WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Damned Transmigration ◈
Chapter 154: Dark King 2
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“...Are you really all right?”
Tang Seo-woo shot Haryeong a displeased look.
“If you are enduring the pain on purpose while waiting for an opportunity, it is completely pointless.”
She was not saying this out of concern for Haryeong. She simply could not accept that the Primordial Unity Poison, which had caused Tang Seo-woo such agonizing pain, had caused Haryeong none at all.
Nor could she accept that Haryeong had formed a Poison Core in her dantian in less than a day.
Haryeong had not felt any pain at all while forming it, either.
The Poison King’s blood, the source of the Primordial Unity Poison, did flow strongly in her veins, but... was it truly possible to drink the foremost of the Dang Family’s Hundred Poisons without suffering at all?
“...Hmph.”
As expected, there was no answer. Ever since Haryeong had heard that Cloud Dragon and Sword Dragon were dead, she had gone limp as though her soul had left her body.
She occasionally screamed as if in a fit, and when they forced food and medicine into her, she clenched her mouth shut and resisted. Her soul had not truly left her, it seemed, but she was certainly no longer capable of holding a conversation.
“You will be in a great deal of pain today, Aunt.”
Tang Seo-woo sneered down at Haryeong.
They were no longer in a room, but walking down a corridor. Haryeong lay on a wheeled bed, her eyes fixed not on Tang Seo-woo’s face or the ceiling, but somewhere far away.
Tang Seo-woo looked down at those clouded, unfocused eyes with a twisted smile.
“It is completely different from diluted poison blood. Underground, everything is sticky, damp, unpleasant. Every time you draw a breath, your insides rot, and poison soaks into your organs and every drop of blood... It hurts. It hurts so, so much.”
The Dang Family’s underground cultivation chamber could not be entered without the Family Head’s permission. There lay the source of the Primordial Unity Poison, the greatest of the Hundred Poisons.
“Why don’t you try answering me?”
Tang Seo-woo narrowed her brows and poked Haryeong’s cheek with a finger.
“It has been thirteen years since you last saw the Grand Head, has it not? It should be a moving occasion, Aunt.”
The moment she said that, Haryeong’s eyes snapped toward Tang Seo-woo in a glare. Tang Seo-woo flinched, but did not withdraw her finger. Instead, she pressed hard against Haryeong’s cheek.
“What are you looking at? I’ll tear those eyes...”
“Seo-woo.”
At the sudden voice, Tang Seo-woo startled and hunched her shoulders. Tang Seo-baek stood a short distance ahead. It was impossible to tell how long he had been there.
“Go back. I will escort Aunt Yu-ryeon myself.”
“Brother? Father gave this task directly to me...”
“It is fine. Go back.”
Tang Seo-woo bit her lip at his firm tone and turned away. Tang Seo-baek took hold of the bed and slowly wheeled it forward.
“Are you all right?”
There was no response. Tang Seo-baek looked at Haryeong’s vacant face, hesitated briefly, then checked their surroundings.
The moment anyone outside the Dang Family’s direct bloodline set foot in this secret passage leading underground, countless traps would activate. That was why only Haryeong and Tang Seo-baek were in the corridor now.
[Do not answer. Just listen, Aunt. Cloud Dragon and Sword Dragon may still be alive.]
Haryeong’s eyes trembled.
[The Sect of Earth collected parts of some bodies, but those remains may not belong to Cloud Dragon and Sword Dragon. The two may have survived and be waiting for an opportunity.]
“...”
[I respect Father, but I believe this matter is profoundly unjust. Even if it is for the family... binding Aunt for the rest of her life is not enough for him. Slaughtering the two young heroes as well is too cruel.]
As Tang Seo-baek’s Voice Transmission continued, Haryeong’s eyes shook more violently.
[My subordinates are already heading to Gangyu. They are trustworthy people with no ties to the Dang Family or Salmun. I ordered them to infiltrate the Sect of Earth if necessary and identify the bodies. I will know as soon as they confirm anything.]
Haryeong bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to conceal her agitation.
[So do not despair too much, Aunt... Please endure. Even if the two young heroes truly are dead, I will not stand by and let the terrible, unjust fate crushing you pass without doing anything.]
When Haryeong had been shunned as a child by the Dang Family, Tang Seo-baek had been the only one who treated her like a person.
That was why his words calmed, even if only slightly, the emotions threatening to drive Haryeong mad with anxiety and rage.
Haryeong did not answer, but when she opened her eyes again, they were no longer as empty as before.
They arrived underground. Tang Yu-shin was already waiting before the sealed iron door. He examined Haryeong with a chilling gaze.
“Indeed.”
He sensed the Primordial Unity Poison’s Poison Core settled in her dantian. Though only one day had passed, the core was stable, and there were no signs of rejection throughout her body.
Just as Tang Yu-shin had thought, the blood of the Heavenly Slaughter Primordial Unity Art had been properly inherited.
Rumble.
