The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Novel - Chapter 159

Chapter 159
Chapter 159. The Black Flame Dragon Who Calms the Chaos (4)

“Blaze!”

“Fire! Over here!”

“Arouse all the men!”

As the conflagration originating from the pavilion began consuming everything around it, panic rippled through the Mukhyul Gang, catching them completely off guard at the most disastrous hour imaginable.

Fighters so heavily intoxicated that they struggled to fasten their garments reeled about, tossing buckets of water onto the blazing structure, yet the inferno refused to relent.

A heavy wheel hurtling down a steep slope will never halt unless it slams into a solid boulder.

The nine factions of Yueyang’s Black Path, spearheaded by the Mukhyul Gang and the Black Axe Palace, were not going to halt their military campaign merely because the Gang Chief of the Mukhyul Gang had perished.

The underbelly of Yueyang was that runaway wheel.

And the only boulder capable of halting their momentum was, ironically, the very strategy they themselves had employed for ages—

‘Instilling pure terror.’

With the demise of the Mukhyul Gang Chief, the second-in-command would simply take the reins.

Should the Deputy Gang Chief fall, the Black Axe Palace would gladly take charge instead of the Mukhyul Gang.

The only method to halt such individuals was to force them to realize that their own necks were on the chopping block.

Furthermore, this could not apply merely to the low-ranking foot soldiers who were treated as disposable pawns, but rather to the leadership who held actual decision-making power.

“The perspective of those in high positions is generally identical.”

Even when looking at the Murim Alliance, one could count on a single hand the number of strategists willing to forfeit their own existences like worthless weeds.

Therefore, I harbored absolutely no expectations that these criminal dregs of the Black Path would possess greater honor than those hypocrites of the White Path bastards.

“Rouse the youngsters! The blaze is advancing!”

“Most of our men are deployed at the Yujang Sect, so our numbers here are severely depleted.”

“In that case, drag the local peasants from their beds! Inform them to assist unless they wish to perish!”

The sight of the massive residence belonging to the Gang Chief engulfed in a sea of fire only intensified their desperation.

Observing this chaos from a distance, I utilized the Ghost-Breathing Step once again, darting toward the sector most removed from the blazing inferno.

‘The real work starts now.’

Due to the immense light radiating from the burning structure, a deep, expansive shadow enveloped my current position.

Concealing my presence within this darkness by executing the Ghost-Breathing Great Art, I slinked through the ranks of the Mukhyul Gang, scanning exclusively for individuals issuing commands.

“Hey, you worthless trash! Move faster! What are you standing around for?!”

In a nearby area, a colossal man was shouting profanities, radiating bloodlust.

Brandishing an axe that rivaled the dimensions of a human torso, he seemed fully prepared to cleave in two any underling who dared hesitate, ensuring that the ordinary members of the Mukhyul Gang gave the massive warrior a wide berth.

Slipping through the darkness, I crept directly behind the massive figure.

He must have caught a faint inkling of my approach, as he growled an oath and lashed out with his arm.

“Hey, you prick! Just who do you think you…?”

SQUELCH.

Feeling an unfamiliar object piercing into his sternum, the giant slowly tilted his gaze downward.

“What position do you hold within the Mukhyul Gang?”

“…”

He offered no reply. When I gave his shoulder a light nudge, the massive warrior’s breathing had already ceased.

“Ah, modern complications… I truly intended to deliver only a superficial flesh wound.”

Hauling the massive corpse into a secluded corner hidden from view, I dove back into the gloom to seek out another prime target.

Regrettably, because everyone was desperately combating the flames, the figures who appeared to be high-ranking officers were clustered too near the burning structure, making it impossible to single one out.

Consequently, I redirected my focus toward the common footsoldiers.

“Wait, who exactly are you…?”

SQUELCH.

“Hey! Why aren’t you hauling water…?”

SQUELCH.

Engaging in open combat was entirely unnecessary.

As I quietly extinguished the lives of those individuals too distracted by their buckets to notice their surroundings, new recruits unwittingly stepped forward to replace them.

In no time at all, the cramped passageway behind the structure where I was stacking the bodies became so choked with corpses that there was nowhere left to plant a foot.

‘I must penetrate deeper into the compound.’

CRASH—

At that precise moment, a major section of the hall gave way under the intense heat, crumbling downward and showering the surrounding area with embers.

