Chapter 1316: Have You Ever Seen Hell? (Part 1)

"Oh, they're coming!"

"It's the Myriad Man Manor!"

The momentum of the Southern Island Sect had soared to the sky.

From leaving Southern Island to reaching this canyon, all they had done was die, get injured, and flee.

Although they engaged in battles along the way, those clashes were not to conquer the opponents but desperate attempts to survive.

In the midst of this, for the first time, they could unleash attacks without worrying about defense, and the momentum was overwhelming.

However, the moment they saw Myriad Man Manor reveal itself at the end of the canyon, the momentum that had been endlessly rising froze as if it had been splashed with icy water.

And what occupied the space where their boiling momentum disappeared was none other than fear.

It was an uncontrollable fear in the face of this situation.

The Myriad Man Manor.

Was there anyone who knew the power behind that name as well as the Southern Island Sect did?

Finally, the fact that they were caught up by those who had been relentlessly pursuing them plunged the Southern Island Sect's disciples into an inevitable despair.

"Th-the cliff!"

The disciples of Myriad Man Manor rushed towards them, riding the narrow cliffs of the canyon.

From a calm perspective, it wasn't a particularly remarkable skill.

Even disciples from the Southern Island Sect could ride the steep cliffs, and running along the face of a cliff a few yards high was something anyone could do.

But everything in the world changes depending on the circumstances.

The fear of being caught up by them finally overwhelmed them.

And the momentum emitted by the members of Myriad Man Manor as they rushed along the cliffs was enough to momentarily break the Southern Island Sect's resistance.

"We have to run!"

"You crazy bastard! Where are we running? This is inside the canyon!"

Every way was blocked.

Even the situation on the cliff above, how many enemies might be lurking there, was uncertain.

Moreover, didn't they see with their own eyes how those who clumsily clung to the cliff were mercilessly killed?

There was no escape.

All that was left was to fight.

But how?

How could they fight against Myriad Man Manor?

If it were possible, they wouldn't have fled this far.

"We're all going to die! We're all going to die!"

An indescribable terror spread uncontrollably.

Even if they lacked strength and skill, they could still fight.

But those who lost their morale couldn't even lift a finger and were swept away.

In the narrow canyon where there was no escape route, those who retreated appeared.

But at that moment.

"Snap out of it! You bastards!"

A voice full of anger erupted from somewhere. From where the surprised gazes turned, Guo Hansuo was glaring at them with bloodshot eyes.

"We were already dead on Southern Island!"

"S-Sahyung?"

Guo Hansuo shouted until his voice almost burst.

"Even if we die, we didn't come this far to die disgracefully! Have you forgotten?"

The Southern Island Sect's disciples clenched their teeth.

There was nothing wrong with Guo Hansuo's words.

How many believed they could survive and escape to Gangnam?

"If we're going to die anyway, don't die like cowards. Die like disciples of the Southern Island Sect!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Guo Hansuo pounded the ground frighteningly.

And then, he leaped over the heads of the Southern Island Sect disciples, heading towards the rear.

Actions spoke louder than words. The determination to be the first to die if it came to that.

In such intense situations, what moves people is always action, not words.

The eyes of the Southern Island Sect disciples sharpened at the sight of his back. And at that moment, without missing a beat, the shout of Kim Yang Baek burst out.

"Elders, move to the back and block the Myriad Man Manor!"

A momentum as abstract as a painting.

Kim Yang Baek emitted energy with his whole body as if to assert that he wouldn't be oppressed by the momentum of the charging Myriad Man Manor.

"Even if our lives are at stake, their blades must not reach our disciples! Bury every single one of them here, even if it's the last person!"

"Yes, Sect Leader!"

The elders answered like they were casting a curse.

They were those who had already lived enough.

Yet, they had come to Gangnam for only one reason: to send even a single disciple alive to the north.

"Let's go!"

The elders rushed to the back in a single breath.

"Disciples, attack those falling from above! Hold your positions until the upper side is completely dealt with!"

"Yes, Sect Leader!"

Kim Yang Baek, too, was the Sect Leader of the prestigious the Southern Island Sect. When he stepped back, his presence wasn't prominent, but in moments of crisis, he proved without a doubt why he was the Sect Leader of the Southern Island Sect.

'They must be scared.'

Kim Yang Baek clenched his fist until his bones creaked. If he was so afraid, how much more scared were those young disciples?

But fear was something no one else could solve. One had to overcome it on their own.

Kwaaaang!

Kim Yang Baek immediately pounded the ground and flew towards the rear.

Right now, he couldn't boost their morale by encouraging them.

'Block them.'

Even if it was just one more disciple, they had to survive and escape this canyon.

Even if the cost was Kim Yang Baek's life.

And!

"Hansuo, fall back!"

"Sect Leader?"

In an instant, Kim Yang Baek caught up with Guo Hansuo, grabbed his shoulders, and pulled him backward.

"Command the disciples!"

"Sect Leader, I'll take care of this...."

"Don't you hear me!"

An enormous roar, carrying his inner strength, hit Guo Hansuo.

Guo Hansuo looked at Kim Yang Baek with a bewildered face.

"Fall back! The one who should command the disciples right now is not me but you!"

"...."

"Hurry!"

"I-I'll take responsibility."

"And!"

"Yes?"

"You must survive no matter what! Do you understand?"

"S-Sect Leader?"

"Go!"

Kim Yang Baek pushed Guo Hansuo away as if throwing him halfway.

Then, he sped up, passing him.