When Tang Yu-shin placed a hand on the sealed door, it opened. He stepped back and gave Tang Seo-baek a look.
Tang Seo-baek lifted Haryeong from the bed and carried her into the underground cultivation chamber.
“Urgh...”
Haryeong’s body trembled. A groan she could not swallow slipped from her lips. Tang Seo-woo had been right. The air here was different. The poison qi in it alone was enough to cause a massacre.
Tang Seo-baek’s expression was not calm either. He had become a Poison Human through Primordial Unity Poison, but even he struggled before its source.
Tang Seo-baek carefully lowered Haryeong to the floor and looked at her.
‘You must endure.’
His lips moved slightly, conveying the message. Haryeong did not react and turned her head away.
Tang Seo-baek’s footsteps receded.
Rumble...
The door closed and sealed again. Every sound faded away.
In the center of the dim cultivation chamber was what had once been the Grand Head who led the Dang Family and Salmun, the Poison King, Tang Ji-hoo. Yet no humanity remained in that form.
A mass of black, writhing poison qi...
Haryeong now saw what she had not seen thirteen years ago. At the center of that inhuman mass of poison qi, which looked like mud, was something.
A man kneeling and curled in on himself.
A black dagger was embedded in his left chest. Haryeong knew what that dagger was. It was Silent Blade, the dagger symbolizing the Dang Family Head.
Haryeong’s shoulders trembled faintly.
“F... Father?”
The moment she unknowingly opened her mouth and spoke, terrible poison qi burrowed into her lungs.
She had felt no pain when they forced her to swallow diluted poison blood, but this was different. Pain wholly unlike that of the Yin-Yang Twin Gu spread throughout her body.
She could not even scream. Her whole body was so weak that she could not move.
Haryeong hugged her shoulders, curled up on the floor, and shivered.
Her mind grew faint beneath the terrible pain.
Faintly, like a dream fading from memory, someone’s face kept rising in her thoughts.
* * *
Deep in the night, three carriages entered the White Snow Trading Company estate in Jeonjung.
Guests from the west had arrived.
“Family Head.”
Estor greeted the Sword Emperor with a guilty expression. He was ashamed and remorseful that this had happened because of his own inadequacy, and that the Sword Emperor had come all the way from the distant Orsia Family.
“You fool.”
The Sword Emperor let out a heavy sigh as he looked at his grandson. His expression and tone held no rebuke.
His son and daughter-in-law had suddenly disappeared, leaving him to raise his precious grandson. Now that grandson had suffered such an absurd misfortune and barely survived through sheer luck.
The Sword Emperor stepped closer, put an arm around Estor’s shoulders, and spoke.
“I am glad you did not die.”
“I am sorry.”
“What do you have to be sorry for? That bastard Dark King is the one who has lost his mind.”
The Sword Emperor had not come alone. There was Biren, the Orsia Family’s head butler and a named NPC from the game. There was also the captain of the Orsia Family’s knights and four division captains.
All the Orsia Family’s top experts had come, people who normally never left Panteleon because they managed the Rift in Ranalsa and Foul Village.
“It has been a while.”
Elleia Yudel stepped down from another carriage. Once she confirmed for herself that Dark Blossom was indeed absent, Elleia’s brows furrowed slightly.
Elleia had seen Haryeong’s martial arts aboard the airship. She did not know the full details, but she could at least guess that Haryeong’s life had been twisted by a Transmigrator.
“I did not expect us to reunite so quickly.”
The final carriage carried Hundred Swords Gongsun Myeong, the leader of the Uicheon Sword Gate. He had come after receiving word from Yeonri Sangah.
“Thank you for coming.”
Yuri bowed deeply to the Sword Emperor’s group, Elleia, and Gongsun Myeong.
“You have no need to thank us.”
The Sword Emperor spoke.
“The Dark King attempted to kill my grandson, and the justification he used was pathetically thin. As the head of the Orsia Family, I am merely returning the favor.”
“It seems Alnair Mabeld hopes that my helping with this matter will deepen his relationship with all of you.”
Yuri had expected as much, but Elleia snorted and continued.
“However, my reason for coming differs from Alnair’s practical motives. I know you all, and I rather like you. I especially like Dark Blossom. I have no intention of standing by after hearing that the child was bound by her family and even abducted.”
“I feel the same.”
Gongsun Myeong nodded.
“I have watched the Three Heroes closely for a year and have no doubt they will lead the next generation. Yet I heard that the Dark King, a senior of the martial world even if he belongs to an Unorthodox Sect, oppressed the Three Heroes and sought to kill them. I could not possibly remain idle.”
“I, too, came here for the sake of the younger generation.”
Yeonri Sangah, summoned by jade token, spoke as well. She offered a fist-and-palm salute to the Sword Emperor’s group and Elleia, then continued.
“Sword Emperor, Cruel Mayhem. I thought we might meet again at the Righteous Heavenly Alliance’s Chivalry Assembly. I never imagined we would meet for this reason. We do not see each other often, nor could we call ourselves friends, but today, we have gathered here for the same purpose.”