“Get back! The inferno is leaping!”

“Clear out, you idiots!”

“The Chief! Has anyone located the Gang Chief?!”

With the destruction of the main hall, the adjacent building immediately ignited.

The remaining men, already gripped by panic, abandoned all attempts to suppress the disaster, casting aside their containers as they stampeded in wild directions.

BOOM.

Ultimately, the primary estate imploded entirely, transforming the entire perimeter encompassing the Grand Training Ground and the Grand Riding Ground into a raging ocean of embers.

“The flames are reaching that side as well! Fetch more water!”

“We are completely out of pails.”

“Then shovel dirt over it, you morons!”

While everyone’s attention was locked onto the secondary building,

I silently drifted behind a few bewildered fighters.

Right as I prepared to seize one by the neck and pierce his windpipe,

an unrecognized voice echoed from directly above me.

“You certainly possess a reckless amount of nerve.”

“!”

Glancing upward in a fraction of a second, I saw a multitude of descending foot-prints blanketing the sky.

CRACK—

Desperately executing the Taeul Eighty-Thousand Divine Steps to evade the onslaught, the solid foundation constructed of Blue Steel Stone splintered beneath me, sending sharp shards of rock spraying through the air.

‘To think his raw strength could achieve this…’

I was well aware that the kicking methods of Snake Evil were categorized as an Ultimate Art, but it was beyond my imagination that a strike completely devoid of internal qi could obliterate Blue Steel Stone so cleanly.

“You fled from our previous encounter only to return so soon. Do you truly find me so non-threatening?”

An older warrior drifted down from the rooftops, keeping his hands bound together behind his torso.

With a pointed goatee that accentuated his sly demeanor, he smirked and remarked,

“Rumor had it that the Black Flame Dragon was nothing more than a loudmouth, yet the techniques you employ are rather unusual.”

“You have mistaken me; I am not the Black Flame Dragon.”

“I corporate identified you myself during the Black Path Night March.”

Blast it, so he was among the underworld thugs present at that assembly?

“Oh, so we share a brief history. In that case, would you mind stepping out of the way? This matter is strictly between myself and the Mukhyul Gang.”

Snake Evil twirled a lock of his facial hair around his finger while replying.

“To be absolutely accurate, it is a dispute involving the Mukhyul Gang and the Yujang Sect.”

“Why exert yourself to this extent when your benefactor has already breathed his last?”

“My policy dictates that compensation must be received beforehand.”

“Heh, anyone who relies on the financial integrity of a Black Path scoundrel deserves to be swindled.”

“Hehehe. For someone whose techniques strongly resemble those of a Daoist sect, your rhetoric is remarkably vulgar, akin to a common street hoodlum.”

Maintaining his posture with hands tucked away, Snake Evil hoisted his right leg and lashed out in an eightfold snapping motion resembling a whip.

THUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUD!

Despite my rigorous conditioning in external arts and the protective layer of qi I had deployed, the sheer impact of his near-misses produced an agonizing sensation, as though my skeletal frame was on the verge of fracturing.

Furthermore, the initiation and trajectory of his kicks outpaced the thrusts of the quickest blades, leaving me entirely unable to exploit a single flaw in his stance.

Though I attempted to back away to create space to brandish the Black Dragon Sword, Snake Evil relentlessly closed the gap, denying me the opportunity.

I threw out some idle remarks in hopes of provoking a momentary lapse in his concentration.

“My true mastery lies in my blade. Surely you wish to see my ultimate swordsmanship?”

“Haha! Are you referring to the very technique that slew the Mukhyul Gang Chief? I am far too cautious to indulge such curiosity.”

Evidently, his tactical awareness far surpassed that of those simpletons from the Sojeong Squad bastards.

THUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUD!

Unleashing his Kick Qi across three separate vectors, he cordoned off the area so perfectly that not a drop of moisture could slip past, and whenever I attempted to pull back, he menaced me with an even more devastating strike to keep me pinned.

“Do you honestly believe you can flee from me, brat?”

The moment I tried to close in and upend his balance, he exploited the tight quarters to hammer against my upper leg, each strike transmitting a violent vibration that threatened to disrupt my footing.

‘His adaptability is staggering.’

This style was not forged in sterile arenas or structured training halls; it was a brutal, pragmatic close-range methodology born purely from life-or-death struggles.

