Chapter: 918
“Eeeeeeeee—!!!”
Baek Do-ryeong screams. He tries to struggle somehow, but his trampled face remains frozen in place.
“This… this kid—!!!”
“Oh, this brat is noisy.”
Crack–!!
“Krrrrrrrrr!!!”
Goo Yang-cheon applies force with his foot, pressing down heavily.
Crack-! A sound of something breaking is heard from Baek Do-ryeong’s face.
“Don’t open your mouth carelessly. It just makes me want to rip it apart.”
“Ugh… Ugh… .”
“Do you understand? You fucking punk. Do you get what I’m saying?”
With an expressionless face, Goo Yang-cheon spews out curses.
The disciples watching him couldn’t move a muscle.
Shiver-!
Their entire bodies buzz with a tingling sensation. The energy emanating from Goo Yang-cheon was overwhelming, encroaching in all directions.
“That bastard sure knows how to ruin someone’s mood.”
Bang-!
“Cough!”
He lifted his foot for just a moment and then kicked Baek Do-ryeong right on the temple.
With that, Baek Do-ryeong’s body was about to go flying, but Goo Yang-cheon just shifted a bit and firmly grabbed the bastard by the collar.
And then…
Crack-!
“What? Live up to your status?”
Crack–!!
He repeatedly slaps Baek Do-ryeong’s cheek with his hand.
Crack-!!
“Why do you get to decide that, you son of a bitch? Who do you think you are?”
Crack-!
“Ugh… Ugh… .”
Crack—!!!
Baek Do-ryeong’s cheeks get slapped to the sides.
Each time he’s hit, a sharp crack resonates.
It wasn’t your average beating, and to prove it, Baek Do-ryeong’s cheeks grew fatter with each hit.
“Ugh… Ugh…”
After whacking him for a while, when Goo Yang-cheon finally paused for a moment.
Drip-!
Blood flows.
The blood that spilled from the bastard’s mouth dripped onto Goo Yang-cheon’s hand, which was still gripping his collar.
Plop. Plop.
Blood drops onto the floor.
Seeing this, someone finally sprang into action.
“What—what are you doing! Save the young master right now!”
The guards, apparently, tried to rush at Goo Yang-cheon.
“Hey.”
Goo Yang-cheon’s eyes sparkled as he looked at them.
“If you come any closer, I’ll kill you.”
Crack!
“Krrrrrrr… .”
As if to emphasize that he wasn’t joking, Goo Yang-cheon tightened his grip on Baek Do-ryeong’s neck.
A sound akin to shattering bones echoed through the air.
Hearing that, the guards hesitated.
“Y-You…! Do you even know who that person is and why are you doing this!”
The guards shouted urgently, but Goo Yang-cheon’s expression remained unfazed.
“Then what about you?”
“What…?”
“Do you think you know who I am and why you’re doing this?”
“…Aren’t you from the Volcano Sect?”
“Right. It’s the Volcano Sect. But let me ask you this—do you know who I really am?”
Goo Yang-cheon’s expressionless facade crumbled.
His lips curled up into a smile.
At that moment…
“Eek-!”
“…Cough…!”
Their bodies began to tremble as if they’d just seen a ghost.
That’s how terrifying Goo Yang-cheon’s smile was.
With that confident expression, the person in front of him froze in place.
Could he possibly be an important character?
“…Who are you?”
“You have no clue, do you?”
“…”
“Right, it’s perfectly normal that you don’t know. I don’t know any of you either. But…”
He raised the hand that had been gripping Baek Do-ryeong’s neck and then grabbed his cheek instead.
“Ugh… .”
“When you don’t know each other, usually you’d show some courtesy. But you guys, you fucking idiots, have none of that.”
“Ugh… Ugh…!”
Baek Do-ryeong’s suffering intensified.
“Stop right now! If you hurt the young master any further, you will regret it…”
“Regret? What happens then?”
As if challenging him to say something, the escort frowns and responds.
“Y-You’re the heir of the Baek family. If anything happens to you, the family head will certainly take action. It won’t end well for you with Hwasan either—”
Gwaaaaak!
Before he could even finish, Goo Yang-cheon laid a hand on Baek Do-ryeong again.
The guards widened their eyes, shocked.
“Ah, so in the end…”
“Ugh… .”
“This brat is nothing but a nobody if you take away his family. Well, guess that means I can kill him.”
Veins popped out of his hands.
He really intended to kill him. The guards rushed in to intervene, but…
Before they could do anything, there was someone who managed to stop Goo Yang-cheon.