Yeonri Sangah gripped the Crescent Moon Netherwedding Blade.
“Greetings and conversation can wait until this is over. I do not need rest, but what about the rest of you? Do not take offense simply because I have been waiting here.”
“I have no issue moving at once, Sister.”
Gongsun Myeong placed his hands on the twin swords at his waist. Elleia slung the greatsword she had taken from inside the carriage over her back.
“Why ask permission? Were you not planning to move at once?”
The Sword Emperor’s question settled the matter for everyone.
“The Dang Family estate lies at the center of Bi-gok Forest, with the Salmun estate beside it.”
The Faceless Killer spoke.
“Only Salmun assassins of second grade and above are allowed to reside at the estate. Second-grade assassins are at the fourth tier, first-grade assassins at the fifth, and special-grade assassins at the sixth. They are specialists in killing techniques rather than depth of martial arts, so in combat against people, they can exert strength beyond their tier.”
The Faceless Killer looked over everyone after speaking.
“Judging by the people gathered here, I doubt this information has much meaning, but I thought it best to mention it. So how will we travel? We cannot enter by carriage. The ghosts of Bi-gok Forest will drive the horses mad.”
“I do not think there is any reason to use carriages at this point.”
Yuri answered. They had ridden carriages here to deceive the Dang Family and Salmun. Now that all their fighting strength had gathered, there was no reason to remain in them.
“I will lead the way.”
There were three Martial Apex Venerables.
In addition, there was Hundred Swords, who might one day reach the Martial Apex Venerable stage, the Orsia Family’s five greatest elites, and the Faceless Killer, an assassin who could be considered second only to the Dark King.
Experts capable of fighting not only the Dang Family, but even the Righteous Heavenly Alliance or Black Dragon Society, had gathered in one place.
‘Perhaps I should have called Chuk-sin-doo too...?’
He would come if Yuri called. That was why Yuri had not called him. Their strength was already sufficient, and it would be difficult to explain to the world why Chuk-sin-doo would answer Yuri’s call.
‘He will not be upset that I did not call him, right?’
Thinking that, Yuri tightened his robe.
The Agwi’s Robe Estor had worn returned intact thanks to its self-repair function, but Yuri’s robe had no such feature.
The robe Yuri wore now was different from the one he had bought in Logos and worn for years.
That robe had been shredded beyond use when Tang Yu-shin struck him with Myriad Heavenly Flower Rain.
‘That bastard.’
There were many reasons Yuri had to kill Tang Yu-shin.
* * *
The forest beyond the Great Cemetery was blanketed in thick fog. Heavy clouds obscured the moon and stars tonight, making it difficult to see even an inch ahead in the fog-covered woods.
The ghosts wandering the forest turned back the faint-hearted. There were also many formation arrays, causing intruders who entered the forest to wander endlessly without reaching its depths.
That did not mean there were no other defenses.
Salmun assassins were stationed throughout the forest, watching for attackers. Their concealment, born from their understanding of the forest’s nature, was secretive enough that even experts of higher tiers could not see through it.
Of course, concealment meant little before an overwhelming disparity in power.
Some ten Salmun assassins guarding the forest entrance died for that reason. They could not even scream. They never realized they were under attack.
Before the masters of concealment could sense anything, sudden slashes flew in and severed their necks.
It was the sword of the Sword Emperor, second only to the Heavenly Demon among the Martial Apex Venerables. Before anyone could report it, his eyes saw the assassins’ movements, and his swung sword cleaved through space to take their heads.
“As expected of the Sword Emperor...”
Gongsun Myeong could not help but murmur in admiration.
Though their paths differed, Gongsun Myeong had devoted his life to the sword as well. The Sword Emperor was an expert every swordsman could only admire, so Gongsun Myeong’s eyes remained fixed on the Sword Emperor’s sword.
“The formation array has changed somewhat.”
The Faceless Killer returned after scouting deeper in.
“More than ten years have passed, so I expected some changes. What shall we do?”
Yuri’s eyes could find a path even within the formation array.
“Let us destroy it.”
In other circumstances, they would have chosen a way to pass through the formation array safely. But there was no need now.
Even if the formation array went wild, had not enough people gathered here to protect themselves and destroy the entire formation array itself?
“I swung my sword in secret for nothing, then.”
The Sword Emperor nodded and raised his sword before him.
Fwoooosh!
Golden light covered the blade. Before anyone could stop him, Light Sword erupted.
KRAAASH!
The forest entrance vanished beneath the light. Estor stared at the Sword Emperor in shock, his mouth open.
“I will open the way. None of you step forward.”
“Family Head?”
“Tang Yu-shin!”
The Sword Emperor roared and charged forward. Five Orsia knights followed behind him.
No one had expected the Sword Emperor to explode into action so violently, so they all froze for a moment and watched him.
“If this was what he planned to do, why did he have me scout ahead?”
The Faceless Killer turned toward Yuri and Estor with an incredulous expression.
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