Star Instructor, Master Baek

Chapter 145: To the Valley of Evil (4)

TL: FoodieMonster007

“You’re planning to attack the Valley of Evil? Pfft… HAHAHA!” Desperate to hide the fact that he had been momentarily intimidated by Baek Suryong, the Scarlet Tiger Boss laughed derisively. “Are you stupid? Do you really think the Valley of Evil is a place just anyone can walk into?”

Unfortunately, Baek Suryong wasn’t an opponent who would be rattled by trash talk. Smirking, he sneered back, “It’s not that just anyone can’t go there. It’s that no one wants to. Who in their right mind would willingly step into a stinking garbage dump?”

“You insolent brat…” the Scarlet Tiger Boss snarled, releasing even more menacing energy.

At the sight of the white hair flying in the air, the clothes flapping wildly, and the pure black eyes focused on them, the students’ faces quickly paled.

“No way… Mr. Baek! That man is the White-Haired Demon!” Geo Sangwoong shouted, connecting the current appearance of the Scarlet Tiger Boss with the alias of an infamous villain.

Hyonwon Kang, visibly unnerved by the thick killing intent in the air, rubbed his arms to chase away the goosebumps. “Who’s the White-Haired Demon?”

“He’s one of the murim’s most notorious criminals, and is responsible for the slaughter of dozens of Murim Alliance warriors and hundreds of innocent civilians. He’s also a disciple of the Bloody Ripper, one of the Ten Great Villains,” Geo Sangwoong explained.

As the words sunk in, the faces of the other students grew grim.

“Good heavens…”

“What’s a guy like that doing hiding out in the Scarlet Tiger Gang?”

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Can Mr. Baek really win? Unease spread across the faces of the students as they glanced between the White-Haired Demon and Baek Suryong. The White-Haired Demon was an infamous martial arts master in his prime. Baek Suryong was undoubtedly strong, but could he truly defeat a demon from the unorthodox sects, someone feared throughout the entire jianghu?

Noticing their anxiety, the White-Haired Demon smiled. “Fufu, it seems my fame is still undiminished. Look how frightened your students are.”

“Tsk tsk, that’s not fame, it’s infamy. Don’t you have any shame, boasting like that? Well, I guess you don’t, seeing as you’re hardly a decent human being,” Baek Suryong taunted.

“Are you incapable of keeping your mouth shut…? Fine, I’ll tear it apart for you.”

In a flash, the White-Haired Demon’s form blurred. Before anyone realized it, he was already standing in front of Baek Suryong and slashing toward Baek Suryong’s face.

Fortunately, Baek Suryong drew his sword, Moon Shadow, just in time to block the attack.

CLANG!

The force of the blow sent Baek Suryong sliding back over three meters, while the White-Haired Demon stood unmoved, laughing.

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“I-I could barely see what happened!”

“They were so fast…”

The students’ faces drained of color as they replayed the scene in their minds. The speed the White-Haired Demon had just displayed was on an entirely different level than before he started using demonic arts.

“Hey, Teacher. Just because you got a sneak attack in, you thought you were stronger than me? Hmph! Sneak attacks are for the weak. A real master doesn’t need such tricks,” the White-Haired Demon sneered.

Hmm, this isn’t some ordinary demonic art. He’s mixing it with deceptive footwork, Baek Suryong thought, wordlessly wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his hand. Though slight, the first attack had left him with internal injuries.

Ignoring Baek Suryong, the White-Haired Demon cast his sinister-looking eyes toward the students. “I’m going to kill all of you right here, right now, then take my disciple to the Valley of Evil. If you want to blame someone, blame your teacher for bringing you here.”

The students gritted their teeth as the overwhelming killing intent washed over them, yet not a single one of them backed down. Every one of them stood their ground, ready to fight.

The White-Haired Demon let out a sigh of amusement, “Well, you’ve all got some guts. Staying conscious in the face of my killing intent? That’s something, at least.”

His creepy, glossy black eyes slithered over each student, making them flinch as he licked his lips. “You know what? I’ve changed my mind. I’ll take one more disciple. Whoever kneels first will get the chance.”

He grinned, fully expecting at least one of Baek Suryong’s students to waver. However, he couldn’t have been more wrong.

“Fucking bastard.”

