Jeong-shin, sweating, bowed deeply.

“We can break it with time, but time is the issue. It seems Dam Hyun is trying to intercept the spiritual energy of the Divine Sword.”

“He didn’t seem like someone with much greed.”

The Forest Lord knew a lot about Dam Hyun, probably only second to his master, Yu Jeong-shin.

Golden Needle Phantom replied in his stead, “It appeared he wanted to give the spiritual energy to the yokai he harbors.”

“Yokai?”

“Yes, the puppet given by you, Forest Lord. It’s said to be inhabited by a yokai…”

“A yokai, what are you talking about?”

Golden Needle Phantom and Yu Jeong-shin both looked at the Forest Lord in surprise.

“A yokai… isn’t it?”

“What’s inside there isn’t exactly a yokai. Well, it could be considered half a yokai. What did Dam Hyun say?”

Golden Needle Phantom stuttered in response.

“Well, Cheongho will whip its white tail and punish the wicked with thunderbolts…”

The Forest Lord sighed.

“It seems Dam Hyun misunderstood too.”

The Forest Lord reached out to Yu Jeong-shin.

“We need to clear up the misunderstanding, but first we must rescue the children. Give me your sword, Jeong-shin.”

Yu Jeong-shin respectfully offered his sword.

The Forest Lord took the sword and approached the barrier with a cautious step.

A barrier, like a rainbow or a waterfall, could not be cut with a sword. This was common knowledge to those learned in mystic arts.

But the Forest Lord seemed unaware of such common sense.

“Hmm.”

He lifted the sword up — and then, with a swoosh, swung it downwards.

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