Consequently, an identical motion could catch me completely off guard as if it were entirely new, while a distinct technique carried the familiar rhythm of the previous one.

Though only a brief interval had elapsed, our prolonged engagement was drawing the attention of the Mukhyul Gang, who began turning their eyes toward us.

Should this confrontation drag on, the psychological terror I intended to weaponize would lose its efficacy, forcing me to exert every ounce of effort to break away.

Knowing when to fall back was a vital component of strategy.

“Are you intent on fleeing once more?”

“I happen to have a prior engagement.”

“Allow me to inform them on your behalf that you will be unable to attend.”

“No thank you. I am a firm believer in face-to-face communication.”

Pushing the Taeul Eighty-Thousand Divine Steps to its absolute limit, I manifested three afterimages to misdirect him.

Simultaneously, I unleashed the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist to obscure Snake Evil’s sight, transitioning seamlessly into the Holy Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand to target his critical Vital Acupoints.

In a frantic maneuver, he contorted his frame and discharged a wave of Kick Qi to deflect the incoming Holy Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand.

POP, POP, POP, POP, POP, POP!

Blazing fragments erupted in all directions amidst a succession of detonations.

“I noticed this previously, but that heat is far from conventional. What school of martial arts produces such a technique?”

“An honorable blaze destined to purge the wickedness of the Black Path.”

Uttering those words, I dissolved the manifestation of the Holy Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand, carved out a brief window of opportunity, pivoted my stance, and channeled power into my lower limbs.

Yet, right then, Snake Evil uttered a baffling phrase.

“Hands off, he belongs to me. Do not interfere.”

Prickle.

The remark was unmistakably directed at someone else entirely.

Reacting instantly to an eerie sensation racing up my spinal column, I ducked my head as low as possible.

SWIIIISH—

Accompanied by a keen whistling sound slicing through the air, several strands of my hair were shorn away, drifting down to the earth.

‘…How did I fail to detect his approach?’

Glancing at the fallen strands, Snake Evil shook his head in disapproval.

“Tsk, tsk. I explicitly ordered you to stay away from my quarry.”

“Snake Evil, our client is deceased. Cease your idle games.”

“Look at that, didn’t I warn you? Advance payments are always necessary.”

“…”

Why on earth was he falling into a somber mood right in the thick of combat?

Ah, I truly hated this.

One individual kept grinning and making quips despite the demise of his paymaster, while his companion threw a silent tantrum like a toddler over unreceived funds.

Granted, the Orthodox Path of the murim had its fair share of eccentrics, but they appeared remarkably sane when measured against these lunatic Black Path figures.

“Look at that. Your walking debt contract is trying to slip away.”

Stop referring to human beings as financial documents, you madman!

Spurred by Snake Evil’s comment, Sword Evil shifted his gaze and materialized directly in front of me in the blink of an eye, completely obstructing my path of escape.

“Halt your flight, debt contract.”

“Show some basic human decency, will you?!”

As I deployed the Twin Heaven Sword Formula to hem Sword Evil in from every angle, his eyebrow twitched slightly.

Suddenly, Sword Evil’s blade accelerated to such a degree that it transformed into a formless shimmer.

WHIZZ— WHIZZ— WHIZZ— WHIZZ— WHIZZ—

I found myself utterly stunned by the methodology employed by Sword Evil.

Incredible as it was, he chose to completely ignore the distinction between phantom blades and tangible steel.

Phantoms only function if they manage to deceive the mind.

If an individual treats every single manifestation as real and slashes through all of them indiscriminately, deception becomes impossible.

While such an approach sounded absurdly simplistic on paper, witnessing its practical execution left me genuinely impressed.

To the point where I found myself secretly wishing to master it.

“What was the sum promised to you?”

“A substantial amount.”

“I am entirely capable of matching or exceeding that sum.”

“State your figure.”

“How does ten thousand gold taels sound?”

Sword Evil’s brow twitched once more.

Unbelievable, did he genuinely entertain such an absurd offer?

“…How should I proceed?”

“Kindly eliminate these Mukhyul Gang lackeys along with that annoying Snake Evil over there.”

Overhearing our negotiation, Snake Evil scoffed and unleashed a burst of Kick Qi.

“You utter simpleton, why are you actually considering his words?!”

“…”

Sword Evil adopted a sullen expression, letting out a sigh before shaking his head.

“Snake Evil possesses an awful disposition. He maintains animosity. He will harass me indefinitely.”