It was Gubong.
Gubong was gripping Goo Yang-cheon’s wrist with a desperate expression.
“Stop… Please.”
At those words, Goo Yang-cheon turned to Gubong with a frigid glare.
At that gaze, Gubong trembled violently.
It was cold, intensely cold.
It felt as if he were looking at a stone on the ground.
No, more so than that—he felt he was being looked down upon.
Right now, Goo Yang-cheon’s eyes were definitely like that.
Gubong wanted to back away from this gaze, but he had to hold his ground.
“Please endure… Let go of Baek Do-ryeong…”
“Why?”
His tone clearly indicated he didn’t understand at all.
“Why should I let him go?” Gubong struggled to answer.
“Baek Do-ryeong is… a noble! If you harm him any further here without permission… I can’t handle the consequences.”
“Can you handle them?”
Hah.
Goo Yang-cheon chuckled at that as if he found it amusing. It was a truly vivid mockery.
“Right…”
He let go of the grip on Baek Do-ryeong.
Thud-! The guy’s body crumpled to the ground. Goo Yang-cheon kicked the man’s body, sending him flying across the ground.
His escorts rushed to support Baek Do-ryeong’s unmoving body.
“Take him and leave.”
“This bastard…!”
“If you don’t leave now, you’ll all die here.”
Swishhhh—!!
“…!!”
The guards froze in place, the aura of death enveloping them.
Seeing that, Goo Yang-cheon shifted his gaze slightly to the two major disciples.
“What are you waiting for?”
“Yes…?”
At Goo Yang-cheon’s command, the second disciple wore a blank expression. Noticing this, he clicked his tongue and continued.
“Get him out of here. Don’t just stand there gawking.”
“Ah…!”
Finally, the second disciple loosened up and hurriedly moved.
He rushed over to grab a few carts to haul them away.
Only after grabbing them did the disciples begin to question their actions.
Wait, are we allowed to follow orders like this? The thought flashed for an instant.
“Damn it! If you don’t hurry, what are you doing, you slowpokes!”
“Y-Yes, I’ll do it now!”
The second disciple, spurred on by the harsh words, sprang into action.
With that, all the carts disappeared. Goo Yang-cheon turned his gaze back to Baek Do-ryeong and the remaining group.
“What’s up, you little shits? You want to go for round two?”
“…”
The guards helping Baek Do-ryeong scowled.
“The Baek family will not let today’s incident with the volcano go easily…”
Bam-!
“Cough!”
A powerful hit landed on the face of the man who had just spoken.
Drip-! Blood seeped from his nose, and a few teeth fell from his mouth.
“Your tongue is too long. Want me to rip it out?”
“Ugh…Huh… .”
“Shut up and get lost.”
With annoyance dripping from his voice, only then did the guards start to back away hesitantly.
It felt as if countless eyes were observing them from all directions.
The abrupt commotion attracted a crowd of onlookers, but Goo Yang-cheon paid them no mind.
The two major disciples had already made their exit. After confirming this, Goo Yang-cheon turned his back.
Over there, Cheonma was staring at him without expressing any emotion.
Standing close by, Gubong looked at Goo Yang-cheon with an inscrutable expression.
Ignoring it, he tried to return to where he had been.
“Wait a moment—!”
Gubong tried to stop Goo Yang-cheon.
No, he intended to stop him.
At that moment.
Crack-!
“Ugh…!”
Goo Yang-cheon suddenly slapped Gubong across the cheek.
Gubong, his head jerked away from the impact, struggled to look back, eyes wide with shock.
“You brainless idiot.”
Goo Yang-cheon threw a look of disdain toward Gubong.
Gubong’s expression twisted into a scowl at the harsh insult.
“Why are you suddenly doing this…?”
He couldn’t comprehend it.
He should be the one who’s angry here.
“Do you even know what Your Majesty just did…?”
“What did I do?”
“You touched a noble! We shouldn’t be getting involved with them.”
He was aware that Baek Do-ryeong harbored malicious intents.
It was clear that the root cause was most likely Gubong himself.
It could have been resolved neatly without spilling over into any evil intentions.
That way, the Volcano Sect could handle the matter without affecting the other disciples.
So, it wouldn’t be a problem to kneel as much as he wished.
“You ruined everything…!”
In the end, Gubong said to Goo Yang-cheon, filled with resentment.
“How could this contract have been acquired… If this leads to hostility between the White Clan and our Volcano Sect…!”