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“Shut up and fight us.”

“I’d rather bite my tongue and die than become your disciple.”

“Who the hell do you think you are, spewing nonsense like that?”

All of the students glared at him, boldly rejecting his offer.

“How dare you…!” the White-Haired Demon growled, his killing intent growing even more oppressive.

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Before he could make another move, however, Baek Suryong stepped forward, blocking his path.

Smiling in satisfaction, Baek Suryong laughed, “Did you hear that? My unruly students would rather die than become your disciple.”

“You think they’ll still be able to talk like that after I rip out their eyes and sever their limbs?”

“It’s pointless to imagine something that’ll never happen,” Baek Suryong scoffed, releasing his own aura and causing his eyes to glow crimson once more as he invoked the Heaven Defying Divine Art, though his hair color remained unchanged.

Without looking back, he warned his students, “You kids stay back, or you might get caught in the crossfire.”

“Fufu, shouldn’t you be more concerned with your own survival?” the White-Haired Demon chuckled. Moving like a ghost, he appeared suddenly in front of Baek Suryong, saying, “You should be thinking about escaping, not worrying about others.”

The two clashed again, sword meeting claws. Soon, Baek Suryong found himself being pushed back again.

“I will kill you in the most brutal way possible, right in front of your students,” the White-Haired Demon leaned in and whispered in Baek Suryong’s ear, his breath hot.

Baek Suryong scrunched up his nose. “You don’t brush your teeth, do you?”

“Hmph. I’ll enjoy seeing how long you can keep running that mouth.”

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The battle dragged on, and Baek Suryong subtly furrowed his brows. Each clash of weapons sent tremors through his body, worsening his internal injuries. Aside from Namgung Jaehak and Skysword, the two Ten Supremes he had previously met, this White-Haired Demon was undeniably the most formidable opponent he had ever faced.

Should I unleash the Heaven Defying Divine Art at full power? No, I can’t. Once I reach the Seventh Star, I’ll be able to hide the physical changes, but now… Damn it!

Baek Suryong bit his lip. His eyes were already red. If he used the Heaven Defying Divine Art at full strength, his hair would also turn red, and as far as he knew, the Heaven Defying Divine Art was the only martial art in existence that would turn both a person’s eyes and hair red at the same time. Therefore, he couldn’t risk anyone witnessing that transformation, not even his own students.

Noticing the crimson glow in Baek Suryong’s eyes, the White-Haired Demon sneered, “Blood-red eyes? Aren’t you also a demonic martial artist?”

“Don’t be silly, demonic arts make people ugly, just like you. What I’ve mastered is a divine art.”

“I’ll rip that fucking mouth apart!” Angered, the White-Haired Demon’s energy surged as he slashed down even more ferociously, sending ten waves of claw qi ripping through the air that shredded everything in their path.

Even Baek Suryong’s clothes were torn under the relentless attack, spraying blood in every direction.

“Mr. Baek!”

“That bastard!”

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Shocked and angry, the students launched their attacks. Hyonwon Kang hurled his blade qi at the White-Haired Demon, while Geo Sangwoong and Ya Suhyeok charged in, fists wrapped in swirling winds. Yeo Min, her lips pressed together in determination, reached for her hidden weapons, ready to throw them at any moment.

However, Baek Suryong, still facing away from them, said calmly, “I thought I told you guys to stay back.”

“But…”

“Don’t you trust me?”

The simple question made the students freeze in their tracks, putting an end to any further attempts to intervene. Blood continued to drip from the wounds that were visible through his torn martial arts uniform, but the sight of Baek Suryong standing tall and unshaken reassured them.

The White-Haired Demon raised his reddened hands in the air, his expression manic with glee. “Kuhaha! You actually managed to block that? Impressive! But you know what? With your pathetic martial arts, it’s impossible for you to defeat the world’s greatest technique, the Blood Jade Claws!”

With those words, his dagger-sharp claws grew even longer. Mastering the Blood Jade Claws had made his hands powerful enough to crush stone like tofu and tear steel like paper.

Baek Suryong’s eyebrow twitched. “…My pathetic martial arts?”