"I won't let a finger touch my disciples! You dirty dogs of the Evil Sect!"

Tang Pae's face contorted horribly.

"Damn it!"

His hand, tucked inside his sleeves, trembled.

For someone who uses hidden weapons and poison, trembling hands are something that should never happen.

But this was not something to blame the Tang Pae for.

Anyone standing on the front line facing the charging Myriad Man Manor, who was running with all their might emitting a deadly aura, would feel the same fear as Tang Pae.

'Poison?'

It was still there. But it couldn't be said to be sufficient.

Everything in the world is relative.

The poisons that were strong and reliable when facing the pursuing forces of the Hao Sect seemed completely insufficient the moment they recognized the presence of the Ho Gakmyung.

But there was no time for calculations.

The Myriad Man Manor disciples, who jumped over the stumbling Hao Sect members, were rushing towards him in a frenzied manner, like a pack of wolves that had smelled blood.

"Uhaaaa!"

As Tang Pae shattered the poison bottle in his hand, he emitted internal energy on the spot.

The venomous fumes rose forward.

One of the charging Myriad Man Manor disciples, even after seeing the thick rising black venomous fumes, showed no signs of slowing down.

'What?'

Tang Pae's shoulders stiffened at the thought that there might be some countermeasure.

But what Tang Pae saw next completely collapsed the common sense he knew.

The leading Myriad Man Manor disciples, with the same speed they charged, leaped into the venomous fumes.

Tang Pae's eyes widened as if they were about to split.

Detoxification?

No, there was no way.

How could they consume antidotes that even the Tang Family couldn't produce?

And then, it happened.

Paaat!

The dark venomous fumes surged forward.

In a hellish ballet of venomous clouds that no living being could endure, the disciples of Myriad Man Manor leaped out simultaneously.

"Kaha-aat!"

A Myriad Man Manor disciple with bloodshot eyes rushed towards the Tang Pae, swinging his sword down in a single breath.

Startled to the point where his heart seemed to leap out of his throat, the Tang Pae couldn't properly invoke his martial arts and staggered backward.

Kwaaaah!

As the sword struck the ground where he had been, a resounding bang filled the air.

'Isn't the poison taking effect?'

No, that wasn't it!

"Kkuuh…"

The entire body of the one who swung the sword was completely blackened. The symptoms of rapid poisoning were even more severe than the Tang Pae had anticipated.

The Myriad Man Manor disciple, who was swaying and twisting as if experiencing dizziness, collapsed on the spot.

Soon, black blood gushed out of his mouth.

"Ah…"

At that moment, the Tang Pae realized.

They had no measures against poisoning, no way to avoid the venomous fumes.

Their only strategy was a nonsensical one: to charge in, and thrust a knife into his body before succumbing to the poison.

An absurd strategy indeed.

No, it couldn't be called a strategy, more like the antics of a madman.

However, it undoubtedly had an effect.

While it was uncertain how the pursuit force of the Hao Sect would fare, these individuals were capable of delivering a simple sword strike even after directly facing his poison.

And the moment this fact was proven, the absolute defense formation that Tang Pae had unfolded collapsed rapidly.

"You rat!"

Those who had passed through the venomous fumes rushed at Tang Pae one after another, wielding their swords.

Despite being completely poisoned and having only a few breaths left, they dashed towards Tang Pae in a frenzy, as if determined to accompany him on the road to hell.

"Kuk!"

Tang Pae evaded the sword by rolling on the ground with a 'Lazy Donkey Roll' (懶驢打滾). [LMFAO] Barely escaping, Tang Pae urgently raised his head.

'Reapply the venom!'

But at that moment, he saw three swords flying towards him with a much stronger momentum than before.

Tang Pae's eyes widened as if they were about to burst.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As if hit by a cannon, the Myriad Man Manor disciples, who had rushed at Tang Pae like demons, were thrown back, spewing black blood from their seven orifices.

"Sogaju!"

"Mo, Monk Hye Yeon!"

"Get up! Hurry!"

"Yes!"

Hye Yeon reacted immediately and rescued Tang Pae, but the crisis was not over.

"Kkaaaaah!"

"Die, you rat bastards!"

Retreating, rolling his body again, Tang Pae spent two breaths.

Just those two breaths changed the situation.

The scattered venomous fumes wavered, and the Myriad Man Manor disciples, whose venomous fumes had lightened, rushed in like a pack of wolves.

'This, this is the Myriad Man Manor?'

Unavoidable despair flickered in Tang Pae's eyes.

Poison, no matter how potent, required time to intoxicate the opponent.

Conversely, it meant that even a powerful venom would need time before the opponent's life was extinguished.

If the opponent's inner strength was weak, this time could be drastically reduced, but if it was strong, more time would be needed.

And these guys had no hesitation in using that time, the last short moment left in their lives, to rush at Tang Pae with swords.

How could he stop such individuals?

"Sogaju!"

Hye Yeon's desperate shouts prompted Tang Pae to throw his flying daggers desperately.

The helplessness he momentarily felt against the rapidly spreading poison might have guided his choice.

But that was by no means a good choice.

Thunk! Thunk!

The flying dagger from Tang Pae, aiming for the center of the opponent's forehead, was stuck in the enemy's forearm.

Though the inner strength carried by the flying dagger pierced flesh and even twisted bones, it couldn't stop their advance.

"Kaha-aat!"

Madness only visible on the battlefield.

The Myriad Man Manor disciples, driven insane, overwhelmed Tang Pae and Hye Yeon in an instant.