“If it happens, then so be it.”
“… The Volcano Sect will face serious consequences. Ones we cannot manage. I took all of this into account when making my decision…!”
You ruined everything.
While Gubong spoke with that mindset, Goo Yang-cheon interrupted.
“What are you babbling about, you idiot?”
Goo Yang-cheon let out a laugh filled with mockery.
“You…!”
“Shut your mouth, you little shit.”
“…!”
Faced with the energy-laden words, Gubong found himself truly at a loss for words.
“Don’t bother trying to justify your actions.”
Goo Yang-cheon’s serious tone prompted Gubong to struggle to get a word out.
“I… was just trying to explain…”
“That’s not an explanation? Bullshit.”
Crack-!
“Ugh!”
Goo Yang-cheon tightened his grip on Gubong’s neck.
“You messed with a noble and got yourself in a heap of trouble? Oh, boo-hoo. Are you scared now? But do you know…?”
“Ugh… .”
“Why did you forget that you were the one who touched first, you bastard?”
His grip tightened even more. Goo Yang-cheon had to use every ounce of his strength to control the wavering severity.
“And yes, I punched that idiot.”
His temper flared as he continued talking.
“So what? Originally, it was your job to deal with this situation, not mine.”
“…!”
Goo Yang-cheon’s words made Gubong’s eyes widen.
He couldn’t speak at all because Goo Yang-cheon was blocking him.
“Are you holding back because you fear repercussions for touching him? What a lovely façade you’ve put up. A perfect excuse to hide your foolish thoughts.”
“Ugh… Ugh…”
“But why did you decide what to do, huh? Are you the eldest disciple? Or, did that old geezer tell you to swallow your pride and endure this shit?”
Ha ha ha ha!
Goo Yang-cheon chuckled softly.
While his mouth expressed mirth, his eyes communicated nothing of the sort.
“I doubt it. That foul-tempered old man? If he were to go through hell like this….”
In an instant, Goo Yang-cheon’s expression changed.
Gubong’s heart raced at that sight.
“If it were him, he’d either be dead or halfway there. He would never have just stood by. Do you know why?”
His eyes brimmed with conviction.
“It’s because there’s a pride that must be preserved.”
An unshakeable sense of certainty radiated from him.
“What transpires afterward? You can handle that. Why? Because it’s far better than seeing the Volcano’s beliefs and reputation being dragged through the dirt.”
“…”
“Do you think it’s easier to just endure the insults and humiliation? Oh, no. I must correct myself. You chose the easy path simply because you didn’t want to bear the burden.”
Bam!
“Ugh!”
Gubong crumpled to the floor, retching.
“Ugh… gasp… .”
Goo Yang-cheon still loomed over him as Gubong struggled to catch his breath.
“After taking action, the Volcano Sect will face difficulties. So what? Are those troubles worth more than the pride of the Volcano Sect you belong to?”
“…!”
Goo Yang-cheon’s words struck like lightning in Gubong’s mind.
“Earlier, you almost tossed the Volcano that the old man built into the trash.”
That was the crux of it.
That was what Goo Yang-cheon was really upset about.
He was furious not at Baek Do-ryeong, but at Gubong.
An annoying old man’s newly constructed sanctuary—the Volcano Sect.
No matter how long it had existed, the disciples raised under his tutelage were being overlooked.
Moreover…
The fact that they couldn’t stand up and endure such humiliation only fueled his anger.
That was the reason behind his fury.
“The kneeling you do when you mention the name of the Volcano is akin to your elder brother kneeling. Don’t you get that?”
The voice that struggled to suppress its emotions was becoming increasingly rough and intense.
“That’s just how it is. The weight of being a representative of the Volcano Sect.”
Bang-!
“Cough!”
Goo Yang-cheon kicked Gubong in the chest, sending him flying.
“Do you think everything can be resolved just by bearing all of this? You think you can ignore this son of a bitch’s nonsense?”
Crunch-! The ground cracked again as Goo Yang-cheon shifted his weight from how forcefully he was walking.
As he passed by Gubong, he stated:
“If you can’t handle it and can’t uphold your pride and you plan to live like that, then strip off those clothes right now.”
Goo Yang-cheon cast a glance at Gubong, assessing his attire as he passed.
“Because those clothes aren’t meant for someone who can’t even uphold their honor.”
With that, he walked past Gubong.
Cheonma followed behind him.
“…”
In the wake of Goo Yang-cheon’s departure, Gubong sat there, his expression blank.
For an extended period.
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