Chapter 206

**Season 2, Chapter 120:** Gang Ryong takes a look at his bleeding hand and Hwan Sa says that the former seem to be having trouble recovering his wounds. He then reveals that it is not because he exhausted the power of the Dan from careless use or to excessive amounts of ki being spent to simply withstand the Thousand Circle Formation but because he made the Dan in Gang's body with his hands and it will not use its powers against him. After declaring that his foe has to fight him with only the power he had prior to obtaining the Dan, Hwan Sa reveals that due to the Grand Soul Possession Technique, he has the techniques of countless long-dead masters. In response, Gang Ryong steels himself before charging at his opponent and Hwan Sa retaliates with his whip but is unable to hit the young man due to his impressive agility. Gang then unleashes the Five Ring Iron Palmstrike technique but the Spirit Lord counters it, blasting Gang away backwards. Pausing for a moment, Gang muses about Hwan Sa's internal power and how it is more than that of someone who claims they have only trained in the way of illusions. Hwan Sa questions out loud on where Gang is looking before attacking with the Poison Hands Divine Technique, All Poison's Certain Defeat and the latter takes it on but is blown back once more. However, this time, Gang starts vomiting blood and Hwan Sa explains that the technique he used belonged to Na Jongmyeong, the Dark Deva of Poison Hands, who was said to have ruled the Murim 200 years ago. He then reveals that it is a counter to the Life Drain Technique before further explaining that it is a murder technique that destroys all blood vessels with a lethal poison from mere touch and even if someone has built immunities to poison, there are absolutely no exceptions to this technique.

Gang Ryong finishes coughing up blood and gets up with Hwan Sa angrily admonishing him for refusing to give up despite his explanations. The Spirit Lord then uses his whip to annihilate the area in front of Gang, knocking the young man onto his back. Hwan Sa tells Gang that the fight is over and that unless he leave now, he will die within 7 to 8 minutes from all of his blood vessels being destroyed. He also notes that trying to force himself to move or muster more internal strength in that state will only shorten the time he has left. However, Hwan Sa offers Gang the chance to stand by his side and that he doesn't mind if the latter uses this as an opportunity to kill him at another time. Hwan Sa then comments how even if Gang received training in the martial arts of the Supreme Overlord himself, he is not wholly of the Murim but an awkward middleman so he has no business with what Hwan Sa and Okcheonbi does to the people of the Murim. Hwan Sa's offer includes him giving his live over to Gang since the young man's goal is to kill him and end his quest to avenge his master, and the Spirit Lord considers it a bargain for anyone who only has a little to over five minutes left to live. However, Gang only focuses on Okcheonbi's name and remembers him as someone being sought after by the Sage Forest and then questions Hwan Sa if he is working with him before noting that Okcheonbi alone is not enough to fight the hidden masters of the Sage Forest so Hwan Sa intended to have Gang fight the elders in the Spirit Lord's place. Hwan Sa replies that the Asura Demon Lord is one of the greatest masters in the history of the Murim and that they are in a strategic alliance but also reveals that if the situation changes and they go their separate ways, Gang is his insurance for that day.

Taking note of Hwan Sa's powers, Gang Ryong explains that Hwan Sa can take on Okcheonbi with martial power or illusions and put him into servitude and wonders why he is taking a risk with the young man. Hwan Sa responds that since he didn't create the Dan inside Okcheonbi's body, he cannot control it and offers to help Gang utilize the full power of the Dan, which he is only able to use a fraction of at the moment. Gang Ryong vehemently refuses, declaring that he cannot ally himself with the man who tried to kill his master. In anger, Hwan Sa gruesomely impales the young man with his whip and holds him aloft before musing about how only someone who possesses a Dan can destroy the Dan, and that if Okcheonbi turns out to be an enemy, Gang will be his only counter against the Asura Demon Lord. As he prepare to finish off his opponent, Hwan Sa further muses that since Gang rejected his offer, he will simply take Gang's body in which the Dan resides and control him directly as a puppet. Meanwhile, Gang Ryong re-experiences his reunion with Song Yerin and she explains the fundamentals of illusions to him. Using balls of ice and fire as an example, she explains that even thought it was a ball of ice, the man got burns on his hand for grabbing it after being made to believe it was a ball of fire. It is false that the ball of ice is a ball of fire but to those who believe it, it becomes the truth, everything is secondary to that. Yerin further explains that true masters of illusions don't use any supporting devices to entrance someone, and that the man (Hwan Sa) who put Gang under an illusion earlier will definitely try again. She concludes that the moment Gang sees Hwan Sa, the former will already be in one of his illusions and instructs him the method to awaken himself and escape the illusion.

In reality, Gang Ryong starts bleeding from his mouth shocking Hwan Sa. Gang then grabs Hwan Sa's wrist before unleashing a powerful technique onto the latter, slaying him. The young man looks around, recognizing it as the place where he first came in and wonders if he was there the entire time.

## Appearing Characters

* Gang Ryong
* Hong Ye-Mong (flashback)
* Hwan Sa
* ***Na Jongmyeong*** (flashback)
* Sa Paecheon (flashback)
* Song Yerin (flashback)