The Heaven Defying Divine Art was the most destructive martial art in existence. If he unleashed its full power right now, he was certain that he would not only be able to kill the White-Haired Demon in an instant, but he could also leisurely rip out his claws, crush his limbs, and slowly torture that smug grin off his face.

“Trash like you…” Baek Suryong began, but he was immediately interrupted.

“Kuhahaha!” The White-Haired Demon threw his head back, laughing like a madman, his voice echoing through the sky. “The Blood Jade Claws is the greatest martial art in the world! I’ll train my disciple to become the strongest master and prove it to everyone!”

At that moment, Baek Suryong realized his mistake. Confronted with such a powerful martial art, he had let his desire to crush the opponent with sheer strength take over. He had been tempted to overpower the White-Haired Demon simply to prove the superiority of the Heaven Defying Divine Art.

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Baek Suryong shook his head. When did I start thinking like this?

In the past, even though his qi center was damaged and he couldn’t use any inner arts, he had still managed to fight his way out of every unfavorable situation that he’d run into. Relying on brute force alone had never been his style.

Besides, I’m not even at a disadvantage now.

In addition to the Heaven Defying Divine Art, Baek Suryong had also mastered the ultimate techniques left by his four masters, but in his anger over Wiji Cheon’s poisoning, he seemed to have forgotten that.

His hair, which had begun turning red, returned to its original color, and the blood-red glow in his eyes faded.

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Seeing this, the White-Haired Demon clicked his tongue in frustration. “You’re giving up already? How disappointing.”

“There’s no need to be disappointed. Warmup’s over, and our fight is only just beginning,” Baek Suryong replied with a slight smile as his entire demeanor changed, becoming more relaxed, his movements smoother. Turning to his anxious students, he lectured, “Pay attention. I’ll show you how to use the martial arts I taught you in real combat.”

With that, Baek Suryong began to display, one after another, the forgotten techniques of four absolute murim masters.

Geo Sangwoong and Ya Suhyeok watched the battle with their mouths agape, their eyes transfixed on Baek Suryong.

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“His defense is rock solid…”

“But also… so dexterous and versatile…”

Baek Suryong’s muscles, honed by the Eighteen Strikes of the Viridian Forest, were as hard as stone, yet somehow, they moved with astonishing flexibility. In one moment, he would explode with power, and in the next, he flowed like water, deflecting attacks with effortless grace.

“How is that even possible?”

“Do you think we’ll ever be able to do that?”

The precision with which Baek Suryong controlled every part of his body sent chills down their spines, leaving them in awe—not just as students, but also as martial artists who specialized in outer arts.

Beside them, Hyonwon Kang’s eyes widened in shock. “The Asura Blood Heaven Blade…”

Although Baek Suryong was using a sword instead of a dao, Hyonwon Kang, who had learned the martial art, could tell that the essence of his technique, with its distinctive might, unmistakably belonged to the Asura Blood Heaven Blade.

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“S-So that’s the real Asura Blood Heaven Blade…” he murmured, suddenly feeling small and inadequate. Up until this moment, he thought he had learned the technique properly, but now he realized that he had only grasped the form without the substance.

Clenching his fists in renewed determination, he swore to himself, “One day, I’ll definitely…”

Just then, the Asura Blood Heaven Blade slashed through the White-Haired Demon’s shoulder, drawing a scream of agony.

“Keuaaah! Damn you! Get away from me!” the White-Haired Demon roared, releasing ten waves of claw qi from both hands.

In response, Baek Suryong easily stepped aside, smoothly dodging the attack with the Ice Moon Goddess’s signature technique, the Snow Shadow Steps.

Mesmerized by the sight, Yeo Min whispered, “How beautiful…”

Despite the deadly web of claw qi filling the air, Baek Suryong danced through it all, not leaving even a shadow behind.

“Keuaaah! You damned rat!” the White-Haired Demon shrieked in fury, wildly swinging his hands. Claw qi slashed and tore through the air, destroying everything around them, yet not a single strike touched Baek Suryong.

Baek Suryong calmly came to a halt and raised his sword into a mid-guard position.

“T-That… That’s the Unlimited Sword’s starting stance…” Wiji Cheon mumbled, sensing the overwhelming power emanating from the blade despite his vision being clouded by the poison.

One by one, Baek Suryong flawlessly demonstrated the martial arts he had taught his students.