Evading the incoming Kick Qi from Snake Evil by executing an Iron Bridge maneuver, I suggested, “In that case, wouldn’t it be simpler to just end his life right here?”

“Should Snake Evil perish, my employment opportunities vanish.”

“Are the two of you companions?”

Snake Evil answered in his stead.

“We have known each other since our youth, if you must know.”

I see.

So they shared a lifelong bond.

“This perfectly illustrates why the elders always warn us to select our associates wisely.”

“He managed to earn his title among the Eight Evils solely through my guidance.”

True to Snake Evil’s claim, their extensive history of fighting alongside one another allowed them to seamlessly compensate for each other’s vulnerabilities.

Attacking my upper frame, Sword Evil kept me completely overwhelmed, while Snake Evil systematically disrupted my footing from below.

Contending with either individual on their own would have been an arduous task, but being forced to engage both simultaneously rendered any notion of flight entirely impossible.

I started formulating a strategy while meticulously analyzing and imprinting their respective techniques into my memory.

“Do you truly consider it a badge of honor to have derailed your companion’s life path?”

“To an entity like the Black Flame Dragon, a terrible reputation is indistinguishable from renown.”

Dammit, when exactly did my moniker transform into a symbol of wickedness?

The retort nearly burst from my lips, but I forced it down as a sharp edge unexpectedly materialized centimeters from my vision.

‘How can a blade technique be so entirely devoid of intent?’

Confirming that my prior intuition had been completely accurate, Sword Evil’s swordsmanship offered absolutely no warning signs this time either.

Disregarding its sheer velocity, the fact that my perception failed to register its trajectory meant I could not afford to avert my focus for even a split second.

Yet the moment I locked my attention onto Sword Evil, Snake Evil would relentlessly assault my lower extremities.

“Look over there! The infiltrator is in that sector!”

The surrounding Mukhyul Gang warriors, who had previously been preoccupied with suppressing the blaze, started assembling around us in increasing numbers.

In response, I channeled the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist infused with the Holy Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand through one arm, while simultaneously utilizing the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven-Earth Sword Formula with my opposite hand to manifest a pair of blades from the Ten Thousand Swords.

POP, POP, POP.

As the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist collided head-on with Snake Evil’s kicking style, bursts of fire erupted in every direction.

CLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANG!

The remnants of the Twin Heaven Sword Formula deployed via the Ten Thousand Swords were forcefully pulverized by the precise strikes of Sword Evil’s weapon.

Had I been able to saturate them with Sword Qi, their durability would have increased significantly, but the relentless pressure from Snake Evil left me without the breathing room required to do so.

Within moments, the surrounding Mukhyul Gang underlings found themselves unable to intervene directly due to the violent shockwaves of our clash, yet they maintained a menacing posture, poised to spring forward with their blades at the slightest opening.

“Yield now, debt contract. Lest you lose an arm.”

“…”

True to his assessment, the sheer desperation required to coordinate my weapon and strikes left me without the breath to utter an oath.

My position felt akin to a stray pebble trapped within a tightly meshed set of gears.

It was undeniably a perilous predicament where a deviation of a mere millimeter would result in a fatal blow.

In a high-stakes gamble, I lunged forward directly into their personal space.

Sword Evil’s edge scraped a hair’s breadth above my brow, while the striking edge of Snake Evil’s boot tore a bloody gash across my thigh.

‘This is the moment!’

Pulling back the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist, I extended my left hand directly toward Sword Evil.

“Do you truly believe you can afford to absorb my strike?”

Snake Evil channeled a massive amount of internal qi into his leg, delivering a full-power kick.

The sheer momentum behind it possessed enough destructive capability to completely shatter my skeletal structure and tear through my flesh.

Employing my retracted left hand, I boldly gripped the bare metal of Sword Evil’s blade.

My flesh immediately tore apart, causing a violent spray of crimson to erupt.

“What?!”

Exploiting Sword Evil’s momentary shock, I activated Lotus, the pinnacle of the Transplanting Flower and Grafting Tree Art, utilizing every ounce of my energy to forcibly redirect the trajectory of Sword Evil’s Sword Path straight into the path of Snake Evil’s incoming foot.

SQUELCH—.

BOOM!

The twin echoes of tearing tissue and the violent detonation of condensed internal qi reverberated through the air.